[A/N] IMPORTANT little note to everyone who has read the first eight chapters or the original before I posted this one. I've changed a character name. Yes, I edited the first eight for the rewrite as well. Chronicle. While leaving the name would be fine, I've decided it no longer fits the character as it did when I first started writing for a number of reasons.

He was an OC in the original version of this, but he was me testing out a template for a character in my own original writing.
As the character and my own writing style have evolved, the character left behind in my first fanfiction ended up both underdeveloped and nothing like what it was made for.
Not to mention, Chronicle hardly rolls off the tongue as well as Cipher, or my runner up choice, Pariah. Not to me, anyways.

I also hope this helps me flesh out the character better for this updated version to TPOYB as I try to inject something new into my original fanfiction.

Anyways, let me know what you guys think.

Let's begin.

Cipher watched intently as the fight began. He perched himself on a branch overlooking the attempted assassination.

"Should we step in?" one of the women with him asked as Zabuza acted honored to see the Sharingan.

"I'm watching quite intently. Trust me, if Tazuna is in any real danger, I'll act," Cipher responded. He let out a soft chuckle. "Relax. You're here to keep me safe for Angela. Now, let me focus."

As the mist rolled in, he closed his eyes and let the sound paint a picture for him. Every breath told the story he needed. His body tensed as Zabuza appeared between the Genin and Tazuna. As the blonde spun and kicked at the swordsman, he relaxed. Soon after, the mist was dispersed and he let his eyes open.

"It's a little weird that Zabuza wound up with the Kubikiribocho of all the seven swords," a man said from Cipher's left. "I always thought the Nuibari would better suit his killing style."

"Stealth killing can work with any blade. But the Kubikiribocho works with his overall combat style and extensive reserves when he's caught. Kisame Hoshigaki may be the Tailless Tailed Beast, but the reason Zabuza relies on the Silent Killing technique is because of the trouble he has controlling his own substantial reserves. Almost nothing goes according to plan. Always have a back up. A trap, for instance," he said as Kakashi leapt into the water.

"Water Prison?" the woman asked. "Those Genin won't be able survive without Hatake."

Cipher held up his hand. "Let them be. I want to see what they do." His eyes focused on the Fuma Shuriken the blonde pulled. "Does anyone else think that kid looks familiar?"

"You mean compared to his first dozen clones or the second dozen?"

Letting his thought go, he pointed to the shuriken. "Compared to that one." He watched the blade go flying past Zabuza only to change into the blonde himself. As the boy threw another shuriken at Zabuza, it forced the swordsman to abandon his water prison and free Kakashi. "Sleight of hand can be a powerful tool."

"Boss. We're not alone," one of the men said, pointing out a hidden figure dressed in Hunter-nin garb.

"Is he here for Zabuza? Keep an eye on him. And one of you figure out where Gato is right now. I want to meet with him by the end of the day." His eyes followed the two running around one another as Kakashi mimicked Zabuza's every movement. Even as the Sharingan user mocked Zabuza and finally finished the jutsu a moment sooner, he waited for any reason he would need to act.

"We should move, sir."

"That we should," Cipher said as Zabuza was swept away in the vortex of water that ripped away the forest around them. They lept out of the way as their perch was destroyed. He landed and looked around, unable to find the hunter-nin.

"Are you able to see the future?" Zabuza said.

Cipher turned back to the two as Kakashi looked down on his opponent. "So much potential, squandered," he said. "How unfortunate." Before Kakashi could deliver the final blow, he watched as Senbon stabbed Zabuza in the neck. His eyes followed the path they took to see the hunter standing above them

"What should we do?" the woman asked.

"Nothing. We're leaving. Until their next fight, we're done here."

Bones crushed under Cipher's heel as he brought his boot down on a guard's leg. He turned to the desk on the other side of the office. "If I was here to kill you, Gato, I'd have just planted a bomb in your lobby and left."

Gato stepped out from behind his high-back chair to look at Cipher. "Who the hell do you think you are? You can't just come in here and-"

He pressed his foot down harder, forcing a scream from the thug on the floor. "Sit down, Gato. I'm here to make you an offer."

"What kind of offer?" Gato asked as he took his seat. "I'm a businessman, so you could have just made an appointment."

"I wanted to let you know the kind of man I am. I don't have much faith in the Konoha shinobi protecting the bridge builder, and I also don't feel like going to war with you. You're the kind of man that I like to avoid any and all contact with. Dealing with your kind makes me feel dirty."

"What wonderful business skills you have."

"I want you out of Wave. Judging by the injuries Zabuza sustained, I'll give you a week to take your entire company and collectively fuck off."

Gato gave a smug grin. "Or what?"

"I have many missions in life, and if this country suffers your influence another day longer than it needs to, I will make ending you one of them. I will ruin you. I will ruin your name. I will ruin your company. I will bring down everything you have ever touched, and when I'm done, I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

The grin faded as Gato glared at him. "Why are you so interested in a backwater country like this one?"

"You've spent the past few years smothering Wave's economy and terrorizing it's people. Wave's Daimio can barely afford to hire shinobi ever since you monopolized the ports. That bridge is this land's only hope. I could ask why you're so interested in driving it into the ground."

"Let's just say I have bigger ambitions for this country than these fishmongers."

"Those ambitions no longer matter. Leave Wave in peace, or spend the rest of your days looking over your shoulder."

"What did I miss?" Cipher asked, stepping to the edge of the treeline. He looked across the water at Tazuna's home.

"Near as I can tell, they finally realized Zabuza was still alive," a man said, looking out from Cipher's side. "Kakashi is mostly immobilized for the time being. They've decided to spend the week training in preparation for round two. That grandkid of Tazuna's threw a real fit about challenging Gato. So...not much, boss."

"Well, my message has been delivered to Gato, and he won't be a problem much longer. We can talk with Zabuza himself tonight. Make yourselves comfortable. We're gonna be here a while."

Naruto sat quietly in a clearing, staring up at his kunai buried halfway up the tree in front of him. A part of him thought back to the story of Inari and his step-father. How even a light like Kaiza, who stood up against Gato, could be snuffed out.

He wondered, for a moment, if there was a point to fighting against something that seemed so insurmountable. The thought faded as he thought about the challenges that laid before him. Zabuza, Mizuki, his parents' legacy, and every plan he was rebuilding in his head.

He shook his head and returned his attention to the scroll in his lap. Sliding it open, he looked over the words several times before standing up. "So much work to do. So much to master." He paused to create a trio of clones. "This will be the first stepping stone to avenging all that's been stolen from me."

[A/N] That went well. What do you guys think?