Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Irony of it All ❯ We Never Give Up! ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: We never give up!

 

“When do you think we're get there?” Sakura asked quietly.

“I donno.” Rayne answered from where she lay. Her head lay on the edge of the boat, trying to keep away the massive headache that she has.

“What's wrong Ray-nee-chan?” Naruto asked, seeing how Rayne was a little paler than usual.

“It's nothing, Naru-kun.” Rayne replied.

“Hn. More like seasick to me,” Sasuke said from her side. He had his arms crossed but now they're on his knee and he was looking at her.

“What cockatoo?” Rayne asked

“You look sick.” Sakura said, talking for Sasuke and from observing the other girl.

“I'm fine. So can all of you just leave me alone?” Rayne asked irritably. “I hate attention…” She mutters to herself, but of course, someone heard.

“Oh you do, do you?” Sasuke said softly to her. Rayne lifted her head and faced Sasuke.

“Yeah,” She replied. “What's it to you?”

“Nothing.” Sasuke answered. Rayne's eyebrow raised in confusion but dismiss the though.

“The fog is so thick, I can't even see anything,” Sakura commented quietly. Everyone looked around and found that it was true. The only things they could see were their team members, Tazuna and his friend who was rowing the boat.

“If we pass beyond the bridge we should be at the Land of Waves,” Tazuna's friend announces. All of the four genin looked up as a shadow loomed over head. A huge bridge that didn't seem completely finished rose many yards above.

“That's one big bridge,” Rayne whisper causing Sasuke to take a quick side-glance at her.

“IT'S HUGE!” Naruto suddenly yelled out.

“Hey be quiet! This mist is our cover! Why do you think I'm rowing and not using the engine?!” Tazuna's friend yelled at Naruto. Naruto slaps his hand over his mouth. Rayne sweatdrop.

“Like that's gonna help now…” she thought.

“Tazuna, before we reached the country there is something I must ask you.” Everyone turn their attention to Kakashi as he spoke.

“You must tell me the reason those ninja were after you, otherwise this mission will be called off the moment we reached the shore,” Kakashi said/explained. Everyone watched Tazuna intently as he spoke.

"Then I guess, I must tell you. No, I want to tell you," Tazuna sighed and continued. "A very powerful man is after my life. You may have heard of him; Marine transportation Gatoh.

"Gatoh? The very Gatoh from the Gatoh Company?" Kakashi asked, visible eye wide.

"Isn't he like, a billionaire?" Rayne asked, having heard of this man.

"Huh? Who?" Naruto asked clueless.

"He's the president of a marine transportation company, or so you think. Really, Gatoh uses gangs and ninjas to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also takes over other companies and countries. A year ago he came to the Land of Waves. He came using wealth and violence as a shield. He quickly took over the county's sea traffic and transportation." Tazuna pauses for a moment but continued.

"On an island like the Country of the Wave, controlling the sea means ruling over wealth, politics and the people of the island. But the one thing that Gatoh fears is the completion of the bridge that has been under construction for quite some time now," Tazuna looked up at the bridge.

"Sooooo, the bridge builder, you, became an obstacle in his way," Rayne realized slowly, looking at Tazuna.

"So those ninjas we faced were sent by Gatoh," Sasuke said looking at you, Naruto and Sakura. Naruto just sat there clueless scratching at his headband and Sakura nodded in understanding.

"But I don't quite understand. He's a very powerful man that uses ninjas, so why would you hide that information from us when you asked for the mission?" Kakashi asked. Tazuna looked down. "The Country of the Wave is a very poor country, even the lord has little money, so the people don't have much money either. We don't have the money to pay for an expensive B or higher ranked mission. If you quit the mission after we land, I'll be killed almost immediately," Tazuna looked away. "Of course it won't be your fault. Well, my eight-year-old grandson will cry and grow up with no grandfather. Oh, and my daughter will hold a grudge against Konoha for the rest of her lonely life, but there will be no need to blame yourselves." Tazuna finished, turning his head but watching your group from the corner of his eyes.

Rayne's eye twitched slightly. “This old geezer is trying to guilt trip us!”

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well....I guess we have no choice, we will continue to escort you." Rayne sweatdropped. “How could he fall for that!?”

"That's sounds wonderful," Tazuna said, grinning and holding back a snicker.

"We're just about there," Tazuna's friend suddenly interrupted. A minute or two later the boat rolled up to shore and everyone all piled out of the boat. Tazuna came out of the boat first and looked at his friend.

"This is as far as I can go," Tazuna's friend said. Tazuna nodded.

"I understand. Thank you for taking such a big risk." His friend nodded and rowed off. Tazuna turned and faced the team,

"Okay, take me home safely."

Rayne watched her feet as the group walked. She and Naruto stood side by side, leading the group. Sasuke and Sakura walked behind them and Kakashi and Tazuna walked in the back. Rayne sighed, tired of traveling by this point. Sasuke glanced at her upon hearing her sigh. She looked up, hoping to see Tazuna's house soon. Kakashi had other thoughts on his mind however.

“If they attack again they will send jounin ninjas instead of Chuunins.”
There was another minute of silence before Rayne sensed movement. Rayne looked to her right as Sasuke walked past her and Naruto, hands in his pockets. She rolled her eyes and slowed her pace, sensing Naruto's anger rise. Naruto glared at Sasuke before picking up his feet and running forward, past Sasuke. He suddenly stopped, peering around.

"Over there!" Naruto suddenly yelled and threw a kunai into some bushes. Everyone jumped back startled. Naruto waited a moment then stood tall, playing it cool and putting his hands behind his head.

"Oh,it was just a mouse."

"You idiot! There was nothing there!" Sakura yelled as Tazuna shook from behind Rayne.

"Naruto! Don't use weapons so carelessly! They're dangerous!" Kakashi scolded.

"Hey you little dwarf! Don't scare me like that!" Tazuna yelled.

"Wait, wait, I sense someone!" Naruto said looking left and right.

"There! Someone's following us!" Naruto threw another kunai into some bushes on everyone's left. Sakura walked up to Naruto and punched him hard on the head.

"Bakka! I told you to knock it off!"
Rayne narrowed her eyes and walked over to the bushes with Kakashi following close behind her.

"But Sakura-chan, I really did sense something," Naruto whined, nursing the newly formed bump on his head.

"Yeah right!" Sakura yelled, crossing her arms. Rayne pulled apart some bushes and revealed a white rabbit with a kunai just above it's head, stuck into a tree trunk. Wordlessly, she picked up the frightened rabbit and stroked its head.

"Naruto! Look what you've done!" Sakura yelled at Naruto as she looked over to Rayne and the rabbit. Naruto gasped and ran over to her. He snatched the rabbit from her arms and cuddled it.

"Oh I'm so sorry Mr.Rabbit!" Rayne looked at the rabbit curiously.

"Naruto, you were right. Something was following us. It was a vicious and life-taking bunny." Rayne said with sarcasm in her voice. “A white rabbit, in the summer?” Rayne thought. Suddenly, Kakashi's eyes widened and he looked to the group.

"Duck!" Everyone turned his or her head to look as a long sword comes flying at us, turning in the air. Everyone else but Rayne ducked after hearing the word. Rayne saw the sword and threw herself back, instead, and the sword barely missed her, cutting the tip of her hair and fell back on top her back. As everyone heard a 'clunk', they realized the metal object was now stuck in something. Instinctively Rayne jumped up and got in a battle stance. Everyone looked at the tree in front of them. A huge sword was stuck in a tree with a man standing on it. The man wore pants past his waist and a strap across his shoulder. He had bandages covering most of his face and he wore cow-skin leg warmers that seemed part if his ninja sandals. Kakashi walked past the team and closer to the tree.

"My my, if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, the exiled ninja of the Land of Waves." Naruto ran forward but Kakashi put his hand out and stopped him.

"No Naruto. This man is in a totally different league. Everyone stay back." It was quiet for a moment as the man named Zabuza and Kakashi stared at each other. Finally, Kakashi spoke,

"Well, if it's him we must face, I just might have to use this." Kakashi grabbed his headband and started to remove it from his left eye.

"So you are Kakashi the Sharingan user," the man named Zabuza said. Rayne heard a gasp from Sasuke. Her eyebrows furrowed.

“What's sharingan?” Rayne wonder to herself. She looked at Sasuke who seemed to be thinking a million questions at once. Zabuza looked past Kakashi to the team and Tazuna.

"I'm going to need you to hand over the geezer."

"Everyone, swastika formation!" Kakashi directed at everyone, "Do not join the battle, protect Tazuna." None of them moved but watched as Kakashi lifted his headband revealing a scarred eye. He opened his eye to reveal a red one with three black commas, the Sharingan.

“Hey… didn't that pale guy with yellow eyes say I had the Sharingan too a couple of days ago?” Rayne thought to herself furrowing her eyebrow.

“I am honored that I finally get to fight the Sharingan user I've heard so much about," Zabuza said from his spot up the tree.

"You guys keep saying 'Sharingan' 'Sharingan', what is it?!" Naruto asked. Sasuke started explaining after a moment.

"Sharingan...the eye creates it and it is the power that the pupils generate. Those who use doujutsu are said to have eye powers that can see through all genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu and cancel their affects. Sharingan is one of the various types of eyes that those doujutsu users possess, but that's not the only ability the Sharingan possesses," Sasuke explained, not taking his eyes off of Kakashi.

"You're quite right, but you only scratched the surface," Zabuza said facing your group. "The frightening part of the Sharingan is that it can understand how an opponent's technique works and copy it." The sunny clear sky started to turn into fog all around you.

"When I was in the Hidden Village of the Mist's assissination squad, your information was listed in the bingo book I carried asking for your capture," Zabuza said to Kakashi, "The man known as the ninja who had copied over 1000 techniques, Kakashi the Copy Ninja." Everyone looked at Kakashi incredulously.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed.

“I don't get it, Sharingan is a special trait that only appears in limited amount of people of the Uchiha clan....” Sasuke thought watching Kakashi closely.

“Can't anyone learn it? Or is it a bloodline trait? And how do you know so much about it?” Rayne asked quietly to Sasuke. Sasuke shook his head.

“No… only limited amount of people of the Uchiha clan…” He whispered back.

“But… then how did I get it?! I'm not part of the Uchiha clan…” Rayne thought then looked back at Kakashi, “But then how did Kakashi get it in only one eye…? Uchiha… are Sasuke and Kakashi related?!”

"Enough with the chit chat. I've come to kill the old man and I plan to do it fast," Zabuza said pulling his sword out of the tree. The four genins circled Tazuna immediately. Sasuke was in the front, Rayne guarded Tazuna on the right with Sakura on the left, leaving Naruto to guard the back. Kakashi stood protectivly in front of the group.

"Well Kakashi, it seems I'll have to eliminate you first," Zabuza said and stood on the lake in front of Kakashi.

"He's standing on the water!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Nice observation Captain Obvious," Rayne said, sarcasm dripping from your lips. She could sense Sakura scowl. Zabuza formed one handsign with his right hand and raised his right arm straight up. Water started to circle around him like a sandstorm made of water.

“He's embedding his chakra into the water.” Observed Kakashi. The water continued to swirl around Zabuza,

"Mist Concealment." The fog thickened. Rayne brought your hand up your face and gasped when she could hardly see it.

"Sensei, who was he?" She heard Sakura ask quietly.

"His name is Momochi Zabuza. He use to be part of the Hidden Village of the Mist's ANBU and was greatly known as the ninja of 'silent killing' techniques," Kakashi responded.

"Silent?" Naruto questioned.

"It's a killing technique that's executed in a flash and completely silent. You will die and never realized what happened. Facing him I cannot use the full power of my Sharingan so I advise, do not let your guard down," Kakashi informed. "And if we fail all we'll lose is our lives."

"Wow sensei that makes us feel a lot better!" Rayne thought, eye twitching.

"The mist is getting more dense!" Naruto noted. By this point the mist had enveloped everything, became unable to see their own legs. Rayne's fingers frantically searched for the weapon pouch as her shifted to the side a little. She felt her arm brush against someone...Sasuke. A light rush of relief swept over her. Zabuza's voice rang all around,

"Eight points." Sakura shook slightly,

"Wh-what?"

"Larynx, spind, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney and heart. Which vital area would you like to get struck at?" Zabuza voice rang through the clearing. Rayne bit her lip in apprehension, fingers starting to sweat slightly. All of a sudden a huge ball of chakra appeared in front of everone and swept over the group. Rayne's eyes widened.

“Is that Kakashi-sensei's chakra? It's extremely powerful!” Sasuke started to shake and his breathing was broken in gasps.

“That's an intense thirst for blood! One move will be detected and I'll be killed! In the athmosphere, I can feel it. If I stay here, I lose my mind! The murderous lust of two jounins clashing. It almost wants to make you....” The kunai Sasuke was holding began to shake. Sasuke's trembling hand brought it up and pointed the kunai at himself. Rayne moved her left hand and took hold of Sasuke's arm.

“It'll be okay, we're the best in the academy, we fought the chunins and survived and Kakashi-sensei's here.” She whispered straining her head to face Sasuke.

"Sasuke! Rayne!" Sasuke and her looked up.

"Don't worry. I will protect all of you with my life. I won't let anyone on my team die," Kakashi turned and smiled. Rayne them moved her hand to his shoulder. She felt him calm down and took her hand. He squeezes it and let go, both of them regaining position like nothing happened.

"I'm not so sure about that," Everyone heard Zabuza speak. In a flash they sensed his chakra right behind them. Rayne turned around but she were too late, he was in-between their team and Tazuna.

"This is the end!" Zabuza swung his sword. All of you scattered and Kakashi ran in the path of the sword. Kakashi had a kunai stuck in Zabuza's stomach, but only water leaked out. Rayne's eyes widen.

“A water clone!” She looked and saw the real Zabuza behind Kakashi.

"Sensei, behind you!" Naruto warned. Kakashi turned around as the clone turned into a puddle. Kakashi turned around as Zabuza's sword slammed right into him.

"Sensei!" Sakura yelled out. Rayne held her breath as Kakashi turned into a water puddle.

“So he copied my water clone technique...?” Zabuza smirked slightly. Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza with a kunai to his neck,

"Don't move. This is the end."

"It's over," Kakashi said, a kunai to Zabuza's neck. Naruto and Sakura smiled. Zabuza started laughing,

"You think so eh?" Sasuke and Rayne narrowed their eyes.

"I don't think you understand Kakashi, you cannot defeat me with your cheap imitations," Zabuza chuckled, "But I must say, you copied my Water Clone Jutsu quite quickly."

Kakashi smiled. "I will protect all of you with my life."

“So by the time he had said that, he had cloned already...” Zabuza thought.

"You hid in the mist and watched as your clone distracted me," Zabuza continued. "But, like I said, you cannot defeat me with cheap imitations." Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi as the Zabuza in front of him turned into water.

“Another clone!?” Kaakshi thought. Zabuza swung his massive sword but Kakashi ducked causing the sword's blade to get stuck in the ground. Zabuza swiftly switched hands on the handle and kicked Kakashi sending him flying into the river. Rayne looked at Zabuza, eyes quivering.

“One kick and he blasted Kakashi yards away!” She thought. Zabuza pulled up his sword and ran towards Kakashi. He haulted to a stop when he got near the shore of the river.

“Makibishi spikes!? Does he really think that can work on me?” Zabuza did a backflip. It was incredible to Rayne how much Zabuza could do WHILE holding that big ass sword. With a big splash, he landed in the water.

"His taijutsu is powerful too," Sasuke said from somewhere on her right, now that they got out of position and stood in a straight line. Sakura and Naruto in the back in front of Tazuna while Sasuke and Rayne in the front. They saw their sensei's silver haired head bob to the surface.

“What's with this water? It's dense, not normal...” Kakashi observed as he moved is arms in the water. Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi,

"Fool. Water Prison no Jutsu!"

“Damn!” Kakashi turned around but it was too late. With a simple handseal, Zabuza formed a sphere of water that captured Kakashi.

“Retreating in the water was a huge mistake!” Kakashi realized as he pushed on the walls of the prison.

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable Kakashi? You might be in here a while, my prison is inescapable. It'll just be more painful if you move around and try anything. Now, we can finish things later," Zabuza turned to face the rest of you, his hand still sealing Kakashi with his jutsu. "But first, I'm gonna rid of these brats!" Zabuza made a handseal.

"Water Clone Jutsu!"

“Dammit! Not again!” All of the genins were alert in an instant. A water clone appeared and started to speak,

"You four wear those headbands like you're real ninjas, but you have no idea what being a real ninja means. A real ninja is someone who has faced so many brushes with death it doesn't even faze you. To put it bluntly, once you're good enough to be listed in my bingo book, then you may have the honor of calling yourself a ninja." Rayne scowled. Zabuza made another handseal and disappeared.

Naruto looked around frantically. “Where'd he go!?” All of a sudden Naruto was hit hard in the head and flew back. His headband came off and landed near Zabuza where he stood on it and rubbed it into the ground with his foot.

"All you are just brats!" Zabuza stated.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled. Rayne scowled. Angered, she decided it was time to do something. Rayne placed her hands in a hand sign and swiftly left the sides of her teamates and wondered to the edges of the forest. However, to the rest of the team Rayne left and came back. She was careful and tried to hide her chakra, running toward the water bank. While running there, she started to do hand signs but then stop for a moment.

“No! Do not fight him! Take Zabuza and run!" Kakashi yelled from his prison. "As long as he has me sealed inside this prison, he can't move! Clones can't stray to far from their original bodies!" Sasuke looked to Kakashi.

“Run away? What would be the point? Zabuza will just kill Kakashi and come after us anyway. Even if we use defense positions, they're useless against Zabuza. The only way we can survive is if we rescue Kakashi”

"There's nothing else to do but fight!" Sasuke yelled taking out shuriken and flinging them at Zabuza as he charged. Sasuke jumped up to dodge all the shuriken that had been deflected back at him. Sasuke held a kunai in his hand as he flew down at Zabuza.

"When will you learn, it's hopeless!" Zabuza said and caught Sasuke by the neck.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried. Sasuke struggled against his grasp and was thrown back next to Rayne. Rayne placed a hand on his shoulder helping him up. Naruto's body began to shake.

“H-he got Sasuke!” Naruto turned to Zabuza in fear, his whole bo dy shaking. Naruto's eyes quivered.

“This truely is a jounin, a real ninja!”

Rayne scowl and dashed toward Zabuza with a kunai in her hands, passing Naruto while he looked at her fearfully. Zabuza laughed as she came and dodged every one of her attacks. He then grabbed her neck.

“Ray-nee-chan!” Naruto shouted, wide eye.

“Rayne!” Sakura also shouted while Sasuke watched wide-eye. Zabuza squeezed her neck but she suddenly splash into water.

“What?!” Zabuza shouted, outrage.

“Mizu no Tatsumaki!” the clone and the real Zabuza watched as a spinning vortex came out of the water and hit the clone, making him disappear then went for the real Zabuza. He smirked and caught Rayne, who was inside the vortex. She gasp and Zabuza threw her back against the trees.

“Ack!” She shouted and blood came out of her mouth as she rammed into the trees and back to the ground. Another Zabuza clone appeared and loomed over Naruto.

“I-I have to get out of here! If I stick around, I-I'll surely be...be killed!” Naruto started to crawl away when he stopped dead. He stared at his bandaged hand.

Naruto swung the kunai into his hand to take out the poison. "I swear, from the wound in my left hand," blood dripped to the ground as Naruto spoke. "I'm never gonna need to be saved ever again! I'm never going to run away or be afraid!"

Naruto stared at his hand a moment more.

“And I will not lose to Sasuke-teme or Ray-nee-chan!” Naruto turned around and looked at his headband under Zabuza's foot. After attacking Rayne, he had walked back over and scuffed it into the ground again. Flashbacks came whizzing into Naruto's mind. Memories of battles with Iruka, missions with Kakashi, everything the team had to do to get where they were, all flooded to mind.

“I remember. I decided not to back down from anything, I promised myself that when...when I became a ninja!” Naruto stood up and charged at Zabuza.

"Naruto! Get back here!" Sakura yelled after him. In seconds Naruto came crashing back to the group. Rayne also joined them, walking over slowly.

"Naruto! What are you thinking!? Not even Sasuke or Rayne could do anything against him!?" Sakura lectured. Naruto shakily got to his knees clutching his headband.

“He went...for his headband?” Sakura thought amazed. Slowly Naruto stood up once more. Tying his headband to his forehead he spoke,

"Hey you, freak with no eyebrows. Put this in your Bingo book: the ninja that will some day become the greatest hokage of the Leaf Village," Naruto tightly secured his headband and looked up at Zabuza with a foxish grin. "Uzamaki Naruto!" Zabuza glared.

"Sasuke! Rayne! Listen to me for a sec," Naruto said.

"Yeah,what is it?" Rayne and Sasuke asked at the same time.

"I have a plan." Sasuke and Rayne smirked.

"So you're finally thinking about teamwork?" Sasuke asked. Naruto wiped the blood from his chin and smirked.

"Let's go wild!"

 

 

 

"Love is....a longing, in your chest....a need to protect and be with someone..precious to you."