Author Notes:

Hello ladies and gentleman. Well to start of my notes I would like to announce that I have just recently acquired a beta reader for my story and I will be re-uploading chapters 1 – 10 sometime within the next few days when I get a chance to go through the process of uploading them properly.

From now on I will be posting each chapter BEFORE it is review by my beta and will upload it again within a few days to a week (just guessing here) based on when my beta gets around to reading the chapter and fixing up my spelling and grammar issues. I hope that this solves the complaints I have been getting about the bad grammar. If you like to get your updates right away then feel free to read with the understanding that it will be as usually, full of grammar mistakes. Otherwise feel free to wait the allotted time and then read the freshly beta read chapter when I upload it again.

Ok with that said lets get onto my actual notes about the story and the reason for the delays thus far. Life has been pretty busy here for me over the past few weeks. I had actually tried to sit down to write this several times already and each time I found myself brought out of my "WRITING MODE" as I call it by one thing or another.

I have finally managed to get the time needed to complete yet another chapter to add to my epic even though it is a far cry from the 2 chapters that I was really hoping to produce this weekend.

This chapter will include the final battle between the Leaf and Haku/Zabuza in the Wave Country. I hope you enjoy this chapter because it is going to be action packed. Lots of fighting and lot of interesting stuff going on. By the end of the chapter the Leaf will be on their way back to Konoha and heading towards the upcoming Chuunin exams.

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Ok with all that out of the way I want to get note out to all my readers. I notice that I have something like 400 or so alerts for this story and yet I only tend to get about 20 – 40 reviews a chapter. Now I'm not complaining because hey, I have seen A LOT less reviews for other stories but I would love to hear from everybody. Even if it's just a short "Enjoyed the chapter" or something to that nature it still goes a long way to boosting my spirits and anybody who has written on here will tell you that reviews are a big part of what keeps us authors writing because we like to see that people are enjoying what we are doing as much as we enjoy writing it.


Second Chances

Chapter Ten: Battle at the Bridge

By Cybergades


Haku slowly made her way back to the house that her employer, Gato had provided to Zabuza and herself. She had been thinking about Naruto's words for days now and had been silently battling herself for what in her heart she knew she wanted. The problem was that she didn't know if she could ever leave him. He had saved her as a child, raised her almost as his daughter, and trained her into the ninja she was today. If it hadn't been for him she would have died several times over by now.

Of course that wasn't to say that he was exactly the nicest guy in the world. He yelled at her all the time when she messed up, his training was incredibly strenuous and he never really showed any sign of what you would call love for her. When you got right down to it he really only used her. He used her as a tool to help fight his battles and to keep him alive when things got out of hand. He may have saved her, raised her, provided for her, and trained her but he had never loved her and she doubted he ever would.

So the question was did it really matter. Naruto's words had really hit home with her. She was tired of all the running. She was tired of all the constant traveling. She wanted a place to call home. It had been so long since she had something like that and she craved for it so. But it had only gotten worse since her talk with Naruto. In the years past she had been able to simply push the thoughts away and forget about it. That wasn't possible now. His words had stirred something up within her and she desperately wanted what he had to offer.

"Just imagine. I could have a place to call home, a job as a shinobi for a hidden village, a reprieve from the life of a missing ninja, and the chance to make true friends." Thought Haku to herself.

Oh how she longed for those things and yet she felt she owed it to Zabuza to stay by his side, to continue to be his tool. He may not have been loving but he had saved her and he had raised and trained her. She owed him her life.

Haku shook her head as she approached the front door of the home they were staying at. These thoughts had been swirling about in her head for days. She had went to that clearing everyday since their talk to see if Naruto would return so that she could talk to him again but he never had. It was likely that the next time they met would be on the battlefield.

Opening the front door and walking inside Haku finally made her decision. It was time to talk to her sensei. She knew that she couldn't leave without at the very least talking to him and even then it was unlikely that she would leave without his permission and blessing. If nothing else she would talk to him and see what he thought. With luck he would agree to come with her and then they could both leave the life of a missing ninja behind.

Haku was brought out of her thoughts by a creepy voice in front of her and she looked up to see her employer and her sensei talking in the living room along with a woman who looked only slightly older then her. Their employer's name was Gato and in her opinion he was a nasty piece of work. He was certainly not the type of person that she would like to work for but her sensei had accepted the work because of the high pay and like always she followed along without question.

The man was nothing more then a common thug and he reminded her of the people who had destroyed her village and killed her family. He only ever did anything for his own gains and he stepped on anybody that got in his way. He seemed to think of himself as the king of the world and the way he looked at her every time they met made her want to be sick. He was a short balding man with a pudgy face. He was overweight and he smelled like he might not have bathed in a week. If only her sensei would just let her kill him, she would be more then happy to do it if only to stop his beady little eyes from looking her over and staring at her chest.

The woman beside him on the other hand she had never met before. She was obviously in her early to mid twenties judging by her height and build and she was quiet obviously a powerful shinobi based on the way she held herself and the sense of power that seemed to permeate her entire being. There was something odd about her but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She just didn't feel right. There was no better way for her to explain it. Every time her eyes landed on Haku she felt a shiver travel up her body. No she most certainly did not like this woman.

Her musings were interrupted when she heard her sensei yell at the fat man. "I don't need your little girl scout here to help me do this job. It's bad enough that I have to have those two idiot brothers you hired help with the final battle but I am not going to have some damn tart that thinks she's a shinobi getting in my way. I want that boy's blood and I don't need any damn help to get it. Do you hear me you little shit?" yelled Zabuza with fire burning in his eyes.

Gato sneered at the ninja in front of him. Who the hell did this guy think he was? He was just some nobody shinobi. He couldn't talk to him like that. He was Gato, the greatest business tyrant in all of wave country. "You work for me and as such you will do as I say or you won't get paid. It's obvious that you need the help because you nearly got yourself killed the last time you battled this group and by a boy no less. A mere child beat the so called great and powerful demon of the mist. Don't make me laugh. Tatsuki here is the most powerful ninja in all of wave country and I'm leaving her with you. I want those Konoha ninja killed, I want that bridge builder destroyed and I want that bridge obliterated. Leave nothing standing. When this is done the wave country will have no choice but to deal through me for their trade and I will once again have a monopoly on all forms of business within wave country." Yelled Gato with spit flying from the corners of his mouth.

Zabuza growled deep in his throat while looking at the two body guards that surrounded Gato before shifting his gaze to the female ninja named Tatsuki whom had yet to speak. Zabuza growled again before whipping out his sword quicker then Gato could react and sliced off the heads of the two guards and then slammed the sword down in front of Gato, mere inches from his feet. "Make no mistake Gato, you will pay me, and you will pay me triple what we agreed upon or I will kill you where you stand. I do not take kindly to being talked down to or ordered around. I will take your little puppet here but don't expect me to look after her. She's on her own and if she gets in my way, I'll kill her myself." Said Zabuza with an evil glint in his eyes before hefting his sword back onto his back and storming out of the room leaving a clearly frightened Gato behind and a somewhat amused Tatsuki.

Haku watched as her sensei stormed out of the room leaving behind their employer, two dead bodyguards and the still emotionless mystery shinobi who was apparently called Tatsuki. She watched as Gato seemed to shake himself out of his stupor, look around at the dead bodies of his staff and rush out of the building as fast as he could leaving them alone to fend for themselves.

Haku looked back to her left towards the room that she knew her sensei had entered where he would no doubt be drinking sake and thinking about all the ways he could kill his enemies before looking forward to where Tatsuki stood watching her. Now was not quite the time to talk with her sensei. She needed to give him a few minutes to cool off and seeing as how she was the more pleasant of the two she might as well try to get some information on the ninja in front of her. They would after all being fighting together.

Walking forward into the living room she approached the emotionless ninja before stopping a half a dozen feet away from her and smiling slightly. They stared at each other for a few minutes before the older woman seemed to get tired of the quite and took a few steps forward before holding out her hand. "There's no point us ignoring each other for the next couple of days. Were going to be working together so we can hate each other's guts like your sensei seems prone to do or we can get along for the duration of this mission and call it a day. Personally I prefer the later of the two. What do you say?" asked Tatsuki.

Haku looked from the woman's face to her outstretched hand and back again before smiling and taking her hand. The two women shook hands before walking over to the couches and pouring some tea for themselves. "So it seems we will be working together so tell me a little bit about yourself and this sensei of yours. What can I expect as your ally?" asked Tatsuki after a few minutes of silence during which time he had drank several sips of her tea. The older women's eyes never left Haku's during all this time.

"My name is Haku, Nakamura Haku." Replied Haku as she smiled again at Tatsuki. Tatsuki smiled back in return before getting a thoughtful look on her face. "I'm told that you have a very powerful kekkei genkai but I have never heard of the Nakamura clan." Replied Tatsuki.

Haku nodded her head and took another sip of her tea before responding. "That doesn't surprise me. My clan was very secretive about its existence and its powers. The village we lived in was deathly afraid of kekkei genkai and all those found to hold them were slaughtered. My mother was the last of our clan to survive and escaped to a nearby village when our clan was annihilated. She married my father and eventually I was born." Stated Haku with sadness in her eyes.

Tatsuki looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "So where is your mother and father now?" inquired Tatsuki with genuine interest. Haku smiled sadly before replying. "Dead. I was only a child when I found out that I had inherited my mother's gift and without knowing better I revealed it to my father while playing around with my new found powers. My mother you see had been hiding her powers for years by this time and my father never knew. So when he found out he got scared and gathered a mob. They killed my mother and came for me. In a moment of panic I created a field of icicles and skewered them all. for the next while I wondered around alone until I came across Zabuza-sensei one day and he took me in. he trained me and supported me and I have been with him ever since. So you see I am the last of my clan and it does not surprise me in the least that you don't know of them." responded Haku before taking another long sip of her tea.

Tatsuki looked at the young women for a moment before sighing. "I am sorry for your loss Haku. I too know what it's like to loose your family. Like you I have an incredible power that was feared and at the same time widely sought after in my village. I guess for the lack of a better term at the time you could call it a kekkei genkai of sorts. I however was much older when my family died so I at least had time to enjoy their company. I'm from the Yoshida Clan. I like you am the last of my clan. As I said the power which I posses was both feared and sought after and it eventually lead to the destruction of my clan and the death of my entire family. It is however fortunate that those seeking me believed I died with my family and as such I have been left alone for the last several years." Stated Tatsuki.

"So tell me about this sensei of yours. I of course have heard of him. I was after all once from the mist but I am curious to hear what you have to say. I am surprised to hear that he took you in." said Tatsuki who was clearly surprised. "Well you see it all started when…" and Haku began to tell the full story of how she had come to be with Zabuza and the life that she had lived since. In the hours that followed they talked about many things and Haku thought for the second time in the last several days that she may have made a friend.

Several hours later Haku looked out the window and noticed that it was already night. She still wanted to talk with Zabuza and she hoped that perhaps now he would have calmed down a bit. Getting up and excusing herself from their conversation Haku explained that she needed to speak with her sensei before going to bed for the night to prepare for tomorrows battle. Tatsuki nodded in understanding and left the room in the opposite direction.

Haku made her way into the room where she could hear her sensei and prepared herself for the conversation she new she had to have. She had never really liked the philosophy of a ninja and yet she enjoyed the job. She was good at what she did and she constantly strived to preserve life. This however was often difficult as a missing ninja since a lot of the jobs they got required that you kill. It was one of the many reasons that she wanted to take up Naruto on his offer.

Walking up to her sensei she bowed slightly before knelling in front of him. "Zabuza-sensei may I have permission to speak freely?" inquired Haku quietly. Zabuza looked down from his seat on the couch in his room at his student with a dangerous glint in his eye. Had Haku been looking she would have noticed that this was certainly not the time to be speaking with him but unfortunately she was not and as such she missed the look he gave her. The sake had taken its effect on the Demon of the Mist and unlike some people he did not get sluggish or happy when he was drunk but rather he got down right nasty. He grunted his response in the affirmative before leaning over and taking another bottle of sake from the table beside the couch and drinking directly from the bottle.

Haku swallowed deeply and let out a deep breath before beginning. If she was truthful with herself she was terrified of what his answer would be and she did not know what she would do if he refused her. "Sensei… many years ago you took me in when I was a child and had no where to go. You have raised me as your own and trained me to be the shinobi I am today and for that I am grateful. But I no longer wish to live this life. I tire of the life of a missing Nin. Always running from the hunter Nins and never staying in one place long. I wish to have a place to call home; I wish to have friends and perhaps one day a family." Said Haku while looking at the floor.

Once again she missed the glint in Zabuza's eyes as he looked down on the girl that was his student with something akin of loathing. In his drunken state he found himself getting angrier by the moment with this betrayal. She dared to wish for anything else that to be his loyal servant, his tool in battle. Who did she think she was? He continued to rage in his mind while he grunted his response once again for her to continue. All the while the glint in his eyes getting more intense.

Haku breathed deeply again unaware of the danger that was right in front of her and continued with her story. "Several days ago while I was out gathering supplies I stopped in clearing not far from here to rest for a while. While there I met with the young boy that we fought weeks ago. He is obviously more then he appears to be and has great power. Even though I looked nothing like I did during out battle he still knew it was me and what's more he did not fear Me." continued Haku.

"Sensei he has offered sanctuary within the leaf. A possibility at a new life, an end to the constant attacks by hunter Nins and an end to the life of a missing Nin. He offers it freely with no string attached to both of us sensei. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me sensei and I have served you fatefully for many years. Now I wish to have the chance of a normal life, a life without running, and without so much death. Will you come with me to the leaf sensei?" finished Haku as she continued to look at the floor.

During her entire speech Zabuza felt his anger continue to boil as he thought of how totally his would be student had betrayed him. She had spoken with his enemy but not just any enemy. No she had spoken with the very boy who had so thoroughly defeated him and whom had made a complete fool out of him. And now she had the audacity to come to him and beg him to go to the leaf with her and be nothing but their puppets. At last in his drunken state Zabuza could take no more. A moment after she finished her speech he was on his feet and before he could even think about it he threw out his hand and slammed his fist into her face sending her careening across the room into the wall.

Just when Haku thought she had succeeded in getting what she want her sensei jumped to his feet. He barely had a moment to think about what was happening before his fist slammed into her face sending her flying across the room and slamming into the wall just beside the door. She pulled herself up to her feet shakily but before she could assess the situation he was upon her again and this time she received a strong kick to the side sending her flying across the room again where she slammed into several shelves before falling to the ground and with the contents of the shelves showering over her. Slinking away from him in an effort to placate his rage she heard him start to yell in a voice which she had only ever heard directed at his enemies and never at her.

"You think you can just leave me you wench. You would be dead without me. I am Zabuza of the Mist, the Demon of the hidden mist. Nobody crosses me and lives. I took you in, raised you and trained you into the shinobi you are today and this is how you show your respect you ungrateful runt. You betray me to the very ninja who nearly killed me. To the boy who made a complete fool of me. No I will not go to the Leaf and neither will you. In fact you're not going anywhere you bitch." Screamed Zabuza with murder in his eyes. Zabuza hefted his sword and Haku quickly tried to right herself to attempt a defense even though she knew that it was too late. At the last moment before the blade came crashing down she heard the door burst open and her sensei was sent hurtling across the room into the couch he had been sitting on causing it to tip over backwards spilling the drunken Zabuza onto the floor.

"I believe that will be enough Zabuza of the Mist. If you wish you kill your subordinate then that is your choice but you will not lay a finger on her until after this missing is complete. You were both hired to do a job as was I. and together we will do so. if after wards you still wish to fight her then be my guest although you may find that she is no so easy a target when she is not knelling at your feet." Stated Tatsuki firmly and harshly.

By this time Zabuza was on his feet staring at the women. He sneered at both of them before putting his sword back down at returning to his sake. A moment later the two women left the room to call it a night. Haku for her part thanked the older ninja for her assistance and left for bed while thinking about her sensei's words. Had she really betrayed him? Was it so bad to want to live she did not know. These thoughts continued to plague her as she drifted to sleep thinking of what the battle tomorrow would bring.


Tatsuki sat in her room sipping on a cup of tea after retiring for the night. The conversation between herself and Haku swirled in her mind as did thoughts of her past. The two had much in common and it had not been since before her family had died that she felt a connection like she did with Haku. They were kindred spirits in a sense. Both had been scared by the tragedies of their lives and both had survived only to persevere while continuing to live and become stronger. She like herself had known the sorrow of having everybody you knew fear and despise you and your family for something you had no control over.

They had really hit it off earlier today and had gotten to know each other quite well which was extremely unusual for ninja in their positions. Tatsuki had survived by being emotionless and distancing herself from any and all ties that she might form with others. She had done this well for many years but she could not seem to do so now. Because when she looked into the face of Haku she saw herself as she was many years ago and she could simply not turn that connection, that friendship away.

Then there was the conversation which she had overheard from outside Zabuza's room between him and Haku before she had been forced to intervene to save the girls life. Haku had briefly mentioned a young boy whom she had met recently and become friends of sorts by the name of Naruto. She had not mentioned much further then that but it had been obvious to her that it was an issue of importance to her and it had been only moments after that in which she had excused herself to talk to her sensei. If she was correct in her assumptions the boy she was talking about would be the same boy whom she had discussed with Zabuza and whom she had heard had been able to systematically destroy Zabuza in their battle.

This in itself interested her greatly because she had to admit that from what she had seen and understood about Zabuza of the mist he was not exactly a push over. In fact he was anything but and for a boy, a genin if the news was to be believed to be able to defeat him so brutally said a lot about the boy's skill. Still there was something strange about it all. Things just did not match up. For the brief moments that Haku had talked about him it appeared as if he was gentle and kind hearted. And if her conversation with Zabuza was to be believed he was even concerned for her, a stranger of whom he had only met once before… in battle no less.

What's more is he had been able to trounce Zabuza so easily, based on what Haku had explained about the fight it had been almost entirely one sided except for when he was distracted by protecting his allies. If this was true then why had he not simply killed them, if he could defeat Zabuza so easily without trying to seriously injure or kill him then that meant that he was holding back a fair bit? It was all so confusing. The boy seemed to be an enigma. He was anything but a normal shinobi. He was a genin and yet he had the strength, speed, and power of at least a jonin perhaps higher and he seemed hesitant to kill.

The most interesting thing she had learned tonight however was about this supposed offer to return to the leaf and receive sanctuary. If she had not heard of how thoroughly this genin had trashed Zabuza and Haku he would have thought it just empty boosting but it was extremely unlikely that somebody with that kind of power and skill and with the kind of morals he seemed to display would lie, let alone about something this serious. Which brought up the question of just who was he to have the power to offer such a deal.

Nothing about this boy made any sense at all and yet she was inclined to believe everything she had heard from Haku because the girl did not seem to be lying, nor did she appear to be the type of person who would do such a thing. If the offer was true then it was extremely interesting not only to Haku but to herself as well. She however would not be so quick to choose. As much as she would love to settle down again she would not rush blindly into another village after what had happened in her previous home. The power within her was highly sought after by ninjas the world wide and they would no doubt find out about it quickly enough if she went to this village. She would have to gather more information about the boy, his offer, and the village he was from before she even considered making a choice.

With these thoughts and more continuing to swirl through her mind Tatsuki resigned herself to the fact that she was not likely to get to sleep for many hours to come. Tomorrow would mark the day of the battle and she would get her chance to meet this Naruto herself. Perhaps then she would find out more.


Naruto lay in bed that night thinking about battles yet to come and the fate that he so desperately wished to protect his precious people from. In a matter of months war would befall Konoha and with it would come the death of so many innocent people. He wanted so badly to protect them, to shield his village from the evil that would soon descend upon them and yet he knew not how to do it. Time was not on his side. It marched forward like an unstoppable force and no matter what he did he knew that he would soon have to face his enemies once again.

The fact was that if he did not stop the invasion this time or at the very least reduce the damages that it would be the first nail in their coffin. Konoha had never recovered from the failed invasion in his previous timeline. They had been weakened from that point forward and each new battle from then forward just chipped away a little more until they finally fell to their knees. He had to prevent that from happening again. if he wished for Konoha to survive but more then that if he wished for the Sound and Orochimaru to be defeated then he would need to prevent the invasion from getting to far and he would need to build up the strength of Konoha over the next few years so that when the time came they would be able to crush the sound once and for all.

This thought was one of many that scared him more then he would ever let on. The simple fact was that even though he knew he had to protect his friends, and prevent the war he did not know how. With every moment that passed he felt more and more helpless. He had traveled back in time to change the fate of his village, no the world and yet he did not have a plan. The only thing he had been able to come up with so far was to recruit Haku and Zabuza and see to it that the Sannin were in the village during the chuunin exams.

There were so many questions he did not have the answers too. How would he prevent Orochimaru from killing the old man? How would he deal with the invasion force which caused the weakening of the village's forces that ultimately lead to its destruction? How would he get Tsunade to stay in the village and take over as Hokage with the old man alive? These and so many other questions plagued Naruto to no end.

Naruto would never admit it to Hinata or any of his friends but he was terrified of what was to come. There was not a moment that went by that his fear of failure did not threaten to overwhelm and consume him. It was something that he feared constantly. He was terrified that when the time came he would once again be unable to protect those who were dear to him and that history would repeat itself.

He often found himself thinking that it would be simpler to just give in to the fear, to accept that fate had already woven its web and that history would simply see fit to repeat itself once again. It was during these times that he thanked god for the support of the ones he loved. His mind would drift to his friends, his family, and instantly he would force these dark thoughts away. It was for them that he fought, to ensure that they had a future to look forward to and that he could live it with them.

Like always Naruto pushed these thoughts aside to think on the task at hand. As much as the future worried him he knew that the only way to keep from breaking under the strain was to focus on each task as it arrived and to ensure their success. There would be time enough for plans after this mission. Naruto thought back to his conversation with Haku earlier that week. It had gone about as well as he thought it would. In the end he felt that he had at least been able to get her to listen to him. Weather that meant she would accept his offer and return to Konoha with him, or if she would be able to convince Zabuza was a completely different story.

The bridge was nearing completion and if events held true to the past timeline then tomorrow would be the day the final battle would take place once again. He prayed that this time he would not have to kill his new friend. He prayed that he would be able to protect all his friends both new and old. But most of all he prayed that he would be able to protect Hinata. As strong as she had become she was still not much of a match for Haku or Zabuza. He feared for her in a way that he had never feared for anyone in his life. He knew that it was because of the feelings that he felt for her that he suffered from this fear but even so he could not push her or his feelings away. The fear of loosing her again burned within him and he vowed to himself that he would not let anything happen to her. Above all else he would keep her safe even if it meant sacrificing somebody else.

Naruto's thoughts continued to swirl about in every direction as he drifted closure to sleep. This would be the first big step towards changing the future and he felt the anxiety build up within him. He wondered if Haku would find it in her heart to accept what she knew was true and leave behind the life she had come to know for a chance at a better one. If truth be told he did not think that Zabuza would come but he still held hope that at the very least Haku could be spared her fate.

Naruto wondered if when the time came if he would be able to kill her if events called for it. Could he leave her to her fate should she try to sacrifice herself for Zabuza again? If he was honest with himself he really didn't know the answers to these questions. Despite his knowledge of the future he could not tell what this battle would bring. He imagined that only time would tell and that when the time came he would act on his gut feelings like he always did. He only hoped that he would not come to regret that decision.

The last thoughts that passed through his mind as sleep claimed him was that whatever happened he would face it with the unyielding strength and determination that he had always faced his battles with and that he would do everything in his power to see his mission to fulfillment.


The Next morning Naruto got up with the sun and prepared himself for what he was sure was to come today. Of his entire team the only ones that knew about the attack today were himself and Hinata. He had thought of telling Kakashi but in the end he did not believe that the jonin would be able to look at the situation in the same way Naruto did and would ultimately change some detail which could potentially be disastrous for the outcome. No today it had to appear as if they were completely unaware of what was coming and when the attack came Naruto would be ready.

A few hours later the team as a whole left for the bridge with the bride builder in tow, they were set on completing the bridge today even though Naruto knew that the battle today would prevent that from happening. It would still be possible to finish tomorrow. As they had discussed Hinata and Naruto worked on opposite sides of the bridge to provide maximum protection to the rest of their team for the few moments it would take for them to realize what was happening.


That morning Haku had woken up with several bruises scattered across her body and thoughts whirling within her head. Her dreams had been plagued with visions of her betraying her sensei and dieing a horrible death for it. She had dreamt of the day that they had meet and how he had taken her in. Her dreams had then changed to showing her new friends Naruto and Tatsuki sneering down at her and calling her worthless and honor less. They had yelled and screamed at her before turning their backs on her and walking away claiming that anybody who would betray their sensei was less then scum.

All night her dreams had plagued her and by the time she woke she had tears in her eyes. Her decision had been made for her as far as she was concerned. Her sensei, her master had denied her the life she wanted and she could not go against him. Even asking him yesterday had been taken as a betrayal and she knew now that she would have to give up that dream and continue to be the tool that she had been since the day she meet Zabuza.

These thoughts continued to race through her mind all that morning as she went through her morning routines and prepared herself mentally and physically for the battle that was to come. By noon their group was prepared to head to the bridge where they knew the bridge builder would be along with at least a portion of the Konoha team protecting him. They had staked out the location for some time now and everyday like clockwork they would show up. The Bridge builder would show up with several members of the Konoha team in tow for his protection and to aid in the construction.

It was for this reason that they were surprised to find not just the bridge builder and 4 members of the Konoha team as their usually was but in fact the whole 8 man cell. They were currently hiding several hundred yards away and watching their opponents, trying to decide what the best course of action would be. They had planned on fighting 4 ninja not 8. This would make things slightly more difficult. She was about to ask what they were going to do when her sensei spoke up.

"Well, well, well… what do we have here? It looks like were going to have the pleasure of killing the lot of them instead of just half. Oh how my day is looking up." Stated Zabuza followed by an evil chuckle. He smiled to the group of them before handing out assignments to the ninja's surround him whom he considered to be nothing more then useless fools.

"With the 8 of them things will be slightly more challenging then we assumed. Haku I want you to take the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. The blond brat is mine. Which leaves the remaining genin to you two fools if you think you can handle it and the jonin to our new babysitter here." sneered Zabuza with a look of disgust on his face as he addressed the demon brothers and Tatsuki.

He was about to move forward when he was brought up short by the next words. "I think not." said Tatsuki as she stepped forward. "You obviously can't handle the boy which is why I am here. He kicked your ass last time, what makes you think you can handle him now." laughed Tatsuki in a mocking tone. "No… I will take the boy and you will deal with the two jonin… perhaps they will be more to your skill level. Try not to get yourself killed." Mocked Tatsuki before nodding to the others and moving forward.

Zabuza for his part was furious at being talked down to like that but did not have time to react to her words. Before he could say anything to contradict her, she had already rushed forward followed less then a moment later by his other 3 comrades. Zabuza growled deep in his throat before rushing forward after them. He would deal with the two jonin first and then he would kill the boy and this new woman. She would pay for talking to him like that.


Naruto was starting to get worried. They had been here for hours now and nothing had happened. He was beginning to think that perhaps things had changed and the date of the attack would change, or perhaps it wouldn't happen at all. He was just about to call over to Kakashi and suggest they take a break when he felt it. Years of combat experience during that brutal war had honed his senses. In fact they were honed far more then that of any other shinobi. Combine that with his already increased senses provided by the Kyuubi and he was able to pick up on things that none of his other team mates could. Naruto stiffened for only the briefest of moments and then continued working as if nothing had happened while quickly giving Hinata the signal they had agreed upon earlier that day to notify each other of the coming attack if one noticed it before the other.

They had expected Haku and Zabuza to show up and Naruto had already decided that he would deal with Zabuza himself and leave Haku to Hinata and the others. It was for this very reason that he was so surprised when two but five ninja landed on the bridge and charged forward. Naruto had just enough time to take into account that things had obviously changed from his knowledge of the future before he was forced to jump into action to deflect several kunai that had been aimed at Sakura and Shino, which had been sent by who he now clearly recognized as the demon brothers.

Naruto was about to change his plan and help his genin friends deal with the demon brothers while leaving Zabuza and the other women he didn't recognize to Kakashi and Kurenai when he was forced to back pedal quickly to avoid a shower of shuriken and kunai. Looking to his left he saw the women that he did not recognize charging towards him. Naruto had just enough time to through up his arms in a typical block before a powerful kick slammed into him sending him skidding back several feet.

Instantly Naruto knew there was something different about the woman in front of him. He could feel it to his very core. The only time he had ever felt like this before was when he was around demon host, a Jinchuuriki. This revelation startled Naruto and gave him pause for a moment.

Seeing the boy pause for a moment Tatsuki took advantage of the situation and rushed for again, slamming her fist into the side of the boys head a moment before he could react to her actions. She was starting to wonder just what was so special about this boy. How had he been able to beat Zabuza when he could barely protect himself from her when she was only just getting started?

Naruto skidded flew back across the bridge from the force of the punch he had just received and quickly shook himself of his thoughts. He didn't have time to think about that right now. If he kept letting his thoughts rule his mind he would get killed long before he was able to prevent anything from happening to his village and friends. Naruto watched as the women rushed forward for a third time preparing and went low for a leg sweep but this time Naruto was ready for her.

Jumping over her legs Naruto back pedaled slightly before firing off a barrage of kunai and quickly rushing through a series of hand seals and yelling out "Kage kunai no jutsu". Naruto watched as the half a dozen kunai that he had thrown at the kunoichi in front of him multiplied over and over again until there were nearly a hundred kunai flying towards their slightly surprised target.

Tatsuki was slightly taken aback when she watched as the young boy in front of her used what was clearly an A-rank jutsu to multiply his handful of kunai into a barrage of kunai. Acting quickly Tatsuki used the replacement technique to get out of the way of the kunai before jumping back into the fight.

Naruto watched as the kunai hit there mark before spinning around and sidestepping a powerful kick that he knew was coming. Spinning on his heel Naruto threw out his elbow and attempted to slam it into the back of his opponents' head. She ducked under the blow and slammed her fist into his stomach causing him to poof out of existence a moment before her feet were taken out from under her.

Tatsuki's feet flew out from under her the moment after the clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke catching her completely by surprised. She had but a moment to think on this fact before a powerful kick slammed into her back launching her into the air where another copy of the boy appeared and like the one before him slammed his foot into her back sending her even higher into the air.

Just as she reached the peak of her height she watched as the boy flashed into existence in front of her, seemingly coming out of nowhere and somersaulted in the air before bringing his foot flying towards her at startling speed. At the last possible moment Tatsuki tucked her legs in, grabbed a hold of the blonds shoulders while pushing a great deal of chakra into her stomach the instant before the kick landed. The chakra reduced the damage caused by the kick and her new position allowed her to use the momentum of the new attack to roll herself in the air so that she was on top and Naruto was below her while they both rocketed towards the ground. The instant before they hit the ground Tatsuki slammed both her feet into the blond's stomach increasing his descent towards the ground and pushing herself away from him and to the side.

Tatsuki landed off to the side and rolled on her shoulder to reduce the force of the impact while the she watched the boy slam into the ground with an incredible force and shoot right through the bridge to the water below. No sooner had she gotten to her feet then did the blond appear in front of her out of no where yet again and slam his fist into her face sending her hurtling back and over the railing of the bridge. Just as she thought she was going to fall the same boy appeared behind her in her path and slammed an earth shattering kick into her side sending her careening back towards the bridge.

For the next few moments this continued with her flying in one direction only to have the blond appear out of thin air and land a powerful blow on her causing her to change direction. In essence she was nothing more then a human pinball and she was getting sick of it. Finally after what must have been a dozen rounds of the same she felt her body slam hard into the side of the bridge causing her to slump sideways as she tried to catch her breath.

Slowly staggering to her feet and couching up blood she was startled when she looked into the blonds eyes and instead of meeting the normal ocean blue she was meet with the disturbing sight of blood red eyes. It was at this moment that she noticed the red chakra flowing off him in waves and the singular red tail that flew behind him in the wind. They were on the complete opposite side of the bridge and mist covered the area further down blocking out the sites but not the sounds of the obvious battles taking place.

She watched as the boy in front of her stepped forward casually now with an air of indifference about him as if he didn't have a worry in the world. She suddenly realized what the feeling had been that she had been experiencing since the moment she laid eyes on him. He was a Jinchuuriki just like her, and it was obvious by the way her tenant was squirming and whimpering in her stomach that he was far more powerful and dangerous then she could ever be. For only the second time in her life Tatsuki felt real fear flood her entire being as she stared into the bottomless blood red eyes of the ninja in front of her.

She was startled out of her thoughts when a voice unlike what she expected to hear from the person standing in front of her began to speak. Unlike the voice of death and hate that she expected to hear, his voice was filled with a peaceful calm and it was almost soothing. "Why do you work for the likes of Gato? Why stoop to his level with the power you posses. By your reaction I can only assume that you know what I hold with in me. Or at the very least you know that it and I am more powerful then you. I do not wish to kill you. Leave now or better yet join me and our battle can end here." said Naruto as he continued to walk towards the woman in front of him.

Tatsuki stared in shock at the boy before replying. "I work for who I must to survive. You better then any must know the life that awaits us. There are those who seek our power and are willing to kill for it. My entire family was killed for what I hold within me. I do what I must to survive." Replied Tatsuki defiantly.

Naruto stared into her eyes as the red chakra began to dissipate and the tail behind him disappeared into thin air while his eyes returned to their usual bright blue. "Yes I, like you know of those who would seek us out only to kill us and steal our powers. I know of the hate that we suffer at the hands of those who know what we are and what we hold in side of us. But I also know that not everybody wishes to use our power for their own selfish needs, I know that not everybody will hate us. I see by your head band that you are a missing Nin. Why continue to live on the run when you can have a home again. Come with me, return to the Leaf and leave this life behind. Our kind must stick together if we hope to survive. Together we are stronger then apart." Replied Naruto with determination and power in his voice.

Tatsuki smirked at his words before laughing and getting into a battle stance. "Well aren't you full of yourself. I don't care what my demon says, you're nothing more then the poster boy for the leaf, out recruiting for one reason or another. You're just a genin and you expect me to be afraid of you." laughed Tatsuki while trying to put on a strong front and cover her fear.

"I was hired to do this job and I intend to do it. I may not like my employer but he pays well and for a missing Nin like me that's what's important. All these words about needing to stick together are just a load of crap and you know it. You just want to use my power for your own benefit just like you want to use Haku. Tell you what though kid, I'll let you leave now and high tale it back to your beloved Konoha if you beat it now." mocked Tatsuki in what she hoped sounded like a confident voice.

Despite the words Naruto could smell her fear and knew that she was just trying to put up a strong front. Shaking his head sadly Naruto got into a battle stance. It looked like there was no way around it. He would need to prove to her his intentions and the only way to do that was to beat the truth into her.


Across the bridge Hinata caught the signal from Naruto an instant before their opponents were upon them. She watched as Naruto was shot across the bridge but an older room and then slammed into the ground after a failed attempt at his Uzumaki Rendan combo. That however was all she caught as a moment later the battle field was flooded with mist and she was forced out of her thoughts when she had to dodge a barrage of senbon needles. All around her she could hear the battle waging as she looked into the masked face of the young girl that she knew was named Haku. The very same girl that Naruto so desperately wanted to bring over to their side in an effort to strengthen their forces for the upcoming battle.

It was only fitting really that she be one of the people fighting her since she was one of only 2 people who know that they had to do everything possible to bring her over to their side. She was just about to move forward when she felt a presence by her side. Turning she came face to face with Sasuke who was looking grimly at the girl in front of them, a look of determination on his face.

"It seems that it's up to us to take her down. Kakashi and Kurenai are dealing with Zabuza of the mist while Sakura, Kiba, and Shino are dealing with two chuunin. Naruto of course is off dealing with somebody all himself. He just has to play the hero." Grumbled Sasuke as he dropped into a battle stance. Hinata nodded her head before following suit and activating her family bloodline. She would not let her Naruto-kun down. In the end Haku would come over to their side. Even if she had to beat her into submission.

Both genin were aware of the fights going on around them as they rushed forward, dodging volley after volley of senbon needles. They knew that there was nothing they could do for their team mates right now. For the moment they were on there own and so were their team mates. Each had their own job to do and they intended to do it.


Sakura dodged to the left quickly as a razor sharp claw which was dripping with poison shoot past her before slamming her fist into her opponents face sending him flying into the side of the bridge where he was met with a series of powerful blow from Kiba before he could recover. A short distance away Shino was dodging left and right to avoid the attacks of their other opponent while his bugs slowly drained said opponent of his chakra.

Their battle had been going on for about ten minutes now. After the initial surprise had wore off the three genin had been able to regroup and launch a counter attack on the pair of chuunin class ninja who had attacked them. To their far left they had seen their sensei's fighting with Zabuza of the Mist before he had blanketed the field in a rolling mist making it more difficult to see more then a dozen feet in any direction.

Likewise they had noticed Sasuke and Hinata begin their battle with Zabuza's apprentice and Naruto begin his battle with a women whom none of them had ever seen before. Now with the fog in place all they could do was focus on their own battles and list to the ones raging around them.


Kakashi dodged Zabuza's sword once again as the battles continued to rage around them. He was worried about his students as was Kurenai. He knew that Hinata had been training extensively with Naruto so at the very least he thought she would be able to survive her battle with the missing Nin she was facing. Sasuke however was another story. Like the rest of their team he was still recovering from the poison which had infected them during their last battle. His body may have remembered the training but his mind did not and as such he was little more then an advanced genin going up against what was obviously a jonin.

The same could be said about Sakura, Shino, and Kiba who were currently locked in battle with the Demon Brothers, two chuunin worked quite well together. Naruto on the other hand was off dealing with the women who had joined the group of missing Nin by himself. He at least Kakashi was not worried about. The young genin seemed to be more then able to take care of himself and if what he had said was true then he had plenty of experience behind him.

With these thoughts in mind Kakashi turned back to his own battle as she dodged once again and began racing through seals to match those of Zabuza. Finishing the seals at the same time as Zabuza they both shouted in unison "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu". A moment later two massive walls of water shoot up from the body of water below and raced towards the two jonin. When they meet in the middle causing a huge explosion of water neither opponent was fazed in the slightest as they rushed towards each other preparing for battle again.

Kakashi ducked under a swing from Zabuza's sword before bringing his fist barreling towards his face causing the water clone to burst apart. Spinning on his heal Kakashi blocked the sword rushing towards his head with a kunai before kicking the real Zabuza in the chest sending him flying backwards directly into Kurenai's path who launched a volley of kunai and began doing seals for her trademark genjutsu.

Before she could finish however Zabuza had blocked the kunai with his sword and launched a vicious punch at her face causing her to skid backwards along the bridge. At once she launched herself forward with a kunai in hand and met Kakashi in the middle. The two of them began launching a serious of lightning fast combo's which forced Zabuza onto the defensive as he desperately tried to defend himself from the constant attacks.


Naruto dropped into a battle stance as he looked over the women's shoulder towards the ever growing sounds of battle. He was worried about Hinata and Sasuke. He needed to get this over and done with quickly or he would end up failing in his missing. Looking back at the women in front of him he smiled sadly at her.

"I am sorry that it has come to this. But I can not waste anymore time on you. My friends need me and I have a mission of great important to complete. Let us get this battle over with quickly so that I may prove to you that I bare no ill will towards you and that you can trust me as a potential comrade." Said Naruto confidently.

Tatsuki smirked back at the boy before beginning to access her own tenants' power. "You will find that I am not quite so easy to beat my dear boy. I don't know which of the great beasts you hold within you but I hold the six tailed weasel Rokubi no Raijuu, commonly known as the god of lighting. Come and face our wrath." Screamed Tatsuki as bright yellow chakra began to seep from her body and flow of her in waves much the way Naruto's had been doing only moments before.

Naruto watched as one after another four glowing tails made of the thick yellow chakra formed behind her. Wind rushed around her causing her hair and tails to flap wildly in the wind as loose dust and debris from their previous battle floated into the air and was blown away. And then she was gone. Before Naruto could even blink he was slammed backwards by a punch of unimaginable strength and his vest was singed from where electricity had been forced into him through the punch.

Naruto flew backwards and skidded to a stop before receiving a vicious kick to the head which sent him flying over the side of the bridge where he began to fall to the water below. Before he even made it half way however Tatsuki appeared above him and launched a flurry of punches sending him rocketing faster then ever before towards the water. When he hit the surface the water shoot upwards from the force and he rocketed to the bottom where he slammed into the ground with enough force to make a crater nearly twenty feet in diameter and ten feet wide.

Tatsuki stood atop the water smiling wickedly as she looked down upon the place where she had just watched the boy plummet through the waters surface. Her smirk fell a moment later however as an eerie red glow began to form below the surface of the water making the entire look like it was blanketed in blood instead of water.

Just as he had in their previous battle the boy appeared out of know where almost before the water exploded outwards to signal his appearance. Before even a single drop of water hit her from the outward explosion she was lifted off the surface of the water as the boy slammed his shoulder into her stomach and rocketed the pair of them towards the underside of the bridge where she took the full brunt of the impact when they blasted through the bridge and came out overtop of it.

As she hung in mid air more then a hundred feet above the surface of the bridge she looked on in fear as the blood red eyes she had seen previously appeared less then a foot from her face and behind the boys head she could see four blood red tails flapping in the wind as he screamed out the name of his next attack "Fūton: Rasengan".

A moment later her eyes widened in fear as she felt an incredible pressure on her chest before once again she was rocketed towards the surface of the bridge where she slammed into the bridge and burst through the other side still traveling at incredible speeds causing her to race through the surface of the water and slam into the bottom just as her opponent had moments before.

What she did not expect however was for him to follow her. Less then a second after she hit bottom, with a tunnel still present in the water above her she watched as Naruto flew through the tunnel in the water and slammed his feet into her chest casing her to borrow further into the ground before the water rushed in around them.

Tatsuki lay on the bottom of the lake in a crater nearly fifty feet deep and at least twice that wide with blood floating from her mouth towards the surface. Her vision was going black in front of her and she realized now just what a fool she had been. He had offered her a way out and she had thrown it back in his face and now she was going to die for it.

The last thing she saw before the darkness claimed her was the blue sun hanging in the blue sky and a bright green glow out of the corners of her eyes.

Naruto dragged the women back to the surface of the water and jumped up onto the bridge above where he lay her down and quickly did some basic healing jutsus to aid her in her recovery. He knew that her chakra would do most of the work but in her current state she could use all the help she could get. He had gone a little overboard he knew but he had found it hard to concentrate on controlling his animalistic tendencies when his concentration was not on his own fight but on those of his friends. His battle with this woman had taken him nearly half an hour and judging by the sounds of the surrounding area he knew that the other battles were winding down.


Hinata startled at the sounds and chakra coming from the far end of the bridge. All she could see was a blood red tinge to the mist in that direction and she could feel two unbelievable forces coming from that area. If the sounds were any sort of indication then Naruto was in a battle of epic proportions. She was sure that when this was over she would find the surround area in ruins and she feared for what condition she would find her Naruto-kun in.

Turning back to her own battle she cursed herself for her lack of concentration as a volley of senbon needles embedded themselves in her shoulder. They were not exactly having a good time of it right now. A few minutes into their battle when Haku had realized that she was going to have problems with them she had used a jutsu of which she had only ever heard of from Naruto. He had warned her about this jutsu and told her that if at all possible she should prevent Haku from using it. Even so she had been to slow and had been unable to prevent herself and Sasuke from being trapped within the middle of the field of ice mirrors.

For the last twenty minutes of so they had battled her to the best of their abilities in what was obviously a loosing battle. They had landed but a few blows on her and only after Sasuke had managed to awaken the first stage of his own blood limit. Together with their respective limits they had been able to track her more effectively and land a series of blows on their opponent before she retreated back to the safety of her mirrors.

They had both taken serious blows from Haku and it was obvious to both of them that without help they were going to loose this battle. Once again Hinata dodged to the right to avoid a series of needles before dashing forward and attempting to land a strike on the retreating form of Haku. At the last moment just when Haku was about to reach her mirror Hinata grabbed her leg and pulled her back.

Haku spun around and launched a large volley of senbon needles which completely missed Hinata causing her to smile as she slammed her open hand into Haku's stomach and pushing chakra through her hand. She was about to follow up with another blow when Haku launched herself into her mirror before rapidly going through a series of hand seals. Quickly water rose up from the surface of the bridge and began to form into needles all around Hinata. Hinata immediately recognized the jutsu and fear started to take over as Naruto was not here to save her this time. At the last moment just before the jutsu was about to complete itself she felt herself being pushed out of the way and looked to her side to see Sasuke standing where she just had a moment earlier. She had just enough time to scream out his name before the spikes of ice rained down on him from all directions causing him to drop to the ground unconscious.

Before Hinata could react another volley of needles flew from a nearby mirror and skewered her legs making it impossible for her to do anything but crawl away from her slowly approaching opponent.

"Why… why have you been fighting us? I thought Naruto-kun talked to you, I thought you wanted out of this life. Why do you continue to live this life when a better one is available?" asked Hinata as she continued to back away as best she good. Just then she felt the two chakra forces in the distance disappear and her heart stopped. What had happened? Had Naruto been beaten? Had he won and just reduced his powerful chakra. Fear permeated her entire being as she though of everything that was happening.

She didn't know where Naruto was, what had happened to him and she didn't know what was going to happen to her and Sasuke either. The battles outside their glass cage had all but ceased and she was beginning to wish that she had Naruto here to save her like he had the last time.

"Oh I do want to leave this life behind. I have dreamed of having a home to return to since almost the day that I was forced to leave mine and yet I owe my life, my very existence to Zabuza-sensei and I can not betray him by turning my back on him for my own selfish purposes. He has requested that I defeat you and complete this mission and so I shall. Even though I do not wish to… I must do what Zabuza-sensei commands." Stated Haku sadly before rushing forward with a kunai in hand. At the last possible second just before she reached Hinata the mirrors exploded inwards showering Hinata, Sasuke, and Haku with chunks of ice.

There standing in front of her was Naruto looking a little worse for ware but otherwise alright. His clothes were dripping wet and had burn marks in several places as well as rips. They were stained in blood in several places as well and his eyes were still tinged in red around the outer edges as he grabbed Haku's wrist and halted her progress.

"Stop this Haku" yelled Naruto as he held her in place and looked into her eyes. "I told you that day we met in the clearing that I hoped we would be friends. Friends look out for each other and that is what I am doing now. Not just for Hinata-Chan but for you as well. You don't have to do this Haku. You owe nothing to Zabuza anymore. You have returned your debt to him already when you saved him from me weeks ago. Now you have to do what's right for you. I saw it in your eyes that day when we talked. You wanted what I offered you, you wanted a home, and friends, and a village to call your own. I can give you all that. Please don't throw this chance away Haku or you will regret it for the rest of your life. I know you will." Said Naruto.

"I more then anyone know what it's like to be wanted as nothing more then a tool and to live without friends. As a child that was all my village wanted me for and when the Hokage refused I was shunned. But I have found friends now, I have found those who I can consider family and there is nothing like it in the world. I know how you feel, I know you think you owe him your life, that you must do what he says but for once Haku, do something for yourself instead." Finished Naruto.

Naruto watched as Haku's eyes softened and she loosened her grip on her kunai before pulling back slightly. Naruto smiled at her at was about to invite her to return with them again when he saw her eyes go wide. At that instant Naruto acted without thinking. He acted to save a friend just like he would for any of his other friends. It didn't matter to him that she was a new friend and a shaky one at best. She was still a friend and as such he did what came natural to him. He sacrificed. At exactly the same moment both Naruto and Haku disappeared from view as the mist disappeared and Hinata watched in horror as the scene played out before her.


Kakashi and Kurenai had been fighting Zabuza for nearly a half hour now. Judging by the sounds surrounding them both jonin were well aware that theirs was the only battle continuing. A moment earlier Kurenai had succeeded in trapping Zabuza in a genjutsu for but an instant before he was able to break free. That moment however was all Kakashi had needed to nail him in place with his attack dogs which he had summoned quickly.

Opting to finish this battle quickly Kakashi charged forward with his hands racing through seals. Once finished a bluish white lighting surrounded Kakashi's right arm which he dragged behind him carving a large gash into the bridge all the way along his path. At the last moment Kakashi raised his arm straight in front of him and slammed it towards Zabuza's chest intent on killing the demon of the mist once and for all.

In that last second several things happened in quick succession to the horror of all those watching except Zabuza. In the moment before his attach hit the young women who traveled with Zabuza appeared out of no where in front of him intent on giving her life for her master. This in itself while disturbing to Kakashi was not was horrified him and his companions but rather it was that not even a moment later a familiar head of blond hair appeared in front of her. his back to his sensei, his eyes looking deep into Haku's and in that last moment Kakashi could do nothing but close his eyes as he felt his fist plunge deep into Naruto's back at chest level and come out the other side coated in his students blood.

Screams went up from the surround area as his team mates and sensei's alike realized just what had happened and all the while Naruto smiled sadly as blood poured from the corners of his mouth as he whispered something that only Kakashi, himself, and Haku could hear. "What are friends for?" and with that he began to slump forward.


Haku looked on in surprise as Naruto appeared in front of her an instant before his sensei plunged his lightning blade through his chest. She was about to ask him why he had done that, why he had saved her from her own fate when he answered her un-asked question. "What are friends for?" he had said and with that he had slumped forward.

In the instant after this had happened she felt her sensei free himself from behind her and watched as the shadow of his blade moved indicating he was preparing to strike. Like Naruto she acted without thinking, willing herself to return the favor of her first real friend, a friend who had died for her even though they hardly knew each other. Spinning around with several senbon in her hands she slammed them deep into the sides of Zabuza's neck just as he was preparing to bring his blade down and cut through her and the two leaf ninja. A look of mild surprise flashed over his eyes for a brief moment before he fell backwards. He landed on the ground with a loud THUD and tossed up dust into the air while his sword skidded away from his grip. Zabuza of the Mist was dead.