A/N: If you see me updating this fic a month later than I wanted to...no, you didn't!
For real though, apologies this took a while. Dungeons and Dragons really took up residence in my creative flow for a WHILE. Once that settled, I set aside time to pre-write the rest of this fic and finally decide what plot bunnies would make the final cut. Just all the ideas I had for the original series took up 33 pages! Shippuden is going to be a real ride when I get to it, so strap in, kids. We're in for the long haul.
Thank you as always for taking the time to read this! And a big thank you naturally goes out to my editors/creative brain trust/ genius friends Storm and Ronnie for the help and feedback! They're a huge help in the process of putting everything together. I hope you enjoy Chapter 7!
TW/Trigger Warning: mentioned genocide & infanticide
"It's now, or it's never, and I've got to
Make my decision
This time it could be my moment
Is this a mirage or a chance to fulfill my mission?"
-Rivers in the Desert, 目黒将司 (Shoji Meguro)
Sayuri's nerves were utterly raw, and despite this, by some miracle, she was managing to hold herself together through the rest of the journey south. She only had to stop once to ride out a singular panic attack, and if she felt like being kinder to herself today, she would've considered that in and of itself a small victory. It was much easier for her to feel disappointed in herself for having one slip up instead of being proud of herself for doing her best in an emotionally grueling situation.
"What did that guy mean when he called you 'water dancer'?" Sasuke asked. It was one of several he had asked her since their encounter with the Mist shinobi. The earlier ones, such as "Do a lot of Mist ninja use those modified rebreathers?" or "Is there a shared fighting style amongst Mist ninja, and are there any weaknesses in them that could be exploited?" fell into a strictly strategic category. This was the first time since they had continued their trek that he'd take up a more personal line of questioning.
Sayuri ran the tips of her fingers along the hem of her sleeves, feeling all-too-familiar anxiety well up in her. I can't avoid telling them forever, she reminded herself, but I'm still afraid of them looking at me differently if I tell them what happened or what I did.
"It's kind of a long story." She was fairly certain he wouldn't be satisfied with that answer.
"Convenient that we're on kind of a long journey, then," Sasuke pointed out with his typical cutting wit. Indeed, unsatisfied.
If Sasuke was sympathetic toward Sayuri's desire to keep her past private, he didn't seem to have any inclination to show it. She could only laugh nervously in response to his point and wrack her brain to find a way to tell him enough information to satiate him, but not enough to make her feel exposed.
"I guess...well," Sayuri paused to suck in a deep, heavy breath and puff it out. She didn't know how to find the words to describe everything that had happened to her. "It started off as a common term that civilians used to identify members of our clan. We have a tradition of cultural ceremonial dances using our water manipulation as part of the performance. We have a dance for funerals, weddings, important events, all of that stuff. We always had our best dancers perform for the Mizukage inaugurations. It used to be considered a great honor for someone to have a Fukuhara dance for them, and it was sort of a legacy of ours. We were deemed beautiful and graceful performers for a long time before the conflicts started."
"What conflicts?" Sasuke asked.
"The ones that gave the Hidden Mist its reputation. It's sort of dog-eat-dog over there, I guess you could say. It's a never-ending power struggle. And whoever got stepped on to reach power was inconsequential. If you were weak enough to end up being a stepping stone, you deserved to be there."
"Jeez. And I thought the villagers here were mean. That just sounds brutal," Naruto said, poking into their conversation. He had chucked in a few side comments here and there earlier, but this topic seemed to have his full attention now.
"Brutal is exactly how I'd describe that place. And because of that brutality, a lot of the history of the Hidden Mist itself is marred by civil war. Some of the more ruthless clans were known to make power grabs the second there was an opportunity. And those with kekkei genkai tended to have an advantage when those clashes broke out.
"The Mizukage managed to get the rivalries and larger-scale assaults in line, so conflict wasn't as common anymore. But the sentiment of fear and distrust both ninjas and civilians felt towards the bloodline clans didn't disappear. They started to become targets of murders and were hunted down. The hunters claimed it was for avenging their fallen loved ones, but..." Sayuri felt her throat become tight and sore as she spoke. She brought her hand to her collarbone and lightly stroked the base of her neck to try and soothe herself as she cleared her throat and then sighed shakily. "But they soon revealed themselves to be doing it for ulterior motives. The killings didn't stop even if they got revenge. They didn't stop even if their victims were children who had nothing to do with it."
"Those people are scum." Sasuke's shoulders tensed and rose towards his ears as his lip curled back in disgust. His words were spat with potent rancor.
"Yeah, that's seriously awful," Naruto said as a shiver jolted through him. "So, does that mean your family was—"
"Yes." Sayuri didn't think she could handle hearing Naruto finish his question. Not now. Likely not for a while. "And long before we had to flee. Once the killings became commonplace, my clan splintered into two factions. Half went into hiding, and the other half remained in the village. If you hadn't already guessed, we were part of the half that stayed. We refused to hide our identities, fought against any attacks, and pressured the Mizukage to end the murder sprees."
"Is it safe to assume that the Mizukage didn't step in as soon as he should have?" Sasuke said, his tone strained from his thinly-veiled effort to keep his cool.
"Very safe," Sayuri replied. "I don't know the details, but eventually, his hand was forced. The people who didn't have a vested interest in seeing bloodline clans killed were angry that we kept losing powerful shinobi and undercutting the overall strength of the village for no reason. They put the most pressure on the Mizukage and probably made the biggest difference in making him stop the killings. It was just too late to save a lot of my people by then."
"Do you know how many of your family you lost during all that?" Naruto asked. Sayuri shook her head.
"No, all of that happened when I was really little. My dad probably knows, though." She pursed her lips for a moment as she tried to think back and recall the order of events. "I think the killings finally ended when I was three or four. An incident in a small farm town was the catalyst that forced the killings to stop. A man tried to kill his family when he found out his wife had hidden her kekkei genkai from him for years. She never told their child, and apparently, the little kid accidentally revealed their abilities. The dad found out and rounded up some villagers to…you know, and only the kid survived. They killed them all. No one knows who they are or what happened to them after escaping. Dad tried to find the kid since the stories made it sound like they could've been part of our clan, but he never did."
"How come your dad went to find them? It sounds like that kid should've been part of the incog-whatever half of your clan, so they should've helped 'em," Naruto said.
"He didn't know how many of them were left. That side didn't tell us where to find them or what identities they were assuming. The people hunting us weren't above using torture to get more information on anyone in hiding. Especially since it wasn't very hard to pin one of us down and single us out at the time. Anyone in the Mist could look around for someone with hair just like mine, and there was a pretty good chance they were from my clan. Anyone who chose to go incognito had to change everything about themselves to be unrecognizable, even to the rest of their family, until they were safe.
"And that wasn't the first time one of our clan members was outed, too. The shinobi who wanted to kill us created scenarios to force anyone suspected of being part of my family to reveal their abilities. They'd start fires on purpose in small villages, raid homes if anyone was harboring a clan member, check hospitals to see if one of us was being treated there—anything it took. Collateral damage didn't matter to them. So, I believe that guy when he says they haven't stopped looking for me." Bitterness filled Sayuri as she finished her story.
Naruto and Sasuke both looked speechless, though they differed in what emotion seemed to overtake them to the point of silence. Naruto deflated, and the frown lines that sunk into his face illustrated his dismay and horror. It was like he was a sponge unintentionally soaking up her sorrow. Meanwhile, Sasuke's righteous fury was almost tangible in the way it exuded from him. Sayuri could swear she could feel the heat of it nearly singe her skin. The silence extended for another minute before Sasuke spoke up, asking,
"You said that the killings stopped when you were three or four. You came to the Academy when we were all older than that. What are they chasing you for if the killings stopped?" Sasuke asked. Sayuri bit her lip.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore."
Sayuri could feel the tension between her and Sasuke reach a fever pitch. She was wound tight from recounting her family's trauma, and he rarely seemed to have the patience for cliffhangers, intentional or otherwise.
"...Fine," Sasuke said. He seemed to shed his usual irritation at her refusal to divulge information. "What you told us is more than enough to prevent anything from compromising our mission." A beat later, he told her, quietly, "I'm sorry that happened."
"Yeah, me too," Naruto agreed. "You didn't deserve any of that, ya know?"
Sayuri just managed to hold back tears as she nodded at Naruto. It meant more, somehow, coming from them than it had from her other friends. There was a deeper understanding of the intricacies of suffering from the wrath of others that she knew they all shared. Unjust and unwarranted persecution seemed to be a common thread between the three of them.
"Thank you both."
"And I'll tell ya what—when I become Hokage, I'll make sure no one ever treats you and your pops like that again, even if it means I have to fight the Mizukage and the whole Mist Village myself, I swear! And if you wanted to perform for my inauguration as Hokage, I'd make sure the whole village sees your clan the way the Mist used to see you guys. Believe it!"
Now Sayuri really couldn't hold back from crying. She wiped the tears away from her eyes as they fell, laughing meekly as a wistful smile spread across her face.
"It'd be an honor to celebrate your inauguration with you, Naruto. It means a lot that you'd want me there. I...really look forward to that day."
Naruto beamed at her response. It wasn't clear if Sasuke had continued listening after Sayuri's thanks, as he'd kept his chin close to his chest, and his bangs obscured most of his expression. He didn't seem as incensed as he'd been listening to the beginning of Sayuri's tale, but he definitely wasn't his "normal" self. He was probably still digesting everything she told her. On the other hand, Naruto reverted almost immediately back to his normal self and seemed very preoccupied with daydreaming about his inauguration day. He subtly mimed waving at his imaginary constituents, and "subtle" by Naruto's standard was equivalent to the average person behaving as conspicuously as they would on any normal day. His little charade was so silly, Sayuri couldn't help but smile.
Nothing really gets that guy down, huh?
Sayuri's fingers ghosted over her opposite hand, her thumb lightly brushing against the compression bandages that Kakashi had wrapped her wrist in. A hairline fracture, he'd said. If she took it easy and avoided aggravating the injury, it should heal in two weeks, give or take. But they both knew even that was too long.
There was nothing Sayuri liked about the idea of having her wrist, and by extension her hand, requiring delicate treatment when there could be more ninjas ready to strike at any time. Her water manipulation was already difficult to do precisely in prime condition. It felt daunting to attempt with one hand, even in the best of times.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sayuri," Kakashi said in an authoritative tone. All attention fell to him. "We'll reach the bay that leads into the Land of Waves shortly. Tazuna-san said a boatman he knows will be at the shore to take us across. Don't cause any trouble, understand?" His gaze landed purposely on Naruto, the latter responding by sticking his tongue out indignantly.
Before long, Team Seven and their client were moving steadily across the bay. The dense fog made it difficult to see anything outside an arms-length distance. It almost seemed as though their captain, so to speak, was purposely guiding their boat into it. Based on that and his decision to not use the engine and instead row them to the shore, Sayuri gathered that concealing their arrival was necessary.
Kakashi leaned over with a cloth in his hand, whispering to Sayuri,
"Now that we have a second to sit down, you should keep your arm in this as much as you can. Elevation helps with the healing process." His hands moved with a ginger deftness that implied he'd had to help patch up comrades several times before now. Sayuri's arm was resting moderately comfortably in a make-shift sling in notably little time.
"Thank you, Sensei."
"Anytime."
The boat's approach to the bridge came quicker than expected. The enormous concrete structure loomed overhead, so much so that Sayuri had to tilt her head nearly all the way back to her shoulders to see the cranes and building materials resting on the bridge.
"That's the biggest thing I've ever seen!" Naruto exclaimed. He was met with hushes with the boatman and Tazuna instantly. Then, his eyes went wide, and he clapped his hands over his mouth.
"Please be quiet!" The boatman swiveled his head in every direction as his grip noticeably tightened on the oar. His knuckles trembled with the force of it. "You don't know what Gato will do to me if he finds us."
"Gato?" Kakashi looked towards Tazuna as the latter began staring holes into his shoes.
"Well, the cat's out of the bag now, I guess," he muttered. Tazuna sighed and met the eyes of the team around him. "I didn't want to keep the truth from you, but you're right that this is beyond the scope of the original mission. Gato is the man who wants to kill me. He casts a long and deadly shadow over this land despite him being shorter than you lot."
"You wouldn't happen to mean Gato of Gato Transport, would you? A magnate like him would prove to be a bit of a thorn in our side."
"That's the very same man, unfortunately. He's a tycoon with enough power to take control of businesses and countries with no trouble at all. And that power makes way for him to influence the underground, as well—amassing drugs, contraband, you name it. Those who oppose him often meet the blades of his hired gangs and ninja. All the harm he's done here in a little over a year is almost unbelievable. But I guess that's what happens when he buys out all our transport and shipping. If you control the sea, you control the Land of Waves, too.
"That's why this bridge is so important. It'll release his stranglehold on our home, and he knows it. If we can get to the mainland, our dependence on him dissipates. So, that's why Gato wants me dead. And why you all ended up here."
How awful, Sayuri thought. All of this destruction and suffering coming from the greed of one man…it's so wrong.
"An A or B rank mission would've guaranteed you much more safety. Your life would be in the hands of elite ninja who have completed missions like these dozens of times. Why would you gamble with your life like that if you knew that enemy forces were trying to assassinate you?" Kakashi continued probing.
"This country has become impoverished because of Gato. This was all we could scrape together for. Even our nobles and lords are in no position to pay for an expensive escort. I had to try something; we're desperate. But I understand if you need to abandon this mission. I'll likely be killed once we set ashore, but at least I'll have died for a worthwhile effort," Tazuna said somberly.
"I don't want to abandon this mission, Sensei," Sayuri said. "I know I'm not in the greatest condition to fight or anything," she paused to lift her sling-encased arm from the shoulder for emphasis, "but Tazuna-san needs our help to save his people. It feels wrong to turn our backs on someone when they're out of options."
Naruto shot glances in every direction, watching to see what everyone else would say or do. Sasuke just stared at her and Tazuna. I probably made them feel obligated to continue this by speaking up. I don't exactly like the idea of pushing them into anything, but what else can I do? She thought to herself.
"You sound awful willing to throw yourself in danger. I thought I'd have to try and convince you more," Tazuna remarked. Sayuri shook her head.
" I don't need to be convinced to help people. I wasn't raised that way," she said vaguely.
"And what way were you raised?" Tazuna asked.
"The way the rest of my clan was. We value love, family, and sacrifice above all else."
Kakashi cut in then, stating, "Well, far be it from me to interfere in clan traditions. That aside, Tazuna-san, it's clear your duty is very important and affects the lives of your community. Therefore, we will remain your protectors until your bridge has been completed."
"I'm very grateful," Tazuna said. His tone was notably absent of any snark or cynicism.
"We're approaching the shore now." Almost as soon as the boatman announced the progress of their journey, the boat sailed into a wide, arching tunnel. The darkness was hardly an issue, with the sunlight illuminating the other end of the tunnel invitingly. "This timing was ideal. We shouldn't be spotted."
Once they passed through the tunnel and emerged on the other side, Sayuri was happy to see the Land of Waves was just as beautiful as she remembered it. Though she had some bad associations with it previously, actually being able to look around and not have to keep her head down and blend in as much as possible meant she could appreciate it this time. The water was a sparkling, vibrant, and appealing blue. The trees had roots growing up from the ocean that curled and tangled whimsically. The architecture of the buildings and over-water walkways had clear Land of Water influences.
"It looks like home," Sayuri said, not to anyone in particular. It just sort of escaped her with her breath. "Home" was a hard thing to classify for her. The Leaf Village was much more peaceful, despite how isolating it felt at times. She knew she was safe there, and the worst she'd get on a bad day was some angry stares. But the Mist Village was where she grew up, even if atrocious things happened there.
Sayuri thought back to her clan's compound. It was built on an estuary. The wide river where the kappas lived, according to legend, marked the border between the Fukuhara grounds and other clans' estates. The sea was east of her home, with beaches to the immediate north and south and grasslands and forests to the north and southwest. She remembered every single detail. The teakwood walkways over the water, the opal and seashell decorations, the dancing hall, the laughter, and the music. That was home, and she could never return.
"Hey." Naruto slid up beside her. "How's your arm?"
"Still attached to me, so better than it could be, I guess," Sayuri said. Her voice wavered in a way she hadn't expected as she felt something wet drip from her chin and onto her knees. She lifted her hand and wiped at her face, dismayed to feel tears she didn't know she was shedding on her palm and fingers. "I'm so sick of crying!" she admitted exasperatedly, her clipped and raspy. She shook the tears off her hand much more aggressively than most would deem normal for her. "Why can't I keep it together?"
Naruto frowned sympathetically and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Hey, I think you're doing awesome, all things considered, 'ya know? It's been rough since we got this mission, so you should cry if you feel like you gotta." He had such a way of making things seem simple. He probably didn't pay attention to Shinobi Rule #25 when they studied it at the Academy, but she was certainly violating it. 'A shinobi must never show their tears during a mission.'
Truthfully, compared to the Hidden Mist's Academy, that rule was generous. There weren't a lot of shinobi rules she remembered learning back then other than 'Survive at all costs.' and 'The ends justify the means. Do whatever it takes, no matter the cost.'
If Naruto had more to say, the conversation was cut short by the boat coming to shore at the dock. Kakashi got out first and offered a hand to Sayuri out of the ship. Having one arm down wasn't ideal for keeping her balance on the water. She thanked Kakashi once she got her footing steady on the dock. Her eyes wandered and fell onto Sasuke, who was already looking at her rather intensely. He didn't look away when they made eye contact, either.
Instead, he approached and designated a spot for himself at her left side, same as the sling. He didn't say anything. He was standing closer to her than he normally would, but not to the point of intruding on any personal space. Before Sayuri could give his actions any thought, Tazuna parted ways with the boatman and reconvened with Team Seven.
"The next step is to get me to my house in one piece. Think we can manage that?" he asked.
"Certainly," Kakashi said, a tad too pleasantly. His relaxed and confident energy felt like it was over-compensating for something. Nerves, maybe? Sayuri was unsure, but she definitely considered that perhaps Kakashi had the right idea by not wearing his heart on his sleeve.
The way to Tazuna's house went through the main city and the forests in the heart of the island, not too far from the beach on the eastern shore. The greenery was lush, and the forest itself seemed relatively untamed. The footpath was the only sign of human intrusion here. It was much different from the wide pathways in the Land of Fire, with more than enough room for trader's wagons, parades, horses, anything, really.
Sasuke eventually wandered forward in their marching order and ended up beside, Naruto who was ahead of Sayuri. At first, they were walking in step, and Sasuke would casually throw a glance back towards Sayuri on occasion, as though he were just confirming to himself she was still there. Then Naruto abruptly sped up and stopped in the middle of the path. He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked intently in all directions. Everyone slowly came to a halt amongst one another as he continued. He drew a kunai from its holster and then threw it into the bushes as if he were aiming for an enemy hiding there.
"Over there!" he announced. Kakashi stood frozen in disbelief, his arms rigid and his palms tense with his fingers spread wide. Tazuna looked like he was about to faint or have a heart attack, whichever came first. Sasuke's face read as unimpressed and unsurprised as he shook his head and sighed. Sayuri stood in place. Her only reaction was to muster a rattled blink as her brain tried to process what the hell Naruto was thinking.
A long, awkward stillness stretched out between them as they waited for something to possibly happen from that nonsense. And when nothing came of it, Naruto stood up straight, his hand presumably attempting to toss his hair—which was not nearly long enough to do in the first place—and he slid his other hand in his pocket very nonchalantly and arrogantly. "It was just a mouse after all," he informed them. His apparent effort to sound effortless and cool really put the finishing touch on his self-induced misadventure. It was almost laughable.
"Naruto, those knives are real weapons! You can't just pull stunts like that; they're dangerous!" Kakashi said. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Tazuna began shouting at Naruto for trying to scare him to death, which aptly went in one ear and right out the other. He continued his intense "look at me I'm a really cool ninja" song and dance as if no one was even talking to him.
Kakashi's body language suddenly made the tiniest change. His posture straightened, and he lowered his hand from his face. His eyes darted to seven o'clock from his position. Naruto, who hadn't even been looking at him, threw another kunai in the same direction.
"Over there!" he declared again, this time sounding more confident. Sasuke noticed the knife's trajectory, locked his hand around Sayuri's shoulder furthest from him, and pulled her out of the line of fire as the blade just missed her braid. It likely wouldn't have hit, but it was still too close for comfort.
Sayuri looked from Sasuke to Naruto, wide-eyed, breathless, and speechless. Naruto blanched as he realized his weapon could've ended up in Sayuri's skull if he had aimed even slightly worse and instantly started rapid-firing apologetics at her.
"Sayuri, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to get so close to you. I was trying to get something behind you! Are you okay?"
"Are you for real right now, Naruto? Don't you think we've had enough people trying to kill us in the past day?" Sasuke snapped.
"I wasn't tryna hurt her! I'm being serious; someone's actually following us. I got a weird feeling, honest!"
"Does that 'weird feeling' make you think you can just randomly attack someone? Because I might have my own weird feeling you'd make a good target," Sasuke fired back ruthlessly.
Sayuri looked behind her and saw Kakashi stepping over the knee-high bushes to inspect whatever damage Naruto had caused. She decided that Naruto and Sasuke's argument could be left behind for a moment. She didn't have the energy in her to be a mediator today. She peeled Sasuke's lingering hand from her shoulder and trailed after Kakashi. She slid between the shrubbery and laid eyes on Naruto's second almost-victim: a snow rabbit, who looked utterly terrified.
"Oh no," Sayuri knelt beside the rabbit and gently stroked its back. "It's okay. You're safe." She started brushing sections of fur aside to look for any injuries, and a thought occurred to her. "Huh, that's odd."
"What is?" Kakashi asked, though his tone indicated he may already know the answer.
"We have these rabbits back home, but they're only supposed to be white like this in the wintertime. My neighbor had a few, and the ones he let outside had white fur in the winter and gray fur the rest of the year. There was only one he kept inside because he was born without one of his paws, and he was white all the time. This could be someone's pet that got loose," Sayuri said.
She gently lifted the rabbit a tad awkwardly with one hand, and it laid with its tummy in her spread palm. Its paws dangled down around her forearm and the back of her hand. She carried it over to Tazuna while its trembling persisted. "Tazuna-san, does this little guy look familiar to you? I think he might be lost."
"Oh? Not sure, bring him a little closer, and I'll see," he said.
"Get down!" Kakashi shouted. A deafening and heavy whirling sound breached the forest line. Something large, metal, and frighteningly sharp barreled towards them with unbelievable speed. Sayuri dove to the ground, the rabbit springing free and scampering away, likely never to be seen again. Her wrist pulsed with a dull ache. Shit, she cursed internally. Not now, of all times! She ignored the radiating pain, rolled onto her back, and kip-upped to her feet clumsily.
Kakashi was already on his feet as the rest of the team and Tazuna scrambled to stand. The object, now obviously identifiable as an obscenely large sword, cut deeply into the upper portion of a tree. A figure dropped onto the blade's hilt and stood with his back to her. He looked over his shoulder at them all. Sayuri took in his looming figure, obscured face, arm and leg warmers, short-cropped hair, and his Hidden Mist headband.
Sayuri felt all hope drain from her rapidly. Her blood ran cold. She'd know that man anywhere, especially with that blade. And he was the absolute last person she wanted to see right now. He would love nothing more than to kill everyone here.
Zabuza Momochi was their opponent and their new worst nightmare.
"You." Sayuri moved to a defensive position in front of Tazuna. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. She could feel sweat start to bead on her skin already. "Why are you here?" She gave a quick once-over to her team. No one seemed injured from his sword sailing at everyone's heads, Tazuna included. We got lucky, she noted. He won't miss us next time.
Sayuri's survival instincts were in a delicate balancing act with her panic right now. She somehow managed to subdue it enough to not scream and run away, but for how long? Zabuza was in a completely different league than her and her team's last opponents. He could instill maddening fear with just a look alone. His name was whispered fearfully even in the Mist Village. There weren't a lot of stories of people surviving encounters with him.
Sayuri locked eyes with Zabuza briefly. Even with the bandages hiding the lower half of his face, she was sure he was smirking at her.
"Well, Zabuza, I see you and my genin have already met," Kakashi said. The threat hidden beneath his scolding-adjacent tone was far from subtle. Zabuza chuckled, his laugh itself rough and twisted.
"Indeed, we have. My, my— Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye, and one of the last water dancers both in one place. This must be my lucky day," he drawled. "I always wondered where you ran off to." His eyes fell on Sayuri's headband.
With a recklessness that would guarantee him death, Naruto broke into a run, ready to take Zabuza head-on, and Sayuri felt horror spread in her veins like a virus. She reached out to pull him back, but Kakashi was prepared for his impulsiveness and held a hand out in front of Naruto. He stopped in his tracks.
"Get back." Kakashi had no casual or bored mood to his voice like he would any other day. Naruto's brow furrowed, and he looked as though he were about to question Kakashi or argue, and they simply didn't have time for that.
"Naruto, get away from him. Now." Sayuri's grave inflection made both Naruto and Sasuke's heads snap in her direction. She'd never spoken to anyone like this in their presence. "He's capable of worse than you can imagine." If the two boys didn't know already, they certainly knew all bets were off by now.
"You should listen to her, boy. There's a reason there aren't many water dancers left now, isn't there, girl? You'll have to pardon my lack of manners, but it's been a while, and your name escapes me."
Bastard, she thought to herself. It was dangerously close to actually leaving her lips, but her innate sense of self-preservation overruled her poignant detestation.
"Sayuri."
"Ah, yes, Sayuri, that's right." Zabuza dragged her name out in a way that made Sayuri shiver. He was salivating over his next kill, and she was certain he anticipated that to be her. "Tell me, how's your old man these days? The Hidden Leaf is so soft, I never would've expected them to use Gorou's unique skill set. But perhaps I misjudged them. The wealth of information he can get out of people could be worth turning a blind eye to."
That hit a nerve.
"Don't talk about my father. You have no idea who he is now."
"Zabuza!" Kakashi barked, "You leave her out of this. I know you're here for our client, and I won't allow any harm to come to him. I'm your opponent, so I recommend you pay attention." He brought his hand to his face and lifted his forehead protector to reveal his eye. Sayuri couldn't see his face from her angle, but based on Naruto and Sasuke's reactions, she gathered that it wasn't any normal eye. "You three, get into Manji formation. Protect Tazuna-san, and let me handle this guy. Don't interfere." He shot Sayuri a warning glance over his shoulder as he said that. She saw it then-his eye, scarred from his eyebrow to his cheek, and his iris a violent red with three inky-black tomoe floating around his pupil.
What is that?
Naruto and Sasuke bolted into place in their guard positions. Sayuri drew a handful of shuriken in-between her fingers. She was lucky she was right-handed, or else this could be much worse for her than it already looked now.
"Well, looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is an honor." Zabuza turned to fully face them all. "In the Hidden Mist's Assassination Unit, you were never understated. We had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile in our bingo book called you 'Kakashi Hatake: The Man Who Copied Over a Thousand Jutsus'. I'll have a grand time killing the Copy Ninja himself." Zabuza vanished from the tree he'd been towering over them on and appeared just as quickly on the surface of the river at the edge of the footpath. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu."
Thick, soupy clouds of mist rolled in around them. Sayuri felt her heart rate spike as it quickly obscured her vision. She took in a deep, slow breath and let out a measured exhale. Keep a level head. Don't get reckless. It was an earnest effort, but she knew it was likely futile. She couldn't fool herself into thinking she wasn't scared. She was terrified.
"He's going to come after me first. He's a renowned assassin, and I'm not going to lie to you and say I've mastered the Sharingan. Be on your toes," Kakashi warned.
Zabuza's voice suddenly echoed ominously from no particular direction. He recited the eight vital organs in the human body and mused about which to pick first. Kakashi released a concentrated pulse of his chakra in response and blasted the mist away in one fell swoop. His chakra washed over Sayuri, and pins and needles erupted all over her. It was like a jolt of electricity traveling through her. It was invigorating.
Then the bloodlust came. Sayuri's breath hitched in her throat. Zabuza's desire to kill was exuding from him. It spread over Sayuri like a heavy, suffocating blanket. It would be enough to crush anyone's resolve, but she'd been under its influence before. The familiarity made it easier for her to focus internally and on her thoughts. Keep breathing, she reminded herself. Don't lose your control. If you don't think, you and your team will die. You need to focus. You need to survive!
"Sasuke," Kakashi said. Sasuke jolted, drawing Sayuri's attention briefly. "Don't worry. I'll protect you guys even if it kills me." She hadn't noticed Sasuke's trembling until now, but Kakashi's assurance seemed to calm him. "I don't let my comrades die."
The hair on the back of Sayuri's neck suddenly stood on end. The air around her shifted, signaling an approach—his approach. Zabuza uttered no noise, no breath, and made no footsteps as he positioned himself between Team Seven and Tazuna.
"It's over."
Sayuri was cast onto the ground before she had time to react, just barely avoiding landing on her bad wrist. She sat bolt upright and saw Kakashi holding Zabuza back. And then everything moved so fast. "Zabuza" turned out to be a water clone that sloshed onto the ground, defeated. Then he was behind Kakashi. Naruto was screaming, and then Kakashi dissipated into a water clone. Sayuri could barely keep up with their tactical one-upping as Kakashi laid his kunai against Zabuza's jugular from over his shoulder.
"Now it's over," Kakashi said with finality. Sayuri tensed as she stood. There was no way that was it. Even for Kakashi's skill as a jonin, this was still too easy. Zabuza had never gone down in a fight as far as she knew, let alone this quickly. And Zabuza would certainly take advantage of Kakashi's assurance that he had the upper hand.
"Sensei, he's tricking you!' Sayuri cried out. She didn't know how yet, but her gut was sure that this wouldn't end here, regardless of how desperately she wanted it to. Zabuza smirked, and then his form released into yet another dispersed water clone spilling into the dirt without Kakashi even touching him.
Zabuza shifted to Kakashi's flank and swung at him. Kakashi dropped to his knees, his chest nearly brushing the grass as the blade hit the empty air. Then, Zabuza slammed the tip of his sword into the earth, the impact sending dirt and rocks scattered across the ground. He rotated his whole body using the handle of his blade as an anchor. A crushing kick made contact with Kakashi, and the latter was thrown like a ragdoll off his feet and into the river.
This is bad.
Sayuri needed to think of a plan and fast. If Zabuza ended up defeating Kakashi somehow, this was the end of the line for all of Team Seven. Even if they all teamed up and cooperated flawlessly, he could still overpower them. If she charged in like last time, Kakashi wouldn't be able to fend for himself and protect her if needed. But if she did nothing, Kakashi could die. There was no safe choice.
Kakashi broke through the river's surface, and he looked as though he were weighed down by the water itself. Zabuza was at his back in an instant. He moved through hand seals in a flash, and the water around Kakashi took shape into a sphere. Despair pierced Sayuri like a blade.
"Escaping to the water, eh, Kakashi? Not your best move. Now, you're trapped in a prison of my design. And there's no way out for you." Zabuza sounded absolutely thrilled with himself.
Sayuri went rigid as another water clone of Zabuza spawned from the river. She cautiously moved in closer to Naruto and Sasuke.
"How pathetic that your lame excuse for a village gave these runts a headband. Letting them run around and pretend to be ninjas. Pitiful. Real ninjas have stared death in the face thousands of times over." The clone began advancing towards them. "I'll acknowledge you as real ninjas when you've killed enough people to end up in my bingo book."
And then the clone vanished.
Naruto squawked as the clone's knee found purchase in his stomach. The sheer force of Zabuza's brutal strength sent Naruto skidding across the dirt. The impact knocked Naruto's forehead protector off his head, and the clone stepped on it. Sayuri looked towards Sasuke, trying to force herself to think. To think of anything she could tell him and make some semblance of a plan! His eyes were wide with horror. Meanwhile, her pulse was thundering in her ears as panic surged in her that was dangerously close to overpowering her will.
"Take Tazuna-san and run! You can't beat him! As long as he has me in this prison, he must stay in place! The water clone has to remain in a certain range of him before the jutsu releases! You have to run now!" Kakashi's dread was clear in every word. He knew just as well as Sayuri did that Zabuza wouldn't spare them.
Naruto sprinted past Sayuri and Sasuke and made a beeline towards the clone of Zabuza. Sayuri's voice calling out to him to stop was drowned out by Kakashi's shouting and Naruto's enraged roar. Another impact fell on Naruto, and he landed right at Sayuri and Sasuke's feet.
"Naruto, you can't attack him one-on-one like that! Why—" Sayuri's protest fell away as she spoke when she saw his headband clutched tightly in his hand. He grunted, spitting blood onto the ground, and shakily pushed himself to stand.
"Hey, you eyebrow-less freak, put this in your damn book. The man who will one day become Hokage is me, Naruto Uzumaki! And I won't run away! Sasuke, you're with me on this. Sayuri, you're hurt, so just hang back for now, alright?"
There was a fire in Naruto's eyes that Sayuri had never seen before. He was fierce, bold, and unyielding. There was nothing that would shake him from this decision now. It was admirable, even. Sayuri swallowed a dry lump in her throat and nodded at Naruto.
"A-Alright."
Kakashi continued to urge them to flee, and his pleas faded into the background as Sayuri desperately dug into her mind for something that could help. She wracked her brain for anything she could remember about Zabuza or some tactic her dad had taught her, but nothing that seemed strategically sound for this situation came to mind.
A secondary wave of Zabuza's killing intent seized her as he recounted to them the previous graduation exam held by the Hidden Mist Village. Sayuri grimaced, thinking of her dad's own remorse at having to kill a friend to graduate. Zabuza was the shining example of the Mist forcing their ninjas to shed their humanity to succeed and survive. The memories that the hellish assassin dredged up for her made her feel sick.
We have to stop him.
Sayuri flinched as Sasuke was mauled and nearly crushed by Zabuza in seconds. She wanted to move and help and fight, but she knew Zabuza would pinpoint her injury and exacerbate it in seconds. She'd be a hindrance and yet another person they had to rescue.
There's no chance we can kill him, especially with me hanging back. We either need to get Kakashi-sensei free, or we need to get him to give up the fight.
Naruto followed up with an army of shadow clones that raced to pile onto Zabuza. They were thrown off him like they were nothing. The clones dissipated into clouds of smoke as they each hit one another or crash-landed onto the earth. Naruto and Sasuke need to come up with something to outsmart him. But if they can't…She didn't want to think about that and shook her head rapidly as though that would clear the fright racing through her thoughts.
Focus! What would make him give up the fight? He's here for whatever Gato offered in exchange for his skills, so what does he get from doing this? What does Zabuza want?
Sayuri dropped to her knees as she saw the original Naruto shunted in her direction, kicking up dust and dirt along the ground the whole way. She winced at the impact as she caught him, a wheezing gasp escaping her. It wasn't ideal, but she'd rather he crash into her than the solid earth. She looked towards Zabuza and found them once again locking gazes. What does he want? What is Gato promising him that's valuable enough for him to stoop to killing old civilians?
And then she knew.
Naruto slipped out of Sayuri's hold as she arose from the ground. He began digging in his backpack for something but paused when she spoke.
"Zabuza." She held his gaze unfalteringly. "How much is Gato paying you to kill Tazuna-san?"
He chuckled at her, his free hand resting on his hip tauntingly. "More money than you could probably ever see or give me, water dancer."
Sayuri took in a deep breath, her hand squeezing into a fist as she fought to hold her resolve. This was their only chance, regardless of the risk. She had to make a choice, and she chose what any Fukuhara would choose. Love, family, and sacrifice.
With an exhale, she asked, "How much more do you think the Mizukage would pay you for turning in my bounty instead?"