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Chapter 126 Aftermath
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Morning broke like a quiet confession. The sky over the Land of Waves was pale and bruised, stained with the fading embers of a fire no one had seen but many would feel.
Inari was the first to rise.
He didn't do it for praise or out of some noble childhood dream. He just… did it. Every morning since his father's death, he climbed up onto the slanted roof of his home, a rusted slingshot in his calloused hands. The wood creaked under his bare feet as he reached the edge, his dark eyes scanning the horizon with the seriousness of a soldier twice his age.
It didn't matter that ninja now guarded their home. It didn't matter that Tazuna snored loudly two rooms down, or that his mother always told him to sleep in. This was his watch. His silent promise. His father couldn't keep them safe anymore so he would. Today, something moved in the distance. A smear of red cutting across the pale morning mist. He raised the telescope to his eye, adjusting the cracked lens.
His little heart thumped. That wasn't just anyone.
What did you do…? he whispered to the figure in the distance.
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Inside the house, the warmth of tea mingled with tension.
Team Seven and Team Eight were gathered around it, some still groggy, others quietly alert. Kakashi stood at the center of the room, calm as ever. "In conclusion," he said, "Zabuza is alive. And he's not alone."
A heavy silence followed.
Tazuna froze, a spoon slipping from his fingers and clattering against the floor. His eyes darted to Tsunami, who sat pale and stiff in her seat, a wet cloth forgotten in her trembling hands.
"Are you still able to protect my father?" she asked quietly. "And the bridge?"
"Of course, ma'am," Kakashi replied with a soft smile behind his mask, the kind that didn't reach his eye but offered reassurance anyway. "We have more shinobi now than Gato could reasonably afford. If he wants war, he'll find it."
Tsunami nodded, but her grip on the cloth didn't ease.
Then something shifted in the air, almost imperceptibly. A hum, soft like a breeze through a dying garden. Kurenai's fingers twitched subtly. The genjutsu spread out in invisible threads, cloaking the room from any wandering ears.
"We're secure and whether Zabuza is alive or not," she continued, folding her hands together, "we have no guarantee Gato hasn't hired someone stronger. Desperation breeds recklessness and he's lost too much face already."
Sakura leaned forward, worry threading her voice. "So what are we going to do, then?"
Before anyone could answer, Sasuke cut in. "We get stronger."
There was no bravado in his tone, no boasting. Just cold certainty, like a blade pulled from its sheath.
"Exactly," Kurenai said. "We have two weeks until the bridge is complete but we don't know when Zabuza will strike. Could be tomorrow. Could be an hour from now." She let that sink in. "So," she continued, "we've decided not to bet on time. We'll play to your strengths, sharpen what you already have or have the capability of learning quickly. If you face Zabuza tomorrow, I want you to at least survive. If it's next week, I want you to have a better chance of survival."
Kiba cracked his knuckles. "About time."
Kurenai turned to Sakura, her expression softening.
"Sakura, your chakra control is already exceptional. I'll be working with you on applying it to genjutsu. Quick, decisive illusions that can support your barrier work."
Sakura looked unsure. "But… will I really be able to pick it up that fast?"
"You won't be alone," Kurenai said gently. "Hinata will be joining us. Her Byakugan will help refine chakra perception and control, especially through the tenketsu. And in turn, she'll gain field experience and confidence."
Hinata flushed but didn't look away this time.
Kakashi's eye shifted to Sasuke.
"Sasuke… I'll teach you a new jutsu. Something to help if Zabuza tries his mist again."
Sasuke gave a sharp nod.
Kiba perked up. "What about us?"
"Kiba, we'll work on refining your teamwork with Akamaru. You've got strength but we'll tighten your coordination and start you on a C rank elemental technique."
Shino patiently waited.
"Shino, I'm assigning you to close-quarters refinement. Your bugs are powerful, but your taijutsu needs to keep pace. We'll be focusing on flow and stance breaking, especially if Zabuza has more swordsmen."
"And Naruto?"
"Naruto will continue training one-handed seals with Hinata."
Kiba made a face. "Why does Naruto get to train with all the girls?"
Kakashi clapped his hands together. "Ah, yes. An astute observation. Clearly… fate."
That got a few chuckles.
But it was Hinata's next question that changed the air. "Um… but… where is Naruto-kun?"
The laughter faded.
Everyone paused. Looked around.
Sasuke's brows furrowed. Sakura glanced out the window.
"He was at dinner last night," Kiba said, frowning. "Quiet though. Weird quiet. Like… preparing for something quiet."
Kakashi's single eye narrowed slightly. "I'm sure he's just off training. He's been obsessed with that one-handed jutsu practice lately. Probably wandered into the woods." He was already reaching into his pouch, fingers brushing the summoning scroll tucked inside. "Still, can't hurt to send Pakkun to sniff him ou—"
Suddenly Kiba lurched forward, clutching his stomach and vomited.
"Kiba!" Sakura jumped up, alarmed and disgusted in equal measure.
But neither jonin spoke as the temperature in the room plummeted.
"Kurenai. Knock out the civilians."
She didn't argue. Her hands flashed through signs and a soft, soundless wave of chakra passed through the room. Tsunami and Tazuna slumped gently forward, fast asleep.
Kakashi opened the front door and the smell hit them.
It was the kind of smell you didn't forget. Even if you lived a hundred years. Copper and bile and rot. The thick, cloying perfume of carnage. It flooded the room like a tidal wave. The genin choked on it.
Even Shino's stoicism cracked. Sakura gagged. Hinata covered her mouth, trembling. Sasuke pinched his nose while Kiba looked ready to pass out.
And standing in the front lawn, framed by the rising sun and drenched in dried blood, was Naruto.
His armor was scuffed and blackened. The padded vest hung loose in places where the stitching had torn. His boots left prints of dried crimson across the wooden floor. A severed holster dangled from one hip. The cape slung over his shoulder was nearly brown with blood, flaked, dried, and so soaked through it stiffened like parchment.
There was no wound on him. Not a scratch.
His porcelain robin mask had long since been removed. Now it dangled from his hand, the painted beak cracked, one eye hollowed. His real face was pale, eyes heavy and rimmed in shadow. There were no theatrics. No anger. No pride. Just exhaustion.
And in the stunned silence that followed, Kakashi stepped forward slowly. "...Naruto," he said, voice low. "What happened?"
Naruto looked up. His voice was soft. Matter-of-fact. "I found the arms and legs of Gato's network. And I cut them off."
The room stood still for a moment too long, like time itself had forgotten to keep going.
Kurenai was the first to find her voice. "What do you mean… you killed some members of Gato's gang?"
Some? There was a pause. A tense beat. "I killed all of them."
The words fell like weights.
"...Across the entire nation?" Sasuke asked, and for once, there was no snide edge to his voice. No rivalry. Just raw curiosity; half-impressed, half-disbelieving.
Naruto nodded slowly. "Wave is just an island. Travel's the hard part, not the killing. They weren't fighters. Not really. Just men who thought numbers and knives made them gods." He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing as flakes of dried blood crumbled off his skin. "I just had to make sure they never walked again."
Kiba scoffed at that, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Hah! One of your classic pranks, Naruto. Gotta admit, you had me for a..."
Naruto looked at him.
And Kiba's voice caught in his throat as the joke died an unnatural death. There was nothing in Naruto's face. No grin. No mischievous glint. No playful spark. Only the weariness of someone who had walked through hell and didn't find anything surprising there. Kiba's throat tightened as he remembered the cold edge of Naruto's threats that day with Oscar. He thought they were bravado. Bluffs. Now, he wasn't so sure. Naruto didn't bluff.
"Why don't you… go clean yourself up?" Kakashi finally said, keeping his tone light.
The gravity in his gaze betrayed him. It was the look of a man who saw too much of himself in that blood-soaked boy.
"Yeah. I stink. Dattebayo."
He walked off humming, barefoot and leaving a trail of faint, reddish-brown prints as he headed toward the stream. There was no guilt in his step. No shame. Only a peculiar peace.
Silence settled like dust.
Sasuke was the one to break it. "…Does this affect our training plans?"
Everyone turned to him at once.
"You can't be serious," Sakura said, eyes wide with disbelief. "Did you hear what just happened? He killed an entire criminal network. Alone!"
Sasuke shrugged. "And? We're ninja. That's our job. Besides… he just made our mission easier. Gato's blind now. No arms, no legs. What's he gonna do? Write Tazuna a stern letter?"
"That's not the point," Shino said, his voice quiet and even. "The action was… unsanctioned. He operated without orders. If anyone finds out who he is, who he's tied to, this could impact Konoha's diplomatic standing. We're not talking about one kill. We're talking about a purge."
"Well…" Sakura hesitated. "He wasn't wearing a headband. And his outfit was… completely different. And the mask. So maybe no one will trace it back to us?"
"That's a big maybe," Shino replied.
Hinata hadn't spoken.
She just sat there, her eyes unfocused. She should have been horrified. But deep down, buried beneath all her fears, a tiny part of her was in awe, and that frightened her.
Kiba looked like he'd aged a year. He could have killed me, he thought. That day with Oscar. He could have impaled me.
Kurenai folded her arms, her face unreadable.
Kakashi exhaled and rubbed his temple. "Okay. I think it's time I come clean."
All heads turned toward him.
"I assigned Naruto to conduct a covert surveillance op. Just to observe the gang, track their movements, maybe get us a few locations. Unfortunately…" He gave a sheepish eye-smile. "It seems Naruto decided to finish the job instead."
"You let him do this?" Sakura asked, eyes wide.
"I told him to watch," Kakashi said simply. "Not cleanse the nation."
There was a moment of hesitation… then everyone nodded. The tension in the room eased. Not completely, but enough.
Kiba slumped onto the floor like a deflated balloon. "I need to lie down."
Sasuke folded his arms and leaned against the wall, pensive. Shino quietly adjusted his glasses and walked outside, lost in thought. Sakura remained seated, staring into her cup, her hands trembling slightly.
Meanwhile, Kakashi knelt beside Tsunami's still-sleeping form, his fingers gently brushing her temple. She looked peaceful. As if the stench of blood still lingering in the house hadn't dared touch her dreams. He made a quick sequence of hand signs.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transmission."
His fingers sparked faintly with chakra as he focused, beginning to tap into the outer edges of her subconscious. Memories weren't always cooperative, especially not when pulled from someone unaware, but he had to know what had sparked this… this quiet storm that was Naruto.
Before he could dive deeper, a shadow fell over him. Kurenai's presence settled behind him like a whisper.
"What are you doing, Kakashi?"
"I'm trying to get information. Tsunami must've seen or heard something last night. Something that pushed Naruto into… whatever this is."
Kurenai's voice remained even. "And what about the explanation you gave to the others? That you sent him?"
Kakashi didn't respond immediately. Then, with the same cool detachment he wore like armor, he said, "I can't afford for what I've built with him to break now. If I say I sent him, I stay the tether. If he believes I trust him… maybe he doesn't drift further."
Kurenai exhaled, her voice tinged with a quiet warning. "What's the punishment, then?"
Kakashi's eye narrowed, a flash of steel behind the calm. "You're the jonin of Team 8. Play protective mother hen for your kids. Let me worry about mine."
"…Understood." Kurenai hesitated. "After today..." she said, voice like silk stretched too thin, "I think you were right. Maybe Naruto isn't the next Tsunade... maybe he's the next Itachi. In more ways than one."
Kakashi stilled. "I won't let him lose himself to the dark. Not like Itachi."
They stood there in silence, watching Tsunami stir faintly, and then the door slammed open.
"Okay, what's for breakfast?" came Naruto's voice, bright and annoyingly cheerful.
Everyone turned.
There he stood. Shirtless. Barefoot. Hair still damp and messy. He blinked at them, noticed their stares, and tilted his head.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
Kurenai stared. Just… stared. The disconnect was too much. She turned to Kakashi, her voice flat. "You should file a report stating Naruto might be clinically psychotic."
"Already noted," Kakashi murmured, eyes still on his student, fingers resuming his technique over Tsunami's temple.
Meanwhile, Naruto had found himself caught in another strange whirlpool of emotion, this time from a boy.
"Here!" Inari all but skidded into the room, balancing a tray like his life depended on it. "Breakfast, Naruto-sama!"
Naruto blinked, then made a face. "Uhh… don't call me that. Sounds weird. Makes me feel like I'm some old lord or something."
Inari's cheeks flushed as he looked down, shuffling nervously. "Can I… can I call you big brother then?"
Naruto's eyes widened. Then his expression softened. "Sure, kid."
The smile Inari gave was so bright, it could've lit the entire house.
Naruto wolfed down the rice and eggs with an enthusiasm that made the others glance at him like he was a puzzle they weren't sure how to solve. Kakashi had paused his mind probe. Sakura looked like she was trying to reconcile the cheery voice with the memory of the blood trail. Hinata watched him with something between awe and unease. Even Sasuke, who had seen monsters in human skin before, didn't speak. He just observed.
Naruto patted his belly. "Man, thanks for the food. I'm gonna get some water."
"I'll get it for you!" Inari shot up.
"Really, you don't have to..."
"Please, I want to!"
Naruto gave up. "Alright. Thanks, I guess."
The boy ran off like he was serving royalty.
Naruto leaned back and yawned. "Why's he being so friendly all of a sudden?"
No one answered.
Naruto grinned to himself. Probably been hanging around Oscar too much. That little lizard's finally melted his emo heart.
But what Naruto didn't realize was that in a single night, he'd fulfilled the boy's deepest, darkest wish. He had become what Inari had begged the gods for in silence when no one was listening.
Justice.
Now all that remained was Gato. Hidden, yes, but it didn't matter. Naruto would find him, drag him out from whatever hole he was cowering in, and kill him.
Simple. Clean. Necessary.
What he didn't know was that the hunt for Gato would change him — not with blood or steel, but with choices he couldn't yet fathom. Choices that would echo far beyond a single death.
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 60, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!