Chapter 14: Tazuna's House
"Oh, my goodness, dad! You're back!" A raven-haired woman exclaimed as she ran over to give Tazuna a tight hug. The aged man chuckled as he returned the hug.
"That's right, Tsunami. Now, where's my grandson at?" Tazuna asked and within a moment's notice of him asking that question, a young eight-year-old boy came running.
"Grandpa! You're back!" The young boy exclaimed, displaying an expression of excitement as he hugged his grandfather.
"That's right, Inari. I'm back and ready to get that bridge up in running. Speaking of which, Tsunami. I'd like to introduce you to the Konoha Shinobi that are responsible for keeping me alive. The man in the mask is Kakashi, those two are Madara and Sasuke, and the, uh, blond is uh, shoot… What was his name again?" Tazuna asked.
Kakashi let out a sigh. "His name is Naruto. Miss Tsunami, is there a spot I can set him down at? He sustained quite an injury." Kakashi says. Tsunami nods and quickly escorts Kakashi to one of the bedrooms.
"I'm sorry, but we don't really have much space. You four will have to bunk together, or I can clear out of my room and share with Inari." Tsunami offers. Kakashi gives his signature eye smile as he informs her not to worry about it, and that the four of them will fit just comfortably.
"Hey, Kakashi sensei." Madara called out. Kakashi looks over at the only female member of team seven.
"What is it, Madara?" Kakashi asked.
"There is something that's bothering me, and I think you'll take a great interest in it." Madara says. She crosses her arms and begins to explain her thoughts on that hunter ninja. "When the hunter ninja arrived, the first thing it did was attack Naruto. Sure, Naruto was going berserk and was probably going to kill everyone in his path. However, once Naruto calmed down, the hunter ninja didn't do anything until we arrived." Madara explains.
Kakashi looks up as he thinks about what Madara was explaining, and she did have a point. 'Hmm… The Hidden Mist are known for their efficiency at eliminating any traces of a body… Truthfully, if he needed proof of Zabuza's death, the head would have been fine, and he could have destroyed the body on sight. Why go through the trouble of taking the entire body?' Kakashi thinks to himself. "You know, Madara. I think you're onto something. Usually, hunter ninjas destroy the body after removing the head. Based on the information you just gave me; I'm beginning to think that we were played." Kakashi admits.
Tazuna looks over at Kakashi. "What do you mean? That masked fella, didn't he kill Zabuza?" Tazuna asked, reminding Kakashi that he checked Zabuza's pulse.
"Yes, Zabuza was dead. But it's also possible that he could have been put in a temporary state of death. In other words, hunter ninja is known for their precise and extensive knowledge on the human body. So it's possible that the hunter ninja wanted to appear like he was eliminating Zabuza when in fact, he was helping him." Kakashi explains.
"What are you saying, Kakashi sensei? Are you saying that Zabuza is alive?" Sasuke asked.
"That's right, Sasuke. We have reason to believe that Zabuza is alive." Kakashi states.
"Then what are we going to do? Shouldn't we go find him and finish him off? What if he returns?" Sasuke asked.
"I doubt he's in any condition to fight. Don't you remember the state he was in? Even though he could walk, it looked like even killing Naruto was going to take everything he had. We also have to take into account the injury that the hunter ninja gave him. I'd say it would take a minimum of a week before he's ready to fight, even if he is healed by the best medics." Madara points out.
"Then what are we going to do until then? Wait for Zabuza to heal?" Sasuke asked.
"No, Sasuke. We're going to train. Sure, it's only a week but a lot can be accomplished during that time." Kakashi explains.
"What are you going to train us in? Are you going to teach us more techniques to control Naruto? Because if you ask me, I think we need something that's a little more versatile than dealing with a Jinchuriki." Sasuke declares.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I've actually got an idea that will work well. Come on, let's go outside and we'll get started." Kakashi says. He then looks over at Miss Tsunami. "Excuse me, do you mind keeping an eye on Naruto?" Kakashi asked in a polite tone.
"Y… Yeah, that's no problem. It's the least I can do for what you all are doing for us." Tsunami says. Kakashi nods and he leads his two other Genin outside. Meanwhile, Tazuna looks over at his daughter with a dark expression.
"Tsunami, be very careful around that boy." Tazuna warns.
"What are you talking about? He is just a kid." Tsunami points out but her father shakes his head.
"I thought so too at first. But this brat is something else. He was the one that nearly killed that Zabuza guy, all by himself. I don't even want to think about him waking up anytime soon. Just please be careful, alright?" Tazuna asked. Tsunami reluctantly nods as her father proceeds to the kitchen to make himself something to drink.
Outside the house, Kakashi stands with his arms crossed in front of the two Genin. "Okay you two. We're going to work on some chakra control." Kakashi says.
"Uh, Kakashi sensei. Sasuke and I can already walk-up trees and on water." Madara explains in an even tone with a deadpan expression. He looks at her with a hint of surprise, though he finds that quite interesting.
"Really? Well, then we get to skip the first two parts of training. As you two should know, I'm quite the famous shinobi. Kakashi of the Sharingan, the man who has copied over 1,000 jutsu. I think we'll get an idea on what your chakra nature is." Kakashi says.
"Chakra affinity? What are you talking about? Both Madara and I can produce the fireball jutsu, and I've seen her use jutsu of different elements. What's the point in learning our affinity if we can use multiple types?" Sasuke asked.
"That's a logical understanding but let me explain this to you, Sasuke. While you may be able to produce jutsu of different elements. Everyone has at least one element they align with. In other words, you'll be able to learn jutsu and channel chakra of that type much easier than others. I'm sure I don't have to explain this, but I will anyway. There are five different elements, Earth, Fire, Lightning, Water, and Wind. Each type has another type it's stronger against, just like each type has a type it's weaker against. I wouldn't worry so much about type advantage because someone with a strong enough fire element could in theory, beat someone with a water element. Here are two chakra papers. Channel your chakra into them and it'll tell us what nature you best align with." Kakashi says. He hands both of the Uchiha twins a piece of paper.
Madara's sheet bursts into flames while Sasuke's paper crumbles up. "It looks like my affinity is fire, just like everyone else in our clan. However, it seems Sasuke's affinity is lightning." Madara points out.
"How is that possible? If everyone in the clan has a fire affinity, how come mine is lightning?" Sasuke asked as he looked at Kakashi.
"Well, the Uchiha clan were always known for their great fireball jutsu. Perhaps it was just assumed that mainly everyone had the affinity for fire without actually having it tested. But, regardless, this is fine. I want to start focusing on getting the two of you to control your elemental chakra. For the next few hours, I want you, Madara, to set a leaf on fire. Sasuke, you'll be focusing on making the leaf crumble. It's a basic exercise, but you'll have better control over the respective jutsu you learn." Kakashi explains. As quickly as Madara got the leaf, it burst into flames.
"What's next?" Madara asked with an annoyed tone. She was well above this basic stuff and wanted to learn something more. "Do you have anything else you can teach me? If not, I'll go do my own training." Madara says.
Kakashi chuckles sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "I suppose you could go to the bridge with Tazuna and make sure none of Gato's men try messing with him." Kakashi suggested. Madara shrugged and began walking back inside, leaving Sasuke and Kakashi outside.
"H… Hey, Kakashi? Can I talk to you about something, since it's just the two of us?" Sasuke asked nervously. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, finding it odd that Sasuke seemed bothered by something.
"What is it?" Kakashi asked.
Sasuke takes a deep breath, hoping that with what he was about to say, didn't get back to Madara. "There is something about Madara that you should know. But it's important that you remain cool about it and not freak out." Sasuke says. Kakashi nods and assures Sasuke that whatever he needs to talk about, it will stay between them. "About a month before we graduated from the academy… I found Madara inside another house within the compound. When I found her, she seemed shocked and kept referring to me as Izuna. That's when she explained to me that her soul and memories are from a different world where the Madara Uchiha that we all know of, was a woman. She seemed to know a lot about Jinchuriki, Lord First, Lord Second, and the Mangekyou Sharingan. Madara also seems to have some kind of plan for the fox that lives inside of Naruto." Sasuke admits.
Kakashi is a little taken back by this claim. Sure, he's had his fair share of things that not many people would understand. But to be told that the soul of Madara Uchiha, from a different world has been placed inside of his sister's twin body. Now that was a tough pill to swallow. "I see… Sasuke, do you have proof or solid evidence of this?" Kakashi asked.
"Are you kidding me? Look how naturally talented she is? From what I remember, she was way more talented than Itachi was, and even Shisui. Plus, mother and father never spoke to us about the nine tails or even the Mangekyou Sharingan outside of its existence." Sasuke explained.
"For now, let's just focus on the mission and the training. I'll keep an eye on her along with making sure that she doesn't try anything on Naruto. Don't worry, Sasuke. My lips are sealed." Kakashi says, giving his student an assuring smile.
Back at the house, Naruto slowly stirs awake. He began to wonder if everything that happened was a dream. When he tries to get up, a burning sensation floods his body and he's forced to grit his teeth. Tsunami walks in and finds the boy awake. "Well, glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" Tsunami asked.
Naruto narrowed her eyes and managed to pick himself up, despite the pain. "Who are you and where am I?" Naruto asked as he glared at her through his crimson eyes. Tsunami held her hands up defensively and explained that they're at Tazuna's house. Naruto looked around and asked where the others were.
"I believe Kakashi is outside training Sasuke and Madara is in the kitchen. You were in pretty bad shape when you arrived, and your sensei asked me to keep an eye out for you." Tsunami explains. Naruto remained skeptical as he moved past the woman and went into the kitchen. When he arrives, he sees Tazuna and Madara. Tazuna isn't able to hold his stare and quickly looks away while taking a sip of his beer. "Madara, where is Kakashi?" Naruto asked.
Madara shrugs. "I don't know. Probably training Sasuke. But you should probably go lay back down. You're covered from head to toe with burn marks." Madara points out. Naruto ignores her suggestion and manages to walk out the house, despite the intense pain he was feeling.
Kakashi was casually reading his book when he saw Naruto approach him. "Ah, Naruto. You're awake. How are you feeling?" Kakashi asked. Naruto ignored his question and had a narrow gaze.
"Where is Zabuza at?" Naruto asked.
"He escaped." Kakashi admits. Naruto smirks, which catches Kakashi off guard. "What's going on? Are you looking for a rematch?" Kakashi asked.
"That's right. That bastard's teammate ganged up on me." Naruto exclaimed.
"Well, considering how much chakra of the nine tails you used, it doesn't exactly surprise me that he needed backup. Besides, you're in no shape to be fighting." Kakashi says. Naruto scowls and states he is just a little sore. Of course, Kakashi didn't buy it for a second and decided to call him out on it. "Just a little sore, huh? You're covered in burn marks. Using Kyuubi's chakra like that has put too much of a strain on your body. If it wasn't for your Uzumaki DNA, you'd probably have an early retirement." Kakashi states.
"Then what are you suggesting? Because I'll tell you right now. I'm not just laying down while you guys get to have all the fun. What the hell is Sasuke doing anyway?" Naruto asked as he looked over at Sasuke, who was focused on the exercise.
"Sasuke is learning how to control his lightning chakra, seeing how he has an affinity for it." Kakashi reveals. "Naruto, I need you to listen to me and I need you to listen closely. You were out of control earlier. Had things not gone the way they did, you could have seriously hurt your teammates, or worse." Kakashi says.
"Why do I care? They're probably just waiting for the moment that my guard is lowered so they can strike. I can even tell that you share the same feelings. I mean, look at yourself. You give me the same look of fear as if I'm an exploding tag that's waiting to go off. So I'm sorry if I tend to keep my guard up and expect the worst." Naruto exclaimed, wincing slightly from the bit of demonic chakra that flared slightly.
"Naruto… I… I don't fear you… I'm concerned about you. This attitude of yours, kill or be killed. It's something not to be taken lightly. If you believe everyone is your enemy, then that's all they'll ever be to you. When you act like this, it only further proves that everyone is right and that you aren't any different from the fox. I see past that. I see a young man with the potential to become a powerful and respectable shinobi, without the need for the fox's chakra. I believe in you, Naruto. I really do." Kakashi says. Naruto looks away, and the conversation between him and his father resurfaces in the back of his mind. Kakashi sighs as he softly places a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You're not alone, Naruto. You have comrades that will always have your back. Maybe it's time for you to start having their backs." Kakashi says before walking away and going over to Sasuke while Naruto is left to ponder the words of his sensei.
Author's Notes
I felt like this chapter was great because it allowed Sasuke to be a bit flushed out and start to build his own relationship with Kakashi. Then you've got Naruto who has had a very slight, and I cannot expression how slight, but a slight change in his tone. His body is heavily damaged and even when he got pissed, his body was in agonizing pain from Kyuubi's chakra being drawn on.
It's only natural for Tazuna to be weary of his daughter and even grandson being around Naruto, considering the damage he did to Zabuza before their very eyes.
Tonight, I'm going to do some more brainstorming for tomorrow's writing session and continue with adding things on during the time Zabuza needed to rest. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to providing you all with some more entertainment.
Extra
Remember, once I finish this arc, I'll be starting another fan fiction. If you have any other Naruto ideas or ships that you want, feel free to let me know. I'm pretty open to most things, though no harems, please. But it can practically be anything, including things such as "What if Naruto was adopted by Asuma", "What if Naruto grew up with siblings and his parents were alive", "What if Naruto had the Scorch Release", I'm open to any and all suggestions but if I don't get any, or find one that I have trouble with, I'll be working on coming up with one for after the Chunin Exams Arc. Again, thank you all for the support and I'll see you guys tomorrow.