Chapter 7: The Approaching Storm
As they were traveling to the village, Naruto asked Ronin. "Ronin-san. What do you intend to do once things are set right?"
Glancing in his direction briefly before looking ahead again, Ronin said. "Certain of our victory already, are we?"
"To think anything else would be rather stupid, whether one has reason or not to doubt. It wouldn't help us to win to think we will die trying."
Nodding stiffly in grim agreement, Ronin replied. "I intend to summon all the former samurai I once commanded that are now abroad with the hope of..."
"... The hope of what?" Naruto prodded verbally.
"... The hope of restoring our honor by committing ritual seppuku (A/N: suicide)." Ronin said stoically.
Naruto's eyes widened, appalled at that thought.
"You can't seriously believe that will do anyone anything good!" He protested hotly.
"It is the way of the samurai." Ronin said simply.
"Screw that!" Naruto said. Ronin, with quickness fitting a sword master, drew his blade and held it at Naruto's face. The whole group halted at this.
"You would presume to tell me what to do, or to say what is right or not for me and my men?" Ronin demanded angrily.
Naruto's own eyes didn't waver as he looked right back. Considering his words for a moment, Naruto finally said.
"I would say that there may be another way for you to think about. You guys dying only to satisfy some code, it seems like a huge waste of your bravery and skills, if nothing else. Especially if there was another way."
Still holding his sword's point toward Naruto's masked face, Ronin's hard voice spoke. "It is a sad thing, indeed, that we have to die. But our code demands this of us for our failure to protect our lord."
"Maybe. But as I said, I think there's another option." Naruto said, still keeping a firm look.
Ronin neither said or did anything. Taking this as a go ahead to speak his mind, Naruto proceeded to do just that.
"You see, once this land has been freed and Gato's gone, it will be without a leader. Since this bridge, I'm told, will be a gift for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire from the Land of Wave, I'm thinking that once our Daimyo learns of lord Hata's demise, he'll bloodlessly annex this land into the Land of Fire. And because it will be bloodless and he is without blame for the previous leader's death, it wouldn't be dishonorable for the annexed land's samurai to be absorbed into the new leader's forces. I've not met him, but from what I can tell, he is an honorable man. Just ask my friend once you meet him, he'll tell you about the Daimyo."
Considering his words, Ronin said. "We still bear the shame..."
"Yeah, I know. But you are mostly meant to guard him from harm in battle or from anything that could harm him physically in that sorta way. Hata died from... that's right. You never did tell me how he was assassinated."
"... He died from food poisoning. Gato seized control all but immediately after." Ronin admitted.
"And that was a failing of whoever handles the culinary security. Not a samurai, am I right?"
"... But we still failed the Land of Waves." Ronin argued, though not as strongly as before. He was slowly lowering his blade as well.
"And you are about to set things right, putting your lives on the line for it." Naruto argued back.
Ronin and Naruto held one another's gaze for a few intense moments. Finally, Ronin drew a heavy sigh. "That may very well be the venue for me and my men to regain our lost honor. What say you, men?"
The samurai looked at one another, their eyes seemingly holding entire conversations. Then, as one, they bent down on one knee and Ronin's chief Lieutenant spoke. "Whatever our Taicho decides, we shall follow."
Nodding in pride, Ronin addressed his men. "Then we shall risk our lives for the freedom of Wave, as we have already set forth to do, and after we have rid our home of the defiling presence of Gato, I shall seek an audience with our future lord, asking him to claim us as his own warriors."
"Hai!" The men chorused and stood once more.
Turning to Naruto, Ronin gave him a bowing nod. "You have my thanks, Ghost-san. You have possibly saved me and my men as well as given us a chance at restoring our lost honor. Even if it does not happen as hoped, your effort will be remembered till our dying breath."
Ronin's men bowed all the way at Naruto.
Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, Naruto answered. "Happy to help you guys."
"Now then, as a token of my respect, I shall let you decide our next course of action."
"Eh?" Naruto eloquently asked.
"The way I see it," Ronin began, as if ignoring Naruto's query. "We have two options. Either we go to the bridge, as that will be the key to Wave's freedom or continued enslavement. No doubt Gato will want to defeat the effort there and thusly cement his hold on Wave. However, that still leaves the village's impending... disciplinary punishment. A sacking, no doubt. We can not engage the enemy on both fronts simultaneously. Our forces are not strong enough to secure a victory in more than one area."
Now understanding what Ronin meant, Naruto considered the alternatives. He then revealed his plans.
"I have a plan in place to deal with the bridge situation. Well, I hope I have at least. It's gonna depend on one or two things to go right. Anyway, I should go there, and I'm taking Haku with me."
"You, alone?" Ronin inquired, clearly questioning the validity of such a plan.
"No doubt my friends will be there, we'll handle things. Even if things go south, you may be able to reinforce us once you're finished in the village."
Mulling the plan over, Ronin decided to trust Ghost-san's judgment, he had given his word that Ghost-san would make the call, after all.
"Very well, we shall strike at the bastards in the village. Best of luck to you, Ghost-san." Ronin said. Turning to his men, Ronin commanded with such authority Naruto couldn't help but be inspired.
"Samurai! We shall go into the village and strike down the would-be pillagers before they get the opportunity to even grab a single coin! Show them no mercy, for they deserve none, nor will they show you any! Let the cleansing of Wave begin with the blood of our enemies!"
"EI! EI! OOOOUUUU!" The men cried out as they began their march to the village once more.
Momentarily dazzled by the display, Naruto turned to the still bound Haku. "Ready to go, Haku-san?"
Haku nodded. "I am. But I can't help but be curious."
"About what" Naruto said as they walked towards the bridge.
"About the wisdom of bringing me along to the bridge. I'm your enemy, and Zabuza-sama wont be swayed by you keeping me hostage."
"Hostage? Oh no, you're not gonna play the role of hostage. You're gonna help me convince Zabuza to stop, because it will be in both of your interests."
"... Your'e obviously aware what my next question will be." Haku remarked dryly.
"Yep. 'Why would you want to stop?'" Naruto answered conversationally.
"Indeed."
"Because Gato has it in for you both. He intends to betray you at your weakest moment."
Though Haku's face was still covered by the mask, Naruto had no trouble detecting the shock that no doubt was reflected on it.
"Before you ask how I could possibly know that. I did infiltrate the mansion and go through pretty much all Gato's documents and diaries. In one such document he wrote down his displeasure with Zabuza and his failings to accomplish his missions. The last one, the one where we fought him, was apparently the last straw and Gato decided to eliminate you all."
Haku visibly pondered the news. "... I'd ask how you can prove it." The masked captive began. "But whether you can or not, I find myself believing you. It is well within Gato's capabilities and personality to do such."
Naruto paused his stride to look at Haku. "Do you think Zabuza will have problems believing it?"
At first, he got no response, but then Haku said. "He... might be persuaded. But I truly cannot say with any certainty how Zabuza-sama will react."
Nodding, Naruto commented. "I figured as much. But it's the best I've got to get you out of this."
Looking at Naruto, Haku asked. "Why would you do that for us? We've deceived you and fought you with every intent to kill you."
"Because I know in my heart that you, Haku, are not a bad person. You deserve to live as far as I am concerned. I can't guarantee that Zabuza will survive the day. But if anyone gets to live, if I have any say, it would be you."
"But... how can you tell if I'm a good person?"
Naruto turned away and walked on towards the bridge, Haku followed as well. "Little things here and there. Your heart wasn't in the battle we just had, for one. But also the fact that one that believes in the values that you do, is a clear sign of a good person. And there are not enough good people in the world, so I wont be responsible, If I can help it, for the death of one."
"The... values?" Haku said, perplexed. Not once during their interactions had there been any mention of... Then, behind the mask, Haku's eyes widened in realization.
"You're..." But the next words were interrupted by Naruto.
"We're getting close, you'd better prepare what you want to say to your master if you want to give him a chance to get away in one piece."
Back at the bridge builders house, things were about to happen.
Shikamaru, who had recovered enough to walk around and was rapidly on his way to being fully restored, decided to patrol around the house. Even a Nara can get tired of resting excessively. But he still strolled around the house in a leisurely, slow pace.
A frown marred his usually disinterested visage. 'I've got a bad feeling. Something is going to go down soon, and it wont be pretty. What a drag this feeling is.'
Suddenly, from the other side of the house, a crash was heard. 'Someone's forced themselves in from the front!'
Hurriedly yet quietly, he got to a window that showed the room the front door led to. Carefully taking a peek, he spotted two men. They had grabbed a thoroughly distressed Tsunami and threatened her to obey them or they would either hurt her or 'have fun' with her, with neither being mutually exclusive. Inari, who had come down from upstairs within a few moments after they got in, had frozen at the sight of his mother in the hands of the two invaders.
'Crap. This wont end well. I need to intervene, fast.' Shikamaru thought.
"Well, well, well. The little man of the house has graced us with his presence." Mocked one of the two, who left Tsunami in the hands of his partner and approached Inari menacingly. Looking over his shoulder at Tsunami briefly, the man added onto their previous threat. "If you wont comply, I will be forced to take out my frustrations, and it wont be you that I start with." He said as he fingered his katana.
Inari was shaking like a leaf in the wind, too afraid to do anything else. What the man said registered in his mind as clear as day. He was going to die, cut down with the man's sword.
But something else clicked inside the boy's mind. The man implied that he would not stop with Inari, but he would also go after his mother. That's when his state of mind transformed from shocked and terrified, to angry and protective.
The man that would cut the boy in cold blood was taken by surprise as he got kicked in the shin. Used to pain, he recovered quickly and back-handed the poor boy. He was about to draw his blade when Tsunami screamed.
"Leave him alone! If you promise to leave him alone, I'll go with you without a fight! But if you harm him, I will bite my tongue off!"
"You wont be able to." Said the other man cruelly just as he forcibly inserted a piece of cloth into her mouth and then gagged her. "So your threat is moot."
Grinning in malicious glee, the first man drew his blade and was about to strike when he found he couldn't move at all, all of a sudden.
"Waraji, what are you waiting for?" The other man asked. He, in turn, suddenly felt paralyzed.
Had they been able to look around, they would have noticed that their shadows had connected and further stretched to a kneeling teenager at the front door.
Straining a bit at the concentration he put into it, Shikamaru smirked nonetheless. "Shadow Possession Jutsu: Achieved."
Turning to the hurt boy, Shikamaru said. "Inari, are you alright?"
"Y...yeah." Inari said shakily, tears falling from the stinging pain in his face. Seeing what Shikamaru had done to the two men had him utterly amazed. Controlling shadows and making people freeze as their shadows got touched. The more he learned about shinobi, the more in awe he found himself of them.
Nodding, Shikamaru asked. "Inari, think you can punch these guys where no man should be punched?"
Confused at first, it dawned soon for Inari what Shikamaru was asking. Smirking vengefully, Inari cocked back his tiny fist for a punch at the groin of the two utterly frozen, and very distressed goons.
Inari was a good boy. He helped around at the house and in the village with various things. Among those things, he helped carry stuff that should normally be a little heavy for someone his age and height. Doing stuff like that helped build a slightly above average strength level.
With two incapacitated men groaning and helpless on the floor, Shikamaru had no problem tying the two up securely.
"Well done, Inari. You really gave it your all." Shikamaru complimented with a face that held both a smirk and a cringe.
Tsunami, once she was freed from the gag, had embraced her son and they cried happily that they were both safe once more. Once she calmed down some, she tearfully yet happily proclaimed.
"Inari-kun, you're my hero!" She said as she hugged him again.
"Mooom!" Inari complained in half-hearted embarrassment.
"I hate to break this up, but we need to get moving." Shikamaru said.
Letting Inari go from the hug, Tsunami asked. "What do you mean, Shikamaru-san? Where are we going?"
"The fact that these two goons came to your house, and the timing, suggests that something is going to happen soon. I'm guessing that my friends at the bridge have their hands full as we speak." He said grimly.
"You mean... Gato's making his move?" Tsunami asked, holding her hands in front of her mouth in horror.
Nodding in affirmative, Shikamaru elaborated. "That means that we should get you to safety, not to mention preventing these bastards from causing more problems."
"Where did you have in mind." She asked.
"The best I can think is somewhere in the village, we can get help with finding a hiding place to stow these two away for the time being as well as making it more difficult for you and Inari to be found and used as hostages. Hiding in the wilderness is a risky proposition since one can be tracked there."
"Whatever you say, Shikamaru-san. I know you know what you're doing." Tsunami agreed without reservation. Inari nodded too.
"Okay, then if you and Inari grab that guy and I'll take this one." He said as he grabbed the one called Waraji. They then made their way into the village.
Asuma, Hinata and Chouji escorted Tazuna to the bridge, as was the norm for the last few days. What was outside the norm this day, however, was the scenery they arrived to. The bridge was littered with downed workers. They appeared to be wounded from cuts and bruises. None of them looked lethal, thankfully, but they needed treatment or even these wounds would become deadly soon enough.
"Sensei, we should help them." Hinata exclaimed in her soft manner.
"Hold your ground!" Asuma commanded firmly. "Whoever did this is most likely still around. Keep your senses sharp."
Tazuna approached a still conscious worker a few feet from his bodyguards.
"Yodo, what happened here?"
"A... man... with a... huge sword and... two henchmen... ambushed us." Yodo replied weakly. It was all he managed before losing consciousness.
"Figures..." Asuma mumbled, not pleased that the imminent fight had to happen now. "Tazuna, get back behind us. Chouji, be ready for anything. Hinata scan the area."
"Hai. Byakugan!" Hinata scanned the area as told. She found nothing, but she did notice that a mist was approaching. And it was thick with chackra, just like last time. She said as much to her leader.
"Damn. Triad formation, I'll take the front." Asuma commanded as they took up a formation immediately around Tazuna, each covering a third of the three possible approach angles.
The mist silently and eerily enveloped them. Their senses remained on high alert.
"Shouldn't we retreat?" Chouji asked quietly.
"It was too late the moment we stepped onto the bridge, Chouji. Now, we must do the best we can to win or at least stay alive until reinforcements arrive."
"What reinforcements?" Chouji asked, scanning the area in front of him for the slightest movement.
Silence was the answer, at first. "I don't know. It could be Shikamaru or Ghost-san." Asuma answered, not sounding as reassuring as he wanted to. "But that is not important. Just be ready to fight Zabuza's henchman or henchmen. I have to handle him myself."
"Again with the misplaced confidence that you can take me on, Asuma." Came Zabuza's menacing voice through the mist.
'I can't risk having this mist obscuring me and my team's vision. It's largely what got us in deep trouble last time. I have no choice but to spend a big part of my chakra to remove it.' Asuma thought grimly.
Having no wind technique of a large enough scale to blow away this much mist, he instead had an idea to at least lift it enough to see further.
Forming hand-signs, he inhaled a large amount of air and blew it almost straight upward. What came out of his lungs wasn't the air he breathed in, however.
"Katon: Haisekishō!" (Fire Style: Burning Ash Cloud) Asuma roared as he clicked his teeth together, which held a small flint to produce a spark to ignite the cloud. The resulting explosion heated up the air inside and immediately surrounding the cloud. This in turn caused the air beneath, that held the mist, to rise. As expected, it didn't take the entirety of the mist, but it did make the area easier to see.
"Not bad, Asuma. Not bad." Zabuza complimented gruffly. "But you wasted much chakra on a small gain."
"We shall see, Zabuza." Asuma said, readying his trench knives. "Round three."
"Final round." Zabuza said, emerging from the mist right in front of Asuma, brandishing the massive sword he was so well known for. From behind him, moving into supporting positions, were the demon brothers from the last fight.
"You don't have your friend with the fancy shadow jutsus with you now. Let's see how well you fare against us this time." Gōzu said, brandishing his poisoned weapon of choice, the gauntlet.
Hinata and Chouji, with their enemies revealed, took up supporting positions alongside Asuma.
Neither side moved as tension mounted.
The battle for Wave was about to begin.