I don't own Naruto or anything else from any anime/manga, movie, show, book, or game.

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Bijju/summon"

Hello again everyone! I want to thank everyone that reviewd my last took me longer that I had hoped but here is the next chapter of my story. Things are finaly going to pick up as we get more into the original Naruto timeline. Please read and review; and enjoy!

Chapter 17

Hokage Tower

"And that is the end of our report Hokage-sama," said Shigure.

"Thank you Shigure-san. While I'm glad the mission was completed and the client was happy, I find the news of an attack targeted at Naruto very disturbing."

"As do we, Lord Hokage," said Naruto.

"And there was nothing else he said? Anything that can point to who hired them to attack you?"

"I'm afraid not. While arrogant, Aoi wasn't stupid enough to give me his client's name."

"That is unfortunate. Regardless you and your team have done a great service to the Leaf Village. Aoi was a traitor and a thief whom has finally paid for his crimes. Your team will receive the bounty for his head and the reward for returning the Raijin."

"Speaking of that, I have not made up my mind whether I should return the sword or not," said Naruto.

This confused the Hokage. "What do you mean? The Raijin is a priceless artifact of the Leaf Village. I'm afraid I can't let you keep it."

"And what did you let happen to this 'priceless artifact'. This is beside the point anyway, the Raijin doesn't belong to you or the Leaf Village. It belongs to the Senju Clan, a clan that I am related to by blood and marriage."

The Hokage rubbed his temple trying to fight off the headache that was burrowing into his skull. "Naruto, that sword is treasured by our people. It belonged to one of our founders, and should remain in our village. I'm not sure how people would react if you kept it. If the people saw you using it, they might thi-"

"I have no intention of using it. My sword style is not made for two swords, and frankly the Raijin is impractical for someone who specializes in Kenjutsu; it doesn't have a proper blade for some of the techniques I've been taught."

"But then, why do you want to keep it?"

"Because I don't really trust you to keep it safe. If what I read is true, then it only took a Genin and a Chuunin working together to steal it in the first place. And both of the thieves were below average in skill if I remember correctly."

The Hokage frowned. "I assure you that there was more to it than that. And the security measures would be much different this time."

Naruto thought about it for a minute. "Very well, I will return it to the village under two conditions."

"And what conditions would those be?" asked the Hokage warily.

"First is that I'm allowed to add some security seals to whatever security you place on the sword. And second is that instead of whatever monetary reward for returning it, I get a document signed by you and the council that states I can claim anything I want instead."

The Hokage stroked his beard. "The first would be no problem. The second... would have to be within reason. It could not be something that endangers the village or that breaks any laws. You can't ask for an immediate promotion, for example."

"Of course, I would never ask for anything like that." said Naruto with a smirk that made the Hokage nervous.

"Then I'm sure we can work out something that satisfies your conditions."

"Great, then we will take our leave. I'm eager to go and see Hinata-hime."

The Hokage smiled at that. "Then you best be off. You will not be required to take another mission for a couple of days so enjoy your time off."

Naruto nodded and left the office with his team. Once out of the tower, he turned to his sensei. "We will need to keep our ears open to find out who planned the attack. While my clan has enemies all over the world, something tells me that the one responsible this time is in this village."

"I will look into it," said Shigure.

XxX

With Hinata...

Hinata had just finished training with her team and was making her way home when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Hinata-hime!"

She whirled around, a brilliant smile on her face as she saw Naruto leading Haku and Kimimaro towards her. Hinata ran to Naruto and threw herself at him. Naruto caught her with open arms and spun her around laughing happily.

"You're back!" exclaimed Hinata with joy. "I was so worried for you."

Naruto set her down before he answered. "We just got back a little while ago. We gave our report to the Hokage and then came looking for you. It's only been a few days but I missed you Hime."

Hinata smiled warmly at him. "How was your mission?"

"It's a long story, why don't we get you home and we'll tell you all about it."

Two hours later at the Hyuuga Clan...

"Wow! I can't believe you had to fight other ninja on your first C-rank mission!"

"Yeah, luckily for us they underestimated us and that gave us the opportunity to take them out so quickly."

"Do you have any idea who could have ordered the attack on you?" asked Hinata.

"Not yet. Sensei will look into it. Don't worry, once we find out who's responsible; it' payback time!"

Hinata knew whoever tried to have Naruto killed wouldn't be getting any mercy from him. Not that she expected anything less from him. She just hoped he wouldn't get hurt.

"So how was it for you and your team? Have you got any good missions?" asked Naruto.

"No, we have only done D-rank missions. We have only been Genin for about a month so the mission types aren't going to change any time soon."

"Well, even though I find them boring, I guess doing a few low rank missions won't be too bad. I did miss you while we were gone the last two weeks."

Hinata blush slightly. "I missed you too Naruto-kun."

"Maybe we can spend some time together tomorrow after we are done with training and our missions for the day?"

"I would love that," said Hinata with a happy smile.

"Great! Well, we better head back before sensei comes looking for us." Naruto gave a Hinata a kiss on the cheek that had her blushing again and he and his teammates left the Hyuuga Compound.

XxX

The Next Day...

After breakfast and some light morning training, team Whirlpool was ready to start the morning missions. As they entered the Hokage's office they could tell something was out of the ordinary from the concerned look on the Third Hokage's face.

"Team Whirlpool is ready to receive our mission for the day." Shigure stated, getting the Hokage's attention.

"A, forgive me. I was reading some troubling news and I did not notice you come in."

"Is something wrong?" asked Naruto.

"I am not entirely sure, and that is the problem. The day before yesterday I granted another Genin team a C-rank mission. It should have been a standard escort mission like the one your team received. Unfortunately, much like your mission, it appears things have become more complicated. This morning we received a message from the Jonin in charge telling us they had been attack by a pair of Chuunin. It appears that our client wasn't entirely honest when he hired us."

"Isn't it protocol to terminate the mission if it's found out the client lied about the mission requested?" asked Naruto.

"Ordinarily... yes. However there are some…unique circumstances. The team chose to continue the mission because of they felt it was the right thing to do. I trust the Jonin in charge to be able to handle the situation. However, two hours ago a team of A.N.B.U arrived with the captured ninja and I had them taken to the T & I department to have them questioned. I just received word from the department head and the news I received is unsettling."

"How so?" asked Naruto.

"The ninja were hired by a very wealthy man named Gato. We already knew this because of the report we received when the village was notified of the situation. But what we didn't know was that Gato has more missing ninja on his payroll, including an A-rank missing ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist that is named Zabuza Momochi."

"The Demon of the Hidden Mist?"

"Yes, I'm surprised you have heard of him Naruto."

"My clan has had some issues with Water Country. Luckily for everyone they have been too busy with their civil war to cause any problems."

"Actually, the newest reports show that the fighting has recently stopped. The faction supporting the bloodline users has taken control of the Mist Village. Then, after a surprising victory over the Water Daimyo's forces, they have forced a cease-fire. The Daimyo has more men, but the ninja have the capital cut off from the rest of the country. I believe they will reach an agreement soon."

"If that is the case then I hope the Water Lord is smart enough to let things be. If he tries anything against Whirlpool my grandfather will not be merciful."

"Yes, well we are getting off track. Now while I believe the team I sent to Wave Country could handle a normal C-rank mission, this is no longer that kind of mission. Unfortunately most of my Jonin and Chuunin teams are out in the field on other assignments. The ones that are not are needed here for the protection of the village."

"And the Genin teams you have are not ready for this kind of mission."

"I can only think of one," answered the Hokage.

"Us."

"It would be considered a B-rank, possibly an A-rank mission. You would have to provide back-up for the first team. If possible, you would need to neutralize Gato himself...permanently neutralize him. Can your team do this?"

Naruto didn't have to think about it. "Yes."

"Then you have your mission. You have one hour to prepare. The details will be ready for you before you leave.

"Yes Lord Hokage." The team made to leave but Naruto had one more question. "So which team are we lending support to anyways?"

"Team 7 led by Kakashi Hatake." Naruto knew who was on that team. He nodded and left with his team.

'Well that's just great'.

Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to volunteer his team to help. Oh well, at least he can throw it at the arrogant Uchiha's face that his team needed to be helped to complete their mission.

Now his night out with Hinata would have to wait! He would have to send a message to her so she knows he will not be in town for a few days.

XxX

The next day... In the Land of Waves

Team Whirlpool had landed in the Land of Waves earlier in the day. While traveling towards the location they were told to meet Team Seven, they came across an area that was recently a battlefield.

"What do you think?" asked Shigure.

"There was an intense battle here. By the looks of it, there were several high level jutsu thrown around."

"You're right Naruto. We should hurry to meet with the Leaf ninja."

"Yes, sensei."

It didn't take the team long to reach a nearby town. And what they saw there sickened them. Poverty and sickness was everywhere. The people looked miserable and afraid. For Naruto and Haku it was especially hard to see. It reminded them of the short time in their lives where they looked much like the people here.

"We have to help these people. Gato has to be stopped!" Naruto was holding his sword hilt so tensely his knuckles were white.

His team nodded. But first, they needed to get to Team Seven. They quickly made their way through town and it didn't take them long to find the house they were looking for.

When they knocked on the door, a pretty woman with long blue hair opened the door.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"My name is Shigure, and this is my team. We were sent here by the Leaf Village to help the team that escorted the man name Tazuna here."

The woman was surprised but happy to hear that. "Oh, then please come in. My name is Tsunami, Tazuna is my father. They arrived earlier today, but were in bad shape. The sensei was hurt most of all, he is still unconscious upstairs."

"Thank you."

As soon as the team was inside, they heard a familiar voice shout at them.

"What are YOU doing here!?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, the Uchiha had a way of getting on his nerves like no one else he ever met... well Sano-sensei came close but Sasuke was the worst.

"We were sent here by the Hokage to deal with Gato and help you to deal with Zabuza," said Naruto, his tone completely flat.

Sasuke, who stood up from the sofa that he had been seated on with his teammates, walked over and approached Naruto combatively, only stopping his approach when his face was within inches of Naruto's.

"We don't need any help from YOU. We can handle this mission alone, so you can leave because you came here for nothing."

Naruto looked unimpressed. "Yeah... No, we're not going to do that. So, where is your sensei? We have a message for him from the Hokage."

Sasuke's face reddened in anger at being dismissed like that but before he could answer, Sai spoke up.

"Kakashi-sensei is upstairs. He was badly injured in the battle with Zabuza."

"What happed? We saw the battle site on our way here."

"Don't tell them anything!" yelled Sasuke. "We can finish the mission ourselves."

"I have already told you that I don't take orders from you dickless." Sasuke was furious but Sai didn't let him speak.

"We were attacked just outside the village. It was Zabuza Momochi. Kakashi-sensei engaged him in one on one battle while we guarded the client. Kakashi was careless and after a short altercation he was captured in a Water Prison Jutsu. Dickless and I managed to fight off Zabuza's clones long enough to free Kakashi from the jutsu. Kakashi then re-engaged Zabuza."

"And since he was badly injured I'm guessing it didn't go well for him that time either? "Asked Naruto.

"Actually Kakashi fought well. He used his Sharingan to land near fatal injuries to Zabuza. But before Kakashi could deliver a fatal blow, another ninja attacked."

"Who? Was it another Mist-Ninja?"

"It is likely that he originated from the Mist Village even though he didn't wear a headband. He was a young male around our age. He had white hair, shark-like teeth and wielded a large sword similar to the one Zabuza wielded. Zabuza called him Suigetsu, he is likely Zabuza's apprentice."

"And Kakashi wasn't able to take him?"

"Suigetsu attacked Kakashi when he let his guard down and Kakashi received a serious injury to the abdomen. Even then Kakashi was able to fight him long enough for Suigetsu to realize that retreat was his best option. He grabbed Zabuza and left, Kakashi collapsed from his injuries and chakra exhaustion immediately after that. We have treated him as best we can but we are not trained medics."

"Haku is fully qualified medic, she will look at Kakashi."

Haku nodded at Naruto and left up the stairs to go and treat Kakashi.

"Are any of you injured?" asked Shigure.

"No. We were not injured, only Kakashi-sensei was," answered Sai. Shigure nodded.

"Do you have any idea of where Gato's base is located? The sooner we deal with him the better." this question was directed at Tazuna who was sitting at a table drinking alcohol from a bottle.

"He has several warehouses around town where he deals in all his criminal activities. He also has a compound outside of town that used to belong to one of the nobles before Gato had him and his family killed."

"How many warehouse's does he have?" asked Naruto.

"Four. He uses them to store drugs, weapons and other contraband... including people."

"People? Do you mean-"

"Human slaves! Gato's men have been taking women and children from town for months. They keep them around for days or weeks but before long they are shipped out on Gato's ships and they are never heard from again. It's why I'm willing to risk my life to build this bridge. I don't want that to happen to my daughter or grandson."

Naruto was trembling in rage. His face hardened and jaw clenched. He shot Shigure a look and she knew exactly what he wanted.

"We will hit the warehouses at sundown. I will gather intel on them and return with a plan. You stay here with Kakashi and his team until I return." Without waiting for an answer she disappeared with a body-flicker technique.

"We will put an end to Gato and his men. Now I need to go and see how Kakashi is doing." With that Naruto and Kimimaro left upstairs to look for Haku.

They found Haku and Kakashi in one of the rooms. Kakashi was unconscious in a bedroll and Haku was using medical ninjutsu of some kind on him.

"How is he?" asked Naruto.

"The cut to his abdomen was a deep one. His students saved his life by stopping the bleeding. I have repaired much of the damage so he will live. However, he will need bed rest for the near future. I have placed him in a medically induced coma to help him recover faster. He will remain unconscious for the next few days, when he wakes he will be very weak for several days afterwards but should make a full recovery within two weeks."

"That's good to hear. We came to tell you to that we need to get ready for tonight. We found out some of the things Gato has been doing and we are making a move against him tonight."

"We have his location?" she asked.

"We do, but we will be attacking his interests first to weaken his hold on the village. Then we will attack him directly. For now we should ready ourselves for when Shigure-sensei returns with the intel on the warehouses we will be attacking tonight."

The Whirlpool team wouldn't have to wait long, Shigure would return only a couple of hours later and they would be ready to land the first blow against Gato.

XxX

Later that night...

Naruto and his team made their way to the center of the village in the cover of night. They had left the other Genin at Tazuna's house as guards. Shigure had wasted no time in gathering the information they needed on Gato's warehouses. The team had agreed that they would hit all four warehouses simultaneously, each of them taking one out.

The largest and best-guarded was where he kept his drugs before he distributed them all over the Elemental Nations. Shigure would be taking this one out as she didn't want to risk her students being overwhelmed against the best men Gato had.

The second warehouse was used as Gato's armory. It's where he kept all his weapons either for his men to use or to be sold in illegal arms deals. Kimimaro would be taking this one out.

The third warehouse was where Gato stored all his supplies. Food, clothing and other consumables like medical supplies. It was from here that the little food available to the village came from, at a high price though. Haku would be the one taking this one out.

The fourth warehouse was used for storage, the storage of slaves. This is where Gato kept the women and children that were taken from the village and the surrounding areas. Slavery was illegal in most of the Elemental nations but that was not the case in some parts of the southern continent. There Gato made a fortune shipping hundreds of people that he snatched from the places like Wave Country. Here though he didn't need to do it in secret, because he controlled everything. Naruto made sure that he would be the one to take this place out.

"Ok, everyone knows what to do right?" asked Naruto. His team nodded. "Then let's go, we start our attack in 30 minutes." Team Whirlpool disappeared in a blur as they separated in different directions.

XxX

When the men guarding the door to the first warehouse saw a beautiful woman wearing a revealing kimono walking towards them, they couldn't help but grin. They were thinking that their boss must have sent a Gift to them. They were so caught up in their daydreams that they didn't notice the woman had quickly come within arm's reach. Before either of them could say a thing there was a flash of steel as the woman walked past them.

The next moment, the two men's bodies dropped to the floor; their now severed heads rolling away, idiot grins still on their faces. Without an alarm being sounded Shigure walked in the warehouse unnoticed. Moments later the sounds of screams and weapons clashing was heard coming from the warehouse for several minutes. When the sounds stopped, a single figure came out. The figure was carrying a long sword and was covered in blood. Once looking closer, one could tell the figure was a woman. The woman pulled something out of her kimono and tossed it over her shoulder and into the warehouse while she continued to walk. Several seconds later there was a huge explosion and the warehouse was engulfed in flames.

Shigure had finished her part, she was confident that her students could do their parts too. Besides, it wouldn't be a good idea to let them see her looking like she did now. Naruto was still skittish around her after all.

XxX

Kimimaro didn't give the men guarding the second warehouse any chance to sound an alarm either. He killed them with his Digital Shrapnel Jutsu before they even saw him. Kimimaro walked up to the door and slammed it open with a powerful kick. This got the attention of the ten men that were inside.

Kimimaro walked to the center of the room letting himself be surrounded by the men that had drawn their weapons. Swords, spears and clubs, among other things, were pointed at him. The men stared as Kimimaro drew a bone-sword from his shoulder and took a fighting stance. Knowing that the kid in front of them was dangerous they all attacked him together.

"Dance of the Willow"

Kimimaro used his superior speed and agility to dodge and weave through his opponents' attacks while at the same time delivering fatal hits with his weapon. In less than five minutes after he walked in, Kimimaro had killed all the men in the warehouse. He quickly set the explosive tags given to him. A few minutes later Kimimaro walked out just before the warehouse was destroyed in a large explosion.

With his job done, Kimimaro made his way to the rendezvous point.

XxX

Haku was a little upset. She was given the easiest target and she knew it. Unlike the other warehouses the third one had only four guards in it. It was probably because Gato controlled all the supplies coming into the country and knew nobody would be crazy enough to try and attack the only place were food was coming into the village.

This made it almost effortless for Haku to incapacitate the men guarding the warehouse with her senbon. Unlike the others, she was instructed to preserve the warehouse since they would be giving all the supplies inside to the people of the village.

Once the men were securely tied up she made her way out of the warehouse and left to meet with her team. She was going to have a serious talk with them about trying to keep her out of danger. After all, it was her job to make sure THEY were safe.

XxX

Naruto would have loved to simply walk to the front door and start making all these pieces of trash pay. But he couldn't place the innocent people inside in more danger than they were already. Instead he snuck in through a window on the second floor and kept to the shadows. It looked like the intel he got from Shigure was accurate. The warehouse was one large room on the first floor where all the women and children were kept in cages. The second floor was a loft were there were three small storage rooms that Gato's men were using to entertain themselves with the captured women.

Naruto could hardly control his rage. Flashes of the day he found Haku glared in his mind as he made his way to the door of one of the rooms on the second floor. Naruto didn't have to hear the noises coming from the door to know what was happening. The smell of sex was so thick it made him want to vomit.

Careful not to make a sound he opened the door and walked in. The room was tiny, with only a small bed in it. Naruto momentarily froze as he saw a large man thrusting eagerly at a naked girl that couldn't be any older fifteen. Without realizing he had moved Naruto found himself standing behind the man. Naruto drew a Kunai with his right hand while his left clamped over the man's mouth paralyzing him with surprise. Before the thug could make a sound Naruto drove his kunai into the back of the man's skull killing him instantly.

Naruto quickly turned to look at the girl who was looking him in shock. Naruto threw the dead man off of her and gave her as sign to stay quiet. The terrified girl nodded. Naruto cut the ropes tying her hand's to the bed. In a soft voice Naruto told the girl to stay there and not make a noise. He then did the same thing in the next two rooms; however, the woman in the last room screamed when he killed the man assaulting her.

Naruto rushed out of the room expecting the scream to bring the rest of the men upstairs; but apparently a woman's scream was not important enough to investigate. Once Naruto made his way to the first floor he started picking off men from the shadows, killing them silently. However the last few men were all gathered at a table in the back drinking. Naruto was thinking of a plan on how to take them out all together when one of them suddenly got up and made his way to one of the cages. The cage he stopped in front held four younger looking girls. Naruto's blood froze when he saw the man pull out a girl that looked younger that himself, maybe 11 or 12 years old.

The girl had tears in her eyes and was trying desperately not to cry when the man started to unbuckle his pants.

"Hey I don't need to see what you do with her you ugly bastard, go use one of the rooms upstairs," yelled one of the men sitting at the table.

"I can't, they're using all of them. Just shut up, I'm only going to play with this one for a little while."

However before the man could finish taking off his belt a whistling sound was heard just before a kunai embedded itself on the side of the man's head.

The men at the table were still staring the dead man when Naruto appeared next to them and cut two of them in half with a swipe of The Arashi. The other three tried to draw their weapons but an enraged Naruto didn't give them time. Naruto moved so fast, he was a blur. The men died without being able to put up a fight.

With the men taken care off, Naruto made his way to the cages and started cutting off the locks and freeing the women. There were tears of joy once they realized that Naruto was there to grant them their freedom. Naruto was leading the last of them out of the warehouse when Kimimaro and Haku arrived.

"I thought the plan was to meet at the spot we discussed," said Naruto.

"Naruto-sama was taking too long so we came to see if you were ok," said Haku. Kimimaro nodded in agreement.

Naruto shook his head. He knew they were just worried for him but he was more than capable of handling himself. "Fine, since you're here help me get these people out of here."

"The safe houses that we set up with Tazuna's help are ready, and some of the men have started to empty the food and supplies from the warehouse I liberated."

"Good job Haku. You too Kimimaro. Now let's get these people out of here, tomorrow we will see about dealing with that scumbag Gato himself."

Naruto knew that they had dealt Gato a devastating blow tonight, but he was still a danger that had to be dealt with. Naruto wanted to deal with the piece of trash personally. He would make Gato pay for all the suffering the evil man had caused.

XxX

Well there you have it, what do all of you think? I know that many of you wanted Naruto to keep the Raijin but it just didnt work for what I have planed for him. That and I get enough reviews telling me he's over powered as it is. At least now Naruto has a request form the village that he can call at anytime.

The next chapter will be the battle with Zabuza, how will it go? Let me know what all of you think.

Again thank you to all of you who continue to support my work. Also, to the fans of my Kami's Gift story; my next update will be for that story and I will get it out as soon as I can.

As always I would like to thank my friend JS helping me with the story.

Lord Rahl Master of D'Hara