Author note: First let me clarify why I haven't posted in so long, I had to deal with some family matters for the past few days, and only had a break now, I'll try to keep posting, key word, ;try' XD, jk, I'll write as frequent as I can, so long as I don't get side tracked, that's all~
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-Zabuza and Tayuya's side-
With Naruto's clone protecting Ken, Tayuya was free of controlling two of the Dokis, leaving only one other that was suppressing one of the enemy jonin level shinobi.
She placed the flute against her lips, and began playing a melody that slowly resounded across the battlefield.
Naruto's fingers tapped against his arm, even as a clone, his concern for Haku is not one bit less than the main body. And seeing his current expression, Zabuza became even more worried that something may have happened to Haku.
The opponent felt his mind drift, but repelled that feeling with his chakra, keeping his mind awake. However, Tayuya didn't stop playing the flute, and the feeling became stronger over time.
Had Tayuya needed to control all three Doki when she did this, the power would not be as great as it is now.
Zabuza took this chance to launch an attack at him, however, when he approached, he felt a piercing gaze from the pouch behind the man that caused him to freeze up once more.
He clenched his fists
"The same trick won't work on me again" He said in a low voice as mist began to cover them
With the mist covering them both, and Tayuya's flute playing, the man found himself in a difficult position, unable to attack nor defend. When the mist covered them, Zabuza felt the influence vanish for a moment, but he quickly realised that it wasn't going to last long.
His senses began to dull once more, but the thought of Haku being in danger caused his emotions to explode.
"This...won't...stop...me" He huffed as he stepped towards the man
The man was struggling to keep himself awake from Tayuya's genjutsu, and knew that if he fell into it, he would not come back out alive. Just from resisting it, he felt his bones itch, and his skin crawl, as if his mind was telling him that genjutsu is more than dangerous, it was unforgiving.
"Die" Zabuza appeared behind him, and raised his blade up, about to slash down.
*Bzzt*
Lightning struck down from above, causing Zabuza to jump back. The field of range was immense, and even Tayuya was forced to retreat, though she didn't stop playing the flute.
From above, the man who injured Haku landed, and picked up the bag that was being held by the other man.
"Retreat" He said as he held the bag tightly in his arms and ran
The rest of the foes quickly followed suit, and began escaping.
"Even if you escape, it won't be unscathed" Naruto gnashed his teeth and said
Naruto's blazing eyes focused on the man who jumped down as he gathered all the chakra the clone could muster without exhausting himself, and fired a beast bomb into the distance where they left.
*Boom*
It wasn't a mini beast bomb either, it was a full-sized beast bomb, as strong as he could use whilst sparing a tiny portion of his chakra, which caused a massive explosion in the distance. So powerful that a shockwave brushed past them.
In the distance, Naruto saw many figures drop, however, the leading person was still escaping at incredibly high speed. He clicked his tongue as he clenched his fists tightly.
"This isn't the end" He spat coldly
"Naruto, just what is happening, where's Haku" Zabuza ran over, still panicking
"I...I don't know" Naruto replied
"What do you mean you don't know!"
"I DON'T KNOW! I'm just a clone, the main body went to find him, I don't f**king know! Do you think you're the only one worried? Ever second that passed, I am stressing out!" Naruto shouted back, his breath was incredibly unstable, and blood was seeping from his palms.
Zabuza was taken aback, and seeing how worried Naruto looked, it somewhat calmed his own nerves.
"I....what do we do now then?"
Naruto glanced at Ken
"This mission is cancelled, this goes beyond a simple escort mission" Naruto spat coldly
Ken shuddered
"Th-This, I-I didn't expect this either!"
Naruto walked over
"Just what are you carrying to be attacked by these people" Naruto asked in a low voice
Ken opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak
"SPEAK!" Naruto grabbed his collar and yelled
Naruto's intimidating aura caused Ken to shake uncontrollably as he took out a small case that contained a pill.
"Th-This is medicine that I got my hands on, it is said to enhance the body, it was a priceless treasure, which was why I spent so much money on hiring the best guards I could" He replied nervously
"Enhance the body?" Naruto frowned
He grabbed Ken and dragged him to Tayuya and Zabuza.
"The main body gave me one mission, after this is over, bring you all back to the village, including this f**k and his son if he's alive" Naruto said
"M-My son! That's right, where's my son!" Ken shouted
"Shut up" Naruto said coldly
His son was quickly found by Naruto, and retrieved. But where he found the boy, he noticed a lot of blood, which made him worry even more.
He came back, and tossed the unconscious boy to Ken, who was relieved to see his son unharmed.
"We're heading back to the village" Naruto said
-Hokage's office-
Naruto (Main body) appeared in Tsunade's office, filling the entire room with the metallic smell of blood. When he appeared, Tsunade saw a desperate look on Naruto's face as he slumped towards.
"N-Nii-san, y-you can save him, right?" He said, his lips trembling and his hands shaking as he held the unconscious Haku in his arms.
Tsunade was shocked by his appearance here, and further taken aback by the severity of Haku's injuries.
"Lay him down" She said as she rushed over
Naruto placed him down on the couch, and Tsunade immediately began healing his injury to the best of her ability. Haku's face was extremely pale due to blood loss, so Tsunade didn't hesitate in going all out.
She remembered that desperate look on Naruto's face when he brought Haku in, and became even more firm.
"Leave the room" Tsunade spoke
"Wh-What?"
"You will only distract me, stay outside" Tsunade snapped as the diamond shaped symbol on her forehead began to spread across her face.
Naruto bit the bottom of his lips
"I trust you" He said bitterly as he walked out the room and closed the door.
'I'll need to burn a bit of my lifespan, but even so...' Tsunade thought as the green light in her hand intensified.
Outside, Naruto slumped against the door, as his eyes watered.
"It was y fault, I should have interfered right away, I should have helped him the moment he was surrounded" Naruto placed an arm over his eyes and let out a helpless sniffle.
*Whoosh*
A golden light flashed in, and Naruto's clone appeared with everyone else behind.
His clone immediately dragged Ken and his son aside, and the look of unease on his face didn't disappear even after he arrived. He may be a clone, but that doesn't mean he couldn't feel worry, and at the moment, he is just as stressed as the current Naruto.
Zabuza stepped over to him. He wanted to ask dozens of question, and understand Haku's situation, but...
Naruto's expression made it so none of those questions emerged. They all got stuck in his throat, and instead, he placed a hand on Naruto's head.
"He'll be alright...." He himself wasn't certain of those words, but he felt that Naruto needed to hear them, or he will break down.
[Kid, deep breath, deep breath!] Kurama urged, but his voice wasn't getting through to Naruto at all
Naruto's lips trembled
"I-I could have prevented all this" He muttered
Zabuza furrowed his brows
"Stop it" He spoke
The words like 'could', 'if' and such, these words only ever eat away at the person who says it. He firmly grabbed Naruto's shoulders and shook him.
"Naruto! You need to relax, worrying over this matter will not magically make Haku recover...so just take a deep breath, and wait" He said
"...sensei...I-I don't want to lose my family again" Naruto said weakly
"...." Zabuza sighed
He gently stroked Naruto's head
"You won't lose any" He replied
His response seemed to have calmed Naruto down a bit, allowing his breathing to become steady. As he was in the process of calming down however...
*Whoosh*
*Bang*
The door swung open, and a fist came down on him like a meteor. It smashed down, sending him crashing down onto the floor.
"I sent you out so you won't distract me, but I could still hear you from the inside" Tsunade was at the door with a furious expression.
Naruto looked up
"How's Haku-nii" He asked, ignoring the fact that she just struck his head
Tsunade let out a faint sigh
"He's fine, the injury itself was only scary because of the blood loss, so once I stopped the bleeding, he was already out of imminent danger" She replied
Naruto wobbled back
"Th-Thank goodness...." His hands trembled
The group couldn't help but be shocked by Naruto's response to Haku's injury. They had never seen him this distraught, and though Zabuza was also worried, he would not have broken down like Naruto had just now.
He didn't understand why Naruto reacted as extreme as he did, but Tsunade had a rough idea.
She had seen the killing intent emitted from him when he spoke of Danzo, meaning, he may react just as extreme towards those around him if he considers them his family. In a sense, Naruto is too soft, whilst also being extremely cold. He holds his family in so high of a regard that it's unnatural.
"Just wait at home, I will give you a notice when he wakes up" Tsunade added
"Y-Yeah..."
After Naruto left, Tsunade realised that Naruto's clone remained, along with their employer and his son. Immediately, she felt a headache coming her way as she invited them in.
Naruto who returned back with Zabuza and Tayuya still looked shaken.
"Naruto, Haku is alive, and you saved him, that's what matters" Zabuza said
Naruto turned to him
"Yeah" He bit the bottom of his lips as his fists clenched tightly
*Pa*
He gave himself a hard slap across the face as blood seeped down the side of his lips.
"Now that this matter is out of the way, I need to move onto the next" His pupils were slightly red, and anger seethed from his voice.
"I don't know who that f**ker is, but I'll be damned if I don't find him" Naruto muttered
Zabuza lifted a brow, a little surprised with how fast Naruto had recovered from the earlier emotions. Perhaps knowing Haku was fine finally brought him back to his senses.
"If you are wondering about that man, I do know who he is" Zabuza said
!!!!!!
Naruto shifted to Zabuza in stupor
"Y-You do!?"
"Mn, like me, he was a fellow Mist Swordsmen who ended up becoming a missing nin, though I don't know what he did after" He replied
"What's his name?" Naruto asked
"Raiga, Raiga Kurosuki" He replied
"Raiga...I'll remember it well" Naruto said coldly
Zabuza heaved out a faint sigh
"I'll go lay down...I'm rather shaken up about today's matter as well, and Naruto, don't mention things like 'what if' or 'could' ever again" He said sternly
Naruto lowered his head, he didn't want to admit it, but he was having a complete breakdown earlier, and he couldn't understand why himself. He knew that he cared for those he considered family, but...was it to this extent?
[Kid, I'll just say, the hatred you hold in your heart is always extreme, and likewise, I assume the same applies for your love] Kurama spoke
'Since when were you an expert in this?'
[Since I'm a fox fueld with hatred] Kurama snorted
[But the point is, your emotions are very extreme, on an every day basis, your emotions are always stable, never going beyond a certain threshold, but once matters involving your loved ones are in the picture, that threshold vanishes]
Naruto became solemn
"Then...what do I do?" He asked
[What you need to do....the hell if I know! Fix your damn attitude and maybe you'll be less of what you are now] Kurama rolled his eyes, he can only sense Naruto's emotional changes, but helping him in resolving that? Fat chance!
He had no idea where to start, how was he supposed to help!?
"Yeah, fair" Naruto stretched his arms
"But this isn't good, if I have a breakdown like this during battle, I'd be in some serious sh*t" Naruto sighed
-Next day-
Naruto and Zabuza were called to the hospital as Tsunade informed them that Haku had woken up. The two arrived immediately, with Naruto teleporting Zabuza with him.
"....maybe set your mark somewhere else instead of my office" Sakura's lips twitched when she saw Naruto appear with Zabuza
"Sure, but not now" Naruto replied as he ran out the door
"....can you tell him to put a mark elsewhere?" She asked Zabuza, only to realise he was long gone as well
"..."
The two of them arrived in the ward that Haku was in, and saw him laying on the bed with his eyes open. He shiftedhis head over, and when he saw Naruto, he revealed a faint smile.
"I guess your training paid off, I lived" He smiled
When he woke up, he realised that it was because he controlled his ice precisely that it allowed the last strike to miss his vitals, meaning, Naruto's training had saved his life.
Naruto walked up and sat down on a chair next to Haku, while Zabuza took a seat at the end of the bed.
"Nii-san...I'm going to make sure you need to crawl back to your room by the end of each training session" Naruto said calmly
"....where did this come from!?" Haku was stunned
"Aren't we supposed to have a heart to heart conversation at a time like this? I almost died, and that's how you start our first conversation after I wake up?" Haku asked, clearly very confused.
Naruto's eyes darkened
"I cried enough yesterday to give a damn, I realised that you aren't strong enough to protect yourself, so I need to make sure you have the strength to not die while I'm away" Naruto said
"....oh? You cried?" Haku smiled
Naruto shot his hand out and grabbed Haku by his cheeks, squeezing them as he shut his mouth.
"Nii-san, you better be prepared" Naruto said before letting go
He then stood up
"Rest well" He added before leaving the room
Haku tucked hi slips
"How cold" He muttered as he looked up at the ceiling
Zabuza chuckled
"You won't say that if you saw what he was like yesterday" Zabuza said
"Oh? What was he like yesterday? Did he cry a lot?" Haku grinned
Zabuza's eyes were soft as he let out a faint laughter
"Trust me, he's anything but cold towards you"
"Wow....dad, that sounds really g*y, is he g*y?" Haku asked
Zabuza rolled his eyes as he gave Haku a knock on his head
"Do you remember what he calls you now?" He asked
"What? He calls me what he usually does, he called me Hak-...ah!" Haku exclaimed in shock when he thought back.
Naruto didn't call him Haku-nii like he usually does, he called him nii-san without being asked to! He knew how much Naruto disliked calling him that, but for him to start calling him that so casually...
He rubbed his chin
"Could it be, almost dying actually worked in my favour?" He muttered
Zabuza knocked on his head again
"Think about us when you say that" He said in a low voice
Haku held his head, and felt the slight anger in Zabuza's voice
"S-Sorry..."
Zabuza let out a deep breath as he gently stroked Haku's head
"Haku...I'm glad you're alright" He said warmly
"....m-me too....I was scared" Haku said quietly
"Sleep well, I'll stay by your side until you wake up" He said
"mn..." Haku smiled and tucked himself deeper into the bed as he closed his eyes.
Although he just woke up, he still felt incredibly tired, and before he knew it, his heavy eyelids shut once more.
Naruto at this moment, bought a few desserts and snacks before returning to the hospital. In each hand was a basket, filled with different things.
"Back again?" Sakura asked as she leaned on one hand
"Yeah" Naruto placed a basket on the desk
"Give this to nii-san after he wakes up for me, sensei is in there with him right now, so I want to give them some alone time" Naruto said
"Alright, what about the other one?" She pointed at the other basket and asked
"I got other plans for this one" Naruto replied
"Sure, by the way, Ino left on another missin earlier, and wanted me to inform you" She added
"Thanks" Naruto smiled
"Of course, repay me with another training session which you don't ditch" She stuck out her tongue and said
Naruto chuckled
"Sure, on that note, how's it going with Sasuke" He asked
*Pfft*
Sakura covered her mouth as she chuckled, but...it seemed quite sinister.
"He's...being trained well" She giggled
"..."
'I kinda wanna ask, but my instincts tell me I shouldn't'
[Kid...I suggest you don't ask]
'Yeah, that's what I thought as well'
"That's good" Naruto revealed a bright fake smile before leaving the office, leaving Sakura smiling to herself.
"Hehehe, Sasuke's scared look is handsome as well" She licked the side of her lips and said
Still holding onto the second basket, Naruto teleported to the training ground. But it wasn't to go go to the training ground itself, rather, it was to go visit someone who lives nearby, and he didn't have a mark to their place.
He slowly made his way to the Hyuga clan compound, and knocked on the door.
The gate opened, and Naruto found himself facing Neji, who had blood covering his clothes, though it didn't look like his own blood.
"Naruto? Do you need something?"
"Kinda, I came to find Hinata, also, is that her blood on you?" Naruto asked as he pointed at his clothes
"I swear it's not what it looks like" Neji said quickly
"I understand, you finally couldn't put up with her terrifying methods, and put an end to her for good" Naruto nodded and said jokingly
Neji rolled his eyes
"I won't deny that her methods are terrifying though" He said as he opened the gate wider for Naruto to walk in.
Naruto walked in and followed Neji to the back yard where he trained with Hinata. To his surprise, there was far less blood stains around than he expected.
"It gets cleaned dialy" Neji knew what he was thinking and said
"...." Naruto's lips twitched, now, the few smudges around seemed quite a lot...
"Naruto-kun" When Naruto arrived, Hinata's expression brightened as she hopped over
Naruto maintained a short distance away from Hinata when she approached, but kept a polite smile.
"Sup" He said
Hinata didn't really feel disheartened by Naruto's actions, as he has always been incredibly blunt on this matter.
"I came to ask you for a favour" Naruto said
"Oh? What is it?" Hinata asked
"Nii-san was badly wounded recently, but received treatment from lady Tsunade so he's in the clear now, I wonder if it is possible for you to visit him every now and then since I won't be around often, I'm sure he'll appreciate the company aside from his dad" Naruto asked with a sincere look
Hinata frowned
"He was injured badly? How did it happen?" She asked
"A probem with the mission, you can ask him about it" Naruto said as he passed her the basket he was holding
"These are his favourite snacks, you can eat it with him while you two chat" Naruto added
"Is there anything else?" Hinata asked, a little disappointed that the favour had nothing to do with Naruto himself.
Naruto naturally understood the implications in her words, but he feigned ignorance and simply smiled as he shook his head.
"Not really, I just want nii-san to have someone to talk to while he's in the hospital" Naruto replied
"Alright" Hinata held the basket in her hand, she wasn't against visiting Haku anyway.
When she heard he was injured badly and needed Tsunade to treat him, she actually was quite worried, so it couldn't be considered a favour to visit him.
"He's asleep right now, if you can, visit him later today" Naruto added
"No problem" Hinata nodded
"Thanks" Naruto said, wearing a calm and sincere smile
Naruto turned to leave, but Hinata called out to him
"Naruto....w-would you care for some tea?" She asked
Naruto glanced back
"It may sound harsh, but you probably know the answer already" Naruto replied and continued walking
"Yeah..."
Neji kept glancing between the two as sweat poured down him like a waterfall.
'Naruto, you screwed me over, I won't even get to sleep at this rate, she'll keep fighting me until the sun rises tomorrow' Neji gulped
Naruto didn't know of Neji's plights, and left quickly. As Naruto left, Hinata's gaze remained on him until he left the compound.
'Naruto-kun....you may not know, but you've...' She clenched her fists
'I'll do my best to keep up with you'
After Naruto stepped out, he ran into a rather peculiar scene....
"Naruto, good to see you" Lee and Guy greeted him enthusiastically smile, but...they were carrying three bodies on their back...
"I have so many questions" Naruto muttered
"Well, we best be on our way then" Guy laughed as he ran off
"We'll see you another time then Naruto" Lee added and ran off after Guy
Naruto sighed, not sure how he should make sense of what he just saw.
"Perhaps I'm not the only crazy one in the village" He muttered to himself
He returned home, and glanced at the clone that he sent into the dream space who had yet to exit it. It has been quite a long time since the clone entered the dream space, and he had no way to check how it was doing unless he entered the space as well.
'Hopefully it can succeed quickly' Naruto thought to himself
Naruto went back to his room and laid down. After so long, he had yet to properly sleep, as he spent the whole day worrying about Haku's wellbeing. Now that he can relax, a wave of fatigue washed over him.
His eyelids felt heavy, and his eyes seemed dry even when he closed them. He was tired, much more than he had expected...
"I miss Ino already" He muttered as he drifted into a deep sleep
-Next day-
By the time Naruto woke up, he realised it was already noon, though the long sleep did help him feel refreshed. When he went to the kitchen, he saw Zabuza in the kitchen with Kimimaro, preparing breakfast.
"Feeling better?" Zabuza asked
"Much better" Naruto replied with a smile
As they began eating, a knock was heard from the door. Naruto walked over to open it, and was met with Guy, as well as the rest of team Guy.
"Uh...we don't have enough breakfast for this many people" Naruto said wryly
"Wahaha, as much as I'd love to eat, we are not here for breakfast" Guy laughed
"Okay? So what is it for then?" Naruto asked
"You see Naruto, my team have received a mission which is classified as B rank, and Hokage-sama has decided to have you join in" He replied
"...okay, what's the mission about, and can I say no?" Naruto asked
"It is to remove a local gang, and you cannot say no" Guy laughed
"Can I at least finish breakfast?" Naruto asked
"Of course, we can wait" Guy smiled
-Inside-
"You know, when you said you'd wait, I didn't think you'd wait inside while staring at me eating Naruto's lips twitched, as the four of them were sitting on the other side of the table, watching Naruto as he ate.
"You think I want to watch you eat?" Tenten tucked her lips and huffed
Neji glared at Naruto for some reason that he couldn't understand. Though, if he saw how yesterday's training with Hinata went, he'd understand why Neji was so resentful right now.
"Well, tell me about the mission while I eat I guess"
"You know the three guys we were carrying yesterday? Turns out, their town is being bothered by a local gang, and they were badly injured whilst escaping it to request our help" Lee replied
"Oh~"
"The gang is said to be ran by a powerful shinobi, which is why it was classified as B rank" He added
Naruto nodded
"Anything else?"
This time, Guy spoke
"Indeed, as you know, I won't be joining this mission, and the enemy is quite tricky" Guy said
"How so?"
"He is a missing nin from the mist village, a mist swordsman at that" He said
Naruto flinched at the mention of mist swordsmen, and looked up at Guy intently.
"His name is Raiga Kurosuki" He said
!!!!!!!
Naruto's pupils shrunk....
"Rai...ga?" He asked
"Yes, is something the matter?" Guy asked
At this very moment, Naruto was wearing a smile, one that sent shivers down their spine as they heard a faint giggle escape his lips.
"What a coincidence" Naruto chuckled coldly
"H-Heh...I'll be sure to complete this mission thoroughly" Naruto looked up to Guy and said with a sinister smile
"Naruto....your food is getting cold" Guy pointed at his food and said
!!!!!!!