When Naruto skipped in soon after Sōjirō left, a nice fox mask on his hip, Kakashi choked on air.
"Ohayo, Kakashi-sensei!" he greeted blithely.
The silver-haired jōnin was taken aback by the blond's chirpiness. Despite popular belief, and the testimonials and reports in his files, Naruto was not usually particularly enthusiastic. When his demeanour was so vivacious, Kakashi could not possibly sit back and relax. In other words, Naruto usually only acted so peppy whenever it meant that someone was going to suffer.
Kakashi dreaded the torture to come and pitied the person whom this merry sadist had decided to target this time. Although it was typically not harmful, usually involving pranks, Kakashi's gut told him that it was not going to be that simple. Not this time, at least. He recognised that look.
It was the very same expression of glee that he knew Sōjirō to wear whenever he was about to wreak havoc with one of his new formulas.
Hatake Kakashi had learned not to mess with a member of the Uzumaki clan when they were in that mode through experience. Fūinjutsu might never have been Uzumaki Kushina's speciality, but any Uzumaki would be learned in it. Even a girl like Kushina with a happy-go-lucky attitude was a fūinjutsu master of the highest class — a qualification of level twelve as an Uzumaki seal master did that to you. Even Kakashi was only a level nine master, which was the highest known tier attained by a non-Uzumaki. To surpass this rank to attain a double-digit was something an outsider can only dream of.
Of course, he had also seen this on occasion in the company of his favourite kōhai. It was one reason why he would avoid getting on Sōjirō's bad side at all costs. Thankfully, few suffered at the redhead's hands besides his enemies. If not for this, Kakashi would be a lot more terrified of the younger shinobi.
"Ohayo, Naruto..." said Kakashi with much less cheer.
The blond was not at all perturbed by this, only beaming up at the silver-haired man and coolly disregarding their client — who had made the mistake of disparaging the team of three. It was not personal this time, actually. Sakura was the one to be seen as a deadweight by the drunk. It might have just been the fact that Naruto really contemned those who tried to drown out their sorrows through the inebriation of alcohol.
"You're going off just like that?" Tazuna asked scornfully. "Anyone unprepared will die in the real world, you know?"
Naruto completely ignored the old man, acting as though his statement was but the buzzing of a fly in the background.
Kakashi sighed, but a trained eye would see the inquisitive glint in his gaze. "No bags, otōto?"
Naruto showed off a talisman he had attached to a loop on the waist of his parka.
It had beautifully-written seals carved into the exquisite wood. Naruto had not taken any artistic liberties with this particular piece, so each individual kanji was still identifiable to the level nine seal master before him. Even so, there were so many intertwined techniques and skills poured into every stroke that Kakashi found his fūinjutsu knowledge broadening just looking at it. The silver-haired man's throat had gone dry as he stared at the simple yet intricate seal tag etched by an expert so far beyond his level that Kakashi could not possibly compare. All that Kakashi could make out was the fact that it was a storage seal matrix.
He only knew of one person within the Five Great Shinobi Countries with such capability — it was none other than Takamatsu Sōjirō himself.
This was a fantastic premium product only offered by its inventor to the uppermost class. Only the Kages and Daimyōs could even dream of obtaining one of these pricey storage items. This was something that could not even be purchased with a mountain of gold. Sōjirō, as the single manufacturer and supplier of the tags, completely monopolised the fūinjutsu storage industry with his revolutionary works. Not only did he produce these high-end goods, but also all of the best storage scrolls known to the shinobi world.
Not even the Hokage, arguably the leader of the strongest shinobi village, could live without the fūinjutsu genius at this point.
"It was a gift," Naruto explained.
The part about how Sōjirō, who had given it to him, was his clone remained unsaid.
Sakura and Sasuke arrived from the direction of the civilian and shinobi districts respectively then, right at the specified meeting time.
Sakura wore a blue and white battle kimono with billowing sleeves covering part of her hands, her brooch which acted as Aoi's vessel pinned onto the silk. She wore silken slippers instead of the standard shinobi sandals, designed by Naruto to augment her chakra control quite similarly to his gift to Hinata. Her white hitai-ate was tied loosely around her neck like Hinata's had been in the previous timeline, though the girl in question currently placed it proudly on her forehead instead. She wore blue fingerless gloves with seemingly dainty jade green inlay, matching nicely with her eyes and outfit.
Sasuke wore a standard Uchiha shirt with white ANBU-style pants, bound at his calves. He also had forearm protectors similar to those he had in their previous lifetime on, level seven gravity seals and level four resistance seals equipped. It also had an anti-resistance seal, which did the opposite of his training seals, that could be activated just as easily as the gravity and resistance seals could be switched off. The material used to weave it had been reinforced with graphene, a material which Naruto vaguely explained as being stronger than diamond. Naruto also told him that it could also be described as carbon nanofibres, though the term was abjectly foreign to the Uchiha. He wore standard shinobi sandals that had undergone Naruto's tinkering. He admittedly had no inkling what the blond could have done to them.
"Morning..." yawned Sasuke.
He had never been much of a morning person.
"Good morning, sensei," Sakura said with a gaily wave.
"Good morning," acknowledged Kakashi.
The two genins nodded in Naruto's direction in greeting, omitting the customary salute.
Unlike Naruto, they had small backpacks weighing down their shoulders. Even so, it was clear that they had packed light. From what the jōnin could discern, both carried high-quality storage scrolls in their bags alongside other miscellaneous items they would require on short notice. The two had not skimped on costs at all, which was surprising in Sakura's case — no ordinary civilian could afford such a luxury. Nevertheless, considering the close bonds between the three, he did not suppose that Sasuke would leave their female teammate out.
"Good morning, everyone," spoke Tazuna, only to be ignored by the three twelve-year-olds.
Kakashi scratched his head with an apologetic smile at their client. Although courtesy was not a required quality to become a shinobi, his students' rudeness was really something else. They did not seem to have any intention of forgetting their grudge anytime soon. Kakashi almost felt bad for the bridge-builder. He never knew the true characters of the three children he had entered the Hokage's office to see. If he had known how terrifying they would get when provoked, he would have held his tongue whether or not he was inebriated.
The team of four, plus their civilian client, set off towards Nami no Kuni at a sedate walking pace.
Throughout the journey, Naruto chatted with Kakashi while Sakura and Sasuke discussed what was going to happen during this mission. Though they had started their C-rank mission early, it seemed that they still received the quest to defend the bridge-builder. From what they gathered, Tazuna had been waiting for a few days already. That meant that Tazuna must have waited two weeks in the previous timeline before finally being allocated with a team of shinobi to handle his mission request. Sure, he might have lied about the rank and details of the mission, but he was a pitiful soul. This time, they were no longer as understaffed due to more missions being sent over to Suna instead. Had they waited just a day longer, this mission might have been undertaken by another team of genin or chūnin.
Notwithstanding this, the four trained shinobi remained attentive to their surroundings. Each kept an eye on the path, expecting for some form of irregularity to interrupt their peaceful journey. Their role was simply to escort the bridge-builder and guard him until he completed the bridge, but that did not mean that they would slack off on the task. Naruto scanned the perimeter using his Rinne Tenseigan whilst Kakashi kept his ears pricked for any sounds and the other two who knew what was to come kept their eyes trained on the dirt for the anticipated misplaced puddle.
When the Demon Brothers were finally sighted, Sakura silently volunteered to step up for the task of dispatching them. Kakashi who, until now, continued to half-trust the intel with which he had been provided was concerned about this. After all, Sakura was supposedly a genjutsu-type without notable skill in taijutsu. Even so, he trusted Naruto's judgement when he proceeded to nod at the pink-haired girl. Kakashi braced himself for battle, his muscles tensed as he prepared to step in if Sakura could not handle it on her own.
Whatever he had been expecting, Kakashi could never have foreseen that Sakura would draw an incredibly rare projectile weapon that was hardly used in Konoha beyond its medical utility. She had a senbon pinched between her index finger and thumb lightly beneath her loose sleeve and, even as they stepped over the puddle, remained relaxed. She pretended not to see Naruto step a little harder than he had to into the so-called pool of water, trailing further behind and dropping her yellowish senbon precisely into one corner of the "puddle".
The two Demon Brothers shot out, one dropping to the ground where he rolled around in agony. Where Sakura's poison-coated senbon pierced him precisely in a vein in his arm, the flesh began to turn lifeless and white. Kakashi did not recognise the poison or venom that had been used by the pink-haired girl, but he did not need to identify its properties to know that it was deadly. The missing-nin was already ceasing in his struggles, white beginning to foam from his mouth as the reason for this affliction went after his brother. She landed a chakra-enhanced punch squarely on the criminal's chest, shattering his ribs in a single blow and sending him to the ground next to his fallen brother.
All of this happened in mere seconds, giving Kakashi little time to process the fact that his jaw had fallen all the way to the ground.
Sakura blew on her smoking knuckle with a smug glance at their lightheaded civilian client.
"Do I look weak now?" she taunted, wagging a finger at him.
Tazuna swallowed, taking an unconscious step back in fright.
"Who was your target?" Kakashi questioned the missing-nin, his Sharingan activated out of sight from his team of genin.
"The old... bridge-builder," wheezed the one not yet on death's doorstep.
"Sakura, give him the antidote," ordered Kakashi, casting a look in the direction of the dying brother.
The girl in question pouted. "That one eats away at one's blood. Even if I neutralise it now, he'll still be dying from blood loss."
The other brother would have gulped, but his throat seemed to have turned arid.
Tazuna looked very queasy and almost fainted at the description of such brutality.
"You must have a way to replenish blood," Kakashi rebuked, looking unimpressed.
With a put-on expression, the girl sulkily stomped over and stuffed a pill into the mouth of the dying shinobi. His mouth immediately stopped foaming as colour gradually began to return to him. Sakura was then distracted by these observations as she mumbled unintelligibly to herself about the effects of her latest drug. Of course, even if the others could distinguish the words she spoke to herself, only Naruto could understand the scientific jargon.
The silver-haired man confronted their patron.
"We haven't heard that there are shinobi after you. Our mission was to protect you from mere thieves or gangs. It has now become at least a B-rank mission. This was initially a simple protection mission until you completed the bridge," Kakashi declared, his expression passive.
Tazuna flinched back.
"If it was known that ninjas were after you, this mission would have been an expensive B-rank. I'm sure you have your reasons, but it causes problems when you lie about the specifics of a mission. We are now operating outside of our normal duties," the jōnin continued.
"It doesn't really matter, does it?" Naruto replied in disinterest.
Tazuna looked a little relieved.
At least until Sasuke agreed while nodding, "If it's a bridge, they'll have money to pay for a mission of the proper rank once they're connected to the mainland." Though his tone was innocent, his smirk was obviously scheming. "This won't be volunteer work, I assure you."
The bridge-builder gritted his teeth but nodded. "If I am successful, that will be possible. We shall repay you adequately for your efforts."
Sasuke grinned at him, all teeth. "I'm glad we're in agreement on this matter."
Naturally, they were not short on money. Far from it. Naruto was filthy rich, after all, and he was not above sharing his wealth with his friends. They really just wanted to make it clear that they were not doing this out of the kindness within their hearts. Allowing such a misunderstanding to spread would bring them nothing but trouble in the future.
Naruto stuffed the two barely-alive shinobi into stasis seals in a sealing scroll which he handed off to the team leader, Kakashi for safekeeping.
"Sensei... a word," Tazuna said falteringly.
For the first time since leaving the Hokage office, his attempt to initiate some form of conversation was not ignored.
Kakashi glanced at him.
The man took a deep breath. "It's about this mission... You're right, this job is probably outside of your jurisdiction. It turns out that a super dangerous man is after my life."
"Super dangerous man...?" Sakura echoed with a grimace. "You mean Gatō, don't you? He's the only semi-important person who pays attention to Wave."
Tazuna winced as he heard her utter that name. "Correct, the wealthy shipping magnate Gatō."
"From Gatō Company?" muttered Kakashi in disbelief. "He is said to be one of the most affluent people in the world."
"On the surface, that is," Sakura chimed in brightly. "He is secretly a trafficker for illegal items. He takes over smaller businesses and countries."
"A very nasty man, that he is," Tazuna said gravely.
Kakashi no longer questioned the source of his student's information. He knew that they were not going to tell him even if he asked, anyway. It was pointless for him to lose brain cells deliberating a mystery that he was nowhere close to solving now.
It was with that pleasant atmosphere that they arrived at the dock.
"Are you sure that rickety boat is safe?" asked Sasuke dubiously.
"It can't be helped," Naruto replied. "Nami no Kuni is poor. They can't afford any better travelling options. Besides, our choices are limited if we want to enter undetected."
Though Sasuke glared at the boat as though it had personally offended him, he boarded it nonetheless.
The trip was a silent one, Tazuna feeling a little disappointed when none of the children appeared impressed by the grand visage of the great bridge which was still under construction.
"We'll be there soon," announced the ferryman as the shore came into view. "Tazuna... It looks like we've avoided discovery so far but, just in case, we'll take the route with more vegetation. It will make it harder for enemies to spot us."
This was the first time Naruto found himself wondering if the ferryman was in league with Gatō. It was just so convenient for the men that Gato had hired. Though it was true that it was harder for Gatō's subordinates to locate them with the cover of nature, this went both ways. To an inexperienced team, it would practically spell a death sentence.
Oblivious, the old man said gratefully, "Thanks."
Soon after they disembarked from the shoddily miserable boat, Naruto noticed Haku trailing after them quietly within the bushes just as he had done in another timeline. He quickly shot a handful of shuriken at the effeminate boy with no killing intent. He did not do so at a speed too fast for Yuki Haku to catch. In fact, he was kind enough to calculate precisely to force the physically older boy to dodge out of the way at his peak speed.
The fact that Haku was left breathing heavily after a quick substitution to avoid the shuriken which had been sent in the direction in which Naruto predicted he would go towards, was casually ignored by Naruto. So long as the brunet lived, it hardly mattered. Teaching him to be more attentive to his surroundings was also worthwhile, in the blond's humble opinion.
Kakashi hurried over to check what Naruto's shuriken had pinned to a tree and returned with a white snow rabbit in hand.
"A rabbit kept in a cage to use Kawarimi with it?" mumbled Sasuke in realisation.
Sakura frowned as she thought of something.
Naruto had hardly been trying to hide his true ability. They were all just too blind to notice it. Even during the first timeline, Naruto had done nearly the exact same thing. He had noticed their pursuers before their jōnin sensei, as such reacting suitably in his situation. She had been clueless then, interrupting the concentration of her teammate after he pinpointed the location of their enemies. It was her fault the previous time that they were caught off-guard by Zabuza throwing his sword at them.
Kubikiribōchō hurtled through the air towards them just as Sakura finished her train of thought.
"Everyone, duck!" yelled Kakashi.
Everyone dropped down, Sakura dragging the slow-moving Tazuna down with her as she crouched close to the ground.
Except for Naruto, that is.
The blond immediately turned to stare at Sasuke's hair before shaking his head and looking around.
By the time the massive sword was only a metre away, Naruto had successfully found an actual living breathing duck.
He was holding it up in delight as he mentally named it Sachiko when a large greatsword came speeding towards it.
Of course, his reaction time was swift enough to keep the waterbird out of the trajectory of the blade and roll away just in time to avoid being skewered. None of his teammates worried for his safety, the only civilian in their midst unable to tell what was going on in time to feel concern. Sasuke, on the other hand, twitched violently at the concealed jab at his hair. How on earth the blond had found a duck here was another question altogether, but the Uchiha was not going to let it pass when Naruto's first reaction to the word "duck" was to look at his hair.
Such a disgrace was unpardonable.
The owner of the sword raced through the air in a whirlwind and landed on the hilt of Kubikiribōchō.
"You appear to be Sharingan no Kakashi," said the Demon of Kirigakure, who was wearing those nostalgic cow-printed arm warmers.
He did not notice the twitching of Naruto's eyelid.
"Sorry, but... the old man is-"
Zabuza never got to finish his proclamation.
A deeply annoyed blond had whipped out an assault rifle.
Thereafter, Naruto had proceeded to shoot Momochi Zabuza precisely in all of the eight so-called choices that the man had named in the previous timeline.
Larynx. Spine. Lungs. Liver. Jugular. Subclavian artery. Kidneys. Heart.
When the missing-nin saw the projectiles lock onto all of his vital points, he paled drastically as he felt death looming over him. The bullets flew too quickly for him to move aside in time. He could not even adjust his position to avoid the attacks to his core organs. He never knew, had even heard otherwise, that Konohagakure would teach genin how to kill.
Truthfully speaking, Zabuza's information had not been wrong. Konoha's green recruits were, in fact, as soft as the rumours claimed. He just had the luck to encounter the abnormal Team Seven. Their skills had been honed elsewhere.
Naruto lowered the gun and leaned against the butt of his rifle, unhooking his fox mask from its clasp on his belt. He too-casually set it atop his head, not covering his face with the reinforced bone porcelain. Kakashi recognised that mask. He had seen it for the first time years ago when Naruto had first received it on his birthday from Anko. It was strange that Naruto decided to just bring it with him for no apparent reason, but he decided that it would not be the most unusual thing that the blond genin did.
"You almost killed Sachiko-chan," the blond said darkly as crimson bloomed at the points where he fired at the missing-nin.
Zabuza was in a stupor, barely even registering the lack of pain accompanying the impacts.
The duck quacked in agreement, righteous rage burning in its beady eyes as it glared at Zabuza.
The man looked downstairs himself and felt his vision double dizzyingly. The... paint pellets had not been even a millimetre off, every single shot finding its mark. The blond was so precise in his strikes that it was entirely inhuman. His addled mind refused to put two and two together — it was so difficult to realise that he was not dead yet.
Cold sweat dripped from Zabuza's forehead.
"That's... an incredibly scary kid you've got over there," he told his foe, his heart palpitating.
Kakashi laughed dully.
Unfortunately, he wholeheartedly agreed with the Demon of Kirigakure on that matter.
Regardless, the pair of jōnin-level combatants launched into battle.
This time, Kakashi did not need to activate his Sharingan at all. His strikes were more varied, his counters stronger. Unlike before, it seemed that the silver-haired man had kept up with his training after leaving ANBU. This, coupled with the expansion of his chakra reserves, made him an even more dangerous opponent than he had been in the first timeline.
Out of nowhere, Naruto darted into the fray to plunge a single kunai into Zabuza's thigh. That move tilted the scales in the ongoing fight and Zabuza, who had been on the defensive, could not stop himself from stumbling. As every move caused the keen blade that was already lodged within his flesh to dig deeper, his moves turned sluggish and his focus wavered.
Just as Kakashi was about to land the finishing blow, senbon flew towards Zabuza from a blind spot in a rustle of leaves and fabric.
Haku arrived to collect his master and the team of four mercifully let him go without requesting for visual proof of the disposal of the criminal. Kakashi had done so out of curiosity in hope to test the astuteness of his genin team. Naruto, on the other hand, did it with hope to make the pair of shinobi his allies. Sakura and Sasuke just knew that Naruto had plans for the two and did not wish to persecute them since Haku was a kind soul.
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
Elsewhere, Zabuza woke to Haku removing the two senbons from his acupuncture points. The missing-nin reached down to grab the kunai in his thigh. With a hiss, he ripped it from his flesh and flung the offending weapon aside.
Haku, still disguised as a hunter-nin from Kiri, knelt down to pick up the bloodied kunai with a cloth, only to freeze when he went close.
His heartbeat turned erratic and Haku turned to face Zabuza. "Zabuza-san, this kunai... it was a talisman."
He held it up and, sure enough, seals had been engraved into the metal. Haku was not learned in the art of fūinjutsu, but even he could see the odd glow emitted by the kanji forming the seal matrix. Moreover, he could feel a chakra from it. Haku only ever sensed chakra from a particular inanimate object — Zabuza's stolen sword. The blade had been forged by a master blacksmith, worked on by an Uzumaki Seal Master from the fabled clan of sealing and sanctioned out to the most trusted men of the Mizukage. For this little kunai to rival that, it had to be a masterpiece of another fūinjutsu master.
Zabuza gasped as he recognised the seal. It was a more complicated version of a typical storage seal and, from what he could tell, had activated on contact with his blood. Even he had heard of it and the illustrious reputation of its creator. Of course, he did not have access to such high-end items now that he had fallen out of favour — he could hardly expect such after he had betrayed his village. However, he did not just live under a rock for all these years.
"Haku, bring it over," he dictated with no small amount of urgency.
If the blond boy had chosen such a method to deliver something to him, whatever was sealed within the hidden weapon had to be an object of importance. Moreover, it proved the identity of the sender. The individual had to be a person powerful enough to be able to obtain it. Giving it to Zabuza also showed the sender's sincerity.
Haku almost cut himself in his hurry to deliver, holding out the bloodied cloth-wrapped kunai with both hands.
The man took the kunai with a trembling hand, barely processing the fact that the wound on his thigh had stopped bleeding.
He channelled a burst of chakra into the energy-conductive metal, feeling the thrum from the resonance with his chakra signature with a sensation of pleasure. It was comparable to the tingle he had felt when he first held his blade, Kubikiribōchō, and was likely why he had been so unwilling to part with it. He could only savour it. Within his bones, the awareness of the knowledge that the crafter of this slight weapon lived within battle echoed his warrior's spirit.
Zabuza could do nothing more than to respect the man behind the nameless brand which had first been affectionately nicknamed Uzuno Hana by a civilian merchant. It was because all goods had a unique insignia — a modest whirlpool of flowers. The man had deemed it aesthetic and associated it as such. Civilian patrons knew the brand by this name, subconsciously believing it to be a maiden who was behind the convenient seals which bettered their lives.
Shinobi knew the brand by a more relevant name which lingered from a time when most of the pieces made by the unknown artisan that circulated through the market were explosive tags. In those days, this brand's tags were most effective and had been available to all classes as long as one had the finances to procure one. It was sold to the highest bidder, no known restrictions existing to prevent whoever — regardless of affiliation and standing — from acquiring it.
They referred to it as Ryūketsu no Matsuri [流血の祭り], or Ketsusai [血祭] for short. This was a nod to the fact that the unknown master's tags, wherever they appeared, would cause a festival as soon as they were used. It was known for the sheer beauty of the explosions as much as their lethality. Humans exploded in dazzling showers of blood which had a tendency of splattering in the pattern of flowers. Any damage dealt unto infrastructure would cause it to erupt in a chain reaction of fireworks. Its title — the Festival of Bloodshed — was fitting.
Obviously, everyone knew that destruction was not all that Ketsusai was capable of. They were simply respecting the obscure master's origins. The fūinjutsu grandmaster released his famous explosion tags before truly settling into the seal industry. Just like how the maiden voyage of an eminent vessel was always remembered, there was just no one willing to forget the beginnings of the exalted brand.
It had been a unanimous decision.
Ketsusai was practically an epithet of sealing.
Besides the civilian label, no one referred to it by any other moniker.
Zabuza had known all this but, verily, he never truly gave much credit to the postulation that Ketsusai's originator was a fighter.
Not until now.
He stared down at the message scroll that had been revealed alongside a brand new hitai-ate and uniform from Kirigakure.
Dear Momochi Zabuza,
I hope this letter reaches you soon.
I was under the influence of a genjutsu in the past year. I am deeply sorry for the troubles I might have caused to the village during this period. As such, I would like to request a reconvention for my Seven Swordsmen. Any offences against our village from during my reign shall be pardoned.
Please allow me the chance to right my wrongs.
Sincerely,
Karatachi Yagura
Yondaime Mizukage
Zabuza continued to scrutinise the familiar handwriting on the expensive parchment, his gaze pausing at the genuine Mizukage stamp beside the full name and title. It was a curt letter, not at all uncharacteristic of the young man who held the seat of the leader of Kirigakure. He could tell that it was real at a glance. It had been a long time since he had seen the true face of the man he had sworn fealty to when he first became a member of Kiri's secret ops force.
He saw at a glance that Yagura's appeal was earnest and unfeigned.
Despite himself, Zabuza found a smile forming on his face.
He never did fancy the forlorn and perpetually changing life of a wanderer.
He had felt nothing but homesickness for that special village hidden within the mist.
It was his birthplace, his sanctuary.
"Haku," Zabuza said.
The brunet listened attentively, overlooking the crack in his master's voice.
"We are welcomed. We can go home..." whispered Zabuza.
Haku gasped quietly.
He knew what his master spoke of. He had heard about the situation in Kiri — his master joined the rebel forces of Terumi Mei to liberate his country from the racist and oppressive reign of the Yondaime Mizukage. Haku understood that Zabuza had been reluctant to do this and managed to decipher that there must have been much more to the situation that he did not know about. He guessed that the cruel Mizukage must have once been someone different whom his master had trusted and was faithful towards. If his master spoke of going home, then the Mizukage had to be back to his original state.
Even if the rebel forces had succeeded, Zabuza would feel melancholy for Yagura's passing.
This unadulterated joy meant that such a thing will never have to occur. His master's precious person will not be sacrificed to end the senseless slaughter. Moreover, Zabuza was unlikely to face severe consequences for his actions against the Mizukage during that period. Even if he was, it would only be a temporary affair and he would be allowed to return thereafter.
"Will you come with me?" invited Zabuza, surprisingly irresolute.
"I am your tool," Haku replied resolutely. "I will follow Zabuza-san into death and carnage as long as you asked me to."
The man felt a pang of indescribable emotion within his chest.
"None of that," Zabuza found himself whispering before he could stop himself. "You are like a son to me. You're family, and I hold your presence close to my heart. You are dear to me, Haku."
Haku sniffled, tears beginning to trail down his cheeks unbidden.
In alarm, Zabuza lurched forward despite his discomfort.
"Haku?" he exclaimed, concerned.
"I want to follow Zabuza-san. It doesn't matter where as long as I'm with Zabuza-san," the boy hiccuped as he attempted to hide his sobbing.
Zabuza exhaled in relief.
Haku was weeping in happiness, not pain or misery.
"I wouldn't want anything else," Zabuza assured his protege, trying to conceal his own crying as he hugged the brunet close.
He would have to meet the enigmatic child once more.
Seeds of suspicion that the blond was secretly a Kiri agent were already being sown.
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
Naruto was surprised that Kakashi seemed to come to the same conclusion as before and made them engage in chakra-control exercises.
They proved to him that they did not need this training by strolling up and down their respective tree trunks with ease. When Kakashi fibbed that it was important for them to be able to battle on vertical and reversed positions with uneven surfaces, the genins invented a series of impromptu gymnastic routines. They multi-tasked, doing that while sparring with taijutsu and assailing one another with various C-rank and D-rank jutsu.
Kakashi had no choice but to allow them to continue to the next tier when all three looked no worse for wear the next morning. Water-walking. However, this also turned out to be unneeded. The trio was already capable of doing so without difficulty, jumping to dodge attacks and even executing various risky manoeuvres on the water's surface. Kakashi could only watch numbly as they took chakra-control training to another level altogether. He could have sworn that he even caught a glimpse of Naruto briefly walking on air, but the blond was already back on the water in the blink of an eye.
The day of the attack came much sooner than they predicted based on the events of the other timeline.
Naruto was the one on base-protection duty on that day, just like before. He noticed the pair of substandard self-acclaimed samurai from a mile away. This time, he apprehended them as soon as they threatened the daughter of the bridge-builder and did away with the previous dramatic flair. After leaving behind a single shadow clone to protect Tsunami and Inari, who were the old man's daughter and grandson respectively, Naruto used Hiraishin to arrive on the bridge at the same time as the rest of Team Seven.
Naruto did not hide his presence and supported Kakashi in his fight against Zabuza, exchanging words with the former missing-nin in the well-guarded code of Kiri's secret ops. He succeeded in his task of getting the man to lower his pride for a bit and tell the silver-haired jōnin sensei about his intention to double-cross Gatō. Zabuza informed Kakashi about the men Gatō had stationed just outside Kakashi's sensing range and the two acted to lure the rat out of hiding.
After a short spat, the one who had been opted to meet with Haku had been Sasuke during this timeline. As such, it was with much reluctance that the brunet clashed against the raven-haired boy and pink-haired girl. Haku seemed to be the only one who had no knowledge that their fight was without any ill-intentions. If anything, the two of them were just sparring against the weaker kekkei-genkai user.
During his coded conversation with Zabuza, the idea that Naruto was secretly a Kiri-nin was only solidified. In reality, that might not have been too far from the truth — Yagura had given him his own Kirigakure hitai-ate and all. Naruto had even been provided with a convenient alternate identity as a member of Kiri's secret ops — more specifically a member of the intelligence bureau. Yagura had insisted that it was a cover story, but it might just be an underhanded way of laying down a claim over the other jinchūriki.
Naruto did not particularly mind this. He simply found it amusing, if anything. He pretended not to notice the Mizukage's intentions in pushing Kirigakure citizenship onto him. He permitted the Sanbi jinchūriki to think that he had emerged victorious. He intended to use this as blackmail at a later juncture, though.
He had always been an opportunist, after all.
It was at this moment that Gatō got too impatient and ordered his men to charge.
Kakashi's observation of his genins was disrupted — and he had a sinking feeling that all three had been holding back throughout the fight.
The wave of bandits swarmed towards them in an "intimidating" barrage of swords with a flurry of lacking swordsmanship, Naruto picking up on at least a dozen common mistakes in all of their stances with a single glance.
He hefted his assault rifle onto his shoulder.
And so his onslaught began.
Within five seconds, all hundred of Gatō's highwaymen fell with identical holes in the middle of their foreheads.
Just like that, they were all dead.
Those that Naruto knew to have hesitated to commit those brutalities were mercifully spared, each one shot in their sword arm so they would no longer be able to harm another innocent.
Naturally, this act of clemency did not go unnoticed by Hatake Kakashi.
Though the jōnin was surprised to see the blond so quick to kill, it relieved him to learn that he still had compassion within his heart despite the disservice that had been done to him by those willfully ignorant villagers of Konohagakure. Kakashi knew that even chūnins would take part in the "Fox Hunts" until Naruto started living with the Snake Lady of the Forest of Death. After that, no one had the opportunity to further mistreat the poor child.
Just like before, Naruto was hailed as a hero by the people of Nami no Kuni.
This time, however, the bridge had been named differently.
The Great Crossing of Six.
It was a reference to the six ninjas that had joined forces to free Nami no Kuni from Gatō's selfish iron-grip rule.
The six parted for their separate ways there, with Momochi Zabuza hinting that he might soon be a free man to Team Kakashi.
Sakura and Sasuke cheered him on, internally jumping for joy at the successful change in history that they did not yet know the reason for. Naruto smiled broadly and gave the duo a thumbs-up. Kakashi patted him encouragingly on the shoulder, asserting that he hoped they would meet on better terms in the future. Kakashi and Zabuza lectured their students about relationships in the world of shinobi and business in general — there are often no permanent allies or enemies even if it is between hostile parties, only eternal benefits and costs.
Well, at least that was how it seemed on the surface.
Naruto had actually replaced himself with a blood clone, which would accompany his company back to Konoha in his stead. His main body was tailing the Zabuza-Haku team in their journey to Kirigakure, only revealing himself when Sakura's heel crossed the threshold into the territory of Hi no Kuni. His sensory radius extended beyond that, but he personally knew of the limits of the Rinnegan. It could not see through objects like the Tenseigan and was limited in its visible range.
His waiting so long was just plain old paranoia doing its job.
"Yo," said the blond as he seemed to materialise from nothingness before them.
Although both were observant individuals who had been mindful of being followed, neither had seen him coming. Haku yelped while jumping back whereas Zabuza cursed under his breath and drew his greatsword. Naruto snickered at their exaggerated reactions to his appearance. It was a source of entertainment for him to see the usually uptight pair of mentor and student acting so terrified of him though he did not even hold any malicious intentions towards them.
"You are..." Haku said in realisation.
"Uzumaki Naruto," the blond offered.
He had not introduced himself before.
Unlike his teammates, Naruto had not given his name. This was not due to him overthinking it or not trusting the two with his identity. Rather than that, the chance simply did not present itself.
"So... what happened?" Zabuza asked the pressing question which had haunted him since the message reached him.
"With Yondaime Mizukage-sama?" confirmed Naruto with an arched eyebrow.
Zabuza nodded tersely.
"It was a rogue Uchiha long thought dead," Naruto revealed. "His name is Uchiha Obito and he follows the will of Uchiha Madara, who has entered the state of death in recent years."
Haku's forehead wrinkled. "You say it as if dying is not something permanent."
Instead of accusing, the chronologically younger male merely sounded curious.
Naruto chuckled. "How naive you are, Haku dearest. There is nothing immutable in the world of shinobi. Not even the course of time and dimensions existing parallel to ours are consecrated or ordained. With the appropriate methods, anyone can toy with fate and end universes."
Haku shuddered and took a fearful step back at Naruto's ominous words.
"It is a jinchūriki's greatest shortcoming. His vulnerability towards the Sharingan..." Zabuza murmured in realisation.
"His goal was to send the Five Great Shinobi Countries into turmoil," acknowledged Naruto.
Zabuza's eyes hardened as his jaw clenched.
"Hello, Yagura. It took me a while, but I have Zabuza with me. He found himself a student in the form of the only Yuki clan survivor," notified Naruto through their jinchūriki telepathic connection.
"Naruto? Come right in. I'll tell my guard to stand down," Yagura answered, agreeable.
Naruto led the mentor-student pair into the Mizukage office without resistance, much to Haku's amazement.
"Mizukage-sama is expecting us," Naruto urged when Haku paused to stare at a set of portraits that were displayed boastfully.
It showed the faces of the past and current generations of the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri, with an image of Momochi Zabuza in their midst.
The door leading to the office opened before they could even knock, leaving the group face-to-face with the infamous Yondaime Mizukage known for his ruthlessness and cruelty.
Haku gaped at the sight.
The Mizukage looked so young, barely older than himself.
The evil Karatachi Yagura looked like a teenager still, with a baby face.
"My birthday just passed on the third of April," Yagura stated generously.
Haku felt his cheeks redden.
The Mizukage had read his embarrassing thoughts! He felt completely abashed. His mother used to refer to Karatachi Yagura as a proverbial bogeyman. In reality, the young man behind that scary name was respectable, not nearly as harsh as he had been rumoured to be. Haku wanted to run as far away as possible and hide for the rest of his life, never to let himself be seen again.
Naruto noticed how poor Haku was so mortified that he seemed like he would not mind dying if it meant getting away from that situation. His reaction was, honestly, justified. Haku practically committed social suicide over there, at the end of the day. Naruto took pity on the socially-awkward brunet.
With a nod at his fellow jinchūriki, Naruto gently guided Haku out by the elbow.
Zabuza's belief that Naruto was one of Yagura's closest advisors and subordinates blossomed extravagantly then.
It had been a gradual process, but now there was no longer any hope of taking it back.
Not that Naruto cared much about it from the onset.
Naruto gave Haku his assault rifle, partly to distract the last survivor of the clan that possessed the rare Hyōton kekkei genkai but mostly because he intended to give the boy the weapon all along.
"This is a gun. More specifically, it is what I call an assault rifle. You can aim with the aid of the scope to shoot more precisely. There are no projectiles, though you can improvise some depending on your situation. They would be small and cylindrical, just the right size to be ejected from the barrel, and are called bullets. Honestly, those are just optional. For normal usage, you just need chakra. Hyōton chakra is fine too. Go wild and experiment until you find a technique that suits you," Naruto explained.
Haku was shocked. "W-Why...?" he stammered.
Naruto continued, ignoring Haku's reservations about accepting the weapon, "You'll need less chakra to execute your techniques and shorten your casting time without need for hand seals. You will be able to diversify your fighting style significantly with this new weapon supporting you."
With his part said, Naruto turned around and departed so speedily that Haku almost could not spot the movement with his eyes.
"Have fun, Yagura. I'm off now," Naruto alerted the Mizukage as he left without reservation.
Naruto cut off the connection without waiting for Yagura's reply and pretended not to notice as the tortilla-haired male tried to re-establish the link.
He was on his way back to Konoha when he noticed a familiar face.
The distinctive white hair and fair skin paired with beautiful features that men and women alike would swoon over once he grew up...
Naruto remembered meeting this boy before.
"Toneri...?"
It could not be, right?
He was supposed to be living on the moon, for heavens' sake!
How could Naruto meet him twice, with such a short timeframe between the said encounters, when the albino was supposed to be some sort of celestial being who lived apart from those of the earth?
It made no sense.