It was the sixth day of their training. Naruto went asleep at the end of the fifth outside in the forest, determined to outpace Sasuke with his superior stamina. He was certain Kakashi and Tsunami would scold him in the morning, but he wasn't in the mood to care. Kakashi and Sasuke's words were ringing in his mind.
"You'll catch a cold sleeping in a place like this," a gentle voice said.
Naruto's eyes fluttered open, catching sight of a beautiful face with long black hair. "...Let me worry about that." He lifted his upper body off the grass. "What are you doing here?"
The stranger showed him the contents of a basket near them. "I'm collecting herbs." Placing it back down, a smile formed on their lips. "What are you doing here?"
"Training." He stretched his limbs and his sides.
"I noticed your forehead protector; are you a ninja?" Their lips pursed at a nod. "Why are you training?"
"So I can become stronger, duh."
"But you already look strong enough."
Naruto shook his head. "I want to be the best of the best."
"Why is that?"
"So everyone who ever shunned me regrets it." He grinned. "They're going to feel miserable when they see me and hear my name, which they will for the rest of their lives."
They leaned in. "Is that for yourself or someone else?" They laughed at his confused expression.
"Who else could it be for?"
"Do you have someone who is precious to you?" They glanced down. "When a person has something important to protect, that's when they can truly become strong."
Chuckling, Naruto fell back down. "If you need other people to be strong, there was no strength in you to begin with." His smile shifted into a frown. "I'm not sure if they're precious to me." He hummed as the stranger looked over him with a tilted head. "It's like… I mean, they do like seeing me happy, and I am happy around them sometimes, but… I am grateful. It's just…" Taking a deep breath, he balled a hand into a fist and held it over his chest. "They want me to be happy, so I can stop being so miserable around them. I can only get people to care about me through making it hard to be around me." His lips quivered. "My problems are only a concern when it affects other people. My happiness is only important when it makes things easier for others or makes them happy." He gave a shaky sigh. "Almost everyone I know makes me feel alone."
"But aren't you of use, needed?"
"...I guess; that's not enough for me."
With a hum, they picked up the basket and stood up. "I'm not sure you will become strong, but let's meet again to see."
"See you, lady." He gave a wave from the ground as they left.
"I'm a dude."
Naruto's upper body shot up for him to stare at the feminine figure of the young man growing distant, Sasuke some ways to his left. "...Does this make me gay?"
"What?" The Uchiha asked, eyes also on the retreating stranger.
His gaze steeled on his rival. "You. Heard. Nothing."
Knowing it was probably something stupid, the boy in blue did not respond. He just turned around and left to get breakfast, what he was trying to inform the boy in orange of. The look he was given for the rest of the day was as childish as it was accusing.
On the seventh day, Sakura was up and moving again without issue. She was far back on training, so she went with the boys out into the woods. Naruto was proudly and arrogantly leaning on a high tree's trunk from its highest branch. To their envy, she ran all the way to the top on her first try.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Naruto said, looking up at the smug pink-haired girl.
Kakashi's nose was in his favorite book. "I told you she had excellent chakra control. Just needs to work on building up her reserves.."
"Genjutsu specialist," Sasuke said from his own tree branch. "Without a doubt. And I guess I'm ninjutsu so… Naruto's taijutsu."
Naruto shot him a look. "You can sound offended when you can actually stop me from grappling you." He smirked at his scoff.
"Good well-rounded team." Kakashi turned and began walking away. "I'm going to the bridge with Tazuna soon. Have fun!"
The three kept at it for a time. Sakura realized an hour in she was already a master at the exercise, so all she really needed was using her chakra. She retired far earlier than the other two did, fearing exhaustion again. Naruto and Sasuke used their new maximum height to scout for the absolute highest tree in their vicinity and made that their final competition. It ended with a draw.
"If we tell them," Naruto said, exhausted arm draped over Sasuke's shoulder, "Sakura's going to walk out there, do it, and then come back to act like it wasn't anything and that you should make her your girlfriend or something."
"I know." Sasuke groaned.
"Why do you lead her on?" Naruto asked. "I mean, what's the harm in telling her to fuck off?"
He gave him a look. "Imagine her crying like she did at the practice field except all the time."
"Well, shit. Maybe she'll grow some tits."
"I'm not interested in that."
Naruto returned the look he gave. "Okay, whatever you prefer, man." He returned his arm to his side.
Sasuke scowled. "What happened to being better?"
"I thought you preferred me being a dick." Naruto smirked at the twitch due to his word choice.
Sasuke rolled his eyes as he stepped towards the door to the Tazuna entrance. "Only because that you isn't faking." He opened it and stepped in. "We're back."
"I think we've learned all we can about running up trees." Naruto followed.
Kakashi nodded while they took their places at the dinner table. "Alright. Tomorrow, all three of you will help protect the bridge."
"It's almost complete. And not a single attack. Couldn't have asked for better luck," Tazuna said.
Inari slammed his hands on the table. "Why do you guys bother to try so hard?! No ma–"
"Oh, just shut the fuck up." Naruto yawned. "Aren't you tired of feeling sad for yourself?"
"A frea–
Kakashi grabbed Naruto's hand before it could grab the back of the boy's head. "Easy."
"If everything is so hard for you, why don't you just kill yourself and spare us your whining?"
"Naruto!" Sakura yelled, something Sasuke rolled his eyes at.
He shook his head and separated from his sensei. "I'm going to bed." He left without further words or looking at anyone, leaving everyone looking varying degrees of surprise.
Some time later, Kakashi approached Inari, who was sitting on the pier. "Can I join you?" He took the boy's silence as a yes. "Naruto… completely meant to hurt you. That moment the word almost left your mouth was all he needed to decide you were less than dirt." He hummed. "Tazuna told us about your dad. Naruto also grew up without a father. Actually, he never knew his parents, and he's never had a single friend." His eye turned to Inari's as he looked to him. "You can count the people who think well of him in the village on one hand, company included. They've looked down on him since he was a child for circumstances beyond his control, so he acts out. Insults, violence, and just saying whatever is on his mind without a care in the world. He's already scum in their eyes, so what's the point?"
"Doesn't that just make it worse?" The boy asked.
"Yes but he doesn't even consider trying to make it better. Who actually desires the love and praises of people that hate them? 'The child that is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.'" Kakashi frowned beneath his mask. "He likely despises you because you remind him of what he used to be: a crying child who feels helpless. Naruto might understand your feelings better than anyone, and he hates that. He knows what strength is. And it's become everything to him." He turned and walked away.
Those words would trouble Inari through the night and stay with him for the rest of his life. He wasn't sure what strength was still, but he knew it was something he didn't have. It was something he really wanted though.
The next morning, Team 7 left without Naruto, who was sleeping in after an entire night of training. It was something that set him off when he woke up. He scarfed down breakfast so fast both the leftover citizens were concerned he'd choke on it. When they tried to tell him, he said something as incorrigible as it was incomprehensible.
"I'll show those bastards!" He glanced back at the civilians and made two clones. "Make sure no one tries any funny business." They nodded in tandem but one looked back at the mother. "Tsunami, you are a lovely woman, and I want to give you a child that isn't a worthless crybaby before you dry out." The real one punched it out of existence while the other made a clone of itself to replace it. "Learn from his mistake." He left before either of them could say anything.
"...What?" Inari asked to no one in particular.
"Stupid bastard went rogue," the head clone said. Its own clone raised an eyebrow. "Don't we go away with one good hit, boss? Shouldn't we have our ninja tools out?" It checked its pouches. "Oh right, the main man used them all against No-Brows." They created more shadow clones, which then transformed themselves into ninja tools. "This is easily the most genius thing any clone has ever thought of. Main man better remember us." The subordinate clone nodded. "Damn right, boss."
Tsunami massaged her child's shoulders as she stared at the odd sight. "Naruto might have some deep-seeded issues."
"We heard that." They said in unison. "I still value and appreciate you," the subordinate said. Its eyes widened before its progenitor punched him out of existence, leaving behind the transformed tools. "You knew better, mini-me." He collected them into his pouches. "In the end, I'm the only one the main man can trust."
"Yeeeaaaah, I figured that out yesterday."
Mother and son returned to their daily lives. The clone of Naruto stood guard faithfully, albeit bored out of its mind. Then two thugs with swords approached from a distance.
"Out of our way ninja brat!" The one with an eye-patch yelled.
"I am half of Naruto Uzumaki." He threw four shuriken at them, which then proceeded to transform into kicking Narutos. "Those are...parts of me, I guess. Which makes me not half?" One each locked down one of the thug's limbs and broke them before doing the same to the other, leaving them neutralized yet screaming. Task done, they went back to the head clone, transformed into ninja tools again, and returned to his pouches.
Tsunami and Inari did their best to ignore the screaming until the clone got tired of it and just killed them. He had some of the ninja tool clones drag their bodies off to not alarm the civilians. Part of him wondered if he should've interrogated them, but he was certain there was little to be gained. The rest of its existence was uneventful.
The situation at the bridge escalated beyond Team 7's control. Sasuke was flanked by an array of ice mirrors, and Kakashi was staring down a fully recovered Zabuza. Sakura stood by Tazuna because someone had to, and her trick wouldn't work twice. She almost got it off before the fake hunter-nin cornered off Sasuke.
"This is why you should've woken me the fuck up!" Naruto yelled, running towards their position. "Team, my ass!"
Zabuza threw some shuriken at him, but they were stopped by needles. "Haku!"
The fake appeared outside the array. "Let me fight them my own way."
"Soft as always," Zabuza said with a shake of his head.
Naruto entered the ice confinement zone, making the kneeling and scratched up Sasuke jolt. "Alright, let's kill this sonofabitch."
"You fucking moron!" Sasuke yelled. "Use your head! Floating ice mirrors surrounding something!" He held a hand out at the space between mirrors. "Enemy shinobi out in front! Teammate in! Floating ice mirrors enemy jutsu! Interior affected area!"
"Maybe next time wake me up so I don't arrive at a battle in-progress not knowing jackshit, you gloomy cocksucker!"
Zabuza gave Kakashi a look. "This is your squad?"
"You caught us at a bad time."
Haku crept back into a mirror and teleported behind the one the two inside the array were looking at. "Over here."
Sasuke brought his fingers together for the tiger seal and blew a large ball of fire out of his mouth at the mirrors, but they didn't so much as melt a single drop. "Damn!"
Haku responded by throwing needles into both of them. "Your level of fire jutsu is inadequate."
Naruto created enough clones to match the number of mirrors. "At least it looked cool." They jumped to attack but were all eliminated by more needles. "Ah, fuck."
"Becoming a true shinobi is difficult for me," Haku began. "If possible, I don't want to kill you nor want you to kill me. But if I have to, I can destroy my soft heart and become a true shinobi. Please don't hate me. I want to protect someone precious to me. To fight for them. I want to make that person's dreams come true because that is my dream." The mask figure appeared in the mirror in front of them. "For that I can become a shinobi, I can kill you."
"Damn, you're dramatic. Can you just try to kill us, please?" Naruto groaned as Sasuke shot him a look. "Can't believe I just said that, but dying would be better than having to hear you talk about how much killing us is going to suck for you."
"As you wish." Haku zipped from mirror to mirror, pelting them with needles. Even when they managed to avoid some, they were still hit. "You move well, but this is the end."
Sasuke looked up at his latest mirror position. Narrowing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Then he grabbed Naruto and jumped when he saw the fake hunter-nin's hands peak out of the mirror, avoiding Haku's strike entirely but sending them both rolling on the ground. He picked himself up and smirked. It was perfect.
"I see you too possess a powerful kekkai genkai." His focus switched to the recovering Naruto. Whether the other reacted or not, he'd be down an enemy. "I will give you what you wanted." He inched out the mirror.
Sasuke, reacting on instinct, moved.
Naruto looked up and widened his eyes at the Uchiha defending him with his body.
He glanced back. "What's with that worried face?"
"...Why?"
"I hated you." Sasuke laughed, not really hearing him.
"Why save me?"
"I don't know." If he could shrug, he would have. "My body just moved on its own...dumbass." Naruto scrambled over and caught him before he could hit the ground. "Itachi is still out there." He looked into Naruto's eyes as tears welled up in one of his. "Your dream... You're angry because you're crying on the inside, aren't you Naruto?" He closed his eyes, shedding a single tear, and went limp.
Haku inclined his head in recognition. "He found a strength he lacked in you. Without hesitation, he died to protect someone precious to him. He is a shinobi that deserves respect." He looked to Naruto as he retreated into his nearest mirror. "Is this the first time you've seen a friend die in battle? This is the path of all ninja."
Naruto looked up to a cage rather than an ice mirror, face frozen in disbelief with tears running down his whiskered cheeks.
Red eyes squinted with glee at the sight of him. "It was for the best: he was an Uchiha." The beast snickered.
"...I hated him."
"But who do you hate most right now?"
"That masked piece of shit."
Its grinning teeth gleamed in the darkness. "What do you want to do to him?"
"Break his bones, strip his skin off, gouge out his eyes, tear off his limbs, and rip out his heart."
"But you're stuck." It laughed. "You're a weak, defenseless boy crying over a dead one. You don't have what it takes to get out of this."
"...You do."
"And why would I do that?"
"We'll both die if I do, right?"
"I'll eventually reform. Not a pleasant experience, but I can bear it," it lied.
"Please." Naruto collapsed in the water. "I want to kill him so much. I...hate this. All of this."
"Release the seal, and I'll make it all go away."
"You'll kill Kakashi and Sakura."
It nearly growled. "Then I suppose you'll just have to die here."
He put his forehead to the ground. "Please! I'm begging you."
"That's more like it. You're starting to understand the nature of our relationship." Chakra as red as its fur rushed over the boy. Years of machinations had been in place for this moment. "I am your true power. I have always been your strength." It laughed while he began to spasm. "Those who care for you only do so because I exist. Show gratitude for the graciousness of my existence tied to the meaninglessness that is yours."
Naruto let Sasuke down and shambled on to his feet, red chakra swirling around him. "You worthless piece of shit." His nails grew, whiskers deepened, and eyes turned red. "I…" It bubbled around him, forming a human-fox shaped cloak with a single tail. His wounds healed, the needles inside him were forced out, and his pupils narrowed to slits. "I'm going to kill you!"
The two jonin and everyone else outside of the array felt the new chakra. It was something they were both witness to at some point or another. Only one of them actually faced it down for himself though.
"You brought your fucking jinchuriki here!?" Zabuza yelled.
"This was supposed to be a C rank mission." Kakashi dabbed his thumb in the blood of the shallow wound on his chest, took out some scrolls, and ran it over the inscriptions. "Also, you're about to die."
Haku threw needles, but their force was canceled out by the cloak of red chakra. "Oh."
Naruto threw out his hand and the cloak of chakra expanded to form a massive hand. With a roar, he swept it through the mirrors, eliminating any form of retreat or method to evade him. He clutched hard on the last one to grip Haku's entire body. "This is the end!" He mocked and drew the fake hunter-nin to him, punching him in the face and shattering his mask. "You?!" His anger faded somewhat, so his cloak did too. "Of course." He scoffed as the feminine-looking man dropped to his knees. "The first person I spill my guts to."
"Why did you stop?" Haku asked. "I killed your friend but you can't kill me?"
Naruto punched him in the gut. "Don't test me, bitch!" He gripped him by the shoulders of his haori and stood him up, red eyes glaring at dead ones. "Why didn't you kill me back at the forest?!"
"I am a weak shinobi." Haku smiled. "I tried to be strong for Zabuza, but you were right: those who seek others for strength lack strength to begin with. Zabuza has no need of me, so I have no reason for living."
"What the fuck are you talking about? Why is that asshole so important to you?"
Then Haku told him about his parents. For the crime of being born with a kekkai genkai, his father killed his mother, and he killed him in turn. Shortsightedness ostracized him from everyone else. "It was the most painful feeling. In all the world, there was no need for me: I was unnecessary." His eyes met Naruto's with understanding. "I do not understand what that boy was to you, but I can tell, even for a brief moment, he took away the pain you feel, the pain you wish others to suffer for bestowing it on you." Tears streamed down his cheeks. "When Zabuza took away mine, I was so happy. That's why I want you to kill me, please."
"You're fucking crazy, you know that?" Naruto scowled.
"I thought you of all people would understand. I am too weak to live without purpose."
Taking a deep breath, Naruto shook his head, feral features fading. "People like you really piss me off, you know." He let one hand go to reach into his pouch for Haku to break out of his hold. "Hey!"
He made the tiger seal again. "Sorry."
Naruto turned his head to the action and saw Kakashi with an electrical hand through Haku's chest, Zabuza behind him. "I wanted to do that."
Kakashi jumped back and set down Haku's corpse before Zabuza could chop through them both. "Naruto, stay where you are." He pulled his hand free. "This is my fight."
"And that was my kill," he whispered to himself.
"Our kill. Really mine: you did beg me for it."
He looked down, dejection on his face. It was a complete and utter failure. All his beliefs besmirched by his own hand. The event even gave his horrible roommate more than enough material with torment him than it already had. What little pride he mustered was destroyed too.
"Naruto!" Sakura called out, running towards him. "Where's Sasuke?"
It took everything for him not to cry, focusing his gaze up at the clouded sky to get his mind off it. He barely registered Sakura running past him with Tazuna. All he wanted was to not be there.
Kakashi was some ways behind a crippled Zabuza when a tapping cane drew their attention.
"Getting your ass kicked? How disappointing," A stubby man with a mob of thugs behind him said.
"Gato!" Zabuza yelled. "You slimy bastard!"
"Oh please! I knew you were going to turn on me eventually. You missing-nin types aren't the kind to play second fiddle to normal folk." Gato began approaching them.
Zabuza groaned. "Looks like our fight is over, Kakashi. I have no reason to kill Tazuna, so I've got no reason to fight you."
"A shame." He put away his Sharingan eye. "I was winning."
"Don't push it."
Gato stopped at Haku's body. "I owe this one for breaking my arm." He kicked its limp head.
"You stupid fuck!" Naruto stomped forward, red chakra bubbling around him again. "He's already dead!"
"Naruto," Kakashi called out.
He ignored his sensei, stopped, and turned to Zabuza. "And you! No-eyebrows, two-bit jonin asshole!" He pointed to the corpse. "You were everything to him! He would've done anything you wanted! And in the end, he sacrificed his entire life for you! You're just going to let him be treated like some used up trash?!"
"Everyone uses each other in the world of shinobi. We're tools. I just wanted his blood, not him."
Naruto's cloak manifested fully. "He loved you so much he wanted me to kill him for failing you! And you feel nothing?!" He walked towards him and grabbed his wounded arm, singing it. "Look a–" Tears were emerging from the man's eyes when he turned him.
"Your words...cut deep. Deeper than any blade." Zabuza's eyes drifted to Haku's body. "It hurt him to hurt you. When you beat him, he was relieved." He laughed as the boy's cloak began to disperse. "I'm glad I met you idiots." He tore the bandages from his face off with his teeth alone. "Got one last kunai?"
Naruto tore one from his arms, making him grunt, and held it up by its middle. "I used them all up on you." He smiled. "You shark-teethed dumbass."
Zabuza snatched the hilt with said teeth, sprinted towards the mob, and began taking it apart. He got a few cuts and a few stabs, but those didn't matter to him at that point. Gato was his real target, and he was already too close by the time he was taking too much damage. The little man was thrown off the bridge by the force he could muster in just his mouth. His leftover mob enveloped and stabbed him.
"Don't look away," Kakashi said.
"I'm not." Naruto's cloak bubbled back up. "Someone's gotta answer for all of this, and I never got to rip someone apart."
Kakashi held an arm out in front of the boy. "I can take care of it."
"I want to! The Fourth did this to me to make me a weapon, didn't he?!"
"Naruto."
He glared at the silver-haired man. "Stop pretending like you actually care about me. You knew the entire time what I am. It's written on your face. All of you did, and you didn't bother telling me, so you could use me like Zabuza used Haku!" Tears sprang from his red eyes. "But Zabuza was at least honest! And he loved Haku! He didn't hate him!" He pushed him out of the away with a hand of pure chakra. "I don't need a fake sensei!" Obstacle removed, he charged at the confused mob.
Kakashi could do nothing but watch his student tear them limb from limb, sometimes literally. Their weapons bounced off the cloak when they could actually touch him. His arms, tail manifestation, legs, and teeth broke them apart. Blood pooled beneath his feet and strained his clothes, most sizzling at contact with his chakra cloak. The screams of rage he heard would haunt him for the rest of his life. "I failed you, sensei."
Naruto squatted and seethed in the large puddle of blood when he was done. He eyed Kakashi warily when he approached, but he backed away at an extended hand. It took several seconds of him staring at it to inch into its range.
Kakashi patted him on the head, even as the cloak burned his skin. "You've done a good job, Naruto. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like I hated you." He gave an eye-smile as the Nine-Tail's chakra dissipated. "It must've been painful, huh?" The boy jumping up to hug him nearly made him laugh. "It's okay." He picked him up for the first time in about a decade, holding him as close as Minato held him when he reported about Rin. "You did what you had to." He began walking back to the others that retreated with Sasuke.
"Holy shit!" Sakura gaped at the blood-covered Naruto in Kakashi's arms. "What happened? I heard screaming but…"
Sasuke, alive and unwell, was supported by Tazuna. "Naruto?" The boy dropped out of their leader's grasp and embraced him, to his discomfort. "Hey, I'm still wounded. What's the big idea?" He grimaced in recollection of his apparent last words. "...Don't get soft on me or cover me with that blood." He looked to Kakashi. "What happened?"
"Gato showed up with a mob, turned on Zabuza, Zabuza killed Gato, and the two of us took care of everyone else." He rubbed the back of his head. "Naruto was going all out because he thought you died."
Sakura cooed. "That's really sweet." She glanced at the blood all over his clothes. "You definitely need a fashion makeover now, and a shower.
"I'm going to bury Zabuza and his friend." He didn't flinch at the looks he got. "You never know when you'll die behind enemy lines or with people who don't know you. Best you can do is give them a shallow grave, hoping someone will do the same for you." He looked to Tazuna. "There likely won't be any more attacks now that Gato's dead."
The old man nodded. "I'll take the brats back to my place then. We could all use some rest." He started walking. "Come back soon."
The five went their separate ways. From then on, that incident would be known as the Wave Massacre. Accounts vary of what happened but there is a demon, a sacrifice, a senseless death, and the namesake massacre in every variation. Only Team 7 and Tazuna could give an accurate account, given that everyone else was dead.
The day after was oddly sullen. By all accounts, they succeeded in their mission and the Land of the Waves was saved. Except one man's death didn't immediately route their influence. It'd take time for word of Gato's death to spread and the blockade to go away pursuing other interests. The conditions that led to Gato being capable of his actions were still in place. Completing the bridge and eliminating Gato was really the first step.
Sasuke stretched in the main hall of Tazuna's residence, covered in patches over what were superficial wounds. "Those two were just the beginning." He looked at Naruto walk out of the guest room still in his pajamas and without his forehead protector, not that he had anything else to wear.
"Let's train!" He stepped forward with a big smile on his face. "We need to get stronger, Sasuke!"
Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned against the nearby wall "Come here." He opened them to see Naruto's giddy face within range and jabbed his pointer and ring finger tips into the center of his forehead.
Naruto stepped back and made a confused face. "What was that for?"
"Wear your forehead protector." Sasuke smirked. "Then we'll train." He watched him dart back into the room and let himself laugh. A part of him wondered if the warm feeling in his chest was what Itachi felt before he did the unthinkable.
"There you are," Naruto said, taking the symbol of his Leaf shinobi status into his hand.
"What a loyal little guard dog prizing his collar so much."
For a second, Naruto's eyes turned red in anger, but he dismissed it with a shake of his head. The headband was a symbol of his accomplishment. His status as a jinchuriki was not the reason why he had it. Nothing could take that away from him.
"What's taking you so long?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto ran out and tied it over his forehead. "Nothing. Let's go!"
The two went out and competed against each other, as they always did. For Team 7, the next thirteen days flew by without issue, though it was the longest days in Tazuna's long life. Kakashi kept refining Sakura's fundamentals and taught her how to use Optic Delusory, a basic yet useful genjutsu, while the boys did their usual thing. Inari began accompanying his grandfather sometime after the massacre, feeling as though he at least had to do something. They visited Zabuza and Haku's graves before departing the Land of the Waves using the brand new Great Kaiza Bridge. It would stand as a testament towards sacrifice and strength.
AN: In hindsight, Wave is extremely short narratively speaking despite being the longest mission Team 7 ever had. Three straight weeks of just being in Wave. I am extremely excited to move on to the Chunin Exams, but I might end up posting a full chapter of just their downtime and aftermath of debriefing.
