Mind, Magic, and Sword…wait, what?

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto and the original idea for this fic, are not mine.

Tazuna gulped as Kakashi continued to watch him, waiting for a response. The Jonin maintained a calm and collected appearance, but even one as inexperienced as Tazuna could feel the overbearing aura of displeasure that the Jonin was emitting. He knew that Tazuna was hiding something, and that secret could have cost the lives of an unprepared Genin Team that could have accepted this mission in their place. Luckily for him, Team 7 was far from unprepared, thus Kakashi was merely displeased, and not enraged because one of his students had been hurt.

"I can explain," said Tazuna.

"I should hope so," said Kakashi, "intentionally omitting vital information when requesting a mission can have serious consequences. You requested to be protected from bandits and thieves. Missing-nin were not part of the arrangement and require the Mission to be labeled as a B-Rank at the minimum depending on the expected threat level so that the appropriate forces can be prepared and dispatched."

"I didn't have a choice," said Tazuna as he hung his head, "My home is being bled dry of all its resources thanks to Gatō!"

"Gatō?" said Kakashi, "Of Gatō Company? Gatō the shipping magnate? What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Heh," chuckled Tazuna mirthlessly, "he may claim to be just a shipping magnate, but under the surface, he's a disgusting criminal. Using his shipping industry as a cover, he runs a criminal empire from the shadows. He came to our home and dug his claws into our lives, crushing the will out of the people and monopolizing our once proud shipping industry. Using a combination of money and hired muscle, Gatō has taken complete control over the harbors, controlling who comes and goes so that all of our trade and industry has to go through him. The bridge I'm building was supposed to be our salvation."

"Because with the bridge connecting you to the mainland, you'll have a means of trade that Gatō can't block," said Kakashi in understanding.

"And Gatō will do anything to keep the bridge from being finished," said Tazuna, "even going as far as to hire rouge Shinobi to take my life, which is the reason I traveled to Konoha to request assistance, but thanks to Gatō's control over our resources, I didn't have the means to afford anything higher than a C-Rank."

"I understand your plight," said Kakashi, "still, this mission has become extremely dangerous, and I'm not sure my students are prepared for what lies ahead."

"Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto firmly, causing the Jonin to turn to him, "we must continue the mission."

"Oh?" asked Kakashi, "And why is that, Naruto-kun? If we continue, we'll likely face enemy shinobi that are far more powerful than the Demon Brothers, and I can't promise that I can both protect you and our client if we engage them."

"It matters not," said Naruto, "to walk away from this mission, knowing it will bring about our client's death and the continued subjugation of his home would go against the tenets I swore to follow when I inherited my blade. I will not turn my back on them."

"We won't," said Sasuke as he stepped forward, "I won't let those families suffer the fate of my own."

"It's illogical to think that Gatō will be satisfied with simply controlling Nami no Kuni," said Sakura, "people like him always want more. Stopping him now will save not only the people there, but all those who would suffer from his influence in the future."

"I see," said Kakashi, "and is that your final decision?"

"It is," said Naruto, "and I swear by the blade of my sword that we shall prevail.

"Well then," said Kakashi, "if you're so insistent, then we'll continue, but first, let's see if we can get a clearer picture of what we'll be facing."

"Allow me," said Sakura as she walked over to the Kiri-nin she had chained to a tree, "just give me a moment."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he watched the pink-haired supposed-ESPer walk over to the member of the Demon Brothers that was trying to struggle against his bonds without letting the bladed chain cut into his skin, he had intended to use his Sharingan to extract the information, but that would have cost precious Chakra due to him not being an Uchiha and if his student wanted to have a go, he wouldn't mind seeing more of what she, and the others, could do.

Kakashi watched as Sakura placed her hands on the sides of the chained Shinobi's head with her thumbs on his temples, with her eyes glowing bright with pink light and the Kiri-nin's eyes growing wide and glassy, before she broke away, breathing hard as the Shinobi slumped in his bonds, a bit of drool coming from his mouth as he stared vacantly into space.

"I wasn't able to get much," said Sakura, "his mind was stronger than I expected, but I did see two others, both Shinobi, and both stronger than both brothers combined. One of the two even wielded a large sword that resembled a giant butcher knife."

"Hmm," said Kakashi with a frown, "if they're from Kiri like these two, then that indicates we might be facing one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Kiri's elite team of Kenjutsu users, each equipped with a unique and powerful sword. We'll have to be on our toes, as a prerequisite of joining their ranks is a Jonin Rank at minimum."

"What do we do with them?" asked Tazuna as he pointed at the captured Demon Brothers.

"They won't be going anywhere," said Sasuke, "and if we are still being hunted, it's best we cover as much ground as possible before our next engagement."

"Indeed," said Kakashi, "let's get moving. Stay in escort formation and keep your eyes and ears open. An attack could come from anywhere."

xXsceneXx

The group continued on for a bit longer, keeping their senses peeled for any threats, but a dense fog began to roll in, obscuring their view of the path, forcing them to stop.

"Strange," said Naruto as he looked around, "is fog this thick common in these parts?"

"This isn't fog," mused Sasuke as he ran his hands through the thick clouds, "its mist."

"It's a Jutsu!" exclaimed Kakashi, "Manji formation around Tazuna!"

The Team quickly moved into guard positions around the bridge builder, focusing their senses to try and discern any enemies through the mist, while Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan in an attempt to pierce the mist, only to confirm that he couldn't due to Chakra permeating the clouds around them.

Suddenly, Sakura's voice cut through the mist as she pulled them off their feet with their powers, "DOWN!"

The group felt a breeze fly over their heads as they hit the dirt, indicative of a large object swinging through the space where their necks had been with great force.

"We need to deal with this mist," said Naruto as he reached for his sword, "Sasuke, Sakura, any ideas?"

"I've got it," said Sasuke as he began drawing several runes in the air, "buy me a few seconds!"

Sakura and Naruto nodded, deflecting more hidden swings and keeping Tazuna safe with their ESPer abilities and reflexes respectively, anticipating and parrying more unseen attacks, as Sasuke began chanting to himself as he carefully carved the glowing runes into the air, "Viribus aeris spiritus…"

"Left!" yelled out Sakura as she stretched out her mental senses, prompting Naruto to swing out with his sword, barely deflecting another attack, though the blond noted from the feel that the mysterious attacker (no pun intended) was wielding a Zanbato of some sort.

"Might want to hurry up, Sasuke," said Naruto as he shook out his sword arm, trying to relieve the ache from deflecting such a powerful blow.

Their team mage shot a glare at the blond swordsman as he continued to chant, focusing his powers and attention towards molding the runes together, "invoco incertum belli purgatum…"

"Any time now!" said Naruto as Sakura yelled out to block several more attacks while Kakashi pulled Tazuna to the ground to avoid one that would have taken his head off.

"spiritus occulta revelando NOSTRO!" finished Sasuke as the runes he had carved into the air glowed bright.

There was a sudden blast of wind that formed a spherical shell around them, within which the air was clean and clear. The wind shell quickly expanded, dispelling the thick mist to reveal a man wearing a dark grey sleeveless outfit with grey leg and arm warmers and bandages covering his mouth. Also, just as Sakura had foreseen in the mind of their captive, the man wielded a massive sword that resembled a large cleaver.

"Impressive," said the man, "I didn't think brats like you could prove to be such a challenge, but I guess that's to be expected for the students of Kakashi of the Sharingan. Nevertheless, I'll be killing that bridge builder. Cutting you four down would just be a bonus."

"Zabuza Momochi," said Kakashi as he grimly identified their opponent, "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, you'll want to stand back." He said as he moved his headband to reveal his Sharingan, "He's beyond your current skill level. I'll take care of him."

"Hmph," chuckled Zabuza as he hoisted his blade, "you think rather highly of yourself. That famous eye won't save you this time, even if your brat's can counter my mist."

"We'll see," said Kakashi as he blurred through several hand-seals, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Zabuza watched as Kakashi breathed out a ball of fire that streaked toward him, not worried in the slightest as he readied his massive blade. As the attack grew near, he swung his sword down on the fireball, the power from the strike actually parting the flames, causing them to dispel explosively, but as he did so, Kakashi leapt through the smoke from the blast with a Kunai drawn, bringing the blade down on the Kiri-nin, only for Zabuza to burst into water as the knife connected.

"Mizu Bunshin," muttered Kakashi as he quickly looked around for any sign of his opponent, before flipping backwards to avoid a vicious slash from Zabuza's blade as the missing-nin leapt out at him.

Zabuza then threw several kunai at Kakashi, forcing the Copy-nin further back, before leaping closer to the nearby lake himself and weaving several hand-signs, causing several more copies of himself to rise up out of the water. Working with his copies, Zabuza attacked Kakashi with renewed vigor, but the Jonin defended himself in a flurry of motion, his kunai lashing out and tearing through the Mizu Bunshin, reducing them to pools of water around him, leaving Kakashi standing amidst them, alone.

"You'll have to do better than that," said Kakashi as he looked around for his opponent, "I expected more from the Demon of the Mist."

"Then I'll have to rectify that," said Zabuza from behind Kakashi, causing him to turn in surprise, but it was too late.

"Suirō no Jutsu!" said Zabuza triumphantly, as the water left over from his destroyed Mizu Bunshin rose up and formed into a sphere that trapped the Copy-nin, rendering him helpless and unable to fight.

"Now," said Zabuza as he made a one-handed hand-seal creating several more Mizu Bunshin from the lake, "to deal with you brats."

To be continued…