I don't own Naruto, but if I did...
"…!"
Naruto awoke with a sharp gasp, his unfocused eyes staring up at the night sky in slight confusion. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, attempting to slow his hammering heart. Before long, he unzipped his sleeping bag and pushed himself to his feet.
Looking around the camp, he saw that everyone else was asleep, minus Sakura who was keeping watch a few paces away from a tree branch. He stepped over Sasuke's sleeping bag, threw one glance at the bridge builder, then crouched down in front of the campfire as he held his hands above the dying embers.
Finally, he stood up and made his way towards the Kunoichi. Sakura turned her head as the branch suddenly swayed from the extra weight and was surprised to find her elusive teammate taking a spot on the same branch.
"Naruto? You're not sleeping?"
"Sorry, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep." He replied as he crossed his legs and stared ahead at the horizon.
Sakura watched him before smiling and looking ahead as well. "The view's great from here, don't you think? So far from the village and its lights, you can really see all the stars."
Sakura couldn't see it, but Naruto smiled in response. "You're right."
The two fell into silence as they enjoyed the cool night air.
"Someone once told me that each of those stars are like our world's sun." Naruto said. Sakura blinked and turned to him before looking up at the sea of stars.
"Oh…Is that right?" She replied in amazement.
"Really makes you think, doesn't it…? The vastness of this world. It can almost make you feel insignificant."
"Yeah…" The girl looked down before smiling. "The universe sure is big." She trailed off and thought about it before shrugging. "Huh…I guess it doesn't matter though."
Naruto looked at her in confusion, causing her to stumble over her words slightly. "Ah, I mean…We don't really know what's out there, all we're really aware of is what we have here, on earth. I have a family, friends, a life, so why worry over something so far away that we can't control, you know?"
Naruto pondered her words and looked back up at the sky. "Hm. I guess I never thought of it that way."
Sakura watched as Naruto got lost in thought again. She was worried that she'd offended him with her remark, but he didn't really seem to mind at all. She relaxed again and stared at her lap, thinking back to how Kakashi had described him before.
"Hey Naruto? Is it alright if I ask you a question?" She tentatively asked.
"What is it?"
"Um, well…Those chains that you make. I've never seen anything like those before. Are they a bloodline limit?"
"Oh, those." Naruto said in a soft tone. "Yeah, they're something like that. It's rare, but some members of the Uzumaki clan are able to use them."
Sakura's eyes widened slightly in realization. "The Uzumaki clan, huh…?"
The blond nodded but didn't explain further, causing Sakura to attempt to prod more.
"Can you tell me a little about them?"
Naruto blinked. "Sure…" He replied. "I never met her, but my mother had that ability as well So did a few others before her but, the most notable one was Mito Uzumaki."
"Mito…Uzumaki? That name seems familiar."
Naruto smiled slightly behind his mask. "It should. She was the first Hokage's wife."
"The first Hokage!?" She blurted out before quickly covering her mouth. Behind them, Tazuna snorted in his sleep from the sudden noise.
"The first Hokage's wife…" She repeated in a quieter tone. "I always thought that his wife was a Senju as well. Does…Does this mean that you're related to the Senju clan?"
"Who knows, really. The whole history has always been confusing. Mito Uzumaki is probably not my direct ancestor, but someone else from the clan is. But then again, the Uzumaki are distantly related to the Senju."
"Whoa…" She muttered in amazement. She glanced behind her at her sleeping team, before looking back down at her lap. "Everyone on this team is amazing…" Naruto looked over at her and was surprised to find a dejected frown on her face. "It kinda makes me feel out of place. You're all so strong…But me…"
The girl trailed off, leaving the rest of her words unspoken.
"That doesn't matter." Naruto said, causing her to look up at him.
"It doesn't matter what your background is. You don't need an amazing history to become a great ninja." He shook his head and smiled softly. "Some of our more powerful shinobi from this village don't come from great clans. Jiraiya the toad Sannin, Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage. Do you know what clan they're from?"
Sakura shook her head slowly in return. "I don't…"
"Exactly. Those guys, and many people before and after them grew up as nobodies and came from unknown clans, and yet they became legends in the ninja world." He tore his eyes away from the sky and looked at the girl. "Your strength doesn't come from your heritage. It comes from your will and your desire to do great things."
Naruto's passionate speech made the girl smile. He wasn't exactly trying to cheer her up, it was more like he was stating a fact. But regardless of the reason, it made her heart feel lighter. Whatever doubts and worries she had before all seemed to have disappeared.
"Thank you, Naruto. That means a lot."
Naruto merely nodded in reply. The two fell into silence again as the sound of crickets buzzed around them. The peaceful sound and comforting wind began to make the girl feel drowsy as she attempted to stifle a yawn.
"I can take over from here, Sakura." Naruto said, making the girl smile in embarrassment for being caught.
"Sorry…I guess I was more tired than I thought. Thanks Naruto, I owe you one." She stood up and stretched before turning around. "See you in the morning."
The blond tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Yeah, see you…" He listened as she jumped from the branch and made her way over to her sleeping bag. He waited until he couldn't hear any movement anymore before turning his attention back to the horizon.
"Jan, ken, pon!"
Sakura blinked as she watched her teammates hands, one in the shape of scissors and the other in the shape of a rock before looking down at her own hand that was laid flat.
"…Who won?"
"Nobody won Naruto, it's a draw." She held up her hand in demonstration and made the respective signs as she talked. "Paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper. Understand?"
She was met with two confused faces in return causing the girl to sigh. "Let's go again. Ready? ...Jan, ken, pon!"
Both Sasuke and Sakura displayed rock while Naruto went with paper. The three watched the result for a moment before Sasuke's unsure voice cut the silence.
"So…Did Naruto lose?"
Naruto brought his hand closer to his face as if he were lamenting his choice, making Sakura stare at them like they grew a second head. "What? No, I just explained it to you; paper beats rock. Naruto wins." Her two teammates still appeared confused, causing her to sigh and shake her head. "How have you two never played this before?"
Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other, then back at Sakura before shrugging.
"I don't get it, how can rock beat scissors if paper beats rock, then scissors beats paper?"
"You're confusing me, let's just go again. Ready…? Jan, ken, pon…!"
As the Genin passed the time, Kakashi along with Tazuna and the boat rider were having a conversation of their own.
"This fog is pretty thick; I can barely see anything ahead." Kakashi said with a squint. Tazuna hummed in agreement from his seated position, then closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"We should be able to see the bridge soon. When we reach it, we'll be in the land of waves." The boat rider told the team. "Once we're there, we're going our separate ways, got that Tazuna? You never saw me."
"Yeah yeah, I hear ya." The old man replied with an annoyed wave.
"Ooh, I get it. These are like nature affinity weaknesses!" The resounding sound of Sakura slapping her own forehead followed the enthusiastic statement. Kakashi glanced over at his team before his attention was drawn to an immense figure taking shape within the mist.
The team watched in wonder as the boat sailed towards the massive wooden structure. It truly was a sight to behold. The half bridge itself had to be at least half a mile in length, and yet there was still much work left to be done.
"It's huge!" Sakura exclaimed in amazement.
"H-Hey! Please keep it down…" The boat rider said in a frightened tone. "I used the fog as cover and I'm rowing by hand instead of using the motor…If they know we're here, then we'll be in deep trouble."
"Ah, sorry…"
Before long, the team had finally managed to make their way into the land of waves. Naruto stood up and looked around the village, admiring its architecture. It was amazing how different each villages looked. While Konoha's houses were mostly made from wood, the ones here were made of solid rock and bricks to combat the sea air and unrelenting waves.
The boat pulled up to the dock and came to a stop, allowing everyone but the boat rider to step off. "This is as far as I'll go."
"Yeah, you've been a big help. Thanks." Tazuna replied. He turned towards his entourage and gave them a boisterous smile. "Okay! Get me home safely!"
"Right…" Sasuke muttered as he and Sakura escorted him towards town. Kakashi watched them go before turning to his other student whose attention seemed to have been caught by something else.
He pocketed his favourite book and walked to stand next to him. Naruto was still standing by the dock, staring at the horizon at something only he could see. Kakashi watched him for a moment, before looking into the distance as well.
'North-East…That's the direction of…' Kakashi trailed off as realization struck him. 'I see…'
He allowed him a minute to take in the view before raising his hand and dropping it on the blond's head, shaking him out of his reverie. Naruto looked up at his teacher who met his eyes with a smile. "Come on Naruto, let's go join the others."
"Right." He said with a nod. He sent one last look at the vast expanse of water before turning around and following after his sensei.
As they walked away, a man observed them from his position in the trees. He narrowed his eyes and sheathed his massive sword onto his back before disappearing from sight.
—
"Heeey, Tsunami!" Tazuna yelled while banging on the door. He sighed and tipped his empty bottle upside down. He'd have to go back to the market and buy some more booze soon. "You guys feel free to make yourselves at home in here. Starting tomorrow I'll be able to continue construction on the bridge, so please continue to protect me at all cost." He turned towards the door and banged on it again. "Tsunami, will you open the door already!?"
"Oh, dad!" A woman's voice said behind the door, followed quickly by the sound of locks being undone. The door swung open, revealing a kind looking woman with blue hair. She quickly approached the group and gave her father a hug. "I'm so relieved to see that you made it back safe!" She glanced behind him at the group. "And these must be-"
"Those are the super awesome ninja I hired to protect wave's super awesome bridge builder; me!" He exclaimed proudly.
The woman smiled at his antics. "I see, well if that's the case, then you all have my deepest gratitude!" She said as she bowed down low.
"It's quite alright." Kakashi replied with a sheepish smile.
"Please come in, lunch will be ready soon." She ushered them inside and shut the door behind them. "You can put all of your gear upstairs; I'll have some futons ready for you all."
"Oh, that's very generous! Thank you!" Sakura said. She and the rest removed their sandals at the entrance and before long were gathered around in the living room going over their plans. Two people would remain with Tazuna at all times, while two more would be patrolling the village and keeping an eye out for either Gato or his men. Were they to find anyone suspicious, they would contact the rest of the team using the same ear pieces they've been using for their D-rank missions.
"Hmm…This is all well and good, but completion of the bridge will take a while…Two weeks, maybe three weeks at most." Tazuna mumbled.
Kakashi gave a small resigned sigh. "Well, it can't be helped. The plan remains the same."
A set of footsteps approaching made the team look over at the hallway leading upstairs. The wooden door slid open, revealing a young child wearing a bucket hat.
"Hey, Inari! I was wondering where you were."
The boy named Inari looked over at the team, before running up to Tazuna and giving him a hug. "Welcome back, Grandpa…!"
"Inari, don't ignore your guests like that and introduce yourself! These are the ninja that's been protecting your grandpa." Tsunami chided.
"It's alright Tsunami, he didn't mean to be rude! Right Inari?"
Tsunami sighed at her laughing father. Inari stared at the Genin with a frown before pulling away from Tazuna and turning to his mom.
"These guys are gonna die. There's no way they can oppose Gato."
"Eh?" Sakura blinked in surprise.
"Now now Inari, don't say that! These guys are super strong, and they decided to help me despite the risks. They're heroes, just like Kaiza!"
Inari's mood seemed to darken even more and turned to leave. "Heroes…? There's no such thing. If you don't want to die then you should hurry up and go home."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the retreating boy's back. Somehow, he could almost feel a sense of familiarity when he looked at him. He reminded him a lot of himself when he was younger, so hopeless and filled with hate at the world.
"Inari, where are you going?"
"I'm going up to look at the sea…"
The door slid closed, leaving everyone in an awkward silence.
"Ah…I'm sorry about that…" Tazuna apologized sheepishly. He looked over at the torn picture on the wall. The frame showed three people, Inari, Tazuna and Tsunami. The right side of the picture was missing, indicating that someone else was previously on the picture with them. "You see…Inari has grown quite cold towards people…Ever since…"
He trailed off, as if debating his next choice of word.
"I think I should tell you guys about Kaiza…"
—
After half an hour, lunch was finally ready thanks to the help of Sakura and the rest of the team. Tsunami finished setting the table and turned to one of the Genin behind her. "Could somebody go tell Inari that dinner is ready?"
The team looked among themselves, then both Sakura and Sasuke turned to Naruto.
"…Fine…" He said with a sigh and made his way up the stairs. He walked over to one of the doorknobs, but the sound of sobbing made his hand stop just as it came close to it.
He debated whether he should disturb him or not. He was never good at social interactions, especially when it came to young children. He sighed again and rapped the door three times before gently pushing it open.
"Inari? Your mom asked me to tell you lunch is ready."
Inari didn't reply but his crying suddenly stopped. Naruto waited a few seconds, and was about to close the door when he made no sign of moving.
"You're all stupid…"
Naruto paused and looked over at the child. "Did you say something?"
Inari shut his eyes tight. "You're stupid! You're all going to die!"
"…"
"You all…You come in here, and act like you're big-shots…But you have no idea what we've been through…Heroes don't exist. No matter what you do, you can't take down Gato…And he'll kill you. Just like…"
Inari didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to.
"Just like Kaiza?"
Inari turned to him in shock. "H-How did you- "
"Frankly, I don't care what you've been through." Naruto interrupted, catching Inari off guard. "You think you're the only one that's suffering? I've only been in this town for an hour and I can tell that everybody's going through the same thing."
"What did you say!?" Inari said angrily as he got up.
"You have the audacity to insult people that try to help, yet you won't even lift a finger to fight for a change." Naruto said in the same infuriating voice. Inari clenched his fists as the blond continued. "All you do is sit here feeling sorry for yourself."
"Y-You don't know what you're talking about…"
"Don't I? Kaiza, he was a hero. Even if he died, he fought for something he believed in. If you want to cry all day and wish for a better life, then fine. No one's stopping you. But don't act all high and mighty when all you are is a coward. You're only spitting on his memory that way."
Inari glared at the blond's mask; his fists trembling and balled in rage. Naruto turned to step out of the room before sliding the door closed behind him, leaving him alone once more.
"…Kaiza…" Inari whispered sadly before falling to the ground. He hugged his knees and continued to silently weep his sorrows away.
Kakashi looked up to the stairs from his position at the dinner table. "Naruto? Did you call Inari?"
"He said he wasn't hungry." He replied simply as he took his seat. Kakashi hummed and sent him a look, but decided to drop it.
"Ah, well…I guess it can't be helped…" Tsunami said in defeat. The team thanked them for the food, and soon began eating.
Tazuna grunted in effort as he placed down yet another box containing hardware for the bridge. Fishing out the pencil tucked away behind his ear, he jotted down a few notes in his notepad before flipping it close and quickly going about his next task.
"Kenji! Move your ass, we don't have all day!" He barked to one of his workers, who clicked his tongue in annoyance and doubled his speed. Tazuna mumbled to himself as he went to oversee another part of the bridge in progress. "Who mixed this cement!? The ratio is completely off!"
"I didn't expect building a bridge to be so complicated…" Sasuke said from his spot against the railing. He and Kakashi, who had his nose buried in his book, were in charge of protecting Tazuna and the bridge for the day. So far, it had been…Pretty uneventful.
"Uh-huh." Kakashi drawled out, not looking up from his book. Sasuke sent him an unimpressed look before sighing and pressing his finger against his left ear.
"Sakura, Naruto, anything to report?"
There was a brief moment of silence before he heard the static of the comms. "Still nothing Sasuke-kun. Not much has changed in the last five minutes."
Sasuke grunted in response. The comms came back to life once more and Naruto's slightly mirthful voice cut through the static.
"Is Kakashi-sensei not keeping you entertained?"
"Bite me." He replied before cutting the connection. Sakura snickered to herself and removed her finger from her ear before looking around the district.
"What is 'somebody suspicious' even supposed to look like anyway?" She questioned.
"Who knows, probably someone with weapons." Naruto answered with a shrug.
"Eh…Should we split up?"
The blond looked behind them, then in front of them and considered the area they still had to cover. "Yeah, that's probably for the best. You take the north and west side; I'll take the south and east."
"Right." Sakura nodded. The two separated and continued their search.
—
'Hm, that guy didn't know anything either.' Naruto thought as he let go of the thug's collar. The man fell on his rear before scrambling to his feet and ran away in fright. He stepped out of the alleyway and looked up at the sun's position, estimating that about two hours had passed. "I should probably re-group with Sakura soon."
He felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down. A little girl with messy black hair and a missing tooth looked up at him with wide dark eyes.
"E-Excuse me sir, would you happen to have any food?" She asked. Naruto stared down at her in surprise before slowly shaking his head.
"I'm sorry…I don't have any right now…"
The little girl's eyes watered as she looked down, seemingly dejected. "Oh…That's okay."
Staring down at the girl's face, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for her. He looked around his surroundings, before his sights set on a spot on the other side of the market. "Wait here." He said. The girl was amazed as the blond seemed to vanish from sight. She looked around in confusion and nearly jumped when she felt somebody tap her shoulder from behind.
"Here." The masked Jinchūriki said as he handed her an apple. The girl's shock quickly changed to delight as she took the red apple with both hands and gave him a wide smile.
"Thank you sir, you're very kind!" She said cheerfully. She suddenly moved forward and gave him a hug, before quickly pulling away and running off, holding the apple close to her.
Naruto was momentarily caught off guard, but the surprise on his face slowly morphed into a small frown. That girl had guts; he'd give her that.
"If you're gonna take that, then you better know how to use it." He suddenly said. The little girl, who was about to disappear into the crowd came to an abrupt stop. She turned around and smiled nervously, before sheepishly walking back to the blond.
"Heheh…I'm sorry." She said in embarrassment. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a kunai, one that she had stolen from his pouch during the hug. She grasped it awkwardly, her hand wrapped around the ring near the base of it and held it out to the blond.
Naruto kneeled down and held the knife by the blade. With his other hand, he took her wrist and re-adjusted it in her grip so that she was firmly holding it by the handle.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"It's…Isamu. Tamashi Isamu."
"This is how you hold it, Isamu." He instructed and let go of her wrist. She stared down at the knife and wrapped both of her little hands around the handle, before looking back up at him. "If you're ever in danger, then aim for this spot; here," He tapped the side of his neck. "Or here." He tapped the left side of his chest, right above his heart.
"Okay, sir…" She replied, her eyes wide surprise. Naruto closed his eyes and stood up before turning around. He hadn't expected teaching a young girl that looked barely older than six on the best way to kill someone with a knife. But unfortunately, this country seemed to obey the rules of 'survival of the fittest.' and he'd rather live with the knowledge that this innocent girl would know how to defend herself instead of becoming yet another victim.
His comms suddenly came to life, making him quickly press his finger to his ear. "Naruto! Sakura! Something's happened at the bridge, you need to hurry!"
"Sasuke-kun? What's going on?" He heard Sakura ask.
"There's no time to explain, just hurry!" He replied frantically. Naruto removed his finger from his ear and looked towards the direction of the bridge.
"U-Um…"
As he was about to leave, he heard the girl's voice and glanced behind him. She seemed nervous, and was holding the kunai tightly to her chest.
Naruto gave her a small smile that went unnoticed from behind his mask. "Take care of yourself, Isamu." Naruto said, before vanishing from sight. Isamu gasped at the blond's magic trick, before a grin appeared on her face.
"Cool…!"
"Phew, that should do it. Alright guys, let's finish up here and pack up for the day!" Tazuna called out.
Kakashi's hackles raised as he looked up from his book, a small frown appearing on his face. "…I'm getting a bad feeling…"
Sasuke glanced up from his position on the railing, his boredom clearly visible. "What bad feeling?"
"I don't know…It's just…" His eyes darted from one place to another. "Something doesn't feel right." Just as he said that, a thick mist began rolling in causing him to put his book away. "Tazuna, call off your men and get behind us."
"Eh? But we're almost done here…" Tazuna trailed off after noticing the serious edge in Kakashi's eyes. Quickly turning around, he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Oi guys! Job's done for the day! Hurry up and go home!"
The men muttered to each other with varying degrees of relief and wasted no time in leaving. Soon, only Sasuke, Kakashi and the bridge builder remained.
Kakashi's eyes widened as a large sword came swinging from within the mist. He leaned out of the way and watched the blade strike the earth behind him. A kunai appeared in his hand, which he used to deflect the massive sword's second swing. His sharp eyes met the missing nin's before stepping forward and made a half ram seal.
"…!" Before he could complete his move, a giant needle threatened to pierce his hand. Acting in pure instinct alone, he moved his hand away and quickly jumped back in an attempt to create some distance between his two assailants. He glanced down at the cut on his hand and pushed his headband up, revealing his Sharingan.
"What the-"Sasuke said in surprise. The whole interaction had taken less than five seconds and he'd only manage to catch a glimpse of what had happened. The giant needle was yanked back and hurled at the surprised Genin. Sasuke ducked and dashed after the man, who called his sword back once more. Flying through hand seals, Sasuke inhaled deeply and spat out a fireball.
"…" The hunter nin with long blond hair stood back up straight and watched the incoming fire, making no effort to avoid it. Before it hit him, a large wall of ice formed in-between them, intercepting the fireball.
'Ice?' Kakashi thought in surprise. He'd never seen anybody manipulate ice before. Maybe a bloodline limit? His attention was diverted back to Zabuza, who used his momentary lapse of attention to his advantage. He shifted his weight and grip and delivered a spinning slash that sent Kakashi flying back. Just as Kakashi recovered, a hail of senbon needles flew at him. He used his kunai to deflect them, but a few managed to slip through and bury themselves in his arm. 'This isn't looking good…' He thought with a wince. As Zabuza rushed at him again, he deflected several more strikes and tried his best to avoid the constant rain of needles.
The blond hunter nin attempted to skewer Sasuke, to which the Uchiha responded by twisting his body to the side and letting the weapon pass between his arm and ribs. Sasuke bent low and attempted to sweep, but the man deftly jumped back with a laugh. The man engaged Sasuke again and the two continued to exchange blows. Sasuke was pushed back as the hunter nin twisted his sword and crossed it with his other arm.
Sasuke flew through hand seals, but was interrupted when his opponent made a motion with his arms. Suddenly, wires almost invisible to the naked yanked his arm away. He cursed and reached up with his kunai in an attempt to free himself, but his hand was pierced by the giant needle. Sasuke shouted in pain as the thin sword ran straight through his palm and buried itself in a tree behind it. He stared in agitation at his trembling hand, now immobile due to the thread connected to the back of the sword.
'Sasuke!' Kakashi thought in alarm while looking at his student. Zabuza and the man wielding ice were taking up his undivided attention, and it was all he could do to keep his head connected to his shoulders.
The hunter nin, grasping his bundle of wire firmly in his other hand grinned behind his mask and dashed past Sasuke towards the scared bridge builder. He yanked on the threads, making Sasuke scream as the bloodied needle passed through his hand again, and aimed his sword at the man's throat.
A shadow suddenly appeared into view between he and the bridge builder, who ducked under the sword and delivered a kick to his face. The force of the blow snapped his head back and sent him sailing into the lake behind them. The action seemed to stop upon the new arrival as both Zabuza and his partner jumped away, putting some distance between them. Kakashi did the same and jumped back next to the panting Uchiha to regroup with his team.
Kakashi glanced at them with a frown. With Naruto here, the odds were now a little evened out, though Sakura had yet to show up. Zabuza and his partner turned their attention towards the lake, the waves having already begun to die down. After a short moment, bubbles made their way up before the masked hunter nin finally surfaced with a loud gasp.
"Aaargh, dammit you bastard! Who do you think you are kicking me like that!?" The man said in anger as he pushed himself out of the water.
"That's your fault for getting caught off guard like that." Zabuza replied without a hint of worry.
"Shut up Zabuza! I'll kick your ass next!"
"You…" Kakashi said. "You're Zabuza Momochi, demon of the bloody mist…" He looked over at the two hunter nin. "But I don't recognise you two…"
"What do you mean you don't recognize me!?" The blond shouted indignantly. "Hey, dumbass! I'm Kushimaru Kuriarare, one of the seven swordsmen of the mist! You better remember my name!"
"The seven swordsmen…? I thought you were all dead."
"Well clearly not, I'm standing right here!"
"I am Haku." The other one said simply.
"And you are Sharingan Kakashi." Zabuza said. "Sorry but, I'm afraid that the old man is mine."
"What do you guys want with him?" Kakashi prodded in an attempt to buy them some time.
"Well…Unfortunately my client seems to have business with him, you see…"
'Zabuza…I don't know anything about him.' Naruto thought to himself as he watched the three Kiri nins. 'But this guy, I've seen him before. He's a part of Kiri's elite force. What is he doing with them?' His eyes moved from him to the one named Haku. The ice wielder seemed to feel his stare as the two watched each other closely.
'That boy…I need to keep my guard up around him.' Haku thought.
"Man, what a pain!" Kushimaru complained to himself while resting his sword on his shoulder. "Sharingan Kakashi…This is more trouble than it's worth."
"Enough talk." Zabuza swung his sword from his shoulder and cratered the ground as he dropped the tip down. "Hand over the bridge builder, and you guys can walk out alive."
Kakashi brought up his kunai in preparation. "You know I can't do that." He glanced behind at the Uchiha nursing his hand. "Sasuke, are you gonna be alright?"
"This is nothing." He snapped back.
"Heheheh, typical Zabuza trying to call the shots." Kushimaru said while pointing his blade at the Konoha group. "You've never been worthy of this sword. I'm going to take them all down with one strike of my Nuibari."
"Whatever, just don't get in our way."
"Watch it Zabuza! The only reason I'm here is because I owe your master a favour. Once we're done here, your ass is next."
"Hmph." Zabuza dashed forward at impressive speed for someone carrying such a heavy weapon. Kakashi met him head on, and the two continued their clash.
Sasuke was about to walk forward when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned to see Naruto looking at the two masked Kiri nin.
"Sasuke, you take the other one. Let me handle the guy with the sword."
Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. He hated to admit it, but he knew that Naruto could handle a sword wielder better than he could. "Fine. Be careful, that guy's good with those wires." He fished two shuriken from his pouch and threw them at Haku, who threw two senbon of his own with pinpoint precision to intercept them.
Kushimaru tore his eyes away from Haku and Sasuke. "Heheheh, so I'm fighting you huh? That's fine by me. I still need to pay you back for that kick." He got into his stance; his sword pointed at the blond. "Show me what you got, Konoha nin."
That was all the invitation Naruto needed as he pulled his tanto out of its sheath and ran at him. Kushimaru got his sword ready and thrusted it forward when he was close enough. Naruto ducked under the stab and came in for a wide slash. Kushimaru reacted quickly and deflected it before switching his grip on the needle and holding it with both hands. He struck the blond with surprising force as Naruto used his tanto to block the hit but was sent flying back from the power of the blow.
He landed and sheathed his sword before quickly making a hand-sign. 'Wind style: Great Breakthrough!' He blew out a large gust of wind, causing Kushimaru to jump up high to avoid it.
"Wind style? Who even uses-Ungh!"
Naruto thrust his fist forward as a compact burst of wind struck him in mid-air. Kushimaru flipped and landed vertically against a tree, and barely had time to recover when Naruto met him, tanto aimed at his throat. Kushimaru used his sewing needle to deflect it and kicked him in the stomach.
Kushimaru chuckled sinisterly and dusted his clothes as the two righted themselves. Faster than lightning, Kushimaru threw six long senbon at Naruto, which he hastily deflected. The swordsman was already upon him and threw a fast barrage of thrusts. Naruto tried his best dodge and block as many as he could, but his opponents' movements were too fast and precise for him to keep up. He hissed when a stab grazed his side and threw sharp hook. His fist connected with the nin's face and sent him rocketing back before exploding in a shower of water. Naruto frowned at the water clone and kept his guard up.
'Ninja Art Long Blade: Stitching Spider!'
A small gleam of light caught his attention on the ground before his eyes widened. 'The senbon from earlier!' Wires connecting each senbon suddenly pulled themselves taunt and formed a shape aching to a spider's web. The threads threatened to slice his feet clean off, but he quickly buried his sword down and stopped one of them from bisecting his ankles.
Kushimaru rushed forward during that lapse of attention and readied his needle to stab through his shoulder but suddenly felt something wrap around his ankle and yank him away. 'What!?' He looked down at the golden chain wrapped around him and was swiftly swung away into the foliage.
'Dammit!' Naruto managed to cut the resilient wire and jumped up to safety on a tree branch. 'I shouldn't have gotten caught by that. I need to keep my guard up.' He carefully watched the distance and waited for his opponent to make his way back. 'This guy's fast, I need to turn this up a notch if I want to be able to beat him.'
"Naruto!"
His turned to see Sakura coming back from the town. "Sakura! Nobody's on Tazuna!"
She seemed surprised at first, but quickly nodded. "Got it!" She said and rushed to the bridge builder's side. "Tazuna-san, are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" The man replied a bit shakily. "Though, things are a bit tense right now."
"I don't really understand what's going on but, don't worry! Our team is strong. We won't lose!"
"I hope you're right, girly…"
A bone chilling chuckling could suddenly be heard in the clearing around them. Soon, the fog around them began to thicken, limiting his visibility. Naruto squinted his eyes as he attempted to see his surroundings, but could barely see past the tip of his nose.
He heard something cut through the air and used his tanto to parry the giant needle. He heard it retract and fly at him again and tilted his head out of the way. Kushimaru came in from another direction and called his sword to him. The wire connected to the sword wrapped tightly around his wrist and pulled him up towards the swordsman. Kushimaru delivered a double kick to his chest and sent him crashing down before throwing three senbon at the blond, who quickly rolled back to avoid them and sprung up in the air using the momentum. Kushimaru flew at him, but Naruto vanished from sight with a body flicker.
Kushimaru was caught off guard by his speed and was unprepared when he felt a powerful kick to his back. He skidded across the ground and threw three more senbon which Naruto avoided and closed the distance between them. Kushimaru quickly rolled into a standing position and parried a slash of Naruto's tanto before swinging his sword in an attempt to lop off his head. Naruto ducked and countered with a kick, which connected and knocked him away, but he wasted no time to come in again with a fast thrust. Naruto hopped above and used Kushimaru's shoulders as a springboard before jumping high in the air. A clone materialized next to him, who proceeded to grab him and launched him threw him back down at breakneck speed.
"Gwah!" Naruto delivered a strong axe kick to Kushimaru's shoulder, who stumbled from the impact and fell to one knee. Clutching the aching joint, he grit his teeth together and glared at the blond.
"You're really starting to piss me off…" Kushimaru said with a low chuckle. Standing up straight, he stabbed the Nuibari into the ground and began flying through a long string of hand-signs.
'What's he doing?' Naruto thought with a frown. He didn't know what jutsu this was and didn't know how many signs it contained, so he decided to stay a safe distance away. He discreetly made two shadow clones who hid behind him then vanished into the tree lines with a burst of body flicker. Kushimaru's hands stopped in the bird seal as he began laughing hysterically.
"Take this, bastard! Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
The waves behind them slowly grew in size before taking shape. From the depths of the lake emerged a giant serpent made of water with two glowering yellow eyes. It coiled up, as if it were sentient, then set it sights on the Jinchūriki. Naruto's eyes widened as it flew down at him, aiming to crush him with its weight.
'Shit!' Naruto pumped chakra into his legs and quickly dodged out of the way, but much to his surprise, the dragon adjusted its path and turned to intercept him. It trapped him in its maw and flew up high into the sky.
"Hahahahah! How do you like that, Konoha-nin!? This is one of Kiri's strongest water style moves, so you're as good as dead!" Kushimaru laughed with laboured breaths, beginning to feel the effects after using such a taxing jutsu. He heard footsteps behind him and turned in surprise, not expecting to see two clones behind him. "Wha-!?" He threw a wild kick out of instinct and felt the blow connect, but one of the clones took the brunt of the attack and grabbed hold of his leg. Both clones stopped and suddenly began to glow.
BOOOM!
From high up in the sky, Naruto barely felt the rocking of the explosion as the water dragon changed its trajectory and began crashing back towards the ground. 'Dammit, I can't get out of this!' He thought frantically. He was stuck. All he could do now was shut his eyes tight and brace for the impact.
The water dragon suddenly dispersed, and he fell heavily on the ground, followed by a brief, torrential downpour of water. He coughed and weakly pushed himself to his feet and attempted to catch his breath. Shaking the water out of his hair, he opened his eyes and looked around, seeing no sign of the former swordsman of the mist.
'I've gotta hurry up and go help Sasuke and Kakashi…' He thought and turned in the direction of the other fights. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the massive dome of mirrors that contained Sasuke and Haku. He looked over to Kakashi only to see him trapped in some sort of water prison, surrounded by Zabuza and his clones.
What the hell had happened!?
"You…That was a clever trick there…!"
He spun around and saw Kushimaru, his body smoking, his clothes in tatters and half of his mask blown off. He was clutching at a wound and his visible eye wide open in anger. The fury he felt was replaced by a look of glee, gleaming with a sadistic edge.
"That's it…I was planning on being nice to you all, leave a few of you alive. But now, EVERYBODY DIES!" He cackled and jumped high in the air before throwing dozens upon dozens of senbons haphazardly. He tugged on the wires connected to each needles and landed on one of the many strings now surrounding them, looking like a spider in its nest having just caught its prey.
"THE REAL BATTLE STARTS NOW, KONOHA NIN!"
Hey, what's up, it's me. Yeah this took a while. The start of this chapter was actually written pretty quickly, but the fight sequence took me about a month and a half to write. Kushimaru doesn't have a lot of screen time or material to go off of, crazy right?
People from the discord server are constantly hounding me about writing and releasing new chapters, and you could be one of them! Hope to see you there.
disc ord.g g/j 7cru wQ Q9E (copy this and remove the spaces. Or DM me for a new link)
Review or I'll kick you in the ribs.