Chapter 10: Journey to the Land of Waves
Naruto, Sasuke, and Madara reported to the Hokage's tower with their Jonin sensei, Kakashi. The four of them stood at the mission desk where they were about to receive their first formal assignment, which had the tradition of the Hokage himself giving it to them.
"Good morning, Kakashi, Sasuke, Madara, Naruto. How are you?" Hiruzen asked.
"We're well, Lord Third. I've come to take my squad for their first mission." Kakashi explains.
"Hey, Kakashi sensei. Are we going to be doing chores like the other teams?" Sasuke asked with a hint of reluctance and curiosity. Kakashi gives him an eye smile, telling him they'll see what Lord Third has.
"Actually, Kakashi. I've got a mission that I think would be a good fit for you and your squad. It's a C rank escort mission to the Land of Waves." Hiruzen reveals, catching the other Chunin at the desk off guard.
"L… Lord Third, are you sure that's wise? This team just formed. I don't think they're ready for a C rank mission, especially for their first assignment." Suggested the Chunin. The Hokage chuckles as he can understand the man's concern.
"I understand your concern. However, I have full confidence in Kakashi's team and that they'll take care of this mission without any issues. Am I right, Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked.
Kakashi looked at the Hokage with a hint of suspicion. It was very odd to be given a C rank mission right off the bat. However, he then realized that with his team's dynamics, making them do chores all day probably wouldn't be productive. "Y… Yes, Lord Third. We will take care of the mission." Kakashi says.
"Good. Can someone please bring the client in?" Hiruzen asked. One of the Chunin got up and proceeded to a door. When he opened it, an old man that was around the same age as the Hokage entered. He had a slight wobble, clearly from the effects of the alcohol in his hand.
"W… What the… What's going on here?" The client asked with a slur in his voice. His eyes scanned the room in front of him, noticing the group of brats before him. "T… These fuckers look like they're still in diapers." The man commented.
Sasuke scowled as he spoke up. "Hey, old man. My name is Sasuke Uchiha, of the Uchiha clan. You better remember that." Sasuke warned, but this caused the man to chuckle tauntingly.
"Haha… Right, right, I'll keep that in mind." The man says. He glances over at the Hokage. "I thought I was going to be given… G… Give real ninja? N… Not brats…" He slurred.
"Mr. Tazuna, I assure you that team seven will be more than enough. Besides, in your request, you said that you only needed protection from thugs and bandits, correct?" Hiruzen asked. The man, now identified as Tazuna, tensed up a bit as he let out a sheepish chuckle.
"Y… Yeah, that's right. J… Just some… S… Some bandits and thugs." Tazuna exclaimed. The Hokage had a smirk on his face as he nodded.
"Good. Kakashi, I leave this to you." Hiruzen says.
'Here we go…' Kakashi silently thought as he turned to face Tazuna. "Mr. Tazuna, we'll be leaving in one hour. My Genin will need some time to gather their things. Please report to the gate by then." Kakashi says.
"R… Right…" Tazuna mumbled and proceeded to leave the mission hall, nearly tripping over his feat in the process.
"I want you three to pack your bags for a month's length of time." Kakashi ordered. Madara and Sasuke nod and they exit the mission hall with Naruto soon following behind. Once the Genin were gone, Kakashi turned back to face the Hokage. "You think there is more to Tazuna's story, don't you?" Kakashi asked.
Hiruzen nods. "That's right. There is a rumor about a businessman named Gato, and how he's completely taken over the Land of Waves. If that bridge gets finished, it'll decrease Gato's control." Hiruzen explains.
"I see… So, you think Gato will send shinobi after Tazuna?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes… There is no doubt in my mind that Gato will hire shinobi to assassinate Tazuna. At the same time, I'm well aware of the benefits the village would have if we allied with the Land of Waves. Kakashi, I want you to be prepared for this C rank mission to turn into a B or A rank assignment." Hiruzen states.
Kakashi's expression turns to one full of concern. He knew his students were a cut above the rest when it came to the other Genin. However, the man couldn't help but feel concerned that this mission might be a bit too much for them. "Lord Third, may I ask you a question?" Kakashi asked.
"You just did. However, you may ask another." The Hokage says. He could see the look of concern in Kakashi's eye, but personally held a strong faith that the mission would be a success.
"Why are you doing this? Is there something you hope to accomplish by this?" Kakashi asked.
The Hokage kept his calm expression, meeting Kakashi's gaze with his own. "Sometimes, we need to do certain things for the great good of our village." Hiruzen says. Kakashi takes a minute before nodding and exiting the mission hall.
An hour passed and team seven gathered at the entrance of the hidden leaf village. Well, most of its members. "Where are they?" Sasuke asked as he looked around for both their sensei and teammate. Tazuna stood with his arms crossed and his foot tapping the ground, signaling his impatience.
"Y… You know, for Konoha shinobi, you guys aren't exactly professional." Tazuna muttered. Madara let out a sigh as she could feel the presence of Kakashi. The man was casually walking up to the group while giving them a wave.
"You're late, again." Madara exclaimed with her eyes narrowing.
Kakashi gave his signature eye smile. "I'm sorry, Madara. There was an old lady carrying groceries and so I thought it would be nice to help out." Kakashi explained. Much to his dismay, neither Uchiha nor Tazuna were convinced by his excuse.
"Whatever… Where is that idiot at?" Madara asked before suddenly, Naruto made his presence known. 'Damn, he did it again… How the hell is he able to avoid my detection?' Madara silently thought.
Naruto walked up to the group with a blank expression. Once Kakashi saw that everyone was present, he began leading them. Tazuna couldn't help feeling uneasy as he looked at the boy. "Uh… Kakashi… Is that b… Boy alright? He seems kind of… Off…" Tazuna admitted.
"Oh, that's just Naruto. No worries, but if it makes you feel better, I'm a Jonin. You won't have anything to worry about, Mr. Tazuna." Kakashi says in an assuring tone. Tazuna reluctantly nods but decides to put the other ninja between him and the boy as they walk.
Naruto came to a stop, which earned him an annoyed sigh from Sasuke, Madara, and Kakashi, knowing he did this during their last exercise. "Tazuna… If you keep looking at me like that… I'll kill you." Naruto warns with a calm but eerie tone. The aged man's eyes went wide as he began to sober up slightly from the threat.
"Naruto, our job is to protect the client, not kill them." Kakashi sheepishly says, hoping to ease some of the tension. Naruto remains quiet as he begins walking, resulting in the others to do the same, but with a bit more tension than before.
"Why the hell does he have to act so damn creepy?" Sasuke asked as he whispered to his sister, who didn't seem bothered by Naruto's statement. She tells Sasuke to just relax and focus on the mission. This earned her a scowl from her brother, clearly not happy at having his own concerns dismissed.
"Hey, Kakashi. What's up with that boy anyway? I've been alive for damn near eight decades and I haven't seen anyone with that look before. What's his deal?" Tazuna asked, deciding to spark up a conversation with the masked Jonin. Kakashi looks at Tazuna before shooting a quick glance at Naruto.
"That's Naruto Uzumaki. You could say he had, let's see, an interesting upbringing." Kakashi explains.
Tazuna raised an eyebrow. "An interesting upbringing you say. I think that's the understatement of the year. I've met thugs, criminals, and even shinobi with looks of hatred and resentment. But none of them had the same look as that boy. It's like he's detached from the world." Tazuna exclaims.
'Is that true, Naruto? Are you detached from the world? Do you really just live to kill others?' Kakashi asked the blond in his mind, though he knew the boy couldn't hear him. "Growing up in the village hasn't always been easy for Naruto. But, if you ask me, I think he'll be alright and grow into a fine shinobi someday." Kakashi admits with a soft and genuine eye smile, one that displayed nothing but warmth.
'A fine shinobi, huh? Iruka said the same thing and what happened? He wanted to kill me… I need to be ready… If this is another trick, I'll kill them all.' Naruto silently thought to himself, hearing the dark and sinister chuckle of the demon fox.
'What gives? Why is Kakashi being all sentimental to us? Is he trying to make sure Naruto doesn't snap or feels welcomed?' Madara asked herself as she shot a quick glance at Naruto.
"I don't know, maybe it's because I'm not with the times. But a kid like that never turns out alright." Tazuna exclaimed, looking over at Naruto. "It's like he's waiting for the chance to kill anyone or anything. Sorry if I don't exactly feel safe walking less than ten feet next to him." Tazuna declares.
The sociopathic blond came to another stop as he went to grab a kunai. Kakashi's eye went wide as he was about to witness Naruto kill the client. Both Madara and Sasuke looked at Naruto incredulously as he flicked the kunai, shooting right past Tazuna's head and striking a snake and pinning it to a tree.
"Naruto, have you lost your goddamn mind?" Madara asked as she scowled dangerously at the boy.
"I don't like snakes." Naruto muttered, meeting Madara's gaze head on.
"You're always acting like such a damn freak all the time. Have you ever wondered why everyone is so uneasy around you? It's because you do stupid shit like this!" Madara snaps. Naruto maintains his disinterested expression, clearly unfazed by the girl's outburst. Kakashi took a step between the two with his hands up defensively.
"Hey, let's take it easy, alright? Naruto, handling a kunai like that is dangerous. You could've easily hurt Mr. Tazuna, if not worse." Kakashi says.
"To tell you the truth, I could care less what happens to him." Naruto says, meeting Kakashi's gaze with his crimson eyes. Tazuna tensed up, feeling sick to his stomach at what just happened.
"Uh, m… My bad… I… Uh… I'll keep… M… My mouth shut…" Tazuna muttered out, letting out a nervous chuckle. Naruto ignored the man as he glared at Kakashi. He was waiting for the man to strike. He wanted his sensei to strike. To be able to kill him, that's what Naruto wanted, it's what he wanted more than anything at this moment.
"Well, you should. We're on a mission to protect Tazuna, not harm him." Kakashi declares. Naruto looks at the silver haired Jonin before he turns away and resumes walking. 'This is going to be a long mission…' Kakashi thought to himself. He begins walking along with the group, though deciding to keep an eye on Naruto.
As the group continues walking, Madara turns back to face Kakashi and asks if the Land of Waves had a hidden village. Kakashi shakes his head and explains that while the Land of Waves is a small country without any shinobi, they have neighboring regions that do contain shinobi for their protection. "Where is the Land of Waves?" Madara asks. Back in her day, such a place never once existed, and so to hear that a new country was developed, it spiked her interest.
"The Land of Waves is East to the Land of Fire, West to the Land of Water, South of the Land of Hot Water, and North of the Land of Noodles. It used to be part of the Land of Whirlpools, that was, until the Second Great Shinobi World War occurred." Kakashi explains. They continue walking, stepping over a puddle of water, which Kakashi didn't seem to notice due to his attention being directed directly at Naruto.
Two figures slowly popped out of the water and materialized into what looked like demons. They charged, wrapping their chains all around Naruto's body. Everyone's eyes went wide at this, seeing how there was no way that Naruto was going to survive. "Haha… One little piggy…" Muttered one of the men.
Naruto's eyes became shadowed by his hair, his face remained blank for what felt like a moment. However, as quickly as he was wrapped up by these chains, his blank expression had a sinister smirk form. Crimson chakra began to glow around Naruto's body, causing the chain to melt from the heat. He then turns to the right with his razor-sharp claws and slashes across the man to his right, cutting through his cloak and the man's rebreather. A dark chuckle could be heard from the young Jinchuriki as he brought his left hand down, slashing the man once more.
The injured man in the cloak was grunting from the pain, feeling as if his skin had been shredded by a wild animal. When Naruto landed back on the ground, the man's face began to melt from the heat of Naruto's chakra. Naruto takes a deep breath while letting out a satisfied sigh, hearing the screams of agony bring peace. "One little wolf down…" Naruto muttered, and he turned his gaze to the other man, looking similar to the cloaked man, with the exception of no cloak being present.
"W… What are you?" Asked the man as he took a step back. Naruto tilts his head to the left, and then to the right, pretending to think about the man's question.
"To be frank with you, I'm not sure. I can't decide if I'm a monster or I'm the devil. What would you label me as?" Naruto asked. The man was shaking at seeing this boy and he took a step back, which led to Naruto taking a step forward.
"Do you want to know a secret? Prey usually get so worked up that they miss their chance to escape." Naruto explains, his sinister smirk growing more and more dangerous by the second. In a fit of desperation, the man charged Naruto, his poison-soaked gauntlet being extended out to the left. Naruto stood still as he received a slash across his chest.
"Gotcha…" Muttered the man. Naruto remained still with his blank expression. Any moment now, the poison would begin to take effect and the brat before him would die. But for some reason, nothing was happening. 'What is going on? The kid isn't twitching or hurting… Is he immune to my poison?' The man asked.
"I'm afraid your poison isn't going to work on Naruto." Kakashi explained as he walked up. Naruto scowled as he looked at his Jonin sensei, telling him to back off, this is his prey. "Easy there, Naruto. If we kill him, then we'll miss out on valuable information." Kakashi explains.
"I don't care about the information he has. I'm going to kill him here and now. So, buzz off!" Naruto snapped.
"Naruto, settle down. There is no sense in pointless bloodshed." Kakashi said in a tone that left no discussion. Naruto was seething while clenching his fist before having the crimson chakra recede back into his body.
"Fine…" Naruto muttered as he turned away and stormed off, leaving Kakashi to deal with the mysterious attacker before them.
Author's Notes
Okay, first off, thank you all for your support and thoughts on this fan fiction. I really am interested in creating all kinds of different stories for you all to read. Also, do not worry about me burning out. I only ever right whenever I'm feeling it. I trust that if I write something you guys aren't exactly wild about, you'll be more than happy to let me know.
Any who, I wanted to extend the walk from Konoha up until the battle with the demon brothers because I felt it would be much sloppier if I started skipping. Since Naruto was in the back, he'd easily be the first target of the demon brothers, which allowed me to have Tazuna be shown just how sadistic and dark Naruto was.
To point this out early on, I want you guys to know that using Kyuubi's chakra causes great strain and damage to Naruto's body, much like how the Uchiha clan's Mangekyou Sharingan puts a massive strain on the eyes. The reason why I'm going to be adding this limitation, is because it'll force Naruto to not rely so much on Kyuubi's chakra, along with opening up more ideas for the Tsunade Search arc.
Since we're now officially in the Land of Waves Arc, I'll be including more Team Seven drama and moments that directly involve Madara, Sasuke, and Naruto. This will ensure that their characters are more fleshed out and we can officially start moving forward in the direction that I'm looking at.
I will be involving the other Genin in this fan fiction too, though it'll be more so around the Chunin Exams arc. So, don't worry about thinking my other characters are to bland, basic, and don't have any character. I hope you guys enjoy.