Sakura: SHANARO! STILL EXCITING!

Ammy: *mumbles* to bad you don't do anything...failure...sasutard...

Sakura: WHAT. DID. YOU. SAY? And being a sasutard is awesome! 3

Ammy: *Sweat drops* Ahahahahaha... well readers, The author here dosen't own Naruto. Kishimoto-senpai does. Enjoy!

Naruto: And Reveiw!

okamiAmatarasu2012: HEY DON'T DO THE INTRO WITHOU-mrmph- T.T

Naruto: hahaha... Moving on.

Chapter 7: Demon of Mist, Zabuza

The man standing on the sword had short hair and bandages wrapped around the lower part of his face. He wore pants, no shirt and arm warmers. He glared down at the Konoha ninja and his target. "You are Sharingan Kakashi," Zabuza said, "sorry, but the old man is mine."

"Surround Tazuna and protect him," Kakashi ordered, "don't attempt to enter the fight. That is your mission." He then pulled up the forehead protector up, "Zabuza..fight me," he stated like a command. His left eye was revealed, being red with what appeared to be a ring of hardened color with three tomoe on it. A scar went up under his forehead protector and down under his mask.

"I already get to see the infamous Sharingan," Zabuza said, "I'm honored."

"What is a Sharingan?" Naruto asked.

"It's a dōjutsu, an ability present in one's eyes. It allows you to read and defeat any taijutsu or genjutsu. That isn't the only power it has though..." Sasuke explained. Ammy tensed.

"That's right," Zabuza said, "the scariest thing is that it lets you steal your opponent's jutsu once you've seen them." He then looked up briefly, "when I was still a part of Kiri's ANBU, My bingo book held information on various famous ninja around the world, you included," he said as he looked at Ammy, then then turned his gaze to Kakashi, "the man who had copied a thousand jutsu, Copy Ninja Kakashi."

Sakura was thinking of how so many great people had been springing up in front of her lately. Naruto was more vocal with his thoughts. 'What's going on?' Sasuke thought, 'only a few members of the Uchiha clan have the Sharingan...could he be one too? Aren't me and my brother the last of them though?' And Ammy pulled out spools of ninja wire discreetly, barely moving and set a small wire trap.

"Enough talk. I have to kill that old man," Zabuza said as he and the large sword vanished. He reappeared on the water, standing on it. "It seems I have to kill you first though, Kakashi," he said. He held one hand up and one before his face, both held in a half ram seal.

'He is using a high level jutsu,' Kakashi thought. Three of his students were marveling at how the swordsman stood on the water. "Kirigakure no Jutsu," Zabuza said as a thick mist enveloped the area.

"He'll come after me first. He is an expert on silent killing. You won't notice till you're already dead... I can't use the Sharingan perfectly so be on guard," Kakashi warned.

The mist thickened and Zabuza's voice seemed to come from everywhere. "Eight targets...liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, jugular, brain, kidneys, and heart...Which one should I go after?'

Nothing seemed to happen. Kakashi suddenly held up a hand in half ram, briefly startling the others. Sasuke started panicking. 'It feels like I'll be killed if I move! This would drive anyone insane. Jōnin fighting jōnin...it feels like my heart is being crushed. I'd rather die than have to feel this,' he thought as he shook with fear. He started turning his kunai onto himself.

"Sasuke...Don't worry," Kakashi said, "I will protect you guys even if it kills me. I won't let my comrades die again." He turned around for the last part and everyone swore that he was smiling happily.

"We'll see about that!" Zabuza said as he appeared behind the genin. He swung his sword while Kakashi flew forward and knocked his team away with light strikes. He also delivered a blow to Zabuza, a stab to the stomach. Zabuza stood impaled on Kakashi's kunai, bleeding water, as another appeared behind Kakashi, ready to strike.

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto yelled as he pointed at the ambush.

Kakashi noticed a moment after the clone he had stabbed broke into water. The blade cut him in two, but he too broke into water. 'He copied my mizu bunshin in the mist?' Zabuza thought. Before he could react, a kunai was placed at his throat and Kakashi said, "don't move! It's over!"

Zabuza laughed. "It's over? You don't get it. Your monkey level imitations could never defeat me. You made your clone say that line to attract my attenti-. That was when Ammy appeared in front of Zabuza, katana giving of white flames. She swung and barely missed his face ,but close enough that she burned some of his bandages away. 'She's fast!' he thought. She then retreated to the mist and waited for the right opportunity to attack, concealing her chakra and soundlessly sheathing her katana. Zabuza warily turned his attention back to Kakashi paying even closer attention to his surroundings. Zabuza laughed. "It's over? You don't get it. Your monkey level imitations could never defeat me. You made your clone say that line to attract my attention. You then stayed in the mist and waited for the right opportunity to attack. Nice plan, but..." Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, "I'm not that easy," he said as the clone Kakashi had caught broke apart. Zabuza swung his sword and missed Kakashi when he ducked. Zabuza used his sword's weight and slammed it into the ground, delivering a fast kick with the momentum, sending Kakashi flying away. He went to pursue his enemy, but stopped because Ammy flung her kuni at his face, which Zabuza easily caught and threw away figuring out her location, as Kakashi sailed into the water. "Useless," Zabuza spat as Kakashi fell into the water.

Kakashi pulled himself up and noticed that the water was incredibly heavy. He realized a moment too late that Zabuza appeared behind him and performed some seals. "Suirō no Jutsu," Zabuza said as the water rose up and formed an orb around Kakashi. Zabuza put one hand into the orb. "You tried to escape into the water, big mistake. Now you are trapped in my inescapable prison."

Zabuza then made a simple hand seal, "now we can finish things later, Kakashi. First, the brats...Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu." A Zabuza was formed from the water in front of him and it walked onto the land. "You think that wearing those forehead protectors make you a ninja? A real ninja is someone who has survived many glimpses of death's doors. When you're good enough to be listed in my book, only then can call yourself a true ninja. You are just playing ninja," he said as he vanished. Naruto was shocked at the sudden disappearance, but nearly got kicked back a moment later, his headband loosening from the impact of a rough shove. He looked up to see a blue shirt and realized that Ammy had blocked the attack.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as Naruto rolled up to them and bunshin Zabuza stomped on the fallen headband. Ammy's face was twisted into a grimace as she was thrown back.

"Just brats," the real Zabuza mumbled.

"Take Tazuna and run! You can't beat him as long as I am in this prison!" Kakashi yelled, "water clones can't travel too far from the real body! Just run away!"

Naruto started to panic as Sasuke had earlier, but getting up to run caused pain to shoot through his still injured hand. It reminded him of everything, his vow, Iruka, everything that had led up to this. Naruto rushed the Zabuza clone. Ammy struggled to get up and try to drag him back.

"DON'T!" Kakashi yelled.

"Naruto! What are you thinking?" Sakura yelled.

Naruto was knocked back again, this time skidding almost all the way back to his teammates, his loosened headband falling off. "What were you hoping to do by attack him alone!" Sakura yelled, "We are genin, we don't stand a chance against him!"

Naruto started to get up and they noticed the headband in his hand. He stood up. "Hey you eye brow less freak...Put this in your handbook; the man who will become Hokage, Leaf ninja Uzumaki Naruto!" he announced as he tied his headband back on. "Hey Sasuke!"

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"I've got a plan," Naruto said.

'A plan from you?' Sasuke thought, then said, "you and teamwork?'

'Why is Naruto so cool all of a sudden?' Sakura thought with a slight blush, 'though he still isn't as cool as Sasuke-kun.'

"Let's do this!" Naruto said, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"Nothing but arrogance," bunshin Zabuza said, "do you think you stand a chance?"

"Why aren't you running away?" Kakashi yelled, "our duty is to protect Tazuna! This fight was lost when I was captured! Now run away!"

Naruto and the others looked back at the old man. "Well...I am responsible for all this and I don't think I have the right to tell you to stop to keep me alive," the old man smiled, "fight to your heart's content."

"I'll protect Tazuna," Ammy said as she got up and stepped before the older man and drew three kunai for each hand.

"But you fighting alone is-" Sakura started.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Ammy growled as she produced five clones, all armed the same way as her. "Who said I was alone?" they asked as one.

"Guess we don't have to worry about our client," Sasuke said.

"You ready?" Naruto challenged.

Bunshin Zabuza started laughing. "You idiots are never going to grow up and stop playing ninja, are you?"

"What?" Naruto yelled.

"When I was your age I had already had soooo much blood on my hands," bushin Zabuza said. This startled the genin and their client.

"Zabuza, the devil of the Mist," Kakashi said. Both Zabuza smiled knowingly, "you know of the old 'graduation exam' for the Hidden Mist Village?"

Ammy crinkled her nose.

"What exam?" Naruto asked.

"A fight to the death between students," bunshin Zabuza said, "friends, siblings and allies are sent into an arena are made to fight till one loses their life."

"Disgusting," Sakura whispered.

"I heard the exam had to change ten years ago...Why was that?" Ammy asked.

"Change? What happened ten years ago?" Sakura asked.

"A devil appeared and..." Kakashi stopped.

"What did the 'devil' do?" Sakura asked again, disgusted by the ritual.

"Without the slightest shred of humanity, a boy yet to enter the academy killed over a hundred trained students on his own," Kakashi said grimly.

"That was the most fun I ever had," Zabuza said with a strange smile on his face and a demented look in his eyes. Naruto and Sasuke flinched from the look. Sasuke realized a moment too late that bunshin Zabuza was in front of him. He was knocked back with an elbow blow, then he was slammed into the ground by the bunshin's fist. Sasuke instantly spat up blood from the harsh blow. Ammy winced.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled.

"Die," the bunshin commanded as it placed a foot on Sasuke's chest, intent on crushing his heart.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto yelled as he produced at least twenty clones and each drew a kunai. "Shadow clones...and lots of them," bunshin Zabuza mused.

"Here we come!" Naruto announced as all the bunshin jumped at bunshin Zabuza and forced him away from Sasuke, then piled on top of him, kunai pointed towards the water clone. Bunshin Zabuza had grabbed his sword, then he swung his blade around, cutting the clones down and knocking the real Naruto away.

'Useless,' Tazuna thought, 'you kids can't beat him.'

Naruto dug into his bag and pulled out a large weapon, a shuriken. "Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he tossed the weapon when he slid by Sasuke.

Sasuke caught the shuriken and his eyes widened in realization. 'That's your plan! You never told me dobe...good plan though.' Sasuke rolled away to gain some distance from bunshin Zabuza. He stood up and opened the massive shuriken. "Fūma shuriken," Sasuke said, then he jumped up.

"Even a giant shuriken won't work on me," bunshin Zabuza said as he got ready to deflect the shuriken with his sword. Sasuke threw the shuriken. Bunshin Zabuza was surprised when the shuriken flew by him harmlessly. 'Did fear mind take his mind?' he thought, then realized the boy's aim. "So you are aiming for the real me..." the real Zabuza said, "too bad it isn't enough!" He caught the shuriken. He noticed moment later that another was there in the 'shadow' of the first one, aiming for his legs. "A second shuriken!"

'That is Kage Shuriken no Jutsu...' Kakashi thought, stunned at the plan Naruto had come up with.

"Still not enough," Zabuza said as he jumped over the second one. Sasuke smirked.

The shuriken burst into smoke and revealed Naruto, kunai in hand. Everyone, except Sasuke, expressed different levels of shock.

Naruto threw his kunai at Zabuza's head. It drew closer and closer. At the last second, Zabuza pulled his arm free of the water prison and moved away to avoid the flying blade. He glared at Naruto, a small cut under his eye. Everyone realized what was about to happen as Zabuza spun the Fūma Shuriken. 'Damn brat!' Zabuza mentally roared. Before he could throw the weapon, it was halted by the metal plate on the back of Kakashi's glove.

"Great plan Naruto," Kakashi said, "you guys have grown..."

"My shadow clones weren't meant to defeat Zabuza, just to hide that I had transformed into the shuriken," Naruto explained, "I figured I could break the prison."

"I got distracted and released the water prison," Zabuza said.

"You didn't release it because of distraction," Kakashi corrected, "you were forced to release it because you were in danger." Zabuza's anger flared up. "I don't fall to the same jutsu twice," Kakashi warned.

Both jōnin jumped away from each other. When they landed, each started performing seals at an astonishing speed, both finishing at the same moment. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu," both said as dragons made of water formed and clashed with each other.

'That many seals in seconds...and he copied it perfectly!' Sasuke thought in awe.

In the middle of the water war, the two jōnin were weapon locked. Zabuza was finding it strange. He shoved his opponent back and ran to circle him. Upon stopping and preparing to perform another jutsu, he found Kakashi had as well, both in the same pose.

Zabuza started nervously thinking, 'my movements...he's-'

"-Copying them perfectly," Kakashi finished as he mirrored Zabuza's movements.

'He read my mind?' Zabuza thought in shock, then got angry at Kakashi's sharingan and started flashing through seals, 'That-'

"-Fucking eye is pissing me off," Kakashi finished as he mirrored Zabuza movements down to his expression.

"All you're doing is copying me-" Zabuza snapped.

"You can't beat me, you albino monkey!" both shouted. Ammy suppressed a fit of giggles.

Thrown further into shock and anger, now becoming slightly paranoid, Zabuza performed new seals, intending to use a different jutsu. "I'll make it so that mouth never opens again!" he declared. He then noticed something. 'Is that me?' he thought as he saw what appeared to be an image of himself behind Kakashi, 'this has to be genjutsu!' He made the mistake of letting the shock stop his hands.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu," Kakashi stated as he finished the seals and his sharingan spun.

"Impossible!" Zabuza yelled as a veritable maelstrom slammed into him and threw him onto the land. 'It was my jutsu, yet he finished first!' Zabuza thought as he was washed away. He slammed into a tree and was pinned to the tree by kunai and, stopping him from moving.

"It's over," Kakashi said as he prepared another kunai.

"Can you see the future now?" Zabuza asked.

"Yeah," Kakashi said as he got ready to throw his weapon, "you're about to die." Ammy appeared nearby with her flaming sword, intent on using it to finish Zabuza off in case Kakashi failed. Her clones had stayed with Tazuna.

Before any could react, a pair of senbon lanced into Zabuza's neck, killing him.

A masked ninja chuckled from the trees, "you're right, he died."

Naruto pulled himself out of the lake, angry at seeing Zabuza's corpse and the boy who had killed him with such ease. Kakashi moved to the corpse and checked for a pulse, not finding one.

"Thank you ever so much," the boy said as he bowed respectfully, "I have been waiting for the perfect moment to kill Momochi Zabuza for a while now."

"That mask, you're a hunter-nin from the Hidden Mist," Kakashi said.

"You are correct," the hunter-nin said.

"Hunter-nin?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. It is our duty to hunt missing-nin and kill them," the hunter-nin said.

Naruto was getting angrier and angrier about the whole situation. "Who the hell are you?" he suddenly yelled.

"He isn't an enemy Naruto," Kakashi assured the hyperactive ninja.

"I ain't asking about that!" Naruto yelled, "He, a kid, killed Zabuza, that really strong guy, as if it was nothing! He isn't much different from us, but he makes us look stupid!"

"I know how you feel," Kakashi said as he ruffled Naruto's hair, "there are kids in this world who are stronger than me, but not much older than you." He briefly cast a look towards Ammy and her clones. "One is closer to you than you would think..." he muttered so quietly that nobody heard him.

The hunter-nin vanished in a swirl of leaves and appeared next to Zabuza. The boy took Zabuza's corpse on his shoulder and lifted it. "The battle is over and I must dispose of this body," the boy said, "farewell." With that last word, he and Zabuza's corpse vanished in a swirl of leaves.