"Blah": Talking
'Blah': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura/Giant Zabuza
'Blah': Naruto's thought/other people's thoughts
'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto
Hello again! We are back on track! First some news!
Azeroth44 has posted his prologue/first chapter of his first story, Naruto: Lord of Time. He also just informed me that he has the setup finished for his next chapter and that it will be at least two-three weeks before he will post it. He's landing a summer job, so it could take a little time to write out the new chapter.
Now I already read some of it and he's told me a lot about it so far, and I have to admit, that it's pretty damn good for his first story. So if you're curious, check it out and see what he has to offer. I'll certainly read it… So long as he promises not to burn me alive if I don't.
Here is the link to the tale: s/8138399/1/Naruto_Lord_of_Time
Place this address in the URL or search for it on google, under Azeroth44 or Naruto: Lord of Time
Now before I start this new chapter of AotM, I just wanted to say that this was a difficult one for me to write. I wanted to stick close to the canon universe of Naruto, but doing so made Naruto and Haku look insane when I reached the part where Naruto agrees to kill her and avenge Sasuke's death. But instead of going down that route, I decided to go on a tangent and make it more reasonable argument between them. Their conversation has been changed a great deal, so that their new conversation fits inside the alternate universe better. Although, it was making these changes that made it so… Well, read and find out.
I will write the final part of the battle as soon as possible, where more action, violence, and magic can be expected, but not a lot of magic and no big reveals. But it involves heavy construction machinery, so that's something to look forward to. Oh! And cement! Because that stuff is always fun!
After the climatic final battle, there will be two more, fairly short, chapters and then we will have reached the end of the Land of Waves Arc. So far, it's been a great run, and I look forward to read your reviews.
Reviews are welcome and wanted!
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto
Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros.
Chapter 12: The Weapons Known As Shinobi
Kakashi remained as still as a statue while he weaved through four specific handsigns to initiate a technique he knew would ensure the outcome of this battle. Once he was finished, the masked shinobi knelt down low and slammed his bloodstained scroll into the smooth surface of the bridge with all his masculine muscular strength. The impact caused the solid concrete around him to crack until it looked like a spider web had formed out and around his hands as well as the scroll. The cracks spread out and the stone floor around him shook and vibrated while he forced an incredible amount of chakra into whatever technique he had used. The silver-haired man let out a subtle feral growl while he forced his chakra to come out and seep into the concrete. He then announced the name of his technique out of an old habit, though his voice was hushed so that he could still surprise Zabuza.
"Earth-Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!"
The masked man from the forest closed his eyes while more chakra flowed out through his hands and popped the earth beneath his feet and spread out across the entire bridge. It almost felt like there was something slithering through the rock beneath his feet, grinding through solid concrete, while it spread out all around him. But soon the vibrations ceased around Kakashi, but he still remained planted close to the ground with his hands and the scroll still slammed onto the once solid-smooth surface of the floor. He looked out into the mist and heard a chuckle echo out from his sword-wielding opponent. Instead of flinching with frustration at his taunt, he decided to wait while the last of the sounds he created vanish in an echo.
"It's all useless," the invisible man smiled, "What use are your jutsu if you can't even see me?"
Zabuza started to reach back for his bloodstained kunai and his smile continued to stretch and curved the white bandages wrapped over his mouth and made his facial expression almost obvious. The assassin used his advanced senses to pinpoint Kakashi's exact location and intended to eliminate him once he was could hear his heartbeat. He could still feel Kakashi's warm blood stained on his kunai and used it as an adhesive, so that he had a firm grip over his slick and reliable weapon. He anticipated the moment he would cut his throat and force him to watch Tazuna die at his hand, so much that he could taste it.
"You fell right into the trap…" he chuckled, "How sad, Kakashi Hatake… I thought you were a former ANBU captain… You should know better than to-"
The maniacal assassin was about to finish his sentence and make a surprise move when he heard a strange noise and froze. It sounded like a subtle rumble coming from beneath him; meanwhile he could feel a strange and familiar vibration beneath his feet. Once he recognized the vibrations, the blood in his brain drained down into his legs. Zabuza was surprised when a large set of white jaws and fangs erupted out of the concrete and solid chunks of rock flew up into the air and into his face. There were several more sets of sharp white teeth that blew out through the floor of the bridge and snapped at Zabuza's legs and pinned him down to where he stood. Through the dense mist, he was unable to see most of the creatures that attacked him when about eight more eruptions followed with a series of feral snarls and snaps. Zabuza let out a terrible shout and almost screamed when the teeth of these unseen animals dove their teeth into his unprotected flesh. He felt one last creature clasp its mouth and teeth deep into his left shoulder while he felt a massive set of claws be driven into his arms and a massive set of razor-sharp teeth sank into the massive muscles in his left shoulder. The assassin let out another terrible scream of anguish while he could feel all the warm blood ooze out of his freshest wounds and flow down his torso and legs. The screams and sounds of wild creatures echoed across the structure and reached the ears of Tazuna and Sakura.
The two patrons twitched and then shivered at the sounds of the unknown creatures.
Tazuna stuttered, "T-That noise… What is it?"
"I don't know," answered the untrained kunoichi, "And I don't wanna to find out…"
The old man muttered under his breath, "You're such a coward sometimes…"
"You want to go out there and check it out?" she retorted with a hot voice, "Be my guest, old man!"
Kakashi smirked when he heard the first several screams and then stood up tall as he let the scroll alone on the floor while he listened to the sounds echo around him. He listened as the screams soon stopped and he let his arms fall down to his sides in a detached manner. The masked shinobi looked ahead as he saw the mist around him begin to clear, second after second. He could see the outline of a monster in front of him as he continued to hear the sounds of the unknown beasts echo all around him with growls and snarls. It took a few more seconds but soon he saw Zabuza Momochi through the mist covered with several new friends.
The man was tackled underneath an onslaught of various hounds and dogs dressed in clothes and metal that resembled a shinobi's uniform from Konoha made for these animals; there was a large black bulldog with a spiked collar, a collie with white and light-brown fur, another collie with a lighter shade of grey fur and a black crest on its head like a mohawk, a smaller canine with tan fur and the kanji for shinobi inked onto its forehead, a larger hound that wore sunglasses over its face, a rare red-furred greyhound with white bandages wrapped around most of its face and snout, one more collie with tan fur and a white snout, and one last small, almost miniature, pug with brown fur, a blue vest, and a shinobi headband that it wore over its head in the same fashion as the pink-haired pariah hiding with Tazuna.
Kakashi smiled at all his animals and could see one of his favorite canines making its small contribution as the small brown pug had its teeth clasped around the ends of Zabuza's headband and hung around with its small hind legs dangling down towards the floor. The masked shinobi smiled at the assassin as the mist cleared enough for him to see his nemesis and all the blood that seeped down into the broken concrete floor.
"I realized that if I couldn't see the criminal, I would have to smell him out…"
Zabuza snarled at Kakashi and looked as shocked as he did when he first used the Sharingan to trick him in their last battle.
"Don't act so surprised. You should have known that it would come down to this. You didn't think I could or would use summoning jutsu in this alien environment? These are my trusted ninken. All of them can track down a targeted scent, no matter how far it might be… Their sense of smell holds no bounds…"
The assassin looked down at all the canines and was shocked to see and feel them all weigh him down and hold him in place at his legs, thighs, arms, and even his sword. The hound with the reddish-fur had its teeth chewed down onto the hole near the end of the massive blade. He could no longer move it; while the black bulldog had its claws lodged into his arms and weighed him down the most as it tightened its bite onto his shoulder. This caused even more blood to leak out and platter onto the floor and seep down into the drill-holes below him that all of the hounds created whilst attacking the criminal-assassin. Zabuza tried to break free with the assistance of his chakra, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape with the weight of all these animals weighing him down. He tried several more hidden techniques and secrets to escape, but none of them worked.
"How… is this possible?" he growled in question, "How?"
Kakashi answered him, "Back when I was cut and sliced with the kunai and Kubikiribōchō, the blood from my hand and chest was splattered all over your weapons as well as some of your clothes and skin… You failed to realize it at the time, but I let my guard down on purpose and allowed you to cut me… It was the smell of my blood on your weapons and clothes that helped them track you down… You stink, Zabuza… But it all worked out in my favor in the end… And what's this?"
Zabuza then realized that he could see Kakashi's torn clothes through the mist and the blood that leaked from his wounds. He looked around him and he could almost see the railings on either side of the massive bridge. His mist was starting to clear, as the increased pain from his new wounds caused him to loose focus and the technique to cover the area with mist was beginning to break. It would take several more minutes before the mist would be all cleared and his greatest asset aside from his female apprentice would be ruined. Kakashi smirked underneath his mask and taunted Zabuza now that he knew he was done for. The assassin shivered and shook with rage and frustration while he bit down his teeth and almost caused them to shatter like glass.
"The mist is clearing up, Zabuza. You know what happens next after this," the masked shinobi mocked like he did at the end of the last battle, "You're about to die…"
Zabuza then roared out, "LIKE HELL I EVER WILL!"
"Don't even think about it," threatened the silver-haired man as his opponent started to struggle, "One word from me, and the hounds will tear you into little pieces."
The assassin then shouted in a wild rage while he contemplated over an escape from his confinement, "Release me! NOW!"
"I don't think so, scum… You never did learn how to take a breath once in a while… You were always taking things too far and have been so self-confident… There was the failed Mizukage assassination and the attempted coup d'état… You ended up defecting from Kirigakure, and the hunter-nin were not far behind… You became a missing-nin whose name was well known, even in Konohagakure no Sato… We heard all about your reputation and now you're insane enough to actually go back and give it another go… But in order to do that, you need financial securities. And in order to obtain some of those, you became a mercenary for hire and ended up working for a parasite like Gatō… It's pathetic… You're a disgrace to shinobi all over the world… And I think it's about time someone put a stop to it…"
Kakashi pressed his hands together with a swift and powerful movement. He then weaved through four specific handsigns and grasped his right arm with his left hand. With the second sudden swift movement an incredible amount of chakra was blasted into his right palm. Kakashi's chakra was focused into his hand and it started to gather and change. The chakra that was focused tightly into his palm was then converted into a new form when it surfaced from his skin and ruined glove. There was a sudden spark and then there was a blast of electrical discharges that sparked and bounced in and out of his right hand until it looked like he held a solid bolt of lightning in his hand, like he was an ancient god in human form. Kakashi frowned at Zabuza when he felt his chakra manifest inside his palm and thrust it down towards the floor below him as he roared out the name of his technique while the electrical energies released an incredible amount of raw power.
"RAIKIRI!"
His chakra was so strong, that it was visible in the palm of his hand. Zabuza could not believe what he saw as he watched the chakra transform and could feel the electrical discharges vibrate inside his chest from the distance. The mist around the masked man from the forest was cleared as a bluish-white light radiated and flashed around him and cleared his sights and senses. The furious shinobi glared at Zabuza while he marveled at his opponent's newest technique and he had the nerve to still mouth off at him.
The assassin smirked, "What's this? Another copied jutsu from the pathetic Sharingan?"
"No," he answered back as he reminisced, "This is the one technique that I invented that has helped make me a legend in last war… I perfected it when I was thirteen years old… and it's thanks to Minato-sensei and Obito Uchiha that it works like a charm… No opponent I have ever faced has seen me use this more than once… In truth, most of them never had the chance to even see it whenever I cast it…"
Zabuza flinched and then let out several beads of sweat as he looked into both Kakashi's concentrated eyes. The true shinobi glared at him with the intention to kill, releasing his own killer-intent at the same time to let his opponent know how serious he was and that this was the end of their quarrel.
"I will never let you kill Tazuna…He's a brave man with a brilliant dream…" he said with a dangerous voice, "He's the lone heart and soul that remains of this land and all it's people… The bridge he's built will restore the lost hearts of his neighbors and bring the light and wealth back to this land… But you don't care… You're willing to sacrifice all that for a small score of cash… That is not what the shinobi do…"
The assassin threw the other man's speech right back into his face with a hideous face hidden under his facial bandages, "Spare me the lecture… I could never care less for the people at risk or any of their worthless and pathetic dreams… I will become the ultimate shinobi and I will take back Kirigakure no Sato…!"
"Give it a rest…" the masked man replied as he prepared the chakra in his feet to move, "You're the one that's about to die… Not me."
{{The Garden Meeting by John Williams}}
Naruto and Haku stood across each other as the silence between them continued.
The blonde-haired shinobi's heart almost stopped when he heard this request, and when it started to beat right again, it almost hurt. His heart pounded in his chest and the blood pumped into his ears and face when he thought about his deceased teammate and the chance to avenge him now that his killer was more than willing to accept death. He almost reached down to his weapons holster while his brain still boiled, but then he froze when he remembered the girl he had met in the forest and the time the two of them had spent practicing in the forest. The blood in his head drained and he turned cold as his heartbeat started to slow down and his hand relaxed. But then he thought about it some more, and his thoughts turned back towards Sasuke and when it was the two of them bickering in the woods and racing each other up the trees. He thought about how he and Sasuke started to act like two normal human beings towards each other and started to get along. When he thought about his fallen comrade, the blood started to boil again and he almost reached for the last kunai strapped to his thigh. His thoughts turned from person to person and the temptation to reach for his weapon turned on and then off, again and again.
But then Naruto took a breath and thought about what he should do as opposed to whatever his instincts wanted him to do. He didn't want to kill Haku in the same manner as his teammate was killed, but at the same time, he didn't want to kill someone that he took the time to know. If he killed the kunoichi that welcomed death, it would haunt him for the rest of his life. But at the same time, he couldn't let her kill his teammate and then leave. He didn't know what to do, and his instincts battled each other for several agonizing minutes. Haku waited as she watched the blonde shinobi struggle, but she was patient. While she waited, Naruto tried to reach for his kunai one last time before he realized that he would not be able to bring himself to kill her. He feared that if he did, the damage to his soul would not be able to heal. It was his thoughts about Lord Voldemort and the method required to create of Horcruxes that forced him to toss out his thoughts about revenge and let the existence of his last weapon slide out of his mind. It was about at that point where Haku became impatient while she anticipated her demise.
"Please, Naruto-kun… You have to kill me now…"
The blonde preteen stared at the kunoichi in front of him before he withdrew his weapon and made it look like he was about to make a decision, even though he had made up his mind.
"What are you waiting for?"
When he moved, the black-haired kunoichi was prepared to die, but then she flinched when her opponent tossed the kunai in a weak fashion and let the blade slide across the floor and bounce when it hit her wooden-sandaled foot. Naruto looked up into her beautiful marble-white face and tried to reason with her in the most controlled manner possible.
"Ok…" he started out slow, "I understand why you care about and protect Zabuza… But this is too extreme. You cannot feel the need to die if you lose one battle. All it means is that you need to train more and work harder and become stronger… This isn't what has to be done… You shouldn't have to die, Haku. You can live through this…"
She then answered with a dead voice, "There is no other option…"
"Yes there is! Stop being so damn stubborn!" he shouted back as he lost a little control.
The kunoichi still insisted, "You have to be the one to kill me…"
"Haku…" he hesitated for a solid minute before he admitted to her, "I can't do it… I'm just a genin… I don't want to admit it, but that's all I am… I cannot kill, not now… I might have done it before on accident, but I'm still not experienced enough to end someone else's life with the true intention and I might not be able to for a long time to come…I won't become a killer… Even now that Sasuke is gone… I still don't think I can do it… I might not ever be able to forgive you for what happened to him, but that does not give me the right to kill someone else in cold blood… I can't do it…"
There was another minute of silence as Naruto watched Haku begin to break down and watched as tears began to flow down her angelus face and ruin her geisha-warrior makeup. The shinobi watched, as she never once let out even the softest of sobs as she continued to create a trail of tears that ran down each of her cheeks. She never let out a single noise or even choked as she imagined the horrid expression on her master's face if he saw her like this. She let out a stressful breath and tried to wipe her tears on her sleeve while she removed most of the makeup on her face so that she looked cleaner. Once she had calmed down enough, her tears slowed down their pace and she spoke again in the same voice as earlier, but this time she sounded more stressed and upset.
"I cannot bear to see the look on Zabuza's face if he sees me like this," she said calmly, "Useless… He can't see me as useless… I would rather die than have him see me as a failure to the purpose I swore to… He would never forgive me…" she then raised her voice and spoke with more strength and seriousness, "I have to end this with honor… You have to be the one to do it, Naruto-kun. I cannot face that level of failure, I just can't face it!"
The blonde shinobi took one more deep breath and answered, "Haku-chan… Please don't force me to do that…"
"This was inevitable, Naruto-kun…." she tried to convince him as she picked up the fallen kunai and offered it to him, "You are a shinobi, and in our world, the kill is required to fulfill the mission… Please strike me down, and become a true shinobi… There is no other possible outcome…"
He then shouted back at her and almost caused her to flinch, "Yes there is! There is so much more to life and being a shinobi than to die on a battlefield or as some weapon or tool… You're still a human being… You have the right to do whatever you want. You have a free will and no one can take that away…"
"But the assassination…"
He continued with a loud boom and a roar of passion in his voice, "Forget the assassination! It's over! The task to kill Tazuna was doomed from the moment I asked for this mission back at Konoha! With Kakashi-sensei here, our mission will not fail and Zabuza will not win. If you want to keep true to your purpose and protect him, then you have to talk him out of this while there's still enough time!"
Haku had twitched and her black iris's almost shined when she came to the same realization as the blonde preteen. The color soon returned to her face and her eyes shined with more life while she started to feel that she was not as broken and useless as she believed she had become. She could not believe that she never imagined that possible outcome. Though she still had several subtle doubts.
"You're his companion, not a slave," he reminded her, as he thought of his invisible older brother, "After all this time the two of you have spent traveling together… after all those months and years with no one to hold or rely on but each other… He must have developed enough feelings towards you to listen to reason… I don't believe that he sees you as just some weapon or a tool… When two people spend that much time together with no one else to care about, a bond must have been formed… Zabuza must feel something in his heart, as black or hollow, as it might seem, given his reputation… But deep down he must still feel enough for you to listen… You might be able to convince him to end this and move on to the next client… That does not mean that this is a failure… It's less than a minor setback compared to what else could have happened…"
Haku stared at the blonde student for almost two minutes while she thought over what he had told her. She thought about Zabuza and the chances that the blonde boy could be right about her master. She remembered back when she lost her pet rabbit and Zabuza searched for it and returned it to her. He might have held it at the ears and it whined once or twice, but he still returned it to her safe and sound and even smirked for one second under his mask. Seconds later, she remembered when he had touched her for the first time in the form of an almost affectionate pat on the tasseled head followed with the time he had first fashioned her signature hair bun and haircut and became a shinobi at last. She also remembered when he set out and chose the outfit she wore throughout all their adventures until this afternoon. Her thoughts swam around her beloved master until she looked back at the orange-clad blonde shinobi and cracked a small but true smile at him and the tiniest blush rose in her marble-white cheeks.
"You… You might be right…"
Naruto smiled back at her and replied, "I know I am, Haku-chan… No one else has to die… You can leave with Zabuza and go somewhere else while there's still time… It doesn't have to end with death and despair…"
The blonde preteen tried his best not to think about the fact that his teammate had been killed several minutes ago. So to feel better about his decision to let Haku be free, he thought about the number of other people that could be saved if Haku was successful and convinced Zabuza Momochi to throw in the towel with this assassination mission and move on with their lives and bodies intact. Naruto would be able to save the Land of Waves and all it's people. He also figured there could be a chance that Haku would take an example from this incident and lead Zabuza down a habit and a road of success that did not involve claiming innocent lives and perhaps abandon his original ambitions and search for a new purpose in life with her at his side.
"You two can still run…" he said with hesitation, "and live…"
Haku looked down at her feet and then down at her hands while she manipulated the moisture in the air. She thought about what she could do with her master and the path she could lead him down should she succeed in changing his mind here. She didn't think far from what Naruto had hoped, when she imagined her and Zabuza walking down an open road towards a series of mountains and misty forests while she and the man she admired did nothing but talk and avoid capture from Kiri shinobi.
She said with hope in her voice, "I can still run with him…" there was another moment of silence as she looked over and noticed the pale corpse behind the blonde preteen, "Naruto-kun… I'm so sorry about Sasuke-san… I acted on instinct… But I have to tell you that I didn't kill-"
"Don't remind me about it…" he said as he looked back at his motionless teammate, "But… He had a dream too… Sasuke had a future before this…"
But Haku looked like she wanted to tell him something important, like there was a wonderful secret behind the Uchiha's demise, "But that's the thing. All I did was hit his-"
"Forget about it…" the shinobi insisted as he faced her and reached out his hand towards her with a small smile of his own, "C'mon… We can end this… With our alliance, we can end this mindless fighting…"
{{The Fire Scene and the Coming of War by John Williams}}
Back with Zabuza and Kakashi, the silver-haired man with the electrical energies in his wounded palm glared at the assassin while he prepared to strike. But he hesitated for one last moment. While the transformed chakra sparked inside and outside his wounded hand, the vibrations in his chest throbbed with pain while he hesitated and the slash on his chest oozed with more blood. Perhaps it was the amount of fluids he lost in this battle or perhaps it was out of sympathy, but he felt he should talk down to the assassin one last time. Give him one last short lecture. He didn't bother to clear his throat to collect himself and went right ahead into a short but sad conversation while he reminisced about his beloved deceased mentor.
"You know… Minato-sensei told me a lot of stories while I was a kid… He told me once that a shinobi could be damned in the afterlife, unless that shinobi can show remorse for his past sins at the last moment before their death… You can save your soul from damnation, if you can show one tinge of regret, Zabuza… Your choice…"
The wounded assassin grunted with a harsh voice, "Do I look like the kind of man that regrets his actions?"
"Yes… You do…" answered the masked shinobi as he examined the wounds as his trusted canines sank their teeth into the flesh of the assassin, "Last chance… What do you say?"
Zabuza then said, "If salvia could phase through solid cloth, I would spit on your feet, Kakashi Hatake…"
"That's a shame…" the masked man bent his legs and then he said, "Farewell, Zabuza…"
Kakashi then shifted his position and zoomed across the bridge at speeds too fast for even another shinobi at his own level could see. He turned into a dark and bright-blue blur through the mist as he reeled his arm back and prepared to thrust his fist right through Zabuza Momochi's throbbing heart.
{{The Fire Scene and the Coming of War by John Williams (continued)}}
Haku smiled as she approached the blonde preteen and was about to outstretch her hand and unite with him.
But then she sensed a disturbance. It felt as if she had dove into a pool of ice water when she heard the voice of her beloved master let out a terrible scream. This was followed with a sharp noise that caused her to feel all the more alarmed. She then felt a shiver run down her spine as she stretched out her senses towards the location of her master. She sensed a massive amount of concentrated chakra was created and whatever or whoever created it was about to attack Zabuza.
The kunoichi remained as still as a statue until she focused her rare chakra to a level she never thought another human being could be able to achieve. It was like her entire life force was put into the effort she forced with all her remaining chakra when she formed a standard handsign and placed it in front of her face. Naruto twitched and was alarmed to see Haku make the sudden move and look like she was prepared to attack. She then closed her eyes and ran through a complicated series of handsigns and used her focused chakra to enhance her speed to a level where not even Harry would be able to see even with his enhanced senses.
She knew what was about to happen and she had to put a stop to it. She put her whole heart and soul into the following techniques she was about to perform, but she first looked over at Naruto with the same true smile she gave him earlier and she felt that she might not be able to see him again. So she spoke to him with a soft and warm voice, which contrasted to her normal voice that reminded him and those around her of ice. Her cheeks flushed with color when she thought back to their time in the forests and trees before she focused on the present time and saw Naruto with a confused and alarmed expression.
Naruto flinched when it looked like she was about to leave or make a sudden attack.
"What is it," he asked in a panic, "What's wrong?"
Haku then said to him, "I apologize… It seems… that I still have one last purpose to fulfill…"
"What?" he realized and then dashed toward her, "Wait!"
She smiled at him one last time and said with a warm voice, "Farewell, Naruto-kun… Please forgive me…"
In an instant, Haku used the last handsign and she was transformed into a form of a transparent vapor that blended into the environment like a charm. She then became mixed with the water molecules in the mist and vanished like she never even existed. Naruto reached out to where he knew she was a second earlier, but all he felt was moisture in the air at his fingertips. He let his mouth fall open a little bit and looked down at the kunai Haku held earlier when it fell down to the floor with a loud clatter. Naruto turned in all directions around him, his face turned as pale as a ghost before he shouted out in bedlam and desperation.
"HAKU-CHAN!"
{{The Fire Scene and the Coming of War by John Williams (continued again)}}
Kakashi zoomed across the bridge with his right arm reeled back as he used his Sharingan to lock on to his target. He soared through the mist and made a clear path through it as the energies from the new technique, combined with his speed, blasted a clear tunnel through the environment. He let out a slow but loud warrior's roar as he ran towards Zabuza at top speeds. But as he soared towards him, Kakashi failed to notice as something strange happened the instant before he struck the final blow. He should have picked it up and avoided it, but it all moved too fast for even his advanced Sharingan to calculate. Zabuza didn't notice it either, until it was over and his heart was punched out of his chest in a more metaphoric sense.
The concrete close to Zabuza cracked open and released a clear column of moisture and cold air. It was a substance that was more substantial than vaporized water or mist, but it felt like a substance that was more similar to chakra. But at the same time, it was also so much different than chakra. The strange moisture was then manifested with the cold air and was transformed into a mirror made of solid ice in less than an instant. This new mirror was much thicker than the ones that were created and then blasted out of existence several minutes ago. This mirror was unique when the incredible amount of power that it radiated seemed to chill the air around it down to absolute zero, causing Zabuza's slow-motion breaths to become visible for one instant. The now-maskless kunoichi appeared inside the mirror for a fraction of a second before she vanished like she did when she would switch mirrors inside the ice chamber.
Zabuza's heart throbbed inside his chest until it hurt as he perspired out a sea of foul-smelling sweat. His face twitched and contorted with panic and fear as he tried to breath and watched Kakashi zoom towards him with the blade of lightning. Kakashi continued to let out his incredible, masculine roar at maximum volume as he reeled his arm back a little bit more and then thrust his fist into the chest of his nemesis, right through the warm beating heart he felt his electrified fingers breeze through and destroy.
There was a sudden flash of bright light and the impact released a large amount of tightly focused chakra once the technique blasted through solid human flesh and bone. There was a sudden sonic boom and a blast of air that spread out across the entire construction area. Sakura let out a scream and Tazuna flinched while Naruto looked toward the direction of the source of the sound with his face frozen with shock and fear.
'What was that?'
'I dunno… It almost sounded like… It almost sounded like a crack of lightning or something…'
'I have to see what it was!'
'Be cautious!'
Naruto sprint through the mist and noticed the kunai that was dropped earlier. He reached down low during his run and managed to whisk it into his hand and prepared for the unexpected while he ran towards the uncompleted end of the bridge, where he knew the others would be. Naruto and his companion noticed that the mist started to clear and that he could see the outlines of the various people that were scattered across the area. It was close to a construction area where he saw Kakashi and Zabuza around a clutter of inactive machines and stacks of solid steel columns. He couldn't make them both out well, so he continued his run towards the construction site until he could see both the men in their original colors again. The last of the mist around them seemed to vanish while the clouds Zabuza had created earlier remained until the winds decided to come in and bless them with clear skies again. Naruto could soon see the two men locked in place like wax sculptures and then he came to a stop. Once he could see the shinobi locked in place, he noticed a new figure was wedged in between them. The blonde preteen froze in place and felt like he had been dowsed with liquid nitrogen. His older brother in the mindscape saw it as well and he too froze as he felt the world become cold like a windless snowstorm.
'Oh dear lord, no…'
Naruto covered his mouth with his hands and felt his stomach twist and turn into knots as he felt the blood in his head drain until his face was as white as chalk.
'No… No…'
It was Haku.
She had sacrificed herself in order to protect her master from Kakashi's attack and keep the masked shinobi from advancing at the last possible moment.
But it had come with a price. She had a human hand shoved right through her chest with her back ribs bent outward through her back. Her heart was blasted into a million shredded pieces and her blood was splattered and spilled all around her and Zabuza as well, like she exploded from the inside. Her breastplate had been penetrated and her clothes around that region were shredded with the rest of her heart. More blood continued to spill out through the massive hole in her chest and splattered onto the floor to drench her wooden sandals. Kakashi looked shocked down to his core once he realized what had happened and found he was almost unable to move or even make a noise. Zabuza was shocked as well and couldn't find the will to speak or move, as he felt his apprentice's splattered blood run down his face. The hounds that had bound him all disappeared in explosions of white smoke as he noticed the scroll that bound them to the area had been penetrated with several ice-senbon that Haku had created and thrown in a pinch as opposed to avoiding the attack that doomed her. Zabuza still did not move even when he was free and felt the teeth of the canines vanish and relieve him. Instead, he shook in absolute shock and terror while Kakashi remained frozen once he realized whom he had struck. Naruto would have thrown up on the sight, had his invisible companion not tried to comfort him and patted his shoulders, but it did not help him much.
Kakashi was about to remove his stretched out arms from Haku but then he froze again when he realized that Haku had grabbed his arm in the flash to keep him from attacking Zabuza or herself but he was too strong. Haku looked at the masked shinobi and made an attempt to remove his arm from her chest and end the feud once and for all, but more and more blood oozed out from her mouth and prevented her from even speaking. As the blood continued to drain out in torrents, her lip trembled as she tried to remove Kakashi and hold on to her life at the same time. The mirror at her side, which was also splattered with her blood let out a loud crack and then collapsed into a hundred smaller pieces. Haku had used all of the chakra that remained inside her in order to attain the impossible speed and exactitude she needed to save her master from harm. As she felt the last droplet of chakra fade in turn with her life force, she tried to speak as she felt the world start to darken while her beautiful black eyes were still wide-open with shock and disbelief. Haku was unable to turn her head to face him, so she used her last breath to speak to her master one last time.
"Z-Z-Z-Z-Zabuza…" she stuttered through her lips but then her face softened as she let out one word that no one could hear but him, "… Father…"
With that last word, she was motionless, but did not falter or fall once the world had turned black to her. Her hands were still fixed around the shinobi's arm and her muscles were rigid and still, as if she had been petrified. Kakashi did not move or even breath as he felt the kunoichi fade and then she was no more. She still looked up at him with a blank expression apart from the smallest and most pure smile that had ever been seen on her bloodstained face.
"She…" he whispered to no one, "She's dead…"
Naruto tried his best to keep calm and resisted the urge to collapse in total defeat as he felt the weight of what happened fall upon him all at once. His teammate had died, and now Haku was gone as well. His companion continued to comfort him while the battle on the bridge ceased so that all the people involved could take one second to breath and take in the sight of this gruesome outcome.
The blonde shinobi let his shoulders fall and he said, "It didn't have to end like this…"
To Be Continued…
There we are. That's what made this chapter a bit more difficult to write. I'm sure a lot of people must be disappointed or upset with this decision. I don't like to write about tragedies, but it's essential to the direction I have in mind. Haku is in the next book (Chunin Exams), but it's clear that she isn't alive when she has her scene. Not to mention that her death is essential to shaping Naruto into finding his own path and creating his nindo.
Naruto: That's true, man.
AZ44: I remember that in the manga.
Haku is a wonderful character and I love fics where she lives/moves to Konoha/travels abroad with Zabuza and lives, but this is not one of those stories, I'm afraid. That's what made this so hard for me to write. But those that are upset or disappointed will be surprised with a little Haku-gift when Team 7 starts their trip back home! X3 It's a little bit of a gift to give them hope!
Naruto: What is it? What's the surprise?
AZ44: Is it something that will make Haku come back to life?
Kvsyaoran: (smirks) I can't tell. Spoilers.
AZ44: Not fair!
The next chapter will conclude the battle and as I mentioned before, and then there will be two more to conclude the saga! Both are short chapters those last two. I will get to work on them at once now that it's summer! Be sure to check out Naruto: Lord of Time and give Azeroth44 some support! He should post his next chapter in a few weeks. His layout is done, he just needs to connect the dots and write it all out.
AZ44: You better have told them, or else I'll would have-
Kvsyaoran: Look it's the Space-Jockey from Prometheus.
AZ44: (runs out in search of the Engineers) WHERE? GIVE ME THE ANSWERS I SEEK, WISE ONES!
Kvsyaoran: (Smiles) No, wait. They just want to give you a baby Space-Squid!
AZ44: (runs in the opposite direction) AHHHHHH! GET AWAY FROM ME, PROMETHEUS!
Naruto: Prometheus?
Kvsyaoran: I liked it. Not a perfect prequel to the Alien franchise, but I could see some dots connected here and there between the two films. As a movie by itself and not thinking about its connection to Alien, Prometheus was quite good. Until next time, fellows! Later!
