Well, first thing is first… An official apology for being a deuche.
I said two weeks, and… Well, it's clearly been a LOT longer than two weeks. But, life has a way of fucking me and all, but I won't get into that. I have NOT abandoned this fic, but let's just say that the Wave arc isn't really one of my favorite story arcs in Naruto and it's been hard trying to find a way that I could write this without shaking my head in disappointment.
Thankfully, I found a way that I find appropriate and I am going to continue with this fic. Hopefully, I haven't lost my touch too much, but remember, it's hard for me to do this story arc. I won't rush it, but I'm trying to get through it without slaughtering it.
Well, like it or not, here it is. I'm back and I've found my inspiration yet again. Thankfully, the Chunin exam story arc is A LOT more interesting for me and I actually have some story mapped out for that… I will be doing something different with the wave arc and I'm sure, that people will hate me for it… Good for them.
Without further ado, I present chapter 3 of Rise of a Namikaze!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 3
'C' Ranked
Naruto was walking home from the Hokage mansion, covered in scratches courtesy of a cat by the name of Tora.
'Fucking cat… Wouldn't scratch Sakura when she held it, but the second I get close it attacks me…'
The cat would of course attack Sasuke and Kakashi, but only if they were holding the cat. The beast seemed to have an uncanny hatred for Naruto that Sakura had seemed to comment on continuously.
Over the month that squad seven had been together, things between Sakura and Naruto were rocky at best. There were times when Sakura would seem to have forgotten the fights that they had gotten in and would say something, well, not necessarily polite, but neutral towards Naruto.
Other times however, she seemed to have an undying hatred for said blonde. Thankfully for both Naruto and Sakura, she didn't yell at him often and when she did, Naruto would just glare at her and point out her large forehead to shut her up.
Sasuke had at one point approached Naruto after a mission and asked why Naruto was being so hostile towards Sakura lately.
Flashback
"I can't really say for certain, but I've just grown tired of taking her abuse so often. It just sends me over the edge and I can't really control what I say to her. It just seems to spill out and there's just no end to it in sight."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows at this and shrugged before calling him a dobe and walking off, leaving an upset blonde Genin flipping him off.
Flashback end
Naruto sighed as he arrived at his apartment building and began to ascend the stairs.
"First thing's first… Change, eat, then train!" the blonde said as anger clawed at him again.
'If I don't get strong enough, I won't be able to prove my worth to my father…'
He fumbled with his key and opened the door to the small apartment.
He threw his coat on the bed and changed into his training Gi. He then grabbed a cup and filled it with water.
Raising it to his mouth, he paused and stared at the water inside the cup. Smiling to himself, he used his chakra to pull the water into his palm and activate his Suiton: Hahonryū.
Naruto let the Jutsu dissipate, drenching his hand in the cool water. He refilled his cup and drank the water in one go.
Wiping his mouth, he grabbed his kunai holster and adjusted his Hitai-ate.
Glancing at his weights, he altered the weight, decreasing it until they felt nonexistent.
'Gai told me to train once in a while without them to get used to the speed… May as well do it now!'
Naruto opened his window, planning on returning through said window.
He jumped out the window, amazed at how light he felt.
'Holy shit!' He thought as his eyes widened. 'This is so cool!'
He landed on a building a block away from his apartment.
Grinning, he jumped down to the street below and took off at high speeds, making him into a black and yellow blur to many.
There were many things Anko Mitarashi did not enjoy. People who judged her for her sensei's actions were one. Those that hated Dango, the holy treat of the world. The list went on and on. But one thing she hated surfaced to her mind when some idiot knocked her aside by not watching where he was going.
'PUNK ASS GENIN!!!' she screamed mentally as she looked at the dango that she had been carrying that was now currently on the ground, covered in dirt.
She began to grind her teeth as she withdrew a kunai from its holster.
"Time to die…" she said under her breath. With that said, she took off at high speed after the blonde haired Genin that had bowled her over.
Naruto felt bad for knocking over some lady that had just exited a dango shop, but he didn't have time to stop. There was little daylight left and he needed to train a bit more on the Katon Jutsu that he was working on along with more kata's for his still unnamed Taijutsu style.
He grinned when he reached his 'private' training spot.
"Alright!!! Time to start working on…" he did not get to finish his sentence however as he heard a kunai whistling through the air.
He threw himself to the side and quickly recovered his own kunai in hand when another kunai nicked his cheek.
Sensing someone behind him, he preformed a quick Kawarimi and threw his own kunai at who had been behind him a second before.
It turned out to be the woman he had accidentally knocked over, and she was very talented as she had caught the kunai by the blade between two fingers.
Naruto gulped, already sensing that he was outmatched.
'I already feel like I'm facing Kakashi all over again and I haven't even seen this chick fight.'
The smile on her face seemed innocent enough, but her outfit contradicted her expression.
'That's a short skirt… And what the hell is up with the fishnets?'
Thankfully, Naruto was spared embarrassment. She was wearing a tan trench coat over her figure, obscuring what was quite obvious.
"Are you eyeing me?" she asked sweetly, the smile still plastered on her face.
Naruto gulped. His senses were going crazy at this point, all of them pointing towards danger.
"Look, I'm sorry I knocked you over, but I was in a hurry!" he said as he slowly backed up.
Anko looked confused, a sweet innocent confused expression. She looked around the empty clearing.
"I can see that! It's so busy out here! What exactly did you need to do!? Because, there seems to be so much to do out here!"
Naruto gulped again, his heart racing. "T…training. I need to get stronger."
"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. "You're a Shinobi! Well, so am I!"
Naruto nodded. "I can see that ma'am."
"Please, call me Anko!" she said, the innocent smile back on her face.
'She's messing with me!' Naruto screamed in his mind, fear clawing at his heart.
"I'm guessing you're a Jonin" Naruto said, as his hand reached for his kunai pouch.
"What gave me away?" she asked as she tilted her head.
Naruto grinned. "The fact that you caught up with me is a good indication, or when you caught my kunai."
"Then," Anko began as her smile faltered. "Let's get down to business!"
Naruto sprang into action first, aiming a kunai at her head, only for it to be deflected by his kunai that Anko had caught earlier.
Naruto formed five Kage Bunshin and went into action.
'May as well see how well I fight without weights!'
Pushing himself as fast as he could go, he charged Anko who had jumped up onto a branch.
Anko narrowed her eyes at the charging Genin.
'Solid clones huh? Interesting to say the least… I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this Genin!'
Faster than Naruto could follow, she launched a barrage of shuriken which dispelled the attacking Bunshin. However, Naruto had gotten behind her and was aiming his punch at the back of her head.
'I'm not a Jonin for nothing…' she thought to herself. Spinning around, she pushed Naruto's arm out of the way and aimed a palm strike at Naruto's chest. She struck to find that he had preformed a Kawarimi.
"That was fast for a Genin" she said loud enough for Naruto to hear her across the clearing."
Then, Anko disappeared from Naruto's sight. His eyes widened as he knew her next move. Naruto jumped off of the branch just as it exploded.
'Shit! This bitch is trying to kill me!' She reappeared just above Naruto, another palm strike aimed at Naruto's back.
Naruto felt a huge flash of pain as she struck hard and without mercy. He plummeted to the ground and bounced off of the hard earth.
He rolled to his feet, kunai flying towards his target already as he preformed his hand seals.
Anko narrowed her eyes as she used her speed to charge up to Naruto as he inhaled while striking the Tiger hand seal. Before Naruto knew what was happening, he was pinned to a tree, a kunai in his right arm.
:ARRRRRRRGH!!!" he screamed out in pain.
Anko glared at him. "SHUT IT BRAT! I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS IF YOU WEREN'T TRYING TO USE JUTSU!"
Naruto gritted his teeth as Anko got nose to nose with him.
"I fucking hate you Genin. A bunch of whiney snot nosed brats!"
Naruto glared at her. "Fuck you…" With that said, he head butted her as hard as he could.
Anko felt her nose break as she lost her concentration and fell to the ground.
'Fuck! That was unexpected!' She leaped back up; a second after she hit the ground to find that she was surrounded by more Kage Bunshin.
Anko wiped the blood pouring from her nose onto her sleeve. "You're going to pay for that Gaki!"
Naruto charged through the forest. 'It should take her at least a minute or so to find out that they're all Kage Bunshin and that I'm long gone!'
He jumped from tree to tree, thankful that he was getting used to the speed already.
'At least I've got a head start on psychobitch back there!'
Suddenly, he received the memories of his last Kage Bunshin.
'FUCK! Already!? It's only been thirty seconds!!!!' He pumped chakra into his legs to increase his speed, knowing that she was already gaining on him.
He saw the lights from the village buildings and hoped onto the nearest roof and took off from there.
Panting Naruto knew to not stop until he was in a safe location.
'Can't go home, or she'll find out where I live. Dammit I wish I could just split up into… Oh my god I am so fucking dumb!!!'
Forming the sign that signified his signature move, he created fifty more Bunshin.
"Scatter!" he ordered.
Anko watched from a far. "Kid's got spunk! But that won't be enough to save him from me…" She made the cross seal and created five Kage Bunshin of herself who then disguised themselves as Naruto.
"Hunting time…" they all said with a malicious grin on their faces.
They all took off at tremendous speeds, hunting down each Bunshin of Naruto's.
'It'll be hard for him to distinguish which are his, and which are mine…' she thought as she watched the commotion ensue.
Naruto was panicking at this point. 'She's disguising herself as my own Bunshin. Shit!'
Naruto had been assaulted by his Bunshin's memories, all of them depicting another of his Bunshin attacking them.
'Just great…' Naruto thought as he spotted a Bunshin nearby and impaling it with a shuriken. It dispelled and revealed that it was one of his own.
'Dammit…'
He looked around as he continued through the city. People looked on in confusion at all the Naruto's running around.
Naruto glanced up at the Hokage Tower and felt suddenly relieved.
'Jii-san can help me!' He then bolted for the large red building.
Anko smiled as one of her Bunshin dispelled itself.
'Hokage Tower… Gotcha!'
Anko disappeared in a Shunshin, her smile not fading one bit.
Naruto burst through the door to the Hokage's office just as he felt her presence behind him.
"SHIT!" he exclaimed as she pinned him up against a wall, kunai pressed up on his neck.
"ANKO, NARUTO!!! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" The Sandaime yelled as he stood up; pipe in hand, papers littering the floor.
It seemed that the two of them had interrupted some paperwork.
Anko opened her mouth to speak but Naruto beat her to the punch.
"THIS CRAZY BITCH IS TRYING TO FUCKING KILL ME FOR NO DAMN REASON!!!"
"Naruto! Anko is one of the finest Kunoichi in this village!" the Hokage reprimanded.
"Yeah? WELL SHE'S STILL CRAZY!!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!"
Anko smiled over at the Hokage sweetly, causing the old man to sigh.
"Anko, please release Naruto-kun…" he said tiredly.
She glanced back at the boy she had pinned, as if considering killing him then and there. Finally, to Naruto's relief, she dropped him and stowed her kunai in her jacket.
"Thanks for the exercise kid, maybe we can do it again sometime?" she suggested with a wink.
Naruto simply glared at her as he brushed dirt off of his clothes.
'What kind of psycho is she?' he wondered as she bowed to the Hokage and walked out of the room.
The Sandaime shook his head and turned to the blonde Genin in his office.
"Naruto, I would suggest you don't antagonize Anko. She's a very temperamental individual."
Naruto glared at the closed door that Anko had exited. "Yeah, sure…" Without another word, Naruto walked to one of the windows that happened to be open.
"I'll see you around Jii-san…" That said, Naruto jumped out of the window, landed in the street, and took off at high speeds to finally start his training for the day.
The Sandaime watched thoughtfully before speaking.
"How do you think Naruto faired against Anko?" he asked.
A voice belonging to a silver haired Jonin answered him. "To be honest, I've learned to not be surprised by our maverick Shinobi… Since the bell test I've been keeping a close eye on him just like you asked me to. His training is yielding some interesting results to say the least."
The Sandaime nodded. "Any sign of him tapping into the Kyubi's chakra?" he asked.
Kakashi shook his head. "Not yet, but his temper is still flaring up frequently. Haruno Sakura seems to trigger these outbursts, but I think that there's nothing to worry about it. After all, he is sensei's son."
"Yes" Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "He really is Minato's son…"
Naruto sighed as he continued pulling weeds from the soft dirt below him.
He glanced over to his left to see that his squad mates were still suffering a similar fate.
'These missions are absolutely pointless!' thought the young blonde Genin.
He continued pulling weed after weed as the sun beat down on him. His knees were aching from crawling around the large yard, keeping an eye out for more of the pests.
He wiped his forehead, freeing it of sweat for the moment when he heard a poof behind him.
He turned to see his sensei standing near him.
"Good work Squad seven… seems like our work is done" Kakashi declared as he continued to read Make-out paradise as usual.
Naruto smiled to himself. 'Another worthless mission, completed!'
He pushed himself up, feeling the weights he wore attempting to keep him down.
Popping his neck, he walked to his teacher to ask him a question.
Kakashi noticed him walking towards him and closed his book with a snap.
"Something wrong Naruto?" he asked.
Naruto hesitated as he stopped in front of his teacher.
"Well, I was just wondering why we don't do much training and we continue to do these worthless missions…" he mumbled.
'Well, he certainly is maturing… in a sense.' Kakashi thought to himself.
"Naruto, these missions are quite important to the village. It's more of a profit to accept these missions rather than turn them down and wait for higher ranked ones."
Naruto groaned. "You've told me that before Kakashi-sensei, but you never tell us why we never train together! You haven't really taught us anything!"
Kakashi was silent for a moment before smiling at the Genin.
"These missions are for training Naruto. They help train our teamwork."
Naruto stared blankly at the silver haired Jonin. '…There are other ways as well though…' he thought to himself.
Sasuke and Sakura had listened to the entire conversation, opting to stay quite and listen to Kakashi's answer.
"Well, let's get going to the Hokage, shall we?" Kakashi said lazily as he reopened his book and began to walk away.
Naruto and the others followed him, each of them complaining silently to themselves.
Naruto glanced over at Sasuke who seemed to be brooding as always.
'I could try asking him to be a sparring partner, but he's such a jerk!!!'
Naruto then glanced at Sakura who had been spending half of the mission glaring at him, while the other half was spent trying to talk to Sasuke.
'Sakura's too much of a hassle to even attempt thinking of asking… Guess I'll keep working with Gai-sensei and Lee.'
Naruto saw something dart past them and groaned upon recognizing it.
'Nooo!!! Tora escaped again… Man, if we get another mission where we have to capture that fur ball, I'll fucking kill it!!!'
Sasuke was thinking among the same lines, having seen it dart past them. He had even considered throwing a Kunai after it to save them future missions.
They reached the Hokage tower quickly and went inside. They navigated through the many hallways until they reached the room where they were to report for missions.
Kakashi opened the door to reveal the large room, where at one end was a large table where three figures sat.
Naruto knew the first two quite personally. Umino Iruka and Sarutobi Hiruzen were discussing something with the third man whom Naruto couldn't even recall the name of. Not that he cared in the first place.
"Squad seven reporting the mission as a success" Kakashi announced, his book having disappeared since they had entered.
The Sandaime Hokage looked over and nodded, while smiling at Naruto.
He jotted something down and returned his gaze to Kakashi.
"Well, since it is the end of the day, I'll have to ask you to return tomorrow for more missions, however, I would like a word with Naruto and you, Kakashi…"
Sakura looked slightly confused and was about to say something when she noticed that the Sandaime's face had lost any semblance of a smile and was replaced with a look of an extremely tired man.
She looked over at Kakashi to see that his expression was unreadable as always.
She didn't bother looking at her blonde teammate and decided to bow to the Hokage, and follow an indifferent Sasuke out the door.
Once the door was closed, the Sandaime Hokage stood up and walked around the table.
Kakashi led Naruto towards the Hokage and met in the middle of the room.
"Naruto, I wished to speak with you and your sensei privately about your tenant. I would prefer to continue to my office, if that is ok with the two of you…"
Kakashi nodded, while Naruto seemed slightly alarmed.
"It's nothing horrible Naruto, don't worry" Kakashi assured him.
Naruto slowly nodded as well and the Sandaime smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Hiruzen walked out the front door and started towards his office. Naruto followed right behind him while Kakashi held back for a moment when he noticed that his other two students were waiting for them.
"We're done for the day, so you two can head on home now."
He walked past them with a wave.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at their behavior. "That's weird, why does the Hokage want to talk to those two alone?" she asked.
Sasuke shrugged as he turned around and walked away, intending on training with the remaining daylight.
Sakura sighed. 'Sasuke still doesn't talk to me… What am I doing wrong?'
She walked down the same hall Sasuke had just seconds before, planning on heading home to prepare for the next day full of worthless tasks.
Kakashi closed the door behind him and turned towards the Hokage.
Hiruzen sat down as he extracted his pipe from his robes and quickly lit the contents.
Tobacco permeated the air around them and Naruto wrinkled his nose slightly. The Hokage gestured for Naruto to sit across from him which he did.
"The reason I wanted to speak to you Naruto, is that lately you have been getting more aggressive. Surely you have noticed this as well."
Naruto nodded. "What does that have to do with the Kyubi?" he asked.
The Sandaime sucked on the pipe, inhaling the tobacco, filling his lungs with it.
He breathed out the smoke, causing the smell of tobacco to intensify.
"The Kyubi's chakra seems to be seeping out slightly whenever you feel intense emotions, in these instances, anger. We believe that you may be able to start accessing the demon's chakra soon."
Naruto's eyes widened. "What are we going to do?!" he yelled out as he stood up.
"Nothing…" said the aged Hokage.
"W… What? But this isn't good, is it?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi picked up at this point.
"Naruto, as you know, you are a Jinchuriki… Although, you were not created as most Jinchuriki are. In fact, your seal is unique, so we don't know if it was designed to allow you access to the Kyubi, but I'm sure that we can safely assume this."
"Jinchuriki are usually created to serve one specific purpose… To be a weapon for their village… You on the other hand, were given a demon to protect the village, not to become its weapon… well, not in that sense that is."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. "In that sense?" he asked.
Kakashi's eye bore into Naruto's. "Ninja's are usually seen as weapons for their respective nations. That is what we are and it is a difficult truth."
Naruto was about to reply when the Sandaime Hokage spoke up.
"Now is not the time for philosophies… I felt, that you should know what is happening to you Naruto, to better prepare you for the coming day. That is why I have told you."
Naruto sat in silence as the Hokage and his Jonin instructor watched him carefully.
'So, I'll be able to use the Kyubi's chakra?'
"I'm not sure what that means though…" Naruto spoke up after several minutes of silence. "What's the benefit of being able to use his chakra when I can just use mine?"
The Sandaime inhaled more of the smoke from his pipe before answering.
"Demonic chakra is much more potent than our own Naruto… It was said that the Kyubi no Kitsune could cause landslides and Tsunami's by merely waving it's tails. That is the type of power you will be accessing, however I doubt you'll be able to get that amount of power."
Realization dawned on Naruto.
"But, I will be stronger?" he asked for confirmation.
The Sandaime nodded. "There have been Jinchuriki before and it is said that everything from speed, to power, even Jutsu, are amplified thanks to the power of the Biju contained within."
"What about the risks involved?" Naruto asked quickly.
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, curious about why he had asked such a question.
Naruto shook his head. "I can't believe that power like that doesn't have a draw back… I mean, take the chakra gates for example. Opening one grants amazing strength, but it takes a toll on the muscles. I'm sure there's a draw back to using demonic chakra."
Kakashi and the Sandaime both smiled at Naruto's reasoning.
"That, Naruto, is indeed a great observation and a wise question."
Naruto's shock appeared on his face, but turned quickly into happiness.
The Sandaime took a moment to look at the boy. He had definitely changed in the month he had been with Squad seven.
"While demonic chakra does give you amazing abilities, it does indeed have drawbacks. Humans aren't demons, and their bodies tire quickly using demonic chakra. It's like a slow acting poison, which is why having a Jinchuriki could be a risk. But, I trust in you to know when to not use the Kyubi's chakra… You are the son of the Yondaime Hokage after all."
Naruto grinned. "Thanks Jii-san."
The Sandaime Hokage chuckled at the young blonde. "On another note, Kakashi and I have been observing some of your training, and I must say that we are both impressed at your progress. You've learned quite a few Jutsu since joining the squad Naruto."
Naruto was shocked. 'I never sensed anyone watching me other than Shikamaru that one time, but I lost him.'
Kakashi chuckled at the look on the blonde's face.
"Don't worry Naruto, there's a good reason why you didn't detect us. But for now, just put that at the back of your mind."
Naruto nodded slowly, wondering how they could have been watching him all this time.
'How much did they see?' he wondered.
"Naruto, I look forward to hearing about how well you used your Jutsu when you get back from your next mission" the Hokage said.
This brought Naruto's attention back to the present as he had been lingering on possibilities of why he had never sensed the two.
Naruto scowled for a moment.
"What seems to be the matter Naruto?" The Sandaime asked, fully aware of what was on the blonde's mind.
"How the hell am I supposed to use Jutsu on the missions we've been going on? Tracking down a cat, weeding a garden, delivering dog food and groceries…" Naruto grumbled as he squinted in anger at the Hokage.
Kakashi chuckled at this as Naruto rounded on his sensei, eyes blazing with childish anger.
Kakashi waved his hand, "Sorry, just remembered something from Icha Icha Paradise."
Naruto stared at him for a moment, his bottom lip sticking out in a thoughtful pout as Sarutobi spoke up.
"Well, if you feel that these missions are far too easy, then I can always assign you a more challenging mission."
Naruto looked at the Hokage, the words still processing in his mind. Finally, realization dawned on him and his face lit up with gleeful joy.
"Really? No more painfully boring and redundant 'D' ranked missions!?" Naruto exclaimed.
Sarutobi and Kakashi both knew that Naruto had been studying on certain things, but hearing him use more 'difficult' words as Naruto had once put it, was astonishing to both of them and showed them even more just how far along Naruto had come.
"Y…yes Naruto-kun. Tomorrow you and your squad shall receive a 'C' ranked mission."
Kakashi smiled behind his mask as Naruto began bouncing around the room.
'Still a ball of energy.' He thought to himself as his copy of Icha Icha Paradise appeared in his hand. 'Now where exactly was I?' he wondered as he disappeared in a Shunshin.
Naruto noticed Kakashi leaving and settled down a bit, still grinning from ear to ear.
"Naruto, this may only be a 'C' ranked mission that I'm giving you, but please, be careful out there" the Hokage asked in worried tone.
Naruto gave the Hokage a thumbs up. "Don't worry about me Jii-san! I can't die until after I've become the best Hokage ever!"
Without waiting for a response from the old man, Naruto ran out of the room, Sarutobi knowing that Naruto was off to train yet again.
Naruto yawned as he walked through the village gates the next morning.
'Well, training is done for the majority of the day… Guess I should go wait for Kakashi-sensei and the others…' he thought to himself as he walked up the main road in the village.
He continued onward until he realized what was just a few blocks away from where he currently was.
"ICHIRAKU'S!!!" He cried out in realization. Faster than most villagers could see, Naruto bolted for his beloved ramen stand.
Unfortunately for the blonde haired Genin, the ramen stand hadn't opened.
Naruto pouted as he stared at the small ramen stand, wishing to any kind of god that the shop would open then and there with the days first batch of ramen ready.
"Naruto…" a voice greeted from behind him. Naruto turned quickly, his instincts gripping him as his left hand went for his kunai holster. He relaxed when he found that it was his team mate Sasuke.
"What do you want?" Naruto asked in an irritated tone.
Sasuke considered him for a moment, eyeing Naruto's kunai holster with disdain.
"Walk with me…" he said as he proceed down the street.
Naruto watched him walk past; wondering why on earth Uchiha Sasuke would want to speak with Uzumaki Naruto. Shrugging it off, he followed his raven haired team mate.
Sasuke had been intrigued by the enigma that was Naruto. Sure, back in the academy, Uzumaki Naruto was nothing more than a class clown that couldn't even perform a basic Henge without it turning into a prank.
Hell, he had failed the final exam at least three times from what Sasuke had heard. Then, he had seen him on the bell test. Naruto had changed from a bumbling idiot to a half decent Shinobi. Sure, he hadn't gotten as close to the bells as Sasuke had, but Naruto had some tricks up his sleeve that had caught a Jonin off guard.
He had preformed an interesting Suiton Jutsu that Sasuke had heard of from Itachi when he was a child. It wasn't a legendary 'S' ranked Jutsu, but the fact that Naruto had preformed it so easily was surprising. He must have learned it quite recently as well as Naruto wasn't one to keep a secret. Sasuke remembered how whenever Naruto had learnt something in the academy, he would flaunt it as much as possible.
So, knowing that Naruto was a decent enough team mate, Sasuke had come to a decision.
Sasuke needed to get stronger and Naruto was obviously getting stronger quickly.
"Naruto… I have a question for you." Sasuke spoke as he kept ahead of Naruto.
Naruto grunted, letting Sasuke know that he was listening.
"I noticed that you've gotten better, and I was thinking that maybe we could train together… See each others training styles."
Naruto stopped walking, knowing exactly what Sasuke was after.
He remembered reading a book about the clan Sasuke was from and it didn't exactly put them in a positive light.
'He just wants to copy any Jutsu I show him and my Taijutsu style! Fucking Uchiha!!!
The book that Naruto had read had gone into specific detail about the Uchiha clan's Sharingan Doujutsu and how it would copy Jutsu of any type.
"Sasuke… Fuck you. I know about your Sharingan eye and I don't feel like having my techniques stolen and possibly used against me, so, I say, go fuck your self you bastard!"
Before Sasuke could inform him of his lack of Sharingan, Naruto had already taken to the buildings.
'That is the last fucking time I try to actually be nice to that Dobe…' Sasuke thought as he glared after the blonde. 'I just wanted to make sure that at least one of my team mates wouldn't hold me back, and there is no way in hell I'm asking Sakura… hmph…'
Sticking his hands in his pockets, he continued on his aimless path to kill time before he had to go to squad seven's meeting place.
Sakura yawned as she woke up that morning, her thoughts all on Sasuke.
That is until she looked out her window to see Naruto standing on the roof talking to someone who seemed to be out of sight at the moment.
'…FUCKING STALKER NARUTO!!!' she screamed mentally. She grabbed her kunai holster off of her chair and withdrew one of the throwing knives. Opening her window, she could hear Naruto's voice as well as the voice of another male who seemed unbelievably loud.
"…AND LET THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY NARUTO-KUN!!!" the voice yelled. Before Sakura could locate the voice's origin, she heard the sounds of a Shunshin Jutsu being preformed.
Her attention refocused on Naruto who had just caught sight of Sakura.
"What do you want Naruto?!" Sakura asked in a violent tone of voice.
Naruto glared and looked at the house she was leaning out of.
"So this is where you live… Interesting…"
Sakura glared at the venom in Naruto's voice but knew better than to antagonize him any further.
"Since you're here, maybe you'd like to know that we have a 'C' ranked mission today" Naruto said as he turned away from her and disappeared, hoping from roof to roof.
Naruto gritted his teeth as the anger seemed to be burning in his gut.
'What the hell is it with me? Whenever she even talks I get so angry! If I ever did love her, that love has transformed into hatred… ugh… why won't the burning stop?'
His hand went to his stomach, as if to find something there, but all he felt was a shirt over an unblemished stomach.
Shaking his head, he continued towards the training grounds to wait for the next few hours if Kakashi's current record was any indication.
Naruto continued to play with his kunai as he sat in a tree away from his two other teammates. He continued to receive glares from the two of them and continued to ignore them both, keeping all of his focus on his kunai.
He sensed Kakashi approaching and smirked. 'I doubt it'll do anything, but it'll be a… warm… welcome.'
He waited a few more seconds before springing into action.
He jumped up onto a higher branch before pouring his chakra into his legs to assist with the next jump. He pushed off the branch, rocketing into the sky, kunai in hand. Once he got through the foliage, he threw the kunai at the just emerged Kakashi.
Kakashi merely caught the kunai on his index finger, no indication of surprise at all.
"Good morning Naruto… Excited for our next mission?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto landed on the ground softly and crossed his arms.
"You could say that Kakashi-sensei" he said with a grin.
Kakashi analyzed Naruto's demeanor for a moment before nodding.
'It seems that he had a run in with the rest of our squad earlier… He already seems fatigued meaning he had a brief spurt of anger resulting in a miniscule amount of chakra from his prisoner to run through his system…'
"Well, today is a special day for the three of you! I just returned from the mission hall and we have received our first 'C' ranked mission together!" Kakashi said enthusiastically, his eye curving into what they had come to know as him smiling.
Sakura's eyes widened when she realized that what Naruto had said earlier today had been true.
"What's the mission?" Naruto asked.
"We are to protect a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna from Nami no Kuni."
Sasuke nodded, satisfied that he finally would have a mission that didn't involve weeding or babysitting.
Sakura grinned, her thoughts mirroring Sasuke's and a few other thoughts involving said Genin.
Naruto stared at Kakashi before speaking. "So it's an escort and protect mission?" he asked.
Kakashi nodded. "Yes! From what Tazuna-san told me, we will be protecting him from possible bandits and such until his bridge is completed."
"Bridge?" Sakura inquired.
"Yes Sakura, a bridge. It seems that Tazuna is a bridge builder and is currently constructing a bridge connecting Nami no Kuni to the Land of Fire. So, I want you to run to your homes and gather the supplies required for a 'C' ranked mission… I assume that the academy taught you what to take on this type of mission?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke and Sakura nodded, Naruto however, did not.
Noticing this, Kakashi made a note to talk to Naruto to see what else he may be lacking from the academy.
"Excellent, I will meet you at the eastern gate in one hour!" Sasuke and Sakura turned to leave but Naruto walked straight up to Kakashi.
'There is no pride lost in asking for crucial information… there is no pride lost in asking for crucial information…' Naruto recited in his head over and over.
"I'm guessing you slept through that particular class, right?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto shook his head. "I think I may have skipped that day actually…" he said as he suppressed a glare.
Kakashi shrugged. "Food, water, kunai, shuriken, a few scrolls, camping gear… It isn't much and we are only going on a 'C' rank… Try to pack as light as possible though." Kakashi's eyes traveled to the bracers that Naruto was wearing under his clothes.
"I'm not taking off my weights, after all, it's only a 'C' ranked mission" Naruto said.
Kakashi chuckled. "Caught me in my own trap… You are maturing!" he said in mock surprise.
"One hour, eastern gate…" Naruto said as he took off at high speeds.
Kakashi stood there, watching as Naruto jumped into the trees and increased his speed.
"You're on your way to making him proud…" Kakashi then disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Naruto had gotten off on the wrong foot when he had met Tazuna the bridge builder.
First off, he had insulted the blonde by asking if the team was a joke or if he was expected to leave his life in their hands. A kunai through his hat had quickly quieted the old man followed by a glare usually reserved for Sasuke.
The following three hours were full of awkward silences and palpable tension between everyone save for Kakashi.
'Well… This is interesting to say the least…' Kakashi thought from behind his orange book. He continued to read it, unperturbed when he noticed a puddle in the middle of the road.
Naruto saw the puddle as well, and thought nothing of it at first until it struck him how warm it was outside.
'It hasn't rained in a while, and it's got to be at least 80 degrees right now… So why the hell is there a puddle here?' Naruto looked back at Kakashi who seemed to be relaxed and enjoying his book still.
'Well, if Kakashi-sensei hasn't noticed anything strange, then it's probably nothing…'
They group continued on, unaware of two figures rising silently from the puddle.
'Now!' one of them thought. As if signaled, one of the men launched the other towards the leader of the group… Kakashi.
Hearing the clinking of some sort of chain, Naruto and Sasuke reacted quickly. They grabbed Tazuna and threw him to the ground while pivoting just in time to see shuriken chain wrap around their sensei.
"KAKASHI!!!" Naruto yelled wide eyed as the silver haired Jonin was torn to shreds by the two near identical men with breathing apparatuses covering a majority of their faces.
"One down…" one of them muttered.
"Fuck…" Naruto breathed as he withdrew a kunai. "Sasuke… Take care of the old man, I've got this!" Before Sasuke could argue, Naruto had taken off towards the two men.
'Time to see if I can actually fight enemy Shinobi!' Naruto thought to himself. He threw a kunai at the one to his left and jumped into the air only to be impaled by a flurry of shuriken from the man on the right.
Naruto disappeared in a plum of smoke revealing that he had preformed a Kawarimi.
The two men rocketed towards Sasuke, who was currently guarding a scared Sakura and Tazuna.
"Oh no you don't!!!" Naruto's voice rang out.
One moment, the path towards their kill was clear, the next moment, Naruto had just planted his foot in one's face while his hand had found it's way around the other's throat.
Meizu, the one whose throat was being handled by Naruto, widened his eye in surprise before being thrown to the ground.
Gouzu recovered and tried to jump back only to find that he was still chained to his brother.
'Fucking brat!' he thought as he released the chain and positioned his poisoned claw to tear through the blonde Genin. He didn't get the chance however as everything suddenly went dark for him and he was met with blissful unconsciousness.
Naruto glared at Kakashi who had just taken his first chance at a real fight.
'Well… At least he didn't die…' Naruto exhaled, glad that he hadn't lost his first real teacher other than Iruka who treated him properly.
"Good job Sasuke, Naruto… Although, next time I wouldn't just charge in like that, just in case they're stronger than you realize."
Naruto nodded, knowing not to disregard Kakashi's advice.
"We thought you died!" Tazuna yelled as he stood up shakily. "Why did you have us believe you were killed by those two?!"
Kakashi glanced at Tazuna before disappearing and knocking out the remaining brother who was still under Naruto's grip. Naruto released him when he saw what Kakashi had done.
"First off, I wanted to see how my team would react in the event of my 'death'… Secondly, I wanted to find out who they were targeting. Were they targeting one of us ninja, or someone else?" At this, Kakashi glared at Tazuna.
"It was quite clear who their target was Tazuna-san, and I recall this being a 'C' ranked mission which did not involve enemy Shinobi."
Tazuna gulped and Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You withheld information didn't you?" he asked the old man.
Tazuna sighed. "Yes… I did lie when I requested this mission…"
"Why?" Sakura asked.
"Because, the cost of a higher ranked mission would have been too much for our village… We're a poor nation and this bridge would help our economy immensely!"
Kakashi glared down at the old man. "You may as well explain what is going on then."
Tazuna nodded. "Yes, well… you see, a very powerful man wants me dead. It's because I'm building the bridge! It will damage the hold he has over us all."
"Who is this man?" Sasuke asked as he glanced at the two downed Shinobi.
"His name… is Gato…"
Kakashi's visible eye widened as did Sasuke's.
"Gato?! The billionaire that specializes in importing?"
Tazuna nodded. "The same… He came to Nami no Kuni under the guise of an innocent businessman, looking to help us all. But, when he got a hold on us, he sucked us dry of all of our resources. He controls what goes in and out of Nami no Kuni as it's a small island, surrounded by nothing by the sea."
Kakashi nodded, understanding what was going on. "So, this Gato feels threatened by you and the bridge because it will basically mean that he has no hold over any of you?" Sasuke asked.
Tazuna nodded.
Kakashi sighed at this point. "If you had told us the entire story, this would be classified as an 'A' ranked mission… I should go back to Konoha and report this…"
Tazuna whimpered slightly at this.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said loudly.
"What is it Naruto?" Kakashi asked, turning towards his student, knowing full well what he was about to suggest.
"I say we continue with this mission… Sure he withheld information that could have gotten us killed, but we did eventually find out all of the facts, and I believe that our squad is capable of handling this mission!"
Sasuke nodded as he walked over to Naruto. "I agree" he said simply, his hands in his pockets.
Kakashi chuckled. "What about you Sakura? Do you believe as these two do that you're all ready for this type of mission?"
He looked at the pink haired Genin who seemed to be fighting a inner battle. Finally, she answered in a slightly shaky voice.
"Y…yes… I believe that we can protect Tazuna on this mission…."
Kakashi nodded. "Well, I guess it's three against one. Tazuna-san, you're in luck!"
"T…thank you so much!" Tazuna said, as he felt his eyes well up slightly.
Kakashi waved his hand dismissively. "Don't mention it! We should get on our way!"
Kakashi quickly tied the two demon brothers using ninja wire and sent a signal for ANBU to pick them up.
"Well, with that handled, let's continue, no?"
Naruto grinned and took the lead, seemingly back to his old carefree self.
However, Kakashi could tell that he was thinking the same thing that he was.
'Those two Shinobi were the first wave… The next attack will carry a more experienced and more powerful ninja…'
They continued on for a few more hours until the air seemed to moisten. Kakashi smiled at this, knowing that they were close to where they would stop walking and continue on in a boat.
Naruto had never seen the sea before, and even though there was a lot of mist, he was excited.
He tried not to show the others, trying to be a 'proper' Shinobi, but it wasn't really his style.
"Wow… So this is the ocean?" he asked in awe.
Tazuna chuckled at this. "This is nothing! If it weren't for the mist, you'd be able to see Nami no Kuni from here no problem! Now, when we get to Nami no Kuni, you need to go to one of the beaches that don't have a problem with mist! The sea is vast and stretches farther than you can imagine."
Naruto had heard of the sea before in stories and such, but he didn't really give it much thought.
'Well, I'll believe it when I see it…'
Still, he was impressed none the less at the mere feeling of being near so much water.
In the distance, they heard an engine rumbling.
"That would be my associate here to pick us up" Tazuna said as he squinted, trying to see through the light mist.
They continued onwards along the small beach that they had arrived at until they found a small boat just barely big enough for the man driving it, squad seven, and Tazuna.
Naruto said nothing as Tazuna greeted the man as an old acquaintance would as he looked back at the forest, wondering when the next ambush would be.
Zabuza glared at the short man that had hired him.
'The fool… If he continues his attempts to intimidate me, I may just kill him and be on my way…'
Gato was currently berating him for sending the demon brothers after the bridge builder. Apparently, Meizu and Gouzu had failed to kill the old man and had been apprehended.
'So, the bridge builder hired Shinobi for protection…' Zabuza thought to himself as he grasped his large sword he had received when he had become one of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū.
With speed and strength that had claimed countless lives, he swung the sword so that the tip was a hairsbreadth away from Gato's forehead.
"Quit your complaining… I, Momochi Zabuza, Kirigakure no Kijin, shall deal with these Shinobi that Tazuna has hired…"
Zabuza smirked at Gato who looked ready to soil himself. "G…good! That's what I like to hear!" he said as he stepped back. The two samurai behind him had their hands on their Katanas, however, they looked unsure and intimidated thanks to Zabuza.
"See to it that he is killed!" Gato ordered as he attempted to regain his composure. With that said, he turned heel and stalked out of the room, his guards following him quickly.
Zabuza got to his feet and popped his neck as he shouldered his blade.
"Let's see what these Shinobi have to offer…"
Naruto grumbled to himself as his stomach seemed to growl at him.
'Wish Ichiraku's had been open when I dropped by… It would have been nice to have some ramen before this mission started… I haven't eaten since I woke up before training…'
His stomach rumbled again, causing him to grit his teeth in annoyance.
He looked back at the other four to see that Sakura was speaking to Tazuna about his country while Sasuke seemed to be brooding, which was nothing new.
Kakashi however, something seemed off with him.
Sure, his book was out, but Kakashi's eyes weren't even on it. In fact, they seemed to be darting here and there, as if searching for something. His posture wasn't relaxed as it normally was, it was tense, as if expecting someone to attack at a moments notice.
Naruto slowed down a bit until he was side by side with his sensei.
"I'm guessing you figured it out as well?" Kakashi asked in a low voice, without looking at his blonde student.
"That those two weren't the last? I figured that if this guy really wants Tazuna dead, then he'd have more goons coming after him. Plus, if he's rich enough, he could probably afford some strong Shinobi…"
Kakashi nodded. "Good reasoning… Sasuke seems to have assumed the same."
Naruto glanced at Sasuke. '…He's brooding… He's always fucking brooding. How can Kakashi tell any difference in Sasuke?'
Naruto continued to stare at his team mate's back until he noticed something.
Sasuke didn't have his hands in his pockets. His right hand was actually hovering right above his kunai holster, ready to pluck one out without hesitation.
'Oh… Guess that's a difference…Good idea though.' Naruto admitted to himself.
"So what do we do if we are attacked?" Naruto asked quietly.
"Guard Tazuna… It's very likely that the next Shinobi will be a Jonin like myself… You three wouldn't stand a chance against a Jonin Shinobi."
Naruto grunted. 'I beg to differ…'
"For now, just keep your senses keen…"
Naruto nodded at this advice and sped up a bit to get back at the head of the group.
A few more hours passed of them just walking when Naruto sensed movement in the bushes to his left.
Reacting quicker than even he expected, he let loose a flurry of shuriken and waited with baited breath.
'Did I get them?'
Sakura had jumped back in fright and was fumbling to withdraw a kunai while Sasuke had two kunai, one in each hand while Kakashi had simply stopped walking.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR YOU BRAT?!" Tazuna yelled as he pointed at Naruto. "YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!!!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he slowly approached the bush and withdrew a kunai. Kakashi followed him as he parted the bushes to reveal…
"A rabbit…" Naruto mumbled… "A fucking rabbit???" He looked down at a little white rabbit that seemed to have fainted out of fear.
Naruto felt his temper flare. 'WHAT THE HELL!?!?! I FREAKED OUT OVER A GODDAMN RABBIT!?'
Kakashi however narrowed his eyes as he stared at the rabbit.
'That's a snow hare… It's coat should be brown right now, not white… It's been kept as a pet… Probably used for a Kawarimi…'
Sakura had gone to the bush and was consoling the small rodent when he heard it. It was low at first but was approaching fast.
"GET DOWN!" Kakashi yelled.
Sasuke threw Tazuna and himself to the ground while Naruto shoved Sakura down while throwing himself down as well.
Kakashi dropped down just as a large cleaver like sword sliced through the air and imbedded itself in a tree not far from him.
Kakashi jumped up to find that a muscular man stood on the handle of the sword, looking down at them over his shoulder.
"Momochi Zabuza…" Kakashi breathed.
Zabuza's eyes focused on Kakashi. "Sharingan no Kakashi…"
Sasuke and Naruto glanced from Zabuza to Kakashi when they heard their sensei's alias.
'Sharingan?' Naruto wondered. 'I thought Kakashi wasn't an Uchiha...'
'The Sharingan is exclusive to the Uchiha clan! What the hell are they talking about?' thought Sasuke.
Kakashi got into a defensive fighting stance as he raised his Hitai-ate to reveal his eye… His red Sharingan eye.
Naruto and Sasuke widened their eyes when they saw this.
'So that's what the Sharingan looks like…' Naruto thought in amazement. '…cool…'
"Heh… So that's the Sharingan eye… It truly is an honor to face it in combat… But couldn't you just hand over the old man? You see, I've been sent to kill him and it would be a shame to kill a Shinobi such as yourself."
Kakashi answered by withdrawing a kunai.
Laughing Zabuza shook his head. 'I knew that wouldn't work, but it was worth a try…'
Zabuza and his sword disappeared in a display of superior speed. Kakashi turned quickly to look at the ocean to his left where Zabuza was stood.
'Dammit… He's got a fair amount of chakra built up…'
Zabuza grinned as he went through the hand seals for his personal favorite Jutsu.
"Kirigakure no Jutsu" Zabuza grinned as the mist already hanging in the air seemed to thicken.
Kakashi tightened his grip on his kunai.
"Protect Tazuna!" Kakashi ordered his three Genin.
Naruto had already taken up position in front of Tazuna, a kunai in one hand, his other hand flexing constantly in anticipation.
Sasuke and Sakura quickly joined the blonde when the order was given, both of them with kunai in hand.
Suddenly, Zabuza's voice floated towards them through the mist.
"There are eight targets… Liver, lungs, spine, clavical vein, neck vein, brain, kidneys, heart… Which should I go after first?"
Kakashi brought his hands together in the sign of the ram as killer intent flooded the area.
Sasuke and Naruto were hit hardest, their hands shaking.
'This…this is the end…' Sasuke thought. 'I can't handle this… It's too much. This is the true power of a Jonin… I just want to end it all to be rid of this feeling.'
Naruto wasn't fairing much better. 'How can they be doing this? I want to die just to get out of here… This…this is what a true Shinobi can do… amazing.'
"Sasuke, Naruto… Don't worry…" Kakashi said. "No matter what, I'll protect you, even if it kills me. I won't ever let, my comrades die."
Naruto and Sasuke both visibly relaxed at the soothing words of their sensei when they realized what was happening.
"Too late…" Zabuza whispered from behind them.
Naruto jumped and twisted in the air to see Kakashi shoving Tazuna aside while blocking a strike from Zabuza's sword merely with a kunai., then quickly spinning it around, he lodged the kunai into Zabuza's ribs.
Sakura had grabbed Tazuna and retreated to a safer distance while Sasuke was not too far from Naruto, having reacted in the same manor.
Naruto watched as his sensei fought with the rouge Jonin
Kakashi's eyes widened however when instead of blood, water leaked from the wound.
"A Mizu Bunshin!" Kakashi exclaimed as Zabuza exploded into water.
The next thing they all knew, Zabuza was swinging his sword through Kakashi.
"NO!!!" Sakura yelled in surprise.
However, Kakashi exploded into water as well, causing Zabuza to widen his eyes.
'He copied it in this mist!!!' he realized.
"It's over…" Kakashi said as he held a kunai to Zabuza's neck.
"Impressive that you not only saw through my technique in this mist, but copied it and used it against me as well. However…" Zabuza, once again, exploded into water as Kakashi's eyes widened.
"I'm not that easy to fool either…" Zabuza said from behind the Sharingan wielder.
.Zabuza was in mid-swing with his sword when Kakashi reacted.
Ducking under the blade, Kakashi kicked at Zabuza's stomach, aiming to incapacitate him.
Zabuza's sword was imbedded in the ground and he used it as leverage to dodge the kick by twisting around.
He raised his leg and kicked at Kakashi, making contact and watching as the Jonin sailed through the air towards the water.
Smirking to himself, Zabuza jerked his sword out of the ground and made chase.
He was halted however when he saw that Kakashi had lain Makibishi on the ground.
Naruto gritted his teeth as he and the others watched Zabuza disappear in a flash of speed while Kakashi landed in the water.
'I have a bad feeling about this…' Naruto thought to himself.
Kakashi quickly emerged from the water, frowning. 'Something's wrong… The water, it's heavy…'
Behind him, Zabuza appeared, flying through hand seals.
"You fool…" he declared in a victorious tone.
Kakashi's eyes widened as he realized the situation he was suddenly in as water seemed to surround him and bind him.
"Suirō no Jutsu" Zabuza grinned as he held the Kakashi in the water prison.
"The three of you! Grab Tazuna and run!!!"
Naruto gritted his teeth as he watched Zabuza run through a series of one handed seals.
'With only one hand?!' he thought in amazement. 'This guy is good…'
From the water rose an exact replica of Zabuza.
"RUN!!!" Kakashi yelled at his team.
Naruto watched the Mizu Bunshin closely, and realized that it was about to charge him.
'FUCK!'
Displaying speed that the original Zabuza had displayed, the Bunshin was on Naruto faster than he could react and was attempting to block the blows that were being rained down upon Naruto with surprising results.
The real Zabuza raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Interesting for a Genin…'
However, the Bunshin quickly overwhelmed Naruto and had him pinned on the ground.
"Foolish boy… You think you can call yourself a Shinobi!? By the time I was your age, I had already dyed my hands in blood!"
Naruto gritted his teeth. 'Great… He's starting a monologue!'
Naruto glanced at Sasuke as Zabuza continued on his speech about how he had killed his graduating class. He mouthed something and Sasuke nodded as he withdrew a kunai.
'Team work…' Sasuke acknowledged.
Sasuke threw the blade at the Mizu Bunshin which was quickly caught. However, it was followed by Sasuke appearing behind the Zabuza, aiming a punch at his neck.
Zabuza jumped back, freeing Naruto from under his foot.
The blonde jumped to his feet, withdrawing his own kunai and quickly dodging a hail of shuriken from the nuke-nin.
Naruto threw the kunai and followed up by his signature move.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
Four Naruto's appeared beside the original.
"Sasuke… Let's attack him together…"
The raven haired Uchiha nodded, not bothering to verbally answer his team mate.
Within seconds, the five Narutos were on the Mizu Bunshin, using their altered Goken style.
The original Zabuza chuckled as he spoke to his prisoner.
"It seems that the blonde is quite the prodigy…"
Kakashi said nothing, opting to watch his students take on the Bunshin as he could do nothing else.
'Let's see exactly how Naruto will fair…' Kakashi narrowed his eyes as Sasuke joined the fray, using his own Taijutsu style combined with a kunai slash here and there.
Naruto grabbed the arm of one of his clones and spun himself around after being thrown away by the Mizu Bunshin.
'Time to use chakra to push myself further…' Naruto recalled his water walking and tree climbing training and focused his chakra in the soles of his feet.
'NOW!' Naruto rocketed towards Zabuza with his clones, each of them using coordinated strikes and combos to break the clone.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as the clone grabbed on of his own clones. Then he noticed, that the original Zabuza's attention was entirely on the fight.
'Bingo…' thought the blonde Genin.
Zabuza chuckled when Naruto called upon more clones. "Strength in numbers eh Kakashi?"
The Konoha Jonin said nothing as his eyes narrowed even further.
'They don't stand a chance… Why are they still fighting? They should have grabbed Tazuna and gone back to Konoha!'
"When this is all done, I may leave one of them alive… Just to show some mercy on them" Zabuza chuckled.
Zabuza looked over at his prisoner. "Something wrong Kakashi?"
Kakashi looked over at Zabuza for a moment before looking back at the fight.
His eyes widened briefly when he caught sight of what Naruto was doing.
'…I see…'
Zabuza looked back at the fight to see three Naruto's charging him, running across the water.
'Hmm… So he knows how to walk on water… Impressive for a Genin, but it won't be enough…'
Suddenly, the three Naruto's disappeared. Zabuza's eyes widened at this.
Grasping his sword he swung it around, keeping his one arm in the water prison and struck one of the Naruto's that had just appeared behind him. It vanished in a plum of smoke, but another Naruto jumped out of the water and through the smoke.
Using the sword as leverage it jumped into the air, while running through hand seals. Zabuza however was quicker and threw his gigantic sword into the air where it killed the Naruto clone.
'One left' Zabuza thought. As if beckoned by this thought the last Naruto rocketed up at Zabuza from right underneath him. Narrowing his eyes at the Genin, he used his free hand to grab the boy by the neck and slam him back into the water.
"Fool! Did you think that you could really surprise me with that ploy?" Zabuza sneered.
Zabuza realized that Naruto was smiling as he heard his sword hit the water.
Zabuza glanced at his sword as it began to sink and swore when he heard something from the water.
He looked back at the grinning blonde when he felt a spike of chakra.
He looked down slightly at the boys hand, where the water seemed to be spinning.
"Oh fu…" Zabuza didn't have time to finish his sentence as Naruto's technique slammed into his chest painfully and threw Zabuza away.
Naruto sunk slightly from the force of the technique, but used his chakra to reemerge from the water.
Naruto looked up to see a sopping wet Kakashi smiling down at him.
"Nice work there Naruto… That was very clever."
Naruto smiled and nodded at Kakashi, taking deep breaths of water after being held in the water by Zabuza.
"I think it's best you get back to the shore, Zabuza has just recovered." Naruto turned around to see Zabuza, having recovered his sword from sinking.
On his chest was a large bruise from Naruto's technique hitting point blank.
'That brat actually hit me with his technique… Interesting that he already knows elemental manipulation… Once I'm done with his sensei, he'll be next.'
Naruto jumped away, landing on the shore where his remaining clones and Sasuke had just killed the Mizu Bunshin utilizing Sasuke's Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu and a well placed exploding tag from the Naruto clones.
The remaining clones puffed out of existence, letting Naruto gain the knowledge of how he had dealt with the Mizu Bunshin.
Grinning he watched as Zabuza and Kakashi exchanged a few words before proceeding with rapid hand seals that seemed to blur together.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu" the two Jutsu were created and clashed with each other, sending a shockwave that rocked the water and sprayed squad seven and Tazuna with water.
'This is a real Shinobi fight?!' Tazuna thought in awe as the two Jonin met in the middle of the water, kunai struggling against sword.
Zabuza gritted his teeth as he tried to gain ground on Kakashi.
'Dammit…' he jumped back just as Kakashi did and began to circle each other.
'He's got that…'
"…sickening look in his eye!"
Zabuza's eyes widened when Kakashi finished his own thought for him. Zabuza began to run through hand seals for his next Jutsu.
"ALL YOUR DOING IS…"
"COPYING ME! YOU CAN'T BE ME WITH YOUR TRICKS!!!" Kakashi finished for him.
That's when he saw it… Behind Kakashi was… him?
'W…what is this?! That's me!' Zabuza halted his hand seals for a moment, but noticed something else.
Kakashi was finishing the Jutsu.
'WHAT!? He's finishing my Jutsu before me? HOW!?'
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu" Kakashi finished the Jutsu as the water began to churn.
'This can't be!' Zabuza thought as the techinique slammed into him and threw him like a rag doll.
He painfully hit a tree as the water receded and Kakashi appeared on a branch above him, kunai out and ready.
"C…Can you see the future?"
"Yes… and I can see, your death…" Before Kakashi could react, two senbon needles fly into Zabuza's neck with a sickening pop.
Naruto's eyes widened as he traced their trajectory back to who had thrown them.
There, in another tree, stood what he had read to be a Kiri Hunter-nin.
'Wow… never thought I'd see one of those on this mission!' Naruto thought as he remembered a book he had read a few weeks prior that included images of how Hunter nin would dress.
"It seems as if you were correct about Zabuza-sans death…" the Hunter-nin said as he used a Shunshin to appear next to Zabuza's fallen body.
Kakashi nodded as he pulled is Hitai-ate over his Sharingan.
'Looks like it's finally over…'
"I thank you for handling him until now… I will, however, be taking it from here. You have my thanks…"
Kakashi nodded at the boy. 'He's young… yet strong…'
The boy hoisted Zabuza over his shoulder and made a sign for Shunshin.
Kakashi sighed once the boy disappeared and walked towards the group.
"Well, that was fun wasn't it?"
Naruto chuckled at the silver haired Jonin while Sasuke grinned and Sakura sighed.
Tazuna could only shake his head at the Shinobi. 'Well, at least they are as strong as they say' he thought to himself.
"Well, let's continue…" Kakashi said as he stood still. Naruto noticed that something was wrong with the Jonin.
"Are you ok Kakashi-sensei?" As soon as Naruto asked this question, Kakashi fell forward on his face before mumbling. "I think I may have over done it…"
Naruto shook his head. "I'll carry him from here…"
Tazuna could only sweat drop at this.
'Well, at least home isn't too far from here…' thought the old man.
Translations:
Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu – Water release: Great Waterfall technique.
Kirigakure no Kijin – Demon of the hidden mist.
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique
Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Water clone Technique
Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū – Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist
Suirō no Jutsu – Water Prison Technique
Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu- Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet
Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu – Fire release- Great Fireball Technique
Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hidden Mist Technique
Well, there is the chapter! I won't make any promises this time, I've learned my lesson, however, it will be within 30 days… That much is a sure thing… I know I know, my word is worth shit at this point, but at least I released this bloody chapter so don't bitch at me! :( Well, hope to see you next time and don't forget to fucking review!!!
And seriously, do NOT, complain about how long it took me to get this chapter out. I get it, it's been a LONG time and I apologized... Believe it or not, I understand your frustration!