Naruto was in the middle of the forest about 10 minutes away from Tazuna's house. "Just who does he think he is? Me, not knowing about how hard life is! Arghh!" Naruto was speaking to himself when he punched a tree as hard as he could out of frustration and dented it. Although, he hurt himself a little while doing it.

Kurama stayed quiet as he wanted Naruto to handle this himself. Naruto made two hundred clones. "Listen up! Half of you will work on taijutsu and the rest will work with me. We will practise the shunshin or develop something similar so we can move quickly in close ranges." He addressed the clones as they all scattered.

The shunshin was mostly used in long ranges and wasn't effective for close ranges. It was also quite slow to be used effectively at close range. The only reason he managed to shunshin a short distance quickly while fighting against Kakashi was because he was moulding his chakra a long time before using the shunshin.

During the few weeks in between the C-rank missions, Naruto had experimented and found something that could be developed. He would push chakra to his feet and launch himself. He called it the Light Step as he felt as light as a feather when moving. He had yet to figure out how to add a concealing element like the shunshin. When one uses a shunshin, they would conceal themselves with a swirl of leaves or smoke. Some, like Itachi and Shisui Uchiha, would use genjutsu. Naruto had yet to figure out how to conceal his movements.


Haku was wearing a pink kimono with cherry blossoms on it and wooden sandals. She was carrying a basket and was first looking for herbs to give Zabuza for him to fully recover. They plan to attack tomorrow so Zabuza needed to be in top health.

After a few minutes of walking around in the forests, she found the herbs she was looking for in a clearing. However, in the middle of the clearing, something or rather someone caught her attention. 5 metres away from her, a masked boy was sleeping on the ground. As she got closer, she noticed the headband on his head. 'A Konoha shinobi. He was not one of those who we fought a few days ago. Did they call in reinforcements? I left my weapons back at the hideout.'

She placed the basket on the ground and slowly crept closer to him. She reached for his neck, wanting to choke him right then when a hand grabbed her wrist. She was pulled down, her arm was stretched and a pair of legs wrapped around her neck. "I knew some of those bastard clones would try to prank me again. Well not this time." He mumbled sleepily. However, when he did not hear the pop of a clone dispelling, he opened his eyes and instead saw a girl looking extra pale.

Naruto's eyes widened and quickly let go before backing away. "Oh Kami! I'm so sorry! I merely reacted on instinct, please forgive me!" Naruto apologised as he bowed to the girl. The girl was sitting on her knees coughing as her face returned to its normal colour. She looked up at the boy who nearly killed her and saw that he was looking at her with apologetic blue eyes.

Naruto rushed over to her. "Are you okay? You looked like you were about to go out. I'm so sorry!"

Haku stopped breathing heavily and took note of the appearance of the boy in front of her. She hadn't noticed before but his muscles were tense even in his sleep and was ready to retaliate at any moment. He was also fast enough to get the drop on her before she could react. He was also very strong as she couldn't move at all when he was choking her. Even if she had managed to get away and used ninjutsu, she had no idea how he could react. Furthermore, once he realised she was the enemy, getting away might be a big problem.

"It's okay…". She finally said. "You must have been quite on edge to attack me like that. My name is Haku," she said with a smile.

Naruto let out a sigh and gave her an eye smile. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you, Haku-chan. What are you doing out here early in the morning?"

"I'm picking herbs for a friend who is not well. What are you doing here Naruto-kun?"

"I was clearing my head with some training but it seems like I went a little overboard and knocked myself out." Naruto replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Haku-chan please let me help you with some of those herbs. It's the least I can do after I tried to basically kill you." He said as he stood up and picked up the basket.

"Are you a shinobi?" Haku asked as she picked a few herbs.

"Why do you ask?" Naruto asked with a curious look.

"From your headband. Aren't they usually the ones shinobi wear?" Haku said as she pointed to his headband.

"Yes. I am indeed a shinobi."

"Isn't that dangerous? Aren't you scared you might…die?" She asked with a worried frown.

Naruto shrugged. "It can be. Danger is definitely part of the job. If I die, it just means that it was my time to do so. There's no use in being scared of death, everyone dies. It's just a matter of how and when."

Haku gave a nod of understanding. "Then, why do you train? Are you not strong enough?" She asked.

"There's always room for improvement. No matter how strong someone gets, there's always a way to be stronger. Besides, it will also help me reach my goal."

Haku stared at Naruto for a moment before she spoke, "I believe, one can only be strong when they have someone precious to protect."

Naruto's eyes widened as he gazed at Haku. He gestured for Haku to continue.

Haku knew from the look in his eyes, he already knew what she was talking about but continued nonetheless. "I believe when you fight and work for someone precious to you. Then, you will truly be able to obtain strength. You gain the most strength from those around you rather than just yourself."

Naruto looked at Haku with respect in his eyes. Never had he met someone who shares the same view as him. "You're right, Haku-chan. I agree that true strength does come from those who you fight to protect. Do you have a precious person Haku-chan?"

"I do. He's been there to take care of me my whole life so he is very precious to me." Haku said with a smile before she stood up and picked up her basket.

"Thank you for the help Naruto-kun. By the way…I am a boy." She said with a smile.

Naruto gave her a deadpan stare before he started chuckling. "You really like getting people like that don't you. You have an interesting humor. You have a good poker face but when I was choking you, I felt certain assets that guys don't have." Naruto said, calling her bluff. Haku's face turned red at his comment.

"Goodbye, Naruto-kun." She said with a smile. As Haku walked away, Naruto fell into deep thought.

Clearly, Haku was not a regular civilian. Even though he was barely awake, his eyes were opened enough to see that for a quick second, Haku had tried to enter into a fighting stance before he pulled her down into a choke. The reaction was based on instinct and from a lot of experience. Furthermore, Haku's chakra was definitely too big for a regular citizen. It was at least chunin to jonin level chakra. He also sensed two elemental affinities from her chakra, water and wind. 'She's the hunter-nin…'

Naruto was broken from his thoughts when he sensed Sasuke coming towards him. "Good morning, teme."

"So, this is where you were. You missed breakfast and it seems like Tsunami-san is not happy with that." He said, shaking his head. "Kakashi-sensei is taking me today, you should stay at the house and help with Shika."

Naruto nodded and they both shunshin back to Tazuna's house. Naruto said good morning to Kakashi who left with Sasuke and Tazuna. Naruto said good morning to Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru who were out at the back training on their own jutsu with an Asuma clone. Although, Shikamaru seemed like he was forced to train. 'Man, he really never gets motivated for anything other than Shogi and doing nothing.'

The real Asuma was out back on the lake sparring with Hinata while water walking. Naruto couldn't help but smile at his friend. 'She seems better than her academy days. Although, she's still very self-conscious.'

Entering the house, he saw Tsunami washing the plates from breakfast. "Tsunami-san?" Naruto called out although hesitantly.

She turned and smiled when she saw Naruto. "Naruto-kun! You're back!" Her smile turned into a concerned frown. "Where were you last night? Are you alright? You could've gotten a cold. Training is good but too much can be bad. Furthermore, how dare you miss breakfast! Don't you know it's the most important meal of the day?"

Naruto smiled at her concern. "I'm alright Tsunami-san. Thank you for your concern. Please don't worry, I never get sick. I was wondering if you had any breakfast left over?" Naruto asked. 'She reminds me of nee-chan. Always scolding me for training too much. I wonder how she's doing back home…'


In the middle of a forest in the Land of Fire, Yugao sneezed and almost missed her step. "Looks like someone's thinking about you, Neko-taicho," pointed out Kuma (Bear).

"Seems like it." Yugao responded as she looked up to the blue sky. 'I wonder how Naruto-kun is doing?"


"Sit down Naruto-kun. I do have leftovers for when you come back. Must be why Sasuke-kun ate less today," the last part said in a whisper but Naruto's sensitive ears heard it clearly.

"What was that about Sasuke, Tsunami-san?" Naruto asked politely as he sat at the dining table.

"Sasuke-kun ate little today. When I asked why, he said he left some for you." Tsunami explained.

Naruto blinked a few times at that. 'Maybe Kakashi-sensei is right. He is changing from that stuck up bastard to someone better. I'll have to pay him back some time.' That was probably the nicest thing he had ever done for him during all the time they knew each other.

Naruto ate the breakfast swiftly. Although it was not enough to make him full, it was satisfactory enough to last till lunch. As he ate, his thoughts drifted to his training the previous night. 'Looks like we managed to figure out how to add the concealing element to the light step. Nice! I just need to figure out how to use it while on water.'


Naruto was outside in the forest near Tazuna's house helping Shikamaru train. He could now do earth ninjutsu but he needed to strengthen them. And the only way to do that is chakra training.

"Come on, Shika. Just make the leaves float while standing on water." Naruto said as he demonstrated. He walked on the water and proceeded to make a leaf float on each of his fingers using only his chakra.

"Must I really do it while on the water? Can't I just do it while sitting down on some nice flat ground? It's so troublesome…"

"No. Come on, this is to build your chakra reserves. There's no better way. I'll let you float two leaves instead of ten. Or do you want me to push you in the lake and then you'll really regret it. This water is cold. Very cold." An evil glint was seen in Naruto's eyes that Shikamaru did not like.

"You wouldn't dare…"

"Wanna find out?"

"Fine. Fine." Shikamaru put his hands up in surrender and walked to the lake with the leaves. He stood beside Naruto and started making the leaves float. They spent the next few hours doing various chakra exercises while on the water.

From a window on the top floor of Tazuna's house, Inari was watching Naruto and Shikamaru train on the lake. His thoughts drifted to the conversation he had with Kakashi the previous night.


Flashback

Inari was staring off into the darkness of the ocean. He went to his favourite spot by the ocean to cool off from his exchange of words with Naruto. "Do you mind if I join you?" Kakashi asked, startling Inari.

Kakashi sat beside Inari, both looking out at the ocean. "I know what Naruto said was harsh but he's just stubborn that's all. He didn't say any of that out of spite or insult but understanding," Kakashi said in a gentle voice. Even though Naruto had spoken the cold and bitter truth, he did not think the burden and weight of those words can be held by just any child. Naruto was different, he has been carrying such a burden ever since he could walk on his own two feet. He accepted his hard life and pushed through it. Not everyone has the power to do that.

"Naruto is actually quite similar to you. He too has no father. In fact, he has no parents at all. Both his parents passed away when he was a baby." Although Naruto knew who his parents were, he held no actual memories of them. They were never there, not for a single day.

"Naruto had no friends till he started the academy. The number of people who actually cared for him can be counted with your fingers and there'll still be some left. His early childhood was a rough time." Inari looked up at Kakashi who was still looking out at the ocean with confusion in his eyes.

"In spite of this, there wasn't a single moment where I saw him cry out of sadness or get sulky about his life." Kakashi said, memories of him and Naruto played in his mind. Naruto had been facing the challenges life brought him head on and never backed and never gave up.

"I've only ever seen him cry out of happiness and joy." Kakashi continued. He smiled as he remembered the day Naruto found out about his parents. Kakashi chuckled, "I guess he was done with crying at the world and learned to live a life where he doesn't."

As Inari pondered Kakashi's words, he began to understand Naruto more. "Naruto knows where true strength comes from just like your father. Naruto's probably someone who understands you the most."

"The words Naruto said were harsh but those words are probably what keeps him going everyday. 'Never be a coward or a crybaby. Someone has it worse than you.' Thoughts he probably told himself many times before." Inari's anger against Naruto turned to one of respect. "You should go to sleep, Inari. Your mother's probably worried about you." Kakashi said, getting a silent nod from Inari. He stood up and headed inside. Kakashi knew that his words got to him.

"So, when are you two going to come out?" Kakashi asked seemingly no one.

Two figures approached him and sat on either side of him. Sasuke and Shikamaru had heard everything Kakashi had said and it left them wondering about the blonde. They had never known Naruto's life had been that tough from his birth.

"Kakashi-sensei, when Naruto mentioned some people just now, who was he talking about. The person whose clan got killed was Sasuke but who were the other two?" Shikamaru asked. He had a suspicion that one of them was Naruto but he had no clue who the other was.

"Well…the person who shunned was Naruto and the other was…me," Kakashi said, still looking out at the ocean. Shikamaru and Sasuke's eyes widened. They did not know that their sensei also had quite a hard life. 'Why was Naruto shunned?' Was the next thought they both had.

"Stories for another time, my fellow genin." Kakashi said as he stood up and left, leaving both Shikamaru and Sasuke alone.

Flashback End


The next day, a sense of anticipation and suspense can be felt around the house. Today was the day they took down Gato and Zabuza. Naruto had triple checked that he had all the things he needed to fight and protect Tazuna. The teams left the house together before splitting up in the middle of town.

"This is where we take our leave. See you guys on the other side, good luck." Asuma said as team 10 gave one last wave to Team 7.

"Let's do this." Naruto said as the team continued to the bridge.


Haku and Zabuza were on a boat floating under the bridge. "It's time. The bridge builder is there." Zabuza said as he started hand seals. Haku wore her mask which was usually worn by hunter-nin. 'I look forward to battling you, Naruto-kun…'

" Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu (Water Style: Hiden Mist Jutsu) " Zabuza thought. A thick mist was formed that surrounded the bridge area. Zabuza was known for his silent killing method. The mist would cover his movements while he quietly killed off his enemies in the mist.

Team 7 were guarding Tazuna while he worked on the bridge when a mist started forming around them. "He's here. This is the Kirigakure no Jutsu. Everyone get ready!" Kakashi said. The genin set up a triangular defensive formation around Tazuna.

"Kakashi Hatake of the sharingan. The copy ninja of Konoha." Zabuza said. His voice was projected such that it was spread evenly throughout the mist.

"Zabuza Momochi. The demon of Kirigakure. How lovely…" Kakashi responded sarcastically as he looked around for a sign of Zabuza.

"What happened to the other brats and their sensei? I was so ready to kill them." Zabuza said, leaking killing intent that brought Tazuna to his knees. Shikamaru and Sasuke were also sweating from it. Naruto was not as affected by it due to some training done by Kurama. However, he could still feel the great strength of the intent.

'I have to get rid of the mist somehow. It's made from chakra, a chakra pulse might just do the trick.' "Well the other team tagged out and unfortunately we're all you got." Kakashi said as he released a pulse of his chakra. The chakra was strong enough to match the chakra used to make the jutsu and punched it away. With the mist cleared, Zabuza can be seen clearly standing on the bridge.

Zabuza had a large blade on his back that Naruto recognised from his various readings. It was the Kubikiribocho, a large blade used by one of the seven swordsmen of the mist. It had the unique ability to use the iron in a person's blood to mend itself.

Haku stood beside Zabuza observing her opponents closely. Team 7 weren't surprised to see the supposed hunter-nin working with Zabuza. However, to their surprise, behind them stood two other missing-nin. "The demon brothers. I thought Asuma stopped you guys. How did you escape the anbu who were supposed to arrest you?"

Meizu, the younger brother, chuckled. "We were never there to be arrested in the first place."

"Zabuza was following close behind us. He freed us and now it's time for our redemption." Gozu, the elder brother, continued.

"I'm guessing fighting can't be avoided. Before we start fighting, just know that Gato won't be paying you after this." Kakashi said as he pulled a kunai out and got into a fighting stance. The genin followed the same and prepared themselves for the fight.

"Don't care. We're gonna kill him anyway. Let's go Hatake!" Zabuza exclaimed as he engaged Kakashi with Kubikiribocho.

"Sasuke, Shika, you guys get the hunter-nin. I will get the brothers." Naruto said as he unsealed Arashi from its storage seal. "She's stronger than the brothers. You guys need to team up against her."

"Fine. But it doesn't mean I like following you." Sasuke commented before he and Shikamaru went after Haku.

"Confident aren't we brat. You'll regret fighting us." Meizu said as the brothers chained their metal gauntlets together.

Naruto created four shadow clones. The clones surrounded Tazuna and started doing hand seals. " Barrier Jutsu: Four Emerald Ray Formation! " A green barrier formed around Tazuna with the four clones at the corners of the barrier.

"Impressive barrier brat. But you still need to stop us." Meizu said as the brothers launched at Naruto. Naruto created a clone and the two of them engaged the brothers with their blades. Their blades clashed with the metal gauntlets making a loud clang that could be heard throughout the bridge.


Back at Tazuna's House

Inari came rushing down when he heard his mother scream for help. When he entered the kitchen, he saw two men take away his mother through the back door.

"Let go of my mother!" Inari shouted as he took a frying pan from the kitchen.

"Inari, run away!" Tsunami ordered as she was taken by the two men.

"Hahaha. How cute, trying to save your mother. You'll regret that," said one of the men as he took out his sword and tried to slash Inari.

"Inari!!" Tsunami shouted but was surprised to see the sword hit nothing but air. The men had confused looks present before the Tsunami disappeared from their arms.

"What the hell?" They said as they frantically looked around.

"Good job, Inari. Looks like I came here on time." Said a voice from behind the thugs. Turning around, they saw Naruto with Tsunami and Inari.

"Let the two of them go, kid and we will let you live." Said one of the men as they prepared their swords. Naruto snorted and took out Arashi.

"Nah. You guys clearly just tried to harm them and I won't let you go." Naruto said as he Light Stepped behind them. The thugs only saw an afterimage of Naruto before they got kicked in the back. "I knew Gato would try some underhand stuff. You will pay for it now." Naruto whispered into their ears. Naruto leaked killing intent that made the thugs go weak. Fear was the last thing they felt before their lives ended.

"Inari, Tsunami-san, go home and lock yourselves up. Boss created a bunch of clones like me to keep you and townspeople safe. Good job, slowing them down, Inari." Naruto said as he gave them an eye smile. Naruto saw Inari beam with pride at the praise before he shunshin with two bodies to give them a proper burial.

No matter how evil someone was, everyone is human at heart and deserves a proper sending off.


With Sasuke and Shikamaru

"Pity. I was looking forward to fighting Naruto-kun. However, if he sends you two here, then you must be strong enough to defeat me." Haku said as she saw Sasuke and Shikamaru approach her.

'How does she know Naruto?' Thought both the genin. Shikamaru and Sasuke were forced to dodge the senbon thrown by Haku. "Shikamaru, combo 2, now!" Sasuke announced as he engaged Haku in a taijutsu battle. Haku was much faster than Sasuke was. She swiftly and easily dodged or blocked his strikes. If she wasn't fast, she would have been caught by Shikamaru's shadow which was following close behind Sasuke.

'Smart. Trying to distract me while he does his jutsu. But not fast enough.' Haku jumped away as the shadow got near and immediately blitzed towards Shikamaru. She threw senbon at Shikamaru which he blocked with a kunai and ran to reposition. However, Haku cut him off and kicked him in the gut, sending him to the ground. Sasuke appeared beside her and caught one of her wrists and were staring each other eye to eye.

"I give you one last chance to surrender. I don't like to kill," she said.

"To hell with that! We will never surrender. Besides, you're trapped now." Sasuke responded as Haku saw Shikamaru stand up with a kunai ready to stab her.

"Incorrect, you are trapped now." She said as she started doing hand seals with one hand. Sasuke and Shikamaru had never seen anyone do single-handed hand seals before and were caught off guard. " Hijutsu: Makyo Hyosho (Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors). " Several large ice mirrors formed around Shikamaru and Sasuke, surrounding them. Haku stepped into one of the mirrors and her reflection appeared in all the mirrors.


With Kakashi and Zabuza

"Your brats are dead now, Hatake. Haku used her best jutsu." Zabuza said as he continuously attacked Kakashi. 'Ice style? She has a kekkei genkai? Shit.' Kakashi thought as he saw the dome of mirrors surrounding his genin.

"You underestimate my genin, Zabuza. Sasuke is the heir to the most powerful clan in Konoha." Kakashi saw Zabuza's eyes widen and smirked. "His full name? Sasuke Uchiha. Shikamaru is the brightest mind of the next generation, Shikamaru Nara. And Naruto? The shinobi with the potential to surpass the Yondaime Hokage himself. Naruto Uzumaki, the most unpredictable shinobi in Konoha. So, maybe they're not dead yet, Zabuza."


With Naruto and Demon Brothers

"Your friends are dead now, brat. Soon you're going to be dead too." Gozu said as he clawed one of the Narutos which popped into smoke.

The real Naruto was trying his best to attack whilst dodging the chain and the gauntlets at the same time. 'I knew she had a kekkei genkai. I must try to finish this quickly to help them.'

Naruto dodged a combo attack by the brothers and placed some distance between him and them. Naruto made a half ram seal and released his resistance seals. He readied Arashi and took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. "Are you scared brat?" Meizu taunted as he saw Naruto taking deep breaths.

Naruto took a few more breaths before opening his eyes. The only thing present in his blue eyes was coldness, something his father had done that made enemies fear him. Naruto launched himself at the brothers as they also approached him ready to kill. " Uzumaki Style: Waterfall Slice!" Naruto's movement was faster than any of the brothers expected. He appeared in between the two of them and sliced their gauntlets and the chain connecting them. The chain and gauntlet were sliced from many different angles.

The Waterfall Slice , as its name suggests, slices as fast as a rushing waterfall and strikes hard. The gauntlets and chain were no longer usable by the brothers. Furthermore, their arms under the gauntlets were also struck and were gushing with blood. "Arghhh!" Meizu shouted as he held his arm which was bleeding profusely. Gozu was not as loud as his brother but a pained expression can be clearly seen on his face.

"You'll pay for that brat! Brother!" Gozu and Meizu linked their unharmed arms and started doing hand seals together. " Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Style: Water Trumpet)! " A large jet of water was launched from both Gozu and Meizu's mouths. The jets of water combined and became larger heading for Naruto.


With Kakashi and Zabuza

Zabuza had surrounded the two of them in another mist to prevent Kakashi from following his movements with the sharingan. "I've read all about your sharingan, Hatake. Can't copy my jutsu if you can't see it can you?" Zabuza said as Kakashi narrowly avoided a strike from Zabuza.

'Damn it. He knows where I am but I don't know where he is. I can't send another chakra pulse. There's more chakra in the jutsu this time and I need to save for my sharingan.' Kakashi thought of many ways to overcome this challenge.

"Eight points: Liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, jugular vein, brain, kidneys and heart. Where do you want to get hit first, copy ninja?" Zabuza's voice came from all around the mist.

"How about none of them." Kakashi said as he locked blades with Zabuza. The Kubikiribocho and two of Kakashi's kunai. They came face to face.


With Shikamaru and Sasuke

Shikamaru created multiple earth mud walls to surround him and Sasuke to protect them from Haku's attack temporarily. Haku moved too fast for either of them to get a proper shot on her. "Sasuke, if we continue like this, we are fighting a losing battle." Shikamaru said as he tried to think of plans to retaliate. His thoughts were stopped when his walls were taken down by clones of Haku. Sasuke and Shikamaru quickly dispatched the clones to find them turning into water.

"You will never win against me. Just give up and you'll live." Haku said.

"No matter how troublesome it is, we will never." Shikamaru said.

"Very well. I've tried to keep you alive. One thing you should know about my kekkei genkai, it's a combination of water and wind affinities. This means I can use them both separately too." Haku said. Both boys realised too late when the water around them started changing form. " Sensatsu Suisho (Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death) ." The water around them turned into needles that flew towards Sasuke and Shikamaru.

With a burst of speed coming from seemingly nowhere, Shikamaru tackled Sasuke to the ground and took multiple hits. "Shika, why?"

"My body…it moved on its own. Sasuke…you must live. You can beat her." Shikamaru said before his head dropped onto Sasuke's chest.

"Shikamaru get up!" Sasuke shook Shikamaru but to no avail. "SHIKAMARU!!" Sasuke felt guilt and anger boil in him. Sasuke's eyes flashed red as his sharingan awakened. A two tomoe sharingan flared in place of his black ones.

"I warned you." Haku sighed, "was he precious to you?" Haku asked. "He obviously cared for you."

"Shut up, I'm going to kill you!"

Sasuke could now see clearly all of Haku's movements. His eyes had evolved and could perfectly see her. He was going to avenge his friend. his eyes working double time, he predicted Haku's movements and managed to get a hit on her, breaking her mask. Sasuke paid no attention to the face behind the mask as he charged in to attack again. Sasuke was brought to a pause when a large chakra burst hit him.

'What the hell? What is this chakra?' thought both Haku and Sasuke as they turned to the source.


With Naruto and Demon Brothers

Naruto had successfully cancelled out the jutsu the brothers sent at him with a combination of water and wind jutsu. He was ready to attack the brothers again when he heard Sasuke shouting.

"SHIKAMARU!!" Naruto turned towards Sasuke to see something he wished he hadn't seen. Shikamaru was hit with several needles and laid motionless on the ground. "No…no…" Naruto said in a whisper of disbelief.

His anger welled up inside of him. A large chakra burst came from Naruto that could be felt by everyone. A red cloak of chakra surrounded him and his eyes morphed from his usual blue to red and slitted eyes. The demon brothers saw the chakra and felt the incredibly sinister feeling behind it and couldn't help but feel intimidated. "Wh-what is this brat?" Meizu stuttered.

'Naruto calm down! You're calling on my chakra.' Kurama said warily. 'Youre calling on too much chakra. Calm down!'

'She killed him, Kurama. Killed him! How am I supposed to calm down?' Naruto's voice was seething with rage.

'Naruto, you've trained to keep your emotions in check. This is not the time to lose control. My jinchuriki is better than that! Naruto, channel the chakra into your sword. It would stop the strain on your body.' Naruto had already taken a lot of Kurama's chakra and had to expel it somehow.

Naruto focused and channelled the chakra into the Arashi like he did with wind chakra. Naruto's chakra cloak disappeared and his white sword turned crimson. His eyes remained slitted and it glared at the demon brothers scaring them. "I'm ending this!" Naruto announced in a deep voice that made a shiver go down the brothers' spines. Naruto attacked the brothers at full speed.

He readied his blade and was prepared to strike. " Uzumaki Style: Crimson Tsunami! " The brothers could not react in time as they're heads were separated from their bodies and flew into the ocean below.


With Kakashi and Zabuza

Zabuza and Kakashi had locked weapons once again when a large chakra burst hit them. The mist around them was cleared by the burst and two of them could see the chakra surrounding Naruto. Kakashi could also see Shikamaru on the ground looking like a pin cushion. 'No…Did the seal break? Was it because he saw Shikamaru?'

'What is this chakra? It's too strong to be coming from Hatake.' Zabuza thought as he turned to see Naruto. 'It's coming from the boy. The chakra feels similar to the Yondaime Mizukage.'

'I've to end this fast. The seal is loosen.' "Zabuza, we're both busy men. How about we end this soon." Kakashi said as he jumped away from Zabuza.

"Interesting. The faster I kill you, the faster I get paid." Zabuza smirked under his bandages and prepared to kill Kakashi.


With Naruto

Without a second thought, he rushed towards Sasuke and Haku. He would not let another friend die. "HAKU! You'll get the fight that you want! Sasuke, inferno combo!!!" Naruto blitzed to the dome of mirrors leaving a trail of red behind. " Uzumaki Style: Waterfall Slice! " Naruto broke all the ice mirrors in a single move.

Sasuke started doing hand seals and used his strongest fire jutsu. " Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu) ." A large fire dragon shot out towards Haku.

" Futon: Daitomppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough) !" A great wind blast shot out from Naruto's mouth. The jutsu strengthened the fire dragon and made it larger and much more intense. Haku stared at the fire dragon approaching her speechless.

She snapped out of her daze and blitzed through hand seals. ' Hyoton: Suishoheki (Ice Style: Crystal Wall) ' Haku thought as two large ice walls formed between her and the fire dragon.

The fire jutsu clashed with the first wall and melted it like ice cream on a sunny day. It continued on its path and met the other. It had some resistance before the wall melted. The jutsu had gotten smaller but was still en route to Haku. Haku was hit by the jutsu and was sent flying.


AN: Jutsu that I create myself are in English because well, I'm not japanese so translating is tough. For those who don't like fem Haku, it's just a preference. I feel like Haku is too pretty not to be a girl. Her gender doesn't change the arc though.

Barrier Jutsu: Four Emerald Ray Formation is a weaker version of the violet flames formation. It uses less chakra which is why Naruto is using it especially with clones whi have limited chakra.