Sons of the Mist

By

LigerJager

Naruto Characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Scroll 1: Enter the Demon

(Un-betaed, Revised)

The evening was clear. Not a cloud marred the sky as the inky darkness consumed the all light. Not a star shone. It was as though they were afraid of appearing and guiding travelers that night. Appearing on the horizon, like an ill-omen of dark foreboding, hung the moon casting an eerie light.

A blood red moon.

Through the black recesses of the night a lone figure emerged from the shadows and darkened the ruined road that lead towards their destination. The path itself as well as the surrounding vegetation, of what had been a great forest, bore the marks of a vicious battle. The devastation looked as though a force of nature or something very close to it had decided to pour out its wrath upon the landscape.

Great trees that had been torn asunder, splintered and broken while their twisted roots exposed, littered the path and landscape as though they were nothing more than plucked weeds that had been tossed into the wind.

The ground around the path bore deep gouges, mountains of rubble piled skyward on either side, which rent the earth apart leaving giant scars. The peaks of the few mountains that revealed themselves in the moonlight looked as though they had been shorn off leaving nothing but a plateau.

The figure studied the surrounding area as he walked on almost wraith like in his movements and just as silent. The lone man could hardly comprehend what happened to drastically change the landscape this much. When he came to the crest of a small hill, the traveler halted for a long while, stunned at the sight of what lay before him.

The great shinobi village of Konohagakure sat in the valley below partially in ruins. The flickering light of the raging infernos and smoke illuminated the worst of the destruction. A good third of the once proud village had been ruined and left bare for all to see. Apparently the focus of whatever destructive wrath rained down upon the earth that night. The forest and surrounding mountains also bore the telltale signs of the same destructive force that had caused the upheaval of the land he had observed earlier.

The figure had seen many things in this secret world of the shinobi, both good and bad. The total devastation, however, was something he had neither experienced nor had witnessed before. He could barely make out dark silhouettes of the village's shinobi moving around in the chaos, like ants, trying to quell the fires and regain some semblance of order.

The man stared at the scene a moment more before continuing on.

A thought flashed through his mind followed by a flicker of a shadow of doubt across his well hidden expressions. The intent surrounding the purpose of his presence suddenly thrown into even greater suspicion as was the reason why it had been requested.

Halting for a moment the shinobi fished out a scroll and once again read through it in the full moon's revealing light.

After going through the contents once more, as if reassuring himself of the seemingly benign nature of this visit, he continued towards his destination.

…

The great walls that encompassed the village of Konoha loomed out of the horizon and into the night sky. The eerie glow of the fires illuminated the night sky, casting an ominous glow over them.

The man increased his pace not wanting to waste another moment, His coat slightly flaring out behind him. When he neared the great doors, the traveler became increasingly aware of the silence that surrounded the area. It was the same noiseless atmosphere that haunted the graves of those long passed.

As he reached the monstrous gates an Anbu in a dark colored cloak appeared at the entrance and intercepted him. The traveler sensed at least six other presences as well. His mind sharply pinpointed their positions and calculating his chances of survival. It was certainly a bit much for just guard duty. The response most likely had something to do with the evidence he'd witnessed on his journey.

A vested shinobi appeared behind the Anbu. 'Most likely the gate guard.' The stranger deduced.

"By your hitai-ate you've traveled quite a long way from Mizu no Kuni. State your name and business. Also have the proper papers ready for inspection." The masked shinobi demanded authoritatively.

The newly arrived shinobi frowned and bit back a sarcastic retort. Barely anyone living could use that tone with him and escape unscathed.

"My name is no concern of yours." He spoke icily, "My business, however, is. It is with the Hokage and him alone." He stated in a noncommittal tone barely covered his annoyance, "As for my papers, I hope this should suffice."

With that he casually tossed a scroll to the anbu with the seal of the Hokage marked on it. The black ops then handed the missive to the current guard for verification while keeping a tense, wary eye on their unexpected guest.

The only thing saving the man from being wiped from existence, especially after the harrowing chaos they had faced that night, was the fact that he clearly approached with the intent of official business and that he was carrying summons by their leader himself.

The shinobi looked on as the guard inspected the document and handed it back with a nod. All those on duty relaxed ever so slightly. The outsider's gaze narrowed in the shadows of his cowl.

"I will personally escort you to the Hokage's office." The black ops member stated and without further incident turned on his heel and entered through the monolithic doors.

The visitor stood there for a moment and then silently entered when the masked guide beckoned for him to follow.

As he walked through the gate he spied some more legendary black corps members moving from the shadows and replacing the guard's vacated position. The lone cloaked member guided the escort through the ruined streets and guided him towards a tower in the distance.

…

As they approached the Leaf's central tower, the Mist visitor finally spoke up, long silence broken. He couldn't help but notice the condition the village was in nor could he ignore the massively damaged buildings that rose up on either side. Some looked like a doton jutsu had gone awry, others as though a wildfire had run rampant.

"What happened?"

He managed to ask as they passed another pile of rubble that had appendages of the unfortunate inhabitants protruding out of the ruins.

The Anbu, without turning around or pausing, answered, "We were attacked by a force of nature." And continued to walk in silence at a brisker pace, "though I sure you will talk about it with Hokage-sama when you meet."

The traveler couldn't help but roll his eyes at the stiff reply nor stop the mental retort, 'Ya think?' He did, however take the hint held his peace.

With that the two continued in silence.

…

As they neared the large complex, where the ruling Hokage presided, the traveling stranger couldn't help but notice small groups of villagers and shinobi alike clumped sporadically around the entrance gate. Some were noticeable, while others dispersed the moment he caught sight of them.

The Anbu seemed to pay them no mind. But as they passed through he could not help but overhear snatches of conversation which only added a little to his confusion.

"We should kill it…"

"Why does the Hokage protect…"

"Namikaze-sama should never have saved tha-"

"It's an insult to our people…"

"It should be banished…."

"Shh, the Anbu might hear…."

"What will the Hokage do…"

The shinobi filed this away as he entered the building. There was time to ponder these questions and their ominous intent later.

…

As they ascended the stairs, the outsider went from vaguely to acutely aware at how quiet ('abandoned', his mind supplied) the building was and that not a soul seemed to occupy the place. He was just about to voice his observations, a growing sense of unease overtaking him, when his guide stopped in front of a door on their left and knocked.

After a moment an old voice bade them to enter. The office itself was not overly large or lavishly furnished. It did however give ever indication of being a place where business of great importance had been conducted.

As they entered an elderly man in white and red robes stood to greet them. Had he guessed, the younger man would have placed his age around late fifties to mid-sixties, a considerable accomplishment for one of their profession. It also bespoke of the power he wielded and exactly how deadly he was.

"Leave us." Sandaime commanded.

Without another word, the Anbu guide bowed and retreated, closing the door with nary a sound.

An uncomfortable silence pervaded the office as the resident Hokage curiously eyed his visitor. The visitor before him waited patiently to be addressed, as well as to find out why exactly his presence was requested. It was definitely uncommon in their bloody world.

It also seemed incredibly odd considering what he witnessed on his journey here. Especially because he was acutely aware that he'd arrived after the village had gone through what seemed to be a violent confrontation of some kind with dire consequences.

An opponent that was massively powerful and equally deadly.

Sarutobi studied his quiet visitor. The cowl of the tanned cloak was comfortably resting on the man's head casting a slight shadow over his visible features. However the cloak was pinned slightly askew, revealing parts the uniform underneath, most likely for greater mobility. He was simply dressed in a standard Kirigakure uniform.

The black shinobi footwear, pants and long sleeved shirt, rolled up to the elbows to allow greater mobility, allowed for him to totally merge with the shadows of his surroundings. The tan, pocket less, modified standard issue flak jacket that all higher ranked shinobi sported, as well as giving him greater camouflage ability with his natural surroundings, wrapped around and shielded his upper torso.

The only other light colored items were the bandages that wrapped the lower half of his legs from ankle to just above mid-calve, securing his pants, and the bandaged lower half of his face.

His attire was completed with the angled headband tied securely around his head, the knot protruding from the right side. The metal plate which held the insignia of his village dully reflected the light from the upper left side of his cranium.

The final pieces of equipment he sported were the kunai and shuriken holster strapped to his left quadriceps, the small equipment pack he had strapped to the back his belt and the large zanbatou that hung from the holster on his back.

However what struck the elderly Hokage the most was how young the stranger was. A teenager at most, already developing well into the deadly predator he would be, with signs of his harsh life standing on the parts of his revealed skin.

'He couldn't be much older that Hatake-san.'

After a few moments Sandaime broke the silence.

"Momochi Zabuza, a former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu, retired member of the Kirigakure ANBU, currently ranked Tokubetsu Jounin. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" The older man asked before he took another draw from his pipe.

::Tsuzuku::

A/N: (Sigh) I really shouldn't be posting this story as its twin is still being written. However this one is almost a year old in the making and I think some motivation is required for me to finish this. And it's half the length of its twin.

Anywho, I hope you'll at least be entertained by this one. I will be using Canon events as a backbone for the story, however it will be fundamentally different (Like Team 8 by S'Tarkan).

Have a Merry Christmas! (This is my early gift to you!)

…

So this has made its valiant return after a 3 year hiatus, all thanks to an annoying author who bugged me about putting it back up. Especially when I have yet to finish TOR, BS, SD, and Twins (grumbles in a corner under a cloud).

This is rated 'M' for the goriness of some of the scenes. It is intended for mature audiences.

LJ 12/22/2007, 7/18/2010 (Revised)

…..

Defintion: (Courtesy of Wikipedia with a few additions)

ANBU: (暗部, The ANBU? literally "Hidden Section", Viz manga "Black Ops", English TV "ANBU Black Ops") is actually short for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (暗殺戦術特殊部隊, Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai? literally Special Assassination and Tactical Squad), and is an organization of assassination squads that serves directly under the village's leader. The ANBU wear porcelain animal masks in order to distinguish themselves from normal shinobi and to conceal their identities, and also have standard uniforms consisting of black and gray armor, arm guards, a signature spiral tattoo on their left shoulder, and a Ninjatō strapped on their back (though certain ANBU wear black cowls over their uniforms). They know the layout of the human body in detail, and have developed several techniques to strengthen their job, such as paralyzing the target. There are also Hunter-nin (追い忍, Oinin?, literally "Chasing Ninja", English TV "Tracker Ninja"), a possible sub-group within the ANBU, given the specific duty of hunting down missing-nin, and destroying their corpses, so their village's secrets won't be revealed to foreign ninja.

Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shuu: The Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist

Kirigakure no Sato: (霧隠れの里, Kirigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Mist") is the hidden village of the Land of Water. Kirigakure's leader is the Mizukage. Its ninja specialize in water-based jutsu. In the past, Kirigakure was well known for its inhuman Genin enlistment exam, where students who had been friends were pitted against each other and forced to fight to the death, though the method was cut short when academy-enlistment failure Zabuza Momochi killed all of the students in that year's graduating class. The seven greatest ninja in the village are known as the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and each one wields a large sword-like weapon. This village was once the home of the famous Kaguya clan, the battle-loving clan who had a kekkei genkai ability allowing them to control their own bones, though they were wiped out, save Kimimaro Kaguya, when they went to war with their own village. This village had a civil war against it's bloodline clans before the series started, but they were not very successful, but now Kirigakure has used these clans to their own advantage to become one of the 5 great shinobi villages.

Mizu no Kuni: The Land of Water (水の国, Mizu no Kuni?) is one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations and home to Kirigakure (霧隠れの里, Kirigakure no Sato?, literally "Village Hidden in Mist"). It is composed of many islands, with each having its own unique traditions. The country's weather is typically cool and full of mist and lakes, while in some places it is very cold and snows quite a bit.

Tokubetsu Jounin: (特別上忍, Tokubetsu Jōnin?, literally "Special High Ninja" English "Special Jonin", sometimes known as Tokujō for short) are ninja who, rather than all-around Jonin training, have Jonin-level ability in a single area or skill, much like warrant officers of real-world militaries. They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular Jonin when their services are needed.

(I modified this for my story. In Kiri, this rank is bestowed to a specialist however it is an offshoot of the Jounin rank (and equally, if not more so, prestigious). Zabuza is neither inferior in any area than a regular jounin nor is he ever assigned under anyone…for obvious reasons.)

Momochi Zabuza: Demon of the Mist (桃地再不斬, Momochi Zabuza?) first gained renown during one of Kirigakure's Academy graduation events, where he singlehandedly killed all of his peers. Zabuza would later become one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist where he acquired his zanbatō.

Being from Kirigakure, Zabuza excels in water-oriented jutsu, frequently launching large bodies of water at opponents for attack. In addition to the offensive capabilities of his water jutsu, Zabuza is a highly skilled assassin. By blanketing the area in mist, Zabuza can blind an opponent and then locate them by the sounds they make and kill them without their noticing his presence. This talent with assassination is very well-known, as even the ninja of Konohagakure are familiar with Zabuza's history. (much to his chagrin)