Land of Waves Arc

The Land of Waves arc is from Part I of the series, and spans from chapters 9 to 33 of the manga and episodes 6 to 19 of the Naruto anime. It is the first major arc of the series.

Assignment
While Genin are normally assigned D-Rank missions, Naruto insists on doing something more exciting and the Third Hokage agrees to send them on a C-Rank mission to escort Tazuna, a master bridge builder, back to the Land of Waves. During their mission, the team is attacked by two enemy Chunin, something that is not supposed to happen on C-Rank missions. Naruto, surprised by the Chunins' appearances, panics, allowing him to be struck by one of the Chunin's poisonous claws. Sasuke, in Naruto's absence, deals with the attackers quite efficiently and rubs in his one-upping of Naruto by calling him a "scaredy-cat". Once the attackers are restrained, Naruto bleeds out the poison he received by stabbing his wound with a kunai, swearing upon the pain in his hand to never freeze up and leave his friends to fend for themselves again.

Kakashi, perplexed by the attack, asks Tazuna for the truth about the circumstances of the mission. Tazuna explains that the Land of Waves has been taken over by a shipping magnate called Gato, who has effectively bankrupt all the people of the country, and the only way to revitalize the economy is by building a bridge to the mainland that can bypass Gato's shipping monopoly. However, Gato does not want that to happen, and uses shinobi gangs to get what he wants. Thus Team 7's mission is to support and protect the bridge-building efforts that have been thwarted thus far.

Upon arrival at the Land of Waves and on the way to Tazuna's home, Naruto, bent on outdoing Sasuke, throws a kunai at a bush, surprising and putting everyone in the group on guard. Once it's clear that it was nothing, Sakura yells at him for it, but Naruto throws another kunai at another bush in the other direction. Sakura hits him on the head this time, though Naruto swears he had sensed something. As it turns out he had sensed a snow rabbit, which is now scared out of its mind due to the kunai only an inch from its head. Naruto apologizes and sympathizes profusely with the rabbit, picking it up and hugging it to an extreme. While the others pass it off as Naruto's usual idiocy, Kakashi notices something strange about the rabbit: its fur is white. Snow Rabbits are only white during winter, meaning that this rabbit was raised indoors and therefore belongs to someone nearby.

Kakashi suddenly tells everyone to duck as a giant sword spins passed them, nearly killing them all. The sword hits a tree and Zabuza Momochi, a missing-nin from Kirigakure, jumps onto the handle of it, intent on killing Tazuna. Kakashi, recognizing Zabuza as a formidable opponent, reveals his Sharingan eye, saying that he will need to use it. Zabuza, honored by Kakashi's willingness to go all out for their battle, states that he would consider it a testament to his own skill if he were to kill Kakashi.

Zabuza ends the conversation with his Hidden Mist Technique, summoning a thick veil of mist from the nearby lake in order to hide himself from the Sharingan. Kakashi orders Team 7 to protect Tazuna, though Zabuza says it's useless, instantly appearing in the center of their formation. As Zabuza is about to make an attack with his sword, Kakashi races toward them and stabs Zabuza in the stomach with his kunai just before his stroke can fall. Water pours out of Zabuza's body and it collapses into a puddle as the real Zabuza appears behind Kakashi, revealing that he had used a water clone to fool Kakashi. Zabuza proceeds to slice Kakashi in half, though Kakashi's body too dissolves into water, surprising Zabuza as he realizes that Kakashi must have copied the ability to create water clones as he charged toward him. Kakashi appears behind Zabuza, mocking him by saying that it's over.

To everyone's surprise a second Zabuza appears behind Kakashi, and the first Zabuza reverts back to a pool of water. Kakashi attempts to break free of Zabuza's grasp, but is instead thrown into the nearby lake. As he emerges, Zabuza traps him within his Water Prison Technique, leaving Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to defend against another of Zabuza's clones. Kakashi tells them to run, but Naruto remembers the oath he had made to himself, and enters the fight so that they can save Kakashi and keep Tazuna alive. Naruto creates a number of shadow clones that proceed to completely surround Zabuza's clone. Zabuza's clone swings his sword and the shadow clones scatter and disappear, forcing the only remaining Naruto to reach into his backpack and pull out a windmill shuriken, which he gives to Sasuke. Sasuke, sensing Naruto's plan, hurls the shuriken at Zabuza, who easily grabs it from the air. To his surprise, a second shuriken was hiding in the shadow of the first, and he is forced to leap over it to avoid being damaged. As he does so the second shuriken turns into Naruto, who had transformed himself in order to trick Zabuza. Naruto throws a kunai at Zabuza, who, unable to dodge it as he is, is forced to release Kakashi from his prison so as to go unscathed.

With Kakashi free, Zabuza is forced to commence their battle, and the two use multiple water techniques on each other. Due to his Sharingan, Kakashi is able to take the upper hand and defeat Zabuza with his own attack. Just as Kakashi is about to make the final blow a masked teenage boy, later revealed to be named Haku, appears to kill Zabuza via throwing a number of needles at the latter's neck. After revealing himself to be a Hunter-nin sent to kill Zabuza, he disappears with Zabuza's body. Kakashi, momentarily satisfied with this turn of events, decides its time to continue escorting Tazuna home, only to collapse due to fatigue seconds later as a result of his overuse of the Sharingan.

Training
Kakashi is taken to Tazuna's home for recovery, and as he rests he makes the observation that Zabuza's death was odd: when Hunter-nin kill their target, they usually begin to destroy it on the spot. Haku, on the other hand, took Zabuza's body elsewhere. This, coupled with the fact that Zabuza was "killed" with needles, a weapon that is rarely fatal and is useful for knocking people out, leads Kakashi to believe that Zabuza is still alive, and that he will be back to finish the job. Elsewhere, Zabuza is revived by Haku, and although he will need time to recover, he promises to crush Kakashi when next they meet.

With Zabuza's return a likely outcome, Kakashi takes Team 7 to the nearby woods for chakra training, and tells them that their training will require them to learn to climb trees. Naruto makes the observation that this is impossible, yet Kakashi, in crutches, manages to climb the tree with ease, and explains that the key to doing so is focusing chakra to the soles of your feet. The three Genin all make an attempt; Naruto, not using enough chakra, takes only one step before falling back to the ground; Sasuke is able to make it half way up the tree, though he damages it as a result of using too much chakra; Sakura, having perfect control over her chakra, makes it to the top of the tree her first time, finishing her training. Training continues, and Naruto, still unable to make it far up the tree, asks Sakura for advice. Sakura complies, and Kakashi makes the observation that Naruto is finally getting a good grasp on teamwork.

Sakura is left in charge of protecting Tazuna while Naruto and Sasuke continue their training. As Naruto begins to catch up to Sasuke, Sasuke casually asks to know what advice Sakura had given Naruto, which Naruto, determined to beat Sasuke, refuses to give. During dinner one night, Sakura asks about a torn picture that Inari, Tazuna's grandson, had been looking at. Tazuna explains that the man in the missing portion of the picture was Kaiza, Inari's "father", who Inari idolized and thought of as his biological parent. One day years prior a flood threatened to destroy the village, and Kaiza single-handedly managed to close the floodgates, earning him the title of "hero" amongst the villagers. Once Gato came to the country, however, Kaiza's heroic deeds angered Gato, and as such Gato had him executed him in front of the villagers and Inari. From that day forth, the villagers lost hope and Inari was crushed, disbelieving the possible existence of a "hero". Naruto, determined to prove to Inari that there is such a thing as a hero, rushes off to continue his training.

As Naruto rests in the woods one day, he encounters Haku, though he is unaware of this and thinks Haku to just be a pretty girl. The two discuss their dreams: Naruto wishes to become the Kage of his village, while Haku wants to protect the person most precious to him, explaining that when protecting a precious person your strength reaches its maximum. Naruto agrees with this statement, remembering all of the people who have protected him. With that, Haku leaves, though not before confusing Naruto to no end by saying that he's a boy.

Training for Naruto and Sasuke continues, and eventually the two are able to climb their trees, though Naruto is exhausted as a result. Seeing Naruto in this condition, a tearful Inari proclaims that Naruto is wasting his time and that Gato will still defeat him. Naruto replies that he will win, and sarcastically congratulates Inari for always crying, calling him a brat. As Inari sulks, Kakashi explains to Inari how Naruto also grew up without a father, and that he also had no mother, giving him a sad life. Despite this, Kakashi mentions that he's never seen Naruto cry, and theorizes that Naruto one day grew tired of crying over himself. This explanation, and the suggestion that Naruto is the only one who knows what Inari is going through, touches Inari.

Round Two
The next morning, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura escort Tazuna to work, leaving Naruto behind to rest. Upon arriving at the bridge though, they find Tazuna's workers to have been attacked, and the area quickly becomes covered with a veil of mist. After a quick defeat of Zabuza's water clones at the hands of Sasuke, Zabuza and a masked Haku reveal themselves, confirming Kakashi's suspicions. Back at Tazuna's house, two of Gato's thugs arrive to kidnap Inari's mother. Inari, inspired by Naruto's story, attempts to save his mother by himself. Just as he is about to be cut down by the thugs, Naruto appears and defeats the two single-handedly. Naruto congratulates Inari for finally standing up for himself, and leaves to join the rest of his team.

Back at the bridge, Sasuke battles with Haku, and Zabuza is surprised to find that Sasuke can keep up with Haku's speed. Haku, also noticing Sasuke's capabilities, decides to use his trump card: Demonic Ice Mirrors, which traps Sasuke in a cage of ice. Haku proceeds to pummel Sasuke with wave after wave of needle barrages, which are made particularly potent as a result of Haku's jutsu. Eventually Naruto arrives, and he manages a sneak attack on Haku. Just as Zabuza is about to attack Naruto, Haku asks to be the one to fight him, to which Zabuza agrees. Sasuke begins to formulate a plan, thinking that it will be easier to defeat Haku with Naruto attacking from the outside. To his dismay, Naruto enters the cage of ice to see how Sasuke is doing, and he too becomes a prisoner of Haku's jutsu.

Naruto and Sasuke both attempt to destroy the ice mirrors, though each is unsuccessful. This turn of events leads Kakashi to believe that Haku is using a kekkei genkai, and that Naruto and Sasuke have no chance of winning. Because of this, he once again reveals his Sharingan, expressing his desire to finish the battle quickly. Zabuza explains that he has learned how to defeat the Sharingan, and disappears into the mist. As Kakashi instructs Sakura to guard Tazuna, Zabuza strikes, revealing to Kakashi that Zabuza is now attacking with his eyes closed, effectively making the Sharingan useless. Zabuza, explaining that his specialty is killing people based purely on sound, attempts to finish off Tazuna, though Kakashi makes himself into a human shield at the last second. Heavily damaged, Kakashi resorts to using an attack that he himself created.

Meanwhile, the fight between Haku and Naruto and Sasuke continues, and the latter two are heavily wounded. Sasuke, however, is starting to dodge Haku's attacks. Haku, noticing this, attempts to attack an exhausted Naruto instead, though Sasuke manages to pull Naruto out of way. A shocked Haku notices Sasuke's eyes, and it is revealed that as a member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke has finally awoken his own kekkei genkai: the Sharingan, which enables him to see Haku's movements with ease. Haku, fearing for his success at winning the battle, goes for a finishing blow upon Naruto, though Sasuke rushes to Naruto's side to stop the attack. When Naruto awakens he finds a severely damaged Sasuke standing over him. When Naruto asks why Sasuke saved him, he replies that it was merely instinct, and falls into Naruto's arms. After admitting that he had promised not to die before killing his brother, Sasuke stops responding, and Haku asks Naruto if it was the first time he had witnessed death.

Naruto, enraged by the loss of Sasuke, begins to expel a visible chakra, and Haku notes that it is pure evil. As the chakra pours out Naruto's wounds begin to heal and he acquires claws, fangs, and slitted pupils. Zabuza and Kakashi both sense this new chakra, and each wonders if it belongs to the other; Zabuza notes that the chakra is far too powerful to belong to Kakashi, and Kakashi is able to recognize it as that of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Kakashi, worried that the seal keeping the demon fox within Naruto will break soon, decides to pull out all of the stops, and pulls out a scroll, smears his blood on it, and tells Zabuza that they should now end the battle.

A transformed Naruto begins to attack Haku, who attempts to counter with a barrage of needles, which are easily repelled by Naruto's roar. Haku attempts a physical attack, though Naruto is able to dodge it and grab a now fleeing Haku in an instant. After releasing a momentous amount of chakra, Naruto gives Haku and deafening punch in the face, sending him flying through a nearby mirror and destroying all the other mirrors as a result. Once Haku's body comes to a stop he rises, and Naruto charges at him so that he can give the finishing blow. As he does so, Haku's mask begins to crack and break away, revealing the face of the boy Naruto met in the woods. Mere inches from Haku's face, Naruto stops his attack, returned to his normal form. Haku questions why Naruto is sparing him, only to receive a mediocre punch to the face. Haku explains that with his defeat comes his uselessness to Zabuza, and that because he can no longer protect Zabuza, his most precious person, he should die. Naruto doesn't understand this reason for wanting death, but Haku begins to plead for it nonetheless.

With the bloodstained scroll, Kakashi summons a number of dogs to find and restrain Zabuza. Explaining that he allowed Zabuza to injure him so that he could acquire Zabuza's scent, Kakashi proclaims that this will finally be the end of Zabuza. With that, Kakashi gathers chakra to his hand, and readies his Lightning Blade for use on Zabuza. Meanwhile, Haku has finally managed to persuade Naruto to kill him, using Sasuke's death as a reason for revenge. Naruto prepares a kunai, and charges at Haku, hoping that death will make Haku's dreams come true. At the last moment, Haku stops the attack. He apologizes, says that he can't die yet, and disappears.

Finale
Kakashi charges towards Zabuza while at the same time a number of mirrors begin to surround Zabuza as protection. As the Lightning Blade makes contact with flesh, needles strike the bloody scroll, and the dogs holding Zabuza in place disappear. To Kakashi's surprise, he has impaled Haku, who uses the last of his strength to grab hold of Kakashi.

Elsewhere, Inari is going door-to-door in an attempt to rally support for taking down Gato and his men. The villagers, not wanting to fight back anymore, refuse, to which Inari replies that he will protect those that he loves, as crying won't save anyone. Once he gets home, Inari's mother pleads for him not to go, though Inari insists that, as his Kaiza's son, he must fight. As he leaves the house, Inari is startled to find many shadowy figures surrounding his door.

Naruto, confused by Haku's disappearance, rushes towards the figures he can see in the now fading mist. Upon his arrival, he finds the gruesome scene of Haku's death, and Zabuza prepares to make good use of the opportunity Haku has now given him. As Zabuza is about to finish the swing of his sword, Kakashi jumps out of the way, taking Haku's body with him. After removing his hand from Haku's body and laying the boy down to rest, Kakashi orders Naruto to stay out of the fight. Sakura, now noticing Naruto, asks where Sasuke is. When Naruto looks away and doesn't reply, she guesses what has happened, and quickly escorts Tazuna to the resting place of Sasuke's body, where she breaks free of the shinobi code and cries.

Zabuza, meanwhile, is unable to touch Kakashi, and with every attempt to strike him down he is thrown backwards. With one such parry one of Zabuza's arms is made useless, and with another attack by Kakashi the other arm is put out of commission. As Zabuza's defenselessness is made apparent, Gato and his forces arrive to take the assassination of Tazuna into their own hands. As Zabuza and Kakashi decide that they no longer have a reason to fight each other, Gato notices Haku's body, and quickly defiles it as vengeance for an injury Haku had earlier given him. This, coupled with Zabuza's indifference, infuriates Naruto, leading him to decide that Zabuza is still his enemy. Naruto explains how Haku felt about Zabuza, and how he had done anything within in his power to serve him. After saying how Haku had died as a tool that had never achieved his dreams, Zabuza breaks in to tears, admitting defeat to Naruto.

As he begins to reflect upon the pureness of Haku's heart and the devotion Haku had for him, Zabuza tears the cloth covering his mouth and borrows a kunai from Naruto. Catching the kunai in his mouth, Zabuza charges through Gato's forces, slaying anyone who gets in his way while being stabbed many times all the while. Upon reaching Gato, Zabuza proclaims that he will not be able to go to the same resting place as Haku, and that he will be taking Gato with him to hell. With that, Zabuza ends Gato's life. Using the last of his energy he thanks Haku for everything and apologizes, falling to the ground with exhaustion.

As Zabuza's life begins to fade, Sasuke awakens, overjoying Sakura to no end. After asking Sakura to release him, Sasuke asks of Haku's fate. Learning that he had died, Sasuke realizes that Haku had never meant to kill him or Naruto. Sakura calls out to Naruto that Sasuke is all right, who is overwhelmed by the good news.

Gato's men, meanwhile, are now without a paycheck, and decide to loot the town as their payment for coming. As Naruto and Kakashi, both exhausted, try to figure out what to do, an arrow falls to the ground in front of the imposing forces. Everyone's attention is drawn to the source: Inari and the entirety of the town, who have come to start protecting themselves. To contribute to the already intimidating forces, Naruto and Kakashi use what little chakra they have left to create a large number of shadow clones, causing the mob to flee to the boat they used to get to the bridge.

Kakashi approaches Zabuza, who asks to see Haku one last time. Kakashi complies, and lays Zabuza's broken body alongside Haku's. As snow begins to fall, Zabuza asks Haku if he is crying, and says that just as Haku was always by his side in life, he is now by Haku's side in death. With his last breath, he expresses his desire to go to the same afterlife as Haku, if only he could. Kakashi remarks that Zabuza will be able to be with Haku in death, as they can go to the afterlife together.

Haku and Zabuza are buried side by side, and Naruto, having witnessed the fate of shinobi, decides to live his life in his own way, not letting others tell him how. The bridge is completed, and Team 7 prepares to leave. As they bid farewell to Tazuna and his family, Naruto tells Inari that it's okay to cry. Inari, saying he doesn't want to, says the same thing to Naruto, who also says he doesn't want to. As Naruto walks away, both break into tears, causing Sakura to call them both idiots. As they all disappear into the distance, Tazuna proclaims that the bridge will be called the Great Naruto Bridge to signify the strength that Naruto gave Inari who in turn gave to the whole town.

Episodes