"This is the Wave Country huh?" Naruto mumbled, stepping off the flat wooden board of the pier into wet marshy terrain. Kakashi nodded, floating as silently as ever behind the young genin. Sasuke was ahead and to the right of the duo with Sakura and Tazuna to the left. Asuma brought up the front, counting on Sasuke and Naruto to take on any threats from behind. The old man only sighed, mumbling
"We're halfway there. Only a little more to go before we reach my small hometown. Hopefully no more ninja'll attack us before we get there, right?"
Naruto groaned inwardly, starting to feel annoyed with the old man. Ever since Tazuna had been found out to be targeted by Gato, the small genin team had been on the alert nonstop, watching for any other signs of attack by mercenary or the like. So far, nothing had come, but they still didn't want to be caught unawares. Enemies would strike when you thought you were close to the home stretch, and your guard was down. When dealing with ninja, that mistake was always often fatal. Naruto snapped out of his thoughts, his nose detecting a hint of something unfamiliar in the air. The only things he could see were small ponds of water, roots of trees deep in the muddy murk.
He knew something was off though. Kakashi must have sensed something as well, for he drew his own katana, warning Naruto to be wary. Blood lust. And intense too...Something I haven't felt in a long while, since the Black Ops days. This one's going to be big. Very big...They may need my help. If it does come to that, I've got a few good tricks up my sleeve,thankfully. Suddenly, a thick mist covered the area, sending chills down the team's spine. Naruto was pushed hard to the ground, something huge and black whizzing over his head to land into the branch of a nearby tree.
"Well, he doesn't waste any time,huh?" Kakashi muttered from atop Naruto, his hand slowly letting go of the back of Naruto's orange jumpsuit. A deep laugh, echoing due to the thick mist and the expanse of trees, mocked them. A figure shrouded in mist atop his giant blade looked down at them. Asuma walked slowly towards the man, pulling out one of his chakra blades.
"Stay back and protect the old man...He's too strong for you. This one's mine."
The three genin nodded, quickly surrounding Tazuna, tanto and kunais at the ready. Kakashi floated behind Asuma, his Sharingan spinning wildly in its socket, making him wince a little in pain. What are you going to do Asuma? This will be interesting... The man on the tree finally turned his head out of the shadows of the leaves, showing piercing brown eyes with a face covered up by bandages. His eyes locked with the old man's, who stood frozen with fear. Asuma tensed, expecting something was coming.
"Bridge builder...Your life is up! I, the Demon of the Mist, Zabuza Momchi, will kill you today."
With that startling proclamation, Zabuza disappeared from his place on the branch. Asuma, with his blades drawn and ready, watched for any signs of movement. The three genin and Tazuna were worried, and also a bit impressed at the same time.
"He's fast..." Sasuke muttered under his breath. Naruto nodded, his tanto shaking slightly in his sweaty hands. The three shrieked, startled, when Zabuza appeared in their midst, launching a sweeping roundhouse kick and sending them all flying. Asuma swore, rushing after the assassin with one of his blades crossed over his shoulders. Zabuza sidestepped the left hook, only to wince as a cut appeared on his cheek, blood dripping crimson onto the ground. What in the! I was sure I dodged his attack... Asuma came on again, this time with another hook, which Zabuza ducked under, small particles of his spiky black hair floating in the wind. Wind? There are no breezes in the air, due to my mist...Unless...he must be a wind element user! That explains how I was cut. His wind chakra extended the blade, making it longer and sharper. I'll have to watch out for that later...
Zabuza used his intense speed to disappear again, Kakashi following with his Sharingan. Asuma blinked, ducking just in time to avoid one of the swipes of Zabuza's giant blade. Gripping the handle like a samurai would a katana, Zabuza hefted the heavy blade above his head, bringing it down atop Asuma. The Jonin rolled out of the way, but was not expecting the kick Zabuza sent him in the side, making him roll back a few feet. The genin and Tazuna were up by this time, each groaning in slight discomfort, but watching in horror as their sensei was sent flying to the side into some trees. A poof of smoke calmed their fears, as it was just a shadow clone, not their real master who had been hit. Sasuke looked on in awe at the intensity of the fight, the real Asuma and Zabuza dodging and exchanging blows with an almost animal-like ferocity.
This is what it's like to be a Jonin? I can feel their intense thirst for blood, almost palpable...I feel like I'm going to be sick. The ferocity of two warrior attempting to kill; Was that what Naruto and I were like earlier with the Mist Chunin? Naruto turned to his comrade, seeing Sasuke shake in discomfort, and walked over to him.
"You alright? You look pale?" Sasuke just grunted, his breathing unsteady and in gasps. Naruto looked quizzically at him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Sasuke turned to the blonde, his face expressing discomfort, but his eyes showing gratitude.
"Don't touch me, you idiot." Naruto frowned, playing along with the Uchiha's act, his short eyebrows furrowing together at the base of his forehead.
"Tch. Way to show thanks, you jerk!"
Huffing and turning his face away from Sasuke, hiding the grin that poked out of the corners of his mouth. That grin turned to fright as he saw the monstrous elite shinobi descend upon the trio, his great blade heaved over one shoulder. Naruto swung his tiny katana just as Zabuza's sword was about to come swinging down, sparks lightning from the clash of metal. He's powerful...What the hell happened to Asuma sensei? Did he get hurt or knocked out? The two blades pressed against each other, Naruto's knees shaking under the weight of the heavy blade atop him. He wasn't sure how long he could hold out, his arm already starting to slip downwards slightly. Naruto blinked as he felt Zabuzastiffen and the pressure on his arm lessened. Zabuza looked back, surprise etched across his masked face, as he felt he point of a katana go through his rib.
He had no idea where it was coming from, having sent the brats' sensei further into the expanse of trees, giving him a deep wound in the process. Now that he knew that their master was one of the Twelve Guardians from the olden days, he didn't want to go easy. Plus, that kind of a head would bring a huge bounty; Much more than Gato was paying them. Still, where in the world could the blade be coming from? He felt a surge of chakra and stiffened, readying for anything and turning around to face it. Nothing happened, much to his surprise, and Zabuza was startled when he felt a presence right next to him; though he couldn't see anything nearby.
"You don't touch the blonde boy, or I'll kill you dead and haunt your pathetic soul for eternity. You may be called a demon, but you've no idea what kind of hell I can take you to."
Zabuza's eyes widened, the breath in his ear fading away like a wisp. He was sure no one was there, but he still felt something next to him, and the energy wasn't human as well. Was it a ghost? He figured it was just someone doing an invisibility jutsu, fooling him into thinking it was an otherworldly spirit. Taking the katana buried in his chest and snapping it in half, he threw it at the spot where he had last heard the voice in his ear. It sailed through air, landing on the marshy ground with a small thonking sound. Zabuza grunted, disgusted with himself for being afraid of nothing. Teleporting away, onto the water he focused his chakra, in the middle of making a water clone. Hearing a rippling wind to the side, the jumped back, Splashes on the water where he landed. Waves appeared where he was standing a moment later, rippling intensely and lapping at the shore. Asuma appeared on the waves, a cut across his vest and panting slightly, though he wore a grimly determined smile on his face.
"Now...it's time to get serious!"
