Author's Corner: Funny thing about this story. It's on more Favorite's lists then Alerts lists. It's not a bad thing, it's just that most of the stuff I write is on more Alerts then Favorites lists. I'm actually rather happy about it. It's kind of neat… Thanks a lot for all your support and I hope that this chapter reaches expectations. We're getting close to the end of my Wave Arc, so I hope this is good.
Thanks again to Ibby (MegaB) for betaing for me!
Disclaimer: Pryotra has no connection to Naruto. She is merely a college student who uses the characters as a way to keep her sanity between studying, sleeping, going to class, eating, and studying some more..
"I have not yet begun to fight!"
-John Paul Jones
The rest of the week passed uneventfully. Tsunami and Tazuna never brought up the events of the night that Naruto had yelled at Inari. They seemed to think that it was better not to pry into the problems of other people. Naruto had to admit, he was glad he didn't have to explain.
Inari himself was avoiding Naruto. Whenever they would be in the same room by accident, Inari would leave as soon as possible. He didn't eat with the family again while Naruto was there, despite the frequent requests of his mother. Naruto once offered to eat in another room, but Tsunami wouldn't hear of it. She seemed to think that the two of them needed to talk to one another for this argument to end.
After the attack of the Demon Brothers, there were no other unwanted guests who tried to call on the family. Naruto hadn't done anything to the bodies to scare intruders off, since that would be too noticeable, but Gato didn't seem interested in attacking the house. Naruto still patrolled, and after he had managed to explain to his friends, they admitted that it was a good reason and that Naruto wasn't just skipping out of work. The fact was, Naruto was the only one who could do the job, no matter how much the others didn't like it.
Kakashi and his team continued to do their job, and the messenger hawk continued to arrive. Naruto would have loved to have intercepted it, but he had a feeling that Kakashi would know. The man was still asking questions about them every so often, not nosy enough to put Naruto on his guard, but too interested to put him at ease. Shino too continued to be a bit unnerving. Shino didn't seem to have anything against Hakumei, but he would make observations that really made everyone nervous. Yumi and Sasuke officially hated one another. She would have loved nothing more then to parade around Konoha with his head on a stick, and he had admitted to having way too much fun antagonizing her. The only good thing about this was that it kept her from noticing anything about the 'civies'. Naruto had a good hunch that she wouldn't just make statements. Easily the least threat was Kiba. He had no idea what was going on. They would have known too, his arrogance was matched only by his mouth.
The bridge continued at a very slow pace, mostly since the men that had been hired kept on quitting. It was basically only Hakumei working on anything now, and they were inexperienced and their work was slower than it would have been. Tazuna didn't seem upset by how slow they were moving, actually, he seemed rather impressed they had managed to learn so much.
Accidents weren't happening the way they had been at first, which was a good thing since Neji still was supposed to have fully recovered. The only problem was the Tazuna had started waking them up at dawn to get to work, even before him. In return, he promised to feed them for an extra few weeks when the bridge was done.
It was on one morning like that that Naruto woke up and looked out the window. He shook the rest of the guys awake, and then stuck his head into the girls' room and asked if they were up.
It was a little before dawn, and still very dark. Naruto didn't turn on any lights though, or even light a candle. This was a meeting that Naruto would have preferred that no one overhear.
"Neji, Hinata," Naruto said, when they had all assembled, "are they all asleep?"
Both had activated the Byakugen and nodded.
"I don't see any sign of them waking up either," Neji said.
"Yumi's charka signature is…rather strange…but it is her," Hinata said.
"She's ROOT, so she's going to be weird," Sasuke said.
Hinata gave him a troubled look, but didn't say anything else.
"Are you sure about Kakashi and Shino?" Naruto pressed.
"Shino's so obvious, it hurts. Everyone in his family is easy to see since the bugs in his body behave in a certain way when he's asleep. Trust me," Neji said.
"Kakashi-san is about as asleep as a former ANBU can be," Hinata added.
"Ok good," Naruto nodded, "I really don't want this to be overhead. This is exactly one week since Kakashi wounded Zabuza. I think it's time for us to go over the plan…
The others leaned forwards.
Outside, the moon had begun to set and stars were starting to go out. Somewhere, a man who had tried to kill the Mizukage prepared for a battle that deep down; he thought would be his last.
Kakashi woke up at the usual time with a vague feeling of unease. For a moment he had to recollect his thoughts, but then the date came to him.
This was the day he had hoped would never come.
It was odd how clear the day was. He would have rather it had been dark and cloudy so that the sun wouldn't have to see what was to happen. For Kakashi, it was the last time he would be able to look at the sky directly.
"What would you have done sensei…Rin…Obito?" Kakashi asked the sky. In an instant those faces all flashed back to him, all smiling. Those had been happy days. If only Kakashi had truly understood the privilege he had had, but that didn't matter anymore…
Kakashi sent one final look outside, looking for a sign of the messenger hawk. There was nothing. Not that Kakashi actually had expected to see anything. Missions seldom changed once they had been given to a ninja.
He had briefed everyone on the mission one final time last night. Yumi had seemed pleased with the orders, Kiba was ready and willing to follow any orders given to him, but Shino had been silent other then saying that if that was what the mission was, he would complete it to the best of his abilities. The team probably would go far. They were obedient, ready to improvise when necessary, and completely loyal to Danzou.
Kakashi sat in his room for a while, thinking, but finally, when he felt he had probably pushed the limits of Tazuna's patience, he ambled down the stairs in a laid back way that showed nothing of his real thoughts. Tsunami was serving breakfast again, and it looked like Inari wouldn't be joining them. The Genin were all assembled, looking fresh, young, and completely ignorant of battle or what battle was really like.
"Ohayo, Kakashi-sensei," Shino greeted, bowing a little.
"Ohayo, everyone," Kakashi said lightly.
"You're late," Kiba complained.
"Well, you see, I was going down stairs and then I found out that a baby bird had flown in and had broken its wing, and so…" Kakashi began.
"Lies," Kiba accused.
"Hn," Yumi commented,
Shino said nothing.
"Well, this is the first time we've all been able to watch the client together," Kakashi said happily.
"Any maybe we'll get to see some action!" Kiba said hopefully.
"I hope not," Shino said, offering his actual opinion for a change, "I don't think we're prepared to face a Jonin level opponent."
"Well, chances are that Zabuza really was dead, and even if he isn't, I'll be the one to fight him like last time," Kakashi said, "You three stay back and protect Tazuna-san."
"Well, it's about time for us to meet, Taiki and the others at the bridge," Tazuna told them, taking a swig of sake. He seemed to have started drinking rather early, Kakashi noted. It probably had something to do with nerves, "We'd better get started."
"Come back soon," Tsunami said with a smile to her father.
"Say goodbye to Inari for me," Tazuna had never requested that before.
Tsunami's eyes widened just for a moment, but her smile never faltered, "I will. We'll see you tonight. I'm making your favorite."
"I'm looking forward to it," Tazuna said, taking another swig of sake.
"We're probably not going to be coming back tonight," Kakashi told them both, "since the bridge will be completed today, there's no reason for us to hang around anymore. Thank you for your hospitality."
"No, thank you for taking such good care of my father," Tsunami bowed a little, "You've restored my faith in Konoha."
Kiba was about to open his mouth, but Shino stepped hard on his foot, making him turn and glare at him, but forget what he was about to say.
Kakashi led the way to the door, opened it, and stepped outside. It really was a beautiful day. The sky was clear blue, the birds were singing, and it felt like nothing wrong could ever happen on such a perfect day. Kiba ran a little ahead of everyone else, Akamaru on his head, Yumi brought up the rear, looking bored, and Shino walked beside Kakashi without any expression on his face.
"If Zabuza is dead what will happen?" Shino asked softly.
"The mission will proceed as planned," Kakashi told him.
"Hai, Kakashi-sensei," Shino replied in a neutral voice.
The two continued walking, listening to Tazuna tell Kiba about some of the more interesting things about Wave's past. Kiba actually seemed interested and was sometimes asking questions.
Yumi walked in silence, her dark eyes watching every move that Kakashi made. So far, he had behaved as a proper sensei despite his somewhat terminal lateness and his apathetic attitude. Perhaps her being placed on his team had been an over reaction after all. Then again, it was always difficult to tell. They had thought Itachi was loyal once, and he had betrayed Konoha. How could they trust Kakashi so easily? Yumi would wait and see. She was patient.
Kakashi saw the form of the bridge coming. There didn't seem to be anything different about it, but the second that he had walked into it, he knew that there was something wrong.
"Where are the civies?" Kiba asked, looking around, "I…smell blood…"
Mist began to form around them and Kakashi sensed the presence of Zabuza in front of them.
"That's because I killed the kids working on the bridge," a cold voice said through the mist.
"So, I was right, you didn't die," Kakashi said as he began to distinguish the form of the Missing-Nin.
He was wearing the same armor he had seen him in last, and most of his face was still covered. The monstrous sword that he wielded was in his hands, and he looked like he hadn't ever been wounded. Behind him, there was a figure of someone standing, but Kakashi couldn't quiet distinguish who it was.
Kakashi pulled up his hitai-ate, revealing Obito's present.
"You're lucky," Kakashi said, "You're the first of my opponents to ever see this twice, but you won't see it a third time."
"Kakashi, you know you're no match for me," Zabuza drawled, "Just hand over the old man, I'll go about my business."
"…I'll do better," Kakashi said. "If you set me up with an appointment to see your boss…I'll help you."
Tazuna, who had been behind the three Genin, took a step back, as they all turned to him, their eyes dead.
"Well, this is a turn of events I hadn't expected…" Zabuza said, from what Kakashi could see, he was smirking, "I'll let you do the honors."
Tazuna took another frightened step back. It looked like he wasn't going to be home for dinner after all. For a moment the faces of Tsunami and Inari flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes and waited. There was a rushing sound, and Tazuna braced himself.
Kakashi took a step forward, but was stopped by a kunai thrown at his feet, and the wall of ice that surrounded Tazuna.
"That's as far as you go,"
Inari woke up late, after the ninja had left for the bridge. He hadn't wanted to talk to them all that much, and had been purposely sleeping in since they had come.
He went downstairs to see his mother eating her breakfast, looking thoughtful and a little worried.
"Are they all gone?" Inari asked.
"Yes, dear," his mother said, not looking up, "Your grandfather should be home by dinner."
"Are those ninja and those workers coming back?" Inari asked. He really didn't want to see Taiki ever again.
"The workers will be back for a few more meals, but the ninja shouldn't be coming back," his mother said, looking a little relieved, "Kakashi-san was nice enough, but those children put me on edge. There was something unnatural about them, particularly the girl, Yumi-chan."
Inari had to agree, the way that girl looked at people was kind of creepy. Even that Emi girl, who was probably the most violent person he'd ever met, acted like a normal twelve-year-old.
"Why don't you go out and play, Inari," Tsunami said, "There's nothing to do here, and you haven't been out in quite while."
Inari would have liked to object, but the worry that was on his mother's face made him stop. She really looked like she was thinking about something.
Inari nodded mutely and ate his breakfast in silence.
As he was cleaning his bowl, he thought he heard the sound of footsteps. That was strange, a part of him thought, they seldom had any visitors.
The rest of Inari's thoughts were interrupted by someone slamming themselves against the front door, trying to break it down.
"Inari, get out!" his mother yelled, shoving him towards a the window over the kitchen sink, which over looked the garden and had about five feet between it and the ground.
"But what about you?" he asked, as he heard the door giving way under the weight.
"Don't worry about me," there was another shove, the feeling of being picked up, and Inari had fallen unto the ground in a heap, "Find your grandfather, you'll be fine!"
Inari crouched outside the window and heard the door give way. There was a crash and then loud, pounding footsteps. They halted in the kitchen, and the silence that came with that seemed to last for a good fifteen minutes.
"Put the knife down, sweetie," one gruff, leering voice said, "It's not going to help you all that much. We'll just force it from you."
"Stay away from me and my family," Tsunami's voice was deadly cold.
"Just where is your brat anyways?" a second, drawling voice asked.
"You won't find him," Tsunami's voice had a hint of triumph in it, "He's gone."
"Well, that's too bad," the first voice was triumphant, "Well, I guess we'll just have to focus on you, right?"
"Yep," the second said, "You're pretty hot too. I love our job!"
Inari's mind was racing. For a moment he saw his dad dieing again, and part of his mind told him to run. The weak didn't have any way to fight against the strong. He had learned that already. Inari braced himself for a dash when he heard the words of Taiki and Shinta again.
Your mom and grandpa are fighting just to keep you alive and give you a future.
I'm sure Kaiza-san would have wanted you to keep smiling, and never to let anything get you down
Besides, you have your mother and grandfather, and they love you very, very much.
He remembered that his father had smiled at him before he had died. Inari had been so angry, not at Gato, but at his dad. Maybe Taiki was right; maybe he had been being selfishly angry that his dad had thought about something else instead of what he, Inari, wanted.
Maybe there really was such a thing as a hero in the world…
Inari stood up and ran around to the front door, grabbing the first thing that came into his hands, a dirty looking mop.
He stepped over the remains of the door, and began to walk quietly across the hall. This was the most important thing that he was doing now. If he could sneak up on them, then Inari might be able to beat both of them before they knew what was happening. He edged up to the kitchen door and peeked around the corner.
His mother was standing with her back to the sink, knife in hand, glaring at the two men with a kind of desperate fury that made Inari wonder just how far she would go to buy him time to run away.
"I swear if you take another step, I'll kill one of you," she hissed.
"Now, honey," the one closest to her, a large, beefy looking man, said consolingly, "this can be easy, or this can be hard. It's your choice, but either way, we're going to win."
"Just put the knife down," the second one, a short yet stocky man, agreed, "It won't hurt, promise."
Tsunami's eyes were like two pieces of steel and she raised her hands with the knife in them.
"Have it your way…" the first one said, taking a step towards her.
Inari swung the mop with all his might at the second man's head. Causing a loud crack that sounded through what felt like the whole house and the second man to fall back a little bit, rubbing the sore spot where the mop had hit. The other whirled around to see what had happened. His eyes fell on Inari standing behind the man.
"Well, well, well," he said with a grin, "It looks like we don't have to do any work after all."
"You stay away from my mother!" Inari yelled, "If you don't-"
"You'll what, gaki?" The second man stood up, looking at him darkly, "You'll hit me again with that mop? After all, it worked so well last time…"
"Just give up," the first one coaxed, "It'll be over soon, and I'll tell you what, I'll make it painless! What more can you ask for? You're weak, and the strong pray off the weak."
"Inari, run!" Tsunami screamed.
"…NO!" Inari yelled, "I'm not going to run away, I'm going to be a hero like my dad! You're not going to win, 'cause even if you beat me up, I'll still fight you!"
Inari charged forwards, aiming a punch that he already knew would be blocked, hoping that somehow, something would happen that would prove that his father was right.
Inari's fist connected, sending a wave of pain through him, he hadn't balled his fist right, but there was another sound of a fist connecting with flesh.
"Lesson one for being a cliché hero: Always be a little late, it adds to the drama!" a voice that Inari recognized as Taiki said.
"What-" the first guy said, looking at his partner who was one the ground, clutching his gut.
He looked up to see the blonde, whisker faced boy grinning at him in a slightly feral way. He was in a fighter's crouch, and Inari suddenly had the feeling that Taiki had seen his fair share of fights.
"I've been waiting for Gato to send more goons," Taiki said, "ever since the Demon Brothers showed up, but I thought he would send someone…tougher…"
"You got the jump on Shin, teme, but not me!" the first man was suddenly holding a knife and rushed at Taiki.
Inari felt like he was watching in slow motion as the man ran towards Taiki, knife flashing. It seemed like Taiki took forever as he seemed to just side step the knife and take another step until he was behind him. Then Taiki's hands were at the man's neck, touching a point at it. The man's eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed.
Inari stared at the figure of the man in shocked silence for a moment, and then the first thing that came to his head popped out of his mouth.
"You killed him,"
Taiki leaned over and grabbed the man's wrist.
"Nope, he's just out cold," he said in an unconcerned way, "I didn't think I'd gotten the point that would kill him, but sometimes I forget which is which. Could you two help me tie him and his friend up, they can tell you what's up."
As if nothing out of the ordinary was happening and this was just another of his odd jobs, Taiki calmly tied both men up and dragged them into the center of the room. Inari helped him as best he could with trembling hands and an unsteady step.
"…Thank you, Taiki," Tsunami said, "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there…"
Taiki looked a little embarrassed and scratched the back of his head with one hand.
"Hey, that's what you paid us to do right? Keep all of you safe?"
"Actually, you only had to keep my father safe…" Tsunami reminded him with a small smile.
"Well, we try to keep the client, and everyone connected with them safe too. Standard Hakumei practice…" Taiki laughed a little.
"It's still going above and beyond your duty, and I'm very grateful," Tsunami said, laughing a little.
"Mom, what's going on?" Inari was really getting confused, "What's Hakumei?"
"So you're the one who took out the Demon Brothers and put all those traps around the house," the second man, who was still conscious, accused.
"I'm with the group that did that, yeah," Taiki said with a smug look, "What's it to ya?"
"That's impossible!" the man said, angrily, "We saw all nine of you leave the house."
"Yep, you did," Taiki agreed.
"Zabuza should have killed you!" he continued.
"So, I guess I'm a really solid ghost," Taiki said with a shrug.
"Zabuza!" Panic crossed Tsunami's face, "He's at the bridge. Father!"
"Your dad's going to be fine," Taiki said in a coaxing voice.
Inari remembered the ninja talking about Zabuza. From what he had heard, he had been under Gato's orders, and very dangerous. That guy with the mask, Kakashi had said that he might be dead, but obviously he was still very much alive.
"But, Grandpa has those ninja with him doesn't he?" Inari asked, "Aren't they supposed to be tough?"
"I don't know…" Tsunami was looking more and more upset and frightened.
"Inari," Taiki's voice had changed. It wasn't amused or laid back or annoyed or any of the other ways he had heard it before. It was serious and almost mature, "You need to get help and take care of your mom."
"W-what about you?" Inari asked.
"I can't stick around here. Besides…" Taiki didn't say anything more, but Inari had a feeling that whatever it was, it was something important.
"You're going to fight him aren't you?" Inari asked, "Zabuza…"
"Yep," Taiki said with a small grin.
"Why?" Inari asked.
"'Cause I'm going to protect everyone I can," Taiki said, dead serious, "and if I back down now, what's going to happen later? I'll never be a hero, but I'm going to be just as good as one. I made a promise a long time ago to someone, and I'm not going to go back on my word…I guess you could call that…my nindo…"
Inari had a moment to interpret those words before Taiki had run off, leaving him and his mother with two tied up men. For a second, Inari thought that he heard something going 'pop' outside, but shook it off. His ears were probably the only things popping. Now, he had to do something.
Inari looked at his mop and looked around the kitchen until he found a bucket. It was full of water, but he dumped it out the window and picked it up so that it looked like a shield. He was ready for battle.
It was time for Inari to act the way his father would have wanted.
Kakashi stared at the figures that stood on the metal beams of the bridge about them. There were nine people standing there, all of them were ninja, and they looked like they were some sort of team of rogue nin.
They were all in a uniform, and all of them wore masks. The uniform was a simple black shirt and pants, along with the toeless, combat sandals that were the traditional footwear for ninja and fingerless gloves. Any skin was hidden by armored bandages, but the most distinguishing thing about the uniform was the haori that each of them was wearing. They were white with a pattern of blue flames the seemed to be burning the bottom edges up. Kakashi knew that it had been designed to resemble the Yondaime's. The other most distinguishing trait was the mask that each of them wore. They were all plain and white, with slitted eyeholes, much like a Hunter nin's, and on the forehead of each mask was a different kanji: Shippuu, Arashi, Nisshoku, Gesshoku, Hara, Rasen, Shin'en, Haka, and Sabaku. They were all looking at the group of ninja, and Kakashi, with the Sharingan could see one thing about his people.
They were no pushovers.
"Who are those freaks?" Kiba asked with a sneer, "They look kinda weak don't they?"
"Stand down, Kiba," Kakashi ordered, "Those are true ninja," he looked at the group, "What do you want?"
"We have been hired to protect Tazuna-san from all threats," the one with the mark Gesshoku said, from the sound of it, it was a woman.
"Please leave, and there will be no trouble," the one marked Shin'en said.
"Unfortunately, that's impossible," Kakashi said.
"So, let's get this started," Zabuza said with a bit of impatience, "My kubikiri hocho hasn't had much blood lately anyways, and you guys look good enough to entertain me for a while."
The one marked Shippuu looked around at the other figures.
"Shin'en, you keep the Genin busy, Rasen, Gesshoku, Nisshoku, protect Tazuna-san, your attacks will damage the bridge if you're not careful. Remember that if someone attempts to harm Tazuna-san. Arashi, Haka, keep Momochi Zabuza busy. Hara, make sure that assistant is dealt with. Sabaku and I will fight Hatake Kakashi."
"Hai!" eight voices responded and all figures jumped away from where they were.
Shin'en appeared in front of the Genin for a split second, his heads already making a series of patterns.
"Get him!" Kiba yelled, charging forwards.
"Kokuangyo no Jutsu," Shin'en said calmly.
Kiba gasped as a cloud of total darkness washed over him. He took a deep breath, but somehow, even his sense of smell was being blocked off. Akamaru whined a little.
"I can't smell anything," he said, sounding very upset.
"Shino!" Kiba called out, "Yumi,"
"I'm here," Shino's voice said a little to Kiba's left, "He's trapped me in the genjutsu as well. Yumi, can you hear us?"
"Yes," Yumi's calm voice cut through the darkness to Kiba's right, "I'm trying to break it, but it's surprisingly powerful."
"And-" Kiba said.
The rest of his sentence was stopped by the feeling of something slimy wrapping around his body.
"What's that!" he yelled.
"I don't know," Yumi's voice responded, "but it's got me too."
"You're all very lucky that I'm not going to kill you," a pleasant voice said, through the darkness, "You're just going to sit there and wait for the battle to end."
Yumi's light laughter cut through the darkness and there was a sound of something snapping.
"Even if I can't see, I can still fight you," she said calmly.
Sasuke landed in front of Zabuza and felt Kimimaro land behind him. From what Sasuke could see of the Missing Nin's face, he looked a little disappointed.
"I was hoping to fight with all of you," he admitted, "those kids were just too easy to kill."
Sasuke smirked under his mask. It was amazing just what Sakura's genjutsu was able to do. She really had talent when she wanted to use it, which wasn't all that often. Even now, Sakura had used a basic one that made them all appear a little taller and their voices sound a little different. They didn't really want to be recognized.
"Sorry, but you're just going to have to deal with us," Sasuke said with a smirk, "I've always wondered how I'd do against an opponent of your famed power, and now I get to see."
"You mean we get to see," Kimimaro said, his voice unreadable.
"Hmph," Sasuke could tell Zabuza was smirking, "It looks like I'll be able to have some fun after all. You kids just might be cut out to be ninja…if you live."
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Sasuke said.
"You're shivering…" Zabuza said, satisfaction in his voice.
"Yes…I am…with excitement!" Sasuke dashed forwards.
Finally, he was in a true fight against a real opponent. It was time to see just how far he had come from the child who had barely been able to light a candle with his attacks.
Isaribi knew that Zabuza would kill those people who had interfered with his work. It wasn't that she enjoyed the thought; it was simply that Zabuza was not one to allow something like some local group of hero wannabes to cause him any real trouble. He had had no problem with slaughtering the kids who had been on the bridge. Deep down, Isaribi felt sympathy for them all, particularly Haku. They had never even known what hit them, and they had simply been in the wrong place at the right time.
There was a possibility that they were alive, but not too good of one.
A figure stepped out of the mist, looking at her. It was one of the attackers, and the kanji on his forehead read Hara.
"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to help Zabuza this time," the voice of the figure was gentle and somehow familiar, but for the life of her, Isaribi couldn't place it.
"There's nothing you can do to stop me," Isaribi said calmly, "I am not as defenseless as I appear."
"Zabuza would only travel with someone who was powerful," the man agreed, "but still, I can't let you. Arashi and Haka are depending on me."
"Then try," Isaribi challenged.
She charged forwards. Her speed was unmatched by any of the opponents that she had faced, and once she was within striking range, it would be too late for the man. She would make both of them fall into the water and drown him. She sent a kick, waiting for the feeling of connection, but none came, the man was simply and suddenly gone.
She sensed his presence behind her and attempted a round house kick. She was shocked to see him disappear right in front of her eyes. Just as suddenly, he was a few feet in front of her with his hands forming one seal.
"Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou," she heard him say.
The effect was almost instantaneous. Isaribi was surrounded by what looked like mirrors of solid ice that were floating slightly above the ground. Slowly, she reached out one hand and touched one. It was solid and so cold it almost burned. Isaribi dashed forwards, but something shoved her back into the center of the dome of mirrors.
"You can't get out," the man's voice said as he appeared in all of the mirrors, "not until I let you out. I don't want to hurt you, but if you insist on fighting, I will…"
Isaribi formed the pattern of hand signs that Zabuza had taught her to make sure that she never completely had to rely on her little 'ability'"
"Suiton: Mizu Bakudan," she said.
A ball of water formed itself from the air inside the dome of mirrors and began to steam as bubbles started to come from the bottom up. The ball of boiling water launched itself at one of the mirrors and hit it directly. The second that the water touched the mirrors, it froze.
"How…" Isaribi asked, "That attack should have melted it."
"My kekkei genkai creates ice," the man said, "All you did was give me water that I turned into ice to strengthen the mirror. Even if you had used a Katon jutsu, the effect would have been the same. You can't escape."
"What do you want?" Isaribi asked, "If you want to kill me, just do it!"
"But I don't," Hara said, shaking his head, "That's the last thing I want to do. Shippuu ordered that I keep you from helping Zabuza, and that's what I've done."
The masked man held up one hand, in it there were five senbon.
"Please don't try to get out; I don't want to have to attack you,"
Tazuna found himself staring at the backs of three people, two of them were obviously women. They were all in defensive positions and were watching the battles that were beginning carefully.
"I wish that we had been able to fight," one of the girls sighed.
"Shippuu had a good point though," the only male in the group said, "Our attacks will probably damage the bridge."
"That doesn't make it easier," the other complained.
"True, but I guess we can't blame him," the first girl admitted.
"But we can hope that someone tries to attack Tazuna-san," the man said, "I've been wanting to see how well I did against a Jonin too…"
"That probably makes all of us, but someone must protect the client, and with all of those opponents, it makes sense to have the greatest number of people protecting the client," the second girl said.
"You're too nice to Shippuu, Gesshoku," the boy grumbled.
Tazuna wasn't sure whether to be reassured by their confidence or worried that they might just decide to leave their posts and join the battle. They sure looked like they were thinking of that possibility, and he wasn't sure if he could trust them, after all, one group had already betrayed him, what was so different about this one.
He hoped that the battle would be short. After all, with the shifting alliances and the sudden appearances, he may find himself in a very bad position if they all decided to join Gato's payroll.
Kakashi looked at the figure who had appeared in front of him. The other ones, including Sabaku, who was supposed to be fighting him, were gone.
"Is it too much to ask to know who I'm fighting?" Kakashi asked, "You apparently know me, so it's only right."
"I am Shippuu, leader of Hakumei," the figure said.
"Hakumei?"
That was strange, a group this well organized should have been known about in Konoha. They knew about most of the teams of mercenaries, even those who weren't all that powerful, and this group didn't give that impression. Actually, when he looked at this group, only one other team of ninja came to mind: Akatsuki, a band of missing nin and criminals. They were secretive, and information about them was difficult to find. It was only with the help of the toad sannin, Jiraiya, that they even knew that such an organization even existed at all.
Now, there was a new group that he knew nothing about, with members of an unknown number and an unknown level of skill. They were confident though, and probably just as powerful as he assumed them to be. They were smart too; none of them actually fighting a Jonin one on one. Shin'en appeared to have already made his team unable to fight, and whatever help Zabuza had had, was probably just as unable. They had already taken out any back up, and were preparing to attack.
"I see that's the only answer that you're going to give me right now," Kakashi sighed, "well, I guess I'll find out more about you as we fight."
Shippuu seemed to have prepared himself, but he wasn't attacking, and the Sharingan didn't foresee an attack in the near future.
He was waiting for Kakashi to attack.
Kakashi wasn't quite sure if he liked that confidence. The one who attacked first had the greatest advantage, but something about the way he was waiting made Kakashi think that Shippuu was planning something.
Too bad there wasn't anything he could do but jump into that trap. Even if he tried to go after Tazuna, Shippuu would come after him, and he still had those three to worry about. He had no backup in this.
"You've used the tactic of divide and conquer well, I have to admit that," Kakashi said.
"I'm flattered that you think so," Shippuu replied.
"I'm not going to hold back on you," Kakashi said, "I respect you too much."
He disappeared and reappeared aiming a kick at Shippuu from the left side. Shippuu barely had time to block as the kick made him fall back a few feet. Shippuu didn't wait for another attack. His hands were together in the single seal he needed.
"Kage Bunshin no Justu," he said.
Ten Bunshin appeared and surrounded Kakashi, who didn't have time to wonder just how it was that this person had summoned ten clones and was still standing. All of them attacked in unison, throwing a succession of kunai as well as a succession of kicks, punches, and other assorted attacks that Kakashi couldn't place the style of.
This was really getting to dangerous for him to play around. The Sharingan allowed him to see what Shippuu was going to do, but there were so many of them that it was hard to keep track of all of them. When he dispelled one, another took its place, and the attacks gave him little time to form the seals he needed to win. It seemed that was Shippuu's strategy. Shippuu seemed to know that he couldn't actually beat Kakashi, and that didn't seem to even be what he was after anyway. From what Kakashi could see, Shippuu was buying time for something.
There was one second between the dispelling of one clone and the formation of another that Kakashi was able to take advantage of. He jumped backwards and as he moved, made a series of signs.
"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu," he said.
One of the Shippuus was not engaging in battle, and while the Sharingan was not about to tell a Kage Bunshin from the original, Kakashi was smart enough to know that if he could make ten of himself to fight an enemy, he would stay out of battle, and that was the Shippuu that he was going to aim for.
From the water under the bridge, a large, swirling pillar of water shot up, aiming straight for the Shippuu who was outside the battle and engulfing him. For a second, the clones seemed to stop, but then he heard it.
There was a poofing sound, and the Shippuu went up in a cloud of smoke.
"Wrong one!" ten voices called out, and the attacks began anew.
Where was the real Shippuu?
He was blocking a long succession of kicks when he felt himself step into something soft. Managing to force Shippuu back for a moment, for a split second he looked down to make sure that he hadn't stepped in some kind of Doton jutsu that was meant to slow him down.
…Sand?
His eyes scanned the area to see that there was sand that had somehow gotten into a circle around where he and Shippuu were fighting.
"NOW!" Shippuu yelled.
Sabaku, who had disappeared throughout the entire battle, seemed to materialize out of the sand. One hand was raised and before Kakashi could really understand what was happening, everything became pitch black. Kakashi took out a small stick in his vest and cracked it. It lit up and cast a faint light around him. In the greenish glow that the light stick emitted Kakashi could see that he was in a dome that looked like it was made entirely of sand that was about twenty feet in diameter and at least twenty feet high. Shippuu was standing at the opposite end of the dome.
"Well, you've sure gone through a lot of work to make sure that we're not going to be seen," Kakashi said.
Shippuu said nothing.
"Why don't you take off your mask Taiki, or should I say, Naruto-kun?"
Omake: The Experiment
A ten year old Sasuke poured himself a second bowl of Ninja Puffs after Tsunade had left with Hinata, Haku and Sakura. Naruto leaned over curiously.
"I thought you didn't like that," he said, "What's with the extra bowl."
"I want to see something," Sasuke said, pouring soy milk onto it and putting it a little out of the way, where Tsunade, who had a fear of looking too hard at anything in Jiraiya's house, wouldn't look.
"What's that?" Sai asked, as Gaara leaned in with Kimimaro.
"I'm going to find out what happens if it's left out for a really long time," Sasuke said.
"That sounds stupid," Neji cut in, "we all know that it turns into Ninja Puke."
"But what happens after…" Naruto asked, "This sounds like fun!"
The next morning, it was Ninja Puke, which wasn't all that unexpected given Sasuke's experience with it before. Every one left it alone, even the girls were slightly curious to see just how it was going to turn out.
The next morning, the Ninja Puke had turned into Ninja Mush. Naruto poked at it with a chopstick and almost died of terror when the Mush seemed to engulf it.
"It's freaky!" he said to the others, "Let's just kill it."
"No," Hinata said, "It's interesting…don't you want to know what it turns into in a week?"
"Not really,"
"Oh, come on," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.
As the week progressed, the Ninja Puffs turned into what can commonly be called a science experiment. It became green and by the time the week was out, there was a large flower growing out of the center. As Sasuke and Naruto watched one morning, the flower opened and five Ninja Puffs fell out onto the green moss that had once been soy milk.
Naruto blinked and Sasuke sort of twitched.
"I guess they meant it when they said it was all natural…" Naruto said.
I really liked this chapter. I haven't read anything like this before, so I thought that it might be really interesting. I hope you guys agree with me. The fight scenes were a little rough for me to do, but I hope that they were good. Next chapter's going to be so hard for me…it's almost all fighting…
Hayaya… (if you know what anime this is from, kudos to you. My one hint, it's an older anime)
Additional Notes:
Hakumei's Uniform: How does it sound? I made it up. If you're interested in seeing a picture, go to my profile page. I drew a picture of it as modeled by Hinata.
Fight scenes: I try to keep myself realistic. I don't really what a godlike Naruto running around, because seriously, there's no fun in that. He just crushes his enemies without blinking. I really respect Kakashi, and I was hoping that I did him right.
Haori: a sleeveless jacket that is meant to be worn over traditional Japanese clothing and reaches the knees. It's also impossible to close since there's no buttons, hooks, or zippers. (Thanks 2stupid)
Translations:
Kokuangyo no Jutsu (Bringer of Darkness Technique)
A jutsu that creates an area of complete darkness around the victim or victims that enables the user to attack without being seen.
Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou (Secret Technique:Demonic Ice Mirrors)
Creates a prison of mirrors made from ice around an opponent. The mirrors allow the user to transport between them at high speeds or reflect themselves into all the mirrors. It is nearly impossible to see the user's movement between mirrors, so there is no danger of being hit. The speed of the user also makes it near impossible to dodge the attacks.
Suiton: Mizu Bakudan (Water Element: Water Bomb)
Creates a ball of boiling water that is thrown at an opponent. (Original Jutsu)
Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Element: Explosion)
Sends a large spinning pillar of water towards the opponent. Can only be performed when near a moderately large water source, and uses a large amount of chakra.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you review and tell me what you think! All comments and questions are welcome; I'll even answer them as long as I'm not giving away something I think is important…
See you in a few weeks!
