Hello! Hope everyone is doing well.
(Forest: Outside Tazuna's House)
'Dammit,' Naruto thought as a masked figure emerged from the darkness.
The moonlight then shone through the clouds to reveal a familiar mask, the shadows around the figure swirled in the shade of the trees as Naruto felt himself calm down.
"Sheesh Kagebo-sensei," Naruto spoke as he felt the hold of the paralysis technique on him loosen, "You scared the crap out of me, you know that?"
"I am merely testing your skills," Kagebo spoke as he allowed the hold of his technique let go completely, "You have gotten faster than before, have you learnt the tree-walking exercise?"
"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei taught us a bit this time," Naruto spoke, "But what are you doing here? I thought Jiji didn't want me meeting anyone of you outside the base."
"A transaction has been reported from one of our Hawala accounts," Kagebo spoke, "15 million from Wave Country to water country on the basis of the Hundi allotted to you. Is it initiated by you?"
Naruto looked up and nodded.
"Reasons?" Kagebo asked.
"It is kind of a long story," Naruto rubbed his head, "And I'm kinda expected back in the next few minutes. How about I leave a clone to report when I go back?"
"Understandable," Kagebo spoke, "Make sure Hatake Kakashi does not know of our meeting. Flash a torch to the east thrice in the night when you believe yourself to be completely alone, we shall meet at this location again."
Naruto nodded, he stepped back and formed a cross-seal and a clone materialised. The clone gave a mock-salute to Naruto and Kagebo before the original moved back to Tazuna's house.
"Now," Kageo turned to the clone, "Report, do not leave any details out. No matter how insignificant they may seem."
The clone started his narration of what had happened and what was planned out, Kagebo absorbed the information before preparing a brief note about what the clone told him. He then proceeded to bite his thumb and made a few hand-seals as a sparrow appeared on his palm. He wrapped the note in a small container and tied it to the bird's leg and sent it back to Konoha.
Danzo-sama needed to know about this. Naruto Uzumaki was playing a very dangerous game.
…
(Konoha Underground: ROOT Base)
Danzo absorbed the information in stunned silence as Fuu relayed the message Kagebo had just sent back from Wave Country.
Team 7 had taken a detour on the way back to the village, and had somehow gotten involved in another mission when they saw a team of Leaf Chunin being attacked by the infamous Demon of the Hidden Mist – Momochi Zabuza. Zabuza was apparently on the payroll of Gato – one of the richest men in the entire world and was hired to kill the client - a bridge builder in wave country.
Hatake Kakashi had chosen to continue the mission of the Chunin team and was currently recuperating from chakra exhaustion following his fight with Zabuza and healing the battered Chunin. He had not run any intelligence on the mission and was instead preparing the Uchiha scion to fight against Zabuza's apparent apprentice while recovering from exhaustion himself.
His physical status and focus on the Uchiha had however allowed Naruto Uzumaki a free charge to run the mission by himself.
'Incredible'
That was one word which described just how the boy had chosen to run the mission. He had followed his mission protocol he had been taught to the last line. He had gathered impressive intelligence using his Shadow Clones, and used the intelligence as an effective bargaining chip to get Zabuza to shift his allegiance in a crafty manner.
…and now, with aid of the finance Danzo had offered him; Naruto Uzumaki had, in a very short amount of time, hired the services of the Demon of the Hidden Mist under the nose of one of the most notorious businessmen/smugglers in the elemental nations and was now poised to win a near flawless victory in every regard.
This was almost surreal.
Three months…within 3 months of training, albeit at a highly accelerated pace, the boy had managed to accomplish far more than Danzo had expected of him in years to come. Under pressure and completely alone, devoid of any aid or advice Uzumaki Naruto had outperformed what even the most seasoned of Jounins who had led village squadrons in the previous wars.
'Perhaps I will have to rethink his role as a mere soldier,' Danzo thought, 'He is rather capable in leadership and strategy as well.'
"Instruct Kagebo and his team to provide any assistance Uzumaki Naruto requires," Danzo spoke, "From here on he is the assigned leader for Kagebo's team until his return to the village. Let him know that he has backup."
It was a dangerous gamble, but Danzo had played against worst odds before and won. Afterall if Uzumaki's plan succeeded, then Danzo would have one of the biggest businesses in the world under his thumb, and possibly even have a stake in the civil war in the Hidden Mist.
'Maybe it is time I told the boy about his father,' Danzo thought. The boy had certainly earned the right to it.
…
"Are they okay now," Kakashi asked as he entered the guest room in Tazuna's house.
"Yes, Kakashi-san," Takamura Ginko spoke as she looked up from her teammate's form, "Saito's wounds seem to be healing better now, hopefully both of them will be able to move again in a few days."
Kakashi nodded to her as he looked down at the half-conscious forms of chunin that lay on the floor. Zabuza had carved them out pretty badly, almost right upto the spine in case of Hikoba Saito. Both the chunin were currently kept on a steady dose of morphine and hourly healing sessions with their teammate.
It would have honestly better to have them as backup, but given the extent of their injuries Kakashi was just grateful that they were even alive. Most of Ginko's energy was spent in making sure that the wounds did not get infected or reopen due to strain on the stiches. Given her exhaustion at having to constantly tend to her teammates, it was unlikely that she would be able to help them in fighting in any manner.
Kakashi talked with Ginko for a few minutes before he moved out of the room. This mission in Wave country was certainly one of the more stressful ones in his career, especially given the fact that he had his team of freshly minted Genin to take care of in addition to other things. He looked out of the window as he saw Sasuke completing a few of the stretches before retiring for the night.
The more he looked at Sasuke, the more he was reminded of himself. A talented prodigy from a reputed family, inflicted with a deep mental trauma from someone in the very same family…and a loner in the embrace of darkness as a result of it.
But even in that darkness, Kakashi still had his team. He had Minato-sensei to watch his back, he had Rin who always supported him and Obito who always kept him engaged with a constant stream of challenges in their rivalry.
He had more or less attempted to do the same thing with his team, he knew that Sasuke wanted to go after Itachi – but he did not want his student to become a hollow husk while chasing his ambition. Sasuke needed a team just like Kakashi had.
…but things weren't turning out like he had hoped. While Sakura was still pretty much like Rin in many aspects, Naruto had certainly not shaped up like Obito had in any manner.
Kakashi had hoped that the boys would have developed some sort of bond, given their age and the files from the academy he knew that Naruto was quite jealous of Sasuke – both due to Sasuke's standing as a Ninja and due to the fact that he held the interest of Sakura. It was a literal superimposition of his team.
Naruto had acted like Kakashi had expected at the start, he was loud, brash and an attention seeker. He constantly chased after Sakura and kept challenging Sasuke to spars; he would fail in both endeavoures everyday but that had never stopped the blond from trying again and again.
No matter how many times Sakura bumped him on the head, or Sasuke beat him into the ground Naruto would always get up with a smile and be ready for the next day.
That smile held the team together.
However those events had become a rarity these days. Steadily over a period of time Kakashi had seen Naruto pull back in both spheres. He no longer hovered near Sakura…hell even talking to her outside of missions had become highly uncommon in the past few weeks.
Challenges to Sasuke became nearly non-existent, the boys fought only when Kakashi asked them to spar. There were no other contests, official or unofficial between them as Naruto just seemed to pull back should any such situation arise and went off by himself.
It was as if the boy known as Naruto Uzumaki had…given up.
It was certainly not a pleasant feeling, but Kakashi was entirely unsure on how he could deal with it.
'I'll look into it once we're safe back in the village,' Kakashi thought as he saw Sasuke complete his last stretches and walk back into the house.
'Time to sleep I guess,' Kakashi thought as he woke up his blonde charge. He was nearly recovered now, and he was pretty sure Zabuza was too.
…
Naruto walked up to the roof of the house and looked around, making sure that no one else was around he retrieved a torch from his pocket and flashed it thrice in the required direction. Making a bunch of clones he made them stand guard around the house and ran towards the meeting spot.
Once he was in the clearing Naruto closed his eyes and let his chakra flare in 2 small bursts, once it was done he opened his eyes and was greeted by 4 masked figures.
"Heya Kagebo-sensei," Naruto greeted the leader as he walked over to him, "I hope my clone told you everything. Does Jiji know? Am I in trouble?"
"Naruto," Kagebo spoke, "Danzo-sama has been informed. He has stated that though he does not approve of such brazen action openly, he is willing to extend his support this once. Me and my team shall function as backup, and you have been authorised to function as the team leader until our return to the village."
Naruto stood still as he let the impact of the words hit him.
'Me,' Naruto thought, '…a leader?'
Had he improved that much? Just how much trust was Jiji putting in him if he was willing to let him lead an entire team?
…was he good enough for it?
Shaking his head Naruto banished the line of thought from his head. Jiji had lent him backup, and had trusted in him to execute this plan.
Jiji had believed in him.
'I'll prove Jiji is right,' Naruto thought, 'Just like before, follow your training.'
"Ok," Naruto spoke, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible, if he had backup he needed to know just who these people were and what they could do, "Team, give me a summary of your skills and specialities with your identity."
"Kento Nara," Kagebo stepped forward as he removed his mask, "Alias Kagebo, I am able to utilise short range shadow manipulation and paralysis techniques, am proficient in Kenjutsu, a few Suiton Ninjutsu and various poisons. I have a summoning contract with sparrows that permits me to relay information quickly. Specialities include infiltration, information gathering and assassination."
"Himiko Kurama," another of the masked figures stepped forward and removed her mask, "Alias Kuro, I am able to utilise various Genjutsu of my clan in addition to the more conventional ones. I am capable in utilizing senbon and a few Mid-range Katon techniques. My specialities include kunoichi skills, seduction and assassination."
"Goichiro Kohaku," another team member stepped forwards and removed his mask, "Alias Henso, I am able to utilise many different forms of Taijutsu, binding and disguise techniques. I am capable of using a short tanto and a dagger in battle and can use a few offensive Fuinjutsu in addition to conventional techniques in the field. My specialities are close range fighting and capturing targets."
"Mekuto Kazama," the last member of the team stepped forward, "Alias Kyuá. I am skilled in Lightning Release techniques and utilizing a crossbow and a Kusari-gama in battle. My specialities are long distance fighting and sniping."
"Alright," Naruto nodded as he looked at them and gestured them to put on the masks, "Gear?"
"Standard gear for an A-rank mission," Kagebo spoke, "However we are slightly low on poisons and weaponry from our last mission at Genkai. Restocking on the same completely would require atleast 36 hours."
"No need," Naruto spoke as he waved his hand, "For now I want to remain on standby, rest and report back in 12 hours. I'll figure out what to do by then."
The team nodded and vanished into the darkness. Alone in the forest Naruto turned and slowly walked back to Tazuna's house.
From having to spread himself thin by using his clones extensively, having backup in the form of 4 Jounin-level operatives was definitely a plus.
'It's a…infiltration and assassination team,' Naruto thought as he rubbed his chin, 'Not exactly ideal for what have in mind, but didn't Henso say he was good with Fuinjutsu?'
Naruto smirked, the plan was looking even better now.
He walked back to the house and created a bunch of clones to think about possible strategies, then once his shift was over he woke up Sasuke and went to sleep. The clones continued to mash together different plans until the original woke up and dispelled them.
…
Naruto woke up a few hours later with a mild headache as the memories of the clones assimilated in his mind, the clones had kept on coming up with plans until they ran out of chakra. The different plans concocted by each clone swirled around uncomfortably in his head as Naruto looked around and say down to meditate. The jumbled mess of plans in his head was of little use to him.
'Alright,' Naruto opened his eyes after about half an hour, 'I think I got this.'
All he had to do now was wait until night.
…
In the darkness of the forest cover, 4 masked figures waited as Naruto walked up to the clearing and spoke.
"So here is the plan," Naruto spoke, "What I need you to do is…"
"...and make sure that Kuro has an in before everything starts. The guy I knocked out said that Gato liked slightly younger girls, but I'm sure you can think of something. Right Kuro?"
"Yes," Kuro bristled a bit but nodded, "It shall be done, what are my orders once I am inside?"
"I want you to put all the guards under a Genjutsu," Naruto spoke, "Have them walk out of the palace and have a party in the fountain, that way they won't be affected by the fire or the smoke."
"It would be easier to dispose of them summarily," Kagebo offered, "We can easily take on the remaining guards after Gato has left, the fire will wipe out any evidence of our existence or wounds on their corpses. It would be much more efficient captain."
"Uh," Naruto scratched his head, he had been taught about killing and had grown to accept that it was a part of being a Ninja, but still ordering a mass slaughter like this wasn't something he could bring himself to do, "I like my idea better, so no."
"Understood," Kagebo spoke and stepped back in line. One of the things Naruto appreciated about Jiji's men was the absolute discipline these guys had. Despite being much stronger, older and senior to him they took order without question and even pulled suggestions the moment he said that they had to go with his plan.
"…and make sure you guys are out before the fire spreads," Naruto spoke, he pointed at a makeshift map of Gato's palace he had drawn in the mud, "The revolutionary army will set fire on the eastern side. I'll have a clone go with them, so the moment you guys are out I want you to dispel the second clone accompanying you. That will act as a signal and they'll burn the place down."
"What about the scrolls?" Henso asked.
"Give 'em to Jiji," Naruto shrugged, "I blew a hell lot of his money on this, so he needs to get something in return. Just remember to place decoys everywhere. I'll have a few clones scavenge some materials from the bridge today to make replica vases and stuff I remember, just try and get all the important stuff you can think of."
"It shall be done," Kagebo spoke, "We shall leave immediately as the fire begins to spread. Further contact shall then be at the base in Konoha."
"Alright then," Naruto smirked, "Let's get to it."
…
Naruto sat near the bridge as he looked ahead, the ocean was seemingly a bit too calm today.
"Something on your mind kid?" Tazuna asked as he came near, "…considering what you have already told me, I'm a bit scared of the devilish stuff that could be going through your mind right now."
"Just making sure that no one gets hurt," Naruto shrugged.
"The hell did your parents teach you?" Tazuna asked as he chugged some saké from his bottle, "Like…just who are you?"
"My parents," Naruto sagged a bit, "Died on the night I was born in an attack. I've never really learnt anything from them."
Tazuna looked away for a bit before speaking again.
"If they are looking at you right now," Tazuna spoke, "I can't say whether they'd be really proud or shit scared…but I'd say they would be impressed. What you are doing is akin to a miracle for this country kid."
"I just hope it works out in the end," Naruto spoke, he turned and looked at Tazuna, "Are the guys are ready for tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Tazuna spoke, "I talked with 'em yesterday. They're actually mighty impressed by your clone ability and agreed right away. I'll have them wait at the east side tomorrow evening."
"Good," Naruto got down from his seat, "I promise you Tazuna, no matter what happens tomorrow I'll free your country from Gato…
"…Believe it!"
…
Haku formed the necessary hand-seals as the water around him rose and convulsed into a humanoid form, as he completed the last seal the form coalesced into an identical copy of himself.
'Finally,' Haku thought as he looked at his perfectly formed water clone, 'I have not failed you Zabuza-sama.'
Tomorrow was going to mark the most important day in his life. If they succeeded then they could finally go back home.
…
Sasuke completed the last set of his agility exercises as he looked around him. Constantly using the chakra in a manner similar to the tree-climbing exercise had made him much faster than before, the marks on the ground around him indicating that the power behind his movements had increased as well.
This mission had proven to be a disguised blessing for him, forget fighting no-name civilians in the high-seas – he was going to fight a possible Oinin partnered with Momochi Zabuza!
'This will serve as a measure of how far I have come,' Sasuke thought as his hands rushed through a set of familiar seals, a fireball shot out of his mouth, 'Of how far I have come…and how far I still have to go to be able to kill HIM!'
The tree in front of him was reduced to ciders, Sasuke smirked as he walked back to the house for rest. Even his Ninjutsu had gotten better than before.
…
Sakura looked from the higher branches as Sasuke shot a huge fireball and incinerated a tree to ash.
'Sasuke's sooooo Cooool Shannaro!' Inner Sakura spoke as she looked on.
Maybe she could finally show him her new blue dress tomorrow?
…
Naruto woke up and stretched his sore muscles before moving down and sitting at the dining table.
"Ah you're awake Naruto," Kakashi-sensei spoke, "We're just about to head for the bridge today. You can take your time though, join us up later."
"Ok," Naruto spoke as he chowed down on the rice.
'This is perfect!' He inwardly jumped in joy, 'Just how I wanted it!'
Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura soon left the house. The only thing that Naruto noticed though was that Sakura was wearing different clothes today.
'Well,' Naruto thought as he continued to eat, 'Not that it makes a difference.'
Today was the day.
…
Kakashi led his team through the mist as he neared the bridge, once near he noticed that the bumbling construction site was rather empty.
"What happened?" Kakashi asked as he looked at Tazuna.
"Gato," Tazuna shrugged, "Send a few hoodlums this morning saying that some shit was going down today. So I just gave the guys some free time to booze up a bit and regain their courage."
Kakashi nodded and looked at the bridge, this worked in their favour. Having to protect the workers would have only made their job more tedious.
'I wonder though,' Kakashi thought, 'Why send someone in advance?'
Pushing the thought aside he stood on the bridge and gestured his genin to take positions. Zabuza could strike anytime.
As per his calculations, the mist around the area began to thicken.
'Zabuza,' Kakashi thought, 'I'll be sure to finish my job this time.'
…
A few miles from the bridge 3 longboats filled with people saw the same scene.
"It's happening," Gato smirked as he looked at the mist cover the bridge, "Steady for now, start the boats once when the mist starts mellowing down."
"Alright boys!" Suiryou shouted, "Weapons on the ready, we move out once the mist is out. Today is the day we show the world why the men of Kaiza are to be feared!"
"Yeah!"
"We got this!"
"We'll Show 'em!"
Shouts of approval filled the air and Suiryou allowed a smile to form on his face, after today he would be one of the most feared men in the elemental nations.
…
(Few miles away: Tazuna's house)
Inari was in his room staring at the sea when he heard a scream from downstairs, moving down he saw 2 thugs dragging his mother by her hair outside the house.
"Eh," one of the thugs turned, "That's the shrimp boss told us about. Oi Mikishi, what do we do?"
"Let the kid be," the other thug spoke, "The old fart's daughter will be enough."
"Yeah," both of them turned, "Let's go, maybe we'll give the poor sods in the village a show before we take her out."
Inari stood frozen in place as he saw his mother get dragged out, his mouth opened in a silent scream as he raised his hand towards them.
'Why do you guys even try?'
'Gato is just gong to kill you anyway.'
Thoughts of the past surged through his head, had he not accepted this fate long ago?
…wasn't dying at the hands of Gato's thugs the only possible future? Wasn't…
"No," Inari found himself speak even before his train of thoughts drove to an end.
If dying at the hands of those thugs was the only end, he would atleast die protecting his mother than living with the painful memory of her death.
Inari ran as fast as his legs could carry him, he picked up a piece of wood as he chased after the thugs on the road.
"Stop!" Inari yelled as he saw the thugs, "Let her go you morons!"
"Moron," one of them turned as he looked, "Did you hear him Mikishi, this kid is calling us morons…"
"Yeah," he turned, "I wasn't in the mood as we got paid only for the woman…but I guess we'll do the entire family. Who knows, Gato might just pay us a bit extra for this…Aargh!"
"Run Inari!" Inari saw as his mother bit the hand of her captor and shouted at him.
"Stupid Woman!," the Thug screamed as he raised his sword, "I'm gonna take a hand for that!"
"NO!" Inari screamed as he ran towards the group. He felt a sharp pain in his chest as he was kicked aside and the second thug raised his sword and slashed his way.
'Atleast I tried…' Inari thought as he saw the blade descend on his form, 'Was this how you felt Kaiza?'
I just wish I could have done more.
Suddenly the world around him spun, and he found himself sitting on top of a nearby tree with his mother near him.
'What?'
…
Naruto let a small smile form on his lips as he executed the Substitution technique. The constant practice under Ginko-sensei had made him learn many applications of the most commonly used technique in the ninja world.
One of the uses being extending the technique to other objects and people. Extending the technique to people had been quite tricky at the start, as it involved completely overwhelming the chakra network of the person.
…but doing it with 2 common civilians had been too easy.
'Though I've got to hand it to the shrimp,' Naruto thought, 'I didn't think he really had it in him…I guess he believes in heroes afterall…'
'…and I'll never let him down on that,' With that thought Naruto jumped down from the branch and launched himself at the thugs.
The first thug was quick to react as he pulled his sword from the log used to replace Inari. Taking a standard Kenjutsu stance he swung the sword in a long arc right in Naruto's path intent on decapitating him.
'Still way slower than Ginko-sensei,' Naruto thought as he jumped into the air, pushing the sword down with his heel he spun and elbowed the thug on his chin cleanly knocking him out.
The second thug seeing his partner get taken down so easily jumped back to gain distance and threw a dagger straight at Naruto's form. Extending his senses Naruto heard the wind whistle lightly as the projectile cut through the air, without looking in the direction Naruto substituted himself with a log just behind the thug. The dagger sunk into wood as Naruto tapped on the thug's shoulder.
"Wha-" The thug was barely able to make a sound as Naruto kicked him in the groin and knocked him out with a palm strike to the forehead.
"That was…easy," Naruto thought as he looked at the unconscious thugs at his feet. Jiji's training was really paying off in spades.
…
Inari looked on dumbstruck as the blonde in front of him mopped the floor with 2 fully grown men as if they were nothing more than rag dolls.
'Wow,' Inari thought as the second man fell.
Just how long did the fight last? 5 minutes? One minute? 20 seconds?
"That was awesome," Inari felt himself speak as he looked on at the boy.
"Thanks kid," the blonde spoke at the forest floor, "But you know, I'm not the real hero here…your grandfather is."
What?
"I," the blonde looked up, "have been trained for years to do what I just did. I've fought innumerable times and know my way around in a battle, but your grandfather doesn't."
Inari looked on as a clone of the blonde jumped near him, and took him and his mother down to the ground.
"Your grandfather," the blonde spoke, "doesn't know how to fight, neither has he been ever trained for it. Still, he is doing what he can, for your mother…and most importantly for you so that you can have a future without Gato's reign of terror. He knows that thugs like these people are going to come for him and he can't fight them by himself…but he still continues to fight in the way he knows. I'm just someone who helps him do it."
Grandpa…was a hero?
"…and tell you what," the blonde spoke as he turned to face him, "If you want to be one too, be near the eastern docks in an hour for the fight of your freedom from Gato's reign. Let's see if heroism runs in your family."
The blonde ninja then disappeared just like he had appeared before – into thin air.
Snapping out of his trance Inari felt energy course through his body. He walked over to the unconscious thugs and picked up a sword.
"Inari…" Inari turned to see the bedraggled form of his mother as he called out his name, however this time he saw no fear in her eyes.
"…give me the dagger," she whispered as he helped her up.
Inari nodded and looked up, he was going to be a hero just like his Grandfather!
…
Kakashi narrowed his visible eye as 2 forms emerged from the mist, as expected the masked hunter-nin was accompanying Zabuza today.
"Hatake Kakashi," Zabuza spoke as he walked out of the mist, "You have the brats with you I see."
A swarm of Zabuzas circled the group.
"Heh," Kakashi smirked, "Do it Sasuke."
Sasuke nodded and lunged at the clones, he sliced through the 5 that surrounded the group before retaking his position.
"Man," Zabuza spoke, "So you discerned the water clone technique, quite an impressive kid you got there."
"Haku," Zabuza looked at his partner, "Looks like you have some competition."
The masked hunter-nin, now known to Kakashi as 'Haku' nodded as Zabuza spoke. Silently he retrieved a senbon from his clothes and then lunged at them, spinning like a tornado he came near the team.
'Sasuke's fast enough to handle this for now,' Kakashi thought, his assessment was proven true as Sasuke clashed with the Hunter-nin, parrying the senbon with his kunai.
"Fast," Zabuza spoke, "How about a little chat before the show Hatake?"
"I thought you were a master of the 'silent' killing technique," Kakashi quipped as his fingers traced the helm of his headband, the Sharingan ready to go.
"Well," Zabuza raised his blade and pointed it at the group, "There's a small change in plans, but I think I'll let you figure it out for now."
"Ofcourse," Kakashi spoke as he raised his headband, the Sharingan spun wildly as he focused on the form of the swordsman.
The 2 Jounin disappeared and clashed midair, out of the corner of his vision Kakashi saw Sasuke parry strikes with Zabuza's partner ably.
A short exchange later the Jounins separated.
'Something is off,' Kakashi thought as he analysed the Zabuza in front of him, 'He's way slower than before, is he still injured…or is it a clone?'
Kakashi extended his senses and analysed the surroundings with his Sharingan, Zabuza swung his sword in a massive arc, but this time Kakashi was faster and ducked. Kicking the sword with the balls of his feet Kakashi forced Zabuza to over-extend and plunged a kunai into his head.
Unsurprisingly Zabuza dispersed into a shower of water.
Kakashi turned to see that the same thing had happened to Sasuke, who was currently looking at a small puddle of water on the concrete of the bridge.
'Both were water clones?' Kakashi thought as he confirmed that the originals were nowhere near his team's location.
'Something is going on,' Kakashi thought as he signalled Sasuke to get back in formation, he then formed a cross-seal and 2 shadow clones poofed into existence. They ran across the periphery of the bridge to search for possible traps as Kakashi walked back to his team himself.
'What is happening?' was all Kakashi could think as the mist around the area thinned.
…
"Alright Guys!" Suiryou bellowed, "The mist is gone! Let's make a name for ourselves today!"
"Yeah!"
"We're gonna kill 'em!"
"I'm gonna take Hatake's eye!"
Shouts filled the air as the boats let go of their anchor.
At the helm of the lead boat Gato smirked. It didn't matter if Zabuza was dead or alive right now, he was going to get his payback for the shrimp breaking his arm.
'I'll get in the last kick when those idiot shinobi are down,' Gato thought, it didn't matter how many of these idiotic mercenaries died today. These were people who would sell their soul for a pail of booze.
'But idiots are good,' Gato thought as they neared the eastern dock, 'Atleast I can control them.'
Suddenly the water in front of them rose in a gigantic pillar and surged towards the boats capsizing them. Chaos reigned as all the mercenaries tried to swim to the surface and get a stock of the situation.
By the time Suiryou managed to stand on top of an upturned boat and take stock of the situation, Gato was nowhere to be found.
…
"Great Waterfall Technique: Release," Zabuza spoke as he looked at the upturned boats, he had specific order from the brat to let the mercenaries live.
'Would've been easier to just drown these idiots and be done with it,' Zabuza shrugged at the thought, 'But I'm not killing unless I'm paid to do that.'
Besides him Haku jumped into the clearing, the unconscious form of Gato slung on his shoulder.
"Alright," Zabuza spoke as he looked at his charge, "Let's meet the shrimp…or his clone at the agreed location."
Haku nodded and they vanished into the mist.
…
(Gato's Palace)
"Alright Women!" A guard hollered as he pointed them towards the resting area in the palace, "Off with your shirts! The one with the biggest rack get's to personally serve Gato-sama tonight! And by that it means that you'll be safe from the booze laden idiots in the barracks!"
The group of women, consisting of prostitutes…and in some cases random women who had been picked up from the road started undressing as the group of guards leered at them. They had little choice in the matter.
"Hey you," a guard leered as he looked at a brown-haired woman, he momentarily froze as he looked at her before his eyes lidded and he walked back.
"Kurama Clan Secret Technique: Unwavering Bliss," the woman spoke as she let her chakra percolate the area, soon enough every person in the area started staring off into the space as if in a trance.
"You may come out now Kagebo," the woman spoke as she pulled her top back onto her form, the shadows behind her shifted as a masked figure materialised in the room.
"Infiltration successful," Kagebo spoke as he looked at the room full of people, "Kuro, have them move around the fountain after you have extracted the relevant information. I will secure the perimeter and have 3 mud clones start the procedure for replacement of articles."
"It would be simpler to summarily dispose off these people," Kuro spoke as she garbed her shinobi gear, "The fire would wipe out any trace of our presence."
"Those are the captain's orders," Kagebo shrugged, "We are therefore bound to follow them as per mission protocol. I am starting with the collection and replacement of articles, you start with the locker and safe as per the mission profile. We have 180 minutes to clean house."
Kuro nodded to him and made a few more hand seals, the crowd began to move outside towards the fountain, each taking a bottle of liquor from the nearby crate. All of them except a few guards and a handful of Gato's company staff encircled the area, chugged at the liquor and promptly passed out.
"Now," Kuro looked at the remaining persons as she made more signs, "Tell me everything you know about Gato Corporation, his holdings and the assets within this building…Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique..."
The civilians convulsed under the illusion before they started speaking, once Kuro had obtained all the information she needed all of them joined the others near the fountain. Thereafter Kuro walked to the fountain before hitting the edge with the sheath of her sword, the marble broke and the area was flooded with water.
"I must inform Kagebo of all the locations and codes," Kuro spoke as she disappeared inside the palace, they had limited time and a lot to retrieve from this place. Thankfully Henso would be joining them soon.
…
(Village)
Inari ran as fast as his legs could carry him as he screamed for the villagers to stand up for themselves in the fight for their freedom. He tried to speak like Kaiza did, but none of the villagers even dared to look him in the eye.
"Kimiro-san!" He finally called out someone by name, "C'mon! Those ninja are fighting with all they have! This is our chance to beat Gato!"
Kimiro was about to walk off before he was slapped in the face by an old woman. The woman then proceeded to take off her bangles and threw them at his face.
"Wear them," she spoke in a low voice, "Wear them with a short dress and stand under a red-lantern from tonight. Afterall people like you who just bend over for others would be great in that profession."
Kimiro looked down.
"Let's go kid," the lady spoke as she patted Inari on the head, "This place is full of stinkballs…but I'm sick of that gnome lording over us. I won't be of much use in fighting, but unlike these whores who just bend over, I actually have a spine!"
Inari was dumbfounded as the lady led him towards the eastern docks, he was about to leave before he heard another voice.
"Wait!," Inari turned to see Kimiro speak, "You don't even know how to swing a sword Inari, let me get my arrows."
"Yeah!"
"I'm coming too!"
"Let's show the shrimp!"
One by one the villagers started joining the fight as they moved towards the docks, in the surging crowd the old woman moved back and then replaced herself with a clone.
"Objective complete," Henso spoke as he took off his wig and stood straight, "Now I must head to the palace."
In the shadows Kyuá took his position, his objective was to protect the villagers from the mercenaries.
…
(Tazuna's house)
Naruto smirked as the memories of his clone at the palace hit him, Kagebo, Kuro and Henso had cleaned the house…and now it was time to meet up with Zabuza.
…
(Northers Docks)
Zabuza and Haku materialized, the unconscious form of Gato carried with them like a rag doll.
"So it's done," the boy spoke as he looked at Gato.
"Yeah," Zabuza spoke as he dumped Gato on the ground, "My money kid."
"Here," the boy threw a packet at them, it was promptly captured by Haku who inspected it for traps, and when none were found he opened it to reveal a wad of cash.
"A million in cash as agreed," the boy spoke, "The rest of the money has already been transferred to Isekai and can be collected by giving the name of Yuki Haku, the keyword being Ice."
"Alright then," Zabuza took some of the cash in his hand, this was his ticket back home, "Nice doing business with ya kid."
"Any way of contacting you later?" the boy asked with a slight tilt in his head, "I could use a blade for hire like you."
Zabuza contemplated for a second before giving Haku the go-ahead. Haku thereafter withdrew a slip of paper from his sleeve and gave it to the blonde.
"Just so you know," Zabuza spoke, "I'm not going to be taking any jobs outside of Water Country from now on."
"That's alright," the boy shrugged as he picked up Gato, "Goodbye then Zabuza-san."
"Alright kid," Zabuza spoke as he disappeared into the mist, however Haku remained.
"Are you going to get back at me for what happened earlier?" the boy asked as he looked at Haku.
"Why not order Zabuza-sama to simply kill him?" Haku asked gesturing towards Gato.
"Well," the boy sighed, "Think of it as me being naïve…but I prefer to not take a life unless absolutely necessary. That rule extends even to scoundrels like this one…that's all I got."
Haku listened in silence as he felt a small connection between him and the boy.
'He's…been through a lot, just like me,' Haku thought, 'and yet he still holds onto his kindness.'
Haku nodded and jumped up into the branches, as he joined his mentor he could only think of one thing.
'Naruto Uzumaki,' Haku thought, 'I hope we meet again someday.'
…
(Outside Gato's Palace)
The Naruto clone led a group of fighters from the revolutionary army to form lines near the eastern flank, once it received the memories of the first clone from the inside it signalled the army to start its operation.
The fighters took their positions in straight lines alongside the wall and started piling dried wood along its sides, within minutes an outer wall made entirely of dried wood had been raised.
"Good," the clone spoke, "Now get the stuff you told me about."
One of the fighters nodded and barrels of a dark tar-like substance were supplied towards the front. The barrels were stabbed to let the liquid seep into the wood and burning torches were kept ready to light the pyre.
"Alright," the Naruto clone waited. In a few moments the memories of the second clone hit him signifying that Kagebo and his team were out of the palace and all the other people were outside the palace near the fountain.
"Start," the clone commanded as flaming torches were hurled by the fighters, the black liquid burned instantly and soon enough the entire eastern side of the palace was up in flames.
'My job is done,' the clone thought, it was about to dispel itself when some of the fighters came near him.
"T-Thank you," the leader spoke as he kneeled before the clone, "Whoever you are shinobi-san, we are in your eternal debt for freeing this country of that tyrant's reign."
The entire contingent followed the actions of their leader as they bowed to the clone.
"I did what was to be done," the clone spoke, a bit overwhelmed by the actions of the people, "Remember, not a word of me being involved in this must be spoken by any of you to any person in your lifetime."
"We shall die before we speak," the leader spoke, "You are our saviour."
The clone nodded before it dispelled into a puff of smoke.
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