The More Things Change

by

Justin Jossart

A/N: This fic has undergone some MASSIVE rewrites. Over the next couple of days, I'll be updating each chapter to better fit my new view of how the story should play out. I'm removing the unnecessary character bashing, fixing a lot of errors, and I'm fleshing out Naruto's relationships with his teammates, sensei, and the rest of the Konoha Eleven. I hope that this rewrite will the entire story a much better read.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter Seven

Sakura Haruno sat on the bridge, enthralled as she watched the builders work. She'd never seen anyone construct something so massive. It was really cool how they managed it all with no Jutsu. In her opinion, a team of shinobi could have gotten it all done quicker by combining Earth and Water Jutsu, but this was pretty neat, too. Kakashi-sensei was still recovering, but had finally woken up the previous evening. The Jonin had eaten like a wild animal and promptly fell back asleep, but at least it was progress. She'd been tempted to take the opportunity to finally see what he had hiding beneath his mask, but had ultimately decided against it. She wasn't sure how he'd react to such an invasion of his privacy, but it couldn't be good.

Naruto and Satsuki had used Kakashi's condition to sneak off and make out. A lot. Sakura had caught them in the kitchen of Tazuna's house one morning as she went down for breakfast. The blonde had Satsuki sitting on the counter with her legs wrapped around his waist and his tongue down her throat. They weren't doing anything too inappropriate, but how was a girl supposed to eat after such a display? Besides, they were on a mission. It was irresponsible and reckless to try to suck each other's faces off while on a mission. Never mind that she'd hope to be in that exact same position with Kiba when they got back to Konoha.

Honestly, Sakura hated Satsuki. Almost from the moment they had met, Sakura and the princess had never gotten along. Satsuki was, to be frank, a bitch. She automatically assumed that everyone was beneath her because she came from some dead clan. Big deal.

To make things worse, the ebony haired girl always beat Sakura at everything. All the boys wanted to be with her. She outperformed everyone at classwork, even though that was usually Sakura's area to shine. The rosette's memory and talent for soaking up knowledge had always been her best feature, apart from her long, cherry blossom hair. However, Satsuki had constantly received better marks on the written tests, blown her out of the water in Taijutsu spars, and mastered all of the Academy Jutsu long before Sakura did. She beat all the boys, too.

Her thoughts drifted to Kiba. The Inuzaka was a little rough around the edges, but he was cute and confident. He always showered her with affection, which made her feel pretty. Sure, he was kinda pushy to get her in the sack, but all boys were at his age. So Kiba was a bit of a dog. She could deal with that. Sakura giggled at her own joke. Speaking of giggling...

A few feet away her teammates broke out into laughter. Satsuki had Naruto's head in her lap while he told her some story about some stupid prank he'd pulled during his time in the Academy. Satsuki was listening to the blonde's story with a stupid smile on her face, laughing in all the appropriate places. Sighing, Sakura knew the relationship was destined to fail. She'd already told Satsuki, but apparently the raven haired Genin was adamant about breaking her friend's heart. It may not be tomorrow, or even a year from now, but she could already see where they were headed.

Recently, Sakura had taken a good, hard look at herself and decided she didn't like who she was becoming. She'd obsessed over her relationship with Kiba and stopped training. All of her free time was spent with the boy, and while she enjoyed her time with him, she couldn't help but notice how weak she was when compared to her teammates.

She had vowed to train harder, and she did. However, unlike her giggling teammates, she had friends and a family. She couldn't train every day until nightfall, she just wasn't built that way. She needed human interaction. That's why she hated this stupid team so much. Kakashi doted on his two prized students, but whenever Sakura tried to get extra training, he'd tell her there wasn't anything he could do until she improved her physical conditioning. He'd recommended running, push ups, and beating on the training posts. The Jonin had even set her up with another Jonin who specialized in Taijutsu and peak condition. Sakura wasn't making that mistake again. Might Guy was crazy, and his youthful student was even crazier. Rock Lee had spent the entire morning begging her for dates, ignoring her protests that she had a boyfriend.

Even worse, she felt even lonelier when the entire team was together. Kakashi was always doing his own thing, while Naruto and Satsuki would talk or spar, or (more recently) make out. She genuinely liked spending time with Naruto while Satsuki wasn't around, but lately the Uchiha heiress was all over him all the time. Why did Satsuki get the perfect sensei, a great boyfriend and the perfect ninja skills? Life wasn't fair.

Sakura sighed. Now they were here on this bridge for twelve hours each day guarding Tazuna. With Zabuza dead, the threat to Team Seven's mission had severely dropped. After all, it took time to find and hire missing ninja, and the bridge would be long built before this Gato person could find someone else of Zabuza's caliber. Odds were, the evil businessman would hire some petty thugs, and Naruto and Satsuki would take care of them. After all, Naruto could just create a hundred clones and be done with it. Or Satsuki could incinerate them with a Fire Jutsu. Fire-breathing bitch.

Naruto was busy telling Satsuki about the time he had completely fool Iruka-sensei into believing that he was the Hokage. He'd taken a leaf out of Ero-sennin's book, embellishing a bit just for laughs. Satsuki was just staring at him with those perfect, dark eyes and a big smile on her face. Slowly, a sinking feeling crept into the base of his gut. Something wasn't right. He stopped mid-sentence, untangling himself from Satsuki's lap and finding his feet. There was something definitely off. He'd had the same feeling the other day right before Zabuza attacked.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Both of his teammates were giving him questioning looks.

He shook his head. "Something's not right." He looked around trying to find the source, but a dense fog had started rolling in off the coast, obscuring his vision. "Satsuki, get the workers off the bridge. Sakura, you're with me." His commanding tone brooked no argument from either willful kunoichi, and Satsuki started herding the workers from the bridge. Sakura followed him, still looking confused, as he searched for the man in charge. "Tazuna! Where are you?" The fog was getting thicker. He could barely see a foot in front of his face. "Tazuna!"

"I'm right here, kid. What's the matter? Why'd we stop working?" Tazuna appeared to his right, looking slightly out of breath.

"Something's not right. We're getting off the bridge. Now." The bridge builder looked taken aback.

"Are you sure? I'd rather not lose a day of work over nothing."

"Would you rather be dead?" Naruto growled He saw a shape approaching them through the fog, making him tense even more, but it turned out to only be Satsuki.

"All the workers are off the bridge. It's just us."

"Good. We're leaving." The feeling in Naruto's gut was getting worse by the second. Something bad was about to happen, he was sure of it. They needed to leave, now!

A deep gravelly voice echoed behind him. "You're not going anywhere." The three Genin and Tazuna whirled to see Zabuza and the masked tracker ninja standing there, slightly hidden in the fog.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead? Kakashi-sensei checked the body!" Naruto was both scared and furious. He knew that he and Satsuki had less than zero chance at beating the Jonin, much less the hunter nin, too.

The bandaged ninja just laughed. "It didn't take. See, Haku here is deadly accurate with his senbon. He's so good that he can hit certain pressure points that makes a person appear dead, even when they're not. It's not the first time his talents have been useful, and it won't be the last. But I think someone is missing from this little reunion. Where's the Copy Cat?"

Naruto didn't know what to do. He knew that Satsuki was waiting for his signal, but he didn't know what the right call was. Should they split up and fight each of them one on one? Should they stick together and hope that teamwork saved them? The blonde decided to stall for time. "He's on his way, don't worry," he bluffed, sounding a lot more confident than he felt.

The swordsman regarded him for a moment, and Naruto strove to meet the older man's eyes, but the killing intent was rolling off of him in waves. "I don't think he is, boy. You know what I think? I think he's still laid up from our fight the other day. I can only imagine what his face will look like when he finds out that all of his students have been chopped up into tiny... little... pieces."

Damn. Well that didn't work. Naruto's mind was racing. He knew he'd eventually have to make a decision, and soon, but he didn't know the right one, if there even was a right decision. Kakashi hadn't bothered to drill them about facing one, maybe two, Jonin level ninja. He had, however, taught them about no-win situations. Sometimes there was no right call. Sometimes you and your team were just dead no matter what you did. Naruto had the sinking feeling he was in one of those situations now. It wasn't exactly a comforting thought, but it did ease his current dilemma.

"Satsuki, the hunter's yours. Sakura, stay with Tazuna. I'll hold off Zabuza."

Satsuki gaped at him. "Are you insane? I'm not letting you fight that monster alone! He'll kill you!" Her voice was somewhere between pleading and anger.

"Just do it! We don't have time to argue! Just finish your fight as quick as you can, then come back to help me! I can hold him off long enough if you're fast about it," Naruto ordered, trying to sound confident. He knew he was lying. The Jonin would probably kill him in about two seconds, Sakura two seconds after that, then Tazuna to complete the set. At least this way Satsuki might survive.

"Please. Don't do this." She sounded desperate. He could feel her dark orbs boring into the back of his head, but he didn't dare look away from his opponent.

"It's the only way," he said, forming the Tiger seal. Four Shadow Clones appeared around him, He hoped that Zabuza missed the fifth clone, separate from the rest, disappear into the fog and run as quickly and quietly as it could towards the village.

"Fine. But if you die, I'm gonna kill you, dobe." Satsuki charged Haku. The hunter ninja, who had yet to say a word, met Satsuki halfway and the pair exchanged a flurry of blows before being swallowed by the mist. Naruto could hear the sounds of their battle, but they were getting more distant by the second.

"Naruto, what should I do?" Sakura sounded terrified. Her kunai was trembling in her hand, and the blonde knew that he could expect no help from her.

"Stay with Tazuna. Don't try to interfere; you'll only get in the way."

Kakashi Hatake awoke the sounds of a struggle. Rubbing his head, the Jonin calmly walked down the stairs while pulling on his flak vest. Following the crashing sounds, he walked into the kitchen of the small home and saw to armed thugs attempting to kidnap a woman that Kakashi vaguely remembered was Tazuna's daughter.

"Hello." His voice was calm and even, though he was raging internally. He hated lowlifes that preyed on those weaker than themselves. He smiled at the two men, who were staring at him with wide eyes. "If you don't let her go, I'm going to have to kill you," he said brightly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You're... you're a ninja! That headband..." One of the two men was pointing at him, his hand shaking.

Kakashi nodded amicably. "That's right. I'm a ninja. Not to blow my own horn, but I'm actually kind of famous. Let me introduce myself. I'm Kakashi Hatake." The men were still staring at him, quaking in fear. "Never heard of me? Well, I guess you have to travel in certain circles." He let his killing intent fill the room as he glared at the two men. "Get lost, and don't come back. If I ever see you again, I'll rip your spines out through your throat and beat you with them." The Jonin idly wondered if he could, in fact, do as he threatened. The thugs seemed to believe he could, running out of the house as fast as their pathetic legs could carry them.

The Jonin turned towards Tazuna's daughter. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" The woman shook her head. "Do you have somewhere safe you can go?" She nodded. "You should go there." The woman thanked him and started gathering a few things, calling out for her son.

I wonder what my little Genin are doing today? Kakashi thought as he ambled out of the house and towards the massive, incomplete bridge. He'd barely walked ten steps before a blonde and blue blur tumbled from the trees, skidding to a stop at his feet. Naruto. The whiskered Genin was gasping for air.

"Hunter... fake... Zabuza... alive... bridge... I'm a clone." It's message delivered, the clone poofed from existence, but Kakashi was already gone. He may have still been recovering from chakra exhaustion, but the Jonin knew he had to get to the bridge now.

"You've got some stones, kid, that's for sure. Taking command when your sensei's hurt, facing me alone... You either have a giant set of brass balls or you're just really stupid."

"I'm probably just stupid. I was the dead last in my year at the Academy. I almost didn't graduate."

The bandaged Jonin laughed. "You're too much, brat." Naruto glared at him, filling the air with as much killing intent as he could muster. "Those eyes... You have the eyes of a killer," Zabuza mused. "You can always tell by the eyes. Your teammates don't have them, but you... Tell me boy, who'd you kill?" Naruto just glared defiantly in silence. "You can either tell me, or I can just kill you now."

Just as Naruto started to speak, he heard Satsuki cry out in pain. The sound was muffled by the pervasive fog, but he'd know her voice anywhere. He twitched in the direction her cry had come from, but Zabuza cut him off.

"Think about it, brat. You're the only thing between me and the bridge builder, not to mention Pinky over there. If you so much as move to go help your little girlfriend, I'll kill them both before you take two steps." Naruto growled, but held firm. "The life of a ninja isn't easy. It's full of hard choices." Zabuza's voice dripped with condescension. "Though you don't really have any choices left. No matter what, all of you are dead." The shinobi let his killing intent wash over Naruto, but the blonde was determined to hold his ground. He wouldn't give this asshole the satisfaction of seeing him afraid, instead returning the swordsman's glare. The Kiri ninja just laughed. "I like you, kid. I've decided to let you play ninja for a little while longer. I promise not to kill you until after Haku kills your girlfriend."

Suddenly, a flood of memories flowed through Naruto's mind. Kakashi was on his way. The blonde didn't know how he knew what his clone had seen, but now was not the time to experiment. Help was coming; he just had to keep Zabuza talking.

"Don't think Satsuki's going to go down easily. She's really fast."

The Kiri Jonin waved his hand dismissively. "No mere Genin is as fast as Haku. Now, come on and give me everything you've got. Die fighting, like a true shinobi." So much for keeping him talking, Naruto mused as he and his clones rushed forward.

"Fine, but if you die, I'll kill you dobe."

With that statement, Satsuki left Naruto's side and dashed towards the fake hunter ninja. The boy met her halfway, and they traded a flurry of punches and kicks. Neither shinobi were able to land a solid blow, but she was able to at least drive the boy away from Naruto and Zabuza. Or maybe he's leading me away from them, she thought. Satsuki didn't like this plan, but Naruto had been adamant. She hoped that he knew what he was doing.

Satsuki leaned back to let a roundhouse kick pass over her head, her pony tail brushing the ground. She continued the motion, placing her hands beneath her as she spun her legs into a retaliatory kick, which the boy Haku back stepped to dodge. Satsuki completed her backwards motion, allowing the momentum to flip her over into a handspring while drawing a kunai to deflect a pair of senbon arcing towards her face. The senbon were an odd choice of weaponry. One had to be perfectly accurate to use them effectively, and there were only a couple of tiny places where a blow from one could be fatal.

Haku charged again, and the Konoha kunoichi had trouble keeping up with her opponent's sheer speed. Satsuki had been the fastest of her graduating class, and had only gotten faster since, but this boy was certainly putting her through her paces. Naruto's counting on me to end this quickly. I've got to finish this. Satsuki took a page from Naruto's book and absorbed a kick to her gut in order to get a hold of her opponent. Holding Haku's left leg with both arms, Satsuki quickly slid her own leg behind the boy's right one and pushed. The hunter ninja lost his balance, falling heavily to the ground. He tried to regain his footing, but Satsuki still had his left leg secured. Her dark eyes flashing, the Uchiha scion twisted it, hoping to break it at the knee, but the boy twisted with her in an amazing show of skill. Satsuki was forced to relinquish her hold to deflect a fresh salvo of senbon. One of the large needles slipped past her guard and buried itself in her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain.

"You're good," Satsuki remarked, dashing towards the boy, then flipping over his head as she tossed a pair of quickly drawn shuriken. The throwing stars were deflected in mid-air by a pair of senbon, and the two shinobi clashed again. This time, Satsuki was on the offensive, peppering her opponent with lightning fast kunai strikes. Haku managed to stay one step ahead of the blade, but he was still being driven back by Satsuki's relentless assault. Satsuki feigned a thrust with her kunai, but instead ducked low and sunk her fist into the hunter nin's stomach, making the teen gasp for breath.

Pressing her advantage, the onyx eyed Uchiha spun full circle and landed a crushing kick to the side of the masked shinobi's head. The blow knocked Haku off his feet, and he skipped twice along the ground before tumbling to a stop. He was on his feet in a flash, catching Satsuki's thrown kunai by the handle. He spun quickly, throwing the kunai back at its owner. Satsuki sidestepped as the knife missed her by less than an inch.

A shout of pain filled the air, cutting through the mist. Naruto! The first cry was almost immediately followed by a second, louder scream. He's dying! Satsuki glanced in the direction it had come from, but the dense fog obscured her view of the blonde. Zabuza's killing him! I have to end this NOW!

Satsuki shivered as the air around her suddenly dropped to freezing temperatures. Turning back towards to her opponent, all thoughts of ending the fight quickly vanished from her mind as she watched Haku walk forward, his fingers twisted into an unfamiliar hand seal. The cold air was emanating from the shinobi in waves, and Satsuki watched in horror as great blocks of ice formed around her, floating in midair, creating a large dome.

"Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors." Haku calmly spoke the name of the mysterious Jutsu before literally stepping into one of the mirrors. In the space of a breath, the boy was reflected onto all of them. "You have been trapped by my ultimate Jutsu. There is no escape." Satsuki shivered in the cold, glancing from one mirror to the next. "Let us begin."

"Die fighting, like a true shinobi."

Naruto dashed towards the enemy shinobi, careful to keep at least one clone between him and Zabuza. The clones were expendable soldier and could easily be replaced. Naruto, on the other hand, was just flesh and blood. Who knew when the Kiri ninja would tire of this game and decide to kill them all? However, the blonde knew he had to keep Zabuza's interest peaked until Kakashi arrived. If he grew bored, the Jonin was likely to end the game. Naruto was walking a fine line between caution and recklessness.

His first clone reached the bandaged Jonin and leaped into the air, aiming a flying haymaker at Zabuza's face. The Kiri ninja backhanded the clone, dispelling it as two more came in from the sides with identical leaping kicks, but those were also easily blocked and dispelled. The real Naruto was already high in the air, courtesy of a boost from his fourth and final clone. The blonde formed the Tiger seal as he dove towards the Jonin, and thirty more clones appeared in the air around him, each drawing a kunai.

"Ninja Art: Human Pincushion!" Naruto named the technique on the fly and winced at how lame it sounded. He and his clones flew at Zabuza, who was reaching for his sword. Ten clones died in one swipe of the zanbato, eight more perished in the swordsman's reverse-grip back swing. Then the clones were on him, while Naruto landed a safe distance away. His blue eyes widened as the clones were all violently thrown back, skidding along the surface of the bridge. A few were even tossed over the railing.

"Human Pincushion? Really? That's the best name you could come up with?" Zabuza's gravelly voice was filled with a mixture of incredulity and humor. "How about Flying Dance of Death? Or Shadow Clone Evisceration Technique? Kami, Genin are lame." Zabuza started walking towards Naruto, sheathing his massive sword. "Even so, I can't argue with your results, kid. I didn't think you'd even be able to touch me." The Jonin pulled a silver kunai from his shoulder and twirled it in his fingers as he towered over the Konoha Genin.

"You're missing something, Zabuza." Naruto was smiling now, acting a lot more confident than he felt.

The Jonin threw his head back and laughed, long and hard. "What's that? No matter what you have up your sleeve, you can't hurt me."

Naruto smirked. "That's not a kunai." Zabuza's eyes widened as the silver kunai in his hand disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing another Shadow Clone. The clone immediately slapped something on Zabuza's bare chest.

"An explosive tag? But how?" Zabuza didn't have time to question further. The tag exploded, dispelling the clone and throwing Naruto back. He skipped along the bridge's surface. The blonde Genin struggled to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth onto the back of his arm warmer. He retrieved another kunai from is pouch and looked for Zabuza, as the bandaged Jonin was nowhere to be seen.

To be honest, Naruto was stunned that his ply had worked. He had used one of his Shadow Clones to transform into a kunai to be grabbed by another clone in midair. While he had been careful to keep the henge hidden behind a wall of screaming clones, he had been certain that Zabuza would see through the deception. Kakashi would have. Apparently the Jonin was still underestimating him.

"Naruto! Behind you!" Sakura's voice rang out across the bridge. His sapphire eyes widened as he turned to see Zabuza. Killing intent was rolling off of him in droves, and it was all Naruto could do to keep his feet beneath him. The Jonin's chest and neck were badly burned and bloody. He grabbed Naruto by the collar and lifted him off the ground, ignoring the blonde's desperate attempts to break himself free.

"You really are something else, brat. You might've even made a decent ninja someday." His voice was mocking, but the Jonin's dark eyes were flashing in anger as he wrenched the kunai from Naruto's grip.

I'm not going to be killed with my own kunai! "Hey! Give it back!" Now I do sound like a kid. The blonde made a couple of swipes for the kunai, but his hands grasped nothing but air. He didn't know why, but there was something inherently wrong with seeing Satsuki's gift in another's hands.

"You want it kid? You can have it!" Zabuza drove the kunai into Naruto's shoulder, causing the Genin to cry out in pain. "That's for stabbing me in the shoulder." Zabuza brutally twisted the silver knife, eliciting a second scream of agony louder than the first. "That's for the explosive tag." He dropped the Genin, but before the blonde could hit the bridge he was punted by a devastating kick. "And that's for being annoying." Naruto skipped and skidded along the bridge before slowing to a painful roll. Finally, he slid to a stop.

"NARUTO! NO!" Sakura screamed. Her voice was filled with panic. The boy lifted his head to see Zabuza standing over him, sword held high. Sakura was sprinting towards them, kunai in hand, her long pink hair flowing behind her. She wasn't going to get there in time. Tazuna stood behind her, his face stricken with grief.

"Playtime's over kid." The zanbato arced downwards as time slowed to a crawl. I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei. The boy closed his eyes, waiting for the blow that never came. Instead he heard the distinct sound of metal on metal. The Genin cautiously peeked one eye open to see Kakashi standing in front of him, calmly blocking the massive sword with a kunai of his own. His sensei had already lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan, but both of his eyes were filled with rage. Naruto scurried from beneath the feet of the two Jonin and carefully pulled the kunai from his shoulder, wincing in pain as the blade came free with a slight sucking sound.

"You've got one thing right, Zabuza. Playtime is over." The air around Kakashi positively crackled with energy. Naruto didn't think he'd ever seen him so angry. "Good work, Naruto. Now go help Satsuki. You've done enough here. This trash is mine."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. Staggering to his feet, the boy moved as quickly as he could towards where he'd last heard Satsuki and Haku's battle, shuddering in pain with every step.

"You have been trapped by my ultimate Jutsu. There is no escape." Satsuki shivered in the cold, looking from one mirror to the next. "Let us begin."

Almost immediately, senbon were flying towards Satsuki from every direction. The Uchiha scion exploded into motion, leaping rolling, flipping. She was barely managing to stay a half step ahead of the majority of the senbon, though quite a few had managed to graze her arms and cheek. Not stopping for a moment, Satsuki spun gracefully and arced an explosive tag laden kunai towards one of the mirrors. Her obsidian eyes widened as Haku emerged from the mirror, grabbing the kunai and throwing it back at the shocked Uchiha. The explosion was deafening, echoing off the ice mirrors. Satsuki barely had time to recover before she was back in motion, ignoring the senbon embedded in her left calf.

This is insane! How am I supposed to fight an opponent I can't even see? I have to get out of these mirrors! Dodging another salvo of senbon, Satsuki flashed through a set of hand seals. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" The ball of fire hit one of the mirrors squarely, even cracking it. However, the mirror started to repair itself and was in perfect condition in moments. The Uchiha heiress, flipping over yet another hail of senbon, tried to make a break for one of the gaps between the mirrors, but a solid kick to the chest had her gasping fro air and tumbling back into the middle of the dome. Satsuki was on her feet in a flash, ducking more senbon. The needles passed through her hair, slicing her hair tie and freeing her ebony locks from their pony tail. She was getting more than frustrated. Nothing seemed to be working, and she didn't have a chance to stop and think.

"Satsuki!" Naruto! He's alive! Did he win? The blonde was standing outside of the ice dome, his fists clenched in frustration. He was bleeding from multiple injuries, but the worst by far was a gaping hole in his shoulder. Blood poured from the wound, running down his arm and pooling on the bridge below. He looked like he could barely stand, but his face was filled with concern. He started towards a gap in the dome.

"NO! Don't come in here! You'll get trapped, too! See if you can do anything from out there!" The blonde nodded reluctantly and disappeared from view. Satsuki howled in pain as a pair of senbon embedded themselves in her thigh and driving her to her knees.

Haku halted his relentless assault. "If the boy is here, then my master is in trouble. I'm sorry, but I have to kill you now." Time seemed to slow for Satsuki as she watched the shinobi travel from mirror to mirror, flying through the air around her. The hunter ninja tossed senbon at her at the pinnacle of each mirror transfer.

Satsuki's dark eyes flashed red once, twice, then she could finally see her opponent, but it was much too late. She wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Her vision was suddenly obscured by bright yellow hair, and she felt strong arms envelope her. Naruto was holding her tightly to his chest, protecting her from the fatal blow. His entire body twitched as each senbon embedded itself in his back, neck, arms and legs, but not a single needle hit Satsuki.

"You stupid dobe! I told you not to come in here! Now we're both trapped!" Satsuki pushed the boy away from her, seething in anger. He never listened! Her obsidian eyes widened as the blonde fell to his knees, coughing up blood. "Naruto?" The boy started to fall face first into the ground, but Satsuki was there to catch him. "Naruto!" She repeated, refusing to believe what her eyes told her. Several dozen senbon protruded from his back, legs, and arms at odd angles. A single needle pierced his neck. Blood seeped from the wound. His eyes were wide with shock and pain, and he was trying to speak.

"NARUTO!" Tears streaked freely down Satsuki's cheeks. "You dobe! Why? Why did you save me?" her voice echoed off the mirrors, filled with anger and pain. She held his head in her lap in some horrible nightmare version of the usual intimacy.

The blonde tried to speak again but failed, a horrible gurgling sound emanating from his throat. He was obviously trying to speak, his mouth opened and closed, but he couldn't form the words. Satsuki was sobbing now, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Stop talking! Save your strength! You're going to be fine... it's all going to be okay! I promise! But you've tot to stay with me!" Her voice cracked in desperation. He was going to be fine. Naruto could do anything. The blonde's hand stroked her cheek as his cerulean eyes locked onto hers. He gave her a small smile as his eyes slid closed. "NO! Wake up, dobe! I know you can hear me!" She shook him roughly, and his hand found hers. He was still giving her that sad smile, but he managed to open his eyes again. She gently stroked his whiskered cheek. "Please don't leave me alone again," she begged softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her heart broke as she watched the last spark of light die in his eyes. Naruto Uzumaki was dead.

Satsuki heard footsteps and lifted her gaze to Haku, who had been standing in respectful silence. "I'm sorry for the loss of your precious person. If it is any consolation, you will be joining him shortly. Prepare yourself." The masked boy stepped into one of the mirrors, his reflection surrounding the still sobbing Uchiha.

Satsuki took a deep breath and silenced her tears. Crying would not avenge Naruto. She reverently closed his sightless eyes and placed a soft kiss upon his lips, ignoring the flecks of blood that stained them. An unbearable rage filled the Uchiha heiress as she laid Naruto on the ground, careful not to push any of the needles any further into his still form. It clawed its way through her chest, consuming her. She hadn't been strong enough to save Naruto, but she would be strong enough to avenge him. She stood silently, breathing deeply, reveling in the righteous anger that coursed through her body. When she opened her eyes again, her normally onyx orbs were a dark crimson, a single comma whirling around her pupil. She directed her hatred at the closest mirror, her Sharingan flashing.

"I can see you now, asshole. And I'm going to kill you."

Kakashi's second battle with Zabuza was nowhere near as destructive as the first. Both Jonin were still weak from their encounter a few days prior, and this second contest was mainly a battle of Taijutsu and weapon play. Neither shinobi had gained the upper hand, but both had landed several blows. It was only a matter of time before one of them made a fatal mistake.

The Konoha Jonin had a horrible feeling in his gut, causing him to spare a glance in the direction Naruto had gone. Something terrible was happening, and he knew that his students needed him. He would have to finish this fight quickly.

Satsuki stood in the middle of the ice dome, one of Naruto's silver kunai in hand. A pile of senbon had started to gather around her feet. The ice shinobi was slowing down, and Satsuki had no need to dodge the needles anymore, preferring to just deflect them with her teammate's kunai. Her Sharingan was focused on the masked shinobi's movements, waiting patiently for her moment to strike. She could tell that the boy was running out of chakra, his attacks had become far less accurate. Haku started a particularly slow mirror transfer, and Satsuki struck.

Her dark hair billowing behind her, Satsuki leaped into the air, perfectly timing a devastating kick that sent Haku careen down to the bridge's surface. The boy landed heavily, immediately rising and desperately stumbling towards the nearest mirror, only to be cut off by Satsuki. Standing between the boy and his precious mirror, she delivered a series of punishing blows, finishing the combination with an ax kick that drove the enemy ninja to his hands and knees. He tried to stand, but Satsuki lifted him by his collar and drove Naruto's kunai into his stomach with the other.

All fight left drained from the boy's body, and Satsuki let him crumple to the ground. Satsuki stood over him, glaring down at her opponent. She let her Sharingan fade; she didn't need it anymore. The Konoha Shinobi reached down and roughly tore the mask from the boy's head. Satsuki wanted to look into the bastard's eyes when she exacted her vengeance.

"I have failed you, Zabuza-sama," Haku said before turning his gaze towards Satsuki. "Please, kill me. I no longer have a purpose." The boy's eyes filled with tears.

"Gladly," Satsuki snarled as she flashed through a few familiar signs. She almost laughed as Haku's eyes widened in fear. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu." Haku screamed in pain as he caught fire, and kept screaming as his blood boiled and skin melted. The mirrors started melting around them, drenching the Uchiha heiress. Satsuki never wanted the screams to stop. To her disappointment, they only lasted a few moments. All that was left of Haku was a charred, smoking corpse.

Satsuki waited for the same shock that had consumed Naruto to wash over her, but it never came. Instead, she felt energized... she felt good. Vengeance had been taken, justice had been delivered, and all was right in the world. She was an Avenger; she had been blind to forget her true purpose in life. Naruto could rest in peace.

Naruto! Thoughts of her blonde teammate broke Satsuki from her blood lust. She suddenly felt sick with herself. She had enjoyed killing Haku, had reveled in his screams. She hadn't just been doing her duty as a ninja. She had intentionally killed someone in the most painful way she could think of, and had felt amazing. A feeling, deep in her heart, still did. It reveled in knowing that she'd avenged her closest friend.

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she stumbled towards his still form. She sat beside his corpse and pulled her head into her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair as she started to gingerly pull the senbon from his body. Satsuki started sobbing again, both for herself and for Naruto.