A/N: I have no explanation to give for any of my actions. Between shuttling college and working on various projects, I've had little time for writing or myself. I squeezed this chapter out like blood from slit wrists so hala back if you do value the gesture.
On a less sombre note, lots of thanks to Perspe, Ninjakang, Undeadartist and every other who showed some support. You made writing this much easier.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in anyway. Considering the way the series' been going lately, I don't wish I ever I would.
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Ultimate Naruto
Chapter Twelve
The battle at the Docks
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Before they continued on, Kakashi took the liberty of observing the state of his car; particularly the door that Kyuubi had effectively bashed in. The girl chuckled nervously at the look he gave her.
"Heh heh."
The jonin sighed, "Alright, everybody in. We've still got some way to go."
As the boys filed into the car, Kakashi pulled his red-haired student aside.
"Kyuubi", he began. He didn't want to be doing this. He really didn't. But the Third had charged him with observing the situation, and he had to make sure.
The girl looked at him expectantly; big, red eyes widened in curiousity.
"What happened earlier with your wound", the jonin said in hushed tones, "Was it the first time?"
The girl's curtain of hair covered her face and she began biting at her bottom lip nervously, "No."
"How often does it occur?"
Kyuubi looked at the jonin, wondering how much to tell him.
"Well, pretty much that often. Ever since I was a kid, any injury I got never stayed the night and I almost never get sick."
She didn't bother to add that her wounds had never healed this fast before. Especially since the manifestation of that strange chakra cloak.
"Do you think it is a Kekkei genkai?", she asked innocently, "Maybe something I inherited from my parents? My daddy used to be a medical operative, after all."
Kakashi sweatdropped, wondering if the girl actually thought she was throwing him for the loop.
"Probably", he decided, playing along, "Just inform me if anything like that crops up again, okay?"
"Hai, sensei!", she nodded vigorously, before racing to beat a cheering Naruto out of her favorite spot in the car.
'In other words, she wouldn't', mused Kakashi.
'Sigh. So, her cells regenerate rapidly and she has the chakra Sarutobi-sama talked about. Meanwhile, there have been no incidence recorded with Naruto at all. It seems conclusive but the Fourth was a very shrewd man. What did you plan, sensei?'
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It was around a quarter to five before team three drove into the small, harbour town of Kurugi; some distance away from the shores of Wave. Despite its size, the town was a busy one; with large markets and tourists, and it seemed that anywhere they passed, there was flourishing trade.
"Good business", Sasuke commented idly.
The statement caused Tazuna to huff, "Wave used to be just like this. Then Gato came along and everything went to blazes! The bridge I'm building is going to remedy all that, though. It's going to be super!"
He then directed Kakashi to a mart so he could pick up some groceries and stuff for his family. The jonin didn't say a word; still thankful for the fact that there had been no other incidence since the first. Their mission would soon be over, as it was.
Oh, he had never been wronger.
Tazuna had advised him that since the bridge wasn't ready yet, the car wouldn't be getting near Wave, anytime soon. So, they proceeded to the town docks, where the builder assured Kakashi that he knew a coast guard who could lease him some parking space.
"Wow, the water's beautiful!", Kyuubi cooed, admiring the hanging mists and the rays of setting sun caught on the ocean's blue surface.
Tazuna smiled, "Yeah, the sea always does that to you. You'll see, it's even more beautiful at Nami no Kuni."
"And how do we get you there?", Kakashi asked.
"Ah, not a problem. An accomplice of mine is a black market fisherman. Since Gato's thugs patrol all the major routes incessantly, no public boat sails directly to the island but the Wave fishermen were raised here. They still know routes Gato will never discover."
After procuring a key to one of the numerous dock garages (Tazuna had turned his head aside and whistled when the issue of payment cropped up), Kakashi drove the team around a pile of giant, steel drums; coming to a stop next to a wooden pier.
"Yes, this is the spot", the contractor said, leaning over a grumbling Naruto to stare out the window, "My contact should meet me here with a boat."
The silver-haired jonin nodded, "Good. We'll escort you to Nami no kuni but that's about as far as we'll go, Tazuna-san. We've done enough as it is."
"Suuure. Nothing's wrong with that, ain't it? Just leave me on the shores where Gato can kidnap me and hang my ass on a stake. Then my daughter and my young grandson would cry and cry and cry all because Tazuna-chan was no longer coming home and no one else would be able to protect them. Sure, leave it at that. It's okay, yes it is."
The members of team three shared an uneasy look and dropped their heads in shame. Inwardly, Tazuna grinned and awarded himself the victory sign.
"Maa, alright. You guys get down here and wait for the boat. I'll go park the car."
The jonin had barely driven five metres when; with a force that tore the air around it, a large dragon rose from the sea, ramming into the car and sending it hurling straight into the air.
The genin could only watch in horror, as the battered car spun endlessly in slow motion, before crashing noisily into the depths of the misty sea.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"
This was the second time their teacher had been attacked in such brutal fashion, and they weren't exactly sure he was going to make it this time.
"What the FUCK was that?", Naruto yelled hysterically, never having seen anything of such magnitude before.
But Sasuke; who had his Uchiha training, quickly realised that they were in deep shit. A very skilled jutsu user was around. Skilled enough to take out Kakashi, and by the tell-tale sounds of sharply moving wind; skilled enough to fell them all in one strike.
"DOWN!", he roared, grabbing a dazed Tazuna and lunging for the floor. His teammates also heeded the order and threw themselves flat, and not a moment too soon; as a great blade spun through the air, skewering the hat off Tazuna's head.
The blade tore straight through one steel drum before lodging halfway in another; a man appearing on the edge of its hilt.
Naruto rose his head in rage only to stare up at a monster of a man, whose beady eyes bore into his.
The man's lower face was covered in bandages with numerous scars lining his naked torso. He was dressed in familiar camoflage pants, arm warmers and a headband tied loosely to the side of his head. But the most noticeable feature of the assailant was his powerful aura, which crashed down upon the entire dock, suffocating all within it. Naruto actually felt his legs go numb.
"Hmm, I missed?", the man mused casually, easily balancing ramrod-straight on the handle of his sword, "I must be getting rusty."
Kyuubi shuddered violently where she lay, face eating the wood of the ground. Naruto thought about reaching to her but it wasn't moments till he found his body to be in a similar predicament, even more so than that of his teammate. His death had just stared him in the face some seconds ago - still stared him for that matter; the blonde unable to break out of the eye-lock he was in with the terrifying assassin.
The intense feeling doubled on them again and Naruto felt his lungs begin to constrict. He gasped. At his side, Tazuna's limp form lay, seemingly dead, and the blonde almost wished he could be the same.
This wasn't supposed to be happening. This wasn't supposed to be happening to HIM. He had seen a lot of shit in the hood. Real shit. He had been gagged, beaten, gutted and near-lynched before! He wasn't a stranger to violence!
So then, why couldn't he move? Why couldn't he break away from this bastard's penetrating gaze? Why did his lungs suddenly feel like they had vanished from within him? Why was his own body acting so? Why? Why? Why?
Naruto was suffocating like a fish out of water and there was only one option left.
Die.
Yes, he could. He would kill himself. The oblivion would be wonderful and the relief gotten from the freedom would be pure ecstacy. He would die. He should die. He could bite his own tongue off and die.
Unfortunately, forces beyond his control had other plans for him.
Uchiha Sasuke was first to rise, glaring daggers at the beast before them. His body quaked nervously as he stood but the Uchiha held himself up, a fire of determination burning in his dark eyes.
The assassin raised a small eyebrow, "What is this? One of the mice dare get up? Irritating."
Sasuke tensed, and for a moment, Naruto thought he was going to rush into the attack, but the Uchiha instead blurted out.
"Naruto!", he roared, sparing a glance at his friend, "Get up! This is nothing but killing intent. Stop staring at him and Get up!"
Kyuubi too was rising to her feet and Naruto noticed that she had been sobbing. She held her ground, despite obviously still being in shock, and tried to look valiantly at their assailant.
"Do you hear me, Naruto? NARUTO!"
The blonde knew Sasuke was speaking to him but he couldn't, for the life of him, recall why he sounded so distressed. Everything was so peaceful...
"Naruto! Dammit, dobe, we can't do this without you!"
The hulking man had apparently reached the peak of his boredom because he scoffed and reached down for his blade.
The next second he had blurred from view and appeared in front of Sasuke; great sword drawn. The Uchiha reached for his weapons pouch but barely made it halfway before a powerful kick caught him in the abdomen, forcing blood and spittle to gush from his mouth. He catapulted backwards like he had been loaded from a canon.
The assassin was then in front of Kyuubi next and the girl stood wide-eyed as he knocked her aside with an arm, sending her flying into a steel drum. Naruto gasped aloud in shock.
That shock was quickly overcome by fear, when the man turned to him; great sword poised to sever Naruto and Tazuna in one fell swoop.
The blonde shut his eyes and fell into a daze; graciously readying himself for the blow that would undoubtedly descend him into hell.
That blow never came, however; for at that moment, a geyser shot from the sea, throwing Kakashi and a mangled Impala onto the shores of the dock.
The silver-haired jonin breathed eratically as he fended the great sword with a kunai, blood pouring profusely from the left side of his head.
The assassin's eyes widened.
"Now that was a bit uncalled for, wasn't it?", Kakashi joked, before retrieving a second kunai and slashing the man across the chest.
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Faster than Naruto could follow; the assailant dodged backwards, earning only a minor scrape from the kunai. Kakashi, however, did not let up and flung both weapons at his foe, forcing the man to block with his sword. He then put some distance between them.
"I see you are still alive...Kakashi."
The jonin narrowed his eyes, "Zabuza."
Naruto doubted he would ever be happier to see that black thawb again.
"You didn't expect me to be dead", Kakashi was saying, "You must have been watching us and attacked me at my most vulnerable, so you could keep me out of the way while you went for the engineer. You are a coward."
Zabuza shrugged, "I am a mercenary."
It seemed that the assassin's killing intent had been disrupted somewhat with Kakashi's arrival. Naruto found himself able to move his four limbs again.
"Are you alright, Naruto?", a concerned jonin asked.
The blonde struggled to get up, "Y-yeah. Y-you should probably check on Kyuubi though. She took a nasty hit." Sasuke was already limping towards them.
"I-I'm sorry, s-sensei. I really fucked up big time there. I clammed up", Naruto said, beginning to feel the edges of tear drops claw down his eyes. He tightened his fists in anger. He had been so scared back there. So vulnerable.
Kakashi's eye never left Zabuza who was now digging for something in the pocket of his pants.
"It's not your fault, Naruto."
Sasuke had crouched down to check on Tazuna, who was now coughing nerve-wrackingly. The builder looked like he might have peed himself.
"How are you feeling, Sasuke?"
"I'll live", the Uchiha grunted, helping Tazuna to stand. Naruto could see the trickle of blood making its way down his chin.
The assassin had now pulled a small satchet from his pants and Naruto easily recognized the substance within.
Crack.
The fucker was high on crack.
Zabuza took a finger-full and pushed it up his nose.
"Aaahh (sniff). Feels good."
"Naruto. Check on Kyuubi."
The genin looked unsurely at his sensei before running to his teammate's side. The girl was crumpled on the floor; unconscious, and Naruto gathered her in his arms, noticing how deathly pale she was. A river of red flowed underneath her hair.
Shit.
"Kakashi (sniff), Kakashi", Zabuza was saying, "Hatake Kakashi; the great Copycat (sniff). How many years has it been? It seems like only yesterday when I fought that accursed sharingan of yours."
Sasuke blanched, 'Sharingan?'
"Hah-hah-hah. 'The man who has copied a thousand jutsu'. Kami must really want to fuck up your ass, hmm? Why don't you copy this?"
And he gave Kakashi the middle-finger.
"Momochi Zabuza", the jonin replied evenly, "The demon of the Mist. What does an ANBU of the Sekihotai want with the Wave?"
Zabuza tilted his head, "ANBU? So, you haven't heard? I work alone now."
Kakashi's eyes widened, "You betrayed your company?"
When his opponent didn't reply, he continued, "That means you were among those who tried to assassinate the Mizukage! But if you are a rogue mercenary, why aren't you in the bingo books?"
"(sniff)", the ex-Sekiho operative replaced his crack bag, "The company likes to keep everything under wraps. Not that I care."
He then smashed his blade into the ground, "Gato has hired me to deal with the builder, and since that punk always makes sure to keep me supplied, nothing will stand in my way."
His glazed eyes bulged at the statement, signs of his addiction showing in his veins.
"Show me your sharingan, Kakashi! I want to fight it again! I've beaten you once...I'll KILL you this time!"
The killing intent crashed down on the dock once more. Tazuna slumped though Sasuke managed to hold him up. "What's he talking about, sensei?", he asked.
"You'll see", the jonin said, grabbing the headband tied across his face, "I will protect all of you. Just stay close to Tazuna."
And he lifted his headband, revealing his left eye for the first time; which was red and, and; swirling, with three, black tomoes.
The sharingan.
Zabuza chuckled, "Just as I remember it."
Naruto had torn a strip off his shirt sleeve and was now gently dabbing the wound on Kyuubi's head. 'Kakashi has the sharingan? How come? I thought only members of the Uchiha could possess it?'
He paused to access the information. 'But, if this guy has beaten Kakashi's sharingan once? Just how strong is he?'
His question was soon answered as Kakashi faded from view and leapt into action.
'I see. Attacking first so you can lure me away from your charges. Quite different from your normal style, Kakashi', Zabuza thought.
The assassin whipped out his blade, determined on severing Kakashi's head, but the jonin was swift, ducking underneath the swing and attacking his opponent with a mid-riff kick.
Zabuza grunted. He's gotten faster.
Kakashi was upon him again and the Mist demon recognized the assault as his traditional White fang karate. He deflected a second kick but then the masked man switched styles in mid-air, performing an accurate Panther claw. Zabuza found himself reeling back from the force of the blow.
What was that?, the Mist demon asked as he stared into the mismatched eyes of Kakashi; crouched low in the Panther stance of kung-fu.
He anticipated the next attack because he viciously swung the Kubikiribocho forward, only for the leaf jonin to hop into a Crane form and easily evade the blow. The great blade tore into the ground.
Releasing the hilt, knowing it would only be a hindrance, the demon lashed out ferociously; bearing down on Kakashi's strange pose (One leg raised and his arms spread like a bird). His kick almost tore the jonin's head off and so did his elbow, but it was Kakashi's iron knee that scored a devastating hit, as he gracefully switched into yet another form; that of the Muay Thai kick-boxing.
Zabuza took two more blows and an elaborate Aikido maneuver before tumbling to the ground, coming to a stop by his trusty blade.
'Woah', Naruto thought, his respect for his teacher upping one more notch, 'Kakashi-sensei's technique is even more efficient than mine'.
Sasuke was also mildly amazed. He had never seen anything like this from anyone in his clan.
The demon of the mist growled and dislodged his sword, pondering all the while. 'What's this? He never fought this way before!'
Then realization hit him.
'Of course, the sharingan. With the gift of insight, to predict my attack, and his repertoire of copied jutsu, he can analyze my approach and figure the best fighting style able to break its defence. Hmm, very impressive, Kakashi, but I still know your weakness.'
"You've outdone yourself, Copycat", Zabuza intoned, rising to full height, "It seems your skills expand to even taijutsu, knowing which one to use at any given time; among the hundreds you've copied."
"Hmm, I try", Kakashi said off-handedly. He still hadn't eased down from his Muay thai stance.
Zabuza immediately brought his hands together in a seal. Kakashi rushed at him only to be thrown back by a powerful kick straight to the chest.
'Shit. Luring me in so he could set up an attack when he clearly wasn't preparing any jutsu. Damn it!'
Zabuza had taken the brief respite to dash off the dock, where he stood on the ocean's surface; arms raised in a wierd pose.
Kakashi's eyes widened as he rose from the floor, 'That jutsu!'
"Mist concealment technique", Zabuza muttered quickly, as a thick fog rolled through the dock, obscuring the vision of all within.
Let's see you beat this now, Kakashi.
The fog continued pillowing till Sasuke could barely see past his two arms.
Naruto hugged Kyuubi tighter to him, his cloth now wrapped around her head. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Sasuke!", Kakashi called, "Stick close to Tazuna!"
The Uchiha nodded and ducked next to the builder, two kunai in his hands and one in the mouth.
'He's bound to attack Naruto, thinking I've forgotten about him', Kakashi thought grimly, inching towards the position of his two students. 'This technique...it totally negates the effects of the sharingan. How can one use dojutsu when fighting in zero visibility?'
"I'm sure you remember this technique, sharingan Kakashi", came Zabuza's disembodied voice all around the fog, "The mist concealment jutsu. It's how I beat you last time. You and your useless sharingan. I can strike anywhere, anytime, and you would be dead before you even hit the ground."
"Sasuke", the jonin warned, still inching towards Naruto, "Zabuza is a master of the silent killing style. It's why he is called the demon of the mist. Your eyes are useless here, as are your ears. Rely on your other senses."
Sasuke frowned. Was Kakashi trying to tell him something? He couldn't even see where the jonin was.
It was then that he felt it. A presence behind him and Tazuna that the builder failed to notice. He turned and gasped.
Kakashi heard Sasuke gasp and was shocked that Zabuza would go directly for their client. In an impressive burst of speed, he launched himself between the two; piercing the shadow crouched behind them only to hit. . .fog.
'A mirage', Kakashi thought, 'Zabuza has learnt how to bend the water particles in the mist to create mirages. Then that would mean...'
"NARUTO!", Kakashi yelled.
The demon had appeared before his students, sword poised to deliver a fatal blow.
"Die."
A shocked Naruto gripped Kyuubi even tighter to himself.
Shit, too far, Kakashi bemoaned as he raced for his students.
The Kubikiribocho tore through the air, bifurcating Naruto and Kyuubi into two perfect halves. . . only for them to burst into smoke.
Zabuza choked on his spit.
'Ah, well done, Naruto. You created kage bunshin during the earlier confusion and combined it with the henge to replace yourself and Kyuubi. I'm sorry I ever doubted your foresight. Leave it to me, I'll take it from here!'
The jonin was upon his opponent and in seconds, had forced a kunai hilt-deep into his abdomen.
"It's over, Zabuza."
He then proceeded to rip it out, releasing viscera and intestinal mass that dispersed into. . .
"A water clone?"
"Fool."
Zabuza's kick was straight and true and the blow struck Kakashi's jaw, sending him rocketing into a steel container, only for the jonin to also disperse into water.
"WHAT?"
The real Hatake Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, kunai at the ready.
"I see", chuckled the demon, "With your eye of insight, you realized I was a water clone and you copied my jutsu and used it against me. Most Impres..."
But the silver-haired jonin had lodged the kunai in his heart, effectively killing him.
"Then again, you never could beat me at my own game, Kakashi."
'Another water clone?', gaped Sasuke, 'A two-phased plan!"
Zabuza wasted no time swinging his great sword again, which; due to his superior speed, only suceeded in nicking Kakashi. The blade tore a hole right through one drum before shaving a chunk off another, as the masked jonin avoided a near beheading yet again.
His luck unfortunately ran out when his opponent cornered him against a wall, sending him crashing into it with a particularly mighty swing.
"Heh", Zabuza chuckled, "What a pest. Finally, I... huh?"
Kakashi had apparently survived, shielding himself with a double-handed kunai at the last second. He grunted with the strain as he struggled to push the Kubikiribocho off him, small dustings of plaster and brick falling on his head. Their eyes met above their blades.
Sharingan.
"Die, Kakashi."
Zabuza applied greater pressure but leapt away at the last minute as a roaring ball of flame struck the abused wall. He turned in mid-air to see the black-haired teen from before glaring at him; hands locked in the tiger seal.
"Were you trying to kill me as well, Sasuke?", Kakashi asked with sweatdrops as he too avoided the jutsu, small flames licking at his apparell.
The Uchiha shrugged coolly, "Hn. Anything goes, sensei."
"Stay out of this, Sasuke. You're hurt and this is way above your level. Besides, somebody needs to be watching Tazuna."
"Dobe's doing that", he grunted, and Kakashi looked over his shoulder to see a determined Naruto crouched next to Tazuna; a small number of clones forming a phalanx around them.
"That wouldn't be enough", he commented idly but he didn't say anymore because Zabuza had retreated to the ocean's surface again, causing the mist hanging upon the dock to increase in thickness. The jonin sighed. This time they could barely even see past their own noses.
"Kakashi-sensei?"
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I've got a plan."
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Naruto had just formed an army of clones around Tazuna and was still silently congratulating himself for his earlier brilliance, when Kyuubi's eye-lids fluttered open and her red pupils came up to meet his.
"Naruto?", she asked.
The blonde grinned down at her.
"A-ah, you're alright, young missy", Tazuna spoke for the first time since the battle began, though he still seemed extremely frazzled.
"What's going on?", Kyuubi asked, only to grab her head in pain, "Ouch."
Naruto, who was keeping a keen eye on Zabuza's position, answered, "It's Kakashi-sensei. He's battling that guy."
Kyuubi's eyes widened; making them even more mesmerizing in Naruto's opinion, "Kakashi-sensei? He's alive?"
Naruto nodded but at that moment the mist increased again, inversely affecting their visibility. He cursed.
"Naruto, what's this?"
"It's that fucker's special jutsu. We have to be alert. He can crop up anywhere."
"Would you help me up?"
The blonde agreed and lowered her to her feet. Kyuubi blushed when she realized she actually missed the comfort of his arms.
"You sure you gonna be alright?", he asked.
The redhead smirked in reply, digging into her pouch and procuring ten shuriken, "Watch me. I'm not as weak as you think, Na-ru-to-kun."
"I don't think you're weak. Just inexperienced."
Kyuubi face-faulted, "I swear, Naruto, if that's any way to sweep a girl off her feet, you're doing a pretty bad job at it. You're the one who couldn't move a while ago, remember?"
"Oh. Oh yeah. Sorry."
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'Hmph', thought Zabuza, observing his query from the mist, 'One-eyed Kakashi probably expects me to attack the engineer so he must have a counter in place. However, I will do something out of the blue. I will attack them all at once!' The demon brought his palms together, intending on creating a plethora of water clones.
"You do know that he'll try to attack the contractor again, don't you?", Sasuke asked his teacher, staying on extreme alert.
Kakashi eye-smiled, "It's alright, Sasuke. The time's about now anyway" - he squinted at a watch on his wrist - "In 5, 4, 3, 2..."
Mizu Bunshin no jut...
"...One."
With a ground-wrenching noise, a great amount of water shot up from the sea; twisting violently as it rose. It churned until it had formed a powerful typhoon which swept a giant wave unto the dock, throwing everyone off their feet. The powerful rotation of the twister was strong enough to forcibly beat back the mist, as visibility returned, and a drenched Zabuza was thrown unto the shores.
Kakashi slumped a little while a flabbergasted Sasuke gaped at him.
"W-what w-was th-that?", the Uchiha gagged, fighting against the torrents of sea water.
"It's a delayed jutsu reaction. I set it up the moment I came to in the sea and recognised who my opponent was."
Sasuke nodded in awe. 'Delayed jutsu. Like Itachi-nii was trying to explain to me. One completes the handsigns for a technique but rather than release the required chakra all at once, the caster molds and expels it in controlled pulses. This can be used to steadily bolster the strength of an attack within a pre-set time until it's bursting at the seams; at which point it is utilised with devastating effects. Via this method, one can turn even a simple D-rank technique to a complex A-rank one.'
"I see, sensei. That's why you stuck majorly to taijutsu for most of the battle", Sasuke noted, "You didn't want to put too much strain on your chakra than you already were."
Kakashi nodded as he tightened his headband and approached the Mist demon. With that last stunt, his chakra was running dangerously low. It was time to end this. His sharingan spun fiercely.
"Delayed jutsu, eh, Kakashi?", coughed a thoroughly wet Zabuza, "You knew my mist technique rendered your sharingan useless so you prepared a counter at the ready. Nice."
Kakashi stared stoically at him, treading easily on the water-sodden ground. Since the Mist was down now, he could use the visual powers of the sharingan to its full extent.
"Unfortunately for you, Kakashi, I am in..."
"...my element here!", they completed simultaneously.
'What?'
The two blitzed through a series of handseals before declaring,
"Suiton suiryuudan!"
Two large dragons rose out of the water, one conjured by Kakashi and the other by Zabuza. The two dragons grew in mass and girth before entwining around their casters.
"What's the meaning of this, Kakashi? You're stealing my jutsu?", the two said together.
"Now, you're copying my words, you monkey! What the fuck?"
The silver-haired jonin sighed, "Zabuza, I've won here. Give it up before you make a fool of yourself."
"Heh, right", the demon snorted, "I'm not going to fall for any of your tricks, Copycat."
"Fine. I'll show you."
And they spoke simultaneously again, "You claim to be the winner of our first battle all those years ago. However, you are grossly mistaken; I am the true winner of that fight. I learned from my defeat and got stronger. You, at the other hand, chose to remain on the same level you were as before. You attacked me; confident in your abilities and knowledge, but you just got the last shock of your life. I have improved. I am vastly superior to you, and you have no idea what the sharingan can do. So, stop analysing my every move. You do not possess the brain power."
Zabuza's eyes widened as they finished their shared speech. 'That's it!', he began analysing once again, 'Genjutsu! It's the only logical explanation. He must have me under some kind of hypnosis! It's easy!'
The mist demon formed the ram seal but it was all the distraction Kakashi needed as his dragon roared to life, lunging at a now defenceless Zabuza. The gaping mouth engulfed the wanted man; crushing him with its force, and bulleting straight through several giant drums before coming to a tremendous stop. Zabuza's battered body was left in the middle of a smoking crater, his sword lying next to him.
Kakashi crouched beside the assassin, kunai in hand.
"H-how?", choked the felled man.
The Oniwabanshu operative answered with a stoic gaze, "Arrogance. That is why you lost, Zabuza. This is your end."
However, before he could deal the finishing blow, two masked, hooded figures dropped unto the dock, cloaks out and daggers drawn.
"We'll take it from here, Hatake Kakashi."
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Naruto, Tazuna and Kyuubi had watched in awe as the twister rose from the sea, almost drowning them in its subsequent onslaught. They rose to higher ground to watch Kakashi wipe the floor with Zabuza and had proceeded to join him only to be stopped by the newcomers. As expected, Naruto erupted in outrage.
"What the hell? That guy just tried to kill us."
The masked men gave him no reply.
Kakashi, who was watching them keenly, placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Calm down. These are members of the Sekihotai's ANBU. But, I'd like to know what they are doing here?"
The taller of the hooded figures placed a gloved hand into his or her - Naruto couldn't exactly tell - cloak and produced a picture.
"This man is Momochi Zabuza", he spoke in a surprisingly, deep voice, "He is wanted by the Sekiho company for crimes committed against our kage. We've been after him for some time now and traced him here. The sounds of battle drew us to the dock."
Sasuke sneered, "So, you just stood by watching all along? Break an arm to help, wouldn't it?"
The ANBU turned to face him, "Your battle was none of our concern. All we cared about was making sure the target wouldn't escape. Do not be mistaken. We are not allies of the Oniwabanshu."
His other companion inserted, "Zabuza possesses company secrets that cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. He also possesses information that the company needs to extract from him. This makes him very dangerous. We've been ordered to bring him in alive."
Zabuza; whose eyes had widened under the appearance of the ANBU, coughed harshly and glared at them, "You bastards. I'll not be going anywhere."
But then, a senbon embedded itself in his neck, faster than they could follow. The mist demon's eyes glazed over and he went out cold.
Kyuubi cringed, "Is he dead?"
The taller ANBU shook his head, "I deliberately missed an artery. For now, he's simply unconscious."
Kakashi; who was still staring keenly at the men, asked offhandedly, "Can I see some ID, then?"
The two looked at each other before shrugging and producing ID cards. The jonin studied the pictureless material before handing it back to them.
"If that is all, we'll take our leave."
They placed the mist demon in chakra cuffs before nodding and teleporting out of sight with the criminal.
Kakashi sighed.
"Ah-hah-hah! Glad that's finally over!", thanked Tazuna, wiping a hand over his brow, "I almost peed myself back there!"
The three genin gave him an irritated look.
"Sorry to burst your bubble", Sasuke smirked, "But apparently, you did."
Meanwhile, Kyuubi had noticed the orange tie on her head and had made a violent, barfing noise.
"What's this hideous material?"
She refrained from adding that the colour complimented her vivid hair nicely.
"What are you doing?", Naruto asked as she loosened the cloth, "You're still wounded."
He was, however, shocked to see that she was no longer bleeding.
The blonde was just about pointing this out when Sasuke nodded towards their teacher. They followed his gaze to see the jonin standing by his crushed car; but because his back was turned to them, they couldn't see the expression on his face.
"Meh. If you ask me, he should be estatic", Naruto joked, "That piece of crap should have gone to the wrecker a long time ago. Zabuza ostensibly did him a great favor."
Kyuubi punched him on the shoulder, "Don't be mean, Naruto. You don't know the history behind that car. It might probably mean more to sensei than we'll ever know."
Sasuke nodded but didn't say a word.
They watched their teacher stand by the vehicle; the broken disc player, repeating the same Enya song over and over again.
After some time, he began hauling the wreck into a garage. They stood by as he worked, understanding from his aura that he didn't want to be disturbed. It was a pretty touching scene, watching a single man push a battered car all by himself.
When he was done, Kakashi dusted his hands and pulled down his headband, his thawb stained and ripped in numerous places.
"Maa. Let's get going th..."
The jonin immediately froze before collapsing face first on the ground. Gasping, his companions rushed to his side, crouching over his fallen form.
"Kakashi?"
"Kakashi-sensei?"
"Kakashi-sensei?"
"Shit! Where the fuck is that contact of yours, old geezer!"
"He should be here soon..."
"That's what you said like an hour ago!"
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"
In the distance, sirens blared as the local police began arriving at the scene of the battle.
XXXXXXXXXXX
a/n: This chapter is not too long but it is the first fight scene I've ever written in my life. How was it? Was it too shabby? Too detailed or maybe too boring to read? I have a feeling that it had way too much information but I prefer writing that way, since I played this out in my head like a motion picture before putting it down. Please tell me what you think so that I can try to improve.
The Wave arc continues next chapter and yes, it's going to be longer than what we usually see here on fanfiction, though I'll try cutting it down as much as I can.
I hate writing fics that no one gives a fuck about. If it'd bother you too much to review, do let me know so I'll stop bothering too much to update.
Take care, yo.
Ki Sha out.
