Yooo, People. Thanks for reading!!!
You read the whole chapters, right?
Nevermind----> To the story!!
"YOU'RE LATE!!!!" A screeching, high pitched voice hurt their ears. "Sorry, sorry." The scarecrow apologised. He was sitting on a pillar of the bridge the team was waiting. "You see there was this old lady who couldn't hold her bags and I offered my help." "LIAR!!!!" The girl shouted again. "Now, now. We can give him the benefit of the doubt." The newly appointed sensei tried to calm her down. "Yes sensei. But we have been waiting for two hours. It is nine already." Apparently there was only one person the pinkete actually listened to, and that was Nohara-sensei. Thinking about it, all people that knew Rin couldn't say no to her. All but one that was. No matter what she did, her little blonde otouto, that he had make clear was not the case but she still called him that, always managed to push her away. He didn't even speak to her or Kakashi. She knew so little of his voice. That Naruto.
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He heard the fresh sound of the wind. The blue orb eyes opened. He always thought of that. How when he wakes up his mind was empty. How every time, there was even the slightest moment of silence before he would realize he was awake. He liked that. Emptying his mind and to just stare at nothing. There was something soft covering him, and something warm his back was leaned on. The boy felt, calm, like he had never felt before. He seemed to be aware of the nature around him, the grass and the trees, their shades and the sunlight, of the dew and the bird chirps. Still, the first thing he saw was red, the Kyuubi red of her tails, that in the hours of the morning seemed to also take a slight sakura shade. He felt a hand going through his hair. He chuckled. The kitsune new when to play and when to unwind.
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"Anyways, what is in today's agenda Kakashi?" The kind jonin cheerfully asked her friend. "We better not be chasing that cat again." The only boy among the genins spoke annoyed. "You're awake?" Reika asked her brother. "Hn." 'Of course.' He thought. 'Yes.' The Uchiha girl read her twin brother's mind. 'Those screams can deafen the fish in the river beneath.' "Today we are helping in a farm to remove weeds, paint the fences, dust the animal sheds, collect some rice. That is about it." The girls had both pain in their expressions, while the boy tck-ed. Reika and Sakura wanted to look at Rin-sensei with pleading eyes, but they knew that wouldn't work.
"Girls this works to your benefit." Kakashi reminded them, jumping down the pillar. "Sakura, have you started the exercises Rin told you?" He could actually see that under the short sleeves of her red qipao dress her muscles were just the tinniest bit more developed than the day when he tested the kids, and miraculously decided the team was worth it. "Yes Kakashi-sensei." 'But the diet is still there.' The famous ninja thought. 'We'll have to train her and the other two in case they take part in the event.'
"Lets not waste any more time then." He started walking. 'Hopefully the training will drive her away from the fangirlish behaviour too.' 'We should kill him, Rin-sensei is the only we need.' A loud voice ringed inside the cherry's head. 'Yes.' Sakura agreed with her inner thoughts, though she knew it was impossible. She also hopped that their male teacher would start training them him self.
The elder girl approached her old teammate as they walked behind the kids. "Kakashi?" Rin asked under her breath. "What are those three people following you?" True to her words, there were three, nins presumably, who were doing a terrible job of spying on him. "Don't tell me you have done something again that you have no idea you did?" "Rin I swear I have no idea who they are." Rin sighed in her mind. "E-x-a-c-t-l-y. Probably because you do things randomly while reading that book!" "Ok, ok. I will take care of any inconvenience they may cause." He also saw the genins whispering among themselves. His ears caught the word mask from them. Boy, this was gonna be a tiring day, at least they were complaining about the missions' ranks no longer.
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Floors, big floors, multiple big, very big floors. All the paperwork, and the inspections, and verifications, he was going to die. On the other hand he could call Sandaime for help. "No" The blonde shook his head. "Absolutely no." Sarutobi-sama had had his fair share of work. Now it was his duty. He was definitely going to die. "Come on Minato, don't be such a sorehead." Kushina pated his back rather forcefully. You yourself decided to take this up. "I had no idea there were this many things in there." Kushina was at her husband's office as he went though all the documents concerning the secret rooms behind the stronghold behind the Hokage faces.
Of course, knowledge of their existence was classified and the reevaluation of the place itself and the contents inside was also kept a secret. There was no need for diplomatic discussions concerning the village's safety, or secrets going out, or Konoha going over and adding to it's military power, which, with the event after some time... "There is a lot Kushina!" "Come on. There can't be that many things in there?" She really had no idea how far the rooms even reached inside the mountain, forget the stuff inside. "NOT many?! NOT many!! Shall I name a few." "Minato there is really no need-" Kushina tried to spare herself. "Here are some..
Starting from the easy ones. Thera are countless old era and our era weapons, kunais, shurikens, makibishis. Who uses makibishis today!!!" "You're over exaggerating." Kushina said confident, thou completely aggreging with Minato. "There also are nunchakus, bows and arrows, sickles and staffs and spears and versions of them with chains, swords, cleavers." He said in one whole breath. "Lets not forger about ninja battle armours from all the clans and single parts like gauntlets or respective banners, including Leaf's." "Can't you give them to the clans? They should figure out what to do with their own stuff, like put it in use again. The shinobi world is still dangerous." Kushina suggested. 'Good idea.' Thought Minato. 'They can take care of their own stuff.'
"There is also practical stuff we can actually put to use. There are dust bomb in good shape and surprisingly chili bombs, a lot of them, that can still be effective." "Chilli bombs? Why does Konoha have chilli bombs?" "Having a good land/terrain, may... have contributed to their mass production." Minato responded. "They don't seem like something un-hand-able, you can manage." She backed up her Hokage. "Oh no, I'm just about starting with technical staff." "There's more??" Kushina really didn't have the mental capability to deal with all that. "Do you want to know where the kids are?" "With Jiraiya-sensei, advancing their water walking and sneaking skills. You told me already. Listen." Kushina wanted to protest. Why was she there in the first place?
Minato cleared his throat. "Back then Konoha had Chakra Blades. We still had them twenty years ago in the anbu when I was still in the department, I remember being on a mission and giving mine to the princess of Roran at the time to seal the Rymyaku's uncontrollable chakra. I think she is still around." "Princess? What princess?" Kushina asked, clearly not having heard the toponym. "Anyway." Minato ignored the question. "I don't know why Sandaime-sama latter removed them. We have some damaged kunai launchers. Fricking -kunai -launchers from the Land of Sky way back in the second Shinobi war." Kushina had no comment. "There also were bingo books from prior years. So many great shinobi names in them." "Was yours in there too?" Minato again evaded the question.
"Now." He said in a serious voice which got Kushina's full attention. At the same time Hiruzen Sarutobi entered the room but the sentences didn't stop. "There were a lot of other , Big Stuff, in there. We managed to rediscover several books and scrolls, similar to the Nara clan's Medical Encyclopedia, with jutsus from several clans and some with jutsus that are self created or gathered from other nations. They could make procedures more efficient and there are jutsus which capable shinobi can perform. Anything about them Sandaime-sama?" Minato asked his predecessor.
"During my prime years, because of my wish to learn more and more, and to become better and better, I got to know so many techniques, simple and difficult ones, I even trained with the clans. Got their trust and learned their jutsus and specialities." The two young shinobi, compared to the legendary ninja, made no sound and listened the whole speech. Every word coming out was further proof of the old mans abilities. Everyone knew them, and every time they heard the words the attention was still the same.
"I also learned several ones from different parts of the elemental nations. At such mastery I arrived that that people handed me a nickname, "The Professor". I became capable of performing every Nature Chakra affinity. It was assumed that I knew every jutsu in Konoha. The clan scrolls helped me in learning them. They are in the secret rooms because there the knowledge is safer there than in the clan compounds."
"There were also other scrolls there." Minato reminded. "Yes." The elder Hokage said wisely. "The summoning scrolls." "Summoning scrolls?" Kushina questioned. "Yes Kushina-chan. Several summoning contract in possession of the Leaf." "I know some." The lady entered the conversation. "There is the Monkey Contract of the Sarutobi clan." "They helped me a lot in becoming the fine shinobi I am today." Both the blonde and the redhead sweat-dropping at the word fine. "And Jiraiya keeps the Toad Scroll with him at all times, but it still became the Leaf's, even though he was the first to discover it accidentally. Right gramps?"
The Sarutobi nodded. "He tried to perform a summoning one day in training, without having signed a contract first and ended up Reverse Summoning his self to Mount Myoboku." "What's more is that the Great Sage Toad had predicted him going there and the toads were expecting him." Minato added. "Me, me. I know." Kushina raised her hand enthusiastically. "There is also the Slug Contract Tsunade-san and her clan has." "Very well Kushina-chan." He gave her a praise which she was happy to receive. "My dear teacher and predecessor, Shodaime, passed it down to the Senju clan as his father and grandfather, and their fathers before them did."
"What about the others Sarutobi-sama?" "There is the Inu(dog) Contract of the Inuzuka, Kakashi-boy has signed it too." Minato nodded. "There are other ones like the Deer Contract of Nara, and The Beetle Contract of Aburame, but now most clans rarely even sign them." Sarutobi shook his head in sadness. "All the wasted potential." "Aaaare these all?" Kushina asked. "There are some others. Including-" He switched to a more serious tone. "-Hashirama-sensei's personal summoning." "Hokage-sama's personal summoning?" Kushina asked intrigued. Hiruzen nodded. "The summoning that taught my master one of his most powerful assets. The Senjutsu." "Senjutsu?!!"
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The demon fox heard the boy's small laugh. "You're awake at last." "Nine-Tails? I slept calmer than always. I feel so full and ready to train." "So you feel ready to continue the mission then?" "Mission?" A pulse from his brain went down his nerve system. "THE MISSION!!" His body twisted to get in a jump but was halted. Her harms were still around his neck in a hug. "Is the contract complete?" He asked. No answer. Her hug only a bit tighter. "Kyuubi?" He didn't answer either. "I am talking to you!" "Heard you." "Is the 'signing' over?" "Yes" Naruto tried to move again. Her tails were covering him like a blanket and she had leaned his body on herself, maybe to keep Naruto warm during the night. "Then why is she not letting me free? Do all you Kyuubis like to annoy people?"
Naruto protested by turning left and right, or trying to get his arms out but her grip did not weaken. "She is strong, isn't she?" He told his Kyuubi. The big one. "Is strength one attribute of Kyuubi no Kitsunes?" "No." The Biju answered. "But she doesn't seem to be using any powers, just the normal human strength." "Normal!? But I can't get free." "You're just about to enter teens. What are you talking about?" Now the boy was truly annoyed. Something other he could do nothing about. Or.. "I could henge into an adult." The boy pointed out. "Be my guest." He had to get back to the others. How long had he been out?
"Nine-Tails, how long have I been sleeping for?" "Hmmm.. Passed out in the early morning hours, -and it is only some time until twelve.. about.. two and a quarter days." "MORE than two days!!" "I told you it would take long." "We're so behind. Who knows what is gong on at old man Tazuna's homeplace?" "H-Hey?" Naruto asked the girl awkwardly. She turned the head to him. "It is a miracle you're so calm. You usually shove away anyone, even when they're just trying to handshake. Anyone apart them." "Shut up.."
"Can I go? I have a mission to complete." Naruto wondered why she hadn't said a single word. He didn't knew what she sounded like. Naruto wanted to hear her voice. The response was resting her chin on his head. "She seems to have taken a liking in you Naruto." "Help me get FREE!!!" Naruto struggled again this time more rigorously. She hugged him so much he could not get full breaths in. When he stopped, Naruto simply heard her giggle. "What a tease that you are... What do I call you?" He had 'battled' her, made a contract with the Kitsune spirit, and had probably been leaned against the beauty for two whole days, which maybe equaled the full time length his biological mother had held or made body contact with Naruto.
"Heey?" Again no reaction. "Kyuubi, can you ask her to let me free? Can you ask 'bout her name too?" "She wants to keep her name a secret." The beast said almost instantly. "How do you know that?" "I could have stayed two days without talking, I mean I have been quiet for way, wayyy longer, but I thought I should ask some questions. I can't remember when I last saw another Kyuubi. We asked each-other about stuff." Nine-Tails stood silent for a moment. The arms around the boy loosened and he hesitantly got out of their embrace.
"Thanks." He said but didn't move. He just stared in her mint eyes. "This is going to become a habit, isn't it?" He didn't need to look down to know that his ankles were trapped by the tips of her tails. "I really should go." The attractive fox got up and dusted the kimono. "What is it Naruto? Can't get your eyes off her?" The monster fox teased. "Where the heck are we going to hide her?!" He had just gone with what the foxes wanted, but doubted they had thought about what would they do after. Or had they? Two days of talk was quite a bit of time. "So what now, I have my mission, but, what am I going to do about you?" "Don't worry about her kit."
The female laughed. "She said she has been on this island for a while-" "Ok." "The Kitsune says she will travel, see how the lands have changed, check on stuff." "Do you speak telepathically with one another? Do I call her Kitsune for now?" "Go ahead." "So anything else I should know? Kitsune-san?" She just smiled. "She says you're strong but you must be careful." Naruto had to learn to communicate like them. The spirit lowered so her body so her face was in level with Naruto's. A little too close for comfort.
"Now that you have a contract with her, other beings can discover that.. and they will try to get you for themselves." "Really? other beings, mythical like her?" "She says some will try to obtain you, while there are others that will use you to get to her." She poked Naruto's nose with her index finger. "You can summon her anytime, you should- especially if the above mentioned happens." "Well, let's get moving then."
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Kushina was dumbstruck. "Shodai was a Sage?" She rested her hands on the desk for support. Being close to Jiraiya, she was one of the few who knew what Sage Arts were. Handy in battle but only if you were strong to begin with. For someone not capable and not fit, her and Minato included, sage mode was useless. On contrary, it would be a drawback in battle.
"Yes Kushina-chan, these summonings were powerful." The elder Sarutobi Clan head threw his look on the wall where pictures of all Four Hokae rested pridefully. The first one cooresponding to the person whose face was first carved on the Hokage Mountain. He had tanned skin, black eyes, straight-long black hair and thin eyebrows. He was wearing a white cloack with it's front open which revealed a red clothing he had underneath it. Behind him, the background was a also red, heavy curtain. "But he wasn't fully committed to it. Shodai had a village to create."
"If I may ask, what were the summonings?" She asked the real intimidating question, which was keeping her in suspense. Yondaime Hokage also stood quiet. He too would have liked to know what the summoning was. "I'd like to tell you Kushina-chan, but we better leave it here." "C'mon gramps,.. you can tell me." The hothead insisted.
"Sometimes, leavin things to be unknown can put a nearly nonexistent disturbance in the mind, rather than having to bear the burden of it's existanxe."
Logic and wisdom are somethings one can't argue against if they are used by elseone who is vastly better at them than them themselves. Kushina knew that and in the case between her and.. this particular elder man, it was obvious who stood where.
"Can't you tell Minato at least." The woman asked the Leaf's grandfather figure. "He could need a niceee summoning other than toads and, well, messenger falcons that nearly every Konoha chunin and up knows." While she said that the two Hokages' minds went to a rather new summoning contract, presumably known by twelve people in total, all in Konoha, of which two Hokage, one advisor/organisation leader and the rest personal anbu.
"I think I am OK for now Kushina. If Sandaime-sama doesn't want to make it known we shouldn't push any further." "WHAT!! Don't you want one of the best summons out there??" The shout came at his face. Minato laughed it off but... 'I think I have two decent ones already.' "Let's see the other stuff, shall we." The adult male suggested. "There are several scrolls we don't know what's inside, we'll have to check them. Onto the good stuff, sealing scrolls and tags seem to be in ..."
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Wooden beams arose from under the surface of the water and interweaved with one another forming a boat and on it four paddles. The material seemed strong and durable. "Yamato-san, this is a work of art." Commented the bridge builder as he observed and analysed the wood's placement and curvatures of the water transportment mean. It was not too thin, nor too wide. The thwarts were placed near the bow, in the middle, and at the back. The bottom boards were pined in place and Yamato had also put a mast and a boom to control it. The only missing thing was the sail. Needles to say the boat was better than any they had seen before.
They were in the island's shore facing the Land of Waves. "It is close to midday." Yamato pointed out looking at the position of the sun. "We woke up late. That storm took a toll on us." "Don't exaggerate it sensei, we were only tired, especially after the 'training'." "Yes, yes." The mokuton user chuckled. "Despite that, I feel wierdly full of energy." 'Why wouldn't you? You were under my anesthetics for more than two days.'
Yamato had woken first, he then had Naruto get up second so both could prepare something to eat. They all were really hungry and ate the food in record time. Why they were all super hungry at the same time was left unanswered since no one could think of an explanation. "Hop in then." The owner of the new boat ordered. 'I just hope the people there think the trip took two more days because of the storm and don't bring up the delay.' He then mentally punched himself. 'I don't know how long the storm lasted.' Like the others he got in the boat. "Kyuubi how long did the storm last?" "It ended some hours ago." "Ok, I'm trying to come up with an excuse in case... when the time difference is noticed."
They sailed through the white mist. It would take some hours. By lunch they should have arrived. Sitting at the end, Naruto watched as his sensei scratched the back of his neck for the fiftieth time since they got on. "Your neck hurts Yamato-san?" "It's not that it hurts Tazuna-san." "What then, did you not sleep well?" Since he was a ninja, the bridge builder thought, he should already be accustomed to minor problems. "I don't think so. It is just... a bit numb for some reason." He placed his hand on it. Naruto was trying his best to keep his eye from twitching.
'Should have known.' He said in his mind. 'Of course she would some trick or similar.' The minty eyed Kitsune had decided to accompany him, possibly so she could take a look at other humans. The first thing she did when Naruto was busy dispelling his shadow clones, was going near the most intriguing of the people slumbering, the wood style user. For who knows whatever reason, she decided to scratch him behind the neck with her claws. Naruto hoped it would have only minor consequences.
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Rin rubbed her forehead just above her eyebrows with the respective index fingers. When Kakashi said he would take care of any inconvenience she had doubted things would go smoothly. True to her thinking, things had gotten out of hand quickly. Adding to the problems those three unknown individuals could cause, the kids had decided to make it more difficult. As for a plan, they had agreed on uncovering Kakashi's face at Ichiraku's Ramen shop and then after, they failed, they were miserably unlucky. First her grey haired teammate had made up scenarios to see how far the kids would go, which made them move to the edge of their seats.
Then when he was starting to eat, team Asuma appeared out of nowhere and jumped on Sasuke who was siting closer to Kakashi and blocking the view. Rin herself was behind Sakura so the team was in the middle. She was not amused. In a snap the copy ninja had finished his bowl, leaving the two shop owners, Teuchi and Ayame, flattered by the view of his face, which made team seven even more eager to see his face. 'Are you teasing them on purpose Kakashi?'
Currently they were at a traditional bathhouse, about to eat some food before they went for a dip in the hot healthy waters. Despite having mouth-watering food on the table the two Jonins had seen the three unknown people following them poison it and one of them delivering it to their table masked as the old woman who owned the house. Of course they wouldn't let the children eat any, but the two were caught in surprise when the kids had made no move on the dishes. 'Surely not.' Rin had thought, it was too soon for them to notice harmful substances.
They got the answer when the two girls and the single boy kept taking 'hidden' glances at Kakashi. So they hadn't given up. Reika, her, and Sakura were sitting at one side of the table, while Sasuke and Kakashi opposite. This had lead to the usually cool headed Uchiha to give in to his curiosity and act up, which lead to the current situation where she was massaging her forehead in disbelief. The deep blue haired boy had thrown the teapot full of green tea at Kakashi's face. At first the brownette thought the scarecrow would just catch the pot in midair and show of like he didn't knew what he had done ..
.. but noooope. Using the case in his advantage he had chosen the least elegant way of getting rid of the poisoned food. Throwing it in the floor by lifting the table to block the pot. Needless to say, the genins were more mad than shocked. Rin, with an uneventful face, sighed as she stared at the three kids who had jumped on Kakashi and were trying to choke the life out of him. A smile made it's way to her lips as she saw Kakashi himself smile with his visible eye as the man was playing with the kids. 'Kakashi really has changed from back then.' Now her whole face had brightened up.
She then heard some sobbing-s behind the hard-paper sliding door. 'Even they are crying for the food.' "Rin-sensei." She shifted her attention to the girl speaking. "Yes Reika?" "Lets go in the thermal springs now." "Alright then." They got on their feet to leave the room.
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"I can't believe it." A short man in a black suit said. He had fair skin and brown shaggy hair pionting backwards. "Aren't you supposed to be really strong or something?" He raised his voice irritated. A mask with two thin eye holes turned to look at the man. 'Damn it.' He was holding a bag with ice on his swollen wrist. "Do you want me to hurt your other wrist too?" The 'hunter nin' asked with lack of emotion. The boy was sitting on a chair near a bed where another man whose half of the face was covered with bandages then ordered. "Leave him."
"Our opponents were strong too Gato. They had someone agile with weapons and thinking. There was olso a strong wood style user." "Really?" The man named Gato asked. "They don't have money to pay my taxes but they rent shinobis? I should have killed them all long ago." "Have your man reported the return of the bridge builder?" The ice style boy directed his question to Gato. "No. They must have gotten lost in the storm. Lucky that they're not here. I just send some of my thugs to take care of the villagers." "What about our pay?" "You'll get what you deserve boy. Your job is to kill the bridge builder." Zabuza's apprentice scowled behind the mask.
"Then again-" The businessman's voice sounded clear in the quiet room. "-if they died in the storm you are not needed anymore. No, my people are killing the other people in the village so even if that bastard Tazuna builder returns he can't build the bridge. When he sees the others dead he will go suicide himself. So you two are pre pretty much useless now!!" With anger rushing through, Haku quickly got up from the chair and took a couple senbons out. Immediately Gato's guards in the room readied their weapons. "You want to fight boy. You may be strong but my people overwhelm you." "I'll take the chances." Haku accepted the challange.
"You may want to wait Gato." Zabuza intervened. The two of them could fight against the thugs, but as the company owner said, they were overly outnumbered and he was yet to recover. "They surely have survived, and with the wood style user they can still build some kind of bridge." "It sounds to me like you are backing down Zabuza. They wouldn't go and build a bridge when there is no one to pass on it." The bodyguard of the criminal moved slowly near the two mercenary. Haku lifted his senbon to view while Zabuza gripped a kunai under the blanket. Haku saw the blade tips coming closer, he pitied the thugs who were not scared of him.
He got the stance ready.
Just the noises of the grip on the weapons and the slow footsteps filled tte room. From the silence outside running steps approached the room, becomin louder and louder. The people inside the room exchanged looks. As the one running reached the door it brust open a thin man jumped inside. "Boss, trouble..."
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*Not an hour ago
"Move you mutt!" A short man with cyan, shoulder-length hair threw a girl in the middle of what seemet to be a civilian group. "Please, why are you doin this?" They had gathered thhe people at the end of an wooden bridge so they could not escape. "Shut up you dumb woman." He slapped across her face. "Picking on the weak like us-" Cried an elderly man. "Down old fart." Another thug pointed his sword. "You're here because lord Gato has no more need of you." "W- what do you me- ean?" A small boy asked, his voice shaking. "It means you will get to taste my sword." "Can't we have some fun like the previous times, only this time make it bigger." One thug spoke out of line. "I see some familiar pretty faces in there." "The orders were to kill them, but I think we can put some nice ones in good use before that. READY!!" About three dozens of thugs unsheathed their weapons to 'fight' against a bigger number of people from the fishing village.
"Anything to say?" "Yes." Someone's voice ringed from their side where all turned their heads only to see a man in a green flack jacket. "Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison Formation." Suddenly, the bridge begun to shake as tens of wooden pillars appeared from the ground, all around the thugs, trapping then in a four cornered cage. The cage had a ceiling meaning they couldn't climb.
"Shit!!" The cyan haired sweared. "Water Release-" They heard another voice from the bridge's opposite side of the wood style user. It was younger and belonged to a boy wih light blonde hair and three whiskers on each cheek. "-Water Army Water Demon Technique." From under his feet a pillar of water elevated and with speed clashed against the side of the cage, going between the pillars. It hit the thugs with force, like a wall fell on them, and threw the bandits at the other end of the cage. The current of water kept going until they had no more force to stand it. Most, with their bodies numb from the hit and tired from resisting the wave, passed out.
Yamato reversed the jutsu and the ones left conscious got knocked out by Naruto. "My boy." Tazuna shouted from the other end of the bridge. The boy with the shaking voice saw the old man, tears of joy started from his eyes. "Grandpa!!" He ran to the bridge builder. "Inari!!" He hugged the kid. "I'm so glad you're alright. "Father-" A woman with long blue hair walked to them. "Tsunami, we arrived on time. Yamato-san, Naruto, Thankyou." He said relieved and sincerely, hugging his family. "It was nothing Tazuna-san, we'd do it again. Now Naruto-" The sensei turned to the thugs. "-shall we tie them up?"
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"I-I came immediately to report Gato-sama." The thug finished. The criminal boss gritted his teeth in anger. "Hee." He heard Zabuza scowl behind him. "It seems I still need you. Fine you will get your pay when you defeat them." The short man headed for the exit. "Try to recover quickly." Following him the thugs got out on the last one closed the door. "You better get ready Haku." The ice style boy sat back down. "This fight will be tough." "Zabuza-san?" The boy seemed hesitant. "Can't we ask the other villages for help? Like Konoha?" "Out of all the villages, Konoha seems like the one who would offer help." "Why don't we then? There are other opposing groups who would gladly join. We don't need Gato." "Of course you have a point, still despite your capabilities you are yet enough knowledgeable." The Swordsman shifted in the bed.
"The Village of the Bloody Mist still is an isolated place and holds this nickname. Plus-" He coughed with difficulty. "-the political mashup is not over. You have heard the rumors going around us, the defectives of the village, that Yondaime Mizukage had died even before I did the failed coup, that the one I attacked wasn't even him. Or the other one, that some time after he became a Kage his personality changed one-eighty, they have gone so far as to say manipulation behind the shadows was taking place."
"Still, why wouldn't the leaf help us?" "I have heard-" Zabuza stood siting and took a glass of water. "-that the Leaf is secretly having something with at least two other villages. Discussions have been happening behind curtains. But it seems things will be made public shortly. Their military force doesn't have time to get involved with us, adding that they, we too, don't know the current situation in the Mist village. The small cooperation wouldn't be enough." Zabuza stared at the glass with water.
"You are unusually talkative today." The boy said with a chuckle. He noticed his sensei's attention was elsewhere. "Anything wrong?" "I was just thinking." "Of what?" The boy took his mask off. His brown eyes looking with curiosity. Zabuza saw them. "About a story." He said. "One that the elders would tell us when I as a kid." "What is it about?" They had time for a talk. "Supposedly about the biggest cooperation among the villages." "Really?" Zabuza looked at the windows, it had started to rain. "It talks about the time when the shinobi villages formed after Hashirama Senju became the first Kage ever.
It was believed that before them there already was a village of nins belonging to a single clan, they mentioned the name but I can vaguely remember. The elders would shake with chills whenever the name was brought up, so they rarely mentioned it." When Haku was small and adopted by Zabuza he had had the chance to meet some elders. They had all faced furious winds and crashing waves, he couldn't see them with worried expressions. "The clan was said to be so powerful, and consequently so feared, that Shodai Hokage-The God of Shinobi before the Third Hokage, was also so scared that he didn't dare provoke them.
On contrary, he even offered himself up for marriage to form an alliance. They said that his rival and friend too, Madara Uchiha, was signed up for marriage." Haku was shocked. Like everyone else, he had learned about the two legendary ninja from the history books. But if this story was real... "Why isn't this story in the books then?" The boy asked. "Since it sounds so important." "Let me ask you this Haku. What was the name of The First Hokage's wife?" The Yuki boy stood silent. He tried to bring back all the lessons Zabuza and the short time in the academy had given him.
"Mito." He finally said. Zabuza nodded. "What about the clan name?" Haku fell in silence again. "I... don't know." "Exactly. All of the shinobi world is like you, it is only Mito in every book available. Maybe in Konoha citizens just know it as a word, but still.. The only ones who know about it are the eldest shinobi alive, the elites, and scrolls of absolute secrecy kept with such seals one can only dream to read them. When I was in anbu I had the chance to see one from afar." "So what happened to this clan." "Good question Haku.
This is the most important part. The nations not allied with Konoha were in constant fear of attacks, when they learned that the Leaf had formed a marriage between the Senju and The Clan's Princess, Mito, they could not stay put. To encounter it, The Mist, The Sand, The Cloud, and the Stone, along with several other small villages formed a secret alliance. Then, while Hashirama and Madara were caught in their last fights and Konoha was not so stable, this continental alliance attacked the one they feared the most, The Clan.
The elders say that the clans' village stood two weeks before it fell and it's inhabitants were hunted down. Word has it that a lot survived and scattered in the nations, mainly The Land of Fire.. The losses of the alliance were also too great, which caused the peace treaties to fall apart. Everyone went their separate ways after. But before that one last agreement was made. 'That evidence of their existence was to be destroyed.' That is the reason for lack of information."
"So no evidence apart from what you said exists? And this story?" Now it was Zabuza's turn to think. Haku got up to get some food. " There is something." Zabuza said. "The members if the clan could be identified by their red hair." Haku tried to recall if he had met any redhead. "Their symbol too is still alive in the Leaf." "What is it?" The boy returned with some food from a table nearby. "It is the red swirl in every Konoha flack jacket. That blonde boy had it too on his back." "Why is it in use?" "Probably because it became the symbol of the friendship between the two villages. Now the people there have forgotten this fact and keep it to show their comradeship and Will of Fire."
"That was an interesting story Zabuza-san. I hope we meet someone of that clan. Maybe we can ask the wood style user and the blonde if they know about it. Maybe they tell us the name?" "Maybe." Zabuza whispered loudly as he layed again to rest. The image of the red swirl appeared in his mind. 'How powerful could they have been to make the whole shinobi nations fear them from their existence alone?' Again, as many times before that question was left unanswered for Zabuza.
Be honest. Did you really read all the chapter?
Are you even reading this? You don't even leave signs you have read- Some feedback (thoughts, suggestions) would be appreciated.
Anyways the end of the arc is close, sooo- Any predictions? Ok-I'll stop asking for coments, I'm terrible at this.
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