A/N: This is one of those you'll either love or hate. I liked it and kept it, but I won't judge if you hate where I went with this conflict. Think about it with power scaling and you should understand why I did what I did
{May 18th, 078}
"Good morning, my little Genin," Naruto waved. "Everyone ready for our first mission outside the village?"
"Yeah! We're gonna kick bandit ass! Isn't that right, Akamaru?"
"Arf!" Akamaru agreed.
"Are you excited, Sasuke?" Sakura asked hopefully.
"Mildly," he replied coolly. The rest of the group just blinked at him in surprise. "What?"
"I don't think I've heard you say anything other than 'hn' the entire time we've been a team," Kiba chuckled.
"H-whatever…"
Naruto smiled at this. "Well, Tazuna, you heard the kiddies. Are you ready to go?"
"If you insist," he grumbled. "I still don't trust you or those brats."
"Like I said earlier, if it'd make you more comfortable, I can summon some foxes for you," the redhead reminded him.
Tazuna glanced at the petrified Genin, all of them shaking their heads aggressively. "I...think I'll pass."
"Suit yourself." Naruto approached the two Chunin gate guards. "Team 7 to depart for the Land of Waves."
"Eh? Oh, hey, Naruto," the guard, Kotetsu, waved. "Wait...Naruto? You have a team?"
"Yep. These three little Genin are my team."
"Never thought I'd see the day when the One-Eyed Demon Fox of the Leaf gets a team," Izumo shivered. "You're a lot braver than you look, kids."
"Naruto-sensei what are they-" Sakura tried to ask.
"I do have two eyes, you know," he said, never abandoning the smile. "But if you see the second one...it means you have to die."
"I-I t-think I'll pass!" Izumo gulped.
"So, are we good to go?"
"Y-yeah, go right ahead," Kotetsu waved them along. The two guards watched the group of confused Genin, one smiling redhead, and an old civilian walk out of the village. "That guy still freaks me out…"
"Well, they say he has full control over the Kyuubi," Izumo pointed out.
"And? If anything, that makes him scarier."
"Point taken. Wonder if what he said is true...I mean, Kakashi has two eyes but keeps one covered like that."
"Yeah, but Kakashi has a Sharingan from his old teammate, remember? That's different."
"I guess so."
{May 19th, 078}
"Sensei," Kiba groaned. "This is boring!"
"Well, you're the one who asked for a C-ranked mission," Naruto answered simply. "Besides, we'll take a break for lunch soon. Another hour or so. And we should be at Tazuna's place tomorrow evening."
"I wouldn't have said anything if I knew we were just gonna be walking! I was hoping to fight some bandits or something…" Kiba grumbled.
"Stupid dog-boy!" Sakura scolded. "Don't go asking for trouble!"
"Sakura has a point. Our mission is to keep Tazuna safe. If nothing happens, that means your mission is a success. We get there, get back, and get paid." As Naruto was talking, no one except the redhead noticed the puddle on the ground. 'Hmmm…'
"Don't go dragging me into your ninja entertainment," Tazuna snapped. "I'll be more than happy to build my bridge with nothing coming after me."
"While that is true, one should always be prepared for anything," the redhead lectured. "For example, when your back is to the enemy-"
"NARUTO-SENSEI! BEHIND YOU!" Sakura shouted as two figures, who had emerged from the puddle moments earlier, wrapped their sensei in a sharp-looking chain and pulled.
"That's one down," one of them grunted as the two pulled their chains, ripping the redhead into chunks.
"Now to get the bridge builder!" the second declared, running forward alongside his partner.
Each one of the men had a large gauntlet where the bladed chain was attached, wore Hidden Mist headbands, and had masks over their faces, only showing their solid white eyes. Both had long brown hair, one spiky and one straight, and were armed to the teeth. The right-most ninja had on a dark cloak covering most of his camouflage attire, while the left one wore gray camouflage underneath a tan short-sleeved tunic.
"Oh, no you don't!" Kiba growled, getting onto all fours. "Ninja-Art, All Fours Jutsu!"
"Sakura, the bridge builder!" Sasuke ordered, shooting forward ahead of Kiba.
"Tch, kill the brats first," one of the two ordered.
"Right!"
Sasuke threw two shuriken, one at each enemy, and then a final one after a slight delay aimed at their chain. The first two were deflected by the gauntlet, while the third was unable to take the weight of the chain and bounced off before it managed to do much.
"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, but pulled out a kunai and charged the right-most shinobi.
"Fang Passing Fang!" Kiba yelled, spinning into a high-speed spiral of clawing death towards the second.
"Kill him!"
"On it!" The Mist shinobi that was being targeted by Kiba attempted to use his thick gauntlet to deflect the attack, but it proved too powerful and severed the connection to his partner by snapping the chain and launching him backward against a tree.
"Gozu!" the other shouted before attempting to go through hand seals before Sasuke reached him. "Water-Style, Gun-WHOOAAAA~!"
"Hmm," Naruto hummed, having used his Heavenly Attraction to hold the shinobi in his hand by the back of his shirt. "Now, who exactly are you? Loyalists of Yagura, perhaps?"
"What the hell?" he grunted, attempting to spin around and gut the redhead with his claw.
"Tsk, tsk," Naruto scolded, easily catching the claw before any damage could be done. "You were going after the bridge builder, weren't you. Well, I can't have that. Almighty Push!"
The three Genin watched as the Mist shinobi rocketed towards the treeline, impacting his partner who had just managed to stand up, sending the two into blissful unconsciousness.
"A fine job, all around," he praised, smiling brightly. "Sasuke, way to take the lead. Kiba, you worked well with Sasuke. And Sakura, while you didn't fight directly, having you as our support is the general battle plan, so protecting the bridge builder was the right call."
"Naruto-sensei!" Sakura cheered, running up to him. "I thought you were killed!"
"Someone needs to be a bit more observant." Naruto gestured towards where his 'body' was, but in reality, it was a splintered log that he had replaced with before being segmented. "Now, was anyone injured?"
"As if those guys could touch me! They were nothing but a-"
"Arf! Arf-arf! Grrr~," Akamaru barked and growled lightly at his partner.
"Shut up, boy! It's nothing!" Kiba hissed, trying to nonchalantly hide his left arm.
"Well, that's good. If no one is injured then we can move on. Because if someone was injured," the Jonin spoke slowly. "They would surely be killed. The weapons our opponents were using contained a high amount of very lethal poison. I guess this antidote will just-"
"POISON?!" Kiba shouted. "Alright, fine! He got my arm!"
"Better. There's no shame in admitting you got injured, Kiba," Naruto scolded, approaching the Inuzuka and examining the wound. It was a shallow gash on his arm. If not for the poison, it would be a quick thing to bandage and ignore. "Oh, well, looks like you're going to die."
"WHAT?!"
"Just kidding!"
"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, ASSHOLE!"
"Sakura, come here for a moment," Naruto gestured.
"What is it, Naruto-sensei?"
"I'd like for you to treat Kiba."
"What? Why me?"
"Well, for starters, as you've shown, you have excellent chakra control. You do, however, have horrible reserves, but we can work on that. Medic-nin are a rarity, as the required chakra control is difficult to learn. Because of that, I'd like for you to take some basic lessons as a medic-nin in the near future. Giving Kiba the antidote and bandaging him up a bit can be like your first baby step."
"A-alright, sensei, if you think I should…"
"Excellent. Here's everything you need."
Naruto, Tazuna, and even Sasuke watched as Sakura read through the instructions on the antidote her sensei had given her, helped Kiba take it, and applied a salve to his wound. After that, she took some medical gauze and wrapped it tightly to close it and stem any blood flow.
"Was that ok, sensei?" Sakura asked timidly.
"As far as I saw, it sure was. Kiba, how do you feel?"
"As good as new! Right, Akamaru?"
"Arf!" the puppy agreed, leaping back into the boy's hoodie. "Arf!"
"Very good. Now, three things left to do. Sasuke, Kiba, and Sakura. Go work together to tie up those unconscious Mist ninja," he instructed, tossing them some ninja-grade wire.
"This is something that all ninja will need to be well-rehearsed in, so give it a try."
"Yes, sensei," they replied, heading over, Sasuke only giving a slight nod.
"Now, Tazuna."
"Y-yes?"
"I believe we have a chat that needs to be had, no? But let's turn it into a lecture. I'll wait until the kiddies are done with their new toy."
After a short three minutes, the three Genin had adequately tied up their prisoners and returned.
"Good work. Now, I believe Sasuke to be the most observant-"
"HEY!" Kiba shouted indignantly.
"So, I'll give this question to him. Feel free to answer if you know, though. Sasuke, what can you tell me about those ninja?"
"They were Hidden Mist shinobi," Sasuke answered simply. "They didn't have their headbands scratched out, but they were still probably missing-nin."
"And why is that?"
"They were in a squad of two. All hidden villages send ninja in squads of four."
"Anything else?"
"..."
"That's alright, it's something a little more specific. Now, what's important here is who those missing-nin were targeting."
"Tazuna," Sakura piped up. "After they got you-er-the fake you, they said they wanted the bridge builder."
"Correct! That means Tazuna here," Naruto said, squeezing the bridge builder's shoulder a little too tightly. "Is being targeted by ninja. Now, ninja don't just attack at random. There is always a reason. Since Tazuna has none of his supplies with him and has a full protection guard of ninja to guard him, what do you think the odds are that this was a simple bandit-style raid?"
"Low," Sasuke answered.
"Good. Which means Tazuna knew he would be targeted by ninja and thus lied about the difficulty level of the mission. Care to explain, Tazuna? You realize I have grounds to leave you here and charge you an additional fee for lying to a hidden village, right? Which means that if you don't pay...we could resort to more...forceful methods, as per the agreement in the contract you sign when you apply for a mission."
"A-..." he tried to protest, but it was weak. Tazuna just sighed. "It's true...I lied about the difficulty, but it couldn't be helped! The Land of Waves...is in grave danger…"
"Grave danger?" Kiba scoffed.
"It's true! A few years ago, the shipping magnate, Gato, bought up all of our ports. The Land of Waves is an island nation; he who controls the ports, controls the country," Tazuna sighed again. "We can barely afford basic needs; our people live on the streets, begging and stealing to survive. Aside from Gato, there isn't a rich man in the entire nation. That's why I'm building this bridge! If we are connected to the mainland, we can start trading independently again! We can avoid Gato's absurd taxes that are driving the people into the ground! We can...survive."
"I see," Naruto hummed. "So if you build this bridge, it loosens the choke-hold that Gato has put the Land of Waves under, is that it?"
"Exactly! You understand, right? Oh, but don't mind me. I'm sure that rules and everything are important. I'll just head home all by myself. I'll probably be killed and then my daughter and grandson will just be devastated and the entirety of the Land of Waves will blame the Hidden Leaf, but who cares, right?"
"That was low…" Sasuke grumbled.
"I'm afraid there is one major issue here. If you do build the bridge, Gato will just blow it up again. You should have hired someone to assassinate Gato and his higher-ups."
"Are you crazy? If I can't afford protection against ninja, there's no way I can afford that! Do you understand how much you hidden villages charge for things like that?"
"Fair point," Naruto admitted. "Well, I suppose I should be sending a message back to the Leaf now…"
"Does that mean…?" Sakura asked hopefully.
"Yep! While I will probably get chewed out for this, seeing as this is a C-ranked mission turned B-rank, we'll be continuing the mission!" Naruto smiled, scribbling something down on a scroll. "Although, not for free, of course."
"Wait, what? I told you, this is as much as we can afford!"
"You'll be set up on a payment plan," Naruto said dismissively, continuing to write. "In addition, your land will likely be pressured into assisting us with information gathering, as you are a trading hub, and we'll likely recruit or station some spies there. You may be required to pay the penalty fee for lying to a hidden village, but that may be waived due to circumstances. We're not unreasonable, but we do need to make money. You understand."
"Uh...right…" Tazuna sweatdropped.
"Alright. Let me just send this and we can be on our way. Summoning Jutsu!"
"Greetings, My Lord," the small fennec fox bowed. "How may I assist you?"
"Aiko, how've you been? I need you to take a message back to the Hidden Leaf for me, if you don't mind."
"I've been wonderful, My Lord, thank you for asking. Please, place the message in my pouch and I'll be on my way," she responded politely. "Oh and mother wishes to tell you that you should summon her to meet the three children again. Are those the three she spoke of?"
"Uh...yeah," Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "I'll uh...I'll be sure to do that…"
"Please do, My Lord. You know how mother gets. I'll be off now. Goodbye." With that, the fox disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"He wasn't kidding…" Tazuna stood there with his jaw on the ground.
"Uh...sensei...she didn't happen to mean-" Kiba started.
"Yeah...Aiko is Miyako's daughter…" Naruto shivered. "Which means we'll need to see Miyako again soon."
"Who's Miyako?" Tazuna grunted, having recovered. "Wait, why do you all look terrified? What's goin' on here!?"
"It would be better for you if you didn't ask, hn," Sasuke said, turning toward the path and walking forward.
{Timeskip - Elsewhere}
"Zabuza," a voice threatened. "I didn't hire you to fail me! Why isn't that bridge builder dead?!"
"Relax, old man," he replied absentmindedly. "If the Demon Brothers failed it just means they weren't up to the task. I'll perform the hit myself."
"See that you don't fail me again or I swear I'll cut you off!" With that said, he stormed off, flanked by his personal bodyguards.
"Hear that, Haku? Looks like we've got to handle this one on our own," he spoke out, his voice deep and groveled.
"I understand, Lord Zabuza."
{May 20th, 078}
"Thanks for doing this, Kaji," Tazuna said softly, the group of five climbing into the small boat.
"Don't mention it. Just build that damn bridge of yours so we can get rid of that tyrant once and for all." The journey was mostly silent, barring the gently sloshing of water as the paddle pushed them along. "We're going the long way. It'll add about an hour but there's less chance of us being spotted."
The journey was slow and the silence was getting to all of them. Kiba and Akamaru were restless, Sakura looked nervous and afraid, while Sasuke wasn't distracted enough to not stew with his inner demons.
'Children are really difficult…' Naruto thought to himself, glumly.
Three hours later, they finally arrived on shore, under the cover of a thick, natural mist.
"Well, here it is. Good luck, Tazuna. You're our last hope," Kaji spoke quickly.
"I'll do my best," Tazuna grunted back, climbing out of the boat. The group watched briefly as Kaji began to row away.
"Well, we're not far now, right, Tazuna?" Naruto questioned.
"Shouldn't be more than an hour or two's walk from here," he shook his head.
"Well, let's get going. The faster we get there, the less likely we are to be ambushed."
They were still, however, completely on edge, uncomfortable with the misty haze that had settled over the clearing. Not ten minutes into their walk, Kiba seemed to catch a whiff of something.
"There!" he exclaimed, whipping a kunai into the bushes.
"What the hell was that?!" Sakura demanded.
"Let's find out," Naruto mused, moving the bushes out of the way. "I see…"
"Stupid, mutt! It was just a rabbit! You must have scared the poor creature half to-"
"OMNIPRESENT GRASP!" Naruto shouted, stomping the ground with his right foot, immediately sending his entire team and Tazuna buckling to the ground. The redhead himself jumped into the air and snatched something out of it, barely avoiding impacting the tree from its weight. "Is this…"
"Well, whaddya know," a gruff voice spoke from the trees. "Someone has some decent skill."
"Ah, fuck, I don't remember who has this now," Naruto groaned. "Just gimme a second, I'll remember."
"Naruto-sensei, what the hell is that?" Sakura asked, standing uneasily on her feet.
"Kubikiribocho...the Executioner's Blade," he said, looking around the trees to try to find who threw the weapon. "One of the swords of the Legendary Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist. Though I have to be honest, I only know one of the wielders personally. He's uh...not a fan of mine…"
"Well, since you're acquainted with us," the voice continued. "I don't suppose you'd give my sword back. If not, I'll just have to pry it from your cold, dead hands."
"Well, kiddies, you heard the man," Naruto shrugged, tossing the sword in the middle of the path in front of them. "I have to give it back."
"SENSEI! WHY WOULD YOU GIVE IT BACK?" Kiba shouted. "AND WHY DID YOU KNOCK US ALL DOWN IF YOU WERE JUST GONNA CATCH IT!"
"Well, if someone is dumb enough to throw their main means of attack, I don't particularly find him to be a threat," the redhead shrugged.
"You're cocky for a brat." The owner of the voice emerged from the mist-ridden trees and picked up the sword. He was a tall, muscular figure, which was noticeable seeing as he didn't wear a shirt. He had striped, baggy trousers, a sideways Hidden Mist headband, and a belt that presumably would hold his sword attached over his chest. The sword in question was a massive broadsword, dwarfing even its wielder. It had a large circle cutout in the blade near the tip and a half-moon cutout near the crossguard.
"And you seem rather small for that sword," he retorted. "I feel like I should know you...mind giving me an introduction?"
"I suppose I could give your executioner a name since you were nice enough to give my sword back. The name's Zabuza Momochi."
"Ah, yes, the Demon of the Hidden Mist," Naruto smiled. "Now, children, this is an A-rank missing nin from the Village Hidden in the Mist, though at the time, it was nicknamed the Bloody Mist because of their...special graduation exam."
"What was so special about it, sensei? We took graduation exams too," Sakura pointed out.
"Well, little girl," Zabuza gave what was likely an evil smirk, though the bottom half of his face was covered in bandages so you couldn't really tell. "Did you have to kill your fellow classmates?"
"W-what?"
"What the hell kind of a test is that?" Kiba demanded.
"One that can break the emotions of the strongest of men. You eat together, sleep together, train and live together, and then, one day, you're forced to kill one of your closest friends. That's why it was called the Bloody Mist," the redhead explained grimly. "Though, now, the Mist is a rather nice place."
"If you call Civil War nice, then yeah. Beautiful this time of year," Zabuza grunted. "But let's cut the chit-chat and get to the killing."
"Oh, but you got to make your introduction. Why can't I have mine?" Naruto whined childishly.
"Do what you want, kid. If you run now, I'll leave you alive. I'm only hired to take out the bridge builder."
"A kind offer, really, but I can't let you do that," he shook his head. "Part of the job. You understand, right?"
"You're weird, kid, you know that?"
"So I've been told."
"I'll be honest with you two," Tazuna spoke up. "I have no idea if I should be scared right now."
"Tch," Zabuza scoffed. "If you're trying to buy time, you're doing a great job."
"I just like talking, sorry about that. Anko always tells me I should fight first and chat later." Naruto stuck his tongue out and scratched his head.
"Anko? The Snake Mistress?" Zabuza raised an eyebrow.
"But you don't know me…" The redhead collapsed onto his knees with a rain cloud over his head while his Genin just sweatdropped.
"Naruto-sensei, can we fight him now?" Kiba asked impatiently.
"No. The three of you stand around Tazuna and make sure no stray shots hit him. I want to know how strong the wielder of Kubikiribocho is."
"But sensei, we-"
"You're out of your league, Kiba," Naruto interrupted. "He's not good enough to see my other eye, lucky for him, but he's too strong for you. Those other two may have been Chunin. Zabuza's an elite Jonin."
"Not good enough…" Zabuza growled. "Guess you'll just have to see about that, huh? Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
"Was that supposed to do something?" Naruto asked, standing around with a lazy look in his eye as nothing happened. "I thought you said you didn't want to chat."
"What the…" The Hidden Mist's demon just looked confused. "Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
"Well, if at first you don't succeed," the redhead shrugged.
"Alright, brat, you've caught my interest. Guess we'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way," he growled, angry that the Leaf ninja was doing something to prevent his jutsu from taking effect.
"I'd love to, but I never learned Kenjutsu, so I'll stick with my own tricks, thanks. Oooh! I can use Asura!" Naruto looked excited. "Alright, let's do this."
"You're weird, kid, but you're still gonna die!" Zabuza yelled, charging forward while bringing his sword around for a devastating blow.
"Well, this is either gonna work, or I'll be dead." Naruto held up his arm and activated his Asura Path, deciding to form a serrated blade edge on the outer part of his forearm.
"What in the…?" The Mist Jonin grunted as his sword impacted Naruto's forearm...and then was stopped with a loud clang.
"How about we try missiles?" Naruto mused, grinning wickedly.
"What are you?!" Zabuza shouted, quickly jumping back as the redhead's forearm split apart, revealing a large chain of rockets that were fired in rapid succession after the Bloody Mist swordsman.
"This feels really weird…"
The Genin watched in disgust as Naruto's arm reconnected itself while Zabuza dodged the missiles in desperation, barely avoiding more than a slight singe from the fire.
"Hey, kid, you're destroying the whole place!" Tazuna grumbled.
"I suppose you have a point," he sighed. "I was just playing with my new friend here, too."
"Something's wrong with you kid," Zabuza grunted, preparing for another charge.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to-" Naruto's ear twitched. "Heavenly Attraction!"
However, instead of Zabuza, as the Genin expected, a young-looking ninja came flying out of the forest. She, or at least, they assumed it was a she, was dressed in an Hidden Mist Hunter Ninja mask, a green haori with a brown sash, and long black hair that was tied up.
"Well, now, who are you?" the Leaf Jonin asked, restraining his target with one hand holding her up and the other pointing a kunai at her throat.
Zabuza and the hunter nin froze for less than a second, but it was easily enough for Naruto to catch it. "I'm a hunter nin attempting to kill Zabuza."
"Really? Then why were you hiding?"
"I was awaiting an opportune moment to strike," she answered emotionlessly.
"Really? Then why is Zabuza still here?" Zabuza flinched.
"Naruto-sensei, what's going on? Who is that?" Sakura asked.
"She looks like a Hidden Mist Hunter Ninja," Sasuke said. "But she isn't, is she?"
"Very observant, Sasuke. Now, in all likelihood you're going to ignore what I have to say, but, to be honest, I don't much like killing." Naruto put away the kunai and hurled the 'hunter nin' back at Zabuza. "So, I'll give you a chance. Zabuza. Go back to the Mist."
"What?" Zabuza did a double-take.
"You heard me. Mei needs you there. You attempted a coup d'etat on the previous Mizukage, right? Well, Yagura's dead."
"Bullshit, kid. No way they killed that monster."
"Well, you're half right. I killed him," Naruto glared. "It was with this hand right here, actually. I ripped his soul out and sent it to hell."
"What the…'' Zabuza took an unconscious step back. For some reason, this brat didn't sound like he was lying. "Prove it."
"Yeah, like I'd keep his head on me for over a year. I don't have any, dumbass. How have you not heard? The resistance has been over for about a year."
"Who are you and why are you telling us this?" the fake hunter ninja asked, standing up.
"Name's Naruto. And because Mei is a good...er...friend of mine," Naruto blushed.
"If you really killed the Mizukage, I'd at least know of your name, kid."
"Well, you may know the One-Eyed Demon Fox of Konoha."
"You're telling me you're-?" Zabuza took an unconscious step back. "No way that's some kid! The Fox is the first shinobi since Minato Namikaze to have a run on sight order!"
"My Bingo Book entry has my ANBU mask, dumbass, so obviously you don't recognize me. Now, are you gonna head back to the Mist or am I gonna have to rip your soul out of your skull, put it back in, and then drag you back to Mei myself."
"Lord Zabuza…?"
"Can it, Haku. I'm thinking." Zabuza was no fool. If he was for real, he wouldn't stand a chance. Plus, the option of returning to the Mist was enticing...assuming it was true. "How do you know Mei Terumi?"
"Well, I was in the resistance," Naruto said before scratching his head awkwardly. "And she...kinda has a thing for me…"
"..." Zabuza wasn't convinced.
"Er...there are children present…"
"YOU FUCKED LADY MEI?" the swordsman shouted.
Sakura flushed bright red, as did Sasuke, but Kiba's jaw dropped.
"Er…" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "This got really awkward really fast, didn't it?"
"Fuck it, kid. No one has the balls to claim that," Zabuza shook his head. "Alright, I give. The bridge builder can go, if you can guarantee me a pardon back to the Mist's forces."
"I suppose I could do that," he mused. "I'll just write you a missive to Mei and owe her a favor, but to be honest, I probably wouldn't even need to. They're desperate for their swordsmen back, you know. However, before I do anything, I need to complete my mission first. Which means that if you want my help, you're gonna have to stick around. It's not every day that my cute little Genin get to meet one of the Mists' Seven."
"Now listen here, kid, you may be the One-Eyed Demon of the Leaf, but I'm no babysitter. We're leaving."
"Well, that's the thing, I can't really let you do that. You're a high-profile target with valuable information. I should capture you and bring you to the Leaf as a prisoner for information or bargaining purposes, but I'm willing to overlook that if you stick around for a while."
"...fuck…"
"Lord Zabuza…?"
"Fine, kid. But I make no promises about keeping the brats alive," Zabuza grunted.
"Well, now that we're in agreement-"
"HOLD ON!" Kiba shouted. "So Zabuza Momochi, an A-RANKED MISSING NIN, shows up to kill Tazuna, and you spent five minutes just TALKING?"
"Yeah."
"Then his Jutsu DIDN'T WORK?"
"Well, I had some part in that…"
"Then you have some sort of robot arm-"
"Not quite, but sure, you can say that."
"And then he stands down because you had sex with some chick from the Mist?" Kiba was in disbelief. "WHAT THE HELL?! IS EVERY MISSION THIS CRAZY?"
"That's really not supposed to be public knowledge…" Naruto deadpanned. "Nor is that exactly why he stood down..."
"It's not 'some chick,' brat. Mei Terumi is the most desired woman in the mist and by far the strongest."
"Tch," Sasuke scoffed. "Can we just go? We've been standing around for almost an hour."
"Sure thing."
"Wait, sensei, I thought you were married?" Sakura asked.
"Um…"
"That's wrong, sensei. How could you do something so disgusting," the pinkette scolded. "And to think I used to respect-"
"...it was her idea…" Naruto muttered. "And she was there...I don't see how that's my fault…"
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Kiba shouted.
{Timeskip}
"Tsunami! We're back!" Tazuna announced as he entered the home.
"Father! I'm so glad you're ok," the woman greeted, smiling at the large group of people entering the house. She had long dark-blue hair, a pink shirt, and a gentle, motherly face. "Thank you so much for protecting my father."
"It was our pleasure," Naruto smiled back as his Genin walked into the house like mindless zombies.
"Are they ok…?" Tsunami asked.
"It's...been a bit of a weird day...eheh…"
"Something's wrong with that kid," Zabuza grunted. "Keep him far away from me."
"Would now be a bad time to call Miyako?"
"YES!" all three Genin shouted.
{May 23rd, 078}
"Sir, we've gotten word that Zabuza is cohabitating with the enemy," a thug reported.
"Damn traitor!" Gato roared. "He's as good as dead! I'll have his head on a tray and shipped to the Mist! Gather all the men we have and be prepared to move in two days."
"Yessir."
{Timeskip}
"Almighty Push!" Naruto stated simply, instantly reflecting the three Genin that had managed to surround him. "Not bad, but not good enough."
"You have got to teach me to do that," Kiba groaned.
"No can do, mutt. Not really something that can be taught."
"Wait," Sakura protested, staggering to her feet. "If we're all here, who's guarding Tazuna?"
"Oh, I left Masaru and Suiko with him."
"Doesn't Suiko hate humans?"
"...shit…"
{With Tazuna}
"...I swear to Kami! Why do I always get the jobs with lousy humans? If Naruto thinks I'm some sort of obedient pet, he's got another thing coming!" Suiko raged, pacing around angrily.
"Would you let it go, Suiko?" the massive, two-story-house-sized fox sighed. He was laying at the start of the bridge preventing anyone from interfering with construction while Suiko was on the bridge itself in case anyone got around Masaru. "Everyone knows you say that stuff but you're putty in his hands."
"S-shut up! I am not!" Suiko denied, giving the fox equivalent of a blush.
"I swear, these ninja are the strangest group I've ever seen…" Tazuna mumbled, continuously giving out various tasks to the nervous workers who were more than a little uncomfortable to work under the gaze of giant talking foxes.
{Timeskip}
"So, Zabuza, I probably should have asked this earlier, but do you have any idea of the resources Gato has?" Naruto asked, stroking the large blue-furred fox gently.
"...Does he-"
"She."
"Does she have to be here for this? In case you didn't notice, she's way bigger than any fox has the right to be."
"I'm a summon, asshole!" Suiko snapped. "Shit like that is why I hate hum-ooooh~, mmmm. That feels good~."
"She's really a sweetheart, but you're dodging my question. Anything I should be worried about?"
"Those brats of yours could probably handle most of 'em," Zabuza shook his head. "Just a bunch of thugs, grunts, and swords for hire. Not a chakra user among 'em."
"Maybe I should just go kill him myself then. Suiko, would you like to kill Gato?"
"Hmm...killing a shitty human does sound nice...but I think I'll pass on this one."
"Yeah, you're probably right. I should probably let the kiddies get their first kills. Where are they, anyway? And that girl of yours, I haven't seen her in awhile either."
"Haku's a dude, you know that, right?"
"What?!" Naruto did a double-take. "You're screwing with me."
"No, I'm not."
"Well…" the redhead thought for a moment. "That's the prettiest dude I've ever seen."
"You're weird, kid…"
{On the Roof}
"Tell me, do you have anyone precious to you?" Haku asked, looking at the Uchiha questioningly.
"No. They're all dead."
"I see. I find that surprising. You are very strong."
"I don't need others to become strong. My power is my own."
"I see our thoughts differ," Haku said. "I believe that protecting someone precious to you is what makes us truly strong."
"My brother was strong...and he murdered my entire family…" Sasuke growled. 'Why am I telling her-er-him? He can't possibly understand me!'
"I see. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I still believe it as such." Haku sat in silence for a long moment. "My family was murdered too, you know."
"Tch."
"It's true. When I was very young, I lived with my mother and father in the Land of Water. One day, I discovered a special power I had and showed it to my mother. That was the day I discovered I had a kekkei genkai; the Ice Style," he explained. "But there, bloodline limits like my own were feared. Our people were demonized and sent to death for our differences. When my mother saw this, she told me to never use it again, in fear of what others would do if they found out about our powers. My father had seen us that day...he gathered a mob of villagers and murdered my mother before turning his sights on me. To survive, I killed my own father and ran away."
Sasuke watched as a single tear fell from Haku's eye.
"That was the day I lost my purpose. Why did I exist? For what reason was I here? To exist without reason is the same as being dead. Zabuza was the one who gave me a purpose. I was his tool. I was needed. That is what made me strong. To protect my precious person."
'Do I have anyone like that…?' Sasuke thought, staring at the night sky blankly. 'Itachi killed them all…'
"It seems to me like you have precious people but don't realize it. Perhaps that is why you're strong," Haku theorized as Sasuke looked at him in surprise. "Your team and your sensei. They seem very precious to you. If that is the case, would that not make you strong?"
Sasuke had a lot to think about.
{May 24th, 078}
Sasuke was back on the roof. They had stayed with Tazuna the whole day that day, since, apparently, Naruto's giant foxes freaked his workers out. They did some basic Taijutsu sparring, meditation, and chakra control exercises, but it was a slow day. He had a lot of time to think about what Haku had said to him. His precious people... Were they precious to him? Was it worth trying to have those ties again?
"So here you are," a voice said from behind him. "I was wondering where you kept disappearing to."
"Naruto-sensei," Sasuke answered, sounding slightly surprised.
"What's up, kid? You look different. Less...broody than usual."
"Tch."
"There it is," Naruto chuckled. "Lay it on me. What's weighing on your mind?"
"It's something Haku said," Sasuke admitted. "It was...different. He said that protecting one's precious people...that is what made people truly strong."
"He did, did he? Haku's got a good heart. Hard to believe he follows Zabuza around, but I guess Zabuza's a pretty decent guy himself."
"I don't know if I believe him."
"I think Haku's right." Sasuke looked at him in surprise. "When I fight, I think about the village. I think about the people there that are precious to me. The Old Man, Anko, Kakashi, Teuchi, Ayame, and even the villagers. My old man thought of all of those people as family, that's what a Hokage does, after all, so I decided to think that way too. Even if they don't like me, even if they're scared of me. I will fight to protect them."
"Sensei...how strong was Itachi when he was my age? What did he fight for?"
"Itachi, huh?" Naruto sighed. "He was strong...very strong. I won't lie to you, Sasuke, he was stronger than you. Much stronger."
Sasuke clenched his fist lightly.
"But I can tell you exactly what he fought for." Naruto turned his head to look Sasuke straight in the eye. "He fought for you, Sasuke. You were his reason to fight."
"Wha-?" The Uchiha's eyes widened.
"I truly believe that Itachi was a prodigy among prodigies. He worked hard, yes, very hard, but everything came naturally to him. What he could do in one try would take me five. What he did with natural talent took me a week to learn. But what I also believe is that Itachi was a prodigy because he knew he had to be one. Because he wanted to protect his brother. I believe that Itachi always wanted to protect the Leaf like he claimed to everyone, but what he really wanted was to protect you. Sasuke," he said seriously. "I don't know what happened to your brother or why he did what he did, but what I do know is that for as long as I knew him, your brother loved you. With his entire heart. And I choose to believe that he still does."
'Itachi…' A steady flow of tears flowed from Sasuke's eyes as memories of his loving older brother flashed in front of his eyes. The days they spent training. The praise from Itachi that his father had never given him. The night they spent sleeping on the porch under the stars while their parents took a trip. He remembered something his brother told him. That he would always be there...even as a wall to overcome…
"Even if you do hate me," Itachi had said.
"Even if I hate him…" Sasuke murmured.
Naruto smiled and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder before heading back inside the house. He decided not to mention one tiny change in the young Uchiha...the fact that his once onyx black eyes had turned red with a single tomoe in each eye.