Chapter 8: A Glint in his Eye

Neji and Sasuke were sparring as Kakashi read his book and Naruto worked on a new seal. Kakashi eyed him "New project?"

Naruto smirked and nodded "Yeah. I call it 'Spy Seal', connecting it to my eye and placing it on my sculptures, I can see from their point of view."

Kakashi hummed. "Ambitious project you have there."

Naruto grinned "I know. But hey! There is nothing I can't do!"

Neji slammed his open palm into Sasuke's chest, sending him down and placed his two fingers on front of his neck. "Lucky shot." Sasuke said and Naji smirked.

"It is called talent."

"Now, now children, don't fight." Kakashi said "We got another C-Rank, so get ready and meet me at the gates." And with that he left.

Naruto grinned "Hell yeah! Finally, something fun!" He exclaimed as Sasuke got up.

"I just hope we don't have to protect another brat." He said as he dusted himself off.

Naruto rolled his eyes "Tayuya wasn't that bad."

"Just because she somehow liked you." Neji said as they went to get ready for their mission.

*Road to Wave*

"At least it isn't a brat, eh?" Sasuke glared at Naruto as they escorted the drunk bridge builder to Wave.

Kakashi was in the back, Neji and Naruto were at the sides and Sasuke was in front while Tazuna, the client was in the middle.

The drunk bridge builder was making comments on everyone, complaining all the way. All the three members were annoyed by him, but because they have a mission, didn't say anything.

Until they walked across a small puddle of water.

"Weird." Naruto said.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow "What exactly?"

"It hasn't rain in a while." Naruto said as he let one of the mouths of his hand eat the sculpture he was making "Neji, can you look around?"

Neji nodded "Byakugan!"

He narrowed his eyes, "Incoming! Two enemies!"

As two Kiri shinobis jumped from the bushes and threw their chains at Kakashi, but got deflected by Sasuke's shurikens, and Naruto threw 3 explosive birds towards the shinobis. Once they were close enough, Naruto made the hand sign "Katsu!"

The shinobis jumped away from the explosions, as one grabbed the other and threw him towards Tazuna, just before he could hit the bridge builder, Neji intercepted him with his open palm, hitting him on the chest, knocking him out.

The last one, was punched by Kakashi, as the sensei turned to Tazuna "I don't remember shinobis as part of the description of the job."

Tazuna shifted nervously "I..."

Kakashi nodded "Very well, time to go back team."

"What? Wait!" Tazuna cried "Please! My village is suffering! This bridge is the last hope for us!"

Naruto stared at him and sighed "Let's say that you finish the bridge. Will that stop the suffering?"

Tazuna blinked confused "Well yes. That way we can get to different villages and not depend on Gato."

"And what makes you think that when the bridge is done, this Gato person will not control it?" Naruto asked again and Tazuna froze.

"I..."

"Tax control for once. If this guy already controls all of Wave, he can simply send some of his men to take over the bridge and set a toll to cross plus a tax for everything that leaves and enters. Tazuna; the problem isn't to finish the bridge; it is the dictator." Naruto finished and Tazuna cried.

"You're... you're right..."

Naruto patted his shoulder "Don't worry, we will kill Gato."

Tazuna looked at him with tears in his eyes "Y-You will?"

"We will?" Kakashi asked "You will kill someone? Are you ready for it?"

Naruto shrugged "We are shinobi. Killing is part of the job description."

Neji nodded "Don't worry Tazuna, we will handle the man killing your village."

Sasuke huffed "I am ready to kill to complete my ambition, what is one dictator."

Kakashi raised a brow "So, we will continue the mission?"

They shared a look and nodded. Kakashi hummed "It is your lucky day, Tazuna. We are helping you."

*Wave*

"There's a lot of mist today." Tazuna commented as they made their way into his home.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow "Isn't this normal?"

Tazuna shook his head "I mean it is cloudy most of the days, but never with such dense mist."

Naruto hummed "Neji, do you mind?"

Neji nodded "Byakugan!" his eyes narrowed as they walked "The mist isn't natural."

"How so?" Sasuke asked reaching to his weapon bag.

"It is completely made of chakra." His eyes widen seeing movement as he tackled Tazuna out of the way of a gigantic blade.

"No reason Gozu and Meizu lost to you. Having such foresight is good." A voice said from the mist and a figure was shown.

Kakashi narrowed his eye "Zabuza Momochi, the demon of the mist."

Zabuza stared at them "And Kakashi Hatake, the Copy-Nin. What you say if you and your team leave the bridge builder here. That way, I won't kill you and the brats."

"For more interesting that offer sounds like," Kakashi lifted his headband revealing his sharingan eye "I'll have to pass."

Sasuke looked shocked at Kakashi while Zabuza scoffed "Have it your way."

As they fought, Team 7 protected Tazuna. Naruto was analyzing the situation. "Neji, can you look around if there is someone else backing Zabuza?"

Neji nodded as he activated the Byakugan and looked the area "There is someone, but it is hard to say where he is due to the mist."

Naruto nodded as he let his palms eat clay seeing that Zabuza captured Kakashi "Get ready." He simply said as he with his right palm threw birds at Zabuza.

While with his left hand, he let clay fishes swim to him.

Zabuza scoffed "That's all? Some fake animals?" He was going to cut them when Naruto detonated them.

"Katsu!"

The explosion created a smoke wall and stunned Zabuza "The hell?"

"Sasuke! Now!"

The smoke was dispersed by a fireball going his way. "Dammit!" Zabuza jumped, letting go of Kakashi's prision and Naruto smirked.

The clay fish he let in the lake, jumped and bit Zabuza's pants as Naruto made the hand sign "Katsu!"

The four fish exploded, harming severely Zabuza's ankles. Zabuza screamed in pain as he could barely stand on his feet "You damn brat!"

He started to make hand signs, but Kakashi did them first "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)"

Zabuza watched how the dragon of water made by Kakashi, collapsed with him, sending him crashing into a tree.

Kakashi walked to him, ready to finish him off when two needles hit him on the neck. "Thank you, I will take care from here." The Kiri Hunter-Nin said as he attempted to grab Zabuza, as Neji rushed to him, and with a well-placed junken strike on his shoulder, forced the hunter-nin to grab Zabuza and retreat.

"Was that the helper?" Naruto asked and Neji nodded.

"Yes. We should get ready for them to come back."

*Tazuna's Home*

Kakashi was sat on the bed as his team surrounded him "Zabuza will come back, won't he?" Naruto said and seeing Kakashi nod he hummed "So, we need a plan and to prepare."

"Any idea?" Sasuke asked and Naruto hummed.

"I can place seals and traps around the house, so if anyone comes to close, we will be warned." Naruto said and Neji closed his eyes.

"I didn't manage to get a close look on the helper, but he has black hair, porcelain skin and it might sound weird, but when I got close... it was cold around him."

Sasuke raised a brow "How so?"

"It is hard to explain, but it was almost as if there was another climate around him."

Naruto scratched his chin "Maybe we are dealing with a bloodline user... that might just complicate things."

"Well, let's get training then. I give Zabuza a week before he comes back." Kakashi said as he slowly stood up "Naruto, place your traps and seals around the house tonight and tomorrow we will start training."

The three genins nodded and Naruto got to work.

As he placed the alarm seals in places people wouldn't usually come, alongside some clay rats nearby. The way he planned this is the following; the alarm seals sense heat signatures, and if Tsunami-San isn't wrong, there aren't that many big animals here.

So, if a heat signature passes the seal, Naruto will receive a small shock on his wrist, where he placed the other end of the alarm seal.

That is the alarm. The traps are three clay rats with his prototype spy seal on them. If he closes his right eye, he can see through them, but it still dizzies him, and disorients him... and is hard to find which alarm exactly was triggered, but hey, it works.

As he finished placing the last of the seals, and hiding the clay rats, he stretched and yawned. He had been out for an hour or so and it was late. He didn't notice that he fell asleep next to a tree.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that a girl was there picking herbs. He narrowed his eyes, why the seals weren't triggered?

He stood up and made a clay spider and sent it to the house as he then approached the girl. "Hey, what are you doing?"

*Tazuna's House*

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked "I want to begin training already."

Neji frowned "It isn't like him to just wonder off..." He said as he spotted one of Naruto's clay spiders. He raised a brow as the spider waved one of its legs and walked away.

Sasuke also noticed it "Should we follow it?"

Neji nodded and they were after it.

*With Naruto*

"Say Haku, what is this disease your friend is ill off?" Naruto asked as he helped the girl, Haku to collect herbs.

She claims that his friend is ill and she needs herbs to heal him, besides that the description that Neji gave, fits perfectly, considering also that his seals didn't trigger, and didn't catch any heat signature.

Haku smiled at him "He got food poisoned by eating something that wasn't in its best condition. He has a fever and had been throwing up."

Naruto nodded "If that's the case, we should be looking for other herbs too, must of these herbs are for physical trauma and wounds." Naruto said as Haku stiffened a bit but kept her posture.

"It seems you know something about medicinal herbs."

Naruto nodded as the seal in his arm shock him, about time they arrive. He placed his hand in one of the pouches as the mouth on his mouth started to chew clay "Your shoulder is stiff. Did you hurt it somehow?"

Haku narrowed her eyes and he followed her hand with his eyes as it went behind her back "I think it is time for me to leave..."

Naruto nodded "And I think it is too late for that already."

Haku jumped out of the way as kunais went sent her way and she threw senbons to Naruto as he rolled out of the way, and threw clay birds to her.

"Katsu!"

The birds collided with her and exploded. Haku landed and rolled back as Neji hit a junken strike on her left shoulder and other on her right tight.

As Haku fell to one knee, Naruto threw a clay centipede that wrapped around her, as Naruto had the hand sign ready.

"Thanks for the help." Naruto said as Sasuke landed next to him and Neji walked to them.

Sasuke nodded "Good job keeping him busy long enough."

"Now what?" Neji said "Should we interrogate him?" he asked with some hesitation.

"I guess so." Naruto said "Go Sasuke. Do your part."

Sasuke frowned "What is that supposed to mean? You think I know what to do now?"

"Well, I don't know either!" Naruto argued back and Haku frowned as he made one hand signs as the centipede in one instant froze.

Team 7 looked at the sound and Naruto sighed "What a waste... Katsu!" And nothing happened "Eh?"

Haku broke free of the frozen sculpture as Sasuke did hand signs "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu)"

Haku narrowed his eyes and made more hand signs with one hand and before the ball of fire hit him, an ice mirror was created as the attack collided with it.

Once the vapor dispersed, he disappeared.

*Tazuna Home*

"I'm impressed." Kakashi said "You three managed very well against an enemy shinobi."

Naruto nodded as he thought "Yeah... an ice bloodline and skilled enough to use one hand signs..."

"At least he is also injured now, so we have that as an advantage." Neji said and Sasuke smirked.

"At this point, it would be easier for us to go fight them." Sasuke pointed out "They are both injured and we are more. It should be easy."

"While that is technically true, they are not the true enemy. Gato is." He thought as he snapped his fingers "I have a plan."

"Sasuke and Kakashi-Sensei will guard the bridge, there is still a chance it will be attacked and Tazuna must be there to be finished. Neji will stay guarding the house, with his Byakugan he will have a better look of the perimeter, and I will also give you the seal of alarm of the seals. That way you know when something enters. And I will go and place bombs around Gato's mansion and when there are enough to blow up the whole thing with everyone inside."

"While it sounds like a good plan, are you sure you want to do your part." Kakashi said as he gave him a neutral look "One thing is to kill a thug or the main villain. Other thing is to kill them both. What you are saying, is to kill at the very least, 100 people. Are you ready for that. For that weight in your conscious?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head "I... I don't know really... but is the best plan I can come up with. It covers all angles and it solves all of the issues. And if I have to do it... I will."

Kakashi nodded "I hope you are ready, Naruto. Because I approve the plan."

*Next Day, Neji*

Neji was sat on the roof of the house, alert if the seals are triggered (Naruto just told him, you will know when it happens) as he thought.

He knows Naruto. He had for years now. And he knows how desperate he is for approval. From his peers, Deidara, his parents, and he is worried that this plan of his, might blow up in his face. His friend... isn't a murderer... he isn't ready to kill... neither he is.

"You know that you will die right?" Neji raised an eyebrow and looked at Inari, Tsunami's son.

"Why you say that?"

Inari glared at him "Everyone who fights Gato dies. It is pointless and stupid to do so."

Neji hummed as he closed his eyes "Like fighting your destiny?"

Inari raised an eye brow "I guess?"

Neji smiled "Well, I am willing to fight my destiny. I had been doing so for a couple of years now." He made a gesture for Inari to come closer and he did. Inari sat next to Neji as the Hyuga spoke "I was born as a branch member, branded as one with a seal on my forehead. But I know, I will break free. My destiny says I will be a caged bird, but I don't want to. So, I will fight it until I leave the cage, I am locked in."

He turned to Inari who had his mouth open "That's why I am fighting for Wave. That's why Wave must fight. That's why Kaiza fought. To be free. And trust me, it will be done."

Inari nodded slowly "You know about Kaiza?"

Neji nodded "I do. And I think he is a hero for what he tried to do."

Inari felt tears coming to his eyes as Neji hugged him "It is okay to cry."

Inari nodded as he sobbed as a shock hit Neji forearm. He frowned and made a hand sign "Byakugan!"

*Sasuke and Kakashi*

"What's on your mind, Sasuke?" Sasuke looked up to Kakashi who was reading "You look worried."

"It's nothing..." Sasuke said and Kakashi nodded with a hum.

"Really now? You are not one bit worried about this plan going badly?"

Sasuke shook his head "I trust Naruto. I know he is smart and a capable shinobi. Neji is protecting the house so there is no problem there. But I look at them... and I think about their reasons to fight."

Kakashi closed his book as Sasuke continued "Naruto wants to be recognized, Neji to break the tradition in his clan and I want to avenge mine by killing him... and then what?"

"That's a question I can't answer for you, Sasuke." Kakashi said "Maybe you can build your clan again. Maybe you can settle down and forget about your worries. Maybe you can continue as a shinobi dedicated only to your village. Whatever you choose, you must know that you have us."

Sasuke smiled "Hn. I have a lot of thinking to do."

Kakashi eye smiled as mist filled the bridge. He frowned "Well, let's focus on this for now."

*Naruto*

Naruto placed the last explosives on the supports inside the mansion and nodded. He placed the outsides of it with C1 explosives, sent some clay spiders into the rooms of the mansion, clay birds on the roof, and now C1 explosives on the supports inside. The house wouldn't be able to stand all of this if his calculations are correct.

"Oi! Who the fuck are you?" Naruto head snapped back to one thug who was walking to him "What the fuck you think you are doing!?"

"Dammit..." Naruto cursed. He is done, so it is just something of leaving and blowing everything up, but if someone knows he is there, Gato might escape... there is only one thing he can think off...

"I asked you-" Naruto jumped and kicked him on the face as the thug, way bigger than him, fell on his ass, and glared at him, his nose bleeding. Naruto tried to choke him out by behind, but the thug threw him over his shoulder and he started to strangle him. "You little shit..."

Naruto tried to break free to no avail, before he reached for a kunai and stabbed the thug on his neck.

Blood sprayed on Naruto's face as he pushed the dying thug off him. He saw him choke on his own blood, trying to hold the wound before he died. Naruto coughed and panted as he passed a hand across his face wiping the blood.

And threw up.

As he finished that, he shook his head, he needs to do it now. He exited the mansion, stood behind a tree in the forest as he made the hand sign with a shaky hand.

He breathed hard, before remembering... this is just like doing art. Yeah... this-this is harmless! It is just like back home when he blew abandoned buildings with Deidara! This... this is harmless...

It is just art.

"Katsu."

*Neji*

Neji knocked the last of the men against a tree and nodded. Gato sent five thugs to the house, and they were all incapacitated.

He held his finger against the first he knocked who was more awake than the rest "Did Gato sent you?"

"Y-Yes... please... don't kill me..."

Neji frowned as a massive explosion, could be heard and seen. Wind hit Neji on the face as he knocked the thug out once more.

Mission complete.

He was about to leave when one thug appeared holding Inari "Y-You! Surrender or the brat dies!"

Neji narrowed his eyes, Byakugan glaring at the thug as Inari cried "Neji-Nii..."

"Let him go. Now." Neji ordered and the thug grinned.

"Unless you surrender, I will slit the throat of the brat! Don't fucking test me!" The thug screamed and, in a blink, Neji was in front of him, Junken striking him on the forehead, closing the chakra conduit of the brain.

The thug let drop of Inari that ran to hug Neji as he fell to the floor, mouth open, and death. Neji hugged Inari as he stared at the corpse. "It's okay... it's okay..."

*Sasuke and Kakashi*

Sasuke kicked the still, cleared injured Haku that was holding to the railing of the bridge, basically standing on one leg "You can't continue fighting. Give up." Sasuke said and Haku shook his head.

"I... must serve Zabuza-Sama... I won't lose."

Kakashi also had Zabuza against the ropes "You should have taken some more days off Zabuza. You are clearly still injured."

Zabuza gritted his teeth "I am more than fine..." He started to do hand signs that Kakashi copied.

Just as a massive explosion stopped the fight and the wind from it pushed great part of the mist away.

Sasuke covered his face "That was..."

"It came from Gato's mansion..." Haku said and Zabuza nodded.

"Whoever was crazy enough to do that..." Zabuza said before growling "That son of a bitch! There was my payment!" He turned to Haku "Haku, go there and kill the bomber."

Haku nodded "Yes, Zabuza-Sama."

Haku ran away and Sasuke glared at him "No you won't!"

Sasuke tackled Haku to the ground and pointed a kunai to his neck. Haku kicked him away with his good leg and started to make hand signs but Sasuke somehow was faster.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu)" The fireball once again collided with the ice mirror, but Sasuke, eyes hurting from the rage he felt, from the thought of his friend dead at the hand of this bastard, was behind Haku and threw a barrage of kunais and shurikens to his back and head.

As Haku collapsed on the ground, Sasuke breathed hardly as his eyes burned... he sat against the railing of the bridge as Kakashi finished off Zabuza. Kakashi went to Sasuke "How are you?"

"Fine enough..." Sasuke breathlessly answered and Kakashi nodded.

"Stay here, I will go for Naruto. Also; the sharingan fits you nicely."

As Kakashi left Sasuke smirked... that's why his eyes hurt.

*Naruto*

It was by far, the biggest explosion he ever did. He, the tree he was hiding behind, debris were sent flying.

He rolled and covered his head as wood, concrete and fire fell from the sky. He slowly stood up and saw what happened. He couldn't the bodies, but he could smell them. The whole mansion was destroyed and being consumed by fire.

"He...Haha...Hahaha...HAHAHAHA!" Naruto started laughing, a maniac look on his eyes and face. It was beautiful! The one second it happened! It was perfect! It was beautiful! As the adrenaline started to fade away, he started to feel a lot of pain in his left leg. He looked down and saw it was bleeding.

He sat down as Kakashi arrived "It seems you actually did it. How are you feeling?"

Naruto hissed as he applied pressure on his wound "Good as I'll ever be... Mind helping me Sensei?"

Kakashi nodded as he picked up Naruto "Let's get your leg treated." As he jumped on trees he looked back at the destruction "But seriously; how are you feeling after that?"

Naruto looked back at the destruction, a glint in his eye that Kakashi noticed "Good as I'll ever be Sensei..."

Next Chapter: Protective Older Brother Instincts

Yes, the story finally came back. I hope it was a good chapter.