Disclaimer: You should know this by now. I don't own this.

AN: Thank you to everyone who left a review saying they liked Zabuza and Haku still playing a part. I wasn't sure how that would go over.

Just a reminder about the timeline, as at least one person left a review saying they were confused. The mission to Wave arc is still a month or two away at this point. Zabuza hasn't been approached by Gato to kill Tazuna. Tazuna hasn't gone to Konoha yet.

Also, a reviewer by the username havock sent me a message, telling me that Kiri had a grudge against the Uzumaki clan, because they had some of the best water and wind jutsu. I have no idea where this came from, or how legitimate it is, but I used it, and it made the chapter much better, in my opinion. All I had to do is add a little more background information to what I had already set down.

And as long as I'm giving out credit to the users whose ideas I've used, arkard gave the suggestion for Zabuza and Haku as undercover operatives. It's not the road they're going to take, but I listed it as an option for them. Personally, I thought it was a highly original idea.

Now, prepare for a lecture on Kiri from Zabuza!

Rivers of Hades

Chapter 9

"So tell me, what's a high profile missing-nin such as yourself doing attacking four genin and a jounin?"

"It's obvious, really. As a missing-nin, I can't exactly go into a town and resupply. So, I have to get food and equipment from somewhere. You lot just happened to cross my path."

Kiba growled out, "Too bad we aren't going down without a fight."

"Guess again. Haku, NOW!"

Suddenly, water began to surround their arms and legs, freezing and becoming ice. They were all pinned. A figure close to the genin's height jumped out of a tree, hands clasped in a seal.

Zabuza spoke. "Now then, you can either surrender everything you've got and live, or do something stupid and die."

Kurenai arched an eyebrow. "Interesting. Your mission history and bingo book profile show you as someone who wouldn't think twice about killing. Why give us a choice?"

"That's true. In true combat, I wouldn't hesitate to kill all of you. However, I have enough work cut out for me avoiding the Kiri hunter-nin. I don't want Konoha or any of the other villages actively pursuing me unless it's absolutely necessary. So I'm giving you the chance to live. Consider yourselves lucky."

Kiba and Akamaru were both struggling against the ice, trying to break free. "Fat chance. Soon as we break free, you're as good as dead!"

The masked figure, apparently the one named Haku, spoke softly. "I wish you wouldn't say such things. Neither of us have any desire to harm you. Once we have what we came for, we will leave, and my jutsu will end, freeing you. Please don't follow us. Return to Konoha."

"No way! You think you stand a chance against all of us? I don't care if we're stuck! We'll get out, and start kicking your asses!"

Haku sighed, and Zabuza growled out, "You really have a deathwish, don't you, punk? If circumstances were different, I might have enjoyed fighting you. Still, you should have kept your mouth shut, because now, I'm going to kill you all."

The sound of ice shattering surprised him. Naruto had managed to break free without anyone noticing. It also surprised Haku, whose hands came out of the seal in shock, freeing the group.

"Well now, that is impressive. No one's ever broken free from one of Haku's jutsu before. I might actually get a workout."

Zabuza began stretching and flexing the arm holding his sword, loosening it in preparation to attack.

"Haku, make sure no one tries to escape."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama." Haku jumped back into the trees and disappeared, ready to run defense for Zabuza and halt any attempt at escape.

"Well, I hope you've enjoyed your lives. They all end now!" Zabuza raised his zanbato, ready to charge the group. Then, his eyes fell on the Uzumaki crest on Naruto's hitai-ate. "What the... No, it can't be. Hey, blond brat, what's your name?"

Everyone else in the clearing face-faulted. Haku fell out of the tree, but managed to avoid serious harm.

'What's going on? It isn't like Zabuza-sama to start attacking, then suddenly stop and ask a question.'

"It's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." Zabuza stared at Naruto, a penetrating gaze in his eyes.

"...Shit. You know what? Screw this. No way in hell I'm fighting you."

Confusion once again took over the clearing. The Demon of the Mist didn't want to fight a genin?

"Zabuza-sama, is something wrong? Why would his name change your mind?"

"I don't care how hard up I am for food and supplies. Nothing can make me willingly attack a member of the Uzumaki clan. I owe them too much."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand, Zabuza-sama."

"I wouldn't expect you to know, Haku. I never told you. Didn't think I'd ever meet another one."

"You... you knew my clan?" Naruto wasn't sure how to take this. What could his clan possibly have in common with this missing-nin?

"Yeah. Well, one member of it. I'll explain. Any of you know why I'm called 'Demon of the Mist'?"

By this point, everyone had lowered their guard somewhat. Enough to show that they wouldn't attack, but not enough that they couldn't get it back up quickly.

Shino spoke. "You killed the entire graduating class at the Kirigakure Academy. A class you weren't a member of."

"Yes. Until I did that, the graduation exam there was very different than it is now. Before, each student would be paired up with another one in the same class. They would do everything together for four years. Then, for graduation, they would be forced to fight to the death. The victor made genin."

Kiba winced. "Wow. No offense, but why would anyone do that? That cripples how many ninja you can produce, and creates a lot of hatred within the village."

"Hey, what do you expect from a village that is called 'the Bloody Mist' and is proud of it? Any way, after my actions there, that was changed. The people in charge finally decided that it wasn't the best way to do things, though it had been tradition since the village's founding.

"Anyway, after I did that, I was up for a jounin-sensei. Not surprisingly, there weren't many takers. The academy wouldn't let me back, either. People were afraid of me, wanted me dead. Then, I was told that a sensei had been found for me, a man by the name of Uzumaki Kenji."

Everyone's eyebrows were in danger of getting caught in their hairline. One of Naruto's relatives had been the jounin-sensei for the Demon of the Mist?

"You heard me. Uzumaki Kenji. He was the best teacher I ever had. Wide range of abilities, though his specialties were kenjutsu and suiton jutsu. Taught me damn near everything I know about being a shinobi.

"One of the first questions I asked was why he was willing to teach me. He told me that Kiri had a serious grudge with his clan, something about them having some of the best Suiton and Futon jutsu ever to exist. The fact that despite that animosity, the village was still willing to allow him residence was nothing short of amazing. He then said that because of that grudge, he was regarded much like I was by the village, as a potential threat, and that he was going to make me the best ninja I could be.

"He certainly kept his promise. Made the village even more terrified of me. After all, one of the most dangerous shinobi in the village was being trained by a member of a clan Kiri was on shaky ground with. Of course, when I managed the promotions to chuunin and jounin, no one could say I wasn't ready for them, mentally or physically. The entire time I was a Kiri nin, the only people I could never consistently beat were Kenji-sensei, the other Swordsmen, and the Mizukage.

"Even after I made the Swordsmen, I still sparred regularly with Kenji-sensei. At first, I managed to beat him, but he had never faced someone using a zanbato before. After about three weeks of this, he went right back to kicking my ass. I asked him why he never tried for the Swordsmen, and he reminded me that he wouldn't qualify because he wasn't a Kiri shinobi."

Kurenai interrupted. "I see. So then why are you a missing-nin now? It's common knowledge that you tried to assassinate the Mizukage. What no one knows is why."

"It had to do with the Bloodline Massacre. Yeah, the Kaguya clan started the damn thing, but when it started targeting the other clans in the area with Kekkai Genkai, the Mizukage didn't do crap to stop it. He encouraged the bloodshed, sometimes more overtly than others. After a while, the Mizukage started losing support. He was making the entire village look bad by letting the civil war continue unchecked. There was talk of him being removed from office.

"What most people outside of Kiri don't know is the order of succession. When the Mizukage is removed from office or dies without naming a successor, the first people considered for and offered the job are the active Swordsmen, in order of seniority. After that, any former Swordsmen that are retired, but still in good enough health and physical shape to take the job. If none of them take it, the opening goes to any active shinobi who can prove they've got what it takes.

"The Mizukage was afraid for his job, so without warning, he disbanded the Swordsmen, branding us all traitors. We fled Kiri, hiding from the ANBU and the Hunter-nin sent after us. After about two years of this, I heard that Kenji-sensei had been killed, a bystander in a riot. Officially, that was what had happened. However, I knew about the grudge, and the details of the report were sketchy enough that it looked like an assassination cover-up, especially to someone trained to do that sort of thing."

"Wait a second. The Hokage showed me the report on his death. He thought he was a bystander, too."

"Each village's assassination teams do things differently. Different poisons, variations in weapons, that sort of stuff. Someone who knows what to look for could tell which village killed someone. Kenji-sensei's death had all the signs of a Kiri assassin.

"I knew that if the Mizukage died, the Swordsmen could be reformed, to choose a new Mizukage from our ranks. With any luck, the new Mizukage would work to end the civil war, which I believe Kenji-sensei would have wanted. So, I decided to try and kill the Mizukage and restore order to Mizu no Kuni. It didn't work, and here I am now."

"So, you aren't going to kill us because one of us is related to your late sensei?"

"Yeah, pretty much, out of respect for him and a wish to keep living. If the gaki were fully trained, I'd be in deep shit had I actually followed through with my attack."

Kurenai looked at Zabuza for a long moment, then asked, "So what do you plan on doing now? You haven't followed through with your original plan, and when we arrive in Konoha, we will have to report that we saw you, and that you have help."

"Yeah, I know," Zabuza let out a humorless chuckle. "I don't suppose Konoha would take us in, seeing as I'm a missing-nin."

"I wouldn't say that just yet." Six heads turned to look at Naruto. Kiba asked the question for all of them.

"What are you talking about?"

"First off, this is completely unofficial, so I can't promise anything. Depending on what you're willing to agree to, there are a couple of options. You can try and become a Konoha shinobi. The Hokage is well aware that most missing-nin became missing-nin because they didn't like how their village was being run. Such shinobi can petition to the Hokage to join Konoha."

"I would still have to be able to see him first. Even if I enter the village in chains, I wouldn't be able to get a meeting with him."

"If you're serious, it can be arranged for you to meet him outside the village. We would just need to send a message with the general details. Are you interested?"

Haku looked over to Zabuza. "Zabuza-sama, whatever you decide, I support you."

"Well, it would mean giving up on trying to become Mizukage and end the civil war, which was my main goal in all of this. On the other hand, I'm tired of being a fugitive. So what details do you need from us?"

Naruto reached into his pack, pulling out paper and a pencil.

"At this point, all I need are your names, former village or country, rank, reason for leaving, and any special abilities you have to offer the village. Except for your reason, we've already got most of that information on you, from your bingo book entry. We would need the stuff for your associate, though."

"My name is Haku, formerly of Mizu no Kuni."

"Okay, what was your rank before you left?"

"I didn't have one. I was never a registered shinobi in any village. When I was young, Zabuza-sama took me in and trained me. Until then, I was an orphan, a result of the Massacre."

"So you don't even qualify as a missing-nin. Shouldn't be any problems getting you in, then. Why were you orphaned by the Massacre?"

"I... I have a Kekkai Genkai, from my mother. I can manipulate water to form ice. My father found out. He killed my mother, but I killed him before he could get me."

Naruto grimaced. "I see. The village is going to love you. Much as I might not like it, Konoha is a haven for Kekkai Genkai."

"I will be welcome there? All because I have a Kekkai Genkai? And what do you mean you don't like it?"

"Pretty much. As for what I meant, Konoha loves Kekkai Genkai, to the point of almost worshiping some of them. The more powerful ones even get special treatment in some things. I acknowledge their existence and admit that they are useful, but I don't feel they deserve special treatment because of it."

"Ah. I remember Zabuza-sama telling me once about how things were before the Massacre. The clans with Kekkai Genkai were treated as equals, not as superiors."

Naruto finished writing. "I wish I had been able to see it. Grudge against the Uzumaki or not, it sounded like my kind of place. Alright, I'll get this to Konoha, somehow."

Kurenai whistled, and a hawk flew down. "Here, Naruto. This hawk will take this directly to the Hokage."

Tying the message to the bird's leg, she set it free. It took off, heading in the direction of Konoha.

--

Three days later, the seven shinobi and dog found themselves at a Konoha outpost on Hi no Kuni's border. The Hokage's reply had directed them to this specific location as a meeting ground. After waiting for about an hour, three figures appeared. The Hokage had brought Iruka and Kakashi with him.

"Hello all. I hope you two don't mind that I brought company. Standard procedure for things like this."

"It's alright. I was honestly surprised we got a response so fast. I thought you would have taken some time to consider whether or not meeting us was a good idea."

"Had anyone other than Naruto sent it, I would have. However, one thing that I have learned about Naruto is that his instincts about people are rarely wrong. If he thought you were sincere in wanting to come to Konoha, and that your reasons for your past actions are worth hearing, I will hear you out."

After Zabuza and Haku told their stories, the Hokage sat and thought for a few minutes. Then, he spoke. "You both meet my requirements for becoming Konoha shinobi, but your reputation, Zabuza, means you probably couldn't be an active-duty shinobi, at least not initially. You would be a reserve. Haku, however, has no record, and can be an active shinobi in whatever field he wishes.

"You could also become operatives for us. It's a bit riskier than the first option, but then again, why be a ninja if you don't want to take risks? You would supply us with information and goods not available through normal channels. In return, you would be paid and have access to Konoha's safe-houses across the Elemental Countries."

"If I were to become a reserve shinobi, what would my duties be?"

"Hmm. Your daily duties would most likely be in the armory, forging or inspecting. That, or maintaining our emergency equipment and shelters. If you want, you could also be called upon to serve as an exam proctor for the Chuunin Exams. Also, if you were willing, we would ask you on occasion to train some shinobi in kenjutsu."

"I thought a village like yours would have several accomplished kenjutsu users."

"We do have many kenjutsu specialists, but out of all of them, only one, Gekko Hayate, is also a capable teacher. I find that unacceptable, and since those of the Mist are trained to use a sword in the Academy, you would be a perfect choice for another teacher."

"Would I be able to choose my students?"

"Within reason, of course."

Haku spoke. "What of me, Hokage-sama?"

"You have no record as an active shinobi for any village. While this means you are free to join us, it also means we have nothing to compare your abilities with. Procedure states that in such cases, I cannot enlist you as anything above a Chuunin, regardless of what you are really capable of. After you settle in, you would be tested to determine your starting rank.

"Naruto has also made me aware about your Kekkai Genkai. If you decide to become a Konoha shinobi, the village council will find out about it, and they do have a say in the terms of your moving into the village. They may make a condition that would require you to 'breed' your Kekkai Genkai."

"Breed?"

"It isn't quite as bad as it sounds. It simply requires that you have multiple children, in hopes of passing on the Kekkai Genkai. It can also be arranged for in vitro fertilization if you want."

"Then, may I make a condition as well?" At Sarutobi's nod, Haku continued. "Wherever Zabuza-sama goes, I will follow. If Konoha wants my Kekkai Genkai, they will have to accept Zabuza-sama as well."

"That is acceptable to me. Have the two of you reached a decision?"

"I'll join."

"Me too."

"Alright. Now, Haku, should you make Chuunin, what specialty would you like to pursue?"

"Truthfully, I have no idea. I would, however, request non-combat duty. Something sedate, at least until I can adjust and make a decision."

"Fair enough. Let's see... Ah! Iruka, have you filled Mizuki's position at the academy yet?"

"No, I haven't, Hokage-sama."

"That would work. It isn't quite sedate, but it isn't combat. At least, not the sort you would expect. It would also help you adjust to how we do things in Konoha."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

With that, the group of ten humans and one canine set of towards Konoha.

-- -

AN: Well, there you have it.

One of my few complaints with most story-lines that save Zabuza and Haku is that Zabuza is almost instantly accepted into the active-duty ranks. I just don't see that happening that fast.

Next time: Catching Up