Money creates a nasty contract.
It can also be a valuable asset.
When a person is freed from the contract,
They too become an asset.

Naruto walked out of eyesight of anybody and Kamui-ed himself to where Tazuna marked the map. Because that was his only idea of where to go, Naruto materialized directly inside of Gatous mansion. 'Well this is a rather elegant establishment,' Nuibari stated, 'It's built on fraud and murder,' Naruto thought, getting a gasp from her, 'Say, Nuibari. Care to dance?' Naruto undid the seal on his arm, releasing Nuibari. Naruto had practiced quite a bit with his blade, as well as hiraishin, along with his new Kamui ability. He was ready to finally put that practice to the test. He adorned his fox mask, and readied himself as two guards notified the rest of the guards to assist them.

'This will be a most effective practice session!'

Naruto began by throwing a bunch of marked hiraishin kunai into the walls to ready his strategy. He tossed Nuibari through the shoulders of the first two guards before teleporting to his kunai, grabbing the blade, and chucking the blade through the other side. He teleported back and forth until he had sewn each of their limbs together, disabling them. When the special chakra from Nuibari is released from the thread upon it being cut, it causes the thread to tighten, effectively binding the target. Naruto fluttered between each kunai, launching the blade though shoulders, legs, and arms, being especially careful to not hit any vital points. The only person he would be killing today would be Gatou. 'Speak of the devil.'

"What's going on down there?! What's that damn racket?!" He heard a voice bellow from above.

"Are you Gatou of Gatou shipping enterprises? I would like to have a word with you," Naruto stated calmly. Gatou walked out from the hallway and a look of absolute shock came over him. The monster fell over, and began to crawl backwards. Naruto simply body flickered behind the man before picking him up.

"Y-you're barely taller than I am. How could you have done this?" Gatou shook in fear.

Naruto chuckled, "Gatou-san, are you implying that you're short?"

"Just what are you?" Gatou asked his last question.

"I'm just a normal shinobi."

Team 7 was still without Naruto. Tazuna had told them about how he left back towards Konoha and they all feared the worst. Had Naruto deserted them? Despite their conundrum, the group had to keep moving. "Duck," Kakashi ordered out of nowhere. The group obliged before a large blade swung by over their ducked heads. The blade lodged itself in a nearby tree and a man leapt atop it, "Zabuza Momochi."

"If it isn't Kakashi the copy ninja. You're in my bingo book, you know that?" Kakashi remained silent, "Kakashi of the Sharingan, copier of over 1000 techniques," Sasuke gasped at this, 'Sharingan? Was he...'

"Sasuke, Sakura, guard Tazuna at all costs, he is the mission, understand?" The mist thickened as he said that. He had to be ready for an attack from any side. If Zabuza was able to get one clean strike off, it could be all over. Kakashi was shocked to see Zabuza's blade flying out of the mist, soaring high above him. The blade began to curve and head right towards Tazuna. 'Dammit. He played me. I won't be able to-' Kakashi's thought was broken by a long thin blade knocking Zabuza's into the ground.

"I can't believe you guys left without me! I'm so hurt," Naruto joked.

"Now's not the time to be messing around, Naruto." Sakura scolded her teammate. She was still mad at him for how Hinata was feeling, but at least he didn't desert them, "Where were you anyway?"

"I was running an errand."

'COULD YOU BE ANYMORE VAGUE CHA!'

Zabuza began a long speech, "Pft look at you all, pathetic. When I was your age, the graduation exa-"

"Can it Zabuza-san. I know all about the bloody mist," Zabuza grunted out of annoyance. 'The nerve of this kid.'

"I have a gift for you, can you please release the mist?"

"Oh yeah? Why should I do that?" Zabuza crossed his arms. 'If this kid thinks he could trick me that easily, then he's as good as dead.'

"Zabuza-san I'm just asking you to trust me. Man to man. You can hold the blade up to my throat. If I try anything funny, you can slash it." Zabuza released the mist. 'If this kid had something that important, I might as well hear him out.'

Naruto undid a sealing scroll. After the dramatic smoke cleared, the blonde boy was holding the head of Gatou. "You were working for him, ne? You were hired to kill Tazuna here."

"How did you-" all of the others said.

"Well I cut his head off. Duh," they all grew a tick mark, "Your contract has been released, Zabuza-san. Your money is at Gatou's mansion." The entire group was staring at the boy, mouths agape. Haku (who is a girl) let out a quiet laugh, 'What a strange child.'

"Zabuza, you have a choice here," Naruto paused, "you can remain a missing-nin for the rest of your life, or you could join us in the leaf, where you are currently not considered a threat."

"I'm insulted by your offer."

"So be it. It's in your best interest to consider all of the opportunities, Zabuza." This time Kakashi spoke up, pressuring the man.

The Konoha shinobi began to walk towards Tazuna's home, talking and laughing. Sakura then proceeded to knock Naruto into the ground for some unknown reason.

"Well Zabuza-sama. What shall we do?"

"Quiet, Haku! I'm thinking."

~~rewind 1 day~~
~~Hinata and Kurenai~~

The poor Hyūga had been sobbing for the last hour. Kurenai believed that she was in her own head about all this, but she didn't really know how to tell her. She wasn't the most experienced when it came to relationships, hers and Asuma's was... irregular to say the least.

"I just don't think he loves me- NO! I know he doesn't love me- NO! He doesn't even like me or care that I exis-"

"Hinata-chan," Kurenai happened to interrupt. She didn't really do it on purpose, and now she was sitting there and had to come up with a speech in less than a second. Why was she thinking about all this? She's wasting time!

Kurenai sighed and shook her head, "Hinata-chan, I'm like a sister to you, is that right?" She got a nod from Hinata who was snuggled deep in her embrace, looking up at her. Kurenai thought back to her academy years. Asuma could be incredibly rude to her sometimes. It always seemed to be when they would stare at each other for a little too long. "Can you trust me when I say that boys, especially at your age, don't always say what they mean?" She paused, "It's not that they're lying, it's that they themselves can't understand how they feel. And besides, Naruto never said that he didn't love you." Hinata looked at Kurenai in awe. It made sense to her. Hinata realized what she had to do.

"Thank you Kurenai-sensei," the girl shot up and bowed, "your words have enlightened me and showed me what I have to do." She ran to Kurenai and embraced her one more time, "Go get it, Hina-chan!" The two smiled at each other before Hinata rushed out of the room. After the door slammed shut, Kurenai let out a chuckle, "Damn! I'm good at this! I'm like the queen of good advice."

~~present: land of waves~~

Naruto had activated his fūinnome before turning away from the swordsman and was scanning through his memories. He had learned a lot about the pain Zabuza had experienced from a young age, how he considered himself and every shinobi a tool to be used, how deep down he loved Haku. He broke himself from the intel gathering.

"Hey that girl standing by Zabuza is pretty cute, no? She's definitely cuter than you Sakura," Sakura immediately responded by pummeling the boy into the ground, "I'll just... catch up with you guys," Naruto was scheming, however. He stood up and dusted himself off. He saw that Zabuza and Haku were walking away and shouted their names. He began to walk towards them and spoke. "Zabuza, I know that you've experienced pain that nobody should have to experience, you too, Haku," he paused as the too looked at each other in shock. 'How did he know her name?'

"I've felt pain similar to that. Although I never was forced to slaughter children my own age, I was an outcast, just like the both of you. I know that I'm young, and I know that I haven't seen the whole shinobi world. I'm naive, yes, but I have seen tragedy and I have made impossible choices," he looked away, "choices that still haunt me. Zabuza, Haku, whatever you choose to do, just know that you are not tools. You are human. Shinobi aren't things that you use then dispose of, they are the same as anybody else." He paused again, "You deserve to love, Zabuza, Haku, you deserve to be loved. If you choose not to find that in the hidden leaf, then for me and for yourselves, find it somewhere else. I hate knowing that there are people who have never known love. Sorry to bother you." Naruto turned to walk away.

Haku and Zabuza stared at each other in silence, 'Who is this kid,'

"I'm just a regular shinobi. That's all."

Was he seriously reading their minds?

Zabuza placed an arm around Haku and pulled her into an embrace. He let her go and nodded to her. "Hey kid," Naruto stopped and turned around, "Wait up."

Naruto and the new leaf ninja caught up to the rest of the group and made their way into town. Naruto, much to Sakura, Kakashi, and most of all, Nuibari's displeasure, was marching around town carrying Gatou's head on his blade chanting, "GATOU IS DEAD! GATOU IS DEAD EVERYONE!"

'GET THIS UGLY, REPULSIVE, INELEGANT FREAK OFF OF ME YOU SLUG!'

Villagers from everywhere flooded the streets to see. The eyes of everyone lit up when they saw the beady eyes of the same Gatou that had terrorized their home.

"Wait a minute, didn't Gatou have hair?" One of the villagers shouted, receiving a bunch of lost hope from the village.

"Nope! It was a toupee!" Naruto whipped out the hairpiece from his back pocket.

"What's your name, brave hero?"

"Naruto Uzumaki-ttebayo!"

There were no problems with building the bridge, especially with one ninja swordsman and one honorary ninja swordsman guarding it. Naruto was rather interested in the stories about the seven ninja swordsman of the mist. He had skipped over those when looking through Zabuza's mind. Zabuza was also interested about how Naruto had acquired Nuibari, however, Naruto was not at liberty to tell the tale. Naruto retrieved the money from Gatou's mansion using his Kamui, which Zabuza promised he would use to pay off his bounty and give most of the rest to the waterfall village. Only most of it. The man needed to live after all.

The bridge was named after Naruto, the hero who saved them from Gatou.

The shinobi returned to Konoha. Before they returned, Kakashi had sent Pakkun with a message to the Hokage about allowing Zabuza to stay. After replying saying that he would have to clear the action with the Mizukage, Naruto "went to the bathroom."

Using the map Tazuna gave him, Naruto was able to locate where the hidden mist village was and Kamui-ed there. Luckily, he did not materialize in the direct middle of the village, but right outside the Mizukage tower. He entered the building to be greeted with a tight hug from the Mizukage. "Well if it isn't the honorary wielder of Nuibari, Naruto Uzumaki. Oh I am just so proud of the young ones," she began to stare off into the distance before Chōjūrō cleared his throat, "Ah yes," the Mizukage spoke, "to what do I owe the pleasure, young Uzumaki?"

"I wanted to speak with you about Zabuza Momochi." The Mizukage was now staring at the boy. She gestured for him to continue. He told her everything about Gatou and how he was hoping to take refuge in the leaf.

The Mizukage sighed, "Zabuza's attempted coup wasn't just to gain power. I understand that his reasons were just and am willing to pardon him," Naruto sighed in relief, "but, the leaf will now take full responsibility over Zabuza. Any and all of his actions will be the responsibility of the leaf, is that clear?"

"And what of the mist village? Will you honor Zabuza's wishes for the country?" Both the Mizukage and Chōjūrō were shocked about this. She then smiled, 'This boy really cares about people.'

"Most of what Zabuza fought for was granted after the destruction of the bloody mist. Zabuza's wishes were granted not too long ago. Now I will ask again, am I clear that Zabuza is the responsibility of the hidden leaf?"

"I understand, lady Mizukage."

As Naruto was exiting the building, Chōjūrō ran up to him. "Wait! Naruto Uzumaki. I wanted to say something to you," he paused for a moment, "I just think that it's incredibly brave and honorable of you to continue the tradition of the mist blades. To you it may just be a sword, but to me, these blades are a symbol of courage."

Naruto smiled at the boys words, "Well Said, Chōjūrō-kun," Naruto stuck out his hand, "We'll have to duel sometime." The boys shook hands, and Chōjūrō gave him a warm smile. Naruto took off, back to the woods.

The rest of the group was getting impatient when Naruto walked out of the woods. He was met with an angry Sakura, an equally angry Zabuza, and 2 senbon that were far too close to his balls.

"You better be careful, Naruto-kun," Haku twirled another senbon in her hand, "this was a warning," she leaned in and whispered.

Naruto gulped as he pulled the senbon out from his thighs, "Hey Haku, is Zabuza into that kinda thing?"

"WHY NARUTO YOU LITTLE-"

Hey all!
Hope you enjoyed how I did Zabuza/Haku. I know their death I think the show is very important, but it's just kinda unnecessary in this world I feel. Idk, let me know what you think.
Anyway~
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it. Have a good day/night (or else!)
Update from the last authors note:
It is now 4:42 AM fuck.
Jerry out!