I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ITS CHARACTERS, I OWN THIS STORY AND ANY CHARACTERS I CREATE.
Update on Pokémon Go: SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY MYSTIC TEAMMATES!
I have never been one for battles, so sorry in advance if they seem short
Chapter 5: Meaning and Purpose
I am my own person
Kakashi lands in front of Naruto, "Naruto, you are needed back at the Bridge Builders house, Gato sent men there to take his family hostage" Kakashi says and Naruto looks like he was about to protest "You have nothing to prove to anyone, and there will be many battles for you...leave this guy to me" he says and Naruto nods heading into the city.
"That boy has a future, if he is able to cast away his humanity that is" Zabuza comments resting his blade on his shoulders "That always was the problem with you Konoha Shinobi, raised to hold your comrades as important, but Shinobi are tools" he mocks.
"That's true; each Shinobi from our village carries with them the Will of Fire. The will which has been passed from the First Hokage to each one of us" Kakashi begins "So no matter what, no matter how far you go there is a place you can call home" he says "Then there is your village, 'The Blood' Mist Village...a pack of animals like you who'd stab your own in the back to succeed" he says with his own tone filled with mockery "And each betray led to another betrayal and before long you where killing each other during a Great War, which resulted in the Mist losing nearly all of its land AND later it's Mizukage"
"The world tolerates only the strong Kakashi, you and I are a testament to that" Zabuza says "We survived those dark days and came out stronger"
"Yes...but those days are over; our era is on its way out" Kakashi states "Naruto and Shinobi like his will lead the next era" he looks off in the direction Naruto ran "And it will be an era of peace"
"Peace is boring, Shinobi aren't built for peace" Zabuza retorts rashly "Guys like us are built for war"
"Then I will do my part to bring our era to an end" Kakashi lifts his headband unveiling his Sharingan "By killing you"
_Naruto_
It didn't take him long to dispatch the mercenaries sent to the cabin "Kakashi sent me to deal with this trash" he sighs "You can come out Tsunami, Inari" he says seeing the woman and her son peek out at the door.
"H-How did you beat those men...they were so strong?" Inari asks, Naruto was about to retort sarcastically but he remembered this boy grew up around fishermen and carpenters. A Shinobi like himself is a new perspective on life.
"These men are normal men, untrained and undisciplined" Naruto begins walking over to them "From a young age boys and girls in our village are trained to battle the extraordinary, so normal isn't enough to beat me" he smirks placing his palm on the boys head earning a laugh. "Tsunami...do you have some place to hide, it's likely more men will becoming this time"
"Yes...we have friends nearby" she says grabbing her son's hand and leading them away, just as a new Shinobi arrives.
"It was wise to send them away" the Masked teen says emotionlessly "How long have you known about me?" Haku asks curiously.
"The moment you took the Sword back" Naruto says venomously "You killed a good friend of mine to do it" he adds and the Mist Shinobi draws Senbon between his fingers.
"An unfortunate fatality, but that Blade belongs to Master Zabuza" Haku says "I must take the family of the Bridge Builder with me...move and you will be spared"
"I'll send you running back to your pathetic Master, if Kakashi Sensei hasn't killed him already" Naruto says, it was only for a brief moment but that comment definitely got a reaction out of the masked Shinobi.
Itachi and Izumi
"It's hard to believe I've been found out by two Leaf Shinobi" the shadowy figure says with a calm tone.
"Come out Kisame Hosigaki... Hoshi- Hoshi-gaki Hoshigaki!" Izumi says trying to pronounce his surname; the writing had become faded and thus harder to read.
"Oh she's a comedian" the Shark looking man says stepping forward "I know you though, Itachi Uchiha, all throughout the Mist you along with Shisui are feared as the strongest of the Uchiha" he says and Itachi steps forward.
"Lord Hokage received word from the Mizukage that you where headed to the Land of Fire" Itachi begins "Why?"
"Where else would I go if I mean to avoid getting captured?" Kisame asks and Izumi activates her Sharingan.
"You won't be escaping" she says charging, however Kisame smashes his clothed Blade into her sending her flying back.
"Izumi!" Itachi reacts catching her "The world is blunt, some cracked ribs but no puncher or internal bleeding" he quickly analyzes her body using the Sharingan, his was tuned like Sasuke's to see Chakra like colour's however he could see the Chakra around her wounds as they began to treat themselves, this was a trait those who could absorb Chakra from around them...similar to Sage Jutsu, it's believed Madara Uchiha had this ability.
"She is very hot headed for an Uchiha" Kisame says, a cold chill hits him upon seen Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan "As fearsome as I've heard" he thinks, "I know all about the conflict in the Land of waves, you think I intend to aid Zabuza as a fellow member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but unlike your village we don't hold comrades in such high regards, in fact I'd sooner kill Zabuza myself, however I have no interest in being so close to my home land again"
"Your words are wasted, I will kill you here" Itachi walks forward but a cough from Izumi gives him pause, a battle would likely end up with her as the focus, Kisame had no reason to follow Itachi away and a battle here would likely killer her with fallout. His inner Shinobi told him to ignore Izumi and deal with the rouge, but looking at his childhood friend and someone who has cared for him since their youth the answer was clear. "Leave now Kisame Hoshigaki, return and death will be an unreachable dream" he says and Kisame sheaths his sword.
"A day may come when I return to these lands, and when day do I hope our paths cross again Itachi of the Uchiha Clan" the Mist Rouge says vanishing into the shadows.
Itachi picks Izumi into his arms gently; he began rushing back to the village to face the consequences for the mission's failure.
"I-Itachi" he hears Izumi call out to him weakly "Kisame...is he..." she gasps out faintly with pain, Itachi looks at her with very soft eyes, her own barely open.
"Some things are more important than a mission" Itachi says and her eyes close, however a single tear escaped from her visible eye. She knew she had rushed in too hastily and cost the mission, "Rest my foolish companion" where the last words he said to her, his tone similar to how he spoke to Sasuke.
Sasuke and Sakura
The battle had been hard, they could see Kakashi and Zabuza battle but where in no position to help, like Naruto said, simple men with weapons are no match for Shinobi however their number where increasing and they had begun getting more accurate in their attempts at the carpenters.
Sakura looked at the three men she brought down, some of her time watching Naruto and Sasuke paid off. "If Kakashi beats that Zabuza guy...then their morale should be broken" she thinks
"Sakura watch out!" Tazuna called out as a bunch of arrows came towards her, too late for her to move she braces for the impact. However a sword defects them along with a familiar hand pushing her down.
"I got you" Sasuke says wincing as an arrow was stuck in his shoulder, "This is getting crazy...we need Naruto or the other teams to help" he says seeing a bunch of soldiers charging them, he went to stand up but a sharp pain caused him to fall back down.
She wasn't sure if it was fear or anger that pushed her to her feet, but protecting Sasuke caused her body to act on instinct, her fist clenched tight she pulled back and swung with all her might. The four men expected a light tab from such a small girl however her punch packed enough force to send all four men flying back and past Kakashi and Zabuza.
"Sakura...how did you" Sasuke asks, he was amazed at the feat before him, he saw the Chakra gather in her fist and knew the punch would be stronger than it looked but to defeat four men in one blow.
"I...just wanted to have your back" she admits, "I don't know how I did it"
Soon enough as the rest of the foot Soldiers were about to launch another attack Asuma Sarutobi quickly defeated the rest bringing the battle to a close on their end
It could been seen from where they where Kakashi had Zabuza on the defensive, his mastery with the Sharingan along with his arsenal of Jutsu it was easy to see why Kakashi was so highly regarded "So that's why he wears his mask like that" Sasuke thinks as Sakura positions herself behind him.
"The arrow is lodged against the Joint...so I need to pull it out before I can properly clean the wound" she says placing her hand on his shoulder and the other on the arrow, she could feel him tense in anticipation so with one tug she pulled the arrow out and Sasuke yelped in pain, she began using her healing Jutsu to stop the blood. It would be easier to treat the wound if she could get his shirt off, but the area of the wound made it impossible to move his arm without it apply pressure to the wound.
Sasuke knew enough about medical procedures to understand his shirt was in the way, so using his sword he cut up the front allowing the cloth to fall down around his back "I-I have a spare anyway" he says closing his eyes.
"You...packed extra clothes?" she asks
"It's a long story" he replies vaguely, no way in hell he was admitting his mom packed for him in the middle of a battlefield.
_Team 8_
Kiba panted, he was running low on Chakra and Shino and Hinata were in trouble too. There were more men than anticipated and in truth they weren't prepared for such an encounter, Naruto was the son of a Legendary Shinobi, and he was a capable Shinobi in his own right, Sasuke was an Uchiha, gifted with greatness from birth...Hinata may be a Hyuga but she isn't as strong as her Clan has produced in the past, He and Akamaru where only getting started with their Justus combination and the battle had worn his partner out.
"Kurenai-Sensei...we're done" he says knowing she was nearby.
Hinata pushed her palm into her opponent's chest sending him back "My eyes are feeling the strain over this battle...is this what Naruto endured to become as strong as he is...then I need to the same if I hope to stand beside him one day" she thinks wondering how he was fairing.
"I've exhausted my Chakra, if I keep battling my bugs will devour me from the inside" Shino thinks, he never stood out in the academy, he had good grades but nothing worth noting, he believed he lacked an identity and this mission would be the stepping stone in making his mark on the Shinobi world.
"Magen: Jubaku Satsu"
The remaining men had been left paralyzed by Kurenai's Genjutsu, "Well done you three, against overwhelming odds you held your own" she says "The battle at the Bridge is winding down and team 10 has shown their own style" she says
"And Naruto?" Hinata asks and Kurenai smiles
"Proving to be his own Shinobi" was all the Jonin said
_Team 10_
The area chosen worked out well, with all the shadowy area's worked well with the Nara Clan signature Shadow manipulation Jutsu. Ensnaring anyone who passed and those who managed to avoid the trap where taken down with either the Yamanaka mind manipulation Jutsu or the Akimichi Expansion Jutsu.
"Naruto was aware of the Ino-Shika-Cho" The Nara teen states, Naruto seemed to know more than he should, he doubted Naruto learned anything from The Hokage so the only real answer would be that he has been spying on them...perhaps everyone.
"Worked out well enough" Ino says, beneath the sit over 20 men tied up and immobilized. Many where simple mercenaries like the bulk of Gato's forces, but there where Chunin mixed in there, headbands from smaller nations with no real claim, thus these men weren't classified as Missing Nin.
"I wonder how the others are doing" Choji says, he sighed mentally kicking himself for leaving his last bag of potato chips, at least it proved the mission overpowered his need for junk food...at least for now.
"Most of the battles are wrapping up" Asuma lands behind Shikamaru, "Team 7 member Sasuke Uchiha suffered an injury but it's far from life threatening" he says but the mere mention of Sasuke being injured sent Ino off in the direction of the bridge.
"She's in for a disappointing scene" Shikamaru sighs confusing the two other guys, unlike them he already had the scene in his head.
And his inner scene was spot on, Ino came through a part the village which gave her a perfect angle of Sasuke and Sakura interacting, his upper torso along with his injured shoulder where bandaged, however they were sitting face to face talking, there was a small smile on Sasukes face like she had never seen before. In the Academy Sasuke was brooding in the corner most of the time and always got annoyed when she and the other girls tried to make small talk with him...and that included Sakura at one time
"Do I really have a chance" she thinks with a sad sigh heading back to her team
_Naruto VS Haku_
Haku expected it to be hard to pin Naruto down, having both unveiled their Kekkei Genkai to counter the others; the battle was now in a stale mate with Haku trying to trap Naruto while the Blonde tried to close the gap to score a decisive blow.
"Naruto Namikaze...you are everything I expected you to be" the masked teen pauses causing Naruto to halt as well "But what is your purpose?" he asks and Naruto tilts his head flashing a look that wants more detail "I am a tool, I exist to serve Master Zabuza, that is my purpose"
"My purpose right now is too protect this town" Naruto says wondering if that was what Haku wanted, the Mist Shinobi looked down as if it wasn't the answer "You can't dedicate your life to a single purpose, life is all about smaller goals that build towards finding your place in the world" he says.
"Shinobi only exist as tools for their nations, to breed conflict, war and death" Haku says with no emotion as Senbon scatter towards Naruto who teleports out of the way "Zabuza found and trained me, he turned me from a helpless child into the Shinobi you see before you"
"All Zabuza did was find a child who was likely at the lowest part in his life, give the boy a weapon and turned him into a killer" Naruto retorts "Zabuza doesn't care about you in any way, to him you're not even a tool, just a pawn"
"That's fine, as long as Zabuza achieves his goal" Haku dismisses the insult, Naruto remembered he had a similar obsession with his own father once believing as long as it made his father happy it was enough...but that wasn't good enough anymore.
While in his thoughts, Naruto's mind drifted from the battle showing his inexperience which allowed Haku to trap him in a dome of Ice mirrors, before he can comprehend what has happened he sees his masked opponent enter one of the Ice mirror's causing his reflection to appear in them all.
"It's over Naruto, you showed some skill but you let your mind wander" Haku says and Naruto glares "But this is as far as you go" he says throwing a Senbon needle, Naruto prepares to defend with a Kunai but the one he followed was fake as the real one stabs his calf.
"So one was real" he thinks pulling the Senbon from his calf and examining it "No poison...you'd have to be incredibly precise to do any real damage with these" he looks up seeing hundreds of the same needles heading to him. In his shoulders and back he feels many needles pierce his flesh, he falls to his hands and knees coughing up blood but also with his strategy to win.
"Is your speed a myth, or are you going to counter?" Haku asks/bates Naruto represented a thorn in his master's side so he needed to defeat him, but he had no desire to kill a child of a powerful Kage.
Naruto watched as all the reflections began emerging from the Ice Mirrors, opening his palm a sphere began to form in his right hand, in his left a Raijin Kunai in his left which he tosses into the air. He closes his eyes tossing the Kunai up...a combo of Hiraishin — Ni no Dan and Rasengan.
Haku ignored knowing he'd be able to turn and get Naruto once he teleported. Sure enough as he got close Naruto disappeared and he made a u-turn straight for the Kunai...Only Naruto had teleported again back to where he was standing "I see...when he fell to the ground he marked it" Haku realizes he can't do anything as Naruto grabs the Kunai after Teleporting back to it bringing his Jutsu down.
"Rasengan!" he plants the Jutsu his father made into the back of his opponent shredding his shirt and leaving another mark, Haku fell to the ground and his dome shattered from the impact that shook the whole village "How was that for speed".
Haku was beaten
_Kakashi VS Zabuza_
Kakashi was too much for the Swordsman, with the Sharingan he was able to predict the Rouge Ninjas attack and counter it effectively. Now he had been pinned down by Kakashi's dogs defeated himself "I doesn't matter if you beat me" he says "My student will carry on my will"
"Then he will also be defeated, but hopefully he can change with you gone from this world" Kakashi says driving his Raikiri into the Demons chest killing him.
"You have ruined everything!" they turn to see an enraged Gato standing alone, everyone he hired gone and his empire in ruins at the hands of Shinobi "All your kind do is breed war and violence, regardless of business"
"The people of this village and their future aren't your property" Sasuke says "Shinobi aren't the problem people like you who think money makes you right, makes you powerful but your just a little man with no leg to stand on" He smirks once Gato realizes he is surrounded by the villagers.
Gato was on the receiving end of a brutal beating but despite everything they went through because of him, they showed they were better than him by sparing and incarcerating him instead of killing him. The Battle for the future of the Land of waves had been decided, Naruto had proven to be a substantial leader and The Genin teams proved their worth.
Peace had come at last
The End
Hope you liked the Chapter; the next chapter will have some nice pairing moments as well as parental moments.
Till Next Time
~DoTheBartMan