Difficult Engagements

Chapter 2

Itachi's POV

Kisame and I are on a simple diplomatic mission to The Water Country. We needed to ensure Konoha's partnership with Kirigakure stays stable so we can maintain our trade roots with the southern islands. With the last expansion The Kyuubi had exhausted a lot of resources, and our country needs a while to build them back up. We can not risk losing our access to their waters.

My thoughts are broken by the sight of two foreign soldiers. Dusty brown cowl neck tunics drape over their body covering most of their darker linen pants. Armor and weapon holsters scatter around both of their forms. The mark of Sunagakure adorns each of their uniforms.

This could be a problem.

They do not see my partner and I just yet. I do not believe they would be a threat to us if they did. We could take them out if necessary, but that would make us responsible for the first strike of this long going arms race between our countries. So it would not be wise for us to engage at all, especially in our current predicament.

It is such a curious sight to see them this far away from their own country.

There has been news of The Wind island hopping for a while, but I did not think they would be this far up. It's only been a year since hearing that. The Godaime Kazekage is getting too close to our territory, which is an interesting observation, considering they border us to the west.

However, we are in the east, and these soldiers are too close for comfort. It is only two of them so it could just be some rouge troops that got lost. That would be too convient of an excuse.

"We should follow them." I want to know more.

"Probably, but we have another mission." The shark wants to get this mission over with, he hates being back here. I do not blame him. I believe he is technically still considered missing from here, being one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

"Hn." He is right, our mission at hand is too important to be deviated by my wandering eyes.

Befitting its name, the village of Kiri, is surrounded by a thick mist and mountains. It would be quite difficult to locate if it were not for my friend Kisame. It's architecture is composed of several cylindrical buildings, the largest of which should be the Mizukage's domicile. Most of the buildings here have some sort of vegetation on its roofs due to the increased water content of the air.

Mei Terumi, the Godaime Mizukage, has worked tirelessly to reform her own countries internal policies and recreate diplomatic relationships with the other countries. Her predecessor left her with a lot of work, he was the reason for dark days of the Bloody Mist after all. The time where this country was impossibly full of runaways, rouge alphas, and anyone who needed a place to escape.

Konoha has been trying for the past couple of years on some good grounds with her, each request for a formal agreement has been politely declined. However, she managed to stay on good terms by allowing us to use her waters freely. With Sunagakure movements lately we need a formal treaty with Kirigakure in writing.

We finally stand face to face with The Mizukage. Mei is a tall Alpha woman with fair skin and long auburn hair that cascaded down to her ankles. She adorns herself in a long sleeve dark blue dress, with a very plunging neckline. Underneath her dress, she wears a mesh armor that attempts to cover more of her body.

She understandably does not seem to want to make note of Kisame's existence, so I take the lead.

"Greetings, Mizukage-sama." my partner and I both bow.

"Good afternoon gentleman. What do I owe the pleasure of such a handsome man in my office?" she eyes me up and down with a playful grin.

"Konoha is wondering if you had a chance to look over any of the treaty options we sent over."

"Oh, Konoha is wondering that? I didn't know a country could speak."

"The Kyuubi is wondering." I correct myself.

"If he's the one wondering, why am I talking to you?"

"My partner and I counsel directly to him, our words are essentially his own."I inform her.

"But they are not his own."

"I assure you, we speak for him."

"No one speaks for The Kyuubi, but Kyuubi." she is right.

"I fully understand where your unease comes from with the relations he had with your country during the years of The Bloody Mist, howe-"

"The Fourth Mizukage's nightmare is long over… quit talking about the old days." she says curtly.

My partner cuts in, "No one's here to reminisce about the good ol' days. We're here to talk about now."

"I have more than enough reason to not trust that your words are meaningless here." She eyes my partner up and down, knowing exactly who he is and what he's done. He backs off from this conversation.

"Our words might be meaningless to you, but I assure you our documents are not." I try to regain control.

"I read your documents, you want to build a military base on our lands?"

"Yes. See it as a gift to you and your country. You're trying to stabilize it after many harsh years, with our troops at your disposal you would have a much easier time."

"We have more than enough people in our territory ready for battle. So I don't believe such a kind gesture would be necessary."

"The Kyuubi insist upon it, the safety of our allies are of the utmost importance." I try to reassure.

"I am quite aware of how he treats his allies. I am very appreciative of the effort, but I don't believe it to be a necessary one."

"Not even with the expansion of The Winds territory? I heard they are getting dangerously close to your lands. We would find it more fitting if you were under our protection." I need to remind them of outside threats.

"As I said before, we are not short of soldiers on my islands. While I understand your concern for us, I do not believe more would be necessary." she pauses, "If The Wind were to find themselves in my lands they would see the same thing I am telling you."

"Of course, Mizukage-sama." I won't be able to get her to budge on this.

"What about the waters? We need exclusive access to that." Kisame interrupts again.

"Unfortunately, I still can not grant your country this request. My advisors suggest against such formal alliances now. I will still grant Konoha ships to use my waters freely." she says as diplomatically as possible.

"That is very kind of you, Mizukage-sama." I say before the shark has another chance to speak.

Her advisors are smart.

She is still focused on rebuilding trust with her people, so having a foreign power build a military base in their lands wouldn't help. Especially not Konoha, with our reputation it would signal to her people that their country would be over shortly. Possibly even sparking a rebellion calling for her head.

There are Wind Soldiers here, there's no doubt in every country's mind that the next big war will be between Konoha and Suna. She might just be biding time letting us both use her waters until it's clear who the victor will be. It is smart on her behalf, just not beneficial to Konoha.

For some reason it almost seems like there is more than that. Those two reasons alone should be more than enough for her reply, but something is missing.

We were at the end of the negotiation when she asked me this question, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"I heard some rumors that you're engaged to Kyuubi's child, Naruto-kun… is that true?" She was very interested in this information.

I don't believe he has formally announced our engagement to all of the Kage's yet, which is troublesome for the validity of our union. However, I do not believe I should announce it before he does.

"It is not my place to announce that information." If The Kyuubi hasn't announced it yet, there must be a reason.

"I understand. I just find it odd that he is so close to official age, yet I haven't seen him out all season. I guess I just missed the kid, ya know?" she's trying to cover up her real reasons for her questions.

"It is quite odd."

It is true there was no season for Naruto, not even locally. Despite the ceremony, this was all arranged for both of us without much fanfare or external eyes. Our engagement was more rushed than the traditional courting system, even within the confounds of an arranged marriage.

"You two can go now." She nods, then remembers, "Oh! Tell Naruto-kun I said hi. I have a gift for him, too. Someone will give it to you at the gate as you leave."

I do not know why I think it is odd that she knows Naruto personally, she is a Kage they would know each other. I just never assumed he had been out of the castle, and not to a place as bloody as the mist. She must have gone to Konoha.

We did as she said, though, we left her office and the town. Kisame does not want to spend more time here than necessary.

"For Uzamaki-sama," At the gates a man handed me a small box with a scroll in it as a gift to Naruto. It was very ornately decorated with symbols from the area. Perfectly sealed waiting to be opened by its intended receiver, it looked to even have wards against anyone else opening it. Even without them I would know not to open it.

Kisame roars into laughter the second he laid his eyes on it, "That Mizukage lady must not like you… Fucking bitch!"

"Hn?"

"It's what they give to Omegas with abusive partners around here. If he reads that thing his little Omega pussy will be able to bite your dick off before you knot into him. It's got a lot more defensive shit in there too… 'case they don't wanna go down that road. I thought the Alphas destroyed all of these." He looks at it with amazement.

"I'm sure the Mizukage is just being cautious." I say knowing the person who just handed me this would report anything I said right back to her.

He just snorted a laugh, "Whatever you say dickless. I don't know what you did. You pissed that bitch right the fuck off. But you know, what do I know?"

I wonder if I should even give it to him.

"It is always good to have a knowledgeable and safe Omega by your side. I'm sure knowing he can do that will keep me in check." I play the game for the guard.

"Whatever, just don't try to open that thing. It's got a weird-fucking-ward against alphas… or some shit. It will blow up right in your face if you even try." He gives me this warning pantomiming an explosion.

"I would never think to do such a thing." I glance over to the guard again, who's been witnessing this entire thing, "We will take our lead now."

We have to report back to The Kyuubi of our failed mission. We continued going west down the path, we wanted to make it to our boat before night time. We had to get out of here as soon as possible. While the current Mizukage is doing a good job reforming the country, it is still not a safe place to be.

A pungent smell of blood fills the air.

Bodies litter the area around our path. Kisame seems unfazed by this situation.

"Nothing's changed." he shrugs.

The lone body of a tall muscular man with gray skin riddled with needles blocked our path. He is already banadaged, but that seems to be more of a fashion statement than a marker of injury. The man had baggy black pants that were torn to shreds from the injury put to his body. His mouth is agape showing rows of jagged sharp teeth, a shark demon like my friend.

Blood drenched his body, there is no mistake about it, the man in front of us is dead.

"Zabuza?!" Kisame says shocked looking down at the bloodied man on the ground, that is the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Well, it was.

The dead man was a former high-ranking member of Kiri, ending his career as one of the Seven Swordsmen in the more bloody days. It is said before he was ten he had killed more than a hundred trained students single handed. The man is supposed to be a strong adversary, Kisame has told me of their days working together. The two had slaughtered many people in the name of Kiri.

But here the once mighty warrior lies dead.

Somebody powerful must have taken him Zabuza down. They are still around.

Before I can figure out where this threat is coming from, a Kirigakure Anbu Hunter stops in front of us. She, no he, an Omega, like Naruto, very feminine but still a man.

The slender frame of an Omega was covered in a standard Kirigakure pinstriped outfit which stopped at his knees. Over this he wore a green haori with white trimmings tied around his waist with brown sash. The boy's long hair was gathered in a tight bun, while two locks of his hair fell loose framing his mask.

He is here to collect the shark's body. I understand the importance of his job, no one should have access to the secrets that the body must hold. We are foreigners. Well I am.

Kisame is a defector from this country. When things got too peaceful here, he decided to leave to join The Kyuubi. War suited him better than me, he didn't kill needlessly but he loved the battlefield.

Before the younger man could take the body away, Kisame notices something to the left of us. I take note of it too, a large sword as tall as a full grown man shaped like a butcher's knife.

He points his own large bandaged covered sword, Samehada, at the boy and motions to the left of us, "Take his sword too."

"Huh?" the eyes glance over to the weapon imbued in the ground.

"That man is a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." my friend's voice took on an unfamiliar serious tone, "He does not go anywhere without Kubikiribocho. So. Take. His. Sword."

"I am afraid I won't be able to do that at the moment." He is right, he is much too small to hold both Zabuza and his weapon. He prepares to leave going west.

"Well then we'll just have to help you, now won't we." The shark says roping me into something from his past.

"That's not the direction to Kirigakure." I say outloud the second I notice this fact.

"Get your hands off him." Kisame commands.

The alpha command didn't work, he didn't even flinch, the boy must be mated to someone. I suppose that would be the only way they would let an Omega be an Anbu Hunter.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice." The boy is not afraid of Kisame's blade in his face, but he should be. That blade could drain the boy of all of his chakra in a matter of seconds. The air was heavy with the tension of a battle ready to happen.

The mist thickened into a sheet of ice in a matter of microseconds in between us and the Anbu. This is the cursed kekkei genkai of the Yuki clan… they are all supposed to be dead.

Everything went black.

Flashback

22 Years Ago

I was just a kid, but my father thought it was necessary for me to see what my future would one day hold. My clan were The Wolves of Konoha, the first to bite. Loyal to always sit beside the Royal Family.

The Third Expansion. The Kyuubi still wanted more. He craved more land… and for what? For this?

The battlefield was littered with bodies. I wondered about it for a while with no purpose. Nothing but the putrid smell of death and blood filled the air around us. Limbs were haphazardly flung around with no purpose or direction. Weapons broken and forgotten now imbued into the earth.

There was so much noise you can't almost could not tell what was coming from where. Metal on metal. People shout. Movement. Bodies hit the ground. All of this together is almost deafening.

Someone cried out for help.

My body moved on its own, running towards the unknown without hesitation. I can help someone. That was my mission. To help my fellow man on this battlefield.

I can do this. I can help them.

I finally found him. He was much older than me, almost as old as my father. He kind of even looked like my father. Medium length black hair framed his face, but he was much tanner than any Uchiha. He was in so much pain, that he could never attempt to hide it from twisting his face. There was a lot of blood.

Where is he hurt?

It was hard to tell at first with everything going on around us, as well as with everything going on with him. He was covered in wreckage and debris from the battle. First thing first, I laid him down flat on his back, moving anything I could off of him to better assess what was the situation.

His dark eyes were looking at me, they watched every action I did. I let him know "You're going to be okay."

I had to find out where all this blood was coming from. Most of the blood on him was collected on his left side. So I started there, examining everything I could through his tattered clothes.

His arm. I ripped off his already torn sleeve to allow myself better access to the injury. There was a large defensive gash, almost to the bones, on his forearms. He was going to bleed out, I had to stop it. Hemorrhaging was the leading cause of preventable death in trauma situations.

I would not be able to just apply pressure to it, I had to tourniquet the area and let medics find him later. Unfortunately, the process of applying the tourniquet on him would be extremely painful, and this man was already in a great deal of pain.

"I'm going to apply a tourniquet, okay?" it was not a question. I just had to let him know, he understood and nodded.

The standard Uchiha Med Kit came with a device designed just for these situations. I pulled it out and quickly attached it to this man's arm, above the wound but below the elbow. I did not want to cause long term injury if they had to remove this later. As soon as it is applied to the proper area I used the finger hole designed for better grip to pull back into the fabric strap.

The design of this device was very helpful in the extreme conditions we were under. There was a single route buckle that made application on this man's arm faster. The strong teeth had a superior bite on the tightly woven fabric as I pulled it back.

As I twisted on the windlass, hollow design for lighter weight, the man's face twisted as well. I had to push back the thought that I was hurting him. I was helping him, it just happened to hurt right now. I feel for a pulse behind the application, we are good now it is on tight now.

I used a black permanent marker to denote the time right above the tourniquet. I smiled. I did it. I did not know if he would live. I know I did my best though. I did everything right.

"You shou-"

Before I could finish his dark eyes widened, "Uchiha!?"

The man seemed to freak out at the idea of me being an Uchiha. My clans symbol is prominently displayed on almost everything I own, to clearly identify me as a member of the highest ranking clans in the nation. Why was he afraid?

He started to use his good arm to strike me, and as if on instinct I slaughtered him before he could do the same to me.

Why?

My father, who looked too similar to the dead man in front of me, appeared behind me.

"Father?" I asked, "Why did this man try to kill me?"

I paused, I tried to figure what I could have done, "I didn't do anything."

"This is war." my father said in a distant far away voice.

"War?"

"A war is not between people. It is between nations. That's why strangers kill each other without meaning." it did not sound like his voice, but a tape recording of a military guide book. It was something my father had heard over and over again until it took over his own voice.

I was the first child born to Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto. When the time comes I will take up the mantle of the head of the Uchiha Clan. As my father before me and his father before him. One day I will be forced to continue the legacy of violence that comes with being the right-hand clan of The Kyuubi. I would one day bear the title of, The Wolf of Konoha.

If I had it my way I would erase all of the violence of this world.

The smell of medical antiseptics and blood filled my nose while the bright lights blind my eyes, "Hospital?"

"Oh, hi, sorry about that." the omega from before said.

Out of combat he looked very different. The boy wore his long hair loosely allowing it to frame his hair however it wanted. Adorned on his body was a pink, sleeveless kimono, with pale red edges and decorated with small plum-coloured swirls, tied in a bow around his waist was a simple white obi. His neck was adorned with a dark-coloured choker right over a very obvious large mating mark.

"Nhnn." I'm trying to fight a quickly forming headache. The lights in this room are overwhelming my eyes.

In my confused state I tried to search for my partner Kisame. If the boy didn't kill me he probably didn't kill him either. I see a blue hand emerging from under a blanket. The smallest sight of my partner.

"You didn't kill us?" I ask to ensure he is still alive. I am unable to lift my body in any meaningful way just yet.

"If possible, I don't want to have to kill anyone. However, I do not want to die just yet, so if you were to have come at me… I will kill my heart with a blade and become a true warrior." he warns me.

"Why are we here?" he already answered one question, he should answer more.

"I didn't want to leave you two out in the open. As foreigners you would have been eaten alive out there. Despite her attempts, this place hasn't changed much over the years." his voice drenched in melancholy. "It also seems like you two know my mate, Zabuza-san."

"mm-Mate?!" Kisame's voice shouts, then grumbles to himself, "I didn't think a bitch could tie that maniac down."

"So, that's why you weren't affected by Kisame, your mate was next to you."

He pauses for a second not knowing what I was talking about, "Oh that? No your friend is just a weak Alpha."

"Come here and say that to my face!" he shouts, angry like a child being scolded for something. He uses his anger to regain consciousness faster than me.

"Why?" in almost a sing-song way the Omega continues, "I was able to disable you and your partner in a matter of a second. If you need more proof than that I am afraid no amount of explaining would get through your thick head."

He's right, he took both of us down without a sweat, and could have killed us right then and there. He still doesn't know our allegiance to his mate, but he risked taking us back to their hideout. Which means he's confident he could do it again.

I could use my Amaterasue and take him out right now. He's fast, but that should be faster. It would be a risk with us unable to move, but he would be gone.

No. I should wait.

"You guys should start feeling better in a few hours. Until then just rest." His scent is a calming buttery soft scent of the water iris. Almost undetectable, but a warmth reminiscent of freshly baked bread surrounds it. I can not fathom why a beautiful omega would be with one of the Seven Swordsmen, The Demon of the Mist, no less.

He locks us in this room. I don't blame the safety precaution. It is not a hospital, but it's got enough medical equipment to rival that of most small towns. Thick concrete walls with no windows, it looks to be an old bunker. We're probably underground then.

There's no way out unless we comply with their demands. No wonder he's not worried. We are at the Omega's Mercy.

After an hour the heavy metal door unlatched and swung open. I prepare myself for anything.

"I see you've met, Haku-kun." the once dead man said to us almost as if he was ashamed of us meeting him that way.

"Zabuza, ya bastard, aren't you dead?!"

"It's like that sometimes."

"The fuck are you still doing here? Thought you would have left years ago, man?" Kisame says rolling the knots out of his shoulders.

"Unfinished business."

"Don't tell me you're still on that shit?"

"And if I am?"

"I'd say your still fucking stupid as ever." he smirks, "Nice to know things never change."

I look at him to elaborate, he doesn't.

"After we get paid for our last job, we should have enough money to do it again… if you're interested?"

"Naww man, as fun as that sounds - I got better things going for me than fighting a losing war."

"We're going to win this time."

"Really? You lost last time. The time before that. History likes repeating itself ya' know." he said more wise words in that second than he said this entire week.

"There's more on the like this time."

"Means there's more reasons to cut and run, fuck this place. You can't clean it up - Neither can that Mizukage-bitch. This place is long gone. Hell, it never fucking was." he reasons.

"Then why are you here?"

"Diplomatic mission for Konoha."

"The Kyuubi?!" malice bites from Zabuza's lips at our leader's name.

"Yeah-Yeah, don't want to hear it. I work for him now. You can suck my dick if you don't like it."

"You judge me, but work for that fox?"

"The fox at least knows how to win." this is going to end in a pissing contest.

"Our mission is over, we need to return back to Konoha." I try to redirect the conversation to us getting out of here.

"Yeah-Yeah, your desperate to fuck your little princess at home. I hear you loud and clear. Give me a minute here." Kisame reasons with me.

"Nothing you say will change my mind." The other shark stands his ground.

"You're better than this place."

"I'm not."

His omega finally enters the room, "Zabuza-san, we-"

Before Haku can interrupt, he is interrupted by my friend, "You're doing this all for that omega-bitch, right? You stay here. He dies. Something that sweet doesn't live here long, you know that."

"He's strong enough to take you two out. He's more acclimated to this climate than you think." the Alpha praises his Omega.

"Can't negotiate with stupid." Kisame spit out.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about Zabuza-san like that." Haku came to his mates' defense quickly.

"It's fine, we have to go anyway. My boys got his own bitch back home he wants to fuck. Can't keep blocking him from that." he assists me into leaving this place.

"I advise you to wait here for a few more hours to heal up." the younger man says, then looking over to his mate, "Our patron should be here shortly."

Kisame looks at me to see if we can stay here a little longer. I still do not know what unfinished business he has. I definitely don't want to be involved in it, but I will be. I just nod.

The air felt still this morning, as if it was calm before a storm.

Flashback

20 Years Ago

The air felt heavy around my brother and I. It was a night full of thick silence that filled every room in this house. We were in the calm before the storm. Most of the Uchiha were already out of the main house prepared for something I was not made aware of at the time. Their absence left me to protect my newborn brother by myself. The baby cried, feeling the tension left in the air, desperately trying to fill it with something else.

My only duty that night was his safety.

"Don't cry Sasuke." I slowly rocked him back and forth in a comforting manner, "No matter what your big brother has you."

A creaking sound, that almost could be mistaken as wind, rips its way through the house. Behind us the walls tore right in two with a loud ripping sound, collapsing in a heavy heap around us. The momentum of the blast perpetuated us forward and on the ground. The dust was blinding, the sound almost deafening, and the rubble would bury us alive.

I had to get my brother out of there.

With my hands fullI struggled to get back onto my own two feet. Protecting my brother against any more falling debris I cup my chest around his young body. My body was used as a shield for anything that could possibly want to hurt him.

Through the fresh crack of the house I could see a large fox destroying the Uchiha Compound. Many individuals from my clan and some others tried to subdue the large creature, none were successful. I could tell at a glance of the red-orange fur, that was supposed to be our fearless leader, but he was doing anything but leading that night. He was striking fear into his home country.

I could not be distracted, I carried Sasuke around the corridors of the compound to find a place where we would be safe. There was no luck to be found without a plan. Even though I didn't feel like I had the time, I had to stop and make one. I needed to know where I was going next so I wouldn't end up trapped in a corner with no way out.

"It's okay, you'll be okay." I kept trying to comfort my younger brother.

He was far too young to even understand what is going on, but not too young to feel it. I could not react the same way though, I had to set aside my feelings of fear. I had a mission.

There was a safe house not too far from there.

I planned the route in my head, the exact way to get there from here. My escape plan had us escaping from the main house through the freshly made opening. Once outside people were screaming all around us, unlike them, I stayed calm. I knew where I had to go, while they were amless, running around to wherever felt safest in the moment.

A wall from a nearby building broke in front of the two of us. The destruction from the blast blocked my first planned route, it is okay, I had a back up planned. I quickly ran down the next street, to make a quick detour back onto the road to safety. Sasuke does not understand this plan, he was still crying in my arms.

I tried to calm my brother down, "Sasuke, it's okay. You got a little scared huh?"

Within the wreckage of our home there were piles of dead bodies around us. It's almost the same type of carnage as before… But this was a massacre not a war. It was not two sides competing against each other. It was the same side destroying itself from the inside out. It was the leader of our land, the Hokage, who decided to demolish our property at a whim.

Sasuke's little hands desperately cling onto me. He needed me to be his safety. My mission is to keep him safe. We eventually found a large gathering of people who surrounded our father.

"Dad?!" Upon the sight of him I knew, Sasuke and I were going to be safe.

"I knew you would be alright." my father looked down at me with my brother in my arms, he fully trusted my abilities.

He was not going to stop anything to worry about our safety. He trusted me with that ability on my own. I knew in that moment I would never be afforded the luxury of someone protecting me, I was the protector.

"Just about everyone has been evacuated!" a random soldier said to him. He was having other houses evacuated before the main one, the one his sons were in.

"The Wolves are to remain and protect the civilians." My father said to the group.

"But captain?!" The random soldier seems scared.

"It's Kyuubi's orders!" My father barked out the orders of our leader.

The Kyuubi must have gone feral and with that my father's duty tonight was to protect the city from our leader. It did not feel right.

Before my father does his next job he ensures that my brother and I get escorted into a safe house on the mountain side. It felt like too little too late, but it kept us safe.

I would learn later, The Kyuubi going feral happened because of complications during the birth of the crown prince. The stress from trying to protect his mate from the invisible attack of a hard labor was too much for him. He was a man used to physical attacks, so he went on a rampage. The story says the attack stopped after Uzamaki Naruto had his first cry.

Our old house ended up being destroyed in the attack. After that day our entire clan was moved to the outskirts of the central region of Konoha. The remains of our old compound were leveled into new training grounds. Our new compound was built up far away… for our safety.

Life begins, and life - dies.

"Thud - Thud - Thud" Three loud banging knocks could be heard ringing through the entire bunker.

It did not sound good. The bonded pair in front of us also noticed that this was not a good sign. Both tensing up to the expected visitor's announcement of arrival.

How unfortunate.

"Kisame, I apologize. It seems like I've gotten you into another fight." Zabuza mentioned the inevitability of our situation to us.

"I expected it." he says preparing his newly awakened body for battle. He does not wait to know whether or not I am on board with his business. We both follow the bonded pair out of their hideout.

There is a short fat man in a business suit surrounded by thugs. How cliche.

"Gato." Zabuza holds his hand out, "The money."

"Sorry, buddy, you and I both know you aren't getting that today." the balding man states to us. All of his goons around him are preparing for a fight. It is a lot of men for just two people, they weren't expecting us, so it is a little overkill. It is almost a small army. It does not make sense, all of this not to pay a debt?

"We did the job. We get the money."

"I wish It was that easy… unfortunately we found out what you wanted to do with it… it doesn't make a lot of sense for us in the long run." Everyone keeps dancing around what the Demon of the Mist wants, I assume some sort of rebellion at this point.

"That's not how this works, old man." his hand still stretched waiting for payment.

"That's exactly how this works. Your future will be death." Gato says.

We stand at the still point before battle, the moment before the first strike. Where each party knows where this will go but neither wants to start it yet. Tension sits in the air for the first person to make a move.

Of course, it is Haku.

Sheets of ice separate us from the other group. Effortlessly the young omega transports himself between each sheet and breakneck speeds. If it was not for my sharingan I would not be able to see him at these speeds. He is able to take out the first row with his needles before a group of them are able to break one of his ice sheets.

Zabuza uses this as an opening to join the battle himself, with my partner joining closely behind him. The boss tries to hide himself behind his small unorganized militia. Each of them swinging erratically at the group trying to get as many of them as possible. They quickly get separated from each other in the blood bath.

Haku reforms the shield. I assumed the ice shield was to protect Zabuza, with him on the battlefield that does not seem to be the case. He should have no interest in protecting me, so there must be something in this bunker he does not want anyone to acquire. I am thinking too much into it, he's much faster in the ice.

Within the chaos of the battlefield, somehow Zabuza managed to lose his sword. It took a lot of people losing a lot more for this to happen, so it seems like a fair trade.

"Oh you've really fucked up this time, you disappoint me Zabuza." Gato gloats assuming victory as Zabuza was held in place by a group of the mob boss's men. He was preparing a finishing blow onto the alpha.

Before the final strike, a sheet of ice comes between the two, shattering on impact of the blow, in its place now is Zabuza's Omega. Haku as always quickly came to his mates' defense.

"Did you say my future would be death? Off the mark again, Gato." the Demon of the Mist gloats this time.

Haku grabs onto the mob boss's hand keeping it in place. Blood pouring out of the new wound in the Omega's chest, pooling to the front of his body. His mate stands in shock, before the final look of recognition.

"Don't touch Zabuza with your dirty hands…" Haku's last words.

"You did great, Haku." Zabuza's final words to his mate are words of praise, words of a job well done.

Haku did seem like such a great Omega, his final actions in life proved it. The boy's only thought's of his Alpha. Protecting his mate at all cost, his own life. By holding the boss's arm in place, shattering it in the process, it gives his Alpha an opportunity to strike their former leader.

Before Zabuza's final strike Gato was able to back off with the use of his men, being pushed behind a wall of safety. Zabuza just laughs at this feeble attempt, or possibly even shock of what just happened. The leader discards the omega throwing the body across the field as he's pushed further back into safety. The same wall of bodies between him and the other as before.

"Give me a weapon!" Zabuza shouts. Like they have done this one hundred times before Kisame tosses him two kunai. Perfectly rehearsed. Perfectly executed.

Dual wielding the new weapons now he is able to work his way through all of Gato's men. A left swipe over one of their necks, just enough to get him to back off. Then another he kicks away. He doesn't care to kill any of these men. They aren't worth his time, because they could never stop him no matter how much they wanted to. He is practically feral, his chakra surrounding his body in the form of a shark.

The left arm becomes disabled first, someone uses their sword to cut just deep enough to make the pain unbearable to wield any weapons the user might need for support. He doesn't care. He still doesn't care when the right arm becomes disabled later as well. This time a good kick to the hand makes it lock up long enough that he is unable to hold a grip on his new kunai.

He doesn't let anything distract him from his goal, kicking mostly now. The swordsman creates himself a perfect line right to the man himself, the man of the hour, Gato. He strikes him with his sharp shark fangs ripping open his neck in a feral fashion. In one second what was once alive, dies.

The scent of blood fills the air of the mist as if in the old days. Two of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist have spilt blood together. A harbinger of a memory of an era long passed in this country.

Faintly coughing can be heard in the background, and even fainter a soft voice begs out in the bloody fog waiting to be found, "Zaaa..bu..za."

An Omega calls for their mate. A sound that soft would usually be unheard by anyone else but their bonded pair. To their Alpha, however, that whisper might as well have been a loud scream cutting through the mist. The swordsman's neck snaps right to the noise, any traces of becoming feral left his face.

I have an urge to help him achieve this goal. There's still enough of the path he made earlier to make an opening for him. With quick movements of my hands, I extend them out to create two walls of black fire between the remainder of the path that was forged by Zabuza Momochi. Allowing the swordsman to fall back to us under my protection. Zabuza doesn't waste any time, he goes straight for his Omega.

"Your leader is dead. There is no reason to keep fighting." I bark at these men, I am the Wolf of Konoha, the first to bite.

The group hesitates, not knowing which path to take, do they stay and fight for a dead leader or run to their safety. The group disperses, choosing the right option. With no one to lead them they will be lambs for the slaughter. The few remaining of the group realized that quickly enough after a quick standstill. They dispersed themselves back into the mist where they came from.

Collapsed on the ground Zabuza looked over to his Omega, then back to us "Do you know of any jobs? Anything outside of the mist will do."

Kisame just laughs a sad laugh at the two as if to say, I told you so.

"There might be a job for you in Konoha." I don't know what possessed my body to say this. If he was someone Kisame trusted, he was somebody I could trust.

After a long week of what was supposed to be a peaceful mission, I finally made it back to the Royal Family's Castle. Kisame and I debriefed The Kyuubi on everything that had happened during our mission to The Water Country. Everything in me was spent, there was nothing left in me.

Until I see him. Sitting in the garden reading a book, a beautiful young man, Naruto.

Someone who was never touched by war. Never once was his skin marred by any battle. The boy in front of me only knows a life of peace and tranquility. His life never left the palace, his soft blue eyes never had to see the things mine have. Looking at him everything felt peaceful for the first time in a long time.

I wanted to protect this beautiful flower. I never wanted him to leave this place. I never want him to feel what I have felt. I need him to stay protected behind these walls.

He looks up from his book and smiles, "Itachi-kun?"