Here we go with Chapter 3 and the start of the Wave Mission! Since it's going to be a few months before the Chunin exams happen, Team 7 will probably go on another mission after this one before the exams start. Speaking of which, I plan to introduce Team 7 to the majority of the rookies during the exams, but they'll hear about Team 7 before they meet them.

As you've probably been able to guess, Yasaka, Yuuko, and Hinata are in the harem, as for the last two, I'm not sure... I'm going to add Fem Haku into the story, but if she's going to be in the harem is still up in the air right now.

Also, something I wanted to mention in the last chapter, Yasaka's sword style and moves are going to be based on Wolf's in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Lastly, I tried to stretch the Nami mission out, but for the life of me, there's only so much I can squeeze from it...

Without further ado, let's get going!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or Media that may appear in this story.

Chapter 3: Not what they seem.

"Nami no Kuni, huh? Should be interesting..." Kakashi said to himself as he looked over the mission scroll. He rolled it up and turned to the Hokage, "If you don't mind me asking Hokage-sama, what seems off about this mission?"

Hiruzen leaned back into his chair, giving Team 7 a serious look, "Shinobi don't live as long as I do without learning to trust their instincts, and mine are telling me the client is hiding something. I'm not telling you all to treat him with hostility, but be wary and keep your eyes open." Once he was sure they all understood, he called outside, "Send someone to inform Tazuna-san he has his team, and they'll meet him in two hours at the main gate."

Kakashi clapped his hands and turned to his students, "Well, you heard Hokage-sama, go pack your things for a trip. It should take us about four of five days to reach Nami at civilian speed, so pack for a few days with a few spares."

Yasaka groaned as the team left, "Figures... We finally get to go on more high-profile missions and we get stuck with another boring escort mission..."

Hinata shook her head with a sigh, "Well not all missions can be exciting, but maybe this one will be more fun than we think?"

"Hokage-sama did think something was up." Yuuko added as she munched on some Pocky from... somewhere.

Naruto grinned at his teammates, "Well one thing's for sure, we won't know until the mission gets started. So let's get packed and get ready."

- Two Hours Later, Main Gate -

The four Genin of Team 7 were awaiting their Sensei, thankfully he wasn't late when it came to missions, or they'd never get a good report from the clients... They soon noticed Kakashi walking up with who could only be their client, "What!? These brats are gonna be protecting me? You've gotta be joking!"

They rolled their eyes as Kakashi spoke up, "I assure you Tazuna-san, my team and I are more than capable of protecting you."

Tazuna shrugged, "Well alright then, my name is Tazuna, and you'll be protecting me on the way to Nami and while I finish building my bridge! I expect you to do your best!"

Right off the bat Yuuko noticed something off, "Why would he need protection while he builds this bridge? Protection on the road I can understand, but why would someone want to hurt him for building a bridge?" A glance to her teammates confirmed that they had similar thoughts.

Without much else to discuss, the six set off toward Nami. Along the way, Hinata decided to start a conversation with their client, "So, Tazuna-san, what's Nami like? We've been Genin for a while now, but we haven't left Hi no Kuni very many times."

Their client seemed to flinch for a second, "Well, Nami is a trading country, we're not a very big nation, so we rely on the ocean around us for protection. That's why I came to Konoha. Anyway, It's not as impressive as Konoha, but it's home, and we've got to get there in a hurry so I can finish my bridge!"

Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "You seem pretty proud of this bridge."

"Of course, it's going to be my greatest work! It's planned to be one of the biggest bridges in the Nations!" Tazuna said proudly.

Naruto grinned a bit, "Well, sounds like it's gonna be pretty impressive, I kinda wanna see it now!"

The five members of Team 7 traveled in silence, chatting a bit until they noticed a large puddle off the side of the road, and all shared a look. Tazuna was wondering what they were all looking at, then got even more confused as Kakashi sighed and said, "Alright... Go nuts."

Tazuna jumped as Naruto and Yasaka charged toward the puddle, both with grins on their faces. Yasaka reached it first and quickly drew Yume, bringing it down on the puddle, "Mine!" The puddle suddenly disappeared as two shinobi jumped out, they were both wearing Mizu no Kuni headbands, re-breathers, and matching clawed gauntlets connected by a chain.

Naruto let out a laugh as he saw them jump out, "Ha! There's two of them, that means I get one too!"

Yasaka glared at Naruto, "No you don't! I got here first and called it, they're both mine!"

"Oh come on, that's not fair! I wanna fight too!" He said as the two turned to each other, ignoring their opponents.

"Too bad! I called dibs, the fact that two of them popped out is irrelevant, I still get them!" Yasaka smirked with a superior look. The two demon brothers sweatdropped as they watched the Genin argue about who would fight them. They looked at each other for a second, before rushing toward the two of them, intending on wrapping the Genin in their chain. They were suddenly pulled short as their chain was held back. They turned and saw a pair of golden chains coming out of the ground intertwined in theirs. Yasaka turned to them with an annoyed look, "Fine... We can share." As she moved, the demon brothers caught sight of a few chains snaking out of her sleeve and leading into the ground.

Naruto gave his own small smirk, "There you go! Things are so much more fun if you do them with friends!" He suddenly moved to the side as Gozu flew past him, attempting to stab him with his gauntlet, "Oh, they can detach the chain, neat."

Yasaka was currently blocking and deflecting strikes from Meizu, "I noticed... Seems these guys are more effective as a team than individually..." She raised an eyebrow as she took a closer look at the claws on the gauntlet, "By the way, they've got poison on the claws."

Gozu's eyes twitched as he ran back toward Naruto, "Take us seriously dammit!"

He was stopped short as Naruto grabbed his wrist, sporting a grin that promised pain, "Okay, if you insist!" He was pulled forward as Naruto crashed his knee into Gozu's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He followed it up with a punch to the head, knocking Gozu out.

Yasaka rolled her eyes at her teammate's actions, before moving to the side as Meizu charged her again. A pair of chains shot out of her sleeve and wrapped him up, before she calmly walked over and knocked him out with a quick strike to the back of the head with the butt of her sword.

Kakashi walked over to them and stared at the two Chunin for a second, "Yuuko, tie them up then interrogate them, Hinata, look them up in the bingo book. I need to have a talk with our client..." Tazuna started to sweat as Kakashi, flanked by Naruto and Yasaka, fixed him with a hard stare, "Alright Tazuna-san, start explaining."

"Wh-what do you mean? I have no idea who those men are!" It was clear to all three of them that he was hiding something.

"I know you don't, but you know why they're after you. Hokage-sama thought something was off about this mission, and we do as well. Why would you want us to protect you while you built the bridge? Clearly you're afraid of something, or someone. Add that, these two Chunin should've known better than to attack us, with me being here, and my team who clearly knows what they're doing. Unless of course, they were hired to attack us. None of my team have bounties yet, and they know I'm way out of their league, so that just leaves you." Kakashi explained with a serous look.

Tazuna sputtered for a minute, trying to come up with an excuse, "I... It's... Alright... You're right, they were hired to kill me." He sighed and started explaining, "Nami is in dire straights. A while ago, a man named Gato showed up and completely took over the shipping industry in Nami."

Hinata looked up from the bingo book, "The tycoon? Why would he do that, if Nami can't ship anything, then he loses out on a large amount of money!"

"Not if he controls all the ports... He uses mercenaries to make the workers do whatever he wants, and controls all the ships coming into and leaving the port. He takes nearly all the profits from the trade industry. Nami is incredibly poor now, people struggling to buy food, children on the streets, homeless... My bridge is the only hope we have of breaking his hold on Nami, and he knows it." Tazuna said as he took a seat on a rock.

Yasaka tapped a finger on her chin, "So that's why these guys were after you... With you dead, Gato controls Nami and nobody can stop him."

Tazuna nodded,"Yes... I'm sorry I lied about the mission details, but we're all so poor a C-rank was all we could afford even with most of Nami pitching in!" He dropped down and bowed to them, "Please, you have to help us! I beg of you!"

Kakashi sighed and turned to his team, Yuuko and Hinata having joined them. Yuuko deactivated her Sharingan, "The demon brothers confirmed his story. They also say Gato may have hired a couple other Shinobi, they were pretty new, so the only one they knew for sure was there was Zabuza Momochi."

Naruto took a look at the silent Tazuna before grinning, "Well what're we waiting for? We've been craving a high profile mission, and here one is!"

Hinata nodded, "Well, that is true..."

Yasaka's thumb was running over Yume's tsuba, "I'd be lying if I said the thought of testing my steel against one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman didn't excite me..." Though they didn't express it, Kakashi could see that the other three shared this sentiment. Yuuko had a rarely seen fire in her eyes, Naruto was popping his knuckles with his thumb, and Even the usually gentle Hinata had a gleam in her eye. Kakashi knew they all had an itch to see where they stood in the Shinobi world, four years of training and staying under the radar had them wanting to test how strong they really are.

Kakashi turned to Tazuna, "Well, looks like we're continuing the mission." Tazuna jumped up with a cheer, "Count yourself lucky my team is composed of a bunch of bloodthirsty barbarians." He moved his head to the side, dodging a quick strike from Hinata, "Well then, if we're all ready... Let's get back on the move, I'll have a clone figure out what to do with the Demon Brothers."

- Two days later, back in Konoha -

While Team 7 was on their way to Nami, the rookie 9 were sitting in the Akimichi barbecue restaurant, their Sensei deciding it might be nice to get them together before starting missions to have a bit more comradery. They probably wouldn't get a ton of time to socialize after they started missions, plus it'd give the Sensei a chance to see how the teams interacted.

Asuma Sarutobi chuckled as he slapped a hand on the shoulder of the man next to him, "Cheer up Yamato! You'll get used to taking care of a team of brats eventually."

Yamato sighed and turned to watch team 11, Sasuke was brooding, Sakura was trying to get his attention, and Sai was... being Sai, "I know, it's just such a big change fro my previous position..."

Kurenai looked over with a smile, "Trust me Yamato, it'll get easier."

As they turned back to their students, they noticed that the conversation had somehow moved to how they passed their tests. Kiba was smirking over at Sasuke, "Me, Shino, and Yakumo passed Kurenai-sensei's test no problem! I bet we're already on our way to being the strongest Genin in the village!" Akamaru barked beside him in agreement.

Sasuke smirked back, "We'll see about that, care to spar like in the academy again?"

"Any time any place, pretty boy!"

Kiba was about to jump up, but settled down as Yakumo grabbed his arm, "Please Kiba-kun, don't make a scene! We don't want to get thrown out!" The Kurama heiress had really come into her own after her Ido was sealed off, quickly catching up to her peers and making Genin rank.

As the Inuzuka settled down, Ino took on a thinking pose, "Ya know... I'm starting to wonder which team really is the strongest... I'd normally say team 11 since Sasuke-kun is on it, and Sai is pretty tough too, but they're totally weighed down by Forehead..."

Sakura's eye twitched as she glared at Ino, "Well what about you Pig? You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag, and Shikamaru barely moves! Choji is the only fighter, and he wasn't even the best in the class!"

Choji frowned as he ate more food, "I wasn't that bad..."

"Excuse me, what about us!?" Kiba asked, "With me and Akamaru, Shino's Kikaichu, and Yakumo's genjutsu, we're practically unbeatable!"

Shino sighed, "Why don't we do the logical thing and ask our Sensei?"

The entire Rookie 9, even Shikamaru, turned to the three Jonin with expectant looks. They all sweatdropped and were going to find a way to diffuse the argument, until Yamato simply said, "Well, if we're talking about all the Genin teams in the village, none of you are." All of them looked surprised at that, except Sai. Yamato didn't see a problem with telling them about Team 7, it wasn't like their existence was some huge secret...

Shikamaru groaned a bit, "Troublesome... So I guess it's Team 7 or 9 that are the strongest? Iruka-sensei said they were still active."

Asuma nodded with a relieved smile, "Yup, Team 9 is plenty strong, but Team 7 holds the title of strongest Genin team. All four of them are something else..."

Kiba seemed confused for a second, before getting annoyed, "Hold on, they have 4 Genin on their team?! Well no wonder, they win by having an extra person!"

Kurenai have him a look, causing him to settle down, "Team 7 has an extra person because they didn't go to the academy. They took and passed the Advanced Genin test when they were 12." All was silent for a minute.

"WHAT!?" Most of the rookies yelled.

Sai already knew about them, Danzo was sure to warn him. Still, he had to keep up his act, "They must be incredibly strong then."

Yamato nodded, "I worked with them a few times before I became a Sensei." To help train Yasaka to control the Kyuubi's chakra, but that wasn't for them to know, "Let me tell you this, any one of them could soundly defeat any of you."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "I don't care how strong they are, I'd defeat whoever I went up against."

The wood user raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't phrase that like I should've." All the Genin focused back on him, "Any one member of their team could take on any of your entire teams, and win. So if you want to defeat them, you'll need to become much stronger." Sasuke and a number of the other Genin were surprised by this, Sasuke in particular didn't look happy.

Ino's eyes sparkled at the new gossip she could get from this, "So, would we know them?"

Asuma gazed up at the ceiling, "You might. I mean, you could've met them one way or another. But don't go looking for them, they're out of the village on a mission right now."

The Rookie 9 all fell silent, thoughts running through their heads of the mysterious Team 7, and what great things they must be doing on their mission.

- Back in Nami -

"Jan, Ken, Pon." Yasaka and Yuuko quietly said as they threw their hands down, Yasaka smirking in victory as her scissors cut Yuuko's paper. The Uchiha heiress didn't have much of a reaction as they continued playing. They silently marveled in the size of the bridge, it certainly was impressive...

Team 7 were currently siting in a boat with Tazuna, being ferried over the water onto the small island nation. Naruto turned to Hinata, "See anything?"

Hinata shook her head, seeming staring at nothing, Byakugan active, "Nothing yet, wait..." She turned to Kakashi, "We're approaching the island, the mist is heavy with chakra, it's not natural."

Kakashi narrowed his eye as Yasaka and Yuuko stopped their game, "Alright, everyone be on guard. Diamond formation around Tazuna and let's go..." Once they set down on the beach of Nami no Kuni, they proceeded with caution, straining their senses for anything that could give away an enemy.

Suddenly, Naruto pulled out a kunai and tossed it into a bush. A small, white rabbit hopped out and scampered off into the woods, wait... white? "Everyone down!" Kakashi yelled as he dragged Tazuna to the ground with him. The Genin dropped just as an enormous sword flew over their heads, embedding itself into the trunk of a tree. Team 7 watched as someone appeared standing on the handle. He was wearing camo pants, ninja sandals, arm warmers, a leather harness, and bandages wrapped around his face. He turned, showing them his scratched Kiri forehead protector.

"Zabuza Momochi, the Kirigakure no Kijin..." Kakashi said as he watched Zabuza closely.

"Sharingan no Kakashi, what a surprise, didn't think I'd see you out here... With a bunch of brats no less." Zabuza responded as he looked over the team, "Don't suppose I could convince you to hand over the old man?"

Naruto grinned, "Not a chance no-brows!"

Zabuza's eye twitched as he stared, "Do you even know who I am kid?"

Yasaka drew Yume, "We know who you are, so tell me... Is the story of you killing 100 academy students before you even got in true?"

A dark chuckle escaped Zabuza's mouth as a large amount of killing intent filled the air, "One of the best days of my life, girl..." He let out a full blown laugh as he saw the four Genin shaking, "Pathetic, just a bit of Ki and they're shaking like leaves!"

Kakashi noticed their shaking, and shook his head, "They aren't scared..." Zabuza stopped and raised an eyebrow at him, "I hate to do this Zabuza, I was a bit excited to fight you as well, but ah well... They'll never forgive me for this if I take the lead..."

"What the hell are you on about, Kakashi!?" Zabuza yelled as he jumped to the ground, grabbing his sword.

The silver haired Jonin saluted Zabuza, "I'll be stepping in if things get out of hand. Go get him."

Zabuza's eyes widened as the four Genin raced toward him, much faster than he thought they could move. Naruto was the first to reach him, and Zabuza was forced to pull his sword up to block a punch. His eyes widened as it forced him back a bit. He didn't have time to dwell on it however, as Hinata and Yuuko appeared beside him, throwing lightning fast blows. Zabuza dodged them all, but flinched as the heat from Yuuko's blows threatened to burn him. His instincts screamed at him to dodge, so he jumped back, Yasaka stabbing her sword into the ground right where he was standing.

Zabuza hefted his sword, "Alright...Maybe you're not just a bunch of brats after all..."

Hinata smiled as she settled into her stance, "You have no idea."

Their opponent turned and slashed his zanbatou, blocking a few golden chains, and continuing to block them as they tried to get around his guard. He let out a roar and slashed at them, knocking them away. Still, he didn't get away unscathed, a few shallow stabs and cuts littered his body. Yuuko took the opportunity to rush forward, Hi no Karada activated, throwing a flaming punch at Zabuza's exposed back. Still, he was a Jonin for a reason, he ducked down under her strike, watching a gout of fire stream from her fist. Zabuza launched a kick behind himself, knocking Yuuko back, when he rose back up, the four Genin had disappeared.

Zabuza grit his teeth, a grin starting to form under his bandages, "I'm beginning to think this might be fun..." He held his sword in front of himself, waiting for them. He didn't have to wait long as Yasaka appeared out of the mist to attack him with a flurry of strikes. Zabuza blocked each of them, then threw out his own strikes whenever Yasaka slowed, the blonde Genin dodging around his strikes of deflecting others, sliding his larger sword down her slender blade. Zabuza was actually beginning to enjoy this, he hadn't had a proper kenjutsu fight in years!

However, his battle didn't last long as Yasaka suddenly stepped back, jumping off the lake. Zabuza's eyes widened as Naruto finished a chain of handsigns, smirking devilishly. "Raiton: Denpa!" Naruto said with lightning dancing across his hands. He stuck his hands into the water and watched as bolts of electricity danced across the water.

Unfortunately, Zabuza had finished his own chain of handsigns, "Suiton: Suiro!" Zabuza was encased in a sphere of water floating above the lake's surface. Team 7 raised an eyebrow at the rather ingenious use of the technique. After the lightning stopped and Zabuza let himself out of the technique, he went on the offensive, rushing toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened as Zabuza appeared in front of him, slashing him across the chest and sending him flying. Naruto rolled along the ground, groaning as he sat up to rub the shallow cut across his chest. Yuuko then resumed her own assault on Zabuza, Sharingan spinning, sending shots of fire at him with every punch or kick. She was joined soon after by Yasaka's chains, stabbing at Zabuza and trying to wrap around him.

Yuuko then went in for a flaming axe kick, which Zabuza blocked. Of course, he didn't notice Hinata slipping in under his nose and sending a strike to Zabuza's arm, disabling it, "Dammit!" The Jonin grunted as he jumped back, gaining some distance. He glared at his now useless arm, the feeling of pins and needles running through it.

Zabuza looked up to see the four Genin gathered in front of him. He hefted his blade in one hand and prepared to resume the fight, these four were certainly a much better challenge than he thought... However, he didn't have a chance as a pair of senbon flew out of the trees and stuck into his neck. His eyes widened as he fell over, the life seeming to leave his eyes.

Team 7 watched as a Kiri hunter ninja appeared next to Zabuza and knelt next to him, "I suppose I should thank you. If you hadn't weakened him, it would've been much harder." The hunter moved to grab the body, but just as he slung Zabuza's arm around his shoulder, he looked up to see Hinata about to hit him with a few Jyuken strikes. The hunter managed to pull of a water Shunshin just in time, disappearing from the scene.

"Hm... They got away." Hinata said with annoyance as she walked back to her team, "Those senbon put Zabuza into a death-like state... That Hunter-nin is working for him."

Kakashi nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. That's why I'll be taking him on next time." He sighed at his student's affronted looks, "Don't give me that, I gave you your chance to fight him, next time I will. I'm sure you'll be able to fight whoever else Gato hired." He looked over to Naruto, "You alright? It looked like Zabuza got you pretty good."

Naruto nodded, flinching as Hinata poked his cut before starting to heal it, "I'm fine, it's pretty shallow. I'll need to change my shirt soon though."

Their Sensei nodded, watching Hinata heal it, 'It is a shallow cut, but something about it seems off...' He shrugged and turned back to Tazuna, "Tazuna-san, we should keep moving to your home. The longer we stay out in the open, the more trouble we'll attract."

Tazuna nodded, seemingly a bit unable to process the fight he'd witnessed, "Of course, it's not much farther..."

An hour later, Team 7 had arrived at Tazuna's house, being greeted by Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, "Thank you for agreeing to help us, I can't express my gratitude!"

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head, "It's no problem ma'am, really! We couldn't just say no after learning about what was going on here." Team 7 were seated at the family's dining table, Tazuna breaking out a bottle of sake.

Kakashi eye smiled and turned to his students, "Now, I don't want you three to go getting hammered while we're here!" He dodged a swipe from Yasaka.

Hinata blushed and fidgeted under Tsunami's shocked look, "We've already told you, sensei, we regret drinking so much that night."

Yasaka chuckled, "I don't, it was fun! Right Yuuko-chan?"

Said revenette shrugged, "It was pretty entertaining in the beginning, but I don't wanna get drunk anytime soon."

Naruto chuckled and patted Yasaka's head as she pouted, "Aw, don't worry Yasaka-chan, we'll find a way to have some fun without booze."

Tsunami blinked a bit, before shrugging and moving back to the kitchen to make dinner, Tazuna going up to take a nap, and Inari leaving the house to walk around after glaring at them. Yasaka huffed after he left, "So what's his problem?"

Yuuko tilted her head a bit, "Who knows... Maybe it's not our place to ask."

Tsunami sighed from the Kitchen, "I'm sorry about him, his stepfather Kaiza stood up to Gato and rallied the villagers against him... Gato publicly executed him a few weeks ago, it was very hard for Inari. He seems to have lost all hope..."

Hinata activated her Byakugan, watching Inari stare at the water, "Oh... Poor thing..." She shook her head, "All the more reason to help these people."

Kakashi took on a serious look as he turned back to his team, "Okay, now to business. We all know that Zabuza is still alive, so we'll have to prepare for it. Being put into a death-like state like that will leave him weak for a while, add to that the Jyuken strike Hinata gave him plus the wounds from Yasaka's chains. I'd say he'll be out for a week, so we'll need to be ready. He'll probably bring his Hunter-nin pal and maybe a few other shinobi. Since out job is to protect Tazuna and not kill Gato, we'll be primarily focused on watching Tazuna and his family. Yuuko, scout around the house and town, check things out. Yasaka, make a Fuinjutsu array around the house, whatever you feel is appropriate. Naruto, check out the site of the bridge, look for traps, explosives, anything dangerous. Hinata and I will stay here on guard duty."

With a chorus of "Hai!" Naruto, Yasaka, and Yuuko set out.

"Son of a bitch!" Zabuza yelled as he grasped his neck, "Next time be a little more rough, that could've hurt more!"

The Hunter-nin removed their mask, revealing a beautiful face, "Well, I had to pull them out, and there's no gentle way to do it." The two were sitting in their hideout somewhere in the forests of Nami, "I'm surprised a team of Genin were able to do this, they must be very strong."

Zabuza growled, "I underestimated them... By the time I knew to take them seriously, they'd already started to overwhelm me... Speaking of, I want you to be careful around them Haku."

The now named Haku raised an eyebrow, "Were they that strong Zabuza-sama?"

"A Hyuga, an Uchiha, and an Uzumaki, the latter two I thought were almost all gone... Only reason I know the blonde is an Uzumaki is because I've heard of those chains before, Kiri had a couple scrolls about the Uzumaki clan." Zabuza thought for a second, "Also, the white-haired one..."

As Haku bandaged Zabuza's wounds, she pondered her Master's words, "What's so special about him? He didn't seem too strong to me."

Zabuza nodded, "Just a feeling... When he punched the Kubikiribocho it pushed me back, he's pretty damn strong. Secondly, when I slashed him across the chest, I put enough strength into it to bisect a normal man. He just got a shallow cut and launched back from the force of the blow."

"Maybe he has his own bloodline? Can you think of any clans that he might belong to?" Haku asked.

The swordsman was silent for a minute, "Incredible strength, damn near unkillable... My sword actually cut him, so it must be something under his skin... I've got no damn clue! Damn that white headed brat..." He trailed off, "No... No damn way. He can't be one of them, or have that!" Zabuza seemed to be talking to himself.

Haku was definitely surprised at the sudden change, "What? It can't possibly be that bad."

Zabuza groaned and sat back into his chair, "I don't wanna say anything unless I know I'm right. If he's what I'm thinking of, then you need to be careful, as much as it pains me to say it, you won't be able to touch him. I just hope I'm wrong... That night was enough to give even me chills..."

They were suddenly interrupted by a short man bursting into the room, flanked by two men with swords, "Well, imagine my surprise when my men reported seeing Tazuna arriving in Nami alive and well! I thought you'd take care of him, or do I need to hire someone more competent?"

"Can it Gato, I've got it under control. Once I'm back up to full strength I'll kill the bridge builder. Now leave, you're bothering me." Zabuza said dismissively.

Gato frowned and walked forward, pointing at Zabuza, "Now see here you poor excuse for a mercena-" He was cut off as Haku appeared in front of him and stabbed his hand with a senbon.

As the short man gasped in pain and recoiled, his two guards drawing their swords, "Zabuza-sama told you to leave. So leave." Haku calmly said, her eyes as cold as ice.

The three left their hideout, glaring at them. Zabuza chuckled, "Well, look at that, one little senbon and he's crying like a bitch."

Haku sighed and fixed her master with a deadpan stare, "Says the man to complained about me removing them..." Zabuza at least had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed.

- Back at Tazuna's house -

Yasaka walked into the house, twirling her calligraphy brush in her hand, "Just one last measure..." She sat down at the table and drew a simple sealing formula on it, with the Kanji for 'sound' in the center. "Fuin!" The seal glowed for a second before fading away, "There, now if anyone enters the perimeter of the house, this seal will let out an alarm. It's also got a gravity increase countermeasure on it. I'm not quite at the level of a physical barrier seal without my chains, so this'll have to do."

Yasaka took a minute to look over her brush, it had a simple wooden handle, made from the wood of a Sakura tree, and pristine white bristles with a black tip. It was an artifact that had been managed to be saved from Uzu, this type of calligraphy brush was only used by members of the Uzumaki main family. This last known survivor tucked away in the scroll given to her by Hiruzen. It was special in that it converted one's chakra into ink, eliminating the need for an inkwell, even despite her Fuinjutsu abilities, she was nowhere near being able to solve and recreate the seals on it.

Kakashi nodded, "Alright, nice work. Once the others get back we'll discuss our plans for the week."

Speak of the devil, Naruto and Yuuko arrived soon after within a few minutes of each other, "The bridge is clear of traps and explosives. I checked all the equipment, and every square inch of the bridge, including the pillars underwater. There were a few thugs harassing the workers, but I encouraged them to leave." Naruto said as he sat down with them.

Yuuko took her own spot, "I looked over the town, it really is as bad as Tazuna said. Kids running around in rags, people stealing left and right, it looks like it's a miracle Tsunami and Tazuna still have food on the table..."

Tsunami, who'd walked in and overheard her, spoke up, "More like luck... I have a garden behind the house where I grow a lot of the food we have, and despite my Tou-san's drinking problem, he's always been good at saving money. Still, we can only last for so long..."

Yasaka gave a small smile, "Well, on the bright side, you won't have to worry about Gato for much longer, once the bridge is built he'll be out of luck."

The Jonin f the group cleared his throat, calling attention back to himself, "Alright, here's the plan, we'll keep the training light, nothing too strenuous. Keep it limited to things we can do while guarding Tazuna and his family. We'll swap shifts every day, starting tomorrow with Naruto and I guarding Tazuna, the rest of you stay here. We've all got Yasaka's SOS seals, so we'll be able to contact each other if we need to. For tonight, let's just focus on getting some rest..."

- A few Days Later -

Naruto rolled his shoulders as he walked through the forest. He groaned at the dull ache in his chest, 'Well, at least it's getting less painful...' They'd been in Nami for a few days and not much had happened, they'd taken turns guarding Tazuna and his family as per the usual. Naruto decided to go on a walk for two reasons, he just needed some air, and he didn't want his friends to notice that his condition was flaring up. Thankfully, this time was nowhere near as bad as before, it was just a dull ache in his chest and body.

He decided to rest against a tree, and as the pain subsided, he found himself dozing off. He sat there for a few hours until his sensing ability warned him of someone approaching. He opened his eyes to see a girl in a pink Yukata carrying a basket. She looked at him with surprise, "You know, you shouldn't sleep out here, you could get sick." Her eyes flicked to his hitai-ate, "Are you a Shinobi?"

Naruto took a deep breath, his pain gone, "Yup, from Konoha. As to getting sick, I never do, sleeping outside won't hurt me a lot. Name's Naruto, what brings you out here into the forest?"

She gained a small smile, "My name is Haku. I'm gathering some herbs for a friend, he was injured a while ago and I'm trying to help him."

"Well, as long as I'm here, could you use an extra pair of hands?" Naruto asked with a grin, standing up.

Haku nodded and the two set to work picking herbs, with Haku giving Naruto some tips on which were the best ones. After a few minutes, she turned to him, "Naruto-san, why do you fight?" At his questioning look, she elaborated, "I believe that when someone has something to protect, they become truly strong. So, why do you fight?"

Naruto was about to answer, but stopped for a minute. Why did he fight? What reason did he have for becoming a Shinobi? He didn't do it to protect the girls, they were all strong on their own... Now that he thought of it, he didn't really have anything driving his actions... Yuuko wanted to bring her brother to justice and make her family proud, Hinata wanted to head her family and unite them, and Yasaka wanted to become the strongest Uzumaki in history, using their two most feared traits, Kenjutsu and Fuinjutsu.

What reason did Naruto have?

He'd only become a Shinobi because the girls wanted to... Upon thinking about it, he was always following their lead. He trained with Inu because Yasaka wanted to, and he'd taken the advanced Genin test because the girls wanted to. He didn't have anything really driving him, he didn't have any family to make proud, he couldn't say he fought to protect his teammates, they helped him just as much as he did them...

"You know, Haku-san... I really don't know. I'd thought I was doing it for a reason, but now I realize, I don't have one." Naruto said as he stared at nothing, deep in thought.

Haku stared for a minute, "Well, I didn't really have a reason to live when I was a child. My family life wasn't the best, and I lost everything, but I found my reason to live. Maybe you just haven't found your reason yet?" She said as she put a hand on his shoulder. Naruto nodded as they finished gathering herbs, "Well, thank you Naruto-san, these will be a big help!"

Naruto nodded and watched as Haku walked away, "No problem, also tell Zabuza he'd better be ready for another ass-kicking!" He chuckled as she dropped the basket and spun around, gripping a pair of senbon, "I'm a sensor, you put up an amazing act, but you can't hide your chakra levels." As she prepared to attack, he put his hands up, "Calm down, if I wanted you dead I wouldn't have told you I knew who you were."

Haku narrowed her eyes, "So why didn't you kill me?"

"Why didn't you kill me?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, "You seem like a good person, so I won't hurt you. However, that might be different if we see each other on the bridge at the end of the week."

Haku nodded and slowly put her senbon away, picking up her basket and herbs, "For what it's worth Naruto-san, I hope you find a reason to fight soon. If you don't, I'll kill you no matter what tricks you pull." With that, she disappeared in a Shunshin.

Naruto stood there for a minute before starting back toward the house.

When he arrived, he found everyone sitting down to eat, "I met the Hunter-nin." Everyone turned to him in surprise, "She was gathering herbs to help Zabuza in a disguise. I sensed who she was and we talked for a bit."

Yasaka's eye twitched, "Let me guess, you didn't take her out?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nope, she seems like a good person, and she actually helped me put some things into perspective..."

Kakashi nodded, "Well, so long as you're ready when the time comes."

"Why are you even trying?" They all turned to the side to see Inari staring at them, "You're all just gonna die anyway, it's useless fighting against Gato!"

Yuuko tilted her head, "We can do it. We're all very capable Shinobi."

Inari shook his head, "You're all so stupid! Nobody can beat Gato and you all act like nothing is wrong! None of you have any idea what it's like to suffer!"

You could hear a pin drop as Naruto, Kakashi, and Hinata flinched. They could feel the subtle Ki emanating from Yasaka, and even Yuuko's stare became cold and hard. Yasaka was the first to speak, "You're a disgrace." Inari and his family were surprised at her sudden change, "We don't know what it's like to suffer? I'd imagine that if you lived a single day in my life, or experienced the things Yuuko-chan has, you would know real suffering. I won't tell Yuuko-chan's story because it's not my place, but as for me... Since the day of my birth, nearly all my home village has called for my death, I've been starved, insulted, and beaten for as long as I can remember. Do lost a family member? Would you like to hear about what I'd already went through at your age?"

Without waiting for an answer, Yasaka stood up and advanced on him, leaning down and staring Inari in the eyes, "When I was five years old, I was walking with Naruto one night, and we were stopped by a group of villagers. They dragged Naruto away to try and 'save' him from me, then started to beat me. They punched me, kicked me, and no matter how much I cried, they kept hurting me. Then, I heard them laugh about doing horrible things to me, one reached for my skirt, and I snapped." Yasaka's eyes took on a frigid light, colder than an iceberg, "I saw red, and felt a burning hot rage fill my senses. I killed them all, I tore them to pieces."

Tsunami covered her mouth with a gasp, and Tazuna was horrified, "I was in the hospital for a long while after that, therapy and mental training took up a lot of my time. If it wasn't for Naruto-kun visiting me and staying with me, I probably would've broke. I was weak, and let those people walk all over me because I was a scared, timid girl, so I vowed to never be weak again. So tell me Inari, which one of us doesn't know suffering?" Yasaka stood straight and walked out of the house, seething.

Yuuko watched her leave, then stood up to follow her, "My brother killed our parents right in front of me, then I listened to the screams of pain and fear from the rest of my family, and my relationship with my only other brother is almost nonexistent. Your story is tragic, but you'll find that there are many people out there who can match it, and also some who's stories are far worse than you. Be grateful for what you still have." The last female Uchiha left the house as well, going to talk to Yasaka.

Naruto decided to leave them be, Yasaka hated it when he saw her emotional, and the only one she would let see her like that was Yuuko. The two had formed a bond after they met, comforting each other when their pasts reared their ugly heads. With the evening taking on a sober tone, the others at the table dispersed, leaving only Tsunami, Tazuna, and Kakashi.

"W-was what she said true?" Tsunami asked.

Kakashi nodded with a sad sigh, "Unfortunately, yes... I can't say why, but a good portion of the village sees Yasaka as a monster, and it's caused her a lot of pain no child should ever feel. I'm thankful she has Naruto in her life, if he wasn't there I shudder to think what would've become of her." The rest of the evening was spent in silence, all thoughts of dinner gone from their heads.

- One day before the battle -

Hinata sighed to herself as she and Tsunami walked through the streets of Nami. Things at the house were certainly tense after the altercation between Yasaka and Inari, however, it seemed to do the trick, as Inari apologized to them the next night. Things were still somber, but it was back to normal after a few days, with Inari being a bit more hopeful.

The Hyuga heiress had foiled a number of theft attempts over the course of their trip, and also shared some of her rations with any kids she'd seen trying to steal from her, "So, do we have much more to do Tsunami-san?"

The older woman shook her head as they entered a store, she was looking through the nearly empty stalls, "This is the last stop, then we can head back."

As they finished shopping, they walked back to the house. Once they got there, Hinata's blood ran cold as a seal on the back of her left hand started glowing. She took a look as the seal arranged itself into a message, [Naruto incoming. Condition.] Hinata's eyes widened as she pulled out her medical bag and threw it down, clearing off the table, "Tsunami, take Inari and Tazuna upstairs, I need this area clear!"

Tsunami didn't know what was happening, until the door flew open and Kakashi came in carrying Naruto, who was convulsing in pain. She quickly gathered up Inari and Tazuna, who had come back with the others, and took them upstairs, out of the way. Kakashi set Naruto on the table as Hinata entered 'doctor mode', "What happened, this seems more intense than before!"

"He was fine one second, then he suddenly collapsed and started this. We took him here immediately." Kakashi said as Yasaka and Yuuko stood back from the table, worry clear on their faces.

Hinata activated her Byakugan, looking him over as she cut off his jacket and shirt, "His chakra is going insane..." She looked over Naruto again, gritting her teeth in frustration, "The doctor in Konoha gave me these in case this happened again." She pulled out a syringe from her back and stabbed it into Naruto's arm, "It's a powerful sedative, there's still nothing wrong with him that I can see, so this will at least put him to sleep..." As Naruto passes out, the pain still going, Hinata looked even closer, "Wait... his bones..." She quickly ran a diagnostic jutsu and examined his body again, "His chakra is seeping out of his coils and coating his bones, it wasn't doing this last time! Or at least not this noticeably!"

Hinata continued her examination, then Naruto stopped moving, the pain subsiding. Hinata looked closely at his bones, "There are dark grey patches on his bones... I still have no idea what this is, but his chakra is clearly the cause... I don't know a better way to say this but if Naruto-kun wants to live, then he'll have to stop using chakra... At least until we know what this is."

Everyone fell silent as they processed this, Naruto was so powerful, but maybe this was the price... Without much else to be said, Kakashi took Naruto upstairs to sleep and the girls stayed downstairs to think. After a while, Yasaka went upstairs and into Naruto's room, sitting beside his sleeping form.

Yasaka sat there staring at him for a long time, then slowly nodded to herself, taking out her brush and moving Naruto's blanket down, revealing his toned torso.

Naruto groaned as he slowly returned to the world of the living, a slight burning sensation on his stomach. Something felt wrong... He tried to flare his chakra, but couldn't, then he panicked a bit as he realized he couldn't sense anything. He bolted upright, his head spinning as he woke up. He looked down and found a freshly painted chakra restriction seal painted on his stomach and chest. He turned to Yasaka, who was staring stoically at him, "Yasaka, what the hell, you sealed away my chakra!?"

She nodded and said in a serious tone, "Yes I did. Hinata said your chakra was somehow causing your incidents, so I sealed it. When we get back to Konoha, you're going to resign from the Shinobi program for your own safety."

Naruto sat there, stunned for a minute, "You can't be serious... Yasaka, I love being a Shinobi, I love being on our team, I can deal with the pain!"

Yasaka shook her head, "No, this is for your own good. That seal is only coming off with my permission, and I won't give it. I'm going to leave you to rest now, and don't make me seal you into this room, Naruto-kun."

Naruto stood up and grabbed Yasaka's wrist, "Don't tell me to rest, I hate it when people do that! Now Yasaka, you're going to take this seal off right now!" Naruto was rarely angry with Yasaka, and this was one of those times.

"Naruto, you will get back in that bed and stop trying to use chakra if I have to make you." Her voice started to waver, her fists clenched around her brush, "I will not let you kill yourself."

"It's my damn choice, Yasaka! If I want to deal with this pain and keep working with you all then I will, and if I die then so what!?"

Yasaka spun around, and Naruto saw a sight he thought he'd never see again. Yasaka was shaking as tears streamed down her face, she was desperately holding back sobs as she stared at him with a combination of anger and sadness, "Don't you get it!? I don't want you to die! I can't even think about what I'd do if you weren't in my life!"

"Yasaka..." Naruto started.

Yasaka cut him off by throwing her arms around him and hugging him, something she hadn't done in a long time, "I know it's selfish, but I am forbidding you to die! You promised me you'd never leave me alone, ever! You swore you'd never break your promise!"

-Flashback-

Four year old Naruto and Yasaka sat against a tree in the orphanage yard, watching the other kids play. Yasaka hugged her knees to her chest and sniffled a bit, she had just been denied a place in the game for the hundredth time.

Naruto grinned and put an arm around her shoulder, "Aw, come on Yasaka-chan, we'll play our own game, and it'll be even better than theirs!"

Yasaka turned to him in tears, "Why do you stick around me? I just get you into trouble, and everyone tells you to leave me alone..."

"Forget them, they don't know what they're talking about! I'll always be by your side Yasaka-chan!"

"Pinky promise?" Yasaka asked as she held out her pinky.

Naruto hooked his around hers, "I promise! I'll never, ever leave you alone Yasaka-chan, and I never break my promises!"

Yasaka gained a bright smile as the two set off to play their own game, ignoring the looks from everyone else.

Naruto stared at Yasaka, "Yasaka, I'm not going to die, I promise, so will you please take this seal off?"

She shook her head against his chest, "No! You'll die if I do, so promise me you'll just do what I say! Promise me you'll rest and resign for your own good!" She stared up at him with bloodshot eyes, "Please..."

What else could Naruto do? He sighed and resigned himself, "Fine... I'll do it." Yasaka let him go as he got back into the bed. He lie down in silence as Yasaka left the room.

As she left, Yasaka ran into Hinata and Yuuko, "I don't regret it." She said with conviction.

Hinata sighed, "I know why you did it Yasaka, and I share your motivations, but that was a little extreme."

Yuuko nodded, "You used Naruto's feelings against him and manipulated him. I'm all for keeping him alive, but it was his decision. You can't keep him a prisoner forever Yasaka."

The blonde narrowed her eyes and walked into the bathroom to clean her face, "I don't care. I'll do anything to keep him alive, even if he hates me." She took a few deep breaths as she stared herself in the mirror, "He already saved my life more times than I can count, in as many ways. I will not let him throw his life away."

The next morning, Naruto was sitting in his room, thinking. The rest of the team had left for the bridge, leaving him by himself. As much as he hated it, he knew that Yasaka needed him, and he couldn't go getting himself killed. He vowed he'd never leave her and that he'd make her happy no matter what, and if this is what it took, he'd endure it.

Suddenly, he heard a scream sound from the first floor, and voices, he stood up and made his way down, seeing Tsunami protecting Inari from a pair of armed men. He growled and rushed forward, surprising them and knocking one out. The other didn't even have time to do anything as Naruto grabbed his face and slammed him into the wall. He turned to Tsunami, "Are you okay?"

Tsunami nodded in relief, "Yes, but they said that the others were in trouble!"

Naruto sighed to himself and looked down at his seal, "Screw it", he ran out of the house, telling Tsunami and Inari to hide in the woods, "Dammit, should've grabbed a shirt..." He groaned as he ran, shivering.

- On the bridge -

Yasaka grit her teeth as she blocked another volley of senbon, with a few slipping through her guard and stabbing into her. She was currently in the middle of a dome of ice mirrors, fighting the Hunter-nin, "I'm not sure where Naruto-san is, but his absence is somewhat of a weight off my chest."

Yasaka growled as her chains shot of her sleeves, acting as a shield from some of the needles. She needed to come up with a plan... Her Futon chakra infused blade couldn't completely cut through the mirrors, and any gashes she made were quickly repaired. She certainly hoped the rest of her team wasn't having luck as bad as she was...

Meanwhile, on another part of the bridge, Kakashi was fighting Zabuza, kunai against Zanbatou, "Gotta say Kakashi, I was looking forward to a rematch against your brats, but I suppose you'll gave to do..."

Kakashi stared at Zabuza through the mist, Sharingan spinning, "Well you might just get that chance when my team takes your associates down."

A cold chuckle answered him, "Sorry to say Kakashi, but they won't get the chance. You're down a man and Haku is just about done playing with your blonde brat. Once she's done, and I'm done with you, the other two will be a piece of cake."

"Damn it, will these guys just learn their lesson?" Hinata asked herself as she blew back another thug with an Air Palm. She and Yuuko were currently holding off a large horde of Gato's thugs. Well, Hinata was, Yuuko was dealing with her own problem.

"Dammit, will you hold still you little bitch!?" Yelled a man with an Ame hitai-ate as he swing a lightning sword at Yuuko, who gracefully dodged his strikes.

Yuuko carefully watched him with her Sharingan, "Aoi Rokusho, former Konoha-nin who stole the Nidaime's Raijin and defected to Ame. I'm sure we;ll get a sizable bonus to out pay for taking you down." She dodged a downward swing and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back, He landed hard and groaned at the burn he'd received.

As Rokusho stood up, he grit his teeth, "Alright... Time to take you seriously..." Before he could move, Naruto leaped over him, springing off his head and running toward the center of the bridge.

Hinata shook her head, "Should've known..."

Yuuko nodded in agreement, settling into the Interceptor Fist stance, "Hopefully he can convince Yasaka to remove the seal..."

Yasaka took a few deep breaths as she stood up, covered in needles, "Damn you... I swear I'll break these mirrors if it's the last thing I do!"

Haku brandished a few more senbon, "Please, by all means. By the time you manage, I'll have killed you." She tossed the needles, and Yasaka braced for the pain.

"Move you moron!" Naruto yelled as he tackled Yasaka out of the way. The two rolled to the side as the senbon were embedded into the ground where Yasaka once stood.

Once the two stood up, Yasaka glared at Naruto in anger, "Why are you here!? I told you to rest!" She gasped as Naruto grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close to him.

"Listen up, Yasaka, because I won't say this twice. I'm gonna keep being a Shinobi, and I'm not gonna die! If you really think I'm going to die because of something as stupid as a chest pain, then you don't know me as well as you think you do! Now take this damn seal off or we're both gonna die!"

Yasaka grit her teeth again as she stared at him, before shaking her head, tears welling up, "Fine! But I'm putting that seal on after this, I still refuse to let you die!" Her hand lit up in chakra, focusing on her fingertips. Just before she could unlock the seal, however, a pair of senbon flew through the air and nailed Yasaka in the neck.

Naruto was frozen as Yasaka stood for a second, before falling over with a lout thud. Naruto stared disbelievingly at Yasaka's wide-eyed, still form. Haku spoke above the silence, "I'm sorry, but I hope you can understand... Is this the first time you've lost someone? Well, don't worry, you won't be living with it for long."

Everything seemed to slow down for Naruto as he stared at Yasaka. The only thing he heard was the beating of his own heart, then another feeling entered, pure, white-hot pain. He screamed in pain as his condition flared up, worse than ever before. His chakra strained against the seal, burning, agonizing pain filling every bit of Naruto's being. Suddenly, he blacked out.

- ? -

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself standing in an elegant ballroom. It was of the highest quality, like something out of a storybook, opulent decorations and furniture decorated the place, with a single table sitting in the center, two chairs on each side. Naruto looked down at himself to find he was wearing an expensive black suit, with a blue button down shirt, black vest, and black tie, complete with expensive leather shoes. He looked around the room, 'Where the fuck am I now!? Did I die too? What the fuck!?' He thought to himself.

"Now, now, there's no need for that kind of language. You're not dead, and I only wish to talk. Not that it really matters, you won't remember any of this anyway." Naruto's eyes snapped to the source of the voice, an almost inhumanly beautiful woman was sitting at the table. She had long brown hair and brown eyes, and was wearing a white ballgown.

She gave him a motherly smile and gestured to the other chair, "Please, sit down Naruto-chan."

Naruto hesitated for a minute, before walking over and sitting down across from her, keeping his guard up the entire time. She poured some tea for them and drank some, Naruto stared at it, and she chuckled a bit, "It's not poisoned, you have my word."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her, "How do I know your word is worth anything? Who are you and where are we?"

She shook her head with a smile, "That's not important, we're here to talk about you Naruto-chan. I want to talk to you about some things, and your responses will determine whether you live or die..."

"Yeah... I'd love to, but I gotta go, my friends need me." As Naruto got up and walked away, the woman sighed.

"You're very stubborn, you know that? I guess you get that from your mother..."

That did it, Naruto stopped for a minute before turning around and walking back to the table, sitting down again, "Okay... You've got my attention. So let's talk, also I know your threat is hollow, I'm dying of some disease anyway."

She smiled at him, "Oh, it's no disease! It's one of the seals I put on you breaking."

Naruto held up a hand to stop her, "Whoa whoa! You put seals on me? I haven't seen any, and nobody else has."

"Oh, Naruto-chan... If I put a seal on you, nobody would ever find it. Now, this seal is breaking and trying to give you a trait of your mother's it's been holding back. The pain you feel is the seal cracking and breaking, so if I don't remove the seal naturally, you'll die." She shook her head, "Anyway, back to what I was saying earlier... I want to know what drives you, Naruto-chan. To paraphrase Haku-chan, why do you fight?"

Naruto stared at her, "You're giving away a lot of information here..."

She rolled her eyes, "I already told you, you won't remember this. Now don't try to dodge the question again and answer." She said with a small glare.

A groan escaped Naruto's throat as he leaned back, "I don't know... I've thought about it a lot over the past few days, but I can't think of anything..."

"Well, why did you run to the bridge to help them, even though you knew you might die?" The woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wanted to help them. Nothing more, nothing less, they're my friends. They don't need me to protect them, but I still want to be there for them." Naruto said, swirling his tea in it's cup before taking a sip.

She smiled at him, "There are many forms of protection Naruto-chan... They may not need a knight in shining armor, at least not always, but you mean more to them than you could ever know. So, if you can't live for yourself, then live for them. You're still young, you don't have to have your life and motivations figured out yet."

Naruto returned the smile, he didn't know why, but this woman made him relax, "Thanks, that actually helps... So if it's not too much trouble, could you take the seal off and let me go help my friends?"

"I'd be happy to, Naruto-chan!" He sighed in relief, "Of course, there will be a price..." He looked over to her with a raised eyebrow, "In exchange for taking your seal off, someone you know will die. I won't tell you who, but you'll be trading their life for yours." She saw his horrified look, "Well there's nothing to be afraid of! You won't remember any of this, so there's no harm done!"

Naruto set his tea down and gave her a hard look, "No deal." Seeing her surprise, he kept talking, "I can't accept that, I'll kill myself before I take the life of an innocent to save my own."

She raised a delicate eyebrow, "Well, I'm sure you would be better off without some of them... What about Yasaka? She stole your chakra from you, she dared take something that belonged only to you! That chakra is yours, how dare she take it from you!?" She stood up and glared at him, "Don't you want her dead for that?"

Naruto stood up and glared right back, "Never! I didn't like it when Yasaka-chan sealed my chakra, but I would do anything to never see her in pain like that ever again! ...Seeing her cry like that after so long tore at me. Knowing that it was me who broke her strong image and made her go back to the side of herself she hated, it made me feel terrible..." The woman stared at him in silence, "I've made up my mind. I'm going to be there for her, no matter what happens! At least... I would've, but now she's dead... I failed her..."

The woman shook her head, "Calm down drama queen, Haku-chan just put her into a death-like state, you should've realized that."

Naruto's head shot up, before happiness and relief flooded his face, "Oh, thank Kami..."

"You're welcome!" She laughed at Naruto's stunned look, "Well, I think I know all I needed to know. You're a good boy Naruto-chan, and I think I'll let you keep one thing from our little talk."

"W-wait, hold on, I have questions, about my mother, about you, about a ton of stuff!" Naruto said as he moved around the table in front of her.

Kami smiled at him and held up a hand to stop him, "Remember, you'll only remember one thing from this, right now, you have somewhere else to be, Naruto-chan. Take care of the girls and live a good life!" She tapped his forehead and he disappeared. Kami looked around the ballroom, "I don't care what you say, Yami-chan, I like him, as a matter of fact, I'll unlock another ability of his, whether or not he figures it out is up to him however!"

- Back on the bridge -

Haku watched as Naruto thrashed on the ground in pain, she didn't know what was happening, but she had to end this quickly, She noticed Yasaka twitching, pulling herself to her knees, the senbon having been pushed out by a red energy. Just as Haku was about to finish them off, Naruto stopped moving, and his breathing seemed to stop for a few seconds. Yasaka stared in horror for a minute, and just as she was about to cry out, raw, powerful chakra started to swirl around Naruto, Yasaka's seal breaking and disappearing in seconds.

The chakra covered Naruto, concealing him as waves of power flowed over the bridge. Suddenly the chakra went away as Naruto stood up, he had no idea what happened, but as he stood, one thing rung in his head in an unfamiliar voice, "If you can't live for yourself, live for them." Naruto took a deep breath and looked over to Yasaka, "Hey, sorry to worry you, but I think I'll be fine now!"

Yasaka was stunned for a few seconds, before she caught sight of something and screamed, "Look out!"

Naruto just stood still as a barrage of senbon hit him, the needles barely piercing his skin and falling off. Naruto turned to Haku and smirked, the Hyoton using Kunoichi was beginning to get worried, even more so when six dark grey bone-like spikes started growing out of his back, stretching diagonally upward. A small pair of horns grew out of his temples, they seemed to point forward a bit. (Imagine baby versions of Vasto Lorde Ichigo's horns.)

Naruto rolled his shoulders and flexed his arm, a protrusion of the same bone shooting from his hand, making a staff out of bone. Naruto swung it a bit, "On second thought, maybe not grabbing a shirt was the best idea... This is weird as hell, and it kinda itches... Ah well, I'll figure it out." He turned back to Yasaka, "Just relax Yasaka-chan, this'll be over in no time!"

Naruto turned back to Haku, giving a mock bow, "So, Haku-chan, would you do me the honor of giving me this dance?"

Chapter End.

So here it is! Sorry if there are grammatical errors, posting this rather late at night...

So, yes, Naruto's condition was the Shikotsumyaku trying to show through the seal Kami placed on him. I know it's just white bone on Kimimaro, but Naruto's version is more like a non insta-kill version of Kaguya's All Killing Ash Bone, so it's dark grey instead of white. Also, no, it's not gonna have the one hit kill thing for a very long time.

Hopefully this chapter was good, and I'll get to work on the next one when I can!