Morning…
Everyone was enjoying breakfast when Kakashi and Neji noticed something was off. The Chunin looked to the Jonin who nodded firmly.
The Hyuga activated his Dojutsu. "Byakugan!" The veins near his eyes bulged as he used his eyes' visual prowess to see beyond the walls of the house. "They're here."
Those words seemed to catch everyone's attention before Kakashi took charge. "Neji and Naruto, stay inside. Defend the client and his family." He moved towards the door. "Everyone else, with me."
Hinata, Sasuke, and Goku formed up with Kakashi at the door while Naruto and Neji began moving the family to the middle of the largest room of the house. There they'd form a two-man Manji Formation around the three of them.
Outside
Kakashi and his three Genin stepped out as Zabuza, along with an accomplice they assumed was the Tracker-Nin, body flickered in. Rather than the clothes she, most assumed by appearance, wore before, Zabuza's accomplice was maskless with a pink, sleeveless kimono on.
"Even with the opinion I have of you Zabuza, I didn't think you low enough to target the bridge builder at his home." Kakashi declared firmly, his hand position over his headband. "To attack while he is with his vulnerable daughter and a child is cowardly."
"You misunderstand." Zabuza clearly did not like that insinuation, but it was his accomplice who spoke up. "We did not come to attack; we are here to surrender."
Kakashi narrowed his one, visible eye. "What reason?"
"Yeah, I don't buy it either." Sasuke voiced, his hand on the hilt of his saber. "I might as well cut you both down where you stand."
"If you try to lay a finger on master Zabuza, I will fill you full of senbon." The girl threatened.
"You must be the masked assailant." Hinata voiced before shifting focus to Zabuza. "She's got great prowess, but you brought her within my Taijutsu range. That's not smart."
"Actually, I'm a boy and my name is Haku." The, now known and named, guy voiced.
That made things awkward, but this was still quite the situation.
"We're not stupid." Zabuza finally spoke. "We're surrendering because continuing this fight wouldn't be worth it. I've played every angle in my head, yet you lot outnumber us three to one.
With the skills you've displayed, it's likely I, Haku, or both of us would end up dead."
"Without you two, all Gato has is his bandits." Kakashi realized something in this moment. "Given our last encounter, he knows you can't win, but he doesn't need that. Gato will send you in with hopes of killing or at least weakening us.
"In essence, he's hoping we'll pick each other off to the point his bandits can finish what remains." Hinata reasoned.
"That Gato is a real lowlife." Goku commented.
"Rather than play into what Gato wants, I have a deal in mind that should work for everyone but him." Zabuza voiced.
"I'm listening…" Kakashi replied genuinely.
Gato's Hideout: Later…
Zabuza entered the main room of the hideout with Tazuna and Tsunami's corpses slung over his shoulders. He was followed Haku, back in his prior attire and mask, who dragged Inari's corpse. They walked through bandits and up to Gato, who was flanked by two of them.
The man in question had shaggy brown hair and a pair of small, circular black glasses. He wore a black suit with a purple tie, a yellow shirt underneath his coat, and closed-toed shoes. He also had a cast from when Haku broke an arm.
The Shinobi dumped the three corpses at Gato's feet before Zabuza spoke. "I got the bridge builder, his daughter, and their brat for good measure." He was grumbling. "I expect hazard pay since I sprained my wrist doing all those hand seals to put the Leaf Shinobi under Genjutsu."
"I'm sure it was all very difficult for you." Gato declared sardonically.
He then slid a briefcase full of money over the Shinobi's way. Given the lack of injury to both, he knew it'd be unwise not to pay them, like he'd been intending.
"I'm sure this will salve any wounds you may have." Gato then clambered to his feet and approached the bodies, with his first order being to kick Tazuna's. "Good riddance." He then passed over Inari and grabbed Tsunami's face. "Such a shame a beauty had to die young."
Suddenly, the corpse threw a punch hard enough that it sent Gato flying. With a poof, the transformation dispelled revealing this corpse to have been Goku.
"Kid, you were supposed to wait for the signal." Zabuza snarled.
"Sorry." Goku chuckled. "He left himself wide open to the point I couldn't resist."
Another transformation dispelled, this time revealing that Inari had been Sasuke. "I warned you what he'd do, yet you insisted." The Uchiha stood. "Hinata would have been capable of carrying anyone but Kakashi."
At that, 'Haku' removed the mask to reveal herself as Hinata. "I'd have to concur with my teammate on this."
This startled a now swollen lipped Gato. "Watch out for the real Haku!"
That was worthless as senbon rained from above, piercing the throats of several bandits. Those not currently bleeding out turned their gaze upwards to the skylight. There, Haku was perched. At this, Goku, Sasuke, and Hinata went to work with their staff, saber, and palms respectively.
As more of Gato's bandits began to poor in, they worked in tandem to tear through whatever came their way. While the Genin were well trained, the trio knew they could still be done in by large enough numbers. As such, they stuck together to even the field.
This left Kakashi and Zabuza with Gato. Two of his most trusted men attempted to intervene, but with one swing of the Executioner's Blade, the pair were cut in half. Kakashi was left uninterrupted as he bound Gato with ninja wire. Zabuza was left to move before the man.
"Zabuza, let's not do anything rash now." Gato stated, nervously. "There's still time for you to reconsider, and if you do, I'll give you double your pay."
The rouge Shinobi prepared to end this. "Thing is, you're all out of leverage."
Those would be the last words Gato ever heard as Zabuza cleaved the man's head form his body. At this, all thoughts of prevailing here fled the mind of every remaining bandit. They began to flee out the door but got no further than that.
Neji, Naruto, Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari stood at the head of every villager who, upon hearing of this plan, found the hope and courage needed to fight back. With no means of escape, their boss dead, and Shinobi all around, the bandits lost all hope themselves.
"Well, you lot actually did a decent job." Zabuza commented as Haku lept down to join him.
"Yeah, Neji and my team did well." Kakashi concurred. "Thank you for your cooperation."
Haku smiled while Zabuza scoffed. "I was only in it for the money." He lumbered over to Gato's safe and expertly cracked it open. "Still can't believe I let you talk me down to only 35% of what he's got."
"Remember, we're not getting any more than you two are." Kakashi laughingly reminded. "The remaining 30% goes to the Land of Waves as recompence for everything Gato put them through. Like it or not, you two were a tool of that."
"You're barking up the wrong tree if you think I'll give up any more of the payout." Zabuza voiced.
"If you're interested in a steadier income, why not come on back with us and join Konoha?" Goku offered, to the shock of his sensei, as he wandered over. "You're one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and, as you told us, Haku has an Ice Release Bloodline."
"Goku, I think you're making this sound easier than it is." Kakashi voiced.
"If they genuinely agree to join, I know Great Uncle Hiruzen would have them." Goku voiced. "On top of that, the report you give will say a lot. Sure, they'll have to go through interrogation, but they're rogue Shinobi with skills Konoha would see value in."
Zabuza looked at Goku, with one eye raised slightly. "Why would you bring this up?"
"You two are strong and clearly not all that bad." Goku voiced. "I don't know what drove you from the Mist, but I imagine the Leaf can't be the same. By coming back with us, my village grows stronger while you two get a steady income. Sounds like a win-win to me."
"A stable source of income, and the ability to stop running would be nice." Haku chimed in. "Not to mention a home base is a fairly big priority right now."
Kakashi had to admit, despite getting used to how incredible his Genin were, Goku's logic still surprised him. What's more, while Goku was attentive, he hadn't expected this much forethought form the Sarutobi.
"You're the Jonin, Hatake." Zabuza looked at him. "What do you make of the chances anything goes as this Genin says?"
"Honestly, I like your odds of being accepted with how Goku's put it." Kakashi voiced.
Zabuza mulled over his options before ultimately deciding to be noncommittal. "I'll think it over." He sheathed his blade. "I suppose that means Haku and I can stick around for a bit."
Tazuna's House: Evening…
Once everything was wrapped up at what was formerly Gato's hideout, and the money was distributed properly, Tazuna, his family, Team 7, Neji, Zabuza, and Haku made the journey back to the bridge builder's home. Despite it being cramped, morale was high among the group.
The Shinobi were hailed as heroes by the family; even Inari was impressed. "Maybe I'll start doing some training of my own. Then, I can protect my village just like you guys and my father."
In the high spirits of the day, Inari didn't even feel a tinge of sadness upon mentioning his father. This made Tazuna and Tsunami happy to see.
"Here, I'll give you a few pointers." Naruto voiced.
"Tsk, better let me in on this to correct the wrong information he'd bound to give." Sasuke snarked.
That, predictably, kicked off an argument between the two while they simultaneously attempted to give the young boy tips on how to be strong. Despite the circumstances, Inari seemed invested. Of course, it was hard to say if he was picking anything up.
While that was going on, Tazuna, Zabuza, and Kakashi began a deep conversation of where they went from here. The bridge builder was merely glad the threat to his land was over, and he could now finish out his work to connect it with the wider world.
"I hope you plan on passing your satisfaction onto Lord Third." Kakashi eye smiled. "With all the trouble my team went through, I'd like them to get the appropriate credit for an A rank."
"Of course, Kakashi." Tazuna nodded firmly. "Lord Third will hear of my satisfaction, and now that we got the funds, we'll be paying properly for the rank."
"As for Haku and I's fate, I think we'd like to see what Konoha has in store for us." Zabuza declared, having reached a decision.
"Since you'll be heading back with this lot, it means you'll be there to see the ribbon cutting of the Great Silver Demon Bridge, in honor of you and Kakashi." Tazuna declared joyfully.
"I didn't agree to anything like that." Zabuza awkwardly growled.
"Cheer up." Kakashi laughed, not having a problem with the name. "You can use that Executioner Blade of yours to cut the ribbon."
Zabuza growled at the Leaf Jonin's joke.
Forest: Morning…
Naruto woke up bright and early before deciding to head out to the forest. While he hadn't checked to see who all was still asleep, the blond hadn't expected to find Haku out here. He had a basket and seemed to be picking plants.
"Hey Haku." Naruto greeted. "Didn't think you'd be out here."
After yesterday, despite how he reacted to Sasuke threatening Zabuza, Naruto felt they were on good terms. If everything worked out, like Goku thought they would, they'd be official comrades soon enough.
"I'm gathering herbs." Haku stated.
"Herbs?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, that's right." The ice user smiled as the blond crouched next to him. "They are good for treating illnesses and healing wounds. Despite how it may have seemed, Master Zabuza isn't one hundred percent."
"Hm, didn't expect you to be an early riser, even though Zabuza is important to you." Naruto stated.
"I like it early. It's calm." Haku informed. "Yes, Master Zabuza is important to me. In fact, he's a person who's precious to me."
"What do you mean 'precious'?" Naruto asked.
"When someone has something precious to protect, they become genuinely strong." Haku responded.
Naruto thought about that as it reminded him of what he heard about Kaiza. Not to mention how he's heard Goku, Iruka, Kakashi, and even himself talk before.
Naruto smiled. "I know exactly what you're saying."
"Then, you will become strong." Haku knew he was telling the truth. "Very strong."
"You know something, I think you and Zabuza will make it just fine in Konoha." Naruto voiced genuinely.
"Yes, I believe we shall." Haku agreed.
Outside Tazuna's House: Evening…
Zabuza sat at cliff and downed the medicine Haku prepared for him as he starred out over the village. "Gah, I hope the Land of Fire has better tasting herbs."
Kakashi approached him. "Funny finding you here."
"I could say the same." Zabuza retorted. "What do you want?"
"Well, I don't imagine we'll be in the Land of Waves long, so I've been getting a jump start on the report." Kakashi voiced. "Considering we'll be bringing back two rouge Mist Shinobi who want to join our village, I could use your stories."
"Hm, won't your Interrogation Unit get that?" Zabuza asked.
"They certainly will; however, giving it now could be a sign of good faith." Kakashi voiced. "Something that'll make the process go faster."
"Tsk, not much to tell on my end." Zabuza declared. "As for Haku, he's told me his story, and I'm inclined to take it at face value. From birth to some years after, things were alright. Then, the kid inherited his mother's Ice Release. There were wars, and the Fourth Mizukage didn't help it.
People were turning on and feared Bloodline Limits. Buch of idiots if you ask me, but it ultimately led to those with them going into hiding. Unfortunately, the father saw the moment Haku used it. Man rallied his buddies and killed the wife before attempting the same on Haku."
"I take it by him ending up with you, that didn't happen?" Kakashi inquired.
"Not in the way you think." Zabuza voiced. "I didn't happen upon the kid until later. No, moments before it happened, he defended himself. Kid was alone, purposely. He spent time scrouging and being homeless before I happened upon him on a bridge.
I didn't think much of him until he said, 'Hey, know what? Your eyes remind me of mine'. He was right; we both lacked purpose, so I gave him one as my tool. Unlike the Fourth Mizukage, I knew value lied within Bloodline Limits.
In fact, I had been gathering followers, and he became one of them. We attempted a coup d'etat, but I was betrayed by one of my own. Yagura was ready. We failed, so I fled with anyone left. Over the years, as I worked with the corrupt, my followers left or died. Soon, we were just four."
"It sounds like the bond you two share runs deeper than master and servant." Kakashi voiced. "Given who you are, I can't imagine you'd give up on the Mist for any old follower. Then again, maybe I'm just reading too much into this. Regardless, I think what you've told me is enough."
He began to leave before Zabuza looked at him. "Kakashi, are Bloodline Limits truly welcome within Konoha?"
"They are some of the most valued assets to our military power." Kakashi looked back at him. "Nothing is perfect, but it is the farthest thing from what the Mist has done to their own."
"I see." Zabuza voiced.
"Before I go, what are the chances those Demon Brothers of yours might consider doing as you and Haku have?" Kakashi asked.
"They've remained loyal to me the longest, but things were wearing on even their loyalty." Zabuza answered. "If you tell them what I've decided, they will likely follow."
"I'll be sure to include that in the report." Kakashi voiced.
He then walked off, leaving Zabuza to stare out over the Land of Waves. His mind was in deep contemplation over everything he's experienced in his life. All of it was recontextualized by latter events. Eventually, as the night began to fall, he made his way back to Tazuna's home.
Over Days…
The construction of the bridge had developed at a frightening rate. After Gato was dealt with, every capable villager begged Tazuna to let them work. There were so many workers now that he had to kindly reject some. Mind you, it had nothing to do with salary.
Aside from the fact that they had more than enough money from their share of Gato's wealth, the villagers refused to take payment. They claimed not to deserve it. Simply put, it was too hard for Tazuna to organize the crowd of workers that were currently under his watch.
The Great Silver Demon Bridge: Morning.
Team 7, Neji, Zabuza, and Haku stood before the whole village who'd arrived to see them off. Now that construction was complete, commerce was sure to flow.
"We wouldn't have finished the bridge without you." Tazuna declared. "We'll miss all of you."
"Ah, come on. Don't get all sappy." Naruto had a foxy grin on his face. "We'll visit you some other time, believe it!"
Inari was doing his best not to cry. "You promise?"
"Yeah, I do." As if on cue, Naruto began doing the same. "Don't worry, Inari. It's…It's ok to cry. There's n-nothing wrong with that. Go on, c-cry."
"Well, if there's not-thing wrong with…with crying, why don't you go first?"
Naruto and Inari kept staring at each other until Goku smiled and pushed his friend towards the younger boy. That broke their respective damns as both boys hugged one another and let it all out. While Zabuza turned his head, Haku smiled along with the Leaf Shinobi at the display.
Once they were done, the eight Shinobi started on the path to Konoha. "Hey Goku, when we get back to the village, let's find Iruka Sensei. He's bound to treat us to all the ramen we can eat."
"You got a deal!" Goku exclaimed.
"You did a good a job; however, you should prepare yourselves." Neji stated. "After I give my report to Lord Hiashi, he's not going to be too happy."
"Neji, you will report to my father than the mission was mundane, and your assistance was not required." Hinata stated as though it was a done deal.
"I refuse to lie to uncle Hiashi." Neji retorted indignantly. "To even ask such a thing of me."
"Don't make me…" Hinata warned her cousin.
"No, please." Neji began to sweat and back away from her in fear. "Anything but that!"
For a moment, Kakashi was mortified as it crossed his mind that his student might be threatening to utilize the cage bird seal. As for Zabuza and Haku, they were curious how the Genin was managing to scare the older Chunin.
To everyone's shock, Hinata cross her arms and pouted. "If you don't fib for me, I'll never forgive you."
…
After a long pause, Neji reeled back, as though struck by a kunai, and dropped to his knees. "Tell the truth only to lose Hinata or fib to maintain our bond."
It was a strange sight as the Chunin began frantically mulling over his options.
"Oh, that one must have an older brother complex, and she utilized it." Haku voiced.
"Seems brattier than I've come to expect." Zabuza voiced.
All Hinata's team agreed which made the younger Hyuga enter a similar state to her cousin. As the two Hyuga were now incapacitated, the rest of Team 7 went about giving them piggyback rides as they pressed onwards.
I'd like to think Zabuza isn't an idiot. Two on one odds, especially given Sakura's inactivity in the first encounter, makes it seem understandable why he'd pull up for round 2. Here, the initial four people at the confrontation participated before two more Shinobi pulled up to aid in his defeat. Now, you have four competent Genin, 1 competent Chunin, and a renowned Jonin to deal with. When your employer is Gato, it makes changing sides in this conflict a no brainer.
Of course, this is a Dragon Ball x Naruto story. One of the key things about Dragon Ball is how enemies can become allies. Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo Jr., Vegeta, and so on. It only feels natural for Goku to put forth the idea that Zabuza and Haku join the village. Given one is a prior Seven Swordsman of the Mist while the other has a Bloodline Limit, I think they could do very well within the Leaf Village.
As NBATazuji put forward-At the end of each major arc, I'm going to give you all some information on major Shinobi Characters. They must be alive, contributed majorly to an arc, and will show up again sometime within the future of this story. I'll give you their name, rank, rating, and specialty.
Name is self-explanatory.
Rank is what rank they currently are, as defined by their current village.
Rating will follow the mission system. (With the added bonus of High, Mid, or Low.)
Specialty will be what I feel they're best at, I.E. Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and so on, but this can change form arc to arc.
Kakashi Hatake: Jonin/High A/Ninjutsu
Naruto Uzumaki: Genin/Mid C/Ninjutsu
Sasuke Uchiha: Genin/High C/Taijutsu
Hinata Hyuga: Genin/High C/Taijutsu
Goku Sarutobi: Genin/High C/Taijutsu
Neji Hyuga: Chunin/Mid-High B/Taijutsu
Haku: Unranked/Low-Mid B/Ninjutsu
Zabuza Momochi: Rogue Jonin/High A/Kenjutsu
kai753337: Sorry, that idea just does not strike me as something I'd like to do.;