-Next day-
Naruto had recovered from the paralysis poison, but Kakashi was still unconscious due to overconsumption of chakra during his battle with Zabuza.
'If I could have just landed one kunai, the poison would have destroyed them both' Naruto cursed in his head.
He initially wanted to have the hunter-nin take a hit for Zabuza before throwing a poisoned kunai so it would almost be guaranteed to land, but he was actually struck with a poisoned senbon himself, so he couldn't follow up with the plan.
'I should have just thrown the kunai right away, but he probably would have avoided it given the distance' He sighed to himself
[You planned everything, but everything was ruined by an itsy bitsy needle]
'Shut up' Naruto cursed in his heart
[Aw, is Naruto angry? But I have to say, it was a well-thought-out plan, it turned a multi episode battle into a few paragraphs worth]
[How about a mission to cheer you up?]
'Could have given me one when Zabuza appeared' He groaned
[Aw, but you were so serious, it was funny watching you fail, but enough about the past, let's move on with your new mission, find Haku while he is picking herbs, and reveal him as a guy before flirting with him]
'...you're f**king with me' He knew who Haku is, he is that hunter-nin from earlier, someone who looks like a girl when his mask is taken off
[Indeed I am, but the mission is not]
'I hate you'
[I'm glad you do, the reward will be a telepathic link with Kurama]
Naruto paused, having a link with Kurama has been something he has wanted for a while. If one asked why...well...
'You're saying I can finally talk to that walking nuke? Well, so what if I need to flirt with a guy, twenty dollars is twenty dollars' Naruto rubbed his nose and thought, though his feelings for this so called assistant was becoming worse with every mission he was given...
However, he hid those feelings deep, without its notice. The encounter with Haku was tomorrow, so he spent this time going into his lab in secret to create more poison to apply to his weapons.
[What are you making this time?]
"An antidote" He replied
[Oh? A menace like you is actually making an antidote? That's a sight I never expected]
"Every poison user will need to be wary of poisoning themselves, or their ally, it's a necessity, how else did you think I gas bombed the governments without getting caught up in it" He rolled his eyes and replied
His response was nonchalant, and after finishing the antidote, he left the lab and returned to Tazuna's house. By then, Kakashi has finally woken up, however, his state wasn't suited for combat, requiring a crutch to walk.
"Sensei, I was going to say I'm glad you're up and kicking, but I guess that would be insensitive, huh?" Naruto stared at Kakashi's legs which were currently still weak, and said with a grin
*Bang*
However, a fist that was faster than he could react to struck his head, with Kakashi's cold gaze following that.
"Lesson one, don't act like a prick in front of me" He said
"First lesson we had since having you" Naruto tucked his lips and muttered
Kakashi rolled his eyes and led the team outside into the woods.
"Since we're here, I'll teach you about chakra control, you should have noticed that in the fight with Zabuza, we were able to manoeuvre on water without sinking" He said
"Well, yeah, it's just using chakra as either suction pads or repulsers" Naruto replied as he took a step onto a tree, easily sticking on as he continued to walk up with his hands behind his head.
Before long, he was staring at them all, upside down, on a tree branch...
Kakashi's lips twitched, he didn't remember teaching this before, did he get hit so hard he forgot something?
However, Sasuke and Sakura were stunned by this, which led to him believing Naruto figured this out on his own...
They would not have expected that this is one of the first things Naruto practiced the moment he got the flying raijin. Being able to walk on walls is extremely beneficial for such a jutsu, and paired with his love for experiments, he figured it out rather quickly.
"Sensei, can I go now?" Naruto asked
Kakashi let out a defeated sigh and waved his hand
"No, you're still staying, perhaps you can help the other two figure it out" He said
"Bah, as if they need my help, Sakura is number one in theory, she can probably figure it out after just a few tries, and Sasuke is probably too proud to accept my advice" Naruto huffed
By the end of the day, Kakashi's lips twitched...because it was exactly as Naruto said. Sakura indeed learned how to do it immediately, whilst Sasuke who so stubborn on learning it on his own that it was the evening before he finally succeeded...
-Next day-
Naruto walked out, claiming to get some fresh air as he ventured into the woods. As he was walking, he sensed another presence in the woods.
His appearance made the other person pause a little, and instinctively hid their left arm.
"Hm? Who're you?" Naruto asked
The other person was Haku, having removed his mask, he looked like very much like a girl. And after seeing Naruto's oblivious expression, Haku felt relieved and revealed a faint smile.
"My name is Haku" He replied with a gentle smile
"Oh, nice name, anyone ever said that you look cute before?" Naruto grinned
"H-Huh? No, besides, I'm a boy" Haku said
"Yeah, I know" Naruto replied
!?!?
Haku was a little speechless, what do you mean you know!?
"My name's Naruto, can I ask if you're seeing anyone?" Naruto asked
"S-Seeing anyone? I-" Haku was left at a loss once again, he knows he's a guy, and still asks if he's seeing anyone?
Could it be...this boy swings that way?
"I'm not" Haku replied awkwardly
"Oh, then do I have a chance?" Naruto asked
"Sorry, but I'm not very familiar with you" Haku turned around and hurried off
"Pleasant chat" Naruto smiled and waved
[Wow, you actually tried to ask him out right away? What would you do if he actually accepted?]
'He wouldn't, Zabuza is the only person he would ever have in his eyes, romantic or not' Naruto replied, confident in Haku's chance of rejection.
[Well, as promised, give me a second to establish a telephone pole in the cage Kurama is in]
'??? A what???' Naruto questioned
[Oh right, you also need one in your head]
'...'
[Relax, I'll be gentle as I place my girthy pole inside you]
'...I am currently twelve in this body...officer, right here'
[Not again! F**k, stop breaking down my doors!]
[Get on the ground!]
[Dammit! You'll regret this Naruto!]
[...]
Naruto sighed faintly, but as he was enjoying the silence, he felt a small connection suddenly form between him and another being.
'What is this...a human child?' A cold voice entered his head
"Oh, sup Kurama" Naruto was ecstatic
'You...how do you know my name!' Kurama roared suddenly
"That's not important"
'Brat!'
He grinned as his hands trembled
"Kurama, hehehe, I finally can talk to you"
Kurama felt something was amiss, why is this child so excited to meet him? It didn't make sense, but he felt he could use this.
'Brat, why don't you-'
"Don't bother asking me, once I understand this seal, I'm unlocking it" Naruto said with an excited grin on his face.
In fact, his smile was a bit...extreme...
Kurama felt a shiver run down his smile, for some reason, he felt as if he was being lusted over...
'Oh, you will undo my seal?' He shook off the bad feeling and asked
"Of course, you're a walking disaster, if I let you out, won't I be able to bomb anyone I want! Hahaha, just the thought excites me" He clasped his arms as he flushed pink slightly, his extreme expression made even Kurama feel this child is dangerous.
But not the danger that would harm him, but one that seems to...crave him? He shuddered at the thought, this kid can't be into foxes, right???
"Kurama, accept me, as I too will accept you, you want freedom, I want your power, lend me your power, and once I am strong enough, I will materialise a body for you" Naruto declared
'Mere empty words' Kurama sneered
Naruto chuckled strangely
"I wasn't expecting to convince you in our first conversation anyway, you will see my resolve over time" Naruto giggled silently, making the sense of danger in Kurama's heart rise...
'I'll be the decider of that' Kurama scoffed at Naruto's words, where did he get the confidence to think he can convince him?
With the connection formed, Naruto was more than satisfied with the results. Kurama's hatred for the hidden leaf is very obvious, he could feel the killing intent in his words despite him trying to hide it, so he knew it would be impossible to convince Kurama in the short term.
For now, he was going to allow Kurama watch everything he does.
Sure it won't lessen Kurama's anger towards the village, but it may increase his favourability towards himself.
However, he didn't head back right away, instead, he secretly followed Haku, and found a small house deep in the woods.
'Hey Kurama, lend me some power to blow this place up' Naruto asked
'Why' Kurama snorted
'I want to see how strong a tail beast bomb is' He replied
'Childish' Kurama responded, and no longer spoke no matter how much he asked.
[What are you talking about with Kurama?]
'Nothing much' Naruto responded
However, in his heart, a thought surfaced...can the so called assistant not hear Kurama? This gave him a theory, however, he hid those thoughts away so it wouldn't be heard by the 'assistant'.
After that, Naruto took out a small bottle with a purple liquid. He tossed the bottle at the house, and threw a regular kunai at it, shattering the bottle.
The moment the bottle shattered, a raging inferno exploded from it, engulfing the house completely.
*Swoosh*
A figure dashed out of the house. Haku, who was holding the injured Zabuza was able to make it out before the explosion reached them, however, he got a severe burn on the side of his arm when grabbing Zabuza.
He turned his eyes to where it came from, and there, he saw Naruto who was staring at him with a sadistic smile.
"Oh, you evaded that, as expected of you, Haku" Naruto smiled as he threw another bottle into the air.
This time, it directly exploded into a white mist that engulfed everyone instantly. Haku dashed out of the mist, and threw senbons at Naruto, but he evaded them and raised three fingers.
"Three...two...one...down you go" His eyes curved into a crescent shape as he watched Haku's body stiffen, and fell to the ground.
He walked over and grinned, watching Haku's body shake as the poison seeped deeper. An intense pain began spreading through, starting from his lungs, and slowly spreading to different parts of his body.
"Urgh..kuah" White foam formed on his mouth, while Zabuza's face paled and writhed in pain.
"Pretty effective, don't you agree?" He crouched down next to them and smiled
But the two were unable to respond, only glare at him fiercely. In Haku's eyes, there was a trace of regret, as he understood that Naruto must have recognised him, and followed, resulting in this predicament.
"You two, I have a favour to ask of you...please die for me" Naruto smiled brightly as he held a kunai at their necks.
Who asks of such favours so cheerfully? Haku bit the bottom of his lips, seeing the kunai on Zabuza's neck made rage fill his heart. To Haku, he can die, but Zabuza must live!
[I'm starting to feel bad, who's the villain of this arc again?]
'Obviously Zabuza, you can just feel the evil from his gaze alone' Naruto replied
[...] Evil? All it could see is the pain and suffering brought by Naruto's poison...
Naruto chuckled
"But I won't kill either of you" He said as he retracted his blade
"R-Really" Haku looked up with a surprised expression
Naruto smiled as he glanced at Haku
"Pfft, it's cute that you believe it" He said as he took out two small vials and forced it down their mouths.
The moment the liquid entered, they felt their body stiffen, and their pulses weaken drastically.
Zabuza, at the final moment, shifted his gaze to Haku, who was on the verge of tears, and revealed a gaze filled with sorrow. A weapon, that was all Haku was...or at least that was what he had always claimed.
Naruto chuckled
"How touching" He said
What he received was a hate filled glare from Haku before the life in their eyes faded
With these two out of the picture, the rest of the arc is a simple cake walk. He then stroded to the house that has been burned down, and searched through the rubble before finally finding the executioners blade.
It was rather heavy for his current state, so he strapped it to his back and went back to the two bodies. He tied both of them together, and dragged their corpses back to Tazuna's house.
[What a demon....to give hope, only to take it...this is just...too entertaining! Hahahaha! I have picked the right person, this is fun! Very fun!]
It wasn't long before he reached the house, and the sight of Naruto carrying the two corpses was quite the sight to behold. When Kakashi saw this, his pupils shrunk as he wondered if he was still dreaming, but when he realised everything was real, his expression became serious.
He demanded for an explanation from Naruto, who wore a wronged expression
"Sensei, they were both severely injured already, and Zabuza is completely incapacitated" He explained, however, Kakashi didn't buy it at all.
He was furious, angry that Naruto had taken the risk of going on his own to kill Zabuza and Haku, the latter of which they were unsure of his strength.
As a result, Naruto got an earful from Kakashi, but over him, his heart softened when he saw Naruto reflecting on his wrongdoings.
But what is Naruto really reflecting on?
'Next time, I'll destroy all evidence and pretend I had nothing to do with it' He cursed in his heart
[Naruto, if there is an award for the most evil b*stard, it'd go to you]
'Thanks, now f**k off'
After being reproached by Kakashi, Naruto was finally let off after a few more warnings. But his joy didn't last long, as right after Kakashi, came Sasuke and Sakura, who were filled with questions.
"Naruto, how did you kill them both on your own?" Sakura asked
Naruto sighed, suddenly, he understood what it feels like to be Shikamaru...what an absolute drag...
"I poisoned them" He replied
"Poison? You know how to use poison?" Sasuke asked
"I dabbled in it in my free time" He replied
Sasuke fell silent, this answer was enough for him, so he left. In his eyes, burned with determination to win against Naruto, ever since Kakashi's initial test, he kept feeling he was inferior to Naruto, someone who used to be the bottom of the class.
He felt frustrated, as he sort of respected Naruto for his previous plan against Zabuza, but at the same time, he couldn't bear to keep being in his shadow.
"Naruto..." Sakura asked
"Yeah?"
Sakura looked around, after confirming there was no one around, she turned to him with a determined look in her eyes as she opened her mouth.
"Th...Thank you" She said as she blushed a bit
"Huh? Why?"
"You didn't say it directly, but both times, be it against Zabuza, or during Kakashi sensei's training, you were constantly encouraging me to not feel down, thank you" She said
"Oh, that...nah, with Zabuza, your genjutsu was crucial, so that's not called encouragement, it's called using the right tools for the right things" Naruto replied
"Ah? Then with Kakashi sensei-"
"That's cause I was lazy and didn't want to bother" He replied
Sakura stared at him speechlessly, suddenly, all her good will for him vanished...well, not entirely, but most of it. She is still a bit thankful, as she felt that she has regained some of her lost confidence during these moments, but at the moment, anger was taking over real quickly.
She took in a deep breath, managing to contain her anger.
"Well, thanks again..."
"Why? Oh, wait, is it because I asked Sasuke to whisper the plan into your ears?" A cheeky grin suddenly appeared on his face
Sakura's face burned red, but he was spot on!
Naruto laughed
"You better give everything you got to charm him, cause he's affecting things on my side as well" Naruto said with a playful smile
"Your side?" Sakura thought for a moment, and another girl came to her mind
"Could it be Ino?" She asked
Naruto just smiled and didn't reply
"I did notice that you two got much closer, is she still after Sasuke-kun?" She asked
"Unfortunately, that chick magnet's emo expressions are just too good at winning people over" Naruto shrugged
"Ch-Chick magnet? Emo?" Sakura has never heard these phrases, but for some reason, it sounded fitting...
Sakura then felt the urge to ask Naruto more about love, after all, she finally met someone else who is chasing after a one sided love, well, Ino aside, as she is her rival.
"How did you fall for her?" Sakura asked curiously
"Fall for her..." Naruto was silent, he can't say that he's actually in love with the teenage Ino, could he?
But that aside, having interacted with her for a while, he felt that there was now more to it than just friendship...
"She's playful, her serious expressions are rather adorable, and reads the room well, overall, she's a great person to talk to" He grinned as he rubbed his nose, memories of his interactions with Ino were still vivid, and he had to admit, she is slowly growing on him.
Sakura felt that this was the most genuine smile he has shown her ever since they met, and it made her feel less animosity towards him. It's definitely not because he can reduce her rivals...yep, definitely the first reason.
"Naruto, you must charm Ino" Sakura grabbed his shoulders and said
"..." Girl, your inner desires are showing...
Given her expression, it was obvious she wants to use him to eliminate her only competition...
[Mission, tell her "I will become your next love rival"]
[Reward: Small physique boost]
Naruto's lips twitched, but the reward isn't bad. He's already flirted with Haku, what's the big deal with doing this?
And the result?
He patted Sakura's shoulders, and gave her a thumbs up as he winked at her
"Don't worry Sakura" He said
Her eyes lit up, finally, this boy is looking more pleasing to the eyes.
"Because after Ino is out, I'll become your next love rival"
*Crack*
You hear that? That's the sound of her reality breaking...
"#&$*@#&^@!!!"Sakura spouted profanities he has never heard before, and for once, Naruto's horizons were broadened...
Sakura's mouth was foul, beyond anything that Naruto has ever heard in his entire life even the system/assistant was speechless.
After a while, Sakura left, brooding a storm within...
"Hah, this is the troubles of a handsome man" Naruto muttered
[Huh?]
'What?' Kurama questioned
Naruto shook his head and turned his attention the bodies of Haku and Zabuza. He walked over and stored the bodies away inside a scroll. As for where he got it?
"Naruto, have you seen where my summoning scrolls are" Kakashi came back and asked
"Yeah, I just used it to store some corpses" Naruto replied
!!!!
[Why are you doing that? A new fetish?]
'Though they didn't appear much, they were respectable chara-...no, people'
He has thought for some time...can he pretend he is in a fictional world? No! He is in a world where everyone is living, breathing, and has their own opinions. He cannot have such a dangerous mindset, that people here are mere characters.
[I see...]