A Tale of Two Transmigrants
Chapter 4: Riding The Waves
Perched in his designated observation post atop one of the taller trees in the vicinity, Naruto squinted his eyes at the sight of a black blob moving quickly through the undergrowth.
His back was starting to strain from the effort of laying still in his position for the last two hours, and he swore Kakashi put him on overwatch duty knowing full well that he would quickly get restless. Nonetheless, it was an inevitable, boring part of the shinobi lifestyle that he knew he had to get used to; he could only be glad their target had finally shown up.
Tugging on a wire that snaked through the bushes, he alerted his teammates who lay in wait a distance away, as well as their sensei who was watching the entire event unfold from another observation post.
On cue, Sakura leapt towards the demon cat and scared it off, corralling it towards a tripwire which set off a net. As Tora struggled against its bonds in vain, Sayuri formed hand seals for a basic paralysis genjutsu that would prevent it from running off as soon as they extracted it. After all, it would be most distasteful to return the pet to its owner in a net.
Sayuri rolled her eyes, cradling the troublesome cat asleep in her arms as they made their way back to the Mission Assignment Desk.
"Your first mission was a success! Good job!" said Kakashi cheerfully.
"And you didn't do anything but 'supervise', Kakashi-sensei," Sakura complained.
"Here's your mission payment," interrupted the Hokage. The first payout wasn't much—only amounting to 500 ryo—and was split up among the four of them. Kakashi was given 200 while the genin received 100 ryo each, much to their dismay.
"Team, you may go for lunch now. At 1230 hours, report to Training Ground 7. I'll begin chakra control training," ordered Kakashi.
"1530 hours?" asked Naruto suspiciously.
"No, really, 1230 hours," Kakashi reiterated, much to Hiruzen's amusement. "Dismissed."
As soon as they finished lunch at a barbecue joint owned by the Akimichis, the trio headed to Training Ground 7 and were surprised to see Kakashi already there, reading an orange book with a questionable title to pass the time. Noticing their arrival, he snapped the book shut.
"Ah, you're here. Let's begin our chakra control training."
"Err Kakashi-sensei, can you explain what chakra control is?" asked Naruto. Sakura nodded in agreement.
"Chakra takes a great deal of time and training to build up, so the key is not actually having it but rather, the ability to control and conserve it—this is called chakra control. A shinobi should only mould as much chakra as they need for a technique. If they mould too much, the excess chakra is wasted and they will tire out faster. If they don't mould enough, a technique will not be performed effectively, if at all, which could create problems in a combat situation."
"Okay, I get the idea now, but how exactly do we improve our chakra control?" asked Sakura.
"There are two main methods: the Tree Climbing Practice and the Water Surface Walking Practice," Kakashi explained, "The tree climbing exercise is a very important skill that will be applied to your everyday movement; the aim is to walk up the tree bark as if it were a horizontal surface, by using chakra to adhere your feet to it. If you use too little, you'll fall off but too much and the chakra will repel you from the bark. Got it?"
Team 7 nodded. "Use these kunai to mark your progress as you go along," instructed Kakashi as he passed the weapons out. "Go!"
As soon as they started, Sakura walked up the nearest tree with little effort. Kakashi was surprised, though it was in hindsight expected as she had low chakra levels.
Still, he wouldn't have expected her to get it on the first try. With chakra control this good, she could learn genjutsu or even learn iryō ninjutsu. She could be the team's medic, Kakashi thought.
Meanwhile, her teammates were struggling as they kept using too much chakra.
Clearly, Sayuri had a headstart in ninjutsu and taijutsu due to her upbringing, seeing how she attacked with her fireball jutsu yesterday. Naruto, on the other hand, is a wild card—though his taijutsu is a little rough around the edges, he possesses surprising physical capabilities, and that large chakra reserve holds serious potential to outlast Sayuri in casting ninjutsu. Oh well, it won't make a difference unless he gets his chakra control down, assessed Kakashi.
Sayuri was getting annoyed, but tried again after steadying her nerves. This time, she made it three-quarters up the tree, whereas Naruto only got halfway up the tree. However, her progress seemed to halt there as she was unable to go further and had to repeat the exercise for the rest of the day, as did Naruto.
Meanwhile, Kakashi decided to teach Sakura some genjutsu and basic iryō ninjutsu. He was no medic but he had copied techniques from them before and they came in handy when in a pinch.
By the end of the day, Naruto and Sayuri were still unable to get up the tree. Kakashi assured them that it was perfectly normal, and after their mission the next day, Team 7 returned to chakra control training once again.
True to her prodigious talent, Sayuri managed to get up this time and moved on to water walking along with Sakura. It was a whole new experience though, because apart from using the right amount of chakra, they also had to match the water's flow and regulate their chakra output accordingly. Ripples in the water were enough to send them plunging into the river.
This will take a while, mused Kakashi.
Naruto was getting extremely frustrated with his own inability and was determined to get up the tree. He only did so successfully on the fourth day and finally moved on to the water walking exercise, where his teammates were still stuck.
"A word of warning: unless you want to get wet, you might want to take off your shirt," said Kakashi.
Naruto complied, not wishing to soil his precious jacket, a gift from the Sandaime. This caused the kunoichi to avert their gaze in embarrassment, though Sayuri's gaze lingered for just a moment longer than necessary.
As soon as he stepped on the water, he fell right through and got his whole body drenched. When he got out of the water, his hair was dripping wet and his pants were soaked.
I put too little chakra just now… what if I put too much? Naruto wondered. He was answered when the water around him began churning and was blasted aside by his overwhelming chakra presence.
The water doused the other three. Kakashi frowned in mild annoyance as he wasn't supposed to be the one getting wet. Sakura, on the other hand, kicked water back in Naruto's direction.
Wiping off his face, the Uzumaki laughed as he sprayed his teammates with more water.
"Oi!" shouted Sayuri in mock anger, leading to an all-out, no-holds-barred water fight among the genin.
Kakashi's irritation was then tinged with amusement as he watched his genin turn training into a session of fun.
"You punks… Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!"
Another week of errands had passed and the team finally progressed from walking to running on water. Kakashi decided that it was time for them to move on from their menial tasks to the lifeblood of genin careers: C-ranks.
"Are you sure they are ready, Kakashi?" asked the Hokage at the Mission Assignment Desk.
Their sensei nodded. The chūnin on duty then fished for a scroll and read it aloud.
"Protect Tazuna, the bridge builder of Wave, until he completes the bridge linking the Land of Fire to the Land of Waves. Adopt C-rank escort and close protection measures, and employ the standard rules of engagement for enemy combatants."
"Finally, a real mission," said Naruto, grinning from ear to ear in excitement.
"Send in Tazuna," ordered the Hokage to the chūnin outside, who opened the door for the client.
An old man wearing a straw hat and a towel around his neck sauntered in, a half-finished bottle of sake in hand.
"I asked for top-notch protection and I got this team of… snot-nosed brats?" Tazuna remarked in a drunken slur.
Naruto's excitement quickly turned to anger, but Kakashi held out a hand to stop him.
"We're more than enough to protect you against bandits, Tazuna-san," said Kakashi.
The man's eyes narrowed. "Whatever, I expect you all to protect me at all costs."
"Since we're heading to Nami no Kuni, pack up and meet at the East Gate in 15 minutes," Kakashi ordered.
For the genin, it was the first time leaving the village and it was captivating to see the huge expanse of forestry extending outside the village perimeter. According to protocol, they were permitted to travel on the main road for this mission as the largest expected threat on assignments of this rank were mere bandits. This made the journey far easier, as they did not have to escort their client through the dense vegetation of the Land of Fire which provided effective cover and concealment on higher-level missions.
Nevertheless, it soon got tiresome as all they saw were trees flanking the road in every direction.
"Keep your eyes on the area," warned Kakashi as he noticed the genin losing focus, "It's really easy to zone out if all you see is green for hours on end, but the moment we lose concentration is the moment the enemy will strike."
The genin nodded obediently and tried their level best to obey his order, which was becoming increasingly difficult as the heat of the summer started to weigh them down. As they finally stopped for a water break, Naruto noticed a puddle on the floor.
He frowned. It was a clear day and it had not rained in a week. He shared a look with Sayuri, who gave him a slight nod. Genjutsu.
Probing the pool with his senses, Naruto registered two distinct chakra signatures, as well as what could only be described as a feeling of malice. It was as if he could see the expressions on their faces, or better yet, feel what they were feeling.
Woah… is this Kurama's Negative Emotions Sensing? I'll have to shelve that for later.
Estimating from the chakra levels, their opponents were likely to be two chūnin.
As soon as they strolled past, two missing-nin from Kirigakure burst out from the puddle with a razor-sharp chain of shuriken linking the two by their gauntlets. They swiftly lassoed Kakashi and yanked on both ends, reducing him to sliced flesh. Turning to the remaining four, they demanded, "Give us the old man or we'll kill you."
"Sakura, stay with Tazuna-san. Sayuri and I will deal with these two," Naruto directed, "Let's go, Sayuri!"
The two genin charged towards the chūnin pair. Naruto sped up and launched himself at one of them, while Sayuri threw a kunai ahead of her with deadly accuracy and lodged the chain against a tree, trapping the two.
Upon realising they couldn't break free, the two released the mechanism from their gauntlets and rolled away in time to avoid Naruto. The Uzumaki's kick struck the tree instead, causing it to topple.
The two paled. They are supposed to be genin!
Naruto spawned dozens of clones, forcibly overwhelming the first chūnin with a barrage of fists and kicks. It was admittedly a blunt tool, but one suited for this situation. As soon as he had beaten the man to a pulp, he turned around to face the other enemy, who was engaging Sayuri in a ferocious hand-to-claw battle.
She seemed to have the upper hand with her speed but from the looks of it, had already been nicked once. When he knocked her away with his gauntlet, Naruto jumped in and kicked him in the face, throwing him against a tree. Sayuri sprinted towards him and with great force, sent him skywards with a mule kick to his chin. Capitalising on this, Naruto reappeared above the man in midair, not even giving the shocked chūnin time to react before he gave him a brutal axe kick to the gut. The man plummeted and crashed next to his brother in a crater with all the bones in his back broken.
"Kakashi-sensei, you can come out now," Naruto said. The jо̄nin stepped out from the trees lining the path, much to Sakura's surprise.
"But Kakashi-sensei, I thought you were—"
"Substitution, Sakura," Kakashi interrupted, pointing to the shredded logs on the floor where he was standing earlier.
"If that's the case, why did you leave it to the brats then?" Tazuna asked, scowling.
"Well," Kakashi replied, now glaring at Tazuna, "I had to see who they were targeting—us, ninja attacking ninja, or you, the master bridge builder. In your mission request, you asked for standard protection against robbers and bandits. You didn't say there were shinobi after you."
Tazuna began sweating profusely.
"If you did, this would have been a B-rank mission and we would've staffed differently, as well as charged appropriately. Apparently, you have your reasons but lying to us is unacceptable. We are now beyond the scope of the mission," Kakashi declared.
"I'm sorry!" Tazuna broke down, "It's just… our village is in poverty from Gatō's tyranny and we have no way to pay for a B-rank."
"Gatō, the shipping magnate?" questioned Kakashi.
Tazuna nodded. "He monopolised our island's shipping trade. The only way for us to break the monopoly is for me to build a bridge linking our country to Hi no Kuni which will restore our trade and prosperity. The problem is, Gatō knows and sent ninja on my tail. I got to Konoha as fast as possible but I only had money to afford a C-rank."
"Fine," Kakashi huffed, "You're lucky we have strong genin in the team; we should be able to handle it if this is all we'll face. We will continue this mission provided everyone agrees."
Team 7 assented, prompting Kakashi to order the resumption of the mission.
"As soon as your country is rich again, we expect the proper mission payment," warned Kakashi. This was more than he could hope for, so all the old man could do was thank them repeatedly.
"One more thing," said Naruto suddenly, "Sayuri."
The Uchiha blinked in surprise at not being addressed as teme. Combat situations were an exception due to the urgency of their nature, but this made it the second time since they had graduated that he had called her by name in an ordinary setting. "What is it?"
"There's poison in your wounds from the nukenin's claws. Let me treat you now," Naruto offered.
"Hn," Sayuri replied, "I'll be fine."
"No you won't, now let me see to those wounds," insisted Naruto. Sensing that he would not back down, Sayuri relented.
To her great surprise, Naruto brought his mouth to her wounds and began sucking where the claws had cut her arm. "What are you doing?!" she asked, resisting the fiery feeling that was crawling up her neck to her face. She was half-certain it wasn't the poison in her veins.
Naruto spat out a purple fluid.
"I've removed the poison, now I'll close the wounds," Naruto answered before closing his eyes as he brought his right palm to her arm. A golden glow emanated from the site of the gashes as they closed up, leaving no scars behind. Strangely, it felt warm and relaxing when Naruto did that.
"Thank you… Naruto," said Sayuri, this time clearly enough to preclude the humiliation of being asked to repeat her gratitude.
"Medical ninjutsu? Since when could you do that?" asked Sakura, somewhat jealously. Kakashi had the same question in mind, as iryō ninjutsu required fine chakra control that Naruto had yet to master. Then again, it was the first time he had seen medical chakra that was yellow, not green.
Was this what the Sandaime had mentioned…?
"I don't know, Sakura. I just… knew I could do this days ago when I…" he trailed off, unsure if he was supposed to divulge what had occurred on the night of his graduation. Thankfully, Kakashi took notice and cut in.
"Well, now that that's settled, let's get going. We don't have much daylight left," said Kakashi.
Naruto mouthed a "thank you" at Kakashi, who merely eye-smiled in response.
Four hours later, they finally reached the end of the road where a huge coast delineated the sea, cutting off any further access by land to Nami no Kuni. From here on, it was a sea journey. Before they could get on a boat, however, Naruto detected a jо̄nin-level chakra presence approaching them.
"Get down!" Naruto warned, just before a massive blade spun through the air and lodged itself into a tree near the shore. A tall man appeared atop it, arms crossed as he observed the motley crew before him.
"The Kubikiribōchō… you must be Zabuza, Demon of the Mist," Kakashi said in recognition. It seemed they just could not catch a break.
Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "Kakashi of the Sharingan… I see why the Demon Brothers lost. Well then, I believe you won't hand the old man over easily so I'll have to do this the hard way!"
With the last word, he jumped off his sword while grabbing its handle. Dislodging it from the tree, he charged towards Kakashi.
"Get ready!" Kakashi warned. Immediately, Team 7 closed ranks around their client in the Manji Formation, forming a tight triangle around the bridge builder.
Zabuza's eyes narrowed and he brought the Seal of Confrontation to his chest. "Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A thick fog lifted from the nearby water body, obscuring their view. Alarmed, Kakashi swiftly straightened his headband and brought his Sharingan to see the light.
Zabuza's killing intent flooded the area, paralysing Sakura and Tazuna. Being the Demon of the Mist, his sakki was fearsome indeed and Kakashi was only standing because of his experience as a jо̄nin. Naruto seemed to have no trouble, both because of the Kyūbi's own sakki and the treatment he had received as his jinchūriki. Sayuri, while struggling to breathe at first, eventually managed to cope with the oppressive aura—something she could only attribute to her childhood trauma. Her brother had been far worse than this.
The nukenin stalked to the area where Kakashi was and crept up behind him. The Konoha jōnin, sensing this, turned back and slashed him in the midsection, only for him to burst into water.
A Water Clone?
The real Zabuza emerged from behind and bisected Kakashi with his sword; however, Kakashi also exploded in a shower of water.
He… copied my jutsu?! Zabuza thought. Kakashi's Sharingan spun and glowed a crimson red under the low-visibility conditions, a truly creepy sight to behold.
Zabuza raised his sword to block a stab from Kakashi's kunai, snapping its tip off with its superior metal. The nukenin grinned demonically before initiating a sacrifice throw which launched the Sharingan wielder into the sea.
As soon as he surfaced, a water clone called, "Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Chakra-infused water erupted from the surface, closing in on Kakashi from all directions in the form of a sphere.
Biting back a curse, Kakashi yelled, "Naruto, take the team and Tazuna-san and get away!"
The Uzumaki shook his head. "I'm getting you out of there, sensei!"
Zabuza smirked. "You should listen to your sensei, brat. Now I'll have to kill you all."
Naruto assumed a stance, taking a moment to hone in on his chakra signature before rushing into battle.
"Tsk," Sayuri clicked her tongue in irritation. "Sakura, guard Tazuna. I'll fight him with Naruto."
Zabuza possessed great strength but was relatively slower due to his heavy sword, especially after a huge swing. With superior speed, Naruto evaded every slash from Zabuza's sword. It was pointless to remain on the defensive, however, and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Naruto delivered a blow to his wrist, causing the sword to fly into the air. He followed up with a kick to Zabuza's stomach, but the nukenin dodged it with a step back.
Sayuri, who was closing in on the pair, noticed what was going to happen and paled. The sword was spinning back down into its owner's hands and Naruto had yet to recover from his kick as he had overcommitted—an error Zabuza had induced with a feinted opening. Grinning menacingly, Zabuza caught the sword and swung it down at Naruto, now caught in a vulnerable stance and unable to evade.
Naruto! she screamed in thought as she dashed towards her teammate, her vision blurring as emotion clouded her mind. Though his happy-go-lucky, ever-positive nature was overwhelming—especially when she felt that her whole world had collapsed and there was nothing to be happy about—it was something she needed in her life, even if she refused to admit it. The thought of him dying was… unthinkable. Unbearable, even. Her mind was confused at this revelation. What is this feeling?
Her vision cleared, sharpening to an intensity which hurt her eyes. The world around her was now dyed a blood red, and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Sensing that she still had time, she redoubled her efforts to close the distance between her and Zabuza.
Deeming that a punch or kick from her position would be too slow and insufficient to knock the massive Kubikiribōchō aside, she threw her entire body weight behind her shoulder, barrelling into the flat of the blade with a sickening crunch. Containing his surprise, Naruto quickly pulled them both away from Zabuza as soon as his blade hit the ground.
Sayuri winced as they put a good distance between themselves and the nukenin, clutching her aching shoulder. Thankfully, at least, it was on her non-dominant side; more importantly, both of them had gotten out of that alive.
"Thanks for saving me." Naruto looked at her in worry, and noticed for the first time her vermilion eyes swirling with two tomoe. "Are you alright?"
"Do I look alright to you?" Sayuri asked in irritation, though a part of her was filled with relief. "I swear, I'll kill you if you ever put yourself in danger like that again."
He nodded, despite the contradiction and sheer difficulty of keeping that promise in their line of work. "Let's get him!"
Zabuza suppressed his surprise at the sight of the girl's eyes, weaving hand seals as he took a few steps back. "Another Sharingan…? And here I thought the Uchiha clan had been completely wiped out! Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A battalion of kage bunshin linked arms in front of the pair, forming a wall against the onslaught of water rushing from the shore which tore through their ranks. The dispersed clones laid a smokescreen in their wake, from which a fūma shuriken issued at high speeds.
Zabuza sneered as he avoided the giant windmill shuriken, only to find it sailing towards the water clone holding Kakashi captive. Pathetic, he thought, his clone catching it with ease with his free hand. From its shadow, another fūma shuriken emerged, this time going straight for his midsection.
Hiding another in its shadow? Still too easy! The clone jumped up while keeping a hand on the water prison, avoiding the projectile in a feat of agility. He was, however, unprepared for the shuriken whizzing behind him to burst into smoke, revealing Naruto who sent a kunai straight to his face.
Instinctively, the clone withdrew his hand, dodging the projectile but also freeing Kakashi. As soon as the walls of water fell, Kakashi turned the fūma shuriken in the clone's hand against him and dispatched him with haste.
Now that the clone had been dealt with, Kakashi took in deep breaths, blinking away the spots swimming in his eyes. He looked at Naruto, who flashed him a smile.
"Good job, you guys…" said Kakashi, his eyes turning towards Zabuza, "I'll take it from here."
Zabuza began flashing through a long sequence of hand seals, determined to catch Kakashi while he was still on the water. Ridiculously, Kakashi kept up with impeccable timing and speed, mirroring his every move as though he already knew the jutsu Zabuza would cast.
When Kakashi caught his gaze, an apparition of Zabuza appeared behind him, distracting the nukenin—and a moment was all he needed to complete the sequence before Zabuza could react.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Kakashi called. Saltwater gushed up from the sea, arcing through the air in draconic form towards Zabuza who could do nothing but take it head-on. It slammed him against a tree with the tremendous force of a waterfall, breaking his ribs.
Zabuza clutched his stomach with a grimace and coughed out blood as the waves around him subsided. He looked up at Kakashi, who was trudging towards him, and uttered in disbelief, "Those eyes… Do they see the future?"
Kakashi paused in step, narrowing his eyes at the nukenin.
"They do," he replied tersely, panting as he raised a kunai in his direction, "And your future is death."
Author's Notes: For readers who are curious as to how Sayuri's Sharingan was seemingly awakened with two tomoe, here is some background information. Just like Sasuke in canon, she first awakened her Sharingan in its one-tomoe stage on the night of the Uchiha clan massacre, but was unable to activate it ever since. The Wave mission was the trigger that led to her advancement to the second stage, but as she was unaware that she had acquired her Sharingan much earlier, for all intents and purposes, she believes that her Sharingan was awakened directly with two tomoe.