Disclaimer: I don't own anything! All belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 10 Target #2

Naruko only had enough time to look back at the oncoming attack, to paralyzed with fear to move.

Metal disfigured hands grasping each other, pulling at the razor chain further apart for its next victim.

"Are you kidding me?!" The frightened blonde couldn't tear her eyes away from the chain that had so recently ended Master Kakashi's own life, a jonin!

The air next to her ear split open when a black blur past her furthest line of sight, the razor chain went along with it embedding itself in the trunk of a tree behind the two masked ninja. Shortly after that a kunai appeared beneath the chains, pushing them further into the tree.

Confused, Naruko could only stand and watch, even when Sasuke had immobilized the both of them. She was just in awe of the black haired boy at the moment.

Sasuke stood on the both of their arms, with a flourish his body was supported by his hands alone, feet in the faces of the two masked men.

"W-wow!... Sasuke!" Naruko was impressed.

Praise for the Uchiha was cut short when a click was heard and an enemy was racing towards the old man Tazuna.

Running solely on adrenalin, Sakura had done the only thing she could think of at the moment. Kunai in hand "GET BACK!" panic in her voice when she pushed Tazuna back to take the hit to block the hit.

Sasuke seen the other claw and immediately stood in front of both the old man and Sakura ready for another fight. What he hadn't expected was the other masked man to go after the unprotected blonde. "Damnit! Move you idiot!" He watched her expression of a mixture of scared and bewilderment, with an unexpected feeling of pity.

Naruko was above anything else completely confused. A glimmer of metal indicated an attacker from the left. "Crap! This is how I die?! I-I haven't even had a boyfriend yet! Or thought about having one!" As on reflex she raised her hand to protect herself. Eye's shut tight hands balled into fists; she only felt a wind brush against the back of her hand.

"Master Kakashi…! You're Alive!" Sakura's shrill excited voice was something Naruko welcomed at the moment, it signified she wasn't dead.

Eyes flew open to see Kakashi holding the two unknown ninja under his arms. To her his respect meter went up considerably.

She turned to look at the body pieces that were once Kakashi but, but now only a pile of logs. "He used transformation jutsu he's amazing!" she hid her blush behind her chin length hair, which had fallen out of its usual pigtail style. "I'm sorry Naruko, I should have helped you sooner… before you were injured. It never occurred to me that you would freeze up." Kakashi's attention switched over to her other two teammates. "Sasuke, Sakura great job!"

Naruko's earlier admiration for the Uchiha was quickly forgotten, replaced by childish jealousy. "I couldn't do anything! But Sasuke, who's never been a real fight acted as if it was no big deal…! Even saving my life seemed like no big deal to him!"

A shadow engulfed her still sitting frame, she knew it was Sasuke. Hand outstretched in an attempt to help her, he smirked "You need help… scaredy-cat?" almost instantly her face turned a beet red. In seconds Sasuke's own hand was slapped away by a scowling blonde. Blood covered the back of his hand, like hers. "I don't need anyone's help! Least of all you-!" just as she was kneeling to stand dizziness made her stumble to the ground again."Damnit! I'm in too much shock to move my legs!"

"Naruko! Stop moving! Their claws have been poisoned, we have to clean that wound as soon as possible. If we cut into it more deeply the blood flow will wash away the poison, so don't move or it'll get worse." She nodded in understanding.

" …" Kakashi looked very intimidating at the moment with the limp ninja under her arms. "Wha… What is it?!" "I need to speak with you." The tone of his voice demanded an answer, no lies.

An half an hour later

"Our attackers appear to be journeyman level ninja of the Kirigakure clan mist ninjas. They are shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved, even at the cost of their own lives." He nudged one in the foot. The long haired masked shinobi's response was a glare "obviously you were watching and waiting for us…" Kakashi shook his head thoughtfully "nope! You gave away your own position. The sun was out it hasn't even rained for several days… so there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground"

Tazuna stepped in "Well if you know all that than why did you let them attack you?" The one eyed jonin shrugged "I could have killed them at any time… but" suddenly the air around had gotten colder. Naruko hazily tried her best to focus on the conversation, keeping up as best as she could. "I wanted to know who their real target was." The old man was surprised, "There has been no word of a shinobi seeking to take your life, the request that was relayed to the lord Hokage was that you have an escort to protect you from any roving bands of thieves and brigands. In any case, it's clear this is more than a B rank mission."Tazuna only remained quiet. "But if you expected to be the target of a ninja assault… then it is beyond question that this would have been classified and priced as a mission for elite ninja, you may have had your reasons, but it's never a good idea to conceal the facts when you are asking for it is my team isn't qualified enough for this type of mission." He ended with a nod towards the slightly panting Naruko, mostly from exhaustion.

"Master if we're not qualified enough for this… can we quit? Naruko needs medical attention! We should head back and have a doctor look at her!" Sakura was happy that there was a reason for them to go home. Kakashi looked over at his sitting student, thinking. "Hmm… save Naruko's life or save Tazuna's life? What a situation…"

Said blonde's hand twitched, "Damnit I hate this feeling…! This ugly feeling of being cornered, It's my life! I decide whether to live or die!"

The tip of a kunai found itself in Naruko's already still heavily bleeding wound. She'd stop for a bit and continue to push the knife further in. This action of self-mutilation had caught everyone off guard. "Naruko! Stop that!" Sakura's loud protests went on deaf ears. "Why…? Why am I so different? I hate not fitting in! Even though I've been doing tons of extra training… I still blew it...! I swear no one's ever going to save me ever again! Sasuke won't have to save me ever again! I'll be the hero! I swear it… with the pain in my left hand…" She pushed the hilt further in "with this flow of blood, I promise I'll protect the old man," soaked strands of hair clung to her forehead from the effort "Naruko Uzumaki, reporting fit for duty, master!" a calmed expression replaced her earlier forced grin.

Somewhere else

"Your ninja didn't even stop him! How am I supposed to trust you if you can't…" The short white haired man was quickly silence with a giant blade at his throat. A dark figure lazily held the blade with hand one, threateningly close the smaller man's jugular. "Stop you're whinning… with this neck cleaving knife… I Momochi Zabuza, demon hidden in the mist… will spill there blood myself."

There! Another chapter done! Now off to standing buffalo Powwow! BYE!