Chapter 28: Life in Wave

Wave, Tazuna's home

Much to everyone's relief, the trip to Tazuna's house had been an uneventful one. Naruto had already sent his eyes ahead to investigate the area, making sure the six genin, two Jōnin, and the one middle-aged bridge builder did not walk into a trap.

Once at the door of Tazuna's home, they had knocked at the door and were greeted by a young woman. Tazuna's daughter, how a pretty lady like her could have come from a geezer like their client, was a mystery to Naruto.

Once inside, Shisui had Sasuke and Kiba take Kurenai into one of the house's guest rooms. While Shisui was busy checking over Kurenai with a worried Hinata helping him, the rest of the genin were left waiting around in the kitchen.

"It is fortunate that you arrived when you did," Shino said. "Otherwise, I would have doubted our chances of survival against the missing-nin."

Kiba snorted. "Don't be like that, Shino," he said haughtily. "We could have taken him."

"Really now?" Sasuke said with a grin. "From what I saw, you were struggling against those water clones. Which I last read only had a fraction of the strength of the original."

Kiba glared at Sasuke. "We had it handled," Kiba retorted back."

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Tazuna whispered into Naruto's ear.

Narto shrugged. "Hey, if it wasn't Sasuke, it'd be me," he said. "Besides, someone else is about to do that."

Thunk!

Right on cue. "Kiba," Sakura said, holding her fist out. "Would you please stop making a fool of yourself?" She turned to face Sasuke. "What the baka for a teammate was trying to say is he's also thankful."

Sasuke looked between her and the whimper Kiba as he clutched the top of his head. "You're welcome," he said nervously.

"And that would be me with him right now," Naruto said to the client. "Sakura-San can be scary sometimes."

A pale-faced Tazuna nodded. "Is he going to be, okay?" He asked, pointing to Kiba.

Naruto looked at Kiba and shrugged. "He'll be fine," he said. Akamaru was sitting by Kiba, wagging his tail. "See, Akamaru isn't concerned for him. So, he should be okay." Plus, Naruto had been on the receiving end of Sakura's punches enough times to know she never did any real harm. Still, hurt like hell, but no real damage.

That was about when Shisui walked into the room. "Kiba, can you get up for a moment," he said after shooting a casual glance at the Inuzuka boy on the floor. "We have things to discuss, and we don't have the time for you to play around."

Kiba grumbled as he got back to his feet, still rubbing the top of his head. He muttered something under his breath that got a happy yelp from Akamaru.

The rest of the genin gathered around Shisui, except for Hinata. Naruto could see that she was still tending to Kurenai. "So, how's Kurenai-sensei," Kiba asked. "Is she going to be, okay?"

Shisui nodded. "She's fine," he said, getting sighs of relief from Kiba and Sakura. Even Shino showed signs of being visibly relieved. "She just had a case of chakra exhaustion. That fight with Zabuza took a lot out of her. She should be waking up soon, but she will take about a week to recover."

"Then it's a good thing that Zabuza guy is gone now," Kiba said. Naruto frowned. That had been something bothering Naruto ever since the hunter-nin left with Zabuza's body. Naruto didn't know why, but that one detail nagged at him in the back of his mind.

"Yeah, about that," Shisui said. "I'm afraid around the time Kurenai finishes recovering might be when we see him again."

The others in the kitchen blinked at Shisui while Naruto just stared at him. A moment later, the reactions came in. "What!?" Kiba said loudly. "What do you mean we'll face him again? Didn't that hunter-nin finish him off?"

Next to him, Sakura nodded. "Kiba's right," she said. "And didn't you say he was dead? You checked his pulse and all."

Naruto looked at Sasuke, and they both looked each other in the eye. It seemed they both had similar uneasy thoughts about Zabuza. "Very good questions," Shisui said. "But let me ask you a question, Kiba."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure," Kiba said. "What is it?"

"What do you know about Hunter-nin," Shisui asked. "Like what is their role, and how do they do it?"

Kiba looked perplexed by the question. "They're supposed to hunt other Shinobi," he said.

"Right," Shisui said. "But to be more accurate, they hunt missing-nin, namely ones from their respective villages. A Konoha Hunter-nin would go after missing-nin from Konoha, Kiri after Kiri, and so on."

The genin in the kitchen nodded along with the explanation. So far, it made sense. But little to explain why Shisui believed Zabuza was still alive. "So, tell me, Kiba," Shisui said. "What is a hunter-nin supposed to do after they have eliminated a target?"

Again, Kiba looked confused by what Shisui was asking, and he was not the only one. After a long moment of thought, Kiba answered Shisui. "I remember my mom telling me hunter-nins are supposed to dispose of the body after killing them. Something about preserving the secrets of the village."

"Exactly," Shisui said matter-of-factly. "Dead or alive, a shinobi's body can hold many secrets that villages like Konoha and Kiri would prefer to stay hidden. So, when hunter-nins eliminate their targets, they are supposed to destroy all traces of the body. Really, only leaving the head alone as proof they killed the target. Or in the case of Zabuza taking their weapon."

The genin all nodded. "Okay, that makes sense," Sakura said, looking a little pale. "What does that have to do with Zabuza being alive?"

Shisui nodded. "One more question, Kiba," he said. "When is a hunter-nin supposed to destroy the body?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "That's easy," he said matter of factly. "They're trained to destroy the body on the sp," he trailed off as his eyes widened. "Shit. I don't suppose they sent a rookie after the guy?" He asked suddenly.

Shisui was smiling when he shook his head. "They wouldn't have sent him out in the first place," he said. "Especially not after Zabuza."

Kiba cursed again. Then he turned to face the other genin. "Guys, Zabuza is not dead," he said.

Naruto frowned. "Kiba, can you tell us why you and Shisui seem to think he's alive?" Naruto asked.

"Because a hunter-nin is supposed to destroy the body on the spot," he said. "They don't move the body anywhere or anything else. The Hunter-nin we met today, he vanished with the body."

Sakura looked perplexed. "Okay, that makes sense, I guess," she said. "But couldn't the guy just have moved Zabuza's body because he didn't want us to watch?"

Shisui shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said. "If that was the case, he simply would have asked us to leave. Or he would have driven us off. Either way, if who he encountered was a real hunter-nin, he would have destroyed Zabuza's body on the spot. No, I'm convinced that who we encountered was an accomplice of Zabuza's, and he's still very much alive."

"So, how is Zabuza still alive?" Sasuke asked. "He looked pretty dead to me. You even checked if he was dead."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, how could you have been fooled into thinking Zabuza was dead when he was still alive?" He asked.

Shisui rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I can think of one way," he said. "The senbon, they're not known to be deadly. They're just needles, after all, not the best tool to kill a person with. Not unless you know exactly where to throw them."

"Or if they had poison on them," Shino added.

Shisui nodded. "Exactly," he said. "They're medical tools at the end of the day. While it is difficult to kill with them, they can be used for other purposes. Such as putting a person into a death-like state."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "A death-like state?" He questioned.

Shisui nodded. "There are pressure points all along the human body," he said. "Hitting them can have any number of effects, ranging from beneficial to debilitating. I think our hunter-nin knew precisely where to hit Zabuza to make it look like he died."

"Which would suggest an extensive knowledge of the human body," he said.

"Very impressive for someone his age," Shisui said. "I know medic-in two or three times his age, that wouldn't have known that."

"So, wait," Kiba said. "you're telling us that this Zabuza guy could still be alive. That at this very moment be getting ready to attack us again? Hell, he could even be right outside the door."

Naruto could confirm that was not the case. Shisui shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't think we have to worry about him for a little bit. Recovering from a death-like state is pretty much like recovering from a near-death experience. Not to mention, he would still have to recover from the injuries he suffered from our battle. We won't see him for a little while."

"But we will see him," Sasuke said. "How long?"

Shisui rubbed his chin. "Based on what we know about hunter-nin, we can reasonably assume they're a good medic," he said. "So, based on that, I would say we have around a week to prepare."

"A week?" Naruto said. "That doesn't sound like a lot of time to prepare."

Shisui nodded. "We'll have to make do with the time we have," he said. "The next we face Zabuza, I doubt he'll be alone."

"That fake hunter-nin," Sasuke said.

"And whatever thugs Gato has backing him up," Naruto added.

Shisui hummed. "First thing in the morning, we'll start our training," he said. "But right now, I want you guys scouting the village out. See what we're dealing with."

"It doesn't matter," a voice said. Everyone turned to face a young boy glaring at them. "You're all going to die anyway."

Village

Walking around the village was a depressing sight. No matter where she looked, all Hinata could see was misery and suffering. The streets, if they could even be called that, were mostly empty and lifeless. The stalls and stores lined the sides were empty, and the ones with someone had little to sell.

The few people she and Naruto did encounter were like lifeless, empty husks. There was no life, no joy on their faces, only the misery they were feeling. It was heartbreaking to Hinata, especially when she saw the children.

Naruto was next to her, acting as an anchor for the Hyūga girl in this sea of misery. Both were in disguise so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. The same thing went for Sasuke and Kiba, who were scouting out the other side of the village. Sakura and Shino had stayed behind at Tazuna's place to help Shisui guard the client and his family.

Privately, Hinata wondered if maybe she shouldn't have done the same thing. She looked over at Naruto, seeing a blank stare on his face. He was trying to keep calm. But Hinata could see the traces of sadness in his expression and the barely repressed anger.

Every time the two passed one of Gato's men, or if Naruto got a glimpse of one, anger would flash across his face for the briefest of moments. One time, Hinata could have sworn she heard him growl. That was when they saw a pair of thugs harassing a young woman.

The two disguised genin passed by a barely looking thug. "Hey, you brats," the thug bellowed at them. "What are you doing wandering out here?"

Hinata and Naruto pretended to jump and yelped. "I-I'm so-sorry, mister," Naruto said in a trembling voice. "We d-didn't mean to c-cas-sue tr-trouble."

Hinata was shaking next to Naruto. "We w-w-were on o-our wah h-home," she said.

The thug looked at them for a second before he snorted and started to walk away. "Yeah, whatever," he said. "Just don't let me catch you brats again."

Hinata and Naruto waited a few seconds for the man to go away, and both let out sighs of relief. Turning around, they resumed their walk. It wasn't until a moment later that Naruto spoke in a hushed voice. "He's following us," he said.

Hinata didn't have to turn her head to confirm what he said. She could feel the presence of someone following them. Hinata nodded at Naruto. "What do we do?" She asked. "Try to lose him, or?"

Naruto had a thoughtful expression on his face. "I want to try something," he said. "It's something I've wanted to check out but never really had the chance to. Follow me."

Hinata nodded. The two genin walked down the street for a couple more blocks. Then they went into an alleyway. They came to a fenced-off area.

"Get ready," Naruto said. "He's right on top of us."

Hinata nodded.

"I thought you said this was a shortcut," Naruto said.

"I thought it was," Hinata played along. "The fence wasn't here when I was down here. A-at least I thought it wasn't."

Naruto groaned. "Maybe we should just turn around and," Hinata yelped as she turned around. "Hina, what's wrong?" He turned around.

"Well, well, what do I got here?" The thug from earlier said with a broad smile. "A couple of lost kids?"

Hinata repressed a frown. She didn't like the tone of voice he was using. "Oh, it's you again, mister," Naruto said. "We got a little lost," he started to walk up to the man. "Can you."

The thug swung his arm out, hitting Naruto and sending him crashing into the wall. Hinata let a surprised gasp and tried to run over to him. "Ruto!" she shouted.

But she was stopped when the thug grabbed her by the back of her shirt. She was lifted up to face the man. She tried to struggle against the man but froze when she felt a knife pressed to her throat.

"Now, if you know what's good for you and your friend, you won't shout for help," the thug said. Then he snorted. "Not that anyone would come. Not with the way we've broken this village's spirit. You understand, little girl?"

Hinata nodded, just a little bit afraid. She hoped whatever Naruto was planning, he would act soon.

The thug's smile grew. "Good," he said, dropping Hinata. "Now then, do as I say, and nothing will happen to your friend," he pointed the knife at Naruto, who was struggling to sit up on the wall. "Who knows, maybe he'll like what he sees," then the man spared a glance at the blindfolded boy. "Or, in his case, what he hears."

The man stepped up to Hinata. "Now then. All you have to do is," he never got to finish his sentence. A shadow passed by the back of the man. An instant later, he fell over, hitting the ground with a thud.

Hinata let out a sigh of relief when she saw a clone of Naruto smiling at her. "Thank you," she said.

The clone nodded at her. "No problem," he said before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

The real Naruto stood up and rubbed his shoulder. Hinata shot him a look of concern. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "You know me. I've taken worse hits before," he rubbed his shoulder and let out a soft hiss. "Still hurt, though."

Hinata sighed and smiled. When they got back to Tazuna's place, she would have a closer look at Naruto's shoulder. She walked over to the unconscious thug. Looking at the man, her thoughts drifted off to what he likely had in mind for her had Naruto not knocked him out. For a rare moment, Hinata felt a wave of disgust come over her.

"So, what are we going to do with him?" Hinata asked, nudging the man with her foot, ensuring he was unconscious. "You said you wanted to try something?"

Naruto nodded as he walked up. "I do," he said, kneeling beside the man. With some help from Hinata, he flipped the man over to his back. "It's something me and Kurama discussed, but we were never able to test it out until now."

He held his hand over the man's head, specifically over his eyes. Hinata watched with morbid fascination as the man's eyes fluttered open, and with a slight popping noise, the eyeballs were removed from their sockets.

For a second, Hinata felt a cold chill crawl up her spine. She knew Naruto could acquire new eyes and knew how he could do it. But she had never seen him do it. She faintly recalled Naruto doing it after they killed the bandits near the end of Team-11's first C-rank mission. That had been a blank, and you'll miss it moment for her.

But now she was seeing it fully with her own eyes. It was unsettling to her. Hinata kept these thoughts to herself as Naruto continued to do whatever he was doing. He seemed to be in deep concentration. If Hinata had to guess, he was talking to his tenant.

"Alright then," Naruto said. "Let's see if this works," the eyeballs Naruto had just taken slowly lowered themselves back into the thug's eye sockets. With another soft popping noise, they locked themselves back into the man's head.

Hinata looked at Naruto with a questioning expression. "Naruto," she said. "Did you just?"

Naruto nodded. "He should be waking up any moment," he said. "Let's hide away somewhere and see if this works.

A moment later, Naruto and Hinata were hiding out on the roof of a building overlooking the alleyway. They watch the thug wake back up to consciousness. "Wh-what happened?" They heard him ask as he sat up. Rubbing the back of his head, he looked around the alleyway. "And where did those brats go?" He got back to his feet, letting out a string of curses. He took one last look around the alley before he kicked up some dust and left.

Hinata looked over at Naruto, seeing he was smiling. He looked over at her. "It worked," he said. "It worked."

Now Hinata had to ask the question. "What worked? Naruto, what did you do?"

"Oh, right, I never did give you an explanation, did I?" He said, a mild blush appearing on his cheeks. "Sorry about that. So, here's the thing, you know how I can take other people's, right?"

Hinata nodded. She had literally witnessed him doing it a moment ago. "I do," she replied.

Naruto nodded. "Well, me and Kurama were wondering," he started. "What if I were to place them back?" Hinata's eyes widened as the implications hit her. Naruto's smile grew. "Exactly. I know floating eyeballs are not something you tend to look for. But there is always that offhand chance that they could be spotted. But if they're in somebody else's skull, no one and I mean no one, will expect that."

"You literally have eyes on the inside," Hinata said. Granted, he could have always done that, but now. Hinata shook her head, not wanting to think too much about it. "We should report this back to Shisui. He'll want to know about this."

Naruto nodded. "I know," he said. He walked over to the other side of the rooftop. Two pairs of eyes floated beside him. "But we'll have to finish what we're doing here first."

Hinata walked up beside him and looked down at the street below. Once again, she was struck by how depressing it looked. Hinata placed a hand over her chest, feeling her heart aching. "It's so sad what's happening here," she said.

"I know," Naruto said with a nod. "Even on a dreary day, this place should be alive. There should be children running around laughing. Adults going about their business of examining the shops." Hinata looked over one of the many empty stores. "And shopkeepers should be selling their wares. But this place it feels dead," then Naruto shook his head. "No, that's not the right word. I think dead would be better. Somehow, this place feels worse, like it's in some kind of limbo. Not quite dead, but not quite alive either. You know what I mean?"

Hinata nodded. She knew what Naruto was getting at. It was the same sense she got from the place. "Th-they don't have the strength to live on," she said. "But they can't die either."

"I know Tazuna told us things were bad here," he said. "But I didn't think they were this bad." An angry frown appeared on Naruto's face. "How can this Gato guy be doing this? Can't he see what suffering he's causing?"

That was a question that Hinata had been asking herself a lot lately. "We have to help them," she said with more conviction than she thought possible.

Naruto nodded next to her. "We will," he said. "When that Tazuna guy finishes his bridge, it'll bring hope back to this place. Gato will lose his power over this place."

Down in the street, Hinata saw a child aimlessly wandering the street. They were dirty and appeared not to have eaten in a long time. Each time someone passed by them, they would offer their hands up. They were begging.

For the first time in her life, Hinata knew what it felt like to hate. "Come on," she said to Naruto. "Let's look somewhere else."

Tazuna's Home

When Kurenai woke up, the first thing to come to mind was an unfamiliar ceiling.

The second thought was trying to figure out where she was and recalling what led up to her being here. As a highly trained Jōnin and as Konoha's resident Genjutsu specialist, this was something that Kurenai was well suited for.

In a span of three or five seconds, Kurenai had recalled everything. She remembered taking team-8 to the mission room for their first C-rank mission. She remembered how excited they were when they set out for Wave. Even Shino, quiet and calm as he was, seemed to be a bit more energetic.

The conversations Sakura had struck up with the client had been pleasant enough and even a bit informative about where the team was going. Then, she remembered the encounter with the Demon Brothers and the enlightening conversation with the client Tazuna.

Her own bleeding heart and convincing arguments from her genin pursued her to continue with the mission. (On that note, she made a mental reminder to petition the Hokage to have the puppy eye no Jutsu labeled as a Kenjutsu.)

Her memories then end with the battle with Zabuza and the reinforcements from Team-11.

"I see you're up," a voice called out to Kurenai. She looked over to Shisui entering the room. He smiled at her as he took a seat in a chair near the bed Kurenai was in. "You looked like you were thinking about something."

Kurenai nodded at the Uchiha Jōnin. "Just gathering my thoughts," she replied.

Shisui nodded, showing he understood. "Do I need to give a moment?" He asked.

Kurenai shook her head as the last of her memories played out. "I'm all caught up," she said. Then, a frown creased across her mouth. "Zabuza is still alive, isn't he?"

Shisui sighed, giving Kurenai all the answer she needed. "I'm afraid so," he said.

So that bit with the Hunter-nin had not but been a delusion on behalf of her slipping consciousness. "The Hunter-nin?" She asked for clarification.

"Most likely an accomplish of Zabuza's," he said. "The good news is that he'll likely be out of action for a while. Maybe a week at most, pending on how good of a medic this Hunter-nin is."

Judging by what they had already seen, Kurenai was willing to bet that the Hunter-Nin was a very good medic. "I don't think we have to worry about them being on the same level as Tsunade-Sama," Kurenai said. The good thing about talents like Tsunade was that they came by rarely, which was also a bad thing.

Kurenai shifted around in her bed and winced when a sharp pain shot through her. "Speaking of Tsunade," he said. "I bet you're wishing you could see her now."

Kurenai smiled. "A house call wouldn't hurt," she said.

Shisui nodded and smiled back. "I'll see what I can do," he said. Then he leaned in on the bed. "But in the meantime, we need to figure out what we're going to do."

"Agreed," Kurenai said with a nod.

"I was thinking of stepping up the training for my genin," he said. "The two of us should be able to handle Zabuza. It's that Hunter-nin I'm worried about."

"You're thinking of sending the genin after him?" Kurenai said.

"Not all of them," Shisui said. "I would like to keep one or two of them here to watch after Tazuna's family."

Kurenai nodded, feeling it was a sensible move. With Zabuza out of the picture for the moment, who knows what Gato would try to pull. "That makes sense," she said. "What about my team? I know you will be training your genin. What about mine?"

"That was what I was hoping to ask you about," Shisui said. "I would like your permission to train them for the duration of this mission."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at the Uchiha Jōnin. She was surprised and appreciated the fact that he was asking her this. Since he was the more senior Jōnin of the two and the only one in fighting condition, that meant overall command fell to him. As the team leader, he could do whatever he wanted with the genin of team-8, even if they were not his genin. That included whatever training he deemed necessary for them to go through. Or even the lack thereof.

In the back of her mind, Kurenai was reminded of the stories of some joint team operations and how the leading Jōnin-Sensei would refuse training genin outside of their team, even when it was necessary.

Kurenai decided to point that out so she could gauge the man's reaction. "I appreciate you asking," she started carefully. "But as acting team leader."

She was cut off when Shisui raised his hand. "I know what protocol says," he replied flatly. "I could train your genin however I like. Or even deny them training until you get better. But I'm not going to do that. I might be acting team leader right now, but at the end of the day, they're still your genin. You know them better than I do. If you think they need the training, then I will give it to them. If not," he shrugged his shoulders. "That's up to you."

Kurenai felt her shoulders relaxing, she hadn't realized she'd tensed them up. "Then you have my permission," she said with a smile. "I appreciate that you let this be my decision."

Shisui smirked at her. "You don't have to thank me," he said. "I would want to make sure my genin were looked after if our roles were reversed. Now then, here's what I plan to do with them."

Kurenai listened intently as the Uchiha Jōnin laid his training plan out. Through the explanation, she would offer some helpful pointers and suggestions. By the end of it, they would have a training plan she was satisfied with.

Docks

"What can you see?" Kiba asked Sasuke.

While Naruto and Hinata scouted out one side of the town and the area around the bridge, Sasuke and Kiba had been asked to scout the other side of the town and the nearby docks.

Sasuke let out a soft, scoffing noise. "Just a bunch of boats and a few warehouses," he said. "What else did you expect from some docks?"

Kiba had to bite on his tongue to keep a retort from coming out. "That's not what I was asking," he said through his teeth. "How many ships do you see? How many men does Gato have around the docks? What do the warehouses look like?"

Giving the Uchiha boy a sideways glance, he saw he was smirking. "So, there are some intelligent thoughts going on around in that head of yours," he said. Kiba balls his hands into fists, repressing the urge to throw himself at the Uchiha. "I see about three or four ships docked and two others out on the water. I would guess there are two or three dozen men out and about. I'm going to assume that a similar number are in the warehouses."

"Speaking of," Kiba said, shifting around on the ground to make himself more comfortable. "How do the warehouses look? Any idea what they might be storing in them?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not without getting any closer," he said. "Shisui might have us sneak in at a later time. But for now, all he wants is for us to get a lay of the situation."

Kiba nodded. He wanted to do more. He didn't like sitting around and doing nothing, not after what he and Sasuke saw back in the town. "I can say they are definitely being used," Sasuke said. "I can see Gato's thugs moving crates in and out of the warehouses. I can't tell what they are, but docks are busy."

Kiba crawls up the cliffside, overlooking the docks for a better view. He saw what Sasuke meant. Several crates, large and small, were being carried in and out of the warehouses. Whatever they contained, be it simple supplies like food or more illicit items, was hard to tell.

"You think this Gato guy could be down there?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "I doubt it," he said. "He doesn't come off as the type to mingle with his own men. My guess is he has his own building somewhere in Wave."

Kiba nodded, agreeing with Sasuke's assessment. "That's too bad," Kiba said in a low growl. "I would love to get my claws on that guy." Kiba balled his hands into a fist, careful not to dig his nails into the palms. "Seeing what he's down to this town. It makes me sick."

Seeing the people around town acting so lifelessly, the sheer hopelessness of their situation. It had been overwhelming to Kiba, made worse since he came from a clan that was so energetic and active. Even the Hyūga, with the sticks stuck up their asses (some notable exceptions), were more lifelike than the people in the nearby town. It made him shudder to think what the rest of Wave looked like.

"I know Kiba," Sasuke said. "I want to see him pay too. But our job here is to protect the bridge builder, not be heroes for these people."

Kiba snorted. He wished they could do both. Then he took notice of something. "Hey, Sasuke, look over there," he points to a road leading out from the docks. "You see that?"

Sasuke looked over at what Kiba was pointing at. A confused frown appeared on his face. "You mean that road leading out of the docks?" He asked.

Kiba nodded. "Yeah, can you see where it goes?"

Sasuke focused on the road. "It looks like it leads back to town," he said. "That does make sense. Where else would the thugs in the town be getting their stuff?"

"Good eye," Kiba said. "But that's not what I'm talking about. Look closer. Can't you see anything?"

Again, Sasuke focused on the road leading away from the docks, a few times, he would narrow his eyes. After a moment, he shook his head. "I don't think I can see anything," he said. "So, tell me, what do you see?"

Kiba nodded, having expected as such. Uchiha's eyes were good, very good, in fact, probably came with the territory of having the Sharingan. But without it, Kiba would say that Inuzuka's eyes were better. They were a clan with a close connection to their canine partners; closer than most people realized, they were a clan that would be suited for tracking. The senses of an Inuzuka were sharper than a normal human's, which included their eyesight.

Kiba would even say that if one were to exclude the dojutsus, the eyes of an Inuzuka were the best in the world. So, it was no surprise he could see things that Sasuke couldn't. "I'm surprised you can't see it," Kiba said. "But there's a second path branching off from the road. It's not as visible as the main road, probably because no work has been done on it."

Sasuke looked back at the road and narrowed his eyes. "I think I can see something," he said. "But I'm not sure what it is. You sure it's a road?"

Kiba nodded. "I'm certain of it," he said. "Remember, I come from a clan that specializes in tracking. We're trained to pick up details like that."

Sasuke nodded. "Alright then," he said. "Can you tell where it leads?"

Kiba looked at the road again. "It differently branches out from the main road leading away from the town," he said. "And it's well-traveled. Those thugs are using it."

Sasuke hummed thoughtfully. "It could lead to one of their bases," he said. "Maybe another warehouse or," Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "Or," he looked Kiba in the eye.

Kiba smiled at Sasuke. The same thought had occurred to him. "Or it could be where this Gato guy is hiding out."

Sasuke looked between him and the road. "We got to let the others know," he said. "Maybe we can get Naruto to scout the check it out."

Kiba frowned. "Why not check it out ourselves?" He asked. "If we can confirm where Gato is hiding out, it would make this mission a lot easier. We can't just come back with nothing."

"But we're not coming back with nothing," Sasuke pointed out. "If our suspicions are true, then we'll have an idea of where the guy is."

"But," Kiba protested, he wanted to do more than just sneak around.

Sasuke stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. "Think about it, Kiba," Sasuke said in a hushed tone. "If we are correct and that road leads us to where Gato is hiding, then there's a chance we'll run into Zabuza and that fake hunter-nin."

That stopped any words of protest from Kiba. "You sure about that?" he asked. "You're not just overthinking this?" Kiba knew how boisterous he could be and how much of a hothead he was. Both were common traits in his clan, and he got them in spades. But even Kiba knew that a run-in with either Zabuza or the hunter-nin would be bad news for the both of them.

Sasuke shook his head. "Think about it, Kiba," he said. "Wherever Gato is hiding, it will be the most secure and safe place on this island."

Which would make an ideal place for a pair of Shinobi to hide out at. Especially when one of them was injured and needed a safe place to recover, not to mention it would allow them to keep an eye on their client and vice versa.

"Shit," Kiba said, feeling his shoulders slump. "And here I was hoping we could bring back something useful."

Sasuke smirked at him. "Don't worry, Kiba, we'll get our chance," he said. "We just need to wait a little longer. From now let's get out of here and report our findings back Shisui-Sensei. Along with our suspicions." Sasuke stood up and started to walk away from the cliffside.

Kiba followed. "You think Kurenai-Sensei might be up?" He asked.

Sasuke gave Kiba an understanding nod of his head. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm sure she's fine. Shisui-Sensei said so himself and Hinata looked after her for a while."

"Right," Kiba said, not so sure. "She's getting to be a pretty good medic, isn't she?"

Sasuke nodded. "She's always had a talent for it," he said. "Tsunade-Sama has taught her a lot," a smile grew on his face. "I'm sure she'll be a great medic-nin in no time. Maybe she'll even be better than Tsunade-Sama one day. She already makes her medic, you know."

Kiba smiled and snorted. "I wouldn't bet on that," he said. When he got a questioning look from Sasuke, he elaborated. "Sakura has been practicing medical ninjutsu as well, and from what I gather from Kurenai, she's a quick learner. Hinata might have some competition in that field."

Sasuke smiled fondly. "Well, Sakura has always been a quick learner," he said. "But I think that I'd still go with Hinata any time of the day."

"Well, of course, you would," Kiba said. "She's your teammate, after all. Come on, let's get back to Tazuna's place."

Tazuna's home

Night had fallen by the time the genin had returned to Tazuna's home. The members of Team-8, plus Hinata, were relieved to find out that Kurenai had woken up while they were gone and was on her way to recovery.

The Konoha shinobi were now gathered around the table, enjoying a meal in the home's small dining room. While the genin were eating, Shisui had a hand on his chin as he went through everything they had reported. A smile was gracing his lips as he was quite placed by everything his genin and Kurenai's genin had gathered today.

"So, Shisui-Sensei, what do you think?" Naruto asked. "Did we get anything useful?"

Shisui lowered his hand down to the table and looked at the genin staring at him. He smiled and nodded at them, getting relieved expressions from the six of them. Well, five of them, anyway. Shino remained impassive, but Shisui had the feeling he was pleased.

"This is some good info you guys got," he said. "Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Kiba well done. You guys did a good job. Sasuke and Kiba, I'm especially pleased by what you found. If your hunch proves to be correct, we know not only Gato but possibly where Zabuza and his associate are. That will make our mission a lot easier."

Kiba and Sasuke smiled at each other. "Now then," Shisui continued, turning his attention to Naruto. "Naruto, I would like to discuss the discovery you made about your ability."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he gave Shisui a wide smile. "It's just a little something me and Kur…" he stopped mid-sentence as he remembered the presence of Tazuna and his family. "A friend discussed it together."

Shisui nodded. "How clearly can you see through this man's eyes?" he asked. "Is there any effect on his eyesight?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not as far as I can tell," he said, rubbing his chin. "And I can see plenty well through them."

Shisui noticed Tazuna lean next to Kiba. "What are they talking about?" He asked the Inuzuka boy in a whisper. "I thought he was blind. What are they talking about seeing?"

Kiba gave the client a cheeky smile. "You haven't noticed yet?" He said. "Man, are you in for a surprise."

Shisui ignored the conversation even as a bewildered expression appeared on his face. "This does give us another means of spying on our enemies," Shisui said as he went over the possibilities in his head. Naruto's Futogan already had limitless possibilities as a means for recon and espionage. With this discovery, those possibilities were expanded. "Naruto, tomorrow I want you to use this ability on more of Gato's men. The more eyes we have on the inside, the better."

Naruto nodded. "I was planning on it," he said. "I just hope there isn't a limit to it," he rubbed the back of his head. "Suppose we'll find out soon enough."

Shisui nodded. Then he looked over the table for a second, then turned his attention to Tazuna. "Tazuna-San," he addressed the man. The bridge builder straightened up in his seat. "Are you planning to return to your bridge soon?"

Tazuna nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Tomorrow, in fact. I've been away long enough as is. The construction has been delayed because I was gone for so long."

Shisui nodded, understanding what the man meant. He would have preferred Tazuna to delay his return for a day. So that Shisui and the genin could secure the sit around the bridge. However, he suspected the man wouldn't hear anything about it. So, they would have to work around it.

"Alright then," Shisui said. He turned his attention to the genin at the table. "While Kurenai-San is recovering, I will act as mission leader. Any arguments against that?" He got no reply from the genin. "So, here's what we will do. First thing in the morning, as the sun is rising, we'll do some training for two hours. Zabuza and his accomplishments will be tough opponents to face, and who knows what or who else they'll bring to the fight. We'll need every advantage we can get, understood?"

"Hai sensei," the genin said one by one.

"Tazuna-San," Shisui looked at the bridge builder. "I would ask that you stay here until my genin finishes their training. When they do, two of them will escort you to the bridge. They'll stay with you until the day is finished and bring you back home. Is that okay?"

Tazuna nodded. "Fine by me," he said, taking a swing from a bottle. "So as long I get to build my bridge and stay alive, I don't care what you do."

Shisui nodded. "While Tazuna is being watched by the others," he said, looking back at the genin. "I want two or three of you scouting the town and the surrounding area. The rest of you are to stay here and keep an eye on the client's family. Gato or Zabuza might try something with them. Any questions?

The genin looked between each, silently going over a conversation. It was Sakura that looked at Shisui and asked a question. "Shisui -sensei," she addressed the Uchiha Jōnin.

"Yes, Sakura?" Shisui said. "What is it?"

Sakura had a pensive expression on her face, and it looked like she was biting the inside of her cheek. "What do we do if any of Gato's men try something?"

Shisui had a feeling about what she was asking about. In an undetectable motion, he glanced at Hinata as Naruto placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do something? He asked for clarity.

Sakura looked away from Shisui as a nervous expression morphed across her face. "Like they catch us and try to attack us." She elaborated. "Or what if they come for the house? What do we do then?"

The other genin were staring at him, waiting for an answer. Shisui closed his eyes and quickly went over his options. "Those are some good questions, Sakura," Shisui said, opening his eyes. "If Gato's men try anything, do what you must to defend yourselves. But remember why we are here, so don't do anything that will draw attention to us. Got that?" He got nods from the genin. Then he let out a breath. "That said, if you have to, you have my permission to use more permanent solutions."

At this declaration, the genin of Team-8 paled while Shisui's genin gave him stoic expressions. Sakura nodded slowly. "I," she said. "Yes, sensei." Her voice trailed off to a soft whisper.

Shisui gave the pink-haired girl a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Sakura," he said. "So as long we don't draw too much attention to ourselves, we should be fine." In fact, if everything went to plan, there would only be one death by the end of this mission. That was something he would have to discuss with his genin later. For now, information gathering would be key.

He looked over at Naruto. "Naruto, when you get back from scouting the town," he said to the blindfolded boy. "I want to set up traps around Tazuna's home and along the road leading to it. Then, after that, you and I will check out that road Sasuke and Kiba discovered."

"Okay, Sensei," Naruto said with a nod.

Shisui nodded back. "Okay, everyone," he said, looking over the table. "We're in for a big day tomorrow. So be sure to get plenty of rest."

Before the genin could say anything, an unfamiliar voice broke into the conversation. "It doesn't matter." Shisui blinked and looked at the source of the voice.

A young boy, if he recalled correctly, was named Inari. Tazuna's grandson. "I'm sorry I didn't quite hear that," Shisui said. "Can you say that again?"

"I said it doesn't matter," the boy said, glaring at everyone. "It doesn't matter what you do."

Shisui frowned an expression mirrored by most of the genin at the table. "What makes you say that, brat," Kiba said, glaring back at the boy.

"Because all of you are going to die."

Gato's hideout

Zabuza woke feeling like he had a round with a mountain and lost. The former Kiri swordsman tried to sit up, but his body was stiff and unresponsive.

"Take it slow, Zabuza-Sama," A familiar voice greeted the man. A soft hand was placed on his chest. "You've just woken up, and I'm still trying to treat you." Zabuza felt a sharp pain in his neck.

Zabuza turned his head to face Haku. He was about to ask her what was going on when his memories came flooding back in. He suppressed a low growl. "I lost to those Konoha-nin," he said, looking up at the ceiling.

"And you were almost killed by them," Haku added. "If I hadn't done something, they would be claiming your bounty right about now."

Zabuza glared up at the ceiling, clenching his teeth. "That something being killing me," he said. "Wasn't there anything else you could have done? Anything that wouldn't have left me in this sorry state," he looked back at his partner (tool), his inability to move anything else, empathizing his point.

Haku smiled down at him as she applied some ointment to his wounds. "I apologize, Zabuza-Sama," she said. "It was the only way to convince the Konoha-nin that you were dead."

Zabuza continued to glare at Haku for a second before he turned his gaze back up at the ceiling. "So, how long will I be like this?" He asked.

"A week, perhaps. Haku answered. "Death is no easy thing to recover from, not to mention the other wounds you suffered. Those Konoha Jōnin had you on the ropes."

Zabuza snorted. "I underestimated them," he said. "I won't make that mistake twice."

The pair heard a door opening and footsteps entering the room. Zabuza craned his neck up to see the unmistakable visage of his client, Gato. A pair of bodyguards were behind him. The short man had a frown on his face. "Well, it's good to see you alive and well, Zabuza," he said.

Zabuza was glade for the wrappings around his mouth. They hide the snarl on his lips. "Gato," he greeted the man. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Gato gave him a crooked smile. "Just to see how you were doing," he said, walking up to Zabuza, his guards close behind him. "And to congratulate you on a job well done."

His smile melted away into an angry frown. "That is if you had done your job," the short man snarled. "The bridge builder is still alive. Explain yourself."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Haku tense up. "I ran into some unexpected trouble trying to eliminate the man."

Gato's eyes narrowed at Zabuza. "Unexpected trouble, you say?" He asked.

Zabuza continued to glare at the diminutive businessman. "The bridge builder has hired a group of shinobi from Konoha to protect him," he said.

Gato furrowed his brow as a frown crossed his mouth. "Where did he get the money for that?" Gato asked.

Zabuza shrugged, or as best as he could, given his current state. "Don't know, don't care," he said.

That wasn't the answer Gato wanted to hear. "Well, it doesn't matter if the bastard hired a bunch of tree-huggers," he spat out. "You're supposed to be the demon of the mist. Not the coward of the mist, running away like that. I paid good money to see that bridge builder dead! But now I'm getting word that not only has he returned to this country but is now resuming his work on that bridge of his. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Zabuza snorted. "I assure you that your bridge builder will die," he said. "His blood will be sprayed all over that precious bridge of his, and you will have your warning sign for anyone who stands against you. The Konoha-nin will join him if they get in my way."

Now, it was Gato's turn to snort. "And how will you do that?" Gato asked, stepping up to Zabuza's bed. "Given the sorry state you're in. Why even I could." The short man reached his hand to for Zabuza's neck.

In a flash of movement, Haku grabbed the man's arm. "Don't you dare touch him," she growled. Then she tightened her grip so Zabuza could hear the bones in the man's arm cracking.

"You're breaking it!" Gato shouted out in pain.

Gato's men were quick to react as they drew their swords. But before they could attack, Haku appeared between the two, grabbing their swords and pressing the blades to their necks. "Don't even try me," she said coldly. "I'm in a foul mood today."

Zabuza snorted, pathic excuses for human beings these men were. "Haku," he said evenly. "That's enough."

Haku continued to hold the swords to the men's necks for a second. She huffed and the swords to the floor. A moment later, she was at Zabuza's bedside again.

Gato glared at the pair of shinobi as he held his arm. "One more chance," he said through his teeth. "I'm only giving you one more chance to kill that bridge builder. If you fail, I'm cutting you off. Are we clear?"

"Cystal," Zabuza said. Gato snorted and turned around. When the door shut behind Gato and his men, Zabuza turned his gaze back to Haku. "You didn't have to do that," he told the girl. Under his bed sheets, his fingers curled around the kunai.

Haku smiled at him. "If we kill him now, it will only draw attention to us," she said. "If they get wind of us. They'll be after us again."

Zabuza huffed. "I can handle the hunter-nin," he said.

Haku placed her hand over where Zabuza's was. "Be patient," she said. "We'll get our chance to kill Gato and take his wealth for ourselves. Then we will be one step closer to our goal."

Zabuza looked at Haku. "Our goal?" He repeated.

A breath escaped from the girl. "Your goal, Zabuza-Sama," she corrected herself. "Now rest. Without it, you won't be able to assassinate anyone, Gato or a bridge builder."

"Pushy as always," Zabuza said. "Keep an eye on Gato. He may try something. And be on the lookout for the Konoha-nin. The first team may be green as hell, but their reinforcements have a different air about them."

Haku nodded. "I understand, Zabuza-Sama," she said. "Now rest."

Zabuza snorted but did as she said. One week, he silently said to the Konoha-nin. One week and I'm coming for that bridge builder. If the Konoha-nin got in his way again, then he would show them what a demon really looked like.

Gato was still rubbing his arm. "Damn girl," he said. "She'll pay for this."

"You should have let us finish them, boss," one of his guards said. "Especially after what that little bitch did to you."

"Yeah, boss," the other said. "We can still do that if you like."

"No," Gato said forcefully. "If we kill them off now, then we'll still have the Konoha-nin to deal with."

"Oh, come, boss," Guard # 1 said. "They're just a bunch of kids and a woman. "We can take them."

"And this is why I'm the one that does the thinking here," Gato said mockingly. "Kids or not, they're still shinobi. And they are being led by two Jōnin. No, let Zabuza recover and handle them." Then, a twisted smile spreads across his face. "Then, once they are weak, then we can step in and finish them."

With them gone and the bridge builder dead, no one would oppose him ever again. Wave was his.