Fatherly Concerns

Zabuza was walking back from his hunting. A fully grown stag was draped over his shoulder as he returned his decapitating sword to the pocket dimension to await the time it was to be requip-ed again.

"I'm walking in the woods...DUN DUN DUN DUN! I'm walking in the woods...DUN DUN DUN DUN! Got some dinner to eat...DUN DUN DUN DUN! And then I'm gonna...pound the brat into pulp with training. YOSH!" Zabuza sang the words to himself. However, as he approached his home he paused when he heard odd noises. He focused on his sense of hearing and listened to what was occurring.

"Come on Naruto-san! Move faster...do it harder!"

"I'm trying, alright! Damn it, just shut up!"

"Come on, damn it! Just do it already!" Zabuza's left eye twitched as he began to hear loud...inappropriate sounds that like groaning, moaning and grunting.

"Haku we've been at this for hours and without rest too, I'm getting a bit nauseated from the constant motions. Maybe we should stop for a while!"

"Are you mad? You're the only person who has managed to make me hit my breaking point. Now come at me!"

"If you insist." Naruto sighed. Zabuza's eyes widened and his hands clenched into fists as he heard more groans and grunts reach his ears.

"THE BRAT IS DEAD!" The swordsman roared as he tackled through the few bushes that separated him from his and his daughter's home. He then blinked and stared as he saw Naruto on top of Haku, hand wrapped around her throat and Haku was holding a pair of ice claws to his stomach.

"Zabuza-sam...I mean, Otou-san..." Naruto got up and dusted himself off before helping Haku up, "We were just training." Haku grinned innocently.

"I'll take that." Zabuza looked to see Kurama and Yuki taking away the dead stag.

"But I...You...and him...and her...with the...and the thing with..and GRRRRR!" Zabuza stomped off causing Naruto and Haku to look at each other with confused expressions.

"Your father is an odd person." Naruto commented. Haku shrugged.

"You get used to it. Wanna go again?" She asked.

"No." he stated bluntly. Haku suddenly appeared on top of a tree, head hanging with the words 'REJECTION' hanging above her head.

"He's so mean to me." She sobbed quietly to herself. Naruto couldn't withhold the sweatdrop that formed itself on the back of his head.

'Women are still an enigma.' He thought before going in to help Kurama with the stag. After cooking the stag and, per Zabuza's rules, Naruto and Haku had to have a shower before eating lunch. Of course, Zabuza made sure to look at Naruto carefully. That earlier...incident...made his mind wander a bit to the...inappropriate side of the situations between the blonde and his daughter. After eating, Naruto and Zabuza set out to start their training.

"Alright, Naruto. Now the sword style I'm going to teach you is called the Art of Silent Killing." Zabuza said. "You're a wind magic user so your wind magic allows you to move quickly, but the thing is that even if you attack, your opponent can still hear you. Come at me." Zabuza said as he held his zanpakuto at the ready. Naruto held Ascalon and Exclaibur before vanishing into the wind. Suddenly, the grass rustled and he heard the soft whistle of the wind, so the experienced swordsman's tilted to the right and he positions his large blade horizontally to take the blow from Naruto's swords.

"I heard the grass rustle. You see, everything generates sound waves, even wind. Wind is said to howl, whistle and whisper. I heard the wind you used and so I was able to counter effectively." Zabuza explained. Naruto's eyes widened at that. He always thought the wind was silent, but he was obviously wrong, and Naruto was not one who liked being wrong.

"I see, so how do I become...silent?" Naruto asked. Zabuza smirked beneath his bandages.

"Now you see, the art of silent killing is such that it causes you to make everything the user wishes to become silent, to become as such. This is done by releasing a thin, yet concentrated layer of magic energy into the air. This would act as a sort of sound blocker, muting everything around the opponent. It is a style that I developed myself so I know how it works. It's just hard to explain certain parts. The part with magic acting as a mute is such a part. Now then, as I was saying...once that is done, you channel magic energy beneath your feet, however since you're a wind magic user, you'd be able to levitate and so this part would not be worth learning, but if you want to know...just channel a small coat of magic energy beneath your feet. This allows the sounds your feet make with surfaces to become muted and thus you are basically silent."

"Like this?" Naruto asked as he vanished into the wind. Zabuza's eyes widened as the boy seemed to disappear and he barely heard anything. Haku, Kurama and Yuki were looking around the training area from the sidelines for the blonde dragonslayer. However, they suddenly gasped when they saw Naruto silently appearing out from behind a tree and stalking towards Zabuza. However, Zabuza's ears twitched as he caught Naruto's soft, almost inaudible breathing and the beating of his heart.

"Well done. I guess your use of wind magic allowed you to master the walking part, but you have to be able to silence even your breathing and your heart beat. So we'll work on that." Naruto nodded as he vanished from behind Zabuza and reappeared back in front of him.

"Anything else?"

"Now this style of sword play is best utilized in areas where visibility is low. So I will be training you in my Water Magic: Hidden Mist technique which is sure to lower your visibility to as low as possible. Then when that is done...I will take away the mist and you do it blind folded. Your sense of hearing is good, Naruto." Zabuza said. Naruto's ears twitched when his master's voice vanished. He blinked and suddenly Zabuza disappeared from view and in another blink he was suddenly resting his arm on his left shoulder.

"But not good enough." Naruto turned, eyes wide as he saw the grinning swordsman.

'I didn't hear him at all...even with my advanced hearing. Impossible!' Naruto gaped. Zabuza then raised his arms, one to his chest, while the other was raised high into the air.

"I will now train you in the Art of Silent Killing. WATER MAGIC: HIDDEN MIST!" Zabuza yelled and suddenly water vapour surrounded the area. Naruto squinted.

'I can't see a damn thing.' He thought only to suddenly feel cold steel against his neck.

"Focus, Naruto. Again!" Zabuza vanished into the mist once more as he removed Kubikiribocho from new student's neck. Naruto took deep breath and he began to focus on his sense of hearing as well as his sight. He heard the wind blow and turned in that direction only to feel the tip of Zabuza's blade behind him.

"Good. You heard the wind from the speed I moved at, but you didn't catch me though. You're dead once again, Naruto. AGAIN!" Naruto gritted his teeth.

This was going to be tougher than he thought.

.....

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