Young Naruto with the vest looks pretty boss, don't you think? (Anime episode 389)
"Everyone? He managed to hospitalize everyone without killing a single shinobi?"
The leader of Nadeshiko village was stunned. Not once in her life did she think a situation like this was possible... The Daimyo about to arrive to the village, and a dangerous missing-nin taking down the entirety of her forces. To even think of something like that happening was absurd, but there it was, a situation ready to reach its' boiling point.
"Yes. Master Kei's plan was executed flawlessly, but despite that, the demon just powered through their ranks." The ANBU wearing a squid mask offered, keeping his head bowed.
She shook her head in disbelief, motioning for the ANBU to leave. Why now, of all times? What did Zabuza Momochi have to gain by threatening the Daimyo of the Land of Sea? It made no sense whatsoever... Maybe he could be bargained with, since he seemed to be intent on keeping everyone alive? Perhaps it was an attempt to seek asylum in the village?
No, no, that wasn't it. The Demon of the Mist was first and foremost a warmonger, a landless rebel whose sole impact on the ninja world was the chaos he caused everywhere he showed up. A man like him could not be reasoned with.
She sighed.
There wasn't a way out. If he was so inclined, he could easily infiltrate the evening event. Almost the entirety of Nadeshiko was out of commission or tired. But surely he would be tired too?
No, that would be too convenient... She had no doubt that the Daimyo will lay eyes on the Demon of the Mist that day, one way or another. Only thing she could do was make sure she was there when it happened.
Sighing, the woman looked over her reception hall. Nadeshiko barely qualified as a full-blown ninja village, mainly due to population problems; the thick forestry dissuades most people from pursuing a life and career in the village. This is why, instead of a standard office, the leader of the village had a reception hall- nobles provided the bulk of the village's funding, and they expected some of the extravagance and formality they grow used to in the capital and their own palaces.
If she were to choose, she'd long since retire to an office, just like the Kage do...
"Shizuka, I will need you and the Yuki to watch over the Daimyo's group. I will watch the man personally, but I need someone reliable to take care of the rest of them. Tell the Yuki that this is to be his final test- should he prove himself useful, he will be granted asylum in the village."
The girl nodded, wearing her 'court' face, a stony expression that betrayed almost no emotion whatsoever. She bowed her head, walking out of the hall the moment her mother waved, dismissing her.
She meandered through the hallways, finding her way to the yard.
Between the palace's many towers, the thick city walls, and the dark gray sky, the whole atmosphere seemed oppressive. There weren't any ninja dashing to and fro, and most of the civilians remained inside due to the colder winds and threat of rain. The village seemed unusually empty, a state in which Shizuka rarely saw it.
Haku had opted to stay behind in their tower, practicing his Ice Style. It was an amazing power, one that the boy always kept using in new ways. The trick she found most interesting was the one where he'd throw wet senbon in retaliation to a shuriken attack, using some jutsu to freeze the two together, sending it back at her with the added mass. Of course, that was just one of his tricks... if he were to fight seriously, she reckoned he could take on chunin with ease.
Still, she didn't return to him immediately. Instead, she found a spot outside the palace, sitting down and simply watching the village. She was dressed in the standard shinobi jumpsuit, with a light jacket thrown over just to stop her from looking too plain... by the looks of things, it'd help with the rain as well.
No sooner than she thought that did the sky begin to leak raindrops. Barely a minute after the first drop, it was already a full-blown shower, soaking the facades and creating small puddles at the sides of the streets.
Shizuka smiled. She liked the rain, mostly because of the tactical advantages it brought. It was easier to sneak up on people because the sound drowned out your steps, and basic water jutsu were almost costless with so much water around. Not that she had any; she was a wind girl through and through.
After a while, she saw a few shinobi entering the village. Not long after, the Daimyo's convoy arrived, being escorted quickly towards the palace. As soon as they made their way to the palace gate, she too would go inside, mostly just to properly welcome the Daimyo. She didn't much care about the man, but diplomacy often required doing things for people you don't really care about...
With a soft sigh, she stood up, threw her hood up, then quickly made her way across the yard to the dry interior of the palace. It didn't take long for her to run into her own mother, given the fact that most every one of the hallways led to the reception hall in one way or another.
"Ah, there you are." The woman spoke, motioning for her daughter to approach. "Come, the Daimyo is arriving any second now."
Joining her mother, walking down one of the many hallways, Shizuka adjusted her clothes and gear, trying to look as best she can for the first impression.
They arrived into the reception hall, the tension somewhat noticeable in the air. The Daimyo's visit was usually a nerve-wracking event, only made worse by the presence of the Demon of the Mist.
Noticing that Haku was already there, wearing the slightly more ornate Kimono she had picked out for him, she smiled. Whatever was about to happen, they would get through it together, watching each other's back. They would do their best and protect the Daimyo, it was as simple as that...
Soon enough, the doors opened, revealing the burly man that was the lord of the Land of Sea. He was standing in front of the entire group, the men and women behind him being either relatives or bodyguards, sometimes both. He gave the room a decently long look, then slowly began to walk to the village leader, watching as the woman inclined her head in respect. Returning the gesture, he gave the room one more look before speaking.
"I'm disappointed, Rei. I come to visit my land's village, expecting a reception worthy of someone of my title, and I'm greeted with somber faces and nervous glances."
"I apologize, my lord. We have recently ran into trouble..." She began, only to be interrupted by the man.
"Say nothing more!" He all but yelled, displeasure more obvious on his face. "One single rogue ninja was all it took to bring you to this sorry state!"
Having no answer to that, the leader of Nadeshiko village, Shizuka's mother, only bowed her head. She stayed like that, apparently having no intention of moving. Narrowing his eyes a bit, the Daimyo, a man known for his ability to work within the confines of both regular politics as well as ninja politics, sighed.
"Raise your head, Rei. Your village was chosen over the others for a reason. We shall hold council, like we do every year, and then we will proceed to the evening event." He paused, looking out the window and seeing the dim lights of the village. "I will be glad to see this rogue ninja of yours, should he decide to show up. I want to lay my own eyes on the man who could put this much pressure on an entire village."
"It will be so, my lord." The village leader answered curtly.
A village roughly fifth the size of the hidden mist, with less than a tenth of its' population. Filled to the brim with surprisingly persistent ninja, Nadeshiko was a convenient rest stop for the former swordsman of the Mist, serving to prepare him for the real trial that lied ahead - returning to the Hidden Mist Village.
However, before he could worry about that, there was the matter of the grand finale he had prepared for the place that had given him such convenient training grounds. One last prod at their defenses, retaliation of sorts for the all-out assault they had staged against him the previous day.
Against Kei and the ANBU, he fought as a swordsman, fighting with power and strength over cunning and guile. For the Daimyo's event, he would act as shinobi. He would sow panic and terror, enjoying the chaos that would surely follow. This village would be reminded why he was feared one more time before he left...
Positioned as it was, Nadeshiko was noticeably difficult to infiltrate. Having attempted to approach it several times over the course of his stay in the forest, the swordsman was always forced to retreat, unwilling to risk getting detected. In the end, he had chosen entering along with the Daimyo's convoy, replacing one of the bodyguards. Switching places with the man was easy enough, getting past the gate with such a disguise was easier still. How this place qualified as a ninja village was beyond him.
Ditching the convoy, Zabuza ducked into the back alleys of the village, keeping out of sight for the most part. The rainfall made concealing his presence somewhat harder, but it also made the patrolling shinobi more careless. Without the cover of civilian populace, every one of the remaining Nadeshiko ninja stuck out like sore thumbs in the poorly lit streets. He could try and take them all out outside of the palace, but that wouldn't create the effect he was looking for... no, for his plan to work, they needed to believe that he had no way of reaching the Daimyo without a massive fight.
Fortunately, he could start a massive fight and sneak up on the Daimyo all at once; it was a perk of being one of Kirigakure's best.
Keeping an eye on the patrolling units, the swordsman moved towards the palace, smirking to himself every time he would manage to get past a sentry that no doubt believed himself very attentive. However, instead of the palace itself, his target was the single tower where Haku and the village princess resided.
If Haku hadn't gone soft over his stay here, he would check his gear before setting off for the evening event. Going off of that assumption, the easiest way of warning the boy of what was going to happen was to leave a message concealed in his gear. Of course, doing so required getting into the tower first...
Thicker around the palace than in the village itself, the guards were also more vigilant, much more difficult to get past. While a notable bother, they were still worn-out and nervous, giving just enough room for the swordsman to slip past. Checking every shadow and every corner, Zabuza finally reached the room Haku had claimed to occupy, quickly finding evidence of that fact once he spotted the boy's personalized senbon cartridges; regular-issue cartridges aren't meant to handle the longer senbon that the Yuki liked to use.
Choosing that very set to be the place where he'd leave the message, Zabuza quickly scribbled down the few crucial bits of information, rolling up the note and hiding it away. Checking once more, he left the tower, intending to get into position well before the event itself began.
There were hours to kill until the main event, and the mist assassin had intended to simply study the layout of the building as much as he could without risking early exposure. Even with the home field advantage, the ninja of Nadeshiko were underwhelming as foes, their sole redeeming point their discipline and persistence.
Waiting for the opportune moment, Zabuza launched himself up the palace wall with a precisely timed shunshin, reaching one of the upper windows without being noticed. As a jutsu, the shunshin was effectively silent, the noise it makes negligible in comparison to the rain that was still coming down.
Pulling himself up, Zabuza found that the room he had arrived in seemed to be some kind of storage area, noticeably unguarded. Given the village's current state, he figured all hands were busy either watching over the Daimyo or still trying to track the 'Demon' down.
Little more than a glorified pantry, the room was a decent access point, allowing the man to casually make his way to the grand hall, the place the Daimyo would end up sooner or later. While some would find sneaking around difficult with a colossal sword on their back, he was used to it. Haku joked that his stealth would be all messed up if he didn't have the seversword on his back, a statement that was dangerously close to the truth...
Arriving to the grand hall, he took notice of the many civilians running to and fro, desperately trying to set everything up before the event began. Smirking, Zabuza clambered across the wall to a balcony watching over the majority of the hall, then snuck into the ventilation shaft above it. While too tight for him to normally fit, it ended up being just wide enough to slip into, staying in a semi-comfortable position. Eyes hidden behind a ventilation grate, the swordsman waited, slowly starting to plan out every likely approach angle for when the political figure finally showed up.
No matter how exciting ninja life can be, it can be just as uncomfortable and demeaning; having to wait in a cave for days for mission reports, stalking the same man for weeks on end to get that one moment when the kill will be untraceable, even the long-forgotten D-Rank missions of his academy days.
For his career as a shinobi, Zabuza had taken most every kind of mission at one time or another, working as a blade for hire or as a sword of the Hidden Mist. Experience like that made him dangerous, but it also made his susceptible to pride, the kind that almost killed him in the Land of Waves. Try as he might, that day kept coming back to him, a steady reminder of the promise he had made. No matter how good he was, Kakashi Hatake was better, and that irked him to no end...
Still, if he was to ever have a rematch, he needed to survive this village and make it to the Mist. Yagura would be ready, but he would be ready for the wrong man. What he expects is a swordsman, what he will get is a shinobi.
Having finally finished sitting through the negotiations with the Daimyo, Haku walked over to his roommate, offering a neutral smile. No matter how disciplined, even the most steadfast of ninja could lose their cool when forced to wait due to trivialities.
"Glad that's over." He spoke, trying to start up a conversation. Shizuka was much more quiet than she usually was around people, the reason for her nervousness all too apparent for the Yuki boy.
"Hm?" She raised her head, then nodded. "The downside of leading a village, I guess."
"What will we do now? There's still some hours before the banquet and dance."
The girl thought for a minute, then smiled. "A spar?"
Haku returned the smile, nodding. "So it will be."
They started towards the hallway network, intent on taking the path that kept them out of the rain. It did mean it'd take a while, but that was a compromise neither of them minded making. While the tension in the air around them was noticeable, both did their best to ignore it.
For Shizuka, the pressure of the Daimyo's visit weighed heavy on her nerves. She was supposed to not only represent her village, but herself as well, due to the fact she was next in line for title of leader. It was her duty to be the village's shield against threats like the Demon of the Mist; no matter how weak in comparison to him, Shizuka wouldn't hesitate in taking him on for a second. After all, people depended on her, the commoners more than the shinobi...
For Haku, the inevitable truth regarding the relationship between himself and Zabuza was the thing that burdened him most. When he appeared, Haku himself would surely be there as well. What if he needed to intervene? Just imagining the look on the faces of Shizuka and Leader Rei brought an uneasy feeling to his stomach... What if he had to kill them?
No, that was nonsense, he only had to kill the hunter-nin that threatened the success of Zabuza's plan. Their deaths were justified by the bigger picture, but... Maybe he shouldn't try helping against the Mizukage...
Not only was he impaired by his injury, but he was also slowly losing his nerve. Before the wave, it was simple, he was Zabuza's tool, a weapon to be pointed at someone who needed to be moved out of the way. Now... now that the bladesman himself had changed his ways, the blood felt all too heavy on his hands. No matter how hard he tried to justify it, it was still there, everlasting crimson... and it always came with a price.
"Haku..." Shizuka began, trailing off immediately. For some reason, she felt conflicted about what she wanted to say, but eventually forced herself to say it anyway. "Whatever happens tonight, I want to know that spending time with you was really fun."
As she spoke, her countenance took on a soft look, her eyes turning away almost instinctively. She felt heat to rise to her cheeks, silently beating herself up over the fact that she couldn't hide her real emotions at all. She was supposed to be a serious kunoichi, and there she was, crushing on a down and out wanderer that found his way into her village...
"I'm happy to hear that, Shizuka..." Haku spoke, every word tasting like poison, "spending time with you was a lot of fun for me as well. It's nice having some stability in your life..." As the lies continued, he threw on his practiced poker face, the one aspect of shinobi existence that he could rival Zabuza in. He had the uncanny ability to hide his true emotions better than anyone he'd met during his years as a rouge-nin's accomplice.
They quieted down after that, neither too comfortable looking at the other, for vastly different reasons. Soon enough, the hallways ended, revealing an archway that led into the yard. The sky was inky black already, starlight unable to break through the amassed clouds. Running across, the two barely even felt the raindrops before they were once again in the dry safety of the indoors.
Climbing up the stairs, Haku went up to get his gear, nodding at Shizuka to signal her to stay at the training floor while he sorted it out. Stepping into the room, he made a beeline for the senbon cartridges, flinching in surprise once he realized they were tampered with. With more care than the inspection actually warranted, he completely scanned the entire set, noticing that there weren't any visible seals set up on it. While there were no people after him specifically, there was always the chance of someone watching them for a long time.
To his mild relief, Haku noticed that the only thing left behind was a small paper note. Unfurling it, his eyes widened as the details of Zabuza's contribution to the evening's entertainment were listed in front of his eyes in edgy black font. His plan was unbelievably bold for someone of his reputation, but it sent the intended message very clearly. The Demon of the Mist was coming, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.
However, that also meant that any chance for Haku getting away cleanly were out the window. He was going to have to face the consequences of his lies that evening, and there was no way around it... unless...
Maybe it was possible to keep the charade up longer? It would be the shinobi decision to make, making himself look innocent and helpless in the presence of the Demon. If his poker face was as good as people had led him to believe, he could fool the Nadeshiko kunoichi... still, that left Zabuza a completely unknown factor. He had no reason to play along with the boy's deceptions, and would inevitably cause enough chaos to make them apparent...
Furrowing his brow, Haku prepped his cartridges, descending down the stairs while deep in thought. Needless to say, Shizuka was the one to win that particular spar.
First came the commoners. It was an extravagant feast for a village that small, with enough food to cater for anyone who happened to be around. The security sweep failed to detect his presence due to a carefully constructed genjutsu, the only one Zabuza had bothered learning - the Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings. Between the security shinobi's obvious exhaustion and the genjutsu, the odds of Zabuza getting discovered were slim to none.
It was amusing to see the people mingle and have fun, completely unaware of the state of their own village... He had single-handedly brought the entirety of Nadeshiko to its' knees, and these people were oblivious to that fact. It spoke volumes of the village's civilian control, but such control was useless for a place that couldn't defend itself from a single A-Rank shinobi...
"Fucking A-Rank..." He muttered quietly, aware that the wealthier caste had already found its' way onto the balconies. Any shinobi could make A-Rank, the only reason they were so uncommon was due to the fact that many died trying to reach the next and final ranking.
S-Rank was not a description given lightly. Having a jutsu that could obliterate a village could get you B-Rank and that was it; you were no threat if people could sense you coming and take you out before you even knew they were there. Having a kekkei genkai set you up for B-Rank as well, due to the difficulty of facing bloodline abilities; kekkei tota, while near-extinct, were an automatic A, so long as the wielder wasn't brain-dead.
However, if one was determined to make S-Rank, they had to be one bad motherfucker. The thing is, there's only so many S-Rank ninja that can exist in the world... Some call it the law of conservation of ninjutsu, but Zabuza called that bullshit. The real reason why there was a limited number of individuals like that was half due to the absurd requirements, half due to the fact that you often needed to off one in order to get the spot. Taking out an S-Rank shinobi wasn't easy... in fact, it was suicidal for most people...
The easiest example was Kisame Hoshigaki. The man carried a sentient weapon that devoured chakra, was perhaps the deadliest bladesman save for his fellow Mist swordsman and maybe a few choice samurai, and had enough chakra and jutsu to one on one a tailed beast. Things like that make you S-Rank. That or, you know, cutting lightning bolts in half or slaughtering entire nations and armies.
Zabuza's goal in the Hidden Mist is to kill a S-Rank ninja. For some reason, he didn't feel intimidated in the slightest. Sure, when he fought Kakashi and Kisame, neither were giving it their 100%, but then again, neither was he. When it came down to unmistakable life or death, the Demon of the Mist was going to earn that thrice-damned rank.
After a while, the civilians cleared out, obviously uncomfortable by the influx of much fancier-dressed nobility. Most of Nadeshiko's clans began showing up as well, insignificant families with no notable bloodlines or heritage... Then again, Yagura was a nobody, as was the Yondaime Hokage...
With a frown plastered on his face, Zabuza watched as the clumsy nobles danced among themselves, the ninja present doing their best not to stick out too much with their clearly more refined motions.
That part of the event went on for the better part of the evening. At some point, Haku and his little princess also showed up, taking to the dancefloor and dancing the way only children can. It was an amusing sight for Zabuza, if slightly worrying; Haku was way too casual for someone who knew what was going to happen the moment the Daimyo moved to the center of the hall...
Could it be that little Haku got himself a crush? It was an interesting possibility, the boy was always too emotional for a proper shinobi... Then again, he was also one of the best actors Zabuza had ever seen, so that wasn't saying much. Whatever the case, he had his orders and would follow them to the letter.
oOoOoOo
He was out there, somewhere, watching.
This was the oft-recurring thought in Haku's mind as the night went on, his incoming panic becoming harder and harder to keep suppressed. He had changed to more formal garb, wearing clothes mostly picked out by Shizuka herself. While not terribly interesting, a simple Kimono base with a few accented details, they served their purpose. Still, no matter how nervous he was, his dancing was spot-on, far better than it was during their two rehearsals before the evening event.
Shizuka, on the other hand, had went all in. Tying back her hair into a wild-looking bun, she wore a long, tight fitting dress, her forehead protector being used as a fashion detail rather than a symbol of her affiliation. She spun on the dance floor with practiced grace, completely synchronized to the Yuki's lead. It wasn't long until they became the highlight of the floor, people giving them ample space for whatever they chose to do while still managing not to single them out.
All of a sudden, the lights dimmed.
At the doorway appeared the unmistakable silhouette of the Daimyo, followed closely by the slim figure of the village leader. The two of them were dressed in garb fitting of their positions, Rei even looking a tad more extravagant than the lord himself. The music died down as they entered, moving to take spots at the main table.
Even from where Haku stood, he could clearly tell who the security detail was, even through the very convincing henges. No matter how professional they were, Zabuza-sama had pushed them to the very edge, and it showed more than they thought. The Daimyo, who hadn't sat down yet, prepared himself to say a few words.
"Three years..." He began, looking over the silent crowd, most of them hidden in the shadows that now dominated the hall, "Three years did I come to this village, and three years did we host this celebration."
"While most would simply claim that I, as a noble, simply like celebrations, the reason goes a bit deeper than that." Some people chuckled, none of them being shinobi. "The reason for this event is to try and bring the worlds of shinobi and the rest of us a little closer, only if for a night..."
Even those that hadn't paid attention at the beginning were now focused on the Daimyo and his words, his speech enough to pique their curiosity. It was unusual for people with no ties to the shinobi world to try and understand it; while similarities were common, the rules were completely different in the world of mundane and the world of ninja.
"So drink, feast and dance! Let this night be a celebration to us all!" He cheered, getting overwhelmingly positive responses. However, he motioned for the crowd to quiet down, raising his head towards the ceiling.
"As for our uninvited guest, I'd like to invite him to join us." The Daimyo all but shouted, looking pretty smug for someone who was calling out for his potential assassin. "I want to see this man, this 'demon', the individual that gave my favorite ninja village so much trouble."
The crowd was silent, then erupted into whispers and murmurs, the civilians and nobility having been completely oblivious to the goings on in the village during the week. To hear that the rumors of a missing ninja lurking around the village were actually true...
Just as the Daimyo finished his speech, a thick white fog began to descend from the ceiling, the shinobi immediately reacting, leaping up in order to chase down the swordsman once and for all.
The moment they leapt up, the village leader was sent flying, the executioner's blade used like a paddle to punt her across the entire hall, crashing into the musicians. The screaming immediately began, and roughly a quarter of the shinobi came down from the ceiling. The rest, as they would later find out, were already knocked out by the half-dozen water clones Zabuza had left behind.
Bringing out that many clones wasn't smart for anyone save for a jinchuriki, but Zabuza needed the message sent. He had infiltrated a ninja village, taken out its' entire fighting force, leader included, and was now slowly walking towards the Land's Daimyo.
In his defense, the Daimyo didn't even flinch as the terrifying figure of the swordsman approached him, instead holding his ground with head held high. "You must be Zabuza, the Demon..."
Before he could finish his sentence, said Demon floored him with a powerful uppercut, effectively knocking him out for the rest of the evening. Zabuza glanced over at his clones, smirking upon realizing that even at a tenth of his power, he was more than strong enough to handle everything the village and Daimyo's guard could throw at him. However, before he could shout out his message and round out the evening, he was charged at from the side by none other than Haku's little girlfriend.
Unaware of his companion's intent, Haku could only mutely watch as Zabuza caught her with a kick to the side, sending her tumbling down. He turned his head to the boy, giving him an inquisitive glance.
Shaking his head, Haku carefully stepped into the fray, catching the Nadeshiko ninja off-guard with his sudden shift in allegiance. Within seconds, he had managed to take out over half a dozen shinobi, and the number was likely to rise. That is, until he heard the voice behind him.
"TRAITOR! LADY SHIZUKA TRUSTED YOU!" Yelled the man, looking vaguely familiar to the boy. Before he could react, though, something crashed into his head, steering him off his course, straight into the ground.
Exchanging glances, both Zabuza and Haku nodded, Zabuza dispersing a couple of clones in order to have enough water to cover the door frame with. With a few swift signs, Haku willed that water to freeze over, effectively sealing off the enemies' main access point. Not seconds later, the two mist assassins proceeded to do the same with the remaining doors, leaving only the windows still open.
With the immediate danger dealt with, Zabuza turned to his longtime companion. "Your girlfriend messed up my plan, Haku." He spoke in an even tone, hovering at the edges of amusement.
"She's not... Zabuza, I don't think we should linger here anymore." The boy spoke, deciding to ignore his mentor's jab.
Looking over the bodies that littered the hall, Zabuza nodded, then pointed to the girl that had so courageously and foolishly tried to attack him. "Pick her up."
"What?"
"It's not a very complicated instruction, Haku. Pick the girl up." He grunted, the annoyance more obvious in his voice.
"But, Zabuza.." Haku began, suddenly losing his words. They were kidnapping her? He made no mention of this in the note. All it said was that he was supposed to watch his back, nothing else. Why the sudden change? It made sense strategically, but could it be that he actually noticed?
"No arguing. The ice won't hold them off forever." Zabuza stated with a tone of finality, supplemented by just the right amount of killing intent to get the point across.
Nodding his head, Haku did as he was told, picking the girl up. She was surprisingly light, but he paid the fact little mind as he grabbed onto the man he had sworn to follow everywhere, watching as the floor became more distant with every second.
Once they were out of the window, Zabuza took a moment to bind the girl, then leapt down into the village, Haku following right behind him.
Hopefully, the slightly longer chapter will make amends for the long delay between updates.
Please review, hearing from the readers is by far the fastest way to get inspiration for the next chapter. I do appreciate the follows and favs, but they seem so...impersonal, if you know what I mean.