SpiderFox

Story by Nezumimaru

Written by SkippingZombie

Chapter 1 "Who is this boy?"

Disclaimer: SZ-Any similarity to the series Naruto is purely coincidental. I mean- Naruto doesn't belong to us, but we love it enough to write about it. He (Naruto) should be flattered.

N-True, true. I'd be. Oh, and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sama. So no suing, not that you'd win anyway.

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The situation was bleak. This was definitely not a - ed mission. But the old man who had given Squad 7 the task of guarding him had pretty much blackmailed them into staying the course of the mission by telling them about his grandson and his daughter and their financial situation and their inability to pay for a B-ranked mission and so on…

But even Kakashi was surprised when Zabuza showed himself.

"Your path ends here, Kakashi of the Sharingan."

Kakashi stared straight ahead at the strange ninja blocking the path. He instantly recognized him for who he was. He gestured for Sakura and Sasuke to move in around Tazuna, then crouched low and prepared himself for a fight.

"Zabuza, the rogue ninja. I suppose Gato hired you as well? Sakura, Sasuke, do not leave Tazuna for any reason. This fight is far beyond your training. I'll tackle him myself."

"Strong words should never be spoken when they cannot be backed up by power. I will prove to be more then a match for you, Kakashi."

The four travelers watched as Zabuza created a mist thick enough to hide his appearance.

Sasuke felt his run cold. He couldn't move one inch. The lust was too great! He began to shiver uncontrollably. He could barely make out the form of Kakashi in front of him.

"Protect Tazuna! He'll come after me first." Kakashi scanned the fog with his one normal eye and his Sharingan.

"Wrong."

Zabuza appeared abruptly directly behind Sakura and Sasuke, facing Tazuna. But Kakashi was ready for this, and moved with pinpoint accuracy and sent Zabuza flying into a tree. The mist jutsu fell, and Zabuza stood back up, smiling. Kakashi moved to face him.

"Not bad, I should have known that you'd be prepared. But let's see how you handle this!" Zabuza splashed apart, and reappeared behind Kakashi almost instantly.

"A water clone!" yelled Sakura. But Kakashi was ready for this as well. As Zabuza slashed into him, it became apparent that he too was using a substitution jutsu. He abruptly reappeared behind Zabuza.

"Not good enough" Said Zabuza mockingly, for he had maneuvered Kakashi to just where he wanted him.

Kakashi found himself standing on water, and wasn't able to move fast enough to avoid-

"Water Prison!!"

Several clear sheets of water shot up to form a sphere around Kakashi, binding him inside. Zabuza supported this prison with his arm.

"Water clone jutsu!!" Another water clone appeared, and moved towards the remaining three travelers. "This clone only has one tenth the strength of myself, but that should be plenty to dispose of you pests." Zabuza's clone moved up to Sasuke.

"What is it with you? Picking on kids and old men? I suppose I need to teach you a lesson."

This voice didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular. Unexpectedly, an arrow was shot from a nearby tree, and Zabuza's water clone was killed.

"Show yourself!" Zabuza hissed.

A strangely dressed boy jumped down from the tree. He was clad in a black muscle shirt, baggy orange pants, and a cloth headband and had sun-kissed yellow hair. From his torso protruded not two but six arms. He looked very much like a spider in this way, and he didn't appear to be any older than Sasuke or Sakura. This strange boy brushed off his pant legs and strode over to Zabuza.

"Insolent brat! I'll finish you!" Zabuza threw several kunai at this boy, but they only got stuck in a log that had been used in a Substitution Jutsu. In his rage, Zabuza had overlooked the real position of the strange kid. He jumped up from the water on which Zabuza was standing and stabbed him in the side with a kunai of his own.

"GRAAAAAAAA!" Zabuza dropped the Water Prison and clutched his side in agony. The brat had poisoned it with some kind of burning serum!

Kakashi landed next to the two members of squad 7, and watched the boy work.

The spider boy spun a web across his hands and bound Zabuza's wrists together, and then, after spinning a large glob of silk, formed hand seals and cried, "Secret Ninja Art: Spider Web Net!", turning the glob into a large spider web, trapping the missing-nin in it. He then showed great disgrace for the enemy by hanging him upside down from a nearby tree.

"YOU! I Will Destroy… you… brat…I…" Zabuza made a gurgling sound, and then lost consciousness

"Did I mention that the poison on my kunai will knock you out for around ten hours?" The boy laughed at the not so tough ninja and then turned to face the others.

"While I appreciate your help, would you mind telling us what you are doing here?" Kakashi moved to the boy and extended his hand.

"It was pure coincidence that I saved you guys. I was just after Zabuza, he has quite a bounty on his head you know." The strangely colored boy gripped Kakashi's hand, and then turned to face the unconscious Zabuza. "QUITE a bounty. I am going to eat well for a while. I wonder how much this guy is worth in ramen." the boy commented as he turn towards his catch, rubbing his six hands together.

"You are a bounty hunter?"

"Yeah. I've been tracking Zabuza for quite some time."

Their conversation was interrupted by a longhaired ninja wearing a white mask.

"I'm afraid you won't be cashing in anytime soon." This new threat slashed through the line suspending Zabuza, and then proceeded to hoist the limp body up on his or her shoulders. "This body contains way too much information for me to let you have it."

"Hey! Get your own! I took him down fair and square! Find your own bounty!" the boy yelled flailing all six arms around.

Kakashi placed a hand on the six-armed boy's shoulder. "This isn't a bounty hunter, kid. This guy is a hunter-nin. He was probably sent after Zabuza just like you were. His responsibility is to make sure that the secrets of this body are not revealed."

"I know what a hunter-nin is, you dolt! Look, he's getting away!" It was true; the hunter had fled the scene in a hurry, carrying the body of Zabuza.

"Dammit! This sucks!" The six-armed boy pouted and seated himself on a stump nearby, crossing his legs and arms. "Now what do I do?"

"I have a question myself. Who are you?" Kakashi stared at the boy who looked familiar somehow. Kakashi couldn't quite place it however, and dismissed the thought.

"My name is Naruto, the spider ninja." The boy stood up and paced over to where the others were idling. "Who are you? You're obviously ninja from the village hidden in the leaves. And that's the ancient bridge-builder from near here, right?"

Tazuna was about to yell at the smart-tongued boy, but Kakashi spoke first. "You are correct; we are escorting this man, Tazuna. We shall not tell you more, however."

"Fine with me. It's probably boring anyway. Who are these baby faced kids?"

"Who're you calling baby faced?! You can't be any older than us!" yelled Sakura, still recovering from the shock of the battle. "I'm Sakura, and this is Sasuke. And we could beat you down any day!"

"Care to try?" Naruto beckoned with his hand.

"Cut it out Sakura. Thank you for assisting us Naruto." Kakashi bowed slightly.

"Hey no problem. But something doesn't sit right with this whole thing," Naruto cupped his hand under his chin, thinking. After a moment, he looked up suddenly. "I got it! That guy couldn't have been a hunter! He didn't dispose of the body on site! He must have been rescuing Zabuza, not hurting him!"

Kakashi looked stunned. "He didn't do his procedure correctly, that's definitely true. You could be right Naruto."

"That means…" Sasuke began. Zabuza would be back! Sasuke shivered remembering the mist that had been so intimidating. Would they fight him again?

"At least this means his bounty is still up for grabs." Naruto threw a fist into the air. Then the silence was cut by a loud grumble from his stomach. "Uggh. I haven't eaten all day. Where can I get some food?"

Tazuna moved to the front of the group. "I suppose you can accompany us to my home. I'll feed you. But if you dare call me ancient one more time…"

"Alright! Thanks!"

Naruto spun on his heel and began to follow the traveling ninja to their destination.

"This should be interesting," mumbled Sakura.

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Signatures

SkippingZombie- Not bad for chapter one, eh? This is my first Naruto fiction, written up for my good friend Nezumimaru. If you can read this- review!!!!

Nezumimaru- Special Thanks to SkippingZombie for helping me flesh out this story. If you haven't already, you should look up his works. Find him in my Favorite Authors list. Please review. More chapters will be up as soon as SZ is done with them.