I would just like to say I do not own Naruto or any of the other things I pay homage too. If you like one of my ideas please feel free to use them in your own stories, though I would appreciate a PM so I can read them.
"Speech"
'Thought'
"Demon speech"
'Demon thought'
Jutsu
Swirling Blood Chapter 15
Three soft swishes could be heard as the team advanced. "Range to the target?" was the question that came across the radio.
"Five meters and closing," was the response.
"Alright, go," the order was given.
With a sudden charge the three converged on the target. The blond in red and black made the capture, carefully restraining the cat to prevent retaliation. "Is the Tora ribbon present?" the question was asked over the cat's vehement yowling.
"Target confirmed," The dark haired boy in blue and white responded on the radio.
"Alright, mission accomplished lets head back," their commander returned.
Upon returning to the mission headquarters at the base of the Hokage tower they returned the feline to its owner, Lady Shijimi the Daimyo's wife. Each had the thought that it would soon run away again upon seeing the crushing hug she gave Tora.
"Hmm, what should we assign you next?" mused the Hokage aloud. "We have babysitting, harvesting sweet potatoes, currier…"
"Come on! We've been doing D-rank chores for two months. I'm sure our team must be ready for a little challenge by now," Naruto interrupted. "How are we ever to become anything more than useless genin grunts without a little experience? I'm sure Sasuke and Sakura are ready for a low C-rank at the very least, and I would like to do one that isn't basically a D-rank bumped up in pay scale due to requiring my bloodline's unique talents," he went on to explain.
Though Sasuke and Sakura remained silent both seemed in agreement with their blond teammate's statement. Kakashi looked unsurprised as well having expected this for a couple weeks. With a nod to the Hokage to indicate he felt them to be ready as well he returned to reading his little orange book.
"Hmm, well I do have one mission I might be able to give you," he responded to the team's request. "It's a short escort and bodyguard mission to the nearby Nami no Kuni. A bridge builder by the name of Tazuna is here in Konoha buying materials and needs protection from bandits and such on the road home as well as a short stint at his home until he finishes his bridge."
"I'm sure that will be acceptable," Kakashi responded.
"Very well," the Hokage answered before pressing a call button and saying, "Send Tazuna-san in please."
From the waiting room to the left of the team came an old man with spiky white hair and goatee. He wore glasses and a rope knotted around his forehead as a sort of sweatband. He was attired in a simple vest and pants carrying a loaded backpack obviously ready to go. Finally he was drinking from a bottle of sake at least partially inebriated.
"Is this some kind of joke? I asked for ninja. All I see are a couple snot nosed brats and a runt who looks to be and idiot," the man slurred out. He then seemed to stumble back a bit from the killing intent directed his way from the three.
"Now, now don't cause the client a heart attack before we can even leave the village. I'm sure he will quickly change his mind," Kakashi said attempting to mollify his team. "Go gather supplies for at least a month of travel and meet Tazuna and I at the gates," he ordered the three causing them to leave to prepare.
A short time later the team once again gathered, now at the gates of the village. "Wow this'll be the first time I've ever left the village," Naruto said contemplatively.
"I'm supposed to trust my life to a couple kids with no combat experience?" Tazuna complained upon hearing this.
"Don't worry. I'm among the best jonin in Konoha. As we aren't expecting any shinobi, I alone would be far more than enough protection for you," Kakashi said attempting to calm the client. Tazuna just looked away, not commenting any further.
"You can trust in us because even though we lack experience, we have been training a long time for this job. Even the Hokage started as a genin once and Hokage is my goal in life," Naruto cheerily stated.
"Hokage eh? I doubt a shrimp like you has it in him," Tazuna responded before taking a swig from a newly opened sake bottle.
"Well I'm not going to be dissuaded from my path by the deluded opinion of a drunken old fool. If your age and vices don't kill you before then, you learn to respect the name Uzumaki Naruto when I become Hokage," Naruto groused.
"Respect you? Hah you wouldn't even earn my respect if you became a Daimyo," Tazuna taunted.
"Just be glad our job is to protect you instead of kill you geezer," Naruto growled.
They had been traveling for several hours when Sakura who had grown bored with the monotony of travel asked, "Um, Tazuna-san you come from Nami no Kuni right?"
"What of it?" the man grouchily answered.
"I was just wandering what it is like," she responded.
"Well it's a chain of Islands crisscrossed by freshwater canals and saltwater channels. Aqueducts are used to link the freshwater canals across the mangrove forested sea channels separating the Islands," he described to her. "It's a poor country but we have a number of good deep water harborages that can accept ships from far distant places. My bridge will link us to the mainland of the elemental nations allowing us to become a powerful trading port," he proudly explained.
"As they talked the other three members of their party noticed a puddle laying at the edge of the road ahead. Kakashi slowed his tread from his position in the lead of the group intent upon letting the others pass the obstacle first. Sasuke meanwhile moved closer to Tazuna casually placing himself between the man and the puddle.
"Uhgh… I gotta take a leak," Naruto grunted as the stepped up to the puddle and fiddled with his zipper.
"Not in front of me baka! I'm a lady!" Sakura almost screamed as she struck Naruto hard in the back of the head.
With a poof Naruto disappeared. Confused Sakura turned back to the group and in that moment two ninja rose from the water. Sasuke charged the girl confusing her even more as one of the ninja with a single metal horn bolted to his hitai-ate and a two canister rebreather launched the second who had two such horns and a single canister rebreather into the air.
As the first made to stab her in the back with a massive clawed gauntlet on his right hand Sasuke knocked her to the ground taking a nasty gash to his left shoulder. Meanwhile the second came down on the opposite side of Kakashi looping around the man the spiked chain linking his own clawed gauntlet on his left hand to that of the first.
With a single tug the jonin was shredded to pieces. Turning they then dashed to Tazuna simultaneously eviscerating him with their lethal gauntlets. With a poof of smoke Tazuna disappeared. Both nins then let out a grunt as Kakashi appeared striking both from behind knocking them out. "I'm sorry Sasuke I should have acted sooner but never expected Sakura to be so easily blindsided," Kakashi said.
Turning to the woods he continued by saying, "Good job protecting the client Naruto." With the danger gone Naruto stepped from his place of concealment dragging Tazuna the mouth of whom he had his hand clasped over.
Seeing the gash Sasuke had taken as he regained his feet, as well as the sheen of sweat that broke out upon his forehead Naruto released Tazune. "Sasuke the claws were probably poisoned. I need you to slash your right palm and I will see about getting it out of you," he stated.
As Sasuke slashed his palm Naruto proceeded to slash his own right hand far deeper before going through a series of hand signs."Chiton: Yuketsu," he called out as his hands took on a glow of healing chakra. He then placed his hand upon the damaged shoulder.
As a large quantity of blood began to flow out of Sasuke's slashed hand Naruto commented, "Sakura I'm disappointed in you."
"What are you talking about?" the shaken girl asked.
"Were it not for my Kekkei Genkai your inattentiveness would have killed Sasuke just now. Not to mention the fact that you struck a comrade in the middle of a mission," he explained.
"Well why did you have a clone with us and why did it do such a vile thing anyway," she grumbled in a scandalized voice.
"Well the clone was traveling with the group while I stealthily scouted per Kakashi-sensei's silent orders to me as we left town. As to its actions it was going to release a numbing agent from my blood using a simple chiton jutsu into the puddle those two were concealed in," he answered. "Had you let him we may not have even had a real fight as those two would probably have been almost completely incapacitated."
"And you couldn't do it any other way?" she responded disgustedly.
"Not without alerting them that they were under attack before it took effect. You need to learn Sakura that you're no longer a "Lady"," he said throwing up the quote fingers. "You're a kunoichi now. That means that you will have to do and experience things that your civilian raised sensibilities will cry out against. So grow up and start doing the job you trained for or quit right now so you don't end up getting us killed trying to protect you," he stated as the massive flow of blood finally came an end leaving the ground saturated with Sasuke's blood.
As Naruto performed first aid binding the wounds Sasuke interjected saying, "He's right Sakura. We don't need a spoiled fan girl princess who thinks her prince charming is always going to save her. If you don't shape up your just going to end up holding back Naruto and I from achieving the strength we need to obtain as the two heads of decimated clans."
He then turned looking straight into her eyes before saying, "I will never rebuild my clan with a weakling who has no concept of the real world."
Kakashi now stepped in saying, "That's enough boys. I think she gets the point." Turning to their client he then said, "Now Tazuna would you like to explain to us why two chunin level missing nins were after you?"
AN: And with that we get the start of the Wave Arc. Hope you enjoyed my rendition and reviews are welcome.
Chiton: Yuketsu – Blood style: Transfusion = The user literally drains the blood from a person replacing it with their own. In this case Naruto is doing so to drain the poison tainted blood from Sasuke before it can cause much damage but it could also aid those that for some reason need true dialysis.