Hmmm, I guess my goal for writing shorter chapters but update more frequently is out the window ;(. Maybe just read half of this, wait two weeks, then read the other half. That'll work out about right :P.
Mmm, on second look, this chapter isn't really that much longer than most of the others, so just do what you do ;).
As always, I hope you like.
--Jonohex
Naruto
Naruto rose the next morning to the gentle harmonies of wind, lapping waves and distant seagulls. The scent of breakfast was thick in the air and, beyond the open window to Inari's upstairs room, the sun glowed brightly against an azure sky. (MAN being on vacation was awesome!) Sitting up on the futon Tazuna had unrolled for him, the blond stretched and yawned in his pajamas and nightcap then noticed that Inari was already dressed and ready to go.
"Oh!" the black-haired boy piped worriedly, "sorry, I hope I didn't wake you up, Naruto. I figured you got in late."
Naruto paused for a second and blinked bleary blue eyes, a little unused to anyone being that considerate to him. "Oh, no, it's ok," he answered lazily. "This is my last day here so I got to make the most of it. Hey, I'll tell you what," offered the visiting genin in an inspired tone, "after breakfast I can give you some more pointers on that Transformation Jutsu you've been working on before we meet up with Haku and Chuuya."
Inari brightened and nodded eagerly. "That'd be great! I really like having YOU around as my very own live-in ninja!" After only a moment though, the boy's smile slid into a pouting frown. "I hate it that you gotta leave tomorrow; it's like you only just GOT here!"
Naruto smiled in return, deeply warmed by the kid's sentiment. Staying with him, Tazuna and Tsunami was a lot like being part of a family -- grandfather, mother and kid-brother. Hanging around Inari, especially helping him out with his training, made the young ninja remember too what he liked so much about Konohamaru.
"We still have a good part of the day today," declared Naruto as he hopped to his feet. "AND!" he added fiercely, a prophet in pajamas, "the sooner you learn that Transformation Jutsu the sooner I can teach you my own 'special' version of it."
Inari's dark eyes bugged excitedly at the prospect. "Wow! Really?! What is it?!"
"I'll just keep that to myself for now," said Naruto cagily, playing it cool and casually waving the boy off, "until you're ready to handle THAT kind of power." The young ninja snickered cleverly then, barely able to contain himself, as his mind visited what Haku's reaction might be the first time he experienced the 'Sexy Jutsu' – Naruto's most, maybe even the WORLD'S most, notorious technique!
While Inari and Chuuya attended their morning classes, Naruto accompanied Haku who was more than happy to show him the various places they'd missed yesterday. The most intriguing of these by far was the bazaar: a sprawling, ramshackle city within a city of vendors' stalls, kiosks and displays that had evolved/accumulated on an expansive site that had been cleared for some big new building complex. Construction had yet to begin however and so anyone who felt they had a product or service to sell, a song to sing, or dance to perform had grabbed a piece of real estate there and set up shop.
In between filling in Haku on the various smaller adventures he'd had in between the big ones, Naruto buzzed hummingbird-like from attraction to attraction. Practically everything under the sun that could be sold was sold here, from jewelry to produce, livestock and exotic animals, magical charms to sinister-looking weapons from far-away lands. The air rang with strange music, prayers and insults, barkers' and buskers' cries, and carried with it wafting aromas that varied from the appealing to the disgusting in widely-ranging intensities. Strong perfumes and incense, rotting garbage, baking bread, body odors, fragrant flowers and animal dung all competed for dominance amidst the potpourri.
The blond visitor stopped to watch a rail-thin, white-robed fakir make a monstrous cobra sway to the intoxicating motions and sounds of his flute while, next to him, a young woman sat in the lotus position amidst a terrarium crammed with vipers.
"Wow," gushed Naruto who squirmed his way through the small crowd to watch up close.
The moment the charmer finished, the snake hissed then snapped at the young ninja who yelped and cringed back, prompting its alarmed owner to goad the animal back into its basket while the onlookers chuckled at the boy's panic-stricken face. Not knowing the language, the fakir bowed an apology while the rest of the crowd applauded then drifted away with a few pausing long enough to drop some coins onto the performer's rug.
"From what you were telling me about Orochimaru, that flute might have come in handy," Haku joked, an amiable smirk slanting over the features of his gentle, feminine face. "Maybe you should inquire about lessons."
"Yeah, maybe," answered Naruto with fading tension. His blue eyes narrowed crossly then as he jabbed an accusing finger toward the snake-basket. "Hey, Constable Okame, is it even legal to HAVE a killer snake like that?"
Haku tossed the fakir a one-ryo coin. "We don't really sweat the small stuff here."
The busker pressed his palms together and nodded his thanks as the two traded friendly grins.
That was when Naruto started to notice that everywhere they went people nodded and bowed to Haku, exchanged familiar glances or acknowledged him with little waves, addressing him as 'Sir', 'Constable', or 'Mr. Okame'. The omnipresent corps of Wave Country's civilian constables treated him with the utmost respect, and even the mist-ninja, young teen and pre-teen genin were all differential…if only reluctantly. For that matter, practically everyone in this jam-packed market at least made an effort to step aside for the girlish ninja while the little yellow-haired newcomer from Fire Country got battered unmercifully with unyielding shoulders and sharp, territorial elbows.
"ALRIGHT, what gives?!" barked Naruto testily after a time, bruised and highly annoyed. "Do you know everybody around here?"
As they wound their way through the dense, jigsaw maze of stalls and stands, crossing through and between solid-seeming shafts of sunlight and pools of intimate, inky shadow, Haku shrugged. "Most everyone knows me. With the way I look I'm kind of hard to miss, even out of uniform."
The blond rushed in front of the black-haired teenager to head him off, poked him in the chest then rose up on his toes and squinted at him eye to eye. "So you're really some kind of big deal around here, huh?"
"What? No, not really," a surprised, slightly flustered Haku explained shyly. "It's just that, for those first few months after the Mist made Wave Country a protectorate, the Magistrate only had a company of genin and a handful of chunin to oversee the place. As you've seen, the genin were all between ten and twelve, and right from Kirigakure's Martial School with very little practical experience. While appropriately fierce and quick, they weren't exactly suited for maintaining order like a normal sort of police force. And the older chunin were even worse."
Naruto leaned away and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah; how's that?"
The taller ninja's grey eyes flickered for a second. "Their idea of breaking up a disturbance, for example," he illustrated, "is to kill everyone involved in creating it."
"Oh!" The boy's expression blanched.
"So until Lady Orimi realized that she needed a few hundred regular officers, a mix of older, long-time residents and newcomers to go out on patrol, and keep her ninja in reserve to take on specific tasks and handle what untrained officers couldn't, I was the only constable around that anyone felt was the least bit approachable. To tell you the truth, I found myself a bit overwhelmed."
Naruto nodded, somewhat placated, then fell in beside Haku as they pressed their way through the bazaar's crowded, narrow aisles. "Ok, I get it now," he allowed then gave a reluctant, grimace of a grin. "I guess…I guess it really IS kinda cool how everyone looks up to you."
"I'm glad you think so but I wouldn't put it like that. It's simply --," Haku paused at his friend's tone. "Naruto, are you…are you jealous?"
The blond crossed his arms and looked away. "Maybe."
"Naruto," replied Haku with a laugh, "they named the BRIDGE after you, remember?! How much more acknowledgement do you want?"
The young genin brightened. "Oh yeah!" he piped in his gravelly tenor then scratched a whisker-marked cheek before continuing awkwardly: "I guess I forgot about that."
Haku spared the leaf-ninja an amused, lopsided grin then turned to move on but the expression suddenly faded from his face as his smoky eyes flickered off into the crowd. "Naruto," he inquired suddenly and seriously, "you did say you came here alone didn't you?"
"Huh, yeah…why?"
The taller shinobi tendered him a curious look. "Nothing, never mind," he answered in passing.
***
Stopping to browse through reams of fabrics he had no interest at all in buying, the man whose face was not his own risked a glance at the mist-ninja the Yotsu underling had just pointed out – a shinobi constable named Hiroo Okame. The stranger's eyes, an easily forgettable shade of brown that was quite unlike his own, widened as scoffing laughter escaped him.
The pretend customer looked back for the underling to chastise her in a nuance of expression: 'THIS delicate little flower with the geisha's face and reedy limbs is the one who's defeated all your soldiers, swordsmen, mercenaries and rogue ninja?' But the minion had already scuttled off and vanished into the thick of the crowd.
Good plan, he judged approvingly then added: how rare a thing it is for someone to recognize their place.
A stain-crusted, brown-toothed smile peeked through an equally illusory untrimmed beard for, after a string of ill fortune, his luck was about to change. The Yotsu triad was going to pay him a truly staggering sum for killing Wave Country's Magistrate -- revenge it seemed for some outrage the details of which he hadn't paid any attention to. The reasons why were irrelevant anyway.
If he were successful, and having reviewed the forces at Orimi Hirai's command he didn't see any reason at all why he wouldn't be, he would have to be careful to leave no trace for their ANBU to follow. Over a career many would consider questionable, he'd faced shinobi of practically every stripe but never Kiri before. It was said they were vengeful.
The man again cast a look toward the girlish ninja, who looked like nothing more than a little sister wandering the streets in clothes she'd borrowed from her big brother.
This fool's like a broomstick wearing a tent! the assassin concluded dismissively then gasped as a familiar blond-haired boy in loose, grey pants and a cream-colored t-shirt drew up companionably beside the androgynous constable and flashed a wide, cheerful smile.
NO! the man thought, disbelieving the evidence of his eyes at first, it couldn't --.
But really, who else in the entire world looked like THAT! Even without the ridiculous orange ensemble, the bandaged leg and blue hitai-ate that carried the emblem of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, who else in the world had hair THAT yellow, eyes THAT blue and those strange marks on his cheeks!
"Naruto," he hissed in a whisper between tightly clenched teeth as painful memories of the brat rose up inside him consuming all else in a conflagration of hate, "Uzumaki."
The plan was gone now, like it never existed. The Lady Magistrate Orimi Hirai might well still be in danger but not from him; not right now anyway.
And the Yotsu's bounty? At this moment it was worth less in the assassin's mind than ashes.
Naruto
Emerging from the bazaar, Haku and Naruto were greeted by the riotous spectacle of children playing all in home-made costumes that made them seem strangely familiar though in miniature. This time, Haku explained, the gang of 'ninjas' (mostly boys) had managed to recruit an actual girl to be 'Sakura'.
"Hey," Naruto gushed in approval, "it's US! Hehehe, we're kinda cute!"
The taller boy nodded. "See, I told you. The battles we've had are about the most exciting events ever to take place in Wave Country. Few of the newcomers know anything about it, but the children who were here back then remember."
The blond gestured: "Wow, look at YOU," he commented, pointing out the slender kid with the long, black hair, jade-colored bathrobe and plastic mask, "and there's even a Zabuza." Naruto giggled. "He's not very scary though, even WITH that big cardboard sword!"
"I'd say he's scary enough for an eight-year-old," observed Haku whose thin brows narrowed sympathetically. "I really hope he asked his father before taking those pin-striped trousers and chopping the legs short, or 'Zabuza' might be in for a beating."
"Huh," Naruto grunted as the two watched the kids run around and shout at each other for awhile. "So what's the rules?"
"I never could quite figure them out. Basically it's half game, half theatrical production and half historical reenactment."
Naruto gave him a puzzled look and started to say something.
"If you question the math, you'll never understand."
"Fine," the blond answered then started to glare peevishly at the child representing him (in an orange safety vest and with hair that was dishwater blond at best!) who fled before mini-Haku's surprisingly graceful onslaught of straight, swinging arms and high, wheeling, ballet kicks.
"Oh, I can't believe I didn't notice," said Haku, fingers resting lightly against his delicate chin. "Their Haku is a girl also"
Naruto coughed then shot his companion a glance; yellow eyebrow raised. "Yeah, wow, what a stretch," he muttered. "Hey, how come you're so interested?"
"I could really use a girl to round out my team with Inari and Chuuya. And there, you see that? Her endurance is already quite good. She's not even breathing hard during all this exercise," he opined in a casual, erudite voice, sounding every bit like some sort of ninja talent scout. "And her flexibility is exceptional."
"Humph," grumbled Naruto who crossed his arms, "that Naruto could sure use some help."
Suddenly the pretend Haku stopped, dug some plastic shuriken from her robe but the girl's wild throws sent them almost straight down into the pavement.
The leaf-ninja hooted as he elbowed Haku. "You'll really have to work on her --," he started to say then paled in mortification as little Naruto reached into a pocket then cast a handful of flour into his playmate's face.
"HAHA," pealed mini-Naruto, "secret ninja death powder!"
"Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" the girl squealed with admirable melodramatic flair, clawed at her throat then spun around, lurched, lurched again then fell gently to the ground – 'DEAD'!
Before the aggrieved 'Zabuza' could drag his unwieldy sword over and come to the aid of his fallen disciple, or anyone else knew what was happening, the REAL Naruto confronted his smaller version.
"THAT'S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED!" he barked in squeaky outrage. "What do you think you're trying to do?! Secret-ninja death powder! Secret-ninja DEATH powder?! Where did you get THAT from?! You need to get your facts right!"
Just as the little costumed boy's lip started to quiver and his pitiful puppy eyes filled with tears, Haku took Naruto from behind in an anaconda-tight over-and-under grip and hauled him away, literally kicking and screaming.
"Shadow clones, ya' dumb kid!" the vexed, red-faced blond continued undeterred with a shake of his fist, blue eyes wide and flecks of foam spraying. "Say it WITH ME now", he brayed, "SHADOW CLONES!"
Once out of sight, Haku released his friend who was still stewing. "Um," the taller of the two ventured in the essence of understatement: "I think you might have handled that with a touch more detachment."
The young leaf-ninja turned to him with a hurt look, still simmering, and gestured wide. "Did you SEE that? Poison powder?! Come on, YOU know I don't use that stuff; I would NEVER use that stuff!"
Haku put fingers over his lips to hide his smile, making Naruto wonder just what it was about himself that made him so funny when he was mad. LOTS of ninjas were really, really scary when they were mad – Kakashi, sure, Sakura DEFINITELY…hmmm, maybe not Chouji.
"Sorry, Naruto," offered Haku. "But your tale is out there now for people to make of it what they wish. If it's any consolation, you should see what some peoples' opinion is of ME. Many of them are not at all flattering." The former Demon's Apprentice clasped his hands behind his back as he walked. "In any case," he explained in a soothing tone, "I think your sterling reputation will survive those kids.
"In fact," ventured Haku supportively, "from what you were saying earlier, it sounds like you've really impressed people and made friends everywhere you've been."
Naruto stopped to think for a moment. "Well…yeah, I think so," he agreed then rested both hands casually behind his neck. "Sure! I mean, there's good people everywhere…even if they don't seem like it at first."
Haku returned a smile at the oblique reference, but it faltered a little as his gaze flickered toward the rooftops. The smile returned after a moment. "I suppose," he probed in a labored, hypothetical voice, "you must have made your share of enemies too."
"Huh?" answered the genin, truly puzzled. The boy's lips pursed as he canted sapphire eyes abstractly in thought. "No, I don't think so. Not that I can remember anyway."
Later on in a stretch of forest far from town, the four gathered – Naruto and Inari, Haku and Chuuya to train. At least, that's what the plan was, but it soon devolved into just messing around, hanging out and swapping more stories…one of which turned to how the Great Naruto Bridge had been almost totally destroyed during the second battle that had taken place there.
"Say WHAT?" cried Naruto who shot Haku a look. "You blew up my BRIDGE?!"
The former Demon's Apprentice returned a nervous smile and wrung his fingers. "Didn't I mention that?"
"NO, you didn't," the blond pointed out. "You just said there was a big explosion."
"But Grampa built it back, Naruto," Inari interjected, tugging the straps of his teal overalls, "just as good as new."
"Yeah!" confirmed Chuuya though in a more confrontational tone, "besides, it wasn't Haku's fault."
Naruto's face remained pinched as the two black-haired Wave Country kids needled him for awhile until they'd milked it sufficiently then moved on, to how MEAN Juri Chono was, the team of Mist ANBU sent to kill Haku and Zabuza and how some of them turned out to be not so bad, and then…to the FIRST battle at the bridge.
Chuuya's dark eyes swiveled to Naruto and looked the diminutive ninja over doubtfully, mind working away in unfathomable little-kid computation before he chirped: "Hey, why don't you guys fight again? That'd be really COOL to see a rematch!"
The two ninjas looked up in surprise, at each other uncertainly then at the two boys. Inari's face froze with concern while Chuuya's was flushed with pure youthful enthusiasm.
"Come on; why not?!" cajoled the round-headed kid. "You guys are in awesome ninja fights like all the time; I've never even SEEN one."
Naruto's face turned questioningly toward Haku's then lifted slightly at which the taller, black-haired ninja shrugged.
"That's not exactly true, Chuuya," Haku remarked with a wry smirk. "After all, you knocked me out with your 'powerful tai-jutsu' if I recall correctly." The black-haired boy cringed with guilt. "But I suppose it could be instructive for these two to watch us spar, Naruto," the constable acquiesced then wandered a few paces away to a clearing amidst the trees.
Naruto, clearly ambivalent to the idea, frowned then followed Haku and made a stand a few steps from him. Though neither appeared especially eager to engage, at a silent, mutually-understood signal they closed quickly and traded feints, probing each others' guards and testing reactions to different combinations. After only a couple of minutes of half-hearted action they parted then stopped, seeing that they were starting to repeat themselves.
"THAT was sucktacular," growled Chuuya with a disappointed glower.
"Sorry guys," said Naruto who smiled disarmingly and rubbed his neck. "I never thought I'd say this but I'm just not in the mood to fight, especially not Haku, I mean…he's – he's a friend and everything!"
Haku nodded then explained in a thoughtful tone: "Even though it's just practice, the last time we faced each other turned out to be something of a pivotal moment in both our lives. I suppose it's normal that we'd have reservations."
"But that was like a million years ago!" objected Chuuya stridently, incensed at being so denied. "And it's not like you'd actually be trying to beat each other up or kill each other this time, right?"
"Right."
"Of course."
"So what's the problem?"
Inari's head swiveled anxiously from Naruto to Haku to Chuuya, then he broke in: "I think they're right, Chuuya. Besides, they shouldn't fight if they don't want to; or just for our sake."
His teammate shot him a caustic, accusing look. "What? Are you crazy?!"
Inari's eyes beetled intensly. "I'm serious, Chuuya, it was really bad last time. YOU don't know 'cause YOU weren't there!"
The older boy burned at having THAT rubbed in his face and cursed under his breath. "Fine!" he blurted hotly as if he might never recover from this tragedy of an opportunity lost, "whatever!"
"Hey, I know," offered Naruto with unexpected grace who slipped between the two, separating them discreetly, "how about a race instead, maybe to that old quarry?"
Inari embraced the idea while Chuuya griped for awhile but ended up going along begrudgingly. As the three worked out the rules and details, Haku stood apart, seemingly distracted.
"Hey," Naruto observed, "what's wrong?"
The long-haired shinobi shook his head softly as if to wave away the question. "When I was Zabuza's disciple, I remember I used to spar with him frequently and with Meizu and Gozu as well. Thinking back, they were much more likely to injure or even kill me than you – and by that, I mean by accident or because they weren't overly concerned for my welfare."
Naruto nodded then hummed as his eyes lifted in thought. "At the academy we always practiced against Iruka-sensei's shadow clones. I guess so nobody would get hurt. That was ok for awhile, I guess." A smirk of happy remembrance came to his face. "But sparring with Bushy-Brows is LOTS more fun!
"Anyway," the blond continued then gave a wary Inari an acknowledging glance before concluding soberly, "Inari's probably right, we…we probably shouldn't."
Haku smiled agreeably and nodded at which Naruto clapped him on the shoulder and went to join Inari and Chuuya. He'd only gone a few steps though when the taller ninja called to him.
"Naruto?"
As the boy turned, his eyes caught the tail end of the whirling motion of Haku's arm then tracked the sphere's motion in flight as it arced through space, seeming to grow as it came before filling the young ninja's vision and smashing across his forehead in a splattering, explosion of white.
Naruto stood there and blinked, stunned and open-mouthed.
After a few long seconds his hand slowly, as if by its own accord, reached up and slicked the cold water and slush from his numb skin and soggy, yellow hair; for Haku had just beaned him nearly between the eyes with a snowball.
Of course…it was 'on'.
Inari gasped in disbelief, eyes goggled, while Chuuya brayed with raucous laughter almost to the point of collapse.
"Then again," the older ninja added with a girlish smile and flamboyant curtsy, "perhaps we should."
Naruto's eyes narrowed to slits then slowly widened as a tigerish grin spread over his newly determined face. Whatever reservations he'd held before had most definitely been driven away by Haku's three-and-a-half-inch-in-diameter, icy-cold mood-changer. "Y'know," he declared, the Devil in his smile, "I think you could be right."
Chuuya sprang closer for a better view, pumping his arms and crying loud in his best ring-announcer's voice: "Ihhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-it's TIME!"
Chuuya & Inari
Naruto's charge was as fast and irresistible as a train steaming downhill. Haku sidestepped deftly for position, parrying the younger ninja's fists and replying with counters of his own. Finding himself outmatched for speed, the blond leaf-ninja turned defensive, backpedaled quickly from a storm of kicks, leaped back and pressed his hands together in a seal. Suddenly the forest was thick with Narutos.
"Yeah!" cheered Chuuya. "Whooo-hoo! THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout! Awesome! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!"
Haku, drastically outnumbered, leaped up, sprang off the top of one of the duplicate Narutos' heads, then another's shoulder then leaped into the treetops with a blond army in fierce pursuit.
Inari clutched his floppy, white hat, only a few feet away from the yellow-haired stampede while Chuuya, sitting next to him, belted out in a teasing voice: "Uh-OH! Sensei's gonna get his A$$ kicked!"
The tumult raged for nearly a full minute before Inari looked around and answered his friend, "No he's not; look!"
His heavier partner glanced all around, through the forest, into the green-leaved branches and through the crowd of little blond ninjas. "Hey, Haku-sensei, he's…he's gone."
The Narutos' sweeping search, now devolved into looking behind trees, under rocks and piles of leaves drew gradually to a stop.
Chuuya's brow trembled. "Sh-t," he blurted in dismay, "Sensei ran away."
"NO, Chuuya," Inari huffed, rolling his eyes. "He's still here. Can't you see? He's used the Transformation Jutsu to make himself LOOK like one of the clones? See? There's one more than before!"
"Whoa!" Chuuya's dark eyes snapped. "How do you know that?"
"Duh," Inari riposted, "I COUNTED."
Chuuya turned to stare at him as if a third eye had slowly opened in the middle of his teammate's forehead.
Naruto, overhearing this exchange, suddenly stopped and confronted his clones; his expression cross. "Hey!" he bellowed hotly and jacked a thumb into his chest. "THAT'S what I did to Kiba during the chunin exams! I toldja that last night; you can't use my own tricks AGAINST me, get your own!"
A snowball blasted across the back of his yellow-haired head, sending the surprised genin pitching forward.
Naruto whirled around. "Who threw that!" he railed, at which his clones all pointed at one another and started arguing.
Chuuya choked, sputtered, threw his head back and laughed, hands falling to the round curve of his stomach. "Good one, Sensei!"
"Nar-U-TO!" Inari advised loudly and sternly, hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone, "don't let him mess with your concentration! He's beaten your jutsu but he hasn't beaten YOU."
The young ninja, thus enlightened, gave his de-facto coach a surprised, appreciative look, nodded then sighed, "You're right, Inari." The genin raised his hands then to the middle of his chest then looked around cautiously. "Ok, Haku, let's see which one's really you."
"No Naruto WAIT!" squawked Inari but it was too late.
All around, Naruto's clones vaporized in bursts of dispersing chakra as the boy released his jutsu…all except for twenty that launched themselves at their original, punching and kicking, grabbing on and stomping away with abandon.
Chuuya leaned forward in shock, eyes staring and mouth hanging wide-open. "What the hell is THIS!? Can't Naruto control his own jutsu?"
Inari grimaced at the painfully obvious. "No, Chuuya, sensei summoned his own water clones, made them look like Naruto's and mixed them in with the rest."
"Wow, cool; wish I had some popcorn. I guess you knew that 'cause you counted again." Chuuya threw a jab in the air then a cross. "Go Sensei! BOOM, like he owes ya' money! OH, that's gotta hurt! BAM, like he stole your cookie!"
"Come ON Naruto!" yelled Inari insistently, hoping his friend would hear him.
Whether the boy's urgings worked or it was just coincidental timing, the angry clones suddenly fell back as the blond in the center fought back with a savage flurry of elbows and uppercuts which gave him enough room to jump up high and clear. In mid-air above the dog-pile, Naruto formed a seal creating five new duplicates of himself – four dropped down on the vengeful water clones leaping after the original to delay them while the fifth molded chakra, conjuring a sphere of whirling wind and chakra energy in its master's outstretched hand.
Naruto reached the apex of his jump, jutsu ready, then twisted as he plunged through the onslaught, lashing out in a sweeping circle that spiraled all the way down into the ground. "RASENGAN!" he cried as the power of his jutsu tore through earth and water-clone alike, sending up a towering geyser of water and mud.
Chuuya and Inari ducked their heads and covered up as brown splatter rained down over them, covering the two nearly from head to toe. When they peeked out meekly between upraised arms, the slightly roughed-up-looking Naruto was crouched, panting for breath on a small circle of ground surrounded by the muddy, moat-like furrow his jutsu had carved.
"Man," whispered Chuuya in astonishment. "I…I can't believe it."
Inari blinked. "I knew Naruto was strong from before, but I didn't know he could do THAT."
Silence fell for several moments until --.
"You mentioned that technique yesterday, Naruto," Haku's voice issued coolly from the treetops though it was impossible to discern from where. "But your description didn't do it justice. Suffice it to say, your Rasengan technique is nothing less than spectacular!"
Naruto rose, his stance defiant. "Glad ya liked it," he answered sarcastically.
Inari and Chuuya exchanged looks then braced themselves for what might follow next.
"So what now?" asked the leaf-ninja, standing against a backdrop of forest.
"I think, since you were obliging enough to initiate the first exchange, that I should initiate the second. Though I have to admit that, compared to what we've just witnessed, my humble jutsu can only disappoint."
From the sidelines Chuuya came alive, his shrill voice belting out: "Come on Sensei, Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
The boy startled then as a ghostly ribbon of fog crept past him, cold and wet as the passage of an eel. Looking around, the two boys found whorls of mist closing in from every direction, thick and grey, until the whole forest was shrouded.
"Aw!" groaned Naruto as the last glimpse of him vanished into the murk. "Hidden Mist Jutsu…not AGAIN!?"
"Use something else, Sensei," Chuuya whined. "We can't SEE!"
"Yes, my student," Haku's voice explained, "that IS kind of the idea."
Naruto
Surrounded by grey billows too heavy to see through, Naruto awaited Haku's next move. This was actually much worse than he'd let on.
Dammit, he cursed to himself, already feeling claustrophobic, as the damp, oppressive atmosphere clung to his skin, water beading on his face.
Back at the first battle at the bridge, Kakashi-sensei had managed to defeat Zabuza's Hidden Mist Jutsu using Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu, something Naruto didn't have. In theory, of course, Haku couldn't see either, but somehow the genin knew the Demon's Apprentice had an answer for that.
Agh, come ON! Naruto urged himself, get a grip! You've beat all kinds of ninjas, all kinds of jutsu and been in spots a lot worse than this. Figure something out!
A hard palm thudded into the blonde's back -- pulled enough so the force didn't penetrate but enough to send the surprised genin staggering blindly into his muddy moat. The leaf-ninja splashed and stumbled in the muck before he remembered to adjust his chakra so he could walk upon its surface. Naruto spun then, fists lashing, but there was nothing there but mist which coiled in thick, slow vortices around the passage of his arms. It was if the entire world had been rendered into fog except for the ground below which he could feel beneath his feet but not quite see, and the sun above which was only visible as a distant, diffuse glow.
What should I do? Naruto's mind whirled. Fighting like this won't work since Haku can see somehow and I can't. I guess I could try to run for it and get clear of this mist but I'd probably just go face-first into a tree!
Shadow clones? the blue-eyed shinobi considered but frowned at the idea.
That was a decent answer to almost everything, but since Haku had just turned that jutsu back on him he didn't want to resort to it again.
Transformation?
Since it was just the two of them, he didn't see how that would help.
Boss Toad?
That seemed like a waste and besides, Gamabunta would be royally pissed-off at getting summoned without a really, really, REALLY good reason. And he couldn't see how Gamakichi or Gamatatsu could help if he ended up with them.
Rasengan again?
Just creating it, Naruto thought, the wind might blow the mist away but that seemed excessive; maybe even a little desperate.
Haku's palms struck Naruto again – one thudding into the ninja's upper arm while another slapped loud as a firecracker across his inner thigh. Naruto staggered from the blows, gathered himself then leaped high, thinking to find a haven in the treetops but strong, long-fingered hands gripped his ankle before he'd gone far and yanked him right back down to the wet ground.
"Naruto," informed Haku, his dispassionate, lilting and girlish voice sounding miles distant. "I'm a bit disappointed. This is a Kiri-ninja's most basic jutsu, working knowledge of which is a requirement for graduation. Have you really no answer for it?"
The blond wiped his wet face with both sleeves then searched all around for any glimpse of his adversary, but staring hard into the haze only made his eyes and head hurt.
Haku
Not three paces away, Haku crouched on the forest floor with one hand pressed against the earth.
Maybe Inari was right and this IS a bad idea, he was starting to realize.
Though he had his own reasons for wanting to test Naruto, the ninja found himself assailed by second thoughts. Blanketed in mist, Haku sighed. He could always just dispel this jutsu but Naruto would surely resent him for that kind of condescension. No, the teenager determined. If he did anger Naruto or even lose his friendship over this it would not be because he had patronized him.
Haku shook his head, baffled for the moment.
I just never imagined that anyone who could defeat Kiba, Neji and Gaara of the Desert could be so stymied by such a common jutsu, he thought. How could Iruka-sensei, how could Kakashi-sensei for that matter, fail to teach their students something as elementary as how to fight in a mist?
A disapproving scowl came over the Demon's Apprentice's face before he thought better of it. No, he reconsidered, it's not their fault. The Mist has not been active outside its own boundaries for quite some time. Why would they teach Naruto to counter a jutsu he was unlikely to ever come across. The black-haired shinobi chuckled quietly at himself then rolled his eyes. Actually, I'm over-thinking this – they probably DID teach him but he just wasn't paying attention.
Ah! Haku concluded suddenly and brightened a bit. Maybe that's the answer.
"Do you mean to tell me that Kakashi-sensei, Konoha's famous copy-ninja, never told you to close your eyes and reach out with your chakra as if it were a sixth sense?" ventured Haku, who wondered how receptive to the suggestion Naruto would be.
"I…well…I just forgot, that's all," the blonde's exasperated voice answered through the curtains of grey.
"That explains it then," Haku continued, padding soundlessly around to Naruto's other side. "But you ALSO forgot how to still your thoughts, control your feelings and listen in your mind for your attacker's destructive intent."
"Dammit, shut-UP, Haku! How come you always have to talk so much?!"
Haku frowned, winced then offered in a professorial tone: "it's not for you, Naruto, it's for Chuuya and Inari. I hope you're paying attention, students."
A moment of silence followed before Chuuya's throaty, boat-whistle reply issued from the fog: "Um, yeah, I hear you sensei!"
"Me too, Sensei!" added Inari.
"There," said Haku, "you see?"
Even through the stew-thick vapors of his jutsu, Zabuza's former student could sense Naruto's fuming.
"Oh, yeah?!" bellowed the blond. "Well, they're gonna see that there's more than one way out of a stupid Hidden Mist Jutsu! Get ready, Haku…SHADOW CLONE --." The blond ninja's words were lost as the back of Haku's wrist whipped into Naruto's stomach just below the breastbone, knocking the wind from him.
"And IF you're opponent isn't gracious enough to give you enough time to form a hand seal?"
"Shadow c-clone --," Naruto persisted, and this time Haku knocked him in the temple with a hooking phoenix-eye punch.
The younger ninja wobbled back, crouched low then leaped straight up, rising high into the air. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he cried when he reached the peak of his ascent, conjuring with the power of his chakra an army of Narutos even vaster than before.
Haku, waiting just below, pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Why isn't it ever this easy when I'm TRYING to win? the ninja couldn't help but think. He backtracked to the trench Naruto had created with his Rasengan then formed his own seals.
"Ninja art," Haku began as he stood in the center then whipped his foot low, sending an arc of muddy water splashing high into the air, "Ten-thousand Needles of Death."
A blast of arctic wind sent shards of ice exploding outward in every direction, tearing through Naruto's shadow clones which flew back then burst apart – a massacre of horrific proportions had they been real.
The sudden gust tore a rent in the mist, enough to make Haku wonder if maybe his yellow-haired adversary was actually a step ahead of him, but he still didn't really think so.
Up above, Naruto's expression of astonishment turned into one of anticipation at seeing the haze suddenly curl open and his opponent's familiar face emerge clear as day down below. Eager for a straight-up hand-to-hand fight, the keen smile slowly faded from the blond ninja's face for, as gravity pulled him back down so the gap in the vast field of mist began to seal up. By the time Naruto's feet squashed onto the soggy earth everything was exactly the same as when he'd left.
"Rrrrrr!" the genin growled in frustration.
Haku, tracking him closely, wondered just how acute Naruto's blindness to chakra energies really was. Well, he thought with a knowing frown, there is certainly one way to find out.
"Naruto," Haku warned him. "I'm going to hit you now, not lightly as before but with all my strength. If you cannot sense my attack, then I'm afraid this match is over. Unless, of course, you wish to…give up!"
The ninja felt a bit guilty at being so obviously manipulative but then smiled at the subtle changes in Naruto's chakra; something was happening in there anyway.
Haku slid silently into position to attack the boy's left side, drew a deep breath to spike his chakra and made his preparations for the Cannon-fist Jutsu. Taking aim dead center, he envisioned with deep intensity the edge of his palm blasting through Naruto's head, splattering it open like a ripe melon.
NOW! thought the teenager deliberately then launched himself at his friend, hoping in the back of his mind that this wouldn't end in disaster.
Naruto
"Whoa!" Naruto yelped, blue eyes widening as he flinched back at a sudden tremor of trepidation, then saw a grey against grey blur pass just in front of his face, close enough that he felt the breeze stir in Haku's passage with the fabric of the shinobi's sleeve tickling the tip of his nose. The genin was tempted to counter but was off-balance and still mostly blind amidst the fog.
Uncluttering his mind, Naruto tried to sense Haku's next move as he had just then and hopped back sure that he'd avoided something but didn't know what. The blond then ducked down and brought his arm along the side of his head a fraction of a second before he felt the impact of the Demon's Apprentice's shin glance hard off his forearm and shoulder. Naruto twisted, fired his rear hand and felt a little satisfaction as the front of his knuckles tapped hard breastbone.
Hey! I'm kinda getting the hang of this! he realized, and a grin crossed the genin's face. When he closed his eyes he could almost 'see' where the taller ninja was – just an outline manifest against the sparkling black with the clearest points falling along the centerline of Haku's body where the seven main chakra centers lay: Base, Sacral, Dan Tien, Heart, Throat, Brow and Crown.
Though Naruto felt he was severely behind on points, he knew now that this match was far from over and that, in the end, HE was the one who was going to win!
Haku
Haku smiled, quite pleased with himself and with Naruto who'd turned out to be quick study despite his self-described less-than-stellar performance at Konoha's ninja academy. But that didn't mean Zabuza's disciple was just going to LET Naruto beat him either. The blond leaf-ninja was strong, tireless, persistent and full of surprises – that, he already knew.
Very well, Naruto, Haku thought, his mood lifting with anticipation, let's just see if you can surprise me again.
Naruto
Naruto moved through the mist much less blindly than before. By making his brain relax (so to speak), he could definitely sense his opponent – a vague shape that became much clearer when his opponent attacked and focused his chakra.
When Haku had used his wind jutsu to destroy Naruto's clones, the mist had parted for a few seconds, allowing the young leaf-ninja a brief, clear view of the terrain: a view on which he'd concentrated hard to put its imprint in his mind so he could navigate.
The blond smiled brashly, facing right toward where he knew Haku was, and started to circle. His foot almost slipped off the edge of the trench he'd dug out with his Rasengan earlier but he'd been waiting for that. Regaining his balance, the ninja continued, adjusted his chakra, then walked over the surface of the muddy water hoping he didn't seem too anxious when he stopped just on the other side.
He was pretty sure that giggling right now would be a dead giveaway.
Naruto tried instead to focus on that peculiar state of relaxed concentration that let him see Haku's energy. Suddenly it vanished, startling the genin for a moment before it reappeared high above him, coming in fast. The blond jumped aside, feeling the wind as kicks slashed through where he'd been. Dropping down then springing forward, Naruto flung himself at Haku, intent on taking him down. That was 'Plan A', because turning this fight into a wrestling match would definitely cancel out all the advantages Haku got from this mist jutsu.
But as Naruto's arms groped for his opponent, fingers reaching through the haze, he felt a knee-buckling blow connect with the side of his neck. Strong fingers gripped then shoved him down face-first toward the muddy water. The leaf-ninja altered his trajectory, sent a surge of chakra into his feet and went spinning away. He'd escaped but was now wildly off-balance, completely vulnerable and at the same time…maybe a moment from victory.
Time for 'Plan B', he thought and couldn't help but grin.
A soft, wet patter of footsteps racing over the top of the mud followed quickly after Naruto but stopped short with a splash and loud gasp.
I…GOTCHA! thought Naruto even before he heard his own shadow-clones call for him.
"Over here!" one shouted through the fog in Naruto's own inimitable voice. "We got him, we got him! Hurry UP, already!"
Rushing toward the chorus, Naruto balled his fist, coiled it back then let it fly, triangulating exactly between the voices and right at head level.
Inari & Chuuya
"What's going ON?!" Chuuya wailed desperately in the fog, hands clutched to his moist face. "I can't take it anymore!"
Inari elbowed him. "What are you asking ME for, I can't see anything either!" The black-haired boy paused then, almost sick with worry. "I just hope they're alright."
Very slowly the mist began to lift, revealing as it faded the sight of Haku, standing knee deep in mud, restrained by four small, black figures that held him tightly by the legs and arms. Only at the second look did the two kids see that they were just Naruto's shadow-clones covered completely in mud. The real Naruto stood before Haku poised in mid-strike and smiling, his extended fist held out barely an inch from their sensei's nose.
"Wow," muttered Inari, greatly relieved; feeling terribly sorry for Haku but at the same time, SO proud of Naruto.
"What the --!?" blurted Chuuya less happily. "Awwwwwww!"
The girlish features of their beaten sensei's pinched face relaxed and Haku looked down at the victorious genin with a gentle, heartfelt smile. "Well done, Naruto," offered Haku. "And I appreciate that you didn't hit me."
Naruto's expression sank. "Why should I?" he grumbled in disappointment, his expression curdling sourly. "You're just another dumb water-clone."
The four mud-drenched Naruto clones grunted in surprise, looked questioningly at their master then at their prisoner who spared him a demure grin.
"True enough," it chuckled then abruptly gushed apart and flowed into the mud which suddenly froze solid, trapping the four clones that stood knee-deep in it. Only the original had the presence to hop away before being similarly snared.
Haku
At the shoreline on the other side of the ring-shaped trench, Haku crouched on his heels and couldn't help but laugh lightly. "Well, Naruto," he observed as he looked over at his adversary in good-natured amusement, "it seems as if last night's conversation gave you a fairly complete report of MY tricks as well."
"Huh," grunted the bruised and mud-splattered blond. "Yeah, seems that way to me too."
"So what gave me away?"
Naruto shook his head. "That was WAY too easy. Plus I already told you about how I beat Neji by hiding underground."
Haku shrugged and nodded.
"So," the blond inquired pointedly, bending his knees and lowering his shoulders; eyes flashing like sapphire flames, "You ready to go AGAIN?"
The taller ninja rose smoothly and replied with gracious delight: "Why not."
Naruto, undaunted, rushed Haku who smiled at the genin's sheer indefatigability. But there was an element of strategy there too that he appreciated: to close the distance so his opponent wouldn't have time to execute a jutsu which, of course, was easier said than done. The smaller ninja tore in with a flurry of punches. Haku evaded deftly, sidestepping and getting the range so that when Naruto punched again, Haku sliced across with his knuckles up and grazed under the blonde's funny bone.
Naruto winced then his eyes popped as his left arm fell limply to his side, paralyzed.
My turn, thought Haku who shot forward with a double jumping kick that attacked high and low to distract and set-up for the spinning wheel kick that followed to the now defenseless left side of Naruto's head.
But the leaf-ninja ducked under the blow then, instead of backing away, charged…leading with his left side!
Haku didn't have time to be mystified but threw the edge of his palm straight at Naruto's exposed face then hastily pulled back as the blond grit his teeth, lowered his chin and thrust the upper part of his forehead into the blow. The taller ninja sputtered, not having expected Naruto to head-butt his hand!
The genin followed up with a lunging overhand right that grazed Haku's chin. The startled teenager began to backpedal but not quickly enough as Naruto flipped in mid-air, throwing himself completely over so that the back of his heel came down with sledgehammer force onto Haku's shoulder.
For a second, the ninja's vision speckled with pin-prick flashes of light and dark as the force of the blow dropped him to his knees. Haku, from sheer reflex, fell back onto his opposite outstretched hand then kicked up, with one leg following the other, into a one-handed somersault then took another jump away to get some distance – enough, he hoped, so he could recover. Once again underestimating Naruto, even if it was only his capacity to surprise, had proved to be a mistake.
Haku grimaced as he rubbed his swelling shoulder, very pleasantly surprised to find that his clavicle wasn't broken. Breathing deeply to fire his chakra, the ninja took a high, mobile stance then unfurled his arms like a crane's graceful wings; his features settling into a mask of determination.
Naruto, for his part, smiled with lusty confidence as he shook his left hand to life then charged again, but before he closed his expression shifted and the yellow-haired ninja slowed to a stop almost right in front of Haku and dropped his hands.
The puzzled Haku's brow furrowed as he too stopped. "What?"
"Hey, I'm…I'm really sorry," Naruto explained in a plaintive tone between ragged breaths. "I didn't mean it."
Haku stood at-ease, gave an askance glance, then touched the side of his head. Inspecting his fingertip, the ninja found a thin residue of blood from where the sole of Naruto's boot had cut him.
Sloppy, he couldn't help but think.
Naruto glanced up at him, away then back again. "'You ok?" the blond ventured meekly.
"Hmm?" Haku replied. "Yes, Naruto, I'm fine, really."
The genin nodded as an anxious smile came to his face. "Sorry about that. I guess I got carried away."
"No, no, I'm as much at fault for being careless," the taller teenager demurred then, seeing that Naruto was still concerned, added: "I'm not as delicate as I appear, you know."
Naruto's expression flickered hopefully.
"You're not going to make me hit you with another snowball, are you?" teased Haku, but he was only trying to reassure him that he wasn't mad.
The blue-eyed leaf-ninja's face pinched. "You do," he declared, "and I'll fling something back…and it WON'T be a snowball!"
Haku's eyes widened in alarm, a mix of real and exaggerated, then he raised his open hands in surrender and grinned. A fight was one thing, but he wasn't about to take on the king of pranks at his own game. He'd already pushed his luck enough as it was.
Seeing a break in the action, a mud-encrusted Chuuya skipped up to the two ninjas. "That was SLAMMIN'! EPIC! Even if we couldn't see most of it," he crowed then mimicked a sloppy but spirited approximation of some of the moves he'd seen, trying out a flurry of punches, kicks and jutsu hand seals. "When can I learn cool moves like that? I wanna start with the Rasengan!"
Naruto snickered then rubbed a whisker-marked cheek. "I don't know, Chuuya. It's really, really hard to learn, and you need a LOT of chakra."
"One thing at a time," Haku added in a chastening voice. "You need to be able to do the Transformation Jutsu first, and even your Cannon-Fist is far from perfect."
"Aw, Sensei!"
The four made their way back to the trail with Chuuya and Naruto out front talking happily away, and Haku and Inari trailing behind.
"Is something wrong, Inari?" asked Haku at last, feeling the boy's eyes hard upon him.
Inari drew closer and Haku could see the conflicted anger in his student's frowning face. "Sensei," he began in a troubled tone, "why did you want to fight Naruto again, especially after everything that happened last time?"
"I'm the Demon's Apprentice…maybe I like to fight."
Tazuna's grandson gaped for a second. "Sensei, I'm SERIOUS!"
Haku chided himself. He had no call to be flippant. Inari had truly hated him once for his part in trying to kill the boy's grandfather. For anyone so young, for anyone period, to be able to move past that to the level of trust and respect they shared now said a lot about who he was.
Like Tazuna, Inari was smart; like Naruto, he was greatly moved by emotions and took things to heart. Seeing two people he cared about a lot fighting each other had to be painful for him.
"We weren't fighting, Inari, only sparring," Haku explained. "It may have looked rough but in reality we both held back the worst of our techniques…Naruto much more than I."
Inari glared, unconvinced.
"Think about what you saw and what you didn't see: no weapons, wires or exploding notes. I didn't resort to my kekkei-genkai, well, not very much anyway, and Naruto…well, he was…he was far from going all-out."
Inari's dark eyes searched Haku's, wanting to believe. "I still don't see WHY."
Haku smiled. "It's a good way to learn how techniques work, which areas you're strong in and which need to improve, gaps in your training. For instance, I learned that I'm still susceptible to unorthodox attacks. And I think Naruto learned how to cope better fighting when he cannot see. I hope so anyway," he said as if to himself. "You see, Inari, it's far better that we learn from each other than from someone who really intends us harm.
"I hope," the ninja added, "that you will adopt that outlook as part of your training, especially with Chuuya. As the youngest brother he's learned to compensate for a lack of relative size and strength with ferocity which he sometimes unleashes on you out of habit. Understand though, he does truly think of you as a friend and would be horrified at the thought of doing you any real harm."
Inari's brow furrowed. He seemed to understand the explanation even if he didn't completely like it or only half-believed it.
Haku looked ahead at Naruto who chatted freely with Chuuya as if they'd been friends for years. The genin really did have a way with people, he considered. Though what he'd told Inari was the truth, what he'd said had only been a part of it. The ninja had decided, wisely he thought, to spare his student the psychodrama of how he'd wanted to know for certain if either he or Naruto still harbored any grudge against the other from their for-real fight eight months earlier. Haku had figured that any lingering animosity would surely have come out during the heat of battle; that the emotional energy of their chakra would convey the content of their hearts to each other. What he'd confirmed was that Naruto's generous and forgiving nature really was all it seemed and more.
Of course Haku hadn't doubted that, not really. This test had been for himself.
Zabuza's angry words, forever etched in his memory, upbraided him fiercely for his soft heart once again. But the criticisms that might have lanced him before only fell away now for he was no longer The Demon's Apprentice…just Haku. Maybe having a soft heart and caring about those precious to you wasn't part of the shinobi way but somehow, the teenager felt he could live with that.
After all, thought the ninja with a smile, it's working out ok so far.
Thoughts, comments, questions, suggestions? Please review. All are appreciated ;)
Thanks for reading,
--Jonohex
