Chapter
8.
(Follows chapter 12, 13, 14 & 15 of the manga)
"Kakashi
of the Sharingan eye, I presume?" Zabuza said, grinning, "If it
wouldn't be too much trouble... could you hand over the old man?"
He
was calm as he made his request, and the two Jounin just stared each
other down , Kakashi, read to reveal his eye, still hidden under
hitai-ite.
The rest of the group just looked at them, not sure
what to do, but each wondering their own questions about what was
just said, 'The Sharingan? What was that?'
But Sasuke knew, and he
was confused, did he mean the mirror eye wheel? THE
sharingan?
"Everyone... Manji battle formation, protection
Mr Tazuna." Kakashi commanded with a very serious tone, "I want
you all to stay back, and out of this fight."
Kakashi then
lifted his hitai-ite revealing a red eye with what looked like four
pupils, three circling around the normal central one.
Naruko, who
was still stood beside him looked at it, confused, she had never seen
such an eye before in her life, what was it?
"This is an
honour." Zabuza chuckled in a menacing tone, "The Mirror-eye so
soon in our meeting."
Sasuke looked on, how could Kakashi have a
sharingan eye? The eye that provided greater ocular capacity to the
user, to see beyond illusion and more impressively... to copy the
abilities of those that fall under it's red glare.
"Kakashi...
the legendary ninja of the hidden leaf, the very man who peetrated
and copied over a thousand jutsu... ha... the mirror ninja." Zabuza
said, sounding unimpressed almost, but not wary of his
presence.
Sakura and Naruko were now stood together, looking at
their sensei, "Wow... is he... really that amazing?" they both
muttered, slight blushes on their cheeks, impressed and amazed with
their master.
Sasuke though was looking more suspicious at him,
since he knew, the sharingan itself was a trait usually found on in
his clan, the Uchiha clan, was it possible that Kakashi was actually
a Uchiha?!
"Well... I'd like to stop and chat more." Zabuza
said, "But I'm on a tight schedule."
The moment he said, that,
the whole area seemed to feel a lot more tense, and it made the genin
all react instantly, surrounding Tazuna and holding Kunai, ready to
defend him against an attack.
But in an instant, Zabuza
disappeared, reappearing on the lake that lay just ahead of him, as
he performed a jutsu.
He stared them all down, as the air around
them grew denser, and denser, and he slowly disappeared from
view.
"Wh-where did this fog come from?" Naruto said, feeling
worried.
But as it grew thicker, they heard Zabuza's voice evily
mocking them, trying to scare them.
"Throat, spinal column,
lungs, liver, jugular vein, subclavian artery, kidney... HEART." he
called out, "So many choices... what vital, vulnerable place shall
I choose. HAHAHAHAHA"
Even though Kakashi remained calm, the
rest of the group were feeling panicky, not sure what to do, could
they even do anything against this enemy?
Kakashi just focused
more, ready for anything, from anywhere.
While the rest of the
group were feeling the growing pressure of the situation, even Sasuke
was sweating, as a growing fear built up in him, his body
shaking.
"Calm down Sasuke." Kakashi said, "Even if he gets
me. I'll protect you."
Sasuke blinked, feeling comfort from
those words, but a comfort that was soon broken by he words, "I
wouldn't bet on that." Words that came from Zabuza... that came
from between them. The genin's all turned, there he was, amongst
them, the demon Zabuza, ready to strike.
But before they had all
even finished reacting, Kakashi too was amongst them, and grabbing
Zabuza forcefully as the group were knocked away, spreading them out
and,more importantly, away from them and out of danger.
Kakashi
had stabbed Zabuza with a kunai, deeply, but something was wrong,
instead of blood, there was water, and a warning cry from Naruko
soon answered why... a water clone.
But as Zabuza sliced through
Kakashi, he was stunned to see that Kakashi had already copied the
water-clone justu, and he himself was one, and then a moment later
was already behind him, with a Kunai at his neck, ready to kill,
before all the water from the dispelled clones had even hit the
ground.
"Impressive... you managed to copy my water-clone
technique, and hide in the mist, watching me, and even getting me to
focus on the clone." Zabuza said. "Too bad for you..." he
chuckled, as Kakashi felt someone behind him... Zabuza!!
The one
he had captured was itself, another clone.
The fight suddenly
picked up as Zabuza swung his oversized sword attampted to chop down
Kakashi who only dodged the swings expertly until Zabuza dug it in to
the ground and kicked at Kakashi sending him zipping away at great
speed, and landing in the water of the lake.
All this was
happening so fast for the genin, as they watched in both fear and awe
at the power of the two high level ninja, and in a blink, Zabuza was
already at the lake as Kakashi arose from the it, and with a quick
succesion of hand seals by Zabuza, the water around Kakashi, surged
and rose as it surrounded him in a sphere of water.
"HEH-HEH-HEH...
This water prison is inescapable." Zabuza pointed out. "You're
trapped."
The genin all looked on as they saw their master
captured, what could they do now?
Zabuza knew though, now that
Kakashi was secured, he could finally complete his mission, with one
hand occupied with holding the water prison in place, he used his
other hand to summon forth a new water-clone.
Kakashi looked
worried, he'd underestimated Zabuza's power and his team were no in
danger because of it.
The clone looked at the group of young
ninja, and laughed, "Little ninja wannabe's, trying hard to fit in,
even wearing hitai-ite headbands. HAH!" The Zabuza clone mocked,
"You need skills to be a real ninja, skills good enough to rate a
listing in my bingo book of enemies, before you are even worthy of
calling yourself real ninja."
Zabuza glared at Naruko, she was
the closest one to him, and she could see the coldness in his eyes as
he stared her down. "I don't even consider you 'ninja'..." he
said as in a blink, Naruko was violently attacked and sent flying;
hit so hard her hitai-ite was thrown from her head, landing on the
ground where Zabuza stepped on it with no regard, as if to insult
Naruko.
Naruko landed with a bad thud and skidded a little,
causing Sakura call out in concern for her teammate. As she lay sat
up, apart from a few marks, she seemed no less worse for
wear.
"...Brats." Zabuza concluded with a
scoff.
"EVERYONE... TAKE TAZUNA AND GET OUT OF HERE !!"
Kakashi cried out, "ZABUZA CAN'T LEAVE THIS PLACE WITHOUT RELEASING
THIS PRSION, AND HIS CLONES CAN ONLY GO A SHORT DISTANCE FROM
HIM!"
Naruko looked at the clone, and as she heard Kakashi's words, she slowly began to panic, fearing her iminnant death a his hands, but as she turned to get up and run, she leant onher nadaged hand, and sent a shot of pain up her arm, which instantly reminded her of her vow of pain, to never freeze... to never hang back... to never run away.... and to never let Sasuke out do her again.
Naruko
slowly rose to her feet, and looked to her hitai-ite, she rememebered
all she had gone through to get one, and that it was the very one
Iruka-sensei himself had handed to her. It was a sign of her
adulthood, of her being accepted by someone; it was a sign that she
was getting closer to her dream... and Zabuza was stepping on it.
Her
expression changed, from fear, to confidence, to anger as she
suddenly ran at the demon ninja who had taken her headband.
"STOP!"
Kakashi cried out, fearing the worst.
"NARUKO!!" Sakura cried
out, unsure what the kunoichi was doing.
Even Sasuke looked
confused at her sudden action.
Zabuza just scoffed and
knocked her away like he was swatting a fly.
As she skidding
across the dirt, back to her teammates, Sakura took a step closer.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" she said, annoyed, and
concerned for her teammates well being, "You idiot, junior ninja
like us can't possibly..."
It was then Sakura noticed
something, as Naruko, achingly began to stand up, in her bandaged
hand was her hitai-ite.
As blood dripped from her mouth, Naruko
returned her headband to it's rightful place, shakily stood up
straight.
"I... I got a new listing for your... b-bingo book."
she said, "The... the future hokage..."
With her hitai-ite
back in place she stood up straight, and stretched out her body.
"Uzu... Uzumaki Naruko."
Zabuza blinked, the audaciousness
of her really pissed him off, children should just shut up and know
their place.
But Tazuna looked impressed with the young girl, she
certainly had spunk in the face of danger.
"Sasuke... I have a
plan... so be ready." she said, confidently, as she stood ready to
summon some of her own clones.
Sasuke smirked, 'she's
unbelievable, NOW she has a plan.' he thought. "Hmf... time for
some teamwork then huh?"
Sakura was also surprised at Naruko,
but seeing the smirk on Sasuke's face her heart sank a little, he was
impressed with Naruko, and was giving her the attention she herself
desired.
For a moment, Sakura glared at Naruko, right at that
moment she wanted to do something, but she just shook it of, they had
bigger worries right now than Naruko trying to steal the attentions
of the Uchiha.
"I TOLD YOU TO RUN! THIS WAS OVER THE MOMENT
I WAS TAKEN! TAKE TAZUNA AND GET OUT OF HERE!" Kakashi ordered her
again.
"Gramps." Naruko said, glancing over her shoulder,
giving him a smile.
He blinked, not sure, but he got it, and
smiled as he nodded, "It's my fault you're in this mess. I've had a
long life... it would be wrong to let you kids to die trying to save
me." He then looked to them all, "So go ahead... give it your
all."
Naruko looked forward again.
"Get ready then." she
said to Sasuke, who nodded, actually feeling a little excited about
the fact they were about to take on a jounin.
But before they
moved, Zabuza laughed at them, these kids had no idea what he was, or
what it was like to be a ninja.
So he explained it to them, about
how he had killed so many by the time he was there age,about the
graduation exam of his village, and that his killing spree of an
entire graduating class got him named the demon Zabuza, and as he
laughed, as he fondly remembered the blood, and the bodies that were
spread all around him.
This freaked them out, and made them
tense up for a moment, a moment that Zabuza took advantage of, and in
a flash had knocked Sasuke back and away from Naruko, and then, in a
fluent moved smashed him into the ground.
He spat blood as Zabuza
stepped on him, pinning him to the earth.
"SASUKE!!" Sakura
cried out.
Naruko didn't flinch and summoned a several dozen
shadow clones, surrounding the Zabuza clone.
Zabuza stepped off of
Sasuke as all the Naruko's pulled out Kunai, and prepared themselves
like a well trained army, before they charged at their enemy.
But
even as they piled on to him, Zabuza knocked them away, hitting them
with is huge sword, but this allowed Sasuke to move away, and as one
of the Naruko's flew back, she pulled something out of her backback
and flung it to the Uchiha.
"SASUKE!!!" she cried out.
"Huh?!"
he said, as he caught the metal object. He grinned as he suddenly
realised the plan, unveiled it as a large four bladed shurikin.
His
body rotated on the spot as he span the shurikin and threw it in the
direction of Zabuza.
The water-clone scoffed, unimpressed, but
blinked as it moved passed him entirely, heading for the real
one.
The surprise only lasted a moment though as the real Zabuza
laughed, "At least you learned to go after the source." he said
as he caught the approaching weapon. "Amate..." he was
interrupted as he quickly noticed a second one in the shadow of the
first.
Sakura was surprised, and Kakashi couldn't help but take a
moment to be impressed at the idea.
But when Zabuza suddenly
jumped up, letting the second shurikin pass underneith him, Sakura
was shocked, their plan had failed... or had it.
Sasuke smirked
and gave a small laugh, as the shurikin suddenly changed in a puff of
smoke... into Naruko.
"Everyone was shocked but the two
involved, their plan had nearly worked, only one last thing, and
Naruko took aim and flung a Kunai at Zabuza.
He glared at her,
how could this girl have tricked him, how could this... brat, this
mere genin have gotten behind him.
And as the kunai got closer, he
could see the accuracy was dead straight, and so at the last moment
he moved away, his hand leaving the water prison.
But worse yet...
Zabuza was a moment too slow, and he could feel blood run down his
cheek from the cut on his cheek.
Even though it was small... no
one did that to him, especially no female, genin brat, someone that
was lower than a bug to be trampled on, and his eyes filled with fury
as he glared at her.
Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna all gasped, as they saw Zabuza turn, the first shurikin still spinning in his hand and was about to throw it at her in his rage, until... splat... a stream of blood sprayed out, as Kakashi's fist stopped the blade in it's tracks, and the two Jounin's eyes once more met, with seriousness thickening the air between them.
