Road to Tazuna's Village

Team Seven and Tazuna had been making good time when they were suddenly stopped by the appearance of a thick mist. The Genin were surprised when their Sensei used nothing but his Chakra to push the mist back. It then rolled in with an immense pressure behind it.

Daichi recognized what this was. "Killer Instinct… This is bad."

"Form up around Tazuna." Kakashi calmly moved his hand band up. "A Jonin level ninja is around."

The Genin did as they were told with Daichi covering the front, Hinata and Naruto the sides, and Sasuke the back. Daichi drew his swords while the others drew kunai. All four of them noticed their Sensei's uncovered eye was red with three tomoe.

Sasuke was surprised. "He possesses the Sharingan!"

"How does Sensei have the Sharingan? He isn't an Uchiha." Daichi thought.

"Sensei has a Sharingan?" Hinata thought before being reminded of the danger at hand and weaving the proper signs. "Byakugan."

"What's wrong with Sensei's eye?" Naruto pondered.

The enemy Jonin made his move. He went straight for Daichi intending to barrel through him. The Genin barely had time to react as he blocked the Jonin with his blades. Now everyone could get a good look at their opponent who held a swords four times the size of Daichi's blades.

This Jonin was a tall and noticeably muscular man with light grayish skin, short spiky black hair, dark brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He wore bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face, and his Mist Village forehead protector was sideways on his head.

He was shirtless, with his chest only covered by a belt which was likely where he sheathed the massive blade. The rest of his attire consisted of baggy pants with a striped pattern and mimetic wrist-warmers extending up to his elbows with matching legwarmers.

This Mist Jonin was using a larger blade with far more muscle than Daichi. To keep the blade at bay, the Fusion member was forced to one knee while the first blade, the one taking most of the force, began to crack.

"Impressive kid." The Jonin spoke with a gravelly voice. "I wasn't going that fast, but you still blocked me."

Fortunately, Daichi didn't have to hold the blade at bay for long as Kakashi attempted to strike the Jonin with a kunai forcing him away.

Daichi began panting as he got to his feet. "That was close. If Sensei had acted a few seconds later, my sword would have shattered, and I'd be next."

All 4 Genin were shaken by what just happened. On top of that, the presence of the two Jonin, letting loose killer intent, was overwhelming making it hard to move or breath.

"You four have nothing to worry about." Kakashi stated as he stared Zabuza down. "I'll protect you with my life. I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me."

That calmed the Genin down until the Mist Jonin moved so fast that he seemingly appeared behind Kakashi in an instant

"That can be arranged." The Jonin firmly stated.

He swung his massive sword cutting Kakashi in half terrifying the Genin and Tazuna. "It's over."

Kakashi said, "I wouldn't be so sure Zabuza Momochi."

Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza and stabbed him with his kunai. Water trickled from the man's wound meaning he was a water clone. The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi.

"Sensei, behind you!" Naruto warned.

Zabuza slashed at Kakashi once more only this time the Leaf Jonin ducked under the swing, pivoted on his right foot so that he was behind Zabuza, and held a kunai against his throat. All of this was done in the span of seconds.

"Don't move." Kakashi declared. "You're finished."

Naruto cheered. "Way to go Sensei!"

Hinata had been scanning the field not wanting to fail her team again and noticed something off with the lake nearby. "Kakashi Sensei, that lake… it has traces of Chakra. It's thicker."

Kakashi looked at Zabuza. "Is that so? I'll endeavor not to move over there then." He called out to the Genin. "Continue scanning the area Hinata. I want to know if this guy has any allies."

Zabuza laughed unnerving the Genin. "You spoke of how I'm finished and thanks to that Hyuga you have an idea of my intentions, but I'll never be defeated by a copycat ninja like you." Kakashi made a slight sound of irritation

"I will say though, you are full of surprises. You already copied my Water Clone Jutsu. Very skillfully executed. You made your clone say those words while you hid in the mist waiting for me to make my move. Nice try."

Zabuza turned into a puddle of water indicating that he was another water clone.

The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi once more. "I'm not easy to fool."

Zabuza swung his huge blade at Kakashi once more, but the Leaf Jonin avoided it by stepping to the right causing the blade to hit the ground. Zabuza switched hands on the blade and kicked Kakashi into the air.

Kakashi quickly wove hand signs as he flew towards the lake. "Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A water dragon came from the lake hitting Kakashi and knocking him away from the lake. While he took damage from his own attack, he still landed safely, and it was worth it to stay out of that lake in his opinion.

Hinata momentarily stopped her search to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. My warning helped in some small way."

She was back at it slowly scanning for miles around them to see if anyone was around. So far, she had found nothing. Kakashi drew a kunai as Zabuza rushed him. They then locked blades.

It was at this moment that Hinata located someone in the forest. "Everyone, there's another presence in the woods to the left."

Sasuke smirked. "Is that so?" He called out to the figure. "Hey, whoever's out there should just show themselves now. We know you're out there."

Zabuza growled. "Annoying girl."

Kakashi seized on that distraction to kick Zabuza knocking him off balance. He then moved in laying into the big brute with multiple punches. The Mist Jonin recovered, slammed his sword into the ground, and spun along it coming to kick Kakashi in the back.

"Haku, get out here and deal with the Genin." He began weaving hand signs. "I'll kill the bridge builder. Water Clone Jutsu."

A water clone of Zabuza appeared and charged at Tazuna. Kakashi attempted to stop it only for the real Zabuza to swing his blade forcing Kakashi away from his students. At the same time, a figure ran out from the forest towards the small group.

This had to be Haku. He had long black hair and a slender frame. His attire consists of a green haori with white trim, and a brown sash with a fringed trail wrapped around his waist twice. He also wore light-brown platoon sandals.

He wore a hunter-nin mask, which was white with curved eyeholes with the Kirigakure symbol etched in the top. Sasuke was already running to meet the Hunter nin prompting Naruto to run after him. That was fine with Daichi if Hinata stayed with the old man.

Daichi briefly looked to the Hyuga who nodded. "I'll stick with Mr. Tazuna and keep him safe."

Daichi nodded and charged to meet the water clone head on.

Daichi and Hinata vs Zabuza(Water Clone)

Daichi blocked the blade of the clone causing the first blade, cracked from earlier confrontation, to shatter completely when met with the clone's force. That bought the Fusion member a small window of time. He forced his remaining, intact blade up, and pushed the blade to the side.

The Fusion member dropped the hilt of his broken blade before slashing and slicing at the water clone forcing it to dodge. It did seem as though the clone wasn't as fast nor as strong as the real deal. Hinata stood protectively in front of Tazuna while aiding Daichi with kunai and shuriken.

She hoped to distract the clone, and to an extent, she managed to help keep the clone on the defensive for a while longer. The clone soon got used to Daichi's moves and ended up clashing blades with him.

The clone eventually kicked Daichi away. Hinata covered her teammate with her remaining shuriken giving the Fusion member time to recover as the clone used his blade to block. Daichi got to his feet and began collecting lightning to his hand.

"Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!" Daichi declared.

A wolf of lightning charged at the clone who dodged, but Hinata noticed the rope of lightning connecting the wolf and Daichi. She drew her last two kunai and threw them in a way that forced the clone where she wanted him.

Right into the path of the lighting wolf. Said wolf slammed into the clone's back utterly shocking it and turning it into a puddle of water. Provided Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke could handle Zabuza and Haku, Tazuna would be safe.

Sasuke and Naruto vs Haku

Sasuke weaved hand signs as he ran to meet Haku. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

Small balls of fire launched at the Shinobi forcing him to jump back. The Uchiha had every intention of defeating this opponent. He drew two kunai and charged at Haku only to be met with two senbon. They began to clash, spin, and clash again.

"You won't be able to keep up with my speed." Haku stated. "Stand down. We are only here for the bridge builder."

"We're not backing down and we're not retreating!" Naruto charged in delivering a powerful punch to Haku's gut. "I made a vow to protect the bridge builder and that's what I'm going to do."

"This is my fight loser." Sasuke looked at him. "I don't need your help."

"I'd be more than content to Teme, but we're teammates now." Naruto looked at him. "Did you learn nothing from Kakashi's lesson?"

Sasuke grit his teeth as he did not have a good comeback.

The water on the ground rose around Naruto and Sasuke forming into needles. This drew their attention away from the conversation. The water needles launched at both Genin. What's more, Haku was holding that sign meaning they were constantly barraged.

Sasuke and Naruto drew kunai and shuriken. They dodged the onslaught as best they could, but they weren't perfect. Sasuke did notice that Naruto was able to dodge just as well as him. He did not remember the Dobe capable of that before.

They didn't just dodge, but also blocked with their kunai while throwing shuriken at Haku attempting to stop the barrage. Haku avoided them while still maintaining the Jutsu. Then, Sasuke managed to hit his mark.

Kakashi vs Zabuza

Zabuza pivoted on his right foot and launched a kick with his left. This knocked Kakashi back onto the water. Given Hinata's warning, and the confirmation that came, he made sure to flip so his feet would hit the water and applied Chakra.

This resulted in him landing on the surface no problem. Zabuza ran onto the water and Kakashi jumped back. The two faced off with one another before beginning to make the exact same, long series of hand signs.

In unison they said. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Two dragons made of water emerged from the lake. They twirled around each other a bit before crashing into one another. The two dragons continued to do battle crashing and biting until they canceled one another out. Zabuza and Kakashi charged at one another locking weapons.

Neither of them was giving the other an inch until Zabuza saw something strange. "Could it be?"

The Mist Jonin ran to where Kakashi was while Kakashi, at the same time, moved to where Zabuza was. Zabuza then did a pose which Kakashi imitated to a T. This offset the Mist Jonin immensely.

Zabuza thought, "My movements. It's as if he knows what I'm…"

"…going to do next." Kakashi finished Zabuza's thought.

"What?! Is he reading my mind as well? He looks at me with that eye. It makes me furious." Zabuza released his pose and began weaving hand signs that Kakashi mimicked. "All you're doing is copying me." Kakashi joined in. "You can't beat me with cheap tricks.

I'll crush you." Kakashi stopped. "When I'm finished with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again." This time, Zabuza noticed something that was behind Kakashi. "What is that?" Eventually, he was able to make it out. "It's me, but how?! Is it an illusion Jutsu?!"

This image of himself had caused Zabuza to stop making hand signs while Kakashi continued. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu."

"W-What?!" Zabuza shouted in shock while a vortex of water was forming in front of Kakashi. "Impossible!" Zabuza shouted before the vortex rammed into him. "I was just about to create a vortex, but he created one first! I can't keep up!"

The vortex tore through the land and whipped up a mighty wind.

With Daichi, Hinata, and Tazuna

The three of them watched as the vortex ripped through the ground.

With Sasuke, Naruto, and Haku

The three of them stared at the scene before Haku wove a different set of hand signs. "Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

The mist in their own area grew dense. The Genin rushed forward; however, Haku was gone and currently on his way to Zabuza's aid.

Kakashi and Zabuza

The vortex plowed Zabuza into a tree before calming. Kakashi then launched four kunai: one to each of Zabuza's arms and legs. The leaf Jonin then jumped onto the tree branch above him.

"You're finished." Kakashi said

"How?" Zabuza looked up at Kakashi in shock. "Can you see into the future?"

"Yes." Kakashi drew one of his kunai. "This is your last battle."

Kakashi was forced to jump through the trees as needles of water rushed him. Once he was far enough away, Haku rushed in grabbing the injured Jonin. They suddenly vanished as the four Genin and Tazuna joined Kakashi.

"Zabuza was a Jonin, but who was that other Shinobi?" Naruto questioned. "Why the heck did he look like that?"

Daichi said, "I'm uncertain if that masked Shinobi is one now, but that was a tracker Shinobi's mask. When Rouge Shinobi break away from their village, they carry all kinds of valuable secrets. Tracker Shinobi are specifically trained to hunt down rouges and eliminate them."

Kakashi jumped down to meet them while placing his head band over his Sharingan. "You all did an excellent job on this one."

The Leaf Jonin was tired, but not as much as he would have been had the fight gone differently. He'd still need to rest, but he was mobile at least.

Naruto was furious with himself. "Damn it, what are we doing here!? That Hunter nin or whatever looked around our age, yet he was stronger. I can't believe it!"

Hinata worriedly said, "Naruto."

Daichi tightly gripped the hilt of his remaining sword. "Man."

Sasuke looked away.

Kakashi walked up to Naruto and put a hand on his shoulder. "As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy. Save your anger, for the next enemy." He turned to the rest of the team. "We haven't completed our mission. We must get Tazuna to his bridge."

Tazuna decided to try and lighten the mood. "Sorry I caused all this trouble for ya, but you can rest at my house when we get to the village."

Kakashi nodded. "Let's get moving."

Some Time Later…

The group continued; however, the Genin were all lost in their own thoughts. Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke were focused on the battle while Daichi was thinking about Zabuza. The guy was skilled with a blade. Really skilled. The fusion member couldn't help but respect that.

Daichi looked at his Sensei. "Sensei can you tell us more about Zabuza?"

"That's a good idea." Kakashi nodded. "He's Zabuza the Demon of the Mist. He's from the Village Hidden in the Mist or Blood Mist Village. They had an academy where students trained, ate, and studied together. Prior to 10 years ago, they had the established rule of kill or be killed.

Hinata was shocked. "That's so cruel."

"Zabuza is the reason it changed?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi nodded. "1 year prior to this change, a young boy entered the field where the exams were held and killed all the students."

These words shocked Hinata and Naruto while making Daichi and Sasuke think. Either way, all four Genin would be quiet for the rest of the trip.