*heavy sigh* i fail at life...this is probably the shortest thing i've ever written on here... but i needed to end it now, cause i wanted to leave you in some suspense... *evil laugh* anyway, i'll see if i can make the next chapter longer, to make up for it. :D
oh, and sory if the dialouge is super crappy. i'm getting it from an online manga reader, so i can't be sure of the accuracy. XP i tried to smooth it out, but it's still kinda choppy. so yeah, sorry about that.
anyway, enjoy!

Zabuza chuckled humorlessly. "Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, I presume?" he asked. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you surrender the old man?"

Kakashi didn't respond, staring coolly at his enemy, his hand stilled by Zabuza's words. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naruto's confusion, having never encountered the Sharingan before. I also saw Sasuke's shock and puzzlement at hearing about the eye.

These were minor things, though, recorded and stored away in the back of my mind for later. The greatest part of my attention was focused totally on Zabuza, watching for slight shifts in movement that would suggest when he was about to strike. My body was tensed to spring, ready for the moment when the fight would begin. Snickers had disappeared somewhere, probably hiding in the bushes, like I'd asked her to. That was good; it meant I wouldn't have to look out for her once things got dangerous.

"Surround and protect Tazuna," Kakashi said, not taking his eyes from Zabuza. "Do not enter the fight. That's the teamwork here."

The three genin did as they were told, and I moved to stand beside the old man, though not close enough to be an actual part of the formation, because I really had to clue as to how I would help. I'd probably do more harm than good, truthfully.

"Zabuza, first…" Kakashi said, finally pulling up his mask and revealing the Sharingan concealed beneath. "You need to fight me."

An expression of shock crossed Naruto's face as he saw it, but I was too busy studying the eye to really pay attention.

It was beautiful as I thought it would be. The red eye sparkled in the daylight, the black pupils sharply contracting the gorgeous ruby color of the iris. It was like its own precious stone, hard and glittering. Kakashi saw my stare, and I smelled the slightest hint of amusement from him before his face beame serious again, ready to face down Zabuza.

Said man was decidedly unimpressed by the whole show, and commented with a hint of sarcasm, "Ah, I already get to see the famous Sharingan. I'm honored."

"Sharingan?" Naruto repeated, sounding irritated for not having a clue what that was. "What the hell is that?"

I answered almost automatically, the main part of my focus still on Zabuza. "Uchiha Clan Kekkei Genkai. Allows the user to see and predict the movements of his opponent, then copy his jutsu and use it against him."

Everyone, including Kakashi, looked at me blankly. I looked up and realized what I'd just said. Whoops. From a different country, remember, baka? I smacked myself mentally. That was going to come back later and bite me on the ass, I just knew it.

For now, I'd just cover and hope for the best. "What?" I protested, putting on an offended look. "The massacre of the Uchiha Clan is a huge event, so naturally I'd hear about it, right? And I got curious, so I did a little research. Satisfy you all?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly, mentally applauding myself for coming up with that so quickly. I think I deserve a mental cupcake for that…but the big scary man on the sword is talking, so I should probably listen.

Indeed, Zabuza was talking. In fact, his topic of choice just happened to be me.

"Despite her method of discovery, the girl is right," he said. I frowned, not happy about the way I was being addressed.

"Excuse me, but I'm probably the same age as you, thank you very much," I retorted hotly, before realizing that being snippy would probably get me killed faster. Damn. Wish I'd remembered that sooner.

Luckily, Zabuza seemed unfazed by my snappiness. He actually laughed, which sent a shiver down my spine, as much as I respected the guy later in the series.

"When I was a member of the Hidden Mist's assassin team, we were all given a bingo book, a sort of who's who of ninja," he said, seeming to enjoy talking excessively, which was a bad habit of all the Naruto characters. "It had quite the extensive write-up on you. Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja…the man who's copied over a thousand jutsu."

Kakashi didn't let anything show in his eyes, but I could see he was tense, waiting for the moment when Zabuza would strike. I was waiting for that too, even though I knew it was coming up soon.

Confusion flickered across Sakura's face as she contemplated the possibility of there actually being someone more amazing than Sasuke. I snorted quietly, though I knew that wasn't really what she was thinking. Sure did seem like it, though.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was busy trying to figure out why Kakashi had a Sharingan eye when he was clearly not a part of the Uchiha Clan. I snickered to myself. You'll never figure it out… the evil part of my brain sang gleefully. Hell, I hardly knew myself. I just knew that the eye was from Obito. I didn't know why or how it got there.

"Now…" Zabuza said, pausing for a moment. "Let's end the talking." I tensed. "I have to kill that old man."

Shock registered on Tazuna's face, and his heart rate jumped painfully. My own blood was rushing in my head, and I was alert for the slightest movement.

Of course, Zabuza wasn't quite finished yet. "But, Kakashi!" he said. "It seems I have to beat you first."

Finally, everything was abruptly thrown into motion.

In a blur of movement, Zabuza ripped his sword from the tree trunk and disappeared, reappearing in the middle of the lake in front of us. Water swirled around him as he made a hand sign, the mist already starting to converge.

The genin and the old man gasped, but I bit my lip so hard I drew blood. Getting so close…

"Hidden Mist no Justu," Zabuza said, and faded away.

Oh shit.

My tail bristled, and my eyes darted around, looking for him in the suddenly thick mist that enveloped us. My brain told me that it was useless, but my body ignored it, still on alert.

"He'll come after me first," Kakashi said, staring into the mist directly in front of him. "As a member of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza was known as an expert in silent killing. You don't even notice until you're already dead…" I shivered.

"It's not like I can use the Sharingan perfectly. You guys be careful," Kakashi went on, and I saw him flick a quick glance in my direction out of the corner of my eye. Everyone fell silent, waiting the moment when Zabuza would strike.

"This mist is getting thicker!" Naruto shouted, looking around. I saw that it was true. I could hardly see Kakashi in front of us, even with my enhanced vision.

Suddenly, Zabuza's voice floated out of the mist. "Eight choices…kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, neck vein, brain. Which should I choose?" The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I shivered involuntarily. I took a quick glance over at Sasuke to find him trembling uncontrollably, bound by fear of Zabuza's jutsu.

Suddenly, Kakashi spoke. "Sasuke, calm down. I'll protect you guys even if it kills me." Sasuke paused and stared at Kakashi.

"I'll never let my comrades die!" He punctuated the words with a smile through his mask, and I felt a momentary sense of relief at the now-famous statement.

"We'll see about that!" Zabuza said, and appeared right beside us.

Before I knew what was happening, I was leaping backward through the air, my bandanna falling off my head, letting my hair stream out behind me. I twisted in the air, placing my paws exactly where they needed to be, and I hit the ground in a crouch, ready to leap into action.

Suddenly, I realized something was off. Everything was too big, and everyone was staring…

I looked down at myself.

"What the hell?!"