Creeper: Welcome back to the Orphan Trio.
Lexboss: Why are you starting the chapter instead of Demon?
GoodWriter: For that matter, where is he?
Creeper: Well, remember his little "episode" earlier?
Lexboss: Yeah, what about it?
Creeper: He kind of fell into blood lust. He checked himself into that center he sent me to and brought a couple stakes with him.
GoodWriter: I don't know if I should be happy he's removing his bloodlust, or angry he's going to go mediaeval on our-
Creeper: As I was saying, he should be back to normal soon. Besides, they're just clones of you, not you yourself.
GoodWriter: Yeah, but they're still a part of me in a sense.
Lexboss: He does have a point.
Creeper: Well, better them than us. I don't want to take a wooden pole up my ass.
Lexboss: There's some innuendo in there somewhere…
GoodWriter: Can we just get to the chapter?!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. Nor do I own Ninja Warrior/Sasuke in any way.
"Talking" – Thinking – Demon/Summoning Speaking/Jutsu – Demon/Summon Thinking
The Orphan Trio, Chapter 14: Reinforcements Arrive
Team 7 and Tazuna managed to arrive at the man's home safely. Unfortunately, Kakashi was still unconscious from his fight. As soon as they reached the house, the front door opened, revealing a young woman in her late twenties. Her eyes lit up and she smiled as she saw Tazuna. "Father, you're back!" She said as she ran up, giving the bridge builder a hug.
Tazuna smiled as he returned the hug. "I am, Tsunami. These Konoha shinobi helped me out. But, we were attacked on the way, and we need a room for the man, quick." Tazuna said seriously as they all entered the house. As the group entered, the Genin noticed a small boy looking at them neutrally. "Inari, these are the Konoha ninja that are going to help your grandfather with the bridge." Tsunami said to the young boy happily. Inari looked at his mother before scowling. "They should just leave. They're just going to die." Before anyone could say anything, Inari walked upstairs, leaving an irritated team 7.
Tsunami sighed before turning to the Genin. "I'm really sorry about that. Inari had a bit of a rough life and he's a bit pessimistic." She said, a sad expression on her face. The Genin nodded in understanding. Tsunami quickly helped the Genin move Kakashi into a vacant room before ushering the boys out. "Don't worry, he'll be able to rest up and sleep."
The three Genin breathed a sigh of relief at the news, happy to know their sensei will recover soon enough. However, Kurohi still had a thoughtful expression on his face, which Toshi noticed. "So, Kurohi. What's with you? I noticed you seemed a bit off when Zabuza showed up. Did you have a run-in with him back in Kiri?" Naruto looked over at his friend, remembering that Kurohi was from the same village as the missing-nin.
Kurohi sighed before shaking his head. "Well, yes and no. I'd rather not say until Kakashi-sensei wakes up. I really don't want to explain it more than once." The Dark user said; his head down. Naruto and Toshi understood and patted the Genin on his shoulder. They each had things they didn't like to talk about. The three Genin sat down and relaxed, finally feeling the toll the trip had on them.
(*****)
The next morning, Kakashi awoke to find himself lying in a bed, surrounded by his Genin. Carefully, he pulled himself upright and stretched. He was still sore, but he at least could move a bit without excruciating pain. "How are you three holding up?" The Jonin asked cautiously. He wasn't sure how the battle had affected them. Luckily, it seemed the fight hadn't traumatized them. Toshi sighed as he pocketed his history book.
"We're holding up, Kakashi-sensei. We arrived at Tazuna's home yesterday with no problems after you passed out. However, there is something that we needed to talk about when you woke up." The Iwa native said seriously, glancing at Kurohi. Kakashi nodded before cupping his chin. "There's something I need to say too, team. I think Zabuza isn't dead."
Kakashi saw the shocked looks of Naruto and Toshi, as well as a contemplative look on Kurohi's face. Naruto managed to speak first. "How? We saw him get dropped! You even felt for his pulse and found nothing." The blonde said, worried. Kakashi stretched again before responding. "Well, I hadn't thought much of it at first, since I was still exhausted, but the fight was replayed in my head while I was out. Kiri's Hunter-nin division doesn't use senbon at all. While they can be fatal, one has to have near perfect control in order to hit the exact points needed. However, with decent control, one can put someone in a near-death state.
"So, I think that Hunter-nin wasn't a Hunter-nin at all." Kakashi finished solemnly, getting the Genin to stiffen slightly. "Guess that whole 'receiving part of the bounty' thing isn't happening," Naruto joked. Surprisingly, Kurohi smacked the blonde over the head. "Don't make a joke about that, Naruto!" The Dark user angrily said, surprising the other members of the team. A few seconds later, Kurohi realized his actions and sighed. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm just a bit stressed from this."
Kakashi and Toshi shared a look before glancing towards Kurohi. "Okay, Kurohi. Kakashi-sensei's awake, so why don't you tell us what's going on?" Toshi asked calmly. The Dark user nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Alright. As you guys know, I'm originally from Kiri. My parents were killed when I was six, like you Toshi. However, before that happened, we were somewhat liked in the village. My mother, Kumori, was a Jonin who fought with a few divisions of Kiri's forces. One of them was the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." Seeing Kakashi's and Toshi's surprised faces, he continued. "She wasn't a member, but she fought well enough that they considered her an honorary member. As such, a few of them would visit our home occasionally. Zabuza was one of the ones who would visit often, the other being Kisame Hoshigake."
Before he could continue, Naruto interrupted him. "What's the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist?" The blonde asked, confused. Kakashi decided to enlighten the Genin. "The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were a group of seven powerful ninjas in Kiri. They each were masters of Kenjutsu, or sword fighting. Each had their own special sword that identified them somewhat. Zabuza carried the Kubikiribocho, or the Executioner's blade. That's the sword he used yesterday. Kisame carried Samehada, which is a scaled sword with the ability to eat chakra." The Jonin explained, getting Naruto to nod in understanding.
Kurohi nodded before continuing. "Since Zabuza was one of the ones who visited often, he was fairly close to us. In fact, I considered Zabuza and Kisame pseudo-uncles. That's why I was so freaked out when Zabuza showed up. I knew he attacked the Mizukage after the bloodline purges started, but I didn't realize he would wind up a mercenary, and I definitely didn't expect him to try to kill us." Kurohi shook slightly, still unhappy about fighting his "uncle".
Kakashi sighed before placing his hand on Kurohi's shoulder. "It's alright, Kurohi. I understand what you're feeling. With the fight and the damage he took, Zabuza should recover in about two weeks, maybe less. If we face him again, you should wear your bandanna. He might recognize you and decide not to fight. If he doesn't, we'll have no choice but to take him out." Kakashi said, sadly. Kurohi sighed before nodding. "I understand sensei. I just hope it doesn't come to that."
(*****)
After giving Kurohi some time to relax, Team 7 went outside to get some training in. Since the trio knew how to Tree and Water walk, Kakashi decided to give them a crash course in combat. He created a Shadow Clone to fight the trio on the Water, while he rested by leaning against a nearby tree. The scarecrow recovered a decent amount, but he still wasn't able to perform any serious physical activity.
The silver-haired Jonin watched the Genin fight his clone and was truly surprised. 'It's almost like they share the same mind,' he thought seeing their teamwork. 'They're almost perfectly in sync.' The trio was pushing the clone to its limits. Provided, the clone had the physical strength of the original at the time of creation, which is only about a fourth of his full strength, but it also lacked the injuries of the creator. Even so, the three proved to Kakashi that they would do very well against most Chunin or lower ninja.
The training came to a halt when Kakashi's clone jumped to dodge a Dark Ball when it was slammed by Toshi's Lightning Fist, dispelling it. The trio relaxed and walked off the water and Kakashi started clapping. "Excellent work, team. You're showing a lot of promise." The Jonin praised, causing the trio to smile. Their smile disappeared almost immediately when they heard a scoff.
"These are the ninjas we are supposed to back up?"
(*****)
Zabuza groaned as he awoke in a dimly lit room. His neck felt like hell and he was sore all over. Probably having to do with that Water Dragon that slammed into him dead-on and his impromptu meeting with a tree. He noticed a movement and turned his head. He saw the Hunter-nin preparing some bandages for his injuries. "Why are you still wearing that mask, Haku?" The ex-Kiri nin said, his voice a bit hoarse.
Haku chuckled slightly as Zabuza cleared his throat. "Well, I feel a bit more empowered when I wear it," Haku said as he brought some of the bandages to the downed man. Zabuza scoffed as he untied the bandages around his face. "Well, it's really creepy. Take it off when we're not fighting, will ya?"
Haku nodded and prepared to remove the mask when the door suddenly opened, revealing three men. The two tall men each carried a sword and held an air of authority. The third man, about three feet tall, smirked as he saw Zabuza.
"So, the 'Demon of the Mist' gets taken down by a bunch of kids. How pathetic." The man stated as he walked up to the pair. "Maybe I should punish you for your failure, but it seems like you've already gotten one!" As the man reached for Zabuza's face, he suddenly felt pressure as Haku grabbed and snapped his wrist.
"You won't touch Lord Zabuza with your filthy hands, Gato." Haku said, flinging the midget back to the door. The two men quickly ran up to Haku, their swords drawn. However, they didn't get a chance to swing their blades as a senbon pierced their necks, ending their lives. Haku tossed the bodies at Gato before tending to Zabuza's wounds. Gato grabbed the cloth of the men's shirts and dragged them off. "You better watch it. If my men weren't dispensable, I'd kill you right now for that. Get rid of the bridge builder or else." With that, Gato left the room, dragging the two bodies behind him.
Zabuza glanced over to Haku, who seemed tense. "I take back what I said about the mask. Although, you didn't have to do that." The nin pulled out his arm, revealing a kunai he pulled from his leg pouch while Gato was talking. Haku shook his head, trying to keep calm. "If you killed him, we'd be in some trouble. As Gato himself said, his lackeys are dispensable."
Zabuza lied back down on the bed, letting Haku continue his work. "All I do know is that we should be careful. What else can possibly happen?" The missing-nin uttered.
(*****)
Back at Tazuna's house, Kakashi could cut the tension with a knife. Since their backup arrived, his Genin were extremely tense and fairly irritated. Of course, he could understand fully. Unfortunately, the team that was sent for backup was none other than team 6, comprised of Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke. It was Sasuke that made the remark about having to defend them.
Obviously, Sasuke was still holding a grudge against Team 7. Kakashi had to stop Kurohi or Naruto from attacking the Uchiha a few times after the latter remarked about "doing the world a favor by killing the Iwa scum." Sakura held similar views, mainly due to wanting to show support for Sasuke. She would glare at the trio before mumbling about how they were "wasting her Sasuke's time and energy."
Sai and Genma were the only two able to handle the situation among Team 6, albeit barely. Genma was just on the brink since he had to deal with Sasuke and his top fan-girl at once. Sai also experienced a great deal of anger due to his comrades. While he was still emotionless for the most part, he was beginning to show some emotion, mostly anger. The artist had gone so far as to ask Danzo to be let back into ROOT, since the members were more tolerable. However, the old man refused, stating Sai needed to be with those of his age group.
Creating a clone to watch the Genin, Kakashi gestured for Genma to follow him. The two Jonin walked (or limped, in Kakashi's case) outside where the two sighed in relief. "Finally, I can breathe again!" Genma said, relaxing slightly. Kakashi nodded in agreement before leaning on the house. "So, how's team training going?" Kakashi asked. Seeing Genma's face, Kakashi sweat-dropped. "Not well, I take it?"
Genma sighed again, this time in frustration. "Damn right on that. I started with the standard teamwork exercises, but Sai was the only one willing to cooperate. Sasuke claimed it was beneath him to work with "those inferior to him", while Sakura really doesn't care about doing anything if Sasuke doesn't want to.
"Then, I decided to see what their affinities were. I hadn't planned on doing much, just seeing what they could do. Sai and Sakura both have an Earth affinity, which I know a couple jutsus of that kind. Sasuke had an equal Fire and Lightning nature." Kakashi grimaced at Genma's facial expression, which showed his desire to vomit.
"I should have realized it would happen, but as soon as the Uchiha found he had two affinities while the others had one, he immediately felt he was the superior one among them, even over me since I only have a single affinity." Genma removed his senbon to spit before continuing. "Of course, Sasuke demanded I teach him jutsus for those affinities. I claimed I had no Fire jutsus he didn't already know, and the Lightning ones I knew were defense based, at which point he said I was worthless. Then, Sakura refused to learn an Earth jutsu because, and I quote, 'Sasuke doesn't have an Earth affinity, so obviously Earth is useless.' I swear I'm about ready to kill those two.
"Sai actually took the Hiding Mole jutsu to heart. At this point, he's the only one I can stand. The other two are killing me. I really wish I could have had your team instead, Kakashi." Genma said, his anger dropping a little from letting it out. Kakashi sighed as he patted his friend on the back. "Don't worry, Genma. I'm sure things will work out soon." The one-eyed Jonin said reassuringly. Genma looked at him skeptically. "That's easy for you to say, Kakashi. You don't have two students who refuse to listen to you. I highly doubt they'll improve."
The two Jonin remained outside for a few more minutes before heading back in, knowing they are walking back into a living Hell.
Creeper: And Chapter 14 is complete.
Lexboss: It really feels odd not having Demon say that.
GoodWriter: Well, hopefully he'll recover soon.
Creeper: If he's anything like me, he'll be back by next chapter.
Lexboss: Let's hope so.
GoodWriter: Right. So, anyway, read and review!
Lexboss: …
Creeper: …
GoodWriter: …That does feel really odd.
Lexboss: No flames!