Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other characters related. I hate spicy sausages too. Just so you know.
Then Haku disappeared.
'Fast!' though Sakura, but it was not too fast. She turned left, blocking the senbon with her kunai. Her hand was shaking from her effort, but surprisingly, she was not giving in much to Haku. Now, she knew she was a little weaker then him. She would have to use her speed. She disengaged and started her own attack. As soon as her weapon met her adversary's, she changed angle and launch another one. Trust, stab, down swipe and uprising move succeeded at a very fast pace. Now it was Haku on the defense.
"Are you attacking me with such ferocity because you realized you can't win?" he asked from behind his mask.
Sakura absently heard the words. Her first reaction was to smile.
"Your taunt are nothing compared to Sasuke's," she mocked.
Haku slammed his senbon toward her head. Hard. She barely blocked and had to use both her hand to push back.
"Now that your hands are full, it's over."
He began to made one-handed seals. The boys from team Seven looked at that, jaw-slacked.
"Hell no you won't!"
Sakura forced chakra in her leg and pushed upward, deflecting the enemy weapon to the side. She used her momentum to head-butt him, sending him stumbling backward. She didn't lose a moment and hit him square in the chest with her fist, followed by an Academy winner kick to the head. He went rolling on the ground. Naruto was cheering loudly while Sasuke was just smiling.
Haku woke up, his mask crumbling. You could already see a bleeding lip. He used both hands for a complicated series of seal. Sakura ran up to him, hoping to interrupt again, but it was too late.
"Demonic Ice Mirror."
From the air came a chill and all around her materialized just that, ice mirrors. Haku jumped back and fused into one of them. His image appeared on each of the nine mirrors circling her.
"It's over," stated Zabuza from his pillar. "Nobody can escape this technique. That's his bloodline. I trained him personally. You should give up while she's alive."
"Did you hear that, Sakura?" shouted Naruto. "Zabuza-chan said you should give up and let the big boys take care of this. What do you say? Wanna spend your days chasing Tora?"
Sakura was shaking from the cold, the fear and something else she had trouble recognizing. The little jab from Naruto made her fear evaporate. If he cared to joke around, he knew she could do it. Her fear gone, she manage to identify the remaining feeling that made her shake. A mix of anticipation and… excitement!
"The hell with that flee-furred ball! This is so much more fun!" she yelled.
Sasuke let out a low laugh.
"So… She awakened," he whispered.
"She sure did," agreed Naruto.
"Who awakened?" asked Kakashi, now lost.
"Her inner-self," began Naruto.
"Her violent-self," kept on Sasuke.
"Her ninja side."
"Her combative spirit."
"Her second personality."
"That just fused with the original one."
"We worked hard to make it come out."
"And we saw the premise of it in the Hokage office."
"A bloodline of Ice Mirror? Pff-heh."
"Let them taste the awakening of a spirit of wild fire!"
Kakashi was turning his head from one to another as they were speaking in turns. Seeing them finish and complete each other ideas was an amazing and quite disturbing sight.
Back to Sakura, she began molding chakra in herself. Simple raw energy to add to the next technique she would have to use. Sasuke come up with that in a situation where you have to wait for an attack. Unfortunately, she wasn't prepared for that kind of speed. Haku attacked twice, as the two senbons embedded in her left arm and leg proved. She moved to take them off but had a better idea. Still, she had begun the movement. She touched one and winced, one eye closed, as if the pain was too much. As if the pain of her constant bruises from her taijutsu training session with Lee were any less painful… right! She had to provoke him more than that. That could prove dangerous, unless…
She made handseals and put her hand to her mouth.
"Katon: Grand Fireball!"
The ball of fire, perfectly executed, hit a mirror head-on. She kept it on for a while, and then stopped, looking exhausted. Half of the mirror remained. She took a step forward but the mirror regenerated itself. A new blur of attacks mauled Sakura's body. She raised her arms across her face just in time but she was still covered with more senbons after the attack. When it ceased, she looked at the dozen of needles puncturing her. A dozen and not even one near a vital spot. He was good, as expected. She smiled behind her arms. She had him. That would be tricky, and painful, but it could work.
"Ha! That's all you can do, frosty? I'm sure I saw you slow down on that last one! I may look like a pincushion…"
Absentmindedly, she realized it must have been Naruto who did that one with the hedgehog and the pincushion…focus!
"…but I bet you can't do it again!" she finished confidently.
"Really? What do you bet on that?" asked the boy's reflection from nine mirrors.
"Victory," she whispered.
"I'm in," he immediately said.
What they saw from the outside would forever be carved in Kakashi's memory. They felt the beginning of Haku's attack. They heard the ear-splitting scream of Sakura. Then they saw Haku thrown back under one of his mirror, skidding and rolling, pierced by a good number of senbons. The mirrors cracked and fell, giving a good view of Sakura. She had her head still thrown toward the sky in a scream, her breathing hard, her fist balled at the end of her extended arms. It was as if her shout pushed Haku away.
Naruto whistled.
"Nice. A massive chakra outburst on each of the senbons piercing her. Haku must have been close and received them as they were forced out of Sakura's body, like a hedgehog."
"Like a hedgehog?" asked Sasuke, raising an eyebrow.
"Oops. You think she figured it out it was me?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Do I even want to know?" sweat-dropped Kakashi.
Naruto looked at him, arms crossed.
"Never mind. Look like we won! Haku won't get back up. Not with Sakura punching his light out through his mask. Sakura! It's okay! I think he's unconscious now. Let him go Sakura! Let him… yes…that's it…good girl. Now breathe. That's it. Watch him but don't kill him just yet."
Zabuza was fuming. How could Haku lose to some Leaf's damn Genin! He wasn't having any of this.
"So, Zabuza-kun. Now you…" began Kakashi, looking at the remaining enemy.
But the masked swordsman cut him off with a fury of seals.
"Suiton: Grand Waterfall!"
A deluge of unstopping water flew from his impossible wide mouth. They could not avoid it. Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto glued their feet to the ground with chakra, withstanding the water assault. Haku, unconscious, and Sakura, exhausted, were swept from the bridge.
Sakura groaned as reality dawned on her. She was feeling cold and numb and wet and painful and… wasn't she fighting just moments ago? She opened her eyes to see a wet boy at her side getting up painfully. She forced her limb to move and got back up, a kunai ready.
"HuuUuunn," groaned the boy.
"Yeah, me too," agreed Sakura, smiling.
It was fun to see an ice user freeze. Seemed he haven't seen her yet. He slowly got a senbon from behind his back and put it in front of him. He peeled off the rest of his useless mask.
'Wow. He's cute,' she could not stop to think. This would not stop her to stab his heart if the need be.
"Zabuza… the bridge…" mumbled Haku.
He turned his head carefully, looking up at the bridge where faint battle noises could be heard. He broke in a run, climbing the steep sand hill that leaded from the beach to the mainland. Sakura followed, running behind him to cut any escape route. She didn't have to bother though as the unmasked nin was going straight for the bridge. Sakura, even with her newly developed speed and stamina, could not compete with the fear that gripped Haku's mind.
He ran on the bridge, not caring of the villagers that sent him dark look, unable to stop him. He absently noticed the lack of corrosive fog, probably dissipated by the water attack, but he stopped dead in his track at the next sight. The ones called Naruto and Sasuke were grabbing Zabuza's arms on each side, keeping him from struggling, while the one called Kakashi had his arm through his chest.
"No. Nooooo. NOOOOO! Zabuza-samaahaaaa…"
At the shout, the three murderer ninja let the body fall to the floor. Haku was spread on his chest the next moment.
"No! Nonononoooo. Zabuza-sama… Please…"
The demon of the mist opened unblinking eyes toward the child he raised and cared for the last nine years or so.
"Useless…tool…"
Then he was gone. Haku was in shock. He absently took a kunai that lay there and directed a stab right at his throat. His death wish was not to be granted that day. A hand caught the sharp blade, at the risk of losing a few finger. It pulled the weapon roughly out of his hand. Naruto wiped his own blood off the knife and hanged it with the others at his belt.
"You are not to die, Haku-san. You do not have the right at the moment."
"WHY?" plead the boy from the ground.
"Because Zabuza-san left you with a burden, a debt to be repaid. Him being dead just added to it. You'll have to make it up for him. For that, you'll have to live unless you want Zabuza's honor and soul to be left dirtied and soiled in a way that even hell cannot punish."
"What debt?" said Haku, in a soft, creaking voice. He just wanted to join his master.
"His bet. He gave his word that he and you would retreat if you lost your fight. You were bound by his oath. He broke it when seeing your uncontested loss when he tried to harm the incoming civilians. We are ninja, even if we become mercenary or murderers. We stay true to our village or to our belief. We always stay ninja and our word is absolute. Zabuza went over it. You need to pay his debt or this bad karma will follow you and him into the next world, into your next life. So, from now on, you will follow me. You will obey my command as I take responsibility of you in the eye of my village. My first order is to live. My second is to follow me. Now."
Naruto turned his back on him and started walking. Kakashi frowned heavily. He didn't like it at all. He would have a word with his student about taking too much initiative.
The villagers, seeing them victorious, cheered loudly. Some were curious as to why an enemy was still alive, but since he was now following the blond ninja two step behind him, head lowered, they didn't ask about it. Haku didn't even question why he was following that boy either. He was used to follow orders after all. Tazuna came as Kakashi prepared seals for a wind jutsu that would dissipate the remaining fog.
"That's fantastic! Now we have nothing else to fear from…"
The wind cleared the bridge and showed the mass of man now blocking the end.
"...Gato."
"Yes! It is me! I hoped that this useless tool would die," gloated the small pig of a man, in front of a crowd of hired thugs.
Haku's hand twitched.
"But why is the other still alive, standing, and doing nothing? Traitor!" Gato yelled.
The fatty man walked with his cane, hitting the ground soundly.
"At least I won't have to pay his ridiculously high fee. That was the plan all along! I hope he managed to tire you enough. By your looks, you can all barely stand. Thank you, Tazuna, for this bridge! I will install pay tolls on each end for anyone who want to cross it! There will be taxes on goods to pay! And income taxes for the villagers too, for the building costs, of courses."
"You haven't lay a dime for…" began Tazuma.
"Silence! You will do as I say or my hundred men here will kill you with those pathetic tools!"
Haku twitched again.
"Haku?" said Naruto mildly.
"Yes, Naruto-sama?" Haku asked, his voice low and steady.
"Your next order is to kill that scumbag."
Haku raised his head, adorning a face that would have made Zabuza proud.
"With pleasure, Naruto-sama."
"Oh and Haku?"
"Yes?"
"Very painfully please."
Chakra swelled around Haku. He began to walk slowly toward Gato. The air got, for a second time that day, chilly in a way that did not comfort the fatty fat human-pig. He walked back inside the rank of his goon-for-hire, shaking.
"K-k-k-kill him!"
A wave of human blood lust started toward Haku. Five steps later, they were all stopped in their tracks. The insane amount of killing intent radiating from the young boy rooted them all in place.
"Tooooooolls…"
His face contorted around his every word.
"You are the tooooollzzz."
Ice began creeping up their feet, and rapidly reached their knees. A ninja would have simply forced chakra in their feet and jumped out of there. They, as many as they were, were trapped. Gato had ice up to his thigh. His teeth were clattering, menacing to shatter.
Haku walked right in the middle of the samurai wannabes and jumped lightly in the air… to land forcefully, chakra leaping from his feet. This caused an incredible amount of water to fly high in the air. Haku made hand seals and said in a cruel, almost evilly sweet voice:
"Secret skill: Flying water needles."
The next instant, a hundred men fell face first on the ground, a needle in the middle of the forehead. No more kid's game.
Haku walked to Gato and looked at his pants.
"You managed to melt some of the ice with that Pee Release Attack of yours. Impressive. I can't have you escaping like that. I'll have to rip off that weapon."
Naruto wasn't so sure anymore that it was a good idea to tell him that last order. He did his best to cover Inari's eyes and ears with his hands.
"We'll never thank you enough."
Tazuna was shaking hand with each member of Team Seven, taking great care to avoid looking at Haku, a few feet behind.
"Of course, your Hokage will receive payment for the correct ranking of this mission, but I can't settle for only that. We are torn between the name The Great Team Seven Bridge or The Great Sakura Bridge in the honor of that decisive battle."
Naruto looked at a blushing kunoichi. He apologized silently. He could not let this opportunity pass.
"Tazuna-san, this bridge will outlive you or me. Why not give it a name to fit this place. There is fog so often here… Why not call it The Bridge of The Fallen Mist?"
At that, Haku snapped his head up. Tears swelled in his eyes. This startled and surprised Tazuna a little. He just couldn't understand.
"Well… It does sound really good. I never knew you ninja had so much poetry in you!"
"We are good with words and hiding things in them. Often, the true sense is lost to the common man."
"Yes, yes... Well, the Bridge of the Fallen Mist it is!"
At this, they turned around and waved goodbye to the villagers. A dumbstruck Haku followed Naruto blindly, not caring if he was heading in a raging volcano.
"Naruto…What is all this about?" asked the Jonin instructor, more curious than upset.
"Kakashi-sensei... Haku is a fine guy. I can feel it. He fit a load more the Leaf standard than the Mist one. I had his obedience. I, on top of honoring the memory of a worthy adversary, just got his gratefulness."
"I see. But what do you intend to get out of all this?"
"For the village? A worthy ninja and one less kill. Personally? The secret to one-handed seals and Ice Jutsus. We, at the fire country, are very poor in that."
"Was that all planned too?"
"More like improvised when I saw him trying to commit suicide."
"Ha."
Haku suddenly stopped. They were near the first encounter spot with Zabuza, just passed the lake. He looked left, then right, put his finger in his mouth and whistled. Kakashi frowned. Naruto just crossed his arms. It went on for about five minutes. Then, the bushes rustled and a snowy rabbit jumped out of it. Haku took it in his arms protectively, and turned toward them, his face buried in the white, furry ball. Sasuke let out a "humpf", Naruto raised his shoulder once, Kakashi sweat dropped and Sakura clamped her hands together, stars in her eyes at the sigh of the fluffy bunny.
"I hope this won't bury Inner Sakura" mumbled Sasuke.
Getting back on the road, Naruto resume his discussion with Kakashi.
"The funny thing is… before he went to try to end his life, I was ready to kill him myself as an enemy ninja. It's only when he went to do it himself that I intervene."
"You'll have to explain that to the Hokage."
"Right! Who do you think I got my merciful side from?"
Yeah... so... Haku. I could not kill him. It was so great and so sad in the series I could not attempt to do the same or better. So I did my best on an alternative with him alive that would be as dramatic. You know the drill.
