Kasek: Sorry for the short chapter :D;;; I don't feel like writing a battle scene right now. But hopefully I'll have you wanting it :D;;;

Also, lame chapter intro is really lame. Sorry.

Lastly, I might be changing the rating to M in the future. I don't know for sure yet :D;;; I just think this story has more potential for doing stuff that's M-worthy. Question: is child nudity M-rated? Even if I don't bring attention to details? I'm pretty sure it's not, considering I know that many people see themselves naked, and if they can't imagine the opposite sex naked, then no harm done right? :D;;;

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or concepts that I have borrowed from other series.

--

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not pleased. "All three of them have special abilities?"

Kakashi managed to stifle a groan. "Yes sir, that's exactly what I said. Sakura can copy people perfectly, down to their muscle structure, while Sasuke can turn his body parts into blades and has skin made of steel. Naruto's got the weirdest one- his body can split apart and fly through the air, with no adverse effects to his body at all."

The old Hokage frowned. "I see... we can probably explain where Naruto got his... and Sakura's might be a new kekkei genkai.... but Sasuke's is a mystery indeed. Can you elaborate on these abilities?"

Kakashi nodded. "Well, Naruto claims his 'special jutsu' allows him to split his body apart either when it gets cut or at will. The body parts are linked together through a space/time jutsu so the body as a whole doesn't cease functioning. Sakura claims hers creates perfect copies of the people she touches, though I don't know what the exact requirement on that is. Sasuke didn't elaborate on his, what I observed is what you get."

Hiruzen exhaled into his pipe. "Is there anything else you need to report?"

The jonin sighed into his mask. "Not "need to", but... Sakura suspects that Yamanaka Ino also has a special ability- that is, to attract anyone who so much as looks at her. Sakura's suspicion results from copying Ino's form and yet Naruto, apparently the girl's biggest fan, didn't find her very attractive at all. The girl has been extremely popular in the village as of late, apparently."

Hiruzen nodded at that. "I've had a couple of shinobi turn themselves into psychological counseling over a completely overwhelming attraction to her hitting them. Even Asuma, Ino's new sensei, has admitted to being mildly attracted to her... and he reported odd abilities on the part of his team as well. In the mean time... why did you pass them?" Kakashi stiffened a little. "I hope it wasn't due to favoritism... Kakashi."

Kakashi barely shook his head. "Not really... Sakura and Sasuke worked really well together, and Naruto pretty much admitted that they should pass instead of him with only a small nudge in the direction of what the test was about. I think they have a lot more potential than most of the other groups I've had to deal with. I want to see where they can go if given proper direction."

Old Sarutobi exhaled again. "I see... in case you want to know, it was Asuma's and Kurenai's squads that passed this time around."

The jonin nodded. "I'll have to chat them up about it. Is that all, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen nodded back to the jonin-sensei. "Dismissed."

--

Naruto held back his laughter as the poor cat was squashed in a bear hug by its obese owner. "Heehee, stupid cat. That's what you get for trying to scratch me!"

The Hokage looked at a list of missions. "Alright then... let's see what you guys have next..."

Naruto pointed at the elderly ninja. "Hey, old man! Give us a better mission this time! That was way too easy!"

Iruka looked ready to bite his head off. "Why you-! Respect the Hokage!"

Sakura stepped forward. "With all due respect, then, Hokage-sama... these missions suck. We've been working hard, we should be entrusted with something a bit more to our skill level."

Sasuke stepped forward as well. "....I have to agree with them."

Now Iruka looked ready to kill someone. "Kakashi, keep your charges under control!"

Hiruzen could only laugh. "Well, well... that's too bad, you guys were doing so well with the D-ranks, too... well, I've got a C-rank right here that ought to be perfect... a protection mission of an individual."

The Academy teacher sputtered in place. "Ho-Hokage-sama?! You can't be serious...!"

Sakura bowed, though it seemed a little forced. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." Naruto hurriedly did the same, as did Sasuke. Naruto seemed a little excited.

"Who is it? A daimyo? A princess?"

The old man could only smirk. "You'll see... send in the client."

A door on the side of the room opened, and in walked... an old drunk. Admittedly, he was quite muscular, and his bare arms were rather scarred, but that did not change the fact that he was currently drinking a bottle of sake. "What's with these super brats? Can they really protect me? Like, the short one with the super stupid face- even with that sword he doesn't look that intimidating."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "I'll show you intimidating..." He felt a hand on his shoulder- it was Kakashi's.

"Don't, Naruto..."

The boy sighed, and relaxed his stance. The drunk man resumed talking. "Anyways, my name's Tazuna. I'm a super bridge-builder from the Land of Waves, and I expect you to guard me until my latest project is finished!"

--

They stood at the open gates to the village. Naruto was hopping about excitedly, and Sakura was getting mildly annoyed. "What is up with you? Why are you so hyper?"

Naruto grinned, but managed to keep his head on this time. "Because! This is going to be my first time outside of the village!"

Tazuna looked a little worried. "Am I alright with this super-brat as a guard?"

The jonin nodded his head. "All three of them are very skilled for their age, and you've got me, a jonin, as well. We ought to be just fine for bandits."

Tazuna turned to the road. "Bandits, huh..."

--

Naruto stood in the back of the formation as they walked along, with Kakashi in front. Sakura spoke up. "Are there any ninja in the Land of Waves, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi chuckled at the thought. "No, there is no base for ninja in that country... it's a non-military country. No work for them there."

The girl nodded as she walked by a puddle. "I see..."

As they continued walking, the puddle rippled, and two dark figures emerged from it, water swirling around them in the air. They were wearing dark shirts with camoflauge pants and leather boots, as well as one giant clawed gauntlet each, with a spiked chain connecting the gauntlets. They were wearing breath masks, and their hitai-ite- which carried the symbol for Kirigakure- each had either one horn or two. They charged at Naruto, expertly wrapping him in the chain several times over in the span of a second.

The blond struggled against his bonds. "The hell? What's going on?!"

One of the ninja spoke. "One down." In an instant, Naruto was torn to shreds, and the pieces fell to the ground. If the two ninja were paying attention, they'd notice the lack of blood. One quickly charged Sasuke, who was already in a combat stance, and the other attacked Sakura, who quickly transformed into Guy. Before they could even reach their targets though, they were suddenly hoisted into the air, apparently by two hands that had grabbed the back of their shirts. They struggled and flailed, but to no avail. Naruto's voice came from behind them as they were spun around to face the still-dismembered boy, who's various body parts were floating in the air. Naruto's head stuck out his tongue.

"Bleeeeeh! You guys picked the wrong ninja to attack first!"

Kakashi walked between the two ninja in the air, and observed them. "Normally I'd say good work... but how are we going to tie them up?"

Naruto's face blanched. "Ummm... okay, thought- tie the rope to one of my other body parts and have me wrap it around them several times? Or how about I knock them together until they're knocked out?"

The jonin sighed. "I'll go with option number 1, I want them conscious for interrogation, thank you."

Sasuke growled at Naruto as he walked past the shinobi who he was about to fight. "Did you have to hog all of the glory for yourself?"

Naruto gave a smirk. "What's the matter, jealous?"

The Uchiha smirked back. "Yeah right. I don't get jealous."

Sakura, on the other hand, was fuming on the inside. What's the point of power if someone else has power that makes mine look bad? I don't get to show off because of him, and I can't copy him either!

--

After the two ninja were tied up, Kakashi started asking them questions. "Alright, talk- why are you going after Tazuna?"

The one with one horn scoffed. "We were hired to. Why else?"

Tazuna gulped. "How did you know they were after me?"

The grey-haired jonin eyed his client. "I didn't. They just told me."

Naruto snickered into his hand. "Classic."

The one-horned ninja tilted his head. "You aren't going to be getting any more information out of us."

Kakashi rolled his one eye. "I don't have to. I'm sure Tazuna here knows all the answers himself. Tazuna... if you had told us there would be ninja after you, this would've been set as a B-rank. Why did you lie?" Tazuna looked at the ground, but said nothing. "It causes us problems when you lie. Luckily, my troops here are far from normal genin, so they could take on shinobi of this level... but if we keep going, they might send a jonin after us. We ought to turn back and let someone more qualified handle it."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "I say we should continue the mission. Like you said, we're far from normal genin, and we accepted the mission. We should at least see to it that he gets home safely."

Sasuke held up his finger by his face and formed a blade on the bottom-side. "I agree. We can abandon the mission if you want to after we get him home. Besides, I haven't gotten any action yet."

Naruto grinned, and took out a kunai from the holster on his leg. "I would cut myself just to show how dedicated I am to this mission... but I can't be cut! Haha... well, anyways, my vote's for continuing the mission!"

Kakashi sighed. "Well, I'm outvoted on the matter... so that's that."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow. I didn't even have to pull out my last resort to get them to go along... "Well, if that's the case, I'll tell you what you're really up against..."

--

A short man in a business suit, with a tall, bald bodyguard with sunglasses, pointed angrily at a muscular shinobi, nearly barechested if not for the strap around his neck to his pants, who was sitting on a couch. "You FAILED, Zabuza?! I'm paying good money, and you FAILED?!"

The shinobi snorted. "It was a test run, Gatoh. Those were the strongest shinobi under my employ aside from my apprentices. Next time, I'll go by myself. Besides, my older apprentice has informed me of who I'm against... Sharingan Kakashi and a team of genin. Apparently quite unique genin. I'm going to have to take Ren with me in my battle with them..."

The short man coughed. "Ren? What good can that brat do?"

The ninja narrowed his eyes at the man. "That brat's bare hands could crush you. Ren is my other apprentice, after all. And for good reason, too. After all... the Demon of the Mist ought to associate with real demons."

--

The young blond genin peered into the thick mist from his seat on the boat. "Man, this mist is thick..."

The much older Tazuna chuckled. "We'll be able to see my bridge soon. At the end of the bridge is where I need to go."

Naruto's jaw literally dropped off when he saw the bridge, though it quickly reattached itself. "Whoa.... Now that's a bridge."

The boatman let out a low growl, followed by hushed tones. "Be quiet... why do you think we're not using the engine? We don't want Gatoh to find us"

The boy quickly clamped his hands over his mouth, and there was silence for a short while. Kakashi's mind flashed back to what Tazuna had said earlier. They were up against the shipping magnate Gatoh, one of the richest men in the world. He had taken over the country's shipping lanes and was charging exorbitant prices for their usage, driving the country into poverty. In response, Tazuna was building this bridge. In response to that, Gatoh had hired shinobi to take him out.

They soon went under another bridge, which had many tunnels in its side. They entered the tunnel, and when they came out the other side, they were by a village on the riverbanks. They soon found a dock and stopped by it, everybody but the boatman getting out. Tazuna turned to the man. "Thanks for risking your neck, Kaji."

Kaji nodded. "Just don't get killed after all my hard work..."

The group soon found themselves on a path with trees and bushes on either side, with water in the distance where the path turned. Naruto was looking around anxiously. Hehe, I bet if I catch those shinobi off-guard, I'll get even more credit on this mission... Stretching his senses, he heard a rustle in the bushes, and let a shuriken fly. He immediately dived into the bushes, and came back with a turtle. "Hehe, oops. Just a turtle."

Sakura growled to herself. How can I be envious of a guy like him?!

He put down the turtle, and began scanning his surroundings again. "Let's see.... how about... over THERE!" He let another shuriken fly from his hand, and again it didn't seem to hit anything in particular. This time, however, Kakashi was quick to investigate where the shuriken had landed. The man frowned under his mask when he saw that it was a white snow rabbit, standing right below where the shuriken had hit. A white snow rabbit... in this season? Something's up... He suddenly heard a low whistling sound- the kind a large, bladed object made when spun. "EVERYONE! GET DOWN!"

Sakura and Sasuke each grabbed Tazuna and yanked him down hard, while Naruto ducked on his own. Immediately, a large object flew through the air where their heads had been and then rose into the air, embedding itself in a tree further down the path. It was a very large sword, and after the group got back up and looked at it, they saw a man appear on it, his back to them. His back was bare, his arms were covered in long camouflage armwarmers, and on his legs were vertically striped pants. His neck and lower face were covered in bandages, which could be seen better when he turned his head.

Kakashi instantly recognized him. "Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist... you guys ought to get back, this guy's on a whole other level from the last two..." He reached for his hitai-ite, and began pushing up on it. "I'm going to need this..."

Zabuza chuckled. "I get to see your Sharingan already, Kakashi? I feel honored... unfortunately for you, I'm not your only opponent today. Ren, get out here!"

Sasuke was so shocked by the statement of Kakashi having the Sharingan that he almost failed to notice the loud thump of a large something landing on the ground. He whirled around, and saw that it was... some manner of turtle. Unlike most turtles, though, this one was clothed, and was standing on two legs. And was very, very, big- far taller than Kakashi, it was at least eight feet tall.

Sakura observed this... turtle person. They had on a purple shirt/pants combo suit, with a green ...well, turtleneck-like piece of clothing that only went a little farther down then their shoulders. Over its belly was a Kirigakure hitai-ite, sewn into the fabric. The turtle itself had purple, pupil-less eyes, and a scar ran down from its left eye to its jaw. Its feet were like a turtle's, but it's hands were more human like. All the same, they were covered in scales. There was a black strap going across its chest with a golden buckle, and on its back could be seen the handle of some sort of weapon, which ended in a hook. There was a large red flower on the handle, as well.

Naruto looked between the two beings. "I think I'll take my chances with the swordsman. What about you guys?"

Sakura smirked. "I'd rather take on the turtle."

Sasuke nodded in response. "Either works for me."

Their sensei groaned. "Alright, since we're surrounded... Naruto, Sasuke, you defend Tazuna. Sakura, you take on that... thing. Gai's body ought to be up to the challenge."

Naruto immediately took the side of the client facing Zabuza and Kakashi. "I get this side!"

Sasuke groaned. "Idiot! That guy's sword would just slice through you and through Tazuna. I should get the side facing Zabuza."

The blond thought about it for a moment. "....I hate it when you're right." He immediately went to Tazuna's other side and drew his sword, ready to face the creature should it attack him. Sakura put her right hand to her face, and changed into Guy again. "Alright, here I come!"

The creature grabbed the handle of its weapon, and pulled it out- it was nothing but a very large club. Naruto groaned. "Great, I had to get the guy with the blunt weapon..."

It spoke- it's voice sounded like that of a human child, not quite a teen, and not quite either gender. "Enemies of Zabuza-sama... must perish!"

--

Kasek: Yey for a new character! People who read the manga (Scanlations, anyways) should be able to pin who this character is. If not, you might be able to tell from context clues. I couldn't identify what the heck they were wearing, though D: Anyone with a more accurate choice of words? Help would be appreciated :D;;;

Anyways, Ren here has a non-canon fruit like Tenten- this one's a Zoan, the Kame Kame no Mi. I couldn't think of a good fruit... besides maybe the Goe Goe no Mi, but that's no fun :D;;; The turtle theme is supposed to be another hint of who they are for those who've either read the English manga or who've been watching the original anime. HINT HINT

So anyways, yeah, I'm changing it a bit more from canon than I usually do :D;;; Haku's still around... but is he even a he this time around? Maybe 'he's'

*SPOILERS*

the girl from the Wave arc? Or maybe I'm pulling your leg? Or maybe I'm hinting on purpose to make you think it's not Haku through reverse psychology? Isn't this fun? :D