A. N. You must ignore Kushina's history from original manga. This story was created in my mind before chapters about Kushina came to be.
Inspiration source- 'Hurricane' by 30 seconds to Mars
Ages:
Naruto/Shirushi-9 years old
Madara-90+
Nagato-35 or something?
Itachi-14 years old
Kisame-26 more or less
Minato-33? maybe
Jiraiya-about 50 as previously
Zabuza-23? I thought he was older...
Edited by Floating On A Thought
"Speech."
Emphasis on the word or flashback
Chapter 10 Rivalry, Revenge
Akatsuki base
They stood around the table.
His father and Nagato silently studied the paper. He rarely saw them together. They never let him listen in their talks, it was usually all business and he was not allowed to be present before. Now though, the case was different.
Somehow Orochimaru had obtained a scroll with the most dangerous, for both the receiver as well as the user, techniques. It was forbidden, to put it simply, and it seemed it was supposed to be the most protected one in the Leaf village. The snake man must've been very resourceful to accomplish such a thing. He didn't study it before Nagato though, because the snake summon with the scroll never reached Orochimaru himself.
Even though Nagato did not show it, Shirushi caught the suspicious look on the orange haired man's face that indicated he mulled over the fact that former Leaf shinobi got his hands on the scroll without informing his co-workers of it or willing to share its knowledge.
Rumour had it, that the man wanted to learn every jutsu existing in the world. It looked like he wanted to start from the village he came from. But shinobi like Nagato and his father never passed on the opportunity to learn the secrets of others themselves, especially if it was about 'forbidden' techniques.
Some of them were written by the Shodaime, Nidaime, Sandaime and Yondaime themselves, including various captains and jounin that created techniques too dangerous for casual usage.
Both men unrolled the paper and gently placed it on the table. They rolled up the ends they did not need at the moment and stroked the surface of the part that interested them the most.
Madara beckoned the blond to step closer and ruffled his hair. "Look at this, Shiru."
Looking down he saw the most complicated seal he had the pleasure of studying yet. It greeted him with imperfect harmony of answers, meanings and hints. Like it was created by a seal master, a human, who had tried to surpass God himself.
The God of Death, the Shinigami.
The lines, calculations, kanji were placed with lots of thinking behind them. Now too hard to be replaced or rewritten.
"What do you see?" His father asked, after waiting for a long minute.
I see what I see each time I look in the mirror.
Confusion filled his mind. With trembling fingers Shirushi touched the paper, as if it would confirm or refute suspicions. He couldn't possibly say aloud what was on his mind... Like he couldn't say that something was sealed inside of him before, now he could not just say that it was done with the power of the God of Death.
It made the perfect sense somehow and yet made no sense at all.
Whatever it meant in the end, his instincts nudged him toward keeping quiet about details that involved him in something he wished not to be involved into. These instincts kept him safe so far, so he could trust them.
"I see the mark of Shinigami." He started and heard almost unnoticeable intake of breath that came from Nagato. The man called himself a God, so he probably felt something unexplainable when he had the proof of one existing. "His turn... of coming, taking and giving. But..." Here he had to frown in a wonder.
"What is it...?" Madara prodded urgently.
"This is a binding contract, a summoning and containing technique, and to use it, one has to have signed the contract for summoning the God of Death."
"Hmmm, so it actually exists..." The man mused aloud. He heard of it before, the boy realised. "What else?"
"...It works two ways; one cannot summon the God expecting that he will comply with our wishes."
"Is that so?" The Leader inquired, exchanging glances with Madara, which after the man unrolled the part above the illustration. His eyes ran across the lines for a moment before he continued. "The leaders of Leaf village assumed that one pays for this technique with their life and soul, if this scroll is to be believed."
The boy shrugged. "They were wrong."
An evil grin stretched on Madara's uncovered face. "To think that they have such a powerful tool and don't even know how to properly use it."
"Still, they used it to seal the Kyuubi. The Yondaime must have been surprised to stay alive." Nagato commented with a raised brow.
"But he must have paid for the sealing somehow. Wonder what the price was..."
The blond looked up at his father and felt small tremors inside. It was fear that sooner or later, Madara would find out that he had a similar seal. How was this possible? Had he come from Konoha? If that was true then how had he come to be his father's son? And if someone sealed Kyuubi using this technique, then what was sealed in him?
Almost bored, Madara easily pulled the body of a brown haired man to the centre of the room. Fully clothed in Grass jounin attire, the armed man seemed to be asleep, so he looked harmless. The room was on the floor that mostly belonged to Sasori and Orochimaru; both of the scientists needed space for laboratories, stores, archives and cells. This one in particular was used for the dirty work; the smudges and stains of different colours, crimson included, were a proof of that.
Following behind his father, Shirushi pinched his nose at a disturbingly unpleasant smell that attached itself to the room.
He watched as Madara tied the man's hands and using kunai imbedded in the ceiling hanged the man on the rope. His moves were casual, like he did it every day, that is, arranging bodies.
The boy knew that the hanging shinobi was still alive, and at the same time, that it would not stay that way for long.
Expertly, Madara cut the upper clothing of the man, disposing of the grey coat, long sleeved blue shirt and protecting vest beneath. Then, with a tilt of the head, after quick thinking, got rid of man's pants too, leaving him in black boxers.
Like a piece of meat, the average in build and height prisoner hanged with his chin resting on his hirsute chest.
"Human body; fragile, soft... flawed. Though, the body of an adult is stronger and tougher than that of a child, it is also less flexible." Uchiha spoke and beckoned his son to come closer. "You still have years ahead of you before you grow and become physically strong. For now your short legs will not get you far from the enemy, short arms will not reach your enemy like you'd want to, thus there is no point for you to learn how to stab a shinobi's heart with strength you don't yet possess, how to cut their throat without having height matching their own or how to overpower them with techniques you have no reserves of chakra for."
The blonde boy grimaced at the truths and his father smirked placing a hand on the boy's shoulder in reassurance. "But you can always get away and even win with tricks, speed, nimbleness, precision and cunning." He continued, and then took out of his pouch two unusual, black and brown coloured kunai, handles of which he connected with few swift moves of his fingers. "I heard from Konan that you're rather fond of this weapon."
"Quite a lot." The boy nodded and observed as his father changed the angles of the blade, as if looking for the most comfortable way to use it in hold. Then he continued doing it while circling the bared man. Shirushi noticed that Madara tuned his body with negative energy, not enough to become one with it and disappear, but still enough for his motions to gain fluidity and grace. Like experienced dancer, he played with the weapon and seemed to tease his immobile partner with stabs that never reached the surface of the skin.
"The blade is extension of you, your hand, it is a part of you so you don't think how to hold it and direct it when you use it. For this to be true, you have to become familiar with it. You cannot let your enemy use your weapon against you, so if you don't use regular ones, it becomes your advantage."
The older Uchiha gave the handle to his son and gestured for him to show if he could repeat the actions with different angles.
The boy easily held the dangerous toy, aiming and leading it as if he kept it in his hands night and day, and knowing Shiru's fascination with things he liked, Madara suspected he did. Besides, he should have known the boy would be good with it, Konan made sure that he knew his way with both regular and rare sharp objects. For a moment the man regretted he was not there to witness those lessons. That regret quickly vanished, replaced with resolve to give the boy more knowledge and attentiveness.
With a satisfied grin the man continued. "Let's move further." He stood partly behind the hanging shinobi and gestured with his hands. "I think you have it easier, seeing the points vulnerable for attack; look here, just under the skin. "Pointing at the collarbone area, the man looked up.
"The arteries." The blond spoke with intense gaze. He learned that if he focused hard enough he had ability to see the circulatory system. It was very much alike the way he saw chakra in living beings, though seeing chakra was easier. He was told that the Byakugan, a doujutsu of Leaf village, gave the wielder ability to see the chakra pathway system and chakra points, which seemed to be a feature his eyes possessed too.
"If injured here, your opponent will continue to fight, though slowly, he will be losing blood and become weaker. It's not that hard to speed up the process, attacking several weak points at once. You could target one most vulnerable area and kill instantly, but where's the fun in that if they don't bleed?" He clapped the hanging man's shoulder once and made a step away with a grin. "Go on, practice."
Not needing further encouragement the blond took the basic stance and started to slash the points visible to him on the right side.
Examining the results and slow process of his work, the boy changed the angle of the following slices.
The realisation that the prisoner was still alive and sleeping was nauseating, yet at the same time enlightening. His father never was amongst those who preferred to teach using dummies so Shirushi learned to appreciate the practice on living material.
When he was finished, the man nodded and quietly used the healing jutsu on prisoner's wounds. "Now again and faster."
Whirlpool Country
Life as a fugitive seemed to simplify things on some level, but sometimes, Zabuza did not believe it was worth it.
You were free to go anywhere and anytime you wanted; you chose your job yourself, got your money without taxes and could curse your employer without fear of creating an international conflict. And at the same time you had no protection of your village and comrades, no permanent residence or peace and had to be quiet while among normal people-civilians. Every minute was a journey without one perfect direction, because everywhere you went you were at risk of being found, caught and killed.
Just because you had an interesting and inviting page in the bingo book.
But Zabuza knew it concerned every person that had a privilege of being a nuke-nin. Despite having similar fates, nuke-nins rarely worked together, and rather, it was easier hunting each other down and getting rewards than organizing a stable, sensible and objective group.
That was a reason why he tracked an A-class nuke-nin somewhere into Whirlpool country; not dangerously close to Water country territory, but close enough to the huge sources of the element for his techniques. It would be pointless to look for a target in Fire, Earth and Wind countries, as it would put him at a disadvantage, and he needed any boon to survive.
He got the trace one day ago, and was pretty sure he'd not only overpower his opponent – who had a fire affinity – with water jutsus, but also be able keep the body mostly intact to receive a higher payment.
All of that changed though, when he found his target already engaged in battle.
The former swordsman of Mist was lucky that the environment gave ways to hide because he would not want to gather attention from the ninjas that cornered his, metaphorical but still valid, source of money.
The greenery and large slippery stones were a stark contrast to the violent bloodbath he never predicted witnessing.
"You moron, do not touch his face, it must be recognizable for us to get the money." The one with his face covered spoke, glaring with an eerie neon green glow. He stood calmly and observed his accomplice.
"No worries, old man, you'll get his head all cute and pretty, just let me have some fucking fun." The other, grey haired but somehow younger one replied, waving a large scythe with three blades and a rope around like it was a plaything. Both of them were clothed in black cloaks with funny, cosy red clouds that in a strange way suited the scene.
And the A-class nuke-nin himself that had been very unlucky that day lay on the ground in a large puddle of his own blood which came from the severed limbs. Both of his legs from shins down were two metres away. A large gash went from his right shoulder to left hip.
A gruesome, but effective tactic. The man who previously was engaged in mission hunting had been hunted and killed by others. He screamed hoarsely, with spit flying out of his mouth, veins bulging and his skin turning red in colour. His body was in spasms and tremors and his eyes were wide, wild and desperate in fear, shock, pain and helplessness.
With slight curiosity the scythe wielder cut off the man's left arm, maybe to see if he would stop screaming. The arm fell on the ground and rolled only inches away. As a fountain of red decorated the scene, the dying shinobi screamed louder, and then abruptly lost his voice.
The area had visible marks of the battle, scorches, pits in the ground, ripped trees; but this battle looked to have been one sided, judging from the result of the fight.
"He's not even worthy of the ritual! Why can't you choose an opponent that will last longer than three fucking minutes?" The grey haired killer actually whined, but it only left Zabuza bewildered and made him cringe. Three minutes? They played and cut the man who was wanted and hunted for five years in pieces wasting only few freaking minutes? Who were these people?
They weren't just dangerous, they had to be widely avoided. Hiding behind one of the larger stones and frowning, Zabuza decided that he'd do a wise thing and remember about the cloaks that were a sure sign of oncoming death.
A few months later, Wave Country
He never liked crowds and gatherings, even if it helped him to merge with the surroundings. Tight places, bumping, noise, dirt and even groping just got on his nerves.
It had probably a lot to do with living in open spaces, almost one on one with nature and avoiding any large settlements.
Still, he had to grit his teeth and go with the flow, as his Master often said, or should have chose a different path to walk out of town.
Usually when such mobs happened, people tended to cheer, whistle and shout, but instead, townspeople whispered amongst each other with fear. That rose suspicion.
A voice came from somewhere in front of the crowd, some words reached further.
"...and somehow you believe... want you to see... for... the end will be the same..."
Instantly, Haku knew that he disliked the sound of it. Some sort of 'point making' was taking place and he wished he was elsewhere. His state of dress was irritating, with all attention he was attracting on his self and getting in the middle of history unfolding that did not concern him just ruined any mood he previously had.
"Not my dad!" A tiny voice shouted weakly and indignantly, and Haku tilted his head in curiosity. It appeared there were some family matters.
He casually made his way to the front of the mass and saw some thugs working at binding a beaten dark haired man to a wooden cross. The scene was surrounded by more numbers of bandits. A very short and quite old man in a suit and dark glasses stood nearby and observed the situation with obvious glee.
People just watched the proceedings with terror on their faces and Haku inwardly frowned that no one seemed to try and help to free the injured man. One little boy looked like he cared, his son probably, but was held back by onlookers. The scene was eerie and disgusted him, and with a shiver, the young shinobi realised why.
An image almost forgotten formed before his eyes. He was still an innocent child then, ignorant of the prejudices and conflicts between normal people and bloodline wielders. The sight of his mother being killed by his father, still painfully fresh, hurt more than anything. He had loved them unconditionally, and not only understood what happened, but on some level, pitied them. His mother was scared of her own power, his father didn't think twice before he killed her, and Haku himself hated this power for its ability to destroy and take life and at the same time loved it because for a long time, it was the only thing that brought him joy.
Regardless of how he acknowledged and looked at his gift, he could not bear to see a child lose their parent. And he recognized the scene before him as an execution. How cruel can people be, if they can force children watch their family die?
Cautiously, Haku's fingers touched the new set of senbon hidden under the sleeve of his kimono. He inwardly grimaced at his barely functional clothing but remembered that it kept unwanted sort of attention away from him. He started to weight pros and cons of saving the man when bandits under short man's order took out their blades to dissect the unfortunate victim, most likely. No further thought distracted him as with quick reflexes, Haku sent his fastest and sharpest weapons at the arms of attackers from between the bodies of the mob. They immediately stopped and reacted by crying in pain and anger at the person responsible, though they didn't know who it was yet.
Hastily these few men took out the needles never noticing that those were covered in poison, and searched the crowd, looking for the ones who stopped them.
Haku didn't want to give them chance to find him, as unlikely as that was, so he counted them and assured himself that even outnumbering him, they weren't a threat. He was well trained in the arts of killing, and even though his Master would not approve of his actions, he decided to face it when the time would come.
As thugs and bodyguards regrouped and the short man preserved his life behind others' bodies, dozens of needles hit their targets, arms, legs and necks. Just a second later the street was in chaos and those who saw Haku's hand hold the tool of fighting stepped back in fear and awe.
Everything happened quickly. Instead of running away like others, the small boy with dark hair and dark eyes made his way through confusion and with tears running down his face untied the ropes holding his father figure with shaking, weak hands. A moment later in embrace with a man he turned around to find a beautiful girl whose face he would associate with justice.
But she wasn't there.
Akatsuki base, Ame
When her eyes opened, she realized she'd been sleeping.
But the pain in her body reminded why she was unconscious. With a grimace, she tried to lift herself off the ground but had no strength needed for that. She tried concentrating on the chakra inside of her hoping that it would heal her like before, but she had no access to it, like someone put a lock on that part of her.
A loud sigh escaped her and she felt like sobbing.
The last of what she remembered, a dark haired, beautiful woman confronted her demanding that she follow her willingly and peacefully. After a short argument they fought, and that woman used some sort of origami abilities that worked not only with her cloak, but with her whole body.
They exchanged blows and deadly jutsus, asked each other strange questions, and then suddenly, her world just went black.
Defeat was a bitter thing.
She could not stop tears when she noticed bars not two metres in front of her. Cold floor, humidity in the air, a slight echo somewhere outside, proved that she was in a cell.
It shouldn't have happened that way. Years of trying, fighting, proving her worth and plain surviving were lost in an instant. If she paid more attention to that woman's strange techniques, she could've escaped, or at least, would've had a time to call forth her hidden power. Now that chance was lost.
She was pathetic.
More sobs shook her and she cursed her predicament. There must've been put a drug in her system, because she could barely open her eyes to check her surroundings, not to mention lifting her hands and head.
A soft shuffling caught her attention and she looked up.
Behind the bars stood a boy.
He was… pretty.
Small, young, blond haired; he had his hair in a ponytail; it must have reached his shoulder blades. He was clothed in simple black pants, a brown shirt and a black coat. Squinting she came to conclusion that he had purple, red or somewhere in between, eyes. They were looking at her like she was an object, new, not noticed before.
It felt like she was in a dream. Why was everything so confusing?
When he felt the new and at the same time familiar presence in the cave he did not think he'd find a cell with a girl inside.
She looked young.
And she was a mess. Dirty, bloodied, broken, resigned. Studying her further, the boy assumed that she was not tortured, but had landed there after a fight. Even in the dim light he could catch the colour of her green hair and orange eyes. Her clothing lost colour and being torn, barely covered her. Her weeps were quiet, but she could not hide the tears. At the same time, he knew she was confused.
But no more than he was.
Her energy was so familiar. She had power within her and yet lying there she looked so helpless. There had to be something that made him care. Because they have never met. And yet, standing in front of her it felt like they knew each other.
Giving up on trying to sit up or even moving, she continued to watch the strange boy that examined her from behind the bars. He tilted his head to the right side contemplatively and she had a feeling that she knew him from somewhere.
Quickly, she threw that thought away, concentrating on analyzing his presence.
He was just a boy.
What a boy was doing here, wherever they were? Without a forehead protector indicating his loyalties? All of the thinking caused her a headache that was building too quickly.
Casually, like it was nothing, like a ghost, the boy stepped forward through the bars, first merging with poles and then stepping forward leaving them behind like they did not exist.
It left her gaping in shock and somewhere in the back of her mind she considered pinching herself to wake up and find out she was actually sleeping.
He made another hesitating step forward, but then he stared at her with a frown, like he found something he could not understand.
His behaviour was strange. Wasn't he repulsed by her state? Did he see beaten up prisoners like that every day? And just how has he walked through the barrier, was it some kind of kekkai genkai ability or were the bars an illusion?
Before her mind could create more questions, he gently turned her on her stomach and lifted what little of her clothing was left on her back. One of the wounds stung at that and she repressed any noise she wanted to make.
After that, he simply stared at her back. She was becoming dizzy and was close to blackout.
Containment Seal was the first thing that came to mind at the sight. Then bits of details about large amount of demonic energy, purifying seals and realization that the girl had something sealed inside her body, something alive. Just like something that was put inside of him. The difference was, that his seal was not that obvious, and that something inside of her was smaller. Also, that something had already tainted her, as he could feel her energy and it was not entirely human anymore.
Her seal though, was placed by a human.
"Found whatever you usually look for when staring at symbols, kid?"
The blond shifted his head a little and looked at the man that covered himself from head to toe. In answer, Shirushi raised one brow, a move that was mimicked by the man.
"Just studying." He replied at last and noticed that the girl was in fear. She reacted badly at Kakuzu being present, but still didn't make a sound.
The Akatsuki member grunted, and his right hand reached into the inner pocket of his cloak. He pulled out a relatively small book and flipped the pages.
Reluctantly Shirushi left the cell, in the same fashion, through the bars and took the offered book to look in. "What is this?"
"A bingo book, a detailed list of potential targets, if you wish."
The opened page had a picture of the girl in the cell. Now that he could see her clearly, she seemed pretty and exotic. Description by the image explained that her name was Fu, she was a kunoichi from Takigakure, and what was more important, she was a Jinchuuriki, a vessel for the seven tailed demon beast that was said to be a beetle. The boy's brow furrowed at that line. In curiosity he started to check other pages, examining pictures and names as inwardly his mind analyzed everything he found out so far.
Kakuzu laughed at the kid's enthusiasm. "Come." He put his gloved hand on the boy's shoulder. "You can keep it."
Fire Country, Konoha
Where sunrays previously lightened the sheet on the table, a shadow fell, an indication that quite suddenly the windowsill became occupied.
Minato did not stop reading a document in his hands and ignored the company.
When that continued for a few minutes, the new presence spoke.
"Did I do something to deserve that kind of treatment? Are you mad at me?" The voice was low and serious, though if you had experience you could say there was a note of amusement.
"I am not mad, sensei. How could I be? You did not leave for three months without a note saying if you're still alive, you did not ignore my request to be available for a time of negotiations between Fire and Lightening countries, and you surely never attempted to spy on your former teammate Tsunade."
The older, white haired male that rested under the sun opened his mouth to protest and did it several times, but no sound came out of it.
"See? I'm not mad at you." The Hokage insisted.
The sennin sighed and replied. "All right I get it. How about a short talk before you ban me from Konoha bath houses for the rest of my days?"
Minato did not leave his desk full of paperwork but shifted on the chair to get more comfortable and nodded with a gaze directed at his teacher. "I am listening."
"You know I was worried about that new prophecy the old toad made."
"You worry about every single prophecy he makes." The blond grimaced distastefully.
"I do, since most of them come true, and let me remind you once again that one day you'll have a power to save or destroy the whole world." Was the stern answer.
"I am not the only student you had or will have."
"True, but I have a feeling. Now back to this last bit of madness, I think, I thought about this thoroughly, and uncovered the first piece of the puzzle." The blond gave a sceptical look but Jiraiya continued. "Think about summoning in general. Whatever and whomever you summon, sooner or later goes back to where it belongs. Now, this prophecy hints that this something or someone came and never left, and the moment it will is important enough for a prophecy to exist."
The village leader had both of his brows raised and rubbed his bearded chin at the end of the short speech. "I have to agree with your assumptions. What have you come up with about the identity of that summon?"
"Nothing so far, unfortunately. I checked the history and rumours, little bits of information I have access to, and haven't a clue about a summon not returning to its place. It must be either a case from a long time ago, or it hasn't happened yet."
"...or it hasn't happened yet. Like always." Minato commented, turning away. "You shouldn't trust these things. Take example from me or Sarutobi."
"Or Tsunade." Jiraiya said bitterly.
"I didn't say that." The blond reprimanded and went back to reading.
"But you thought about it." The older man quietly accused and folded his hands.
"I did." Minato replied and wondered why after so many years former teammates and friends haven't put the past behind themselves. Jiraiya did not admit his fault, Tsunade never tried to see things from his point of view, and they never forgave each other. All over taking sides about the accident that changed the lives of them three.
Flashback
Leaning down, but still maintaining a balance, Minato gazed down from the tree. The greenery kept him hidden so he did not feel like hiding a grin.
She walked down the alley, carefree and smiling. Since the time in the academy he loved the way she stood out in the crowd, with her red hair, greenish grey eyes and explosive personality. He never admitted it out loud, even though he promised himself to gather some confidence and take her out on a date.
At first her reputation stopped him, as she wasn't exactly popular for her boyish behaviour, but with time he came to care little what others would think at seeing them together, assuming that she would actually agree to spend time with him; he wasn't overly nice to her in the academy either.
"Ho-ho, Namikaze, have a soft spot for a retarded red head?"
He turned to the speaker that startled him with a scowl. "Stay quiet, Tsume, she could hear us!" He hissed, glaring at her with a dangerous glint.
"Oh, so you don't deny that you have a thing for her! I knew that something was up when I caught your scent up this tree!" She hissed back with a wide smile revealing sharp teeth. In the meantime Kushina stopped to talk to someone and had her back turned to them.
"Don't think that it's something you can spread without some sort of retribution." The blond whispered threateningly.
"Sheesh, step down from the top of the mountain, Namikaze, it doesn't matter who I caught in the act, I wouldn't put the sentence on you." The girl with slated eyes and red triangles on her cheeks replied, puffing up to get hair away from the front of her face.
Blinking rapidly in puzzlement, the blond gave her a questioning gaze.
"You mean you don't know?"
"Don't know what?" He frowned.
"Uh, that she's betrothed? To that Senju guy, Raibaru? I would have thought that with all this spying you'd be the first to know."
"I am not." He blinked again and stared at her for a moment in confusion. "Why Senju, though? Isn't he a noble or something?"
Tsume hit him in the head.
"What was that for?" He almost shrieked.
"For being stupid. Don't you read books or listen what people around say at all? Of course he's a noble, but she's from the family related to Senju! Heck, her grandmother was Hashirama Senju's wife!"
"Isn't it unhealthy, interbreeding, I mean?" He asked innocently.
Her eyes widened indignantly and then she hit him again.
"All right I get it. So, what are my chances?" He asked, not in the least defeated or discouraged.
"Close to none."
Weeks later
He stood before her feeling utterly stupid. True, he knew he might make a fool of himself, but it still hurt. "What do you mean, no?"
Kushina fiddled with the fold of her dress looking uncertain and avoided his eyes, but her reply was firm. "I mean that I won't go out with you."
Her words stabbed deeper than he imagined was possible. He was sure that she would say 'yes', despite all the odds, yet here they stood, awkwardly staring anywhere but each other.
"You refused Raibaru when he asked you on the date. To be truthful, I thought you were giving me a chance." The blond reasoned, still confused and hurt.
"I refused him because he was being a git." She looked up sadly. "Don't get me wrong, Minato, you're my hero, and... I'd gladly agree, but, you see, even if Raibaru is annoying, stupid and arrogant guy, we're engaged, and I will not date another no matter how much I want to."
Her long dark red hair framed her face, long eye lashes gave a look of innocence, her light beige dress made her modest and Minato could only grit his teeth. "You're too good for him." Was all he said before he turned around and walked away in anger.
Just the thought of the white haired and brown eyed Senju made his blood boil. So what if the guy was descended from Tobirama and was Jiraiya-sensei's cousin? He did not deserve the girl like Kushina.
After he found out about engagement from his teammate Inuzuka Tsume, he stepped away for awhile to analyze his chances. Raibaru liked Kushina but nowhere near on Minato's level. His interest was limited to knowledge that she was skilled, beautiful, and was his.
It was infuriating. That piece of rotten meat had no idea who Kushina was, how smart and loyal she could be.
Not so long ago he held her in his arms, after he and Tsume tracked down the group of Cloud ninjas that kidnapped her.
It felt so right then, to protect her and be there for her. And he suspected she felt the same. The sense of rightness.
So how could they be together? That engagement had to be broken. What if he confronted the elders of Senju family? No, he couldn't act rashly, first he had to speak with sensei. The man would be aware of the situation and could give an advice.
Half a year later
The sudden touch awakened her and by reflex she flung her hands around. A second later she realized someone covered her mouth with a palm and it was what startled her. Her fists though, did not reach the attacker as he was prepared for her reaction, which upset her.
She blinked and turned to glare at the person responsible, but the folds of her blanket covered her vision and then engulfed her. Then she felt cocooned in her own sheets and taken over someone's shoulder.
Lots of movement later the girl realised that it was her second kidnapping, strange was though, that this time she wasn't bound or knocked out yet. Still, all her kicking and punching did not have any effect. Even as she shouted her cries were muffled by fabric tightened around her.
Two minutes later she felt she was far from her home and as seconds ticked there were less chances of getting free. As suddenly the attacker stopped, she prepared to fight for her freedom. Gently, someone let her stand on her feet and she responded by viciously untangling from her tight prison and hitting the first person she saw on the head.
"Oww, what are you doing!" The figure asked miserably, as it covered its head. Blonde haired head.
For a moment speechless, Kushina sputtered, and then fisted her hands in anger.
"That's my line! What are you doing? Kidnapping me in the middle of the night as I am still wearing my night dress?" She shouted indignantly, pointing at her simple, white, knee reaching gown.
"Um, well... yes." Minato answered sheepishly.
In response she stared with both of her brows raised high up her forehead.
The silence stretched between them and by every moment it was becoming less funny and more serious.
Minato cleared his throat and addressed her in manner that suggested he prepared a speech beforehand.
"Kushina, you refuse each time I ask you out, despite the fact that you'd like to say yes. Your family is completely against the idea of us getting to know each other, not to mention the dating. So, I have no other choice but to steal you from the prison you call home and suggest that we... spend time together in secret."
Again, all the girl could do was stare.
In awkward silence that formed, a drop of sweat slid down Minato's face. He was thankful that they were alone in the darkness of the night because he was ready to find a hole in the ground he could hide in.
"Are you serious?" She whispered at last.
Unable to use his voice in that moment, the blond just stiffly nodded.
"It goes against my view of loyalty, honour and God knows what else." She placed her hands on her hips in a bossy manner. "Never! I'd never stoop to such things as secret dates! Who do you take me for!"
"I won't stop until I have you. I will pester you, stalk you, steal you again if I have to, just to be closer to you. I... like you and think I fell for you, Kushina-chan."
"Forget it, Minato. The whole world is against us. You may bother me all you want but the answer will be the same." She crossed her arms and stubbornly shook her head, but her eyes betrayed her. They said that she might have started falling for him too. Kushina continued her tirade but throughout it all Minato only nodded and grinned like an idiot, ecstatic about the prospect of fighting for her heart and winning it.
A whole year later
"Don't you feel the excitement?" He grinned, as they hid among the trees in the park. It was a night time, and the place was abandoned.
"I feel conflicted!" The red head replied, but her smile said something different. She looked left and right, to make sure they were alone.
"Don't lie to me, sweet heart, if you were conflicted, we wouldn't be here." The blond teased, lightly kissing her lips. Kushina smiled at that and initiated the next, deep and passion filled kiss they shared, where his fingers combed her striking hair and her hands found their place on the back of his head.
She was the personification of fire, as she tried to dominate in the dance of their tongues; he smirked doubly, openly and inwardly, and changed the angle abruptly to surprise her, which for she rewarded him with a moan.
A short moment later they parted to breathe a much needed air and exchange silly grins. At that time his arms encircled her possessively, the way they couldn't in public.
"Jiraiya-san covered for you again?" She inquired with a knowing smirk.
"I believe he's quite proud of me."
"How he cannot be? You're meeting in secret with the girl that is forbidden to approach in Konoha. Any other would avoid looking in my eyes, not to mention touch me, and here you are, corrupting me in the worst of ways..."
Another half a year later, Third Shinobi War
"We'll attempt to surround our enemy and separate into two groups. The signal is the activated explosive tag, once we move in, show no mercy, just do everything to survive." The chuunin spoke. His stern expression put the rest of leaf shinobi on guard. They stood in the loose circle on the border of the lightning country. It was autumn and their uniform changed colours from dark green and blue to dark brown to accommodate the conditions.
"I don't think it's a good idea. They greatly outnumber us, and dividing into groups will endanger us." Another chuunin spoke up, folding his hands.
"Are you questioning my authority, Namikaze?"
"I am. It's about our lives, after all. After we complete this mission, we have to travel to north, and there are more enemy forces we should bypass rather than face, and to do this all of us must be in top condition. Risking our mission now by using pretty strategy, even if it would take the opponent by surprise, is unacceptable."
Raibaru assessed the blond with a glare and other members of their team shifted nervously. "And what do you propose? That we march there all together and attempt negotiating?"
"I did not say that." Minato answered feeling uncomfortable under all the gazes suddenly directed at him but he did not show his reaction. "I meant that we should think this through before we take action."
"We have no time for this. The longer we linger the more chance at being found here. Stop arguing with me and do as I say!" The chuunin barked with irritation.
"And end up dead? I think we all can focus for several minutes and prepare a betterbasic and backup plan." At these words some of shinobi tentatively nodded.
The Senju fisted his hands and flung them. "What is your problem, huh?"
"You are." Minato wanted to say more but pursed his lips.
The appointed captain of the team breathed through his nose in a heavy pattern but his voice was surprisingly controlled. "Then, let us solve this once and for all. A match, what do you say?"
As some of the team members exchanged alarmed glances the blond ninja frowned. "It's no place nor the time for this kind of thing."
"Are you a coward, Namikaze?" The chuunin taunted as a grimace formed on his face.
"You're trying to provoke me, but I have a head on my shoulders."
Abruptly, Senju caught Minato's collar in a fist. "If you had a head on your shoulders you would not coerce my fiancée into having secret meetings with you!" He shook the blond with both hands in fury. "You think I don't know she betrayed me? Don't hear how people whisper behind my back?"
Minato grabbed Raibaru's wrists to stop the violent shaking. "I did not force her into anything! And it has nothing to do with our mission today!"
"It's about everything, Namikaze! Can't you just disappear? Why are you involved in everything?"
"Stop it." The blond hissed coldly and freed himself from hold. "We have a mission to complete, and personal affairs are meant to be resolved in our private time." Minato glanced at Tsume who stood aside of the group to make sure that their enemy haven't noticed their existence. She bit her lower lip and gave a sign that they were lucky.
The moment Minato's eyes were turned away the white haired chuunin tackled him on the ground with force. The blond immediately retaliated with punches and kicks they soon exchanged in a fight. It seemed to snap the rest of the group out of the daze and they moved to separate them.
"Don't protect him!" Senju yelled, attacking bodies that stopped him. Seeing that situation was putting them at risk more than anything, the blond chuunin gave a hard punch to his rival's face and without further thought pushed the lightening chakra in the captain's chest. It was a technique he created under his mentor's eye, that was meant to paralyze the opponent. So far, he had tested it on animals and it worked well, so instead of wasting time fighting, he increased the power of the jutsu for it to be successful.
As Raibaru coughed and fell, everyone present reached for their weapons and waited for orders.
"Enough, Kaira, tie him up and stay here. You two," Minato pointed at shinobi that he worked with before and knew abilities of, "get to the right side of the camp and make a big and loud diversion in ten minutes. Tsume and I will attack and distract them from left, rest of you will join the battle moments later, when our enemy is concentrated on our fake strikes." His face became as hard as stone. "No more time to lose." Minato looked at each of them. "Stay alive."
On silent signal, all of them moved to their positions, praying that if God watched over them moments before, he would do that still.
The kunoichi that Minato assigned to protect the paralyzed body of their captain grabbed Raibaru's legs and pulled him to the base of the larger tree. Being seen in the open was a bad idea in her book and as she settled beside him she carefully covered both of them with illusion that merged their image with surroundings.
There were still some minutes before the start of action and absently the girl checked if the captain had a well placed vest and net shirt in case they were under fire. Her gaze landed on his face and she wondered if he was aware of surroundings or asleep. And just like that, she noticed that his eyes did not move under eyelids. She raised them with a lifted brow and as a shiver ran through her at his motionlessness, Kaira searched for pulse.
There was none.
Senju Raibaru was dead.
Soon after that population of Leaf divided in two groups, one that was on Minato's side, and another, that took the side of the Senju family.
Most believed that it was an accident, and witnesses claimed that Namikaze, who successfully led them through the mission and back to the base, did not express the wish to harm the captain and used the technique that he himself designed to paralyze the opponent.
Medics proved that Raibaru died from lightning shock that attacked his nerve system and stopped his heart, but could not say if it's power was accidental or not.
The Third Hokage declared the technique forbidden and Minato gave a vow to never use it again.
After Jiraiya has fully taken the side of his student and stood against any punishment despite the fact that Senju Raibaru was his relative too, Tsunade and he became temporary enemies, and even after years since that time, relations between them were cold.
Namikaze Minato was taken off duty for a year and put under strict supervision. He did not believe he deserved forgiveness from Kushina, Jiraiya and the Sandaime.
"At least she speaks to you now. Your relations improved." The blond muttered staring into space.
"I hope so... but it's a bit too little and a bit too late." The hermit replied, standing up to leave.
Minato turned to face his mentor. "Was there anything you found about the stolen forbidden scroll?"
Shaking his head Jiraiya slowly stepped out the window. "Nothing except it's probably already in Orochimaru's hands. Mizuki gave it to a snake summon before the team caught him, and he doesn't know where it went. But at least, we know what we can expect and from who."
Minato agreed with a solemn nod.
Few months later
Flashback
There was a shout and probably because he so desperately wanted to leave the scene he followed it and discovered that after Shisui's death he could still hear the sounds of fighting.
He turned to see the main building and to his immense shock a squad of masked shinobi was openly killing Uchiha who were still alive. And again, he was lost, as nothing made sense.
Someone threw a small body out of the main door, and his breathing stilled, as he recognized his own younger brother. Not bothering to keep an eye on other shinobi he moved to Sasuke's side, but before he got there, he was hit from behind and had to protect himself. And as he blocked and dodged he breathed heavily, fatigued after all the battles he had to go through within one day. He gritted his teeth and gathered the rest of his energy to push the attackers away.
Spinning, Itachi prepared to grab his brother, but was stopped with the sight of the blade under Sasuke's chin.
"I am glad you joined us, but as you can see, we're already done."
The eight years old boy scratched the arms of the man that held him with nails. He was crying and his struggling was just the sign of stubbornness, not strength. "They killed mom and dad!" The boy shouted hoarsely.
The realization that for the last half an hour he was chasing after the culprit but did not think to check on his closest family left him frozen in terror.
Itachi disliked his father, he did not trust his mother, he almost gave up on his brother, but that did not mean that he wanted them to get hurt. He knew what the clan planned and what preparations the council made, but everything was tied in a strange, incomprehensible way. What had Shisui got to do with it? Did the Yondaime know of what was happening?
While he was in shock someone shoved him on his knees.
"Originally it was planned, that Konoha will hunt for Uchiha Shisui, who was disappointed in his clan and slaughtered its members. Now though, someone else has to take the responsibility."
The voice was tight and harsh. Remembering it, young ANBU looked to his left and found councillor Danzo. The words registered in his mind and he expected to find himself seething, but there were no feelings other than worry about his brother, who apparently, was the only Uchiha beside him alive.
The old, one eyed and bandaged man came closer and smirked nastily. The clothing he wore was no different from what he appeared in on daily basis. The weight of his body was supported by the cane. "I have to admit that I was certain Shisui would defeat you with ease. He had more experience and knew of your fighting skills. It doesn't mean that my plans are changed though." The councillor glanced at the younger son of Fugaku. "There are just drawbacks."
"But how will you prove that I was the one who did this?" Itachi replied, narrowing his eyes.
The old man gestured at the terrified boy, who soundlessly shifted his eyes between them. "I have the witness. Little Sasuke will remember your dramatic confession, the one you'll give him, after we erase his memories. You want your brother to see another day, don't you?"
With a start, he woke up and found himself staring at the face of the blonde boy. Purple, mysterious eyes graced him with concern and then gained mischievous sparkle.
"What kind of shinobi are you, if anyone can sneak up on you when you're asleep? Or is it just me being that good?" Shirushi asked in a half serious tone.
"It's you being an exemption." The teen replied and looked aside to see the grinning face of Kisame. Behind them was the white forest scenery of Wave country in winter.
Itachi was surprised that the boy could sneak up on him with snow under the feet, it made such a crispy sound that dead could be revived. Must have learned that skill from someone in Akatsuki. On the side note... the sky was cloudy that morning.
The teen stood up from the spot under the tree, picked up the blanket and sealed it in the scroll he kept in his pouch. When he turned around the boy was stroking and scratching the head of the bright orange fox that reached his chest. The animal nuzzled its summoner looking very content.
As the youngest Akatsuki member Shirushi had a black cloak with only one red cloud, on the back, and to cover his features as he was not a known criminal, a wide hood, this though, did not mean he was a fully fledged member of organization.
"Time to go!" Hoshigaki called and Itachi didn't like the glint of excitement in those beady eyes.
"I don't see what you're happy about." The Uchiha heir spoke in monotone. "There is a reason shinobi start their career as genin performing D-ranked missions, and rise in power, skills and rank with time. Going after someone who's far beyond your abilities just to see what one is capable of is unthinkable."
They walked following the fox, and not for a first time Itachi wondered if Shirushi even knew what power was in his command.
"Come on, let the kid have some fun. He has to learn." The swordsman defended, and Itachi scowled.
"Starting with A-class?" Usually the teen's expression was stoic, but now annoyance, disbelief and worry shone through.
The blond looked behind at the pair mirroring his cousin's scowl. "I chose that man for a reason, you know. Besides, you two are especially appointed to step in if I can't manage."
"Arrogant brat." Itachi muttered.
Stroking the soft fur of the large animal by his side, the boy answered with a wide smile. "Love you too." Which put Kisame in a fit of good natured laugh.
Zabuza's face hardened as he studied the figures he hoped never to see again. The faces were different this time, but he recognized the cloaks.
Surprisingly, one of them he knew personally.
"Confrontations like that always happen for a reason." He mused aloud, after they exchanged greetings. The truth of meetings between nuke-nin rarely ending with both parties alive was left unsaid.
From familiar view of blue of Kisame, his gaze travelled to the shorter person, and this time he remembered the description that matched this one in bingo book.
"Oh hell..." Zabuza breathed out, staring at the S-classed shinobi that by all sources was said to be mentally unstable. S-classed swordsman or not, Momochi could try and fight someone who's style, temperament and techniques he knew, but when it came to fighting unknown and dangerous, he preferred using a 'tactical retreat'. That wasn't an option though, as they most probably would not let him go far.
After counting his slim chances of survival the hardened gaze of the swordsman travelled to the last and the smallest figure.
How strange that the pair took the trip with a child.
But that thought quickly reminded him of times when Haku was just a child too. Small, fragile and easy to shape. Even now, there was a kindness inside his apprentice he could not vanquish. This boy was slightly different. The most prominent thing that could be noticed, was fearlessness in his posture, face and eyes. At that moment Zabuza was glad that Haku stayed in town.
He wasn't at an advantage here. Water that could be used for his jutsus had been turned into ice or was in the form of the snow.
"You don't have much to worry about, for now. You see, the little boy here is itching to fight you, defeat you and most probably kill you in the process. Our, my and partner's that is, presence here, is just a precaution." Kisame answered, grinning and showing the row of sharp teeth.
Dubiously, the Demon of Mist looked at the smallest living thing to confront him and had to admit that he couldn't expect it. He fought lots of opponents and remembered to never underestimate or overestimate the enemy, but who would judge him for thinking little of the blond when one look was enough to say that this living thing could not be a challenge?
"Mmm, why?" Zabuza asked, not really getting it. Wasn't it a suicide?
The boy raised a brow. "Do you need a reason? I came to fight, not to chat."
If one looked closely enough, they could see amusement dancing in Itachi's red orbs, contrasting with cold expression. Momochi felt nothing, not even the cold of the weather, covered in bandages and clad in a greyish coat the hood of which was rimmed with fur.
Kisame openly rolled his eyes.
"It's a ritual, kid. Before you fight, while you fight, and after, you get to know each other, learn of your opponent, study your enemy, their reasons, thinking, their ways. It gets you closer, opens your eyes to life and death itself. Not performing that ritual you miss quite a lot."
Shirushi graced the new mentor with a sideways glare. "Never heard of it being a proper shinobi rule or a part of any code."
The Monster of Mist scoffed, completely ignoring the uncomprehending stare his former comrade directed at him. "That piece is always left unwritten."
A grimace formed on the soft features of the blond. "He's a traitor, that story is good enough."
With that statement Zabuza could agree and at the same time disagree. Has he betrayed his leader? Yes, but he did not betray the people of Kiri. Was that story enough for one confrontation? Yes but it did not make him a better person in the other people's eyes.
That piece of story wasn't good enough.
The boy's hand pulled two kunai from under the cloak he wore and it immediately put the bandaged shinobi on guard. He wasn't that stupid to ignore a major possibility that a pair of S-ranked killers trained the child to fight. No mentor would ever embarrass themselves by placing their student against an opponent he could not defeat or at least, face on equal ground.
Two blades became one, and Zabuza divided his attention between the brave boy and a dangerous pair of criminals. Even if they stayed where they were, he could not trust their word, as in the true shinobi code, there was no code.
Soft steps took Shirushi forward to position himself in front of the man with a short distance between them. Eyeing the build of the man, his posture and sword in particular, the blond confirmed that the Demon of Mist had muscle power, lots of thick chakra, though not as much as Kisame, a water affinity, a sane dose of confidence and a large zanbato, that just like Samehada gave the new meaning to close and middle range style of fighting. His story though, the blond already partly knew.
He gathered the group of ninja holding the same views as he did and led the rebellion against the reins of Mizukage. Against his father, who at that time took the Mizukage's face. But that was beside the point.
To him personally, Zabuza did not do a thing, but he betrayed his father, and that at least, was a reason to fight the man. Choosing his target from the bingo book wasn't as easy as it seemed to come for Kakuzu. The man did not care who to pursue, as long as the numbers of money satisfied his greed. For Shirushi choosing a 'prey' was difficult, as he had no enemies, and no personal gain from fighting someone. Not even for some sort of revenge.
So after thinking of his options he went with going after someone who betrayed his father.
Itachi observed the stare match between the contrasting opponents. Momochi did not hold his weapon in hand, waiting for the boy to make the first move. Maybe the Demon of Mist believed that his speed was high enough to dodge every attack from the blond?
As he contemplated it, the boy took fast steps forward and in the last moment, raised the blade, controlling its angle as he got close. The swordsman, of course, dodged the attack stepping aside and let the blond continue. Four next arched slashes cut the air in much the same fashion and under white bandages, Momochi hid the smirk.
It was wiped off the second later when the speed with which the blade span became thrice faster. The tip of steel was too close to his side for comfort and grabbing his zanbato the Demon of Mist stopped it and used his strength to push the boy away, but surprisingly, he did not fight the new direction, and accepting it, turned his small agile body to thrust the second sharp end of his weapon at the man's back.
Only reflexes protected Zabuza from getting stabbed that quickly into the fight. His wide eyes gave all attention to the blond and he got a suspicion that he will be surprised quite thoroughly and soon. His divided attention quickly turned from advantage to mistake.
A moment later the boy was attacking but his moves did not look like motions of attacker aiming for domination in the fight. Rather, quick sidesteps accented by nimble body put the man on the offensive where he protected himself by evading and swinging his sword in a manner with which he defeated his foes. It was strange.
Itachi noted that Shirushi never met Zabuza's sword with his own blade, and if it happened, he let the man be the main force, where he changed angles and directions for his own motions seconds later. It was easy to explain, as the boy had no physical power to resist the pushing, he went along with it, adjusting to the patterns of the swordsman's fighting style, but at the same time, setting his own pace.
The first minute put Zabuza on guard, and he became serious and fully attentive. For the blond though, that minute was the warm up, which was proved by the toothy grin that was meant to taunt the man.
Having enough, the Demon of Mist manoeuvred the next exchange of stabbing and slashing moves to create the distance between them. Kubikiri Houcho was stuck in the ground as he used the large part of his reserves to create the Water Clones from surrounding snow. They rushed forward to engage the blond in a fight of five on one.
Shirushi did not move, surprised at the man's choice. A split second later, before the clones reached him from the gap Zabuza created, they were stopped by identical copies of the blond.
As the clones fought each other one on one, the man stared at the boy in shock.
He was not surprised that the kid knew that kind of jutsu, rather, he did not recall hearing the boy voice the name of the technique nor making seals with both hands, as was done in his case.
"What?" The blond asked, raising a brow at the expression on the man's bandaged face.
Zabuza promptly sobered. "Nothing." Once again he became serious and regained control over his outward appearance.
The puffs of smoke and splashes of water alerted the fighters that their doppelgangers ceased to exist. The man considered performing a Hidden Mist technique almost sure the blond relied on his sight ability, but that option was not appealing because when the boy would lose sight of him, he would lose sight of the blond, the Samehada wielder, and the mentally unstable killer where both of the last mentioned were ranked as S-class shinobi. No, not appealing...
With a tilt of his head, Shirushi smiled widely and evilly. It unnerved the man who tried to prepare himself for everything since moment after moment he was closer to being cornered.
Holding the double kunai in right hand, the boy raised his left and Zabuza kept a close eye to swift fingers that made seals he could not recognize. One handed seals.
Propelling his zanbato in front of him to protect himself from the attack he did not know the name of yet, and still might never know, the man did not have to wait for the onslaught.
Abruptly, the ground in front of the boy erupted with ice spears and continued to do so in line till it reached the swordsman. Having little time to react, the man jumped aside tightly gripping the handle of his sword. As he rolled on the snow one spear managed to wound his shoulder blade. He ignored it, in favour of giving a silent point to the blond for attacking from the rare side. And another, for surprising him with an element that could only be used by bloodline wielders, such as Haku. Was that a coincidence?
"The kid is not treating it seriously, not that I mind, but it would be better if he had experience behind that confidence." Kisame commented, not taking his small eyes away from the scene. "But I'm impressed so far."
"Hn." Itachi answered, patting himself inwardly on the shoulder, for teaching the boy the Shadow Clone technique, and a few others. Not only was that ensuring the safety of the child in case he needed to do things without using his own hands, but that also built the trust between them. Sadly, he could not teach him genjutsu. No one could. Shirushi would never be able to use that art because he did not know what the world truly looked like. Or the colours of the world. Objects, people and surroundings did not shine, and the insides of living beings were not seen without dissection. Those rules though did not apply to the blond, and as his doujutsu was always active, he would never learn that. Genjutsu was about making your enemies see what you wanted them to see, and as whatever Shirushi showed his opponent would be from his own perspective, learning that skill was almost pointless. A pity too, since he and Madara had a lot to teach on that subject.
But it also meant that Shirushi could not get caught in illusions. That must've both pleased and upset the boy's father. Since his last failure in plan to motivate the boy by traditional means, he continued to come up with new strategies and ways to use the blond. Itachi saw many examples of similar behaviour in the Uchiha clan not to notice. But as much as it was devious, it was amusing. The boy was far too smart to be forced into anything.
In a blink numerous shuriken were shot in boy's general direction by Momochi's fast hand.
Unwilling to physically tire himself by dodging, the blond tilted his head and made few signs that translated as 'rushing wind, surround and spin, deflect'. The rotating wind was so strong it was visible, it fluttered the clothing and a braid of the boy impressively and swept away the snow from around the child and further. Shurikens could not penetrate that shield and instead were redirected by its whirling power. One by one sharp projectiles flew behind and on sides of Shirushi, who paid them no mind.
Kisame curled his upper lip in mild annoyance as he was forced to sidestep several of them. Itachi merely shifted his torso a bit, predicting that only one of flying objects could harm him.
"How did you do it? That was possible only if you have a bloodline letting you use Hyouton..." Zabuza asked, leaning on his sword and hoping that he could pull some answers out of the boy. At the same time he focused on the wound he received to gauge how serious it was.
The blond raised one brow in a very elegant manner reserved for rich clan members. "That's a secret."
The man's face fell. No answers, then. He could not aim to kill the child as repercussions would be unpleasant, the pair of known criminals would ensure that. At the same time, the game was over and he had to take control over situation.
Losing extra chakra for warming the snow for Water Clone technique, Zabuza created as many as possible, and mingled with them in the wide attack. As his doppelgangers became a distraction, he also added chakra to his limbs, to be faster. Before the blond clones came to support the boy in a fight, Water Clones took their majority out of the picture with the use of far reaching zanbatos.
The Demon of Mist took advice from the blond's book and instead of his usual pattern of swinging the sword from regular position, he retreated after every slash to make sure the boy did not know which of the attackers was real. Moments later he was satisfied with at least one gash on his opponent's arm and two on his backside.
Having a good view of the exchange Kisame soundlessly whistled, not a bit disturbed by injuries the blond received.
All abruptly stopped as Zabuza lost sight of the boy.
His clones no longer were a coordinated group as they darted their gazes left and right, looking for the small shinobi.
In much similar way as Shirushi, Itachi raised his brow when he could not pinpoint where the boy's chakra went and disappeared. If it was a Body Flicker, he could trace it easily, but the sudden disappearance was confusing.
Just before the features of all present furrowed, a clash indicated that both Kubikiri Houcho and double kunai resembling a spear met halfway to their targets.
Pure surprise described Momochi's visible face, and pure reflexes saved him from being pierced through. He ignored the fast reappearance of the blond focusing on the stalemate instead. He also found it strange that the boy did not lose cheerful mood after giant zanbato cut his skin, not too deep, but that should've been enough for any other kid to reconsider their idea of fighting an experienced ninja.
Knowing that with his physical strength he was at advantage, Zabuza pushed his blade further, intending to wipe the cheerful smile off, and it would have worked, if the kid did not stop the advance by grabbing his smaller weapon with both hands and placing a foot by the side of double kunai that faced the ground. It gave enough leverage to equal the power of one arm of the swordsman.
"Funny, that you simply won't go down. Quick and sharp, but is that enough?" The man taunted. His clones did not wait for any sign before they let their swords go down on the boy, most of them aiming for the neck and sides.
In the slow motion reserved only for those of the Uchiha bloodline, Itachi observed as from nowhere, Shadow Clones materialized behind every Water Clone, with their blades already sticking out of taller, more intimidating bodies. And just like that, water splashed around the two fighters, as uncomprehendingly, witnesses stared at the show.
All this time Zabuza's eyes never left those purple ones, and he wondered if he'd have to use all of aces up his sleeves. "That had to be some sort of bloodline." Under bandages, he grimaced. "It had better be."
The blond was panting from amount of chakra he used to turn the tables in his favour. "You should be more concerned about the amount of me, not the entrance." One smirk later Shadow Clones started making hand seals.
But instead of finishing the sequence they twisted their bodies to avoid the rain of needles that came from behind the trees.
Few that got shot disappeared in the puffs of smoke. From above, one small grey ball fell on the ground by the fighters and immediately drawn their eyes. The swordsman stopped struggling and pulled back, where intervention came from.
Seeing his reaction Shirushi jumped back and away from the ball too. Rest of the shadow clones dispersed. Second later, it exploded releasing greenish gas that quickly obscured the vision of all present. Already suspicious and suspecting that Zabuza had help, the boy pushed the blade into the ground and spread his arms wide, to use the wind manipulation for clearing the air.
Kisame grimaced, irritated and sniffed the air. "Uh, classic poison, gets you all teary eyed and contaminates lungs. Do we step in?"
Without a sideways glance, Itachi replied. "Not yet."
As air became transparent the blond caught the sight of Zabuza getting pulled in a rectangle mirror, which was confusing. But before he could make a step forward to investigate, a painful cough stopped him.
Realizing that his health was more important than chasing the man, Shirushi placed his right hand on his chest and concentrated on giving his chakra healing properties.
The pair of Akatsuki members stepped by his side. "You should have moved away when you noticed that smoke. The colour more often than not indicates that it's a poisoning gas." An older Uchiha muttered in monotone.
Surprisingly, the blond snarled. "Not a problem. I am more concerned about finding him again. And his accomplice."
The Monster of Mist liked that attitude and grinned at the thought of hunting again. Itachi did not have that much enthusiasm.
With determination the boy reached the spot where his opponent vanished. Where before was a mirror, on the ground now was snow and water.