Doom Da-doom doom DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
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Kakashi woke to a door sliding open and being gently shut several seconds after. Getting up he noticed Naruto propped up against the door. It was quiet but Kakashi could here the stifled sobs coming from the blond. Immediately he knew, Naruto had taken his first kill. In a fluid motion the man took the blond into his arms and held him feeling the sobs rack the blonds body. Kakashi knew at that moment, despite the crazed laugh and insane actions, Naruto was still just a boy like anyone else his age. How long the blond cried Kakashi didn't know, but the blonds sobbing eventually stopped and his breathing returned to normal.
Anger rose in the jonins chest, anger at himself and at his village. He had forgotten what it was like to be alone and had never known what it was like for people to expect you to be a mindless killing machine. A knock at the door revealed a concerned looking Ten-ten and Gai. They had known what Anko and Naruto were going to and had done that night. The girl went over to her friend and pulling him close, cried for his loss of innocence.
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Gatou lay in a pool of his own blood. Nearly all his men were dead or dying and at the hands of a mere child. A demon possessed child. Gatou had felt fear when he had seen those hideous red eyes and that murderous intent. Gatou had thought hiring Zabuza was a good idea, but the bridge builder had hired a real demon. In another room of Gatou's compound Zabuza took in a deep breath feeling the last effects of the vipers venom leave his body. The stench of death was starting to thicken in the building and Zabuza knew his and Haku's time there was at an end. Zabuza knew Gato's forces had been decimated by the ninja of Konoha. As Zabuza and Haku navigated the blood stained walls of the now silent compound the mist nin came to one final decision: Haku must live, no matter the cost.
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Inari looked at the blond he had once considered a weak loud mouth. Now after hearing how the blond had personally taken out Gatou he felt bad. Inari hugged the stuffed fox that the blond had left in his room. Inari didn't know what exactly had happened last night, but it looked to him like all the mirth and happiness the blond had once had was gone, not knowing what to do Inari did the only thing he could do, he gave Naruto a hug.
Team ten was currently at the bridge looking after the workers in case of any stragglers of Gatou's managed to show up. Team seven was at the house with Tanzuna and his family. Sasuke was studying the blond, shocked at the lack of life in the blond's features. Sasuke had seen the same look before in Itachi's features the night of the massacre. Did killing someone have this effect on people Sasuke wondered? It scared him to see the blond so depressed, it was something that wasn't supposed to happen.
A shriek was heard outside the house and the two jounin went running. The scene before them wasn't pleasant. Akihiko was on the ground crying, clutching the bloody remains that used to be his arm. Sakura was next to the boy trying to stop the bleeding, a yard away was Zabuza and next to him was a silent but saddened Haku. Naruto was the last out of the house, grim faced but ready for battle.
"Idiot boy, serves him right for attacking without thinking," Zabuza said, leaning on his sword, wet with fresh blood.
"Haku," the mist-nin said getting the girls attention," listen closely, this is my final order for you, under no circumstance are you to help me in this fight; go with the blond boy, go to Konoha. I want you to live your life how you want it, not as a tool but as a person. This is my last order as your father, do you understand?"
Tears slid down Haku's cheeks as she looked at the man she had known as both family and mentor. Every fiber in her body wanted to deny the man that last order, but in her heart she knew she couldn't. Crying the girl slowly made her way towards the blond.
"Well then, shall we begin?" Zabuza asked shouldering his sword. Kakashi and Anko nodded, and if on some unheard cue, the three jonin went into battle. No jutsu were used, their battle being a contest of hard worked taijutsu and swordsmanship. Zabuza twisted and curved his blade with pure combination of ease and ferocity making the two Konoha-nin dance and weave while striking back at the swordsmen with kunai. For every one blow Zabuza made Anko and Kakashi made three.
Twirling his sword Zabuza swung low scoring a deep slice into Anko's sode. Kakashi was on the man the moment the blow was dealt and drove a kunai deep into Zabuza's back. Anko grunted at the pain but then pulled a move Naruto would be proud of, she gave a full charge and drove a pair of poisoned kunai into Zabuza's stomach right as Kakashi was delivering a flying kick to Zabuza's head, only to be blocked by the bulk of the nuke-nin's sword. Coughing up blood from the kunai Anko stabbed him with he nodded.
Swaying for a moment after another sudden assault, the ex-mist nin fell letting go of his sword. Haku was next to him in an instant, crying. Zabuza gave a cough stroking the girl's hair, saying nothing. All those present stood in silent memorial as Mamochi Zabuza passed from one world to the next. Quiet sobs filled the air and it was Naruto that had been the one to pull the girl into a hug, letting the emotion wrecked girl cry.
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In the following week as Tanzuna finished his bridge, Haku found friends in Naruto, Ten-ten and Lee. Akihiko's ninja career was over, his arm permanently damaged. Sasuke and Sakura could only ponder what would happen to their team now. Neji kept to himself not caring about much, save for giving the occasionally glace to Haku. Gai and Kakashi had raided the documents from Gatou's office to see what they could find, and had distributed much of the stored money back into the village after having kept their share for the mission pay. Inari was smiling again much to everyone's relief. Naruto still wasn't back to his usually self, but Anko and Ten-ten promised they'd see to it that he did. Zabuza had been cremated save for his head for identification reasons.
The day finally came when the Konoha shinobi were to leave, and the entire village had come to see them off. It was a cheerful event for the most part and as the shinobi disappeared into the distance, the village agreed to name the bridge, 'The Great Naruto Bridge' in memory of the boy who had given the village their freedom back.
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OK done. Yeah I know I'm not good at fight scenes, but I am working on it. Haku is alive but life in Konoha may be not what she expects, especially when it comes to a certain thief in the night.
