The Rise of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze

by MercenaryGrax

How would things be if Naruto knew who his parents were from a young age? A mysterious man who has watched Naruto his entire life soon takes an interest in Naruto and is placed as the assistant Jonin instructor to Naruto and his team. Who is this man and what relation does he have to Naruto? How will things be different with him training the young ninja? NaruxHarem & OCxHarem.

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Secrets Revealed

With Naruto & Kiba, moments ago

"Man Naruto, what the hell's with all that mist? It's so thick!" Kiba complained as they neared the bridge. While it was indeed hard to see through the mist, it was thicker near the opposite end of the bridge than it was on the end they had approached from.

Stepping foot on the bridge, the group of three quickly dashed towards the sounds of battle. When Naruto suddenly thrust his arm out, Kiba barely managed to stop himself in time before he plowed into it and floored himself. Glancing in Naruto's direction, he quirked an eyebrow and decided to ask a question. "What is it Naruto? You see something I don't?" Looking further into the mist, doing his best to focus on the area in front of them, the Inuzuka heir found his eyes widening. "Damn, what the hell's with all the ice? You think Zabuza's behind this?"

Naruto calmly shook his head left and right. "Kiba, what do you smell? I think Zabuza's partner is directly ahead of us if this ice is anything to go by. Think about it Kiba. Remember what we heard described to us by Kakashi-sensei? Zabuza primarily used water release jutsu during his battle with Kakashi. He also said that there was something off about the hunter-nin, and at the time I thought he was simply talking about the hunter-nin being in league with the missing nin Zabuza. But…"

Kiba watched curiously as Naruto knelt down and picked up what appeared to be a senbon, only it was encased in ice. Taking this moment to sniff the area with Akamaru, Kiba frowned. "Sasuke and Shino are battling somebody in that weird ice dome ahead of us. Beyond them, Kakashi-sensei and Sean-sensei are battling who I would assume to be Zabuza. Between both groups, Kurenai-sensei, Hinata, and Sakura are looking over Tazuna-san. But the worst thing is the scent of blood. I smell it all around us. I think Zabuza and his partner killed almost all of Tazuna-san's workers. I can't be sure until this mist clears though. There's no doubt that Zabuza created this damnable mist. Kakashi told us about his Kirigakure no Jutsu before, so my bet is that until Kakashi-sensei and Sean-sensei take him out, this mist isn't going to go anywhere. Am I right Naruto?"

Naruto nodded his head and was about to speak, but before he could the team of three heard Shino scream out in pain. Glancing through the mist, Naruto saw a sight that disturbed him greatly. Lying on the ground in the middle of the dome of ice was Shino. He looked like a pincushion at the moment and he wasn't moving. Quickly reaching into his shuriken pouch, Naruto withdrew a single shuriken and searched for their opponent. Seeing the fake hunter-nin approaching Sasuke, the blonde ninja threw the shuriken hard at the enemy's head, only to see his opponent dodge into one of the ice mirrors at the last second. "Dammit!"

Present Time – Sasuke & Haku

It's him again. Naruto-san, I don't want to fight you. If you challenge me though, I'll end you for Zabuza's sake. Haku thought silently to herself as she glanced back at Sasuke and Shino. As she stared at the boy with the Sharingan eyes, she found herself frowning. "Sasuke, right?"

Sasuke glared back at Haku and 'hmph'ed before nodding his head. "What do you care what my name is girl? Soon enough you'll be dead no thanks to anybody else. You should be glad to have received the opportunity to battle an elite such as myself. Now stop with the cowardly tricks and get down here so we can fight!"

Haku let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "You're pathetic Sasuke. I may only have Zabuza and I may only be his tool, but he and I can truly respect those such as your downed teammate there. He fell protecting you. Shino-san there understands the meaning of teamwork and the value of his teammates. Using his insects, he was able to discover my plan of attack and threw himself in the way to keep you safe from what would have been a crippling attack. You have been so focused on defeating me that you let your anger cloud your judgment when the difference in skill between us became more and more evident. You only tried to work with your teammate ONCE and that was in an attempt to escape my Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō (Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals). While I commend you on your attempt, the two of you could have, and more importantly should have worked together to try and find a weakness to my technique. By working together from the start, you could have done so much more. Now your teammate lies dead near your feet and you don't show any sign of caring for his sacrifice. Instead…"

Sighing heavily, Haku shut her mouth and shook her head. "No, I will waste no more words on you Uchiha. It is obvious that everything I just said went unheard. This is the end for you and for the Uchiha. Farewell Sasuke!" Forming an incredibly sharp kunai out of ice, Haku watched and waited patiently until she saw her moment. When Sasuke turned and the young woman saw she was now in his blind spot, she dived from the mirror she had been hiding in and aimed the kunai at the back of the last Uchiha's neck. However, what happened next was something she had not expected.

Standing before her with eyes narrowed and a kunai of his own pressed against her kunai of ice was Naruto. Flipping backwards, she stared at him, horrified that he would be so brash as to enter her technique willingly. "Why do you so willingly defend such a heartless fool? Look at what his behavior has cost you! An ally of yours lies dead on the ground because his teammate refused to cooperate with him or any of his plans. This entire time this Uchiha brat has spouted "Elite this" and "Elite that". Young man, step aside and let me do the ninja world a favor!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Believe me Miss; I'm not a fan of Sasuke-teme here. I'm mad as hell and I want nothing more than to kick his arrogant ass. But…I'm not stupid. I knew coming in here would be a huge risk as I know next to nothing about your technique or your abilities, but I also couldn't just let you kill the teme. Despite his attitude and all the crap he feeds everybody about being one of the 'elite Uchiha', he's important to the village. But beyond that, he's a fellow ninja of the Leaf and as long as I live, I refuse to abandon a fellow ninja from the Leaf to die. Miss Hunter-nin, there's something else you should know."

As Naruto tried to continue on, Sasuke shoved him to the ground and snarled in his direction. "Shut the hell up Dobe! I didn't need your help and we sure as hell don't need your ridiculous speech!" When Sasuke went to kick the blonde-haired ninja in the side, he was suddenly slammed violently into another of the ice mirrors behind him. Standing there with her ice kunai pressed tight against his neck, Haku was radiating killing intent. "Get the hell off me! That Dobe isn't needed back in the village! He's pathetic! A screw-up! All that idiot ever does is cause problems and piss people off. A Dobe like him doesn't belong among the ranks of Leaf shinobi! Once a loser, always a loser! All the Dobe's going to do is get in the way of OUR battle."

When it appeared Haku was about to cleave the arrogant Uchiha prick's head from his body, Naruto grabbed hold of her offending hand and smiled as he shook his head and pried her off of Sasuke. "Don't. You're not a killer, and even if you were, the teme isn't worth it, I assure you. The only people that even like him back in our village are Teme's fan girls and the civilians. Some of the council too I think, but who really cares?" Slowly guiding the female away from Sasuke, Naruto sat her down beside Shino's form and smiled softly at her.

"Now Miss Hunter-nin, tune the teme out and let's talk. You see, Kakashi-sensei told my team something about you and Zabuza after we arrived. You used senbon to put Zabuza into a deathlike state and then carried him off. Looking my friend here over carefully, I don't think you had any intention of killing either of these two, did you? Shino's hurt, sure, but I don't think he's dead. It's not hard to see that you have a gentle soul Hunter-san. Why would somebody like you even attempt to kill a couple of children? That's like me telling somebody that the teme and I were suddenly the best of friends! It wouldn't make any sense, nor would it actually happen. EVER! Your precious 'master' on the other hand, he I'm not so sure about. He seems like a real jerk, no offense to you. So why not sit down and tell me about this relationship of yours with Zabuza and why you're so loyal to him all right? Depending on what you say, I might be able to help you out. We could come up with something great for you!"

When Haku lowered her gaze to the downed boy in front of her, she let out an audible sigh and nodded her head. However, as soon as she went to speak, blood shot from her mouth and leaked under her mask, visible for the blonde ninja to see. Glancing behind her, the two could see Sasuke with a maniacal grin on his face as he yanked his kunai from her back and went to attack again. As Haku fell over Shino's limp form, Naruto suddenly began radiating enormous killing intent as red chakra began swirling around his form. "Teme! What the hell is wrong with you?!" With that, Naruto slammed an anger-fueled fist into Sasuke's face and sent him crashing through one of the ice mirrors all the way to the edge of the bridge. "She wasn't even fighting anymore! I should fucking kill you!"

With Sean & Kakashi – 7 Minutes ago to Present Time

Zabuza smirked as he shoved Sean away from him and disappeared into the mist again. "One of Konoha's few Kenjutsu users, eh? But something tells me that's not all there is to learn about you boy. Fine then, it's time to play!" Moving silently through the mist, the former Swordsman of the Mist smirked and dashed forth, quickly swinging his Kubikiribōchō down at Sean's head. Therefore, when Sean disappeared from view, Zabuza's eyes went wide. "Where the hell…?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Zabuza. It's amazing how you could fall for my Kaze Bunshin no Jutsu (Wind Clone Technique). Now, can you find the real me?" With a smirk, Sean created a dozen more Kaze Bunshins and spread them out throughout the mist. While allowing Zabuza to cleave through the majority of his clones, Sean made his way to Kakashi's location.

Upon reaching him, Sean nodded and patted his fellow Jonin sensei on the shoulder. "Almost time for your plan. Sure you don't want me to take the hit?" Kakashi simply gave Sean an eye smile and shook his head. "It will be better if I take the blow Sean. You know the plan." Chuckling, Sean shook his head and sighed. "Yeah, yeah."

Sean disappeared back in the mist, moving a short distance from Kakashi and standing there with his katana at the ready. It didn't take more than a few minutes for Zabuza to emerge and attack him again. Feigning surprise, Sean smirked inwardly when Kakashi tackled him out of the way and received a glancing cut along his left arm. "Hey, hey! Did you forget about me during your little bout with my friend here? I'm hurt Zabuza! Truly!"

Standing up, Kakashi brushed himself off and glanced at his arm. "You know that actually kind of stings. Still, if you want to get past us and kill Tazuna-san, you'll have to do a lot more than simply scratch me Zabuza."

As Kakashi spoke, Zabuza merely smirked to himself and began to laugh. "Sorry Kakashi, but without the use of your Sharingan, you're useless here! I'll have more fun playing with your dear friend than I would have with you!" Laughing louder, Zabuza failed to notice the Sharingan-user going through a series of hand signs. It wasn't until he heard the silver-haired man shout out: "Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu (Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique)!" and spotted the scroll in his hand that he realized something was off.

As the Demon of the Mist shot forward and tried to cleave Kakashi's head from his shoulders, he failed to take into account the beasts coming up on him from below. Right before he could reach the Copy Ninja, Kakashi's nindogs moved on him and held him where he stood, the Kubikiribōchō fell from his grip and the mighty Demon began to scream out in agony and frustration. "Damn you Kakashi! What does it take to beat you?!"

When Kakashi began to go through another set of seals for his next jutsu, a horrendous wave of killing intent washed over the three Jonin-level ninja and halted them in their movements. Turning, they saw the ice mirrors were gone, the mist was clearing, and what appeared to be a demonic Naruto was moving towards the last Uchiha, who was clearly Naruto's current target. Turning to Sean, Kakashi nodded before turning to Zabuza. "It looks like I'll have to end this fast. Farewell Zabuza. Sean, go and stop your student."

With Hinata, Sakura, Kurenai, & Tazuna

Things quickly went to hell after Zabuza and the mysterious hunter-nin attacked. This entire time, the three kunoichi stood surrounding Tazuna just in case either of the two tried to attack the gruff bridge builder. In the beginning, it seemed like Sasuke and Shino were far above the hunter-nin in skill and speed, but it soon became apparent that the young woman was simply testing their abilities before she unleashed her true skills. Shortly afterwards, the battle between Sean-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, & Zabuza began and the mist thickened even more. One of Tazuna's comments now rang out throughout Hinata's mind as she thought about all of this: 'This is absolutely insane!'

With her doujutsu, the Byakugan, the young Hyuuga heiress was able to watch everything that had transpired thus far. When Shino went down, she let out an audible gasp that caused the three with her to look at her curiously. The young lass quickly explained what had transpired and even relayed the words spoken by the mysterious hunter-nin. The situation took an odd turn when Naruto entered the mix and began talking with their enemy!

Now, as the mist was clearing, she stared in horror of what her crush had become. Quickly glancing towards the other battle, Hinata frowned as she realized that Kakashi and Sean were still busy battling Zabuza and wouldn't be able to stop Naruto in time. Glancing up at Kurenai, Hinata thought about asking her what was wrong with her blonde-haired cutie, but quickly shook that thought aside. Instead, young Hinata rushed towards Naruto and Sasuke and stepped between them.

Looking Naruto dead in the eyes, she shook her head and smiled softly at him. "N-Naruto-kun. Please calm down. I know my teammate's a horrible person and what he did is unforgiveable, but t-this isn't you Naruto-k-kun. Sasuke just isn't worth it! Besides…" Taking one step towards Naruto, Hinata could feel tears stinging her eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you Naruto-kun. You know how the people view you and Sasuke. If they find out you k-killed him, there's no telling what would h-happen to you. I couldn't bear to see anything bad happen to you!"

Seeing the look in Naruto's eyes and noticing the red chakra shroud dissipating, Hinata's tears were let free from their bonds and she hurried her pace. Upon reaching the blonde ninja, she threw her arms around him and held him tight. In a matter of seconds, Naruto felt in control of himself again and simply stared into her eyes. "H-Hinata? Don't cry. Umm…thanks for helping me out there." Reaching up, Naruto rubbed the back of his head lightly with one hand while he held Hinata close with the other. "Everything will be okay now Hinata-chan. I promise. Take Sasuke-teme back to Tazuna's side and continue guarding the bridge builder for a while. That's your mission. I'm gonna check on girl and Shino. Hopefully they're both okay."

Seeing Hinata nod her head and rush away with the now unconscious Sasuke in her arms, the blonde knucklehead chuckled softly before turning and making his way back to the others. Upon reaching them, Naruto saw Kiba tending to their injuries and smiled warmly at the scene. "Thanks Kiba for looking over them like this. I suppose I'll have to do some explaining after this is all over…won't I?" When Kiba simply nodded and went to finish patching up the hunter-nin, Naruto groaned awkwardly before sitting down and patting the girl on the shoulder. "Good to see you're okay. Mind telling me your story now?"

With Hinata's Group

"Hinata-chan, that was very reckless of you! He could have killed you and Sasuke both, and then what would I tell your father?! You're very lucky that Naruto calmed down when he did!" Kurenai-sensei lectured while Sakura tended to 'her Sasuke-kun's' injuries.

"Kurenai-sensei, you shouldn't lecture me! Naruto-kun's your student; you should have more faith in him. Now, please tell me what happened to him. What was that red chakra?" Looking defiantly up at her love's sensei, Hinata fully expected to be denied an explanation or be told that even Kurenai didn't know. So Kurenai's response would naturally catch her off guard.

"Hinata-chan, I do have faith in Naruto. That doesn't make it any less dangerous. And in answer to your question…I do know what it is, but I'm afraid I'm not allowed to say. If you really must know, you can and should ask Naruto. I'm sure that he knows the truth by now." Frowning, Kurenai patted Hinata softly on her head and smiled knowingly at her young friend. "I know how much you care for him Hinata-chan. It's hard not to see. That's why I feel he should be the one to tell you about his 'situation' all right? Otherwise, I promise you that if it wasn't forbidden, I would tell you."

Hinata merely nodded with a dumbstruck expression on her face. Despite what Kurenai had said, she had revealed more than she may have intended. Forbidden to speak of it? By who? That red chakra was evil, it didn't feel right. If it's forbidden to speak of it, then it has to be somebody that can order at least all Jonin and below from speaking of it. Would Sandaime-sama keep something about Naruto-kun secret? If so, why would he? What is there to hide? Come on Hinata, think. What do you know about Naruto-kun to date that could help you to understand this?

Okay, nobody, not even Naruto-kun, knows who Naruto's parents are. As much as you care about him, you still don't know his birthday, but you know he's twelve years-old. He lives on his own and the villagers hate him. Naruto received unfair treatment in the academy. Naruto's brave, kind, cute, he has those really cute whiskers on his face, he has blue eyes and spiky blonde hair. Actually, he looks sort of like a mini-… Hinata's eyes went wide and she quickly turned to look at Naruto. It can't be! Could it?!

With Kakashi, Sean, & Zabuza

"Sean-san, why did you stop me? You know what will happen if we allow Zabuza to live!" Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his comrade. To this day, he still couldn't understand some of the things that the so-called 'Wind God' did, but stopping him from finishing off an enemy was borderline treason!

"Think about it Kakashi-san. Killing Zabuza doesn't save these people. However, if we capture him and extract information from him on Gato's whereabouts, we truly can put a stop to Gato's evil in this country! So stop glaring at me and help me tie this guy up instead, would you?!" Grumbling to himself about incompetent Copy Ninjas, Sean turned and slammed his fist into Zabuza's face. This blow sent the Demon of the Hidden Mist skidding on his back along the bridge a few feet. "That, Zabuza, is for all the crap you've pulled! Once we've dealt with Gato and his men, you're coming with us so we can see what Hokage-sama wants to do with you. A monster like you does deserve death, and while the two of us would love nothing more than to kill you, I'm damn sure Ibiki-san can extract some very useful information from your ass before you're either imprisoned or killed."

As Sean smirked and stepped closer to the downed Demon of the Mist, chakra wire in hand, he found himself imagining all the wicked things good ol' Ibiki Morino could do to Zabuza to make him talk. However, Sean suddenly stopped short and Zabuza found himself wondering what could have made him do so. When the Demon of the Hidden Mist glanced in the direction Sean was facing, he found a smirking, short, fat man staring down at him, continuously tapping his cane on the bridge.

"Well, well, well Zabuza, it looks like hiring you was a real waste. It's a good thing I never planned to pay you or your companion. Speaking of which, where is that little bitch? I owe her one for busting my damn arm!" Seeing the look in Zabuza's face as he rose to his feet, Gato's smirk only widened. "Ah, ah, ah Zabuza, you should wipe that nasty scowl off your face. In the condition you're in, there's obviously not much you could possibly do to threaten me anymore. As for your precious little friend, my men'll get her reaaaal good soon enough. If she's here on this bridge with you, she'll be dead very soon. After all, while you ninja folk were busy fighting, I've been positioning my men all over this stupid bridge. Once all of you are gone, the bridge builder is easy pickings. After all, he'll gladly give himself over once my grunts get here with his daughter and grandson. Speaking of which, I have no idea what's taking them so damn long. How long does it take to capture a little kid and some weak housewife?"

As Gato rambled, Zabuza had crept back to Kakashi and Sean and sighed angrily. "Obviously there's no point in us fighting anymore. You, boy with the mastery of wind. You got any kunai for me?" As Sean grumbled, the ex-Kiri shinobi undid the bandages around his mouth and grinned at him. "I want to kill that little punk. So gimme one of those dang kunai and I'll show you and that little punk there why I'm called the Demon of the Hidden Mist." When the Wind God sighed again, Zabuza was about to say more when he suddenly found the handle of a kunai wedged between his teeth. Looking at Sean for a moment, he felt a sudden chill go through his body.

"Go let loose already Zabuza-teme. But keep this in mind: I DON'T want that particular kunai back. Not after your teeth and your tongue have been all over it. So when you're done, spit it in the water below or something. Better yet, let Kakashi-san burn it! Finally, after this is over, you're coming back with us willingly so that our T & I expert Ibiki Morino can…" At this, Sean smirked wickedly as he put a finger to his chin. "Well, I suppose a good term would be 'play'. Yes, Ibiki's going to enjoy 'playing' with you Zabuza-teme. Of course, you could always just agree to give over all information we want willingly once you visit good ol' Ibiki, buuut…" Grinning maliciously, Sean took a step closer and stared Zabuza dead in the eyes. "Where would the fun in that be now, hmmmmm Zabuza?" At the look in Zabuza's eyes, Sean turned around and laughed wickedly as he stepped away to go and deal with some of Gato's thugs.

Zabuza turned to Kakashi and frowned, the kunai still clenched firmly in his mouth. "Is that guy ALWAYS like that?! Just what kind of people do you work with back in Konoha Kakashi?!" When the Copycat Ninja just chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, the ex-Kiri ninja merely grumbled and turned. With a shrug of his shoulders, Zabuza dashed forward to begin his assault on Gato and the group of thugs surrounding him. Kakashi, seeing no point in letting a wounded man go off on his own to handle such a thing, quickly followed him with a kunai of his own clutched tightly in his dominant hand.

With Naruto, Haku, Shino & Kiba

"So that's your story. Well then Haku-chan…" Smirking a bit as he stared into the girl's now unmasked face, the blonde-haired young man gently gripped her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I have to admit that your 'reason for existing' is a load of crap. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to insult you or anything like that, but you don't exactly exude this aura of confidence in yourself. You keep calling yourself Zabuza's 'tool'. In a sense I would have to agree with you as all ninja are considered 'tools of their village' and such. However, we shinobi have feelings. We know right from wrong. You choose to follow a man who knows these differences and CHOOSES to do wrong over right from what I've heard. Sure, this Zabuza guy saved your life, he took care of you, raised you to be a damn fine ninja, and he's done other great stuff as well, I'm sure. Sadly, it's just not enough. You have let him brainwash you Haku-chan and I just can't stand that!"

Sighing angrily, Naruto punched a fist into his other hand and stared hard into Haku's eyes. "You're a good person Haku-chan. Unlike Zabuza-teme, you don't enjoy killing. He's tried to train you into a weapon he can use. And like a weapon, as soon as you became worthless to him, I'm sure he would've just tossed you aside like you were garbage. Think about it for a moment before you try to argue my point Haku-chan, okay? Before I became a Genin, I only had one set of kunai and one set of shuriken. I practiced with them so often, virtually every single day, until I finally managed to take that first big step on my goal to becoming Hokage someday. After that day, while I didn't trash my sets, I put them aside and haven't used them against since. While it may not be exactly the same, I hope it proves my point. If it helps any, think of it this way: Zabuza's helped set you on the right path, but now you need to break off and find yourself. Your true self. Zabuza has given you the foundations to build off of, and now it's time for you to take your first steps out into the real world and find your true purpose. Does that make sense?"

Haku took all of Naruto's words into consideration and lowered her head so she could take the time to think things through. The blonde boy before her made such excellent points, that was true, but there was something else. There was something about the way Naruto spoke to her, the fire evident in his speech, the conviction with which he spoke, it all spoke volumes to her about what kind of man Naruto would become, what kind of person he already is. In fact, he was the first person since her mother to truly show such passion towards her in such a good way.

While Haku was lost in thought, trying to decide on what she'd do, Kiba and Naruto had taken up defensive positions around Haku and Shino. "Naruto, I couldn't be sure with the stench in the air before, but I'm positive now. While everyone's been busy fighting here on the bridge, they've been busy surrounding us. Any good ideas?" Glancing quickly over his shoulder, Kiba saw Naruto nod and found himself smirking as he did. "Good. I thought you might have something clever planned for just such an occasion. Lemme guess, it goes along the lines of: "Let's cut loose and have some fun."?" Kiba asked with a smirk.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Ahh Kiba-buddy, you know me so well. I'll guard Haku-chan and Shino. You and Akamaru go ahead and kick some ass. Enjoy yourselves!" With that, the blonde ninja made a cross-shaped hand sign and shouted out: "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and five clones immediately took up position with him around Haku and Shino. "You know what will happen if you let even one get by you Kiba." When Kiba shuddered, Naruto began to laugh.

"Dear Kami Naruto, don't go and remind me. Sean-sensei's absolutely insane, I swear!" Kiba heard Akamaru whimper something to him and looked down at his companion. "W-What did you just say Akamaru? You can't be serious?" When Akamaru whined again, Kiba looked around and groaned. "Somebody already took care of them. All of them? When?" It was then that Kiba got a whiff of another scent, one coming from very close by. Eyes widening, Kiba turned only to receive a full blast of killing intent radiating off of the Wind God himself. "Oh crap! I'm sorry Sean-sensei! I didn't mean it! Honest! You know we love you! Right sensei?"

With a heavy sigh, Sean rubbed the back of his neck and helped Kiba up. "Jeez Kiba. Is it really necessary to talk bad about me when you think I'm not listening? I know I can be a bit of a slave driver, but c'mon Kiba! Look at all the good it's done the three of you so far! Well…you didn't exactly get to do a whole lot on this mission, sure, but on the B-ranked mission we did BEFORE coming here, you two did great! Two Genin and a nindog took down two Chunin like it was nothing. I bet that without Kurenai-san and I teaching you the way we have been, you two wouldn't have been anywhere near ready to pull off something like that. Sure you could've won if you put your minds to it, but not without receiving some serious damage in the process. Now enough complaining about my teaching style. Grab Shino, tell Naruto to get his friend, and let's meet up with Tazuna-san over there. Kakashi-san and Zabuza are about done dealing with Gato and friends, so the mission'll be over soon."

Kiba nodded slowly, but as soon as he went to retrieve Shino, he stopped again and stared past his sensei. "Umm, sensei? I'm not complaining or anything, but what the hell are all the townspeople doing here? More importantly, why the heck are they all armed?"

Tsunami & Inari's Group

"Aww, c'mon! You have got to be kidding me! You all were too damn slow! We got here right as they were finishing off Gato and his cronies!" Inari complained while Tsunami simply giggled. "It's not funny Mom! Naruto-nii-san was counting on us!"

"Sweetie, I'm sure Naruto-kun will be proud of you for rallying everybody together regardless. You and Naruto-kun did a great job. Now come, let's go and congratulate them and thank them for a job well done." Gently patting her son on his head, Tsunami led him and the others across the bridge towards her father.

With Zabuza & Kakashi

"Zabuza, I think you might have overdone it a bit. Gato's completely unrecognizable by now. Wasn't the point to prove Gato was gone to give people peace? If they don't believe you, these poor people might still end up living in fear." Kakashi said calmly as he stood over the bodies of two of Gato's bodyguards. When he heard something drop in the water, the silver-haired Jonin looked over his shoulder to see Zabuza leaning over the railing of the bridge. Walking closer to him, Kakashi soon realized what had happened and grinned. "I see you took his advice."

"Shut it Kakashi. That friend of yours is fucking creepy. He's worse than Haku when she gets angry or upset with me and that's BAD. And if he wants to send me to this Ibiki guy, I can only imagine what kind of creep he is." With a sigh and a shake of his head, Zabuza walked back to Kakashi's side and nodded his head towards the other side of the bridge. "As for the villagers, take a look over there. Seems like they were ready to fight for their merry little town. Everything will be just fine for them, I'm sure of that. Now c'mon, I need some rest. Afterwards I want you to tell me what the hell that murderous intent was I felt earlier. It sure as hell wasn't Haku or myself, so that only leaves one of you Konoha shinobi. If I'm going to be returning with you folk to Konoha, I think I deserve to know what kind of freaks I'm dealing with."

Later that Night – Tazuna's House

"All right Naruto, you've got some explaining to do. What the hell was that on the bridge today?" Kiba demanded more than asked of his best friend. Looking around the room, he saw his fellow Genin, Zabuza, Haku, and Tazuna nod. The Jonin sensei had grim expressions on their faces and Naruto looked to be in a state of depression. Meanwhile, Tsunami and Inari honestly had no idea what they were talking about as they hadn't arrived in time to see what had happened with Naruto.

Looking to Sean, Naruto saw him flashing him a variety of hand signs. The blonde knucklehead recognized them immediately and began flashing his response. To the others in the room, it was impossible to figure out what the two were saying to each other as the two friends had developed their own unique sign language shortly after they had met for the purposes of privacy in situations such as these.

As soon as their private, silent conversation had finished, Naruto heaved a sigh and turned to face everybody in the room. The blonde's head was lowered and he closed his eyes before he began to speak in a solemn tone. "All right everybody. The Jonin sensei in the room know the truth about everything already, it's hard for people of their generation not to. However, for those of you who don't know the full truth…I've only been permitted to tell part of the truth. Just like the older citizens of our village, there are numerous things about me that are forbidden to speak of. What I'm about to reveal to you is just one secret about me that I can't really hide from you anymore."

"What's so important that you can't even tell your best friends Naruto? It kind of pisses me off that you'd keep secrets from me y'know?" Kiba said to Naruto, his tone one of anger. He was soon hushed by Hinata. "Kiba-san, please don't be angry with Naruto-kun. Before we make any judgments, we should hear what he has to say, don't you think?" With a kind smile on her face, Hinata effectively shut the others in the room up to allow Naruto to speak his mind.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto nodded his head and looked calmly at Hinata. "Thanks Hinata-chan." Looking at everybody again, Naruto put on a fake smile and began his tale. "As I'm sure you've all heard, the Yondaime Hokage defeated the Kyuubi twelve years ago. It's said that he sacrificed himself to kill the demon. Well…that's a lie." At the looks on everyone's faces (besides the obvious knowing looks of the Jonin sensei of course) and the audible gasps from some, Naruto chuckled softly and nodded his head. "Before I explain, I need to ask a question. What do you know about the Jinchūriki?"

After looking around the room, Naruto saw Sakura raise her hand and motioned for her to speak. "It's not information most people our age would know about, but I have read something about them before. Jinchūriki are containers of demons, or more specifically the Bijuu, aren't they?" At seeing Naruto nod in return, Sakura frowned and put a finger to her chin as she thought more on it. "Why do you ask Naruto? Don't tell me this has something to do with what you did at the bridge?"

Sighing again, Naruto nodded. "The Yondaime Hokage didn't 'kill' the Kyuubi. As it stands, it's impossible to kill a Bijuu. Instead, the nine Bijuu are each sealed within containers. However, as it's been explained to me, in order to truly seal a Bijuu, you can't just seal them into an object as they will simply break free after a time. Instead…the Bijuu are each sealed within a person. I don't know for certain who the other Jinchūriki are, but I can say this: the Yondaime Hokage was forced to seal the Kyuubi into a newborn child. Our Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sealed the Kyuubi into me. And before you say anything about how impossible that is or whatever else you may be thinking, I want you to think about something. Haven't any of you seen how the villagers and even some of our shinobi treat me back in the village? You all thought it was because of those stupid pranks I pulled right? Well it's been this way my entire life. I'm sure some of you have heard me called 'demon brat' before? Well now you know why. That's actually some of the kindest things the villagers have done when in regards to me. I'm blamed for the death of the Yondaime. A lot of villagers refuse to believe I'm just a kid. In fact, they just want somebody to blame so they target me. Beatings were numerous when I was younger. Oftentimes, people even tried to kill me believing I'm the demon in the guise of a kid, or that the demon has been in control this entire time. Well it's all bull crap!"

Grumbling angrily, Naruto clenched his fists and shut his eyelids tight. "Sean-sensei and a few others…they looked after me. They did what they could to keep me safe. Of course, there was only so much they could do. They had missions and they had other situations that called them away on occasion. Jiji, our Sandaime Hokage, has looked after me and taken care of me. He got me my apartment; he's helped me with the essentials such as food and utilities, even treating me to Ichiraku Ramen on occasion. For a good while now, he's made an effort to come visit me, to talk with me, and generally make my birthday at least somewhat pleasant when that day comes around. We may not be related by blood, but he, Sean-sensei, and the Ichirakus are the closest thing to family I've got in this world. Heh, October 10th. It's a time for celebration, and yet I've always dreaded that day. The day of my birth and the worst day of my life every single year." Lowering his head, Naruto waited to hear what he knew was coming.

Hinata went to speak first, but Sasuke beat her to it. "Hn. No wonder you've got no parents. They probably abandoned you the first chance they got. After all, who'd want something like you for a child?" Snickering to himself, Sasuke didn't expect to be decked by one of the Jonin sensei of all people. Glaring up at the person, he began to snarl. "Ah, figures it'd be you again. A little demon lover, the same one that spoke down to me back in Konoha. I dare you to touch me again freak. You'll see what happens to you!"

Sean narrowed his eyes and lifted the little Uchiha up by his hair before slamming him into the nearby wall not once, but twice. Before speaking again, he slammed a wind-covered fist into Sasuke's stomach, shredding part of his insides. "I don't give a damn about you being the fucking pet in Konoha. Scum like you don't deserve to share the same air that kindhearted boy over there does! You speak down to a hero when you know next to NOTHING about him! Before you go speaking badly about his parents, you might want to get your fucking facts straight little Uchiha." The 'Wind God' slammed Sasuke into the floor before dragging him outside, still clinging to his hair.

Sean continued to ignore Sasuke's screams of pain and anger as he beat the little snot-nosed punk into the ground outside. In fact, at the rate he was going, Naruto's sensei had a very good chance of killing the Uchiha. Therefore, it was good that both Kakashi and Zabuza grabbed him and restrained him from doing anything more. "They'll hear about this! Count on it!" Sasuke spat blood and lay there glaring hatefully at Naruto's sensei.

Kakashi shook his head and took Sean back inside with Zabuza's help. However, before entering the house, he turned and narrowed his eye at Sasuke. "I'm disappointed in you Sasuke. It seems no matter what I try to teach you, you refuse to change your attitude. Did you know that the Yondaime wanted the people of Konoha to view Naruto as a hero? The 'Dobe' as you call him is the only thing keeping the Kyuubi at bay. It's people like you that disgust me. If you do go to the Council, I'll be glad to tell the Sandaime and the other shinobi about how you behaved on this mission. The crap you've pulled here in Wave won't be so easily forgiven and you'll be lucky to remain a Genin. So think twice before you try anything Sasuke." With that said, Kakashi went inside. What truly surprised Sasuke was the fact that not even Sakura came out to help him.

Inside Tazuna's House

Sean looked towards the damage he had done to Tazuna's house and sighed. Turning, he bowed to the family. "Tazuna-san, Tsunami-san, Inari-san, I apologize for the damage I have caused to your house. I will repair the damages to your house tomorrow while you are working on the bridge, I promise you." Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Sean stood straight again and stared deep into Tazuna's eyes. "Don't worry about it young man. That little punk had it coming and a little damage to the walls and flooring of my house is easily fixed. Now, sit and enjoy some tea. Tsunami, would you be so kind as to give our good guest some mint tea please?"

When Tsunami nodded and smiled sweetly at Sean, he smiled back and sat down next to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, are you all right? Don't let that punk's words get to you okay?" Leaning his head back on the couch, Sean stared at the ceiling for a good while as he thought about what he'd just done. "Tch. That teme really does know how to piss a person off, doesn't he? If the people of Konoha would stop feeding his fucking ego, I doubt he'd be this damn bad. Why the hell'd you pass him anyways Kakashi? That punk should've been sent back to the academy."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Looking back on it, I'm starting to wonder that myself. Hinata and Shino understood the point of the bell test perfectly, but Sasuke absolutely refused to work with them. Claimed he could get both bells on his own and so on. Naturally, he was tied to the post and shouted numerous curses at me for it. After I 'left', Hinata and Shino both offered him some of their food, and at first he refused. However, I guess his hunger got the better of him and he accepted their food. At the time, I couldn't truly be sure I guess. In the end, I suppose I let the wants and expectations of the people allow me to pass him. Besides that, I didn't feel it was right to punish Hinata and Shino for Sasuke's actions. I had hoped that I could beat the teamwork lesson into Sasuke with time, but this mission has just driven the point home that he's truly not meant to be a ninja I suppose." With a heavy sigh, Kakashi sat down on Sean's other side and patted his shoulder. "Want to help me with something when we return to Konoha 'Rival'?"

Meanwhile, with the Genin & Company

"Naruto-kun, are you o-o-okay? You ha-haven't said a w-word since he s-said that." Hinata was worried for Naruto. She, Sakura, and Haku were all sitting with him now while Kakashi and Sean walked off with Kurenai to discuss something that appeared to be rather important. After a time, when Naruto started to move again, Hinata at first breathed a sigh of relief that he was finally moving again, but when she saw the tears, she felt like her world was crumbling.

Quickly reaching her hands up to his face, she wiped his tears with her thumbs and leaned in close to him. Pushing her fears aside, Hinata pressed her lips to his head and held him close. "N-Naruto-kun. Please don't cry. W-We're here for you. Just t-talk to us. Please?" When Naruto wrapped his arms around her, Hinata's face turned beet red and she looked to the other girls sitting with them, nearly pleading with them to do something before she passed out from the contact.

Soon Naruto felt himself being hugged from behind by the other two with him: Sakura and Haku. Slowly releasing Hinata, he looked at the three of them and then at the others standing around them: Zabuza, Shino, Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami. "S-Sorry everybody. Just…the talk about my parents…even if I shouldn't let it get to me, that teme doesn't know. My parents are dead, they didn't abandon me in the sense he meant. I never got to meet them. I never got to spend time with them like most children get to do with their parents. I'd say more, but Sean-sensei told me it isn't time yet. I'm…sorry."

Hinata suddenly felt her nervousness slipping away and she grasped his hand tightly. "Naruto, I think we all understand. It's okay. But…would it be okay if I talked with you soon? I thought about something when we were on the bridge earlier, and I wanted to confirm it with you. So…soon?" When Naruto simply looked at her, practically dumbstruck, she found herself giggling and quickly put her hands to her mouth. "S-Sorry Naruto-kun. You just looked so c-cute."

Naruto found himself blushing at that and began rubbing the back of his head nervously. Soon though, he nodded his head and rose from the couch, motioning for Hinata to follow him upstairs so they could talk in private. Hinata followed after him somewhat shyly, not sure if she could handle being alone with him like this, but she felt it was too important to let her insecurities get in the way. Following him into his room, she looked activated her Byakugan to ensure they hadn't been followed before sitting upon the bed with him and speaking. "Naruto…was your father the Yondaime?"

This caught Naruto off guard and he was about to protest and say it wasn't possible, but something about the look in her eyes pretty much screamed that he was in for a world of hurt if he dared try to lie to her. That and it seemed she had already figured it out somehow. With a heavy sigh and a small nod of his head, Naruto confirmed it. "Yes, my father was Minato Namikaze, our Yondaime Hokage. My mother…was a woman going by the name of Kushina Uzumaki. I don't know too much about her or her relationship with my father, but I do know one thing for sure: I'm not allowed to speak of my heritage to anyone. Thanks to Sean-sensei helping me speak with Jiji-sama, I was able to move into my parents' estate. They've helped me to learn some of the Uzumaki clan's techniques and they've helped start me off in the ways of Fuinjutsu along with some of my father's unique techniques. I'm trying to be careful about what I use and when, because I've been told not to showcase too many of my abilities before I become at least a Chunin. But…with how crazy things have been, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep everything hidden until then."

Hinata nodded her head calmly and sighed for a moment. "I see. I think I can understand all of that, and even why you can't take your father's name. I don't know too much about the Uzumaki's, but I do know that your father had a lot of enemies that might have come after you had they known. As for the other stuff, I'm not sure why Sean-sensei and Hokage-sama would forbid you from using your techniques like that. What if you had to protect somebody? Shouldn't you be allowed to use some of your more powerful techniques if the situation called for it?"

Naruto chuckled softly and nodded his head. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? Hence why I said what I did. If the situation calls for it, I'm planning to say 'Screw the damn orders!' and I'll do the right thing. I'll be damned if I let a comrade die or get hurt because of some stupid orders not to use my abilities when I KNOW they could help." Nodding proudly at that, he turned and smiled at Hinata. "Thanks Hinata-chan. It actually feels really nice to be able to talk to somebody about all this. You're really sweet and super smart. Now if only we could build up that confidence of yours you'd be practically perfect!"

When Hinata suddenly went incredibly red, Naruto found himself chuckling even louder before he leaned in and hugged her close to him again. "You know, you're really cute when you blush Hinata-chan." And that did it! Hinata was out like a light! Snickering to himself, Naruto laid the Hyuuga heiress down to rest and walked to the door. Twisting the doorknob, he pulled the door open and smirked at the two girls as they tumbled into the room. "I know you were listening in. You didn't follow right away, so I'm curious to know what you heard."

2 Days Later – The Now Completed Bridge

All the villagers stood with Tazuna's family at the front, waving good-bye to the shinobi that helped save their country. While they stood there, wishing the ninja safe journeys, the shinobi were talking amongst themselves.

"Remember the deal Zabuza. As soon as we reach Konoha and you've met with Hokage-sama, I'm taking you to meet good Ibiki-san. I'm sure you two will get along reaaaal well." Snickering to himself, Sean patted the swordsman on his shoulder and grinned. Zabuza simply grumbled in response and nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know the deal. Blondie there said he'd try and talk to his 'Jiji' about some kind of deal that would help me out so long as I cooperate, so naturally I'm curious enough to see if he can really help me out. Is he really that damn close to your Hokage?" When Sean simply nodded his head, Zabuza chuckled and looked away towards the opposite end of the bridge as he, Kakashi, and Sean all began to walk together. "That kid's really something else."

Meanwhile, Shino was practically dragging Sasuke behind him. The Uchiha was still wounded and couldn't even walk on his own at this point, so Sean and Kakashi had decided on a 'fun little way to help him back to Konoha' as he had put it. Despite his normally cool, indifferent personality, Shino actually found himself developing a small grin as he dragged Sasuke along by some chakra-infused wire. After Sasuke's behavior on this mission and all the crap he said, Shino found this particular activity highly enjoyable and couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the pain he knew Sasuke must be in.

With Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, & Haku

"Inari, you know I'll miss you. Take care of yourself and your family for me okay? Be good and grow up strong. Hopefully I'll be able to come back and visit sometimes. I'm looking forward to seeing your growth." Smiling softly, Naruto patted his newest friend atop his head for a moment before he pulled him into a hug. "I'm glad we were able to help you and your friends out Inari." When Inari nodded and hugged him back, the blonde knew he was crying. Slowly, Naruto released him and stepped back to join his friends.

Within moments, Inari threw his fist up in the air and shouted at him as the knucklehead turned around and began to leave. "Achieve that dream of yours Naruto nii-san and show those villagers how great you are! If anyone can make those idiots change their minds about you, it's the guy who's gonna be their Hokage someday! You better take care of yourself Naruto nii-san! Make me proud okay?!" When Naruto gave him a thumbs up over his shoulder, Inari grinned and went about wiping his tears as he turned and threw his arms around his mother.

Chuckling to themselves, the girls quickly caught up to Naruto with Kurenai, Kiba, and Akamaru taking up the rear of the group. Sakura soon jabbed Naruto in the shoulder and smirked at him. "You know Naruto that was actually pretty sweet of you. I thought for sure you were going to break down crying too." When Naruto simply chuckled in response and grinned her way, Sakura found herself smiling back at him. "Also, we'll keep our promise to you. Haku, Hinata, and I won't tell anyone about what you told us. As for Sasuke…it's hard to think of him the same way after everything he's done. I still care for him, but at the same time it's just not the same. I mean, how would he feel is you insulted his parents for something stupid like that? When Ino hears about what he did and said here, she'll be fuming, I'm sure of it! He's such a jerk!"

Naruto laughed lightly and glanced up ahead at the fuming Sasuke. "I'm actually kind of surprised you haven't gone to him already to help him out. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that you chose to stay and try to cheer me up the other night, and I'm grateful that you're being so kind to me now, but I'm just not used to it. It'll take some getting used to, y'know?" When Sakura simply shrugged and nodded in response, Naruto smiled and patted her shoulder before turning to Hinata. "And you Hinata-chan…"

When Hinata blushed a bit before turning his way, the blonde chuckled again and poked her cheek gently. "Want to get some dinner with me when we get back to Konoha? I want to learn more about you. I'm…interested." Smiling sweetly at her, Naruto waited patiently for her response while Sakura's jaw hung slightly and Haku found herself a tad shocked at his bold date request.

Hinata glanced at the others before looking back at Naruto and blushing worse than before. "Y-Y-Yes Naruto-kun. I'd l-love to go on a d-d-date with you! Erm…dinner. I'll have to find something to wear!" Soon the young Hyuuga heiress went into panic mode much to Naruto's amusement. She acted so cute sometimes that Naruto couldn't resist teasing her sometimes when she began acting like this. "Hinata-chan, you should calm down. I don't really have anything special to wear. I'll have to get Sean-sensei to help me find something to wear. You, on the other hand, look just great. I'm sure you'll look very pretty no matter what you choose to wear. Now relax and let's enjoy the walk home okay? I say the three of us should talk for a while, maybe get to know more about each other while we go. Not much else we can do, right?" Seeing them nod, the blonde grinned again as he decided to make a little game out of it. "Okay, as we go along, here's what we'll do…"

Meanwhile, back with Tazuna

"So Otousan, have you decided on a name for the bridge yet? You've heard all the suggestions and I'm sure I can guess what your decision will be." Asked Tsunami shortly before she began to giggle cutely. Soon her father chuckled softly and nodded in response. "You know me so well Musume. Yes, you are correct, and not just about the fact I've decided on a name, I'm sure. While others may argue with me, I'm sure you and Inari will approve." Turning to the villagers a moment, he shouted out to them to inform them he had decided on a name. Turning back to face the bridge, the old bridge builder grinned broadly. "The name of this grand bridge will be 'The Great Naruto Bridge'!"

5 Days Later – Konoha Gates

Izumo Kamizuki and his partner Kotetsu Hagane were guarding the gates yet again. After some time, Kotetsu let out a loud yawn and looked to Izumo, a rather bored expression plastered on his face. "Okay, remind me what we did to deserve this kind of punishment? All we do is sit here and monitor traffic to and from the village. This crap's boring as watching a lily pad float around on the water. Maybe not my best analogy, but damn it I'm bored! Can't you at least do something amusing to help me pass the time?!"

Izumo sighed for what felt like the millionth time that hour. Turning to his friend, he was prepared to lecture him again, but soon found himself clenching his jaw shut and pointing behind him. "Looks like you actually have something interesting happening for once Kotetsu. Teams 7 & 8 are finally back, and they've brought guests too it would seem. Doesn't that tall guy look familiar?"

Kotetsu blinked a few times and turned to look at the two teams walking towards them. "Forget that. Take a look! Why the heck do they have that Uchiha brat tied up? He do something while they were away?" Glancing back at Izumo, Kotetsu found his best friend shaking his head in a signal that he hadn't a clue. Turning back around, he looked at the two teams and their guests as they walked up on by. "You're right Izumo…that swordsman DOES look familiar. I wonder who he is."

Kakashi, Sean, and Kurenai soon stopped and glanced back at the two Chunin for a moment. "You two look like you're doing well today. Keep up the good work." Kakashi said before turning to the Genin of Teams 7 & 8. "All right teams, let's go and report, then you can take the rest of the day off to do whatever. Everyone except for you Sasuke. You're staying with Kurenai-san, Sean-san, and I while we talk to Hokage-sama about your actions. Your fate will be left up to Hokage-sama and the Council." Smirking underneath his mask at Sasuke's scowl, the silver-haired Jonin turned and began leading the way towards the Hokage Tower.

20 Minutes Later – Hokage's Office

After wrapping his knuckles on the door, Sean waited for the elderly Hokage to permit them entrance before he twisted the knob and allowed the others to enter before him. Stepping in after them, he shut the door and stepped over to join his team, taking his place beside Kurenai. Glancing towards Kakashi, he watched him nod before turning back to the Hokage and bowing his head. "Hokage-sama, I am sure you received Team 8's letter signaling the completion of our mission and our acceptance of joining Team 7 as backup for their C-rank turned A-rank mission shortly after. For Team 8's initial mission, we had a resounding success. Kurenai-san easily dealt with the enemy kunoichi while Naruto-kun and Kiba dealt with the Chunin brothers. Sakura and I easily dealt with the bandits under their command. As mentioned in my letter, I do believe the pay for that mission should be considered a B-rank due to the unexpected circumstances and lack of information. If our team hadn't undergone such strict training, things could have taken a terrible turn."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Sean and his team for a moment before digging through his papers and looking over the information supplied to him. With a nod of his head, he placed them upon his desk and smiled at the members of Team 8. "Naruto-kun, Kiba, Sakura, I believe your sensei is correct. Due to the circumstances, I'll be declaring this a B-rank mission and you will each receive the bounties for your kills and the proper pay for a B-rank mission. If that is all for Team 8's mission, perhaps we can move on to Team 7's mission and why Sasuke-san happens to be tied up at the moment?"

Seeing Sean nod that he was done, the Hokage turned to Kakashi with a curious expression on his face. Getting the message, Kakashi began to explain the circumstances of their mission. "Hokage-sama, as you well know, Team 7 left this village over a week ago on our first C-rank mission together. Our goal was to escort a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna back to Wave Country and guard him while he and his workers finished building a bridge to open up trade between their country and the mainland."

When the Hokage simply nodded, Kakashi took that as his cue to continue. "As I explained in my letter that I sent back requesting Team 8's assistance, we were attacked by two rogue Chunin from Kirigakure, the Demon Brothers. As a test of my team's abilities, I allowed the Chunin and my Genin team to believe I had been incapacitated. Sasuke easily dealt with both opponents while Shino and Hinata stood guard over Tazuna-san. While it was not as I had hoped, they at least appeared to understand their duties according to the mission parameters.

After talking with Tazuna-san, Team 7 was informed of the true details behind the mission and what was truly taking place in Wave Country. Needless to say, the difficulty of our mission easily shot up to B-rank if not A-rank at that point. It turns out that Gato of Gato Industries was behind the troubles in Wave Country. As such, the people were suffering and it was an easy assessment to make that he most likely had hired even more powerful ninja to deal with the threat he saw in Tazuna. After crossing the waters surrounding their home, we began our trek to Tazuna-san's house. On the way, we were attacked by a Kirigakure missing-nin, the one you see standing behind us right now, Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist and one of Kirigakure's Swordsmen of the Mist."

Allowing Sarutobi to get a good look at their new 'companions', Kakashi soon continued. "After a hard fought battle, I emerged victorious, but Zabuza escaped thanks to his companion who was under the guise of a Kirigakure hunter-nin at the time. Using a couple of senbon, she put Zabuza into a deathlike state to fool us and escaped with him. It was only later, after reaching Tazuna's house, that we realized our mistake." Listening to Zabuza snicker at Kakashi's stupidity, the silver-haired Jonin groaned and facepalmed himself.

"I assume that you began a stricter training regimen to prepare your team for the upcoming battle Kakashi? I do hope Team 8 arrived on time?" Glancing to Team 8, Hiruzen saw them nod calmly before Kakashi began to speak up again to continue his story.

"Yes Hokage-sama, Team 8 arrived on time. However…" Groaning as he knew he was about to be reprimanded for his behavior, Kakashi continued on. "I…had my team working on the tree-climbing exercise. While Hinata and Shino mastered the exercise quite easily, Sasuke was proving to have more difficulty with this exercise. To make matters worse, he refused to acknowledge anyone's help and fed us this same line numerous times throughout the mission in some form or another: "The Uchiha don't need help from anyone. We are superior. Blah, blah, blah." Or some crap like that. Honestly, after so long hearing it, I just started to tune him out." With a shrug of his shoulders, Kakashi raised his hand to halt the Hokage before he could speak further.

"Hokage-sama, before you comment on my teaching ability, please finish hearing the details of our mission." Seeing the Sandaime nod, Kakashi gave an eye smile and then continued with his tale. "While Sasuke was working on tree-climbing, Sean, Kurenai, and I usually had one or two of our students keep an eye on Tazuna while we trained the others in other subjects. These subjects include: advanced chakra control exercises, helping them advance or even find their own unique taijutsu styles, teaching them new jutsu, helping Shino and Hinata learn their elemental affinities and teaching them appropriate jutsu, teaching them how to implement their elemental affinities into their taijutsu styles, and more. Overall, our Genin have advanced tremendously while on these missions. Sasuke on the other hand…merely moved on to water walking and learning his elemental affinity. There wasn't much more that we could teach him as our time was running short before Zabuza showed up again."

Hearing Sasuke growl about being treated lower than the others and saying something along the lines of "An elite such as me…blah blah blah…blah…bowing down to me…blah blah…", Kakashi and the others merely sighed heavily and Sean took over the tale from there. "Hokage-sama, on the day that Zabuza attacked the bridge with his companion, Haku, I ordered Kiba-san and Naruto-kun to remain behind at Tazuna's house. Kakashi-san, Kurenai-san, and I all felt that Gato would most likely send some of his thugs to kidnap Tazuna's family in an attempt to gain leverage over the good bridge builder. Meanwhile, the rest of us journeyed to the bridge with Tazuna-san and found most of Tazuna's company laying dead, scattered across the bridge. Kakashi-san and I engaged Zabuza in combat while Sasuke and Shino battled Haku. The others took up positions guarding Tazuna-san."

Raising his hand, Hiruzen stopped Sean before he could continue and gazed towards Kiba and Naruto. "Naruto-kun, Kiba, could you please explain what happened back at Tazuna's residence? I assume that your Jonin sensei were correct in their judgment?" Seeing them nod, the Hokage took out his pipe and lit it. After taking a few puffs, he motioned for them to speak up.

Glancing to Naruto, Kiba saw him smile and decided to start. "Well Hokage-sama, two of Gato's thugs did show up at Tazuna's house. As I'm sure you already expected to hear, Naruto and I easily dispatched them and left for the bridge. Upon arriving, we found a heavy mist had rolled in on the area. Moving closer to the sounds of battle, Naruto correctly deduced that Zabuza's partner could use Hyōton (Ice Release) abilities. Haku has a powerful kekkei genkai (Bloodline Limit) Hokage-sama. Seeing it in action was really impressive, even if we only got to see a little. Senbon made of ice, that ice mirror technique she used to defeat Sasuke and Shino, it was all awesome to see!"

Shaking his head and chuckling softly, Naruto reached out a hand and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Aaaand you've started going off track Kiba. I'll continue from there." Looking to the Hokage, Naruto smiled and bowed his head. "As Kiba said, Haku-chan has a powerful kekkei genkai Jiji. Kiba and I were preparing to enter the battle and rescue Sasuke-teme and Shino when things took a turn for the worse. Due to the fog, it was a little hard to see so I'm not sure exactly what happened, but Shino went down. When we got a clear look, Shino honestly looked like a human pincushion for ice senbon."

Sighing as he looked at Sasuke, Naruto shook his head and then turned back to Sarutobi. "Do you want to hear the story of their fight from Sasuke-teme and Shino Jiji-sama? I can continue from where they leave off."

The Hokage seemed to consider Naruto's proposal for a minute before nodding and glancing towards Sasuke and Shino. "Seeing as how Sasuke's obviously in some kind of trouble, I would like to hear the story from your perspective Shino-kun. From the point you where you leave off, I would like Haku to continue. Would that be all right with you young woman?"

Haku nodded her head and smiled politely at Konoha's Sandaime Hokage. "Yes sir, that's fine with me. I'll gladly fill you in from where Shino-san leaves off. But…there's a point where Naruto-kun or another will have to take over. I'll let you know when." Bowing her head, Haku stepped up beside Shino and smiled his way. "Go on Shino-san."

Shino nodded and began to speak in his usual soft tone of voice. "Hokage-sama, the battle with Haku was not as we expected. While in the beginning it appeared that Sasuke was faster and I had managed to drain a good portion of Haku's chakra, she soon proved to be far too much for us to deal with on our own. Upon being trapped in her ice mirror technique, Haku's speed became far too much for the two of us to handle. As Naruto-san mentioned, the two of us were dealt multiple blows by ice senbon thrown by Haku. No matter what we tried, Sasuke and I were unable to make any progress. As time progressed, our teamwork diminished more and more until it was virtually nothing. Before I was rendered unconscious, I protected Sasuke from a flurry of ice senbon aimed to cripple him or worse. At the time, as there was very limited information on our opponent, I was unaware that she would not have killed him and thus I took the attack myself. And that ends my part of the tale. Haku, please continue."

After Shino bowed his head to her and stepped back, Haku smiled at him and then turned to face the Hokage again. "I have to admit, this feels odd reporting on a mission where I was the enemy of your forces, but since you have asked it of me, I will do my best to explain the circumstances of the mission to you. After Shino-san fell, I lectured Sasuke on his behavior. Throughout the course of the fight, the Uchiha refused to work with his teammate. Even after his teammate had fallen, Sasuke showed no sign of actually caring for his teammate and continued to boast about how great he is and how I should be honored to be fighting an Uchiha prodigy. As I said, I lectured him and attempted to kill him with a kunai made of pure ice."

Sighing at this, Haku lowered her head a moment before she returned her gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi and continued. "Naruto-kun stopped me. He entered the mirrors of his own accord, knowing how dangerous it would be, and protected Sasuke. Naruto-kun spoke with me for a time and managed to calm me to the point the battle ceased. I listened to his words and realized there was so much truth to them that when he asked that I speak to him about my connection with Zabuza-sama I felt compelled to tell him the truth. However…" Looking to Naruto, she lowered her gaze and stepped back.

Naruto, noticing this, nodded his head and placed his hand on her shoulder. Leaning in close, he whispered something in her ear before stepping in front of her and bowing to Sarutobi again. Before he spoke up however, he shot a nasty glare at Sasuke. "Before Haku-chan could talk to me, the teme stabbed her. The battle had concluded; there was no more need for violence. Sometimes words, simply TALKING with people can help avoid conflict and unnecessary death. But the damn teme doesn't seem to understand that!"

When Naruto suddenly felt numerous hands upon his arms and shoulders, he found himself calming down and sighed heavily. "Jiji? After what Sasuke-teme did…I became so angry that I unconsciously called upon some of the Kyuubi's chakra." At the look in Hiruzen's eyes, Naruto winced and looked down quickly. "Don't worry, they know, and I didn't really do anything. I busted Sasuke's face pretty bad and I shattered part of the bridge by throwing him around, but he lived and everything turned out fine. Actually…" Looking to Hinata, Naruto motioned for her to continue as he needed to calm himself.

Hinata smiled and kissed his cheek before stepping forward and bowing to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but at this part it's important for me to step in. When Naruto was advancing on Sasuke, I threw myself in between them. You see…"

"You care for Naruto-kun a lot and know he's not the kind to kill senselessly. The way he was acting wasn't like him at all and you didn't want him to do something he would forever regret. Am I right?" Smirking at Hinata's reaction to what he had just said, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and took another few puffs before motioning for her to continue with a bemused grin on his face.

"Y-Yes Hokage-sama. A-As I was saying, Naruto-kun calmed down after I talked to him. I held him until he was completely calm. And there's no need to worry, Naruto-kun didn't hurt me, I promise! I took Sasuke to Kurenai-sensei's side and allowed Sakura to give him medical attention. Of course, there wasn't much we could do at the time as none of us are medical ninja, so we applied the proper first aid and let him heal naturally with time. Kurenai-sensei already gave me the lecture about how dangerous and foolish a thing I did by jumping in between Naruto-kun and Sasuke, so you don't need to worry Hokage-sama. But, like I told the others, people need to have more faith in Naruto-kun. He's a really good person."

At this point, Kakashi spoke up again figuring it was time to discuss the battle with Zabuza and the events that transpired immediately after. "Before the others continue with the events that transpired with Haku, may Sean and I be permitted to reveal the events of our battle with Zabuza?" When the Hokage smiled his direction and nodded, the Copy Ninja nodded with an eye smile. "As stated before, upon arriving at the bridge, Sean and I engaged Zabuza in battle. Shortly after we began, Zabuza used the Kirigakure no Jutsu to create an incredibly thick mist that swamped the majority of the bridge. At which point, Zabuza focused his attacks on Sean, as we had expected and planned for." After saying this, Kakashi nodded for Sean to continue.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Sean shot a grin at Zabuza which made him shiver and snarl in anger before turning to the Sandaime. "Sandaime-sama, as Kakashi said, Zabuza chose to attack me. Initially I drew my katana and blocked his Kubikiribōchō. We dueled each other for a time while Kakashi-san prepared himself for what he would have to do. After a time, I used a moment when Zabuza pushed away from me and disappeared into the mist to pull off the first part of my part of the plan. I created a Kaze Bunshin and left it standing in the mist while I made my way closer to Kakashi-san's location. In fact, when Zabuza destroyed my clone, I created a dozen more to distract him while Kakashi-san and I prepared.

Minutes later, Zabuza caught up to me and attacked, only for Kakashi-san to take the attack and knock me out of the way. Thanks to our teamwork and quick timing, Kakashi merely received a small cut on his left arm. Zabuza, completely ignorant to our plan, began to mock and taunt us. During this time, Kakashi-san prepared his jutsu. Zabuza soon figured out that Kakashi-san was up to and I was about to intervene to protect him until he could finish his jutsu, but it wasn't necessary as Kakashi-san's ninken pinned the Demon of the Hidden Mist in place."

Kakashi resumed the tale at this point. "At this point, I began to go through the hand seals for my Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) so that I could quickly finish the battle and help our students. However…" Glancing towards Naruto, Kakashi gave him an eye smile and brief nod. "Our resident knucklehead ninja unleashed some of the Kyuubi's chakra and distracted us for a time. I ordered Sean to go and restrain his student, but he gripped my arm and chose to restrain me instead."

At this, the Sandaime Hokage looked to Sean with a curious expression on his face. "Sean-kun, is there a reason why you not only refused to follow the order of the Jonin sensei in charge of the mission and the protection of your students, but you also chose to prevent Kakashi-san from finishing off an opponent that could very well have caused more problems for your two teams?" Despite the way his voice sounded, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that Sean didn't act out like that without some reason. Whether or not the reason was good was another matter. After all, he still remembered times in the past where Sean caused both himself and Minato Namikaze a great many headaches with his actions.

Sean sighed and rubbed his fingers through his hair. "Well, at the time I figured we could use Zabuza. Y'know, force him to tell us where Gato was so we could put an end to him, then we would drag him back here so you could do whatever you wanted with him. Personally I think he has some information we could probably use about something. Just a matter of finding out what that something is. I'm sure Ibiki and Inoichi could find out a great many things from Zabuza-teme here." Smirking to himself, Sean nodded his head at the Hokage before laughing at Zabuza's grumbled insults.

"Anyways, it was pretty pointless in the end. After all, after decking Zabuza for all the crap he's pulled and the crap he caused us, Gato decided to show himself along with hundreds of his precious thugs. At Zabuza's request, I gave him a kunai and let both he and Kakashi go off to play while I went to help the students. Of course, the entire dang time it seemed Naruto, Kiba, and Haku were just chatting away instead of paying attention. I easily dealt with the thugs on the half of the bridge where Tazuna-san, Kurenai-san, and the Genin were located. That's when I approached the site of the battle with Haku and overheard little Kiba here insulting me. Speaking of which, you're in for some extra hard training sessions over the course of this next week." Smirking wickedly at the defeated expression on Kiba's face, Sean stepped back and allowed Naruto to finish the story off.

Naruto sighed and stared at his Jiji again. "Jiji-sama, while all of that was going on, Haku was telling us her story about how she met Zabuza, the situation with the Bloodline Purge in Kiri, and her time spent with Zabuza. After another, erm…'inspirational' speech from me, Haku agreed to return with us to Konoha and I kinda promised something…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't like the sound of this 'promise' that Naruto spoke of. Quickly rubbing the bridge of his nose and lowering his pipe to his desk, he begged Kami to be merciful to him and let it be better than it sounded. However, the next words out of Naruto's mouth only frustrated him further and caused him to groan. "I promised that I'd talk to you about getting Zabuza citizenship here if he cooperated and told T & I and you everything he knows. He's done a lot of bad, but I told Haku-chan that you wouldn't simply sentence him to death for everything he's done. So…please Jiji?!"

Sighing heavily, the Hokage ordered Zabuza forward so he could get a better look at him. "Naruto-kun obviously sees something in you Zabuza Momochi. And he's generally a good judge of character, so here's what I'm going to do. First, you're going to leave that sword of yours here. I assure you that it will be safe in my possession as nobody would dare try and take it while it's under my watch. Second, you are going to go straight to the T & I Department as soon as this meeting is over. Sean can escort you there. You will willingly give over all information on the situation in Kirigakure, the reasons for your going rogue, and anything else you feel we should know about. Once Ibiki sends word that he is done with you, I'll send Inoichi to verify the information you give to us and see if there's anything more that you may have neglected to tell us. Finally, if you've spoken the truth, if they see no threat from you, and if you truly want to join our village, you will come before me again and I will see about doing what I can for you. Again, keep in mind that this all depends on YOUR behavior Zabuza.

Now, I assume Haku-chan there is interested in joining our village as well?" At seeing everybody nod, the Hokage smiled at the Demon of the Hidden Mist and decided to voice his question to him. "As you know her best, what rank would you recommend I give her? From what I've heard she has never killed anyone and has thus far only protected you. I don't see any problem in accepting young Haku into the ranks of Konoha shinobi." Smiling kindly at the girl again before looking up at Zabuza, the Hokage awaited his decision.

Zabuza took a moment to think about everything. After a time he nodded his head and looked into the Sandaime Hokage's eyes. "I suppose it really depends on how you judge your ninja in this village. In Kiri she's good enough to be a Jonin I'd say. However, after the battle on the bridge, I'd say she's most likely Chunin in rank in your village. Still, there is another idea…"

At this, Kakashi and the other Jonin stepped forward and bowed to the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, we request permission to send our Genin out for this part please." Upon receiving a nod of approval, the three Jonin turned and escorted their Genin out of the office and informed them that they had the rest of the day off. Glancing at Sasuke, Haku, and Zabuza, they smirked and stood beside them once more. "Hokage-sama, after Naruto informed his fellow Genin on Teams 7 & 8 about his unique 'situation', Sasuke decided to give his rather volatile opinion."

At this, Hiruzen stared at Sasuke and resumed rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why do I not like where this is going?" Sean chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head before replying. "Trust me on this Hokage-sama, you're gonna HATE it. After much discussion, we've come to a mutual agreement between the three of us that Sasuke should be kicked from Team 7's ranks. Sasuke…let's just say what he said that night earned him a serious ass-kicking from me. If Kakashi and Zabuza hadn't stopped me, I would have ended up killing Sasuke and the village's 'precious Uchiha' would never have returned to Konoha. The shit he said about Naruto and his parents…"

Holding up his hand, the Sandaime rose from his desk and stepped around it slowly. Upon reaching the other side, he stared down at Sasuke and frowned deeply as he took another few puffs from his pipe. "I want to hear it from you. What exactly did you say regarding Naruto and his parents?"

Sasuke smirked at this. "Let's see here, I think it went along the lines of: "No wonder your parents abandoned you. After all, who would want to take care of a monster such as yourself?" And after everything, I'd have to say I'm right in my line of thinking. And since we are on this subject, I demand that you deal with Mister Demon Lover there! That jerk almost killed me and not one of those jerks tried to help me!"

A huge wave of killing intent flooded the room that knocked most to their knees. Sean, Zabuza, and Kakashi were the only ones standing, but that doesn't mean they weren't sweating under the pressure. Glaring down at Sasuke, Hiruzen shook his head angrily before he finally calmed down and closed his eyes. "You know nothing of the truth Uchiha. And keep in mind that you don't get to make demands of the Hokage! Kakashi-san? Your request to have him removed from Team 7 is permitted. In fact, I'm going to bring up Sasuke's fate with the Council after Zabuza's situation is decided. For now…" Calling one of his ANBU to his side, the Sandaime pointed at Sasuke as he walked around to sit at his desk again. "Get him out of my sight. Detain him at his home and don't let him out of your sight."

After the ANBU left with Sasuke, Hiruzen turned to the others and smiled. "I'm assuming you came up with some kind of plan to ensure that the rest of Team 7 is still able to enter the Chunin Exams in the coming months, correct?" After saying this, he turned his gaze to Haku and smirked knowingly. "You want this young woman to be the third member of Team 7, don't you Kakashi-san?" After receiving a nod and a "Yes, Hokage-sama" in return, the Sandaime chuckled softly and nodded his head. "Very well then. As of this day forward, you, Haku, are the third Genin squad member of Team 7. Congratulations." Pulling a Konoha hitai-ate from one of his desk drawers, the Hokage placed it upon his desk and smiled. "If there is no other business…?"

Sean nodded his head and turned to face Zabuza. "Well Zabuza-teme, looks like it's time for you to pay a visit to a good friend of mine." Chuckling evilly, Sean gripped Zabuza by the arm and led him towards the doors. Hiruzen's voice soon stopped him however. "Sean, wait a moment." Turning around to face the Sandaime, Sean frowned. "I want you and Kakashi-san with me when it's time for the Council meeting. Sasuke will be present as well and it would be prudent to have the two of you present with me to help explain things and keep things in order." With a simple nod, Sean assured Hiruzen that he would be there before leaving with Zabuza.

"Even to this day, he still kind of worries me. That sadistic side of him scares even me." Kakashi stated before the Hokage chuckled at him. With a heavy sigh, the silver-haired Jonin turned to glance at the door a moment and then glanced at Haku. "You might think it funny, but you should be glad I'll be your sensei and not him. I'm not sure which of my so-called 'rivals' is worse: Sean or Guy. Guy's just plain creepy and Sean's…well, he's kind of insane. I'm just plain lazy." Realizing what he said, Kakashi quickly shut up and glanced at Hiruzen. Lowering his head, Kakashi rubbed the back of his head lightly and looked to Haku. "Okay, look. I hadn't done a real great job training my team before that last mission. But I'll be working you and your teammates real hard to get you ready for the Chunin exams. If I'm right, you should be able to easily make Chunin when the time comes, but that doesn't mean you don't need training. Actually, that does give me an idea…" Smirking under his mask, Kakashi turned to Kurenai and the Hokage and began to tell them his idea.