Battle of the bridge
The plan was for Naruto and Yamato to shadow team 8 for the rest of their mission while Sasuke and Ino stood guard over Gato in the dugout near Tazunas home. The plan was going smoothly for almost a week when Zabuza and his partner struck.
Kurenai knew the moment her team arrived on the bridge that they were under attack. She signaled Yamato and Naruto to get ready.
"Sensei, Zabuza is back and he is with someone!" Hinata exclaimed
"I can smell a lot of blood" said Kiba
"Don't worry team, nothing will happen to you." Kurenai reassured her genin
"Tell them niceties as much as you want woman. You cant beat me!" said the gravelly voice of Zabuza through the mist.
Suddenly team 8 was assaulted with senbon that appeared from the mist. Kurenai was able to block most of them but took one to the thigh. She removed the needle without a wince throwing it aside.
In an instant Kurenai, Tazuna and her team disappeared in a haze. "Did you really think I would walk into such an obvious trap!" boomed Kurenai's disembodied voice. "Now Naruto!"
"Futon: Daitoppa!" A large gust of wind dispersed the mist covering the bridge. Zabuza and his partner stood next to each other in an open area. The dead bodies of the construction crew lay strewn around them. "They really stood no chance did they." snarled Naruto "Did it remind you of your academy days Zabuza!" Red chakra bubbled from his skin.
"That is what it means to be a shinobi boy. The strong live and the weak die it is as simple as that." was Zabuzas reply.
"If that is the case. Why are you even here? I am the strongest!" Shouted Naruto the three tailed cloak had formed completely. His voice had dropped to a low growl.
"Its good practice for me!" Zabuza said forming hand signs "suiton: Siuryudan no jutsu" a large water dragon rose from the sea and sped towards Naruto.
Naruto stood firm and roared the water dragon was blown apart. Everyone on the bridge anchored themselves to the ground with chakra. The winds and waves around the bridge kicked up. "Practice! You will have to do better than that if you want to take on the Mizukage!" Naruto growled.
As Naruto engaged Zabuza, his partner had moved to attack him but was intercepted by team 8 lead by Kurenai.
Kurenai went through a few handsigns 'Magen: Nijū Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu' she thought as she cast the genjutsu.
Haku knew he was in a genjutsu immediately releasing it. The ice user quickly went through handsigns of his own "Hyoton: Makyō Hyōshō" his hands in a modified tiger seal.
A dome of ice mirrors formed around team 8 and Haku launched a high speed assault peppering the team with needles. Kiba and Shino went down first. They looked dead. Hinata and Kurenai stood back to back deflecting Hakus assault.
Haku was well aware of the byakugan and the Hyuga clan thanks to Ao a mist jounin who was also aligned against the Mizukage. He knew that if he didn't take down the Hyuga girl that there was a great risk she would see through his jutsu.
The Ice user shot out from his mirrors feinting an attack at Kurenai then turning and stabbing the Hyuga in the throat with several needles.
"No!" cried Kurenai as she went to help her students
"There is no point. You should give up, your team is dead." Said Haku in a flat monotone.
Kurenai, still bent over Hinata, smirked. 'He will be drained of chakra soon' she thought
"How could you! They were just kids!" Kurenai sobbed from her knees
"This is the essence of shinobi life." Said Haku, stalking towards Kurenai. He stood over Kurenai and thrust a senbon into the back of her skull. Team 8 was defeated and it was time to help Zabuza. He turned and headed toward his master's battle when he suddenly stumbled overcome with weakness. 'No, it couldn't be!' he turned to look at his downed opponents only for them to be gone.
"Gatsuga!" out of nowhere two spinning vortexes slammed into him. Haku coughed up blood as he looked down at the damage done to his chest. Large claw marks on his torso but what he didn't expect were the beetles crawling all over him. He felt a strike to his back and collapsed forward. Hinata had delivered the blow to the back, taking him down."
"Great work team. Let's restrain him and wait out the battle." Said Kurenai
With Zabuza. He had recast the mist jutsu twice only for it to be blown away by Naruto's roars but he had managed to use the mizu bunshin no jutsu the last time under cover of the mist. Neither of them had managed to land a solid blow but Zabuza was waiting for his opening hidden in a puddle.
Naruto was getting frustrated he was used to crushing his opponents rather quickly when he used the Kyuubi's chakra. His straight line speed exceeded almost everyone in Konoha. Naruto wasn't thinking very clearly but he had an enemy and that was all he needed to maintain control.
Naruto got into a sprinters starting stance and flared his Chakra to the max. It was time to end this! With a roar he took off leaving a crater in his wake. Naruto was ontop of Zabuza in an instant or so he thought when he punched the head clean off of Zabuzas water clone and it dispersed.
Zabuza emerged from his hiding place already mid swing and cut Naruto across the chest.
Naruto jumped back and sunk to a knee
"All that power but still too naive, boy you can never win with just power!" gloated Zabuza
Naruto saw red and his cloak of chakra darkened "want to test that!" he growled. Flakes of skin started to peel from his face darkening his chakra cloak further. There was some further bubbling of the chakra as a fourth tail started to form.
"Naruto, enough! You do not have permission to go all out!" Barked Yamato from the edge of the bridge. Yamato was surrounded by wooden dragon shaped pillars growing from the concrete. His palm was outstretched the kanji for 'sit' on his palm.
"I can control this much sensei! But stay ready with that Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu Kakuan Nitten Suishu" Growled Naruto
Yamato sighed as Naruto completed the four tailed chakra cloak, his skin burning off and the chakra cloak going opaque.
'I hope you are right Naruto'
With team 8 and Tazuna at the side of the bridge they were overcome with dread. Only Kurenai had felt this before and it was the night her father died.
"Sensei what is this?" stuttered Kiba
"This, This is the strength of Konoha's greatest secret. Up until now even I had only heard speculation about him." Kurenai almost whispered
"But what is this power?" asked Tazuna
"Jinchuriki, this is the power of a Jinchuriki someone entrusted by the village with containing a biju" Said Sasuke appearing behind team 8
"Sorry we are late. We had to secure Tsunami and Inari before we came to help" said Ino
"Speaking of, Ino go help Yamato-sensei. I will provide Naruto with long range support." Sasuke looked serious his mature sharingan slowly spinning
Ino appeared next to Yamato, her hands ready to cast one of the Yamanaka clan jutsu.
Sasuke blurred behind Naruto's cloaked form already casting the Gokakyuu. The fire ball sped at Zabuza who dodged but was then brought down by a punch from above by Naruto
Zabuza had blocked with the flat of his blade but it snapped in half. The swordsman crashed to the ground coughing up blood.
'He ruptured an organ and I have a few broken ribs, I better escape while i can.' thought Zabuza but before he could make a move he was in a genjutsu. He had made a critical mistake and looked Sasuke in the eye. 'Shit this is it' that is when everything went black.
Zabuza was down and without an opponent Naruto tried to bring the ninetails chakra back but it wasn't working. The moment it looked like he was trying Yamato and Ino cast their jutsu restraining the chakra. Naruto's skin was bright pink as the cloak receded into the seal.
"Great work Naruto, your control has definitely improved!" praised Yamato as his genin collapsed unconscious.
Yamato picked up Zabuza with a sigh and signaled for Sasuke to pick up Naruto.
Team 8 was waiting for them with a bound Haku.
"It looks like our first big mission was a great success!" exclaimed Ino
"Indeed this went better than even the Hokage or Danzo hoped it would be." commented Yamato "we will need to get the story straight however." He said looking to Kurenai who nodded.
"Officialy speaking Zabuza and Haku are dead. You killed Haku Kurenai. Naruto killed Zabuza as well as Gato. I never was here, do you understand? Naruto led his team to a complete victory over one of the seven ninja swordsmen." said Yamato with a spooky look on his face. "I am sure that it would be very unpleasant for you if anything else became known." Looking at the genin of team 8 who squirmed under his gaze.
With that team Yamato disappeared along with their prisoners.
