Ch. 8 : Encounter

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto, Star Wars, or any obscure references to other owned or written material, either official or those of fandom. They are all property of associated parties.

A/N : Another day, another chapter. Read and enjoy. More at the bottom.

"Ten little Ninjas, play so fine.

Along came a Tanuki, and then there were nine."

Naruto made his way down the main street of Konoha, wandering aimlessly between the small market kiosks. The warm air blew in soft breezes, pushing the leaves across the street.

"Nine little Ninjas, fighting their fate.

They crossed a big black cat, and then there were eight."

Today had been far from his worst birthday, but it was still pretty bad. Both Iruka and Old Man-Hokage were too busy to see him.

"Eight little Ninjas, laughing with their brethren.

A turtle washed ashore, and then there were seven."

He was trying his hardest not to be mad, but they had promised to spend time with him today. He knew that they would probably try to make it up to him when they could, but it just wasn't the same thing.

"Seven little Ninjas, the romantics took their picks.

Soon a monkey comes to town, and leaves only six."

Despite his loneliness, Naruto was sure that he would find someone to celebrate his birthday with. You don't turn eight every day after all. Maybe some of the kids at the park would play with him? There were always people there this time of day, even on holidays. He smiled and broke out into a run in his excitement.

"Six little Ninjas, glad to be a live.

A hungry dog started biting, and ate all but five."

His hopes were paid off with the sound of laughing. Just like always, kids were playing in the park and he couldn't wait to join them. They called to him, overjoyed at having a new playmate in the way only children can. Their parents remained unaware, chatting with each other absently while their children had fun outside.

"Four little Ninjas, ready to go to war.

A weasel started playing tricks, until there was but four."

So he wanted to play rough, huh? He was game. One of the bigger boys in the group had declared himself 'King of the Hill', daring anyone to knock him off his perch. Naruto ran up the soft side of the dirt hill, tackling the boy. Not so tough now, was he?

"Four little Ninjas, looking as far as they could see.

A bully beetle saw them and beat them down to three."

It wasn't fair! The other boy had punched him first, so Naruto hit him back. The boy's mom only saw him hit her son though. She wouldn't even let him say what happened. The boy was lying, and they wouldn't even listen to him!

"Three little Ninjas, sailing on the ocean blue.

A sea monster smashed some ships; the survivors numbered two."

Great, now everyone hated him. All the other kids had sided with their friend. They each told their parents what they thought had happened until the grown-ups believed he had started the fight. They made him leave the playground alone, and Naruto found himself wishing that he had parents to stick up for him.

"Two little Ninjas, trying to have some fun.

A massive fox destroyed their lives, now there is but one."

Word spread fast around the village, and somehow before he had returned to his quiet apartment everyone was staring at him. It might be a while before he could play again, all the kids looked afraid of him and their parties expected him to start trouble. Even though it hurt, he held his head high. He was a big boy now, and big boys didn't cry in front of people. Even if they were staring at him and whispering behind his back. The weight grew to be too much for him before he could see his apartment building from the street, so he broke into a run. His chest ached and his throat grew dry and scratchy, making it really hard to breathe. His pride remained intact though, as he got through his mean landlady's lecture about being quiet at night because of his neighbors. When he finally closed his door and slid the heavy deadbolt into place, he smiled despite the fat tears that burned his cheeks. Oh yeah, he was a big boy now, and no one was going to take that from him.

"One little Ninja, searching for a home.

Look all you want child, you'll always be alone."

He wasn't done crying when he heard a soft knock on his door. He held his breath to stop the tears long enough to sound brace. His voice didn't crack at all when he asked who was there, and happy warmth flooded him when the Hokage's familiar tone answered. That warmth dispersed though, when the old man told Naruto how disappointed in him he was. The Old Man had been looking forward to surprising the boy that afternoon, but then he found out that Naruto had started a fight in the playground.

Again, Naruto was proud of himself when he didn't cry through the short ordeal. He told his surrogate grandfather that he was sorry. Why would he believe him, even if he told him the truth? It was the word of multiple parents against his own; he didn't stand a chance. The Hokage then told him that he was going to be too busy to see him for the next week or two, would he be alright alone? Naruto told the man what he wanted to hear, and listened as the footsteps faded into silence. When he knew he was alone again, he grabbed a pillow from his bed and collapsed with his back to the door A big, heavy tear rolled down his cheek and was absorbed into the fabric squeezed tightly against his chest. Why should he care that the Hokage hadn't said 'Happy Birthday'? He was a big boy now. Big boys didn't care what other people said. They jest took care of themselves while they cried alone in their cold, quiet house... right?

- Compound : Private Chamber -

Naruto bolted awake and clenched his jaws to suppress the scream clawing at his throat. The dream he had just borne witness to was far more than just that, a dream. No, it was a memory. A memory of a time when he had been helpless, hopeless. Naruto started down at his hands as though trying to read a foreign language printed on them. The thick comforter slid down from its place, exposing his flushed, sweat-laden skin to the cool air of the unheated compound. He drew his hands into fists and took comfort in the strength his body held. He was no longer defenseless, and he didn't have to rely on the mercy or compassion of his 'guards' to keep him alive.

He threw his bed sheets to one side of the bed and swung his legs off of the side. There was no way he was going back to sleep after that dream, he had had it enough times to know that much by now. Lying in bed would just be a losing battle and a waste of time. Besides, he had things he needed to do, and he could go for a breath of fresh air anyway.

His only adornments leaving his personal chambers were a pair of jeans and his boots. He didn't even bother bringing his jacket, opting instead to enjoy all the cold weather had to offer. As always, two HK-50 Droids stood guard outside his doorway, and acknowledged him as he left his room.

"Greetings, Master. You are up late. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Naruto felt his temper flare and his face must have betrayed his displeasure, as both Droids sank to one knee before him, bowing their heads. Even the ever-silent one did it.

"Forgive me, Master. I spoke out of turn."

The show of submission made him feel a little guilty, and he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to erase the grogginess he still felt from having just awoken.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just having some trouble sleeping. That's all."

"Of course. Is there anything we can do?"

He automatically made to dismiss them, but thought better of it.

"Yes, actually. I need you to locate HK-47. Do you know where he is?"

The Droid's photoreceptors flashed, signifying its communication with the other synthetics in the compound. After a surprising lag time, the Droid got results.

"The Archaic-One seems to be in the Shooting Range, right next to the Armory. Shall I alert him that you wish to speak with him?"

"Yeah, let him know that I am on my way there right now."

The boy didn't wait for the conformation to turn his back on the two. He might not have been given permission to use any of the weapons in the training area, but that didn't mean he didn't know where it was. Sure it had taken him almost two months of constantly getting lost in the damn place, but he finally got the hang of where everything was a couple of days ago. He still got lost now and then when going somewhere new, but he had it mostly down.

The distinctive sound of blaster fire signified that he did indeed have the right area, and he was completely unsurprised to see HK-47 wielding a rather bulky but unquestionably efficient blaster rifle, bigger than usual and a different color from the generic blacks and grays he always saw. After firing a couple of rounds down range, the rust red killing machine laid the weapon down and addressed Naruto.

"Enthusiastic Greeting : Ah, hello Master. I had wondered when you were going to come visit me, though I didn't expect it to be at such an hour. It has been rather boring on base since my return."

"I'm going to assume that by 'boring' you mean you haven't killed anything lately."

"Reluctant Admittance : Nothing human at least. Your 'Forest of Death' has some rather interesting prey. Sad Complaint : Still, hunting an insentient being just isn't the same."

Naruto laughed at the typical homicidal nature of his oldest Droid companion. It was good to know that the damage he had sustained wasn't serious enough to change his personality... kinda.

"In that case, I might have just what you are looking for." The way -47's eyes lit up told Naruto that he had his attention with that statement. "Where were you on your last mission?"

"Confused Answer : The locals call it Wave Country. Query : Why?"

The boy gave a dark grin that made HK's behavioral core practically shiver in delight.

"My team was given our first out-of-town mission assignment. Our destination?...Wave Country. What do you say you tag along for a little road trip? I'm sure we won't need it, but a little back up couldn't hurt. Plus, who knows? You might find the guy who cut you in half."

"Overjoyed Statement : …...I like you, Master. Excited Query : When do we leave?"

"In about twelve hours, give or take."

HK-47 snapped a crisp salute to the boy, feeling a new respect for his newest Master.

"Acknowledgment: I will be ready this time. Am I to reveal myself to your team?"

"No. Remain hidden until we are well out of Konoha. I want as few people to know about you guys as possible until it is time. I will let you know when I need you to appear."

"Acknowledgment: As you wish. I will be ready for departure."

"Excellent,"

Naruto turned to leave the killing machine to its own devices, but paused at the doorway.

"Oh, and HK... don't fail again. I won't accept it as well as Master Bane does. You are a killing machine, and I expect you to actually be able to kill. Not die."

Both parties were completely thrown off by the statement, but Naruto wasn't about to take it back and HK wasn't about to complain. There were few things in organics he truly respected, but brutality was one of their few redeeming qualities. Finally, a Master that just might utilize him to his full capabilities. For the first time in thousands of years, the Droid thought of his creator in sad nostalgia.

'Ah Master Revan, I miss you. Perhaps this boy will be as you were. We will see, I suppose...'

Naruto meanwhile, had actually scared himself a little with that statement. Since when did he ever think like that? It wasn't that it wasn't true, he just didn't usually see things like that. Come to think of it, ever since his time 'under-the-knife;, he had been feeling rather strange. Slowly at first, but more frequently lately he would find himself being... harsh. Colder to those that served him, crueler to people who irritated him. And even down right mean to people he didn't like. He had a feeling that it had something to do with the Force, but there was no way to be sure without asking his Masters. And there was no way in hell that was happening. The last thing he needed right now was for the two of them to think there was something wrong with him.

With a shake of his head to clear away his confusion, the blond decided that maybe it was time for him to take a closer look at the gadget section of the supply room. After all, now he was alone and could look at the things that had interested him without Kyle being... eccentric.

It was about ten in the morning when Kyle found his apprentice wandering around in the supply room. The blond was staring up at a wall of combat armor, with very noticeable stars in his eyes.

"Hey, what are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for your mission?"

Naruto shrugged dismissively without taking his eyes off the suits.

"I'm already packed. Right now I'm just killing time."

"By staring at armor?"

"Meh, I'm trying to get a feel for what I want mine to look like."

Kyle laughed at the boy and shook his head, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Well cut it out. You've been in here for hours now and I don't want you turning into some creepy dude that just stares at things all day. The Droids and Bane does that enough to be weird, and I don't want you to do it as well. I might just have to go crazy. Now let's go grab a bite to eat before you head out, I hear you are going to be gone for a while and I could use some talkative company before I'm stuck with these guys again."

"Oh please, it's way too late for that, and you know it. But sure, I'm coming."

Naruto cast one last look of longing at a black armor and cape combo, complete with a full re-breather/helmet deal, before turning away and following his Master, and close friend.

- Konohagakure Streets : Main Entrance -

Surprisingly, Naruto was the first one to arrive at the front gates of Konoha, even after walking from the compound. After last night he felt the need for a good long walk. The fresh air worked wonders for his frazzled mind and churning emotions. Besides, god knows what would happen to his bike if he left it out for a month this close to Konoha. He wasn't worried about it being exposed to the elements. The thing had survived thousands of years in an extremely inhospitable cavern-ey garage looking thing. A couple of weeks of fresh air and maybe some rain wasn't going to kill it. What bothered him was the thought of someone finding it. Could you imagine what would happen if say...Kiba, found his pride and joy?

Naruto shuddered at the very thought. Besides, the long walk was good for his mind-set. He had thought that the dreams had stopped for good once he had joined the academy, but apparently the problem was still there. He was unsure of how to handle it, but he had no doubt that it needed to stop. He was so engrossed with his thoughts that he almost walked past the meeting point. He leaned against a thick wall post and closed his eyes. He hadn't been able to get more than a few hours of sleep before the dream had awaken him, and he hadn't gone back to sleep afterward. Naturally, he could do with some rest.

Sakura was pretty surprised to see her blond teammate present before her. He had never arrived before her. Hell, he was usually lucky to show up five minutes before Kakashi most days. It was almost as though he could tell when the Jonin would decide to arrive.

"Hey Naruto, what are you doing here this early?"

He didn't look up as she spoke, but she could here the exhaustion in his voice.

"'It's our first mission. Of course I'm going to be here early."

"What are you talking about? We've had tons of missions and you've been late every time."

"Yeah, right. You know just as well as I do that this 'helping-people-out-with-chores' crap doesn't count as missions. Hell, they barely even count as practice. When I say missions, I mean the kind that we actually use our skills for what they were meant for."

Sakura was surprised by the ferocity in his voice. Sure he was right, but the way he spoke was unlike him. He was pissed about something and it was making her nervous. She had seen a little bit of what he was capable of, and even that hadn't told her much about what he could do. The idea of Naruto being angry enough to use those abilities to lash out at someone... It was something she would rather not think on too much.

Not too long after their short conversation the duo were joined by both Sasuke and Kakashi, who was dragging a hung-over Tazuna behind him.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! You're here on time for once."

The cyclops pointedly ignored her and slapped their client on the back, knocking him forward and forcing him to stand for himself.

"Okay kiddies, are we ready for our first big-boy mission?"

Naruto snorted in amusement at the comment while Sasuke just scowled.

"Yup, and I packed my own lunchbox as well. I forgot to bring my blankie though, so no nap-time breaks."

Both of the blond's teammates glared at him while Kakashi just snorted under his mask. He was quickly growing to like the boy. He was determined, had a good sense of teamwork, and was willing to get dirty in order to get the mission done. Most importantly though? He had a sense of humor that he was more than willing to use. He definitely made things more interesting.

"I'm sure we will be able to come up with something suitable along the way. Now if you ladies are ready, we can go."

Their was little hesitation on any parties part, and after a brief stop at the security checkpoint at the gate, they were released into the big, bad, outside world. For a moment Kakashi could have sworn that Naruto had cast a glance toward the shadow of a tree and nodded slightly, but it was gone so fast he couldn't be sure. Besides, there was nothing near the tree at all that he could sense, so he wasn't too worried about it.

- Unkown Path : A few miles from Nami -

After a few hours of travel, the sights and sounds of the world outside Konoha ceased to be a source of wonder, causing the group to devise their own ways of entertaining themselves. Kakashi had drawn a familiar orange novel from a pouch at his waist and was reading it casually, to no big surprise of his students. The team's client was sipping at a bottle he had taken from his travel bag and was nursing it lightly, keeping a nervous eye on anything that moved in the trees around them.

Sakura was casting fervent glances at Sasuke and was trying to make light conversation with Tazuna, questioning him about his home village. Sasuke was walking casually slouched with his hands in his pockets, though he was still keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Naruto meanwhile... he was... They weren't quite sure what Naruto was doing. He was obviously pretty relaxed and nonchalant, toying with one of the knives he kept on him at all times. The thing was though, he was trying to sing. But it wasn't quite singing. It was more of a low chant that none of them could place. It definitely wasn't a tune they had heard before.

"Naruto, what are you singing?"

The blond looked in her direction with a irritated look in his eye, and for a moment Sakura was worried that she had made him mad. Fortunately he blinked hard and rubbed his eyes as though trying to snap himself out of something.

"It's a song my Masters showed me in some old records. Vode An."

Kakashi perked up in interest and stopped reading his book, choosing instead to take part in the conversation.

"Vode An? I've never heard of it."

"Of course you haven't. It's been dead for centuries."

"Right, right. I forgot, they're old as hell."

At that comment Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna all looked at him in confusion. Both of the teammates were reminded by that, that they still didn't know too much about the 'Masters' Naruto was always going on about.

"Hey, that's right. Who are your masters?"

Naruto sighed and twirled the blade between his fingers, working with his dextrous fingers to keep them limber.

"What do you want to know about them?"

Sasuke walked closer to the group so he could take part, though he was planning on letting Sakura do most of the talking. She had most of the same questions he did after all.

"Well, who are they?"

"They are Master Kyle Katarn and Lord Bane."

"...and?"

"And what?"

Sakura groaned in frustration and bit back the urge to smack her teammate.

"And where are they from? What do they do? Why haven't we ever seen them before?"

"Why did they decide to train you?"

Kakashi shook his head at the unsavory addition, courtesy of Sasuke. Of course the boy would be uppity about Naruto getting training that he wasn't.

Naruto clicked his tongue and slid the blade back into its place in his jacket.

"They are from this area, but not this time. Due to a rather unfortunate incident brought about by decades of conflict, they were the only two survivors of the apocalypse."

He hesitated in his explanation only long enough to enjoy their reactions before continuing.

"Master Bane was the head of one faction of a war, Master Kyle was that of the other. When the end came, they survived by going into cryo-stasis. Hibernation. They slept for thousands of years until the world had recovered, and they awoke to train their successors. They chose me."

Sasuke snorted in contempt.

"And even if all this is true, why would they choose you?"

"Because I am the only one that can do what they can do."

"Bullshit. If a moron like you can do it, I bet any civilian off the street could do it even better."

Naruto's lip curled back into a snarl and Kakashi noticed something in his eye that he didn't like. Deciding to intervene before Naruto showed him just what he was talking about, Kakashi went through the effort of putting his book away and engaging himself in the conversation fully for the first time.

"Don't doubt him, Sasuke. He's telling the truth on both counts. I spoke with his masters myself, as well as the Hokage."

The avenger scowled, unhappy and confused that Naruto wasn't just lying.

"So what is it that makes you so different then? Did they devise a way to channel idiocy into a weapon?"

Kakashi saw that flash again, and sprung into action. With a quick leap, the Jonin positioned himself between Sasuke and Naruto, and not a moment too soon. Naruto had lashed out with a palm, sending a wave of the same invisible energy he had used to shield himself with weeks ago towards Sasuke. Well aware of the power that could be behind it, Kakashi braced his knees to absorb the blow, and channeled some Chakra to his joints to add extra support. The second the wave hit, Kakashi was glad he did because the sheer force of the blow took everything he had and kept on giving. It was only through sheer power of will that he didn't take a step back to re-steady himself.

The onslaught lasted less than a second, but the silence continued on for several more after it. Everyone was watching everyone else to see what their next move would be. Naruto only relaxed when Kakashi did, and Sasuke made sure to hide the astonishment he had felt, as well as outright deny the sliver of fear that had coursed through him at the display of such raw power. Even protected from the wave by Kakashi-sensei, he had still felt it rush over him and honestly? It scared him.

"Now now, Naruto. That's no way to treat your teammates. He was only asking an honest question."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Oh? And his insult to my ability is just to be brushed off? Had anyone insulted him like that, his ensuing attack would have been perfectly 'justified', right?"

Whatever Kakashi was going to say in defense was brushed off as Naruto turned their back to the group.

"You know what? Whatever, lets just get this stupid mission over with."

The rest of Team Seven watched as their blond teammate walked away. Both Sakura and Sasuke knew that he was acting really out of character lately, and while Kakashi might not have spent that much time around him before their team placement, he had learned enough to know that something was wrong. The man made a not to talk to the boy at some point later on when they were alone. Whatever the problem was, it needed to be sorted out before it caused too many problems in the future.

Naruto knew that something was wrong with him. It had started off badly a couple of days ago, but since then it had only gotten worse. Lately he had been lashing out at the Droids of the compound more frequently and with increasing viciousness. Oddly enough however, not only did the not hold it against him, they seemed to take it positively and their productiveness had increased greatly. Apparently the HK series of Droid responded to cruelty, crazy bastards.

Still, he couldn't argue with the results. They had only been working for a few short weeks and already the majority of the compound was excavated, cleared out, and renovated. Countless forms of technology had been found and handed over to the Droids in the technical laboratories to analyze and improve. Information databases had been recovered with countless hours of information, both historical, theoretical, and practical. All in all, the finds were extremely useful for the plans of his Masters and himself.

The boy smiled to himself as he remembered Kyle's excitement not too long ago. The techie Droids downstairs had devised a way to decrease the power output of the more basic blaster rifle and pistol designs. While he had been confused about it, (What was the point of a smaller gun ) Kyle had just grinned at him. After a short explanation, Naruto had been grinning right alongside him. If they lowered the firepower, they could lower the fatality potential, creating weapons that only stunned their enemy. While to them personally it was useless, the economic possibilities behind it were limitless. If they were to mass produce the weapons and sell to only one country, not only could they become a super power in practically no time at all, their economy would boom. And they just happened to have a country in mind.

Lost within his increasingly dangerous thought process, Naruto failed to notice the deep rain puddle in the water until he had stepped in it, sinking almost to his ankle and getting the leg of his combat pants wet.

"Aw dammit."

His frustration only mounted at the annoyance, and he shook his head. Today was just not his day, was it.

"Warning : Master, there are two hostiles directly behind you."

Naruto acknowledged the radio call without alerting his team. One of the advantages of having hair as long as his, was that he could easily hide a comm link in his ear without it being seen. Disguising the action as rubbing his ear, Naruto activated his end of the link.

"Are you sure? I don't sense anything."

"Confident : Master, I am insulted you think so lowly of me. Explanation : I'm not sure how they are doing it, but somehow they are concealing themselves within the puddle you just stepped in. Hypothesis : Perhaps with one of these Ninjutsu these Shinobi are so fond of?"

"Affirmative, that sounds about right. Thanks for the heads up, HK. Remain in cover, I'm sure we can handle this easily enough."

While the warning was enough for him to make some quick preparations, it wasn't fast enough for him to save Kakashi. As one, the two figures leaped from the puddle and in perfect synchrony used the chain-like weapon on their gauntlets to latch onto and rip Kakashi to shreds.

"K-Kakashi-sensei!:

Sakura's scream was enough to knock both Sasuke and Naruto out of their confusion, just in time to hear the two enemy nin declare their intent.

"That's one down."

"Three to go. Next target?"

"The old man."

The pair spoke in a strange manner, picking up immediately where the other left off and they left no room for pause. With no hesitation, the pair readied their weapons again and made for the client they were supposed to protect. Sakura was obviously scared, but drew a kunai anyway in a feeble act of defiance.

Sasuke did much the same, though he moved to intercept the pair so they couldn't have a straight shot for Tazuna. Naruto meanwhile, was strengthening his connection to the Force to prepare a specific technique he had been working on recently.

All Sasuke saw when he glanced at Naruto, was the blond just standing their uselessly with his eyes closed mumbling something to himself.

"Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing!"

When one of the two enemies lashed out at him with a clawed gauntlet, Sasuke batted it aside with a fluid sweep and swung at the side of their head with the blunt side of his kunai. The ninja just leaned away from it, and even though his face was hidden by the gas-mask he wore, Sasuke could just tell he was grinning. It also didn't take him too long to realize why. He had forgotten about the other one!

He turned just in time to see the other ninja launch his spiked chain in the direction of the old man. Given the range he was at, it was impossible for him to miss. Out of the corner of his eye though, Sasuke could have sworn he saw Naruto push his palm out towards the old man, like he had done earlier at him, and shout something that sounded like 'warrior'. He felt a shard of hope when he thought about the wave of energy that had happened the last time Naruto had done that. Maybe the idiot had thought to push the old man out of danger?

His heart sunk in disappointment when neither the old man, nor the enemy, nor even their weapons were thrown away. Instead the chain continued on its path towards Tazuna, who could only stand their with a 'deer- in – a - Katon' look on his face. The disappointment was short lived though. Instead of the shower of gore that had accompanied Kakashi's death, there was nothing. The vicious weapon had continued on its path and hit the old man center mass, right where his heart and lung should have been, but it didn't penetrate. Almost as though it hadn't been thrown hard enough to puncture the skin and cloth defense the man was sporting, the weapon simply hit and fell to the ground as though the chain had been cut and all the momentum instantly dissipated.

The distraction provided by his technique gave Naruto enough time to capture Sasuke's attacker in a Force Grip, and at the same time lash out with a Push which slammed the other into a tree, the sickening crunch that followed laying him out on the forest floor like a rag doll.

"Brother! You bastard!"

The young assassin struggled pointlessly in his invisible bounds, unable to sense what was holding him up and therefore unable to break free. Naruto debated what to do with him for a moment, as he felt his connection begin to weaken from the continued strain of holding the nin up, but his dilemma was solved when he was knocked unconscious by a perfectly healthy Kakashi.

"Good job, Team. Sasuke nice interception there. Naruto, good timing on that defensive technique and immobilizing the enemy. Sakura... good job for warning us early?"

Sakura decided not to think too hard on her actions, and instead make sure Tazuna was okay. While he was physically unharmed by the attack, he still looked a little worse for the wear and was taking much longer drags on his alcohol.

Sasuke waited until Kakashi had dragged Tazuna aside to have a 'friendly little chat', before he approached Naruto.

"What did Kakashi-sensei mean by that? What defensive technique?"

Naruto just snorted in amusement.

"What? You think that guy just has a lousy throwing arm?"

"Hell, I don't know. Maybe. Now what did you do?"

"I used a technique called 'Barrier'. As its name implies, it creates a barrier around a target that will absorb physical damage. Slashing, bludgeoning, piercing, the works. It won't take too much damage, but its good for a decent hit or two. It works by basically expelling energy exactly equal to the pressure being applied the exact same area as it is being applied to."

While Naruto could tell that Sasuke was getting the gist of his explanation, he wasn't too surprised when Sakura chimed in.

"So it works by canceling out energy?"

"Yup. If you stabbed me with a spear, the barrier would bush out the same amount of power directly toward the spearhead to take away the momentum so it barely feels like you are poking me with it."

Sasuke frowned at the idea. It was a useful technique, to be sure.

"Teach it to me."

Naruto walked over to the body of the man he had thrown into the tree, checking on his condition. He didn't really want him to be dead after all. At Sasuke's declaration, he cocked an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter? I said teach it to me. It's a useful technique and I want to be able to utilize it."

Naruto ignored him for a few moments, thinking on his answer. While he did so, he probed the man's carotid artery with two fingers, checking for a pulse and was pleasantly surprised to sense one. Faint, but he was still alive.

"First of all, you are in no position to demand anything of me, least of all my techniques. Besides, you couldn't learn them even if I felt charitable enough to teach you how."

Sasuke bristled at the implication that he was unable to learn something, and he stormed up to Naruto.

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to? I'm an Uchiha, the Rookie of the Year. Of course I will be able to learn it, and it will be stronger than any you could ever use."

As his teammate stabbed a finger into his chest, Naruto seriously considered the pros and cons of knocking him on his ass, but decided against it. While sat9isfying, it simply wasn't worth the shit he would have to go through when he got back to Konoha.

"Do a hange."

"What?"

"Did I stutter? Do the henge technique. Disguise yourself as someone else, anyone. Doesn't matter who."

Sasuke gave him a look of confusion before complying. With an expert amount of Chakra, Sasuke changed his physical performance so he looked just like the nin that had tried to kill him.

"There. Now what?"

True to his prodigious status, Sasuke had it down perfectly. Even the voice was dead on, down to the distortion due to the breather mask.

"Now nothing. I rest my case. I can't teach you, even if I wanted to."

Sasuke released the technique and glared at him with almost murderous intent in his eyes.

"What the hell? That was perfect!"

"I know, but that means nothing. If you can use Chakra, you cannot use the techniques I can. No one can. Only those who have complete ineptitude for it even have a possibility."

Sasuke's heated reply was cut off by Kakashi's return. The masked Jonin was closely followed by Tazuna, who had a sickly pale demeanor.

"Team, we need to talk."

"So basically what you're saying is that these people need help badly, or their entire country is going to die. Some scumbag punk waltzes in with his huge company, buys out or forces under any competing businesses, kills the local leader and proclaims himself 'king' or whatever the hell his delusion is."

"Right."

"This guy risks life, limb, and moral integrity to sneak out of his country, leaving his unwed daughter and young grandson completely defenseless in order to come to Konoha. The entire purpose of which, is to hire protection to keep him and his men safe while they finish construction of a bridge that will safe aforementioned country."

"Uh-huh"

"Unfortunately, neither he, nor any of the people in his village have the money to pay for the sort of help that this mission would require. This forces him, so he thinks, to lie to a NINJA VILLAGE'S LEADER, whose nickname is the 'God of Shinobi', one of the most powerful men in existence back in his prime. The reasoning behind this deceit is that when the bridge is built, trade will return, business will flourish, their economy will boom, and he will be able to pay us back in full anyway."

"So it would seem."

"Through all this, we finally find out about his deceit and your question is whether or not we continue to help him, or leave his ass out here. In the wild. With a bounty on his head."

"Uhhh..."

"...are you high?"

Everybody laughed at that, even Sasuke though it was a bit reluctantly. He wouldn't admit it under torture, but he agreed with the Dobe. They needed to complete this mission, though his reasoning was a little twisted. It's the thought that counts though.

"Uh Sensei? I agree with Naruto. These people need our help and it's not like they aren't planning on paying us. They just can't afford to until the mission pays off for them. Really, it's a win-win."

Kakashi looked at Sakura with surprise. He wasn't quite sure what she would choose, but he wasn't expecting her to agree with Naruto so readily. While Sasuke hadn't said anything, he could see the look of resolution in his eye and knew that there was no way the boy was going to back down from this challenge. Especially since Naruto was all for it. So predictable.

"Are you sure? This is definitely going to be dangerous, and you never know what is going to happen or who this guy is going to hire to come after Tazuna, and through association, us. If you have any doubts, now is the time to say so."

Sakura bit her lip and glanced up at Kakashi.

"What happens if we do?"

"Well, given his situation. We would go back to Konoha, report to the Hokage what the situation has turned out to be. He will probably assign it new parameters and Tazuna would be asked to stay in Konoha until a team is found that can pull this off. Unfor4tunately, given one of this situation, you can never tell how long it will take. It's possible that by the time an qualified team is sent out, it will be too late."

Whatever Sakura was planning on saying was cut off by Naruto, who smiled at her confidently.

"Well then, that's not much of a choice then, is it? We are going to have to do this ourselves. We can pull this off. Besides, we have Kakashi."

"Then it's settled! It's off to Nami no Kuni we go."

The group started off down the road leading towards the ocean, but after a couple of minutes Naruto patted his back pocket and laughed.

"Oops, I think I dropped my wallet during all of the confusion. I need to go back for it."

He turned and started running back the way they came, not bothering to wait for a response.

"You guys keep on going, I'll catch up!"

While Sakura and Sasuke immediately put it out of their minds, Kakashi cocked an eyebrow in suspicion. Especially since the pocket he had patted was on the wrong side. He wouldn't have kept his wallet there anyway. Meh, it was probably nothing. He smiled happily as he went back to his novel.

About fifty feet from the two young men they had left tied to a tree, Naruto stopped and glanced towards an area thick with shadows.

"-47, come here."

The air around the shadowy tree trunk wavered and flickered before the familiar sound of a Stealth Field Generator deactivating echoed softly.

"Query : Yes, Master?"

"These two men. I want you to wait until I am gone, then release them before they wake up. Stay hidden and follow them. I want to know who they are, where they come from, and who else they are working with. Do not let them find you. I will contact you later with further orders."

"Acknowledgment : Yes, Master."

"Excellent."

Naruto approached the two still unconscious men and examined them both once more. One had a few broken ribs and the other was sporting a rather nasty looking concussion, but nothing that couldn't heal soon enough. They were going to be fine.

Casting a final look back at his first servant, Naruto ran to catch up with his team. No doubt they were wondering what was taking him so long by now.

The trip continued on from then rather peacefully, at least for a while. Eventually they noticed that Kakashi was beginning to get more and more tense, and his eyes were darting around their surroundings. Even stranger and possibly more worrying was that he had put his book away.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong?"

"...I don't know. It feels like there is someone following us, but I can't sense them."

His voice was quiet enough for only his team to hear them, even Tazuna had a hard time making out the words, though when he did he almost wished he hadn't.

Naruto perked up at the words and started to wonder whether or not Kakashi had managed to trace the energy signature emitting from HK's chassis. He slowed his next couple of steps so he was a little behind the rest of his team, and scratched the hair above his right ear.

"Hk, are you there? Come in."

"...Answer : Yes, Master? This is a little bit of a bad time, can you make it quick?"

"Fine, is that you that Kakashi is sensing?"

"Negative : I don't think so, Master. If it is then your 'commander' must be extraordinarily skilled. Right now I am at least a mile away from your position."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips in worry.

"Query : Do you want me to come to your position and provide back-up?"

"No, don't worry about it right now. However you might want to put a little less distance between us. If something comes up that we can't handle, I want you to be close enough to give us a hand."

"Affirmative : Yes, Master. I will do so immediately. Report : Nothing much to report on the two you ordered me to follow yet, they woke up a little while ago and have been discussing whether or not to return to their boss or to just take their chance and run. Amused : Either way, they are rather terrified. This man must be something special."

"Yes, well good job, HK. Keep up the good work."

The blond didn't wait for a reply as he cut off the reception just before Sakura turned around.

"Did you say something, Naruto?"

"No... no I didn't."

"Cut the chatter you two, I think we might have company. Keep your eyes open, Naruto do whatever it is you do."

"Yes, sir.!"

While Kakashi was spiking his Chakra lightly in small pulses, Naruto opened his connection to the Force and pressed outward, trying to sense the auras of his surroundings. Immediately he was able to pick up the strongest of the signatures around him, those of his teammates and Tazuna. The light blue shade with Sakura's silhouette, The tall gray mass with a tint of blue. Tazuna's was also the same shade, though the blue was a bit more subdued, showing his neutral nature. The sharpest contrast came from Sasuke who, while still mostly dark gray, had strong swirls of red echoing around it.

From then was a bit more of an effort. Human signatures were the strongest, though a number of factors changed what appeared first with what strength. Distance, familiarity, and essence. How far away something was, how many times he had sensed that particular aura before or one similar to it, and how strong the aura itself was. Civilians tended to have a weaker aura than someone physically active in battle or something strenuous. The Force Aura was a symbol of both one's physical body and 'soul' after all and the stronger someone was, the stronger it would be.

Slowly more signatures appeared. The animals in the forest around them, the plants that made up all of the scenery, they all became visible to him with his connection to the Force. When he was confident that he was picking up everything around him, he didn't deactivate his connection. Instead, leaving it flowing while they walked. Something had Kakashi spooked after all, and if an Elite Jonin told you to keep your eyes open, you didn't even blink.

After a few more minutes, the boy started to feel something strange. A low hum that was getting slowly stronger as they continued down the road, The feeling was similar to approaching an electric generator and it made the skin on the back of his neck stand up. With a feeling of unease, he alerted the Jonin of his feeling.

"Sir, I am picking up something... strange. I think we are getting closer to something strong."

Kakashi looked back at him, his visible eye showing nothing but seriousness.

"Are you sure?"

"Certain."

"Alright, good job. Sasuke, you're up front with me. Naruto, keep your eyes peeled with your powers. Sakura, I need to to hang back and protect Tazuna. Nothing gets through, okay?"

"Right!"

Sure enough, the feeling of power got stronger and stronger as they got closer to a large lake in their path. When Naruto became sure that he was going to be electrocuted by the power of whatever it was he was sensing, a dim outline of an aura started to be visible in his enhanced sight. At first he could see nothing but its color, which was a solid gray, almost perfectly neutral. The next thing he noticed was the power behind it. Stronger than Tazuna and Sakura, more than Sasuke, hell it might even be stronger than his own, though it was hard to tell since he couldn't sense his own aura. The final thing was what bugged him though, it's shape. It was a human's.

"There! In the bushes!"

With a swift flick of his wrist, Naruto sent one of his throwing knives towards the shape in the bushes. When he stood motionless for a moment, watching what had just occurred, Sakura was the one to enter the thicket, following Naruto's eyes and knife.

"You idiot! It's just a rabbit! You damn near scared the poor thing to death with that knife."

Kakashi glanced at Naruto in question, and he only shook his head, still scanning their surroundings for anything off.

"I don't make mistakes. The Force never lies, there is someone here."

That warning was barely enough to give Kakashi the edge he needed to catch sight of the massive sword that came flying at them in the direction of Tazuna.

"Everyone, down!"

Kakashi managed to sweep his leg from where he was standing and catch Tazuna in the back of the knee, causing him to collapse to the floor and allow the sword to pass over him without touching him. Naruto turned in the direction the sword came from, and had to shield his eyes. The aura of this man was not only one of the strongest he had seen, but it was also the single darkest shade of scarlet he had encountered. Even Master Bane's was a more subdued gray with black mixed in, but this man's pretty much rivaled HK-47's in intensity. With his eyes burning from the flare, Naruto cut off the connection between his eyes and the Force, letting his eyes return to the soothing sight he had lived with his entire life before it had changed and allowing him to get a good look at the figure.

The man was standing on his sword with his back turned to the group. He stood at least head and shoulders taller than Kakashi and had a strong muscle tone. His back and chest were left bare, except for a triangular bandolier that was meant to carry his sword. His forearms and shins were covered with strange black and white print warmers, and he wore a pair of white pinstriped loose pants over basic sandals. As the man looked over his shoulder at the group, Naruto noticed the bandages that covered from his throat to his nose, hiding whatever features lay beneath.

"Ah, Sharingan Kakashi. It's good to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you."

"Momochi Zabuza. Demon of the Bloody Mist. Doesn't one of the Seven Swordsman have anything better to do than assassinate old men?"

The tall figure dropped down from his sword and Kakashi visibly tensed, taking a defensive posture.

"K-Kakashi-sensei, who is he?"

Zabuza laughed at Sakura's fear and ignorance.

"What's this? You haven't taught your students about all the dangerous people out there? You're lucky it's just me, they might have met someone that isn't as nice as I am."

His statement might have been a little kinder if it wasn't for the murderous gleam in his eye when he said it, and for some reason no one really felt all that inclined to believe him.

"But that's not why I'm here. I'm here for the old man. In fact, I'm feeling generous today. Stand back and let me take care of him, and I will let you and your precious little students walk away. How's that for a deal?"

Kakashi made a show of thinking it over before drawing a kunai from one of his pouches.

"You know, it's tempting." Tazuna blanched. "But I'm afraid I simply can't let you do that. It's bad for business you see."

Zabuza yanked his sword from the tree it was embedded in, and hefted it easily onto his shoulder.

"Worse than being dead?"

"Well... when you put it like that..."

Kakashi launched his kunai at the Demon of the Bloody Mist and drew another, calling out orders to his students.

"I want you guys to hang back and defend Tazuna, okay? This guy is way out of your league. Naruto remember, brute Force isn't always the answer!"

Naruto was confused by his commanders statement, until he saw the wink that accompanied it. Then he caught the hidden message. He wasn't to use the Force to help Kakashi or fight Zabuza. It was better he kept it hidden for now. As Kakashi and Zabuza faced off, weapons in hand, Naruto called out to HK with his comm link.

"Uhh... HK?"

"Answer : Yes, Master?"

"I think you had better hurry, We might have a problem."

"Query : What kind of problem?"

"A seven foot problem with a massive sword. Friend of yours?"

Naruto could almost feel the malice on the other end of the comm link, and he heard the sounds of HK running towards his position, knocking aside everything in his path by the sound of it.

"Statement : Him."

"I figured as much. Well you might want to hurry it up, Kakashi is about to go toe-to-toe with your boyfriend, and he didn't live to be the rank he is without being good. If you don't get here fast, there might not be too much left for you to enact your revenge against."

"Grateful Response : Thank you for the warning, Master. I will be there as quickly as I can. Estimate : It should be no more than six minutes."

"Very well, see you when you get here."

Naruto closed the link and grinned evilly. Oh yeah, now it was a party.

A/N : Well here it is. Chapter Eight is finally done, and while it isn't out quite as early as I would have liked, it is still sooner than Seven was. Life has taken a turn for the better for me, and I haven't been this happy in a long time. I am out of my house and moved in with my Girlfriend, the lovely Ratarin. (Don't bother searching for her on , she doesn't have one. Obviously I have been really busy, but things have calmed down enough these last three of four days for me to sit down and get some serious writing down.

A big shout out to not only everyone who has taken the time to review, but also to a really talent3ed writer by the name Irritus185 for the idea for the poem at the beginning, hope I did it justice. To everyone looking for a good comedy/action fic, I highly recommend Nin-Tech. Every chapter is packed full of awesomeness and lulz-a-plenty.

Anyway, and so the Wave arc has really kicked off and Kakashi and Zabuza are about to go at it. Will Zabuza survive long enough to get his ass kicked by HK-47? Will our Psycho Droid companion even be able to kick his ass? Who was the mysterious gray figure in the bushes? Find out the answers to these questions and many more... whenever I feel like finishing Chapter Nine!

Stay Frosty...
- Nikolai