"LET'S GO THE HELL TOGETHER, GATO!"
Inari's roar echoed through the island. His thirst for blood and his excited rage flowed through the air. People from all around the island quivered and shook in fear at the immense evil aura surging through the entire Land of Waves. Gato could only stare with his mouth hanging open, his eyes shaking in fear.
"For two years, I sought to kill you. For two years, I pushed my body, ruined my soul, just to get a chance to kill you!" Inari laughed insanely; as if demons had possessed him "I don't care if vengeance brings me nothing in the end. I don't care if revenge ruins my life, my body, my future and my soul! I don't care at all! All that matters is right now! To see you quivering in fear when you were once so excitingly killing my father! And to see your blood on my sword!"
"What are you, a demon?" Gato stuttered. His men were cowering by the overwhelming presence that Inari was giving off, and they were slowly backing off. Gato himself was a little shaken, slowly edging away from the crazed boy.
"I've lived for this very moment, Gato! To see your anguish, your fear! I don't care what happens next, or what others say about revenge! I will never be able to experience this again; I'll never be able to get this strong or desire to kill this much ever again." Inari said, laughing in his maniac way.
Without warning, Inari leapt forward, still laughing insanely. His sword was raised high above his head, and his crazy grin never faded away. The first bodyguard stepped forward, trying to stop Inari.
Instead of stopping, Inari just went through him. His first attack was a devastating vertical slash, and cut the unfortunate bodyguard in half down through the middle. Without giving so much as a glance, he brushed the two halves of the bodies aside.
"What are you standing around for? Get him!" Gato screamed at his men. He pushed a few more bodyguards ahead, and they hesitantly pulled out their weapons.
"Hah! I guess I have to kill all of your lackeys before I get to you, Gato! This is going to be fun!" Inari easily cut apart all the men and continued on his charge at Gato without stopping once. However, Gato didn't just have hired thugs as his bodyguards.
"Get him!"
Suddenly, from the trees, two blurred figures jumped forward. The figures were shinobi, dressed in dark clothes covering up to their eyes. They both wore the forehead protectors of the Mist, with the slash running through the design as the sign of a nukenin.
These two shinobi were the Demon Brothers, one of the best shinobi of Zabuza's squad. A long chain was connected between them at each other's wrist guards with long spikes hanging from it, forming a bridge of death between them.
The two shot forward and the one brother on the right pulled out and flung another long length of spiked chain right at Inari in a whip like motion. Inari dodged backwards and avoided the chains. The two dashed at him, the chain rattling between them.
Inari jumped high in the air, over the chain. The two shinobi jumped up as well, hoping to catch him while he was open in the air. As the chains closed on him, Inari flipped over in the air, swinging his sword as his body spun.
The unexpected maneuver caught the Demon Brother's unawares, and cut into the chain. The force of the blow caused the chain to fall out of their hands. Without a weapon, the brothers simply fell back to the earth. Inari landed back on the ground lightly, his sword held at his side.
Two pairs of chains shot out, as the brothers pulled out even more spike chains and flailed it at him. Inari was forced to avoid it again. Every time Inari tried to run in closer to engage in close combat, the chains would shoot out and Inari was once again forced to jump back.
Inari started circling the pair as another spiked chain had stuck in the ground he was just standing on. As he was circling, he tried to formulate a strategy. Blocking was out of the question, as the chains would tear away his weapon out of his hands in an instant. He couldn't run in to fight; his range was much lower and much more constricted. And continuously dodging attacks would not help. Therefore he had only one course of action if he wanted to go on the offensive.
He would have to incapacitate them both at once.
Inari dodged once more, carefully looking for the opening that he would need in order to win this battle. With surprising alacrity, Inari jumped all around the place, continuously waiting for the perfect chance.
Suddenly, both brothers hurled their weapons once more, and the two long chains approached at Inari.
An opening! Inari grabbed his sword, and raised it high above his head. Time slowed to a blur as the chains flew at him. His life was on the line, and if he messed up, he wouldn't get another chance. The chains were just about to wrap around him and tear him to shreds when Inari finally went into motion.
With the speed and accuracy only an expert swordsman could master, Inari stabbed the blade toward the ground. His timing was perfect, and he was accurate to the width of a hair. At the spot where both chains overlapped each other, Inari stabbed down, and pinned the two chains down to the ground.
His plan succeeded, and for a single moment, both brothers were incapacitated, not expecting the boy to do such a risky thing. They stumbled forward as their motion continued. This was all Inari needed.
He leapt on the chain, pinning it down with his body weight. He reached behind and pulled his sword out from the ground. He started dashing forward on the chain, his sword behind him. He ran forward with as much speed as he could, quickly gaining on the brothers.
When Inari finally reached the pair, he leapt over their heads, and flipped around. Caught with their backs exposed, they had no chance when Inari sliced the both of them with a single slash. A fountain of blood spewed out from their wounds and the two collapsed onto the ground in a heap.
"N-no way…" Gato slowly backed up, his face fearful. He was shaking all over, and was almost on the verge of tears. The few men he had left were also in fearful states as Inari slowly turned on him, his sword dripping blood. "W-what are you doing? Stop him!"
Gato yelled and pushed the two nearest men next to him towards Inari. Gato then started fleeing for his life. His men that he left could only stand in horror as Inari cut down the two bodyguards.
Inari was unstoppable. He was a demon, reveling in the blood of the enemies he killed, reveling in the pain, the horror, and the death surrounding him. He was laughing crazily, insanity ruling over his mind. He could not be stopped at that moment. Any men that approached him were cut down and sliced to pieces. Within moments, all of Gato's guards had been decimated and cut to shreds, their bodies torn apart and their weapons cut in two. Their organs were splattered all over the place, and their blood leaked out onto the earth.
Finally, all the bodies had dropped, and Inari stood alone, his sword dripping the blood of the enemies he just slain. Without bothering to clean up himself or the area or wiping his sword, he silently took off running after Gato.
Gato crashed through the shrubbery, breathing deeply as he struggled to catch his breath. He had been living so lazily and extravagantly, his body was weak and unable to hold on the strain of continuous running.
As Gato paused for a moment to catch his breath, he carefully looked around. He was scared that the insane kid was following him. Once he checked if the coast was clear, Gato collapsed to the ground in utter exhaustion.
"That boy…I remember him…" Gato whispered as he recalled his memories. He remembered that day, when a single child had walked up to a corpse of one of his many victims. He remembered the boy, without hesitation had picked up the sword that had slain the man.
He remembered the boy holding out the sword at Gato, his eyes darkened into the black pools of hell, his face as cold and emotionless as the void. He remembered the raspy words that the boy had said to Gato as Gato was leaving the execution site.
"I'll definitely kill you."
At that time, Gato ignored the warning as he received threats daily. But now…
"DAMN!" Gato yelled and stood up "And on the day Akatsuki comes! That fucking brat! He'll pay!" Gato started running once more, toward the bridge where he knew reinforcements were. After a few minutes of running, Gato finally arrived at the bridge which was covered in a thick mist and empty with the exception of two shinobi.
"What the hell are you two doing? Get back there and kill the kid!" Gato frantically called and dashed forward. Zabuza merely looked at Gato strangely, while Haku ignored him.
"Who are you talking about?" Zabuza asked, not looking worried at all.
"That kid! Him from 2 years ago! Tried to kill me!" Gato gasped out, tired from the short run. Zabuza and Haku exchanged glances before bursting out in laughter.
"Heh, someone trying to kill you now? What a surprise." Zabuza laughed "So do you want me to spank the kid or put him in time out? Hah, its pitiful how Akatsuki's famed Shugaki have fallen to running away from little children."
Haku stayed silent, just staring at Gato with disgust and annoyance. Gato glared at the both of them and yelled more "Shut up! That bastard is no joke! He took out all of my guards and your little demon brothers pair!"
As if on cue, a thunderous roar rang out through the misty bridge, a voice that was full of malicious intent and evil but still held the pitch of the innocence of a child.
"GATO! COME AND FACE ME!"
Zabuza shrugged and hefted his zanbato. Haku stayed in his silent way, and pulled out a few senbon needles.
"Heh, guess I got no choice. If he's good enough to beat the demon brothers… " Zabuza started walking toward the source of the yell and Haku quickly followed him. They paused at the gate of the bridge, while Gato quickly ran behind them like a scared child running to their mother.
Inari quickly emerged from the trees, carrying his bloodied katana behind him. Zabuza examined the boy carefully, sizing him up. He took a glance at the sword and whistled loudly.
"Amazing, a kid of your age to kill so much. Judging from the amount of blood, you'd have to kill at least 20 people to get that much." Zabuza laughed and licked his lips in anticipation of a good fight. He looked nostalgically at the boy "That brings back memories."
Inari ignored his talk and charged forward "Shut up with your talk and let's fight!"
"Eager to die, aren't you?" Zabuza charged as well, and swung his enormous sword down and clashed with Inari's blade. "You're nowhere near my level."
The two struggled and pushed on their handles, attempting to overbalance the other. Zabuza hardly strained at all, putting little pressure while Inari put all of his strength into pushing Zabuza back, but that was only enough to keep his own feet on the ground. And Zabuza was only using one hand.
"Hmph. Not bad, for your age. But you should get out of here now. I'm afraid I can't let you kill my employer before I get my paycheck." Zabuza suddenly shifted his foot and gave a might shove. Inari lost his balance and began stumbling backwards. He regained his balance and returned to his stance once more while Zabuza looked on amused.
"Hmmm…this won't be much of a workout."
Zabuza walked forward. Inari swung his sword once more, but Zabuza sidestepped it. Inari brought his sword back and slashed at Zabuza. But his opponent was one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, and normal sword attacks were useless against such a master swordsman.
Zabuza grabbed the blade and stopped it with two fingers on the flat side, without the sharp edge coming into contact with his skin. With a flick of his wrist, Zabuza sent the sword flying into the air. Zabuza smirked at his victory and prepared to kill the kid with a simple twist of the neck before suddenly, the sword flew back at him.
Zabuza took a might leap backward and landed on one knee, using one hand to support himself and the other to keep his zanbato on his back. Inari was swinging the sword by the chain attached to the grip like a flail.
"Huh, not bad. That surprised me. You must have added some nice things to that sword of yours." Zabuza stood back up. With lightning speed, Zabuza was next to Inari in a flash, swinging downward. Inari brought his sword up to block, and the two blades clashed. A normal blade against enormous zanbato. Inari's feet dug into the ground and he gritted his teeth as his body strained. Zabuza, however, was hardly trying. He lifted his other hand and placed it on his sword, and shoved forward and sent Inari to the ground painfully.
"Damnit…He keeps on overpowering me." Inari muttered as he attempted to get off the ground. Without warning, a black blur raced forward and Haku knocked Inari out with a swift punch to the face.
"Shall I finish it, Zabuza-sama? Someone as weak as this does not deserve to die by Zabuza's hands." Haku asked, keeping his eyes focused on Inari. He was feminine, with the face of a woman and long black hair. His voice was like a girl's and he could have passed off as any woman.
"Do whatever you like." Zabuza turned away and sheathed his sword. Gato stopped cowering and stared at them for a while before finally regaining courage.
"Hahaha! Kill me boy? Don't fucking kid me!" Gato started kicking Inari's limp body, laughing with glee. "You'll never do anything! You're nothing! Nothing!" Gato cowardly took his revenge, kicking at the unconscious Inari. Haku and Zabuza stared angrily at Gato, their fists shaking in rage.
"Fucking boy! It doesn't matter how strong you are, as long as I have riches, I'll always win!" Gato's foot shot out once more but was stopped.
Inari was now fully awake and grabbed Gato's foot. Inari was grinning as he said "It doesn't matter if I die, cuz I'll come back and kill you either way. Your riches won't stop me, Gato! I'll take that fucking leg off!" Inari grabbed his sword and sliced clean through Gato's shin, bone and all.
Gato's foot and a few inches of his leg severed and fell on the ground, blood spilling out. The stump that was left of Gato's left leg was a mass of tangled muscle, tendon, and blood. His bone stuck out, cut so then that it was sharp enough to cut like a knife. Blood jetted out, shooting forward in endless streams of red.
"AARRRRGGGHHHH!" Gato cried in agony and fell to the ground. He rolled around, screaming at the top of his lungs in order to attempt to divert his mind's attention away from the pain. His hands, shaking, tried to cradle his leg, but that only caused more pain. Shattered nerves shot out feelings of pain and Gato shook franticly.
Zabuza and Haku didn't seem concerned; on the contrary they seemed quite pleased. Gato cried out for a full minute, moaning and rolling around. Blood continuously leaked out from the stump that was now Gato's leg.
"D-d-d-d-d-damn you!" Gato's body convulsed and his voice, shaky and cracked, was now a squeal, high pitched and spelled out his shock. He turned to face Zabuza, his expression of pure agony. He pleaded with his eyes, his thoughts frantic. Pitifully, he begged like a dog, and forgot all about dignity or his high rank. All that mattered was his life, which he pitifully clinged on to.
"Help me! Help me! Help!"
Zabuza stared in contempt and disgust before sighing. He walked over to Gato and pulled out a roll of bandages.
Zabuza began roughly bandaging the wounds, and did not leave room for gentleness. Gato began moaning and screaming louder as Zabuza tightened the bandages and wrapped it around the wound. "Hmph, I'd prefer to see you in pain, but if you die now, it'll be troublesome for me if I don't get my pay for all this work."
Inari lay watching the scene with a sick glee, enjoying the sight of Gato in pain. Zabuza took note of this with interest and strode over to the boy. Gato started pitifully crawling away.
"Hmmm…you're quite brave, boy. Reminds me of myself. Sorry, but I have to kill you now." Zabuza raised his sword, ready to give off the finishing blow. Inari didn't react at all; he just kept his insane grin. He didn't care if he was going to die. No, after all he had nothing to live for. Zabuza added "Don't hate me for it."
Inari laughed out loud and spoke in raspy tones.
"You don't fear death? You don't regret life?" Zabuza asked mystified. Haku looked on the scene with a strange empathy, his eyes intent on the boy.
"I don't fear death, I welcome it. I don't live with regrets, and I don't regret not living the rest of my life. I've already lost my will to live 2 years ago, and it doesn't matter what life I lead, it'll all end the same in death. That's why I don't feel like living a peaceful life, just living and existing." Inari said. Zabuza stayed silent, as if to allow Inari his last words. "There is no better way to enjoy life than to end it in my case. There is no better joy in the world then fighting and killing. There is no better home for mankind than on the battlefield, because that is what where the true side of humanity shows. It's the best way to enjoy life, to kill and be killed."
Zabuza chuckled softly "Your views on life are quite interesting for someone of your age. You'd have made a good shinobi. Living only to fight huh? Living only for the joy of killing and the joy of battle? Hah, that's the most interesting thing I've heard in a while. You sure are a natural born warrior."
Zabuza laughed out loud once more, his deep and disturbed laugh echoing through the forest. "Well, I'll grant your wish and kill you now."
Zabuza raised his sword and then swung it down. The blade flashed through the air, surely bringing a swift death in its path. Inari grinned once more, and closed his eyes, waiting for death to come.
There was a clang sound of metal on metal. A slight drop of blood fell to the ground. The plop sound repeated every second as blood dripped repeatedly on the ground.
Inari opened his eyes to see the shocked face of Zabuza, his eyes wide in surprise. Haku was gawking speechlessly. There in front of him, was a figure, blocking the enormous zanbato with a silver gauntlet. Blood leaked out from the cracks of the gauntlet, as the enormous pressure from the zanbato opened a wound.
There in front of him, stood the figure of Uzumaki Naruto.
That brat! How? How? How is he standing there in front of me? No way…can't he be there. I killed him! I know it! I saw him fall to the ground. I saw his wound. He should be dead! But why is he here, in front of me. This can't be…impossible!
Zabuza's thoughts raced in his mind as he saw the face of the boy that he thought he had killed. His blue eyes were keen and shone as brightly as ever, not with the glazed look of death. His body was completely alright, with no scars whatsoever. There was no denying it.
He was alive.
Zabuza leapt backward as he saw Naruto's other hand flash silver, a sharp kunai held in his hand. Zabuza landed crouched, his sword against his back.
"You…what are you doing here?" Inari growled. Naruto turned back and smiled gently.
"Saving you of course. I was going to lend a hand earlier, but….well I sort of had some inner troubles. You don't mind do you?"
Inari stared at him intently for a moment. The two's gazes met and they had a small staring contest for a moment before Inari smiled in a normal way.
"Don't expect any gratitude. I didn't ask for your help."
"Well, I didn't really expect any." Naruto readied a kunai. Inari shakily stood back up, and after a moments rest, quickly grabbed his sword. Gato crawled away, disappearing into the mist of the bridge.
"Well, I'll take that freak with no eyebrows." Naruto said, his gaze on Zabuza. "You take on that girly boy over there."
"Che, don't tell me what to do. Just get out of my way, cuz I'll just kill you if you're in the way." Inari stood and faced Haku. For a moment, the two stood back to back, the traditional image of two comrades, fighting for their lives. They both nodded their acknowledgements and both yelled "Go!" at the same time.
The two erupted from their spots, their weapons bared and their nerves steeled. Zabuza and Haku faced each other and nodded, before leaping off to their own scenes, hoping to have a good fight.
And so, the battle began
Zabuza and Naruto faced off, staring intently at each other. They carefully looked for holes in each other's defense, and tried to create a few with weak feints. But they were both carefully evaluating each other, like trained warriors.
After a moment of tension that seemed to last forever, Zabuza finally spoke what was on his mind.
"You, how did you survive? That wound should have killed you, even if you used medical ninjutsu or had a team of the world's best doctors. There's no way you should be alive right now!"
Naruto smiled and looked quite innocent. "Well, I've always had a strong body."
Zabuza growled "Don't kid with me, boy. That wound would have killed even the strongest shinobi. I doubt even an Akatsuki could survive that. How is it that you, a boy with no name in the world, survive such a cut?"
Naruto still looked innocent. "Well, let's just say I have a few gifts."
Zabuza growled once more and glared darkly. He lifted his sword and quickly said "I said stop kidding with me. Don't make me repeat myself. Do you want to know what I am called?"
"Nope."
Suddenly, Zabuza was behind Naruto, with such an amazing speed that Naruto didn't even realize it.
"The Hidden Village of Mist is known as the Bloody Mist. That's because we are the strongest shinobi village. We are the best assassins, the bloodiest, and the most violent. We take the most difficult missions. We are the best killers, the best tools, trained to kill from a young age." Zabuza swung downward, but Naruto's speed was much faster. He turned around and sliced through Zabuza, who turned into a mass of water. A Mizu Bunshin.
"Shinobi are tools. Don't forget that. And we are the best killing tools the world has to offer. Every year, in order to pass the Genin test, we must kill all of our fellow cadets and classmates. Only a group of 9 Genins are allowed. Every year, hundreds of children kill their classmates and friends brutally and mercilessly, just to take the title of a shinobi. Every child for themselves; only the strong survive."
Zabuza was in the air above Naruto, swinging his enormous sword downward. Naruto sidestepped, and Zabuza's sword embedded in the ground where Naruto was standing. Naruto's leg shot out, his kick reinforced with enormous chakra, and sent Zabuza into a nearby tree. Once again, that Zabuza turned out to be a Mizu Bunshin and exploded into water.
"The year I graduated, only one genin made it through. That genin became one of the most notorious shinobi in all of the Mist. That genin had killed all of his classmates and comrades without hesitation or regret. He was a demon who lived only to kill as a tool. That boy was me." Zabuza reappeared and swung at Naruto from behind. Naruto blocked the blow and strained to keep Zabuza from overpowering him.
"And that is why I am known as the Demon of the Mist."
With enormous strength, Naruto was sent back stumbling. Zabuza leapt onto a tree and formed a single handseal and muttered a jutsu.
"Kirigakure no Jutsu."
As the mist covered the area, Naruto lost all sight of everything. It was completely covered in heavy fog, and everything was concealed. Naruto looked wildly around, staring for the shape of Zabuza and his deadly blade. There was a whisper in the air, a foul whisper as dark as death. A whisper that spelled certain death.
"Muon Satsujin no Jutsu. Let's see if your little gift will save you once again."
Inari glared intensely at Haku, waiting for him to make the first move. After fighting Gato's minions, his loss to Zabuza, and Gato's beating, Inari was quite exhausted. He was on his last wind now; he doubted he could continue fighting for long.
Haku remained in his silent way. Inari evaluated the quiet shinobi, and tried to assess his strength based on appearance and stance. Haku stood relaxed which suggested confidence which usually meant that he was strong or just arrogant.
Inari decided to start off with a test. He grabbed the end of the hidden chain stashed in the grip of the katana and yanked it out. Grabbing the chain, he started swinging the katana as if it was a flail. He let loose and the sword flew at Haku who stood unmoving.
He's just going to stand there? Does he want to die?
The katana flew closer and was a near centimeter from stabbing Haku straight through the heart. With amazing speed, Haku dodged the katana at the last possible moment, and avoided a certain death.
Fast! Inari retracted the chain and drew the sword back in. Haku was once again standing silently, observing Inari with an annoying quiet stare. Inari stared back until he finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop standing there and fight me!"
Inari started running forward, keeping his sword to the front. Without warning, Haku leapt back and threw 3 senbon needles. Inari easily blocked them with his sword and continue running.
Haku jumped back, hurling senbon needles after the other in a hailstorm of metal death. Inari leapt over the needles. Finally, Inari gained enough ground and swung his sword. He missed, and Haku sidestepped. The next swing was dodged as well.
Inari continued his furious barrage and unleashed a deadly combo of swipes. Haku was continuously forced back, dodging back and forth to avoid the deadly blade.
It was within this tiring attack did Inari change his tactic. He went for a feint from above and Haku was careless and dodged to the right. He took the chance and brought the sword around to slash at Haku.
But Haku's superior speed had saved him. The shinobi purposely fell to the ground and avoided losing his head. But this led for quite a large opening. Inari recovered and swung downward in a wide arc. Haku desperately clapped his hands together and caught the sword in between palms. A trickle of blood leaked out from his hands.
"Give up?" Inari gritted and forced his sword downward. Haku's face contorted in concentration as his arms shook and sweated as the blade edged nearer.
"Sorry, but as long as Zabuza-sama needs me, I cannot surrender." Haku whispered, his voice strained. Without warning, his foot shot out and caught Inari in the stomach. Before the force of the blow could send Inari back, Haku rolled backward, and sent Inari rocketing forwards, the force that he had applied to the sword turning into momentum. Inari crashed into a tree and fell to the ground dazed.
Haku took a moment to catch his breath and stood back up. Inari laid where he landed, resting for a moment before stabbing his sword into the ground and helping himself up on it with both hands.
"You're not bad." Haku calmly said, his composure returned to normal. Inari smiled "You too. You're real fast."
Haku chuckled softly, his feminine voice similar to the sound of a bell and rang through the area. Haku lifted one hand up and formed a single handseal with only one hand
"Thanks, but it's still too early for you to say anything. The reason why I am Zabuza-sama's weapon and why I am useful to him is because of my ability."
"Your ability?"
Haku nodded and suddenly his chakra flared. Out of thin air, thin needles of ice rose into the air. Shards of ice surrounded his body and collected into a ring. In his hand, a shard of crystal clear ice appeared in his hand, sharp enough to slice anyone into shreds. Ice appeared everywhere, the temperature in the air dropped a sharp 20 degrees and the frosty mist formed into countless crystals of ice. When the chakra outburst finally subsided, Inari could only stare in shock, as the very ground Haku stood on was now ice. In the air around Haku were countless amounts of icy shards, and a giant wall of ice stood behind his small frame. The entire place had changed to a frozen wasteland.
"This is my bloodline limit."
Two blurs shot out, clashed against each other and then shot back into the places where it came from. With amazing speed, the two blurs clashed again and again, the sound of metal clinging on metal ringing through the air. The heavy mist in the air would prevent outsiders from seeing and the immense killing intent would make any normal person run away.
For the last few minutes, Zabuza and Naruto clashed inside the heavy mist of Zabuza's jutsu. The enormous zanbato had already broken 3 of Naruto's daggers and several of his weapons. The two had clashed again and again, neither gaining an advantage. They faced off equally, their speed, blows, and strength matching.
Zabuza's first attempt to kill Naruto silently as before failed, as Naruto already knew where he would strike. Naruto already predicted many of his strikes, so Zabuza's silent killer moves failed. The two began clashing with melee attacks and several projectiles.
Slowly but surely, Zabuza's jutsu faded as the jutsu's supply of chakra was used up. Finally, the mist lifted and revealed the pair. Each had sustained slight cuts from close calls, but neither managed to land a critical blow on the other.
Zabuza managed to speak. "Not bad. It's been a while since I had a challenge like this."
"Well, I'm glad to give you a challenge."
Zabuza dashed forward and swung his sword. Naruto blocked with his gauntlet and strained to push Zabuza off.
"I'm interested though. Why is a kid like you so strong? How did you survive that cut from before?" Zabuza leapt back and sheathed his blade once more. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to find that out from your corpse once I kill you. I'm going all out now."
Zabuza began forming a string of hand seals with amazing speed. His hands were a blur now, and were impossible to catch.
"Suiton, Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"
From the nearby ocean, a mass of water rose from the water in the shape of a dragon. The awesome being radiated enormous chakra holding the water together. The swirling mass flew at Naruto quickly, its mouth opening ready to devour Naruto in its watery depths.
Naruto quickly jumped back as far as he could, the watery dragon splashed onto the ground and exploded in a massive splash. The water drenched Naruto, and the sheer speed at which it hit the ground stung Naruto's skin when it splashed over him.
Zabuza didn't stop at that. After gathering and molding a little more chakra, he began forming more hand seals. With a shout, he called out a jutsu.
"Suition, Hahonryu!"
Blasts of water formed in Zabuza's palm and quickly shot at Naruto. Naruto ducked and dodged the blasts, dashing around the area to look for cover. Once or twice, the water impacted and blasted him back, the impact as strong as a cannon's. Naruto quickly recovered and found cover behind a fallen log.
"Got you!" Zabuza yelled and fired even more water blasts. Thunderous suppression fire prevented Naruto from moving, and kept him holed behind the log. Zabuza fired one last shot before forming a series of hand seals and molding chakra to once again release a familiar jutsu.
Controlling the water through chakra, another dragon erupted from the ocean, this one nearly twice as large as the first. The sheer speed, size, and chakra of the dragon was more than enough to kill a person on impact or at least it would knock them out and make the target drown in the waters.
"Suiton, Suiryuudan Daibakufu no Jutsu!"
A normal Suiryuudan would attempt to kill an enemy by having the dragon "swallow" the target and drown it within the body. If not, the impact of the water would knock someone out, while the chakra would damage the target. However, this variation of the Suiryuudan was much more different. It was several times more powerful and the purpose was not to "swallow" the enemy but rather overwhelm the enemy in an enormous explosion of chakra-reinforced water from the huge torrent of water contained within the dragon.
The dragon roared and rushed at Naruto, who attempted to dodge out of the way, but it was useless. The humongous dragon completely devoured him. The dragon continued, leaving a path of watery destruction in its wake. The sheer power created an enormous flood, and the area was completely flooded.
Naruto was dragged along with the torrent, and dragged him down to watery depths. The dragon finally dispersed, leaving a semi-river. Naruto's body remained trapped in the water, and did not surface.
Zabuza grinned at his victory and then collapsed, using his zanbato for support. He took deep enormous breaths, and sweat trickled down his face. He suffered from enormous chakra exhaustion. A normal water dragon, then a barrage of water blasts and finally his own improved version of the water dragon. The sheer amount of chakra was impossible for even most jounins. In fact, Zabuza took several years of training as one of the Seven Swordsman just to be able to have enough chakra to perform the deadly ninjutsu combo.
It was his special combo. To use a water dragon to distract the opponent, and then firing a Hahonryu until the opponent was forced to take cover and then finishing the opponent off with his own invented Suiryuudan Daibakufu. This combo, however effective, took an enormous amount of chakra and stamina, but it was deadly. Without a doubt, that boy was dead.
"You…you were good…but this time, I know you're dead. No one could survive that. Enjoy your grave in the water, brat."
Zabuza collapsed and pulled out a soldier pill. He swallowed it to regain some lost chakra and stamina. Slowly, Zabuza stood back up and dragged his sword behind him, his energy spent. Chakra exhaustion was evident in his slow movements.
"Damn…that was tiring, but I have to check up on Haku. I'm sure he's fine though."
Zabuza walked away slowly, neglecting to check if Naruto was really dead or not. It didn't matter, because he knew no normal person could survive such a powerful ninjutsu combo. No normal person… but the boy should be dead, drowned in the watery depths, with malicious chakra traces in the water to speed and insure his death.
"It was a heroic effort, but it just wasn't enough, Uzumaki Naruto."
3 long spikes of ice shot forward and Inari sliced through the first one, while jumping to the side to avoid the other 2 spikes. Just as his foot touched the ground, Haku, with his natural speed, was in front of him, swinging with the ice shard that he used as a sword. Inari held up his sword by instinct and the two weapons clashed.
Haku disengaged and leapt backwards. He formed a single handed hand seal.
"Single handedly?" Inari wondered out loud. Shinobi required two hands to form hand seals, but no one had ever formed a seal with only one.
"Sensatsu Suisho."
Water began floating into the air, and formed into long sharp needles. Needles collected in the air, and within moments, a thousand needles floated in the air. It was an awesome sight, one thousand deadly needles, floating still in air, certain death spelled out. With a simple flick of the wrist from Haku, the deadly storm unleashed itself.
Thousands and thousands of needles whistled and shot through the air. Inari, shocked, quickly yanked out a chain from the bottom of the hilt, and started swinging the blade in front of him as fast as he could. The blade flowed in circles like a windmill; the sheer speed of each complete circle could not be seen.
A few needles were deflected by the swinging blade, but it was not fast enough to block the vast amount. Needles passed by Inari's feeble last moment defense and struck home. Blood shot out and for a full minute, the storm of needles bombarded Inari.
The storm finally subsided, revealing Inari with numerous needles sticking out, like a porcupine. Blood dripped out of his countless wounds, and he fought to stay conscious.
Haku stood silently, observing as Inari fought to catch his breath. As Haku stood, a dark shadowy figure appeared next to him.
"Zabuza-sama." Haku said in slight surprise as he noticed him. Zabuza gave a slight grunt and nod.
"Haku, are you finished here?"
"Yes, Zabuza-sama."
"Good. Then we're done here."
"Zabuza-sama, how was your fight?"
Zabuza walked over to Inari and responded without looking back "Fun. I had to go all out that time." Haku looked a bit anxious but didn't say anything.
Zabuza raised his sword over Inari, whose feeble and weakened mind could hardly comprehend what was going on.
"It's over this time. That brat won't miraculously come back this time. It was fun at first, but now it's just annoying, I'll just end this." Zabuza grinned in anticipation and prepared to deliver his final blow. For now, he had killed that blonde brat, and soon he would kill this boy. Soon, all this annoyance would end.
But Zabuza, just didn't know how wrong he was.
Down in his supposed waterlogged grave, Naruto struggled franticly for air as he was trapped under a fallen log. The massive dragon made of water would usually kill most people on impact, but the protective youki of the Kyuubi had saved him. A protective cocoon of Bijuu chakra had surrounded him at the last moment, once the Kyuubi saw that his host was facing an imminent death.
Naruto formed a hand seal in the form of a cross. Since the water would muffle his voice, there was no need to call out the jutsu name. In the water, a large group of clones appeared and helped to pull the log off Naruto. With the combined might, the log easily lifted and Naruto was freed.
His head burst from the water and he took huge breathes of air in. After a moment's rest, Naruto swam out of the mini-river that Zabuza had created from the waters of the ocean. He lugged himself onto the bank and collapsed on the ground, taking long deep breathes.
"Inari, he's in trouble!"
Naruto stood up, and dashed toward the direction he knew where Inari was. He finally arrived at the bridge, where Zabuza was getting ready to finish off Inari.
"ZABUZA!!!"
Naruto's voice echoed throughout the area. Zabuza' s eyes widened in surprise.
"You! How? How are you still alive?" Zabuza roared "I killed you! No one could survive that! How are you still alive?"
"Heh. It's going to take a lot more to kill me than that." Naruto grinned but his smile faded as Haku took off his mask to reveal his feminine face, almost indiscernible from the face of a girls. Haku jumped forward and leapt between Zabuza and Naruto.
"Zabuza-sama, please allow me to take care of him." Haku said quickly. Zabuza grunted and answered "Go ahead. But make sure that guy dies this time. He's starting to annoy me."
Haku acknowledged with a nod and formed a hand seal with one hand, surprising Naruto.
"I won't hold back, Naruto-kun. I will end this now."
Slowly, but surely, 21 large man-sized mirrors, made completely out of crystal ice formed in the air around Naruto. The mirrors formed a dome, and the little space between each mirror was not enough for Naruto to slip through.
"This is my Kekkei Genkai, Hyoton. I can create ice from anywhere with just a little bit of water or even the moisture in the air." Haku stepped into one of the ice mirrors, and strangely, his body seemed to flow into the mirror. It was as if the mirror had just swallowed him up. "And this is the ultimate final jutsu for Hyoton."
"Makyo Hyosho."
Suddenly, a needle flew through the air at Naruto, who quickly dodged it. Haku's form, which appeared in the mirror he had stepped into, stared impassively.
"Every one of my needles will aim to kill or incapacitate you. Even if you are fast, you cannot defend yourself from all sides."
Haku moved from mirror to mirror, his speed to fast to be caught. His speed could make him be at one side in one moment before swiftly appearing on the other side in the next instant. Every time he moved to a different mirror, he threw a senbon needle. With his speed, skill, and amazing aim, Haku was nearly unstoppable. Needle after needle shot at Naruto, who desperately used a combination of shadow clones and swift dodges to avoid them.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Another group of clones appeared and were immediately destroyed by another storm of needles.
Every time Naruto tried to escape from the dome, a huge flurry of needles prevented him from moving. He threw kunai and shuriken, and even a few exploding notes at the mirrors, but the mirrors seem to be indestructible. His chakra was slowly eaten away as he continuously made clones as living shields to protect himself.
"There is no point in fighting back. Accept your defeat and die." Haku's monotone voice said. "I will never fail Zabuza-sama!"
Naruto chuckled, despite his predicament. "Why? Why do you fight for someone who probably doesn't care about you?"
The question caught Haku off guard and stopped his movements for a while. "When I was a child, my parents were killed right in front of me for not paying taxes to Akatsuki. From then on, I lived on the streets. I was only a young child and I was in a position where I could die at any moment. Then Zabuza found me, learned about my abilities and took me in."
Haku closed his eyes and reminisced deeply.
"The greatest pain in this world is to be alone. To know that I am not needed or wanted. To know that everyone in the world didn't care if I died or lived. To live without anyone knowing my name. Zabuza was the one who saved me from a living hell. He gave me a reason to live, he made me feel needed. That is why I devote myself to him, because he is the reason for my existence. I live only to serve Zabuza as his tool."
"Why? People are not tools! How can you just live without your own purpose or needs?"
"Because, my life has no other purpose except to serve. I am not needed by anyone else, and my existence is useless to everyone except for Zabuza-sama. It doesn't matter what you think or if it's wrong, because this is the only way for me to accept that I deserve to live. Because Zabuza needs me." Haku suddenly pulled on his mask once more, shielding whatever emotion he had. "That is enough with talking. I will end you life here, and prove to Zabuza that I am still needed as a tool, so that I may continue to exist."
Naruto looked downward, his bangs shielding his eyes. Suddenly, he lifted his right arm, the one covered in a gauntlet, to his shoulder height. He held it straight and clenched his fist.
Haku formed a single handed hand seal.
"Sensatsu Suisho."
Countless needles shot from the mirrors. Thousands upon thousands of icy needles hurled themselves upon Naruto, each one of them promising an instant death.
Naruto emotionlessly said with a blank face. "Then there's nothing left for me to say to a mere tool. The only thing left is for me to beat you."
Naruto's left hand reached out to grab his silver gauntlet at the elbow. Unbuckling a clasp, he pulled it off with a single swift and precise movement. The gauntlet fell off from his arm.
"It's over."
And the entire world went up in blue flames.
Zabuza stared at the ice mirrors. He had rarely seen Haku's ultimate move, except when he was facing an extremely tough opponent. Zabuza knew that the boy could not win. Haku was strong, Zabuza trained him himself. Haku's speed was far above his own, and his stealth nearly on the same level. Not only that, but Haku's bloodline was almost unbeatable. Even the seemingly invincible Naruto should not be able to survive Haku's merciless attacks.
Zabuza turned his attention back at Inari, who struggled to get up. Zabuza grunted and kicked Inari in the side, causing the boy to curl up.
"Now then, Haku should be almost finished." Zabuza unslung his sword and prepared to finally deal a killing blow. But like all the other times, as if pure luck was on their side, something stopped him.
An enormous blast of blue chakra, so powerful that it completely engulfed Haku's mirrors, exploded outward. Enormous gusts of wind caused Zabuza to crouch to the ground.
"What? What is this?" Zabuza yelled. The chakra completely destroyed all the mirrors and shattered them. Sent hurtling from the explosion, the beaten body of Haku flew at Zabuza, unconscious. Zabuza quickly caught him.
"What the hell? What's going on?" Zabuza, confused, tried to find the source of the chakra explosion. And soon, the source would emerge from the dust cloud the explosion had caused.
It was Naruto. His gauntlet was back on his arm clasped tightly, and his cloak was torn to shreds. The wind blew his tattered rags of clothes in a dramatic way.
Zabuza growled and gently set Haku on the ground. He unsheathed his blade and started walking forward quickly. He scowled deeply.
"Why? Why is it that no matter how many times I killed you, you won't die? Why is it that no matter how much I cut you apart, blast you to pieces that you won't die? What is it about you?" Zabuza yelled "And how, how are you so strong that you can defeat Haku? What is it that makes you fight so hard?"
Naruto started walking forward as well, a kunai in his hand. Without replying, the two met each other and immediately clashed blades. The two fought for power over the other, but fought to a stalemate.
"The reason why I can't die…" Naruto growled and swung his kunai again. The two continuously attacked each other and would always block again.
"…is because I made a promise." Naruto grabbed another kunai from his pouch and swung both of them from opposite sides. Zabuza blocked one with his sword, and blocked the other with his own kunai that he pulled out.
"And until I finish that promise…" Naruto leapt high into the air, hurling projectiles. As he approached the ground, he kicked. Zabuza met the kick with taijutsu and the two fought off with punches, blocks, dodges, and kicks..
"I can't die…" The two leapt away from each other. They both breathed hard, as they faced each other, carefully looking for and exploiting weaknesses in their guards.
"Because I never go back on my words… THAT'S MY WAY OF THE NINJA!" Naruto held his right arm out to the side and pulled the clasp off of the gauntlet.
There was a huge explosion of chakra as the gauntlet tore off. Zabuza could only gape in shock as an enormous amount of chakra gathered around Naruto's arm. There was so much chakra that it was actually visible and crackling. Naruto's entire right arm was covered in blue chakra, up to his shoulder and even flowing behind his back in an enormous wave. The sheer amount of chakra was larger than Naruto himself, and was like a bomb ready to go off. It flowed off in waves, and burned an intense blue, so much that his arm itself was no longer visible. It was as if his entire arm was made of pure chakra.
"What?" Zabuza could only step backward in shock and fear. Naruto's face was as dark as death itself, seriousness etched in his usually smiling features. His eyes were blood red instead of bright blue, as if the very fires of hell burned in them. "What is that?"
"This was one of Akatsuki's experiments." Naruto's voice was deep and full of hatred. "It was one of their early attempts to modify the chakra circulatory system."
Zabuza's eyes widened. "You were one of their experiments? You? I see…that is how you are so strong."
Naruto didn't say anything. He let his arm drop back to his side. His chakra intensified and soon the air was ablaze with chakra. It shot up in the air in a gigantic twisting pillar of blue flame. At his hand was the main concentration of energy which was shaped into a ball like formation.
Without another moment's hesitation, Naruto starting dashing forward toward Zabuza. With tremendous speed, he charged forward, his arm ready to swing a punch. The swirling chakra trailed along behind him, resembling a massive trail of death. With a sudden burst of speed, Naruto neared Zabuza, who stood terrified and frozen to the spot. Terrified. He, the Devil of the Mist, and one of the 7 Swordsman of the Mist, was standing petrified, like some new green genin, or a fear-struck academy cadet.
"No!" Zabuza tried to move but his legs were like jelly. They refused all of the commands his mind sent it. Naruto approached closer and closer until he was only 3 more strides before coming into contact.
The only thing that Zabuza could do was raise his zanbato to protect himself. He held it in front of his body as Naruto chakra covered fist neared Zabuza.
"IT'S OVER, ZABUZA!!!"
The blow hit and exploded in an enormous beam of chakra. It exploded outward in a dome, and engulfed the entire area. The chakra continued onward in an enormous destructive beam, destroying everything in its path.
"ARGGHHHHHH!!"
Zabuza's scream was heard for miles as he was sent flying through the air. The powerful chakra blast had sent him hurtling like a rocket, his body like a rag doll.
The explosion of power finally stopped, and the chakra dispersed into the air. All that was left was a huge smoke cloud lingering the air, dust floating around in small particles. There was an enormous crater, where Naruto's fist had punched Zabuza's sword, and there was another crater several hundred feet away where the energy beam fired from Naruto arm had impacted. Along with it was a long path of destruction and smoldering ruin.
Zabuza had been sent flying for several feet until he hit a boulder, which was now cracked and turned into powder. There was an enormous burn on his abdomen where the blast had hit. His flesh and skin were burned black and blood ran through the cracks on the charred smoking skin. The blast would have killed him if he hadn't blocked with his sword which absorbed the larger part of the impact.
His huge sword was a beautiful piece of work, handed down from generation to generation. Each of the Seven Swordsman's weapons was legendary, and was always passed down from one shinobi to the next. But even the legendary sword of the Seven Swordsman was now melted into a chunk of scrap metal, bulbous and without any shape. The sheer power of the chakra Naruto had used was enough to reduce one of the world's greatest achievements in sword smithing into molten metal. But if it had been a weaker sword or a normal one, Zabuza would have died instantly.
But his body was broken. He struggled to breath, and every breath was like a knife stab in his body. He might have broken a few ribs, or many of his internal organs were crushed.
Naruto stood at the edge of the smoking crater he had created. The chakra covering his arm had diminished, and his arm was visible. The chakra was still visible, but it seemed almost ghostly now and didn't burn nowhere near the intensity it first did.
"You've lost, Zabuza." Naruto reached down and grabbed the gauntlet, and clasped it around his arm. The chakra immediately faded away.
Zabuza could only maintain consciousness for a few more moments before his vision blackened and faded away. He did the only thing he had left to do. He accepted his defeat and admitted his loss.
"Yeah, I've lost."
And so, the battle for Wave had ended. Gato had been overthrown, and his men defeated. It was finally over.
It was finally over, but the real battle had yet to begin.
Gato had been running away for the entirety of the battle between Naruto-Inari and Zabuza-Haku. He ran desperately, without stopping or looking back. Well actually, it wasn't him that was running. His leg had been cut off, and it still throbbed with pain. He was currently riding on the back of one of his many lackeys, who happened to chance upon Gato crawling away from the bridge. The bridge guard had been going on his daily rounds until he felt the massive killer intent and battle that was going on. His first impulse was to run, but then he found Gato crawling towards him, screaming for help.
"Damn…that brat…who are they….who the fuck are they to mess with me, a Shugaki? I'll show them! I'll get to town and bring an army that only I can make! They'll fucking pay!"
Gato's lackey, who was beginning to tire suddenly stopped. He froze in place, while lifting his hand to point at something in the mist. He began stuttering incomprehensibly, his face contorted into fear.
"A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a…."
"What?" Gato angrily said. "Why are you stopping? Hurry up and get me to…"
"A-a-a-Aka-aka-akatsu…"
The poor man never got to finish his sentence. Silently and swiftly, a shuriken flew through the air and imbedded itself in his head. He was killed almost instantly. He fell to the ground, blood spraying from his head all over Gato, who could only mumble in shock and fear.
Suddenly, a killing intent that Gato had never felt before rose in the air. The aura was so overwhelming, so malicious, that it made Zabuza seem like a mere pet. Plant life seems to die as the killing intent increased. Grasses shrunk, flowers drooped, and all wildlife had long since run away. Gato stood frozen.
"What…what is this? Why…why…this killing intent….it's so much that I want to kill myself now and end it here….what the hell is going on?" Gato tried to move, but his body was completely frozen. His bowels loosened and emptied, but Gato didn't care. The fear was too much; his mind was almost shutting down. It was as if he was drowning in the flood of killer intent. His lungs had stopped working and could hardly breathe as the air grew heavy.
Through this mist, a figure emerged. A figure dressed in a cloak, as black as death, with blood red cloud designs running through it. Set upon his forehead, was the old forehead protector of Takigakure, the Hidden Waterfall Village. Over the symbol, a horizontal line ran straight through, cutting across the hitai-ate. He wore a mask over his mouth and nose, and a white turban to cover his head with the exception of his glowing eyes. His pupils were bright, full of evil and darkness, while the rest of his eyes were as black as the pits of hell.
Bells rang in the distance, and the man walked forward with an amazing grace of a powerful shinobi. Every step was full of confidence, full of power. Every step was calm and full of authority and he walked with the air of amazing strength and self-confidence. His calm posture, powerful aura, and deadly killer intent were obvious proof of his strength.
This man was Akatsuki. One of the 9 most feared shinobi in the world, and his power almost ultimate. There could be none that would oppose him, and no one would dare to stand in front of him. Just a mere glance of him would bring even the most strongest of men to their knees.
Gato could only stare in fear, his mouth agape and his mind utterly lost.
"Gato…"
A deep gruff voice, full of murderous intent. Gato flinched at every syllable of his own name.
"You disappoint me. I come here to visit one of my Shugaki, and this is what I see? You have lost control of your own land. You have lost control of your people, and have been defeated by two mere brats." The Akatsuki approached Gato, who tried to shuffle back. "You are pitiful. You are a disgrace. I let you into Shugaki, because of your greed. You would make money, and you were cruel and ruthless. But how you have fallen, crawling on your knees, begging for help like a dog."
Gato immediately recognized the man. He was the creator of the Shugaki, and the man in charge of all the finances of Akatsuki. This man created the whole tax system. He was the greediest amongst all of Akatsuki, and one of the oldest members. He was known as the Treasurer of Akatsuki, and the most known in public.
This man was named Kakuzu, 6th member of Akatsuki.
"K-k-k-k-kakuzu-sama!" Gato stuttered. He was shaking with absolute fear.
"I do not care if you have lost control of the people. No, what is more important to me is the money. I assume that once the people know you have fled the island, they would take your wealth for themselves. This is unacceptable."
"I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Gato cried and bowed down to Kakuzu.
"I might."
Gato looked up in relief, but Kakuzu wasn't finished.
"You know that money is everything in this world. Without money, there is no power, and without money, no one will have anything. Money is power. Money is everything. The people, their possessions, everything, are all measurable as money." Kakuzu strolled around Gato, who continuously bowed.
"I can forgive you for losing control of the island and the people." Kakuzu held his hand out, as if to help him up. Gato disbelievingly reached out and grabbed it, his relief and happiness evident on his face.
"But it is unforgiveable that you have lost my money because to me, money is everything."
Kakuzu grip suddenly tightened.
"ARGHHHHHHHH!!!"
Gato screamed and screamed as the grip tightened more and more. The pressure on his hand was unbearable. Blood began leaking out from his hand and the sound of bone being crushed was heard.
"And you will pay for every cent with your life."
Kakuzu squeezed so hard that Gato's hand literally exploded, sending blood, bone fragments, and flesh flying everywhere, splattering the ground. Before Gato could even start screaming, Kakuzu grabbed his wrist, and twisted hard. As he twisted, he yanked down hard. The entire arm ripped off messily, with many thin strands coming out from the holes and a good part of the shoulder came with it. Blood shot out in huge streams.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Gato could only squirm and struggle.
But Kakuzu had yet to finish. With lightning quick speed, his hand shot out and stabbed into Gato's chest. Disbelief was etched on Gato's face, as he went into shock and convulsed violently. There was the sickening sound of flesh being torn, ripped apart and a hand shifting inside through flesh, blood and bone. Kakuzu reached around inside Gato's chest and found what he was looking for. Violently, he retracted his arm and pulled out Gato's still beating heart, with veins and arteries still attached. Kakuzu examined the muscular dripping organ before grunting.
"Hmph. Even your organs are useless to me. This heart is too weak for me to use." Kakuzu said distastefully. Thin black threads came from his sleeves of his Akatsuki cloak and began fixing up Gato's body. The threads covered Gato's torn off shoulder and stopped the bleeding. Threads reattached the heart into Gato's chest and stitched up the large gaping hole.
Gato was in shock. He didn't move from his spot, and could only stare at the black threads that were now holding his body together. His mind could no longer stand the pain, and began to block it out completely. His mind slowly began to fade away into unconsciousness, the pain too much for him.
As his vision blacked out, he saw Kakuzu attach a seal somewhere inside the mass of black threads that had replaced his chest. The Akatsuki member formed a single handseal and there was a bright light.
"Then, perhaps you still have one use. I want you to pass a message. To the two brats who defeated you and your forces." Kakuzu leaned forward to Gato's ear and whispered a single cryptic chilling message.
"Tell them that I am coming to visit them soon."
A/N
Wow. That was so much longer than I intended. I believe I overdid the fight scenes and wrote too much. If that's the case, then I'm sorry. But starting from next chapter, the real story begins and the action starts. Yes, next chapter Naruto finally clashes against Akatsuki, but is he strong enough to defeat them?
Characters from Canon Naruto will be introduced slowly along the story. So don't worry, they'll get here. By the way, I purposely try not to write any humor in this story because it's not a humor story (its hard…so hard to not add a joke or two…) on the contrary, this story will be quite tragic at some points. There WILL be character deaths and it will be very violent and bloody. I think I wrote a bit too much violence and gore in this chapter though. I intentionally made it bloody, but I think I overdid it…
I decided that Kakuzu will be the first member he will face off. As of yet, Akatsuki has yet to know of Naruto's existence. I'll try to keep each of the Akatsuki's abilities and level as close to the canon as I can. For those that don't know who Kakuzu is (Its in the recent manga chapters) I'll explain about him in the next chapter, including why he would want someone's heart. The story will continue off next chapter starting with Naruto and Inari, the country of waves, and what will ultimately happen to Zabuza and Haku. And yes, I decided to keep them alive for a reason. They'll become quite important…
As for that chakra thing involving Naruto's gauntlet…believe me when I say I plan to explain everything thoroughly and completely. There will be a part later in the story which will go into detail about everything. But for now, please just not question too much about it. I've already planned the whole thing out to the smallest details.
If there are any questions, inconsistencies in the story, or problems, feel free to review or PM me.
Thanks for reading this chapter, and please leave a review on your way out. Let me know any mistakes, or tell me if I overdid the battles or something. Until next time…
Jutsu Translation – Only new jutsus will be explained
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique.
Suiton, Suiryuudan no Jutsu – Water Release, Water Dragon Blast Technique – creates a dragon made out of water through the chakra of the user and is controlled to an extent by the user. It needs existing water in the area to be used and requires 54 handseals (OMG!).
Suiton, Hahonryu no Jutsu – Water Release Rapid Crasher – Creates water that spirals in the users hands and fires at the target.
Suiton, Suiryuudan Daibakufu – Water Release, Water Dragon Blast Water Explosion – A mix between Daibakufu no Jutsu and Suiryuudan. The dragon is several times larger and more powerful and once it collides against something, it explodes in a massive torrent of water, making it nearly 5 times as powerful but consumes 5 times as much chakra as a normal suiryuudan. (I made this one up.)
Hyoton – Ice Release – Haku's bloodline limit that allows him to create ice from a small limited amount of water(I.E. moisture in the air). Most Shinobi requires the use of existing ice, but the bloodline allows the user to use ice almost anywhere. Manipulates wind and water elements to create ice.
Sensatsu Suisho – Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death – Creates thousands of needles made of ice/water and can be fired at will.
Makyo Hyosho – Demonic Ice Mirrors- Creates mirrors where Haku can freely teleport between. Traps enemies within or can be used as a shield.
Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hidden Mist Technique
Muon Satsujin no Jutsu – Silent Kill Technique
Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Water Clone Technique