30

"Yo, Ashura. Do you think you are up for meeting your brother after all these years?" Hiroki asked Ashura as they played some racing games on a PlayStation, Hiroki obviously winning at it.

"I honestly don't know. Our reincarnations have been fighting for so long, I don't even know if he will want to speak to me." Ashura replied solemnly as he distractedly played the game.

"Come on. You know the real reason he started to fight with you. That damn slimeball pitted him against you to manipulate his descendants into awakening a Rinnegan. Once he finds out that he was deceived all along, I'm sure you guys can make up, or at least start heading in the right direction." Hiroki replied.

"Are you sure? What if he doesn't listen? I knew how he was before his hatred grew; he was as stubborn as a rock." Ashura replied with a sad face.

"You don't have to worry about it. If he doesn't listen to you, we will make him listen. After all, you guys have a lot to talk about, seeing as you both haven't talked with each other directly for the past thousand years." Hiroki stood up and pumped his fists in celebration as his car won the race.

"Sigh, I don't even know if he has his sanity anymore. But it's worth a shot. If it can help to bring him peace, I will try my best to make him listen and understand, even if I have to give up everything." Ashura spoke with determination as he went back to his corner of the mindscape, preparing himself to meet his elder brother.

"Hai. It's so troublesome to have to mend a thousand-year feud just to free yourself and find a way to live your life." Hiroki shook his head as he went solo on the PS game, slowly getting bored of playing all by himself.

.

Meanwhile, Team 7 had started their journey long to the Land of Waves, eventually stumbling upon the demon brothers of the mist.

Naruto and Kakashi were the first to notice the obvious puddle on a sunny day.

Kakashi obviously had a lot of real-life experience, but Naruto was personally trained by Hiroki, almost daily inside his mind for the past few years.

The number of missions that Naruto had undergone was nothing to scoff at. His experience as a ninja could be on par with an experienced special jonin, if not a little bit higher.

Sasuke was quick to jump into action as soon as the mist chunnin popped up and targeted Kakashi. Sasuke swiftly got into position to protect the client, while Yakumo took her position, quickly trapping the obvious targets into a momentary genjutsu.

Naruto used his sensory technique to scout for other enemies, as the two chunnin were burned to a crisp from Sasuke's fire-style jutsu.

Kakashi watched the swift and efficient teamwork between the three, as his single visible eye showed he was impressed.

After finding out the real situation, the Team decided to continue with the mission while Kakashi's dog summons went to the village for backup.

For the next two days, the team continued on foot, before finally, they were about to cross a lake.

"Kakashi, enemies ahead. One jonin level chakra, and one high chunnin level chakra signature. The second one seems to be just observing for now." Naruto whispered as he sensed the area around him.

"Be prepared guys. Protect the client and keep an eye out for the second opponent. I'll take on the jonin ninja." Kakashi ordered as the three quickly, but sneakily equipped their weapons of choice, getting ready for the possible ambush.

Suddenly, a heavy mist started to fill the air, obscuring the vision of the four ninjas.

"Kakashi, stall the enemy here. I'll leave a clone here to set up a trap, while I go and deal with the one in hiding." Naruto explained as he quickly switched places with a clone, without anyone realizing.

"DUCK." Naruto suddenly yelled as a huge sword flew over their heads.

"Yoink." With a swift pull, with lightning-coated hands, Naruto plucked the blade out of the air, holding one of the famous seven swords of the mist by its handle.

"Cool blade. Well, finders' keepers." Naruto chuckled as he stashed it into a sealing formula inscribed on the back of his gloves.

"Give that back, brat!!!!" Suddenly, an enraged voice sounded out from the mist, as a man with bandages on his face came into view.

"Give what back?" Naruto asked the man, as the rest of the team protected the client.

"The sword. Give Kubikiribōchō back!" The man yelled as he started to weave hand signs for an attack. Naruto instantly recognized the enemy from the Bingo Book, and considered him to be a tricky enemy, but nothing that a sealing prison can't handle.

"hey, Kakashi, did you see any sword lying around here?" Naruto asked, taunting the enemy further, which Kakashi caught on quickly. As he did, Naruto retrieved six sealing tags from a seal on his palm.

"No, I don't think I have. I do wonder, which respectable ninja would ever leave their precious weapon lying around." Kakashi replied as Naruto passed him a single tag.

"Exactly. Hey, mister. We haven't seen your sword. Maybe you can try the lost and found department of this forest, maybe they have it." Naruto yelled back, making the man grow angrier.

'Rule number one. If the opponent is stronger than you, start with a battle of words. Make the opponent lose their cool. A level-headed opponent is the strongest opponent.'

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu" The man yelled out, as a huge water dragon was formed from the lake's water, heading right at the team.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu" Kakashi countered the enemy by blowing out a huge dragon made of fire towards the oncoming water dragon.

SIZZZLLEEEE.

BOOOOM

As the two opposing elemental dragons collided, a huge explosion occurred, as the already thick mist turned thicker. Suddenly, Kakashi rushed forwards, throwing a punch at the man's stomach, which was instantly blocked by a raised knee. Zabuza instantly brought down a kunai at the man, but Kakashi swiftly dodged before jumping back.

"So, its Kakashi of the Sharingan. It will be the most fun to kill you and your students.

You have made a grave mistake, however. You see, I am a master of silent killing. I'm sure as knowledgeable as you are, you know what I'm talking about." The voice of the enemy rang out in the air, and Zabuza's figure slowly blended in the mist. Sasuke stood protectively, protecting Tazuna, while Yakumo had her eyes moving all over, trying to locate the enemy to put them inside a genjutsu.

"Seeing as you carry one of the seven ninja swords of the mist, I am guessing you are Zabuza Momochi. Am I right?" Kakashi, now standing with a blazing Sharingan, spoke out.

Clang.

"I am, indeed." Zabuza's voice sounded, just as Kakashi defended a strike to his nape with a kunai.

"Neck. Liver. Kidneys. Eyes. Heart. Oh, so many options, so little time to choose. Where should I hit next." The voice traveled all around the team, confusing the senses of the Konoha ninja.

"Sensei, the prep's done." Out of nowhere, a shout sounded out from the forest, making the borrowed Sharingan wielder chuckle lightly, as Zabuza went onto high alert.

'Where's the blond brat.' He thought, not sensing the brat, Zabuza had a bad feeling.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough" A huge gust of wind blew out the thick mist, instantly revealing the positions of everyone.

"Uzumaki Sealing Style: Five Point Prison Seal" With a ground shaking force, five points around a confused and wary Zabuza lit up like stars, as links of chains emerged, heading straight to the seal stuck to the man's knee and strangled the person attached to it.

"What??? Ugh. Get away!!" Struggling to keep the chains away, Zabuza tried to run, only to find the chains unbreakable, suppressing his chakra, and impossible to escape from.

"Hey Sensei. What do we do with this guy now? Do we pick up his bounty, or just kill him?" Sasuke asked as he walked up to the trapped man, as huge chains strangled his body, covering every inch, except the eyes and nose.

"Nah. Too much hassle. I have a better idea.

Yo Zabuza. I know you are working as a ninja for hire. What do you say you change employers, someone that you can trust and will not renege on the payment?" Naruto proposed an offer. He recalled the details of the man from the Bingo Book.

"pfuuss uuuu" a muffled sound came from Zabuza, which Team 7 understood clearly.

"Oh well. Too bad. Sasuke, Yakumo, choose between you guys, who wants to extract information from this guy." Kakashi asked his students, as he kept up his guard for anything that came up.

"Let me go. I've been itching to try out my Sharingan." Sasuke excitedly walked up to the man, before his eyes blazed red, and a pattern of two tomoe spun around the center.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan." Zabuza's eyes went wide for a second, before quickly dimming down, as Naruto controlled the seal to open up his mouth.

"Tell me, who is your employer?" Sasuke asked.

"Gato of Gato enterprises." Zabuza answered in a dull voice.

"Sasuke, ask him if he's willing to defect to our village?" Naruto asked.

"What, no. The Hokage would not agree." Kakashi intervened, stopping Sasuke from asking.

"Relax. It wont do us any harm to ask. Sasuke, go on."

"I am not willing to defect to Konoha."

"Why is that?" Sasuke continued on Naruto's insistence.

"Because I still have work to do?"

"Interesting. Now what work would a defected ninja from the mist have that's so important?" Naruto and Kakashi thought curiously.

"I need to raise money to fund the rebels of the mist."

"Explain further." 'Now it is getting interesting.' Everyone thought to themselves.

Slowly, the interrogation of Zabuza continued, revealing many interesting details of the Mist's current situation. Turns out, their Mizukage is currently being controlled and the reason he is a defector is that he found out the truth and has been on the run ever since.

With this new information, Kakashi decided to let the Hokage know about this development, as he knocked out Zabuza, just as another Naruto came with a person on his back.

"How'd it go over here?"

.

.

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I wanted to bring Zabuza and Haku to the village, without killing them. Seems like a waste.

Also, I don't know if its canon or not, but Zabuza was raising money for the rebels in Mizu, and fought to bring down the Mizukage.

My thought process is, that maybe the Hokage, now that he isn't under the control of the mummy, would use Zabuza as an alliance token with the rebels, and bring Mizu as a close ally of the Leaf.

Well, that's to be revealed later anyways.

Enjoy this chapter.