The Blonde Uchiha
Chapter 11
Innocence Lost
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
"speaking"
'thinking'
"Jutsu"
"Tailed Beast Speak"
NarutoxSasukixMikoto
Age Alert!: Just to let everyone know where we stand, Sasuki and Naruto are now age 13 (Normal age during time frame) and Mikoto is 33. Mikoto has been made younger for our purposes in this story.
Time Frame: Naruto and Sasuki are now out of the academy while Mikoto remains in maternal leave to allow herself time to deal with the Uchiha clan's maintenance.
Hey guys, back again for Blonde Uchiha and we will be wrapping up our Wave arc here. Bet that makes you pretty happy right? I know it makes me happy so we can finally move on to more entertaining arcs like my own mini arc coming up after this one as well as the Chunin Exams past that! I hope you are still reading and know what's going on because things are getting more and more intense!
Uchiha Matriarch getting stalked, children fighting a world class S-rank ninja and Naruto's awakening sharingan powers. This and more coming at you in our favorite story of Naruto's life as an Uchiha, to be married to the last remaining females of the greatest warrior clan to bless the Land of Fire and destined to be the greatest ninja of all!
Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!
000
Wave Country
Forest
Naruto threw himself on the ground in rest. He had been training the entire night and early morning on tree climbing as well as a few other techniques he knew from memory. No matter how much chakra he had, exhaustion still hit him as easily as any other ninja when he reached his limit. Hopefully one day when he was older, it would be easier to maintain his chakra control because even then Naruto felt like he still had so much more to learn.
'I can't stop now though, more training is what will make it possible to protect Mikoto and Sasuki. I have to keep going until I drop dead!'
"That said, no one says I can't rest my eyes a bit. Hehehe.."
Spreading his arms out wide and basking in the morning sunshine peeking through the trees, the blonde decided to take a nap. If Mikoto was there she would surely berate him for sleeping on the grass in the middle of a forest, but it felt too good to pass up. All his muscles were sore and could not move an inch in this sunlight, so peaceful it was.
A figure walked through the forest, wandering aimlessly through the trees and picking specific plants and herbs for their basket. From a distance it would look like a beautiful young girl with raven black hair, reaching far down her back; she would wear a light pink dress, loose fitting and comfortable for a walk in the morning.
The truth though was that this was a boy, a boy that served a shinobi that was Naruto's enemy; his enemy. Haku approached the sleeping Naruto, watching his chest rise and fall and listening to his breathing to determine if he was asleep or not. Carefully he approached, making each step as quiet as a mouse. He crouched near the blonde, tentatively reaching to grab his neck.
'If I just finish him here..then he will not get in the way of Zabuza-sama..'
As he almost reached him, Haku hesitated.
Naruto's eyes opened and he launched himself up, grabbing Haku and getting on top of him with a kunai to his neck. Expecting it, Haku played helpless to feign a normal person; masking his face with surprise and fear of the attack.
Naruto looked over Haku and slowly relaxed, realizing it was not an enemy but a normal person probably from Tazuna's town. The person's raven black hair somewhat reminded him of Sasuki's and he blushed a bit, thinking it was a girl.
"I'm sorry mister, could you please get off of me?" Naruto quickly got up and allowed Haku to do the same.
"Sorry, you startled me and I..reacted." He scratched his head in embarrassment and Haku smiled innocently.
"It's no problem."
Silence fell over them for a moment as they wondered what to say. Haku kept up his innocent appearance but was surprised at Naruto's ability; he thought for sure he was asleep.
'This one must be more powerful than Zabuza-sama gave him credit for.' He would have to be careful in case they came to blows.
"So..what brings you to the forest at this time of day?" Naruto asked, wondering what she was doing out here of all places.
Haku looked at him and held up his basket draped on his arm.
"Picking herbs."
"Herbs?"
Naruto asked, looking at the basket as Haku smiled.
"Yes, for healing illness and injury."
Naruto looked around on the forest floor, trying to see any unique plants but knew not what to look for. Haku giggled and rose.
"Would you like to help me? I can show you what to look for.."
Naruto got up as well, nodding.
"Allow me to repay you for earlier."
000
Twenty minutes later, the two were looking over a particular patch of stemmed plants and Naruto pulled one out and placed it in the basket. Haku as well found a few things of use and watched as Naruto leaned back on his hands, sighing.
"Doing work like this early in the morning.." It was not something he found fun.
"What are you doing out here so early?" Haku asked as he had yet to find out.
"Oh, I was training."
Haku looked puzzled.
"Training, are you a ninja or something?"
Naruto looked at her and smiled, nodding.
"That's right, I'm a ninja from Konoha!"
Haku could see the pride come off of Naruto and smiled.
"Wow, you must be pretty amazing."
Naruto scratched his head and chuckled, not sure what to say.
"But..what are you training for?"
Naruto thought of Sasuki and Mikoto, the two most important people in his life.
"To become stronger."
Haku noticed his joking attitude take a serious tone and realized training was important to him.
"But you already look pretty strong.."
Naruto looked into the sky, thinking of the Hokage and Kakashi sensei. No, they were strong..he still had a long way to go before he was strong enough.
"No, I need to get even stronger."
Haku narrowed his eyes as he was soon to learn what drove the blonde to train so hard. He wondered if it would be selfish, self-centered reasons that he had come to expect from most ninja.
"For what reason?"
Naruto looked Haku straight in the eye, not even hesitating.
"To protect the people precious to me, I have to get stronger."
Haku's eyes widened, Naruto sounded..like him.
"Precious people?"
Naruto looked at the ground as he imagined his family, smiling.
"My mother, Mikoto and my sister, Sasuki. I.." Naruto tried to think of the right words but just shook his head after a moment. "..would do anything for them."
Haku heard that and smiled.
"A person becomes truly strong when they have someone they wish to protect and cherish. You draw from those feelings and feel strength, right?"
Naruto thought about and knew she was right, he did feel stronger when he was doing something for Sasuki or Mikoto.
"Yeah, I do feel that."
Haku got up and grabbed his basket, turning to leave.
"You will become strong."
'I too have someone I wish to protect..'
Naruto seemed confused by her manner of speaking, as if she knew him more than she let on.
"Let's meet again somewhere, far from this place."
'If we don't already meet one another with a blade.'
Naruto smiled.
"I'd like that."
Haku then turned around to say something else.
"Oh and by the way mister..I'm a guy too."
Naruto had to take a moment to realize what was just said, giving Haku the chance to walk off before Naruto freaked out. How could he think that a guy was cute? He looked just like a girl, how was he supposed to know?
'What the hell?'
000
Sasuki walked through the forest, hands in her pockets as she was deep in thought. The baka had stayed out late to train, even after they had completed the exercise. She had planned on talking with him that night too, about their future and what to do when they got home to Kaa-san.
'But no..he just had to go and train. I'll make sure he gets an earful when I see him..'
Sasuki looked up and saw someone, a girl walking toward her. She carried a basket and seemed like she was heading home from collecting flowers or something.
Their eyes met for a moment and a cold chill ran down the Uchiha's spine. Passing her, Sasuki turned to get another look to try and figure out if she had seen her somewhere before.
'What was that feeling just now..'
Shrugging it off, she continued to walk on and soon found Naruto sitting on the ground with a dazed look on his face. Of course she couldn't realize what he was thinking or what had just happened, but her brain pieced things together a little differently from what had actually happened. While Naruto was still trying to figure out how something like Haku being a boy could be real, Sasuki stomped up to him.
"YOU BAKA! LOOKING AT OTHER GIRLS I SEE!"
She bashed him over the head, making him fall to the ground and wake up in pain.
"OW! Sasuki-chan what was-"
"COME WITH ME YOU IDIOT!"
Naruto was then dragged by the ear all the way back to Tazuna's house by an irate Sasuki. What a misunderstanding that was, something that was complained about by Naruto to Sasuki for years to come.
000
Wave Country
Tazuna's House
That night, the Leaf shinobi ate with Tazuna's family at the dinner table. It had been awkwardly silent since Sasuki had arrived pulling Naruto inside, by the ear no less. There had been no explanation rather than Naruto's constant attempt at apologizing and Sasuki promptly ignoring him and his pleas. Tsunami laughed at how cute they were while Kakashi and Shino could only shake their heads in confusion.
They ate in company though, so spirits were high. With the hard work they were doing at the bridge, Tazuna felt he should make mention of it while all the Leaf ninja were gathered.
"The bridge is almost complete, thanks to you." He smiled.
Kakashi just nodded while the others smiled a bit in pride of their own abilities.
Tsunami took the finished dishes to be washed.
"Don't work yourself so hard father, it will be completed when its completed."
Tazuna laughed but then coughed, taking a more serious look.
"You know, I meant to ask you why you are still here even after I lied about the mission details." Kakashi clasped his hands together in thought as the others waited for a response.
"Not doing the right when you know it is right is the coward's way..there are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander." He recited from memory of what his sensei once said.
He saw their confused looks and smiled.
"A quote from our previous Hokage."
As the adults spoke, Inari looked at Naruto. He was still covered in dirt and grime from his training earlier that day. It made him cringe as he thought of his father, who was like a hero to him, who worked so hard for the village..only to be killed by Gato.
Tears came to his eyes as he looked at the blonde who only brought on the memories of his past. He couldn't help himself, he had to say something to make it stop.
"Why.." His voice croaked, biting back a sob.
Naruto looked over at Inari and thought he didn't look so well.
"What was that?"
That brought everyone's attention over to Inari as he stood up from his seat, glaring at Naruto.
"Why..why do you train so hard just so you can end up dying? No matter how hard you train, no matter what you say, the strong will always beat the weak!"
Inari bit his lip and cried, letting it all out in the stunned silence that followed his outburst. Naruto thought over what he said and his eyes hardened as he looked at the broken boy; he pitied him for his loss. For him to feel so strongly that way, it must have hurt him badly.
"You don't know anything about me."
Naruto said and making Inari glare at him.
"Shut up! It makes me angry when I watch you, you don't know anything about this country or what has happened here! How could you? You don't know anything about real pain, always smiling!"
Naruto met his gaze, making him flinch under the older boy's pressure. Tsunami couldn't believe what she was hearing and was about to intervene when Naruto spoke.
"Is that all you can do is cry? I learned a long time ago that crying doesn't solve anything..that's when I actually did something about my problems. I guess that's what makes us different.."
His words stung Inari in a way no one had anticipated and the younger boy could only look away and continue crying. Sasuki looked at Naruto and saw how serious he looked, she hadn't seen him like this in a long time. Without a word he got up and went outside for a walk.
"Naruto.." Sasuki said in a faint tone, worried.
"Go after him." Kakashi said, giving her permission she had been waiting for.
After she went after him and things settled down, Inari went outside to sit on the dock and calm down. Kakashi followed him out after a bit and sat down next to him, startling him.
"Mind if I sit here?" He asked and Inari just shrugged.
It was silent for a while before Kakashi spoke up.
"I'm sorry about what Naruto said, it must have come off pretty harsh back there.."
Inari said nothing but seemed to listen, so Kakashi continued.
"Its hard to understand without knowing his past, you see, Naruto..he was alone for a very long time."
Inari looked up at Kakashi with interest.
"No parents, no friends, no one to care for him. He felt pain, a pain of loneliness during his childhood that no one could take away."
Kakashi sighed, it had been a while since he had told such a sad story.
"After a while..he just stopped crying. He stopped caring about what others would think of him and did as he pleased, I guess he was just tired of being sad."
Inari couldn't believe that Naruto had such a rough past with how happy he always seemed to be.
"The reason he is so happy now is because of his new family, Sasuki and her mother Mikoto. They adopted him some years back and ever since then they have never separated. Now that he has precious people, Naruto trains hard so he can protect them..he is afraid of losing them, the love they give him."
"He doesn't..want to lose them." Inari whispered, understanding his feelings.
"Those words that Naruto said to you in there..they are probably the same ones he had been telling himself for all those years he was alone."
Kakashi smiled and Inari suddenly felt..better.
'I understand now..'
000
The following morning in the room where the genin slept, rays of sunshine peeked through the window to greet Naruto's face. The sudden change in temperature irritated him and made him wake up, rising up quickly. Looking around to see empty beds and the sun high in the sky, Naruto immediately realized he had overslept and had been left behind by the others.
"Damn!"
He quickly got out of his night clothes and put on his usual Uchiha garments, almost falling over as he slipped his pants on while trying to put his sandals on at the same time. Tying his forehead protector tight, Naruto walked over to the door to open it but heard shouting and found the voices weren't ones he had heard before.
'What's going on..'
Naruto slid the door open slightly to look into the main room and his eyes widened.
'These guys must be-'
"GET BACK INARI!"
Tsunami shouted as two of Gato's thugs, Zori and Waraji, barged their way into the house and approached the woman. Inari cowered in the doorway to the kitchen and right in front of Naruto's room where he watched the scene unfold.
"Gato needs the woman as a hostage..he didn't say anything about a kid." Waraji said as he began to unsheathe his sword.
Tsunami screamed and made them stop in their tracks.
"NO! Don't hurt my son, I'll do anything!" Zori smiled and looked back at his partner who put his weapon away, turning to Inari.
"Looks like your mom came through for you this time kid."
They approached her with rope and she submitted to them. No one heard the door slide open as Naruto leaped over Inari's head and kicked Waraji in the head, making him go down for the count. Zori was about to tie her wrists up when he saw Waraji fall and look behind to see what had happened.
"What the-" An elbow to his stomach knocked the wind right out of him and he saw Naruto crouching below him.
'Its..the ninjas..'
Naruto pulled his elbow back and sent Zori flying back by hitting him hard in the face. Tsunami and Inari could only watch in awe as Naruto pulled both unconscious samurai outside and rendered them unable to move. He came back inside to check and see both were alright.
"Tsunami-san, Inari, are you two okay?"
Tsunami had been embraced tightly by her son and she looked up at him, bowing her head in thanks.
"Yes Naruto-san, thanks to you."
Naruto smiled as he made sure his thigh and hip pouches were on tight.
"Good, those two shouldn't make anymore trouble for a while. I need to head to the bridge though..someone precious to me is in danger."
He gave them a wave before running out the door to go and help Kakashi and the others who were probably already fighting. Tsunami breathed a sigh of relief and Inari watched him run off, remembering what Kakashi said.
'He is going to go protect Sasuki..his precious person.'
His thoughts wandered to Tazuna and his eyes hardened.
'I have someone precious I need to protect too..'
000
Wave Country
Bridge
Sasuki and Haku met, kunai and senbon needle clashing in the middle of the bridge. Zabuza stood off to one side with Kakashi, Shino, and Tazuna on the other. They had laid a trap for the bridge builder, luckily, they still outnumbered the assassins even without Naruto.
Sasuki was also making it apparent she was more than a match for Haku as they attacked and parried one another.
Zabuza watched with interest.
'So..she can keep up with Haku's speed. Impressive.'
Kakashi looked over at Shino who was watching the battle with interest.
"Shino, stay with Tazuna and don't get far from me."
The Aburame took position in front of Tazuna as his kikaichu began to awaken beneath this skin.
'Its getting to the good part.'
Haku met Sasuki again and locked her in stalemate, speaking through gritted teeth.
"I don't want to have to kill you..but you won't back down, right?"
Sasuki smirked.
"What are you, stupid?" Haku scoffed.
"You won't be ready for my next move, even if you can keep up with my speed."
Sasuki pushed back against him, ignoring his taunt.
"You see, there is water underneath us..and I am keeping your arm busy." Haku began going through hand signs with one hand, shocking the Leaf ninja.
Even Kakashi couldn't believe what he was seeing.
'To focus chakra for a technique with just one hand is very advanced..even I can't do it!'
Zabuza just smiled, this was why Haku was so useful to him. His myriad of abilities made for being both surprising and deadly to the opponents that would face him.
"Sensatsu Suishō!" Water globules rose into the air and formed into ice needles, all poised to strike Sasuki.
Haku launched himself backward as the needles came crashing down while Sasuki remained in position, eyes closed and concentrating.
'Mold chakra, balance the weight, send to my legs and..'
She launched herself back just as the needles hit, masking her retreat. Taking advantage of it, she jumped into the air while Haku remained focused on the needle attack that was still not visible. When he could see she avoided it, he looked up and watched as she threw shuriken down at him, forcing him to evade backward.
As he backed up, Sasuki appeared behind him with a deadly smirk.
"You are slow, you know that?"
Haku's eyes widened under his mask and he turned to meet her attack, forcing himself to crouch as she used her kunai to slice horizontally. Having fallen for her feint, Sasuki built up strength in her leg and kicked Haku right back to where Zabuza stood.
Haku felt his master's annoyed gaze and quickly got back up.
"You'll never win if you keep up like that Haku. We don't have time to waste.." Haku stepped forward, gathering chakra.
"I understand, Zabuza-sama."
Sasuki felt a chill run up her spine as the air around her began to grow cold and slabs of ice began to materialize...
000
By the time Naruto arrived in sight of the battle, it was clear that Sasuki was on the losing side. While Kakashi and Zabuza skirmished with their blades, Shino could only watch from the sidelines as she was torn apart in the ice prison. His bugs had proven ineffective against dissolving the jutsu, later explained by Kakashi that it was a kekkei genkai, a powerful jutsu that's chakra was not so easy to get rid of.
Torn between defending Tazuna and wanting to help his team-mate, he was ordered by Kakashi to stay by the bridge builder and hesitantly did so.
'Come on Sasuki..' He was hoping she would come up with a plan, but she had been nailed many times by the needles and was starting to slow.
Sasuki deflected more needles but another imbedded itself in her thigh, making her grunt in pain and go down on one knee. She scowled, the attacks were too fast and she couldn't predict them in time. It was as if he was everywhere at once; like Naruto's shadow clones, it was as if there was one Haku in each mirror throwing senbon at her.
"You are beginning to tire..its coming to the end."
Haku taunted from his mirror, trying to goad her to surrender. If they did not finish before Naruto arrived, things would get nasty.
"Shut up!" She shouted in defiance although there was little bite behind it.
There were no options left, this next barrage would take her down for sure. Haku readied his needles and aimed for non-vital spots, making sure she would be out of the fight but unharmed. As the needles released from his fingers, he felt a new presence enter his ice prison's influence.
Sasuki's eyes widened as she saw him stand in front of her, not believing it.
"Naruto..?"
His sharingan awakened, Naruto brought up a kunai and effortlessly blocked every single needle from getting anywhere close to their marks. Turning back to address his sister, his confident smirk made her cheeks blush red.
"The hero always shows up late."
Catching herself before she could blush further, Sasuki coughed to steady herself and glared at Naruto.
"You idiot! You could have been a lot more help outside these mirrors than being stuck in here with me!" Naruto scratched his head and chuckled.
"Oh..guess I didn't think about that part."
She smacked her head in annoyance to his ignorance of actual shinobi tactics. Haku lost the edge of a smile when he realized things were only going to get worse from here on out. Naruto had the sharingan and both Uchiha were powerful in their own right, he needed to take one out of the equation.
Sasuki would be that one, she was already weak from his attacks.
'I just have to get around his guard by an overwhelming amount of attacks.' Haku readied himself again while the two began to focus on the mirrors.
Naruto's eyes tracked each, trying to find the weakness behind the technique.
'Kyuubi..what is this? I haven't seen this kind of chakra before..' Kyuubi observed through his eyes and recognized the technique.
"Its a Kekkei Genkai technique that allows the user to manipulate ice. Looks like this guy is using mirrors to act as mediums for his body, entering them freely at high speeds. Keep your eyes on him when he attacks and try to find a pattern or some way to hit him, that's the only way you'll win."
Naruto watched as Haku left a mirror's protection and launched dozens more needles at them. He noticed their target was not him but Sasuki and quickly moved to intercept, blocking all that he could. A few would get through though and hit her, so Naruto was forced to use his body to block these attacks.
Sasuki, unable to keep up with Haku or Naruto's speed could only watch as her brother was hurt in the same way she was. Her frustration boiled over into an even worse combination with her worry over Naruto's well being. How could she let him get hurt on her behalf?
"Idiot! Stop protecting me, just get him!"
Naruto blocked another needle as he tracked Haku's movements.
'Easier said than done..there!'
He saw an opening and launched his kunai, scoring a glancing hit on Haku's sleeve. Even then, it was enough to make the ice user hesitate when he realized Naruto was able to track his movement enough to hit him.
'Damn..has he already caught up?'
"Kage Bunshin!"
Naruto created a few clones of himself and enveloped Sasuki, waiting for the next attack. With three hundred sixty degree vision, they would hopefully be able to hit Haku again and track him easier. The plan was foiled by the sheer amount of attacks as Haku wore down the one hit clones, forcing Naruto back on the defensive.
As another clone was defeated, Naruto tracked Haku's movements and went through hand signs. Haku was about to go for a defenseless Sasuki when his peripheral vision caught sight of a red-orange object.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Naruto's fireball was able to graze Haku's leg, although he was able to move out of the way last minute. This forced the ice user to cut short his attack and return to the safety of a mirror.
Sasuki saw the attack had hit and cheered for Naruto who took a deep breath as he was losing stamina. They had been at it for over twenty minutes, the constant use of chakra was wearing on him. He couldn't stop though, not while Sasuki was in danger.
"You did it Naruto! One more hit like that and it'll be over!"
Naruto looked at her and gave a smile, despite how he was feeling.
"Yeah..just a little longer." He said, feeling out of breath.
Haku wished he could stop but it was too late to end now. He would have to end it now if he were to have any chance of helping Zabuza.
'I'm sorry it had to come to this..I had hoped we would not have to go this far.' He thought as he readied his senbon for a final attack.
Naruto senses movement and readies himself, seeing Haku dive forward toward him. Then, at the last second, he changed directions so he could get an angle on Sasuki. Naruto's eyes widened and he tried desperately to get into position to deflect the attacks but knew he would not move in time.
'No! I won't let it end like this..'
Sasuki saw Haku coming at her and readied her weapon, accepting what would come. Just as the needles were about to hit, Naruto's body appeared in front of her; she watched as he was pushed back a bit by the attack while he grunted in pain.
Haku, taken by surprise, reached out his hands to stop but instead was grappled by Naruto's outreached palms, swung around, and thrown back into the nearest mirror. He slid down the ice, stunned by the sudden blow.
Sasuki could only watch in horror as Naruto slowly fell backward, hurt and exhausted. She woke from her stupor and caught him, holding his wounded body in her arms. Her eyes could only wander over him, looking at every wound and the blood and wondering if it was real and how it was happening to her Naruto of all people?
"No..no.." She began to cry. "Why..why did you protect me?"
Even in his situation, Naruto's smile prevailed.
"You..and I both..know why Sasuki."
She looked into his eyes, tears crawling down her cheecks. Their warmth was felt by Naruto as they hit his cheeks, running down his face and down his mouth.
"It isn't supposed to be this way..it can't be like in the stories where the man saves the princess! I'm not..I'm not supposed to be weak! I'm an Uchiha!" She screamed, not understanding why this had happened.
Naruto tried to laugh but only coughed, some blood appeared on his lip.
"I'm sorry..I know you never liked it when I would try and help. There was just..nothing else I could do though, but protect you. I could never let anything..happen to you." He cringed in pain and Sasuki looked at him, still not getting it.
"Why..WHY DO YOU CARE SO MUCH ABOUT ME?"
Naruto just smiled, a peaceful smile.
"Because..I love you Sasuki." He whispered the last part, his voice losing strength as he fell into a deep sleep.
Sasuki shook him, trying to get him to wake back up. It was to no avail, the attack had taken too much of a toll on Naruto's body.
'No..don't tell me..he can't be-'
"Naruto..? Naruto!"
Haku got back up and spoke out loud, explaining what happened.
"He jumped into my attack, knowing it was a trap..so he could protect someone important to him."
Sasuki could barely hear, her quiet sobs almost drowning Haku out.
"Is this the first time you have seen a friend die?.." Haku hesitated for a moment when he heard her say something.
"I..love you too Naruto. I wanted..to grow up with you and be with you, always. I never meant it when I called you an idiot, I just..didn't know how to say it." Her sobs ended but her body still shook with pain and loss
Haku took the moment of break to meld back into his ice mirror.
"This is the path of a ninja, Naruto knew it well and still sacrificed himself."
It became quiet for a moment before Sasuki spoke up, her tone taking a venomous turn.
"Shut up.."
He watched as she gently laid Naruto down on the ground.
"Just shut up..you don't deserve to say his name."
Haku felt a very strong killing intent arise from the girl as she stood up, knowing there was trouble ahead.
"I'll kill you...YOU MURDERER!"
She turned around and gave Haku a deadly glare. There was something off about it though and he then realized with sudden understanding that he had only made things worse. Sasuki had awakened her sharingan and was now glaring at him with a look that could kill.
Haku decided not to wait and launched himself at her, hopeful she could not keep up like Naruto could. It was clear that this was not the case though as she took out a kunai and threw it at him with perfect accuracy. Just barely deflecting it, he realized that she had even better perception with the kekkei genkai than Naruto did.
Looking down, he saw that she was gone and realized the kunai was a trap. In front of him, in mid-air, was where Sasuki was as she launched a bone shattering punch that sent him flying back into a mirror. Allowing her feet to grab hold of a mirror at the top of a prison, she used that as a point to jump forward and gain momentum.
"DIE!"
Haku had just recovered from the first hit when she was on him again. The momentum she received was more than either had anticipated, and her next punch sent him through the mirror, shattering the jutsu that had trapped them.
000
Kakashi and Zabuza stared down one another, the ground around them cracked from the battle they had been having. Neither was able to gain an upper hand and only now they were taking a small breather before going at it again. As the battle had moved farther from Sasuki and Haku, Shino had stayed near Kakashi and did not know what had happened with the girl.
"Tired Kakashi?" Zabuza goaded, stretching his neck.
"I'm just getting started." He threw back.
They were interrupted by a loud scream and a concentrated but intense release of chakra. Something was going wrong with the fight between Sasuki and Haku and Kakashi knew that it couldn't be good. He would have to end the fight with Zabuza quick and go help the Uchiha girl.
Zabuza grunted and fell back into the mist, allowing it to hide him from the sharingan's view. Kakashi released a pouch on his vest and made use of the scroll inside, using the blood from a previous wound he had suffered (purposely) to Zabuza for just this purpose.
"Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!" He slammed the scroll onto the ground, releasing what looked like fissures into the ground.
"Shino, now!" The bug user nodded and let the bugs do their work, tearing down the chakra mist and clearing Kakashi's view to Zabuza.
Before the Swordsman could even react to his technique being dispelled, dogs began to bite and latch onto him from the ground. Unable to dodge or break free, Zabuza could only grunt in pain from their bites and watch as Kakashi approached.
"It's over Zabuza.." He grabbed his right hand with his other and began to gather his chakra.
"Raikiri!"
Zabuza could only watch as his executioner approached, unable to move and escape his own death.
000
"..And so you see Sasuki, I have failed Zabuza-sama, the only person that has mattered to me in this world. Please..put me out of my misery."
She had listened to his life story and understood why he followed the Missing-nin and surprisingly, she was not against him. Having calmed down somewhat, she could process his request with a clear mind. Readying her kunai, she approached Haku who only smiled in thanks.
"If that is what you want.." She began to run forward as Haku readied himself.
'I am sorry Zabuza-sama..'
Before she could reach him, he felt a buildup of chakra and knew there was still a chance he could do something. Grabbing her wrist before she could finish it, Haku created an ice mirror and stepped into it.
"I'm sorry Sasuki..but my duty to my precious person..isn't over yet." He disappeared into the mirror and left her alone.
Remembering what had happened, she dropped her kunai and slowly made her way back over to Naruto. He was right where she left him, not moving. Maybe it was too much to hope for he would wake up after she left but it was something she had secretly hoped for.
And without her loved one with her, she wept. Tears fell onto his chest as she cried over him, unable to control her grief over her lost love. She cried his name over and over, trying in vain to wake him.
"NARUTO!"
000
Everyone's eyes widened as Kakashi impaled Haku with his attack, he had appeared so suddenly in front of Zabuza that it was impossible to stop. With his last living act, the boy grabbed hold of Kakashi's wrist in a death grip and refused to let go. Zabuza began to chuckle as it was now Kakashi's turn to struggle as his summoning had been released and he was free to move.
"That a boy Haku..serving me until the end!" He brought his sword down to kill Kakashi, but the Jonin was quicker.
Kakashi laid the dead boy down away from the fighting, silently whispering a prayer for him. A scream echoed across the bridge, it was Sasuki saying her brother's name. She sounded in pain, the desperation in her voice making Kakashi and everyone else look in that direction with apprehension.
"Shino, take Tazuna and make sure Sasuki and Naruto are alright!"
"Yes sensei!"
Shino ran off with Tazuna close behind, disappearing in the mist.
Kakashi gave Zabuza the death glare and both knew the battle was soon to end.
"Its time we end this.." Kakashi readied a kunai and Zabuza his sword.
"It's already over!" Zabuza said as he charged forward.
000
When Shino arrived, he found his two team-mates near where they had left them in the ice prison. Naruto was lying on the ground, bloody needles surrounding him. Sasuki was over him, crying with an unending amount of tears.
It was obvious to Shino what had happened.
'I..didn't think that something like this could happen.' He was in disbelief.
Tazuna's heart went to the poor girl, not only losing a brother but a lover as well.
They were silent, if she noticed their presence she did not show it. It was only a little while more until the silence was broken in an unexpected way.
"Ugh..." A quiet moan escaped Naruto's lips, drowned out by Sasuki's crying.
It was then that the girl began to notice that her brother's chest was slightly moving, up and down.
"Hey..Sasuki..its kind of hard to breath with you on top of me ya know?" She stifled her sobs and looked at him, shock displayed in her tear stained face.
"Na..ru..to?" He smiled, that smile that always made her blush.
Without having to say anything, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. There was nothing short of that that could express her happiness and although Naruto was not expecting it, did his best to return her affection. Whether she realized it or not, he thought he remembered hearing her confession just as she heard his.
If their relationship hadn't already been made clear, this sealed the deal.
000
And we will stop it there, its about the same in the end as the usual Wave, and it felt right to end on this part. Next part we skip to when the squad returns home and we will have single chapter mini arc of my own creation to fill the gap between Wave and Chunin Exams. Hope you enjoyed the chapter as well as the story, consider it an early christmas present.
Remember to review after reading.
See ya!
