Chapter 11
The group was back on the road, an hour after they had left Yamato to interrogate the only one of the two ninja left, as the one Naruto had 'pulped' had blead out only a couple of minutes afterwards. The only thing he had learned from the man that Hinata had caught, was either how loyal, or scared he was of his employer.
Yamato thought the latter, as the two were missing ninja, the mist village wouldn't be caught dead working with their strays.
"Neither would any village for that matter" mused Yamato to himself.
If there was one village that trained, and subsequently lost scarily strong and brutal ninja, it was the mist.
Tazuna was most delighted.
As the group ventured onwards, they had decided to discuss their…terms of service.
"S-so, you aren't going to leave me?" asked a fairly sober bridge builder.
"Well", began Yamato "even though you breeched the contract, you did still technically pay for it, even if it wasn't the whole sum up front. But in the end, what really matters is what my team thinks of this, look to them for the final answer, majority wins".
Tazuna looked behind him to the trio of genin, "What do you folks think?"
Naruto frowned and looked to Hinata, who in turn looked to Shikamaru.
The Naara's cheeks brushed red, as he gulped visibly, the fact that his team trusted him with this decision, one that could easily cost them their lives was touching, but difficult.
"Um, well this might seem very out of character, but I think we carry on".
Yamato nodded "Very well, you're in luck Tazuna, you may save your land yet".
Two ninja sat in the branches of a tree, nearby the road that intersected the one the leaf team where currently walking on. One was a petit figure with a mask about their face and hair up, and beside them stood a man, who had his face wrapped in bandages and on his back, sat a sword of impossible lengths.
"I apologise Lord Zabuza, but both of the demon brothers have fallen. If only I had been more strict in their training regim-"
"Enough!" spoke the man. "Do not compare yourself to those lowlifes Haku, they think too much with their hands, and not enough with their heads. In the end, I can see them for what they truly were, a liability. Now the team from the leaf knows we are coming, we can only hope the brothers didn't squeal". Zabuza growled, "Come, get ready Haku, when they pass, we will deal with them quickly".
Haku lowered her head in submission and grit her teeth behind the stoic hunters mask.
True, the Demon Brothers had been thick headed, but they had given her something that she hadn't had for nearly seven years.
Friendship.
Sasuke was exhausted.
Over the last few days, Sasuke had been practising a new jutsu that Kakashi had mentioned, 'Fire Release-Flame Stream Jutsu'.
It was a simple enough to understand sure, but he kept having problems.
The jutsu itself was as wild as the fire used to form it, which made it simple to understand, but hazardous should he get it wrong.
It could be very harmful if sustained for a long time, as it worked by channelling your chakra and slowly working in the element, so it looked like you were using a bubble blower for a few seconds with the liquid used up.
If you introduced the fire too early, or used it without small pauses, it would recede down your throat and BAM, you'd be dead faster than the time it takes for the Toad Sages Novels to sell out.
Introduce it too late, and nothing happens.
"You have to feel it" said Kakashi to him blankly, "You'll be able to feel it".
He wasn't wrong, Sasuke could feel 'something' but he wasn't sure if it meant more or less chakra.
He sat sipping on a chilled beverage he had bought from one of the many vendors outlining the Uchiha estate, when a man appeared before him so suddenly, he dropped his cup.
"Sasuke Uchiha?" spoke the man, who had a falcon shaped mask.
"Yes" Sasuke confirmed, recovering his composure a piece at a time.
"The Hokage requires you immediately in his office, please make all due haste" and in a displacement of leaves and a rustle of branches, he was gone.
Sasuke sighed heavily "Kakashi really is an Anbu then, their disappearing acts really get on my nerves".
He stood and dusted off his pants "I wonder what all this is about?" he wondered aloud, as he made his way to the Hokage tower.
As he approached the Hokage's door some 20 minutes later, Kakashi poofed into existence beside him.
"Oh" the scarecrow started "The Hokage called you too then, well that's good, you need more field experience".
Sasuke huffed "A mission then, good. Do you know what it is?" he asked.
Kakashi shook his head "I've only just been summoned myself, and I was enjoying my ramen so" he feigned disappointment.
The masked Jonin reached out for the door "In any case, let us find out".
Kakashi knocked lightly on the door, and a loud "Enter!" was heard from the Hokage who was bound to be on the other side of the wood.
Kakashi turned the handle and swung the door open as he entered, Sasuke moving in behind him.
The young Uchiha was hit immediately with the smell fresh pine and lavender, as long wisps of smoke spiralled and twirled about the Hokage, who stood facing his large window behind his desk, his back to them.
"I'm glad you took this summon seriously" he looked to Kakashi "It is unlike you to be on time, your tardy nature is something I have come to expect, Kakashi".
The one eyed Jonin bowed his head a little "My apologies Lord Third, I will endeavour to hasten my schedule for the future".
The Hokage chuckled and approached the two, his face becoming serious.
"I have something to ask of you two, time is of the essence, so I will make this quick".
They nodded.
"I was just visited by a wood clone of captain Yamato, who is the sensei of your friends Sasuke".
Sasukes face flashed with distress "Are they okay?".
The Hokage nodded "For the moment yes, however due to…unforeseen variables, they have themselves caught up in something above their current abilitys".
The Third walked back to his desk, opened up a drawer on the side, and pulled out a mangled gauntlet.
"On their friendly 'C' rank mission, team Yamato was attacked by a duo of Mist missing ninja at Chunin rank, they called themselves 'The Demon Brothers'. The team was fine and was able to deal with them swiftly enough. In fact, while Hinata Hyuga and Shikamaru Naara managed to capture one, Naruto killed one of them himself".
Sasuke paled "Naruto killed a Chunin?!" he struggled to maintain his composure.
The Hokage nodded and hefted the gauntlet "As it happens, when you ware metal over critical parts of your body, it makes you an easy target for one who can manipulate metal, wouldn't you say?"
The Hokage dropped the gauntlet back into the drawer, and slid it shut with a creek.
Yamato interrogated the other, and both a wood and shadow clone approached the gate with the prisoner this morning. He was not able to learn much, but what he did find out, was how either scared or loyal those two were.
The Hokage took a drag on his pipe, releasing the sweet smelling smoke into his already filled room. "It is safe to say that there is only one realistic conclusion we can draw from this".
Sasuke waited a moment before speaking up "And what's that, sir?"
The Third looked towards Kakashi "That this is more like a minimum of an A rank mission, tell me Kakashi, if you keep up-to-date with the current bingo book listings, who is the major player from the mist who became a missing ninja, who might be our culprit?"
Kakashi crossed his arms and took a breath "The Demon of the Bloody Mist: Zabuza Momochi".
END