Chapter 7: The Rogue's from Kiri

"Dad, you're joking right?"

"Why would I be joking? You're only Genin, so I will continue to give you D rank missions, I've explained this to you many times."

Naruto frowned, as he tied his headband, obviously trying his best to bite his tongue and refrain from starting an argument. This lasted for all of thirty seconds.

"You sent Sasuke's team on a C Rank mission 2 days ago" Naruto moaned. "Why do they get special treatment when I'm your son?"

Minato sighed and shot Kushina a look across the kitchen table but she just simply kept her head down, clearly wanting to stay out of the argument.

"If you must know, Sasuke's team completed all of their missions in record time" Minato replied. "They earned their chance at a higher ranked mission through their performance. On the other hand, your team has somehow managed to fail a couple of your missions, what does that say to me?"

"It's all Shikamaru's fault" Naruto muttered. "He's just so lazy, he says that putting any effort into these missions is just too troublesome for him and when he doesn't help us, things take too long and it's a fail."

Kushina chuckled as she watched Naruto get all worked up, before deciding to break her silence and join in.

"Well, how about you encourage him to join in more? Surely your liveliness has an effect on him?"

"It has an effect all right," Naruto groaned. "He thinks that I'll just do his work for him because I'm determined to pass the mission. Even Asuma Sensei struggles to make him do anything, normally he has to convince him with a game of Shogi."

"If only you could be convinced so easily" Minato chuckled. "Look, it's just something you'll have to deal with yourself, this is part of what being on a team is all about."

"I guess" Naruto sighed. "So what kind of mission did they go on anyway?"

"Just a simple escort mission to the Land of Waves, nothing too exciting" Minato replied. "Any Chunin would probably be able to do it on their own without a problem, its mostly just watching out for bandits and things like that. You really aren't missing out on much."

It was clear that Naruto saw through Minato's attempts at trying to cheer him up but he didn't say anything about it. He finished his breakfast without any more complaints, before standing up again with renewed vigour.

"All right, well there's no point in hanging around here much longer, we need to get to work!" Naruto declared.

"All ready? Your mission doesn't start for another five hours," Minato pointed out.

"No, I'm meeting Asuma Sensei for some training first" Naruto explained. "He said he'd show me a new Futon jutsu today if I can get there early enough, so see you later!"

With that, Naruto turned and rushed out the door. Kushina began laughing once again, while Minato just gave a wry smile. His boy was really growing up and while that did bring up conflicting emotions within him, he knew that wasn't the true reason for his recent mood.

"What is it?" Kushina asked, sensing the problems running through her husbands mind. It always amazed Minato how easy Kushina was able to read him; it had been that way for years. In contrast, she was such a mix of emotions and thoughts that most of the time he had no idea what was going on.

"That positive attitude, his carefree nature and a determination to get things done" Minato began. "You know who he reminds me of?"

"Obito" she answered at once, to Minato's surprise. "The similarities are obvious, he even looks slightly similar to him; especially the hair. I know it must be hard for you to be reminded of him all the time, but you need to put that to the back of your mind."

Kushina grabbed Minato's hand from across the table, and stroked it tenderly. The fate of his students was usually a taboo subject around him. Even though his grief wasn't as obvious as Kakashi's, the death of the pair he had taught since they were children hit him hard and continued to play on his mind, despite all of the time that had passed.

"You know, maybe you should give him a chance at a higher ranked mission" Kushina suggested, obviously wanting to change the subject. "With a bit more at stake, it could help with that Shikamaru situation and with the Chunin Exams coming up, he might need to show off a bit more to convince Asuma that he should be entered."

Minato considered her words for a second, appreciating the logic behind them at least.

"Maybe, although there isn't really many missions to give that would be suitable for Genin" Minato responded slowly. "There's just too much to deal with right now, both inside and outside the village."

Hosting the Chunin exams was stressful enough and the Intel that was arriving on his desk on a daily basis was only adding to that stress. The actions of Kumo were beginning to become slightly concerning. They'd had a huge spike in the number of Chunin graduating each year and the amount of missions they were undertaking was increasing as well. It was quite obvious to even the most casual observer of these events that the Raikage was putting on a show of strength, looking to worry Minato. While that in itself would not be a cause for concern, the announcement that they had signed an alliance with Iwa most certainly was. Onoki was not one to discourage war or sign treaties and the fact that he had teamed up with A was alarming.

"I'm not sure how things could get much worse."

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The noise had echoed out across the entirety of the building for days on end. The man had no idea what it was and frankly, at that moment, he didn't even want to know. There were many rooms inside the underground bunker and many darkened hallways that concealed them. He had only been inside a few and that was enough to convince him of two things. Firstly, that his suspicions were true and that the rumours of just how big of a monster he was dealing with were not exaggerated in the least. Secondly, he knew that he didn't want to look inside anymore.

He walked through one of the only hallways that were fully lit, using his walking stick to assist him in moving forward. He had made this walk so many times over the last few years and each time he had to wonder the same thing. How did he end up like this? Where did it all go wrong? He was not used to seeing his carefully laid plans collapse all around him and just thinking about the way things had turned out was enough to make his blood boil.

Finally, he reached the door at the end of the hallway. After a slight hesitation, he pushed it open and stepped inside. There was a foul smell in the room, most likely emanating from one of the many test tubes that littered the various benches. A man sat at a desk in the far corner, reading a scroll under the light of lamp.

"I thought I told you to knock before you entered," the man hissed, not looking up from his readings.

That wasn't dignified with a response. After attaining the position of respect he once held, he refused to be treated to like a lowly Genin.

"The preparations have been made, the operation can begin at any time" he responded.

"Not in a playful mood today, are we Danzo?" the man said, chuckling manically under his breath as he did. "You should lighten up a little, a man in your predicament shouldn't let himself worry too much as it could easily overwhelm you."

Danzo bit his tongue, doing his best not to dignify the jibe with a response; it was just what he was looking for. After a few seconds of silence, the man continued speaking.

"The Chunin exams should be taking place soon, right?"

"Don't play games Orochimaru, you know full well they are seeing how many times I've told you" Danzo snapped, losing his composure for a second. Just being in the same room as the snake disgusted him.

"Now now, there's no need to be rude," Orochimaru replied. "I was just looking for clarification, after all I am a busy man, and I don't always have time to remember these details. The Chunin Exams would be the best time to strike then, the Genin aren't afforded the same level of protection during the Second Phase so they would be far easier for your informant to snatch our prize."

"Agreed, I had already told my subordinate to act at that time, I just came for confirmation," Danzo said, as he turned to leave. However, Orochimaru seemed intent on stretching out the conversation a little longer.

"You know Danzo, it would be very foolish of you to betray me" Orochimaru said. "After wasting that precious eye on your own selfish need of survival, you would have no way of stopping me from killing you."

Danzo pressed down on his walking stick so hard a noticeable crack appeared in the wood. He found it difficult to keep malice out of his voice when he next spoke.

"You wouldn't have gotten anywhere without me. If you were still alone, you would have no way of accessing this boy you so desire. You owe a lot to my so called selfish need for survival."

Orochimaru began to laugh after Danzo had finished. However, it wasn't his usual quiet chuckle, it was a loud and demonic howl which caused him to lift his head back.

"You're an even bigger fool than I thought!" Orochimaru yelled out, as he finished laughing. "You really think that I wouldn't have a plan of my own? You really think that I don't have a back up waiting to be enacted at this very moment? Let me make one thing clear Danzo, I'm only using you right now to keep things fun. If you fail in this task, I will have no qualms about killing you and then proceeding with my own plan. Understand?"

After he finished listening to the speech, Danzo left the room without a word. He quietly closed the door and walked down the hallway, his walking stick wobbling as he did. His breathing had increased and a bead of sweat ran down his face, all the while the sound of Orochimaru's laugh echoed all around him.

"So, is anyone going to explain what happened here?"

The sight before Minato's eyes was rather bemusing. Naruto was covered from head to toe in dirt, Shikamaru was covered in bruises and Hinata appeared downright terrified of the former while Asuma stood over them, grinning awkwardly.

"I think Naruto took your words of taking things into his own hands a little too seriously" Asuma commented. "You see-"

"Shikamaru was sitting around doing nothing as usual, while Hinata and I had to pull all the weeds in that field by ourselves" Naruto interjected. "So, I made a bunch of clones to force Shikamaru to work and his attempts to fight back is what gave the bruises."

"So, how did you end up with so much dirt?" Minato asked, struggling to keep it together at this point as he fought the urge to burst out laughing.

"Well, Sasuke's team got a C rank by breaking records, so that's what I wanted to do" Naruto explained. "And it worked! The entire field was done in the fastest time ever!"

Minato couldn't deny that, even though his method was somewhat questionable, he did at least achieve the desired result. Minato prepared himself to give Naruto a speech about how the ends do not always justify the means, but a dramatic opening of the door stopped him before he could begin.

"Urgent message" the panicked young Chunin said, as he rushed over to the desk with a small scroll in his hand. Minato quickly unrolled it and began reading.

"Intercepted by rogue Shinobi eh? Must be quite powerful to push Kakashi to his limits, seems he working as part of a two man team. Appears that Mr Tazuna was lying about the level of protection he needed. The question now is who to send in as backup?"

Minato instinctively looked up, to see Naruto staring at him intently.

"Could I really take such risks with my own son? This isn't some kind of low life Chunin that could be dealt with so easily, although judging by what Kakashi has said about him, both Asuma and Kakashi should be able to deal with him while working as a team and it would be beneficial for him to see combat at that level."

"All right" Minato declared, coming to an internal decision. "Team Asuma, I have a new mission for you."

Everyone except Shikamaru, who doggedly refused to move from his slouched position, quickly stood to attention.

"Team Kakashi's mission has become more complicated, they have encountered enemy Shinobi and require backup immediately. You are to go to the Land of Waves and meet Kakashi and give him whatever assistance he needs."

A few seconds passed without any kind of reaction, as Minato's words sunk in. Predictably, Naruto was the one to break this by jumping up and down and loudly screaming about his excitement.

"Enemy Shinobi? Aren't we a little inexperienced for that?" Shikamaru asked, a hint of nerves coming through in his voice.

"How else are you going to get experience?" Asuma pointed out. "Now, given the urgency of the situation, I want you all to pack your equipment and meet me at the entrance to the village in 30 minutes, got that?"

Naruto practically ran out the door yelling "Yes Sensei!" as he went. Hinata nervously walked after him while Shikamaru moved at crawling speed towards the door.

"It's going to take you longer than 30 minutes if you keep that up" Asuma said. "Come on, this is what most Genin dream of!"

"Yeah and most Genin just want to prove themselves while I couldn't care less" Shikamaru moaned in reply. "Oh God, this is going to be so troublesome I just know it!"

Asuma began to follow his students but was stopped by Minato, who placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I need you to take this" Minato said quietly, as he gave Asuma a kunai with a yellow seal wrapped around the handle. "If things start to get risky I need you to throw it, I'll be there in no time at all."

Asuma assured him that he would before he left as well. Minato then stood alone in the middle of his office, re-reading the scroll to make sure that there wasn't some important detail he had missed. Or maybe he was hoping there was, so that he would be able to recall the team?

"Naruto would probably just go alone anyway" Minato thought. "I can't believe I just did that, do I want more stress in my life or what?"

The road to the Land of Waves was uneventful, which seemed to please everyone except Naruto who apparently couldn't wait to show off his skills. After a days travel, the team finally reached the small house on the edge of the river. Naruto was stunned to see the humble cottage for a variety of reasons. He'd grown up as the son of the Hokage in Konoha, meaning that he lived for one the wealthiest families in a very well off village. Seeing how the other half lived proved a real eye opener for him.

"So small" he gasped, as Asuma knocked on the door. "How can this house possibly fit so many people?"

"Not everyone needs a bedroom the size of a classroom you know" Shikamaru commented, which brought a quiet laugh from Hinata.

Eventually, an elderly man opened the door. He was quite a large man and in contrast to the well-kept men of Konoha, he didn't seem to be too fussed about his appearance, with his glasses at an angle over his face and his clothes appeared to be old and stained. Still, he was quite friendly as he invited them inside with a hearty grin.

"The other Shinobi have been waiting for you rather anxiously as you can imagine" he informed them. "They're just in the next room if you'd like to go through, we weren't sure what time you would get here so we left you some food as well."

Asuma thanked the man as Naruto walked through. Predictably, the kitchen was small, with just a small worktop to one side and then a table on the other. Kakashi, who appeared to be exhausted, was sat at the head of the table and he gave a weak wave. Shino gave the slightest of nods to acknowledge their presence, while Ino yelled out loudly. Sasuke and Naruto simply glared at each other.

"So, we're here to do what you couldn't eh?" Naruto said, as he took the seat next to Sasuke.

"Oh yeah, because you'd be able to take down one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist wouldn't you?" Sasuke replied sarcastically.

"Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? Which one was it?" Asuma asked.

"Zabuza Momochi, wielder of the Executioner's Blade" Kakashi answered. "I made a mistake initially in our battle and I got caught in a sphere of water under his control. I was eventually able to pull of a Raikiri and force my way out while he was distracted fighting the others with his clones but the battle took a lot out of me."

"So, if he didn't kill you then why is he still alive?" Asuma enquired. "Don't tell me that you spared someone like that!"

"Definitely not, I got intercepted as I went in for the kill" Kakashi said. "It appeared that he was killed by one of Kiri's ANBU who struck him with senbon. However, he didn't destroy the body where it lay, instead he took it somewhere else under the claim he was going to destroy it later."

Asuma nodded his head, apparently understanding what Kakashi meant. Naruto did his best to hide his confusion and decided to change the subject instead.

"So, what are we doing here then?"

"Stand around on a bridge all day waiting for an enemy that might not ever turn up" Ino replied, rolling her eyes as she did. "Trust me, this mission isn't as exciting as you might have been told."

"Missions aren't about excitement, as I've told you dozens of times," Kakashi groaned. "It's about getting the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible and to make sure that the whole team comes back in one piece. Whether you have fun or not is irrelevant."

They went on to further discuss the finer details of the mission, which frankly bored Naruto to tears. He spent the time daydreaming and finishing off the rest of the food while occasionally picking up details such as mention of civil unrest in the area. After a few minutes, a lady entered the room accompanied by what was presumably her young son.

"Hey Inari" Sasuke called out, giving the boy a wave that was nervously returned. Ino was also obviously familiar with the boy as she simply gave a beaming smile. Shino glanced over at him, which Naruto guessed was as much as he was willing to do.

"Once the bridge is built, we hope that we won't have to discuss these issues anymore" the lady sighed, as she collected the now empty dishes. "It's thanks to the kindness of people like you that we can even hope."

Tazuna grunted in agreement and raised his glass towards the Shinobi. Naruto confusingly looked towards Sasuke.

"What are they talking about?"

"I'm not that sure to be honest" Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know how to describe it but the longer we've been here, the more upbeat they've become. Take that Inari kid for example; you should have heard him at first. He kept telling us that life is hopeless; we were all going to die. Then, Kakashi and I spoke with him a little and voila."

"All right, so I'll take the rookies to the bridge tomorrow so you can rest" Asuma declared, interrupting the conversation. "It'll be interesting to see how good your team is Kakashi, and how they compare to mine."

"A bit early to be making the comparisons don't you think?" Kakashi jokingly replied. "After all the real test will come in a few weeks."

The rest of the Genin appeared to be confused by what Kakashi meant but Naruto understood it perfectly. He grinned but decided that it was best for him to keep the information to himself for a while at least.

"What are you so happy about?" Sasuke asked, although it sounded more like an accusation than anything else.

"I'm just excited about how badly I'm going to outshine you on this mission" Naruto responded happily. While that was true, it was of course not what was causing his grin. "Just you wait Sasuke, just you wait."

"So, you really weren't exaggerating about this were you?"

Compared to the warm climate of Konoha, the early morning breeze in the Land of Waves made Naruto feel as if he was in arctic conditions. What made it worse was the mind numbingly boring day they had endured. It had consisted of accompanying Tazuna to the bridge and then sitting around and watching them work.

"If you're that bored you could always lend a hand" Asuma suggested. "I'm sure that the builders wouldn't mind the extra help."

It surprised absolutely no one that Naruto and Sasuke took this as a challenge to see who could do the most work. Ino, Shino and Hinata diligently helped out where they could, while Shikamaru lay down on a plank of wood.

"You know, it's not fair if you use clones!" Sasuke yelled, as one of Naruto's clones disappeared in a cloud of white smoke after receiving a solid hit from Sasuke.

"You're just jealous!" Naruto replied, as he made the seal and prepared to create another. However, a harrowing scream soon stopped him in his tracks. Dozens of workers ran past him and towards the other end of the bridge. It didn't take long to find the source of the disturbance.

Two figures walked towards the group menacingly. The one on the right, who was by far the taller of the two, was also the most terrifying. Bandages covered many sections of his body, including the bottom half of his face. His black eyes were dark and emotionless; a trait that Naruto had been told was the sign of a killer. However, the most noticeable thing about him was the giant steel sword strapped to his back. The ease with which he carried it was alarming, and made Naruto wonder about what else he was capable of.

The second was far smaller, similar in height to Naruto. Even though the face was covered by a mask, Naruto had already been informed about the boy that had been able to deceive even Kakashi. Even so, it was slightly unnerving to be confronted by someone so accomplished yet so young.

"Wait a minute," the taller one growled, as he approached the group. "You're not Kakashi!"

"Well done, you were able to state the obvious" Asuma taunted, as he stepped forward. "He already near enough killed you once, so he thought it was only polite that I get my chance, Zabuza."

Zabuza stared at Asuma intently, before giving the briefest of laughs.

"Asuma Sarutobi I take it?" Zabuza said. "Well, you're not the Copy Ninja but you have done enough to earn a place in my bingo book, so you'll do for now."

Asuma cautiously withdrew his trench knives from his pouch before turning to the Genin.

"All right, just as we planned" Asuma advised them. "Hinata, Shino you'll protect the bridge builder. Use your Byakugan and sensory bugs to full effect in order to make yourselves fully aware of an attack. The other four take on the younger one, I'll deal with Zabuza."

This time, Zabuza's laugh was much louder and more vindictive.

"Your confidence in defeating me is laughable in it's own right but your later assertion surpasses that" he said. "Those brats of yours have absolutely no chance against Haku. Go and show them what I mean boy."

"Yes Master Zabuza" Haku said obediently, his voice surprisingly light and soft. He stepped forward slowly taking out two kunai and adopting a commanding stance.

"So sure of yourself" Naruto said, drawing a kunai of his own. "Let's see you act like that when I'm through with you!"

Naruto took of running but before he could even take five steps he was stopped by Asuma's hand on his shoulder.

"Use your head Naruto!" he growled. "Your father and I taught you better than this. You already know this guys dangerous, you have three other Shinobi as backup so use them instead of rushing in by yourself when you don't have to."

"Sorry" Naruto mumbled, before turning to Shikamaru. "So, how do we do this?"

Shikamaru quickly scanned the situation before him, closely studying Haku's stance before looking at the people around him.

"He's good at close quarter combat, that much is obvious," Shikamaru pointed out, keeping his voice low. "It would be better if we had some ranged attacks but unfortunately Shino has to protect the bridge builder and mine won't work right now. We'll have to fight him up close, which means that Naruto and Sasuke should take the lead while Ino and I will act as support. Hold him off until the sun comes out from behind the clouds, we'll be able to finish him off then."

"Haku!" Zabuza suddenly yelled. "Stop letting them discuss tactics, just attack already."

"As you wish" Haku replied, before leaping towards the Genin. Naruto and Sasuke were the first to react and all three locked kunai. Sasuke then went on the offensive, pressuring Haku with a series of refined strikes.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A swarm of Naruto clones approached Haku from multiple angles, just as Sasuke was able to lock his kunai with Haku's. With his free hand, Haku threw kunai to quickly deal with the multiple Naruto's. While this was happening, the real Naruto snuck in from behind and grabbed Haku's arm leaving him defenceless.

"Now!" Naruto yelled to Sasuke.

The two then each sent a powerful kick into Haku's stomach, knocking the boy back so far that he lay at Zabuza's feet. Naruto grinned in triumph as he listened to Ino's cheers.

"Haku" Zabuza growled. "Stop playing around with them, I've told you enough times. Deal with this trash as fast as possible."

Haku nodded as he casually stood up and brushed himself off. He seemed to be completely unaffected by the strike, even though it was delivered at point blank range.

"There's just no way," Naruto thought. "He must be bluffing, he had to have felt something from that attack. Or has he been hiding his true abilities so far?"

As if to prove Naruto correct, Haku lifted up his right hand and started making what appeared to be seals.

"One handed signs?" Asuma gasped. "I've never even heard of such a thing."

"Makyo Hyosho."

Naruto felt an icy cold wind envelop him and he raised his arms over his face to protect himself from it. After a few seconds, the wind mercifully stopped but once he opened his eyes, Naruto realised that he was now faced with a much more dangerous proposition.

"Incredible" Sasuke said, clearly having the same reaction.

The pair was trapped inside a small circle, surrounded by multiple mirrors made of ice. Haku's image was contained inside each of the mirrors and all made identical movements.

"You are now trapped by mirrors, you will never make it out alive" Haku said, although his voice didn't contain the same malice as his words.

"You think so?" Sasuke asked, seeming very confident. "I beg to differ, Ice isn't a good matchup against me."

Naruto stared at Sasuke with some scepticism but he heard Shikamaru's yells before he could ask further.

"Naruto, use your wind style jutsu!" he said. "Combine with Sasuke to strengthen his attack, you should be able to melt his ice quicker."

Even though it annoyed Naruto to think that he would only be assisting Sasuke, he knew that Shikamaru was right. With only a small amount of reluctance, he made the required seals and made sure to stay in time with Sasuke.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

"Futon: Shinkuha!"

The resulting flame was enormous, enough to envelop half of Haku's mirrors. The heat radiating from them was intense; Naruto hadn't felt anything like it before. However, as he continued to power his jutsu he made a horrible discovery.

"It's not working, none of those mirrors even look like melting."

Eventually, he ran out of breath and had to stop his jutsu. Sasuke did the same a couple of seconds later and both had to bend over to catch their breath.

"My technique is far stronger than your jutsu" Haku informed them, as he extended his arm backwards. "My kekkei genkai can't be defeated!"

He then forced his arms forwards and senbon flew all around them. The razor sharp needles cut into Naruto's skin, although he noticed that none of them actually stuck into him or struck any vital organs. After the assault had finished, he looked over at Sasuke who had been given the same treatment.

"Why do you toy with us?" Naruto demanded to know. "There's no way you could miss every single vital spot while throwing that many weapons at once unless you were doing so on purpose. Do you take us that lightly?"

Haku simply stared at Naruto for a moment, as if he was trying to think of a response.

"That's a good analysis, you clearly think like a Shinobi" Haku commented. "However, your logic is not complete. I did not avoid killing you because I take you lightly. I merely want to see how much of this torture a person can take."

Another wave of senbon followed the completion of the sentence, bringing with it another lashing of extreme pain. Naruto fell to his knees, blood dripping from his arms and face.

"What is this monster?"

A/N: The following three sections take place simultaneously

Asuma stood opposite Zabuza, his arms still by his side. Despite trying not to, he couldn't stop himself from glancing over at the mirror structure. The kunai Minato gave to him felt heavy in his pouch.

"No, not yet. I'll give Naruto more of a chance to figure this out on his own."

"You figuring it out then?" Zabuza chuckled. "Those two are about to die and then Haku will finish off the rest. Luckily you won't have to see it, you'll be a cold corpse by the time that happens."

"Well, if you're so confident of that, why don't you attack me then?"

Zabuza's cheeks rose slightly, which seemed to indicate a smile. He then extended one arm upwards while raising the other only slightly. A small amount of mist began to appear around him and started to spread outwards. Not wasting any more time, Asuma ran forwards and drove his trench knives towards Zabuza's throat. The former Kiri Shinobi was able to avoid the strike but only just.

"Kakashi already informed me about your jutsu, so I don't intend to give you the time to use it" Asuma said.

"Fine, there's more than one way to kill you anyway" Zabuza grunted, pointing his sword at Asuma.

Zabuza's speed stunned Asuma, who had expected that there would be more of a drawback from the weight of the sword. He blocked Zabuza's downward thrust by crossing his knives, although the edge of the blade was closer to his body than he would have liked.

He then pushed Zabuza back and engaged in a taijutsu brawl. The battle was intense, Zabuza's movements were not as conventional as he had expected but Asuma's style did give him an advantage. Zabuza aimed a swipe at Asuma's torso but it was dodged. Asuma then swung his knife past Zabuza's face, narrowly missing him. A couple of seconds later, the bandages fell away revealing his mouth and fanged teeth. Blood trickled down his face, a cut appearing on his cheek.

"Enhancing the knives with your element eh? Not bad" Zabuza commented. "Unfortunately for you, I don't fall for the same trick twice. You really should have killed me with that attack."

Asuma prepared to attack again but stopped dead in his tracks. Foul chakra had entered the air, potent enough to blur his senses. He knew that chakra; he had felt it once before years ago.

"The Kyuubi? Here? How could that be possible?"

He looked around, trying to locate the beast. It didn't make any sense; the Fourth Hokage said that he had sealed the beast.

It was then that he noticed that the mirrors were melting, with an orange chakra protruding from the centre. Everything clicked into place in Asuma's mind, all the questions he had from that night were being answered.

"So, it was Naruto all along" Asuma realised. "Judging by the level of that chakra, the seal has only weakened slightly rather than completely broke. Still, now is the time to use it."

Asuma went to reach for his weapons pouch, but found nothing but thin air. He examined his belt and saw that the leather was ripped.

"He must have cut it when he swiped me before! Damn it."

"Sorry, but I don't have the time to play around anymore" Asuma told Zabuza, who had also paused in terror at the powerful chakra. "I need to finish you off now!"

He slit his thumb with one of the knives and drew blood. He quickly made seals and then slapped the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

After the inevitable white fog had cleared, Asuma was left standing side by side with a giant, white furred monkey.

"Finally decided to summon me, eh Asuma?" Enma growled.

"No time for catch ups, we need to finish this now!" Asuma said. "Transform and we can end this."

Enma did as he was told and Asuma was left with a giant black pole, which made Zabuza's blade seem small by comparison. He slightly tapped the ground with the pole and cracked the concrete below.

"Goodbye, Zabuza!"

Shikamaru could hear the sounds of clashing metal and fighting inside the icy confinements. He felt so useless being stuck outside, although he also knew that he wouldn't be of much assistance if he were in the midst of the fight either.

"What do we do?" Ino asked. "Sasuke is the only one with any fire techniques, and even he was useless against this. How can you even make Ice resistant to fire anyway?"

Ino's constant questioning was beginning to grate but he didn't let it show. Truth be told, he actually kind of liked being seen as the smart one of the group and not just because it often allowed him to shirk the physical work. Which was why it was so frustrating to be so confused.

"Kekkei genkai are strange techniques" Shikamaru replied slowly. "Using multiple chakra natures, they can fuse them to create something new. Even so, this is still technically a nature transformation, so the usual rules of nature should apply."

"Whatever it is, it must take a lot of chakra to keep this up. Maybe we should hope that they can win a battle of attrition?" Ino suggested.

"Chakra! That's it!"

"Ino, go and get Hinata and bring her here right now!" Shikamaru instructed.

"But what about the bridge builder?" Ino asked.

"The only two threats are currently engaged in battle, so there guarding against nothing," Shikamaru pointed out. "Besides, we need her here right away, she's the key to breaking this jutsu."

"What is your reason for living, Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto was struggling to control his breathing, as he fell to the floor once again. Almost every part of his body was covered in scratches, and his constant use of Kage Bunshin was quickly depleting his chakra. They had been able to figure out that Haku was only inside one mirror and the rest were merely reflections. However, the tactic of Naruto's clones attacking the mirrors wasn't working out too well and Haku's constant questioning was just making everything worse.

"Just shut up!" Naruto cried out.

"Without a reason for living, you can never fulfil your potential" Haku said. "You need something or someone to fight for. Once you have that, no one can stop you. For that is what I have, which is why you can not defeat me."

Haku threw another batch of senbon, but this time they were deflected by Sasuke's Shiruken.

"I can see you" Sasuke rasped. "Naruto, attack with your clones again. I can get him now."

Naruto obliged, creating more clones and sending them towards the various mirrors. During his initial attack, it didn't seem like anything had changed. But, when he landed and looked at Haku through the mirrors, he noticed that there was a very sizeable cut in his right leg.

"I don't know whether it's because my eyes are getting quicker or if he's getting slower but I can follow him now" Sasuke informed him.

Naruto felt a few pangs of jealously but at that time it was difficult to elaborate on them. It was a life or death situation and he knew that it wasn't the time for a rivalry. He didn't even think to mention the faint redness of Sasuke's eyes.

"Can you do it one more time?" Sasuke asked.

Before Naruto could reply, the mirror just behind Sasuke began to crack. All three of the boys turned, amazed at what was happening. Soon, more cracks began to appear until it shattered completely. Standing behind it was Shikamaru and Hinata, her palm extended and her Byakugan active.

"Impossible, how did you-"

"The strength of your mirrors relies on your chakra right? As does the speed you can move between them" Shikamaru began. "I figured that your chakra ran through the mirrors and what better way to deal with it than the Hyuga's taijutsu?"

After a few seconds of staring, Haku yelled out angrily and threw an incredible amount of senbon at the pair. Only Sasuke was able to react, throwing himself between the deadly needles and their target. Several of them collided with his torso and he simply fell backwards with his arms spread out.

Naruto wasn't sure how to react at first. They had been winning; they were on top of the battle. It was like it was all some horrible dream, the sight of Sasuke's limp body, and the blood staining the ground and Ino's screams of horror.

That suddenly changed, as he felt a rising anger inside. How dare he cause so much pain, how dare he treat life and death so casually. He wanted to revenge, he wanted to kill him, to see his body hit the floor. The anger swelled up inside of him to the point that he could feel its horrible warmth. Incensed, Naruto screamed out in fury. He didn't notice how the mirrors around him had vanished, but frankly he didn't care either. All he saw was his target; his prey. In an instant he was on him, smashing his fists into the enemies body. He pounded away, no thought for anything else except expelling his anger on the source. He aimed for the face, cracking the mask in one fell swoop. He pulled his arm back for one final attack-

But then hesitated. The face behind the mask was not what he had expected at all. He seemed so peaceful, so innocent. It was not the face of a hard faced killer, his eyes seemed far too pure. The sunlight reflected off his tears, which only added to this effect.

"I'm sorry" Haku stuttered through his tears. "I have failed you, failed in my purpose to serve the one I cared about. Master Zabuza, I'm so sorry."

"None of this was him" Naruto thought. "That bastard Zabuza, he was manipulated. He only does whatever is needed to satisfy his supposed master. But he still killed Sasuke; I can't let him get away with it. What do I do?"

"You should kill me," Haku stated miserably. "It's only fitting after all, I killed your friend. This is the only way I can be of any use to anyone now."

Before Naruto could act on these words, he heard yet another chilling cry. He looked in the distance to see Zabuza fall at Asuma's feet, a large pole just above his body.

"Zabuza?" Haku whispered. "No, it can't be. Zabuza!"

He made an attempt to move, but was foiled. In fact, he wasn't able to move any part of his body. Naruto instinctively looked to the ground; pretty sure he knew what had happened.

"You've been caught in my shadow possession since the sun came out" Shikamaru stated. "Judging by those clouds, that sun isn't going to be leaving any time either, you're stuck."

Haku's tear flowed down his cheeks and he looked completely hopeless. Soon though, his facial expression changed. The tears vanished and were replaced with a look of anger. He looked up and Shikamaru and appeared to be attempting to move his arm. Shikamaru closed his eyes and squeezed his fingers tighter in response.

"The more I fight, the more chakra you have to use" Haku stated, his voice losing it's soft tone and replaced with a deeper rasp. "Soon enough, you won't be able to hold me."

That prediction came true much earlier than expected as mere moments later the shadow broke and Haku was free. Kunai drawn, he launched himself towards Asuma, who was clearly struggling after his battle. Naruto called out a warning for his Sensei, but even so he barely had time to react to the attack.

Luckily for Asuma, he didn't have to react. A stray foot came from nowhere to kick Haku out of the way. The attack was Kakashi's and he moved in front of his fellow Jonin.

"Give it up, it's over" Kakashi said to the distressed boy.

Haku stared over at Zabuza's body, resolutely refusing to cry. He then turned his attention back to Kakashi.

"This isn't the last you'll hear of me," he said, as he made hand seals. Kakashi attempted to make an interception, but he was too late. Haku dissolved into a small amount of ice and disappeared into the water below the bridge.

"He's alive!"

Naruto, who had been watching the whole thing, spun around to see Ino cradling Sasuke's head. His eyes slowly opened and Naruto felt a wave of relief sweep over him. Of course, he wasn't willing to tell Sasuke that.

"About time you woke up" Naruto called out. "Here I thought you were pulling a Shikamaru on us."

That brought a laugh from everyone present, including Kakashi who had just walked over from the other battle. Asuma limped over just after him, his clothes slightly stained with blood and a newly lit cigarette in his mouth.

"See what happens when you work together?"

Naruto shook his head slightly, which brought a grunt of surprise from his Sensei.

"He could have killed us at any time" Naruto said. "Yet he chose not to. Despite what he said, I don't think he really had what it took to be a killer. "

Asuma sighed, taking another drag of his cigarette before talking again.

"Maybe not but I have a feeling that's going to change."

"Why's that?" Naruto enquired, as he watched Sasuke be helped onto his feet by Kakashi and Shino bring Tazuna over to celebrate.

"Unfortunately, this is one of the most important lessons that I can teach you about the Shinobi world" Asuma began his reply. "When someone learns to love they also run the risk of hatred and most often that is fuelled by revenge. I'm afraid that you're going to see how revenge can really effect someone when we meet that boy again."

A/N: I originally wasn't going to include the Land of Waves and just skip straight ahead but I know most people love it and would have wanted to see it, so I tried to do this little variation on it to keep it somewhat different from canon. I considered splitting it into two chapters, but I really wanted to get to the next part, so that's why this might seem a little brief. Also, I didn't have chance to properly proof read it, all I've done is put it through a spell check so if there's a few mistakes I can only apologise. I'll check through it properly when I next get a chance.

Next chapter: Only Cheats Prosper