A/N: Hello everyone. Thanks for all the nice reviews and encouragement. It was really surprising! I didn't think I would be getting much attention seeing as how this is my first fic. Alright, anyways thanks again to everyone who reviewed, I'll be sure to keep it up! This chapter is Naruto's reunion with the people he made his promise to, a flashback to how he met Haku, and meeting a few other exam participants.
"Talking"
'thinking'
"Bijuu/Summon speech"
'Bijuu/summon thoughts'
Written Report
Chapter 2: Remembering the Past
Hiruzen sighed. The time of the Chuunin exams always brings more paperwork than usual. Damn that Minato, heroically dying before his time. Paperwork was the entire reason he GAVE him the hat! Well, that and he was incredibly powerful. BUT MOSTLY THE PAPERWORK! He just wanted to take his retirement nice and lazily. But it seemed as soon as he walked into his house, lit his pipe and got his butt position juuust right on his favorite sofa, the Kyuubi just HAD to rush in and ruin it all. Shaking his head of his thoughts, Hiruzen just glared at the stack of papers on his desk. 'Damn you paperwork, you foul beast! Now you have me badmouthing my Successor! You're lucky I don't burn you and put you and send you to paperwork hell while I dance on your stupid grave!' The hokage was broken out of his thoughts by a tap on the brim of his hat. Looking up he see's someone with spiky blonde hair and a big smile staring back at him. "You know Jiji" Naruto said while inspecting the stack of paperwork "why don't you just use Shadow Clones for this stuff? Seems like it'd be a whole lot easier." Sarutobi looked at Naruto, then back to the stack of papers then slammed his head on his desk "FORTY YEARS OF BEING HOKAGE AND I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT?!" Naruto just laughed heartily at his surrogate grandfather's plight then took a chair and sat on the opposite side of the desk.
"So Jiji, how've you been these last seven years?" Naruto said while lifting his feet and putting them on the edge of the desk. Sarutobi looked him over for a second, taking in his appearance before responding "I have been quite well. Well, besides the paperwork" he chuckled a bit before continuing "The bigger question is, how have YOU been my boy? It's been so long I was beginning to think you forgot about me." Naruto laughed "Oh come on Jiji, I promised you I'd come to visit right? Yeah it took a while but between travelling and helping Tou-san, Kaa-san and Oji-san set up Oto, I never had the time." the sandaime nodded in understanding. "Besides." Naruto continued "I'm sure the council wouldn't like to know that I was still alive in another village this entire time. I know they'll be forced to see me during the final stage of the exams, but that's the beauty of it. I want them to see just how much of an asset I could have been while I kick their genin around the arena." Hiruzen laughed. "I see, I see. So that's why Konan-san came to me asking to hide your entry until the last minute. It's a very good idea." Naruto nodded "Yep. And to make sure nobody notices me, I stick to the rooftops over side streets when I travel and placed a low level genjutsu on myself so no civilians can tell what I look like. Although anyone that has at least Genin level reserves will still be able to see through it if they pay attention."
Naruto stood up and walked towards the window behind the hokage's desk "Well, I have to go Jiji. Still have to visit Teuchi-ojisan and Ayame-nee." Hiruzen took out his pipe and lit it up before inhaling and blowing out the smoke "Very well Naruto-kun. Good luck during the exams." When Sarutobi turned around, he got a good look at Naruto's back, seeing the part of his cloak cut off from the back revealing his 'DEMON' scar. "Naruto wait!" "Hmm?" Naruto turned around "What is it?" "Your scar. Why are you displaying it so openly? I thought you'd be ashamed of it." Naruto smiled widely and said "NOPE! It's a reminder of why I should get stronger. So nothing that bad can ever happen to me or anyone else I care for." Turning back to the window, Naruto was preparing to just out again "And besides, it got me a pretty badass name in the bingo book!" "B-BINGO BOOK?! BUT HOW-" Naruto jumped out of the office towards the town "Just wait for the updated one, you'll see! Oh, and tell your ANBU to keep our conversation a secret! I want to see the look on the councils faces when they find out I'm alive!" and with that he was gone. The ANBU shifted a little in the shadows seeing as how they were noticed by a genin, but resumed their positions once they got a hold of themselves. "That kid. No matter where he goes he always gets himself into trouble" Sarutobi chuckled before making shadow clones to do his paperwork then pulling out an orange book from underneath his desk and sighing contentedly. Oh yeah, he could get used to this.
Making a quick stop at the hotel to pick up Shinji and Haku, the trio walked towards what Naruto called 'The greatest restaurant in Konoha'. Shinji was excited. Naruto was a black hole when it came to food. If he said it was the greatest place to eat, then it was the greatest place to eat. Plus, Konoha was his home village, so there's no way he wouldn't know, right? Haku was just walking next to Naruto who seemed too excited to make small talk. 'I wonder if it's a fancy restaurant' Haku thought. 'Maybe we can come back to it if we ever go on a date' Haku giggled a bit at her thought but was brought out of them by Naruto "Here we are!" he said excitedly. He walked into a small ramen stand that only had 4 stools and sat down. a disappointed Haku and Shinji following his lead.
"Hey Oji-san! Get mme one of everything on the menu!" Teuchi responded "Coming right up! You know nobody has made such a big order or called me Oji-san since-" As he turned around, he saw Naruto with a huge grin "N-NARUTO?! IS IT REALLY YOU?!" "The one and only! It's been some time hasn't it Oji-san!" Teuchi just laughed "Well I'll be! Hey Ayame!" he called out to the back "Come here! We got a surprise visitor!" A feminine voice called back "Who is it this time?!" "Come and see for yourself!" Teuchi laughed back. A girl with long brown hair in twin braids and wearing a white apron came to the front of the restaurant looking over Haku and Shinji before setting here gaze on Naruto. "Ayame-nee! Good to see you!" Ayame teared up a little before running over and pulling Naruto into a hug over the counter, pushing his face into her... assets. "NARUTO! IT'S BEEN TOO LONG! WHY DIDN''T YOU COME BACK SOONER!" she exclaimed as Naruto was trying to escape the hug, lest he suffocate in his soft prison.
"Woah-ho-ho, It seems Leader-san works fast, eh Haku? Better step your game up before you lost him" Shinji snickered. Upon hearing this, Haku blushed and punched Shinji in the shoulder, then looked down at her own chest before sighing. Noting her reaction, Ayame let go of Naruto before looking at them and saying "Hehe... Sorry, it's just Naruto was like a little brother to me. I haven't seen him in seven years!" Teuchi came back to the counter and handed Shinji and Haku menus "Order whatever you like! Seeing as how this is a reunion, everything is on the house today!" Naruto cheered. "Oi old man, you sure about that? Naruto will eat you out of house and home then ask for seconds" Shinji said pointing his thumb at Naruto. "Oh Shut up Shin-kun, He offered! And I don't want to be rude by turning him down!" Teuchi set down 3 bowls of Miso ramen and Naruto dug in with gusto.
Three hours later, Naruto was passed out on the counter with a content look on his face while surrounded by a mountain of empty bowls that could rival the amount of paperwork the Hokage had to do on his busiest day. He actually ate so much, Teuchi was forced to close up shop for the day. Haku had eaten two bowls and Shinji six. "So, Now that little Naru-kun is asleep" Ayame said while turning to Haku "How did you two meet? It's obvious that you have a crush on him." "Hey yeah" Shinji said "Now that you mention it, I only know bits and pieces of the story too, and that's only because I overheard stuff." Haku looked at them both then looked at Naruto's sleeping face and smiled. Well you see, It happened about 7 months ago...
FLASHBACK
"Haku." Zabuza said in his gruff voice. "Take the genin. Make sure they don't leave this bridge alive." Zabuza was a tall man with pale grayish skin and really short black spiky hair. He was wearing baggy pants with a stripe pattern, leg and arm warmers that had a cow pattern on them, and no shirt, exposing his muscles. Strapped to his back was the legendary zanbato, Kubikiribocho and his Kirigakure hitai-ate was faceing sideways on his head with a slash running through it, signifying he was a missing-nin. "Hai, Zabuza-sama." Haku hated to kill, but it was her orders. Still, she was frowning behind her fake Kirigakure hunter mask In front of her were Team 7 from Konoha. Hatake Kakashi with his Sharingan eye already revealed, Uchiha Sasuke looking smug as ever, Haruno Sakura looking like she was about to faint from fear, and a pale boy with black hair with a fake smile named Sai. Kakashi and Zabuza rushed forward, disappearing into the mist while sparks from the clash of Zabuza's sword and Kakashi's kunai were flying everywhere. Once they were out of sight, Haku turned to her targets.
"I am truly sorry for this" She said in an apologetic tone. "It is nothing personal. I understand you have a mission to complete, but I have my mission as well. I am Zabuza-sama's tool, and as such I must do what he says." Sasuke smirked at her "Oh please, you have no idea who you're dealing with. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Remember it in the afterlife!" Sasuke charged forward while Sakura cheered him on and Sai just looked on impassively. "GET READY TO DIE-" Sasuke started to shout, but Haku moved at speeds he couldn't see and grabbed his face with her hands. "W-what the-?!" was all Sasuke could get out before Haku slammed the back his head into the bridge at full strength, knocking him unconscious and making a small crater in the process. "N-NO!" Sakura shouted out "T-THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! SASUKE-KUN WAS THE STRONGEST ON OUR TEAM! HOW COULD HE-" Sakura was also cut off when several senbon needles were thrown into several pressure points on her arms and legs, making her unable to stand. Before she hit the ground, Haku sped behind her and pressed a pressure point on the base of her neck, knocking her uncocious as well. She turned to her last target who looked on, slightly impressed.
"Well, Fake Hunter-san" Sai said in an unemotional voice. "You exceeded my expectations by knocking out Dickless and Ugly so fast." Haku bowed slightly. "Thank you Konoha-san" "Please, just call me Sai. It's the least I can do to repay you for knocking them out. Now I can reveal my skills with no restrictions or questions later." And with that, the battle began. At first, Haku thought he was gloating or bluffing about his power, but she soon came to notice that Sai was way about genin level. They were about even in strength. Haku had used up almost all her chakra in that fight by maintaining her Hyoton: Makyo Hyosho (Ice Release: Demonic Ice Mirrors)but in the end, she won. Haku was about to sit down to catch her breath when she heard a strange noise. It sounded almost like... birds. 'Oh no!' she thought 'Zabuza-sama!' She started rushing to his side, seeing him being pinned by several summoned dogs, unable to move and his opponent charging a mass of lightning chakra in his hands. Kakashi rushed forward, his attack aimed at Zabuza's torso. "ZABUZA-SAMA!" Haku tried to run as fast as she could, she had to intercept. Even at the cost of her own life, she had to save him!
Suddenly, something caught her ankle and she tripped. Looking down she saw a now conscious, albeit a little groggy, Sasuke holding on to her leg. "Y-you're not going anywhere!" he panted. Haku kicked his arm off and was about to continue running when the sound of pierced flesh and Zabuza's yell rang through the air. Looking back at him, Haku saw Zabuza convulsing on the ground, lighting chakra still running through his system. Kakashi had also fainted from chakra exhaustion, but not before muttering "You were a worthy opponent... Zabuza-san" Haku watched as her mentor, her savior, her father figure was on the ground dying. She fell on her knees where she stood, tears streaming out of her eyes. She didn't notice Sasuke standing up, and she didn't care when he turned her around and kneed her mask off of her face. "So you were a girl huh?" Sasuke said emotionlessly. "Whatever. I'll send you to join your master in the afterlife!" Haku watched lifelessly as Sasuke's kunai was nearing her throat. She didn't care. The one person that she cared for was dead. At least now they could be together forever. When Sasuke's kunai was an inch from her throat, someone else arrived, grabbed his arm, and before anyone could register what was going on, Sasuke was kicked across the bridge and once again lost consciousness as he slammed into the metal railing.
Haku didn't know and didn't care about who just saved her. She got back up and ran to Zabuza, kneeling down at his side. "H... Haku" Zabuza said weakly. "Haku... I don't have much time left..." He coughed up a bit of blood, staining the bandages wrapped around his mouth red. "Don't talk Zabuza-sama! I can save you! You can still-" "Haku... Stop." Zabuza's breathing was getting labored he coughed up a bit more blood before turning back to her. "Listen to me Haku. This is my last order to you... Don't go down the path I did. Don't travel the road of blood. You are young... and pure. You can do anything you want in life... So live. Live for me..." Zabuza's breathing started to slow as Haku started crying even more. "H-hey... Kid" Haku turned around to see a blonde boy with blue eyes and whisker marks on his face. His expression showed that even though he didn't know what was going on, he was just as sad as she was. Zabuza continued "I don't know who you are... But I don't sense any ill intent from you... P-please... pro... protect Haku. She is... my... daughter... promise me this... please." The blonde boy nodded and replued "I promise you" Zabuza smiled one last time... and with that he passed.
Before Haku could break down and start crying, a clapping noise could be heard. Haku and Naruto turned around to see the crime lord and businessman Gato along with a hundred thugs and bandits armed to the teeth with various weapons. "Well now!" Gato said in a smug voice "It seemed everything worked out just fine! This result is better than I could have hoped for!" he laughed. "Zabuza is dead, you two and the Konoha ninja will be killed here, and I'll hold a public execution for the bridge builder! Kami must be smiling on me today!" Haku was absolutely livid. This man was insulting Zabuza even after death, and he was planning to betray them from the start! She stood up a bit shakily, getting ready to charge Gato and his thugs when she was held back by the blonde boy. "Don't." he said in a voice that barely disguised his anger. "WHY NOT?! HE INSULTED ZABUZA-SAMA! HE SET US UP! PLANNED ON KILLING US! WHY ARE YOU STOPPING ME FROM GOING OVER THERE AND KILLING HIM?!" "BECAUSE I MADE A PROMISE TO KEEP YOU ALIVE! I MAY NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE, OR WHY YOU'RE IN THIS POSITION, BUT I PROMISED ZABUZA-SAN THAT I WOULD KEEP YOU ALIVE! I'M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND LET YOU CHARGE TO YOUR DEATH! I NEVER GO BACK ON MY WORD, SO SIT DOWN AND REST WHILE I HANDLE THIS!"
Haku was shocked to say the least. This boy she didn't even know was actually going to follow through with his promise? She thought he just agreed to help Zabuza pass with no regrets. But the look in his eyes just now said that he was going to keep his promise for as long as he lived. So she just nodded and sat next to Zabuza's body while the newcomer materialized strange looking gauntlets from seals on his wrists. She watched as he moved both his hands in an intricate pattern, mesmerized by the dexterity of his fingers. Gato and his men just laughed. Who was this brat that thought he could beat over 100 men by just flailing his hand in random directions? When the boy stopped Gato spoke up. "Are you done with your little show? Yes? Well then, ATTACK!" Gato's army let out a battle cry and charged, getting a little confused when Naruto turned around and started walking back towards Haku normally.
"What are you doing?!" Haku exclaimed. "They're coming!" Naruto just looked at her confusedly and tilted his head. "What do you mean Haku-san?" He pulled both of his gauntlets forward and she noticed an almost invisible wire coming from the tips of the clawed fingers. All of Gato's men were surprised when a net of ninja wire seemingly came out of nowhere and caught all 100 of them. "They're already dead." Naruto continued. "Sutetchi: Muki Netto (Stitching Art: Inorganic Net)" Lightning chakra ran through the net, electricuting everyone trapped inside and didn't stop until smoke started rising from their bodies. Haku was dumbfounded. Who was this guy? How the hell did he kill so many thugs in one attack? "Oh, I almost forgot!" Naruto flicked his little finger and wire wrapped around Gato's throat. "You don't mind if I'm the one that kills him, right Haku-san?" Naruto said with a bored look on his face. Haku just shook her head no and Naruto pulled his little finger back, causing the wire to cut off the choking Gato's head.
Haku turned back to Zabuza with a sad expression on her face. What was she going to do now? Where was she going to go? While contemplating she was picked up bridal style by Naruto. "W-what are you doing?!" she asked while blushing "I smell a crowd of civilians coming. It would be bad if they found us here, dont you think?" Naruto said with a grin. He jumped off the bridge and ran atop the water towards the mainland. "Where are we going?" Haku asked. "My Tou-san should be in the next town. We were on a mission when I descided to check out what all the commotion was on the bridge. One I explain the situation to him, he'll be more than happy make sure you can have a place to live in our village. After all, it was built on the hopes and dreams of people who have nowhere else to go. You'll fit right in." Haku nodded and asked "What is the name of this village?" Naruto just smiled at her and said "Otogakure"
Flashback End
"Wow" Shinji said at the end of her tale. "Leader can be a really cool guy sometimes. didn't know he had in in him." Ayame and Teuchi just nodded and wiped tears out of their eyes. "YOOOOOOSH!" a new voice said startling Haku. "I DO NOT KNOW WHO THIS MAN IS, BUT HIS FLAMES OF YOUR SHINE BRIGHTLY!" Haku turned around to find nine leaf genin behind her, who were listening to her story. Seeing her confused face, Shinji decided to explain "These guys were drawn in to your story. been listening since the part where Leader-san came in. "INDEED HAKU-SAN! WHERE IS THIS SAVIOR OF YOURS WHOSE YOUTH BURNS SO BRIGHTLY?!" A boy with a bowl cut wearing geen spandex shouted loudly. "Yeah, I bet he's a total hottie" said a girl in a purple outfit with long platnum blonde hair. "I want to see his weapons! They sound so cool!" Said a girl in a pink chinese styled shirt who looked kind of like a panda. "How troublesome." a lazy looking boy with a pineapple-like hairdo drawled out. "Killed 100 guys? Please you must be exaggerating! I'm the strongest there is! I bet I could kick this guys ass!" a wild looking boy exclaimed while his little white dog just yipped in agreement. "H-he sounds so cool..." a girl with milky white eyes stuttered out. A boy with similar eyes and another boy wearing dark sunglasses just stayed quiet and the last one, a round boy just nodded while eating his potato chips"
"So where is this guy?" The blonde girl said, the rest of them nodding in agreement. "Who? Leader-san? He's right over there." Shinji replied pointed back to Naruto. Everyone eagerly turned to get a look at him and they were sorely disappointed. What they saw was a snoring Naruto with Ramen broth and a few small pieces of noodles all around his mouth, and his shinobi pants unzipped slightly so his swollen stomach could get some air. "W-what the hell?" The kid with the dog exclaimed. "THERE'S NO WAY THIS GUY COULD'VE DONE ALL THAT! HE LOOKS LIKE HE ATE HIMSELF INTO A COMA!" as if on cue, Naruto burped really loudly, let out a huge fart, and stirred in his sleep, his eyelids flickered open to see his Haku face palming, Shinji laughing at him and a group of Konoha genin staring at him incredulously. He wiped his face before tilting his head. "Huh? Did I miss something?"
A/N: Well, there you go. Even though this was mostly just a fluff chapter, I tried to make it as interesting as possible. I introduced all of the other leaf genin near the end of the chapter because I didn't want to have to do it all spread out throughout the next ones. How did you like Haku and Naruto's meeting? It was kind of hard to write since im still new to writing emotional stuff. Naruto's main element is still Wind, but he learned to manipulate Lightning and Water elements too. And before anyone asks, yes, the Inorganic Net attack was a reference to Air Gear. I might start referencing some of my other favorite anime in some other attacks from now on. Anyways, next time we timeskip to the day of the first test! See you then! Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated