Warning - There is attempted rape in this chapter. If this offends you, I do apologize. Still, you have been warned and I hope you read on. Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 4 – Confrontations & Danger
Despite Marco's twitching and angry attitude the entire way, the trip to the coast was made in peace. The two teams and Tazuna packed themselves on the boat and remained quiet as the bridge builder's friend rowed them across to the other side. When everyone saw the incomplete bridge through the fog, the majority of them let out a series of collective gasps. The only ones out of the two teams that hadn't seen the bridge before that didn't show any shock at the sheer size of the bridge being built were Marco and Kirobi.
Those two members of Naruko's team were currently glaring daggers at Naruto, although young Naruto didn't quite recognize it. As the others began to whisper amongst themselves and Tazuna about the bridge, Kirobi leaned in close to Marco and began his own private conversation with his Genin student. "Marco, I want you to listen to me carefully." When Marco nodded his head just a fraction of an inch to signal that he heard and understood what his sensei wanted from him, Kirobi began again. "This is a very dangerous mission. It's understandable that Genin fresh out of the academy may end up 'perishing' on such a mission. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
Marco let one corner of his lips curl upwards into a sinister smirk and he nodded again as he turned to face his sensei. "Oh, I hear you sensei. You want me to get rid of the 'problem' don't you sensei?" Kirobi smirked sinisterly back and nodded his head. "I'm tired of Naruko causing us problems because she wants to be close to that little shit of a brother she holds so dear. You three could have made Chunin in the very first Chunin Exams after you became Genin, but she's been holding you back and it's because of him. Get rid of him and I guarantee that Naruko won't fight us ever again. But, to sweeten this little deal…" Leaning in even closer, Kirobi cupped his hands around his mouth and his student's ear. "She won't refuse you ever again. Naruko's spirit will finally be crushed, and you can finally have her. Don't fail."
As Marco nodded and the two of them began to discuss their plan, Shino's left eyebrow twitched upwards and he glanced over to the two of them as one of his insects chose that very moment to return to him and relay the discussion taking place. Nodding his head calmly, he double-checked to make sure that the rest of his insects were still in place, spying on the conversation being held, before he turned to Choji and nudged him. "It appears that we were right. Marco and Kirobi are plotting to kill Naruto during this mission. Be prepared Choji-san. My insects will relay more information to me on their plan as soon as possible." Angered, Choji clenched his fists and nodded his head. Soon, he had a large bag of chips in his hand and began munching as quietly as possible, seeing as they were still crossing the water.
Later, on the road to Tazuna's Home
A short time after reaching the shore and said good-bye to Tazuna's friend, the group continued on their way to Tazuna's house. Along the way, they heard the occasional rustling in the bushes, but more than that, some of them felt a sinister presence in the area that wasn't a part of their group. Eventually, Marco got fed up with it and threw a kunai into the bushes and nearly impaled a sweet, little bunny rabbit. However, just a few short moments later, the group was under attack and everyone hit the ground to avoid being cleaved in half by a rather large sword.
Rising to their feet, everyone stared at the sword impaled in a tree and watched as a man appeared, crouching atop the blade. Whistling in appreciation, Asuma nodded his head and found himself smirking. "Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Hidden Mist. After the Demon Brothers, I figured you'd be next." Slipping his chakra blades out of their hiding places on his person and clutching them tight in his hands, the Sarutobi smirked. "I'm going to enjoy fighting you."
Zabuza smirked and hopped down, slowly pulling the Kubikiribōchō (Decapitating Carving Knife) from the tree and swinging it around before him. Finally holding it out at his side, the man grinned behind the bandages and glanced around at the Genin before settling his eyes on his target. "Nobody here has to die. Just step aside and hand over Tazuna. Otherwise…I won't be held responsible for the deaths of these poor children."
At this, Naruto stepped forward and took hold of his new tanto, the Akuryouno Ame, and smirked. Twirling the blades around in his hands, he shook his head at Zabuza. "You're going to have to go through all of us to get our client Zabuza. There's a ton of us and only one of you. So just bring it!" Before anything could happen, Asuma walked up and thwapped Naruto atop his head and sighed. "You aren't going to be fighting him. You and your fellow Genin are going to guard Tazuna. Kirobi, you protect them. I will fight Zabuza. We don't know enough about our opponent to just go rushing in blindly, and on top of that we have a client to protect. So don't act rashly, any of you."
Rubbing his head, Naruto grumbled and nodded before stepping back and smiling at their client. "Don't worry about a thing Tazuna-san; we'll keep you safe, dattebayo!" Naruko giggled at this and nodded her head before taking her position on Tazuna's other side. The other four Genin took up positions around Tazuna, with Marco near Naruto on his right and Shino on Naruto's other side, mostly to keep an eye on Marco just in case he attempted anything during the fight.
Kirobi took his position and shot a quick glance to Marco, giving him a silent signal that now was his chance. Marco, quickly affirming that he understood, decided to keep a close eye on the fight and on Naruto. Soon Naruto, soon you'll be out of my way! I won't tolerate you any longer! Meanwhile, on Naruto's other side, Shino gave orders to some of his kikaichu to plant themselves on Marco and wait for the order to act. He didn't trust the boy to act in accordance with the mission, nor did he trust him around Naruto at all.
When a heavy mist began rolling in and blanketed the entire area, Marco smirked and took that chance to lunge out with a kunai aimed straight at Naruto's neck. However, right before he could reach Naruto, his arm suddenly grew incredibly heavy and the kunai fell from his grip. When he collapsed to the ground moments later, he saw Shino glaring down at him from Naruto's other side, but only barely. "D-Damn you…"
Shino smirked down at him and shook his head before speaking up. "We'll talk after this is over Marco. You don't attack a teammate, and you don't attempt to take the life of a fellow Konoha shinobi." That was all that was said before each of the Genin heard Zabuza's voice from right between all of them. Asuma, reacting quickly, dispersed all of the mist and moved to intercept the rogue ninja before he could kill their client, or worse yet, one of the Genin. Damn it! I'm too far away!
Right as Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō was about to cleave Tazuna's head from between his shoulders, three swords suddenly rose up and blocked the strike. In an amazing show of skill and power, Naruko and Naruto forced Zabuza back. Nodding to each other, they each poured chakra into their blades and swung, sending crescent blades of pure chakra right at the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Eyes widening, their opponent was forced to block the attacks with his Kubikiribōchō. Much to his shock, the missing-nin was sent skidding back along the ground and was even sent skidding back along the surface of the water nearby.
Twitching angrily, he finally swung his giant cleaver and dispersed the chakra-based attacks before he fell to his knees and snarled angrily. "Damn it! What the hell are you brats?!" Suddenly feeling a presence behind him, Zabuza spun around and blocked Asuma's chakra blades and resumed his fierce battle with the Jonin sensei of Team 10. "You should worry less about the Genin and focus more on me! Remember Zabuza, I'm your opponent! Their duty is to protect the client while mine is to defeat you and ensure their safety."
Meanwhile, as Asuma fought Zabuza out on the water, Kirobi was snarling down at his student. Kneeling down, he watched as Shino's kikaichu returned to him and narrowed his eyes. "Damn. I didn't expect his teammates to be watching out for him in such a way. There will be more opportunities Marco, this is only a setback. Now stand up and stop being such a wimp!" Kicking his student in his gut, he rolled Marco over and glared down at him. "You are so pathetic." Shaking his head, he turned and glared hard at Naruto. "You. Get back into formation. Move out of line again and you'll wish you hadn't."
Naruto blinked at this and shook his head. "Excuse me, Kirobi-sensei, but if Naruko and I hadn't reacted, our client would be dead. I'm actually starting to question your team's involvement in this mission. No offense to you, of course, Naruko-chan." Kissing her cheek, he smiled softly at her and turned to Kirobi once more. "Do you think we're stupid? That we wouldn't notice? Marco tried to kill me when the mist encompassed our group. My senses aren't as 'dull' as you might expect them to be for a new Genin. I don't know what the hell your problem is with me, but I will tell you this: watch it! Try to hurt me or my sister again and I'll take you down, no matter who the hell you are!"
Kirobi snarled at this, as did Marco, before everyone noticed Zabuza approaching them. Quickly getting into formation, they looked around for Asuma and saw him being held within what appeared to be a large water bubble. Snarling, Naruto glared back at Kirobi and shook his head. "Since you and Marco are too busy plotting against Naruko and me, we'll take care of things. Shino, Choji, please look after Tazuna-san and keep these two from doing something truly stupid. I don't trust them." With that, Naruto turned and twirled his blades around his fingers again. "Naruko-chan, we need to free Asuma-sensei. As soon as one of us sees our chance, we target the real Zabuza and free Asuma-sensei. Okay?" When his sister nodded his way, the blonde Genin grinned and stepped to one side of the Zabuza clone while Naruko took the other.
Zabuza chuckled at this and glanced between the siblings. "Good. After that attack of yours earlier, I was hoping for the chance to kill you two. Show me what you've got." Glancing down at his prisoner, he smirked and pointed with his free hand over at the duo. "Watch as I slaughter your precious Genin before your very eyes. There's nothing you can do to save them so long as you're trapped in here!" Laughing to himself, the Demon of the Hidden Mist ordered his water clone to dispose of the two brats.
Soon, the water clone glanced between its two opponents before it shifted on its feet and dashed straight for Naruko, swinging its Kubikiribōchō at her face in a horizontal arc. Smirking at her opponent, the redhead flipped backwards a few feet and thrust her sword upwards, knocking the Zabuza clone's Kubikiribōchō up and off its original course as soon as the blades connected at the tips. "Uh, uh, uh Zabuza-chan, you picked the wrong opponent. Your clone just won't be enough to take me on."
The clone smirked and went in for another swing, but quickly had to pause in his attack and dodge out of the way when Naruto attacked it from behind. "Don't forget that there are two of us. You shouldn't go underestimating your opponents!" Spinning on his heel, Naruto thrust out his second tanto and struck the clone in the back of its leg. Nodding at each other, the blonde watched as his redheaded sister zipped towards Zabuza and poured more chakra into her blade.
As Naruto finished off the Zabuza clone, the real Zabuza held his Kubikiribōchō in his free hand and prepared to block the redhead's attack, whatever it was. However, what happened next caught him off guard. Naruko suddenly shifted one of her feet and leapt into the air. When she was high in the air, positioned directly above him, she swung her sword and called out the name of her technique. "Rasensurrashu (Spiraling Slash)!"
In mere moments, an oddly shaped crescent blade flew from the sword and began spinning wildly to the point it looked as if it was out of control. However, as soon as it came close to Zabuza, the Swordsman of the Mist knew better and quickly leapt away, allowing Asuma to escape the blast zone as well. As soon as the attack struck the ground, it formed a tremendous impact crater that nearly reached the area where Tazuna and his current guardians were standing.
Zabuza eyed the destruction wide-eyed for just a moment before he was set upon by Asuma and his chakra blades once again. For a brief period of time, the two clashed blades before determining they couldn't simply win in a kenjutsu battle against one another. Leaping away from each other, they both flashed through hand seals and announced the names of their jutsus as soon as they were finished. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)!" "Futon: Idai na Kazedoragon no Jutsu (Wind Release: Great Wind Dragon Technique)!"
The two techniques roared as they slammed into each other, causing huge gusts of wind to splash water all about the surrounding area. The occupants of the surrounding area were quite thoroughly drenched and their clothes were ruffled by the overwhelming winds. By channeling chakra to their feet, they managed to stay standing, but aside from that, they were a total mess.
Asuma and Zabuza on the other hand were standing still, flashing through hand seals once again. However, this time Asuma finished first and announced the name of his technique, much to Zabuza's chagrin. "Wind Release: Air Bullets!" Soon, numerous small balls formed from the wind around them and began shooting forward, each of them striking Zabuza until he was eventually thrust backwards and hit a nearby tree hard enough to break it in half.
As the swordsman slumped down, still gripping his sword tightly, he began to snarl. "Y-You bastards…" Zabuza slowly began to struggle to his feet, but before he could rise he felt three quick, sharp pricks in the side of his neck and quickly lost consciousness. A few short seconds later, a Kiri hunter-nin jumped down and examined Zabuza for a moment before looking over at the Konoha ninja. "I thank you for your assistance in subduing and eventually bringing down Zabuza Momochi. I have been tracking this one for quite some time, and when I finally caught up to him, he was already engaged in battle with you and your team. I apologize for using you, but I was waiting for the right time to strike."
Rising to his feet, the hunter-nin turned and bowed to the Konoha nin and glanced back down at the ex-member of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist. "Do take care, these are dangerous times. Farewell." With that, before anyone could object, the brown-haired hunter-nin knelt down, threw Zabuza over his shoulders, and disappeared.
Sighing, Asuma slumped to his knees and shook his head. "Hot damn am I exhausted." Shaking his head, he smiled when he felt a couple of hands on his shoulders. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Thanks for the concern though Naruto, Naruko." Rising to his feet, he glanced towards his client and sighed softly. "I think we need to get to your house real soon. It's important that we all sit down and talk." Tazuna nodded and began to lead the way to his house.
As they walked, Naruto and Shino walked beside Asuma and looked up at him. "Asuma-sensei, there's more that we need to talk about besides just Zabuza." The Sarutobi frowned down at his students and raised an eyebrow. "Does this have to do with that little discussion I heard earlier?" Naruto chuckled softly and nodded his head. "Oh yeah. Marco and Kirobi are plotting to kill me sometime on this mission. If I had to fathom a guess, it's because of what they want from Naruko-chan." Asuma frowned and shook his head. "This is just great…"
Short time later – Tazuna's House
Currently, the group was sitting around Tazuna's table, each of them shooting glares at Naruko's teammates. They had arrived a short time ago and, after explaining the current situation to Tazuna's lovely daughter, a woman going by the name of Tsunami, she went off to cook them dinner and get them some tea. Finally, as soon as Tsunami was out of the room, everyone, including Tazuna, had rounded on Naruko's teammates and sensei and Asuma had called them out. "Alright Kirobi, talk. Explain yourself!"
After the room had been silent for just so long, Kirobi finally sighed and pointed at Naruto. "That little shit right there is the ENTIRE reason my team's been held back this long. My Genin are each incredibly skilled and more than capable, and yet they're stuck as Genin because this little bitch wants to be with her precious fucking brother! They could have been Jonin by now and I could have moved on!"
After Kirobi was finished speaking, Naruto was fuming. "Don't." Soon, all eyes were on the blonde and Kirobi was smirking. "Don't? Don't what gaki?" "Don't call my sister a bitch!" In a flash, Naruto had Kirobi pinned against the wall with a kunai pressed against his neck. "I've heard so much about you and that little shit Marco already, and your actions today have only further proven the kind of scum you truly are. Say one more hurtful thing about my sister and you'll lose your head! I don't care about the repercussions I could suffer as a result of killing you, I will do it!"
Marco soon rose and went to defend his sensei, only to have Shino and Choji block his way. Meanwhile, Asuma rose from the couch and walked over to Naruto, placing his hand upon his arm. "Calm yourself Naruto. Just wait until we return to Konoha. We're going to have a talk with my old man about this. Plotting and attempting to kill a fellow Konoha shinobi? You can bet they're going to suffer the consequences. Plus, Pops really likes you Naruto-kun. Just watch, these two are going to pay for their crimes. But first…"
Kirobi sighed and narrowed his eyes. For a moment, he didn't dare say a thing, as he wasn't quite taken with the idea of accidentally slitting his own throat on the kunai Naruto currently held against it. When Naruto finally lowered the blade, the cruel Jonin sensei released another breath that he was holding and shook his head. "First what Asuma? You're going to dish out some kind of punishment? Tie us up? What?"
Asuma smirked and shook his head. "No, first you and Marco are going to help us complete this mission. Then we'll tie your butts up. And until then, you're going to be under constant watch. Marco by his fellow Genin, and you by me. Zabuza's not quite dead yet, as I'm sure you and your team already know, Zabuza's not dead. To top that off, we still have to figure out what to do about Gato. It's not likely that he'll just give up, even after we've finished off Zabuza and his little lackey."
Choji looked around dumbly for a time and scratched the top of his head. "Ummm, can somebody please fill me in? I thought that hunter-nin finished Zabuza off? How is he still alive?" Kirobi and Marco began to laugh at this before the black-haired Jonin sensei focused his attention on Asuma once again. "Your Genin team is pathetic Asuma. That one's a fat dumbass, Bug Boy probably doesn't do much thinking at all, and Blondie? Blondie here's just going to hold you back like Bitch has done to my team."
Kirobi smirked as Naruto went to attack him again, only for Asuma to hold him back. Shino had to restrain Choji, and in the moment when both were being restrained, Marco dashed past Shino and Choji and aimed another kunai for Naruto's ribs. However, before he could reach him, Naruko appeared before him and pierced his left shoulder, forcing him to relinquish his grip on the kunai. As the brunette dropped to his knees and glared up into her deep blue eyes, he snarled angrily. "Damn you Naruko. Stop…obsessing over him! This is pointless!"
Removing her blade from her teammate's shoulder, Naruko kicked him hard in the face and sent him tumbling backwards. "Shut the hell up and sit still. If either you or Kirobi-sensei targets my brother again, I'll kill you both. You both seem to forget who our father was. More importantly than that though, you forget who our mother is! Once she finds out, she'll make sure the two of you suffer for the rest of your miserable fucking LIVES for what you've done!" Twirling her blade, Naruko did a quick swipe with a cloth and slipped both it and her blade away in one amazingly quick motion.
Turning to Choji, Naruko smiled softly and nodded her head. "Don't worry Choji-san. Don't let the grouch get to you. To put it simply, that hunter-nin's a fake and is most likely working with Zabuza-chan. If you're still confused, then let me ask you a question. Did you happen to notice what weapon the hunter-nin used?" Choji slowly nodded his head and scratched at his non-existent chin hairs. "Hmm. Well…that hunter-nin, erm, sorry, fake hunter-nin used senbon. Wait…"
Naruko smirked and nodded her head. "Looks like you've caught on. Those generally aren't the weapon of choice when you're trying to kill someone. At best, they'll put a person into a state that resembles death for a temporary period of time. We've seen it happen once or twice before on my team during a few of our missions, but this guy…" The redhead shook her head and laughed quietly. "This guy's good; knew exactly where to aim. Zabuza will probably be out of commission for a week at best. He has to recover from what that hunter-nin did, but on top of that he also has to recover from the injuries he suffered at the hands of Asuma-sensei." Turning, Naruko bowed to Asuma and grinned at him. "Great job kicking his ass by the way!"
Asuma smirked and nodded his head. "I'll be sure to kick Zabuza's ass again the next time we meet. Now, there's something else that needs to be dealt with." At this, Asuma released Naruto and watched as the blonde approached Naruko's final teammate and eyed him closely. "That kid, the one who hasn't said a single damn word yet…what's his deal? Is he part of your plan to get rid of Naruto too, or is he really just another Genin along for the ride?"
Kirobi smirked and shrugged his shoulders as he looked over at the final member of his team. "Rihoshi doesn't even talk unless he feels he needs to. I honestly don't know that much about the kid. I can tell you this though: he's even more talented than Marco when it comes to being a shinobi." Choosing to flash Asuma a cryptic smile, Kirobi slowly turned his gaze back to Rihoshi, a tall teenage boy with bright white hair wearing mostly purple clothing. His hitai-ate was tied around his neck and he always appeared to have his eyes closed.
Tilting his head at all the attention, Rihoshi turned and appeared to be gazing straight at Naruto with his eyes closed and grinned brightly at the fellow Konoha shinobi. Nodding his head, the boy calmly spoke. "I mean you no harm Naruto. Nor you Naruko. Marco and Kirobi-sensei may be plotting evil against the two of you, but you can trust me." Giggling to himself, the boy rose and turned his head towards the kitchen. "Tsunami-san, perhaps you can help guide me to my room? I would very much like to lie down and relax for the evening. I thank you for cooking dinner, but I do not require it."
As Rihoshi walked off with Tsunami, Naruto's lip was twitching in an upwards direction at the same time his eyes narrowed and left eyebrow started twitching uncontrollably. "I-Is he always so creepy? When he giggled…it sounded so…so…cold, maniacal…crazy!" Naruko sighed and shook her head as she slapped a hand to her face. "Yeah…yeah. Rihoshi's a bit weird, but he hasn't given me any problems yet. Whenever a Chunin Exam comes around and Sensei would like to sign us up, Rihoshi tends to side with them because he'd like to test himself or something. So, he tends to rub me the wrong way during those times. Every other time though, he's been nothing but nice to me. Sadly though, he can kind of weird people out."
Finally, Tazuna chose to step forward and look Asuma dead in the eyes. "Asuma-san, I feel as if I need to confirm something here. In light of certain…shall we say 'developments' between your two teams and the traitorous actions shown by these two…" The bridge builder motioned between Marco and his sensei, Kirobi here. "Are you really going to be able to protect me? Is my family going to be safe? These two aren't going to try and hurt me or my family…are they?"
Kirobi scoffed at this and shook his head. "We're on a mission and you are our client. Even if we wanted to, there'd be no sense in killing you. Like it or not, my student and I are loyal Konoha shinobi and will protect you with our lives. You have nothing to fear for yourself or your family Tazuna-san. Our beef is only with Naruto and there is no reason to bring you or your family into such matters. You're safe."
When Kirobi had finished talking, Naruto scoffed himself and began to laugh. When the blonde youngling finally calmed down and smirked up at Kirobi, he smirked. "Loyal Konoha shinobi? The two of you? You're kidding, right? The two of you were plotting against me! Trying to kill me on this mission! How in the hell is that loyal?!" Taking offense to his attitude, Kirobi went to attack him, only to be slammed back into the wall by Asuma. "Enough! All of you! For the rest of this mission we are going to get along and work together! After dinner, we are going to get some sleep. All of us. We will discuss everything in the morning: who guards Tazuna and when, training schedules for all of you Genin, who looks after Tazuna's family, etc. Is that clear?" When everybody nodded, Asuma grinned and slipped away his chakra blades. "Good. Now, let's enjoy dinner."
The Next Day – Midday – Waters outside Tazuna's House
Asuma smirked as he watched Naruko and her brother spar on the water. Shino, Choji, and Marco were currently guarding Tazuna at the bridge while he had the others training in the art of water-walking. However, rather than the typical exercise, the adult Sarutobi was having two of them spar while the other, or others as the case may be depending on the number of Genin with him for the day, would practice performing various jutsu while walking or running atop the water.
In this particular instance, Rihoshi was performing some odd darkness-based techniques atop the water. It was curious to Asuma, but he shrugged it off and chose to focus primarily on the duel between Naruko and Naruto while Kirobi watched over his own student. The two of them had been going at it like this ever since their training started a little over two hours ago.
Both teams had eaten breakfast and discussed their plans for the week during. The basic plan was to keep at least Marco away from Naruto and Naruko whenever possible. Kirobi seemed content to just sit back and watch and wait, so the man was pretty much being left to his own thoughts by Asuma and the others. So long as he didn't try anything against Naruto, Kirobi would be fine for the upcoming battle against Zabuza.
Then there was Marco. That particular Genin was a troublemaker through and through. It was obvious to everyone that he wasn't just going to let things go as they were. Whether they liked it or not, he was going to continue searching for some way to get rid of Naruto once-and-for-all. But Asuma couldn't help but feel as if there was something more to it than that. Looking between the siblings dueling on the water to the best of their ability, his eyes finally settled on Naruko and the bearded Jonin frowned. From what I've been told, Naruto and Marco just met at the start of this blasted mission. This whole situation revolves around her, doesn't it?
As if sensing somebody's eyes on her, Naruko quickly parried Naruto's attack with her sword and turned her gaze towards Asuma. Seeing his eyes on her, the redhead quirked up an eyebrow, shrugged her shoulders, and resumed her duel with her otouto. Probably just thinking about something. Giggling as her brother tried again and again to strike her just once; Naruko ducked low and, in one quick, fluid movement, flung her otouto over her shoulders and kicked him down into the water. "Poor Naruto-kun. I've had more practice water-walking than you've had. Keep it up though, you almost had me!"
Two Days Later – Dinner
Training had been going rather well for all Genin, and so far there had been no attacks on Tazuna just yet. All-in-all, despite the current situation, things were actually looking pretty well. However, for each day they had been there, a little runt of a kid named Inari had been giving the Konoha ninja a hassle about even coming to their small village. Apparently, in the kid's eyes, they were all stupid for even trying. At one point, Naruto had to knock Marco out because he had taken a kunai and lunged at the kid, scaring him to the point he wet himself before running away to his room.
Now, Inari was on his usual rant again, but Naruto had finally had enough of it. As Inari ranted and complained, the blonde was trying as hard as he could to eat and remain silent, but the ever growing tick mark on his forehead, hovering just above his left eye was signal enough that he was about to blow his top. Finally, it happened and Naruto set his bowl of food down politely before slamming his hands down on the table and narrowing his eyes. "Good lord kid, would you shut the hell up already?!"
Rising up, Naruto practically towered over the kid even though he was a short young man himself, standing at only about four feet, eleven inches. Reaching out, he grabbed the squirt of a kid by his ear and yanked on it hard enough to make Inari scream out in pain. "You lost your father? Big whoop kid. Everyone in your village has probably lost somebody. But…you see my sister right there? Naruko-chan? When she was just two years-old, our father died. He died on the very same day that I was born. I never got to know my tou-san, but I know he was a great man. Now, look at the man you called your father Inari and think. Would he be proud of what you have become? Of how you've just given up and started pulling this crap with all those who try to actually HELP you? No! Your father was a brave man and he'd want you to continue fighting on for what's right and what you believe in. So do the right thing and shut up. Honor your father's memory instead of destroying it by being a little punk! I'm going outside. Good night everybody."
With that, Naruto released Inari, quickly finished up his meal, and stepped outside to cool off. Seeing this, Naruko glanced around at everybody before her eyes finally settled on Inari. Smiling, she bowed her head a moment and apologized to him for her brother before finishing her own meal and rushing out the door. This left the others to talk with Tazuna and his family while Naruto and Naruko stayed together to train the night away.
The Next Morning – In the nearby woods
After a grueling spar somewhat deep in the woods between the siblings in an effort to help the two of them relax, they fell asleep huddled together in the shade of a rather tall tree. This is the sight that Marco stumbled upon after managing to sneak out of the house earlier this morning. Upon seeing the two of them with their arms wrapped around each other, he began grinding his teeth before a rather cruel idea began to form in his mind.
Reaching into one of his pouches, Naruko's cruel teammate brought out three sealing tags and smirked to himself. Stepping quietly so as not to wake either of his intended victims, the fourteen years-old boy crept closer and closer to the blonde he so hated. Then, in a flash, he slapped the tags to Naruto's forehead, chest, and back and flipped through a quick series of hand seals before shouting out. "Zenshin Mahi Shiiru (Full Body Paralysis Seal)!"
Marco smirked as his seals took effect and Naruto woke up screaming as the seals went to work on sealing his body. When the blonde narrowed his eyes up at the bastard, Marco's smirk widened. "Oh, don't give me that look you little shit stain. I haven't even done anything yet. I'm just getting started!" Turning his head, Marco looked down up Naruko, who was just now waking up after hearing her brother scream.
Glancing over, she saw what was going on and when she went to remove the sealing tags, Marco backhanded her and knocked her away. "Uh-uh-uh, he's going to sit and watch Naruko-chan. It's time I got what I wanted." Slowly, Marco began stepping closer to Naruko as she flipped backwards and took a fighting stance. Unfortunately for her, her swords were lying against the tree and were currently out of reach. Groaning to herself, the redhead began flipping through hand seals, but was forced to stop when she felt Marco's fist implanted firmly in her stomach.
Marco snickered as he gripped Naruko's gorgeous red hair firmly. Leaning in close, he kissed her cheek and whispered to her. "Don't even try it. I'm stronger than you are Naruko-chan, and if you keep trying to fight me, it's only going to get that much worse. I'm tired of being patient with you." Naruko grimaced and tried to knee Marco in the crotch, only for him to catch her knee and slam her into the ground hard. As she lay on the ground groaning in pain, Marco knelt down and pinned her beneath him. "Little Naruko-chan. Don't you get it yet? I was waiting for this chance. You exhausted yourself training didn't you? You can't fight back in your state. Give in."
Naruto was forced to watch on as Marco forcefully began to grope his sister's breasts through her clothing while he forced a kiss on her. Something inside of him began to snap, and he could feel the paralysis wearing off. Right as he was about to break free, he heard a voice and everyone looked to see what appeared to be a rather beautiful woman stepping into the small clearing holding a basket in 'her' hands. "Get off of her! What the hell do you think you're doing to that young lady?!"
Marco smirked at the feminine person and shook his head. "If you're smart, you'll mind your own business girl. I'll have you know I'm a ninja of Konoha. If you get in my way, I'll kill you." The newcomer shook 'her' head and then nodded over towards Naruto. "If you don't get off of her soon, you're going to be the one losing his life young sir. I don't think her friend is too happy with you right now."
Marco shrugged his shoulders and went back to continue his molestation of Naruko. However, the very moment he did, the teenage boy found himself flying through the air. When he finally crashed back into the ground head and face first, pain wracked his entire body and his body began to spasm uncontrollably from the sheer force with which it was struck. When he could finally move again, he rose and turned to see Naruto, only this time he had a strange, red cloak surrounding him. "Damn it Demon, why can't you just stay down and wait your fucking turn?!"
Naruto, still fuming about what Marco was trying to do to his sister, charged forward and began to tear into Marco in a furious assault of punches, kicks, kenjutsu, and more until he felt an insane force pressing down on him from above. Looking up, he saw both Kirobi and Asuma standing over him. Kirobi looked furious, but Asuma simply looked concern. Slowly the blonde's chakra cloak began to recede back into him and he let his tears flow freely. "T-That bastard….that bastard! He tried….arrrrgh! That sick fuck tried to rape Naruko-chan! We can't let him get away with that Asuma-sensei!"
Kirobi, obviously displeased with hearing the demon punk slandering his student's 'good name' decided to speak up. "Shut up Demon brat! My student would do no such thing. YOU'RE the one who decided to let the demon influence him into attacking someone who simply came to fetch you two for breakfast!" Asuma, clearly tired of this, was about to slug Kirobi. However, before he could get his chance, both Naruko and the stranger stepped forward and began to speak.
"I suggest you quit talking Sir. When I arrived on the scene, he had this young lady pinned beneath him and he was attempting to have his way with her. That is not how one fetches somebody for breakfast." Seeing Kirobi about to refute the claim once more, Naruko stepped forward and narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. "Don't you defend him anymore! First you try and kill my brother, now you're trying to condone Marco's actions?! He attempted to rape me Sensei! RAPE! My brother and this lady next to me saved me! And when Naruto's trying to give that sick bastard what he deserves, you ATTACK MY BROTHER INSTEAD! HOW DARE YOU DEFEND MARCO FOR WHAT HE'S DONE?!"
Asuma, tired of Kirobi's bullshit, turned and slammed his fist square into his fellow Jonin's face. "Take Marco and go back to the house. You two will be dealt with when we I return with these two. As for you Miss…?" The bearded Jonin turned back to the feminine person and smiled politely as he gestured for 'her' to give 'her' name. With a smirk, the person stepped forward and bowed politely.
"Hello Sir. My name is Haku, and I just so happen to be a guy. Sorry to disappoint." When Haku looked up, he began to laugh cutely at the flabbergasted expressions on everyone's faces. I swear that never gets old. "I do apologize, but I was really only out here picking herbs for my oji-sama. I'm glad I could help you with your problem. It's time for me to be going. Take care you two." Smiling sweetly at both Naruto and Naruko, Haku bowed again and stepped off, soon disappearing into the trees.
As soon as Haku was gone and Asuma was left alone in the clearing with the Uzumaki-Namikaze siblings, he let a sigh escape him as he looked upon the duo. Naruto was fussing over his sister and holding her close. They appeared to be quite lost in their own little world at the moment as they conversed and attempted to make sure the other was okay. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat loudly and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Come on you two. We need to get you two cleaned up and then you've got bridge duty together for the day. I'll deal with Marco and Kirobi, and then I'll try to come up with some kind of plan so that we can hopefully deal with Zabuza and his accomplice without the two of them. I'd rather not have them anywhere near you two when we're fighting them." Once the two nodded, the kind Jonin sensei led them back towards the house. Of course, as they made their way back, Naruto and Naruko resumed their earlier conversation, or rather in this case, fussing over each other. Shaking his head once again, Asuma let loose another sigh before chuckling softly to himself. Kids these days.
The Day of the Battle – The Incomplete Bridge
As expected, Zabuza and his apprentice showed up again on the bridge. Thankfully, Asuma and the other shinobi of Konoha had managed to accurately predict the day that they would make their strike so the citizens of Wave weren't on the bridge when the duo struck. The team guarding Tazuna for today consisted of Asuma, Naruto, Naruko, and Choji. Marco and Kirobi were currently tied up back at Tazuna's house with chakra restriction seals placed upon them to keep them from pulling anymore of their crap. Meanwhile, Shino and Rihoshi were in charge of guarding Tsunami and Inari. Everyone agreed that Gato, being the scumbag that he is, was bound to try something else in order to get what he wanted. Therefore, those two were left behind to watch after the bridge builder's family.
Few words were spoken between both parties. No pleasantries were spared, only jibes and basic insults, with a threat against Tazuna thrown in from Zabuza towards the end. When everyone was finished talking, Haku stepped forward and smirked behind his mask as he eyed both Naruto and Naruko up and down for a moment. Slowly, he formed a kunai of ice in his hand and nodded before disappearing in a blur and striking out at Naruko.
Naruko barely had time to blink as she narrowly dodged to the side and clipped Haku in the side with her sword. Smirking at the blood she drew, she twirled her sword around in her hand and switched to a two-handed grip. "So the apprentice has some speed. Good, I was hoping to have some fun with you before we took the fight to Zabuza himself. Bring it on Mister Tall, Dark, and quite possibly Handsome." Giggling to herself, Naruko began an aggressive duel with Haku, the two of them clashing fiercely in the middle of the bridge while the others watched on.
Naruto, upon hearing his sister's bizarre compliment aimed towards their enemy, raised his left eyebrow while his right arm and hand began to twitch uncontrollably. N-Naruko. Why? Just…why? Are you trying to get under my skin? Sighing softly, Naruto shot a quick glance towards Zabuza to gauge his reaction to the situation. When he noticed that the elder ninja didn't appear worried in the slightest, the blonde took that as a sign that there was much more to Haku than met the eye.
Returning his gaze to the battle, the young Uzumaki-Namikaze's eyes widened as he saw the teenage ice user going through a series of one-handed hand seals while Naruko struggled to break his grip on her weapon. Sensing the danger bound for his sister, Naruto drew his tanto and flashed over to his sister's location, quickly deflecting the thousands of ice needles aimed at his sister's vital points. When all the ice lay upon the bridge surrounding them, Naruto smirked and performed a quick roundhouse kick, sending Haku skidding along the ground away from them. "You're going to have to try and get through me to get to my sister, punk! I promise you that with the two of us as your enemies, you won't be winning this battle."
Naruko quickly thanked her brother before they both watched as Haku turned his gaze towards Zabuza. The boy's mask was slightly cracked from the powerful kick to the face, but it was still hanging on and was virtually perfectly intact. Naruto glanced between the two of them and saw Zabuza nod at his apprentice. "Naruko?" Seeing her glance his way, Naruto grimaced. "Get ready. I have a feeling we're about to be in a lot of trouble." Naruko nodded before they watched a set of twenty-one ice mirrors spring up from the ground around them. Eyes widening, they watched wide-eyed as the apprentice entered one of the mirrors and saw his image appear all around them.
Outside the Ice Mirrors
Asuma grimaced as he watched the young ice user use his next technique. Swiveling on his feet, the Sarutobi equipped his chakra blades and pointed a fist in Zabuza's direction. "Looks like things are getting a bit hairy over there. There's no choice then. I've got to take you down quickly and help the Genin. Can't go leaving them to the hands of some unknown jutsu like that. Choji! Protect Tazuna-san! Don't let him out of your sight!" Seeing Choji nod out of the corner of his eye, Asuma nodded and chose that moment to begin his assault on the Demon of the Hidden Mist.
Zabuza smirked and quickly swung his Kubikiribocho forward, slamming his blade hard against Asuma's wind-enhanced chakra blades. The Konoha Jonin was forced back a few steps before he suddenly ducked, spun around to the swordsman's side, and slashed at his left side in the process before attempting to impale his blades in Zabuza's back.
The Swordsman of the Mist smirked under his mask and spun on his heel, quickly blocking the attack before slamming his free foot into Asuma's stomach. The Sarutobi was sent reeling backwards from the force of the blow, but he quickly recovered and moved in for another set of attacks. However, it was all the time Zabuza needed to perform his Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Jutsu).
As the fog rolled over the bridge, Asuma cursed to himself and spun around, quickly blocking an attempted strike from the swordsman. Damn. He pumped far more chakra into the mist this time. He must really be aiming to end this fight quickly. Unless…shit, is he going after Tazuna already?! Spinning, the Jonin sensei began a full sprint in Tazuna's direction, only to have Zabuza suddenly appear at his side, swinging his sword in an attempt to cleave Asuma's head from between his shoulders. Cursing once more, Asuma ducked low and punched out, nailing Zabuza hard in the stomach.
However, before he could celebrate about a successful blow, Zabuza melted into a pool of water and he was grazed from behind by the Kubikiribocho. Narrowing his eyes, Asuma twirled around and began to focus on his breathing. Shit. I fell right into that one. Think Asuma, get rid of the mist first, and then deal with your foe. Fighting blind isn't a bright idea at all!
Within the Ice Mirrors
The battle had turned to Haku's favor very quickly after the mirrors had been erected around his foes. Naruto and Naruko had succeeded in blocking most of his attacks at first, but gradually, the ice user began to wear his opponents down. Naruko, being the more experienced of the two ninja, managed to hold out a little longer than her younger brother when it came to deflecting the barrage of ice senbon, but she began to suffer the effects of exhaustion a short time after as well.
Tiring of being struck by so many damn needles and being turned into bloody pincushions, the siblings quickly formulated a plan to try and utilize their speed and jutsu to try and inflict at least one blow on their opponent. Naruko, being the quicker of the two, would be the one moving in for the attack while Naruto provided support for her and added in a jutsu or two to empower her attack.
As soon as Naruko spotted her chance, she blurred off towards the left while her brother began flipping through hand seals for one of his jutsu. Unfortunately, Haku spotted the danger immediately and, rather than continue on with his intended course of action, quickly skimmed across the ground, practically flying towards Naruto. Naruko spotted this and widened her eyes. Panic flooded through her as her body began moving on instinct.
The two reached Naruto at the same exact time, Haku's ice needles piercing her in numerous locations right as Haku went in to strike her brother down. The ice user scoffed at this and quickly disappeared back into the mirrors to avoid their attempted combined assault on him. Watching them from within the safety of his mirrors, Haku watched as Naruko turned her head and smiled softly at her brother as blood dribbled down her chin, slowly leaking from the corners of her mouth. Damn. She's much faster than I anticipated. Still, there's no way she'll be recovering from that. That just leaves him.
Naruko closed her eyes slightly and nodded her head. "I-I'm…so glad you're alright Naruto-kun. I couldn't l-let him…let him h-hurt you." When Naruto reached out to touch her, to embrace her, Naruko shook her head and her smile softened. "I'm alright…just…just take him down before we l-lose the fight…" Stumbling a few steps forward, the redhead fell to one knee and began to cough weakly. "F-Focus….Naruto-kun. Stay calm…and take him d-down. I just need a little r….re…." And with that, the soft-hearted Naruko passed out, falling the rest of the way forward until she was laying face down on the bridge.
Naruto's eyes widened and he felt a horrible pain deep inside of him as he watched his most precious person collapse in front of him. Slowly slipping away his dual tantos, the young man took a few steps forward and went to reach down towards her. Suddenly, Naruto froze when he felt a sharp pain in his left hand. Glancing towards it, he saw three ice senbon piercing it and quickly shook his head to clear his head of the negative thoughts. S-She's not dead…no. I'll….damn you… "Damn you!"
The blonde reached down and quickly grasped the handle of the Shi no Tacchi and withdrew it from its sheathe for the first time since receiving it from his mother. The weapon seemed to pulsate in his hands, but Naruto paid no attention to that. Instead, he focused his eyes directly on the spot where Haku was hiding as his eyes darkened. However, instead of his eyes becoming slitted and turning red, they turned black with red slitted pupils, signifying that not only was the Kyuubi influencing his actions, but also something else.
Blinking but a few times, the blonde gaki smirked and suddenly flashed forward in a blur of speed. The ice mirror Haku was hiding in was suddenly blown to pieces with a single attack and Haku was sent tumbling along the ground until he hit the edge of the bridge. Slumping down, the ice user attempted to rise, only to feel a cold chill sweep over his body. The teenager's mask crumbled and his body seized up.
Slowly, Haku raised his gaze and he stared deep into Naruto's cold, darkened eyes. "W-What…are you?" Naruto, clearly recognizing the boy as the teenager that helped him and his sister before, hesitated but a moment before he narrowed his eyes even further. "You…you bastard! After helping us, you choose to try and kill us?! Look at what you've done to her! LOOK AT HER YOU COLD-HEARTED MONSTER!" Gripping Haku's chin roughly with his free hand, Naruto forced him to look over at his crumbling mirrors as Naruko was revealed to them both. "You've hurt her! You hurt her really badly! What if she never wakes up?! What if she's dead?! What will I do then you monster?!"
Haku chuckled softly and shook his head. "N-No…she is…is not dead Naruto-san. I p-promise you that." Coughing suddenly, Haku retched and spit up a small quantity of blood off to his side. "U-Ugh…I can't even move. What kind of attack w-was…that?"
Naruto shook his head and turned his gaze back to his opponent as Zabuza's mist suddenly began to clear up. "This blade was bestowed upon me by my mother. Her friend requested that she give it to me as a gift. It is called Shi no Tacchi. And…I don't really know much more than that." Chuckling nervously, the blonde rubbed the back of his head and shrugged his shoulders gently while Haku sweat dropped somewhat. "From the looks of things…you're actually not going to last too much longer, are you? I cut you pretty deep."
Haku sighed and glanced down at his chest. Sure enough, there was a deep, diagonal slash down his body. Nodding slowly, he closed his eyes and shook his head. "I guess you w-win…Naruto-san. Please d-do…me a favor…?" Seeing the dangerous look in Naruto's eyes, Haku sighed and shook his head again. "I k-know I haven't done anything worthy of earning any f-favors from you…"
At this, Naruto bonked Haku on the top of his head and smirked. "Baka. You helped save my sister earlier…and you didn't kill her. You don't seem like that type of guy to do such a thing anyways. I'd say that for your help earlier, you've more than earned a favor. What is it?"
Haku smiled and nodded while his eyes began to close. "D-Don't…let Zabuza-s-sama die. Zabuza-sama…protected me…gave me a purpose…I l-lived for him. I may have only served as a weapon to my master, but I was truly h-happy…to be able to stand beside him and keep him safe. H-Help…Zabuza-sama find his h-happiness too…I want him to live on and be happy. This h-horrible life…it's not for him. Do…what you can, please."
Naruto gently clutched Haku's hands together in his and nodded calmly. "I…I will do as you ask of me Haku. Rest now. You…you've earned it." Haku smiled softly and slowly his eyes closed all the way until his head slumped to one side. Naruto gently laid Haku down and rose once more, clutching the Shi no Tacchi tightly in his right hand. I promise you Haku that I will keep your master safe. Even if he turns out to be nothing more than a major pain-in-the-ass, I'll protect him for you. However…what the hell am I really supposed to do? What could make a guy like that happy? Shaking his head, Naruto watched as his sensei was moving in to deal the finishing blow to his opponent.
Cursing under his breath, Naruto moved as fast as he could and intercepted his sensei's chakra blades with his Shi no Tacchi. Pushing him back, Naruto took a few deep breaths and shook his head. "It's over Asuma-sensei. Please…don't fight him anymore. H-Haku's…Haku's dead…I killed him. I'm sorry Zabuza. I truly am. After…after what he did to Naruko-chan, I don't really know how to explain what happened…but I won. But…" Turning around to face the swordsman, Naruto noticed that his gaze was now on his deceased apprentice. Sighing, Naruto gently prodded the man in his good arm with the tip of his blade. "Haku made me promise to do something for him. A dying wish if you will."
Zabuza, without turning his gaze away from Haku, spoke up, although his voice was much softer than before. "I…see. Haku always was a softy. There was no way he could bring himself to take away somebody precious to you. I…I heard from Haku about what happened in the woods, gaki. Haku…would never kill your little girlfriend over there. Would never have forgiven himself if he had. What…did Haku ask you to do?" Slowly, he turned to Naruto and smiled through his tears as the boy stared at him in shock. "Don't…look at me like that Gaki. Just…get on with it already."
Naruto nodded and looked hard into Zabuza's eyes. "Haku-san made me promise to watch over you in his place. Haku…wants you to find your happiness. So…will you please put aside this stupid job of yours to assassinate our client? Not for me, but for Haku? Come with us to Konoha. It may not be your style, but you can have a home there. And whatever it is that will make you happy…I will try to help you achieve that happiness. Understand?"
The swordsman chuckled to himself and closed his eyes again. "I have to admit Gaki…I see a lot of Haku in you. You're a good kid doing good things. There's definitely something 'different' about you, but I don't give a crap. I'll honor my student's wishes and stick with you kid. Just…don't let me down. I'll be expecting great things from you." Reaching over with his good arm, Zabuza patted Naruto on the head before turning and trekking over to his now deceased apprentice. Sighing, the gruff Swordsman of the Mist reached down and pulled Haku into his arm and wept silently for him.
"Tch. And here I thought the Demon of the Hidden Mist might actually prove to be something special. You're pathetic Zabuza. Ah well, it's a good thing I had the foresight to prepare for just such an occasion. Men, kill Zabuza, the bridge builder, and the others. You'll be paid when you do your damn jobs. Don't fail me." Everyone turned to the source of the voice and narrowed their eyes as they saw a short, stubby little man with a veritable army of mercenaries behind him. None of them really appeared to be anything special, but one could never be too careful.
Zabuza snarled and prepared to rise, only for Naruto to yell at him. "Zabuza! Stay there and look after Haku's body. You're in no condition to continue on fighting. Asuma-sensei and I can handle these scumbags!" The Swordsman of the Hidden Mist nodded slowly and returned to simply cradling his dead apprentice. "Make it painful Gaki. Don't let that asshole get away." Naruto nodded and grinned darkly. "My pleasure."
Asuma nodded at his Genin student and smiled his way. "I can tell you're just raring to go Naruto-kun. I'll deal with any stragglers. You get Gato and anyone who dares to get in your way." Nodding to each other once more, the two of them dashed forwards. Naruto held his Shi no Tacchi at his side while Asuma pumped more wind chakra into his chakra blades. They split off into different directions as they sprinted forward. Naruto went directly for Gato while Asuma zipped straight for the largest grouping of mercenaries.
Gato, seeing the look that promised his death in the boy's eyes, quickly began backing away, shoving more and more people in front of him to distract the boy. However, just before he could make it to the side and scale back down to his boat, Gato felt a cold presence behind him right before he heard the screams of his mercenaries that were meant to protect him.
Swiftly turning around, Gato watched as the souls of those that were shoved in the way of Naruto were sucked into the Shi no Tacchi. As the sword began to glow a bright, whitish-blue color, Gato began to sweat nervously. The boy was fast approaching him, and there was nowhere he could go. In fact, the short man's legs buckled and he fell to his knees. "P-Please…spare me! Don't do it! I'll pay you whatever you want! Absolutely anything! Name your price!"
Naruto smirked and shook his head. "My price? How about your soul Gato?" The incredibly dark tone in Naruto's voice sent chills down Gato's spine and he fainted the very moment before the sword cleaved him in two and ripped his worthless soul straight from the midget's body.
Releasing a heavy sigh, Naruto took a cloth and wiped his blade clean of blood and innards before sheathing it away once more. Turning, he slowly made his way through the carnage and to his sister's side. Kneeling down, he gently brushed the backs of his fingers through his sister's now messy hair and kissed her forehead. "I hope you wake up soon Naruko-chan. I'm sorry you were hurt this badly." Meanwhile, in the background, you could hear the screams of the mercenaries as Asuma continued his slaughter, making sure that not one of them was able to escape. It just wouldn't do to have the fools returning later to cause more mayhem for the poor villagers of Wave, now would it?