- 1 week later -
Naruto was staring at the ceiling, his left hand unconsciously rubbing his currently bandaged right one. ' Man, what a week it has been ' ,thought Naruto. In just a week of time, Naruto had managed to perfect the chidori along with his sensory capabilities being enhanced to that of the sharingan's level, while also successfully learning the Raikiri jutsu, able to use it only four times though as his hand was still adapting to the Raiton chakra. Chidori he could a number of times, but the Raikiri being more of a concentrated chakra jutsu, took a toll on him.
Although Kakashi had told him that he himself had faced the same issues.
Kakashi, his sensei. Naruto for the first time in his life thanked Kami for something instead of cursing him. Kakashi had been almost like a father to him, not only treating him like a shinobi, but also at the same time treating him like every thirteen year old should be done.
His whole team was currently at the bridge, protecting it. Naruto was told to stay behind by Kakashi as he had pulled almost an all nighter last night for perfecting the Raikiri. Also, Kakashi had in alone told him that he suspected Zabuza to attack either today or tomorrow, so he thought it would be better to leave someone behind to safeguard Tsunami and Inari.
Turning over, he remembered the first and the only conversation he had with the builder's grandson.
-- Flashback --
"What the hell" ,exclaimed Satsuki as she saw Naruto enter the house behind Kakashi. The whole company gasped, as his is right arm had visible scratches and burns on it. "What the hell happened" ,said Mito as she set down her rice bowl and rose from her seat to check on him. "Nothing, we were just practicing a jutsu" ,said Kakashi with his innocent eyesmile as Naruto dodged Mito, as he washed his hands and sat down in a chair away from Mito and Kushina, besides Kakashi.
It was an awkward silence as Kakashi tied some bandages on his hands after applying some bandages on it. "Umm do you want a bowl too" ,asked Tsunami shyly, breaking the tension and handing him a bowl. Naruto accepted the bowl with a nod. Opening his zip, he started eating the rice, savouring the flavour of the meal as a warrior would after a really long training session.
Suddenly, he heard a bang on the table. Looking sideways, he saw a small boy standing on his chair. "WHY DO YOU EVEN TRY" ,he screamed as Tazuna got up. "SIt down Inari, its rude to do so" ,said Tazuna as the boy named Inari just went on a rant. "NO!!!! Why do you all even try. All this training and stuff, why do you do it. Gato is just going to kill you all, no matter how hard you try. There are no such thing as heroes, SO DON"T TRY TO BE ONE" ,screamed Inari finishing off his rant.
As a pissed off Mito and Menma were just going to contradict his statement, slow clapping was heard. Turning their heads, they saw Naruto slowly clapping with a really bored look in his eye.
"Over your rant, pipsqueak" ,taunted Naruto as Inari fumed in rage and was just going to scream something back, when he found all his anger turning into fear as Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him, his mask only increasing the fear. Kushina tried getting up, but a look from Kakashi clearly made her sit down. Kakashi wanted to make Inari hear the truth about life, as he knew Naruto would make the right choice here.
"Now listen here, I don't give a damn about how you feel or are doing. But understand one thing, you have what every child could dream off, a loving mother and a caring grandfather, a roof over your head and food available 24/7. Try going out of this house for once, see people and children of your age begging and stealing so that they could atleast get a decent square meal for a day. Try appreciating what you have, as nothing is always permanent. If not, I do not want another wailing like this of your while I'm around, or else I'm gonna beat the manners into you that are clearly lacking. Understood" ,completed Naruto as Inari nodded fearfully.
Bonking him hard on the head, Naruto turned around and saw his rice bowl empty. With a sigh, he picked them up and put them into the sink, while observing from the corner of the eye Inari crying and running to his room. Saying a goodnight, he went up and slept, tired from his day.
-- Flashback end --
Both the girl members of his team had confronted him the next day, but he had quickly put them aside, saying that the boy needed it, as he was too oblivious of the world around him and taking things for way too much granted. Inari had never again spoke to Naruto once, as Naruto too avoided him. To Naruto, his training was more important to some brat who can't get over his own small problematic world of self loathing.
Shaken out of his thoughts, Naruto suddenly got up, sensing two foreign people in front of the house, with Tsunami and Inari there too. Taking his katana and kunais, he got up and jumped out of the window, too access the situation first before striking.
Coming in the front, Naruto was disgusted by the sight that he saw. Inari was held by a short man with an idiot looking cap on him, while Tsunami was starting to take off her clothes and a tall man with an eyepatch and a pervy smile was enjoying in seeing the sight of her.
"Open up fast women, we ain't got all day" ,said the tall man as Inari wriggled in the arms of the shorter one. "Oyee Waraji, what do off the kid" ,asked the shorter one. Waraji just shrug his shoulders, while saying "Gato told us to bring the woman, not the child. Kill it Zori" "No please don't do anything to him" ,said Tsunami as suddenly sounds of birds chirping were heard as Naruto came out of nowhere and thrust a Raikiri into his heart and passing it clean through him, killing him within a few seconds.
(Kakashi = Naruto and Shinobi = Waraji with the same expression after heart pierced)
"Waraji n.." ,Zori tried saying as his head was cut clean off his body by a clone of Naruto, who had snuck from behind. "I hate rapist" ,said Naruto as he took his hand out off Waraji's body, as he took his katana back. He cleaned the blood with the cloth of the corpse of the taller man. Turning around, he saw Tsunami and Inari hugging tightly and crying, shielding his eyes from the corpses. His expression softened a bit, as he coughed, gaining the attention of the duo.
"Listen, go inside. Lock the doors and windows and do not open until you hear me from me" ,said Naruto as Tsunami nodded quickly. "Go! Time is not my friend, I need to go as reinforcement for my team, Gato's gonna strike there for sure" ,said Naruto as Tsunami took Inari in his arms and went inside. Inari's face looked like he wanted to say something, but Naruto had turned away by that time.
After seeing them go inside, Naruto formed twenty clones and saw that each of them took a secret place in the bushes and trees around the house to protect it. Turning around, he dashed off to go to the team, secretly hoping Zabuza to be there to give him another round of kenjutsu battle.
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Arriving at the bridge, Naruto was not that disappointed by the sight he saw. Mito was guarding the bridge builder, while Menma was fending off some bandits that had accompanied Zabuza. He saw Zabuza and his three clones hold off a sharingan activated Kakashi and a katana wielding Kushina. They both were capable of holding their own against him, but the thing that most troubled him was the situation of the Uchiha twins.
They were trapped, surrounding several ice mirrors. In one of them, he saw the same hunter ninja that had taken Zabuza earlier. Both of them had their sharingan activated, but still Satsuki had some senbons in her hand, while Sasuke was a living needle corpse, senbons on every where on his body. As he was running towards them, he saw Sasuke shield Satsuki from several senbons with his body.
At that moment, Sasuke's body gave up and he fell down, as Satsuki caught him and cradled his head in her laps, crying profusely. Naruto finally reached them, as he bent low and skidded from below a mirror, coming to a stop in front of them. Satsuki looked up and almost laughed, seeing Naruto come as she was now sure that they still had a chance to keep Sasuke alive. She started removing senbons from Sasuke's body, and apply some medical ninjutsu that Kushina had taught her.
Naruto came to a stop in front of the mirror as the ninja appeared in front of him. He started to slowly leak his chakra into the air, as the ninja started. "And who are you" ,he asked as Naruto just got out his katana and held it in front of him. "You seriously did not think that Zabuza was the only one who had reinforcement" ,said Naruto. The ninja just raised his eyebrows behind his mask. "I see. Zabuza-san had instructed to clear the bridge of any enemies, and you are an enemy" ,he said as he suddenly got into his stance and flew out of the mirror at high speed, with three senbons in his hands.
Naruto was a little shocked from his speed, but sensing the ripples in his chakra in the air, he blocked the attack of the hunter from his right as he kicked him hard in the stomach before he could use his left and inflict a wound. Even though the hunter blocked it, he felt the pure force behind the kick as he went flying into one of the mirrors. 'This one predicted my attack, at my top speed no less. Straight on I stand no chance, I need to wound him first' ,the hunter thought as he went inside the mirror.
Naruto's eyes widened as several hunters appeared at once inside the mirrors, as he quickly readied a chidori and spun in circles, creating a dome that helped him defend against the multiple senbons that the ninja had launched. As he stopped, he noticed the boy's presence coming to his right, so he quickly went down. The ninja was surprised too, seeing Naruto not once but twice see through his attack.
As he darted forward to go into one of the mirrors, he felt a tug on his leg as he was pulled back. Looking to his legs, he saw Naruto holding them as he tried to wriggle out of his grip, but Naruto was too strong to let go. The boy let out a scream of pain as Naruto dug his shorted knife repeatedly into his leg. Holding his leg, the hunter kicked Naruto in his face as he stood up, pain immersing into his leg.
Naruto wasted no time as he went forward and slashed his katana upwards to strike his mask, as he readied a Raikiri and dug it into the chest of the hunter, his eyes widened on what he saw once he looked at the face of the hunter. It was not a boy, but a young lady he had struck. Instead of having a pained look, she had a smile on her face as blood flowed from her mouth.
"Thank you" ,she said in a soft voice as she went limp, her eyes losing the light of life as Naruto pulled out his hand and softly catched the lady. "HAKU NO" ,screamed Zabuza from the background as Kakashi too had his eyes widened, seeing himself and Rin in place of Naruto and Haku.
Seeing Zabuza distracted, Kakashi quickly readied a Raikiri, as he disposed off the clone and struck him straight in the heart, killing him on the spot in an instance. As Zabuza fell down on the floor lifeless, he looked in Naruto's direction, who had placed Haku softly on the ground besides the place where Tazuna and Mito were standing. Kakashi picked up Zabuza and placed him besides Haku, seeing to the fact that both of them were besides each other.
Kushina started healing Sasuke, as Naruto went and helped Menma kill off the last of the bandits. It was after everything was done, that the company gathered together.
"Good job Naruto" ,said Kakashi with an eyesmile as Naruto thanked him. "Thanks a lot Naruto" ,said Satsuki as she hugged him, as Menma let out some killer intent that made Naruto get out immediately. She looked in Menma's direction and laughed, giving him a kiss on the lips, as Menma's anger was replaced by a blush.
Shaking his head, Naruto turned to look at Tazuna, who was busy checking the conditions of the bridge. As he was about to inform him about the safe condition of Tsunami and Inari, he suddenly heared noises behind him. Turning behind, he saw many mercenaries bearing swords, with a short fat man wearing black sunglasses and a suit standing in front of them. 'So this is Gato' ,thought Naruto.
"Ah I see, you killed off Zabuza and his lackey. Good job, now I don't have to pay them. Men, kill off the bridge builder and the boys, but keep the women as the might be of use" ,said Gato a smug smile on his face.
"Oh hell no" ,exclaimed Menma as he took a tanto from Mito. Naruto went forward and readied his katana in his left hand, a raikiri forming in his right. Kakashi too formed a raikiri as they three charged on the whole group. It was a slaughter, as Menma, Naruto and Kakashi killed the mercenaries left and right, either severing their limbs or heads. Within minutes, the whole group was dead, and Gato was on his knees.
"Please let me live. I will give you money, women, anything you want. Please let me live, please have mercy" ,begged Gato as Naruto and Menma scoffed. Naruto got out a bottle from his pouch and started throwing it on Gato. Sniffing it, Kakashi realised it was liquor, the same liquor Gato used to sell. Lighting a match, Naruto held it in front of Gato, throwing it on him, while saying " Sorry dipshit, all out of mercy." Gato let out a scream as he was burned alive, soon reduced to nothing but a blackened corpse, that Naruto hacked into some pieces and kicked him over the railing into the water. "End of Gato's reign" ,said Naruto as Menma gave out a whoop and Kakashi just eyesmiled and patted Naruto on the back.
Turning towards the others, they saw Sasuke awoke as Mito was making him drink some water, while Kushina working on healing Satsuki. With a heavy sigh, Naruto looked up to see the sky clear, devoid of any clouds, almost like showing the sign of a long new peace that was gonna be established in the wave.
'Man its been a long day' ,thought Naruto as he went towards the team.
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Hey guys,
Another chapter out. End of the wave arch, and beginning of the chunnin arc in the next chapter.
Also on a serious note, I'm not seeing any comments and votes on the story. Are you guys liking it, as I don't want to waste time on a not liked story.
(Shinobu entering like a butterfly out of nowhere)
"My my author-san, its because no one likes them" ,she said.
"My...... My books are not disliked" ,I said with a emotionless face.
"Oh I see, you did not realise the fact that no one likes them" ,she said with a happy face as she exited through another window.
With a heavy and depressed heart, ColdHeart1501 over and out.
( 2816 words )