AN:
crazy-antman, Dual Rasengan, Silver8036: Thanks for the support!
MysteryLady-Tx: It will be a long time before John will be summoning his animal. He has nowhere near the chakra required for it. For your other question…just wait.
Citan: The Seven Swordsmen aren't the main focus but they help and hinder along the way more than anyone else. Kisame is helping through the Akatsuki and Kumiko is traveling with them. More detail will be revealed. The result of Namami and Itachi's fight will be revealed much later but I will be dropping hints along the way. No, Naruto will not get Zabuza's sword or any of the other ones. Miharu…maybe. They are the Seven Swords of Hidden Mist and Naruto is honorable enough not to take that away from them. Until much later, it will remain in trading between Naruto and Jiraiya's POVs. They will reveal much more of the story for now. Later I will add someone else's POV but when that happens, something big will be happening.
Master Chaos: Heh. Just wait. As for my other story, I'll try to look over it after a full year has passed since I last updated. I stopped writing it because I lost control of it. If I can get control back, I see if I can do something with it. I made a ton of mistakes in that story that I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to fix. But if I can, I'll try to bring the story to a conclusion.
Naruto's POV
"Naruto-kun, your clones are…killing them." Miharu says. She was back to back with me in the chaos surrounding us.
"Miharu, I know your first kill is hard. Mine was a few weeks ago defending John from his pursuers. But after Ero-sennin told us how these people get their power, I don't feel sorry for them anymore. They raise children like John and then mutilate them for power! People who do that to children don't deserve to live in my opinion." I tell her, slashing the throat of a mercenary who stumbled into my reach.
"All…all right. It's…it's for John's brother and sisters then. I…can try…" Miharu jumped back into the fray. I sighed and followed suit, killing three men in one swipe of my hand. True, some of these people had some kind of bloodline ability but most barely knew how to use it. Out of the two hundred clones I created, only six had been 'poofed' so far. This army is a joke, barely more than bandits. If this is the best that guy has no hidden village would be frightened of this army. I take a second to glance over at Jiraiya and Kumiko. I hope they can take care of that missing-nin because after taking out this army I won't be worth much. I felt another clone poof. There might be some opponents here who know what they are doing. Best weed out the trash first.
Jiraiya's POV
Hoko laughed as he took an offensive stance with his weapons. His upper arms held his swords up and his lower swords held them down. Attack and defense simultaneously. I guess having multiple arms did have advantages. I glanced at Kumiko out of the corner of my eye. She too her sword and held it strait out from her body in front of me.
"Jiraiya, stay out of this. He rebelled from Mufun. As a member of the Seven Swordsmen, it is my duty to kill him and bring the swords back to the Mist," she formed a one-handed tiger seal and placed it on sword at the cross guard. Her fingers glowed blue. "Joushou Mizu…release!" She shouted, drawing her fingers down her blade. When her fingers left the blade, the blue glow shot down its length to the tip.
"So I'm worthy to see the true power of your sword," Hoko laughed. He stuck his four blades into the ground before him and formed four one-handed tiger seals, placing his fingers on the hilt of each blade. "Kisetsufuu…release!" I watched as similar blue glows shot down each blade into the ground. Hoko removed his hands and his swords floated off the ground supported by winds. He grabbed hold of them again and retook his offensive position.
"Jiraiya-sama, I have to ask that you don't interfere with this fight," I look at Kumiko curiously. "Fights between members of the Seven Swordsmen are honorable. Our swords force us to be. I'll explain more later but for now, I do have a request for you. Moderate the fight. We can only use our Tsuruji Taijutsu for this fight. The winner will be declared when one of us dies." I look at her for confirmation but only I could only read determination. Then I finally saw it. Her resemblance to Naruto was right there. I walk between them and hold up my hand.
"You ready, Hoko?" I ask. He grunts in response. "You ready, Kumiko?" I looked at her worried. She smiled.
"I am. I have a son to fight for." She gripped her ôdachi tighter. I nodded.
"Ready…fight!" I said, leaping back out of the way.
Naruto's POV
I dodged a punch. Three fourths of my clones were gone. Luckily, all but twenty of the army was too and they looked tired after fighting wave after wave of my clones. I rammed my hand into my opponent's neck, snapping it. The body fell down and I looked around. Miharu was on her own panting, surrounded by five opponents, about chuunin level from their stances. I started to head over to her only to be stopped by an opponent of my own. I sized him up. This was probably a jounin. He lacked any kind of injury and was only slightly winded. I grunted. Three of my nearby clones came up around me.
"Fool, Kage Bunshins will do nothing to me, I want the real deal." He snarled. He grabbed one of my clones by his forehead and his hand glowed. My clone vanished. "There, I needed a drink. Now then, shall we begin?" I glared. This was going to take some time. I felt a push of hate from the back of my mind. I pushed it back.
'Fox stay back. This is my fight.' I shout at it.
'But Gobi gets to play, why can't I?' My eyes widen as I start to feel the presence of a demonic chakra, only it wasn't my own. The jounin obviously felt it as too and turned around. This was my chance. I stuck out my right hand and a clone quickly started molding chakra in it. By the time the jounin turned back around the Rasengan was fully formed. I watched as his eyes widen and three clones jump on his back. While he was still effectively held I rammed the orb of chakra into the jounin's chest. It ripped through his body and exploded. Parts of the jounin fell to the ground but I wasn't there. I was running towards a rampaging Miharu. I got there just as she ripped the head off the last of the chuunin. The last of my clones had vanished but the fifteen remaining fighters stopped in their tracks. Everyone was looking at Miharu. She charged one but I jumped into the way and deflected her. She looked up at me with white, cat-like eyes. On her cheeks were four very slight whisker marks. Her canine teeth were enlarged and her nails had become claws.
"Naruto, let me kill them!" She charged again. I caught her wrists and she started fighting against me. I felt I was being pushed back.
'Kit we need to stop her. Her mind is being contaminated by the power. She doesn't have the same strength of will you seem to. If you don't call on me you will die!'
'Sadly, I have to agree with you.' I feel the familiar feeling of power ripple through my body but for once, I didn't feel the hate. The bloodlust was still there just dimmed. I stared into Miharu's eyes.
"Be calm!" I said, feeling the chakra enhance the power of my voice. I watched as she calmed down instantly. She blinked still watching me with her cat-like eyes.
"Naruto-kun…I'm so sorry. I wanted to kill you I…"
"Stop, I understand. You need to maintain mental control when you summon Gobi's chakra. I won't always be around tocalm you down, ok?" She nodded. I felt the remnants of the army approaching us as a unified force, apparently overcome of their fear of Miharu. "Now let's deal with the last of these guys and go see if Jiraiya and Kumiko need help. It will also help you feel and use the power you have been granted." We turned and charged. None would leave alive.
Jiraiya's POV
"Kumiko-chan, ladies first," I heard Hoko taunt once I landed. Kumiko grinned.
"Don't blame me if you don't survive it. Hai!" I watched as she did a quick downwards push on the back of her sword. The force caused the blade of the sword to blur and send a shockwave of air hurling at Hoko. He raised his swords to block it but it shockwave went past them and knocked him a meter into the air. Kumiko rushed him and did a long swing with her ôdachi. Hoko brought his down swords up to block and was pushed a full three meters into the air. Kumiko quickly reversed directions on her swing and jumped attacking again. Hoko used all four swords to block but was pushed even further up. Kumiko kept charging and slashing at the defensive Hoko till he was a good fifty meters in the air. Hoko prepared for another upward slash but Kumiko suddenly appeared above her and did a downward slash.
"Bakufu!" She shouted. Hoko barely got his swords up to block in time. Kumiko pushed her sword against his crossed swords. They started to fall towards the earth at a rapid pace. Hoko brought up his lower two swords to assist his upper. They impacted harshly into the ground. Kumiko came sliding out of the dust cloud, sliding back five meters. The dust slowly cleared revealing Hoko on one knee. Inside a crater a meter deep. He slowly stood.
"Excellent, excellent!" He yelled, wiping off the blood from his forehead. "You even past my defense with that one, if but barely. Now no holding back, Kumiko-chan." I watched as he dashed at her. Kumiko swung her sword around to attack Hoko during the charge only to have it deflected by two of his swords. I watched as the other two came for her open left side. Then they suddenly stopped. Kumiko's sword was mostly embedded in the ground parrying the attack. She quickly swung the ôdachi in a circular motion out of the ground. The sword emerged quickly and started pushing the Hoko's two swords around. Hoko tried to attack Kumiko's right only to have his own swords connect with each other and into the ground. Kumiko turned her body and reached her right foot around and kicked Hoko in the middle of his back causing him to stumble. Using his pause to her advantage, Kumiko drew her sword through the ground in a swinging motion. It emerged and continued its path towards Hoko's back. He pulled his swords from the ground and brought them up to block. I blinked. When I opened my eyes I saw that Hoko had indeed blocked Kumiko's ôdachi. It was just on the other side of his body.
"You…have truly…mastered…the Joushou Mizu…" Kumiko walked away from Hoko walked over to her sword's sheath. I suddenly wondered how such a large weapon fit into the small sheath. I watched as she fed her sword slowly into it. When she reached the last meter she picked it up and held it horizontally. She made quick jerk and slammed the sword fully into the sheath. Hoko fell into two pieces. She went over and picked up his four swords and placed them in their nearby sheath. Then she returned to my side and collapsed onto me.
"Kumiko? Are you ok?" I asked, gently lowering her to the ground.
"I'm…fine…Bakufu just takes a lot out of me. It's one of the most powerful techniques to use with the Joushou Mizu. Before I've only used it when training. That was the first time I used it against an opponent."
"So should we burn his body then?" I ask. Kumiko's eyes shot open and looked at me.
"No, the body stays where it lies. It was part of the deal. Now I must carry the Kisetsufuu till I return to Mufun and present it to the Mizukage. This is all the proof he needs of his defeat." She settled back down. I looked up and saw Naruto and Miharu walk up from the remains of the army. They were both covered in blood.
"Kumiko-san are you alright?" Naruto kneeled down next to her. "I saw that last move. That was amazing! You cut through him and the ground like butter!" I chuckled and watched the genjutsu fade from the rock outcroppings revealing the entrance to Rock Country.
"Kumiko-sensei is that really the Kisetsufuu?" Miharu asked, looking at the four swords in the sheath eagerly.
"Yes, it is. But no, I can't train you to use them. They are still attuned to Hoko. Only the Mizukage can remove the attunement. And then, only when all seven swords are together again. So for now, it will rest with Zabuza's sword, the Gengetsu."
"Wait, I thought Zabuza's sword was at his grave near my bridge!" Naruto piped up. Kumiko chuckled slightly.
"That is only a replica. I retrieved the original when the Third Hokage informed the villages that Zabuza was dead. I was just going to take it and not leave a replica but I saw that it was put there carefully, as a monument. I felt I had to." By this point, a single tear leaked from Naruto's left eye. Kumiko slowly reached up and brushed the tear away.
"Thank you, Kumiko-san. Zabuza and Haku…"
"Shhh, I understand." I stood up and away from Kumiko and Naruto. They needed this moment.
"John, come out, we could use your help for a bit." He faded into existence next to me. I looked down at him and saw tears falling freely from his eyes. I kneel next to him. He quickly wraps his arms around me and sobs. This draws the attention of Miharu, Naruto, and Kumiko. Miharu walks over and gently trades places with me.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I think John can't help you right now. You'll have to take care of the bodies." Miharu started to rock back and forth like an older sister. I smiled at the sight and wandered over to the battlefield.
"Kuchiyose: Kawazu no Jutsu!" I say, slamming my hand to the ground. A large frog appears beneath me. "Spray the field with oil." It sucks in a bunch of air and sprays it over the corpses. The frog then vanishes as I proceed to light them on fire in.
Naruto's POV
We traveled at a slow pace. We took a quick stop at a village inside Rock Country to get cleaned up and to let Kumiko rest a bit before we started traveling again. We decided to go by foot for a ways. No one felt in a real hurry to get to where we were going. I had expected the Kyuubi to gloat after all the people I had killed but he hadn't. Jiraiya was unusually subdued but since he hadn't done any fighting, I assumed it was just for our benefit. Kumiko barely spoke save in whispers. She had strapped the Kisetsufuu on her pack and done some jutsu to seal the swords inside. I looked over at Miharu and John. I was surprised how subdued the two of them were. John was holding Miharu's hand for dear life and Miharu was staring at the ground while walking. I wanted to go talk to them about it to see what I could do to help. I felt a hand grip my shoulder.
"Naruto, don't," I look up at Jiraiya. "That fight was Miharu's first kills. It's something she needs to work to deal with herself. You can't help her with that. As for John, he needs emotional support right now. I'm not sure why but it has something to do with the way he was treated. In their own way, they are comforting each other. Miharu is being the shoulder and kind voice John needs right now and John is the justification for why she had to kill all those people. If they want to talk to you about it they will. Just give them time for now."
"Ok," I continue walking in silence. As night fell we came across a party of Mist genin and a jounin sensei. They were originally hostile towards us till Kumiko revealed herself and introduced us. They introduced themselves to as Ogawa Taiki, Fujiwara Kazuma, and Ishimaru Michiyo. Their sensei introduced himself as Sakamoto Takumi. They said they were on their first C-Ranked mission.
"So, why did you go on a mission so far away from Mufun?" Miharu asked, smiling.
"I wanted to see how they would perform on a expedition far from home." Takumi said. He was a short man with a gray streak through his hair dark brown hair. He had a scar running from his left ear and follows his jaw-line till the end of his chin. He war his jounin vest and a blue shirt beneath it. "We encountered two bandit raids while escorting the carriage. We were just supposed to take the convoy to Konoha but the owner was so impressed with he requested that we stay on the job. I asked my team what they felt on going all the way and they were quite excited. I then sent a message to Mizukage-sama and he agreed, upgrading the mission to B-Rank for the distance from home."
"You were at Konoha?" I looked joined the conversation, excited. "What did you think? Who did you meet?"
"Well," Michiyo said, biting a knuckle on her index finger. She was about John's height. She wore a loose, gray sweatshirt. Her Mist headband was tied around her right arm. "We met the Hokage and her apprentice, Sakura-san."
"So you met Baa-chan and Sakura-chan. Who else?" I looked at them, eagerly.
"Well, we were escorted around by a chuunin named Shino," Kazuma continued. He was a very tall for his age, a full head taller than me. He war a simple fishnet shirt with a clean, yellow vest over it. His forehead protector covered his silver hair which was pulled back into a short ponytail. "The bugs he had crawling over him gave me the creeps. But he did introduce us to his teammates, both who were still genin, Kiba and Hinata-san."
"Hinata-sama is so cute…" Taiki mumbled. Michiyo hit him off the rock he was daydreaming on as Kazuma laughed. Taiki had a slight resemblance to Kisame in the fact he had small, bead-like eyes and pointy teeth. But the way he acted he was quite a klutz. "Hey Michiyo-chan what was that for?"
"I told you before you don't have a chance. It's quite obvious that she is already in love with someone and if she isn't I don't think her clan would arrange her to be wed to you." Miharu giggled. I looked over at John. He had already fallen asleep and was leaning against Michiyo.
"Aww, looks like you have a little admirer, Michiyo-chan." Miharu giggled again. Michiyo blushed.
"No, no, I don't think so. He probably is just really tired and would sleep on almost anyone right now even Taiki."
"Hey!" Everyone besides Taiki and John collapsed into laughter. Then what he said came back to me. 'Hinata is cute.' I thought about it. Yeah, she is. Last time I saw her, she was still shy but then when she fought against Neji during the preliminaries she was very strong. It just took me and everyone else cheering her on to bring. I'll keep my promise. I'll change the Hyuuga. I won't let them arrange who Hinata marries. Only she should decide that.
"Hey kids it's time for the…well, five if you to be like John here and go to sleep." Jiraiya chuckled. "Takumi, Kumiko wants to talk to you for a bit, alright?" The jounin nodded and wandered off. I set up John's sleeping bag as Miharu and Michiyo carried him towards it and we tucked him in. Then I found my own sleeping back and fell asleep myself, more relaxed than I'd been in days.
AN2: The other Mist genin team I've added for later. This is one of their first missions and they won't be as talented as the Rookie Nine. We will meet them again in a later chapter and if I continue a second story. Oh and for people who are wondering:
Bakufu:Waterfall
