Behind the Mask: Silver Blood Fox

Demon of the Mist

A/N: FemHaku
"So basically Gato is a major threat to the Wave and you lied because you didn't have enough money?" Kakashi said.

"Yes! But my grandson and my daughter, if you don't help, they'll-"

"Shut. Up." Tazuna was terrified by Naruto's low powerful voice. "We are shinobi. We will not be persuaded like that. However..." He toyed with the kunai he carried. "I do feel like slaughtering that disgusting tyrant."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Naruto, you know who Gato is?"

Naruto stiffened ever-so-slightly. "Uh..." He faltered, but recovered quickly. "No, but from what Tazuna's told us he sounds like a sleazy, lazy fat pig that deserves to be killed."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Tazuna said, treating Naruto like he was a god at that very moment.

"Hold on," Naruto said warningly. "I'm not allowed to help if Kakashi-sensei doesn't allow it." His eyes flickered to Kakashi expectantly.

"Hmm..." Kakashi was again surprised by Naruto's maturity. "What do you all say?"

"Yes." Unsurprisingly, that was Sasuke's response.

"Sakura?"

"I - I-" Sakura stammered uncertainly. "If Sasuke-kun is going, then I will too!"

Her response elicited sighs from Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto. "Whatever. At least everyone's agreed," Naruto said.

"Right. Naruto, you will be at the back with Sasuke, I'll be leading at the front and Sakura you're in the middle guarding Tazuna," Kakashi instructed.

They took their positions, Sasuke and Naruto silent and uncomplaining, while Sakura looked very proud of herself. Sorry to burst your bubble, pinkie, but that's the role given to the weakest member, Naruto scoffed inside his head.

"Let's go."

Tazuna stayed in the middle obediently, giving Kakashi directions to his house.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, spun around and threw a kunai with deadly accuracy. There was a startled squeak before all was silent. "What is it?" Kakashi asked, narrowing his eyes.

Naruto went over to the bushes where he had thrown the kunai. "It's a snow hare," he reported.

Wait, a snow hare... It's summer... Replacement!

"Naruto you idiot, you just killed a poor, innocent hare!" Sakura squealed, about to march over to Naruto.

"BITCH, MOVE!"

Due to Naruto's quick reflexes, he threw himself down and pulled Sakura down as well seconds before a huge broadsword slammed into the tree above them and cut it cleanly in half.

Kakashi, who was thanking Kami that Naruto had managed to save Sakura, recognized the swordsman in an instant. "Zabuza Momochi..." he growled.

"Hatake Kakashi," Zabuza smirked. "How's your Sharingan?"

Sasuke gaped at his sensei, muttering a shocked 'Sharingan?'

Kakashi's only response was to lift up his headband, revealing his spinning red Sharingan. "You're going down today, Zabuza."

"Overconfident, are you?" Zabuza said, lifting up his Kubikiribocho as if it weighed nothing.

"No... But he has us."

Ten shuriken were flung at Zabuza. "Not so easy to kill me, punk," Zabuza told Naruto, easily deflecting the shuriken.

"What?!" Zabuza's eye widened as the shuriken made a loop around the trees and came barreling straight back at him. Naruto smirked, flicking his wrist to control the shuriken that were connected to the finest threads in the world.

As Zabuza lifted his Kubikiribocho, Naruto formed a one-handed Tiger seal and the ten shuriken detached themselves from the thread before revealing their true form - ten Shadow Clones that came at Zabuza, casting hand seals.

"Great Wind Breakthrough!" they said at the same time.

Zabuza raised his Kubikiribocho to guard him from the wind, but the combined power of the ten clones was too strong. He was blown back, and landed in the water with an ungainly splash.

In seconds, Zabuza had recovered, standing on the water surface, water running down his face and his hair plastered to his face. "I'll stain the waters red with your blood, you little shit!"

"You can try if you want," Naruto said amusedly, making eye contact with Kakashi.

Kakashi understood immediately. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Nice try," Zabuza offered with a dark laugh. "But do you think that can beat me? Water Release-"

"Water Release-"

"Great Waterfall Technique!"

"Great Waterfall Technique!"

The powerful water techniques crashed against each other and cancelled each other out. "How did you-" Zabuza spluttered, widening his eyes at Kakashi.

Kakashi took advantage of how distracted the missing-nin was. "Raikiri!"

"Kaze no Yaiba!" Naruto assisted. Kakashi kept going at Zabuza but was incredibly impressed by Naruto's skill. That was an A-rank jutsu.

Having no choice, Zabuza turned and fled, but the blade of wind still managed to give him a pretty deep cut down his right arm. The water rose and fell unevenly for a while, then Zabuza was gone.

Kakashi dispelled his Jutsu, feeling quite tired from use of his Sharingan. "Good job Naruto," he muttered. "You're a lot stronger than the average Genin..."

Shit! "Yeah, well, I trained a lot," Naruto said, laughing nervously. "Wait - Kakashi-sensei - hey-"

Kakashi fell on the ground, his last train of thought being, I really need to start training again...

Naruto blinked at the unconscious body of his 'sensei' and his former comrade. "Sasuke, can you come and help me carry him? Sakura, guard Tazuna."

"Hn. You can get Sakura to carry him," Sasuke said scornfully.

"You can't order me around, Naruto-baka!" Sakura screeched away.

"Sasuke!" Naruto lost any scraps of patience he had. "This is our teacher, and he's exhausted and unconscious. We need to carry him back to Tazuna's house, you ungrateful little brat! You'd better learn to help your comrades in need - or get lost right this instant!"

Sasuke seemed stunned by Naruto's frustrated outburst. He walked forward and helped Naruto carry Kakashi.

"And you! You spoiled, good-for-nothing pinkette!" Naruto yelled at Sakura. "At least try to be useful for once in your life, alright?"

Sakura's jaw had dropped and she nodded meekly before taking out a kunai and standing in front of Tazuna.

"Good job," Temari muttered to him. "I can help you carry Kakashi if you want."

"It's okay," Naruto said. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't even help. I feel so useless," Temari confessed. "Neither did Sasuke or Sakura. It happened so fast, and that guy was completely out of our league - you were so strong." For once, admiration shone in the stubborn kunoichi's eyes.

Naruto chuckled a little. "It was nothing..." He lowered his eyes. "So... Uhm... When we get back from this mission, do you want to... Maybe go to a restaurant for dinner or something?"

"Are you asking me on a date?" Temari teased him with a flirty giggle.

Naruto's face flushed. "No! Well... If you want it to be."

"I'm just messing with your head, Naruto," Temari laughed. "It's settled then."

They continued the journey to Tazuna's house in a comfortable silence.