AN: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.
Next morning 0800, Missions Office
Sasuke had memorised the pre-mission briefings; though he'd have preferred to spend that time on his clan archives.
Their client was trader from the Land of Waves who'd come to the Land of Fire for business purposes.
He came to Konoha to request safe transit back to his home.
Seemed simple enough.
Always look underneath the underneath
The first lesson his sensei had taught him. And Sasuke had remembered it. He'd stocked up on everything he could conceive of - extra storage, weapons, some of those special traps Naruto had taught him.
All that was left was for the client to arrive.
On cue, the door opened; the stench of alcohol reaching them before the person they were charged with protecting.
A pudgy little man waddled in, not even trying to conceal the bottle of alcohol in his hand. He took one alcohol-glazed look at them, before turning around to the Missions Officer.
"These are the brats who'll protect me? What happened to 'Konoha's Finest' like I was assured yesterday?"
"They're among Konoha's finest genin, Tazuna-san. And if you wish to, you could get a full refund of your money & take your chances on your own."
"Fine", the old man huffed at the missions officer, realising he had no other choice.
Sakura engaged in some small talk with the client. She'd heard from kunoichi who'd give special lessons at their academy that clients were more open & personable with female shinobi - which meant being friendly was a useful tool to extract information.
"What is your home like Tazuna-san?"
"I'd tell you there's no place like it - but you'd dismiss it as my biased opinion. Yet that is the truth. We are a very self-sufficient people, who live frugally yet love boundlessly. Our land is an island, so we have always been sheltered from the outside world. That has allowed us to truly cherish each other & our land; unlike here in the outside world where people complain endlessly about their neighbours & their houses & whatnot."
"Do you have any family?"
"Yes. A daughter Tsunami, and a grandson Inari. He's a few years younger than yourselves."
"Really? What's he like?"
"He used to be a ball of energy. Always running around, causing some sort of havoc. I tell you, that boy was a handful. I can't even begin to count the number of times he forced either myself, Tsunami or Kaiza-"
His voice seemed to be stuck in his throat. Sakura noticed how melancholic Tazuna-san's voice became when answering that question.
"Kaiza? Who is that?"
"I'm sorry. I think I have a sore throat. Best I keep my silence."
She looked at the rest of the team.
They all understood that this Kaiza person was a sore subject for their client.
He tuned out Sakura.
Not that he didn't recognise the tactic; infact he commended her for it - knowledge was a ninja's greatest weapon.
But right now he had more important concerns.
Naruto spotted a lone puddle ahead of them. Strange.
It had rained the day before, but there had been sufficient time & heat for it to dry out. Not to mention it was solitary. He looked at Kakashi, and they arrived at a wordless agreement.
It could be a trap.
He bent down & spoke at a higher voice.
"Hold up, I need to fix my boot - it's come loose."
With his other hand, he placed two fingers on the ground & closed his eyes.
Two
He relayed this to Kakashi using handsigns he'd taught him when he was younger.
Kakashi replied back.
You take one
Leave the second to me
Naruto agreed, getting up & purposely stepping on the puddle, and when his boot emerged dry it confirmed their scrutiny.
He simultaneously spun around & reached into his pocket, dropping a smoke bomb as they all automatically formed a shield around their client.
Nothing happened for a moment, and then a figure dashed out of the puddle, heading past him.
Naruto dodged the chain, using the assailant's momentum to flip & drop him onto the ground. He struck the handle of the kunai on the back of his head, knocking him out.
From the corner of his left eye, he saw a similar figure attack Kakashi.
His heart almost stopped when the weapon pierced Kakashi's chest.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed in pure horror.
When he dissolved into a puddle Naruto could breathe again.
A water clone.
His teammates, however didn't know that.
Sasuke sprang into action, launching foot-first into the attacker's back, sending him flying into a tree & crumpled onto the ground.
"Nice work" Kakashi whistled, coming out of a bush.
Sakura's eyes widened when she heard their sensei's voice.
"But sensei, how did? I thought".
Kakashi ruffled her hair.
"It'll take more than that to kill me. I'm a bit disappointed in your lack of faith in me."
"Who were these guys?" Sasuke asked as he finished tying up his opponent.
"I've heard of them. The 'Demon Brothers' - Gōzu & Meizu."
"I've never heard of them" Sakura replied.
"You wouldn't have. These two defected from Kirigakure long ago. The more telling question is, why were they here?"
Kakashi turned around to their client, seemingly forgotten in the heat of the battle.
Tazuna-san gulped as they all verged on him.
Kakashi could be very terrifying when he needed to be.
"They weren't after us. They tried to go past Naruto, and you were standing right behind him. They only went after me because they know I'm a jounin & they'd need to get rid of me to succeed. Listen clearly, because I won't ask again; and if at any point you lie to me I'll kill you here myself & take my genin back home. I won't risk their lives for your lies."
It seemed to work.
"Okay. But we must walk. If there are others you've surely alerted them of our location."
They checked the demon brothers were tied securely against a tree & kept moving.
This close to the village, they were bound to be picked up by a patrolling party.
"You know my name is Tazuna. That's the only truth you know. Everything else what I've told is false. The truth is, I'm no businessman. I'm a humble, poor builder. My home, the Land of Waves - was a simple but happy land. We were poor, but we had each other - and we found solace in that. That all changed when Gato arrived. On paper, he runs a shipping company - but that's just a front. In truth, he's a smuggler; of everything - drugs, weapon, money, people."
Everyone's eyes widened at this.
"He came promising great things. How his shipping company would make our home prosperous. Foolishly, we agreed. Things got worse immediately - he took over our entire economy. Inflation struck, and more & more people lost their livelihoods, then their homes. A curfew was enforced, so that he could move his goods without resistance at night. He hired thugs to enforce it. When people tried to stand up" he sniffed, wiping his eyes, "they were killed. Since then, we've been watching helplessly as he has ruined our lives."
"Then why not just tell us from the start?" Sakura asked, "Konoha would willingly help."
Kakashi knew that to be untrue, but he didn't want her lose faith in her village just yet.
"I didn't know who to trust. Some of the people Gato hired wear metal bands just like you, although some of them have a line dashed across the band. I don't know much about ninja, except they're very powerful. The only reasons I came to Konoha is because it's the nearest to our country."
Team 7 looked at each other, and agreed silently.
"We'll help in any way we can, Tazuna-san" Kakashi assured him, "but this will take more than my team. I'll arrange for backup immediately.
He performed the Summoning Jutsu, and Pakkun arrived in a dust of smoke.
Once the situation was explained to the mutt, he started running in the direction they'd just come from, on his way to closest patrol team to inform them of the situation.
Kakashi-sensei pulled a book out of pouches & engrossed himself in it as they continued.
Sakura looked back, slightly longing for the Konoha skyline. She'd never left the village walls before, and if she hadn't enrolled at the academy; probably never would have.
The village was all she had known her entire life, and she was feeling very exposed now that she wasn't surrounded by its familiar walls.
Already, they had barely left the village and they'd been attacked.
Naruto & Sasuke-kun had done their part - defeating each of the attackers.
What had she done? Screamed like a damsel in distress & forgotten about the mission. She'd even forgotten about Tazuna-san. What good was she to this team?
Kakashi-sensei whistled, "We're about to be very rich. Or in Sasuke's case, richer."
She asked him "What do you mean sensei?"
He closed the book, "These two had a bounty on their heads for a collective 1 million ryou."
"How do you know?"
He showed them the book in his hands.
"From this. My bingo book."
"Which is?" Sasuke asked.
"A bingo book contains information on all shinobi in every village. It is updated bi-annually, although there is no concrete way to certify whether or not the intel provided is accurate."
"Wouldn't most villages overstate the prowess of their shinobi? It would be a great way to make money off uninformed or desperate clients."
"You'd be correct Sasuke, except the bingo book is reserved by agreement for chunin & above shinobi only. It is composed in such a way that a civilian would not know what they were reading. At its worst, its a treasure map for rogue bounty seekers, which is why villages are careful not to embellish their shinobis' feats."
"How long before we've reached the lake Tazuna-san?" Sakura asked.
"Roughly an hour. A certain way along its banks, my contact will meet us & take us the rest of the way."
Konoha Council Chambers, 1 hour later
Hiruzen was just about to finish the meeting when the door burst open and Morino Ibiki entered. He knew the man well enough to know he would not disturb a council meeting unless it was of the utmost importance.
"Apologies for the disruption, Lord Hokage. But there is a matter which requires your urgent attention."
"Very well", Sarutobi beckened the man forward to speak in private.
When Ibiki finished talking, a grim look came upon Hiruzen's face.
He looked back at the Council.
"We have a delicate situation."
When he'd finished, there were varying reactions, as always.
Shibi advised the mission be voided on grounds of false intel & the team be ordered to return.
Inoichi suggested continuing the mission, but reclassifying it as an A-rank & sending in an appropriate squad to relieve Team 7.
Danzo had a very radical solution.
"I say we let things stay as they are", when everyone looked ready to chew his head off he continued; "for now. There is a high probability that Team 7 may perish on the mission from an unknown number of factors. Let Team 7 reach the Land of Waves. Then we can send reinforcements if needed."
Tsume shook her head, "After knowing what we sent those kids into? That would be unconscionable. What face would we show to the girl's parents when we returned her remains? What face would we show to all of our shinobi when they found out we abandoned genin on their first real mission? I agree with Inoichi's proposal."
Danzo stood up, walking around the chamber leaning heavily on his cane.
"They won't be kids forever. What better way to see what they're made of than this? Their very first time outside the gates which have protected them for so long. It takes immense pressure to make diamonds out of coal. All of you...all of us in this room are diamonds forged of coal. We became so as a neccessity of wartime. This generation may never have the benefit of that challenge. Opportunities like these to mold them into valuable village assets are far & few in peacetime. I highly recommend this council we do not squander them."
Hiruzen had forgotten how good a politician his old friend could be when needed.
He was sure the man was smirking to himself underneath those bandages.
"We've heard you Danzo. Let's put this to the vote."
Aburame, Hyuga, Utatane and Mitokado were in favour.
Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi & Inuzuka were against.
The vote was largely ceremonial; Hiruzen would make his own decision; the vote was so he knew where they all stood. Were it from anyone else, he would have no issue agreeing.
But Danzo did everything with an ulterior motive.
Then he remembered the team how Team 7's jounin had lost his own teammates; because there had not been enough time to prepare them for war.
Sarutobi decided to buck his own trend.
"Based on Elder Shimura's recommendation, Team 7 will receive reinforcements at the Land of Waves."
Years of black ops missions & war had blighted him with a finely tuned radar for hostile encounters.
And that radar was lighting up like Konoha Market during the Aomori festival.
Someone was close.
"Everybody, stay alert. I have a feeling we're being watched. Naruto, make some clones & have them form a mobile perimeter around us. Have them transform into animals - a combination of terrestrial & aerial."
Ideally, he would have liked to keep Naruto's immense chakra reserves a secret; in case they really were being watched. And, because he knew it required a lot of concentration to do what he was asking Naruto to do.
Naruto did as instructed, and the party kept moving. A short while later, Kakashi knew for a fact they were being followed.
They'd come across a lake, hidden by a cluster of trees so that it wasn't visible until you actually came upon it. Amist had enveloped them, even though not 5 minutes ago it was warm.
He raised a closed fist, and all movement behind him ceased. He smiled to himself - they had really gotten good at the small things that kept shinobi alive.
In this case - memorising hand signals. With his other hand behind his back, Kakashi instructed Naruto to check for any unknown chakra sources.
Naruto slowly lowered down.
Kakashi heard a faint chink from the northwest direction.
"DOWN!" he yelled as he flattened himself to the ground.
He felt the projectile zoom over him, and he realised he wasn't the target.
Kakashi looked back, and sighed in relief.
A four-pronged shuriken was buried at an angle halfway through the ground - which meant Naruto was not hit. That was the good news.
The bad news was that it meant whoever had attacked them had followed them, atleast since the encounter with the brothers. They were skilled enough to figure out Naruto was a tracker.
Kakashi looked in the direction the shuriken came from. Their attacker revealed himself.
"You must be the Copy Ninja...The Hidden Leaf's very own Kakashi of the Sharingan. I must say, it is an honour."
The voice came from up above - somewhere in the treeline. He moved his eyes around until he found his target.
Similar to himself, most of the attacker's face was covered - only with bandages rather than a mask. The male stood on a sword, half-attached into a tree.
Kakashi could recognise that sword with his eyes gouged out. He'd killed its last owner.
Kubikiribōchō
"Momochi Zabuza, one of the Seven, defector of the Hidden Mist."
"It bodes well for my ego that you know who I am. On the basis of mutual professional respect, I'd request you to leave the old man to us & go about your day. But something tells me your respect for me ends much before that."
"You would be correct. I do not take kindly to those who attempt to behead my genin", Kakashi agreed as he slid his hitaite onto the other eye.
Everything on the left side suddenly became clearer.
Sakura gasped; and he could feel Sasuke stiffen.
"My my, to see the famous Sharingan before even beginning; the highest of honours. You don't mess around do you, copycat?"
"The both of you, stay behind me. Protect Tazuna-san at all times."
Zabuza looked beyond him, realising from his genin's nervous faces that they were new to this.
"These brats of yours - they seem to be fresh. It's been a while since I've spilled fresh blood. I'm sorry copycat, but I will have to dispose of you quickly. My client is a rigid arsehole with deadlines".
Naruto had jumped into a bush next to him, and he still hadn't come out.
He'd managed to do what Kakashi had asked, but before he could do anything else a shooting star streaked towards his head.
There were two unidentified chakra signatures around them.
One was the person Kakashi was currently engaging, and the other was stationary a few hundred yards away from the other side of the lake.
Naruto redirected a couple of his clones to reconnoitre this source, and the others he dispersed.
He had a feeling he was going to need a lot of chakra for this next part.
Whoever this person was, he was good.
Maybe as good as Kakashi.
He could clearly see what either of them was trying to do.
Zabuza was trying to lure Kakashi into the water, where the swordsman was at his strongest.
Kakashi didn't have much choice - he had to contain the action as far away as possible.
He went further into the lake, until the mist obscured everything.
Naruto decided to stay hidden for now.
Depending on who emerged from the mist, the element of surprise would be a formidable ally for him.
Kakashi didn't like going further into the water, but his main objective was to take the combat away from his genin.
"You're in my domain now copycat. How long do you hope to last against me?"
"As long as it takes to finish you."
"Wrong answer."
And then the mist thickened so much that Kakashi could barely see even with the Sharingan.
Applying more chakra to his eyes helped - but Kakashi had to be careful; he couldn't risk draining himself so early.
"How about a refresher on taijutsu?"
Kubikiribōchō sliced the air in front of him, and he evaded just as it swung where he was standing.
"Will you just run away every time copycat? Why not face me like a real shinobi."
"That's funny. Where I come from being a shinobi means getting the job done at all costs."
Zabuza started getting more aggressive with his strikes, and Kakashi responded by rolling underneath one time & kicking off of Zabuza.
Zabuza landed on his feet & laughed.
"I've been kissed harder than that. What's wrong copycat? Trying to save your energy? Won't do you any good. You're already in my trap!"
Zabuza dashed at him full speed.
Kakashi used his momentum to flip him onto his back & stab a kunai through his eye.
His opponent dissolved into a puddle of water.
What? When?
Before he could think any further, he was stabbed in the back.
And then he burst into water.
Look underneath the underneath
His father's mantra.
The fog partially cleared to his right.
His blood turned cold when he saw what Zabuza had really been doing.
The rogue nin had snuck up behind Sakura & was ready to swing down Kubikiribōchō on her.
Kakashi moved at full speed, panic seizing control over him.
No. Not again.
He wouldn't reach in time.
In desperation, he tossed a sword, timing it as best he could so it would knock the greatsword off its trajectory.
It worked.
Thank kami.
Then both Sakura & Zabuza vanished into the water.
More water clones!
Where are you?
Kakashi received his answer when he was submerged into the water.
His body felt like jelly.
When he resurfaced, Zabuza was standing in front of him.
Kakashi tried to move, but found himself stuck in some sort of liquid sphere.
"I call it the HydroPrison. The prisoner is trapped inside a layer of water in a constant state of flux. They can see & hear everything around them; but from the outside no one can hear them. Impressive, don't you think? If this hadn't worked I didn't have anything else to contain you. Good thing you care about your brats. Don't want to repeat history do you?"
"You can't keep me in here forever."
"I don't need to. Just long enough to slaughter that geezer & your brats."
And then Kakashi dropped to the bottom of the lake.
Their sensei emerged from the mist.
"It's safe. I've handled the enemy. We can go now."
Their sensei refitted his mask onto his right eye, covering that Sharingan again.
Sasuke had a million questions to ask him.
Wait
As 'Kakashi' turned his back to head into the mist, he grabbed Sakura's wrist to stop her from following him.
She was taken aback at his split-second movement, and was about to speak before Sasuke widened his eyes & raised a fist.
"What is it Sasuke-kun?" she whispered.
"That's not sensei. His mask goes on his left eye."
Her eyes widened, as she realised it too.
"Another one of Zabuza's clones?"
Which meant that their sensei...
Sasuke stopped himself from going down that line of thought.
He turned to Sakura.
"It's up to us now."
She looked close to fainting, and he didn't blame her.
As much as Kakashi liked to goof off, his skill as a shinobi was unquestionable.
For this man to...dispose of him so quickly, then what chance did three genin have?
That's if Naruto was still with them.
He knew he wasn't dead, otherwise there would've been some blood.
Sasuke activated his dōjutsu, the fog becoming clearer.
His range was still limited till the waterbank, but he could see their enemy standing impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground.
Sasuke readied his weapon, awaiting the right moment.
It arrived seconds later.
He unleashed his fūma shuriken in a curved trajectory, counting the seconds until impact.
That never happened.
Instead the weapon moved violently fast, back at his head.
It moved too quickly for his Sharingan.
Sakura had to push him away, the blade just nicking his lower lip.
A voice boomed from the fog.
"You really thought I'd fall to fresh brat like you? You've got some nerve."
Sasuke wiped the blood off his lips. To be honest, he was enjoying this.
This Zabuza was trying to intimidate them into submission. Sasuke had seen worse.
"Only a coward would hide behind some fog. Face me if you have the guts then."
His enemy then made himself visible.
"Ah, but of course this would mean nothing to you. You've known the pain of losing loved ones for a very long time. I'm about to introduce a new experience to you - the pain of dying!"
Zabuza charged at him sword-first at breakneck velocity.
Sasuke tried to move, but his feet seemed to be stuck in sand.
And then it happened.
Time seemed to slow down, and everything appeared vivid. Sasuke ducked underneath the sword, red eyes staring back at him in the moment the sword passed overhead.
Naruto chose that moment to come out of hiding.
Zabuza's momentum carried him straight into Naruto, who thrust his kunai like a knife through the man's sternum.
And then Zabuza burst into water.
Naruto couldn't believe it.
Another water clone.
The mist cleared, and Zabuza appeared - back where he always had been.
He was bending on one knee, his right hand semi-immersed in the water.
It all made sense now. That was how he was keeping Kakashi down at the lakebed.
"You really had my water clone going there. I was almost worried if you'd realise it was an illusion. Now though, I know you're pathetic. I'm disappointed in the copycat's teaching. When he was your age his bounty numbered in the millions. You are a disgrace to his legacy. I'd be doing him a favour by ending your miserable lives here."
Sasuke looked at him.
"I didn't come this far to retreat."
He nodded, "I agree. And sensei's still with us, I sensed him moments earlier. Zabuza seems to have him locked in some sort of trap at the lakebed. It's just a matter of distracting him long enough to release that jutsu."
Sakura spoke from behind them, still protecting Tazuna-san.
"Naruto, Sasuke-kun we have to fall back. He's too strong for us."
Sasuke was adamant.
"No. There has to be a way. The three of us can figure it out."
Naruto wondered if that was the Sharingan speaking. He'd read it could elevate the aggression & hubris in newer users.
Looking at his flushed complexion & laboured breathing, Sasuke definitely was new to this. His partner didn't have much chakra left.
But neither could Zabuza.
That trap was bound to be rapidly depleting his reserves, worse since Kakashi was doing his best to break free.
Clones eh?
Two could play that game.
Naruto formed the Tiger seal, closing his eyes & pouring as much chakra as he could.
Hundreds of him appeared, and they all surrounded.
"What are you?" Zabuza asked, a newfound respect in his tone..
"Your very own monster."
They all rushed at Zabuza, who spawned a few clones of his own.
But he was limited by the substantial amounts of chakra he was pouring into his jutsu.
Because of the sheer scale, Naruto wasn't able to form a co-ordinated plan of attack, but the sheer numbers were evidently overwhelming Zabuza.
Out of desperation, Zabuza swung his sword as fast as he could, creating a mini-vortex which caught his clones & flung them at the ones that evaded.
Dozen, by dozen, all clones were eliminated.
Sasuke looked at him furiously.
"Surely, that can't be all you've got!"
Sakura looked ready to cry.
Naruto smiled at her.
"Don't worry. The plan worked."
"How?"
Her answer came with a streak of lightning.
Thunder crackled from underwater, which should've been impossible.
Electricity coursed through Zabuza, shaking him like a rag doll & flinging him to the other side of the lake.
The water started swirling, and a gap emerged straight through to the waterbed.
Kakashi stood with his hands forming the Tiger seal, blood flowing down his left eye freely.
"With me my genin. It's time to end this."
Kakashi jumped out from the lakebed.
Zabuza emerged shakily from the other bank, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.
"That's impossible. How did you escape?"
"Because you're not good enough. And because you fucked with the wrong genin".
Kakashi leapt over the lake, kicking Zabuza square in the jaw.
"We're both depleted on chakra. Not that it changes the outcome. I'll just beat you to death."
"The hell you will" Zabuza roared, and charged at him barefisted.
This wasn't a battle. It was a fistfight.
And Kakashi had the advantage.
Without his sword, the rogue nin was much more vulnerable. All those sparring sessions with Gai were paying off.
Zabuza seemed to understand as well.
His aggression increased, which made him commit more mistakes. Kakashi took advantage of this, egging him on.
"Your hydro-prison isn't as unbreakable as you believe. I had to use one of my stronger lightning jutsu, but I was able to get the job done. Were it not for my students though, it would've all been for naught. Can you believe that? The Demon of the Mist thwarted by mere first-time genin?"
The trash-talk worked like a charm. Zabuza lashed out at him in rage.
Parrying his opponent's wild swing, he jammed a kunai into his thigh, relishing the howl of pain he let out.
"You may know all the pressure points, but I know the human anatomy. Good luck walking again."
Kakashi kicked him in the chest as hard as he could, slamming him into a tree.
He dashed towards Zabuza, intending to finish what he'd started.
In hindsight, perhaps taking his time would've been the better option.
He didn't see the piece of parchment in Zabuza's hand until it was too late.
Kakashi managed to turn around and move back, but the momentum of the explosive tag sent him hurtling face-first into a tree.
The last thing he saw before losing conciousness was a masked figure moving towards them.
The two of them approached cautiously, weapons drawn.
Out of nowhere, a figure appeared near Zabuza. They were wearing a black cloak that concealed everything but their face, which was hidden behind a plain white porcelain mask.
"Halt, state your name & business."
"My name is classified. My business is hunting down rogue nin; and this man here has gone rogue from the Village Obscured By Mist."
"A hunter-nin. You aren't supposed to be on another village's turf without express consent, are you?"
"Express consent is required in order to enter territory under the legislation of any of the Great Villages. We are some distance from the Village Obscured by Leaves."
Sasuke corrected the person, "All shinobi matters within the Land of Fire come under Konoha's purview."
The masked figure looked at them for a moment - the white porcelain preventing Naruto from gauging the person's true intentions
"You are correct, of course. I apologise for my hastiness. But I hope you can appreciate the situation. A former Swordsman gone rogue is a very dangerous liability for my village, and I could not afford to waste time I did not have to begin with on bureacracy."
"What will you do from here?"
The person ducked down to Zabuza's body & began rearranging it, "Now I must transport the corpse back to my village - to verify the death. I thank you for making my task easier. I won't take up any more of your time - you may continue as you were."
Reaching discreetly into his back pocket, Naruto removed a kunai.
The person had their back to him.
Naruto propeled the weapon at his target.
The kunai was caught, and the person didn't even have to turn around - it was a bit embarrasing, all things considered.
"What is the meaning of this? I would be well within my rights to dispose of you for attacking my without provocation."
"You're no more a hunter nin than I am the Great Sage. A real hunter-nin would only decapitate the corpse & take the head as proof. You're an ally of Zabuza."
Naruto dispersed his earlier clones, they're memories confirming his suspicion.
You were the one hiding on the other side of the lake, weren't you. Should've atleast thought of a better cover story."
"Good detective work. Too bad it's the reason I'm going to kill you."
"You could try. But you'd waste valuable time reviving your friend there."
The figure stood still for a moment, before picking up Zabuza & retreating.
"Why did you let him leave?" Sasuke hissed.
"For starters, we can't afford to waste any time. Kakashi-sensei needs urgent medical attention. Second, we have no idea who this person is, and what they're capable of; they've just seen us in action. Engaging them in combat now would be in their favour."
"What will we do now?" Sakura asked.
"For starters, stick to the mission. We can still continue, but we'll have to help sensei recuperate as soon as possible. He's our best bet if someone else decides they want a piece of us as well."
Sasuke helped him lift Kakashi, and they continued along the riverbank.
"You're not using clones?"
"I'd rather conserve my chakra incase it's needed. Besides, it's best to lay low for a while. A powerful enough sensor may find it."
Thankfully they didn't have to walk far to reach their transport. Naruto took first watch, keeping Sakura with the client, and Sasuke with their sensei.
Sasuke regarded his sensei with some apprehension.
His eyes kept going to the mask, which had been re-worn.
"I can't control it if that's what you're thinking of."
"How did you get it?"
"That's a story for another time."
Sasuke didn't like having information withheld from him.
Especially this.
The symbol of his clan's supremacy, worn by an outsider. It was unconscionable.
Subconciously, he activated them.
"I want to warn you."
"About what?"
"About the Sharingan. Many of your clan members perished soon after acquiring the eye. Not because they weren't good enough, but because the Sharingan made them cocky, let them think they could get away with mistakes in combat. It doesn't. The Sharingan is not the key that unlocks all doors. It is merely a clue that reveals the next piece of the puzzle. You must never repeat what you did earlier."
Sasuke frowned.
"What are you saying? We defeated Zabuza."
"Yes. The both of you - Naruto & Sasuke. By working together; and not just relying on your gifts. Your arrogance almost cost you your life. If it weren't for Naruto depleting Zabuza of his chakra a patrolling team would be loading our corpses back to Konoha right now".
"We got the job done. That's all that matters."
"If that's what you think then you might as well quit. There will always be another mission - but your dead comrades will never return. The safety of your teammates should always be your foremost priority."
Nightime, Land of Waves - Tazuna's house
They arrived pretty late, past dinnertime.
Tazuna's daughter had been up waiting for them, the worry lines evident on her face.
A medic, she'd helped him regain a lot of strength.
Not as much as he'd have liked, though.
He still needed some rest - the encounter with Zabuza had taken more out of him than he'd realised; he hadn't been pushed so far like this since the war.
"Sensei, what do we do now?" Sakura asked.
Naruto pushed for action.
"Zabuza will be recovering as we speak; we have to do something or we'll be sitting ducks waiting to be ambushed again."
"I agree. Which is why whilst I'm healing Sasuke & Sakura will be doing some independent training."
"What about Naruto?" Sasuke asked.
"He's already done the independent training. I have another task for him. Sasuke & Sakura, meet me by the woods to the west side of the house"
When they left, he turned to Naruto.
"I want your shadow clones out in the village. There is a good chance Zabuza won't the only ninja Gato has hired. And if he hasn't, he certainly will now."
"Standard protocols of engagement?"
"Yes. Try to only observe, not interfere. If there is a risk to someone's life, I trust you will take the appropriate action."
Naruto nodded.
"Good. Tsunami-san mentioned there is a clearing behind the woods just east of the house. None of the locals go there. I think you'll find it as good a place as any for some peace & quiet."
A bunker on the other side of the island
"I thought I paid you to kill, not to be killed."
The person tending to the rogue nin looked up at him, "Zabuza-sama is still alive".
"Well so is that blasted builder. My people have also told me about four people that came with him - a man & three kids. Is that who you lost to - schoolchildren?" Gato sneered.
A sharp pressure appeared on his neck, and Gato held his breath.
"If you disrespect my lord like that again", and to prove her point she twisted the needle in further; "your head will be on a spike in the centre of the island. Now leave. We have a mission to complete."
Gato exited as quickly as his little legs could take him.
Sometimes he wondered why he'd hired the two of them. But when he looked at the swords he'd hired the answer came back to him. They were simply better.
They weren't cheap though. Or available in mass quantity.
The sellswords he could replace like flies.
Good ninja were a commodity in these parts.
But now Gato had an upgrade for them too.
And if he played his cards correct, he might not even have to pay them at all.
Gato left the bunker, swatting at some flies hovering near him.
As he'd instructed, they were waiting.
Gato told them all they needed to know.
"Why tell us this?"
"Your leader had made a decree had he not, about what to do when you came across Konoha nin?"
"Do not teach us the history of our own home. I was there when that decree was made."
"And now I'm serving them to you on a platter. And with a silver spoon on top. The jounin sensei of that squad, Hatake Kakashi is still recovering from his recent battle with another jounin. With him weakened, now would be the perfect time to act."
Hatake Kakashi
Student of the Yellow Demon
Sharingan no Kakashi
"What's the catch?"
There always was one.
"You must also the kill the last man that tried to kill him. And his disciple."
"Who?" their leader asked.
"Momochi Zabuza."
They looked at each other.
The Mist Demon was a formidable target. But he would be alone. Hatake would be nowhere near recovered to pose a problem, and those genin were probably not even worth killing; except for the symbol on their hitai-ite.
He nodded.
"It will be done."
"Good. I've found out where they're living. You can go there now-"
"No."
The smile on Gato's face dimmed.
"I'm sorry?"
"We said it would be done, not when or where. We decide that. Zabuza is former Swordsman of the Mist. No doubt he will attack as soon as he recovers. That's when we make our move."
"This helps us how?"
"It has both long & short term benefits. In the short term, it will help us against Zabuza & his aide. As you witnessed, Zabuza is strongest when near water. Another attack is imminent; most probable when we're the closest to a body of water. Learning to apply chakra on your feet will literally allow you to walk on water - which at the very least reduces your disadvantage."
"What about the long-term?"
"The long term benefit is in improving your chakra control. The bottom of your feet are the most difficult place to apply & maintain chakra; learning how to do so relatively soon as genin will make it easier to mold chakra throughout your life."
He demonstrated the exercise, all these years making it child's play for him.
"Use a kunai to mark your progress. I want you to be able to run up & down that free before this day is over."
They didn't waste any time, perhaps truly realising now the seriousness of the situation.
It was one thing to learn about missions through classrooms & textbooks; all that theory went out the window in the field.
After a few tries, Sakura was nearing the top of the tree.
Nothing surprising; her Academy report had listed exceptional chakra control as one of her strengths. It was her endurance that needed building up. Already, she seemed to be breathing heavier.
Sasuke on the other hand, was trying to go as fast as possible, perhaps in an attempt to suspend gravity.
Talk about trying to fly before you can crawl.
He pointed out the error of his ways.
It was clear Sasuke didn't like being told about his mistakes, especially in front of Sakura.
The Uchihas & their pride.
"I've done it sensei."
He looked up at the treetops, Sakura waving to him.
"That's good. Come down now, you can help Sasuke."
"There's no need for that, I'll do it myself."
On cue, he slid down the tree, the kunai slowing his descent.
Kakashi was too drained to deal with teenage angst. Besides, practice really was the way to go about this.
"Suit yourself. Sakura can rest till then."
"Actually sensei, I was wondering if you could teach me something else?"
"Oh."
Kakashi was pleasantly surprised to hear Sakura say this.
"When I was in the academy, I always excelled at chakra control. I'm not particularly good at either ninjutsu or taijutsu, but I know genjutsu requires precise chakra control."
Kakashi saw where she was going with this.
"And you'd like my help in that field?"
"Yes?" she asked nervously.
"Of course. It is my duty as sensei to prepare you to the extent I can. I must admit, genjutsu does not come as easily to me as the other shinobi arts, but what I know will be enough to get you started."
Naruto lay against the tree, nursing his head as his clones' memories transferred over to him.
There was bad news.
Iwa shinobi.
The enemy his father had massacred.
And they were out to take revenge on him & the rest of his team.
He had to tell Kakashi about this. Heading to the west of the woods, he couldn't see his sensei or Sakura.
Only Sasuke, standing upside down a tree.
"Where are the others?"
Sasuke almost lost his balance.
He answered without looking down.
"Where have you been all this time?"
"Over the other side of the house - doing my own training. Decided to take a break & see how everyone's getting along."
"Sakura asked sensei for some tips on genjutsu, they're working on that."
Naruto inferred what that meant.
"She learned tree-walking before you?"
Sasuke glared at him.
"That's one way of looking at it. The other is that her chakra reserves are paltry, meaning control over it comes easy to her."
"And here I thought it was your clan that had things come easy to them; what with that dojutsu."
"Evidently not" Sasuke gritted through his teeth, struggling to control his chakra.
"That was impressive what you did back there. Standing up to Zabuza took guts - illusion or not."
"You weren't half bad yourself."
Naruto looked at Sasuke, struggling to balance talking & standing upside down.
"I know I wasn't. Certainly better than you're doing right now."
Sasuke's concentration wavered, gravity taking hold. He stuck a kunai into the tree to slow his descent, and then turned to face Naruto.
"Not everyone has access to the same resources as certain people. I'm sure if I had a lot of those resources I'd be comparable to certain people."
"Is that so? I suppose that'll be changing now, won't it Sasuke? Or should I say Sasuke of the Sharingan?"
"Your jeers do nothing to dampen my mood. Now that I have unlocked my birthright I have an equal advantage to you, jinchurikki."
He grabbed Sasuke by the throat & pinned him against the tree. Sasuke's hand went into his pouch for a kunai.
Naruto grabbed his wrist - immobilising his hand there. Sasuke's other hand latched onto Naruto's wrist, his eyes transfiguring so that Naruto was staring into three red tomoe.
"Let's see how equal we are."
"Try your best Nine-tails."
Naruto growled & tightened his hold on Sasuke's neck, digging his nails in & drawing blood.
"STOP IT!"
Sakura's plea broke their eye contact.
Naruto turned his head around to look at her.
The pure horror etched onto her face made him let go; of both Sasuke & the Kyubi's chakra.
"What are you two doing? You're supposed to be teammates."
Sasuke tried to dismiss her, "What are you doing here Sakura? Go back & work with sensei on your genjutsu"
"I was. He asked me to take a break & have something to eat. We haven't eaten since leaving Konoha."
"I'm not hungry. I'll eat later" Naruto said.
As he walked away, Sasuke smirked
"Don't like talking about your past?"
Naruto glared at him
"Not with you I don't."
Meditation hadn't helped, so he ended up on his back with his eyes closed.
Big mistake. Someone was nearing him.
Looks like the Kyubi was awake as well. Judging from their footsteps, they were having a stroll. Strange. There wasn't much in the way of scenic beauty here. Add to that that the locals didn't visit this neck of the woods. He opened his eyes slowly. A girl his age was tending to the plants.
Discreetly, he put two fingers to the ground. Her chakra levels were negligible.
She turned, and offered him a friendly smile. He cautiously returned it, his other hand moving to rest on his kunai.
"The flowers here are beautiful."
"Indeed."
"Are you from here? Haven't seen you before."
"I'm visiting my cousin. He lives here."
"Oh. Who is he?"
"Inari."
"Ah, Tazuna san's grandson."
"You know him?"
"Yes, he works at my uncle's shop. It's strange, he never mentioned having a younger cousin."
"Yes, it is."
Naruto hadn't seen the grandson, but he knew from Tazuna-san he was about Konohamaru's age.
He whirled the kunai at his target.
The tip of the kunai reached 2 inches from her face before being stopped.
"When will you understand that won't work on me?"
"Why are you here?"
"There are some herbs in this area that have medicinal properties. I came to get some for Zabuza-sama."
Naruto debated mentally about informing her of the Iwa shinobi.
"I am not here as an act of aggression."
"Then what do consider sneaking up on your opponents?"
"Currently, we are at ceasefire."
Ceasefire.
Meaning they would attack again. Nothing he didn't expect.
"Your sensei will be lucky to walk again. What do you get out of killing a simple builder?"
"He's not my sensei. And he'll do more than walk the next time we meet. Do not presume to understand us Konoha-nin. Our goals are beyond your understanding."
"Really? You don't seem any different to me than any ninja for hire."
"The next time we meet, you'll get to see just how unique I am."
"Can't wait."
Sasuke leaned back against the tree, allowing gravity to pull him down to the ground. This had been harder then he'd expected. He was barely getting used to concentrating chakra into his eyes, and the feet were even more difficult.
Still, he had succeeded.
He wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself, but it hurt when Sakura had mastered this faster than him.
With Naruto, he could concede the gulf between them.
Some part of him might feel sorry for his teammate, but it was overshadowed by the part that had learned so much about him recently.
A lot of things now made sense.
How Naruto was stronger than anyone of their age. How he was so close to both their Sensei & the Sandaime. He'd grown up under their tutelage, getting the very best training that Konoha had to offer.
That burned Sasuke more than he'd like to admit - that this orphan should receive all these privileges.
Once upon a time, he was poised to have that luxury - second-in-line to the strongest clan in the village, nay - in all of the known world.
It should've been him – the sole Uchiha loyal to the village in his stead.
But no - he'd been shunted aside; his growth neglected & his legacy ignored.
There were other questions – such as the identity of Naruto's father, but those were of little consequence to Sasuke. Unravelling the mystery that was his teammate would do little towards his growth as a shinobi.
"Sasuke-kun?"
He didn't even realise when Sakura had walked up behind him.
"It's past midnight. You've been out alone for hours."
Sasuke tried, but he couldn't get up.
He grunted in effort, managing to slide his back against the tree a foot upwards, before his knees gave & he fell back to ground again.
"Here, take my hand."
His pride was more hurt than his body, but he accepted her help.
"You shouldn't antagonise Naruto like that Sasuke-kun. He's your teammate."
"Why do you stick up for him?"
"He's my teammate, it's my duty to stick up for him, and you, and sensei."
Leaning against her shoulder, it surprised him how much he liked her strawberry shampoo scent.
He closed his eyes & allowed himself to breathe it in.
It reminded him of happier times long goneby.
Pakkun had just left.
The information he'd received...it wasn't exactly what he was expecting to hear.
Still, they weren't exactly up a creek. Not yet.
He let his genin settle down, their eyes adjusting to having dinner in the dark.
Tsunami-san had been kind enough to cook for them before going to bed, and he wasn't inconsiderate enough to turn the lights on this late at night.
Kakashi explained their predicament to the genin.
He could see the worry on their faces. Even Naruto.
Turns out he also had something to tell. Per Kakashi's orders, he'd sent clones across the island. Some had transformed into flies. They'd listened in to a conversation between Gato & some shinobi he'd hired.
Kakashi grimaced internally when Naruto finished.
Sasuke looked at him, "What decree was the man speaking of?"
"A decree put into effect shortly after the-then jounin Namikaze Minato defeated a thousand stone shinobi. The Tsuchikage was said to have been so humiliated by this defeat that he ordered all Stone shinobi to take out any Konoha nin they would ever encounter, regardless of time, location or situation."
"How did Konoha answer?"
"By not answering. Instead, we've cut off all communications with them, stopped sending participants for chunin exams to Iwa & avoided missions close to them."
Sasuke seemed to disagree.
"We should've retaliated. Anything else would be a sign of weakness."
"It's easy to say that now. If we had reciprocated then, another war could've breaken out. Sometimes to keep the peace, one must appear weak."
"What do we do now then?"
"This changes nothing. We stick to the mission."
Kakashi let them have the rest of their meal in silence, staying after they left for bed.
Alone, he could admit it to himself.
They were up a creek.
He was having another nightmare.
Naruto cursed his luck. These always ended up with him waking up violently; and this was sure to alert his teammates.
It was night-time, and he was in a field. Walking around, he recognised it was their training ground.
But something was wrong. He didn't know what; but he could feel it in his bones.
He looked around, and his voice got stuck in his throat.
The graves of his parents.
Naruto knew this was all a sick game for the beast, but seeing the memory of his parents desecrated enraged him.
"You sick bastard. Why are you doing this?" he asked out loud.
The scene shifted.
He was at the site of the seal.
A pair of orange eyes stared back at him.
"Look back" it ordered.
Unthinkingly, Naruto obeyed.
Everyone close to him was in front of him.
His teammates, Kakashi, the old man, Jiraiya, his parents, Ino.
The next thing he knew, Naruto saw red everywhere.
He tried closing his eyes, but he couldn't.
The beast growled from behind.
"How about another view?"
Naruto found himself floating away from his body, until he was on the sidelines, and he fell to his knees when he saw what he had done.
All his loved ones...how could he have done that?
The smoke was still coming from their corpses, when the Kyubi's malicious laughter started ringing in his ears.
Clutching his ears, he yelled up into the heavens.
"STOP!"
Sakura heard a muffled yell from the next room. Fearing it was another attack, she swiftly got out of bed clutching the kunai she'd kept under her pillow as emergency.
She wouldn't be the damsel in distress again.
Doing her best to be quiet, she slid open the door.
Naruto was shaking violently in his sleep, clutching the sheets. She somehow managed to wake him, helping him sit up & drink water.
"What happened?" she asked him.
"Bad dream" he muttered.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Naruto insisted "It was nothing. I'm alright."
"No you're not" she bent down to him, putting one hand on his forehead & the other over his, "see, you're still shaking."
He jerked his hand away "I said it's nothing."
Naruto folded himself in the blanket and turned around, signalling the conversation was over.
Reluctantly, she left his room.
Her other teammate was waiting on the other side of the door.
"Sakura, a word if you will."
She nodded, and they stepped outside into the hallway.
He looked at her with the same intensity back at the mountain.
"What you saw can only stay between us. I'm going to tell the others as well tomorrow. You can't tell anyone."
It stung her that he would single her out like this. Why did he assume she would tell anyone?
"Why?"
Her question spooked him. It spooked her as well. A few months ago she would've never disagreed with Sasuke-kun at all.
But things had changed now. She was already carrying a teammate's secret, and that was difficult enough without the burden of another on top of it.
"Because this is my personal business. Nobody else needs to know."
"I respectfully disagree Sasuke-kun. You are a shinobi of Konoha, and any progression in your abilities are of benefit to the village: and should be revealed as such."
Sasuke-kun pushed back, "You don't know what this means Sakura. My sole purpose in life is one step closer to being achieved, & I won't let anyone get in the way of them."
Sakura understood he left the 'even my team' hanging in the air as he closed the door on her.
Naruto closed his eyes.
Without wanting to, he went back to earlier in the day with Sasuke.
He had seen some hostility in the Uchiha's eyes...and some jealousy?
Naruto wasn't sure that the latter was an emotion Uchihas could experience.
Naruto had growled, the chakra surging inside him, feeding & growing on his rage.
He'd never liked that term. Mostly because him hosting the Kyubi was the reason he was an orphan.
Against his better judgement, he'd allowed the beast's chakra to surge inside him, feeding & growing on his rage. Naruto was ashamed at how he'd manhandled his teammate & pinned him against a tree.
A red tint had covered everything in his eyesight. His initial belief was that it was nothing more than a side effect of the Kyubi's immense chakra. But now, he knew what it truly was.
As he lulled himself back to sleep, he promised never to use the Kyubi's power again.
Not if the price was his sanity.
Hope you liked it!