Three Years Ago
He can't move. Part of him knows that's a problem. Part of him knows that's a big problem.
Most of him is panicking.
He's going to die. He's going to die right here and right now.
He can't die here, he still needs to kill that man except how stupid is that, thinking he could ever be strong enough to defeat his brother because he's weak, pathetic, not even worth fighting but he's worth killing because that's what's going to happen, Zabuza is going to kill him and he won't be able to do anything about it –
"Sasuke."
Sensei's voice yanks him out of his panic.
"Sakura, Naruto," Sensei continues, and even with the mist ruining most of his vision, he can see that Sensei is giving them a determined look. "I will protect you."
Just like that, he relaxes. Because Yamato-sensei is sending out Positive Intent to counter the Killing Intent, an absent part of him realizes.
"Protect them?"
Zabuza's voice, low and menacing, seems to come from everywhere at once. It makes him tense up again in an instant, panic back in full force.
"You can't even protect your client."
And then Sensei is throwing a kunai and Sakura is moving – kicking actually, she's kicking Zabuza's leg because Zabuza appeared behind Tazuna and is about to kill him, except Sakura's kick, despite being panicked and sloppy, ruins his balance enough that the kunai finds its mark, digging into his stomach.
Water gushes out instead of blood.
"Or yourself."
And then Zabuza – the clone bursts into water and then Zabuza is behind Sensei, too fast for Sasuke to do anything but watch as he swings his sword – it slices through wood and Sensei is behind Zabuza and slitting his throat with a kunai but water gushes out again and Sensei is ducking beneath Zabuza's sword because Zabuza appeared behind him and then they're fighting, disappearing into the mist too fast too follow and part of him is aware of what Naruto is doing but mostly he's panicking because he doesn't know what to do –
"Summoning–"
Naruto aborts his summoning with a yell, forced to leap out of the way of a kunai flying almost too fast to dodge, the mist making it even harder to spot.
And suddenly he can move again.
Sasuke darts forward and grabs shuriken and wire, hiding the wire in his palm and positioning himself so he can cover Naruto. Sakura started to do the same but she fell back when he moved, grabbing a kunai and giving Tazuna a quick glance. Because they need to cover him as well. Right. He'd forgotten about that.
"Naruto, get rid of the mist," he says, mind racing as it didn't before.
They need to get rid of the mist before anything else. He can hear Sensei and Zabuza fight, but the sound is distorted, impossible to pinpoint even a general location. Trying to spot them is just as useless. The most he catches are fleeting shadows, and the perspective is all screwed up. The only thing he's certain of is that he's between Zabuza and his friends. Mostly Naruto because he'll be vulnerable while casting his technique, but if it's something worse than kunai, he can cover Sakura as well.
First things first. They need to get rid of the mist. Right now they're sitting ducks.
Naruto races through hand seals. This time there's no attempt to interrupt him. Is Sensei preventing Zabuza from doing that? Or does Zabuza not think it worth the effort to interfere unless Naruto tries to summon?
"Wind Release, Concussive Gale!"
Naruto spins around with his arms spread wide, ruining the attack power of his technique but letting him blow away the mist from all sides.
Zabuza and Sensei are closer than expected. Sensei has gotten a sword from somewhere – unsealed it? – and is using it to redirect Zabuza's own, deflecting the huge blade just enough that he can slip past it. They're exchanging blows almost too fast to follow and Sasuke is thinking, is trying to come up with a plan but everything he thinks of is useless. It's unfair how fast Zabuza is moving, how fast his stupid sword is moving!
And then Zabuza moves way too fast - punch, kick? - and Sensei's sword is broken and Zabuza is kicking Sensei away, kicking him towards the lake actually but Sensei skids onto the shore instead. Sasuke is so relieved. Mist nin means water is a kill zone.
Instead of going after Sensei, Zabuza rests his sword on the ground. Positioned to propel him towards Sensei, part of him notes, but most of his focus is on Zabuza. He looks... considering? Sasuke thought he could only look evil.
"ANBU, huh?" Zabuza says, sounding almost normal despite still sounding so scary as well. Same as when he 'politely' introduced himself. "No wonder I haven't heard of you."
And that's when Sasuke registers his actual words. Sensei is ANBU? That explains why they couldn't find him in Kakashi's bingo books.
"An impressive deduction," Yamato-sensei says calmly. Like this is just a normal conversation and not, you know. A battle to the death.
Zabuza lets out a derisive scoff. He ignores the way it makes him, Naruto and Sakura jerk.
Sakura moves her hand. Asking for orders. Sasuke also realizes she's looking at him in a way that means she wants him to come up with a plan. He should have noticed that sooner.
He's distracted from planning because of the talk happening.
"Not really. You tree lovers are a disgrace to swordsmen everywhere. Fight one and you've fought them all."
"I suppose that to a former Swordsman of the Mist, we must seem subpar," Sensei says and Zabuza's eyes narrow. The movement was quick, caught only because he is standing still, but there was annoyance there, maybe even anger. And it appeared when Sensei called him a former Swordsman of the Mist.
Despite now really not being the time, Sasuke can't help a burst of humor. Seems the Demon of the Hidden MIst can dish out trash talk but can't handle getting it returned.
"You know what else you tree lovers are known for?"
Every bit of humor disappears when Zabuza looks at them, another wave of Killing Intent threatening to make him freeze.
"Sentiment."
Sasuke hears Sensei start to chant – earth technique – but he's busy spinning around and throwing his shuriken, though he doesn't know why he's doing it.
He's doing it because he caught a glimpse of Zabuza – another clone? – about to attack Sakura.
Sasuke is so glad that Sakura is already dodging. With a squeal. Part of him realizes she was being weirdly quiet before. So was Naruto.
Naruto has yelled and grabbed a tagged kunai, and Sasuke is grabbing more shuriken to throw, but then an earth spike forces Zabuza away – must be a clone, it's moving slower than the real one – and he stops to reassess. The spike catches some of his shuriken – sloppy throw, need to work on that – but others get through.
The clone dodges both his shuriken and the new spikes shooting out of the ground. Sensei's technique forcing the clone away from them. Sakura takes the opportunity to yell at Tazuna and drag him out of the kill zone. Tazuna stumbles along, wild eyed, deathly pale and clutching his bottle of sake like his life depends on it.
The clone is still being forced back, and with Tazuna out of the way, Naruto can use explosion tags -
"Sensei!"
Naruto's yell makes him jerk his head back – stupid, shouldn't have taken his eyes off them completely! – just in time to see that Zabuza is about to engage Sensei in close combat. Taking advantage of his grounded position. Sensei can't lift his hand from the earth without cancelling his technique.
Naruto throws his tagged kunai and that's risky, except it turns out it isn't because Zabuza uses the tip of his sword to alter its trajectory so fast that Naruto doesn't get the chance to detonate it. How did he know it held an explosion tag? Naruto wraps them around the handles to prevent that!
The earth behind makes a noise different than that of a spike shooting out, making him glance back at the clone – can't forget about it, it can still go after his friends – He sees it dissolve into water, impaled by sharp protrusions sticking out from the last earth spike. Then he sees Zabuza engage Sensei from the corner of his eye and he quickly returns his full vision to them.
Sensei is on the defensive. Without his sword, he isn't capable of deflecting Zabuza's blade, meaning he has to dodge every hit. Sasuke thinks Sensei might still be getting in his own attacks but it's hard to tell over needing to see him dodge, dodge, dodge!
"What do we do?" Sakura demands and alright, what do they do? Close combat is out, and Sensei and Zabuza are fighting too close together to use big techniques or explosion tags. And while an illusion might be able to distract Zabuza a little, the odds are too low to base a plan around it, even with him and Sakura casting one at the same time. There's also the fact that they can't leave Tazuna unprotected, meaning if the two of them cast an illusion, Naruto will need to cover them and Tazuna both. With an opponent like this, that isn't a one man job.
They need the pack.
"Naruto–"
He cuts himself off. If Zabuza interfered before because Naruto was trying to summon, telling Naruto to do it out loud would be a big mistake.
He's just about to use hand signals instead when Naruto, looking determined, starts racing through the seals needed to summon. That makes things easier.
Unfortunately, Zabuza reveals that the reason he interfered before was indeed because Naruto was trying to summon. Kunai fly through the air – one, two, three – almost too fast to follow.
Almost is all he needs.
He hooks wire onto shuriken and throws them before snapping his wrist and using the wires to ensnare the kunai and make them go wide. A rush runs through him when he succeeds.
The rush is obliterated when another clone appears behind Naruto – just how many are there? – making Naruto yell and abort his summoning and Sasuke is moving to support him and so is Sakura – an earth spike shoots out the ground and impales the clone, making it burst into water.
Zabuza kicks Sensei onto the lake.
This is bad. This is very bad.
Zabuza is already running after Sensei while Sensei twists around so he'll land upright on the water, and Zabuza is moving too fast for him to cast a technique so Sasuke throws more shuriken instead, and Naruto throws a tagged kunai and Sakura is racing to cast an illusion - balance disruption - but she won't be in time, and Sasuke is frantically grabbing more shuriken, doesn't know what to do, only knows he needs to buy Sensei enough time to get off the lake!
Zabuza dodges his shuriken without even looking at them and grabs Naruto's kunai in the same movement, throwing it away before Naruto can detonate it. Sakura is still casting her illusion.
Sensei lands on the lake - is being pulled under the surface, completely submerged just as Zabuza reaches him and they've got to do something – wood shoots out of the water. Zabuza leaps back to avoid getting skewered, looking shocked but Sasuke is far more focused on Sensei, back on the surface and blurring through hand seals too fast to follow.
"Wood Release, World Of Trees Wall."
The earth shakes and Tazuna falls down as countless branches shoot up, weaving together almost too fast to follow. And then there's a wall of trees in front of them, hiding Sensei and Zabuza from view. Behind it, earth rumbles, wood groans and leaves rustle on a scale he's never heard before.
Sasuke realizes that he's gaping. Given that Sensei is using the Wood Release, he thinks he can be forgiven for that.
There's a deafening roar – water, he absently identifies – and suddenly part of the wall is being torn apart by that water – not aimed at them, their position out of the kill zone – and he hears Naruto and Sakura scream, screaming for Sensei he thinks but the noise is making it hard to tell – and then it's over. Water rains down, leaving behind broken branches and what is a deafening silence compared to the noise from before.
The trees start moving. Receding into the ground like they were never there. The only evidence left is a scarred terrain.
Sensei is standing on the shore. Sasuke almost runs to him but he catches himself in time. Sakura does too.
Naruto doesn't.
"Naruto!"
Sakura's yell makes Naruto halt.
"Tazuna," he adds. Reminding Naruto of their mission.
Naruto is - scared - torn but then he becomes determined. He quickly falls back, and then he starts summoning. He doesn't finish the technique though, holding it steady instead. A kunai is ready to cut his hand open and finish the final step.
Sasuke adjusts his own position to one that will better let him protect Tazuna, his shuriken ready to be used. Sakura completes the formation, a kunai in hand as well.
Tazuna, sprawled on the ground, is wild eyed, deathly make and shaking like a leaf. His breathing is irregular and way too fast.
He doesn't move as they position themselves around him. Good.
The formation they take on lets all three of them see Sensei, though only from the corner of their vision in his and Sakura's case. While Sasuke does his best to keep watch of their surroundings, he can't help but keep most of his attention on Sensei.
Sensei signals the all clear.
They run.
Sasuke skids to a halt in front of Sensei and frantically inspects him, looking for injuries and only absently aware of Naruto's and Sakura's panicked babbling as they attack Sensei with a hug.
Yamato-sensei is drenched, making it difficult to see if he's bleeding. Naruto and Sakura being in the way isn't helping. Sasuke is pretty sure that Sensei isn't bleeding though. His clothes are damaged and one of his sleeves is torn off, but there are no cuts on any of the skin he can see. Bruises, a lot of bruises, but no cuts. And he isn't holding his weight like a really painful wound, meaning a really serious one, would cause.
There is a very deep gash on Sensei's forehead protector, uncomfortably close to an eye. But there's no broken skin.
Sasuke lets out a harsh breath, dizzy with relief. Sensei is fine.
He realizes that his eyes are closed and that he's leaning against Sensei when he feels Sensei's hand on his neck, a chakra not his own whispering over him. He also realizes that Naruto's arm is beneath him. Because Naruto is still hugging Sensei.
"I'm unharmed," Sensei says in a calm voice, making him relax even more. Naruto lets out a wail of relief, and when Sasuke opens his eyes and looks at him, he sees that Naruto has buried his head in Sensei's stomach and is crying. Sakura is standing on his other side, hugging Sensei just as tightly and crying as well. Sasuke feels his own breath hitch and tears rise, and he suddenly wants to hug Sensei as well. He wants it so much.
He realizes that he can't. Because he's already holding Sensei's pants. Apparently he put his weapons away so he could do that.
For some reason, he can't let go.
"Zabuza and his associate got away," Sensei continues in that calm voice, letting go of him and laying his hand on top of Naruto's head. His other hand is touching Sakura's neck. Taking her pulse, Sasuke realizes. Probably checking for injuries too, given the chakra he felt. "The danger is over."
Sasuke starts crying. The danger is over.
Naruto gets his arm out from beneath him and uses it to pull him close. Sasuke hugs him back.
He's scared.
Yamato-sensei strokes his hair. This time there's no whisper of chakra.
It's still comforting.
It takes a while before they're ready to stop crying. After they're done, they open their eyes and look up at Sensei.
They don't let go of him.
"You did well," Sensei says in a voice warmer than it's ever been, but now that he's no longer so scared, Sasuke realizes that something... something is wrong with Sensei. "All of you did very well."
"...So everything is okay now?" Naruto asks, not at all comforted by Sensei's words. Sasuke understands why.
Yamato-sensei's face is completely blank as he looks down at them. Not unreadable like he often is, normally he has an air of... of something.
This time there's nothing. It's creepy. Very creepy.
"Everything is okay now," Sensei assures them in an even warmer voice. It would have been nice if not for the way he was looking at them.
"Then why do you look..."
Sakura falls silent, not knowing how to say that Yamato-sensei looks... he looks wrong.
Sensei lets out a soft ah, sounding as if he's realized something.
He smiles. It's warm and proud and really weird to have him look right without warning.
"Did you just..."
Naruto looks like he can't believe what he's seeing and also kind of like he wants to laugh.
"Yamato-sensei, did you forget how to smile?"
What kind of question is that? Obviously he didn't forget that. Did he?
"It doesn't happen often," Sensei says like there's nothing weird about forgetting how to smile. Sasuke looks at Naruto and Sakura, unable to believe what he just heard. They look back with the same disbelief.
He snorts.
Naruto bursts out laughing and so does Sakura, and then he's laughing as well and they really shouldn't be laughing. Sensei almost died, they almost died so there really is nothing to laugh about.
But Sensei forgot how to smile.
He laughs harder, vaguely aware that Naruto and Sakura are getting louder as well.
They fought Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist. They found out that Yamato-sensei is a Senju and an ANBU.
And they learned that Sensei sometimes forgets how to smile.
They said they wanted more exciting missions than D-ranks. This is definitely more exciting. He isn't sure yet if that's a good or a bad thing.
And Sasuke wonders. Are all their real missions going to be like this?