Snow-hime: Sorry for the wait, I got too lazy to type the last chapter.
Sakura: Snow-hime, did you read this?
Snow-hime: *reads paper* Wha?
Sasuke: You said to review, you never said what to put in the review. *smirks*
Snow-hime: Smart ass! Stop trying to confuse me with logic!
Kakashi: Let's just get this over with. Snow-hime does not own Naruto, can I have that new volume of Icha Icha Paradise now? *Sasuke and Sakura look at Snow-hime in shock*
Snow-hime: *blushes* What? It isn't like I actually read it. Please review and tell me what you think of the chapter. Thanks!
Chapter 10
"All right! Road trip!" Naruto yells happily. "Will you stop acting like an idiot? You're making us look bad." Mai says irritably. "But this is the first time I've been outside of the village! Don't tell me you're not excited too." He says, pointing at her. "I've been outside the village before, it's no big deal." Mai says. "Am I really leaving my life in the hands of these fools?" Tazuna mutters. "Listen old man, you don't mess with a ninja, especially an awesome one like me. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'll become Hokage one day!" Naruto yells. Why me? Mai thought with a groan. "Hokage, eh? The best in your village? I don't think you have it in ya." Tazuna says, taking another gulp of sake. "Well you're old and stupid! When I become Hokage you'll regret not showing me more respect!" Naruto says. "Even then I still wouldn't respect you." Tazuna says. "I'll kill you!" Naruto yells. "I said no you idiot." Kakashi sighed, holding Naruto back. "Wasn't that a little harsh Tazuna-san?" Mai asks. "It's better to tell an honest opinion than a blatant lie." Tazuna says.
I'd rather be on a D-rank mission right now. We've been just walking this entire time. Mai thought, nearly stepping in a puddle. As they passed the puddle two chunnin came out of the puddle with chains, wrapping them around Kakashi. "One down." The first ninja said as both men pulled on the chain and ripped Kakashi apart. "Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed. Mai's blood grew cold; it was like watching her family killed all over again. She snapped out of her stupor when she saw the two ninja heading towards a terrified Naruto. "Don't freeze up you idiot, move!" Mai yells, tackling him to the ground. Sasuke then pinned the chains to two trees with shuriken, keeping them in place with kunai. Afterwards he landed on their gauntlets, a smirk on his face. Mai stood up and dusted herself off, finally she got some action! The ninja then detached their chains and went straight towards Tazuna and Sakura. Sasuke and Mai both went to intercept them when Kakashi appeared, clothes lining both ninja. "Kakashi-sensei, you're alive!" Sakura says cheerfully. "You asshole!" Mai yells angrily, to think she almost cried about it!
"Sorry for the scare but I needed to see who their real target was. If they were after one of us or Tazuna." Kakashi says, tying the men to a tree. "By the way… good job Mai and Sasuke." He says, resting a hand on both their heads. Mai flinched for a moment and her body tensed, she slowly backed away from him. Kakashi saw that she had a guarded expression on her face, glancing at him suspiciously. The kind gesture on her sensei's part just brought back memories that she tried to lock away. Even though she knew that he was a heartless murderer the pain and anger still couldn't overcome the twisted feeling of love she felt for her father. That was the most terrifying thing her father had ever done, making it almost impossible to hate him.
"You're daddy's special little girl, always remember that." Kaito says, ruffling her hair. "Daddy I'm your only little girl!" Mai giggles as her father tucked her into bed.
She shook her head; she couldn't keep them out forever. As much as Mai hated to admit it there was a lot she could learn from her father, he was considered a genius in his generation. Not using that knowledge to her advantage would be just plain stupid. "This mission is higher than a B-rank. I think it's time we got an explanation." Kakashi says. Sakura looked at Kakashi nervously. "We're obviously not good enough to handle this, can we quit?" She asks. Does she seriously want us to just abandon this mission and the client? He could get killed! Mai thought. "Well we might need to go back to dress Naruto's wound. Decisions." Kakashi sighs. Before anyone else had a chance to voice their opinion Naruto reopened the poisoned wound on his hand. "Well at least now we won't have to worry about the poison. But that's a lot of blood." Mai comments. "Not that I don't enjoy your enthusiasm but you could bleed out." Kakashi says, Naruto's face paled. "Help me! I don't wanna die!" He yelps.
When Kakashi went to check on his hand it was almost completely healed. "Well?" Naruto asks his gaze fearful. "You'll be fine." Kakashi says, bandaging his hand. "So are we going to continue this mission?" Mai asks. "I think we should here more about this mission from our client before we decide." Kakashi says, looking at Tazuna with a piercing gaze. "Yes, there is something you all should know about this mission. It's more dangerous than the original details I gave tell. A man is after my life to stop the construction of the bridge we're building." Tazuna says gravely. "Who would that be?" Kakashi asks. "Gato." Tazuna says.
There was nowhere else to walk, all the stretched as far as the eye could see was water. Not that they could actually see much, there was a thick fog that made it almost impossible to see two feet in front of them. "Wait, we have to sit in that gondola? In a large body of water?" Mai asks, glaring at the waves. "No we're going to swim to the Land of Waves." Sasuke says sarcastically. Mai ignored the comment, only looking at Kakashi. "Oh yeah, you had a bad run in with water recently." Kakashi comments. "That's an understatement." Mai muttered. The four genin sat near the nose of the gondola, trying to make out shapes in the thick fog. "Whoa! It's huge!" Naruto yells, marveling at the bridge. Mai punched him in the head. "Idiot! Can't you tell we're trying to use stealth?" Mai whispers harshly. Naruto closed his mouth and stayed silent for the rest of the ride.
When they finally reached the dock Mai almost tripped getting out of the gondola, only a firm grip on her wrist kept her from falling. "You need to be more careful Mai." Kakashi says, Mai muttered something under her breath and started walking near Tazuna. Naruto and Sakura were in the front of their group while Sasuke, Mai, and Kakashi were near the back and closer to Tazuna. Now it's my time to outshine Sasuke. Naruto thought with a grin. "Over there!" Naruto yelled, throwing a shuriken into a bush. "No one's there!" Sakura yells. Kakashi looked behind the bush and everyone saw that there was an unconscious rabbit near the shuriken. "Naruto, you do know that rabbit's hearts explode when they're frightened right?" Mai comments. "Don't die little bunny, live!" Naruto begs, shaking the rabbit. And that'll just make it worse. Mai sighed. "Get down!" Kakashi yelled. Before Mai had a chance to react Sasuke tackled her to the ground. "Get off of me!" Mai yells angrily. "Idiot, I just saved your life." Sasuke says smugly. Mai pushed herself off the ground and saw a large broad sword embedded into the tree several yards above them. Its wielder was standing on the handle, looking down ominously at them.
"Kakashi of the Sharinghan eye I presume? If it wouldn't be too much trouble could you surrender the old man?" Zabuza asks. Kakashi gripped the headband over his eye and shifted it up to his forehead. "Assume the manji battle formation and protect Tazuna-san." Kakashi says. "But-" Mai began to protest. "All of you stay out of this fight." Kakashi says, then he revealed his right eye. It was crimson with three black comas, a scar running across it vertically. So that's what the Sharinghan looks like, it's like those pictures in the library. Mai thought, shivering slightly. "What the heck is a Sharinghan?" Naruto asks irritably. "Don't you know anything?" Mai asks. Sasuke went into a brief explanation of what the Sharinghan did with terms that even Naruto understood. "Well Kakashi it looks like I'll have to kill you first." Zabuza says coldly. So we only get to watch Kakashi-sensei fight? Bummer. Mai thought with a wistful sigh. Zabuza then loosened his sword from the tree and went into the middle of the water, standing on its surface without sinking. "Is he walking on water?" Sakura asks in surprise.
"The finest of the ninja arts: the Kirigakure jutsu." Zabuza says as mist began to fill the field. "He disappeared." Mai says nervously, looking around. "Don't worry he'll come after me first. But keep your guard up, Momochi Zabuza is known for silent killing." Kakashi says. The genin looked around intently, Mai was sure that Zabuza would be able to locate them by their erratic heart beats. She had no problems fighting but it was another story if she couldn't see anything around her. "There are eight targets." An eerie voice says from the mist. "Wha, what was that?" Sakura asks. "Vital points, he's talking about vital points." Mai says, her entire body becoming tense. "Very good little girl, can you name them all?" The blood lust in the air was thick, paralyzing the genin in fear. Mai was starting to wish she hadn't voiced her observation. "Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, jugular vein, subclavian artery, kidney, and the heart." Mai recites. "Well it looks like they're teaching something useful in the academy." Zabuza comments. "I didn't learn that in the academy." Mai spat bitterly. "Calm down everyone, don't let him get to you. Even if he gets to me I'll still protect you." Kakashi says with a smile.
Yeah, that's going to comfort three kids that should have trust issues. Mai thought sarcastically but oddly enough found that she wasn't as anxious anymore. "I wouldn't bet on that." Zabuza says, somehow getting through Team Seven's perimeter around Tazuna. How the heck did he get through? Mai thought in shock. Kakashi knocked all four genin away from Zabuza, stabbing him in the chest with a kunai. Wait, how did he move all of us and stab that guy? Mai wondered. "Kakashi-sensei, behind you!" Naruto yells as the Zabuza Kakashi stabbed fell to the ground as water. Zabuza took a horizontal swing at Kakashi with his sword only to see that Kakashi used a water clone as well. "Game over." Kakashi says, holding a kunai to his neck. "Awesome!" Naruto yelled. Finally. Mai thought with a sigh of relief. "You think that it's over? It'll take more than that to defeat me." Zabuza says. "Great, he's going into a monologue." Mai mutters. "Mai this is not the time to make stupid comments." Sakura says. "So do you want me to make intelligent ones?" Mai asks, Sakura glared at her. "Kill joy." Mai muttered.
The Zabuza in front of Kakashi burst with a splash; the real Zabuza was behind Kakashi and sent him flying into a lake with one powerful kick. Zabuza went to follow up the attack but saw Makibishi on the ground, making him maneuver around them. That guy just sent Kakashi-sensei flying! If only he wasn't a bad guy. Mai thought in disappointment. Just as Kakashi went to get out of the water he was trapped in a water prison jutsu. "Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled. Mai took out a kunai and went into a defensive stance, spotting the water clone that Zabuza created. "You're all still pretending to be ninja huh? A real ninja has had numerous brushes with death. Unfortunately for you it won't be a mere brush." Zabuza says darkly. The water clone charged at Naruto, kicking him across the field and stepping on his headband. Mai glared at the clone, waiting for orders from Kakashi. "You guys just take Tazuna and run away! You don't have any chance of beating him!" Mai glanced to her teammates, none of them were wavering. "There's no way that we're running like cowards sensei, we're not going to abandon a comrade." Mai says, watching Naruto pick himself off the ground.
Naruto charged towards the water clone, about to be kicked once again by the clone. Instead of being hit like he expected Naruto heard a loud Thunk. Mai was in front of him and blocking the kick with her arms. "Well I couldn't let you have all the fun." She says, aiming a high kick to Zabuza's abdominals. The kick was easily caught and Zabuza threw her towards the trees only to see her right herself in midair and land on her hands and feet. "I am not crashing into a tree again." Mai says. "Naruto, Mai what the heck were you thinking?!" Sakura yelled. "My teammate needed backup." Mai says simply. "We're not strong enough to take him out!" "Maybe not alone." Sasuke says quietly. "Finally the Uchiha got it right!" Mai says proudly. "That's right, and I've got a plan." Naruto says, picking up his headband and putting it back on his forehead.