009


"Holy shit it's huge!"

"Hehe...that's what she sa-OW!"

Zero Two and Naruto winced from the sudden blows to their respective heads. The rosette whirled around and leveled a glare at the offending scarecrow, who held a rolled up newspaper in his hand.

"Naruto, keep it down. We'll be detected in no time if you scream out like that," Kakashi admonished before turning to Zero Two, not flinching in the slightest at the spiteful look being directed at him. "And you stop enabling him."

"Honestly, where do you guys get the energy," Sakura chuckled to herself as she shook her head at the excitable couple. Sasuke merely scoffed at their antics and kept his eyes trained forward, scanning for any assailants hidden in the mist.

Currently, Team Seven was occupying a small raft bound for the Land of Waves. The small nation resided entirely on one island so they had to travel there by way of boat. The heavy fog that drifted about just above the surface of the river acted as a smokescreen to mask their approach.

They had just happened upon Tazuna's latest project, to which Naruto couldn't help but gawk at. The massive bridge towered over the water's surface and if he had to guess it was nearly as wide as their training ground. It was rather hard to believe the construct was barely a quarter of the way finished.

As it turns out, a shipping magnate by the name of Gatō was responsible for putting the hit out on Tazuna. By using his company as a front, he began smuggling in all kinds of contraband and even trafficked drugs. He took control of the Waves' shipping routes and for the last year, had created a monopoly by isolating the country from the outside world, preventing free sea-freighting and turning it into an impoverished, hunger-stricken country in the process.

It was then Tazuna resolved himself to build the bridge. If Wave Country was reconnected to the mainland, the economy would stabilize, bringing wealth and prosperity to the indigent nation once more. That of course didn't sit too well with Gatō, who put out a bounty on the elderly man. It was then Tazuna sought out the Hidden Leaf for protection. Unfortunately, Wave Country was so poor that even the Daimyo himself was left penniless. Lacking the proper funds, Tazuna was forced to hire Team Seven under the false pretense of protecting him from bandits, which would indeed have made it a C-rank mission. Kakashi had decided to sympathize with the bridge builder and agreed to continue the mission, stating that proper payment could be worked out at a later date.

"Tazuna-san, it appears we've gone unnoticed thanks to the fog. We'll be arriving in town shortly," The boatman said in a hushed tone.

"Ah I see. Thanks again," the elderly man nodded.

"Alright team," Kakashi spoke up, drawing the attention of his charges. "We're entering into dangerous, unknown territory. It's our job to get Tazuna-san back home safe and sound, preferably in one piece. Any questions, comments, or concerns?"

Naruto's hand immediately shot up.

"That isn't trivial in nature."

Naruto's hand slowly returned to his side.

"Good. Be sure to have your eyes peeled and keep your head on a swivel out there. You never know when the enemy will attack again."


"Ha!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed a he brandished a kunai from his holster. "It's no use hiding!"

He launched the knife into a nearby bush, startling the group. It sank into the trunk of a tree with a dull thud and the blond carefully moved closer to inspect his handiwork. At the base of the tree was a small white rabbit that was trembling in fear, the kunai having just barely missed its head. "Wait what?"

The blond was swiftly rewarded with another swat, courtesy of his sensei. "Don't go getting everyone's nerves worked up unnecessarily. We're all on edge enough as is."

"I'm not! There really was someone there y'know!" Naruto whined as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.

Ignoring the boy's cries, Kakashi's gaze fell on the small creature. 'That's a snow rabbit...but their fur only turns white in the winter when there's little sunlight,' he analyzed. His lone visible eye began to slowly scan the surrounding shrubbery. 'That can only mean it was raised indoors without sunlight, more than likely to be used as a substitution. Guess that means they're already here...'

"You're the worst Darling. Scared the poor thing half to death," Zero Two teased.

"I didn't mean to! But I'm not lying, there really was somebody over there y'know!" Naruto insisted as he tried his best to comfort the frightened rabbit.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure th-" Zero Two's breath hitched when she noticed a large metal object hurtling torwards the group and breakneck speeds. "EVERYBODY DOWN!"

"Hu-" Naruto grunted as the rosette suddenly shot forward and tackled him to the ground. Sakura emulated the impromptu maneuver with Tazuna while Kakashi and Sasuke we're quick to jump out of harm's way. Naruto quickly overcame his sense of vertigo and glanced down at the bundle of pink hair covering his chest. "Thanks, I really owe you one."

"You owe me quite a few Darling," Zero Two quipped. "But we're not out of the woods yet," she said grimly before glancing over her shoulder. Naruto followed her gaze and his eyes widened in shock. Embedded in the trunk of a tree was a large broadsword shaped like a butcher knife. It was as long as a full-grown man was tall and had two distinct cut outs on the blade: a circle close to the top and a semi-circular one near to the base. There was flash of movement and a figure appeared on the handle, which was nearly half the blade's length.

It was a tall, muscular man with light grayish skin, and short spiky black hair. Like Kakashi, the lower half of his face was completely covered, only with bandages and he wore headband sideways on his head at an odd angle. He was shirtless save for a black belt that was wrapped around his torso. He was wearing striped, baggy grey pants and mimetic wrist-warmers extending up to his elbows with matching leg-warmers.

"Now I see why the Demon Brothers failed to return. The infamous Copy Ninja Kakashi, in the flesh," the man spoke.

Kakashi stepped forward bearing a somber expression. 'I recognize that sword. Which could only mean...'

"Oi, you know this eyebrow-less freak Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto queried as he helped Zero Two to her feet.

The man's eyes narrowed at the young blond. "To think you would be dragging around a pack of brats with you."

"Who you callin-"

Naruto fell silent when Kakashi held up his hand and his stern expression to the boy to remain so. "As I live and breath, the one and only Momochi Zabuza. This was the last place I expected to run into the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Last I heard you were a missing-nin," Kakashi said cooly.

"Yeah that tends to happen when you make an attempt on the Kage's life. Shame we fell just short," Zabuza replied with a shrug. "But enough with the pleasantries. Hand over the builder so I can be on my way already."

"No can do I'm afraid. My team and I were hired to escort Tazuna-san home and keep him safe from harm." Kakashi rebutted.

"Is that so?" Zabuza chortled. "And to think I was hired to make sure he never returned. Alive that is."

"Then it would seem we're at an impasse."

"Not for long."

Kakashi watched as the large man began to roll his shoulders. It seemed that there would be absolutely no escaping this fight. "You guys form up around Tazuna. And no matter what, do not interfere."

"Oh come on Kakashi-sensei! This'll be over in no time if we all work together y'know!" Naruto protested.

"You had best listen to your teacher boy," Zabuza grinned, making the blond go rigid. "I have no time for little brats pretending to be ninjas."

Naruto felt his blood run cold as Zabuza stared down at him. His gaze was intense and he gave off a sinister aura, none like he'd ever felt before. 'Just who is this guy...?'

'Seems I have no other option than to use this,' Kakashi thought solemnly as he stepped forward and lifted his head band. The Sharingan embedded in his left eye began to shimmer as it spun to life. "I'll be your opponent Zabuza."

"Oh? Already using the Sharingan I see. You honor me," Zabuza chuckled with a slight bow. His words made Sasuke freeze.

'What?! That's not possible!'

His sensei turned to face them, confirming the rogue man's words. "This guy is dangerous. Don't let your guards down." Gone was his usual aloof demeanor, replaced by an air of staidness. It was the most serious they had ever seen the silver-haired man since meeting him, even more so than during the bell test.

"Is that so?" Zabuza smirked. He suddenly flashed with his sword, putting the group of leaf nins on edge. He reappeared moments later standing atop the surface of a river that ran parallel to the road. He had one hand drawn close to his chest with the other extended high above his head.

"We'll see about that. Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu."

Zabuza faded from sight as a heavy mist rolled into the area. It converged around the Leaf-nins, who all took up defensive stances. The fog grew so thick that visibility became nigh impossible.

"Damn it I can't see a thing y'know!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Eight spots..." a disembodied voice echoed around them. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian veins, kidneys, and heart...they all seem equally promising."

"Eyes up!" Kakashi warmed, flaring his chakra. The watery haze dispersed immediately but Zabuza was still nowhere to be seen. "He's a master of the Silent Killing technique."

The four genin quickly formed up around the defenseless Tazuna with Naruto standing on point. "Tch...it'll take more than this to scare me y'know!"

Beneath his brave facade, he was filled with a sudden sense of dread. 'This is bad! He could easily pick us off one by one before we even noticed.' The blond was quick to shake such foreboding thoughts from his head. No matter how scared he may have been, now was not the time to lose focus. A moment's hesitation could mean the difference between life and death in this situation. But he felt himself suddenly freeze up when a presence suddenly appeared behind him.

"Guess I'll just kill you first then."

Using the cover of the mist, Zabuza landed in the middle of their formation with his sword poised to strike. A smirk passed across his features as we watched the blond's eyes widen in fear. Not giving the boy a chance to react, he brought his massive blade down on top of a startled Naruto.

Kakashi flickered just behind his student and pushed him away before intercepting the blow with a kunai, much to Zabuza's surprise. "I said you'll be facing me," he narrowed his eyes at the tall man.

"Oh I haven't forgotten about you Kakashi," the Mist-nin grinned. The jōnin's eyes went wide when Zabuza's body liquified and fell to the ground in a soupy puddle.

"Now die!"

Kakashi's face went blank as his body was torn in half. Zabuza was behind him wielding his sword with a satisfied expression. It quickly morphed into one of shock when he saw his prey dissolve into a plash of water. 'Don't tell me...even with the mist, he actually managed to copy my water clone?!'

"Give it up Zabuza," The real Kakashi reappeared behind the swordsman. He had a kunai aimed at the back of his head. "It's over!"

"Wow...that was pretty awesome Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto gawked.

"Very clever Kakashi. Your reputation precedes you," Zabuza smirked. "But it's not enough!" He went for a sweep kick, making the silver-haired man jump back. He shot forward in a burst of speed and caught Kakashi by surprise with a strong frontal kick to the chest. The Copy-nin grunted as he was sent flying towards the nearby river.

Kakashi landed in the water with a splash but was quick to resurface. 'What's up with this water? It's so heavy,' he thought as he struggled to stay afloat.

"Water Prison Jutsu!"

Shock registered on Kakashi's face as he found himself suddenly encapsulated in an orb of water. A menacing chortled reached his ears and he looked up to see Zabuza standing above him with his right arm reaching into the sphere.

"Looks like I've caught you. This special prison keeps you from moving so escape is impossible. We can settle our matter later." His attention turned to the younger ninjas, who were still shaken from the sudden turn of events. "But first, I'll take care of your little brats. Water Clone Jutsu!"

Zabuza formed a sign with his free hand and the water began to stir next to him. It rose up and slowly took on a humanoid shape, forming an exact replica of Zabuza.

'Crap...He's even more skilled than I thought,' Kakashi ground his teeth in frustration. "You four, take Tazuna an get out of here!" He yelled at his team.

"W-What...?" Sakura squeaked.

"Our mission is to protect Tazuna-san. With him holding me here, he can't move either and he can only control his water clone from so far away." He quickly explained, making jailer snort in annoyance. "So take Tazuna-san and run away as far as possible!"

"No can do can do Kakashi-sensei," Naruto riposted.

"Damn it Naruto now is not the time for this! I gave you an order!" The silver-haired man commanded.

"But...it was a stupid one y'know."

"Besides..." Zero Two spoke up. "Wasn't it you who said that those who break the rules are trash, but anyone who abandons a comrade is worse than that?"

'Of course! She chooses now of all times to take my words to heart!'

"That option was taken off the table from the moment you got captured anyway," Sasuke said as he drew his sword. Even if they did manage to get away, it was only a matter of time before Zabuza disposed of Kakashi and hunted them down. The only choice they had now was to free their sensei. And once they did he would be sure to interrogate Kakashi about that Sharingan in his left eye.

"Sorry old man," Naruto said, sparring a glance over his shoulder. "You'll just have to bear with us for a moment while we take care of No-Brows over there."

"Well it's not like I have many options right now," Tazuna chuckled nervously. Despite what he said before about them all being brats, he had come to admire their tenacity. "Make sure you give'em hell!"

"Man I'm really starting to get fired up now," Zero Two grinned as she hit her thumb. "Strelitzia!" The Rosetta's ornate weapon appeared in a flash of brilliance and fell into her hand.

"Sakura, take the old man and hide out of sight." Naruto said as he drew his own sword. It was a ninjato that Yugao once wielded in her younger years after she first joined the ANBU. With him being her first and only student, she has insisted on passing it down to the young blond.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Sakura said as she placed a hand on Tazuna's shoulder. One of the first things she had realized after the formation of their team was that she was severely lacking in combat prowess compared to her fellow teammates. She just didn't have the same instinct for battle like them quite yet, but she was slowly getting there with a little help from Zero Two. "You guys be careful out there. If either of you die, I'll kill you myself!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say Pinky," Zero Two grinned. "Just be sure not to get caught in the crossfire."

The pinkette sighed, finally coming to terms with nickname assigned to her by the older girl as she formed the tiger sign with her hands. "Chameleon Jutsu!" Both Sakura and Tazuna seemed to phase out of sight and their presences were completely erased.

In her spare time, Sakura liked to visit the library from time to time and she had even more so of a reason now that she was a full-fledged shinobi. Now she was allowed access to the restricted Shinobi section which was filled with all kinds of scrolls containing various techniques. The chameleon jutsu was one such that she had learned and it was fairly easy to pick up given her exceptional chakra control. It allows the user to control how light is reflected around their body with chakra inflections. It supposedly technique also erased the user's scent as well. The only downside was that her reserves of chakra were rather small so she could only maintain the technique for roughly ten minutes.

When she could no longer sense either of them, Zero Two turned to face Zabuza. "You, the browless one," she spun her glaive, pointing it at him. "Cough up the Scarecrow. We can't get paid without him."

'Wow...just wow. At least something has her motivated,' Kakashi faulted. It was a customary rule that money earned from missions was not to be given out until a report was delivered by the mission leader, whether it be written or verbally.

"Tch...still playing a being ninja. What a joke," the clone snorted. "You can't be considered a real ninja until you walk the fine line between life and death on a regular basis," it said as a heavy fog crept into the area. The three teens all stood with their back to one another, each scanning the watery haze for any sign of the missing-nin. Naruto suddenly found himself flying backwards and slammed into a tree. "You're just a bunch a good for nothing brats!" The clone phased into sight.

"Darling!"

Zero Two rounded on the man, lashing out with her spear. The clone sidestepped the attack, tripping the girl with a low kick as it did. Sasuke's own charge was halted by the rosette crashing into him and both teens were sent tumbling to the ground.

The clone suddenly jumped away, dodging a hail of shuriken. Naruto fell from the sky bringing down his sword on the clone's head. But it was easily deflected when the doppelgänger drew its own sword in a quick, fluid motion.

"You fancy yourself a swordsman boy?" The clone grunted.

"Something like that," Naruto chuckled nervously, doing his best to ignore the jitters racing up his spine.

"You stand before one of the Seven Swordsman of the Hidden Mist, wielder of Kubikiribōchō. I will show you true despair."

Naruto twirled the short blade in his hand before charging forward. "I'll show you what happens when you underestimate me!" The one blond became eight and converged on Zabuza's double. Half of Naruto's shadow clones were decimated in an instant by the massive, Zweihänder-type sword, causing smoke to cloud the air from their dispersion. Sasuke burst forth from the smog with his blade poised to strike. The real Naruto circled around from behind, closing in for a pincer attack.

The genin were caught off guard when the clone spun in place, using Kubikiribōchō to generate a strong whirlwind around itself that knocked the boys away. It's eyes locked into the still recovering Naruto and grinned maliciously.

"Time to die!"

The clone began winding up a sweeping slash to cleave the defense blond in half only for the sword's momentum to halt unexpectedly. It's head swiveled and caught sight of a tall glaive embedded in the dirt. It was caught in the circular hollow near the tip of Kubikiribōchō's blade, locking the giant sword in place.

"What the-"

"Know your place!" Zero Two barked as she drove her foot into the clone's side and sent it reeling.

"Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!"

The clone quickly righted itself and an expression of shock crossed its features upon spotting a thunderous ball of flames barreling towards him. "Ha! You brats got spunk! Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" Water surged forth from the river and erected a barricade that intercepted the mass of flames, permeating the road with a fog of steam.

"Shit...this guy is the real deal," Naruto spat out a glob of blood.

"He's strong and even with that giant sword, he's incredibly very fast," Zero Two said. He swung Kubikiribōchō with ease, as if it were lighter than a feather.

"And that's just his clone," Sasuke muttered. "We have to find a way to get Kakashi-sensei out of that bubble."

"The Scarecrow said he had to stay there in order maintain his jutsu. So we just have to make No-Brows move. The question is how..." Zero Two pondered. Even if it was just a clone, it was just as strong as the original and it would undoubtedly thwart any attempt they made on the man's real body.

"I've got it!" Naruto exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. He threw his arms around his companions' shoulders and drew them close into a small huddle. "Ok so remember how during the bell test..."


"I must hand it to you Kakashi. That's an interesting group of brats you have there," Zabuza smirked. "I'm surprised they're still alive."

"Oh I'm sure they aren't done surprising you yet," The Copy-nin sighed defeatedly. 'Honestly, disobeying a direct order like that.' He was flattered that they actually took his words to heart but he didn't want them throwing their lives away just to save him. 'God I hope they don't do anything even more reckless...'


"That...actually just might work," Sasuke blinked in surprise.

"Of course it will!" Naruto beamed. "It's my idea after all. I haven't had a bad one yet y'know!"

"Well what about that time-"

"Zero Two please!" Naruto exclaimed as he clamped his hands over her mouth. He was quite flustered and his cheeks had a rosy tint to them. "W-We agreed to never bring that up again!"

"I'm just saying," Zero Two shrugged with a grin. "Only you could think of something so crazy."

"Look, we gotta act fast," Naruto said, eager to change the subject. In his peripherals he watched Zabuza's clone conjure another faux Kubikiribōchō using the heated water particles in the air. "Get into position Zero Two and wait for my signal."

"Roger that Darling~!" The rosette winked before jumping away.

"Alright Sasuke, follow my lead. I'll create an opening."

"Tch...just this once."

The water clone heard an array of cries and turned to face a horde of blonde blitzing their way down the road. "Hn...you're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Fine, come at me!" Naruto and his small army of shadow clones let out a war cry before diving towards the doppelgänger in an effort to trap it beneath their bodies. "How naive!" Gripping the handle with both hands, it swung Kubikiribōchō in a wide arc, generating another shockwave that blasted the drove of blonds away. "Did you really thin-"

"Demon Wind Shuriken!"

Doppelgänger's eyes snapped skyward and spotted Sasuke high in the air. In his hand he held a large, four-bladed collapsible fuma shuriken. With a mighty heave, the Uchiha released the enlarged projectile. It sailed over the doppelgänger's head and made a beeline for Zabuza's real body.

"Attacking me in hopes that'll move my hand. A good strategy," the rogue-nin commented. Zabuza effortlessly snatched the weapon out of the air with a smirk. His eyes soon narrowed when he noticed a second fuma shuriken barreling towards him. 'I see...he hid this one in the shadow of the first one. Clever.'

With both hands occupied and little time to react, Zabuza did the only thing he could at that moment. As the shuriken drew close, he jumped at the last second and it flew right under him. 'But not clever enough!'

He heard a distinct popping sound behind him and glanced over his shoulder, eyes bulging in bewilderment. Flying over the surface of the water was a grinning Naruto with a kunai in hand. "I've got you now!" He yelled as he flung the knife at Zabuza's head. Gritting his teeth and letting out an angry snarl, Zabuza used the fuma shuriken and positioned one of the large blades behind his head. The kunai bounced off its surface and was knocked into the air.

"You just don't know when to give up do you?!" Zabuza roared. There was another popping sound just above him which put the swordsman on alert. He lashed out with the giant shuriken only to have his wrist caught.

Naruto was hovering slightly just above Zabuza, tightly holding his free arm in place. "You're right I don't! So you can Just give up..." A streak of crimson flashed through the blonde's eyes as he thrust his foot downward. "On me giving up!" Naruto stomped down on Zabuza's collarbone with great force, causing the strut to snap. The dark-haired man's entire body went limp and his other hand fell to his side, causing the orb of water imprisoning Kakashi to collapse. Without letting up, Naruto used the startled Zabuza's neck as a spring board and pushed himself away. "Now Zero Two!"

Almost immediately, the rosette flashed into existence, sliding to a stop just in front of Zabuza. She had Strelitzia hefted over her shoulder with both hand grasping the base as if it were a club. "Batter Up!" She cried out with a maniacal smile. Mustering ounce of her strength that she could and and even going as far as to channel chakra throughout her arms, Zero Two slammed Strelitzia into Zabuza's chest, striking him with the flat side of its blade. His ribcage shattered with a thunderous crack and the helpless man was sent rocketing across the river like a rag doll. Zabuza's unconscious form slammed into a tree on the other side and clung limply off one of its branches.

"Lets do it Sasuke!"

"Stop ordering me around!"

Both teens began forming hand signs as they took deep breaths.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bullet!"

"Wind Style: Unrelenting Force!"

A large dragon forged of flames roared forth from Sasuke while a hurricane wind erupted from Naruto. the two attacks merged with a mighty roar and blazed across the water towards the comatose Zabuza. Just as the flaming dragon was about to devour its prey, a tall block of ice rose up in front of he tree. The potent fireball slammed into the frozen bulwark, sending water, smoke, and shards of ice everywhere.

"Wait what?" Naruto sputtered.

The Leaf-nin stared cautiously across the river, waiting for the hazy mist to disperse. When it finally did, they noticed that Zabuza's body was nowhere to be seen.

"Did...did we get him?"

"Don't be stupid! Its obvious he has an accomplice!" Sasuke snapped at his teammate.

A pink blur slammed into Naruto's backside, nearly knocking him off balance. "Good job Darling~! Your plan worked!" Zero Two gleamed as she clung to the blond, affectionately rubbing her cheek against his own. "And that jutsu was totally awesome y'know!"

"Well I am pretty amazing y'know!"

Whilst attempting to learn the "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough", one of the few offensive jutsu that Asuma had to offer, there had been a slight mishap. Naruto had grown frustrated and ended up accidentally overcharging the technique with chakra. When he tried to regain control, he ended up concentrating the raging gale into a far more destructive blast. After that, the blonde had spent two days trying to replicate his blunder which led to the creation of a new jutsu.

Sakura came stumbling into view with an exasperated Tazuna trailing not too far behind her. "Holy crap guys! That was amazing!"

As Sakura gushed over her teammates, with the more excitable two relishing in the ovation, Kakashi could only stare at his students in awe. 'They...they actually did it,' Taking on a missing-nin, let alone winning against one was no small feat for a genin. And through their combined efforts and teamwork, his had taken down the infamous Demon of the Hidden Mist himself. 'They certainly are growing into their roles. I guess I can't exactly call them cute anymore.'

Kakashi pulled his headband back down and slowly approached the group of rambunctious teenagers. "Alright team, settle down. We need to get a move on, it's not safe. We need to get Tazuna-san home as soon as possible."

"But Kakashi-sensei, No-Brows got away y'know!" Naruto pointed out.

"You're right. He seems to be working with someone else. We don't how many of them there are is exactly why we need to get out of here so we can plan our next move." the jōnin replied matter-of-factly. "So everyone rest up. We depart in five."

"Yes sir!" the genin all sounded off.

With a heavy sigh, Kakashi reached into his pouch and withdrew his signature orange book. 'That definitely wasn't the last we'll be seeing of the Demon. I need to make sure we're better prepared next time.'

"You're just jealous my plan worked!"

"It doesn't make you any less stupid!"

"You stubborn ass!"

"Deadlast idiot!"

"Why I outta-"

"Yeah show'em who's boss Darling~!"

"Not again you guys...and don't encourage them Zero Two!"

Another sigh escaped the silver-haired man as he glanced toward the overcast sky. 'This truly is karma...isn't Minato-sensei?'