... You know what? Zabuza probably wouldn't kill them. Kakashi was one thing because if he didn't kill Kakashi right away then he would be a serious problem. But three gifted, yet undertrained, genin that are in way over their heads? He'll spank 'em into submission, kill Tazuna, and then that would be that. Despite all his talk, his heart really isn't in it - too many dead friends and comrades. Oh, and when Gatou tries to renege on his payment and thinks an army of thugs will be all he needs to collect the bounty on their heads? Ha. Wave Country will soon become the domain of Momichi Zabuza, and the jumping-off point for his Revolution (because he just captured all of Gatou's wealth).
Meanwhile, the three genin are packed back off to Leaf, cowed (Sakura), humbled (Naruto), and humiliated (Sasuke). Leaf is minus one more Sharingan user, and now Sarutobi needs to find a new Jounin instructor if he's gonna salvage this cell. Preferably someone that is actually responsible on top of being a thoroughly experienced ninja (because this team has too much potential to be squandered - the Professor can see this).
Oh, and by this time the fact that Naruto is a time traveler is just icing on the cake. In fact, take it a step further. We're not telling this story from Naruto's perspective. Instead, this is being told from the perspective of, first, Kakashi, and then later their new Jounin-sensei.
And now the question is: who does Team 7 get saddled with? I've got some ideas, but nothing that hasn't been done before.
How about this? Sakura has an aunt she doesn't know about... this is because her mother cut ties with her sister as soon as she found out she was pregnant with Sakura, because she didn't want her sister to put any ideas into little Sakura's head about becoming a ninja. (Too bad, happened anyway!) Because the two women would have different surnames, the connection would not be readily apparent when you look at it on paperwork. She chose to supplement her small chakra reserves by becoming a jack-of-all-trades in the ninja world. She dabbles in just about everything. So, while only really mastering one skill set, Auntie happens to be ANBU and damn good at what she does.
If we want to make her even MORE interesting, we can make her a single mom. Child is the result of a mission that required strictly feminine abilities and, as we all know, birth control is not always 100% effective. However, she decided to keep the child and it is now five years old and just itching to get into Ninja Academy.
Meanwhile, the three genin are packed back off to Leaf, cowed (Sakura), humbled (Naruto), and humiliated (Sasuke). Leaf is minus one more Sharingan user, and now Sarutobi needs to find a new Jounin instructor if he's gonna salvage this cell. Preferably someone that is actually responsible on top of being a thoroughly experienced ninja (because this team has too much potential to be squandered - the Professor can see this).
Oh, and by this time the fact that Naruto is a time traveler is just icing on the cake. In fact, take it a step further. We're not telling this story from Naruto's perspective. Instead, this is being told from the perspective of, first, Kakashi, and then later their new Jounin-sensei.
And now the question is: who does Team 7 get saddled with? I've got some ideas, but nothing that hasn't been done before.
How about this? Sakura has an aunt she doesn't know about... this is because her mother cut ties with her sister as soon as she found out she was pregnant with Sakura, because she didn't want her sister to put any ideas into little Sakura's head about becoming a ninja. (Too bad, happened anyway!) Because the two women would have different surnames, the connection would not be readily apparent when you look at it on paperwork. She chose to supplement her small chakra reserves by becoming a jack-of-all-trades in the ninja world. She dabbles in just about everything. So, while only really mastering one skill set, Auntie happens to be ANBU and damn good at what she does.
If we want to make her even MORE interesting, we can make her a single mom. Child is the result of a mission that required strictly feminine abilities and, as we all know, birth control is not always 100% effective. However, she decided to keep the child and it is now five years old and just itching to get into Ninja Academy.