After a fruitful day of training, the group sat down to eat dinner as a young boy came in and shot a disgusted look at the group of ninja before declaring," Why do you work so hard, you are all going to die in the end while fighting Gatou. My father never stood a chance against him, you can never defeat him."
"To alleviate the condition of the people in this country, a single man cannot make a lot of difference. To free this country, either you remove the source of pain or the country recovers its courage. Otherwise this country will never be free of their suffering." spoke Naruto sagely.
"What would you know about pain I bet you have all lived sheltered lives in that ninja village of yours you don't know what suffering is" the young boy yelled after Naruto had denied what they were doing was futile
Naruto suddenly picked Inari up by the scruff of his shirt and hoisted him until they were looking into each other's eyes," We do know about pain boy, but we just do not suffer through it. Do you want to know why?"
When Inari fearfully nodded Naruto continued," Because one does not suffer due to the pain, one suffers by his own choice. Pain can never be stopped since it is an inevitable part of our life, but the suffering is optional. When learning to walk, you do not simply give up after the first fall; otherwise you will never learn how to walk. Remember this, Gatou is not making you suffer, you are suffering by your own choice. You may feel the pain about losing your father, but you are not the only one, just the most privileged one. Your pain is nothing as compared to the other orphans in the town. Yet, they choose survival over suffering." Turning towards Anko, he said," I will be training for the night; don't wait up for me Anko-sensei." As he was leaving through the front door, he looked back at Inari and said," If a person decided to bear the pain for a cause higher than his own, the pain does not descend into suffering and fuels your determination. Channel your pain to a cause higher than yourself, and you will find the power to overcome every obstacle in your path." that said, Naruto left the house.
This speech inspired not just Inari, but also the other people on the table. They all could feel his passion and determination for a cause higher than himself. Inari decided to go back to his room to think about the things Naruto explained to him.
In the Village
Naruto decided that training right now would do him no good since he was already exhausted from the training he did to learn Kuzuryusen; so he decided to visit the town in order to see the situation the country was in.
Looking around the place, he was disgusted at what Gatou did to the country. People of Wave were suffering to appease the greed of a piece of filth. This made him both mad and sad that a tyrant had the control of Wave Country. While Naruto was known to have a tight hold on his emotions before, the experience right now was pushing that seal to a breaking point. As he stalked through the paths of Wave Country, he came upon a curious sight.
Three thugs were surrounding a pair of young children while brandishing their swords. The actual curious thing was the way those children were holding two sticks in order to defend themselves. He was quite intrigued that the children who were just six years old were handling the sticks like a sword. As he looked at the eyes of the two children, one girl and one boy, he saw something very familiar. There was no fear, no sadness and no anger in their eyes, only a cold, hard determination that showed him that they would go to hell and back for their goals. The only thing left was to see their goals.
One of the thugs growled at them," You thought that you can steal from Gatou and bat up one of his people; and get away without any punishment? You got some nerve brats, just six years old and bating people."
The girl said," The food we stole was for the starving children in the orphanage, the thug we beat up was an asshole who liked to beat up people. When our parents were killed by Gatou six months before, we promised ourselves that we will protect Wave from Gatou, so that no other child has to live his life as an orphan. You can kill us here, but we will fight till our last breath."
Naruto was a person who had a very high standard; which was why he was not easily impressed. Yet the passion in the girl's voice impressed and pleased him to no end. Although the girl's male companion was silent, his eyes showed that he also would fight till the end, in order to free his country from the clutches of a foul creature like Gatou.
The thug did not like the confidence in the eyes of the two children and charged at them with a battle cry. They two children closed their eyes and waited for the pain, but the pain never came. As they opened their eyes, they say a tall person wearing a black hakama and haori with the kanji for Duty written on the haori in white. He was standing between the thugs and the two children while the thugs were frozen. As he sheathed his sword, the thugs fell to the ground while their heads rolled on the earth to lie at the children's feet.
The two children were mesmerized by the power displayed by the stranger as he looked at them, crystal blue eyes shining through his deep red-colored bangs. He asked with concern in a warm gentle tone," Are you children okay? If you are hurt, I'll heal you."
The children were flabbergasted at the concern in the voice of a total stranger. Living in the orphanage and the streets of Wave under the rule of a tyrant like Gatou made them very paranoid and the girl answered," We are fine mister, we must go now."
The timid voice touched with paranoia reached Naruto's heart and he could not help but show the sadness he felt at the hardships faced by the duo in front of them. Calling out to them he asked," Have you two eaten yet? And whatever you say, do not lie."
The two children looked at each other and shook their heads. Naruto came up to them and said," Then eat something first, I'll cook so do not worry about anything. I am also quite curious at the thoughts you two have, and I am certain that you two have a lot of questions for me. So let's get something to eat." The two children sheepishly nodded and followed the hakama wearing guy towards the forest.
Naruto liked home-cooked food for two specific reasons; one was that home-cooked food was healthier than any other junk food a person could buy. Secondly, Naruto did not go to any fast food joint in hi entire life. It was quite ironic that the Namikaze family who were complete ramen addicts had a boy who had yet to even taste ramen. This in turn made Naruto a fabulous cook who could cook a five star meal in the middle of nowhere. Naruto was hunting for a while in the forest because he skipped the dinner after his talk with Inari and felt a little hungry. Now that he had the two children with him. He knew exactly what to make. Taking a storage scroll from his hakama, he unsealed specific contents form his portable kitchen supplies and began to skin a pair of rabbits, who were unfortunate enough to get caught in his traps.
While cooking, he decided to introduce himself to the kids," My name is Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, what are your names? After all, I cannot keep calling you kids."
The girl who had red hair similar to him spoke first," Shakugan Shana"
The boy with pale blond hair told his name," Urahara Kisuke"
"Shana-chan and Kisuke-kun huh! Well then, let's have our meal. I hope you like stew. I have more if you want seconds." Spoke Naruto in an unnaturally soft tone.
Inside Naruto' mindscape
Kyuubi and Yamato were looking at the scene in front of them and shared a smile. They had tried a lot of ways for Naruto to open up his emotions, but none of their plans were successful. Now, watching Naruto interact with the two children in front of him bought joy to both of them.
Outside the Mindscape
The red-haired samurai was talking to the two children for about an hour now and was delighted at the company provided by the two children.
Shana was a spitfire, quite similarly to his mother who had a nasty habit of punching first and asking questions later. But the thing that differentiated her from his mother was the controlled and composed way she acted. There was a certain calmness and lethal power in her that was waiting to be unleashed. Other than that, she was energetic and cheerful.
Kisuke on the other hand was laidback and flashy. His introduction would have given Jiraiya of the Sannin a run for his money. The special quality that Kisuke possessed was an overabundance of creativity and serious intelligence. He was so creative that if he was introduced to sealing, he would match many Uzumaki clan members. He had the potential to surpass Uzumaki Mito in sealing arts. If Orochimaru of the Sannin was an evil scientist, Kisuke was a super crazy scientist. He also had the perfect body for Kenjutsu, though his Kenjutsu would have to be on a much sedate pace than Naruto's and possibly Shana's.
The two kids were really happy to meet Naruto. After the introductions and food, paranoia bled out quickly and before they knew it, they were pleasantly chatting with Naruto. They had seen his strength yet they could not bring themselves to fear the redhead teen.
Shana for the first time in her life felt as if she was meeting her older sibling. The warmth and comfort Naruto showed them was unearthly to her and she wanted to live in his presence for her entire life. The person in front of her was starved with love himself, as she could see by his eyes; which was why he was able to understand her better than anyone. Kisuke was another orphan she met but he had parents for the first six years of his life, which was why he was an orphan for a lesser amount of time. It did not matter if she never saw Naruto-nii again; she would always cherish this meal they all shared.
Kisuke on the other hand was not only happy which was an improvement in the six months since he lost his parents to Gatou's thugs, but also fascinated by the elder teen. As a young genius, Kisuke always found himself isolated from the other kids, but the teen in front of them was not only smart but also quite strong as he was able to grasp from the way he used his sword. Swords always fascinated Kisuke and while he was a slightly laidback individual, a sword or similar object completely changed his persona into a confident, alert and brave mindset. He had grown up reading the stories of ninja and warriors but he always found ninja as nothing more than sophisticated thugs for hire. Samurai on the other hand always fascinated him and the person in front of him was clearly a samurai. Deciding to raise the question, he spoke up.
"Naruto-san, are you a samurai?" asked Kisuke timidly. Shana also perked up at that and cocked her head to the side in question.
Naruto chuckled well naturedly and answered," Partly, I am a ninja right now but I plan to resign soon. Ninja never suited me and I always wanted to be a samurai. As I learnt from many books, I learnt one important fact; there are two kinds of samurai, the samurai of lord and those of sword. The first category of samurai, serve under a feudal lord and remain loyal to him and his family for the generations till they die. The other category serves the sword. Their sword only lifts in the service of mankind and nothing more. Then there are samurai who have the skills of one but not the heart of one. The final class of samurai may or may not have the skills of samurai, but they have the heart of a samurai. Following the code is difficult, but the belief in the code must be set in stone before one sets his way on the path of samurai. Why do you ask though do you two want to be samurai?" finished Naruto with a hint of amusement.
The two children ducked their heads a little before nodding. Naruto grinned a wide grin before speaking;" In that case, I shall help you become great samurai." This caused the eyes of the two children to widen in surprise.
"To tell you the truth, when I first saw you two, I was thinking of simply helping you and being on my way. But the second I saw your eyes, I realized that I have found some great children worthy of being my apprentices. You both were young, less armed than the assailants, outnumbered and possibly less skilled than your opponents. Yet, you showed no fear, anxiety, anger or sadness, just cold, hard determination that matched mine. As the tradition goes, I Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto decide to take Shakugan Shana and Urahara Kisuke as my apprentices in the ways of samurai." Spoke Naruto.
The two children were shocked and absolutely happy. The person they both admired even though they had not spent much time together was offering them a way to become stronger and samurai which they both admired. With tears in their eyes, they tackle Naruto while hugging him and whispering thanks all the time.
A Kage Bunshin came forward which attracted the attention of the two children and informed Naruto before throwing a small scroll at him and dispelling," They are ready."
Naruto cleared his throat to have the attention of the two children before saying,' Samurai have a tradition to gift their apprentices with a wooden bokken when they first meet them. I did not have any bokken with me except my own. That is why, the clone made these for you."
Naruto unsealed two pale bokken from the sealing scroll and handed them to the children. They had not received any gifts from anyone in quite some time which made them hug their new sensei again.
It was quite late at night, so Naruto left them at the orphanage for the time being and returned to Tazuna's house whistling a merry tune. He would openly admit today as the happiest day in his short life.
Next Morning
The other Gennin; and the two Jounin senseis gathered in the forest to train for the day. Naruto was the strongest Gennin till now and the sensei decided for the Gennin to have a spar with Naruto.
"Alright maggots, this will accurately show us your combat abilities, but remember that this is not a battle but only a friendly spar. Don't fight with the intent to kill or you will regret it." finished Anko with a sinister tone.
Kurenai continued," First spar will be between Naruto and Sakura; Begin."
Naruto and Sakura took their positions opposite to each other. Instead of using a sword, Naruto had a bokken with him strapped to his waist like the word he used yesterday. Sakura was nervous when Naruto's voice came," Do not be nervous Sakura-san; this spar is not a way to beat you, but rather a way to help you improve. You have less stamina and chakra than me and while your control is amazing for a Gennin, mine is absolute. On the paper, this match-up would mean an instant defeat to you and if it was not a spar, than it would have been a beat-down. I will correct you with any flaws, but come at me with all your effort."
Sakura came at him with a straight punch but Naruto was easily able to dodge it. She followed her punch with some of the academy combos while Naruto dodged. Those combos were textbook perfect but lacked power and thought. Naruto frowned, as these flaws could have killed her in future against any missing-nin. The last punch that Sakura threw was quickly caught by Naruto's hand and her arm was twisted behind her back, which quickly ended the spar.
Sakura slumped as she wanted to become strong like him, but was unable to even touch him at any point of the fight. The other Gennin looked at Naruto, expecting some sort of negative and humiliating comment. Naruto commented," Well, that was enlightening. Your stance is rigid, though your punches lack power. Your Taijutsu I at a fresh Gennin level but, it would be better if you learn a different fighting style. You also did not use traps or any other skills which could be detrimental for your growth as a ninja. I recommend that you seek out Maito Gai on your return to Konoha and learn Goken from him. He may be eccentric but he knows more about Taijutsu than anyone. Goken will suit you better and help you build a muscle tone."
Sakura looked hopeful at that and walked up to Kurenai. Soon Hinata took her place in front of him. Her timid and shy nature warned Naruto that something was wrong with her. Someone who is often hurt by something tend to have an aversion to that object. Naruto decided to reserve her judgment until he had a chance to test Hinata.
Hinata started by sending a Jyuuken strike to his chest, which was easily dodged. She spun on her toes and sent a strike to his chin. Naruto ducked the strike and hit her on her elbows which instantly turned numb. Hinata quickly separated from the brief skirmish but looked on in disappointment when she was unable to lift her elbows. Naruto saw a few tears leaking out from her eyes, though he understood that there were not tears of pain, but rather tears from shame. She was ashamed to not even land a single strike on him.
"Hinata, for the most basic truth and observation, you Taijutsu was pathetic…" at this Kurenai looked outraged, others looked surprised and Hinata looked more miserable,"… your stance was not firm, your strikes were sloppy and you were aiming at the most useless places. But there is something I wish to ask you."
Hinata wiped her eyes and looked at Naruto while she stuttered," What do you wish to ask Naruto-san?"
"Do you have many painful memories associated with Jyuuken?" enquired a serious Naruto.
This really surprised everyone listening for it was the most unexpected question. The thought of lying but the thought was crushed by Naruto's sharp, commanding voice," And do not think about lying, for I know when someone lies to me."
Hinata timidly nodded her head to which Naruto sighed," I see, looks like your Jyuuken being pathetic is not really your fault but rather your teacher's. If they had handled your training differently, things would have been different."
Everyone was surprised at this. Naruto continued," The Jyuuken is not suited to her body which is naturally flexible since it requires a firm stance. When she was unable to show the correct stances and technique for Jyuuken, they never tried to understand the problem and kept pushing her, which probably caused her to develop an aversion to hurting others and a subconscious fear of Jyuuken. This did not help and soon, her training completely suffered. If her training had been handled differently, she would have been the most fearsome young kunoichi in training. Her skill would have surpassed even the most accomplished users of Jyuuken. There is a method to fix her mindset, but till then, she would have to learn something other than Jyuuken. Her flexibility would really benefit her if she learns Hebi-style Taijutsu." Anko grinned at that and before anyone could say anything, she dragged Hinata with her to god knows where.
Naruto grinned sheepishly which seemed like an alien expression on his face and said," I believe that I have created a monster."
Next Day
Today was the day Zabuza was expected to attack the bridge. In the last two weeks, they were able to train a little and improve upon their faults. Hinata had an intermediate grasp of Hebi-Style Taijutsu which was very impressive considering her almost negligible Taijutsu prowess. Her personality also improved and she held herself with more confidence.
The other Gennin had also improved and Naruto created the ultimate technique for his sword style the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki (Heaven's Soaring Dragon Flash) which is the most powerful technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi School. Normally, when using Battoujutsu, the right leg in front of the left leg, however, in this technique, at the last moment before the attack, Naruto puts his left leg in front of his right leg before drawing his sword. This technique is most likely the one flawless technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi School which could even defeat the Kuzuryusen by slashing the opponent before he could even strike with the Kuzuryusen. If by any chance the initial blow is blocked, the air is displaced by the power and impact of the first, blocked blow, drawing the air around the opponent with centripetal force which draws the opponent in. The second blow uses the pent up force from the first to accelerate the blow, thus hitting them with a more powerful hit the second time around. This was the technique Naruto was really proud of. Kuzuryusen was the ultimate killing technique but Amakakeru is the ultimate defensive technique.
Naruto also spent a lot of time with Shana and Kisuke, training them in Kenjutsu and other things like cooking, reading and such. He also showed them the correct way of unlocking one's chakra. Using the method devised by Kurama, he checked their affinities. Shana had a fire affinity which was stronger than any Uchiha while Kisuke had a water affinity but decided that the elemental Ninjutsu was not something he was interested in. There Kenjutsu was coming along nicely as he showed them the basics of swordsmanship.
Today, Naruto decided to keep watch over Tazuna's family because there was a chance that Gatou sends his men to look for a hostage in form of Tsunami or Inari. Naruto was lying in his bead when certain noises started to come from downstairs. He blinked his eyes as his brain rushed to catch up with what was happening.
"Stop, if you hurt him, I'll bite my tongue off." Tsunami yelled from outside. Naruto heard two men grunt before one responded.
"Lucky brat, you get to live. Let's go we only need one of them." the man said before Naruto heard Inari start to sob.
As this happened, his mind caught the position of the sun and the fact that it was much later in the day than he had thought. So, Naruto crept out of his futon, noticing he was still dressed, and peered out of the window down to the dock that surrounded the house.
He saw the two men, one of which had Tsunami in a hold and the other looking at the crying Inari, both had swords strapped to their waists. One had the oddest assortment of tattoos littering his body with an eye patch and a rolled down shirt bunched up at his waist leading to zebra style pants. The other wore an overcoat with a black hat and beige pants with tattoos around his eyes.
Just as soon as Naruto took this in, Inari let loose a loud cry, causing Naruto to smirk at the kid's renewed courage. "Wait!" he yelled at the two.
"Looking at her pretty skin really makes me want to cut something kid. You shouldn't be an annoyance." the man with the tattoos said.
"Get away from my mom!" Inari yelled, ignoring the man's threat and charging forward. The two men smirked while looking at the kid's blind charge with amusement.
Naruto watched as Inari approached the two men. He was five steps away when the one with the overcoat said, "Cut him." and both of the wannabe samurai took stances with their hands on their swords. He had reached three steps away when they both started to unsheathe their swords in preparation for their swings. He was one step away when Tsunami yelled out, "Inari!" and both of them men swung their swords at the kid who dared to interfere with their job, one with a happy smile on his face, the other with indifference.
Before the swords could even touch Inari, Naruto appeared in front of them, holding his sword in front of him blocking the thugs' swords with it. Naruto looked up at them and stared with his unnerving golden eyes. With a tone full of disgust, he started speaking," A pair of wannabe samurai who don't abide by the code, work for a tyrant and attacks innocent people for their own greed. People like you disgust me and it would be a service to the world if I eliminate scum like you. Goodbye trash."
Without missing a beat, he used Shunpo to appear behind them after removing Tsunami from their grasp. With a quick slash of Yamato, Naruto separated the heads of both the thug.
He made two Kage Bunshin and turned to Tsunami and Inari, both of whom were looking at Naruto in awe at how fast he had gotten them away from the two samurai.
He spoke then, his voice slightly warmer than before, "Good job Inari. Your father would be proud." Inari smiled widely from Naruto's praise, before he turned to Tsunami," Tsunami-san, is there any place you can go hide until this day is over with?" he asked as he looked over at the matriarch that had been watching the house.
Tsunami nodded, "Then please head there now, these shadow clones will protect you until you reach there and act as guards." he said as he made another ten clones and sent Tsunami and Inari on their way
He felt remorse for killing the two but he couldn't leave them alive. They were enemies and had already tried to kill a person under his protection, a child no less. They were dead the moment they swung at Inari. He wanted to save the people but some people are simply irredeemable. He sighed before pushing them into the water and having his two clones wash the blood away before it stained as he looked over towards the bridge. He would have to deal with his emotions later, right now, his team needed him. He jumped up into the trees and quickly Shunpoed towards the bridge.
Bridge
Anko was having a lot of difficulty. Zabuza was in full health and was actively pushing her back. He grinned at her and yelled," Where is that brat of yours. He thought that he could challenge one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. You are weak and he is a coward. When he comes here, I will enjoy decapitating him and ripping him apart. My sword will drink his blood."
"Then why wait?" a tiny whisper was heard by Zabuza. The whisper was behind him and awfully close for his comfort. With widened eyes, he jumped and there he was. The boy in question, wearing a hakama, holding onto a katana with one hand while the other was on his waist was standing right behind Zabuza. He had blood-red hair and crystalline blue eyes. The sword in his hand looked like a normal katana but the blade was perfect. The style was simple but the sword was by no means normal. Naruto spoke again.
"Do you want to fight as a ninja or as a swordsman? I am fine with either but the simple condition would be that if you fight as a ninja, you can use anything as your advantage, but as a swordsman, you won't use any Ninjutsu, Genjutsu or ny other technique. We will fight on even terms."
Zabuza chuckled which soon turned into a manic laughter. Still laughing, he said," You think that ou are my equal boy. I have killed so many people that my hands are now completely red, a person like you who has yet to kill can never hope to consider himself as my equal. You do not know what the true nature of a ninja's job is. A brat like you who think that being a ninja is a game can never hope to match me.
Naruto reached behind his head and untied his hitai-ate that was tied there. His hitai-ate fell to the floor as he said," Then it is a good thing that I am not a ninja but a samurai. I have killed before but the thing is, I do not need to kill to understand what a ninja is. I will however kill more people than you if they are a threat to the world."
He was suddenly pulled in his mindscape.
Mindscape
Naruto stood before Yamato and Kyuubi. They both looked at him as Yamato asked him," You do know that he is just battle loving and not an evil person. How do you plan to fight him without killing him?"
"That is something I had been thinking. I cannot take him lightly for he will kill me, but I can also not take him seriously or I might kill him. What should I do?" asked a desperate Naruto.
"Yamato knows a way by which you can achieve this. But this will drain a lot of energy and you might become unconscious after the release is reversed." replied a grim Kurama.
Yamato explained," I am a part of you. With a certain command, you would be able to release the power inside me. The released state would be based on the predominating emotion you used when you made me."
"So what is the command?" asked Naruto.
Bridge
Naruto opened his eyes and grasped the sword with both hands and said," Cut with Judgment: Yamato."
What happened next completely surprised the various people on the bridge. Haku, Zabuza's apprentice, who was trying to hit Hinata, looked on as the mist completely cleared and the blade in the red-headed teen's hand lengthened to the size of an o-katana, while the guard colors were revered. On closer inspection, there was a faint image of a Chinese dragon on the blade. Finally, the blade started to glow a soft blue color. Whatever happened to the blade, it did not look good for Zabuza.
Naruto heard Yamato speak in his mind,' In this form, I can cut anything that you want to cut and kill. If you don't want to kill someone in this state, my edge will shift and I will turn into a Sakabatou. Lets get to work."
Naruto nodded and dashed at Zabuza with high Jounin speed. Zabuza raised his blade in defence by the virtue of instinct and the two swords were in a deadlock.
'Who is this kid?' thought Zabuza.' There are very less people who can match me in strength and defeat me in speed. For a Gennin and someone so young, he is really skilled in Kenjutsu.'
Naruto shifted his weight to the side and deflected the heavier sword, breaking the deadlock. With a quick movement, he spun on his heal and attacked Zabuza's side with his sword. Pain exploded in Zabuza's ribs as the o-katana struck them, breaking a few. Zabuza coughed up blood to hear a shout.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Hiryusen (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Flying Dragon Flash)" before he was hit by the pommel of the sword with the force of a Suiryuudan. Looking up, he saw the teen dashing towards him before spinning like a corkscrew and shouting.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Ryukansen Tsumuji (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Dragon Wind up Flash Hair Spin)
In an instant, a searing pain exploded in his neck as his knees gave out and he fell, trying to keep himself upright by the use of his sword. The blade cracked after blocking the first strike and the deadlock. He had just repaired it with the blood of a pair of nameless thugs Haku saw. His opponents blade however was in pristine condition, as if it was just forged. He marveled at the artistic design.' If I live through this, I would definitely ask the brat where he got his sword from.
"The fight was great Zabuza-san, you are a good swordsman. Unfortunately, I am just faster than you." spoke Naruto with respect clearly visible in his tone. Anko, Kurenai and the other gennin except Kiba and Hinata, who by the way were trapped in Haku's ice mirrors goggled at the show of swordsmanship shown by Naruto. He did not give Zabuza a single chance to hit him, blocked every attack Zabuza dished out and completely outclassed him yet there was clear respect in his tone and words.
"No shit brat that was some fine Kenjutsu you got. Whoever trained you must be good. But what I don't understand is why you haven't killed me yet. I am an enemy shinobi…"
"But you are also innocent" interrupted Naruto. Zabuza was confused; everyone knew that he was a murderer and no one had ever called him innocent.
"I can see it Zabuza-san, you have never killed for pleasure, and always grieved for the innocents whom you had to kill due to the orders. You may think that you are a murderer, but in reality, you are a shinobi. The only times you actually killed innocents was when orders were given, and I do not fault you for it. You have a good heart, even if your deeds are not pure. The next attack will have enough power to knock you out but not kill as long as I do not want to do it. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Kuzuryusen (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Nine Headed Dragon Flash)"
Naruto quickly dashed at Zabuza but before the sword could hit him, Haku appeared between Zabuza and Naruto and took the brunt of Kuzuryusen. Naruto knew that the technique had knocked out Haku but before either could react, clapping sounded at the end of the bridge. Naruto looked over to where a short balding grey-haired man with glasses and a cane as he looked at Zabuza and Naruto with a condescending gaze. The thing that both shinobi noticed though, was the huge mob of thugs that were standing behind the man.
"Gatou, what do you want?" Zabuza said as Naruto turned his body so he was facing the thugs.
"Well, you see Zabuza. The plan has changed a little. Well, not for me, since I planned to do this since the beginning. You see, I never planned to pay you Zabuza." Gatou said as he talked in a voice that just spoke of how little respect he had of Zabuza, "This is how it is, I can't hire regular ninja since they are too expensive and will probably betray me because of their loyalty." Gatou said while making air quotes about the word loyalty, "So, I get missing-nin like you who are easy to take care of afterwards. I let you weaken yourself by fighting the people I need you to then I kill you with numbers. See, it costs me nothing since I already pay these guys and they get a huge reward for killing you." Gatou said.
"Uzumaki Naruto, it would seem I no longer have a reason to want that bridge builder dead. Hence, I no longer have a reason to fight you." Zabuza said. Naruto just nodded as he looked at the thugs but a part of him was itching to kill every single one of the thugs.
Naruto whispered but his voice was clearly heard by everyone on the bridge," So you are Gatou; the lowest of scum, the person who ruined a beautiful country like Wave, a person who sees people as mere stepping stones. You are a piece of shit that does not deserve to live. Which is the reason you death is inevitable."
Everyone looked at Naruto; Zabuza could not believe that this was the tone of the same brat who decided to spare a murderer like him, the Konoha ninja could not believe that Naruto would actually be willing to kill someone, Tazuna was just happy to be alive, and relieved that he had hired a great swordsman like him.
Suddenly Inari's shout gathered everyone's attention, as they saw the entire village wielding weapons waiting at the other end of the bridge. Naruto looked at the crowd and found both Kisuke and Shana among them looking at him. Closing his eyes he turned back to the thugs.
Gatou was looking smug as he had seen the two brats this swordsman was looking at. He gained every thug's attention by shouting," Anyone who brings me the head of one of those two brats will get a bonus." All the ninja and the villagers were confused as to why Gatou was demanding the head of the two children, while the said children were confident that their teacher would never let any harm come to them at the hands of Gatou.
Before anyone could move, an unholy amount of killer intent was released by Naruto, which made even Zabuza buckle up. They looked at the source to find Naruto with a bluish black aura and golden amber eyes which spoke of nothing but promised pain and death.
Taking a step forward, Naruto spoke in a clear voice," Threaten innocents and I feel pain, threaten my way and I feel sadness, but you dared to threaten my will, which will only bring you death."
Taking a Battoujutsu stance, he looked at Gatou with hateful eyes before saying," Ready or not, here I come." With those words, the massacre began.
Konoha Ninja POV
They had seen Naruto move with Jounin level speed, but now, they saw him using Kage-level speed and disappeared from view, simultaneously reappearing among the thugs. They watched as he decapitated heads, bifurcated bodies and removed limbs from the thugs in the blink of an eye. They watched this process go for a few more minutes, before the only people standing were Gatou and himself.
Gatou's POV
Gatou would never admit to being scared before, but now, he felt as though he was facing the Shinigami himself. The boy vanished and reappeared many times, each time killing five to six thugs simultaneously. The sword was glowing with a soft blue glow, which he would see as the symbol of death until he dies, which would not be long as the person who was killing the thugs seemed to be done with the thugs. He still did not understand how a single person could take out a force of two hundred and fifty thugs within minutes? It should have been impossible.
General POV
Zabuza and a now awakened Haku were looking at the massacre with a look of indifference on the later and a look of giddiness on the former.
"How is he killing them so fast? This should be impossible" yelled Kiba.
Zabuza grew annoyed that someone was interrupting this work of art. Deciding to answer the question, he explained," He is using Battoujutsu brat, can't you see the way he is using the sword."
Kiba was confused," What is Battoujutsu?"
Anko decided to answer this question," It is a special form of Kenjutsu where the swordsman uses godlike speed to accelerate his sword at near blinding speeds. The samurai of Tetsu no Kuni use a simpler form of Battoujutsu called Iaijutsu but it is still strong. Very less people can actually use Battoujutsu now, since Iaijutsu is easier to learn.
Gatou looked at the blood covered figure in front of him, which absolutely terrified him, and he could do nothing but beg for his life. Falling to his knees, he begged," Please spare my life, I will give you anything, money, wine, women, just name your price. I will give you anything for sparing me."
Naruto looked at the pathetic, vile human in front of him and could only feel hatred and disgust. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Gatou with an icy crystal-blue gaze as compared to his previous burning golden-amber gaze and said," You can raise a dog on food, a human on money, but you can never hope to raise a wolf, do you know why?"
Gatou shivered and shook his head," Then I shall answer it for you, a wolf works for his food, with his pack. Wolf is never meant to eat unearned food or sacrifice his pack. You committed two sins today, you offered me food while threatening my pack, for that, you must die."
With that, Naruto pierced Gatou's head using his sword killing him on spot. Extracting his sword from the corpse of the vile piece of scum, he looked at his blade and laughed," So this is your first release Yamato, quite impressive if I must say. Though you were right about this release, it is very draining."
With that, he fell unconscious.
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