Obsidian

by witchh

Kakashi and Erina have been a team since childhood, an Alpha and Omega that are known and feared by all ninja. He knows Erina is his mate, but she has no idea Kakashi is hopelessly in love with her. He can't ever let her find out, Team 7 is their priority now, he can't risk giving into his Alpha instincts, but he doesn't know how much longer he can resist.

2. Assassin in the Mist

Erina stepped out of the tub wearing one of Kakashi's shirts, the size of it enveloping her. He was working away at the stove, hoping that if he made the meal good enough, she would tell him where she hid his books.

"Dinner almost ready?" She asked with a smirk.

He sighed, "Yeah, only another five minutes." He stirred the vegetables around.

"I'll set the table." She walked away, grabbing the plates and glasses. She had a feeling saké tonight may not be a good idea. Kakashi was already somewhat agitated with her. The books were still in the apartment, but she hid them somewhere she knew he would never go looking.

She sat down at the table, noticing that Kakashi had changed into a pair of sweats but kept his tight shirt on with his mask still attached.

"Ready." Kakashi brought the steaming food over and placed it into the dishes Erina had set out. He then filled the glasses with some soda.

"Thank you." She smiled, digging into the meal. "Mhmm… this is delicious, Kashi." She took another bite.

"Oh, sorry." He knelt his head down and focused on his food.

Only a few moments went by until he heard her speaking again, "You could just ask, you know." She was sitting back in her chair, plate cleared and glass empty.

That was…fast.

"Ask what?"

"If I'll give you your books and wallet back." She grinned.

"Well, I figured since my begging wasn't enough, you wouldn't give them back if I simply asked."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Kashi. If you ask nicely, I may just return them." She leaned forward with her elbows on the table, bringing her hands together.

He stood and walked over; no longer interested in his unfinished dinner. He stood tall over her, resting one palm flat on the table.

"Erina, can I please have my books and wallet back?" He pleaded, trying to use his best puppy eyes.

"Hmm…" She thought for a moment. "I guess you did hold up your end of the bargain…"

He felt a glimmer of hope.

"Tell you what, I'll return one book to you each day you make me breakfast and dinner. You have thirty or so books, that would amount to a month of food preparations."

"But — "

"It's either that or nothing." She leaned back in the chair again, daring him to push her further.

He slumped his shoulders. "Alright." He bowed his head in defeat.

"Great." He heard her pulling something out from somewhere.

"Here." She held his wallet out to him,

He reached towards it but paused, "… Where did you pull this from?"

"Nowhere." She smirked, standing now.

He gripped his wallet and felt that it was quite warm before he tossed it towards his Jōnin jacket.

She walked into their bedroom and he followed, eager to get one of his books back. He wondered where she had hidden them?

"Want to try to guess where one is?" She asked, crossing her arms and standing in the middle of the room.

"I already looked everywhere."

"Obviously not if you haven't found one." She watched him try to figure out her little joke.

"I don't know where they are, Erina." He whined.

She rolled her eyes, "Where is the one place in our apartment that I would put something I know you wouldn't look?"

He waited, hoping for an answer.

She watched him, refusing to give him any more hints.

The wheels turned in his head…

"Erina…" He glanced towards their dresser. "You didn't…"

She smiled even more.

"In there?" He whispered, terrified.

"I don't know, why don't you go check." She stepped aside and gave him the room to walk towards the dresser, watching as his hands shook towards the first drawer, the forbidden drawer that he never once opened since she moved in. She never laid any kind of claim to it, he just refused to even touch it, which was ironic considering what he read on a daily basis.

His fingers got closer and closer to the handle, once he gripped it, he paused a moment… she waited. He yanked it open and turned away, refusing to look.

"You may want to use your eyes, Kashi. I hid it pretty good." She nearly laughed, watching him rummaging around in a dresser drawer.

He groaned loudly, opened his eyes and nearly jumped back like he'd been slapped. She didn't help him, just started laughing at his reddening face.

He stepped closer and peered in, trying to not memorize anything she owned. Everything was so lacy, he wondered how the hell she moved around comfortably. He reached his hand towards the back of the drawer and finally found salvation; he pulled one book free and closed the drawer like it contained a plague.

"How can something like that make you pant for air as if you just ran a marathon and yet your stamina for training is nearly perfect?" She shook her head, watching him put his book away very carefully in the place she had stolen it from.

"It's weird…" He mumbled, embarrassed now.

"Come on, I want my massage." She walked towards the bathroom, bringing out a towel, stripping the shirt off facing away from Kakashi and laying down on the sheets, placing the towel over her behind, hiding anything that may distract him.

He took a deep breath and tried to focus. He stepped onto the mattress and started placing his hands on her bare back.

"You forgot the oil, Kashi." She mumbled into the sheets.

"Oil? We don't have any oil."

"I bought some." She lifted a hand and pointed to the small table beside their bed; he opened the drawer and there was a small bottle of massage oil. He put some in his hands and started rubbing them together, spreading it generously onto his palms.

He started to touch her skin again, she gave a happy sigh, visibly relaxing from his touch. He straddled her from behind and tried to keep calm, refusing to let his imagination run wild. He spread his hands around her back, gripping her waist nearly entirely with his large hands. The oil was scented, seemed like some kind of oak to him.

He was curious what the bottle said it was, but decided to leave it for later. He continued to press gently into Erina's back, manipulating her muscles.

"You're not going to break me in half." She said in a tired voice.

"Huh?" He looked up.

"You're massaging me like I'm a new born, you can do it harder, I'm not going to get hurt." She stuck her face back in the pillow, relaxing again.

He took her direction and pressed into her skin more firmly, pushing upwards and trying to stretch her spine. She was really stressed; he could feel multiple knots in her muscles. He then worked up to her neck, gently pressing beneath her ears and dragging his thumbs down to her shoulders, bringing his other fingers around to the front and gently brushing them to the front of her neck.

"Mhmm…" She made a sound of appreciation. He was glad he could make her happy like this. Maybe he should give her massages more often…

He trailed back down to her shoulder blades and started pressing firmly, spreading the knots to try to loosen them.

"Deeper, Kashi." She mumbled.

He nearly gasped, surprised at her words.

Right, she means deeper with my hands. He shook his head and complied, pressing even harder into her soft skin.

But those words had hit him so hard, he couldn't forget them.

Uh oh…

He could feel his member starting to thicken, growing with the excitement from her words. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. Damn and he'd been doing so well, not giving in.

He saw her hands and reached up for them, moving to now sit on the edge of the bed so she couldn't see his embarrassing display.

He held her hand and started to gently massage her fingers, her entire hand so much smaller than his… he wondered what they would feel like on his —

Stop! Not good! He stood and dropped her hand roughly.

"Kashi, where are you going?" She asked, sleepily.

"I just remembered I didn't do the report for the training earlier, I need to hand that in." He said, walking out briskly.

She looked at the clock, "But, the office is closed…" She said to herself.

She shrugged it off and reached for the shirt she had taken off, letting it fall back on to her shoulders. She crawled under the covers and turned the light out, loving the simple smell of Kakashi. She'd never admit it, but just his scent calmed her. He smelled like red oak, patchouli, cedarwood and sweet citrus, with just a hint of cashmere musk.

Kakashi quickly slipped on his shirt and Jōnin jacket; he saw the time was after midnight but he had to leave, had to get away from her. She was too dangerous.

He opened and closed the door quickly jumping away into the trees, running out to the nearest training ground.

No one should be here at this hour.

He stopped at a tree and rested for a moment, giving his heart a chance to calm down. He let his legs dangle, trying to find anything to distract himself.

"Damn it." She was too intoxicating! Her scent drove him wild, even when she wasn't in heat and he wasn't in a rut; it became even more difficult when he used that scented massage oil on her. He was in so much trouble.

He tried some breathing exercises, but nothing helped. His member was so engorged and aching from neglect, he couldn't ignore it anymore; his last rut was hard, even if it only lasted a day. He wasn't able to take his thoughts away from Erina, constantly imagining claiming her as his mate. The only thing that worked in their favor was Erina's heat only hit twice a year and his rut was somewhat controllable, he had been surrounded by Omega's all his life and the Academy trained them early to resist the instinct to mate unless they were claiming one for life.

He sat with his back against the trunk, up high enough that no one could possibly see him. He closed his eyes and started remembering how her naked skin felt in his hands, how slender her throat was, the fact that she asked him to do it deeper. That one damn word sent him over the edge. He started palming himself through his sweats, feeling the jerking and twitching reaction to the lightest physical touch. He gasped and covered his mouth, trying to keep quiet.

He replayed the image through his mind of when she was in the tub, barely covered by the bubbles.

It's not enough…

He gripped the waistband of his sweats and pulled them down just past his aching member, the sensation of being free a huge relief. He started to palm himself, imagining it was Erina's hands. He would teach her, coax her into submission, show her all the things he had fantasized of doing for years. He wanted to ravish her, feel her beneath him, watch her ride him; taste her, claim her, mark her as his for everyone to see.

Kami…

His hand picked up speed and he tightened his grip. He wanted her mouth on him, taking him so deeply and swallowing when he came. He knew just how skilled her mouth was.

Why did she have to be so damn taunting? He had a hard — enough time not claiming her every day whenever she wore that outfit. Showing off her toned stomach, only wearing a bra underneath her jacket, her hair so long and soft… he always wanted to run his hands through her hair; grip it as he pushed himself inside her all the way until he couldn't move.

"Uhn…" Kakashi moaned behind his hand, trying to resist crying out her name. He panted, his hips now thrusting into his working hand, trying to reach his orgasm. He fisted his length, imagining it was Erina riding him.

"Erina…" He whispered her name, imagined her throwing her head back and crying out his, he came with that image.

He felt his length pulse, gripped it tight and continued to pump, "Uh… Ah!" He panted and felt the hot come release from his tip, landing on his jacket shamelessly, his hand still working his thick member. He kept coming, the flow seeming to never end. He fisted the tip, hard and fast while he threw his head back and bit his lip, refusing to cry out. He could hear the evidence of his first orgasm on his fingers while he worked himself up to his second one. His hips thrust up hard, he came again in moments, groaning quietly, his desire to let his knot form the most difficult to resist.

Erina… He thought her name as he came again, hoping that someday, he could know what the real thing was like…

---

When he had returned to the apartment, it was past one in the morning. He wondered if she had stayed up for him. He walked into their bedroom and saw she was completely passed out under the sheets, wearing his shirt again.

He climbed into bed behind her wrapping his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her close. She didn't stir, used to him coming to bed long after her and getting comfortable. He loved when she wore his shirts, his scent lingering on her skin. It was like he had claimed her. Her scent mixing with his was intoxicating. She smelt like raspberry lychee, sparkling prosecco, vanilla bourbon and creamy sandalwood. She'd worn his shirts so often that she started to smell faintly of him – it seemed like some kind of cashmere. He claimed his usual spot between her neck and shoulder, sighing with relief. He was glad he had gone to that training ground; if he hadn't, he wasn't sure he would have been able to lay beside her now.

He drifted, dreaming of a different time, a time where he could actually tell her how he felt without any consequences.

For now, just holding her had to be enough…

---

"Ready?" She asked, slipping her hood over her now dry hair.

"Yeah." He smiled, holding the door open for her while she walked past him.

"Think they'll be excited for their first mission?" She smiled up at the sky, enjoying the new experience of being a sensei.

"I think they will be at first, then when they find out what kind of missions they'll be allowed to complete they'll put up a huge fuss, especially Naruto."

She laughed and leaned into him, giving his shoulder a gentle shove. "I wonder who that reminds me of." She raised an eyebrow at him in suggestion.

"I was never as bad as Naruto."

"You were so much worse and you know it." She laughed again.

They made their way towards The Hogake's office and received their mission to deliver to the Genin for the day.

"Again?" Erina sighed.

"Looks like it." Kakashi nearly sighed with her.

They walked into town and met with Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, giving them a friendly good morning. Sakura had immediately said good morning to Erina, using the title 'sensei' and Erina had asked Sakura to drop the title. It was difficult at first, with Sakura and Naruto insisting she honor the fact that she was a teacher and had achieved such amazing status at such a young age. She argued that she was only one year younger than Kakashi, that there were plenty of ninja who were younger than her but stronger than Kakashi.

They all made their way towards an open area, where Kakashi informed them of the mission. Sakura and Sasuke accepted with mostly graceful humility, but Naruto put up a bit of a fight. Kakashi was able to convince him he needed to do easy missions first just so that they could be monitored and judged on how they work as a team on a legitimate mission.

Erina and Kakashi waited out near the open field while the three students made their way into the trees, putting on their communication equipment.

Only a few minutes had passed until they started voicing their locations to Kakashi and Erina.

"Sasuke, I'm at Point B." His voice was quiet and steady through the monitor.

"Sakura, I'm at Point C."

Erina nodded.

"Naruto, I'm at Point A." It took Naruto twice as long to check in than the others.

Erina glanced at Kakashi. "You're slow, Naruto." He nearly groaned. He paused, then saw that their target had made a run for it. "Target has moved! Follow it."

The students had moved to accommodate for the target's new location, Kakashi paused, waiting for them to settle. "What's your distance from the target?"

"Five meters. I'm ready, just give the signal." Naruto insisted.

The other two confirmed they were prepared for the jump.

"Okay…" Kakashi paused, "Now."

She heard the whirring sound through the ear piece that the students had started surrounding the target, running fast.

She heard a grunt, then Naruto's voice screaming out on the other end, "I got him!"

Kakashi acknowledged, "Can you verify a red ribbon on the right ear?"

Erina could hear Naruto crying out in anger on his end, Sasuke interfering with the sound, "Affirmative. We have a positive ID."

"Right. Lost Pet Tora, captured. Mission accomplished." Kakashi said with a small smile, turning to Erina.

"Can't we get a better mission than this?! I hate cat's!" Naruto screamed into the ear piece so loud, it nearly knocked Kakashi over, Erina wincing at the sudden intrusion on her ear drums.

"You sure you two aren't related? You do share the same drama queen traits." She giggled while he pulled his ear piece off.

They all made their way back to The Hogake's quarters to return the cat to its owner and be given their next mission. Erina had to hold the cat because she was the only one it didn't try to scratch. She handed the animal over gently to its owner… who started immediately stifling it with 'affection'.

"No wonder he ran away." Sakura said quietly.

Erina resisted nodding her head in agreement, staying near the back behind their three pupils while The Hokage started listing off multiple missions that were available for them.

"No!" Naruto yelled out loudly over The Hokage. "I wanna go on a real mission!" Naruto crossed his arms in an X to give a visual representative of his disappointment. Kakashi and Erina stood back while Sasuke and Sakura stood next to their team mate.

"Something challenging and exciting! Not this little kid stuff! Come on old man!" Naruto continued to shout.

Erina glanced at Sasuke who kept a blank expression. She had to assume he agreed with Naruto. Sasuke wanted to advance in his skills as quickly as possible, he didn't want to focus on team work; which is what all the beginner missions were all about.

Kakashi sighed in annoyance, "I knew this was coming…" He nearly groaned with an irritated expression on his face.

"How dare you!" Iruka had jumped up from his seat beside The Hogake. "You're just a brand new Genin with no experience! Like everyone else, you start with simple missions and develop your skills and improve yourself."

"Are you serious?" Naruto leaned forward, angry now. "Babysitting is not a mission, it's just a stupid —" Naruto didn't get to finish his sentence before Kakashi walked forward and gave him a knock on the head, shutting him up effectively.

"Will you put a lid on it?" He said in a bored tone.

"Naruto, it seems you do not understand the tasks you have been given." The Hokage replied completely calm. "Listen. Many different kinds of requests come into our village every day. From babysitting to assassination. These requests are carefully recorded, analyzed, then ranked 'A', 'B', 'C', or 'D', depending on their difficulty. We ninja are also ranked by ability; Hokage at the top, Jōnin, Chūnin, and Genin at the bottom. At the highest level, we select the mission and assign them to ninja with the appropriate skill and experience. And if the mission is successful, we receive a fee that supports our village and our work. Since you are untried Genin, just starting down the shinobi path, you are given 'D' level assignments, of course." By the time The Hokage had finished, he paused, hearing that Naruto hadn't been listening at all.

Erina turned and saw that Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were all facing away from him, listening to a story Naruto was telling about a new ramen he had tried.

"Silence!" The Hogake interrupted the story, everyone now staring back at him.

"Oh… sorry." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

Idiot. Erina shook her head and turned away from them, back to The Hokage.

"You always lecture me like you're my grandfather or something! But I'm not the little brat that used to pull pranks all the time. I'm a ninja now and I want a ninja mission! Hm." Naruto huffed and turned back around, pouting.

Kakashi lowered his head, "I'm going to hear about this later…" He mumbled.

"Maybe if you were paying attention, then you wouldn't have to be concerned." Erina mumbled back, stepping on his foot somewhat harshly.

"Ow!" He whispered back on a hiss, jumping on one foot to cradle the other.

The Hokage started to laugh, bringing Erina and Kakashi to look up again.

"Naruto wants us to know that he's not a brat, he's a former brat and he wants a mission. So be it." Erina glanced down at the still pouting Naruto until he turned around in an eager haste.

These words caught the attention of the other students as well, "Since you are so determined, I'm going to give you a 'C' ranked mission. You'll be body guards on a journey."

"Really?" Naruto smiled and stood, "Yes! Who? Are we guarding a princess, or some big — league councilor?"

"Don't be so impatient," The Hokage replied, "I will bring him in now." He paused, "Send in our visitor."

The team of five turned around somewhat anxiously, the door opened and the first thing that they saw was a bottle of saké.

"What the? A bunch of little snot nosed kids?" A grumbly voice came through the door, from a man obviously very drunk and angry. He took an incredibly long chug of the saké, leaning against the wall. "And you, the little one with the idiotic look on his face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

"Uh oh…" Erina mumbled to herself.

Naruto laughed, "Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his face?" He asked looking around, until Sasuke and Sakura walked closer beside him to show that he was in fact the shortest one among them. When he realized this, he tried to make a run at their client.

"I'll demolish you!"

Kakashi caught the back of his shirt while Naruto wailed in protest. "You can't demolish the client, Naruto. It doesn't work that way."

The man took another swig of the saké and leaned forward in a drunken way to introduce himself. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life." With those final words and Naruto now happy he got a 'real' mission, the six of them departed from The Hokage's office and gathered some things they would need along the journey.

They began to walk towards the main gate until Erina stopped moving.

Kakashi stopped with her, grasping her shoulders, looking her in the eye. She didn't make eye contact with him, a somewhat vacated expression on her face.

"Hey, Kakashi sensei, what's wrong with Sandā?" Sakura asked, walking back to join them.

"Nothing, she's fine. She forgot something." He smiled and told the lie easily.

He saw Sasuke was watching Erina carefully, seeing what she would do.

"Why don't you guys go on ahead and we'll be there in a moment." Kakashi turned around to face the three pupils and hide Erina from them.

"Okay." Naruto shrugged and continued on, Sakura joining him quickly. Sasuke stayed though, observing Erina.

"Sasuke." Kakashi said his name quietly, a gentle warning. Sasuke walked off to join the others.

Kakashi leaned down to look at Erina, crouching in front of her to wait until she came back to her senses. Literally. This only happened when a very sudden and dangerous chakra invaded her senses, surprising her.

He could see she was slowly starting to come back to herself, her eyes looking more like she was focusing on the current surroundings in front of her. He turned his head and saw that the three Genin were all waiting on the other side of the gate. He leaned down to her neck, inhaling to make sure her heat hadn't struck her out of nowhere. It rarely happened, but it had before and it wasn't something they could afford to deal with while training the Genin on a legitimate mission. He didn't smell her distinct scent of arousal, his worries subsiding.

Kakashi stood straight again and towered over her, waiting just a few more moments until her eyes were wide.

He reached up and gripped her chin, raising her eyes up to meet with his.

"What did you feel?" He asked quietly.

"Someone's here." She said, calm now.

"Just now?"

She nodded, "This mission is more dangerous than Tazuna led us to believe."

He gripped her chin for a moment longer, ensuring that she was fully back to herself before he nodded and turned around, walking towards the gates with Erina at his side.

Naruto was nearly jumping for joy when they arrived, Tazuna following not far behind them.

"Yeah! Alright!" He threw his fists in the air in excitement.

"What are you so excited for, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

He started looking around, "This is the first time I ever left the village, I'm a traveler now!"

While Naruto was so distracted with his new surroundings, Tazuna began complaining, "Hey, am I supposed to entrust my life to this runt? He's a joke."

Kakashi quickly intervened, "He's with us and we're Jōnin, so you don't need to worry." He said, also pointing to Erina.

Naruto turned around sharply, pointing his finger at Tazuna, "Hey, never insult a ninja! It's a big mistake! And I'm one of the greatest ninjas ever! Someday I'm gonna be Hokage and you'll look up to me! My name's Naruto Uzumaki! Remember it!"

Tazuna had taken another drink before responding, "Hokage are powerful and wise, you are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly."

"Shut up! I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage! No matter what it takes! And when I do, everyone will have to admit that I'm the top ninja, including you!"

"You can become Hokage ten times over, to me you'll still be a loser." Tazuna said with a bored tone.

Naruto grunted and before he could get his hands on Tazuna, Kakashi stepped behind him, gripping his jacket, "I told you, you're supposed to protect the client, not attack them." Kakashi rolled his eyes while Naruto continued to flail in anger, shouting how he was going to beat Tazuna.

Erina twitched, looking up into a tree above them. Kakashi heard her and released Naruto.

"Quiet." He ordered, silencing Naruto.

He walked over to Erina and watched her stare at the tree waiting for something to happen, for her to give a signal they were under attack.

She shook her head looking up at Kakashi, a very purposeful look in her eyes.

He nodded and continued onward, following behind Tazuna. Naruto eventually took the lead, the other five behind him.

"Say, Mr. Tazuna," Sakura started. "Your country is the Land of Waves, right?"

"Yeah? What of it?"

"Kakashi sensei, there are ninja in that country too, aren't there?"

Kakashi turned his attention to his female student, "No. There are no ninja in the Land of Waves. But in other countries, there are hidden villages, each with their own customs and cultures. Where ninja reside. To the people of this continent, the distance of shinobi villages means strength. Military strength. In other words, that's how they protect themselves, and maintain the balance of power with neighboring countries. The ninja villages are not controlled by any government, they're independent and have equal status. Now a small island like the Land of Waves has natural protection from the sea, so there's no need for a ninja village. The five ancient lands that possess shinobi villages are the Lands of Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, and Earth. They each occupy vast territories, together they are known as the five Great Shinobi Nations. The Land of Fire has the Village Hidden in the Leaves; the Land of Water, the Village Hidden in the Mist; the Land of Lightning, the Village Hidden in the Clouds; the Land of Wind, the Village Hidden in the Sand, and the Land of Earth, the Village Hidden in the Stones. Only the leaders of these Hidden Villages are permitted the name 'Kage', which means 'Shadow'. 'Hokage', 'Mizukage', 'Raikage', 'Kazekage', 'Tsuchikage'. These are the leaders; the five Shadows that reign over thousands of ninjas."

Sakura gasped in excitement, "Then Lord Hokage is really important!"

Erina got a feeling Sakura was being somewhat sarcastic. She leaned towards Kakashi, "That was the most I've ever heard you speak in all our lives." She smiled.

"Guess I'm getting more comfortable with teaching." He blushed, reaching his hand back to rub his neck.

"It would seem that way." She said back quietly, watching the students.

They weren't saying anything, which was odd. "Hey!" He yelled, catching them off guard, "You all just doubted Lord Hokage, didn't you? That's what you were thinking." He had a very strict tone.

Naruto and Sakura shook their heads avidly, while Sasuke didn't move.

Kakashi walked forward, "Well, anyway. There are no ninja battles in a 'C' ranked mission, so you can relax."

"And we're not going to run into any foreign enemy ninja or anything like that." Sakura said, comfortable now.

Erina glanced at Tazuna, who had a nervous look on his face.

Shit. I knew it.

Sasuke turned around at Kakashi's small laugh, "Not likely." He said simply.

They continued walking on in silence, Kakashi and Erina at the back walking beside each other. They crossed over a bridge with rushing water and fish inside.

They soon passed a puddle on the ground, Erina walking dramatically out of the way of it, Kakashi following her every move with his eyes. He glanced over to her for a moment, she met his gaze back, not giving anything away.

He lifted his left hand that was the closest to her slightly free of its pocket and tapped his leg three times with his two fingers. She looked forward again.

They continued walking, the Jōnin waiting.

A commotion happened behind them, Kakashi turned around, stunned for a moment. "What?" Another ninja was being thrown at him with aggressive force, a chain whipping out of his hand to wrap around Kakashi's body, the other end of the chain being grabbed by the ninja's partner, trapping Kakashi tightly. Kakashi grunted in pain, his body unable to move now.

Erina stood there and watched, nowhere near her students or trying to protect Tazuna.

The unknown ninja began talking to each other, "Do it." They confirmed and tightened the chain so much, that they all witnessed Kakashi's form combusting from the impact.

Sakura cried out in terror; Naruto was speechless. "Kakashi sensei!" The ninja appeared behind Naruto while he was distracted, the horror clear on his face.

Erina stepped back some more, observing the situation.

"Now it's your turn." They taunted him, they started to make their move and Sasuke immediately jumped in, throwing first a shuriken to capture the chain and hook it into a tree, then a kunai to reinforce it. The ninja tried to free themselves from the tree, but it was too deeply embedded. Sasuke landed on their outstretched arms with each foot, gripped each one with a hand and used the momentum to push against their faces to unlock the chains from their metal claws, half the threat eliminated.

They jumped away and one made a run at Naruto from behind again while the other ran to Tazuna, Sakura quickly jumping in front of Tazuna, holding a kunai to defend them.

The ninja stopped in front of her, reaching out to strike, Sasuke appeared, his arms outstretched, defending Sakura. Erina watched as the look on his face showed that he was appearing to brace for a huge impact. He had no real plan of defense, just tried to take the hit instead of Sakura.

Erina smiled, absorbing Sasuke's emotions. There was anger, determination and a need to protect.

Looks like her feelings may be somewhat reciprocated. Erina thought.

Kakashi appeared in front of Sasuke, his arms immediately grabbing the two unknown ninja's neck, a death grip now stopping them in their tracks.

Naruto groaned and looked up, seeing that Kakashi was indeed alive, Sakura now smiling and Sasuke having an angry expression on his face.

"Hi." Kakashi said in his usual bored tone.

Erina could tell Sasuke wasn't impressed, angry with the fact that he got shown up by Kakashi.

Naruto glanced at the pieces of bark that were now in place of where Kakashi's 'body parts' were, finally realizing that he had used a Replacement Jutsu.

"Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away." Kakashi said looking back to his student, the ninja still in his grip. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt… I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that." Kakashi kept his tone analytical.

He walked over to Sasuke and Sakura, "Good job Sasuke, very smooth. You too, Sakura." He said with approval.

Erina watched Naruto as his emotions began to turn into anger, until Sasuke distracted him.

"Yeah?"

"You're not hurt, are you? Scaredy cat." Sasuke said in the most mocking tone Erina had heard.

Naruto got angrier and angrier, "Sasuke!" He made a leap for it but before he could do anything, Erina called out his name, stopping him in his tracks.

"Stand still, these ninjas have poison in their claws, we need to take it out of you quickly." Naruto blanched at what she said, "We have to open the wound and remove it, it's in your blood so don't move around, that spreads the poison." She walked over from where she was watching, beginning to take out one of her special kunai that was small and sharp enough, it acted as an instrument for surgery.

Naruto stared at his hand, fear emitting from him now.

Kakashi stayed where he was, allowing Erina to take care of Naruto. "By the way, Mr. Tazuna…" Tazuna turned to him, "We need to talk." Kakashi said with an almost ominous voice as he turned his head to their client.

Erina watched Kakashi as he tied the ninja's up against a tree, the others joining around him.

"They're Chūnin, from the Village Hidden in the Mist. They're specialty is relentless attack; they keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice." He explained to the students.

"How did you know about our ambush?" One of the Mist ninjas asked.

Erina glanced at Kakashi, "A puddle on a clear day when it hasn't rained in weeks." He simply explained.

She let out an inaudible sigh, unsure if he was going to explain what really happened. That was just simply one of the things they noticed. She didn't want him to expose their secret to their students just yet.

"In that case, why did you leave it for the Genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna asked.

"I could have taken them out quickly but then I'd have learned nothing. I had to know who their target was… and what they were after." Kakashi said, eyeing Tazuna with suspicion.

"What are you getting at?" Tazuna asked, insulted.

"This." Kakashi turned to him, "I wanted to know if they were after us, ninja attacking ninja, or if they were after you, the master bridge builder. When you put in your request, you asked for standard protection from robbers and highway men. You didn't say there were ninja looking for you, hunting you down. If we knew this, it would be a 'B' ranked mission or higher, our task was simply to get you to your destination and protect you while you finished building your bridge. If we knew we'd be dealing with attacks from enemy ninja, we would have staffed differently and charged for the cost of a 'B' mission. Apparently, you have your reasons but lying to us is not acceptable. We are now beyond the scope of this mission." Kakashi's voice started to take on an angry tone near the end.

Tazuna didn't say anything.

Sakura chimed in, "We're Genin, this is too advanced for our level of training, we should go back… and I really think we need to treat Naruto's wound and get the poison out. Back in our village we can take him to a doctor."

Kakashi looked over to Naruto, Erina standing beside him waiting for him to finish with his thoughts so she could work on his hand and remove the poison.

"Hmmm… Naruto's hand could become a problem…" Kakashi mused, mulling things over in his head. "I guess we should go back to the village." He said with a sigh.

Naruto grew angry again. Kakashi glanced at Naruto, watching his reaction.

"Naruto, stop. You have to get control of your emotions, all your doing is speeding your heart rate up and spreading the poison even faster – " She paused as she saw Naruto take out a kunai and stab himself through the hand where the wound was, letting blood drip heavily.

Everyone gasped, except for Erina who just gave Kakashi an irritated sigh.

Naruto stepped away, "Why am I so different? Why am I always… ugh!"

Sakura stepped towards him, angry now. "Naruto! Stop that, what are you doing?" She yelled.

"Step back, Sakura." Erina instructed, keeping an eye on him.

He needs to feel this.

"I worked so hard to get here. Pushing myself until it hurt. Training alone for hours. Anything to get stronger, to reach my dream." The blood continued to drip. "I will never back down again and let someone else rescue me. I will never run away and I will not lose to Sasuke. Upon this wound, I make this pledge. Believe it. Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai knife." He turned around still holding the kunai into his skin, making a painful smile to them all.

Erina glanced at Sasuke and could feel the urge to challenge Naruto radiating from him.

By the time this mission is finished, I'm going to be carrying two bodies home. She sighed.

"Naruto… uh, that was really cool how you took the poison out and all… but if you lose any more blood, you're going to die." Kakashi said with a matter — of — fact voice.

They all stayed silent for a moment.

Naruto began to sweat, fear now lining his features, his hand shaking.

Kakashi appeared behind him, "Good idea to stop the bleeding now, seriously." He said with a sarcastic smile.

Naruto starting flailing, "No, no, no! I'm too young for it to all end like this!"

Erina walked towards Naruto, now standing beside Kakashi., "Give me your hand, Naruto." He stilled and tried to not move, placing his hand in her palm. She knelt down, "I was going to get the poison out safely for you, you know." She said, gently chastising him. "Poisons and remedies are a strong point for me. Next time, this isn't necessary." She gave a small pat on his head while he turned slightly red and looked down at his palm, starting to take out a bandage to wrap around it. The cut was deep and still slightly gushing out his blood.

She knelt down and started to get to work… until she felt a strange force emanating from Naruto. She looked at his hand and saw the wound begin to close all on its own. She tried to not gasp and draw attention to it, worried about Naruto's reaction.

"Kashi." She simply said his name, he was there in an instant, kneeling down beside her. He saw what she was witnessing and he glanced over at her, nodding slightly.

This is the power of the Nine Tails… amazing… She was mesmerized as she watched the wound completely close.

Naruto broke their concentration, "Uhm… uhm… you have really serious looks on your faces, you're scaring me, am I okay?" He asked, shaking slightly.

"You'll be fine." Erina said with a smile wrapping the bandage around his hand, simply to keep up appearances.

They all continued onward with their journey, Sakura giving Naruto a talking to almost the entire way about his 'self — abusive personality'.

They eventually made it to a bridge, where a boat was waiting. Thankful to get off their feet, they all hopped in and the motor started. Only a few minutes went by until the engine was cut off, and they continued on with manual movement.

A dense fog began to take over their surroundings, Erina keeping a watchful eye out, staying aware of the kinds of chakra signatures that may surround them.

"This fog is so thick." Sakura said.

"The bridge isn't far now. Our destination is just ahead, the Land of Waves."

Naruto leaned forward in curiosity, until an enormous bridge that was half completed came into view.

"Woah! It's huge!" Naruto said at a much too loud volume.

"Quiet! I told you no noise. Why do you think we're traveling like this, huh?"

Naruto covered his mouth while Erina closed her eyes to focus.

Kakashi turned to the client, "Mr. Tazuna. Before we reach the pier, I want to ask you something. The men who are after you, I need to know why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore."

Tazuna didn't say anything for several moments.

"I have no choice but to tell you. No, I want you to know the truth. Like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man, who casts a very long and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow?" Kakashi echoed Tazuna's words in curiosity. "Hmm… who is it?"

"You know him. At least I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world, the shipping magnet, Gato."

"Huh?" Kakashi cocked his head in confusion. "Gato? Of Gato Transport? He's a business leader, everyone knows him."

At Kakashi's curiosity, Naruto perked up and joined the conversation. "Who, who? What, what?"

"Gato is a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true but below the surface, with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations, he sells drugs and contraband. Using gang's and ninjas. It was one year ago when Gato first set his sight on the Land of Waves, he came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply… disappeared. In an island nation, the man who controls the sea controls everything, finance, government, our very lives, but there's one thing he fears. The bridge. When it is complete, it will join us to the land and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder." He finished off his explanation, looking up at the unfinished bridge.

"So that's it, since you're in charge of the bridge, you're standing in this gangster's way." Sakura concluded.

Sasuke turned to her, "That means, those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gato."

"I don't understand, if you knew he was dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?"

"Because the Land of Waves is a small impoverished nation, even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for an 'A' or 'B' rank mission. It's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home… but don't feel bad about that… of course my sweet little grandson will be upset, he'll cry 'granddad, I want my granddad'" Tazuna imitated the voice of a young boy.

Erina opened her eyes and watched the others.

"Oh, and my daughter will condemn the ninja of the Hidden Leaf, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow. Oh well, it's not your fault, forget it." Tazuna said in a contradictory tone.

Erina could hear the others sighing, "There's no need for blackmail." She said.

"Well… I guess we have no other choice. We'll have to keep guarding you." Kakashi said with a shrug.

"Ooh, I'm very grateful." Tazuna replied.

"We're approaching the shore." The driver announced quietly.

The boat made its way through a tunnel and on the other side was a small but beautiful sight of houses on the water and a big green tree in the middle of it all.

The boat stopped at a dock and the six got off, the boat driver informing Tazuna that this was as far as he went. Their client thanked him as he rode off, starting the engine again.

"Okay, take me to my home. And I mean get me there in one piece."

"Right." Kakashi started walking off, leading the group this time with Erina directly behind him.

The next ninja they send won't be Chūnin, but Jōnin, ninja with deadly skills… ugh…

Erina could tell by Kakashi's slumped over posture that he was already tired of this mission. Not that she could blame him, he wasn't mentally prepared at all for what this mission suddenly demanded of them and to have to train Genin and protect them and a client at the same time? Not very fun.

They kept walking quietly, Naruto behind Erina and eventually walking in front of her and Kakashi, to lead the group. Sasuke apparently took it as a challenge and started walking faster, quickly catching up with Naruto.

Kakashi slowed down to walk beside Erina, while Naruto stopped and ran ahead a few feet, searching the trees and bushes for any undetected threat. The group stopped and watched him, Erina leaning over to tap Kakashi on the arm with a smile on her face, pointing to Naruto. She thought it was quite adorable how he was always trying to prove he was the best.

Naruto paused and looked to his right, "Over there!" He threw a kunai into the bushes, startling everyone else. He stopped and waited, then stood straight, "It was just a mouse." He said with a cool tone.

The others began to chew him out, while Naruto still kept searching for something or someone, "Hey, is someone hiding over there? No, they're over there… over there!" He turned around and threw another kunai into the bushes.

Sakura walked over to Naruto and hit him on the head, "Why'd you do that? Someone really is following us, I mean it."

Kakashi walked over to where Naruto had thrown the kunai and found a white rabbit stunned into fear against the bottom of a tree trunk, the kunai inches above its head.

Erina went to follow him, but stopped dead in her tracks.

Kakashi saw her and quickly walked over, gripping her shoulders. She didn't stay vacant for as long, hunching over and wrapping her arms around herself. She was panting.

"Sandā?" Kakashi whispered.

She raised her head up to meet his eyes, regaining her composure and he saw her hands drop to her sides gain, her right hand making the number four with her fingers. They were four hundred feet away. She jumped out of his arms and into a tree nearby.

"Huh? Where'd Sandā go?" Naruto asked, walking over to Kakashi.

"She just wanted to see the town from this viewpoint." He said, turning around to look at the still stunned bunny.

Sakura and Naruto walked up behind him, "Naruto! Look what you did!"

"A rabbit!" Naruto ran over to the rabbit and tried to coddle it, apologizing and gently petting its fur.

That's a snow rabbit… but the color…they only have white fur during winter, when the days are short and there's little sunlight… this rabbit was raised indoors away from the light, which could only be for one purpose… a replacement technique. Kakashi was looking around their surroundings anxiously. So, they're already here… He turned his head in the opposite direction Erina had run off to. Prepared, just as she instructed him to be. They already knew they were in fact being followed, now they just had to find out by whom.

Naruto kept trying to calm the bunny down, until Kakashi broke their distraction.

"Look out!" He called as an enormous blade swung towards them, they all ducked out of the way and the blade stuck into a tree, a ninja now perching on the handle with perfect grace and balance.

Kakashi stood, looking up to see who their opponent was.

That must be…

Kakashi started walking forwards, underneath the new ninja, his hands in his pockets.

"Well, well. If it isn't Zabuza Mamochi, rogue ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist."

Naruto was working himself up from the excitement to take on the new opponent, showing everyone what he was made of.

Kakashi held his arm out and stopped him before Naruto could get anywhere near Zabuza.

"You're in the way, get back." Kakashi said in a deadly voice.

"But why?" Naruto grew angry.

"He's not like those other ninjas, he's in a whole other league. If he's our opponent… I'll need this…" He raised his hand up to his head band that was covering his left eye, the three students showing their fear and anxiety. "This could be treacherous…" Kakashi said quietly.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye. Did I get that right?" Zabuza asked, still looking down at them. "It's too bad, huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man."

Kakashi paused, "Now, quick, Manji formation. Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight." He instructed them.

No one moved.

"We taught you team work, now it's time to use it." Kakashi began to lift his headband, revealing a long scar that went from his eyebrow to the middle of his cheek. His left eye was red, not dark grey like his other.

"Well… looks like I get to see the sharingan in action. This is an honor." Zabuza now turned fully to face them.

"Everyone keeps saying 'sharingan', 'sharingan', will someone please tell me what 'sharingan' is?" Naruto said, irritated.

"'Sharingan', a rare power it resides in the eyes. The user of this visual Jutsu or Dōjutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu and reflect the attack back on the attacker. The 'sharingan' is a special, rare form Dōjutsu. However, there's more to the 'sharingan' than that, a lot more." Sasuke explained, with a confused expression on his face.

"You got it right boy," Zabuza replied, "but you only scratched the surface, the sharingan can analyze an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail." Zabuza finished, as a thick fog started to cover everywhere around them.

"Wait, what about Sandā?" Sakura asked, worried.

"Don't worry about her, just keep your guard up and protect Tazuna." Kakashi said, not turning around.

"As for you, Jōnin, in the assassination unit of the Hidden Mist, we got a standing order to kill you on sight. Your profile was in our bingo book, they called you 'The Man Who Copied Over 1000 Jutsu'. 'Kakashi The Copy Ninja'."

They stared each other down, sizing each other up, neither one of the Jōnin moving a muscle.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Naruto grew even more excited that his sensei was so well known.

Sasuke watched Kakashi carefully.

"Enough talking." Zabuza crouched down on his blade, "I need to exterminate the old man, now."

The three students immediately took formation around Tazuna, their kunai ready.

"So, I'll have to eliminate you first, eh Kakashi? So be it." Zabuza pressed his foot against the tree and pulled the blade free, jumping away in an instant. He appeared on the water, standing on the surface, his hands holding a Jutsu sign.

He's building up a huge amount of chakra.

Kakashi watched him carefully, and he disappeared behind the mist. A single leaf trailing in his wake.

Kakashi walked around the students, "Sensei." Sakura started.

"He'll come after me first."

"But who is he?"

"Zabuza Mamochi, the ex — leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination Unit. He's a master of the silent killing technique."

"Silent?" Naruto asked nervously.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant. Without sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast you pass from this life without realizing what has happened. The sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard."

The three young Genin were stunned into silence.

"Well, if we fail, we only lose our lives." Kakashi said.

They lost sight of Kakashi at that moment, the mist beginning to get even thicker.

Zabuza's disturbing voice rang out from all around them, "Eight points. Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now, which will be my kill point?" Zabuza taunted them.

Kakashi didn't move, until he made a Jutsu sign and his chakra started to become visible.

Sasuke began to doubt what was happening, the fear and terror getting to him. He struggled with the reality of what was right before his eyes. He never thought his teacher could be so ruthless, so blood thirsty. He needed to do something, end it before he went mad. He lifted his kunai to nearly reach his own skin.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi called out his name in such a tone that it broke Sasuke free of the state he was in, "Calm down. I'll protect you with my life, all of you. I will not allow my comrades to die, trust me." He turned his head to smile at them beneath his mask.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Zabuza said, appearing behind the three Genin and separating them from Tazuna. He stood straight, "It's over."

Kakashi turned around and saw, running at Zabuza and stabbing him in the gut with a kunai. But instead of blood, there was water dripping from the wound.

The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, Naruto called out to him, warning him.

Kakashi turned around as Zabuza swung his huge blade, "Die!" and cut Kakashi in half. But a look of irritation crossed his features as the same thing that had happened with his own clone, happened with Kakashi. There was no blood or body parts, just water.

Zabuza was stunned, frozen, angry that his own Jutsu was used against him.

Kakashi stood behind him with a kunai, raising it to his throat. "Don't move."

Everyone stood still a moment, completely captivated by what was happening in front of them. The three students then began to smile at the fact their sensei was obviously so powerful.

Sasuke started turning his head around, "Where the hell is Sandā, anyway?" He said to himself.

"Now it's over. You're finished." Kakashi said, keeping still until Zabuza started laughing.

"Finished? You really don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation, I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you." Zabuza continued to laugh.

Kakashi growled in anger, his grip tightening on the kunai.

"You are full of surprises, though. You'd already copied my Water Clone Jutsu when you made your little speech. Very skillfully executed. You made your clone say those words to draw my attention, while you hid in the mist, waiting for me to make my move… nice try… but I'm not that easy to fool." While Zabuza was talking, there was another Zabuza that appeared behind Kakashi.

The Zabuza that Kakashi had his kunai on exploded into water, while he turned around and was faced with the real Zabuza.

"Hey! That one's a clone, too!" Naruto yelled.

Zabuza pulled out a kunai, making quick aim for Kakashi's jugular, only to be stopped by Erina.

"Huh?" Zabuza was caught with his wrist being held tightly by Erina, anger purely seen on her face.

"Don't touch him." She said simply, gripping Zabuza's wrist so tightly he thought it may fracture. He stepped back fast enough that he was able to release her grip, watching and studying his new opponent.

"So, The Copy Ninja has a toy, huh?" Zabuza mused, laughing to himself, "I was wondering when the deadliest Omega was going to show. Everyone knows The Alpha is never without his Omega, pretty little thing that she is."

Kakashi grimaced at the comments. Erina didn't react, simply standing in front of Kakashi, her five — foot — four height allowing him to see easily over her head. Zabuza waited, patiently.

They didn't move, unless Zabuza did. He wasn't going to initiate an attack so quickly against an unknown ninja. She seemed dangerous. The fact that she was able to stop his attack with one hand was impressive in and of itself. He would expect nothing less of Kakashi, only having the best.

He walked around his blade slowly, keeping an eye on both of them. He watched their movements. Anytime Kakashi made the slightest movement or step, the woman mirrored him perfectly. She stood as tall as she could, protecting her partner. Zabuza wanted to see what would happen if he looked like he was going for an attack and went to lift his hand to the handle of the blade again, staring as the woman kept eye contact with him, compensating to defend Kakashi where he was exposed. He realized then that she was always covering his neck, literally. Not once since she intervened was Kakashi's neck exposed, she would watch their opponent, study them and learn their ways. She often stretched her head to cover more of Kakashi's neck while keeping an eye on Zabuza.

"What do they call you?" He asked, walking closer.

Kakashi and Erina stepped back simultaneously, Kakashi's hand going to her hip.

"Sandā." She said simply. She spoke through a red mask covered in crosses from one side to the other, one hand stretching behind her to hold Kakashi close, the other over the hand Kakashi had on her hip.

Zabuza had never seen such a thing, such perfect unison. "Sandā, huh? That's not a real name, is it? Just an alias I assume."

"You'd be correct."

"The fact that you have an alias must mean you have a price on your head. I'll get paid double what I was promised if I take you down as well." He went for an opening he thought he saw, swinging his blade dangerously for her. Kakashi wrapped his arms around her and jumped away, avoiding the weapon.

The rogue ninja was getting irritated, he swung again, this time Erina gripped the handle and dug the large blade into the ground. She reached for one of the kunai's around her throat, he had to assume she had something on them, they couldn't be just regular kunai's. He jumped away and she lowered her hand again, returning to her position in front of Kakashi.

Zabuza than jumped to land on top of his blade, pulling it free and aiming for Kakashi now.

Zabuza had his blade far behind him, gaining momentum with each inch he got closer to Kakashi, to slice him in half. Kakashi ducked with Erina mirroring him, just barely dodging the sharp edge, the end of it sticking into the ground again.

Zabuza released his right hand on the handle and put his left hand on it to give him the power he needed to aim a kick right in Erina's chest, sending her and Kakashi flying.

"Now!" Zabuza gripped the handle and tore the blade from the ground, running after Kakashi with tremendous speed.

"Huh? Makibishi Spikes!" Zabuza stopped dead in his tracks, narrowly avoiding the trap Kakashi had set. "Trying to slow me down? Foolish." Zabuza started talking to no one in particular. He turned around and jumped into the water backwards, disappearing.

Kakashi and Erina surfaced, their clothes sticking to them.

"Kashi." She only had to say his name, indicating something was wrong.

This isn't normal water, its dense, heavy. Kakashi thought as he turned to Erina.

Zabuza appeared behind them, his hands making Jutsu signs, "Fools." He said with a grin under the tape that covered his face. "Water Prison Jutsu."

Kakashi turned to Erina, "No!" He tried to move but he was then floating in the air in a round prism of water, Erina on the other side of Zabuza, he saw she was able to get away before the water could touch her.

She jumped over to the three Genin, looking over to Kakashi.

Zabuza laughed again, "This prison is made of water but it's stronger than steel, it's hard to fight when you can't move. So much for the great Kakashi. I'll finish you off later, but first…" He turned to face the others that were on land.

He summoned a water clone, "You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja. When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you, then you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly your profile is entered in my bingo book, then you may have earned the title 'ninja'. But to call upstarts like you ninja is a joke." The mist thickened, concealing Zabuza.

"He disappeared again." Naruto worried.

Erina stepped back to get closer to the three of them, "Stay behind me."

Zabuza was faster, making a quick kick to Naruto's head, sending him flying back and his head band landing on the ground, the clone stepping on it. "You're just brats."

Kakashi growled, "Listen, get the bridge builder and run, you can't win this fight."

Erina turned towards the students, "He's using all his power to keep Kakashi in that prison so he can only fight you with his water clone, but the clone can't go far from his real body, if you get away from him it can't follow. Now run!" she turned away, ready to fight Zabuza on her own.

"What about you?" Sakura asked.

"I'm not leaving Kakashi. We've been through worse."

She readied herself but Sasuke suddenly ran past her.

"Sasuke, stop!"

He ignored her, throwing five shuriken at Zabuza. But the rogue ninja was able to easily wipe them away with a simple swing of his blade; Sasuke jumped high into the air his arm over his head, aiming for Zabuza now.

"Too easy," Zabuza said, bored.

He reached up and gripped the Genin with a hand around his throat, throwing him towards Erina.

She reached out and grabbed him, being pushed back a few feet, digging her heels into the ground and holding him upright.

Zabuza then turned his focus on Naruto who tried to get away, placing his left hand on the ground. The pressure that he put on it caught him off guard, stunning him for a moment.

Erina gasped in pain as well, gripping her left hand. "Damn it." She said, looking over to Naruto. She watched as the features on his face turned from genuine fear for his life, to anger and determination.

He's remembering… She watched as the memories nearly danced before Naruto's eyes.

He stood on wobbly feet and tightened his hand into a fist, causing Erina to feel even more pain in her own.

She gripped it tightly, trying to ignore it.

Naruto made a run for the clone, no weapon or plan of any kind.

Kakashi gasped, "Naruto, no!"

Naruto was met with a kick to the face, rolling backward a bunch of times until Erina came up and stopped him, holding his arms to keep him steady.

Sakura started to yell at him, telling him how foolish he was considering the fact that even Sasuke couldn't touch Zabuza.

Erina saw what Naruto held in his hand, "Sakura, stop." She said, silencing the female student.

Naruto started to rise, holding the head band in his injured hand, he placed it back on his forehead. Zabuza watched, shaking with anger.

Erina leaned down to Naruto's ear, "You've rattled him. Don't stop." She could see the emotion behind Zabuza's eyes, hard as he tried to conceal it.

Naruto nodded, "Alright Sasuke, listen up. You hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you." Sasuke said, watching his team mate.

"I've got a plan."

Sasuke watched as Erina walked to stand in front of him, leaning over to now whisper in Sasuke's ear. "Trust him." She stood and walked past him, standing next to Sakura, guarding Tazuna. She kept eye contact with Kakashi and nodded her head to him.

"What are you doing? I told you to run!" Kakashi yelled. "This fight was over the moment I got caught! Now take off! Your mission is not to prove how brave you are, it's to save the bridge builder. Stay on mission!"

They can do this, Kashi. Trust them. Erina stayed beside Sakura.

"Bridge builder?" Naruto turned around, asking for permission to stay and defend their sensei.

"Well, I guess this all happened because of me. Because of my desire to live, but I won't let that stand in your way now. Do what you have to do, go and fight to save your sensei."

Zabuza started laughing again, "You really haven't learned anything, have you? Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja. When I was your age, this hand had already crushed many opponents."

Kakashi turned his head towards the real Zabuza.

"Zabuza The Demon." He whispered.

"Oh, so I was in your book too, huh? Zabuza smiled.

Erina spoke up, "Long ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist also known as Blood Mist Village, before a student could become a ninja, there was one final test."

The clone turned its eyes to her, "You know about the graduation exam?"

"What graduation exam?" Naruto asked.

The clone started laughing, "What's the big deal? We had graduation tests, too." Naruto almost pouted.

He continued laughing, "Did you have to kill the other students to pass?"

Naruto gasped.

"Imagine, young ninja like you eating together, training together and then comes the final exam, only they changed the rules. Kill or be killed. You can't stop while your opponent still breathes. He was your friend, shared your dreams. Now it's him or you." Zabuza explained.

"That's so cruel…" Sakura said quietly.

"Ten years ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist, the graduation exam changed. One year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror." Erina said on a hushed tone.

"What are you saying? What evil?" Sakura asked.

"Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class and took down over a hundred other students… you're now looking at that boy." Erina said flicking her gaze over to Zabuza.

"…It felt so… good." Zabuza met the eyes of Sasuke and Naruto, terrifying them with his blood lust. The clone made a move and elbowed Sasuke in the stomach, sending him flying to land on the ground. The clone followed, his elbow to come crashing down on the same spot again. Sasuke coughed up blood, Zabuza's foot now coming to push repeatedly on the spot he had hit twice. "You're nothing." He said.

Erina watched Kakashi's reaction, his anger becoming more and more prominent.

"Stop right there!" Naruto called out, summoning his Multi – Clone Shadow Jutsu.

The multiple Naruto's descended on Zabuza and covered him in a cage, while Sasuke got up and Erina ran over to him, helping him stand. Zabuza quickly swung his blade and made all the clones disappear, sending the real Naruto back.

He swung his back pack around to his front, digging inside and called out Sasuke's name. Sasuke met Erina's eyes, questions begging to be answered. He was confused and scared for the first time in his life.

"Do it, Sasuke. Now." She jumped away and allowed Sasuke to jump into the air to grip the large shuriken Naruto had thrown to him, landing on his feet smoothly.

"Shuriken? You won't be able to touch me with that." Zabuza taunted Sasuke.

The Genin jumped high and descended on Zabuza, but instead he aimed for the real one. The rogue ninja reached his free hand out and caught the shuriken easily, nearly laughing at their attempt. "I told you a shuriken can't touch me." But when he raised his head, he saw another shuriken was coming for him and he had no way to catch it. Thinking quickly, Zabuza jumped, barely missing the blades.

The weapon continued past Zabuza, transforming into Naruto, hovering over the water for a moment and quickly threw a kunai at the real Zabuza.

It was aimed for his face; he had no choice but to move or be killed. He quickly pulled his arm free from the prison holding Kakashi. When he turned around, Erina was standing beside Naruto, guarding him closely. There was a single scratch on Zabuza's face, the anger rolling off him in waves to Erina and she felt it as if it were her own.

Naruto was still hovering just barely over the water about to land in it, but not quick enough, Zabuza held the shuriken he had caught and aimed for Naruto with rage.

"I'll destroy you!" He called out.

Erina adjusted her stance and defended the Genin, prepared to completely take the hit. Zabuza held the weapon high and aimed straight for her neck, but when he struck, he didn't feel soft flesh beneath the blades. They were stopped.

Blood spattered in the air and landed in the water, the shuriken now embedded in Kakashi's hand he held up to stop a single blade, covered in water. His head was down but Erina could feel the rage coming from him as well. She had to take a couple deep breaths to calm herself down, to not feed off the emotions.

Naruto landed in the water with a splash and Kakashi lifted his head to glare at Zabuza.

"Don't… touch… her…" He nearly whispered. He reached his free hand back to pull Erina close behind him, knowing Naruto was safe.

Naruto quickly emerged from the water, shaking his head free of drops.

"Naruto, that was an excellent plan. You've really grown, haven't you?" Kakashi praised him.

"Hm, I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison." Zabuza huffed.

"Don't flatter yourself. You weren't distracted, you were forced to let go." Kakashi said, not allowing his eyes to leave Zabuza. "Your technique worked on me once… but it won't work again." He still held his hand up to the blade. "So, what's it going to be?"

Erina began to slowly step in front of Kakashi, knowing Zabuza couldn't lay a finger on her at the moment. She could see he was thinking, trying to plan his next move.

Zabuza grunted and flicked the shuriken to make all the blades go onto Kakashi's hand, digging in and causing more blood loss. Kakashi struggled against the force and whispered down to Erina. "Go."

She didn't respond but jumped away, landing where the others were again.

Kakashi was able to push the shuriken away into the air, mimicking Zabuza's movements as he jumped back as well.

Zabuza started to make hand signs, speaking the Jutsu out loud. Erina calmed down, watching the students.

"The sharingan." Sasuke watched, amazed.

Erina stepped beside him, "You're about to see why he was given the title 'Copy Ninja'."

Zabuza continued with his hand signs, Kakashi copying them instantaneously, one would think they rehearsed it.

"Ushi, saru, u. Ne, inoshishi, tori, ushi. Uma, tori, ne, tora. Inu, tora, mi, ushi, hitsuji. Mi, inoshishi, hitsuji ne. Jin, saru, tori, tatsu. Tori, ushi, uma, hitsuji. Tora, mi, ne, saru. U, inoshishi, tatsu, hitsuji. Tora, mi, ne, saru. U, inoshishi, tatsu, hitsuji. Ne, ushi, saru, tori. Jin, ne, inoshishi… Tori." Kakashi mimicked every movement and word Zabuza did, down to the finest detail.

Two heads began to rise from the water, both of their Water style Jutsu's coming to life in perfect unison. The dragons began to fight, causing water to become disturbed and waves begin to form, tossing Naruto around and splashing a huge wave onto shore, hitting the others. The students watched on in amazement, while Kakashi held a kunai up to block Zabuza's enormous blade.

Erina could see Zabuza's facial expression, therefore see what he was feeling. He was scared, confused and angry. Dangerous combinations for someone that was unpredictable like Zabuza. But he was shaken, whether it was from the fact he was outsmarted by three Genin, or Kakashi's sharingan, she wasn't sure. She had a feeling the battle was drawing to a close. Even though Zabuza knew how the sharingan worked, he was too stunned to see his own Ninjutsu reflected back at him.

Erina felt a very calm chakra manifest a few hundred feet behind her. She didn't turn around, keeping a close eye on it. It didn't seem threatening, just calm and watchful.

Kakashi and Zabuza soon broke apart, watching each other for a moment. Zabuza began to run in a half circle, Kakashi mirroring his every move.

Sakura watched, astounded. She asked Sasuke how this was possible; he couldn't respond.

"As I said, this is why he's called 'The Copy Ninja'. He earned that title with this ability. It wasn't something he was born with, it's something he worked for." Erina said on a quiet tone.

She watched her partner carefully, reading his chakra and emotions in case he needed help. He was collected and analytical right now, he was focused. He didn't need her assistance.

"Going to do next?" Kakashi said suddenly, continuing to copy Zabuza's seemingly random movements.

The fear was so plain on Zabuza's face, Erina didn't need her mind to see it. He was terrified. He obviously didn't know the other half of the sharingan like he had claimed.

"It makes you furious, doesn't it?" Kakashi said with a mocking voice.

"All you're doing is copying me… like a monkey!"

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks! I'll crush you!" Kakashi spoke with Zabuza at the exact same time, their voices melding together.

The horror was plain on Zabuza's face, "When I finish with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!"

Zabuza made some more hand signs, then stopped, staring behind Kakashi. Erina knew what he saw, she witnessed these multiple times, even asked Kakashi to use it on her before. Zabuza was staring at an image of himself behind Kakashi, giving the illusion that he was literally becoming his own opponent.

Kakashi finished the hand signs and summoned the water vortex, it spiraled beneath them forming a circle around Kakashi than aimed straight for Zabuza.

"Impossible!" Zabuza cried out as the water hit him hard, slamming him against a tree.

Naruto got tossed around in the water more until he was washed up onto land, stepping with sopping shoes to walk towards the others. Erina stood in front of Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna, shielding them as best she could from the water.

She felt the calm chakra quickly change to frustration and worry, glancing behind her to a figure quickly disappearing in the wind and mist.

"Stay here." She instructed, jumping to land in front of Zabuza, throwing four kunai at him, landing one in each of his arms and legs. He was now pinned to the tree, she jumped up to the branch where Kakashi was perched, Zabuza's cries reaching her ears. She felt the pain she put him through, but had to bear it.

"You're finished." Kakashi said, standing and turning to stand behind Erina once again, taking their normal stance. Even though the threat seemed to be eliminated, she still stood protectively in front of Kakashi, unsure of what to think of that one ninja she saw observing them. They weren't enemy and weren't ally.

She backed into Kakashi's chest, feeling his hand come up to wrap around her defensively, her head landing on his shoulder ensuring his shield, while she looked down at the rogue ninja. She waited.

"How?" Zabuza asked with anger. "Can you see into the future?"

Erina had to hold back a laugh. Zabuza was so caught up in what actually happened and the amazement of it all, he did what everyone else always does. He stopped thinking about it logically and allowed his mind to become completely warped by the sharingan.

"Yes." Kakashi taunted, "This is your last battle…ever." He raised a kunai knife, ready to give the final strike.

Erina jumped backwards and he instinctually followed her movement, jumping down to the bottom branch. Something had set her off.

He saw Zabuza was now lying on the ground with two needles sticking out of his neck. He gasped and turned around to face the person that had thrown them.

There was a single person standing on a tree a few feet away from them.

Erina felt the emotions. They were calm again, steady and calculating.

Kakashi went to make a move, but she held his hand firmly against her hip. He looked back at her with question in his eyes, she didn't take her gaze off the sudden intruder.

He trusted her judgement and stayed where he was.

There was a silent laugh, "You were right. It was his last battle."

Erina slowly released Kakashi's hand, met his gaze for a moment and jumped down to Zabuza, feeling for a pulse. She didn't even feel any chakra signatures or emotions coming from him anymore.

She glanced up to her partner and gave a nod. They both glanced at the person, they wore a mask that completely concealed their face. It seemed to be made of porcelain. They bowed to the Jōnin and Genin.

"Thank you. I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time. Waiting for this chance to finally take him down."

"By your mask, I see that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi said, weary.

"Impressive. You're well informed." They responded with a slightly amused manner. "That's correct, I'm a member of the elite tracking unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza."

From his size and voice… he must be the same age as Naruto… yet he's an elite assassin… Kakashi watched him carefully. He's no ordinary kid… but what is he?

Naruto ran up to beneath the tree staring up at the ninja, glancing back and forth between Zabuza's body and the young boy.

Erina could feel his anger and hurt.

"What is this? Who do you think you are?" He shouted with such anger; he scared his team mates.

The stranger didn't respond, only watched.

"Did you hear me?" Naruto continued to shout.

Kakashi stood, "Easy Naruto, he's not our enemy."

"That's not the point! Did you see what he did just like that? Zabuza was huge and powerful, like some kind of monster. And this kid who's no bigger than me, he brought down Zabuza with one move, like it was nothing. I mean, what does that make us? We're just fumbling around; we don't know anything! How can I accept that?"

Kakashi walked over to Naruto, "Well, even if you don't accept it, still, it did happen, Naruto." He placed his hand on Naruto's head, "In this world, there are kids who are younger than you and yet stronger than me." He stayed near Naruto.

Erina watched as the stranger disappeared and reappeared beside Zabuza, lifting the body, "Your struggle is over for now. I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body. They must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me, farewell." The boy disappeared again, taking the body with him.

For now?... Erina stared at the place they had disappeared from, contemplating his words.

Kakashi sighed and pulled his headband back over his left eye, covering his sharingan.

Naruto ran over to the place the two had disappeared from.

"He's gone, Naruto." Kakashi said, "Let it go."

Naruto groaned in anger, kneeling on his knees to punch the ground repeatedly. "What are we doing here? We're nothing, I can't believe it!" He kept punching the ground, trying to take his frustration out on anything.

Erina jumped down to stop him, feeling his pain like it was her own, her left — hand throbbing. She stood in front of him, lifting him gently, looking into eyes eye's, "Stop." She whispered.

Kakashi walked up behind them, "As ninja, things we encounter are never easy, save your anger for the next enemy." He turned to the other two students and their client, "We haven't completed our mission yet. We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge."

Erina walked up beside Kakashi, while Naruto started walking to the others.

"Kashi. I don't like this."

"What happened?" He asked, lowering his voice so the others wouldn't hear.

"We both know tracker ninja are required to immediately work on a body, so it doesn't get contaminated with other DNA. That boy didn't follow the protocol. He was watching the fight near the end before he revealed himself. If he really was tracking Zabuza, he would have interfered immediately, instead he waited, watched us fight. He was analyzing us. You know what that means."

Kakashi nodded.

"We need to be prepared. This isn't over, the next time is going to be a lot more difficult, we may have been able to gather information of Zabuza's fighting strategies, but he also gathered information on ours. We won't have the element of surprise next time."

"What did you feel from the boy?"

She met his gaze, "I could only feel his chakra signature, he was calm, collected and extremely analytical. I couldn't get a read on his emotions because of the mask. He kept his tone so perfectly controlled; I don't like any of this."

"Even though you felt for a pulse?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"The neck is tricky; you can put someone in a temporary death, you just have to hit the proper points." She reached her hand up and wrapped her fingers around his neck from the side, gently holding him, "Why do you think I protect your neck all the time?"

He smiled down at her, resisting the urge to pull away her mask and kiss her. "Why are you waiting until now to tell me this?"

"Because we need to rest and gather our strength back. The others are exhausted and you're about to collapse." She released his neck and stepped away.

"Oh please, I'm just fine." He turned to the others, "All right, let's get a move on." He started walking away, only to stop after a few steps, shaking.

He froze for a moment and Erina sighed in irritation.

She walked over and stepped in front of him, letting him collapse on her back.

"What happened?" Sakura cried out, Naruto and Sakura crowding around them.

"He's fine, just stupid." Erina said, hoisting him up on her back, trying to make him comfortable. "He just used up way too much of his chakra, the sharingan isn't exactly an easy thing to wield." She looked back at his now unconscious face, "'Just fine', I hate when you try to lie to me." She mumbled.

The students tried to offer help, but Erina insisted she was fine carrying him on her own. This happened more often than Kakashi wanted to admit, another reason why Erina was such an asset to him.

They walked quickly to Tazuna's house, making quick introductions to his daughter while Erina took Kakashi upstairs, asking the students to stay downstairs with Tazuna while she inspected Kakashi for any wounds. She didn't see him get hit, but that didn't always mean there weren't any injuries. Especially against someone like Zabuza. She blocked the door behind her for good measure.

She lay him down on the bed she quickly made up for him, removing his head band and pulling down his mask. She unzipped his Jōnin jacket and started to pull his shirt off. She started inspecting his arms, pushing and pressing to see if there was any reaction in his facial expression. She had to assume there were no injuries on his arms since he didn't react.

She looked at his chest, seeing all the scars and markings on him, remembering all the battles they'd been through together. She could see each scar and tell the tale of how Kakashi got it, always right there beside him when he received them.

She pressed and pushed into his chest, feeling his heart beat steady and clear.

"You're damn lucky, Kashi." She mumbled, finished with inspecting his chest, putting his shirt back on and pulling his mask up to cover his face again, placing his head protector back over his eye.

She watched him rest and sighed, removing her own mask, placing it on the floor beside them. She headed to the door to unblock it, knowing their students would want to make sure he was okay. She walked to stand over his head, sitting down behind him, lifting his head to rest in her lap. She leaned against the wall closing her eyes.

Who was that boy? Why was he so protective of Zabuza? There was no documentation of any living family for him, why would someone care so much to get him to safety? She got caught up in her own thoughts, she only realized Kakashi was waking up when he groaned.

"Serves you right." She said, looking down on him from her sitting position.

"Ugh… not now, please." He turned over and closed his eyes again, getting comfortable.

She smiled, "Fine. I'll yell at you later." She said quietly, allowing him to rest, her fingers combing through his soft hair and calming him.

He allowed her scent to envelope him, being reminded of home.

The peace didn't last very long, Naruto bursting in through the door, yelling to make sure Kakashi wasn't dead.

Kakashi groaned again, "I think I overdid it with my sharingan." He turned onto his back again.

"Are you alright, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I've been better, it'll be a week before I can move normally." He groaned sitting up, but Erina pushed him back down again.

"You're not leaving this spot for several hours, Kashi. And don't argue with me."

He sighed, "Right."

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto gathered around them, curious.

Erina leaned back against the wall again, closing her eyes.

"You know that boy with the mask? What about him?" Sakura asked.

"He's from the elite tracking unit from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Those masks are only worn by the most elite shinobi." Erina said.

"What exactly do they do?" Sakura continued.

"The ANBU Black Ops, also known as the Inferno Squad, destroy all traces of a rogue ninja's corpse. The shinobi's body contains many secrets, Ninjutsu, chakra, special medicine used on his body, these are the secrets of his village. If his enemies find them, his people will be in grave danger. For instance, if I were to die at the hands of an enemy, he would try to analyze my sharingan. In the worst case, my entire Jutsu could be stolen and used against our whole village. It is the sacred duty of the shinobi trackers to prevent this, to keep the village secrets safe. If a ninja betrays his village the trackers hunt him down, eliminate him and obliterate every trace of his existence. That's their specialty." Kakashi explained, slightly groaning from time to time. Erina leaned forward slightly to adjust his head, letting him become more comfortable. She began rubbing his shoulders with her fingers, hardly touching him yet making him calm. Now that they established this boy wasn't who he claimed to be, she was on edge.

Kakashi stopped talking, completely missing the questions coming from the others, distracted with what Erina was also thinking.

"Hey, are you okay? Sensei?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. To finish what I was saying, tracker ninja deal with a body immediately, on the spot so there's no room for error."

"Is that really important?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Think about it. Do you remember what that tracker did with Zabuza's body?"

"We don't know what he did. I mean, I guess he took it away somewhere."

"Exactly, but why? He should have worked on Zabuza right there. As quickly as possible. Think of the weapons he used for the take down. Do you remember what they were?" He asked the students, watching them think.

"Throwing needles." Sasuke answered. "No way." Sasuke realized what Kakashi was getting at.

"I don't understand." Sakura said.

"He's telling you to connect the dots, Sakura. Can you?" Erina looked towards her.

Sakura thought for a moment, trying to see where they were being led, what big conclusion was waiting for them.

"They don't add up, Sakura. That's the point." Erina looked down to Kakashi, worry lining her features now.

"Exactly. None of it adds up." Kakashi repeated.

"What are you all yammering about? You demolished that assassin." Tazuna joined in.

"No, we didn't. It wasn't a genuine kill. Whoever that boy was, he aimed for the pressure points in Zabuza's neck to give the illusion of death, he didn't hit the jugular. The neck is the most exposed part on the body, and the easiest point to make a kill. There's no layer of muscle, it's just tissue. One little nick is all it would take in the right place."

Kakashi finished for Erina at this point, "Here's the truth, Zabuza's still alive." He said simply.

"But we saw his body!" Naruto argued.

"Trackers are trained to know every detail of the human body, causing the heart to stop temporarily while keeping the body alive is an easy matter for them. First, he carried Zabuza's body away, even though its much heavier than he is. Second, he used Senbon which have a precise effect, but are rarely fatal. From these two factors, we can conclude that the tracker wasn't trying to destroy Zabuza, he was trying to save him."

"Come on, you're over thinking this, aren't you?" Tazuna asked.

"Encountering suspicion, the ninja prepares quickly, hesitation leads to disaster. Every shinobi knows this saying." Kakashi finished, watching Naruto now shaking with excitement.

He's actually pleased to hear Zabuza's alive, now Naruto's got another shot at it.

"Sensei, you said 'prepare quickly', but how can we do that when you can barely move?" Sakura asked.

Erina turned towards them, "He can still teach you with instruction, while I give physical demonstrations. It'll be fine."

"Sandā's right, this won't be a problem to your training. But this is going to be difficult, we don't have long to prepare. Zabuza is injured as well, he'll need time to recover, but we need to use that time to our advantage." Kakashi said, laying back down in Erina's lap.

"Don't worry Kakashi sensei, things are going to be better, you'll see." Naruto said with a smile.

"I don't believe it, and nothing's going to be good." Came a small voice from the doorway.

Everyone turned their attention to a young boy standing there, fists at this side, watching them.

Why is he so angry? Erina wondered, hearing his voice but being the only one to not turn to him.

"Inari, where have you been?" Tazuna opened his arms and the young boy ran into them,

"Welcome back, grandpa." He said, running in for a hug.

"Inari, that was very rude." His mother chastised him. "These ninjas helped your grandpa and brought him here safely."

"Mom, don't you see these people are going to die, Gato and his men will come back and wipe them out." Inari turned to his mother, looking up at her.

"What did you say, brat?" Naruto stood, angry now. "Gato is no match for a real hero like me!"

"There's no such thing as a hero, you're just full of stupid ideas." Inari stood up to Naruto.

The Genin started to walk towards the young boy, intent on teaching him a lesson, but Sakura held him back.

"If you wanna stay alive, you should go back where you came from." He walked away with that final comment.

"Inari, wait, where are you going?" Tazuna asked.

"To look out at the ocean, I want to be alone!"

Erina looked over to the young boy for the first time, meeting his eyes.

She gasped, choking, the pain in her chest too much. She started panting, curling over Kakashi's head.

"Sandā, what happened?" Kakashi tried to sit up as quickly as he could, holding her hands while she panted and struggled to breathe.

Kakashi turned towards the others, "I'm sorry, would you give us a few moments?"

The three students paused, staring as Erina started to groan, sounding like she was in pain.

"She's going to be alright; she just needs a few minutes." Kakashi said, giving them a small smile behind his mask.

They all stood and headed for the door, filing out one by one. Sasuke was the last to leave, staring behind him.

"Sasuke, please." Kakashi said, not turning around to look at his student.

Sasuke walked away and shut the door.

Kakashi felt Erina grip his hand tightly, her groaning becoming louder.

"Erina, talk to me, what happened?" He could see the tears streaming down her cheeks, her grip tightening even more. Her breathing wasn't slowing down, he felt her pulse with his fingers in her wrist, it was much too fast.

"Erina, look at me." He ordered in a demanding tone, gripping her chin and raising her head up to meet his eyes. "Just look at me." He whispered, keeping her gaze.

He let her feel his happiness, the comfort that he always got when he was around her. He filled his thoughts with home and the comfortable things they always did together, whether it was reading on the couch, going for a walk or cooking dinner together.

Her breathing started to slow, her ability making sure her brain was focusing on the first thing that was in front of her. She felt the happiness and allowed it to consume her. She panted and leaned into Kakashi's chest. He held her and placed his hand on her soft hair.

"What did you feel from the boy?"

She still gasped slightly, "So much pain, Kashi. I've never seen so much pain in someone so young. It was like my heart was being ripped out, nothing but sorrow filling my every thought." She raised her head to meet his eyes again. "We have to help them. That boy, he's lost someone that meant everything to him. We need to make sure that bridge is built and Gato is dealt with." She whispered, nearly crying again.

He wiped her tears away holding her close with both his hands, tilting her head back. "We will." He assured her. He could see the exhaustion on her face, just the emotion from that little boy alone was enough to drain her.

"Do you need time? He asked.

She shook her head, "No, just let me rest for a while." She said as he leaned his forehead forward and touched hers, breathing her in.

"I'm right here." He promised.

She nodded, thankful for his understanding.

The three Genin knocked on the door before they came in, and Kakashi looked up as they opened it.

"She's alright, but would you guys mind giving us a few hours before we continue with your training?" Kakashi asked.

"Of course, sensei." Sakura nodded, worry no longer on her face.

Naruto nodded as well, while Sasuke just silently observed, trying to solve the mystery of the woman in front of him, being held by Kakashi like she was something incredibly precious.

They all walked out again, descending the stairs and going outside to get a better idea of the land.

"Here." Kakashi lifted his fingers to her jacket and began to unzip it, wanting to make her as comfortable as possible. He couldn't allow her abilities to weaken her right now, the students needed at least one teacher that was fully able to defend them.

She removed her one necklace with her kunai knives and placed it next to her mask, where he then placed her jacket. He held the covers open for her as she joined him in the bed, now wearing only her bra and pants. He felt no arousal at this time, only wanted to keep her safe. He hadn't seen her react like that in a long time. The fact it was from a little boy made it so much worse for her. Children were only feeling things like that for the very first time in their lives, it was magnified by nearly a hundred for them, not having anything to compare it to.

She settled beside him and curled into his chest, allowing her Omega instincts to rise, seeking his warmth and protection. He wrapped his arms around her and slid his mask down. His arms wound around her completely, holding her tightly. Her breathing was calmer now, her exhaustion taking over.

Within a few minutes, she was unconscious. He placed his lips against her hair and closed his eyes, promising to himself he would keep her safe.

Even if Zabuza was a wild card at this point, he had to believe they would be okay.