And welcome back to another chapter, ladies and gentlemen. Today's chapter starts the Daybreak arc, and don't worry, this one is going to be greatly different. Mostly in terms of the plot. To make up for the sudden change of schedule for the third chapter (I was sick for a little bit. Feeling better now, but during that weekend, it was pretty annoying), I am now posting the entire Daybreak arc setting in one weekend.

Hinata: How are you going to change it?

Just wait and see. And (spoilers for Fairy Tail) Hinata will not be wearing the maid outfit. I explain after the end of the chapter.

Shikamaru: This is going to be a long intro isn't it? What a drag.

Shut up and get back to cloud-watching.

Shikamaru: No need to tell me twice.

Also, apologies for the many updates you've been seeing regarding the previous chapters. I've been noticing some grammar errors and stuff I have been forgetting, so this is a way to clear up some issues. I'll admit that I went overboard, and I am currently trying my best to improve on it. Hopefully, that hasn't affected your opinion of the story so far. Still new to the whole writing fanfiction.

Kakuzu: You don't exactly do a good job hiding it.

Sasori: That we can agree on.

You and me both.

Thank you to marceloroescobar for following and favoriting this fanfic. Glad you like it and I hope you continue to do so. Additional thanks goes to skyjadeprincess for following this fic.

Alright then Hinata, will you do the honors?

Hinata: Yes. SmashBro25 doesn't own the rights to Fairy Tail and Naruto. Those go to their respective authors, Hiro Mashima and Masashi Kishimoto.

Alright, on with the Daybreak arc.


Chapter 4: My First Mission

The sun shone ever so brightly through the large window of a house. That was all it took to awaken Hinata Heartfilia, who was busy shielding her eyes from the glare. She stretched her arms to get herself fully awake. While she got up from her bed, she thought about the circumstances that led to her current lot in life.

My name is Hinata Heartfilia, she narrated to herself. I am a Gentle Step Shinken ninja mage, the Kekkei Genkai of my family, and a current member of the famous Fox Tail guild of the kingdom of Konoha. If you remove the Hyuga cathedral, the tallest building in the kingdom, you could see the guild building itself.

She walked around the hallways, seeing her friends doing various activities in their respective rooms. Sasori was working on his puppets, while Mu was busy cleaning his bandages, secretly cursing about how people referred to him as a mummy. Suigetsu was putting some finishing touches on his dolphin costume with the help of Hotaru. The rest of them were still busy sleeping in their rooms.

Due to the size of the house, as well as the limited amount of money in her pockets, each of them had to share rooms, which could fill two to three people each.

Since my friends are tagging along with me, I managed to find a decently sized house that could fit twelve to thirteen people around Dango Boulevard. If it weren't for everyone pitching in for money, I don't know where I would live. Although comfortable and spacious, the rent left a lot to be desired.

She left to the bathroom, where she was taking a warm shower. Afterwards, she managed to put on her attire. Gray t-shirt, gray shorts, complete with the sweater. As she went into the living room, complete with couches, a TV, and a Nintendo Switch. (This world is more technologically advanced, despite the presence of magic).

Now I managed to have everything I wanted. At least I can have a decent place to think without the fighting brewing over the last few weeks.

"Hey, welcome back!" A certain whiskered blonde shouted, much to Hinata's shock. Suigetsu, Sasori, Pakura, Hotaru, and Mu were sitting with him, presumable waiting for her. He just laid there as if he helped co-own the place. "Thought you were busy or something."

"Naruto!" Hinata yelled. She bopped him in the head (like how Sakura usually does), leaving him bruised and lying there in a different position. "Why are you even in my house?!"

"Well, he did knock like a normal human being," Pakura explained for him, deadpanned at Hinata's reaction.

"You try finding out someone barging in your house for almost no reason whatsoever." Mu responded.

"Hey, don't be like that, you know." Naruto defended himself. "We thought you needed some more help moving in."

"Look at the number of people living here," said Sasori, "I think we can take care of ourselves. And we don't need the help of a potential criminal like yourself."

"Sorry, blondie, but I don't see how you used us as your defense." Karui entered the room, hearing everything in the conversation.

"There seems to be a complete lack of steak in your kitchen." Kurama complained from the same room. "I demand you all to rectify it immediately."

Some of the people present pulled out hair clumps immediately. It was like these two had no remorse for breaking and entering. Well, at least from Hinata's perspective.

Hinata sighed in defeat, "Okay, fine." She straightened herself up soon enough. "If you guys want to help, there should be some leftover items to put in the basement." Then she got angry, "And don't touch that book! I'm not done reading it yet!"

She saw Kurama touch the Lost Magic for Teens book that she bought when they first met. That made the fox more annoyed then he already was.

"It's been a few weeks, you guys still haven't figured out what you want to use, yet?"

"It's not what we want to use," Pakura defended, "There are more spells that we haven't really mastered yet, so we're keeping it just in case we're ready to do so."

"I still say those spells are easy enough to use," Suigetsu added.

"Yeah, sure you do," Mu responded sarcastically.

After a few minutes of dealing with Naruto and Kurama, the former decided to ask her something: "So what is your magic, exactly?"

"Well, it's not exactly magic, more or less just martial arts combined with magic." Hinata answered honestly. "Mine is called Gentle Step Shinken: It allows me to give my arms and legs more speed so that they can hit their target faster. It mostly aims at a person or object's pressure points."

That made Naruto and Kurama more nervous, "Better be careful not to make you mad, then."

"Damn right," she smirked proudly, "But the magic part, the Shinken, is more of an observation type. It allows me to see anything from all around me, kind of like of owl. Even though I don't completely use it that much."

"Really, how come?" He raised his eyebrow.

"There haven't been a lot of situations where I could really use it. Mostly I just see what I need to hit a target, but other than that, I haven't gotten around to the other uses."

"Then you're going to get used to those examples, because you and I are going to form a team!" Naruto shouted with enthusiasm. She just blushed herself red in response.

"Really? You guys are serious?"

"Yeah, we are. We could add some of your friends if we want."

"You have proven to be an acceptable mage," Kurama added, "The situation with Kakashi helped prove that already. That is another reason why we came over."

"Like I said, we can take care of ourselves," Sasori responded for them, "We don't need an experienced mage looking down on us."

"Hey, be nice, will you?" Karui scolded, "It's crap like that why no one at the guild likes you in the first place."

"I'm not here to make friends," he answered, "I'm only here to make a name for myself."

"I have to apologize for him," Hinata told Naruto with a frown, "He acts like that a lot." She started smiling again, "But yeah, I'm willing to work with you two."

"Excellent, already got us a job." He pulled out a mission request sheet for Hinata to read.

"Hmm" Hinata looked closely, "Taki Town. Pay of 2 million Ryo to have our town and the Daybreak treasure protected from an ice-wielding mercenary." She nodded after reading it, "Doesn't sound too bad,"

That was soon to change when she read the rest, "Caution: said mercenary is under the company of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Kingdom of Kiri." She was pissed at the two for the mission, "Are you guys being serious?! You known I'm not ready for missions like these!"

"Consider this more of a practice." Naruto told her, "And we'll bring some more people, just in case."

Hinata seriously began to consider the options. On one hand, she needed the money to pay the rent, and it could be a good sense of experience for her. On the other hand, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are known to be very powerful. She knew she couldn't handle all of them alone.

"Well, I guess the pros outweigh the cons in this case," she said to herself. "Alright, consider it done." The two fist-pumped in the air. "Even though it's a pretty stupid idea."


Meanwhile, nearby Taki Town, eight different people, consisting of seven men and a woman, were standing on a hill overlooking the place. The first person, a man with spiky hair, bandages, and a red grid-marking around his jaw smiled at the peace of the town.

"Can you even believe this?" the man told his comrades, "All that work, and they still won't tell us where the treasure is."

"Have some patience, Juzo." Another male responded, this one with a pointed beard and a topknot. "I'm sure with enough struggle, they'll give it to us of their own free will."

"You always say that, Jinin." Snarked the woman, this one having long, red hair. "What even is this Daybreak treasure? I've spent so much time crushing those civilians that I forgot what it looks like."

"That's because it's an enigma." Said yet another male, with white hair and an appearance similar to Suigetsu. The only difference is that he's taller. "The treasure is something that holds great wealth within this place."

"And with that wealth, we'll have something that would make Master proud of us." Added another male, with fish-like cheeks and six green stripes. "Hell, maybe we could actually make it worth our while."

"Still trying to seek out a challenge, Fuguki?" replied another male with a mask over his face. "If you've been any useful during our attacks, then you know it's pointless. These civilians here are complete cowards."

"Hey, at least he's doing some productive bullshit, Kushimaru," said the penultimate male, this one having a long beard and eyepatch, "He's not the one with the highest body count amongst the eight of us."

"All of you, shut up." Juzo demanded. "I can't think with the arguing going on."

"Price to pay, Commander Juzo." Kushimaru dismissed. "Jinpachi there," he pointed his thumb to the one-eyed male, "wouldn't shut up about how many houses he blew up with his explosion magic."

"That's because explosion magic is the best magic out there." The male, Jinpachi, bragged to the masked person.

"The best of getting the rest of us killed." The woman snarked back. "Be more careful with that next time we attack. Mangetsu and I almost died because of you, Deidara-wannabe."

"Don't call me Deidara," Jinpachi threatened. "Never call me by that name."

"Well, don't act like him." She barked. "Any news on when we begin?"

"Can't say for certain, Ameyuri." Jinin answered the woman. "That depends on when they think everything should be back to normal for them."

"You don't think there will be any more of those ninja guilds after us soon, right?" Fuguki added, "The lot of them have been really making us look bad."

"Please, that should be the least of your worries." Mangetsu assured him. "The last thing I want is join some punks from a weaker Dark Guild."

"You better not be referring to that Thunder Cloud guild, right?" Ameyuri asked him, "I've heard that they're on the run. Ever since that Hyena asshole's been put down by those Fox Tail ones."

"Ahh, Fox Tail," Jinpachi sighed in happiness, "Now there is an actual challenge. I wonder if Master would make them SS-class threats?"

"There haven't been any of those around that guild recently aside from that Plant Mind Ino Yamanaka." Jinin replied, "Titania's on a mission, the Toad Sage's doing god knows what, and the Master's having a hard time controlling everyone else. Sometimes I pity him."

"No, I'm talking more about Giant's Foot." Mangetsu answered Ameyuri. "Those guys are really petty. Can't even watch a sunset without beating the crap out of people."

The final male, a young boy with bun-holders and green haori, as well as a pinstriped outfit underneath, stood silent, ignoring his comrades' banter. Part of him wasn't sure of what to do. Truth be told, he actually felt bad about having to participate. But deep down, he felt as if he didn't have a choice. Even when Juzo and the others took him in when he was at his lowest point.

"Hey, Haku, let's hear your opinion," Kushimaru called out, snapping him out of his thoughts, "Which guild do you think should be a challenge for us?"

The boy, Haku, wondered that to himself. He never had been in a guild, at least not since that day. He gave them the best answer he could possibly think of.

"I can't say," he answered solemnly, "I think that should be something left to interpretation."

"Geez, you're no fun," griped Ameyuri.

"Didn't I tell you all to be quiet?" Juzo yelled at them.

"Ah, sorry boss, we don't get to have these discussions every once in a while." Mangetsu apologized.

"Don't be," he told them, "because I think we found our challenge." This time, he smirked at a carriage just passing by.


The carriage in question, just so happened to have Naruto, Hinata, Kurama, Suigetsu, Mu, Pakura, Hotaru, Karui, and Sasori, all for a team of eight that would match perfectly against the Seven Swordsmen and their mercenary. With the former's status as a jinchuriki in mind, the others paid no heed to his motion sickness and had a conversation of their own. With the exception of the fox, they made their feelings on the mission quite clear to him.

"I can't believe you talked us into this," Hotaru groaned at her predicament.

"I don't mind a bit," Suigetsu added with a smile on his face, "I've heard some rumors about how strong the Seven Swordsmen are. Can't wait to actually fight one of them."

"Forget that," replied Karui, "I wonder what makes this ice-mercenary something to be feared when we have a fire mage."

"Hopefully we have a chance to find that out ourselves," Kurama responded, "as for why your friend talked you all into this, we need as many people as we can get."

"Sure, but we first thought that she was going to be with you and Naruto." Hotaru argued, "We already have our own teams as well."

"Just get used to it," Sasori snapped, although he just did with his monotone, "Teams aren't something that stay the same with every mission. Everyone goes through some changes in the line up depending on the problem."

"Yeah, Sasori's right," Pakura agreed, "Guess adaptation is something you need to work on, Hotaru."

"Yeah, I guess," the blonde girl moped.

"Don't worry about it." Kurama told them. "We'll be there to protect you all if something bad happens."

"Thanks for the comfort," replied Suigetsu, "But I think we can handle this."

At least I won't be looking more ridiculous in front of those seven. He thought to himself. He hated having to wear that costume during the search for Kakashi.

"Don't blame us if they end up being too much to handle," the fox warned them.

"Okay," Mu smiled underneath the bandages, "we'll blame you for picking out this mission in the first place. That seems reasonable enough."

"Ah, go fuck yourself," the fox flipped him off in response. Coincidentally, they manage to reach their destination after the little spat.

Everyone left the carriage, with Naruto exiting last as usual, mostly because he was busy kissing the fresh soil on the ground.

"Get a grip," Kurama told the blonde, "we've only been on that thing for half an hour."

"Who needs details?" Naruto asked him in between smooching the ground, much to Hotaru's delight.

Is he going to be like this every time with transportation? Mu thought to himself, disturbed by the jinchuriki's behavior.

"This is too creepy for my liking." Sasori complained in a complete monotone. "Let's go find someone here."

"The first time we agree on something." Karui answered him as they left the sight in front of them.

Team Naruto looked around the town, hoping to find any sign of life in the place. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be getting that wish anytime soon, since they each bet the could only see the invisible crickets chirping around them.

"Is there even anyone here to help us?" Hinata asked them. 'This place is giving me the creeps."

"Can't say I blame you." Naruto told her, "Missions like these usually don't have ghost towns."

"We know who to thank for that," Mu answered, with everyone knowing full well who, or what, he was referring to.

"Just as long as I get something fun out of it, I'll take the risks." Smirked Suigetsu.

"Then you're going to enjoy this mission." Answered an old man with a gray beard and glasses. He seemed to have a smile on his face, not paying attention to the frightened group in front of him. "I take it you are the hired help I called for."

"That's us, alright." Naruto answered with a proud smile on his face, "I heard you're having problems with certain swordsmen."

"You sure do your research." The man kept smiling, "My name is Mayor Tazuna. And I welcome you all to Taki Town."

"Yeah, yeah, thanks for the welcome," Suigetsu dismissed, "but tell us how we beat up those guys first."

"Straight to the point, aren't we," Tazuna mused, while Karui and Pakura glared at him. "Come along to my office. It's time I explained to you everything."


Afterwards, the group got comfortable in Tazuna's office. There were enough for every one of them to sit in. Most of them lounged in the couches, while Naruto and Hinata were sitting on the chairs facing the mayor himself while Kurama was sitting on Naruto's lap. The unofficial leaders decided to cut to the chase.

"We're more than happy to help you all out, but we need all the info we can get." Stated Hinata. "So let's start with this. What is this Daybreak treasure everyone talks about so much?"

"It's not exactly something to define," Tazuna lowered his eyes, "but I guess I can show you." He held up his hands to reveal a golden book with the word "Daybreak" written on the front cover. He carefully dusted it off with to hand and gently placed it on his desk.

The deadpanned looks showed the gang's reactions already, and if that didn't give Tazuna the hint, the upcoming sentences pretty much gave it away.

"Doesn't sound like much of a treasure to me." Naruto moaned in disappointment.

"Yeah, hyping up a book seems like a bit much." Hinata said, although her mood was gentler than Naruto's.

"No offense taken," the mayor assured them with a smile, "and I can see why." He frowned a little bit, "But take a look at the contents and you'll see why those bastards are after it so much."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Suigetsu asked him from one of the couches, "Aren't you concerned that we might share it with someone else?"

"If I were, I wouldn't ask you to." Tazuna answered. "Don't be shy. I promise it won't bite."

"We'll try to." Kurama complied, a little scared.

"Oh, the big bad fox is scared, huh?" taunted the jinchuriki.

"Just shut up already." He defended himself. He slowly removed the cover but couldn't find anything special. He had to skim through a couple more pages before finally finding what they were looking for.

"So this is it?" The fox gaped in awe of the page he was reading.

"Indeed." Tazuna nodded. "What the fox is seeing here is the legendary and infamous forbidden magic that the magical community has ever seen. The Impurity Magic."

"Impurity Magic?" Naruto repeated the words to make sure he was getting it, "What is it?"

"Magic capable of breaking the natural order of life. Whether it would be summoning demons or resurrections, this book has it all."

"But why make hold it as a natural treasure?" Pakura asked him, "How about just lock it up in a museum or bury it? That should be perfect if you don't want any Dark Ninja getting their hands on it."

"It's not that simple as you think." The mayor explained, "If buried or left unchecked, there are more likely chances that someone like the Swordsmen would get their hands on it." He grimaced as he said the next sentence, "And I'll be damned if I hand it over to the Magic Council. It would be way too tempting for them to abuse its power."

"You make a logical point," Mu piped in, "Now onto our next topic. We know a little bit about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but I have a question about their ward, the ice-mercenary."

"The ice one, huh?" the mayor pondered, "He's a real enigma. In fact, we never even heard that they actually had him except for the more recent attacks. He usually gives us the warning by creating a light amount of snow and surrounds the people with those ice mirrors whenever he shows up."

"I'll handle the ice-boy." Pakura piped in. "Everyone knows that fire and ice won't mix."

"Just as long as I fight a Swordsman, I'll give him to you." Suigetsu responded.

"At least I know that my town is in good and capable hands," Tazuna smiled to himself. "Good luck to you all. There's an inn nearby in which you can stay, and I'll warn you all when they strike again."

"Don't worry about a thing, gramps." Naruto gave him a nice guy pose, complete with smile and thumbs up. "We'll give them hell, you know."

Not exactly the best way to assure him. Hotaru thought in a deadpan manner.

Unbeknownst to them all, a mysterious shape wearing an orange-spiral mask with two eyeholes eavesdropped the whole conversation. And it needed to do was wait for its moment to strike.


On to the villains, Haku and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen continued to stand there, with most of them such as Mangetsu and Jinin relaxing on the tree trunks, while Jinpachi, Ameyuri, and Kushimaru were preparing their swords for their next attacks.

"It looks like our challenge will be ready for us." Fuguki smirked. "And just in time, too."

"Good to see you in high spirits," Jinpachi added, "Can't believe that my wish has true."

"Can't wait to crucify these Fox Tail brats," Kushimaru snickered.

"They'll know that they picked the wrong crew to mess with." Ameyuri grinned.

"Don't underestimate them," Jinin warned them. "I heard that they have a jinchuriki with them."

"Can't say we'll take your word for it," Mangetsu told him. "But a real-life jinchuriki. That's something you don't see every day."

"And they all are ripe for the picking," Juzo mused. He turned to Haku, who was looking down on the ground. "Having doubts already, champ?"

"No, absolutely not, Lord Juzo." He answered him with nervousness in his voice. "I just hope that we succeed this time."

"We will," Jinin assured the boy, "But we have to deal with Fox Tail first."

"Yeah, have some faith in us," Kushimaru told him. "We didn't scare the crap out of this town just for kicks."

"We do it because we have a mission," Mangetsu added, "And we can't deal with any more setbacks."

"I understand," Confidence grew in Haku's voice, as he knew the stakes of what would happen. "I will be careful not to let you down."

"Let's hope not." Jinpachi rolled his eye.

"So when do we make winter come?" Ameyuri asked playfully, aiming her question at Juzo, who just turned back to him and smirked back at her.

"Tomorrow morning." He answered back. "I want to see what exactly Fox Tail is capable of."


It was tomorrow morning in Taki Town as the clouds began to cover the sunny blue skies from above. Naruto and Hinata were the first ones up, with Kurama lying like a dog on one of the beds. The jinchuriki looked up the window and took note of his surroundings.

"Geez, the clouds leave a lot to be desired." Naruto said. "Not doing a good job giving off that first mission feeling for you, eh, Hina?"

"Hina?" Hinata raised an eyebrow, "Well, I guess. I mean I'm not exactly expecting symbolism from this. But I can agree in that it is pretty dreary."

"It's okay," he smiled, "A lot of missions here are like that. Sometimes, it just happens without us even wanting it to. That would be something to note for you."

"Really?" she chuckled. "And what, pray tell, is the lesson I need for the future, oh wise jinchuriki?"

"That as ninja mages, we have to adapt to any circumstance imaginable. One C-rank job could become an S-rank one in matter of seconds." Naruto advised her.

"Oh, really, and were you taught that by getting a mission that you knew was absolutely out of your league?" Hinata yelled in exasperation.

"Yeah, actually I did." The blonde responded, "Very first mission when I joined was actually a B-rank one."

"Must be some interesting times you had to go through," Hinata muttered, just enough for him to hear. Fortunately, the blonde just took it in stride.

"Well, that's ninja guild life. If I'm not busy trying to fend off Sasuke or Jugo, then I'd be doing stuff like this."

She just simply nodded at that statement. Although a more recent member, she had a glimpse of understanding of how hectic guild life can be, particularly inside the buildings. Not helping matters were both Tsunade's and Sasuke's habits, which ended up giving her a feeling of quirkiness within her new environment. None of that mattered though, because now she's here, hanging out with the very same young man who was the reason she had a chance to go in the first case.

And none of that mattered now when she saw snowflakes falling slowly throughout the window. She took notice of this and said the first thing that popped out of her mind.

"You think that would be the Swordsmen?"

Naruto looked out, and with a serious look on his face, responded with, "Could be. Let's head out and be sure."

Hinata nodded and went with him outside the inn. Sure enough, they were standing in front of a boy in a haori. The boy's face was neutral on the outside, showing no emotion when facing the two mages. The snow continued to fall around the three as the silence deafened from the walls.

"It seems that you had received the warning," Haku told them flatly. "Truth be told, I was hoping for a flashier entrance from a guild such as yours."

"Well, you can't exactly be flashy when your friends aren't around." Naruto told him. "I was hoping to save the theatrics for your friends."

"You would be happy to know that they are on their way." He responded. "But it won't change anything. You and your allies would be among many casualties that would be happening today."

"What, and you're hear to make sure they happen?" growled the fox.

"Why do you think I make the snow fall on days like these?" the boy asked him. "What purpose do you believe it would serve them?"

Naruto and Hinata stood there dumbfounded. They had to ponder it for a couple half-minutes before Hinata figured it out. "Wait, so you don't want this?"

Haku looked at the ground solemnly. This was the answer that they needed to hear, despite the lack of words.

"Then answer me this," she demanded, "What purpose would it serve you to stay with the Swordsmen? You've seen how malicious those guys are, so why bother staying with them? What good does it do for you?"

"My existence lies in serving Lord Juzo and the Seven Swordsmen." He answered her, "They were the ones who gave me a purpose."

"So you do this out of loyalty," Kurama responded, "A respectable reason." Then he got into a stance, "but to them… you have a questionable taste in comrades."

"I would say the same to you," a gravelly voice said from the background, "a talking fox along with a damsel and a jinchuriki doesn't seem like it's in good taste."

That was when Juzo and the others jumped in behind Haku, in fighting stances of their own. Each and every one of them had their swords ready to strike in case the other side made the first strike.

"Least we know that you guys actually want to fight," the fox smirked, "makes me want to laugh about your dreams of getting the Daybreak treasure."

"Like you even know why we really want that thing," Fuguki glared, "What? Did that old coot show you guys what it even was?"

"Who says we tell you anything?" said a female voice as a barrage of fireballs landed by the swordsmen. Fortunately for them, Jinin, Mangetsu, and Fuguki managed to block them or swing them away from their comrades. Haku simply dodged them without a handful of speed. The owner of the fireballs was revealed to be Pakura, who ran to Naruto and Hinata, along with everyone else.

"Now everyone's here," Kushimaru chuckled. "Good, I hate having to leave fights unfinished."

"Save some from me, old friend." Jinpachi yelled, "I want to see what these chumps are made of."

"Looks like most of are getting our wishes fulfilled," Suigetsu smirked. "Ready when you guys are."

"Feeling's mutual," Juzo agreed to them. He turned to the other seven. "Alright, gang, you know your orders!"

"Yes, Lord Juzo!" Everyone said, as they dashed towards the Fox Tail gang. As the sounds of clashing and fighting filled the area, Haku was getting into a fighting stance as he faced Hinata, who was doing the same thing.

"It looks like you aren't someone willing to fight," Hinata said, hoping to at least reason with him again, "if you really want to end this, I'll take you to where I came from. My guild would be happy to welcome you in."

"I have no choice but to decline," Haku answered, "While I do not wish to hurt anyone, I have my path clear. What I want most of all, is to become strong on my own right. And the only way I can, is to protect the Seven Swordsmen. I want to repay them for what they have done for me, and I cannot achieve it by betraying them."

Hinata shifted her eyes to the ground in sadness, "Then it seems I have no choice," she resigned herself to it, "I guess I have to fight you."

Haku, however, remained as indifferent as he usually does, "Then you know what you must do to win." He told her as he ran towards her on a trail of ice.


And that would be a perfect spot for a cliffhanger! The fight scenes will be posted during the next chapter on Sunday because I don't want to drag out the chapter even more. And honestly, fight scenes are to me what paperwork is to every Hokage ever: a complete bitch to do.

Now for the question you have wanted to ask: Why did I make the drastic changes that I did? Well, the first thing comes down to the bluntest answer you could think of.

The Fairy Tail Daybreak arc is the most forgettable arc of them all.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad arc. It has some good things, such as the titular McGuffin, an emotional ending, and Duke Everlue would be Fairy Tail's Dr. Eggman in a heartbeat. Seriously, the guy could be Eggman's long lost twin cousin. But aside from that, the Daybreak arc doesn't exactly stand out amongst later arcs of the series, especially after the Lyon and Jellal arcs.

Second would be that in my opinion, the canon arc was something that too many writers have done, and I don't want to be another one in a million to do it. It would just be too much copying the FT canon, and I wanted to do something unique for my first arc.

So I decided to do some sort of mash up with Naruto's first arc, the Land of Waves arc. An arc that I feel is remembered for all the right reasons. It got readers into discovering what being a ninja is really all about, emotional impact, great villains in the form of Zabuza and Haku (just wait for what I have planned for him next chapter), and you guessed it, the character development for Naruto. Honestly, if weren't for them, Naruto wouldn't have become the ninja that wowed readers' hearts.

Naruto: Nice to know you think highly of that arc.

And it deserved it. And besides, I wanted the readers to get more experience on what it's like to be a Ninja Mage. Sorry, but stealing books has the emotional impact of a D-rank. It's just boring. With protecting civilians from bandits and murderers, there's more investment.

Shikamaru: Least we can agree on that.

Naruto: I know, right.

Yeah, if I were doing D-ranks, I would act like Naruto. I'm not kidding.

Also, it's the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Zabuza was one of them, and he's one of my favorites, so I'm adding in all of them in order to somewhat replicate that vibe he got. Let me know if I did a good job on that.

Now onto questions:

Haku: I wish to know why I am working for Juzo instead of Lord Zabuza.

Glad you asked, because Juzo is basically Akatsuki's version of Zabuza. Both wielded the Executioner's Blade (or Kubikiribocho if you prefer the Japanese version), both have spiky hair, both had bandages around their bodies, both were voiced by Steven Blum in the English dub of the anime, and both died knowing the value of comrades (Haku and Itachi in those cases). And as a bonus, Young Haku, you get to work with… the other six. Specifically, the lineup from Kabuto's reanimation jutsu.

Which leads me to rant about something involving the Swordsmen: the inconsistency of the lineup. For those who don't know, in the reanimated lineup, it was said that the strongest generation consisted of the following: Jinin Akebino, Jinpachi Munashi, Mangetsu Hozuki, Zabuza Momochi, Kushimaru Kuriarare, Ameyuri Ringo, and Fuguki Suikazan. The inconsistency comes from one little important detail:

Jinin and Kushimaru died before they were even in the living lineup! At the hands of a freaking Genin! How did those two count as the strongest generation?! While you could make a case of Fuguki being slain by Kisame and Chojuro joining the lineup later on in place of Mangetsu, at least they were an actual part of the strongest generation. These two: not one bit!

Sorry, that had to be addressed in some form or another.

Mangetsu: I know, we tell each other that story on poker night!

Jinpachi: Best laughs ever!

Jinin and Kushimaru (pissed): Damn you, Fuguki!

Fuguki: Hey, lay off, they were on my case with that story! (fighting cloud emerges)

Kisame and Suigetsu (laughs in Beavis and Butthead).

Haku: I just wish that he would appear in the story.

Don't worry, he will. I have plans for him post-time skip.

Ameyuri: And you broke her spirit.

He'll survive. Now go break up your friends' fight.

Mangetsu: Hey, be sure I have a personality in this fic. Kishimoto did my character dirty.

Don't worry, man. You won't be disappointed.

On another topic, no, the masked figure is absolutely not Obito. I have bigger plans for him, and I am not giving him that stupid mask.

Sasori: Thank you, Six Paths.

Now for no reason: Fun Facts by the Author!

Fact 1: The English voice actor for Jinin, Sean Schemmel, also did the voice for Goku in the Dragon Ball dubs. Think of that what you will.

Fact 2: Before I started writing this, I watched a virtual concert that starred some high school friends and one of the participants was actually Brian Donovan, Rock Lee's English actor.

Lee: He should have talked about the Power of Youth!

I know, that's what I was thinking.

Leave a review and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Because the next chapter showcases the fights!