Hokage Tower
"Team 8 and Team 11 will work together on a C-rank mission to guard Master Bridge Builder Tazuna of Wave Country for his journey to Wave and wait there until the Bridge is complete. You are to protect the Bridge Builder at any cost, although the most terrible thing you may face is a group of bandits as most C-ranks do not engage in missing of foreign Nin." said Minato.
As Minato was saying this, Tazuna, the Master Bridge Builder came in. Tazuna is a grey-haired, bespectacled man with a large beard and dark eyes. When first introduced, he wore a sleeveless v-neck shirt with an obi, pants and a pair of sandals. He also carried a towel around his neck and wore a pointed hat on his head. He also carried a sake bottle in his hand. He took a swig from the bottle which earned him a disapproving glare from Kurenai and a small grin from Anko.
"I asked for ninja, not some brats. What is with the brats anyway, the dog one looks completely stupid, the blue haired one seems blind and is pink even natural. The others at least look professional, except that tall guy in hakama. I assumed that ninja don't dress like that ….." Tazuna ranted when a chilling voice cut right through his rant and said," You may be our client but that does not give you the right to decide the way about how I should dress. If you have problems with our teams being your protection detail, then leave with your mission and go to some other village."
Everyone was surprised about the way Naruto reacted to the old man's rant. Team 11 has never seen Naruto react to simple things, yet he showed hostility when the client commented on his choice of clothing. Even though they were surprised, they did not say anything. Minato on the other hand was dumbfounded; never had he seen his eldest son show hostility to anyone, so he wondered about why the hakama was special. This required further investigation, right now, he quickly addressed the teams.
"You will leave tomorrow at 1 in the afternoon. Pack your stuff and get ready for some time away from the village. Everyone is dismissed except Naruto, I wish to discuss something with him." said Minato and everyone left the room except Naruto.
Before Minato could even say something, Naruto bowed down in front of Minato and said," I am extremely sorry Hokage-sama. I should not have insulted the client. I am willing to bear any punishment you wish for me to bear." At the same second, Minato was wondering,' When Naruto called me Hokage-sama, it seemed as if I was talking to some random ninja rather than my own son. It seemed like Naruto has never called him father before. As much ridiculous it sounded, it also felt suspiciously true which caused feelings of guilt to bloom inside him.
"There won't be any punishment for this incident; some clients just do not know how to behave. I have seen you for some time and you are always calm and collected. Why did you become protective when he insulted your clothing sense? Even Gai does not get this angry if you insult his spandex." asked a curious Minato.
Naruto gave a small smile and said," My clothes are more than simply clothes; they represent me and my ideology. This is what defines me and it is the source of my pride. Would you not feel the same if some client commanded you to wear something different than your white haori?" With that Naruto left the room and started to prepare for the mission. He was in the middle of his preparation when he heard Kurama's voice.
"That was quite sneaky and amazing speech you gave back there, but why did you hide the resistance seals you are wearing?"
"Well Kurama, the reason for the speech was that if I acted normally, they could have asked me to change into a more ninja-appropriate outfit. Then, it would have been a drag to place the resistance and weight seals in the ninja clothing. Besides, these clothes signify my samurai way. I am not some mercenary who keeps weapons on him at all times because he could need them anytime. Nor am I someone who needs to hide. This shows that even if I wear a hitai-ate, I am a samurai at heart." explained Naruto.
He quickly packed a set of spare clothing, a bokken, his first curved dagger, his Fuinnjutsu scroll which contained spare tags and information of his experimental seals and some homemade food. All of this was sealed inside a sealing scroll which he took with him and left for the gate where his team was to assemble.
Village Gates
Naruto was the first to reach the front gates of the village. He began to wait for his team while reading a book on anatomy. He may be a swordsman but healing was something beneficial to learn. He was not at the level of someone like Tsunade but he was still quite accomplished because of his perfect chakra control and yang release. He learned the basics of healing from Kurama, who had a lot of experience in healing his previous containers. Kurama told him about the healing technique of Senju Hashirama, who could use yang chakra to heal instantly. Wounds like large gashes and broken bones healed within seconds while severed arms or legs grew back in about a minute. The only person who could claim such an achievement was Senju Tsunade but her technique was flawed as it aged the person using the technique. He was able to recreate the healing technique of Shodaime and perfect it to a level, where his wounds healed before they could even be made fully. He tried this technique by making a cut on his arm; the cut healed before it was even fully made (Wolverine's Healing factor). Now he was reading the anatomy book for a way to defeat the opponent without giving him any serious or fatal injuries. As he was waiting, he found the other members coming towards the gate holding heavy bags. The first to arrive was Anko who was carrying a small bad with her. Yakumo and Shino had heavier bags with clothes, some food and ninja tools. Team 8 came into the clearing in a similar luggage. When Kiba saw Naruto without a bag, he saw it fit to insult him about it.
"Hey loser, did you forget to pack? We don't have enough time for you to go back and pack."
Naruto looked at them, puzzled about why they were not using storage scrolls, quickly questions," I would like to ask you first; why are none of you using storage scrolls? It would have been much easier to carry all the stuff. Even Anko-sensei is carrying a bag."
This caused all of them to blush in embarrassment and then glare at him. Why was Naruto such a smartass, they would never know. Tazuna quickly distracted them," Come on people, we are wasting daylight here. I wish to reach my home as quickly as possible. As soon as I complete the bridge, your work will be finished. And I do not want to slack off on the work."
On the path to Wave
Naruto was suspiciously, Wave was a country surrounded by water. As a result, it should be a commercial shipping port, so why is the bridge required. He could easily hear the impatience in Tazuna's voice at it only gave him one indication, there was something wrong in Wave, and Tazuna was at the center of the mess, due to his fear. As the team started to walk towards Wave, Naruto decided to glean some information out of Tazuna.
"Tazuna-san, I am sorry for my outburst earlier. Hokage-sama was particularly angry with my threat. I did not mean to snap but my clothing has a sentimental value with them."
Tazuna smiled a bit," No harm done kid. I should not have insulted you as well. And I understand, there are a lot of things that I have a sentimental attachment as well." Naruto meanwhile, was thinking about how to question him, when he had an idea," Do you have family in Wave Tazuna-san?"
"Yes, I have my daughter Tsunami and my grandson Inari." Naruto frowned at that," What about Inari's father?"
Tazuna looked sad at that, Naruto noticed that in an instant. Tazuna paused a little and answered," He died some time ago. It was an accident." Naruto however could pick the fear and anger in his voice. The accident, as Tazuna said, was most certainly no accident, but probably said as a lie to hide something.
Sakura asked," Aren't there ninja in Wave Country?"
Kurenai gave a smile at Sakura's inquisitive nature and explained," No Sakura, Wave Country is an island nation and is protected by oceans all around the island. Most other countries are connected by mainland and the only other island nation right now that has ninja is Kiri. Small military forces are there in other island nations but not ninja."
Naruto had his attention on the path they were following. About 200 meters, there was a puddle of water in the middle of the road. Naruto wanted to laugh at the stupidity of the two ninja, but he didn't, he would certainly have looked weird. Quickly activating his Hanteigan, Naruto found two sinful souls. The two ninja in the puddle were filled with greed. He felt the intensity of their greed and they were ready to do anything to satisfy this greed. He was disgusted by them and made his decision. He looked at his teachers and saw that they noticed the Genjutsu. As soon as they crossed the puddle, two ninja came out from the puddle. They had shaggy black hair with faces covered with masks. They wore Kiri hitai-ate and had two gauntlets attached with a chain and quickly attacked them. Wrapping their chain around the two Jounin, they pulled which sliced the two women to pieces while saying," Two down." As the gennin froze at the 'deaths' of their sensei, Naruto quickly drew his knife and dashed at the two shinobi. As the left brother moved his gauntlet to attack Naruto, Naruto Shunpoed behind the other brother and stabbed him in the head from behind. His brother saw this and dashed at him in rage. Before anyone else could react, Anko appeared behind the second Nin and knocked him out.
"Anko-sensei, you are alive! But I thought that you died." exclaimed Sakura looking at the place where the corpses of her teachers lay, only to find pieces of a sliced up log. It dawned on the gennin that their teacher had used Kawarimi to escape from the chain. It was proven a while later when Kurenai came from the forest with a grim look on her face.
"I think you need to explain something, Tazuna-san." Tazuna paled a little and started sweating.
One long explanation later
Naruto's head was in a whirl; Wave was under the control of a vile, greedy, and corrupted midget who was slowly but surely strangling the life out of Wave Country. Wave Daimyo was killed by Gatou to get complete control over the people of Wave. This was something that made Naruto shake with rage. His sense of justice was tingling and quivering with barely restrained anger.
Kurenai asked the students," Now we have two options, we can either continue with the mission or leave, there is a very high chance that the mission is upgraded to a B-rank or possibly an A-rank mission. There is a very high chance of injury and death. I do not want you to face them so early in your life as your Jounin-sensei we are leaving the mission. A more experienced team will have to handle this mission."
Tazuna felt hopeless; he had endangered the life of children, lied which would have gotten them killed. But he had no choice; the economy of Wave was not large enough to give a higher ranking mission. This mission was his last hope which was now crushed. He wondered if an explanation to the Hokage would have gotten him a team of ninja, more suited for the job.
As the team started to pack the bags, Naruto quickly sealed anything that belonged to him. He completely understood Kurenai's reasoning but his heart was not into it. He wanted to rant and rave about the mission getting younger ninja killed and how Tazuna endangered his life, yet no sound came from him. Naruto wanted to aid Tazuna in his quest to free his country, not because of some kind of misguided arrogance or someway to gain attention and prove himself, he wanted to do it because it was the right thing to do. As a samurai, it was hi duty to protect the weak from the strong who oppress, and he was not going to leave his bushido for something as stupid as mission parameters.
"Old man, once I am packed; we should head quickly to Wave, there might be a chance to protect you and your family until your bridge is complete. I may be a ninja, but I have an idea what could happen when you oppose scum like Gatou who has money to throw around. If we do not come with you, your daughter could face a fate worse than death. I don't care if I am even marked as a missing-nin or punished for insubordination, I will help you in protecting your family and the hope of your people." declared Naruto.
Kurenai tried to reason with Naruto," Naruto, the mission is just too dangerous for gennin. There is a large chance of sustaining injury and death. Please, come back, a different team will handle the mission."
Naruto glared at Kurenai and said through gritted teeth," It would be too late by then. People in Wave know that Tazuna has gone to hire ninja for protection. If we do not go, Tazuna will be killed, his daughter will get raped, his grandson could be sold as a slave and Wave Country will lose its last hope. You may be willing to go back but I won't. If Anko-sensei wants to, she can also return but there is just no way that I abandon Tazuna at the hands of Gatou."
Anko looked grim for a few moments before saying," I agree with you brat. It will be too late and we cannot afford to waste time for new team to get here. I just hope that there is nothing we have to face in this mission that we cannot handle." Kurenai also agreed and the mission continued.
Tazuna was ecstatic; there was someone from the team who was willing to help him. His two teachers and the girls were also willing when they thought about his daughter being violated and decided to help him. In the end, it was decided that the mission will be continued and Tazuna could not be happier.
Meanwhile, Anko was looking at Naruto in an effort to understand what he was thinking. Naruto had made his first kill and seemed to handle it much better than what a green Gennin should. This worried Anko greatly because he showed no fear, disgust, happiness or fear at what he had done. He went about it as freely as a Jounin would; who had made enough kills to come to terms that killing is a part of the job. She vowed to keep an eye on him for any signs of treason.
The two Jounin, six Gennin and the old man walked for another two hours before they reached the coast. Tazuna had a friend who was willing to ferry the group across the water to the Wave Country. They found the boat on the shore and quickly boarded. The small fishing boat sailed at a moderate pace across the mist-covered water. The mist was quite thick and it was difficult to see much. Naruto however felt as if someone was watching him. Discreetly activating Hanteigan, he looked around for any traces of the any other person but found nothing.
Suddenly, a huge bridge came into view. It was a magnificent model of architecture and looked really sturdy and strong. This bridge had the potential to uplift the economy of Wave Country without any problems. Naruto was thoroughly impressed.
"That is a really impressive bridge. You must be quite proud of it; it has the potential to uplift the economy of Wave even after all the mess Gatou made. No wonder Gatou would try to inhibit its progress and you would want to complete it as soon as possible. Though, how were you able to get the material for the bridge? Creating this monumental bridge must have cost quite a fortune."
Tazuna puffed up proudly and explained," Yes, it did cost a fortune. When the construction started, Wave was slightly more prosperous than it is now. Most of the material came from Wave Country itself. Machinery had to be bought from other places but we managed. The only good thing that made the bridge less costly was that we never needed to buy building material, just the machinery. All the able bodied men in the village gather on weekends and help in mining the stone which is later used as building material. This significantly reduced the cost of building this bridge. The idea was actually given to us by Kaiza. He was a fisherman and my second son in-law. My first son in-law drowned when he was fishing and Tsunami married Kaiza six years later. Kaiza was the hope of the village, so Gatou decapitated him in front of the whole population of Wave. Inari was never the same after this incident." ended Tazuna in a sad note.
Anko gained the attention of everyone and instructed," Keep quiet brats; there is a chance that Gatou's men are out here looking for the Bridge Builder. We can get detected." with this, everyone on the boat became silent.
On the shore
"Thank you for your help Hiro, you took many pains to safely deliver us here. I will never forget your help. If only this vermin named Gatou dies, Wave would become a happy place." thanked Tazuna.
"Don't worry, just finish the bridge and help this country Tazuna, Gatou's reign must end at all costs. I fear that one day, he will turn Wave into a desert."
Taking their leave, the two Gennin teams, their Jounin-sensei and Tazuna began trekking towards Tazuna's house halfway on the unfinished bridge, a thick mist began to roll and the feeling of discomfort began to increase in Naruto.
'Kurama, is there something wrong? Why are my senses going into overdrive?' Naruto mentally asked.
'That is because someone IS following you. Your senses are kicking in and you feel more uncomfortable in the mist is because it is laced with chakra to make it this thick. Normal mist is never thick around a water body naturally.' answered Kurama.
Suddenly, Kiba threw a kunai into some bushes, startling everyone in the group. Hinata went into the bushes and pulled out a scared white rabbit. Kiba looked sheepish and Sakura screamed at him for nearly killing the rabbit. However, the thoughts of both the Jounin were on a different line of thought,' It is a white rabbit, but in summer, its coat should be brown unless it was a domesticated rabbit, used for Kawarimi.' Suddenly a whizzing sound was heard but it made the ninja react. Without any need for a verbal warning, all the people ducked with Tazuna being dragged down by Shino and Kiba as a huge sword shaped like a meat cleaver came spinning, passed over their head and got stuck in the tree. A man appeared near the sword who seemed to be the user of the cleaver like sword. He was a tall and noticeably muscular man with pale skin, short spiky black hair, brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He was wearing bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face. He also wore his forehead protector sideways on his head
"Ah! Genjutsu Mistress Yuuhi Kurenai and Snake Mistress of Konoha Mitarashi Anko, no wonder the Demon Brothers failed to kill the Bridge Builder." commented a mocking voice from the mist.
"Momochi Zabuza, A-rank missing-nin of Kiri, known for an assassination attempt on Yondaime Mizukage, but was unsuccessful in the venture." said Anko coolly but was extremely worried about the safety of her gennin team. She also cursed Naruto for making her come here.
Naruto meanwhile had activated his Dōjutsu and quickly looked at Zabuza. Zabuza was a cold, indifferent and ruthless person, who committed a large number of crimes, yet his soul did not have darkness, it was filled with guilt and regret instead. He was not completely innocent, but he was not guilty. Zabuza must survive and the only way Naruto could ensure that, was by fighting himself.
Before anyone could step forward, Naruto came in the front of the group and stood still, his bangs were shadowing his eyes from everyone and he was mumbling something.
Zabuza was confused for a second before he started to mock Naruto at the slight show of bravery," HAHAHAHAHA! A Gennin who thinks to highly of himself wants to die at the hands of an evil missing-nin. Move aside boy and hand over the Bridge Builder, in return, I will make your death painless." said Zabuza with a menacing look.
Naruto did not talk for a second, when suddenly, a small cloud of smoke appeared near his right hand. As the smoke dissipated, everyone saw a katana in his hand. Anko thought,' He never used a sword against me, so he probably picked up the skill on his free time, still, he has no hope of defeating Zabuza, who is not only physically stronger, but also has years of experience in Kenjutsu.'
What happened next completely surprised everyone and would be the strangest memory of their life this far.
Zabuza's POV
Zabuza did not know what happened. He was mocking the red haired, hakama-wearing brat, and the very next second, he had to bring his sword up to block the powerful and precise blow from the said brat. Naruto was midair in front of him, with his beautiful katana in a downward blow that would have cut him in half. The boy in front of him suddenly vanished before reappearing behind him in a bifurcating slash. He barely avoided it which could be seen by a cut on his waist. He decided that the fight must be taken seriously. Quickly jumping back, he weaved the hand signs and called out, Kirigakure no Jutsu.
Normal POV
Anko was shocked at the speed and power Naruto held. The way he handled the sword showed his familiarity with the weapon, and it puzzled Anko to no end, as to why he never used the sword against her. She was doubtful that Kurenai of her could injure Zabuza with a sword, but he did it like it was nothing. The sword style was also something she was unable to grasp, the speed and precision was so high, that any of the strikes could kill the opponent if they landed correctly.
She decided to warn him about Zabuza's mastery of Silent Killing Technique of the mist swordsmen." Naruto watch out! He is using the Silent Killing Technique which he is a master at. He can attack anytime from the mist without letting you know where he is."
True to her word, Zabuza unleashed a massive amount of killing intent from the mist while giving a mad laughter.
"I would listen to her if I was you brat, not many people can detect me in the mist. Which vital spot out of the eight vital spots, larynx, spine, lung, liver, jugular, collarbone kidney and heart should I kill you with?" mused Zabuza.
Then Naruto began to talk," You cannot kill me; I move forward by my will to help the Wave against its tormenters. Your sword is inferior from mine because my sword protects and punishes, while yours can only kill. If you want to defeat me, change your sword first. A sword that only knows how to kill can never hope to defeat me. As for the mist, does this mist make you feel powerful; does it make you feel invincible? If it does, then let me show you how vulnerable your invulnerability is?" While saying this, his body was covered in a bluish aura. Holding Yamato in a Battoujutsu stance, he calls out.
"Shingetsu ryu Ichishiki: Tsuinosen (Heart Moon First Ceremony sword style: Chasing Flash)
And with that, he quickly pulls up his sword while releasing a massive gust of wind which completely cleared the mist leaving both his companions and Zabuza speechless. Looking at Zabuza's expression of shock, he quickly uses Shunpo to appear in front of Zabuza and calls out his next attack
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Do-ryu-sen (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Ground Dragon Flash)" and slashes the makes an upward slash at Zabuza. Zabuza tries valiantly to stop the blade by using his own sword Kubikiriboncho as a shield, but was completely shocked when his sword was sliced in half. And this caused him to be unprepared for the next attack.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Ryu-tsui-sen(Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Dragon Mallet Flash). But before the attack could even, some senbon pierced Zabuza's causing him to fall down.
A Kiri Hunter-nin appeared from the surrounding trees and came towards Zabuza's body. Picking up the destroyed Kubikiriboncho, he faces Naruto," Thank you for your assistance in killing him, I was chasing him for quite some time now."
Naruto looked at the Hunter-nin with is Dōjutsu and found something that was rare in the world, a completely pure and gentle soul. However, he also knew that this person in front of him was not a hunter-nin,' so he must be an accomplice of Zabuza. I hope I do not have to kill him; anyone who harms such a gentle person must be a monster. '
"That is no problem hunter-san, I hope you have a good day." Wishing Naruto a hasty goodbye, the fake hunter-nin shunshined away, with Zabuza's body and sword.
Facing his amazed and awed team mates, senseis and client Naruto said happily," Lets continue people, we are wasting time here." Hearing the shuffling and footsteps behind him, Naruto smiled, due to his good mood.
'It is always a good day to face an amazing swordsman like Zabuza, I hope we have a rematch. It is a good feeling to let loose once in a while, don't you agree Yamato.'
Yamato replied,' It really was a satisfying fight, we must do it again some other time.'
'Don't worry Yamato, we will get another chance when Zabuza-san has healed his wounds.
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