It has been a few weeks since Team 7 was officially formed. They had gone on missions through out the village and to say they genin were disappointed was an understatement. They thought they would be saving princesses and taking down bad guys, not painting fences and clearing farmlands. Worse of all, the villagers kept glaring at Naruto for simply being there.
Naruto sighed as they went to the Hokage's office to report for their 'mission.'
Capturing the cat, Tora, was not a mission to him, it was just a chore. Naruto thought over how he was progressing. He needed to train himself as Kakashi obviously wasn't. The most he did was teach them some team building exercise and then took off to train Sasuke.
He thought he was doing pretty well for himself as he go better control over his 'Earth Shaker Bloodline' as he has been calling if he had to explain it to anyone. Couldn't tell them he ate a fruit for it. He no longer put too much into his strikes and figure besides causing Earthquakes, he could literally shift the earth around him.
His 'ROOM' diameter rose to 40 meters over the last couple weeks and he was feeling less and less drain on his stamina. He was currently trying to learn about the human body. The Kyuubi had told him that the fruit was used to perform surgeries and could cure most if not all diseases. There were people in the village who couldn't afford to go to the doctor's and were suffering in silence. He had the power to help and he was going to do something about it.
He had clones upon clones studying medical ninjutsu and human anatomy along with a couple of books on diseases and treatments for such illnesses. While he couldn't perform the medical justu, he still like to know how it worked and maybe replicate it somehow.
He hadn't forgone his shinobi training, he had just toned it down to the basics. He really needed to get those down. He wasn't horrible but if he could master them, he would be a force to be reckoned with his fruits and even more so if he had some elemental jutsu.
Team 7 arrived with 'Demon Cat' Tora in hand at the Hokage's office. They could have been in better condition. Sasuke had a multitude of scratches on his face and arms. Sakura was the same way with bruises from diving to catch the cat but failing and hitting the ground. Naruto and Kakashi were the least injured. Naruto used his room to catch the cat and hit a pressure point in its neck. He had gotten a scratch or two on his hand but it healed pretty quickly. Kakashi on the other hand sat back and watched as they tried to catch the demon in cat form, hence the no injuries.
They opened up the door to see and old man in red and white robes with a hat that had the kanji 'Fire' on the tip and Iruka-sensei. The elderly man gave off a grandfather like feeling but underneath that you could feel the power of a village leader. This was Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Team 7 reporting. Mission to capture the Tora the Cat was a success." Kakashi said as he looked over his book towards the Hokage. Hiruzen sighed at the gray haired jonin's behavior. "Good job, Team 7. Let's see, what else do we have for you today? Fence painting, cleaning the Inuzuka kennels, clearing weeds..."
Naruto started to drown out the Hokage as he didn't care about these unimportant tasks. "Hokage-sama." He said getting everyone's attention. He never addressed someone with respect before. "I think that we are ready for something more than just chores. Could we possibly get a C-Rank mission?" He asked.
"You baka! You're only a few weeks out of the academy and you're requesting a C-Rank mission. These mission need to be done and it promotes teamwork." Iruka yelled out. Hiruzen looked amused, "Now, Iruka. Let's see what Kakashi has to say about it." He said looking towards the team leader.
Kakashi looked at his charges and then to the Hokage, "I believe they are ready for a C-Rank, Hokage-sama." He said and Iruka just gaped. "I disagree! I've had all these kids in my class and I don't think they're ready."
"Well they're my charges as if now and I think they are ready."
"I agree with Kakashi. We just got a mission to protect a bridge builder. Send him in!" He yelled out to his secretary. The door opened and in came in an old man with gray hair and a large beard. He had glasses and a weird pointed hat and he smelled of sake.
"These are the guards I hired? Their a bunch of brats. The only one that looks capable is the scarecrow over there. The one in the blue looks like an emo, the pinky looks useless, and the blonde...well he's blonde and he's a midget." The old drunk listed off. All the genin had tick marks at their descriptions.
"I assure you that my team is capable of protecting you. If not then I will step in." Kakashi stepped in as he didn't want his students to start yelling at and possibly attacking the client.
"Hm, fine. I am master bridge builder, Tazuna-sama! I expect super protection until the bridge is finished!" He declared.
The rest in the room sweatdropped at his declaration. "Um sure. Well Team 7 meet at the gate in a hour with your gear." Kakashi said as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The Hokage grew a tick mark, "I told him not to use the Leaf Shunshin in my office." He grumbled.
-Outside the Village Gates-
Team 7 and Tazuna were walking on a dirt path at civilian speed because of the bridge builder. Sakura was asking question on his village and country.
"So you don't have ninja in your village?"
"No. There used to be a ninja village across the way from us and they would protect us but they were destroyed a few years before the Third Shinobi War." Tazuna answered.
"What was the village called?" Naruto asked.
He looked over to the blonde, "It was called Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools." He answered.
'Kit. That is your mother's home land. If you can, slip off and go to that village and look through it. You could possibly find more information about your Devil Fruits.' The Tailed Beast suggested.
'How do I get there?' He mentally asked.
'I don't know, baka! I've been sealed in that damn Leaf Village since that human tree was was Hokage.' The Kyuubi spat out the phrase 'human tree.'
'Alright, alright. I'll ask for a boatman to take me.' He said as he became aware to the outside world once again.
Kakashi had just ended his lecture on the Five Great Ninja Villages and their Kages, "You all just doubted the Hokage, didn't you?"
Sasuke and Sakura looked like they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar while Naruto looked indifferent. He didn't doubt the Hokage's strength just wasn't listening at the time.
They continued to walk and passed a puddle. From the puddle, two men with with a shuriken like chain attached to gauntlets appeared and wrapped up Kakashi.
"What?" Is all he got to say before he was ripped to shreds. Sakura let out a scream of terror, "Kakashi-sensei!"
"He's down, time for the old man." One of the assailants said as they rushed towards Tazuna. Sasuke and Naruto got into action as they both rush forward and threw shuriken into the links of the chain and pinned it to a tree. The duo then rushed the assassins in a bout of taijustu.
Naruto was slowly being pushed back and glanced over to Sasuke and saw him in the opposite position. 'Tch. All I know is the Academy style and I'm pretty sure they taught me that wrong too. He has his family's style to help him. I need to find a taijutsu style for myself.' He thought to himself.
"Keep your eyes on your opponent, boy!" His opponent yelled as he set to strike him with his bladed gauntlet. Naruto saw the attack coming and acted quickly. He substituted for a wood log and got behind a tree. "That's another one gone." He said as he rushed off towards Sasuke. "Bet you thought. ROOM!" Naruto said as he set his distance at 30 meters. He eyed the two attackers and saw the one that was foghting him about to hit Sasuke from behind.
"Shambles." He said and Sasuke disappeared and a surprised masked man was in his place. The claws were already on the way down so neither could do much about it. The claws made contact and cut the man's chest.
"Meizu! You brat! I'll kill you!" He exclaimed as he lept at Sasuke but was stopped when he was put into a headlock by Kakashi. "That's enough of that." He said lazily as he choked the man out into unconsciousness.
"You're alive?!" Sakura and Tazuna yelled out. Kakashi nodded and pointed to a pile of shredded pieces of wood. "Naruto's alive too. He's behind that tree." He lazily thumbed to a tree behind him. Naruto came from behind the tree with a shhepish grin.
'What was with that blue circle? It wasn't chakra. Did have something to do with Sasuke switching places with Meizu at that last second? Sasuke didn't have enough time nor did he see the attack coming so it couldn't have been a substituion.' Kakashi thought as he raddled off question in his head.
"Well, these two are The Demon Brothers, missing-nin from the Mist Village. The question is why are they after you?" He asked Tazuna who started to sweat under his gaze.
"I-I um." He stammered as he failed to find an excuse. He sighed in defeat and his shoulder slumped, "Okay, I will tell you."
-Break-
Tazuna told them of Gato and the situation in the Land of Waves. Gato moved in years ago and took over the island. Everyone there lives in poverty except Gato and his goons. They wanted a way to connect to the mainland and get some merchants and economic flow back into the village but then Gato had sent a bounty on Tazuna's head. They needed help but couldn't afford a B-rank mission so he had to lie and say it was C-ranked.
After some begging and guilt tripping, he eventually got Kakashi to agree and continue the mission. They had just got off the boat and were walking to Tazuna's house when Naruto sensed something in the bushes he whipped out a kunai and flung it towards the tree line. The others tensed at the sudden movement.
"What are you trying to do?! Scare everyone to death?!" Tazune yelled out while the rest looked on guard. Naruto walked over towards the bushes and parted them. He saw a shaking white rabbit with a kunai embedded into the tree right above it's head.
"Naruto! You idiot! Scaring everyone for a stupid rabbit!" Sakura yelled out. Naruto picked up the rabbit and the kunai, "Sorry, little guy. Hehe." He said as he placed the rabbit back on the ground and it scampered off.
'That coat of fur in this season is unnatural. Must have been a subst-' Kakashi was knocked out of his thoughts by a whirling sound. He turned his head and saw a massive sword swing their way. "Duck!" He yelled out. As he grabbed Tazuna and took him to the ground. Sasuke ducked and Sakura looked around clueless, "What duck?"
Naruto groaned and appeared behind her and smacked her in the back of the head while ducking himself as the sword passed his above his head and was lodged into a tree.
The group stood up and looked over at the sword and saw that there was a man with bandages around his mouth and neck with his headband tilted slightly crouching on the sword. He hopped off his sword and onto the ground. He then reached over and grabbed his sword out of the tree bark and slung it over his shoulder.
'What strength! To be able use that thing with one arm so easily.' Naruto thought.
"What do we have here? Kakashi and a bunch of kids trying to play ninja? You know there's quite the bounty on your head? The man who has copied a thousand jutsu with his Sharingan." The man said.
'Sharingan?!' Sasuke thought has he stared at his sensei in shock.
"Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Hidden Mist." Kakashi said as he lifted up his headband to show a blood red eye with three tomoe.
"Oh, Sharingan from the start. I'm flattered." Zabuza said as he lifted his sword.
"What is that word, Sharingan?" Sakura asked.
"The Sharingan is the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha Clan. It's a dojutsu, it allows the user to see movements before they are made and copy jutsu. It also allows to use genjutsu with just a glance." Sasuke answered. 'But how did he get that eye?'
"That just scratched the surface of that eye but enough talk." Zabuza said as he took a pose, "Hidden Mist Jutsu."
The bridge they were standing on became shrouded in a thick mist. 'Damn, I can't see through this mist.' Kakashi thought.
"You three! Protect the client, I'll deal with Zabuza." Kakashi ordered. The three nodded and surrounded Tazuna in a triangle like fashion.
They all heard a chuckle that sent shivers down their spines, "Heart, liver, throat and spine. Just a few of the instant kill points that I could use right now." His voice seemed to come from everywhere.
An oppressive force beared down on everyone except Kakashi. Sakura and Tazuna were shaking uncontrollably while the latter actually pissed himself. Naruto was in a slightly better condition but still shaking, 'W-What is this feeling of death?'
Sasuke was the worst however. 'It's just like that night. Is this what it's like to fight as shinobi. I have no chance against him. Maybe I should just end it here and now.' He thought as the kunai he was holding slowly and shakily made its way to his neck.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi called stopping the young boy from killing himself. "I will protect you. I won't let my comrades die." He said and Sasuke nodded and everyone slowly gained their confidence back.
"Too late!" Zabuza said as he appeared in the middle of their formation and took a swing at Tazuna. Kakashi appeared behind him and stabbed him in the heart. But instead of blood spattter, water splash out in the face of Tazuna and Naruto.
Naruto expected to feel pain or weaker at least, 'Wait. I thought I would be hurt or feel weak right now. What happened?' He mentally asked.
'That is the price to pay for eating a Devil Fruit and in your case two Devil Fruits robs you twice the amount. However, only standing water effects Devil Fruit Users. Rain or jutsus won't effect you as it is moving. Just don't get thrown into that water below the bridge and you'll be fine.' The kyuubi answered him matter of factly.
"Water clone, huh?" He said as he was slashed from behind but he too turned into water. "You copied my jutsu even through the mist. That eye is truly incredible." Zabuza said.
What happened next was a deadly battle of Water Clone tag. Kakashi would hit Zabuza and it'd turn out he was a clone and vice versa. That changed when the real Zabuza came over and kicked Kakashi onto the water below as he had just killed his last clone.
'This water feels different and heavier.' Kakashi said as he resurfaced. Zabuza appeared by him and raised his hand and a globe of water formed around Kakashi and trapped him. "Ha! I beat you with such a simple tactic!" Zabuza gloated. "Now to take care of your little brats." He said as another water clone and it started to walk across the water towards the genin.
"Um guys, what do we do?" Sakura asked. She scared out of her wits. Her sensei, the strongest out of all of them was taken easily. They stood no chance.
"You guys take Tazuna and run. You can't beat him." Kakashi yelled out as the water got heavier around him.
"No can do, Kakashi-sensei! Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash, right!" Naruto declared. Kakashi looked at his team with pride despite the situation.
"Guys, I have a plan." He said to his teammates. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He said as a few clones appeared near him and charged the Zabuza clone on the water. 'They shouldn't hold my weakness to water and I should really learn how to stand on water like that guy.' Naruto thought.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu? Impressive for a brat." Zabuza mused.
"Okay. Sasuke, you're the best at shurikenjutsu so I need you to throw a kunai at Zabuza as a feint while also throwing a special Demon Wind shuriken at him." Naruto explained.
"What's so special about this shuriken?" Sakura asked. Naruto smirked and created another clone, it henged into a Demon Wind shuriken.
"So it's just a henge. Iruka-sensei said that it's just an illusion." Sakura said.
Naruto picked it up and walked over to her and cut off a piece of her hair. "That real enough for you?" He asked as he let her hair drop. Sakura and Sasuke looked at the shuriken with wide eyes. "It looks like his jutsu needs him to be in contact with that orb of water, we just need him to move and then hopefully Kakashi-sensei can finish him off." Naruto said.
Sasuke nodded and went into action. He threw a kunai past the clone who had dispatched Naruto's shadow clones. They were at a disadvantage because they didn't know water walking yet. The kunai went past Zabuza as he leaned his head to the right. He looked back up and saw a Demon Wind shuriken coming his way and he jumped above it.
He didn't expect the shuriken to turn into the blonde kid and throw a flurry of kunai at his back. He let go of the water orb and leaped away as Kakashi dropped to the water surface. He coughed up some water and looked up to where Zabuza landed.
"Alright. It's time to end this." Kakashi said as he brought out two kunai and charged at Zabuza. They blocked and parried blows, Kakashi was surprisingly holding up against Zabuza's giant broadsword.
They clashed again and pushed away for a few meters apart on the water. Zabuza started to go through handseals and Kakashi copied them at the same pace. "Water Dragon Jutsu!" They both yelled out as giant water tendrils grew out of the water and took shape of two dragon with glowing yellow eyes. The dragon attacked each other coiling around each other and trying bite into each others neck. They succeeded and they dispersed into a shower of water, which Naruto promptly ran away from.
'Are these people even human?' Tazuna mentally asked himself as he watch these amazing feats.
"Argh! It's that damn eye! All you can do is copy me like a damn monkey!" Zabuza yelled out as he went through more handseals while running towards the bridge. Kakashi followed his direction while going through the same handseals.
Zabuza started to see himself appear behind Kakashi.
'It's as if he know..'
"What I'm going to do next?" Kakashi asked.
Zabuza's eye widened and he looked towards Kakashi's Sharingan. "That damn eye. You can't beat me with cheap tricks."
"I'll crush you!" They both yelled out.
"I'll make sure you never open that monkey mouth again!" Zabuza declared but stopped his handseals when he saw himself appear behind Kakashi. 'That's me? But how? Is this a genjutsu?'
Kakashi finished his handseals, "Water Vortex Jutsu!" He yelled out as a ring if water rose in front of him a turned into a hydropump of water and blasted Zabuza into a tree.
'I was going to use that jutsu but he did it before me!' Zabuza thought. Kakashi appeared in front of him after the water subsided. "How? Can you see the future?" Zabuza asked.
"Yes. And this is your last battle...ever." he said as he moved in with a kunai ready to end the man's life. He stopped when two senbon needles struck Zabuza in the neck and he dropped to the ground, dead. This shocked everyone watching and they turned to the direction they were thrown from and saw a masked nin with the Kiri symbol on their forehead.
"Thank you for weaking him. I've been after him for quite a while." The hunter nin said as they approached the body. Kakashi went to Zabuza and checked his pulse, sensing none he nodded to the hunter nin and went over to his team. Halfway there, he fell over from exhaustion but heard his team call out to him.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
-End Chapter-
I couldn't really remember how this mission went so hopefully it's as close as it could possible be. That is also the reason the other stories are taking so long besides me not having the time but I got the next chapters done for Naruto of the Grandline and Sabertooth's Dragon God. Just need to put the finishing touches on them. Also yes there will be other devil fruit in the story.
Anybody got some ideas for a pairing?
Please review.