Iron Shinobi Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Here is the first of the four updates for this month friends and fans! Sorry it has taken a while longer than I thought, but I've had to work 50 hour weeks at work and I was dead tired so writing was slowed down. Regardless of my work problems, please enjoy!

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is here with another chapter of Iron Shinobi! This chapter we start on the all-important Wave Mission! I feel this story needs both original missions like last chapter and canon ones to progress the story in the direction I’d like it to go.

As always Patrons get all chapters a month early and all one-shots are Pat re on exclusive.

If you’re not a Patron please thank the ones who helped make this possible.

Thank you; Lu Bane Na, Frimorigo, Thomas E Nellis, Patrick Ayres, Rinnosuke, Kaymann, Jacob Ward, Evgeniy Kazanin, Daniel Williams, CC100, Victor Garrett, Brody Meech, Benjamin, Paul Nichols, Alastor God of Vengeance, Mauday, Thomas B. Wilkes, Vito Saraceno, Ct126371, Benjamin Shklyar, AC DC 1C 2C, Joseph, Callum Nowlan, Brad Goldin, Cody Lyle, Kori K., Mark Edward Wyndham Tiller, Joseph Morrison, Tristan McKenzie O'Meara, Robyn Tammy Grogan, Hmm is it time, Joini, Demonhunter44, Healerbob, Optimum Prime, Wisecrackin, and Jeremy Carrico.

If you’d like to become a patron and get access to these chapters a month earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.

So without further delay, please enjoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 7 – The Mission to Nami no Kuni

"Morning, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto grunted, pulling Kakashi from his Icha Icha reading. Kakashi quickly looked up at his student with an eye smile and waved at him from across the clearing where Sasuke and Sakura stood by their sensei.

"Morning, Naruto. Are you ready for another mission today?" Kakashi asked as Naruto joined his squad mates.

"Yeah, I am." Naruto grinned back. "I'm hoping it isn’t something boring though."

"You just had a solo mission and you already want to leave on another higher ranked mission? Are you saying you don’t like your team’s company?" Kakashi joked getting Naruto to ‘tsk’ as he looked at Sasuke, who was ignoring everyone, and Sakura, who was fawning over Sasuke.

"I miss these guys about as much as they would miss me." Naruto deadpanned. "That’s not a lot if you couldn’t tell."

Deciding to get his team on track for the day Kakashi announced his plan. "Then I suppose it’s a good thing I’m requesting a C-Rank mission today, right?" he said as he watched all three of his Genin perk up at his news.

"About time, I was getting tired of doing odd jobs around the village." Naruto grinned while hoping for a combat related mission.

"Alright team, let's head for the tower." Kakashi said as he started walking towards the mission office. Naruto was still considering what kind of mission they’d get so he simply followed along behind Kakashi. Sasuke and Sakura followed but neither said anything. Sasuke had his usual scowl on his face, though he did look interested in a higher ranked mission. Sakura was too busy staring at Sasuke to comment on anything else. Once they'd arrived at the mission office Team Seven entered to find the Sandaime looking over a mission scroll with a calculating look on his face. "Hokage-sama, Hatake Kakashi and Team Seven reporting for mission assignment." Kakashi requested formally while the three Genin gave a polite bow to their leader.

"Ah, Team Seven, you requested a C-Rank today, correct Kakashi?" the Sandaime questioned as he looked the team over. Kakashi nodded his gaze never leaving the Hokage.

"Very well, I believe this mission will be suitable for your team.” Sarutobi stated as he passed the scroll he was looking at over to Kakashi.

“So what are we doing? Elimination, tracking, assassination, sabotage, spying?” Naruto questioned Sarutobi. 

“Don't be so impatient, Naruto. You’ll be escorting a client back to their homeland and protecting them while they complete a project. Send in the client." Sarutobi ordered with the door opening shortly afterward. Team Seven turned to the door where they saw an old man with gray facial hair. He was tan, wore a hat, glasses, and common laborer’s clothes. He looked the Genin over before opening his mouth.

"What the…? A bunch of little brats are ninja?" The man took a long drink of the sake he had in his hands. "The little girl looks like she could be blown over by a strong breeze. You expect me to believe these are ninja?"

Naruto chuckled as the man pointed out Sakura’s lack of dedicated training.

"What did you say?” Sakura demanded with a growl looking like she was going to attack the old man. Fortunately, Kakashi was there to stop her.

"I am Tazuna, a super bridge builder, and I must return to my village. I expect you to get me back safely even if it costs you your lives." Tazuna stated before taking another drink of his sake.

"What are the full details of this mission, Hokage-sama?" Sasuke asked as he looked towards the Hokage for further details.

"Tazuna has requested protection and escort back to Nami no Kuni. You’ll also continue to guard him as he finishes a construction project. I have complete faith that Team Seven will be able to ensure this mission is completed." the Hokage explained as he lit his pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke from his lips. “As you'll be heading for Nami no Kuni make sure to pack for an extended mission. Dismissed." with that Team Seven bowed to the Hokage and left the mission office to go prepare for their new mission. Kakashi led Tazuna out while all three Genin went back to their homes to pack. After packing and informing Yachiru of his mission Naruto headed for the village gates to meet up with his team and their client. The team plus client met back at the village gates close to an hour later and quickly set out on the road towards Nami no Kuni. 

"You know, I really hope some bandits are stupid enough to attack, I could use a little workout." Naruto grinned as he and the rest of Team Seven escorted Tazuna down the road.

“It’s possible, but unlikely with us escorting Tazuna-san.” Kakashi remarked as he continued to read his Icha Icha while walking.

“Hn.” Sasuke replied dismissively.

“Only a battle junkie like you would want to be attacked Naruto-baka!” Sakura snapped at the blonde angrily. The group continued walking for another few hours before they passed a puddle on the road. Kakashi noticed the obvious and rather poor attempt at concealment but made no mention of it to gauge his Genin’s reactions. The group continued on their way down the road without a look back.

It appeared that no one had noticed the two figures rising up out of the puddle together after the group passed. Two shinobi with breathing masks, horned Kiri headbands on their foreheads and a large metal gauntlet on one arm with a bladed chain connecting the two gauntlets stared at the group for a second before one of the shinobi leapt into the air and dashed around Kakashi, wrapping him with the chain. The whole group stared at their attackers in shock before the stationary one of the two said, ‘One down,’ and the two darted in opposite directions from each other, pulling the chain taunt and shredding Kakashi into bloody pieces before he could escape.

"Kakashi-sensei!" yelled Sakura terrified and in shock at seeing their sensei killed right in front of them.

Naruto grinned viciously and with a Kyorioomata closed the distance between himself and their attackers. The two Kiri shinobi slung their chain towards Naruto attempting to decapitate him with it. To both of the attacker’s shock Naruto simply grabbed their chain barehanded and tugged back against them.

While Naruto had the Kiri-nin distracted Sasuke leapt into the air and landed on the two Kiri shinobis' gauntlets before grabbing the gauntlets with his hands and kicking both enemies in the face at once. The Kiri shinobi quickly disengaged the chain from their gauntlets allowing them to separate. One shinobi went after Naruto and swiped at him with the gauntlet, only to watch in shock as Naruto smirked and let the blow land against his chest. 

“You’ll have to do a lot better than that.” Naruto growled as he latched his hand onto the gauntlet preventing the Kiri-nin from escaping. The trapped shinobi attempted to knee Naruto in the stomach only to grit his teeth at the feeling of almost breaking his knee against Naruto’s Koutetsu. With a quick knife hand chop Naruto had sliced off his opponent's arm just above where the gauntlet ended. Naruto then drove his fist into the Kiri shinobi's face, crushing his nose and knocking him out. The Kiri-nin that had charged towards Sakura and Tazuna was almost upon them when Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and disabled the enemy with a single arm chokehold. 

"I think that’s enough." Kakashi said with an eye smile. Kakashi then turned towards his Genin. "Naruto you showed excellent reaction time and use of your bloodline to shock your enemy allowing you to take him out. Sasuke that was also a good reaction to the situation and an excellent capitalization on your enemies’ distraction. Sakura you panicked at first but guarded the client from harm, so good recovery." Kakashi then turned to their client. "Tazuna-san, I need to talk to you in a moment." he said before dragging the two defeated shinobi away into the forest. He returned several minutes later and informed his Genin of their new situation.

"Those were the Demon Brothers, Missing-nin from Kirigakure no Sato. They're known for their teamwork and record of successful assassinations." Kakashi informed. “I’m proud you were able to react to their ambush, even if you failed to notice them while they were hiding.”

"If you knew they were there, why did you let the brats fight?" Tazuna questioned the Jounin.

"If I had wanted to I could have killed them instantly but I needed to find out who exactly these two were after." Kakashi explained.

"What do you mean?" Tazuna asked.

"I mean, were they after one of us, ninja hunting other ninja. Or were they after you, our client? We haven't heard that there are shinobi after you. Our mission was to simply protect you from bandits or thugs. This has now become at least a B-class mission with Shinobi Combat involved. But this was supposed to be simple protection until you completed your bridge. If it was known that ninja were after you, this mission would have been set as a B-rank from the beginning. While I'm sure you had a reason, it causes problems when you lie about the mission specifications. We are now operating outside of our duties. Furthermore, we should be inquiring as to how you intend to pay Konoha for our services." Kakashi stated getting all three Genin to look towards their client. 

"That’s right, shinobi don’t offer their skills for free. Without proper payment we have a justifiable reason to abandon this mission and return to the village." Sakura recited from memory as she looked towards Kakashi.

"That’s no fun. I say we keep going, seems like a good chance of stronger opponents." Naruto grinned wildly.

“I’m fine with continuing. Those two weren’t much of a challenge.” Sasuke remarked arrogantly.

"Sensei, I’ll come clean with you." Tazuna stated as the two adults walked a short distance away for a private chat. "You're right that this job is most likely outside of your duties. There is a super dangerous man after my life."

"Super dangerous man?" Kakashi questioned as his visible eyebrow rose upwards. "Who?"

"You've probably at least heard his name before." Tazuna responded, "The wealthy shipping magnate named Gato."

"Gato? The Gato, from the Gato Shipping Company? He's one of the few extremely wealthy people in this part of the world." Kakashi queried.

"Yes, officially he runs a large shipping company, but secretly he sells drugs and other illegal items, using missing ninja and gangs to take over business contracts and small countries. He's a very horrible man. It was about a year ago when he set his eyes on Nami no Kuni. Through money and violence, he quickly took control of the country's shipping industry. Gato now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country. The only thing he has to worry about now is the completion of the bridge I’m building." Tazuna explained.

"Since you're building the bridge you're in the way." Kakashi nodded in understanding. "So, those ninja were hired by Gato to eliminate you?"

“Yes, without me the bridge will remain unfinished and he’ll keep his hold over the country.” Tazuna confirmed.

"What I don't understand is if you knew ninja could be after you, why did you hide that fact when you put in your mission request?" Kakashi questioned.

"Nami no Kuni is super poor, even the Daimyo has very little money. Of course, we don't have much money either, not enough to afford an expensive B-rank mission." Tazuna replied. The two made their way back towards the Genin and Kakashi explained the situation. Team Seven stared at the bridge builder for a minute before Tazuna spoke up again.

"Well, if you quit the mission now, I’ll definitely be killed. But, don't worry about it! If I die, my super cute ten year old grandson will just cry for a few days! Oh yeah, and my daughter will live a sad life hating Konoha shinobi forever. But it won't be your fault, not at all!" Tazuna spoke as he tried to guilt trip the shinobi into continuing the mission.

Naruto already wanted to continue the mission and he could tell that Sasuke and Sakura were fighting the urge to tell Tazuna off for his attempted guilt trip.

"Well, I guess we have no choice. We will protect you at least until you get back to your country," said Kakashi. 

“Great! We’ll be at the meet up spot with the boatman in a few more hours if we keep up this pace.” Tazuna informed them cheerily, getting grumbles and muttering from Sakura and Sasuke.

"That’s pretty big." Naruto whispered as he looked at the unfinished bridge. The group was in a small boat heading into Nami no Kuni under the cover of the coastal mist. 

"We'll be there soon," whispered the boatman, "Tazuna, it looks like we've avoided detection so far but just in case, we'll take the route that has more vegetation. It will make it harder for us to be spotted." Tazuna nodded, trying not to make a sound. The small boat entered and passed through a tunnel of mangrove trees before quietly pulling up to a small dock at the end of the natural tunnel where Team Seven disembarked with Tazuna.

"This is it for me. Good bye and good luck," whispered the boatman before he pushed off and disappeared into the mist with his boat after Tazuna thanked him.

"Ok, get me home safely." Tazuna requested.

"Yes, yes." Kakashi replied while covertly extending his senses to search for enemies. 'If we get attacked again, it will not be a Chuunin, but a Jounin.' he thought to himself.

Sasuke and Sakura had their senses strained to the max to try and detect any enemies. Naruto was walking slightly in front of the group, with his bloodline limit he was the best shield for the client. The blonde suddenly launched a kunai towards a bush off to the side of the group. Quickly making their way towards the bushes, Team Seven stared at a white rabbit that had frozen in shock. Naruto's kunai was buried in the trunk of a tree just an inch above the rabbit's head and right between its long ears. Sakura immediately scooped up the bunny and held it close. 

“Naruto you idiot, what did you do that for?” Sakura hissed at her blonde teammate.

"Thought there was someone there." Naruto grunted while Sakura glared at him.

'That's a snow rabbit. But it is only white in the winter and it’s far too early for it to have grown its winter coat. This rabbit was kept in a cage for Kawarimi. Looks like Naruto was right and we have an observer.' Kakashi thought to himself as he sharpened his senses even further.

Up in a tree, a figure peered through the leaves at the group on the ground. 'I see. No wonder the Demon Brothers didn't stand a chance, Konoha's Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi.' the figure mused before they leapt into the air. Kakashi reacted instantly to the impending attack. 

"Everyone down, now!" Kakashi ordered. Naruto and Sasuke both moved quickly. Sasuke hit the ground while Naruto grabbed Tazuna and Sakura pulling both to the dirt. A large sword spun through the air where their necks would have been and slammed into a nearby tree. As Kakashi locked his eyes on the sword, a shinobi appeared standing on the handle of the giant weapon.

"Well if it isn't Kiri's Missing-nin Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi remarked calmly, "Everybody get back. This one's on another level." Kakashi reached for his headband as he continued, "Against him, it will be a little tough unless I do this…"

"Your reputation proceeds you Hatake Kakashi," Zabuza replied, "Hand over the old man and I’ll let you live."

"Somehow I don’t believe him." Naruto muttered as he stood up along with Tazuna and Sakura.

"Surround and protect Tazuna-san. Do not enter the fight, that's the kind of teamwork needed here." Kakashi ordered, not once taking his focus off Zabuza. "Zabuza, you’ll be fighting me." Kakashi stated as he opened his left eye to reveal a Sharingan, though a scar around the eye implied it was surgically transplanted.

"Ah, I get to see the famous Sharingan already? I'm honored," Zabuza remarked as he finally looked at the whole group. "When I was a member of Kiri's assassination team, I possessed the usual Bingo Book, a kind of who's who of our enemies. It had quite the extensive write up on you, including a mention of your impressive record, the man who has copied over a thousand different jutsu, Copy Ninja Kakashi."

"Yeah, ours has a good report on you in it. The member of the Seven Swordsmen that went rogue and tried to assassinate the Mizukage." Kakashi replied.

"Let's end all the talking. I have to kill that old man," Zabuza stated as he glared at Tazuna. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura quickly formed a triangle putting themselves in between the Missing-nin and his target. "It seems I have to kill you first Kakashi." he said before he pulled his sword from the tree and disappeared from sight, only to reappear on the nearby water. All three Genin stared in shock; they hadn’t been able to follow their enemy’s movement.

Mist started to appear as Zabuza raised one arm straight up and positioned his other hand in front of his masked face. "Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu," Zabuza intoned, before he disappeared from sight in the rapidly thickening mist.

"He'll come after me first. Momochi Zabuza, as a member of the Hidden Mist, was known as an expert in Muon Satsujin (Silent Homicide). Letting your guard down around him will see you dead without a sound." Kakashi informed. “So all of you stay on your toes!"

Zabuza's voice suddenly echoed through the mist. "There are eight targets: throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidneys and heart. So many choices, what vital, vulnerable place shall I choose? Heh heh." The sound of his voice had two of the Genin shivering from fear. Naruto was getting annoyed at the Missing-nin’s tactics.

"Stop hiding and we’ll see who has the sharper blade." Naruto muttered to himself.

Sasuke was so nervous that sweat was soaking the collar of his shirt. 'This terrible bloodlust, I haven't felt this fear since that night. A Jounin, determined to make a kill, knowing my life is in his hands…I hate it! You start wanting to die, just to end the suspense…' the Uchiha thought.

Sasuke's terror filled thoughts were interrupted by Kakashi speaking, "Sasuke, calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you." Sasuke stared at Kakashi as the masked Jounin turned his head slightly, letting the Uchiha see Kakashi's left eye curved upwards as he smiled. "I will never let my comrades die!"

Sasuke relaxed slightly, even as Naruto stiffened as his senses caught something. 

"I wouldn't bet on that." Zabuza's eerie voice echoed through the mist, the Missing-nin suddenly appeared in between the Genin and Tazuna, preparing to slice all of them in half at the waist. "Game over." said the Missing-nin, just before Naruto's bladed hand shot towards him, forcing him to block with his sword to avoid being stabbed. Kakashi suddenly appeared and struck Zabuza, stabbing his chest with a kunai. Sasuke had pushed Tazuna out of the way of Zabuza's disrupted attack and placed himself between Zabuza and the bridge builder with Sakura. A second Zabuza suddenly appeared behind Kakashi, sword raised so he could slice Kakashi in half.

"Sensei, behind you!" Naruto called as he pointed at the surprise attack.

Kakashi whipped his head around as the Zabuza he had been fighting turned into water and fell to the ground in a puddle. Zabuza slashed Kakashi in half, only to see the Jounin also turn to water. 'Mizu Bushin no Jutsu? He was able to copy me, even in this mist?' Zabuza wondered. A kunai was suddenly pressed against his neck, causing the Missing-nin to freeze.

"Don't move, game over." Kakashi stated, but Zabuza just started laughing.

"Heh, you think it's over? You just don't get it; it will take more than just mimicking me like a monkey to defeat me. But you’re good! In that short time, you copied my Mizu Bushin no Jutsu and you even had your clone say something you'd have said yourself, just to ensure all my attention would be focused on it while you used the Kirigakure no Jutsu to hide. It’s too bad for you, that I'm not that easy to fool!" Zabuza growled before he turned into water as another appeared behind Kakashi again.

"That Zabuza was a Mizu Bushin too!" Sakura yelled.

Zabuza swung his sword in an attempt to make Kakashi shorter by half, only to miss as Kakashi dropped to the ground. Zabuza didn't allow that to faze him and continued with his momentum. He dug the sword blade into the ground so he could use the handle of his sword as a pivot to kick Kakashi hard in the chest. Kakashi went flying, straight into the water. Zabuza pulled his sword out of the ground and charged forward, only to skid to a stop to avoid the caltrops Kakashi had managed to drop behind him. Zabuza disappeared just before Kakashi surfaced. The Jounin suddenly heard Zabuza behind him again as he said, "Fool, Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu (Water Prison)!" Water swirled up to trap Kakashi in a sphere of water. "Heh heh, that prison is inescapable. You're trapped!" Zabuza announced.

'I thought I could go underwater and regroup, but it was a mistake!' Kakashi mentally berated himself.

"Sorry, but you're in the way. Sit still while I take care of your brats." Zabuza said as he formed a Mizu Bushin on the shore. The Mizu Bushin charged towards Tazuna, Sakura and Sasuke, only to find Naruto in the way. The clone kicked Naruto hard, knocking off his headband. "You three aren't even worthy of being killed by me or being called Shinobi," the clone stated as it slammed its foot down on Naruto's headband. "To be a true shinobi you must be skilled enough to have a page in my Bingo Book. You're just trash!"

"Everyone listen! Take Tazuna and run! This is a fight you can't win! If he wants to hold me in this water prison, he can't leave this place. If his Mizu Bushin gets more than a certain distance from his body he loses control of it, so get out of here!" Kakashi ordered his Genin.

“Yeah, that’s not happening, Kakashi-sensei.” Naruto spoke up as he stood up from the ground and faced the Mizu Bunshin. “This guy would just kill you while you’re trapped and then hunt us down.”

“You’re not wrong brat.” Zabuza stated releasing more killing intent.

“You know, I’ve heard a lot about the famed Seven Swords of the Mist. The one you have is called Kubikiribouchou, correct?” Naruto asked the Missing-nin.

“What of it brat?” the Mizu Bunshin responded as it took its cloned version of the sword and pointed it at the Genin.

“I have a kunoichi friend that absolutely loves weapons. She’s talked my ear off about all sorts of exotic and one-of-a-kind weapons. Yours is one of them and I can’t help but wonder what kind of reward she’d give me if I brought her your blade as a gift.” Naruto grinned savagely as he reached towards the cloth band on his neck.

“You’ll have to pry it from my dead hands, brat.” The real Zabuza growled unleashing a massive amount of killing intent.

“That’s the plan, Momochi Zabuza!” Naruto exclaimed as he pulled the band from his neck and unleashed his full, unrestrained, chakra in a large towering aura.

“What the hell!” Zabuza questioned as he watched the visible aura of chakra the Genin was releasing while grinning like a madman. ‘This brat is releasing so much chakra it’s fucking visible! Most Jounin can only keep that up for a few minutes at best! Where the hell is all this chakra coming from?!’ the Missing-nin wondered to himself mentally.

“So, how about we see who does and doesn’t deserve the title of Shinobi?” Naruto chuckled as he sharpened his fingers, arms, and legs. With a blurring Kyorioomata he rushed the Mizu Bunshin and speared his arm through the cloned sword and the clone’s body, dispersing both back into water. “Let’s have some fun!” Naruto laughed as his battle instinct sent all of his senses into overdrive.

“You’re rushing to your death brat.” Zabuza intoned chillingly as he created a new Mizu Bunshin to maintain the Suirou no Jutsu and pulled the real Kubikiribouchou off his back. “I’ll show you why this blade is known as ‘The Decapitating Carving Knife’.”

“You better hope you can even cut me, Zabuza.” Naruto grinned as his chakra aura flared strongly. “Don’t disappoint me now!”

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

So what did you all think? Good? Bad? Let me know! Next chapter we’ll see the battle between Zabuza and Naruto. Will Kakashi be freed to join the fight? Will Naruto actually take Kubikiribouchou back to Tenten as a present? What kind of reward would she give him for such a gift?

Until I get your reviews, later!