Chapter 58: Infiltrating Kirigakure Arc: Kirigakure's Civil War
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. Naruto is the work of Masashi Kishimoto, please support the original work.
"Naruto, how do you think we should help?"
Zabuza asked, turning to face Naruto beside him. Haku and Hinata separated from the group as they were tasked to gather information.
"I don't really know. This is my first time facing a civil war. It's not like I can just blow up the country."
Hearing Naruto's reply, Zabuza's eye twitched.
"Well… let's first wait for Haku and Hinata. Then, we'll proceed."
Zabuza said and was about to leave when he paused.
"Oh, right. How much supply do you have right now?"
"None. But I can easily restock, don't worry."
Naruto said and waved off Zabzua's worries. He was now a Fuinjutsu Professor. Making a few dozen Explosive Scrolls won't take too long.
"Okay. It'll help if you develop a new type of seal that can suppress ninjas, rather than kill them or leave them mentally unsound."
Zabuza said and narrowed his eyes. When he saw Naruto halt in his steps and chuckle awkwardly, he felt as if he had diverted a catastrophe.
"Okay. I'll try."
When Zabuza left, Naruto took out a scroll and racked his mind for a new Sealing Formula. He could simply create restriction seals, but against the Three-Tailed Jinchuriki, normal restriction seals won't work.
"I can use my chains… but what if the others encounter the mizukage when I'm not there?"
He was worried about Hinata.
"I need a sealing formula that is as effective as my chains while being convenient and easy to use. Preferably, the effects should be instantaneous."
Humming in thought, Naruto remained in the same position and place until nightfall. By then, Hinata and Haku had returned.
"The village is in turmoil, as expected. Ninjas under the Mizukage's rule is all over the place. Civilians simply are too afraid to rally, and people with bloodlines are hiding from sight."
Hinata said. She and Haku scanned the populated areas of the village using her Byakugan, and they separated to search the more remote places of the archipelago.
"The ninjas under the mizukage have four main camps. Two at the east, and one at the north and south. At the west, we couldn't quite scout the west, it was heavily guarded by the rebel forces."
Hinata explained and allowed Naruto to digest the information.
"The rebels likely chose the west so they can easily escape should the situation turn for the worse."
Naruto said and Zabuza agreed. The west was the closest to the mainland, and the mizukage's forces would be delayed if they tried to chase after the rebels.
"That being said, what is the situation with the rebels? Are there any bloodline families that aren't part of them?"
"There are some bloodline families that aren't part of the rebel forces," Haku said. "They are mostly people who are stranded or are in a difficult area that makes it impossible for them to be evacuated."
"Hmm…"
"Naruto, let's evacuate those people first."
Zabuza suggested. Even though he didn't have a bloodline, he felt sympathy for those that had and were being suppressed by the mizukage. With Haku by his side, he felt a little obligated to save as many bloodline users as he can.
"Is that what you want?"
Naruto raised his eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Okay, we'll go with that plan. But, let's wait until I create a seal that can easily incapacitate the Mizukage, just in case."
"Sound good."
Seeing Zabuza nod his head, Naruto sighed and returned to the drawing board. He already had an outline for the sealing formula. In short, it was a copy of his sealing chains. Instead of Uzumaki chakra, it uses the chakra of the person or being that was suppressed by the chains as fuel.
Because it's not foreign chakra, the target's body won't reject it when it invades their body. The "chains" will then disrupt the target's chakra system using their own chakra, making it near impossible to perform chakra control.
This was the first seal he made, and it was meant to be used in long-range.
He created another seal for close range. It required the user to directly plant the seal on the target's body. Afterward, it will shut off the target's access to chakra. It was a simple yet effective seal, and the only caveat is the risk involved.
"It's perfect for Hinata and Zabuza. Haku will probably have to rely on the first seal."
When the next day dawned, Naruto and the others held a meeting and discussed their plan.
"Haku, how many families are stranded?"
"I found seven families, each having around 2 to 4 members," Haku said.
"I only found four families, and each of them has 3 members except the fourth one, which has 8," Hinata added.
"I'll go to the family of eight. Where is it?"
"It's in the far north," Hinata said and pointed at the map. It was near the last island in the north, just outside the Mizukage's ninja camp.
"Okay. Zabuza, how many can you rescue in a day?"
"I can rescue one or two families at a time in a day," Zabuza answered. They not only had to rescue them but also rescue them secretly as well as bring them back to safety. Everything added together made it time-consuming.
"I can rescue one family," Haku said.
"I can only rescue one…" Hinata chimed.
"Then, it's a total of four to five families a day. We'll have to spend two to three days just to rescue them, but if any of us gets caught, we will have to forget about rescuing the rest. Even if it takes two days just to rescue one family, take your time. Understood?"
Everybody nodded at Naruto's instructions.
"Great. Here, take these seals just in case you meet the Mizukage," Naruto said and handed five copies of his new sealing formula to each of them. After the three got their copies, Naruto explained their uses and afterward, they all left to rescue their chosen family.
Naruto went straight toward the north and along the way, he bought a few clothes to disguise himself.
He learned from Jiraiya that the best disguise uses few disguises. According to the perverted sage's words, "People can sense anxiety and apprehension. They can also sense if something is not right. I call it the sixth sense. I find it better to simply go in with a few clothes to cover my face and change into appropriate clothing."
Of course, Naruto didn't fully believe his godfather. He found it too ridiculous, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take the advice seriously.
After putting on a mask to hide his whiskers, he put on clothes that were similar to the ordinary civilians in Kirigakure. By the end of it all, he was wearing loose clothing and a pair of simple wooden sandals, as well as a straw hat.
"I look… huh?"
Looking at himself in the mirror, Naruto couldn't control his astonished smile. He clearly didn't change his body structure or modify how he looked, yet he already couldn't recognize himself. If one didn't look very closely, they wouldn't recognize him at all!
"I guess… godfather is an expert, all right. I should put more faith into him…"
Laughing to himself, Naruto exited the bathroom and resumed his travel.
He didn't rush. He simply walked on foot.
Where do you see a civilian running across rooftops at ninja speeds?
As he walked, he saw more and more of the village's run-down state.
"Hmm."
The broken buildings, the downcast people, and the malnourished kids running around the place made Naruto uncomfortable that he hurried his pace for a bit.
"Hey! You there, state your identity?"
Hearing the authoritative tone of the person calling him out, Naruto rolled his eyes.
'Great. I knew this would happen at some point.'
Turning around, Naruto did his best to look depressed or anguished, and he used every bit of his muscle control to make himself look thin and sickly.
"S-Sir?"
Speaking in a dry tone, Naruto waited for the ninja's response. The ninja seemed hesitant, but he forced himself to keep interrogating.
'Worthy of a ninja. Loyal and strict to his mission, not letting emotion taint his work,' Naruto smirked inwardly.
"Why are you walking toward the north?"
"S-Sir, my cousin is living in the northern region. I want to visit him. I-Is that possible?"
Seeing the ninja's uncertain eyes, Naruto kept pushing.
"S-Sir, please! M-My cousin and I haven't seen each other for who knew how long! I-I'm worried about his health. He is usually sick and doesn't care for his health. P-Please, allow me just this once, sir!"
The ninja went silent at his plea.
"Fine. Go and be quick, don't do anything reckless."
'Got you.'
Naruto revoked his statement about the man being a qualified ninja.
He allowed his emotions to affect his mind.
If you'd like to support me, you can check out my Pátreón page. There are 15+ advanced chapters there. That's two weeks of advanced content!
link: pátreón.cóm/endbanner (replace the accent letters)