Chapter 14
(Follows chapter 25, 26, 27 of the manga)

"Sensei!?" Sakura blinked, looking confused as Kakashi continued to stand before Zabuza, staring him down. "What's a Kekkei Genkai?"

"It's a genetic trait... running through the bloodlines of certain shinobi families." Kakashi explained, "Some of the most extraordinary techniques are handed down from generation to generation solely on that basis..."
"You mean...!?" Sakura gasped.
"It is in the same class as the sharingan eye." Kakashi nodded, "Which means even my eye can't copy, or break the boys Kekkei genkai."
Sakura was surprised, and became worried that her two team-mates were in such a dire strait.

Naruko had finally risen to her feet again.

"Enough..." she mumbled.
"Oh? Had enough already?" Haku asked.
"No... But it won't end like this." She continued, "I have a dream to fulfil... to be the best in my village."
This made Haku pause for a moment as he remembered his own dream.
"I find it hard to fully accept the shinobi philosophy." Haku said. "I can't help but prefer you not force me to kill you... but if you insist on pushing, then I shall stay my own heart, and act as a true shinobi would."
Naruko and Sasuke both looked at the images of Haku, still wary of imminent attacks.
"This bridge is a nexus of our destinies, and all of our hopes and dreams balance on the edge of a knife." Haku continued. "I have my own dreams, just as you have yours, and just like you, I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect the one I most care about... to fight, kill or die to fulfil that person's dreams. That is my dream, so if I have to kill you to fulfil it... so be it."

Sasuke and Naruko grinned, they felt the same way about their own dedication to their dreams, and whether Haku meant to or not, he had actually spurred them on.

"SASUKE!!! NARUKO!!! BEAT THAT GUY!!! DON'T YOU DARE LOSE!!" Sakura shouted.
"Sakura... don't cheer them on." Kakashi then said, making Sakura blink, surprised. "Even if they found a way to break his technique, they still could not win against him."
"Wh-what?!" Sakura gasped, what did he mean.
Zabuza though knew exactly what Kakashi meant, an it made him laugh.
"Those two have not yet developed the mental strength to take a human life." Zabuza decided to explain. "That boy is has lived with the kind of emotional anguish that prepares him to be a true shinobi. No TRUE shinobi could ever be born to a place like your peaceful village, void of death and pain, void of the struggle to survive. You will naturally lack the mindset to kill."
Sakura looked nervously at the demon ninja, his eyes so cold.
"M-Master... what do we do?" she asked Kakashi.
He just stared at Zabuza for a few moments, he had no choice, he had to end Zabuza quickly so he can get to help his students.
He reached up and began to removing his Hitai-ite.

"Heh-heh... Going to use the sharingan?" he scoffed. "What a vulgar manoeuvre. So obvious, so lacking in finesse!"

Sakura was happy to see that Kakashi was going to reveal his best weapon.
But before he could, Zabuza attacked him with a kunai, hoping to stop Kakashi. But Kakashi stopped him with one hand, as the blade passed right through him.
"Sneer all you want at my 'lack of finesse', but it doesn't change the fact that you're afraid of the sharingan and me." Kakashi said, still ready to reveal his eye.
"A ninjas weapon should be revealed judiciously, not displayed to every random opponent." Zabuza scoffed.

"You should be privileged, not many live to see the sharingan a second time, and no one will ever see it thrice."

"Heh-heh... by all means, defeat me, but you still don't have what it takes to defeat Haku."
That statement scared Sakura, was Haku really so powerful. "I since he was a boy, I have beaten his fighting skills in to him, and he has no problem with dying. His skills even surpass my own, and he even has the added benefit of a Kekkei genkai. I have forged him in to a weapon I carry with me, unlike the useless tools that tag along with you."
Kakashi frowned as he finally revealed his sharingan, "Is there anything more boring than listening to someone brag." he said, almost mocking Zabuza.
"Just so you know... to steal one of your own statements... 'the same trick won't work on me twice.'" Zabuza chuckled. "During our last encounter, Haku observed our fight. He is a very intelligent young man, and to see a persons skill, allows him the chance to analyse it and come up with a countermeasure."
He laughed as the mist that was already around them grew thicker and thicker, causing Zabuza to fade from sight. If Kakashi couldn't see him... then his sharingan would be useless.

Back in the ice mirror cage, Sasuke and Naruko were still ready for an attack at any moment.
"Sasuke... we have to stop reacting... we have to go on the offensive." Naruko said.
"Shut up, and stay alert, I can't fight him, and look out for you." Sasuke frowned. "There has to be a limit to his chakra, his attacks are already getting weaker. We just have to suck it up, and stay alive... then we'll have a chance."
Suddenly, there was an attack, and even thought they both moved, they still got caught by a few of Haku's senbon.

Sakura was now back protecting Tazuna, her kunai out and ready. Even though she was nervous, she knew her duty, and stood firm and ready to defend their client at a moments notice.

Kakashi meanwhile was facing off against Zabuza's mist concealed attacks, and even though the fog was so thick, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, Kakashi still used his other senses to fend off against Zabuza's stealthy onslaught.
Low whipping sounds could be heard, like the flapping of an insects wings. He recognised the sound as kunai zipping through the air, and in an instant, he used a kunai to counter the attack by parrying them all away expertly, even as there were at least a dozen in quick succession.

Zabuza himself soon attacked the copy ninja. "You overestimated the use of your sharingan." Zabuza said,as he moved around in the fog, hidden, striking out from time to time, taking Kakashi by surprise, even though he managed to block a few hits. "Your sharingan is a clever hoax; a confidence trick to psych out your opponent, while all you can do is mimic, to prance around like you can see the future, using visual hypnosis to cleverly put me off balance." Zabuza struck out, hitting Kakashi, causing him to move back from the force. "And in knowing that, it is simple to come up with a countermeasure... I first conceal myself in this fog, so you cannot see me as I sneak around you. And then when I do come in close, I close my eyes so you cannot hypnotize me."
"But if I cannot see you, then you cannot see me." Kakashi said.
"But you forget... I have been trained in silent assassination... I specialize in hunting by sound alone." Zabuza laughed with confidence.

Kakashi was nervous, he had been so focused on his concern for his students, he hadn't properly prepared himself for this fight, he knew he had to calm down and focus.
And as he did, he realised that Zabuza was not attacking him, which meant he was going after someone else.
Kakashi suddenly moved as Zabuza appeared behind Sakura and Tazuna to strike, but Kakashi was there to cover them, but it was just a moment too late to defend, and ended up getting sliced down his front.

As Sakura screamed out, Sasuke turned, "That was Sakura!" he said, what was going on out there, hidden in the shroud of fog.
"Hey... I thought you said we had to focus." Naruko said, noticing the moments lapse from Sasuke.
His reply was just a frown to his female partner, as if to tell her to shut up.
He did realise they were getting more and more injured, and he knew that if this kept up, they would not last much longer.
Sasuke knew his eyes were adjusting, but not fast enough.

Haku knew something was changing, Naruko and Sasuke had believed he was taunting them, but in fact no matter how accurate he shot out his senbon, Haku was unable to hit them. Especially Sasuke, they were both faster than he had ever expected, but for Sasuke, it was different, he was reacting faster than he was moving.
"You move well." Haku announced to Sasuke. "But you won't evade my next attack."
Sasuke looked ready, but knew he had to focus, to push himself harder, to see through the illusion, any sign, anything...
And as Haku's senbon shot out in a stream of needles, Sasuke moved, and even grabbed Naruko, who hadn't even yet realised, practically tackling her to the ground.

Haku was shocked, Sasuke hadn't hesitated, he wasn't fooled, or confused, and as Sasuke looked to his enemy, he knew why. Sasuke had awoken the sharingan that was native to his clan, although it looked incomplete, it was still enough that Sasuke could now see Haku's movements.
Sasuke also knew something had changed, he could see so much more now.
Haku didn't want to waste a moment though, his own technique took a lot of chakra.
"I can see now, that the longer this fight goes on the greater your perception will get." Haku said, "Especially since you can already see me."

Haku began to ready another attack, but just as Sasuke readied himself to defend, he realised that Haku wasn't targeting him, but Naruko, who was still getting back to her feet.

Kakashi meanwhile, was still stood between Zabuza and his target.
"Heh-heh-heh... your desire to protect these brats of yours has clouded you more than my fog has." Zabuza laughed, "I'm going to enjoy this Kakashi, paying you back for what you did to me will be a great pleasure. And Haku should be finished with those other brats soon enough, and I'll soon send you to the afterlife to rejoin them."

As Sakura heard these word, she felt like she wanted to do something, to help them, but all she could think of doing was shouting, "SASUKE WON'T BE SO EASILY BEATEN BY THAT MASKED KID... HE WON'T EVEN BEAT NARUKO!!" she screamed, she had confidence in them, she believed they would win, they had to win.
"You're right." Kakashi said, making everyone blink. "I have faith in them both... Naruko's unpredictability and Sasuke is heir to the most superior bloodline of Konoha."
"You mean?!" Zabuza blinked, realising.
"Yes... His full name is Uchiha Sasuke." Kakashi said "And he holds the kekkei genkai of that clan."
Zabuza just stared as he disappeared once again into the fog.
"So... he may be Haku's equal... but no one has ever seen through Haku's technique... no one."

And like that, Zabuza disappeared once again.
"Sakura... protect Tazuna." Kakashi said as he moved after Zabuza. "I'll finish this quickly."
Sakura nodded and once again took her defensive position.
"Did you hear that Zabuza." Kakashi said as he disappeared in to the fog too "I too was once a part of the ninja assassin corps... I'll show you the kind of ninja I was back then."

Naruko meanwhile was sitting, her eyes wide as she looked to Sasuke, who was stood before her.
"You idiot... I told you... not to get in my way." he mumbled. Naruko looked over to see Haku on the ground, having been knocked away hard by Sasuke.
"S-Sasuke?! You..." she smiled before realising something. He face dropped when she noticed Sasuke was covered in senbon... and bleeding.
She looked so shocked, almost unable to believe the sight she was seeing.
"G-get that look off of your face, you screw up." He said, weakly, but with a small smile on his face. "I... I used to hate you... you know..." he mumbled to himself, as if trying to work out why he covered her.
"W-why would you...? Why did you...? W-why me?" Naruko asked, just as confused, "You... YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO... I'M NOT SOME DAMSEL!!!" she cried out, which only made Sasuke groan.
"H-How should I know..." he said, "My... my body just moved on its o-own.... idiot..."
But as he said that, Sasuke fell backwards, right into Naruko's arms.
"S-Sasuke?!" she gasped as she held him, blood running from him on to her.
"I... swore... I wouldn't die... until I killed... my brother..." Sasuke weakly said, "That my oath... would keep me alive...." Sasuke looked up to Naruko, who looked down at him concerned, and as she was fighting back tears. "Don't... don't you... die..." he said, before passing out.

Naruko's eyes widened as she looked down at her team-mate, she had always hated him, they had been nothing but rivals since they joined the same team... but as she looked down at him, she saw something else... someone she cared for, a team-mate... a friend.

Haku was getting back to his feet though, "He struck one blow before sacrificing himself to save you little girl." he said as he stood back up and began to return to the ice mirror. "He was a true shinobi, worthy of the utmost of respect, and threw himself into an obvious trap t protect someone he cared for." As Haku melded once more with the mirror he continued. "This is the first time you've lost a comrade in battle... this is the life of a ninja."

"...shut up." came a angry female voice.
Naruko held Sasuke as a single teardrop fell on to him. Naruko's body trembled as the area seemed to grow denser, even making Haku feel a little reserved as he watched the blond, her chakra rising.
"I'll... never forgive you." She growled as she looked up, her eyes red, and a slit now instead of a pupil, her eyes looking feral, her face angry like never before, her fangs had even grown a little, as she seethed and growled in fury. "I'M... gonna... KILL YOU!!!!" She screamed.