"A month had passed since the day in the clearing, and Naruto could tell that things were about to get interesting. Or at least irritating.
"I need higher ranked missions so that I can get stronger! Give me a C-Rank at the least or I will go to the council!" came the angry scream of one Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto pulled out a book as Iruka began to scream about something that nobody paid attention to. After a while the Saindame cut him off by speaking tiredly.
"Very well, Team 7 will have a C-Rank mission. Iruka, bring in Tazuna." Kakashi and Iruka looked at the Third like he was crazy. Naruto thought 'typical'. After all, Konoha would not dare to do anything other than cater to the boy. He had no idea why either, because the boy was a major risk.
Despite his own opinions, Iruka stepped out of the room, leaving Sasuke to gloat to Sakura about how great he was going to do, seeing as she was the only one who was willing to listen.
~Break~
Tazuna felt like this was going to be a success as he walked into the mission room of the Kage's tower. And he had chosen to savor the moment with a bottle of Sake, the first he had had in years. He had had a small sip in the waiting room to help with his nerves, but he was waiting until he met the ninja to properly celebrate. So, it was safe to say that Tazuna had high hopes when he walked in.
Now Tazuna was a pretty sharp old man. People in the Elemental Nations didn't live to be his age without picking up a trick or two, and his father had been a civilian shinobi during the last war. If there was one thing that was always pressed into his mind by his father, it was observation. Regardless of what was wrong with you, keep an eye on the people around you, and Tazuna had found it pretty sound advice.
When he had looked up when the door to the mission room opened, he noticed that the shinobi who collected him seemed rather upset. Not sure why, after all the man had been perfectly fine when he had collected the other person Tazuna had been waiting with, Tazuna got up and walked with him to meet the shinobi who were going to protect him during the mission.
The first one that he saw wasn't one he would trust if he was any less observant. Standing taller than the other people in the room, he was wearing a full body suit with a green vest over it, but there were pants over the bottom of the suit. He guessed those pants were there to prevent anyone from getting an eyeful of anything they shouldn't see.
A facemask covered up most of the mans face, but right above it was a lazy eye, apparently wandering over him. Tazuna, thanks to his father, knew that the apparently at ease shinobi was doing the same thing he was, evaluating the people they were meeting.
A leaf headband obscured his right eye from view, and an odd, with hair-do that looked like an upside down fang made it so that most people would assume he was weak. After all, someone so odd and lazy looking cannot possibly be a good shinobi can they? If that wasn't enough, the Icha Icha book held loosely in his left hand would have certainly completed the image.
However, there were certain keys that Tazuna saw that most people wouldn't. The first was that lazy brown eye. Underneath the façade of warmth, welcome, and drowsiness, was an eye he had only seen on those who had gone to war. Nearly impossible to describe, that eye was hard as steel and cold as ice, only appearing along with a threat.
Second was the way that the man held his book. It was loosely held, but he could tell that a simple flick of the wrist would have that book flying at high speeds at him, giving the shinobi time to do whatever he needed.
Third and final was a sense of unease Tazuna felt. That sense had been with him ever since his father died, and had saved him from Gato's henchman many times. It only popped up when his life could be taken by someone in an instant.
This man truly frightened Tazuna, even more so then the masked people standing in the corner of every room, because this man wouldn't even hesitate to kill him if the man saw him as a threat, yet he could hide it so well that Tazuna knew he wouldn't pick it up if he hadn't been expecting it.
The second person Tazuna saw was nowhere near as threatening; in fact she looked rather humorous. Listening to a third person with rapt attention and happiness, she looked like a puppy that was about to be fed. A pink skirt, pinker shirt, and with her eye blinding pink hair, Tazuna wondered how she could even become a shinobi. She didn't look to strong, in fact she looked rather weak. Whereas every other shinobi in the room had pouches of weaponry on them, she had but one small case of something he didn't think was weaponry. When she spoke it was with a loud, shrill voice that nearly had him wincing, it just didn't fit with his idea of what a Shinobi should be.
The next one was a bit better, but Tazuna still had to stifle a snort. Talking to the pink haired girl was a boy, just a little taller than her, but made taller by raven-black hair that was styled to look like the butt of a duck. Tazuna had to shake his Sake bottle to make sure he hadn't drunk more than he though, because he had never though someone would purposely make their hair like that.
Still, he was at least more of a ninja than the girl, as he was well equipped and stood like some of the lesser shinobi he had seen outside, relaxed completely, but would be able to get to his weapons if given notice. He also stood like he had a major chip on his shoulder, and given the way he was talking to the girl, he had grown up with people listening when he spoke. Tazuna made the connection that he had grown up with a noble family.
Yet something must have happened to that family, because even as the boy noticed he was there and stopped talking, he swept his eyes over him, dismissed him as unimportant, and started doing something. Tazuna wanted to say the boy brooding, as he could feel the emo from over here, but at least the boy was still aware of his surroundings, unlike his grandson Inari whenever he went on the brooding trips he had.
Tazuna looked around, seeing the Hokage he met earlier as well as the upset assistant. 'Aren't these shinobi supposed to be in groups of four?' His question was answered a moment later when he saw him.
The only reason he saw this kid was because of sun-kissed blonde hair, and until Tazuna focused on him that was all he could see. The boy was wearing a mixture of grey and black that blended in perfectly with the wall somehow, despite the fact that the wall was a light brown. He took one look and knew that this boy was the sort of protection he signed up for.
Where the man was without doubt a skilled shinobi, this one was unique. Wearing grey pants and a black shirt underneath his black Haori, which looked like an overcoat really, as he had thought before the kid was quite talented at avoiding notice. A hilt of some sort peeked out to the right side of his waist (Naruto's right), and a pair of scrolls was on his left. A weapon holster of some sort was on each thigh, and he could tell that the boy could use it all.
The boys hands were crossed at his chest, but Tazuna could see the slight glint of a weapon in his right hand, the left crossed above the right and held in some sort of strange symbol. Tanned, whiskered cheeks drew his attention next, and he followed that up an aristocratic nose to find the eyes of a predator.
Icy blue eyes burned into his own, small pupils reminding him of a hawk, forcing him to shudder, and feeling like the leaf in a storm, Tazuna hurriedly continued his scan, afraid of looking there too long. A Leaf headband kept his blonde hair out of his eyes, the band a solid black rather than the more common blue or green.
All in all, the boy cut an intimidating figure, not even bothering to hide his intentions or lifestyle. The boy reminded him of a hunting hawk, reading to strike down his prey at a moment's notice. Tazuna was eventually drawn back to his eyes and the boys eyes flashed into a real hawk's eye for a moment. Tazuna was the only one to notice this. He didn't want to upset the jonin, but Tazuna realized that he would rather be a ways away from the boy.
He decided he had stalled enough, and decided to play the old drunk man, because he feared he had spent to long observing them.
"So, these are the brats that are going to protect me?"
~Break~
"So, these are the brats that are going to protect me?" came the rough voice from a wrinkled old man.
Naruto looked at him, noticing that the man was a great deal smarter than he was letting on. The man raised the bottle at his side, taking a large gulp from it, before continuing. "We've got a scarecrow, a hawk, a pink shrew, and a duck butt! I thought I paid for…hic…protection." This was spoken in a little slur, giving the impression that that gulp was not the first he had had from that bottle. Naruto's eyes snapped to the man, wondering just why the man called him a hawk.
A moment passed, and then Kakashi was holding back Sakura from trying to strangle the elder man, saying "Ma, ma, Sakura. We cannot kill the client; it's not good for the village." Kakashi looked at Naruto, and the boy saw that his team leader had noticed the same thing he had. The old man was more than he appeared, and he was hiding something.
Tazuna's eyes shifted between the two, before shrugging and taking another sip of Sake. Kakashi spoke to him this time, lazy voice taking on an undertone of danger. "I'm sure that my genin will do quite fine protecting you, and on the off chance that they get into something they cannot handle, well, I'm a jonin for a reason." The word reason was stressed lightly, just enough for everyone in the room to notice except for Sakura and Sasuke.
A sneer contorted Sasuke's features, before he said, rather nastily, "I am an Uchiha, old man. There is nothing we will run into that I cannot handle." Said old man sent him a rather skeptical look, but kept his opinions to himself. Kakashi spoke up again, speaking calmly and without showing any sign of the disgust in his eyes at Sasuke's arrogance.
"I am Kakashi; duck butt as you call him is Sasuke." The boy glared at him now. Kakashi's eye curved up into one of his signature eye smiles, apparently taking amusement in the nicknames. "The so-called shrew is Sakura, and hawk over there in the corner is Naruto." He paused, eye flicking to Naruto and then back to Tazuna, taking a moment to both enjoy the aptitude of the nickname, and to send a message to the old man.
"Stick close to us," his eye flicked over to Naruto again," and we'll make sure that nothing happens to you." Slightly reassured, but upset over the fact that half of the team assigned to protect him was apparently not ready for the mission, Tazuna nodded. The lack of faith in two of his genin was not lost on Sarutobi or Iruka.
Tazuna was not impressed, but spoke anyways. "Very well then, my name is the Super Bridge Builder Tazuna, and don't you forget it! You all are to guard me on the way home, as well as whilst I finish up a bridge I am building." Kakashi nodded.
Kakashi took his hand from Sakura's shoulder, before clapping both together once. "Alright everyone, meet at the gate in an hour, that should be more than enough time to get everything together." Naruto and Sasuke nodded, Sakura took the moment to run out of the room like a headless chicken, screaming about something that was lost when the door shut.
Tazuna looked at Kakashi again, looked at Naruto, before closing his eyes in a brief prayer. 'Lord, I know I was never much of a faithful man, but if you help me live through this long enough to build the bridge to save my people, I will become your most faithful follower.
~Break~
About forty minutes after they separated, Naruto shunshinned to the memorial stone, noticing Kakashi was there as usual. He walked up next to him, the two standing there in shared sorrow for a moment before Kakashi asked.
"You know, ever since you joined my team, every morning I come here you've been here. Why did you suddenly start going, and who are you here for?" Kakashi thought it was a little blunt, but he had learned that Naruto would dance around a topic with the ease of an accomplished council member who had served as a con artist before that if he was anything other than blunt.
Naruto waited a moment, but said "I'm here for my mother." That caught Kakashi's attention, and he only just held out from giving himself whiplash as he turned towards Naruto. "You know who your parents are?" He asked, genuinely curious. Naruto shook his head though, stating sadly "Only my mother." "How?" Kakashi asked.
A bit of a smirk played around the boys lips before he answered. "My last name is Uzumaki Kakashi. I did my research. There have been two Uzumaki's in Konoha before me. One was the wife of the first, Uzumaki Mito, but the second was far more recent. Recent enough, in fact, for her to be the best logical choice for my mother. Uzumaki Kushina, the Bloody Whirlwind, the Red Hot Blooded Haberno, just so happened to be taken off shinobi duty for six months before the Kyuubi attack." Kakashi's eye widened. He wondered why Naruto hadn't found out about his father if he knew his mother.
"Unfortunately, Kushina left no marriage certificate, or even record of a boyfriend. Also, while I do not look much like her, I can see a bit of her in me. Even more unfortunate, I have found no picture that looks me, because I am forced to assume I look more like my father than my mother. This forces me to believe that either I am a bastard child, or my mother was raped. Not much difference there."
Kakashi's eye widened even more; horrified that Naruto could even believe that about his father. He yearned to tell the boy who his father really was, or at least arrange a picture to be shown to him and let the boy make the connections, but Minato had made him swear to let Jiraiya tell the boy. He sighed, thinking he could at least tell the boy something.
"Your mother was neither raped, nor are you a fatherless child. Your father was a great man, and a hero. Both he and your mother died during the Kyuubi attack." Naruto raised an eyebrow, before his eyes narrowed and he glared at Kakashi. "So I am to understand that you knew my father, yet you are unwilling to tell me who it is?" Kakashi winced, visibly. He could barely choke out the yes in response, before he continued.
"It is not my place to…" "Don't give me that crap. Either tell me, or tell me who can tell me. Another wince before Kakashi answered. "I am unable to tell you, but a man named Jiraiaya can." Naruto's eyes widened slightly, recognizing the name. He nodded, and decided that if what he thought actually wound up happening, he would kill that man.
A few more moments of silence ensued, before Naruto spoke up again. "So what do you think Tazuna is hiding?" Kakashi looked over at the shorter blond, evaluating him. He knew Naruto could hold his own against at least low jonin long enough for Kakashi to end whatever fight he was drawn into, with his new jutsu arsenal he might even win. However, if Kakashi got into a fight, Naruto would be needed to protect his teammates, as well as the client. That would be challenging for even someone of his caliber, seeing as if someone was capable of keeping him busy, than any accomplice could attack Naruto and company.
He decided to answer. "I am not sure just what he's hiding, but I do know that it's giving me a bad feeling." Naruto nodded in agreement. "You're going to have to keep an eye on Sasuke, and not just because he's your teammate either. If he dies then the council will banish you…if you're lucky." Naruto nodded again, understanding that it was more likely that he would be executed. The council took every opportunity to cause problems for him after all.
A while of standing in silence followed, before the two shunshinned away to the meeting point, arriving several minutes early.
~Break~
Naruto was used to seeing many things; after all, he was either the invisible Kyuubi jinchurriki, or the evil demon brat that was to be scarred for life in every way possible. One thing he had never seen however was the effects of a pink-haired nuisance on a partially drunk old man. You could literally see the thoughts running through that man's head; these thoughts were 'Do not kill the annoying shrew. Do not kill the annoying shrew…screw it, now she dies!'
Luckily, or unluckily depending on your point of view, Kakashi stopped him from carrying out those homicidal thoughts by talking. "Okay, has everyone got everything?" His eye looked over at Sasuke, seeing a moderately sized pack filled with gear. He sighed, wondering why the academy never taught about sealing scrolls. He looked at Sakura, seeing a much larger pack filled with what he hoped was shinobi gear, but knew was useless stuff to impress Sasuke. Before he reprimanded her, he looked over at Naruto, noticing no change at first, just seeing a scroll in an inside jacket pocket from his angle. Nodding with satisfaction that at least one genin had common sense as well as being efficient, he proceeded to lay into Sakura.
"Sakura, what all is in that bag?" She smiled at him, believing that she had done good as she began to list the items off, not noticing the growing irritation in Kakashi as she did so. "I have a bit of food, seeing as I'm on a diet," once again not noticing even Tazuna's incredulous look. "I have several sets of clothes, perfume, a nice dress," Kakashi's head sunk. "A few lotions and creams," Kakashi's head rose a little in hope. "For ensuring that I look good," his neck nearly broke with how fast his head sank. Still continuing on oblivious, she listed several other items that had absolutely nothing to do with ninja at all, or even what someone would bring on a trip to begin with, or at least not admit to bringing those items.
Eventually, Kakashi stopped her, looking irritated. "Sakura, give me your bag." Cocking her head to the side like a curious puppy, she was about to ask why, but he held out his hand with a stern look. She gave it over without a word. He walked over to the desk of the gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, all the while saying. "Now Sakura, you went to the Shinobi Academy right?" She nodded, not sure where this was going.
"Did you pay attention during said academy?" She nodded again, somewhat happily, saying "Uh-huh, I was top kunoichi of our age group!" she chirped enthusiastically. Kakashi shook his head in despair. "So Sakura, if you paid attention, would you care to explain to me the items a shinobi should bring on a mission?" With a confused expression on her face, she nodded a third time and began to list, but he stopped her. "Basics now, no need to go into detail." Shooting an annoyed look at Kakashi for the interruption, she started off.
"The shinobi basics are food, in the form of rations bars or other healthy filling food, shelter, in the form of a tent, an extra set of clothing, and extra shinobi gear like kunai or shuriken." Kakashi nodded at this, taking in her now pale face as she realized she had only one of those items…well, one set of shinobi items. She had plenty of clothes.
"Sasuke, tell me what you brought." With an annoyed glare, the Uchiha did so. "I have kunai, shuriken, food, water, a tent, two spare sets of clothing, and a scroll from my family library." Kakashi nodded, and turned to Naruto. "Now Naruto, what do you have?" Naruto pulled out the scroll from his Haori, and opened it. Kakashi read over his shoulder aloud to the other two.
"Food-Two months' worth of ration bars. Several sealed meals, pre-cooked and heated as well as meals that are edible cold.
Clothing-Three spares of everything
Medical Gear-Basic first aid kit, Soldier pills, blood replenishing pills, additional bandages and a pot for boiling water.
Shinobi Gear-Twenty Kunai, forty shuriken, one hundred senbon, four twenty foot spools of ninja wire, several knives, and a collection of smoke, pepper, flash, colored, and explosive tags and pellets.
Miscellaneous gear-One two person tent, blade maintenance and cleaning kit, various cooking supplies, a pair of books, and three scrolls."
Kakashi looked at the other two, before asking Naruto "And I assume you have all of this sealed into scrolls?" Naruto nodded. He looked at Sakura's pale face, before driving the point home to her. "Sakura, what you attempted to bring on a mission is pathetic, and could have easily gotten you or your teammates killed because of your lack of preparation." He glared at her before he upended her bag onto the chunin guard's table, taking off the top item.
"Lingerie is not an acceptable item to take on an escort mission Sakura." Everybody there stared at her as Kakashi took out a scroll and unsealed a new bag, full of proper shinobi materials. Turning to the assorted items, he ignored the pale and stammering Sakura as he proceeded to talk to one of the gate guards.
"Izumo, please burn all of that at your earliest convenience." He turned back to Sakura, glaring at her. "Next time you attempt something so stupid you will get a lot worse than destroyed property!" Kakashi snarled. Sakura picked up the pack, keeping her head down and staying silent, afraid of calling Kakashi's rage to her again. The one-eyed jonin turned to Tazuna before speaking.
"I am sorry you had to see that, Tazuna-san. I am afraid that we were forced to take this mission a bit before we were ready for it. Nevertheless, we shall keep you safe." The partially drunk old man looked askance at Kakashi, and chose to stand closest to Naruto, evidently the only truly prepared genin there, when the group set off in standard diamond formation.
Kakashi and Naruto talked about various things, but after an hour the two sensed someone watching them. The Cyclops motioned Naruto to the front, barking an order at Sasuke when the latter protested. It was like this that they came upon a pair of puddles, one on each side of the road.
~Break~
'What in the name of? Are these two idiots? No, check that, are these two academy students? Kai…no they are the so called Demon brothers, Gozu and Mezu, ex-Kiri Nin. Why, in the name of all that is holy, would they disguise themselves as puddles?' Kakashi sighed, realizing that this marked the end of a peaceful trip.
Naruto's thoughts on the other hand were a great deal simpler. 'Kai…those two are a threat to the client. They shall die.' And he did so, palming a kunai in his left hand he waited until he was right in between the two before exploding into motion.
The first thing Kakashi noticed after deciding on a plan to see just how good his genin were was a spray of blood followed by a thud and a grunt of pain, followed by a louder yell.
Naruto reached the center, every sense on edge, waiting for the opportune moment. Then he struck, the kunai in his left hand sent a spray of crimson all over the ground, originating from the throat of the left Kiri Nin. He kept moving, the force behind the slash sending him into a light spin, kicking out the other Nin's legs from under him. Before the missing Ninja could recover he stabbed the kunai into the mans shoulder, resulting in a yell of pain, before yanking out the kunai and placing it at the Nin's throat, his left arm now useless.
Gozu wasn't quite sure what happened, one moment he had been standing, waiting to ambush a group of leaf ninja protecting their target, the next moment his brother was dead, his arm was ruined, and he had a kunai to his throat, glacier blue eyes burning into him, daring him to make a move. All he could focus on were those eyes and his pain, once it truly hit, only just holding back from screaming.
Sakura stared, horrified, at the dead body and her blood spattered teammate, as well as injured person underneath him. She was about to scream at him, but Kakashi's hand on her mouth prevented it. "Look at the headbands Sakura." He ordered, forcing her head to look at the dead shinobi's headband when she didn't comply. Barely able to keep from retching, she saw the four river symbols split in have by a solid slash in the metal. Her eyes widened in realization.
"Missing ninja Sakura, who were waiting to ambush us, preparing themselves to kill. If they had succeeded in it we would all be dead. Dead, Sakura! You signed up to be a shinobi, eventually you'll be the one killing them in Naruto's place."
While this was going on, the Kiri Nin had been pouring out his guts in hope to avoid death, praying that he would live. There was so much he wanted to do, so many things Mezu had wanted to do, he couldn't die here, regardless of what it took.
"L…look, we were…hired by a man named…gah this hurts…Gato…he's paid a hit on that mans head." By this point Gozu was managing to muscle through most of the pain and fear, as a shinobi should be capable of. "The man is angry cause the bridge…builder is attempting to ruin his…control over wave. He hired us to kill him. Please don't kill me; I was only doing my job." Those icy eyes bored into him, seeming to dissect him, making him feel like a mouse right before being eaten by the hawk.
"Is there anyone else?" was a coldly spoken question from the apathetic blond. "Y…yes, there's Momochi Zabuza…former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist…and his apprentice…don't know to much about her…please…don't." the ninja panted, the fear making him short of breath and he was beginning to go into shock. Feeling somewhat merciful, Naruto slit Gozu's throat, having learned all he needed to know. He stood up, drawing his ninjato and severing both heads before sealing them away.
"What are you doing? Can't you leave the dead in peace?" Was the plaintive question from a disgusted Sasuke, reseeding the Uchiha Massacre again. Naruto looked at him like he was an idiot. "Turning the heads of the ninja you kill in will give you the bounty that the shinobi had on his head, if any," Naruto explained. Kakashi frowned at him, ignoring the fact that Naruto couldn't see it, before admonishing him.
"You should not have killed him so quickly Naruto! Now we do not know if there is anyone else who has been hired to attack us." Naruto now turned the 'are you an idiot' look onto Kakashi before explaining what the ninja had told him. Kakashi felt somewhat ashamed, as he should have known Naruto was a bit better than that.
He turned to Tazuna, demanding explanation and getting a sob story about his home, and how Gato was draining it dry and killing all who stood against him. Kakashi sighed, and was about to say something when Sasuke, recovered from his illness, cut him off.
"We should continue on, Kakashi-Sensei. Our village cannot be seen as cowards." 'The Uchiha cannot be seen as cowards!' Both Kakashi and Naruto glared at him, while Tazuna looked at him in hope. Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose, asking "Okay, who wants to continue on to Wave?" Sasuke raised his hand immediately, and Sakura shakily raised hers. Kakashi heaved a sad sigh, knowing that if he even dared to head back the council would have him ruined. He had no idea why the civilian council was given so much power, but he hated it.
"Fine, we'll continue onwards," he said, worried. The group retook their positions, except Naruto switched back to the left side rather than the front on Kakashi's order, having used a quick Doton jutsu to bury the Demon Brothers bodies. The old bridge builder spoke to him as they walked.
"Why did you kill them?" He was honestly curious, believing that someone as young as the blonde was, regardless as to how scary, shouldn't have to kill. The answer made him think about things far more seriously than before.
"They were a potential threat to you. When you hired a shinobi team to escort you, any proper shinobi would make the effort to destroy any potential threats before they can actually become a threat. It's how you, as the client, are kept safe." Evidently the boy took his job quite seriously, even now Tazuna could tell that he was on high alert, eyes flashing between his normal eyes, and those hawk like eyes that scared him so much.
Despite that, Tazuna was reassured for some reason that this blonde child was on his side, and willing to kill for him.
AN: Sorry for not having the Zabuza battle, but I'm still working out a few kinks with it in my head. I just have trouble translating the fights from there to paper.