Chapter Eleven:

Recap:

"I'm shaking with excitement." In a matter of seconds, Sasuke wiped out all of the clones, turning them into harmless water.

"Oh? He can defeat the water clones. He got stronger. A rival for you, Haku." Zabuza said, appearing a couple feet away from Kakashi with the fake Hunter-nin beside him.

End Recap

"Oh? Aren't you guys surprised to see Haku working with me?" Zabuza asked, gesturing to the Hunter-nin.

"Not really. We already knew he was working with you." Kakashi said, bored. They continued their little staring contest for a while longer before Sasuke decided to step up.

"I'll fight him."

"What?" Sakura asked, confused.

"He pulled that stupid act on us…I hate conceited guys like that." Sasuke said, pissed off.

"You're so cool, Sasuke-kun." Sakura gushed, and she blushed and giggled. Kakashi sweat dropped, exasperated.

"Sakura never corrects Sasuke…"

"He's quite a boy." Haku praised. "Even if a water clone only has one-tenth of the original person's power…He dealt with those clones well."

"But we made the first move. Go." Zabuza ordered.

"Yes sir." Haku said, then he raced toward Sasuke.

With Naruto and Kagome…

"Something's not right." Kagome whispered, looking at the damage around her as they passed through the forest.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, oblivious to everything except the idea of going to the bridge.

"Why are there dead boars and cut up things everywhere? Naruto something's not right. I'm going to go back and-" Suddenly she was cut off by the Shikon no Tama glowing a bright white. "Oh, SHIT! Naruto, go on without me, Inari and his mom are in danger!"

Naruto looked shocked, but nodded anyways. Kagome raced back towards Tazuna's house.

On the bridge…

"I don't want to kill you, but you won't back off, right?" Haku asked, battling Sasuke with his kunai.

"What are you, stupid?" he countered with a cocky smirk on his face.

"As I thought…" They were both struggling to overpower each other. "But you won't be able to keep up with me for my next move." Haku started doing a bunch of one-handed seals, when he finished, he stomped the puddle on the ground, making the water fly into the air. "Flying Water of a Thousand Kills." The water that had been kicked up was suspended in the air, sharpening into deadly spikes.

'Remember the training!' Sasuke thought, closing his eyes and making the hand sign that he had used to concentrate chakra to the bottom of his feet for the tree-climbing. 'Mould up chakra immediately…' The needle sharp spikes zeroed in on their target, traveling closer…and closer…

At Tazuna's house…

The two swordsmen finished their cut on what they thought was Inari, sheathing their swords.

The turned around to see a cut-up log and Inari's mother gone. "Where'd the woman go?!"

"Sorry for being late." Kagome said quietly to Inari, who she was carrying. She set Kairi n the ground carefully.

"Kagome nee-chan (sister)! You came!" Inari said, amazed. He was holding onto the stone she had given him, the white glow gone.

"Of course I did." Kagome replied laughing. "I promised, didn't I? By the way, you did a good job. You got their attention so I could save your mom. Now, to deal with these scumbags." Kagome said, facing the two swordsmen with a terrifying expression on her face that would rival Sesshomaru's expression when he was pissed off.

They smirked and took out their swords. Kagome smirked back and took out her katanas, choosing the surround them with water and then use her powers over the wind to freeze the water into ice. Now she had a thick sheet of ice over her katanas. In one swift move, she had both her katanas to their throats.

"Retreat or die." she stated coldly.

"We'll never be beaten by a little girl like you." one of them snarled at her.

"Wrong answer." Kagome made a small cut on their throats. They looked at her, surprised before their looks turned into one of horror and they started clawing at the necks, trying to get off the ice that had originated from that one small cut. Soon their entire necks were covered with ice. It was all in vain, and they keeled over, dead from their windpipes freezing shut so they couldn't get any air. She turned to Inari, who looked shocked, but he regained his composure when Kagome shook his shoulder a little.

"Inari? Listen to me. I want you to go and gather up all the villagers and bring them to the bridge. I have a feeling that Gatoh will try and play dirty." Inari looked at her for a moment before nodding and running off. Kagome transported Kairi back to the house, putting her in her bed upstairs before once again, running off to the bridge.

When Kagome reached the bridge, she saw Naruto go into a demon rage, Sasuke lying facedown on the ground inside a weird space with mirrors everywhere and Kakashi surrounded by a thick mist, Zabuza nowhere in sight. Just as Naruto broke Haku's mask the mirrors shattered, and Naruto went in for the killing blow. His crimson eyes were blind with rage so Kagome ran behind him, sticking a sacred sutra on his back, nearly puking from the clear bloodlust and killer intent in the air. It had negative effects on her other than immense fear because her holy powers were rejecting the feeling.

The effects were immediate. Naruto blinked, his eyes returning to the normal bright blue, the fox's dark, evil energy and crimson chakra retracting back into Naruto's body because of the sutra that sealed it.

"What's wrong Naruto? Kill me." Haku said, giving him a bloody smile. "I have failed, and now I am no longer of any use to him. Zabuza-san does not need a weak ninja."

Naruto spent some time arguing with him, while Kagome went to Tazuna, parrying an attack that could have killed Kakashi. Kakashi summoned his nin-dogs. They went underground and tracked Kakashi's blood on Zabuza, which had gotten there when Kakashi had taken a hit on purpose, under the pretence that he was protecting Sakura and Tazuna.

When the dogs succeeded in immobilizing Zabuza, Kakashi grabbed his right forearm with his left hand and gathered his chakra in his right hand. The sound of many chirping birds filled the air as his chakra formed into a bright, crackling blue ball of energy.

"Lightning Edge! Your ambition sacrifices too many people. Your future is…death." Kakashi said, the blue ball of chakra still in his hands.

"Naruto. Please kill me." Haku said, reminiscing past memories of his happy days with Zabuza. As he waited for the finishing blow, Haku had a feeling that Zabuza was in danger, so he quickly jumped to him and took the Chidori (you know, the ball of crackling blue energy…) that Kakashi meant for Zabuza. Before Haku died, he grabbed Kakashi's hand and held him in place.

"My future is death? You're wrong again, Kakashi." Zabuza said, laughing. "Splendid, Haku." He gave a great battle cry and swung his sword at Kakashi. "I sure picked up something great. He gave me this great opportunity at the very end." Zabuza didn't seem to be even a little sad that Haku just died to save him.

Kakashi dodged and jumped away with Haku, who had held tight to his arm, even in death. He set Haku down and closed his eyes. "Naruto! Stay there and watch! This is my fight."

"Naruto, are you okay? Where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura shouted. When there was no answer she was mortified and ran with Tazuna to where the Ice Mirrors used to be. When she saw Sasuke, lying down from the needles and Kagome leaning over him, she cried and hugged his body, feeling how cold he was.

Kagome then felt something under her hand when she checked his pulse. His heart was still beating. It was faint, but he was still alive. "Sakura, move! He's still alive. I can heal him a bit!" Sakura's eyes widened, and she didn't move because she was paralyzed from shock. Kagome gently shoved her over and bent her hands over Sasuke's chest, sending her purple healing miko energy into Sasuke. She then proceeded to pull out the senbons in his body and heal those injuries too.

After a while, Sasuke started to breath and Sakura let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Kagome. For healing Sasuke-kun." Kagome gave Sakura, who had let tears of happiness slide down her cheeks, a small smile and nodded. She stiffened and looked across the bridge, seeing Zabuza's arms hanging limply at his side, useless and Kakashi staring at Gatoh.

"Zabuza, I'm disappointed in you."

"Gatoh, why are you here? And what's with all those subordinates behind you?!" Zabuza shouted.

"We had a little change in plans. I'm sorry but Zabuza, you're going to die here." Gatoh said, smirking evilly.

"What?!" Zabuza said dangerously.

"If I hire regular ninjas it would cost a lot of money. So I hire exiled ninjas like you. If you ninjas had just killed each other, it would have saved me trouble and money. And you call yourself Demon of the Hidden Mist? You're more like a cute little devil to me!" Gatoh said in a mocking tone. The mob of hired people behind him laughed.

"Kakashi, sorry but the battle ends here." Zabuza said. "Since I don't have a reason to kill Tazuna, I have lost the reason to fight you."

"Yeah, you're right." Kakashi said, crouching down. They watched together as Gatoh walked up to Haku and started to kick his face for breaking his arm.

"Bastard!" Naruto shouted trying to run to Haku. "What the hell are you doing to Haku?! Hey, Zabuza, you really don't feel anything for Haku even though he DIED to save you?!"

"Shut up, kid. Haku's already dead."

"You really don't feel anything about what he did?! You were with him for a long time weren't you?!" Naruto shouted.

"Like Gatoh was using me, I was using Haku." Zabuza said bluntly. "Like I said before, us ninjas are just tools. I wanted his abilities, not him. I have no regrets."

"You…do you really mean that?" Naruto asked in a serious tone.

"Stop it, Naruto. We don't have to fight him anymore." Kakashi said, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto shrugged it off.

"Shut up! He's still my enemy! He…he really liked you! And you really don't think anything of him?!" Naruto's memories of his conversation with Haku ran through his head. "Do you really…really not think anything of him?! When a person becomes as strong as you, do they start to think like that? He…he sacrificed his life for you! He couldn't even see his own dream. Dying…as a tool…is just…" Tears started to come out as he yelled this to Zabuza. "It's just…just…Too painful…" Kagome made Naruto lift his head to look at Zabuza, pointing at the floor in front of the exiled-nin.

"Kid." Naruto saw tears fall to the floor in front of Zabuza, He was also crying. "Don't say anymore…Haku…not only did he heart his heart to fight for me, he hurt his heart for you guys. I know. He was to kind. I'm glad we were able to fight you guys as our last opponents. Yes, it's just like you said, kid. Ninjas are human too. They might not be able to become tools without emotions. I lose." Zabuza said with a smile on his face. He tore off the bandages covering his mouth and nose with his teeth, since both of his arms were useless, courtesy of Kakashi. "Kid! Give me your kunai!"

Naruto nodded and tossed it to Zabuza, who caught it with his teeth. Gatoh yelled out In fear and ran behind his mob, shouting "Kill those guys!" Zabuza ran through the entire crowd, killing some who got in his way, but not without sustaining any injuries himself. He ran straight up to Gatoh and stabbed him with his kunai. But Gatoh's men stabbed him with spears behind his back. The pain making him let go of the kunai.

"If you really want to go where your friend is, go by yourself!" Gatoh yelled, happy that he was still alive.

'Unfortunately, I don't intent to go to the same place as Haku. You're going to hell with me!" Zabuza yelled, smiling evilly. Grabbing the kunai from Gatoh's body, he cut him many times and killed him, the last cut sending Gatoh off the bridge and into the water. Zabuza's glare made the mob of people yell out and make a path for him. Zabuza struggled to get to Haku's side, falling down before he got to his side.

Sasuke woke up, wondering if he had died. He heard Sakura crying and, when she saw him awake, she gasped.

"Sakura….you're heavy." She immediately got up off him and stared at his face in disbelief.

"Sasuke-kun, thank god you're up! Kagome healed you, but said it would be some time before you would." Sakura hugged him. Tazuna breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where's Naruto? And that masked kid…"

"The masked ninja is…dead." Sakura said.

"Did Naruto kill him?" Sasuke asked. Sakura shook her head.

"I don't know all the details, but…"

"Kakashi killed him. Haku jumped in to take a blow for Zabuza that would have killed him,. But it killed Haku instead." Kagome cut in, appearing in front of them.

Sakura shouted to Naruto, who still didn't know that Sasuke was alive. "Naruto! Sasuke's okay!" Naruto let out tears of happiness and chuckled a bit. The mob got angry, forgotten.

"Hey, hey, hey! Did you forget about us?! You damn ninjas, you killed our pay source! Let's go!" They charged forwards to the tired ninjas who didn't have any energy left. Suddenly, an arrow landed in front of the crowd, who quickly stopped. The ninjas looked behind them, and saw Inari with all the townspeople, all of them carrying some sort of weapon.

"Anyone who gets closer, will die facing the island!" one of the townspeople shouted. Kagome walked over to Inari, who was carrying a crossbow.

"Good job." she whispered. Inari gave her a big grin. She put her hands up in a hand seal. "Kage Bunshin no Justu!" Suddenly, a huge crowd of Kagomes appeared. "Who wants to be first?" they all asked, smiling. Kakashi and Naruto did it too, so the entire bridge was filled with shadow clones. Gatoh's ex-henchmen all screamed like little girls and ran off the bridge towards their boat and sailed away, scared.

"We did it!" Everyone gave a great shout, and Kakashi walked up to Zabuza. Kakashi pulled out the spears and carried Zabuza to Haku, setting him down beside him. It was snowing. "Thanks, Kakashi."

"Snow? At this time of the year?"

"Haku, are you crying? We've been together all this time…so I'll die next to you as well. If possible, I want to go to the same place you're going to…" Even as it was snowing, the sun shone through the clouds, and made the bridge a bit brighter.

"He….he was born in a village where it always snowed." Naruto said, tears running down his cheeks.

"Is that so?" Kakashi said, looking at Zabuza and Haku. "He was pure like the snow."

--

Zabuza and Haku were buried in graves right next to each other.

"Kakashi-sensei, do all ninjas have to be the way they said?" Sakura asked, paying respects to their graves.

"Ninjas are not supposed to seek their reason to exist. It is important that they exist as a tool. That idea exists in Konoha, too." Kakashi said, as Sakura got up and walked back to their group.

"Does being a real ninja really mean that? I….kind of…don't like that." Naruto said.

"Do you think that too?" Sasuke asked Kakashi.

"Hm…no. That's why ninjas unconsciously suffer from that idea. Like Zabuza and that boy." Kakashi said, looking the graves.

"Okay! I've decided. I'm going to follow my own 'way of the ninja'. I'm going to run straight down the path where I won't have any regrets!" Naruto shouted.

"That's a good way to live." Kagome said quietly, smiling.

--

"We've completed the bridge thank to you, but we're going to miss you." Tazuna said, the entire town gathered there to see the ninjas off.

"Be well." Tazuna's daughter said.

"Thank you for everything." Kakashi said.

"Now, now, old man Tazuna, we'll come back to visit you one day." Naruto reassured them. Inari looked close to crying.

"Promise?" he asked.

"Inari…you're going to get lonely…it's okay to cry…" Naruto also looked close to tears.

"I'm not going to cry! You can cry too, Naruto nii-chan." Inari said, his eyes watering. They looked at each other for a while longer, their eyes filling up with tears. Before Naruto could full out cry he turned around.

"See ya." he said, crying so that Inari couldn't see him with his back turned. Kagome sweat dropped. They left the village, and Tazuna decided to name the bridge, the Great Naruto Bridge, because he changed Inari's and everyone's hearts. Naruto plotted getting Iruka-sensei to treat him to ramen, and Sakura asked Sasuke on a date and got turned down, again.