Merry Christmas everyone! Have a happy holidays!
'Thoughts'
"Technique/Demon/Bijuu" Talk
"Demon/Bijuu" Talk from inside
'Technique in head/Demon/Bijuu' Thoughts
Reviews
UnsanMusho: Sakura likes to put things off regarding Naruto, but that'll change.
Samuel Santillan: I don't understand your review, other than Shion and Ryusetsu.
biginferno: I'll do my best for everyone to have equal time, and yes, that's true, but the girls can forgive and forget since they'll be with each other for a long time.
DannyYuki: That means a lot and I hope you can enjoy reading it!
Guest: That's understandable, but I could add Kurenai too, without having to trade her for Sakura.
Harem so far (help it expand by suggesting)
Amaru, Ameyuri, Anko, Fuu, Fem!Haku, Hanabi, Hinata, Ino, Kaguya, Kin, Kotohime, Koyuki, Kurotsutchi, Mei, Sakura, Samui, Sara, Sasame, Shizuka, Shizune, Shion, Ryuzetsu, Tayuya, Temari, Tenten, Yakumo/Ido, Yugao, Yugito, Yukata
Chapter 9: Wave IV
"Hm… so I had it right, it was all an act," Kakashi spoke as he saw Zabuza and Haku standing together across from them.
"An act?" Tazuna asked.
"With that cute, little mask," the cycloptic jounin replied. Sakura was surprised.
"Heh, probably too weak to show us who she really is so she has to disguise herself as a hunter-nin, pathetic," Sasuke maligned with a smirk.
"So I guess all that about being a hunter-nin protecting her village was just a bunch of bull," Tazuna guessed.
"They look pretty chummy to me. I'd say they'd been pulling scams like that for a long time," Kakashi added.
"She's got some nerve facing us again after pulling that trick!" Sakura joined in.
"And hiding behind a mask, who does she think she's fooling?" Kakashi asked.
"Um… speak for yourself, Sensei…" Sakura pointed out his own mask.
"Enough with this, I'm taking her out, then Zabuza. Who does she think she is, hiding behind some mask like a clown. Probably too afraid of my Uchiha power," Sasuke declared as he crossed his arms.
"Oh, Sasuke! You're so cool!" Sakura complimented with a smile.
'Wait, didn't I just say that…? She'll never change…' Kakashi asked himself with a quirked eyebrow.
'This Uchiha is insufferable…' Kurama thought as he sighed.
"They're pretty annoying…" Haku stated. "Even though that Uchiha kid destroyed your Water Clones, I don't think he'll be a tough opponent."
"Heh, that blondie would've been a better match for you, but you'll have to wait for when he arrives," Zabuza said. "The Water Clones gave us an advantage, now use it."
Haku nodded and began spinning towards Sasuke at a fast speed. The Uchiha got two kunai out, ready to fight her.
Tsunami walked up to the door and opened it to reveal two men with swords standing there. The one on her left had bluish-white hair with a purple beanie on. His eyes were dark with lined markings tattooed under them. He was wearing a blue jacket with multiple pockets and grey shorts. The one on her right had brown hair in three parts and a topknot. He had an eyepatch on his right eye and had a scar on the left side of his forehead and the left side of his mouth. He had a kimono wrapped around his waist, exposing his chest, as well as bandages. There was a tattoo across the entire left side of his chest and thigh.
"Oh, how may I help you two?" Tsunami asked, but before they could answer, a piece of the front wall fell backwards and into the house.
"So, you're Tazuna's daughter, huh? Well that's too bad, you'll have to come with us now," the one on the left demanded.
"And what if I refuse?" The woman asked. The one on the left looked at his partner and he nodded with a smirk before punching Tsunami. The woman hit the table and fell to the ground, rubbing her cheek.
"Mother!" Inari shouted as he saw her on the floor. Tsunami whipped her head at the boy.
"Inari no! Get away from here!" She shouted.
"Don't move, kid," the left one said as he glared at Inari, making him freeze up.
"Should we grab the kid too?" The right one asked, looking at his partner.
"No, Gato only asked for one hostage."
The right one turned around and unsheathed a bit of his sword. "Alright, then let's waste em!"
"Wait, no!" Tsunami shouted. The right one turned around to look at her. "I'll do anything, just don't hurt my son, he's just a kid…"
The left one looked at Tsumami for a bit before turning towards Inari. "Looks like your mom saved your ass, kid. You're lucky."
"Damn… I wanted to cut something too," the right one sighed as he sheathed his sword.
"Give it a rest, you already drew blood along the way." The left one walked up to Tsunami and grabbed her arm before forcing her to get up. Inari started crying as he gripped the frame, not being able to do anything. The two men quickly tied Tsunami up.
"I'm sorry, Mom…! I'm sorry!" Inari apologized, tears rushing down his cheeks. As he heard them walk away, he cried more. "W-What… could I do…?! I'm too weak to protect you…!"
"I'm scared… I don't wanna die…!" Inari confessed. As a tear dropped to the floor, he remembered the words Naruto spoke.
"Stop being such a coward, and man. Up!"
Inari picked his head up.
"People have it worse than you! So suck it up, kid! Kaiza is dead, yes, but that doesn't mean you get to mourn every fucking day of your life! No, you push past the pain and suffering, and be the best you can be! Especially to someone who you cherish and love! And you're not even trying to do that! Stop being such a coward, and man. Up!"
"My guess is… he just doesn't want to see people in such a low state like you were when they have the chance to change and be better. You have an opportunity, you're just not seeing it, and he wants you to," the cycloptic jounin's words popped up in Inari's head.
The boy looked at his hands as he remembered what his father said to him. He wiped his eyes as he had a moment to think about the people that came to his house and his family.
"Can I… can I be that strong too…?" He asked no one in particular. He stood up with a newfound determined look in his eyes. "Father…"
The two men who were escorting Tsunami stopped for a second. The right one looked at her and snickered.
"We're gonna treat you just fine, don't you worry your pretty little head."
"Come on keep walkin'," the right one ordered as he pushed her forward.
"Stop!" A voice shouted behind the three. They all looked back to find Inari there.
"Well well, if it ain't the little tough guy," the right one recognized. "How cute, you've come to save your mommy."
"Y… You better get away from my mom!" Inari shouted and began running at them.
"This kid is a little short on brains, dontcha think?" The right one asked, prepping his sword.
"Take him down," the left one ordered as he got ready. Inari screamed as he ran towards them, but then Tsunami smirked.
"INARI, STOP!" Tsunami commanded, which caused the young boy to stop running and look at his mother with wide eyes. This also caused the two men to look at the woman. "I commend you for trying to save your mother."
"W-What are you talking about…?" Inari asked. Just then, a puff of smoke appeared where she was and once it cleared, the woman wasn't there, but Naruto was instead. Inari and the two men looked at the smiling blonde in shock.
"Huh?!" The left one flinched.
"Since when did another brat get here?!" The right one grilled.
"Heh, I'm not a brat, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, ya know!" He responded as he made the Snake hand seal behind his back. "Lightning Release: Disappearance Act!"
A bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and the blonde disappeared as soon as it struck him. The three were even more confused, but before they could ask any questions, two bolts of lightning struck the two men, electrocuting them.
After it was done, they fell forward while two Narutos jumped back. One of the Naruto's cut the rope of the other one and freed him before dispelling. Inari watched in confusion, not exactly sure what happened.
"Hey Inari," Naruto greeted casually. "That was really brave of what you did, ya know."
"W-What… B-but what about my mom?!" Inari queried.
"I'm right here, Inari," a womanly voice spoke behind the boy. He turned around and gasped, seeing her there and not dead. The boy then looked back at Naruto.
"W-Wait, h-how did you…"
"How did I appear in the place your mom was?" Naruto guessed as he crossed his arms and smirked.
"Y-Yeah!"
"Well, me and your mom were downstairs cleaning the dishes, when a knock was heard at the door. I used a special move to see who was behind the door and it was these two bad guys. I had Tsunami hide somewhere, while I disguised as her and made them think I was her. And you know the rest that happened," Naruto explained with a shrug.
"Wow… that was smart and amazing!" Inari complimented as he grinned widely. "You really are a ninja!"
Naruto smiled widely seeing the boy smile for the first time. "I told ya, didn't I? Shoulda believed it when I said it!"
The two of them began laughing and Tsunami was surprised to see her son smiling in a long time, but soon smiled herself at seeing him genuinely happy.
Sasuke stopped Haku's senbon with a kunai, the two of them engaging in a stalemate.
"Sakura and K, cover Tazuna, let Sasuke handle this," Kakashi ordered. Sakura and K got in front of the bridge builder.
The two of them spun around, clashing kunai against senbon again before engaging in another stalemate.
"We want the bridge builder, not you. If you back down, I may not kill you," Haku informed.
"Heh, save it. You're just scared of my Uchiha prowess and are finding a way to back out of the situation, aren't you?" Sasuke smugly guessed.
Haku sighed. 'How does Naruto deal with such an arrogant asshole?'
"No, you idiot, I'm saying you and your team won't have to die if you give us the bridge builder," Haku restated.
"Uh huh, like I'm supposed to believe a phony like you!" Sasuke shouted as he began pushing back.
"Well, you already lost. I have two key advantages here," Haku notified. "There's water surrounding us, and one of your hands is occupied."
"And?! What's that supposed to mean?! I can still beat you!" Sasuke stated with a smirk.
'We'll just have to see about that,' Haku thought as she brought up two fingers. She began making hand seals with one hand, which surprised Sasuke and Kakashi.
'Making hand seals with a single hand? I don't think I've seen that before,' Kakashi thought as he watched intensely.
"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death," Haku said after finishing her hand seals. She stomped on the water and some of it began to rise in the air.
'Does she really not want to kill the kid?' Zabuza asked himself. 'I know I would've.'
The water in the air turned into needles, each aiming at Sasuke. He looked on in worry, but then closed his eyes and tried to remember his training. 'Come on Sasuke, remember the training! Focus!'
The needles came rushing down, but right before they could impale the Uchiha, a burst of chakra made him avoid the needles and send Haku stumbling back. She looked around before looking up and finding the genin high in the air. She jumped back, avoiding the shuriken he threw before he stopped.
Sasuke disappeared from the air and appeared behind Haku. "You're not as fast as you think. From this point on, you'll be the one defending against my a-"
"You talk way too much," Haku pointed out as she elbowed his gut hard. Sasuke curled over and hugged his stomach as he fell to his knees, but before he could do that, Haku kicked his cheek and made him fly to the side. Sasuke rolled before getting up on his feet, but he couldn't recover in time before Haku appeared before him and punched his gut again. Sasuke's cheeks puffed out, but she then struck his face a couple of times and roundhouse kicked him. The Uchiha rolled back and coughed up saliva and some bile before struggling to get on his feat.
"Alright Haku, use it," Zabuza ordered. The girl nodded and put her hands together. Her two middle fingers touched, while her index fingers were under them, touching as well.
Ice rose from the water surrounding Sasuke and slowly began forming something. "Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!" The ice then began forming mirrors and surrounded Sasuke in a full dome of them.
"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out. The raven-haired boy looked around as he grit his teeth. Haku walked up to one and morphed into it, her body fully encased in the mirror. Sasuke looked on in shock as every mirror slowly displayed Haku. Kakashi ran forward, trying to get his genin out of there, but Zabuza appeared before him.
"If you enter this fight, you fight me. Your genin brat has no chance against that technique, he's finished," Zabuza stated.
"Now, we'll begin. Let's see how you fare against this," Haku said as her mirrored reflections all took out senbon. Sasuke didn't have a chance to react as they came in fast and sliced his shoulder. He grunted in pain before more zoomed by him and sliced a part of his body.
"Sasuke!" Both Kakashi and Sakura shouted. Kurama looked on in amusement.
'Well this is certainly new,' Kurama thought as he watched the ice dome. Sasuke covered himself as more senbon came raining down on him, slicing him up.
"Leave to go help your genin and I'll slice up the other two in a heartbeat!" Zabuza warned. Sakura began shaking before she took out a kunai.
"I can't stand by and watch Sasuke get hurt like this, I have to go!" Sakura apologized as she ran forward. Kurama cocked an eyebrow at the pinkette, wondering what she'd do against Haku.
Sakura jumped in the air before throwing her kunai at the dome. "Take this!"
The kunai came flying down at a good speed, but it was caught by Haku. Sasuke grit his teeth before falling to the floor. Haku held the kunai in her hand before looking at Sasuke and throwing it at him. The kunai was lodged in his leg and he yelled in pain.
"No, Sasuke!" Sakura cried out. Kurama narrowed his eyes and sighed. Was this girl that much of an idiot…?
Haku went back into her mirror and got out more senbon. She threw them at the Uchiha and the boy just closed his eyes, trying his best to get up and avoid the needle storm.
Just then, something came into the dome and stood in front of Sasuke, slamming a hand down on the ground. "Nine-Tailed Deflection!"
Nine orange tails sprouted around Naruto and Sasuke and caught all the senbon that were thrown. The tails flailed back before launching forward, shooting out the senbon at a higher speed then when Haku did. Haku was shocked at this, when some of the senbon shot through her mirrors and broke them. Others were stuck in the mirrors, causing cracks. After the tails deflected the senbon, they went back into the ground.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Naruto Uzumaki," Zabuza said with a grin underneath his bandages. Kurama grinned as well while Kakashi, Sakura, and Tazuna looked surprised.
"The one and only, believe it!" Naruto added with two fingers pointing out.
"Naruto's here?" Sakura asked as she looked inside the ice dome.
"You better believe he is," Kurama confirmed, pride all over his face.
"This will become more interesting. Hopefully you can do better against me than your teammate could," Haku said.
Naruto looked at the masked girl. "You better be ready, Haku, I'm only gonna be using a bit more of my power than when fighting Zabuza!"
"Let's see if it's all that, or you're just trying to scare me."
"Alright, let's-" Naruto's eyes widened as he abruptly stopped talking. Blood came rushing out of his mouth and he looked behind himself to find Sasuke lodging a kunai into his back.
"N-NARUTO!" Haku shouted as she saw what happened.
Zabuza's eyes widened at seeing this. "What the hell?! Kakashi, what the hell is that idiot doing?!"
The cycloptic jounin was as shocked as he was. "I-I don't know! I didn't expect him to do that!"
"NARUTO!" Kurama shouted as he ran forward.
Sasuke lowly chuckled before taking out the kunai and shoving Naruto forward, making him fall. "I'm not letting you have the spotlight again, you stupid bitch." He looked at Haku with a devilish smirk. "Come at me, I'm your opponent."
Kurama let out a battle cry, but stopped once Haku appeared before him.
"Wait. Let me handle him for a moment. You have to get Naruto out of the dome and heal him," Haku planned with the disguised Bijuu. Kurama grit his teeth, but nodded. Haku phased back into the mirror, all of her reflections showing up at once. "Why would you stab your teammate like that?"
"That idiot's always in the way. Always taking charge and thinking he's better than us! Well he isn't! I'm stronger than him, but I haven't gotten the chance to prove it since he likes to show off!" Sasuke replied. "But not anymore! Whether he's paralyzed or dead, he won't be in the way of me, Sasuke Uchiha!"
Haku brought out four senbon. "Those were a very poor choice of words." Before Sasuke knew it, a senbon sliced across his chest. He felt a slight stinging pain and looked to find out where the cut was. His eyes widened at seeing this.
'I didn't even see them fly past me!' He thought, but before he could think more of it, his whole body stung with pain. Haku flew out of the mirror and socked Sasuke's face. He flew back and hit one of Haku's mirrors, bouncing off of it, but then got kneed in the stomach. The fake hunter-nin pushed Sasuke back against the mirror before making the hand seal again.
"Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals: Frozen Land!" Haku shouted. The mirror behind Sasuke began glowing and Haku shoved him inside. Sasuke could be seen inside the mirror, looking around confused.
All that Sasuke could see was the mirror in front of him, reflecting what was outside, but on the inside it was an icy white. He saw as Haku walked away and entered one of her mirrors.
Kurama successfully got Naruto out and brought him over to where the others were. Kakashi ran over to Naruto and Kurama to try and attend to him. Kurama looked distraught as he saw more blood spilling out from the corners of his Jinchuuriki's mouth and his unmoving eyes.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Kurama quietly cursed as he began taking off Naruto's jacket and shirt. Kakashi crouched down and helped while the others stayed a distance away from them.
"That damn Uchiha kid… can't get his head out of his own ass, I can't believe he's do this…" Zabuza said as he looked at the bleeding blonde and shook his head.
"Whaddya mean? Sasuke clearly stated why he did what he did! Naruto deserved it!" Sakura defended her love. Zabuza whipped his head at the pinkette while Kurama flinched and stopped moving. Kakashi noticed this, and looked up to see his wide eyes.
"Kurama… calm down…" Kakashi lowly spoke to the disguised fox. The fox looked up at Sakura.
"Are you kidding me?! Naruto deserved it?! He deserved to get stabbed by his own teammate?!" Kurama grilled the girl, making her flinch. He instantly stood up which made Kakashi stand up. "GRAH! You and that Uchiha jackass make me so mad! You're always ridiculing and talking shit to Naruto, but he's the only one that actually does something out of you three! Just by that, Sasuke should've been the one to get stabbed, but no! His pride is in the way and look at where it got him, he's getting his ass handed to him by that hunter-nin girl! Sasuke always thinks he's better than everyone when he actually isn't! And then you blindly follow him because you're too much of a fan girl, and won't get off of his dick for maybe a second and realize that what he says is wrong and he's full of shit! No, instead, you hope to get his attention which will never happen because he doesn't care about you at all! All he cares about is killing his brother and wouldn't care if you died or disappeared, that'd just be one less nuisance out of his life! You're so lucky to have Naruto on your team but yet you take that for granted and hate him for what?! What did he ever do to you for you to act like this to him?! Fuck! You're extremely lucky that Naruto has a good heart, or else I'd kill you in a heartbeat for what you did to him!" Kurama ranted. He took deep breaths to try and calm himself down while everyone looked at him. Sakura looked to be on the verge of tears while everyone was shocked at the outburst.
"Sakura, I'd advise you not to speak at all for the time being," Kakashi told her pink genin. "K, let's quickly tend to Naruto's wounds before he actually dies."
More ice mirrors began forming where Sasuke was and he looked around confused. Haku flew out of one of the mirrors without warning and struck Sasuke before going back into one. The Uchiha could barely see it, and once again got struck. He continued to get hit, growing angrier and angrier by the second, but couldn't do anything about it.
Haku was launched from one of her mirrors and punched Sasuke in the face. The Uchiha stumbled back before Haku made the
Dog → Horse → Bird hand seals and gathered chakra in her stomach.
"Wind Release: Breakthrough." Haku blew out a gust of wind and made Sasuke shoot out of the mirror and back onto the bridge. Sasuke tried to get up, but due to the cuts and the amount of damage he took, couldn't.
Haku appeared on the ice mirror Sasuke was shot out of. "Where's that 'Uchiha prowess' that I'm oh-so afraid of, Sasuke?"
The raven-haired boy grit his teeth as he looked at the mirror. "Shut up! You have to hide behind a mask because you're too afraid to show us your face! I don't wanna hear it from you!"
"What about your sensei? He hides behind a mask, does he not?" Haku mentioned as she jolted her head to where Kakashi was. "And you're too afraid of your teammate being better than you so you had to hurt him and endanger his career as a ninja, who does that to their own comrade?"
"Like I said before he was in the way! All he does is show off, were you not listening?!"
"And all you do is brag about how great you are, yet I haven't seen how. Do you not listen to yourself?" Haku riposted. "If you want to show how great you are, then you take the lead and do something. I bet that Naruto only takes the lead because he's quick on his feet to act, unlike you. If you hesitate, that'll get you killed, which he knows." Haku took out three senbon and slowly walked towards Sasuke. "And you cannot be forgiven for stabbing him in the back."
"You can't be serious right now! Are you really standing up for that loser?" Sasuke grilled. "You shouldn't even be wasting your breath, Naruto couldn't even do anything right back then. He was a dobe and no one wanted to even associate with him! He was rightfully shunned for being how he was!"
Underneath Haku's mask, she lowered at the Uchiha. How could he speak so disrespectfully to his teammate like that? She wanted to either silence him, or kill him… or why not both?
Haku's crystal mirrors slowly formed into large icicles, ready to impale Sasuke. But before she could do anything, two red eyes appeared behind the Uchiha and a fist was raised above his head.
Before the raven-haired genin knew it, he was slammed into the ground. The onlookers were stunned to see Sasuke's body get slammed. The figure stomped on the ground and a piece of the bridge under Sasuke shot up, hitting him in his stomach and making the Uchiha airborne.
Kakashi looked back to see that Naruto was gone and assumed he was the one that was attacking Sasuke. When Kakashi looked back, he saw Naruto side hammer Sasuke off of the bridge.
"S-SASUKE!" Sakura cried out as she watched the Uchiha fall into the ocean. "N-NARUTO! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
The whiskered blonde cracked his neck as he ignored the pinkette. "Sorry, Haku, where were we?" He opened his eyes and they were still red.
"I'm glad to know you're still alive," Haku expressed as she bowed.
"I can't be goin' down that easily, now can I? Especially from a teme like Sasuke, ya know?" Naruto asked as he crossed his arms and smirked.
Haku giggled as she put a hand to her mask. "No, you can't, that would be no fun." She took off her mask and threw it away.
Naruto smiled at seeing her face. "We're getting serious now?"
"This won't be like the time in the woods, you're not gonna be surprising me."
Naruto smirked as he got in a fighting stance. "We'll see about that."
Naruto rushed Haku and the girl waited for him to attack. Naruto struck first with a jab that Haku easily blocked. The hunter-nin shoved his fist away and punched his stomach before kicking him back. Naruto quickly brought out six shurikens and threw them at her. Haku easily deflected the projectiles.
"Is that all you can do, Naruto? I expected more," Haku said, a bit disappointed. Naruto only smirked as six puffs of smoke appeared where the shurikens were and they were all clones of him.
Haku was shocked for a moment as the clones began making the Tiger → Ox → Dog → Rabbit → Snake hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great-" The Narutos all shouted the technique name as Haku got ready to avoid it, but then stopped themselves with smirks.
"Wind Release: Air Bullets!" Haku looked at the Naruto in the back as he blew out three bullets of air. Haku was about to move, but then the clone's jumped on her, preventing her from moving.
She struggled against them, and in a desperate attempt to escape, slammed the water with her sandal.
"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!" She quickly called out. The water swiftly turned into needles and precisely impaled the clones that were stuck on her. After they disappeared in a puff of smoke, Haku briskly avoided the air bullets that were aimed at her.
The fake hunter-nin rushed the whiskered genin and took out six senbon before throwing them Naruto's way. The blonde responded by taking out a kunai and deflecting the senbon before rushing Haku. The two of them quickly engaged in a close quarters match before Haku dearmed the blonde of his kunai. In a fluid motion, Naruto split his legs apart and planted his hand on the ground before swinging his legs around in a low sweep. Haku jumped back which allowed Naruto to place his hand over his right shoulder. A faint blue glow could be seen under his clothes as a tanbo emerged from it. Naruto grabbed the specially made weapon and got back on his feet before pressing his left pec and got a second one out.
"Are those… tanbo?" Haku guessed. Naruto smiled and nodded.
"They're specially made for me," he added as he spun them. "Now I'm starting to get a little more serious."
Haku brought out five more senbon and got in an offensive position. "Let's see if that's the case."
Zabuza looked at the cycloptic jounin. "Heh, seems like our brats are having fun. Let's fight, Kakashi."
The Leaf jounin responded by taking out a kunai and lifting up his hitai-ate. "Sure thing." The demon rushed Kakashi and forced him back, away from the others that watched. Kurama smiled as he saw Naruto and Haku fighting.
Haku made the Tiger hand seal with one hand as the water near Naruto rose up and into the air.
'This doesn't look like the dome Haku made,' Naruto postulated as he watched the water. The water began making ice mirrors in the air while three were being formed behind the girl. Naruto narrowed his eyes, trying to guess what she was planning.
Naruto threw both of his tanbo in the air and quickly made the Snake → Ram → Boar → Horse → Bird hand seals.
As the tanbos came down, he clapped his hands. "Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Naruto pushed his hands forward, sending the tanbo to fly straight towards Haku. The girl simply dodged the tanbo and they bounced off of her mirror. Naruto furrowed his brow before disappearing from his spot. Haku's eyes widened before she turned around and saw the blonde with both tanbo in hand, standing on her mirror. He quickly pushed off of the mirror and struck Haku's face. The girl flew back and rolled before recovering, only for Naruto to be on her again. He quickly began striking and she dodged the tanbo but got hit in the stomach with a quick jab.
Haku stumbled back and Naruto threw his tanbo at her. She jumped in the air and morphed into one of her mirrors. Naruto quickly appeared where his tanbo was and caught it before looking at the mirrors Haku disappeared into. Soon, the mirrors above Naruto all had the girl's reflection.
"Senbon Needle Storm!" The Hakus shouted as they all threw senbon at the blonde. He didn't have enough time to react as he got cut up by the needles. Haku dropped down from a mirror and landed behind the blonde before kicking his back. Naruto stumbled forward, but once he turned around Haku began rapidly striking his stomach and face. She went for a right hook, but Naruto deflected it and punched her chest with his right fist. Haku stumbled back and grabbed her chest, but then Naruto swept her legs and elbowed her stomach.
Haku fell to the ground and coughed up saliva and a bit of blood. She rolled on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Naruto walked up to her and was about to subdue her, when she flicked her wrist at him.
"Water Release: Archerfish!" The water next to her shot up and sprayed Naruto, making him stumble back. She used this opportunity to get up and rush him. Haku jumped in the air and went for a spin kick, but only kicked the air when Naruto wasn't there. She landed and looked behind her to see a tanbo coming her way. The girl didn't have enough time and got hit by it. The tanbo ricocheted up and Naruto appeared there, before slamming his tanbo down at Haku. The girl hit the ground, then Naruto fell on top of her, subduing her.
Naruto put a hand to her throat and looked at the beautiful girl below him, trying to catch his breath. Haku was also trying to catch her breath.
The whiskered blonde smiled at the raven-haired girl. "Admit defeat, Haku," Naruto demanded.
"Or what, you're gonna choke me? Isn't that a bit kinky for you?" Haku jokingly asked with a smirk.
"Who knows, you might be into that," Naruto countered with a shrug. Haku's eyes slightly widened as she blushed.
"I-I'm not!" She defended herself with a pout.
"We can test that right now," Naruto said as he moved his fingers to a certain spot.
"W-What are you doing?!" The girl asked. Naruto grinned before laughing and removing his hand from there.
"You try to tease me and you get teased back," Naruto stated as his grin turned into a smirk.
"Psh, I can see that." Haku crossed her arms and looked away. "When'd you even learn to say things like that?"
Naruto looked up at the sky. "I've had a lot of time to think about some things."
Haku looked at him from the corner of her eye and saw that he was already looking at her. "What, something wrong?"
"Nope, just staring at a beautiful girl is all," Naruto responded. Haku's blush deepened and she further pouted, making Naruto laugh.
Unknown to them, Kakashi and Zabuza were still fighting, but were nearing the end of it. Zabuza was being held down by a pack of ninken. The mist was finally clearing up slowly.
"I think it's time we end this battle, Zabuza," Kakashi stated as he began making the Ox → Rabbit → Monkey hand seals. A circle made of chakra formed around Kakashi before it all shot up and collected into his hand, transforming into lightning chakra. He held it down as the circle and lightning grew more fierce. "Lightning Cutter!"
'His chakra's so strong it's visible!' Zabuza noticed with wide eyes.
"I won't allow you to kill Tazuna. He's a brave man with a noble dream. The bridge he's building is the hope of this land and all its people. You're like a disease, by attacking one, you infect all. But you don't care. That is not the way of the shinobi," Kakashi lectured as he looked at the missing-nin.
"You're right, I don't care! These useless little people and their petty little dreams. Why should they matter to me?" Zabuza asked, staring hard at the cycloptic jounin. "I have a dream of my own, you know."
The ball of lightning resting in Kakashi's hand grew more vigorous. "But to have a dream you need to have a future, something you don't have. It's all used up, Zabuza."
Haku's eyes widened as she felt like something was off and she needed to go to Zabuza. "Oh no, I need to go."
Naruto looked at her questioningly. "Hm? Whaddya mean?"
"Zabuza's in danger and I have to go! Now!" Haku declared as she tucked in her legs and forcefully kicked Naruto off. The whiskered blonde flew back before hitting the ground. He quickly picked himself up to see Haku running away and towards Kakashi and Zabuza. Thanks to the mist clearing, Naruto could see Kakashi running at a trapped Zabuza Momochi, ready to kill him.
'No!' Naruto thought as he made the Tiger hand seal. The whiskered blonde appeared in front of Haku, surprising the girl, before kneeing her in the stomach. The girl curled over and coughed up saliva, but the blonde didn't have enough time to apologize. He quickly whipped around and made the same hand seal.
Kakashi launched his arm forward, but something got in the way at the last second and blocked him from completing his thrust. Both jounin's eyes widened to see Naruto standing in between them, blocking Kakashi's Lightning Cutter with his right arm. A gust of wind blew out from their position, clearing some of the mist.
"Don't… kill Zabuza, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto told his jounin with a smirk. Kurama watched from the sides with a smirk as well.
"You're too soft, Naruto!" The disguised fox shouted. Naruto whipped his head at his Bijuu.
"Oh quiet! You didn't even do anything!" He countered.
"I think standing here and protecting the bridge builder is doing quite a lot actually," Kurama riposted as he crossed his arms.
Naruto grit his teeth. "Stupid fox…"
"N-Naruto… h-how are you…" Kakashi stuttered, trying to understand how Naruto's arm wasn't bleeding or torn off.
"We can talk about this later, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto responded.
"So… my future's run out, huh? Funny you say that," Zabuza mentioned as Kakashi's ninken disappeared one by one in puffs of smoke. He grabbed his Kubikiribocho and swung, only for Naruto to grab the blade with his right hand.
"W-What?! How are you grabbing my blade?!" Zabuza asked.
"Unfortunately, we don't have time for that," Naruto answered as he looked to his left. The cycloptic jounin and missing-nin both followed where he was looking and saw a short man with a bunch of other figures walking through the light mist. Once they got into view, Zabuza scowled.
"Huh, the bridge builder is still alive? What a real shame. I expected you to kill him quicker, but it seems you really couldn't do such a simple job," the short man spoke with an evil smile.
"Gato…" Zabuza spoke. Naruto looked up at the missing-non, then at Gato.
'That's Gato?' Naruto asked as he cocked an eyebrow at the short man.
"What the hell are you doing here? And who are those thugs that you brought with you?" Zabuza quizzed.
"Well, ya see, there's been a slight change in plans. According to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge, Zabuza," Gato answered.
"What…?"
"That's right, you're too expensive, so I've decided to take you out the payroll. Of course, even these thugs I brought with me cost somethin', so if you'd manage to slaughter a few of them before they take you down, I'd appreciate it," the man expanded his answer. "Think you can manage that, 'Demon of the Mist?'"
"Well, well, Kakashi, it would seem our fight is at an end," Zabuza brought up. "Since I am no longer in Gato's deploy, Tazuna's safe, we have no quarrel."
"I suppose you're right," Kakashi agreed as he retracted his hand. Gato walked up to the still-recovering Haku and stood behind her.
"Hey, remember when you nearly broke my arm? Well here's payback!" Gato swung his cane back, and was about to hit Haku, but Naruto came in and elbowed his face. "GAH!" The businessman stumbled back and covered his bleeding nose, most likely broken.
Haku looked up at Naruto in amazement. "T-Thank you, Naruto…"
"Don't mention it," Naruto waved off as he scowled at Gato. The short man retreated behind his wall of thugs.
"Get them!" He commanded. The thugs all readied their weapons before sending out a battle cry and rushing in.
"Hey, Zabuza!" Naruto shouted, getting the missing-nin's attention. "How about me and my clone get rid of these thugs for you, and you go after Gato?"
Zabuza was caught off guard by the proposal, but quickly shook it off. "I like the sound of that, brat!"
Kurama appeared next to Naruto and cracked his neck. "Are you sure you're ready to kill people, Kit?"
Naruto looked at Kurama puzzled. "Kill people? Whaddya mean?"
"I mean we have to kill these thugs," Kurama made clear as he glanced at Naruto.
'Kill?' Naruto asked himself as his eyes widened. Then he remembered his fight with Mizuki. He killed the traitor chuunin without a second thought. 'W-Why am I thinking about this now? I already killed him, so why am I hesitating?!'
"Kit, you better think of an answer, because these thugs are getting closer," Kurama informed.
Naruto took a deep breath before slapping himself. 'Get yourself together, Naruto! Killing is a part of being a shinobi! You have to kill to protect your village and the others you care about! You can't let these thugs off with just hurting them, or else they'll kill others and that's worse!' After Naruto lectured himself, he shook his head and made the Dog hand seal.
"I'm ready, Kurama," Naruto apprised, staring down the group of thugs making their way towards them. Kurama smirked as he too made the Dog hand seal.
"Are we going with my transformation?" The disguised Bijuu asked.
"Yeah, but let's make it to a smaller scale, we don't wanna destroy the bridge with our weight, ya know," Naruto confirmed with a head nod.
"Fine by me."
"Reverse Fox Hunt!" Both Naruto and Kurama shouted. A puff of smoke appeared where the two were and once it was gone, revealed some things that shocked everyone.
Two smaller versions of the Kyuubi were sitting there, tails moving freely. The one on the left was yellow and had a tuff of spiky fur on his head. He also had blue eyes with black slits instead of red eyes like the Kyuubi beside him. They were about as tall as Kakashi.
The thugs stopped in their place, fear making them unable to move. Gato was also one of the people that couldn't move.
Kakashi's eye was widened, not knowing that Naruto could do this. Zabuza was also surprised. He'd heard about the Kyuubi, but never had he seen it in person, or, two for that matter and neither did Haku. Sakura was shaking as she could feel how powerful Kurama and Naruto were.
'W-What is this…?' She asked herself. Not even her Inner Sakura could say anything.
"Alright, let's get this over with," the yellow one said as he got up and crouched.
"Don't screw it up, Kit," the orange one fired as he crouched too and smirked. Naruto sent a glare his way before taking off. Kurama also took off.
Naruto let out a battle roar before jumping in the air and slashing down on two thugs. Once he landed, he dashed into the crowd and began slicing up the thugs in quick succession. Kurama was also doing the same thing, but one thug tried to stab him with a sword. Kurama used one of his tails to wrap it around the thug and heave him up into the air before throwing him hard into the ground, crushing his bones.
Naruto flipped over an attempted slash and while still airborne, twisted his body before grabbing the sides of the thug's head. He planted his feet on the thugs back and pulled hard, ripping his head off. Naruto used the momentum to do a backflip and placed the head in his mouth. He quickly made the Tiger → Ox → Dog → Rabbit → Snake hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" He puffed his cheeks out before breathing out wind. The wind and the severed head flew forward and went straight through the chest of a thug, before getting lodged in the chest of another. The yellow Bijuu landed and instantly spreaded his tails out, grabbing six thugs with them. He threw them up in the air before making the Rat → Ox → Dog → Horse → Monkey → Boar → Tiger hand seals and converting his chakra to fire.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!" He blew out a massive stream of intense flames at the thugs in the air. They couldn't escape from the fire and burned intensely to crisps. Naruto stopped and turned his head to look at the other thugs. They all began slowly taking a step back, not wanting to fight a Kyuubi.
Kurama began slicing up the thugs and bit one's neck. He tore off a piece and spit it out, letting the man try to save himself before it was too late. The Kyuubi bent backwards onto his hands to avoid a slash and began rapidly striking the thug with his tails.
The thug couldn't defend himself against the tail strikes and stumbled backwards before his neck was being choked by one of the tails. The Bijuu squeezed hard and snapped his neck before throwing him into the previous thug that was covering his neck. The Bijuu soon realized he was surrounded by more of them.
"Let's get him!" One of them shouted and they all shouted in agreement before rushing the fox. Kurama smirked as he stabbed his different tail into the ground. His sclera of his right eye was black and his iris was yellow. His pupil was a black, four-pointed star with four black dots around it.
"Magnetic Binding Trap Field!" Kurama called out. A dark blue circle formed at the Bijuu's feet and stretched out. Seals were on the circle and they activated, making the thugs that were in the circle stop in place as the seals began crawling up their body. Kurama looked around himself before getting an idea.
The Kyuubi made the Hare → Dragon → Horse → Snake hand seals. "Lightning Release: Instant Transmission!" Dark clouds rolled in above Kurama before a bolt of lightning shot down and struck the Bijuu. The lightning traveled through him and onto the circle before it spread across the entire thing and began electrocuting the trapped thugs. He pressed harder and the lighting increased. The screams of the thugs soon went silent as they got fried. Kurama released both techniques and the thugs dropped to the floor, smoke coming off of the bodies.
Naruto looked at one of the thugs. "Magnet Release: Human Field!" The thug began feeling weird as Naruto focused on him. It felt like his body parts were shifting in different directions.
The yellow Bijuu then made the Bird → Snake → Bird hand seals. "Magnet Release: Wind Release Wind Magnet!" Naruto blew out a bullet of air at the thug and he got hit by it. Now the thug felt as if there was rushing wind surrounding him.
"Come on, you pansies! Rush him!" A thug yelled out. The others cried out and rushed Naruto. The yellow Bijuu looked above the thugs and quickly opened his hand up.
"Wind Release: Tatsumakigan!" A ball of wind more intense than Naruto's Vortex Ball formed in his hands. He threw the ball over the thugs that were charging him and they stopped to watch the ball of wind. The ball curved and went for the thug in the back. Once it connected, it exploded in a burst of sharp winds, cutting up the thug. He screamed in pain, but couldn't do anything about it.
The thugs looked back, only to see the yellow Kyuubi charging at them. They all screamed in fear and tried to turn around, but it was too late.
"Great Sickle Weasel Technique!" Naruto used his nine tails and blasted forth many currents of powerful wind. The fleeing thugs got caught in the currents and were being cut up quickly. The cuts were on a much larger scale than the Tatsumakigan, but soon the thugs' necks were slit by the wind and they couldn't move to cover them.
The currents died down, dropping the many thugs' bodies as blood seeped out of their necks.
Naruto and Kurama both looked to see only a handful of thugs left and Gato cowering behind them. Kurama scowled before disappearing and reappearing behind Gato. He grabbed the short man with one of his tails and jumped in the air.
"Zabuza!" Kurama called out to the missing-nin as he threw Gato.
The ex-Kirigakure ninja readied his blade and swung as the tycoon was close, slicing the short man in half. Gato's two halves landed and rolled before stopping.
Naruto looked at Gato's split body before transforming back to himself. Kurama appeared next to the whiskered blonde and transformed into his clone form. The blonde looked at his bloody hands and the taste of blood was in his mouth.
"Spit it out, Kit," Kurama said. Naruto spit out the blood, then continued to look at his hands in a sorrowful manner. "It had to be done, Naruto. You couldn't have let those thugs live, or else they'd do far worse than try and kill that bridge builder."
"I… killed… so many people… I even ripped one's head off…" Naruto recalled. "W-Why am I thinking about this now…? I already killed Mizuki back then and didn't think much of it… so why now…?"
"Because you were angry. Back then, you were angry at Mizuki for trying to trick you and tell you the same thing you've heard for years. That anger clouded your sense of reasoning and instead of sparing him, killed him. Right now, you're in a right sense of mind and know that having to kill is wrong," Kurama responded. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "But know this, Kit. Killing to protect is different from murdering. If you kill for your village to make it a safer place and to keep the people safe, it's okay. It's hard having to kill someone for the first time, but you'll get over it and realize you did the right thing."
Naruto continued to look at his hands before clenching them. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks, Kurama."
"Anytime, Kit."
"H-Hey! Yoo-hoo!" A voice shouted. Everyone looked to see some of the thugs still there. "D-Don't go getting too comfortable!"
"T-This party ain't over yet!" One added, fear laced in his voice. "W-Who's gonna p-pay us now that Gato's gone?"
"N-No way we're gonna leave here empty-handed. S-So we'll just have to hit that village and see what they've got for us," the one in front said. The other thugs began agreeing with him. "Get 'em boys!"
The thugs rushed forward and Kurama and Naruto were ready to attack. But then out of nowhere, an arrow came flying through and landed in front of the group, making them stop. Everyone looked behind themselves and saw the whole village on the bridge with Inari in front, crossbow in hand and ready to fight.
"There's one thing you're forgetting about!" A villager shouted. "Before you set foot in our village, you'll have to go through all of us!" The other villagers shouted in agreement, raising their weapons.
Naruto smiled as he saw Inari. "Inari!"
Inari wiped his nose with a grin. "I stopped being a coward and manned up like you told me to, Naruto!"
Tazuna looked at the villagers and began tearing up. "They've all come… the whole village…"
Naruto looked at Kurama and he looked back. They both turned around at the thugs and made the clone seal.
"Shadow Clone Technique!" They both shouted as many puffs of smoke appeared next to them. Four Narutos and Kuramas were made next to their original. The thugs backed up at seeing this.
"S-S-Some dumb clones aren't gonna scare us!" The middle one shouted, trying not to sound more scared than he already was. Naruto and Kurama both cocked an eyebrow with smirks before making the same seal again. Even more clones popped up that were about as equal as the villagers that came on the bridge.
"Still wanna fight?" Naruto asked as his smile turned into a grin.
The villagers turned around and fled. "Yeah right! You're outta your mind if you think we'd fight you!" In a desperate attempt to escape, the thugs all jumped off the bridge and onto a boat. Some of them just jumped into the water, as long as they were away from the bridge they didn't care.
"Victory!" Inari shouted, ruling up the villagers as they cheered. It was like a large party on the bridge.
Zabuza looked at the villagers celebrating. He crossed his arms as he sighed. "It's finally over, huh?"
"Sure is," Naruto responded with a smirk. The missing-nin looked up at the genin to see him supporting Haku up. Zabuza looked at Haku and saw the girl faintly blushing while looking away.
'So it seems Haku's got a little crush, huh?' The jounin asked himself before sighing again.
"I wish we could've fought, but seeing as how you… did that, I don't think I would've stood a chance," Zabuza realized, looking at the whiskered blonde.
"Oh… uh, well, I mean, the transforming part's really meant for larger groups. I would've never used it on you," Naruto told with a nervous smirk.
"Oh, that was shocking, yes, but what else was shocking was you blocking Kakashi's Lightning Cutter without taking any damage and grabbing my Kubikiribocho without bleeding," Zabuza brought up. "How the hell'd you manage to do that?"
Naruto's eyes widened. He didn't even know himself how he blocked it, he just put his arm up instinctively. "Oh… um… I… uh…-"
"It was a secret technique!" Kurama quickly answered for Naruto as he appeared on the blonde's left.
"What kind?" Zabuza asked as he looked at the clone.
"One that reinforces a body part depending how much chakra you use for it," Kurama explained.
"Huh, I see… but that doesn't explain the blade-catching."
"I uh… I'm really experienced with catching blades…?" Naruto lied with wide eyes.
Zabuza raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Kid… you're bad at lying… but it's fine, you don't have to tell me everything." Naruto nodded, then remembered something.
"Kurama, hold Haku for a second," Naruto said. Kurama supported the girl before the blonde ran towards the side of the bridge.
"What's he doing?" Haku asked as she turned to look at Naruto. Before she got a response, Naruto stylishly jumped off the bridge.
"W-NARUTO!" Haku shouted. She tried to move, but Kurama wouldn't let her. "What's he doing?!"
"Receiving the Uchiha brat," Kurama answered. Haku breathed a sigh of relief. Kakashi looked at Sakura to see her standing away from everyone, unusually quiet.
'Hopefully she learns her lesson, and the same goes for Sasuke too,' the Leaf jounin thought as he sighed. He walked up to Zabuza and crossed his arms.
"So, what's your plan now?" Kakashi asked the missing-nin.
Zabuza sighed, hoping to not answer this question. He closed his eyes before opening them and looking at the cycloptic jounin. "I don't know. My original goal was to kill the Mizukage and change the way he worked the village… but I'm starting to think that it won't work the way I intend it to."
Kakashi put a hand to his chin in thought. "I think you should explore the world, ya know? See what other places have to see and whatnot."
"Eh, I'm not really an adventurer type of person, also, I don't think most people would accept the Demon of the Mist wandering around in their land," Zabuza pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right about that," Kakashi agreed.
"I'll most likely go back to Kiri and give myself up," Zabuza suggested.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the missing-nin. "Give yourself up? Why would you do that?"
"Because it's the only thing I feel like doing. I can't fight the Yondaime Mizukage myself, nor would I have the support to do it either. I'll just return to my village and give myself up, maybe then I can figure out what to do," Zabuza explained as he looked at the villagers.
"Well, if that's what you wanna do, I won't stop you," the cycloptic jounin said. "But what about Haku?"
The ex-Kirigakure ninja looked at his pupil. The girl was staring out over the bridge, mostly waiting for the blonde to get back. "Haku."
The girl turned her head and looked at her master. "Yes, Zabuza?"
"What do you want to do?" Zabuza asked.
Haku was caught off guard by this question. "Um… what do you mean, Zabuza?"
"Now that this is all over, what do you want to do?" Zabuza asked again.
"Whatever you want to do," the girl responded with a smile. Zabuza slightly narrowed his eyes, he should've expected this answer.
"Haku, I'm asking what you want to do."
"Yes, I know, but it's whatever you want to do that I'll follow."
Zabuza silently sighed before looking at the villagers again. He saw the whiskered blonde carrying the raven-haired Uchiha over his shoulder. The boy dropped the Uchiha near the pinkette and made his way over to them.
"Is Sasuke okay?" Kakashi asked his genin once he was close.
"The teme will be fine, probably," Naruto responded. The Leaf jounin looked at the blonde before shaking his head. Naruto walked past Kakashi and Zabuza and carried Haku. Kurama let go before dispelling in a puff of smoke.
"So what now, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked his captain.
"We still have to oversee Tazuna finish building the bridge, so we'll stay until he's done, then we'll go back to Konoha," Kakashi answered.
Naruto nodded before looking at the Mist jounin. "What about you Zabuza, what are you and Haku gonna do?"
Zabuza stared at the blonde for a moment before looking somewhere else. He was thinking hard on that question and deciding what to do. A few moments passed before he looked at Haku.
"Haku, you're going to Konohagakure," Zabuza said. This surprised Kakashi, Naruto, and Haku.
"W-What? Wait, why am I going to Konohagakure? What about you?" Haku quizzed with a worried look.
"I'm turning myself in. I need a couple years to decide what I really wanna do with my life. You on the other hand, still have a full life ahead of you and I don't want you to spend most of it in prison with me," Zabuza replied to the questions.
"But-"
"This is what I want to do, Haku. You said you'd do whatever I want to do, right?" Zabuza pointed out as he crossed his arms.
"Y-Yes…" the girl responded.
"Are you sure, Zabuza?" Naruto asked. Zabuza nodded.
"I'm positive, kid," the Mist jounin assured. "Also, I have something to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"Promise you'll take good care of Haku."
Naruto looked at the man for a moment before smirking. "I promise I'll keep Haku safe, believe it!" Naruto put his fist up and gave a thumbs up. Zabuza smirked underneath his bandages before putting a fist up and bumping it with Naruto.
"If I find out Haku isn't safe, I'll kill you," Zabuza added. Naruto lost his smirk to a shaky smile and nervously chuckled.
"Eheheh… got it…!"
Zabuza retracted his fist. "Anyways, I should get going now. Don't wanna overstay my welcome." He turned around to the unfinished part of the bridge before looking over his shoulder at Haku. "Hey, Haku, make some decisions yourself, okay? And be the best you can be."
"Wait, Zabuza!" Naruto shouted.
"What is it, brat?"
"If we meet each other in the future, let's fight again!"
Zabuza stared at the boy before closing his eyes. He pulled down his bandages and had a grin on his face. "Yeah, let's fight again someday."
The small group watched as Zabuza walked to the unfinished part of the bridge and jumped off. Naruto looked at the part for a minute before smiling. He then looked at Haku and saw the longing look she had on her face.
"Hey, he'll be fine. He's a strong shinobi," Naruto whispered to Haku.
She looked at Naruto and nodded. "I hope you're right."
"Oh come on, you have to have more faith in him then that. He was your mentor and all! You should know how strong he is!" Naruto brought up.
Haku stared into the whiskered blonde's eyes for a minute before having to look away. "Y-You're right, I shouldn't be doubting him."
Naruto smirked before turning around to his sensei. "Kakashi-sensei! Let's return to Tazuna's house. We need a break!"
Kakashi looked at his blonde genin before nodding his head. "You're right, we all need a break."