Hi, sorry this was late. I had writer's cramp and so much schoolwork. Also, my fighting scenes are horrible, so don't expect something too great. But hopefully things will be posted faster from now on because it's mostly dialogue.
Recap: Danger approaches! What starts out as a mere C-ranked mission is now a B-ranked mission, after the confrontation by the two Demon Brothers. And finally, after obtaining the truth from Tazuna, Team 7 meets Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, elevating this mission to A-ranked. Will Sasuke be able to fight without giving his full capabilities away and casting suspicion upon himself?
Namikaze Minato, though his duties as the Yondaime Hokage were taxing, liked to relax every once in a while. He had come to name paperwork as his number one enemy, and the best way he knew how to relieve himself of the stress was to get some ramen to eat. Ramen did always taste good.
Especially Ichiraku's ramen.
He strolled into the small ramen stand, smiling and waving at the bewildered customers and the delighted cooks Teuchi and Ayame. Minato was not wearing his robes; after aquiring his position, he found - much to his dismay - that the robes were rather stuffy and hot, so he ditched them whenever he could.
"One bowl of beef ramen for me!" he ordered, giving his trademark lopsided grin at the prospect of his favorite food.
Teuchi smiled and shook his head. Some things never changed. "Coming right up," he replied, disappearing into the back of the stand to make some of the delicious ramen.
Ayame handed Minato a glass of water, blushing slightly as she did so. After all, it wasn't every day that the Yondaime came to Ichiraku's.
A small smile graced Minato's lips. He couldn't wait for his ramen. It was his favorite food in the world.
Absentmindedly, Minato wondered if Kakashi and Team 7 were faring well. Genin were not supposed to take C-ranked missions, after all, but on a whim he had let them. Was it the right decision? He wondered. But then smiling to himself, Minato took a sip of water. They'd be fine, he knew that. His student, Hatake Kakashi, the second White Fang, was on their team, as well as Sasuke, the Kyuubi no gaki, and -
Minato's smile faltered. Naruto. His son.
He couldn't describe his feelings about his son. Lately, the two had been arguing even more so than before. In fact, almost every time Minato and Naruto met, there was often a petty argument between the two. It was as if they were obligated to argue.
Minato missed the days when he would come home from the Hokage's office to be greeted by an exuberant Naruto. He could see a messy blond-haired, sparkling sapphire-eyed boy running up to him as fast as those short legs could run...
But then a great rift had formed between them.
He partly blamed it on the excessive paperwork that had increased over the last few years. More and more Minato found himself at the office instead of at home. If I were working at home instead of at the office, would we still be so far apart? he wondered.
Minato's hands gripped the clay cup as he wandered in his thoughts. And he would've lifted it to his lips, but -
Sapphire eyes snapped back to reality as his ears picked up a low, but distinguishable sound. The blue orbs shifted their gaze to the painted cup in his hands.
Water spilled out of a jagged crack on the cup's side.
An involuntary chill ran up Minato's spine. His eyes widened in horror. An omen... Naruto. No, no, how could this be? He stared at the cup, a few drops of water slowly dripping out. Their C-ranked mission... He drew a sharp breath in panic.
The cup crashed to the counter. Ayame, hearing the noise, swirled around -
But where Minato had been there was now an empty seat, the chill of the night air as the entrance curtain flurried about -
And a cracked clay cup surrounded by a small pool of water.
Zabuza, the infamous Demon of the Mist, lunged forward from his place on the shore with every intention to kill Kakashi. With a huge zanbatou gripped in both hands, he leaped up above the small group. He could see Tazuna, and a bloodthirsty gleam shone in his eyes. Tazuna, he thought as he descended, you're mine!
Of course, a certain Leaf Jounin had different plans.
"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto!" Kakashi ordered, his eyes never leaving Zabuza, "Guard Tazuna! Swatsika form!" The three Genin immediately formed the familiar guarding stance. Sasuke knew of a few other stances which would be more defensive, but he knew this was hardly the time to argue.
Kakashi's onyx eyes flashed with the thought of a challenge. It had been quite some time since he had had a battle with a worthy opponent...
A flash of steel temporarily blinded Zabuza as Kakashi drew his chakra blade. It was sleek, and had kanji running up both sides of the blade. A rough cloth was wrapped around its hilt for traction. As the silver-haired Jounin grasped it, Sasuke noticed a white chakra dance its way up the blade. That chakra must be the Hatake's bloodlimit, he realized, grateful he had read through Kabuto's information book.
As Zabuza landed, Kakashi whiped around, ripping the missing-nin's body into half - only to find that the nin's body lost form and splashed onto the ground, only water. He turned away, as he had expected nothing less from an S-classed missing-nin.
Naruto was shivering from the intense sakki being poured out. He had never been in a real battle before, and in the long run, it mattered not as much how a person trained, but how they reacted in battle. He were pale and shivering - barely holding onto the thin thread of hope that kept him from running away from the battle.
Sakura only noticed a certain thickness in the air, as she found it hard to breathe, and a clench in her chest, but could not identify it as sakki.
Sasuke was not shivering at all; rather, he had an odd feeling of strange enjoyment. Perhaps it was because of the lack of action in D-ranked missions. Orochimaru had often leashed out on some of his less fortunate subordinates and sometimes, that horrible sakki - a hundred times worse than this - had leaked out onto Sasuke. Which, resultingly, had given him a high tolerance for sakki.
Kakashi slid into a neutral stance as he surveyed the area around him. Zabuza was somewhere, he knew enough to know the former mist nin was not enough of a coward to flee at the beginning of battle. "Where are you, Zabuza?" Kakashi muttered, scanning the shores. He could see little in the thick fog blanketing the landscape, but tried anyway. Right? No. Left? No. In front? No. Up? No. Behind -
Before Kakashi could respond, Zabuza had appeared in between him and his team, grinning maniacally. The nin, in one smooth stroke, swung his huge weapon towards Tazuna, where it prepared to behead both a pink-haired girl and a blond-haired boy. It drew closer, three feet - two feet - one foot remaining -
As quick as a flash, Sasuke was in the path of the zanbatou. His bangs fell out of his eyes, revealing a fully formed Sharingan, three black tomoes spinning wildly in each eye. Kakashi's eye widened in horror, but he couldn't do anything. Except watch his student be killed.
A clash of steel was heard.
Sasuke was gripping a kunai and was single-handedly blocking Zabuza's huge zanbatou. Sweat dripped down the Uchiha's forehead, but he was still smirking.
Zabuza's eyes widened. He was putting his full weight behind his sword, and yet - that Genin - was blocking it? With one kunai?!
Either the Uchiha is exceptional, or training in Konoha has gotten tougher... or I'm getting weaker...
Leaping away, Zabuza thought over the matter. Originally, he was going to attack the Jounin, deeming him the greatest threat, and then slowly finish off the Genin. After that, Tazuna would fall. But now, he was rethinking his strategy. He realized that Uchiha Genin could now be one of his larger threats, as he had just pushed off the zanbatou as pitiful. How dare he! Zabuza thought. His eyes drifted to the trees. Haku, you'd better be noting all of this... because that kid is most definitely not normal.
Sasuke smirked. "Are you ready to play now, Zabuza?" he cocked his head challengingly.
Kakashi wanted to cry out, to say, Don't! He's one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist! I don't want to lose one of my team on the first C-ranked mission we go on! But his words stuck in his throat.
Sasuke was smirking on the outside, but inwardly he was seething. How could I have done that? I can't continue this much more. I keep on accidentally giving more and more of my skill away. Kakashi'd better hurry up and help...
Right after he thought that, Kakashi leaped towards Zabuza with his chakra blade drawn. Zabuza easily blocked it with his huge zanbatou, but Kakashi, who had expected this, took out a kunai and slashed Zabuza's hand, the one that was holding the zanbatou, rendering it useless. Strangely enough, Zabuza laughed. "You think you're so smart, Kakashi, don't you?" To this Kakashi did not reply, but Zabuza grinned. "Too bad for you I can wield my zanbatou with my left hand, as well." Kakashi's one eye widened a fraction, but then resumed its determined look. Zabuza continued, grinning as he slowly pushed the silver-haired Jounin back, inch by inch. "Can you do the same, Kakashi?"
Kakashi's eye widened and he jumped back as Zabuza swung his zanbatou with his left hand. Knowing he could not beat his opponent in taijutsu, Kakashi quickly formed some seals and put one of his gloved hands to his mask. Blowing, Kakashi let out a large fire dragon, which roared and twisted as if alive. Katon: Karyuu Endan!
Zabuza dodged the dragon with ease, and it crashed into a tree, setting it ablaze. The swordsman was unfazed. In fact, he still kept that odd look of eagerness and cruelty in his eyes. "Is that really all you can do?" he mocked. "I am so disappointed."
Again, Kakashi said nothing. He had expected the Demon of the Mist to dodge the attack, but perhaps not the chakra signature behind him, in the forest. That signature had quickly dodged as well. Kakashi's expression darkened. There is another shinobi in the woods. Judging from their speed, I'd say Chuunin or even a Jounin.
"You cannot defeat me. Even the elite Jounin of Mist could not defeat me, and they, I believe, are so much more powerful than you Konoha shinobi."
Kakashi held his chakra blade, which was still glowing a faint white. That attack had taken a considerable amount of chakra, but not too much. He could still fight, and would not show any weaknesses. "Then perhaps, Zabuza," there was no need for any honorific here, "you are underestimating us."
The Konoha Jounin disappeared and reappeared behind Zabuza. He thrust his sword forward, but was blocked by the huge zanbatou. Coursing more chakra into the blade to keep it from cracking in half, Kakashi pressed on, but suddenly dropped to his knees. Zabuza, losing his balance, toppled forward, but stabilized himself in time. Kakashi, though, gave him no time to act.
Sliding behind the missing-nin, the Jounin struck Zabuza on the back of the head and then, using two of his fingers, pressed a pressure point which rendered the swordsman unconcious. Pitiful. Kakashi thought. He obviously underestimated me.
Suddenly, three senbon flew out of the woods on their right side, puncturing his hand that was gripping Zabuza's neck. Startled, Kakashi let go of the man and a hunter-nin appeared. The strange nin lifted Zabuza onto his shoulder and said in a surprisingly cold voice, "You have no place here. I was promised to kill Zabuza, and I shall. He has taken everything away from me, and I want my revenge." The hunter-nin pointed behind them with one free hand. "Go. I wish for my revenge alone."
Casting a suspicious glance at the missing-nin, Kakashi turned around and quietly told the frightened Genin and Tazuna, "Let's go."
After the five Konoha shinobi had left, the missing-nin took off his mask. "The silver-haired one rendered Zabuza-san unconcious," he muttered. "and he will pay for it."
Ooh. Scary Haku.
By the way, in Japan, the symbol of a cracked cup is a bad omen. So if your cup cracks on you, something bad's happening. (Example: Temari in Shippuuden when Gaara was captured.)
alolha123
