Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, then I probably end up never selling it to Disney.

A/n: Ow, so many assignments and reports… but since it's Spring Break, I can get this out quickly before I go back to mass research.

Chapter 9: Demon of the Mist

"Okay," Kasumi said as she stepped off the boat, "that was very uneventful."

"Well, that means we were successful in getting into the Land of Waves undetected," Kakashi said as the bridge builder got off the boat, "Sir, I think this is where we leave."

"Huh?" the old builder said as he looked around in shock, "Why? I need protection from any danger."

"Yes," Kakashi said as he began to go into the boat, "But you paid for a C Rank mission to protect you from any robbers or thugs. Chunin attacking us and working for someone is clearly a sign for a mission much higher than C rank, and you only paid for C Rank protection to get you into the area."

"You have to understand sir," Sakura said from the boat, "this level of work is too great for us. We are only genin and can't handle this type of danger."

"Oh well," the man said sadly as he sighed, "you are going to let a poor old man face the danger of dying. Most likely my little grandson will find out and cry "Grandpa, grandpa, why did you go like that…"

"…" Kasumi noticed that the man was putting up an act to attempt to get the genin to keep going with the old man, 'You don't think we are gulible to bel-'

"All right," Kakashi said as Kasumi and some of the other genin looked wide-eyed at the sensei, "I guess we can arrange to keep you guarded until you finish the bridge. Though, at least shed some light on the situation. Why were those chunin sent after you?"

"Well, have you ever heard of a man named Gato," the bridge builder asked.

"You mean that large shipping company?" Kasumi said as the builder nodded.

"Well, all comerse and trade go through his shipping industry. And he has been abusing that link to his advantage as he also imports illegal items as drugs, weapons, criminals that he hires for protection…"

"And why haven't you done anything to stop him?" Naruto asked as the bridge builder sighed.

"We barely have any money," the old man stated as he took a glance at the village nearby, "thanks to him running all the trade here, our nobles don't have any money left as he runs the banks, he has thugs and guards posted to put down uprisings, and hires ninja to take out any leader we have to raise against him. He basically broke us."

"That's horrible," Sakura said as she leaped out of the boat.

"That can't continue any longer," Naruto said as he flipped out of the boat onto the shore.

"Though, why would he care for a bridge builder?" Kakashi asked as he had an idea what the reason might be.

"If this bridge is successful, my people can finally have an alternate method of traveling to the mainland and would have no need for Gato's shipping services. Surely, this will ruin him and his influence, so he is doing everything in his power to dispose of any attempt to build a bridge."

"Well, if your people's economy ever recovers, you can pay the rest of the bill for this mission later," Kakashi said as he ordered everyone to get ready to head out.

The group wandered closer and closer to the main town of the island. All was quiet and peaceful… until…

"AAAAAHH!" Naruto yelped as he pulled out a kunai and threw it a bush.

"Ummm…. why did you just fling a kunai at that poor bush," Kasumi asked as Naruto looked around.

"You idiot," Sasuke shouted as he realized his screaming might attract attention.

"I thought something moved," Naruto replied as his response.

"I didn't sense anything," Kasumi said as she stared at the bush.

"I noticed nothing," Sasuke said and Sakura used that in her judgement.

"You're just acting like an idiot again."

Suddenly, the bush shakes and everyone's attention is drawn to it.

"Not this time," Naruto said as he threw a kunai into the bush, and a rabbit leaped from it's hiding place and was nearly scared to death from that.

"It was a rabbit!" Sakura yelled at Naruto as the usual argueing began. Kasumi stared at the rabbit… thinking how cute it is at first, and then wondering at the fur.

"You noticed as well?" Kakashi said to Kasumi as she had an idea what the problem was, "these rabbits don't live here in this area during this season. This must be a demosticated rabbit.

Though, during the argueing and the rabbit, Kakashi noticed something unusual and felt something in the air. Kasumi sensed the same thing and had an idea that danger was near.

"Duck!" Kakashi yelled as everyone stopped what they were doing and dropped to the ground. A very large blade flew through the air in a spiraling towards where their heads were.

"What the…" Nrruto said as the one who threw the weapon at them appeared.

Kakashi looked at the figure and knew who he was. "Well, well, Zabuza Momouchi ; the Demon of the Mists."

"Who?" Kasumi said as Zabuza got his blade back.

"He's one of the listed Missing-nins that are wanted."

"Kakashi Hatake, you're an interesting one," Zabuza said as he drew his blade, "your reputation is so great, it has made its way into my bingo book."

'Hmmmm… why am I getting the distinct feeling we are screwed now,' Kasumi thought as Kakashi prepared for a fight.

"Hold back… he's a Jonin and the master at the silent kill," Kakashi warned his students.

"Silent kill?" Naruto said as a light mist came about, "Hey, darn fog."

"The silent kill is an assassination attack that strikes someone in a vital spot so quickly, a person doesn't realize they passed onto the next life at all," Kakashi explained as everyone prepared to keep an eye out for any attempts on them. Kakashi kept his eye out for Zabuza as the sudden mist made it hard to see.

'Oh boy… this is very tense watching these two stare down each other in battle,' Naruto thought as he began to feel nervous, 'I got to get out of here- No… not that again. I'm staying!'

'A jonin…. oh great, this went from easy to extremely dangerous,' Kasumi thought as she kept her gaze on the combatants.

'So this is how it feels like seeing two jonin prepare to fight each other,' Sasuke thought as he stared at the incoming battle, 'this type of thing is too great, I rather take my own life!' Sasuke proceeded to take out a kunai as Kakashi heard and turned.

"Stop Sasuke," Kakashi order and he put away the weapon. This distraction allowed Zabuza to pick out a target to aim for and lung at Kakashi.

"Oh no you don't," Kakashi said as he moved out of the quikly launched attack. Then, he attempted to kick Zabuza as he ducked and attempted to cut down Kakashi with his sword. Kakashi leaped to the said and lunged forward with a Kunai, plunging it into his stomach.

'Phew… no one can survive a fatal blow through the sto-' Kasumi thought as water began to poor out of the fatal wound of the man as he turned into a puddle of water.

"Water clones," Kakashi muttered as Zabuza came out from behind and landed his fatal blade into his lower stomach areas.

"sensei!" Sakura yelled as the same water dripped out of Kakashi and then left a puddle laying on the ground.

"When they say we are mostly made up of water, they really meant it," Kasumi said as Kakashi appeared unharm nearby Zabuza, landing a kick to his back.

"Errrr, how," Zabuza groaned as he recovered from the blow, "I had enough…" Zabuza made some quick hand signs, and launched a decoy attack towards Kakashi, who stood near the puddles of water. Kakashi leaped away… though landed into his trap and was engulfed in a water prison.

"Oh… right… he's a water ninja…." Kasumi said as Kakashi fell for that trap, "Stay away from water…"

"Hey, let our sensei go," Naruto demanded as Zabuza chuckled.

"Well, I came here to get rid of the old man, Kakashi can wait afterwards, and you genin should not be much trouble."

"Sure…" Naruto said as he prepared to strike, "Sakura, keep the old guy safe."

"Got it," Sakura said as she took a defensive position near the bridge builder. Sasuke and Kasumi came over to see if they had any chance of winning this. Naruto decided to summon a small army of Shadow Clones to attack Zabuza.

"Clones… this is too easy," Zabuza said as he flung his sword and struck down nearly all the clones.

Sasuke pulled out a shuriken and threw it at Zabuza, but he easily blocked the blow, "Darn it."

"Okay, let's try something different here," Kasumi said to herself as she lunged at Zabuza in a wreckless charge. Zabuza smirked, and quickly moved out of the way, swinging his sword at the back of her neck… only to have her form fall apart into a pile of leaves.

"Gotcha!" Kasumi said as she placed a kunai in his back, only to have it fall apart into a puddle of water.

"All of you are very unexperienced and weak," Zabuza said as he came out of a hiding spot, "I'm going to let my clones take you on as I go after the man. Water Clones jutsu."

"Not if I haunt you," Kasumi grinned as she activated her special jutsu, "I'll keep Zabuza's clones distracted." Zabuza decided to throw a kunai at Kasumi, but it flew right through her, "Come here you water bags."

'What kind of jutsu is that?' Zabuza thought as his clones attacks flew right through her and she was able to strike them down as if she was solid. But that didn't matter, the genin still were going to be in the way.

"Attacking him directly isn't going to work…" Sasuke said as Naruto handed him a shuriken and Sasuke had an idea.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sasuke said as Naruto nodded.

"We need to get Kakashi out of that bubble," Naruto said as Sasuke prepared himself for the attack.

Sasuke got the shuriken ready and launched it, "Windmill of shadows!"

"A shuriken?" Zabuza said as he threw a kunai to stop the weapon from spinning… only to have it reveal a second kunai to be below it.

"Not good enough, but a clever idea," Zabuza said as he quickly threw another kunai… only to have Naruto leap out of his transformation and leap over the blade.

"Now… let Kakashi go!" Naruto shouted as he placed a powerful kick to the Demon of the Mist, he lost control of his Water prion and Kakashi was freed.

"Thanks… I thought I was going to be stuck there for weeks," Kakashi said as he got ready to take over the fight, "Naruto, Sasuke, return back to guarding the bridge builder. Kasumi, make an attempt to dispose of any clones he uses and attempt to keep him distracted."

"Okay," Kasumi said as she was glad the clones vanished when Naruto hit Zabuza, "over here," Kasumi said as she flashed under a thrown kunai, and appeared behind the demon ninja, "or over here."

"Annoying little pest," Zabuza shouted as his mighty slash did absolutely nothing to the ghost ninja.

"Awgh, you're getting cranky," Kasumi teased as she went behind him again and took his sword from his belt. "got your weapon."

"Give me that back and stop messing around," Zabuza yelled as Kasumi just examined the sword, "Forget this, Water Style-"

"Great Vortex Jutsu," Kakashi finished as he was able to quickly copy the hand signs and activate it first. A large watery portal sucked Zabuza in and twirled and drowned him. Zabuza landed exhausted on the ground, but not defeated.

"Hahaha," Kasumi laughed at the simple fact he was hit by his own move.

"Oh no you don't," Zabuza said as he attempted to perform hand signs, and Kakashi copied it exactly.

"It-It's the Sharigon… the Copycat ninja's special ability," Zabuza shouted as Kakashi nodded.

"Water Dragon jutsu," Kakashi finished as the Demon of the Mist was blasted with high-volumes of water projectiles.

'Wait….wouldn't that make him an Uchiha if he can do that?' Kasumi thought as Sasuke was thinking something similar.

"Go sensei!" Naruto cheered as Zabuza looked defeated and wasted.

"Huh?" Kasumi said as many needles went right through her, and hit Zabuza in the neck and other areas, "what just happened?"

Everyone turned to the directions where the needles came from and saw an ANBU hunter. The disguised figure wandered towards the body of Zabuza.

"I will need to take him to headquarters to dispose of him," the ANBU said as he prepared to transport the body, "I'm a ANBU Hunter who was looking for this criminal for a while. I thank you of locating him and helping in his defeat."

"Okay, your welcome I guess," Naruto said as Kakashi and the ANBU spoke for a bit.

'Something doesn't seem right,' Kasumi thought as her favorite spirit came to her, 'what now.'

'You're right… I'm not too sure, but those needles didn't seem to be placed at a fatal spot,' the spirit said as Zabuza laid motionless, 'seems more like paralazys.'

"Hmmm," Kasumi thought as she handed back the stolen blade for the ANBU to dispose of and the hunter and his pray vanished off.

"That was very interesting," the bridge builder said as everyone picked up anything that was dropped before they headed off towards the village of waves again.

"A battle between Jonin and an ANBU hunter," Naruto said as Kakashi began to think a little bit about the hunter suddenly appearing in this area.

"That went better than most people would expect," Sakura said as the group began to wander off.

"I'm just wondering what other surprises we might find," Sasuke said as the group was off.

'I don't think this is the end for Zabuza,' Kasumi thought as she dropped her jutsu and went with her team.

Okay, that was fun to review the episodes after a while. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and sorry about the wait. I was very busy.

Okay, read and review. Thank Dragon-Wolf Tamer for editing.

"Yay, abridge refrance," –Dragon-Wolf Tamer