CHAPTER 9
Team 7 along with Tazuna was reaching wave country. Kakashi's single eye had more light than previous days. Naruto was behaving as usual, quiet and alert with a smile. Sakura was grumpy for walking long distance. Sasuke looked like he was in deep thinking. He was neither smiling nor angry. He ignored everyone pointedly.
"What is that noise?", Naruto asked puzzling his teammates.
"What noise Naruto? You are imagining something.", Sakura answered before anyone could reply.
"Kid has good ears. That is the sound of sea. It is the waves that make noise", Tazuna replied.
"The air is salty", Kakashi confirmed.
"The island has both fresh and salt water. You will see it once we travel deeper", Tazuna added.
Sasuke was thinking Naruto had changed quite a bit after graduation. He saw Naruto getting help from his chunin sensei and when he asked Naruto, he confirmed it. He told he was catching up whatever he missed on his academy. Sasuke was scared Naruto would surpass him with proper guidance. He decided to pressure Kakashi into teach him new jutsus.
They arrived near the sea and could see the magnificent bridge which was incomplete.
"Wow, it is incredible", Naruto said and Tazuna smiled proudly.
"Of course. It is my creation", Tazuna replied.
"Let's go", Tazuna said and took them to the hidden side of the sea. There was a small boat with a man to operate it.
Naruto looked at the sea and hesitated. He was being disturbed by the loud noise from the sea.
"Come on Naruto", Kakashi called.
'Kyubi, can you dull my hearing senses a little. Not much. But little", Naruto requested and kyubi didn't reply. It responded by dulling his senses a little.
Naruto jumped into the boat on high alert. He sensed a strong chakra signature and a small one not too far away.
Kakashi could see that Naruto was on high alert which put him on alert in return.
"How do you get the material and workers for the bridge?", Sakura asked in her usual voice which made the boat-man shush them.
"We get everything from inside the island", Tazuna replied when Naruto interrupted before Sakura could ask further questions.
"The wave country has both fresh water resources and salt water resources. It helps different types of trees to grow. Fishing is also an important business in wave country. There are few people in different islands nearby use this island as the point of contact to main land. It helps the people of different skills to work together", Naruto explained.
"Don't make up stories Naruto. How could you possibly know that?", Sakura reprimanded Naruto.
"The kid id right about everything he said", Tazuna confirmed.
"I took map about wave country after we were assigned the mission. Iruka sensei told me what basic things are required when we travel to another land. I am pretty sure you and Sasuke studied this in class. But I didn't. I asked him after joining team 7 so as not to hold back the team. I am pretty sure his list said map and brochure containing basic information. That was what I was reading from the tree when we guys started the mission, at Konoha's gate", Naruto explained and Sasuke was annoyed at his lack of thought to do what Naruto said. Sakura was irritated at being lectured by dead-last.
"Above all, for a shinobi, no information is sure death", Naruto said in a low voice which failed to fall on civilian and mint genin ears. But Kakashi with his ANBU training and heightened senses , owing to his mother genes from Inuzaka clan, heard it and froze.
'That's what I, when I was ANBU, told him when he got 'allegedly' lost in the Konoha forest. He still remembers it. Maybe, I did teach him something', Kakashi's inner thoughts were hid behind his mask clad face immersed in orange book, which was not child friendly.
Naruto could feel there was a mist seeping into their surroundings. They got out from the boat and Naruto heard something in the bushes.
He threw a kunai there and Sakura shouted at him for scaring them unnecessarily when he pulled out a white rabbit.
'Since when there is sheltered rabbit appearing out of nowhere', Kakashi and Naruto was thinking along same lines. Naruto felt the chakra signature closing in faster.
"Duck", Kakashi yelled tackling Tazuna with him to the ground at the same time Naruto ducked. Sasuke and Sakura fell to the ground.
A big sword came flying and wedged into the nearby tree. Its hilt was soon occupied by a tall man with covered face except for his eyes.
"Kakashi Hatake, the famous copy-nin, no wonder they failed", the missing-nin greeted Kakashi.
"Zabuza Momichi, Demon of the mist", Kakashi greeted back.
"Give me the bridge builder. We will not have any problem", Zabuza asked.
"You know I can't do that", Kakashi told Zabuza and turned to his students. "Protect the client while I deal with him". His students nodded.
Once he knew his students understand, Kakashi removed his hitaite revealing the sharinghan.
"Ah, you are bringing Sharinghan this early into the game. I am honoured, Sharinghan no Kakashi", Zabuza taunted.
"How do you have sharinghan?", Sasuke asked bringing Zabuza's attention to the genins. Naruto mentally facepalmed. He expected Sakura to do this not Sasuke.
Zabuza turnred to the genins and begin to belittle them. Sasuke raised for the bait and proceeded to attack. Kakashi intercepted and killed Zabuza only for it to be turn into water clone.
The mist thickened and Zabuza released his full KI. Unable to withstand, Sasuke and Sakura started trembling. Sasuke was wondering was this the power of a jounin. Naruto was undisturbed. Kakashi attributed that to Naruto's constant exposure from ninjas and ANBUs while they tried to attack him.
"Don't worry. I won't let my comrades die", Kakashi said assuring his team. He released his own KI and counter-measured Zabuza's KI. Sasuke felt he could breathe again.
"I wonder", Zabuza said and proceeded to attack the genins. Kakshi used his second 'chidori' his signature jutsu on another clone. Naruto was dealing with Zabuza's clones and so did Sasuke. Naruto was increasingly worried. Kakashi could only do one more or two more 'chidori'. He created a 'Futon Kage bunshin jutsu (Air shadow clone)' just in case if he wanted to create a surprise attack. It was Naruto's signature jutsu owing to the fact that wind release users are rare and shadow clones were ingenious to Konoha.
Kakashi got caught in Zabuza's 'Suiro no jutsu : water prison jutsu". The water prison jutsu had only limited amount of air. Not wanting Kakashi to suffocate, Naruto asked his air shadow clone to dispel inside the sphere. The air shadow clones were not suited combat but they were good to gather information. But this was the first time Naruto had used it like this.
"Take Tazuna and run. This is over the minute I got caught", Kakashi yelled at his students hoping they would listen. That was too much to expect when you have an unpredictable knucklehead ninja in your team.
Zabuza appeared in the middle of the formation and was about to attack Tazuna when Naruto's clone intervened. Zabuza's another clone kicked original Naruto in the chest and sent him flying. His hitaite fell under Zabuza's leg.
Naruto got the chance he was waiting for. He created a water clone and henged it into Zabuza. It is not perfect but it was good for surprise attack. For what he was planning, he didn't need Sasuke's intervention. He came around from the tree and created few other clones.
"What are you doing Naruto? Run", Kakashi yelled.
"I can' t sensei. People leaving their comrades behind are worse than trash, remember?", Naruto said.
"Genins aren't real ninjas. You are right. You guys are worse than trash. Do you know how I became ninja?", Zabuza's clone taunted.
"You killed hundreds of ninjas from your academy. You were the last one standing. That's how you got the name, 'Demon of the mist', Zabuza momochi, one of the legendary seven swordsmen of the mist', Naruto interrupted him.
"You heard about me?", Zabuza said and Kakashi explained how Kiri's academy exam worked until few years back to Sakura from inside the water prison.
"Don't flatter yourself. I like swords. I studied about swords and your name crossed in passing. By the way, your sword is good. Is it sentient sword?", Naruto asked.
"Yes. Maybe you have some potential", Zabuza mused when Naruto's henged Zabuza clone attacked him. Not expecting the sudden attack, the Zabuza's clone dispelled and Naruto took the forehead protector.
Naruto's clones formed a protective wall around his team and client. Sasuke already had a hard time fighting a single clone of Zabuza and got injured a little. Naruto's clones threw kunais with explosive tags and dispelled some of Zabuza's clones. Sasuke , Sakura and Tazuna's visibility was already restricted due to Zabuza's mist and explosion didn't help since Naruto disposed a smoke bomb in middle.
While all this was happening, original Naruto moved to original Zabuza. Zabuza was expecting him to attack when Naruto performed Gen'ei Tajū Shuriken (Multiple phantom shuriken technique). Zabuza was about to use a water clone to shield when he found his water clones were surrounded by Naruto's clones. They performed Bunshin Daibakuha (Clone Great explosion) and dispelled the clones. He didn't know Bunshin Daibakuha was gifted to Naruto in a scroll by Itachi.
Having no option, Zabuza took his hand away from the water prison to escape the projectiles. Kakashi got out of the water prison.
"Just because you are out of prison, it is not over. He just got lucky", Zabuza told Kakashi cockily.
"It is not luck. He made you take your hand out", Kakashi supplied.
Kakashi and Zabuza competed over Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water release : Water dragon jutsu) and Kakashi defeated him with the use of his sharinghan.
When he went to finish him with a Chidori, two senbons came flying and lodged in his throat. Kakashi checked for the pulse and found none.
Meanwhile the hunter-nin thanked them and took Zabuza away. Sasuke and Sakura were annoyed to see a young ninja. Naruto smirked already knowing the hunter-nin was fake. The chakra signature was the one following them closely since earlier.
Kakashi was about to ask something but fell approaching the ground fast. He opened his eyes only to fall on his blonde student's back.
"Tazuna, how far is your home?", Naruto asked and Tazuna replied it is not far from there.
Sakura was shocked and so was Sasuke. Naruto carried his sensei with the use of his clones. He closed his sensei's Sharinghan eye.
"It is chakra exhaustion, Sakura-chan. Don't worry".
"How do you know?", Sakura inquired.
"I don't know. That's what sensei said before passing out", Naruto explained and Sakura calmed.
They went to Tazuna's house and welcomed by his daughter Tsunami. She gave a room to Sakura, another room to Sasuke. Kakashi was settled in another room. Naruto offered to watch Kakashi over the night and other two didn't bother, making it easy for him to settle on Kakashi's room.
Naruto settled Kakashi on his futon and readied his own futon. After some basic introductions were done, they had dinner and retired for the night. Once Naruto was inside the room, he checked on Kakashi. He was still under and so Naruto decided to start with his plans. He created two clones at first.
He gave some instructions to them in sign language and sneaked out.
One clone was inside the room and the other outside on the window shade, were both near the window.
Kakashi had been sleeping for couple of hours, but Kakashi never sleeps, not fully.
The two clones started talking.
"Let me cast a genjutsu on Kakashi. I don't want him to listen to us", clone 1 said.
"Yeah, he can't use his sharinghan now. He won't be able to detect", clone 2 agreed.
They casted a genjutsu and started to relax.
"Our boss said, we should keep the position. Do you know when he will return?", clone 1 referring to the original.
"I think boss has gone to fix the henge issue. He can't always be seen with the jumpsuit. If Zabuza has friends of his strength, Kakashi alone won't be enough. He needs our help. Only way if boss can help him anonymously is to, have a perfect clone and henge seal. I think he went to create that. It can be a couple of hours before his return", clone 2 guessed.
"Let's hope he comes back before the emo and pinkie wakes up. If they wake up earlier, we should ask emo to put traps around the house with us. We should make him think it was his idea. He is getting suspicious and jealous", clone 1 proposed.
"Yes. But let's hope boss creates more of us to scout the village first. We have to know where the hospital is first. If Kakashi gets worse, we should get help", clone 2 stated.
"Right", clone 1 agreed.
This was when Kakashi coughed and gained the clone's attention. The second one outside, hid while the first one went to check. It saw Kakashi didn't open his eyes. Naruto's clone 1 brought his pillow and put it for Kakashi. The clone also put ear over his lungs and listened. Finding nothing abnormal, it went back to the original position and sat beside Kakashi's head near the window. The second clone came out.
"He is alright. Boss is right though. Kakashi was in water prison. He wasn't suffocating thanks to our air clone. And I don't hear any water near his lung. He won't dry drown or have any breathing difficulties. But it is good to keep an eye on him", clone 1 informed clone 2 and to now awake but silent Kakashi.
"That is good", clone 2 sighed.
Kakashi woke up when he coughed but when Naruto's clone checked his lungs, the clones's chakra dispelled Kakashi's genjutsu unknowingly.
Kakashi chose to remain silent, for one, his body was protesting, as for second, he was about to call Naruto before he spoke. But hearing Naruto and his clone talking to one another intrigued him, so he decided not to intervene.
"You should look for medical kit and fruits from our storage scroll and keep it ready, just in case, if he wakes up ill or hungry before dawn. Boss left the scroll with me since I have more chakra. I am made to keep watch if anyone decides it is a good time to attack when Kakashi is down", clone 2 advised.
'Boss, so both are clones. Where is real Naruto?', Kakashi wanted to know.
"Let's hope Zabuza and the hunter-nin didn't know about Kakashi's condition or inform them to that shithead Gato", clone 1 agreed.
Kakashi was in no condition to move but his thoughts were another case. He agreed with Naruto's clone.
"Let's also hope boss doesn't do much damage and set Kakashi or that accursed Uchiha more suspicious", clone 2 sighed.
"You can't blame him though. From this mission started, we saw our precious person at the brink of death, twice. We wanted to lose our shit too. You should be happy our original has more control than us", clone 1 sided with original Naruto.
'He means me', Kakashi still couldn't get over the fact that he was one of Naruto's precious people.
"Do you think we will ever tell him?", clone 2 said pointing to Kakashi.
"I don't know. Probably not if he puts himself in danger like this, or with whatever Sandaime is planning for us", clone 1 answered.
"We won't let anything happen to him", clone 2 said firmly.
"We won't", clone 1 agreed. "But we can't say the same thing about us though. We should probably leave some letter to him saying few words if we die untimely", clone 1 continuing further.
Kakashi was confused and sad at this point of time. He didn't understand why Naruto would think something was going to happen to him. What did Naruto think Sandaime is planning? He wanted Naruto or his clones, to keep talking.
"I don't think the original will. It is probably for the best. If we say anything, he will feel guilty over us like he does with all the loved ones he lost. We don't want him to feel sad and guilty over us too", clone 1 answered.
"Yeah. He would blame himself. He is pretty good at it. But I think Kashi really needs to know someone care for him and he is precious. He was the first bond we ever had in this world. He is our first person", clone 2 said.
Kakashi froze in place and didn't believe what he was hearing. 'What do you mean by first bond Naruto? Do you somehow recognize me? No, you were too young to remember'.
"Of course. He is our first precious person. He was the first and only person who cared. Our 'Inu'. All the more reason not to say anything. He already flinches whenever we smile at him. Out of guilt, sadness , disappointment, or combination of all, we don't know. If he knows we know, he will avoid us completely. He won't send us out of team but he could remove himself as sensei. He would opt for training sessions with Sasuke once the Uchiha awaken his sharinghan", clone 1 elaborated.
'Just how much Naruto know?', Kakashi's soul felt bare, without a metaphorical mask, in front of Naruto.
"Yeah. Let's hope he finds some happiness and care he deserves. He may not believe it, but this man deserves some peace and happiness", clone 2 stated.
"He will. I hope. Just not from us though. All we can do is only hope when it comes to him", clone 1 said wistfully.
"He is not a genius as he would think though", clone 1 said with a smiling voice. Kakashi winced at the comment.
"Right? We literally told him we know his smell. How could we have known his smell when we barely knew him unless we were familiar? He didn't doubt we knew him. How many people in Konoha ninja force had silver hair like him? I mean, whenever he carried us on his back, we would lay our head on his hair because it was soft. We were always fascinated by his hair", clone 2 chuckled.
Kakashi was getting uncomfortable. How a seasoned shinobi missed the clue he was given?! It wasn't his fault though. That time he was injured and tired. Naruto's safety was also top priority at that time so he didn't think much about that.
"And last, the damn Chidori. We saw it often when we were young. He would always crackle the Chidori when someone try to harm us, not to mention, the ROOT ninjas who tried to kill us. He went on a rampage", clone 1 supported Kakashi was not a genius theory.
'Children are not supposed to remember or recognize jutsu at young age Naruto', Kakashi told himself and it was accompanied a small thought that nagged him. 'If Naruto can identify and differentiate jutsus from earlier age, there is no way he could be a dead last. Even if he was sabotaged, his genius would have shown at some point. But there were no anomalies until bell test. What is your real skillset Naruto? Are you wearing a mask all this time?'
"Speaking of geniuses, how the hell that Uchiha and pinkie were called smart or genius? If they are deemed geniuses by Konoha standard, no wonder Konoha last its former glory and standing", clone 2 said in irritated voice.
'Since when Naruto address his teammates as such. Doesn't he have crush on Sakura?', Kakashi wondered.
"Sasuke was really disappointing today. Why would he attract attention to the client and the team by asking about the sharinghan at that time? It complicated and compromised our safety. Zabuza was almost as strong as Kakashi without us holding him back", clone 1 agreed with clone 2's sentiment.
"Don't know what fresh hell they are upto tomorrow considering Kakashi will still be probably out tomorrow. Sasuke's jealousy and Sakura's obsession will definitely cause some loud arguments and we have to play along like a clown", clone 2 sighed.
"We should be really patient. We are really trying to put everything behind remember. If we can't forgive them, we can't forgive others. I know only a part of us is still angry with them but we have to get past that", clone 1 said.
Kakashi felt like he was listening to two sides of conscience of Naruto arguing about something. Whatever it was, Kakashi was aware Sasuke and Sakura bully Naruto at times, he hoped Naruto would forgive them, not for them, but for Naruto's own sake. He was sure Naruto would be able to do that after hearing his conversation with Sasuke.
"How can we get past that when we still suffer from it? We still have nightmares and panic attacks about that day. And the worst part, they don't even remember. We can't get past that until we heal. How can we do that when we see them every day, knowing they still didn't change their perspective? I know, given the chance, they would do it again. Don't you think so?", clone 2 argued.
'What did they do to him? Why was he having panic attacks? Did I miss something big other than their usual snide remarks about him? Why didn't you come to me Naruto? You can't possibly think I wouldn't protect you, would you? I may not be a good sensei, but you know I will not let my comrades get hurt, right? Keep talking Naruto, I want to know what happened so I can make this better for you', Kakashi was thinking thousand scenarios in his head at this point.
"They probably will. But we aren't weak anymore. We won't let that happen again. We survived and that's all it matters. What happened last time was not their intention. They are our team now. We can't leave them behind nor do we want to. The healing, we have to do it by ourselves. We may not trust Sasuke and Sakura to have our back now, maybe ever, but we should have their back. If we don't we will be what the people of Konoha call us. 'A monster'", clone 1 comforted.
Kakashi was comforted by the fact that at least one of his students was thinking about having team's back. He however wished, Naruto could trust his teammates, but it was not the blonde's fault though. Kakashi didn't know what his other two students did to Naruto but decided to keep an extra eye on their attitude towards Naruto.
"True. And Kakashi will have our back. So that part is at least taken care of. I am afraid though, Kakashi will have to take the burn for that. Also that matter, if Sandaime is planning what we think he is planning, Kakashi is in for another round of pain, guilt and apologies", clone 2 warned.
Kakashi was really confused by all this secret talk. Naruto was full of mysteries and he wanted answers. Quick.
"We won't let it happen. We won't. That's why this mission is good for us. We have lot of time to without watchful eyes and amend our plans", clone 1 said.
Just then original Naruto approached.
"How is he?", Naruto asked pointing to Kakashi.
"No change", clone 1 replied.
"I am going to get some sleep then. You go out and scout the island before dawn and dispel at sunrise. No confrontations though", he said pointing at clone 1.
"Keep watch and wake me up if Sasuke or Sakura approach. I am pretty sure they are going to be here early to look under Kakashi's mask while he is unconscious. We can't let them violate him like that", original Naruto said to clone 2 and went to his futon.
The instructions were given in the manner of a commander would address his troops.
'Thanks for your concern Naruto. I will get all my answers about you before this mission ends', Kakashi smiled to himself thinking he was lucky he had the blonde as his student and proceeded to sleep.