Chapter 3: The Wave Mission
Team 7 and Tazuna walked along a dirt path, the damp earth crunching beneath their feet. The air smelled fresh, but something was off.
Sasuke's sharp eyes landed on a small puddle along the road. It hadn't rained in days. His mind immediately pieced together the obvious: an ambush.
His eyes flicked toward Kakashi, who had also noticed. The two shared a glance but remained silent, allowing the enemy to make the first move.
As expected, the puddle stirred.
Two figures erupted from the water, The Demon Brothers.
But before they could even react, Sasuke was already in front of them, his crimson Sharingan spinning.
"How is he so fast?" Kakashi thought, his lone eye narrowing.
The two assassins hesitated. Sasuke's gaze bore into them, his presence exuding an unshakable confidence that made their instincts scream at them to run.
"Stand down or die." His voice was cold, unwavering.
Gozu, snarled and attacked with his metal gauntlet.
Sasuke didn't even blink.
He sidestepped effortlessly, then drove his fist into Gozu's jaw, enhanced with chakra.The impact sent the man flying backward, knocking him out cold.
Meizu froze. The Uchiha brat had taken down his brother in a single move.
Before he could react, Sasuke delivered a kick to his face, sending him sprawling. He followed up by stomping on his stomach, pinning him down.
As Meizu gasped for air, Sasuke's Sharingan glowed ominously.*
Meizu's pupils dilated, his body stiffened as Sasuke dove into his mind, tearing out every scrap of information.
Gatō hired them.
Zabuza Momochi was coming.
And so was someone else, Haku.
Sasuke extracted the knowledge and placed the man into a deep sleep.
When he turned back to his team, he smiled, a rare, almost unnatural expression on his usually stoic face.
Sakura's eyes sparkled with admiration."Sasuke-kun! You're amazing!"
Naruto scowled. "Damn it! He beat them before I even got the chance!"
Sasuke smirked. "First come, first serve."
Kakashi, however, wasn't fooled by the boy's cocky act.
"That level of speed… that level of precision… something's different about him."
He mentally made a note, to keep an eye on Sasuke.
--
The Truth About the Mission
Kakashi tied up the unconscious assassins. "We'll wait for them to wake up for questioning."
Sasuke shook his head. "No need."
Kakashi raised a brow. "Oh?"
Sasuke pointed at the unconscious Meizu. "That guy already told me everything. Their target is Tazuna."
Kakashi's lone eye bore into Tazuna. "Is this true?"
Under the pressure of the jonin's gaze, Tazuna cracked.He explained everything, the tyranny of Gatō, the suffering of his people, and his desperate plan to build a bridge that would free them.
Kakashi sighed. "This mission just got a lot more dangerous. We should turn back."
"No way!" Naruto shouted. "We gotta help them!"
Sasuke nodded in agreement. "If we leave, Gatō wins. We need to finish what we started."
Sakura, of course, immediately backed Sasuke's stance.
Kakashi rubbed his temple. "Fine. But if things get too serious, we're leaving."
--
The air was thick with tension as Zabuza Momochi stood atop his massive blade, embedded in a tree. His presence was suffocating, his eyes filled with bloodlust.
Kakashi stepped forward, his headband lifting to reveal the Sharingan.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Why did Kakashi have the Sharingan?
Kakashi caught his look "I'll explain later."
Zabuza scoffed. "Hand over the old man."
Kakashi's response was instant. "Not happening."
Without another word, the battle began.
Zabuza and Kakashi clashed fiercely, their movements too fast for the untrained eye. Blades met kunai, water jutsu collided with sheer skill.
Then it happened.
Zabuza trapped Kakashi in the Water Prison Jutsu.
Naruto gritted his teeth. "Damn it! He's got sensei!"
Sasuke analyzed the situation in seconds. A direct attack would be useless. They needed a plan.
"Naruto, I have an idea."
Together, the two coordinated their strategy. Naruto created a distraction while Sasuke exploited the opening, allowing Naruto to get close enough to break the prison.
The moment Kakashi was free, the fight resumed, except this time, Kakashi had analyzed every one of Zabuza's moves.
Within moments, he turned Zabuza's own jutsu against him, overwhelming the rogue ninja.
Just as Kakashi was about to finish Zabuza off, several senbon needles flew through the air, piercing Zabuza's neck.
Zabuza collapsed, unmoving.
--
A masked figure appeared. "Thank you for the distraction," they said. "It allowed me to strike the final blow."
"A hunter-nin?" Kakashi
Sakura turned to him. "What's that?"
Kakashi explained. Hunter-nin were responsible for eliminating rogue shinobi, ensuring their secrets never fell into enemy hands.
The masked individual picked up Zabuza's body.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He already knew who this person was.
"Haku."
His body moved before he could think.
Sasuke rushed forward, forming hand signs for a fire jutsu. He launched the Fireball at Haku and Zabuza.
The flames engulfed them, but when the smoke cleared, they were gone.
Kakashi sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Sasuke, that was reckless, your actions could cause a conflict between Kiri and Konoha."
Sasuke turned to him, his expression unimpressed. "You're an idiot."
Kakashi's eye twitched. "Excuse me?"
Sasuke crossed his arms. "Think. If that really was a hunter-nin, why didn't they destroy Zabuza's body? Why take it with them?"
Kakashi's eye widened slightly as the realization hit him.
Zabuza wasn't dead.
Sasuke smirked. "You really should pay more attention, sensei."
Kakashi watched him carefully.
"This kid… he's far more mature and experienced than his age should allow."
What was the boy hiding.
Kakashi was going to figure out what it was.
--
Chapter 4: Shadows of the Past
Inari's Outburst
The dinner table was quiet, until Inari slammed his chopsticks down. His small fists clenched as his face twisted with anger.
"You should all give up."His voice was sharp, filled with frustration. "Gatō is invincible! You don't know what it's like to fight someone like him!"
Naruto swallowed the food in his mouth and wiped his face. "Don't worry, Inari. We got this."
"Shut up!" Inari snapped, glaring at Naruto. "What do you know about suffering?! What do you know about losing someone you love?! You have no idea what it's like to feel completely helpless! You should just go back to your stupid village!"
Naruto's eye twitched, his fists clenching. He was about to explode.
Then the temperature in the room dropped.
A chill ran down everyone's spine.
Slowly, they turned toward *Sasuke.
He sat motionless, his expression unreadable, but there was something heavy about his presence.
Without a word, Sasuke pushed himself up from the table and walked toward the door. The silence was deafening.
The sound of the door clicking shut was the only thing that remained.
Inari shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he had just made a terrible mistake.
--
As the tension lingered, Tsunami, Inari's mother, sighed. "Please don't take what he said personally."
Kakashi set his chopsticks down. "We're shinobi. We don't break that easily."
Tsunami gave him a sad smile before turning to Naruto and Sakura. "Inari wasn't always like this. He used to be a bright and cheerful boy. That was before…"
She took a deep breath and told them everything.
She told them about Kaiza, the man who had taken Inari in as a father figure, who had fought for the village's freedom… and who had been executed by Gatō's men in front of everyone.
That was the moment Inari lost all hope.
"Now he believes that no matter what anyone does, everything will just end in suffering."
Sakura frowned. "That's… awful."
Naruto stayed quiet, gripping his pants tightly.
Kakashi sighed. "I'll go talk to him."
As Kakashi stood up, Naruto got to his feet as well.
"Where are you going?" Sakura asked.
Naruto glanced toward the door Sasuke had left through.
"To find Sasuke."
--
Kakashi found Inari sitting alone on the porch, gazing at the still water of the lake. His small shoulders trembled.
Kakashi sat down next to him, remaining silent for a few moments before speaking.
"You're wrong about Naruto. And Sasuke, too."
Inari blinked and turned to him. "Huh?"
Kakashi stared at the moon's reflection in the water.
"Both of them know exactly how you feel."
Inari frowned, looking unconvinced.
Kakashi continued, his voice softer now. "Naruto doesn't know who his parents are. He's been alone his entire life. No one ever acknowledged him. No one ever cared for him. He grew up being hated for something he had no control over."
Inari's breath hitched.
Kakashi turned his gaze toward the trees. "And Sasuke…" He hesitated before sighing. "Sasuke lost everything in a single night. His family, his entire clan, gone. Taken away by someone he once admired."
Inari stared at him, wide-eyed.
"But you know what? Despite all that, they don't let their pain define them." Kakashi smiled slightly. "They keep moving forward."
Inari swallowed hard, his hands gripping his knees.
Kakashi placed a gentle hand on the boy's head. "You're not alone, Inari. And you don't have to give up."
Inari bit his lip, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
--
Naruto wandered through the woods until he found Sasuke.
The Uchiha was leaning against a tree, gazing up at the night sky.
Naruto hesitated before stepping closer. "Hey."
Sasuke didn't respond, but he didn't tell Naruto to leave, either.
Naruto sat down on the grass. "You know… I wish I knew something about my parents."
Sasuke finally glanced at him.
Naruto continued. "Did they love me? Did they abandon me? Were they strong? Were they weak? Anything would be better than nothing."
Sasuke exhaled through his nose. "You would have liked my mother."
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
Sasuke's gaze returned to the stars. "She was kind. Strong. She had this… fiery attitude, but she always made time for me." He paused. "She would have liked you."
Naruto smiled softly.
A few moments passed before Sasuke spoke again.
"Even after everything my brother did… I still love him."
Naruto turned to him in surprise.
"He killed my family. My clan. And yet, I can't erase those years of admiration. He was my hero."His fists clenched. "Maybe I'm a fool for still loving him."
Naruto shook his head. "No. You're not."
Sasuke glanced at him, searching his face for any sign of mockery. He found none.
A strange sense of understanding passed between them.
For the first time, Sasuke saw something in Naruto, something that reminded him of Asura, Indra's brother.
A reincarnation…
Or maybe just a friend.
Naruto stood up and held out his fist. "No matter what happens, I got your back."
Sasuke stared at the offered fist for a moment. Then, slowly, he lifted his own.
They bumped fists.
Somewhere deep inside Naruto's mind, the Kyūbi stirred.
"That Uchiha will betray you one day."
Naruto mentally scoffed. "Shut it, fuzzball."
--
The next morning, Naruto overslept.
By the time Team 7 and Tazuna arrived at the bridge, they were met with a chilling sight, Tazuna's fellow bridge builders were unconscious, lying motionless .
A thick mist rolled in.
Kakashi tensed.
"He's here."
Two figures emerged from the fog.
Zabuza. And the masked hunter-nin.
"You should've left when you had the chance," Zabuza growled, lifting his massive sword onto his shoulder.
Kakashi stepped forward, Sharingan uncovered. "And you should've stayed dead."
Zabuza scoffed. "Heh. Looks like we're both stubborn."
The air was heavy. The mist swirled ominously around them.
Zabuza raised a hand. "Haku."
The masked ninja took a step forward.
"I'll handle the Uchiha."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun as he smirked. "Finally."
Zabuza sent water clones rushing toward the group.
Sasuke dashed forward, dispatching them with ease.
Sakura stood guard next to Tazuna, kunai ready.
--
Haku tilted his head. "You're strong. But I don't want to hurt you."
Sasuke's smirk widened. "Then you'd better give up."