~Chapter 3~
AN- My thanks to those of you who have gotten to this point. Please review so that I may correct any issues. If I can, I will respond to reviews via PM, though especially important info brought up will be addressed in AN's
Naruto != mine
Out by the gates, Team 7 was fully assembled and ready to set out. Ren now sported a katana with silver fittings, a cobalt blue lacquered saya inlaid with silver kanji for 'mizuchi', and a midnight-blue-cord-wrapped tsuka. It was attached to a black sash which Ren had tied diagonally across his body, with the tsuka protruding over his right shoulder.
"I see you're finally carrying your sword," Sasuke said, a smirk evident on his features. "Well, it is our first serious mission, so I may as well take it seriously, and not leave behind a vital part of my arsenal. Also, before I wasn't at the point that I was competent enough to effectively use it in combat, and it makes no sense to carry something if you can't use it properly," Ren said, shouldering the blue courier bag that contained his supplies for the mission. Reizo had expressed an interest in kenjutsu early on due to his lack of close-range potency, and also to carry on the tradition of swordsmanship set forth by his great-grandfather.
"Where did you get that sword, anyway, Ren?" Naruto asked. "This, Naruto, is Mizuchi, and it was my great-grandfather's original sword before he took to using the Raijin," Ren explained, drawing the blade, revealing that the blade had a deep blue color and a wave-like hamon with a thin groove along the blade. "It is made out of aobuchi steel enhanced with chakra metal, giving it its distinctive blade, and it is one of my clan's treasured objects." "If the sword is so important, why didn't we hear about it in the Academy?" Sakura asked, a bit skeptical about the sword's supposed origins.
"It was, in its time, known and feared, but it has since been forgotten in favor of the Raijin, which was entrusted to him later by an old monk," Ren replied a bit frostily, irked that she should insult his blade in such a way.
"Why is it blue?" Naruto asked, distracting Ren. "Aobuchi steel is already a deep blue-gray color. Pure chakra metal, though strong, is prone to becoming unstable and exploding when overloaded, and thus is actually best used in alloy with steel, where it increases the limited natural channeling ability of the steel. In Mizuchi's case it also enhanced the blade's color due to being quenched in chakra-laced water from a suiton jutsu, which affected the chakra metal. Also, it gave Mizuchi a few tricks which I might show you later," Ren said, resheathing the blade.
It was at that moment that Kakashi arrived with Tazuna in tow. Team 7 looked at their normally tardy sensei in stunned amazement. "What?" Kakashi asked, a bit unnerved by the staring. "You're on time?" Sakura asked, while Naruto was shaking his head, Ren was pinching himself, and Sasuke was rubbing his eyes to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him. "Anyway," Kakashi said, "let's head out."
Team 7 was a few days into the mission when they came upon a puddle in the road. The team was arranged in a pentagonal formation, with Kakashi in the rear, Naruto and Sasuke on the right and left flanks, and Ren and Sakura in the lead. Ren and Sasuke were engaging in a debate over whether kenjutsu was superior to taijutsu.
"Sure, taijutsu has a speed advantage, but with a sword you have greater reach and do greater damage with every strike, not to mention that with training a swordsman can easily match the speed of a taijutsu user," Ren argued, not noticing a large puddle up ahead that somehow managed to persist despite a distinct lack of rain in the past few days, and the otherwise dry ground all round.
The convoy had just gone past the puddle when two large nin leapt out and ensnared Kakashi with a chain that went between their clawed gauntlets, which were worn on opposite arms. Both wore gas masks and had a Kiri forehead protector with a scratch through the village symbol. They pulled the chain tight, and Kakshi's body fell to the ground in multiple pieces.
The genin looked on in shock at what just happened. "One down…" the one on the left said. "…and three to go," finished the one on the right. The first to rouse from their stunned state was Sasuke, followed shortly by Ren, who quickly drew Mizuchi. Sasuke hurled a kunai which went through a link in the chain and trapped the two ninja. The missing-nin simply disconnected the chain from their gauntlets and split up to take on the genin.
Sasuke dodged a swipe from the clawed gauntlet and countered with a kunai, but the stab was deflected by the missing-nin using the clawed gauntlet, which appeared to have poisoned claws. The missing-nin was caught unawares, however, by Sasuke leaping back, forming handseals. The missing-nin attempted to dodge but was too late, and got hit by a Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu which left him with nasty burns on his arm and leg. Capitalizing on this advantage, Sasuke pressed home the attack, subjecting the missing-nin to a flurry of taijutsu strikes, until one slipped through, leaving Sasuke with a quivering hand holding a kunai's handle with the blade embedded in the missing-nin's throat. Blood ran freely from the wound onto Uchiha's hand, prompting him to release his grip and let the corpse drop to the ground.
Meanwhile, Ren was forced to deal with the other of the two missing-nin. He swung his sword in an attempt to cut his opponent's throat. The missing-nin deflected the strike with the clawed gauntlet, opening Ren up to a counter. Ren narrowly avoided disembowelment by the claws by leaping back, executing a hasty slash to drive back the missing-nin. Ren proceeded to block or parry several claw strikes, gradually losing ground. In a sudden reversal of tactics, Ren blocked the gauntlet and, with a quick circular movement, forced the weapon to the side, following up with a final, fatal thrust which pierced the missing-nin's heart. Twisting the blade once to ensure death, Ren flicked the blood from Mizuchi's blade and focused some chakra, which caused water to condense on the blade surface, helping to clean it as he wiped it on his victim's clothing. He looked on with cold eyes as the blood pooled beneath the corpse.
Sakura and Naruto looked on at their teammate's kills, disturbed by what they had just seen. Sakura was a bit green and had a hand over her mouth. Naruto, by contrast, was caught between admiration and revulsion. "You now see what is to be a ninja. You get your hands dirty so that others may live in peace," Kakashi said with uncharacteristic seriousness, "Ren and Sasuke just learned this personally. Someday you will, too. But right now, our client owes us an explanation as to why a pair of C-ranked missing-nin from Mist are after him." The cyclopean jonin turned to give Tazuna a piercing look.
After a truly pitiful sob story from Tazuna, interrupted only by Ren beheading the two corpses to claim the bounty, the decision to continue was put to a vote by Kakashi. Naruto expressed his steadfast desire to continue, while Sasuke, after a short bit of thought, wished to continue in order to test his strength. Sakura, despite some misgivings, voted yes in order to please Sasuke. With the majority voted in favor, they were about to set off when Ren stopped them. "Wait. I have a suggestion. I doubt the Demon Brothers are working alone. Their bingo book entry stares that they rely on others for leadership, rarely, if ever, striking out on their own. Their leader probably has more like them waiting in the wings. I suggest we send for backup, like a tokujo, jonin, hell, an ANBU wouldn't be a bad idea. Gato has enough money to hire some seriously strong nin, and we aren't able to take on a jonin and still defend Tazuna if Kakashi is distracted by another foe. And with Gato's resources, he can afford to hire multiple ninja of that caliber," Ren said, prompting some perplexed looks from his teammates, who hadn't heard him speak in so long a streak ever before. "Ren brings up a good point. At our current pace, reinforcement would arrive within a few days at the latest. For now, build camp and set up watch while I send out a messenger bird," Kakashi said decisively.
When help arrived, it came in the form of a sickly man in a flak jacket with a katana on his back, tsuka protruding over his right shoulder. He wore the standard uniform much like Kakashi, with a bandana-style forehead protector with a tuft of dark hair protruding between his eyes, which had dark circles around them that were highlighted by his pallid complexion.
"Team 7, I am Hayate Geko, here to help you on this mission. What is your status?" the pallid nin said, sounding a bit hoarse. "We encountered a pair of Chunin-level missing nin, the Demon Brothers, whose heads we stored in a sealing scroll. They were handled by Sasuke and Ren. We are currently preparing to move on after a pause of a few days to wait for you. We were unable to gather any information other than that Gato corporation is hiring these assassins in order to prevent the construction of Tazuna's bridge, as he currently has a very profitable trade monopoly going in Nami no Kuni which the bridge would jeopardize. As of now, it is unknown as to who else Gato may have hired, but they are probably going to be stronger than the Demon Brothers," Kakashi said in an atypically businesslike manner. "Understood. Now, since we will be working together for the foreseeable future, how about we introduce ourselves. My name is Hayate Gekko, and I like my fiancée, my sword, and Konoha. I dislike my sickness, traitors, and cowards. My hobbies are spending time with my girlfriend, taking care of my sword, and practicing my kenjutsu. My dream is to find a student onto whom I can pass my teachings and my sword," the sickly swordsman said before breaking into a fit of coughing. When he moved his hand from over his mouth, there was a bit of blood on it.
Seemingly unperturbed by his fellow jonin's coughing, Kakashi followed. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't feel like sharing anything else," Kakashi said. "Yes, he is always like this. That was all we got at team introductions, too," Ren said, answering Hayate's unasked question. "Fine, snarky, you're next," Kakashi replied, miffed. "My name is Ren Senju. I like Konoha, my clan, my sword, swimming, and kenjutsu. I dislike traitors, cowards, and thieves. My hobbies are reading, swimming, and training. My dream is to live up to my ancestor's legacy and to reclaim the Raijin no Ken from the traitor who stole it," Ren said, his face gaining a dark aspect which was unusual for the normally reserved Senju.
"A worthy goal. The Nidaime was perhaps the greatest swordsman in history. In his time he was revered by swordsmen from many villages. He is even said to have equaled the Seven Swordmen of the Mist," Hayate said, looking at Ren contemplatively before suffering a short fit of coughing. Once the others had introduced themselves, the group bedded down for the night.
Very early the next day, the group reached the shore and the stretch of ocean that separated Nami no Kuni from Hi no Kuni and the rest of the mainland, and also the water which Tazuna aimed to span with his bridge, a lifeline against Gato's oppressive economic stranglehold over the country.
The team was currently on a boat heading to Nami, with a local rowing them through the early morning mist. Ren looked around, seemingly utterly calm at being surrounded by water on all sides, while Sasuke was a bit uneasy.
The Konoha nin each reacted differently when the bridge came into view. Kakashi was mostly neutral, while Naruto was awed by the massive stretch of iron and concrete. Hayate had an impressed look, and Ren gave an appreciative nod. Sakura's eyes were wide and Sasuke simply 'hn'ed, which was his typical response to most things.
The group reached the opposite shore and disembarked with Tazuna muttering his thanks to the rower and passing him a few bills for his trouble. The party then set out towards Tazuna's home, the genin paranoid due to their encounter with the Demon Brothers earlier. An especially twitchy Naruto saw movement in a bush and tossed a kunai at it, while Ren did the same seemingly on reflex. It ended up being a white rabbit who sat cowering beneath the knives.
Sakura instantly began scolding Naruto and Ren for almost killing the poor cute bunny, not noticing a very important detail. "That rabbit is the wrong color. At this time of year it should have a brown coat, not white. It must have been raised indoors and used as a substitution," Kakashi thought aloud. "Get down!" he suddenly yelled, pulling down Tazuna as he hit the dirt. The team followed suit as a massive blade which looked like an oversized cleaver flew overhead, spinning through the air with an ominous sound.
When the enormous blade finally thudded into place embedded deep into the trunk of a nearby tree. It's apparent owner was crouched on the proportionally long hilt, facing away from the group. He then jumped down facing the group and yanked his sword free.
The man was tall and muscular, and wore camouflage arm warmers and pants in a pattern resembling cow spots. His spiky dark hair was held back with a crooked Kirigakure forehead protector with a vertical slash through the village symbol. His face and neck were wrapped in bandages, concealing them from view. He was shirtless, his chest clothed only with a single leather strap, presumably to hold the massive sword which he wielded.
The sword itself was a marvel of a blade. It was a massive slab of steel, stretching on without a flaw visible in the steel, the expanse of cold metal broken only by a circular cutout in the middle of the blade near the top and another semicircular one out of the edge near the base of the blade. It was a brutal, vicious blade made for cleaving flesh and bone and nothing else.
"Kubikiri Bocho," Ren and Hayate said simultaneously, looking in awe at the blade. "What?" Ren asked, Mizuchi drawn, as his team gave him an odd look, "What kind of swordsman wouldn't be able to recognize one of the blades of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist? Especially the blade of the Demon of the Bloody Mist, Zabuza Momochi, who was forced to flee after an attempted assassination of the Sandaime Mizukage."
"Not bad, kid. It appears you have the Mizuchi once wielded by the Nidaime Hokage. Now, hand over the old man and you might live," Zabuza said, ending with a creepy chuckle. Ren just changed his grip on Mizuchi and with a quick twisting motion switched his grip to a two-handed reverse and stabbed backwards, killing a water clone which Zabuza had summoned while the team was distracted. Meanwhile Kakashi stepped forward, lifting his forehead protector to reveal a three-tomoed sharingan, while Hayate drew his own blade, which had a black wrap and saya with gunmetal furniture. The blade was quite ordinary, and the only thing about the sword that stood out was the unusual rectangular tsuba.
"Using your sharingan so soon, Copy Ninja? I'm honored," Zabuza said, his voice laced with contempt. The next thing anyone knew, Kakashi and Hayate stood warding off a blow from Zabuza's massive cleaver which was directed towards Tazuna. However, while he was busy blocking, a water clone caught him off guard and almost hit him. Were it not for Ren reacting to a sudden sense of danger with a lethal lunge, Hayate almost certainly would have been bisected by the massive slab of edged steel. "Hayate, help my team with those Mizu Bunshin. I'll deal with Zabuza," Kakashi ordered. Hayate nodded and a slaughter of Bunshin ensued, with Hayate and Ren stepping forward and proceeding to systematically eliminate the Mizu Bunshin, with Naruto and Sasuke mopping up survivors. Kakashi, meanwhile, engaged in a strange battle of mimicry, with the Copy Nin living up to his reputation. There was a brief snag when Kakashi was caught in a Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu, but he was soon freed by a bit of quick thinking on the part of Naruto with the aid of Sasuke while Ren and Hayate dealt with Mizu Bunshin.
This was followed by Zabuza's defeat by Kakashi when the Copy Nin fired off his water dragon before Zabuza, wounding the missing-nin greatly.
However, before Kakashi could end the battle, a pair of needles suddenly hit Zabuza in the neck and a Kiri hunter-nin appeared and carried off the apparently dead body. Kakashi collapsed shortly after, stricken with chakra exhaustion after his prolonged use of the Sharingan. The team then resumed their journey to Tazuna's home, Kakashi carried over Hayate's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.