Chapter 9: Chapter 8: The Namikaze's Plan
Chapter Eight: The Namikaze's Plan
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Everyone was sitting at breakfast, ready to start their day when Naruto noticed Tazuna eyeing him curiously.
"Is something wrong, Tazuna-san?" the whiskered Genin inquired, cocking his head to the side.
"It's nothing big, really…" Tazuna responded, looking a little absent-minded. "I was most likely just hallucinating…"
"Hallucinating about what?" Asuma asked, wondering if whatever was bugging the bridge builder had anything to do with the secret Naruto was keeping.
"I thought I saw an older looking Naruto walking around last night," the old man said, earning blank looks from everyone, save for Kakashi and Naruto.
"An older looking Naruto?" Sasuke deadpanned. 'This old drunkard has gone senile.'
"How much older?" Kakashi asked, feeling something drop into the pit of his stomach as the seeds of suspicion took root in his mind. He ignored the puzzled look he received from Asuma for encouraging the drunkard's tale.
"About as old as you," Tazuna said. "Give or take a few years."
"Is there anything else you noticed about him?" the Copy Nin pressed.
"He didn't have Naruto's whiskers," Tazuna commented. "And he was wearing a similar outfit as you and Asuma-san… except for a strange white cloak… but I was drunk so I'm not quite sure."
"Oh…" Kakashi stated, frowning. So it was all just a hallucination after all…. He couldn't put any merit in those words because Tazuna had been intoxicated. Nevertheless, his recollection was an alarmingly accurate description of the Yondaime Hokage. 'He's dead, Kakshi. Let him go,' he scolded himself.
~So it begins,~ Minato said, having used Tazuna as a tool in starting the mischief he had in store for his former student.
~I almost feel bad for the man,~ Kyuubi mused, knowing that both Minato and Naruto had mischievous streaks comparable to a kitsune's.
At a later time when the male Genin had gone to practice tree climbing and the females had accompanied Asuma and Tazuna to the bridge, Kakashi was trying to get his body back in working conditions by doing push ups.
"You shouldn't strain you body so much, Kakashi," a deep voice rang out from behind the Jounin. "Your body hasn't recovered from chakra exhaustion yet."
So caught up in his training, Kakashi didn't consciously realize whose voice it was.
"I'm fine," he grunted as he pushed himself off the ground despite his arms protesting the movement.
"That's just like you, Kakashi. Whenever something's bothering you, you bury yourself in work and training or wallow in pity in front of the Memory Stone. It's not healthy," the voice reprimanded him.
"Why do you care so much?" Kakashi snapped.
"You know why," was the enigmatic response.
"That's the thing… I don't know why, so why don't you humor me, sens –" Kakashi began, whirling around to confront his companion. "…ei…" he finished, noticing that there was no one there. He'd been talking to thin air.
Disconcerted, Kakashi stopped his push ups.
'Great. Now you're imagining him into existence,' he cursed himself. He could have sworn someone had been there. He'd even felt the chakra signature… 'Tazuna's story really screwed me up.'
Nearby, Naruto slipped out of Tazuna's house to return to the clearing where he and his father were training.
~Something tells me you're using this prank as something more than getting Kakashi into our fold,~ Kyuubi assessed.
~Might as well do it this way, right?~ Minato shrugged. As much as he wanted to help Naruto grow as strong as he was, he wanted to help teach Kakashi how to live again.
~Just don't go overboard, Tou-san. We don't need him going crazy,~ Naruto commented.
~Have a little faith in me, Naruto. I know what I'm doing,~ the former Hokage reassured his son.
~I know…~ Naruto remarked. ~Good idea, by the way, for placing a Genjutsu that made Kakashi a little less alert so that he wouldn't turn around too quickly and ruin everything.~
~Thanks, I didn't think I'd be able to pull it off as well if I didn't dull his senses,~ Minato admitted.
Another day passed and the shinobi had learned different things about Nami no Kuni and their host family.
They learned the country was truly suffering under Gatou's rule, solidifying their resolve to defeat Gatou and help the bridge come to fruition.
Not only that, but they learned of Kaiza and how his death had affected everyone. From this, Naruto began to understand Inari, lessening his irritation with the melancholy child. He had then proceeded to head back to his training spot, even more determined to save the country and prove to Inari that heroes really existed. Minato couldn't be prouder of the boy.
Without Naruto around to observe, Shikamaru had opted to be his normal lazy self and he was trying to get some sleep… except he couldn't thanks to Sakura and Ino's loud arguing as they fought over a stoic Sasuke. So he decided to just watch everybody until the two girls finally stopped.
'Kakashi-sensei doesn't look so good,' Shikamaru thought. He recalled seeing the man pale as he'd come to see how they were all doing with the tree climbing. Kakashi had been staring at the top of the tree right next to Naruto, as if something truly shocking was there, but when Shikamaru looked over, he could see nothing but thin air.
Later, when Naruto and Kakashi were playing shougi, Naruto had actually won but Kakashi had looked more shocked than he should have. It was surprising that Naruto had beat the Jounin, but Shikamaru didn't believe it should have earned that strong of a reaction, particularly from an emotionally stunted Jounin like Kakashi.
Something was going on with Kakashi and Shikamaru had a strong belief it had something to do with Naruto, but what?
As Kakashi got ready for bed, he thought back t the two odd occurrences he'd dealt with that day:
/Kakashi headed to the clearing where the Genin were working on the tree-climbing exercise. He noted that Shikamaru was making the most success of the four Genin with Chouji coming a quick second thanks to Shikamaru's help.
It looked like Naruto's small bit of advice had been enough to make the lazy Genin work to finish the exercise as quickly as he could so he could be done with the troublesome thing. Of course, he wasn't going to leave his best friend behind.
Sasuke was making good progress too, growing determined to finish the exercise as he saw two Genin he viewed to be beneath him succeed where he was failing. It looked like Kakashi didn't need to think much of the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke to motivate the brooding Uchiha… at least not for this particular mission.
Speaking of Naruto, Kakashi wondered how the boy was doing. He was proving to be a quick learner when it came to everything else he was learning but he also knew that chakra control happened to be Naruto's biggest problem.
But when he looked for Naruto, he didn't see him. Instead, he saw someone that nearly gave him a heart attack.
Perched on the very top of Naruto's tree was Namikaze Minato himself, gazing up into the sky with a pensive look on his face, something that brought up a lot of nostalgic emotions within the Cyclopean Jounin.
But when he blinked, Minato was gone and Naruto was working on his tree climbing, just a little less successful than Sasuke./
Not only that, but when he had been playing shougi with Naruto, he'd had another weird experience…
/Kakashi was waiting for Naruto to make a move while puzzling over the strange occurrences he'd faced in the last couple of days. He honestly was beginning to feel as if he was going out of his mind…
"I win," a very familiar voice spoke as a hand much too big to be Naruto's moved a piece to where he wanted it to be. Looking at the board, Kakashi saw that he had indeed lost the game before tracing the hand back to the owner and faltering when he saw Minato sitting there, looking very smug. Drawing back with a gasp, Kakashi rubbed his eye to make sure he wasn't imagining anything but when he looked back, Naruto was sitting there, looking confused and worried, maybe even a little hurt.
"Is it really that surprising that I won, Kakashi-sensei?" he asked, pouting.
Now on Minato, that pout was dangerous enough. On Naruto… it was downright lethal.
Kakashi was quick to relent. "It's not that, Naru-chan. I guess I'm really tired or something because my mind's been playing tricks around you. Congratulations on winning, but I think I'm going to go rest for now. Continue working on your Fuuton jutsus for now."
With that, Kakashi left, missing the sulky scowl that made its way on Naruto's face while he ignored the sound of his father's hysteric laughter at Naruto's expense.
"He called me Naru-chan…" Naruto grumbled. 'As if it wasn't bad enough that Tou-san calls me that…'/
'The first time is happenstance, the second time is coincidence, and the third…' Kakashi thought, eyes narrowing. '...Is conspiracy. I definitely need to talk to Naruto. He's definitely up to something…'
The next morning, Haku was heading to gather medicinal herbs for Zabuza when he came across the most interesting sight…
The blonde boy that Zabuza had wanted him to spy on was lying in the middle of a clearing completely asleep, surrounded by many red foxes that lay around him protectively, as if he was one of their own.
The boy was all scratched up, indicating just how hard he had been working. It was something Haku had noticed before. He couldn't help but admire the boy's drive.
He moved closer to the boy intending to rouse the boy from his slumber when the Jinchuuriki's blue eyes opened of their own accord.
He stared sleepily at the feminine man in front of him before smiling. This surprised Haku. The boy was a shinobi… so why was he being so friendly to a stranger who could have been aiming to harm him?
"You know this is the first time that you've actually come out and showed yourself to me," Naruto stated bluntly, shocking Haku.
"You knew I was watching you?" the ice user inquired, knowing that there was no point in denying it. The boy looked very certain of his accusation.
"You're very good at hiding yourself," Naruto complimented. "But not good enough."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Haku frowned. Surely the boy wouldn't let someone spy on him, particularly when he was training.
"As my friend Shikamaru would say, it was too troublesome," Naruto responded with a wry smile. "I figured I'd confront you at the right time and this time seems perfect, so here we are."
Haku blinked. This boy was very interesting… he couldn't even begin to understand him and he'd been trying for the last couple of days.
"You are… very odd," he admitted. Naruto chuckled.
"Don't I know it," he said, sounding almost wistful. "You're Zabuza's ally, aren't you?"
Haku stiffened in surprise. He had been hoping that Naruto would have thought that he was just a random villager, but it didn't seem like that would fly with the enigmatic Genin. "And if I am?" he declared.
"Relax… I don't want to fight you," Naruto said as he saw Haku enter a defensive pose. "I just want to talk, if that's alright."
Wondering what was going on in Naruto's head, Haku obliged him as he relaxed his body, but not completely. "You would willingly sit down and have a conversation with an enemy?" he queried, observing Naruto as he played with the foxes that had provided him with warmth and company.
"We don't have to be enemies, you know," Naruto pointed out.
"But we do," Haku responded. "You work to protect the bridge builder and we intend to kill him."
"But why are you? For money?" Naruto argued, scoffing. "Do you honestly think that Gatou will give you whatever he promised you? Just look at what he's done to this country. He'll do the same to you."
"It's Zabuza's will to go on with this mission. I will follow him wherever he goes," Haku declared loyally. Naruto stared at his current companion for a moment before realization dawned on him.
"Zabuza is your precious person, isn't he?" he queried, surprising Haku once more. The look on Haku's face was enough for Naruto to understand. "So that's why you follow him… but why? He's so cruel…"
"He gave me a purpose," Haku stated. Naruto raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Oh?" he urged the other to elaborate and Haku then continued to tell him of his bloodline and how it had led to the destruction of his once happy family.
'He and I have a lot in common…' Naruto thought, feeling sympathy for the boy. He could understand the relationship between his surprisingly kind enemy and the brutal Demon of the Mist. "It may not look like it, Haku… but I can understand where you came from. I haven't had the happiest childhood either. In fact, the majority of my village sees me as a demon and not a child and that's for something beyond my control. If it hadn't been for my precious people, I most likely would have become the monster they thought I was."
Finding a kindred spirit in Naruto, Haku found it hard to find the strength to be able to face him in battle, something he knew would be inevitable if Zabuza was to have his way.
"Talk to Zabuza," Naruto urged Haku. "Convince him to drop the mission. There isn't anything you two can benefit from this."
"He won't agree," Haku argued. "It will take a lot for him to see reason."
"Then we'll just need to give him a little incentive," Naruto said.
"By doing what?" Haku frowned. He jolted as he felt a shock of foreign chakra run through him.
"We'll show him that it's not worth fighting against us for a lost cause," a deep voice rang out from behind Haku. The Hyouton user whirled around to see Minato standing behind her, decidedly transparent.
"H-how, w-what?" Haku stuttered, not looking quite as dignified as he once did due to his shock.
"Haku-san… meet my dad, Namikaze Minato," Naruto introduced the boy with a grin, enjoying the absolute disbelief that ran across Haku's features.
"You're the son of the Yondaime Hokage?" Haku gaped. 'This explains what Zabuza saw during the last battle. The Yondaime was only trying to protect his son.'
"That I am," Naruto admitted. "Just don't tell anyone, we're trying to keep it a secret. Tou-san's got way too many enemies and I can't afford all that attention just yet."
"You trusted me with something like this, why?" Haku frowned. Naruto was such a confusing person.
"Let's just say my gut's telling me that you're someone I can count on," Naruto commented. "Tell Zabuza this… you can work with us, get rid of the annoyance Gatou and move on, or fight us when there is nothing he can gain from it but death."
Haku didn't like the sound of the threat against Zabuza's life but he knew they were being realistic. If he and Zabuza were to oppose the Konoha shinobi, they would surely lose, especially now that it was confirmed that they had the legendary Hokage at their disposal.
"I'll pass that along," he finally spoke. "If he agrees, I will pass a message onto you. If not… we'll meet on the battlefield, Naruto-kun."
As he moved to leave, Naruto protested. "It's not fair, you know. You know my name but you never told me yours."
Haku chuckled before turning his head towards Naruto. "It's Haku, and for what it's worth, it was very nice to meet you," he said before walking away.
~You handled that well,~ Minato complimented his son as he returned to the seal.
~Thanks,~ Naruto beamed, snapping out of it as he heard footsteps approaching him.
Shikamaru stood there, eyes gleaming in amusement as he saw Naruto surrounded by all the foxes who had been vying for his attentions.
"Kakashi-sensei wasn't joking about you and the foxes, was he?" the shadow nin mused. Naruto gave a sheepish smile.
"Nope," he replied. Shikamaru beckoned the other boy to get up.
"Come on, it's time for breakfast. Everybody has been wondering where you were," the brunette declared and Naruto followed without argument.
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