Naruto: The New Keyblade Master

Summary: Instead of Sasuke, Naruto was hit by Haku's needles, putting him in a death-like state. He entered his mindscape for the first-time and met Kyuubi face-to-face. However, someone was there that he didn't expect - a legendary warrior from ages past. Sora, the Keyblade Master.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Kingdom Hearts.

Chapter 01: Merging of Souls

Naruto was holding on to his waning consciousness after being struck down by dozens of needles from the fake hunter-nin in front of him. He and Sasuke were doing well at first when the two of them decided to work together to bring down Zabuza's accomplice but the plan went down the drain when the purpose of the ice mirrors were revealed to the duo.

The mirrors allowed the fake hunter-nin to travel faster than their eye could see, jumping from one mirror to another while attacking along the way. His Kage Bunshins acted as a shield at first but there were easily dispelled by accurate hits. In the end, the masked shinobi unleashed a full-blown needle assault at him but Sasuke moved from the rear to use his body as a shield to protect his teammate.

However, a deep-seated need to protect his friends welled up inside the blonde that made him push a startled Sasuke out of the path of the attack and accepted every single needle thrown at him. This was the reason why his consciousness was slowly receding, his vision blurring.

The last thing he saw was the fake hunter-nin in one of the mirrors in front of him with a concerned Sasuke trying vainly to keep him awake.

Glad that he saved his friend, he happily succumbed to unconsciousness and blacked out.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto was startled when he saw himself standing inside a rather large sewer. He looked around and couldn't help but cringe at the foreboding feeling the place exuded. He looked down to see that his feet were covered in water. He was wearing his usual orange jumpsuit, but without the holes and rips that gave evidence to the battle that he participated before arriving to wherever he was right now.

"Where in the world am I?" the blonde asked out loud, his voice echoing around him. He didn't get any answers nor did he expect to get one considering he was alone.

Deciding to explore, he traversed the empty path without really caring where he was going. His last memory was taking the hits for his teammate and couldn't help but realize that he could be dead already and this could be heaven. If it was, it was too ugly to be called a paradise and cringe at the possibility of what hell looked like if this was really Kami's sanctuary for good souls.

Considering that he didn't have any idea as to where he was going, Naruto decided to simply follow the glowing pipes on one side of the wall. There were two pipes to be exact, one glowing red while the other glowing blue. Curious as to where it led, he decided to pick a direction and started walking, keeping an eye on the pipes just in case.

He didn't know how long he was walking but he finally ended up in a large room. It still looked like a sewer but the only difference there was a large iron cage on the far end. In the middle of the gate where a lock was supposed to be contained a piece of paper with the Kanji of 'Seal' in the middle. He might not be that attentive in class but he listened to those that he found interesting, and Fuuinjutsu that Iruka-sensei described to him was definitely interesting.

However, it wasn't the cage that caught his attention; it was the sound of two voices talking to each other from deep inside the cage. One of the voices was deep and rough, while the other sounded like a teenager. Curious, he walked closer to the cage and tried to focus his eyes to try to pierce the darkness within. Before he could get any closer, the imposing voice made him freeze in his tracks.

"It seems that my container has finally graced us with his presence." the voice growled from within the cage.

"You're right. Took him long enough though I couldn't blame him considering that no one really taught him anything about being your container." said the teenage voice.

"Who's there?" shouted Naruto, wanting to know who owned these voices.

"I guess you're right, Kyuubi, he isn't really that smart. Reminds me of myself when I was still a naïve child back in my world." said the teenage voice with a chuckle. "Well, I should say that he and I should be alike. After all, he is me."

"K-Kyuubi?" stuttered Naruto, quite afraid of facing the most powerful tailed-beast in the Elemental Nations. "Why are you here?"

"Why shouldn't I be here?" Kyuubi asked sarcastically, revealing his gigantic form to the shaken blonde by moving closer to the bars. "You're precious Yondaime sealed me inside you after all."

"Sealed?" Naruto asked, confused. "But I'm dead. So there's no way you should be here."

"Sorry to break it to you, Naruto, but you're not dead." said the teenager, finally revealing himself by moving closer to the bars. Naruto finally saw the owner of the voice.

He was around Naruto's age, a teenager, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes like his own. He was wearing a black and silver outfit, though Naruto thought there were a bit too baggy for his taste. There were too many zippers to count and the silver crown necklace he was wearing on his neck was cool. All in all, the outfit looked good but it would have been better if there were some orange color here and there, it was his favorite after all.

"Who're you?" Naruto asked the teenager who gave him a grin, almost similar to his own fox-like grin. "And what do you mean that I'm not dead?"

"My name is Sora." The teenager introduced himself. "As to your other question, you're not dead. The person who stuck you full of needles didn't hit any vital areas that would have killed you. Instead, you're in a death-like state. You're body is in a state of hibernation or cold sleep but your mind is still quite active. And in case you ask, we are currently in your mindscape."

"Mindscape?" asked Naruto, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

"It is a place where your mind meets your soul. In most cases, only those who practiced meditation for a long time could reach their mindscape. In your case, since you are my jinchuuriki then you get to have access to your mindscape in order to communicate with me." explained Kyuubi after he laid down and crossed his front paws in front of him.

"I see." Naruto said with a nod, understanding what his tenant was trying to convey though he was a bit confused as to why the fox wasn't his usual angry self which didn't really fit with the stories he heard regarding the bijuu. Also, people might think of him as stupid but he was far from it. Living alone since he was six years old allowed him to grow in maturity way ahead of his peers. He just didn't like to show it and had no reason to do so. "So this is my mindscape and I am not dead. My next question is…why is Sora here?"

Sora looked at Kyuubi who gave the teenager a glance. The fox gave a huff and proceeded to explain.

"To put it simply, Sora here is your past self. You believe in reincarnation, correct?" asked Kyuubi. Naruto nodded. "Sora here was supposed to be reincarnated into you but the seal that the Yondaime used got in the way. When his soul was about to merge with yours, the seal acted and trapped him here with me. He isn't exactly controlled by the seal as I am but he cannot merge with you without your explicit permission since that is how the seal works."

"Also, the delay of the merger would be different. Normally, a reincarnated soul would merge with their future self the second they exited their mother's womb. Since you're no longer one then there's a whole new set of rules in place to follow. I will merge with you, after you give your permission of course, but the result will grant you access to all my memories and abilities." finished Sora, picking up from where Kyuubi left off.

Now this caught Naruto's attention. He was curious when he heard that Sora was his past self but his curiosity peaked when the teenager mentioned abilities.

"Abilities? Don't tell me I'm more than a civilian during my past life?" Naruto asked the brown-haired teenager, curiosity lacing his question.

"Civilian?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side the same way Naruto did earlier. Kyuubi couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two.

"Civilian, meaning you're a non-shinobi according to the rules of this world. From what you told me of your world, you are more than a civilian; though I would either rank you either as a warrior or a protector considering what you did to save your world from the evils you faced." Kyuubi explained to him with a shrug. Realization dawned on Sora's face after that explanation.

"Well, I started out as a civilian but I was born with a power that was unique in my world." Sora explained before holding out his hand as if grasping something. Naruto was startled when a blade that looked like an oversized key materialized in a bright light in his counterpart's grip. "This is the Keyblade. In my world, this is said to be the most powerful weapon in existence, allowing the user to open any door, even the door in between worlds. It is indestructible and had many forms depending on the key chain attached at the end. This is its most basic form, the Kingdom Key."

"Wow." whispered Naruto as he eyed the Keyblade in Sora's hands. There was no bladed edge. "If it's a weapon then why doesn't it have any sharp edge?"

"The Kingdom Key doesn't have a sharp edge as with most keyblades though some key chains may have an edge that you're looking for. The damage it inflicts is not based on cuts, but more like a mace. You use it like a sword but the damage comes in the form of a blunt force trauma." explained Sora as he made the keyblade disappear.

Naruto nodded. Being a shinobi, he understood that there were many weapons in the world and not all of them were based on causing cuts or wounds. In most cases, blunt weapons were more dangerous since the damage they inflicted were huge especially when a vital area was hit.

"So what do we need to do now? I don't know about you but I need to get out of here since we are in the middle of a battle. I need to help my teammates since we're facing strong opponents." explained Naruto as he looked around, trying to look for an exit or something that would bring him out of his current state.

"The death-like state can only be lifted if the needles are removed. However, your merger with Sora should push the needle out once you combine your abilities. I would say that there would be a sudden burst of power once the merger is complete. Besides, you have nothing to worry if you're in your mind. Time moves slowly here. A minute inside your mindscape is a second outside." Kyuubi informed them sleepily. His head was currently on his paws and his eyes were closed.

Naruto nodded in understanding before looking at Sora who was looking at him expectantly.

"What do I need to do for us to merge? Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Naruto, not wanting to force his past self to a decision he didn't want to do.

Sora shook his head and smiled at the thoughtfulness of his future self. It was heartening to see that his heart was in the right place with no trace of darkness despite the things that he went through in the village.

"Nothing. You just need to accept me as I merge my soul with yours. All of my abilities and my memories are yours to use; though I suggest that you take some time to master my abilities since my memories wouldn't give you the necessary experience to wield my powers with ease. In fact, you will only know how they are used but you need to build up the experience through practice if you really want to master them." explained Sora as he stepped closer to his future self, preparing for the merger.

Naruto nodded and gave Sora a smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Sora." said Naruto as he held out his hand to the teenager.

Sora grinned and grasped the offered hand making the both of them glow. There was a bright light and Naruto could feel power and memories entering him from their physical connection.

"Nice to meet you too, Naruto. Use my powers well." Was all the Naruto heard before he blacked out.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto felt like he was floating. He was surrounded by a white light while Sora's memories flowed into his mind. He experienced everything Sora did in his life, from the start of his journey in Destiny Island to his natural death. His past counterpart was a warrior, a warrior of the Light, a defender of the weak, and the shield against evil. He wielded his various keyblade forms with mastery as he smote the Heartless and Nobodies that he encountered during his adventures.

Everything that Sora knew, Naruto knew.

Everything that Sora could do, Naruto could now accomplish.

He continued to float as he assimilated the memories while his body changed to accommodate the new powers granted to him by the merger. He didn't know that his physical self was also being subjected to the change as well.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Haku just placed the lone Uchiha in a death-like state. No matter how much Zabuza trained him to be a killer; he could never take a life. At least this way, he knew that the two Konoha genins would survive to see the next day. He was about to cancel his mirrors and help his master when he saw the blonde, whiskered genin glowing before floating a few feet off the ground, righting himself as if he was standing in mid-air, the needles stuck in various places in the boy's body falling to the ground as if they were forced out from within.

Haku was astonished as he saw the first person who understood him change before his very eyes.

As the white light engulfed the genin, various changes were made that left the masked shinobi gaping in awe. Naruto's spiky hair grew a bit, making it even spikier. The ridiculous kill-me-orange jumpsuit morphed into a black and silver outfit with lots of zippers. His sandals also morphed into black shoes with a steel-toed tip. Haku swore that the blonde grew a bit in height and the muscles bulked a bit giving him a more athletic look. Last, but not the least, a crown necklace appeared around the blonde's neck before being slowly lowered to the ground as the white light disappeared.

Haku saw Naruto opened his cerulean blue eyes.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto opened his eyes after assimilating Sora's memories and powers. He felt different, he felt powerful; and most importantly, he felt whole for the first time in his life. The first thing he saw was the masked shinobi standing over Sasuke's unconscious, senbon-riddled body.

"Sasuke!" exclaimed Naruto, running to his friend but stopped and summoned Oathkeeper to block a senbon coming his way. "What the…"

"I don't know how you survived and I don't care. I will place you back in the same state before I assist my master." declared Haku as he walked back and melted right into the mirror, putting all of his reflection in all the mirrors in the dome. Without any warning, Haku started jumping from one mirror to the other while throwing senbon needles at the now-revived blonde.

"I don't think so." declared Naruto before triggering his new ability, Drive, slipping into the Master Form with ease, changing the silver in his outfit to yellow. Oblivion materialized and floated just a few inches away from his free hand, spinning lazily. Seeing the dozens of senbons approaching him, the newly awakened Keyblade Master pushed a mental command to the floating Oblivion to start spinning like a shuriken to block the senbons while started using Guard with the rest using Oathkeeper.

Haku was flabbergasted when he saw Naruto change the color of his clothes and another one of those weird weapons appeared floating by his free hand. What shocked him, however, was when the blonde started to perform an intricate dance of defense as he blocked all of the senbons with ease. Zabuza's apprentice was confused as to how the blonde suddenly acquired such skill that he didn't display before. Was it a Kekkei Genkai? Was it a hidden ace? What was it?

Considering that he was almost out of senbons, he stopped his barrage and waited inside one of his mirror for a chance to attack. He needed to end this soon since his chakra reserves were running dangerously low, his ultimate technique eating at his energy faster than he could restore it.

Naruto saw the masked shinobi stop his senbon barraged. He needed to destroy the mirrors if he wanted to save Sasuke. Running through Sora's memories in his mind, he finally found something that could work in getting them out of the dome of ice mirrors. It was a long shot but he needed that form's speed and power in order to destroy the mirrors and make sure that the attack was fast enough to avoid a counter.

Taking a deep breath, he reverted back to his normal form and immediately switched to his Drive's ultimate form, the Final Form. All the black in his clothes disappeared to change into white. Two keyblades, Ultima and Fenrir, known for their power and range materialized on his back in an X-shaped pattern as he floated a few feet off the bridge. Not wasting any time, he stretched out his hands causing the two keyblades to fly out of his back and started floating a few feet from his palms. Naruto grinned as he started to move his hands around, as if conducting an orchestra, his keyblades spinning and slashing at the mirrors, breaking them with ease.

Haku was shocked when Naruto switched again the colors of his outfits and brought out two different, yet similar, weapons. The weird thing was the blonde floating off the bridge as if he was flying. He didn't have time to worry about the new power the blonde was using since he was running out of mirrors to escape to. It was a few minutes later that he was hiding in the last mirror with Naruto in front of him.

"Now you have nowhere to go so I guess this is good bye for now, hunter-san." said Naruto with a grin before pointing both of his hands towards his enemy causing Ultima and Fenrir to appear floating beside him, one to his left and the other to his right, both tips of the weapons aimed at the lone mirror. With a surge of power, two white beams of energy blasted out of the keyblades and hit the mirror with a resounding boom, causing the ice chakra construct to explode and ejecting its occupant, stunned from the power of the attack.

The blonde saw his chance so he glided towards the hunter-nin and grabbed Fenrir out of the air as it floated beside him before smacking the dazed shinobi right on the mask, shattering it to pieces and propelling his enemy to the floor with a thud. He was shocked when he saw the face of the masked shinobi for the first time.

"Haku!" exclaimed Naruto in shock at seeing a friend behind the mask. He couldn't believe that the boy he met in the clearing was the enemy.

Haku groaned as he pushed himself up before setting his eyes on Naruto who was looking at him in disbelief.

"Hello, Naruto." said Haku before pushing himself off the floor, tired and bruised from the blonde's rather powerful attack.

"Haku. I can't believe this. Why are you here?" asked Naruto though he already knew what his friend really was.

"I am Zabuza's apprentice and I will always follow my master's orders." whispered Haku though it was evident that Naruto heard it. "And his order was to make sure that you don't get in his way. Please stand down, Naruto. I don't want to have to fight you but I will if I have to."

Naruto shakes his head and looked at Haku in the eye. He could see the hesitation there, the hesitation to fight a friend.

"You don't have to follow him, Haku. You can stop all this. Just stand down. I don't want to hurt you." urged Naruto as Ultima floated around him, waiting on its master's mental command to be used.

Haku shook his head in negative before pulling out a senbon needle from his pouch.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm Zabuza's tool." said Haku before dashing forward to start his attack.

Naruto easily saw through Haku's speed thanks to his recent upgrade and used Fenrir to block the incoming attack. While they were in a stalemate, Haku started doing one-handed seals before shouting out his technique.

"Certain-Kill Ice Spears." whispered Haku as he released his chakra. Six spears of ice materialized out of nowhere surrounding Naruto who immediately sent a mental command to Ultima. The ultimate keyblade started spinning around, destroying the ice spears with ease before flying over to its master.

Naruto grabbed Ultima and started attacking Haku in earnest, forcing the ice-wielding shinobi to retreat while blocking the blonde's frenzied attacks with his lone senbon. With a grunt, Naruto added more power forcing Haku back though the unmasked boy started doing another set of seals for his next attack as he blocked every swing. Landing on a puddle of water, Haku stamped on it, making the water rise to the air before shouting his next technique.

"Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death."

Naruto saw that he was surrounded so he cast a spell from Sora's memories using Ultima considering that the keyblade had the ability to increase the potency of spells cast through it.

"Reflect!" shouted Naruto causing a glass-like energy construct to materialize and protect him from every angle. The water needles hit the shield and started bouncing off it. Haku saw some of the needles flying his way so he jumped to the side to avoid being impaled by his own technique.

Naruto, however, saw his chance so he canceled the spell and glided over to Haku in a burst of speed. He caught up to his friend in a second before placing Ultima's pointed tip on Haku's neck.

"Surrender, Haku. It's over. I don't want to hurt you."

Haku looked at Naruto with sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry but I can't. If you want me to stop fighting you then you just have to kill me." whispered Haku.

Naruto could clearly see the determination of the boy in front of him, the determination to stand by his master's side and to die if need be. He growled in frustration.

"We don't have to fight, Haku. You're my friend. Zabuza may be your master but you're your own person." he declared, sincerity dripping in his voice, trying to convince his friend.

Haku shook his head and smiled at the boy that was vainly trying to save his life.

"Zabuza saved me from a life of death. He taught me everything he knew so I could protect myself. My life belongs to him." Haku said with a sad smile. "Please kill me, Naruto. If you don't then I will do everything in my power to kill the bridge builder. If that happens then Wave wouldn't be able to escape Gato's clutches"

Naruto was struggling within as he tried to change his friend. He didn't want to kill; it wasn't part of his creed to do so. Haku was a kind-hearted person trained to be a cold-blooded killer. But no matter how hard he was trained, the boy didn't have the guts to kill. His heart wouldn't allow him. He tried to come up with a way to save his friend while protecting Tazuna but if Haku wouldn't stand down then he didn't have a choice. If he were to chose, then he would rather choose for Tazuna to live. A lot of people's lives were at stake.

Haku smiled when he saw the determination seep into Naruto's eyes after struggling with his emotions. He accepted his fate. He failed his master and that only meant death for him. He steeled himself for the coming blow but he saw something at the corner of his eyes which froze his heart. His master needed his help.

Naruto was about push Ultima's tip on Haku's neck to end the boy's life but Haku's words stopped him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I can't die yet. It seems that I can still be of service to my master for one last time. Farewell, my friend." said Haku as he disappeared in a swirl of ice causing Naruto to look at the place where the boy was standing in shock. He looked around, trying to pierce the heavy mist surrounding him to see where his friend went. Cursing the mist, he raised Ultima over his head and cast the most powerful wind spell he knew. "Wind!"

A powerful wind burst forth from his body, blowing the mist away. What Naruto saw next made his blood run cold. Haku was standing between his sensei and Zabuza, a lightning encased hand piercing his chest and heart.

"HAKU!" shouted Naruto as he flew to his friend.

Kakashi turned to the sound of his student's voice and almost fainted when he saw a different Naruto flying towards him with two weird weapons floating around him in agitation.

"Naruto?" asked a stunned Kakashi, his shock causing him to pull out his hand from Haku's chest with a loud squelch, blood splashing on the bridge.

"Kakashi-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto before turning to the downed form of Haku, life slowly receding from his friend's eyes. "Haku, no!" he shouted before landing on the floor and trying to stop the flow of blood from the large hole in the boy's chest with his hands.

Zabuza was stunned when Haku materialized in front of him to take the blow that was meant to be his. He couldn't believe that his apprentice saved his life. He was further stunned when he saw one of Kakashi's brats flying, FLYING, towards him before kneeling down and trying to save his apprentice.

"There's nothing you can do, kid. Haku took the blow that was meant for me." said Zabuza in a cold voice while struggling against the dogs that Kakashi summoned to keep him in place. He wanted to free himself from the dog's grip so he could check on his apprentice. He didn't show it but he was saddened by Haku's death, a boy that he secretly treated like a son he never had.

Kakashi was looking sadly at his student as the blonde tried vainly to save what appeared to be his friend.

"Stop it, Naruto. There's nothing you can do. My Raikiri was a technique designed to pierce and it went straight to his heart. He is dying." Kakashi informed his student. He was shocked, however, when said student simply stood up and growled at him.

"Never! I'll save Haku no matter what." growled Naruto as he made Fenrir disappear and brought out Star Seeker since he needed it for what he was about to do next. He grabbed both keyblades and pointed both at the hole in Haku's chest while gathering as much chakra as he could. "HEAL!"

The rush of power coming from the blonde was immense; both Kakashi and Zabuza was shocked at the output of chakra from the young genin as twin beams of green light flew out from the tip of both keyblades and hit Haku's prone form and covering the boy with healing energy. Naruto knew that it was working but he was slowly tiring from the drain of the spell. Despite the power of Star Seeker to boost his magic and increase the restoration of his magical reserves, it couldn't cope with the continuous use of the spell. Not wanting to give up, Naruto called for help deep into his mind, to ask for help from someone that could provide him with the necessary power to finish healing his friend.

"Kyuubi! Please give me some of your chakra." Naruto mentally shouted to his tenant.

Thankfully, the bijuu heard his mental plea from deep within his mindscape.

"It's useless, brat. Nothing you can do short of a miracle can save your friend now." said Kyuubi as plain fact. The bijuu knew that his energy could easily replace those that his container used and provide a boost for his spells but he wanted to test his determination first.

"I don't care. I'll keep trying until every last drop of my energy runs out. Please give me some of your energy." pleaded Naruto to the bijuu.

"And what if I don't?" asked the fox rhetorically.

This rather-cold question from his tenant made Naruto's eyes glint with renewed determination.

"Then I will use every last drop of chakra I have in my body. I don't care if it kills me." declared Naruto as he pushed more of his waning energy into the keyblades to boost the healing spell.

Kyuubi was silent for a few seconds as he digested the blonde's declaration. Considering that he was within the boy's body, he could easily check the energy reserves and the health of his host. It seemed that the boy was determined to go to the brink of death just to save his friend. From the looks of it, Naruto was determined to use every last drop of his chakra even if he dropped dead from the strain. Also, his host might not know it but Kyuubi would die if his container did. It seemed that the boy had a cunning side to him that he didn't realize existed which made the bijuu smirk inside his cage before sending out a burst of his potent chakra into his container to start replenishing Naruto's almost empty reserves, as well as powering the spell directly from his own.

Naruto could feel Kyuubi accepting his request through a surge of chakra from his gut, replenishing his almost empty reserves while also adding more energy to the spell. The waning beams of the Cure spell he was directing at Haku flared before doubling in size making the wounded boy flinch from the sudden onslaught of healing energy. Naruto didn't know it but he was producing an aura of power that Kakashi easily recognized.

"Holy shit! He's using Kyuubi chakra for whatever it is he's doing. What happened to him and what are those things he is holding?" Kakashi mentally ranted as he watched and felt the power of his genin coming out of his body waves as he directed it towards healing the injured teen on the floor.

"Whatever this kid is doing, it's working. I never felt such power before. It is even more powerful than Yagura's when he brought his bijuu out." thought Zabuza as he saw the hole on Haku's chest slowly closing as the energy seemed to double in that area.

Naruto grunted as he continued to hold the spell while watching the hole on Haku's chest closing. He could see the muscles knitting together, closing the hole. Finally the skin was slowly being replaced by new ones. He immediately ended the spell when the healing was finished. He sent a mental thanks to his tenant before looking at his astonished sensei and grinned.

"See? I told you I'll heal him." gasped Naruto before pulling in much needed oxygen to catch his breath. He was tired but he could feel his reserves almost going to full. It seemed that he was tired from directing Kyuubi's energy towards the keyblades since his body's wasn't used to it yet.

"I don't know what you did, Naruto, but you did a good job." said Kakashi while giving the boy his patented eye-smile though he was inwardly worried that Konoha's number one unpredictable genin just healed one of their enemies.

Naruto was about to say something when he heard clapping from somewhere at the unfinished end of the bridge.

"What a show! It looks like your reputation as the Demon of the Mist was a sham, Zabuza. Here you are helpless in front of Tazuna's hired bodyguards." said the voice until someone walked out of the mist revealing the owner of the voice to be Gato who was followed closely by his armada of mercenaries and thugs.

"Gato!" growled Zabuza at the midget business tycoon. "What are you doing here?"

Gato released a nasty grin while eyeing Zabuza's wounds.

"Well, if you want something done right then you just have to do it yourself. From the looks of it, I was right in that decision too." Gato said nastily as he surveyed the battleground with his gaze stopping at Haku's prone form. "This move of mine would kill two birds with one stone and the Konoha shinobis are just the icing on the cake."

"What do you mean? asked Kakashi, confused by the whole thing since Gato hired Zabuza.

"I had no intentions of paying the 'Baby of the Mist' and his apprentice. This is the reasons why I brought my hired thugs with me. Missing-nins are so expensive so I had no intentions of paying the two with my precious money. I would, however, like to thank you for weakening him for my group. I'll make sure to give you a proper burial when my men are done with all of you." declared Gato while giving the sleeping Haku a nasty grin. "Starting with your baby apprentice over there."

Kakashi looked at Gato for a few moments before looking straight at Zabuza who was doing the same to him.

"I guess we're no longer enemies if you're employer just renege on your deal." Kakashi informed the missing-nin casually. He did a Ram seal and dispelled the summoned nin-dogs, effectively freeing Zabuza from his confinement.

"Yes. I think it's time that I teach the midget that there are things you're not supposed to do when dealing with shinobis, especially missing-nins." declared Zabuza as he tested his wounded arms, finding them unresponsive to his commands. "Could you lend me a kunai? It would seem that I can't use my sword with two arms being unable to move."

Kakashi was about to comply when Naruto growled.

"No need." Naruto said angrily before pointing Star Seeker at Zabuza. "Heal!"

A green bolt of healing energy erupted from the keyblade's tip and enveloping Zabuza in a healing cocoon. A few seconds later, the spell ended with Zabuza testing his fully-healed arms in amazement. The Demon of the Mist gave Naruto a look of respect before turning to Kakashi who was smiling at the genin.

"I don't know where you got this kid, Kakashi, but you got lucky on the draw." said Zabuza before picking up his blade, Kubiki Hocho, from the floor.

"I know. Naruto is Konoha's most unpredictable shinobi and never failed to impress." replied Kakashi with a smile before pulling out a kunai and facing Gato and his merry men. "Shall we?"

"Let's." Zabuza agreed before looking at Naruto who was looking murderously at the midget. "I guess you're coming too huh, brat?"

Naruto didn't say anything but growled in response. He rose up from the ground and let go of Star Seeker and Ultima who obediently floated around him in anticipation of the coming battle.

"If you two old man don't hurry up, I'll finish all of them for you." said Naruto before flying towards the stunned group of thugs with an equally stunned Gato. When he reached them, he swung his hands around causing the keyblades to spin around and attacking anyone who came into range.

Zabuza and Kakashi exchanged a quick glance before dashing towards the rampaging blonde, hoping to get a little bit of the action before all the thugs were gone.