I don't own anything from the mange/anime Naruto. It is Masashi Kishimoto that owns Naruto. This is a fan fiction based on Masashi Kishimoto mange and anime: Naruto.
"Ordinary conversation"
'thought'
"Wolf/Kyuubi speech"
'Wolf/Kyuubi thought'
Authors note: a comment from me about the story.
-- paragraph/scene change
"So, what did you three use your day off for?" Tenshi asked. He, Sakura, Naruto and Ino were walking towards the gates to meet their client. Tenshi had ran into the Genin on his way, and decided to walk with them instead of hurrying ahead.
"We ate dinner with Rin-nee-san before going out to see a movie." Naruto said and closed his eyes while remembering what he and his girlfriends had done after the movie. Tenshi noticed Naruto's rather dreamy look but before he could ask, Ino spoke.
"It was really nice. I liked the movie." Ino said
"But I liked the way Naruto-kun held our hands a lot more." Sakura said and chuckled. Tenshi must have looked really confused since Ino elaborated.
"We went to see a horror movie. Naruto-kun was scared and held onto us for support." She said. Tenshi tried, but couldn't hold in his laughter.
"Ah Hahaha. Really?" he asked and Sakura nodded, while Naruto looked down on the ground.
"And…what happened after the movie?" Tenshi asked. Naruto, Sakura and Ino got deep blushes on their cheeks and looked everywhere but Tenshi. He considered prying for a bit, but thought better of it.
"Alright, I won't ask. As long as neither of you become pregnant. You are a bit young for that." Tenshi said with the outmost calm, while Naruto, Sakura and Ino stopped, stared after him with their jaws on the ground. Naruto composed himself first, pointed an accusing finger at Tenshi and yelled: "We are not PERVERTS! We are too young to have sex." He yelled. When he looked at Sakura and Ino for confirmation, he saw Sakura passed out from a massive nose bleed, probably caused by mental images of herself and Naruto in bed, and Ino with blood trickling down her lip and a very severe blush.
"Naruto, no need to shout. Pick up Sakura and let's go." Tenshi said seriously. When the Genin didn't pay attention to him, he nearly cracked up laughing.
--
They arrived at the gate, but their client wasn't there. Tenshi sighed and turned to Naruto, Sakura and Ino.
"Okay, since our client isn't here yet, I want Sakura and Ino to practise summoning, but don't summon something too large. While they do that, I want you to start working on a new jutsu." Tenshi said. The three Genin looked at him with interest.
"It is perfect for you since it doesn't require any hand seals, and it's very destructive when used right. It was developed by Yondaime Hokage-sama. Currently I and Jiraiya-sama, the man who taught Yondaime-sama, are the only ones that know this jutsu. It is called Rasengan (spiral ball)." Tenshi said and up a balloon filled with water.
"Um, sensei? That isn't a jutsu." Sakura said.
"Yeah, that is just a water balloon." Ino said, placing her hands on her hips and wondering if Tenshi was crazy. Tenshi smirked and suddenly the balloon started to deform, lots of bumps forming around it until it burst.
"To learn this jutsu, you have to go trough three stages. That was stage one. Make the water inside a water balloon rotate with your chakra until the balloon pops." Tenshi said and tossed a balloon to Naruto. He got a determined look on his face and began to make his chakra rotate in the balloon, making the water start spinning as well.
"Heh, this will be easy." Naruto said confidently and Tenshi looked on in amusement as he saw the balloon start to get stretched and became more oval than round. But it didn't burst.
"Huh? What is Naruto-kun doing wrong?" Ino asked.
"I won't tell you too much, since Naruto has to figure it out himself. But Naruto, listen closely. Here is a hint: speed of the rotation." Tenshi said and Naruto groaned.
"But this is as fast as I can spin it." Naruto complained.
"Which way?" Tenshi asked.
"Huh?" came the confused reply.
"Listen, we mould our chakra in a spiral. The way that spiral revolves, either clock wise or counter-clock wise, counts when you rotate your chakra like you do now Naruto. Try to find out if changing the direction is better. Also if you want to know which way your spiral revolves, the whirl in your hair is in the same way your spiral revolves." Tenshi explained; the last bit more to Sakura and Ino than to Naruto. Naruto looked at the balloon and tried to spin the water in different directions. Some were easier, some were harder. But the balloon wouldn't burst. Sakura and Ino forgot about their own practise and just looked at Naruto.
--
Tenshi saw the client walking towards them and turned to the Genin.
"Okay, look sharp. Our client is coming. Naruto, I want you to practise while we walk, but don't let your guard down. While outside the village, and when on a mission, no matter the rank, you have to pay attention to your surroundings." Tenshi said. Naruto nodded and glared at the balloon, which still didn't pop. When the client came closer, Naruto looked up as well. They watched as a man walked towards them. He was average height, well built after many years of manual labour, wore a brown pair of pants with black squares on and a simple brown shirt. He had a large hat on, that covered his greying hair and beard. His eyes, although the Genin couldn't see, were sharp and darting around, as if he was keeping himself on constant alert. Team 7 also noted that he carried a bottle of sake, and Tenshi and Naruto could smell the alcohol from him.
"Is this the client?" Ino asked, wrinkling her nose when she caught the smell as well.
"Ahem, allow me to introduce Tazuna, a famous bridge builder from wave country. We are going to escort him back to his home and guard him while he finishes the bridge he is building." Tenshi said. Tazuna looked at the Genin and snorted before taking a chug of the sake bottle.
"This is what I get? Three stupid brats? They look more like dolls than fighters. And why is the short idiot playing with a balloon?" Tazuna said and Tenshi had to hold Naruto and Ino back from killing him.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Both Naruto and Ino yelled.
"Stop it. Don't try and kill the person you are supposed to protect, idiots." Tenshi scolded. Tazuna huffed and drank some more.
"Well then, should we go?" Tenshi asked and Tazuna nodded.
--
Five people walked on a path trough a forest. They had been walking for two days now, none of them in any hurry.
One of them called out in frustration.
"ARGH! I can't get this. Damned balloon." Naruto yelled, glaring at it. Tenshi, who was walking next to him, chuckled.
"Why can't Naruto-kun get it right?" Ino asked Sakura, who just shook her head.
"I don't know. He managed to pop the balloon when he used both hands, but it must be much harder with only one hand." Sakura said. Tazuna looked the two girls and then to the blond 'balloon boy'
"Why won't your sensei let the brat use both hands then?" Tazuna wondered.
"Because if Naruto can't do it without an extra hand, not only will the jutsu be weaker, but he won't have the same advantage as if he can use only one hand." Tenshi explained.
"Ano, I know that I have to spin the water in different directions, but it is so hard without help." Naruto groaned and Tenshi chuckled.
"This isn't a A-rank jutsu for nothing." He said.
"A-rank?" Tazuna asked.
"Yes. Like missions, jutsus are ranked, but it is a shinobi secret how and why. So I can't tell you more." Tenshi said. Naruto sighed and continued. The balloon got lots of bumps on it and Tenshi could tell Naruto was close.
'He's growing so quickly. Sensei would be very proud. At this pace…Naruto will master Rasengan a lot faster than I did.' Tenshi thought proudly.
--
They continued walking for a while, Ino and Sakura enjoying the sunlight, Naruto struggling with his balloon, Tazuna walking along, apparently deep in thought and Tenshi was…reading a book called: 'Social skills, how and why'. He didn't understand squat.
They passed a water puddle on the ground, and Tenshi tensed up for half a second before resuming his walk. He glanced at his team and saw that none of them had noticed anything. He also saw that Naruto was very close to mastering the first step.
'Only one more push, Naruto.' Tenshi thought.
--
Behind team 7 and Tazuna, the puddle they just passed morphed into two ninjas with scratches on their forehead protectors. They wore black clothes and had huge gauntlets on, equipped with massive claws. They were connected by a sharp looking chain between the gauntlets. They jumped towards the group and wrapped their chain around Tenshi, who dropped his book in surprise. Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Tazuna whirled around to see Tenshi be shredded.
"Tenshi-sensei!" Naruto, Sakura and Ino yelled out. The mist ninjas charged at them, one of them going around Ino, the other around Sakura. Naruto saw that they planned on repeating the treatment on Tenshi to the girls. That made Naruto so mad that without his knowledge, he spun the water in his balloon faster and it popped. He didn't notice, because right after it popped, he jumped into the air, pulled out a shuriken and a kunai. He threw the shuriken at the chain, which Ino and Sakura had jumped over. The shuriken brought the chain to a nearby tree, and Naruto threw the kunai, lodging the chain into the tree. The two mist nins tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge.
"It won't come out!" one of them said. They moved to detach the chain, but before they could, Sakura and Ino had dealt with them, Sakura by pressing a pressure point in the neck of her opponent, while Ino slammed her knee into her opponent's temple.
Then Tenshi appeared next to them, clapping.
"Very good. Excellent. I'm proud of you three!" Tenshi said, praising the Genin.
"Huh?" Tazuna said and turned to where he thought Tenshi's remains were. Instead of shredded body parts, a shredded log lay there instead. "Kawarimi no jutsu." Naruto said and Tenshi nodded.
"I knew there were two ninjas hiding in the puddle we passed." Tenshi said and Tazuna looked shocked.
"Why didn't you do anything?" he asked while Tenshi tied up the two ninjas.
"If I wanted, I could have killed them in the blink of an eye, but I wanted to know their target." Tenshi said and one of the ninjas woke up. He looked around and spotted Tenshi. His eyes widened before narrowing them and glaring at him.
"How?" he just asked.
"Idiot, there hasn't rained in several days, and the sun is shining. A puddle of water shouldn't exist today." Tenshi said and almost laughed at the expression the ninja had.
"But why let the kids fight?" Tazuna asked.
"Two reasons. One was that I wanted to test them. Second, I needed something to push Naruto. He managed to pass the first step of his jutsu training before they attacked." Tenshi said and Naruto looked puzzled before remembering.
"Oh yeah, it popped." He said and Tenshi smiled at him before tossing him a new balloon.
"Try again." Tenshi said. Naruto nodded, concentrated and soon the balloon popped.
"Good, once I finish with these two, I will show you the next step." Tenshi said proudly before turning to the mist nins again. He knocked the conscious one out, and untied them.
"Stay here, I'll be back." Tenshi commanded, grabbed the mist ninjas and was about to leave when he turned to Sakura.
"You are the team medic. Check everyone for injuries." Tenshi commanded before vanishing.
"Okay people, sit down and let me do my thing." Sakura said, basking in the new responsibility she got.
--
A quick check up later and Sakura concluded that they were uninjured.
"So, what do you think sensei is going to do to those two?" Ino asked. Naruto, who was busy popping another balloon, looked up.
"Perhaps send them back to Konoha." He suggested.
"Naruto, why are you still playing with balloons? Didn't you pass?" Tazuna asked.
"Yeah, but I want to increase the speed I pop the balloon in." Naruto replied.
"But I wonder what is taking Tenshi-sensei so much time." Sakura said thoughtfully.
Just then two huge, terror filled screams came, and the three Genin and one bridge builder nearly jumped out of their skin.
"What...was that?" Tazuna asked
"I have no idea." Ino replied.
"Perhaps Tenshi-sensei knows." Naruto said hesitantly.
--
A little later, Tenshi reappeared with a stern look. He sat down next to Naruto. Naruto, Sakura and Ino were shocked to see his normally warm eyes, ice cold. They looked like brown ice cubes. The look wasn't turned to the Genin though, it was on Tazuna.
"Mind telling us why you withheld information and neglected to tell us that you have several hired ninjas after you?" Tenshi asked and Tazuna looked down on the ground. The Genin were confused though.
"Huh? What are you talking about sensei?" Sakura asked.
"This is a C-rank mission. We were hired to protect Tazuna from bandits, not ninjas. The two mist ninjas said they were hired to kill Tazuna and that more would follow." Tenshi said and the Genin turned to Tazuna.
"Well? Start talking!" Ino commanded.
"Very well. I'll tell you everything. About a year and a half ago, the wave country was a rich country. Good to live in and everyone were happy. But then Gatou came." Tazuna said sadly.
"Gatou?" Naruto asked.
"The president in the Gatou cooperation. He is one of the wealthiest people in the world." Tenshi explained and Tazuna nodded.
"Yes, officially he appears to be only a business man, but he is really a criminal, using violence and corruption to take control and smuggle drugs, weapons and other valuables. He took control over wave country by buying all the ports. He controls all sea travel and on an island that means you control the island. He takes all the money and the wave has become a poor country with no hope." Tazuna said and dried a tear.
"That is why I am building the bridge. My bridge will connect us with the mainland, and we can prosper again. But Gatou fears my bridge and wants to kill me to stop it. So he hired several ninjas. I went to Konoha to get protection, but since we are so poor, we couldn't afford something other than a C-rank mission." Tazuna said and Tenshi sighed.
"This mission is over. The client withheld crucial information and this should be a B-rank, if not an A-rank." Tenshi said and stood up.
"We head back to Konoha." Tenshi said and turned to leave.
"You can't. If you leave, I'll be killed. My eight year old grand son will cry all day and my daughter will hold a grudge against Konoha. The bridge will never be finished and wave will always be as it is now, without hope. Please don't leave." Tazuna pleaded. Tenshi turned back, and the same cold look froze Tazuna.
"I am a living weapon, who just tortured and killed two ninjas. You think that will work on me?" Tenshi asked. Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Tazuna were shocked. Tazuna because of all Tenshi said, while Naruto, Sakura and Ino were shocked to hear that Tenshi looked at himself as a weapon.
"Please…" Tazuna said while bowing low.
"Sensei, these people need our help." Ino pleaded.
"Besides, aren't you strong? You can handle what ever they throw at you, right? And we aren't so bad either." Naruto said confidently. Tenshi looked at them, before turning to Sakura.
"What about you? What do you think?" Tenshi asked and Sakura thought for a bit before smiling brightly.
"Let's continue." She said and Tenshi sighed.
"It seems I am outvoted. We'll continue on one condition." Tenshi said towards Tazuna.
"What is it?" he asked.
"This mission is now an A-rank mission. When your country gets back on its feet, you are to pay us the appropriate sum of money." Tenshi said and Tazuna nodded.
"Alright, before we go. Naruto, here is the next step." Tenshi said and held out a rubber ball.
"Your goal is to make this pop as well." Tenshi said. The ball he held got lots of bumps and literally exploded.
"The first step focuses on rotation, while the second focuses on power. To get this you have to push and collect more chakra in the ball and make it rotate. Much more chakra than the balloon needed." Tenshi said and threw a ball at Naruto. He caught it with his right hand and started. Nothing happened.
"Huh?" he asked and was about to use his left hand to help, but Tenshi grabbed it.
"No, don't use your other hand. Learn this without help. Use one hand. That is a huge advantage. If someone attacks you, you can use one of your hands to block, while forming a Rasengan in the other and attacking. Just focus, and apply all you learned in the last exercise on this. And learn the lesson the ball can teach you." Tenshi said and Naruto nodded.
Naruto, Sakura and Ino were relived to see that Tenshi's eyes were back to normal.
They watched Naruto struggle with the ball for a while. At most he managed to make some bumps appear on the ball, and it stretched a bit, but not enough to make the ball burst.
They started walking, and Tenshi was pleased to see that on each attempt Naruto managed to put more power into the ball and have it spin.
--
After a day of travel past the encounter with the mist ninjas, Tenshi tensed up again. Sakura and Ino noticed and took out kunai and prepared to fight. They went closer to Tazuna so that they could protect him.
"What do you sense sensei?" Sakura asked but Tenshi didn't reply.
"Sensei?" Ino asked but still he didn't reply. Then the Genin saw someone jumping from tree to tree towards them. The person jumped and landed in front of Tenshi, who stood there with a shocked expression.
"Hello everyone." Rin said cheerfully.
--
In the camp they set up right after Rin joined them, a puzzled atmosphere lay. Naruto, Sakura and Ino were puzzled as to why Rin was here, Tazuna was puzzled as to who this woman was and Tenshi…was just happy. Rin was happy as well, eating a rabbit they had caught. When Tenshi was done eating, he asked something they all wanted to know:
"Rin, why are you here?"
Rin chuckled and smiled at him.
"I got some time off from my duties, so I decided that instead of staying home and be bored, I can come here and help you guys with your mission." she said cheerfully.
"Is that so? Well then, I am glad to see you." Tenshi said, mirroring Rin's cheerful attitude.
"That's great mom. Perhaps sensei won't be so nervous now." Sakura teased and Rin looked at Tenshi.
"You? Nervous? For a C-rank mission?" she asked and Tenshi shook his head.
"This is really a A-rank." He said. When they saw Rin's confused expression, Naruto, Sakura and Ino explained everything that had happened since they left Konoha.
When they were done, Rin first stared at Naruto in amazement.
"You got the first step so fast. That is amazing Naruto." She said and he beamed at her. Rin then turned to Tenshi.
"A weapon?" she asked and he looked into the fire.
"You know I was raised as one." Was all he said. Rin smiled and hugged him.
"I know. But I thought you didn't look at yourself as one. Yet you accepted to continue this mission." she said and Tenshi grinned.
"So, who is that? Sensei's girlfriend?" Tazuna asked Ino. She smirked but Tenshi cut her off.
"Rin is a medical ninja and Sakura's mother." He said and Ino pouted a bit.
"I see. Well, nice to meet you. I am Tazuna, the super bridge builder." Tazuna said and Rin shook his hand.
"I'm Haruno Rin, nice to meet you too." She said, still cheerfully, although Sakura could tell Rin was worried about something.
--
"Mom?" Sakura asked. They had laid down to sleep for the night, leaving Tenshi as the guard.
"Yes Sakura?" Rin asked, yawning a little bit.
"Why did you look so concerned just now?" Sakura asked and Rin looked at her before sighing.
"You saw that did you?" she asked and Sakura nodded.
"Is there something wrong with sensei?" Ino asked. Naruto, who had been continuing to try and get the ball to burst, stopped and looked at Rin. Who sighed again.
"In a way, yes. Did you three know that Tenshi was looked upon as a weapon, and not a person?" Rin asked and the three Genin shook their heads.
"He grew so fast, and became skilled so fast, that the council concluded that he was to be a living weapon, thus making him train more and harder than before. Yondaime-sensei was against it at first, but since he was a Jounin at the time, he couldn't do anything about it. So Tenshi trained so much that he never got any other friends than the ones he met on missions or training. He grew cold and hard. Even at a young age he killed without emotion. He never became evil or cruel, except when someone tried to hurt some of the few people he held dear, like me, Sakura and Naruto. On missions he killed fast and silently. More often than not it was Tenshi who disposed of the enemy, rather than me or Kakashi. But Tenshi wasn't exactly happy. In order to live like that, he had to push away all of his emotions, which he did. But being a weapon at such young age, Tenshi saw things even experienced Chuunin doesn't see. He had terrible nightmares, so bad that he stopped sleeping for a while. Then he learned to deal with it, and he became the person you know. In daily life, he seems normal, a tad dense but otherwise normal. But in fights, he becomes the weapon. You didn't see it when he fought against me, since he stayed his 'peaceful' self, and his eyes were glowing, but when death is involved, not only does his eyes glow, they are so cold they give me shivers. When you told me about what happened, the way you described his eyes was exactly how they used to be when he was a weapon. I had hoped he had forgotten how it was, but it seems that no matter how much I or he tries, he will be a living weapon for the rest of his life." Rin said while looking down on the ground.
"Wow, that…I had no idea." Sakura said and Rin smiled slightly.
"No many do. Tenshi's true power was hidden and kept as a triumph card." Rin said.
"Enough about my dark past. Go to sleep now." Tenshi's voice rang out and the four people who were talking jumped in surprise.
"Um, right. Good night." Rin said and Tenshi chuckled slightly.
--
The group, now consisting of six people, continued travelling for several days. Naruto became closer and closer to his goal of popping the rubber ball, but he couldn't quite get it.
When they reached the sea separating wave country from fire country, a small boat was waiting for them. After Tazuna had introduced everyone to the man operating the boat, they climbed on board and set of. The operator used a paddle instead of his engine, so that they could hide easier.
On the boat, Naruto had enough and dropped the ball. His hand was trembling and he had a pained expression.
"Sensei, why is my hand hurting so much?" Naruto asked.
"You have used your chakra too much." Tenshi said.
"Your chakra coils are hurting now, because they aren't used to all the chakra you have flooded trough them." Rin explained.
"But…I still can't get it. The second step I mean." Naruto half yelled.
"Shh, be quiet. Why do you think I'm not using the engine?" the boat man said sternly.
"Naruto, Sakura, Ino. Look here!" Tenshi said and held up a blank piece of paper.
"Yeah, what is it?" Ino asked. Tenshi then did something to the paper and when he held it up, a small spiral was in the middle.
"Right now, your look probably went to the spiral instead of roaming over the paper, right?" Tenshi asked and the girls nodded.
"When we look at an empty slip of paper, we don't know where to look, so our gaze travels all around the paper. But when I drew the spiral, your gaze went to it and around it. In other word, you focused on the spiral. The point is…" Tenshi said but Rin cut him off.
"When you have something to focus on, it gets easier to concentrate and your focus becomes sharper." She said. Tenshi nodded and held out his hand.
"Naruto, your right hand please." He said. Naruto looked puzzled but stretched out his hand and Tenshi grasped it. He opened Naruto's palm, and took out a throwing needle.
"I am going to give you a tattoo that will help you get the second step." Tenshi said and Naruto looked puzzled at him. Tenshi then started the tattoo by stabbing Naruto's palm several times. When he was finished, he took out a brush and an ink container. Dabbing the brush into the ink, Tenshi dripped the black ink into Naruto's palm. Naruto's face contracted when he felt the sting, but he didn't say anything. Tenshi smiled and wiped away the ink, leaving a Konoha leaf in Naruto's palm. Tenshi then took of his fingerless glove and showed a similar leaf in his own palm.
"When you form a Rasengan, focus your chakra into this spot. That way, it will be easier to get the power needed." Tenshi said smilingly and Naruto nodded. Picking up his ball, Naruto tried again. He made his mind blank, except a Konoha leaf. Focusing his chakra there, he pushed more and more chakra into and around the leaf. Making it spin, Naruto could feel how much he had improved just by focusing a little more. A puff, and the air of the ball went out. Naruto had managed to make a small hole in the ball.
"Huh? Not good enough." Naruto said and grabbed another ball and continued.
Tenshi looked on as his student now was very close to getting the second step as well.
"Wow, Tenshi. He got it so fast, this is incredible." Rin said and Tenshi nodded.
"Yeah, it is." He replied.
--
After a while, they arrived in wave country. To his dismay, Naruto didn't get the ball to pop, although he managed to get several to open a small hole.
'Not enough chakra' was Naruto's correct conclusion.
"This is as far as I can take you." The boat man said and Tazuna thanked him. They then started walking trough a forest. A thick fog rolled in, but Tazuna said that was normal, so they just walked on. Naruto was still at it, and he had set his mind to mastering the second step before coming to Tazuna's house. He pushed and collected chakra with all his might, before making it spin. The ball twisted and turned, with lots of bumps on it. Naruto grimaced as he felt his hand getting burned by the chakra. Momentarily stopping, Naruto pushed and pushed. The other stopped and looked. Sure enough, the ball twisted more violently. But then Tenshi noticed something flying towards Naruto.
"Get down!" Tenshi yelled, while dragging Tazuna out of the way of what he now identified as a large sword. The sword was easily over a foot broad and as long as a man is tall. Naruto didn't hear Tenshi's warning, since all his focus was on getting the ball to explode. Which it did, sending Naruto skidding away on the ground, effectively dodging the sword just in time.
'Wow, that was close.' Tenshi thought.
"What the hell?" Naruto yelled when he saw the sword, which had been moments from cutting him in two, stuck in a tree. A ninja stood on it. The ninja had short brown hair, bandages covering the lower part of his face, his forehead protector tilted on his head. He wore grey pants and camouflage leg and arm warmers. Tenshi recognised him quickly.
"Momochi Zabuza. Demon of the mist." Tenshi said and Zabuza chuckled.
"So you know me? And you must be the White Wolf of Konoha. I have heard a little about you. But most of the rumours can't be true. Right, Wolf?" he asked. Tenshi didn't respond either way.
"Well then, my mission is to kill the geezer. Hand him over and I'll let you go." Zabuza said confidently. Tenshi snorted and Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Rin formed a ring around Tazuna.
"But it seems I have to kill you first, wolf. So be it." Zabuza said, pulled the sword out from the tree and vanished. He reappeared on the water not far from them.
"Ninpou: Kirigakure no jutsu" Zabuza said and the fog thickened, making sight almost impossible.
"Shit. I can't see anything." Naruto complained.
"Shut up and focus!" Ino commanded harshly.
"Be quiet. He'll kill you before you know it if you don't shut up." Tenshi ordered, his eyes glowing brightly.
"He'll try to kill Tenshi first, since he is the biggest threat. And with those eyes, he is the easiest to spot as well." Rin stated and Tenshi nodded grimly. Not that anyone saw that.
"What is he?" Sakura asked
"Momochi Zabuza. He is famous for his "silent killing" techniques. "Silent killing" is a way of killing that is executed in a flash and in absolute silence. In some cases, you are dead before you realize it." Tenshi explained.
"But Tenshi, weren't you trained in silent killing?" Rin asked.
"Yes, but not as much as Zabuza. He has mastered it, while I haven't. So don't let your guard down." Tenshi replied. The Genin gulped and tightened their grip on the kunai they had pulled out.
"Eight places." Came Zabuza's voice, seemingly from everywhere.
"Huh?" Sakura said
"The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney and heart. Now, which vital organ do you want to get struck at?" Zabuza asked, blood lust filling his voice.
Tenshi crouched slightly and sent out a wave of his own blood lust, so much that even Rin felt disturbed by it.
"What…is this feeling?" Naruto asked, his voice shaking.
"This is the feeling that comes when two strong Jounin battles. Their bloodlust…it is so great that it can make weak minded people kill themselves to escape." Rin said, her voice also shaking.
"But…you don't have to worry. I'll protect you with my life." Tenshi said.
"Really?" Zabuza asked, appearing right in the middle of the ring, in front of Tazuna.
"DIE!" he yelled and swung his sword, but Tenshi was fast enough. He pushed the Genin out of the way and stopped the sword while stabbing Zabuza with a kunai.
"Ugh." Zabuza said, but instead of blood, water poured out of the wound. Naruto, Sakura and Ino lay on the ground, staring at Zabuza. Rin's voice snapped them out of it.
"Mizu bunshin." She said and Zabuza smirked before collapsing into a puddle of water. Another Zabuza appeared behind Tenshi.
"DIE!" he yelled again, swung his sword and cut Tenshi in two. But Tenshi turned into water as well.
"Huh? A Mizu bunshin?" Zabuza said and felt a kunai at his throat.
"Don't move! It's over!" Tenshi commanded
"Sensei!" Naruto and Sakura yelled happily.
"I have to learn that jutsu." Ino mumbled and Rin snickered slightly.
Then Zabuza started to laugh.
"It's over? I don't think so." He said and dissolved into water.
"Another Mizu bunshin!" Ino yelled surprised. Another Zabuza came up behind Tenshi with a downward strike with his sword. Tenshi used his kunai to block the massive sword. Zabuza tried to strike Tenshi with his own kunai, but Tenshi jumped away. Zabuza followed up with slashes that Tenshi barely avoided. Tenshi threw his kunai towards Zabuza, but he dodged. Tenshi then vanished and appeared on top of the water, doing seals. Zabuza smirked and vanished. Tenshi suddenly jumped over some shuriken launched at him and crouched down on top of the water when he landed. Zabuza appeared behind him.
"Baka! Suirou no jutsu" Zabuza said. (water prison technique) A blue sphere formed around Tenshi with Zabuza holding onto the sphere.
"You can't get out of this prison. With you moving around, I'll have a much harder time killing the geezer. So just kick back and watch me kill your precious students." Zabuza said and a Mizu bunshin appeared in front of him. But before it could take one step, it was destroyed by several kunai thrown by Naruto, Sakura and Ino from different directions.
"If you think it will be that easy, then you are wrong." Naruto said. Zabuza huffed and created more Mizu bunshin.
"Well, you aren't as useless as I thought, but you can't beat this many bunshin." Zabuza said. But then two of the bunshins dissolved after being hit by a couple of wind bullets, curtsey of Rin.
"They aren't alone. Hey Tenshi! How long are you going to hide from this bastard?" Rin yelled. Zabuza's eyes widened when the Tenshi in his prison popped away.
"Sorry Zabuza, but did you think I would let that jutsu hit me? Please, I know it myself and recognised it immediately. Don't underestimate me." Tenshi's voice came from everywhere and suddenly the water under the Mizu bunshins rose up and destroyed them. Then Tenshi appeared in front of Zabuza. He threw a punch towards Zabuza's face, but he dodged, countering with a kick towards Tenshi's stomach. It connected and Tenshi popped out in a cloud of smoke.
"What? Kage bunshin?" Zabuza was surprised, but his surprise turned to fright when he heard Tenshi's voice call out: "Suiton: Suikoudan no jutsu (water shark missile). A shark made of water speed towards Zabuza, who jumped away while doing seals. Tenshi also did the same seals as Zabuza and in unison they called out: "Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu" (water dragon bullet). Twin dragons of water rose up from the water under the combatants, and battled for supremacy. They ended up destroying each other. When the water dragons were destroyed, a slightly tired looking Zabuza stood in front of Tenshi, who grinned although his face didn't show any humour.
"It's time to die Zabuza!" Tenshi said and formed some seals so fast that Zabuza couldn't keep up. A masked person watching, did see the seals however, and prepared for his move.
"Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu. (Grand waterfall)" Tenshi said. The water bellow him started to spin before rising and forming a spinning funnel towards Zabuza.
"What? This can't be!" Zabuza yelled before he was consumed by the water. The funnel of water continued to spin and move trough the forest, Zabuza being thrown this way and that inside the water before finally getting slammed into a tree. The masked person disappeared in a swirling mist.
Several kunai flew and lodged themselves in Zabuza's arms and legs.
"Now you die!" Tenshi said. Suddenly two long needles flew trough the air and struck Zabuza. He fell down with a shocked expression.
"Hey, you were right. He did die." A masked person said, standing on a tree branch not far from where Zabuza fell. Tenshi appeared next to Zabuza and checked his life signs.
"He really is dead." Tenshi said and looked at the masked person, who bowed at him.
"Thank you so much. I was waiting for a chance to kill Zabuza." The person said. Her voice revealing that she was a female. Her long black hair was quite the clue as well.
'From her voice and appearance I can tell that she is about as old as Naruto, Sakura and Ino. But her chakra...she is almost as strong as Rin.' Tenshi thought and eyed the person suspiciously, making sure to get her scent, so he could identify her later.
"A hunter nin from the hidden mist?" Sakura asked and Rin nodded.
"Huh? Oh yeah, sensei told me about that." Naruto said and scratched his head.
The hunter nin from Zabuza's home village, vanished in a swirl of mist and reappeared next to Zabuza.
"I must apologize, but I have to dispose of this body. It is a body filled with secrets." She said, picking up Zabuza's body and disappearing again.
"Come on, let's go!" Tenshi said and they resumed their journey, although the Genin looked slightly miffed for some reason.
--
They arrived at Tazuna's place, a nice plain house by the riverside. Waiting there was Tazuna's daughter Tsunami, a woman in her thirties with long dark hair and an attractive, but stern face, and her son Inari, a five year old boy wearing green overalls, a hat that shadowed his eyes and a depressed attitude.
"Inari, Tsunami! I'm super glad to see you. These are the super good ninjas from Konoha that protected me." Tazuna said and introduced the team from Konoha, each of them bowing back in response.
"Thank you for helping father." Tsunami said smilingly. Tenshi and Rin smiled back, while the Genin beamed with pride at Tazuna's next words.
"They are super strong, and they didn't even leave when they learned that they will be facing really strong opponents here." he said. Inari snorted.
"It doesn't matter. They will die anyway." He said and walked into the house.
"Ah, forgive him. He has been like that since a…unfortunate incident a while ago." Tazuna said.
"But why did you decided to continue the mission? We only had enough for a C-rank, and this must be more than that." Tsunami said as they headed into the house.
"Abandoning people in need isn't courageous. Below courage there is nothing. Words from our previous Hokage." Tenshi said seriously. Tsunami and Tazuna looked a little puzzled but didn't ask any more.
--
Naruto was walking down from the room they had when he heard sobbing coming from Inari's room.
"Huh?" Naruto asked himself and stealthily opened Inari's door. The little boy's room was simple, it had a bed in a corner and a desk in front of a window. On top of the desk Inari sat, crying and staring at a picture. Naruto walked up behind the boy, too silent to be noticed and looked at the picture. It was a man with dark hair, a kind smile and a cross shaped scar on his jaw. It was clear that the man meant a lot to Inari. Naruto didn't know what to do other than try and comfort the boy. He lay a hand on his shoulder and Inari nearly jumped out of his skin.
"What…oh, it's you! What do you want?" Inari asked coldly
"Who is that?" Naruto asked, pointing to the picture.
"None of your…" Inari began
"If you don't want to tell me, fine, but you will never feel better than you did a minute ago if you keep it inside." Naruto interrupted. Inari looked at him before looking at the picture. Tears started to fall again.
"He was my dad. He…he…he told me he was going to protect everyone with his arms, but he was killed by Gatou." Inari said slowly and sadness was overflowing his voice. Naruto looked at him before turning to look out the window.
"You hate him don't you?" Naruto asked and Inari almost nodded before he thought:
'Do I?' but Naruto just continued.
"At least you still have a mother and a grand father. I never had any parents or grand parents. I have friends, but I have never felt how it is to have a mother tuck you in bed, a father teach you or a grand father tell you stories. And you still sit here, crying like a actor in a tragic play. Put the past behind you and become a man that would make your dad happy and proud, not the cry baby you are now." Naruto said and walked out. Inari just stared after him before wiping his tears away.
--
Tenshi, Rin, Naruto, Sakura and Ino were in their room. Naruto was perfecting the second step, and had got it really fast. Tenshi, who had first looked at Naruto, were now in deep thought. The others noticed and Rin got a little worried when Naruto burst the ball in record time, but Tenshi didn't move.
"Um, Tenshi? Is something wrong?" Rin asked. Tenshi seemed to snap out of his thoughts and looked at her before turning to his students.
"Okay, quiz time. What is a hunter nin?" he asked.
"Special ninjas that hunt down and dispose of missing nins." Sakura replied.
"Good. How do they dispose of their target?" Tenshi asked.
"Kill them and destroy the body." Naruto replied.
"Where?" Tenshi asked and Rin gasped.
"Um, I don't know." Sakura and Naruto replied.
"How should we know? The only hunter nin we have seen took Zabuza's body away." Ino said and Tenshi nodded.
"Exactly. Usually hunter nins dispose of the body on the spot, and if she needed proof, she only had to take Zabuza's head and sword. Also, the weapon was a long needle, which isn't very dangerous. No, that hunter nin didn't kill Zabuza, she helped him. Zabuza is alive!" Tenshi said.
"What?" the Genin yelled
"But you said he was dead!" Tazuna, who had just entered, said.
"Yes, but it is possible to put someone in a near-death state. A hunter nin knows the human anatomy very well, and it would be easy to make someone seem like they were dead." Rin said and Tenshi nodded before standing up.
"He is alive, and he will be back soon." He said.
"I should think we have about a week or two, based on the injuries and how long it takes to get better from a near-death state." Rin said, also standing up.
"Kids, we are going to train." Tenshi said firmly.
--
They stood in a clearing in the forest, Tenshi and Rin facing the kids.
"Alright, this is how we do it from now on and the rest of the mission. Naruto will practise his Rasengan after I show him the final step, Sakura and Ino will work on summoning. If Sakura and Rin wants, you can do some medic stuff while I teach Ino something. We will switch guarding Tazuna on the bridge. Okay?" Tenshi asked and all four of his companions nodded.
"Good, now Naruto, for the last step." Tenshi said and held up a ordinary balloon(with air inside, not water).
"This is the third step in the Rasengan training." Tenshi said. But to the disappointment of the Genin, nothing happened. The balloon just lay there in Tenshi's hand, not moving an inch.
"Um sensei?" Sakura said.
"Nothing's happening." Naruto said and both Tenshi and Rin laughed.
"Here, I'll show you what is happening inside the balloon." Tenshi said and held up his other hand. There a sphere of chakra formed. It was made of what could only be described as threads of chakra spinning and rotating in different directions at insane speeds while keeping a sphere shape. It looked like someone had taken a typhoon, coloured it blue and stuffed it inside a invisible ball.
"This is the Rasengan. Looks awesome, right?" Tenshi said and the three Genin could only nod.
"What is happening in my left hand, is also happening in my right, you just don't see it. For the third and final step of learning this jutsu, you have to use 100 percent of the rotation you learned in step one and 100 percent of the power you learned in step two, and contain it. Here, I'll show you the difference." Tenshi said and the Rasengan vanished from his hand. He threw the balloon to Naruto, who caught it eagerly. Tenshi then walked over to a nearby tree.
"This is what happens when you master step one and two." he said and another sphere of chakra came into life in his right hand, only this one seemed to lack something. When he pushed it against the tree, the chakra flew in every direction, making a swirl pattern in the bark of the tree.
"The chakra goes everywhere and the effects of the jutsu are very small. But when you have mastered the third step." Tenshi said and formed the same sphere again, only this time it was more dense and the speed of the rotation picked up more than the other. He pushed the Rasengan into the tree again, but instead of flying everywhere, the chakra stayed in the sphere shape and carved into the tree. Tenshi pulled back and showed a circular hole straight trough a tree easily as thick as he was.
"When you can contain the power of the small typhoon, the effect will be focused. The result is a very effective jutsu, and since it doesn't require any hand seals, and only one hand, you can use it while having the other hand do something else and no one can copy it." Tenshi explained. Sakura and Ino (and Rin, although she hid it better) looked at Tenshi with stars in their eyes, while Naruto looked at the balloon.
"So, I perform step one and two inside this balloon but keep it inside?" he asked and Tenshi nodded.
"Yes, that is the idea. You create a image of a layer inside the balloon which keeps the chakra inside. That layer will be the outer "shell" of the Rasengan." Tenshi said. Naruto nodded and started to focus. Gathering chakra in his palm, he started to make it spin while trying to keep it from popping the soft balloon. But it didn't work and the whole thing exploded.
"Again." Tenshi said. Naruto blew up another balloon and tried again, with the same result.
"Girls, I think we should leave Naruto alone. He needs to learn this on his own." Tenshi said and started to walk away.
"Wait, what if I need help?" Naruto called after him.
"Either try and get it on your own or ask me when I come see you later. And no help from Kyuubi." Tenshi commanded.
--
Naruto glared at the remains of a purple balloon with yellow sunflowers. Whoever made the balloon had hideous taste, and made the balloon way too fragile.
"This thing pops much to easy. Damn." Naruto complained. Kyuubi, who was watching, didn't say anything. He knew Naruto had to do this himself, and besides, Tenshi knew how to change his cage, and he was sure that the wolf could do something nasty to it. So Kyuubi kept quiet. Not that Naruto noticed, since he was totally engrossed in getting the jutsu right.
--
"Okay girls, summoning training!" Tenshi said cheerfully. Sakura and Ino bit their thumbs and formed the necessary seals.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu" they shouted and clouds of smoke erupted from under their hands on the ground. When the smoke cleared, two wolves stood there, each at the size of a horse.
"Damnit, I was trying to summon the boss." Ino cursed. The two wolves stared at her for a second before looking at Tenshi.
"Um, why is that girl cursing, Tenshi-sama?" one of the wolves asked.
"I think she expected summoning to be easy." Tenshi replied. The wolves sweat dropped and turned to Ino.
"Little girl, do you realise that summoning is a very difficult jutsu? so difficult some Jounin can't learn it?" one of the wolves asked. Ino stopped her cursing and glanced up at the wolf.
"So? I want to summon your boss! I want to impress Naruto-kun." Ino stated. Tenshi rolled his eyes.
"Okay, you two are dismissed, but don't be surprised if you are summoned again soon. I am going to have these two train until they can summon Okamibunta." Tenshi said to the two wolves, who nodded and vanished in twin puffs of smoke.
"Try again girls." Rin urged, smiling slightly.
--
Sakura yawned while stretching slightly. She had been guarding Tazuna alone for most of the day, since Tenshi had gone to help Naruto and Ino. Rin had said something about guarding Tsunami and Inari. So, Sakura spent the majority of the day alone, watching the workers on the bridge.
"You look bored. Where are the blondes?" Tazuna asked, briefly stooping in his work.
"They are training. Sensei said we'll switch between guarding you, and since I am so special, I got chosen first." Sakura said, slight pride evident in her voice.
"Is that so?" Tazuna asked sarcastically. Sakura's eyes narrowed, but just then Tenshi appeared next to her.
"How are things?" Tenshi asked, to Tazuna or Sakura, he didn't tell.
"It's been boring." Sakura said. Tazuna chuckled and got back to his work while Tenshi sat down next to Sakura.
"That's guard duty in a nut shell, just remember not to let your guard down anyway." Tenshi said and Sakura nodded.
They both watched as one of the workers walked up to Tazuna. After a brief conversation, Tazuna yelled: "What? You want to quit?"
Tenshi and Sakura looked at each other before Tenshi sighed.
"Of course. With the treat of Gatou, people would understandably fear for their lives." He said and Sakura frowned but didn't say anything.
--
Tazuna, Sakura and Tenshi were walking trough the market. They were going to buy some food. Everywhere they looked, they saw just how much an affect Gatou had over the wave. People were pale and looked like shadows of themselves, children were forced to stealing or begging, grown men wandered around with signs saying: "Will take any job"
When they reached the store they were heading for, they walked in and the two ninjas had to stifle gasps. There was virtually nothing there. Almost no vegetables, no meat, no nothing. The shop owner seemed about as empty as his shop, his "Welcome" phrase was raspy and very tired sounding.
'What is going on here?' Sakura asked. Just then a man walked up behind her and reached for her bag. She felt him and thought he was doing something else. Whipping around with a round house kick, she nailed the man in the face while yelling: "PERVERT"
The man didn't even say anything as he went down.
--
The three of them were walking back towards Tazuna's house, Sakura fuming.
"What is wrong with this place?" she asked angrily.
"It has been like this since Gatou came. He has taken complete control, suffocating our country, taking all the money. No one has any courage left to fight, not after what happened to Inari's father. The bridge is the only way we can break free." Tazuna explained. Sakura was about to ask something else when she felt a thug at her dress.
"What? Another perv…huh?" she began yelling but trailed off as a little girl was behind her. The girl, although dirty and thin, looked cute and innocent. Tenshi thought a girl like that shouldn't be forced to beg. But she had to. She held out her hands towards Sakura, giving her a cute smile.
"Please?" she said. Sakura got a tear in her eye and reached into her bag and pulled out some candy.
"Here!" she said and handed the girl the candy.
"Wow, thanks!" The girl squealed and started to run off. Tenshi stopped her.
"Wait a little. Here!" he said and took out his lunch, and handed it to the girl. It was several rice balls and some meat. The girl looked even happier and instead of running away, she hugged Tenshi and Sakura before running.
"I hope your bridge will stop this Tazuna. No one should have to beg for a living." Tenshi said sadly. Tazuna nodded in agreement.
--
Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari, Rin, Sakura and Ino were seated at the dinner table, eating the dinner Tsunami had made. Tenshi had gone looking for Naruto a while ago.
The door opened and Tenshi walked in. Seating himself at the table he sighed.
"Naruto will probably be a while. He said he wouldn't rest until he got the third step. Said he wanted to impress Sakura and Ino, and learn it faster than I did. He also said something about using the Rasengan against Zabuza, if he shows up." Tenshi said and started eating.
"Will Naruto-kun be alright?" Tsunami asked
"Naruto is a true ninja. He will be okay." Ino said confidently.
"Indeed." Rin replied
"By the way, how did summoning training go Ino?" Sakura asked.
Ino smiled slightly.
"I managed to summon a wolf about as tall as this house. (a two storey building)" she said.
"Well, tomorrow is Ino's turn to guard, so Sakura can catch up." Tenshi said before starting to eat.
--
A week went this way. Tenshi or Rin helped one of the girls with summoning, while the other was at the bridge. Both girls had managed to summon Okamibunta, but had been exhausted, and the summoning only lasted a minute.
Naruto had been working non stop on the Rasengan. He could hold the power and rotation perfectly for about a minute and a half before starting to loose control and about five minutes after starting the jutsu, the balloon would explode. Naruto felt very tired. He only stopped to eat the food Tenshi and Rin brought him, before returning to the task at hand.
--
Yo, Kin-Ryu Chikara here. 8 chap finished. A bit longer chapter this time.
I have to thank everyone that gave me ideas for what this chapter should contain. Originally it was very different, but it is better this way.
Hope you'll enjoy it.
Oh, and this is the translation page I use for my original jutsus: www. freedict. com/ onldict/ jap. html (minus the spaces)
--
Jutsu list: Jutsus that team 7 now knows (not counting the basics):
Naruto: preferred element: Katon/Raiton
Knows:
Rasengan (spiral ball) (still incomplete)
Kage Bunshin
Kage Shuriken no jutsu
Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu
Doton: Doryuuheki
Raiton: Dageki Tesaki no jutsu (shock fingers)
Kuchiyose no jutsu
--
Sakura: preferred element: Katon/Doton
Knows:
Kage Shuriken no jutsu
Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu
Doton: Doryuuheki
Kuchiyose no jutsu
--
Ino: preferred element: Futon/Suiton
Knows:
Kage Shuriken no jutsu
Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu
Doton: Doryuuheki
Futon: Tei tama (air bullet)
Suiton: Sujinheki (water barrier)
Shintenshin no jutsu
Shinranshin no jutsu
Kuchiyose no jutsu