Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter 11 - Regret
Naruto was looking at the contraption with wide eyes. "Did you just say a bomb?"
Spades nodded with a smile. "Yeah! You know how it works, right? You set it and it goes kaboom!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes on Spades. 'He thinks I'm an idiot,' he thought. "And what do you want to do with it?" he asked afterwards.
Spades patted the bomb with his hand. "Not me. You."
"Me?"
Spades nodded. "Yes. I want you to go to Gatō's base. Set it in his office for me," Spades said.
Naruto was taken aback. "How do you expect me to do that? I don't even know where that is," Naruto told him.
Spades chuckled. He then took out papers from the box and laid them on the table. "These are maps and blueprints of Gatō's base north of Main Town. A good ninja will be able to go in and out rather easily. I don't know about you but you're the only ninja in this room."
"You seem and talk like a ninja? Why don't you do it? And, who are you?" Naruto asked. This man was a mystery.
Spades raised his eyebrow. "It's better if you don't know. Why don't I do it? Because you can do it, and my knee is fucked up right now," Spades answered.
That didn't answer all of Naruto's questions, but he knew that he wouldn't get much personal information. "Tell me what to do," Naruto said.
Spades smiled. "I want you to go to Gatō's base of operations and set this bomb in his office. This base is used for many things, of course for Gatō's desires.
First and foremost, this base is also one of two locations that Gatō makes this drugs for the black-market. Destroying this base will damage his supplies, reputation and profits. This is what I want."
"How am I supposed to get inside? This all seems sketchy ttebayo. I don't want to die."
"I know kid. Let me finish first then you can talk. You certainly need to be taught some manners. Anyhow, I know you want the easiest way in, but it might not be the nicest way."
Naruto raised his eyebrow at Spades. "Not the nicest way how?" he asked.
Spades smiled wickedly. "Despite Gatō being one of the richest men in the Mainland. He's cheap. Hates spending money for things apart from gourmet food and materialistic goods. This base, although huge and unique, has one big problem which we will take advantage of. The sewer system."
"I don't like the sound of this."
"I don't care. Gatō's base is huge. Bigger than Sector B in this town. It's a base and a factory plant. Since Gatō hates to spend, all the waste, chemical and domestic, flows through one large pipe. This pipe goes further up north and into the sea. According to the fishermen, the pollution levels have increased since Gatō has come here. And I want you-"
"To go through it and infiltrate the base," Naruto finished. Naruto sighed. He then rubbed his forehead. 'Seems like this has gone to shit,' he thought.
Spades nodded, a small smile formed on his lips. "Exactly. Because of the disgusting nature of it, there are no guards posted at the sewer pipe outlet. The pipe will go on for just over one mile.
There you can enter the base. I don't know the interior of the base, so you will have to wing it. The only location I know is that Gatō's office is on the second top floor, in the centre of the base. A power generator will be adjacent to the office. With the bomb set, when it explodes, it will take the generator with it and add more damage. Gatō hopefully will die with it."
"Why can't I go from the outside in? Why do I have to go through the sewer pipe?" Naruto asked.
"Let me answer your question with another question. Don't you think Gatō won't have lots of guards securing the perimeter of his base? Keeping watch all around on top of the roof? There will be too many and you will get spotted. Also, there are only two entrances into the base. The front door and a large gate at the back to load up boats and caravans.
There is a good chance that Gatō has his windows, the few that are there, linked to an alarm system. There are thirty-two security cameras that are operating outside and an unknown amount in the inside. There are less however. Going through the sewer will let you bypass all these obstacles. Once you're inside, it will be easier to get out and escape if needs be. You understand?" Spades asked at the end.
Naruto nodded. "What do we know about the base itself?"
"From bribes and some other methods, we found out a bit from his crew. The base takes the shape of an upside-down octagonal pyramid. I don't understand the design really but Gatō is rich, so he probably didn't care. The base is located twenty kilometres north of Main Town. In the densest part of the forest, you can find it.
However, it is camouflaged to look like part of the forest. Guards are stationed all around in obscure places that have good viewpoints all around the base. This will be tricky, but a trained ninja should excel in this environment under such conditions."
Naruto tapped his foot. His mind wandered on a meander, wondering if this was a good idea. He once again looked critically at the blueprints. A smile appears on his face. "Alright let's do this."
Deep Forest
Deep within the forest north of Main Town. Naruto is dashing along the coast. Night covered everything. The moon provided some light. There was a dense fog, a natural and regular occurance for the island nation. The smell of the sea flared Naruto's nostrils. He could taste the salt in the air.
He traversed further and further. Naruto was beginning his mind started to play games on him.
"Oh, there it is!" Naruto said happily. He saw a large outlet of a pipe. Dark sludge can be seen leaving the pipe and entering the sea. The smell was horrific. Naruto coughed and nearly gagged from the intense aroma. He covered his mouth with his forearm, stopping anymore suffering.
Naruto stalked over to the entrance of the pipe. His information from Spades, the information broker was correct, there was no security here whatsoever. Naruto looked inside the pipe with a flash light and saw that most of the pipe's inner surface was cemented with waste. Only the top of the pipe was somewhat clean. It was truly disgusting.
Naruto breathed in a lot of air, his chest expanded greatly. He then released the built-up air and jumped to the ceiling of the pipe. Using chakra on his feet, his feet stuck to it. Without wasting time, he delved in.
Naruto quickly went through the pipe. After thirty seconds, he couldn't bear to be in this situation any longer than he had to. Naruto flashed his light all around as he went along. He could see build-up of sludge. It turned to a tar black. It most likely had the same viscosity as tar as well.
Naruto continued to look around. He stopped suddenly when he saw a pale white. A deathly white. Naruto gasped air from his shock. He then gagged from the intense smell. Steadying himself, he looked at the white again. There were multiple body parts, all chopped up.
Only the limbs were recognisable. Naruto's disgust for Gatō increased. He shook his head and went on ahead, nothing good can come from waiting down in a dump.
As time went on, it seemed that this sewer went on infinitely. Than a source of light can be seen faraway. Naruto felt a surge of energy flow through his veins. He quickly cut down the distance between him and the light.
Naruto looked at what the light revealed. It was a manhole cover. Positioning himself on the ladder that was nearby, he slowly lifted the lid off. It was black beyond. Naruto climbed up and entered the room. He put the manhole cover back on.
Looking around, he knew where he was. The sound of machines and the barely lit room with many pipes showed that this was the maintenance room for the base. Naruto is on the bottom floor and needs to get to the fourth to plant the bomb. This seems like it won't be too difficult, but Naruto had no idea what the layout of the base.
Naruto could sense that he was the only one in the room. Seeing a door, he moved and rested his body on the wall. Making the door open slightly, just enough to peek out. The corridors were not brightly lit. There were a few dark spots to hide.
'Remember there is a duct system. That's my best chance of going through here with no hassle,' Naruto thought.
Naruto waited to see if any person passed by, yet there was extraordinarily little action. He was suspicious of this, but he ignored it. Naruto thought it was because this floor would be the least important room.
Opening the door and then closing it. Naruto moved to the darkness in the corridor. Reaching a turn to a new corridor, Naruto could see a security camera, moving side to side. He bit his lower lip in annoyance. The camera was placed so it would see everything in one sweep, someone couldn't get past it easily.
Naruto needed a plan to get through this. An idea came quickly and with joy, Naruto went back to the maintenance room to put it in action.
A minute later, a cardboard box moves slowly through the corridor. The camera moves. The cardboard box stops in place. The camera goes back. The cardboard moves once again. Footsteps could be barely heard from the cardboard box.
The cardboard box got past the security camera with ease. After it was out of range, the cardboard was lifted. It revealed to be Naruto, using a cardboard box as a disguise. 'What ingenuity I have,' Naruto thought with a smile. He then folds the cardboard box and leaves it against the wall.
There was a vent duct nearby. Using his kunai, Naruto pried the vent door open. The vent was square in shape and a child could fit in it easily. This was a moment that Naruto was glad that he was short.
Naruto entered the duct and placed the vent door back on. Satisfied, he went into the ventilation network. He needed to find Gatō's office as soon as possible. The base has five main levels. Naruto was at the bottom. He needed to climb three floors to be on the same floor as Gatō. Naruto wondered why the office isn't on the top floor. Spades explained that it was to add more security and not risk an assassination from above.
Naruto crawled through the vents until it stopped going forward and started going straight up. The space was too cramped to use his feet effectively. Flowing chakra to his fingertips, Naruto used his fingers to climb up. The leaf-sticking exercise that he practiced for years has now come in handy. The fingertips have an unbelievable grip on the metal that had edge to hold.
The climb up stopped. Naruto then moved to the next vent tunnel. He crawled as silently as possible. Naruto had tried to suppress his chakra. He was afraid that another ninja on the level of Zabuza was in the base. If he was caught by such a ninja, he wouldn't last enough for a full-on battle. He would be killed.
There was a grate on the bottom surface of the vent. Naruto looked through it. He could see a large space that was occupied by many men. The ages ranged from young to old. Naruto could see powdered substances, large plants and lots of pieces of equipment. There was an oven, a Bunsen burner connected to a gas valve and many glassware for measuring substances.
Naruto understood what Spades has told him. This must be where they produce Gatō's drugs for his black-market side of business. He couldn't identify any of the drugs that were being created as he had no experience in seeing them.
There was a plant he recognised though. A large weed-like plant said to relax your body and can help you sleep. The plant can also cause mild hallucinations or affect your senses, so you don't interpret your surroundings correctly. Kotero has said that smoking the leaves and bud cause these effects but they aren't dangerous to the body compared to other drugs. "A recreational drug," is what Kotero said in the past.
Naruto had no idea on the values of the drugs created just below him. However, he knew that in some locations, a small amount can cost a fortune. There were white blocks that were covered in a plastic film and taped over. They were filling a wooden crate with it. If Naruto had to put a guess on the total value, it would much more than the payment of three S-rank missions. And it was only one crate.
Naruto shook his head. He couldn't waste precious time. A mission of infiltration should not be rushed. One mistake and your cover is blown. The village then is showered with insults and glares. However, Naruto needed to get to Tazuna's house before they leave for the bridge.
Naruto continued the path of the vent tunnel. He climbed once again to the third floor and then finally to the fourth floor. Naruto could see through the various grates that the building had very few people and activities. The more time went on, the more concerned he became.
The vent ended, however he knew he wasn't above Gatō's office. He went back to see if there was a different path yet there was none. He didn't know what to do. Going to the end of the vent, he opened the vent door to see what was outside.
There was a man standing in front of a double door. The wood for the doors looked awfully expensive. The wood was a rich brown, it was mahogany wood. That wood grew terribly slow in the jungle. This wood could be found all around the world, there has been a huge boost in the furniture trade and mahogany wood is the bestselling material.
The Land of Lightning has the biggest jungle in the Mainland. In one of the many mountain ranges, it is covered in dense jungle and has life thriving in it. The mountain range with the jungle is inhabitable for humans, so it is left undisturbed for the most part. Hunting and deforestation still occurs, the jungle is so large and thick that it barely affect the ecosystem there.
With this knowledge, Naruto knew that these doors were awfully expensive. He knew that this was Gatō's office. It helped that the door had intricate carvings, displaying flowers on it.
The man was a huge figure. His arms were the size of Naruto. Naruto thought one punch from this guy could break down a wall. A man with untrained chakra to use such strength is scary indeed. He also had a large belly, but Naruto knew the man was strong.
Naruto took out his ninja wire. He cut it, so a considerable length was between one hand to the other. He then stepped out of the vent and jumped out. Using chakra to silence his landing. He kept to the wall, so the man could not see him.
Naruto watched the man like a hawk watches its prey. The man breathed in and then exhaled loudly. Naruto jumped on the man's shoulders and wraps his ninja wire around his throat. Pulling the ends with his hands, the wire tightened around the man's throat. The man was shocked. His surprise was his downfall as he tried to pull off the wire.
The man must have realised that Naruto was on him. He threw punches and hammer fists towards Naruto, but Naruto carolled the angry bull of a man. The man was getting weaker. His face paled and he collapsed. Naruto jumped off him and stopped his body from crashing to the ground.
Naruto laid the body of the large man against the wall beside Gatō's office. Naruto looked and saw he was breathing in his sleeping state. A clear line can be seen around the man's throat and neck. It dug deep into his skin and muscle. Naruto didn't kill him. He simply put him to sleep.
Naruto went over to the door and turned the handle. There was resistance and the handle wouldn't budge. 'I expected something like this,' Naruto thought. Taking out a bobby pin and a senbon needle, Naruto slipped in both into the lock. He used the needle to help the bobby pin to push the lock pins up. A skill that has so many uses. Most locks like these are common in the world.
Naruto spends a good minute on his lockpicking. He went with the flow and moved his tools to unlock the lock. Any lock can be unlocked.
CLICK!
Naruto pushed the bobby pin up and it seemed that the lock is now open. A smile grew, and he put his tools away. Naruto turned the handle with ease and entered the office. The office was empty of humans but filled with expensive goods. The furniture looked like they belonged to a royal family. There were treasures such as gold and silver jewellery. A samurai suit was in the corner. The desk was like the door. Mahogany and it had beautiful carvings.
Naruto went to the desk. Unsealing the bomb that Spades gave him, he placed it on the desk. He installed the two cylinders which were filled with a deadly material. These two cylinders had the power to destroy the base. Spades said that he would remotely detonate the bomb once he knows Gatō is in the building. Naruto didn't know how he will be able to do that, but he didn't care. All he had to do was place the bomb. Spades will kill Gatō and his business, not him.
Naruto was about to leave until he saw a manuscript of the payment of a cargo ship. It was recently bought and moved to the Land of Waves just two days ago. Naruto's sixth sense of danger rose.
Naruto caught a greenish light from the corner of his eye. He focused on the source and sees a gap in the wall. He narrowed his eyes and walked over. It seemed that the wall was coming out.
"Oh, it's a hidden room," Naruto said as he pulled on the edge of the wall. The room was small but had one desk and chair. There were forty Tv screens, eight by five. The monitors were small, but it showed the inside and outside of the base. It was the recording security footage. Naruto looked at all the screens. His fist clenches. "There's nobody here," he gritted out in annoyance.
If the gang isn't here, then they must be doing something to harm the people of Wave. Naruto pressed the fast-backwards button with the mouse. All the screens play the recorded footage. Naruto could see on monitor thirty-three his cardboard box being in use. The camera fully picked up on it, it showed that there was an intruder, but no alarm was announced.
"Idiots," Naruto said under his breath.
The security goes back for a while until many people are seen re-entering the building. Naruto looked at the time of their departures and it was the same time that he entered the sewer pipe. As the footage kept going backwards, Gatō's gang were all listening to the boss himself. They all laughed at one point. Their evil intent can be seen through the screen.
'Something bad is going to happen ttebayo,' Naruto thought. This is bad. With the amount of people with weapons, Naruto knew they were going for an attack. But where?
"The bridge!" Naruto said with some rage. His whole infiltration has been ruined because of this. Instead of helping his team and the Land of Waves. He's now hurting it. Naruto felt his tiredness rise through the infiltration. He leaves the room and looks out of the one large window. The sun was already rising. It's past dawn.
"There must be over a hundred people going with Gatō. There's no way we could take all of them with Zabuza and Haku fighting with them as well. Our team will get killed. I have to run back to warn them!" Naruto said with worry flowing through his veins. He hasn't even started moving yet and his heart was beating madly.
He then ran and jumped out of the office window. It broke, and shards of glass flew in all directions. He didn't care if they sounded the alarm. Naruto needed to get back and warn his team.
Naruto ran and ran until something clicked in his head. "Tazuna-ossan is out of the house. Inari and Tsunami is in danger... Shit, I have to go check up on them. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke are on the bridge, I don't need to worry about them," he said, changing directions. His destination was now Tazuna's home.
With his speed to the max, Naruto ran from branch to branch, leaping through the dense forest. It didn't take him long to reach the Main Town he was getting so familiar with. He just hope nobody would catch a whiff of his shit-covered body. The worst part was that Naruto was used to the rancid smell now.
Not taking in the scenery around him, Naruto eventually reached Tazuna's house. He should feel some solace in reaching his destination in a quick manner, however his heart dropped when he saw the limp body of Tsunami with Inari running blindly to the two men holding her. The child was screaming loudly, Naruto wondered if he wanted to defeat the enemies by making them deaf.
As he watched from the distance, getting closer and closer, Naruto paled a deathly white once he saw the bulky tattooed man pull out his katanna. He was ready to strike Inari.
Naruto gritted his teeth, his eyes focused on his two targets. "I have to do something now!" he declared. As soon as those words left his mouth, the two thugs' future were now in Naruto's hand.
"A log? Where the fuck did that come from?" Waraji said. He was confused. He eyes were glued to the three chunks of wood.
Zōri examined it. "A replacement?" he said. "There's a ninja around here!?"
"Sorry for being late," Naruto said coming from behind the two.
They turned around to see a short boy with blond hair, mostly wearing orange and black. He had large streaks of brown and green all over his torso. His smell was rancid.
"But heroes are supposed to come late," Naruto said with a cheeky smile. He put down the unconscious body of Tsunami and pulling Inari off his shoulder.
"Naruto!" Inari shouted out happily.
Naruto stood up and ruffled Inari's hair. "Good work Inari, your distraction helped me out. I was able to save your Kaa-chan ttebayo," Naruto said with glee.
"How did you find out that the bad guys were here?" Inari asked.
Naruto's face soured a bit. "I didn't. I just had a gut feeling," he told Inari.
"You're just the incompetent ninja that Tazuna hired," Waraji said.
"Let's kill him," Zōri said grabbing the hilt of his sword.
Waraji grinned like a madman and ran towards Naruto, Zōri followed suit.
"Inari," Naruto said grimly.
Inari looked up to see a serious face on Naruto. "Cover Tsunami-san and don't watch me. These guys need to be punished for what they did to your country and Kaa-san," Naruto said. He stood up and grabbed one kunai from his holster. Inari followed the orders and hugged the sleeping body of Tsunami.
Naruto breathed deeply, trying to remain calm. 'They want to kill me and Inari. And use… Tsunami-san. I can't let this happen!' Naruto thought. His eyes grew cold and become deadly serious. He moved towards the two approaching enemies.
Both Waraji and Zōri swung their blades at the same time once Naruto came into range. The only thing they cut was air.
Naruto crouched low to the ground, completely avoiding the horizontal slashes. He quickly got up, grabbed the wrist and forearm of Zōri. He twisted it hard with haste, making the him scream in pain. The arm was now broken.
Naruto gripped his kunai and with the blade in hand, he stabbed the man in the kidney after pushing his disabled arm away. Zōri's defence was now completely open.
Zōri's face raced through expressions. He howled in dire pain. The screams were horrible to listen to for the innocent ears of Inari. Naruto quickly pulled out the kunai and blood sprayed onto his clothes.
Sensing danger, he ducked from the incoming slash that came from behind and hit the ankle of Waraji, making him lose balance.
This is all Naruto needed. He faced Waraji's body and stabbed the man in the heart and quickly pulled the kunai out. Blood sprayed out, a shower of red covered Naruto.
Both bodies dropped onto the wooden dock and blood seeped out of their dying bodies. Naruto breathed but with trembling fingers and hands. His first kills.
He turned around and saw Inari hugging his mother. This knocked Naruto out of his stupor and he quickly ran over to the pair. "Is everything alright here Inari?" Naruto asked.
Inari looked at Naruto with terrified eyes. "Nii-san. Kaa-chan won't wake up!" Inari said. He was thinking of the worst possibility.
Naruto smiled, seeing that Tsunami had no damage apart from one small bruise forming on the neck. He put his index finger and middle finger at the side of the head of Tsunami. A trick he learnt from Kotero, he flowed exceedingly small amounts of chakra into the brain.
After five seconds, Tsunami's body spasmed and her eyes fluttered open. After a few blinks, she turned her head to see her son. Not even a second later, she wrapped him in a tight embrace.
Naruto smiled at the scene, glad that he made it in time. Tsunami noticed a bloody Naruto, she gasped when she saw the bodies close by. "Naruto-kun," she said. Her tears were forming tears.
"Don't worry. I couldn't let those men do what they wanted. They would have killed Inari, and then… Better they die than you," he said in a grim voice.
All she could do was nod and hug Inari tighter. "Naruto-niisan, it's like you're a ninja," he exclaimed.
Naruto sighed. "Idiot! I am a ninja. Now… I'm sorry Inari."
"Huh?" Inari responded with.
Naruto crossed his arms and tapped his finger on the opposite arm. "I called you a cry-baby yesterday. Today," Naruto said then ruffling Inari's hair, "you proved me wrong by trying to save Tsunami-chan. You're strong."
Inari eyes became watery and tears flowed down his cheeks. "Damn it! You're going to make fun for me about crying," he said with disappointment.
Naruto looked out to the sea. "What're you talking about. It's okay to cry when you're happy," Naruto said with a huge smile.
Naruto then walked off away from the mother and son. "I can leave this place to you Inari. Keep Tsunami-san safe. I need to get back to my team. I'm worried about them ttebayo," Naruto said.
"Heroes are always busy, super busy," he then shouted out, running in the distance to the bridge.
Bridge Construction Site
'Remember the training. Mold up chakra immediately,' Sasuke thought as the needles flew towards his body.
The ice needles that were still in the air rocketed to Sasuke's position. Haku jumped back as the high speed needles hit the ground and Sasuke. A dust cloud appeared where they landed. Haku looked back and saw the lack of a body, some water splashed where Sasuke once was. "He disappeared," Haku said quietly.
Sasuke was high in the air looking down on the masked ninja. He then his threw shuriken.
Haku had to dodge three times from three consecutive shurikens. Haku stood up, not knowing the position of Sasuke.
"You're pretty slow," Sasuke said as he flashed behind her using chakra enhanced speed. "Now, you can only receive and block my attacks."
Both ninja twirled and Haku blocked an incoming kick from Sasuke using her forearm. Sasuke grinned and threw a kunai that was in his hand, hidden behind his back at Haku's face.
Haku ducked but was met with a perfectly timed kick from Sasuke's left leg. Haku was sent back towards Zabuza, skidding across the ground. Water soaked the back of Haku's thick and baggy outfit.
"Haku… Lost in speed?" Zabuza said out loud. Surprise was evident in his voice.
"Looks like my speed is better," Sasuke said. Pride was emanating from his voice.
Kakashi looked at the shocked Zabuza. "You can't make fun of our team just because we have youngsters. Sasuke is the village's top rookie. Sakura is the village's shrewdest child. And Naruto, is the number one ninja at surprising people," Kakashi stated.
Zabuza just chuckled. "Haku, do you understand that you're going to get defeated like this?" Zabuza said grimly.
"Yes…" Haku said. Dark blue chakra was radiating out of her body.
Sasuke looked at Haku with a confused expression, "What the? That's cold air," Sasuke said with shock.
"It's a shame," Haku said without emotion and forming a unique Tiger hand seal. Ice formed behind Sasuke and it became a long and thin beam. Quickly, it transformed into a clean, clear panel of ice. Sasuke was so shocked from the turn of events that his feet were frozen in place.
"Secret technique: Demonic Ice mirrors," Haku said. More and more panels of ice were formed, until Sasuke was surrounded by the panels that were in a dome shape, leaving noticeably short gaps in between.
"What is that jutsu?" Kakashi asked but received no answer.
The panels glowed a white light and Haku walked to the one closest. Haku then stepped into the ice panel and merged into it. Shocking all the Konoha ninja and Tazuna. An image of Haku formed in all of them.
"These are… mirrors," Sasuke said. All the ice mirrors in front of his eyes had an image of Haku on them. "What is he going to do?"
"Shit!" Kakashi said under his breath as he began to run to Sasuke. Zabuza flashed in front of him with his arms spread to the sides slightly.
"I'm your opponent, remember?" Zabuza said. "He's a goner now that Haku used that jutsu."
Haku looked intently at Sasuke. "Let's begin. I'll show you my true speed," Haku said. A senbon needle flew out of her grip. It cut Sasuke's top's arm. Another needle flew and hit the other arm.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted in worry. Sasuke was getting cuts left and right from the tens of needles that were aiming towards him. The needles hit his hands, making his hands open in pain, his kunai escaped his grip and more needles hit the kunai away.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted out in fear. Sasuke's disarmed kunai flew into the air and landed in front of Sakura, scaring her.
More and more needles were cutting Sasuke and his clothes. His gurgled screams could be heard all around the outside of the dome. All he could do was cover his face and head. Sakura and Tazuna's eyes were shaking.
"If you move without thinking, I'll kill the two behind you," Zabuza said with power to Kakashi.
"Tazuna-san, I'm sorry. I'm going to move from here for a minute," Sakura said. Hidden fear is in her voice.
Tazuna just looked at the girl. "Sure, go."
Sakura took the kunai that was driven in the ground and started to run in the direction of where Sasuke was.
"Sakura," Kakashi said, looking slightly behind.
Sakura ran and then jumped up into the air. "Sasuke-kun! Take this!" she shouted, throwing the kunai into the dome. Sasuke looked back where the source of the voice came, seeing the kunai fly towards his position.
The kunai stopped in its tracks. Haku nipped it in its flight. Sasuke collapsed after while Haku twirled the kunai outside of the mirror. "He caught it!" Sakura said shocked, she couldn't believe her eyes.
A shuriken flew into the dome and curved hard. Its trajectory hit Haku's mask. Haku was pulled from the mirror after the surprise attack.
"What the? Who did that?" Sakura asked out loud.
Footsteps could be heard coming from their direction. All the ninja looked from where the footsteps were coming from. 'That idiot. What a show-off,' Sasuke thought with a smirk.
"The number one ninja in surprising people," Haku said getting up from the ground. There was a large cut in the mask.
The person came to their vicinity. Blood covered most of his clothes and some spray marks were still on his face.
"Uzumaki Naruto is here!" Naruto said as he stopped at a distance away. If his grin suggested anything, it was that he was confident that he and his comrades will come out victors in this battle.
Zabuza turned his head back. "Hm, the blond brat returns," he said in a bored tone.
Naruto looked what's in front of him and started the seal sequence of Tiger-Ox but then was interrupted by shuriken thrown by Zabuza.
"Oh, no!" Kakashi shouted as the shuriken flew towards Naruto.
Naruto stopped the jutsu formation and took out a kunai from his holster, ready to deflect the incoming danger. However, the flying shuriken's flight were interrupted by senbon needles thrown by Haku.
"What!" Zabuza yelled out.
"He was saved?" Sakura said in a confused manner.
Naruto grinned again, confusing everyone. Then he puffed into smoke.
'A shadow clone?' Kakashi thought. 'He's now hidden again. Good work Naruto.'
"Haku, what's the meaning of this?" Zabuza asked his partner.
"Zabuza-san, leave him to me," Haku said with a voice devoid of emotion. "Please let me do this fight my way."
Zabuza just hummed. "So, you don't want me to interfere, Haku. As usual, you're too easy on the enemy."
Haku's head was down. "I'm sorry."
'This is bad. I need to help Naruto and Sasuke,' Kakashi thought moving one foot forward.
Zabuza saw this and blocked Kakashi's path. "Hey, don't think of doing anything weird now. If you move, you know what's going to happen to that geezer, right?" Zabuza said tilting his head.
It was a horrifying image. Zabuza was hoping to scare the man to death. It would make his life so much easier. He was truly dealing out all his cards.
"Let's observe how the kiddies will fight, shall we?" Zabuza said keeping his hands to his sides.
"So, you really are one of Zabuza's men. Haku," Naruto said in the mist, his position unknown to the group.
"I'm sorry. But like your sensei said this. The duty of a ninja is to deceive and to find an unguarded spot. Please don't take it personally Naruto-kun," Haku said.
'You don't have time to chit-chat like that!' Sasuke thought as he threw a kunai at the side of Haku's head. She dodged the kunai by leaning back. This shocked Sasuke.
"I didn't forget about you. I would have liked for you to just lie there quietly, but I guess I can't expect that. I guess I have to finish the fight with you first," Haku said, moving back into the mirror.
Sasuke saw the image of Haku in front of him. Sasuke quickly looked around, seeing that there were no other images. He smirked as his hand was closing in on his holster.
"Over here," the voice of Haku was heard from behind Sasuke. Sasuke gasped and looked behind, with shocked eyes.
"He moved. But how?'" he whispered under his breath.
The rest of the mirrors were now filling with the image of Haku, holding senbon needles in between the fingers. All at once, the Haku multiples threw their senbon needles. Sasuke was caught in a storm and couldn't do anything. He grunted in pain. He crossed his arms and moved his head to his chest. The needle storm ended and Sasuke fell to the ground.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted in worry.
"Sasuke. I'm here to help!" Naruto said with enthusiasm as he crouched beside Sasuke. "You okay, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke was shocked to the core. "You idiot! If you're a ninja, be more careful!"
Naruto growled and bared his teeth. "What the hell was I supposed to do? Schedule an appointment with you. I came in to save your ass ttebayo," Naruto retorted back.
Sasuke raised his fist. "If you came into the mirrors as well. Damn it! Forget about it Naruto," Sasuke spat out.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "How was I supposed to break the mirrors you mean. Did nobody see me try to break that mirror over there? I can't break it with my fists, weapons or my seal tags. So, I thought I'd come in here to help," Naruto said.
Sasuke stood up, "I'll just have to destroy the mirrors then!"
Sasuke flowed through his hand seals.
"Oi, what're you doing Sasuke?" Naruto asked still crouched.
"These mirrors are made from ice. Then!" Sasuke shouted out. Sasuke used his fire jutsu as a flamethrower aimed at the mirrors. Hot flames blew around the dome. Sasuke stopped his jutsu and noticed that the mirrors were barely melted.
"Sasuke, I used my fire seal tags and they didn't work. If you listened to me, you wouldn't have wasted chakra!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke.
"These mirrors won't melt with that kind of firepower," Haku said, making Sasuke grit his teeth.
Sasuke grinded his teeth in annoyance. The mirrors lit up a bright white light and Sasuke and Naruto were thrown from where they were standing.
"Damn it! Where is Haku attacking from? Are they clones? Where is the real one?" Naruto wondered looking at each individual mirror.
"There's no point in trying to follow me with your eyes. I will never be caught," Haku said, still in the mirrors. Naruto and Sasuke both gritted their teeth at their predicament.
"Haku. What is this jutsu?" Naruto asked with serious eyes and face.
"This is a travelling jutsu that utilizes mirror reflections that only reflect me. From my speed, you two look like you're standing still," Haku explained vaguely.
Kakashi went wide-eyed. "I knew it! This is a Bloodline Limit technique!" he said loudly. Zabuza laughed at the realisation.
Sakura looked at her Sensei. "Bloodline Limit?" she asked.
Kakashi stared down at the ice dome. "It's the same kind of thing with my sharingan. They are abilities and techniques that are only passed down through deep blood relations," Kakashi explained.
Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on the ground, looking like they're in bad shape. "Damn it! So, what!?" Naruto says, getting the attention of everyone. "I can't die here. I have too much to live for!" Naruto said with determination.
Kakashi's lone eye widened dramatically.
Haku was also taken back from the comment. "It is difficult for me to be a real ninja. If it's possible, I do not want to kill you and I don't want to make you kill me.
However, if you are going to fight me, I will kill my compassion with a blade and become a ninja. This bridge… is a battleground that leads to the dreams of many people. I will for my dream. And you will fight for your dream.
Please don't hold any grudges. I want to protect an important person. I want to work for him, fight for him, and make his dreams come true. That is my dream. To make it come true. I will become a ninja and… I will kill you," Haku declared bringing a senbon needle up.
Sakura brought her hands to her mouth, positioning it if she was trying to amplify her voice. "Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Don't lose to a guy like that!" she cheered out.
"Sakura!" Kakashi bit out. Sakura flinched and looked at Kakashi. "Don't say that. Don't goad them. Even if there is a one-in-a-million-chance to overcome that technique, they can't defeat that boy," Kakashi told her.
"What? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, completely confused on what he meant.
Zabuza chuckled hard, "They still don't have the mental strength to suppress their emotions and kill someone. That boy knows a ninja's agony quite well. He is different from Naruto and Sasuke." Kakashi said.
Zabuza stopped his chuckling, "That's correct. A real ninja is not trained in a peaceful village like yours. You can't experience the most important thing to a ninja, the experience of killing," Zabuza added.
Sakura's knees were shaking, "Then what are we going to do Sensei?" she asked out loud.
"Sorry, but I'm going have to finish this quickly," Kakashi said to Zabuza.
"The Sharingan!?" Sakura said quietly to herself.
Zabuza chuckled again, "The Sharingan eh? How unoriginal," Zabuza said as he gripped onto something under his shirt and ran to Kakashi.
He took out a kunai and went for Kakashi's left eye. The kunai was stopped by Kakashi's right hand which blocked the path of the blade.
"Even if you say that it is unoriginal, are you still afraid of my Sharingan, Zabuza?" Kakashi jabbed at Zabuza.
Zabuza chuckled. "You're not supposed to show your trump card more than once to the same ninja."
"Be thankful, you're the only one who gets to see this eye more than once. And… there won't be a third time," Kakashi said coldly.
Zabuza chuckled again, "Even if you beat me, you can't beat Haku," he said, never taking his eyes off Kakashi.
"I've taught him fighting techniques since Haku was small. I taught Haku everything I knew. As a result, Haku was able to produce results in any difficult situation imaginable. Haku threw away the belief in a heart and a life. Haku is a fighting machine labelled as a ninja. On top of that, that jutsu surpasses mine. Haku has that dreadful ability, that bloodline limit. I got myself an advanced tool. Haku is different from the scraps you carry!" Zabuza said, he pulled out his kunai from Kakashi's hand.
From the outside, the wind escaped through the small gaps and blew in all directions. Sakura and Tazuna covered their faces from the incoming wind. Zabuza and Kakashi felt the force of the wind blast but didn't need to move. "Hm, seems like your blond scrap has some talent," Zabuza said with amusement.
Haku was moving from mirror to mirror, stabilizing them individually from being pushed back from the intense wind blast.
Zabuza chuckled. "Even if scraps attack in numbers, they can't beat Haku. The best tool that is out there!" he said, having one eye on the action.
"There's nothing more boring than hearing someone brag. Let's begin," Kakashi said, revealing his Sharingan.
"Wait up. Let me brag to you about one more thing," Zabuza said, "I didn't simply get defeated by you in our last battle. I made Haku observe the battle as he hid. Haku is smart as well. With his analyzation skill, he can create a counter for any move he sees just once. I've been eager to copy what you said. "Let me just tell you that the same technique won't work against me twice", was it? Ninja art: Hidden in the mist," Zabuza said as he disappeared into the mist and the mist got thicker.
"Sensei," Sakura said quietly.
Kakashi looked at Sakura. "Sakura! Stay with Tazuna-san!" he ordered.
Sakura obliged to the order given and nodded her head. 'I need to believe in Sasuke-kun, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei and do what I need to do,' she thought as she ran back to Tazuna.
"Oh Sakura," Tazuna said as she approached and positioned herself in front of him.
"Tazuna-san, don't get too far from me," she said with a kunai in hand.
"Yeah, I know!" he told her.
Back in the dome of ice, Naruto and Sasuke were getting frustrated on the lack of progress. 'Hm, my most powerful jutsu won't work… I need to go with more numbers,' Naruto thought as he made a cross hand seal and produced many shadow clones, all jumping into the air and making their way to a mirror.
"What is he trying to do?" Haku wondered, leaving the mirror and began the process of eliminating the clones.
As Haku got close to the first Naruto, a fireball came from a blind spot. 'What? A fireball?' Haku thought. Haku dodged and jumped into a different mirror. Jumping back out and destroying the Naruto clone.
'This is taking too much time!' Haku thought as she went through the process of killing all the Naruto clones. As the last Naruto clone was about to be destroyed, Sasuke launched the rest of his stored fireball towards it. Haku couldn't completely dodge it and some of Haku's outfit was burnt, the lower pant leg.
'Good, although it's gradual, I'm getting the timing down,' Sasuke thought with a grin.
'Even if he concealed himself in the mist, the mist is too thick. Zabuza himself shouldn't be able to see anything either,' Kakashi thought before having to deflect incoming shuriken behind him with his kunai.
"You dodged that quite nicely. Just what I expected from Kakashi the Sharingan user," Zabuza said behind Kakashi.
Kakashi spun around and his eyes widened. 'He… he has his eyes closed,' he thought. Despite the danger, he was impressed.
"But when you see me next, that will be the end. You overestimate with that sharingan," Zabuza said.
"What!?" Kakashi said.
"You talk as if you knew everything. Your prediction was incorrect. Kakashi, you cannot see through my mind or the future. Your sharingan is just trickery that makes another think so. One who possess the sharingan has the eye of insight and an eye of hypnosis. Using those two abilities, you executed techniques one after the other and acted if you knew the future.
First, you copied my movement right away using your eye. This was your body manipulation stage. You used it to disturb me, and once you confirmed that my mind was shaking, you pretended that you were me and decided what I was thinking. This was your mind manipulation stage. Then after you confirmed I was severely spooked. You set up a clever trap. You used your sharingan to put a genjutsu on me. Making me form the seals first, and then copying it. This was your technique manipulation technique.
Now… since that was the case, the solution is easy. First, I conceal myself in this heavy fog and render the sharingan useless," Zabuza said in the mist.
Kakashi was hit and flew back, using his kunai to slow down. "Damn it! I can't guard myself in time," Kakashi complained.
Zabuza chuckled in the mist, "Then, I close my eyes and kill the possibility that you can cast a genjutsu on me in close combat."
"Why?" Kakashi asked. "That makes you blind too," he said.
"Have you forgotten?" Zabuza responded. "I am a master of silent killing. I can locate a target with just sound."
Kakashi's eyes widened at the realisation.
"He tracked my movement! No, that can't be," Haku said, confusion was evident.
Naruto bit his lower lip, "Damn it! You were so close," Naruto complained.
"Naruto," Sasuke said. "Can you still move around?"
Naruto nodded slightly, "Yeah! I still have plenty of energy," Naruto told Sasuke.
"No, it couldn't be. It must have of been a fluke," Haku said as the mirrors glowed white again.
Sasuke ran through the hand seals Tiger-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger, "Naruto run!" he shouted to the blond. "Get out of here and attack from the outside!"
Naruto got the underlying message, "Got it ttebayo!" he said with determination as he ran with high speeds to the edge of the dome.
"Will you be able to?" Haku said, the mirrors glowed white and Naruto was pushed back.
Naruto stood up quickly and ran again, putting his head down, "I'm not going to give up." He said under his breath.
Naruto increased his speed. 'When did he get that fast?' Haku thought. Haku left the mirror and launched towards Naruto, trying to intercept.
'This is it!' Sasuke thought. 'Fire release: Grand fireball technique.'
Haku saw the fire ball and gracefully dodged it and threw a senbon needle. As Naruto's foot was outside the dome, the back of his jacket was grabbed and was thrown back into the middle with Sasuke. 'I could have escaped. But, it wouldn't have made a difference. I can't attack from the outside now Haku knows I'm here on the bridge,' Naruto thought as he looked at Sasuke.
Sasuke had a senbon needle stuck in his left shoulder, it was deeply embedded into his muscles. "That was good!" Sasuke said, receiving a confused look from Naruto. "Let's try it again."
"Okay," Naruto agreed. He had no plan of his own on how to deal with the ice.
'He will most likely run out of chakra at some point. He's showing it, he's gradually slowing down,' Sasuke thought before he and Naruto nodded to each other and ran off in different directions.
"I won't let it happen the way you expect it. First I will stop you!" Haku said, throwing multiple senbon needles. All of them struck the two Genin and both howled in pain.
Naruto was breathing heavily. "Sensei, Sakura," he said in between breaths.
Naruto stood up and breathed heavily. "Damnit! This hurts so much, I gotta do something about it," Naruto said. He started to pull out the stuck senbon needles out of his body carefully one at a time.
After the last one was picked from his body, he flowed chakra to his feet and flew to the edge of the dome. Haku appeared in front of Naruto in an instant. Naruto back flipped and ran in the opposite direction. Haku followed suit in the mirrors. Naruto turned and kept running.
"Naruto! Behind you!" Sasuke shouted from a distance.
This caught Naruto off guard and he looked back. Haku was already in the mirror and threw senbon needles at Naruto. "It's impossible to escape from this. I can assure you of that," Haku said.
Naruto slid across the ground. Most of the needles hit his legs. Sasuke ran over. "Can you stand up, Naruto?" he asked. "Don't waste your chakra like that. That's what he wants us to do," Sasuke said loudly to Naruto. "Come on, we can do this!"
"I know. But we'll die if we do nothing. Shit! I can't move my legs. Damn needles!" Naruto complained, inspecting where the needles penetrated his legs.
"I will put an end to this now," Haku said as senbon needles were thrown, aimed at Sasuke. Sasuke grabbed a loose needle on the ground and deflected all the incoming needles. "What? I was going for his vulnerable spots, but he keeps dodging them," Haku said quietly.
"Naruto! Stand up!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto. "Come on!"
Naruto took out the senbon needles that were stuck in his leg and began to sit up. "I know! Stop being so annoying!" Naruto said. "I can hear you!"
Haku started another storm of senbon needles aimed to Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke was deflecting and dodging the needles while Naruto was dodging the needles as they flew at him.
"They should be hanging on by a thread. How can they keep fighting? Can they see my movements? That black haired boy sees something. What is he able to see? Fine, then I will!" Haku said, the image vanishing from the mirror.
"He disappeared? Where? Where did he go?" Sasuke said confused. "Naruto, watch your back! I can't cover you anymore!"
Naruto was crouching down, some needles got to his legs and arms again, he lost mobility. "I don't need your help," Naruto stuttered out.
"Looks like that boy can't move properly anymore. You move brilliantly, but you move too much. I will stop you with the next shot. Movement, reflexes, and situation analyzation ability. All that should be worn out!" Haku taunted.
Naruto looked up to see Sasuke grab and then jump from their spot. Senbon needles landed where they once stood. Naruto looked up to see the strong face of Sasuke, with his eyes glowing red with tomoe marks.
"The Sharingan!" Naruto said as Sasuke took in a barrage of needles, they pierced into his body. The pain made Sasuke drop Naruto to the ground.
It didn't end there. More needles flew towards Naruto. He couldn't dodge from them. Sasuke jumped in front of his body and warded off the approaching Haku. Receiving many blows himself. "You really… are a burden," Sasuke hoarsely said. He body was hunching forward. His breathing was heavy.
Naruto used all his strength and pulled himself forward towards Sasuke. "You did it Sasuke," he said with some happiness until he got a good look at him.
"Look at yourself, you idiot," Sasuke struggled to say.
Naruto was looking at him with wide-eyes, "Why did you protect me?" Naruto said with grief.
"Who knows," Sasuke said, some blood dripping from his mouth. "You were my friend."
Naruto eyes widened. He was speechless.
Naruto ran over and caught Sasuke in his arms, staring down at his face. "That man… I didn't want to die before I killed my brother. You don't die Naruto, please live on, my only friend," Sasuke whispered as his head became limp, his eyes dulled and closed, the little emotion that was present in his face all but disappeared.
Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. His body hugged the heavy body of Sasuke and held it tight. Tears were forming under his eyes.
"He was able to jump into a trap to protect someone important to him. He's a ninja worthy of respect. Is this the first time you've seen a friend die? That is the path of the ninja," Haku said, merging back into the mirror.
"Shut up! I wanted to help you but all I did was make you die for me," Naruto gritted out.
A force pushed dust and mist around him. Heat was radiating from Naruto and steam rose from the puddle he knelt on. "I was too weak. I promised that this will never happen. I'm so angry at myself. You will pay," Naruto hissed out.
Steam and mist was pushed to the side. It cleared immediately as red chakra escaped Naruto's body. Swirling like a rising whirlpool. The chakra dug into the ground making cracks where it travelled. Pebbles and small stones rose through the air. Naruto stood up, his head was down, his eyes were covered by his hair.
Naruto's whole body was shaking. His hands clenched into fists, it felt like he was on fire. His whisker marks grew thicker and his canines extruded, resembling fangs.
Naruto brought his face up to see Haku, his eyes now red with a black slit. "I'll kill you!" he said demonically.
Naruto's eyes were never taken off Haku, the red chakra manifested to a large grinning fox head, above the head of Naruto. Naruto's muscles expanded and the stuck senbon needles flew out of his body. Steam escaped from the holes as his wounds closed immediately. The cuts on Naruto's arms and face closed in an instant. His nails growing, now becoming claws.
'The wounds on his hands are regenerating. Who is this boy? Who are you Naruto-kun?' Haku thought with more fear.
Naruto turned his stare into a glare. His killing intent was emitting itself with his chakra. Haku had to take a step back. Kakashi and Zabuza both noticed the change in the air.
'Is this Zabuza? No, this disgusting chakra belongs to the Kyūbi! Did his…' Kakashi thought about the worst possible outcome.
'What is this chakra? It's so unpleasant. Is it Kakashi? No, it's too big to belong to Kakashi. Who is it then?' Zabuza thought with a cold sweat.
'Naruto! What a disaster! The seal going out of control at a time like this! I have to put Naruto to sleep,' Kakashi thought.
The dome was now filled with Naruto's red chakra, the mirrors being pushed back slightly by the unbelievable force. The chakra stopped flowing out of Naruto and he hunched down like an animal. His hair grew more feral and his eyes were fixed onto Haku.
'What a thirst for blood! He's the total opposite of the boy I fought a moment ago. He's coming!' Haku thought, throwing senbon needles at Naruto. Naruto roared. Chakra blasted from his body, deflecting the needles.
'What? He deflected it with just his chakra. Then I'll do this!' Haku thought, throwing senbon needles from all directions.
Naruto hunched over as the needles dug into his body. Roaring wildly. He stretched his body. The needles flew. The force of the chakra that went out of his body was so powerful, Haku had to cover her face.
Naruto ran over and destroyed the mirror with a powerful punch. Mirror shards flew everywhere. Haku went through one of the shards with senbon needles in hand.
"How about this then?" Haku said, targeting Naruto from above. Naruto dodged with ease, spinning in mid-air. Haku crashed into the ground and a dust cloud came.
"This isn't good!" Haku said and tried going back to the mirror but Naruto caught her wrist. Naruto let his chakra pour out. Sasuke's body skidded across the ground from the force.
Naruto's chakra was blowing back Haku's body and hair but Haku was still stuck in Naruto's grip. 'I can't hold back his powers!' Haku thought, fear coursing through her veins.
Naruto made his right hand into a fist and used the Kyūbi's chakra to tense up his muscles. He unleashed the muscles and punched Haku in the face.
Haku flew back and smashed through an ice mirror. Haku skidded back metres away. Naruto stood where he was while the rest of the ice mirrors shattered to tiny pieces.
Naruto ran towards Haku with a howl. 'Zabuza-san… I can't compete with him. Zabuza-san… I,' Haku thought as Naruto came closer and closer. It seemed that her death was set in stone.
The rest of the mask fell, revealing the rest of Haku's face. Naruto calmed down from the sight, his dark whiskers disappeared, and his eyes returned to his original cerulean blue colour. "Haku," Naruto said coldly, he retracted his punch and stepped back a bit.
"Why did you stop?" Haku asked. Naruto looked at her funny. "I killed an important friend of yours, but you can't kill me?" Haku asked again.
Naruto looked at her with a serious expression. "I don't know!" Naruto shouted.
Haku was confused.
Naruto tapped his foot against the ground. "Maybe because you're like me. Maybe I'm too soft and naïve. I can see it in your eyes. They were exactly like mine. My whole being doesn't want to kill you," Naruto said.
"There are those who have the wrong idea," Haku said looking at Naruto. "People fail to defeat an enemy that needs to be defeated, show them mercy instead, and decide not to take their life. If you ask me, doing something like that is not showing mercy. Do you know the pain of living without a dream? Knowing you're not needed by anyone?" Haku asked.
Naruto looked down, saddened by the words. "Ten years. Ten years I felt like some sort of… abomination. Nobody wanted to even see me. I know how you feel," he said looking at Haku.
"Zabuza-san doesn't need a weak ninja. You stole my reason to exist," Haku said looking down.
Naruto's expression darkened. "He's your only reason to live, really? I get that he's an important person to you. But losing to me doesn't mean you have to cease to exist. He can't be the only reason to stay alive!"
"I had people that were important to me a long time ago. My parents. I was born in a small village in the Land of Water, where the snow piled deep in winter and the swamps appeared in the summer. All we did was farm, and we were poor. But my father and mother were happy with it. I was happy, my parents were kind people. But, when I first took my surroundings, something happened."
"Something happened? What happened?"
"This blood," Haku said wiping some blood from her bloodied lip.
"Your power?" Naruto responded with a slight eye-brow raise.
"Yes. My father killed my mother and tried to kill me. My country has experienced many civil wars, and those with my kind of abilities were hated. Because of that power, the country itself feared them to be harbingers of disasters and wars. After the many battles, those families hid their abilities and lived on. Because… Death only awaited them if they revealed the secret. That boy probably had a tough time as well. Those who have special abilities are feared by everyone."
"No, you're wrong."
"Huh?"
"The village treated Sasuke well enough despite his amazing eyes. Why? I don't know all the details, but that Sharingan is powerful, too powerful. The village probably wanted him to stay so he could pass it on. Especially after when that happened," Naruto said sadly, seeing the still body of Sasuke. "I was hoping now that Sasuke and I would become great friends. Now, he's dead. I'll wait until his funeral to cry."
"His funeral? He deserves it. In the Land of Water, they would have thrown his body to the sharks. It's horrific. My mother possessed the Bloodline Limit, and she passed it down to me. She married my father and became pregnant with me. She must have believed that an ordinary life would continue for a while… no forever.
But… my father found out about our secret. When I came to realize what happened next, I found out that I killed my own father. And at the time, I thought myself as… No, I had to think of myself as a… I realized that that was the most painful thing one could feel."
"Absolute loneliness," Naruto answered for Haku.
Haku's eyes widened at the answer and went back to looking at the ground, "Yes, the feeling that you are not needed by anyone in this world," Haku said depressingly.
'Haku was the same as me,' Naruto thought.
"You said 'I need to become stronger. So, I can become Hokage. If I become Hokage, I can protect Kotero-niichan and all my friends.' When someone who accepts you from the bottom of their heart appears, that person should become the most important person to you. Zabuza-san knew that I was from a family that had a kekkei genkai and raised me. He wanted this ability that everyone hated. I was happy," Haku said with a pained face.
"I'm sorry, Zabuza-san, I couldn't be the tool you wished for me to be," Haku walked towards Naruto until he was two steps away. "Naruto-kun please… kill me."
Naruto leaned back from the request. He has never in his life ever been asked to do such a thing. He was convinced he misheard her. "What did you say?" he asked.
"Please kill me," Haku asked. Naruto went wide-eyed at the statement. "Why are you hesitating?" Haku asked with dull eyes.
Naruto scoffed. "Just because of that?" he said. "What the hell is wrong with you!? There's so much more to life than him. Why die here?"
"Is it wrong? What's wrong with that?" Haku asked, her voice was devoid of any emotion.
Naruto put on a thinking face for a second. "There's no convincing you Haku."
"Zabuza-san had hopes for me. He needed me. But… I have lost that purpose that made me… me. Zabuza-san will no longer need me. That's why I am asking you to… Now hurry."
"You could have made people recognize you through something else other than fighting."
"The day I met you in the forest, I felt that you were like me. You should understand."
"Yeah, you're right. I do understand, that's why I think this is stupid. Is this, the only way for you?"
"Yes."
"If we met somewhere else, we might have been friends," Naruto said as he took out his kunai and went after Haku. His blade was ready to break her heart. "Maybe more than friends, yeah?"
Naruto lunged forward, ready to plunge his trusty kunai into Haku's chest. There should be nothing to stop him.
At the very last second, Haku sensed that Zabuza was in danger and dodged the stab coming from Naruto. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun," Haku said, gripping on Naruto's forearm with amazing strength.
Haku went through a series of one-handed hand seals. "I can't die yet!" she said. Haku then disappeared, leaving a cold breeze behind.
Naruto was frozen after what just happened. In the far distance, the mist cleared up and the final act was in motion. He watched as Kakashi wielded the power of lightning in his right hand. Zabuza trapped by his loyal canine, being held in place until his death arrives.
Kakashi was closing on the trapped Zabuza with his Raikiri in hand. 'I suppose this is it. So much I didn't do, I couldn't even save my own village, I truly am a demon,' Zabuza thought seeing death in front of his eyes, his body became heavier and heavier as time went by.
Kakashi launched his right hand towards Zabuza's heart. Ice mist blew from the ground and an ice mirror formed in front of Zabuza in the last second. A form of a human appeared out of the mirror.
A cry of a mighty eagle was heard.
"Hold your horses there, boys and girls. Playtime is over!" a familiar voice said. The person's hand gripping on Kakashi's wrist with iron-strength grip. His other hand blocking the Kiri ninja.
Kakashi could only stand there with complete shock.
"What the fuck is this!?" Zabuza said with astonishment.
~ 0 ~