Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze
Chapter 7
Assassins Clash!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
"Jutsu"
"Tailed Beast Speak"
Pairing: NaruxSaku
Assassin!Naruto
Alright, we come again with a new installment of Assassin, what is coming to be what may be an even more well developed story than UCR. I am really excited to continue my story with this latest chapter where Team 7 gets sent to Wave to backup Squad 8 against Zabuza Momochi.
We all know Gato is evil, but what will Naruto think when he arrives in a land where the weak are oppressed? And what of Sakura's training? How will she fare learning to become an assassin?
I guess we will have to see how the story develops, check out the new chapter and leave a review!
If anyone is a fan of red heads and loves to read stories here in the Naruto category, please message me and become a staff member of my community. We stockpile all stories with Naruto romancing a Naruto red head, so try and help us out!
000
The Creed
Stay your blade from innocents
See but be unseen
Never compromise the Assassins
Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
000
Nami no Kuni
Gato's Estate
"So, is it done?"
"No..they got away. Their Jounin leader was quite skilled with genjutsu, enough to distract me long enough to make a break for it." Gato sighed, leaning forward in his chair as he spoke with Zabuza Momochi, rogue Jounin of Kirigakure.
This was not supposed to happen, Tazuna the Bridge Builder could not live this long. He gave the people hope that Gato thought lost long ago when he took over the land. The economic stranglehold he had over the land was profitable, so profitable it allowed him to afford a small army of cutthroats, his own private estate right in the middle of town, and gave him the currency to hire a shinobi feared by all; this incompetence shown by Zabuza made him think his money was not being well spent.
"Well, I hope you plan on rectifying the problem. I'm paying you good money to have that man killed and I don't care how it gets done..so remember that next time you come close to-" Gato shut up when Zabuza unsheathed his sword and lowered it to where with just a flick of his wrist, the man's head would fall to the ground.
Before his guards could even react, a masked person had arrived by Zabuza's side with needles in their hand, ready to use against them should they intervene. Gato looked at the sword and shivered; he attempted to redeem himself with an angry glare sent at the rogue ninja pair.
"Hey, what the hell are you-" Zabuza edged his sword closer to his neck; Gato could now feel the cold steel of the blade press against him.
"You listen to me Gato, I have been paid to this job and I'll do it..but you will not talk down to a business partner or a shinobi of my stature. A minor setback was all this was, one that will be rectified before the bridge is complete." He took his sword back and placed it back in its rightful place, hiding a smirk under his bandaged face.
"The next time we speak, Tazuna the Bridge Builder will be dead. Come Haku." The two ninja disappeared from Gato's office, leaving him and his two samurai guards flustered.
"...Damn you Zabuza. Too much trouble for what you're worth."
000
Nami no Kuni
Tazuna's House
Kurenai and the rest of Team 8 were resting in the family room of Tazuna's home. It had been two days since they last sent the request for reinforcements and two days since they last faced the dangerous rogue ninja, Zabuza Momochi. While the outcome of the battle left the genin's morale low, Kurenai knew that their only chance of surviving would be by remaining in hiding.
With their current strength, they would be destroyed by Zabuza. Now that the Jounin had analyzed her abilities, he would surely deploy a countermeasure against her genjutsu, rendering her trump card useless. While her squad was made of three clan heirs with their own unique jutsu, they were too inexperienced to even pose a challenge to the sword wielder.
'Yes..I made the right choice. Whenever they get here, we can allow Tazuna to continue his work on the bridge in a safe manner.'
Kurenai heard the door slide open and Tazuna entered and sat down, his face looked riddled with guilt. The genin looked at him and then to her, wondering what the problem was. It seemed as though the man had something to get off his chest as he sat down on a cushion, across the table from Kurenai.
"I..I came to apologize, Kurenai-san. I had no idea that such a dangerous shinobi was hired by Gato..if I had I would've..I would've done something." Kurenai saw sincerity in his features and nodded.
"It isn't your fault Tazuna-san, even we had no idea the rogue ninja Zabuza Momochi was operating out of Wave. If we did, that knowledge would have been passed to Kiri hunters." The old man looked unconvinced in her forgiveness but just bowed his head in shame and nodded.
"I hope that you can forgive my lie of the mission's difficulty as well..I did not wish for any harm to come to any of you. Its just..we are desperate here in Wave, Gato has had us under his rule for so long, we have run out of options. You and your squad are truly our last chance." Kiba smirked and stood up, pumping his fist into the air.
"Don't worry old man! As soon as our pals from Konoha get here, we'll take that Zabuza clown down and save this country! You can count on it." He gave Tazuna the thumbs up and, betraying his defeatist attitude, he returned the gesture.
"Good, 'cause you still have to redeem yourself for getting your butt kicked the last time kid!" Tazuna had a hearty laugh at Kiba's expense, making the boy go from confident to pouting.
"Next time Kiba, we will work together to take him down." Shino said from his place in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall.
Kiba looked at the Aburame, surprised by his willingness to cooperate; he was even mor surprised when Hinata stood up and had a confident look on her face too.
"Yes Kiba-kun, next time we will take him down together!" Kiba scratched his head and smiled.
"Well alright! Squad 8 is back in business." Kurenai and Tazuna smiled at their courage, it was a welcome sight to their moping the previous day.
"Tou-san!" Tazuna turned around to see Tsunami standing in the doorway, her arms crossed in annoyance.
"Hai?" He said sheepishly, showing his fear of his daughter's anger.
"Shouldn't you be working on the bridge? Your workers will not do anything if you are not there to help give them orders..and then we can never be free from Gato!" Tazuna hit himself in the head, where was his mind at? Of course he had to get moving to the bridge and help out.
"Tazuna-san." Kurenai stopped him just as he was getting up, her voice took a warning tone. "I cannot guarantee your safety when you leave this home. Our best weapon against Zabuza is secrecy and with it we can protect you, I cannot fight him for you though should he try and kill you on the bridge." Tsunami's eyes went wide, she had forgotten her father was in such danger but Tazuna's serious look made her confused.
"No matter if I die or not, this bridge..is all we have left Kurenai-san. I will not shy away from this threat because if I do, I'll just be doing what Wave has been doing for these last few years. I don't plan on being a martyr like my son was..but that bridge needs me and I'm going, whether you follow me or not." The genin were touched by his story and Kurenai's frown slowly formed into a reluctant smile.
"Well, I suppose there is no convincing you otherwise.." Tazuna started to smile as she stood up, waving over her shoulder to the rest of the team. "Let's get going, our job is to protect him and not sit around all day." They quickly agreed and followed their sensei and Tazuna outside and onto the pier where his home sat.
Tsunami watched as they left, waving goodbye and whispering good luck.
Inari watched from his room, a shadowed look fell over his face as he watched his grandfather leave. It was just like the look his father gave him when he was to be put to death, a confident smirk to the end. Why couldn't they just hide away from Gato? Leave him to have Wave as long as they could stay together?
'Grandfather..don't let those Konoha-nin give you false hope. You'll just die like father..'
000
Nami no Kuni
Shoreline
Kakashi eased the small boat onto the sandy shore, careful not to damage it or reveal their presence. On the other side of the channel there had been a small fishing village that was kind enough to offer them a boat to cross on, they only asked it be left on shore so they could pick it up later. Kakashi happily obliged and signaled for his team to get onto shore and was thankful for Wave's natural mist that offered them cover.
"Mist? Is this common for Wave sensei?" Sakura asked as she followed Naruto and Sasuke off the boat and onto shore, waving her arm through the white clouds in quiet amusement.
Kakashi looked at her and almost wanted to poke fun at her, but decided against it.
"Yes Sakura, the moist air coming in from the sea gets cold and becomes visible as mist. Its perfect for us since we don't know where the enemy could be here on the island." Sakura nodded and stayed close to Naruto as he observed the landscape, it seemed the island was dominated by forest with plenty of bodies of water around and inside.
'A tricky area to fight in..but perfect for an assassin. I wonder what the culture of this land is like though..I don't remember anything of it from what I read.'
"Can we get moving? I want to find these guys and get this mission over with.." Sasuke's annoyed voice came back to Kakashi as he finished tying down the boat and the Jounin sighed.
"Alright alright, cool down Sasuke. The enemy isn't going anywhere as long as the man Squad 8 is protecting is still alive, so our first priority is to find them. We will head into the main town that should be a few miles off from the bridge we saw coming in." The genin agreed and followed Kakashi as he began their trek through the forest at a brisk pace as he hoped to catch their friends before Zabuza did.
'I know this Zabuza guy and he's dangerous, too much for Kurenai and her squad to handle alone. They are going to need me..and Naruto too.'
Kakashi glanced at his student and even though he could not see him under that hood, he knew Naruto was ready for battle. That gave him a boost of confidence knowing that they would not be ill prepared to face Zabuza.
Sakura silently watched Naruto run through the forest with practiced grace, subconsciously darting from one tree or bush to the next. While he had instructed her on simple assassin ideas and their past history during their two day trip to Wave, Sakura still felt like she was leaps and bounds behind him. Once they returned to Konoha, she promised herself, she would get him to start training her more thoroughly.
'I won't be a burden next time..I promised you Naruto-kun.'
Sasuke found himself falling behind Naruto, following in his footstep rather than leading them as he wanted to. This angered him, even more so that he caught himself reacting in such a way to Naruto's radiance of calm that he did not have. He would not be a cow of a herd like Sakura was, he would go his own path and earn power his own way.
'I will defeat you Naruto and my brother..to show I have true strength.'
Kakashi saw a parting ahead where the forest thinned and stopped running, holding up his hand to let them know to stop as well. Naruto ran up a tree along the side of the road to scope out what his sensei saw, creeping through the thick branches of leaves to where he could see clearly along the road. Sakura watched in quiet amazement while Sasuke just clinched his teeth in annoyance.
The silver-haired jounin waited for Naruto to give him a signal on what was coming their way. All he knew was that a group of four or five people were headed for the bridge, but who they were was beyond him. While they could be workers, they could also be assassins in disguise for all he knew. A whistle that sounded like a bird came from the tree and Kakashi's shoulders sagged in relief; friendlies.
Naruto leaped off of the branch and into the middle of the street, surprising Tazuna and his escorts. The three genin quickly got into a manji formation around Tazuna and Kurenai moved in front with a kunai, not about to be caught off guard. The assassin turned to face them fully and suddenly the jounin relaxed, seeing the red sash with Konoha's headband sewed into it across his chest. Squad 8 sensed their teacher's change in behavior and reluctantly followed, relaxing even further when Sasuke and Sakura emerged from the trees with Kakashi.
"Hey guys!" Sakura waved and ran over to see them, happy to see friendly faces.
Naruto watched Sakura interact with her friends from the village, a small smile formed under his hood. While he had no particular love for the village, he would have to thank his father for pushing him to become a ninja too. It was thanks to that he got to meet Sakura and it was because of the village that she was with her friends, smiling. He wanted to protect that smile, he wanted to protect Sakura.
"Teaching her your clan's ways will put her in danger kit..I hope you know what you are doing." Kyuubi warned him as his thoughts wandered.
'Yes..but she is already a ninja, her life will be put in danger often enough. If my training will make her happy and have her become stronger then its something..and-'
"And you want to stay close to her eh? You humans are so predictable when it comes to emotions..but do as you please. Your life is short enough as is." Naruto just took that as Kyuubi's blessing, for what it was worth.
Sasuke stood away from his old class-mates' gathering, not bothering to catch up with them. They were weaklings if they needed another team's help and so he had nothing to say other than to ask where this enemy was.
"Sakura-san..who is that?" Hinata asked in a very quiet voice, pointing timidly to the cloaked person still standing a ways off from them.
The question brought the attention back on Naruto as Kiba looked at him, scratching his chin in thought. Shino had already been observing Naruto as they spoke, curious about him. It was obvious from the cloak he was no ordinary ninja and because he was on the squad but was not part of their class, it was safe to assume he had to be important enough to get a pass to join.
"Oh, I can't believe I didn't think to do it sooner!" Sakura berated herself as she ran over to Naruto and grabbed his gloved hand, surprising him as she gave him a cute smile. "Come on over Naruto, let me introduce you to my friends!"
"Sakura I don't think-" It was too late as she was already pulling him along, having tucked his arm under hers.
Hinata's blush intensified as they came closer, she was able to get a better look at him even with the hood still hiding his main features. Kiba felt his Inuzuka male dominance go out the window when Naruto approached, as if a bigger dog had come into their pack and taken over.
Shino himself was quite passive about the whole thing as he wanted to know more about this new person.
"Everyone, this is Namikaze Naruto. He joined our team since with Sasuke and I that only made two..he was outside the village while we were in the academy so that's why we never saw him." The three others seemed to process this and Naruto was nervous about how much Sakura would let on.
"A..Namikaze? Where have I read that name before.." Shino whispered to himself, trying to remember where he had heard such a name before it hit him; the Yondaime.
'He is related to the Yondaime?'
"Hello..Namikaze-dono." Hinata bowed and surprised Kiba and the others by her high level of respect used addressing the name.
"Hinata..you know this guy?" The Inuzuka asked, not understanding the situation; Hinata stood straight again and nodded at her team-mate.
"Yes Kiba-kun, the Namikaze clan killed many would-be kidnappers that tried to take Konoha children. My father says it is our duty to honor their passing, although I'm sure he would be pleased to know one survives still." Kiba looked from Hinata back to Naruto, surprised.
"So yer saying that this guy's family..saved us?" When she nodded, he slapped his forehead in disbelief.
Sakura was surprised too, Naruto hadn't told her that. What else was there to the Namikaze she didn't know? Lots, if she had to guess.
"There is no need to give me so much respect Hyuuga-san, I did not save anyone personally-"
"That's not true! You saved Sasuke and I on our last mission!" Sakura argued as she did not want him to be so modest, he deserved the praise.
Kiba heard that and looked over at Sasuke who was trying to hide his face, both from rage and embarrassment. It wasn't long before he started cracking up laughing, pointing at the Uchiha.
"Haha! So the great Uchiha needed rescuing? That's great! That's rich!" Naruto didn't say anything and Sakura realized her words hurt Sasuke's pride, and she felt bad for him.
"Kiba, that's enough." He ignored her and kept poking fun at the boiling Uchiha.
"What's the matter Sakura? Why do you keep standing up for him? Do you still think he likes you? Ha! That guy couldn't care less if some girl liked him or not! You know what I mean too, don't you Uchiha?" Before Sakura could rectify his thoughts on her feelings for the Uchiha, Sasuke erupted.
"Shut up you mutt! I am an Uchiha, the village elite! You have no right to talk down to me! I am stronger than Naruto, and I will prove it when I defeat the guy you couldn't here!" Kiba quieted down and growled at his offensive comment; it seemed as if the two were going to fight about it before Kakashi returned with Kurenai.
The two Jounin had been off to the side, speaking in hushed tones about the situation in Wave. After getting the gist of the situation, Kakashi outlined a basic strategy that she accepted. It was now time to enact the plan and to put away any grudges.
"Kiba, Sasuke! You can fight each other all you want after the mission is over." Kakashi stood between them, keeping them off of each other. "Right now we have a job to do in case you forgot." He hiked a finger over his shoulder to where Tazuna sat on the dirt road, waiting somewhat impatiently.
The two genin looked at one another before turning away without a second glance. The Jounin sighed and scratched his head, there was no pleasing this batch. He turned to Naruto as Kurenai gathered her team to stand with her and get Tazuna moving.
"Naruto, you and Sakura will enter the village and scout it out. Keep an eye out for a shinobi wielding a large sword who wears a Kiri headband, that's our enemy. His name is Zabuza Momochi, once a member of the elite group of swordsmen in Kirigakure before he took off on his own. If you see him, relay his position back to me. Sasuke and I will join Kurenai's squad on guard duty at the bridge." Naruto nodded in acceptance and looked at Sakura who also nodded, happy to stay with Naruto.
"Come along Sasuke, we've got work to do." The Uchiha huffed but followed anyway, figuring he had a better chance of fighting the enemy than Naruto anyway if the important person was with him.
'I'll show you all what it means to be an Uchiha.'
000
'Hmm..so they are dividing their forces? That assassin and pink haired girl are going off alone to watch for Zabuza-sama. I will see what I can do to slow their progress..'
Haku hid within a tree as the Konoha group got underway and split from one another. With stealth skills on par with Naruto, Haku observed Naruto and Sakura leave and quickly began to follow them through the trees. Under Zabuza-sama's orders, he would do whatever it took to see that they succeeded in their mission to kill Tazuna.
If it meant taking on the assassin, he would do just that.
000
Nami no Kuni
Tazuna's Village
"Oh..my god." Sakura gasped as they entered the town of Wave; Naruto merely clinched his fist.
They had a front row view to the poverty of the country and the people who lived there. Gaunt faces, heads hung in sorrow, children begging for scraps; this was such a terrible sight. Naruto realized that Sakura was quite disturbed by it as she had lived within Konoha all her life and could not imagine something as terrible as this. He took her hand and began to lead her through, trying his best not to say anything.
Most of the children stayed away from them as they were afraid of Naruto, otherwise they would be begging the foreigners for money or food. The adults didn't pay them much mind as their hearts had been broken long ago under Gato's rule, they just lived by the day now. A few of the older citizens, the ones who knew of a life of wealth long before Gato came along, nodded or clapped as the Konoha ninja viewed their city.
'They hope we are here to help them..but helping make one person's life happy will only make someone else even worse. There must be a root to this problem..'
"Naruto..this is terrible. Look at this place.." Sakura whispered as they walked along the dirt roads of Wave as if all the life had been sucked away.
Shop vendors closed early as they either ran out of what little stock they had or had no one to buy it. Some drunks stumbled aimlessly away from the sake dens, obviously one vice that was still allowed. Naruto watched one man standing in front of his home, just sweeping the dirt away in one spot for the entire time they passed.
'I can't allow this to go on. Something must be done..'
As Sakura watched a group of children play with one another on the side of the street, Naruto began to lead her down a dark alley. When she realized they were no longer on the main road, Sakura looked around to notice how they were now in quite a secluded spot and blushed. The assassin let go of her hand and began to slide his hands along a wooden wall of one of the houses, occasionally knocking on the hard surface.
"Oh Naru-kun, if you wanted to be alone all you had to do was ask.." Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and waited for him to pounce on her; instead he hit one specific part of the wall hard and it fell in on itself.
Sakura gasped but was quickly quieted down by Naruto's glove, he just shook his head to stay quiet. When she nodded, he let her go and crouched down so he could fit in the small hole made. Once through, he waved her inside the dark and musty room that looked as if it hadn't been used in decades. To get through, Sakura held her breath and reminded herself it was a "Trial of Love".
Once Sakura was inside the small storage room, Naruto quickly picked the wooden wall back up and put it back where it belonged. Standing up, Naruto noticed the room was a little too dark and he figured Sakura could not see a thing as he could hear her mumbled panics.
"Wuh..whoa! Where am I, I hope I'm not stepping on anything.." Naruto heard a crack and a defeated sigh. "Valuable."
Naruto's enhanced sight gave him a bit better chance at getting them through to their destination, so he grabbed Sakura's quivering hand and held it tightly.
"Don't worry Sakura, I'll guide us there." As he said those words, the quivering stopped and Naruto knew she trusted him.
"Thank you, Naru-kun." He led her forward and opened the single door of the room to exit, bringing them into what seemed to be the only other room of the house.
The only thing that made this area brighter than the back room was that there were two windows near the small door that faced the street outside, and a single fireplace that seemed well kept.
"Ah..so one of you Namikaze have finally come to visit me." Naruto and Sakura turned their eyes back to the fireplace and saw what appeared to be an old man, sitting in a very cushioned, faded red chair.
"I was starting to think you all had forgotten about Wave..seeing as how we've been having a whole lot of trouble lately if you haven't noticed." He did not get up to greet them, so Naruto took a few steps toward him.
Sakura gripped his arm tightly, she was afraid of this mysterious person. How did he know Naruto?
"The Namikaze are dead..I am the only one left." It was quiet for a moment before the old man let out a breath of air; it turned out to be smoke from his pipe.
"Well, that doesn't stop you from doing something about this Gato fella now does it? I can give you the info you need and your payment to me will be killing him. This town has suffered long enough under his yoke.." Sakura realized that this man must have been some sort of informant for the Namikaze, that would explain how he knew Naruto's clan.
"Very well, give me the details." Suddenly a scroll was thrown from the darkness and Naruto caught it, it was an assassin contract detailing a businessman named Gato.
"I've had plenty of spare time and was hoping a Namikaze would come along eventually..so I already wrote it up." Naruto began to look through his profile, his frown deepening as he read on what the man had done.
"And all this information is up to date?"
"Right up to today." Sakura saw Naruto's hands grip the parchment in reserved anger before he put it away, nodding to himself.
"I will go now, there is no sense in delaying it. His actions will not be allowed to stand any longer, the Creed will not allow it." The old man had a little chuckle as they made their way to the door.
"I never got you assassins and your code, I just hope you gut him like a fish. Its more than he deserves.." Naruto opened the sliding door and showed himself out and Sakura quickly followed, happy to leave the creepy old man behind.
"Who was that man Naruto?" She asked as they began a casual walk toward the center of town.
"Just an informant my clan used when they had missions in Wave. Informants are used to give us information on a target, but instead of us requesting them to spy on someone when we arrive, they already have the information written and memorized on all potential targets. They also sometimes offer weaponry, a place to stay, or..other favors depending on their job." Sakura nodded, it was as she figured.
"When we arrive at this man's house Sakura, you will stay outside. You are not yet ready to join me in an assassination." Naruto warned her as he did not want to see her get hurt.
While she seemed not so happy at the fact, Sakura nodded. In her current state, she would only be a burden to Naruto when he went after the man. Maybe she could find a better way to support him though..
"When you are outside, if you see anyone suspicious try and enter just whistle. I'll be able to hear you and I will get out of there." They arrived at their destination, a large building with a chain-link fence surrounding it.
"You promise?" She asked, not sure he would agree to such a thing.
"Of course." He smiled and pointed to a nearby house where she would have a good view of the compound.
"Remember just like I taught you how to climb up trees on our way here. Apply chakra to the soles of your feet and walk up the wall, the roof will be a good place to hide." Sakura nodded and walked over toward the building.
She took a deep breath before running up the wall to reach the roof. At first she was afraid she would mess up, but she remembered Naruto's lesson advice and it helped her reach the top.
Naruto smiled at her success and turned back toward the compound, it was his turn. With one leap, he was over the chain fence and running toward the door. Two thugs guarded it and they were shocked to see him coming at them out of nowhere. Before they could even grab their weapons, Naruto punched one in the gut and slammed the other into the wall effectively knocking them both out.
Sakura wanted to clap and cheer for him but decided to stay quiet. It wouldn't do for her to draw attention to him or herself, so instead she did the job Naruto gave her. Other than the two guards at the door, there was no one else guarding the compound's outside. She wondered if this Gato was so confident no one would try anything that he didn't feel the need to have someone outside.
'Well it doesn't matter..Naruto will take him down once and for all.'
000
'So the assassin is after our employer? I should have guessed his Creed would not allow him to let this oppression continue..unfortunately it is not what Zabuza-sama wants.'
Haku, careful to avoid the girl's watchful eye, entered the compound. Today was not the day the Namikaze would make another kill.
000
Nami no Kuni
Gato's Estate
Naruto had entered and explored the estate with little trouble. If the rooms were not empty, the thugs were easily avoided and it seemed Gato made sure to keep them in their own wing of the building. He probably did not enjoy their company, to no surprise. Once Naruto found a large double door, he knew he had arrived at the man's office.
From what he read on the contract, Gato was guarded at all times by two samurai by the names of Zori and Waraji. They had some skill with a blade but were overconfident and arrogant, most likely because they had been fighting against the weak townspeople for so long. He would enjoy teaching them a lesson, and he wouldn't mind killing them if given the opportunity.
Confident there was nothing that could become a problem, Naruto opened the door and entered the room. The wall on the far side of him, behind the desk, was lined with windows. The only furniture was the single desk in the center of the room where Gato now sat, flanked by his bodyguards. Naruto figured this was more of a meeting place than where he actually conducted real "Business".
"Hey I didn't ask for any of you-" Gato took another look at Naruto and stroked his chin in thought. "Hey now, I don't remember hiring someone that looked like you. What's your name?" Naruto walked toward the desk, not even flinching when the samurai put their hands on the katana strapped to their hips.
"My name is unimportant, it would seem the name "Gato" however is very important." Gato, not one to miss praise, smirked devilishly.
"Well of course, I'm the richest man on the island and probably one of the richest in the world! No one can equal me in wealth or power around here..and that's the way I like it." Naruto bit back a snort of disgust and just kept walking, nearing the desk now.
"Yes..the richest man of Wave, while the rest of the people suffer. Do you enjoy letting these people suffer under your rule? Can you really not see past your own selfish gains to help your fellow man?" Now Gato was getting annoyed and a little scared, this kid just comes barging in and preaching to him about "helping a fellow man"?
"Ha! These people are so weak, a rat could push 'em around! At least I'm making a profit from it, who are you to judge me?" Naruto stopped a few feet from his desk, clinching his fist so the hidden blade slowly unsheathed.
"Judge? Jury? I am all that..and your executioner." Before Gato could process it, Naruto broke into a sprint to cover the distance to Gato.
Zori and Waraji couldn't believe the kid's speed and only had their katana half-way out of their holsters when the kid was about to leap over the desk. From under his hood, Naruto shot some needles from his mouth while in mid-air. They hit the samurai in the neck, along their arms and hands; their bodies immediately lost feeling and they fell back onto the ground.
Gato couldn't believe what was happening, how was it this kid was succeeding where the rest had failed? He was afraid, more afraid than he had been even of Zabuza!
'No! Get away from me!'
Suddenly, a tile from the ceiling fell and a dark figure rolled out and pushed Naruto off his trajectory, making his hidden blade slice past Gato's cheek with just a scratch. The blonde quickly recovered and turned around to see someone standing next to Gato's chair, the one who had interfered. They wore unassuming robes but covered their face in a mask, a Kiri hunter-nin mask. This confused Naruto, as the hunter-nin were supposed to only go after a rogue ninja from their village, not interfere with worldly affairs.
'It must mean Gato bribed this one somehow..how disgraceful to see how far the Kiri clan of assassins have fallen. To allow themselves to be integrated into the village was one thing but to go so far as allow themselves to be forced into taking missions like regular shinobi..they can no longer be considered assassins.'
"Why do you interfere with this man's death? Even though you are a hunter-nin to your village, as an assassin of the Creed, you must see why this man must die. Leave and I will forgive this intrusion." Haku said nothing and Naruto growled, charging forward to engage his new enemy.
Haku leaped forward and met him in the middle, their wrist-blades met and a battle of strength ensued. Gato turned his chair around in fear of the outcome, but saw that Haku still lived to hold the assassin off. He took one last look at the fight before he took off running out of the office with a squeal. Naruto howled in anger that this assassin allowed his target to get away and he would make him pay.
"You! How dare you make me lose my target! Did your master teach you nothing-" Haku broke their intertwined blades by leaping back a few feet.
"My master is Zabuza-sama. He took me in when the rest of society persecuted me and I will serve him until death..I have no use for the Creed you or my ancestors follow, it has done me no good." Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing, this assassin was turning away from his duty?
"Not only a traitor..but a slave that uses his skills for someone else' gain. I will make sure to end your life so you do not disgrace the name of assassins any further." Naruto holstered his blade and began weaving hand signs, much to Haku's curiosity.
"You are an odd one..to be so loyal to the Creed that has killed so many people. I suppose that as long as we have not lived in each others place, we will not understand the others situation. But right now is not our time to fight..soon, but not now."
"Shut up!" Naruto grabbed his two tantos and gathered the chakra from his jutsu onto them.
"Kazekiri no Jutsu!" The wind chakra that had enveloped the blades launched from the weapons as Naruto swung them, deadly crescents of wind that would cut straight through Haku.
Naruto did not see that Haku had been going through hand signs as well and as soon as the crescents were launched, Haku created an ice mirror and escaped. Naruto looked around, wary of where his opponent could come from.
"Above you Naruto!" Kyuubi's warning made Naruto look up to see a hail of needles fall from Haku's ice mirror on the ceiling.
He quickly encased the blades in wind chakra and did the same jutsu to cut through the needles, only for Haku's mirror to appear behind him, using the light shining from the windows to blind Naruto. Before he could attempt the same jutsu, Haku used his needles again and this time scored a few penetrations on Naruto's arm and leg.
"Dammit! They are laced with a paralysis poison! I will try to slow it down.." Naruto cursed himself as he watched Haku's mirror melt and disappear, leaving him alone in the room.
000
An ice mirror appeared on the roof of Gato's home and Haku stepped out, looking none the worse. It was then that he brought his left arm up for inspection and saw a thin gash that just began to bleed and he silently cursed. It seemed the assassin's jutsu was quicker than he anticipated.
'He is a tough opponent..hopefully that will keep him out of our battle on the bridge. I don't know how it would turn out if I had to face him again..'
000
'I..I'm getting weaker.' Naruto slowly holstered his tanto blades and began to drag himself toward the exit.
"I sense another presence coming..it is your precious vixen. Seems she got worried." Naruto would've been ready to scold her for coming after him, but in this situation he was glad for the fact.
'I don't think I can make it out of here alone.'
Sakura burst through the door and found Naruto limping toward her with only one arm and leg still functioning. She quickly ran over and looped his limp arm around her shoulders to help steady him.
"Naruto, what happened?" He just shook his head.
"Not enough time..we have to get out of here before more show up. Behind us..we'll go out the window." Sakura helped him move over to the window where he placed an explosive tag to blow out the hardened glass.
They moved off to the edge of the room where the blast would not find them and waited before the seal turned red and exploded in a fiery mess. They wasted no further time leaping out of the new exit, over the chain fence, and into the forest that sat undisturbed on the other side of Gato's compound.
"Naruto, where are we going?" Since they left, he had been giving her directions or pointing off toward a random tree or bush.
He was breathing heavily now as it was taking much effort just to continue walking as he felt the feeling go in his other leg. Kyuubi was cursing within his mind but was still trying his best to counteract the poison. It would be similar to the one he used and that meant the only way to get rid of it would be another assassin's anti-toxin medicine.
"To..a safe house. It should be nearby, keep going Sakura." Sakura was never so scared before, Naruto had never seemed so weak in her eyes.
She didn't want to lose him so that meant she needed to do what he said. As soon as they rounded another tree Naruto had pointed out, he finally told her to stop. He told her to tap her foot over a small square of grass next to the tree, which she did so; it turned out the grass was fake, merely a cover for a whole that descended underneath the earth.
Sakura rested Naruto's limp body against the tree as she took off the covering of the hole just wide enough for a person to fit. She took a peek and saw that it was a bit of a drop and looked at Naruto, concerned. The assassin just chuckled.
"Its safe Sakura, my clan made use of places like this often to rest before and after assassinations. It should have some medicine for this paralysis poison too." Sakura still looked unsure but went with his plan.
"Just help me get over there, I can slide down myself.." Sakura picked him up and brought him over to the hole, allowing him to slowly detach from her and use his arms to slow his descent downward so he would not fall and break his legs from the drop.
After a while, Sakura took a look around and followed him inside, placing the grass cover back over the hole to cover their tracks.
000
Nami no Kuni
Bridge
Kakashi watched as the workers toiled away on the bridge, he and Kurenai stood off toward the side on the railing while the genin helped do the occasional odd job for the workers. Suddenly, he felt a jolt up his spine and looked off toward the city; a bad feeling in his gut surfaced.
'Naruto..Sakura..I hope everything is alright.'
000
Nami no Kuni
Assassin Hideout
"Easy Sakura.."
"R-right!" Sakura had dragged Naruto over to the small bed within the single-room safe house.
Because there was only dirt and roots that made up the walls, she guessed it did not cave in because the Namikaze used some type of Doton or Fuinjutsu to keep the integrity strong. All along the walls were shelves with bottles, weapons, and odd pieces of clothing; along each wall were flags that held the Namikaze clan insignia.
"Sakura, focus." Naruto now had her sitting next to his bed, pulling out the three needles that had imbedded themselves in his bicep and thigh.
"Won't they bleed if I remove them so suddenly like this?" There were a few bandages and such around in case such a thing was necessary but Naruto allayed her concerns.
"No, these are medical needles; extremely precise and don't leave much of a wound behind. Also, I have a heightened healing ability so the wounds won't remain for long." He was of course referring to Kyuubi but left the name out specifically as to not frighten Sakura.
"My work again goes unjustified..'heightened healing ability' thanks to me you little brat."
'I think its more important now I get healed rather than have a lengthy explanation as to why you are inside of me. Don't you think?' Naruto responded with the same sarcasm offered by Kyuubi who reluctantly quieted down in agreement.
Sakura began the process of removing all three, likening it almost to a porcupine's needles. Not once did the assassin make a grunt or growl of pain, he only watched her as she delicately removed the needle, cleaned the wound, and dabbed a bit of ointment on each before bandaging it. When she was done, Naruto asked her to grab a purple flask from the wall and bring it over, what she guessed was the anti-toxin.
"Sakura, please help me take off my hood." She nodded and grabbed his hood, slowly bringing it behind his head so that it would not interfere.
"There you go Naruto..here, let me help you drink." She poured a bit of the flask into a glass and brought it to his lips, one hand behind his head to keep his neck inclined.
When finished with the cup, he did not ask for seconds after the vile taste. Sakura cleaned the glass and put the bottle back on the wooden shelf before returning to Naruto's side. Not knowing what else to do, she fidgeted in her chair and her fingers fiddled with one another in her lap in a nervous pattern. Naruto smiled and shifted a bit so her eyes came back to him.
"The way you took care of my wounds..I think I know what I will teach you in the assassin arts." Sakura's eyes widened, just from her little performance he knew what training to give?
"You see Sakura, the assassins and especially the Namikaze have developed a few different styles or classes to make use of a person's talents. Some have an affinity for genjutsu and become Tricksters, others have strength in taijutsu and become Brawlers, even within the Namikaze we had our own unique one called an Agile. But you..I see you being a Healer." Sakura blushed, she could admit she found the medical ninjutsu in Konoha fascinating but she had never given herself a chance to study it.
"I don't know..I'm probably no good at being a medic." She smiled sheepishly but Naruto shook his head in disagreement.
"I saw the look of focus and intensity you gave while you were handling the needles and wounds, its perfect for you Sakura. Healers amongst assassins not only make potions to heal their fellow clan members but are also skilled in the use of poisons for use in assassinations. I can teach you all of it..if you would allow me to." Sakura looked at his eyes and realized he was not joking, he really did see something of value in her.
'I..I really can do something to help Naruto?'
She had thought that he would train her in basic attacks or taijutsu-she never expected him to actually teach her to be an assassin.
"So, would you like that Saku-" Naruto could speak no more when Sakura practically tackled him, bringing her arms around his neck and just crying into his ear.
"Thank you so much Naruto! I promise I will do my best to make you happy!" Naruto, despite now having trouble breathing, just smiled and brought a weak hand up to stroke her back.
"The use of your limbs is coming back..looks like its almost time we have our revenge. They will surely head to the bridge while they think you are out of the the running..oh how wrong they will be." Naruto concurred with Kyuubi's thoughts.
'Yeah..but let me lay here just a little longer...'
000
Nami no Kuni
Bridge
After Naruto and Sakura did not return after a few hours of scouting, Kakashi and Kurenai both concurred something had happened. When they warned Tazuna it would be time to pack up early, he quickly dismissed his workers and made sure everyone else left before he allowed the Konoha-nin to take him home.
"Kurenai, you take your squad and head back to Tazuna's home to keep Tsunami-san and Inari-san safe. I wouldn't doubt it if Gato tried to use them against us." Kurenai nodded and took off with her squad while Kakashi and Sasuke would escort Tazuna home at a pace he could keep up with.
"Let's get going before-"
"Oh? Leaving so soon Kakashi?" They turned around to see Zabuza standing on the bridge, a smirk hidden under his bandages as he saw their eyes light up in fear.
"Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from Kirigakure and the master of the Silent Kill technique. Looks like we won't be getting away as easily as I hoped." Kakashi moved to stand between him and Tazuna to better protect him from attack.
"I see the Copy Ninja of Konoha knows of me just as I know of him, I'm honored to make your acquaintance. From what I hear, Haku also met with one of your students and an assassin no less. It seems we both have interesting tools at our disposal." When he said the boy's name, Haku appeared next to him in the same outfit as before although he bandaged his arm.
"..And it would seem my student gave him a nasty wound, something I would expect from Konoha's Namikaze heir." Zabuza glared at Kakashi and Haku did not show any reaction at all.
"Enough of this idle banter, I'm here to kill that bridge builder of yours. If you stand aside then I will not attack you." Kakashi sighed and closed his right eye, bringing a hand up to lift his headband.
"I don't think so.." He revealed his sharingan to Zabuza who smiled in anticipation. "You'll have to go through me first."
Zabuza unsheathed his sword and rested it on his shoulder, glancing at Haku before looking at Sasuke.
"Let's see how our students do against one another, eh Kakashi? Haku..see if that Uchiha brat is any good, if the Namikaze could give you such a cut let's see what an Uchiha can do." Sasuke growled at the challenge and stepped forward only to be stopped by Kakashi's hand.
"This battle is between you and me Zabuza. Sasuke, stay with Tazuna." The swordsmen chuckled and used his sword to point at the frightened bridge builder.
"You don't seem to understand Kakashi, you try and stop Haku and I will kill that man. If you fight me then Haku goes through your little brat and then kills him. You pick which one suits your taste better." Kakashi's eyes settled in a dangerous glare before he reluctantly lifted his arm out of Sasuke's way.
"Sasuke.." The boy looked at his teacher who kept his eyes on Zabuza, his tone was dangerous. "Don't lose."
000
And we will cut it off right there. You get some more insight on how the assassins work with informants, the presence of safe houses, and the different classes of assassins. I added the specific classes to keep things interesting and to accommodate for all the different styles of fighting in Naruto, I felt the assassins would adapt and make their own ways to equal shinobi (ex. Medical-nin = Healer Genjutsu Master/Mistress = Trickster etc).
The different assassin classes all utilize the tools of an assassin but they are also specialized in some sort of shinobi skill as well.
We also revealed Haku's place, but I didn't go into too much detail on Kirigakure and their Assassin Sect. I also hope you liked Squad 8's reaction to Naruto and got a little more insight on what kind of people the Namikaze are.
I hope you enjoy.
Review!
Peace!