Drifting

by AlphaDelta1001

Naruto is many things; troublesome, wild, unpredictable, adventurous, untamable, unique. But there's a benefit to being wild and unpredictable; no one has the faintest idea what you're going to do next. NarutoHarem

12. Land of Waves Arc - Breaking the Rules

NARUTO

Drifting

Breaking All the Rules

Meanwhile…

Down on the beach…

It had been a very strange day for Isaribi so far and, surprisingly, it had also proven to be one of the most pleasant days she could remember. At first the morning started out like any other; with her waking up alone in her little shack on the beach, glowering scornfully at the sun and the cold air that was there to greet her. Making herself breakfast and plans for the hours ahead, she expected nothing more but displeasure to come her way, even when she went out swimming for fish, urchins and squids.

However, all of that changed when Naruto came knocking on her door.

At first she found his presence unsettling and distasteful, thinking he was nothing more than another boy from the island village coming over to throw stones and harass her. But, after forcing his way in, he showed nothing but genuine care and interest in her. It had been a perplexing experience, but even though she sat with him and left her body open to attack, he didn't take advantage of it. All he did was sit with her, make food, and talk with her, using the time they spent together to get to know her. The smiles he gave and the laughs he shared were genuine. It had been a welcome surprise for the purple haired diver.

No one had ever tried to get close to her or act friendly like that with her before. Hell, not even the people she worked for found her presence with them enjoyable, even the man who made her like this. He always treated her like an asset and sneered at her unpleasantly through his smirk. Naruto though; his smile was gentle and he wasn't afraid to be with her.

Spending that hour with him had been a really enjoyable experience, even with knowing he was a jinchuriki and him knowing she had been experimented on. When the time came they had to part ways, Isaribi could think of nothing afterwards but that boy's smile and hoped that he would be okay.

He was going after Gato directly on his turf, so there was reason to be concerned.

"I hope he doesn't do anything reckless," Isaribi thought, strolling back to her shack along the beach with a bag of clams over her shoulder. Seeing how he'd reacted to that man's name, she wondered if Naruto was really going to be alright.

Upon returning home the diver immediately shoved the clams into her freezer, making plans on removing the meat later onwards. With that done, she then went about cleaning up her place and checking on whatever stew was still left over, and stored it away for tomorrow. However, while she was moving about the shack and rearranging the rest of her belongings, a knock on the door had her look up in surprise.

Weary as always, she approached the door and leant against it. As soon as her ear came in contact with the brittle surface, a voice spoke.

"It's me, Isaribi."

Pulling away, the teen slowly unlocked the door and opened it, where she looked up to see a man in a white lab coat, purple tunic and pants, with pale hair tied into a ponytail, large nose and small iris eyes smirking down at her. The shadow he cast was eerie, but didn't affect Isaribi at all. She merely stood in place, right there in the entrance to her home, and looked back at the man with cold indifference.

"Amachi? What is it?"

The man dipped his head to her in greeting, "The envoy from Orochimaru-sama has arrived. He's here to inspect the facility and to receive a full report on our current progress."

Isaribi blinked, yet her expression remained unmoving, "Do I need to be there?"

"The visitor demands that all staff from this branch of the research division be present for a full assessment. You know how important our work is to our master. Full cooperation is to be had by all operatives, no matter how big or small they are," Amachi stated with authority in his voice. "I'm sure you understand how important our line of research is."

Looking down thoughtfully, Isaribi took a moment to contemplate on the matter before panning back up. "What about the surgery you promised me?" Her eyes furrowed as she asked him this. "You said that if I worked for you for a little while longer that you would be able to fix me. I want to go back to how I was before. I want to be able to look normal again."

"I'm nearly there, sweetheart. It's only a matter of time before the solution to your current state will reveal itself from the code and I'll be able to perform the necessary changes to make your transformations perfect," Amachi stated, giving her an assuring smile. He then stepped away and turned side-on to her door. "I promise. Now come. Kimimaro-san is waiting for us at the main hall."

Still not sold on the medical nin's progress on her situation, Isaribi nevertheless did as instructed and followed him out. Making sure her shack was locked up, she then shadowed her caretaker down the beach towards the cliffs, hands at her sides and an emotionless look on her face.

While she walked, Isaribi turned her gaze towards the island, fixing her eyes on the forests up on the highlands where a worried gleam then flashed through her eyes.

"Naruto…"

OOO

Meanwhile…

Hot on the trail of her roommate's whereabouts, Tayuya had just arrived at the main postal services district several blocks away from where she'd run into Shikamaru and Choji. Standing on one of the many buildings where processing and filing took place, the red haired kunoichi was currently crouching atop the pagoda roof line providing cover for the many carriages below, and looking down into the small hole that had been punched into it.

Running a hand over the cracked tiles, the girl raised an eyebrow at the unusual addition to the structure before dropping through it. When she landed in the parking bay below and stood up, she saw a courier ninja dressed in green uniform walking by with pad in hand checking the numbers. When he came close Tayuya waved, "Uhh… excuse me."

The employee looked up with a start, "Oh, yes? How can I help you miss?"

Tayuya pointed at the ground she was standing on, "Could you tell me what carriages have been parked in this space in the past couple of days?"

The surprised postman frowned and turned towards the girl standing in the section below the walkway, "A lot of carriages come through here every day, miss. You may need to be a little more specific."

Frowning, Tayuya then pointed towards the hole in the ceiling. "I'm guessing this wasn't here before."

Following her gesture, the courier shinobi shook his head when he looked up at the massive gap. "No. No it wasn't. We've just hired a Genin team to come fix that up tomorrow."

"Well then, do you mind telling me when the hole was made?"

"I'd… say inside the past two days?" the courier shinobi replied, slipping his clipboard under his arm as he engaged the girl in conversation. "Kazuki noticed it on his shift and reported it to the boss. We've closed this space down for the safety of the transport carriages and their goods until it's repaired."

"I need to know the last carriage that came through here the time he noticed this hole and where it was headed," Tayuya stated, placing her hands on her hips. "I think he may have had an unregistered passenger onboard."

Surprised by this statement, the courier shinobi looked up at the hole and back down at the girl a couple of times. After which he then gave an understanding nod and headed in to fetch the manifest. The red head waited patiently and surveyed the area, checking out all the other wagons and carts surrounding her before the man returned with the information several minutes later. He flipped through the sheets before stopping on the form of the day the issue of the hole in the roof arose. Reading through it quickly, he paused on the last customer number to be signed in and turned his attention back to his inquirer.

"The last carriage that came through here was a horse-drawn type being driven by a man named Kenta. He was making a delivery of mechanical parts and tools to the Land of Waves for Gato Shipping and Transport… the worldwide company owned by billionaire magnate Gato. I'm sure you've heard of him."

Tayuya's heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name. Eyes wide in horror and panning down in shock, the girl spent the next minute in silence wondering what kind of hell Naruto was being dragged into. Whether it was by his will or not it didn't matter, the boy was still being transported there.

It quickly became apparent from the evidence here and the damage caused to the roof that her friend may have hurt himself and wound up in the back of a carriage. Though it seemed impossible, Tayuya had heard the story many times of how Naruto wound up in the Land of the Great River before, so it was no stretch of her imagination to believe that the same thing may have happened to the blonde again.

She rubbed her forehead worryingly and looked away in frustration. "Damn it, shithead. How rotten is your luck? Stuff like this doesn't just happen to normal people."

Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't a normal person. He was a fantastic person and a magnet for trouble.

"Uh? Miss?" the courier ninja exclaimed, clearing his throat and getting the girl's attention again. "Are you okay?"

Tayuya mustered a grin and threw it at the man in all its amused glory. "Oh yeah. I'm just peachy." She then bowed to him in gratitude. "Thanks so much for your help." With that said and done, the red head then sprinted out of the loading bay and began making her way back towards her apartment, leaving a startled post-master shinobi behind.

Now that she knew what had happened and where Naruto could have possibly gone, she now knew what she had to do next.

She only hoped that with all her dawdling she wasn't too late.

OOO

Sometime later…

Back in Wave…

Inside the small house situated on a wharf beside a large inlet, a young woman with long blue hair, apron, and pink blouse with red trim could be seen standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes from today's lunch. Humming a gentle tune to herself as she carried on with her task at a leisurely pace, she paused briefly from her scrubbing of plates to look towards the hallway leading out of the dining area.

"Inari! Do you want to help me hang the laundry after I'm done here?"

Her voice echoed through the house to the other end, after which she waited patiently for a response. She didn't have to wait long.

"Sure mum. I'll be right down," the voice of a small boy on the upper floor replied.

Beaming, the woman of the house returned to her work. She blitzed through the small pile of dirty dishes and the cooking pot effortlessly. When time came that she found herself cleaning the last cup from the rack and she was about to head off to the laundry to carry on with her next task, a sudden eventuality unexpectedly tore all plans she had from that point forward down.

The sound of what she first thought to be a storm hammered against the back of her home, the woman gasping in horror and turning around just in time to see the entire section of wall on the far side of the room get cut down by an unseen force. Moments later, after the barrier at the side of the dining area collapsed to the ground to form a pile of useless timber, light from the outside world poured in to reveal a dark figure standing on the other side, flying a black cloak with red clouds on it. After stepping in through the newly made entrance, a loud thud rang out as the intruder propped his weapon against his shoulder and breathed a sigh of annoyance.

"Why the fuck does that arrogant prick Kakuzu stick me with this bullshit assignment? Ugh. When I'm through with my part, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind," Hidan's voice filled the air as he kicked aside the debris and entered the kitchen. Looking around exhaustedly, his eyes then landed on the shocked female standing beside the kitchen desk. "Alright, let's get this shit over with. Are you the bridge builder's daughter Tsunami? Please say yes…" He hoped he hadn't broken into some random person's house…

…again.

If he had, then this would be his third house today.

The woman tried to back away, but couldn't due to the counter behind her. Looking left and right, she saw there was nowhere she could run to or escape, so when she saw the intimidating man with the sickle attached to a long cable march forward and suddenly kick aside the dining table, she knew she was cornered.

Tsunami let out a cry of terror and collapsed to the ground. Seconds after her fall, a pattering of footsteps on the stairwell in the hall suddenly drew everyone's attention to the kitchen's entrance, where they saw the face of a small boy poke into view.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Inari asked, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw the man with the massive weapon towering over his mother. Stiffening up, the adolescent looked back at the intruder with a look of pure terror.

Hidan raised an eyebrow as he gazed over his shoulder at the newcomer; a boy dressed in a yellow shirt, green suspenders and a blue and white striped hat. "Ah. So you must be the brat."

Tsunami's eyes widened even more so when she spotted her son. "Don't come! Run away, Inari!"

Hearing this had Hidan grin widely as he looked the child over, "Heh, this is perfect. Both of you are here. In that case…" Slinging the scythe off of his shoulder and slamming one of the blades into the ground, the Akatsuki member stepped back and glanced confidently between the two. "Which one of you am I going to take as a hostage?"

"Hostage?!" Inari began to shrink back behind the frame of the door. However, upon looking around the room and seeing what the man had done to the wall of their home, both he and his mother knew instantly that a barrier of wood and plaster wasn't going to stop that weapon of his from carving through either of them. All the youngster could do at that point was tremble and whimper in fear as he stared at the villainous figure, who began pointing between them over and over again while mumbling 'eeny, meeny, miny, moe.'

"Oh no…"

His finger eventually settling on the woman on the ground, Hidan's excitement soared. "So the wench wins the draw after all. That's a shame. I was really looking forward to seeing your pretty little body drawn and quartered across the wall. It would have been something of a masterpiece." Checking the woman out, the assassin then rounded slowly on the boy, murderous grin flashing into view when he saw the child was frozen with fear. "Looks like I'm going to have to settle for the offspring."

Hidan started towards the boy, dragging his triple bladed scythe across the wooden floor and carving a nice gash in its surface. As the man closed the distance between them, Inari jumped out of his state of terror and began backing away, only to stop pressed up against the wall behind him.

Seeing her son unable to move and the dangerous assailant advancing on him, Tsunami reacted instinctively. She leaned forward in panic. "Don't you dare lay a finger on him!" she shrieked, stopping Hidan in his tracks and getting him to glare back at her. "If you touch him, I'll bite my tongue and kill myself!"

Standing within the frame of the hallway entrance just feet away from his quarry, the serious looking Hidan considered the words shouted at him for a moment. Looking back at the brat, he saw the boy looking fearfully across at his mother, silently shaking his head 'no'. After a minute of silence, in which the Akatsuki member pondered deeply over his debacle, he then scoffed in amusement and nodded haughtily at the woman.

"Like I care if you go and off yourself for your son. That shit doesn't work on me," Hidan exclaimed, much to Tsunami's horror. He raised his scythe off of the floor and held it firmly in a single-handed grip. "Fuck it. If Kakuzu doesn't get paid for a third of the work then let him get pissed." It was a small time job anyway and he hadn't killed anyone in ages. He was going to savor this one.

Hidan walked closer, coming within range of the child who gazed in terror at the man as he raised his weapon to the side and held it parallel to the ground. The grin on the Akatsuki member's face became even more prominent as he envisioned the cutlets he was going to be make out of the youngster beneath him. "I'll start with removing your head from your neck and work my way down."

As Inari's eyes widened, Tsunami scrambled forwards to her feet. "STOP IT! NOOO!" she cried, seeing Hidan lift his weapon and swing.

However, just before the assassin could carve into the child, he was unexpectedly blind-sided and blasted off his feet in mid-attack by what looked like a tree slamming into him with the force of several charging elephants. With nowhere to dodge and no time to react, it was a sure hit. The huge object ripped across the kitchen with the Akatsuki member mashed against it, tearing up the floor and ceiling before flying straight out the entrance the would-be assassin had formed earlier. Hidan's exit with the airborne piece of nature punched an even bigger hole in the wooden house before he and the tree spiraled across the wharf, out over the water for a good hundred meters, before crashing into the lake in a spectacular splash.

The tower of water that rocketed into the air was like a depth charge going off, a moment that lasted for only a few seconds before settling back into the calm blue.

Stunned at seeing a massive oak, roots and all, literally take out the would-be killer, both Inari and Tsunami looked in the direction it had come from to see exactly what had happened. When they did, they were both shocked to see that their hallway as well as their beloved home had practically been sawn in half by the object that had been sent careening through it.

Not only had it exited through a wall, it had started through one at the front, plowed down the corridor, at the same time trailing tiles, rubble, and branches, and had pretty much lain everything standing in its path to the ground before taking out the antagonist in question.

The tree looked like it had been ripped out from the edge of the forest just several yards from their house. Despite all the damages and the fact that it had been a tree thrown at the man, it had still been a damn good shot.

As the two family members remained in place and questioned the lack of physical sense behind the sudden development, they were unexpectedly startled out of their reverie by an orange figure dropping down from the destroyed roof and landing between them. Standing up, the blonde haired newcomer smiled as he looked at both the mother and son, "Are you two alright?"

Tsunami, on her knees, nodded silently in response, as did Inari, only his answer came accompanied by fits of both shivers and sweats.

"Good," Naruto sighed, looking up towards the large hole he'd made in the building's wall as well as the water of the lake he could see settling in the distance. After surveying the results of his close save, the boy looked up to continue his revision of his attack, whistling when he caught a good shot of the sky peaking through the massive gap in the ceiling. "Damn! That worked out better than I thought it would. What was that, like… a hundred and fifty miles an hour? Shit. Sorry about that." He grinned down at the still gawking woman, at the same time blindly pointing up at the ruined section above him as bits of ceiling started to crumble around them. "I can fix that."

Before Tsunami could say anything in kind, she suddenly felt something small tackle her and blinked in surprise when she saw that her little Inari had gotten up from his side of the room and leapt at her in a tight hug. Feeling him begin to sob with his embrace, the mother smiled and returned it gladly as she also began to silently cry.

Naruto watched the pair reunite following the shocking conflict with a warm smile, giving them all the time they needed to regain their bearings until he saw the woman peer up at him through tear strung eyes some minutes later. Inari also looked around and across at him, both mother and child appearing relieved and grateful at his life-saving actions.

"Thank you," Tsunami murmured.

The jinchuriki grinned brightly, "That's alright. I'm just glad I was able to hit the guy before…" He then stopped, eyes widening before his head snapped sharply towards the hole where the tree had exited. An unpleasant feeling drifting through the air quickly drew Naruto's eyes over to the area of disturbance.

Confused by the startled response of their savior, both Tsunami and Inari looked in the direction he did. Staring through the hole, the two civilians also recoiled in horror and disbelief when, out on the surface of the lake around the same area the tree had landed, they saw the soaked body of Hidan pull itself up from the depths of the inlet to stand atop the gentle waves like he were standing on solid ground.

Drenched in water with blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth, the previously submerged assassin cracked his neck as he held his scythe firmly at his side. Spitting the fluids out of his mouth, he fixed his most menacing glare on the house a hundred meters out and growled at the shocked trio he could see inside.

"That hurt, you little shit," Hidan growled, guessing that it had been the newly arrived blonde haired kid responsible for sending an oak twenty meters tall flying through the house and straight into him like an eighteen wheeler on a freeway. While that was perhaps one of the best shots anyone had ever gotten in on him in his entire career as an unkillable shinobi, the fact that it came out of nowhere made the impact even more potent then what it had been. His head was still ringing from a concussion. "Not cool. I almost drowned under that massive son of a bitch. Do you know what drowning feels like? It fucking sucks."

Tsunami and Inari's eyes were wide in fear, but not as wide as Naruto's as he gawked at the man out on the lake. "W-What the hell?" The jinchuriki just couldn't fathom it. "Why isn't he dead yet? I put enough power behind that tree to turn every single bone in his body into gravel." Shaking his head, the blonde glared down at his stomach. "Furball! Are you seeing this?"

The Kyuubi's mouth was also hanging open from where he was lying, "Seeing… still… working on believing."

Rolling a shoulder, Hidan lifted his head with a murderous stare locked firmly onto the family, an expression that was shortly joined by a grin. "You just used up your one freebie against me. Now I'm afraid I'm going to have the pleasure of killing all three of you one by one, starting with the blonde haired jackass who thought it was funny to drop a fucking tree on top of me!" With that threat made, he exploded from his spot and dashed across the lake towards them at…

Fucking hell. How fast was this guy?

All three of them reacted in alarm. Acting quickly, Naruto yanked back the sleeve on his right arm and threw it forward, a crack of an air gun ringing out as a cluster of sparkling fireworks were sent flying at the fast approaching figure. The silver haired assailant looked up to see the flashy projectiles converge on him before they peppered him repeatedly with stun shots. The sparkling flash bangs smashed into Hidan over and over again, staggering him back and getting the man to frantically wave his scythe around in front of him in an attempt to ward off the barrage.

To no avail. They were so small and so light; it was like trying to hit dust particles.

"Ah! What the fuck?! Gah!" Damn it. Whatever the hell these things were they stung like a bitch.

As Hidan was driven back by the shower of sparklers, Naruto flew through hand seals before aiming his right hand forward, a swirl of white smoke appearing in front of his open palm. "Futon: Oroshi!" (Wind Release: Wind Blowing Down From the Mountains) As soon as he chanted those words, the smoke in front of his palms expanded outwards at an alarming rate.

What followed was equivalent to a massive bomb going off in the form of hurricane winds and clouds of smoke, which blasted out in all directions and consumed everything in their paths. Hidan was able to look up just in time to see rings of white and grey clouds rocket into the air like a nuclear bomb exploding, before he was hit by the thick wall of smoke at ground level. The gale force winds propelling the smog at him knocked him off his feet and sent him tumbling across the water before he eventually skidded to a halt. He shielded himself with his arms as the waves of cloud and high winds crashed into him, his surroundings consumed in nothing but grey and white.

"Damn you, you little bastard!" Hidan bellowed, slicing at the clouds with his scythe and slowly carving away at it. "Don't think you can get away from me in this shit! I'll fucking hunt you down, skin you alive and wear you like a motherfucking trench coat!"

However, thanks to the massive mushroom cloud hanging in the sky and pretty much blinding the Akatsuki member in airspace that had the consistency of soup, the man would later find after fifteen minutes of chopping through the dense smoke that Naruto, Tsunami and Inari were long gone from the house.

You could say that after the last wisps of cloud dissipated on the wind and Hidan soon found himself standing in a deserted, ruined house, that he was less than jubilant at the undesired turn of events.

"FUCK!"

Yeah. Let's just go with less than jubilant.

OOO

Half an hour later…

Naruto could honestly say he had never sprinted that fast away from a person before in his life, because whatever happened back at that house had just been pure insanity.

At first the blonde thought he'd well and truly flattened the guy he was aiming for with that tree he sent hurling through the small home. Sure, about thirty-percent of that kill shot had been pure luck, the rest of it had been all him and the attack landed dead on. He never missed with that attack. Never. However, when it appeared the day had been saved and he'd taken care of one of the two mercenaries hired by Gato, he then watched as the guy he sent to the bottom of the lake pull himself out of the water like a zombie and come right back at him like the attack didn't faze him at all.

Naruto was confident enough in his abilities to know how much force he could put behind an object to kill someone. That one would have definitely greased even his sensei if it was clean and he wasn't expecting it, just like what he did to that guy. He decimated boulders with trees flying at that speed. So how in the name of Davy Jones' Locker did that guy get up after his bones were practically shattered, his insides turned into a smoothie and he'd been drowned at the same time?

That just wasn't physically possible, so much so that seeing the guy come charging straight at him like a madman after bringing himself back to life nearly had Naruto shit himself. Thankfully he had the right frame of mind to make a tactical retreat instead, and what a retreat it was.

Carrying both the woman and her son over both of his shoulders, the boy flew through the trees as fast as his legs would allow. He didn't even bother looking back as he was afraid the bastard was right behind him. He continued running till he was well inside the thick of the forest and several hills over that he eventually decided to stop.

It wasn't that he was tired, oh no. Far from it. He could have kept up that pace till he did a full lap of the planet and then some. He only stopped because his passengers were telling him through use of discreet sign language that they were in serious discomfort at flying backwards through the trees at above normal speed and were about to lose it.

Coaching to a stop after checking that the coast was clear, feeling out just to make sure the man with silver hair wasn't onto them, Naruto then dropped all of them down into a clearing with a stream running through it and scattered. While the jinchuriki stood to the side and caught his breath, the mother and son he'd helped save were on their knees, panting and trying to regain their sense of balance, with the latter doing his best trying not to puke.

Apparently the shock of nearly being cut to pieces by some undead monster was too great for him to stomach.

Tsunami, sweating up a storm, looked up at the blonde glaring over his shoulder and into the woods. "W-Who was that man back there?"

The jinchuriki's gaze narrowed, "A really dangerous assassin from a group hired by Gato. He was sent to abduct one of you to be used as a bargaining chip against some… bridge builder who's causing problems for him." The blonde looked over to see the stunned expression of the blue haired woman gazing back at him. "From the look on your face I'm guessing you know who I'm talking about."

Tsunami nodded, "My father, Tazuna. He's a master architect and designer, and is the head of construction here in the Land of Waves. He's best known for designing and building some of the newest buildings in the main village."

This news had Naruto raise an eyebrow. "Could you tell me why the biggest tool in history I know wants to get rid of your old man?"

Crawling over to her bent over son to rest an arm around him and pull him into a tight hug when he desired comfort, Tsunami continued speaking, albeit a distraught look on her face. "Years ago, Gato came to this island and seized control of all shipping and industry here in Wave. When he took control of all the routes to and from the mainland, the entire population started to suffer. People were forced to pay huge taxes in order to conduct any business or to purchase any goods through his company. Unable to make any money, the people started to starve and the island began to fall apart."

Naruto's frown deepened as he listened to the woman talk, watching as she rocked Inari from side to side as the boy started sobbing again. He could safely say that they'd never experienced something like this. Sure they must have had run-ins with Gato's other cronies several times before, but no one like that guy.

That was an experience they would rather soon forget.

"To save Wave country, my father began construction of a bridge to the mainland. If we're able to connect to the continent, trade for the people will open up again, the villagers will be freed and Gato's empire here will crumble," Tsunami stated, looking across at the boy as firmly as she could as she told him the reason why they were being targeted. "My father and his bridge is the only thing standing between the death of our nation and Gato. That monster is so intent on holding onto all of the power he has here, he will do anything to try and stop us…"

"So he's tried to fight you many times before?" Naruto asked.

Tsunami nodded affirmatively while rubbing the back of her son's head, "And it's not the first time he's tried to take a life from our family. Inari's father and my husband…" The woman hugged her son even tighter. "A man named Kaiza… he was regarded as one of the strongest men this nation has ever seen and was viewed by the entire island as its greatest hero. When Gato came in and began taking over everything, he stood up to him. Because he spoke out against him and fought against him, Gato had him arrested and executed in front of the entire village. He sacrificed himself to try and save us…" She shut her eyes as tears threatened to spill. "And he didn't give up, even to the end."

To say that story moved Naruto was an understatement. The boy looked like he had been thrown into shock, but was in fact thrown into awe by what he had been told. He gazed down at both the mother and son as they embraced on the grass, processing the tale of the person who'd fought Gato here quietly in his head. From it, Naruto could feel nothing but respect for this man and acknowledged his actions as one of the most selfless and noble he'd ever heard.

This Kaiza, whoever he was, he'd fought against Gato to protect his people and to protect his homeland. The fact that he was only one person had Naruto respect the guy even more. Hell, Tsunami didn't say anything about him being a ninja or a person capable of manipulating chakra, so Naruto assumed he was just an ordinary villager with a strong arm, a strong spirit and a good heart. That hit him deep knowing that there were ordinary people out there who would do that.

No wonder his loss came as such heartbreak to the family. He wasn't only a part of their family; he was also their idol, their village's hero, and a man the entire country looked up to.

Naruto bowed his head in understanding, "I'm sorry."

While Tsunami hugged her son to her and shed a few tears of her own, the young boy wearing the cap and suspenders looked up from the crook of his mother's collar and gazed towards their savior. When he saw the blonde looking down at him, the shaken youngster with tears streaming down his face sniffled as he gazed back into the teen's firm eyes.

"W-Who are you?"

Naruto stepped forward, hands balled at his sides, "Me?" Seeing both their eyes land on him, the jinchuriki bucked up all the confidence he could and smiled. "I'm just a stranger here to help."

"Are you… someone from the village?" Inari asked, having not seen this person before. "Where did you come from?"

"I did come from a village, but not one from this island," Naruto stated, gaze hardening. "I came here from the mainland. I'd like to tell you where exactly, but I don't think that's a good idea."

Both Tsunami and Inari looked up at him curiously, before the woman stiffened, "How did you know that Gato sent that man after us?"

Naruto scratched the side of his head anxiously, "I found out when I snuck into his mansion. I was hiding in his office and was preparing to jump him when I saw that guy and his partner enter, and listened in as Gato gave them their missions. Apparently, your grandfather isn't the only one the bastard's after. There are a couple other people on this island he wants killed."

Tsunami nodded in understanding while Inari looked up at him with wide eyes, "Y-You were trying to get Gato? To… k-kill him?"

Naruto glanced at him next, "I was going to catch him and beat him to a bloody pulp, yes." He slipped a hand into his pocket and furrowed his brow. "If he caused me any trouble then I would probably have done more than knock a few teeth out of his mouth."

"Th-Then you're not scared of him?" Inari asked, shaking and starting to look even more concerned. "How come?"

"Look, this isn't the first time I've fought against the asshole and this isn't the first time he's tried to take over a whole country," Naruto informed, looking seriously between the two. "Two years ago, Gato tried to seize control of a small country in the far west on the mainland, the Land of the Great River." He raised a thumb and jabbed it into his chest, standing up to full height before the mother and son duo. "I destroyed the dam he built there and chased him out of the country. He got away before I could catch him and I haven't seen or heard anything about him for months. But now that I've found out that he's here, this time it's going to be different. I'm going to free this place from him like I did before and take him down for good!"

Tsunami and Inari were stunned, looking up at the newcomer as he glared down at them with poise. The look in his eyes and his face conveyed nothing but confidence, so it was impossible for them to tell whether he was lying or not. From what they'd seen before however, how he managed to take down that man and took off running with them like they weighed nothing, it was hard to doubt him, even if he was a kid.

"Y-You're… a shinobi?" Tsunami asked.

"Yes," Naruto said, giving them a smile.

"You're… really going to try and save us?" Inari asked, looking up at the blonde in awe. "Save us from Gato?"

"Damn right I am."

"B-But aren't you afraid of him? Of that man he sent after us?" Inari asked, still fearful of what's going to happen. "How can you stand up to someone like that?" Gato was one thing. That man was strong because of the power he had over others and the influence he possessed. That other guy though was strong for another reason. Not only that, but he was able to get back up and come after them after being crushed and drowned.

All things considered, the blonde haired boy standing before him and speaking such words of self-assurance should have been scared stiff.

But, for some strange reason, he wasn't.

Naruto smirked widely, "I may look weak and I may be just some scrappy kid, but that doesn't mean I won't fight." The blonde placed his hands on his hips as he gave the youngster his most honest gleam. "Standing on the sidelines and doing nothing is useless. It doesn't solve anything. Even if you're just one person against the entire world and there are strong people standing in your way, as long as you have something worth fighting for, then that's enough to keep you going."

Inari gazed at him silently and in wonder, earning a friendly grin from the blonde and a pat on the head.

Upon removing his hand and seeing the youngster wipe away his tears, Naruto then looked back over his shoulder with a frown in the direction they'd come. "I would have stopped Gato over an hour ago if it wasn't for those two. I needed to focus all of my attention on them, so I couldn't divide up my efforts through shadow clones. Now I just need to take you somewhere safe so that I can go after the boss without having to worry about that crazy bastard in the bathrobe finding you two."

Tsunami looked up at him with concern, "How are you going to beat him?"

"I don't know," the jinchuriki replied quickly, clenching his fists. Things were a lot simpler when people just rolled over after taking an attack as big as that last one he threw. The fact that that Hidan guy could get up after taking a blow meant to be lethal meant his job got even more complicated. "But what I do know is that guy is Jonin level. Though that massive sickle he's carrying around with him should weigh him down a bit, he's still really fast… I'm guessing just below Kakashi-sensei. I was lucky he was still tripping balls from taking that hit otherwise he would have been right on top of us." Though the mercenary didn't appear physically affected by the blow, he still had his brain rattled and waterlogged from being both hit and submerged underwater. With that in mind, he turned back to the pair beside him. "I can't take you to any of this island's villages otherwise a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt. Is there anywhere around here you guys can hide?"

Tsunami shook her head. "No. The villages are the only places I know that are safe." She then turned her head and looked through the trees, following the breaking lights coming down from the canopy. "Maybe the forest? This island is covered in mangroves."

"Yeah," Naruto replied, looking up with a skeptical expression, "But I don't know how long you'll be able to use it as cover. If that guy is as tough as he looks, he'll be able to track you down in a few hours by following your scent. We'll need to cross the rivers and traverse the swamps to lose him completely, and stay downwind from his every position." Looking down at Tsunami and her son, he saw them brace themselves as he gave them a reassuring smile. "I'll take you to the other side of the island. Not sure how long that'll take, but this place is huge. Come on."

Without hesitation, the mother and son stood up and watched closely as the boy who saved them took action. Creating a bunch of shadow clones, Naruto had a handful of them use the Henge technique to transform into Tsunami and Inari respectively. Once he was sure that their disguises were spot on, he and one of his other untransformed doppelgangers picked the pair up and took off into the woods, while the other teams broke off in completely different directions. If he played this one right, he would definitely make finding them impossible for their silver haired hunter.

This was where all his years of pulling pranks on the shinobi of his village would come into play.

The original with the family of two in tow made a break for it following a zigzag pattern towards the other side of the island. In order to make life difficult for any pursuers, Naruto charged expertly through the trickiest terrain imaginable. While ordinary shinobi would find the path he took frustrating, a person of his background went through it easily as he flew across the mangroves and the occasional rocky plateaus within the forest.

For the next forty minutes, he and his copy hiked through the dense undergrowth of the island that was Wave country, every so often checking on his progress and making tabs on the route back. Eventually the blonde slowed his pace down when they pulled across a clearing, and stopped on the very edge of the tree line with Tsunami and Inari right with him.

When they stepped into the light, they suddenly got a little surprise.

"Huh? Who's that?" Inari asked.

Naruto and Tsunami remained silent as the three of them looked out across from their spot toward the stranger they could see kneeling in the middle of the grassy open. Wearing a pink kimono robe with long dark hair and a pretty face to match her guise, the small band guessed the young girl to be a couple years older than the jinchuriki and, from the way the sun was bouncing off of her, she was honestly quite beautiful.

The person had in fact been in the process of collecting herbs from the clearing when she was interrupted from her task by the arrival of the trio. Looking up in surprise, the soft gaze of the teenager locked onto the newcomers as Naruto cautiously entered the vicinity with his cargo in tow. Basket at her side, the young girl remained quiet when the new arrivals came within comfortable speaking range of her, where both groups then stood at distance and simply stared at one another.

Sensing no hostilities or anything threatening from the villager, Naruto gave the pretty face a moment of pause before a bright smile crossed his face. He nodded politely to the teen when their stares met.

"Hello!"

Caught a bit by surprise, the teenager in pink returned the greeting. "H-Hello."

"Sorry if we surprised you," Naruto exclaimed while stepping forward, carrying Tsunami safely on his back. "I know this might sound a little strange, but do you know if there are any good places to hide around here?" Yeah, like that question wasn't suspicious at all. He was carrying a mother and child with him, so that along with his polite inquiry would definitely send a few mixed messages.

Hopefully she wouldn't take this the wrong way.

The girl blinked in confusion, "Places to hide?"

Naruto nodded, adjusting the woman he was carrying on his back as she started to slide down a little, "Yeah, like a cave, or a tree with big roots or a ravine, or something. Could you help us out?"

Tsunami poked her head around and sent a pleading look towards the young teenager, "Please. There is a very bad man chasing us and we don't have anywhere else to go."

Hearing this from the mother and looking at the blonde, his doppelganger, and the child on the clone's back who also appeared quite scared, the stranger gave the group a moment of deep consideration. Taking into account their current conditions, how scared the woman and the young boy looked, and hearing that someone was after them, it didn't take the young girl long to read her moral compass to make a decision before she rose to her feet. Taking her basket of herbs with her, the villager in the kimono smiled at them.

"I think I can help," the stranger spoke, nodding into the forest behind her, "Follow me."

Smiles appearing on their faces, Naruto set both Tsunami and Inari on their feet and dispelled his clone. Safely on the ground, the small group then followed the girl in pink into the woods. Sticking close behind her, they traversed across a flat plain of forest for the next few minutes or so, with the jinchuriki taking his time to admire the splendor of nature.

It wouldn't be until sometime later when the woods started to get a little thicker that Naruto, after making sure the mother and son duo behind them were alright, decided to approach the older girl that was so kindly helping them out. Strolling alongside her, the blonde couldn't help but see how pretty she was and show interest in the mature air she had about her person. She was definitely a lot different from Sakura's tomboyish outlook, Ino's more feminine appearance and Tayuya's all around good looks and appeal. This girl had both grace and presence; not something you would find in your everyday neighbor.

When the teen glanced across at Naruto, the jinchuriki grinned, "What's your name?"

Processing the sudden question, the girl beamed at him, "My name is Haku." She tilted her head towards the youngster, "What's your name?"

"Naruto," the blonde greeted in his usual, characteristic way, "Part-time carpet salesman and seller of fine wines."

"Carpet salesman?" Haku raised an eyebrow.

This got a sheepish smile from the boy as he scrubbed his head bashfully, "Sorry, I like adding stuff at the end of my name to make my introductions a lot flashier. Half of the stuff I end them with is all bogus anyway."

The older girl gave him a look over, "So… are you really a seller of fine wines?"

"Well… there was that one time I tried to pass myself off as one and spent half a day selling alcohol laced with laxatives to the people back in my village," Naruto chuckled, remembering the good old academy days where he got up to his usual streaks of mischief every third period of the week. "Other than that: no. Not really." He chuckled when he looked the curious girl in the eyes. "You can just call me Naruto."

Staying quiet for a moment, Haku returned his smile warmly, "I see. Well… it is very nice to meet you, Naruto-kun."

"Likewise," the blonde chirped, taking stock of the herbs she was carrying before taking the rest of her in. "That's a really beautiful kimono you're wearing, Haku-chan."

"You think so?"

"It's got a nice pattern to it, and I like the trim," the jinchuriki added without missing a beat. "The girls back in my village don't normally wear them unless there's some kind of festival on. Is it comfortable?"

"Yes. I like it very much," Haku said, gently pulling on the collar and brushing down the lengths along her legs. Since she'd been kneeling in the grass all morning it had gotten a little bit damp and dirty. A few strokes of the hand were enough to clear it. "It's light and I believe very appropriate for this kind of environment." After processing Naruto's compliments, the teen looked back up at him with a fond gaze. "Do you like the color?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically, "It brings out your hair."

Haku giggled, "I'm glad. But… I think you may have made a bit of a mistake regarding the individual wearing it."

"Hmm?"

The teen then passed him a disarmingly gorgeous smile, "I'm a boy."

Paling momentarily, Naruto gave the teen walking next to him a long, silent stare and a good look over. Moments later, after careful examination of the older girl, he grinned back at her cheekily, "Nice try, but I know that's a lie."

"Huh?"

The blonde pointed at her slyly, "You have a good poker face, but not good enough to fool me. With all the crap that's been going on around this island, like Gato and his goons marching around everywhere, it makes sense you'd say something like that to protect yourself. Dress like a girl and say you're a boy to throw others off… that's a pretty smart play." He then tapped himself on the nose, "My senses are several times stronger than an ordinary person's, so I can tell whether a person's really a boy or a girl, even at a distance."

Wow. And here Haku was thinking that this teen had just called her out of nowhere. That was surprising. The expression she returned him was one both cool and warm, "You are indeed very sharp. Did you get special training from someone?"

"Nah. I just picked this skill up from hanging around animals for most of my life," the jinchuriki replied brightly. "That and you don't really pass that well for a guy. You're too pretty for something like that."

Haku blushed slightly and beamed back approvingly, "Thanks…"

"No problem." Naruto then looked over his shoulder at Tsunami and Inari, both of whom were walking hand-in-hand behind them at the same pace.

The youngest of the group was doing well keeping up, and was also occupying his time looking across at the pretty girl leading them through the woods. The jinchuriki saw from Inari's face that he was very intrigued and somewhat infatuated in the stranger, which brought a smile to his own.

Eventually the troop was led down into a low valley under an area of raised ground beneath some trees. There, the jinchuriki saw a small building with an arch shaped roof built directly into the cliff and camouflaged. It was quite a structure, as it wasn't made out of stuff from its surroundings but also had a lot of trees growing in the area so that it blended in. He actually had to blink a few times to refocus on it to make sure he didn't miss the damn thing. Nevertheless, following Haku down into the ditch under the shadow of the precipice and trees around it, the group was then introduced to the front entrance, which Haku opened without hesitation.

"Please," the younger teen exclaimed, gesturing them in and leading. "The person I take care of has a really short temper, so watch your step."

"Person you take care of?" Naruto asked.

"Who would that be?" Tsunami asked as they walked into the slightly lit hall and living room that was there to greet them.

The moment the family and their escort stepped into the lounge and onto the mahogany rich surface, the entrance behind them unexpectedly slammed itself shut and the lights filling the darkness dimmed sharply. At least it looked like they dimmed; an event that had Naruto freeze up and glare straight ahead of him when he unexpectedly felt a powerful presence materialize out of thin air behind him. Tsunami and Inari looked over at the boy when they noticed he'd suddenly stopped.

"W-What's wrong, Naruto?" Inari asked, only to recoil back along with his mother when, to their utter surprise, they spotted a towering figure standing behind their savior with what looked to be a massive cleaver the size of a surf board held in the man's grip, and pressed up against the jinchuriki's chin.

With much of his body cast in shadow thanks to the positioning of the light, the incredibly tall assailant glared down at the blonde haired figure pressed between him and his blade.

It had come as quite a shock to the boy on the receiving end of the weapon that he hadn't been able to sense the individual until he stepped through the door. However, it was pretty hard for Naruto to sense figures that were sitting or standing in a dead spot, but this man was big. The fact he was also lugging around such a huge weapon also had the jinchuriki question the full capabilities of this person.

He was able to mask his presence completely before getting the drop on him. This was difficult even for a Jonin level ninja to pull on him.

Who exactly was this person?

The moment everyone stopped, Haku turned around and looked up at the silhouette that was her guardian standing behind Naruto and beamed warmly.

"There you are, Zabuza-sama," Haku exclaimed brightly.

Breathing out a throaty growl, the silhouette's demonic eyes fixated on the teenager across the way, "Haku… who are these people and why did you bring them here?"

"I bumped into these three while I was looking for medicinal herbs up in the nearby forest fields," Haku said without waver or pause, glancing between both the statuette form of Naruto and the fear struck Tsunami and Inari. "They said that they were searching for a place to hide out because they were being chased by a man out for their lives. The nearest village is quite a ways from here, so I couldn't just turn a blind eye to them. They needed help."

The man grunted while continuing to hold the spiky haired blonde at sword point, "Sometimes I forget how soft and kind-hearted you can actually be." His eyes panned back down to his would-be victim. "Perhaps that's why I like you so much."

Haku gleamed warmly, "I always try my hardest for you, Zabuza-sama."

Naruto blinked, not even daring to turn his head an inch but still glancing over his shoulder into his peripheral vision, "Zabuza… as in… Zabuza Momochi?" Oh yeah. He'd heard that name before. Gato wouldn't stop throwing it around back in his office.

So this was the workman that was giving the weasel such a hard time? Damn. How lucky was he going to get today?

Hearing the kid speak had Zabuza press his massive, head-slicing cleaver further against Naruto's neck. At this point the blonde could no longer ignore the feeling of cold, hard steel rubbing against him and the smell of blood coming off of it.

"I'm flattered that a pipsqueak like you knows about me, but I think it was best for both you and your friends to have kept your mouth shut," the dark-haired, demon-eyed man stated with a sinister tone of voice. "Since you now know who I am and the location of my new hideout, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you, the good looking woman to your right, and that nose-wiping little runt she brought along with her."

Naruto, still as ever, looked across at Tsunami and Inari to see both of them shaking like leaves. The young boy was hugging his mother's leg and hiding behind her as best as he could, while the woman held her son's head and was glaring across at the figure wielding the blade. Using a single hand gesture to assure them that everything was going to be alright, the blonde braced himself and took a deep breath.

"You're working for a guy named Gato, right?" Naruto asked, glancing over at Haku to see the teen also pass him a serious gaze. "Both of you?"

Zabuza raised an eyebrow, "Yes. We're currently under contract with him. But I don't see how this has anything to do with you being…"

"Actually, it does," Naruto interrupted, turning his head ever so slightly to glare up at the person holding him at mercy. "Look, you probably wouldn't want to listen to what I have to say. After all, I'm just some no-name, blonde haired street punk that just happened to wander in here by accident with a single mother and her son in tow. We're probably just a couple of flies to you; pests that can be dealt with in a single blow. But before you go on and do something irrational to both me and my friends, you'll want to hear what I have to say to you." He said this with both sincerity and seriousness.

After all, all of their lives were at stake here, not just Tsunami and Inari's.

Glaring down at the kid, Zabuza saw that the boy was looking back at him with an unmoving form and sharp blue eyes that cut through the shadows like blades. While the position he was currently in would have normally struck terror into the hearts of other men far more experienced and older then he was, for some reason the swordsman could see no fear in this child's gaze. He was completely devoid of the emotion, as if being held at sword-point and threatened with death didn't faze him.

This unwavering glare and unshaken expression in the face of impending doom actually drew a tiny amount of respect from the missing ninja from Kirigakure. Sure, he may be just a pint-sized twerp, but Zabuza could see that the kid had balls. Even with killing intent in the air the blonde was unshaken.

Lowering the sword a touch, Zabuza nodded to the kid. "Go on."

Naruto furrowed his brow at the man, "I won't beat around the bush. Gato has put a hit out on you."

This little bit of news had the swordsman and Haku visibly blink in surprise.

"What?" the Jonin exclaimed.

"I broke into his mansion," Naruto stated, his gaze tightening as the intensity of the atmosphere grew around him. He wasn't going to leave these two in suspense. No. This wasn't the time to play games. If there was anyone on this island who could possibly help him, Tsunami and Inari, it was this person. "While I was there, I overheard Gato making plans with some of his men to use the bridge builder Tazuna's family as a bargaining chip to blackmail him out of his project, and to kill both the sea monster terrorizing his shipping lanes AND you." He turned his body side on so he could better glare up at the Jonin. "To accomplish these goals, he's hired two incredibly powerful men from the mainland. One of them is hunting you right now. The other one was sent to the bridge builder's home, where he tried to capture and kill his daughter and grandson." Naruto nodded toward the two standing close by. "Them."

Zabuza, eyes showing his alarmed response at the sudden news, held his sword back up against the boy beneath him. "I had an agreement with Gato. That old man and that sea creature were supposed to be my marks. I was going to take care of them myself."

"He said you weren't doing your job fast enough," Naruto stated, turning around fully to face the swordsman. Now that he could see him clearly, the blonde saw that the man stood to about Kakashi's height. He also had on black pants, a vest with a strap for his sword, blue arm and leg warmers, white gauze wrapped around his face so that only his eyes were exposed, and his Kirigakure headband worn lopsided on his head. On top of that, he also had black spiky hair and sharp eyes, with irises he'd expect from a man like him. His presence was incredible after all. "He got frustrated that you weren't following his instructions and that you were taking things too slowly, so he called somebody else in to do the missions for you… and to kill you off in the process."

Fixing his startled glare on the kid's unbroken stare, the man then glanced up towards the woman and her son when the former spoke up with a stammer. "I-It's true," Tsunami exclaimed, holding her son closer to her when she saw the swordsman's eyes fall on her. "The man Gato hired broke into our home… a-and Naruto-kun saved us from him. We ran from there… and stumbled upon this young girl working in the forest."

Zabuza's eyes then cut to Haku, where he saw the girl nod back in confirmation. After that, he panned back to Naruto, who was keeping his distance with the assassin and still staring at him.

Considering the situation now that he was presented with all of this information and evidence, Zabuza clenched both his teeth and his fists angrily. The grip around his sword tightened so much that the sound of the pressure building on its handle echoed throughout the living room. Upon processing the facts quickly and thoroughly, and going over them several times, the Jonin then lowered his blade and stepped back; giving the boy he had been holding at sword point some breathing room.

Zabuza focused solely on his target once again, "Do you know who Gato hired to take me out?" He held up his sword and pointed it down at the boy with the curved tip. It wasn't in a threatening way, but he still wanted the boy to be quick on the trigger and to spare him the details. "You said you were there when he met with them, and I just happen to know every single shinobi in the bingo book to date; dead or alive. Even Gato should know that it would take more than worthless cannon fodder to get rid of me. What are their names?"

Naruto nodded, retaining his state of attention, "You might know these two. Both of them are wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. The one that went after Tazuna's family was a man with silver hair and was carrying a red sickle with three blades on it. His name is Hidan."

The swordsman nodded at hearing this, "Hidan from Yugakure. Yeah… I've heard of him. Not too long ago he got into a fight with his village when he learned that its shinobi were transforming it into a place for tourists and were becoming a neutral territory amongst the other nations, so he no longer had to go on missions that required fighting or assassination. He slaughtered his platoon and ditched them to become a vagrant." Zabuza looked back at the kid again after that. "What about the other one?"

"He's your biggest problem," Naruto stated seriously, his body stiffening. "He's a man wearing a mask and has really freaky eyes. I didn't get a good look at his face, but I saw that he had a Takigakure headband on his head and heard his name was Kakuzu."

At that, everyone in the room saw Zabuza freeze up and his muscles tighten. Sword trembling, the Jonin gave Naruto a momentary wide-eyed stare before his eyebrows crossed. "Kakuzu? Are you sure?" Seeing the boy nod only confirmed the man's fears. "Okay… him I definitely know. He's a bounty hunter formerly of Takigakure, one who only goes after the criminals with the highest prices on their heads."

The amount of tension Naruto felt from the man had him worry about his own safety, but thankfully Zabuza set his sword's blade down and turned his attention elsewhere.

The swordsman glared off to the side contemplatively. "If he's really here, then that's a big problem. As much as I would like to face that guy myself, I'd prefer not to take him on directly. His abilities are on a completely different level than mine." He looked back at the kid, remembering one other detail. "You said the two of them were wearing black clothing with red clouds on them, right?" He saw Naruto nod again, confirming his suspicions. "That's the symbol of the Akatsuki organization."

"Who are they, Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked in concern.

"A group made up of the most powerful S-Rank nuke-nin in the world. They're practically the bogeymen of shinobi and the most dangerous individuals you're likely to come across," the swordsman informed, sheathing his sword on his back and lowering his hands to his sides. "Last I heard, my old partner from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki, joined up with them. It's a really exclusive club that only allows a handful of people to join; most notably people who've made a name for themselves and are exceedingly strong. Your best guess is as good as mine as to what exactly goes on between them." He looked back down at Naruto to see the boy step back a few. "But knowing this doesn't make our situation less complicated. If Gato went out of his way to actually call in two of these guys to take care of me, then he must really want me gone. Those fuckers don't play around and they certainly don't fail. Even against one of them I'd have a seriously tough time."

"So… does this mean… you'll help us?" Naruto asked hopefully, with Tsunami and Inari sharing the same feeling of anticipation.

After a moment of pause, Zabuza nodded. "Sure. I'll help you, kid." After seeing the youngster breathe a sigh of relief, the swordsman smirked. "If it was up to me alone, I would've killed you the moment you walked through that door. But thanks to you and the fact that Haku saw fit to bring you here herself…" He pointed over to the abovementioned individual before then gesturing to the blonde, who continued gazing at him. "You just saved your life."

Naruto chuckled nervously with sweat dripping down his head. "So it was just luck then, huh? Heh…"

Damn, how many close calls was he going to have today? He nearly got his head lopped off by a blade that was twice his height in length!

Zabuza shrugged off the smile thrown at him by the jinchuriki after his uneasy laugh. "Since you said that someone else has taken on the contract and has also labeled me as a target, it means I don't have a reason to go through with my plans to kill the bridge builder anymore." He looked across at the mother and son standing off to the side. "Consider my deal with Gato over."

Relief fell upon Tsunami and Inari, with Naruto and Haku sharing pleased gazes with one another.

"You two can spend the night here. Our hideout is way out of reach of the village and is hidden well underneath this cliff. Even those guys hunting you down won't be able to find this place for a few days," the rogue nin stated, moving around the living room floor and gesturing towards his student standing and waiting patiently on the side. "I'm going out to do some scouting to make sure your story holds up. If you need anything, Haku can get it for you."

Sure, Zabuza accepted Naruto's story at face value to keep him and the family alive. Having been a Jonin for quite some time now, he'd learned many years ago to find out as much about a situation as possible before deciding on a course of action to take. He didn't operate outside of reason and didn't proceed with a task unless he had all the facts. He was a cautious man after all.

For this reason, next to Naruto's quick words and the fact that Haku had led the newcomers here, wanting to make sure the guys Gato supposedly hired were the genuine article, Zabuza opted to go out and look for them to make certain for himself that the boy's story was true.

The swordsman left the room after that, heading off to some other part of the underground domicile to go about his next intention.

While Tsunami tended to her son, wiping his face off with her apron, the teenager in pink approached them and gave each of them a courteous bow. "Forgive him. Zabuza-sama doesn't receive that many guests… only clients. He can be… a little harsh sometimes."

The mother beamed, "Don't worry. I'm used to dealing with his kind. He's just a little… impatient, that's all."

Haku giggled at that. "He is a little rough around the edges. Everybody is. But Zabuza-sama is a really good man and has a strong spirit." She then gestured the pair to the couch. "Have a seat. I'll get you something warm to drink."

As Tsunami led Inari over to the chairs, Naruto strolled over to Haku and smiled at the girl when she turned to face him. Rubbing his shoulder uneasily, he spared her a warm look. "Thanks for this."

"No problem."

Breathing out the chill the ran up his spine, the jinchuriki gave a good-natured laugh as he steadied himself before the older teen, "That was pretty… intense."

"Not many people can face Zabuza-sama and speak so freely with him without being overcome by his presence," Haku exclaimed brightly, giving the boy a more admiring gaze. "I must say, you're a really incredible person."

"You think so?" Naruto exclaimed, flashing her one of his sheepish looks, "A lot of people have been saying that to me lately."

"I can imagine," Haku said, watching Tsunami and Inari get comfortable before pointing at one of the doors. "I'll go prepare some tea for all of you. Please, make yourself at home."

"Will do."

Well… not a bad way to make a few new friends.

Today was turning out to be a really busy time for the troublesome jinchuriki, something that had him pondering over as he went over to the window looking out towards the forest and sat himself under the sunlight. Breathing out and resting back, the boy's thoughts then rested on the problems he was now expected to face and the trials that lay ahead of him.

Sure, they were safe for the time being, but they still had a great hurdle that needed to be overcome.

He wasn't only concerned about how Isaribi was doing, Naruto's worries were also rested on those two assassins, one of which he had pissed off and was now hunting him down…

OOO

Meanwhile…

Back in Konohagakure…

Hurriedly scrambling about her room, Tayuya snatched up all of the shinobi gear she could see lying around as she prepared herself to head off on her next mission. The main difference about this one though, was that it wasn't an official assignment.

In fact, it was more like a rescue operation.

After finding out where Naruto had gone and figuring out what must have happened to him, the red head soon found herself in full preparation mode as she was determined to go out, help him, and bring him back to the village. In spite of the high amount of faith she had in her best friend and his abilities, she still cherished his life and safety above all that.

Though she was well aware that the boy had been in this situation before, years ago when he first met her, he'd also made an enemy out of Gato then. The fact that he was possibly being hauled away by someone working for the magnate's company made the situation a lot more harrowing, as there was a chance that he was in some serious trouble. It was because of this, Tayuya was compelled to go out and get him back.

Even the blonde haired wonder wasn't impervious to procedure. Hell, he could be locked up in prison and was being tortured by Gato's goons right now for all she knew.

"I know that bastard Gato has it out for Naruto-kun," Tayuya thought as she strapped her flute to her leg holster and adjusted her head band. "There's no way in hell a man like him would let that Great River fiasco slide. If Naruto-kun has wound up in his territory and they've got notices from the weasel to look out for him, then he won't be getting out of that area quietly. I have to go find him." Naruto would do the same thing for her, no questions asked.

Tayuya was determined to follow his example.

However, once she had all her gear on her and was just about to leave the room, the kunoichi suddenly heard a rapping on the window and turned around. When her eyes fixed on the panes, she got quite a surprise when she saw a little bird sitting out on the sill and holding a folded up piece of paper in her foot. It wasn't any random bird either.

"Swift?" Rushing over, Tayuya quickly pulled the window open and watched the bird hop inside, "You're here? Where's Naruto?"

Chirping, the bird held out the paper she was carrying, which Tayuya took without hesitation. Unfolding it, the red head took a moment to read the hurriedly written message that was inscribed upon it.

'Stuck in Wave. I'm fine. Be back in a few days. -Naruto.' Hell, he even drew a smiley face at the end.

Blinking as she stared down at the message, the kunoichi processed the few words on the paper before a smirk crossed her face. She then scrunched up the section of scroll she had spread between her fingers and placed a hand on her forehead. "That bonehead. So he wants to take care of everything over there himself?" Chuckling for a few seconds, while at the same time being watched by an ever curious swallow sitting on her window, Tayuya looked back up with a wide grin and a flash of fire in her eyes. "Why does he get to have all the fun?"

With no time to waste, a now excited Tayuya leapt up onto the window sill and looked out across the village. Though she knew from Naruto's message that he was fine, she still wanted to get to him, even if it meant breaking a few rules. "Come on, Swift!"

The fire-breasted swallow chirped and flew out the window, at the same time Tayuya jumped out and onto the roof beyond. Upon landing, the kunoichi sprinted across the village towards Konoha's nearest exit, all compasses set on the Land of Waves.

Even though she didn't have a mission or scroll on her, the girl just barreled past the gate and left the village in her dust. She was going to be out of town for a bit, something she was certain would take up a few days and leave her team wondering where she'd gone.

Thank goodness she remembered to leave a note on her front door telling everyone that both she and Naruto were 'on vacation.'

OOO

Meanwhile…

Back at Wave…

"Skinning that brat alive may not be enough for me," the growl of an incredibly pissed Hidan echoed throughout the woods. "When I catch him, I'm going to tie him to a tree and rip out each of his fingernails one at a time. Then I'm going to slash out his eyeballs and piss on them to keep him from passing out. After that I'll unfurl his insides and use his blood to paint a God damn house!" With every step he took, he used his triple-bladed scythe to slice through vine and bush that stood in his way, a process he hoped would help quell his frustrations.

Unfortunately, it wasn't working out as well as he had hoped it would. However, it did help him express his anger in the most physical and active way possible. He'd lost the kids trail a few hundred meters back and was now reduced to searching every possible route he and the family of two could have taken. It was grinding his gears something fierce too because he couldn't even pick up the faintest trace of the kid at all.

He was like a damn animal. How the hell was he able to eliminate his scent so thoroughly to prevent predators from following after him? Not even Chunin level ninja were that good.

Still, this didn't stop Hidan from raging all over the forest. Swearing he'll catch up with the brat sooner or later, he plowed across the wood covered terrain at a furious pace, slashing through everything he came across while thinking up every possible way of taking his anger out on the blonde haired runt that had practically drowned him.

"Now all I need to do is find some poor motherfucker around here who wants his house painted red and do it," Hidan growled, still thinking up on how he was going to open the youngster up and torment him in the goriest ways imaginable. "I'll use his hair as a brush and his skull as a bucket. Oh, that's brilliant! My best idea yet!" He licked his lips excitedly at the prospects of vengeance.

At this point he was able to calm down enough to focus all of his rage on the blonde and think more about the assignment he'd been given by his partner.

While his initial intentions had been to kill the bridge builder's grand kid and let the woman drop dead if she wanted to kill herself, now he figured he should probably just do the job he was given and bring one of them back with him to Gato's place.

All he had to do was chop off their legs so that they wouldn't run away. At least then he would not only complete the job but get a decent amount of satisfaction from doing it. He would also be able to keep Kakuzu happy. As long as the masked bastard got all the money he was promised then he wouldn't rage on him.

"I get enough of his abuse daily as it is," Hidan grumbled as he continued to traverse the lifeless forests for his prey. Ever since he joined up with Akatsuki two months ago, it had been attempted murder after murder from his partner daily. What a lousy teammate.

Unknown to the mercenary however, looking through the brush a ways out from under the shadow of a large oak, a tall figure stood concealed and silent as he watched the sickle wielder move through the woods. Peering around from behind the wide trunk, Zabuza's eyes narrowed as he got a good look at the person clear cutting the forest.

In all good conscience, on this island it should have taken the swordsman ages to find the Akatsuki guy Naruto claimed was after him and the bridge builder's family. But thanks to all the noise the jackass was making, he'd been led straight to him. The guy wasn't very bright if he thought that swearing profusely and slicing up a forest was the best way to hunt someone down.

After sizing up the individual in black and getting a shot at his face, the Jonin nodded to himself when he was able to confirm he matched the description of the person chasing after Tazuna's family.

"The brat was telling the truth after all," Zabuza thought, pulling himself back and murmuring uneasily. Since he was now able to ascertain that that blonde haired kid's story was genuine, it meant that their problems were also genuine and that all of them were in serious trouble.

He needed to head back and formulate a strategy.

With confirmation safely in hand, Zabuza took off into the trees.

Glancing over his shoulder momentarily when he thought he heard something, Hidan frowned before going back to his hunt.

"Hopefully that asshole Kakuzu is having as much trouble finding that Zabuza as I am with these fucking brats…"

OOO

Later that evening…

Deep within the woods covering the land making up the small island nation, there stood a massive tree house situated high up in a large redwood. The lights inside the towering structure could be seen from the forest floor, which would have anyone passing by the area, believe it was occupied.

However, it was there in the main room where all the residents of the building would gather in conference that carnage had unexpectedly been brought to the floor.

The place once served as the main headquarters and home for Zabuza's band of rogue ninja, including the head honcho Zabuza himself. Having been on the run from Kirigakure's Hunter Nin for so many years now, the man eventually chose to settle down on the quaint little island country not too far from the mainland. Placing his group as close as possible to the continent as well as the Land of Fire, which was essentially Konohagakure territory, the swordsman had hoped he would be able to stay well out of reach of the Hunter Nin's noses. For the past several months since constructing the tree house domicile its positioning and isolation had worked like a charm.

However, thanks to his most recent dealing involving the world renowned company owner Gato of Gato Shipping and Trade, the secret location of his hideout became compromised. After successfully gaining an audience with the assassin in order to discuss the terms of their agreement as well as the many specifications of his missions to follow, the shipping magnate and his men not only became privy to the swordsman's home, but also the few henchmen he had working under his wing. When their relationship started to go south thanks to several failed attempts to kill the sea monster attacking Gato's shipping, Zabuza became suspicious that his client would attempt to take him out of the picture and hence, moved his home and himself to another location.

In doing so, he left his old hideout in the hands of the men he'd brought along with him when he fled Kirigakure. This group, small in comparison to other rogue bands, included the infamous duo known as the Demon Brothers, a pair of Chunin level shinobi who fought in tandem with one another to brutally and swiftly bring down their targets.

Since being handed the key to this place, the Demon Brothers had lived in the small amount of luxury that Zabuza once enjoyed for some weeks now. As a result, not only were they the ones charged with the responsibility to deal with any of Gato's men should they come knocking on 'Zabuza's' front door, they were also given the task of greeting any and all troublemakers that came around to mess with them. Initially, they had no problems with this, as the two of them were confident enough that they and the rest of their comrades would be able to deal with whoever came through that door.

Now… not so much…

That evening, while enjoying some drinks and light snacks over a game of mahjong; the group was suddenly interrupted from their free time by a knock on the door. The moment they went over to open it, the greeter was swiftly cut down by a man with a hand made out of steel and flying a black cloak with red clouds on it. Within seconds, every single individual in the home was swiftly and brutally massacred by the lone figure that left a trail of blood and entrails in his wake.

Neither one of the residents stood a chance…

"Well that was annoying," Kakuzu exclaimed flippantly as he casually tossed aside the breathing apparatus that he had managed to rip off of one of the Demon Brothers when they came at him, chains flailing. After blocking their simultaneous attacks, he'd promptly disposed of both of them by shoving his hand through their chests and leaving them to bleed out over the floor. Since their bodies were still intact, the assassin was positive he would be able to claim the bounties on their heads once his assignments to this country were over. "And an easy eight million in the bank as well."

Stepping over the corpses littering the room, Kakuzu began searching the premises for other signs of life. After investigating the various levels and combing through the many rooms of the structure, the hunter eventually returned to the gore covered lounge with nothing but an idea of what living here had been like for the poor saps he'd just killed. Being Kiri Nin on the run, they'd been feeding off of the bare minimum, and they were careful to eliminate any and all information pertaining to the actual locations any of their other members were.

Apparently the way they communicated with each other was through word of mouth. That was smart, but also typical for criminals hiding from the authorities.

"Perhaps I should've left one of them alive," Kakuzu thought, looking around at all the bodies lying about the place. If he did then maybe he would've been able to interrogate one of them and gotten information on Zabuza's current location.

Unfortunately, they had all come at him at once, so he had been forced to eliminate them with extreme prejudice before he even had time to think ahead.

Breathing out a sigh, the bounty hunter then went and collected the bodies of the Demon Brothers. Unfurling a scroll, he laid their lifeless forms across it and quickly sealed them, before rolling the length of paper up and pocketing it. Since there wasn't a bounty station on this island, he would have to wait until his mission here was completed before going to one on the way back to Kumogakure. Hopefully by then he would have a few million more to add to it, not just from his assignments under Gato, but with Zabuza's head in his collection.

"My guess is that the swordsman has positioned himself on the edge of the island," Kakuzu thought. Sure, he was playing on a hunch, but with no leads to go by he needed to start somewhere.

If these rogue Kirigakure shinobi were here, then their boss was still in the area too. He knew this because Gato was still in contact with the scum and, as a leader; he wouldn't have just left all of his cronies here on their own to fend for themselves. No, these guys were still taking orders.

Well… had been.

"Maybe I can follow up on the sea monster case while I'm at it," the Akatsuki member added before leaving the lounge room and, by extension, the tree house itself.

Remembering to switch off the lights before leaving, Kakuzu shut the door behind him, forgetting about the half-a-dozen other bodies he'd left strewn all about the place and staining the walls…

OOO

That night…

It was late and by this time the sun was long gone beneath the horizon where it had set.

Looking across the living room towards the couch, Naruto saw that Inari was fast asleep and curled up against one of its many pillows. After the trying day they'd all shared, he wasn't surprised to see the boy was out like a light and resting so soundly. The jinchuriki figured that with everything that had happened he'd be way more anxious than this, but seeing as that he was still young, his body just couldn't take the strain of so much on his shoulders and just nodded off on his own accord.

Still, relieved to see that the kid was doing okay, the blonde decided to go for a small walk around the underground home, starting down the main corridor for the other rooms. Maybe while he was searching he'd be able to find a bathroom, since he was covered in sand, salt and sweat from his morning frolicking in the ocean and cleaning house with that Hidan character.

Passing the kitchen, he found Tsunami occupying herself at the table there with tea and reading. Assured that she was okay too and wasn't panicking in any form, Naruto moved on to the next room. He found a storage section with food, which he figured would be directly across from the kitchen, and a weapons room next to that. There was a small assortment of shuriken, kunai and senbon there. Picking up a ball and chain, Naruto twirled it around some before putting it back, not wanting to pilfer from an ally and potential friend's place of residence without their permission.

Moving further down, Naruto found a couple of shoji doors standing in place. Picking between the few that were there, he chose the one closest to him on the right and slid it open. Looking in, without even knocking to start with, the boy received his second biggest shock for the day when he saw that Haku was kneeling beside her bed changing into a more comfortable robe.

How the heck was he supposed to know she wasn't wearing a bra under that?

She had her kimono half on, except that her top half was bare and was in the process of slipping it on. Naruto was thankful he could only see her back otherwise he would have caught her front flush and full-on when she turned side-on and looked over at the door when she sensed someone looking in.

The teen gasped at the sight of the jinchuriki while the blonde freaked out, spinning around so that he was hiding behind the partially open door. "S-Sorry, Haku-chan! I didn't know you were in there!"

Silence filled the corridor as Naruto stood frozen in place like a statue and waiting for the inevitable beating that was sure to come. Since he shared his apartment with Tayuya-chan and he almost, always ended up walking in on her while she was in the process of getting dressed, which almost results in him getting beaten up or stuck with kunai, he was sure to expect a similar response here. However, after a full minute of silence and nothing, he blinked away his stupor and looked around.

He jumped when he saw Haku standing directly beside him, sliding the door open a little bit more to look down at him. "What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

Looking the older girl over, the jinchuriki was relieved to see she was fully dressed this time and sighed. "N-Nothing. I just thought… you know…" He pressed his fingers together, "Seeing you like that… I figured you were going to beat me up or something."

The older girl smiled pleasantly at him, "Why would I want to do that? It was just an accident." She pushed the door open fully and stepped aside. "It would be awfully callous of me to beat you up over such a trivial thing." Her hand was held out towards the table sitting beside her bed. "Will you join me?"

"Uhh… s-sure," a still weary Naruto chirped before following the teen in. He didn't want to intrude if she was still in the middle of something, but if he was being invited then what harm was there in accepting? He wanted to chat with her anyway, so this pretty much eliminated the need to ask.

Sitting down on either side of the desk, the pair got comfortable before fixing their attention across the way. It was then Naruto noticed Haku was having tea as well, and poured each of them a glass before moving one over to him. The jinchuriki accepted it with a grateful nod.

"I would like to get to know you a little better, Naruto-kun," Haku exclaimed, looking across at her guest as he drank. "You seem like a very interesting person; someone who possesses both a strong heart and mind."

Naruto beamed, "Really?"

Haku nodded affirmatively, "When you appeared to me in the woods with Tsunami-san and Inari-kun, you appeared to me as a stranger. At first I didn't know what to think, but hearing your plights and woes, I acted on the first thought I believed was right. While we walked, we spoke with one another, and I learned your name and that you were an incredibly sharp person who spoke kindly of others. It was that aspect about you that made me more curious about you, which is why I wish to share some tea with you and learn more about you."

"So that's it? You want to spend some quality time with me?" Naruto asked with a relieved grin. "I don't see why not. Okay."

Taking a sip from her tea, the girl in the white kimono then beamed across at the child when she saw him waiting patiently for her first question. Since she was the one who suggested this conference, it made sense that she be the one to start things off, which she did without complaint. "Where did you learn your ninjutsu skills? The doppelganger that you used to carry Inari-kun to my field was a solid one, which told me that it was a type of clone that was produced using a tangible element. But when it dispelled, it dispelled into smoke, which led me to believe that it was a shadow clone composed entirely of your own chakra. That's a skill that's not very easy to learn."

"Oh. That sounds like fishing to me," Naruto exclaimed, raising an eyebrow in feigned suspicion. "You want to know where I learned my tricks."

Haku giggled at that, "Your abilities fascinate me, Naruto-kun."

"Let's just say that I can't exactly tell you where I learned my abilities. If I did, then you and Zabuza wouldn't trust me as well as you do now, seeing as that you're both rogue ninja. Well… one of you, anyway," Naruto replied before giving the girl a more serious stare. "Also, if I was to reveal that sort of information, it would also mean betraying my friends."

"Your… friends?"

Naruto nodded, "The friends I have back in my village. If I was to say something needless or revealing, then I would be putting their lives at risk. That's not something I want to do." He folded his arms and leaned back. "One of my main goals in life is to protect my friends, and that also means protecting my home. After all, they're the things that matter most to me."

"I see," Haku murmured, finding her spirit lift at this as she took up her tea again, "Very well then. I will reframe from interrogating you on the matter."

Naruto grinned, "I will say this though; a lot of the skills that I know, I learned myself." Seeing Haku's eyes lock onto him again garnished more of an explanation from the jinchuriki when he saw her raise an eyebrow in inquiry. "I'm not a genius or anything like that. I just picked up what I know from where I grew up." He held up his tea and looked down at its contents. "When I was younger and didn't have anyone waiting for me at home, I wandered the streets on my own. I was alone for a long time and people didn't want anything to do with me, so I decided to make use of my time and get people to recognize my existence however I could. On the streets, I learned how to fight and fend for myself. I didn't have much money to live on as well, so I lived off of the food in the forest. I also learned how to sense the world around me and how to move from the animals that lived there, which gave me my strength and agility."

"So you grew up and learned how to survive all on your own, with no one to help you?" Haku asked, leaning forward in interest. "Your abilities were all self-taught?"

"Yep," Naruto nodded, holding up his tea.

Haku, looking down at the table, rolled her cup between her hands, "I grew up in the same way." Feeling the blonde's gaze fix on her curiously, the teen turned to face him. When she did, she faced his expression with a harder one. "Back in Kirigakure, before I met Zabuza-sama, I had a family of my own, a father and mother. My father was a normal farmer, but my mother… she came from a clan with a kekkei genkai."

"Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto parroted, testing the word out a bit before remembering what that was. "That's an ability inherited by blood, isn't it?"

The girl nodded. "Back in those days, those who possessed kekkei genkai were feared and hated by the people, due to the tumultuous periods of war that plagued the country before that. My mother concealed her heritage from my father, hoping we would live together in peace. But when I found out about my abilities, and my father witnessed me using them, he killed my mother, and tried to kill me." Haku's body tensed at that memory. "I defended myself and killed my father… and fled. I was left all alone after that. I wandered the streets, unwanted by everyone, and scavenged for food however I could." She then looked back up from her tea and smiled. "After living on the streets for many months, Zabuza-sama found me, and took me under his wing to become his weapon… his soldier… a shinobi he could use to fulfill his dreams and ambitions."

Naruto recoiled a little at this. The idea of someone being taken in to be used as a weapon didn't really strike him as something that was good. However, he continued to listen, wanting to hear everything from Haku before adding his own opinion and making an overall conclusion.

Haku smiled, "I was happy. When Zabuza-sama took me in, acknowledged both me and my abilities, and trained me to become somebody who could be of use to him, he gave me a new purpose in life. He saved me and gave me a home. That's why…" She gazed up at the boy with a solid look in her eyes and her feelings set. "I would do anything Zabuza-sama asks of me. He is my precious person… someone whom I love very much."

A warm feeling came over Naruto as he registered to Haku's honest words with a smile. He nodded to the girl after hearing her tell her story of her past, which he found a lot of common ground in. After all, he grew up alone too, someone who was scorned and hated by many. He had to fight in order to survive and to get people to recognize his existence, in the same way that Haku did.

He could also see why Haku pledged so much loyalty to Zabuza-sama to the point that she would openly declare herself his tool. With everything that had happened to her growing up, the blonde saw why she would give so much to the one person who accepted her for who she was and took her in when she had nowhere else to go. Companionship and purpose was something Naruto sought after his entire life, and he found it in the people who were willing to let him in and acknowledged his presence.

For that reason, he didn't fight Haku's choice of words.

Everyone had values and beliefs of their own, and for someone who achieved happiness from them and lived a good life, Naruto wasn't going to change that.

"I guess that's why our eyes are the same, eh?" Naruto asked with a fond smile.

Surprised by his question, the teen giggled in return and nodded. "Indeed."

Excitement welling up within him once more, Naruto leaned forward while placing his hands on the table. "So-so! What's your kekkei genkai, Haku-chan? Can you tell me about it?"

From that point onwards, Haku and Naruto began a long and enlightening conversation with one another. After sharing so much with the other person about their past lives, at least the aspects they were willing to reveal, they started talking about other things. The jinchuriki became engrossed in what the young girl had to say about her abilities and how she trained to use them. She was super talented from what Naruto was able to take away from her tales, a person capable of astonishing feats and able to come up with innovative ideas and strategies on first glance. He also learned more about her and Zabuza's travels, which eventually led to their place here.

Naruto also went on to talk about his adventure to the Land of the Great River, as well as some of the trials he faced there. As established by both parties, neither of them revealed anything incriminating about the other. They dodged anything about Naruto's origins due to it possibly risking the delicate alliance they'd formed and veered off of material that was considered too personal.

Eventually the atmosphere of their surroundings was broken by a light knock on the door. When they looked over they saw Zabuza standing there and looking in, eyes sharp and serious as they always were. Once he was certain he'd gotten their attention, he walked in.

"You two seem to be getting along," the man exclaimed.

Naruto grinned nervously at the towering individual as he stopped beside their table, "You were listening to us?"

"This is my home and you are talking to my loyal subordinate. Why would I not listen in?" Zabuza asked while glaring down at him. "I was also curious to learn more about the strange new kid in the area, so I decided to eavesdrop while you were getting cozy with Haku."

The blonde laughed light-heartedly under the intimidating stare of the Jonin.

Motherfucker; this guy was terrifying.

He didn't want to do anything to antagonize or upset the man wielding the massive cleaver; otherwise he might suddenly find himself on the wrong end of it. So he tried his best to come off as unthreatening as he possibly could.

"I didn't mean to intrude on any of you. It's just… I like meeting new faces."

"So it appears," Zabuza replied with a smirk. "You certainly are a cheerful brat." When the jinchuriki made a bashful gesture while scratching the back of his head, the swordsman folded his arms and sat himself down as well. With all three of them now around the table, the Jonin began discussion of a new topic. "Let's disperse with the useless banter. I went out to see if I could find that dog that's hunting both you and the bridge builder's family." His eyes narrowed on the jinchuriki. "Now that I know you were telling the truth, we need to talk about how we're going to deal with Gato."

Blinking into realization, Haku nodded in understanding, "Of course…"

Sensing that talking time had finally arrived at its main issue, Naruto dove right on in. Seeing as how both Zabuza and Haku were willing to trust him to an extent now, the timing for this was perfect. "I know that we can get to Gato easily, but making any big moves on this island will be impossible with those two guys in black walking around," Naruto stated, getting the swordsman to consider their biggest problems. "I want to free this place from that glasses-wearing weasel, but we can't do anything unless both of them are out of the picture and Gato is gone."

Zabuza nodded, "That's a given. But taking on those two, even with Haku and me fighting in tandem, isn't going to do us any good." He dodged the fact that on his way back to this place he stopped by his old hideout. The carnage he found there was almost nauseating, so the Jonin decided to ignore the discovery for the benefit of both his student and guest. They didn't need to know that they were now on their own. "While I'm confident in my subordinate's abilities, against two opponents of that level… we wouldn't last ten minutes out in the open. We'll need to isolate them and take them down one at a time. We'll also need to take them by surprise." A confident look then flashed through his eyes as a grin spread across his covered lips. "That's my area of expertise."

"I bet it is… but…" Naruto frowned when he remembered some other important details. Oh yeah, how could he forget about something like that. "There's something you have to know about one of them. That Hidan guy, Kakuzu's partner… earlier today I hit him with an attack from a blind spot that should have turned his insides into slurry and dunked him underwater for over ten minutes. Even after all that, he still managed to get back up and come at me like it didn't affect him at all."

This piece of info had the swordsman scowl, "You couldn't kill him?"

"I did. The problem is… he didn't die," Naruto replied with a blank look on his face. "I don't know what he did or how he did it, but if he was able to survive an attack like the one I dropped on him and get up, then I don't think he can be killed so easily."

Zabuza rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking over to see Haku also glaring intensely at the news. "So… not only are we dealing with Takigakure's monster, but we also have that guy to take care of," A person able to survive a direct killing blow without suffering a single broken bone. As scary as that was, Zabuza wasn't moved on the issue; he still intended to kill both those men with his sword. After thinking about it for a moment, the Jonin then steeled on a possible solution. "From what I gather, both of them are searching for two different groups of people; Kakuzu for my group and Hidan for you and the bridge builder's family. If we're able to keep them divided the way they are, then I'm sure we'll be able to beat them." He locked firmly back onto Haku. "We'll take out Hidan first."

The oldest girl nodded affirmatively, her own expression reflecting what Zabuza was thinking. "I believe that's the best course of action."

Zabuza glanced back over at Naruto to see the boy was listening intently to them as well. "We'll need to lure him out into an area where we'll be able to use the battlefield to our advantage. Haku said that you could use shadow clones, right?" Seeing the blonde nod got a smile from the swordsman. "Use them to get Hidan to follow you down to the incomplete bridge. When you do, I'll use my mist to knock out his field of vision and slice his throat open."

Acknowledging this plan of action, Naruto then gave the swordsman a more serious look as he pondered further into their actions for tomorrow, "While you guys are getting ready, I'll go back to Gato's mansion and capture him. Both of those Akatsuki guys are on different parts of the island, so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to break into that eyesore and take him before they have a chance to respond. Perhaps we can also get some extra leverage over them if we have that guy as a hostage."

"Fair enough," Zabuza murmured while furrowing his brow, "You can hide Gato in the village and deal with him afterwards. Perhaps when Kakuzu realizes his paycheck is gone, he'll just up and leave the island." Seeing Naruto nod, the Jonin then pointed at him, "You can send shadow clones to check up on him, and make sure he's kept busy while we take care of his partner."

Naruto grinned and stretched his fingers out so that their cracks echoed throughout the room, "No problem."

Zabuza chuckled at his enthusiasm, "You're a really strange kid; so easygoing and bright. Even when the situation is serious, you don't show an inch of losing your cool. I guess that's why Haku likes you."

The jinchuriki looked over at the older teen to see her beaming at him, which got him to blush a little and rub his head, "You think so?"

The swordsman rose to his feet and began marching back over to the door. When he stopped at the exit, he cut back towards the kids and gave them a look of consideration, particularly the blonde haired runt. "I trust you enough to count you as an ally today, brat. However, while I do not wish to harm the bridge builder's family, if you do anything to hurt Haku or make her cry, I won't hesitate to cut you down where you stand." He gave Naruto a courteous gesture and took his leave, leaving the room with a bit more chill than before.

Blinking after seeing the tall Jonin leave, Naruto glanced over at Haku and gave her a weak smile, "I think I've finally warmed up to him."

The older teen giggled, "I'm glad. It means he's okay with you and I being friends."

This got the aura surrounding Naruto to glow even brighter.

Sure, the swordsman still came off as a little bit harsh, but at least Naruto was getting somewhere with the guy. He still wouldn't want to be stuck alone with him though.

The having no eyebrows aspect gave him the creeps.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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Author's Note: Another! Man, I'm dishing these out quickly.

Anyway, another fun chapter I got to write. Naruto blind-sided Hidan with a fast Jet Hand on a tree like he did Mizuki instead of fighting him directly (smart, because he would get killed in the first few minutes against the guy) and took off with Tsunami and Inari. The best hit and run ever!

Because Hidan was practically water logged and carrying that heavy scythe, which he said so himself in canon it inhibits his movements, he wasn't able to catch Naruto who was able to cover his getaway the same way he used against Kakashi in the bell test, and because Hidan doesn't know any jutsu to clear it, lost him.

While Hidan's hunting him, Kakuzu broke into Zabuza's old hideout and massacred everyone there. He's still hunting him as well.

And Naruto finally meets Haku and Zabuza, yay!

Originally I wrote that Haku was a boy, but while rewriting this arc I thought to myself, 'hmm, what would a fanfic writer do,' so I thought to hell with it and made her a girl. Now the world of Naruto makes a little more sense that she's a girl now.

Because Naruto's not wearing a shinobi headband and meets them under friendly terms, Zabuza was more compliant in listening to what he had to say. Being more reasonable, since he didn't encounter Kakashi's group in this arc and hasn't sworn vengeance against anyone, and wouldn't kill people outright without a good reason, he listened to what Naruto had to say and went to investigate if his story was true. They now resolve to take out Hidan while trying to avoid Kakuzu wherever he is now on the island.

Zabuza is a smart man who knows his enemies well. Since he knew so much about Kakashi, it would also make sense he knows many other noteworthy individuals, including Hidan and Kakuzu. But we never saw the extent of that knowledge realized so I expanded on that in this chapter.

Oh yes, and for everyone out there wondering why I put Hidan as a member of the Akatsuki so early, it's because I'm trying to align him with the timeline I gathered from Naruto Shippuden Episode 309. He appeared before the three year gap in that episode in a flashback with Akatsuki, so I assume he's been with the group for a little while based on how he was arguing with Kakuzu. In this story, he's only been with the group for two months, so he's new.

I hope you're all looking forward to the next chapter, because that's where the action starts. Peace.