sorry for the late update, but i had problems getting this chapter to feel right.
yes i own naruto, thats why i post my story here instead of on national tv. for those of you who did not catch it, that was sarcasm.
She looked over to where Kakashi's body had been and saw a pile of logs. "Replacement jutsu." she said to herself. "But if you were alive the whole time, why didn't you help us?" Naruto asked, although he already knew the answer.
"I wanted to see how far you had progressed, and how you did in a real battle. And I'm proud to say you all did great, even though you Sakura didn't participate in the fight till the end, you were guarding Tazuna, in case one of them came after him. Speaking of which, we need to talk." he said as he turned to Tazuna.
"So Tazuna, do you want to explain why those ninja where after you?" Kakashi asked in a surprisingly demanding tone from his normal laid back one.
"I-I don't know what your talking about, how do you know they were after me?" he replied shakily.
"Because there is no reason for those two ninja to attack us, after all why would they attack a group of three genins that haven't even been out of the village before? They could have been coming after me for some reason, but if that were the case they would have left after killing me." Kakashi replied, although he knew his logic was flawed, after all, who would witnesses left to identify them? But Tazuna didn't have to know that.
Tazuna bowed his head in defeat, "Ok, your right they were after me." he said lowly, "They were hired by Gato, to kill me." he said.
"Gato, as in Gato shipping? He's one of the richest men in the world, why would he want you dead?" Kakashi asked interestedly.
"It's because of the bridge I'm building, you see Gato has either bought up, or got rid of all the shipping companies, and then he raised the taxes on everything so high, that we can barely afford anything. The bridge I'm building will let trade through without Gato enforcing taxes on it, and therefore he will lose his hold on the country." Tazuna replied sadly remembering the state his country was in.
"This is at least a B-A class mission, why did you lie about the details of the mission?" Kakashi replied.
"Its because we could only manage to pay for a C-class mission, and we barely managed that." Tazuna replied.
"I suppose now you'll just have to go back to your village and leave me unprotected, just tell my dear sweet daughter goodbye for me. And tell my grandson he will have to grow up without a grandfather." Tazuna said though clearly fake sobs.
Kakashi sighed, "Can I have a word with you guys?" Kakashi said motioning them away from the still in tears Tazuna.
"So, what do you guys think?" he asked. "We really should go back to the village." he said, though not really sounding like he liked the idea of leaving Tazuna.
"I think we should go on with the mission, after all not only does he need us, but the whole country needs us." Naruto said with a firm look on his face.
Sasuke, not willing to miss this chance to test his strength against more strong opponents, "I think we should finish the mission as well." he replied.
"Me to, after all he needs our help." Sakura replied, not wanting just leave when they could possibly help a whole country.
Kakashi mentally debated it for a few seconds before replying, "Ok then, we'll continue the mission. But if I say it gets to much for us to handle, we're pulling out. Clear?" he received nods from all four of them, signaling their agreement with his terms.
The four of them then walked back over to Tazuna, "We're going to continue the mission." Kakashi said to him.
"Oh thank you thank you! You don't know how much this means to not just me, but my whole country." Tazuna said gratefully.
"Well, we better get moving if were going to make it to wave by tomorrow." Kakashi said as he took off walking, team seven getting in formation around Tazuna, then following him.
As it began to get dark they found another camp sight and set it up similar to the previous night, except for tonight the watches were rotated.
The night as uneventful, although all three of the genin were kind of edgy since the attack earlier. That is, Sakura and Sasuke were edgy, but Naruto had to keep up appearances didn't he?
The five of them got up early the next day so they could reach wave by nightfall.
It was around noon, and the group had been walking for about six hours, so Kakashi decided it was time for them to rest, and eat something, much to Tazuna's relief.
After eating a light meal, and resting for about twenty minutes, they continued on their way. They hadn't been walking for an hour, when Sasuke suddenly lept forward, drew a kunai and launched it into the bushes on the side of the road.
A few seconds later a snow white rabbit came out of the bushes, shivering in fear. "Hey Kakashi sensei, arent those kind of rabbits supposed to be brown this time of year?" Sakura asked.
"Your right Sakura, and since its white, that means it was raised in doors. So it was used for a replacement. Everybody get down!" he yelled as he dove and took Tazuna down with him, team seven not questioning their jounin sensei, hit the deck. Less then a second later a huge sword flew right through where there necks had been, lodging itself in a tree. It was around seven feet long, and at least a foot wide.
The group stood up and looked around for who threw the sword, they didn't have to look far as a man appeared standing on the handle of the sword. He was wearing gray striped pants, and had bandages covering the lower part of his face, his headband, which was a scratched through kiri head band, was on his head sideways. His torso was bear except for his sword holder.
"Zabuza Momochi, nuke nin of kiri, and demon of the mist." Kakashi stated as he eyed the man now known as Zabuza.
"Kakashi Hatake, sharingan Kakashi, known for copying and successfully using over a thousand jutsu." Zabuza returned.
"What do you want Zabuza?" Kakashi asked.
"Me? I just want the bridge builder over their." Zabuza said, nodding his head at Tazuna.
"Well I'm afraid its our job to protect him, so we have a problem." Kakashi retorted.
"Then I'm afraid I will have to go through the trouble of killing you all." Zabuza replied with look that said he was going to enjoy the battle.
He then, in one swift motion, retrieved his sword from the tree, and charged at them. Kakashi immediately moved to intercept, using a kunai to block the massive sword. He made sure to channel chakra through so the sword didn't just cleave right through it.
"Sasuke, me and Sakura will guard Tazuna, you see if you can help Kakashi sensei." Naruto said as he took a defensive stance in front of Tazuna.
Sasuke was about to go through with what Naruto said, then he realized that he would be of no help to Kakashi, if anything he would be a hindrance, he had no delusions he was on jounin level, as much as he hated to admit it.
So instead of going to help Kakashi, he also took a defensive stance around Tazuna.
Naruto smirked, that had kind of been a test, to see if Sasuke had come to realize that he wasn't the strongest ninja there was, and to see if he could actually back down from the challenge of fighting Zabuza, Naruto was happy that it was a success.
Zabuza and Kakashi were in a dual of blades, that is until Zabuza jumped back and flashed through a set of handsigns. "Hidden mist jutsu." just as he said that, a thick fog rolled in, not allowing anyone to see anything past 5 feet in front of them.
Naruto saw this as his chance, and created a mud clone to replace him, as he went to hide in the woods.
" Heart, liver, spine, jugular, brain, neck six deadly spots, which one should I go after?" Zabuza's voice echoed eerily through the mist, seeming to come from all directions at once.
Naruto, with his enhanced senses could pinpoint Zabuza easily. So after finding him hiding behind a tree, casting his voice, he picked up a rock, and threw it near him.
Kakashi heard the sound, and immediacy charged towards it. "Where did that sound come from? Now he knows where I am, and I cant escape fast enough without making so much noise he'll be able to follow me!" Zabuza mentally screamed.
As he heard Kakashi approaching, he jumped away from the tree, and brought his sword up to defend himself while still in the air.
Kakashi was close enough to know Zabuza jumped away, and he immediately followed, kunai drawn. As soon as Zabuza landed, he darted forward, only to be sent tumbling in Kakashi's direction.
Kakashi saw this, and wondered what happened, but he decided not to dwell on it, and tried to stab Zabuza, who managed to roll out of the way.
Zabuza then focused more chakra into the mist and disappeared back into it. Kakashi seeing he had no choice, lifted his headband from covering his left eye, revealing the sharingan.
"Where did those marbles come from? I know Kakashi didn't put them there, and those three brats are still guarding Tazuna!" Zabuza racked his brain as to how the marbles that he tripped on, and nearly got him killed got there.
Meanwhile Naruto was in the trees holding in his laughter at how he thought Zabuza must be thinking right now.
Naruto then set about the task he had originally started.
After searching through the woods surrounding the clearing where the fight was taking place, he found what, or rather whom he was looking for.
After dropping his henge, he dropped in behind the person, who immediately spun and attempted to stroke his in the neck with senbon needles between their nuckles, key word tried.
Naruto simply moved his hand up and caught her hand like it was a normal punch, the person pulled their hand back in shock and looked at the senbon, they were completely gone, except for what was inside their hand.
Naruto remained stoic on the outside, but on the inside he was grinning like a mad man. "Gotta love wind manipulation, really messes with peoples heads when you do stuff like that." he thought to himself.
After getting over their shock, the person drew a few more senbon and threw them at Naruto, who plucked each one out of the air like an instructor grabbing a stray kunai thrown by an academy student.
"Haku stop, I'm not here to fight. I just have a message for you." Naruto said to this would be opponent now known as Haku.
Haku looked at him strangely, "What exactly is that message?" the voice was clearly feminine.
"Just this, Gato is using you. Do you really think he is going to pay you. After all why should he when he can pay some thugs a fifth of what he's paying you to kill you after your exhausted from your fight with those nin?" Naruto asked as he casually leaned up against a nearby tree.
Haku took a moment to consider what he had said, it was true that even thugs, provided there was enough of then, could probably kill them when they were exhausted. "If what you say is true, why tell me? I mean your clearly a Konoha ninja. And if we attacked your comrades, then wouldn't you want us dead?" she asked, not really believing what he was doing.
"No, because your not really attacking them, your attacking the bridge builder, they're just in the way. And Gato hired you, but if you knew Gato was going to kill you, then you wouldn't be inclined to continue fighting them, would you. In fact I bet you would be willing to accept my offer of a home back in Konoha?" Naruto finished, leaving a slightly shocked Haku.
"Well think about it. I'll be back to hear your answer when you and the Konoha team next meet." Naruto said before shunhsining from his spot. Haku just stood there thinking about what the stranger had just said. A home, what would it be like to have one? What would it be like to not constantly be on the run, to have to fear for her, and Zabuza's life on a daily basis? She needed to talk to Zabuza.
Back with Zabuza and Kakashi, the fight was pretty even. "I see your reputation is well earned, I havnt had this good of fight since I fought with the Mizukage." Zabuza's happy voice rang through the mist.
"I'm glad your having fun, but its over!" Kakashi said as he formed a handsign to help him focus his chakra as he didn't need to waste any amount of it.
A few seconds later, lightning started to crackle to life in his hand, then started growing in size. By the time it had finished growing, it was producing a sound like a thousand birds chirping and it took on a blue tint. "Now you shall die by my one and only original technique, raikiri!" Kakashi roared as he charged towards where he had pinpointed Zabuza's location.
With Naruto
When Naruto heard the sound of that jutsu he froze, "That was the sound of the jutsu that killed…" he stopped, not letting himself go any further into those painful thoughts. "Besides, it wasn't even Kakashi sensei that did it, it was that traitorous prick Sasuke." Naruto though with venom. And as he held no Ill will towards his teammate Sasuke, he every right to hate the Sasuke from his time. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Naruto continued on his way.
Back with Zabuza.
Zabuza could tell the general direction that Kakashi was coming from, but do to the amounts of noise that the jutsu gave off, it was impossible for his to tell where exactly Kakashi was going to attack from. He had the feeling of dread, not knowing where the next attack might come from, and not being able to do anything his power to help it. So since he couldn't pinpoint Kakashi, he decided to make it harder for Kakashi to find him by jumping out onto the water of the nearby lake.
Overall the feeling was terrible, he hadn't had this feeling since he had first been training in the art of silent killing when he was training to be apart of the seven swordsmen.
Zabuza's eyes and ears strained to find where Kakashi was coming from. He even felt out for Kakashi's chakra signature, but do to the amount of chakra that the jutsu used, it created kind of a hcakra 'fuz' that obscured Kakashi's chakra signature.
Zabuza suddenly heard the sound get louder, he turned his head to where he heard it and saw Kakashi was within five feet of him. He had no time to dodge, or even move for that matter, and Kakashi stuck his hand right through his heart.
Zabuza had a shocked look on his face. Kakashi almost breathed a sigh of relief, until he realized that the would was leaking water, not blood. "Oh no, I fell for his trap!" Kakashi mentally screamed as he turned to jump away. But it was to late as Zabuza rose out of the water, and apparently just finished a set of handsigns as he held his hand near Kakashi.
"Water style water prison jutsu." he said, and water immediately swirled up to surround Kakashi, trapping him in a sphere of water.
Zabuza the let the mist fall, so as to let the three genin see their jounin sensei captured.
As soon as Naruto saw the mist start to lift, he replaced himself with the mud clone he left with his team. As the mist cleared Sakura looked around and gasped at what she saw.
Both her teammates looked at her, then followed her gaze to a trapped kakashi and a grinning Zabuza.
"H-he got Kakashi sensei." Sakura stated in shock.
Naruto bit back a remark about stating the obvious, as it wasn't the right time for jokes.
They all stared at Zabuza as they waited on him to do something. They didn't wait long as Zabuza made a handsign, and ten water clones emerged out of the water.
"Even though water clones have only one tenth or the original's strength, that should be more then enough to take care of you three." Zabuza said with a sadistic grin plastered on his face.
"You guys need to get out of here, the water clones can only go so far from the original, if you get far enough away, you should be safe!" Kakashi warned from inside his prison, his voice slightly muffled from the water.
"No way Kakashi sensei, were not leaving you. As you told us, those who abandon the mission are trash." Naruto replied in a calm yet firm tone.
"Oh so the kiddies want to play? Alright, prepare for the slaughter." Zabuza said with a gleeful smile. And signaled his clones to charge.
slight cliffhanger. well i hope you all liked it, there was a little action in this chapter, but there will be alot more in the next chapter.
also on a side note, im looking for an OC to be one of naruto's main enemy's. the character will be one of the elite ninja from an organization, who's leader we saw in the chapter when team seven went to spy on the missing nins, and naruto took out a big group of them. remember that? well the leader of your OC will be the mysterious man that the ninja reported the base destruction to. he will also be making an appearance in the next few chapters. so i need the application by then. you can find an application form on my profile.