Bab 5: Act I: Chapter 5
Hello everyone,
Found a little time to write on this. I find myself thinking about this story and where it can go. On another note, have you all looked into Naruto Lofi?? This shit is a fucking vibe homie. Anyway on to the chapter.
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"This is a valuable learning opportunity, Tazuna-san. Forgive us while we talk amongst ourselves for a moment." Gai said after Tazuna had explained his situation.
Wave had no change from canon. There was still a shipping tycoon named Gatō that had essentially taken the small island hostage. He ruled over it, in place of the Daimyō. His hired muscle dictated the law on the small island. He used it as a base for his shipping operations, and took advantage of the cheap labor. This place was a goldmine for him.
Apparently this had been going on for over a year and a half now. I wasn't sure if that was the same as canon or not. Regardless, he still killed Kaiza, and he was still behind wanting Tazuna dead.
The bridge was almost completed, surprisingly enough. Tazuna claimed that Gatō allowed it to near completion to further drive the hope out of the people of Wave. It was a cruel and arrogant move. One that I hoped to make him pay for.
My gut stirred. I was capable of doing something about such needless cruelty. Gatō was a bully, and the world would be a better place without him. He suppressed the people of Wave, and had a direct influence on many deaths.
I had already made up my mind when I stepped aside with my Team.
"What do we do?" Gai-sensei asked us. He looked between Sakura and I, patiently. He knew that Lee already had an answer.
"A part of me wants to help." Sakura said. "But the more logical side tells me that the Hokage will not agree with that. Konoha survives on the income produced by our missions. We shouldn't needlessly waste manpower on something we won't be compensated for." Sakura said.
I looked at my pink haired teammate. Her face was set in a somber, but serious look.
'This is not the Sakura of the anime.' I reminded myself as I looked her over.
This was a legit Genin of Konoha. And a fucking smart one at that. Not only was she book smart, but she understood the economics and politics of the ninja villages. I was massively impressed with her.
I couldn't help but glance over her body. Her triceps were way more defined than they had been two months ago at graduation. Truly, her whole body was, but that was the first thing I noticed. Sakura had done some growing up recently, it seemed.
Although I disagreed with her.
Gai looked at her with the same look I did. "That is surprisingly well thought out, Sakura." Gai said as he shot her one of his trademark smiles. "Naruto?"
I looked at him, and couldn't help but shake my head when I answered. "We continue the mission." I told him, seriously.
"Why?" Gai asked. His face was no longer in a smile. It was his intense face. Gai tended to stare at you, as someone who was picking you apart just by watching your mouth move.
I sighed. "It is the right thing to do. It is what the Hokage would do. The Will of Fire demands it."
Everything I had just said, I meant. The Will of Fire was a very unique thing. Something we had been taught from a very early age. Nobody had ever told me a definition of the phrase.
It was always a story. But one day Iruka had given us something that was as close to a definition as possible.
'"The Will of Fire is what causes your comrades to lay down their life for you, and you for them. The Will of Fire is pure passion and love, it burns inside your gut. It is different for every person. Some burn under its flames and never truly understand it. It's what will cause you to commit atrocities to protect the ones you love. That is as close as I've ever come to understanding it."'
I now knew that it could be broken down even simpler. The Will of Fire is the will to do what is right.
However there are tragedies that have stemmed from such an ideology. The most glaring would be Hatake Kakashi's father.
Hatake Sakumo, the Shame of Konoha.
A man that had single handedly saved an entire platoon of shinobi ...and also caused the Third Shinobi World War to happen. Who could blame a man who chose the lives of his comrades, over the mission? Fuck the consequences, we could deal with them later, my brothers and sisters are in danger. I would have done the same thing. Too bad it ended in tragedy.
There is no doubt that there have been more triumphs with the Will of Fire, than tragedies.
Senju Hashirama's will to take his own life, so that the Senju and Uchiha clans could live in peace. Senju Tobirama staring death in the face, while his squad retreated, and ultimately giving his life up so that they could survive and thrive in the world. Namikaze Minato giving his life up to seal the nine-tailed fox and stop it's destruction of Konoha, leaving behind a son.
All spectacular feats of pure will. The will to do whatever it takes to do the right thing.
Did this scenario compare to such feats? Absolutely not. But if I couldn't make the right decision on a small risk scenario, then how could I when my life was on the line?
"You're absolutely right, Naruto." Gai said.
I smiled, glad to be validated slightly.
"But there is a deeper reason." Gai added, and turned to Sakura. "The first being that there are around fifty ninja in the world capable of going toe to toe with your dear old sensei. The risk of failure is relatively low Sakura. Economically, Konoha will be compensated also. To put it bluntly, we will strongarm our way into Wave. We will receive our compensation, whether it be by taking it by force, or agreeing on a payment plan from the profits rendered from the bridge Tazuna plans to finish. Had you been a Jonin and chosen to return to Konoha, you would have been reprimanded Sakura. You are very smart, and you were on the right track with your thought process, you just don't have the experience to know that Konoha will get compensation in almost every scenario."
Sakura's face had transformed during Gai's explanation, from shock at being wrong, to disagreeing, to finally recognition.
I couldn't help but add something else in. "And we could create allies with Wave, for a long time. They would be grateful to us, and that could lead to many opportunities for the village." I said.
Gai nodded again. "Correct again, Naruto. Are we all satisfied with my decision?" Gai asked.
It was not a real question. The way Gai said 'my' decision made it seem like it was not up for discussion. And it truly wasn't, yet we all answered in him unison.
"Yes sensei."
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The next few days of walking took its toll on me.
I knew Zabuza was coming, and I saw him in every shadow. I was jumpier than usual, even when I knew I couldn't sense someone nearby. If Kakashi could suppress himself from my senses, then Zabuza should be able to also. They were near the same level in the anime, after all.
I felt Sakura approach my side, after I flinched slightly at something in the bushes to my right. A very common event.
"You alright?" She asked.
I looked into her green eyes and nodded. It wasn't like her to be so ...caring. She had warmed up to me, since we had been teamed together, but that didn't mean she was asking me things like 'you alright' often.
"Yea, just jumpy after the ambush." I answered truthfully. The best lies were embedded in truths after all.
"I'm surprised." She said with a giggle.
I couldn't help but frown at her. "Why?" I asked.
"You handled the ambush almost entirely by yourself." Sakura answered. "There is not much I would be afraid of after that."
I shook my head at her. "You could have stopped them." I told her confidently. "There are much bigger threats out there than those two."
"Yea I know, but the odds of them being on a C-rank are really low. And like Sensei said, there aren't too many ninja's capable of…"
It was at that moment, when Sakura challenged the world with her words, that Gai decided to prove her correct. All I perceived was a flash of silver, and then he was there.
Zabuza was very close to bisecting Sakura and I both.
Gai stood in front of us with a hand on the back side of the blade of the massive Kubikiribōchō. He shoved upwards, sending the blade off target. Zabuza allowed it, and used the momentum to throw a roundhouse kick at Gai.
My dearest sensei, the best sensei of all time, ducked the blow as if it was the easiest thing in the world and then his own leg was impacting the side of Zabuza's face.
Zabuza dissolved into a puddle of water, immediately.
As soon as I realized it was a water clone, I grabbed my chakra and sent it to my perception, as I was used to during my spars with Lee. The world slowed down significantly.
I glanced to see four more massive sword wielding Zabuza's closing in on our party. Lee leapt to engage one. I left him to it, because my senses were screaming at me to do something, and that there was a clone headed towards Tazuna.
I sped to it.
I lead with a kick, to distract the clone from killing Tazuna. I learned the error of my ways, quickly.
Zabuza let go of his massive blade for the few moments it took for us to engage. My kick was blocked nonchalantly by a forearm, and I retraced the leg as Zabuza's other hand wielded a curved knife that was heading towards the artery along the inside of my leg. Luckily it missed.
I didn't have time to continue my attack because he was sending a kick of his own at my head, that I did not have time to duck. All I could do was block.
It felt like I was hit by a fucking eighteen wheeler, a train. More accurately I tried to block a kick from an Elite Jonin, a man that led a coup for the title of Mizukage. A man that stood alongside Hoshigaki Kisame as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist.
I folded like a mop, and the world went black for a moment.
When the world righted itself again, I jumped back, determined to gain some distance from the water clone. It was obvious that I hadn't lost consciousness for more than half a second. I realized that if that was only a clone, I was way too deep in over my head with the fight, and I would be useless. I could barely feel my left arm after all and that was just a block from the superior ninja.
I quickly found out why I wasn't dead, and that was once again because of Gai intervening. He was smacking around, what was obviously the real Zabuza now. Smacking around wasn't really true, it was just obvious that he was getting more hits in during their advanced display of elite taijutsu.
They blurred for a moment, and I was left with the sight of Zabuza blocking a kick from Gai with the flat of Kubikiribōchō. He used the opportunity to gain distance.
A splash of water made me turn my head, and I saw Lee kicking through what used to be a water clone. He turned his attention to the real Zabuza, who decided that his little ambush was over.
"Might Gai." Zabuza's voice was raspy, and deep. It was the voice that almost sounded intentionally scary, or fake. I seriously doubted that, though.
"Momochi Zabuza, former Anbu Commander of the Village hidden in the Mist. How has life on the road treated you?" Gai said a little more jovial than I would have expected.
I personally didn't think treating ninjas willing to kill you on a moment's notice with niceties was the way to go, but then again, what do I know?
"Money rules all. And that fat meatsack of hope behind you is worth a hell of a lot." Zabuza replied evenly. "I did not expect to lose the Demon Brothers… they were loyal shinobi…"
And I did not expect to hear remorse in your voice Zabuza. What did you expect me to do? Let them poison and kill me?
"Loyal to the wrong man, apparently." Gai retorted, in a fit of cruelty.
"You know nothing about me, Green Beast. You should have spared their lives… I will repay you in full."
When Zabuza stopped talking, chakra and mist filled the area. There were no hand signs from him. One second, he was calm, the next his chakra, and mist, filled the area.
I had to remind myself not to get overwhelmed with the amount of chakra in the air around me, but it was hard.
I had always wondered how Zabuza had led a coup for the title of Mizukage while watching the anime. But now I knew that they didn't show how much of a monster he really is. His reserves were ...definitely Kage level. Or rather, they were on the level of the Sandaime. I did notice that they weren't nearly as refined as the legendary Sarutobi Hiruzen. But Zabuza's was just as massive.
No wonder Kakashi had so much trouble with him, despite being arguably more skilled. Kakashi always had a chakra problem. His Sharingan drained too much from him, undoubtedly.
Not only did the mist fill my vision, but it also rendered my chakra sense useless. I reached down and pulled out a single kunai, waiting for something to appear, or for a sound. For an elite jonin to make a sound when he didn't want to would be nothing short of a miracle for me.
How had I found myself in a fight with a Kage level ninja so early into my career? It's honestly bullshit.
"Boo."
'Clang!'
My heart wrenched inside my chest, and I turned to the sound as quickly as I could manage. A blue sandaled foot raced past my face. It was pushed off track by Gai's own foot.
And then they disappeared.
'Clang!'
'Thump.'
"Gah!"
A myriad of other sounds were the only things I was able to keep track of. I was literally at the mercy of my sensei's abilities. There was literally nothing I could do in the situation.
I am not the type of person to rely on anything if I had the choice. My current body and my previous had that in common. But I was just purely outclassed by the two shinobi fighting to the death.
A flash of chakra, that tasted like a rolling fire, smacked my senses. It was Gai, but it was ...intense. Like his normal chakra flow had been turned up to eleven without warning.
A wind swept through the clearing, raising the hair on my arms and tickling the peach fuzz along my face. The mist disappeared. I realized I had turned in the direction of my sensei without realizing it. It was hard to do anything in the mist. Was it also a type of genjutsu?
Gai glowed orangish-red, and his bowl-cut hair whipped around his body. He was putting off so much chakra it was fucking visible. It overwhelmed the mist, destroyed it, and consumed it. I felt Zabuza cancel the jutsu. Had he tried to keep it up, it would have run him dry faster than he could run away.
Gai disappeared.
It wasn't like his normal movement. Normally I could perceive the blur of him racing away. Especially considering I was enhancing my perception with chakra. But it was as if he stood there one second, and was gone the next.
Below him was Lee's body, unmoving. Zabuza had gotten to Lee, and pissed Gai off. Enough to unleash at least one of the Gates.
The sun was abnormally bright to my eyes, and I had to squint so that they could readjust. I barely noticed, because of how the fight had jumped up a notch. What I really meant was that my sensei was currently embarrassing Zabuza.
I couldn't see their limbs moving. All I could keep up with was the strikes, as they lingered on each other's bodies. Gai was landing every third punch and kick.
Zabuza raced backwards, trying to gain distance from my sensei. Gai pursued, not letting up. If Zabuza could start firing off ninjutsu, then he could stall Gai out, until the gates wore down his body. Gai did not allow that to happen.
I raced towards Lee's downed body. I didn't see any blood on the ground, which was a good thing. When I got to him, I kept my eyes up, keeping track of where Gai and Zabuza tussled. They disappeared, and I shook my head.
"Fuck it. I can't do anything to help anyway." I said out loud as I kneeled down to Lee's body. My fingers went to his neck, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt a pulse. My hand moved to his nose. He was breathing also.
"He hit him really hard in the head…"
I was in the process of throwing the kunai in my hand to the voice. I stopped myself when I realized it was my pink haired teammate. She flinched when she saw my arm begin to move.
"Hopefully he is just knocked out. Do you know any medical ninjutsu?" I asked, curious. Hopefully this Sakura had gotten a head start on her path in life.
She shook her head negatively. Well, why would I expect any different? This world was intent on making sure I was wrong about every assumption. Maybe I should just stop assuming and try not to expect anything.
"Hah!"
Gai's voice made me turn to the fight, worried that he had been injured by some sneak attack. But no, that was a grunt of exertion from kicking Zabuza so hard in the chest that he flew back twenty feet and hit the tree behind him. The mans sternum had to be caved in. I refused to believe anyone alive could withstand a full kick from Gai. Not after this display of strength from him.
Gai did not think that was enough though, and he immediately drew a kunai in his right hand. I saw his legs about to pounce to close the distance and finish Zabuza off.
Just like the anime, three senbon needles flew through the air and hit Zabuza in the neck. He folded like a mop, but miraculously fell in a way that didn't cause the needles to puncture any further into his body.
Gai stopped in his tracks.
A flash of foreign chakra, and Haku appeared.
He was dressed in his normal hunter-nin gear. The kimono seemed a little too pressed though. It did not look like a ninja that hunted missing ninja. It looked like a ninja that did not get into a lot of fights. I wasn't sure if that was because Zabuza protected him, or if he was just that good.
"Thank you."
Wow, Haku's voice even sounded like a girls. My eyes narrowed, was I even sure that this was a guy? I wouldn't put it past this world to change that fact.
"I have been hunting Zabuza for a long time. I will dispose of the body shortly. Kirigakure thanks you."
Haku turned to grab Zabuza. Her arms were about to hook underneath his armpits.
Despite how I adored Zabuza and Haku in my previous life. Despite the fact that I knew Haku was a persecuted person strictly on the basis of his/her bloodline. Despite the fact that I could have convinced them that Gatou wouldn't pay them in the end and save their lives. I didn't.
I couldn't help myself from calling out. "Her chakra lies." I told my sensei.
Haku locked up for the slightest of seconds. But Gai noticed the subtle body language. Haku was already so close to grabbing Zabuza and fleeing. But Gai was just too fast. Haku's chakra flared a little too late, forming it into a jutsu.
I turned away, not willing to watch. Perhaps I should have, because the sound of Gai's foot snapping Haku's neck was ...gut wrenching and probably worse than watching.
I stared at Lee on the ground, knowing that I shouldn't have felt guilty about Haku's death. But I did. Not only did I feel guilty, but I felt shame also.
What more could I have done?
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I flexed my chakra, and without a hand sign, produced an exact copy of myself. His face mirrored mine. It was not my happy face, let's put it that way.
"I'll carry him, sensei." I told Gai, as my clone moved forward. "It won't put a strain on any of us."
"Thank you Naruto." Gai said. His face was also abnormally serious, and ...remorseful. His eyes flickered to the dead forms on the ground. He reached into his jacket and produced two scrolls that I identified quickly as storage scrolls, specifically for dead bodies.
I was beginning to like the storage aspect of fuinjutsu more and more. Although I still have yet to produce an idea for battle. Well that wouldn't be true. I had plenty of ideas but I didn't have the knowledge to create or test what I wanted.
Although I was almost certain I wanted to specialize in storage. Perhaps even chakra storage. I had crazy ideas in that field. And I knew it could be done because ...well because of Jinchuriki.
"I'll do that too." I offered as I extended a hand to him. My reasoning was simple. I didn't want to think about what just happened. I didn't want to ponder the deaths of Zabuza and Haku so early in the mission. I didn't want to think about how I might have just fucked us.
And I also wanted to look at Kubikiribōchō, perhaps even take it. No, no perhaps. I wanted that sword.
"This is something we should be familiar with." I said, to enhance the probability of Gai allowing me to seal the bodies.
He nodded, and handed the scrolls over to me. "Sakura." I called out as I accepted them.
"Coming." She tried to say, but whispered instead.
There was a different atmosphere as to what happened than any other fight. We seemed to know that the stakes were completely different. All of us had almost died in the hands of Zabuza. He was so ...powerful, strong, fast. I was an impressive genin, but he was an impressive jonin. Had I been on any other team besides Gai's or Kakashi's and I was sure it would have turned out differently. Asuma ...maybe. Kurenai ...hell no.
And Lee was still unconscious, with what was most likely a severe concussion. Not to mention his broken femur and left arm. He would live, and Gai had already set the arm and leg. He would just need to heal now. Which would have to happen on the mission, as we were not turning around.
I had a long way to go to even reach jonin, let alone S-rank.
I realized I was standing before Zabuza and Haku's body. Zabuza's scarlet red blood was only now drying from the cut that ran across his neck. Haku's neck was …
I unfurled the scroll, and pointed to a spot on it. "You want to send your chakra here to activate it. After that, you must guide it to the bodies. It's easiest if you're touching them." I told her while I did as I told her.
Haku's body disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"But you don't have to be touching them." I said as I stood up and unrolled the other scroll and reached out with my chakra.
Zabuza's body disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but the sword remained. There was a storage scroll in my kunai pocket that had nothing in it. Maybe I had expected this outcome. Maybe I wanted it.
Zabuza's sword disappeared a half second later than his body, but it went into the storage scroll in my pocket, as opposed to the body scroll. I did my best to play it off.
When I turned around, Gai stared at me with an intense look. I had been found out. Of course, I hadn't been that sneaky either. If I really wanted to I could just take it out of the body scroll later and seal it when nobody was around.
I reached into my kunai pocket to retrieve it for him. There was no point in playing it off. Ninja's of his caliber were just too damn perceptive.
Gai held a hand out to me, and shook his head.
My spirits lifted. He was letting me keep it? When it was his reward. His kill. He should have first dibs for sure.
Wow I had a fucking awesome sensei.
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When we arrived at Tazuna's home, I met Inari and Tsunami. I exchanged pleasantries, and I endured Inari's tirade about how we were all dead sooner or later.
I didn't have the energy or motivation to correct the little brat. I just stared at him, with a look that I normally reserved for my enemies.
We went to bed that night, without talking much amongst ourselves. Lee still hadn't woken up. I barely even slept. I kept thinking about what would happen on the mission now that it was royally fucked.
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A/N: Boom!
Man I know it's been a while, but I have no excuses.
We got a lesson for Sakura and Naruto about how to make decisions on the job. Sakura learned that Konoha will get compensation one way or the other. Another lesson was learned, and that was how outclassed Naruto is currently. He still has a really really long way to go to the top.
Zabuza was a monster, but we all know how Gai is the real monster. The fight didn't go how I planned. I expected the plot to continue, and then for Lee and Naruto to face off against Haku in the final battle of the arc, but that didn't happen. Naruto intervened and Gai ...well he was brutal and ruthless.
Zabuza and Haku are both dead. What did we think? Was the deviation that far from Canon? What impacts will it have?
Will Naruto wield Kubikiribōchō?
Let's talk in the reviews!
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