Nenshou Kyoukan

By: Mask of Smiles

GUESS WHO UPDATED?!?!?!?!?!?! I know, zfirze took FOREVER to update her story, right?! (check the faves for who I'm talking about) Anywho, I decided to get off my ass and do the same. To be honest, while I was writing a Sakura bashing part, I actually started feeling sorry for the bitch. WOW!!! I must have been high then, don't you think? But yeah, one part is more Sakura Cruelty than Sakura Bashing. Oh well.

HOWEVER, I made this chapter a lot longer! So, STOP ASKING ME FOR LONGER CHAPTERS, PEOPLE!!!!! All right, I'm sugar high now, ignore me and READ!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ MY MINIONS!!!!!!!!! READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Haku? But…but how?" Sakura asked in shock. Although she had only seen his face once, and only when they thought him dead, she could recognize that face, that smile.

"Well, I suppose you could say it was because of Naruto-kun." The atmosphere around them suddenly became tense. Villagers who were within earshot scowled at the name and Sakura's face hardened.

"Hmph, well why is it that I find it hard to believe that monster saved a life?" She said turning with a huff. The four stiffened and Haku sighed.

"You shouldn't call someone that, not around us. I'm sure you're aware that everyone in this team and it every other team are all outcasts from their village. This team in particular consists of 'monsters'. All of us were hated for something we couldn't control. Something we were forced to be without a choice. So, if you don't wish for ill will, please refrain from calling anyone that." He said, but the tone of his voice showed he was holding back his own anger at the name.

"You, a monster? How can that be? You're so kind. Not like Naruto, who's nothing but a traitor." Before Haku could say anything, there was a scoff, and Nenshou turned around before he started walking back towards the gate.

"Where are you going?" Kira asked.

"To Oto! I'm sure the offer still stands and I'll be damned before I work for a bunch of closed-minded twits again!" Nenshou snapped. Everyone was turned to him, but he didn't seem to care much. The shortest of the group turned and Sakura flinched at the sight of glaring, sea foam colored eyes.

"Three days of trying to convince him to come here all ruined because of an ugly, pink cow." He snarled. Sakura gasped and held her hand over her heart in an offended manner.

"Well, I never!"

"Kira, please, the last thing we need is more problems. Ketsueki, can you talk to him? You're the only one he listens to on this subject." Haku said. He was the one who usually kept Nenshou and Kira's angers in check, but, sometimes, the only one Nenshou would listen to was Ketsueki. The tallest sighed and turned around to the retreating figure.

"Do you really intend to go to that snake alone?" He said, speaking for the very first time.

"Yes! I'm sure a bastard snake is going to be a lot more fun to work with than a bunch of stupid idiots with sticks so far up their asses it's coming out of their mouths!" The legendary assassin snapped. Many villagers flinched at the mental image, and others glared hatefully at the one who was about to assist their enemy.

"After three years of ranting about his sexuality and attraction to powerful people decades younger than him, you're going to walk up to that half-man, alone, and offer your services?" Ketsueki asked, crossing his arms. Nenshou lifted a finger to go on and make his point, but then the arm sagged and they could see a shiver go up his spine.

"Damn it, he's got a good point. All right, fine! I'll stay with this mission. Doesn't mean I have to like it." He muttered, crossing his arms and walking back.

"We won't ask you to do such an impossible thing. Come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave." Nenshou laughed a little before rejoining the little group. They began to make their way to the Hokage tower, though the silence was beginning to become tense. Though some (everyone but Sakura) preferred it to the lack of silence from earlier. Sakura, once again, began getting calmer and, once again, broke the silence.

"So, Haku-kun, you never did finish telling us how it is your alive." She said, turning to the dark haired male. Haku nodded, though seemed uncomfortable being referred to so familiarly by someone who he was just upset with not too long ago, and then smiled, as if remembering a fond memory, which he probably was.

"After I 'killed' Uchiha-san, Naruto-kun (more tenseness at the name) went into a rage. He was able to access the…the Kyuubi's chakra and was able to shatter my mirror jutsu." He said, causing Sakura to gasp.

"I knew it, I knew he was a-" She was cut off by a wave of killer intent and (finally) decided to keep her mouth shut.

"Anyways," this was said with a great amount of annoyance, "he did attack me, and it would have killed me. However, I was able to inflict a significant amount of damage unto him when I was battling both him and Sasuke-san. The Kyuubi was healing the injuries, and some of that healing chakra was absorbed into my body while it was trying to use whatever chakra I had left to defeat him. When I went to defend Zabuza-sama, the electricity of Kakashi-san's attack quickened my heartbeat to a rate where that, along with the blood loss, would have killed me instantly.

"The Kyuubi's healing chakra was still within me, however. As I began to die, it healed me enough to keep me alive, though unconscious and seemingly dead. I would have died about an hour later. Afterwards, I had found out that Naruto-kun had asked to bury me on his own before you and the rest of your team buried Zabuza-sama. The Kyuubi figured out I was alive, though not for long, and, thinking I would be useful if I were alive, pushed the largest amount of chakra he could without the seal reacting. I was healed enough for Naruto-kun to notice and he took me to Tazuna-san's home while a bunshin did a fake burial. Both Uchiha-san and Hatake-san were too exhausted to notice that it was a bunshin while Naruto kept me at Tazuna-san's house to use the little knowledge he had in medical jutsus at the time to help me."

At the end of the explanation, both Sakura and Sasuke were shocked, and confused. After all, they had stayed at Tazuna's place for a while until the bridge was finished, so how had they not sensed Haku there? The story just didn't check out. Even if it were true, it seemed unlikely that Naruto would avoid telling them of Haku's survival.

"Why didn't we sense you there? After a few days, both Kakashi and I were healed. He, at least, should have noticed your presence." Sasuke said.

"You two both thought I was dead, and I was weak enough to the point where my chakra levels were that of a normal citizen. Before you came back, they moved me to a friend's house to take care of me. Naruto-kun was the one who suggested they kept my survival a secret." Was the reply.

"And why didn't he tell us?"

"Because, even though you saved his life, he suspected that trusting you would only open himself up to more pain and torment." The answer came, not from Haku, but from Kira.

"And how would you know?" Sakura asked the stranger. Sure, she didn't like Naruto too much, but she really didn't like this guy, especially the way he spoke as if he knew them!

"Because he can relate to the dobe, can't you, Gaara?" Sasuke said. He didn't notice Nenshou's chakra spike, but he focused on the red haired 'Kira'. He had his suspicions when the male spoke, and it was confirmed when he saw the sea foam green eyes glaring at Sakura. Plus, the sand used to smooth the path around them started rising then. That was a big hint too.

"How observant." The youngest of them scoffed. Sakura's eyes narrowed at the thought of their village being burdened with another demon.

"You know, I really think you should leave. I doubt the council will approve Tsunade-sama employing three assassins and a monster to help us." She said crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air.

She suddenly choked when a hand wrapped around her throat and she was thrust against the wall. Her eyes opened in shock, and the sounds of protest from the villagers and loud gasps of shock fell on deaf ears as she looked into angry, red orbs. Those eyes…they were familiar to her. Fiery red eyes with pupils narrowed into slits. A murderous aura surrounded the man whose wrist was so tight around her neck she could barely breathe.

"I promise you, you pink bitch, that if I ever hear you call him that again, you won't know your dead until you're burning in the pits of hell where you belong!" he snarled.

"That's enough." Gaara had his hat off and his mask as well. "She's not worth the effort it takes to kill her."

Those words seemed to snap Nenshou out of whatever spell he was in. He let her drop onto her butt and turned with a scoff. She could have sworn she heard him muttering something like 'could have just cut her voice box and save us a lot of grief' as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Her eyes then turned to Sasuke, who did nothing the entire time.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun…why…why didn't you help me?" She asked. He didn't answer her, just turned away and told them that they needed to continue. She felt hurt. Did he really not like her?

…

Nah, he probably didn't want those assassins to know his care for her. They would point her out as his weak point, that was it. He was ignoring her to protect her. Sasuke truly was her one true love!

Automatically recovering with the thought, she giggled and followed after them, ignoring the killing intent directed towards her.

They were finally at the Hokage tower. The four refused to speak the rest of the time, it seems they were true to Haku's warning and now there was much ill will towards Sakura, especially from Nenshou. In fact, from the time they entered the village to now, he's seemed more than unwilling to be there. Sasuke already suspected he knew the other one, Ketsueki, but Nenshou was both familiar and unfamiliar. There was something about him that Sasuke recognized, but his attitude threw it all off and he couldn't pinpoint what he recognized in the first place.

But, there they were. Haku had told them that they were to confirm the contract. The four weren't there to fight, but to defend. It was their procedure for war, they don't do offence, because that would just get ill will from that village. They just defended the village they were hired to fight for. If a ninja from that village or an ally village is outside of those gates, their group won't kill them, but those ninjas are on their own. Tsunade agreed to these terms, because it is Otogakure that was attacking them.

"Hello, you must be the mercenaries Tsunade-sama hired. She's waiting for you now, come this way please. Oh, you two need to come, too. Her orders." Ino said when they reached the top floor of the tower. She barely spared a glance her ex-best friend and ex-crush/obsession's way. After his betrayal, Ino had very little respect for the Uchiha, especially after finding out what he did to Naruto. If he would do that to his best friend, who's to say he wouldn't do the same to anyone he marries in the future? So, she didn't like him that much. Plus, there was a certain lazy nin that had caught her interest, but that's for another story.

Sakura scowled, something about being ordered around by a pig, but Ino ignored her. She really didn't think the pink haired girl was worth insulting at the moment. That girl was always breaking ties with loyal friends over Sasuke, it was really annoying, actually.

"Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama, they have arrived." She said.

"Good, come in and close the door. There's still the final part of the contract I need to confirm, and then we need to talk." The eldest woman said. The seven of them walked into the room and Gaara's eyes immediately landed on his sister.

Temari smiled, seeing subtle differences between the murdering machine and the male that was in front of her now. His eyes were still set in a glare, but they seemed a lot softer than they used to be. He didn't have the aura of malice and bloodlust that he used to, the aura she used to fear. The Kazekage stood up and walked to the red-haired male. She expected the sand around him to begin rising, like it usually did when she got too close to him, but, to her pleasant surprise, it stayed still. He wasn't tense as he was in the past, so it seemed she could get a lot closer to him than before.

"You've grown, otouto." She said with a smile. It was true. He seemed to have hit his growth spurt during the time he was gone. Instead of a harsh reply for stating the obvious, as he had done in the past, he just nodded.

"All right, Kira, enough with the small talk and give your sis a hug, will ya?" Nenshou said with an irritated voice. That just earned him a glare from the shorter male, but he seemed to just brush it off and Haku shook his head with an amused smile on his face. Typical of him to break any type of peaceful atmosphere.

"Now then, the contract?" Tsunade reminded them. Ketsueki nodded and gave the woman a scroll. The scroll contained the conditions and warnings of the contract, and went into more details of some of the conditions.

"As you are well aware of, the organization, as a whole, consists of mostly missing-nins. Thus, signing that contract mean that, once you find out who each of us are, you are not to make any arrests or any violent actions towards the four of us unless you decide to void the contract. Even so, the conditions stand for another two hours." Haku elaborated.

"I am well aware of that." Tsunade said, reading through everything once more. She took her time so she could read between the lines and find loopholes made for both parties. She wasn't planning on using any of them, but one should be extremely cautious when dealing with mercenaries.

Finally, with a nod, she took her pen and signed. A seal on the contract began to glow and it vanished in her hand, most likely going to the organization itself to verify that she signed it. She was aware that a copy would be coming back soon, but decided to become acquainted with her employees.

Only two of them had their masks off, for what reasons, she didn't really know. One she already recognized as Gaara and the other…no clue, but he seemed like a nice boy. As a medic nin, a pretty face and long hair wouldn't fool her into thinking that was a girl. All that's left was the other two. She was pretty sure one of them was Itachi, and she was going to enjoy seeing the younger Uchiha's face when he realized that he couldn't take his revenge with the bane of his existence right there in front of him.

"I need to ask you two to remove your masks and hats. It would be a problem if I cannot recognize all four of you should something happen." She said. The shorter of the still-masked ones, Nenshou, seemed to tense, but he sighed.

"Fine." He muttered and Ketsueki nodded. While Nenshou was having some trouble getting the tie of his mask off, the taller one smoothly took both his mask and hat off at once.

Sasuke stood frozen to the spot when he saw the man known as Ketusueki's face. Suddenly, rage bubbled within him and he snarled. Black hair spilled down to frame Ketsueki's face, a thin band tying the rest up in the back. He could see the red eyes of the man in front of him. Ketsueki may have been his codename, but he knew very well who this man really was.

Uchiha Itachi.

"I'm going to kill you!" He snarled, the Chidori coming to life. He ignored Tsunade's order, and he ignored Sakura's pleads for him to stop. Sasuke charged straight for Itachi. All he saw was a yellow blur before he found himself face-down on the floor with someone painfully pinning his arms behind his back.

"Are your ears not working or are you just stupid? 'No violent actions towards the four of us'. That includes trying to carve a hole in your brother's chest!" Sasuke snarled, recognizing the voice as Nenshou's, and turned to the other male in an attempt to burn a hole through the smug bastard's head with his Uchiha Death Glare©, but the sight above him made his eyes widen and his brain tried to register the surprise in his mind.

Blue eyes, blond hair…wait, wait, don't tell me…let's see, three scars on each cheek…the glare isn't too familiar though…an orange shirt…click.

"Naruto?!"

It was the orange that gave it all away.