Chapter Six
Heyo! It's chapter six fuckers! Hope you're ready!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. If I did Haku would have definitely been a girl.
"Shit! Did the seal break!?" The panicked thoughts rushed through Kakashi's mind.
"Hatake. What the fuck is that?" Zabuza asked as the two nin locked blades once again. The former mist jounin disengaged and lept back, sweeping his blade in front of him and catching Kakashi lightly across the chest.
At that moment a black and red mass shot across the bridge and took Zabuza off his feet. The man's back impacted one of the bridge's supports hard enough to cause cracks to spiderweb out from the point of impact. Zabuza coughed up blood. "What the fuck just hit me?" He thought. When he opened his eyes what he saw terrified him. When he took this mission he never would have thought he would face Konohagakure's Jinchuriki. He remembers what kind of terrors occurred during the battle with Yagura, and he was only the Jinchuriki of the three tails. And If this kid was Konohagakure's, then that could only mean one thing. "It's the fucking Nine Tails. Shit…." Zabuza half thought and half mumbled under his breath.
Naruto was pressing Kakashi hard. Well not really Naruto, but the demon in control of his body. He was barely dodging hits. "Naruto!" The copy nin yelled at his blond student. "You've got to reign yourself in! Fight it!"
"Kakashi-sensei! What's happening!" Sasuke yelled, his eyes were wide, Sharingan following Naruto's moves. What even was this power.
"Sasuke stay out of this! If you don't you'll die." The jounin replied desperation in his voice.
"Naruto! Kushina, your very mother was also the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails! She could keep it under control, and I'm more than sure you can as well, Naruto!" The desperate jounin yelled at the red eyed Jinchuriki. But he finally slipped up. Kakashi lost his footing and knew this was the end, he could only hope the boy would regain control before killing his teammates.
Naruto's clawed hand stopped mere inches from the jounin's face. The nin's eyes widened as he saw the boy stop. "Naruto, you in there?" He said as calmly as possible.
The boy's eyes flashed blue for a split second. "I'm here sensei, it's me I'm in control."
"Naruto don't think about anything else, but as long as your like this let's use it, let's get Zabuza together. Alright?" The jounin instructed the boy.
"Got it, sensei." He grinned, "what's the plan?"
"The same combo you and Sasuke used. "Pour the chakra, Naruto!"
The two flashed through hand seals.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
The absolute hurricane of fire that burned across the bridge was enough to superheat the concrete as it traveled. Zabuza barely managed to get a counter out, "Water Style: Water Wall!" He yelled. The jutsu held out against the jounin and genin's combo for all of five seconds before it evaporated and blew the water away. But it was enough to keep the jutsu from instantly killing the missing nin. As his clothes burned he screamed and jumped off the bridge into the water, where he then resurfaced and ran up the side of a bridge support to confront the Konohagakure shinobi.
"Zabuza...it's time to end this." Kakashi stated. He slid through hand seals, the jounin's hand was engulfed in lightning, and he sped across the bridge hand extended toward the missing nin. "Chidori!" The sounds of his hand tearing and bursting through flesh echoed across the bridge. On his hand sat Haku.
"Heh, made for a useful tool after all!" The Demon of Kirigakure yelled bringing his sword back and fully intending upon cutting through Haku to kill Kakashi. But he hesitated. "Can I really do this?" He thought but brought his arm down anyway. A black and red blur impacted against the side of his sword taking it completely out of his hands. "What the fuck!"
"Sensei! Finish it!" Naruto shouted throwing the blade to the ground. Zabuza brandished a kunai, but immediately Kakashi was behind him and planted a kunai in the nin's left shoulder rendering it useless. The nin tossed his kunai to his other had, bringing it around to bare down on Kakashi. The leaf jounin adjusted his grip and changed his angle slamming his kunai into Zabuza's right armpit while simultaneously grabbing and snapping the former Kirigakure nin's forearm.
Zabuza growled and launched back but was met with a voice. "Wow you ninja really do have some cool fights!" A short fat man with a cane called out. "Too bad I have to cut it short!"
"Gato, what are you doing here?" Zabuza growled.
"I figured I'd wait for you all to wear eachother down and then come have my men finish all of you off! I never intended to pay you!" He kicked Haku's corpse. "This brat almost broke my hand, I'm glad she's dead!"
Zabuza said nothing, but it was someone unexpected who broke the silent tension. "How?! How can you stand there and let him do that to her! She loved you! She traded her life for yours and you'd just let him desecrate her memory?!" The Uchiha yelled with rage in his eyes.
"She's just another tool to me."
"Bullshit! You hesitated when you went to cleave through her to get to Kakashi! You'd sit here now and lie!" The Uchiha growled, "you son of a bitch how can you jus-.."
"Shut up kid…..you've said enough. You're right, Haku was everything to me. Gimme a kunai kid, ima kill this rat." The Uchiha held a questioning gaze at the former Kiri nin, then turned and looked at Kakashi, the jounin nodded. Hesitantly and cautiously, he approached. The ninja swordsman leaned down toward the boy and opened his mouth. The boy held out the handle and Zabuza took it in his teeth. "Thanks." He said and tore into the fray of mercenaries and bandits guarding Gato. Slipping into Gato's personal space, the redeemed nin slammed the kunai into his throat, tearing it out he proceeded to kill many more bandits before he fell.
As the bandits moved to hit the downed man, one shouted out, "we're gonna kill the rest of you damn ninja in a second!"
"Like hell!" A child's voice echoed across the bridge. "We're not gonna let you step on us anymore!" Inari stood with the whole village at his back. "Get out of here for good!"
Channeling a last little dosage of the Nine Tails chakra, Naruto stepped forward, "If they don't make you leave, I will." He forced all the killing intent he could toward the bandits, and they took off running for the trees. Naruto collapsed, but his faithful sensei caught him before he hit the ground.
"K-kakashi, will you do me a favor? I'd like to see Haku just one last time." Kakashi obliged the nin, and laid him next to the lifeless body of Haku. "Thank you."
As they watched the mist nin die crying. Snow began to fall on the bridge.
Team Seven sat in a bedroom in Tazuna's house, watching over Naruto's sleeping form. The room had been silent as they all stared at the boy. But Sasuke had to know. "Sensei, What was that power, that chakra that took control of Naruto?"
Kakashi stared at the black haired boy for a minute, as if trying to find an answer. "Well the truth is, it's an S-class secret. Only Naruto can reveal it at his discretion."
"You said something about Naruto's mother being a Jinchuriki like he is. What does that mean?" Sakura asked.
"Ah, so you heard that did you, well I still can't say. You'll have to wait for Naruto. And even then he doesn't have to tell you. It's hard for him to talk about, so try not to push too hard." The jounin replied.
"Might as well just tell them now though." Naruto said as he sat up surprising everyone in the room. "It's part of the reason I have so much chakra, and heal so quickly." He sighed at his team. Kakashi cast him a sympathetic look and Naruto continued. "I was born on October tenth. The same day and around the same time, as the Nine Tailed Fox attack. The Fourth Hokage couldn't actually kill it. So he sealed it into a newborn to hold the beast at bay. I am that child, I am the container of the Nine Tailed Fox."
Sasuke spoke first. "You… have the Nine Tailed Fox sealed inside of you?"
"That's what I said, yes."
"Naruto is what we call a Jinchuriki. A lot of bad things happened on the day he was born. I can't tell you any more than that." Kakashi interdicted.
"Why you?" Sakura finally spoke. "Why not any other child, why a newborn and why you?"
"I don't know." Naruto said with a downcast look. "For some reason, Lord Fourth Hokage chose to put his trust in me to hold this massive power. I just don't know if I can live up to his expectations."
"Pfft just because you've got a big fox in your gut doesn't mean you're any better than me, loser." Sasuke said. All eyes turned on him. Naruto's were comically wide. His face slowly turned to a grin and then the blond burst into laughter. Soon the whole team joined him.
As the laughing settled, Naruto spoke in a soft tone. "Thank you Sasuke." He sighed, "I was honestly very worried you guys would think I'm a monster."
Sakura wacked Naruto on the back of the head. "Of course we wouldn't think that, you idiot!" She sighed lightly, "at least now we know why the adults all said to stay away from you, and why they glare at you so much."
"Thank you Sakura." Naruto chuckled. "One day they won't see me like that. One day they will see me as Uzumaki Naruto! The Hokage! And then they will all respect me!"
Kakashi was sitting on a couch in Tazuna's house reading his book, when Naruto came through the doorway.
"Oh hey there Naruto. Need something?"
"Sensei I always thought your chakra was familiar, but now I'm almost certain. It's you right?"
"Naruto, what on earth are you talking about?"
"You're Inu aren't you sensei?"
The copy nin stood up, never taking his eyes off the boy. "I am indeed, but that's not something you can go running around talking about alrig-." He was cut off quickly as the young blond enveloped the former ANBU in a tight hug.
"Thank you."
Kakashi was visibly stunned. "Naruto? What are you thanking me for?"
"Watching over me. I was always so alone, but I always knew you were there. I could feel your chakra. Even though you never said a word to me other than if the Hokage summoned me, you were always there watching over me and keeping me safe. So thank you Sensei." Naruto responded while tightening his grip on the older man, tears burning in the corners of his eyes, but never falling.
Kakashi slowly and lightly wrapped his arms around his Sensei's son, he eye smiled down at the boy and quietly responded. "You're very welcome, Naruto."
Sasuke sat in front of the graves of Zabuza and Haku. He stared blankly for a while, finally eyes setting on Haku's grave. "You may have been my enemy, but I think you may have taught me the greatest lesson I've learned in my entire life. So thank you for that." He glanced over to Zabuza's grave next. "You were a cold bastard, but you really taught me a lot. I see the ninja world is not for the faint of heart. Sometimes you have to steel your resolve. Thank you for showing me the real darkness that comes with being a shinobi." With that said, he stood and heard footsteps behind him.
"Welp I really couldn't have said it any better ya know ya bastard." Naruto placed his hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. Sasuke had told him all about Haku, and everything Zabuza said and did. The blond was almost as inspired by it all as he was. "Kakashi-sensei is waiting for us, it's time to go S'ke."
"Right, it's time then." Sasuke said. The Jinchuriki began to walk away and before he left he took one last glance at the graves and made a pledge. "I will never, ever abandon my comrades. And I will always protect those precious to me, this team is the only family I have now. I refuse to give that up." And as the thought left his mind the raven sighed and walked away.
"Well looks like we'll be taking off now." The team leader said to the old bridge builder. "Konoha's probably beginning to worry."
"Ah yes, well we very much appreciate your help! None of this would be possible without you four. Please tell the Hokage we are ready and willing to start trade agreements with Konohagakure first and foremost."
"Ah yes, will do" the jounin said.
The people of wave country cheered and whistled at the team as them made their way across the bridge.
Tsunami looked at her father and asked, "what are we going to name the bridge?"
Inari immediately jumped in, "the Bridge of Team Seven of course!" The people of wave country cheered. It seemed the name would stick.
The door to the Hokage's office opened and in stepped the members of Team Seven.
"Team Seven reporting mission complete sir." Kakashi said.
"Kakashi….give me all the details. Right now. I believe you need to elaborate on the message you sent to me before you departed wave country."
"Right away sir." He said sighing. He proceeded to recount the epic that their mission in wave country had become.
"So you're telling me, you knowingly took three genin on what was suddenly an B-rank mission that later, after the appearance of Momochi Zabuza, would become an A-rank." The Hokage was visibly annoyed with the masked jounin.
Kakashi scratched his cheek, "uh well yeah… but when you put it that way…"
"On top of that you let Naruto get pushed to the point the Nine Tails was able to gain control of his body. And then to defuse said situation you divulged another S-class secret to the boy!" The Hokage pulled out his pipe, lit it, and took a pull, exhaling the smoke before sighing. "If this was anyone else other than you and this team, you would be demoted and the genin would be put on probation from any missions above D-rank. However! Because Team Seven is our strongest and most well known and popular genin team, I will let this pass. I expect to never hear of a situation like this again, are we clear Kakashi?"
"Yes Lord Hokage, crystal."
"Good. You and your team are dismissed, but Naruto please stay behind." The other three left and the blond sat down in front of the Hokage.
"What can I do for you Lord Third?" The boy asked.
"Did you speak to it?"
"The Nine Tails? No. When Kakashi-sensei mentioned mother, I was able to regain control of myself and managed to use my power boost to help Kakashi-sensei push Zabuza."
"Good. When Jiraiya arrives I'll have him take a look at your seal."
"Lord Jiraiya? Of The Sannin?" Naruto questioned.
"Indeed. You know I trained all three of them"
"Of course I know." Naruto laughed. "They beat it into our heads at the academy"
The old Hokage chuckled in response and silence filled the room. "Naruto… you and your team are going to be entered into this years chunin exams. We can't afford to not show your team off. Let alone not show off you and young Sasuke. The two of you are our most skilled genin, so feel free to show off. Understood, Naruto?"
"Yes Lord Hokage." The boy smiled at the elder.
"Naruto…"
"Yes sir?"
"Never mind it's nothing. You may go."
"See you later, Old Man Hokage." With that the boy stood and left the office. Alone with his thoughts Hiruzen sighed. "It may be too early to tell him of his father, even if he makes chunin….I suppose I shall let Jiraiya take him soon, and leave that decision to him. He is the boy's godfather after all." The elderly Sarutobi sighed once more. He really was getting much too old for this.
"Alright listen up!" Kakashi called to his students. "We have until the end of this month to get you three into top shape to enter the chunin exams. You don't have to pass, nor get the promotion. However you must give it your all. You guys are Konohagakure's strongest genin team at this point, and if you aren't yet you will be before the exams. So let's get started."
"The chunin exams, already?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, Lord Hokage believes you are ready, as do I." The jounin eye smiled at them. "Ready to get started then?"
The three responded together, "let's do this!"
Over the course of next two weeks the jounin hammered tactical thinking, small unit tactics, first aid knowledge, and just about anything he could get them to learn that might help. He began to train Naruto in the use of the Fourth Hokage's hummingbird fist. This was a taijutsu style not only made for use of extreme natural speed, which at this point Naruto had in spades for a genin, but also for use in conjunction with the Flying Raijin Jutsu when Minato had developed it.
Of course Naruto did not have this jutsu, but Kakashi saw it fitting considering the boys kunai substitution techniques. It had been quite easy to teach to the boy, as Naruto already made use of handstands and fast reflexes during taijutsu bouts. The Fourth had made extreme use of his teleportation, body flicker, and just plain natural speed to appear inside his enemies guard. Once there he had often made use of handstands to get a full range of movement for precision kicks.
"I reckon he could give Gai's student a run for his money." Was something Kakashi thought quite a bit while training the boy. The masked jounin also went on to teach the boy a couple new jutsu. Including
Water Style: Liquid Bullets, the user spitting balls of water from the mouth at high speed. Another had been Water Style: Water Pistol, which in turn lead to Naruto also learning the Twin Water Pistol jutsu. And finally he taught the boy Wind Style: Gale Palm. With the boy readily armed and dangerous, Kakashi was sure he'd be a absolute force of nature throughout the exams.
As for his Uchiha student, he supplemented the boy's jutsu arsenal with two new Fire style jutsu. Which he had picked up quickly due to his now activated and fully mature Sharingan. Most of their time together however was spent on Sharingan Genjutsu which would be incredibly important to Sasuke not only for the exams, but for his entire shinobi career.
As for the girl, after making her undergo hard training to increase her chakra reserves, he felt she would be capable of learning new techniques. Among those were a few genjutsu, along with new Earth Style jutsus. He refined her taijutsu and medical jutsu knowledge. They also made strides in increasing her physical strength. Both of the males on his team were terrified of her when she was angry, not that they would admit it.
The three genin were a force to be reckoned with, Kakashi was honestly going to be surprised if they didn't wipe the floor with a good chunk of the competition. All that was left to do was wait and see.
"Boss! Boss!" A small boy with a blue scarf yelled chasing after the blond. Naruto could still remember meeting the arrogant idiot in the Hokage's office. But since then Naruto had taken to looking after the boy, sometimes even teaching him some things. The six year old had just joined the academy, and would turn eight two months after Naruto turns fourteen this year.
Sakura was also walking with Naruto at the time. "What is it Kono?" The blond boy asked.
"Boss, is she your girlfriend?" Sakura looked stunned, and Naruto turned to the boy and smiled. "No she's just my teammate Kono."
"Ah that's good because she's kinda flat." Konohamaru said blankly.
Sakura's face turned to rage, had Kakashi been there he would have been reminded of Kushina herself. Naruto looked at the boy with fear in his eyes. "Kono… run!" The boy saw his mentors face and was terrified. He took off running for the hills. Sakura took off after him.
"Get back here you little shit!" Her time spent exposed to Naruto and Sasuke's foul language had made her pick up a few habits of theirs. The boy ran down an alley at top speed taking a shortcut to a side street before running into someone.
"Ow." The boy said falling on his bottom.
"You little shit… you're gonna learn your lesson right now." A male voice rang out over him.
"Kankuro, quit you're gonna get us in trouble." A female voice called out. The chunin exams were going to start soon. And Team Seven was about to meet their greatest adversary.
Oh boy! Wave arc over, and the team returns! The team gets some blustered training, and we enter the chunin exams! I changed the age of Konohamaru and his friends. Plot reasons you will find out about much later in the story. There's gonna be a lot of time line play, so bear with it! Haha, anyways y'all have a good day! Darling in the Fox out!