Hehe… Kakashi wanted to attack himself in the last chapter… I fixed it, but "…you can't stop me from attacking me…" Kakashi's gone; he's crazy… like me for not seeing that typo. I fixed it though, Ms. Fixit I am. (I'm also Green Eggs & Ham)
Battle on the Bridge
Sakura guarded Tazuna until lunch, when the Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke arrived. They were going to help build the bridge, in response to the many quitting… it was going to be hard enough building the bridge with the full task force… and much harder without it.
But when the arrived to the bridge, they found all of the workers sprawled across the half-finished bridge.
Stay calm. They might be… unconscious…
But she didn't have time to go check, because on the opposite side of the bridge appeared Zabuza and Haku standing slightly beside and behind him.
Haku's mask was on, covering his face in a hunter-nin like look. Kakashi-sensei spoke up first,
"So, he did betray us." He muttered, meaning two different things depending on who was listening to him, and then he spoke up so that Zabuza could hear, "Looks like you and that tracker-nin are acquainted."
"Kakashi… not happy to see us? I thought you knew this would happen." Zabuza chuckled, wielding his giant sword for show. "Haku, why don't you take off the mask, you're not pretending to be a tracker-nin anymore, so…"
Haku just stood there, looking at Sakura, "I'm fine."
"Okay, then… Mizu Bunshins." He did the appropriate handsigns, creating about five to surround the Kohona-nin and their client. Sasuke, eager to fight, leapt forward, destroying all of the Bunshins in a flash, dashing around the group with his kunai raised. They all collapsed almost at once, and Sakura took her place in front of Tazuna as Kakashi-sensei dashed after Zabuza as Sasuke clashed with Haku.
-
Sasuke was having trouble.
That… Haku person, he had heard Zabuza call him, was fast and dangerous with his senbon needles.
And now that these ice mirrors were hovering around him, Haku inside them, throwing multiple senbon at he Uchiha, he was having even more trouble.
Naruto, get here and help us already.
-
"So, Kakashi, how are your students doing?"
"Not very good, thanks to you, now if I could…" Kakashi started, but was cut off.
"Sorry, I can't do that."
And the mist obscured the bridge.
-
Wha? What? Were am I?
Naruto sat groggily up…
…to the sound of a scream.
It sounded like Tsunami, followed closely by the sound of Inari and Tsunami's voices, and then…
Enemies!
He jumped up, ignoring the fact he had pajamas on, and ran downstairs to find two ninja leaving with Tsunami. They didn't seem to know Naruto was there, and that was all for the better. Inari was running after them, and he didn't seem to know Naruto was there either. Pulling on his orange… clothing as he went, he ran after the two ninja, catching up with them at the docks, where Inari was yelling something to them. He didn't listen to what Inari was saying, though, as he did the necessary handsigns for a substitution jutsu.
As the kunai was driven through Inari, it ended up being stuck in a log, along with a cloud of smoke from between the two ninja. They turned, and, finding the woman not there, turned back to the orange-clad ninja standing across from them.
"Looking for her? Or him?" He asked, laying Tsunami beside him and making Inari get behind him. "Well, you can't have'm!"
"Like you can do anything against us." One of the ninja said in a gloating manner, "What can you do against us?"
"I already have done something!"
'thump'
Both ninja collapsed, Naruto's Kage Bunshin standing proudly behind them. Naruto looked at Inari, but half of him was wondering, why do people always underestimate me?
"I think you can take care of this now, can't you? Because I have to kill my team for leaving me behind!"
-
"So… your student, the Kunoichi, is very clever. How exactly did she know all that about Gato and such?" Zabuza said from the mist, just as Kakashi was about to make attack to try and clear the mist.
"She wasn't clever enough, I still have to fight you."
"You don't trust that Haku sticks by his word? We have to pretend to fight so we can draw Gato out, right?" Zabuza asked, his shadowy form becoming visible through the mist, "So, care for a sparring run?"
Kakashi was somewhat shocked for the second time that mission, though this wasn't nearly as bad as he was when Sakura told him her secret she had been keeping from everyone. "You mean, you're going to help?"
"Well, yes. She did draw up some very valid points. But it doesn't seem that dark-haired student knows about the plan… is it only you and the kunoichi?"
"Hai, she didn't get to tell Naruto and Sasuke yet."
Zabuza suddenly rushed him from the mist, and the resounding clang of the sword against a kunai echoed across the bridge. "Then we have to spar rough, don't we? And I guess Haku will be a little rough with your students, but that could count as experience."
Another clash resounded through the mist.
-
Something was wrong… no, something was right.
Sakura was sure—positive that the battle going on between Sasuke and Haku wasn't nearly as one-sided as it had been. Haku was letting Sasuke get a few hits or fire jutsu in. But that means… they're on our side!
She was so relieved that she almost missed the entrance of Naruto. It was a lot subtler than it had been, but still resulted with Naruto being thrown into the crystal ice mirrors, only thrown. By Haku. He must have a plan for the two of them. This might just work!
-
Naruto mentally beat himself up for getting thrown into the weird ice domes with Sasuke-teme.
But, while he was beating himself up, Sasuke started talking of a plan.
"Listen, dobe, I need you to run at Haku with as many Kage Bunshins as you can, okay?"
"Why?" Naruto asked, wary that Haku—was that his name? —was watching them silently.
"I've been observing him when… just do it." Sasuke trailed off, elbowing Naruto up.
"Oo-kay." Naruto responded, doing handsigns, ending with the ram, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
-
Haku was impressed.
That many shadow clones. That in itself can be counted as a 'sort of' kekkei genkai, but I'm sure that's not what Sakura meant.
He started traveling from mirror to mirror, knocking the orange knucklehead back from getting to his special mirrors.
They must not know what's going on, only Sakura and…she must've told her sensei, but if she…
He paused as the blonde genin pushed himself up, and listened for sounds from the mist.
The clashing of metal… not Zabuza's style… the sensei must know, then.
The kid charged again, creating just as many Kage Bunshins as the first time. Haku zipped from mirror to mirror, and noticed that the dark-haired genin was watching…watching him? They were only brief glimpses, but…
-
"…Both Sasuke and Naruto have… kekkei genkai of sorts…"
-
Of course! He must have some kind of kekkei genkai involving the eyes, but he's not a Hyuuga…
"Hey, Uchiha-teme, this isn't working!"
"Just do it again, dobe."
…An Uchiha? With Sharingan? So the perverted reader isn't the only Sharingan user here.
"Alright… but I'm not sure how much good it will do."
So, Uzumaki, what's your kekkei genkai 'of sorts'? Will I see it in this battle?
Haku once again leapt from the crystal ice mirrors, knocking back the Kage Bunshins and the real Uzumaki. But Haku was wary of the Uchiha, now, and proceeded to do the most erratic pattern and went as fast as he could between the mirrors.
-
Sasuke was stumped for a moment.
He's going faster…and faster. I can't watch him anymore… it's way…way to fast for the water droplets to move.
-
I should 'finish' this quickly, starting with the Uzumaki. Sorry.
Haku flitted from mirror to mirror throwing needles at the most paralyzing parts of the body. Shins, arms, back of the hands.
But when he threw the two needles that would 'kill' the Uzumaki, the Uchiha ran forward, and the needles embedded themselves in his neck instead. No… one was in his neck… the other was buried in his chest, if not his heart.
The Uchiha fell, and the chakra erupted.
-
Kakashi, in mid strike with Zabuza, dropped his kunai and turned when he felt the demon's chakra.
"What is that?" Even through the thick mist, the glow of red was visible.
"Hold that thought, Zabuza." Kakashi quickly checked for his student's chakra, sorting through the layers of corrupted chakra for the dim blue glow of Naruto's. He found it, but it was flared with anger.
"Naruto." Kakashi replied simply, reassuring himself as he said it. The two had been chatting aimlessly as they traded blows, and had actually became 'sort of' friends… but he was still the enemy till the end of this battle. "I'm not sure… Sakura could deal with it…" Kakashi trailed off, staring at the place where the chakra faded into the mist.
"What? Deal with what?"
"Naruto won't kill Haku, I highly doubt that, and even if he tries to, Sakura has the power to stop him." Not only that, but Gato would be a little suspicious if the two enemies started to help each other.
Kakashi turned, and brought his kunai down on the metal of Zabuza's sword.
-
"I… I'm gonna kill you!"
Haku was now truly afraid… one of the only times in his life he had ever been. The other had been at his father's hands, but even then, he didn't have this irrational fear that swept over him at he sight of the Uzumaki.
Now… now I know what you meant by…
-
Naruto pummeled his faceless foe with a series of rage-enhanced punches, the last one cracking the mask. But Naruto either didn't notice, or didn't care.
He rushed Haku, and he could vaguely hear Sakura in the background, yelling at him to stop. But he didn't, and he continued to run, red chakra glowing around his fist, making this blow fatal.
But it never connected.
-
Haku stared at the fist; it was no longer glowing, no longer moving, no longer dangerous. The boy's fist slowly lowered, and he uttered one word.
"Sis?"
"Huh?" Then he remembered what the Uzumaki had put at the end of every sentence in their last conversation.
"What… why? I mean… you? But you didn't try to kill me in the forest? Do you have double personalities or something?" He asked, scrutinizing Haku.
"I am of no use anymore…" He said, cutting off of the blonde, just pretend what you would say if this normally happened. But as talked, it sounded more and more dim-witted to him, "I am a broken tool… no more use to Zabuza. Kill me."
-
Naruto cocked his head for a moment, "Hai, Hai, I knew it! See, now you're emo!"
Then, is Sasuke really dead?
-
Sasuke!
Sakura ran forward, bringing Tazuna with her, and knelt beside Sasuke. He was covered in needles, but…no, no… one was in his chest. She grasped it, ripping it out, and took the one in his neck out too.
His heart's… bleeding… bleeding?
She then started to heal.
-
"Listen, Uzumaki, you've got to kill me! I am a broken tool, I'm of no use to anyone anymore. I have no life purpose, and to live without purpose… is not worth living."
He seemed to consider this for a moment, and then said, "That's some messed-up logic, Haku… I mean, sis. I'm not gonna do it."
The clearing of the mist cut Haku's reply short. Visible was a hunched, dark figure and the silver-haired jounin. They did play rough.
-
"Well, if this works out, both of us may get injured, right. The Kohona-nin might use advanced jutsu just to make it look real. They should keep their promise if we keep ours. Just, if I end up injured and need your help… I'll yell or something like that… before that, don't attack."
-
But Zabuza was conscious, and definitely not yelling, so he continued to try to plead with Naruto until…
'kht'
He saw the arrow, heading straight for Tazuna. Sakura didn't notice it, she was kneeling over the Uchiha, and, as if in slow motion, Tazuna turned… to see a mirror in front of him.
-
Naruto watched as Haku used one of the mirrors to teleport himself, helpless, as the arrow pierced his chest.
-
All battle on the bridge stopped.
(1) My spell checker tried to translate "Oo-Kay" to Kooky. And hooky. And Pokey. And Low-key. And then 'poke me.'
(2) Naruto just Calls Haku 'sis' to be annoying.
(3) You are all going to kill me for this, aren't you?
(4) The next episode is "Going Home"
(5) I'm going to go hide now.
MD
