Hullo everyone!
So this chapter is one I've been looking forward to. It's going to tie some things up, but it'll open the door for more. You'll see what I mean. *nods*
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Now, on with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively.
Chapter 26
A Blade in the Waves
As dawn arose over the land of Nami, a still figure was seen lying against a tree, apparently asleep. After Inari's words the previous evening, he had left in a rage. After storming around for a bit, he had found the nearest clearing, and immediately began venting his anger through training, and on some unfortunate shadow clones. Even when he had eventually tired himself out, he was still too angry to return, so he had simply settled down in the clearing for the night, after setting a few countermeasures in place to ward off any potential enemies or threats of course.
Said countermeasures didn't seem to stop the figure though that was approaching Naruto's sleeping form. Said figure stopped while standing over Naruto, staring down at him. They slowly reached down, only to stop as the tip of a hidden blade nearly touched their throat. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," Naruto said, eyes still closed.
Haku, understanding the danger she was in, slowly pulled back. "I'm not here to fight you," she said, her mask hiding the look of nervousness on her face at how quickly Naruto had reacted to her presence.
"Forgive me if I don't believe you," he said, eyes now open, as he slowly stood, his body tense and ready to fight. He studied the figure before him, before speaking again. "Why are you here exactly?" He asked, watching her for any movements.
Haku just held her hands up slowly, to show she wasn't going to reach for a weapon or start a jutsu. "I'm here at the behest of Zabuza-sama. He wishes to discuss a cease-fire, and perhaps even a temporary alliance," she said.
Naruto blinked in surprise, before narrowing his eyes. "Why would he do that? And why should I believe a word you're saying?" He asked her, still tense and ready to act if need be.
"Zabuza-sama is willing to come to a location of your sensei's choosing, and is willing to do so unarmed. There he will discuss things with them, if they are willing," Haku said. "We have information on Gato's plans that we're willing to offer in exchange for this truce."
"Uh-huh…why would Zabuza be willing to betray his client? Granted, he was willing to betray his village, but-" Naruto said, only to be cut off by Haku, who spoke in a more angry tone.
"Do not speak of Zabuza-sama like that! The village betrayed him!" She said, only to bite her lip and take a few calming breaths. "We have learned recently that Gato intends to betray us as well to avoid having to pay for our services. Zabuza wishes to take the best course of action in order to survive. Please, at least tell your sensei this," she said in a calmer tone.
Naruto watched her, before making a shadow clone who rushed off back to Tazuna's house. "We'll have an answer soon enough," he said simply, still watching her.
Haku nodded, before glancing around the clearing quietly. Her eyes narrowed a bit at the slashes and stab points decorating some of the trees around them. "I take it you were training?" She asked.
Naruto just remained standing there, in a position to quickly dodge or make a grab for his weapons. "What if I was?" He said simply, not really in the mood to speak with an enemy shinobi who could be part of a trap.
Haku looked at him, before slowly removing her mask and stowing it at her side, seeing him tense and almost grab for one of the weapons at his back. "Please, I do not come here as an enemy," she said quietly.
Naruto had to admit, she was quite a looker. Soft brown eyes, pale skin, soft features. 'But she can't beat out Hinata-chan,' he thought, only to mentally start. What made him think of that? Okay yeah, Hinata was cute, really cute, but he hadn't really thought about her in that way before.
His musings were cut short though when Anko practically teleported in front of him from the tree tops, landing next to him. She rose up, studying the kunoichi in front of her and Naruto. "So…you're Zabuza's helper?" She asked.
"Yes. As I told your student, I'm here with an offer from Zabuza for a truce," Haku said.
Anko crossed her arms, shifting her weight back onto one leg. "Uh-huh…So Zabuza Momochi wants a truce?" She asked. "Why exactly? I want a straight answer."
Haku let out a slightly frustrated sigh. "We have learned that Gato intends to betray us. We could simply leave, but Zabuza-sama stated that it would look bad to future prospective clients. Instead, he proposes we work alongside you to take down Gato. We survive Gato's trap, you protect your client, and hopefully we can all leave this island alive," Haku said simply.
Anko just looked at her, before nodding. "Alright. Tell him to meet us here at this clearing this afternoon at two. He's to come unarmed," she said simply. "He can accept it or leave it."
Haku hesitated, before nodding. "Very well," she said, before disappearing in a shunshin.
Naruto let out a sigh, only to get bonked on the head by Anko. "OW! What the heck sensei?!" He demanded.
"That was for staying out here all night long. We've been worried sick!" She said, even as Hinata dropped down next to them, folding up her bow and stowing it in its back harness. The indigo haired girl had a mixture of a disapproving face and a pout, making Naruto again think 'cute' in his mind before squashing that thought as he rubbed his head.
"Alright, alright! I'm sorry. Just…needed to get away from that brat," he said quietly, before getting serious. "What do you think Gato is planning?"
"Probably nothing good, if his track record is anything to go by," Anko said, looking off into the trees. "But if he's willing to turn on Zabuza, he either is incredibly dumb, or thinks he has an ace up his sleeve. Guess we'll find out, won't we?" She said, as the trio started to head back to Tazuna's house.
As they approached, they saw Sakura and Sasuke actually sparring together. Sasuke obviously was a lot stronger than Sakura, and yet the pink haired girl was not backing down, continuing to get up and fight. Naruto had a half smile as he watched. "Well, at least she's got one person at that team to help her," he said. He knew how protective of Sakura Ino was, and how the blonde had often ranted about how no one on team 7 seemed to even bother helping Sakura train.
"She's probably not happy it's Sasuke though. She doesn't like him that much," Hinata said, knowing Ino's dislike of Sasuke stemmed from their Academy days, when Sasuke, sore after losing to Naruto, Hinata, and Ino in a training exercise, had purposefully bumped into Ino and knocked her over. Ino hadn't been seriously hurt, but she had grown to dislike Sasuke after that, even when other girls fawned over him.
Anko meanwhile sighed slightly in annoyance as Kakashi approached. "What was that all about?" He said, almost demanding the information from her on why she left.
Anko narrowed her eyes, wishing to deny him the information but spoke anyway. "Zabuza's minion met with Naruto here, asking to meet with one of us. They stated that Zabuza wishes to call a truce. Apparently Gato plans to betray him, so he wants to work with us to defeat Gato, in exchange for him being allowed to leave afterwards."
Kakashi just crossed his arm, his one eye looking at her lazily. "And what do you intend to do?"
"I intend for you, me, and Raphael to talk to him," she said. When she saw his eyebrow rise up, she elaborated. "If his offer is genuine, it's the best chance we have of completing your mission to protect Tazuna, and our mission of assassinating Gato. If it's not, we can take him out."
"And how do you know Zabuza isn't setting a trap?" Kakashi said. "The three of us arrive, and get killed, paving the way for Zabuza to massacre our genin and the client."
Anko smirked. "Which is why Naruto and Hinata will be there, hidden, ready to provide us support. The two of them are pretty good with their bow and crossbow, and they've been training for years in mastering stealth."
Kakashi looked at the two genin, before speaking. "Are you certain they can handle it? Sasuke is-" he started, only to be stopped by Anko.
"Naruto and Hinata are skilled at not only stealth, but ranged combat, especially Hinata. She can nail a target at a hundred yards before you can blink. And Naruto is fairly handy with his crossbow. They'll be all we need, especially since we don't want to put our genin into close quarters combat with Zabuza," she said. "Not to mention Hinata's Byakugan will be a lot more useful than Sasuke."
Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed just a fraction, before he shrugged. "Makes sense I suppose. I'll leave him here in charge then," he said, turning towards where Sasuke and Sakura were training.
Anko just sighed softly. "He really doesn't like having his authority questioned. Arrogant prick," she muttered, before looking to her two students. "You two make sure you're ready when the time comes. We'll need you in good hiding spots."
"Yes sensei!" they chimed together as they headed inside with her to talk to Raphael.
Konoha, Hokage's Office
Sarutobi sighed as he read a message from Kumo. The Chuunin Exams were approaching, and they would be held in Konoha this year around. This would not be anything extra special, if it weren't for the fact that Kumo wanted to send a couple teams to take part in the exams. Since the Hyuuga Incident several years earlier, Kumo had not sent a single genin team to the Chuunin Exams when they were held in Konoha. Due in large part to their probable fear that the Hyuuga would retaliate against them.
But now, they were sending teams to this one. After so long, what had changed their minds? Was it Yugito? Perhaps they thought now was a chance to strike at her. Or maybe make another attempt at the Hyuuga. Or perhaps they simply wished to put this whole business behind them.
No matter what, Sarutobi knew he couldn't let his guard down. Signaling his ANBU guards, he wrote out a message as one of them appeared. He handed that shinobi the message he just wrote. "Take this to ANBU headquarters, and deliver it to the ANBU commander," he said simply.
The elite shinobi nodded and vanished, leaving Sarutobi to quietly begin thinking over everything that could be done to secure the village, while still leaving it open and inviting to clients and the coming competitors. He quietly wished Raphael was present, to try and get his perspective on things, but dismissed the thought, knowing he could ask the Assassin when he returned. For now, he would proceed ahead, and hope that everything went according to plan.
Nami no Kuni
Anko, Kakashi, and Raphael all stood in the clearing, waiting for Zabuza to appear. The three of them were trying to look calm, but each had their hands near weapons, as they scanned the woods. Back a bit from them, they knew Naruto and Hinata waited, ready to aid them with long range fire if need be.
The three of them tensed slightly as they saw Zabuza arrive, minus his sword, and now wearing a sleeveless dark blue top with matching pants. He approached them, stopping about twenty feet away with his arms crossed. He looked at them, before scanning the woods around them. "So…here we are," he said finally.
"What information do you have Zabuza?" Kakashi demanded, only for Zabuza to shake his head.
"Not going to work that way, monkey," Zabuza said, a mocking tone when he said monkey. Kakashi clenched a fist as Zabuza continued. "You agree that you let me and Haku go after all this is done, and then I tell you what I know. That simple," he said. "Do we have a deal?"
Kakashi looked at Anko and Raphael, who both simply nodded. Kakashi took a deep breath, before answering. "Very well. You and your ally will be allowed to leave this island once Gato is dealt with."
"Uh-huh. I need something more binding then that," Zabuza said. "What's to stop you from betraying me after all is said and done?"
Kakashi was about to answer, when Raphael stepped forward. "I give you my word as a fellow swordsman. I swear upon my blade, and my honor that you and your companion will be allowed to leave, if you so choose," He stated simply.
Zabuza looked at him closely, studying him. "…as a fellow swordsman, I accept your oath," he said finally. At the confused look of Kakashi and Anko, Zabuza smirked. "Typical Konoha shinobi, unable to understand the intricacies of being a true swordsman," he said in a mocking tone.
Raphael held up a hand, forestalling his companions from doing anything rash. "Please do not let his words ruffle you," he said, causing Anko to marginally calm down. Zabuza meanwhile started to speak.
"Gato intends to use a trap to split your force in half. He intends to take a number of villagers prisoner, and execute them via public hanging two days from now. His intent is to demand that Tazuna surrender himself, in exchange for the prisoner's lives. He's betting though that instead of allowing Tazuna to turn himself over, you'll convince him to continue working on the bridge, while you split your force in two and rescue the prisoners. His intent is to have Haku and I attack Tazuna at the bridge and slay him, with his mercenary forces providing us with additional support. That was the plan he told us. However, I had Haku eavesdrop on him, and she learned that he intends to betray us as well. His thugs will hold back until we are all weakened, then move in and wipe us all out," The Kiri missing nin stated.
Anko glanced at Kakashi and Raphael, worry etched on her face. "Gotta admit, the bastard is clever," she said softly. The thugs weren't a problem. Seasoned jounin could handle an army of thugs, provided said jounin were relatively fresh. A tired and exhausted jounin was a different matter altogether. The real problem though was the hostage and public executions. If those weren't stopped, it would turn the populace of Nami against Tazuna, especially with the current defeated mindset the citizens were in. They could very well turn and support Gato if Tazuna didn't turn himself in, or if the Konoha shinobi didn't try to rescue them. And the Konoha shinobi couldn't fight off the entire population of Nami.
Raphael however was looking thoughtful. "…do you know where the execution will be held? And how many of Gato's men will be there?" He asked.
Zabuza nodded. "Yeah. He plans to hold it in the middle of the town, opposite the old town hall. I'd say there won't be more than ten or fifteen men in total guarding it. He will however have fifty or sixty men with him at the bridge."
The Assassin nodded thoughtfully, a plan already starting to form in his head. Kakashi looked at him, not liking that he didn't feel in charge, but deciding to swallow his pride if it meant survival. "I take it you have a plan forming?"
"I have the beginning of a plan, yes…Zabuza, return to your hideout. On the day of the ambush, come to the bridge, but use your mist to hide us all from Gato's view. We'll make it seem like we're fighting, and when the time comes, we'll turn the trap on him. I'll need to speak to some allies of ours, make sure they're in position," Raphael said. "And…we'll need to handle the executions as well. And I think I know who can handle it."
Zabuza just smirked behind his mask. "Heh, well here's hoping you know what the hell you're doing," he said. "Cuz if you don't…I promise I'll make your life miserable in hell when we're all dead. Haku!" He shouted, with his companion landing next to him, his sword strapped to her back. She undid the straps as he took the handle, easily lifting it and securing it to his own back. "Haku, I want you to stay in the area, to act as the go between in case they need to relay any information to me. Be discreet," he said, loud enough for them to hear. As Haku nodded, Zabuza turned to leave, only to stop. "Oh, and tell your little brats that they're not bad at hiding, but they've still got a ways to go before they're hidden from me," he said, before disappearing in a water shunshin. Haku meanwhile merely bowed her masked head to the Konoha shinobi and Assassin, before disappearing into the trees.
The two jounin and one Assassin just looked at each other, before Anko signaled Naruto and Hinata. The pair soon joined them, stowing their weapons, as Raphael turned to them. "Good work you two. Alright, I need to get in contact with Mukei and his crew, see if we can't get them into position for the ambush," he said.
"What about the prisoners, and the hanging?" Kakashi asked. "We'll need to stop that from happening without dividing ourselves too much. You said you had someone who could handle that?"
"I do, yes," Raphael said. "But first we should return to Tazuna's house and gather the rest of our genin. Afterwards, I'll go contact Mukei."
About a half hour later, the two teams of genin sat on the dock next to Tazuna's house, with Anko and Kakashi standing behind them. Raphael was in front of them, having finalized his plan, and was now ready to brief them on it.
"We've learned that Gato intends to try and divide our forces, before moving in to wipe out Tazuna and any of us who are protecting him," Raphael explained. "He intends to do this by taking a number of citizens of the town prisoner, and will threaten to hang them if Tazuna does not turn himself in. However, Gato is also banking on the fact that we will convince Tazuna not to turn himself in, and will instead divide our forces to rescue the prisoners as well as protect him at the bridge. He intends to attack us at the bridge with the majority of his thugs, as well as Zabuza and his companion," Raphael said.
Sakura quietly raised a hand. "Why don't you simply sneak into his home and kill him then. That's why you're here, isn't it?" Sakura asked.
Raphael nodded at her question. "Under normal circumstances I would, except for one problem: what about his thugs? If we remove Gato, the thugs will no longer be under his control, and they'll simply rampage through the town. Countless innocents will suffer or die. However, if we can ensure his thugs are away from the town, we can take both him and his men out in a single battle. Especially due to some allies who have joined us, and will be aiding us at the bridge."
"Well what about Zabuza? It's not like he'll just let us wipe out Gato," Kiba said.
"Actually…he's helping us," Anko said, making most of the genin turn to her in shock. "Zabuza learned that Gato intends to betray him and kill him on the bridge, after having Zabuza tire us out. He's the one who approached us with this information, and we're intending to work together to defeat him."
"What about the execution then. How will we handle that?" Sasuke asked.
Raphael smirked. "This is where Gato has underestimated us. He doesn't know what we have at our disposal. We'll only need one person to handle the execution…and that one person is Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened when he heard his name. "Me?" he asked in surprise.
"No way! I'm much better than that loser! Send me!" Kiba said, only to wilt a bit at the glare sent to him by Hinata.
"I defeated you in a matter of seconds, dog boy, and Naruto is stronger than me. What does that say?" She said, making Kiba growl a bit angrily.
Raphael just sighed, shaking his head. "Naruto has a jutsu that is perfect for dealing with multiple attackers, especially when combined with his training. Isn't that right Naruto?" Raphael asked, making Naruto's eyes widened in understanding. The blonde haired Assassin nodded.
"Yeah, I get it," he said. "Do we know how many thugs will be at the execution area, and where it is?"
Anko spoke up at this point. "There will be between ten to twenty thugs, and it's going to be held in the town square, opposite the old town hall."
Kakashi decided to speak up at this moment. "Maybe we should give him some back up. One of us could-" he started, only to be stopped by Anko.
"Kakashi, you know full well you, me, and Raphael will need to be on that bridge to handle Gato's thugs as well as Zabuza if he's playing us. That leaves only the genin, and out of them all, who can we honestly spare? Kiba is too brash for something that requires timing and subtlety, and Sasuke, Hinata, and Ino are too valuable to send with him. We need them on the bridge. Sakura is the only one we could maybe spare, and even then I'm sure you'd rather have her on the bridge against the sixty thugs we'll be facing. Trust me, Naruto can handle this," she said.
Kakashi bit back a retort, before shrugging. "Very well then, however, there's something your plan hasn't covered," Kakashi said. "What if the people rise up against Tazuna after Gato takes some of them prisoner and demands Tazuna's surrender? We can't fight them, can we?"
Raphael slowly shook his head. "No we can't…but we can at least talk to them, and try to get them to see reason," he said. "Are there any other questions?" He asked.
As they all shook their heads, or remained silent, he gave a satisfied nod. "Alright then, I suggest you all get to training or watching Tazuna. Naruto, be sure to set aside some time to scout out the town center," he said.
Naruto nodded, before they were all dismissed. Each headed off, determined to be ready for what was to come.
Forests of Nami, the next day
Naruto and Hinata were busy practicing in a clearing, each practicing with their respective ranged weapons on a portable target Naruto kept sealed in a storage scroll. It had actually turned into a contest, with each of them seeing how many times they could hit the bullseye in a row.
Hinata grunted as she loosed another arrow, and grinned as she hit the target again in the center. "That's six for me," she said, retrieving her arrow while Naruto just smirked.
"Six is not bad," he said, as he readied his crossbow. "But c'mon, six in a row is a warm up for me," he said, preparing to fire, until he felt something tickling his ear. He unfortunately jerked in surprise, causing the shot to go off and hit outside the inner area of the target. He whirled towards Hinata who stood there innocently, trying to hide the leaf she had tickled him with. "You cheated!" He said.
"I did not!" She said in mock surprise. "I would never cheat!"
Naruto growled as he lunged at her to try and get the leaf, and she giggled, hopping up into a tree. Naruto stood on the ground, glaring up at her in mock anger as she kept grinning down at him.
The pair however was interrupted by Haku entering the clearing. Hinata hopped down as the pair of them warily watched the slightly older girl, who had kept her mask on the entire time. She merely indicated the target they had been shooting at. "Do you mind if I join you? Zabuza-sama would surely wish for me to get some training in while I'm here," she said quietly.
Naruto looked at Hinata who gave a wary shrug. "Uh…sure," Naruto said.
Haku nodded at them before pulling out a group of senbon needles and began to throw them with practiced ease at the target. Naruto winced as he saw the tight grouping Haku had, the needles all sticking out next to each other in the center of the target. The two of them awkwardly stood there, not sure what to do, as they watched Haku continued to throw senbon at the target, and retrieve them. She eventually stopped, not looking at them.
"I am sorry for the intrusion. Obviously I am causing a tense situation. I shall leave," she said, going to retrieve her senbon.
"No ummm…you don't have to," Naruto said, trying to be polite. "It's just…we're not sure what to do really, you know?"
"Indeed? I am sorry to cause such confusion," Haku said, as she retrieved her senbon.
Hinata, deciding to try and break the ice a little, asked Haku a question. "So ummm…what made you want to work with Zabuza-san?" she asked.
Haku was quiet for several moments, before answering, her back to Hinata. "Zabuza-sama saved me. I owe him my life, to serve him however he requires me to serve," she said simply. "He is my precious person…and I will fight and die for him."
Both Konoha genin could hear the devotion in her voice, as she spoke those words. And both of them could understand what she was saying and feeling. They both felt the same way, not only about each other, but Anko, Raphael, and others. They had saved them, perhaps not the way Zabuza had saved Haku, but saved them in different ways.
"Do either of you have a precious person?" Haku asked, turning to them. They looked at each other, before nodding.
"We do Haku…we have people who are precious to us," Hinata said softly.
Haku looked at both of them, before nodding. "Good…then you know what true strength is…remember this, when the time comes to face off against Gato," she said, before starting to throw her senbon again at the target.
The two genin nodded to each other, before moving slowly to join Haku. They might not be friends, but for the moment, they were allies, united in similar cause.
That Night
Gato made his move without warning. Throughout the village, his thugs struck, rounding up numerous citizens and dragging them towards the center of the town. The people not taken followed, wondering what fresh new hell awaited them, as the family of those taken wept silently, believing they would see their loved ones killed.
In the center of the town, Gato stood with the majority of his thugs, as the prisoners were herded into a cage that stood next to the beginnings of a gallows. He smirked, seeing the people slowly gathering, staring in fear of his thugs and the gallows frame that was being put together. He had them in the perfect position. He nodded to one thug, one of his lieutenants, who stepped forward.
"Alright, listen up!" He shouted, getting everyone's attention. "These people are to be executed as an example of what happens when you stand against Gato! He came here to help this village, and instead members of it conspire against him! So to show you all what happens, these people will be hung by the neck until dead on the morning of the second day from now!"
Gasps of fears and weak cries of protests echoed from the crowd, only for Gato to raise a hand. Now he spoke, standing on a small dais. "But…I am not without mercy," he said with a smirk, getting their attention. "If you wish to save your loved ones, then I require one simple thing: the surrender of Tazuna the bridge builder. If he surrenders himself to me before the execution, these people will be spared. Otherwise…say goodbye to your loved ones," he said.
Stamping his cane on the dais, he turned and left, followed by the majority of his thugs. The rest stayed to guard the cell and build the gallows.
The people meanwhile began talking amongst themselves, some of them quite angrily.
"This is all Tazuna fault! If he had just accepted Gato was in charge, none of this would have happened!" One shouted.
"And now our families are going to die because of him! Just like Kaiza!" A woman shouted.
Another man grabbed up a pitchfork leaning against a nearby wall. "Well I say we make sure he does the right thing! Who's with me?!" He shouted.
Several others yelled in agreement, grabbing whatever they could use as weapons, or torches, and the mob quickly headed towards Tazuna's house.
At the bridge builder's house, Naruto and Kiba were currently on sentry duty. Kiba was on the ground, patrolling and using his sense of smell to search for any intruders, while Naruto was perched on the roof, where he could use his eyes, and readily use his crossbow as well.
Naruto had seen the increased illumination from the center of town, and his eyes narrowed. When he saw a number of lights leave the village and clearly heading this way, he quickly leaned over the side. "Kiba-san, we've got incoming trouble. Can you get Kakashi sensei?" He said, as he hopped down, heading for the tents where Anko and Raphael would be.
Within minutes, the two jounin, one Assassin, and their genin team were formed up in front of Tazuna's home. And in the distance, drawing closer, they could hear the obvious sounds of an angry mob. Anko turned to the genin, seeing most of them were tense. "Listen up. I don't want any of you jumping the gun, understood? Do not attack them unless we give the order."
Soon, they saw torches through the trees, and then the mob of civilians appeared, heading straight for them. They did slow though when they saw the shinobi formed between them and their objective. However, anger and fear drove them to continue moving forward.
As they neared, Kakashi stepped forward, trying to look friendly, but nonchalant. "Good evening to you. Can we help you?" He asked, hands in his pocket. It seemed like a relaxed pose, but none of the civilians knew he was clutching a kunai in his pocket, ready to block any incoming blow.
The villagers again faltered, but then one stepped forward, gripping a piece of wood he had shaped into a club. "We're here for Tazuna, shinobi-san. Hand him over and we won't have any problems."
Kakashi just raised his one visible eyebrow. "Oh? Well I'm afraid Tazuna is asleep at the moment. Perhaps you could leave a message?" He asked.
At that moment, the front door opened, and Tazuna stepped out warily, looking over the crowd and situation. "What's going on here?" He said.
Immediately, one of the villages pointed at him angrily. "YOU! This is your fault! You just had to provoke Gato, didn't you?!" The villager shouted, as others yelled in agreement.
"Gato's taken some of the other's hostage, and threatens to execute them if you don't turn yourself in! We're here to make sure you do!" Another shouted.
Tazuna was taken aback by their shouts and yelling, and was about to respond when Anko stepped forward now. "I'm afraid we can't let you do that," she said.
"This isn't your business shinobi! This is between us and that old man!" One woman shouted, pointing at Tazuna. "Stop hiding behind these hired goons!"
Tazuna growled as he stepped off the porch. "Don't you people get it? I'm trying to free us from Gato's tyranny! How can you all just live under his thumb like this?! Don't you have any pride in yourselves?!"
"Look at what pride got us! Kaiza is dead Tazuna, and now more people are going to die because of your pride! How many more people need to die before you stop trying to fight the impossible?!" The apparent leader of the group said.
"Is it impossible?" Asked a calm voice, as Raphael stepped forward. "Is it impossible to face Gato?"
"He already killed our village's hero! Kaiza was the strongest and most noble of us, and Gato easily defeated him and executed him!" Another man shouted from the crowd. "How can we fight him?!"
"By standing together against him," Raphael said, making the people pause. "When Gato first came, and Kaiza stood against him, how many of you supported him? How many of you went with him, to fight and stand against Gato. None of you, right?" He said.
When no one responded, Raphael continued. "What would have happened, if you had stood up to Gato as one whole village? Instead of relying on one man to save you, you had relied on yourselves, to protect you and your village. Would you be here right now? Would Gato still be here?"
"Tazuna here is putting his life on the line to help this village," Anko said, pointing to Tazuna. "Like Kaiza, he's willing to protect this village, even as it abandons him to save itself. Is that how you really want to live? Head down, bowing and scraping to get by? Is that who you people really want to be?!"
The crowd now had lowered their weapons, looking guilty and ashamed. A few though still seemed determined to bring Tazuna in. "What about our friends and family? Should we sacrifice them for Tazuna? Why is he more important than them?!" The woman from earlier shouted, getting a few 'ayes' from some of the others.
"He's not," Kakashi said simply. "But he's your best chance for survival."
"They're right though," Tazuna said, looking to the three shinobi leaders. They had talked to him earlier about what they had learned, and now knew he had to help sell part of the plan. "Those people out there are going to suffer because of me. Isn't there anything you can do to help them?" He asked.
Anko nodded, playing along. "We'll do what we can to save those people. Perhaps if Gato is attending, we can even try to go after him," she said. "But we'll focus on rescuing those people and protecting Tazuna."
The crowd's anger seemed defused at this, though most still seemed unconvinced. But they knew there was little they could to actually get to Tazuna, if these shinobi refused to hand him over. A fair amount of them also felt guilty at the words that had been spoken to them. Now they slowly dispersed, most starting to leave, while a few stay to send hard glares at Tazuna, before leaving as well.
Up above, Inari watched from his bedroom window, listening to all of it, but especially what the shinobi had said. Biting his lip, he slowly moved away from the window, and turned to his closet. He slowly opened it, and pulled out a box from deep behind everything else in said closet. Slowly, he opened it, revealing a rough crossbow, and a small quiver of bolts. Gently picking it up, his eyes watered as he held the last gift Kaiza had ever given him. Slowly, his eyes grew hard, and he grabbed the quiver as well, his face set and determined as he began checking the crossbow to make sure it was functional.
The morning of the execution
It was a beautiful morning as the sun rose, the sky blue and the birds chirping. To anyone else, it would have been wonderful.
To the group heading towards the bridge though, the beauty was lost on them. Today was the day Gato intended to spring his trap, and they would attempt to counter that trap. They had managed to get final details worked out with Zabuza, so everything was ready. Tazuna had ordered some of his work crew to stay in town, to offer moral support to those whose loved ones were now prisoners. The others he ordered to leave town like they were going to work on the bridge, but then to hide at a certain point, where they were replaced with a number of shadow clones from Naruto. These clones would proceed to the bridge and begin 'working' waiting for Zabuza and Haku to arrive with Gato and his men.
Naruto himself had left before dawn, to infiltrate the town plaza and set everything he needed up. That left the remaining genin and their jounin sensei to guard Tazuna, along with Raphael.
The genin were all nervous, with Hinata being the only one who seemed calm. Out of all of them, Hinata was the only one to have actually been in life or death battles so far, during her assassination missions. Despite her experience, she still was nervous, something Anko had always assured her was normal. Seeing Ino nervously fidget with her kusarigama, she gave her a calm smile. "Don't worry Ino. We'll be fine," she said, calming her teammate.
Ino nodded, trying to give a confident grin, before looking to Sakura. "Hey…stay close to me, okay?" she asked her friend. Sakura just nodded, unable to smile or say anything.
As they approached the bridge, they could already see the fog in place, meaning Zabuza and Haku were ready, and Gato was more than likely nearby with his thugs, ready to spring the trap at the right moment. Anko took a deep breath, looking at Raphael. "Here we go," she said, gripping her twin ulaks.
In town, the people had gathered in the village square, feeling fear, anxiety, rage, and sorrow as they saw the completed gallows. Ten heavily armed thugs stood on the perimeter of the square, weapons very much evident to cow the populace, while another two thugs stood at the gallows with one of the lieutenants. None of them seemed to notice the hay cart that had been rolled to one side of the town hall, nor did they notice the hooded figure crouched in the shadows of the bell tower atop the town hall.
The lieutenant, seeing the time had come, now stepped forward. "Let it be known on this day that these people are hereby sentenced to death by hanging, for compliance in aiding the bridge builder Tazuna!" He shouted. "Bring forth the first group!"
The two thugs went down to the prison cell, opening it and dragging out five of the prisoners, who were now crying and pleading for someone, anyone to save them. Some of the people in the crowd tensed, as if to step forward, but cowered at the sight of the weapons. Others just looked away, as the people were brought up to the gallows.
As the first noose was placed over the first victim's head, the hooded figure stood up surveying the area, before nodding. Turning, he leapt over the edge of the bell tower, and somersaulted, landing in the hay cart. Easily stepping out, the black and dark orange clad figure quickly began moving out of the alleyway, and into the square. A thug standing in front of the alleyway never knew what killed him, beyond a sharp pain in the back through his heart, while a hand covered his mouth. As he fell to the ground, dead, the figure stepped over them, retracting the blade back into the bracer on his left arm.
Each of the prisoners now had a noose around their neck, each one forced to stand on blocks that would be kicked out from under them when the time came. The lieutenant was about to order his two minions to kick the blocks away when he saw a flash of movement in the crowd. Blinking, he looked again, his eyes widening as he saw the hooded figure approaching rapidly through the crowd, one gloved hand reaching back to the crossbow on his back. "There, that man! Stop him!" He shouted, pointing to the quickly approaching figure.
The two thugs drew their swords, approaching the stairs leading up to the gallows, as the hooded figure pulled out the crossbow and shot the first one in the throat. He fell down the stairs as the figure dropped his crossbow and drew the ninjato on his back in a lightning fast movement, blocking the downward slash from the other thug before quickly stabbing him through the throat with the hidden blade under his left arm. As the thug dropped to his knees, grasping his throat, the hooded figure jumped on his shoulders, using him as a springboard to launch himself at the lieutenant on the gallows, who was trying to draw his sword. He wouldn't get a chance, as the figure drove him to the ground, and the last thing he saw was a pair of vivid blue eyes and a flash of light on metal (1).
Naruto slowly retracted his hidden blade, standing up from the corpse as he turned, seeing the thugs surrounding the crowd rushing to get at him. As one rushed the stairs, he readied his sword, only to blink as he saw a rough metal bolt slam into the man's sword arm, causing him to scream as he dropped the cleaver-like blade. Wasting no time, Naruto quickly slew the man, before looking up as he saw Inari standing there, his own rough crossbow in hand and an iron helmet on his head. Inari raised his crossbow high. "FOR NAMI!" He shouted.
Naruto grinned as he raised his own sword. "PEOPLE OF NAMI! THIS IS YOUR TIME! TAKE BACK YOUR HOME!" He shouted to them.
The people could only stare, seeing the dead thugs, seeing Inari, the young child, armed and ready to fight. And in that moment, something snapped. As the thugs struggled in the crowd, one person suddenly grabbed one, dragging them down as they yelled and screamed, releasing pent up rage. In an instant, the people of Nami had grabbed the remaining thugs, dragging them down, beating and pummeling them, grabbing their weapons and stabbing them. A spirit of resistance and rebellion broke out amongst the people, as they let loose their rage.
Naruto quickly freed the prisoners on the gallows as the others were pulled from their cage, before dropping down to the ground. He smiled as he took his crossbow from Inari, who retrieved it for him. 'Thanks kid," he said. "Kaiza would be proud of you."
Inari began to tear up a bit, as the other people of Nami cheered, raising weapons taken from the dead thugs, or grabbing other implements. Naruto lowered his hood and quickly raised his hands to draw their attention. "People of Nami! This isn't over yet! Gato is still out there; ready to spring a trap for Tazuna! He thinks that he will win this day. But will you let him? OR WILL YOU FIGHT?!" He shouted.
The people cheered, raising their weapons, as Naruto nodded. "Then come on!" He shouted, leading them out of the square and towards the bridge, a tidal wave focused on the destruction of the one who had oppressed them for so long.
At the bridge, the Konoha shinobi currently were on the incomplete structure, shrouded in fog that Zabuza had put up. The missing nin had met up with them there, after using the fog to shroud Gato's view of what was happening on the bridge. Now they waited, occasionally making noise and performing jutsu so as not to arouse Gato's suspicion. The fog would have deadened any sound, but it paid to be careful.
Raphael stood near the edge of the bridge, along with Tazuna. Below, they knew that the crew of the Ru-Same were in boats, waiting for the signal to scale up and join the battle against Gato's thugs.
Eventually, after about twenty minutes, Kakashi nodded. "It's about time," he said. "Everyone, henge. Make it look like you're worn out and wounded," he said.
The shinobi quickly did so, while Raphael moved forward to join them. After the shinobi had finished their henge, Zabuza began to weaken the fog around them, lowering it to make it seem like he was tired.
As the fog lessened, they soon saw the shapes of Gato and his thugs at the end of the bridge where the woods were. They were amassed there, waiting.
As soon as they were visible, Zabuza, who was acting tired, called out. "Gato, get your thugs in here!" He shouted, as if calling for backup.
Gato, standing at the head of his force of thugs, just smirked. "Truly pathetic. The big bad Oni no Kirigakure, begging for help? You're nothing but an imp, playing big," he sneered.
Zabuza glared at him, 'leaning on his sword'. "What the hell are you doing Gato?" He demanded, eyes narrowed.
"You missing nin are far too expensive to keep around," Gato said simply. "So I'm doing what any good business would do. Men, kill them all, but feel free to take the women as a bonus if you can," he said.
His thugs cheered, raising their weapons, and preparing to charge. Yet as they did so, Zabuza just grinned as he slowly straightened up, the wounds on his body and perspiration disappearing. The same held true for the other shinobi, as they dropped their henge. Anko looked over her shoulder at the genin. "Sasuke, Kiba, you two form a line with Haku. You're our second line. Nail any thug who gets by us. Hinata, Sakura, Ino, you three hit them from afar, keep them off Tazuna."
The genin and one missing nin nodded as they got into formation, while Raphael joined Kakashi, Anko, and Zabuza, drawing his crossbow.
Gato sneered as he saw this, his confidence not gone. "So, you decided to betray me Zabuza," he said. "You shinobi are so untrustworthy."
"Untrustworthy? You're the one who was planning to stab us in the back, you sack of shit! You're the traitor here, not me! I would have finished the job, but you had to be a fucking cheapskate. Well now, I'll get the pleasure of gutting you nice and slow!" Zabuza said, anger and bloodlust in his eyes.
"It doesn't matter now. Men, attack!" Gato shouted, as his thugs charged forward with a yell.
Raphael raised his crossbow, dropping the first thug as they charged, while Anko immediately launched a spread of kunai and shuriken alongside Kakashi. The front rank of thugs fell to these ranged projectiles, wounded or dead, as Raphael reloaded with practiced ease and fired again. With no time for a third shot, he slung his crossbow onto his back and drew his sword, charging with Anko, Kakashi, and Zabuza.
Below, Mukei heard the roar of battle, and nodded to his crew members, still hidden by the remaining mist. "Away boat crews!" He shouted, as grapnels were thrown onto the bridge, and the pirates of Ru-Same quickly began scurrying up, Ameyuri and Mukei in the lead.
On the bridge, Zabuza cleaved through four thugs with a single blow of his sword, spinning it around to deflect a spear at his back and then bringing it down at a thug in front, cutting him vertically in half. A thug crept up behind him with a kunai, only to be dispatched by a thrust from Raphael's sword, as the Assassin moved to watch Zabuza's back. "You must be faster mi amigo," he said, deflecting a cleaving blade with his dagger and slashing across the throat of said blade's owner with his sword.
"You haven't seen anything yet!" Zabuza shouted gleefully, basking in the carnage as he spun the sword around his and Raphael's head, decapitating three thugs dumb enough to be within range of his sword.
Nearby, Anko was using her flexibility to slash her way through the thugs, dancing around blades, axes, and spears as she cut throats and slashed through arms and legs, rendering her targets dead or crippled. Blood flew off her two ulaks as she spun, deflecting a sword thrust at her. She grabbed the man's outstretched arm, leaping and wrapping her legs around his head as she grabbed another nearby thug's neck. With a powerful spin and twist, she snapped both their necks as she spun in the air, landing and quickly moving on to her next victims.
Kakashi was putting his years of experience to use, dancing around the clumsy moves of the thugs and knocking them out, breaking bones with his taijutsu, and killing them with a single kunai. His Sharingan allowed him to dance around them easily, predicting their moves.
However, the numbers were telling, and the thugs were pushing them back slowly. What's more, they were moving behind the adult shinobi, and began charging towards the genin standing between them and Tazuna. Haku, Sasuke, and Kiba got ready to fight, while Hinata took charge of the third line. "Get ready girls," she said, her bow out and an arrow nocked to it.
Ino and Sakura both gripped kunai and shuriken, waiting as the thugs drew closer to Sasuke and Kiba, before Hinata shouted. "FIRE!"
The three kunoichi began to unleash a hail of arrows, kunai, and shuriken upon the thugs, dropping more of them as they approached the trio ahead of the girls.
Haku readied her senbon, eyes narrowed behind her mask. "Be ready," she said, only for Kiba to growl.
"Let's just hit them now!" He shouted, as Akamaru transformed into him, and both took on a slightly more feral appearance consisting of longer nails and canine teeth, before they charged forward. "Gatsūga! (Fang over Fang)" He shouted as he and Akamaru became a pair of twisters that slammed into the front ranks of the thugs.
"Damnit Kiba!" Sasuke shouted, as he and Haku were forced to charge as well, to cover the brash Inuzuka's back. Hinata meanwhile put up her bow, drawing her retracted naginata and holding it at the ready. Ino and especially Sakura trembled a bit, seeing the violence much closer now.
Sasuke grunted as he held two kunai in hand, using everything he had learned and practiced to cut his way through the thugs. He unfortunately had to keep up his guard as they all surrounded him, constantly having to check his back. Finding himself hemmed in, he jumped up, running through hand signs before unleashing a massive fireball at the thugs below him. Quite a few were caught in the blast, and they screamed as they were engulfed in the flames, being burnt alive. Those caught on the outskirts were burnt as well, whimpering as they dropped to the ground clutching their burnt limbs.
Haku meanwhile was easily moving through the thugs, stabbing them with senbon at key points on their bodies to render their limbs useless, or grabbing their weapons from them and crippling them with their own tools. She was a blur, barely visible to any of them except a green and white blur that left them bloodied and in pain on the ground.
Kiba was still tearing through the thugs with Akamaru, but had to eventually stop due to how dizzy he was becoming. Surrounded by thugs, he growled as he resorted to the Inuzuka taijutsu style, utilizing a wild flurry of punches, kicks, and clawlike slashes to drive his opponents back. Akamaru rushed to join him, watching his back as the two fought with teeth, fists, and nails.
It was at this moment that Mukei and his crew scaled onto the bridge, and the first ones up drew their weapons. "C'mon boys! We can't let the Konoha shinobi have all the fun!" Mukei shouted as his crew cheered, rushing forward with more of the crew following up from behind.
Gato could only growl angrily as he saw this wave of reinforcements rush up from the water end of the incomplete bridge. "PUSH THEM BACK!" He shouted to his thugs. Unfortunately, his thugs were too uncoordinated to command. Over half of them were still caught up simply trying to even wound the four adults who were tearing through them, and those who had moved past them to go after the genin were being slaughtered now by the pirates of the Ru-Same.
Kiba growled as he moved forward with the pirates. "Let's go!" He shouted, only to be tripped by a spear. Whirling over, he saw a thug standing there with a spear, preparing to stab him. He prepared to shunshin away, only for blood to spurt out of the man's chest as a blade pierced through it from behind. His eyes widened as he rolled to one side to avoid the collapsing corpse, his eyes landing on a familiar hilt. Looking back, he saw Hinata coming up, pulling her sword from the thug's back.
"Watch yourself, Inuzuka-san," she said shortly, returning to guard Tazuna with Ino and Sakura. However, both girls were just standing there, in shock. The mist was gone now, and they could see clearly not only the battle, but also the carnage. The blood on the ground, the severed limbs, the wounded crying out in pain, begging for mercy. But what stuck most in their minds were the bodies riddled with kunai and shuriken. Weapons they had thrown, that they had used to end these people's lives.
Ino just stood there, staring at the bodies, while Sakura dropped to her hands and knees and began to throw up. Hinata shook her head, moving and touching Ino's shoulder, causing the girl to look at her with a blank stare. "Take care of her," Hinata said, nodding to Sakura.
Ino looked down at Sakura, stared at her for a few moment, then nodded before kneeling next to Sakura, gently touching her shoulders. Hinata meanwhile extended the sword into its naginata form, waiting in case any of the thugs managed to slip past the pirates. That outcome did not seem likely though.
Gato was realizing the same on his end. He had thought that his thugs, due to their sheer numbers, would hold the edge over the shinobi. Even when it became apparent he had been tricked by Zabuza, and that none of the shinobi were weakened by battle, he still felt that the sheer number, plus the fact that the shinobi could not utilize the full extent of their ninjutsu without destroying the bridge, would give his men enough of an edge to defeat the shinobi. Clearly he had underestimate not only the shinobi's ability in hand to hand combat, but also their resourcefulness, as he saw the pirates now joining up with jounin to push his thugs back more. Even now, individuals or groups were either falling back, or throwing themselves over the sides to avoid the forces coming at them.
Gato growled as he grabbed the nearest group of thugs. "We're getting out of here. Form a ring around me," he stated. The thugs hurriedly did so, as Gato turned, only to see the villagers of Nami storming out of the trees, cutting down the retreating thugs they ran into and yelling madly as they rushed the bridged. Gato cursed as he found himself and his men trapped on all sides now.
A lull came over the field as the last of the thugs fell back to the ring surrounding Gato, and they now found themselves hemmed in. The shinobi and pirates on one side, and the villagers of Nami on the other. Before anyone could charge though, Raphael stepped forward.
"You men! I'm going to give you a choice, here and now. If you throw down your weapons, I promise you will not die this day. Whether your crimes demand execution or imprisonment, you will at least live to see a fair trial. All we want is Gato. Give him to us, and you'll live," he said, sword drawn and dripping blood.
The thugs all looked at each other, before one spoke. "Screw this. I ain't dying for this midget," he said, dropping his club and quickly stepping away from Gato.
The others all looked at each other, then quickly did the same, dropping their weapons and moving away, leaving a fuming Gato. "Traitors, all of you! I swear I'll see you all dead!" He shouted, before pointing his cane at the citizens of Nami. "And you! You should be grateful I even let you breathe the same air as me! Do you not know who I am? I am Gato of Clan Shimada! A clan of powerful and honorable samurai, until your kind came along!"
Gato pointed at the shinobi, the gesture causing his sunglasses to fall off, revealing anger and an edge of insanity in his eyes. "Because of you freaks and your chakra, my ancestors were removed from power! By mere peasants! Forced to live as nothing more than filthy merchants (2)!"
"But no more. No more will people like my grandfather and father be forced to live as dirt when we should be lords of this land! No more will proud samurai families be forced to live out pathetic lives while those who should serve us reap all the glory! Your time is at an end!" Gato shouted madly, drawing a sword out of his cane and charging towards Raphael. "DIE!" He shouted as he charged.
However, his sword was knocked to the side as Mukei stepped in front of him. "You will answer to me Gato, before anyone else," he said dangerously, sword held at the ready.
Gato, froth at the corners of his mouth and mad rage in his eyes, yelled as he lunged at Mukei, wildly swinging his cane sword. Mukei just calmly blocked or parried each blow as if it were nothing. He did not even flinch or move, almost contemptuously turning aside each blow.
Soon enough, Gato's attacks grew weaker and slower, as exhaustion took him, and Mukei pressed the attack, his sword flicking around Gato's like lightning, leaving small cuts or stabs all over the business tycoon's body. With a swift flick of his sword, the cane sword went spiraling off to the side, falling over the side of the bridge.
Gato dropped to his knees, exhausted as he greedily sucked in some air. "D-Damn you…damn you all!" He shouted, trying to get up, only to be booted over by Mukei, and holding his sword to Gato's throat.
"Mukei, wait," Raphael said as he approached, his sword cleaned and sheathed. He knelt down to Gato, who was glaring up at him. "I want to know who you're working for. Tell me, and I can promise you a painless death. Refuse…and I leave you to those who you've hurt, and let them take their justice from you."
Gato sneered at him before spitting at Raphael, who tilted his head to one side, seeing it miss. Raphael shook his head, before standing. "Very well then, what you have left in the mansion and your company will suffice," he said simply, moving away.
Mukei meanwhile stared down at Gato. "You should have taken his deal. Now…you will face justice for all the innocent you've killed," he said, before pulling his sword back and slamming the hilt down on Gato's forehead, knocking him out. Signaling two of his crew to come forward and pull the man up, he turned to the people of Nami. "Many of you have suffered at the hands of this man. So have members of my crew, myself included. This is why tomorrow, in the center of your village, all who wish can take their justice on this man for all the pain, sorrow, humiliation, and loss he has caused!"
The people cheered, some starting to cry and sob as they realized the truth. They were free. They were finally free. And as the sun shone over the blood splattered bridge, for the first time they felt joy and hope for the future.
Finally got this done. So yes, a new twist on the end of the Wave Mission, one I hope you enjoy. Nothing really spectacular, but I hope it's satisfying.
Sorry for the wait guy, been distracted lately with Christmas and stuff. So I hope this was worth it.
Again, please check out the poll I have up currently, contact GunHeliXmon is in need of a beta so please contact them if you're interested, and be on the lookout for the Shifty Quarian. I SWEAR I WILL FIND YOU, SHIFTY QUARIAN! *points dramatically at screen*
Thank you again to my beta readers Bill Alain and Kyuubi123.
Till next time guys!
1. So yes, this was based off the trailer for the original Assassin's Creed game. Hope you enjoyed it.
2. According to the social hierarchy of the Edo Period, merchants were among the lowest ranks of social hierarchy, below artisans. So Gato being descended from a samurai clan, but having to be a merchant? Definitely not happy.
