A/N: I'm back in college and struggling to find time to write between studying, practice, and work. If you want quicker updates, your best option is reviewing. Reviews convince me that writing the next chapter would be much more fulfilling than, say, studying for a midterm tomorrow. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's stuck with the story so far! After this chapter there should be two more to round out the Land of Waves arc.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters in this story.
Chapter 9
Itachi was not used to losing control of a situation. He was one of the strongest living shinobi, silent, deadly, and feared by friend and foe alike. Until Madara had appeared, Itachi had never met a foe he couldn't face. But the sheer power unleashed by Naruto only minutes before had humbled Itachi completely. Rough and clumsy the container might have been, but his speed had been too much, even for Itachi. So this was the power of the Kyuubi, and its wielder was a staunch warrior of Konoha. Madara had not been idle.
An even more unpleasant surprise had arrived in the form of Uchiha Akemi, Shisui's sister. Itachi had always regretted leaving Shisui behind, but his friend had been caught in Madara's genjutsu. Itachi couldn't break it, and had had to leave his friend at the hospital before spreading the news of Madara's planned sedition. Itachi had been forced to flee before he found out whether Shisui lived or not.
To so suddenly see his friend's sister bent on revenge had been a profound shock. Not only was his friend dead, but Shisui's sister believed Itachi guilty of the one crime he hadn't actually committed. He had meant to kill her, as he would soon have to kill every Uchiha, but at the last minute found he couldn't. He pulled his strike at the last minute, leaving Akemi with a wound that would prove to be non-lethal.
Now here he was, with two wounds that refused to heal: the emotional pain he felt every time he saw his best friend in the young genin's face, and the searing agony of the gash across his leg. And to top it off, he was now staring down one of the most dangerous missing-nin alive. Itachi was confident he could've taken Zabuza normally, but with the chakra burn from the Kyuubi his mobility would be greatly restricted.
I might be able to pull this one off with Sasuke's help. Let's hope Zabuza's apprentice isn't too talented.
The two younger shinobi, by unspoken agreement, had begun moving away from Itachi and Zabuza. There was an almost electric feel in the air between the two, an intensity that would have surprised anyone who only saw their age.
There was a part of Itachi that was actually looking forward to this fight. He had all of the anticipation of a proud teacher, waiting to see how his pupil would perform when the stakes were real. But this will be a test for me as well, Itachi realized. It's been a long time since I've had to fight injured. Have I become too complacent?
He shifted a little, to see whether his injured leg would support his weight. It held, though it hurt like hell.
Zabuza leapt down from his branch, landing lightly and with perfect balance. He had the fluid grace of a predator. He was a shark in the water, and Itachi was leaving a blood trail.
"I am a little disappointed it had to go this way," Zabuza said. "It goes against the grain to kill off a cripple like this. But then, I'm sure a professional like you understands that the mission always comes first. It's nothing personal."
Itachi remained impassive. "Just business, is that it? I wonder how one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist could have fallen so low. You're scum, Momochi Zabuza. A common mercenary that sells his soul for profit."
Zabuza snarled. "Haven't you heard? A demon has no soul."
Itachi smiled slightly, tilting his head to one side. "There is darkness in every heart. That does not deprive us of our humanity. We only lose our souls when we give up our principles, when we make ourselves smaller. Is survival truly all you aspire to? Are a few coins the extent of your ambition?"
"Only a sentimental fool scorns money in favor of 'principle.' No ambition can be achieved without it. Having money is a necessary step on the road to power." Zabuza drew the zanbatou from its holster, and pointed it at Itachi one-handed. Itachi was distantly impressed at the strength necessary to keep the heavy weapon perfectly still. "And I will have power!"
Just as I thought. He isn't a common thug. He has a goal in mind—and I think I can guess what it is. A plan was beginning to form in Itachi's mind. The details were a little murky, and it was a long shot, but it had potential. The trouble was it was a long-term plan, and before he could even think about putting it into action he would have to survive this fight. Something which Zabuza seemed determined to make sure wouldn't happen.
Zabuza formed a set of seals rapidly, and although Itachi could have copied the jutsu immediately it wouldn't have done any good. Instead of attacking, Zabuza was using the water in the river to generate a thick, white fog. Copying the technique would have been worse than useless, simply adding to the miasma settling around him.
Zabuza's voice echoed eerily within the mist, seeming to reach Itachi's ears from every direction at once. "You might as well already be dead. No one escapes me when I am within the mist. And all of your abilities are useless, since you can't see to use those devil-eyes. I am your worst nightmare, Uchiha!"
oOoOo
Sasuke crouched, ready to spring into action, his mind turning over the possibilities. He needed to get to Itachi, whose injury would surely slow him down more and more the longer the fight lasted. He needed to end this fight quickly, but it was exactly that desire to rush in headlong that made him remain cautious. There was something about this pretty-boy shinobi that made Sasuke doubt his ability to end this with a straightforward attack. The best thing to do would be to figure out his opponent's fighting style, then end his life swiftly using one of the assassination techniques he'd learned from Itachi.
Sasuke's opponent didn't look as though he was calculating or planning; in fact, he looked perfectly calm and composed. The only emotion that Sasuke could detect was a small tinge of sadness in those brown eyes.
"My name is Haku," the shinobi said, breaking the tense silence. "And I am truly sorry for what I must do. If there is an afterlife, I hope you one day come to forgive me."
"What the hell kind of talk is that?" Sasuke stared at Haku incredulously. "Did you just apologize for taking a contract to kill us? What kind of shinobi are you?"
Haku smiled slightly, but it was a cold smile, devoid of any happy feeling. "I am simply a tool for Zabuza-sama to use as he sees fit. It is my only purpose."
Sasuke was beginning to feel sick. How could someone so calmly renounce their own autonomy? Willingly surrender everything within them to the whims of another?
"Let me get this straight. You don't want to kill me, but because Zabuza says so, you will."
"Yes," Haku answered simply. "I'm sorry."
"You're beginning to piss me off with the apologies," Sasuke said, doing his best to inject a sneer that he wasn't really feeling. "If you're going to kill someone, don't crawl to them asking for forgiveness."
Sasuke pulled out two kunai from his belt pouch, angling them downward. "You won't hear any 'sorrys' from me. You attacked us, and that makes you fair game. Make your peace, because you're about to die."
Sasuke charged, one kunai outstretched, the other angled in. He met a flurry of senbon head-on, slowing down only a little while deflecting the sharp needles aside. A second later and he'd closed the distance with Haku, aiming a quick slash at his enemy's hands. If he could keep his enemy from using hand seals he'd have a distinct advantage, not to mention the fact that if Haku was busy parrying he wouldn't be able to throw more senbon.
To his shock, Sasuke realized that Haku was every bit as fast as he was, even with the sharingan. Using two senbon like kunai, Haku managed to deflect the few attacks that he couldn't dodge outright. Haku fought with a fluid grace, ducking under powerful kicks and weaving around Sasuke's kunai like they weren't even there.
"I'm very impressed," Haku said, still effortlessly keeping up with Sasuke's furious onslaught. "You are the first person my own age I've met that can keep up with me."
"Funny, that's what I was about to say."
Sasuke continued targeting Haku's hands and arms, trying to force the other boy into a direct contest of strength. He was sure if he could trap one of those senbon, he'd be able to overwhelm Haku. But Haku deflected every one of his attacks at an angle, keeping him from bringing his strength to bear.
After a few more seconds of continuous attacking and defending, striking and parrying, Sasuke felt his eyes beginning to adjust. Haku's chakra appeared more clearly, and Sasuke felt more confident about the nature of his opponent's movements. He decided it was time to switch tactics, and try to end this fight decisively.
Sasuke aimed a few sharp kicks at Haku's knees, which forced Haku to move back slightly. That gave Sasuke enough room to throw his kunai. Haku deflected them easily, but the kunai had only been a distraction. Immediately after throwing his weapons, Sasuke leapt forward and crouched low, throwing all of his momentum into a sweeping kick.
Because his hands were both busy deflecting the kunai, Haku was forced to jump backwards into the air, which was just what Sasuke was waiting for. His hands moved in a blur, forming seals that he knew as well as his own name.
"Burning Fireball jutsu!" Hungry flames erupted from his mouth and sped towards Haku, enveloping the youth in a hellstorm of orange fire. When they dissipated Haku was unharmed, though he was surrounded by a ring of hissing steam.
Haku nodded at Sasuke, who was staring open-mouthed at his unharmed opponent. "A powerful attack. But fire will never beat water, just as you will never beat me." Haku formed a set of seals and a whip of water rose from the nearby river. With a throwing motion, he sent the whip at Sasuke faster than the Uchiha could react. The whip passed through Sasuke's body as if it wasn't even there – the reason being, of course, that it wasn't.
Two kunai came hurtling at Haku from behind, explosive tags swinging from the handles. Haku jumped back, but couldn't completely avoid the blast. The concussive force knocked him backward, and he landed roughly on the ground. Sasuke jumped down from the tree he'd used for cover.
Haku picked himself up, shaking some of the dust off of his shirt. His face sported a few bruises and cuts, though they weren't very deep. "I see. You never expected that attack to hit at all. It was merely to distract me so that you could switch places with a clone."
Sasuke shrugged. "Almost. I didn't know if my jutsu would get you or not, but my sensei would kill me himself if I stood around waiting to find out. Now let's finish this. Phoenix Firestorm jutsu!"
Small fireballs arced out of Sasuke's fingertips, and he ran around Haku in a wide circle, peppering his opponent with the fiery missiles.
Haku made another set of seals, generating a thick whip of water that coiled itself around him and began to spin rapidly. "Didn't you listen before?" Haku's voice sounded slightly disappointed, as if he'd been expecting more. "Your fire techniques are useless when I have so much water to fuel my techniques. Send as many fireballs against my shield as you wish, you'll only waste chakra."
The ground in front of Haku exploded, revealing a second Sasuke diving directly for the shield. His outstretched palm was bathed in a yellow glow, and the air around it hissed and crackled. "Then how about some lighting?" he shouted.
Sasuke's fist drove into the shield, discharging the electric shock throughout the entire glowing sphere. Sasuke jumped back, fully expecting to see the technique dissipate, an unconscious Haku on the ground. What he did not expect to see was the water shield turning into a solid sphere of ice, inside of which Sasuke could dimly make out Haku's slight form.
The electricity faded, useless, and the ice sphere dissolved into thin air. Haku stared at Sasuke, looking as surprised as Sasuke felt.
"Two of you using jutsus? Then the first you was…"
Sasuke nodded smugly, not letting his surprise over the whole ice thing detract from the pride he felt from his own strategy. "It was a shadow clone. I made one at the same time that I made the regular clone, figuring that you wouldn't expect both kinds. When you used water to shield yourself from my first technique, I knew I'd need to get close and try an electric element jutsu."
"I am once again impressed," Haku said. "The Shadow Clone jutsu is one of Konoha's most closely guarded secrets, and normally requires a jonin-level shinobi to wield it properly. Not only that, but you instantly assessed my abilities and improvised a plan to take advantage of their weaknesses. If it weren't for my Ice Release, I might well be dead now."
"That's what your technique is called? Ice Release?"
Haku inclined his head, a respectful gesture to a respected enemy. "That is correct. My kekkei genkai allows me to produce and manipulate ice."
Sasuke was impressed. That was a formidable ability, and it neutralized the advantage he'd expected his lightning affinity to give him.
In the air around Haku, hundreds of droplets of water transformed into sharp needles made of ice. "Now you will see my ability first-hand. Ice Senbon Shower!"
The icy projectiles flew at Sasuke, who took out two more kunai and deflected as many of the things as he could. He managed to protect his vital areas, but the volley left him with nicks and cuts all over his arms and legs.
Sasuke glared at Haku, the cuts doing nothing except increasing his determination to win. "Is that all your little technique can do? You're going to need a lot more than that!"
"That is not all," Haku said, and to Sasuke he sounded almost sad. "Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors."
All around Sasuke, gleaming slabs of ice began to form in the air. He was caught flat-footed, watching as the strange mirrored surfaces created a type of beehive, with himself trapped in the center. Haku jumped towards one of the mirrors, fusing with the ice until he appeared to be only a reflection. Sasuke began to truly feel worried once that reflection branched out, and thirty Hakus watched him impassively from the ice mirrors.
Haku's voice echoed around him, coming from every direction at once. "I'm ashamed to say that I've enjoyed this fight, which is why it must end now. A tool does not have emotions. It does not let anything deter it from the swift execution of its duty. Uchiha Sasuke, this is the power of my Ice Release. Prepare yourself for the true meaning of speed."
oOoOo
Everything around Itachi was white. The mist weighed down on him with an almost tangible malevolence, dampening all sounds and cutting Itachi off from the rest of the world. He strained all of his senses, waiting for the inevitable sneak attack.
Zabuza had been a Swordsman of the Hidden Mist, and an unsurpassed master of the Silent Killing Technique. It was said he'd killed men so swiftly they never even realized they'd been hit, right up until the moment their hearts stopped. Itachi had a few tricks up his sleeve, but it all depended on being able to fend off Zabuza's assassination techniques.
A swishing sound came from his left. Itachi didn't move. When the real attack came, it would be silent as the grave.
One second there was nothing. Then Itachi sensed padded footfalls directly behind him. He waited for a split second, judging when the kunai would be inches away from his neck. Then he whirled, grabbing Zabuza's wrist with his left arm and completing his rotation, stabbing with his own kunai at the missing-nin's shoulder.
Instead of the thunk of blade sinking into flesh, there was an ear-splitting screech as his kunai skated off something metallic. Zabuza had managed to heft his giant zanbatou, Kubikiribocho, just in time.
Itachi jumped backwards, pushing off with his good leg and gaining a little space. Though he still didn't see Zabuza, he could tell his opponent hadn't followed.
"How did you anticipate my attack?" The ex-Kiri shinobi's voice was almost petulant.
"Just because I'm an Uchiha doesn't mean I can't fight without my sharingan. It's true, many of my clan rely on their eyes far too much. I, however, have been careful not to make that mistake."
Itachi formed a set of hand seals that he hadn't used since basic training for ANBU. This was an echolocation technique that sent out a pulse of chakra, specially modified to bounce off of objects and return an image of one's surroundings. The problem with the technique was that any shinobi worth their salt would sense the chakra pulse, making it effectively useless for scouting the terrain before a surprise attack. Only civilians and untrained shinobi wouldn't sense the chakra, so ANBU were cautioned never to use it when trying to avoid notice in hostile territory.
But for this situation it was perfect. Zabuza already knew where Itachi was, thanks to the blood trail from Itachi's wound, as well as his doubtless superior sense of hearing. Therefore using the echolocation jutsu wouldn't put Itachi at any more of a disadvantage, and would allow him to keep track of Zabuza moving through the mist.
Zabuza let out a snarl as he felt the wave of chakra rebound off of him. "So you're not worthless after all. I'll give it to you, that's a decent trick. But make no mistake, you're nothing compared to one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure."
"Former Swordsman," Itachi pointed out, hoping to get Zabuza angry enough to slip up, or at least stop evaluating the situation with a level head. "They ran you out of the country, after all. And you've been hiding out ever since, eking out a pitiful existence by preying on the weak."
"Shut up!" Zabuza roared. "You know nothing about me! I will return to Kirigakure, and the Mizukage will rue the day she ever met Momochi Zabuza. My sword will drink her blood, and I will take my place in history. You I'll squash like a bug, with or without your sonar trick."
With the help of the sonar jutsu, Itachi was able to track Zabuza as the shinobi angled and darted around. It was difficult, because the surrounding trees made for many blind spots in the jutsu, and Zabuza was deliberately ducking behind them to interfere with Itachi's technique.
Itachi was caught by surprise when the shadowy imprint that was his only image of Zabuza came to a dead stop. He almost didn't sense the slight whirring sound, and threw himself to the ground just as Zabuza's giant sword went flying through the air. A second later and he would have been cut in half.
Itachi was slightly surprised that such an elite shinobi would ever willingly part with his weapon. But then, the Seven Swords of Kirigakure's Swordsmen were said to have strange powers. Maybe those powers included some kind of safeguard against being wielded by other shinobi.
Either way, Itachi didn't have much time to ponder the wisdom of Zabuza's decision. The other shinobi had charged him, counting on the fact that dodging the zanbatou would make Itachi unable to use his sonar jutsu. Zabuza landed a swift kick to Itachi's solar plexus that sent him flying backwards.
Itachi got to his feet, gingerly rubbing his stomach. One to you, Zabuza, he reflected. That kick had some force behind it.
Some sixth sense made Itachi dive to the ground again. For the second time in less than a minute he narrowly avoided being hacked in half by Zabuza's butcher sword, which was wielded by a second Zabuza who seemed to have come out of nowhere. This time around he wasn't able to dodge completely, and received a long slash down his right arm.
"Shit," Zabuza exclaimed, "I really thought I had you that time."
Itachi exhaled with relief. That had been extremely close—Zabuza really did deserve to be called the "Demon of the Mist."
"That was clever. You created a water clone when you were behind one of those trees, didn't you? Then you sent it in a wide arc to where you knew your sword would land after you threw it. I didn't bother checking behind me with the sonar jutsu, giving you the opportunity to attack from behind."
"You catch on quick, Uchiha. I must say I'm impressed. I've never faced anyone on an even footing when I was in the Mist. I'll have to keep some trophy to remind me of this fight. Your eyes, maybe."
Itachi didn't rise to the bait. "If you kill me, then you deserve them. But I'll tell you this for free: these eyes have never brought anyone anything but grief. I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy."
"What are you, some kind of philosopher? Power is power, and those who wield it are the only ones who matter."
"I wonder if you really believe that," Itachi said, deliberately injecting his voice with a knowing tone that he was confident would drive Zabuza crazy. "After all, you've spent so much time training up that young follower of yours. He isn't as strong as you, yet you look out for him instead of leaving him to his fate."
"That's what you think," Zabuza responded. "Haku is only a tool, but he is a powerful one. He may actually be stronger than me, when he uses his technique."
Itachi made a disbelieving snort, but his heart sank a little and he wondered how Sasuke's fight was going. If it wasn't for this damned mist… He could dispel it, but he wanted to keep his mastery of Water Release techniques secret for now. It could mean the difference later on in the fight. He would just have to hope that Sasuke was equal to the challenge. His little brother had never failed yet.
oOoOo
Oh shit oh shit oh shit. The words repeated in Sasuke's mind, beating a tattoo inside his brain. Whatever this ice-mirror jutsu actually did, it wasn't going to be good news.
He settled into his stance, keeping a white-knuckle grip on two kunai. "Come on, then! Let's see what you've got!"
Sasuke almost regretted his challenge as a hail of senbon came at him, dozens of the sharp needles coming from every mirror at once, hundreds instantly filling the air around him. He was fast enough to keep them from hitting any vital spots, but when the last projectile fell to the ground, Sasuke's arms and legs each had several senbon lodged securely within.
So the point of the mirrors was near-instant teleportation? The mirrors both trapped Sasuke and acted as an anchor for Haku's extreme speed. But Sasuke could tell that the multiple images of Haku in the mirrors were just that, images. There was still only one Haku, he was simply slipping from mirror to mirror so fast that he became merely a blue blur. But still, it was a blur that Sasuke could see with his sharingan.
There was hope, then. But before he could find some way to escape the technique, Sasuke had to find some way to deal with the senbon showers. A few more volleys and he'd be a walking pincushion, unable to avoid a more lethal attack.
Luckily, Sasuke had spent years protecting ships and caravans from pirates, bandits, and rogue shinobi. He had been on the receiving end of overwhelming volleys of arrows during ship-to-ship battles, and together with Itachi had developed a method to defend against such long-distance threats.
Sasuke brought out a scroll from a pocket within his cloak, and unfurled it with a snap. His arm was already bleeding from the senbon stuck there, so he had no need to bite his thumb to obtain the necessary blood. He smeared a few drops on the seal in the center of the scroll, which disappeared with a pop. In its place appeared a massive shield, made of oak, with seals carved on the front that made it both lightweight and stronger than steel. It was attached to his arm with a steel band, one that could be detached quickly and easily with his left hand.
"A good thought," Haku observed, "but not likely to help you. That shield can only protect you in one direction. My senbon come from every direction."
Sasuke grinned, and reached into another inner pocket of his senbon-riddled cloak. "Give it your best shot." He grabbed a full handful of shuriken with explosive tags, sending them in a scattered pattern at the ground. He would have used them to attack the mirrors, except it was fairly obvious they wouldn't even have scratched the surface of Haku's jutsu.
At the same time, Haku sent another volley of senbon flying at Sasuke.
Multiple explosions from the tagged shuriken created a series of craters in the ground, haphazardly spread throughout the circle enclosed by Haku's ice mirrors. Sasuke moved in a blur, throwing himself into the nearest hole, crouching down, and raising the shield above his head. There came a series of thunks, like hailstones smashing against a roof, and then silence. Sasuke jumped out of his makeshift trench, confident he could retreat back into it for the next volley. His shield was riddled with senbon, looking like a wooden pincushion.
Now that Sasuke had created a defense against the senbon, he decided to ask a question that had been tormenting him.
"Why are you doing this?" he yelled. "You don't want to kill me, you probably don't want to kill anyone. Otherwise you would have poisoned those senbon, like any self-respecting assassin. So what the hell are you doing this for?"
Thirty Hakus looked down at him serenely from their mirrors. "Everything I do is for Zabuza. I am a tool to accomplish his goals."
"And you're fine with that? What's wrong with you?"
"I have someone to protect," Haku said simply. "That is what makes me strong."
Sasuke was too stunned to reply. Haku might call himself a tool to be used, but what he really was, in his own mind, was a bodyguard. He wanted to protect Zabuza, and to do so he renounced his entire life.
Haku kept speaking, telling Sasuke about his childhood. How his father killed his mother, and then tried to kill him. How for years he'd lived on scraps and shivered in the cold, until one day a shinobi with similar eyes took notice of him.
Sasuke felt sick. It was fitting, he realized, that he was hearing this while watching Haku in the ice mirrors. After all, they were like twisted mirror images of each other. So much of their stories were the same, so much of their motivation stemmed from the same source. Sasuke would give his life to protect Itachi, his only precious person. He would, and had, devoted his life to accomplishing Itachi's goal, which was to liberate Konoha from Madara's grasp. He and Haku were straight from the same mold, even down to losing a mother at the hands of a father.
But there was one crucial difference. Itachi loved Sasuke, too. He returned Sasuke's devotion by taking care not to make Sasuke do anything his own conscience could not condone. Zabuza had taken a lost boy and given him a purpose, but no conviction. He taught him how to deal death, but not how to live.
Sasuke went through the curious experience of feeling the flames of his anger die out, only to ignite with even more force, and directed towards a new target. That target was Momochi Zabuza, a shinobi unworthy of the devotion of his follower.
Damn you, Haku, Sasuke thought with irritation. Now you've got me feeling sorry for what I have to do.
"I don't want to have to fight you, Haku." Sasuke lowered his shield, making eye contact with the Haku in the mirror directly across from him. He couldn't be certain which Haku was real at any given second, but this would work as long as Haku looked into his eyes. "But since you won't back down, I guess I have no choice."
Sasuke felt the slight shift that accompanied a successful genjutsu. It had taken months of training, but Sasuke was able to cast simple genjutsu without hand seals, using only the power of his sharingan. Now Haku was focused on what he thought was the real Sasuke, but which was in reality just an illusion. The real Sasuke had dismissed his summoned shield, and waited for Haku's attack a few yards to the left.
"Neither of us has any choices left," Haku said sadly. "We made them all long ago." The mirrors began to ripple, like the surface of a pool after a stone has been dropped. Long spikes of ice began to emerge from the mirrors, poised to strike.
"I doubt your shield will be able to stand up to this attack. Crystal Ice Spear jutsu!"
The huge spears flew directly at the illusion of Sasuke, one after another, appearing to crack right through the oak shield. While Sasuke maintained the illusion, adding detail through the conscious direction of his mind, he was also watching the spaces between mirrors with his sharingan. With every successive ice spear, he felt more confident that he knew where Haku was going to strike next. He picked his spot, between two mirrors close to the ground, and pushed chakra through his legs to push off at top speed.
His vicious flying kick caught Haku flush in the face, in the split second Haku was between mirrors. Sasuke heard the crack as his opponent's nose broke, and watched as Haku went hurtling out of the range of the mirrors. At the same moment, the crystal ice mirrors quivered, like a tuning fork after being hit, until at last they shattered into a million pieces.
For a few seconds Sasuke knelt next to Haku's unconscious body, numbly watching the blood trickle down his face from his squashed nose. He put two fingers next to Haku's neck, and was surprised at the strength of his own relief after feeling a pulse.
Then Sasuke remembered his brother, who was at that moment locked in a life-or-death struggle in the white mist that, even now, kept the wooded region cloaked in an impenetrable whiteness.
He couldn't do anything to help. If he entered the mist he would be worse than blind; he'd be charging into a situation where he would only get in the way. Itachi would assume he was an enemy, and Zabuza would doubtless be able to sense his clumsy approach long before Sasuke got close. He couldn't even dispel the mist, since he had no facility with water techniques.
Come on, brother. I took care of mine, now you take care of yours.
oOoOo
Itachi took stock of his situation, which wasn't particularly good. He was bleeding from two fairly serious wounds, and his taijutsu was severely limited thanks to his lessened mobility. Worse, Zabuza had at least one water clone capable of fighting with all of the missing nin's experience in Silent Killing. They might only have part of the original's speed and skill, but with enough of them that wouldn't matter. And Itachi was not fool enough to believe that Zabuza had made only one clone, even if one was all that he had encountered so far.
He was considering whether or not to reveal his hand by dispelling the mist, when Zabuza took the matter into his own hands. He charged at Itachi, who prepared himself once he heard the Swordsman's approach. Itachi's own senses were sharp, and he was able to hold his own, even once the first clone teamed up with the original Zabuza.
Then a second clone joined, and Itachi was so busy keeping their blades from striking home that he had no time to make hand seals. His only hope was to dispel the clones, gaining enough time to get out of the mist.
Itachi parried a swipe from the real Zabuza, and turned to strike at the clone. Itachi could tell the clones from the original because of the difference in speed, and managed to sink his kunai into the clone's chest. It dissolved into a splash of water, but to Itachi's dismay the water didn't fall to the ground.
Instead it glowed blue with chakra, and spread up Itachi's arm like some creeping, carnivorous vine. Before he could react Itachi was caught in a globe of water, completely separated from the ground and unable to move or breathe. The chakra controlling the water kept it at a gelatinous consistency, keeping him from forming any hand seals. He was well and truly trapped.
The glow from his watery prison illuminated the area around him for a few feet, enough for Itachi to see the smirk on the real Zabuza's face as he held out one arm to maintain the sphere.
"Konoha thinks Shadow Clones are so special," Zabuza said mockingly. "But really, Elemental Clones are much more versatile. I could never have bound my Water Prison Techniqueinto a Shadow Clone. But because my clone was made of water, all I had to do was perform the jutsu and include a simple seal that would trigger when my clone was dispelled. It's the same principle as the Lightning Clones that give off an electric shock when you destroy them, but I think mine is more effective. Now let's see how long you can hold your breath. My money's on ten minutes, after all you're a high-level jonin."
On the inside, Itachi was cursing like a sailor. Caught like a fish in a net, by a technique he should have seen coming from a mile away. Now he was unable to move, unable even to use ninjutsu or genjutsu to free himself.
He wasn't nearly done yet, but it galled Itachi that he had to resort to a technique that he had always considered so crude and inelegant.
"First Gate: Open!"
Water poured into Itachi's mouth as he screamed, but by that time he'd already triggered the switch in his brain that would activate the First Gate, the Gate of Opening.
Strength flooded his body, while his skin darkened and his red eyes glowed with an even brighter light. The force of the water shield pushing in on him was no longer insurmountable, and with a supreme effort Itachi threw himself away from Zabuza. The missing-nin let out a surprised cry as his jutsu fell apart.
Itachi closed the First Gate immediately after he was free, cursing the need to go that far. Now he was even more injured, his muscles torn after the strain he'd put them through.
"I'm tired of playing your game, Zabuza. I want you to see my face when I defeat you."
Itachi ran through the hand seals for the Hidden Mist technique, which he'd watched Zabuza perform. Then he did them again backwards, trusting that his chakra reserves would be larger than Zabuza's at this point. It was a safe bet, since Zabuza had to have used a large chunk of his energy to create such high-level water clones, as well as sealing the Water Prison technique into one of them. Sure enough, he was able to gain control of the mist, and converted it into water. Droplets fell around the two combatants, drenching them and the ground around them.
Zabuza looked pole-axed.
"What's the problem?" Itachi asked, enjoying his opponent's consternation. "Surprised that I can open the Gates? Or did you think your Hidden Mist technique was infallible?"
Zabuza snarled, banishing the uncertainty from his face. "I don't need the Mist to kill you!"
His hands began a complicated series of seals, which Itachi copied almost instantaneously. Zabuza's eyes widened as he continued the jutsu, and Itachi mirrored his movements exactly. Water rose up in two great spouts behind the dueling shinobi, ready to be shaped into a more dangerous form. Zabuza hesitated, clearly worried that Itachi would be able to cancel his attack.
Itachi made the last two hand seals, and clapped his hands together. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet jutsu!"
The water behind Itachi took the shape of a huge dragon, which bore down on Zabuza furiously. His mouth was just opening to exclaim in shock when the technique hit him, dispelling his own half-finished jutsu and washing him away.
Zabuza ended up twenty yards back, crushed between the force of the water dragon and a sturdy oak tree. Itachi pushed one last burst of speed from his ripped-up leg muscles, and arrived at Zabuza's side. The ex-Kiri nin looked at him in a mixture of fear and wonder.
"How did you… do your eyes see the future?"
Itachi surprised himself no less than Zabuza with an honest laugh, one that rang out clearly and echoed off of the trees.
"Don't be ridiculous. I just already knew that jutsu."
"Oh…" Zabuza let out a final sigh, and closed his eyes. Itachi waited for a second, then rapped the unconscious shinobi sharply on the head with the butt of his kunai. No sense taking chances, after all.
"So you got him."
Itachi turned at the sound of Sasuke's voice, wincing at the many cuts across his brother's body. Sasuke carried the unconscious form of Zabuza's apprentice, slung over his shoulder bridal-style.
"I did get him. And I see you survived as well. Let us hope there aren't more assassins waiting in the wings; I'm pretty much wiped out."
Sasuke nodded weary agreement. He walked over to Zabuza, hatred twisting his features into a snarl.
When Sasuke spoke, Itachi was surprised by the amount of restrained anger in his tone. "Itachi, please let me kill this bastard."
Itachi regarded his brother, surprised at such vehemence directed towards an enemy Sasuke hadn't even fought.
"What did he do to deserve such a fate? Besides trying to kill us, of course."
Sasuke told his brother everything he'd heard from Haku. As he related the story of the young shinobi, his eyes filled with tears of frustration.
"He's just like me," he sobbed. "Or he could have been, if he wasn't found by such a heartless man."
Itachi moved his gaze from his brother to Zabuza, silently contemplating his bandaged face.
"Let him live for now, Sasuke. There might be more to this story than we're aware."
A/N: And they made it! Sorry for the long delay, everyone. Don't worry, I'll keep writing this story since it's the only thing keeping me from going insane. Although I am a little worried that I won't be able to switch from Naruto mode to essay-writing mode, and I'll hand in something like this: "Then Jane Austen whirled, throwing a brace of shuriken at Shakespeare. He made a substitution just in time, but was unable to avoid Faulkner's mind-blowing Modernism jutsu." I'm kind of tempted it would be a lot more fun than the bullshit I normally have to write. Anyway, please R&R! Tell me what I can do better, and if the dialogue and the fighting was engaging enough. See you next time!
