The Shinobi from the Hidden Vault 9
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Even though he never did get to finish building the bridge in one day like he said, Naruto did managed to speed up production to the point that it could be completed within the week.
Word had spread by the construction workers present that day as the whole town was in high spirits and moral to the point that Tazuna and his family received donations that day as a means to say thanks.
And with Sasuke coming back with fresh game meat, the family was able to have a proper feast today, something they haven't had in ages.
"You know, I will be the first to admit that the thought of eating squirrel was rather barbaric, but Sasuke you did a good job in cooking a good squirrel soup" said Sakura as she was halfway done devouring her soup.
"Hope you still got room girlie, cause my daughter here has almost got the crawfish chowder ready" said Tazuna as he was munching on bread, while sipping his beer.
"Yes, please don't hold back everyone, there's plenty of food to go around" said Tsunami as she and Sasuke worked side by side in cooking for everyone.
"Mm, delicious" said Naruto as he finished his 2 serving of squirrel soup, before looking down seeing Dogmeat happily eating some grilled chicken out of his bowl.
"Right, got the grilled chicken and rice, ready" said Sasuke as he began to serve everyone their share before laying it down and joining them on the table.
"Guys… I'm hungry too" said Kakashi weakly from the living room as the compound Sakura had made was effective, though because she mixed it with some modern medicine, it had the after affects of leaving Kakashi beyond numb as he was left lying in the middle of the living room floor.
While everyone was in a happy mood, all but one refused to eat, refused to be happy, refused to accept this as the reality.
"What's wrong kid, not hungry" asked Naruto as Inari turned to face the blonde in anger, "Why would you go do something like that, your actions is just gonna get Gato to come after us, so do us a favor and leave" said Inari as Naruto was well informed who Gato was, but still couldn't figure out the kids beef with the entrepreneur.
"Look, Inari was it, I don't understand why you're worried about the guy, but if he does come here we're more than prepared, now seriously, shut up and eat your food, the towns people here were kind enough to make sure we get to eat good tonight" said Naruto as he went to eating his chicken.
Not wanting to hear, much less see Naruto, Inari pushed himself aside, ran his way across the living room, up to his bedroom, where he might have stepped on Kakashi, but who knows that guy could hardly talk.
"Seriously, what's that brats problem" scoffed Naruto, "Naruto, you're being rude" chided Sakura, "It's all right, I figured it's about time you all know, cause truth be said, my grandsons words have some merit" said Tazuna as he began to drink some water instead.
Once he felt sobered up, Tazuna and Tsunami took turns in telling team 7 of their life, more so Inari, and the man who meant a lot to them, and how much he made such a positive impact to not only them, but their community.
As such, they also learned the tragedy they were faced and it was all because of Gato, when he came and rolled in here and literally started tearing down this community apart, and why Tazuna is on this noble quest to build this bridge, to not only keep his family safe, but those in his communities safe as well.
Upon ending the tale, Naruto began to excuse himself and began to head towards the exit.
"Naruto, where do you think you're going" asked Sakura, "If what the old man said is true, than honestly we may have a problem on our hands in the days to come" said Naruto as he continued to the door.
"Hey, if you think you're going out there to face Gato alone, than you better take me with you" said Sasuke as he was ready to bolt as well.
"I wasn't thinking of that, I was thinking more on setting up elaborate traps and putting up a proper defense around here, especially given how smart I am right now" said Naruto.
"Hey old man, think I can borrow some supplies from your work shed asked Naruto, "Don't even need to ask me blondie, just make sure to tell me and your friends in advance as to what kind of elaborate scheme you've made so that we're not blown sky high" said Tazuna.
"Got it" said Naruto as he wasted not time to get to work.
The Next Day
Tazuna had originally plans to see Zabuza today, due to him failing to kill Tazuna the first time around, however he had even more of a reason once he heard that Tazuna had acquired a ninja who's specialty was construction.
"You disappoint me Zabuza" said Gato as he loomed over the rogue ninja next to 4 bodyguards that were clearly hired shinobi from a nearby village as their headbands consisted of a square that turned triangular pointing downwards, while on the left side it had single vertical line.
"I assure you, it's only a slight step back, but once I've recovered I'll get the job done and then some" said Zabuza.
"No. No you won't cause you see, I came here to fire you in person do to your failure, and to ensure that I've got no lose ends to deal with, I've heard these ninja from the land of gravel to personally see to it that you won't be long for this world" said Gato with a smug smile.
"But, before that, I'm curious to see what's under that mask that makes you, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, so infamous" said Gato as he began to reach for Zabuza's face, but as he approached closer he heard the sounds of something sharp piercing through flesh.
Turning his head, Gato was wide eye in horror to see that Haku had snuck in and had single handedly killed the men he had hired as they all had senbon skewered into either their necks or chest.
Before the man could react, the man felt a sharp pain around his upper leg as he looked down to see that Zabuza had a hidden kunai and stabbed him himself as he glared at his former employer.
"Damn, I was aiming for the gonads" said Zabuza dismissively as he let go of the kunai allowing Gato to fall back and roll around on the floor for a minute as he screamed in pain.
"Be grateful I'm still to weak to kill you myself" threated Zabuza as he successfully instilled fear into the tycoons heart as he was struggling to get up and exit the room.
"You… you've got 24 hours to get out of town, before I send in my men back here and burn this place to the ground" said Gato as he limped his way out of the compound, leaving the bounty hunter and his tool in peace.
"Master Zabuza, are you alright" asked Haku as he knelt down to his mentors level, "I'm fine Haku, though it seems now we're on the run again" groaned Zabuza as he tried to sit up, but couldn't.
"Please, you must rest, you're not well yet" said Haku, "It's not gonna matter much if Gato comes back here tomorrow with an army, now either help me get out of here, or leave me here to die" said Zabuza bluntly.
"I'm… I'm sorry master" said Haku as he bowed his head down in shame, even though in truth Zabuza felt bad for crossing a line just now to the only person he could call his friend.
"Sigh, it's alright, just we don't have a lot of time" said Zabuza as Haku still kept his gaze down and began to think.
"Master, if you were to give me an hour, I could go out and procure some herbs to help speed up the process" said Haku as Zabuza thought about before letting out a grunt.
"If I could at least sit up and move my arm by no later than tomorrow than we'll be fine, but you only have 1 hour to gather herbs, and if you can't procure any before the time limit, than you better get back here and ready to start hauling me" said Zabuza as Haku looked up with a smile.
Without wasting anytime, Haku quickly began to change out into his civilian disguise before heading out into the herb field.
Once there he began to scour and gather as many herbs as he could, but as he did, he realized that someone had gone and set up a bunch of bear traps around the area.
Keeping a caution step, Haku had managed to find a good patch with an abundance of herbs, but also spot a familiar sight.
It was Naruto, having problems getting his foot caught in his own bear trap as he struggled to get himself liberated as he could only curse and yell over his situation.
As he saw this, Haku began to glare at the blonde and mentally damned him for putting not only himself but his master in quite the predicament.
By all means Haku had the opportunity to literally take out the one responsible for getting them fired, but as he approached closer, he had a change of heart and opted to instead help Naruto out of pity.
"Who's there" said Naruto as he turned his head around and pointed his gun towards Haku, "Please I mean you no harm, I just heard you screaming and wanted to help" said Haku with his hands up.
"Oh thank god, please I could really use some help here" said Naruto as he tried to shake his foot free but stopped when he felt the teeth of the bear trap dig deeper into his skin.
"Please hold still and don't move, surely there's a safety mechanism I could just press or pull" said Haku as he held Naruto back and began to examine the device.
After finding the safety pin, Haku began to undo Naruto's binding as he had a look of relief on his face.
"Please, rest up and don't move while I go get someone with medical training to help you" said Haku, "That's all right, but I got it covered" said Naruto as he dig through his jacket and injected himself with a stimpack.
"Ah, that's the good stuff there" said Naruto as he and Haku saw his wounds rapidly healing before their eyes.
"What in the world did you inject yourself with" asked Haku, "This here is a stimpack, I type of emergency syringe device used to heal any to all matter of wounds, from things like cuts to internal bleeding and even crippled limbs" explained Naruto.
Hearing that Naruto was indeed in possession of such a marvelous piece of medical equipment got Haku's attention, as it could really speed up the process of getting Zabuza back to health.
"So what were you doing out here" asked Haku trying to get the conversation going, "Oh well I kinda got lost here and stepped in someone's bear trap is all" lied Naruto as he couldn't admit to laying these traps himself and stepping on them by accident in front of someone this cute.
"I see" said Haku as he took his word for now while scheming how to get these stimpacks off Naruto, "What about you, surely someone as cute as you couldn't have came walking in the middle of the woods alone without having a reason" said Naruto as he chose to be a little bold with Haku.
"Oh, I came here to gather some herbs for a friend of mine they've been severely injured and I came here hoping to cultivate in peace, though it seems I'm not able to" said Haku as he was trying to play subtle and acquire the wonder meds without having to rob him.
"Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that, but hey if you want I can give you some stimpacks if it helps your friend" said Naruto as he pulled out 4 stimpack needles from his belongings and offered them to Haku.
"Are you sure you want to hand over something as precious as these" asked Haku trying to play the role, "Hey it's the least I could do for my savior, plus I can't leave a damsel in distress now" said Naruto as he handed the medicine to Haku.
"Thank you, I shall cherish your kindness" said Haku with a smile before making his way back to Zabuza, "Oh, I should mention that I'm a boy".
Thinking Haku could get a kick out of that shocking reveal to Naruto like he's done to many people before, he was not expecting to hear the words that came out of Naruto's mouth.
"That's cool, that is to say I'm cool with it" said Naruto as Haku was the one to turn his head towards Naruto as he had on a wide grin, and couldn't help but blush from the cheeky blonde.
"See you around" said Naruto as he waved Naruto off and returned back to help Tazuna construct more bridge work, leaving Haku feeling flustered as he gripped his chest and felt his heart beat.
Well… I guess he's also kinda cute too in his own way, thought Haku as he held his face and allowed himself to blush a little longer, before rushing back to get Zabuza fixed up.
By the time Haku arrived, he explained to Zabuza what had happened and withhold his thoughts on Naruto the best he could, before finally injecting him with the stimpack.
Within a minute, Zabuza had felt way much better as he began to sit up straight and began to clench his fist and flex his arm.
"Good job Haku, you did great" said Zabuza, "I'm pleased to know that you're better and are able to move on your own master Zabuza" as Haku smiled at his masters praise.
"I would say I need one more shot before I could say I feel better, but before that, mind stepping aside on your left" said Zabuza as Haku obliged before his master pulled out a bunch of kunai from under his pillow and threw them at the heads of the paralyzed gravel ninja.
"Feels good to be in control" said Zabuza before waving at Haku to come over and give him one more injection to be at a 100% tip top shape.
"Listen Haku, I know that you're always hesitant to kill, but know that leaving enemy ninja paralyzed in the same room as me, leaves me vulnerable to an attack from them should anything had happen" said Zabuza as he began to scold his tool.
"I'm sorry master, I should have at least dragged them outside" said Haku with an apologetic bow, "Well like I said, you did a great job in getting me back into shape" said Zabuza as he began to get out of bed and began to change out of his attire and gather his belongings.
"Master Zabuza, if I may make a small request" said Haku a bit timidly, "What is it" said Zabuza as he began to unwrap his bandages.
"Maybe we should stay here and fight Gato and his men" said Haku as Zabuza stopped to look at him with a confused look as he was curious to know why.
Back at Tazuna house
Finally making it back, Naruto managed to run into Tazuna just as he was heading off to work on the bridge.
"Blondie, we've been worried about you" said Tazuna, "Yeah, sorry it's a long story, but hey I'm here and ready to work" said Naruto eagerly.
"I like that hustle of yours, but why not go get yourself some breakfast first and catch up with your friends, they've been worried about you" said Tazuna.
"But the bridge" said Naruto, "It's fine, knowing that you're on our side now means we can have the luxury for you to come in late, but never the less speed up the process, now get inside already" said Tazuna.
Hearing his words of reason, Naruto decided to enter their cozy little home and was instantly greeted a punch in the arm by Sakura and a headbutt to the chest by Sasuke.
"Ow!" exclaimed Naruto, "Where have you been, you've had us worried sick since you left in the dead of the night" said Sakura.
"I told you guys I was busy setting up traps late last night in case Gato sends his goons over and attack the old man's family" said Naruto, "Seriously what the hell kind of elaborate scheme did you set up that you've been gone since 8 p.m. all the way till 9 in the morning" asked Sasuke.
"Nothing, just some bear traps in the forest, some caltrops in some tall grass and maybe even a yeet machine that I invented" said Naruto as his friends weren't letting up.
"And let me guess you got caught in one of your own traps didn't you" said Sakura sarcastically but both found out to be true as Naruto began to pout in silence over how dead on accurate her claims were.
"Hah, I knew it" gloated Sakura, "God damn it" jeered Sasuke as he began to dig through his wallet and handed Sakura a 2,000 Ryo note.
"Did you guys seriously bet on me falling on my own traps" asked Naruto as he felt offended, "That's besides the point, what we want to know is which one you fell in how'd you manage to get back here in one piece" said Sasuke as Sakura pocketed away her earnings.
"Well I was stuck in this bear trap for like a good hour, before this cute boy had came and rescued me, we chatted for a bit before saying goodbye and well here I am" explained Naruto.
"I'm sorry but pause for a second, did you use the words cute and boy in the same sentence just now" asked Sakura, "Yes I did Sakura" said Naruto matter of fact like.
Hearing this took Sakura a minute to step back and think about what Naruto said and the implications just now, before also thinking about Naruto and Sasuke's very close bromance of theirs, which was a scary thought for her.
"Ok this is eye opening, so I gotta ask, are you both… in a relationship" asked Sakura hesitantly, "Sakura don't be asking stupid questions now" said Sasuke.
"Yeah, besides even if there were such feelings, I honestly wouldn't want to risk them in fear of losing my friendship with Sasuke" said Naruto, "Ouch, way to hurt a guys feelings now" said Sasuke mockingly.
"Ok, that is great to know along with knowing now that Naruto swings that way" said Sakura in relief, "Oh no, I swing both ways actually" stated Naruto as he came to realize that he came out as bi to the first time to anyone.
"Huh, kinda had a feeling, but hey good to know and more power to you" said Sasuke nonchalantly.
"Alright, well if you guys don't mind I got both dinner and breakfast to catch up on, and then I got to meet Tazuna at the bridge for some work" said Naruto.
"Hold on, Kakashi sensei is feeling better and said he wanted to have all 3 of us meet up and train" said Sakura, "Just go on without me, I got bridge to build" said Naruto as he went to eat up and ready for himself for another busy day and ready for another busy tomorrow.
Well there you guys have it after being gone for a while again, but hey I think that's how I'm gonna be posting and updating these chapters now, so I hope you guys like it.
Also feel free to leave me your thoughts in regards to Naruto potentially pursuing a relationship with Haku, if not that's cool guys and whatever.
Until next time, be safe, be good people, and please support your local fandom communities.
This has been your Humble Narrator and official author Tobi Yaza. =3