Author's Note: Welcome back, everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving! To the readers that don't observe Thanksgiving, I hope you're all having a wonderful time as well!
Disclaimer: Naruto and Inuyasha belong to their respective owners.
Dialogue Legend:
"Unforgivable" – Normal dialogue
'Unforgivable' – character's thoughts/speaking to Inner Demon
"Unforgivable" – Jutsu name
'Unforgivable' – Inner Demon/Inner Spirit speaking
Review Corner:
savitarsurffer: Glad you liked it! No, Naruto cannot channel Chakra into Tenseiga to replicate the Kaze no Kizu or any of Tessaiga's other abilities. Since the Chakra used by humans in this fanfic is a diluted variant of divine power, it's not compatible with Youkai weapons in most circumstances. Kurama's Chakra, once Naruto has access to it, is a different story due to Bijuu Chakra not having divine properties, but even then Tenseiga's anti-killing property would neutralize the Chakra's destructive output unless Naruto was fighting something Tenseiga is meant to kill.
Warlover1015: A sword like that would be better suited to another character, but I love the idea so that character will be getting it! Thanks!
TigrezzTail: Glad you enjoyed it!
Chapter 11 – Encounters
Land of Waves, Outskirts
"Boulder-dono, why have you not given the order to strike? Our prey has defeated Zabuza-san, but they have exhausted themselves in the process. We can eradicate Naruto-san and his team now!" Landslide, second-in-command of Onoki's elite guard, wondered why his direct superior hesitated to act; they would never get a better chance than this!
"Landslide, we have fought together for many years and, even now, you have yet to master your impulsivity." Boulder chided. "Typically, I would agree with your assessment, but the abilities displayed by Naruto-san warrant extreme caution. Our reinforcements are still en route, and my previous order still stands. I shall view any further discussion on this matter as insubordination." Boulder turned his eyes to the devastated landscape that was once a pristine forest clearing surrounding a lake, and he silently praised Naruto's abilities. 'It is a pity that you are the son of Iwa's greatest enemy, Naruto-san. Under any other circumstance, you would be an adversary worthy of the highest respect.'
Land of Waves, Unknown Location
Haku barely resisted the urge to vomit as she dispelled her ice chrysalis and looked upon her master's shattered body. Zabuza's right arm was gone, and the shoulder joint it was once attached to was bleeding profusely. The rate of blood loss had been drastically slowed by Haku's Jutsu; with the Jutsu now dispelled, the shoulder quickly resumed its original torrent of blood. Hake barely had time to apply disinfectant and wrap bandages around the wound before the sheer volume of blood rendered such efforts moot. Once the shoulder was secured, Haku applied basic Medical Ninjutsu to the rest of Zabuza's body to ascertain the full extent of his injuries. In addition to his lost arm, Zabuza suffered from several broken ribs, a collapsed lung, several hairline fractures in his legs, a major concussion, and numerous torn muscles.
'The leg fractures will heal in time if Zabuza-sama gets enough rest and his brain hasn't suffered any permanent damage from his concussion. I can heal his current brain damage, but the torn muscles are causing internal bleeding, and healing a collapsed lung is beyond my skills!' Haku bemoaned her master's fate as she reached the conclusion that he would likely die despite her sincerest efforts.
On the verge of death, many survivors have said that their life flashed before their eyes. Some medical scholars have theorized that this phenomenon occurs because the brain is desperately seeking a means by which to escape its body's current predicament. On rare occasions, however, it has been noted that such an event transpires when someone very close to the person reliving all of their memories is in mortal peril.
In response to Haku's desperation, her subconscious mind unlocked memories sealed away years ago. In nanoseconds they rose to the surface, and Haku recalled every waking moment spent with her mother in perfect detail. Above all else, one memory caught Haku's attention.
Flashback
"Quickly, Haku! While your father is away at the market, there is something I must show you!" Haku's mother, Yukina, grabbed an ink brush and began rapidly drawing a large circle on their house's floor. The circle was quickly filled with numerous words. The writing was similar to Kanji, but there were enough variations in it that Haku could not even begin decipher it.
"Okaa-san, what is this? It looks like the words you've been teaching me but different at the same time!" Haku exclaimed.
"That's because this is a very old dialect of our language, my daughter. It dates back to the founding of our clan, to a time when our clan's progenitor still walked – or, rather, flew – among men." Yukina answered.
"Our clan's founder could fly?! Who was he?" Haku could barely contain her excitement; her mother almost never talked about their clan's history.
"A very powerful being, Haku; our clan's Kekkei Genkai comes directly from him." Yukina clarified as she finished her writings within the circle. "Now, my sweet child, listen very carefully. Our clan's founder gave another gift to his descendants. Once in their lifetime, the current Clan Leader can use this array to call upon our clan's progenitor and ask a boon of him."
"Okaa-san, what's a boon?" Haku inquired.
"A gift, or a favor." Yukina answered. "There are limits to what you can ask of our clan's founder, but this array represents an ancient covenant that compels him to grant a boon you request if it is within his power to do so. Hurry, now, memorize the array before your father returns!"
One minute later, Haku signaled to her mother that she had memorized the array. Yukina quickly applied Suiton Chakra to the floor, creating a small wave of water that obliterated all traces of the array. Once the circle was destroyed, Yukina used Suiton to dispel the water she had just conjured, leaving the floor as dry as it had been moments before.
End Flashback
Haku drew the array, taking as long as she dared to ensure that her efforts perfectly matched her memories. Once the array was complete, Haku adopted a meditative pose.
"Noble progenitor, I know not your name or title, but our clan's covenant with you compels you to heed my call! I am Haku, last of the Yuki clan, and I call upon you in my darkest hour!" As Haku finished shouting her plea, the array glowed a pale blue, and her mind went white as she briefly lost consciousness.
When she awoke, she found herself at the bottom of a deep ravine. The walls, covered in ice, were as smooth as glass, and the snow-covered ground was unblemished by prints or disruptions of any kind. The sky was covered with nimbostratus clouds that were producing heavy snowfall that vanished before it reached the ground.
'So, my mortal seed still lingers upon the world, even after numerous attempts to uproot it.' An indifferent, masculine voice echoed through the ravine as a gigantic dragon descended from the snow clouds. The dragon's scales were a beautiful pale blue, a lighter tint of azure, and its underbelly was a pure white. The dragon's head was a slightly darker hue of blue, while its majestic horns were an even purer white than its skin. The entity was entirely serpentine, lacking limbs or claws, but its presence was so overpowering that Haku doubted it would ever need such appendages.
"Kuraokami-sama." Haku bowed as she instinctively recalled her progenitor's name and divine nature.
'You honor me despite having no knowledge of my existence until now. You're modesty is commendable; you may rise.' The ice deity spoke. Haku stood as Kuraokami reached the ground and lowered his head enough that Haku could establish eye contact with him.
'I lost all interest in mortal affairs long ago, my child. However, I honor my oaths. The covenant still stands, and you are rightly considered the leader of your clan. What boon would you ask of me?' The dragon-god already knew the answer, but the formalities must be observed.
"The man I serve has been grievously injured in battle; his wounds are beyond my skill to heal. I ask that you restore him in my stead!" Haku demanded.
'I am no god of healing, yet what you ask is within my power to grant. Many of your master's injuries were inflicted by water, an element that falls far within my divinity; thus, I may reverse the damage caused by it. The only infirmity I cannot undo is the loss of Zabuza-san's arm. Water was the final cause of said loss, but the limb was all but destroyed before it was claimed by water.' Kuraokami declared.
"Is there nothing you can do about Zabuza-sama's arm? I owe him everything!" Haku pleaded.
'I detest repeating myself, girl; the limb is forever lost!' The snow-dragon's voice thundered through the ravine.
'However, it is within my power to replace the arm with a construct of water and ice. Think carefully before you insist further, Haku Yuki-chan. The reversal of Zabuza-san's other injuries has exhausted the boon bestowed by the covenant. To grant your master a new arm, I require compensation.' Kuraokami's gaze was now focused on Haku, and no trace of his earlier indifference was evident in his face.
"Name your price!" Haku responded without hesitation.
'You would permit me to claim whatever I wish?' The god was both impressed and confused.
"All that I am has been given to Zabuza-sama; I am nothing more than his tool, an instrument by which he inflicts his will upon the world. To save him, no price is too great!" Haku answered definitively.
'My compensation may demand something from your master as well. Knowing this, are you still prepared to allow me to dictate the terms of this accord?'
"As long as Zabuza-sama's life and free will are not permanently bound to your design, you make take whatever you wish from us!" Haku cried.
'So be it; we have an accord!' The snowfall dominating the sky intensified into a blizzard as Kuraokami made his declaration. 'As promised, all of Zabuza-san's injuries other than his lost arm shall be healed, and his arm shall be replaced with a construct of my design. However, the infusion of Divine Will into a mortal vessel is an ordeal of its own. Your master shall require at least two weeks to recover; in that time, he shall gain the knowledge needed to control his new arm.'
"And the price?" Haku inquired.
'The compensation I am owed for this service shall be revealed to you, and your master, upon the conclusion of your next battle. I see many lines of fate converging upon the warriors guarding the man your master must kill. Their sources and intent are unknown to me at this time, yet I suspect that things shall be much clearer upon this conflict's end. Should you and Zabuza-san survive, the price I exact for his arm shall not permanently affect Zabuza-san's life or his free will. If the two of you die in the coming conflict, then your souls shall serve me for a period of 1,000 years. Once your service to me is complete, your souls shall be sent towards their destined afterlife.' Kuraokami decreed as the blizzard subsided.
"Very well, I accept these terms; both for myself, and for Zabuza-sama!" Haku swore.
'Done! The covenant is fulfilled, its boon granted, and our further accord is struck!' With those words echoing in her mind, Haku lost consciousness again. She awoke in Zabuza's hideout and quickly turned to assess her master's condition. Where his right arm once sprouted from his shoulder, a mass of near-frigid water was emerging from the shoulder instead. Currently, it was roughly one-third the length of the limb it was replacing and was growing at steady rate. After reexamining Zabuza with Medical Ninjutsu, Haku observed that Zabuza seemed to be in perfect physical health.
Satisfied that Kuraokami had kept his word, Haku, exhausted from the emotional distress the day's events had inflicted, began to fall asleep, but she was forced awake by a burning pain reminiscent of frostbite emanating from her left forearm. She stared in amazement as a portion of the skin on the top of the arm, halfway between her elbow and her wrist, morphed to resemble a white dragon. She all but ran to Zabuza's side and noticed an identical mark in the same spot.
'Behold, the mark of our accord.' Kuraokami's voice manifested within Haku's mind.
'At least it's in a place that's easy to conceal with clothing.' Haku mused before falling asleep, the pain of the mark's creation already subsiding.
Tazuna's House
Kakashi awoke with a start; the last thing he remembered was fainting after someone rescued Zabuza just as Team 7 was about to kill him.
"Don't try to move; your teammates said that you almost drowned while fighting to protect my father." A woman in her late twenties came into view and laid one hand on Kakashi's forehead, preventing him from rising out of the bed prepared for him. "We suspected you would regain consciousness today; earlier, you had some symptoms of hypoxia but they seem to have resolved themselves with no lasting effects. At the moment, the only thing keeping you bedridden is something your team called 'Chakra exhaustion'."
"How long was I out? Is this a safe location?" Kakashi asked.
"Your team arrived with my father last night, and you've been out for nearly fourteen hours. This is my family's home, and it's safer than most places, given the circumstances. Most of our fellow villagers lack the courage to oppose Gatou and his thugs, but we all hate them! Our house is located in the center of the village, so we'll have plenty of warning if any more of Gatou's goons come here." The woman answered.
"Hmm, not the best arrangement, given the quality of Gatou's last assassin, but it's far better than it could have been. Thank you." Kakashi replied.
"Think nothing of it; I owe you big time for saving my father! My name's Tsunami, by the way."
"Then, Tsunami-san, thank you for your hospitality. Now, then, that's enough eavesdropping for one day, you three!" Kakashi chastised his students.
"See, I told you he'd know we were listening in! Pay up, Sasuke!" Naruto said as he walked through the door. Sasuke grumbled as he handed Naruto a bill representing twenty Ryou.
"Sasuke-san, you owe me that money, as well. I also wagered that Kakashi would be aware of us." Hinata scolded as she followed her two teammates into Kakashi's room.
"Hmph!" Sasuke grunted as hea handed second 20-Ryou bill to Hinata.
"You're up, I see. Now that I'm back, the bridge building will continue as soon as I rouse up the boys in my crew! Though, convincing them to finish the bridge might be more problematic than I thought." Tazuna sighed as he followed the trio into the room.
"You should spread the word that we're guarding you, and that we've defeated a powerful Shinobi hired by Gatou to kill you." Sasuke recommended. "Once your crew realizes that Gatou isn't invincible, the villagers should regain their spines."
"Hopefully, you're right, young man, but my people's spirit has been almost completely crushed. Not to mention, that Zabuza prick is likely still alive. I hope I'm wrong, but something tells me you Ninja-folk have a way of coming back from injuries that should have put you in the ground!" Tazuna spat.
"If we were only dealing with Zabuza-san, I'd say the injuries he suffered would be enough to either kill him or render him incapable of fighting for the rest his life. However, the one that rescued him is an unknown factor. Without knowing that Shinobi's identity, I can't discount the possibility that he or she may have Jutsu that can restore Zabuza-san. Even if that's not the case, Gatou may have other Jonin-level assassins on his payroll. This is now an A-Rank mission, something even Jonin such as myself have trouble with." Kakashi replied.
"In that case, we should immediately make preparations for our next battle!" Hinata's eyes gleamed with righteous fury.
"Exactly, you three will start training at once!" Kakashi replied as he got out of bed.
Team 7 exited Tazuna's house and moved the forest surrounding the village. "For this training, the three of you will be climbing trees without using your hands!" Kakashi declared.
"Ah, the tree-climbing exercise; I was wondering when we'd get to do this!" Naruto cried with delight.
"Dobe, you've heard of this nonsense? How are we supposed to climb trees without our hands?!" Sasuke shouted.
"Like this." Kakashi demonstrated by slowly walking up towards a tree. Upon reaching the tree he continued his pace, defying gravity as he walked up the tree's trunk and stopped after walking onto the bottom of a tree branch. He hanged from the bottom as if he were a bat and looked down upon his students.
"This exercise requires you to precisely control how much Chakra you apply to the bottom of your feet. Too much, and your Chakra output will damage the tree trunk, causing you to trip and fall. Too little, and you won't stick to the tree." Kakashi explained.
"One of the Chakra manipulation manuals in my Clan Vault detailed this exercise. The goals of the exercise are twofold: acquire masterful Chakra control, and develop the stamina needed to continuously manipulate Chakra over a prolonged period of time." Naruto supplied.
"Precisely. Currently, the three of you have fairly decent control over your Chakra, but mastering this exercise will, theoretically, grant you the capacity to master any Jutsu. You'll also be physically superior to anyone who has not completed this training." Kakashi concluded his explanation and tossed three kunai towards his students. "Run towards a tree of your choice after channeling Chakra into the soles of your feet. As you try to run up the tree, slash the trunk with your kunai before you fall. I'm going back to my room to get some rest. Come back to the house when it starts to get dark." Kakashi walked back down the tree and left his students to their task."
"Naruto, forty Ryou says I reach the top before you do!" Sasuke said, eager to recoup his earlier losses.
"Not taking that bet!" Naruto replied.
"What's wrong, dobe, afraid I'll beat you?" Sasuke smirked.
"Not at all; I just don't want to bankrupt my best friend!" Naruto retorted.
Sasuke roared as he channeled Chakra into his feet and rushed towards the closest tree. He got roughly twelve feet off the ground before his Chakra control wavered. As the last Uchiha dropped the ground, the last Namikaze made his first attempt at the exercise. Naruto rose nearly twice as high as Sasuke before kicking off the tree trunk and landing on the ground with much more grace than his friend.
"Remember what I said back at my castle, teme? Mastering Yang Release is a perfect Chakra control exercise!" Naruto taunted. "You and Hinata have been using the Kage Bushin no Jutsu for a week; I've been training with Yang Release for years!" Naruto finished as he rushed at his tree again. This time, he made it almost thirty feet off the ground before leaping from the tree.
"Damn it!" Sasuke swore before trying the exercise again. This time, he did worse than before.
"Sasuke-san, you're too angry to properly channel your Chakra right now. Please, take a couple of minutes to calm yourself before trying again. I guarantee you'll have better results." Hinata intervened before running towards her tree. She reached twenty feet off the ground before falling. After landing with some degree of grace, she dusted herself off and tried again. Her second attempt rivaled Naruto's current rate of progression.
3 Days Later – Zabuza's Hideout
"So, this is where you ran to after putting your tail between your legs?" Gatou sneered as he entered the small hut just behind his two Samurai bodyguards. Zabuza could only moan in response; the power he had received from Kuraokami was causing him extreme pain.
"Pathetic!" Gatou spat. "I thought an ex-Jonin of Kiri was worth the small fortune you demanded! You couldn't even drag that Konoha Jonin to Hell with you in your fight! So much for the 'Devil of the Hidden Mist'; gentlemen, get rid of this trash!"
Gatou's bodyguards smirked as they drew their katana, but their smiles didn't have time to leave their faces before Haku struck! She threw three poison-tipped senbon into the neck of one of the Samurai and, in the same motion, stabbed the other Samurai in the neck with Kubikiribocho. As the two bodyguards collapsed, the one slain with Kubikiribocho shriveled up as the legendary blade drank every last drop of its victim's blood to restore itself to half of its former glory. Once the process was complete, Haku impaled the other corpse with Kubikiribocho, and the weapon fully repaired itself.
"Rest assured, Gatou-sama, we are well-worth the payment you promised us. My associate is currently using a forbidden Jutsu that will grant him immense power. Tazuna-san will die before he completes his precious bridge!"
"He'd damn well better! Otherwise, not only will you two not get paid, but I'll make damn sure you'll never get hired for work like this ever again!" Gatou yelled before leaving.
Tazuna's House
"So you've mastered the exercise in only three days? Show me!" Kakashi ordered after the team finished their breakfast. The three Genin happily obliged their Sensei and scaled their respective trees. "To be honest, I expected you three to need at least a week to get this far. While I'm very impressed with your Chakra control, I can't say this is a good thing. You mastered the tree-climbing exercise so quickly that you haven't developed the same stamina that someone who took more time to master it would develop. Therefore, the three of you will be doing the exercise again.
This time, you'll all be climbing with a handicap. Hinata-chan, as you re-climb the tree, keep your Byakugan active at all times. Sasuke-kun, do the same with your Sharingan. As for you, Naruto-kun, hmm, what to have you do?" Kakashi was at a loss. How could he handicap Naruto in a way that would stress his monstrous stamina while also allowing him to complete the exercise? The Namikaze lord had no Jutsu that required constant Chakra input. He could have Naruto work on the leaf-sticking exercise while climbing the tree, but something told Kakashi that there was a better option.
"Kakashi-sensei, since our last battle, I've wanted to cultivate the enhanced night vision I have due to being a Daiyoukai-in-progress. Is there a way I can do that while tree-climbing?" Naruto offered.
"Thank you for the suggestion, Naruto-kun! Yes, I can work with you on that, but you have to do the exercise at night, and you'll need to work through the night until dawn." Kakashi answered.
"No problem! Do your worst, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted.
That night, Kakashi and Naruto went into the forest and stopped once they reached the tree Kakashi had prepared for Naruto.
"All right, Naruto, start running up the tree!" Kakashi ordered.
Naruto obeyed and began his ascent, only to be electrocuted by something when he was five feet off the ground. He fell, landing flat on his ass, and he noticed a tag with the Raiton symbol glued to the tree trunk.
"Earlier today, I placed hundreds of those tags all over this tree." Kakashi said with a shit-eating grin. "If your clan's night vision is as good as I suspect, then you should be able to spot them using just the moonlight. Until you master your superhuman sight, you won't be able to reach the treetop without getting shocked. As you sleep in each morning, I'll be replacing any tags that wear out. Their positions will be rearranged as well, so you won't be able to rely on memory to beat this challenge. Good luck!" Kakashi left his most powerful student to his miserable fate.
Five nights had passed since Kakashi applied his "handicap", and Naruto had only managed, at best, to make it halfway up the tree before succumbing to the electric traps cunningly imbued into the tree trunk. The traps near the bottom of the tree were always harder to spot due to the forest filtering the moonlight and making it more difficult to see them. To compensate, Kakashi had granted Naruto a small favor and always set fewer traps near the bottom of the tree. As Naruto ascended higher, the moonlight grew stronger and permitted him to see the traps more clearly. Consequently, the traps placed higher on the tree were more numerous and much more carefully concealed. Naruto was certain that his Sensei had left only one path upwards that contained so few traps that Naruto could ascend the tree in safety.
The ex-Anbu Commander had also factored in the current lunar cycle. The moon was waning, and traps became progressively harder to detect with each passing night. Kakashi's unspoken message was clear: Naruto would either master his night vision before the night of the new moon or not at all. His teammates had already reconquered the tree-climbing exercise while under the influence of their handicaps; now, they spent their time either lightly sparring with each other or guarding Tazuna and his crew. While Naruto would have other opportunities to complete this training, he knew that Sasuke and Hinata would never let him hear the end of it if he failed where they succeeded.
'I refuse to be the only one who fails here!' Naruto screamed inwardly as he stood, panting, from the ground. He decided to take a break to collect himself and walked away from his tree towards a small clearing with beautiful white flowers. As he approached the clearing, he saw another figure in the flowerbed. Tensing up, he suppressed the urge to draw a kunai. While the person before him could be one of Gatou's thugs, they could also be one of the villagers.
"Why, hello there. I thought I was the only one who knew of this flowerbed." The person in the flowerbed appeared to be a girl, perhaps a few years older than Naruto. The young Daiyoukai's heart skipped a beat; The young woman's scent was that of pure ice and sakura petals. It was the most intoxicating scent he had ever experienced, and his hormones reacted fiercely. Fortunately, Naruto had enough mental fortitude to almost instantly master himself.
"Greetings, my name is Naruto Uzumaki; I'm in the middle of a rather brutal training session and came here to clear my head."
"I am Haku. From your headband, I can see that you are a Ninja. What type of training requires you to run yourself ragged in the dead of night?"
"It's a type of training unique to my clan. I can't say more to someone not of my village; however, I can say that, at the moment, it's not progressing as smoothly as I'd like!" Naruto vented.
"Is this training for your own benefit, or for someone else's?" Haku inquired, her dark brown eyes flashing with steel.
"Why do you ask?" Naruto was caught off guard by the intensity of Haku's gaze.
"The greatest strength achievable by mankind can be acquired only by those who strive to protect the people closest to them; those without anyone close to them will never reach their full potential." Haku responded as she began picking flowers and placing them in a basket by her side. "These are moon lilies. They bloom only in the moonlight, and their pollen is highly toxic if ingested. However, when combined with other herbs, this toxicity can be converted into an extremely powerful remedy. I came to this bed of moon lilies, risking my life, to save someone important to me. Naruto-san, why are you here?"
Naruto pondered both the question and the statements that preceded it. 'Sasuke, Hinata, Kakashi-sensei, Hiruzen-sama, Anko, Iruka-sensei . . ." Naruto ceased his musing as he realized just how many people he wished to protect.
"Haku-san, I am here for my friends, my family! They are my strength, just as I am theirs!" Naruto answered.
"Then, Naruto-san, you will become strong. Never doubt that, not for one second." Haku affirmed as she stood up. As she walked out of the toxic flower bed, she began to swoon before collapsing.
"Are you okay? Did some of the pollen get into your mouth?" Naruto asked sternly as he caught the young woman before she hit the ground.
"No, but I inhaled some it earlier." Haku replied. "The pollen is not nearly as deadly if contracted as only a fragrance, but it still retains some of its debilitating properties. Please, move me a few dozen feet away from here. I will be too weak to move until the toxin filters out of my respiratory system, but I shall be fine afterwards.
"Well, we can't have that." Naruto grunted as he moved Haku away from the beautiful death trap. Once they were safely away, Naruto channeled Yang Release Chakra into his hands before placing them on Haku's chest.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Haku shrieked.
"Channeling my Chakra into your body to augment and accelerate its natural healing functions." Naruto replied as he mentally castrated himself for not explaining what he was doing beforehand. His hands were now located just below a manifestation of female anatomy that most women do not enjoy having touched by members of the opposite sex whom they barely know.
"I-I see." Haku calmed down. Roughly half an hour later, she had recovered enough to move and carefully secured her moon lilies to ensure she wouldn't inhale more pollen before she returned to the hideout.
"Thank you, for your assistance, Naruto-san. I apologize for my earlier outburst. While I doubt we will meet again, for the sake of propriety, I feel I must inform you that I'm a boy." Haku stated before quickly leaving the area.
'Bullshit.' Naruto mentally retorted as he beheld Haku's fleeing form. On the surface, Haku's body build and natural tone of voice were androgynous enough that she could be mistaken for a boy, albeit a highly effeminate one. Unfortunately for Haku, the thirty minutes Naruto had spent streamlining the young woman's recovery was plenty of time to detect something he recognized instantly due to his daily proximity to Hinata: the scent of female pheromones.
Four more nights had passed since Naruto's encounter with Haku. The moon had now almost completely waned; only the slimmest sliver of a crescent was perceivable in the sky.
"It's now or never!" Naruto shouted as he galloped towards the tree. He had taken Haku's words to heart, and the result was immense. Before meeting Haku, Naruto had considered himself lucky if he made it halfway up the tree. After the encounter, he frequently made it over three-quarters of the way up. Occasionally, he ascended high enough to see his goal.
The first few dozen feet were, as always, the easiest. The path upwards was relatively devoid of traps, and the traps that were present had been obvious before he attained his current level of visual prowess. Now, they were so clear to him that they seemed to leap from the tree and into his eyes. He sprinted up the tree, clearing fifty feet in less than three seconds.
'Now, it gets harder.' Naruto prepared himself as the traps more than doubled in number and became less than half as easy to see as before. He slightly lowered his rate of ascent, favoring caution over speed, and detected dozens of traps that would have escaped his vision mere nights ago. The fledgling Daiyoukai seemed to dance upon the tree trunk as he weaved around its surface. Zigzag, spiral, knight-chess-piece maneuver; the path upwards was a masterpiece of deception.
'Now, it becomes all but impossible.' Naruto steeled himself as the traps became nearly indiscernible from the wood surrounding them and exploded in number by orders of magnitude. If Naruto had been walking on a circus tightrope before, he was now tiptoeing on a single strand of a spider's web. False paths upward dominated his sight, and he had only fractions of seconds to discern the true path hidden among them. His precarious dance upon the tree trunk continued. Half-spiral, inverted zigzag, diagonal dash, jump! Naruto's mental and physical stamina were both pushed to their absolute limits as he neared his goal.
The treetop was twenty feet away; he'd never gotten this close before! Naruto ran diagonally for two seconds before twisting into a quarter-spiral.
Sixteen more feet! Naruto zigzagged for another 1.5 seconds.
Ten more feet! Naruto jumped to avoid a series of traps that would have been impossible to avoid otherwise.
Four more feet! Naruto nearly panicked as he realized that there was no safe place to land.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as his doom rushed to meet him. 'Ignore the obvious, see past the supposed truth and look beneath the underneath!' Naruto mentally chanted as he gazed upon the wood and discerned the traps that spelled certain disaster. There was no safe area upon tree's surface to place either of his two feet, but there was an opening just large enough for one of his hands!
"Checkmate, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted as he twisted in midair, thrust his palm into the narrow safe space, and pushed off the tree again. With this final maneuver, Naruto catapulted himself above the impenetrable wall of traps surrounding the treetop and landed safely upon it!
"YYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" Naruto Namikaze bellowed in triumph. As his victory roar subsided, the young Daiyoukai heard clapping from several sources below him. Looking down, he saw Kakashi, Hinata, Sasuke, Tazuna, and even Tsunami applauding his efforts.
"Very well done, Naruto-kun!" Kakashi praised as he deactivated all of the traps with a hand seal.
"Congrats, dobe, you've finally joined the winner's circle!" Sasuke smiled.
"You climbed that tree at a speed faster than either of us, while dodging every last one of those traps. You're incredible, Naruto" Hinata cheered lovingly.
"Damn, kid, how many times did you bust your ass before you could pull this off?! I wish the boys in my crew had a tenth of your zeal!" Tazuna extoled.
"I'll never know just how hard this was for you, but even I can tell this is something most Ninja would not be able to accomplish. I'm so happy for you!" Tsunami lauded.
"Thank you all so much!" Naruto cried as he descended the tree in a straight line.
Chapter End
I'm far from the first fanfic author to genderbend Haku; a large portion of Naruto fans, myself included, subscribe to the theory that Haku is a girl and only said otherwise to avoid the problems Kunoichi have to deal with while on missions. What really seals the deal IMO is canon-Naruto's statement that Haku is prettier than Sakura. Given how badly Naruto was crushing on Sakura at that point in the series, him thinking that Haku is more attractive means A LOT. Sure, highly effeminate boys are a thing, but to that degree? Nope, not buying it.
For those that don't know, Kuraokami is the Shinto god of ice/snow and is typically portrayed as a dragon ruling over a valley. This won't be the last time divine intervention plays a role in the plot. I hinted in Chapter 2 that gods would have some relevance in this fanfic when I said that the Nara clan is descended from Pluto, the Roman version of Hades from Greek mythology.
Now that he's mastered it, Naruto's night vision is comparable to a semi-matured Sharingan - the stage where there's two tomoe in both eyes. For context, this is the same level that Sasuke was at when he fought Rock Lee and, despite getting his ass handed to him in that fight, he was able to copy Lee's movements and speed (eventually). Naruto's eyes don't allow him to record/replicate muscle movements, but at this point he gets the same "bullet time" boost to his reaction speed that the Sharingan grants. To a lesser extent, this effect is also present during daytime/normal lighting conditions. Since his Daiyoukai form enhances all of his physical traits, the reaction-speed boost granted by his night vision while transformed would be similar to a fully-matured Sharingan.
Thank you for reading!