Chapter 4: Bridge finale, Return to Konoha.

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A woman's scream broke the silence of the surrounding forest. The woman, Tsunami, backed away at the sight of two samurai thugs.

"Listen lady, boss man wants you to come with us, give up peacefully and nobody has to get hurt." the one with the hat said. The one next to him, with his hair styled in four ponytails, was more impatient.

"Dammit Zouri! Hurry the hell up and just knock her out!" He yelled to the hat-wearing samurai now known as Zouri.

"Unlike you, I don't like to fight meaninglessly. I much prefer a less violent solution than you Waraji." Zouri said to the now name Waraji, who snorted and proceeded to put the kicking and screaming woman over his shoulder. A sudden bang attracted their attention to the kid, whose hand was locked around a crossbow.

"Hey you little punk, you better put that thing down before you get hurt!" Waraji threatened but Inari stayed strong. The samurai was angry with this and made to strike with his sword however his sword was intercepted by…

"Flower petals?" Zouri looked in confusion as a literal wall of flower petals surrounded the brat he was about to kill. A strange dream-like voice radiated through the area.

"Sakurabana no Tate…(Shield of Cherry Blossoms)" the voice carried through the air. "You have performed admirably, child. But please, stand back and allow me to take the stage…"

Naruto descended onto the front garden of the house to confront the two samurai. Narrowing his eyes at them, he proceeded to engage in a sword battle with Waraji, who pulled out two butcher knife weapons. Naruto frowned at the sight.

"How boring… 'She' is not pleased with this joke of a battle…I will aim to please her later…" He trailed off and quickly rushed Waraji with a series of stabs, spins, thrusts and aerial strikes. Soon the man collapsed into a pool of his own blood.

While this was happening, Zouri had knocked out Tsunami and was running through the forest with her on his back. He was surprised when he felt his legs suddenly buckle, causing him to drop to the ground. Looking around, he spotted a lavender-eyed girl in a Taijutsu stance. Growling, He pulled out his rusted looking katana. Just as he was about to charge the girl, a deep voice echoed around him.

"You should be paying more attention to those behind you." Zouri turned quickly and his eyes widened in surprise at seeing Shino, who held a lance in his hand…made out of insects.

"Kabutomushi no Mori!" (Lance of the Beetle) He cried and hurled the lance, which travelled at an insanely fast speed, and impaled the surprised Zouri into a tree. The insects in the lance dispersed back to a slightly panting Shino, who proceeded to explain the use of the technique to Hinata.

"The Kabutomushi no Mori is one of my original techniques that I came up with. If I were to rate it, I would say it would be an A-rank assassination technique due to its speed. I came up with it after seeing Kakashi-san explaining the basics of his Raikiri to Sasuke-san."

Hinata was impressed with the move and decided that she too would make one of her own to impress the one she loved. Yes, she would do some research when she got back. She literally dragged a slightly shocked Shino, who placed the unconscious Tsunami on his back, to see how Naruto was holding up.

They found him soon looking over a downed Waraji. Looking up, he spotted them and gestured them over.

"Well…it seems that you stopped the runaway…thank you for your assistance…" Naruto said to them. "I think that the best course of action would be to check up on the others…Hinata-hime, could you please remain here with Miss Tsunami and Inari-kun?" He asked, and the girl blushed at the name before nodding resolutely. Nodding in thanks, he and Shino rushed to the direction of the bridge, while Hinata escorted a shell-shocked Inari and his unconscious mother back home.

Meanwhile, at the bridge…

Kakashi was not having a good battle with Zabuza. He had thrown a ton of water techniques (which he copied with his Sharingan) but the man then had to start rushing with his sword. It was at a time like this that he wished he had his White Fang.

"Come on, Sharingan no Kakashi! After I finish with you, I'm gonna hunt down that kid with the rapier for round two!" He yelled and rushed at the jounin.

Asuma, Kurenai and Shikamaru were fighting another accomplice of Zabuza, an Uzu jounin. The man was strong and had managed to already knock out Sakura, Ino, and Chouji. They had to hold on though; they wouldn't die without a fight.

Kiba was scared. This ice boy Haku had seriously injured Sasuke-bitch inside the damn mirror dome! But as an Inuzuka, he refused to back down. It was a matter of honour dammit! He sighed and looked at the pouch on his hip. Digging around, he apparently found what he was looking for, a black pill. Grimacing at it slightly, he turned to Akamaru.

"Sorry buddy…looks like we're gonna have to use code: black…" He said, causing Akamaru to look shocked before nodding seriously and bark an agreement. Popping a pill into both his and Akamaru's mouths, they underwent a transformation. Rising into the sky, a giant two-headed black demonic dog with piercing red eyes loomed over the ice dome. (Think of a two headed giant Houndoom from Pokemon).

"Jinjū Konbi Henge: Naraku no Ryouken!" (Man Beast Combination Transformation: Hound of Hades).

The demonic hellhound looked at its prey, the surprised ice user and lunged towards him, smashing and breaking the ice dome with its large claws and sending Haku soaring across the bridge. After the dog calmed down, the transformation ended, leaving an unconscious Kiba and Akamaru in its wake.

With Kakashi…

"I apologise Zabuza…but you are too dangerous to be allowed to live! RAIKIRI!" Kakashi cried and his hand was engulfed in lightning chakra. He ran at a fast speed towards the immobilised Zabuza and lightning blade met flesh, but…

!

Kakashi found himself staring at Haku, who had intercepted the strike and had a huge puncture wound in his heart.

"W-Why?" Both Kakashi and Zabuza questioned in unison.

"Because, You…are my precious person…Zabuza-sama…" the boy trailed off as he looked dead at Kakashi. "I won't let…your dreams die…" He said as the light slowly faded from his eyes and he fell from Kakashi's arm. Zabuza looked impassively at his body. However, the tragic moment ended as a clapping sound echoed through the mist covered bridge.

"Well well well! Looks like I hired a wimpy baby demon after all! Its such a shame that the poor boy had to die but I'm sure we can come up with a suitable solution." The slimy criminal leader Gato walked up to Haku's dead body and kicked it.

"A worthless tool for a worthless shinobi!" He laughed, as did his large band of mercenaries. Zabuza looked enraged.

"You slimy little ratfuck bastard! Should've known that a weasel like you wouldn't even think of paying us!" He yelled before looking down at Haku. "And I will not tolerate the ill treatment of the dead…" he whispered. Walking slowly to the downed Sasuke, he grabbed a kunai with his teeth and charged towards the group of mercenaries, who looked terrified of the Demon of the Mist as he loomed upon them. Some had gotten a few weapons lodged into Zabuza's back but the man, like a possessed demon, ran straight at Gato and impaled him with the kunai.

"D-Demon!" was the man's last word as he fell off of the bridge, into the murky depths of the sea below. Looking down, Zabuza released the kunai from his mouth and hobbled towards Haku. He fell before he even reached it.

The mercenaries then became enraged as their meal ticket was effectively gone and rushed towards the injured shinobi. The group was already tired out and thus was about to faint until an arrow fired from the air. Looking at the source, they saw Inari and a large group of armed civilians behind them. Sighing gratefully, they watched as the civilians slowly scared off the mercenaries leaving only them, Kakashi's group of Kiba and Sasuke, and a near dead Zabuza. The near dead man looked at Kakashi, who stood over him.

(Play 'Sadness and Sorrow Piano version' from here)

"Kakashi…Can I ask you a favour? Can…can you let me see his face one more time?" The dying man asked in monotone. Kakashi closed his eyes and pulled his headband over his Sharingan before smiling softly under his facemask.

"Sure…" He then pulled out the weapons sticking out of Zabuza's back and proceeded to carry him towards Haku. One of the villagers had noticed snow falling from the star, which drew Zabuza's attention.

"Haku…are you crying?" He questioned.

Kakashi then placed the body of the barely alive Zabuza next to the dead body of Haku. Zabuza thanked Kakashi, who turned away and walked down the bridge. Zabuza turned his head to face Haku.

"You…were always by my side…even when I never wanted you to be there." He said. "Even though I was always tough on you…you still stayed with me…and I came to see you as the son I never had." He painfully raised a hand to place on Haku's cheek. "Even…even though I know that I could never go…I would like to go where you go…to the heaven that you always talked about…" He watched as a snowflake melted on Haku's cheek, forming a tear streak. Zabuza closed his eyes.

"Kakashi…I have one more request" he said as the jounin in question walked back over. "Bury us together…" He said, as the light left his eyes, and his soul departed to Haku in heaven.

Kiba, who had awoken earlier, was openly crying at the tragedy. Suddenly, in a swirl of leaves, Naruto appeared beside Kakashi. He looked at the fallen shinobi with a sad frown.

"They shared a truly beautiful love for each other…" He looked up as the snow fell around and on him. "He told me that it always snowed where he lived…" He trailed off and Kakashi nodded before asking Naruto to help bury the two dead shinobi, who agreed.

Keichi was fleeing through the forests of Wave. Thankfully, those Konoha-nin didn't follow him. He cursed when he felt Zabuza's chakra fully deplete, guaranteeing death. He was just about to head back to Uzu when he saw him. Keichi's eyes widened when he looked at the boy.

Naruto, Kakashi and Kiba were at the freshly planted graves of Haku and Zabuza, whose grave had his sword planted into the ground. The trio was silent except for Kiba's small sniffles. A sudden movement caused all three to turn and confront the intruder. It turned out to be the Uzu-nin that Zabuza hired…and was staring at Naruto like he was a ghost. Kakashi cleared his throat, attracting the man's attention although his eyes didn't turn from Naruto.

"Can we help you with something?" Yep, straight to the point Kakashi.

"N-no its fine, just thought I saw something familiar that's all…" He trailed before bowing at the three and heading back to Uzu no Kuni.

"What a freak…" Kiba commented, getting nods from his fellow mourners. Soon, Kiba and Kakashi left and Naruto was standing alone. He walked up to Zabuza's sword.

"To love someone... It is not to shut one's eyes to the other, nor to block one's ears to the truth... To love one another... Is to walk through life together... Open your eyes, open your ears... Look at each other... and together seek the best path for the both of you…" Naruto said. "I wonder…will I ever experience that kind of love?…" Shaking his head for it didn't matter yet, he put his hand out forward.

"I believe that a blade is useless without a wielder…and only you ever deserved to hold this magnificent creature. To stop the thieves, I will destroy this sword…"

"Amatsu Kusabana Maisou: Ichiban Dankai…" (Imperial Flowering Plant Burial: First Stage). The flower petals gathered and formed a cocoon around the mighty Kubikiri Houcho, and raised it off the ground. Naruto waited before clicking his fingers, signifying the Niban Dankai (Second Stage), which caused the flower cocoon to fly down to the ground at a breakneck speed. Once the petals scattered, the sword was cut cleanly in uneven angles and had over a dozen scratches, making it unusable for a while. He looked at the graves and placed a white rose on Haku's and a red rose on Zabuza's.

"Farewell, Momochi Zabuza and…Momochi Haku. May your trip to the afterlife be pleasant…" He offered a farewell prayer to the fallen shinobi. Turning around and heading back, he absentmindedly scratched Mia behind her ear getting a purr for a reward and a small smile on Naruto.

A short time later, after returning to the gates of Wave, the group was saying farewell to the civilians of the now free country.

"Hey! We haven't even named the bridge yet!" One villager called out, causing widespread murmurs. Tazuna cleared his throat before addressing the confused civilians.

"My friends! Our bridge shall be called the Great Momochi Bridge!" This gained looks of surprise. Tazuna continued on. "To honour the sacrifice that two shinobi made that helped save us from Gato…" He trailed at the end, causing civilians to bow heads in respect.

"Well, It's been enjoyable but we have to leave now" said Kakashi. Inari ran out and up to Kiba.

"Kiba-nii-san! Come visit alright?" Inari called out to Kiba, who waved back.

The group of Teams 7, 8, & 10 slowly headed through the forests of Fire Country, hoping to reach Konoha before nightfall. Looking back at the students, he took notice of their expressions. Naruto was oddly solemn, which was rarely seen through his dream look. Kiba was still in a small shock over the death of the two shinobi they fought. Sasuke looked angry with Kiba for some reason. Sakura looked angry with Kiba because Sasuke was. Hinata and Ino were looking concerned at Naruto. Shikamaru and Chouji were making idle chit chat with Kurenai and Asuma. Kakashi was mostly concerned about Sasuke's reaction though.

"Great…now I'll have to put up with a whiny angsty brat…Why do you hate me Kami-sama?" He cursed to the heavens and he was sure that Kami winked saucily at him. Sighing, the group continued to head to Konoha for a hopeful vacation…

The teams had at long last reached Konoha despite the problems that were encountered along the way. The first was Sasuke's attempts at trying to fight Kiba and not the other way around. Sakura was proving to be a constant annoyance to everyone with her fangirl yelling, such fanatical devotion was irritating even Ino.

As they entered the office of the Hokage, they took notice of the 'caution: wet floor sign' to the right of the room. The Hokage himself looked rather pale and was slightly green. Clearing his throat, he asked for the mission report but Kiba decided to get a word in.

Sniff! Sniff! "What the hell is that smell? It reeks of bleach and shi-" He was about to finish until Kurenai slammed her hand over his mouth, muffling his protests at being silenced.

"Mind your language, Kiba!" She yelled at him. The Hokage chuckled weakly before gesturing the report. Kakashi stood and looked on lazily.

"Well, we did it…" He said and Sarutobi blinked. That was it? Surely there was much more than that. Suddenly, Kakashi turned to Kiba.

"Bet you your mother's gonna kill you when she finds out what you did…" He said with a sinister grin under his mask that made Kiba remember that he used a Kinjutsu, and paled.

"H-hey Kakashi-sensei! There's really no need for-" He said before getting cut off again.

"KIBAAAAAAAA!" The scream came, followed by a feral looking woman that the teams could only guess was his mother. Kiba looked mortified as his mother grabbed him by the ear and yanked him away forcefully, with him screaming apologies and Akamaru looking like he was embarrassed by the situation.

After observing the rather comical scene, the rest of the genin left the jounin so that they could give the true report in privacy.

After listening to the report, Sarutobi frowned a little. Everything went smoothly aside from the death, which was tragic indeed. It troubled him because a C turned A rank mission should have had more in the report than what he was given. Sighing, he put the folder down and…

"Noooooooo….Not the laxatives again…" He moaned as he clutched his stomach as tried to walk to the restroom down the hall, holding the wall as support as he crawled along. Yes! This time he would make it!

Meanwhile…

Naruto was inside his mindscape, playing with Macha in her humanoid cat form. Though he preferred when she rode around on his shoulder, it was nice to know that the true person still existed.

"I shall visit again…Macha." He announced before moving to leave. Petting the Guardian creatures, he moved to a door near the end of the mindscape.

He awakened in his room on his bed. Sighing, he looked at Mia, then closed his eyes slowly, letting sleep take him into dreams…

Meanwhile in Uzu no Kuni…

"You are sure of this?" Came the question from a female voice.

"Yes ma'am!" Keichi replied to the village leader on one knee. "The boy looked exactly like Kushina-sensei did."

This caused the village leader to consider something before coming to a decision.

"The Chuunin Exams will soon be held in Konoha, am I correct?" Getting a nod in reply, she continued. "…Dispatch teams 6 & 11, they will compete."

After nodding once more, Keichi was stopped as he reached the door.

"Please inform the teams of our plan…" Came the command from the woman.

Bowing swiftly, Keichi left to do as he was told. The woman sighed and turned to the window in her office and looked out at the rebuilt village surrounded by whirlpools.

"Soon…" She remarked.

END OF CHAPTER

What is this? What is Uzu no Kuni planning? Find out during the next chapter(s).

Not as long as I would have liked but I wanted to keep the important events of the Wave Arc inside this and the previous chapter instead of moving to the Chuunin Exams Arc straight away in the same chapter.

Note: Dammit! I always get watery eyes when I think about that tragic death scene (even though I'm a guy). Even writing it made me feel bad.

Endo's Jutsu Corner: Finally got some different people using Original Jutsu! Let me explain them to you.

Sakurabana no Tate (Shield of Cherry Blossoms): Used by Naruto. As the name implies, It is a sturdy shield of flowers that gather to protect either the user or a target of choice. C-Rank Ninjutsu.

Kabutomushi no Mori (Lance of the Beetle): Used by Shino. User focuses and extends chakra and insects into a lance shaped weapon which, when hurled, can kill quickly. A-rank Assassination Ninjutsu.

Jinjū Konbi Henge: Naraku no Ryouken (Man Beast Combination Transformation: Hound of Hades): Used by Kiba. A forbidden jutsu of the Inuzuka clan that causes the user to transform into a large two headed hell hound. A much more dangerous version of the Two headed wolf transformation as it gives up speed completely for unstoppable brute force, able to crush through almost anything. A-rank Kinjutsu of Inuzuka clan.

Well, that's all. Hope to have more reviewers even though I'm just writing this for the joys of writing my ideas. Hope to have the next chapter out soon!

-Endo