Recap: Sara and Naruto have graduated from the Ninja Academy and passed Kakashi's test, however the pair are now stuck protecting Tazuna, an annoying bridge builder. They have proven themselves worthy of being genin by defeating Zabuza, or at least they thought they beat him. Now they're training for round two.
Training Day
All of them shouted at Kakashi, "Climb trees?"
"That's right…" Kakashi stated.
Naruto thought, what a waste of time!
Sakura asked, "How would that qualify as training?"
"Listen up you four," Kakashi said. "This won't be any ordinary tree climbing. You're not allowed to use your hands."
Naruto shouted happily, "That sounds like fun!"
Sakura gave Kakashi a skeptical look, "How?"
Kakashi made a hand sign as he said, "Watch and learn." He concentrated for a moment before he walked up the trunk of the nearest tree, crutches included.
They all watched him in wonder. Naruto said, "He's climbing."
"With his legs and feet parallel to the ground!" Sakura exclaimed.
Kakashi was hanging upside down from a branch as he said to them, "That's it in a nutshell. Focus all of the energy of your chakra toward the soles of your feet and use that power to cling to the trunk. When you have full mastery over your own chakras, this is the kind of thing you accomplish."
Sakura shouted, "But, Kakashi-sensei… How will learning to climb trees this way make us stronger?"
"I'm just getting to that," Kakashi said sounding slightly annoyed. "The point of it all, the goal is greater mastery over the chakras…"
Sara decided to tune out at that point, she had already heard the reasoning behind mastering the chakras. Who would've thought that that stupid Chakra Dancing class I had to take back when I was only in the girls class would pay off now! I have a pretty fair amount of control over my chakra, but this exercise will help me even more!
"…Now no more talk," Kakashi said finishing his lengthy explanation. "It's time for action. The only way to learn is by doing." He tossed four kunai to the ground in front of each of them. "Use the kunai knives to score the bark at the highest point you can climb to. It will serve as a reminder for later. Your goal is to make a mark on a higher spot each time you climb. I don't expect any of you to reach the treetop on your first try. A running start will probably give enough momentum for a good first effort. All right?"
Naruto snatched up the kunai knife in front of him and said, "No sweat! I could do this one before breakfast! I'm the fastest developing ninja on this team!" Sara rolled her eyes. Now look what you've done Master Kakashi! (Sara had decided to forgive her teacher for the time being.) All that praise has gone right to his little brain!
Kakashi said to Naruto, "Less talk and more action. Choose your trees and up you go!"
Right—Focus my chakra in my feet… Naruto thought beginning to focus. All of the others were doing the same. They all charged the trees as Naruto said, "Ready or not! Here I come!" Naruto didn't even get up his tree, he slipped and hit his head after one step.
Sasuke made better progress, but not much. He made it a foot or two off the ground before he had to stop. Sasuke landed neatly on the ground and thought, maintaining focus is a lot harder than expected… Too much force and the surface's own energy repels you. Too little, and you'll never adhere in the first place so you end up like Naruto.
Kakashi was watching the entire time, taking in everything. Huh… There is the difference between Naruto and Sasuke in a nutshell.
"This is easier than I thought!" Sakura said excitedly from her branch that was level with Kakashi's.
"Sakura?" Naruto shouted, not knowing what else to say.
Kakashi said, "Well, it looks like Sakura has the best control over her chakra."
"Hey, Master Kakashi," Sara said from her branch that was a good distance above him.
Kakashi stared in shock, "How did you-? Never mind. It looks like our young ladies have out shown the boys."
Naruto shouted, "Nice job, Bright Eyes! And Sakura you're incredible! That's my girl!" It really bugs me that I can't do that!
Sakura lowered her head when she realized that Sasuke wasn't paying attention. I wanted to impress Sasuke… But the only one who noticed was Naruto…
Kakashi thought carefully about what he was going to say before he said it, "Well, understanding the use of one's chakra and being able to manipulate it is quite an achievement. Sakura is probably the closest one to overtaking our leader, Lord Hokage. Despite all of Naruto's boasts. And the finest hope of the Uchiha clan doesn't seem too impressive either.
Sara glared down at Kakashi, once again it's good job to everyone that doesn't have some creature within them!
Sakura shouted angrily, "Kakashi-sensei how could you!" Sasuke's going to hate me now!
Kakashi looked up at Sara and motioned her to come and talk to him. Sara stared at him for a few seconds, before she turned away and ignored him completely as she went back down the tree. Kakashi sighed. I really need to figure out what I'm doing wrong! He turned his attention to Naruto and Sasuke, Within them Naruto and Sasuke harbor such massive untapped reserves of chakra that Sakura's is nothing by comparison. If this lesson goes as planned, then by the end of it, we should be able to tap those vast resources. Kakashi turned his head to look at the trunk of the tree as he heard an "ahem". Kakashi was startled to see Sara standing on the trunk. "I'm glad you decided to listen to me," Kakashi said cautiously, I need to watch what I say with her so I don't offend her… Which I seemingly keep doing.
Sara replied, "You wanted me over here right?"
"Yes, I wanted you to know that I didn't mention you, being Hokage or anything, because…well, I really just wanted Naruto and Sasuke to get motivated and I didn't think you being better than Naruto would motivate him enough." Kakashi waited for her response.
Sara thought about what he said carefully, it's true that I beat Naruto all the time, and I know Naruto keeps trying to catch up, but…he's right…Sakura was the better choice to use. "Okay, I get it," she responded.
Kakashi sighed with relief, "Good. Now go back to training." He said more softly, "And keep staying ahead of them, I want you to push them. I know for a fact that Sakura will not be able to do that."
Sara was struck dumb. She couldn't believe what Kakashi had just said. In so many words, he said that I was best…at the moment. She nodded quickly to Kakashi, before she bolted down the tree, ready to for more training.
Handcuffs
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sara were training rigorously, while Sakura lay, exhausted, on the ground. Kakashi was watching over all of them as they did their own things. It looks like Sara is getting tired, he thought as Sara came down from her tree after scoring a mark only a few inches higher than the last. "Sara," he said. "Why don't you take a break? You look like you're dead on your feet."
Sara glanced quickly from Naruto, to Sakura, and finally to Sasuke. What does he think I'm like? Sakura? He has another thing coming! Sara gathered her chakra and made a running start at the tree, determined to show that she did not need a break; she easily passed her mark and kept climbing, higher, satisfied by the image that she created of an astonished Kakashi. Without warning, her left leg gave out. Startled, Sara lost control of her chakra, and began to plummet to the ground. She barely managed to score a mark against the tree to show how high she had gone.
Kakashi watched helplessly as Sara plunged, at break-neck speed, towards the ground. I'm not recovered enough to help! He watched in amazement as she contorted her body to twist around in mid air, she did land on her feet.
Sara felt the impact of the ground as pain shot through her left leg, making her crumple to her knees. She panted, more from the shock of the ground, then from fear. Eagerly, she looked up to see how high she had gone. She smiled in satisfaction as she gazed at her mark, a good seven feet from her last.
Kakashi hobbled as quickly as possible over to Sara, to see if she was okay. He realized with a jolt, that she didn't seem fazed by the fall. He noticed that she was looking up at the tree and followed her gaze, his eyes widened in astonishment. She made that much progress in one go? No normal genin should be able to do that! "Sara," he said cautiously. "Perhaps you should rest a little. That fall could have ended disastrously." In response, Sara got up and walked away from the tree. Kakashi sighed in relief, happy that she had listened for once.
Sara walked a few steps away from the tree, before she gathered her chakra. Once she had the right amount she said to Kakashi, "I didn't fall due to lack of chakra, I slipped." She bolted past Kakashi and up the tree.
Kakashi watched her closely. Once she passed her last mark he began estimating the distance she was putting between herself and the mark. Going three feet higher, she slashed the tree and landed gracefully beside him, after what seemed like an eternity of maneuvers. "Not bad," Kakashi said praising her slightly. "You can still do better though." I didn't realize that she had so much chakra! I knew she had more than Sakura, but I never thought that her chakra would be in the same category as Naruto and Sasuke's!
Sara had brightened slightly at Kakashi's praise, but was a tad bit hurt when he said that she could still improve. I know that I need improvement! But why can't he give me or Naruto praise without making a stupid comment after it?
An hour later, Sakura was the only one taking a break from training. Kakashi shouted up to Sara and Sasuke, as they climbed their trees, "You two get down here. Since it seems that you two have a score to settle, I'll let you two fight." Sara and Sasuke glared at each other. "However, I will be refereeing the fight." That didn't stop the two from glaring at each other.
Naruto walked over to sit near Sakura as Sara and Sasuke went to separate ends of the clearing. Once they were situated, Kakashi quickly glanced from one to the other before he raised his hand and said, "Begin!"
Kakashi stared in shocked amazement at the pair as they used jutsu and everything that was at their disposal to attack each other.
As the sun began to set, Sara and Sasuke were beginning to feel exhausted. Sasuke was standing in front of a tree trunk and Sara, who was up on a branch, saw her chance. She threw a kunai at Sasuke's shirt shoulder.
Sasuke stared in horror at the kunai as it pinned him to the tree. Before he could even remove the kunai, Sara was in front of him, holding a kunai to his throat. He froze in terror as he gazed into her narrowed pupils.
What's wrong with me? He thought. I shouldn't be scared of this!... So THIS is the Devil's Eyes. A shiver went down his spine. Is this fear conjured by her eyes, or something else? It doesn't matter! Either way, this is not a feeling that I like having.
Kakashi hobbled over to the pair. "Sara is the clear victor."
Satisfied, Sara pulled out the kunai that had held Sasuke down. Once he was free Sasuke said to her, "I want a rematch. It wasn't a fair fight."
"Whhaaaattttt!" Sara shouted as she whirled on him, her pupils still narrowed.
Kakashi stepped between them and glared at each of them in turn. "Enough!" He said exasperated. "Obviously, fighting hasn't cooled off either of your tempers, so I'll have to use a different method." Sara and Sasuke stared at him curiously. "Hold out your hands." Sara and Sasuke each extended a hand, Sara extended her left while Sasuke extended his right. Kakashi quickly whipped out handcuffs and placed it on each of their hands.
Sara and Sasuke stared at their hands in horror. Sakura and Naruto were no better. Kakashi said, "Since you two refuse to understand each other, this might FORCE you to."
Sakura thought ruefully, why couldn't he handcuff me to Sasuke?
Poor Bright Eyes, Naruto thought as he gazed at his friend's horrified expression.
"There are some rules that you two need to follow," Kakashi said. "One is that you cannot harm the other purposely."
Drat! Sara thought, since the idea had just occurred to her.
"Two, you are to at least talk to each other once in this time period, and that sums it up."
"Master Kakashi," Sara said. "What if one of us has to use the bathroom?"
"You'll have to figure that out." Sara and Sasuke decided that they'd hold it.
As they all began walking back to Tazuna's, Sara and Sasuke kept having problems walking, since they both tried to swing their arms at different times.
Later that evening, at the dinner table, Sara had yet to touch her meal since she eat with her left hand and Sasuke ate with his right. Sara had decided to let him eat.
Sasuke stopped mid bite, realizing that Sara had yet to eat. He set down his chopsticks, and relaxed his right arm. Sara quickly ate her one serving and then allowed Sasuke to continue.
Kakashi had watched the process with interest. They can get along. Yet… I wonder why she only had one serving? I know that she doesn't eat that much in the Village because she normally can't afford it. I would have thought that she would have eaten more since it's free here… I just can't figure her out anymore!
Once dinner was over, Sasuke and Sara exchanged a glance and went outside onto the roof. The rest of the squad watched them leave.
Sakura thought, she better not try and steal Sasuke from me!
I hope Bright Eyes gives him a black eye! Naruto thought happily, imagining Sasuke with a black eye.
Sakura and Naruto soon left the kitchen, to go get some rest. Kakashi waited until they had left before he opened the door a hair, to hear what was going on outside.
Meanwhile, Sara and Sasuke had begun talking. Sasuke started, "Why do you insist on using the name Uchiha?''
Sara sighed, "I don't! It's the older villagers that insist on saying that I'm an Uchiha!" She said more quietly, "I would rather have proof, or prove that I'm an Uchiha."
"I…didn't realize that you never considered yourself an Uchiha."
Sara smiled, "Well now you know- and the nosy jônin should mind his own business!" Kakashi, shut the door, startled out of his wits.
Sasuke asked, "How'd you know he was listening?"
"The light from the doorway, there shouldn't have been a sliver of light showing through."
Kakashi was not ready to give up. He opened the window a hair, so he could keep listening, just in case they decided to kill each other. The pair didn't say anything interesting as he listened.
Sara asked Sasuke, "Is that the only reason you had for hating me, besides my friendship with Naruto?"
"Yeah, I never really cared that you were friends with him."
Tazuna suddenly said behind Kakashi, "So you care about her, huh?"
Kakashi slammed the window shut, startling Sasuke and Sara.
Sara muttered, "I'll be danged! He was listening from the window!" She then smiled fiendishly, "Why don't we plan some payback…"
Kakashi looked at Tazuna and said, "Sakura? I think she's a great student, but I don't really care about her in the sense your thinking of."
"I didn't mean that one," Tazuna stated.
"You're calling Naruto, or Sasuke a girl?"
"No! You do have one other student."
Kakashi sighed, "Yeah…I know. Is it that obvious?"
"To a trained eye," Tazuna responded. "I don't think any of your students have noticed.
"I wish it was obvious to one," Kakashi muttered sadly.
"What's the story behind that?" Tsunami asked, as she came down the stairs, having put Inari to bed.
"To make a long story short," Kakashi began. "I brought her to the village, so to speak, and I raised her for the first four years of her life."
Tazuna asked confused, "Why only four years?"
Kakashi gazed out the window, "Because Lord Hokage ordered me to stop."
Tsunami gasped, "That's terrible! Why would he do that?"
"He thought that I was scaring away anybody that wanted to adopt her."
"It seems like you're a little resentful," Tazuna said.
"Of course I am, since he broke a promise that the Fourth Hokage made to me…" Tazuna and Tsunami waited for him to continue, but Kakashi walked away from the window and went into the other room to rest.
He maneuvered around Naruto and Sakura, and finally made it to his own mat. He dropped onto it unceremoniously and lay there thinking, would she have turned out this way if I had continued to take care of her?
The next morning, as Sakura and Naruto exited the house, followed by Kakashi. They heard a splash and an angry grunt from Kakashi.
Sara and Sasuke leaped down, Sara grinning from ear to ear, and Sasuke blushing.
Kakashi glared at them as he pulled off the remains of a water balloon. He asked them, "What was that for?"
"For eaves dropping," Sara responded happily. Kakashi only shook his head in disbelief.
Kakashi said to them, "I hope you two are ready." Sara and Sasuke stared at him, curiosity showing in their eyes. "You'll have to succeed in a little challenge I have planned for you, before those handcuffs come off."
Sara and Sasuke exchanged a glance before they led the way to the clearing from the day before. Naruto was glaring at them, sure! Sasuke had to steal my best friend! They can exchange looks without talking after only one day!
She's stealing Sasuke from me! Sakura wailed inwardly.
Kakashi stared at the pair, they are truly related! They look so much like each other in build! But, Sara can't be all Uchiha, she has features that I can't quite place, but her features do look familiar…
Once in the clearing, Kakashi pulled out a bell and tied it to his waist, as he leaned against his crutches. "Your job is to take this bell from me. You can start anytime."
Sara pulled out a kunai knife and pierced the chain that kept the handcuffs together. They've failed already…
Sara and Sasuke began charging at him, matched step for step.
Wow! Naruto thought as he watched them. I never knew that Bright Eyes could run that fast!
Kakashi watched as the pair jumped into the air, they can't really expect me to just stand here and let them both kick me in the head! Kakashi lowered his body to the ground and stared in horror as Sara landed right beside him and kicked his crutches and legs right out from under him. Sara snatched the bell and jumped backwards. Sasuke walked to her side and Sara held out the hand with the bell, allowing Sasuke to share.
Kakashi staggered up onto his feet, amazing! They worked together flawlessly, fooling me into thinking that I could dodge them easily…amazing!
The Picture
Kakashi was still shocked from Sasuke and Sara's teamwork, so Sara walked up to him and asked, "Master Kakashi, can you get these handcuffs off of us?"
Kakashi shook his head back and forth to clear it. "Sure," he said as he pulled out the key and undid the remains of the handcuffs. He turned to Sakura, "You are to go back to the Tazuna's. From here on out you are to protect him."
"Why?" Sakura asked.
"Because, you've already finished the training."
Sakura nodded, still looking confused and left.
Kakashi turned towards Naruto, Sasuke, and Sara. "You three are to get to the top of these trees, understood?"
They all nodded. Sasuke and Naruto automatically went back to training, while Sara asked, "Why did you have Sakura leave? She could have continued."
Kakashi looked down at her and smiled, "Not everyone has the same amount of chakra as you three. Sakura would not be able to get to the top, without using most of her chakra."
"Oh!" Sara said as she quickly started training again.
Later on that day, as Sara nimbly landed on the ground, she glanced up the trees that Naruto and Sasuke were training on. Crap! Crap! CRAP! Those to nimrods are catching up to me! I've got to push myself harder!
Naruto sailed down to the ground as Sara began climbing again. Ahhh! How can she keep getting higher! NO! I can't think of that, I've…got…to…focus… Crap! Sasuke's still higher than me! It's bad enough that Bright Eyes is higher, but Sasuke too? No, no, no! I have to stay focused on my own training, or else I'll slip off the tree again.
Crap! Sasuke thought as he descended from his own climbing. Naruto's catching up. He glanced up at Sara as he hit the ground. Sara had just sailed past her last mark and was still going. And Sara's going higher and higher each time!
Kakashi was watching from a distance, keeping an eye on his students. They're all progressing nicely; they WILL eventually surpass me…but not anytime soon. His gaze drifted to Sara, she's done so well… I wonder if she'll ever figure out that I brought her to the village. It doesn't matter. I can't adopt her anyway…
Sara landed gracefully on the ground and heard Sasuke ask Naruto, "What did Sakura tell you when yesterday."
"I'm not telling you," Naruto said, smiling fiendishly.
Sara sighed. Boys!
That evening, as they were all trying to enjoy the meal Tsunami had prepared. Naruto and Sasuke were having an eating contest.
They both said as they held out their bowls, "I want some more!" Than they both threw up.
Sara had only had one serving and she was beyond happy that she had stopped. Idiots…
Sakura shouted angrily at them, "Quit eating so much if you're only going to puke it back up!"
"No, I wanna eat," Sasuke said as he wiped his mouth.
Naruto said, "I have to eat, it's the only way I'll get stronger!"
Kakashi nodded his head, true, but puking won't help.
Sara had to do a double take as she looked at the seating arrangement. Somehow she had ended up next to Kakashi again. Something's going on here that I'm not aware of…yet.
After dinner, Sakura began looking at a picture of Tazuna's family that was torn in the right corner. "Why is this picture torn," Sakura asked. "I noticed Inari was looking at it a lot through dinner. Is there a reason someone's face is completely gone?"
The whole entire room got very quiet. Tsunami finally answered, "It was a picture of Inari's father."
"Once upon a time," Tazuna began. "Our village called him a hero."
Inari got up suddenly and went to his room without a word.
"Inari!" Tsunami called after him. "Inari!" She went after him. Before she went upstairs she snapped at Tazuna, "Father! You know you're not to mention that in front of him!"
Sakura was sweating nervously from the chaos she had unleashed. "So, is this the reason Inari acts so strange?"
"It sounds like there's a story there," Kakashi stated.
Tazuna began, "The man in the picture was not Inari's birth father. But he and Inari were as close as a father and son should be. Inari smiled and laughed back then…" Everyone noticed as Tazuna began to sob, tears streaming from his eyes. "But Inari changed…After what happened to his father."
The Land That had a Hero!
"Our people, especially Inari," Tazuna began. "Were robbed of the meaning of courage…because of what happened that day."
Kakashi asked, "What happened exactly? What could change Inari so much?"
Tazuna said, "I'll start at the beginning, and tell you about the man our entire village called a hero."
"A hero!" Naruto asked, sounding interested.
"It was about three years ago…" Tazuna stated. "Inari was having problems with some local bullies, one of which wanted his dog, Poochie. Inari refused to let the boy take Poochie, and this angered the boy, so he threw Poochie into the water. He told Inari that if he really cared for Poochie, he'd go in after him. Well, Inari could not swim any better than Poochie could. Eventually, the boy pushed him in. Inari cried for help, but the bullies paid no attention to him. Poochie, having been faced with a life threatening situation finally learned to dog paddle, and the bullies went after him. Inari eventually went underwater and lost consciousness. When Inari came to, he smelled fish cooking over a fire, and that's when he met Kaiza. Kaiza taught Inari a lot that day, mainly about what courage was. Kaiza was a fisherman, who came from abroad to seek his fortune. From that day onward Inari's affection and admiration for Kaiza grew. It might have had something to do with Inari's real father dying before he was enough to remember him, but Kaiza and Inari were always together. In no time, Kaiza was one of the family, and he was exactly the kind of man this village needs more of! Eventually, even the villagers were calling Kaiza a hero. Then Gatô came…"
Everyone had been listening intently, and Kakashi asked politely, "This is when the incident you've alluded to took place?" Tazuna kept silent. "So, what happened?"
Tazuna managed to suppress the sobs that threatened to overcome him, "In front of the entire village, Gatô killed Kaiza! After beating him, and even removing his arms, they killed him…and Inari was there… Ever since then, Inari has changed. Even Tsunami and everyone else in the village has changed too."
Naruto got up suddenly, and fell onto the floor. Everyone turned to look at him.
Sakura asked, "What are you doing, Naruto?"
"Don't even think about doing any more training today," Kakashi said sternly. "Your chakra won't work properly if you're not well rested, it could even kill you."
"I'm going to prove Inari wrong!" Naruto announced. "I'm going to show him that there are still heroes!"
Progress
That night, after much persuasion, Naruto agreed to sleep in the house every other night (mainly thanks to Sara's persuasive skills). Sara and the rest of the squad were regretting this decision as Naruto snored loudly muttering, "Hey! That's my ra-men…"
Sakura had her pillow pulled over her head, and she was still awake, while Sasuke would give Naruto a good kick every few minutes, getting a grunt in response.
Sara, finally, got up and moved her mat close to where Kakashi's was. Kakashi was in a different room and his mat was on a slight rise. He of course, had left the door open so he could keep an eye on his students.
As Sara dragged the mat in, he asked, "What exactly are you doing?"
Sara pointed at Naruto, "Escaping that!"
Kakashi laughed. "Well, you're more than welcome in here."
Sara stared at him for a minute before she settled down to sleep thinking, I'm going to have to keep an eye on him… She was soon asleep.
Kakashi watched her lovingly, since he knew the rest of the squad was either sleeping or trying to sleep. He sighed. Kakashi… Get a hold of yourself! She will never even know that you raised her, so there's no point in putting yourself through this torment! But…I can dream…can't I? I can dream that I could one day be her guardian…No. I know that's impossible now… I barely know her anymore…
NO! Please, not this dream again! NO! Wait…this isn't THAT dream…
The same man from the other dream, his features distorted, said, his voice constantly changing from high to low and in between, "It's time for you to take a nap."
"No!" Her younger self said defiantly. "I'm not sleepy," she added with a yawn.
"You're not tired, huh?" He asked as he picked her up. "Well, what if I sing your lullaby, and spin my Sharingan for you?"
She nodded her head sleepily.
His voice suddenly settled on Kakashi's as he began to hum. She felt contentment spread through her.
He said, still in Kakashi's voice, as he tucked her into the bed, "Sleep well, my young one. I'll see you in the morning…"
Kakashi watched as she thrashed in her sleep, making as much racket as Naruto's snores. Kakashi did not know what to do. He was surprised when Tsunami came down the stairs. She roughly grabbed his hand, startling him, as she whispered, somewhat angry, "Just stroke her like this!" Kakashi watched in astonishment as she settled down, her body relaxing. Amazing! Kakashi thought. She settled down almost instantly… I should have remembered that from when she was younger!
The next morning as Sara awakened; she felt a hand resting on her shoulder. She shifted her gaze to her shoulder and rolled over quickly saying, "Jônin germs! Yuck!"
Kakashi was jolted awake by her rolling and said indignantly to her remark, "I could say the same about genin!" He added, "I'm sorry, I must have rolled over in my sleep."
Sara just rolled up her mat and set it in the corner thinking, Master Kakashi is defiantly weird.
After training hard throughout the day with Sasuke and Naruto, it was once again night. She settled down next to Kakashi. She fell asleep instantly.
Kakashi watched as once again she thrashed in her sleep, he noticed that she kept saying, "No, don't go! Don't leave me!"
Kakashi felt his heart being ripped into shreds, knowing full well, what her subconscious was having her remember. I'm sorry young one. He thought as he stroked her lovingly, his touch, still a bit rough. I wish I could make the pain go away… I wish you would talk to me about these dreams as well…But I'll let you be.
The next night Naruto, as agreed, slept in the house. He couldn't sleep though, since he was still wired for sound. He glanced into the room where Kakashi and Sara were, he blinked in amazement, Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? Holy cow! Kakashi-sensei is stroking Bright Eyes like he's her-her-her father! As this realization struck Naruto, Kakashi glanced up. Their gazes met and Naruto quickly pretended to be asleep. I'm asleep. I'm asleep! I'm asleep!
Naruto heard Kakashi whisper in his ear, "You tell her anything you saw, and I can guarantee that no one would find your body."
Naruto swallowed nervously and kept his eyes shut, eventually falling into an uneasy sleep.
Sara got up and stretched, amazed that she had slept the night with only a small nightmare, nothing like the reoccurring one, this one seemed normal to her (normal being a strange nightmare/dream that makes no sense). She exited the room and noticed that Kakashi was only just getting up. Naruto pulled her quickly around the edge of the doorframe.
"Bright Eyes, listen. I know that this will sound crazy, but Kakashi-sensei was stroking you last night, like a father would stroke a daughter."
Sara stared at him for a full minute, her mind reeling. Master Kakashi? Show any concern for me? Never! She began laughing.
Naruto was more focused behind her at the angry Kakashi, as she said, "Master Kakashi? Care about me? Are you insane? The way he's always being sarcastic and annoying the hell out of me, and you think he cares about me?" She continued laughing.
Naruto was not looking at Kakashi, praying that he wouldn't be killed. Kakashi had turned his attention to Sara. His eye had given away his emotions for a brief second. They had shown his pain. She thinks that I don't care about her? What am I doing wrong? I thought I was making progress with her! Why is this such a surprise to me? I know that she'll never be mine again…
That evening as almost everyone was asleep, Kakashi watched as, once again, she thrashed in her sleep.
This is different… Where's the shinobi that I can't identify? Master Kakashi? Sakura? Sasuke? Naruto? What's going on?
Zabuza rose up out of the darkness and slaughtered each of them, one by one, first Sakura, then Sasuke, Naruto, and finally Kakashi. She couldn't figure out why her heart almost burst from pain as she watched Kakashi fall…
She woke up and felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over. She felt Kakashi's hand on her shoulder again, but she didn't mind this time. It's almost welcome, she thought as she wiped her eyes.
She was startled when Kakashi asked, "Are you all right?"
"Fine," she murmured.
"Why don't you come up on the roof with me?"
She nodded her head and followed him, happy to be doing something.
Once on the roof, Kakashi leaned back leisurely and stared up at the sky. Sara copied him, having nothing better to do. After awhile he asked her, "What have you been dreaming about?" She refused to meet his gaze. "You've been thrashing around in your sleep, and every now and than you mutter something. Would you be willing to talk about it?"
Maybe…with anyone but you… No, I guess I wouldn't discuss my dreams with anyone, not even Naruto. They're the only thing I have left of my past… "I don't want to talk about them."
Kakashi nodded his head understandingly. "Sara…" He said hesitantly. "I think you're ready to hear some things about the shinobi who raised you." Sara instantly brightened up. "First, you need to understand that he loved, and still loves you more than anything in the world."
She interrupted, "So why doesn't he show himself to me?"
"I was getting there," Kakashi said. "He…isn't sure if he knows you well enough to have the right to even attempt to adopt you." She lowered her head looking crestfallen. "I can describe him for you if you want." Sara nodded her head half-heartedly. "He has silver hair…like mine, numerous scars, and two different colored eyes."
One's a Sharingan, she thought to herself, remembering her dream. She waited patiently for Kakashi to say more, before she finally asked, "Aren't you going to tell me anything else about him?"
Kakashi thought, hanging out with Naruto has defiantly affected her IQ. "No, not tonight. I'll tell you more about him another day, young one."
Sara sat bolt upright, "What did you just call me?"
Kakashi stiffened as he realized his error. He said hesitantly, "Young one." He watched her stiffened beside him. He quickly added, "I only called you that because- you're one person and… you're younger than I am!" That's not going to be a good enough explanation! He added, "I only give my favorite students nicknames like that." She relaxed.
Sara asked him, "I'm your favorite student?"
"Yes," Kakashi said.
"I don't believe you."
Kakashi scowled.
"I think you're just making that up."
"I am not."
"Why would I be your favorite?"
"Well," Kakashi began. "You're dedicated to your training, team oriented, and… I can't think of a third quality… I guess I just like your personality."
Sara nodded her head thoughtfully.
Kakashi gazed up at the stars and asked, "Tell me what you see up there."
Sara leaned back and began naming off constellations.
"That's not what I meant." Kakashi said. "I wanted you to look for pictures in the sky, so to speak."
Sara focused her attention on the sky. After a few minutes she pointed upwards and said, "There's a rabbit."
Kakashi smiled at her. Soon they were both laughing as they pointed out pictures to each other. After an hour or so, Kakashi said reluctantly, "We both need to get some rest."
He began to get up; he said as an afterthought, "I think it'd be best if we kept this little...event… to ourselves."
Sara smiled at him, "Sure."
Once they were both drifting off, Sara wondered, why does he want to keep it a secret? Maybe he doesn't want to make the others jealous, or maybe…he only said that so he wouldn't have to explain why he hung out with Sheatan… That can't be it… It's good to know that I'm my favorite teacher's favorite student!
Kakashi was thrilled, he had spent one whole night with Sara and had managed to not make her angry or upset. Maybe I could be her guardian if I keep up this kind of progress…
Naruto's Tree Falling
Two days later, as the others were eating breakfast, Naruto had decided to wander off. Sakura yawned loudly as she entered the dining room.
Tazuna said jokingly, "Naughty Naruto stayed out all night again didn't he? That's two nights in a row now." (Sara had given up on trying to get him to stay every other night.)
Sakura said, "If he exhausts his chakra, he'll die. For all we know, he's lying dead out there right now."
Tsunami said worriedly, "I hope not! It's not good for a boy to stay out all night."
Kakashi said smiling, "There's really no need to worry. Naruto may be a goofball, but he's also a full-fledged shinobi."
Sasuke muttered, "Is it possible he could have killed himself? It'd be just like that bonehead."
Sara had heard enough about Naruto being dead. So she asked Kakashi, "May I be excused?"
Kakashi, who was still not used to this kind of behavior from her, (she'd been acting like this the last few days) answered, "Sure, go ahead."
Sara left the house to look for Naruto; Sasuke had to run to catch her. They found Naruto in a clearing muttering to himself, "The world is an amazing place sometimes!" They had no idea what he was talking about.
The next morning, Kakashi and Sakura were looking for the rest of the squad.
Sakura, "Where did that knucklehead go THIS time? Training all the time, pushing himself beyond his limit, staying out all night! And to make it worse, Sasuke and Sara disappear too!"
Kakashi and Sakura were both startled as a kunai flew at them from a tree. They both glanced up to see a laughing Naruto.
Sakura said in amazement, "Naruto can climb that high?"
Hunh… Kakashi thought. He glanced around. Where are the other two?
Naruto shouted down, "Look! Look how high I can go!" Naruto jumped up excitedly and slipped.
Sakura shouted, as Naruto began to fall, "YOU IDIOT!"
"NO!" Kakashi shouted. "If he falls from that height…!" I'm not healed enough to…!
Naruto stopped himself from falling by using chakra. He shouted, "Psych! Hah! Fooled ya!"
Sakura yelled at him, "You almost gave me a heart attack!" I'm gonna kill you when you get down here!
Naruto suddenly lost his hold on the tree branch and began plummeting down. Sakura screamed while Kakashi watched in shocked horror.
Sasuke and Sara appeared out of nowhere and caught him; Sasuke holding a foot, while Sara held Naruto's right hand.
"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted happily.
Kakashi sighed before saying, "Good catch you two, now don't drop him!"
Sara and Sasuke exchanged a look before they both let go. Naruto fell a few feet before Sara caught him again.
Kakashi shouted angrily up at them, "I told you not to drop him!"
"We didn't! Besides, you never said we couldn't give him a taste of his own medicine," Sara said.
Kakashi couldn't find an argument to go against that. He sighed. Well…at least they're all coming along nicely!
Later on, as Sara, Sasuke, and Naruto were still training. Kakashi was doing his own type of training. "196… 197… 198…" He said as he did one finger push-ups with Tazuna and Sakura on his back.
Tazuna asked him, "I've been meaning to ask you, you know I lied to you about the mission, so why do you stay?"
Kakashi said, "'To know what is right and choose to ignore it is the act of a coward.' Those are the teachings of some of our previous Lords Hokage." Kakashi let out a grunt as he said, "199… 200…" He sat up once Tazuna and Sakura were off his back. "That is the shinobi way of life. Shinobi do not merely dance to the tune of whoever pays the piper." He flexed his hand, it looks like I'm almost completely healed.
The Enemies Return
That night as Sasuke, Naruto, and Sara all stood panting, at the top of their designated trees, Sasuke asked, "You guys want to head back?"
"Sure," Naruto and Sara answered.
A few minutes later they staggered through the doorway to the house, Sara and Sasuke supporting Naruto between them.
Tazuna said, "Well, look what the cat dragged in."
Naruto said, sounding exhausted, "We all *pant* made it *pant* to the top! *cough*"
Sasuke muttered to Naruto, "I told you that you needed a break, you loser."
Kakashi answered Naruto's exclamation, "Good. You three, starting tomorrow, you'll all be helping to protect Mr. Tazuna."
"Yes sir-!" Sasuke and Sara said as Naruto yelled with joy and dragged them onto the floor.
"Naruto," Sara said looking angry. "You really are a loser!"
"Awww…Bright Eyes…"
"You know I'm joking you idiot."
"Oh!"
Kakashi chuckled under his breath at the pair.
Sara and Sasuke dragged Naruto over to the table before they sat down. Sara sat on Kakashi's left side, since Naruto was on his right. Sara automatically buried her head into her arms, trying to fall asleep. I'm beyond exhausted…now if only sleep would come!
Tazuna said, "I'm dirty, sweaty, and really worn out, looks like Naruto and I are two of a kind!" Kakashi smiled and patted Naruto on the back. Tazuna added, "The bridge is almost complete thank goodness…Sara doesn't look much better than Naruto!"
Kakashi smiled down at Sara who barely raised her head at the mention of her name. Kakashi patted her quickly on the back. I'm so proud of you… If only you knew how proud I am!
Inari suddenly shouted, "Why do you almost kill yourselves trying so hard? No matter how hard any of you train, you'll never beat Gatô's thugs! You all act cool, and say cool things, but it won't matter! Because strong people like Gatôs thugs always beat weaker people! They'll destroy you!"
"Shut up," Naruto said. "I'm not gonna lose!"
Inari had tears streaming down his face, "Just watching you makes me sick! You keep running your mouth when you know NOTHING about this village! And you know nothing about me! Always goofing off and having fun, you don't know what it's like to suffer!"
Naruto glanced up slightly, "So you think it's cool to be the star of your own melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at your pity party?" Naruto glared at Inari, "It takes a really big man to sit around and cry, you big baby!"
Inari became really quiet. Kakashi was keeping an eye on the other hot head, Sara, who hadn't moved since Inari began talking. Naruto got up and walked to the door.
Sakura said, "Naruto, you went too far!"
"Whatever," Naruto said, before he slammed the door shut.
Inari turned his attention to Sara, once he had recovered, "You really don't know what it's like to suffer or to be lonely! You all just think-!"
"SHUT UP!" Sara snarled as she threw three shuriken at Inari. The shuriken planted themselves in the wall around Inari's head. "You're the one who doesn't know ANYTHING about loneliness and suffering!" Inari began blubbering. Kakashi was shocked; I've NEVER seen her lose her temper like this!
Sara stood up quickly and asked, her voice sounding like she was trying to control it, "May I be excused?"
Kakashi nodded and watched as she headed towards the door.
She turned back towards them all at the last minute and said, "By the way, Inari, I aimed to miss." She slammed the door shut behind her.
Tsunami stuttered, "S-sh-she…sh-shu-shuriken!"
"She aimed to miss," Kakashi said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.
Kakashi decided after a few hours to go out and wait for Naruto and Sara to return, he was surprised to see Inari. Kakashi decided he might as well explain things to Inari, "May I join you?" He asked politely.
Inari didn't answer him, so Kakashi sat down. "I know Naruto and Sara sounded mean, but they weren't trying to be. They both…well…lack finesse." Inari remained silent. Kakashi looked out at the waves, "Mr. Tazuna told us about what happened to your father. Naruto and Sara also grew up without fathers."
"Wait," Inari said confused. "I thought you raised Sara."
Kakashi continued to stare at the waves, "Only for the first four years of her life, than I was ordered to stay away from her." He turned to face Inari, "A nurse got annoyed with Sara and told her that I never cared about her… Her mind blocked out everything about me… She doesn't even remember me…" Inari stared at the heart broken look that flashed in Kakashi's eye. Kakashi continued, "Anyway, Naruto grew up without any parents, what he and Sara both have is each other. They are the others brace, that keeps them from losing sight of what they want to accomplish." Kakashi smiled as he added, "You could also look at them as Yin and Yang. Sara is smart, quick thinking, and resourceful. While Naruto is brash, a tad dense, and he lacks finesse…majorly. But in all the time I've known these two, I've never seen them cry, sulk, or use their troubles as excuses to give up. They both try their hardest, hoping someone will acknowledge them, and give them a kind word or even a pat on the back. They both have dreams, and they've risked their lives for it… I think…one day they both got fed up with crying. They understand what it means to be strong; they know what it costs…and what it's worth… Just as your father did. Naruto probably understands you better than anybody."
"What?" Inari said.
Kakashi smiled, "You've gotten under his skin, he just can't leave you alone." He frowned slightly, "I think you've just annoyed the hell out of Sara." Inari looked down.
Kakashi watched as Inari got up and went inside. Kakashi walked to the front of the house and stared at the porch in shock. Clear as day, there was blood on the porch. He looked around quickly, ready for a fight, but nothing happened. He relaxed as Naruto walked up. Kakashi asked him, "Did you happen to see Sara?"
"Huh, Bright Eyes?" Naruto asked, "I thought she was still here." Naruto walked into the house.
Sara…I hope you're okay… Kakashi thought worriedly.
A few hours later, Sara walked up to the house, she was surprised to see Kakashi. "What?" She asked innocently meeting his gaze.
He held pointed at the porch and asked, "Is that your blood?"
Sara looked away, "So what if it is?"
Kakashi felt his anger rising, "How did you hurt yourself?"
She held up her hand.
"Why did you do that?"
"I made a promise that I wouldn't kill Inari," she muttered.
Kakashi's gaze softened, "Let me take a look at that."
She held out her hand reluctantly and allowed him to bandage up her hand.
Kakashi was tending to the cut when he asked, "Did you bite your tongue at some point in time?"
Sara refused to meet his gaze, "Yeah…I bite my tongue when I'm… When I'm trying not to cry." She waited for him to say something, but he didn't. Kakashi finished bandaging her hand, he smiled at her warmly and stood up.
"Come on," he said. "Get inside. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
She nodded and followed him inside. I think I made a good choice when I picked him as my favorite teacher.
Kakashi waited until she fell asleep before he began stroking her back. Why am I doing this to myself? I know that I'll never adopt her, so why am I putting myself through this torture?... I do miss being able to do this all the time, I miss a lot of things…but I miss her the most… Kakashi watched over her all through the night.
The next morning, as they were preparing to go to the bridge, Kakashi said, "Well, take good care of Naruto! He's worn himself out from training so hard; he probably won't even wake up today."
Tsunami asked him, "Teacher, are you sure that you're okay?"
"Why do I look a little wobbly to you?" Kakashi asked smiling. "I'll be fine."
Sara got a fiendish gleam in her eyes as she said, "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down." She made to shove Kakashi, "Does Kakashi wobble and not fall down?"
Kakashi shoved her playfully and said, "Don't even try it."
Sara smiled at him, he's actually becoming a pretty cool teacher.
She smiled! Kakashi thought happily, his exhaustion from the night before, leaving him.
They arrived at the bridge to find the workers all lying on the ground either dead, or close to it. Tazuna shouted, "What the hell?" He rushed forward and helped a worker sit up, "What happened?"
The worker gasped, "M-monsters…"
Kakashi glanced around warily, it can't be…
A thick fog began to roll in. Sara said urgently, "Master Kakashi!"
"I know," he said looking around. "They're coming!" I hate it when I'm right! He survived and he's come to finish things.
Sakura asked, "Sensei, this is it isn't it? That guy's 'hiding in the mist' technique."
A voice said, "Well, Kakashi, I should have expected that you'd be here. And I see you've still got those brats with you, and the little boy is trembling in fear again." They found themselves surrounded by Zabuza clones.
Sasuke smiled, "I'm shaking with excitement."
"Go ahead, Sasuke," Kakashi said smiling.
Sasuke took off and easily destroyed all of Zabuza's water clones.
They all turned to face Zabuza as he said, "My clones were obviously no match for you. Kakashi, it seems your BRATS have matured quite a bit into worthy rivals eh, Haku?"
The masked boy from before replied, "Indeed!"
Ambush Times Two!
Kakashi said looking at Haku, "Our masked friend was indeed playing on Zabuza's team."
Sakura snarled, "He has a lot of never showing up here!"
"This one's mine," Sasuke said before Sara could say anything. "That was quite a good act you put on before, but we're on to you now…and I hate ham actors!"
Sakura said blushing, "Sasuke's so cool!"
Sara and Kakashi exchanged a glance both thinking similar thoughts, why is it that Sakura hangs on to Sasuke's every word, yet ignores Naruto even when he's right?
Haku said, "Impressive, isn't he? Even if your water clones are only at a tenth of your strength, it's amazing that he was able to do so well."
"But we're still on the offensive," Zabuza said. "Go!"
"Yes sir," Haku said as he disappeared.
Sasuke leaped forward and blocked Haku's attack.
Speed!
Sasuke continued to block Haku's attacks and matching him move for move.
Kakashi said as he leaped to Tazuna's left side, "Sara! Sakura! We have to protect Mr. Tazuna! Sara cover Mr. Tazuna's back, Sakura take that side. Let Sasuke handle that boy."
"Yes sir," Sara and Sakura said in unison as they moved to their positions
Sara thought Devil's Eyes!... Hey! Why am I always placed in the back? Sara was grateful when Tazuna moved just enough for her to see what was going on.
Haku said to Sasuke, "I don't want to kill you but, you probably won't leave quietly."
"Don't be stupid," Sasuke said grinning, enjoying the challenge.
"Just as I suspected," Haku said. "You won't be able to match my speed for long, I've laid the groundwork for two attacks."
Sasuke asked, "Two attacks?"
"First," Haku explained, "There's the water all around us. Secondly, I've trapped one of your hands, so you can't weave signs, and you only have one hand to parry any of my attacks." He began making one handed hand signs.
Sasuke stared in shock, with just one hand!
He's making hand signs with only one hand! Kakashi thought horror stricken. I've never seen such a feat!
Haku stomped his foot and needles leapt up around him and Sasuke.
"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed.
Sasuke focused his chakra into his feet. He leapt quickly out of range of the needles.
Haku had to leap back as Sasuke threw shuriken at him. Sasuke taunted, "You're not that fast." He appeared behind a startled Haku, "Now YOU'RE the one who has to worry about defending from my attacks."
Their fight continued, neither giving ground, until Sasuke found an opening and kicked Haku in the face and sent him flying. Sasuke taunted, once again as Haku landed with a "thud", "You're fast. I'm faster!"
Kakashi stated, "You had that coming for insulting my team and underestimating them. He may not look like much, but Sasuke is the top-rated rookie from all of the Hidden Leaf Village. And Sakura here is our sharpest mind."
The Inner Sakura thought, That's for sure!
"Naruto," Kakashi continued. "Is our number one, hyper active, knuckle head ninja, and last but definitely not least, is Sara, our indestructible shield, it will take all you've got to get past her."
Sara blushed slightly, I think he OVER complimented me, but I'm okay with that.
Zabuza began laughing. He asked Haku, "Do you realize that you could die at the hands of the very person you sought to spare?"
"Yes I do," Haku answered as he got up. "What a pity."
Sasuke whipped his head in the direction of Haku, why does the air suddenly feel so cold?
Mirrors suddenly appeared around Sasuke. Kakashi thought, I don't know this technique!
Haku stepped into one of the mirrors. What the hell! Sara thought as she watched. Haku appeared in all the mirrors around Sasuke.
"Damnit!" Kakashi said as he leapt forward to help Sasuke. Zabuza quickly blocked him.
"Let's not forget that I'm your enemy, Kakashi," Zabuza said. "Our children can play together while my boy kills yours."
Kakashi glared at him while thinking, no!
Kakashi, Sakura, and Sara all watched in horror as Haku landed attack after attack.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted, worry showing in his voice.
They all flinched as Sasuke yelled from pain.
Zabuza said facing Sara, who had tensed, ready to help her friend, "Any sudden moves and I'll kill the other two!"
Kakashi turned slightly and signaled that Sara was to stay put.
Damnit!... He's right though, I can't risk Sakura's or Tazuna's lives… Sasuke… I hope you can stay alive long enough for Master Kakashi or I to figure out something!
Sara was amazed when Sakura said, "Mr. Tazuna, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to leave you for a bit. Sara won't let anything happen to you in that time." Sakura glanced her way and Sara nodded, I don't know what she has planned, but I have a better chance of keeping Tazuna alive than she does!
Sakura ran forward a few paces before leaping into the air and throwing a kunai, "Sasuke!" She shouted.
Haku appeared and easily caught the kunai. Sakura thought, shocked, he caught it!
They all stared in shocked amazement as a shuriken hit Haku and knocked him out of the mirror.
Sara watched as something exploded, making it difficult to see, as it began to clear she thought to herself, why don't you just paint a target on yourself, you idiot!
Naruto said, as the smoke cleared, "Naruto Uzamaki to the rescue!"
Sharingan Devastation
Naruto continued, "Here I am to save the day. You know how the story goes… Things look bad and then the hero arrives. And POW- bye-bye bad guys!"
Kakashi thought, very close to losing his temper, exasperating little #%$! What we needed was an ambush, but he all but paints a target on himself!
Sakura exclaimed, "Naruto!"
Sara just glared at her friend. Naruto caught sight of his friend's glare and wondered, what did I do to tick Bright Eyes off this time?
Zabuza threw shuriken at Naruto and Kakashi said, "Blast!"
Naruto braced himself, and was amazed when Haku threw senbon to intercept the shuriken.
"Haku… What are you doing?" Zabuza asked.
Haku replied, "Zabuza, please let me fight this boy."
Zabuza laughed, "So, you want to me stay back and let you finish him off? How charmingly naïve of you…as usual…"
Sara wanted to shoot Naruto as she watched him sneak into the mirrors, you ass! What are you doing? It would have been better if you had stayed where you were!
Kakashi sighed. Leave it to Naruto to make things go from bad to worse.
Sara wasn't paying attention to what was going on in the mirrors, she was paying close attention to Zabuza, so she was surprised when Kakashi said, "I never imagined that anyone could master such a technique at such a young age!"
Zabuza laughed in response.
Sakura looked confused. Kakashi explained, "It's a Kekkai Genkai. As I explained before it is a skill that is passed down from one generation to the next!"
"You mean…" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"Precisely," Kakashi said. "It's in the same class as my Sharingan, but even the Sharingan can't copy, or even mimic a Kekkai Genkai."
Sakura turned to the ice mirrors and after listening to Haku talk some more she shouted, "Sasuke! Naruto! Don't you dare lose to a person like him!"
Kakashi said, "Stop encouraging them, Sakura."
"What?" Sakura asked, confused by Kakashi's words.
"Even if we did discover a way to break this technique, your teammates would be unable to defeat him." Zabuza began laughing.
Sakura asked, "What do you mean?"
Sara answered, "None of us, as of yet, knows how to harden our hearts and kill."
Sakura stared at her in horror, "So that means…"
"Yeah," Sara finished. "Either Naruto or Sasuke picks up on that fact…or they don't."
Sakura shouted at Kakashi, "Sensei, what can we do?"
Kakashi moved his hand to move his headband, "You'll forgive me if I put an end to this…!" Kakashi said to Zabuza.
"Going to use the Sharingan? What a vulgar maneuver. So obvious, so lacking in finesse," Zabuza said as he lunged forward, pulling out a kunai knife.
Kakashi had just enough time to raise his hand to block the blade. He said, "You can sneer all you want about my 'lack of finesse'. It doesn't change that you're scared of my Sharingan."
Sara tuned out Zabuza's words as he went into a long explanation of how to beat Kakashi's Sharingan and how Haku had helped. She tuned back in when she heard Zabuza say, "…Thus I have forged and carry with me a weapon of matchless quality and skill…entirely unlike the scraps of trash that follow at your heels."
Kakashi thought, how dare you call my genin trash! "Is there anything duller than listening to someone else brag? It's show time!" He lifted up his headband and exposed his Sharingan.
Zabuza made a hand sign and disappeared. Kakashi shouted, "Sakura, Sara! I'm counting on you two to protect Mr. Tazuna!" Sakura and Sara nodded keeping alert.
Sakura asked Sara, "Your Devil's Eyes, allow you to see through this mist right? So, you'll be able to see Zabuza coming?"
"Yeah, sure!" Sara said over enthusiastically. If it keeps her calm, she can believe anything she wants!
Kakashi glanced up through the fog, this fog is thicker than the last time he used this technique. Zabuza won't even be able to see anything through it. Kakashi turned his head and quickly blocked the shuriken that had come flying at him.
Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and said, "You repelled those nicely. No less then I'd expect from Kakashi of the Sharingan eye." Kakashi whipped around. "However, the next time you see me, will be the end."
Kakashi stared at the disappearing Zabuza in shock, his eyes are closed!
Zabuza said, "You've overestimated the value of your Sharingan."
"What?"
"You pretend it allows you to penetrate all, yet, you're nothing more than a false prophet, Kakashi. You can neither read my mind, nor the future. In other words, your precious Sharingan is just an elaborate hoax. It's no better than using psych-out warfare. I now know how to counter your Sharingan." Zabuza had long since disappeared as he began to attack Kakashi. "First, I conceal myself within this thick mist and neutralize your visual activity, and with my own eyes closed I eliminate the possibility of you hypnotizing me when we're in close proximity."
Kakashi said as he slid from one of Zabuza's blows, "True, but while I can't see neither can you!"
Zabuza replied, "But you forgot, I am trained in the art of silent killing, I can hunt by sound alone!"
Damnit! Kakashi thought. I've been so worried about the boys, that I hadn't considered how long it's been since I've dealt with a situation like this!... Okay… I've got to calm down…focus…who will he go after first?...NO!
Sakura and Sara were still tense and ready for anything, or so they thought. Sara was startled out of her wits when Zabuza appeared right in front of her. As he began to swing his sword, she was only just reaching for a kunai knife to block. She was startled even more when Kakashi appeared in front of her.
"Too late," Zabuza said as the blade sliced through Kakashi's chest. Sakura screamed.
The Shield Shatters!
"Master Kakashi, are you alright?" Sara asked, realizing that that sounded pretty stupid.
Kakashi smiled as if he had read her thoughts, "I've been better, but I can still fight-Uhnn!" He moved his free hand to the wound as he almost doubled over from pain.
Zabuza taunted him, "You were slow on your guard, Kakashi. You were so worried about those brats, that it caused you to be unable to think clearly. It was more effective than the fog I've created. Even with your formidable eye, your ability to read my movements has been blunted. I want to enjoy this, Kakashi. Paying back what you did to me would give me the greatest pleasure! Don't worry Haku should be finishing off your boys any second now." Zabuza lifted his blade off the ground. "You'll be reunited with them soon, and you can apologize to them for your weakness and folly." Zabuza began laughing hysterically.
Sakura exclaimed, "Sasuke won't be easy for someone like that masked kid to beat, and neither will Naruto!"
Sara added smiling, "Believe it!"
"You're right," Kakashi said. "I have faith in them and in their strengths. Naruto's unpredictability and Sasuke is one of the most worthy heirs to the most superior bloodline in the Hidden Leaf Village."
Zabuza said, "You don't mean…"
"Yes," Kakashi answered. "His full name is Sasuke Uchiha. He's a ninja genius and he carries in his genes the Kekkai Genkai of the Uchiha clan!"
Zabuza murmured, "So he's the sole survivor of that tragic clan… He might very well be Haku's equal. No one has ever penetrated the secret of Haku's techniques, no one." Zabuza disappeared again.
Kakashi said, "Sakura, Sara, don't move an inch, I'll finish this as quickly as I can!"
"But…Oh…Okay!" Sakura said, while Sara kept her focus on what was going on.
Kakashi asked, "Did you hear that Zabuza? Do you truly believe that I've faced all the hardships in my life with only the Sharingan? I too was once a member of the ninja assassin corps."
Sara whipped around, horror showing in her eyes; Master Kakashi was once an Anbu Black Op?
Kakashi continued, "I'll show you what kind of a shinobi I once was… This isn't something I learned with the Sharingan. Let me show you my own art!" Kakashi stood very still trying to pinpoint Zabuza's location. Sara stared in horror as Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi.
"Master Kakashi!" Sara shouted as she lunged forward a kunai in one hand. She shoved Kakashi out of the way and felt the cold, hard steel, of Zabuza's blade rip through her right side. She hit the ground hard and heard Zabuza yell, "I've had enough of you!" He began hitting the ground numerous times with his blade, Sara rolled out of range each time, she slammed into the guard on the bridge. She stared up in horror as Zabuza swung his blade. She made a hand sign and thought, Fire Style! Fire Wall Defense! What am I thinking? The blade will go right through it! She waited to feel Zabuza's blade cut her in half, with her eyes tightly shut. Why am I not feeling a blade? Sara thought as she opened her eyes, she let the fire wall fall, and stared at Kakashi's back.
Kakashi had blocked Zabuza's blow with a kunai knife, he said, sounding a little strained, "Well? Are you just going to lie there all day, or are you going to move?" Sara got up as quickly as she could and bolted back to her position. She watched as Kakashi moved out of the way of Zabuza's blade, letting it hit the ground harmlessly.
As Kakashi got out of range, he glanced at the ground where Sara had been, Good God! Please don't let all of that be her blood!
Sara tried to keep her eyes on the battle, but her eyelids kept closing, she was beginning to see black spots in her vision, and her world was spinning. She allowed her eyes to close, coughed once, and hit the ground, knowing no more.
Sakura heard Sara cough and turned to ask if she was alright, she watched in horror as her comrade's eyes closed and she hit the ground, a small trickle of blood coming from her mouth. Sakura screamed loudly.
Kakashi turned slightly, trying to see what was going on, but to no avail. I need to finish this now!