When Naruto woke up the next morning, it was still dark outside. He almost went back to sleep, had he not remembered last night's events.
"That's right…" Naruto nodded his head and carefully got out of his futon. He turned to his teammates, who were still asleep. It was going to be difficult getting past Kakashi, who was quite the light sleeper when he wanted to be. And yet, despite knowing this, Naruto still tried.
And when Naruto made it out of the house without once getting detected, he found himself grinning rather widely. It was as if he had accomplished something worth being considered a challenge. Too bad he wasn't going to be able to tell anyone until they found him. It was but a small price to pay for being able to continue training.
Suppressing a yawn, Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a ration bar. He unwrapped the bar and started eating it as he made his way toward the forest, where he and Sasuke had been training the other day. He was somewhat annoyed that Sasuke had been able to master tree climbing before he did. Yhen again, Sasuke also knew medical ninjutsu, so it made sense that Sasuke had better chakra control.
It still didn't make it any less annoying, but Naruto could manage. He would at least make sure that he would master tree climbing as well before the day ended, so Kakashi could move him and everyone else to water walking. Naruto had an idea of what that was. In fact, he had seen Natsu walk on water when he and everyone else were helping Hanabi learn how to swim.
He had also seen Zabuza, as well as Kakashi, standing on the water. Naruto felt himself make a face at the mere thought of Zabuza. He didn't like the missing-nin…at all. He especially didn't like how Zabuza had just cut off Chōko's braid and paid close attention to her.
And it was all because Chōko had saved Kakashi from Gōzu and Meizu. Of course, Naruto knew that Kakashi could have gotten himself out of those chains when the Demon Brothers had ambushed them. All it took was a simple substitution, and yet, Kakashi did nothing. He didn't have to, because Chōko's sleep deprivation, paranoia, and impulsivity had finally taken its toll on her when she reacted the way she did.
It had happened so fast. All Naruto could remember was the flurry of shuriken and kunai that flew from Chōko's hands before he saw the bodies hit the floor. Naruto was honestly amazed at how Chōko had not managed to hit Kakashi, only to then realize that Kakashi had her glasses with him.
Before the ambush, Kakashi had taken Chōko's glasses. Naruto had thought Kakashi was just messing with Chōko, but after the attack, he knew that it had been done on purpose. Chōko wasn't in the best state for someone who was armed and ready to attack anything that set her off. So when Kakashi had noticed a rather suspicious puddle of water on the ground before Chōko did, he removed her glasses and set up a simple genjutsu to conceal the puddle from their sights.
They never saw it coming…well, Kakashi did, but he acted as though he hadn't. And for that, he and everyone else found out firsthand what a sleep-deprived Chōko was capable of when stressed and shoved into a life or death situation.
It was honestly frightening.
When Chōko had finally stopped throwing, she was panting heavily with tears streaming down her cheeks, trying her hardest to make out what had just happened. She had seemed so exhausted and terrified. It wasn't that much of a surprise that she passed out.
Kakashi had been the one to catch Chōko as she fell. He had also been the one to advise everyone to keep quiet on what truly happened, for fear of Chōko's reaction. After all, Kakashi have never expected there to be any casualties. Naruto felt his heart nearly stop when he heard Kakashi admit that.
So when Zabuza brought up Gōzu and Meizu, Naruto was worried that Chōko was going to find out through him. Naruto still didn't understand how Zabuza even found out about the attack and that alone terrified him even more, because just how long had Zabuza been keeping tabs on them?
Even now, Naruto worried that the missing-nin was watching over him and his friends, even though Kakashi blatantly mentioned that anyone put in a state of momentary death needed time to recover.
"Is this how Chōko-chan must've felt?" Naruto frowned.
…
Naruto scowled and stuffed the rest of the ration bar into his mouth. He chewed a few times before swallowing hard and then ran. He kept running until he came across the tree where he had left his marks of progress on. He stared at the tree before him for a few seconds before concentrating on focusing a fixed amount of chakra to the bottom of his feet. He then pulled out a kunai from his holster and ran forward, trying his hardest to make it as far as he could up the tree.
Naruto marked his spot before gravity pulled him down. He landed on his feet, his gaze focused on the mark he left on the tree. He nodded once in satisfaction, taking in the fact that he was still improving. He contemplated on using his shadow clones to help speed up the progress, but Naruto wanted to leave the rest up to himself.
"Sasuke didn't need help…" Of course, Sasuke had minor medic-nin training, but Naruto didn't care. He just wanted to grow stronger, so that he could prove to Inari that heroes did in fact exist.
It pissed him off, just hearing Inari act the way the little kid did. Naruto knew for a fact that heroes existed, because…
"Itachi-san was a hero, dattebayo." Naruto knew that for a fact. It was because of Itachi that Naruto was still with his friends, living in the village he loved so dearly, even if most of its inhabitants harbored negativity toward him.
Naruto always wondered why people looked at him the way they did and it was on the day he received his hitai-ate from Iruka that Naruto finally found out from Mizuki. Sasuke had been there, as well.
It was terrifying, learning something such as that about one's self… Naruto was afraid that Sasuke would have just left him there and then after finding out the truth. Iruka showed some hesitance when Mizuki brought up the fact that he had lost his parents to the Kyuubi on the day Naruto was born.
The day Naruto was born was also the day the Fourth Hokage had sealed the Kyuubi inside of him. Knowing that, Naruto could understand why people looked at him the way they did. It still hurt, but he understood. He just wished they could look past the Kyuubi and notice him, Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage—the boy who just wanted to be noticed by others.
On the day he first met Akimichi Chōko, Naruto had felt so happy to know that she wasn't going to leave him. Most children did, after their parents told them to stay away from him. Yet, Chōko stayed and helped him make more friends.
Because of Chōko, Naruto had met Sasuke, Itachi, and Shisui. Because of Chōko, he wasn't alone. Because of Chōko, those stares people gave him weren't as harsh as they had been, now that he knew he wasn't alone.
Chōko probably wouldn't care if she found out that he was the container of the Kyuubi. Yet, Naruto was scared of the possibility that she would completely reject him—her and everyone else, even though Sasuke had told him that they would all saw him for who he was and not for what he contained.
"You're important, remember?"
That was what Sasuke told him. It was the same words that Naruto had been told by Itachi and Shisui.
"Shisui…" Naruto still missed his older brother. Even if Shisui was still alive in their many memories, Naruto just wished that the Uchiha were still with him.
Shisui might have broken his promise to stay alive, but Naruto could never hate him. He could never call the Uchiha a liar, either. Because Naruto wasn't like Inari…he knew when to mourn and move on. That was the point of the tree that had been planted in his backyard.
Ino had explained that people reacted differently to death and that sometimes, people needed help. That was why they had a side business in planting trees that contained the ashes of a person.
Whenever Naruto felt down, all he needed to do was look at the magnolia tree growing in his backyard, and the image of Shisui's smiling face would pop up in his mind. It was as though Shisui was telling him that everything is okay. And really, it was, because even though Shisui and the Uchiha were gone, Naruto still had his friends. He had people who supported him, who would protect him if he were in danger.
People who were probably aware of who he was, but stayed by his side, nonetheless. These people…they were important as well. And Naruto had grown up, being told that he was being protected because he was important.
"If so, then that means…I have to protect them as well!" It was only natural to want to protect that which is considered important. "Isn't that right, Shisui-nii?"
Naruto inhaled deeply and exhaled before running up the tree again. He knew he should have warmed up a bit before training, but for once, Naruto just wanted to keep going until he couldn't. He had something to prove and he would keep at it until his feelings got through to others.
"Maybe then…Inari will stop suffering!" Naruto could only hope.
…
…
Naruto had never meant to fall asleep when he sat down to take a break. And yet, it happened. Naruto was only aware that this had happened when a delicate hand had grasped his shoulder and gently shook him awake.
"You'll catch a cold if you sleep in a place like this." The voice was soft and when Naruto opened his eyes, he found himself looking at a pair of big, brown eyes framed by thick black eyelashes.
Naruto blinked a few times, taking in the flawless pale skin and glossy black hair that belonged to the young lady who had woke him up. He sat up, taking a moment to rub the sleep out of his eyes, before looking at the young lady again. She was still there, looking at him as if his well-being was of her concern.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked somewhat sluggishly.
When the young lady just smiled at him, Naruto felt his cheeks heat up and his drowsiness fade almost at once. He sat up straight, somewhat embarrassed that she had seen him in such a position.
"Did you wake me up, Nee-chan?" Naruto lightly scratched the side of his face with his index finger. "By the way, what are you doing?"
Naruto was honestly curious about why a young lady would be out so early in the morning.
"Picking herbs," was her response.
Naruto blinked. "Herbs?"
"That's right!" The young lady smiled at him. "It's to cure injuries and illness."
"D-Do you need any help-ttebayo?" Without even thinking, Naruto found himself asking the young lady if she needed assistance.
The young lady stared at him for a moment before smiling at him. "That would be nice."
…
Some time passed, and Naruto had never felt so glad to have learned all that there was to know about medicinal herbs from Ino. He had definitely caught the young lady by surprise when he had handed her an herb before she could even tell him which plants were which.
"Thanks for helping out!" The young lady smiled at him. "I'm Haku."
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto grinned widely as he handed Haku another herb. "You sure are working early-ttebayo."
"You too," Haku remarked. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"
Naruto grinned and loudly replied, "Training!"
Haku blinked, her eyes focusing in on the hitai-ate Naruto wore on his forehead. "Could you be…a ninja?"
Naruto had never felt so happy to be recognized as a ninja. His face heated up as jabbed his thumb in his direction, gesturing at himself. "You noticed?! Yeah, I'm a ninja, dattebayo!"
"Wow, you're amazing." Haku smiled.
Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his head. He felt so giddy to hear that from someone who barely even knew him.
"But why were you training?" Haku then asked, looking expectantly at him for an answer.
"I want to become stronger!" Naruto replied.
"But you look strong enough already…" Haku pursed her lips.
"No, no!" Naruto exclaimed. "I want to become even stronger, dattebayo!"
…
Haku narrowed her eyes. "Why…is that?"
"So that I can become the best of the best in my village-ttebayo!" Naruto held up his right hand, which was currently tightened into a fist. "I'm going to make everyone acknowledge my strength! And right now, I need to prove something to someone-ttebayo!"
"Is that for someone or yourself?" Haku looked closely at Naruto as she asked him that.
"Ha?!" Naruto made a face.
Haku giggled, prompting Naruto to ask what she found so funny. "Do you have someone who is important to you?"
"Important…" Naruto thought for a moment. "What are you trying to get at-ttebayo?"
Haku stayed silent. A certain look crossed her face, as she appeared lost in deep thought. It was as she was remembering something.
Naruto waited patiently for Haku to continue. A minute passed before she finally spoke again.
"When a person has something or someone to protect…" Haku began. "Then that's when they can truly become strong."
Naruto's eyes widened. He had never thought of it that way… "Yeah, I understand that-ttebayo! I have a lot of things I want to protect because—they're important to me, dattebayo!"
Haku smiled. "Then you will definitely become strong! Let's meet again somewhere…I need to go."
Haku grabbed the basket she had brought with her, now filled with the many herbs she and Naruto had picked. Just as she was about to stand up, she stopped, looked at Naruto with an innocent smile, and said, "I'm a boy, by the way."
Naruto was shocked to hear that someone so pretty could be male. Sure, Haku might have used "boku", but Chōko used that as well and she was a girl. Then again, Itachi was pretty enough to pass as a girl and Neji kept getting mistaken for a girl…so maybe it was Naruto's fault for making assumptions.
"Still, how could someone be so much cuter than Hinata-chan?!" Naruto just couldn't believe it. His gaze was still focused on Haku, who was giggling upon seeing his reaction. Naruto made a face and was about ready to say something when he noticed something in Haku's long, black hair.
Tilting his head to the side, Naruto was able to see that Haku had his hair up in a ponytail. But that wasn't what caught his attention—it was the green ribbon tied in Haku's hair that had caught Naruto's attention.
"Heeey…where did you get that ribbon-ttebayo?" Naruto asked, trying not to sound so suspicious, as he did.
Haku stopped giggling. "Hmm? Oh, it was a gift from someone very important to me."
"You know, my friend has a ribbon like that." One that Naruto had only just noticed was missing from her appearance.
Haku blinked. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded his head. "It was a gift from me when we were kids. She was my very first friend, so I wanted to give her something that she might like."
"Did she like it?" Haku looked questioningly at Naruto.
Naruto grinned widely. "She liked it so much, she never stopped wearing it…well, that was until a missing-nin named Zabuza cut off her hair. I don't think she's noticed that it's missing yet, but when she does, she's going to freak-ttebayo!"
"Oh…I see…" Haku frowned. "Well, I hope you find it before she notices it's missing."
Naruto nodded his head. "Same here, dattebayo."
Haku left shortly afterwards. He walked rather calmly, for someone who was wearing Chōko's ribbon in his hair.
"A gift from someone important to him…" It didn't too long for Naruto to put two and two together. "That has to be Zabuza."
Who else was able to have access to a ribbon that Chōko always wore in her hair? It most definitely had to be the person who had cut off most of her hair. The ribbon had most likely been on the braid Zabuza had pocketed.
Naruto didn't know how Haku knew Zabuza. What Naruto did know, was that Haku wasn't as innocent as he had initially appeared. Naruto had taken a huge risk when he had mentioned Zabuza's name to the androgynous-looking boy.
"I need to tell the others…" It was something that they needed to know. "Chōko-chan's not gonna like this…"
It was at that moment that a Naruto felt something hard hit him over the head. He yelped and clutched his head as it throbbed. He clenched his teeth and looked up, finding himself staring at Sasuke, who was anything but amused.
"What was that for, dattebayo?!" Naruto exclaimed.
"For leaving without us, dumbass." Sasuke crossed his arms. "We were supposed to have left the house together. How long have you been out here?"
"I dunno…it was dark when I left-ttebayo." Naruto made a face. "Hey…Sasuke—did you see a very pretty person walk by you?"
"Were they wearing Chōko's ribbon in their hair?" Sasuke arched his brow at Naruto.
Naruto nodded his head. "Uh-huh!"
Sasuke sighed. "Chōko's going to freak…"
"Yeah, she is—but that person that you walked past knows Zabuza!" Naruto swallowed hard. "That's where he got the ribbon…"
Sasuke's eyes widened. "You gotta be…We're going to have to be careful."
Naruto nodded his head. "We need to tell sensei, dattebayo!"
"Tell me what?" And lo and behold, there stood Kakashi, with Chōko at his side.
"Um…" Naruto realized he hadn't thought about how to break the news to Kakashi.
"Chōko, your ribbon's missing." Sasuke was anything but tactful when he said that.
"My ribbon…?" Chōko blinked a few times before she went completely still. Slowly, she ran her hand through her hair, her eyes widening when she noticed a certain something was missing. "Aaaaah, my ribbon! Nonononono—whyyyy?!"
Chōko's eyes started to glisten with tears seconds after it had come to her attention that her ribbon was missing. She looked about ready to cry.
"D-Don't cry, Chōko-chan!" Naruto never liked it when she cried.
"B-B-But…you gave me that ribbon." Chōko sniffed. "You got that for me and…it's gone! Uuuwah…"
"But it's not gone-ttebayo!" Naruto had just finished seeing it. "I know where it is!"
"If this is some stupid prank you're trying to pull, I'm going to slap you!" Chōko sniffed again as she took off her glasses to wipe her eyes.
"I swear, it isn't-ttebayo!" Naruto would never pull a prank that would make anyone cry! "Look—there's this person I just finished talking to and, well…he has it!"
"He?" Chōko made a face.
"Yeah, he was a very pretty person," Sasuke remarked. "Almost thought he was a girl, but Naruto is saying otherwise."
"His name is Haku and he said that someone important to him gave him that ribbon-ttebayo!" Naruto explained. "That person has to be Zabuza!"
…
"Chōko…" Kakashi began.
"I know—stay by your side." Chōko sighed as she put on her glasses. "Uuugh, I hate this…"
"Look on the bright side—at least you didn't punch Zabuza in the crotch." Sasuke might have had a point, but it still didn't mean Chōko wanted to hear it, as shown by how she nearly slapped Sasuke.
"I was eight years old!" Chōko exclaimed, her face currently red from embarrassment.
"Not many eight-year-olds can admit to punching an S-ranked missing-nin in the crotch." Kakashi chuckled upon hearing Chōko whine. "A Sannin, at that."
"You guys are horrible!" Chōko puffed up her cheeks, looking rather annoyed.
"But you love us, right?" Naruto felt the need to ask.
Chōko looked at him for a moment before sighing. "Right…so Haku has my ribbon?"
Naruto nodded his head. "Yeah! Of course, it looks better on you-ttebayo."
"You're just saying that because I'm your friend." Chōko smiled at him.
"No—I'm saying it because it's true, dattebayo!" Naruto's tone was firm. "There's just something about that ribbon that just makes it part of you! It's what makes you…well, you!"
To see someone else wear it was just weird. That's why he said what he said…
"I see…" Chōko looked surprised. "So that's why…heh, thanks."
"I'll make sure to get it back for you, dattebayo!" Naruto knew how attached Chōko had gotten to the ribbon he had given her. "It belongs to you, after all…"
"So are we gonna start training or what?" Sasuke asked as he stood on a tree branch high above in the air. "You're not going to get anywhere by just standing there!"
Naruto scowled at Sasuke, somewhat annoyed with how much of a show-off the Uchiha could be when he wanted to. "Just you wait, Sasuke! I'll make sure to master tree climbing and then—master walking on water!"
"One thing at a time, Naruto!" Sasuke said as he dashed over to a tree.
"Heeey!" Kakashi called out to him. "After you get down, you're gonna need to make some shadow clones to watch over Tazuna-san as he builds the bridge!"
After Naruto had marked his progress on the tree he had finished running up, he did just that. He made a total of five clones—just in case some of them accidentally dispelled on the way to the bridge. Of course, his clones could always make more clones, but it was still better to play it safe than sorry.
…
It was late in the afternoon when Naruto finally managed to master tree climbing. He had finally caught up to Sasuke and for that, Kakashi decided to move them and Chōko onto water walking. They made their way back to Tazuna's house, as his house was situated around water, with a wooden walkway encircling the house.
Water walking seemed easy at first, when Kakashi demonstrated to them after hopping off the walkway. He landed on the water as if it were solid ground and walked without any trouble. The only thing he needed was a little help getting back onto the walkway, which Chōko was able to do.
Then Chōko started them off, barely lasting a couple of seconds before plunging into the water. Naruto lasted a little longer than she did, and Sasuke lasted even longer than the both of them did. Even so, they were all in the water by the end of their first attempt at water walking. Kakashi sure had a good laugh…
Flash!
And a good memory to add to the photo album, with the rest of the pictures they had taken over the years. If Naruto wasn't annoyed with the fact that each and every failure, from here on out, would end up with him in the water, he would have laughed. For now, he was busy trying to find Chōko's glasses, which had fallen off when she had landed in the water.
During their second attempt, in which Kakashi made sure that Chōko had given him her glasses before anything, Sasuke still lasted the longest out of the three of them and for that, Naruto deliberately made the Uchiha lose his balance. Sasuke was not happy, especially since landing face-forward onto the water was anything less than painful.
Still, it made Naruto feel better…that was until Sasuke dunked his head under the water.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
"That'll…teach you…to mess with me!" Sasuke was scowling.
Naruto was coughing by the time Sasuke had stopped dunking his head under the water. It was not a pleasant experience, so Naruto decided not to do that again. He liked being able to breathe…
…
About an hour later, Chōko was wobbling on the water, lasting a good thirteen seconds before plunging into the water. Naruto had decided to include his shadow clones into the mix after falling one too many times into the water. It was certainly amusing to see so many of his clones fall into the water after each and every attempt.
As for Sasuke, he was able to take a few wobbly steps without falling in, while Chōko and Naruto could barely even keep their balance just standing on top of water. It was around that time that Naruto gained some information in regards to Tazuna coming home. One of his clones must have dispelled itself to send the message.
"I think it's about time to call it a day," Kakashi suddenly said. "Wouldn't do any good for you to be too exhausted to get out of the water, now would it?"
Naruto understood completely when he saw how difficult it was to pull himself onto the wooden walkway. His body felt heavy and after practicing for so long on such an unstable surface, it felt weird to walk on a solid surface. It felt even heavier after all of his clones dispelled themselves.
"This is why you have to be careful when you use your shadow clones for that," Kakashi remarked.
Naruto said nothing and just made his way into the house. Tsunami had left them a couple of towels to dry off when they had entered. And when Chōko's hair had come out looking like a fluffy dandelion after she had finished drying her hair, everyone had a good laugh…well, except her, especially since Kakashi decided to take a picture there and then, much to Chōko's annoyance.
Even though Naruto had grown used to seeing Chōko with long hair in a braid, he could honestly get used to her new haircut if it meant seeing it like this.
"Team Spiky Hair!" Naruto repeated the name Chōko had given their team.
Chōko stuck her tongue out at him in response.
"It's honestly not that bad." Sasuke honestly should have been able to dodge Chōko's wet towel when she threw it at his face. It was his fault entirely when it slapped him in the face.
"I don't want to hear it!" Chōko tried her hardest to smooth down her hair, but to no avail. "Hmph…"
"Like a baby bird," Kakashi remarked. "Or konpeitō…which I have—want some?"
Sure enough, Kakashi did have a small bottle full of konpeitō. Naruto honestly wasn't expecting that, especially since Kakashi wasn't a fan of sweets. Then again, neither was Sasuke, but Sasuke was there to get some konpeitō with Chōko. If anything, Sasuke was the type of person to eat anything that was offered to him…well, so long as it wasn't nattō.
"You want any, Naruto?" Kakashi shook the glass bottle containing konpeitō at him.
Naruto looked at the bottle for a few seconds before walking over to Kakashi. He wasn't going to pass up candy…
…
Sometime later, Naruto, Sasuke, and Chōko were waiting in the guest room for Tsunami to finish making dinner. Kakashi had stayed down stairs to talk with Tsunami and Tazuna. Nothing much was really happening, except Sasuke falling asleep in his futon. Chōko was still awake and was currently bundled up in her blanket, trying to warm up after changing into a set of dry clothes.
As for Naruto, he was mostly just staring at his teammates, somewhat bored out of his wits. Then Chōko decided to ask him a question that certainly caught his attention.
"Hey, you think you can teach me that move?" Chōko looked questioningly at him.
Naruto felt his face heat up, as he couldn't even begin to imagine how the move would work for a girl. Still, it seemed interesting enough for him to give it a try. If he was able to teach Konohamaru, an eight-year-old, the Oiroke no Jutsu, then Chōko shouldn't have a hard time learning it.
He was wrong…so, so very wrong.
"If you don't let me see, then how am I supposed to know you're doing it right-ttebayo?" Naruto asked as he tried pulling off the blanket Chōko was using to cover herself.
"I didn't think it'd be that embarrassing!" Chōko exclaimed. "This is so weird!"
"If Konohamaru can do it, then so can you, dattebayo!" This was getting ridiculous.
"What the hell is going on?" Well, it looks like Sasuke had just woken up.
Naruto and Chōko turned to look at their somewhat drowsy Uchiha friend. He yawned and blinked a few times, his eyes widening when he noticed what was going on—that being Naruto trying to pull off the blanket Chōko was using to cover herself while she was using the Oiroke no Jutsu.
Sasuke was quick to turn the other way, so his back was to his teammates and his eyes completely off the scene. "I saw nothing."
"Pfft…ahahahhaha!" Chōko started laughing rather hard, very much amused with Sasuke's reaction.
Naruto took the moment, while Chōko was distracted, to pull the blanket off of her. Instead of seeing what he usually did with Konohamaru and himself, which should have been a naked older, female version of themselves with well-endowed proportions, he found himself looking at something different. Chōko was certainly taller, from the looks of her long legs. She was also sporting a shapely figure, but was not as endowed as Naruto had been expecting. Her hair was longer and lacked any sign of its natural spikiness, looking more sleek and silky. And she was wearing a tiger-striped bikini with go-go boots of the same color and pattern.
"This is what you were embarrassed to show off, dattebayo?" Naruto couldn't believe it. "At least you're wearing clothes—why are you wearing them?"
Chōko made a face and dispelled the technique. "I didn't want to flash you my boobs—fake or not!"
"Why should you even care for something you don't even have?" Naruto realized he shouldn't have said that, seconds after saying it.
"Because it still feels like something I have!" Chōko puffed up her cheeks. "It's just embarrassing, dammit…"
"You know, the point of the Oiroke is to feel completely comfortable about your body-ttebayo." Then again, Naruto didn't feel as connected to the technique as Chōko did, to care about flashing his fabricated proportions to people. "Maybe you should practice with your clothes on instead of that outfit? You're doing it right, at least."
"That's good to hear…" Chōko exhaled shakily. "I should practice first with these clothes…"
"Or maybe you shouldn't do it at all!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Can you do this some other time, like back home, when there isn't an eight-year-old boy in the vicinity? Wasn't Konohamaru enough?"
"It's not like I'm teaching it to Inari-ttebayo…" And Konohamaru had requested to learn the move from him.
"And at least I'm wearing something!" Chōko huffed. "You know, you could probably learn a bit from me, in regards to clothing yourself when you use the move."
Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Huh?"
"I'm sure you'll get more reactions if you use outfits, like a swimsuit or something…" Chōko's face was starting to grow red. "Uuumm…I'll shut up."
Naruto thought about it for a moment. "Maybe…I should ask Ero-sennin for some tips."
"Or maybe you should use him for practice instead?" Chōko suggested.
"You know, I think you should listen to Chōko…please?" Sasuke looked at him pleadingly.
"Hmm…" Naruto crossed his arms.
"Just think of his reactions!" Chōko exclaimed. "It'd be better when he least expects it!"
That was enough to convince Naruto to go along with Chōko's suggestions. "Okay, I'll practice on him, then-ttebayo!"
Sasuke honestly looked relieved…then Naruto decided to ask him something that made his face turn red like a tomato.
"How does your Oiroke no Jutsu look?" Naruto had heard that Sasuke had learned it by accident with his Sharingan.
"Yeah, how does it look?" Chōko looked curiously at Sasuke, who was starting to look uncomfortable.
"H-How should I know when I haven't even tried to use it?!" Sasuke snapped at them.
Naruto turned to Chōko, who looked at him. A moment passed before they grinned and snickered, turning their attention back on Sasuke afterwards.
"Leave me out of this, please…" Sasuke practically begged as he began to back away from his friends.
"You know…you could use this technique to escape your fangirls," Chōko remarked.
That, apparently, was all it took for Sasuke to look at the Oiroke no Jutsu in a different light. It was enough for Naruto to start laughing when Sasuke decided to give it a try and…it honestly wasn't bad for a first attempt.
"A little flat-chested, but we can fix that-ttebayo!" Naruto had noticed that Sasuke had gone through with the suggestion he had given Chōko, in regards to starting out with clothes.
"You know, to some guys, a flat-chest is a status symbol—practically a rarity," Chōko suddenly said, earning all attention on her. "I-I hear stuff…"
"Ehh, I don't think that would work on people like Ero-sennin-ttebayo." Naruto knew for a fact that Jiraiya had a thing for women with well-endowed chests. "But like you said, it could work for others."
Sasuke dispelled the technique and sighed. "I'm gonna call it quits for today…can we try this again when we're back in Konoha?"
"Okay!" Naruto was certainly looking forward to it. "Hey…since you learned it by accident with your Sharingan, do you think…Kakashi-sensei learned it too, dattebayo?"
…
"We should ask him." Chōko had been the first of them to speak.
"We should." Sasuke agreed.
"Let's go, then, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, feeling rather excited to see the expression Kakashi had on his face when they asked him about the Oiroke no Jutsu.
Dinner certainly proved to be interesting when Kakashi refused to even look at his Genin. Tazuna just coughed, trying to forget what had gone on during the fight with Zabuza. And Tsunami had taken to telling Inari to forget what he had heard.
…
…
When Naruto, Sasuke, Chōko, and Kakashi had settled down in their futons for the night, Naruto had found himself thinking over today's events. Apart from a rather shocking realization that came from talking to Haku, it had been a good day.
Then Chōko turned to face him and whispered rather quietly, "I'm sorry I lost your ribbon."
"It's not your fault-ttebayo," Naruto whispered back. "Just like it's not your fault that Zabuza cut off your hair—stuff happens, okay?"
"Okay…" Chōko certainly sounded better after that. "Goodnight…"
"Goodnight…" Naruto sighed before being hit over the head with a pillow, courtesy of a rather exhausted Sasuke.
"Go to sleep, you two…" Sasuke looked at them with bleary eyes, his hair very much disheveled. He placed his pillow back on the futon and let his head drop onto it.
"Maa, it's best you do as Sasuke says—it's going to be a long day tomorrow," Kakashi told them. "That said, goodnight."
…
Sometimes, Naruto's thoughts would wander back on the past, when he had no one but himself. There had never been anyone, but the Sandaime, to greet him with a smile. Nor was there anyone to tell him goodnight, as the caretakers at the orphanage did to the other orphans. Naruto had been on his own, but now…he wasn't. He had people who cared for him, people who would tell him goodnight.
It was such a mundane thing and yet, it was something that Naruto wanted to protect. He fell asleep with a smile on his face, his thoughts having shifted over to what Haku had told him earlier.
"When a person has something or someone to protect…Then that's when they can truly become strong."
Naruto would definitely become strong…that was a fact.
…
…
Two days had passed, in which Naruto, Sasuke, and Chōko grew very well acquainted with the water. Much progress had been made, to the point that Naruto and Sasuke finally managed to master water walking. The only one lagging behind was Chōko, who, ironically, possessed an affinity for water. She did not appreciate the irony and would splash water at anyone who would mention it—that being Kakashi, who just enjoyed messing with Chōko.
Kakashi now only needed one crutch for support and was currently keeping an eye on Chōko as she continued to improve her water walking. Meanwhile with Naruto and Sasuke, Naruto was teaching Sasuke how to use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It…went as badly as anyone would have expected it to go.
The technique was a tad bit too advanced for Sasuke to learn so easily. Even with the Sharingan, Sasuke still had trouble making one shadow clone. Though, by the late evening, Sasuke had managed to successfully make a single shadow clone, though at the cost of him passing out from exhaustion. Chōko…still needed more practice with water walking, much to her complete annoyance.
Come the next day, Chōko had managed to master water walking by the midafternoon, to which Kakashi then began teaching her how to make a water clone. Sasuke was well on his way to making another shadow clone. Naruto was just having the time of his life, being an instructor of some sort to his friends. And Kakashi's body was almost back to normal.
When Chōko had successfully made a water clone, which wasn't too hard for her, as her affinity was water, Kakashi decided to call it a day and spent the rest of the afternoon training his body. Naruto, Sasuke, and Chōko took to watching Kakashi train, helping him out when he was doing push-ups with one hand, using only his index finger while he carried the three of them on his back. It was honestly a fun experience, in Naruto's opinion.
"I wanted to ask you earlier, but…why are you still here when I lied to you about the mission?" Tazuna had asked Kakashi, minutes after he had arrived home.
Kakashi continued doing his push-ups, Sasuke helping keep count for him. Kakashi was nearly at two-hundred, by now. "To abandon your duty is not courageous. Below courageous, there is nothing…Those are the words of the previous Hokage. That is the way of the shinobi. Shinobi don't move because of money alone."
"Heeey…are we gonna guard Tazuna tomorrow?" Naruto decided to ask. "We're ready, aren't we-ttebayo?"
"We sure are!" Kakashi smiled. "Oh, and can you three get off me? I'm done."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Chōko didn't hesitated to listen to Kakashi. Right after they had gotten off of him, Kakashi stood up and moved his hand around, opening and closing it a few times afterwards.
"You three have come a long ways during these past six days," Kakashi remarked.
"And you're almost done with the bridge, aren't you?" Naruto looked at Tazuna, who nodded. Naruto had found out about that through his clones.
"Just a little bit more, and it'll be finished." Tazuna smiled at them. "I'm rather worn out from today's work."
"Nobody quit today, so that's good-ttebayo." Naruto learned that, once again, through his clones.
"I'll never get how your ninja techniques work." Tazuna let out a puff of air.
…
During dinner, Naruto had noticed that Inari was staring at him. He said nothing and just continued eating his dinner. Then Inari started crying and Naruto felt the need to know what was going on. "What is it?"
"Why do you guys bother to try so hard?!" Inari was quite loud when he responded. "No matter how hard you train, you're still no match for Gatou's men! No matter what claims you make or how hard you work, when facing the strong, the weak will only end up getting killed!"
Naruto stared at Inari for a good minute before saying, "Whatever, kid…I'm not like you."
He went back to eating shortly afterwards, not really taking much notice of how much quieter it had gotten at the table.
"Shut up!" Inari blurted out. "It pisses me off when I watch you! You don't know anything about this country, yet you're being so nosy!"
Naruto said nothing and continued eating. Inari probably needed to vent—Sasuke sure did when his clan had been massacred.
"What the hell do you even know about me?!" Inari continued to yell. "I'm different from you, who is always clowning around and acting so cheerful! You don't know how hard life can be!"
"Hey, stop that," Sasuke suddenly said. "Don't you ever talk to Naruto like that…you got that?"
Inari stared at Sasuke, who was currently glaring at him.
"He's been through much more than you ever will…and you should consider yourself lucky." Sasuke still lacked tact, as usual, but he was irritated. "Because at least you were never alone, like he was…"
"Sasuke…" Chōko frowned.
"No—I'm done letting this little kid talk to Naruto like that!" Sasuke scowled. "Sure, Naruto likes to clown around—we all do, but does that mean we don't have it rough? Hell no! It's the opposite, actually. We clown around because our life is rough! It's how we get through each and every day, just focusing on the positives instead of the negatives. So stop acting like you're the only one suffering, you crybaby!"
…
Inari ran out of the house, sobbing rather hard from what Sasuke had finished telling him.
"Sasuke!" Chōko snapped. "That was uncalled for!"
Sasuke turned away from Chōko. "I don't care…I just hate it when people talk about Naruto like that. It just isn't fair."
"It also isn't fair to push an eight-year-old civilian like that." Chōko looked sternly at Sasuke. "There are better ways to say stuff like that."
"I don't see you saying anything…" Sasuke huffed.
Naruto sighed and got out of his seat. "I'll go talk to him-ttebayo."
…
Naruto found Inari sitting at the edge of the walkway outside of the house. The little boy held his knees to his chest, trying his hardest to stop crying. Naruto never liked it when people cried…
"Hey, sorry about what Sasuke said-ttebayo," Naruto said as he plopped down next to Inari. "He was never one for being tact, so don't let him get to you."
"…" Inari sniffed.
"The old man told us about your father, Kaiza, ya know…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "And, well…I never knew my father. I never knew my mother, either. I grew up alone, wondering why people would always look at me as if I've done something wrong. It was difficult, and it hurt. I cried a lot, like you…but no one ever listened to me-ttebayo."
Even now, it was still hard for him to forget. The memories just never wanted to leave…
"I mean, it just wasn't fair-ttebayo." Naruto felt tears beginning to sting his eyes. "I only had one person who would smile at me…then I met Chōko-chan. She wasn't like everyone else. It's because of her that I'm not alone anymore."
…
"When I was your age, I lost someone very important to me." Naruto exhaled shakily. "He was my older brother—even though we weren't related by blood. He was actually Sasuke's cousin."
"Wh-What happened to him?" Inari finally spoke.
Naruto smiled wistfully. "He committed suicide—even though he promised Chōko-chan he wouldn't die-ttebayo. Before he died, he…he said his wish for Tanabata was to spend more time with me."
"What a liar…" Inari sounded rather bitter.
"At first, I didn't want to believe it, but he really was gone." It was a reality Naruto had to deal with every day. "And yeah, sometimes I feel as if he did lie to us…but then I remember what he told me. He said that one doesn't truly die until they're forgotten. He lived his life to the fullest, making sure we would never forget him, dattebayo."
In their memories, Shisui would live forever.
"How did you ever get over it—his death, I mean?" Inari seemed to have relaxed a bit.
"I read somewhere that if you want to keep a soul in this world, you plant a tree over their grave…" Naruto began. "The tree then absorbs the soul and keeps it in this world. We used some of his ashes to mix in with the tree we planted-ttebayo. I…never really got over his death, but the tree…it helped me and my friends move on. Especially since we didn't get access to his ashes until after something terrible had happened."
"Wh-What happened?" Inari was growing more and more comfortable around him.
Naruto tried his best to ignore the memories of the day he and his friends came across the scene of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Even now, the image burned into his memory was as vivid as ever. "Sasuke…used to have a family. It was so huge, that they had their own district where they lived. They…used to be distance towards me before they accepted me. It was as if I was part of that family, dattebayo. It was nice…then one day, when my friends and I came back from a festival, they were gone. Someone—we still don't know who—killed all of Sasuke's family. Only he and his older brother were left after that."
And then Itachi left the village later that year…
"There was so much blood and Sasuke's parents—they were just lying there-ttebayo…" Naruto had to remind himself that it was just a memory—that he wasn't really there again. "That tree helped us move on…it was as if he was telling us everything was going to be okay."
"Was it?" Inari frowned.
"It was…then this mean man came into our village and tried to take me." Naruto scowled. "He almost killed Chōko-chan and it's because of him that she's afraid of snakes. It's also because of him that Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, had to leave. It was either him or me, and Itachi-san felt that I was more important than he was, so he left with the man-ttebayo. He was labeled a traitor by everyone in the village for that…but Sasuke never thought Itachi-san was a traitor. Sasuke said…Itachi-san was a hero."
"Hero…" Inari repeated.
"Yeah…when you said heroes didn't exist, I felt mad…because Itachi-san was a hero-ttebayo." Naruto would never forget that. "It's because of him that I'm still with everyone else. It's because of him…that I'm still home, with everyone, dattebayo. I'm all that Sasuke has left of his family after everything. We're brothers, you know…"
"Not blood-related, though…" Inari remarked.
"Yeah…like you and Kaiza." Naruto smiled. "I know it hurts, but sometimes you have to stay strong in order to protect everything that is important to you-ttebayo. Do you have anything that's important to you?"
Inari thought for a moment and then nodded his head. "Jii-chan and Okaa-chan…"
"Then you, too, can become strong." Naruto grinned widely at Inari. "That's why Kaiza was as strong as he was, to the very end-ttebayo. You were part of what was important to him…that's why Gatou killed him. Gatou was afraid of your father, because he showed everyone that it was possible for anyone to be strong, so long as they had something important to protect."
"S-Strong…" Inari looked down.
"We'll keep Tazuna safe from Gatou." Naruto would make sure of that. "Then he'll finish building the bridge and whatever power Gatou had over this country will just disappear. We'll make sure of that, dattebayo."
When Inari started crying and latched onto Naruto, Naruto knew that his words had finally reached the eight-year-old boy.
…
…
When Naruto woke up the next morning, he found Chōko organizing her smoke bombs. When he asked her why, she said she didn't want a repeat of last time.
"I'm gonna also take my senbon…" Chōko added. "I know I'm not that experienced with them, but I still want to take them with me—just in case."
Naruto blinked a few times and nodded his head. "It's good to be safe, but don't you ever think you're a little too paranoid?"
"I'd rather be paranoid than dead!" Chōko huffed. "I'm just not taking my chances with Zabuza—he should be close to recovering from his momentary death, ya know!"
"Right…" Naruto remembered.
"So…since we're all leaving with Tazuna-san…" Chōko began. "Maybe you should leave a few of your shadow clones here to watch over Inari and Tsunami-san."
"Let me change first-ttebayo!" Naruto was still in his pajamas.
…
Naruto found himself smiling when he saw Inari messing around with one of his shadow clones. It was cute, in the way a civilian was interacting with something they had little to no experience with. He and his teammates left with Tazuna shortly after breakfast.
When they finally reached the bridge, they came across the scene of a group of workers sprawled out on the ground. At first glance, they appeared dead, but they were merely knocked unconscious. Sasuke was quick confirm that.
"What happened?!" Tazuna asked one of the workers, who had managed to maintain their consciousness.
"A monster…" the worker replied before coughing and fainting.
It was around that moment that Naruto had noticed how misty it was starting to get. He knew something was wrong and took a kunai out of his holster to arm himself.
"This is the Kirigakure no Jutsu…right?" Sasuke asked Kakashi.
"Correct…don't lower your guard!" Kakashi said as he pushed Tazuna closer to their group.
"Long time no see, Kakashi." It was Zabuza. "I see you're still with those brats…"
"They're my kids…and I don't intend to part with them any time soon." Kakashi smiled. "Not while I'm their Jounin."
"We'll see about that…" Zabuza sounded closer.
Naruto barely suppressed a shriek that wanted to leave his mouth when he realized they were surrounded by multiples of Zabuza, all armed and ready to attack.
"Do it, Sasuke!" Kakashi exclaimed.
Sasuke dashed off, holding a kunai in each hand. Within the blink of an eye, each and every Zabuza was reduced to a puddle of water. They had been water clones, the real Zabuza still out of sight.
"You can't fool me!" Sasuke spat. "Chōko, go for it!"
"Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" Chōko didn't waste any time making use of the water surrounding them. Soon, water clones of Chōko surrounded themselves around Tazuna, all of them armed with kunai and shuriken.
"So not only did he see through the clones, but she managed to make her own clones." Naruto did not like the look Zabuza had on his face as he looked at Chōko. By now, Zabuza had made his appearance and he wasn't alone. Standing by his side, was the hunter-nin that had interrupted the fight between him and Kakashi.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't look at my Genin like that," Kakashi said as he pushed Chōko behind himself. "Wasn't her hair enough?"
"Not much of a trophy if she's still alive, huh?" Zabuza chuckled darkly.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Chōko suddenly blurted out. "That's what this was all about?!"
Naruto didn't like how amused Zabuza was with Chōko's reaction.
"She certainly has a lot of potential," the hunter-nin at Zabuza's side said calmly. "It's only natural for her to have caught your eye—right, Zabuza-sama?"
Naruto did not like the sound of that…he did not like anything about this at all. He certainly didn't like how familiar the hunter-nin at Zabuza's side sounded. He especially hated how he could make out the green ribbon tied in the hunter-nin's hair.
"You…you're...Haku, right?" Naruto clenched his teeth when he saw the hunter-nin respond to his voice.
The hunter-nin tilted his head and then removed his mask, revealing the very face of the person Naruto had once mistaken for female. "Hello again, Naruto-kun."
"So Zabuza…is your important person-ttebayo?" Naruto seriously hated his luck.
Haku smiled. "I am his tool."
"He'll do what he is told," Zabuza remarked. "Don't expect him to go easy on you just because you know each other."
"I apologize." Haku smiled sweetly as he held up a couple of senbon that were in between his fingers. "But I must do what I am told…so long as Zabuza-sama wills it."
Naruto had never been so mad in his life. For Haku to consider himself a tool…and Zabuza to reinforce it was just…it was just wrong.
"Haku…go!" Zabuza suddenly said.
Within the blink of an eye, Haku sped forward. It had happened so quickly when he had thrown his senbon at Sasuke. Were it not for Sasuke using one of Chōko's water clones as a substitution, Sasuke could have been seriously hurt. The senbon had pierced the water clone's throat in the same way they had once pierced Zabuza's throat. The only difference, Naruto could only assume, was that Haku had intended to kill.
Chōko looked about ready to throw up after seeing one of her clones revert back into water. The sight of seeing senbon pierce her clone's throat was probably what did it. About a second later, thanks to Sasuke's quick actions, he had been able to deflect a direct attack from Haku. Using only his kunai, Sasuke was able to keep Haku, armed only with a single senbon, back.
"I don't want to have to kill you…" Haku pursed his lips. "But you won't stand down, will you?"
"As if!" Sasuke spat.
"Hmm-Hmm…you are only fortunate that your friend over there has used up most of the water for her clones." Haku smiled. "But not fortunate enough."
Naruto couldn't believe what he saw next. Seeing someone using only one hand, and so quickly at that, to make seals was just unbelievable—even Kakashi seemed surprised. Haku had nearly managed to successfully form each and every seal his technique had required…then Chōko let out an outburst that left Haku red-faced and completely stunned.
"You're gorgeous!" Chōko had been loud and clear, and, through experience, Naruto could tell she meant what she had said. It was no wonder Haku reacted the way he did—anyone would, if they didn't know what type of person Chōko was.
Sasuke didn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation, managing to knock Haku on his back while he was still stunned. It was only after Haku had landed on the ground that he finally snapped out of it, but his gaze was still on Chōko, whose face was probably as red as his was.
"Looks like you found yourself a girlfriend." Zabuza had sounded so amused.
"Denied!" Kakashi said as he crossed his arms in front of himself in the shape of an X. "Naruto, I need you to watch everyone's back—keep your guard up!"
Naruto blinked and nodded. He had mostly just been watching, but only because he was still trying to get over the fact that, if push came to shove, he had to kill Haku. The life of his teammates overweighed Haku's…as much as Naruto didn't want to admit it.
"Those who do not take care of their comrades are lower than trash…" Naruto remembered Kakashi's words on the day he passed them. He understood those words. He just…never thought it could possibly come to this.
"Exactly." Kakashi nodded his head. "You really should watch your mouth when it comes to these kids."
"Still looks like a bunch of brats to me—except for the girl over there." Zabuza was looking at Chōko again.
"Chōko-chan just happens to be Konohagakure's door-breaking glasses girl," Kakashi said as he brought his hand down on Chōko's head to ruffle her hair. He didn't flinched when she slapped his hand away.
"I stopped breaking doors ages ago, you jerk!" Chōko scowled.
"Maa, what was it that Konohamaru called you again, then?" Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "Big Boss, was it? Certainly seems like a fitting nickname for a leader such as you. Of course, then there's our Rookie of the Year, Sasuke."
"Hn…" Sasuke crossed his arms.
"And who could forget our most unpredictable ninja, Naruto?" Only Kakashi could say something like that without it sounding like an insult.
"Damn straight, dattebayo!" Naruto looked sternly at Zabuza.
…
"Haku, stop playing around—you can worry about your crushes later." Zabuza focused his attention back on Haku.
"R-Right," Haku said as he got off the ground. Without warning, he flung an array of senbon in Tazuna's direction. Of course, the actual target of the senbon had been Chōko's water clones.
That still didn't stop Sasuke from creating a shadow clone to pull Tazuna out of the way. It was a smart move, considering the water from the clones splashed the ground, nearly covering it all.
Water and Kirigakure shinobi were a rather deadly combination.
The air began to grow cold after that as Haku concentrated, his hands formed into a seal. It took Naruto a couple of seconds to realize what was happening. That was when Haku's ulterior motive to dispelling Chōko's water clones was revealed.
The water from the clones rose from the ground, soon forming into what appeared to be mirrors made of ice. It was much colder than it had been before, and Naruto was having trouble believing what he was seeing—him and everyone else, sans Zabuza.
"Makyō Hyōshō!" Haku exclaimed.
Within the span of a minute, mirrors formed all around them, almost like a dome. Had Sasuke not sent his shadow clone to move Tazuna out of the way when Haku had attacked Chōko's water clones, he, too, would have been with them, surrounded by mirrors made of ice. Then, without warning, Zabuza came and pushed Kakashi out of the dome. It was at that point that every mirror now possessed a reflection of Haku.
How that had happened, Naruto was still trying to process what he had just seen. He had seen Haku going into a mirror. That, alongside the fact that Haku had created these mirrors, was something Naruto was still having trouble understanding.
"Let's begin," Haku suddenly said.
Before Naruto could even blink, pain began to register itself within his body. Something had just grazed his shoulder and he could tell…that he wasn't the only one who had been hurt. Right now, Chōko was struggling not to freak out as Sasuke pulled out the senbon that had went through his hand. Seconds after Sasuke had pulled out the senbon, another one was thrown and this time, it grazed Chōko's neck.
Naruto had never been so glad to just see a weapon graze someone's neck. It was certainly better than seeing it pierce Chōko's neck, that's for sure.
"Please don't take this the hard way…I'm only doing as I am told." Haku smiled, a light blush tinging his cheeks. "For what it was worth, I did appreciate your compliment."
As soon as Haku had said that, senbon began to rain down on them in every direction. The pain was constant, even though it wasn't serious, just simple grazes here and there. It was mostly the fact that the attack was continuous that made it so hard to even move.
When Naruto had tried moving, he found himself yelping when a senbon pierced his foot. Even the slightest movement was risky, he had found out the hard way. There was no escape—they were stuck.
Well, that was until Chōko had somehow managed to detonate a smoke bomb. Haku still continued to throw senbon, and the senbon continued to hurt them, but each throw Haku made was no longer accurate, as he could no longer see them. After a minute, Haku had ceased attacked, allowing Naruto, Sasuke, and Chōko a moment to breathe.
Naruto could barely make out the faint glow of green coming from Sasuke's hands as he healed himself. Chōko, in a very quiet voice, was counting down—most likely keeping track of how long the smoke was going to last. Unlike last time, Chōko had used the correct smoke bomb.
Haku was probably waiting for the smoke to clear before he continued his attack. Naruto was hoping that was the case when he created four shadow clones. He had each of them make their way through the smoke to look for any openings. Each time a clone was dispelled, Naruto made more until it came to his attention that one of out of the four he had created had yet to dispel.
"It made it out…" That had to be the case.
"Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…" Chōko continued her count down.
Naruto had noticed that the green glow had disappeared, so Sasuke had finished healing himself. Naruto only had a couple of seconds to make this count, so when Chōko had finally reached zero, he made as many shadow clones as he could before the smoke began to clear. Naruto was only lucky that one the shadow clones had made it out of the dome of ice, because it had been able to distract Haku long enough for him to not continue his attack.
It was for only a short moment, but it gave Sasuke the opportunity to use the Goukakyuu on a mirror. At the same time, Chōko had ran over to a mirror and, using her full strength, smashed it with her fist. While Sasuke had not been able to melt the ice, Chōko had at least been able to break an opening for them.
"Hurry up!" she yelled as she dashed outside the dome.
Sasuke didn't hesitate to do what he was told. Naruto, on the other hand, decided to stay behind with his clones and try his best to break the mirrors. It was not the best decision he had ever made, especially since Haku was somehow able to move so quickly from mirror to mirror, managing to land an attack on each and every clone that had tried to destroy a mirror.
Soon, it was just only Naruto standing alone in the dome, all of his clones having been dispelled. He made a face when he heard Sasuke and Chōko yelling at him.
"Nice try," Haku remarked. "But this jutsu uses the mirror's reflection to transport me. From my point of view, you seem to be moving in slow-motion."
Well, fuck…at least Naruto was able to learn something. He still wished it wasn't under these sort of circumstances.
SMASH!
"Idiot!" Chōko yelled after smashing another mirror. "Move!"
"Watch out!" Sasuke barely managed to push Chōko out of the way from an array of senbon Haku had finished throwing.
"Hmm…" Haku retreated back into a mirror, his attention focused on Naruto. "You know…if it's possible, I do not want to kill you. And I do not want to make you kill me. However, if you are going to fight me, I will kill my compassion with a blade and become a true shinobi."
SMASH!
Chōko had smashed yet another mirror. By now, her hands were beginning to bleed. Sasuke didn't waste any time healing her.
"This bridge is a battleground that leads to the dreams of many people," Haku continued. "I will fight for my dream. And you will fight for your dream. Please do not hold any grudges. I just want to protect an important person."
That person had to be Zabuza… Naruto still couldn't believe someone like Haku could work for such a man.
"I want to work for him, fight for him, and make his dreams come true." Haku smiled. "That is my dream. In order to make it come true, I will become a shinobi. I will kill you!"
SMASH!
Chōko smashed yet another mirror. That time, it had sounded close and when Naruto felt himself being pulled back by Sasuke, he knew why. He was only lucky that Sasuke had pulled him then, otherwise, Naruto was sure that Haku would have filled his body with many senbon.
"Dumbass…" Chōko huffed as she shook her fist. "You hurt?"
"N-No…" Well, he was, but not too seriously…at least, Naruto thought so.
"I'll be the judge of that!" Sasuke said as he looked over Naruto. "You really shouldn't have stayed in like that—you're lucky Chōko was able to break those mirrors."
"They're not as fragile as they seem," Chōko remarked. "Next time, when I say leave—leave! Sensei said that Haku is someone with a kekkei genkai!"
Naruto blinked. "Kekkei genkai…you mean like Hinata-chan and Sasuke?"
"Yeah…" Sasuke said as he began to heal Naruto's wounds. "Against someone like him, we can't beat him so easily…"
"That's because I taught him everything I knew," Zabuza suddenly said. He was currently fighting off Kakashi, his kunai currently impaled in Kakashi's hand. "And he proceeded to improve his own techniques, eventually surpassing me. Even facing the greatest adversity, he succeeded. Without heart nor fear of death, he is a fighting machine known as a shinobi."
Kakashi didn't even flinched when Zabuza had pulled out the kunai impaled in his hand. Nor did he take his eyes off of Zabuza.
"I gained a high quality tool for myself." Zabuza almost sounded boastful when he said that. "Unlike the scraps that follow you around. The only talented one I see is that girl. To kill her would be such a waste of potential, so why don't you give her to me? I can raise her well to become someone like Haku."
"That's why he's so interested in her!" The thought of his friend becoming someone like Haku, who referred to himself as a tool, was horrifying to Naruto.
"You…gotta be…kidding me…" Chōko was wide-eyed from shock.
"I really don't appreciate the attention you're giving my Genin!" Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate, uncovering his left eye. "Let's begin!"
Just as Kakashi and Zabuza were about to clash, Zabuza used the Kirigakure no Jutsu yet again. The mist was much thicker than before, and Zabuza was completely hidden. Naruto, Sasuke, and Chōko never saw him coming when he grabbed all three of them and threw them back into the dome with Haku.
"Not this shit again!" Sasuke yelled.
"Hmm…Hmm…We meet again." Haku smiled at them before putting on his mask and entering a mirror. "Have enough time to recover? Because I'm not going easy this time…"
When Haku threw the first senbon, it had gone through Sasuke's knee. The next one right after that went into Naruto's back. It hurt…especially since Haku threw more. Soon, he, Sasuke, and Chōko all had senbon sticking out of their backs.
Haku hadn't been kidding when he said he wasn't going easy this time…
"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed when Sasuke suddenly pushed him and Chōko out of the way of Haku's senbon.
"S-Sorry…" Sasuke said before beginning to pull the senbon out of their backs. By now, he had activated his Sharingan. "I just…couldn't let him hit us again."
"It's fine…" Naruto winced when Sasuke pulled out a senbon that had been especially deep inside his back. "Oww…"
"This…sucks…" Chōko complained before throwing a senbon she had finished pulling out of her arm at a random mirror. She made a face when she saw Haku catch it before it hit the mirror. "I'm starting to regret calling you gorgeous!"
"Really?" Sasuke looked questioningly at Chōko.
"Not really…" Chōko's face heated up.
Naruto sighed. "Only you…"
"Watch out!" Sasuke pushed them out of the way of Haku's senbon again. Unlike last time, a few senbon had managed to lodge themselves into his skin. There were two in his right leg, another in his left arm, and one in his wrist.
Each time Sasuke continued to push them out of the way, more and more senbon collected themselves on his body. Soon, he was starting to resemble a human pincushion and then—
"Sasuke!" Chōko shrieked.
Sasuke didn't make a sound when a number of senbon pierced his throat. He stood still for a moment before collapsing onto the ground. Naruto swallowed hard and checked his friend's pulse.
When he felt nothing, Naruto felt as though something had just snapped inside of him. Haku had killed Sasuke…
"He died protecting those important to him," Haku remarked. "He is definitely a shinobi that deserves respect."
"Shut up…" Naruto didn't want to hear it. He felt his eyes beginning to well up with tears as he held Sasuke's body close to his.
Chōko had been oddly calm, but that was probably because she didn't know how to react. She had always been like that. When Shisui had died, Shikamaru had said that she didn't cry until after he had started crying.
"He's not dead…not dead…not dead…not dead…" When Naruto heard Chōko repeat that to herself, he knew she had to be in denial. She was struggling to keep her composure as she pulled out the senbon in Sasuke's body. "Not dead…not dead…not dead…"
"Is this your first death of a friend?" Haku asked innocently. "This is the way of the shinobi, you know—"
"Shut up!" Naruto did not want to hear it. He wouldn't forgive Haku…he couldn't—not anymore. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
The anger Naruto felt was unimaginable. Everything around him was no longer of any interest to him, as all he cared about was getting back at Haku. Every movement Haku made, Naruto could see it all so clearly. He didn't know how—he just did it. It was as though he had been acting only on instinct.
Naruto had no idea how long he was following after Haku. All Naruto could really recall was grabbing onto Haku's leg before punching the boy really hard in the face. It was enough to send Haku crashing through a mirror.
SMASH!
Naruto had to take a moment after that to catch his breath. He clenched his teeth when he noticed that Haku was still able to stand up. Growling, Naruto dashed forward, his right hand tightened into a fist. Just as he was about ready to deliver another punch to Haku's face, something stopped him.
When Naruto had punched Haku earlier, it had been enough to break his mask. Without the mask, Naruto was unable to bring himself to hurt Haku, because all he could see was the boy who had acted so nicely to him. It had been so much easier when the mask had been on…
"Why did you stop?" Even Haku wanted to know. "I killed your friend, yet you can't kill—"
Haku never had a chance to finish his sentence as a couple of senbon pierced his throat. His eyes widened, his body staggered before he suddenly collapsed.
"What just happened?" Naruto was at a loss for words. He swallowed hard and brought himself to walk over to Haku's body. He made a face when he noticed the senbon piercing through the boy's neck. "How…?"
Naruto looked over his shoulder at Chōko, who was not wearing her glasses and was currently armed with senbon.
"I'm gonna also take my senbon… I know I'm not that experienced with them, but I still want to take them with me—just in case."
"Ch-Chōko-chan…?" Naruto found himself calling out to his friend. "What…did you do-ttebayo?"
Chōko said nothing and instead, stood up. She then slowly made her way over to him and Haku. The closer she got to them, the more Naruto was able to see that she was trembling. When she finally made it to them, she knelt down by Haku's side and felt for his pulse.
"Nononononono…nooooo…" Tears started streaming down Chōko's cheeks as she looked at Haku. "I didn't...why...you weren't supposed to die—oh god, what have I done?!"
Seeing Chōko react the way she did when she found out she had killed Haku made Naruto realize why Kakashi had wanted to keep quiet about Gōzu and Meizu… Chōko was nowhere near ready to take anyone's life—she wasn't like Haku, who was able to kill someone so easily.
Thinking of it now, Naruto realized that he was the same… That was why he couldn't hurt Haku when he saw the boy's face. The mask had made it much easier to dehumanize Haku as someone who Naruto needed to kill in order to avenge Sasuke.
Had Naruto actually gone through with his intent to kill Haku, he most likely would have regretted it afterwards. And yet, in Chōko's case, she had never intended to kill anyone on purpose. It had all been an accident.
Just like the rabbit…
Just like Gōzu and Meizu…
"I-It's okay, Chōko-chan…you didn't mean to-ttebayo…" Naruto felt his eyes beginning to burn when it finally began to set in that the person who had acted so nice to him was dead. It didn't help that Sasuke, too was dead… "H-He killed Sasuke—it's fine!"
"He's not dead!" Chōko wailed. "Haku used the same technique on Sasuke that he used on Zabuza, you idiot!"
Chōko's words were like a slap to his face.
"You mean…" Naruto remembered the words Chōko had been repeating to herself. "He's alive-ttebayo?"
Chōko sniffed and nodded her head. "I…remember how those senbon looked like when they were in Zabuza's neck, and when I saw that it was the same with Sasuke—even though there's more in his neck—I just knew that Haku was lying…"
"A-Are you sure you didn't do the same to Haku-ttebayo?" Naruto noticed that the senbon were right in Haku's neck, so what if…?
"I don't even know if I did it right!" Chōko sobbed. "I just threw the stupid things and hoped it went in right, but…then I realized that Haku's neck was covered up, so…"
"Ah…aaaahhhh…" Naruto felt as though something had gotten stuck in his throat.
"S-S-Seeeenseeeeiiiiiii!" Chōko cried out.
Naruto had never expected Kakashi to appear by their side so fast. Kakashi seemed so concerned and just knowing he was there, made Naruto start crying with Chōko. Then Zabuza appeared out of the mist, about ready to attack Kakashi until he noticed Haku.
Seeing Haku's lifeless body seemed to have quite the effect on everyone, even though they had all been fighting earlier. Naruto had no idea how long they had been there, just looking at Haku. All he knew was that everyone had looked away when that man came.
Gatou had appeared and he wasn't alone. There were at least fifty men—maybe even more. All of them were armed and standing behind Gatou, just watching as they waited.
"Gatou…" Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here…? And what's with all of these men?!"
Gatou chuckled. "The plan has changed…well, actually, I planned to do this from the beginning. Zabuza, I'm going to have you killed here."
"What?" Zabuza tightened his hold on his sword's hilt.
"I never planned on paying you any money." Gatou smirked.
Naruto was honestly amazed at how calm Zabuza had stayed when he had heard this.
"Hiring normal ninja from the village is expensive and they may betray me…" Gatou explained. "So I get you missing-nin who are easy to take care of afterwards. I have the ninjas battle each other and once they're weakened, I kill them off with numbers. It doesn't cost me anything…a good plan, don't you think?"
Naruto had heard how bad of a man Gatou was, but seeing and hearing him in action was an entirely different thing. This man was scum…
"The only problem in the plan was you, Zabuza…" Gatou sneered. "Demon of the Hidden Mist? What a joke—you're just a cute little baby devil, if you asked me."
Naruto knew then and there that Gatou was a dead man. Saying something like that to a missing-nin like Zabuza was a death wish… And right after seeing Haku dead? Naruto could tell that Zabuza cared for Haku immensely.
Why else would Zabuza had given Haku that ribbon?
"Kakashi, I'm sorry…" Zabuza finally spoke. "This fight is over. Now that I have no reason to go to after Tazuna, I have no reason to fight you."
They were lucky…really lucky, because no one had been there to guard Tazuna, since Sasuke's shadow clone had dispelled when Haku had put him in a state of momentary death.
"Oh yeah…" Gatou suddenly started walking toward them. He stopped once he was standing in front of Haku's body, using his foot to check if the boy truly was dead. "I owe this one…you squeezed my arm until it broke. Heh, and now you're dead."
Without any remorse, Gatou kicked Haku right in the face. Naruto felt his blood beginning and was about ready to attack Gatou when Chōko suddenly lunged at the man and plunged a senbon right into his stomach.
"Gah, you little bitch!" Gatou backed away from Chōko, clutching his stomach as he did.
"Don't fucking touch him…" Naruto had never once seen Chōko use the Killing Intent until now. She was pissed, the Killing Intent practically radiating off her body as she glared at Gatou.
It was honestly a frightening experience, seeing someone as nice as Chōko, just looking at someone like that. It wasn't that much of a surprise that Gatou retreated to the safety of his men.
"Calm down, Chōko…" Kakashi had to grab Chōko to prevent her from throwing anymore senbon at Gatou as he ran. "Don't get yourself into something you can't handle."
"Let me do it, instead…" Zabuza said as he lifted his sword. "You know, when Haku squeezed your hand like that, he did you a favor. If he hadn't done that, I would have killed you then and there. And now that Haku isn't here to keep you alive anymore…you're as good as dead."
It had happened so fast. One minute, Zabuza was with them, the next…he was standing in front of Gatou. Zabuza showed no mercy when he swung his sword.
Naruto found himself closing his eye, even though he had saw Zabuza decapitate Gatou and the men that had been around the scummy bastard. It was honestly something Naruto had never wished to witness, but, for some reason, he didn't really let it bother him that much.
Because Gatou, the biggest bastard to ever live, was dead, meaning the Land of Waves was finally free. Though, now they had all of his men to worry about. With Gatou dead, they no longer had any source of income. For that reason alone, they felt the need to pillage and steal everything Wave had to offer. However, before any of them could even take a step forward, an arrow shot forward and landed right in front of them.
When Naruto turned to look back, he felt his heart practically skip a beat. Standing at the front of an enormous group of people was Inari, armed with a crossbow. Naruto could see a couple of his clones standing by Inari's side. They looked at him and grinned before dispelling themselves.
"Inari…" Naruto was amazed. Somehow, the little boy had managed to round up so many people to fight back.
"If you come any further onto our island…the citizens of this country will stop you with everything we've got!" Inari cocked his crossbow, his expression completely serious until his gaze fell upon Naruto. Upon seeing him, Inari smiled. "A hero shows up at the last second, right?"
Naruto honestly wondered what went on in his mind for his clones to act the way they did. Seeing it happen from a different perspective was honestly much different from when he did it himself. Still, Naruto couldn't help but smile at what Inari had said.
"That's right, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.
From there, all it took was for Naruto and Kakashi to make multiple shadow clones of themselves, a couple of throws of senbon from Chōko, and Zabuza venting out his anger on Gatou's men for them to retreat.
Once they were gone, the people of Wave needed a moment for it to set it. Afterwards, they all dropped their weapons and started cheering. Even though the people of Wave didn't do much, the fact still stood that they were ready to protect their home at any costs.
And when Naruto saw Sasuke sitting up after staying down for so long in a death-like state, he ran to the Uchiha's side. He was crying when he wrapped his arms around Sasuke in a hug that was probably hurting the Uchiha, but Naruto didn't care, because…Sasuke really was alive.
"It'd take…more than that to kill me." Sasuke was as cocky as ever…
"That is so…you!" Naruto laughed.
"What happened…while I was out?" Sasuke had probably noticed all the people Inari had rounded up. "Wait…why is Zabuza not fighting?"
Naruto made a face when he realized he had a lot of explaining to do. He wasn't good at this sort of stuff… Where was he even going to begin?
"Z-Zabuza-sama…?"
Naruto's eyes widened. He turned his head and quickly found himself watching Zabuza as he helped Haku sit up. Haku was still alive…
"He's alive-ttebayo…" Naruto couldn't believe it.
And it seemed Chōko couldn't either. It must have been a huge relief for her to know that she hadn't killed Haku. For Chōko's inexperienced throw to have hit the correct place to induce a state of momentary death on Haku was just completely lucky. And yet, Chōko didn't seem to care when she watched Zabuza gently remove the senbon from Haku's neck. She latched onto Haku right after that, crying as she apologized for nearly killing him.
"Okay…what happened?" Sasuke asked again.
Naruto thought for a moment and decided to start out with something simple. "Gatou's dead-ttebayo!"
It wasn't much, but it was definitely a start.
…
…
…
A/N Holy shit, look at this gloriously long chapter! And all of it was in Naruto's POV! Holy crap, I never knew how easy it was to write it from his perspective! And yeah, to those who managed to guess that Chōko killed Gōzu and Meizu, that is exactly what had happened.
As for why Zabuza had taken an interest in her…he wanted a trophy in the form of her braid and there had been a change in plan when he realized how much potential Chōko had. Again, this all stems from the fact that she had killed Gōzu and Meizu (by accident, but Chōko doesn't even know about that). Still doesn't make him seem less like a creeper, since he pretty much came off as that.
So yeah, Chōko's got two kills already, but she doesn't know that. And considering her reaction to when she thought she had killed Haku, she definitely doesn't need to know—not yet, at least. She really isn't ready to take on the responsibility of take the life of others. Neither are Naruto and Sasuke. This was a point that Kakashi had made in canon.
Also, Chōko should not be allowed to use senbon on people just yet. She got extremely lucky that she hit the right place when she threw her senbon at Haku. It doesn't really help that she wouldn't know whether or not she did it correctly until after Haku recovered from his momentary state of death. Not exactly a fun time to be her.
And it is absolutely official! All of Team Spiky Hair knows the Oiroke no Jutsu! Kudos to those who caught the reference Chōko was making when she had her version wear a tiger-striped bikini! And most people should have an idea of what Chōko was referencing when she made that comment about flat-chests. By the by, in case anyone should know, Chōko knows a lot of tropes when it comes to fanservice.
The same applies to me, as anyone who's read the Marukyu Striptease part of Façade has found out. And in case anyone is wondering, konpeitō is this Japanese sugar candy. They're also known as star bits.
So like the other day at my university, there were these therapy dogs that were brought in as stress-relievers because of finals… You know something is up when a university brings in the therapy dogs. Freaking finals, man…already finished one, the video done getting edited, and I just need to finish that fucking website! I'm almost free!
Anyways, shout out to Veedramon for being reviewer #350! I'm really glad you guys are taking the time to review and once again, sorry if I haven't been vocal, but finals…yeah. Remember, therapy dogs…finals are just that exhausting.
So I hope you enjoyed this super long chapter. I sure had fun writing it and that about wraps up the Wave arc, as well as pretty much confirms that Zabuza and Haku are alive—another deviation in the works. Let me just say, there will be more to come now that these two have managed to survive the arc. So until next time, everyone! KD out! XD