Wave

Konoha

Naruto was lying naked on his bed, Anko resting her head on his chest, a smile on her face, her naked body pressed tightly against him, Naruto quite liked the feeling of her, she was warm, nice, enjoyable to talk with, funny... sometimes, but the best part was her sadistic side, Naruto quite enjoyed it, that was something Anko appreciated.

Last night, they had been loud for hours until Anko got exhausted and decided to sleep, thankfully Naruto knew Fuinjtsu, therefore a Silence Seal blocked all her screams and moans.

The Office of the Hokage

Naruto, his sensei, Ino, and Shika were summoned by the Hokage.

"You summoned us, Hokage-sama," Asuma said as he, Ino, Shika, and Naruto walked into the room.

"Yes, I did, and I appreciate your everyone arriving so promptly."

"So, what do you need us for, Hokage-sama?" Ino inquired.

"I summoned you all because I have a crucial task for which I need your assistance."

Naruto was happy to hear this, while Shikamaru groaned in frustration, Ino hoped it wasn't long since she had some business with Anko.

Of course, Asuma remained more solemn, knowing that given the seriousness of the Hokage, there was more to this than a simple task.

Asuma said, "And what precisely is the task, Hokage-sama?"

"The task entails sending you to Wave Country to assist Kakashi and his team in protecting a bridge builder called Tazuna," Sarutobi said.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama, but why are you sending us to accompany Kakashi and his squad on a mission that is plainly a C-rank task?" Asuma said after hearing this. He continued, "Surely Kakashi can manage everything that may happen on a C-rank assignment."

"Normally, I would agree with you, Asuma," the old Hokage said, "but this is not your average C-rank assignment, since it seems that the client Tazuna lied to us when he asked our help."

"How Hokage-sama?" Asuma inquired.

"According to Kakashi's communication, it seems that Tazuna is being pursued by a guy named Gatō."

"Gatō? As in Gatō Corporation, the rich shipping mogul and boss of the shipping company?" Naruto inquired.

"The same, however, according to current information, Gatō's export and import firm is a cover for importing illicit products and selling narcotics. As a consequence of this, Gatō has become one of the wealthiest individuals on the continent."

Ino, Asuma, Shika, and Naruto all nodded their heads in agreement at this point, and Naruto then spoke out.

"How is he connected to this mission, Hokage-Sama?" Naruto wondered.

"Well, it seems that Gatō has established his headquarters in Wave Country, since the country is strategically located for maritime commerce between Fire Country and the majority of the other island countries. He then utilized his shipping monopoly to gain control of the nation's economy, enabling him to gradually gain control of the country. Tazuna, on the other hand, is threatening all of this with the bridge he is constructing to link Wave County to the mainland, which would end Gat's stranglehold on Wave Country. As a result, he has hired a bunch of Shinobi to kill Tazuna," the Sandaime said.

"If that's true, why didn't he reveal the truth? We could've sent a squad more suited to the task than a group of Genin and their Sensei," Asuma said.

"According to Kakashi's message, Tazuna-san and his workers spent most of their remaining money on the equipment and supplies required to construct the bridge, leaving them with little money to seek a higher rank task, which is why he lied when he sought our assistance."

"So what did Kakashi do on the assignment that caused him to call for backup?" Asuma wondered, knowing that Kakashi was no pushover and that he would require support if he did.

"Well, it seems that Kakashi and his crew were attacked by the Demon Brothers, Gzu and Meizu while heading to Wave Country. After conveying word of what had transpired, Kakashi and his squad simply eliminated them and allowed them to be apprehended by our men. After that, he and his squad continued on with the assignment, but when they arrived on Wave Country, they met Momochi Zabuza, the legendary Kirigakure no Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist)".

Asuma's eyes widen when he hears this since he has heard about Kiri's fabled Nuke-nin. Even Naruto had heard of the former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Sh (The Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist), who had led a failed assassination on Yondaime Mizukage and had been forced to escape.

Naruto secretly smirked at this; he had already planned to send clones to locate him and get access to Kiri's Rebellion Army; with him, the blonde could easily acquire Mei Terumi's confidence by assisting her in the Rebellion; murdering Yagura would give him Kiri's allegiance and the Bijuu in his hands.

With that done, one out of five big powers would be in his hands, that left only Suna and Kumo.

Asuma murmured to himself, "The Demon of the Hidden Mist...no surprise Kakashi asked for support."

"You don't have to worry about Zabuza," Sarutobi said, "since Kakashi reported that he fought him with the assistance of his team, after which Zabuza was slain by a Hunter-nin who had been monitoring Zabuza."

This startled the four Shinobi, particularly Naruto, who understood that the only way Sasuke and the others could have aided Kakashi in any manner was if they collaborated. This surprised him since he hadn't expected Sasuke to cooperate with his teammates, much alone that they could work together in the first place.

"But why do we need to help the Kakashi squad if Zabuza is dead?" Naruto inquired, intrigued, as though there was more to this.

"Although Zabuza is no longer alive, we can't be positive that he and the demon brothers were the only ones paid by Gat to kill Tazuna. This is why I'm asking you all to rally behind him and Team Seven, since Kakashi was severely weakened after his fight, even with Zabuza dealt with, who was most certainly the biggest danger. For a time, Kakashi will be unable to protect Tazuna," the Sandaime said.

Although Asuma abruptly spoke out again, the four Shinobi nodded again in agreement.

"Permit me to ask, Hokage-sama, why are you sending us on this assignment since this is clearly something for a more senior group?" Asuma enquired.

"Normally, I would do so, but our troops are so small that sending a more senior squad would weaken our defenses, so I'm sending you three. Whatever happens on this assignment, I'm certain you'll be able to manage it with Kakashi's support. While Naruto, as you both know, is already a proficient Shinobi capable of holding his own in most circumstances, I have no doubt that he will be of assistance whatever occurs."

Asuma just nodded after hearing this, and he, Shika, Ino, and Naruto exited the room to prepare for their mission, which they left the town for Nami no Kuni two hours later.

After three days

Naruto, his comrades, and his Sensei arrived at Wave after three days of journey from Konoha, where they approached the surrounding hamlet. When they arrived at the hamlet, they found it in a deplorable condition, with most of the residents dressed in worn, ragged clothing and wearing unhappy expressions on their faces, as if their spirits had been destroyed. The youngsters were in a much worse state than the adults, being emaciated and filthy, dressed in ragged clothes and sitting on the ground with blank expressions.

When Naruto observed all of this, he couldn't help but get enraged, for he knew Gatō was to blame for everyone's misery.

They eventually located someone who guided them to Tazuna's residence.

When they arrived at the gate, they all felt a familiar presence watching them, but before they could summon the person in question, the person in question sprang out in front of them from a nearby tree.

When the person in front of them arrived, Naruto and his team realized who had been watching them: Sasuke, who had been guarding the home in case of a sneak attack.

"Greetings," Sasuke said, somewhat irritated, "so you're the ones that the Hokage has dispatched to help us."

"Correct," Asuma said, "could you kindly bring us to Kakashi-senpai?" Sasuke just nodded and led them inside the home.

When Asuma, Ino, Shika, and Naruto followed Sasuke inside the home, they saw a young lady in a tiny kitchen, most likely preparing the group's evening food. They then saw an elderly guy sipping sake at a table, most likely the bridge builder Tazuna. Choji was seated in the far corner, his eyes closed, only to open as Naruto and his Sensei entered the home.

"It's fantastic to see you guys," Choji, the sole one, said with a grin. Sakura was busy doing nothing, and Sasuke was presumably daydreaming about the day he would murder Itachi.

Ino, Shika, and Naruto returned his greetings before inquiring about the mission's specifics.

When Naruto and his companions came, the young lady in the kitchen looked around and grinned, saying, "Oh! Are they the newcomers who Kakashi-san stated would arrive to assist?"

"Indeed, we are," Asuma answered.

The woman's grin widened as she said, "Then you have our gratitude...my name is Tsunami."

"It's great to meet you. My name is Asuma, and here is my team: Uzumaki Naruto, Ino Yamanaka, and Shikamaru Nara."

"It's great to meet you all...please make yourself at home, I'll get some more things ready for supper," Tsunami said.

"Thank you, it is really good of you," Ino said respectfully, drawing a snort from Sakura.

"What brings you here? Things were within our control!" Sasuke, visibly enraged, takes a step forward, much to Team 10's chagrin. Team 10 noted that Choji was going to say something when Sasuke gave him a glance that silenced him.

"Kakashi, send assistance; it is not your place to question your Jonin's orders, boy," Asuma said coldly, sending chills through Team 7.

"W-we are alive," Sasuke answered proudly, "Kakashi got trapped, and I battled Zabuza alone." The boy boasted.

"And you unfortunately survived," Naruto responded irritably.

Sasuke took a step towards Naruto, as Ino, Shika, and Choji giggled.

"Enough of this, boy, leave us," Asuma said sternly. Sasuke clenched his teeth and walked away, closely followed by Sakura.

"Hmph! Another jerk! But at least this time they sent some people who could genuinely assist us," said the somewhat inebriated bridge constructor.

Naruto grimaced as he heard Tazuna call him a brat. "I advise you be more thankful, you old fart...as it was brats like me that helped rescue your miserable ass earlier..." he said, recalling the Hokage report of what occurred with Kakashi and his squad.

Tazuna grimaced at Naruto's statement when he heard it, but Naruto proceeded before he could respond. "...Aside from that, you should be glad that our village sent us to assist you, for our Hokage could have easily summoned back Kakashi-sensei and his squad, as other Shinobi villages would. Especially after you lied to our community about the mission's hazards, putting Kakashi-sensei and his crew in jeopardy and almost killing them."

Tazuna was caught aback by Naruto's statement, and as much as he despised admitting it, Naruto had a point and was true, since he almost murdered Kakashi and his team by withholding information and lying to them. Even still, he was a staunch old guy who wouldn't back down in a debate, particularly when it came to someone as young as Naruto.

Thankfully, Tsunami put her hand gently on her father's shoulder just before an argument between them was about to break out, preventing her father from escalating the situation.

Asuma did the same thing, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder and soothing him down so he wouldn't have to battle Tazuna longer.

Tsunami apologized for her father's statement, saying, "Please pardon my father, he gets a little cranky when he's drunk."

"Of course," Asuma said, "and please accept my apologies for my pupil, who may be a little irritable at times."

Tsunami nodded, and Asuma inquired about Kakashi, to which Tsunami pointed to the room next to them, indicating that Kakashi was there.

When the team entered the room, they saw Kakashi sleeping flat on his back, covered by a blanket.

When Kakashi heard the door to his room open, he raised his head to see who was entering. When he saw it was Asuma and Naruto, he welcomed them and offered them one of his typical one-eyed grins while closing his Sharingan eye.

"So Kakashi, why don't you relate what occurred in detail with you and Zabuza?" Asuma said.

Of course, Kakashi followed his orders and started to narrate in full what had occurred between him and Zabuza. Throughout the lecture, Kakashi described how he had battled Zabuza and been duped and locked in a Suir no Jutsu by him (Water Prison Technique). He was only able to flee owing to Choji and Sasuke teaming together to free him, with Choji using his Family jutsu to enlarge his body parts, distracting Zabuza. Allowing Sasuke to fire a volley of Shurikens and Kunai at Zabuza, causing him to flee and allowing Kakashi to reengage and beat him. A Hunter-nin came and stabbed Zabuza in the neck with Senbon needles before Kakashi could finish him off. During their talking Sakura and Sasuke returned, interested on the next course of action.

"Using Senbon Needles?...a that's strange weapon choice for a hunter-nin," Naruto observed.

"Eh Kakashi-sensei, do you know where precisely the Hunter-nins struck Zabuza with the Senbon needles in his neck?" Asuma frowned as he heard this, as though something didn't sit right with him.

Kakashi nodded, then pointed to the spot on his neck where the Senbon needles had struck Zabuza with his palm.

Naruto scowled as Kakashi showed him where Zabuza had been stabbed in the neck with the needles, confirming what he had suspected.

"Zabuza isn't dead," Naruto said abruptly, drawing everyone's attention.

"What do you mean, Uzumaki? Of sure, Zabuza is dead; we saw it with our own eyes," Sakura said.

"What you saw was exactly what Zabuza intended you to believe," Naruto said.

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura said, perplexed by Naruto's meaning.

"It's easy; as Asuma-sensei pointed out, Senbon needles are an unique weapon for a hunter-nin to use. However, they're an ideal weapon for a medic-nin, particularly if you're looking to do anything to someone's body without causing major injury. According to Kakashi-sensei, the Hunter-nin placed Zabuza in a near-death condition, where Zabuza's pulse beat was lowered to a degree where it could scarcely be detected even if you looked for it."

Kakashi was compelled to hit himself when he heard this, and he would have if he could, since he couldn't believe he had forgotten or missed it previously.

"Is what Naruto says accurate, is Zabuza really alive?" enquired Sakura, concerned about the prospect of Zabuza's survival.

"I'm afraid so, Sakura, since what Naruto mentioned is correct, as well as another detail that I overlooked earlier: the Hunter-nin did not chop Zabuza's head off when he "killed" him. As a hunter-nin, your job is to decapitate your victim on the spot and then destroy the corpse so that no enemy may learn any village secrets from the body. While the head is utilized to show that the target has been defeated," Kakashi said, regretting himself for not seeing it sooner.

Asuma said, "It seems like you're losing your touch, Kakashi."

"You could be correct, Asuma," Kakashi said, sighing.

"Clearly, the Hunter-nin was in league with Zabuza, since he monitored your fight in case Zabuza failed, hoping to intervene and rescue Zabuza before you could kill him, leading you to assume he was dead. Giving Zabuza the opportunity to attack you while your guard is down," Asuma said, admitting that it was a smart ruse that could mislead most people.

Naruto had to agree that the phony Hunter-nin was also incredibly competent, maybe as skilled as, if not more skilled than him, since it would need a thorough understanding of human anatomy.

Not to mention being an expert with Senbon needles, capable of accurately hitting the little spots on Zabuza's neck with exactly the perfect amount of force to place him in a near-death condition but avoiding killing or permanently paralyzing him.

"Well, there is some good news," Naruto said, regaining everyone's attention.

"Which would it be?" Choji wondered.

"Well, Zabuza won't be able to attack us for a bit since one of the side effects of placing someone in a near-deathlike condition is that the individual is unable to completely move their body for a period of time," Naruto said.

Asuma said, "How much time would we have exactly?"

"I'd estimate slightly over two weeks, considering the injuries he had after battling Kakashi-sensei and being placed in the deathlike condition, but if the Hunter-nin is as competent a physician as I believe he is, given how he healed Zabuza. I'd reduce the healing period in half, and considering how much time has already passed, we just have a few days."

Kakashi and Asuma grimaced as they heard this, since it didn't allow them much time to think about what they should do.

Sakura started to feel concerned, while Shika seemed to be deep in contemplation.

"Well, it seems that we're in a bit of a pickle here, and if we're going to survive it, we're going to have to make you guys even stronger," Asuma said, looking at the members of team seven.

Naruto was already planning to find where Zabuza was, a quick visit to him wouldn't harm.

"All right, then, we'll start training tomorrow," Asuma said, and the Konoha gang started planning what they would do the next day until Tsunami summoned them for supper.