Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is rothanavatar from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.
Chapter 11: The Demon and The Monster
After Team Seven's previous encounter with the demon brothers, the team of fresh Genin were on high alert. They had been informed by Kakashi that they most likely would be attacked by someone much more powerful next which made everyone stay on edge.
Naruto eyed his surroundings with caution, snapping his neck from one direction to another in a dramatic fashion every few seconds. After their previous battle with those missing-nin, he wasn't going to allow himself to be useless anymore. Next time an enemy appeared he was going to be ready for them!
''Naruto, knock it off!'' Sakura scolded him. She had been watching him walking at the front of their group for hours now just so he could keep doing his annoying antics. ''You are getting on my nerves!''
''But, I just know that someone is after us, I can feel it!'' Naruto defended himself. Then, he turned around quickly and threw a Kunai at a random bush. ''There!''
The weapon just passed through the bush harmlessly and embed itself into a tree behind it.
''Naruto, don't play around with that. A Kunai is not a toy,'' Kakashi scolded the hyperactive boy.
Kaguya rolled her eyes at Naruto's stupid actions. Could he be any more childish?
Tazuna grumbled under his breath something about annoying brats before taking a gulp from his bottle.
Sasuke was doing his best to ignore Naruto's silly reactions. Still, he was just as attentive to his surroundings as his blond teammate. He wasn't going to be caught off-guard by the next foes who attacked them.
Then, Kaguya and Kakashi snapped their attention to a particular bush up ahead, but before any of them could say or do anything, Naruto seemed to notice something too when he threw another Kunai at the foliage, only for a scared rabbit to come out after he was almost impaled by the weapon.
''That's it!'' Screeched Sakura before she planted a fist on top of Naruto's head. ''Look! This time you almost killed a poor animal!''
''I'm sorry I didn't mean it!'' Responded Naruto, feeling genuinely sorry for the poor creature.
Tazuna and Sasuke grunted in annoyance at Naruto's antics.
However, unlike the rest of her team, Kaguya had managed to sense someone just a moment ago. With her ability to sense other people she had noticed the instant when whoever had been hiding there had swapped himself with the rabbit using a Substitution Jutsu.
She was about to call out to her team about her findings when Kakashi yelled at them. ''Get down!''
Before any of them had noticed, a large blade was swirling towards them, threatening to skewer them in one clean strike.
Instead of ducking like the rest of her companions, Kaguya threw herself between her team and the weapon before she started to spin rapidly in place. ''Kaiten!'' The concentrated rotating chakra collided with the metal sword, rejecting the blade and hurling it a good distance away.
Before the giant knife could fall to the ground, a man appeared seemingly out of nowhere and caught it easily with a single hand. He was a tall gray-skinned muscular man with black spiky hair. He had the lower half of his face wrapped in bandages and was shirtless while wearing baggy pants and wrist and leg warmers.
Now that they had a better look at their attacker, Team Seven noticed that the man was alone, unlike the previous assault.
''Now this is my chance to prove myself!'' Thought Naruto with resolution. He vowed no not freeze up like last time, and this one was alone to boot. However, before he could take one step forward he was stopped by Kakashi.
''Wait, Naruto!'' Warned the cyclops. ''This one is different to the other two. I'll take care of him,'' Said Kakashi.
Everyone but Naruto tensed up at Kakashi's tone. It was weird seeing the laid back Jounin get so serious.
''That guy is Momochi Zabuza,'' Informed Kakashi. ''He is a missing-nin from Kirigakure. He is one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri and one of the most dangerous rogue ninjas there are. He is called the Demon of the hidden mist.''
''What an honor to have my strength recognized by Sharingan Kakashi the copy ninja,'' Said Zabuza. ''But as you might imagine, I need that old man dead. Nothing personal, it's just business.''
''No choice then, I can't take this guy lightly. I'll have to use this,'' Declared the Sharingan user as he unveiled said Doujutsu, the pinwheel eye already spinning with a threatening glare.
''That's the same eye from before,'' Noted Naruto, remembering that his sensei had used the same thing when he fought against Kaguya.
''That's called a Sharingan,'' Sasuke informed his blond teammate. ''It's a Doujutsu just like Kaguya's Byakugan. It can see chakra and his surroundings in extreme detail, almost in slow motion. Also, it can copy Jutsu and actions with just its glance.''
Naruto was amazed by the power of the Sharingan. He wished he could have one. He wasn't exactly sure what a Doujutsu was but if what Sasuke said was true and it was like Kaguya's eyes then he guessed that it had to be hereditary or something.
''Enough talk. First, I'll have to dispose of you, Kakashi,'' Declared the missing-nin before making a hand seal in front of his chest and another up in the air. ''Kirigakure no Jutsu! (Hiding in Mist Technique)''
Team Seven noticed that mist was starting to gather around them, slowly but steadily covering everything in sight until they could no longer see past a couple yards in front of them.
''What is with this mist?'' Said Naruto, glancing around confusedly. ''It came out of nowhere!''
Sasuke, Kaguya, and Sakura got into a battle stance, ready for anything that the criminal was planning.
''Careful, everyone! Zabuza specializes in silent killing while his victims can't see anything!'' Kakashi warned them. ''Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, stay with Tazuna, get into a defensive position. Kaguya, get behind me. I'll need your Byakugan to guide me through the-''
''Kidneys, heart, brain, lungs, jugular, liver, spine...which one should I go after?'' Zabuza's voice echoed all around them, seemingly from everywhere at once.
''Don't let him shake you up. He is trying to make you panic,'' Kakashi turned to warn his student but he found them frozen in horror, even Kaguya behind him.
Sakura and Naruto had uneasy looks, but Sasuke and Kaguya were shaking in terror, unable to move from the pressure of the killing intent of the two Jounins.
''Kaguya, I need your Byakugan,'' Kakashi reminded the prodigy but she was completely frozen with dread.
Kaguya barely managed to hear Kakashi call up to her despite having him right in front. This sensation, it was too much. She could feel the danger in the air. This killing intent was unlike any she had felt before. This guy was dangerous and fully capable of ending their lives in an instant. The air felt heavy and her mind was hazy. This is what a real life and death situation between skilled ninja was? It was psychologically unbearable.
''Kaguya!'' Kakashi tried to snap her out of her trance when in an instant Zabuza appeared in the middle of their formation, weapon at the ready.
The Genin turned to look at the Kiri ninja in astonishment. They hadn't seen him get there!
''You are done!'' Said Zabuza in triumph as he unsheathed his sword, ready to cleaver all of them in a single swing of his giant sword. But with surprising speed, Kakashi managed to make his way over to him in a fraction of a second and stop the giant sword with a Kunai, struggling to push Zabuza away.
In her panic, Kaguya reacted instinctively by gathering a large amount of compressed chakra in her hands and aiming it at Zabuza in her panic, releasing a large shockwave that threatened to blow away anything in its path.
Everyone else stared in shock at the dangerous Jutsu coming their way. Sasuke barely had time to tackle Tazuna out of the way while Kakashi and Zabuza jumped back to avoid the brunt of the damage but the huge force of the collision of the compressed chakra pushed everyone back like an explosion.
Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna hit the floor hard as they were laid spread out throughout the field, while Kakashi just barely managed to land on top of the nearby lake while keeping his footing, using chakra to stick to the surface.
The copy ninja looked around frantically. He had lost Zabuza in the commotion and now there was dust everywhere along with the mist. He felt a kick connect with his back. Kakashi let out a grunt of pain as he was sent flying away and into the water. He was quick to resurface only to find Zabuza already on top of him. He looked at the missing-nin with horror in his eyes as the giant blade beheaded him, only for him to turn into water.
''A water clone!'' Zabuza mused before turning to block a Kunai from the real Kakashi.
''Your brat needs more discipline. That Jutsu was pretty dangerous, she almost did my job for me,'' Said Zabuza in amusement.
''You worry about me instead of my students,'' Said Kakashi.
''Oh, I am,'' Said Zabuza. ''I was just distracting you.''
Kakashi widened his eyes when he realized his mistake. He turned around to face another Zabuza water clone that had come out behind him but it was too late. ''Suiro no Jutsu! (Water Prison Technique)''
Kakashi found himself engulfed in a water sphere that the water clone had summoned around him, restricting his movements and keeping him from breathing. The clone kept a hand inside the orb to maintain the shape of the prison, but all in all, he was trapped.
''It's over,'' Said Zabuza in a matter-of-fact way before he turned to look at the Genin guarding Tazuna. ''Now to deal with the brats.''
The remaining Team Seven looked in desperation at the sight of their sensei being completely incapacitated. Now how were they supposed to beat Zabuza if even Kakashi had failed?!
Kakashi looked on in horror at the situation in front of him. This was the worst-case scenario. His Genin were not ready to fight someone of Zabuza's caliber by themselves. The only one who could fight the dangerous missing-nin on equal grounds was Kaguya and in the condition she was in that wasn't going to happen. All this killing intent; the feeling of true gritty danger of a real-life mission when one's life was on the line was proving to be too much for the prodigy. She had let herself be consumed by fear and indecision. He had misjudged his student's capabilities. Even if she was strong she had yet to form the frame of mind of a true Shinobi that only came with gradual experience. As their sensei, he should have eased them slowly into it. Instead, he had taken them from what was essentially level one to level one hundred.
''This is it for you, brats,'' snickered Zabuza. ''You had a short run as ninjas. The only chance you might have had was if I had trapped Kakashi myself I would have been forced to use weak clones to kill you off but as things stand, you snot-nosed greenhorns have got no chance,'' Then, he blurred out of sight and he appeared in front of Naruto, kicking him harshly in the chest and sending him flying back in a pained groan.
''Naruto!'' Sakura and Sasuke cried out for their blond teammate.
Naruto pushed himself up from the ground, spitting blood as he did so before he noticed that his headband was missing and Zabuza was standing derogatorily over it.
''All of you are pathetic excuses of Shinobi,'' Zabuza spat. ''You think just because you wear these things that makes you a ninja? You who have lived all your lives cuddled and pampered and who probably had never even killed someone. When I was your age I had already bathed in blood numerous times. You aren't the real deal until you are on a bingo book, and you aren't even worth to put in mine.''
Kaguya felt to her knees as the full weight of the situation they were settled in. She had done this. That desperate attack she did previously that almost caught her team gave Zabuza the opening to attack and best Kakashi. Now their sensei was out of commision and they were going to die. This was all her fault. She had thought she was ready but she was just a coward. She could have all the power in the world but if her body froze up at the first sign of a real threat then she was trash. She had no business calling herself a Kunoichi.
Naruto glanced at his team to find them all shaking in place, completely frozen in terror along with Tazuna. Even Sasuke and Kaguya seemed completely defeated as if they had accepted their imminent death. Naruto closed his eyes in impotence. It couldn't end here! He had come so far, he finally managed to be a shinobi. Iruka-sensei had believed in him, he proved wrong all the people that said he would never get anywhere in life, and now all that was going to end right here?
The blond clenched his fist as he took yet another look at his team and his trapped sensei. No, he wouldn't let this be the end! His team needed him to be strong now. If no one was going to step up to the challenge he had to give an example. He had been useless against those two Chunin from before, well, no more! This time he was going to prove himself and pull his team through!
With his mind made up, Naruto rushed at Zabuza with a battle cry as his team turned to him in panic.
''Naruto!''
''Stop, moron!''
Sakura and Sasuke called up to him but Naruto ignored them.
Zabuza smiled behind his bandages in amusement at the useless attempt of the blond idiot. He then proceeded to give the blond a swift punch to the gut before he threw him back with a back-handed blow to the head. He was going to enjoy killing these brats slowly before he dealt with the old man.
Sasuke and Sakura caught Naruto before he could hit the floor and inspected the state he was in.
''What are you doing, Naruto!?'' Cried Sakura in worry.
''Do you want to get yourself killed?!'' Berated Sasuke.
Despite his bloodied head, Naruto managed to shoot his team a smile as he started to stand up. ''Don't worry, guys. I'm fine now,'' Said Naruto before he tied his forehead protector to his head once more.
Everyone looked in surprise at Naruto's action. So he had rushed to recover his forehead protector?
Zabuza glanced down at his feet in wonder to see that indeed, the brat had somehow managed to snatch his protector from him.
Naruto pointed at Zabuza defiantly. ''Put this in your stupid book, you eyebrowless freak. I'm the one who will become Hokage. I don't care how strong you are, you will not stop us here! We will definitely pull through and achieve our goals. Together, we can do anything!'' Finished Naruto with firm resolution.
Sasuke, Sakura, and Kaguya stared at Naruto with newfound respect. Such confidence, such calming aura...was this really Naruto?
Even Tazuna seemed shocked that the seemingly useless blond had such spirit.
Kaguya looked at Naruto in amazement. Naruto wasn't that strong, nor that experienced, and he could be a silly goof most of the time, but here he was, facing danger with a confident smile that almost made it seem like he could accomplish anything.
The Hyuga prodigy tightened her fists. She really was pathetic. If Naruto wasn't going to give up then she had no business giving up either. The blond was right, they couldn't allow Zabuza to end them there. She wasn't going to allow all her sacrifices to be for nothing. She had endured so much to become a powerful Kunoichi and she wasn't going to let some run-of-the-mill missing-nin kill her along with her dreams. The man claimed to had already bathed in blood at their age, but so had she. She suddenly remembered how easily she had killed that Kumo ninja all those years ago when she had been much younger and weaker. That was right, she was a killer just like Zabuza. She had no right to be acting like an innocent maiden. So he was the Demon of the Mist? She was going to show him why she was called a monster by her clan!
Everyone close to Kaguya found themselves being pushed by a strong force, getting everyone's attention to the Hyuga. They saw her expelling a huge bright blue aura. Shockwaves lifted dust all-around while she slowly stood up.
''Kaguya!?'' Mused Naruto as he looked at her impressive form. ''What is all that power?''
''Is that pure chakra?!'' Sakura wondered in amazement.
''It's visible to the naked eye!'' Noted Sasuke. ''Just how much does she have?!''
Tazuna was sweating profusely due to the pressure that the girl was making in the air. He wasn't used to witnessing so much power.
Even Kakashi and Zabuza were taken aback by the sudden shift in the girl.
Kaguya finally met Zabuza's gaze with a glare of her own, making the missing-nin shudder at the intensity of the killing intent that he was washed with.
The Demon of the Mist was unable to avert his eyes from the girl. He felt wary to the core of his self. Those eyes. Those weren't the eyes of a child. He felt as if he was staring at some kind of entity.
''Guys,'' Kaguya called to her team, breaking the mesmerizing spell she had over them as they were brought back to reality. ''Leave that guy to me. Please don't get in my way. I still can't control myself. I don't want you getting caught by my techniques.''
Naruto didn't even have time to reply to her before she vanished out of sight.
Zabuza was forced to block with the flat of his blade the strike aimed at his chest. He proceeded to swing his sword expecting to slice the brat in two but Kaguya disappeared from sight before he could. Then, he felt a strong hit on his back, sending him flying with a pained grunt before turning to water.
Kaguya easily tracked the real Zabuza with her Byakugan, jumping back as the man emerged from underground attempting to skewer her. After dodging, she brought both her palms forward focusing a considerable amount of chakra. ''Hakke Kuhekisho! (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm)'' The immense strength of the shockwave she sent shredder Zabuza into countless water droplets. She quickly turned around to throw a smaller version of her technique to the missing-nin trying to sneak up on her with his sword at the ready, losing his head to the attack before once again turning into liquid.
Kaguya frowned in mild annoyance. The man was very good at replacing himself with water clones in the middle of the fight. Sadly for him, he wasn't going to catch her off-guard. True to her word, she saw in time the man coming at her from the air above her, his cleaver already swinging in her direction. She expelled an invisible force from her eyes that deflected the sword upwards, leaving Zabuza open much to his shock. She attempted to finish the fight right there but she was forced to jump back from a barrage of shurikens that the clone that was guarding Kakashi sent her way.
Naruto and Sasuke watched in awe and admiration as their teammate fought Zabuza as an equal. Neither of them getting the upper hand against the other. They had almost forgotten how well she had fared against their sensei but seeing it again was amazing. Still, they noticed that now the clone that had Kakashi trapped was doing his best to throw Kaguya off-balance with his distant attacks.
''Sasuke, we have to do something about the other,'' Said Naruto thoughtfully.
''Yeah,'' Sasuke agreed. The couldn't just leave everything to Kaguya. He turned to their pink-haired teammate. ''Sakura, protect Tazuna while Naruto and I free Kakashi-sensei!''
''Wait, guys!'' Sakura replied with worry. ''You can't get involved, you could die! Leave this to Kaguya, she seems to be doing fine!''
''We can't just let Kaguya do all the work, not while we can still help,'' Said Naruto with resolution.
''We have to help where we can. What if she were to lose? Then we would truly be dead if we are left against that guy with no Kakashi and Kaguya to help us,'' Reasoned Sasuke.
Sakura wanted so badly to stop them but the rational part of her knew that they were right. She just hoped that they didn't end up getting themselves killed. ''Alright, leave Tazuna-san to me! Just be careful!''
Both guys nodded at her in reassurance before they too took off.
The water clone eyed the worried Kakashi, making sure he wasn't trying anything shady aside from watching in suspense the battle of his student. With his mind at ease, the clone aimed another kunai at the little pale brat that had proven to be more annoying than he had originally thought. However, he never got to throw the weapon as he noticed that he had been surrounded by a small army of a couple dozen blond kids.
''Hey, you!'' The army yelled. ''Stop getting into other people's fights! Now you are dealing with me!''
Kakashi attempted to chide Naruto to be careful but he couldn't talk due to the water surrounding him.
''Are you that eager to die?'' Taunted the blood-thirsty clone. ''Even if this clone has only one-tenth of the original's power is still more than enough to deal with garbage like you.''
''We'll see about that, you freak!'' Shouted the blonds as they rushed at the water copy.
Even with one arm occupied to keep Kakashi from breaking free, the Zabuza clone still had enough Taijutsu prowess to parry and counter each attack from the clones, using both his legs if necessary.
Seeing that their strategy wasn't working, the Narutos tried attacking all at the same time. They threw themselves at him with a battle cry.
The water clone managed to dispel a few clones before he was buried beneath a pile of blonds. However, they were soon sent flying everywhere when the water clone stood with a mighty push.
The water imitation was about to mock the blond's attempt but then he noticed a thin metal filament around him. He widened his eyes in recognition but he wasn't able to dodge before the hairs tightened against him, restraining his movement as he struggled to break free. He barely managed to keep his hand on Kakashi's water prison.
The clone glanced into the distance to see the Uchiha brat smiling deviously as he held the other end of the metallic thread with his teeth.
Sasuke didn't waste time and hastily made hand seals. ''Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)''
The trapped water clone watched in shock as a huge spurt of fire burst from Sasuke's mouth as it surrounded the area around him before it concentrated on the single thread connecting him to the Uchiha. The large beam of fire traveled the metal cord with surprising speed before colliding with the water clone and enveloped it in flames. The copy yelled in agony as it turned into mist due to the intense heat until it was no more.
With no one left to hold the water prison, it collapsed into a big puddle on the floor as Kakashi landed on his feet gasping for breath but free at least.
Meanwhile, Kaguya kept her assault on the missing-nin, throwing a flurry of precise palm strikes that Zabuza managed to either block or barely evade. Zabuza jumped back as another of his water clones appeared behind the Hyuga. Kaguya easily sidestepped the blow from the clone before blowing its head off with a Juuken strike to the forehead. However, the real Zabuza used this chance to bring his huge sword down on the small girl. Kaguya just barely managed to catch the flat of the giant cleaver between her hands, clenching her teeth as she was brought down to her knees. The difference in size was too great, she knew she wouldn't be able to keep the blade away for long. She attempted to use one of her shockwaves to blow Zabuza away but the missing-nin kicked her solidly on the chest before she could, sending her rolling back.
Zabuza rushed at the small girl before she could recover. She had proved to be much more dangerous than he had originally thought. He would have to eliminate her quickly!
The Demon widened his eyes when his sword was parried by a kunai held firmly by Kakashi, standing between him and his prodigal student.
''Sensei...'' Muttered Kaguya in relief at the sight of the copy ninja.
''Sorry for taking so long. You did great, Kaguya,'' Said Kakashi with a hint of pride in his voice. ''Still, we have some things to talk about but we have to beat Zabuza first.''
Zabuza jumped back once more to get some distance between the two Konoha shinobi. He had to change his strategy. Just fighting Kakashi or the pale brat by themselves was troublesome enough, both at the same time was going to be too much.
Kakashi wasn't going to allow him to run away, rushing after Zabuza with his kunai at the ready.
Zabuza dodged the kunai swipe of Kakashi before returning the favor by slashing at the Sharingan user with his sword.
Kakashi ducked under the attack, then he stood up and grabbed Zabuza's sword arm by the wrist.
Zabuza threw a punch at Kakashi with his free arm to get the man away but Kakashi caught his fist too.
''Now, Kaguya!'' Yelled Kakashi as he kept Zabuza in place.
Zabuza realized what was happening but it was too late. Not a second later Kaguya appeared in front of him with her palm already on his chest. (Hakke Hasangeki! (Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher)'' A large burst of chakra erupted from the girl's palm, enveloping Zabuza as the intense force sent him flying back violently before crashing and downing several trees in a cloud of smoke and splinters.
Zabuza spat some blood due to his internal damage as he used his sword as support in an attempt to stand up. He knew he was done, in his state he coulnd't even dodge properly much less fight Kakashi or the Hyuga.
''It's over, just give up already,'' Said Kakashi. ''You know you can't win.''
''Who do you think I am?'' Zabuza sneered. ''Like I'm going to surrender to a bunch of bleeding hearts like Konoha shinobi,'' However, he knew that he had to be smart right now. The best course of action would be to retreat and try again once he recovered. He would not make the mistake of underestimating any of them next time.
Kakashi knew that Zabuza wasn't stupid and that his only real choice was to fall back, but there was no way that the Sharingan user would let him. ''I won't let you get away! Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet)''
From the lake, a large torrent of water rose up and formed the shape of a ferocious dragon before he shot towards the missing-nin.
''Hakke Kushou! (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm)'' Yelled Kaguya as she joined in the attack sending a wave of compressed chakra from her hand.
''Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)'' Sasuke spat a large fireball also aiming for Zabuza.
''Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Technique)'' Naruto made dozens of copies of himself before all of them threw a barrage of Kunai and shuriken, easily accumulating over a hundred weapons raining down on the missing-nin.
Zabuza watched in dread as the four powerful attacks closed on him rapidly. Each and every single one of them was strong enough to end his life when a thick and large ice wall erected itself between Zabuza and the Jutsus as the techniques collided with it as it crumbled and turned into icy mist.
Team Seven stared in wonder at the event but they didn't have time to ask what had happened before several ice mirrors started appearing around them until they were trapped inside an ice dome.
''What is going on, guys!?'' Yelled Sakura in panic as she saw the rest of her team get surrounded by the unusual Jutsu.
Kakashi and the rest saw a figure of a young person appear as a reflection in the mirrors. It was wearing a full-body pinstriped green outfit that stopped at the knees while wearing a green haori over it. It had a mask on its face and had two large bangs of hair framing the face while the rest was inside a white bun holder.
''What is this?!'' Naruto asked out loud.
Sasuke silently wondered the same as his blond teammate. To his knowledge, there was no ice elemental Jutsu. Unless this was some kind of Kekkei Genkai and in that case, this could be even worse for them.
''I won't let you lay a hand on Zabuza-sama again,'' Threatened the figure as he held a bunch of sharp senbon in his hand. Then, the countless images in the mirrors started throwing the metallic needles at the trapped ninjas.
Kakashi and Kaguya pulled a kunai in each hand and rushed to block as many of the needles as they could with their superior speed. Still, they noticed that they couldn't stop every single one as some of them still found their mark, most notably on Naruto and Sasuke who couldn't block as effectively.
''Senbon?'' Wondered Sasuke as he pulled some of them from his skin with a pained groan. It was weird for a ninja to use such tools for combat. It was most likely that this guy usually used them to target pressure points.
''Damn it!'' Yelled Naruto as he yanked some of the needles and threw them at the floor in anger. ''How does that bastard manage to be everywhere at once?!''
''He's not,'' Said Kaguya as she stared at the images with her Byakugan.
''Our enemy is moving so fast between the mirrors that it appears as he could be everywhere,'' Kakashi elaborated.
Kaguya got an idea. If they couldn't pinpoint the exact location of where their foe was then she would just destroy every mirror at once. ''Everyone, get close to me,'' Said Kaguya, much to the confusion of her team. ''Now, please!'' She insisted and Kakashi and the boys complied, deciding to trust her.
With everyone in position, Kaguya started to rotate, being careful in expelling chakra in a way that surrounded her allies too. ''Hakkeshou Kaiten! (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven)'' A dome of thick chakra started spinning around the Konoha shinobi, before Kaguya released a huge amount of chakra at once making the sphere grow in size exponentially until it caught all the mirrors around, grinding them and shattering them into a million pieces before the young person from before was violently expelled from one of them and was sent flying into a nearby tree.
Kaguya stopped her Jutsu once she confirmed it had worked and proceeded to rush at the enemy before it recovered.
The masked shinobi was just starting to stand up when Kaguya was already on him. ''Two palms!'' Yelled Kaguya as she hit twice in the chest. ''Four palms!'' then two more times. ''Eight palms!'' The another four. ''Sixteen palms!'' then eight between each arm. '' Thirty-two palms!'' then sixteen along all extremities. ''Sixty-four palms!'' Then she ended with a barrage of blows to everywhere in the body, knocking the ninja out when he felt all chakra leave his system, hitting the ground with a thud.
''Good job, Kaguya,'' Said Kakashi as he walked over to their downed opponent.
''Who was that?'' Asked Sasuke as he too stood over the motionless body.
''I don't know. I didn't take Zabuza for the type to work with other people,'' Said Kakashi. ''Also, this one is wearing Kiri's hunter-nin uniform. Maybe as a way to trick us if Zabuza's fight wasn't going his way. Anyway, he helped Zabuza escape,'' Added Kakashi as he glanced around to see no sign of the Demon of the Mist.
''Look, she is a girl!'' Exclaimed Naruto as he removed the mask of the unconscious ninja to reveal a pale face with delicate pretty features.
Sasuke was surprised to see a girl was giving them trouble. ''And she is pretty too.''
''Guys, are you alright?!'' Said Sakura as she arrived with Tazuna in tow. ''Are you injured?!''
''We are fine, Sakura-chan!'' Said Naruto giving the girl a thumbs up and a smile. ''Only a few scratches at most!''
''What a relief,'' Said Sakura with a sigh before she took notice of the enemy ninja on the floor. ''And who is she?''
''He is a boy,'' Corrected Kaguya matter-of-factly to everyone´s surprise.
''How do you know?'' Asked Naruto.
''I just know, okay?'' Replied Kaguya with a blush on her cheeks. Thanks to her Byakugan she could see through everything, even clothes. And she had already used it against him during the battle.
Sasuke turned to look away with a red face. ''I knew that...''
''It's good that you are all okay,'' Said Tazuna at last. ''But where is Zabuza?''
''He is gone. He managed to escape at the last minute,'' Said Kakashi. ''Still, if he decides to show up again we will be ready for him.''
''Heck yeah we will!'' Exclaimed Naruto. ''We were awesome back there! Especially Kaguya!''
''We certainly didn't make it easy for that guy,'' Sasuke agreed with a smile.
''Yeah, I saw you all, you guys were awesome!'' Said Sakura before she turned to Kaguya. ''You were able to fight with that monster one on one! You are incredible!''
However, Kaguya simply dropped her gaze in shame. ''But I almost got us all killed. If it hadn't been for me, Kakashi-sensei wouldn't have been caught in the first place! I don't deserve-'' she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder and she glanced to her side to see Kakashi smiling down at her.
''Don't be so hard on yourself. It was my fault for letting you guys get involved in something that was out of your league yet. But in the end, you succeeded and saved us. I'm proud,'' Said Kakashi with a genuine smile.
''Yeah, at first I didn't think you guys were that great but now I know I was lucky to get you guys!'' Praised Tazuna. ''You guys are super amazing!''
''Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself, we did it in the end,'' Said Naruto.
''We are fine now. This is proof of our skills,'' Added Sasuke with a grin.
Kaguya scanned her team slowly with a growing smile on her face. She nodded in agreement, happy beyond words that they still managed to forgive her for her mistakes.
''First, we have to-'' Kakashi started before he stumbled, barely managing to catch himself before he fell to the floor.
''Sensei!'' Yelled all Genin in unison.
''What's wrong?!'' Asked Naruto in urgency.
''I'm fine,'' Said Kakashi with a heavy breath as he covered his Sharingan once more. ''I overused my Sharingan, that's all. I just need some rest,'' Luckily he hadn't been forced to use too many chakra-draining Jutsu during his fight or he might not be able to move right now due to chakra exhaustion. ''As I was saying, we should tie the boy up and take him with us. Maybe having his as a hostage could be useful if Zabuza shows his face again.''
''Right,'' Said Sasuke as he got to work on the boy's bindings.
''As soon as that has been tended to, we should get going,'' Said Kakashi. ''I really need some place to sit down and recover my energy.''
''We aren't that far from my house,'' Informed Tazuna. ''We should arrive at the village in a few hours.''
Kakashi nodded, happy to hear that. They had been very lucky against Zabuza. One wrong move and any of them could have ended up dead. The fact that everyone was safe and sound, and even ended up with a prisoner was nothing short of miraculous. Well, he guessed that this meant that the skills of his students were not to be underestimated. Not only Kaguya, but everyone had done splendidly.
With some luck, they may have alredy seen the hardest of their mission.
Author's note:
Here you go, guys! I hope that you guys like the chapter. The Zabuza fight went a bit different this time around, even if just a little bit. But I promise that the conclusion of the arc is something that you won't be expecting. Also, the next chapter will be the last of the Wave arc. I did say I was going to keep this overused arc short and I meant it.
As always, please review or PM me if you can!