Apologies for the wait!

Third person pov

Naruto's not sure how long he's in Uzu, exactly. 

Time has little meaning on an island like this, Naruto's come to find. Sequestered away underground, Naruto's only concept of the days passing is his own exhaustion and bouts of sleep, which are filled with more seal revision rather than the usual peaceable conversation and companionship he and Kurama share.

In hindsight, Naruto probably should've wondered a little more where all the food and water was coming from. The canteen at his side always seemed full. There was always a snack within reach whenever his stomach called for it. It's as eerie as the rest of Uzu is, yet it simultaneously warms something in him as well.

Uzushiogakure takes care of him during his time there. It feels strange and almost wrong to trudge back up the stairs, head spinning from the dispelling of so many clones which had all been active for so long. The waves of information that pour into his head nearly knock him flat on his back, leaving his thoughts racing and his heart thundering.

"I... I think we need to reread some of the copies we made, but I've got an idea of where to start with Neji. Believe it." Naruto digs the heel of his palm into his temple, hoping that'll soothe the ache forming there. 

The notion of him actually having any fucking clue how to tackle the monstrosity on that guy's forehead is mind boggling in and of itself. Just a few weeks ago, Naruto had been too much of a moron to have any clue where to start. Even just thinking he might have a chance now is a turnaround that leaves him dizzy.

"You'll have to run it by me later, brat. I don't get the memories of your dispelled clones." Kurama's tails flicked. The fox was exhausted, staying up during the day to help Naruto look over scrolls, and at night again to reiterate information he didn't understand. "If you don't drown on your way back, anyway. Wouldn't surprise me."

"After all that? Have some faith, Kurama! I'm sure we'll survive!" Naruto chirped out, hauling his bag over his shoulder. It was chock full of scrolls sealed in scrolls, along with the assortment of items he'd collected from his mother's house. "And if we don't, oh well. At least that means I won't have to slog through that stupid seal of his and possibly fry his brain and/or blind him for life."

Kurama grunted in agreement. Naruto ascended the final steps of the staircase and stepped into the sun.

It was glaringly bright, stuck high in the middle of the sky. The smell of sea salt struck Naruto freshly, seeming to wash away some of the cramping in his hands. It had been nonstop reading and copying with careful brushstrokes, and his brain felt mushy as he stumbled onto the cobbled streets of the village the Uzumaki once inhabited.

Honestly? Naruto hadn't thought himself capable of sitting down and focusing that hard, but what do you know. Determination really is the crux of the indomitable human spirit. Naruto's getting that fucking seal off, and he just spent an undetermined amount of time reading to do it.

"You did, didn't you?" Kurama muttered, sounding disgusted at the realization. "It has to have been at least three weeks, if not more. Who are you?"

"I've been down there so long that I'm not even sure anymore. Never let me use clones for that long ever again. I think I'm developing a second personality." Naruto shivered slightly. There's an academic lurking in him now. Naruto's too much of a certified moron to have something like that ruining his reputation. "The weight of this knowledge is almost too heavy to bear, believe it. If I start coming up with plausible ideas on my own, assume I've been possessed by the collective consciousness of all the clones I just expelled."

The clones had started developing individual traits and becoming their own people down there. One took a particular interest in the type of seal that blows people up, so Naruto's got that in his head now, along with a startling amount of fantasies about planting the seal equivalent to land mines in enemy territory just to see what'll happen. 

He brushes them off for now, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. There's a nagging in the back of his head that makes him want to set off to explore the farer reaches of Uzu. To venture into its dense tropical jungle, to catalogue the plants and unique wildlife that reside here. 

It's only the thought of his team and Zabuza that gets him to keep going towards the shore. It seems like it's been a small eternity since he first walked this path. Naruto doesn't feel like the same person he was when he got here-- but maybe that's not a bad thing. 

It's actually kind of fulfilling to feel gravel crunch beneath his feet and to realize that he actually, really just did that. Naruto isn't saying he's smart, but maybe genius wasn't the only thing the Uzumaki had going for them. Maybe sheer tenacity was a part of it too. 

"Is this proof that I'm an Uzumaki?" Naruto asked aloud, wondering. Kurama gave another grunt.

"You coming out of your mother's womb is proof you're an Uzumaki." Kurama said flatly, followed by a quiet mumble that sounded a lot like him calling Naruto an idiot. "Hurry up and get on a boat so I can take a nap."

"You think you're the only one who wants to sleep? All I've been doing is reading. I'm probably going to read some more while we're at sea, and then we'll get to talk about it when I do finally get to fall asleep." Naruto threw his hands in the air. "It's an endless cycle! How do people live like this? Some people enjoy this, Kurama. Enjoy it!"

"If you come in here and start trying to ask me questions about hexagonal passes, I'm kicking you back out." Kurama hissed out. "If I had known you'd throw yourself into this so surely, I would've encouraged you to try taking the seal off the Hyuga right then. To put us all out of our misery."

Naruto shoved a low-hanging branch out of his path, half ducking under it. He scrunched up his nose.

"This is my glaring reminder that you're actually, sort of an awful person. Are you seriously saying that killing Neji would've been worth it to avoid all this reading?" Naruto asked. He paused, considering it. Actually...

"He is a little twat." Kurama pointed out. 

"He's a mega-dick. Put he's also like, traumatized. That gives him a 75% pass, which leaves him at only a moderate level of dickishness. I think." Naruto's not good at math. He doesn't know what's going on. "Besides, this isn't about how much we like him. It's about how much we like Lee. And Lee is great!" 

"Is it?" Kurama asked in a distant voice that spoke to his bone-deep exhaustion. "Is it really?"

Naruto had no idea where Kurama, a giant nine-tailed chakra construct, found the audacity to call Lee an it. He wasn't going to ask, either. He had bigger things to worry about. 

Reaching Uzu's beach did not bring him back to the same dingy little ship he'd originally sailed in on. The ramshackle boat was nowhere to be seen-- not all that surprising seeing as Naruto had made no efforts to moor it. That did not, however, mean they were stranded.

It's not close enough to the shore to run aground, though not so far that Naruto doesn't think he can't easily run across the water's surface to reach it. It's just as big as the warship Naruto saw when they first drifted in, though he notices immediately that it's far from the same one. 

Worn but sturdy, the hull of the ship is lashed with fiery seals carved into the sleek wood, painted a chipping orange that gives the illusion of nine tails snaking out from its back. The figurehead is that of a snarling fox, teeth bared and ears pressed back, paws hooked into claws not unlike Kurama's.

The woodwork is just as exceptional as the first one, even from this distance. The sails look strangely clean and whole, halyards in tact, lines far from as frayed as you'd expect. The mast is straight and strong, painted fire licking up it in a furious, swirling tornado.

It looks terrifying, the reds and oranges and yellows such a bold contrast to the blue sea around it that Naruto's breath is momentarily taken from him. Uzu's swirl is just as proudly emblazoned on this sail as it was the last one. 

It... is quite possibly the most badass thing he's ever seen. 

"The trip to Uzu is so not staying a secret." Naruto said, because there was absolutely no way he lied his way around how he managed to procure a gigantic, nine-tailed fox themed warship. "This is so cool. You have merch!" 

"Never call it that again." Kurama rumbles, though Naruto thinks he sounds the slightest bit flattered. 

Uzu clings to him as he takes his first step onto the water. His chakra wavers oddly on his soles as it grows used to the lapping of the waves, but the sea is remarkably calm. It gives him gifts endlessly, ceaseless in its spoiling of him. Naruto feels loved as he pads out towards the ship. 

The closer he gets, the more details Naruto can see. Carvings of running foxes, projectile seals hidden beneath their darting paws. Fortification seals found in fire, shielding in the protective tails that cage its sides. The wood creaks like a welcome as Naruto approaches, and his throat tightens. 

Glancing back, Naruto takes in the island of Uzushiogakure one last time. The land itself is not terribly big, but Naruto can't help but think that everything else about it is. Even after all this time, even with the grief that hangs over Uzu like a heavy fog, there is something bright and sure about it all the same.

Naruto smiles, pressing his arms to his sides and giving a bow. Maybe he should feel stupid bowing in thanks to an island, but Naruto can't think of anything more right. It's not nearly enough for all he's been given, but it's something. 

"Thank you!" Naruto calls out as he pops up, just for good measure. "I'll see you later! And I'll try to bring my mom next time! And probably my dad, if you'll let him come too without killing us in a giant whirlpool! Also my brother Kakashi! And his dogs! And maybe my therapist! Oh, and--"

"Get on the damn boat." Kurama sighs. Naruto grins as the first patters of rain start to fall. 

~~~~~~~~~

The launching of the newspaper is a complete and utter success of the likes Minato never could've imagined.

Turns out, people love knowing what's going on. Even more than that, they love gossip. And even more than that? They love to know where to get the best food. Minato's theory that the Ino-Shika-Cho genin trio was the best fit for the job turns out to transcend a hunch, veering into an act of sheer genius.

They're almost too good at it. Add on the fact that Asuma casually talks about all the best bars whilst they're in earshot, they're not just a media weapon. They're an entire artillery, and Konoha's citizen and shinobi populations alike eat it up.

The revenue is immediate. People vie to have their businesses, announcements, and other such ads presented in the paper-- to the point that they're booked out for almost a year. They gain the printing funds they need for the next six months within a matter of weeks. 

There is some worry that the paper will get out of Konoha's walls. It's inevitable, and Minato isn't too sure how he feels about their political state being put out in the open. Shikamaru rolls his eyes when he brings it up. 

"We're not actually putting anything important in there." Shikamaru says, which is news to Minato. The Nara rolls his eyes again. "Why would the other hidden villages care if we're passing a new law about environmental regulation to preserve the ancient forests of Konoha? It's useless to them, but it makes everyone else feel like they're finding something important out."

"Oh." Minato blinks at him, because that... makes sense. "The election of new council members is important."

"Only if we tell them every painstaking detail. Again, who cares if other villages know we booted the old members? That information isn't going to give them a leg up. It would've gotten out eventually." Shikamaru shrugged, yawning. "I'm not about to go out dropping all the reasons the others were dispelled. Even if it would be really funny."

Minato nods slowly. Again, it makes sense. His brain just isn't operating at full capacity at the moment. He's been having trouble sleeping, so caught up in the reform of the village that Ayumu has swept him into that he's hardly had time to think. 

It's been... hard to cope without Naruto being here. Letters keep coming and Minato keeps replying, but it still feels like there's a hole in him. The space Naruto and Kakashi occupy in his life is cold and empty, making him feel on edge and ill at ease. It's not that he's lonely-- not with Kushina around. He just... 

He misses them. He misses Naruto, worries for his safety. There's some comfort in the consistent stream of letters, all happily reporting that all is well. Kakashi's follow up confirmations start to slowly soothe him as the time goes on.

It helps that he's so busy, he thinks. The days pass faster when Minato's not allowed to sit down for even a second. Unrest in the Hyuga clan this, Ninja Academy overhaul that, trade and commerce regulation over there. 

His paperwork triples. Minato has no idea where it's all coming from, or why everyone is so adamant he do it all right this second. Most of it is busywork, menial and a bit pointless. Minato would much rather stare at Naruto's drawing or ponder what he's doing. 

"He's gonna come back soon, ya know." Kushina reassures him, reaching out to give his shoulder a squeeze as soon as he gets home that night. Minato lets out a deflated sigh from his place face-down on their couch. "The chunin exams will be right after, so you won't have to worry about him leaving for a good long while. Plenty of time to hear every painstaking detail of his first mission!" 

"And to scrapbook it." Minato mumbled, feeling warm at the mere thought. "Kakashi better be taking photos. So many photos." 

"He definitely, totally is." Kushina gave a strained laugh. She must be missing him bad too. "The bridge is almost complete. He could be back in less than a week!" 

Minato's head popped up, eyes a little wet. He sniffled a bit. 

"You're... you're right. It could be any time now." Minato perked up, suddenly excited. "We should buy him a coming home gift!" 

"You already did that." Kushina gently reminded, giving him a gentle smile and pat on the shoulder. "Eight times, actually."

"And nine is Naruto's lucky number! That's such a good point. You're right, he definitely needs at least one more." Minato popped off the couch, suddenly invigorated. Kushina opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I'll get my shoes!" 

Kushina let out a heavy sigh, likely contemplating what to get their son next. Minato couldn't wait to see what she came up with. 

~~~~~~~~~ 

The boat is stocked with food and old seals that Naruto seals up in yet another scroll to keep, tucking them away in his already-stuffed bag for later. He explores the murals within the ship's cabin, and the complex arrays within the hold. He runs his hands over salt-worn cannons and observes the metal shots that load into it. 

There are seals on those too. Exploding ones. Naruto imagines being on the receiving end of this ship's attack, witnessing it broach the horizon. They'd see the snarling maw of the massive fox on the front first, eyes a pure and blazing red, a testament to what was to come. The Uzumaki's swirl would be next, loudly displayed for its enemies to see. 

It would be terrifying. Surrender as a last hope, death a certainty if that fell through. Naruto feels pride course through his veins, because he came from this. From these people, these seals, this blood. 

The crow's nest is big, equipped with a telescope that has a strange seal etched into its lens that makes things look clear as day. Naruto has never used a telescope before, but this one seems like it can spy things especially far. 

He uses it to look at the seals stained into the deck's surface from a distance, magnifying the finer nuances of their structure. He observes the sea and its crashing waves. Storm clouds are angrily beginning to darken overhead, and Naruto hopes it's not because of anything he did.

"Brat." Kurama suddenly pipes up. Naruto had thought he fell asleep. "Turn the telescope back a few degrees left."

As if Naruto knows what the hell a degree is. He inches it left slowly nonetheless, right up until Kurama grumbles at him to stop. Naruto twists the eyepiece, marveling in the way it zooms in. At first, Naruto doesn't see anything aside from angry blue and slops of foam. 

He waits. Zooms out a little. Zooms back in. Kurama doesn't say anything else, but Naruto assumes he saw something in particular if he--

"Wait." Naruto jerks the telescope slightly to the right. He zooms back in. "Is that... is that a person?"

Kurama doesn't respond, though Naruto is pretty sure he can hear the beginnings of him snoring. Naruto curses slightly, squinting as if that's going to help him see through all the waves crashing and water spraying. It takes him a moment to focus in, but once he does, he's sure.

Sprawled out on their back on a raft so shitty it makes the boat Naruto sailed to Uzu in look good is a... dude. A whole entire dude. Passed out on what might as well just be a few pieces of plywood and a dream at this point. There's no discernable details Naruto can make out about him aside from the strange, bandaged thing at his side.

That, and the fact that Naruto swears he looks blue. For some reason. Does that mean he's drowned?

"Okay. Okay cool. That's a guy." Naruto rips himself away from the telescope. He eyes the waves dubiously, wondering how well his chakra will hold up if he tries to walk them. Probably alright... right? "I can totally rescue him. I rescue people all the time. I'm rescuing Neji right now. Have been for weeks. It's a long con."

"Either let him drown or shut up." Kurama grumbled. "And drop the anchor unless you want the boat crashing off without you, kit. If you die and my chakra has to reform in the middle of the ocean, I'll kill you twice."

Naruto opened and closed his mouth a few times, uncharacteristically panicked. Time crunch alert Right, cool. Yeah. An anchor. Big ships have those and they do things. Naruto is actually pretty sure he saw the anchor earlier. 

"Okay! Okay, yeah! Believe it!" Naruto practically flew off the crow's nest. "How do I drop the anchor again?"

Kurama groaned. Really, if he hadn't wanted to save the guy, he shouldn't have pointed him out in the first place.

~~~~~~~~  

Naruto is confused. Kurama is confused. The guy he just hauled onto the ship is unconscious, but he'd probably be confused too if he woke up.

Behind Naruto, clones run amuck pulling on sails and reading various, mildew-covered manuals on ship operation they found in the captain's quarters trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Naruto is stuck squatting over the body of a dude who only half seems like he's breathing. Him and his weird... is it a sword? A club?

Naruto isn't sure, but the thing keeps hissing like it's alive. Super disconcerting. Naruto's not a fan, doesn't know what the hell it means, and he doesn't plan to find out.

What's concerning him right now is that yes, the guy is blue. But not because he's hypothermic and/or a bloated corpse. Arguably a good thing, if you excuse the fact that the actual reason is that he's got gills.

He looks like a shark. Naruto's just going to point blank say it. Blue, leathery skin. Sharp teeth, weirdly cut cheek bones, and-- just to top the shit salad off with a little ranch-- a headband with the exact same symbol Zabuza's had on it. Because of course. Of course! 

What is it with Naruto and rogue ninja? Is this going to become a trend? There are seven legendary swordsmen, according to what Kakashi said. Naruto is beginning to think this guy might be one of them. 

That means Naruto has five more to get through. Fuck. He's so fucked if this is a thing.

If Naruto threw him overboard right now, would that make him a bad person? He has gills. He looks like a shark. That means he probably can't drown, right? Or would he have been on a raft if that were the case? 

"Just throw him back over!" Kurama hissed out. "I'm never showing benevolence again. I should've let him die."

"We couldn't just let a--" Naruto paused for a moment, eyeing the headband. "-- uh. Semi-innocent dude die on a sad excuse for a raft! He might be a chill guy. Those exist."

"He's from the same village as the pest that tried to kill you, Dog Breath and the other two brats you associate with." Kurama said flatly. Which, point. But he hasn't even done anything yet! "You don't want to wait for him to do anything. You want to get rid of him before he does anything. Before. Have your clones pick him up and throw him over." 

That sounded a lot like murder. Maybe there's a prison on the boat. The Uzumaki seem like they'd have holding cells. Can Naruto seal him in a scroll? He probably has one somewhere that lets you seal living things in it. Would a food storage preservation scroll work? If it was a really, really big one?

Naruto doesn't get much time to debate the pros and cons before the shark dude's face is scrunching up. Naruto immediately freezes, staring at him with wide eyes. The clone right next to him, who'd been getting a barrel of who knows what, freezes too. Both of them stare with big eyes.

Kurama lets out a groan of frustration. Naruto is too busy watching the shark dude crack his eyes open-- which are beady and weird-- to pay him any mind.

A few other clones stop to watch too, leaning in. Behind them, the sails start to roll up. The oncoming storm meant oncoming wind, which was apparently not super great if there was a lot of it. Something about stability and damage prevention. Naruto has no idea.

The shark guy shifts, hand blindly reaching for the handle of his maybe-sword. Naruto winces a bit as his fingers close around it, his other hand coming to press at his forehead. Blearily, his gaze finds Naruto. Naruto clears his throat a bit.

They stare at one another. The shark guy gazes at him, and then glances at the clone next to Naruto, and then the six others hovering behind them. All with identical expressions. His nose wrinkles. 

"I--" He coughs hoarsely, eyeing Naruto's headband dubiously. "Am I in hell?"

"Close. I saw you drifting around and pulled you onto my ship so you didn't die. Believe it." Naruto offered a hand, not knowing what else to do in a situation like this. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki! Are you evil?"

"Kisame Hoshigaki." The guy said dazedly, taking his hand. He shakily pushed himself up into a sitting position, hand slipping off the hilt of his weapon. "And, uh-- not last time I checked, kid. Are these all clones? Is this a warship? Am I fucking dreaming right now?"

"Yes, yes, no and awesome. I ran into this crazy dude like, a month ago from your village who tried to kill us. I had to check." Naruto dropped Kisame's hand, beaming. "Enough about that, though! You look hungry and I also think that, for our mutual safety, we should be best friends from here on out!" 

Behind them, a few clones screamed as thunder boomed overhead and the entire ship practically flew into the air, the waves were so strong. Naruto reached out and grabbed Kisame by the shoulder, chakra rooting his own legs to the ground as the rest of the clones shrieked and slid down the deck. 

There were a few pops, chakra releasing in steady thumps. On the ground, the giant seal that took up most of the deck lit up in response, glowing ominously. Naruto and Kisame both turned slowly as the light of it spread, stretching out beneath them like a web and climbing across the entirety of the ship. 

The vague sensation of chakra being sucked into it caused the other clones piled atop it to pop as well, their chakra feeding into it. Gradually, the entire ship lit up. Naruto pursed his lips.

"Wh-What is that?" Kisame coughed out. He sounded like he needed some water, stat. If they didn't die from the ship blowing up, Naruto would totally get him some.

"I have literally not a singular clue." Naruto squinted as the symbols became more visible. "Uh, it's a seal. I don't know what it does though."

A loud whirring sounded. There was a bang. Kisame pressed his palms flat on the ground, looking like he'd been smacked in the face. Hell of a way to wake up, to be fair. Naruto's happy not to be the most lost one in the vicinity for once in his life.

There's a moment where nothing happens. The entire ship is alight like a beacon in the storm, bobbing on the roaring waves. Rain began to fall overhead, slow at first, and then all at once. Barley audible over the sheets of it slamming down, there was a faint clicking noise. 

The ears on the fox figurehead, previously down, carefully raised. The sails fell from where they'd been rolled up, ballooning out. On the side of the ship, something started to grind. 

"Are we about to die?" Kisame asked dizzily, hand flying out to clutch Naruto's shoulder for stability. Naruto clutched his back, eyes wide.

"I think so." Naruto squeaked out. "It was nice knowing you. Thanks for not immediately trying to kill me with your sentient sword." 

"No problem." Kisame choked over the strange splashing noise now coming from behind the ship. "You should've left me on that raft, kid."

The fox on the figurehead opened its mouth, and just like that, the entire boat shot off across the water.

Something bubbled out of the fox's mouth, a field that stretched forward, large and shimmering. It cut through the waves and rain, an orange field that stretched up and around the entirety of the boat. It sliced through the wind, sails billowing, wood creaking, seals aglow. 

The sudden jerk of movement sent Kisame and Naruto flying forward in a tangle, screaming and grasping at one another as their chakra-covered feet came unpeeled from the deck, which was greedily drinking the energy up rather than allowing it to stick. They slammed into the side of the boat hard. 

"Why do I still bother with you?" Kurama hissed out, though he didn't exactly sound the definition of calm either. "Get below deck before you're thrown overboard!" 

"Wow! Below deck! Why didn't I think of that?!" Naruto laughed hysterically. Kisame looked terror-filled, one arm around Naruto, the other hand grasping his sword, his entire body curled up oddly and his eyes wide. "Let me just stand up and--"

The boat jerked again, sending them sliding the opposite direction and screaming once again. It was going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~

"We should start considering the possibility that he's not coming back." Sakura says, not for the first time this week.

Naruto has been missing without a word for over a month now. There hasn't been a whisper of him beyond the occasional rogue sighting of that stupid clone of his, which is still roaming the woods like a native cryptid and scaring the locals. It hasn't killed anyone yet, but someone did find an ominously ripped open deer carcass.

They're all choosing to believe it's not related. Not just for their peace of mind, but so they're not obligated to go out and deal with it.

"He's coming back, Sakura." Kakashi denied, which sounded a whole lot like a lie. He smiled serenely, fully healed from his injuries and content to read his porn whilst they loitered around the bridge. "He's perfectly fine. Naruto has been to hell and back. This won't be what does him in."

"We don't even know what "this" is." Sasuke grumbled. "There's no telling where the hell he's gone. At this rate we're going to have to track down that clone, drag it back, and lie and say he hit his head and started acting like that as a result. Just to avoid execution."

Posing as Naruto through letters had given Sasuke horrific insight into the Hokage and the lengths he'd go to for his son. Between his flowery, bubbly, adoring language towards Sasuke's moronic teammate in question, there were thinly veiled threats towards the perceived imaginary forces that sought to do Naruto harm.

He was literally going to implode if they came within a ten mile radius of the village without some hint of Naruto. Sasuke now understood Kakashi's mortal terror. Braving the rabid clone in the forest was a better option than facing Lord Fourth without his son. 

"Please tell me that's a joke." Sakura grimaced. The raccoon, still unnamed, snuffled around her feet. 

"...If it comes to it." Kakashi responds, which is about the time everything goes horribly, terribly wrong.

The bridge is near completion. Tension has never been higher, workers quitting left and right under the pressure, the rest slaving away well into the night to make headway. To just get all the way across the water. Just to give the Land of Wave some chance at a future out from under the foot of someone who wants nothing more than to exploit them and watch them crumble under the insurmountable threat driving them into the ground.

It starts with a heavy fog rolling in-- not terribly unusual given the Wave's unpredictable weather, if you put aside the shouts and screams that immediately followed it. Kakashi was moving in an instant, kunai twirling between deft fingers, hand going to his headband. 

Mist engulfed the bridge in record time, so thick it was hard to see more than even a foot in front of them. Kakashi cursed under his breath, assuming formation. Sakura and Sasuke leapt to do the same, kunai out and hearts racing in Kakashi's sensitive ears.

"What is all this?" Sasuke hissed out, Sharingan active. A rain of senbon flew out from what felt like every direction, and he hissed again as he knocked them aside. 

"I should've known he wasn't dead." Kakashi's chakra reached out far, searching. "This is Zabuza's hidden mist jutsu. I didn't expect him to strike so soon, if he was still out there." 

"You mean he survived Naruto's clones?" Sakura sounded flabbergasted by just the idea. Which was... fair. They'd been out in the woods with just one whilst looking for the puppy that would solidify their story and hadn't been confident they'd be making it out of there without getting pounced on. "But the hunter nin--"

"Was obviously a fake and working with him." Sasuke muttered out, bitter. He glared down at the senbon on the ground spitefully. "Pressure points could've easily made him appear dead. Not that it was really needed with all that blood, but still."

Kakashi had suspected when Sakura gave him a rundown of what happened after he passed out. He'd been hoping his suspicions were wrong. Really, he should've known better. The lack of head removal had been the first red flag. Sakura stating that Naruto had 'seemed suspicious of the guy' was another.

Only Naruto wasn't here now and hadn't been, and as much as Kakashi insisted he was coming back, he could feel himself quickly encroaching upon nervous breakdown territory. Because whilst Naruto had gone missing a fair number of times before, it had never been like this. It had never been for over a month.

The time felt insurmountable. He grit his teeth against the reality of it, feeling like a caged animal. He hadn't been able to leave Sasuke and Sakura here to go look himself. Naruto would've never forgiven him if he had, and Kakashi never would've forgiven himself either. 

Besides, where would Kakashi even go? Naruto didn't even leave a fluttering of scent in the wind. The ocean was too vast a beast for Kakashi to have any direction. He was far more likely to get himself lost and drowned than he was to find Naruto in the endless blue like that.

In a perfect world, he'd have brought Sakura and Sasuke with him. If it didn't mean abandoning the mission, he would've.

"Everyone, get ready." Kakashi breathed out. "He's coming."

Zabuza's sword swung down, cutting through the mist. Kakashi's kunai met it with a clang.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yayyy chapter. As always, you can read up to Chapter 16 on Patreon. There's also a bunch of other Naruto stuff on there like 

-Naruto as a werewolf 
-Time travel stuff?
-Two SasuNaru one-shots if that's your thing, Sasuke is down bad in both ngl (in one he marries himself to Naruto without Naruto knowing, but don't worry, he's not gay. In the other, he discovers and abuses mistletoe)
-sooososososososo many drafts and idea snippets
-Naruto seeing dead people which I need to update ngl 

anyway obligatory advertisement sorry guys either I pay for college with fics or I pay for it with a real person job and let's be real, we all know which grind I prefer to be on. Thank you to everyone who has joined and has enjoyed what's there, it means a ton to me. Ciao