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Chapter 6: Unexpected Guests
(Road to Nami no Kuni, Day 2 of traveling)
"Neh, Asuma-sensei, how far is it till we get to Nami? We've been walking since just after dawn; it's getting troublesome walking all day." Shikamaru groaned, trudging his feet along the worn path. The travelling party were arranged in the same formation, Asuma leading the way, Tazuna behind him, Ino and Shikamaru flanking Tazuna, and Naruto bringing up the rear, still sending out some clones every now and then to scout around and ahead of them.
"I don't know Shikamaru, maybe we'll get there when you stop complaining? We should get there at dusk. The boat should take a night to get us there, because we have to take the long route around, so that Gato doesn't know we're heading there, we'll arrive just before dawn. Tazuna said his house is a few kilo's away from the drop point, so we'll arrive in time for breakfast." Asuma said, between puffs of a cigarette. He grinned at Shikamaru's groan, and they kept moving.
As dusk was approaching, the forest seemed to give way to a sandy and rocky shore, broken only by a small collection of buildings, a warehouse, a trade post, a small boat servicing yard, built out into the water, a decent sized hotel and restaurant for people staying overnight. This was where most of the trade from Nami came, the second to last drop off for anything heading into Hi no Kuni from Nami, who in turn received goods from many other villages and countries, a hand off point basically.
Team 10 walked through the small town, keeping their heads low and trying their best to not look like Shinobi. They found the same small boat and crew Tazuna had come to Hi no Kuni with, and quickly boarded, bundling down below in the small, cramped quarters that the team and Tazuna would be sharing for their journey. As the boat began to move out of the small harbour, Shikamaru went up top to take watch, having requested first watch, so that he could sleep straight through instead of his rest being interrupted. Ino slept fitfully, and even though Naruto was right there, watching over her, his warm, comforting presence did little to chase away her nightmares. Asuma went up for his watch, and when Shikamaru came down to sleep, Ino finally calmed down enough to sleep without issue, tucked in between him and Naruto. The next watch was Naruto's, so he softly created a clone and used a Kawarimi to switch with, so as to not disturb Ino's sleep.
In the waning moonlight, Naruto sat on top of the captain's cabin, his eyes trained all around the boat. Nothing but gentle waves lapped against the side of the hull, and Naruto lost himself watching the water move, the reflection of the stars glittering across the black water, turning the sea into a slight mirror of the night sky, broken occasionally by small waves created by their motion. His fingers were slowly tracing the swirl that decorated Konoha's flak jackets, the swirl he had gotten sown onto the back of his jacket, the same one Ino had picked out for him. He had been fond of the crimson swirl ever since he'd seen it as a kid, and it was emblazoned on most of the shirts he used to wear.
It was important, somehow, a fact that kept gnawing at him, even though he had no idea why. One of the elder crew members had seemed to recognize it, but he hadn't said anything about it yet. The time seemed to pass by rather quickly, until an hour from dawn, Naruto was drawn from his inner thoughts by Ino's voice.
"Uzumaki Naruto! Why didn't you wake me up for my watch?! You can't stay up this long!" Ino huffed, looking up at the athletic teen perched above her. Naruto smiled sheepishly and patted the roof next to him. Ino jumped up and sat down next to Naruto, glaring at her fellow blonde.
"Neh Ino, I just… I wanted you to sleep. You've been struggling since what happened with the Demon Brothers. I know it's hard, believe me, me and Shika are seriously worried about you." Ino looked down, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Naruto-kun, I… I just, I've been thinking about it all…and I realized that I'm the weakest link in the team… I mean, you and Shika had to kill them because I wasn't strong enough, and I barely even helped to take them down. I haven't been struggling with them dying, I've been having nightmares of the same thing happening to you and Shika, and it's my fault." Ino had started sobbing, prompting Naruto to pull her into his arms.
"Shhh shhhh, calm down Ino-chan. Don't worry about it that much, it won't ever happen, I promise. And they weren't my first kill. You remember a few weeks ago, when there were all those explosions, just before I started being a gloom and doom asshole like Sasuke-teme? Mizuki had attacked me after he tried to steal some village secrets, and, after a massive fight, I sank this kunai" Naruto pulled out the kunai sheathed by his side, "into the base of his skull, severed his spinal cord. I… couldn't deal with what I had done, till Asuma-sensei gave me a little speech… I'm not as good as he is with it, but I'm gonna tell you something anyway." Naruto let go of Ino and turned so that they faced each other directly.
"You're right. You are the weakest link, but you don't have to be. I train every day, and I trained every day while we were still in the Academy. Shikamaru, I don't know what he does or if he trains outside of our training sessions, but he makes up for it with his mind… I'd love it if he trained his fighting capabilities more, but I'm good with being the meat shield so that you guys can survive. I hit hard, and I can get hit hard, I'm a one-man army, and it helps that not many people would care if I died… Hell, most of the village would probably celebrate."
Naruto looked over the water, his eyes fogging over for a moment, then they went back to a steely determination. "If you want to get stronger, better? You need to stop dieting, train yourself into the ground as much as you can handle. Make-up and clothes, and you staying thin, aren't important. We're shinobi anyway, so there's no way you'll get fat from eating more, cause your training will burn away most of those calories and you'll develop muscle. Have you seen Kurenai-sensei? She's an amazing kunoichi, very fit and strong and beautiful, and Asuma-sensei says she eats almost as much as he does. I know you want to impress Sasuke-teme, even though I can't understand why… but I know he'll notice you more if you prove to be strong and capable. I don't know why he hasn't noticed you yet, you're already a beautiful girl, you just need to apply yourself. If you want, I'll help you as much as I can, but you should ask Asuma-sensei and your dad too. You have the potential to be a great kunoichi, I just know it Ino-chan." Naruto smiled his signature smile at her, rubbing his neck.
Before Ino could say anything, the old sailor who had taken notice of the swirl on the back, coughed to get their attention. "Did she call you Uzumaki, gaki?" Naruto looked down at the man, confused. "Yeah, the name's Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, and future Greatest Shinobi in the whole damn world. Why are you asking?" Ino smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm, before the man spoke again.
"Well, I'll be, I never thought I'd see another Uzumaki in the flesh… No one old enough to remember thinks anyone even survived. Are you the only Uzumaki left?" the man said, kneeling down on one knee. "Yeah, as far as I know. There's no one else in Konoha named Uzumaki at least. Why are you kneeling?" The old man looked up at Naruto with a revering look on his face.
"Because it means you're the last Prince of Uzu. The Uzumaki clan ruled over a hidden village, their own hidden village, Uzushiogakure. Only an Uzumaki or their branch families could enter or invite others to enter, but they were destroyed a long time ago, during the Second Shinobi World War. Uzushio were strong allies with Konoha, and one of one of their Princesses, Uzumaki Mito, married your Shodai Hokage. Uzushio were renowned as one of the most dangerous hidden villages in existence, for something I don't really know much about. They were a force to be reckoned with on the ocean and on land as well, even better than Kirigakure. As a child, it was my dream to join the Uzushio fleet. They were protectors of Nami, heralded by our country. The manor Gato lives in now, was built for them. I visited the village once, with my father. He was an officer in their navy, one of the few that wasn't actually an Uzumaki. When you're done with the bridge, and you can ever come back, find me in Nami, and I will sail you there, my Prince." The man said, standing up and bowing, before leaving the young man to process the information.
Naruto sat there, stunned. Ino laid a supportive hand on his shoulder before heading down below, to wake up the rest of the team. They were approaching shore. "I have a clan? A destroyed Hidden Village? Why did no one ever say anything? Was anyone ever going to say anything? No, don't think like that. There has to be a reason, and Hokage-jiji will tell me. He can't withhold it anymore, not now that I know." Naruto shook himself out of his thoughts and jumped down onto the deck, checking his gear and readying himself for their trek through Nami.
(Konohagakure, Hokage's Office)
"So, Team 7, I'm dispatching you to Nami no Kuni, as back-up for Team 10, led by Sarutobi Asuma, with Genin Nara Shikamaru, Genin Yamanaka Ino and Genin Uzumaki Naruto. They have informed me that their escort mission has become way more dangerous than first expected, and they've already dispatched two Chunin level missing nin, the Demon Brothers of Kirigakure. Apparently, Momochi Zabuza, theKirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist), and a Hunter Nin associate, are still a threat, and they may need your support. Their mission has been upped to A-rank, and your support mission is being ranked as a B-rank. Make haste, they really need you. Dismissed." The Hokage waved his hand and Team 7 exited his office, Kakashi telling them to meet him at the main gate in thirty minutes, promising not to be late. Hiruzen looked out at the bust of the Yondaime Hokage, puffing on his pipe. "Your son is making incredibly good progress. He and his team defeated two Chunin, missing ninja. You'd be proud of him Minato; I know I am… I expect some questions on his return, he'll most likely learn of his Uzumaki heritage in Nami… It might be time to remove the seal, the one his mother placed to hide his heritage, and tell him about his mother, and everything he's entitled to. I know you wanted us to tell him when he reached Chunin, but I can't keep something from him that he's learned about himself. I cannot bring myself to lie to him Minato, I love him as if he was my own blood. My son does too, and I vow now, before you, dead as you may be, he will always have a family and alliance with the Sarutobi clan. My grandson has taken to following him around as well if you can believe it." Hiruzen said, smiling softly at the photograph of Naruto, passed out on his office couch, the Hokage hat over his face. Naruto had come in after training to help him with some paperwork that day and had passed out on the couch after stealing the hat. "Oh, Naruto-kun. I can't wait to see you become the man you're growing into."
(Shore of Nami no Kuni, just before dawn)
Team 10 disembarked from the ship, waving off the crew, and heading straight towards Tazuna's house. They were making their way along a small bridge that spanned a small river, when Naruto suddenly threw a kunai at a rustling bush, scaring a snow-white bunny into running out, directly at Team 10. "Naruto!" Ino cried out, slapping him on his arm, "You scared the bunny almost to death!" Ino said, bending down and picking up the frightened animal. Shikamaru took a hard look at it, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"That's not a wild bunny guys, it's not the season for it to be white." he said, gesturing at the terrain around them, "It's someone's pet. There's someone close by." As he said that, Naruto readied two kunai. Asuma mingled his chakra with the air around him, and his eyes went wide.
"Everyone, down now!" Asuma yelled, pulling down Tazuna with him. Naruto grabbed Ino and Shikamaru and pulled them down with him, just as a giant zanbato passed over their heads, burying itself in a tree, quivering for a few seconds before it became still. A thick, chakra saturated mist started pouring over the bridge, enveloping them all within moments. A voice rang through the mist, seemingly coming from everywhere, accompanied by a massive wave of killer intent, causing the three to shiver and look around frantically, Ino freezing up a bit until Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, letting some of his chakra wash over her, calming her enough for her to arm herself.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Three Genin and a Jonin from Konoha huh? This'll be easy pickings. You don't have what it takes to stop me or my Sairento Kiringu (Silent Killing) technique. Three green as grass Genin? Well, at least they'll be able to say that Momochi Zabuza, the Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist), deigned to kill you." The voice rang out through the mist, seemingly from every direction. Naruto growled, holding his hands close to his chest, flipping through hand signs.
"You won't be catching us with that today, asshole." Naruto's hands turned away from him, palms outward. "Fūton: Reppūshō (Wind Release: Gale Palm)!" Wind started blowing out of and around his hands, blowing the mist away, revealing Zabuza standing behind them, his zanbato back in his hand. The sun had started rising, bathing the bridge's occupants in a bright glow, the light glinting off of the brandished blades. "That's a neat trick kid, but I don't need the mist to kill you. I'm one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. I killed a full graduating class before I had even graduated, to show how good I was. You four have no chance against me." Zabuza said, creating three clones and sending them sprinting towards Team 10. Asuma rushed forward, his trench knives in hand. He sliced through one, the clone splashing across the bridge, as Asuma jumped into a heated taijutsu bout with Zabuza, the two slicing at each other rapidly.
"Ino, Shikamaru, protect Tazuna, I've got these two." Naruto said, creating 10 clones and jumping forward, kunai in hand. One of the clones swung his sword at the blonde, Naruto ducking to the side and swiping his kunai at the clone, who jumped back, sending a kick that sent Naruto stumbling back, his lip split and nose spurting blood. Naruto grinned through the blood, his clones jumping ahead of him, engaging the other clone from all sides.
He jumped forward again, sending a flying knee at the clone's head, but at the last minute he kicked off of the sword that had come up to block his knee, and came down behind him, shooting a kick at the back of his head, sending the clone stumbling forward. Naruto spun around and sank his kunai into the base of the clone's back, making it fall in a splash of water.
His last clone fell to Zabuza's last clone, his back turned to Naruto. Naruto threw a kunai at the clone, flying through seals as it flew. "Raiton: Kunai Tokubetsu Houden(Lightning Release: Kunai Special Charge)!"The kunai exploded with lightning, and when the clone blocked it, the lightning coursed through the water-based clone, dispelling it. Ino and Shikamaru jumped forward, pulling Naruto out of the way as Asuma was sent flying towards them. Zabuza appeared in front of them, shoving his hand forward at Asuma, water rising from the river beneath them to imprison Asuma. "Sution: Suiro no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Prison Technique)! Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu( Water Release: Water Clone Jutsu)!"A water clone came into existence, rushing towards the genin. Zabuza stayed next to the orb holding Asuma, his hand not wavering from the watery prison.
The clone charged at the three, swinging it's zanbato in an arc to cut off all of their heads, but it was stopped short for a second by Naruto bringing up his kunai, giving the other two a chance to jump back before he jumped back himself, the clone caught off balance. Three clones jumped forward, while Ino and Shikamaru repositioned themselves. Naruto signalled subtly at the original Zabuza and flew through handsigns. He spat out a stream of flame that took the form of a small dragon, speeding along the ground at the clone. "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)!" The flame screeched towards their target, and Naruto's clones grabbed its arms holding it in place. The flame made contact with the clone, turning the resulting burst of water into steam, and the flames were hot enough to keep burning, heading directly towards Zabuza. As he held his sword in front of him to cover from the flames, he saw a shadow stretching towards him from the pineapple haired kid.
Ripping his arm out of the orb, he sent Asuma to the floor amidst a surge of water, swinging his sword to cut the shadow in half and jumping out of the way of the fire. As he was in the hair, he flew through hand signs, the water surging behind him. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)!"A dragon formed from the water and went flying at Shikamaru and Ino. Naruto created about ten clones, two of whom jumped at his teammates, who were both sent flying by the water dragon. Those two clones dispelled as they broke Ino and Shikamaru's fall, and the two genin stumbled to their feet to join Naruto as he and the other clones all sped through hand signs. "Ino, Shika, Protocol Sync, now!"
What happened next would've made Hatake Kakashi beam at the teamwork the three displayed. Ino and Shikamaru each threw a bunch of kunai and shuriken, spread in an arc that prevented escape. Two of the clones spat balls of fire that split from each other, some of them heading directly to Zabuza, the other enveloping some of the thrown projectiles. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu(Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)!" Those clones then jumped towards Zabuza; kunai drawn. Three other clones yelled out "Fūton: Reppūshō (Wind Release: Gale Palm)!", speeding the kunai and shuriken forward, and fanning the small flames into larger torrents of flame. Another whispered the next technique, "Raiton: Kunai Tokubetsu Houden (Lightning Release: Kunai Special Charge)!" and all the kunai they had thrown were charged with lightning chakra, the torrents of flame surrounding them turning blue, then purple as they sped towards their target. The last two clones cried out"Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Kunai Shadow Clone Technique)" and "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)",turning the kunai and shuriken speeding toward the man into a veritable rain of metal, fire and lightning. Naruto himself cried out "Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"a huge ball of compressed wind firing directly at Zabuza.
All of that happened in 10 seconds, leaving the airborne Zabuza with almost no options, except to bring Kubikiribocho up as the brunt of the attack hit him, the wind bullet combining with the lightning charged fire balls of metal and death to result in a massive explosion. In a bout of quick thinking, some of the fire covered kunai and shuriken were manipulated by Naruto's clones who had jumped into the air after Zabuza, hitting him in the back and sides, some of them still charged with lightning, burning, piercing and electrocuting the man as he fell to the surface of the bridge.
The clones puffed out of existence, and Naruto huffed a bit, having poured a lot more chakra than usual into them to make sure the plan worked. His face was covered in a sheen of sweat, but he raised two kunai in a reverse grip anyway, ready in case anything happened. Asuma stood up, holding his side in pain, but he raised a trench knife either way. Ino grabbed Tazuna and formed a diamond formation around him with Shikamaru and some more clones Naruto created as he and Asuma moved towards the prone form of Zabuza. When they got within 10 feet of him, a figure appeared in front of them. The figure wore a Hunter Nin mask from Kiri, marked by the three wavy lines on the forehead.
"Thank you very much for taking care of my target for me. I'll take it from here and return him to Kirigakure to face justice." the hunter nin's voice came across very gender neutral, the mask masking their voice. Naruto tensed and narrowed his eyes. "Drop the act. We know who you are, you aren't going anywhere with him." Naruto rushed forward, his kunai slicing at the nin's throat and chest. The hunter nin jumped to the side, right into a slash from Asuma's trench knife, their robe cut diagonally, revealing a green shinobi battle kimono. Naruto jumped over Zabuza's prone body, his kunai slashing at the Hunter Nin's hamstring, dropping them to the ground with a cry of pain. Asuma kicked the hunter nin in the face, sending them rolling across the ground, knocked out cold.
The two of them tied up Zabuza and Haku, and Naruto placed two of his four chakra suppression seals on the two, and they carried their captives, with the help of Ino and Shikamaru, to Tazuna's house, the sun slowly moving along the sky. Team 10 arrived tired and sweating at Tazuna's front door, Naruto dropping the fake hunter at his feet to knock on the door. As he waited for whoever was inside to open the door, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply and sighing, very content and tired. A woman opened the door, with a soft face and long black hair flowing down the back of her seafoam green kimono. Her face went through a mixture of emotions when she looked at them. First happiness at seeing her father, worry at the state of Team 10, confusion at the two bound and unconscious ninjas, and… something between confusion and consternation at the blonde-haired teenager who was smoking blatantly in front of her.
"Father, you're home! What's…. going on?" she wrapped the bridge builder in a tight hug, and then motioned to everyone else. "These are the shinobi I hired to protect me, Tsunami, and protect me they did. There were these two masked fellows waiting for us on the road, they were dealt with quickly, and then another one attacked us by the old stone bridge, the one we always fished at during the summer? They fought hard, and the kids here, they beat him. That's what that big explosion was all about earlier. The small one tried to escape with him, but they stopped them as well. They'll be staying with us until I've finished the bridge, take care of them. They saved my life, more than once." Tazuna smiled at the team and headed inside, calling for someone named Inari. Tsunami gave them a warm smile.
"Welcome to our home, umm? What are your names, sorry?" She looked embarrassed for a second, but Asuma spoke up, a cigarette also between his lips. "I'm Sarutobi Asuma, Jonin sensei of these three. The one that looks like he's going to pass out right here, that's Nara Shikamaru, the blonde smokestack is Uzumaki Naruto and the other blonde, the pretty one, that's Yamanaka Ino. Team 10 of Konohagakure at your service." Tsunami's eyebrow sprang at 'Uzumaki' but left it alone.
"Thank you, Asuma-san, Team 10. Unfortunately, I don't allow smoking in my house, so you'll have to put those out, the both of you. There are three spare rooms upstairs, and there's a futon in the living room. I was just finishing up breakfast, so come in, we're eating soon." With that, she turned around and headed back inside. Naruto and Asuma both begrudgingly took their last pulls, and put out the cigarettes, following Ino and Shikamaru inside. They deposited their two captives in one of their spare rooms, securing their bindings further. Ino claimed the spare room right across from the bathroom, and Naruto let Asuma and Shikamaru take the other one, claiming he was used to futons.
They all gathered round the dinner table, the Shinobi all scoffing down whatever was put in front of them happily. A small boy, about 10 years old, joined them as well. Inari, Tazuna's grandson, seemed to be in a foul mood all throughout breakfast, but he didn't say anything. Small talk was made for a while, and when everyone was finished, Team 10 excused themselves to get some sleep, all four of them completely exhausted. The moment their heads hit pillows; they were out like candles. They rested for a day and a half, before getting back to work.
(Site of Team 10's Battle with Zabuza; Two Days after the battle)
Team 7 was staring at the semi destroyed bridge, littered with kunai and shuriken, a few small bloodstains and a big chunk taken out of the side. Kakashi studied the area, his dogs having reported they smelled Asuma and Naruto heavily in the area, and that their scents went north. "Kakashi-sensei, what happened here?" Sakura asked, her eyes flitting around the area. "Neh, Sakura, I don't know, but it'll definitely be an interesting story, I can tell you that. Now, let's get going."
Kakashi eye smiled at his Genin, before leading them where the scent led him. They came upon a modest two-storey home, with a nice porch. To Kakashi's surprise, Asuma was sitting on the porch, smoking a cigarette, looking around as if he knew he was in trouble. When he spotted them, he started for a moment, reaching for a weapon, before he realised who was walking towards him and he smiled brightly.
"I can't wait to brag about my Genin to Kakashi, especially because he seemed a little bit miffed that Naruto hadn't been on Team 7." Asuma thought, striding towards Kakashi and his team. "So, the old man decided to send you guys for backup, eh Kakashi? I'm guessing he took Naruto's warning pretty seriously to decide on sending you." Asuma smiled, hugging his long-time friend and comrade. Kakashi returned the hug, noticing Asuma grab his side afterwards gingerly. "Ma, ma Asuma, are you going to tell me what happened down at the bridge? You're injured, and I don't see your Genin anywhere?" Kakashi seemed a bit worried, and his eye betrayed it.
"Oh, don't worry about it. No one died, just some injuries across the board. We have Momochi Zabuza, and his apprentice, one Haku, tied up and under chakra suppression seals, made by ours truly, Naruto. Come in, we'll tell you the story over dinner tonight. Naruto is out in the forest, training Ino, and Shikamaru is standing watch at the bridge, with a small contingent of Naruto's clones to help, and alert Naruto if anything happens. By the way, there's not really space inside, so I hope you all brought camping gear, Naruto won't have enough for all four of you." Asuma turned and led them to the house, introducing Team 7 to the Igami family. Team 7 helped Tsunami and Asuma to set up a table outside, planning on a big dinner for everyone under the stars that night.
As the sun started heading towards the horizon, Shikamaru walked up to the house, following Tazuna, as he saw Team 7 sitting outside, talking with their sensei and Asuma. "Yo, Choji, Sasuke, Sakura. So, you guys were sent to be back-up, neh?" Shikamaru said, walking up to Choji and greeting his best friend, giving a wave to Sasuke and Sakura. He went and took a quick shower, and then went down to the kitchen to help Tsunami cook. Say what you wanted about how lazy Shikamaru was, but he loved cooking, almost as much as cloud watching. It's what he and his mother bonded over, and then became what he and Naruto bonded over, since they'd been placed on a team together, swapping recipes and cooking on the road here. Thinking of the two blondes he spent most of his time with, he looked up and saw them through the window, walking out of the forest, pushing each other over, laughing. Both of them were pretty scuffed up, and they looked like they had trained all day. "I'm glad Naruto got through to her… They get along really well, and he's gotten her to change her ways… She's been much more determined, and even though it's only been a few days, he's gotten through to her in a way Asuma-sensei and her dad never did. Ne, it's probably going to be such a hassle if they start dating… Troublesome."
Naruto and Ino walked up to the house, dirty and dishevelled, laughing at each other. For everyone watching, if you'd asked them later, they'd tell you that it was the happiest they'd ever seen the whiskered boy, and Sakura would swear up and down that Ino had never looked happier either, and years later, when everything was said and done, Sakura would say it was when she noticed Ino falling in love with him, but Ino would vehemently disagree every time. The two approached the table, still laughing. "Yo, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke-teme, Choji. It's good to see you and I'm glad that you're the back-up Jiji sent. I'll be down in a second, just need to catch a shower." Naruto waved at them, and walked up the wall, slipping through the upstairs landing window. Team 7 stared at him as he walked up the wall, totally stunned. "Stop showing off you idiot!" Ino yelled up at him, the smile on her face betraying her lack of anger. "Sorry bout that guys, Naruto-kun just likes showing off sometimes. Hey Sakura, Sasuke, Choji, Kakashi-sensei. I need to catch a shower too." And she followed Naruto's example, walking up the wall and slipping through the same window.
After the two came down for the shower, the food was busy being set, and they sat down, laughing, in the middle of a conversation. "… And then, Asuma-sensei started running off, thinking I'd actually told Kurenai-sensei that he was seeing that kunoichi from Kumo, the one I'd met in Jiji's office." Naruto told her, eliciting a bout of giggles from Ino, and a soft glare from Asuma. Naruto smiled softly at Ino, and they turned back to the table. "You know, Naruto, you gave me a massive heart attack, and I had to explain the whole thing to Kurenai after I rushed to apologize… It was a mess, gaki." Asuma said, earning a few laughs around the table. "So, Asuma, Team 10… You guys going to tell us what happened with Zabuza?" Kakashi asked, giving them a look. Naruto made a hand sign and ten clones puffed into existence, and rushed off inside. They came down carrying the captives, and placed them at the edge of the light, their mouths gagged and their bodies bound and tied. The chakra suppression seal on Zabuza's neck pulsed suddenly, and his body tensed, contorting in pain. Team 7 looked at Zabuza confused. "Okay, so basically, what just happened there, was Zabuza tried to surge his chakra enough to break the chakra suppression seal, and he received a nasty surprise. I drew that seal myself, and it's based off of my own amount of chakra… And you'd be very hard pressed to find anyone with the amount of chakra I have, anywhere in the world. No one in Konoha has anywhere close to the amount I have… Hell, I'd bet Kakashi, and Asuma-sensei wouldn't be able to create 10 clones as easily and carefree as I did just did. So Zabuza trying to break it caused all of his muscles to receive a sharp jolt of lightning chakra, so that they tense up, and burn. Even if he was to get out, somehow? His muscles would be so burned out that he'd be slower than me on my worst day. An Academy student could run away from him. So, he's not going anywhere, neither is his friend. The muscle burn, that's something I invented myself after one of my clones hit me with a lightning charged kunai. Works pretty well, and hurts like a bitch, I'll tell you that." Naruto explained, lighting a cigarette while everyone took it in. When he saw the look Tsunami gave him, he sighed. "Tsunami-san, you said "No smoking inside." We aren't inside, and my team is sitting closest to me, so it's not bothering anyone. Please, I haven't had one since this morning, I spent all day training with Ino-hime. Please?" Tsunami's eyes softened and she sighed nodding for him to continue. Asuma gave a whoop of delight and lit his own.
"Naruto, since when do you call Ino-buta-chan, Ino-hime?" Sakura asked, confused.
"Cause she's the heiress to the Yamanaka Clan, Sakura. She's basically the Princess of the Yamanaka Clan, like Shikamaru is the Prince of the Nara, Sasuke is the Prince of the Uchiha, Choji is Prince of the Akamitchi… Hell, Asuma-sensei is the Sarutobi Prince… And I recently found out I'm the Prince of the Uzumaki Clan, but there's more than just a clan to that… I don't know much about it yet though. It's an old clan custom, from the Warring Clans Time Period, but it's still pretty popular within Konoha. Anyway, Ino should rightfully be called Hime, and I care about her enough to call her hime anyway." Naruto said, rubbing his neck sheepishly. Sakura nodded, speechless by Naruto's knowledge about history, of all things. "Anyway, now that that's cleared up, it's probably time to tell you what happened with these two." Asuma said, pointing at the captives. Over dinner, he told the whole story, Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino filling in where needed. "So, then, Naruto, with the help of Ino and Shikamaru, used this amazing combination the three of them had worked out to take out Zabuza. He was stuck in the air, with nowhere to go, his hand still stuck in the last hand sign for Suiryudan, couldn't do anything but raise his sword to block the brunt of the attack, which prompted Naruto to guide his Hosenka towards Zabuza's back and sides, effectively knocking him out. Me and Naruto quickly took care of the hunter nin, she wasn't expecting us to know of her involvement, Naruto hamstringed her, and I knocked her out. We haven't interrogated them yet; the last interrogation took a bit of a toll on them and I'm giving them some time to rest a bit. But, when the interrogation happens, you might want to let your team watch, maybe participate as well, just to learn. We can watch over them, I wanna see it, and you will too. And after that, Team 10 will probably claim Zabuza's bounty, along with Gozu and Meizu's. But, enough of this, let's enjoy tonight yeah? After all, the mission should go by pretty easily from here on out." Asuma said, digging back into his food. Little did he know what was being planned on the hilltop above the village.
(Manor: Hill Overlooking the Village)
At the top of the hill, on the top floor of a beautiful, wood-built manor, in what was supposed to be the Lord's study, sat a fat, overweight man, with a balding head, a furious look on his face. "That damned Missing Nin got himself caught! I knew I shouldn't have paid any of them upfront, or even trusted that some missing ninja from a war-torn country could get the job done. Oji! Hire more mercenaries, I want them here within the next two days! These shinobi might be able to fight each other, but they won't stand a chance against an army of armed men." Gato said, his eyes gleaming. Outside of the manor, running around the manor walls and all the way down the hill was a massive mercenary encampment, 500 men strong. "They'll rue the day the crossed me!"
A/N: And that's that. I'm not gonna be able to write till Friday, so I wanted to get this out before I went to bed. Otherwise, thanks for reading, I appreciate it. We hit 2000 views, which is gas, honestly. Btw, I am aiming for this to be a long ass fic, but I hope all of you stick around regardless. Love all of you, see you in a week yeah?