Alrighty! Here we are, chapter 6! We're almost up to as many followers as the original story had before my hiatus from writing. I'm can't express my joy enough at how much you all enjoy this story. I was going to write another chapter of Son of Mandalore but i was too excited to write this chapter. The concept for this chapter is what made me want to write this story in the first place several years ago. When I had this idea I was inspired to write a story around it and so I couldn't put it off any longer. So before we begin, I'd like to respond to some reviews since last update.

Dzerx: I mean... maybe.

Nierra: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. As for the Civil War.. Maybe. Zabuza's coup was only a year ago. Yagura's still alive.

Pat123: I feel like you've helped me reach a milestone in my writing career. But yeah, I teared up while writing that part as well as parts of this chapter.

RurikBeserk: Yeah the Cliffhanger no Jutsu is a devastating one. But forunately you only had to wait two weeks for an update.

"Talking"
"Bijuu
"Talking"
'Thinking'
'Bijuu Thinking'
"Writing"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any other the other intellectual properties referenced in this story

Jinchuuriki Mercenary: Redux

Chapter 6: My Famed Disappearing Act

One Week Earlier

'This was a bad idea. We should have called for backup. I guess it's too late now.' Kakashi made his way down the stairs of their client, Tazuna's home, his favorite book held in his hand as he walked. The bridge builder had been gracious enough to let Team 7 stay with him and his daughter Tsunami, as well as her son Inari until the bridge was completed. As he hobbled his way into the kitchen he could hear his team's muddled squabbling becoming clearer. He sighed and put on a fake smile to try and break up the tension. However when Kakashi entered the room, no one noticed him as a fist slammed on the kitchen table and Inari was glaring at Sasuke and Naruto, his nostrils flaring and tears welling up in his eyes.

"WHY ARE YOU WORKING SO HARD? ALL YOUR TRAINING IS FOR NOTHING IF YOU PLAN TO FACE AGAINST GATO! NO ONE CAN BEAT HIM! IT'S POINTLESS! YOU'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Inari yelled bringing a silence across the entire household. Naruto scoffed and brushed off a bit of dirt from his arm as he sent an irreverent glare back at the child.

"Tsk. Don't lump me in with you, kid. We're nothing alike." Irani's face turned red and he grit his teeth at the blonde's attitude. Tears began to flow freely as he shouted.

"I'D HATE TO BE LIKE YOU, YOU CLOWN! ALL YOU EVER DO IS JOKE AROUND AND ACT CHEERFUL! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS COUNTRY! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME! AND YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HOW HARD LIFE CAN BE!" The temperature in the room became noticeably colder and the air became slightly harder to breathe once the boy had finished screaming. The silver haired jonin grew nervous as the blonde teen glared back at the child, the cracks in his cheerful knucklehead persona straining to keep themselves up as a few chips fell away.

"Gaki… You have no idea the kind of hell life can be. I know all too well how cruel the world can be. I've survived it. You wanna know why I joke around and act cheerful? Do you?! It's because I thank Kami EVERY DAMNED DAY THAT I'M STILL HERE! So you can stay here having a pity party for yourself because life dealt you a shit hand and cry like the sissy gaki you are! But I'm going to do something with whatever time I have left!" The young boy ran off crying onto the porch. Sakura fumed as she turned toward Naruto as he walked away from the table.

"Nice going Naruto-baka! Cha! You can be so tactless sometimes!" Naruto let out an indignant grunt at the pink haired kunoichi's scolding. Standing from the table, the blonde set down his food.

"I'm going to bed." Kakashi placed hand on the blonde's shoulder as he walked past by him. Naruto looked his older brother in the eye, meeting his concerned gaze. The blonde closed his eyes and let out a breath. Opening his eyes, he gave his sensei a faint yet reassuring smile before heading upstairs. Kakashi nodded and went out the door to comfort the troubled youth that had the misfortune of pushing one of Naruto's buttons too hard as Sakura continued to vent her frustrations with the blonde.

"Ugh! That Naruto is such a bumbling idiot! Sometimes I wish he wasn't on our team anymore!"

The next morning, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna ate at the table as Tsunami finished cooking breakfast for Inari and herself. Kakashi set down his chopsticks and let out a contented sigh as his students stared in awe. They hadn't seen him even move to remove his facemask, yet he had seemed to eat his entire breakfast in the blink of an eye. He patted his belly and flashed an eye smile at the black haired woman of the house.

"Ahh… That was absolutely delicious Tsunami-san. I'm certainly going to miss your cooking when we return home." The single mother blushed lightly at the praise and turned her attention back to her cooking. Kakashi turned to Sakura still smiling.

"Sakura-chan, could you go wake up Naruto? I think we should all be with Tazuna-san today." The pinkette's eye twitched at the mention of her knucklehead teammate. Her inner voice was raging at the thought of spending the day with Naruto complaining about how boring protecting the old bridge builder while he worked was. She smiled sweetly and batted her eyes at her sensei.

"Ano, Kakashi-sensei. Naruto trained really hard yesterday. Maybe we should let him sleep in? He knows we'll be at the bridge and he can meet up with us once he's fully rested." Kakashi rubbed his chin as he thought over the girl's words before smiling back at her.

"That's very thoughtful of you to think about your teammate's well being like that Sakura-chan. Alright, we'll let Naruto rest up and he can meet up with us later." Sakura beamed at the praise from her sensei while inside her head she was cheering boisterously.

'SHANNARO! I GET TO SPEND AN ENTIRE DAY WITH SASUKE-KUN WITHOUT NARUTO-BAKA BUTTING IN! TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL!' Once the genin and the bridge builder had finished their breakfast, Team 7 and their client made their way out of the front door fresh faced and ready for whatever may come their way. Or at least that's what they believed.

Forest Hideout

Momochi Zabuza stretched and flexed his muscles as he paced through the bedroom of his temporary hideout which was so graciously provided to him and his partner by their benefactor, Gato. How he hated that short little fat man. He was pompous and believed himself to be better than everyone because of his illegal empire. He even dared to treat one of the Seven Swordsman like a common dog off the street. The former Kiri shinobi roared in frustration as he took a swing with his blade and crashed it down onto the bed to which he had been confined for the past week and a half, utterly decimating it with the might of his blow. He turned his attention to the door as his masked accomplice made their way into the room. Not bothering to even look at the bed, the masked figure stared at their master.

"Everything is ready, Zabuza-sama. The plan is going ahead as predicted. Are you ready?" The swordsman lifted his giant sword and placed it onto his back with a demonic gleam in his eye.

"Always." The masked figure nodded and followed their master out into the forest.

The Bridge, One Hour Later

To say that things were going poorly for Team 7 would be a massive understatement. Things had gone so far up shit creek that the paddle was now an afterthought. When the group had arrived, they found many of Tazuna's workers had been killed. Blood was splattered over much of the equipment and their bodies still twitching due to the last few impulses from their fading brains. Sasuke had to maintain all of his self control not to vomit at the sight of the mangled bodies. Sakura and Tazuna were not as successful as the young Uchiha as the contents of their stomach were expelled over the side of the incomplete bridge. A waste of a perfectly delicious breakfast. Things only seemed to get worse as a thick layer of mist rolled over the bridge, obscuring any exit the team had and making escape nigh impossible. A low gruff chuckle echoed across the mist as before long, Momochi Zabuza stepped forth from the fog with his sword hung on his back. Zabuza cracked his neck as a group of Mizu Bunshin (Water Clones) surrounded the group. The swordsman let out another chuckle as he watched the young Uchiha dispatch the clones with an impressive display of speed.

"Heh… Looks like you might have someone to rival you, eh Kirayuki-chan?" The genin team's eyes widened as from out of the mist walked Zabuza's companion from their first encounter with the missing nin. However the boy who had 'killed' Zabuza had abandoned the uniform of a hunter nin, save for the mask, for an out fit that accentuated their lithe and very feminine body. She wore a green sleeveless turtleneck which exposed her midriff along with matching arm and leg warmers, all of which had the standard Kirigakure pinstripes as well as a pair of baggy black ninja pants.

"It would appear so Zabuza-sama." Sasuke gritted his teeth and charged at the masked girl. They clashed with their kunai and senbon, beginning a duel before being locked in a power struggle as both tried to push the other back with their weapons locked. The masked kunoichi chuckled as she began to perform a series of one-handed seals, much to the shock of all the Konoha nin. The water rose from the dissipated Mizu Bunshin and formed sharp needles of water.

"Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suisho (Secret Art: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)" The masked girl proclaimed as the water needles converged to pierce Sasuke's body. Yet the Uchiha prodigy was able to channel chakra into his legs and move with a burst of speed, narrowly avoiding his demise at the end of the girl's jutsu. He continued to pump his chakra into his legs as he kept the masked girl on her toes with agile movements and clever use of kunai to distract his opponent before landing a kick square to the girl's face. Kakashi smirked as he stared at the former Kiri nin.

"You underestimate my students Zabuza and now you're paying the price." Zabuza closed his eyes and began to chuckle. It was eery and Sakura became frightened as he began to laugh heartily. Her body shaking as the man looked to his masked partner.

"Looks like he has us beat Kirayuki-chan. I think it's time to stop toying with him." The masked kunoichi nodded in acknowledgement and began a series of hand signs as the water began to rise around her and Sasuke before crystallizing into a series of mirrors in the shape of a dome over the raven haired genin.

"Hijutsu: Makyo Hyosho (Secret Art: Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors)" The masked girl moved toward the dome and shocked everyone once more by stepping into one of the mirrors. Her image appearing on all of them. Sasuke looked around himself, trying to find a way out of his situation. However before he could formulate a plan, a barrage of senbon needles began speeding out of every mirror, lacerating him where they missed and piercing him when they hit their mark. The young genin slumped down onto one knee as he began to bleed heavily and could hear his teammate desperately crying out for him to stand up and fight.

"Surrender now while you still have a chance. Our superior has ordered us not to take the life of any women or children. But if you force my hand, I will have no choice but to end you." Kakashi and the rest of his team stared at Zabuza in disbelief at the girl's words. They'd actually been ordered to not harm people? Zabuza was shaking at the girl's words, his eyes filled with rage. Tazuna decided to speak up at the enemy ninjas.

"Bullshit! Gato doesn't care about anyone but himself. Why would he order you not to harm women or children?!" A giggle erupted from the ice dome. The giggling grew into a chilling fit of laughter as the masked girl held her sides. Sakura was frozen in fear at the sound of the girl's voice.

"Gato is our current employer. He is not our superior." Zabuza was seething as he turned to the ice dome, his knuckles white as he held onto the grip of Kubikiribocho.

"No one is our superior! Get that through your head! I'm in charge! Not Gato or anybody! Certainly not that one-eyed fossil! Now kill the kid before he escapes!" Zabuza barked his orders at his subordinate causing Kakashi to move into action, leaping out to rescue his student. However he was met with a swift kick to the solar plexus from the swordsman, sending the silver haired jonin back to the ground and cracking two ribs as he fell to the ground.

"Ah ah ah, Kakashi. You aren't getting away that easily." The bandaged man smirked beneath his wrappings. Sakura stared at the dome of ice as her crush was bleeding out. She closed her eyes and mustered up all of her courage to draw a kunai and hurl it with all of her might at the ice user. Unfortunately for the pinkette, she was never the greatest with her skills in kunai and shuriken throwing. The metal knife flew through the air, only for an arm to reach out of one of the mirrors. The mood shifted as soon after the girl caught the kunai a sandaled foot connected with the girl's chest, knocking her out of the mirror and onto the hard ground of the bridge. Her body rolling for several feet from the force of the kick. Standing triumphantly as the ice mirrors shattered into snow was a certain orange clad blonde, a determined grin plastered on his face.

"Have no fear! Naruto is here to save the day!" He held up a pair of kunai and produced two dozen Kage Bunshin who charged at the pair of enemy ninja. Zabuza growled as he charged forward and released a barrage of shuriken from a hip pouch, hitting their marks and dispelling several of the clones. Yet when one shuriken hit their mark, the blonde didn't dispel. Instead he began to bleed, the razor sharp disc slicing a large gash in his calf and causing him to stumble. Kakashi stood up as fast as he could and made his way towards the blonde as Zabuza pulled back his blade to strike. He reached for his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan.

However the silver haired jonin was too late. Zabuza let forth a mighty swing of his massive cleaver toward the shocked blonde. Sakura let out a shrill shriek of terror as blood flew across the bridge, splashing across her sensei's face and pooling onto the ground below. Sasuke shook in abject horror as he saw his teammate become nearly bisected by the gargantuan blade. Naruto lay on the ground with wide eyes as he shakily breathed, his eyes welling up with tears as he held onto life for as long as he could. Kakashi rushed forward and cradled his little brother's head in his lap, his own breathing becoming shaky as he desperately tried to keep his composure.

"No… No! Kami no! Naruto! Not you too! I can't lose you too!" Kakashi's vision became clouded as he held the blonde in his arms. Naruto's breathing was ragged and pained as he bled out onto the stone.

"Come on Naruto! Don't do this! You have to live!" The masked kunoichi got up from her daze and looked over the scene. She gasped as she saw the blonde.

"Zabuza-sama... what have you done?" The browless swordsman stood over the pair as he raised the massive butcher knife above his head, poised to strike.

"Dont worry Kakashi... I promise I'll end it quick. For both of of you!" As Zabuza moved to strike, all were stopped dead in their tracks as a massive burst of chakra flooded the area, dissipating a majority of the mist that the missing nin had created. A deep growling voice boomed through the open air.

"ZAABUZAA!" The former Kiri shinobi paled as he turned his head toward the source of the voice and the piercing wave of Killing Intent. The color completely left him as he and the rest of the gathered shinobi looked up to see the figure standing atop the scaffolding on the bridge. He was a tall man, nearly six feet in height. His muscles were firm and pressed tightly against the form fitting outfit that he wore. Kakashi observed that it resembled the Konoha ANBU uniform, however unlike his old uniform, this came with long sleeves that connected to a set of burnt orange forearm guards and gloves. Also like an ANBU, this man's face was covered by a mask. Yet unlike the masks that ANBU or even the young subordinate of Zabuza wore, this was a full cloth head covering which held firmly against the wearer's head similar to Kakashi's half mask, two long ribbons that held the mask on flapped in the wind behind the man. The right half of the mask was black as pitch and covered the entirety of that side of his face. The other side was a deep burnt orange with an eye hole where one deep blue eye glared daggers down at the swordsman. A crimson sword was strapped to his back and a belt which held several kunai and shuriken pouches was secured around his waist.

"Shiichigeki-taicho." Kirayuki gasped as she stared up at the man. Zabuza moved to turn and face the man, yet before anyone could even see save for Kakashi, the man had moved from his perch nearly a hundred feet up and now held the Kiri swordsman above the ground by his throat, Kabukiribocho clattering to the ground. His eye narrowed as he squeezed the man's windpipe, Zabuza gripping onto the man's arm as he began to asphyxiate.

"I gave you a simple order, Zabuza. I told you you could take any job you wished, but follow one order. And what do you do as soon as I remove the leash? You disobey me! For that, you will pay the price." Zabuza's eyes bulged as he desperately tried to suck air into his lungs. The masked kunoichi rushed to her master's defense, pulling out several senbon needles.

"Shiichigeki-taicho! I won't let you kill Zabuza-sama!" Kirayuki stopped her charge as Zabuza was thrown down to the ground at her feet. She knelt down beside her master and rubbed his back as the browless nuke nin got onto his hands and knees, choking on the sudden intake of air and desperately trying to continuously fill his lungs with the precious gasses they needed. Kakashi's eyes widened and he grabbed a kunai as the new arrival began to step towards him and his younger brother. Sasuke and Sakura also jumped into action, blocking off their comrade from the approaching man with weapons in hand. Sakura's vision was blurry as tears refused to stay within her eyes. The one eyed man held up his hand as he approached the pair.

"At ease, soldiers. I merely wish to speak with your comrade." The air was tense between the groups. The silence between them all was broken from a cry of pain from the blonde. Kakashi reluctantly nodded and the two genin let the man pass. He knelt down in the ever growing pool of blood as he looked over the boy. Kakashi looked up at the man as tears formed in his eyes.

"Can you save him?" The man identified as Shiichigeki closed his eye and let out a sigh as he shook his head.

"I am skilled at taking life, yet when it comes to giving it, I know next to nothing. I wish I had arrived sooner, then I could have prevented this from happening. Alas, twas not meant to be. Unfortunately, the child will not make it. I suggest you say your goodbyes." The man's statement broke the dam on Kakashi as tears began to flow freely from both of his eyes. The rest of Team 7 gathered around their comrade as he continued to bleed from his devastating wound.

'Naruto... You baka… Why did you have to go and try to be the hero!? I'm so sorry... I wasn't strong enough.' Sakura was on her knees with her hands on her teammate's leg. Sasuke grit his teeth as he knelt down beside the closest person he had to a friend and gripped his forehead tightly, tears desperately trying to escape. Naruto looked up at his team and smiled weakly. His voice was shaky and feeble as he strained to speak.

"Sakura-chan… I want you to know… You're a lot stronger... than you think… But you're not… as strong as you could… be... " Sakura gave her friend a faint smile through her tears and nodded. She closed her eyes and held her fist over her heart. He turned his gaze over to Sasuke as he lifted his hand from his stomach and with great effort, placed his trembling hand on the raven haired boy's shoulder. Sasuke stared into the cerulean eyes of his comrade with unstable resolve. "Sasuke… All I ever wanted… was to be… your friend…"

"You are my friend, Naruto... You're the only friend I have." Naruto smiled as he gripped his friend's shoulder weakly.

"Don't… Don't become… like him. Be happy… your friends… beat him... by not playing… by his rules." Sasuke's eyes widened with shock at his friend's words. A tear began to fall as Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand tightly. Naruto looked up at his elder brother smiling weakly.

"Aniki… I'm sorry… I couldn't save you guys… I thought… I was ready… But I wasn't… T-tell Jiji.. I forgave him… a long… time ago.. I hope… kaa-chan… and tou-san… will be happy.. to see me." Kakashi smiled mournfully as he ruffled the blonde's locks playfully.

"They'll be… just so happy to see you, Otouto." The masked man moved forward and picked up the kunai that Kakashi had set down. He solemnly placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, their blue eyes met and Naruto let out a few tears. The man's gruff voice softened as he spoke to the blonde.

"Child… What is your name?" Naruto took in a shaky breath.

"U-Uzu… maki… Naru… to." A gasp of astonishment and dismay escaped the man's lips. Kakashi looked up as he heard a second gasp from Zabuza. He saw the swordsman staring at the blonde in his lap with a horrified expression. As the wrappings around his mouth began to fall, Kakashi's sharingan permanently ingrained the memory of Zabuza mouthing two words with a look of pure anguish on his face into his mind for the rest of his days.

'Kushina-senpai.' Shiichigeki was hesitant about his next words. He let out a deep breath and looked at the boy once more.

"Tell me, Naruto-kun. What is your life's dream?" The blonde's eyes filled with tears as he responded to the man.

"To be... acknowledged... for who I am... Not… what I… am." The masked man let out a small inspired chuckle as he grabbed the boy's head and pressed his forehead to the blonde's reverently. He slipped the kunai into the boy's open jacket and positioned the tip of the knife precisely.

"Uzumaki Naruto... I acknowledge your spirit, your honor, and your sacrifice. I shall never forget your name as long as I walk this earth." Naruto smiled as the man thrust the kunai between the boy's ribs, piercing his heart. As the light began to leave the jinchuuriki's eyes, he smiled foxily and gasped his last words.

"I love… you all." With that, the blonde closed his eyes and slumped against Kakashi's lap. Sakura wailed as she collapsed into a sobbing wreck while Sasuke began to cry, everyone too heartbroken to notice his onyx colored eyes shift into a crimson and two tomoe develop on one eye. Kakashi hugged his last remaining shred of family against his body as he mourned. However their sorrow turned to shock as a girl's cry rang out across the bridge.

"ZABUZA-SAMA, NO!" The group looked up to see Kirayuki desperately trying to hold back Zabuza's arms as he tried to plunge a kunai into his diaphragm, a block of ice preventing the dagger from piercing his flesh. Kakashi's eyes widen in realization as to what was occurring.

'Harakiri... ' Shiichigeki moved quickly and grabbed the bandaged man's wrist, pulling the blade away and lifting the man up by his collar as he began to cry.

"Zabuza, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" The bandaged swordsman gasped out between cries as he struggled to break free from the vice lice grip of his superior and his subordinate.

"... Senpai… He was her kid! I killed her son!" The masked man seemed saddened by the man's words. He closed his eye and regained his composure as he pulled back his fist and cracked Zabuza across the jaw with a powerful jab. The browless man stumbled back a few paces as he wiped a spattering of blood from his mouth.

"Yes you did. And you will live with that knowledge as punishment for your actions." The swordsman deflated at those words from his leader. He stared at the ground for a moment before spitting blood out onto the bridge.

"Y-yes Taicho." Shiichigeki nodded and formed a Ram seal. With a large burst of chakra, a gust of wind began to grow around the masked man and the mist around their battlefield dispersed into nothing. However a sight greeted them when the fog cleared was not something anyone of them wished to see.

"How pathetic. I thought I hired the Demon of the Bloody Mist to kill that annoying bridge builder and what did I get instead? I simpering mongrel who can't even handle killing a fucking child. I must say, I'm incredibly disappointed in you, Zabuza. I was at least hoping you'd complete the job before I killed you and kept the money for myself. I guess life isn't fair, even for me." Standing at the end of the incomplete bridge was the short balding businessman that had become the de facto dictator of Nami no Kuni. He smiled smugly as he stood before a gathered group of thugs, bandits, ronin, and missing nin numbering nearly 200 strong. Beside him were his two bodyguard samurai, smiling just as self-satisfactorily. Shiichigeki didn't seem to pay the mob any mind as he knelt down and picked up Zabuza's curved kunai. He examined it intently as he stood up and responded to the short man pointedly.

"A mongrel has more value in this world than a slithering pustule secretion like you, Gato." The balding business mogul clenched his teeth and a vein rose on the side of his forehead as his face turned red. He pointed his cane wrathfully at the armored man.

"What did you just say to me!?" The masked man turned his head and glared daggers at the minuscule mogul as he slowly shifted his position, walking toward the assembled group of hired muscle.

"My apologies, I was under the assumption that you had become a millionaire due some modicum of intellect. I'll be sure to use small words so you'll be able to understand, you warthog faced buffoon! Today, all that you've built will come crumbling down. You call Zabuza a mongrel, but you have enraged an even greater beast. You and your band of mindless jackals best be prepared. For you've just unleashed a purebred dog of WAR!" Sweat began to accumulate on the diminutive man's brow and he began to feel his collar heat up. This man was projecting an aura of hate aimed directly at him and he did not like it one bit. Gato stepped back and got behind his bodyguards.

"M-my ass! You're nobody! Zori! Waraji! Put this 'dog of war' down and then kill the rest of the shinobi trash." The two samurai began to chuckle as they started to walk forward in front of the mass of hired goons.

"You got it boss." The pair gripped their swords tightly as they rushed forward, ready to strike the man down. The masked man tensed before lunging forward and moving at high speed with Kakashi's kunai in one hand and Zabuza's in the other. The two samurai smirked as they rushed the man. As the three men crossed paths, the samurai unsheathed their swords in a shocking display of speed and precision to strike the newcomer down with one fatal sword strike. Gato smirked as the three stopped moving. His smile faded as blood sprayed from the samurai's necks and his two most faithful bodyguards fell to the ground, a macabre gurgling was the only noise that either one of them could make as their throat and lungs filled with blood before darkness took them. The smuggler paled and he shakily moved into the mass of hired thugs as he pointed at the man who killed his best men.

"K-K-KILL HIM! WHO EVER BRINGS ME HIS HEAD GETS TO HAVE THE BRIDGE BUILDER'S DAUGHTER!" Tazuna's eyes widened and he shook with anger at the slimy tyrant's exclamation. The crowd of hired thugs let out cheers and several shouted about their plans for the black haired beauty. However the masked warrior seemed to be unfazed by the wave of malicious intent radiating off of the criminals. Shiichigeki placed Kakashi's kunai in one of his belt pouches before forming the Tiger seal. He closed his eye, channeling chakra through his body and whispering to himself as the mob charged full force.

"Juryoku Fujin: Kai (Gravity Seal: Release)" The cycloptic warrior reached over his shoulder and gripped the blade on his back. His eye narrowed as he tensed and moved faster than the bandits could see, nearly disappearing as he ran forward with his blade drawn. Before anyone could react, three of the would be assassins collapsed as their heads were liberated from their bodies with one mighty sword swing. Blood sprayed like a fountain onto the armored assailant as he moved and began to cut down his opponents. The bandits thrust their weapons and slashed at him with their swords. Yet despite their efforts he seemed to be able to deftly dodge their assaults and retaliate with merciless ferocity. A ronin thrust his naginata out at the one eyed man, yet was horrified as he impaled one of his friends due to a Kawarimi (Body Replacement) and the masked man leapt into the air, breathing in deeply as he performed a series of hand seals before exclaiming in a booming voice.

"Futon: Tajuu Kuudan! (Wind Release: Multi Air Bullets)" A stream of concentrated air bullets rained down from the sky, bombarding the amassed assassins before exploding upon impact with whatever surface they hit. When the bullets detonated, a great expulsion of wind chakra burst forth in all directions, lacerating many and pushing several groups of bandits hurtling off of the sides of the bridge down to their watery graves. Shiichigeki landed and looked around the carnage as the remaining thugs readied their weapons in desperate terror. Blood and limbs riddled the ground around them as only about 75 of the original 200 were left standing, the rest were either dead or crying out in agony as they bled out on the cold stone. The masked combatant charged with a furious determination in his eye as he slashed and thrust the strange looking crimson blade and within two minutes, he had cut down the last of the would be assassins.

Gato was thoroughly and quite literally scared shitless, if the smell radiating off of the squat businessman was anything to go by as he desperately crawled toward the gangplank of the ship he and his crew had used to get to the bridge. His progress was impeded as a kunai found its mark in his calf, piercing clean through the muscle and protruding from the other side of his leg. He cried out in anguish as he rolled over and clutched his leg. His eyes widened with dread as he stared up at the monster who had decimated his entire army of hired muscle with ease. Tears fell from his eyes as he desperately pleaded for his pathetic life.

"PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME! I HAVE MILLIONS! I'LL GIVE YOU AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU WANT! WORK FOR ME! I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT! MONEY! DRUGS! WOMEN! NAME IT AND IT'S YOURS! JUST DON'T -ACK!" Gato was cut off from his pathetic appeals to the masked man by a swift boot to the sternum. Shiichigeki stared down at him with cold blue eyes that seemed to chill Gato's blood.

"Gato… You've used your power to enslave the people of this land, deplete it of its resources, and killed all who oppose your will. To the people of this country you are monster. A fiend of insurmountable power who kills, rapes, and pillages at his discretion... To me you're somewhere between a cockroach and that white stuff that accumulates at the corner of your mouth when you're really thirsty… Rot in hell." With a swift stroke of his sword, the cycloptic man liberated the business mogul and tyrant of Nami no Kuni of his head. Grabbing the head, he sealed it into a storage scroll before making his way back towards the group of stupefied Konoha ninja. This unknown man had come in and decimated a force that would take several chunin to defeat by himself in less than five minutes using only his blade and two jutsu. Sasuke was shaking with a combination of fear and rage.

'So much power… I need to become stronger!' The masked man knelt down beside Kakashi and produced a black scroll from one of his pouches and handed it to the silver haired jonin who recognized it immediately. It was a special sealing scroll meant to preserve a corpse in stasis for long distance transport. He'd used similar scrolls to transport fallen comrades on dangerous missions during his time in the ANBU Black Ops. Now he would have to use one to carry his little brother back home. The two nodded in acknowledgement before the one eyed man stood and walked over to his comrades.

"Zabuza. Kirayuki. Our work here is over. Your mission was a failure. We return to base now. We'll collect whatever price is on Gato's head as compensation for our losses." The kiri nin nodded obediently.

"Hai Shiichigeki-taicho." Water and ice swirled around the pair respectively as they disappeared in their respective Shunshin (Body Flicker) before the masked man followed in a swirl of wind. Kakashi pulled down his forehead protector and prepared Naruto's body somberly for sealing as a large group of villagers lead by Inari approached from the distance. Tazuna made sure to stand in the way of the crowd, obstructing their view just in case. His grandson didn't need to see the death of another hero of Nami no Kuni.

Whoo! And there we have it folks! Chapter 6 in the bag! This one proved to be quite the challenge for me as I am mostly proficient in writing dialogue and action is not really something I've ever implemented into my stories before. I had to work really hard on getting it right and I hope it turned out well. I also really needed to think about perspective as I wrote this chapter as it's essentially a flashback from Kakashi's point of view. That's why there's a few unanswered questions like 'Why is Haku never referred to by his name?' 'How did everyone team up?' 'Is Haku actually a guy or girl in this story?' I assure you, those questions will be answered in the story.

But for now, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Be sure to Follow the story to join me as I write this story. Leave a review letting me know what you think, I love getting feedback and try to answer reviews as best as I can. Also check out some of my other writings if you're interested. So until next time, have a great one.

~ Ninja