A/N - Alrighty, I decided I'd do a chapter for this story, as you can see! I've updated a bunch of my other fics and decided it was time to update this one. Sooo...yay! lol

Anyways, a lot happens in this chapter. Things get kind of insane, and the end of the chapter is a cliffhanger. I love those cliffhangers. lol.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 4 - Conflict

Kakashi eyed the medallion hanging from Naruto's neck. They had recently reached Tazuna's house and, after ensuring that the surrounding area was safe, they went inside and decided to hold a strategy meeting of sorts. However, rather than focus on the meeting, Kakashi couldn't stop looking at the strange medallion around Naruto's neck. I can sense a strange power coming from that thing. I wonder…

Naruto, easily noticing what Kakashi was looking at, tucked the medallion away under his shirt. Narrowing his eyes at the cycloptic jonin, he said, "Don't get any ideas. This was given to me and I'm not going to just hand it over to you, Sasuke, or anyone else."

Frowning beneath his mask, Kakashi said, "It's a strange medallion. If I'm correct, it's special, isn't it? In fact, I'm willing to bet that that medallion is the source of that power you used earlier to ambush Zabuza. Am I right?"

Scowling at Kakashi, Naruto said, "Like I said, don't get any ideas. You, Sasuke, and anyone else that might be interested can forget it. Even if you're right about it, it's attuned to me. Nobody else can use it, let alone wear the medallion. So again, don't get any ideas."

Narrowing his one, visible eye, Kakashi held out his hand, palm up, and said, "Hand it over, Naruto. If it really does possess such power, it belongs in the hands of someone that can use that power responsibly. That person is not you."

Before Naruto could lunge at Kakashi and attack him, Samus placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder and shook her head at him. "Don't bother. He's an asshole and isn't worth your time. Come on, let's go help Tsunami in the kitchen and leave these assholes to themselves." she said before taking his hand and helping him up off the couch.

When the two Power Suit wielders left the room, Asuma looked at Kakashi with a scowl on his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?! That medallion is a tool unique to Naruto and you want to take that away from him?! Let me guess, the 'responsible' one you're talking about is that little shit over there, isn't it?!" he shouted, pointing at Sasuke. "Like Naruto said, only he can use it. It's useless to you and the Uchiha runt. How dare you attempt to take something so precious to him away like that?!"

Kakashi stared into Asuma's eyes for a moment before offering him an eye-smile. "Naruto was the dead last in the academy. He's played a number of pranks on the villagers before as well. He's immature, weak, and generally all around an inferior shinobi. I'm amazed Hokage-sama even allowed him to become a genin in the first place with such pitiful skills. Sasuke, on the other hand? Top of his class and hailed as a prodigy like Itachi and I were. Even like sensei. Sasuke's skilled and he's vastly superior to someone like Naruto. If anyone can make proper use of a weapon like that, it would be him, and him alone. Now, do try to convince your student to hand it over like a good boy. He isn't worthy of possessing that kind of power."

Asuma glared at Kakashi, but rather than say anything, he took a moment to think on it. After a little while, he let a smirk cross his face before erupting into a fit of laughter. When he calmed down, he looked from Kakashi to Sasuke. "You really think Sasuke, Itachi's runt of a brother, could wield such a power responsibly? Look at him, he looks like he could barely manage to put one foot in front of the other. Top grades in the academy, huh? Did Pops ever tell you that those tests were rigged? Sasuke, the so-called 'prodigy', got perfect grades on every one of his tests because the teachers took pity on him. After all, his brother, the very definition of what a prodigy is, killed all of the Uchiha, only sparing Sasuke on a whim. Then again, I suppose Itachi felt that killing his brother was unnecessary. He's too pathetic to amount to anything great and Itachi knew it. The villagers have pampered him and spoiled him rotten, leaving him to be the true weakling of his graduating class. Let me guess, he hasn't even awakened his precious Sharingan yet? For shame."

Sasuke snarled and leapt at Asuma, but before he could reach him, he ended up freezing in midair and slammed into the floor hard as a result of the sudden stop in momentum. "You do realize that by attacking a superior officer you've committed an act of insubordination and assault of a superior officer. You can and will be punished for your actions. But you don't care, do you Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked as he held Sasuke in place. When Sasuke began to struggle, Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "I can do this all day, Sasuke, until you calm down and behave like a good little princess."

Hearing this, Sasuke screamed in frustration and shouted out, "I don't give a damn if I attacked him! He brought it on himself for daring to treat his superior in such a way! I am an elite! One of the very best Konoha has to offer! You're all beneath me and should beg for my forgiveness!"

Sakura scowled and walked up to him before staring him in the eyes calmly. After a while, she said, "I can't believe I ever thought you were cool. Why did I even like you in the first place? You're a terrible person with a rotten attitude. It's no wonder you're alone all the time. You're abrasive, you're rude, and you're an asshole. Tch, I don't know what anyone could possibly see in you." she said before slamming her fist into the top of his head, sending him crashing to the floor in a heap. "Stay down and be a good doggie. Maybe if you behave, you'll get a treat. If not, well, you'll just have to sleep outside tonight, now won't you?"

Sasuke was snarling, furious as hell with Team 10 for treating him like this. However, rather than say anything, he shot a glance at his sensei. Kakashi, getting the message, stood up and approached Sakura. Before he could reach her, however, Asuma reached out and gripped his wrist hard. "And what do you think you're doing, Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked at Asuma for a moment before turning his gaze to Shikamaru. "Let him go, Shikamaru. He won't do anything, will you Sasuke?"

Sasuke glared into Kakashi's eye and said, "If they aren't punished when we get back to Konoha, you can bet I'll take care of them properly. They will pay for this embarrassment!"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head in mild disbelief. "Sasuke, you're only making things worse for yourself. Humble up for the time being and apologize. You can't just go around threatening your fellow Konoha shinobi like this."

The young Uchiha smirked evilly at this and said, "Oh, it's not a threat. It's a promise."

Sighing again, Kakashi proceeded to knock Sasuke out before looking at Shikamaru. "Mind releasing him?"

The Nara heir released Sasuke from his Shadow Imitation Technique and looked at Kakashi. "This was a test, and the two of you failed it miserably. Teach him some humility and instill in him the values of teamwork. He needs to understand why he shouldn't assault his fellow shinobi of Konoha. Unless he learns some restraint, he's going to be considered a flight risk and be suspended from the shinobi corps. upon our return to Konoha. You know it as well as we do."

Before Kakashi could reply, Asuma said, "He's right, Kakashi. You need to correct your genin's behavior. Right now, he's unstable and dangerous. He's already proven that he is a danger to his allies if he's so willing to lash out at them for even the slightest of insults. Like he said, this was a test and you two failed it. Probably the first test he's ever failed, and he's not going to like the price of failure."

The silver-haired jonin sighed and nodded his head in understanding. "Very well. I've clearly failed in my role as a sensei to my students. I've neglected Choji and Sai in favor of Sasuke, and I never instilled the value of friendship and teamwork in him. I'll try to do better, but…" Sighing again, he closed his eye and shook his head. "I don't want to lose another teammate. Ino was removed from the team because of her actions. I don't want to lose Sasuke as well. So…"

Knowing what Kakashi was about to suggest, Asuma narrowed his eyes at him and said, "No. We can't just shrug this off and pretend it didn't happen. I'll be informing Hokage-sama about what happened here and it'll be up to him to decide the punishment for the both of you."

Kakashi looked visibly upset by this, but decided to simply take Sasuke up to the room Tsunami had picked out for them. Once he was gone, Asuma looked at Choji and Sai. "Has he trained you two in anything? Or has he completely neglected you two?"

Choji sighed and shook his head. "Kakashi hasn't trained us in anything but teamwork. He's been focused entirely on Sasuke. After all, Sasuke's the 'most skilled' person on the team and needs the most attention. It's just more favoritism for the jerk. I wish I could've been on a team with you, Shika."

Shikamaru patted his friend on the back and said, "I'm sorry things didn't work out that way, Choji. Being on a team with Sasuke was bad enough, but having a sensei that doesn't really act like a sensei is just terrible. I don't know what I can do to help…"

Choji shook his head again. "It's alright. Though…" Looking at Sai, he frowned in thought for a moment before saying, "Sai...is 'different'. He insults people all the time, he's socially awkward, stuff like that. But...he's skilled. Really good at what he does. I feel like the weak link in the team. I want to receive some true training and become a force to be reckoned with, but…"

Asuma frowned and walked over to Choji, placing a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "While we're here, I'll train you as hard as I can. If Kakashi won't take care of you, I will. I'll also talk to my old man about this and see what he can do to help you out."

Choji nodded in thanks before turning to look at Sai. "What about you, Sai?"

Sai simply smiled and said, "I'm fine with how things are Skinny. I've been trained quite thoroughly already, so I have no worries."

Asuma narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Sai, but decided to let the matter drop. He decided that he would talk with his father about his suspicions later. For now, he wanted to focus on Choji and his own genin, leaving the other members of Team 7 to their own devices.

After some time, Tsunami called everyone for dinner. The dinner she and her two helpers had prepared looked delicious, though Asuma couldn't help but wonder something. "Tsunami-san, if you don't mind my asking, how can you afford to prepare such a delectable meal for us? This can't be easy for you and your family…"

Tsunami simply smiled and said, "It's the least I can do for the kind ninja that are protecting my father. Please, don't mind our situation. I'll do what I can to make your stay here more comfortable. Now please, eat up!"

Naruto smiled at the kindhearted woman and said, "I'll do what I can to get you and your family some necessary food items during our stay here. I don't want to be a burden on you, Tsunami-san."

The blue-haired mother shook her head and offered him a warm smile. "Please, don't worry about it Naruto-kun. Just promise me that you'll keep my father safe and I'll consider that payment enough."

Naruto nodded and said, "Of course Tsunami-san. We'll take good care of him, you, and your son. We've already dealt with a few major threats to Tazuna-san's life, including Zabuza of Kirigakure. Though, it would seem he had an accomplice. I don't know what to expect from this person, but if he/she cared about Zabuza, I have a feeling they'll be after us for killing him. I don't mean to worry you, but I wanted to be upfront and honest about what's going on."

Seeing Tsunami's reaction to what Naruto had just said, Asuma spoke up. "Do not worry, Tsunami-san. We'll find where Gato is and end him before he can attempt anything else. As for this Haku, as Zabuza called him/her, we'll just have to wait and see what they do."

Before Tsunami could say anything, Tazuna said, "Tsunami, don't worry about it too much. These super ninja can pull this off, no problem! You should've seen 'em in action. It was great!"

Tsunami sighed and shook her head in disbelief. However, she chose to remain quiet and simply went about serving food to everyone before she began to eat herself. It was obvious to everyone that she was still worried about her father's safety and the wellbeing of the people living in the Land of Waves.

Haku

Haku was pacing around the temporary hideout that she and Zabuza had been using during their stay in the Land of Waves. She was desperately trying to think of something she could do to get revenge on those blasted Konoha ninja that had taken away her reason for living. Damn them! I'll...I'll kill them!

It was at this point that a most unwelcome guest made an appearance with his two favorite bodyguards, Waraji and Zori standing on either side of him. Looking around the room, he soon shook his head in disappointment. "I see your master wasn't up to the challenge. For all the money I had promised the two of you, I expected better. Oh well, I suppose." he said before eyeing Haku up and down appreciatively.

After a moment, he snapped his fingers and Zori handed him a few slips of paper. Waving it in the air before Haku, he smirked sinisterly at her. "As per the contract, I'll take care of you now. You'll make a good slave." he said, licking his lips in anticipation at the thought of breaking her in.

Haku narrowed her eyes at him and said, "We never agreed that I'd join you. Zabuza-sama would never have agreed to something like that!"

Gato chuckled darkly before waving the contract in front of her face. "Oh, but he did. You two should have read the fine print. In the event of his passing, you would be given to me to become my personal pleasure slave. Now, do be a good girl and get on your knees. I'm going to enjoy breaking you in."

Glaring daggers at Gato, Haku decided she had had enough of this man. In an instant, she had subdued Waraji and Zori, crippling them in the process. Then, before Gato could react in any way, she stabbed a kunai into his skull repeatedly until he finally collapsed dead on the ground. Looking at the samurai, she proceeded to sever their heads from their bodies.

Once she had finished, Haku dropped her kunai and looked at her now bloodied hands. Hurrying to the bathroom, she vomited into the toilet as tears ran down her cheeks. When she finished, she proceeded to wash her hands and face before she curled up in a corner, sobbing uncontrollably. I...I killed them. I never wanted to kill anyone again! Zabuza-sama…

The Next Day

Loud knocking could be heard at the front door of Tazuna's house. It was frantic, almost desperate, and it quickly got the attention of everyone residing in the residence. Asuma, motioning for Tazuna and his family to hide, slowly opened the door with a kunai poised to strike whomever may be beyond the door.

When the door finally opened, a nameless male villager looked at him in a panic. "T-Tazuna...Tazuna...I…"

Tazuna, recognizing the man as one of his workers, stepped out from hiding and looked him square in the eyes. "What is it man? Get a hold of yourself! Tell me what's got you so spooked."

"Y-Y-You...you need to come see! It's Gato!"

Tazuna's eyes widened in horror and he asked quickly, "What the hell happened?! Is everyone okay?!"

"Y-You need to come see this for yourself! I...I can't even put it into words! It's...he's...Kami, just come see!" his worker exclaimed before he turned around and ran off.

Tazuna scowled and exited his house before looking at the group of shinobi in his house. "Can a few of you please stay and watch after my family? I'm worried about what might be happening."

"I'll stay behind and keep them safe." Samus said before looking at Naruto. "Go with him and see what has happened."

Naruto nodded before he and the others followed Tazuna into town. Once they were gone, Tsunami's child, a young boy named Inari, looked up at his mother and asked, "What's going on, Mom? Did something bad happen?"

Tsunami held him close to her and shook her head. "I don't know, sweetheart. I honestly do not know."

"Will grandpa be okay?"

Tsunami nodded and smiled down at her son. "Grandpa will be just fine. He's got a bunch of ninja with him. They'll keep him as safe as can be."

"Good." Inari said quietly as he looked at the front door. Please let everything be okay…

Town Square

As Tazuna and the other caught up to the nameless worker, he looked at the man and asked, "So what the hell's going on? Where's the fire?"

The worker simply pointed up, but didn't say a thing. When Tazuna and the others looked in the direction he was pointing, their eyes widened. Hanging suspended in the air were Gato and his two bodyguards, the samurai Waraji and Zori. Well, their heads were. Gato's body had been mutilated and was barely recognizable. Looking around, they saw the bodies of all of Gato's goons scattered about the area, every one of them deceased.

Looking around, Tazuna was unable to formulate words for a while. When he finally gathered himself, he asked, "How? Who? What? How did this happen?!"

Asuma shook his head and said, "With him gone, you're in significantly less danger. Most likely, you can build your bridge in peace now. And if I had to guess, I'd say this was done by Zabuza's accomplice. Without Zabuza, it would seem this accomplice of his has snapped and is lashing out. I'm not sure what we can expect from this person, but it's obvious they're highly skilled and they are angry."

Tazuna felt a cold chill shoot up and down his spine. "If...if this person is truly so dangerous, how do we know he/she won't try to complete the job to kill me?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "I highly doubt you're in any danger from this individual, Tazuna-san. The source of their paycheck is dead. There's no more reason to take your life. No, if I had to guess, this was done as a message to us. This person is angry and they're going to try and take the lives of the ones responsible for Zabuza's death. Regardless, our mission is to protect you while you build your bridge. We'll keep you safe from any and all threats. But we'll need to watch our backs as well."

Sakura looked visibly worried and clung to her boyfriend. "I'm...I'm the one who killed him. His...his partner is going to be after me...isn't he? Or she? Either way, I'm in big trouble, aren't I?"

Asuma looked at her and shook his head. "We all are, Sakura. Without Zabuza, this person's on a downward spiral and there's no telling just how dangerous this individual is. We're going to up our training and prepare ourselves for a confrontation with this person. As I said earlier, this person is highly skilled to have killed so many people so quickly. Nobody wanders around alone. Everyone needs to make sure they're always in groups of 2 - 3 people. Understood?"

"Right, sensei! I hope we're just being paranoid, but…"

Asuma sighed and shook his head. "Paranoia comes with the job. It's part of what keeps us alive." Looking around at the others, he thought over everything they knew at this point before shaking his head. "Just...stay together. Don't ever let yourselves be caught on your own."

Sasuke scoffed and said, "I'm not afraid of some phantom. Whoever it is, they are no match for an elite like me. You're just afraid of nothing. Tch, how pathetic."

Naruto walked up behind Sasuke and slugged him hard in the back of the head, causing him to lurch forward and wince in pain. Rubbing the spot he had been punched, he quickly turned to face his assailant. "Dammit dobe! What the hell was that for?!"

The blonde prepared to slug Sasuke again before Kakashi grabbed his arm, stopping him in mid-swing. Glaring at the cycloptic jonin, he pried his arm away from him before looking into Sasuke's eyes. "Curb your damn ego for a change and listen to what people are saying! You're NOT an elite! You're just a pathetic little boy that thinks he's a man. Whoever this person is, he/she is dangerous. It's better to err on the side of caution right now! Do you really want to die?!"

The 'last Uchiha' scoffed at him before saying, "Nobody can kill me, dobe. I still have to kill Itachi for what he's done. I'm the only one who can do it, so it's impossible for me to die until I've achieved my ambition."

Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You really are delusional. Fine Sasuke, if you want to die so badly, wander off on your own. Nobody's really going to miss you. After all, you're a terrible person and you haven't treated ANYONE kindly. You're spoiled rotten and you're stupid as can be. If you get yourself killed, I honestly won't give a shit." he said before taking Sakura's hand and walking off with her.

Sasuke glared at Naruto's back as he walked away. "Fucking dobe. He still shows me disrespect. Nothing can kill me!"

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Troublesome. Go ahead and wander around alone then. See what happens when you try to hold your own against this mystery ninja. Good luck." he said before walking off with Choji.

Before Sasuke could say anything else, Kakashi patted him lightly on the head and offered him an eye-smile. "Don't let it get to you, Sasuke. You'll be just fine. Still, just to be safe, I want you to always take someone with you if you want to train, go into town, whatever. Understand?"

Shrugging his sensei off, Sasuke said, "Whatever." before walking off by himself. I don't need anyone else. They'll just slow me down. I must get stronger so I can kill that monster! If that means I need to take this stranger down, then I'll do it gladly.

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye before looking at Asuma. "What do we do? Sasuke's stubborn as hell and if he continues on like this, he'll die. Any ideas?"

Asuma scowled a Sasuke's attitude before looking at Kakashi. "I suggest that you follow him discreetly. He may not want the help, but we can't just leave him alone. Take Sai with you. Once I've escorted Tazuna back to his home, I'll pair up with Samus so we can look around for this mystery accomplice of Zabuza's."

Team 7's sensei nodded before turning and motioning for Sai to follow him. Setting off after Sasuke, they frowned when they didn't see him anywhere. "Where could he have gone? He can't have gotten away so quickly, could he have?" Kakashi wondered aloud. "We only looked away from him for a short while."

Sai frowned slightly and looked around. "He's doing whatever he can to avoid us. Sasuke believes himself to be superior to everyone around him. It's highly likely that he went off to search for Zabuza's accomplice by himself."

Kakashi scowled behind his mask and said, "He's being an idiot! Sasuke's NOT invincible! We need to find him. NOW!"

Sai nodded in agreement before he and Kakashi began their search for the so-called 'avenger'. When they did find him, they were horrified to see what had become of him. He was found in an alley, his body riddled with stab wounds and his eyes had been removed. Collapsing to his knees, Kakashi lifted Sasuke into his arms and gritted his teeth. "You...you stupid fool! Why? Why couldn't you listen just this once?!"

Sai stepped up next to him and looked at Sasuke's body. "The people will not like this."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right. They practically worshipped him back in Konoha. What makes it worse is that there's a good chance they'll take it out on Naruto. After all, if he returns from this mission alive and well, but Sasuke doesn't...they'll likely blame him, regardless of the truth."

Sai frowned at this and said, "If that is the case, then Hokage-sama should do something about it. Perhaps a public announcement of some kind might work?"

"Who knows?" Kakashi said as he stood up with Sasuke's corpse in his arms. "Let's return to Tazuna's house. We need to figure out what to do about his body."

Sai simply nodded as he looked around the immediate area. "We need to figure out what to do about our opponent."

Kakashi nodded in agreement before he left the alley with Sai alongside him. "Whoever it is, they will pay for this."

Later - Tazuna's House

When Kakashi and Sai entered the house, carrying Sasuke's limp body, everyone was shocked. Tsunami, who had been carrying a few plates of food at the time, dropped the plates, ignoring the sound of her dishes breaking and the fact that food had just been dumped on the floor. Covering her mouth with her hands, she let out a horrified gasp and asked, "What happened out there? This...this is horrible!"

Kakashi sadly shook his head and laid Sasuke on the couch. "He...he foolishly went off on his own. Our opponent took advantage of that and...and this is the result."

Samus frowned and shook her head in disbelief. "From what I understand about him, Sasuke was arrogant and had quite the ego on him. He believed himself to be better than all those around him. I hate to say it, but he's paid the price for his arrogance. Yes, it's sad, and it will hurt for a while, but…"

Kakashi looked like he wanted to snap at her, but Asuma placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Calm yourself, Kakashi. She doesn't mean anything bad by what she said. All she spoke was the truth. Sasuke is dead because of his attitude. If you want to blame someone for his death, blame yourself for not doing whatever it took to curb his attitude and teach him some damn humility. You knew how bad his mindset was and you ignored it in favor of pampering him. Why? Don't feed me that bullcrap about wanting to respect Obito's memory either, because you know as well as I do that that's bullcrap."

The cycloptic jonin shook his head and released a heavy sigh. "Believe what you want." he said before pulling out a storage scroll and sealed Sasuke's body away so it wouldn't start decomposing during their stay here. "I'm going to find his killer and make them pay. Sasuke had so much potential to be something great. He didn't deserve this!"

Asuma sighed, but nodded his head reluctantly in agreement with that statement. "Yes, Sasuke had potential, but you kept him weak with your babying of him. I won't repeat myself, but just know that his death is on you." he said before he went to help Tsunami clean up the mess she had accidentally created.

After a short while, they all realized something and their eyes widened. "Where are Sakura and Naruto?" Sai asked.

Samus scowled and said, "I'll go look for them. Hopefully nothing has happened to them."

Asuma nodded before he shot out the door to aid Samus in her search. Once they were gone, Kakashi scowled behind his mask and thought, If only Naruto had handed over that strange medallion…

Naruto & Sakura

For the past hour, the happy couple had been training together in the forest surrounding Tazuna's house. They wanted to work the stress out of their systems and unwind a bit, so they decided on this course of action to work the negative energy out of their bodies. After a while of this, they sat against a tree together, holding hands as they talked about whatever came to mind. However, after a while of this, they both sensed it. They were being watched.

"Naruto-kun, what do we do?" Sakura asked nervously.

Naruto frowned and tried to pinpoint their enemy's location. "Just stay behind me sweetheart. I'm going to use 'it' and do what I can to protect you."

Sakura looked worriedly at him for a moment before she realized what he was talking about. Smiling at him, she stood up with him and watched as he activated his medallion, donning his Power Suit. "Do you see him/her?"

Naruto was looking around with his scan visor, trying to figure out exactly where their observer was located. Upon spotting something hidden in one of the trees, he deactivated the scan visor and pointed his arm cannon at their potential enemy. "I'm giving you this one chance to surrender. Failure to do so will result in a painful end. Now show yourself!"

Haku watched him carefully for a moment, trying to figure out what this sudden transformation meant for her. Deciding on a course of action, she tried to sneak up on him, only to see him readjust his aim so he was always aiming right at her. Not wanting to risk it, she hopped down into the clearing and glared at him. "You took Zabuza-sama from me. I...I have no purpose now! I don't care what it takes, I'll…!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I am truly sorry for your loss. I can only imagine how painful it must be. But you do have a purpose! You should live on in memory of Zabuza. Do what you can to make him proud. Trying to get revenge…" Sighing again, Naruto looked calmly at her and said, "Have you ever heard the saying, "An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind."? Like I said, I don't know how it feels, but I know Zabuza would have wanted you to live your life to its fullest. When...when he died, he was thinking only of you. You're Haku, right? I believe that he truly cared for you and wouldn't want you to throw away your life in the pursuit of revenge. Besides that, there's no way I will ever let you harm Sakura-chan or any of the people I care about. If...if you refuse to back down, I will have no choice but to kill you. I don't want to do that if it isn't necessary."

Sakura looked into Haku's eyes and asked, "Wasn't it you who killed Gato and his men? Just that one action makes you a hero to the people of this country! Z-Zabuza...I don't think he'd want you to waste your life in the pursuit of revenge. It was obvious that he loved you as if you were a member of his family. Please…"

Haku glanced away and sighed heavily. "I've already killed one of your teammates. There's no going back for me now."

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened and they began to shake. "W-Who? Who did you kill?" Naruto asked, terrified of the possibilities.

"She killed Sasuke." Asuma's voice could be heard saying as he dropped into the clearing, looking calmly at their potential enemy.

Sakura's eyes widened and she asked, "Sasuke's dead?! That's...that's really bad, Asuma-sensei! The people of Konoha practically worshipped him!"

Haku blinked a couple of times at this before asking, "They did? Why? He was obviously full of himself, and he looked down on everyone. Even as we fought, he truly believed himself to be superior to me, simply because he was an Uchiha 'elite'. And the way he acted when around all of you was just as bad. What made him so special in the eyes of your village's people?"

Asuma sighed and shook his head. "He was the 'last loyal Uchiha'. My guess is that they felt that if they gave him whatever he wanted, he would pay them back someday when he achieved his goal. Hell, they probably would have made him Hokage someday just to please him. They were delusional, really."

Before Haku could reply in any way, Naruto took a step forward and looked her in the eyes. "Haku...I'd rather not kill you if we can help it. Yes, you killed Sasuke, but...I don't think you deserve to die. If you feel like you no longer have a purpose, then I'll give you one. Live on for Zabuza and do whatever you can to make him proud. I'd say you could return with us to Konoha, but I'm not sure if that's for the best or not…"

Haku blinked as she looked at Naruto with wide eyes. "A...purpose? You can give me...a purpose?" After thinking it over, she shook her head and said, "I can't live without Zabuza-sama, but…" Haku glanced away for a moment as she thought it over. When she finally came to a decision, she walked up to Naruto and kneeled down, bowing to him. "Please, allow me to serve you Naruto-sama!"

Sakura felt a tick mark appear on her forehead and smiled sweetly at her. "If he agrees to this, then you'd better promise me something. Don't you dare try to steal him from me. Understand?"

The ice-user felt a cold chill go down her spine and quickly nodded in understanding. "O-Of course!"

Naruto sighed as he shook his head in disbelief. "I meant that you should live for Zabuza, not for me. But…"

Before Naruto could finish speaking, they heard a rather loud screeching sound coming closer. When they turned, they saw Kakashi rushing up with his hand covered in electricity. Their eyes widened as he got closer and closer to Haku. Before anyone knew it, Naruto had leapt in the way of Kakashi's attack, taking the blow through his chest. Coughing up blood, he gripped Kakashi's wrist and pulled his hand from his body.

Seeing her boyfriend fall to his knees and coughing up even more blood, Sakura screamed in horror. When she stopped, she went to her boyfriend and kneeled down next to him, trying to figure out what to do to help him.

Haku's eyes widened at Naruto's selfless act. "N-Not again…" she said quietly. "Naruto-sama…"

Asuma was horrified by what he was seeing. Glaring at Kakashi, he shouted, "What the hell were you thinking?! Look at what happened because of you!"

Kakashi focused a glare on Haku and snarled out, "She killed Sasuke! All I wanted was to make her pay for it! He deserves to be avenged, and she deserves to die for what she's done! He should never have jumped in the way of my attack!"

Naruto looked Kakashi in the eyes and said quietly, "Revenge...isn't the answer. She...she doesn't...seem e-evil...to me. M-Maybe not now...but I hope...you can forgive her...someday. She's...as hurt as you are. Z-Zabuza...was everything to her. Haku is just misguided...she's hurting, just as y-you are…"

Kakashi growled out, "Who cares if she's hurting?! Zabuza was an enemy and he got what he deserved! Sasuke had so much potential! He would have been great!" Glaring at Naruto, he reached out for Naruto's medallion, but Naruto gripped his wrist tightly, causing him to wince slightly. "If only you had given him that weapon of yours! He would never have died like that!"

Despite how much pain he was in, Naruto still had enough strength to slam a fist into Kakashi's face, knocking him on his ass. "This...is mine! It won't recognize...another person as its owner. Sasuke...could never have used it. So how dare you t-try and take it from me?!"

Sitting up, Kakashi glared at Naruto and reached out, ripping the medallion from Naruto's neck. "I'm confiscating this from you! You're not worthy of it!"

Haku growled and quickly knocked Kakashi out before returning Naruto's medallion to him. "It's a miracle you're still conscious, Naruto-sama. Will...will you be okay?" she questioned as she looked over his wound. She saw it slowly closing and the blood stop flowing from the hole in his chest. Could he be…?

Sakura simply held her boyfriend, sobbing into his shoulder. She didn't care that she had his blood on her outfit. All she wanted was to be there for her boyfriend and help him however she could.

Asuma looked at Naruto for a while before seeing that he was no longer conscious. Kneeling down, he took a look at Naruto's wound and shook his head in disbelief. "Anyone else would be dead by now. Naruto, you got lucky he missed your heart or even you would have died."

Haku looked from Naruto to Asuma and asked, "Is he a jinchuriki?"

Sakura and Asuma both flinched at the question before Asuma reluctantly nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Naruto is the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."

Eyes widening, Haku looked at the young man she had pledged her life to. "I see. He's...not treated well, is he?"

Sakura nodded and said sadly, "He's treated horribly in our village. Hell, when the people found out that we became a couple, they tried to 'save me' from the 'demon'. It's...well, it's been bad. We have to be escorted everywhere by Asuma-sensei or somebody else just to make sure we aren't attacked. I don't know when it will end."

Asuma sighed and shook his head as he knelt down and lifted Naruto onto his back. "If they could see past their own hatred, they'd realize he's just a mistreated, kindhearted kid. He's allowed to be happy, just as anyone else does."

Sakura watched as Asuma began walking back towards Tazuna's house with Naruto on his back. Looking at Kakashi, she sighed and lifted him onto her back with a bit of effort before practically dragging him along after Asuma and her boyfriend. You'll be okay, Naruto-kun. I wish I had some training in how to be a medic-nin. I want to be strong for you…

Haku followed them, seeming a bit nervous about being around the others. She wasn't sure how they would react to her presence, but she wanted to be near her new master.

Tazuna's House

Shikamaru frowned as he saw the condition his teammate was in. "Was this the work of the enemy…?" he asked Asuma.

Haku scowled and shook her head. "No, I didn't do this to him. This was done by your friend, Kakashi Hatake. He was trying to kill me when Naruto-sama protected me."

Choji looked at the still healing wound delivered to Naruto and shook his head. "How the heck is he still alive with a hole through his chest?!"

Asuma frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid it's his secret to keep. If you want to know, you're welcome to ask him about it later. Right now, however, we need to let him rest. As for Kakashi, we need to figure out how to keep him from attacking Haku again once he wakes up."

"Well, you might want to figure something out soon. He's waking up." Haku said as she watched the silver-haired jonin slowly coming to.

Sakura glared at Kakashi and watched as he opened his eye. When he noticed Haku and tried to sit up, the pinkette shoved him back down and said, "Don't you dare! You've already done enough damage! My boyfriend almost died because of you!"

Kakashi glared at her and said, "Sasuke wouldn't be dead if he had just handed over that damn medallion! Your 'boyfriend' is a selfish asshole!"

Haku shook her head in disappointment. "Power without the knowledge of how to use it is the same as having no power at all. The Uchiha would have perished either way and I'm sure you know that deep down. Then again, you are the man who has apparently copied 1000 techniques. I believe that's an exaggeration, but the point stands that there's no way you know how to use all of those techniques properly. As I said, power without knowledge is dangerous."

The cycloptic jonin scoffed at this and forced Sakura off of him before standing up. "You don't know anything. You're just Zabuza's little whore. I'm amazed he even let you live instead of dumping you on the side of the road somewhere. Weak bitch."

"At least she's better than you." Naruto was heard saying as he slowly opened his eyes. Looking down at his chest, he saw the wound had nearly finished closing. "And don't ever call her a whore or a bitch again. I can and will kill you if you try to hurt her again."

Kakashi scoffed again and said, "Like you can. You're just a weak genin that doesn't deserve the power you wield."

It was at this point that Samus walked up in her suit and aimed her arm cannon at him. "Would you care to see the kind of power he can wield for yourself? I can show you, but I guarantee you won't like being on the receiving end of it. If Naruto wanted to, he could destroy you with his power. You wouldn't be able to stop him either."

Looking at Samus, Kakashi frowned, losing himself in his thoughts. After thinking on it for a while, he said, "Fine. I won't push the matter any further." For now.

Asuma could tell where Kakashi's thoughts were going and decided to put a stop to it now. "Hokage-sama won't take your side, Kakashi. Your actions on this mission have been a disgrace to Konoha's image. Once I explain to Pops about what has transpired on this mission, I fully expect him to punish you appropriately. You'll be lucky if you even get to continue being the sensei of Team 7."

Kakashi glared at Asuma but rather than retaliate in some manner, he left the room to go and get some rest. Assholes. We'll see who is punished for the disaster this mission has become. Sasuke's death will be avenged.

Once he was gone, Naruto shook his head and said, "Asshole." The others could only nod in agreement. After a moment, however, he looked at Haku and asked, "Anyways, why would you want to pledge your life to me like that? I don't want to be your master or something. I'd rather be friends."

Haku shook her head and smiled kindly at him. "You promised to give me a purpose. Living for Zabuza-sama is a nice goal, but...it's not the kind of purpose I need. So I pledge myself to you. You are my new master and I will serve you until my dying day. Please do not push me away. I...I couldn't take it."

Naruto sighed and took her hand in his. "Very well. I won't push you away, Haku. But, rather than acting as my slave or something like that, I want us to be friends. Do you think you can act as my equal rather than as a submissive partner?"

Haku blushed a bit and nodded slowly. "S-Sure, Naruto-sama. I would like that."

The blonde sighed and asked, "You're not going to stop calling me that, are you?" Seeing her smirk and shake her head in response, he released a sigh. "Very well, if that's what you want, I won't try to stop you."

"While that's all well and good, Naruto, there's something we need to do." Samus interrupted. "I did a bit of exploring today and found something interesting. In the morning, I would like you to come with me. I promise it will be worth your while."

Naruto quirked a brow at her, but nodded in understanding regardless. "Alright. I trust you, Samus-chan."

Sakura frowned slightly and asked, "Would you mind if I came along as well? I'm curious."

Samus looked at Sakura with a similar frown, but nodded after a while regardless of how she felt. "Very well. I'll allow it. It might be a good idea for you to know what it looks like for future reference."

The pinkette blinked in confusion and asked, "What exactly are we going to look at tomorrow?"

Samus simply smiled and said, "It's the location of a power-up for Naruto's suit. I'm not quite sure what we'll find, but whatever it is, it'll be worth your time, I assure you."

Naruto grinned and said, "Woot! I'll finally get to see what else this baby can do!"

Samus giggled a bit before nodding her head. "Yes, you will. Now, I recommend that you get some rest. You were wounded pretty badly, after all."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. I'm feeling pretty exhausted. Asuma-sensei, I think I'm gonna sleep outside tonight. I don't feel comfortable sharing a room with Kakashi after what's happened."

Asuma sighed, but said, "Alright. Go and get some rest, Naruto. Sleep well." He and the others watched in silence as Naruto left the house to go and get some rest. Once he was gone, Asuma turned to Haku and asked, "Do you think you could keep an eye on him, Haku? Wave may be safe now, but I'd rather not take any chances."

Sakura felt a twinge of jealousy hit her and she asked, "Why didn't you ask me? He's my boyfriend."

Asuma shook his head and looked calmly into her eyes. "I know. I won't tell you that you can't go to him, but I was hoping you would sleep in your room tonight. You could use the rest."

Sakura shook her head and said, "I'd rather be with Naruto-kun. I wonder if he'd like to cuddle?" she wondered before she hurried out the door and ran off in search of Naruto.

Once she was gone, Haku released a sigh and said, "She's the easily jealous type, huh?"

Asuma sighed and shook his head. "There's a reason for that. Naruto's the first person to be so kind to her. She had a seal placed on her by her father that really screwed with her and hurt her at the same time. Naruto was always kind to her, regardless of how she treated him before. She's truly happy with him and doesn't want him to lose interest in her. She's afraid of losing him."

Haku scowled at this and shook her head. "Her father sounds similar to mine. Only he tried to kill me after learning about my kekkei genkai. I was given no choice but to kill him in order to defend myself. I promise, I'll keep a close eye on Naruto-sama and his girlfriend." she said before leaving to go and find her new master.

The way she said 'girlfriend' worries me. I sincerely hope she and Sakura get along and don't get into some territorial dispute about who Naruto belongs with. Kami that would be quite the headache. Asuma thought as he went to go and get some rest himself.

The next morning

Naruto looked around the cave with wide eyes. "Wow. Who knew Chozo Ruins could be this amazing?" he said before his eyes settled on the Chozo statue up ahead. Looking at its taloned hands, he saw a spherical device sitting atop them. Instinctively, he activated his Power Suit and proceeded to fire a few shots to destroy the outer shell and reveal what lies beneath.

Samus, Sakura, and Haku all watched as Naruto leapt up onto the Chozo Statue before approaching the power-up. Samus smiled to herself as she said, "I wonder what he'll receive? Whatever it is, it should prove helpful to him."

Upon touching the power-up, Naruto saw a flood of information spread across the inside of his visor. Barely able to keep up with it all, he took a few moments to collect himself and make sense of everything he just learned. When he finally did, he looked down to see the power-up item was gone. Aiming his arm cannon at a nearby pillar, he fired off a shot, watching as ice hit the pillar and spread along the length of it. "Wow."

Samus smiled and said, "So, you've obtained the Ice Beam. How does it feel?"

Naruto deactivated his Power Suit and hopped down off the Chozo statue. "It feels awesome! I wasn't expecting to find something like that here in the Land of Waves. It will definitely come in handy."

Haku smiled at him and said, "Congratulations Naruto-sama. It seems we share in the ability to use ice as our weapon."

Naruto nodded and said, "It would seem so. I'm glad we found this place. Thank you Samus-chan."

Samus simply smiled and shook her head. "No need for thanks. I'm happy to have helped you. And now you three know what to look for when you're out of the village on missions."

"Very true." Haku said. "I thank you for helping my master."

Samus sweatdropped at this and simply shrugged it off as another weird quirk of the people on this planet.

After a short while of just chatting idly in the cave, they decided to venture back to the town and get something to eat. However, upon reaching the town, they were shocked to find people fleeing for their lives from what Samus identified as Rippers. "This isn't good. Rippers are nearly indestructible. Naruto, Haku, use ice to freeze them. Once you do, shatter them as quickly as possible, because they won't stay frozen for long!"

Sakura frowned as she felt useless in this situation. Then she realized that she might be able to help by shattering them when frozen by her friends/allies. So, as the fight went on, she did whatever she could to help shatter these creatures into a bunch of tiny pieces.

After a short while, it looked as if all the Rippers had been defeated. However, when Naruto turned to look at Sakura, he saw a Ripper flying straight at her from behind. Eyes widening, he shouted out, "Sakura-chan! Look out!"

Turning around quickly, Sakura was shocked to see a Ripper mere inches from her. Oh no...

A/N - And that's the chapter! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it, because I worked hard on it.

Yes, Sasuke is dead, Gato's been dealt with, Haku has pledged herself to Naruto, etc. A lot of interesting stuff happened in this chapter, huh?

I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, btw. I couldn't resist though. lol. I had a bit of a rough time with this chapter, because I kept getting called away to do a bunch of senseless crap for my family that they were too damn lazy to do themselves. x.x It was frustrating because every time I'd get some work done or was on a roll, I'd get called away again. x.x So yeah, this chapter might be a little lacking in quality because I just could not concentrate on the fic. x.x Bastards.

Anyways, I dunno what I'll work on next. Guess we'll see!