Chapter 4: Fighting the World, or Something…
The Next Day
Kakashi was on crutches and the four training ninja were standing with him in the middle of some trees. He explained they were going to be learning to effectively use chakra.
"What's chakra?" Naruto asked suddenly. Kazu, having not expected this in the slightest, fell over. He scrambled back to his feet and nearly shouted,
"What? How do you not know what chakra is?" The others laughed.
"He was dead last at the academy." Sakura explained, "Most of the time it looked like he was sleeping through the classes." Naruto mumbled something about sleeping through the hard classes. Kazu sighed and Sakura said,
"I'll explain it then, so pay attention!" She gave a quick, detailed explanation of chakra and how it functioned to make jutsu.
"That's all well and good," Sasuke said suddenly, "but we can already use jutsu. You've seen it." Naruto nodded along with him, but Kakashi smiled,
"Nope! You aren't using your chakra properly! So, we are going to show control, by tree climbing!" They were slightly confused, so Kakashi gave a quick explanation and demonstration.
"Makes sense." Kazu sighed, he was hoping for some other kind of training. This could be useful though. When given the start, only Sakura made it to the top of the tree immediately, so she was elected to guard Tazuna for now. Kazu had made it kind of far up, but was breaking through the bark every few steps up and stumbling. Sasuke made it about halfway up before he broke in too far and had to jump away. Naruto fell on his head from not using enough. Naruto asked Sakura how to do it, she reluctantly told him something then walked away. Kazu tried it several more time and managed to get it on the third try. He too went to guard Tazuna. The other two were stuck training for a while.
With Sakura and Kazu
"Looks like you're pretty good then." Sakura said when she saw Kazu walking up. He shrugged slightly.
"I guess. So, what can you tell me about your academy's training? I know it is obviously different to my own. How different though?" They spent the next few hours comparing schools and Kazu was surprised to find that the training they received in Konoha really was not that difficult. He laughed when he revealed that to Sakura.
"Oh? And how difficult was yours then?" She asked. Kazu looked at her seriously then said,
"Only about twenty percent of all students live through the training for all four years. Most die or leave because they can't handle it." He looked around a bit, "I made it through three years before that night in my village." She nodded, her mom was on the civilian council and everyone already knew about it. She didn't say anything though. Tazuna soon came up and said that work was done for the day. They headed back to his place, but Kazu immediately went out again to train.
With Naruto and Sasuke
They were still running at the tree. Sasuke was making it farther than Naruto though. Naruto got a bit upset, but then calmed down and remembered what Sakura had told him. He concentrated and managed to get almost all the way up the tree. He cheered,
"Yeah! Thank you Sakura!" They continued practicing, with Sasuke getting mad at the lack of progress he was making. Naruto had made it to the top of his tree and was now just trying to control it better. Sasuke finally walked over and asked,
"Naruto, uh… What did Sakura tell you earlier?" He was blushing slightly, having to ask for help was embarrassing. Naruto smiled, then began laughing.
"It's a secret!" He stuck his tongue out at Sasuke then calmly walked up the tree. That brief joy gave him his final bit of motivation. Sasuke, however, was pissed.
With Everyone
At dinner, Sasuke and Naruto were having a competition of sorts to see who could eat more. They kept puking it back up though…
"Guys, chill out. Puking the food back up doesn't help at all you know." Kazu said as he walked out of the house after eating one helping. Sakura groaned,
"He's right Sasuke. Even if you need to eat to regain your energy, it's doing nothing for you if it doesn't stay down." Naruto heard what they said and stopped eating. He was done anyway. Then he left after Kazu. Kakashi figured they were both headed off to train. Sasuke left the room to be alone. Sakura was looking around and saw a ripped picture. She asked about it, and was told a story about Inari and his father figure, Kaiza. Kaiza was a hero in the country that was later executed by Gatou.
With Kazuharu and Naruto
He went off after dinner with Naruto following a ways behind him. He knew the boy was there, but it didn't both him.
"Something I can help you with Naruto?" He finally asked the orange ninja.
"Uhh, well, can you train me some? I already got the tree climbing thing down. I need to be stronger though!" Kazuharu sighed. He had expected this eventually.
"Sorry Naruto. My techniques, most of them anyway, are from my village. I am the last user of them, and it will stay that way." Naruto looked a bit sad, but continued,
"Well, what about the ones that aren't strictly your village's? And you can always just teach me some of that speedy taijutsu you do!" Kazu thought about it for a bit. He didn't mind training him up a little. It could be fun…
"Well, I'll do what I can. You should really ask Kakashi though. He is your sensei after all." Naruto got really excited, yelling out "Hurray!" and "Alright!" for a bit. Kazu shook his head. What did he just do?
"Alright now, calm down a bit. Now, the secret to my taijutsu is this." He pulled out several scrolls, did a hand sign, and released the contents from the sealed scroll. It was a few weighted clothing items.
"Any taijutsu specialist will tell you that these are the key to getting faster and stronger. I'm wearing some now. They are heavier than these, but it's a good starting point." Naruto looked at the weights in minor shock. All he had to do was weigh himself down while training? He should have thought of that.
"Well, good luck. I'll check on you in a little while. Try not to overdo it though…" Kazu called behind him as he continued to walk away. It was time for some silent contemplation, and a bit of practice…
A Few Days Later
With Naruto
Naruto was laying on the ground, exhausted. Trying to run around in the weights Kazu gave him was brutal. He would stick with it though. All for furthering his goal. He couldn't move though, his muscles were all crying out in pain, so he just lay there, recovering. He hadn't seen Kazu in a few days, nor did he really expect to though. If Naruto was training this hard, he had to be doing some insane training. Naruto laughed to himself. He didn't know why. He was just laughing for the sake of laughing. Then he fell asleep.
With Sasuke and Sakura
Sasuke was pissed. He had made it to the top of the tree, his control was great, but he didn't feel any stronger. He spent his time training, but he couldn't tell if it was helping. It was making him even more angry that Sakura was mostly just sitting around watching him.
"You could be using this time to train you know!" He yelled at her for probably the fifth time that day. She just sat there though, looking at him. In her mind, she knew that she should train, but if anything happened to Sasuke, she wanted to be there to make sure she could help.
"I am training, just mentally!" She retorted, "Besides, if you train too hard and collapse, I can bring you back." He cursed quietly to himself. It was annoying. He kept training though. He had to surpass everyone. He had to be strong. He had to do something.
With Kakashi and Tazuna
Kakashi sighed. He hated not being able to move fully. He was close to recovery though. In his mind, he knew that someone else was then too…
"Hey Kakashi, ain't you worried about those kids? They have all been gone every night now. Training or not, that's a push." Kakashi laughed,
"I'm not sure about Kazu since this mission is his first time with the squad, but the rest of them all work really hard to do what they can. They will train as hard as they can for as long as they can." Tazuna nodded. It seemed his first impression of the ninja had changed. They weren't children in the sense he had originally thought. They were truly ninja in his eyes now. He laughed at his revelation.
With Kazu
'Alright,' He thought to himself while doing push-ups, 'A few hundred more to go, then sprints.' He wasn't tired. He was used to pushing his body beyond normal limits while training. It was one of Shadow School's favorite training methods. He smiled at that. Shadow School, the only joke ever allowed at the academy. He shook himself from his thoughts though. Can't get distracted. Need to be stronger, faster, more deadly. No matter how hard he tried, those ingrained thoughts would never disappear. He had to kill his enemies. That was the rule. Even if he knew the person he had to kill.
'No,' He thought, 'Not anymore. I'm a ninja of Konoha, they don't always kill their enemies… do they?' His internal struggle was interrupted by a presence. He jumped to his feet and prepared himself. It was only a wild boar though. He sighed. Feeling too jumpy…
Tazuna's House
Few Hours Later
Kazu walked into the house and sat down in a corner. Kakashi watched him as he walked in. Sasuke and Sakura were already back. They were just missing Naruto. Kakashi looked over at Kazu,
"So, been training hard? Or hardly training?" He laughed at his joke. Kazu smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead he leaned his head against the wall and fell asleep. Kakashi laughed more. He'd never seen anyone fall asleep that quickly before. His thoughts went to Naruto, he should have been back already, but he could have been training all night… Sakura tried to curl up to Sasuke while he slept, but even in his sleep he instantly pushed her away. She sighed and slept off to the side. Kakashi shook his head, girls these days and their crushes. He then lay down, he felt that by tomorrow he would be on his feet again. Which probably meant Zabuza would be too. They'd have to be prepared for attacks.
Naruto woke up not long later. His body still ached, but he figured he would be okay for now. He got up and walked himself back to Tazuna's. On the way, he saw a girl picking flowers near where he'd been passed out. He walked over to her,
"Hey lady, it's dangerous to be out here alone. You never know what could be out here." She smiled, and it was a beautiful sight.
"No need to worry. I do know how to take care of myself. Besides, with this last batch of herbs my friend will be healed." He looked at her in wonder,
"Oh, well that's nice of you!" He smiled at her brightly and she laughed,
"Well yes. You should always protect and help those who are precious to you. Do you have anyone like that?" He thought about it for a few moments before saying,
"Yeah, I know exactly how that it. I may not have many people that are close to me, but those who are, I would do anything in my power to protect. You know?" She smiled again,
"I do know. Never lose that feeling. It will make you stronger." She got up and started to walk away. "See you later." He smiled and nodded at her. Guess you meet interesting and nice people anywhere…
Naruto found himself back at Tazuna's house. He walked inside, saw everyone was already asleep, so settled down and stared at the ceiling.
'I'm sure it will be happening soon.' He thought to himself, 'I hope all of my training has been enough.' He looked at his hands, they were shaking from his training the past few days. He had really pushed himself.
"Thanks Kazu, it really helped." He said into the darkness. He fell asleep with a slight smile on his face. The next day promised to be interesting. It was going to show the fruit of their training…
The next day as they were getting ready to head for the bridge for the day, Kazu stopped suddenly, looked around and got a strange feeling.
"I think I'm going to hang back for a while…" He said to everyone else when they looked at him, "Something doesn't feel right…" Sasuke smirked at him,
"Afraid? I thought Naruto was the only chicken we had here." Kazu glared at him,
"Not on your life weakling. A shinobi should always follow their gut. Mine is saying to hang behind for a little while. Unless you don't think you can handle it without me?" Sasuke glowered at him, but no other objections were made. Kakashi led the way for the group and called back,
"Be sure to catch up when you can. We'll need everyone." Kazu nodded after him then headed back into the house.
Inari was sitting at the table when Kazu walked back in,
"Did you grow some brains and realize it's useless to fight someone you can't beat?" Kazu gave him an odd look, he hadn't heard the story of Inari's past with Kaiza.
"Huh, they're all just gonna die. It's no use at all." Kazu glared at him with an intense look,
"And what makes you think you know anything about that? A kid like you, who has been at home all his life." Inari started crying, but also got angry,
"My father was executed in front of me! All the hope that he gave our village was for nothing! In the end he couldn't stop anyone and neither can you! What do you know of my pain?" Kazu got a dangerous look in his eyes and before Inari could blink, he was being held up by his shirt.
"What do I know of pain? I know so much it would give you nightmares. So your father was killed. Big deal. You insult his memory and the memory of all those who gave their lives to protect their beliefs. You think you're so tragic. You know nothing. Don't pretend you do. Now, I have to save your town just to prove to you that heroes do exist…" He dropped Inari and walked outside where he was confronted by two Samurai.
"Looks like my feeling was right…"
The samurai looked at Kazu, none of the ninja were supposed to have been there.
"Hey, wasn't this supposed to be an easy job?" One asked.
"Who says it still isn't? He's a kid. Plus, now we get to cut something!" The other relied.
"Heh, good idea my friend. Let's get him!" They both charged at Kazu, but to him it didn't look like they'd been trained all that well. When they went to swing at him, he leapt over them, did a quick turn, grabbed their heads, and slammed them together, effectively knocking them out.
"Why do I get the weak ones?" Kazu sighed. "It may sound overconfident, but I think I could do a lot more than this…" He tied up the samurai and left them hanging off a nearby flag pole. With that, he dashed off to meet the others.
'I really need to learn that teleporting technique…' He thought to himself, 'At this rate I might not make it in time!'
With the Others
The hunter-nin that had supposedly captured Zabuza turned out to be working with him. Zabuza attempted to scare the Genin with a few water clones that Sasuke swiftly took out.
'Hmph, showoff…' Naruto thought as he kept his position near Tazuna. It seemed like Sasuke was getting the upper hand as he and the hunter-nin, Haku, were having a high-speed taijutsu battle.
"Sasuke has really improved…" Kakashi said quietly as he stared Zabuza down. Zabuza merely laughed,
"You haven't seen anything yet." It turned out, he was right. Haku performed some hand signs and called out, "Special Ninja Technique: Crystal Ice Mirrors!" Sasuke was surrounded in the mirrors and Haku stepped into one. Kakashi said,
"This is bad…" and tried to dash off to help, but Zabuza stopped him.
"If you want an opponent, it will be me!" He snarled. Kakashi thought quickly though,
"Naruto! Help Sasuke!" but Zabuza yelled out,
"I think not kid!" but was blocked by Kakashi just long enough for Naruto to dash over to the mirrors.
"Your opponent is me. Remember?" Kakashi grinned. Zabuza was pissed, and attacked. He punched at Kakashi, but he ducked under it and kicked at Zabuza's legs. The kick was jumped over and countered with a sword swing downwards. Kakashi stepped to the side and the bridge was struck instead. They continued back and forth, neither letting up, but neither getting in a hit either, when they both stopped at the same time to see the other battle.
"Looks like even with them both working together, Haku is too much." Zabuza laughed, clearly in a good mood over the events, "It's only a matter of time before he finishes them off." Kakashi sighed, he knew that Zabuza had a point, even if he didn't want to believe it. Zabuza kept talking though,
"Besides. Even if they could win, they don't have it in them to do what it takes. Haku will fight until his last breath, and they won't take the final shot. They don't have what it takes to kill." He laughed evilly, and once again Kakashi knew he was right. The only one who would have no qualms about killing was Kazu, and he was currently busy…
On the other side of the bridge, Sasuke and Naruto were getting their asses handed to them. Haku wouldn't let up in his high-speed assault that was so fast, they couldn't see it if they strained to.
"Damn it! Even after all that training! Is this it?" Naruto yelled in fury. Even with the weights giving him new speed and strength he couldn't seem to make much of a difference. Granted, he had only been using them for a few days, but he thought he had trained more than that… Sasuke nodded his head in assent. He was pissed too.
"Just stay focused idiot. I can't watch him for both of us!" Sasuke said as he got prepared for another pass by Haku. "Just try to avoid dying on me." He then barely managed to stay on his feet as Haku flew by him. Haku was slightly mystified,
'I'm aiming for vital areas, yet he keeps managing to barely dodge them…' He passed by again, but was completely dodged.
'What?' He thought, 'That was impossible!' Sasuke, however, was ecstatic.
'Yes, I can see! I can see the movements!' Haku looked around at them both, then quietly spoke,
"Not bad kid. To activate something like that under such extreme conditions. Too bad it's too late!" Haku dashed at Naruto, who couldn't see the movement, and Sasuke raced to save him.
'Why am I moving?' Sasuke wondered, 'I don't even like the dope!' Before he could make it though, another figure in black flew through the air even faster and kicked Haku's head into the ground. Kazu had arrived.
"My bad guys. I got a little distracted…" Kazu said solemnly, "You both alright?" He looked at both of them covered in needles and sighed. What a dumb thing to ask. Naruto was excited,
"Now you're in for it masked kid!" He yelled at Haku, who was picking himself up off the ground, the mask in pieces. Naruto was shocked when he saw Haku's face.
"You! But… In the forest… Flowers for… You're with HIM?" He yelled out in anger. Kazu looked at Naruto, slightly confused,
"What do you mean Naruto?" He asked, "You've seen him before?" Naruto nodded his head.
"Yeah, yesterday. Though I thought he was a she. He was wearing a dress." Despite himself, Sasuke started laughing at this. Haku blushed slightly before angrily saying,
"I dressed like a girl to fool you! Idiot! It obviously worked too!" Naruto had had enough. He rushed at Haku and delivered a high-powered kick straight into Haku's side. He skidded about ten feet away.
The others on the bridge watched the exchange, and Zabuza was angry again.
"Damn that brat! Haku was about to finish them off…" He then went into form,
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" He yelled out and disappeared into the mist. Kakashi revealed his sharingan and looked around. He heard Zabuza's laughter from all around him.
"Sharingan again, Kakashi? Is that all you can do?" Kakashi suddenly had to block shuriken that flew out of the mist. "Ohh, nice block Kakashi, but," A voice from behind him, "Can you block this?" Kakashi was kicked in the side and skidded a few feet away.
'Damn it. This mist is thick… I can't see him in time… Where would he… No!' Kakashi dashed away just in time to block Zabuza's sword slice with his chest…
"Ugh…" Kakashi gasped slightly. Zabuza laughed,
"Impressive. But not quite good enough." He disappeared back into the mist. Sakura gasped,
"Kakashi sensei!" Kakashi looked at her seriously,
"Stay here. I'm going to end this." He pulled out some scrolls, swiped some blood along them, and called out,
"Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique!" Zabuza, who had been gloating about finishing the battle with his next strike, was suddenly caught from underground by a group of ninja dogs.
"I told you it would end in your death Zabuza. Now, say goodbye." He performed a few hand signs and gathered chakra into his hand. Zabuza stared at it wide eyed…
On the other end of the bridge, Haku's mirrors had crumbled. He was out of chakra and was being attacked three on one. He knew it was over for him. Naruto sighed,
"It doesn't have to be like this Haku. Give up. I don't want to have to kill you like this. You're too good of a ninja to die for someone who doesn't care!" Kazu gasped, he had underestimated the restraint and caring Konoha shinobi seemed to have. Sasuke looked murderous, and Haku just stared at Naruto. Was he really saying those words to him? Sasuke yelled at Kazu,
"Idiot! Just kill him and be done with it! He is the enemy!" Kazu glanced at Naruto who yelled,
"Why is he the enemy? Was it his choice? I want to know damn it! Someone like this doesn't just suddenly decide to kill people for a maniac!" Sasuke backed down slightly. Haku was confused though,
"Does it matter why? I just tried to kill your friends. What does it matter about motivation?" Naruto sighed. Haku was not making his case any easier…
"Well, it's kind of like this Haku. A ninja does not kill on instinct. No human does. They kill for a reason. Whether it is for revenge, so called justice, or orders. I just want to know why you're doing this." Haku sat up and looked at them, then spoke.
"I am Zabuza's tool. He saved me, so I am his to use. That is all. If he wishes me to kill, I kill. If I have to die for him, I will." Naruto looked at Haku sadly while Kazu added,
"It doesn't have to be that way Haku. Just because he saved you, doesn't mean he can use you. You can make your own choice. Yes, thank him for saving you. That is always something to do. I think you've given your thanks more than enough already though. Come with us… Start over…" Haku looked at Kazu oddly, then glanced at Naruto, who nodded. Sasuke looked angry at the prospect, but said and did nothing.
"Are… You sure that's possible? To start over? Will you… Help me?" Haku asked hesitantly, with a slight trace of tears. Kazu nodded, but whispered to Naruto,
"I hope you know what you're doing…" Kazu walked over to Haku, and helped him up…
"So foolish," Haku said quietly as Kazu turned around.
"Wha-?" Kazu managed to gasp as Haku jabbed a Senbon into the back of his neck. Haku laughed,
"Did you really think someone would change so easily? I may not always like what I do, but it defines me. Enjoy the paralysis and your bath. Goodbye Kazu." Haku then did a reverse-spinning kick that connected with Kazu's chest and flung him off the bridge.
Kazu yelled out, "You mother fucckkkeeerrr!" SPLASH! He hit the water two-hundred feet below and began floating away in the current. Naruto gasped and called out,
"What? Sasuke! Go help Kazu! I'll settle this bastard…" He glared at Haku with intense hatred, and Sasuke just walked away slightly out of the way. No way was he going to go after the other idiot. Naruto didn't notice, as his features had started to become more feral. His intensity was unleashing the power of the Nine Tails!
"What is this intense chakra?" Haku gasped as Naruto neared him. "It doesn't feel human!" Naruto punched Haku in the face, causing him to skip across the ground. Sasuke was looking on in shock. What was going on?
"You… How could you?" Naruto yelled as he stood over Haku, "We offered you a way out. You could have gotten away and lived honestly!" He used his claws to rip some of the flesh off Haku's arm, "Instead, you throw it away! For what? Someone who is going to let you die!" Naruto unleashed a fury of blows upon Haku. Blood flew everywhere. He had lost control of himself and was acting on pure killer instinct. Haku's cries rang out into the distance, chilling those who were within earshot. Sasuke ran down the bridge towards Kakashi and the others. He had to tell them what happened…
On the other end of the bridge, Kakashi was about to finish off Zabuza when they heard Kazu's voice yell out something incomprehensible.
"What was that?" Kakashi wondered aloud. Zabuza laughed maniacally,
"It seems that your team is no match for Haku, even with that other brat. Why don't you just…" His words were cut short when they heard the blood-chilling screams Haku was letting out…
"What the hell?" Kakashi gasped as he felt the Nine Tail's chakra was over him. Even Zabuza was put out by it. First the screams, then this sudden inhuman power? He struggled against the dogs, trying to get away when they saw a figure running at them. It was Sasuke.
"Sasuke! You're alive!" Sakura yelled out happily, but Kakashi looked grave.
"What happened?" He asked fiercely, "Where are the others?" Sasuke glared for a moment before briefly, but slowly, explaining the situation. Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard what had been going on. Naruto rampaging and Kazu floating off downriver paralyzed? Not good. Naruto had to be dealt with first. He dashed off to Naruto and pulled out a slip of paper. Naruto glanced up at Kakashi just in time for Naruto's headband to be hit off his head and the paper pressed against his forehead. The paper glowed slightly and the Nine Tail's chakra began to recede from Naruto.
"Phew… Made it just in…" He caught sight of Haku's mutilated body and sighed. Naruto fell on the ground breathing hard. He looked up at Kakashi and asked,
"What happened? What did you do?" It seemed he couldn't remember it well.
"I'll explain later…" Kakashi sighed as he picked up Naruto and carried him back to the other side of the bridge. Zabuza was still being held by the dogs, but one of them let go long enough to ask,
"How long do we have to hold this guy for Kakashi?" Kakashi sighed and replied,
"Just a moment. Let me set Naruto down." The dog nodded and re-bit Zabuza, who winced slightly.
"For real this time!" Kakashi said before performing a few hand signs. The others watched in suspense as Kakashi gathered his chakra to his arm. It burst into sight and made a sound like thousands of birds. Zabuza paled and had a shocked look on his face. He realized he was actually going to die here. Kakashi charged at Zabuza with his hand held out and jabbed it into Zabuza's chest, calling out,
"Chidori!" Zabuza's eyes widened further as his blood flew out of his body.
"It's over Zabuza. I told you." Kakashi whispered quietly. It had been a tough battle. Everyone else was shocked that it had ended like this. It seemed so simple now. Now that everything was done…
"Ha! I guess all that crap about the Demon of the Mist was just a joke then!" A voice yelled from behind them. They all turned around quickly to see a mob of people with weapons. A small guy was leading them.
"Wha-? Who is this guy?" Naruto asked as he stood up. Kakashi looked at the small man and said,
"Gatou…" Naruto got an angry look on his face. He looked at the blood he was covered in and started shaking slightly.
"You mean… HE is the one responsible for this? He took away this village's courage? He is the one who hired Zabuza? He is the one who is responsible for so much pain and suffering?" He yelled at Kakashi, who could only nod in response. He was judging their odds. The men Gatou brought probably weren't well trained, but their numbers could be a problem. Plus, the fact that all of them were tired except Sakura didn't help.
"Heh, it seems my reputation precedes me. Then why not just give up now? You must know how this will end." Gatou called out smugly.
"Bastard!" Naruto yelled, he was getting pissed off again. Kakashi berated him though,
"Calm down Naruto! Your anger won't solve anything. Keep calm and we'll do this." Naruto growled slightly, but nodded. Sasuke was getting prepared for the impending battle. He'd been carefully pulling out the senbon that were lodged in him and didn't look so prickly anymore, though some of the wounds were still bleeding a bit. Sakura, having not done anything, was also preparing, but she had to prepare mentally. She wasn't used to battles. She didn't know how much use her skills would be. Luckily, she need not worry too much, because at that moment, Kakashi told her,
"Sakura, stay back and protect Tazuna. Don't let any of them get close. We'll try to prevent them from getting close, but if any get past, you know what to do.
"Right." She said rather weakly.
Just then, an arrow flew from behind the ninja and landed near Gatou and his men.
"Don't worry guys!" He yelled out, "This is our village! We will protect it with our very lives!" The mob of villagers around him roared in assent. Gatou laughed loudly,
"Looks like the insects have come out to play! Go home or be squashed!" Just then a kunai flew out of nowhere and impaled itself in Gatou's throat. Naruto looked murderous,
"Shut up! You have no right to talk about these people like that!" He yelled out with his hand still extended. Kakashi was really surprised. He didn't think that any of his Genin had any desire or will to kill. Sasuke smirked, he finally approved of Naruto's actions. Sakura and Tazuna paled slightly. They hadn't expected Naruto to be like this. It was new to see him so angry. Kakashi finally asked,
"Naruto, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Naruto looked at him, and Kakashi could see the pain in his eyes.
"I've already seen a comrade die. I've seen good people turned astray. I've seen comrades betray each others trust. I've seen what scum like him can do. I've killed twice now. For the sake of the people and for the sake of my ideals, I am ready to kill again." Kakashi looked put out. This wasn't a lesson to learn so early on in a shinobi's career.
"That brat killed Gatou!" A few of the thugs yelled out, "Let's kill him! Yeah!" They all yelled in unison and started charging the ninja.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto called out, creating seven clones. Each clone pulled out kunai, getting ready to fight. Kakashi sighed, he was low on chakra, but maybe…
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He called out and created seven clones as well. They all took an offensive stance and got ready for battle. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and also prepared to fight. He knew he could kill. Death was nothing to him after the fall of the Uchiha clan. Sakura took up her normal stance, but looked really nervous. She wasn't confident in her ability to fight at all. The villagers all moved in to back them up. They were hoping that with sixteen ninja and all the town there, Gatou's men would give up. So far they weren't. It was time to fight!
(A/N Yes! A cliffhanger! I know, I'm evil. It was bound to happen though. Hope you enjoyed the chapter though! Until next time.)