Ch. 9 : Complications
A/N : Another day, another chapter. Read and enjoy. As per usual, more at the bottom.
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.
"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.
XxXxXxXxX
- Half-day's travel from Konohagakure -
Naruto's bravado despite the situation went entirely unnoticed as the two elite Shinobi faced off with two shocked Genin watching in awe. Naruto meanwhile, could barely contain his excitement. Not only was he facing his first real opponent, but also he was about to see HK-47 in action for the first time. Sure he had seen the Droid during his training exercises, but as the Droid would say, it just wasn't the same. The way his companion had reacted to the description of Zabuza, it was obvious that he held no small amount of animosity towards the man. All he had to do was stall for time until he arrived. That shouldn't be that much of a problem... right?
"Well, Sharingan-Kakashi. If there is no way I can convince you to walk away and do things the easy way..."
Their enemy flashed out a sequence of hand signals, too fast for the kids to follow, though Kakashi tensed up visibly, even to them.
"I guess we are going to have to do things... my way."
From behind the missing nin a thick fog rolled in, not only obscuring the man, but completely swallowing him in an impenetrable shroud. Kakashi cursed loudly and if possible, he tightened up even more.
"Watch your backs and form up in a diamond formation, Tazuna in the center. This technique is extremely dangerous and his signature. There is no way to track him in this mist, so Do NOT let your guard down for a second."
The man's words were quickly followed by a wave of something as though to prove his point. The only thing Sasuke could possibly describe it was... death. He hadn't felt as scared as he was now since the day his clan was massacred. His throat was dry and he couldn't swallow the lump that had risen in his throat. Despite the cold air, he felt a drop of sweat bead and slide down his forehead, running into his eyes and impairing his vision.
"Eight points. The larynx, spine, liver, lungs, kidneys, jugular vein, collarbone, and heart. All of which will cause death. Which one do you prefer, huh?"
As the group of Genin stood motionlessly, the aura of malice grew even more powerful, forcing Sakura down to her knees under the weight of it. Even Naruto found it impossible to keep up the charade when he felt the sheer Killing Intent the man gave off.
'What the hell is this? I-I can't breath!'
Without thinking about it, Naruto subconsciously fell back on the training he had received before he had awakened, and flushed his aura with a cleansing surge of the Force. The warming glow of the Light managed to keep the KI at bay long enough for him to fight his own impulses and break himself from it. In his mind he continued to count down the time until the Droid's arrival, practically shivering in anticipation.
'Five...'
"Damn Guy, I don't know what that just was but you should probably get it checked out. Those levels of stress can't be healthy!"
As retarded as the statement might have been, it was just what the situation called for. Both Sasuke and Sakura were so surprised at his words they were shaken from the fear that had been gripping their chests.
Kakashi couldn't hide his surprise at his student either, and nor did he try to. Even though the boy was just a Genin, he had managed to shake off the focused Killing Intent of a powerful missing-in, not only for himself but for his teammates as well. The temporary lapse in concentration almost got him killed as Zabuza swung his massive sword in a wide arc. The attack was barely parried with the kunai in his hand, and Kakashi made it a point not to get distracted again, lest it cost a life.
When Zabuza returned to the impenetrable mist, Kakashi spared a glance back at Sasuke and smiled.
"Don't worry Sasuke. I won't let any of you die. I will protect the three of you with my life. I promise."
The Jonin's words snapped the three out of the remaining shock, and they nodded, features steeled and ready to fight.
"I'll admit, Kakashi..."
Zabuza's words came from all directions, making it impossible to pin him down. Naruto probed outward with the Force, but even with the Force he was having trouble keeping a decent bead on the man. He would simply not stay still!
"Your brats are impressive in their own way, especially the blond one. Able to shake off even my presence? It's a pity they have to die today or they probably could have made something of themselves."
In an impressive show of dexterity, Kakashi ducked under another swing of the broad sword and lashed out with his kunai, scoring a long ragged cut across Zabuza's midsection. The group of Konoha-nin watched on as a thin fluid poured from the wound, and Naruto couldn't help but comment.
"Remember Sasuke, blood is thicker than water."
"What the hell are you talking about now?"
The banter was sharply cut off when Kakashi's opponent dissolved into water and splashed down in a puddle on the ground, turning the dry dirt to fresh mud.
"Shit, Mizu-bunshin."
Kakashi's words were clipped and quiet, already searching around for his enemy. Despite his vigilance, he was still caught off guard when Zabuza materialized behind him and cut him cleanly in half. Sakura's scream was the only sound to break the silence as the three young students and Tazuna watched on in horror.
Zabuza's victory was cut short when, like his own before, Kakashi's body erupted into a small body of water, which soaked the dusty earth.
"All you're doing is copying me, like a monkey! You can't beat me with cheap tricks, Kakashi!"
"Then how about this?"
The ex-Kiri Shinobi only just stepped back in time to avoid a vicious uppercut from Kakashi, who had come from the ground underneath him. Zabuza chuckled darkly as he hefted his weapon and swung from the hip, putting a considerable amount of power behind it. Kakashi danced around the blow and lashed out again with his kunai, scoring a light scratch across his corded bicep.
An infuriated snarl was all the warning either of them got before the fight began in earnest, and all the others could do was watch on.
'Four...'
Sasuke could hardly believe what his eyes were seeing, or rather, what they weren't seeing. Zabuza swung the mighty blade with more speed than should be physically possible, and Kakashi simply flowed around every attack with ease. Watching the two artists in motion was all the assurance he needed that he had too much work to do before he could even hope to catch up with his brother.
Naruto's features were tight as he focused on the battle at hand. Everything he could gleam from Zabuza's fighting style could help HK defeat him, and he had no intention of allowing his closest companion suffer such damage as he did the last time the two had fought.
Kakashi furrowed his brow as he felt his implanted Sharingan tugging on his Chakra supply. While it was comforting because it meant his eye was working as it should, the drain was too heavy for him to be able to sustain it indefinitely and he had to be sure to wrap the fight up as soon as possible, lest he suffer from Chakra exhaustion. His opponent swung the pommel of his massive sword at his head. With a palm strike to divert the blow however, the fight continued in earnest.
Zabuza didn't try at all to stop the laugh that he felt building around the blood-lust. He hadn't had this much fun in months! So far the Konoha-nin had upheld his reputation remarkably, and he was the best opponent he could remember fighting in a long time. Possibly from before the failed coup that had landed them in this situation.
Easily able to keep up with his level of speed, Kakashi had not had any real problems as of yet dodging his massive weapon of choice. While infuriating, the massive man had to admit that he was enjoying the challenge it provided.
'Three...'
Sakura bit her lip in worry as her Sensei faced off with a notoriously powerful rouge Shinobi. While Naruto and Sasuke obviously hadn't remembered the man's name, she had. From the history classes taught at the Academy she recalled the name of one particular member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist; Momochi Zabuza.
As she watched the fight, she noticed Naruto out of the corner of her eye and the thought struck her that he wasn't doing anything to help their leader in his fight.
"Naruto! What the hell do you thing you are doing? Why aren't you helping Kakashi-sensei?"
The blond didn't look away from the fight, but answered over his shoulder.
"Kakashi wanted me to stay back and not interfere, so I won't."
"But he might die if you don't do anything!"
"Relax, will you? I'm sure he can handle himself. And besides, I have a plan."
Sakura and Sasuke both gave him a startled look.
"What plan?"
Naruto grinned out of one side of his mouth and looked at them with a vicious smirk.
"...backup."
The three students turned back to the fight in time to see Kakashi suffer a brutal spin kick, courtesy of Zabuza. The strength behind the attack lifted him airborne and sent him flying backwards into the massive body of water that lay behind him. Zabuza glanced back at the group of four with a cruel smile, then ran out onto the surface of the water after his prey.
The second Kakashi had hit the water, he pumped Chakra to his back and soles of his feet to not only stabilize himself in the tumultuous waters, but also give his body a little bit extra buoyancy that forced him to the surface toward the air that his lungs craved. He had hit the water unprepared, and though his mask might be able to filter out miniscule amounts of oxygen from the water itself, it wasn't enough for him to stay submerged for that much longer than he could naturally hold his breath.
Gasping silently in relief when his head broke the surface, he cursed his own inadequacy as Zabuza started making hand-signs while he was in the water. The particular sequence from what he could make out, was a modified version of one he already knew from the last war and could be particularly fatal in this circumstance.
"Ha, you idiot. Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu."
"Kakashi-Sensei!"
Sakura's scream was preempted by the water that flowed outward from Zabuza's outstretched palms and upward from the lake itself, creating a solid dome that completely encased the Jonin.
"This is a special technique that you won't be able to escape from. Why don't you get comfortable and sit tight for a little while? I'm going to have a little bit of fun with your cute little students. Oh don't worry though! I'll come back for you later. Save the best for last after all. Mizu-bunshin no Jutsu."
Water flowed from around his ankles and slowly slimed upwards to form yet another copy of the towering monster of a man. With a murderous laugh, the water clone drew the sword from its back and started walking casually to the three Genin.
"You guys! Run! This has gotten way out of your league. He isn't going to be able to move while he has me trapped here and his Water Clones don't have that far of a range away from his real body. You can still escape, take Tazuna with you!"
Zabuza laughed at Kakashi's attempt to talk his students out of continuing the fight, already foreseeing the outcome.
"You think they are going to run? This is their first mission outside of your safe and cozy village, isn't it?"
The three flinched at the truth thrown at them in such a brutal manner.
"They aren't about to go back home and tell their families and friends that they had failed their very first mission, right out the gate. Are you? Their pride just won't allow it. We were just like them at one point after all, remember? So eager and willing to please."
Despite the almost comical glare of both outrage and worry from their commander, Naruto and Sasuke just shared a look. With the slightest grin from Naruto and a smirk from Sasuke, they came to a consensus.
"Sasuke, all we have to do is buy a little time. Understand?"
"What the hell do you have in mind, Dobe?"
"I already told you. Backup..."
'Two...'
Kakashi could have sworn again at the bullheadedness from both of his male students. Even faced off against the clone of an opponent that wasn't that far below Kakashi's level, they refused to make the sensible choice and flee.
"Uh, Momochi? I don't suppose you would mind releasing our squad leader, would you? It would really make all of our lives easier. Well... except yours I guess."
Both Zabuza and his clone stared at Naruto, wide-eyed at the sheer audacity of the boy.
"...seriously?"
In the blink of an eye, the water clone rushed towards Naruto and swung it's sword in a shallow sideways arc, trying to carve him in two. With the speed and reflexes he had only started to really become accustomed to in the last couple of weeks, Naruto was barely able to dodge the blow and stepped backwards a couple of paces, putting more distance between himself and the crazed missing-nin, though his jacket whipped up at the displaced air.
"Is that a 'no' then?"
The battle cry that followed was enough to wipe out any chance of diplomacy that might or might not have existed after that.
"Yeah, I didn't think so. Sasuke, now!"
The water clones spun to see Sasuke in the air behind him, inhaling deeply for one of his stronger techniques.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
The clone adjusted its sword while the boy expelled the technique, and at he last second swung the sword like a battleaxe, dispersing the solid fireball into a smaller wave that rolled over its form, though its skin began to melt as though it were ice, a river of droplets running down its chest and sides.
The false Zabuza laughed at Sasuke in maniacal glee for a moment, preparing to charge forward again. Its plans were thoroughly ruined however, by the throwing knife that punched its way through the back of its neck and directly through the throat, just under the chin. The clone gurgled for a moment before dispersing, flooding the damp earth with the water remaining from the dispelled technique.
"Oh yeah, what then! You see that shot Sasuke? POW! Right in the kisser."
Despite the situation, the raven combatant couldn't help but spout a line of his own.
"Actually, you missed. It came out his throat."
Naruto just waved his hand dismissively, picking up the blade he had just thrown.
"Meh, details details."
The charade infuriated Zabuza more than he could have imagined, the piss-ants were about to die, and they were joking about it? What the hell!
"So you're able to deal with one of my clones? You think that means you two are hotshots? Well how about you try this on for size, huh?"
With another one-handed seal and a veritable wave of Chakra, Zabuza conjured no less than four additional clones, each armed with its own gleaming broadsword and a evil smile.
"..."
"..."
"...Sasuke?"
"...Yeah?"
"...I think we might have a problem."
"...Yeah."
'One...'
Kakashi could barely bring himself to watch as his students were forced to face off against four opponents, all of which were more powerful than they were, at the same time. Even worse was that from his position inside the prison, there was nothing he could do to help them fight.
The four clones charged at two of his students at the same time, in a Shock-and-Awe approach. Under normal circumstances, it might have succeeded but their defeat of the first clone had given Naruto and Sasuke the confidence they needed to stand strong against the oncoming threat, and get ready to fight. Sasuke drew a number of kunai from his pouch and Naruto flipped his jacket open to reveal a single row of throwing knives, attached to the each side.
"Hey Kakashi? Sorry about this, but I kinda need to break your rule for a minute."
The confusion lasted only a minute before the trapped Jonin saw a faint distortion around the blades Naruto currently held in his hands. Obvious, now that he knew what he was looking at, that he was using the Force.
"You know what? I think I can let it slip this time, as long as you protect your team."
"It's a deal!"
Ignoring the scowl on Sasuke's face at the insinuation that he needed protecting, Naruto channeled the Force around the blades and threw them with all his might towards the clone leading the charge. With a deft flick of its wrist, it knocked aside the knives with no problem and continued unimpeded. The blond barely had time to roll out of the way and draw another pair before two of the towering figures descended on him in a flash, intent on tearing him to pieces before he had the chance to do anything worthwhile.
Sasuke was likewise having trouble dealing with a pair of Zabuza-clones, but was doing his best with a set of shuriken and ninja wire to keep them at a distance so they couldn't use their swords. While not as effective as it could have been, it was still doing its job and allowing him to avoid getting hit by a stray swing, the slightest of which could easily put him out of the fight for good. He had no doubts that he wasn't likely to survive too much damage from those huge swords of theirs.
Through his reflection, one of the clones was able to cut the wire connected to a shuriken and slip under his defenses and into the area of opportunity the attack provided. With unrestrained glee, the clone hefted its massive sword while the other watched on. Sasuke could practically feel his life flash before his eyes and he closed them gently. There was no way he was going to survive this strike. The struggle had fatigued him too much, and he didn't have the strength left to dodge or block. His time had come, it was as simple as that.
No sooner had he thought those words did the image of his family flash in his mind. The blood that slid down the arms of his father as he held his sword in defense, even in his death. The vision-less gaze that rested on him from his mother, who had tried to shield him from harm. Familiar flames burned in his stomach and the hatred fueled his dying strength. There was no way he would allow himself to die before he had killed the one responsible for his suffering.
Filled with a new determination, Sasuke's eyes flashed open and he glared at the clone before him with unbridled hatred. Focusing all of his rage into a single moment, Sasuke prepared to avoid the blow at the last second and provide himself an attack to take out the clone that was before him. It was no longer a powerful enemy ninja. It wasn't something to cower before and to fear. It was simply something that stood in the way of his righteous fury and his inevitable vengeance. It was to be destroyed.
As his entire essence burned, Sasuke glared up directly into the eyes of his opponent. The focused heat of* his anger filled his vision, and just as he thought he was about to burst from the emotion coursing through him, the clones head... exploded.
It simply burst.
With unrestrained astonishment, Sasuke watched the headless corpse fall to the ground in slow motion, before splashing into yet another puddle to add to the already soaking ground. What the hell had just happened? The boy turned his gaze to examine the clone's counterpart and he saw a look of shock that probably mirrored his own. The look only lasted a moment however, before a flash of red light streaked toward its chest and punched clean through its torso. Whatever the flash was, it tore through the water with a surge of heat that caused the water it his to erupt into a pillar of steam, before following the path of its brother.
By now completely weirded out and confused, Sasuke looked to his teammate in the hopes of an explanation. Though no answers came, he did get the chance to see the same thing happen once more, this time hitting the water-body in one arm and completely severing it, both chunks of flesh bursting into water as soon as they hit the ground.
Using the disturbance to his advantage, Naruto pressed the attack and managed to penetrate the guard of his last opponent, jamming a throwing knife into the clones exposed stomach and twisting it viciously. Both Naruto and the Clone were motionless for a moment before water began to leak out of the wound, slowly at first and quickly becoming a fountain. After what seemed like an eternity, the clone hit the ground and returned to the water that had aided in its construction.
Naruto simply wiped the blade off on his pants, then turned to the origin of the flashes of red light and grinned cruelly.
"Nice of you to join us. Right on time."
"Response : I wouldn't miss it for the world."
XxXxXxXxX
"You're going to die, you know."
Zabuza switched his attention from the... thing... that had just appeared to his prisoner, who had just spoken.
"What?"
"I said you're going to die."
"Oh? And what makes you think that?"
"Because from the looks of it, that thing is pissed."
The Ex-Mist Shinobi followed the cyclops' line of sight, and his eyes widened in astonishment and exhilaration.
"You! I killed you!"
"Threat : No, you didn't. But you should have. Query : May I kill him now, Master?"
"Yes, HK. Go for it."
Zabuza's heart started pounding in his ears when the metal man leveled the weapon it held in its hands and aimed it in his direction. He had seen what happened when his clones were hit by whatever came out of the end, and he had no intention of allowing the same to happen to himself.
Releasing the technique that held Kakashi prisoner, Zabuza leaped from his position as fast as he could, barely dodging the deadly beam of crimson that evaporated the mist where he was just standing. Likewise, Kakashi jumped out of the way to avoid any chance of friendly fire and landed next to Naruto, who was watching the proceedings gleefully.
"Naruto, do you mind explaining to me what the hell is going on here? What is that thing?"
Naruto waved a hand at him in a dismissive manner, trying to focus on the 'fight' between Zabuza and HK. Mostly the Droid firing his blaster in Zabuza's direction, and the bloody demon doing his best to avoid being hit. He was actually doing pretty well, he had to give him that much.
"Don't worry about it. HK-47 is on our team. Well... my team."
Kakashi twitched, but didn't comment further. He really wasn't sure what to say about that.
"Where did he come from? There is no way he could have gotten here from Konoha that fast."
"I had him following us since we left. You never know what might go wrong. Besides, he has something of a... personal vendetta against our eyebrow-less friend here."
Kakashi watched as a large chunk of a tree was destroyed, leaving the rest of the tree to fall in slow motion, crashing heavily into the ground.
"Yeah... I see that. What is he doing with that thing? What are those beams?"
Naruto snorted in irritation, he was trying to watch the fight, dammit!
"I'll explain it to you later, but I want to see this. I haven't been able to see HK fight before, and I have a feeling that this is going to be good."
His team leader scowled a little at being dismissed, but had to agree that this was pretty interesting. Especially since he wasn't the target of killer machines this time. While the artificial humanoid's movements were stiff and reminded him of the gears of a clock, they had a certain finesse to them. Especially in the way it wielded its ranged weapon. Every shot made with expert precision and without hurry. It was as though he was a predator that already knew its prey had been caught with no way out. Every shot he made was herding the man into a single specific area in the center of the clearing, still close to the side of the lake.
"Naruto, what is he doing? By the looks of it he could have killed him multiple times by now."
The glint in the boys eye worried him, and he made a not to talk to the boy about his changing behavior sooner than he had initially expected.
"HK doesn't want to kill him with the blaster. The last time he was out here, Zabuza caught him by surprise and cut him in half-"
"That thing got cut in half?"
"Yeah, but we were able to fix him up. Mostly at least, he is still a little stiff by the looks of it, but he will make a full recovery soon enough."
Kakashi had the mental image of the Droid crawling across the ground with no legs, dragging itself by its arms, it's intent to kill completely undeterred by the massive trauma, and he shuddered internally at the thought.
"Okay, I'm starting to get used to the whole 'Droid' thing, but he doesn't look anything like those... Magnaguards?... that you sent after me."
"Yeah, that's because they are two completely different things. HK is... one of a kind. Oh, check it out! He has him where he wants him."
Their conversation stopped when the man and Droid met each other in the center of the clearing, right by the lake.
Sasuke stared onwards in complete shock, no longer even pretending to look impassive. When Naruto had told him that he had backup coming, he had expected those two Droid things that had showed up to fight Kakashi-sensei during their examination, but whatever this thing was, it was completely different. It was shorter by about half a foot, it didn't have a cape, it looked like it was a lot older in design and less fluid, and it wasn't using a melee weap-... no wait, he spoke too soon.
Sakura could hardly believe what was happening. Something had come out of the woods behind her and simply started destroying things while trying to hit Zabuza. Whatever those red things were, they seemed to hit with the power of an explosive tag as whatever was unfortunate enough to touch them just... ceased to exist... violently. For the first time since the fight had started, Sakura started to have hope that maybe things weren't as bad as she had first thought. There was only so long the missing-nin could go before he was hit by one of the beams, and then it would be all over.
At least, those were her thoughts until the newcomer stopped firing and put the gun on its back, fastening it there without rope or thread or a holster of any kind. From beside the gun he drew a vicious looking sword that glimmered along the blade, emitting a really faint humming sound, almost as though the air around it was vibrating.
"Acknowledgment : Momochi Zabuza, it has been some time since we first met. I assure you, I am not unprepared this time."
"Yeah, I'm sure. I killed you once and I can do it again. That flimsy little pocketknife of yours isn't going to protect you from Kubikiri Houcho. I'm going to cut you into little pieces, then I'm coming for the blonde over there that you like so much!"
"Retort : You will do so over my cold... deactivated... slag."
"Yeah, I know!"
In a flash, Zabuza was running towards HK-47, sword drawn in anticipation of an easy kill. His blow was easily parried though, when HK took a step back and turned with the flat of the blade to divert the force to his side easily, and used the momentum to lash out with a kick to the stomach. Zabuza went with the movement and spun to the side, dodging the kick and spinning into his own roundhouse that would have done a rather serious amount of damage to any organic opponent. HK simply ducked under the blow and lunged with his vibrosword, forcing the man to leap out of the way and directly next to the lakeside.
"You know, whatever you are, you are pretty foolish. You let me land right next to a water source!"
"Admission : It was no accident, meatbag. Explanation : I want to see what you are capable of, and from what I gather you can only perform at your best near water. Thus, here we are."
Zabuza's brow furrowed in anger at his opponents attitude, and he started flashing through seals to use one of his strongest techniques.
"Oh yeah? Well that was a big mistake. Check this out!"
Kakashi recognized the seals with his Sharingan and automatically associated them with the technique, one he was quite familiar with. He quickly began forming the same seals to neutralize the attack before HK could be wiped out, but Naruto stopped him, shaking his head.
"Don't."
"Naruto, I know that attack! There is no way your Droid will be able to survive it!"
The boy just smirked and flicked a bang of hair out of his eyes so he could see better, flashing Kakashi a confident glance.
"Whatever it is? It isn't enough."
The confidence in his voice was enough for Kakashi to allow the technique he had been forming to disperse, and reabsorb the Chakra into his system. They would see, and he truly wished Naruto was right, or they were about to have some serious problems.
While Zabuza formed handseals, HK circled around him so the man's back was facing his Master and his meatbag companions. It wouldn't do for the young Master to be hit by a stray attack after all, what kind of servant would he be if he allowed a Master to die by anyone but his own hands? Not that he would ever do such a thing of course!
"Irritated Insult : Are you going to do anything, or just play patty-cake with yourself?"
"Shut UP! Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!"
The massive dragon of water that appeared behind Zabuza was enough to make HK pause for a moment, before he shifted into a defensive stance and braced himself for the impact. Sure enough, the serpent roared loudly before leaning forward and rushing towards the Droid, suddenly tiny in comparison. The dragon cared nothing for the size of its target though, and it plowed directly into the cold metal that made up the Droid.
Kakashi winced at the impact of the dragon, knowing exactly the devastation that that one technique caused. He was probably going to have to be the one to explain to Naruto the price that came with watching your comrades and most importantly, subordinates, fight alone. Their deaths.
When he turned to Naruto, he saw the familiar look of worry for a moment, but before he could offer any form of comfort or condolences, the frown changed into a sunny grin of triumph. With a twist of the neck that he would be surprised if he didn't suffer from whiplash later, he looked back at the impact sight to find the Droid standing proud despite the soaking earth around him.
"Taunt : If that is the best you can manage, I feel my time here has been wasted."
Zabuza roared in sheer outrage and summoned two water clones from the drenched earth..
"Why won't you DIE!"
"Amused Comment : Dying is a human concept, and I am not bound by your limitations."
The three Zabuza's charged at the Droid, swords raised. The Droid refused to be cowed, and simply waited until they were right on top of him before blocking one strike with his vibrosword and dodging around the others.
The four original members of Team Seven and Tazuna watched on in fascination and no small amount of fear on the parts of everyone who wasn't Naruto. To think that the hyperactive blond had this... thing, under his command? It was a concept that would lead to no small number of nightmares once this whole ordeal was over with.
The dance of death was swift and over surprisingly quickly, though Kakashi was able to see everything with his Sharingan activated. The outright skill of the machine was actually both impressive and surprising. From what little he knew about computers and machines, they could only do what they were specifically told to do and how to act. The way this 'HK' both moved, fought, and acted, there was no way that kind of technology existed today. He was simply far too advanced to have been produced by life as they knew it. Maybe Naruto's story did have truth to it. What worried him though, was one little thought. If they had machines as advanced as this walking, talking killing machine and the two monstrosities that he had been forced to fight two months ago... what else did he have under his control?
When the clash of metal on metal was over with, both clones were 'dead' and Zabuza was standing back with a severe gash across his chest which was bleeding profusely. One arm was hanging limp as well, possibly dislocated judging from the power of the second to last blow that he had tried to block one-handed. That block ended with his arm being jarred with a huge amount of force, and was quickly followed by the slash across the chest which needed to be tended to soon, lest he lose too much blood and fall unconcious.
"Alright, you are a better opponent than I had suspected. I underestimated you.
"Response : Yes, you humans tend to do that quite often, don't you?"
"I assure you, next time won't be as simple."
"Surprised Rhetoric : Oh? And what makes you think there will be a next time?"
Zabuza snarled like a cornered animal and lifted his sword with his only good hand.
"Fine, if that is the way it is going to be, then so be-"
His words were cut off by a pair of acupuncture needles that embedded themselves deep in his neck. The man's eyes rolled up into his skull and he dropped to his knees slowly, then face first into the dirt and mud. The gathered group all looked into the area from which the needles came, and saw a figure standing in a tree across the clearing. Whoever they were, their loose robes caught the breeze and wafted in the air. Their face was covered by a decorated mask, symbolic of teams of hunters and their stance was one of cool professionalism.
"Ah, whoever you are, I thank you for aiding me in taking down Momochi-san. I have been following him for some time now, trying to find the right moment to eliminate him. I'm sure Kirigakure will have no problem with compensating you for your part, all of you."
Kakashi frowned at the appearance of the individual and crossed his arm before approaching Zabuza.
"Ah, Kiri's Undertaker Squad. I am a little surprised to see you following Zabuza here, I was unaware that he had attracted your attention."
The hunter dropped down from their perch and approached Zabuza's body, watching as Kakashi examined it more closely. They weren't the only ones who took interest in the body though, as HK also got nearer to the corpse.
"Yes, he has been a thorn in the side of our government for some time now, and they finally had enough, so they sent me."
"Enraged : Human, do you mind explaining to me why you would dare take my kill?"
Despite the mask to hide their features, it was obvious by the step backward they took that the hunter was scared of the metal being that had walked up behind them without their notice.
"I-I apologize, but it was my mission to bring him down!"
"Rebuttal : As it was mine. It was also personal for me, and I am not pleased that the satisfaction of his death was taken from me."
When HK's hand strayed back towards his sword, Naruto hurried to intervene. During the chatter, he had activated his Force Sight to make sure that Zabuza was dead. He found himself to be surprised on two counts. One, Zabuza was in fact, not dead. There was no amount of residual Force energy left in any body to account for that which flowed through him now. Also, the hunter that had 'killed' him had the exact same signature as the figure he had spotted in the woods not twenty minutes ago.
Conclusion? They were working together.
"Oh, don't worry HK. I'm sure something will come along for you to get your satisfaction."
"Query : Master, what do you mean?"
Naruto leaned forward and whispered something quietly so only HK could hear, unaware that Kakashi was listening in.
"The hunter is working with him, and he isn't dead."
Kakashi hid his surprise well, but the Droid had no such inhibition.
"Excited statement : Well, I guess that might make up for it. I guess we will have to wait and see, eh Master?"
Naruto just laughed at his companion and turned back to the Hunter.
"Sorry about that, he can get a little worked up if he hasn't had his daily dose of bloodshed."
The group could almost feel the hunter wither under that statement.
"R-right, well I had better take his body back to headquarters so it can be disposed of properly. Thank you again for your help, I will make sure that command is informed of your participation."
As the Hunter slid Zabuza's arm over a shoulder and prepared a shunshin, Kakashi spoke up with an eye smile.
"Ah, Hunter-san, aren't you forgetting the procedure? You should be disposing of it right now and only take the head with you. Here, let me help you."
The silver cyclops drew a kunai from his pouch and stepped forward to decapitate the 'body', but the Hunter seemed to panic before fleeing via the shunshin. At Kakashi's curse, both Sasuke and Sakura looked at him in confusion, and the look he gave them wasn't too comforting.
"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong? Zabuza's dead so he isn't a problem any more... right?"
The Jonin just sighed and rubbed his face with the palm of one hand and covered his left eye, steadying himself against a tree while he did so.
"Sakura, how much do you know about Kiri's Hunter teams?"
"About as much as the academy taught us. They are sent out after dangerous missing-nin if Kirigakure feels they have become too much of a problem."
"Correct, and when they find them?"
The question was directed toward Sasuke, who answered automatically.
"They are to eliminate the threat and then destroy the body to ensure no clan or village secrets fall into enemy hands."
"Again, correct. But I think you are missing a single important detail."
"They are to destroy the body on the spot, and return with only the head, no exceptions. This Hunter didn't."
"Which means...?"
Sasuke closed his eyes and grunted in frustration, catching onto what Kakashi was implying. Sakura was soon to follow, though her reaction spoke of fear more than irritation.
"That means Zabuza isn't really dead, is he?"
"No Sakura, he isn't."
Tazuna just happened to wander up to them at that point, bottle once more in hand but a, surprisingly, pleased look on his face.
"Hey, I just wanted to thank you guys again. I take back everything I said about you guys, you are stronger than I had thought and you decided to stick around and save my hide, even though I didn't really deserve it. It makes me feel pretty bad, knowing that I called you a over-glorified pervert."
"Uh, Tazuna-san, you never called Kakashi-sensei a over-glorified pervert."
The middle-aged man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Well, not to his face I didn't."
That made the entire group laugh, even Kakashi. With their spirits lifted and morale restored, the group set off on the dusty road to Nami no Kuni, which seemed much, much closer now that they had real combat experience under their belt. With the relief of the situation being resolved, no one but Naruto noticed when HK-47 blended into the shadows and disappeared to return to his prior assignment. Zabuza would return, and when he did they would fight again. Until then, he had been given orders and he was going to serve his Master to the best of his abilities.
The remaining trip was made with many jokes being told and stories passed back and forth between Kakashi, Tazuna, and even Naruto chiming in with odd bits of information on his new home and companions. Yes, things were really looking up for Team Seven, at least for a while.
Then Kakashi did a face-plant, hitting the road hard and throwing a plume of dust straight up. When the group crowded around him to make sure he was still alive, they weren't all that surprised to hear a set of enthusiastic snores coming from the dead weight that was their teacher. Naruto wasn't the only one to laugh.
"Hey old-man, think you could carry Kakashi for us? We're kinda beat from the fight and Sakura is... well... Sakura."
The girl didn't feel all that inclined to voice her disapproval. Why would she want to carry Kakashi anyway?
"Yeah, sure. No problem."
The man lifted their teacher easily and slung him over his shoulder with strength that betrayed his physical appearance. Even with his drinking, the man bore Kakashi's weight easily all the way back to his home city. It was a small price to pay for the ones who saved his life after all.
XxXxXxXxX
After another few hours of travel, Tazuna marched proudly up to a somewhat run-down building and threw the door open happily.
"Hey Tsunami! Guess who's home?"
The old man was almost bowled over by a young woman with dark hair who tackled him with a flying hug.
"Father! You're safe!"
Tazuna laughed and patter his daughter on the back happily with his free hand, long since freed from the burden of his sake bottle.
"Yep! And it's all thanks to this group of Konoha-nin that kept me safe on the way back! They even fought this really strong guy with a huge sword on my behalf."
Tsunami beamed happily, pleased with her father's safety, before she noticed Kakashi's unconscious form still being hefted around like a large, loud, rag-doll.
"Oh! Is he okay? He doesn't look so good."
Naruto stepped forward and slapped Kakashi on the shoulder, right where he had gotten a particularly harsh wound, courtesy of Zabuza's sword.
"Oh yeah, he'll be fine. He just needs some rest, is all."
They dutifully ignored the whimper of pain. Tsunami giggled softly at their antics and waved her arm at the stair behind her.
"I have set up a couple of guest rooms for you to stay in. The first door on both the left and right are yours. Put him in whichever one you think most appropriate."
"Thank you, Tsunami-san."
While Sakura and Tazuna went upstairs to get Kakashi settled in, Naruto motioned to Sasuke and jerked his head in the direction of the front door, signaling that he wanted to talk outside. Sasuke caught the message and nodded, following him out. The young woman watched them leave, worried at the looks etched into their faces before returning to the kitchen to continue working on dinner.
Naruto and Sasuke walked down the path leading from the house a little ways, stopping at the short wooden fence that marked the border of the house. From what they had seen when they entered the village, Tazuna hadn't been exaggerating when he had described the economic damage of Gato's operations in and around the village. Houses and businesses were boarded up and abandoned. Starving men, women, and children plagued the streets begging what they could and in saddening circumstances, stealing what they couldn't.
Even Tazuna's house, one of the nicer ones in the district, was somewhat run-down and in a state of disrepair. The entire village seemed to have a shadow that hung over it, feeding on the energy all the people should be feeling. Through it all though, Naruto had felt a sense of... familiarity. As though he should know the feeling that pervaded the country. He had felt something like this before, and if he could only remember what it was, he had a feeling that he could fix it.
When Sasuke came to stand next to him, Naruto remained silent for a moment, staring up at the moon which was in the third stage of its progression, three quarters full and swelling. Chances were the full moon would have come and gone before they saw Konoha again. He only hoped that he would have enough time to do what he had been ordered to. Things had to change in this city, and all it was going to take were some supplies to the right people. The boulder had already been pushed to the top of the mountain, he just had to give the final shove and watch the fireworks.
"Alright Dobe, what did you bring me out here for?"
"Obviously you know that the Hunter and Zabuza are working together. I was able to catch a glimpse of Zabuza's vital signs while he was 'dead', and from the looks of it he isn't doing so good. He will be down for a couple of days, at least. A week or more if he doesn't want to risk a possibly disfiguring injury."
"Yeah? So what does that mean to me?"
"It means we have one week to get to the point that we can take him on and win. I also want to know as much about this village as possible before then. Zabuza isn't the only threat here, and we have been ordered to protect the builders of the bridge until it is completed. What is the best way to protect something?"
Sasuke thought about it for a moment, before smirking.
"Eliminate the source of all threats. But Kakashi-sensei is hurt. Shouldn't we wait for him to heal before we jump into anything?"
Naruto cocked a brow at the Uchiha's hesitation.
"Heh, I'm surprised. I thought you would have leaped at this chance."
Sasuke's suspicion became visible as he pressed the issue.
"What do you mean? What chance?"
Naruto looked back up at the sky, hiding his face in the shadows provided by the moon. The boy was simply too predictable. It was almost scary how manipulable he was.
"Do you think Gato simply has a summer house back here somewhere? He is going to be protected, possibly by a veritable army of trained and experienced mercenaries. Plus who knows what extra defenses. I understand if you aren't up to the challenge though. Hell, I'm a little scared myself."
The second Sasuke bristled at the comment, Naruto knew he had him, hook, line, and sinker.
"I'm not scared, Dobe. I'm just surprised you would think about stuff like this. You haven't been acting like the idiot we all know you are lately."
Naruto glanced over at him nonchalantly before smiling slightly and tapping his temple with a single forefinger.
"What makes you think I ever was?"
The way Sasuke's eyes glittered made Naruto almost start laughing out loud. The Uchiha was right, he did used to be an idiot, but there was no reason for him to know that. He wasn't a moron any more, that was what counted. So what if the dates were lost in translation? If Sasuke reconsidered everything he had ever known about him, it could only make himself look better in his eyes. And where his plans stood right now? That was vital. Sasuke was a valuable asset, he just had to be brought to the point where he could be used correctly.
"Hnn. Well, suppose I wanted to go along with this insane plan of yours, what would you suggest?"
Naruto stretched his back before crossing his arms and leaning back on the fence, looking back up lazily.
"First of all, we would need to scout out around town some. Find out the basic information. What happened lately, people of interest, who is working for Gato that we can... persuade, to give us a little insight into his 'big picture'. The sort of thing that Kakashi might not necessarily like us getting into."
"What do you mean? Kakashi-sensei is in the mission just as much as we are."
"Ah-ah, not really. He is just here to complete the mission, and we both know Kakashi. If the bare minimum works pretty well, why strive for excellence? You think you could ever catch up with your man by doing the least amount of work possible?"
The words were viciously barbed and aimed directly at what Sasuke wanted and needed most. It might have been a cruel method and Master Kyle might not have gone for it all that much, but at this point it was nothing more than what was required.
Sasuke snarled and glared at Naruto, though the blonde could somehow just tell that it wasn't aimed at him, at least not directly. No, the changes were already starting. He just needed to sure that they continued on the right path.
"Alright, Naruto. I see your point. Tomorrow, we will find out what Kakashi has in store for us, then we will start scouting the area out, alright?"
Naruto nodded and stepped back from the fence.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Good to see you are willing to work with me on this."
Sasuke smirked out of the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah, as long as you aren't being a moron."
Naruto winked at him, grinning at the barb.
"Aw come on, you know you love it baby." The look on Sasuke's face made it worth it, and he laughed wholeheartedly. "Go on man, get some sleep. We have a big day of conspiracies and taking down corporate empires tomorrow."
The raven haired youth shook his head in reluctant amusement and turned from him. Just before he opened the front door to enter, he turned to look over his shoulder.
"When are you going to explain to me what those metal things are? And where did the red one from earlier go?"
Naruto didn't answer him, instead just waving his hand at him offhandedly. Sasuke took it to mean that he would get answers later, and for right now that would suffice. He was exhausted from the fight after all, and there was no way in hell he was going to collapse in front of the Dobe after all.
When the boy closed the door behind him, Naruto laughed quietly one more time before activating his comm-link.
"HK, what is your situation?"
The reply took a moment to come through, and the words were somewhat garbled both from distance and some form of interference on the receiving end, though it cleared out easily enough when he boosted the signal strength.
"Acknowledgment: I have managed to infiltrate the base of those two you told me to follow before. And am currently encamped just outside Amused : You are going to love this, Master. Rhetoric : Guess who their 'boss' is?"
Naruto felt himself grin.
"Who?"
"Pleased Answer : None other than Zabuza Momochi himself."
"Oh wow, that is just perfect. Where are you now?"
"Report : I just got finished planting some bugs around their base. Right now they are all resting in a 'secret' base hidden around the marshes surrounding the village. It is rather well concealed actually, commendable really. They are either expecting a lot of trouble, or extremely paranoid. Either way it works."
"Had some trouble finding the place?"
"Sarcastic Response : You wound me, Master!"
"Oh whatever. Listen, we have reached Tazuna's house inside the village, and in the morning I am going to start on my plans. I think it is about time for you to start giving me all the information you managed to gather before you... met, our mutual friend with the parachute pants."
"Answer : Of course, Master. Well, from what I have been able to gather..."
An hour later, Naruto walked into the now quiet house with a strong sense of determination. He now had names, places, and dates. Both those of the enemy and the small but fast growing 'resistance' who had taken up arms in the village. Apparently a man by the name of Kaiza had planned out and tried to stage a coup against Gato and Co. but was captured and executed before he got anywhere. Brutally.
While the men and women of the remaining resistance had been discouraged, they had not given up hope and had simply been waiting for the right moment to begin acting again. When Master Bane had began making contact with them, he had given them the supplies and hope they needed to continue the struggle, though advised them to lay low until the time came.
It just so happened that that time was coming up soon. Naruto just had to make contact with the head of the rebellion and give them the last of the supplies, which Kyle was going to ship out in a day or two when everything was ready on their end. Nothing extravagant of course; they couldn't afford to have the transporters to be intercepted and lose potentially devastating tech. Just some med packs, adrenals, advanced melee weapons, and basic blasters that had been adjusted to mostly stun levels... for now.
The blond slipped into the bedroom that had been assigned to Sasuke and himself, after much debate apparently. Sakura refused to room with Naruto, and Kakashi had decided there was no way in hell Sakura was going to be allowed access to the object of her obsession while he was asleep, so that left only one option. Him and Sasuke in one room, Kakashi and Sakura in the other. The girl still hadn't been entirely pleased, but there was no way the three males were going to allow themselves to be forced into sharing a room, so Sakura had no choice but to bite the bullet and go with it.
Despite everything though, Naruto felt nothing but optimism for what the future held. Things were finally starting to quicken up and for some reason, the cold streak inside him was, for the first time, …content?
'Keep up the good work, Host. Show them why we were once feared, and return these humans to their rightful places. On the ground at our feet.'
The voice was nothing but a whisper in the far corners of his mind, but in the silence of the room, he heard it clear as day. The Kyuubi... Mikhail... was pleased. The thought stayed with him until sleep claimed him, satisfying and dreamless. He awoke the next day refreshed and ready for anything. Or so he thought...
A/N : Well, there you are. I am actually rather ashamed by how long this chapter took for me to get out. It's not like it even takes me that long to invent and type, hell the whole progress only took me two days even with a ton of crap going on at the same time. Still, I hope you forgive me with the promise that the next chapter won't take nearly as long.
On another note, the plot thickens! Naruto is preparing to meet up with this mysterious group of scallywags known only as 'The Rebellion'. Sasuke is starting to warm up to Naruto and his plans for domination!... nah. I guess only time will tell. Kakashi is out cold from combat wounds and minor Chakra exhaustion. He didn't fight as much in this fight than he had in canon, which means he won't be down for as long either. Good? Bad? I guess we will find out in the next exciting installment which will be out before Thanksgiving Day... hopefully.
Once more, a big thanks to everyone who takes the time to drop me a review or two. Every one is appreciated and makes for a lovely sacrifice to my Muse for her attention. Beats the hell out of sacrificing various junk food and random pop culture sources. I try to reply to every one I get, but sometimes one or two may slip through the cracks. If you feel you deserve some love in return, send me a virtual boot to the ass and I will hit you back. Always good to talk to the fans. You guys are what make this possible after all.
Stay Frosty...
- Nikolai