Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor One Piece.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Demon talking"

'Demon thinking'

[Time – Place]

THE LEGACY OF THE GREATEST SWORDSMAN

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Chapter 3: The First Obstacle

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[Konoha's Ninja Academy]

An air of excitement and anxiety hovered in that class, where all the young ninjas who had passed the final test were gathered for the last time. Shortly thereafter, they would discover in which team they had been assigned, as they would learn of their new jonin sensei, those who would train them from that day forward. While many of those present were talking to each other, trying to guess the various teams, several people remained silent, preferring to wait for the list of teams without getting too strange ideas.

In the front row, Sasuke was currently busy sharpening his katana with a whetstone, attracting the attention of his fangirl army, who were doing nothing but squealing delighted by his attitude, completely ignoring his displeasure in hearing their comments.

In the back rows, the various heirs of the prestigious clans of Konoha tried to pass the time in their own way. Shino, the heir of the Aburame clan, was intent on talking to his bugs, giving the impression of a boy talking to himself in a low voice. Somewhat disturbing from a certain point of view, but the vast majority of the class didn't even seem to notice him.

Sitting to his right, there was the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, Hinata. The young, and definitely shy, girl had been silent since she had entered the classroom and all she had done was to have occasional glances at the last row, where Naruto and Yakumo were sitting, intent on exchanging a few words from time to time, much to her displeasure and sadness. Watching those two allowed her to completely ignore Kiba's words, which did not stop telling everyone that he would be the first to be promoted to chūnin and the like. Besides her, most of the class did not deign to answer the young heir of the Inuzuka clan.

In the row behind them, one of their peers was sleeping with his arms folded on the desk, using them as a pillow, while at his side a boy with a more massive physique was finishing eating a packet of chips. The third, judging by the empty bags on the desk in front of him. The heirs of the Nara and Akimichi, Shikamaru and Choji, they were spending that day like any other day in the academy: sleeping or eating.

The last heir of a clan in the class, heiress in this case, was a blonde girl, intent on insulting with the girl in front of her, who had long hair with a particular pink color. Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno were on the point of hitting each other just to sit next to Sasuke, without having asked him if he was fine with it of course, when the door opened, attracting the attention of many of those present, who were shocked to see Ami enter the room with brand new clothes.

In place of her usual long red skirt, she wore an open front variant with tight black shorts that reached above her knees, paired with black ninja high boots up to her calves. Her blouse had been replaced with a purple shirt with only the right sleeve that also covered her hand, while on the left arm was visible an arm-guard of the same color, similar to those worn by the ANBU, and her forehead protector firmly tied around the biceps. The last elements of her new look, excluding the classic ninja pouches, were a chest-plate that covered her upper chest and her tantō placed horizontally on her back, just above the shuriken pouch.

"Wha...Ami?! What the hell are you doing here?!" screamed Sakura pointing at her.

"Yeah, you failed the exam, remember?" added Ino crossing her arms over the chest.

"I think students who have passed the test should be forced to go to the eye doctor because neither of you have eyes that work!" Ami shouted back pointing at her forehead protector "As you can see, but I have my doubts, I'm a ninja too! I was promoted last night!"

"And why did they promote you at night?" asked Sakura with suspicion in her eyes.

"That is a secret information. If you want to know how it went, ask the Hokage." replied Ami with a smug grin over her face, walking past them. Both were slightly surprised by her words but then turned to her, thinking she was trying to steal the place near Sasuke. However, much to their surprise, she ignored the last loyal Uchiha and kept walking until she stopped beside the row where Naruto and Yakumo were sitting. Pointing to the empty seat to Yakumo's right, Ami looked away before asking "M-may I sit here...?"

Yakumo smiled at her "Of course you can!"

After she sat down, the heiress of the Kurama clan asked her "So...new clothes?"

"More or less..." admitted Ami scratching the back of her head "These are old clothes of aunt Yūgao, except the red skirt. All my clothes were not exactly suitable for ninja life, so she decided to give me something of her own." she then noticed something looking at Naruto "Where's that huge sword you had on your back?"

"That sword is a claymore and for now it's at home. There was no need to bring it today." explained Naruto with a calm voice but Ami could not help but feel a shiver down her back in seeing those eyes fixed on her. At that moment, when many of those present were speechless in seeing Ami talking quietly with those two who had presented themselves only at the final exam, the door of the class opened and Iruka entered with a smile on his lips.

"Good morning students! Glad to see that you are all here." said the teacher looking at the class while sitting behind his desk "As you know, today you will be divided into teams and a jonin will be assigned as your sensei. Those who will be in your same team will become your new comrades, they will be almost like a family for you. You will fight together, you will learn together, you will grow together. No matter what happens, you will have to face all your future challenges together. This is what makes Konoha the strongest hidden village of all, the teamwork and the bond that unites all the ninja, our Will of Fire! Anyway, I'm proud to have been your teacher for these five years and when you're going to become successful ninja, please remember me while I'll still be here to explain to you brats like you."

Many of the students cheered at his words, thanking him in their own way and after a few minutes, Iruka silenced them by raising a clipboard "Now I will name the teams of this class. Team One..."

"I wonder what our team will be..." whispered Yakumo to Ami who nodded "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that we're going to be in the same team after last night...but I've no idea about the number."

"We just need to wait and listen, it's almost over." said Naruto with his eyes closed.

"Team Seven...Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha and Sai. Your jonin sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Team Eight...Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. Your jonin sensei is Kurenai Yūhi. Team Nine is still active. Team Ten...Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. Your jonin sensei is Asuma Sarutobi. Lastly, Team..." Iruka paused a moment with a little smirk finding its way on his face "Team Blade...Naruto Uzumaki, Yakumo Kurama and Ami Uzuki. Your jonin sensei is Yūgao Uzuki. My work is finished, soon your teachers will come to pick you up. Good luck everyone! I hope I'll see you again in the future!"

"Hey wait a minute! Why all the teams are numbered but the last one has a name of its own?!" shouted Kiba glaring back at the last row where Ami was grinning at him, Yakumo was simply smiling and Naruto had no emotion on his face.

"Hokage's orders." said Iruka with a shrug "You can always go to him and ask why he decided to give a different name to that team."

Paling quickly, Kiba just sit down with no answer while some of his classmates exchanged uncertain glances. After another farewell, Iruka left the class and in a short time, several jonin began to arrive, taking away their teams.

"Team Blade?" asked Yūgao looking at the class with a smile as Naruto, Ami and Yakumo walked toward her "Meet me at the training ground thirteen in fifteen minutes!" and with that, she shunshined away, leaving behind a trail of leaves. Without waiting a second, Yakumo put a hand on Ami's shoulder and, together with Naruto, they shunshined toward the training ground chosen by their sensei.

"What the hell?! What was that jutsu?!" shouted Kiba widening his eyes while the whole class was speechless. Sasuke in particular was gripping the hilt of his katana with a look of irritation.

'Both already know the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)...' thought Sasuke looking at the windows 'I need to learn it...'

[Two minutes later – Training Ground Thirteen]

"Glad to see you're fast as usual." said Yūgao with a smile as her students appeared in front of her with Ami being a little green on her face.

"D-Don't ever do that again all of a sudden!" shouted Ami glaring at Yakumo who scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Yakumo said "The first times are always hard on the body."

"Don't worry Ami, I'll teach you that technique as soon as the team is official." said Yūgao catching the two younger girls off guard.

"What do you mean, Yūgao-sensei? The team isn't official yet?" asked Yakumo whit Ami nodding while Naruto stood silent, looking at their teacher.

"No, it is not. Right now, you are not yet real ninja despite your forehead protector. The test you took yesterday was used only to thin out the ranks, removing those who were not up to the real exam." explained Yūgao with a serious look "Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock I want to see you again here, so you can face the real test, but for now, let's get to know each other a little!" the three students looked at her with an 'Are you serious?' look, making her sweatdrop "Yes I know, you three know me well but the same can not be said for you. Naruto and Yakumo, you have known each other for some time but you do not know much about Ami and vice versa. Say something about yourself such as dreams, what you like, what you do not like and so on."

Looking at Ami, Yakumo motioned for her to start and the purple haired girl, after a sigh, said "I like shopping, eating blackberry tarts and seeing Sakura-oroka and Ino-bunta fail when they try to get Sasuke's attention. I do not like rapists, traitors, worms, rain and...and being left behind." she looked away with a slight blush "My dream is to become a strong ninja like my aunt..."

Yūgao smiled at her, despite not being impressed by the things her niece liked 'Fortunately, she stopped caring about the Uchiha in the last period...talking about miracles...'

After a couple of seconds, Ami looked at her female teammate who smiled "I like painting, training with my Genjutsu and training with Naruto, Rock Lee, Yūgao-sensei and Hayate-sensei. I hate rapists, traitors, those who can not distinguish a kunai from the scroll in which it is contained and those who think that Genjutsu are useless. My dream is to become the Greatest Genjutsu Specialist in the world!"

Ami looked at Yakumo with awe in her eyes. Becoming the best in the world was a very impressive dream, almost impossible to achieve, yet the heiress of the Kurama clan did not seem at all intimidated by the long road ahead.

'Then again...a few days ago I thought I saw a guy with a horrible aesthetic sense screaming something like wanting to become the Greatest Taijutsu Specialist in the world...' thought Ami with a shiver at the thought of that boy and his eyebrows before looking at Naruto.

"I like ramen, training with Yakumo, Rock Lee, Yūgao-sensei and Hayate-sensei, read a good book and my swords. I dislike rapists, traitors, those who use their power inappropriately and politicians." said Naruto recalling several moments in which Mihawk had found himself working for the Gorosei alongside the Marines and his fellow Shichibukai "My dream...no, my goal is to become the Greatest Swordsman in the world."

Just like with Yakumo, Ami looked at her comrade in awe 'What's wrong with everyone?! Both of them want to become the best in something...my dream sounds really stupid and trivial right now...'

"Very good." nodded Yūgao with a smile "Now you are free to go but remember: tomorrow morning at seven o'clock. Do not be late and try to have a healthy and nutritious breakfast."

After their teacher left, Naruto turned to Ami "Last night we had no way to talk properly, so I would like to fix it now. From what the Hokage told me, you managed to steal the Scroll of Seals and then decided to face Mizuki despite the disadvantage you were in. I am particularly impressed by your determination, many people would have let Mizuki escape."

Ami blushed a bit looking away "It was nothing...I always hated that bastard and I couldn't let him go without fighting." she looked back at them with a grin "At least his plan allowed me to be promoted and learn a new technique!"

"Ah yes...I could only see the moment when you tried to attack Mizuki from behind. You said it's called Zanzō Bunshin (Afterimage Clone), right?" asked Yakumo looking at Ami who nodded before taking a couple of steps away from them. After a few seconds of concentration, Ami assumed a determined expression and immediately afterwards, two Ami appeared at her side. While Yakumo was completely surprised by the jutsu, wondering what kind of Bunshin it actually was, Naruto had much better eyes than hers and could very well see the slight discrepancies on Ami's edges.

"I see...it's not a real Bunshin jutsu but a speed technique. You are moving at such a speed as to leave afterimages, thus creating clones of yourself." explained Naruto with a nod while Ami stopped the jutsu, painting a bit "I can understand why that technique was inserted into the Scroll of Seals. Any ninja that focuses on speed could use it to become far more deadly. However I am convinced that this technique will allow you to learn faster the Shunshin no Jutsu, being both very similar, I would even dare to say that you already have the basis to learn it easily. You just have to train yourself to expand your chakra reserves."

Yakumo nodded at the explanation of her friend before tilting her head to the side "I have a question...how did you manage to steal the Scroll of Seals? Should not it be super protected?"

Ami blushed again scratching the back of her head "Well...Mizuki told me where to find it and thanks to aunt Yūgao I knew that in rare moments there are no ANBU in the Hokage office so I took advantage of it and then I...I..." she mumbled the last words, earning a couple of raised eyebrows.

"Um...sorry, what did you say? I couldn't hear you." asked Yakumo walking closer to her teammate who looked at her with the face completely red.

"I said that I henged into a nude version of aunt Yūgao and that the Hokage fainted because of a violent nosebleeds!"

A surreal silence claimed the training ground as both Naruto and Yakumo looked at the girl in front of them with incredulous eyes. All three stood motionless for several seconds until Naruto was forced to cut off the mental link with Kurama for not hearing her uncontrolled laughter.

"I...see..." mumbled Yakumo with a tint of pink on her cheeks.

Next to her, he managed to recover first thanks to Mihawk's memories. After all, the man had seen so many things during his life and the pirate named Vinsmoke Sanji had been a perverted womanizer and decidedly extravagant. After shaking his head, he looked at Yakumo "Better to get ready for tomorrow, but you should come with me for a moment." as he walked away, he glanced back at Ami "Feel free to come with us. It could be useful for you."

Slightly surprised by the offer, Ami followed them without saying anything until the trio was in front of a ninja equipment store that Naruto and Yakumo knew very well, especially the blonde, since it was the shop where he had discovered his chakra affinities and where he continued to buy stocks since when he started his training.

Opening the door, they were greeted by a large man "Ah Naruto, Yakumo! My best customers! What can I do for you..." he paused a moment looking at Ami "...and your friend?"

"Good morning, Daiki." said Naruto with a nod "I'm here for the order I commissioned you a few months ago. Is it ready?"

Daiki grinned at him "Of course it is! It took me a while but with the indications you gave me I managed to finish it in time."

The man walked away from the counter to go to the back room where his personal forge was, and after a few seconds, he came back with a wooden box that was about fifty inches long and six inches tall, with metal-coated edges and two drawbolts positioned on the side of the opening. Daiki placed it on the counter, waiting for some reaction from Naruto, who simply looked at Yakumo, nodding at the box with his head.

"Open it."

Confused now more than ever, Yakumo approached the box and snapped the two drawbolts, slowly lifting the lid and, when she saw what was inside the box, she gasped as her hands went to cover her mouth, while Ami widened her eyes in surprise.

Inside the box there was a rapier resting on a purple velvet sheet. The scabbard was made of finely worked black leather with a steel-covered tip and a red Konoha symbol had been painted at the base, near the hilt. The metal cup of the hilt, much to Yakumo's surprise, was made of bright steel, almost white, with several feathers etched on the metal. Lastly, while the grip was covered in red leather, the knuckle bow extending down from the crosspiece was actually shaped like the symbol of the Kurama clan.

Yakumo stared at the weapon for several seconds without knowing what to say. Swallowing loudly, she looked at Daiki who nodded to her with a wide smile and, stretching out her arms, she lifted the rapier, being surprised at how light it was. Grasping the handle firmly, she began to slowly draw the sword, gaping in front of the beauty of the blade that did not even have an imperfection. Taking a few steps backward, she moved her arm, slowly slashing at the air and then trying a few lunges. The faint sound produced by her blade resounded in the silence of the shop and after a few seconds, she sheathed the weapon.

As she looked down at her new rapier she could not help but tremble slightly, trying in vain not to sob "Thank you...it's a wonderful gift..."

"You should thank Naruto. It is he who has explained to me carefully how to create that weapon. Without him I would never have succeeded." said Daiki with the smile still on his face.

Looking at her blond teammate, Yakumo saw a smile on his face too "You deserve it. You've worked hard since we met, and when I helped you, you chose a rapier. It is only right that you receive one even in the real world."

Despite all of Mihawk's memories, Naruto could not foresee Yakumo's reaction, and she threw herself on him, closing him in a hug as she cried out of control "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Still having a confused expression on his face, Naruto patted her on the back "You don't have to thank me. From now on you can really train yourself to be a swordswoman. Take advantage of today to get acquainted with your new weapon, tomorrow you will need it."

Yakumo pulled away from him with a smile and a flush on her cheeks "I will! I won't let you down, I promise!" and with that, she ran out of the store and saying bye to her team and Daiki who laughed for several seconds.

"Well I must say, you know how to make a woman happy." said the man looking at Naruto before adding "I wonder if you can make her happy in another way..."

Ami blushed at the innuendo but Naruto merely rolled his eyes before focusing on his second teammate "Now for you..."

"U-Uh?! Me?" asked Ami pointing at herself.

Naruto nodded "From what Yakumo told me, you can handle your tantō, which is also a well-made weapon. Although you are still a beginner you can move very quickly and that is why, if you want to learn the art of the sword, it would be better if you focused on a style based on speed, using appropriate weapons. In addition to your tantō I would also suggest a pair of wakizashi. I can help you improve with them if Yūgao-sensei and Hayate-sensei can not help you at a certain time."

"W-Well I don't know..." mumbled Ami picking up her weapon "I'd like to learn about Kenjutsu...but I don't know if I can. I mean...it is not too late?"

"Of course not." Naruto said without hesitation "While it is true that Yakumo started before you, she learned only the basics of Kenjutsu using different weapons from her new rapier. Although she already has the movements in mind, she will start from today to train with a real weapon and the same can be said of you if you want it. I certainly do not expect you to learn all the basics right away. After all, it's a new field for you."

"I..." Ami looked again at her weapon before shaking her head, meeting Naruto's gaze "S-So...wakizashi?"

"Yes, I think they'll be good for you." Naruto said nodding to Daiki who walked away to get the weapons "But just to be sure, we'll train together for a couple of hours so that you can learn the basic movements of your two styles."

"What? Two?" asked Ami tilting her head.

"Of course. One for your tantō and one for your two wakizashi. Of course you can learn other styles if you wish, but it would be better to start from something simple." explained Naruto while Daiki returned with two simple-looking wakizashi: black scabbard, golden circular guard, and red fabric around the hilt. Ami picked up the two weapons, weighing them for a few moments before placing them on her back like an X, with the handles protruding from above her shoulders.

After paying for the two blades and Yakumo's rapier, Naruto left the shop with Ami, heading towards the training grounds.

"Err...Naruto?" said Ami looking away from him.

"Mh?"

"Thank you...for helping me..."

"You're welcome." nodded the blond with a small smirk "Now let's get started. Time is short and there are many things to learn, so I will be a bit more severe than normal."

Unconsciously, Ami felt herself shiver 'Why do I have a bad feeling about this...?'

[Five hours later – Yūgao and Ami's House]

Hearing the front door open and then close after a few seconds, Yūgao looked up from the magazine she was reading just to widen her eyes in surprise after seeing Ami with several cuts on the whole body and the face of someone who had just spent a horrible day.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, until Yūgao said "Naruto?"

"Naruto."

"Training?"

"Torture..."

"Three hours?"

"Four and a half..."

Yūgao nodded slowly while Ami walked toward the bathroom for a well-deserved shower. As she moved away from the entrance, the older girl took notice of the two wakizashi trapped to her back with a little smile.

'It really looks like this will really be an interesting team.' thought Yūgao returning to her magazine with the smile still on her face.

[The next day – Training Ground Thirteen]

Upon their arrival at the camp, the three young ninja immediately noticed that their sensei was not alone. Behind Yūgao, in fact, there were two men dressed almost identically with a bandana on their heads, but while one of them wore it in a normal way, the other wore it on the back, with the knot on the forehead. Naruto and Yakumo recognized Hayate right away but the man with a senbon needle between his teeth was a stranger to them. Ami on the other hand...

"Genma-san? What are you doing here?" asked the purple haired girl tilting her head.

The now named Genma smirked at her "Good to see you again, Ami. Hayate told me that you risked a lot the other day."

"Yes...you could say that..." mumbled her looking away with a light blush.

Genma looked at the other two "Nice to meet you. I'm Genma Shiranui, a friend of Hayate and Yūgao."

The two bowed their heads to him before looking at their team sensei with a questioning look.

"As I told you yesterday, today you will have to do the real test to become genin of Konoha." said the young woman with serious eyes "Normally, the test involves the recovery of two bells on my person in a limited time to see if you know how to act as a team. However, I'm sure that something like that would be too easy to guess, so I decided to change the test by opting for a simple evaluation of your skills but since both me and Hayate-kun are too emotionally attached to you, the present Genma will be your opponent for the test. You have to fight him with everything you have to impress him and he will decide if you are worthy of becoming genin or not."

As her teammates stared at Genma defiantly, Ami seemed to be much more insecure about the test, therefore she asked "Um...Yūgao-sensei, are you sure about this? I don't think I can face someone like Genma-san...he's a tokubetsu jonin like Hayate!"

"I know Ami, but you don't have to worry. The purpose of the test is not to defeat Genma but to impress him." explained Yūgao with a smile "Show him what you can do and I'm sure everything will be fine."

Ami was still unsure but nodded anyway. After that, Yūgao and Hayate wished them good luck before shunshining away, leaving Genma with the three younger ninja who immediately jumped back to put some distance between them and the jonin.

"All right, let's start then." said Genma looking each of of them before throwing a volley of kunai and shuriken at his opponents, to see their reactions.

Having not trained for a long time, except with Naruto the day before, Ami preferred to be on the safe side and, before the enemy projectiles could hit her, she used a quick Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique) to replace herself with a log which was immediately hit in her place.

Not far from her, Naruto maintained his position and went through a brief series of hand-seals before calling his technique "Fūton: Bouseki Tate no Kaze (Wind Release: Spinning Shield of Winds)!". In front of him, the air began to spin rapidly creating a sort of circular shield that absorbed the various projectiles before sending them back to Genma who looked at the scene with a raised eyebrow since those shuriken and kunai weren't fast enough to surprise him, allowing him to divert them all with just one kunai in his right hand.

Lastly, Yakumo used her flexibility and agility to avoid all the kunai and shuriken with quick dodges, without even being scratched. When she also avoided the last kunai, she threw a dozen of kunai back at Genma, only that her own had explosive tags attached to them.

Seeing the explosives, the jonin flipped back and went through a series of hand-seals before slamming both hands to the ground.

"Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)!"

When the explosive kunai were about to hit Genma, a thick wall of earth and rock rose from the ground in front of him, absorbing the impact of the explosions before shattering, raising a great amount of dust and smoke. The jonin looked around to try to identify his opponents in the midst of all that smoke and only thanks to his years of experience he managed to hear a sound on his left. Promptly raising the right hand, his kunai collided with the one held by Yakumo, who found herself instantly in a stall position, not being strong enough to overpower him, however the man was forced to concentrate on Naruto, who came out of the smoke in front of him with both hands clasped around the hilt of his claymore and the weapon raised for a slice from above.

With one glance, Genma realized that defending himself with a kunai wouldn't be enough, so he covered his second blade with a large amount of Doton chakra and prepared for the impact that, much to his surprise, was heavier than expected. The blade of his kunai was not destroyed, but his whole arm was numbed for a few seconds, forcing him to apply more force than expected to prevent Naruto from overwhelming him. The assault, however, wasn't yet concluded because, from his left, Ami emerged with her tantō unsheathed and ready to strike, but the jonin did not panic and, slightly lowering his left arm so as not to have it on his line of shooting without losing the fight with Naruto, he spat the senbon between his teeth.

Much to her shock, the senbon was so fast that Ami could not react and was forced to stop for the pain when the small weapon stuck in her right thigh, forcing her to her knees. Naruto and Yakumo tried to overwhelm him, but the jonin jumped backwards, throwing his two kunai so he could have his hands free for a new jutsu.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)!"

Dozens of small fireballs headed for the three genin, but Naruto and Yakumo, after positioning themselves in front of Ami to protect her, went through two different sets of hand-seals.

"Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Release: Gunshot)!"

"Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"

Yakumo's water bullet and Naruto's wind attack merged together to counteract the fireballs that were canceled in seconds, creating a large cloud of steam, thus hiding their opponent.

"We are at the starting point!" hissed Ami removing the senbon needle from her leg but when Yakumo was about to say something, small balls were thrown out of the cloud of steam, exploding a few moments later creating huge flashes that blinded Yakumo and Ami while Naruto managed to reduce the effect by tilting his head forward, using the visor of the his hat to protect his eyes from the light.

Sensing the movement in front of him, Naruto looked up in time to see Genma running towards Yakumo with his right fist raised and ready to hit her. Acting quickly, Naruto ran in front of her and raised his claymore to parry the blow using the flat side of the blade. Seeing this, the jonin changed strategy and, instead of trying to hit Naruto directly, he tried to strike him a hook but he was still too far to hit him and the punch missed Naruto.

The blond, for a just a brief moment, wondered how a jonin with such experience as Genma could make such an error, and the answer to his doubts came when he saw his opponent continue to turn on his axis without stopping. Using the momentum of the failed stroke, Genma gained speed to hit the claymore with a rotating kick using the left leg. The strength of the kick was such as to force Naruto to apply chakra to his feet to not be thrown off, but this did not prevent him from being pushed back a couple of meters, slamming against Yakumo who had just dispelled the effects of the blinding.

Still looking at Genma, Naruto saw him continue to turn but with three kunai ready in his left hand and the blond understood immediately that neither he nor Yakumo were his targets. As predicted by him, Genma flung the three kunai towards Ami who was still trying to recover, forcing Naruto to run towards her but after not even a step, he felt his left leg lose sensitivity and, looking down, saw four senbon needles stuck in his leg. Without caring about the damage suffered at that moment, he raised his head again and shouted "Ami jump to the left!"

Hearing his voice, she did as requested and, albeit clumsily, jumped in that direction, avoiding the kunai. Genma grinned at Naruto's quick thought, but his gaze was focused on the defenseless form of Yakumo, who was still on the ground after Naruto had been pushed against her. From what he had been told by Yūgao, Yakumo had improved a lot in recent months and her body was no longer weak and fragile, which meant...

"KAI!"

Dispersing the illusion, Genma saw Yakumo's body dissolve in the air and in his peripheral vision the jonin saw something on his right. Acting without thinking, Genma arched his back, avoiding a high kick of Yakumo that otherwise would have hit him in the face. Before she could retreat, he grabbed the ankle of the leg used to stand up and threw her against Naruto who, despite having a paralyzed leg, managed to catch his partner without causing any damage.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I wasn't quick enough." said Yakumo catching her breath.

"No need to apologize. I should have kept him more busy but he managed to surprise me with these needles." replied Naruto removing them from his leg, feeling the wounds close in a few seconds.

'With him being an Uzumaki and also a Jinchuuriki, that kind of damage won't do anything to him. I managed to surprise him once but I'm pretty sure he won't let himself be caught unprepared again.' thought Genma looking at his opponents as Ami walked toward her teammates, still rubbing her eyes.

"Damn, every time he seems to have a tactic ready to use." said Ami looking at the jonin who smirked at her.

"He used the result of our attacks to the fullest." explained Naruto with a calm voice "When he found himself surrounded by steam, he threw those balls to blind us but instead of using the distraction to retreat among the trees, he preferred to attack us by exploiting the fact that steam, as well as fog, can be used to reduce the effects of external light, so he could run towards us without slowing down and without suffering any disturbance from those flashes."

"Excellent analysis of the facts. Things like this are not taught at the academy but I'm sure you've got to learn them your way." said Genma still grinning before taking out a scroll. Channeling a bit of chakra into the scroll, he generated a small poof of smoke then showing them a katana with a gray sheath and hilt.

Ami looked at him with surprise "Genma-san...you're a swordsman too?"

"Spending a lot of time together with Hayate and Yūgao I ended up learning something but I'm not at their level." explained Genma placing the katana at his left side while Yakumo summoned her rapier, gaining a curious look from the jonin "Interesting...never seen a weapon like that..."

Yakumo showed a little grin "Soon you will see it very close."

"I guess so..." shrugged Genma placing another senbon between his teeth "Ready?"

Naruto gripped with determination his claymore while Ami did the same with the tantō and Yakumo stood at Naruto's side, rapier ready to strike.

Genma's grin widened a bit "I'll take that as a yes."

[Meantime – Hokage's Office]

"Ah, Genma has decided to take it out." said Hayate looking at his friend's weapon through the crystal ball of the Hokage who was using Tōmegane no Jutsu (Telescope Technique) to watch the fight between Genma and Team Blade.

"Which means that he decided to get serious." said Yūgao with a small smile "However, I am more impressed by the weapon of Yakumo, that is a beautiful..."

"Rapier." said Hiruzen for her, surprising them.

"Hokage-sama, have you already seen a weapon like that?" asked Hayate with curiosity evident in his voice.

The old ninja chuckled a bit "Not in person, however, when I was still a child, Hashirama-sama showed me some ancient scrolls where many foreign weapons were described. The rapier was one of them, besides Naruto and Yakumo told me about her weapon even if they did not have one yet, until today at least."

"I wonder why those weapons are not common around here..." mumbled Hayate looking at the masterpiece held by Yakumo.

"Most likely because those are weapons used mainly in the West, beyond the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind. From what my teacher told me, the inhabitants of the West did not usually come to these lands so we have little information about them and they are also not very detailed. Moreover, those parchments date back to a period before the Warring States Period, so many documents must have been lost during those innumerable conflicts." said the Hokage still looking at the fight in the crystal ball.

"Such a pity..." grimaced Yūgao since the rapier was indeed a wonderful weapon in her eyes "Well, let's see how they handle Genma and his Sen Hari (Thousand Needles)..."

[At the same time – Training Ground Thirteen]

Genma carefully watched his three adversaries without moving a muscle, studying their stances 'Naruto is certainly the one who is physically stronger and his weapon is a sufficient proof, yet he is extremely fast and is more skilled than the other two. Ami is certainly fast and her weapon suggests a style based on quick and precise attacks, at least until she decides to use those two wakizashi. Lastly, Yakumo...she's a troublesome one...I've never seen a weapon like that, but at first glance it seems to me to be made more for the lunges than for simple slashes. I need to be careful...'

Suddenly, Naruto ran forward, covering his blade with Fūton chakra, while Ami and Yakumo spread out on the sides. Genma guessed the basic tactic and acted accordingly by channeling Katon chakra into his blade and then going against Naruto, crossing blades with him. The two found themselves in a standstill for several seconds until Yakumo came up for a lunge. Genma then tried to kick away Naruto but the boy jumped back on his own to avoid the blow.

Turning to Yakumo, the jonin prepared to intercept her with a horizontal slash but she understood his intentions and stopped before jumping back, but that did not prevent Genma from slashing the air in front of him, surprising the girl when three burning senbon hit her in the left arm, making her scream in pain.

Even Naruto widened his eyes in surprise seeing the little needles 'How did he throw them? I was watching him and both hands were on the hilt of his katana...'

Before he could find an answer, Ami tried to get behind Genma but the jonin immediately noticed her and turned to face the purple haired girl, being surprised when he saw two more Ami appear while she was still running toward him. However, his surprise did not last long because with a series of quick slashes, two Ami faded and the real girl fell back first to the ground with hot needles in her legs.

"Fūton: Furyuu no Jutsu (Wind Release: Wind Dragon)!"

Genma had to jump away immediately to avoid being hit by a large Chinese dragon made entirely of wind that continued to chase after the failed assault. While the jonin was busy avoiding the dragon, Naruto immediately went to Yakumo and after lifting her, he moved close to Ami, helping them remove the needles from their bodies.

"It seems that Genma did not hit vital points, and that Katon chakra also cauterized the wounds when you were hit." said Naruto looking at the two girls just when the dragon was dispelled by a Katon jutsu. Looking back at their opponent, Naruto saw his serious eyes "However I think I understand the secret of his attack."

Genma raised an eyebrow "Oh? Please, do tell..."

"The answer is simple..." said Naruto pointing at his katana "There are seals on that blade."

Yakumo and Ami looked with surprised eyes at Genma who smirked at them, showing the guard of his katana and, sure enough, there were six little seals on it.

"My family is not from Konoha, nor from the Land of Fire." said Genma with a calm voice "My grandfather was a ninja from Ame but then decided to move with his family here to change his life. It was he who taught my father, who later taught me, to use senbon needles to fight, and this katana here is a family heirloom. His name is Sen Hari, and you can guess why."

"In those seals are contained your senbon needles that you throw at the moment you attack with the katana. Channeling the chakra into the blade distracts the attention from the seals on the guard so as not to alarm your opponents when you decide to use those seals because they can not see where that chakra ends if the whole blade is pervaded with chakra." said Yakumo quickly understanding the tactic used by Genma who smiled at her.

"Correct. Thanks to this little trick, I can also keep the approaching enemies at bay." explained the jonin before sheathing his sword "I think that's enough for today."

"What?!" shouted Ami wincing for the pain in her legs "It's already over?!"

"Of course." chuckled Genma "This is a test for genin, not for jonin. If I had to test the skills of a jonin I would have used my katana immediately and not only that. I just had to make sure you were ready for the life waiting for you and I must say that you are not bad at all. Naruto is the best of you without doubt, but you two..." he looked at Ami and Yakumo "You two are certainly on the right track to become excellent kunoichi."

They smiled at him bowing in gratitude and that's when Hayate and Yūgao appeared behind them.

"Congratulations! You're now officially a team!" smiled the purple haired woman while Hayate nodded with a little grin "Tomorrow, find yourself here at the same time, your first mission awaits you. Ami, do not come home late."

The three genin were left alone soon after when the three jonin shunshined away. Ami collapsed immediately on the ground "Man, Genma-san is really strong..."

"I think he was holding back against us." said Yakumo with a little smile before looking down at her weapon "I could not use my new rapier..."

"Don't worry about that. You will have your chance." said Naruto leaning against a tree "It was still interesting to fight against Genma. His style is certainly particular."

"He is also very good with it. He managed to hit me and Ami in motion without causing permanent damage." added Yakumo after sealing her rapier in a seal on her left wrist.

"That's Genma-san for you...he blocked me spitting a senbon!" groaned Ami rubbing her legs.

"He's a jonin after all." said Naruto before walking away from the training ground "Do not strain too much until you have been medicated. Have a good day."

Ami looked at him until he was of sight "I have to say...he's really strange..."

"What do you mean?" asked Yakumo looking at her teammate.

"I don't know..." admitted Ami with a sigh "Sometimes he looks like a normal boy, sometimes he looks like a veteran ninja with years of experience...it's...strange..."

Yakumo nodded slowly. She was aware of Naruto's past, since he had revealed it to her after a few months that they had started training together but she had been asked not to reveal that information to anyone. With a sigh, she stood up and then helped Ami get up "What about a little celebration? We are genin after all!"

"I like the sound of it!" grinned Ami wincing again "But first...the hospital..."

"Yeah...you may be right..." nodded Yakumo wincing in turn. Damn senbon needles...

Meanwhile, Naruto was quietly returning home receiving a lot of looks from the civilians, even though many of the women were watching him with red cheeks, more specifically they were looking at his bare chest.

'You did not tell them about your intentions for tomorrow.' said Kurama with a hint of amusement in her voice.

'There was no need to tell them. They will find out anyway.' replied Naruto with a little grin making her chuckle.

'Oh I can already hear the screams of that Ami. She'll be so~ mad!'

'I am sure that they will understand my point of view.'

Kurama grinned in his mindscape 'We'll see.'

[The next day – Naruto's House]

Sipping a cup of coffee, Naruto looked at the clock on the wall 'Mh...ten o'clock. Strange that nothing has happened yet.'

As soon as he said those words, a scream echoed throughout the village.

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!"

"It seems that Ami has exhausted her patience." mused Naruto reading a newspaper while sitting on an armchair in his living room.

'There were doubts about it? It is already a miracle that she lasted three hours.' said Kurama with a chuckle.

A second scream followed the first.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

Naruto arched an eyebrow "I'm not sure about this...but that sounded like Sakura Haruno's voice."

'Her sensei is that scarecrow, remember?'

"Ah yes, Kakashi Hatake...I still have to understand why he has a habit of being late."

'Right now you're late too.' deadpanned Kurama.

"I've a good reason."

Just at that moment, a third shout was heard in the air.

"YOOOOOOOOUTH!"

"Mh...Rock Lee and Guy-sensei. Nothing strange." shrugged Naruto sipping more coffee. After a few minutes of silence, someone knocked on the front door but thanks to his senses, he already knew who it was. Laying the paper on the table, he went to the door and opened it without hesitation, finding himself facing one Ami on the verge of a hysterical crisis, one Yakumo who was looking at him with worried eyes and to finish one Yūgao who had a disapproving look on her face.

"Good morning." said Naruto with a bow "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Ami's eye twitched a couple of times "Do you have any idea what time it is?!"

"Yes, ten o'clock. Why?"

"You're late for our mission! That's why!" shouted Ami making them wince.

"You mean our chore." said Naruto without missing a beat.

"Uh?" Ami and Yakumo tilted their heads to the side while Yūgao sighed.

"Naruto, I know that you dislike those missions but they're necessary." said the jonin looking at her male student who merely snorted.

"Those D-rank missions are just chores for genin. Nothing more, nothing less." he looked at Ami and Yakumo "Have you ever noticed groups of genin perform very strange commissions, such as shopping, painting a fence and things like that?"

Ami scratched her cheek for a second "Well...I saw three genin while they were cutting the branches of some trees...and there was a jonin nearby that was watching them."

"Those genin were carrying out a D-rank mission." deadpanned Naruto shocking Ami who quickly looked at their sensei. Since there was no reason to lie to her team, Yūgao nodded.

"He's right, Ami. The D-rank missions are...chores." explained the purple haired woman with another sigh "They are used to make the team start to act like one and develop a certain level of teamwork. Cleaning a garden, delivering packages, cleaning the roof of a house, repairing a fence...the list is very long."

"What the hell?! Those are not missions!" said Ami and Yakumo found herself in agreement with her teammate.

"Because they are used to run the village economy." said Naruto catching their attention "The missions that are assigned are always requests from a client who needs ninja to complete those requests. The D-rank missions are always commissions or jobs required by the villagers, who are often too lazy to carry out those errands on their own, but they are still missions and so the teams that complete said missions are always rewarded. However, those missions are chores and no one can deny it."

Yūgao rubbed her temples "I know Naruto, I know...but you can't take a C-rank mission right away. You can probably handle something like that, maybe Yakumo too, but Ami isn't at your level yet. If you want a real mission then you must complete thirty D-rank missions."

"Thirty?!" Ami couldn't believe this. She barely die the chores at home! How could they force her to do the chores of others!

"Completing those chores will take time away from our training and I do not think it's worth it." said Naruto slowly raising his arms "But if we must complete them...Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

With a poof of smoke, a perfect clone of Naruto appeared at his side, surprising Ami who pointed at the clone "Hey! That's a jutsu I saw in the Scroll of Seals! How do you know it?!"

"Hayate-sensei taught me, and I'm not the only one who knows it." explained Naruto looking at Yūgao who sighed for the third time.

"Do you want to use clones while we train?" asked their sensei "The Hokage could get angry if he were to find out..."

"I'm sure he will notice it as soon as he sees the clones, since they have less chakra than the original." nodded Naruto crossing his arms over the chest "Now...your answer?"

Yūgao groaned "I'm sure this will be just the first of a long series of problems with this team..." a little smile soon appeared on her face "Oh well...at least things won't be boring with you." and with that she performed the same jutsu, creating a clone of herself. Ami's shock reached new heights when even Yakumo used that technique.

"Y-You too?!"

The two Yakumo scratched their cheeks "Yes, Naruto taught it to me a couple of months ago but I can create only one clone. That's my limit for now."

"That's not fair...does that mean I'll have to be the only one to do those chores?!"

Yūgao looked at Naruto who merely shrugged before performing the same jutsu again but then, the new clone henged himself into Ami, surprising his teammate.

"Now you can train with us." said Naruto with a nod, earning a grin from Ami who nodded as well.

"Hell yeah!" shouted her raising a fist before looking at their sensei "Do you think that I can learn that jutsu?"

"Right now? No." Yūgao shook her head before smiling "But with enough training, we'll see to teach it to you too. Now, about some D-rank missions?"

The clones nodded as one before shunshining away, toward the Hokage Tower while Naruto walked back into his house to prepare himself.

It was time for some real training.

[Two weeks later – Hokage's Office]

"Hokage-sama, I think my team is ready for a C-rank mission." said Yūgao looking at their leader who smiled at them.

"You think so?" the aged leader looked at Iruka who was in the office as well "How many D-rank missions have they completed?"

"Let's see...forty-two missions, Hokage-sama. Currently they are the team that has done more missions." said Iruka looking at a clipboard in his hands.

"Oh I wonder how...you're really fast with those missions, especially if we take into account that you also train both in team and individually." added Hiruzen with a low chuckle. Obviously he already knew the secret but since Naruto had revealed to him the secret to defeating paperwork, he had decided not to reject the idea. Also Hiruzen also thought that those missions were only chores but unfortunately they were needed for the economy of the village.

"We're simply fast, Hokage-sama." replied Yūgao without losing his seriousness.

"I see I see...then you'll receive a C-rank mission." nodded Hiruzen with a smile seeing the excited looks of Ami and Yakumo. Naruto, of course, wasn't showing his emotions but that was normal for him "Send in Tazuna."

After a few seconds of waiting, a man was let into the office and all the members of Team Blade had to try hard not to vomit because of the smell of poor alcohol that had attacked their nostrils. The bespectacled man in front of them had short gray hair, a large beard and wore simple clothes, but unfortunately what immediately jumped at the nose was the smell of alcohol. Nothing surprising as he was drinking even in front of them.

"Uh? This is supposed to be the team that will protect me? Three brats and a woman? I can understand the woman since she seems quite reliable to me but the others are children, slightly older than my grandson!" said Tazuna before taking a swing of alcohol from his bottle.

"You do not have to worry, Tazuna-san." said Hiruzen ignoring the smell "This is my best team of genin right now. Your in good hands with them."

"Mh...if you say so..." grumbled Tazuna looking at genin. Ami was very close to stab him with her tantō but Yūgao was ready to stop her, Yakumo was looking at him with serious eyes feeling a little offended by his words, while Naruto was the same as usual only that his gaze seemed to freeze Tazuna on the spot, making him gulp.

'What the hell are those eyes...?' thought the old man before shaking his head "Anyway, your job is to escort me to my home, to the Land of Waves, and to protect me as I complete the bridge that will connect our land to the Land of Fire."

"All right team." said Yūgao clapping her hands "Go and get ready and meet me at the South Gate in twenty minutes. Prepare enough stocks for at least two weeks to be sure."

The three genin nodded before leaving the office while their sensei looked at the client "Also, Tazuna-san, it'd be wise to clear your mind from the alcohol. Its smell is really strong and you need a clear mind during the trip, or we can't guarantee for your safety."

Tazuna waved her off with his free hand "Yeah yeah I got it. Geez...you sound like my daughter..." and with that, he left the office too. The jonin turned to the Hokage and, after bowing, went off to get ready.

"Hokage-sama, are you sure about this? Maybe it is too early for them..." said Iruka looking at his leader who looked at the ceiling with serious eyes.

"Naruto is more than ready, and the same goes for Yakumo. While Ami is not as strong as them, I know that they will protect her." said Hiruzen before looking at the amount of papers on his desk with a small smirk "Not today damn beast, not today. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

As Iruka watched two clones of the Hokage work while the true Hiruzen was quietly reading an orange book, he could not help but think 'I need to learn that jutsu...'

[Two hours later – Road to Land of Waves]

"Um...I know you ninja are good and all...but are you sure you have taken everything?" asked Tazuna looking at his escort.

Yakumo looked at him "What do you mean?"

"Well you don't have a backpack." he said tapping the one on his back "Your sensei told you to bring with you two weeks of supplies, right?"

The heiress of the Kurama clan smiled at him before grabbing a scroll from her pouch "All we need is here. Food, clothes, a tent and so on."

The man raised an eyebrow "That's a really good trick. You can take with you a lot of things without being slowed down...a good trick indeed."

"Yeah...trick..." snorted Ami at his left. During the last two weeks she had received more training than Naruto and Yakumo because of their advantage and, like Yakumo, she had also learned the basics of Fūinjutsu so she could create the most basic seals by herself. Also she had improved a lot in the use of her swords and her special technique (special for her), the Zanzō Bunshin (Afterimage Clone).

"Remember that something that is normal for us may seem almost impossible for others." said Naruto walking at the front of the formation with Yūgao behind everyone.

Ami grumbled something before asking "Hey Tazuna-san, why did you come to Konoha for a mission? Aren't there any ninja in the Land of Waves?"

"No, there aren't. Ours is a small nation, so we rely on the ninja of other nations when needed." explained Tazuna looking at her. Ami nodded satisfied but then she saw something strange.

About a hundred meters from them, in the middle of the road, there was a puddle. Normally such a thing would not have raised any suspicion, but it hadn't rained for two weeks and so it was impossible that a puddle could last under the sun for so many days. Looking to her right, Ami winced at seeing Yakumo's blood-thirsty gaze staring at the puddle as if it were her worst enemy.

Suddenly, her gaze brightened and the girl turned to their sensei "Yūgao-sensei, I need a little break."

Yūgao looked at her with serious eyes but nodded, stopping the whole group. As Yakumo walked in the bushes, Tazuna groaned "We left only two hours ago and she must already go to the bathroom?"

"Unfortunately she had a weak body and a poor health. She has improved but sometimes her body has some little moments in which she can not resist, so to speak." explained Naruto looking back but, while he was talking to Tazuna, his eyes were on Ami.

The purple haired genin widened her eyes in surprise before nodding once 'He also noticed the puddle, which means we have to stay alert. If there's one thing I've understood in these two weeks it's that he has that look only when the situation is really serious...'

"Here I am, sorry for the wait." said Yakumo walking toward them with a small smile on her lips. Their sensei nodded and the group started walking again, until they reached the puddle. When they passed by, nothing happened but as soon as Yūgao left it behind her, the puddle seemed to come to life and two figures shrouded in dark cloaks emerged from it. The two men had rebreathers covering their mouths but the most peculiar thing was the shuriken chain connected to the gauntlets they wore, one on his right arm while the other wore his on the left arm.

Before the Konoha shinobi could react, the two assassins wrapped the chain around Yūgao and with a violent tug they tore her body to pieces, spilling blood all around. A scream rose in the air when Ami saw her aunt's body fall to the ground while Yakumo stood paralyzed for a few moments. Naruto turned around holding his claymore but when he struck a blow to one of the two killers, they jumped over him and aimed at Tazuna who had remained uncovered. The old man tried to escape but found himself wrapped in the chain and, in an instant, even his body was torn to pieces.

"Mission completed!" said one of the assassins.

"Let's get out of here!" said the other throwing smoke bombs on the ground that generated a thick cloud of smoke. While the two were running as fast as they could, neither of them noticed the blood on their chain dissolving as slowly as the bodies they had left behind. When the smoke was completely thinned out, in the middle of the road there were Team Blade and Tazuna, perfectly unharmed.

"W-What was that...?!" asked Tazuna looking at Yakumo who smirked.

"A Genjutsu." she said pointing at the ground "From a distance we noticed the puddle that hid those two ninja and when I went in the bush with an excuse I created a Genjutsu to blow their cover."

"And you did a great job." said Yūgao with a smile making her blush a bit "Those were the Demon Brothers, two missing nin of Kiri specialized in assassination missions...I wonder why they were here and why they aimed precisely at you, Tazuna-san..."

Feeling the eyes of the team upon him, Tazuna gulped loudly "I...I..."

"You lied." said Naruto with a calm voice but his eyes were cold as ice "They have targeted you for a reason and that reason will be more than enough to turn this mission into a B or A-rank mission."

Tazuna looked at each one of them before sighing "Yes...you're right...I lied to your Hokage. I really need protection but I do not have to be protected by simple bandits..."

"Someone hired those ninjas to kill you..." realized Ami before adding "Holy shit! Their client must hate you so much, in addition to the fact that he must be very rich!"

"Language!" hissed Yūgao glaring at her niece before looking back Tazuna "Tell us everything, and I mean everything."

Tazuna gulped again before telling them about the situation of his nation, how Gatō had drained his inhabitants of all they had and how the bridge he was building was the only way to save the Land of Waves. The four ninja listened carefully until he had finished, then they looked at each other.

"So...what do we do?" asked Ami looking at their sensei who sighed rubbing her forehead.

"Tazuna-san, do you have any idea how dangerous the situation is? I understand that you do not have money but that does not mean you have to lie! You could have killed my team with your idea of lying! Those two were chūnin! Not bandits!" he looked at the ground, ashamed with himself "We should follow the protocol, abort the mission and put you and all the inhabitants of your village on our blacklist."

Tazuna bit his lower lip 'It's over...'

"But unfortunately I'm sure my team would never forgive me, isn't it?" there was a hint of amusement in her voice as she looked at the three genin, each one looking back at her.

"You know us well, sensei." smiled Yakumo while Ami grinned with a nod.

"People like this Gatō are destined to die, one way or another. It doesn't seem right to make those people suffer further." said Naruto with a cold voice, almost seeing in front of him a certain blond man with sunglasses and a light pink feather coat 'That Doflamingo tried to do the same thing but was stopped. It is time to repeat the story but without taking prisoners. Fools like Gatō do not deserve a second chance.'

"It is decided then, we will continue the mission." declared Yūgao with a nod while Tazuna looked at them with tears in his eyes.

"T-Thank you! Thank you! I will repay you all, I promise!"

"Oh I know you will, Tazuna-san..." said Yūgao placing a hand on his shoulder with a sweet smile before whispering "But know that if anything happens to my team, Gatō will be the last of your worries..."

The old man paled at her words but nodded anyway. Now he was really walking on a very thin ice...

[A few hours later – Somewhere in the Land of Waves]

"The mission was a success, boss!" said Meizu opening the door of their secret hideout with his brother right behind him.

A tall man currently sitting on a bed looked at them for a moment "Really?"

"Yes, we killed the bridge builder and the jonin of the team that was supposed to protect him!" said Meizu with a grin hidden by his rebreather.

"They were three brats and a woman, nothing too complicated." added Gōzu.

The man narrowed his eyes before looking at his right where there was a figure wearing an ANBU mask "What do you think?"

The figure looked at the twin brothers "Have you already cleaned your weapons?"

"Uh? No, why?" asked Gōzu tilting his head before falling to his knees due to the KI that was crushing him and his brother.

"Look at your chain, idiot!" growled the man raising from the bed. The two did as requested and were confused to see it completely clean.

"B-But...we tore them to pieces!" said Meizu as his brother nodded.

The figure with the ANBU mask looked at them "Where did you prepare the ambush? What tactic did you use?"

When the KI weakened to make them talk without problems, Meizu said "Within a couple of hours from Konoha, we used the Puddle Genjutsu to hit them from behind." and a moment later he found himself on his knees again, same for his brother.

"You fools! A puddle in the middle of the road when it has not rained for weeks!" shouted the man scaring them before letting them go. With another growl, he looked at the masked figure "Genjutsu?"

"Most likely." nodded the ANBU "What now? Gatō will want to know something about the mission."

"I'll talk to him later, now I have to go and complete a mission that you..." he glared at the Demon Brothers "...have not been able to do." and with that, he walked away with the ANBU disappearing soon after.

"Man...he's always scary..." said Gōzu breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yes I know...I almost fell sorry for those brats." said Meizu "Almost..."

"A former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū (Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist)...talking about overkill." replied Gōzu with a laugh which was soon shared by his brother.

Now the mission would really be completed.

[One hour later – Shore in the Land of Waves]

"Thank you for everything." said Tazuna bowing to a man on a boat.

"Don't sweet it. I only hope that you'll complete your bridge. Good luck Tazuna." said the man before leading his boat away from the shore. The group began to advance in the middle of a forest with a lake not far away, when suddenly a thick mist surrounded them completely.

"Wow...I can't see anything..." said Ami looking around.

"Strange...this fog shouldn't be here at this hour..." mumbled Tazuna "Such a thing can only be seen in the morning."

Naruto and Yūgao narrowed their eyes. That mist wasn't natural, it was loaded with a lot of chakra and Naruto could not identify the origin, but for just a moment, he felt a surge of energy in front of them "EVERYONE! DOWN!"

Hurrying quickly, he jumped toward Tazuna and slammed him to the ground while Yūgao did the same thing with Ami and Yakumo just a second before a beam of electricity passed over their heads. The team got up quickly just in time to see a big man appear a few yards away from them, a man s Yūgao he instantly recognized.

"What the hell is he doing here...?"

"So you're the team who fooled the Demon Brothers, huh?" asked the man with a grin looking at them while Yūgao gripped the handle of her katana.

"To meet someone like him here. Honestly I did not expect such a thing." said Naruto with the claymore ready to strike.

"Do you know him?" asked Ami still looking at the man and the two strange swords in his hands.

"Of course I do. He's one of the best swordsmen in the Elemental Nations." said Naruto as electricity started to dance around the blades of the man in front of them "Kirigakure no Raijin (Thunder of the Hidden Mist), Raiga Kurosuki."

"I hope you are proud of your lives..." said Raiga crossing his blades in front of him "Because right now I will prepare a beautiful funeral just for you!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

FINALLY! IT'S OVER! THE THIRD CHAPTER IS DONE!

I'm really sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoyed the chapter as we just discovered one the biggest plot twist of my story! No Zabuza for you guys! It's Raiga's time to shine! Of course, everything will be explained for why he is here with the Demon Brothers, but who is the mysterious ANBU? We'll found out in the next chapter!

Today I'm in a hurry, so time to say goodbye for now!

See you around and have a nice morning/day/night!