Seven Swords

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Author's Notice: Hey everyone I'm back with yet another update, I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter especially concerning who gets what sword. Now a few people have been asking me if Naruto will learn to use all seven swords, and the answer to that is no. Each of them is designated a sword and that'll be it, none of them will learn another sword each will be stuck with what they were given. To be honest with all of you I really bounced around the idea of having Naruto wield either the Samehada or Hiramekarei, but in the end I chose the latter since I thought it was coolest of all the swords. If you guys want to know more about the power of the sword, check it out at the Naruto wiki page. There's some information over there, but to be honest it's a bit lacking, which is disappointing. So some of the powers that you might see soon are ones I make up myself.

I have another dilemma here in the story, so the pairing for this story will be NaruHarem and the girls will be Sakura, Hotaru, Mei, Karin and Shion. I mentioned the possibility of a sixth member and now I'm torn between four of them to be honest. I don't really want to have more than six, so I plan on sticking just to that. The ones I'm considering are Fu, Shizuka, Temari or Koyuki, I plan on only adding one of them if I even do add one. I don't mind sticking to the original five either. But from all of them I'm curious what you guys want to see of Fu. Should she join the rebellion and join the harem, or a possible route I was thinking of possibly adding her as Itachi's travelling partner and ship. Let me know what you guys think since I'm not particularly sure myself.

With all that out of the way, thanks everyone for continuing to support my work, many of you are asking about my past stories as well and don't worry I plan on revisiting them sometime in the future. It's just that I've lost a bit of a spark towards them, but this story is currently my focus now. I plan on adding a few more sometime soon, the main themes being a Mokuton Naruto story, and one where Naruto is trained by the Third Hokage from an early age. So yeah you guys have that to look forward to hopefully. But once again thank you all for the support you give. Please favorite and follow this story, and feel free to leave some reviews.

Chapter 4: The Seven Swordsmen

The newly appointed Seven Swordsmen all gathered in a private and secluded meeting zone within the rebellion's base, in front of them stood Zabuza, their mentor. The announcement had just finished, and straight after the ceremony and celebration, Zabuza took them aside to explain what happens to them from here on forth. They were no longer normal soldiers among their ranks, now each of them were prized and specialized soldiers who carried the land's legendary weapons.

"I think you can all guess why you were all summoned here by yours truly, well as you can see now that you are all chosen as the next generation of swordsmen. Being a member of this prestigious group won't be easy at all, now you're tasked with upholding a longstanding tradition within Kiri. But unlike past generations I want you seven to be better than my generation or the ones before me. As you know the reputation of the Seven Swordsmen has never been good, we've always been known as demons or murderers. But I believe you as the next generation can rise over that, I know you seven can become greater than us, not to be seen as demons but seen as heroes"

Zabuza was pleased to see the determined looks on his student's faces, it was enough to bring a small smile to the man's face. "Well now that you all have one of the swords, it's time to really seal the deal. One thing many people don't know is that by joining the Seven Swordsmen you are entitled to signing a special summoning contract. Every member of this organization dating back to the first generation have had a summoning contract with the Sharks" explained the man as he removed the large scroll that was conveniently strapped to his back.

"A shark summoning contract? That'd be awesome how do I do this?" Suigetsu asked eagerly.

The scroll opened to show the many signatures of the past, and true to Zabuza's words there were an incredible number of signatures some recognizable while others not.

"Well to put it simply what you must do is to bite or cut the edge of your thumb to draw a bit of blood and then you sign your name in the scroll" replied Zabuza.

Naruto watched in both amazement and confusion. On one hand he was readily being given the ability to sign another summoning contract, but at the same time he already held a summoning contract, and a powerful one at that with his affinity for the toads.

"Um is it alright for me to sign this as well? I mean I already have a summoning contract of my own" asked the young Jinchuuriki.

"It should be alright; in my travels I've come across a few ninjas with more than one summoning contract. If you want to be sure you should summon one of the toads and ask them yourself".

Naruto nodded in understanding, while his fellow swordsmen lined up in front of the scroll to sign the contract, the blonde quickly summoned a familiar toad. A small plume of smoke erupted from the ground and upon dispersing there stood a small and elderly toad.

"Ah Naruto-chan it's good to see you again, it's been a while" said the elderly toad.

Naruto bowed respectfully, after all this toad had also acted as another sensei of his over the past few years. "It's good to see you again Fukasaku-sensei" he replied curtly.

"Well then what do you need of me my boy?" asked Fukasaku.

"I wanted to ask you if it would be alright for me to sign the shark summoning contract" replied Naruto as he grabbed the large sword strapped to his back. "As you can see I was chosen to be one of the seven swordsmen and as a member of this group I was offered to sign the contract, personally I think it would be beneficial for me to sign. But if you say no then I will completely understand, after all my loyalty will always be with the toads".

"Kind words from you Naruto-kun, I believe it should be alright for you to sign. After all, in terms of summoning tiers, sharks are a lower level of summon so we have no problem in allowing you to sign. Had it been a summon as equally powerful as us toads, say some thing like the snakes or the slugs then we'll have to refuse. But I see no problem with the shark summoning contract"

The blonde Jinchuuriki nodded at the toad sage, "Thank you sensei, I really appreciate it" he said.

"Don't worry about it Naruto-kun, if that is all you need then I shall take my leave. But before I go congratulations on your new appointment, even though you are no longer a Konoha shinobi I'm sure Jiraiya-chan would be proud of you"

A melancholic smile graced the blonde's face, "I'll continue to do my best to make him proud" he replied, Fukasaku smiled back at his latest student before disappearing only to leave yet another plume of smoke.

Naruto turned his attention to the scroll, from the looks of things everyone else had finished signing their names, leaving him as the last.

"So, what'd the toad say?" asked Suigetsu.

The young blonde failed to answer his companion's question upon noticing the significant change in the boy's teeth. His eyes widened in shock before pointing an exaggerated figure towards Suigetsu's face.

"What the hell happened to your teeth? I'm sure it wasn't that sharp just a few minutes ago" exclaimed Naruto.

Zabuza walked over to calm the young man down, "Allow me to explain, if you haven't noticed every member of the Seven Swordsmen have teeth that resembles a shark. The reason being is that it is a prerequisite for those who wield the shark summoning contract. Upon signing the contract your teeth will begin to grow sharp to look like a shark's" he explained.

"Damn, that is so weird…thank Kami there was nothing like that with the toads. I'll hide away in exile if I had to grow warts around my face or something"

The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki shook his head of such thoughts, he didn't want to alter his look any further since he already had the unique trait of having whiskers. But in the end this was a small price to pay for something as useful as a shark summon. So, the young man steeled his nerves and walked over to the scroll on the ground, he bit the tip of his thumb to release his blood and with it he quickly signed his name in the scroll.

Seconds after signing his name he felt a warm chakra surround his mouth, it ached a little but overall it wasn't much. The sensation continued for a few more seconds until he began to feel his teeth morph, once the sensation faded away he ran his fingers across his mouth only to prick the tip of one of his fingers. He inspected the tip of his finger only to find a few droplets of blood on it.

'Ouch that was sharp, I guess I have shark teeth now as well' he thought to himself.

Zabuza grabbed the scroll on the ground and returned it to the strap on his back, "Now then with that out of the way you seven are now officially the known as the new Seven Swordsmen. From this day forth" he announced in a prideful tone. All the hard work and effort put in by his students paid dividends and now here they were reaping their rewards.

"So, what's next now sensei? Is there a big mission for us? A group for us to ambush or something?" asked an excited Suigetsu.

The former Kiri nin merely chuckled darkly as the seven teens all noticed the mischievous and sadistic glint in his eyes, "No far from it. We're going to be training" he replied causing a bit of disappointment from the seven.

"What? More training haven't we done enough training already?" asked a disgruntled Naruto.

"He's right, you know what we are capable of. With these new swords and powers are abilities will only be stronger than they once were. We can make moves against the Mizukage right now" added Kagura.

"Don't worry I know how strong you seven are, but don't get cocky just because you seven were chosen. I chose you based on your potential, yes you all have abilities which are advanced for your age, but you still have a long way before I really deem you all worthy. The training you've all experienced these past few years have been nothing more but a beginner course. Now you're real training begins"

"What? That's so unfair sensei" whined Hotaru.

"That was just a beginner course?" stuttered Chojuro, the blue haired boy struggled enough with Zabuza's tough training regimen for them. But to find out it only got worse from here was enough to send shivers down the young man's spine.

"That's right brats, after all just because you now wield the swords it doesn't mean that you know how to use them. That will be the focus of our training, I will be teaching you all on how to use your swords. To be honest Suigetsu will be the one getting the best out of his deal seeing as how I've only really used the Kubikiribōchō in the past. But I've fought alongside the others enough to know the intricacies of the other blades, in some areas you'll have to learn it yourselves, but I'll do my best to point you all to the right direction"

"Is that all we're going to do? Train? What about missions?" questioned a frantic Suigetsu.

"Don't worry you will all still take part in missions but from now on it will be somewhat limited, the priority coming up will be your training. Your training and progression will be the key to winning this war, so we'll be relying on you. It's lucky for us that throughout these past few months we've added skilled ninjas in our ranks while taking down some of the Mizukage's most powerful ninjas. This will make things easier for us while you seven focus on your training".

"I guess we have no choice in the matter, do we sensei?" asked Jugo.

Zabuza shook his head, "No, no you don't. I guess with that out of the way it's time for me to welcome you all to hell".

With Naruto

An entire year had passed since Naruto began his training from hell, as Zabuza liked to call it. He was frustrated at his lack of time in the field, but he knew it was for the best. True to his word Zabuza trained them tirelessly, and although at times they hated their sensei, they were also glad to see the rapid improvements they've had under his watchful eye.

The young blonde laid in his tent preparing to go to sleep, today's training had been especially difficult, and he was left extremely sore and fatigued. But just before sleep managed to get a hold of him, he felt an immediate presence in his room. The young man's eyes bolted open as he instinctively grabbed the kunai in his holster, he sat up in quickly and eyed the invader. He breathed a sigh of relief and returned the kunai back to his holster upon seeing that it was nothing more but a messenger crow.

The black bird had a small note on its beak, it delivered it to Naruto and immediately dispelled. The Jinchuuriki quickly read the note before destroying the evidence.

'So Itachi has something important to tell me huh, I guess I better meet up with him' he thought to himself before gingerly standing up from his mat.

"Damn and I was just about to go to sleep as well, good timing you have Itachi" Naruto sarcastically muttered to no one in particular.

He walked out of his tent and immediately made his way to their designated meeting spot; he was able to escape from the guards around the base using his talent for stealth. Naruto travelled a good half hour away from the base to meet by a small town within the Land of Water. He walked over to the town's tavern to meet with his unlikely ally. But before he could enter the establishment he was accidentally bumped by a hooded man. Naruto glanced up to the man to apologize but before he could utter a word he saw the man's eyes flash red.

In a split-second Naruto appeared to be in a familiar spot, he looked around and realized this wasn't the entrance to the tavern. Then from the smoky background appeared a familiar face.

"Hello again Naruto-kun, I apologize for placing you under my genjutsu once again, but this makes meetings for us easier and less suspicious. We could spend hours here discussing but in the outside world it would be nothing more but a second".

Naruto sighed in annoyance, "Dammit Itachi even now you can still easily place me in a genjutsu. So anyway, I got your message what was so important that you had to contact me?" he asked.

"Well as you know Naruto-kun for the past few months I've stationed myself within the Land of Fire, and by doing so I've managed to uncover some interesting pieces of information that you might want to hear" he replied.

The blonde nodded in understanding, "I see so what do you have to tell me?".

"Unfortunately, I come with mostly bad news. For starters the supposed civil war of the Sunagakure ninjas against the Konoha ninjas who annexed their village failed, and to punish them for their insurrection Danzo had placed a representative to keep a watchful eye on them. I've heard that the person he sent over there is the same person he's grooming to overtake his position as Hokage once Danzo grows too old"

Naruto rubbed his temples in annoyance, "Please tell me it's not who I think it is".

"It pains me to say this but the representative sent by Danzo is Sasuke. He is there acting somewhat like the Kage of the village, and its safe to say his treatment of Suna is known to be a bit inhumane. He's been known so far to lead the village with an iron fist, and his treatment of the Suna civilians and ninjas have been deplorable" Itachi replied sadly.

The young Jinchuuriki clenched his fists in anger, "That teme, he doesn't deserve the title of Kage. He or that warhawk Danzo. They're doing nothing but spreading hatred and war across the lands" he exclaimed in anger.

Itachi nodded in agreement, "Indeed they have, I never believed Sasuke would turn out this way but I guess I am to blame" he said.

Naruto shook his head, "No don't say that, you are a hero of Konoha. You did what you had to do despite how painful it would've been. It's Sasuke's own choice to follow the path that he did" he said.

"Arigato Naruto-kun, those are kind words".

"So, what else have you heard then Itachi?"

"Well as you already know Danzo is going around capturing Jinchuuriki and annexing villages to replenish his military forces and to expand his land. He's been targeting Takigakure for a while now, he was meant to attack them last week but the recent insurgence in Suna forced him to delay his plans. I can't do much to protect Takigakure but I plan on rescuing their Jinchuuriki. Her name is Fu and she holds the Nanbi, I'll find a way to keep her away from Danzo's claws".

"Ah I see, so what's your plans with Fu then? Where do you plan on taking her and when do you plan on infiltrating Takigakure to do so?" he asked.

"Immediately, I plan to head over there after our meeting here. I am still unsure on where to leave; it needs to be a place safe and away from Konoha".

"You could possibly send her to join me and the rest of the gang at the rebellion, I'm sure we'd love to have her over at the group".

"That is a possibility, but I'll have to think it about it some more. I'll let you know if I choose to send her over to you".

"Sounds fair enough, now is there anything else?"

Itachi nodded, "There is one final thing, it has to do with Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama" he said causing Naruto's eyes to widen in shock.

"Are they alive?" he asked desperately.

"I'm not sure, but I've heard mumblings around Konoha that they might be alive. I believe it's something only the higher ups of Konoha know. But as soon as my business in Takigakure is done I plan on investigating the matter some more. If anything pops up I'll make sure to let you know".

"Very well, please do let me know. I owe my life to those two and if you have any plans to free them or anything of that nature contact me. I want to help you" he said.

Itachi nodded, "Very well, but as far as news go that's all I have to say. Till we meet again Naruto-kun" he replied.

In a matter of seconds Naruto was back standing in front of the tavern's entrance, but there was Itachi in sight. The blonde sighed at the behavior of his friend, "Always the mysterious type eh Itachi" he muttered softly.

Naruto glanced around his surroundings and decided to make use of his time here, it wasn't often he had leisure time so while he was here he may as well have a good time in the tavern. Maybe try to charm a lady or something.

He chuckled as he remembered his old sensei, 'If that old pervert could see me now' he thought to himself.

One Year Later

Two years overall had passed since Naruto and his friends were bestowed their individual swords. In those two years the seven who trained under Zabuza grew tremendously strong, each of them managed to master the blade which they were given. It pleased Zabuza along with the rest of the rebellion to see the improved proficiency of the young ninjas with their designated weapon. They had grown from being reliable ninjas in the rebellion to genuine threats to the Mizukage.

In that span of time the political landscape around the world was drastically changing. Despite the time the seven spent training under their sensei Zabuza, they still took part in the occasional mission and so far the years had been good to the rebellion. Massive strides were made by the rebellion to the point that victory now seemed achievable. Over the years the rebellion had prioritized guerilla warfare in their tactics to weaken the Kiri military. This method took a lot of time and preparation for them, but this method reduced their casualties significantly.

With sabotages and raids to Kiri's supply lines outside the village, and ambushes on their marching forces, the rebellion was able to hit the Kiri's military where it hurt. The damage accumulated over the years and now for the first time in a long time, the rebellion now had the upper hand. The Mizukage was now cautious and paranoid, he was beginning to act more conservative and this meant that they rarely had to worry about troops outside of the capital. All that was left was to overthrow the government itself and defeat the Mizukage. But of course, this was all easier said than done.

Over those two years there has also been a drastic increase in the volunteers and troops who joined the rebellion, many people throughout the Land of Water were inspired by the heroic actions of these freedom fighters that they decided to sign up. Among the notable new recruits of course was Karin and Guren, the two of them had proven their loyalty over the years. Karin was known to be one of the rebellion's most skilled medics, not to mention being their most proficient sensor. Guren on the other hand proved to be one of their most powerful soldiers, with her Crystal Release doing a lot of damage to the Mizukage's forces.

But while things were going according to plan for the Kiri Rebellion, the same could almost be said to Konoha, and this distressed Naruto immensely. Over the past year, Sasuke's stranglehold in Suna had become infamous to the point that it was known to be a dictatorship. Suna was struggling immensely under Sasuke, and he heard rumors about the inhumane treatment towards the Suna civilians and ninjas. They were treated like second class citizens, while Konoha ninjas used the village as a strategic military base. There has been news on Gaara as well, and none of them good. He was still imprisoned and according to the intel gathered by his spies, it turns out he's being controlled by Sasuke and being used a trump card weapon.

Kiri was also currently a target of Konoha, but for the moment Danzo chose to watch from afar and allow the rebellion to unfold. The old warhawk was a crafty and cunning bastard, he planned on waiting till either the current regime or the rebellion would win the civil war, since it meant that despite the outcome the winner will be at his weakest point, and that would be the most opportune time to strike.

Other than Suna and Kiri, it was well known across the lands that Konoha had also annexed Takigakure, it was now a military base for Konoha but their original goal of finding yet another Jinchuuriki to control turned out to be a failure. They easily managed to control the area and the land, but they searched tirelessly for Fu, but only to return emptyhanded. They had interrogated the many civilians and ninjas of the village, but none of them were able to come up with a concrete answer to her whereabouts.

Naruto on the other hand knew exactly where she was, Itachi decided to bring her along with him. He had heard from Itachi a few months ago, and the Uchiha updated the young blonde of his current plans. According to Itachi the Akatsuki were recruiting some new members and they were to resume their plans sometime soon, and to prepare Fu for such a task he decided to bring her along with him for the meantime. He was training the young Jinchuuriki to protect herself, so that if the time comes that he must leave she would be able to sufficiently defend herself against the S-Rank organization.

Other than that, Itachi was also laying low for a while. The search for Fu was extreme on both sides, from Konoha and the Akatsuki. This stopped Itachi from gathering more intel within Konoha, particularly the status of Jiraiya and Tsunade. This mission was put on a momentary hiatus until Itachi deemed it clear to investigate the village once more. From what Naruto heard, Itachi and Fu were hiding somewhere in the Land of Waves, after Naruto recommended he stay with his friend Tazuna. But they could be anywhere by now, since Itachi was always the cautious type and for that reason he tended to never stay too long in one spot.

Base HQ

Many of the rebellion's highest-ranking officers and most trusted ninjas gathered for an important meeting. They were all called in by none other than the leader of the rebellion, Mei Terumi and she stated that she held vital news with her.

Many among the ranks had grown in confidence since their cause was beginning to gain more ground. Their visions and dreams were coming to a fruition and it began to send a sense of joy and pride in their work, these brave men and women were risking their lives to finally achieve peace in their home. This new sensation put a lot of these shinobi at ease, having the upper hand in battle gave them the opportunity to relax for once.

"Attention everyone" Mei announced as the crowd of ninjas began to grow silent, "I have called you all here because as it stands right now, our rebellion is one big breakthrough away from finally being able to launch our final attack. I've sent some of our ninjas to scout the perimeter of Kiri. According to their findings as it stands we have a reasonable chance of success if we attack with the forces we have now".

The crowd roared in approval but were quickly silenced as Mei continued, "But I feel as though before we attack the capital to liberate our home, we must recruit a few more allies. I've sent letters to our allies, Nadeshiko Village, the Land of Demons, the Land of Snow and the Land of Waves asking for assistance, only the Land of Snow and Nadeshiko Village can send us troops. Despite their help however I feel like we need one final boost to really tip the scales to our favor. We only have one shot at this and seeing how this will be the battle that determines the war, I want us to have the highest chance of success as possible" she exclaimed as hushed whispers erupted from the crowd.

While the crowd erupted into a small argument on the matter, Naruto raised his hand to Mei. The auburn haired kunoichi noticed the Jinchuuriki's actions and she nodded at him to allow him to speak.

"If I may Mei-chan, I believe I have a possible solution for this" he said as the ears of the crowd perked up, soon after that all eyes were directed to the blonde.

"Oh, please do tell Naruto-kun" replied Mei.

"I'm sure you all know about the current situation in Sunagakure. Personally, I have many friends in Suna, and I believe if we can overthrow Konoha's grasp on their village they could be a powerful ally for us against Yagura" he said.

As expected there was a cry of disapproval from some of the senior ninjas, "We're struggling enough to overthrow one government, and you wish to do the same to another village?" asked a skeptical shinobi.

"I understand your inhibitions towards my plan, but the military defenses in Sunagakure are nowhere near the same level as that of Konoha. I for one guarantee that we have nothing to worry about it when it comes to the Suna ninjas in the village, in fact if we plan this right they may even help us in this. All we really have to worry about are the Konoha ninjas stationed there" explained Naruto.

"You sound awfully confident there Naruto-kun, what makes you so certain that this is achievable?" asked Mei.

"I believe for our best chance of success we shouldn't rely on brute force, but instead a bit of stealth and cunningness. I can guarantee you all myself that I can pull this off, you said it yourself Mei-chan all we needed now was one last breakthrough. Well here it is, we have the opportunity to gain an incredible ally in Suna, all we need to do is remove Konoha's stranglehold on their village".

Mei pondered on the young man's request, there was a multitude of pros and cons that went with this plan. She scanned across the room and she noticed that the room too was divided on the topic, many felt it was too risky of a choice to make since if things didn't go well, Konoha may soon be on their ass. Not only that but if it failed, they could potentially lose valuable troops and supplies which may weaken the rebellion in the long run as well. But others also agreed with the blonde, there were certain times that daring risks were needed if they wanted to come out successful, you wouldn't get anywhere by playing it safe all the time.

Naruto continued to argue for his case, "I'm sure you all are also aware of Konoha's plans, it's been said by our organization's intel that Konoha was keeping a close eye on Kiri. Even if we do win anyway Konoha will be targeting us regardless, and that means we won't have time to rest and regroup to defend ourselves. But if we manage to liberate Suna, we put a wrench in Konoha's plans and that may delay them for a while, giving us time to prepare. Not only that but Suna could prove to be an ally for us against Konoha as well. This will make them think twice about even targeting us" he explained.

Zabuza noticed Mei's apprehension and he decided it was time to intervene, he walked over the kunoichi and whispered advice into her ear.

"Mei-sama, I think Naruto is right. This is a bold move and a big risk, but I believe it's one we must make. This could be what assures us victory, and if puts you at ease I believe in Naruto. I've been training him and the others for these past few years and I am confident in his ability. He's strong, as much as I hate to admit it, he's surpassed me a long time ago" he said capturing the interest of Mei.

Mei nodded in understanding, she valued the words of Zabuza seeing how he was one of her most trusted soldiers and companions.

"Very well Naruto-kun, I'll allow it. But because of your guarantee I want you to personally oversee this mission as its leader. You'll recruit your team and come up with the plan for liberating Suna as well. I am placing a lot of trust in you Naruto-kun, please don't disappoint me".

Naruto bowed respectfully to her, "Don't worry Mei-chan, your trust in me is not misplaced" he replied in a confident tone.

"Alright Naruto-kun, I want you to meet me by my tent first thing first thing tomorrow morning with your team ready to go" she replied before turning her attention to the rest of the crowd, "For now we will delay our attack on Kiri for another month. In this month I want you all to go around gather supplies and recruit some more soldiers. This next month will be crucial for us since it will be what makes or break this war. Other than that, you are all dismissed".

Upon the dismissal of the group, Naruto quickly scanned the room in search of the people he wanted with him for this mission. His eyes immediately darted towards his two closest friends. The young blonde walked over to both Suigetsu and Chojuro.

"Hey guys" he greeted as the two noticed the approaching blonde.

Suigetsu had his arms crossed as he smirked at his friend, "Still a ballsy bastard I see Naruto, you sure do know how to split a crowd" he said.

"Hai that was brave of you Naruto-kun, so what's your plan now?" asked Chojuro.

Before Naruto could reply Suigetsu butted in, "Let me guess you're here because you want to ask us to join you huh?".

"You know me too well Suigetsu, so what'll it be you two?" asked Naruto.

Suigetsu chuckled softly, "Do you even have to ask?" he said before high fiving his blonde friend.

"I guess not, thanks Suigetsu" replied the blonde.

"What are friends for? Am I right?" Suigetsu asked before turning to his nervous companion, "What about you Chojuro? Are you coming?".

"Of course, I can't stay behind in the sidelines while you guys take part in such an important mission".

Naruto smiled at his two friends, he knew they wouldn't say no, and he was thankful at the trust and camaraderie he shared with his new friends. Suigetsu and Chojuro were both like brothers to Naruto and the blonde knew he could always count on them to have his back.

"Alright if that's the case I'll head back to my tent to start packing and rest up for a bit, from the sound of things the next few weeks is going to be quite hectic for us"

"I agree with Suigetsu-san, it's probably best for us to start getting ready" said Chojuro.

Naruto nodded in understanding before heading off in search of his other recruits, his next spot to check was the training grounds. He walked over to the area to find his next two recruits. There having a small spar with their swords was Haku and Hotaru. Upon Naruto's arrival the two ceased their spar to have a small breather.

"What brings you here Naruto-kun? Does it have something to do with your new mission?" Hotaru asked in a knowing voice.

The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki nodded, "Yeah I've already asked both Suigetsu and Chojuro and both agreed to join me. I was hoping you two you would be interested in doing so as well" he answered.

Hotaru sighed in feigned annoyance, "At this point I have no choice really, if you three idiots are going then I have to go. After all who's going to watch after all your stupid asses if I'm not around" she said with a small smile betraying her fake tone.

Naruto chuckled softly before walking over to plant a small chaste kiss on the blonde kunoichi's forehead, "Arigato Hotaru-chan, I appreciate it" he said.

Hotaru blushed up a storm as she barely squeaked out a reply, "Don't worry about it Naruto-kun" she stuttered anxiously.

"I owe you my life Naruto-kun, I will follow you" guaranteed Haku. The whiskered boy smiled and nodded at the ice-user. Haku was a person of few words but despite that Naruto recognized her as one of his most trusted and reliable companions.

"Thank you Haku-chan" he said.

"Don't mention it Naruto-kun"

Naruto smiled brightly at the two kunoichi, "Alright then so that's four, any chance either of you guys know where Jugo is?" he asked.

Haku nodded, "Yes I saw him somewhere along the forest foraging for medicinal herbs" she replied.

"Very well I'll go on and look for him then" he said before heading off in search of his gentle friend. He travelled across the forest in search of him, only to eventually find him interacting with some of the wildlife around the area. There Jugo stood feeding some of the deer which inhabited the forest.

"Ah Jugo there you are, I've been looking for you"

Jugo turned around and smiled as he saw his approaching friend, "Oh good to see you Naruto, what brings you here?" he asked as a smile graced the large man's face.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he smiled at his fellow swordsman, "I am here to ask if you would be willing to join me in my mission, I know you were in the meeting back at HQ so I'm sure you know what the mission entails" he said.

Jugo nodded, "Hai don't worry I know. Well if it means anything Naruto, you're one of the few people who have been able to control my murderous urges and you've helped me throughout these years to learn how to control it. For that you have my thanks and loyalty" he said with a smile.

The blonde returned the smile and nodded before extending a handshake to the orange haired boy, "Thank you Jugo" he said.

"Who else have you asked?"

"So far Suigetsu, Haku, Chojuro and Hotaru have also agreed. Now all I need is Kagura, and possibly one more person".

"I see, well if you need to look for Kagura the best place to look is by his tent. If I'm not mistaken he retired somewhat early after the meeting we had back at HQ"

"Ah thanks that's good to know I'll head over there now" replied Naruto.

The young blonde left to search for the final swordsman, upon arriving back at the encampment the blonde immediately approached his companion's personal living quarters. He stood right outside the young man's tent and beckoned for him to come out.

"Hey Kagura, it's me Naruto, you in there? I want to talk to you" he announced.

"Hm give me a second I'll head out in a moment"

Naruto nodded and waited outside, after a while Kagura walked out of his tent and immediately eyed up the young blonde. "You called me for me Naruto?" he asked in his usual stoic tone.

"Hai I've asked the other five swordsmen and I'm sure you can already guess why I'm here. It has to do with the Suna mission I'll be leading, I'd like for you to join us

Kagura pondered on the thought, the mission did in face sound dangerous, but he knew just how detrimental this was for their goal. Besides this could be the perfect test for him and the Samehada, over these past few years he and the rest of the swordsmen rarely took part in missions, and the ones they were a part in weren't enough to test his new abilities. This could be the perfect opportunity for him to do just that.

But of course, that wasn't the only reason Kagura would accept this request, in his time training with the others the group of swordsmen grew to respect and befriend one another. Naruto was the glue that stuck the team together, he was close friends with all of them, while Kagura was the opposite. Kagura was the most distant from the group, but that didn't mean he didn't care for his comrades. He cared very deeply and even regarded them as his friends, the only problem for him was that he just didn't know how to express so he tended to keep to himself most of the time. But among his fellow swordsmen the one Kagura respected most was the man in front of him.

He and Naruto didn't always see eye to eye, especially at the start but over time Naruto was one of the few people in the rebellion who was able to see the true side of Kagura. The blonde knew that despite the young man's stoic and detached demeanor that underneath all that he was a reliable and trustworthy ally. He just happened to have a dark past which affected him to this day, of course this wasn't something new to Naruto, after all he was teammates with Sasuke in the past, so he knew full well how to handle people like them.

"I think you already know my answer my Naruto" he replied with an uncharacteristic smile.

Naruto smiled brightly back at his aloof friend, "I just wanted to make sure Kagura. But I knew I could count on you; I should probably leave you to it for now but remember we have to meet at Mei's tent sometime tomorrow morning for a quick debrief before we go" he explained as Kagura nodded in understanding.

"Very well I'll make my preparations now, I'll see you tomorrow Naruto" he replied before heading back into his tent.

'Alright so far so good. All I need is my final member for this mission' Naruto thought to himself before mindlessly walking over to the base's medical tents. As the blonde entered the medical unit his eyes landed on a beautiful crimson haired girl. The redhead was doing her rounds watching over the sick and wounded, and in a matter of seconds her crimson eyes turned to his direction.

Karin's cheeks reddened slightly upon seeing Naruto, truth be told she held a but of a crush for the Jinchuuriki over the years. It started off as a small attraction due to his looks and the warmth of his chakra, but after getting to know him and spending more and more time with him, she developed a definite crush on her fellow Uzumaki. But of course, she didn't know exactly how to act around him, she knew of his complicated relationship with her friend Hotaru, so she decided to step back from her feelings out of respect for her friend.

"Hey Karin-chan I want to talk to you"

"Hai Naruto-kun just give me a second, I just need to finish off my rounds it won't take long" she assured. The young blonde nodded as he waited for a couple minutes for her to finish off her shift. From the looks of things Karin seemed to have everything in here under control. Once the redhead finished her job she walked over to Naruto.

"What do you need of me Naruto-kun?" she asked in a shy tone.

Naruto chuckled seeing her flustered state, he knew of her infatuation for him but like her he hadn't acted upon it just yet. In truth he did find her attractive as well, and over time he grew to care for her the same way he cared for Hotaru, and possibly Shion. But his love life was the least of his concerns, Naruto was solely focused on his training and on the rebellion. Besides he still felt somewhat of a connection to a girl back home, as much as he hated it he couldn't get his mind off that one girl and it annoyed him to no end.

Maybe after this entire ordeal once things settle down here in Kiri Naruto can finally settle down, despite his thoughts on Sakura he knew it was an unrealistic goal. For all he knew she was probably already with Sasuke by now, either that or she may have met someone new. The blonde sighed internally, he knew he couldn't complain, all he wished was for the girl he loved to be happy.

The young Jinchuuriki shook his head of his thoughts, this wasn't the time for him to mope around especially when he had an important job to do. He cleared his throat before directing his full attention back to his fellow Uzumaki.

"Karin-chan I'm here to ask if you could possibly join my team for our mission in Sunagakure. The team I've made so far includes the other swordsmen, and basically our role is to focus on combat. You on the other hand can be our perfect support system since we lack a proper medic, both Haku and Hotaru know the basics of first aid but your skills far surpass theirs in that regard. That and your sensory skills can prove to be invaluable for a stealth and infiltration mission such as this".

The redness of her cheeks deepened at the praise given to her by the blonde, "You give me too much credit Naruto-kun, but I promise to do my best. I'll come along and provide as much support as you all need. Thank you for thinking of me Naruto-kun, I'll make sure not to disappoint" she replied shyly as her eyes nervously glanced back and forth from the floor and Naruto's cerulean eyes.

A foxy grin graced Naruto's whiskered face, he decided to be a little bit cheeky towards Karin after seeing her current state. He walked over slowly and caressed her cheek with his right hand, her eyes widened in shock as the shade of her blush deepened further. He leaned over slowly and planted a small chaste kiss on her left cheek leaving her as a stuttering mess.

"Thank you for your help Karin-chan. You've been an absolute godsend since you joined us" he said in a deep and soft tone before drawing back from the redhead.

"Hai Naruto-kun, don't worry about it" she stuttered.

Naruto chuckled internally watching her flustered state, maybe he could settle down once all this mess was over. He had to give it some thought, despite his strong feelings for the pinkette back in Konoha, it didn't mean that he shouldn't go and find happiness with another. Maybe this was a sign after all for him to move on, he decided to give it some more thought once his job was over.

"I should probably head back now and report to Mei-chan about my team, I'll see you tomorrow for a quick team meeting before we head off. Thanks again Karin-chan" he replied with a bright smile before walking out of the medical tent.

"I'll see you tomorrow Naruto-kun" she said in a soft and meek tone, a part of her still couldn't believe her blonde crush had just done that. Her hand gently graced the cheek he kissed earlier on as a small squeal escaped her mouth.

The Next Day

Naruto and his team were gathered in front of Mei, behind the rebel leader was her two advisors, Zabuza and Ao. "Well I won't keep you eight for very long, I know it'll take roughly a week to get to Suna, and so for this mission time will be of the essence. I expect you all to keep me updated with your plans, use your summons to send me messages and if things aren't looking good don't hesitate to either ask for assistance from me or flee altogether" she said as the soldiers all nodded in understanding.

"Also, for the purpose of this mission I made sure to make specific masks for each of you swordsmen, since you'll all be fighting in the front lines we thought it best to keep you all masked for now so that Konoha won't find out your identities. They'll know it was Kiri regardless due to the swords, but at least they won't know who exactly the seven swordsmen are" she explained further.

Zabuza walked over to each of the swordsmen and handed them all a porcelain white mask each, like that of ANBU. But unlike the ANBU masks in Konoha there weren't any animal distinctions on this, instead each of the seven masks handed over to the swordsmen each held a specific kanji.

Naruto examined the mask given to him, much like the others it was minimalistic in appearance, most of the mask was plain white the only design was the kanji placed on the forehead. He then looked around and studied the masks of his companions, each of them had a different kanji on the forehead of their white masks. The only one who didn't have a kanji in their mask was Karin, she held a blank porcelain unlike the rest of them.

"As you can all already tell there is a theme for the mask designs, I made sure to get them sorted late last night after Naruto gave Mei-sama and I a debrief on his team and his plans. Each of the Seven Swordsmen is granted a kanji in their mask, with the kanji signifying one of the seven deadly sins" explained Zabuza.

The whiskered teen studied the kanji in his mask and realized that Zabuza was right, the word placed on his mask was none other than the greatest sin of all, Pride.

He examined his teammates once more and studied the kanji and sins placed upon them. Kagura's mask had the kanji for Wrath, Suigetsu's was Gluttony, Haku held the kanji for Lust, Hotaru's sin was Greed, the sin placed on Chojuro was Sloth, and finally Jugo was given Envy.

"Now don't fret there isn't a particular reason as to why you were given these sins" Zabuza explained before embarrassingly rubbing the back of his head, "To be honest the only reason I did it was because I thought it was cool" he muttered softly. But not soft enough to avoid Naruto's hearing, causing the young blonde to stifle his laugh. He knew that Zabuza was a trained killer, but deep down the former Kiri nin was a bit of a dork once you got to know him.

"Worry not these masks aren't only for designs" interjected Mei, "Inside each of these masks is a seal. I made our Fuinjutsu experts around here strategically place a seal that automatically conceals your chakra. It took all night, but they managed to perfect it to the point that it makes you appear to have nothing more than the chakra levels of a civilian".

"Whoa that's cool, let's try it out" urged Hotaru as she immediately wore her mask, "Karin-chan tell me, can you still sense my chakra?".

The redhead focused herself to sense the surrounding chakra and much to her surprise the chakra she felt from her was lessened immensely. But due to her extremely unique affinity to sensory ninjutsu, she was still able to tell her apart from a normal civilian. However, Karin was a special case, had it been another sensor ninja she doubted she could tell the difference.

"Wow that's impressive it does work" she remarked clearly amazed by the contraption.

"Awesome, thanks Mei-sama these are going to be so useful for the future" said Hotaru.

Mei chucked in amusement, "Think nothing of it Hotaru-chan, but before you go Zabuza-san here wants to say one more thing to you all" she said.

"This will be the first official mission where the seven of you work as a team. From here on out there'll be a lot more missions like this and before we carry on I want to assign a captain for the Seven Swordsmen. For every generation of the Seven Swordsmen there has always been a captain and vice-captain, before this current generation Kisame was the latest to captain the seven, and his vice-captain was none other than Mangetsu Hozuki. In the time I spent training you all I was also watching you all intently to gauge your potentials and after much thought I've finally found my answer".

The seven swordsmen all stood nervously under the watchful eye of their sensei; they had no idea there was a leadership system in this organization but when they thought about it some more it made sense. The group was split half and half on the subject, one half of them felt they could handle the responsibilities than came with being a captain. The other however would rather remain stress free and continue living on as a mere soldier.

"After much thought two individuals showed me the most potential from you seven, and this is no insult to any of you. It's just that I saw something different when it came to these two, and for the past few months I've bounced around the idea on who should be the captain between the pair. The Vice-Captain of the Seven Swordsman will be Kagura, and for the Captain I've chosen Naruto" he said.

The two young boys looked stunned at their sensei's bold declaration, but despite their shock they were both happy since they were among the seven that were hoping to be chosen. Not long after the two were congratulated by their friends. It made them feel proud of themselves for earning the faith of their sensei and their peers.

Zabuza watched the entire exchange with a smile, it all made sense for him to choose the two. It took him a while to come up with a proper decision but in the end he was pleased with his own selection. He studied all his students and although he saw potential in all of them, he didn't think all of them were entirely fit to be leaders.

Chojuro suffered from anxiety from time and time and Zabuza felt he didn't have it in him to boss people around. He was a skilled fighter and a reliable teammate but just not suited to be a leader. Suigetsu was loud, brash and confident, but too much so sometimes and a lot of the time it bordered on overconfidence. He needed to be levelheaded and more practical if he wanted to lead this group. Jugo on the other hand was far too kind and gentle. He knew he could trust the young man in a fight, but he doubted that when push comes to shove Jugo could make the tough decisions that had to be made.

From the girls Hotaru was also out of the running, she was bubbly and energetic but at the same time childish and naïve. She had a lot of growing up to do for her to be a captain. Haku on the other hand was the only other one in the running. Zabuza knew her the best from all the students and she was the person he trusted most, and had it been a different group Zabuza probably would have chosen her to be a captain, but it just happened to be that she was placed with both Kagura and Naruto.

Kagura had the natural instincts to be a member of the Seven Swordsmen, his skills were rivalled only by Naruto and the two of them had created somewhat of a gap in power between them and the other five. But aside from his prowess in battle, Kagura was one of the most levelheaded and reasonable members of the group. He has also proven himself to be one of the more intelligent members of this organization, and he has displayed his intelligence time and time again during their training and missions from being able to come up with sound and practical plans that lead to victory. The only thing that stopped him from getting the rank of captain was his reserved demeanor, he knew he could lead by example, but he felt that the captain also needed to lead by words.

That's where Naruto comes in, the young blonde initially didn't prove to be a leader type for Zabuza. But over the years he matured immensely, though he still maintained a bit of childish charm and the occasional bits of immaturity. Naruto grew from being an unorganized and unpredictable ninja to be one of the more capable and successful tacticians in the rebellion, it helped that he had something most of the others lacked, creativity. For a long one thing the blonde lacked in was a bit of intelligence, but after forcing him to study and with the help of clones over those years they were able to neutralize that and even turn it into a strength.

But probably the most vital reason for Naruto's appointment was his attitude. He showed a willingness to sacrifice himself for this cause and it put actual Kiri natives to shame since Naruto was originally from Konoha. He bled for the land, and he fought for the cause, he was the symbol of what a soldier around here should be. Zabuza has seen Naruto's interactions with his peers, he knew full well how the blonde had a talent for words. After all it was a speech from the blonde that made him change his old ways. He knew how he inspired his fellow peers and his friends from both his words and actions. He worked harder than anyone during training and during missions that it inspired others to follow suit, and he had given speeches that have rallied men and women to continue fighting on. All in all, the blonde was a diamond in the rough, after some maturing he grew from being a whiny and cocky brat, to being a trustworthy leader of men.

"Well that's all Zabuza and I had to say. Good luck in your coming mission, may you all stay safe" Mei said as she directed a charming smile to the eight soldiers in front of her.

Naruto smiled back before turning back to his troops, "Alright, everyone get ready, we'll be heading out now" he said.

'It seems we'll be seeing each other real soon teme'.

Author's Note

Excuse the whole seven deadly sins theme I placed on them; I've been watching the Seven Deadly Sins anime recently along with Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood so the whole idea of the sins have been stuck in my head for a while now. But yeah other than that here you all go. I hope you guys liked my latest chapter and stay tuned for more. Thank you all for the mad support. For those that haven't yet please favorite and follow the story, and please leave a review. Thanks everyone.