Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version

Hello Everyone, welcome to the first chapter in the third arc. I've gone back over this and edited it to reflect any changes made in the first two arcs. Not much else to say.

On with the story!

Arc III: Land of Waves Escort Mission:

Chapter 15: Journey to the Land of Waves, the First Real Mission!

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Naruto, alongside his sensei and Sasuki, stood off to the side as they watched Sakura training her medical skills. She performed a swift set of hand seals, and her hands were enveloped in a whirring green miasma of chakra. Sakura held them over a large, dead-looking trout on the table before her. Her brow was knit together in severe concentration.

"Come on, just one more time. Breath, you stupid fish!" Sakura panted. Naruto's practiced eye caught the slight twitch of the trout's tail. An instant later the fishes mouth and gills began to gape as it flopped around madly. Sakura smiled in success.

Kakashi clapped lightly at the accomplishment. "Very good, Sakura. You've come a long way in two months. That only took fifteen seconds," he said. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Indeed." Naruto was impressed with her determination, not only in perfecting the jutsu, but in building all her skills. Sakura's reserves had nearly tripled in the short time they had been a team, and Kakashi had even begun to teach her about elemental jutsu.

Sakura looked at Sasuki shyly. "What about you, Sasuki? Do you think I've gotten better?" She asked.

"Hn, I guess you're not quite as useless as before. But you're still the weakest link," Sasuki answered dismissively. Sakura's expression fell for a fleeting second, but she was smiling again a second later.

"Oh well, guess I just have to train harder!" She declared. Kakashi smiled at her.

"That's the spirit." Kakashi said encouragingly. He then looked at them with his one eye curled in amusement and cleared his throat. When he was sure they were paying attention, he spoke.

"Now, in light of Sakura's most recent accomplishment, I've got a bit of a surprise for you all," He said. They looked at him intently. "I think it's time we took a C-rank mission," Kakashi told them. Naruto and his teammates reacted with joy. Sakura gave a big "Yay!", and Sasuki smirked eagerly. Naruto himself felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Finally, no more chores! They had been performing D-rank missions–or as he liked to call them, daily time wasters–at least once a day since they had become a team. The D-ranks were dull, dreary work, and each task had begun to erode away Naruto's patience.

"I don't know what you're so excited about. It's not like you're going to find any challenge in a C-rank. I doubt you'll even find someone worth killing on one of those."Nine-Tails complained. Naruto rolled his eyes.

'Not everybody is as bloodthirsty as you. Besides, it's better than sitting around the village and doing manual labor.' Naruto shot back. Kurama grunted in agreement.

"Anyways, why don't you all go home and wash up. I'll meet you in front of the mission assignment building at two o'clock," Kakashi commanded. He gave a cheery wave goodbye, and then disappeared in a large cloud of smoke.

"Well, see you in a bit," Said Sakura cheerfully. She turned and dashed away. That left just Naruto and Sasuki.

"I suppose we should leave too; I guess I'll see you at the meeting hall." He said.

Sasuki nodded in agreement. "See you later." She said.

With that, she turned to begin walking towards her home at a sedate pace. As she left, Naruto heard her mutter, "Finally, a real mission. I was getting tired of all the chores."

He watched her disappear into the foliage, and then made his own exit by disappearing in a flicker of speed.

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After taking a quick shower and eating lunch at Ichiraku's Ramen, Naruto was the first to arrive outside the building that held the mission assignment desk. His teammates arrived shortly after, and after their sensei joined them, Naruto led the team into the room beyond the entrance; a large wood-lined space with a quaint feel to it. The word for shinobi was painted in a giant black kanji on the ceiling, with two stick-like lights on either side, to light the room when the light from the floor-to-ceiling windows wasn't sufficient.

On their way to the desk, the team passed a small sliding door to the right

Sitting at a long table situated in front of one of those rows of windows, was the Hokage and several other ninjas, one of which was Iruka. Naruto gave Iruka a slight nod, which he returned. The table in front of them was piled with mission scrolls. Naruto bowed politely to his grandfather figure alongside his teammates.

The Hokage smiled at them warmly. "Ah, Team 7. Are you here for your daily mission?" He asked pleasantly.

Kakashi shook his head in the negative. "Not exactly, Lord Hokage. Remember our conversation about my team taking on more difficult missions?" He questioned. Hurizen's mouth formed into a silent 'ah'.

"Are you sure they're ready for a C-ranked mission this early, Kakashi?" He asked Kakashi as he sized them up with calculating gaze. The silver-haired jonin nodded without hesitation, and muttering quickly broke out amongst the other ninja assigning missions.

Naruto stood calm and collected while he was being scrutinized by Gramps–well, more like his teammates were being scrutinized. Apparently, the old man was impressed with what he saw. "Hmm, very well." He said. The other shinobi at the table looked at him as if he had grown a second head. Iruka in particular seemed uncertain, he was looking at Sakura with worry.

"Uh-um, are you sure that's a good idea, Lord Third?" He asked hesitantly. The Hokage arched one of his grizzled white eyebrows at the man. "I mean; don't you think they should have a bit more time to improve their skills?" Iruka clarified.

Naruto looked at Iruka sharply, and silently pleaded for the man to cease his worrying. He finally had a chance to move beyond the tedious chores that were D-ranks, and he didn't want it to be messed up. 'I swear, even if I am fond of him, if Iruka-sensei costs me this chance, I'm going to use him as a practice dummy for my next jutsu!' Naruto thought frustratedly to himself. Kurama snickered in amusement.

Luckily–both for him and Iruka–the Hokage didn't seem swayed by the objection. He waved off Iruka off, and said, "I'm confident that these three can handle themselves on a more advanced mission."

Iruka still didn't seem completely convinced, nor did all the other mission assigners.

The Hokage ignored them and scanned the pile of C-rank mission scrolls before him. Naruto watched with hungry eyes. Hiruzen hummed in thought, and then plucked a scroll from the pile. "This should do for a first time," He said. He handed the scroll to one of his helpers, who recorded the mission and who it was assigned to. When the helper was finished, he handed Kakashi a copy of the scroll. The silver-haired man read it while the Hokage briefly explained the mission.

"The mission is a routine protection mission. Your client is a highly respected bridge builder from the Land of Waves. You'll be escorting him home, and then guarding him as he finishes his latest bridge. There shouldn't be too much trouble." He told them

"Hmm, yes, it seems simple enough," Kakashi agreed. "We'll accept the mission," He said as he rolled up the scroll.

Hiruzen nodded with a smile. "Good, good. Then I'll bring him in now," He said. He raised his voice and called out.

"Bring in Mr. Tazuna!" Naruto's head turned to the door they had passed on their way in. It led to a small room where clients would wait for their mission to be chosen. There was a shuffling on the opposite side, and a moment later it slid open with a–clack–and an elderly man stepped into the doorway.

His appearance was not what Naruto had been expecting. The man had grey hair, with a big beard and dark eyes behind his spectacles. A rope was tied around his forehead, and his clothes were worn from hard work. Clutched in his hand was a small drinking gourd, and from the strong smell of alcohol wafting from it, it was full of sake. Tazuna had obviously had more than a bit of the drink, because he had to lean on the doorway for support.

"Huh, what's this?" He asked with a slur. His voice was gruff and surly. "I thought I ordered ninja, not a group of snot-nosed brats and a scarecrow babysitting them." Tazuna complained. Naruto looked at the man coldly. Beside him, he could feel Sasuki bristle angrily, not that he could blame her. In just the one sentence Tazuna had managed to both belittle and insult her, two things Sasuki hated. It would be impressive if it wasn't so foolish.

Kakashi, who didn't seem affected Tazuna's words, tried to smooth things over. "I can assure you Mr. Tazuna, my students are far more than capable of protecting you. Even if they're not, I'll be there as well, so there's no need to worry." he said placatingly with one of his eye-smiles.

Tazuna grunted, unimpressed. He took another swig of sake and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "They had better be," He grumbled. The bridge builder glared at them. "Alright, listen up you brats. I paid good money for this mission, so I don't care if two of you 're nothing but a couple of wimpy girls and some pretty boy with a tin sword; I expect you to protect me with your lives."

Tazuna's rude demand left Naruto severely irritated, and his teammates pissed off. Sasuki made to lunge at the man and Naruto had to hold her back with a calming hand on her shoulder. She shot him a withering glare, but he ignored it. "Calm down. We can't attack a client," He reasoned. She growled in annoyance. Naruto patted her shoulder reassuringly, and whispered so only she could hear, "I know how you feel, but it isn't worth the trouble. Besides, you shouldn't care what an old drunk thinks." Sasuki snorted in amusement. She gave him a grudging nod of agreement. He glanced at Kakashi, who gave him a grateful tilt of the head

Kakashi cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyways. Mr. Tazuna, we'll meet you at the main gate at eight o'clock tomorrow. That is, if you still want our protection," Said Kakashi.

The bridge builder heaved a great sigh, but ultimately nodded. "Aye, I'll take your protection." With that, he turned and left the way he came. The team was left alone save for the Hokage and his assistants. Kakashi turned to them with a surprisingly serious look in his eye. It was unusual for him to take anything seriously.

"Alright, as I just told Tazuna, we'll be leaving at eight o'clock. I'll expect you to be packed and ready. Make sure you have supplies for at least a month. Is that understood." Naruto and his teammates nodded. Kakashi smiled at them. "Good, then I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow," He said.

After that the team began to make their way out of the mission hall. At the entrance, they split off and went their separate ways. Kakashi and Sakura went to the right, towards their downtown apartment and family home respectively. Sasuki continued straight ahead in the direction of her apartment. Naruto himself turned to the left and made his way back to his own apartment. There was a pit of excitement in his stomach. Tomorrow he would finally get a new mission.

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The next morning the team met up at the villages main gates. To Naruto's surprise, even Kakashi was on time. He was waiting for them off to the side of the gates, chatting with the client. When they approached, he looked up and smiled. "Good, you're all here," He said brightly. Kakashi stopped to examine them before they departed. Once he had determined that all three of them had the supplies they needed–Sakura and Sasuki in their packs, and Naruto in his storage seals–the group set out on their journey. They arranged themselves around the bridge builder in a diamond formation, with Sasuki at the head, Kakashi in the back, and Sakura and himself on either side.

Naruto found the trek quite pleasant. The sun shone brightly overhead, and a pleasant breeze kept them cool. They were surrounded on both sides of the path by the serene forests that made up the Land of Fire. Due to Tazuna, they were forced to travel at a slower speed than they usually would. It would take them just over a day to reach the southern coast of the Land of Fire, where they would catch a boat to Tazuna's homeland.

Everything was rather uneventful and seemed to be going well. That is, until Naruto spotted something odd down the road.

They were crossing a sturdy wooden bridge over one of the many murmuring creeks that crisscrossed the countryside, when he noticed a puddle of water in the road ahead.

A puddle when it hadn't rained for weeks? Not likely. Naruto immediately stretched out his senses, and to his alarm, he found two chunin level chakra signatures in the puddle.

A trap!

He quickly turned to Kakashi and opened his mouth to warn him.

To his surprise, he found that Kakashi had noticed the puddle as well and was watching it out of the corner of his eye. He turned his gaze from it for just long enough to give Naruto a subtle shake of the head. Naruto understood the silent order. Don't do anything. His every instinct was screaming at him to prepare for an attack, but he forced it down and waited for the inevitable.

It didn't take very long. As soon as Kakashi had passed by the puddle they attacked. Two black-haired men rose from the puddle like silent wraiths and rushed Kakashi. They were dressed in brownish-grey camouflage, with re-breathers covering their mouths, and strange horned forehead protectors, with two massive, clawed gauntlets on their left and right hands respectively. A chain made of shuriken snaked from their gauntlets, and wrapped Kakashi within its barbed grasp. With one sharp tug, Kakashi appeared to be torn to pieces. Blood and body segments littered the earth.

"One little piggy down, four to go," one of them cackled maliciously. The two continued their fierce charge towards the group.

Naruto felt like cursing. He could recognize their attackers easily from the bingo book; the Demon Brothers. He reacted in a split second, and ignored the carnage he had just witnessed.

While his teammates were still shaken by Kakashi's apparent death, Naruto quickly began to bark orders. "Sakura, quick, protect Tazuna. Take him underground if you have to. Sasuki, with me!" His words snapped his teammates out of their shock, and they immediately scrambled to follow his orders.

With Sasuki by his side, Naruto rushed to meet the Demon Brothers charge. Sasuki launched a kunai and a shuriken at the chain. They flew with expert accuracy, and pinned their chain to a tree. Naruto and Sasuki rushed in to take advantage while the brothers were tugging at the chain in a vain attempt to free it.

Naruto, took the brother with the single horn on his forehead protector, Gozu, if he remembered correctly. He launched a devastating kick at the man's jaw. It landed with crushing force, and forced him to release the chain from his gauntlet, lest his arm be ripped out of his socket. Gozu managed to use the momentum from Naruto's kick to roll himself into a crouch.

"Quick, get the bridge builder!" He ordered his brother, who was in a similar position. They made another mad dash for Tazuna, but this time Naruto was more prepared. With a few hand seals, two crackling yellow energy ropes were created in his hands.

"Crawling Rope!" Naruto deftly threw the ropes at the brothers, who were too surprised to avoid them. The ropes wound around them and brought them to a skidding halt face-first.

A tense silence settled over the road. With his adrenaline pumping, Naruto cautiously approached the two brothers.

"Dammit, what the hell is this jutsu?" Cursed the brother with the two horns, Meizu. He and his brother were squirming to get out of their bindings.

Naruto looked at them with an emotionless expression. "You can stop struggling. My Crawling Rope barrier blocks off your chakra, so there's no escape," He said teasingly. Slowly the brothers struggling died down. They settled for glaring at him impotently. Sakura and Sasuki moved to join him. Together, the three stared down at the brothers.

"Hmm, nice job incapacitating them," Kakashi complimented, as he popped up behind them. Naruto simply rose an eyebrow at his theatrics. Sakura, on the other hand, gaped in surprise.

"I see you're still alive," Sasuki said coldly.

"Jeez, you almost sound disappointed." Kakashi said jokingly. Sakura growled and slapped him on the arm.

"Don't scare us like that sensei! If you were still alive, why didn't you help?" She asked angrily. Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly.

"I knew you guys could handle it," He turned to Tazuna with a serious look in his eye. "Besides, I had to figure out who their target was," He said seriously. Naruto's eyes narrowed as well. They had gone straight for the bridge builder. Something about this job was off, and he didn't like it.

Tazuna shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "What are you talking about?" He asked nervously. Kakashi started to glare harshly.

"I had to know if they were after us–not unlikely, considering that we have some high profile members on our team–or you," He explained. Naruto put the pieces together, even as Kakashi voiced what he was thinking. "You lied when you applied for this mission, Mr. Tazuna. You asked for simple protection from robbers and highwaymen. Now explain why there are ninja after you, or I'll end the mission right here." Kakashi said threateningly.

Tazuna's shoulders slumped and he heaved a great sigh. "I suppose I've got no choice," He said resignedly. He told them of his countries struggle, how they were under the thumb of a business magnate named Gato. Naruto's lip curled in disgust at the name. His grandfather had a decent information network when he was alive. Naruto had heard of Gato. The man dealt in drug and slave trafficking in secret, while pretending to be a legitimate businessman. Tazuna also explained what his bridge would mean for the country, and how Gato wanted to kill him so he would finally have an ironclad grip on the Land of Waves. By the time he was done, the entire team was frowning deeply, and Tazuna was looking at them pleadingly.

"I'm sorry Mr. Tazuna, but I can't take my team on this mission. With this information, it has clearly escalated to an A-rank mission. That's something they're not ready for yet," Kakashi said regretfully. Tazuna's pleading expression fell.

"I understand," He said softly. Naruto frowned. He didn't feel right just abandoning the mission. Leaving Gato to roam free in the Land of Waves … didn't sit right with him.

"Let's not be so hasty, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said calmly. Kakashi gave him a look that clearly said 'continue'. Naruto pressed on, "We both know that with you and me on the mission, the chances of success are virtually guaranteed. It's not right to just leave the country defenseless." He told him. Kakashi nodded reluctantly.

"What are you suggesting that we disregard protocol and continue?" He asked.

Naruto shook his head.

"No, I'm saying that we ask permission. I'm sure Gramps wouldn't be averse to some sort of deal. We have to send word to have a team of Anbu come and pick up the Demon Brothers anyway, so why not also ask for permission to continue the mission as well," Naruto reasoned. Sakura and Sasuki voiced their agreement, and Kakashi placed his chin in his hand in and thought the idea over. Finally, he relented with a large sigh.

"Fine, It's late afternoon anyways. It'll start to get dark soon, so we might as well make camp and wait for the Anbu to arrive." Kakashi quickly bit his thumb, and summoned one of his ninja dogs, a pug by the name of Pakkun. He was sent off with a scroll for the Hokage, requesting for the retrieval of the brothers, and permission to continue the mission. After he had sent off his summon, Kakashi began to tie up the Demon Brothers with actual ninja wires. When he was done, he slung them over his shoulders.

"Alright, let's go make camp," He ordered.

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When they made camp, the team chose a spot next to a river with good visibility. To their back was the river itself, full of crystal clear water with a rock-lined bottom. On the other side of the river, was a plain that continued until it met a set of mountains. To the North and South were the banks of the river, a wide open area that stretched into the distance. Finally, there was the only conceivable way for someone to sneak up on them, the forest to the front, and Naruto had taken care of that by placing clones transformed to look like ordinary rocks at random spots in a fifty-yard radius around camp. After the spot was chosen, and the defenses put in place, they set up the camp proper. The bed rolls were rolled out and put into place around a smokeless fire Sakura and Sasuki built out of carefully selected materials, and a small fire jutsu.

Naruto was sitting in front of the fire with his eyes closed. He was waiting for any information to arrive from his clones on lookout, and keeping an eye on the Demon Brothers, who were unconscious and tied to a tree on the edge of the camp. Naruto could suddenly feel someone looking at him.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Tazuna?" He asked without turning around. Tazuna gasped in surprise.

"How did you know it was me?" questioned Tazuna in astonishment. Naruto chuckled at Tazuna's obliviousness.

"Sakura and Sasuki are out hunting for our dinner, and Kakashi is in a tree nearby reading his smut. That leaves only you," Naruto explained. Luckily, Tazuna didn't pick up on it.

"Oh," the bridge builder said blankly. Naruto heard a rustle of cloth as Tazuna sat down across from him. There was silence. Naruto could tell the man wanted to ask him something, and he had a pretty good idea what. Finally, Tazuna broke his silence. "Tell me, why did you convince the others to continue the mission? I could tell that they were ready to end it. Your sensei wanted to follow protocol, and that pink-haired teammate of yours was uncertain until you spoke. And don't even get me started on that moody girl. I can tell she didn't give two shits about our country. So tell me, what makes you different?" Tazuna asked seriously.

Naruto frowned at the man's description of Sasuki, but couldn't really refute it. He wanted to defend her, explain what she had been through to become like that. But he knew it wasn't his place. Instead, he settled for answering the man's question.

"It's like I told Kakashi. It wouldn't be right to just let Gato run roughshod over your country. Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly care about you personally, at least, not beyond the mission. You should not have lied. The Hokage is a very reasonable man. He would have struck an agreement with you for some alternative form of compensation," Naruto said sternly. Tazuna's head dropped in shame. Naruto saw his look of remorse, and relented slightly. "Be that as it may, like I said, I know what kind of man Gato is." Naruto's eyes grew cold, and he glared into the fire. "He is a man possessed by greed. His hunger for money is insatiable, and he will do anything to feed that hunger. Anyone who gets in his way is killed in the most brutal and humiliating manner he can think of. Gato is the worst kind of scum, and the world would be better off without his filth. Someone needs to deal with him, permanently," Naruto said darkly.

Tazuna shivered at his tone. He took an unsteady swig of alcohol to calm his nerves. "Ya know, for a kid so young, you sure seem comfortable with the idea of killing. It's pretty unnerving if ya ask me."

Naruto wore an emotionless. mask. His eyes were tracking the writhing tongues of flame in the fire. "Unlike my teammates, I've already killed. It was long ago in self-defense. I've had a lot of time to reconcile that part of shinobi life," He said softly.

He didn't relish the idea of killing people, but he knew it was a reality of their profession. That was something he had to recon with after killing that Hidden Cloud shinobi on accident. Not to mention, if his grandfather's theories turned out to be right, it would be kill or be killed for him eventually.

After that they didn't speak anymore. Soon enough, Sakura and Sasuki had returned with several dead rabbits, and Naruto took the duty of cooking them. He deftly skinned and cleaned the rabbits, and then put them on spits to roast over the fire. Not long after he had begun to cook the meat, Naruto suddenly got a rush of memories from one of his outermost clones. A flash of images, including a group of ninja in grey vests and bone-white animal masks. His head suddenly snapped in the direction of the forest, and he stared into the trees intently. His teammates noticed his reaction, and tensed in preparation to defend themselves.

"What is it Naruto, did one of your clones see something?" Kakashi asked warily. Naruto nodded calmly.

"Yes, one of the clones furthest out spotted the Anbu team we sent for. There's four of them. They're being led by a cat-masked female Anbu with purple hair. They should be here in less than a minute," He replied. Everyone relaxed and prepared to meet their visitors. 'Nine-Tails can you sense anything from them? Anything that might suggest they're not Anbu?'

Inside his head, he heard a grunt. "Can't you do anything by yourself brat?" The fox groused. Nevertheless, he answered Naruto's question. "There's no negative emotions coming from them, so I'd guess they're real." Naruto nodded silently at the fox's assessment, and focused back on his team. While he had been conversing with Kurama, Kakashi stroked his chin in thought.

"Hmm, sounds like Yugao and her team. Good," said Kakashi, relieved.

True to Naruto's prediction, the four Anbu arrived in less than a minute. They first appeared as shadows flitting in-between the trees. When they alighted in the clearing, they landed swiftly and silently. The leader, Yugao, approached Kakashi and bowed her head respectfully.

Kakashi chuckled, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "No need to bow to me Yugao. I'm no longer your captain. It's good to see you," He said.

Yugao straightened up and nodded. "It's good to see you too, captain." There was a hint of teasing in her voice. Kakashi gave her a disgruntled look, but otherwise ignored the jab.

While he was watching the byplay between Kakashi and his apparent former subordinate, Naruto noticed that in the background Yugao's team was securing the Demon Brothers. Yugao glanced back at the brothers as her subordinate's called out to her.

"Prisoners secured, ma'am," A rabbit masked Anbu said. Yugao nodded in acknowledgment.

"Very well, prepare to transport them, we'll be leaving momentarily," she commanded. The rabbit masked man nodded. Yugao turned back to Kakashi, pulled out a scroll from her pouch. "Lord Hokage received your request, and has agreed to allow you to continue the mission, with the condition that Mr. Tazuna reimburse the Leaf for the price of two A-rank missions, in compensation for his deception. You're allowed to do anything you deem necessary to protect Tazuna and the Land of Waves, including and up to removing Gato and his foothold in Wave. There are a few other things, but you'll find them all in the scroll," Yugao explained.

Kakashi took the scroll and nodded sedately. "I assume by 'remove', you mean assassinate Gato and his army of thugs?" he asked dryly. Yugao nodded. "Hmm, I don't have an issue with it, what about you, Mr. Tazuna?"

Tazuna nodded rapidly. He looked ecstatic, like he couldn't believe what was happening. "Yes, of course I'll agree. Any price is worth finally being out from under Gato's thumb," He agreed.

"Very well, I'll inform Lord Hokage of your agreement. I wish you all luck on your mission," said Yugao. She looked specifically at Naruto and his teammates. No doubt she was questioning why the Hokage was allowing them on such a dangerous mission. Naruto couldn't blame her. Yugao motioned to her team to move out, and just like they arrived, they left; silent, like shadows flitting amongst the trees.

Naruto returned to the fire, and finished cooking the rabbits. The meal was what you'd expect of a camp dinner. The food wasn't anything elaborate, but it was tasty and filling. After dinner they set up guard shifts. With Sakura settling in for her shift on guard duty, the rest of them went to bed.

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Naruto woke the team up as soon as he saw the sun began to rise.

Once everyone was awake, they quickly packed up and erased all signs of their presence there, and then departed. The closer they got to the ocean, the cooler the air got. By the time they had arrived at the shore where they were to meet their boatman, goose bumps had risen on Naruto's arms from the cold. He peered intently into the mist that hung over the water. Through the mist, he could make out the hazy form of a worn wooden skiff being rowed into shore. The man rowing was a rugged-looking middle aged man. He wore a hat similar to Tazuna. After the man beached the skiff on the shore, Tazuna went up and greeted him.

"Thank you for doing this, I know it's a risk," he said gratefully. The man nodded silently and motioned for them to get in the skiff. Everyone piled in quickly. The boatman used his oar to push the skiff off of the shore and into the gentle waters of the channel that separated the mainland from the Land of Waves. The tide was calm, and allowed the skiff to cleave through the water swiftly.

A hulking shape loomed in the mist ahead of them. It took Naruto a moment to realize what it was. Towering above them was a massive half-finished bridge made of concrete, bigger than any bridge he'd ever seen. A massive crane and skeletal platforms of scaffolding towered over it. They passed within an arm's reach of concrete pilings the thickness of a maple tree.

Their boatman guided the skiff through a stone-lined tunnel, and into a small harbor. When they exited the tunnel, the mist was clear for the first time that morning, and Naruto got his first look at the Land of Waves. There were several mangrove trees growing out of the sea water. The buildings looked worn down, with roofs made of rough wooden shingles, and their paint was faded. Their guide pulled up to a beat up dock next to a closed down shop, and let them off. Tazuna thanked the man once more, and then the boatman quickly hurried off. Once he was gone, Tazuna turned to them, and said gruffly, "Alright, my house is only about an hour's walk from here. I expect you to get me there safely."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. He took the lead, and led them into the forest outside of the apparently deserted town. Everything was fine for a little while. The sun was out and shining, but it was still cool. But Naruto noticed something strange.

The animals had stopped making noise. That put him on guard. Animals only went quiet in the presence of a predator. He surreptitiously looked at his surroundings. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a movement. In a flash he had a kunai in his hand.

"What is it, did you see something?" Kakashi asked quickly. They had come to a standstill as the ninjas eyes began to dart about. Naruto shook his head.

"No, there's something … off," He replied.

Kakashi nodded in understanding, and put his book away. His eye traveled lazily around the clearing. It finally locked on to a bush on the left side of the path. With precision, he whipped out a kunai, and sent it hurtling into the bushes. They waited for something to happen. For a second, Naruto wondered whether he had imagined everything. That doubt died when a terrified white rabbit came racing out of the bushes a few tense moments later. Sakura and Sasuki began to relax their guards, but Naruto and Kakashi met each other's eyes.

"Kakashi," Naruto said in concern. The Jonin nodded. The rabbit was a snow hare; it's fur only turned white in winter. With it being late spring, there was only one reason a rabbit would have a coat like that still. It was raised inside.

"I know. Prepare yourselves we're about to–" Kakashi stopped abruptly and shouted, "GET DOWN!" They obeyed, and not a second too soon.

Just as they hit the deck, a massive cleaver sword came cutting through the air. The huge blade continued on over their heads and cleaved halfway through the trunk of a tree, before becoming stuck. A large black-haired man, with white bandages tied tightly around his lower face, appeared like a ghost, and landed softly on the swords long hilt. The man looked over his shoulder and glared at them with cold, menacing brown eyes. Four squiggly lines on his sideways forehead protector marked his allegiance. The long cloth of his headband fluttered in the breeze. His back, which was facing them, was bare save for a belt to strap his huge blade to. He wore pin-striped shinobi pants, with matching camouflage arm and leg warmers.

Naruto recognized the man immediately. He had been in the bingo books Gramps Sarutobi gave him for as long as he could remember. Kakashi strolled forward with his hands in his pockets. "Well, well. Zabuza Momochi. Missing ninja from the Mist," He said casually. Naruto tensed when he saw Kakashi reach for the headband pulled down over his left eye. "I suppose I'll need this if we'll be fighting you."

"Kakashi Hatake, of the Sharingan. Hand over the old man." Zabuza demanded. Sasuki tensed on the other side of Tazuna. Naruto could only imagine what was going through her head.

"Quick, manji formation! I want you to protect the bridge builder," Kakashi ordered them. The three genin quickly moved in front of Tazuna in a protective formation. Naruto gripped the hilt of Senbonzakura tightly in preparation to draw it.

Kakashi slowly pulled his forehead protector up onto his forehead, and opened his Sharingan eye. Zabuza saw the eye and turned to face them fully. "The Sharingan. I'll get to see it in battle. It's and honor."

Sakura gave Naruto and Sasuki a confused look. "The Sharingan is the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan, right?" Sasuki nodded sharply. Sakura stared at the back of Kakashi's head. "Then how come Sensei has one? And what exactly does it do?" Sasuki didn't answer. She still seemed too shocked by the revelation of Kakashi's Sharingan to speak, so Naruto answered for her.

"Kakashi's eye is implanted. As for what it does, the Sharingan allows the user to comprehend and copy any technique that they see their opponent use. But that's just what's commonly known, there's much more to its power than that," He explained. Zabuza looked at him appraisingly.

"That's right boy. That eye can perceive any technique, and then copy it perfectly," said Zabuza. "As for you, Kakashi, back in the Mist, we had orders to kill you on sight. Our bingo book said you were the man who copied a thousand jutsu. Kakashi, the Copy Ninja."

The two jonin stared each other down. Mist began to gather in the air once more. Slowly, killing intent began to leak from Zabuza. It washed over them in potent waves. Naruto easily shrugged it off. It was nothing compared to his grandfather, or Kurama for that matter. Sakura and Sasuki weren't so lucky. They began to sweat under the heavy pressure. "I think we've talked enough. You're obviously not going to give the old man up, so I'll kill you, and those brats. And then I'll take the bridge builders head"

Zabuza crouched down and ripped his sword from the tree. he vanished in a burst of speed, and reappeared on top of the water. His sword was strapped to his back, and his hands were held in to half ram seals, one at chest level, and one held above his head.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Zabuza cried.

-x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, another chapter down in the re-work. Just a few more to go.

Next Time: Calm in the Face of a Demon, Zabuza's Folly!

Well, that's all for now.

So, til next time,

RinneTaicho, Signing off!