I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ITS CHARACTERS, I OWN THIS STORY AND ANY CHARACTERS I CREATE.
Thanks for all the reviews
Yes this is me confirming Naruto is NOT a Jinjuriki
Chapter 4: The Silent Kill
Demon of the Mist
It was early in the morning when Kōsuke returned, Naruto half expected his father to come however the Toad had completed his mission. "Lord Minato made sure to bookmark the person of interest" he says before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Many of the team where either asleep or just waking up, Sasuke and Shino where scouting the area.
"Yeah...thought as much" Naruto sighs as Sasuke and Shino return, "Thought what?" he hears Sasuke asks, he shows the Uchiha the profile "Zabuza Momochi" Naruto says and Sasuke has also heard of him.
"Who is that?" Ino asks representing the rest who haven't, Naruto hands the book to her but begins explain to the others what it says.
"He is known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist, a member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist and a master of the silent kill" he begins "he is a Jonin class Shinobi with a kill on sight order and is the Demon Brothers known associate which means it's likely he will be coming for Tazuna" he says and bridge builder.
"Look I know I give you guys a hard time an all but this guy sounds dangerous" the older man says "We should turn back" he says and Naruto shakes his head.
"We just have to trick him into attacking a fake" Naruto says "Since I can teleport from about 1 mile away I'll lead a team of Shadow Clones down the common path" he begins "While you guys take a less conventional way" he says turning to them "Then once I have led them away I'll teleport to you guys" he finishes, he knew once they were in the land of waves he could control the battles as he needed, but travelling like this left him vulnerable.
"I have been meaning to ask, how you know about all this, it seems you know the truth about Gato trying to kill me" Tazuna finally asks after almost a 24 hours with the group.
"When this Gato guy came to the Land of Waves and began seeking control you contacted the Leaf about aid" Naruto begins, now he knew the name of the guy behind the attacks so he could begin learning about his Gato and his operations. "However Konoha couldn't openly support you since the Land of Waves shares its border with the Mist as well, and since they were lacking a Kage at the time there was no way to help without it looking like we were moving troops for an attempted takeover" Naruto explains "However my father kept this on the top of his list, so when you came with your job is was the perfect opportunity to help" he looks at the bridge builder "This mission won't end until you finish the bridge" he states and Tazuna bows.
"Thank you"
_The Jonin_
"Naruto knows a lot more than he should about the Villages dealings" Kurenai says, "However he has proven to be an excellent leader" she adds.
"Zabuza Momochi...he's a high value target in the ANBU Bingo book too" Kakashi says with a serious look "Naruto's plan works out for the best, once they split up, you and Asuma follow the group while I tale Naruto" he says.
"You seem afraid, I doubt Zabuza would come out himself, he will likely wait until they reach the village" Asuma says "Simply shadowing them isn't going to work however if there are more Jonin within the town"
"Looks like their moving" Kurenai says seeing the majority of the team split off, Sasuke takes one of Naruto's Raijin Kunai before he and Sakura join the others. "Let's go" she says and Asuma nods patting Kakashi on the back before they run on ahead to scout
Konoha
Itachi walked down the streets of Konoha, he was surprised to hear his brother got an escort mission so soon after graduation. Not that he doubted his brother's skill only that normally Genin go through an entire week of D-Rank Missions before being assigned something harder. This was to build Team trust and help them get used to their new Sensei; however he was proud of Sasuke for taking on the mission.
"Itachi!" he pauses hearing Izumi calling to him "I've been looking for you" she says leaning forward panting heavily as if she had been running around for awhile "I have a mission and Yondaime said I could choose a partner" she says showing him the scroll "There is a dangerous Rouge Nin near the Land of Waves named Kisame Hoshigaki" she says and his eyes widen slightly.
"Sasuke's mission is in the Land of Waves" he thinks before looking at her "When do we leave?" he asks suprising her, she clearly wasn't ready "Meet me at the gate in 10 minutes" he orders and she nods...before remembering how it was her mission to begin with.
"Hey that's my line!"
_Minato and Kushina_
"So you knew that young girl would go straight to Itachi?" Kushina asks and Minato nods "Still two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the mist" she says with a serious look worried for her son.
"Naruto responded immediately to the situation at hand, many wouldn't get suspicious of two Rouge Ninja" Minato says "Still sending Itachi there will put a lot of my fear to rest" he adds, he knew Itachi was far stronger than Kakashi and most Jonin in the Village so Itachi would likely be able to keep the pressure off the Genin.
"I suppose all we can do now is wait" she sighs, "Be safe...Naruto"
Naruto
Naruto could sense the incoming swordsman, the malicious intent was unreal and if he was honest...it was terrifying. He could already tell his plan hadn't worked like he thought; it would seem Zabuza was now targeting him instead of the Bridge Builder.
Soon enough he was forced to jump to the floor as a massive blade cut through the clones and impaled to a tree trunk "Nice reflexes" he hears a new voice say as a man lands on the hilt of the blade.
"It seems like I got your attention" Naruto says pulling out two Kunai in preparation, he knew he wouldn't beat Zabuza but he could slow him down enough that the others get to the Village before nightfall.
"Good form and posture, as expected by the Hokage's son" he says and Naruto realizes what this is about "I won't pretend you aren't aware by now but The Land of Waves is perfect for me as it is, while under dispute the Mizukage can't send her Tracking corp. after me" he says "Now once I have you as my prisoner I will have the Hokage hand over the Builder and pull all Leaf Shinobi from the area for your safe Return" he explains.
"Even if you manage to catch me, the moment you send that letter to the village you sign away any chance you have at freedom" Naruto says, the moment his father reads that letter the moment after he would be in the same room and would likely kill everyone in the room in a flash. "Challenging my father is a fools bet, he's defeated countless Shinobi better than you" he smirks seeing a flash of annoyance appear on Zabuza's face.
"Don't push me kid, I'm not above removing your legs" he warns pulling his blade from the tree "Now are you coming with me the easy way or the fun way?" he asks and Naruto throws both Kunai towards him "Fun it is" he says deflecting the Kunai up but Naruto teleports to them catching them and throwing them down before he can react, however he manages to avoid serious injuries by moving forward, but the outer blades slice his back slightly.
"You'll have to be much faster than that to take me on" Naruto boasts, "If I can separate him from his blade I should be OK"
"Kirigakure no Jutsu" Zabuza summons his villages signature Jutsu completely hiding himself; still he was impressed Naruto was able to make him use this Jutsu. "He won't need a leg to be my prisoner" he thinks bringing his sword across fully intending to remove the Genin's legs, however his eyes widen when the Naruto he attacked was a Shadow Clone.
"Don't underestimate your opponent" Naruto says charging behind him and marking the blade, he realises how late it is "It's been fun but I'm taking this and going" he says suddenly holding the blade before disappearing in a flash.
"That bastard" Zabuza growls as the mist clears, he needed to make his way back to the base "I underestimated him too much, he knows his father's Jutsu" his eyes widen when he sees a new Leaf Shinobi "Kakashi Hatake...I thought it was weird sending a bunch of kids on this mission"
"I am only shadowing the group...but I will deal with you personally" Kakashi says only for three Senbon to pierce the Mist Rouges Neck.
"Thank you for drawing his gaze" A masked Shinobi says, judging from his mask he was from the mist and likely a member of their tracking unit. "This man has been a thorn in the Mizukage for a while" he says and Kakashi nods.
"Senbon...odd choice for a weapon to deliver a kill" Kakashi says seeing the younger Shinobi freeze, checking Zabuza's pulse and feeling none "Very effective" he says seeing the boy relax. "I'll leave you to dispose of the body" he says heading off to meet up with the others.
_The Genin_
They arrived within the village limits, it was an awful sight to behold seeing people live in such poverty, food was scarce and from the looks of it, prices were ridiculous. Naruto led the group with the massive blade strapped to his back, "My house is just up here" Tazuna points to the small hut.
Once inside the Shinobi sit around to discuss plans while the bridge builder rests "Now that we've made it into the city Gato will likely become desperate to see Tazuna dead, fortunately we have a city to work and plan out counters in" Naruto begins resting the large Sword in front of him.
"What about this?" Sasuke asks, it was the Executioners Blade, one of the legendary Swords from the Mist Village. Having this sword would likely breath hostility between Leaf and Mist "Better off hiding it, even if Kakashi finished off Zabuza he likely had student to take over for him" the Uchiha says.
"It's possible he did...but I'm sending this blade straight back to the Mist" Naruto says suprising them "For years our villages have been on edge, even more so since the elders of the mist believe we killed the Forth Mizukage" he says and Sasuke looks away, he knew about this too since the Shinobi rumoured to be blamed is an Uchiha Rouge.
"So you want to give this blade back as an olive branch?" Shikamaru asks and Naruto nods "Shouldn't you contact The Hokage first?" he asks and Naruto scoffs internally.
"That would just waste time, if I know my father he'd agree that neutralizing this blade will weaken Gato" Naruto says, he then pulls out a pap of the city where the bridge is being build. "Anyway, Tazuna will be working on the bridge tomorrow with volunteers, in order to make sure the Bridge is successful we will need to protect them all" he looks at team 8 "Kiba, you will lead your team, set up a parameter and lead any of Gato's men into these choke points" he says pointing to two X's he made, each where a small alley where the large forces Gato would be bring.
"Got it, I'll lay out some markings in the morning, Hinata you take a high ground to increase you field of vision and Shino, lay out some traps" Kiba says and his teammates nod.
"Team 10, you will be in charge off neutralizing these foot soldiers once they reach these points" Naruto says "I'll leave it to you guys who plans the attack, once they are down rally back to the bridge...it will likely be where Gato focuses his Shinobi force" he says.
"Well Shikamaru is a great strategist so he will lead our squad" Ino says and Choji agrees much too the annoyance of the Lazy Nara.
"So Team 7 will guard the bridge" Shikamaru confirms his thoughts with a nod from Naruto "I expect our Jonin shadow team to support you guys, as much as you hate to admit it Naruto, you and Sasuke can't fight off this force alone" he says, it wasn't disrespecting Sakura but he knew she was learning how to be a Medic which meant any combat training was on hold.
"I have a Jutsu that will hold them off, but it will only work once" Naruto says "We can prove ourselves here and now as credible Shinobi...or return to D rank chores" he says "Which do you want?"
Hours later in an unspecified location
Having woken up still feeling the effects of his student's attack "Brutal as always" Zabuza groans clenching his fist feeling the muscle retention coming back "Still glad it fooled Kakashi Hatake...he is a man I can't beat without my blade" he adds, "Where is my blade now Haku?" he asks.
"Here it is master Zabuza" the mono toned teen says "It seems the Hokage's son was sending this to the Mist Village" he says and Zabuza laughs, "I also saw Gato on his way with some sell swords" he adds and Zabuza sits up cracking his neck as the door bursts open.
"That bastard is in the city, now that damn bridge will be finished and all my plans will be ruined!" the shorter man yells approaching the men "You damn Shinobi are overpaid as much as you are overrated!" he stomps his foot.
"Relax old man, I will deal with the Bridge Builder and the Leaf Shinobi" Zabuza says sitting from his bed, Tazuna had already started building the Bridge when all this started and as much as it annoyed him the bridge was too sturdy to do any real damage, build with the strongest stone it was truly the work of a master of the craft.
"You couldn't even beat a boy" Gato mocks as his guards grip their blades giving away their intention "I should just kill you now and be done with the lot of you Shinobi" he says and suddenly his guards were pinned to the wall by Haku and the teen Shinobi held their own swords against their throats "So fast!" Gato turns back to Zabuza who placed his blade on the shorter mans shoulders, "I-If you kill me, the Mist will send their Tracker's after you again" he says.
Zabuza smirks under his mask, true this weasel had his uses, and his power was influential enough to keep the Mist from these lands. "Don't misunderstand, I am not your soldier, you are not nearly strong enough to earn my respect as an equal...you are a means to an end" Zabuza begins "I will give you these lands, I will make you the ruler of this shithole nation" his eyes flash menacingly "Come here again with such foolish ideas like believing these foot soldiers are enough to kill me and I will show you how I became known as the 'Demon of the Mist' are we clear?"
"Of course" Gato says as the blade is removed off his shoulder "Let's go" he turns to his men whom sheath the swords Haku had given back as they leave. "I hope you all kill each other" he thinks bitterly, one way or another tomorrow this country would be his.
"Master Zabuza...will he be a problem?" Haku asks and the Sword master nods "These Leaf children are good?" he asks.
"I can't account for the Uchiha, however the Hokage's brat is quite clever" Zabuza says looking at the blade, had the blade been returned to the village then even Gato would not have been able to stop the Mist from Sending their Shinobi to investigate "He tried to ensure I wouldn't be able to interfere" he says "He will be a challenge for you Haku, if he knows his father's Jutsu even you will be too slow to catch him"
"I have much to Learn Master Zabuza"
Konoha
"So our boys are off on their first real mission" Mikoto says and Kushina nods "I am surprised you stopped with one child Kushina, Itachi have such a strong relationship" she says and Kushina smiles.
"Pregnancy was hard for both me and Minato, now that he is Hokage he needs to focus on the Villages prosperity, also the Pregnancy left some lasting effects on me, I won't risk it yet" she says looking down, it was dangerous for her to be pregnant since she was the Nine Tails Jinjuriki. While giving birth to Naruto, Minato needed to hold the Nine Tails at bay since the seal was at its weakest during the whole birthing process.
"I see, still I think Naruto would make a great older brother" Mikoto says "Still, it feels like only yesterday I held Sasuke in my arms for the first time" she sighs "We all thought he was going to be a girl at first" she laughs lightly.
Kushina smiles, she remembered holding Naruto for the first time. It is the most clarifying moment of your life when you hold your first child. A little life that grew inside you now was in the world and more vulnerable than ever, she remembered the way his eyes were so full of energy from his first breath, even though their relationship was strained she deeply loved her son. "When Naruto was born he cried every time I held him, but the moment he saw his dad for the first time he calmed down" Kushina says deciding she was being too quiet "Minato always had that calming effect" she adds with a laugh "Comes with being a genius"
"Too right"
_The following afternoon in the Land of Waves_
10 men got to work on the Bridge, nearly half as much as he had when he started, either dead or too afraid to help; the death of Kaiza had demoralized the village including Tazuna's Grandson Inari who had screamed at the Genin to leave and how Hero's only died.
"Shinobi aren't heroes, and the world doesn't indulge with cowards regardless of their age"
It was Naruto's chilling words that sent to boy to his room to sulk.
Now Team 7 watched the Builders work "Naruto...about what you said about Shinobi" Sakura begins "Your father is considered a hero by many" she states.
"And a murder by more, my father killed entire platoons by himself, many likely had families who had to bury them" Naruto says looking at her "In a world where even minor disagreements can lead to all out war...that world doesn't breed Heroes, it breeds killers"
Sasuke listened, Itachi and Naruto though alike is many aspects. Fugaku brought Itachi to a battlefield as a child and from that day on and for a long time Itachi pondered what being alive truly meant "Who knows, maybe you will be the person who changes the system" Sasuke says with a slight jest filled look which Naruto picks up on and Laughs.
"Maybe us three will become the leaders of a new world" he says and Sasuke laughs, Sakura looks down, she couldn't understand their somewhat cynical view.
"Looks like you are more philosophical than you look" they jump on guard upon hearing Zabuza say too them, he had led a small army of men past their ambush.
"His sword!" Sakura says realizing Naruto's plan to send it back had failed
"Yes, quite clever Naruto Namikaze, you are just like your old man" the bandaged face Shinobi says "But can you handle this Jutsu?" he asks forming the Ox , Monkey , Hare , Rat , Boar , Bird , Ox , Horse , Bird , Rat , Tiger , Dog , Tiger , Snake , Ox , Ram , Snake , Boar , Ram , Rat , Yang Water , Monkey , Bird , Dragon , Bird , Ox , Horse , Ram , Tiger , Snake , Rat , Monkey , Hare , Boar , Dragon , Ram , Rat , Ox , Monkey , Bird , Yang Water , Rat , Boar , and Bird "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu" Water from below erupts forming into the shape of a Dragon lunging towards Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura stayed back to protect the Bridge Builders who bravely worked in spite of the battle
Naruto quickly forms a Snake, Horse, Rat, and Ram Hand Signs along with a Technique Specific Hand Seal which seemed to incorporate the formula on the Kunai in his hands "Hiraishin: Dōrai" a massive seal appears and begins absorbing the water formed Dragon "You shouldn't assume that Sword is safe, my marking will never vanish" Naruto smirks as Zabuza realises what is about to happen as the Dragon shoots from the sword blowing his own men away. "And don't bring thugs to a Shinobi fight and expect them to make any difference" he adds
"One way or another boy" Zabuza points to blade at Naruto
"One of us will die on this Bridge"
The End
Hope you liked this chapter, I would have updated sooner but I have been playing Pokémon Go.
In the next Chapter, the conclusion of the Land of Wave Mini Arc, how will our Genin fair in the coming battle even with Naruto outsmarting Zabuza twice, he is still dangerous.
Till Next Time
~DoTheBartMan