The Jinchuuriki with Multiple Bijuus

by DarkDragonFirewing

Superpowered Naruto. Harem. Naruto, raised by the Uchihas at Minato's wish, became Jinchuuriki for six Bijuus. Hmm, Naruto seems to love playing matchmaker in this new chapter, does he?

3. Journey to the Land of Waves

Part I: Clearing Deceit

Sasuke sweatdropped. Naruto was arguing with the Sandaime again (no one knew about Naruto's seven year absence except the Hokage, his family, etc). "Naruto…"

Naruto ignored him. "C'mon, old man, give us a better mission! So far today, since morning, we've done gardening, babysitting, rescuing cats, walking dogs, and cleaning up garbage! I don't see Itachi doing all that! Ninjas aren't supposed to do chores; they're supposed to do REAL missions – like being bodyguards and stuff!" he announced loudly. "We're genins already for pity's sake! I'm not gonna spend another minute doing chores for old ladies! Isn't that what their children are for?!" He crossed his arms and sat down, his back turned to the Hokage.

Sasuke sighed. They have been doing really stupid missions so far. He himself was already running out of patience.

Itachi placed a hand on Naruto's head and said, "Alright, Naruto, that's enough now…"

The Hokage chuckled. "If Naruto wants a harder mission, I might as well give it to him."

They all stared at the Hokage. Did the Sandaime really give in that easily?

"Hmm, ah, here we go. You can be bodyguards on a mission for a bridge builder to the Land of Waves. You are to guard him while he builds his bridge. Basically that's all. Just guard him from thieves, bandits, et cetera." The Hokage looked up. "Well, are you willing to take it?"

"Yeah!" Naruto jumped up and down. "We're finally going on a mission, a real mission!"

"I'll show you your client then. Tazuna, come out please. You'll be leaving with Itachi's team."

The door behind them opened and an old man came through the doorway, looking slightly drunk. He peered over his glasses at Itachi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. "What is this? A bunch of teens? That jonin, I bet, isn't even an adult yet! I'm paying for you to guard me, not to play with me!"

Itachi sighed. His age can really be a problem for him. "Don't worry. We're more than a match for bandits and thieves, Tazuna-san."

Tazuna glared drunkenly at his team, his gaze landing on Naruto. "Hey, shrimp, yeah, you blondie over there! Am I seriously gonna expect you to guard me, Sunshine?"

Learning manners after living with the Uchihas and learning through watching his instructors that yelling in these situations won't help and that friendliness normally will, Naruto glanced at the sake bottle in Tazuna's hand and asked, "Hey, is that sake from Waves? I heard it's the best!"

Itachi, Sasuke, and Sakura stared at him. Since when does Naruto drink?

Tazuna's eyebrows lifted in surprise and he glanced at the bottle in his hand. "Yes, why yes it is! Kid, do you drink?"

Naruto shrugged. "A bit."

"Have a sip then." Tazuna threw him the half-empty sake bottle.

Naruto caught it and pour the liquid down his throat. The Bijuus gave him resistance to getting drunk, so he didn't have to worry about losing control. How do you guys like it?

"Hmm, a little too sweet. Needs to be a little more…uh…fiery."

"Kyuubi, it's fine. Needs to be sweeter in fact."

"No, it doesn't. I want it bitterer!"

Naruto sweatdropped. He shouldn't have asked. Their argument was going to last for hours. "Arigato, Tazuna-san. It tastes good!"

Everyone gawked, except Tazuna, who grinned and told Naruto, "Tell you what. When we get back to Waves, I'll show you the best sake Waves has to offer!"

Itachi turned to Sasuke. "Since when does Naruto put the suffix –san at the end of someone's name?" He had never heard Naruto say something like that before, except to some of the Uchihas and his teachers.

……

Once everyone assembled at the gates, Itachi started off, not bothering to assign a formation to go in. Itachi had never cared for formations, believing that ninjas work better if they just go on naturally however they pleased. "Tell me, any of you, how much you know of the Land of Waves?" He glanced behind him. "I personally never had a mission there before."

Naruto shrugged. "I've been there once. We were just visiting really for me to know a bit about it. It wasn't that far from Kirigakure, so I could visit for a few days or so. The country was small, so it didn't need its own ninja village. It's basically just a trading center. The main difference that separates it from most countries is that they allow slavery there."

Tazuna turned to him. "You've been to Waves before?"

Naruto nodded. "I was training in water techniques." He glanced at a puddle on the side of the road. He made a motion, but he continued talking casually and loudly as always. "Hey, Sasuke, did you practice with the katana I gave you?"

Sasuke smirked. "You didn't think I was going to waste such a powerful weapon, did you?"

Suddenly, chains wrapped themselves around Itachi and in one swift motion, two ninjas tore him apart. Sakura gasped. "Itachi-sensei!"

Naruto and Sasuke unsheathed their katanas at exactly the same moment. The ninjas charged at Tazuna, surprising both ninjas. Naruto sheathed his sword and grabbed Sasuke, throwing him at the ninjas. Sasuke gritted his teeth and slashed at the chain. The katana sliced through it like a hot knife cutting a stick of butter. The ninjas turned their attention towards the genins, gaping at the useless chain.

Sasuke smirked. He twirled his katana back into its sheath and took out two kunais. "Naruto, Sakura, let's tie these guys up."

The ninjas attacked them, running straight at Sasuke. Sasuke threw his kunais to Sakura and Naruto, who were on each side of him. They ran at the ninjas and once they passed them, they exchanged kunais. The moment the exchange was over, the plan became clear. The chakra strings were clear; the ninjas were trapped. Naruto and Sakura tied them to a tree and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Okay, Nissan, you can come out now."

Itachi came out from the bushes, clapping his hands. "Good job, team! Good teamwork! That was the best performance I've seen from genins yet!" Then he turned to Tazuna, frowning. "We need to talk, Tazuna-san."

Tazuna sighed. He couldn't hide the truth forever. He followed Itachi to a spot a distance away.

Naruto sat down at the base of a tree and turned to the ninjas tied up. "Nice try. We're not retarded. We know it didn't rain yesterday."

The chuunins glared at him. "How did you defeat us?"

Naruto turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "With them, it was easy to. Besides, you're just chuunins in rank – with no skills to prove it."

Itachi came back with Tazuna right at that moment. He seemed indignant though unconcerned. "Seems like we were duped. This is no C-rank mission. This is more of a B-rank," he informed them. "I'll leave the decision to you guys if you wanna go on or not."

"Of course we want to! I've been waiting for missions like this one for days!" Naruto cried out.

Sasuke nodded. "True. No one wants to just battle thieves and bandits."

Itachi turned to Sakura. "What about you? We can't continue unless all of us agree to this."

"I'm fine with going."

Itachi turned to Tazuna and said, his voice soft but hinted warnings, "As for you, no more lies. You WILL pay us what is due for this mission, the amount of money required for a B-rank at the very least. I won't allow us to get cheated. Also, if you lie again, we'll leave you wherever you are and never come back for you. Even if you're attacked in front of us, we'll leave you." His voice showed no deception or bluffing, but his eyes held a gleam that clearly showed he'd rather be cheated out of his money than do such a thing.

Tazuna nodded gloomily. This just wasn't his day.

Itachi turned to Naruto and widened his eyes. "Naruto…"

Naruto glanced at his hand. The ninjas' chain scratched it a bit, but it would be fine. Sokou's the Bijuu of poison, so Naruto was immune to even the deadliest poisons. "Don't worry, Niisan. It'll be fine."

Itachi seemed unconvinced, but he just nodded and said, "Alright then, let's move, kiddoes."

The rest of the journey was quiet. Mist was settling in the closer they got towards Waves. Sasuke whispered to Naruto, "Do you know anyone here?"

"All of my instructors were wanderers. They normally stay in the same country but they don't normally stay at one place very long." The mist was getting thick, so Naruto activated his Byakugan while Sakura wasn't looking. Kyuubi and the Bijuus allowed him to do all kinds of neat things from copying bloodlines to destroying them. "Hmm…DUCK!!"

All of them ducked as a zanbatou whizzed right over them and stuck to a tree. A man with bandages covering his lower face appeared, standing on top of the sword. He glared at the small group, his gaze landing on Naruto.

Naruto quickly deactivated his Byakugan and glared at the swordsman.

Sasuke whispered to him out of the corner of his mouth, "His bandages remind me of Kakashi."

Naruto didn't answer but continued to glare. "What are you doing here…Zabuza-sensei?"

Itachi and the whole group asked the same question, "WHAT?!"

Naruto sighed, his glare discontinued. "Before I trained with the Akatsuki, I trained with some of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist," he whispered to Itachi and Sasuke, who both stared at him. Naruto rolled his eyes and walked up to Zabuza.

After a moment's silence, Zabuza asked, "What are you doing here, brat?"

"We're on a mission. Let me take a guess. You're working for Gato." Naruto looked back at Itachi for confirmation of the name – which he got.

Zabuza shrugged. "I'm on my way to accept the mission. However, I haven't accepted it yet."

Naruto gave him a look, which made Zabuza burst out in laughter.

Once he got full control of himself, he told him, "Don't worry, little brat; I'll cancel it. I don't want to battle against you." He pulled his sword from the tree and began to walk away.

Naruto yelled out at the last minute. "Hey, aren't you gonna help us?"

Zabuza stopped and turned around. "Why should I?"

Naruto tapped his foot, thinking. "Well…hey!" A light bulb appeared above his head. "Why don't you help us and return to Konoha with us? Don't you get tired of wandering?"

"No."

Naruto sighed. "I didn't want to do this, Sensei, but…" His puppy dog eyes were at full power.

Zabuza blinked. "That won't work on me…okay, FINE, you brat!" He huffed and muttered under his breath about "troublesome blondes" the whole way to Tazuna's house.

Naruto cheered. "It's so easy to persuade you! You're getting too soft!"

"Evil, nut-headed blonde."

Itachi chuckled. "I know what you mean, Zabuza-san. His puppy dog eyes are irresistible. They're the most dangerous technique next to his katana."

Tazuna's house was small and simple. There was a small kitchen/dining room and a few bedrooms. There was also a small living room. In the kitchen, a woman was washing dishes. She turned around when the door opened and smiled. "You must be shinobis from Fire Country. I know our house isn't much, but I think we can manage."

Itachi shrugged. "We could always sleep outside."

Sakura stared at him as if he was nuts.

"What? On missions on travels, you'll have to learn to sleep under the stars."

……

Inside a small restaurant not far from Tazuna's house, a girl was sweeping the floors. Her hair flowed down to her middle back in beautiful strands. However, she was thin for her age, and her brown eyes were blank and death-like.

Haku had been broken long time ago. Beatings and torture crushed her spirit, leaving nothing but an empty shell of which she was long time ago. After she was on the streets for a few days, slave traders captured and enslaved her. Her bloodline limit was useless because of the collar around her neck. The collar was permanent, becoming one with her flesh. She was broken, completely. She had learned that her fate couldn't be changed. This was what and who she is, forever – a slave. There was no hope for her. The collar was impossible to take off. It also forces her to obey her masters – whether she wants to or not.

"Girl, wipe the counters when you're done. After that, wash the dishes." Her master glanced at her form.

Haku nodded. She had lost her voice long time ago. She wasn't mute; she just forgot how to speak and how to make sounds. She could understand what people were saying, but she couldn't get them to understand what she was trying to say. Eventually, she gave up altogether, and her feelings were locked away.

"Did you hear me, slave?" Her master sneered. "What? Are you deaf now, too?" He knew full well that she couldn't respond and that even if she didn't hear him, she'd still do what he ordered because the collar will force her to.

Haku didn't say anything. She continued to work silently. This happens every day. He taunts her about her lost voice. She stayed silent and he… Her head was forced up by her chin.

Her master was smirking. "When I ask you something, you're supposed to answer me."

Haku's eyes stayed downcast, avoiding her master's eyes.

"You just ignored me." With that, he grabbed Haku and pushed her into the back room. "Now, you know the punishment for transgressions like that, right?"

Haku stumbled forward and fell to her knees. It happens every day, so how can she not know? She took off her top and got down on her hands and knees. She'll feel the pain, but she won't feel any grudge towards her master. After all, he was only doing what he was allowed to do.

Her master unraveled a whip and cracked it at her back…

Part II: No Free Will

Sasuke woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking. He jumped out of bed and ran into the kitchen, where Tsunami and Naruto were cooking. Sakura was watching them, obviously trying to remember the recipes, and Itachi was at the table, reading the newspaper. Every now and then, Itachi would take a sip of black coffee, unsweetened. Tazuna was lying out plans for the bridge and studying them, pondering and erasing notes here and writing some there. There was also a little boy whom Sasuke had never met before. He was quiet and just sitting at the table, doing nothing. Sasuke took a seat next to him and decided not to bother his "thinking time". "Hey, Itachi-nissan, when are we setting out for the bridge?

Itachi looked over his paper and replied in a voice that reminded Sasuke of Kakashi, "Our client needs to get some more supplies before we set out. The supplies will take a while to arrive, so we have a break today. Explore the village, and do whatever." He returned to his paper and muttered something about "breakfast too good to wait for."

Sasuke chuckled and glanced at Itachi's coffee cup. He cocked his head and filled a cup with warm water, switching his coffee cup and that cup. He was bored and Naruto's mischievous attitude was rubbing off on him.

Itachi reached for his cup. He paused before drinking and placed the cup back into its former position. He sighed and put down his paper, standing up to go over to the cabinet to get some coffee mix. "Sasuke, if you want some coffee, just ask and I'll make some for you. You don't have to switch glasses. Do you want some sugar because the cup that you're holding, the one that's actually mine, doesn't have any sugar in it?"

Sasuke took a sip and spluttered. "How can you drink coffee like this?!" he cried. "It tastes like…like…"

"Plain coffee I know. I like it that way." Itachi handed Sasuke a couple of sugar packets.

Tsunami laid bowls of stew in front of each of them. "Tell me if you want more; there's plenty left."

Naruto sat across from Sasuke, next to Itachi, and Sakura took the seat next to Sasuke, across from Itachi. "Oh, man, this smells so good!"

"Duh, you cooked it."

"I only helped, Sasuke." Naruto took a mouthful of the stew and sighed contentedly. "Tastes like heaven. Hey, where's sensei anyways?"

Encouraged, Sasuke took a bite and hurriedly gulped down the whole bowl. However, while Naruto was immune to the hot liquid, Sasuke burned his tongue and had to cool it down with ice water. "Ish goosh!" he said, his tongue floppy. Then he shrugged at Naruto's question. "Woo knewsh? He coosh be anyvheresh."

Suddenly Zabuza burst through the door and sat down on one of the chairs. He was obviously not in a good mood. Then again, from what Naruto knows, Zabuza is never a morning person, even though he wakes up earlier than most people.

Naruto also learned to just ignore his bad mood. "Hey, Sensei, what are you so grumpy about? Nightmares?"

Zabuza glared at him. "Listen, brat, I DON'T have nightmares – EVER!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sure you don't. Hey, I got an idea. How about you and Sasuke have a kenjutsu match? If you win, we'll treat you out to whatever restaurant you want and admit that you never have nightmares before. If Sasuke wins, you'll have to admit you had a nightmare today and treat us out. Oh, you also have to be in a good mood every morning from now on!"

Sasuke and Zabuza turned to each other and yelled at the same time, "DEAL!"

Itachi didn't even look up from his paper. "Sakura, make sure they don't do anything stupid and help Naruto referee."

"Hai, Sensei." Sakura came outside with Naruto and the duo.

Sasuke and Zabuza faced each other and took out their weapons, Sasuke with his katana and Zabuza with his zanbatou. Zabuza attacked first, but Sasuke was smaller, so he was also quicker, dodging it completely. Sasuke twirled around and swung his katana, aiming for Zabuza's chest (he wouldn't stab of course).

Zabuza countered at the last minute. However, Sasuke's katana created a chip on Zabuza's large zanbatou, surprising Zabuza, who turned to glare at Naruto. "You gave him that didn't you?! No fair!"

Naruto shrugged. "It was a birthday present for him."

Sasuke smirked and lunged forward while Zabuza was distracted, pointing his katana at Zabuza's throat. "You lost and equal loser and chumpion; I win and equal winner and champion."

Sakura squealed. "Go, Sasuke!" She jumped up and down.

Naruto sweatdropped.

Zabuza growled. "Hey, you cheated! I was distracted!"

"Who told you to put your guard down?" Sasuke sheathed his katana with a smug and content expression on his face. "I won fair and square. Now you know what happens!"

Zabuza pouted, mumbling, "Fine, I had a nightmare today. Also, I'll treat you guys."

Sakura thought for a second. "I want a really fancy restaurant…"

"…origimi…"

"…ramen." Naruto pondered for a second. "Let's just go to the closest restaurant for lunch."

"Good idea."

When they return to the kitchen, Itachi was still reading the newspaper. He looked up and said, "If Sasuke lost, I'm not gonna pay."

Sasuke pouted. "No faith at all I swear! I won, so do you want to go out for lunch? Zabuza-san's treat!"

Itachi raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You won?"

"Yep. Zabuza was so weak, he couldn't even defend himself…"

"You brat. I was distracted, talking to the troublesome blond."

Itachi turned back to his paper, pondering and wiggling the pencil in his hand, and mumbled, "Stupid Sudoku puzzle. Can't do the crossword either."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "This is your conscience speaking to you. The first line is 1, 6, 4, 8, 9, 2, 5, 7, and 3."

Itachi wrote it down and jumped up. "Yes! My conscience is always right!" Then he whispered to Sasuke, "Thanks for being my conscience, Otouto."

"No problem, Nissan. Everyone knows that you suck at solving puzzles. It's the least I can do. After all, I am your younger brother."

Itachi 'hmphed' and asked, "So, where are we going to eat?"

"To the nearest restaurant." Naruto pointed out the door. "Follow me, everyone; I know exactly where I'm going!" He marched out the door.

Itachi moved his hand through his hair. "At this rate, we'll be lost in a foreign village before we leave the house." It was true. Naruto went out the door leading to the living room. "Otouto, the door to the outdoors is this way!" he called, opening the door on the opposite side of the kitchen. "I think that we should follow me." He paused before walking out. "By the way, I think it's better if we act like civilians and not ninjas."

"Slick directional skills, idiot," Isonade muttered.

Naruto stuck his tongue out as he took off his tête-à-tête and followed Itachi out the door – the right door. "Not my fault. You guys didn't tell me."

"We shouldn't have to. If you'd use your brain, you'd be able to know what we know."

……

Haku was woken up abruptly by a kick from her master.

"Wake up! Customers are coming," her master growled. He sent her another kick before leaving to greet the customers.

Haku winced as she got up from the floor. She just hoped her wounds didn't reopen from last night. She walked out to the front from the back room and waited for the customers to come in and order. Everything was the same like every other day.

"Hey, I heard Tazuna's still trying to build the bridge. Doesn't he get that his life will be in danger? He hired leaf-nins to guard him. They're just kids! Even their jonin was only seventeen!" one of the customers was saying to another.

"He's a fool! Idiot! We don't need another death!"

"Another death? You mean deaths. He's leading the leaf-nins to their doom!" the first one hissed.

Haku could care less about the leaf-nins. Ninjas were hired before. They used their authority to kill those who go against them. But when they're faced with stronger shinobis, they ran like cowards. Arrogant was how Haku always imagined all ninjas to be.

"Tazuna's starting tomorrow…"

Haku sighed mentally. Her master supported Gato though no one knows about it. Those that do were dead. He was a shinobi himself, killing those who opposed Gato. Haku always has to come along to "help" out. She looked up at the clock. Noon was approaching.

Suddenly the doors opened and five people came in as if on cue. There was a pink-haired girl, a blonde boy, a raven-haired boy, a taller young man with gray-blue hair tied in a ponytail, and another much older man with bandages covering the bottom half of his face. They seemed to be just civilians coming in. The blonde was joking around with the raven and the girl while the two older men were discussing about something casual. They sat down at a table near the wall and were waiting patiently for a waiter or waitress. Haku walked over to them and handed each one of them a menu.

"Hey, Sasuke, they seemed to have everything on here, even onigiri and ramen! Itachi-nissan chose a good restaurant!" the blond yelled to the raven.

The one called Sasuke grinned and turned to Haku, "I'd like onigiri, please."

"I'd like spicy beef-flavored ramen, please!" the blonde jumped up and put an arm around the young man next to him. "Hey, Itachi-nissan, I bet you're gonna order pocky, right?"

So those two are brothers. Unbelievable. Haku had never seen two more different people.

The one called Itachi chuckled and shook his head. "I can't depend on pocky for lunch, Naruto! I guess I'll have onigiri, too, uh, with pocky for dessert."

Zabuza sighed. "Pigeon eggs I guess."

Sakura scanned the menu before ordering, "Syrup-coated anko dumplings, please!"

Haku nodded and wrote everything down, walking to the kitchen to cook their orders. What a strange group.

Naruto, meanwhile, was groaning and complaining to Sasuke. "Ugh, the Bijuus won't shut up! Currently, Houkou and Sokou are arguing about if Kyuubi likes roses or tulips. Kaku and Isonade are arguing with Raijuu and Kyuubi about who I like!"

Sasuke thought for a second. "I vote tulips."

"Roses."

"Tulips," Itachi muttered.

"This is a really random conversation," Naruto announced. He sighed and laid his head on his arms. "I'm hungry."

"Ya think?"

Haku came out with a tray loaded with their orders a few minutes later. She set them in front of them and signed 'Enjoy.' She wasn't expecting them to know what her hand signs meant. Sign language wasn't widely understood or practiced.

However, Naruto, who had learned sign language just for the sake of learning it, recognized the sign immediately. He had never thought that it would come in handy one day. He signed back 'Arigato, Miss.'

Haku widened her eyes in surprise. 'You know sign language?'

'Hai. Learned it a while back.'

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura asked. They were all staring at the two signing back and forth to each other.

"Sign language. People use it if they're mute and can't talk. They use their hands instead."

Sasuke cocked his head. "So our waitress is mute?"

Naruto smacked him in the head – hard. "Don't say stuff like that! You're basically insulting her because you pointed out her handicap!"

Haku signed, 'People say that all the time. I'm used to it by now.' She was feeling something that she hasn't felt for a long time. It was such a long time that she couldn't recognize the feeling. All she knew was that she liked it.

'Too bad then. Sasuke is NOT gonna insult you – even if you are used to it.'

Sakura was fascinated. "Naruto, can you teach me?"

"Sure thing." Naruto made a few movements with his hand and bade Sakura to mimic them.

Sakura awkwardly signed to Haku, who had a bit of trouble understanding what she was signing.

'She's okay, but I didn't really catch that.'

Naruto grinned. 'She said you're pretty.'

Haku blinked and a pink tinge appeared on her pale cheeks. 'Thank you; where are you from? You don't seem to be from around here.'

'Fire Country. We just arrived here yesterday.'

Haku stopped signing, looking troubled, but she forced herself to reality. She knew she couldn't spend time with these people anyways – they were just customers. However, something inside her felt crushed when Naruto told her that. Then she decided to ask another question. 'Are you shinobis?'

'Hai,' Naruto signed. 'How'd you know?'

Haku ignored the question. So they were not just customers – tourists – from Fire Country; they were the leaf-nins hired to protect Tazuna. Haku immediately crushed the igniting feelings and friendliness she felt for the ninjas. They were going to be killed anyways. She turned abruptly towards the back, confusing the shinobis with her sudden hostility.

Naruto stared after her. What's with her? Then he narrowed his eyes. Something reddish was seeping through her shirt. Naruto started and grabbed her shoulder, making her cringe in pain. Naruto lightened his grip and muttered, "There's blood…"

Haku whirled around, slapping Naruto's hand away, and ran towards the back, knowing that Naruto had seen the blood – and the patterns they make, forming lash marks. From what she knows, ninjas are not to be considered idiotic. Most were clever, though they might seem slow on the outside. If Naruto really was one of these ninjas, he could form the conclusion that she was a slave – if he knows that slavery was allowed in Waves that is. Haku had enjoyed, even though she knew full well it wouldn't last long, a conversation where she was considered equal to them despite her handicap. Now that they know what she is…they won't treat her the same, as an equal.

Once she reached the security of the empty room, she recalled the feelings that she felt during the encounter. She hadn't felt feelings as strong as those for a long time. The leaf-nins had brought her close to reality, to realization of the situation she was in. They had made her feel somewhat alive, especially the blonde, or Naruto as his companions called him. They had brought her close to reality and liveliness but not quite. Haku tried to push them aside, but the image of the leaf-nins held tight on her mind. They were on opposite sides of a battle, though she didn't want to be on the side she has to be on. She doesn't have a choice; she doesn't have free will like them.

Meanwhile, Naruto had lost his appetite. Even ramen doesn't appeal to him any longer.

Itachi, concerned if Naruto was sick or not, asked, "Naruto, what's wrong? Don't you want to eat your ramen?"

Naruto shook his head, pushing his bowl away, disgusted. Then he mumbled, "She was a slave. This food was forced to be made by her. I'm not touching it!" He crossed his arms and turned away resolutely.

Sakura stared at her food. "A slave?"

Suddenly, none of them felt appealed to the food anymore. Itachi just paid for the food, and they left, leaving them untouched.

After a while after their departure, Haku came out to clean their area when she saw a note next to the money –

Sorry if we insult you by not eating all of our orders. We just lost our appetite. Thanks a lot though.

Emotions swirled around in Haku's mind. It had been such a long time since she experienced all these strong emotions that they left her confused. She couldn't understand nor pin-point any of the emotions at all. She forced herself to just ignore the emotions and continue with what she does everyday. However, the emotions kept nagging on her mind.

Part III: Determination

Naruto was quiet as he sat down for dinner. His mind was still on Haku, her gentle ways, and most of all, her dull, lifeless eyes. A spark of life had appeared in their lifeless depths when she saw Naruto could use sign language. However, it disappeared when she heard they were from Fire Country.

"I'll be starting tomorrow. Get yourselves ready. Gato will be sending mercenaries to stop me from completing and finishing the bridge." Tazuna turned to Itachi. "Are you sure you and the kids are gonna be able to protect me?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Do you trust us or not? I believe we could."

Tazuna looked away, slightly embarrassed. "It's just that ninjas hired before have all been killed. Gato always wins, at least in the past."

Then Inari, Tazuna's grandson, spoke up, his voice hollow, "And he always will – in the future too. He'll kill you, just like he killed the past shinobis."

Tsunami gasped. "Inari!"

"What? It's true."

Sasuke stood up abruptly, his face filled with cold anger. "What right have you to say that? Do you control our lives? Or do you control only your own? Can you see the future? Can you see fate itself? Who are you to decide our fate?" His voice was calm, but it had a terrible coldness in it that made Inari shiver involuntarily though he didn't back down.

Inari growled, "What right do I have? I went through more than you ever did! You shinobis just enjoy life! Does Fire Country look like Waves? Does it? I doubt it! I bet you all lived comfortably in your homes, knowing that you're safe and sound! Have you even seen a death of your loved ones or just a death at all?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth but didn't say anything.

"I thought so."

Naruto was standing up now, too. "Oh, yeah? Think you went through so much? Both my parents die, I don't have any blood relatives alive, and the villagers despise me! I wonder which one of us is better off, huh?"

"That's enough, Naruto, Sasuke. Sit down," Itachi ordered.

Naruto and Sasuke hesitated, seeming to argue, but after a few minutes, they sat down without a word of argument.

Itachi sighed, relieved that no fight was going to break. "We're just here to do our job, guys…"

Inari interrupted him. "You're gonna fail your mission though. Why don't you just give up?"

Then Naruto's voice rang throughout the room. His voice was calm, surprising everyone even himself. He was anything but calm on the inside. "Because true shinobis don't ever give up. That's the way of the ninja."

Inari widened his eyes. Then he stood up and marched outside, scowling.

"What the heck's with him?" Sasuke muttered.

Tsunami sighed. "It happened a long time ago…" She began telling them everything from how Kaiza met Inari to his death sentence by Gato (I'm not gonna go deep into this. It's in the episodes). "…like everyone else in this country, his spirit was broken by Kaiza's death." Her voice had saddened throughout her story, and by now, it sounded dejected and somewhat hopeless. There was an awkward silence after her story.

Sasuke looked away. "I…didn't know." His eyes were staring off into space, deep in thought.

Itachi smiled sadly. "None of us did, Otouto." Then he added, "Missions are like this. Sometimes…the "real" mission involves more than just the mission in question." He yawned and stood up, finished with his meal. He went to his room to retire while Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura went to the living room to just talk and enjoy each other's company before their big day tomorrow.

……

Shadarsu chuckled. However, his chuckle wasn't a good sign. "Look what we have here. Tazuna's still gonna try and build the bridge." He looked up from the letter/request in his companions' faces. "Gato wants us to get rid of him."

Ranonue, who continued to clean his katana, remained emotionless, showing neither enthusiasm nor fear. "He hired kids. They're not gonna be much fun. He must be desperate." He glanced up at Shadarsu. Shadarsu was their indisputable leader, the most powerful and clever of the three. "How's your pet? Even though they are kids, she could come in handy during the battle."

Shadarsu reached into the darkness and roughly pulled out Haku by her arm. "You don't have to ask how she is. She's right here."

"Right. Are you going to take her along?"

"Of course. It's always fun to let her "help" out." Shadarsu tightened his grip on Haku's arm, making her winced. "They'll be surprised. All the shinobis in the past were." He felt Haku trembling in his hand. "Cruelty always surprises them; they've gone soft over the years – especially the leaf-nins. Did you know most of them value their friends and teammates more than the mission itself?"

All three of them laughed. They themselves thought of each other as nothing more than rivals and teammates. They could care less if one or the other dies; the only reason they look out for each other was that they might have a use for the other two later.

Kuroshinaru smirked, glancing at Haku. "Aw, Shadarsu, your pet's scared." His cruel eyes lingered over Haku's face, which was filled with fear and terror at what's to be expected the next day.

Ranonue sighed. "Kuro-kun, thank you for stating the obvious."

Shadarsu looked back down at the letter, ignoring Kuro's and Ranonue's bickering. "Hmm, this is interesting."

"What?"

"It says here that the jonin they have is a seventeen-year-old Uchiha." Shadarsu paused. "He must be extremely confident in his abilities if he is willing to go through the whole mission, knowing how many shinobis have died in the past." He leaned back. "Tell me; how many seventeen-year-old jonin Uchihas do we know who'd waste their time taking on genin teams?"

Kuro widened his eyes, unbelieving of what Shadarsu was insinuating. "There has been a record of only one currently."

"Exactly. Uchihas were known throughout the ninja world for their arrogance – most considering themselves above training genins. Answer me this. Who is this Uchiha?"

"Itachi Uchiha, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan."

Anticipation filled the air around them. Itachi Uchiha would definitely be a formidable and worthy opponent; they were going to have fun tomorrow.

Part IV: Chance at Choice

"Sasuke, stop hogging the bathroom!"

"Shut up, Naruto; I'm not the one who takes two-hour showers!"

"Would you both just stop bickering and hurry up? There are other people in line here." Itachi knocked on the door. "Sasuke, hurry up. You've been in there for an hour. I know you like spending a long time on your hair, but this is ridiculous!"

Sakura squealed. She still has her fangirl personalities even though she recognized that there is more to life than just chasing after a hot boy. "No wonder his hair is so cute!"

"If you consider a duck's butt cute," Naruto mumbled under his breath. Then an idea popped up in his head. He yelled through the door, "SASUKE, SAKURA THINKS YOU'RE CUTE WHEN YOU DO YOUR HAIR THIS LONG!!"

Sasuke slammed open the door and turned to Sakura, "We can NEVER be together. Don't you get that? NEVER!" He marched down the hall to the kitchen.

"Finally!" Naruto stormed into the bathroom to freshen up.

Itachi chuckled. "Thank goodness I woke up before everyone." He leaned against the wall, talking to Sakura, so she wouldn't get impatient. After a few minutes, he went off to plan with Zabuza about how they should split guard duty as they can't all guard Tazuna at once; they need breaks. Because of the seriousness of this mission, either Itachi or Zabuza has to be with the team at all times.

Once decided and prepared, they set out for the half-finished bridge. Zabuza and Sakura stayed back to guard the house while Itachi and his brothers went off to guard Tazuna. Tazuna was nervous even with the ninjas protecting him – despite Itachi assuring him.

When Tazuna began working, Naruto and Sasuke had asked if they could help, but Itachi told them that none of them know anything about bridge-building so they'd just end up getting in the way.

"Hey, guys, I'll get us some drinks, 'kay? Tazuna-san must be thirsty, too. And don't leave him out of your sight." Itachi stood up and walked towards the marketplace, leaving an extra-nervous Tazuna and his brothers to themselves. Even though he doesn't know how strong his enemies are, he was quite confident that Naruto and Sasuke could defend Tazuna by themselves.

Sasuke sighed and sat cross-legged down on the floor of the bridge. "This is a bore. I want some adventure!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and yawned. He had to agree with Sasuke. He was expecting a bunch of powerful ninjas coming at them at all sides all the time, and that they would be fighting for their lives! However, what really happens was EXACTLY the opposite.

Suddenly a sword whirled towards Tazuna's back. Naruto instinctively grabbed the sword by the hilt before it stabbed him in the back.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and stood up in battle position. "Where are you? Show yourselves!"

"Hmm, seems like we're too late, Ranonue; Itachi left the kids to themselves. I would've wanted to fight him for a challenge." The voice was smooth, oily, and…sly. "These kids will have to do until he gets back…I guess. Hmph, there's only two little brats. This will be easy."

Sasuke smirked. "Easy? Try us then."

Naruto threw down the sword he was holding and unsheathed his katana. Obviously their enemies don't know what they're dealing with. "Yeah, what he says."

Mist began to fog up their vision. When it cleared, there were three ninjas standing in front of them. One had long black hair tied in a ponytail; another had a mask on and was dressed completely in black; the last one was the shortest and had a katana in his hand – the katana that had nearly killed Tazuna. Tazuna stepped back but he whispered to Sasuke and Naruto, "If you don't think you can stop them, just run. Three deaths aren't needed if they can be avoided."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Even if we're weak and decide to run, they'll catch us anyways." He turned to Sasuke. "Ready, Otouto?"

"Hai."

……

Sakura slit another one's throat. It was killing her to kill them, but she learned long time ago that shinobis are trained to kill. Training with Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi, she became stronger than she would have with another team.

Another gangster attacked her from behind. She growled and twirled around, her kunai cutting through the air into his throat. "Take that!" She turned around to see Inari and Tsunami at the edge of her vision. "Run!" The gang was too numerous; they'll be trapped if they don't run out in time.

Inari nodded and pulled on his mom's hand, taking her into the forest. He glanced back a few times to see Sakura and Zabuza killing a bunch of gangsters at a time. Once in the forest, they waited for Zabuza and Sakura to finish up with the gang. Thinking they were safe, they didn't heard footsteps coming up from behind them.

Suddenly, Tsunami screamed as someone grabbed her from behind. Inari turned around to see two gangsters tying up his mom. His instincts told him to run, and he was about to do just that when a flashback stopped him…

Flashback…

"Ah, my dog!" Inari screamed. "I can't swim!"

His dog was drowning. However, Inari couldn't bring himself to jump into the water for fear of drowning as well. He was standing at the edge of the harbor, looking down helplessly at his dog trying desperately to swim.

"Well, if you want it, go save it!" A kid pushed Inari into the water, obviously intending to drown him.

There was a splash as Inari hit the water. He gasped for breath; he was drowning…drowning…drowning… Then, he saw a surprising event. His dog had learned to swim and was swimming for the shore. "Ah, help me!" he screamed to his dog. However, it just shook itself dry and ignored Inari's pleas. "Why-?" Water filled his mouth, and he sank beneath the surface…

Inari woke up a few hours later to find himself on dry land. He sat up, disoriented. What had been going on? He looked around and saw a man next to him, staring at him. Now, he started remembering what had happened – he had been drowning. "Who are you? Did you save me?"

The man nodded, smiling. He turned away and asked, "Was your dog important to you?"

Inari lowered his head in shame. "I…I wanted to save it. But I was afraid…"

"…that you'd drown as well?"

Inari looked up into the man's face.

"When you have something precious to you, you should protect it with both arms, regardless of whether it costs you your life or not…"

End flashback…

Inari turned back, staring at his mother. He gritted his teeth and charged at the gangsters. He was going to protect his mother whether it costs him his life or not. He wasn't going to abandon her like he did his dog.

One of the gangsters grabbed him around the neck and laughed, calling to his mate, "What should we do with this one? Feisty, isn't he?"

"Well, I don't think we need more than one hostage. Just get rid of him."

Tsunami yelled out, "No!" When the gangster hesitated, she said in a calmer voice, "Please, don't. I'll do anything you want…Just don't hurt him."

Inari stared at his mom. "Mom…"

The second gangster growled. The woman was tied up, and now she was issuing orders! How outrageous was that! He took a knife and knocked Tsunami unconscious with the hilt. "Kill him, and let's go."

Inari yelled, "Mom!" He kicked and scratched the gangster holding him until he let go, hissing in pain. "Mom!" He ran over to his mom's side.

"I have enough of this!" The other gangster lunged towards Inari with his knife.

Inari squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the end to come…but it never did.

"Good job. My brothers would have been proud."

Inari opened his eyes wide in surprise. He looked up into the face of a young, familiar man. "I-I thought you were at the bridge…"

Itachi grinned, cheerfully. "I was, but I was thirsty. See?" He held up a tray of drinks. "I came back here just to make sure everything was alright, and it was a good thing I did. Where's Sakura and Zabuza-san?" he asked, suddenly serious.

Inari stared at the two dead gangsters on the ground. Itachi killed them with one hand (he was holding the drinks in the other)! "I don't know. They were still fighting when we escaped…" Realization hit him. "Oh no, Itachi-san, we've got to go help them!"

"No need. We're finished." Sakura and Zabuza came out behind the bushes.

Zabuza grinned beneath his mask. "You left the brats to defend themselves, Itachi?"

Sakura gasped. "Itachi-sensei!"

Itachi chuckled. "Don't worry; they can defend themselves. It would be a good idea to go though. If this was the battle here, the battle going on at the bridge should be a more serious matter." He turned to Inari. "You and your mom stay here. It wouldn't be a good thing for you two to get involved. Let's go." He led Sakura and Zabuza towards the bridge, leaving Inari to stare at his receding back determinedly.

Despite Itachi telling him to stay there, he took up his crossbow and went off to gather the villagers for a rebellion…and a battle of their lifetimes.

……

Shadarsu laughed. "Ready or not, you'll still die."

Ranonue suddenly lunged towards Naruto and thrust his sword at godlike speed towards his heart. To his surprise, Naruto countered it easily.

Naruto smirked. "I'll say this once and only once. You shouldn't underestimate us." He pushed Ranonue back and thrust his sword at him, missing by mere millimeters.

Ranonue flipped back to Shadarsu and muttered. "He's good; I'll give him that."

Shadarsu narrowed his eyes. "He's a kid!"

"Shadarsu-san, you may be the cleverest of us all, but you underestimate people too much. Kids can be strong, despite the fact that they are kids." Ranonue kept his gaze on Naruto the whole time. "This one just proved it a fact. I got a feeling these leaf-nins aren't as weak as they appear."

Shadarsu snarled, "I want to get this over quick. Just kill; we don't need any prisoners or hostages." He charged at Sasuke, his fist glowing with chakra.

Sasuke smirked and countered it with his left foot, leaving his hands free to attack. He pushed Shadarsu away and lunged swiftly at him, fist poised.

However Shadarsu dodged and flipped backwards. "You're right, Ranonue. They're better'n we thought, but they're still kids."

Kuroshinaru snorted. "They're nothing." He lunged at Sasuke.

Sasuke, who expected him to be just like Shadarsu, was taken by surprise. Kuroshinaru, unlike the other two, who were just testing them, was aiming to kill. Sasuke leaned to the side, surviving a fatal blow with only a deep cut to his left cheek.

Kuroshinaru smirked and straightened up, kicking Sasuke in the gut before he could react. "See, Shadarsu? You're just getting soft."

Sasuke grunted, bending over.

"Sasuke!" Naruto ran at Kuroshinaru with his katana ready. However, Ranonue came into the picture, preventing him from coming to Sasuke's rescue and forcing him to battle him instead. "Ack!"

Kuroshinaru swiped his leg at Sasuke, but Sasuke managed to jump out of the way in time. Kuroshinaru took out an ax and swung it at Sasuke's head, laughing. "Take this, kiddo!"

Sasuke ducked; he was forced into defensive mode. He licked his lips, trying to find a weak spot. However, weak spots appear suddenly and disappear just as quickly because of the speed Kuroshinaru was going.

"Yo, Sasuke, JUMP!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke widened his eyes in confusion, but he jumped anyways. Itachi appeared under him, slashing at Kuroshinaru with a kunai. Niisan…came just in time…

Kuroshinaru gaped in surprise. One look at the situation and one knows that Itachi had given him no time to think or dodge. It was a perfect surprise attack…if only Kuroshinaru didn't call at the last minute, "Haku!"

Itachi slashed at Kuroshinaru. He gasped. Blood splattered on his face from his attack, but the blood wasn't from the ninja he had intended the attack.

Naruto and Sasuke gaped. "What the - ?!" Between their brother and the ninja was the waitress they had met just a day ago. She had taken Itachi's attack, which left a deep wound slightly below her collar, protecting Kuroshinaru from harm.

Itachi staggered backwards, unbelieving of what he had done. He had injured someone who wasn't even supposed to be in the fight. "Why?"

Haku looked up at him, her eyes filled with hopelessness and distress. Blood came all over her clothes, but she didn't do anything to prevent the flow.

Sakura and Zabuza came into the scene, looking confused of what was going on. Sakura gasped at Haku's blood, looking from Itachi's bloody kunai to Haku's stained clothes.

Shadarsu chuckled at their confusion. "Ah, you don't think I'm gonna come and fight against the legendary Itachi Uchiha without some protection, were you?" He walked over to Haku. "Yesterday, you came into my restaurant, but we didn't cause you any trouble because we were in public."

Naruto growled, "So you're her master."

"Of course." Shadarsu grabbed Haku's arm and twisted it behind her back, making her gasp in pain. "Now that she enters the picture, I'm sure the fight will be more interesting." Seeing their still confused faces, he explained, "She doesn't have free will like you do. See that collar? It forces her to obey my every command, and I command her to protect us from your attacks – with her body."

Kuroshinaru laughed. "Entertaining, yes?"

Sakura, horrified, whispered, "That's so cruel."

Sasuke hissed, "They didn't even provide her with weapons!"

Naruto, his anger blinding his reason, charged at Shadarsu. "You're sick!"

Shadarsu, obviously intending to hurt Haku and at the same time giving Naruto a sense of helplessness, dislocated Haku's shoulder. Haku looked as if she was about to cry out, but no sound could be heard. If she did have her voice, she would've screamed.

Naruto stopped, seeing Haku's pained expression. He stepped back, glaring at Shadarsu.

Shadarsu grinned. "As you can see, I can do anything to her, and she can't do anything about it. However, you can control what I do to her - somewhat. You give up your mission, and I won't hurt her anymore. Allow us to kill you without struggling. You know you have a chance to help her."

Part V: Cleverer Winner

Naruto was having a conversation with the Bijuus – an urgent conversation – while appearing to think over Shadarsu's offer. What do we do now? Can anyone tell me anything about that collar?

Kaku put a hand to his chin, his eyes narrowed in serious thought. "From what I heard, this kind of collars can't be broken or taken off because once they're put on someone, they become 'part' of that person. You try to pull that collar off and you'll find yourself tearing her neck muscles off! The only way you're gonna save her, at least from their cruelty, is if you could get them to transfer their ownership to you."

Fat chance. Where do people come up with this idea anyways? It's sick!

"I know, kid, but that's how it is. Also, her life is connected to what's-his-name, Shadarsu's. He dies, and she dies. She dies; he won't. The collar forces her to obey her master's every command as well – even at the cost of her life. Her owner controls her life." Kaku sighed. "Sorry, kid. That's all I know. No one has ever been able to find a way to get the collar off once it's on."

Naruto nodded. He was going to have a bit of trouble with this – even if he has hold of all the Bijuus' cleverness; he has to stall for a while to have some time to think. He looked up at Shadarsu, accidentally meeting Haku's eyes instead. The hopelessness, the lifelessness, and the depression sent a cold chill down his back, and he involuntarily stepped back. What the HECK was that?!

The Bijuus all shivered. Even they were slightly shaken. Sokou hissed, "They're no normal eyes, Kit!"

"They're the eyes of Death!" Kyuubi cried, horrified. "WHAT have they done to her?!"

Naruto understood the Bijuus' panic and horror. All his life, he had never seen someone so lifeless and hopeless, giving up on life completely. Kyuubi wasn't exaggerating when she said Haku's eyes were the eyes of Death. Naruto shook himself, straightening out his mind. He yelled to Shadarsu, "Forget the deal! If you're not gonna hurt her now, you're gonna hurt her later! No way are we gonna give up all our lives just for her!"

Smart kid. Then again, he was only saying what he should be saying, not what his heart says. Shadarsu shrugged. "Your loss. Either way, we win. I'll just tell you outright. I know you can't bring yourself to kill someone who has no part in this battle."

Naruto growled. Shadarsu was taunting them, giving them the sense of helplessness. He's smart, Naruto'll give him that. He was weakening them that way, just by taunting them. Afterwards, it will be easier to defeat all of them altogether. Needless to say, it was working.

Itachi whispered to Naruto. "What if we all attack at the same time? She can't possibly protect all of them at once!"

"Itachi, she'll probably get split in half in an attempt to be at more than one place at once." Naruto kept his gaze on Haku as he spoke.

Itachi gulped inaudibly. This mission was turning out more twisting and confusing to the mind than he thought. They were practically split in half, their minds and their hearts turning against each other in their bodies.

Shadarsu smirked. They were acting just as he planned; ninjas were all like that – when it comes to a mission that requires more than just focus on the mission itself, they all became confused of what to do. These ninjas will be no different, no harder to defeat than the ninjas before them. He made a hand sign and the all out battle begun.

Ranonue and Naruto immediately engaged in a kenjutsu match while Sasuke and Sakura battled Kuroshinaru. Itachi and Zabuza attacked Shadarsu. They were all careful to stay in defensive mode to avoid getting Haku into the picture and to stall for more time to think up of a plan that avoids putting Haku's life in jeopardy.

This is so stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why do they have to use a slave in this battle? Why do they have to torture her and make her life miserable? Why do we have to be part of this? Now either way, her life is still going downhill, pulling us with it! Naruto countered another one of Ranonue's uppercuts and jumped to the side to avoid a chakra blade bursting from his sword.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura were battling Kuroshinaru a distance away. As Sakura doesn't have enough brute strength (hey, Tsunade hasn't taught her yet) to counter his ax, she had to dodge and stay a farther distance away from him.

Sasuke, his mind racing to think up of a loophole to defeat Kuroshinaru without having to exactly attack, was standing his ground. He was thinking of just tiring him out; however, his own energy was being used up faster than his opponent's. Losing focus of the battle at hand because of trying to come up with a plan, he dropped his guard, giving Kuroshinaru a chance to deliver a fatal wound.

Sasuke widened his eyes in surprise, shaken out of his reverie. He saw the ax coming at slow speed. Time seemed to slow down.

Suddenly, a flash of pink came in front of him.

Sasuke gasped. Sakura was staring unseeingly at her body, a huge slash running from her left shoulder to her right hip. "S-Sakura?"

Sakura staggered back, a trickle of blood streaming down from her lips. "Sasuke-kun…"

Kuroshinaru smirked. "Why don't the lovers go to the netherworld together?" He grabbed Sakura by her arm and whipped her into Sasuke, who caught her.

Sasuke and Sakura (who was now lifeless) were thrown off the edge of the bridge into the ocean below. Sasuke managed to stay afloat, gasping for breath. "Sakura," he muttered, searching for her body in the water. There she was, sinking beneath the surface, pale and still lifeless. Sasuke took a deep breath and swam forward to save her. He pulled her to the surface, gasping, "Sakura…" He struggled, pulling her body towards the shore.

……

"Sasuke! Sakura!" Naruto clenched his fist. That was IT! He was done playing Shadarsu's game – the game he was sure they would lose if they were gonna continue the same way that they are. They were holding back in fear of hurting Haku – who would be hurt either way, now or later. Wait…Naruto smacked himself mentally. The plan was so simple. He had been so concerned about Haku's well-being now that he didn't consider the plan before. Kaku had suggested the idea at the very beginning! "Nissan, Sensei, get back! Forget Haku! She's gonna be hurt either way. Might as well take these guys with her! That's the only way!" In reality though, Naruto was not planning to kill Haku at all. However, they were going to have to be good actors.

Shadarsu widened his eyes. Do these ninjas really have the guts to kill an innocent person in the process to kill their enemies?

Itachi caught the sign Naruto sent at him. Naruto had shaken his hand back and forth quickly, signaling to his brother to go along with the plan. Itachi glanced at Zabuza, knowing that he had caught the sign as well. "Well, Zabuza-san, we should get back..."

Zabuza needed no prompting. He knew whenever Naruto says something like that, he was gonna do something serious; these ninjas are gonna die – no doubt.

Naruto smirked. These guys won't outlive this mission. He closed his eyes and concentrated. They were in Waves, a land with unlimited amount of water; Isonade's powers will come in handy…

Shadarsu jumped back, his eyes widened in shock and horror. What the fu-?

Itachi retreated farther back. "Looks like we're about to meet another Bijuu outside of Kyuubi-chan…"

Naruto continued concentrating. One tail…A green tail made of Isonade's chakra flowed behind Naruto; green chakra formed a demon cape around Naruto in the shape of a turtle. Two tails…Another tail appeared. Three tails…Naruto opened his eyes, which were no longer a light shade of blue but a dark shade of green. "You're gonna die," Naruto announced, his voice slightly altered.

……

Sasuke pulled Sakura's body onto the shore, panting from the effort. He laid her on the sand and whispered, "Sakura?"

Sakura groaned nearly inaudibly.

Sasuke sighed with relief. He bit his lower lip, staring at Sakura's still bleeding wound. If he doesn't stop the flow, she's gonna die from blood loss. He was no doctor, but he had seen Naruto channel chakra into his grandfather's wound before to quicken the healing. Sasuke wasn't sure if he could do it though. Naruto had said if he channeled the chakra into the person the wrong way, he could end up killing the person instead. Then again…she'll die if I don't do it, so might as well take the chances. Sasuke placed his hand over Sakura's wound at the shoulder and channeled his chakra through, careful to channel a bit at a time. It seems to be working.

Suddenly, a noise turned his focus. He looked backwards, pulling his hand away, and gasped. The water in the ocean was turning greenish, as if infused with chakra. The ocean was also unstable, dangerous currents swirling against each other. What is going on?

……

Shadarsu gulped and stepped back, away from Naruto. Ranonue was right. They really had been underestimating the kids – that was an understatement too.

Naruto smirked. "Ready yourself. The bully is about to be the bullied." He lifted his arms and the water in the ocean rose into the air. He charged at Shadarsu at superhuman speed with the water rushing behind him. As he expected, Haku appeared in front of her master to take the damage. Naruto rammed right into her stomach, knocking all the wind out of her. The water swirled around her, nearly drowning her. After the water subsided, Haku was unconscious on the bridge floor.

Ranonue whispered to Shadarsu, "Well, you better get that brain of yours working to think up of a plan. This guy ain't afraid to kill her."

Shadarsu's brain was racing. So they weren't up against a normal kid…they were up against a Jinchuuriki – a Jinchuuriki who knows how to completely master the Bijuu's powers.

Naruto turned to him with a manic expression on his face. He rushed at Shadarsu, his tails flowing behind him. Again, Haku, even though she was unconscious, intervened.

Shadarsu was desperate. "Stop!"

Naruto stopped; his fist was two inches from Haku's face. "What? Any last words?"

Shadarsu knew very well that Naruto still cared for his slave's well-being. The only reason that he could possibly have for killing her was to end her misery since she was still owned, and in the process could still be tortured, by Shadarsu himself. So, if he was going to survive this battle, he was going to have to make sacrifices. "I'll make a deal with you."

"What's the deal?" Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"The deal will be fair. We both gain something, and we both lose something. You said you wouldn't agree to our last deal because she could still be tortured by me later on, after our battle, and that you weren't gonna sacrifice all your lives just for her. Well then, I'll make this fairer to you. I'll transfer my ownership of Haku to you, but you'll have to leave this country and never come back, abandoning your mission right now."

Naruto was grinning inside. His plan worked. He had driven them to desperation. His tails disappeared and he appeared to be thinking for a minute.

Itachi ran over to him and whispered into his ear. "Naruto, if you agree to this, Waves will be the price of this deal. Tazuna's the only bridge builder who's still courageous enough to continue this work. If we leave, he won't have enough time to find another team to protect him before these guys kill him, stifling the only chance of saving this country."

"Nissan, she lived a terrible life. I'm not gonna give up the only chance of saving her," Naruto replied resolutely. "However," he looked up at Shadarsu, "I do want to know how you know that we would keep our end of the bargain."

"Easy, your code of honor," Shadarsu shrugged.

"Naruto, don't do this," Itachi pleaded.

"I agree to the deal," Naruto announced to Shadarsu.

"Good." Shadarsu smirked and took out some papers. "Here are her papers. You have to sign to our deal first though." He wrote down the terms of the deal they had just agreed to and set the paper in front of Naruto after signing his own name. He also gave Naruto Haku's slave contract after he signed the first contract. "The moment you sign Haku's contract, the collar will recognize you as her new master."

Naruto nodded and signed both papers, starting with the paper that had the terms of their deal on it. Then he signed Haku's slave contract; the moment he finished writing, he could see Haku's collar glow, signaling that the collar indeed had recognized him as her new master. He wasn't really expecting it to be a trick though. Shadarsu had been desperate; he wouldn't want to trick Naruto.

Behind him, Zabuza chuckled at Itachi's distress.

Itachi looked up at him. "What's so funny? We just gave up a mission to save Waves!"

Zabuza grinned under his mask. "Clever, isn't he? This was his plan all along. Knowing that the transfer of slaves require signed contracts, he drew a conclusion that Shadarsu would also make a contract to seal their deal; Shadarsu believed in signing contracts to seal deals. Well, haven't you noticed? That brat switched hands."

So Naruto had switched hands when he switched contracts, using his left hand to seal their deal while using his right hand to seal Haku's contract.

Shadarsu straighten up. "Well then, I guess we should finish our work, eh, Kuro, Ranonue?" He turned to Tazuna, who had turned pale over the course of the signing. "Well?" He looked back at where Ranonue and Kuroshinaru were supposed to be…alive. He gaped, horrified. Itachi and Zabuza had made short work of them. "You-you signed…"

Naruto smirked. "Let me just tell you something. When someone signs a contract with his or her left hand, he or she hasn't really agreed to it, so the contract would not have come into effect. Both parties didn't agree to it." In one swift movement, he killed Shadarsu with his katana. As Shadarsu breathed his last breath, Naruto said emotionlessly and coldly, "I told you that you wouldn't survive this battle – both the battles of wit and physics."

Part VI: Ice Queen

Sasuke grunted as he pulled Sakura onto his shoulder and carried her towards the bridge. Sakura's breathing was now more even, and her face had some more color to it. Sasuke looked back at the water in the ocean. It was now back to its normal color and was swishing gently and peacefully. I wonder what happened.

He half-dragged, half-carried Sakura over to the bridge. He was expecting everyone to still be fighting, so what a surprise he found when everyone was waiting for him with Tazuna continuing to build the bridge, looking assured that he won't be attacked! "What's going on?"

Naruto looked up, his eyes filled with pure joy. "Sasuke! Sakura!" He ran towards them, giving them a huge hug.

Sakura smiled weakly. "Nice to see you, too, Naruto. Sasuke just saved my life!"

"Just as you did mine." Sasuke's voice was soft.

Naruto grinned and stepped back. He wanted to see what happens.

Sakura looked up at Sasuke in the eyes. For a moment, it seems as if something clicked between them. Suddenly, Sakura made the first move. She leaned closer to Sasuke. Their lips were about to touch when Sasuke asked, "Sakura, what are you doing?"

Everyone groaned. Sakura flushed and shook her head. "Nothing. Just…stretching my lips…"

Sasuke gave her a look before shrugging it off.

Naruto was quite disappointed; he was expecting Sasuke to kiss her back. Oh well, he had known Sasuke had a soft spot for Sakura out of all the girls, but he never really expected him to fall in love so easily. "So…Sasuke and Sakura sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes an Uchiha in a baby carriage!" he sang, just for the purpose of annoying Sasuke.

Sasuke growled. "Shut up, Naruto."

Naruto grinned. "You're not together, but I bet you're thinking about it!"

Sasuke huffed and helped Sakura into a sitting position. "So, what did we miss?"

"A lot." Naruto started to recount everything that happened including his "amazing, clever plan."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That wasn't really your plan though, isn't it? It was the Bijuus'."

"Uh-uh, I actually thought of it. Kaku-san just gave me a 'hint' and some information of course," Naruto said, winking. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Haku sitting up, finally conscious. "Speaking of which, looks like Haku's awake."

They all turned their attention to Haku, who was still pale from nearly drowning. After a moment, she seemed to realize that she had new masters (the collar lets her know), and she quickly stood up, bowing to them, obviously awaiting orders or something of the same nature.

Naruto sighed. He had wanted to take her in so that she could be free, not so that she would be their slave instead! "Listen…" He reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

However, Haku flinched and involuntarily stepped back.

Naruto, confused, asked Itachi, "Why did she do that?"

"Isn't it obvious, Otouto? She thought you were gonna hit her," Itachi replied, his voice strained.

Naruto widened his eyes. Hit her? He gritted his teeth. What have they DONE to her? He glanced at her shoulder and remembered her dislocated one. Of course…He came over to her and said, "Listen, I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?"

Haku stepped farther back, obviously not trusting him one bit.

Naruto stopped advancing, whispering, "Please…just trust me on this, okay? I promise I won't hurt you."

Empty promises, Haku thought. However, she knew he could control her now, so she might as well comply without him using the collar on her. She walked slowly forward towards Naruto.

Naruto could recognize the signs immediately that she was coming to him out of fear, not trust. He couldn't expect more though; how could he expect her to trust him, who was nearly a complete stranger? He will have to start from there though, not using the collar. He gently pulled down her top to her dislocated shoulder. He began healing it.

Haku stared blankly at his glowing hand on her shoulder. Why was he healing her? It only takes up his energy…unless he was doing this so that he could torture her later on. When he was done, she moved her shoulder stiffly. It was as good as new. So he kept his promise…for now. He might only be doing this to get her trust and then later on, hurt her worse.

Naruto grinned. "See, I told you I wouldn't hurt you. Maybe we can find a way to get that collar off of you too."

Haku, horrified, staggered backwards. She signed so quickly, Naruto could hardly understand what she was trying to say. 'Please, don't hurt me! I'm begging you!'

It took Naruto a while to understand what she was talking about. 'No, no, no, no! We're gonna find a way to set you free. We're not just gonna rip the collar off!'

Haku seemed to relax after this though she still doesn't trust him. Why does he want to set her free anyways? Maybe he wants her to be in debt to him or something.

Then they all heard yelling and screaming. At first, it was small and quiet. As it came closer to the bridge, the noise became louder. When "it" came into view, they can see a huge mob made up of the villagers, and in front of the crowd was a short man – Gato.

Inari came to the front and yelled to the ninjas and his grandfather, "Guess what? We captured Gato! The gangsters guarding him gave up after they saw how many people are with me!"

Naruto gaped, surprised but proud at the same time. "Good for you!"

"So what do you want us to do with him?"

Zabuza clenched and unclenched his fists, flexing them. "I say we cut him into thirds and decapitate him!"

Everyone stared at him. Naruto laughed nervously. "Uh, I got a better idea…"

……

Sasuke sighed contentedly. "I have to say, Naruto; your creativity surprises even me sometimes."

Itachi put an arm around Naruto's shoulders and nodded in agreement. "So true. Who would've thought to tie him up and set him on a raft, stranded in the middle of the ocean – inside a sushi costume and covered in real soy sauce? Also, the villagers are throwing rotten fruit at him. This is the best entertainment in this village for years."

"Oh, come on! It wasn't that funny!"

Itachi shrugged. "No, but that is." He pointed to Zabuza a distance off.

Even Naruto couldn't hold in his laughter. Zabuza was surrounded by villagers, who were treating him like a hero. He was obviously trying to escape. "How did you guys manage to escape?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It had all begun with bananas…"

……

Naruto sighed, pulling Haku's shirt farther down. It had taken him forever to get her to trust him enough for him to heal her wounds. He could feel her trembling as he slipped her whole top off. "Can you calm down, please?" he asked, careful not to make it a command. The last thing he wanted to do was activate the collar and make her more conscious of her status.

Haku jumped as Naruto touched her back.

Exasperated, Naruto pulled her down. "I'm just trying to heal you, okay? I can't if you keep jumping every time I touch you!"

Haku felt her heart melt again. Oh, how was he able to do that? How could he melt her heart so and get her to want to trust him so much? He was pulling her into a trap, and she couldn't resist it much longer. Trust would only lead to pain later on.

Naruto grimaced at the scars still present from the whippings she endured from her previous masters. He couldn't get how people can be so cruel. The silence was making him uneasy, so he asked, "How old are you anyways?"

'Fifteen.'

So she was two or three years older than him, surprisingly; he had thought she was only thirteen. Now, to solve a few pieces of the puzzle, he asked, though he knew it was impolite to ask such things, "How were you mute? I know I'm acting nosy, but I'm just trying to know more about you. Were you borne mute or do you just don't talk and eventually you forgot how to talk at all?"

Haku hesitated. Then she signed, 'It's because of the collar. Long time ago, I could talk, but then, when I was captured by slave drivers, it all changed. The artists who made these kinds of collars designed them so that they could control the slaves. The collars were designed to make them in one or more ways, inferior to their masters, so each and every one of them contain a curse, handicapping the wearer – muteness, blindness, etc. I eventually got used to my handicap, but it's still there. The only way for me to be able to talk again is if this collar is removed from me. Then again, I haven't spoken for so long, I probably forgot how to speak anyways.'

Naruto was silent the rest of the healing.

That night…

"Hey, guys, have any of you seen Haku?" Naruto searched worriedly around the house. "It's eleven already, and I can't find her anywhere."

Sakura looked up from her book. "Maybe you should check outside."

Naruto nodded, sighing exasperatedly. He went outside, calling, "Haku?" Where could she have gone? He sniffed the air, trying to pick up her scent, and, finding it, followed it to a small lake behind the house. "Haku? C'mon, I know you're there; you don't have to hide from me."

There was a rustling noise, and Haku came out from behind a rock.

Naruto gave her a look. "It's eleven already; come inside. You're gonna catch a cold if you stay out here." He took her hand and led her back into the house. "What were you doing out there anyways?"

'Looking at the stars. Does it bother you, Master?'

"It does if you stay out there all night," Naruto replied. He led her to their room, which was dark, Sakura finished with her nighttime reading and all. "Anyways, there are only two beds, so you'll have to share with one of us."

'I can always sleep on the floor,' she signed. One thing she was sure of, the floors of this house would be much more comfortable than the floors at her old master's house; at least they don't have broken pieces of marble here and there to stab at her back.

Naruto pretended not to see what she had signed. "Oh well, look at that. Sasuke's already sleeping with Sakura. What a surprise! She sneaks in next to him whenever he falls asleep. Well, Haku, uh…" He lay down in the other bed and patted the spot next to him.

Haku sat down on the bed and took a moment to feel the soft covers. She hadn't slept on a bed for years. Finally she lay down and curled up, staying as far away from Naruto as possible.

Naruto just smiled and pulled the covers over both of them. "Good night…"

Haku curled up tighter. She has to be careful around Naruto; he's getting closer to her heart.

Part VII: Breaking the Ice

Haku opened her eyes. The sun was streaming in through the window. How long have I overslept? She thought, noting the fact that the room was empty of people except for her. She got up and walked to the kitchen.

Sasuke, Itachi, and Sakura were all at the table, finishing up with breakfast. Itachi smiled at Haku as she entered the room. "If you're looking for Naruto, he's out for his morning jog. It's only five in the morning, so you can go back to sleep if you want."

Haku shook her head and went outside, hoping not to encounter Naruto as she enjoys the peaceful morning. She decided to go back to her hiding place yesterday night. Birds were chirping and she smiled. Morning was her favorite time of day. She rounded the corner…then she backtracked. What's he doing here?

Naruto was in the backyard, tapping his toes as if readying himself. He looked around, making sure no one was spying on him. Of course, outside of Haku, no one was about that early in the morning. Naruto sighed, muttering, "I shouldn't be doing this…"

Doing what?

Naruto straighten himself, narrowing his eyes determinedly and looking ahead. Suddenly he shot forward, emitting dirt and dust behind him.

Haku gaped, amazed.

Naruto smirked at nothing in particular – just from running at superhuman speed. He reached the other side of the island in record time and ran straight into the ocean, running so fast he wasn't even sinking. He rounded on the ocean and shot back again. His trail was lit with dirt and dust. He finished ten laps around the island in five minutes. As he ended his rounds, he turned sideways and stopped altogether, sliding to a stop right in the backyard. The dust and dirt settled gradually. Naruto panted slightly, grinning. "That feels so good…" he whispered.

Haku shook herself out of her amazement and stepped backwards slowly, feeling that this wasn't the time to announce her presence. However, her foot stepped on a stick and a small snap sounded through the air.

Naruto snapped his head up, aware that he wasn't the only one there. After he sniffed the air for a few seconds, he called out, "Haku, I told you that you don't have to hide from me."

Haku stepped out from behind the house.

"How much did you see?" Naruto asked, walking towards her.

Haku stepped backwards, away from Naruto, afraid that she might have done something wrong and that she might be in for some punishment. 'I saw you…running.'

Instantly, instinctively, Naruto's brain began racing. His eyes glinted slyly, and he, instead of denying anything or ordering Haku to forget the event or anything of the same manner, said, "Running, hmm?" He paused, looking deep into Haku's eyes. "Can you do me a favor, Haku, by not talking about this to anyone? The only ones who know are my family, the Hokage, and my teachers; they're the only ones who know my full potential. You're the first outside my circle to know this. So, can you keep it a secret?"

'Why won't you just order me to do it? Why don't you want others to know your full potential?' Haku had so many questions. The way her master's mind works confuses her completely.

"I don't want them to treat me different from who I really am; the real me is here, not the guy you just saw running at lightning speeds a few minutes ago. I won't order you because I don't want to activate your collar and treat you as a slave." Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder. "Also…I trust you, and I hope…someday, you'll trust me too."

Haku turned away, signing, 'It's not easy for me to trust.'

Naruto whispered, "I know. Either way, though, I trust you."

Haku clenched her fists. There he goes again. He was melting the ice surrounding her heart. Why does he want to hurt her so?

"Haku?" Naruto peered concernedly at her.

Haku, confused and disoriented, felt anger rising up in her against Naruto. She hadn't felt anger in such a long time that she had forgotten how hard it was to control it…SMACK! She stared in horror at what she just did. Her hand was still poised from slapping Naruto. Haku trembled slightly before she finally broke down, tears running down her face as she turned around and ran.

Naruto's face turned to one of shock. He had never expected that. Haku had never seemed like a person who would get angry. I guess everyone gets angry sometime or later, but I wonder why she did that.

Itachi sighed behind him. "I guess that didn't go so well, did it?"

Naruto shook his head sadly and asked, "Why did she do that, Itachi-nissan? What did I do wrong?"

"Naruto, you must understand that Haku is a broken slave. It's gonna take a lot of patience to fix a broken slave. You have to show her that you're trustworthy…many times; she's not just gonna trust you after a day or two. Sometimes, it might take years to gain her trust completely. You've been a little too hasty; now she's confused, not understanding your actions or your intentions. Go slowly, and be patient."

Naruto nodded. He can't expect this to be easy, can he?

……

Haku buried her face in her hands, expecting any moment for Naruto to order her back and punish her. So this was what he planned? She had gone way past the line when she had slapped her own master. None of her previous masters would ever let her get away with that; she was quite sure Naruto wouldn't either.

Every noise made her jump, fearing that Naruto might be coming to torment her. Her heart was racing, and she felt delirious – like a trapped animal.

"Haku, can you come out? I know you're there," Naruto's voice called out.

Oh no. Haku looked frantically around, searching for where the voice was coming from.

"I'm right here."

She spun around. Naruto was right behind her, smiling. She stepped backwards though she knew quite well that she couldn't escape what he intended for her. Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she ignored them. Might as well get this over with, she thought, defeated. She knelt down and got on her hands and knees; she'd rather not get hurt more than she is going to be already – she learned from experience that if she tries to escape her punishments, she'd get hurt worse, much worse. She waited for the blows, but they never came. Instead, gentle hands pulled her up. What was going on?

"C'mon; I promised I won't hurt you, and I always keep my promises." Naruto hugged her gently, careful not to make any sudden movements. "I know you have the right to never trust again after all you've been through…but if you don't trust, how will you ever know what happens if you did?"

Haku widened her eyes. Such gentle arms…She looked up into his eyes, searching for any deception. However, she found none. His eyes were honest, truthful, and…kind. Could she really learn to trust him? Could she ever learn to trust again? Haku gingerly touched Naruto's cheek – the one which she had slapped, expecting any second that he would hit and beat her. Maybe I could try...after all, he did stick to his promise, at least to this far in time.

Naruto's smile brightened. She trusted him – at least a bit. It was a start. "So…will you give me a chance? Please?"

Haku hesitated, uncertain. She wasn't ready to give him a straight answer yet. How will she answer him? Being mute had dull her skills in expressing her emotions and describing her feelings.

Naruto understood and said softly, slightly sad, "I'll wait for your answer. You don't have to answer today. You can answer anytime you want to."

Why is he being so nice to me? Haku felt crushed. Naruto's voice had sounded so sad.

"C'mon. You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" Naruto pulled her gently back to the house.

When they entered, they found Itachi at the table, writing a report of the mission for the Hokage. He looked up at them and smiled.

The moment their eyes met, Haku knew that he knew about what happened in the backyard. She flushed, but Itachi just went back to writing. Maybe I could learn to trust them…

Zabuza burst into the room, followed by Sasuke and Sakura, who were chasing him and yelling, "C'mon, you promised you wouldn't be Mr. Grumpy Pants!" Zabuza yelled back, "I promised that; I didn't promise that I'd play hangman and dollies with you two! Oh, for crying out loud!"

Haku stared. She had no idea what was going on. Aren't shinobis supposed to be composed and calm and command respect? But here, two teenagers were annoying an older shinobi and no one was even gonna stop them. In fact, Itachi and Naruto were laughing along with Sasuke and Sakura, who finally managed to jump Zabuza. These ninjas are strange.

That night, Haku turned around to face Naruto instead of facing the other way. She knew she should give him a chance; he had trusted her in so many ways. However, caution was holding her back. He was still her master, and she was still his slave.

Naruto stared at her in the darkness. "You know, you're gonna fall off the edge if you keep sleeping that far out."

Haku knew it was the truth. She was on her side and was so close to the edge, it was nearly certain that she'd fall off in the middle of the night. But the bed was small (for two people), and if she comes closer to the inside, she'd be way too close to Naruto for comfort.

Naruto sighed and got up. "You can have the bed then," he whispered as to not wake up Sasuke and Sakura.

Haku blinked, curious. Where was Naruto going?

Naruto shook his head, seeing Haku's expression. "Don't worry; just have a good sleep." He pulled the blanket over Haku and left the room.

Haku again felt something stir up inside her. Guilt? Sadness? She doesn't know. Eventually though, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

……

Haku woke up and tiptoed out of their room. Surprisingly, today, Sasuke and Sakura were still asleep. She came out into the living room on her way to the kitchen, and she widened her eyes at the sight that greeted her in the living room. On the sofa was Naruto, sound asleep. What's he doing here? It didn't take her long to connect the meaning of yesterday night and that day. Naruto was afraid that she would fall off so, knowing that she can't bring herself to come closer inside with him still on it, he got off and went to sleep outside on the sofa instead. Haku felt another guilt pang coming in, but she shook it off and went over to Naruto, shaking him awake.

Naruto groaned and turned over, muttering, "Sasuke, leave me alone…"

Haku persisted, shaking him slightly harder. She was less fearful of him now, nearly convinced completely that he wasn't gonna hurt her. She has to know the truth though; she doesn't want to continue her life hating and distancing herself from Naruto if it wasn't necessary.

Naruto finally opened his eyes sleepily and mumbled, "What is it, Haku?"

Haku signed, 'Can I talk to you, Master?'

Naruto blinked groggily. His brain was slow and it took him a while to understand her signs. "Uh…sure…" He was slightly nervous; what's so important that she has to talk to him immediately about? He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, what do you need to talk to me about?"

'Can I trust you?'

Okay, then…Naruto hesitated. It was an awkward question, and it was more awkward still to answer it. "It depends on you really…uh…" He paused. "Do you think I'm trustworthy?"

'I don't know. That's why I'm looking to you for an answer.'

"Sorry, Haku, but I can't just tell you to trust me. What's the point of that? You have to decide for yourself if we are trustworthy. I can only tell you what you need to hear, but you have to decide if my words are to be trusted or not. If I order you to trust me, am I being trustworthy?" Naruto asked, smiling.

Haku turned away. Why couldn't he just give her a straight answer? 'I don't know.' When she turned to meet his eyes however, she suddenly felt a surge of determination, of something, she couldn't quite describe or recognize it. It did give her enough courage to say to Naruto this though, 'Maybe I could learn to trust you – one day.'

Naruto widened his eyes, surprised. Did Haku just say what he thought she said? Then he grinned. "Then I'll make sure you won't be disappointed."

Suddenly Sasuke came stomping into the room, disrupting their intimate conversation. "Argh! Sakura slept next to me, AGAIN!!" He noticed Naruto on the couch, and then, forgetting about Sakura for a moment, smirked, asking, "You slept on the couch last night, Nissan? You know, the floor is softer than that couch!" He laughed and said under his breath, "Dobe."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Sasuke. Why do you always have to enter at the wrong moment?"

A week later at night (before their return to Konoha)…

Naruto was lying on his stomach, reading a scroll filled with proverbs and sayings. He was just reading because there wasn't anything else to do. He felt Haku's eyes on him and looked up.

Haku was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring at the scroll and him curiously.

Naruto widened his eyes. "Can you read?"

Haku shook her head sadly. 'I was a slave for most of my life.'

Naruto grinned. "Well, then your lessons start now." He pulled her next to him and began teaching her the words. Hmm, will rules over destiny and fate…a king is a servant to those under his rule…nothing can be divided against itself and still survive…wait. Naruto stared at the saying. "Nothing can be divided against itself and still survive…" he muttered. An idea popped up inside his mind. He wasn't sure if it will work but he was willing to try. "Haku, I'm gonna try something on your collar, okay?"

Haku, suddenly fearful, gulped but nodded.

"The collar's purpose is to make you follow my every command and please me outside of muting you and making you a slave, right?" Naruto asked.

Haku nodded, not understanding what he was getting at. However, she decided right there and then that she was going to trust him on this and then see if he was going to break her trust. He was right when he said that if she doesn't trust, she won't be able to know what happens if she does. Well then, she was going to give him just this chance.

"Well then…" He looked at the collar around her neck and said out loud, determinedly, "I want you to be able to talk."

Suddenly there was a loud snap coming from the collar, and a crack ran down its front. Naruto, encouraged, said, "I want you to be free." Another loud snap sounded, and another crack ran down its back piece. "I want you to have free will to defy me." With a loud snap, the collar came off Haku's neck and, with a loud bang, it dropped to the floor.

The door burst open and Itachi, Sasuke, and Sakura came in. "What's going on? Did you break something? We heard noises…" Itachi stopped, staring at the broken collar on the floor. "How did you…?"

Naruto grinned. "Nothing can be divided against itself and still survive. The collar can't 'survive' if its purposes oppose each other. I guess that makes me the first person to ever find a way to take the collar off, huh?" He turned to Haku, "I told you that I'd find a way to get rid of it." He picked up the broken pieces of the collar and threw them away into a garbage can inside their room.

Haku felt her neck, marveling at her freedom. She looked up at Naruto, her eyes showing her gratefulness and her amazement at his discovery.

Everyone was focused on her as if waiting for something. "Well? Can you talk?" All of them were anticipated, wondering what Haku's voice would sound like.

Haku took a deep breath. For a moment, it was as if she really had forgotten how to speak. But then she emitted a small, soft whisper, "Thank you." Her voice sounded like a miracle on her ears; she had never heard her own voice for such a long time!

There was a loud cheer, and Naruto jumped up and down, yelling, "Naruto Uzumaki did it again!"

Haku cocked her head, confused. Why were they so happy? Are they really that happy over someone like her?

Sasuke smirked. "Soft voice."

Naruto finally stopped jumping and asked Haku, "Hey, why aren't you happy? You're free now, aren't you?"

Haku widened her eyes, surprised. Someone was actually caring about her happiness? Do they actually care about her? At that moment, the ice surrounding her heart was broken. Naruto hadn't broken her trust; they really were trustworthy, and they do care about her. "So…you actually, really care about me?" she asked, softly and so quietly that it was only because of their tuned ninja hearing that they could even make out her words.

"Of course we care about you! It's kinda stupid of us if we went through all that trouble to rescue and save you and then just forget that you're there!" Sakura cried out.

"Gotta agree with Sakura," Itachi replied, smiling.

"Yep! So true!" Naruto nodded in agreement enthusiastically.

"Have to agree with the fangirl," Sasuke said.

Haku stared, still wide-eyed.

"Haku?" They all asked at the same time.

Haku shook her head, tears falling down her face as she finally understood their intentions. "Thank you," she said again. Then she lunged herself at Naruto, hugging him and sobbing onto his jacket. "Domo arigato, domo arigato…"

Naruto sighed contentedly, reminded of Sasuke seven years ago.

"Living in my own world
Didn't understand
That anything can happen
When you take a chance
I never believed in
What I couldn't see
I never opened my heart
To all the possibilities
I know that something has changed
Never felt this way
And right here tonight

This could be the start
Of something new
It feels so right
To be here with you ..oh
And now ... looking in your eyes
I feel in my heart
The start of something new

Now who'd of ever thought that
We'd both be here tonight
And the world looks so much brighter
With you by my side
I know that something has changed
Never felt this way
I know it for real

This could be the start
Of something new
It feels so right
To be here with you
And now looking in your eyes
I feel in my heart
The start of something new

I never knew that it could happen
Till it happened to me
I didn't know it before
But now it's easy to see

It's a start
Of something new
It feels so right
To be here with you
And now looking in your eyes
I feel in my heart

That it's the start
Of something new
It feels so right
To be here with you
And now looking in your eyes
I feel in my heart
The start of something new
Start of something new."

High School Musical Song