"KAKASHI SENSEI!"
Naruto heard a raspy voice behind him that chilled the blood in his veins.
"Three little piggies…"
The mechanical rattling was heard again as the bladed chain came out, aiming to wrap the frightened Naruto in their grasp. Jumping into action, Sasuke leapt, whipping a pair of whirling shuriken stars, wedging them between the links of the deadly chains. Following it with a kunai knife to pin both the shuriken and chains to a ancient tree trunk. Sasuke landed easily on their outstretched arms now shackled to the tree and kicked out his feet connecting with his enemies' heads. The impact of his blows yanked the chain from its home, snapping from the hand mechanism, severing the connection between them. The pair of attackers reacted by splitting, one extending his metal hand, exposing lethal claws aiming right for Naruto, who stood dumbly frozen to the spot. As the shinobi rushed him, Naruto stepped back, desperately trying to move out of reach, lifting his hand to defend himself as the edges of the claws rip the skin on the back of his hand like paper. The other shinobi darted straight for Tazuna. Sakura neatly slid in front of the old man with a kunai knife held out prepared to defend their client.
"Stand back, sir!"

Sasuke didn't hesitate and stood in front of Sakura, arms wide, ready to retaliate and bracing for the blow. At the last second, a strong arm wrapped around the attacker's neck, stopping him dead in his tracks; His companion was pinned onto the ground behind them, Nishira's booted foot pressed him into the cold dirt, arm held behind his back at an unnatural angle. Naruto looked over to where the bodies of his sensei and the newcomer were supposed to have fallen to find chopped up wood chunks.
The art of substitution?
Tazuna let out an audible sigh of relief. Kakashi turned to his injured young teammate.
"I'm sorry Naruto. I should have moved to help you sooner before you were injured. It never occurred to me that you would freeze up."
Nishira pursed her lips, it was unfitting of a shinobi to freeze up, but Naruto's fallen face made her reconsider. After all, they were all just kids and it was only their first mission.
"Good job, Sasuke. You too, Sakura."
Nishira saw Naruto's face cloud over, fighting the instinctual urge to comfort him before catching herself. He gazed at Sasuke who pretended not to notice the praise or attention from their sensei. Sasuke's onyx eyes flashed over Naruto's fallen face, responding with a slight sneer.
"Are you ok, you big chicken?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist in the face of Sasuke's smirk. The heat was broiling off Naruto in waves. With one of the attackers still under his arm, Kakashi stepped in to put an end to the potential brawl.
"Naruto! There's no time now for fighting. Their claws are poisoned. We have to clean that wound as soon as possible. If we cut it open more deeply, the blood flow will wash the poison away." Naruto looked at his scraped hand. "For now, keep as still as possible so the poison doesn't spread."
Kakashi turned his attention to the client.
"Mr. Tazuna, I need to speak with you."

They made quick work of tying to attackers to a tree stump.
"Our attackers seem to be journeymen level shinobi of the Kirigakure clan – mist shinobi. They are shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved, even at the cost of their lives."
Kakashi looked at the dour faces of most shinobi, glowering at them from their bindings anchoring them to a tree trunk.
"Obviously they were watching and waiting for us. The sun is out, and it hasn't rained for several days, so there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground."
"If you knew all that, why did you even let those creeps attack you?" Tazuna was visibly shaken.
"We could have killed them any time, but I wanted to find out who their real target was."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Were you really the one they were after? Or was it one of us ninja? There has been no word of any shinobi seeking to take your life. The request that was relayed to Lord Hokage was that you have an escort to protect you against any roving bands of thieves and brigands. In any case it's clear this is more than a "B" rank mission. To protect you from ordinary dangers until you complete the bridge you're currently constructing would be a simple thing. But if you expected to be the target of a shinobi assault, then it is beyond question that this would have been classified – and priced – as a mission for elite shinobi. You may have had your reasons, but it's never a good idea to conceal the facts when you are asking for help. As it is, this task falls far beyond the boundaries of the job we were assigned."

Tazuna sunk to his knees under the weight of Kakashi's gaze, the dirt providing little cushion for the impact. Sakura looked visibly concerned, her arms bent her fists curled under her chin in a helpless gesture.
"We're not good enough yet to handle something like this. Can we quit? We'll need an anesthetic for Naruto's wound before we can re-open it and drain the poison. Can't we return to village and have a doctor look at it?"
Kakashi looked at Naruto and back at Tazuna and carefully considered the option.
"This is… complicated. Do we go back now so we can make certain Naruto receives medical attention?"
Naruto grimaced as he shoved the sharp tip of his kunai knife into the wound, the hot searing pain shot through his arm, vibrating with intense heat as the signals made its way to his brain.
"NARUTO, WHAT ARE YOU-?! NO STOP THAT!"
Sakura gestured helplessly in his direction. Nishira shrugged, she'd have done the same thing, it seemed fairly obvious. Pain meds weren't freely available in most situations and the goal is to stay alive. But the anguish on Naruto's face, it was obvious to anyone who looked at him that he was battling his inner demon. As the blood trickled down his wrist and arm in steady streams, his hand shook, his voice came it in a shiver of his normal bravado.
"With this kunai knife, I promise you, I…" he made eye contact with everyone present, the determination shining from the inky blue orbs. "… will protect the old man. Reporting fit for duty, sensei."

The air was palpable as Naruto stood in front of his team, blood dripping into the dirt from his clenched fist. Kakashi was the first the break the silence.
"Naruto, we needed a free flow of blood to clean the poison from your wound. But you've exceeded the need, you could bleed to death. I'm serious." He gave Naruto a warm smile, as the boy's panic poured forth. "Show me your hand."

Kakashi held his hand as Naruto kicked out his feet frantically like a toddler waiting for mom to kiss his booboo. Sakura scolded him at length and loudly. To Nishira, yelling at people seemed an odd way of showing concern. Kakashi firmly held Naruto's hand and was surprised to see it mostly healed already. He looked it for a moment before wrapping his student's hand.
"It's alright, isn't it? I mean… you know…" the sweat was visible on Naruto's brow. Kakashi chuckled.
"It looks like you'll be fine."
Kakashi wondered if it was a perk of the nine-tail fox spirit sealed within the boy that lent Naruto his healing abilities, still a secret in the Leaf Village. Tazuna held back from the group, debating what he was going to tell the group of shinobi that had put their lives on the line for his sake.
"I have no choice but to tell you, no I want you to know the truth. Like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. There's a real scary man who wants to see me dead."
"Hmm, who is it?"
"You know him, at least I'm sure you've heard his name before. He is one of the wealthiest men in the world; the shipping magnate by the name of Gato."
"Huh? Gato, of Gato Transport?"
Nishira involuntarily squeaked, which earned a side eye from Kakashi as he looked back to Tazuna, confusion plain on his face. Tazuna continued.
"He's a business leader. Everyone knows him."

Tazuna explained to his captive audience that the man who was responsible for the attack on the bridge builder's life was a man named Gato. Gato, a notorious billionaire in the shipping industry, had set his ruthless gaze on Tazuna for the bridge he was building, as it targeted the profit margins of his corporation. Kakashi's face shown how flustered he was. Even Nishira knew that Gato was not just a mogul in the marine transportation industries, but also one in drug and weapon trafficking. He was known in her previous circles as a man you definitely did not want to cross unless you wanted to find yourself dead or worse. His tactics were well known; he starts by taking over companies and ends up running entire countries, with rulers as puppets. It was a slick and well-oiled operation. Gato was considered the best at it, but it was mostly a pony show. Nishira knew of at least three other similar operations that worked from the shadows and did it just as well or even better. She didn't want to mess with anyone with the patience and resources to pull of such a stunt.

The old man, consistently brash and vulgar, now painting them a picture of the extreme poverty and suffering his land suffered without connection to the mainland, which left them at the mercy of the gangster. No trade, no travel, no imports except through his corporation. Tazuna hunched before them desperately wringing his hands as he explained that by building the bridge, he hoped to lift the land from its poor conditions, but it put him in Gato's war path. It was a dangerous, noble, and to Nishira, a foolish endeavor. If it was up to her, they'd turn around right now and go home, and leave the bridge builder to his demise. Sasuke listened quietly to the old man and nodded in understanding.
"That means that the shinobi who attacked us were working for Gato."
Naruto's imbecilic face looked between the members of his team, hopelessly lost. Kakashi turned to Tazuna frowning, a new thought forming.
"I still don't understand. If you knew you were a target of a ruthless thug with shinobi at his disposal, why did you hide that from us?"
"The Land of Waves isn't a real prosperous land. Even our local lords are poor. And I have no money at all. An elite B-ranked bodyguard would be a lot more than I could afford."
Kakashi frowned, Nishira saw the disappearance of his normally easy-going demeanor cracking from disapproval.
"If you all turn away from me now, then I'm as good as dead. But…" Tazuna let out a fully belly laugh, encouraged by the falling face of their leader as the guilt piled on. "Oh well! That's not your concern! You won't be there to see my daughter and 10-year-old grandson cry all day like their hearts are breaking."
Nishira patted Kakashi's back as he slouched, she knew he was hooked with that soft bleeding heart of his.
"Oh! And you won't mind if my daughter vows eternal hatred of all the shinobi of your village as she lives her life alone! Heck! Well, it's not your fault."
"Well…" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head in defeat. "I suppose it can't be helped. We'll continue to protect you, at least until you return to your country."

The team sat squashed in a tiny rowboat with a motor that chugged along, propelling the watercraft along a wide river. The fog lingered on the surface of the choppy water, limiting the traveller's view to less than five feet from the bow. The fisherman they chartered the boat from seemed to know where he was going.
"We'll be able to see the bridge in a minute. On the other side of it is Nami No Kuni – the Land of Waves."
They looked up as the looming shape of the bridge came into view, strong and resilient as it held the sky above them with its rows of bricks, shaping into hulking legs that dipped below the water's surface. A crane perched like a great heron, picking up the building materials, likely making a nest. The scaffolding sat on the unfinished edge, the guts and sinew of the bridge.

"Whoa! It's HUGE!" Naruto stood, rocking the boat dangerously.
"Hey! Keep it down! This mist'll keep us hidden. But from this point on, we have to turn off our engines and row. We'd be in big trouble if Gato caught us. We'll be there soon." The fisherman looked around. "Tazuna, so far it looks like we've been overlooked. Just to be on the safe side we'll take an inland waterway through town to a point where we can make landfall under the cover of mangroves."
Tazuna spoke a quiet thanks and then silence took hold of everyone as the boat drifted into a bricked archway, traveling under the town. As the darkness fell away, the town come into view on both sides of the river. Trees grew straight out of the water along the shoreline and reached up to pierce the fog. The fisherman drove the boat to a shabby dock a ways down away from prying eyes, and let the passengers
disembark.
"This is as far as I go. Take care of yourself."
"Thanks for taking a risk. I shouldn't have asked."
Without responding to Tazuna, the fisherman drove away.
"Ok! Now, if I can make it home in one piece."
"Yeah, yeah!" Kakashi kept his eyes peeled, judging by his hardened stare, Nishira figured he was expecting to be attacked at any moment.

Naruto glared at Sasuke, before peering at every corner of the path, looking for any sign and movement. Something caught his eye, and he whipped a shuriken star into the bush on their right.
"Over there!"
Everyone stopped and waited for an inevitable attack. When none came, Naruto shrugged.
"I… uh guess it was only a mouse."
"WHAT MOUSE?" Sakura pointed her index finger angrily at home. "Are you out of your mind? There was nothing there, you moron!"
"Naruto, please don't play with your kunai knives. They're dangerous!" Kakashi held his hands up in a patronizing fashion.
Tazuna's heart pumped unevenly from the adrenaline.
"HEY SHRIMP! DON'T GO SCARING US! STOP MESSING OUR HEADS!"
"Hey Kakashi sensei, it looks like there is a lake over there, maybe we can stop for a quick rest?" Nishira pointed through the trees, Kakashi nodded.

Naruto paid them no never mind, continuing to scout for any sign of movement, his desire to outdo Sasuke not discouraged by their protests. Kakashi sensed it first, turning to the left. Naruto jumped the gun and spun another shuriken into the bush.
"This time over there!"
Sakura's fist connected with the back of Naruto's head.
"I told you to quit it!"
"I swear! There was someone in there after us!" He rubbed the blooming sore spot on the back of his head.
"You are such a liar!"
Kakashi and Nishira went to check, pulling the branches back to see a shocked white rabbit, Sakura poked her head in to see the supposed attacker.
"NARUTO! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!"
Naruto scooped up the furry creature and hugged it fiercely, while apologizing nonstop, the worlds tumbling out of his trembling mouth. Kakashi walked away from the group, Nishira's eyebrows frowned to not see a relieved look on his face. He looked down at her for a moment. He spoke in a hushed tone.
"That's a snow hare. It's autumn now. So why is it still wearing its winter pelt? That hare is obviously a decoy that's been kept like a pet indoor, where there isn't a lot of sunshine. This is it. Get ready, but don't panic the others."

Beyond their sights, a muscular shinobi held his hand on his massive sword that was longer than even the tallest of men. He looked at the team from his perch on a branch above them. They were the ones that had beaten the demon brothers and he noted curiously that most of the group were not skilled enough to have taken down such formidable shinobi. The leader though, he was a shinobi of Konohagakure village, and the man recognized him as Kakashi the copy ninja – Kakashi of the sharingan eye! The time had come to finish it here. He leapt, ready to engage.

Kakashi sensed his presence before seeing it.
"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!"
Sakura tackled Naruto to the ground while Sasuke grabbed Tazuna. A giant sword spun through the air, its weight forcing the air into submission. It flew in a deep arc that would have cut them all down where they stood until it embedded itself into the side of a tree. A figure landed on the protruding handle. Kakashi looked upon the person they would have to fight. His skin held a watery grey hue, which spread along his bare chest, barely obscured by a strap, that ran across the wide expanse. The pants he wore were stripped with a dark blue that ended in a pair of greaves that wrapped his lower legs in a camouflage print of brown and white, very different than the ones they were in the Land of Fire. His lower face was covered in white wrappings, but it took no skill to see from his eyes that he was eager to engage them in battle.
"Kakashi sensei, do you know him?" Sakura's voice trembled slightly. Kakashi's held no such uncertainty.
"Well, well, if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, rogue ninja from the village hidden in the mist."
Naruto vibrated with intensity spilling into his wide toothy smile, ready to begin the fight for a chance of redemption.
"Ready… steady…"
Nishira held out her hand at the same time as Kakashi to block Naruto's advancement. She could sense how dangerous this opponent was, without a doubt he was a seasoned killer. Naruto looked up at his sensei.
"Don't interfere. Give me room. This one is on a different plane from our previous opponents."
Nishira nodded, and took a few steps back, forcibly wrangling in Naruto, who fussed in her grip like a petulant child.
"And if I have to face him, it had better be like this…" he reached his hand to grip his headband covering his left eye. "This may be a little rough."