chap.12 - Hollow once again.

As we leave the village, Naruto is enjoying having his first trip.

Sasuke is using my chakra control method, walking with the leaves attached to his body with chakra. Sakura is reading Grandma's notes, she is still that passionate girl, but more restrained now. And she knows how to treat other people.

I am doing almost the same, comparing water and fire jutsus. The fireball jutsu and the water dam jutsu have a lot in common. They are for area damage, cover, and signaling.

As we follow the road, I sense the presence of two enemies, I look at Kakashi, who raises his eyebrow a centimeter, showing me how surprised he is that I am a sensor.

What has changed this time is that we are not the only ones. Sakura has already started to form a chakra scalpel, Sasuke has his kunai and shuriken ready and Naruto looks at the pool of water as if they were idiots.

We stand there, standing at a reasonable distance from the idiots... "You know that the element of surprise has been lost, right?" says a stoic Kakashi.

The two idiots jump up trying to surprise the nearest one, which is Naruto, but are surprised by a Naruto doing a plethora of hand seals at incredible speed.

"Double Style: Water Destruction Grid" he summons a huge torrent of water and hits the duo, locking them into a tree.

Sasuke wastes no time and traps them with his kunais in the same tree.

"Well, well, brother. Are you already splurging?" I say laughing to Naruto, who has an immense look of joy on his face.

"Hehehehe, I didn't know they were that good. If I had known they were so weak I would have just kicked their asses," he replies scratching his never and with that idiot face he does masterfully.

"I will tell Grandma that you are too strong, and that you need more training to control your chakra." I speak seriously to him, and see not only him, but Sakura sweat.

Tazuna, is looking at the scene not understanding how such a little boy can be so strong.

"Hai, hai, good job." Kakashi approaches the trapped duo. "They are from the village of Kiri. What are they doing around here."

"I think Lord Tazuna asked for a mission and it turned out that the difficulty increased Kakashi sensei. I think whoever is after Lord Tazuna got desperate and hired shinobis." I say while looking at the old man.

"That being the case, we can cancel the mission and return to Konoha, the mission got too high for your level." says the lazy man. "But if the whole team wants to complete the mission, then there is no way. It's your choice."

"We continue." shouted all three of them.

"And you Nox-kun, do you want to continue?" asks Kakashi hoping to be able to return to the village and stay reading his book.

"I'm not part of the Kakashi sensei team, it's their decision, I'm on vacation." I answer shrugging my shoulders. "But for me, I would continue. I don't think Mr. Tazuna can afford to pay more for a higher mission."

I walk over to Kiri's idiotic duo, hit them in the back of the head, and they black out. Searching their pockets, I find some scrolls of water jutsus, but all pretty bad and basic, more for training school kids, and the technique of hiding in water, a map where Gatõ's hideout is, and some ryos.

"Shall we take them with us Kakashi?" I asked.

"No, I have already asked my summoner to bring the anbu to take them." he answers me following the path towards the Land of Waves.

DIFFERENT POV ----------------------

I see the demon brothers tied to a tree, I go over to them and rummaging through their belongings, I find only a note. "From what I promised you, two more. Hollow"

I ask two of my elite ninjas to take them back and follow the journey.

POV NOX -----------------------------------

After we left the idiots tied up, we continued our journey and at dusk we stopped to make camp.

Sitting by the fire, I realize that my evil plan will not work, so I go on to the next option, which is to improve even more my control in the mokuton techniques.

I don't find them infallible or invincible as everyone believes, far from it, they are strong, but their weaknesses are visible. Fire, Earth and Water are some of them.

The difference is in the chakra spent. For mokuton techniques, a lot of chakra is used, so everyone thinks that it is infallible. But if we stop to analyze, what wins the battle of jutsus, is how much control and how much chakra the technique uses.

Let's take an example, a fireball from Madara against a wall of water from Tobirama, would cancel each other out. Why? Because both have the same control and Tobirama a little less chakra, but the water>fire factor helps compensate.

Madara's same fireball against Kisame's wall of water, the fireball would win. In chakra, Kisame has a little less, in control he has less, what would give him a point is the water>fire factor.

In short, I would need a lot of chakra. Either with sage mode, or by turning into a jinchuriki. Both are difficult, but achievable. Obviously, I'm already working on that. I've already asked the Racoon clan to look for Isobu, or if you prefer, three tails.

Not many people know, but beasts with tails always have a main affinity and its opposite, Kurama is Yin, but also Yang, that's why when Minato separated her, she was so weakened. It wasn't just half of the chakra, it was also half of the being.

Shukaku is earth, but also wind, and because it is a purely chakra entity, it has magnetism. Now, do you see what I'm getting at? If every chakra Beast has two affinities, what would be the best beast with a tail for me, who has earth/water? You got it right who said Isobu and Saiken.

Isobu would allow me to have greater control in land/water, thus allowing me to use mokuton as I wish, Saiken is water/wind which if we stop to analyze, would be perfect for Naruto.

Anyway, I digress, back to my vacation/training.

After a week of walking, we arrived at the river. We pay for a boat for the crossing and after another day of walking in the Land of Waves, towards the village of Tazuna, it comes up.

"Put it down!" I shout, seeing Sakura knock Tazuna down, Kakashi dodge the spinning Sword, and Sasuke and Naruto jumping next to Sakura to protect her.

"Look, look, what we have here." he is looking down at us from above, with his sword stuck in the tree, and him stepping on it.

Kakashi assumes the combat position, in front of the trio and Tazuna, I am standing on the side, petting a white rabbit. Yes, I am sitting, with my back to the tree, and the white rabbit on my lap. Very quiet.

A lot of talking and fighting starts, and while my friends are nervous from all the tension of the battle, I look toward a hidden "anbu". "Are you here to help him or arrest him?" while still petting the rabbit.

He stands there, speechless for a while, until he hears "It doesn't matter anymore Haku, just complete the mission." the voice of Zabuza comes.

When he decides to attack, Sasuke and Naruto take the front of the battle, and it intensifies. Now we have Zabuza against Kakashi and Haku against Naruto/Sasuke.

Haku knocks Naruto out, since he has more fighting experience, Sasuke believing he sees Naruto die right in front of him, opens his sharingan, but is also knocked out while protecting Naruto's body from the needles.

Naruto, seeing his fallen friend, becomes enraged and the fox's chakra is released, which destroys the whole fighting atmosphere, and turns into a vicious and bloodthirsty atmosphere.

I quickly make a small wooden dragon, which looks more like a wooden worm, and stop Naruto/Biju. Knocking him out right away.

Just as Zabuza and Haku think to retreat, "I guess you've watched too much already haven't you?" I shout, taking both Zabuza/Haku by surprise and Kakashi.

A beautiful woman, man, really, she's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, appears along with a guy with an eye patch.

"Well, well, what do we have here, the Mizukage giving us the air of grace." all the sarcasm and mockery that could exist in a single sentence, was used by Zabuza at that moment.

"I've come to ask you to come back Zabuza, Kirigakure is rebuilding, and we need everyone to make it a better place. I've come to ask for your help in this." she says humbly.

Seeing no malice on her part, Zabuza puts away his sword, puts Haku behind him, as if protecting him from something.

"Why should I help a place that has never brought me any joy, only sadness and death?"

"Because that is exactly what I want to change. We who have experienced Yagura's bloodthirsty and destructive hand, know what it is like to suffer for orders poorly given. So I want your help to change that."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA" he begins to laugh. Laughing with a will. "Now I understand when I received the message that to change the village as I dreamed, I needed to change." he continues laughing amidst the words. "I will trust you Mizukage, and hope that everything goes as that man said."

"Who would this man Zabuza be, if you can tell me" a curious Mizukage asks.

"I don't know him, never even seen him, but mysteriously he sent me two messages. Their content was strange until now, but now it makes sense. He just signs as Hollow."