Naruto: Contact

Naruto opened his eyes and stared up through the leafy canopy at the dawn sky. After his outburst the previous evening he had marched back to the clearing team seven had been practicing in, made two dozen shadow clones and thrown himself into tree climbing. It had been train himself to exhaustion or beat the client's grandson to a bloody pulp and although the brat deserved a beating Tazuna and Kakashi-sensei would probably have disapproved. So Naruto had walked up and down trees well into the night, forcing himself to use smaller and smaller amounts of chakra. He had eventually keeled over after making a successful return trip up and down his chosen tree and dispelling his last surviving kage bunshin.

But what woke me up? Naruto extended his chakra sense, feeling around for what his highly tuned physical senses had perceived as a possible threat. There's the seal barrier a few yards to my right. Trees, trees, miscellaneous birds, more trees... and one ninja. Hm. Not No-brows, but male and has journin level reserves. Chakra is calm, very still and... cold? Is that some kind of bloodline, like how the tiger-masked ANBU feels like deep forest and Inoichi-san like whispers?

Naruto sat up under his tree as the unidentified ninja wandered out from the treeline and stopped dead, having bumped into the blond genin's seal perimeter.

"Ohayo, ninja-san," Naruto said cheerfully, taking in the newcomer's appearance, "are you a friend of Momochi-san? Or are you in the area independently?"

If Naruto hadn't been able to sense that the ninja's chakra had a distinctly male flavour he would have mistaken his new friend for a kunoichi. He had a pretty heart-shaped face, large and limpid brown eyes, a delicate nose, rosy lips and long, lustrous black hair that brushed his shoulderblades. He was wearing a pale pink woman's kimono –which compounded the illusion of femininity- and had a basket hanging from his left elbow. All in all, the shinobi looked exactly like an innocent civilian maiden out gathering herbs.

Any other ninja would have found the cross-dressing shinobi disconcertingly over-female but Naruto just felt that the other boy carried the look off rather well. I have to use henge to look properly girly, but this guy can do it naturally with a quick wardrobe change!

The shinobi stiffened at Naruto's friendly inquiry, a senbon materialising in his right hand like a magician's conjuring trick.

"Hey, no need for that! I was just asking!" Naruto protested, holding up his hands. "I was just curious, since he promised to meet up with me again. Because of my kaa-san being who she is, you see."

The pink-clad shinobi paused. "You are Yogensha-sama's child? Zabuza-sama did mention you. He said you were a sword user." The cross-dresser's gentle brown eyes took in Naruto's rather scruffy and distinctly swordless appearance.

The blond rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, the client's grandson kinda pissed me off, so rather than beat him up and get in trouble with my sensei I came out here to practice my chakra control. Which is total shite, as you've probably gathered by the state of the trees."

His new friend giggled. "I'm sure you're not really that bad."

"Oh I really am," Naruto assured him. "Now what brings you out here this early in the morning?"

The other shinobi's face darkened. "Gato-san was most displeased when he learned that Zabuza-sama did not kill the bridge builder the day before yesterday and tried to terminate my master during the night. Of course we killed the scum who threatened us, but Zabuza-sama's Kubikiri Hocho is not suited to being wielded in enclosed spaces, so he was injured. I came here seeking healing herbs, but you have somehow blocked me from accessing them."

"It's a seal perimeter to keep ninja out, but never mind that; I'm gonna ask Sensei if we can kill this Gatou bastard! Trying to kill No-Brows like that! I'll help you with the herbs. What do you need? And what're you called, anyway? I can't just keep thinking of you as the pretty boy in the pink kimono."

The ninja in pink blinked in the face of this veritable flood of information. "My name is Haku; your help would be greatly appreciated. How did you know I was male? Most people assume I'm a girl when I dress like this. Or any other way, for that matter," he added, a note of irritation tingeing his voice.

"I'm not all that bad at chakra sensing and you have male chakra. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Haku! Do you have a bloodline? Your chakra feels cold in a kekkai genkai kind of way you see and I was curious."

"I was not aware that it was possible to sense bloodlines," Haku said neutrally. "These are samples of the herbs I am looking for."

"oh, Bloodlines feel mostly the same as elemental affinities; the difference is very subtle. A person needs to have been around a lot of people with bloodlines and non-bloodline individuals with strong elemental affinities to be able to notice the differences and become attuned. There are a lot of bloodline clans in Konoha, so I've had practice. Did you know that Yamanakas feel like whispers? It's a little creepy. I find myself trying to catch what's being said." Naruto paused his rambling monologue as he focused on the ground cover.

"Is this the herb you were looking for?"

"Aa. Is there any more?"

"Plenty," Naruto reassured him. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Haku-kun!"

"Konnichiwa, Naruto-kun. Arigatou. Is there any more of the other herb, the flowering one?"

"I'll look. You are very pretty and feminine, by the way. I don't think I've ever seen a boy as delicate as you before."

Haku pinked in embarrassment at this rather blatant flattery. "You are a sweet child, Naruto-kun. Most people tell me I am too pretty to be a proper boy."

"Aw, they're just jealous. Especially if they were women: you're way better looking than the kunoichi in my age group." Naruto paused thoughtfully, then offered: "If you want to look masculine you should cut your hair short and wear form-fitting clothing like the ANBU do. Or copy No-Brows and don't bother with a shirt at all. Nobody would mistake you for a girl if you did that."

Haku chuckled. "I suppose not. Why do you call Zabuza-sama 'No-Brows'?"

"He has no eyebrows; duh. I give most of the adults I kind of like some nickname or other. Sensei is Sensei, of course, Sarutobi-sama is ojii-san or jiji 'cause he's really old, then there're Scar-face and 'Crazy Snake Lady' from T&I and the geisha onee-sans. The only person my age with a nickname is the Teme, 'cause he is a teme. The only person I haven't given a nickname to is Himitsu-okaa-san because she is far too scary and proper. " He shivered. "I don't want to die, so I haven't even thought a nickname for her."

"You feel some kinship with Zabuza-sama?"

"Yeah. He's part of kaa-san's family, isn't he? Plus he pounded Sensei for getting kaa-san pregnant and running off for four months. Never mind that he's doing right by her now, he deserved to get beaten into the ground for that. Oh, and he's offered to teach me some Muon Satsujin, which puts him above most adults I know."

"I'll tell him you said that," Haku said, amused.

"You know, If Sensei agrees you could come stay with us at Tazuna-san's house," Naruto commented idly. "I could reset the seal perimeter to keep non-ninja out so Gatou and his goons can't get in while No-Brows and Sensei are recovering. You could even help us genin keep watch at the bridge if you wanted. Your chakra feels almost journin level."

"Ano, I pretend to be a hunter-nin from Mist a lot of the time," Haku admitted. "It prevents all kinds of problems. Oh, I think those herbs by that tree over there are the last ones I need."

"These? Coming up!" Naruto cheered. "Where are you really from, then? Are you based somewhere or just nomadic?"

"Yogensha-sama set up a small hidden village on one of the more obscure islands of Mizu no kuni archipelago six years ago", Haku explained, "called Shougakure no sato. It is a haven for those who escaped the Kiri kekkai genkai purges or otherwise angered the Yondaime Mizukage. We accept missions in order to earn money for the Resistance and to buy whatever the village cannot produce independently. Mainly iron and steel, to be honest."

"Ano, were the Demon Brothers from Shougakure?"

"Iie, they were not; Gatou hired them independently. Why?"

Naruto sighed in relief. "I and my team-mate killed them."

"Ah. Gatou believes they deserted after being defeated." Haku chuckled. "Killed by a pair of genin; how embarrassing for the infamous Demon Brothers. Arigatou for your generosity, Naruto-kun. These herbs are perfect."

"You're welcome, Haku."

"Please do ask Hatake-san if it would be possible to negotiate a truce; I'd feel better if Zabuza-sama and I had reinforcements until he heals."

"I will ask. See you later!" Naruto waved goodbye to his new friend before straightening his clothingand haring off back to the bridge builder's house. Oh, won't Sensei stare when I tell him about this!

Kakashi-sensei did indeed stare when Naruto bounced into Tazuna's house and recounted his early morning adventure. So did Sasuke, Sakura, Tsunami and Tazuna.

"Shougakure? The village hidden in the reefs? I've heard of it vaguely," Tazuna admitted, "but I thought it was just a tall tale. The idea of a ninja village built on an invisible island as a sanctuary for the persecuted is rather far-fetched, after all."

"Wait-wait-wait; Shougakure is invisible? That is soooo cool!" Naruto exclaimed. "Haku didn't mention that his village was invisible!"

"Actually, Tazuna-san, an invisible island is perfectly plausable if the ninja involved are skilled enough," Kakashi-sensei drawled. "But more to the point: would you be willing to let Momochi Zabuza and this Haku into your home?"

Tsunami looked hesitant but Tazuna nodded. "You say that Gatou tried to cheat and kill them; I can't afford to be picky in finding help and if they are willing to put animosity aside I will do likewise. My enemies' enemies are possible allies after all."

"Oh, good," Naruto said cheerily "this way Haku can help Kakashi-sensei heal faster."

"Your new friend is a healer, Naruto-kun?" Sensei asked.

"I met him while he was looking for healing herbs; fairly obscure ones. I know one of them promotes chakra recovery, although unfortunately I have no idea how to prepare it or what the appropriate dosages are. You could be upright and mobile by the day after tomorrow if any of us actually knew basic healing, Sensei."

"I am aware of that, Naruto. That is another point in favour of admitting them." The journin seemed to be contemplating their options. "Oh why not. Go ahead and invite them in when you next see Haku, Naruto-kun. I have an idea of how I can persuade Zabuza that aiding us would benefit him. Until then, let's get moving. Sasuke, Naruto, you two continue your training within the perimeter. Sakura, Tazuna, let's get to the bridge shall we?"

The genin and the bridge builder got moving.

Naruto was much better at sticking to trees after his all-night training session but being able to walk up and down a tree-trunk did not make him proficient at jumping from one branch to another. Standing upside down like Kakashi-sensei had done was also currently beyond his capabilities. Sasuke was only slightly better than he was, though the black haired boy managed somehow to stay ahead of him despite Naruto's usage of a dozen shadow clones to make his reserves more managable.

By noon both boys could jump from one tree to another and actually stick, so Naruto stopped for lunch, Sasuke joining him when the blond pointed out that without food and a breather the Uchiha was just wearing himself out to no good purpose. When they had both almost finished demolishing the bentos Tsunami had given them Naruto sensed Haku's chill presence approaching, accompanied by a larger chakra signature that felt like water and the whisper of sharp edges. The whisker-marked genin put aside his mostly-finished meal and rose to his feet.

"Teme? We've got company."

Sasuke quietly set his bento aside and pulled out a fistful of shuriken. "Who?"

"Haku plus one. I think it's Zabuza, but no guarantees." Naruto sniffed the breeze, "Smells like Haku and I can smell fresh and old blood, so it probably is them. It doesn't hurt to be cautious though."

"Hn." Sasuke vanished up a tree on the very edge of the seal perimeter; one flaw of the barrier was that weapons could pass through it since they weren't alive. This weakness could nonetheless be used to their advantage.

Zabuza's presence paused a dozen yards away -out of sight- and Haku approached the clearing alone. Naruto knew Haku could sense him too: as a result of being the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and having the bijuu's chakra constantly filtering into his reserves he had a very large and distinctive chakra signature. Not that the blond couldn't suppress it; he just preferred not to unless being actively stealthy. There is a reason the ANBU can't catch me anymore and it isn't that I've stopped wearing orange while pranking.

Haku materialised out of the treeline, this time dressed in a yellow edged green kimono jacket and matching green kobakama, hair tied back in a bun and an oinin mask painted with a red swirl hanging loosely around his neck. The older boy relaxed a little on seeing Naruto.

"Uzumaki-san; I though it was you I could sense. What did Hatake-san say?"

Naruto grinned. "Sensei said yes! Just wait a moment while I take down the perimeter." He formed a dozen shadow clones which immediately scattered to where the various kunai anchoring the barrier were planted. Naruto then pulled out a wad of paper slips, made another five clones and set about creating a new set of seals for the 'civilians out, ninjas in' barrier he intended to create.

Sasuke, seeing all was well, dropped down from his tree, shuriken once more hidden on his person. "Hn?"

"Haku-san, this is my team-mate Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said absently, head never rising from his work. Sasuke felt like black feathers with an edge of ozone and a hint of something dark and strange lurking at the very edge of his senses. Probably sharingan related. The Hyuuga byakugan feels like a high-pitched whine that grates on my nerves, especially when activated. I always know when a Hyuuga is watching me because of that faint hum it creates in the chakra. "Sasuke, this is Haku, ninja of Shougakure." Zabuza was coming closer now.

"Seals as well, gaki?" The swordsman commented as he pushed through the underbrush. "You really are an Uzumaki." His torso and arms were swathed in bloodstained bandages but he still had his sword slung across his back as though it weighed nothing at all.

"Of course I'm an Uzumaki," Naruto agreed amiably, never raising his head from his work. Unlike ninjutsu, where there was a variable margin for error, fuuinjutsu had to be perfect. He silently thanked Hibana-nee for her autocratic insistence on teaching him calligraphy and badgering him into mastering it.

"How good are you at sealing, dobe?" Sasuke asked curiously

"Comparatively or absolutely?" Naruto asked. "In absolute terms I'm a novice: I can only do storage seals, explosive tags and basic perimeter matrices. I'm currently studying storage arrays, which are complicated to draw but useful to know, and researching elemental theory in the hope of applying some of it to tags. Comparatively though I'm in the top four seal users in Konoha. Fuuinjutsu is as obscure a field as puppetry and very few ninja can draw more than a basic exploding tag."

There was a long pause.

"You are a real genius, aren't you Uzumaki?" Sasuke said quietly. "Not even my brother understood fuuinjutsu. The last expert was the Yondaime."

The blond did look up at that surprising comment. "Genius? Kaa-san says I am intuitive and hard-working. I don't know about being a genius though. It makes sense but it isn't easy."

"Kid, you are definitely a fuuinjutsu prodigy, though that may just be an Uzsumaki thing," Zabuza said dryly. "The Uzumakis were infamous for starting their children on sealing while they were still young. People say it's part of why the clan was so feared: Anyone who just understands fuuinjutsu has to have something wonky in their head."

"Is that a warning or an approval?" Naruto asked slyly, his brush dancing across the paper as he smirked ever so slightly. "There; finished."

"Us too, boss," One of the clones said, putting down his brush. Naruto was still experimenting with how he could modify shadow clones -the possibilities were endless- and had so far created 'grunt' clones: silent, obedient, efficient workers. They actually used less chakra despite being more resistant to damage, so Naruto used them for tedious and repetitive tasks. They were not as smart as he was though, so anything requiring even a modicum of imagination he used normal clones for.

"One of you disperse so the others know to take the perimeter down," Naruto ordered, "and the rest will deliver the new tags to the anchor holders and then disperse as well."

"Hai!" One of the five vanished in a puff of smoke as the other four bounded away, completed seals tucked into thigh holsters.

A few seconds later there was a ripple in the air as the barrier separating Haku and Zabuza from Naruto and Sasuke disintegrated. The feminine ninja helped his wounded master into the middle of the clearing as Naruto waited for the memories of all the delivery clones to arrive so he could order the perimeter to be reset. The blond was privately astounded that the former Kiri-nin could even walk considering his injuries and the monster sword strapped to his back.

"Okay, barrier going back up in five, four, three, two, one," Naruto counted down before creating and dispersing a new shadow clone as a signal to those drone clones on standby with the anchors. The air across the edge of the clearing shimmered briefly before returning to normal.

"You sure that worked, dobe?"

It seems that Sasuke isn't going to stop calling me that any time soon, no matter how proficient a ninja I become. "Positive. You can't sense it until you bump into it, which since you are capable of moulding chakra isn't going to happen. It's tuned to let through people with ninja-level chakra coil activity. Haku, you have unnaturally quiet chakra so you may have to agitate it a little in order to pass through."

"Arigatou for that information, Uzumaki-san."

"Ma, call me Naruto! I don't even know your last name to call you by it."

Zabuza chuckled. "Haku's a Yukimaki, gaki."

Naruto's eyes went wide and round. "Ooh! You're descended from the Tokokouri clan! No wonder your chakra's so cold!"

"Tokokouri, dobe?"

"The Tokokouri, clan of Eternal Ice, are a kekkai genkai clan from the far north of Snow country who are supposedly descended from ninja who bred with a group of yuki-onna. The Yukimaki clan are a relatively recent Mizu offshoot of the original family. I'm honestly surprised there are any left after the bloodline purges the Yondaime Mizukage ordered."

"Half-a-dozen others that I know of," Haku agreed sadly, "and only one of them is older that I."

"Let's get back to the house," Naruto said firmly. "No-Brows needs to rest. I can smell the blood from here."

"Who are you calling 'No-Brows', brat?"

"Who are you calling 'brat', No-Brows?"

"Hopeless," Sasuke sighed, leading Haku toward the bridge-builder's house, the bickering duo following in their wake.

Notes

Kubikiri Hocho = decapitating cleaver; name of Zabuza's sword.

Kobakama = short hakama that are more closely fitting and finish a little below the knee.

Oinin = hunter ninja.

Naruto can sense Hyuuga because their bloodline uses chakra echolocation to sense objects within their sphere of reach. the kekkai genkai is concentrated in the eye area and causes the chakra around them to vibrate at high frequency, which their enhanced senses pick up as a black-and-white image of their surroundings. Naruto, having bijuu-enhanced chakra senses, can hear this just fine.

A/N: At last a new chapter! My computer is fixed and although I am sick as a parrot I am making progress. I have done a new outtake of Naruto and Gaara, but since it is slightly spoilerish I'm saving it until later. Ja ne!