Chapter 52 : Hope(5)

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Zabuza was in a deathmatch with Hatake Kakashi when he felt the huge chakra signature of arguably the most powerful man who ever joined the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. It caused everyone on the bridge to pause for a second, the powerful wave of chakra washing over them, demanding recognition. He smirked, with Kisame and his partner here, he could fight Kakashi one-on-one without being interrupted.

Everything was going as planned. Haku was fighting the two male genin, and the little female one was 'defending' his target. Once he was done with the Copy-nin, he could kill the pink-haired weakling and then the bridge builder. Gato would pay them and then they could leave this poor, dirty country.

Everything was going his way, until something… something not human responded to Kisame's powerful chakra. It was… it was like Kisame's might was an infant, the cries of a newborn. What responded could only be described as godlike.

It stopped the hearts of everyone on the bridge. It brought them all to their knees, taking their breath away. It actually pushed down on them, commanding them to submit to its will. Like it was omnipresent, like the entire world could feel it. It was the most terrifying thing any of them had ever felt.

The dome of ice Haku had trapped Sasuke and Sai in shattered from the pressure, the density of… whatever it was. Tazuna and Sakura were having an incredibly difficult time staying conscious, the enormity of whatever was bearing down on them almost too much for them to handle. Sasuke was so lost in it that he didn't notice his vision enhance, or how his eyes changed from onyx to crimson.

Sai had thought his emotions were erased, that he couldn't feel anything anymore. Oh, how very wrong he was. Right now, with it pushing down on him, he felt fear. He was afraid. Had… had God decided to walk among them? Because this absolutely could not originate from a human being… this was out of the realm of mortals.

This power, this otherworldly chakra was something so far from human that no one could comprehend it. It was… so strong, so scary, but at the same time… it was beautiful. It was so warm, so bright – like the sun. It was almost too hard to explain. Or, maybe it wasn't. Maybe, it could be explained in one word.

Impossible.

This feeling lasted for no longer than five seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. When it stopped, everyone took in a much needed breath, even the jonin. They were all out of breath, and the young shinobi were shaking. Hell, Zabuza had to consciously keep himself from shaking. Kakashi wasn't shaking because he knew exactly where that chakra had originated from.

"What the hell was that?" Zabuza asked no one in particular.

Kakashi let out a long breath. "That, Zabuza, was the end of our fight." Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "I'm no longer your opponent." The moment he finished his sentence, Naruto – acting like nothing was wrong in the world – flickered into existence next to his brother figure.

"Yo." The blond gave Zabuza a smile and the peace sign.

"Zabuza, I'd like you to meet Uzumaki Naruto, the Bringer of Hope." Kakashi announced. Zabuza's eyes widened.

"What about –"

Naruto cut him off. "Kisame? He thought he could challenge me in a game of chakra." He smirked. "You might have felt it." He stretched and cracked his back. "I think you can tell who won." He looked at Kakashi. "Alright, I got it from here, senpai. You should see how the others are doing."

Kakashi nodded. "Right. Let's see how my cute genin are doing after your little stunt." He shook his head in exasperation. "Was that really necessary?"

Naruto gave a smile and shrugged. "I don't like holding back, senpai." Kakashi sighed and walked off towards Sasuke and Sai, muttering something about all powerful teenagers. "Alright, now, we can settle this in two very different ways, Zabuza." He held up one finger. "The first way, we simply fight. And you die, with your accomplice. I'd rather not do that though, so I came up with option two, my personal favorite." He held up two fingers. "You and I play a game. The loser has to do whatever the winner wants. This way, neither side needs to lose a life. What do you think?"

Zabuza just stared at the blond in front of him for a good minute, trying to decide if the boy was serious. After what he felt, after what everyone felt, he knew the kid could kill both him and Haku with ease. So why was he offering an option where they could survive? It was worth looking into.

"What kind of game?" He asked. He wasn't a big fan of 'playing', but it couldn't hurt to ask – he hoped.

Naruto smiled. "Well, the way I see it, you're a Suiton user, right?" Zabuza nodded. "Then the game's simple; whoever can create the greatest Suiton jutsu wins. Oh, and Suiton is not my primary affinity, but I won't lie to you, I'm pretty good at it." The blond gave him a questioning look. "So, does that sound like something you'd like to do?"

The missing-nin smirked under his wrappings. "Sure, why not?" He responded.

Naruto wanted to laugh. Zabuza thought he had the win in the bag. Again, someone else would learn to never underestimate him.

"Okay then," Naruto started. "You can go first. Bring out your most powerful Suiton jutsu; just don't attack anyone with it." Zabuza nodded, and began to run through a lot of hand-seals.

When he was finished, he shouted the name of his B-ranked jutsu. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)!" Water from below shot up and formed into a giant, powerful dragon. Naruto almost huffed. He was almost insulted again. A B-ranked ninjutsu… that's all Zabuza was going to use against someone like him?

He just shook his head and sighed. "Whatever." He took in a deep breath. "I've never tried to add water to this, but I think I can pull it off."

Sasuke, Sai, Sakura, Tazuna, and Kakashi all watched closely for what the blond was going to do. And Sasuke was still paying so much attention to Naruto that he hadn't yet realized what he had unlocked, what Naruto had given him.

Zabuza noticed the Kamikage's eyes change from blue to gold, and felt his chakra skyrocket.

"Senpo: Suiton:" the water underneath the bridge shot up in a giant pillar, reaching into the sky past what the eye could see, "Tengoku Kurido (Sage Art: Water Release: Heaven's Creed)!" A blast of golden light could be seen within the pillar of water, and with the light, a warrior – made completely of water – that was five times larger than an average sized man was created. The gold light was now seen in its head, constantly spinning. Huge, angel-like wings – made of water as well – adorned its back, keeping it in the sky above the blond.

The control to shape and keep the form of the warrior was beyond anything Zabuza had ever heard of. It was so detailed, so fierce looking. It was incredible, but how useful was it?

Naruto felt the question on Zabuza's mind. "I'm not done yet, Zabuza." He whispered, but the man heard what he said. A second golden blast was seen from the pillar, and a second angel looking warrior made completely out of water was created.

One was incredible, but two was impossible. There was no way the blond could split his concentration in half like that. Just one would require a Kage-level shinobi to create. The boy's smirk unnerved the demon.

A third blast, a third water-made warrior. A fourth, a fifth, again and again golden blasts rang out on the bridge, and not just one at a time, but multiple at once. When Zabuza was sure that he was finished, there had to be a hundred warriors – no, these were not simple creations of water. Zabuza knew what these were before the blond spoke his next words.

"They're sentient, you know." He said offhandedly while looking at his creations. "Every last one of them is able to think for themselves, and they each follow my will." The monster looked the demon in the eyes. "You should feel grateful," Naruto began. "You're the first person to witness the Army of Heaven and survive." Zabuza let his jutsu go, the water raining harmlessly down on everyone on the bridge.

"Alright," Zabuza whispered. "You win. What is it you want?" There was no point in arguing, no point of trying to fight his way out of his current situation. Not with an army of water-made angels staring at him like the demon he was.

"I want you and Haku to promise me a few things." The missing-nin was confused. "The first thing, I want you to leave Nami no Kuni, and forget about Gato and his job for you."

Zabuza hated giving up on a job, but he didn't really have a choice right now. "The second thing, I want you and Haku to go back to Mizu no Kuni." The demon was going to protest before Naruto stopped him. "You probably know that the civil war is over already, and that Terumi Mei is the Lady Fifth Mizukage. I helped her end the war, Zabuza. She, and most of the Resistance, understand why you tried to pull off a Coup. They'll accept you back, you have my word."

Naruto knew that Zabuza thought that even with Yagura dead, Kiri would probably never welcome him back, but that wasn't the case. Naruto knew that Mei would appreciate having a member of the Seven Swordsmen in her ranks again, and with the Bringer of Hope's recommendation, both he and Haku would have a place in Kirigakure.

"Why do you care if we go back to Mizu anyway?" He asked, very confused why a Konoha-nin would care what happened to a Kiri-nin.

"The Mizukage…" Naruto started. "She's… a friend. I want you to give me your word that you'll protect her for me. I can't be there for her like I want to, so I want you to watch over her in my place. I want you to be her right hand, someone she can trust with anything."

Zabuza was still confused, but accepted nonetheless. "And the last and most important thing, I want you to treat Haku the way he deserves to be treated, the way you really feel about him." Again, Naruto stopped him from interrupting. "I have the ability of empathy, Zabuza. It's too late, I already see you. He's like a son to you, and if you don't start treating him like one, you're going to lose him. All he wants in the whole world is to be important to you. He just wants your dreams to come true. To be honest, you don't deserve that boy, but I'm not going to take you away from him." He looked at the boy he was talking about. "That would be too cruel. You're his everything, his reason for living." He turned to look back at Zabuza. "Promise me that you won't treat him like he's nothing but a tool. Promise me that you'll treat him the way you really feel about him. You owe him that much."

Zabuza was staring at the ground, really listening to the Kamikage. He… he knew he loved Haku like his own son, it was just difficult for him to admit it. He didn't think he could be a good father, but… the blond was right. Haku deserved for him to at least try.

He raised his head, a look of determination on his face. "Yes." That one word and that one look was all Naruto needed for him to know that Zabuza would do what he asked. In the man's mind, Naruto had given him a second chance to start over, to live a life with… with someone he could call family.

"Good. You're free to go then. Take your son and go home." Naruto said with a smile. Zabuza nodded and headed over towards Haku. As the two walked away, Naruto couldn't hear what was said, but the feeling of the absolutely happiest heart was clear as day. Hopefully, Haku could learn how to be a person, a son and not just a tool.

The blonde sighed. Here he was acting like the hero again.

Kakashi walked up to him, Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai close behind. It was the Uchiha who first spoke. "What the hell was that feeling before you showed up?" He paused. "Was… was that you?"

Naruto just smirked, but looked at Kakashi when he spoke. "Yeah, sorry about that. I kind of ran into a couple of red clouds on the way over. The thing about red clouds though, sometimes, you run into one's that you know." He knew that Kakashi understood. "And sometimes, you run into ones who think they're your better."

The three genin plus Tazuna were utterly confused. Naruto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Never mind, let's just say…" he paused for a second, trying to figure out a way to best describe what they felt without telling them the whole truth. That's when it hit him. "It was hope, Sasuke. That's what I showed Inari the other night. All of you just got the more direct approach, because instead of seeing it, you felt it."

Sakura, Sai, and Tazuna were still confused, but Sasuke somewhat understood. Hope was not just a four letter word, it wasn't just an emotion. It was a promise.

A promise that only people like Naruto could give – a promise that the monster would always be there to protect you.

Sasuke wanted to be a monster more than ever now.

"Great." Naruto smirked. "I was hoping he'd come to me." Now even Kakashi was confused, until he turned around and saw a rather short man who was on the chubby side. He was dressed in an all-black suit, had black glasses on, and carried a black cane.

"So," Gato announced himself. "Looks like you're the only ones left." An army of thugs stood behind him, trying to act tough in the face of shinobi. It's just too bad they didn't look up…

Before Naruto could command anything, he felt it. It was beautiful. It was the reason he didn't mind being the monster in the end. He was no hero, but the small boy leading the entire island to Gato and his men, he was a hero. There were young and old alike, all of them sick of Gato's treachery. United under one boy's courage, one boy's bravery, Nami no Kuni would fight back. The Kamikage was never needed. There was already a hero in Wave, he was just slumbering.

His name is Inari, and he was awake now.

"Stop where you are!" Inari shouted towards Gato and his men. Naruto smirked. This Inari, this brave kid was going places. If he was a shinobi, Naruto could already see the good he would have done. "This island is our home!" The citizens wore makeshift armor out of house appliances and their weapons were no different. They weren't skilled fighters, but they were many in number. Naruto was a little amused that no one had looked up yet. "One step further…"

"Inari…" Tazuna whispered to himself. "All of you." He whispered again, scanning the crowd. Everyone was there… his grandson had rallied the entire island… He couldn't help but turn his gaze onto the blond standing in front of him. He may be a drunk, but he was no idiot. Uzumaki Naruto had brought hope to his home.

He really was the Bringer of Hope.

"You'll die where you stand!" He finished, his eyes lit with a fire Naruto knew all too well.

There was a silence on the bridge, an almost palpable one, the kind that stung the ears. It was interrupted by a disgusting noise. Gato laughed. "You –"

Whatever the man was about to say was cut short. "Don't laugh at them." Naruto said softly, but somehow, it was heard throughout the bridge, like even the Heavens went silent.

"What was that?" He asked cockily. Naruto chuckled. Gato had thought the Bringer of Hope was done away with. He had no idea that he was in the presence of a Kageslayer.

"I said," the Uzumaki's eyes were still a molten gold, and they only had Gato in their sights. "Do. Not. Laugh." A cold, terrifying shiver ran across the backs of all present. Gato gulped. He didn't know why, but he gulped at the blond kid's words.

Naruto took in a deep breath. "People of Nami no Kuni!" He shouted, getting the attention of everyone. "When I first arrived in this country, all I sensed was fear, and depression, like all hope was lost." A low growl came from his throat when he felt Gato's smug mind. "This country has no shinobi force, no one to count on if it was in need." Gato smirked. "That is no longer the case." Gato's smirk disappeared. "For those of you who don't know," he looked Gato in the eye, "my name is Uzumaki Naruto. And I am Konoha's Kamikage." Many gasps were heard across the bridge, and Gato almost pissed his pants. "As Second in Command of Konoha, I declare Nami no Kuni an official ally of Konohagakure no Sato." Tazuna widened his eyes, just staring at the boy.

"N-Naruto-san… we don't have anything to offer your –" The bridge builder was stopped.

"The price for this treaty is simple enough. Open trade with our country, and a two percent discount for our people." Tazuna was going to protest that there was already going to be open trade, and that two percent wasn't really any better than whole price, but stopped when Naruto gave him a look that said 'I know'.

"Y-you can't do that!" Gato screamed. "Just because your nation is big doesn't give you the right to stick your noses in where it doesn't belong!" He pointed at the blond. "You can't just do what you want! This is my country!"

Naruto turned to the 'business man,' giving him a look that thoroughly scared him.

"Shut. Up." He said, turning back to the Wave citizens. "I was told that the fisherman Kaiza was your hero." Inari held his head up high, respecting the memory of his best friend and step-father. "I can feel the minds of some of you here." He let his eyes roam the crowd. "I am no hero." He brought his gaze to Inari. "The real hero is standing at the head of your people." All eyes found Inari. "A child, a civilian, a bridge builder's grandson," Naruto started. "This boy, no, this man, united a hopeless people. He's no shinobi, he has but one power." He smiled. "Courage." Naruto did something he only ever did for his god.

Uzumaki Naruto closed his eyes and gave Inari a deep bow.

"You're my hero, Inari." He stood back up, staring at the boy. "You and I are the same." He walked over to the boy, noticing how he was trying to hold his tears back. When he reached him, he put his hand over the boy's heart. "You're a Bringer of Hope." Inari didn't close his eyes, or scrunch up his face, but the tears began to fall. "And if you don't mind sharing the title, I'd like for you to take it up with me." Inari nodded his head vigorously. "Good." He looked at the people of Wave. "Citizens of Nami no Kuni, I give you the Hero of Wave, Inari, the Bringer of Hope!"

The shouts of joy and happiness could be heard throughout the island.

Naruto bent down to whisper in Inari's ear. "Like father like son," he whispered what Jiraiya always told him. The tears increased.

"Now." Naruto turned to Gato. "You should all return home. A monster is about to have his way with Gato." He felt the defiance in the crowd. He understood. They needed to see this then.

"W-wait!" Gato was terrified. "Is this about the materials shipment?" He was breathing hard. "I-I'll give it b-back to you!" He started walking backwards, trying to hide behind his hired thugs. "Get me out of here!" He shouted at them. "Kill them! Kill them all!" The thugs were scared, but more than that, they were arrogant and uneducated.

It was time they learned.

Before they could take a step, Naruto began. "You defy Heaven. You defy God's will." He brought his hand into the air. "Now burn in Hell." The thugs turned their eyes to the sky, and when they saw the hundreds of… were those angels?

All they felt was desperation. It was the end.

"All of you." He whispered, bringing his hand down, signaling his army of angels to descend upon the wicked.

When the water-made angels met the group of thugs, it ended quickly.

They were slaughtered, every last one of them were slain without hesitation, all but Gato. He stole from Heaven. He ruined a country for his own desires. He would be given what he deserved. He would die like Kaiza.

They say an eye for an eye will make the world go blind.

Naruto gave a monstrous smile as he walked through the wake of dead bodies towards a shivering Gato.

Then it was a good thing that Naruto didn't need sight to see.

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