Naruto: Lost in the Dark
Mission 1: welcome to hell
My name is Kayuki Akane, and I'm twelve years old. I've recently graduated the Ninja Academy and I'm now going to be training to become a real ninja. I'm currently a Genin, the lowest level of ninja.
Well… Yeah, that's really it. There's not much to be interested about me, except for the fact that I'm friends with the class dropout, Naruto Uzumaki. I was sitting with Hinata Hyuuga that fateful day, though. My Konoha headband was around my upper arm and I watched, somewhat amused, as Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, and, soon enough, the rest of the girls of the class soon began to flock over Sasuke Uchiha, the class heartthrob.
I inwardly groaned, but sank down in my seat. "Are you… okay, Kayuki?" Hinata asked. I looked up warily, but nodded. "If you say so."
To be perfectly honest, I just didn't understand what was so great about Sasuke. Sure, he was talented, but he wasn't at all nice. That's when I heard it.
Dead silence.
Looking over to Sasuke and Naruto's table, I saw my two classmates in lip-lock. "Oh…" I managed, sinking down even further as Naruto was completely destroyed by a group of angry fangirls.
But then, Iruka-sensei walked in. His announcement was pretty clear. "All the Genin will be grouped into three-man squads. All the squads will be led by a Jounin, an elite ninja." In my head, I scanned the classroom and counted the students in the seats.
26, 27, 28. Now, if I'm right, then… one of those teams will have four Genin and a Jounin. Oh… All I hoped was that I wasn't going to be the odd person out. Naruto was with Sakura and… Sasuke. Of course. Hinata seemed a little put out, but ended up with Shino Aburame and Kiba Inzuka. I liked those two. They were relatively nice. Ino was pissed off about not being with Sasuke, but she ended up with Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akimichi.
I sighed. Of course, I wasn't with any squad. Now that was just unfair. "Oh… right." Iruka-sensei called, "There's one more student who needs placing. Her scores were better than average, so she won't drag anyone down. Kayuki Akane?" I sat up straighter. "You'll be going with… Hm…" He scanned the room and Hinata grabbed my hand, making me jump a little. "Team 7. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke." I nodded, even though all the girls glared, even Sakura.
=Uchiha Sasuke=
Why did he have to be the one with the group of four? Of course. Sasuke groaned, taking a bite out of his lunch. He saw her sitting on a swing by herself. That stupid girl, Kayuki Akane. How she passed Ninja Academy was beyond him. Of course, his thinking was interrupted by Naruto Uzumaki.
"Naruto!" he complained, struggling to untie himself from the idiot's grip. "Let go, you moron!" Naruto smirked down at him as his clones disappeared and he put the tape on Sasuke's mouth. "You dumb idiot!" Sasuke shouted.
Of course, it was muffled. Perfect. It sounded more like "Fu pumb fidiot!" If Naruto couldn't understand regular English, how would he understand the muffled gibberish that Sasuke was making?
=Akane Kayuki=
I walked past a large window, looking for somewhere to eat. Yeah, I was kicked off the swings by a group of Sasuke's fangirls. I sighed, then looked at the window. Strange enough, I could see someone in it. I curiously hauled myself into the building and looked around.
Sasuke? What was he doing on the ground? I knelt down and took the tape off of his mouth. "I'm gonna kill Naruto," he snarled. I looked down in shame. It would be Naruto to do this to Sasuke.
"Are you okay?" I asked quietly. Sasuke didn't answer. He just left.
I should've figured. I sighed. I was an observer, not an actor. Naruto and Sasuke were more alike then they knew. Sighing, I picked up my lunch and left, eating the riceball on the way back to class, where we would meet our sensei.
Well… our sensei, Kakashi Hatake, wasn't what we'd imagined. First off, he was late. Really late. Everyone else had already gone to go train. Secondly, he fell for Naruto's little eraser trick. I sighed as he walked in the door, and went back to drawing in my notebook.
Picking up the eraser, the silver-haired Jounin stated, "How can I put this? My first impression of you guys… you're all a bunch of idiots." I slunk down in my seat and scribbled down a tiny picture of the Fireball Jutsu. "Hey. You coming?" I looked up to see the rest of my team already out the door.
I flushed a bright red. "Y-yes, sir!" I squeaked, hurrying out after them.
The rooftop was where he took us. "Introduce yourselves, one at a time…" he ordered, sounding bored. Each of us took turns introducing ourselves. Sakura and Naruto both managed to make a fool of themselves.
But Sasuke was interesting. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything." Sakura looked put out. "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I will restore my clan, and destroy a certain someone."
Kakashi-sensei looked thoughtful. "Next. You."
"U-um… My name's Kayuki Akane. I like observing things, and I don't really hate anything in particular… and my dream for the future… I guess it's to prove to my classmates that I'm not as weak as they think," I stuttered out nervously. My grip on my notebook tightened.
So, Kakashi-sensei said that we'd be doing a survival exercise the next day. So, only three teams would be accepted as Genin. Kakashi-sensei would be the one to decide if we moved on or not. I stood up with the rest of them and went home.
The walk home was lonely. The place I lived had been deserted at least ten years ago. My parents and the rest of my family were dead. My grandmother and I were the only ones left. Slipping in the door, I called, "I'm home… grandmother."
An elderly woman looked up. "Ah, Kayuki. Welcome home. Are you going upstairs?" she asked kindly. I nodded. "Very well. I'll bring dinner up for you."
=Uchiha Sasuke=
Everyone met the next morning. Naruto, Sakura, Kayuki, and Sasuke were all waiting for a few hours waiting for Kakashi-sensei. The task seemed easy enough. There were three bells that Kakashi-sensei had, that the Genin had to grab. But only three would be accepted as Genin.
Sasuke looked at Kayuki, who had made a small, nervous noise. She looked about ready to throw up. "Kakashi-sensei… it's ten now. But, um… you're a Jounin, and we're new Academy Graduates. Do we get a handicap?"
"Nope," Kakashi-sensei deadpanned. "Anyways, feel free to start when I say."
Naruto looked pissed off about what Kakashi-sensei had said.
Weakest link. Lowest scores. Losers.
The blonde drew his kunai from his belt and began his charge at the Jounin. But in the blink of an eye, he was behind Naruto, holding the kunai to his head. "Don't be in such a hurry," he ordered calmly. "I didn't say start yet." Kakashi-sensei let Naruto go. "You came at me with the full intent of killing me. How do I say this… I think I'm starting to like you guys."
=Akane Kayuki=
I watched as all of my teammates went on their separate ways. I sighed and looked at my new sensei. "Kakashi-sensei… Um…"
"What is it?" he demanded, taking out a book.
I hesitated. "Well… Never mind. I'll ask you later." He nodded and I dashed away, and he moved, too. Not after me, though. In the opposite direction, where Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had run off to.
An hour passed by relatively quickly, where I began practicing my skills. This wasn't going to be easy. But Kakashi-sensei had to have some sort of weakness. That's when I heard Naruto's infuriated screams. I looked over into the direction of the screams.
Pocketing my shuriken, I quickly ran over to the direction, stumbling once or twice. I saw Naruto, upside-down, hanging from a tree, and a log with about a dozen kunai and shuriken stuck in it. Quickly catching that Kakashi-sensei was probably watching the surroundings, I hid myself in the trees.
I heard Sakura scream not even five minutes afterwards. Grimacing, I looked to the west, where she was screaming. I bit my lip and looked to the trap. Naruto seemed to be fine, so I left, keeping myself quiet and hidden.
The first thing I noticed was Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke fighting, looking at each other fiercely. Sasuke quickly made the signs for "Horse" and "Tiger." I gaped at the sight. It was near impossible for Genin like us to use those jutsus. Well… I'm one to talk, but the jutsus that I knew were from my family's line. Sasuke, on the other hand, used Fireball Jutsu, which astounded me to no end. He blew fire out from between his two fingers.
What was left was a smoldering pile of dust and rock. Kakashi-sensei had disappeared. A hand reached out from the ground and latched onto Sasuke's leg and pulled him down. I blinked, and then saw that Sasuke's head was the only thing left sticking out of the ground. Stifling a giggle, I prepared one of my mother's jutsus.
"Spider Root Jutsu," I whispered.
=Hatake Kakashi=
He heard a brief rustling in the bushes. Kayuki Akane. He'd forgotten about her; she was the only one he hadn't attacked yet. He sighed, and turned towards where he heard the movement in the bushes. His visible eye widened as a group of roots shot towards him, seemingly reaching to grab him.
He felt the tree roots wrap around him, and he glanced at them. She had ordered roots that weren't a part of her body to do something that they weren't made to do. Most normal jutsus didn't do that, so did that mean that she already had enough chakra to perform jutsu that most normal Genin didn't know?
Movement from behind him alerted Kakashi to someone sneaking up behind him. No sound was made by Kayuki when she jumped, four kunai in each hand. The new teacher sent a smiling glance at her, then disappeared from the squeezing roots, substituting a large log with his body.
Kakashi hid in the bushes, watching as the young girl faltered a little, her eyes widening in disbelief. She turned in mid-air, aiming the eight kunai all over the open clearing. One landed at his feet, and he smirked a little bit, and then stood and ran through the trees, watching as Kayuki followed him, tossing a few shuriken as she chased him.
Finally, he turned to her. "So, you were taught how to use Ninjutsu already?" She nodded, panting heavily. He walked up to her, slowly, but surely, and she raised a fist in defense. "No need for that. I can see that you've got promise, but there's something that you're missing."
"Wh… what're you talking abou… about?" she asked quietly, out of breath. No reply from Kakashi. "What are we missing?"
He simply smirked. "Well, I have to ask you if you know Taijutsu," he requested. In reply, the blue-haired girl raised her arms, preparing for hand-to-hand combat against her new sensei. "Huh…"
Fists and feet flew as Kayuki jumped at Kakashi, aiming kicks and punches at any part of his body that she could reach. Even so, with one hand, he kept blocking each and every one of her hits, without any problems.
She has no muscle or any physical strength whatsoever. With her level of strength, it's a wonder that she even can keep herself upright. Despite her chakra level and control clearly being high, I don't think that she'd be good in Taijutsu. Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are more her style, and her stamina levels are even too low for some jutsus.
Thoughts that registered the strength and skill level of Kayuki flew through the Jounin's head as his hand moved to keep up with her hits. He watched her hands closely, but when both of her feet came flying in at him, he almost missed the hand grabbing at the bell. Again, his visible eye widened, and he batted her back. He'd forgotten that she had no strength to resist, and so, she was slammed into the tree behind her, and slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Ow," she complained quietly.
=Akane Kayuki=
It was noon, and it was time to get back to the rendezvous point. With all four of us finally defeated, I moved back to the three posts, rubbing my back. Kakashi-sensei could hit hard. I sat on top of one of the posts, my knees tucked against my chest. We had all failed. Sasuke was sitting on the ground, next to the post I was sitting on, with Sakura a few feet away.
And of course, Naruto was the one tied to the post. He'd been punished for trying to steal everyone else's food while Kakashi-sensei was fighting the rest of us. I bit my lip, and looked down at Sasuke, who looked furious with himself.
"Uh oh, stomachs growling. That's too bad," Kakashi-sensei mocked. I bit my lip; I was starving, so much that it wasn't even funny! "Oh, by the way, about this exercise, I've decided. I won't send any of you back to the academy."
That lifted my spirits a lot. I grinned, and thought to myself, Maybe Kakashi-sensei isn't such a mean guy.
He had a clear smile, from his visible eye. "Yes, all four of you… are being dropped from the program. Permanently." My eyes widened, and my heart dropped into my empty stomach. With those few words, Kakashi Hatake had crushed all the hopes and dreams that I'd ever had in my short twelve years of life.
My mind quickly went into overdrive, trying to figure out what we were missing. We showed prowess in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, but I don't think we were required to know Genjutsu… all we needed to know was how to avoid it. But then… we all attacked separately!
I opened my mouth to speak, and blurted, "Teamwork!" Kakashi-sensei, who was sitting on Sasuke, nodded, and gestured for me to continue. "We… we all attacked at different times," I said, my voice quieter than my outburst.
"It's too late now, but if all of you had come at me at once, you might have been able to take one of the bells," the silver-haired man confirmed.
Sakura demanded, "Wait, why did you quiz us on teamwork if there are only three bells? That still means one of us would still fail, no matter what! Even though you say that this test was about teamwork, you're pitting us against each other!"
Huffing impatiently, he replied, "That's the point. This test is purposely made to make you fight against each other. The purpose of this test is to see who is able to put their own interests aside and suggest working together so the team would pass." I gaped; that was why he had made sure to tell us that one of us would fail for sure. None of us wanted to be the one to fail.
But we all went off and did our own thing. No wonder he decided that we were all failures… I thought sadly.
"But you guys…" Kakashi continued, "Sakura, you ignored Naruto who was struggling right in front of you, and only thought about Sasuke, who's whereabouts you didn't even know. Naruto, you attempted to do what all of you together should've. Sasuke already decided that everyone else would slow him down, and that he was better off playing solo. As for Kayuki, I don't think that you had any idea where any of your teammates were, or what you was doing, but you needed help from your team." His foot pushed down harder on Sasuke's head as he added, "Ninja missions are always done by teams. True, individual skill is as important, but the most important thing for you is teamwork! If one person put their priorities above the rest of the team, it puts everyone else in danger. So much, in fact, that you might as well be the one killing them. For example…" He pulled a kunai out of his pouch and held it at Sasuke's neck. "Sakura, kill Naruto… or I'll kill Sasuke!" I winced, and looked from Sasuke to Naruto to Sakura, and back to Sasuke. "That's what could happen on a mission. The enemy takes a hostage, and you have to make the choice." He finally stood up, moving away from Sasuke, and stopped in front of an engraved rock. "Do you know what this rock is? Do you know who the names of the people engraved on it are?"
No one moved to answer.
=Uchiha Sasuke=
"The names are of people – ninja – who are honored in Konoha," Kayuki's quiet voice answered.
Naruto yelled, "That's it! I know now, that I want my name to be there! I won't live like this! I'll be like those guys, a hero!"
A quiet sigh came from the dark-haired girl. "I don't think you want to have your name there, Naruto." A curious gaze was shot at her from the rest of the team, while Kakashi-sensei watched. "Everyone on that stone has died. They were all killed in action."
"Including my best friend." Sasuke turned back to Kakashi, who had his hand on the rock, patting it almost sadly. "This is a memorial for the K.I.A. Ninja." Silence befell the four Genin, one that was heavy and uncomfortable.
Sasuke had to wonder if the names of any of his family were engraved on that stone. Anyone who had dared to stand up against him, maybe his mom or dad? Or maybe someone that he'd been friends with?
He didn't notice that Kayuki watched his pained face twist.
Kakashi finally said, "I'll give you one more chance. It'll be harder than the last challenge. You can eat lunch if you're prepared to take this challenge. But, Naruto doesn't get any. It's his punishment for trying to eat by himself, and not share with everyone else. And if anyone tries to feed him, they will automatically fail." Sasuke saw Kayuki about to protest, but the Jounin cut her off. "My word is the law on this team." With that, he disappeared.
Clearly put off by not being able to eat, Naruto shouted, "This'll be too easy! I'll be fine without lunch! Believe it!" The only thing that contradicted him was his rumbling stomach.
Sasuke and Sakura both opened their lunches, and as they began to eat, Sasuke kept watching Kayuki try to convince Naruto to eat her lunch, even though she'd only brought an apple. His eyes softened, even if just a little bit, and he extended some of his lunch to Naruto. "Here."
"What? Don't do that! If Kakashi-sensei finds out…" Sakura protested.
He shrugged. "Kakashi isn't here. If Naruto is hungry, he'll be weaker than the rest of us. That will hurt the team and put the mission at risk." Kayuki looked at Sasuke gratefully, and Sakura held out her lunch, too, towards Kayuki.
The other girl's eyes widened. "But… I have lunch… Naruto needs it more than I do."
Sakura sent her a look. "You really think that a single apple is a good enough lunch? It won't fill you up enough to be strong. B-Besides, I'm on a diet, and I won't eat all of this anyways!" she exclaimed, flushing a shade of pink at Kayuki's innocent stare. Sasuke watched all this as he split up the food between himself and Naruto.
"Thank you, Sakura," Kayuki said, smiling widely.
Sasuke watched as Sakura and Kayuki shared lunch, and then Kayuki took a bit of food, turning towards the posts. "Hey, what're you…" the Uchiha asked, looking at her with confusion on his face.
She smiled again at him, a little weaker this time. "I think Naruto's been waiting long enough to eat. Now, open up, Naruto." He did so, and ate the rice Kayuki fed him, smiling thankfully at his friend.
A burst of gray smoke filled the clearing, and Sasuke stood, facing whatever came out of the smoke. "You!" an angry Kakashi yelled, lunging at the four Genin. Naruto and Sakura screamed. "You broke the rules. I hope you're ready to be punished." The sky filled with the evidence of a storm. "Any last words?"
"But you said…" Naruto began.
"Yes?"
"You said that we're a team, and that's why everyone…" He cut himself off, looking at the trembling Sakura, defensive Sasuke, and scared, but defiant, Kayuki.
Sasuke finished his sentence. "We're on a team together, and we're going to fight as a team."
At those words, Sakura overcame her fear of Kakashi, and yelled, "That's right! We gave our lunches to Naruto because we're one!"
"Not only that, Naruto is our friend. And we won't let him starve," Kayuki added, her voice a little stronger than it would usually be. She stood in front of him, watching as the furious Kakashi advanced.
"The three of you are one? That's your reasoning?" The storm clouds cleared up as Kakashi smiled at his team. "You pass!"
=Akane Kayuki=
I blinked. We… pass?
"In the Ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are even lower than that." I smiled up at Naruto, who was cheering. Worse than scum, huh?
I looked down at the Konoha headband around my neck, and smiled. This meant that we would be true ninja starting tomorrow.
Since then, it'd been a week since we'd become a team.
Missions for Genin-only teams were basically just catching lost pets and weeding gardens. Not like I would complain; none of us would die or get seriously hurt. But some of these missions were completely stupid. Helping someone shop? That was just pointless. All of these people were adults, and could shop themselves.
So when Naruto threw a fit and started begging for a harder, more dangerous mission, the Hokage, surprisingly, agreed to allow it, much to both Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei's surprise. He gave us a C-rank mission, to escort and guard a cranky old man named Tazuna, who just so happened to be a bridge maker.
I ran up to the gate, my backpack almost dragging behind me. "Sorry, I got caught up by my grandmother," I apologized softly.
"No problem," Kakashi waved it off, holding Naruto back.
I blinked as we started off. We were heading towards the Land of Waves, and the trip was mostly uneventful. "Kakashi-sensei?" I asked. He looked down towards me. "Um… about that thing that I wanted to ask you a few days ago?"
He nodded. "Yes, what about it?"
Biting my lip, I asked, "Did you know a shinobi named Mamoru? Mamoru Aoba?" Kakashi-sensei looked at me curiously; he clearly had no idea why I would be asking about him. "Never mind. You can ignore that question."
"No, I knew him. Why?"
Before I could answer, two chains wrapped around him, holding him in place. I gaped at the two ninja, who tugged on the chains, ripping Kakashi-sensei into little pieces.
No way!
I saw the two ninja move towards Naruto, but before I could get to them, Sasuke flung a kunai then a shuriken, holding both of the chains in place. He quickly aimed kicks at both of the ninja's faces, but they recovered quickly, and they ran forward, aiming for Tazuna. Sakura and I both stood on either side of him, and I pushed Sakura out of the way of one of the ninja.
Sasuke appeared in front of me, preparing to take a hit, but Kakashi-sensei grabbed both of the ninja by the necks, holding them both. I walked up to Sasuke and bowed to him. "Thank you, Sasuke. You saved me from those claws." He sighed, and patted my head, walking away.
=Uchiha Sasuke=
It was either brave or stupid.
Naruto had stabbed his hand with a kunai, pledging to protect Tazuna, even if it killed him.
Kayuki only giggled, handing Kakashi a roll of bandages. Sasuke kept an eye on her as she did, watching as she asked the Jounin questions, and as he allowed her to bandage Naruto's hand, correcting her when she pulled too tightly or the bandages slipped. To him, it looked like they had some sort of other relationship, although he knew that she spent most of her time with Naruto or Sakura.
This plagued the back of his mind as they continued on along the river, towards the Land of Waves. They were traveling by boat, so the ninja who were after Tazuna didn't hear them.
As it turns out, the people that were after the old man were working for a man named Gato, a famous, wealthy tycoon who wanted Tazuna dead because the old man was the only one who could finish the bridge that would connect the Land of Waves to the mainland. That bridge would break his control over the Land of Waves, which meant that Tazuna was standing in the way of total control.
Sasuke glanced at Kayuki, who was deep in thought, her dark eyes clouded, as if she was in a faraway place. He reached over to her and tapped a fist on her head. "Ouch," she complained quietly, wincing. She looked over to Sasuke, who was staring at her with emotionless eyes.
"Don't get too far into your thoughts," he warned. "We're almost there." He nodded to the end of the tunnel they were currently in, where the mist cleared, and the shoreline was visible. She looked back at him and nodded.
=Akane Kayuki=
We reached the port, and as our boat left, Tazuna ordered, "Get me home, and I mean get me there in one piece." I sighed. He was a lot more trouble than he was worth.
I bit my lip; if those ninja were really after Tazuna, they wouldn't give up after one defeat. I dropped back next to Kakashi-sensei, and asked, "We're in a lot more danger now that we've defeated those Chunin, right?" He nodded wordlessly.
Along the way, Naruto was no help. Although, he did almost kill a snow hare with his kunai… My eyes narrowed sharply, and I put a hand on my weapons pouch.
"Look out!" Kakashi-sensei yelled. I dove to the ground, following Sasuke, and the broadsword flying right over our heads. Sitting up, I heard Kakashi-sensei walk up to someone, someone standing on the handle of the broadsword that was stuck in a tree. "Well, well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, from the Village Hidden in the Mist." He moved his hand to his forehead protector, which covered his left eye.
Zabuza turned and asked, "Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye… did I get that right?" Sasuke eyed our teacher with confusion and bewilderment. "It's too bad… but you'll have to hand over that old man."
The Jounin pulled up his forehead protector to reveal a red eye with three black dots and a scar going over his eye. I bit my lip. "Stay out of this fight, got it?"
With menace in his voice, Zabuza mocked, "Well, this is an honor, huh? I get to see the Sharingan Eye in action." I bit my lip harder. Sharingan… the power to reflect and copy any jutsu used in its line of sight. Also known as the kekkei genkai for the Uchiha clan…
Wait… that means Sasuke, right?
I looked over to the young Uchiha and saw him, tense, with his fists clenched. Looking around, I moved to my position in front of Tazuna, in order to protect him, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke following me.
I shivered when Kakashi-sensei told us about Zabuza's "silent killing" technique. "Well, if we fail, we only lose our lives," he mused. That actually didn't make me feel a lot better.
The mist got thicker, until I couldn't see Kakashi-sensei anymore, but I could only feel Naruto and Sakura on either side of me.
"Eight points. Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, collarbone, kidney, and heart. Eight kill points. Which will be my target?"
Fear ran up and down my spine, chilling me to the bone. I shivered, holding my kunai tighter.
Don't be afraid, you're a ninja! You have a mission to protect the client who asked for protection. Don't be scared of Zabuza…
I kept trying to convince myself that he wasn't as dangerous as Kakashi-sensei made him out to be, and that he wouldn't bother trying to go for children, like us. Then, I turned to see Kakashi-sensei, and his aura shook me to the core. He was always so laid-back around us, but now… he was so ready to kill it was scary.
It was then that Zabuza appeared right behind me. I yelped as I was pushed away from the assassin. A kunai buried itself in Zabuza's side, courtesy of Kakashi-sensei. "Sensei, behind you!" Naruto yelled. Another copy of the assassin was right behind him, and, for the second time that day, Kakashi-sensei was slashed in half. His broken form turned to water.
"Don't move." Another kunai appeared at Zabuza's neck, and I had to smile, however weak my smile was. I was just glad that Kakashi-sensei's murderous aura wasn't directed at me or at any of the team. "You're finished," he declared.
Zabuza simply laughed. "Finished? You don't get it, huh? I won't be defeated by a copycat ninja like you. Your technique was a cheap imitation." I scrambled to my feet as the other Zabuza, this time the real one, appeared, and the fake one collapsed into a puddle.
The assassin's foot came out of nowhere and slammed Kakashi-sensei a few yards, into the water. He emerged from the water, soaked to the bone, and as I moved towards him, he held up his hand.
"Fool. Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza's Water Prison Jutsu trapped Kakashi-sensei in a ball of dense water, allowing him absolutely no movement. I bit my lip, and heard Naruto yelp from next to me.
"Naruto!" I cried.
From his encasings, Kakashi-sensei ordered, "Listen to me; take the bridge builder and get away from here! Even though he's fighting with his water clone, the clone can't go far from his original body! If you get far enough away from here, he won't be able to follow you!"
My hands started trembling as I attempted to hold up my kunai in a defensive position. But nothing happened; I was too afraid… Seeing Kakashi-sensei so easily defeated, that really brought down my hopes.
Once again, my mind flew into overdrive, analyzing the situation. Okay, so any damage to the clone should be enough to defeat his clone. But he can hide in the mist, where we can't see. And he'll always be able to find us, so running won't do us any good. If we run and he finds us, we won't have Kakashi-sensei, and we'll be done for. Our only hope is to help Kakashi-sensei from that Water Prison Jutsu. Something hit me then. Mist! I've got it!
Sasuke ordered, "We have to do this," and I figured that he'd come to the same conclusion as I had.
Hand signs flew from my hands, and, in my mind, I ordered my body to force my chakra into the mist around me. "Mist Wolf Jutsu," I commanded.
Sasuke seemed to hear me, and flew at Zabuza, tossing shuriken, and then jumping at him. Without any problems, the older man grabbed Sasuke by the throat, and tossed him down, onto the ground. I winced; hopefully my jutsu would activate soon enough to help us out.
A howl rang through the air. Even Zabuza froze to listen. A ghostly form bounded towards our group of shinobi and kunoichi. Two piercing, golden eyes glared at Zabuza, and charged, jumping towards the man. The wolf, made completely of mist, kept growling, biting, and scratching at our enemy. It stood in front of Sasuke, baring its teeth defensively.
I slid behind the both of them, and attempted to throw a glare at Zabuza. It probably didn't look threatening, since I could feel myself shaking.
It was then that Naruto charged at Zabuza, while Sasuke scrambled to his feet. The young Genin was quickly pushed back. Even though he was pushed down once, stood back up, his headband once again in his hands.
With the wolf by my side, I rushed over to the rest of my team. "Hey you, the freak with no eyebrows. Put this in your Bingo Book; the ninja that'll one day become Konoha's Hokage… never backs down," Naruto bravely glared at Zabuza. "The name is Naruto Uzumaki."
While Naruto and Sasuke shared their plan, the wolf at my side began to fade along with my stamina. With the little stamina that I had, I couldn't keep a jutsu activated for very long.
"Listen! This battle was over the moment I got caught!" Kakashi-sensei yelled. "Our mission isn't to prove your bravery or your strength! It's to protect the bridge builder! Now take off!"
I couldn't help it. "Kakashi-sensei… you said once that the ninja who abandon their friends are worse than scum… and you're our friend, aren't you?" I asked lowly, biting my lip. "When you first taught us about teamwork, you told us that we would be putting our lives at risk, and that we'd have to make a choice. My choice is to fight, and to save my friends!"
=Uchiha Sasuke=
She had made a good, strong point. He smirked, and nodded in agreement. She was right. Even the old man looked thoughtful.
He declared, "Well, since this is my fault… forget about my life, and fight to save your sensei." Sasuke's smirk grew wider.
Looking over to Kayuki, he noticed that she was making discreet hand signs. It wasn't for a jutsu that he recognized. His ears barely heard her order, "Serpent King Jutsu."
He wasn't looking when Zabuza knocked him back, but he felt the pain when he slammed his elbow into his gut. Sasuke winced in pain, spitting out blood. Naruto's shadow clones appeared, and Zabuza removed his foot from Sasuke's chest. A snake appeared from the ground, wrapping around both of Zabuza's legs. The dozens of Naruto pulled out their kunai and piled onto Zabuza while Sasuke watched.
All of the Naruto's were thrown off, and he tossed something to Sasuke, which the other boy recognized as the Demon Wind Shuriken. Nice job Naruto, this was a good plan. With great strength, Sasuke threw the oversized shuriken.
But he wasn't aiming for the clone Zabuza, but the real body. Even so, the shuriken was caught with one hand. Sasuke smirked; he wasn't done. His Shadow Shuriken Jutsu was perfect. Until Zabuza jumped right over it. As it passed over the lake, the weapon disappeared in a poof of smoke.
"Eat this!"
A kunai from Naruto flew right at Zabuza.
Unable to dodge otherwise, Zabuza pulled his hand from the water prison, and his jutsu was rendered ineffective. As Zabuza's attention turned towards Naruto, Kakashi stood from the water, a heated glare fixed on the assassin.
=Akane Kayuki=
I watched, smiling, as Kakashi-sensei took on the dangerous shinobi, and knew that this time, he wouldn't be caught by any of Zabuza's tricks. He didn't just copy Zabuza's jutsus, but he mirrored each and every hand seal that Zabuza made, and reflected it back at him, creating the same jutsu at the same time.
They seemed equal in strength and in speed, but Kakashi-sensei had the advantage of being able to mirror the moves of Zabuza at the exact same time. He, quite literally, washed away any chance that Zabuza had of winning, and defeated him with his own move.
But just as Kakashi-sensei was about to finish Zabuza, someone else got there first, hitting him with two needle-like weapons. "You were right. It was his last battle," the masked figure said. Kakashi-sensei silently leapt down, and felt for a pulse.
Nothing. "No vital signs," Kakashi-sensei sighed.
The masked figure bowed to the silver-haired Jounin. "Thank you. I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for the chance to finally defeat him," he thanked gratefully.
Kakashi-sensei studied the new arrival. "Judging by the mask, you're a tracker ninja, from Kiri." Also known as Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist.
Despite that, I was a little suspicious; he looked to be perhaps a little bit older than us Genin, but apparently, he was an elite tracker ninja. I just found it hard to believe that someone so young could be such a great, talented ninja already. Well, there were those who were prodigies, but those would most likely become ANBU, not an elite tracker ninja.
But I knew that there were children, younger than I was, that were already killing machines. With that, the young figure flickered away with the body. I kept looking down, wondering if I would ever be strong enough to kill someone like that boy was able to kill Zabuza.
"Well, let's get a move on," Kakashi-sensei ordered.
As soon as he stepped forward, he collapsed, face first, onto the ground.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried.
Boom. One long, shitty chapter.
Oh? Hello there! Someone's reading this? Oh my goodness! Congratulations for discovering this! My penname's Akira, if you didn't already know that. I go by Aki, if you want to ever talk to me. This here's my newest story, one that's been floating around in my skull for around five years. Kayuki is one of the first ever protagonists I created. Sure, she's tweaked in terms of personality, Mary-Sue-ness, and strength, but she's relatively the same.
I won't drone on and on like a lot of people do, or like I usually do. I just wanted to say hi, how's it going, please review, take my poll, check out my profile, read my other fanfics, all that fun stuff.
Have a great time guys! ^_^