Bab 24: Fight ending and aftermath CH 24
Naruto was bounding along the forest, sniffing for anything amiss that might depict of ambushes towards their client Tazuna. After a few minutes of lumbering around, he caught the strange scent of metal and blood. He tried to follow the trail of the scent but the water in the air and the mist made it quite hard to track. He reached a dead-end in a clearing in the forest with some footprints on the ground.
Knowing that someone was waiting for them in the mist, he ignored the scent and backtracked so he can catch up with the rest of the team using Anko's lingering scent on the trail.
Mitarashi Anko was pissed. She was following a weird chakra trail when she separated with Naruto but it ended somewhere in the forest. She circled the area, trying to check whether she can pick up the trail again but the weird chakra source was nowhere to be found. She sighed and decided to return to rest of the team hoping for Naruto to return so they can regroup.
Kakashi, Team 7, and Tazuna was following a small trail in the woods that Tazuna said would lead to his house on the other side of the island. He heard something in front of him and was about to throw a kunai when an angry Anko jumped out of the foliage and released a string of curses that would make a sailor blush.
Kakashi relaxed when he recognized Anko's familiar chakra signature. "Yo Anko. What got you so worked up?"
The clearly irritated Jounin answered. "I was following a weird chakra trail in the woods but all I got is a dead end. I'm wet because of the mist and I ran out of Dango so yes, I am DEFINTELY not in the mood. Just so you know, keep your guard up. It is quite possible that someone is checking us out from somewhere but I can't pinpoint their exact location."
The one-eyed Jounin scratched his chin. "I already arrived at that conclusion when you mentioned that trail you were following. Where's Naruto? Isn't he supposed to be with you?" looking around for said boy seeing he wasn't around following the Snake Jounin.
Anko shook her head and joined the team surrounding Tazuna. "Nope. He separated when we encountered two trails. He should be coming back to rendezvous with us."
"How can he find us when were all hidden under this mist?" asked a confused Sakura, looking around the surrounding foliage and mist thinking how their fellow Genin can track them with almost zero visibility.
"Don't worry about my apprentice, pinky. Naruto can easily follow our scent from where we started out. He should be along." answered Anko without a hint of worry in her voice.
Kakashi shrugged and motioned for everyone to continue down the trail.
They were walking down the trail when Sasuke threw a Kunai at a bush in front of them. Deciding to check it out, Sai moved investigate and found a white rabbit, clearly shivering in fear from almost being skewered by the weapon. Kakashi and Anko saw the rabbit and immediately went on guard.
A sound reached Kakashi's ear, similar to that of a shuriken, but louder. His eyes went wide and shouted. "EVERYONE DOWN! NOW!"
Anko immediately grabbed Tazuna and yanked him down on the ground followed closely by Kakashi and Team 7.
A huge sword came whirling out of the mist behind them, flew above them missing them by a hair, and carved itself high into a tree in front of them. A figure appeared, standing on the hilt of the sword, looking down at the defensive group beneath him with an amused leer.
The man was well-built and has the strength to back it up considering the size of the sword he just threw at them. He didn't wear any shirt but a leather belt was slung across his front with a sheath behind him. The man was wearing baggy camouflaged pants with leg and wrist warmers. His face was hidden behind bandages and his slashed Mist headband was tied lazily on his head.
"Ho ho. What is this? Hatake Kakashi and Mitarashi Anko. It seems that the old man was able to get someone worth his salt to guard him." said the muscled man, half-naked man in front of them.
Kakashi looked up from his opponent and eyed him lazily. "Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Mist. What brings you here in this dreary place?" attempting to sound casual, but he was inwardly tensing, readying himself for a tough battle considering the enemy hired someone of Zabuza's caliber.
Zabuza sneered at the casual way Kakashi talked to him. "Give me the old man Kakashi and none of you will get hurt."
"Up your ass you eyebrowless freak. Why don't you be a good boy, get your sword, and go back to your kami-forsaken village." griped Anko. She looked at Zabuza with a queer look. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Nuke-nin now so no village for you."
Zabuza's eye twitched. "Shut up snake charmer. You don't know anything about me. So why don't you all just mosey back to the Leaf and give me the old man…" he then gave the Genin an evil smirk that caused everyone in the clearing to tense. "…or I'll turn your cute Genins into tenderloins." He finished the threat by flooding the entire clearing with killer intent that shook the Genins and Tazuna.
Kakashi and Anko immediately took a defensive position around Team 7 and Tazuna. Anko pulled out two kunais holding them in a reverse grip while Kakashi pulled up his headband revealing his lone Sharingan eye.
The Nuke-nin saw it and grinned. "My my. I should be flattered. Already bringing out the Sharingan for little old me? He he he. Let's see you use your famous eye for this Kakashi." He flipped through a long series of seals and flared his chakra before releasing it.
"Kirigakure no Jutsu" (Hidden Mist Technique)
The mist surrounding the Konoha team thickened, effectively reducing their visibility range to only a few feet. They saw Zabuza chuckling and crouching down on his sword before he was inadvertently swallowed by the mist, effectively cutting him from view. Zabuza's voice echoed around them making it hard for everyone to pinpoint his location.
"Hmmmm who should I kill first? I can see all of you. So many targets to choose from. Eenie, meenie, minie, mo. Who should be the first to go?" Zabuza's eerie voice echoed throughout the clearing making the Genins fear for their lives.
The two Konoha Jounins were wide alert, utilizing their senses to the maximum to avoid any ambush that could come out from anywhere in the mist. The Genins, however, were inexperienced in the field and were shaking in their boots.
Sasuke was shivering from the massive killer intent all around them, darting his eyes everywhere looking for any signs that the silent killer was going to come at them for the kill. He sensed a slight movement behind him and immediately turned around and flipped through seals at speed powered by his desperation.
"Katon: Grand Fireball"
The young Uchiha blew out a large fireball towards where he sensed the movement, expecting to hear the enemy to burn and scream but all he got was a slight chuckle. A figure suddenly materialized in the middle of the group, a kunai pointing at Sasuke's spine.
"You're the first to go little Genin…" said Zabuza who was crouched behind Sasuke holding a kunai to his spine. He was about to stab the boy when a kunai stabbed him on the side, courtesy of Kakashi.
"I don't think so Zabuza. With this eye, I can see you easily." said the one-eyed Jounin. He was caught off guard when the enemy he stabbed chuckled.
"Really Kakashi. You didn't think I'll go down that easily, did you?" The Zabuza that Kakashi stabbed turned to water before falling to the ground, splashing their feet. A shadow loomed behind the Cyclops, revealing Zabuza holding his sword aloft and brought it down at a speed worthy of his station.
He was caught off guard when the split Kakashi merely turned into water, similar to the clone he used. He growled. "You are really living up to your name, Copycat Kakashi, to think you copied my Water Clone despite the mist…" his speech was interrupted when a kick from Anko nailed him on the head which revealed that it was another clone.
"Damn it. Another Kami-be-damned Water Clone." ranted Anko. Before she could come to her senses, a kick to her ribs forced her away from the group.
"He he he. I'm everywhere snake charmer so don't be surprised now." taunted Zabuza after successfully landing a kick on her ribs.
Kakashi saw his co-Jounin sprawled on the ground, dazed from the attack so he dashed forwards to attack Zabuza but another clone materialized from the mist and kicked him towards the lake behind them.
Kakashi grunted from the force of the blow and landed on the water with a splash. He was about to get out when the water suddenly coalesced around him, effectively trapping him in a sphere of water with Zabuza's hand holding him in place.
"Suiton: Water Prison"
Zabuza chuckled at his current catch. "Lookey lookey I caught a Kakashi." He raised his free arm in front of his chest in a Ram seal causing a dozen Water Clones to materialize on the shore of the lake ready to attack the defenseless group. "Now that your trapped, It's the snake charmer's turn." He sent 2 water clones to attack the downed and dizzy Jounin, swords already in a downward strike.
Naruto heard the sound of fighting and forced chakra to his legs to speed up. He got there in time when he saw the outline of two individuals holding a zanbato each about to slash her sensei.
He immediately dropped his chakra weights and dashed forward in a blur, catching both figures on the head and slammed them both to the ground, turning into water.
Deciding to get rid of the mist, he flipped through a familiar set of hand seals and aimed at the ground in front of him.
"Futon: Grand Breakthrough"
Naruto gathered as much chakra as he could on his lungs while taking in a deep breath before expelling the technique, hitting the ground, causing a shockwave of powerful winds around him, forcing the mist back, effectively getting rid of it.
The mist disappeared revealing a scene that made him release a growl that reverberated throughout the clearing. Kakashi was trapped in a globe of water, Anko on the ground shaking her head from a blow, Tazuna whimpering surrounded by the shivering Team 7.
Zabuza was shocked when his connection with his clones dissipated but was more shocked when a strong gust of wind blew back his mist technique with ease. What he saw made his gut wrench and a cold shiver went down his spine.
There in front of him was a large, muscled, bi-pedal, golden werewolf growling at him showing off razor sharp teeth and claws that could easily shred him to pieces.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?" shouted Zabuza in a hysterical voice.
Kakashi sighed in relief when he saw Naruto's wolf form. He cheerfully answered Zabuza in a very sweet voice.
"Oh? The werewolf? Well, that is the snake charmer's apprentice, Konoha's Golden Wolf, which you conveniently knocked on the ground if I might add." He then looked at Naruto. "YO NARUTO. WHY DON'T YOU 'INTRODUCE' YOURSELF TO ZABUZA HERE? IT'S ONLY POLITE!" he bellowed and grinned at the snarling werewolf in front of an alert Anko.
Naruto heard Kakashi quite clearly and released a fang-filled grin towards the Nuke-nin much to his added anxiety. He gathered chakra to his lung and throat and released a very loud powerful howl that made everyone cover their ears.
Due to the power of the howl, Zabuza was forced to cover his ears unknowingly releasing Kakashi from his water prison who immediately took advantage of the freedom and dashed towards the lake shore and catching his breath.
"Nice of you to join us Naruto. You definitely took your sweet time." said a gasping kakashi.
Not letting the nevous Nuke-nin out of his sights, he answered Team 7's sensei. "I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei. I have to backtrack to find Anko-sensei's scent so I can track you guys down. I got lucky getting here in time. Are you ok, Anko-sensei?" he asked when he felt Anko standing up behind him.
Anko shook her head to clear it up. "Took your time gaki. I hope I didn't interrupt your sightseeing." she said sarcastically.
Naruto just rolled his eyes and eyed the situation. There were still a dozen or so Zabuza clones surrounding them while the real Zabuza, who was looking at Naruto in fear, was still out in the lake.
"Anko-sensei. Can you and Kakashi-sensei take care of the real Zabuza while I handle the clones?" asked Naruto, flexing his claws, itching for a fight.
Anko looked at the clones and the real Zabuza on the lake. He eyed Naruto then Kakashi. She thought for a bit and gave Naruto a sadistic grin.
"Don't take too long to play with them gaki." She then looked at Kakashi. "Oi Cyclops. Get your butt in gear. We have a Demon to massacre."
Kakashi nodded and all three dashed off towards their respective opponent.
Naruto's Fight
Naruto lunged at the group of Zabuza clones in front of him and flip through hand seals and taking a deep breath.
"Katon: Grand Fireball"
A fireball three times the size of Sasuke's soared through the air towards the clones who avoided the blast by jumping away. However, the shockwave it created when it blew up on the ground threw them much further.
Naruto saw that he was successful in his plan to break them up dashed off towards the nearest one and impaled it easily with a thrust of his claws, dispelling it back to its original state. He ducked just in time to avoid a decapitating swing from one of the clones and retaliated with a powerful kick that was blocked by a sword. However, the kick was so powerful that it threw the clone towards a tree where it turned back into water by the force of the impact. Naruto looked around and saw that there were still 12 clones left.
Deciding to get this fight over and done with, he created 12 shadow clones who dashed towards the Zabuza clones while Naruto jumped back, waiting for his clones to do their assigned task before unleashing his own attack.
It took a few minutes of dodging and failed attacks but Naruto's clones were successful in herding them together. Seeing his chance, Naruto channeled chakra to his legs and jumped high into the air while flipping through hand seal and channeled as much chakra as he could towards the technique.
"Katon: Grand Fireball"
Naruto breathed out a very large fireball, twice the size from the previous one, and aimed it at the group of water clones underneath him. The Zabuza clones were incinerated, water evaporating from the strength of the jutsu.
Naruto landed on the ground, which caused a small crater to form before dispelling his clones. He panted for a bit since he used a quarter of his chakra reserves with the overpowered wind technique and fireballs. He reverted back to his human form and withdrew his zanbato from his back and dashed towards the clearing, putting him in between the real Zabuza and Team 7 in a defensive position just in case Zabuza decides to target them personally or with his clones.
Kakashi and Anko's fight
Anko and Kakashi dashed forward at great speeds across the water towards Zabuza who swung his sword in a horizontal slash which caused both Konoha Jounin to jump out of the way or risk being sliced in half.
Anko flipped through the air while throwing a barrage of shurikens hoping to wound the Nuke-nin but those were easily swatted away by Zabuza's large zanbato.
Not being idle, Kakashi immediately withdrew a kunai and reinforced it with chakra before engaging Zabuza in a heated weapons fight. However, he was unable to land a decent blow due to the huge lenght of Zabuza's sword. The Nuke-nin was handling it with ease, incorporating defensive swipes to keep him away and attacking thrusts intending to skewer him even at a distance.
Zabuza, seeing Anko behind him while he was fending off Kakashi's attacks decided to break the pincer maneuver. He channeled a large amount of chakra to his sword which glowed blue and slashed the water in front of him causing the water to blow up with a powerful shockwave that threw both attackers away from him. Anko and Kakashi regrouped and got into a defensive stance a few feet away from the Nuke-nin.
The Demon of the Mist jumped back a few feet to make sure that the distance is to his advantage. He saw his clones being decimated by a large golden werewolf with ease.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT THING?" Zabuza demanded in a hysterical voice.
Anko saw that the Demon of the Mist was scared of her apprentice released a sadistic grin.
"That, my dear Zabuza, is my apprentice. Don't you just love those sharp claws and fangs of his? Oh look that that, he just barbecued your clones." she said pointing at a large fireball engulfing the group of clones while being surrounded by a dozen large golden werewolves. The sight made her grin even wider.
Zabuza looked at where Anko was pointing and indeed she was right. All his clones were engulfed in a very very large fireball that came from another werewolf in the air above them. Shivering at the sight, he decided to end the fight before something else happens that might get him killed.
He flipped through a series of hand seals, readying his most powerful technique in his arsenal. He looked up and saw Kakashi also doing the same thing, the same seals he was making.
"Damn you Kakashi, don't tell me you're also copying me now." shouted Zabuza, clearly irritated at what Kakashi was doing, while holding on to the last seal and gathering every bit of chakra as he could.
"I'm not copying you…I'm…looking into the future…" he said in an eerie and mysterious voice that made everyone who heard it sweatdrop.
"SHUT UP! TAKE THIS KAKASHI! SUITON: WATER DRAGON" shouted Zabuza.
Kakashi, not wanting to be outdone, also shouted at the same time. "SUITON: WATER DRAGON"
Two huge water dragons materialized behind the two shinobis and attacked each other in mid-air. The force of the collision created a shockwave that blew water everywhere.
Zabuza, thinking that he got Kakashi, dropped his guard a bit and was about to leave when a powerful chakra-enhanced punch courtesy of a pissed off Anko hit him on the face throwing him across the water towards the shore where he hit a tree with a sickening crunch.
Naruto saw Anko's plan when she punched Zabuza towards the lake shore immediately dashed towards the downed Nuke-nin. But before he could deliver the final blow, a masked shinobi materialized beside Zabuza and grabbed him before disappearing in a mirror of ice which cracked to pieces afterwards. Naruto sighed and looked around. The clearing was a mess – a blackened crater where his overpowered fireball hit Zabuza's water clones, puddles of water courtesy of Kakashi and Zabuza Water Dragon, the small crater where he fired his Wind technique, as well as some pebbles and rocks here and there caused by the shockwave of wind.
He saw Team 7 sitting on the ground, still surrounding Tazuna, all of them panting in relief, adrenalin and fear leaving them when their sensei beat Zabuza and another shinobi spirited him away. Naruto frowned when he remembered how the mysterious individual utilized an ice mirror to take Zabuza away from them. The only thing that he can get from that short encounter is that the shinobi was around their age group and smells heavily of snow; why, he doesn't know.
He stood up and walked towards Anko and Kakashi who was sprawled on the ground, heavily panting. Not seeing any visible wounds, Naruto diagnosed them to have chakra exhaustion if the panting and weariness is to go by. Anko seems alright, slightly winded, but alright; but Kakashi is another matter entirely. From the looks of it, he would be out like a light any minute now.
Not wasting any time, he approached the prone form of Kakashi and whipped out one of his green scrolls. He sat down beside the downed Jounin and unsealed a small bottle filled with chakra pills.
"Kakashi-sensei, I got some chakra pills here to help." said Naruto, popping out a pill from the bottle and holding it towards Kakashi's mouth waiting for him to open it, of course, after removing his mask first.
Anko saw that Kakashi has no intentions of opening his mouth soon rammed a fist on the Cyclops stomach, forcing him to release all the air in his lungs. She immediately grabbed the mask and pulled it down. Seeing the opportunity, Naruto fed him the pill while his mouth was still open. He saw Kakashi choking for a bit then swallowed the pill, his shivering noticeably lighter than before.
Having enough energy to move his hands, he pulled down his Konoha headband covering his Sharingan, effectively stopping the constant chakra drain from the eye being exposed to the light and gave Naruto an eye smile while putting the mask back in place.
"Thanks Naruto. It was lucky that you brought some medical supplies with you." said Kakashi appreciatively. He was feeling slightly better with the small amount of chakra being replenished in his system and running through his veins. At least he won't have to suffer for days under a medical coma while his body tries to fill itself up with chakra again.
Kakashi also restrained himself from asking Naruto for another pill which was a very bad idea. Another chakra pill was great, to an uneducated buffoon of a shinobi, but taking two pills within an hour is suicide; or if you survive from the attempt, undergo a painful experience due to your chakra coils being damaged by the sudden influx of energy.
Naruto nodded at the thanks. "No problem, Kakashi-sensei. I always bring medical supplies on missions. I got spares this time since we have more people on in this mission compared to just me and Anko-sensei." He explained while popping out another pill and throwing it to the snake Jounin who deftly caught it in a practiced maneuver as if they were doing this for years and popped it into her mouth and sighing in relief when some of her chakra was restored.
"Good going gaki. I taught you well." Anko complimented the smiling blonde while grinning at him but immediately frowned when she remembered something from the battle. "What happened to Zabuza."
Naruto sealed the bottle back into the scroll and pocketing it. He looked at his sensei and explained. "After I defeated the clones, I took up a defensive position between the battle and the client. I saw you punch Zabuza towards the shore then he hit the tree effectively knocking him out. I took advantage of the situation to take him into custody for interrogation but someone just appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Zabuza before disappearing in a mirror of ice."
The last part caught Kakashi and Anko's attention.
"Mirror of ice? Sounds like a specialized shunshin or a jutsu. Ice is a sub-element variety, mostly dealing with excellent control over Wind and Water chakra, and only those with a bloodline can do that. As far as I'm concerned, those who carry the bloodline have been wiped out during the Bloodline Massacre in Mist a few years back." said Kakashi in a somber tone. Have an ice user in Zabuza's camp is going to complicate things a bit, especially if said ice user was the Nuke-nin's support.
Anko nodded with a frown marring her face. "I think the weird chakra trail I found in the woods belonged to the ice user. It's the only explanation why the trail disappeared in the woods. He or she must have used that technique to switch to another location."
Deciding to drop the conversation for now to concentrate more on pressing matter, they regrouped around Tazuna and set up a temporary camp to rest for a couple of hours before proceeding to the client's house. They were lucky that no one suffered any extensive injuries, well except for Kakashi who suffered severe chakra exhaustion but was slowly recovering thanks to Naruto's timely intervention.
Team 7 was a bit subdued while they were resting, and it was mainly due to the intense battle that they barely survived in. When the adrenalin died down and all hostilities disappeared, all three Genin realized how close to death they were if not for their Jounin-senseis and Naruto. All three were deep in thought about the battle.
Sasuke was berating himself in losing his cool while under the effect of Zabuza's mist technique. Despite being his first major battle, not counting their encounter with the Demon Brothers back in Fire Country, he shouldn't have freaked out since he knew that his brother was on a whole new level in terms of strength, power, and experience. The idea of him freezing at a battle in a smaller scale made him grind his teeth in frustration and anger.
He looked at Naruto who was chatting cheerfully with his Jounin sensei and frowned again.
How could the blonde get so strong in such a short time. He already knew from their spars when they were still in the Academy that Naruto was stronger than them despite the fact that the blonde was clearly hiding his real skills from everyone. Every time he confronted Naruto about his strength, the blonde patiently explained to him how he acquired his sudden growth, his strength, and experience. He didn't hide any of it from him which was weird since most with abilities chose to keep it a secret as part of their trump card - secrets and deception was a Shinobi's greatest weapon after all.
Now, it's been a month since the team placement and the blonde seemed to have gotten stronger. It was unbearable. He trained and trained until exhaustion but it seems that the blonde was way ahead of him. How he carried himself in battle, how his Jounin-sensei deferred to his decision and the likes are testament to his skills.
He clenched his fist and almost smashed the ground with it when he realized that he was still weak. He needed power. He needed training and he will do anything to achieve his goal. He returned to his brooding, his brother's parting words echoing in his head.
Sakura saw Sasuke clench his fist, in anger or frustration she didn't know. Ever since she became a Genin, she was exposed to the real experience of being a Shinobi. Sure, the D-rank missions were insulting to say the least; but her eyes were opened to the harsh realities when her team met the Demon Brothers.
At first, she joined the Academy since Shinobis were held in high-regards. It was a bonus that the lone Uchiha was in their year so she made it her career to make sure that she graduate and become a part of his team. She was smart, yes, if her grades were any indication; but when she encountered the Demon Brothers and saw their sensei getting sliced to pieces, all her smarts left her and froze on the spot. In the end, she has to be protected, along with the client, by her teammates and sensei.
She frowned at the thought. She was a Genin; but in the end, she was not delivering what was expected of her. She vowed to do better, but she didn't know where to start.
She looked at Naruto and couldn't help but be confused of the blonde. When they started out in the Academy, the whiskered teen was a troublemaker, a prankster, and a dead-last in terms of grades and practical.
He changed, however, into a studious and serious student who she observed to love to train himself to exhaustion. She realized that the changes in Naruto was because of his bloodline and not because he was a prodigy or a genius, unlike Sasuke, who hailed from the most prestigious clan in Konoha. She decided there and then that Naruto was just lucky to have a bloodline and nothing else.
It was unfortunate that she didn't realize that the Uchiha that she was pining on was famous of a bloodline as well.
Sai, on the other hand, was gathering his thoughts together while observing the so-called "Golden Wolf of Konoha" as Kakashi called him.
He could never deny the fact that they were saved because of Naruto's timely arrival and the power of his bloodline. Zabuza's killing intent and the battle they survive in was too much even for his ROOT training to handle. It was thanks to the Golden Wolf that they survived and the thought made him frown. This is the first time he heard of a bloodline that activates a physical transformation to something more powerful, more primal.
It interested him and he knew that it would interest his master as well.
He has been a part of Danzo's ROOT program since he was a child. Trained and educated to become a loyal shinobi. His useless emotions were removed from him – locked under an iron will and forgotten by the harsh conditioning and training he was forced to undergo.
A few years ago, his loyalty shifted back to Konoha when the Hokage discovered ROOT and judiciously took it out of his master's hands. True, they have sworn to follow the Hokage's orders, and by extension, Danzo. But for him, the real leader has always been the one-eyed warhawk.
He knew, deep inside, that he needed to report this to Danzo in the soonest possible time. He needed to write a message later when he finds the time to be alone away from his team.
The three Genins' musings was interrupted by a loud shout coming from their purple-haired commander.
"Alright gakis. I think we have rested enough so we are now going to Tazuna's house and regroup." She looked at Tazuna "Old man, how far is your house from here?"
"Around an hours walk that way." answered Tazuna while pointing due east.
Anko nodded. She turned to Team 7 and Naruto who was standing in attention, waiting for orders. "Ok Team 7, I want you to take a defensive formation around Tazuna. Naruto, I want you to carry cyclops since he is still out of it." Kakashi was about to protest when Anko beat him to it. "Shut up Kakashi. We all know that you can't stand up right now, much less walk, so be a good boy and let my apprentice carry you. Got it?" she added the last part with extra venom that promises untold pain if he says no.
In his helpless state, he was forced to agree with a nod. He yelped in surprise when he was yanked from the comfortable ground and put in a fireman's carry by Naruto. "Hey! Careful! Injured person here." whined Kakashi, not really that keen on being manhandled by a Genin, even if said Genin is a special case.
Naruto just rolled his eyes and decided to play a prank on the one-eyed Jounin. He tossed Kakashi upwards earning himself a startled scream which was music to his ears and immediately turned into his wolf form. He caught Kakashi's vest by the shoulder expertly with his jaws and swung him to his back.
Kakashi got a face-full of Naruto's fur. Thankfully, his facemask made sure that he didn't actually get to TASTE said fur. He shuddered at the thought. He twisted his head around to see Naruto looking back at him with a fang-filled grin on his face. He gave him an annoyed glare. "I…hate…you..." said Kakashi with as much hate and annoyance he could muster in his weakened state.
All he got was a wolfish laugh that came out in a series of yip, growls, and small howls.
Despite Kakashi's misgivings, he conceded that lying on Naruto's back was quite comfortable, especially with Naruto's natural body heat keeping his body warm despite the cold mist that is quite common in Wave Country. Heck, he even fell asleep so he couldn't really complain all that much but he wouldn't admit to it even under promise of pain.
Team Chimera and Team 7 arrived at Tazuna's house under an hour. Naruto shifted back to his human form 10 minutes before reaching the client's residence since Kakashi was already recovered enough to walk since his chakra levels were almost back to normal after a brief nap and the chakra pill that Naruto gave him.
Tazuna's knock was answered by a beautiful, dark-haired woman who gave him a relieved smile and immediately engulfed him in a tight hug.
"Tou-san. You're back." said woman with relief evident in her voice. She spotted the entourage from her father's shoulder and immediately removed herself from the embrace and addressed the group. "Hello. Who might you be?"
The straw hat wearing old man grinned. "Tsunami, my daughter, these are the powerful shinobis that promised to protect us from Gato while I finish the bridge. They saved me from being ambushed by the people that the tyrant hired." gushed Tazuna in a loud voice with an undertone that he was surrounded by super ninja's that could face anything. This made the group sweatdrop at the casual introduction despite the fact that they just arrived from a life-threatening battle.
Kakashi stepped forward and introduced everyone in the group. "My name is Hatake Kakashi and this is my team, Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai. My partner, Mitarashi Anko and her apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto. We are all from Konoha that accepted the mission from your old man."
After a short exchange of pleasantries, Tsunami ushered everyone into the living room and told them to make themselves at home while she went to the kitchen to fix them dinner since it was already nearing night time.
Not wasting any time, Kakashi called for a meeting to discuss their plans during their stay here.
"Alright everyone, Tazuna's house will be our base operation from now on. According to the new directives from Hokage-sama, Team 7 will continue to protect Tazuna while he is building the bridge. Team Chimera, on the other hand, will be investigating Gato and his band of mercenary and find a way to bring them down while acting as our back-up if things get dicey. It is quite possible that our mission will coincide since Gato's target is our client so a confrontation is inevitable." explained Kakashi.
"Not to mention that Zabuza and the unknown shinobi are still out there so we can be sure that they will be back." added Anko, reminding everyone the seriousness of the situation.
The Genin tensed a bit hearing that Zabuza was still alive since they thought that Anko finished him off before he was whisked away to who knows where by the unknown shinobi before Naruto could get to him.
"But…you guys defeated Zabuza. We saw Anko-sensei kill him with a single punch." said Sakura in a voice that almost sounded hysterical, unwilling to believe that the person that almost killed them was still alive.
Anko gave her a sour look. "He is not dead pinky. Naruto was about to finish him off but he was spirited away by an unknown, possibly his apprentice or a partner. So no, Zabuza is still alive and we all know that he will be back with a vengeance." This revelation shook up Team 7 though only pink-haired girl showed it. Anko turned to her apprentice. "Naruto, what was the state of Zabuza before he was carted off since you were near him at that time."
"Zabuza was unconscious when you knocked him towards that tree. From the angle of his arm, I say that you dislocated a shoulder and broke a bone somewhere, not to mention that you might have broken his jaw or something since I know how powerful your punch is when you enhance it with chakra." He winced slightly after remembering the pain he went through during one of their spars. He got himself under control and continued. "Considering how you guys were going at it and from the state of Kakashi-sensei, he should be suffering from chakra exhaustion as well." Naruto finished the explanation from how Zabuza looked before he was carted off.
Anko and Kakashi nodded at Naruto's explanation.
"Thank you Naruto. This will give us enough time to prepare. I would say that we have around 3 to 5 days tops before Zabuza gets back on his feet if he has access to a skilled medic. If we are lucky, we have a week. So from that grace period, Team 7 will be training in the forest outside until Zabuza returns. One of us will keep Tazuna company while he works on the bridge. We will come up with a schedule later for that depending on the result of the exercise I will be teaching you." mused Kakashi, getting a nod from his team. He turned to Anko. "What's you're plan Anko?"
The purple-haired Jounin scratched her chin while coming up with a plan. "Me and Naruto have our own mission to take care off and you're right that Tazuna is a rally point for Gato's group since he is a target. We will provide back-up only when needed. My plan involves Naruto watching Tazuna so you can concentrate on training your gakis, and if possible, help in finishing up the bridge to get the work done faster. I will scout the island for intel on Gato and find out where his base of operation is and find a way to bring him down. Considering that he has his own interest in Wave, I would say that he is just in the vicinity but well hidden. Your team will concentrate on training to get their skills up before the battle. What do you think, Kakashi?"
Kakashi nodded. Anko's plan would fit well with the training schedule he had in mind for his team. "It's a sound plan. I suggest we all rest up after we get something to eat."
It was at this time Tsunami came into the room and served them a steaming cup of tea which everyone gratefully accepted. "I didn't expect a lot of you to come so we only have 2 rooms available. I apologize. I guess you guys would have to squeeze yourself in by groups." said Tsunami in an apologetic tone.
Anko waved the concern away. "Give the room to Kakashi and Team 7. Me and Naruto will be camping out in the forest since we will be scouting the area." said the Snake Jounin, not really concerned with accommodations since she prefers to stay outdoors when on missions.
Naruto saw the apprehensive looks Tsunami was sporting from Anko's declaration.
"It's fine Tsunami-san. We won't be spending a lot of time in the house anyway since we will be combing the island for Gato. Besides, having only one team visible to everyone is a tactical advantage for us especially if Gato spying on the house right now. Me and Anko-sensei can protect you guys from the shadows while we do our investigation and kakashi-sensei and his team provide visible protection to draw the attention away from us. Everyone wins and all our sides covered." explained Naruto. His explanation got a nod approval from the Jounins.
Anko grinned with pride at Naruto's explanation. Her apprentice is turning out to be a tactician, not on the scale of the Nara strategist, but good enough when on the fly.
Tsunami gave a nod and told everyone to follow her to the kitchen so they can get something to eat before they rest up for the night.
After a hearty dinner, Anko and Naruto made their way to the forest and decided to set up camp in an area with a clear view of the house, as well as the path leading to it for added security.
Naruto immediately unsealed the tents and sleeping bags he brought with him while assigning clones to comb the surrounding forest for potential spies, determine the geography of the area, and scout around for potential threats.
Anko helped in putting up the tents and arranging their makeshift camp for easy use before deciding to get an early rest to be ready for tomorrow's game plan.
Naruto woke up the next morning, felling well rested. There was something about sleeping outdoors that made it very comfortable for him. A fleeting thought crossed his mind that it may be due to his wolf instincts that considered forests as their natural habitat.
He immediately dispelled the clones he left out last night to do recon and guard the camp along with the client's house, getting their memories in the process. Thankfully, nothing happened except for a few forest animals here and there that merited one of the clone's attention.
He exited his tent, intent on making breakfast. Since Anko wasn't a morning person, he was tasked to make food since his training back in Konoha. Anko was just too unreliable during mornings. He decided against eating cold rations and opted for a hot meal to start the day. He created a clone and told it to start making a fire and prepare the cooking items while he hunts for their meal.
He left Anko sleeping in her tent since he knew that she wasn't a morning person. He was durable but he thought that his bloodline would keep him alive from a very cranky Anko in the morning.
Despite Tsunami's offer to provide the meals for the group, Naruto decided to help her out by hunting game meat and maybe some herbs for her to cook. Considering the financial and economic state of Wave Country, his conscience wouldn't permit him just to mooch from their hosts hospital even if they were required to do so. Besides, the entire island's economy was already in the dirt as it is and having their host feed them for a week or two would drag them in the mud. He dashed to the forest and started to look for some game to last them for the day.
It was an hour later that he got back to camp with a clone carrying the fruit of the hunt. He was able to fell a dear while his clone was carrying a dozen fish from a river deep in the forest. He was lucky that he saw schools of them while he was hunting and quickly assigned a clone to catch some. He immediately went to work cleaning up the catch and prepare them for cooking.
It didn't take him long to skin the deer and clean up the fish. From the amount meat he brought back from a successful hunt, it should be enough to last them for 2 to 3 days if they ration it to last. He could hunt more in the following days if need be. He tasked the clone to cook some of the deer meat and fish while he grabbed the rest to deliver to Tsunami since she was in charge of the kitchen duties.
Hearing noise in the kitchen, he made a detour to the back of the house where the kitchen was located and knocked on door. There was a brief pause inside before the door opened slightly with Tsunami peeking out sportiong a worried look on her face. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Naruto.
"Good morning Uzumaki-san. You're up early." greeted Tsunami, opening the door fully to admit Naruto in.
Naruto gave her a brief nod and a smile before stepping into the house.
"Good morning Tsunami-san. Please call me Naruto. I'm not a big fan of honorifics." He lifted his package of deer meat and fish to a surprised Tsunami. "I woke up early this morning and decided to hunt. I got lucky that the forest behind your property is full of wildlife and there was a well-stocked river as well. I decided to give you the rest since I have a lot of leftover after making our own breakfast." He placed the foodstuff on the table and turned to see a shocked, yet gratefully Tsunami.
"Thank you Naruto. You didn't have to…" she stammered but was interrupted when a smiling Naruto raised his hand.
"I didn't have to but I wanted to. I know that Wave is having a crisis right now and money is hard to come by so please let me do this at least to keep your expenses at a minimum while we do our mission. So please, accept this gift." explained Naruto and giving her one of his true smiles.
Tsunami didn't say anything but gave the blonde shinobi a grateful nod. She took the package and placed it on the counter to be cooked later and prepared tea for her guest. They talked for a bit over tea until Kakashi came down and gave both of them a smile which was quite visible from his mask. He took to one of the chairs available and greeted both of them.
"Good morning Tsunami-san, Naruto." greeted Kakashi. Tsunami gave a nod while going back to the counter to fix the new arrival a fresh batch of tea since the one on the table was already cooling.
"Good morning Kakashi-sensei. Where's the rest of your team?" said Naruto who was calmly sipping his tea. He usually prefer coffee in the morning but he wasn't picky and wouldn't want to impose. He noted to include coffee on his basic shinobi supplies in the future just in case.
Kakashi gave Tsunami a nod when she placed a steaming mug of tea in front of him. She excused herself and left towards the kitchen counter to prepare the ingredients for breakfast. He turned to Naruto. "They're still asleep. I'm giving them some time off to sleep in since they will need the energy for training later."
The blonde werewolf nodded. "What training do you have in mind for Team 7?" asked a curious Naruto. He wanted to know the training methods of other Jounin senseis since his own from Anko was specialized because of his bloodline and abilities.
Kakashi thought for a bit before answering. "I plan on teaching them them Tree Walking since I haven't gotten them started on any chakra control exercise since I was focused on their teamwork." said Kakash in a tight voice. The exercise he will be teaching today should have been taught to them early but he decided against it since his Genins sucks at teamwork and they needed to work like a proper team before they can take missions out of the village.
Naruto was surprised at the revelation that Kakashi only now will he teach his team Tree Walking since it chakra control is considered a basic skill to learn for newly-graduated genins. He didn't bother to voice out his thoughts since who was he to comment.
"Anyway Naruto, what are your plans for today?" asked Kakashi before taking another sip of his tea while keeping an eye out on the backdoor of the kitchen just in case.
"I woke up early since me and Anko-sensei retired early last night after posting some Shadow Clone sentries around the perimeter. I just got back from hunting actually. It was a good haul - got a large buck and a dozen fish. I already started with breakfast since Anko-sensei is usually grumpy in the morning if there's no food around." He chuckled. "I gave the rest to Tsunami. It should be enough for two days then I'll hunt again to restock."
"Why did you hunt for food? Tsunami told us last night that she'll be providing our food supplies while we're here. Usually the client takes care of those things during missions." asked a confused Kakashi.
Naruto's expression turned grim. "I know but I could just leave it to them since they are already having problems because of Gato. You saw Wave when we went through the town yesterday and everyone was in poor condition. Heck, kids were begging for food while we were walking past them. I know that hiring us is already straining Tazuna's budget so I just want to help them out." he explained with a shrug.
The one-eyed Jounin nodded and clapped the blonde on the back. "You did good Naruto. Not many shinobis would think of a client's welfare during mission unless their mission tells them to." said Kakashi in a voice that approved of his actions. This got him a smile from Naruto.
They talked for a bit, sharing stories over tea until one of his clones dispelled informing him that Anko was up and the food was cooked. Naruto took his leave and made his way back to their camp to see Anko devouring a fish fresh from the fire.
Anko saw Naruto enter the camp and gave him a grin. "Good morning gaki. I see that you hunted and made food for us. Where did the rest of the meat go?" asked Anko when she noticed that Naruto only cooked a haunch which looked like deer and didn't see the rest of the meat in their make-shift camp.
Naruto shrugged and smiled a bit before sitting down on the other side of the fire and cut himself a slice of meat that was grilled over the wood to keep it warm. He took a bite and chewed, inwardly commenting that his clone did a good job in adding herbs to the meat to give it additional flavor. He decided to make a clone to comb the area for more herbs later. He swallowed then looked up to his sensei.
"I didn't want to impose too much on our client Anko-sensei." He frowned. "I noticed the town yesterday and it wasn't in very good condition. If the people are suffering under Gato then Tazuna's family aren't really that far off the mark so I decided to hunt for our food starting today and give them a portion so they won't have to spend much for our upkeep."
Anko nodded at her student's thoughtfulness and both proceeded to eat in silence until said Jounin told him of her plans for the day.
"Ok gaki. We will leave Team 7 with kakashi since they will be training for the day. We are going to scout the island first to find Gato, and if possible, find out where Zabuza is located. We need information before we can plan our next move. You will summon some wolves and I will do the same with my snakes. Tell them to scout the island, leave no stone untouched, and get as much information as you can. You will take Tazuna to the bridge and guard him. He said that it would take a week to finish so I want you to lend him your clones to get it done faster. The earlier it's done the more leverage we have on the mission." explained Anko while slicing a piece of meat from the spit.
Naruto chewed while a thoughtful frown adorned his face. "How many clones should I make, Anko-sensei?" asked Naruto since he didn't know anything about construction.
Anko shrugged. "I don't know. Ask Tazuna gaki since construction isn't my forte. We will start our mission when Tazuna leaves for the bridge. Understood?" Her apprentice nodded and both lapsed into silence again, concentrating on their meal.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone