Time for the standard decontamination… er… disclaimer. I do not own anything, especially Naruto or the talents of Will Smith, Kris Kristofferson, or Jeff Goldblum.

I finally got a review from someone I missed for a while. HNN, don't be a stranger to the reviews.


Tazuna's House

His head was swimming as he was trying to wake up. It was pounding enough to convince him to keep his eyes shut.

'What happened? I haven't had a headache like this since the time I tried to out drink Tsunade-sama on the way back from a mission.'

Slowly trying to stretch his perceptions, he heard a few hushed voices nearby.

"What are you waiting for? Take it off." A brash female voice said impatiently.

"I'm getting to it. Geez, calm down will ya?" stated an annoyed young voice.

"What's a matter, Naruto? Scared??" Asked a calm teasing voice that he easily recognized.

'Sasuke?? What is going on??'

"I'm not scared. I'm going to do it." Replied the annoyed voice.

'That has to be Naruto. What are they doing??'

"What is the big deal? It's just a mask." Stated a bored older voice.

'Mask… Mask… MASK?!?!?' thought Kakashi as he was worked into a panic. Ignoring the pain in his head, he bolted upright from the bed arranged for him in the main sparse living room; barely missing the two young Genins that were hovering hear his face.

"GAAAHH!!" The two shouted shocked from their sensei's sudden movement.

The quick movement intensified the splitting headache Kakashi had. By reflex, he brought his hand to his only visible eye, as if hiding from the light in the room would free him from the pain. "What… what happened??"

"These three felt the need to check your injuries by removing your mask." Informed Chronos smirking at the sudden frantic movements from the three young ninjas.

"I didn't care about that." He groaned. "What happened with Zabuza? Why was I knocked out?"

"For the answer to your second question, the chain was soaked in a neurotoxin. It cut slightly into your outfit and soaked it. It was absorbed through your skin and with a little exertion, it took effect."

"I guess that's why I have the pounding headache." Kakashi replied. "How long was I out?"

"They brought you here yesterday." Spoke a sweet female voice. Turning to the door, Kakashi spotted a young brunette wearing a white long sleeve blouse and fitted blue skirt that stopped just below the knee. "I brought that herbal medicine you asked for." She stated handing a glass with a small amount of a steaming yellow liquid to Chronos.

"Thanks Tsunami." He said as took the liquid and set it to the side while he fished out a small white paper packet from his first aid kit. Tearing open the packet, two small white pills dropped into his hand. He gave the pills and glass to Kakashi. "Swallow and drink. After that, relax for a while and drink a bit of water. If everything goes well, you should be fine tomorrow."

Taking the pills and glass intrepidly, he glanced up to see Chronos and Tsunami giving a reassuring smile. He swallowed the pills and liquid down quickly, which he could feel sliding down to his stomach.

"How did you know about the neurotoxin?" Kakashi asked curiously while trying to stomach the bitter taste of the herbal drink.

"Part of our Marine training covered NBC, or Nuclear Biological and Chemical warfare. Every year as part of our marksmanship training was also trips through the gas chamber and training in the use of our NAC kits as well as identifying nerve and blood agents." The Marine ninja replied monotonously as if giving a report. "It just became second nature to me from the number of times they forced me to sit in that boring training."

The group of ninja and civilians present gave a very similar response to his statement. Chronos was about to make a joke regarding their lack of knowledge, but stopped when he realized he had the same look when Kakashi summoned his nin-dogs for the first time.

Taking a breath, said summoner was the first to break the silence. "Since everyone is still alive, I assume you handled Zabuza??"

Over the next few minutes, the elder Uzumaki tried to recount the battle after the Copy-Nin passed out. Unfortunately, Naruto decided that his otousan's recounting of the event left much to be desired. It took fifteen minutes and a female Genin's hand covering said blonde's mouth to get the story out.

The silver-haired Jounin and leader of Team Seven sat back and soaked the information in. 'So Zabuza is dead and the body was disposed of by a Mist Hunter-Nin. I guess that should be enough then. I doubt Gato would have hired anyone tougher than him so by the time he managed to hire more, the job should be done.'

In a flash of insight, a troubling thought erupted from his mind. 'Wait… Chronos said that Zabuza was taken down by a pair of senbon to the neck and was carried off by that Hunter-nin. Hunter-nin never act like that.' Kakashi groaned and shook his head when the thought fully sunk in.

"What is it Kakashi-sensei? Is your head bothering you?" Sakura asked full of concern for her sensei.

"That isn't it at all, but I appreciate the concern. I feel something is not right here. Chronos, you said that the hunter-nin took the body right?" The questioned ninja nodded. "That isn't like typical hunter-nin procedures. Usually they dispose of the body immediately, sometimes even removing the head for proof of the kill. Then there is the question of the weapon that was used."

"But what is so special about senbon needles, sensei?" Naruto asked.

As Kakashi was going to reply, Sasuke had his own flash of intelligence and answered for his sensei. "Needles are not killing weapons, Naruto."

"Correct, Sasuke. Those needles are very similar to the ones used in acupuncture. You might possibly kill but you would have to be highly accurate and aim for a specific vital point. If it was the jugular vein, maybe Zabuza would die slowly from blood loss, but not just hitting the muscle." The silver-haired Jounin replied.

Sakura gasped and put two and two together, finally coming up with four. "Are you saying that… Zabuza is alive??"

He grimly nodded. "Yes and not only is he alive, but that hunter-nin is most likely an accomplice."

The revelation seemed to affect the gathered group of individuals differently. For Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna, they were shocked beyond anything that they previously known. To Chronos and Sasuke, it was just another challenge in their path. For some reason, Tsunami was rather calm about everything.

"What is the plan, Kakashi-taicho?" Chronos asked awaiting his orders. He may be a clan head, but in terms of battlefield experience, Kakashi was the superior intellect here.

"We train." He replied with the blankest of looks which left Sakura sputtering.

"B-b-but sensei, we were only just able to stop Zabuza last time and this time he won't be alone. In response, all you can say is 'we train'??"

"Hai. It's not that hard Sakura. I was not in the fight last time and I doubt that hunter-nin is as strong as I am." The Jounin said with an eye-smile. "Also, anyone put into a state simulating death like Zabuza was would probably not be around and about in anything less than a week. There is plenty of time to train."

"What are you bothering to train for?" spoke a young brash voice. The group looked to see a dark-haired young boy, no older than five, wearing a fishing hat, overalls, and a white long-sleeve shirt.

"Inari that is no way to talk to our guests." Tsunami corrected the young boy. He just shrugged as he kicked off his shoes and stepped onto the raised floor.

"Ojiisan, who are these people??" Inari said walking over to give his grandfather a hug.

"These are the brave ninja that came with me to guard us while I build the bridge." Tazuna replied.

"Why did you bother?? They are going to die anyways." He said in a mocking tone.

Sakura and Sasuke had to hold back Naruto from trying to beat up the kid. "What did you say, brat!?" He demanded. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the awesome ninja who will be the next Hokage."

Inari just shook his head and walked to the door leading upstairs. "Yeah right, you will be dead just like the rest. Kaasan, I am going upstairs to look at the ocean." He said as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Chronos was the one who broke out of the silence that followed from his departure. "What happened to him?"

Tsunami just sighed as she looked at the door her son just went out of.. "Things… have been hard on him since Gatou arrived here."

Most could recognize that there was some hidden meaning to her words and even noticed that both Tazuna and Tsunami hung their heads, so no one said anything further. Naruto was the only exception as he broke free of his teammates' grasp and stalked out of the room through the door Inari left from.

'I am going to give that brat a piece of my mind. We're ninja from Konoha. No way would we die that quickly.' Naruto railed on in his mind. As he crossed the simple kitchen and dining room and up the stairs, he thought of all the ways he would correct the boy. When he approached one of the rooms upstairs, he started to hear crying. Pressing an ear to the door, he distinctly heard the boy crying. With a sigh, Naruto turned and trudged back down to where his team was.

\\\\\

Chronos led the rest of the team alongside Tazuna while Kakashi rested back at the house. After a good two to three hundred meters, they approached a small grove of trees near a small stretch of shoreline. Looking around and nodding, he had the group stop.

"Alright, this is where we will start training. I will be working with you today and then when Kakashi-taicho is up and running, he will take over." He announced.

Naruto started getting giddy at the thought. "What are we going to learn?? New jutsus??"

Chronos turned an irritated eye toward his youshi. "I am not sure yet, but if you don't stay quiet, you'll be running up trees the whole time." Naruto quieted down at that but Sakura raised her hand.

"Chronos-san, what do you mean by run up trees??" She asked bewildered at the statement.

"Just what it sounds like. Sasuke, if you don't mind giving a demonstration??"

Sasuke nodded and took off on a slow jog over to the nearest tree. Without missing a step, he placed his lead foot on the base of the tree and started jogging up the tree. Sakura's jaw dropped to the ground at the display while Tazuna gave a small toast and sipped his sake. Those two continued to be amazed as the Uchiha genius made his way to the top of the tree and then calmly jogged back down to a thick branch, taking a seat. When he took a seat, Sakura and Tazuna clapped at his display. Sasuke smirked a little and then gave a slight bow.

"That was great Sasuke-kun. You really are the best." Sakura shouted up to her crush, which in turn got Naruto's blood boiling.

At her words, Naruto took off at the same jogging pace and ran up the same tree. Instead of going in a straight line, he took a spiraling course around the trunk of the tree to the top. At the top, he looked down and barely saw the surprised look on Sakura's face. With that, he decided to top it off. Looking down to where Sasuke was sitting, he saw two sturdy branches. Deciding on a proper course, he leapt off the top of the tree, grabbing the first branch to swing to the second. Once at that branch, he hopped down to land in a crouch next to Sasuke. With that display, Tazuna gave another toast while Sakura was speechless.

Chronos just shook his head and tapped Sakura on the shoulder. "You ready to try that?"

Sakura just nodded in awe of her teammates. In her mind, she felt herself falling further and further behind. The elder Uzumaki saw the look and broke her out of the trance she was in. "It isn't too hard with a little bit of practice. All you have to do is place a bit of chakra on your feet and use it to stick to the bark. Make sure you get the right amount. Use a kunai to mark your progress."

The young kunoichi nodded and took a couple calming breaths, then walked over to the tree. She placed a foot tentatively on the tree, repeatedly touching the trunk until she gave a satisfying nod. After that, she walked back a few meters and proceeded to run up the side of the tree.

Both of the young male Genins were surprised to see that Sakura ran up their tree and sat on the same branch next to Sasuke. Naruto then just smiled, bowed like if he was proclaiming his unworthiness, and laughed. Sasuke just smirked and then did something unexpected to all. He gave a slight, ever so slight, nod in approval. For Sakura, that was all she needed to get the cheesiest Naruto imitation grin on her face.

It was all Chronos could do to just chuckle at their antics. As soon as the trio dropped down, he stood in front of Sakura and put up his left hand. Sakura just looked at him in bewilderment.

"Just put your hand up, Sakura."

She complied and immediately Chronos gave her a high-five and a smile. Following another bewildered look, he just shook his head and continued with the lesson plan. "Nice work, Sakura. You did something that usually takes someone either a whole day to a week to master in only a matter of minutes. That is extraordinary chakra control." Said kunoichi beamed with the praise. "However that also means that you might not have much for chakra stores, or at least as Kakashi-taicho told me might be the case."

Sakura had her high hopes dashed until Naruto spoke up. "Don't worry about it, Sakura. All this means is you know what to work on, right??" She looked up to see his face full of confidence that seemed to fill her up as well.

"Naruto is right. Luckily, Kakashi and I have just the thing to help." The Marine shinobi stated before pulling out a set of wraps from his cargo pouch on his trousers. "These are chakra weights. There are seals on these wraps that when you place them on will suck up some of your chakra. This will make you feel heavier and put a slight drain on your chakra stores. Using these along with continuing that tree climbing exercise should build your stores as well as continue to hone your control along with making you physically stronger."

"Ano… These won't turn me into some muscle bound freak, will they?" the young Konoha-nin inquired.

"It shouldn't. After a while, you won't even notice them on. I am sure Sasuke and Naruto don't, right boys??" he asked of his two youshis. Both of them agreed with their Otousan.

"Alright then. I'll just go put these on then." She replied taking them and walking behind a couple of the trees.

"So what am I supposed to do, Otousan?" Sasuke asked patiently waiting for something constructive to do.

"You and Naruto go off to the side and work on the visual acuity and sensory deprivation exercises. Kakashi-taicho said they would help in case Zabuza used his mist jutsu again. After a bit of that, I want you two to add more weight to your wraps and join Sakura with the tree exercise." Chronos said as he found a decent sitting area to observe the three young Genin. As the trio worked on their exercises, everyone seemed to relax, forgetting for a moment on the trouble possibly to come.

\\\\\

Ever since that day, Naruto and subsequently Sasuke would wear themselves down to the bone. Near the end of the week, their constant training to near exhaustion annoyed Inari. On the sixth night, dinner was rather quiet. The young ninjas were worn down from their training, but still talked with each other about the day's events. Kakashi sat to the side reading his book, which he had disguised after Tsunami berated him for reading it in front of her son. Chronos sat to the side waiting for his youshis to finish eating while playing solitaire. Tsunami and Tazuna each were eating while passing the time with small talk.

A few minutes into the meal, Inari came down from his room and sat down quietly to eat. He never looked up or talked with any of the ninja present. In fifteen minutes, he finished his meal, taking his dishes to the sink. Following a quick rinse, he excused himself and walked upstairs. The Konoha ninjas looked at each other curiously as it seemed the boy had something weighing him down.

It wasn't until Sakura finished her meal and placed her dishes in the sink that she noticed the picture on the window sill above the sink. It was of Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari, but there was a fourth person in the picture. That fourth person was not intact as the head was torn from the picture. Her curiosity about the picture led Tsunami to tell of the story of Inari's father. The long story of how he died while trying to stand up to Gatou, which led to not only the depressive attitude of Wave but Inari's heartbreak and pessimistic nature, made most of the ninja hang their heads. Naruto instead went back out to train and exhausted himself so fully and fell asleep outside, not to be found until the next morning.

On that night of their stay, everything came to a head during dinner. Sasuke and Naruto just got back in to the house after another grueling day of training. This day they practiced their taijutsu, including moves picked up from Chronos's style. They had to support each other into the room and both were covered in a thin layer of dirt and multiple bruises and scratches. Chronos saw them walk in and just grumbled, knowing completely what the level of their drive was. Sakura however was not as forgiving.

"Could you two not try to kill each other training?? This is a mission and we have enemies that could come at any time." The pink-haired tart stated annoyed at their antics.

"We're fine Sakura." Sasuke replied in his standard sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, nothing more than a good meal and a bath won't fix." Naruto replied.

Kakashi looked up from his disguised book. "Who won today??"

"I did, naturally." Sasuke replied smirking with an air of confidence.

"You were lucky. I was up two rounds to one until you won the last two. I had you." Naruto retorted with a growl.

"Like it matters anyways!" Inari interrupted from the foot of the stairs. "You are going to end up dead anyways!"

"Whatever brat. I am not like you." Naruto grumbled slowly losing his patience with the kid.

"Who would want to be like you anyways? Coming in here all cheerful and confident. You have no idea what it is like. Everything is all smiles with you. You have no idea what pain or hardship is!!" the young boy angrily replied.

The room dropped a few degrees. The rest of the Konoha ninjas looked over to Naruto who calmly brought Sasuke to a chair. Turning to Inari, he tried to bore holes through him with his glare. "I have no idea. I have no idea, ne? Listen up you brat. Between my nisan and me, pain and misery knows us by name and blood type. What pain do you know? Your tousan dying for what he believed in? I'm sorry if I am not shedding tears over that. You should be proud of him. He was willing to fight and die for you and your village's well-being. He is a hero."

With that sentence, Naruto walked up to Inari and grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him to eye level. "Sasuke lost his whole family to a madman's need! I never even knew mine! If my adoptive Otousan here didn't come along a few months ago, I'd still be alone. You at least still have your kaasan and your ojiisan. All I ever seen you do around here is mope and cry all the time. Pathetic! Every day, your whining dishonors your tousan and brings misery to the family you still have!!"

As the tears started to flow down Inari's face, he is dropped to the floor by Naruto. "Pain will always be there. Bad things will always happen in life. I still have masses of people where I live that prefer to see me dead, but you don't see me crying about it. I choose to stand up and fight on. I choose to live. Until you do the same, you're as dead as your tousan is. So stop crying, you sissy!" At the last of his words left his mouth, the blonde turned on his heel and marched out of the room heading for the night air.

Tsunami started to walk toward her son to console him, but he ran upstairs before she could get to him. Tazuna just hung his head going over everything that was said. Chronos was about to head out and chase after his youshi, but Kakashi stopped him shaking his head.

Sakura was the first to speak in a shaky voice. "Was everything that he said true?" The cyclopean Jounin only nodded before he headed upstairs to console Inari.


Uncompleted Bridge

The next morning everyone was up early to head back to the bridge. All except for one blonde Genin that wore himself out. Tazuna along with the rest of the Konoha ninjas headed off to allow Tazuna time to work on the bridge while leaving Naruto behind. Kakashi and Chronos left specific instruction with Tsunami to let the boy rest.

As the group approached the unfinished span, they came upon a gruesome sight. The span was littered with broken bodies and pools of blood. All of the workers were maimed, most with large slashes on their bodies but none of them were dead.

"Dear Kami, they're all hurt badly. Who could have done this??" Tazuna wondered shockingly as he observed all of the workers he had. As the words were spoken, a mist started to rise around them, obscuring their vision to a small degree.

"It looks like they are back." Kakashi warned. "Get ready."

The Konoha ninja sprung into a defensive posture, circling their client and brandishing kunai or throwing knives in Chronos's case.

"Ahhh. It seems Kakashi is up and about. Your toxin didn't do the job." A gritty voice echoed through the mist.

"Only a minor setback, Zabuza-sama." Came from the mirrored comments of two more voices as the silhouettes of four bodies appeared.

In an instant a group of six Zabuza clones appeared circling the group and the mist shifted showing the confident forms of the real Zabuza, the hunter-nin, as well as the Demon Brothers.

"Nice to see you again. Sorry about the mess but it is just part of the job. Why don't you hand over Tazuna and let us go about our separate ways, Kakashi?" The former Swordsman of the Mist tauntingly offered. "You are missing one brat and it seems one of the others is shaking in his sandals afraid."

Sasuke just smirked and looked up ever so slightly. "I'm shaking… in excitement."

Kakashi nodded confidently. "Take them, Sasuke." He ordered quietly.

In a flash of speed, Sasuke dashed through the clones dispersing them all into mere puddles of water before settling back in his original position.

"Well well. It seems that you might have a rival in speed, Haku." Zabuza commented in a bored tone.

"I agree and even if those clones were only a tenth of the strength compared to the original, it was impressive." The masked ninja replied.

"Why don't you take on that brat, Haku. I can deal with Kakashi." The tall lean missing-nin stated turning to the two outfitted with their gauntlets. "You two can deal with the other guy. Leave the girl for last."

With a nod, the trio took off toward their targets. Sasuke rushed forward to take on the masked ninja, parrying kunai thrusts from his opponent. Chronos formed a Kage Bunshin and launched throwing knives toward the two oncoming Demon brothers, which they easily blocked with their gauntlets.

Sakura was about to rush toward Sasuke to double team his opponent, when Kakashi held out his hand. "Stay with Tazuna. Protect him at all costs." He ordered as he raised his own kunai.

"Going to the old standby, eh Kakashi??" Zabuza chuckled. "Even your eye won't help you this time." He mocked as he rushed forward engaging the Jounin with his zanpato.


Tazuna's house

To Tsunami, this day seemed more peaceful than most. Naruto was still in blissful slumber upstairs while she finished drying the dished everyone used during breakfast. Unfortunately, with a breaking lock on a door, the day spiraled downward.

She turned to the sound to see two large men. The one on the left was wielding a broad sword and dressed in baggy clothing and cloth hat almost covering his eyes. The other held a katana and had braided hair along with an eye patch.

Inari rushed downstairs from the initial sound and hung near the edge of the stairwell to see into the room. He saw they duo stalking their way up to his kaasan, and didn't know what to do. They were armed and he was just a little kid. What could he do against them?

Tsunami noticed her son's hat peeking out from the stairwell and terror gripped her. She didn't mind if she was captured. She knew these were Gatou's men and they wanted to kidnap her, but she couldn't let them get their hands on Inari.

"Run Inari-kun. Get out of here!!" She screamed at her son in desperation.

At those words, Naruto slowly woke up from his slumber. Daylight filled the room and he lazily rubbed the sleep from his eyes. After a couple minutes, the blonde Genin stood and started to stretch in preparation for another hard day of training. He was a couple minutes into the first set when he heard a sound similar to a door slamming. All of a sudden it dawned on him.

"Kuso! I'm late!" Rushing from his room, Naruto quickly pulled on his shoes, strapping on his hip pouch and kunai holster at the same time. "Bye guys!" he shouted, running as fast as he could to the bridge, but two things stopped him. First, there was not a door anymore. It was on the ground in shambles and the latch for the lock was ripped from the door frame. The other piece of information was no one answered him when he talked. Tsunami would usually be in the kitchen at this time of the day. He pulled out a kunai and started to search when…

"Wait!!" Inari cried standing on the attached dock to the house. In front of him were the two thugs escorting his mom to who knows where.

The thug with the hat just smirked wickedly. "Look what we got here. It's that kid of hers."

"What do you want, gaki?" his partner asked.

Inari stood there solid and determined in his intent. He was recalling everything his tousan did. He was recalling Naruto's words as well as his determination during training. It steeled his resolve and gave strength to his words.

"Get away from MY KAASAN!!!" He shouted as he dashed toward the swordsmen. Both of them chuckled and drew their swords. As Inari approached, he thought there was an opening to slide underneath their blades, but he stumbled slightly. Seeing the blades come down, he braced himself for the worst.

The two swordsmen followed through with their attacks but didn't feel the satisfying squish of cutting warm flesh or the sound of blood being spilt. Turning back, they looked at their handiwork and saw… a log???

"What the hell??" They replied confused at what occurred. They knew that boy was not one of the ninjas. Refocusing on their target, they saw a ninja wearing black trench coat, red t-shirt and black trousers standing over both the boy and his mother.

"Gomen. I didn't mean to be late, but a hero usually arrives at the last moment." Naruto said with a small smile glancing over at Inari. "Good work. That was just the distraction I needed to finish off these losers."

"Finish us off?!?" growled the eye patch wearing thug. "How can you do that with your back turned??"

"Two words. Bunshin Daibakuha!!" the young Genin replied. At those words, a tap was felt on the two thugs' shoulders. They turned to see a clone of the ninja grab them and then explode, tossing their bodies in the air and into the water.

Inari stood in awe of the ninja that he belittled during his time in the house. This ninja that he once mocked and now admired not only defeated the men determined to kill him, but saved his mother and himself from certain death. Emotions built up from the intensity of the moment started to overwhelm him.

"Inari, I know I was a jerk earlier and I called you a sissy. Gomen, you didn't deserve it." His new hero told him.

Those words broke the dam behind the flow of emotions in the young fisherman and he started to cry. "I… I didn't want to cry anymore." Inari choked out between sobs.

At that, Naruto just scratched his head and chuckled. "Don't worry about it. You can cry if you're happy."

The mood seemed to lighten and Inari wiped his tears as he laughed a little along with the blond. They both looked around and didn't see anyone else coming.

"If those two came here then there is probably more at the bridge. I need to get going." Naruto stated with a bit of a frown. Digging into his equipment pouch, he pulled out a kunai and gave it to boy. "Take this and look after your kaasan."

Inari just nodded and started to untie Tsunami as the ninja took off for the bridge. Within a few steps, Naruto made a simple seal and released his chakra weights, increasing his speed. On the wind, he heard the blonde mutter about how hard it was to be a hero. He just chuckled and went about getting his kaasan to safety. Maybe if he tried, he could help Naruto out.


At the bridge

The individual battles appeared to be at a stalemate. Kakashi and Zabuza were trading glancing blows and parries with their chosen weapons. Chronos and the Demon Brothers were not in much better shape. Each brother would make swiping attacks using their gauntlets while the Uzumaki would dodge and launch kunai and shuriken in response. Sasuke and Haku were trading jutsus and projectile attacks while dancing along the bridge.

At one point, the two were deadlocked while blocking the other's weapon of choice. Haku tried to attack by using the water on the ground to coalesce it into a deadly shower of water needles surrounding his opponent. During that moment, Sasuke made a one-handed seal and removed his weight restriction. Feeling the barrage coming, Sasuke barely managed to avoid it by using a chakra enhanced jump to clear the jutsu's attack zone and launch a group of shuriken that his intended target avoided.

Haku was not fortunate in his maneuvering as he backflipped to where Sasuke landed and caught a sweeping roundhouse kick to his back. He stopped his skidding form and collected his thoughts while Sasuke gauged his opponent with a critical eye. He could keep up with his speed, but the masked-nin was talented. Every attack he tried failed to land a critical hit.

Haku cocked his head slightly and came to a decision. The battle was lasting too long and it was time to end this. Zabuza noticed it as well and made his thoughts known.

"Haku, stop toying with your prey. Keep doing this and we will end up being pushed back. Finish the job." He ordered before going back to engage Kakashi with his zanpato and Suiton jutsus.

"I guess it's time to end this dance. Makyo Hyosho (Demonic Ice Mirrors)." Portions of the mist started to coalesce around the two of them and hardened into slick mirrored sheets of ice. Sasuke looked around and grew worried as the ice sheets formed into a dome than caged the two shinobi. Kakashi and Chronos noticed the danger Sasuke was in and disengaged from their opponents to try and free him, only to be blocked by their original foes.

'Looks like I am trapped in here. This can't be good.' Sasuke thought grimacing as the masked-nin pulled out a group of senbon needles and melted into one of the mirrors.

"You may have matched my speed before, but now it is time to show you what true speed really is." The senbon wielder said as his image flashed across all of the mirrors.

Sasuke braced himself for the attack to come and tried to follow his opponent's movements when a set of senbon flew out from his left. He dodged by taking a good leap backwards, only to run into the leading edge of another senbon flurry. It was only by pure luck that he only came with a couple scratches and holes on his sleeves.

Swearing under his breath, the flashed through a set of hand signs and completed a jutsu that he hoped would create an opening in the dome.

"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" An array of twelve fist-sized fireballs struck a pair of mirrors. Each fireball contained a kunai which slammed into the mirrors creating an unsatisfying clang on the mirrors. A slight amount of steam rose from the points of impact but both ice mirrors stood without even the slightest crack. Sasuke scowled in frustration as he dodged another set of senbon. The wistful voice that followed them irritated him further.

"My mirrors are very strong. Such a weak jutsu like the last one you attempted won't damage them at all. Now, dance for me." Haku commanded as he launched multiple volleys of the painful needles.

Outside of the ice structure, Sakura was getting worried. Sasuke had been in the structure for a few minutes already and no word had come from him. Chronos was occupied with two opponents while Kakashi had Zabuza to deal with. In that moment, a scream came from the structure that she instantly knew was Sasuke. She knew she couldn't abandon the client but she also couldn't let Sasuke fall.

In a moment's time, she decided on a course of action. Pulling out a kunai, she attached an explosive tag and launched it toward the mirror and prepared to detonate it with a seal. She was stunned when the masked-nin leaned out of the target mirror to grab the kunai and toss it aside. The masked-nin turned to the side to look at the offending projectile thrower when a well placed shuriken knocked him out of the mirror and onto the ground.

Everyone was stunned and broke from their individual battles when Haku hit the ground followed subsequently by a plume of smoke from a smoke bomb.

'I don't know what is worse. Otousan's movie quotes or Naruto showing off.' Sasuke groaned in his mind. Chronos just had a small grin when he knew who had just arrived.

Naruto appeared through the smoke with a pair of kunai at the ready and a devilish grin on his face. Typically he would have a nice impromptu speech prepared but for some reason, he continued in the new tradition of the Uzumaki.

"Catch you bastards at a bad time??" He asks as he launches the kunai toward the downed masked-nin who dodged them easily with a simple kip-up and a few sidesteps.

Kakashi just groaned while Sakura shouted in glee that reinforcements arrived. Chronos nodded and resumed his attack on the Demon Brothers. Sasuke just picked himself off the concrete shaking his head in a mixture of disbelief and disgust.

'I stand corrected. Naruto is much worse when he adds quotes to when he shows off. What a knucklehead. At least he is out there and I am in here. In tandem we should..'

"Come on Sasuke, I'll break you out of here." A cheerful voice said.

"Sure thing Naruto. Just give me a... NARUTO??!!" Sasuke frustratingly bellowed as he turned to see his otouto taking a knee next to him. "What are you doing?? We could have attacked from inside and outside but NOOOOO. Before I thought you were a simple knucklehead. I can admit I was wrong."

"Glad to see you admitting the error of your ways." Naruto replied smugly.

"Naruto, you a GIANT KNUCKLEHEAD!!"

"I come and save you and this is what I get! I should just let you get your ass kicked!"

A cough interrupted their not-so-pleasant reunion. Turning they saw Haku merging back with the mirror in front of them. Both boys were ready and about to throw kunai at the target when a chilling voice spoke up from behind.

"Over here." Haku said as he launched two senbon, cutting the brothers' cheeks.

Naruto just kept turning back and forth looking at the images of his opponent in the mirrors. "What is going on here??"

Sasuke just ignored him and launched a massive fireball toward a set of the mirrors. The fireball impacted heavily upon its intended target, but the mirror still stood.

Haku just laughed lightly. "I told you before that weak jutsus like that would not work."

A blizzard of needle followed the statement from the masked senbon wielder and both Naruto and Sasuke were cut up badly, but none of the wounds were too deep to become serious.

"Kuso, where in Makai is the real one at??" Naruto grimaced.

"Forget trying to track me. My speed is too much for your eyes to comprehend." Haku droned on incessantly.

"Whatever. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A dozen clones appeared and scattered in different directions trying to pummel the mirrors with the real one leaping to attack the one directly above.

Haku shook his head in disbelief and resignation as he leaned out of one of the mirrors and spring boarded from mirror to mirror, destroying all of the clones and sending Naruto back to the concrete with a heavy punch.

"You just don't get it. With these mirrors, I can instantly transport to any mirror. Compared to that, you are moving in slow motion."

\\\\\

Outside of the mirrored structure, the voices carried over and the Konoha ninjas grew restless. They didn't know how much longer the two of them could last in the ice cage. Sakura could only sit and wait with being charged to protect Tazuna while Chronos tried to gain an advantage against his two attackers.

The Marine could not gain an opening at any time. With every completed strike or jutsu, the other one would come from another direction forcing him on the defensive at all times. In front of him, the one with the horns stashed at him with his clawed gauntlet while the other gathered chakra for a jutsu. Finally sensing an opening, he grabbed the shoulders of the closest one and leaped up to give a double heel kick to the man's chest. The attackers stumbled back into his partner disrupting his jutsu while Chronos used the momentum to back flip and grab a set of shuriken in each hand. Stunningly, both brothers easily recovered and were back on him in an instant, kicking him to the railing. His ribs groaned on the impact but the armored vest he wore managed to lessen the damage. Shaking it off, he sprung back to his feet and rejoined the fray as his opponents rushed him.

Kakashi didn't have it any easier. Sensing his students' chances were slim, he made an attempt to uncover his Sharingan eye, only to be attacked by Zabuza with a kunai he had secured behind his back. In a split second of pure instinct, he blocked the attempt to disable his eye by using his other hand to take the attack.

"You are getting too dependent on that eye and I know how to get around it." Zabuza mocked as he disengaged from Kakashi, leaving the Copy-nin's hand bleeding.

"It seems to me that you are actually afraid of it." the silver-haired Jounin replied.

"Why should I be? What good is an eye when you can't see??" With that statement, the mist grew thick and dense making it almost impossible to see past a meter or two.

Kakashi tensed and tried to spot his opponent. A slight movement in the mist alerted him to the attack and he parried every thrust of Zabuza's zanpato. He turned to gain a full look at the swordsman but he was gone again. In a moment of clarity, he raced to Tazuna's position, making it barely in time to move them out of the area where the sword would strike.

\\\\\

Both Sasuke and Naruto were having hard times avoiding the bombardment of the needles, but Naruto had more damage than his otouto. The Uchiha was slowly but surely becoming accustomed to the speed of the attacks. As both boys made it too their feet with a few senbon sticking out of parts of their bodies, Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Got any bright ideas there??"

"Only one. Use our combination attack." Sasuke stated gathering chakra for another fireball. Naruto nodded and produced fifteen kage bunshins. All of them went straight for the mirrors in front of them.

Predictably, Haku went for the clones to disable them all, but as he landed back in a mirror to attack the last two clones Naruto called out the true attack.

"Bunshin Daihubaka!!" The two clones glowed and detonated in full force at the one mirror directly where Haku was. The masked-nin managed to flee the mirror as it cracked but ended up getting caught by Sasuke's fireball, scorching him in his left leg. Recovering inside his mirror, Haku glanced at the Uchiha to see his eyes red with two black tomoes in each eye.

"So I see. That's why you started to follow my movements. You have the Sharingan activated now." Haku muttered. Internally, Haku was more peeved than he let on. 'He managed to awaken his kekkei genkai during the fight and Naruto managed to crack a mirror with that explosion. I need to end this quickly.'

Resolved to finish the fight, the fake hunter-nin went into another barrage of senbon from multiple mirrors aimed at disabling Sasuke, but he managed to block the needles with his kunai. Sensing he was not able to make anymore headway by using a frontal attack, Haku turned his sights to Naruto.

Naruto was getting back to his feet after some of the deflected senbon struck him. Seeing the cracked mirror, he readied himself to make for bunshins to use as suicide bombers. He didn't notice Haku coming for him until he was knocked to the ground.

\\\\\

Kakashi was standing there in front of Tazuna and Sakura as they scrambled back to their feet. The Jounin was clutching a slash wound that cut through his vest and dripped life fluids from his chest.

Zabuza was just standing there admiring his work. "You really are getting slow, Kakashi. Face it, you are not going to win here. As we speak, Haku is finishing off those two brats of yours."

"NO WAY!! Sasuke-kun and Naruto won't be beaten that easily!" Sakura shouted in defiance.

"She's right. Naruto and Sasuke came from very tragic pasts and managed to pull through and fight on. Now they stand together as otoutos and will not fall. One thing you definitely didn't anticipate on is Sasuke. He comes from the Uchiha clan." Kakashi replied.

"I see. The last of that tragic clan. Then I guess we will have to find out which bloodline is better. Haku's ice or the Uchiha's eyes. That still won't help you." The Demon of the Mist replied as he faded from view into the mist again.

"Stay here. I need to finish this." the Copy-nin replied as he went back into the mist after Zabuza.

Chronos made note of everything going on and decided to pick up the pace. As the two Demon Brothers launched coordinated attacks, he kept dodging until the horned one overextended on an attack. Charging chakra into his right hand, he slid under the overzealous opponent and thrust his hand upwards striking the groin area.

"Tenohira Shuurai!" The electric attack of the palm thrust caused the one Demon Brother to stumble and shriek in agony, clutching his privates. With a simple sweep, the attacker lost his footing and fell over the side of the bridge.

Getting to his feet, Chronos caught a punch to the stomach from the other enraged Demon Brother and the two of them continued in their deadly dance.

\\\\\

Naruto got up slowly to see Haku lying face down in the ground. Turning over, he was ecstatic and was about to praise his aniue until he saw Sasuke standing over him pierced with multiple needles.

The words barely escaped the blonde's mouth. "Sasuke... you..."

"You had to just be in the way this time." Sasuke scoffed while coughing a small amount of blood.

"Kuso. Why save me??" Naruto asked stunned at the state of his aniue as he started to fall onto his back.

"I guess I was too used to you being my otouto. My body moved on its own. Then again, I didn't hate you as much as I did before a few months ago." he coughed out as more blood trickled out of his mouth. Sasuke was fully in Naruto's grasp as he lay in his arms. Naruto was too shocked to even speak.

"I was going to bring that other otouto of mine back here to face justice. Now you've got to. Don't die now." Sasuke muttered before closing his eyes.

A silence stretched over the ice cage and Naruto was driven to shed tears. Before a few months ago, he never knew death or family. In this moment, both came crashing against each other and his heart was torn in pieces.

"Is this the first time you have seen death?? You should be honored for having someone willing to die to protect you. He was a true shinobi." Haku stated as he faded into one of the mirrors.

Naruto calmly set Sasuke's body down on the concrete but he was nowhere near calm inside. The mixture of emotions stirred something primal in the boy. He recalled all the times training and living together the past few months and his heart ached. That ache turned to rage and the adrenaline rush from the emotion set things in motion. The amount of adrenaline kicked in to all parts of his body. Deep within the boy, a rush of chakra filled his pathways. The chakra was not normal but primal and enveloped Naruto in its animalistic embrace.

Haku felt the chakra's intent on the air. The need to defend its territory, the desire to protect its family, and unbridled fury of an enraged beast ran through the chakra and it chilled Haku to the bone. Looking up at the boy, he could see the red chakra swirling around him as well as the physical changes he was undergoing. The marks on his face grew darker and wider. His hair stood on end and his nails grew into claws. What took Haku's breath away was the red slitted eyes that Naruto had. In those eyes, a predatory look was held and the masked-nin knew he was in danger.

"I'll kill you for that. No one kills my family and lives!!!" Shouted the new Naruto that stood on his hands and feet waiting to pounce.

\\\\\

The primal chakra was felt all over the bridge and caught the attention of everyone that was battling. Sakura and Tazuna were gasping, trying to catch their breath that was taken from the dreadful chakra the permeated the air.

Chronos took the momentary pause to launch his next attack, letting six Shuurai Shurikenfly, striking the distracted Demon Brother in his neck and chest. The electrical energy along with the vital points struck killed the ninja outright, leaving the elder Uzumaki to gather his breath and thoughts before heading to the ice cage.

Kakashi used the moment that both he and Zabuza paused to figure out the source of the chakra to pull out a scroll and unfurl it while swiping his blood across its text.

'Hold on there Naruto. I'll finish this and get to you quick. Just keep the Kyuubi in as much as you can.'

\\\\\

Haku panicked and launched a pair of senbon needles to disable Naruto but was left speechless when they were knocked aside by the swirling chakra. The enraged blonde rushed forward and smashed into the mirror, splintering it, while Haku sprung to the mirror above. Diving down, Haku tried to impale his opponent with another needle, but Naruto spun out of the way and landed meters away on his feet, dragging one hand to slow his slide. The blonde charged again and Haku tried to dive to another mirror but was caught by his hand.

Naruto squeezed firmly and the masked-nin couldn't break free of his grasp nor suppress the level of killing intent flooding from the boy. With a chakra enhanced punch, the jinchuuriki launched Haku through the ice cage, shattering the mirrors just as Chronos came sprinting to the cage.

The masked boy tumbled along the ground and finally stopped near the railing of the bridge. His mask was fractured and starting to fall from his face when he stood up. Naruto didn't care what damage he dealt. All he wanted was to demolish the fiend that took away one of his only family members he ever knew. As he leaped at the boy, his face became clear and the chakra dissipated from Naruto.

'It is that boy from the other day. What is going on???' Naruto thought. He recalled the one night after he left Tazuna's house determined to train. The exhausted himself training and met the boy who called himself Haku. They talked for awhile and gathered herbs and discussed various things. His words about protecting precious people seemed so similar to what his Otousan told him months ago and they stuck in his mind.

"What happened to your killer rage?? Why stop since I killed your otouto over there??" Haku whispered grimly. A sudden punch from Naruto knocked him down and blood came pouring from his mouth. He just wiped his mouth and stood back up on wobbly legs.

While the two started down their conversation, Chronos got over the initial shock of seeing his youshi attack in such a murderous fashion. He made his way to Sasuke and started to work on him. After taking his vitals and seeing Sasuke was alive but unconscious, he pulling out the needles littering his body. After they were all removed, he cautiously removed some of his clothing and started to clean and bandage the wounds.

Kakashi had during this time completed his summoning jutsu and had Zabuza trapped. His nin-dogs had the Demon of the Mist trapped within their seven jaws as each one bit him in his arms, legs, shoulder and by the zanpato he wielded.

"You failed here Zabuza. Everything you tried to do since that failed coup d'etat back in the Mist has led you to here. Now everyone you surrounded yourself with has fallen. You even attached yourself to that scum, Gatou, in order to finance your revenge. Surrender, or I will end it here and now." Kakashi stated as he went through a series of seals and charged chakra in his hand.

"Raikiri (Lightning Blade)!" Kakashi's hand crackled with a tremendous amount of lightning-based chakra, charging the air around him.

Zabuza defiantly scoffed at the silver-haired Jounin. "I do what I have to for my ideals. I am not changing here."

"Fine. Then you will die here." Kakashi sighed as he charged forward with his Raikiri ready to deliver the decisive blow.

After Haku finished his story about his parents and the bloodline purge of the Mist along with his following of Zabuza, he looked up at Naruto. "It is time. Kill me."

Naruto slowly drew a kunai out and let out the breath he was holding. "No other way is there??"

"None at all."

Nodding, Naruto held the kunai out toward Haku. "Maybe if we met some other time, things could have been better for both of us. Sayonara, my friend." In the brief moment that passed between when Naruto took off to strike the final blow and when he arrived, Haku sensed what was occurring with Zabuza and blocked the blonde's attack.

"Arigato, Naruto-san, but I have to go. I'm needed one last time." And in a poof of smoke, he was gone and rematerialized in front of Zabuza as the Raikiri struck. Everyone was stunned as Kakashi pulled his hand out of the now lifeless form of Haku and set him down, closing his eyes.

Zabuza nodded in respect to Haku's sacrifice and launched one final assault but was stopped by a heel kick from Kakashi, followed up by a kunai embedded in his sword arm.

Chronos was just walking back to Sakura and Tazuna with Naruto in tow and Sasuke cradled in his arms.

"Is Sasuke-kun alright??" Sakura asked while shedding a few tears. Naruto turned his head as if knowing what his Otousan's words would be.

"He will be fine. His wounds are patched up and he is just knocked out but his breathing and pulse is stable." The Marine stated to the surprise of his son.

"I thought..." Naruto sputtered failing to process what Chronos said.

"Trust me, he is fine."

A clapping noise filled the air. Everyone turned to see a mass of thugs and samurai standing behind a short old man wearing a business suit and sunglasses.

"He may be fine but no one will be for long. Such a shame, Zabuza. Can't kill one drunken fool??" the man asked snidely.

"Gatou, what are you doing here?" Zabuza replied barely standing upright from the blood loss.

"Cleaning up after you. It wasn't like you completed your task, so my friends here will. Pity that I wasn't going to pay you no matter what you did." the corrupt businessman laughed mockingly at the wounded swordsman.

The assembled ninja formed a loose perimeter around Tazuna and the downed Uchiha while Zabuza walked over to them. The group put a decent amount of distance between them but keeping the group of thugs in visual range. Naruto carried over Haku's body to ensure it was kept safe. Zabuza saw this and just looked down at the body of what was once his tool.

"I no longer have any fight with you. If it means anything, I was just a professional doing my job, Tazuna." Zabuza said with a slight bow as he faced the amassed force in front of them.

Gatou made his presence know again with his foul words. "It is a shame that boy of yours is dead. I owed him for insulting me back at the hideout, but then again, he was just as pathetic as his master."

Naruto was about to charge at the man when he was held back by both Kakashi and Chronos.

"Forget it, Naruto. You can't just rush in against those numbers." Kakashi said while looking up at Zabuza, who just stood still.

Naruto turned to the man. "Aren't you going to do anything?? Are you going to let them insult the person who loved you enough to sacrifice his life for you??"

"Shut it, brat. You don't know a thing about what it means to be a shinobi."

"I know if it is anything like you, I don't want to be one. I prefer to be like Haku. He protected what he thought was precious to him. What about you?? Didn't he mean a thing to you??" Naruto asked with his voice in between rage and pleading.

A few moments of silence occurred before a lone tear dropped from the feared swordsman's face. "Enough brat. No need to say anything more. It's my turn now so if you don't mind, lend me a kunai."

Tossing him the kunai, Naruto saw Zabuza clench it in his mouth and charge head on, slicing though thugs left and right. They stabbed and skewered him but the man didn't fall until he made it to his target. Zabuza stood in front of Gatou as the businessman trembled in fear.

"I may not be able to go where Haku was going to go, but you and I are going to be good friends in MAKAI!!" the Demon of the Mist screamed as he sliced through the man in front of him before passing out on the ground from his injuries.

It was not out of the sight of Naruto and the images of the Demon turned noble warrior and of Haku would forever be burned into his mind. As he turned to look back at Haku, he noticed Sasuke slowly sitting up, being fawned over by an exuberant Sakura. That image as well was burnt into his mind.

'Next time Sasuke, I will be the one saving you.'

A roar broke though the midday air as the remaining group of thugs and miscreants grew restless.

"You killed our meal ticket!"

"Time to pay up."

"Ransack the village. Kill them all!!"

The group of thugs grew emboldened and rushed the remaining ninjas ready to do whatever came to their sadistic minds.

"Kakashi-sensei, got any tricks up your sleeve?!?" Naruto asked in a panic.

"Nope. Not for this many." he replied panting.

Chronos pulled out two round objects. "I got something but I prefer to have them stop."

As if on cue, a crossbow bolt landed in front of the oncoming mob, bringing them to a halt. The Konoha ninjas turned to see Inari wielding Chronos's crossbow and a large group of villagers armed with whatever they could find.

"Take one more step and we will take you out." Inari replied notching up another bolt.

Naruto gave a thumbs up. "Nice work, Inari!!"

He just smiled back at the person who saved him earlier in the day. "Doesn't a hero show up right at the last moment??

Chronos just gave a chuckle. "I guess that will have to do." Pulling the pins from his two grenades, he tossed them and they landed right in front of the thugs. They just stood there curiously looking at the objects.

Chronos laughed softly and made a clone. After the clone was made, he started to wave to the thugs. "Hey, take a look at the ninja. Goodbye!"

The clone picked up on the routine and waved along with the original. "Y'all take care, alright, 'nothing but love for ya. I ain't got nothing by love for ya."

Turning to the original, the clone whispered barely containing the mirth in his voice. "You think they have any idea what's about to happen to them?"

"Not a chance in hell." He replied softly before looking back at the marauders and waiving again. "Goodnight!"

With a flourish, both original and clone made a victory sign and shouted in unison. "Peace!!!"

At that moment, the grenades exploded, taking out a portion of the thugs but leaving a substantial force left. The Konoha ninja were shocked at the explosive power of the grenades. Kakashi turned to his former student. "Got any more of those??"

Chronos scratched his head sheepishly in an Naruto-esque manner. "Nope."

"Guess I've got to do some work then!" Naruto stated and made ten Kage Bunshins. Kakashi followed suit and made twenty-five forcing the thugs to flee back to the boats they came on.

As the midday sky grew clouded, Kakashi made his way over to Zabuza who asked for him to be placed next to Haku. When put in place, Naruto slumped to the ground as exhaustion took over. He barely felt the snow as it stated to fall and could only hear Zabuza's words to Haku as a whisper in his mind. With unconsciousness taking him, a different voice echoed in his mind. It was ancient and it bellowed through his mind with a sense of knowledge and authority.

"Brat, it's time we had a talk."


(A/N): Since everyone has already liked my extended chapter lengths, I have continued along that path. The next chapter is a key one so I will probably take EXTRA time in making it shine. Until then, please review to your heart's content.

One note of reference for everyone. I had a review from someone that was my only real negative review. Supposedly he felt my use of song lyrics in specific chapters was worth trying to ban my story. I have brought this up to the PTB (powers that be) and if they deem something is amiss, I will fix the story. However, I would like to politely point out that there are plenty of other fictional pieces on especially in the Naruto section, that have song lyrics. I have made note to credit the songwriter, artist, or actor whenever I have used a lyric or movie quote. I hope this assuages any grief my writing could have caused.