After Kakashi and Erina had rested for a few hours, they walked with the Genin into a nearby forest, having spoken previously of their plan to show their students how to possibly win against Zabuza while Kakashi was partially out of the picture.
They all gathered around a clearing and formed a circle, the three young students watching their sensei's with intent and curiosity, Kakashi holding one crutch under each arm.
"Alright, training starts now." He instructed.
"Right!" Naruto grew even more eager.
"First, we will begin with a review of chakra, a ninja's basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential."
"We know that." Sasuke mumbled, irritated already.
"He's right. A long time ago we learned about… catra." Naruto quipped.
"…Chakra." Kakashi corrected with his head hanging in partial disappointment. He lifted a hand to Sakura. "Go ahead, Sakura."
Erina stepped back and leaned against a tree, studying her students.
"Alright, Naruto. I'll explain it simply so you can understand it." Sakura started to explain the essential importance of chakra and how vital it was to each and every ninja; that without it, you were basically defenseless, except in rare circumstances.
Kakashi listened to make sure she didn't miss any information, "Right on all points. Iruka sensei really did have some excellent students." He said with pride.
Sakura soaked in the praise.
"Bah! What's the big deal with all these complicated explanations? The whole point is to learn the Jutsu, isn't it?" Naruto argued.
"He's right for once." Sasuke glared at Kakashi. "We're already using chakra energy in our Jutsu."
Erina stood from the tree, walking towards them. "No, you've not mastered this power, you've barely scratched the surface of it."
"What do you mean?" Naruto yelled at her.
"Calm down and listen, Naruto. It's just like Sakura said, you have to draw on physical and spiritual energies and then combine them within yourself… But, how do you do that?" She hinted, meeting Sasuke's gaze. She could tell he was getting angrier, wanting to get to the point if it was genuinely worth his time. "Each Jutsu requires different types of chakra in different proportions. You must select and combine them in exactly the right way, up to now you've just guessed at the proportions, hoping they'd come out right. Even if you produce a lot of chakra unless you can balance and control it, it's all worthless. The Jutsu won't work at all or you'll end up looking like a joke. You waste so much energy that way, then you're out of chakra and you can't fight at all, you're just a target." She ended the explanation while watching Naruto take in what she was saying.
"Uh… So how do we change that?" He asked timidly.
"Train so hard that controlling your chakra becomes second nature. To achieve this goal, you must be ready to put your life on the line." Kakashi said with a grim tone.
The three Genin waited a moment, and Sakura asked what exactly they have to do.
Kakashi gave a small laugh, "Climb a tree."
They all repeated him in somewhat amazement yet also disbelief. No way something so easily accomplished could have anything to do with precise chakra control.
"That's right. But there's just one rule… no hands." Kakashi lifted his hands from the crutches, to emphasize his point.
They all stared at him again, "What? You're kidding." Sakura said.
"Am I?" He smiled underneath his mask, making a hand sign. "Let's see."
Erina watched carefully as she saw his chakra form around his feet, following him with her eyes as he slowly walked over to the nearest tree, with the aid of his crutches, placed one foot on the trunk first and started to climb up.
She kept a close eye on his chakra levels, it had only been hours since they had fought and he was still extremely drained.
Kakashi eventually stood standing on a branch upside down, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura watching on in amazement.
"Well, you get the idea." He said, standing still now.
Erina walked to stand directly underneath him. "Focus the chakra to the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree. This is one way to apply the power of chakra."
"Wait a minute, that's a nice trick but how does it help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura raised her voice in anger.
"It's the only way to fight Zabuza." Kakashi said, "That's the entire goal of this training. First, you'll learn to draw a precise amount of chakra to a precise point in your body. This is difficult even for advanced ninja. This type of climbing requires a subtle mix of physical and spiritual energy and the bottoms of the feet are the most difficult points to focus chakra. Are you getting the picture? If you can master this, you'll be able to master any Jutsu… well… theoretically."
Erina continued where Kakashi had left off. "The second point is to maintain your chakra levels, when a ninja is focused in battle, it's even harder to control and maintain his chakra levels, a deadly mistake. To avoid this, maintaining chakra must become second nature. Effortless."
Kakashi held three kunai in his hand and threw them to the three Genin's feet, sticking them in the ground.
"Use the kunai knife to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb, without using your hands. Then try to get past that mark the next time and the next. At first, you'll need to run at the tree so your momentum can take you as high as possible, until you get used to it. Ready?" Kakashi continued to watch all three of them from the tree branch.
They picked up the kunai's, Naruto starting to get excited again. "Remember what you said, sensei. I'm the one that's grown the most." Naruto remembered with glee.
"You're definitely the one who talks the most…" Kakashi mumbled. "Now get focused and do it!" He raised his voice to get them motivated.
Erina watched Naruto as he made his hand sign, his chakra becoming focused and controlled. She was impressed he was even able to become focused to such a fine point in such quick time. She expected him to have trouble focusing his mind. Sakura and Sasuke soon followed, all three of their chakra's focusing in sync.
They all ran to each of their tree's simultaneously, Naruto only getting two steps on to the trunk until he fell to the ground and hit his head.
She looked over to Sasuke and saw he got about ten feet up the trunk, until his foot made a dent in the wood and he broke his control, quickly slashing the bark to make the strike where he had fallen, making a back flip and landing on the ground gracefully.
He peered up at the tree in frustration, Erina feeling his emotions coursing through him with rapid pace, irritated that he didn't master it immediately.
It's harder than it looks, Sasuke. She continued to watch him carefully.
Kakashi still stood on the branch upside down, "That's about what I expected from Sasuke…" He spoke up to only Erina.
"And Naruto." She smiled, looking up at him.
"Hey, this is fun." A female voice called out from high up in the trees, Sakura looking down at all four of them with her tongue sticking out.
"Well, looks like the female member of the squad has the most advanced chakra control." Kakashi said.
Erina looked to Sakura and gave her a genuine smile, "Great job, Sakura."
Erina looked to Naruto and Sasuke again, as Naruto praised Sakura, saying how much he admired her. She felt adoration and a slight twinge of jealousy coming from him. Erina smiled. When she met Sasuke's eyes, he had a grimace, there seemed to only be anger and frustration. She went deeper, focused on his eyes, never looking away and she then felt pride coming from him. She gave a small laugh and Sasuke glared at her.
Sasuke and Naruto made eye contact and they immediately silently challenged each other.
All right, I think they're motivated. Of course, Naruto and Sasuke have far more chakra within… if this training works, their mastery of chakra will become a valuable asset. Kakashi thought to himself.
Naruto started talking to himself, claiming how he was going to match Sasuke first then get all the way to the top.
Erina paused, looking to a tree that hid a small figure behind it. She could feel it was Inari, his emotions of constant pain, regret, guilt and darkness. There was a new feeling with him today as he watched the students train, Erina could feel there was worry emanating from him. Worry for the young students not much older than him, scared they were going to lose their lives.
She looked away, not wanting to draw attention to him.
When she raised her eyes to Kakashi again, he nodded his head and let his chakra focus disappear from his feet, falling down gracefully and landing on them, with only a slight stumble. She gripped his arm and helped him walk back to the road, instructing Naruto and Sasuke to keep training.
"I want you to go lay down until dinner, Kashi. You shouldn't have even done that demonstration."
He turned to her, smiling under the fabric again, "I thought it might have a more visual impact if they saw someone on crutches doing it."
She returned his smile, "Alright, but go rest now. I'll send Sakura back and keep an eye on Naruto and Sasuke."
He nodded and walked towards the house, Erina returning to the clearing.
Naruto kept making very minor improvement, but still couldn't get enough chakra at the bottom of his feet to grip the tree properly.
Sasuke was in a similar situation, but managed to not dent the bark with too much chakra now. He looked at the tree, seeing the slashes he was making, so very little progress for his liking.
Sakura didn't really need to train, but Erina wanted to break it into her mind so that it became as easy as breathing. She laid on the ground, looking over at Naruto with an odd expression.
Naruto stood and stomped his foot then walked over to Sakura, kneeling down to her and whispering.
"Hey, you're good at this. How about some advice?" He asked.
Sakura looked confused for a moment, contemplating his words.
Erina bowed her head and smiled, pride showing on her features.
Kashi would be proud. She mused to herself.
Erina eventually sent Sakura back to the house and stayed with the boys while they trained. She figured Kakashi would ask Sakura to guard Tazuna while he continued to build the bridge. She was the only one that mastered the training and he was still too wounded to be of any help.
All day Erina sat up in the tree, watching them and studying their movements, chakra control and everything in between. They were both still only improving little by little, their exhaustion beginning to take over.
"Why is it so hard?" Naruto yelled to himself.
Sasuke was on one knee and they both looked up at their trees. They were only slashed to the halfway point of the trunk, still not even reaching the branches.
They both looked at each other, stood at the same time, no words being spoken between them and they started running again.
Erina sighed, Yup, I'm definitely dragging two bodies home with me.
Night had nearly fallen now, and Sasuke was beginning to get ahead of Naruto by a couple feet.
She watched as Naruto began to feel anxious but he quickly reined it in and started to focus, the chakra now being sent to his feet. He smiled, and started to run –
"Hey, Naruto." Sasuke broke Naruto's concentration and made him fall.
"Sasuke! What are you doing? I was trying to focus my chakra!" Naruto yelled, standing on his feet.
"Well, uh… you know… the thing is…" Sasuke started mumbling.
Erina leaned forward, interested in this sudden show of humility from Sasuke.
"The thing is what?" Naruto responded with a grumpy tone, folding his arms across his chest.
Sasuke fidgeted and adjusted his stance a couple times, looking away. "You… you know… you asked Sakura for advice when she was here?... So, what did she tell you?" Sasuke couldn't look Naruto in the eyes as he asked.
Naruto was confused for a moment, but soon a mean smile started to show on his face while he looked at Sasuke. "I'm not telling you." He said with an attitude.
Sasuke jerked his head back to glare at Naruto, angry now.
"Come on guys, it's dark out. This training is better suited for daylight hours. Dinner should be ready soon, anyways." Erina said calmly, stepping between them and watching them turn away from each other without a word, walking back to the house.
When they arrived, dinner was just being served. They each took their seats, Naruto and Sasuke sitting across from one another while Erina sat beside Kakashi. Their hosts then began to serve bowls filled with vegetables and Naruto and Sasuke immediately started to inhale their food, hardly chewing at all.
Erina watched in amazement and anxiety.
This won't be good.
They both finished their bowls at the same time, stood and asked for more, glaring at each other than looked away and puked.
Sakura stood, slamming her fists on the table, "Don't eat so much if you're going to puke it up!"
Sasuke turned to her, "I have to eat."
"And I have to eat more than him. It's the only way I can get strong enough to beat him." Naruto challenged.
Kakashi nodded, "That's true. But puking won't help."
Erina leaned back and sighed, "Are we done yet?" She moaned, tired already.
When everyone was finished with dinner, Sakura stood and walked around noticing a picture on the wall that had the upper corner torn out, someone's face missing.
"Excuse me, this picture is torn. Is there some reason for that? Inari, you kept glancing at it all through dinner. It looks like someone else was in the picture, but they got torn out. That's kinda strange, isn't it?"
The question was innocent but as soon as the words left Sakura's mouth, Erina felt the emotions of Inari, his mother and Tazuna shift to grief, anger and pain.
Kakashi shifted his gaze to her, watching her closely, noticing she tensed.
"It's my husband." Inari's mother quietly explained, not turning around.
"They used to call him a hero in this land." Tazuna said with pain in his voice.
Inari stood and walked away from the table without saying a word, his pain reaching Erina the most.
"Father, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that." She nearly yelled, slamming the door behind her.
No one said anything, the tension in the air thick, making the shinobi anxious. Erina tried to breathe deeply, thankful for the distance that was now separating her and Inari.
"Is there a story behind this?" Kakashi asked quietly.
Tazuna didn't raise his eyes, speaking on hushed tones. "He wasn't his real father. He came into our family later. And he brought so much happiness, he and Inari were very close. In those days, Inari used to laugh all the time…" Tazuna drifted off. "But then… all that ended." Tazuna's tears now fell to the table. "He never laughs or smiles anymore, ever since the day everything changed."
Erina couldn't take it, she had to leave, the pain was too much. She stood silently and walked out the door, heading to the water jumping in, not caring if she soaked her clothes. She stayed out in the water as long as she needed to.
Tazuna continued telling the story of the man that arrived in the village, saved Inari from drowning and taught everyone what courage was, what being a hero meant.
And how when Gato came to the village, Inari's father stood up to him, he was brutally murdered in front of the entire village and Inari's young eyes.
Kakashi could feel his heart breaking for the young boy. He was glad Erina wasn't here to know this story.
Silence followed Tazuna's story, everyone paying their respects to the fallen man who gave his life to protect the people he cared about.
Naruto stood a few moments later… only to fall down again before he took a step.
"What are you doing down there, Naruto?" Sakura asked.
"You better take the day off, no more training. You've used too much chakra. If you push any harder, it could kill you." Kakashi ordered.
"I'm going to prove it!" Naruto said while he stood on shaking legs.
"Prove what?" Sakura asked.
"I'll prove that it's true, that in this world there are real heroes." He said with a pained smile now on his face.
With Naruto's declaration, everyone stood from the table to go to bed.
Kakashi slowly walked over on his crutches and stood over Naruto, placing one hand on his head. I know you will. Kakashi thought to himself.
He walked to the deck where he knew Erina had jumped into the water. He quickly found her floating there, and sat down on the end.
"Well?" She asked, slowly swimming up to him.
"You were right. Inari has been through something tragic."
"What was it?" She floated beneath him, treading the water and meeting his eyes.
He shook his head, "You don't need to know yet."
"Kashi – " She was about to argue with him, but he cut her off.
"No, Erina. You don't need to know this right now." He said with a stern tone.
She thought for a moment then sighed, pouting. "Fine." She looked away and started to swim in the other direction, but Kakashi quickly gripped one of his crutches to plunge it into the water and grip her ankle, trapping it in the handle. He pulled gently and she was brought back to him.
"Come here." He asked.
She didn't pause and started to climb up onto the deck, sitting beside him in her soaking wet clothes.
Kakashi didn't say anything more, just removed his Jōnin jacket and held it out to her. She smiled her thanks and removed her jacket, placing his much too large one on her shoulders. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, resting.
A few minutes had passed until he heard her breathing slow to that of deep sleep. He stood slowly, still holding her up and lifted her in his arms, going to their bedding upstairs. He left the crutches where they were. It took him some time to climb the steps, but he finally got there and slid the divider closed, gently placing Erina down on the sheets, climbing in next to her. She didn't stir once.
He lay his head on the pillow and watched her gentle face in sleep. Her delicate eyes closed and her pouty lips slightly open. Her hair was still wet and dripping water every now and then. They looked like crystals falling around her face. One fell to her lips and didn't slide off right away. He was tempted to kiss it off, but quickly forced the urge down. He lifted one of his fingers to her lips and wiped away the water.
He placed his chin in his usual spot on her shoulder, his face fitting perfectly in her neck. He breathed her in and smiled slightly. But moments later, dreaded the battle he knew would be coming soon.
Sakura woke up shortly after Kakashi and Sasuke, joining the family and her team mates for breakfast. But Naruto and Erina weren't there.
"Where are Naruto and Sandā?" She asked, sitting down.
"Naruto was out all night again." Sasuke explained with a groan.
"Sandā is resting." Kakashi explained, sitting away from the table. He only needed one crutch now, and waited to hear if Erina would wake soon.
Sasuke stood and started to leave.
"Wait, Sasuke where are you going?" Sakura called after him.
He paused a moment, "I'm going for a walk." He said lamely.
Kakashi was able to hide his laugh, knowing fully well where he was off to.
Sakura sat quietly and ate her food while Kakashi closed his eyes, contemplating their situation.
Ten minutes went by until he heard Erina walking gently upstairs, her face showing moments later.
"Where are the others?" She asked Kakashi.
"Naruto didn't return last night and Sasuke… went for a walk." He was tempted to put quotations near the end, but decided against it.
Erina smiled. "Really?"
He nodded, watching her sit down at the table, slowly eating her meal.
When an hour had passed, Sakura made the suggestion to go out and find her team mates. Erina walked along side Kakashi, her senses now returned to normal, scanning the area for any possible intruders or threats.
"Naruto?" Sakura called out his name, "Sasuke?" They were all in the open field in which they had begun the training, looking for the Genin.
A kunai was suddenly thrown at their feet from out of nowhere, startling all three of them. They looked up and saw Naruto laying on his stomach on a branch high up in a tree, his arms hanging down, exhaustion evident on his face, but a smile was there as well.
He laughed, looking down at them.
Sakura looked up in amazement, he was at least sixty feet from the ground. "He can climb that high now?" She appraised.
"Hmm…" Kakashi watched him carefully, but also very impressed.
Erina nodded her approval, smiling up at him.
"What do you think? High enough for you guys? I mean it's a long way down, huh?" He continued laughing.
He jumped to his feet on the branch, now full of energy, but he tripped and lost his footing, now falling backwards.
Kakashi and Sakura gasped in fear, Erina knew it was a prank. He just wanted to show off how much he had improved; there was no genuine fear coming from him.
His feet never left the bark and he now stood upside down on the bottom of the branch as Kakashi had a couple days before, his arms crossed and a broad smile visible to all of them.
Kakashi didn't sigh in relief but watched Naruto, speaking to Erina now, "Why do I think this is going to end badly?"
"Because it will." She responded with a small laugh.
Only a few moments passed until Naruto's feet suddenly came clean off the branch and he had nothing to grip, falling straight down, head first.
Erina didn't budge, sensing Sasuke coming running up the tree beside Naruto and jumped over to grip his foot, letting Naruto hang there helplessly and flail around.
"You really are a total loser, Naruto." Sasuke sighed.
Erina could now feel the enormous pride from Sasuke. She was glad he had now mastered his chakra control, but he still needed to understand the team work aspect of being a shinobi.
Sakura began screaming with joy over Sasuke's great save of Naruto, while Kakashi looked down and met Erina's eyes. "If I'm still sane by the time we finish their training, it'll be a miracle."
She nodded her agreement.
"We're going back to the house. Don't miss dinner and Sasuke," Erina spoke directly to him now, "let Naruto down safely." She emphasized the word and met his eyes, not turning away until Sasuke had jumped from underneath the branch to the base of the trunk, keeping Naruto out of harm's way… most of the time. When they landed on the ground, he let go of Naruto's foot so fast, Naruto didn't have time to recover and he fell face first into the dirt.
"Keep training if you guys want, but don't forget the real reason we've been teaching you guys this. It's not a contest, this is for when Zabuza returns." She said carefully to both of them.
They nodded and waited for the others to leave.
"Now they're both late. I wouldn't have expected that from Sasuke." Sakura worried.
Kakashi, Erina and Sakura were waiting at the dinner table with Tazuna and Inari when Sasuke and Naruto came through the door a couple hours later, Sasuke holding Naruto up.
"Where have you two been? You look like something the cat dragged in." Tazuna joked.
Naruto lifted his head, "We both made it. We made it all the way to the top." He smiled.
Kakashi nodded, "Good. Now we move on. Starting tomorrow, you're both body guards for Tazuna."
Naruto got so excited that he lost his balance and dragged Sasuke down with him to the floor.
"You are such a loser!" Sasuke almost yelled, making everyone else laugh.
They all ate dinner and laughed, enjoying the company. All the ninjas knew they needed to take advantage of this peaceful time, because they would soon be facing Zabuza again.
When their plates were empty, they all enjoyed tea in silence, just resting. Naruto eventually passed out on the table, so tired from over doing his training.
Erina smiled at him. But when she met Inari's eyes, she felt an unbearable pain in her heart, her fingers subconsciously going to her chest to try to remove whatever was causing it. It all happened so suddenly, it hit her out of nowhere like before. She cried out in pain for a moment, startling everyone. Kakashi leaned over her protectively, watching her.
"What is it?" Kakashi looked over to Inari and saw his head was down, tears streaming down his face.
Erina was mimicking him, her brain not concealing the pain in any way, tears now running down her cheeks.
"Damn it." She cursed, gripping Kakashi's sleeve tightly, leaning into his chest.
"What's wrong with Sandā?" Sakura asked, standing to walk over.
Kakashi raised a hand, "Please, stay back Sakura. Don't come near her." Sakura froze and sat back down again, watching as her male sensei protected his female counterpart.
"What's going on? This is the second time this has happened." Sasuke asked, staying where he was.
"I'll explain in a minute, but she needs to calm down first."
"Calm down?" Sakura asked, trying to move her head around and see what was happening. All she could hear was Erina's cries of pain sounding similar to someone that had just lost something incredibly important to them.
She gasped, tried to breathe in, get control of her mind, but Inari's pain was too great. She cursed herself, hating her own mind.
"Kashi…" She gasped his name, trying to tell him she needed to get away from Inari. It was such a different emotion than what she was used to feeling from others. She was used to the hatred and anger from rival ninja, but this was a child's pain. Something so incredibly potent, it overwhelmed her like she hadn't experienced since she was young, before she was able to control her ability.
"Hang on, Sandā." He whispered, laying her down on the floor and letting her ride it out. That was all he could do.
He watched her cry, try to not feed off the child's pain. It over took her and she was beginning to sink into the darkness again. He didn't want to think of what would happen if she completely gave in, just let it consume her. There may be no way to get her back.
He leaned over her head, gripping her cheeks in his palms tightly, refusing to let her look away.
"Sandā, focus on me." He tried to make eye contact with her, to bring her down from the emotional spiral she was in. He glanced over to Inari who seemed to now be shaking.
"Damn." He said to himself. Inari was getting worse and she was feeding off it. "Sandā, you can do this. We've been through worse, look at me."
She started to calm the more he talked, her gaze now finding his. She wasn't shaking anymore, but her chest was jumping up and down in a jerking motion, almost like there was something trying to get out. He held her head tightly, looking into her eyes, "Breathe with me." He instructed quietly, slowly exaggerating his breathing so she could copy him.
She only needed a few moments to calm down, her eyes no longer as frantic, her cries no longer filled with pain. Her breathing was beginning to return to normal, her hands coming up to hold his against her cheeks. She smiled slowly and weakly, "Thank you, Kashi." She whispered.
He sighed in relief, his eyes closing for a moment. He leaned his forehead down to touch hers gently, the only way he could safely show her affection.
He helped her sit up again, keeping a close eye on her. She glanced over to Inari, who was still feeling the pain, hardly paying attention to anything that was happening.
"What the hell just happened?" Sasuke asked.
"I'll explain later, Sasuke." Erina said, refusing to take her eyes off Inari. Maybe if she watched him, his emotions wouldn't consume her so quickly.
Naruto raised his head, having seen the whole thing but not wanting to move.
"But why…" Inari's small voice rang out in the silence, drawing Naruto's attention.
"What'd you say?"
Inari slammed his fists down on the table and stood, "All this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gato's got a whole army! They'll beat you down and they'll destroy you! These cool things you all say; they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong always win and the weak always lose!" Inari's voice hung in the silence, his words stinging.
"Just speak for yourself, it won't be like that for me, you got that?" Naruto said in an angry voice.
"Why don't you be quiet!" Inari continued to yell, tears still streaming down his cheeks, his eyes closed in frustration. "Just looking at you makes me sick! You don't know anything about this country, you're just butting in! Always laughing and playing around, you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!"
Erina felt the pain in Naruto's heart at those words, his past flooding his memories.
He didn't hesitate in responding to Inari's insults, "Listen to yourself whining and complaining like some sorry little victim. You can whimper all day for all I care… you're nothing but a coward!" Naruto raised his head and met Inari's eyes.
"Naruto, stop." Erina demanded, keeping watch on the young boy.
Naruto stood in frustration and walked away, no longer having anything to say.
Inari's emotions came back and hit him hard, but Erina was prepared for it this time. It wasn't just pain he was feeling, it was also guilt, his shoulders shaking again with the intensity of it.
"I think it's time you tell me what happened, Kashi." Erina said quietly, leaning against the wall. Kakashi stood and nodded in agreement.
"A man came here three years ago, he saved Inari from drowning and the boy took a shine to him, called him his father. He married Inari's mother and gave the village hope. But when Gato showed, he couldn't let someone like that continue to live. Gato kidnapped him and shattered his arms, strung him up for the village to see, warning that this would happen to anyone who dared to cross him… then murdered him in front of Inari."
Erina sighed, looking away for a moment. "I've been feeling guilt from Inari as well, he thinks if he was stronger, he may have been able to do something…"
Kakashi nodded, walking towards her and holding his hand out. "Shall we speak with him?" He suggested.
"Yeah. Then we need to explain to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura what's going on." She took his hand and they walked to where they knew Inari was sitting by the water.
He was withdrawn, not crying or feeling any pain, numb. Erina took a deep breath as they approached him, now prepared with her new information, she could stand to be around him. There weren't many things stronger than an emotion without any logic behind it. If you understood the reason for it, the emotion lost some of its power.
They walked up behind him, and Kakashi spoke first, "Can we talk to you?"
Inari slightly turned his head, but didn't say anything. They took that as a 'yes'.
"Naruto can be a little…harsh sometimes. But he doesn't hate you. Your grandfather told us what happened to your father. You probably don't know this but Naruto also grew up without a father. In fact, he never knew either of his parents and he didn't have a single friend in our village." Kakashi spoke softly to Inari, trying to comfort him. "Still… I've never seen him cry, sulk or give up. He's always eager to jump in, he wants to be respected, that's his dream. And he'll put his life on the line for that in a heartbeat. My guess is… he just got tired of crying and decided to do something about it. Even though he's young and still learning, he knows what it means to be strong. Like your father did… I think he knows better than any of us what you're going through. What Naruto told you earlier, as cruel as it sounded, he's probably told himself that a thousand times." Kakashi ended with looking at the boy and smiling under his mask.
"Inari, I know you can see the same kind of person your father was in Naruto, and you're terrified of Naruto suffering the same fate." Erina gently drew his face to look at her, "But Naruto is so much stronger than so many we've even met. He doesn't understand the meaning of giving up and he always makes good of his promises. He promises to protect your grandfather and your village, until that bridge is built and you can all lead better lives. Don't you think that's something your father would encourage?" She asked him gently, raising an eyebrow.
Inari nodded slowly, starting to cry again.
"Sometimes, crying can be a good thing." She whispered as she held him close, letting him cry into her chest. His emotions didn't over whelm her as much as they had before.
She held him a moment longer, than encouraged him to go to bed. Kakashi and her watched Inari head inside, following after him. They walked upstairs and climbed under the sheets, Erina falling asleep almost immediately. Kakashi smiled and wrapped his arms around her, letting her scent engulf him once more.
When they woke up the next morning, the three Genin hadn't risen yet. They took this opportunity to talk amongst themselves, drinking tea together.
"You think they're ready?" Kakashi asked her.
"We don't have much of a choice, Kashi. They know something is going on." Erina took a sip of her tea, thinking deeply.
Minutes later, Sasuke and Sakura walked in together, sitting at the table not saying a word.
"Naruto still sleeping?" Kakashi asked.
Sakura nodded, "He's completely passed out."
"Alright, we'll let him rest." Kakashi said.
"What's going on with Sandā?" Sasuke demanded to know.
Kakashi sighed, but Erina was prepared for this. "You've all seen some… weird things since you met me. Sometimes unexplainable. I was born differently than everyone else."
"What do you mean?" Sakura leaned closer.
"I was born with an extremely rare genetic code. Even more than your sharingan, Sasuke. It's called 'mirror – touch synesthesia'."
"'Mirror – touch synesthesia'?" Sasuke repeated.
"It means she literally acts as a mirror to anyone's emotions and physical sensations that she's looking at in the moment." Kakashi explained, looking over to Erina.
"I don't understand." Sakura continued, while Sasuke kept watching Erina closely.
"I don't believe you." Sasuke stood to leave, done with this conversation.
"Sasuke, this is important for you to understand." Kakashi said, using his authority to have him stay where he was. "Sandā can do more than just feel other people's physical sensations, she can also feel their emotions." Kakashi looked to Erina and nodded his head.
She stood and walked towards Sasuke, meeting his eyes. She didn't say anything, just stared at him. He didn't back down, kept eye contact with her.
"You're afraid." She stated, stepping closer.
"Perhaps it's your own fear."
She stepped even closer now, touching his feet, crowding his space. "What reason do I have to fear you, Sasuke?" She whispered.
He paused, watching her carefully. That familiarity from before came back, his mind screaming at him to remember where he had seen her before.
"You'll remember me soon." She said and stepped away a few feet, sitting back down beside Kakashi.
Sasuke didn't move, momentarily paralyzed by the fact that she seemed to read his mind. Could she recognize something so trivial as that, read him like an open book?
He stayed where he was while Kakashi continued to explain, "Because of this ability she has, Sandā felt what Inari was feeling when we first got here. His pain had hit her so hard and suddenly, she couldn't prepare for it. Since none of us knew, it caught her off guard. It seems Inari is ridden with guilt about his father's death and when he thinks of these memories, his pain is so severe, Sandā can feel it as her own."
"So, will this continue to happen, sensei?" Sakura asked, worried.
Erina shook her head, "No, we've spoken with Inari, so long as I'm on guard when I'm near him, nothing more should happen. Hatred and anger, I'm used to feeling from other shinobi, but the amount of pain from this boy, someone so young going through something so traumatic, it's magnified by a thousand."
"Hn… whatever." Sasuke said, walking away now.
Erina watched him leave, waiting outside the front door for their day to begin.
"Sandā?" Kakashi asked. She knew what he was wondering. He wasn't sure if Sasuke believed them. She nodded her head in response; yes, he did believe them. But he would never admit it.
They all joined Sasuke outside when Tazuna and Inari's mother joined them, getting ready to leave with Tazuna to the bridge.
"Okay, I leave Naruto in your hands. He's pushed his body to the limit. Overdoing it as usual, so he may not be able to move today at all." Kakashi said to Inari's mother.
"What about you? You're still recovering yourself." She worried.
"Why, do I look wobbly?" He laughed, brushing it off, "I'll be okay." He turned to join Erina with the others.
"Come on, let's go." Tazuna instructed, leading the group to the bridge.
Just before they arrived, Erina stopped and stood completely still.
They turned around to walk back to her, Kakashi looking down into her eyes.
"What's wrong with her?" Sakura asked.
"She's sensing chakra." Kakashi explained, waiting for Erina's eyes to clear.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, looking around.
Erina quickly met Kakashi's eyes, "Round two."
He nodded and stood straight, "Be careful." He warned the students, hoping that Naruto would somehow be able to join them soon. They'd need all the help they could get.
They continued towards the bridge and came across the sight of all of the workers unconscious on the ground, the materials spread out and broken.
A thick mist began surrounding them, Kakashi took a defensive stance. "Sasuke, Sakura. Get ready." He turned around and waited for Zabuza to appear.
They surrounded Tazuna in a protective circle and had their weapons at the ready.
Zabuza's haunting voice rang out from all directions of the mist, "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Kakashi." He seemed glad to see them. "I see you've still got those brats with you. That one's still trembling… Pitiful." He nearly laughed.
Erina glanced over to Sasuke, whose hand was shaking holding the kunai. Zabuza appeared from the mist in front of Erina and Tazuna, and another and another. Water Clone Jutsu.
"Hn…" Sasuke scoffed. "I'm trembling with excitement."
Kakashi partially turned around to get Sasuke in his view, "Go on, Sasuke." He said with a smile under his mask.
Zabuza went for an attack, wielding his huge blade again, going in for the kill. Sasuke beat him to it, destroying all the clones, landing back in his place in the circle before the water even hit the ground.
"Ooh," Zabuza feigned fascination, "So you could see they were Water Clones, huh? Brats improving." Zabuza stepped towards them, with the young boy they had seen take his body away from before. "Looks like you've got a rival, Haku." He mused.
"So, it seems." The boys voice rang out from behind the same mask he had worn before.
Damn. This isn't good. With the boy on his side, we're outnumbered. He may be young, but he's incredibly deadly. Erina watched them carefully, stepping slowly to stand in front of Kakashi, who now had a relaxed demeaner, with his hands in his pockets. She stood tall in front of him, taking her place to protect him, stretching her head slightly where his neck was exposed.
"This one is smart. She protects the weak points of her partner." Haku noticed.
"She's nothing but a toy." Zabuza said in anger.
Kakashi grew angry at his remark, his hands lifting to grip Erina's hips again, pulling her close.
"Easy, Kakashi." She said so only he could hear.
She was right, he had to calm down. Getting riled up because of a few stupid words from Zabuza wasn't going to do them any good.
She slowly put her mask on, the crosses dangling from the left to right of it, her necklace with kunai's full and ready at her disposal.
"Well, well. So, I had it right, it was all an act." Kakashi said.
"An act?" Tazuna repeated.
"With a cute little mask." Kakashi tried to throw an insult at the boy.
Erina still couldn't get a read on the boy, that damn mask was in the way. They had to find a way to get rid of it, break it somehow. But that wouldn't be easy. At least they didn't know what she was able to do just yet.
"That's it, I'm taking him out." Sasuke said with a bored tone, but underneath he was angry.
They didn't even have time to blink, Haku was moving so quickly towards Sasuke but he was able to read the movements, just barely and take a defensive position. Haku now held one of his needles against Sasuke's kunai, evenly matched in strength.
Kakashi called to Sakura, "Cover Tazuna and stay close to us. Let Sasuke handle this." He knew Zabuza would be making a move soon.
Haku and Sasuke continued to analyze each other, giving small attacks to see what the other was made of.
"We want the bridge builder, not you. If you back down now, I won't have to kill you." Haku spoke with such a calm voice, it gave Erina shivers.
"Save it." Sasuke laughed.
"You're making a mistake; you won't be able to keep up with my speed." Haku tried to reason.
Erina turned towards them slightly. That's interesting… Why is he trying to reason with Sasuke and get him to back down without any harm being necessary? She could feel a few of his emotions, mostly calm but also worry.
Haku started to explain why he had the advantage in the fight, why Sasuke was not going to be able to win.
When he lifted one hand up to start making hand signs, Erina gasped in horror.
"That's not possible…" She and Kakashi stepped back unconsciously. They'd never seen anything like it.
Haku stomped his foot and the water rose up from the ground, taking on the shape of needles.
"Sasuke, get out of there!" Erina yelled to him.
He didn't move, his energy completely calm and focused, the needles now descending on him with rapid speed, deadly accuracy.
Right when the explosion happened, Haku jumped away, clear of any harm. He looked to where Sasuke was supposed to be, but he wasn't there anymore. Sasuke now hovered high in the air and started to toss throwing stars at Haku, who dodged them one after the other.
Sasuke appeared behind Haku, "You're not as fast as you think. From now on, you'll be the one defending against my attacks." Sasuke gloated, the both of them breaking apart and turning quickly, Sasuke going in for a hit, Haku blocking it, Sasuke then throwing a kunai at Haku's head, Haku barely dodging it, kneeling down safely out of the way, only then for Sasuke to kick him in the face sending him flying backwards.
Haku landed in front of Zabuza, who started to laugh.
"Haku, if we go on like this, we'll be the victims instead of them. Get on with it!"
"Right…" Haku began to focus his chakra, the power emanating from him. "I'm sorry it's come to this." He said with genuine emotion.
"It feels like ice…" Erina observed.
Haku made a hand sign and ice began to form behind Sasuke. It took on the shape of a mirror, until soon Sasuke was surrounded in a circle of them, a dome being created to trap him in. Haku disappeared inside one, his image now being shown in the front. His image was then copied to every single mirror that surrounded Sasuke.
Kakashi growled in annoyance, Erina understood that they needed to help Sasuke. Kakashi barely flinched to move his muscles forward and Erina was mimicking him perfectly, they ran together towards Sasuke.
Zabuza appeared and cut them off, "If you enter this fight, you fight me. Your boy has no chance against that Jutsu, he's finished."
The next moment, Haku was throwing the Senbon at Sasuke from all the mirrors, too fast for Sasuke to defend against.
"Sasuke." Kakashi tried to think of something, but with Zabuza standing in front of them, there wasn't much they could do.
"Just try to help him and I'll kill the other two in a heartbeat." Zabuza threatened.
Sakura stepped away from Tazuna and grabbed the kunai that was thrown out of Sasuke's hands, rushed to the mirrors, and tried to toss it back to him. But Haku was faster and stole the kunai right out of the air.
Sasuke was now on his hands and knees, blood dripping from beneath his clothes. Before Haku could make another move, two throwing stars hit each side of his face, knocking him to the ground from the protection of the mirrors. He lay flat on the cement for a few moments, when a burst of smoke gave the indication that another was joining the fight.
Haku began to slowly rise, "Number one… hyperactive… knucklehead ninja…" He didn't need to see Naruto's face to know it was him.
Naruto started to summon his Shadow Clone Jutsu, but Zabuza was one step ahead of him, throwing four shuriken at him.
"Naruto! Move!" Kakashi called out.
He froze in place, caught off guard by the suddenness of the attack,
But before they could get anywhere near him, four needles stopped them and they all fell to the ground.
"This is a battle, not a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your Jutsu!" Kakashi lectured Naruto. "A shinobi's art is deception, always keep the enemy guessing. Even when executing a single Jutsu, one must distract the enemy's attention, catch them off balance and outmaneuver them. You just turn yourself into a human target when you enter a battle like that."
"I'm sorry! I was just trying to rescue everybody!" Naruto cried out.
The entire time Kakashi had spoken, Erina didn't take her eyes off Haku.
"Haku, what are you doing?" Zabuza demanded.
"Zabuza… this boy, let me fight him my own way." Haku asked, standing now.
"So… you want me to leave this to you, is that it, Haku?... As usual, you're too soft." Zabuza said, but didn't interfere again.
Erina looked over to Sasuke. He's right… even though Sasuke may appear to be badly wounded, none of the wounds are even slightly fatal… earlier, he nearly begged Sasuke to stop fighting him… he doesn't want to kill anyone…
Erina felt Kakashi tense behind her for a moment, getting ready to help his students.
"Don't even think about it." Zabuza stepped in front of them. "You know the score, Kakashi. If you go after Haku, I go after the bridge builder."
Kakashi stepped back, Erina following him, taking a relaxed stance again.
Damn… I can't leave Sakura on her own to defend against Zabuza… even with Erina's help, it's too much. She'd be trying to protect Sakura and Tazuna and wouldn't be able to do her best fighting… I can't help Sasuke and Naruto while also helping Erina defend Tazuna and Sakura…
"Relax, Kakashi. Sit back and enjoy the show. Let's see how they do. One on one." Zabuza also became relaxed, speaking to Kakashi in an uninterested tone now.
Naruto started to lecture Haku about how he had deceived them and shockingly, Haku had apologized, asking for their forgiveness for his deception. Kakashi saw Sasuke take this opportunity to get a strike in, but Haku dodged the kunai easily. He turned to Sasuke, and Naruto turned as well, absorbing the situation. He now understood that Sasuke was pinned down, unable to defend or attack, Sakura guarding Tazuna and Sandā and Kakashi keeping Zabuza distracted… things didn't look good.
They saw Haku start walking towards the mirrors again, disappearing in the back of one. Sasuke was targeted by more needles, cutting him and claiming his blood on their metal.
Kakashi instructed them that they needed to attack from both the inside and outside of the mirrors, it was all about the positioning. Erina watched Sasuke think, hoping that if it got to the worst — case scenario, he would be able to activate his sharingan… that was his ace.
They blinked and Naruto was gone, now on the inside of the mirrors, startling Sasuke.
"Ugh…" Erina hung her head.
They argued for a moment, then Sasuke stood, "That's it! I'm going to destroy these mirrors right now!" He made his hand signs, and called out his Fireball Jutsu. But the attack was useless, hitting the mirrors, not making a single one melt or disappear.
Haku launched his next attack, now hitting Naruto and Sasuke with the Senbon.
Naruto then summoned his Shadow Clones, against Sasuke's warning, and aimed for the mirrors. Haku went for another attack, destroying the clones and cutting Naruto more. Naruto landed next to Sasuke again.
"These mirrors only reflect my image, allowing me to transport myself at light speed. Through my eyes, you appear to be moving in slow motion."
Kakashi gasped, "Damn."
Erina started voicing his thoughts. "It's a bloodline trait, isn't it? Kekkei Genkai."
"Kekkei Genkai? What is it?" Sakura asked.
"It's like my sharingan, you can't learn it, it has to be in your blood, in your genetic code, passed down from generation to generation within a single clan."
"But that means…" Sakura put the pieces together.
"He can't copy it. There's no way to destroy it and no way to stop it." Erina finished, looking to Sasuke and Naruto again.
Naruto started shouting to Sasuke, she couldn't hear exactly what he was saying. The entire time she had been keeping tabs on Haku's chakra emotion, the only thing she could get a read on from him. He was consistently calm and focused, not getting distracted by the slightest thing.
Something Naruto said suddenly made Haku's energy shift, his chakra now becoming sad and dark.
Sakura called out to her team mates, encouraging them to not lose to someone like Haku.
"Don't, Sakura. Don't push them. Even if they somehow found a way to overcome the Mirror Jutsu, they still couldn't defeat this ninja." Kakashi instructed her.
"How can you be so sure?" She asked.
Zabuza laughed at her.
"They have the desire to win but they don't have the instinct to kill. That boy is a whole other breed. He lives for pain. He thrives on it." Kakashi explained.
Erina closed her eyes. No, that doesn't feel right. If that were true, why would he give Sasuke so many chances to surrender? Why did he save Naruto's life? None of this adds up…
Zabuza laughed again, "Exactly. Your village has become complacent. Your trainees never learn the most important lesson of all: to kill the feelings in their own hearts, to crush an opponent mercilessly, to destroy with no emotional regret."
Sakura grew scared, knowing he was right. "Sensei, what are we going to do? Please tell us." She begged Kakashi.
He met Erina's eyes, and she immediately shook her head, knowing what he was thinking. He wouldn't be able to make it in time to help them, and to leave Tazuna essentially defenseless. Erina would have to decide who to save, her student or the mission.
Kakashi thought for a moment, then lifted his hand to his left eye, covered by the head band.
Zabuza laughed again, nearly ending in a groan. "You're no fun Kakashi, using the same old trick." Zabuza made his move immediately after finishing his words, running at Kakashi and Erina.
Kakashi pushed Erina out of the way before she was in danger, holding his hand up to directly block the kunai attack, the small point now embedded in his palm. "If it's just an old trick, why did you stop me?" He mused.
Zabuza pulled the kunai free and jumped away a few feet. "You thought those Genin punks together could beat Haku? He's the ultimate. A battle tool of destruction." Zabuza said.
"Are you finished bragging? You're starting to put me to sleep." Kakashi said, angry. "Let's finish this, now." Kakashi raised his head band and exposed the sharingan.
He quickly met Erina's eyes, she felt he was in control, she walked to Tazuna and Sakura, defensive once again.
Zabuza interrupted Kakashi and continued talking, reiterating the last time they fought. "Did you really think our last battle was just win or lose? Haku was there, studying everything about your sharingan."
"We know he was there." Kakashi said, standing straight. "You're not telling me anything new."
"How about the fact that Haku is able to see a Jutsu and immediately come up with a lethal counter attack? Your sharingan is useless. It won't work on me twice." Zabuza summoned his Hidden Mist Jutsu and disappeared.
"Sakura, do not move from Tazuna's side." Erina instructed her student with the strictest tone she'd ever used. She jumped to Kakashi's side and took her place in front of him once again.
"Sandā?" He asked, hoping she would stay out of harm's way.
"You'll need me now." She watched carefully for Zabuza. "You remember what we do when we can't see." She whispered so only he could hear.
He nodded, his hands now coming up to grip her waist, his large palms nearly gripping all of her mid – section. She had a plan and he trusted her. He could feel her heart beat slightly, focusing on her steady rhythm. She was better able to fight without using her eyes than he was, her ability nearly perfect for this kind of disadvantage. He closed his eyes and relaxed, keeping his hands tight on her, her mask up and hood covering her, he knew she was protected. Now he just had to follow her lead.
The only thing he was worried about was that they now lost visual of Naruto and Sasuke. He had no choice but to trust their team work.
They waited…
"Left!" She cried out, Kakashi quickly grabbing a kunai to deflect the throwing stars, "Behind!" She turned and he followed her movements precisely. Zabuza now appeared behind them, but he didn't make a move.
"His eyes are closed…" Erina said quietly.
"Huh?" Kakashi opened his eyes and saw what she did.
"The next time you see me will be the last time you see anything. Without your sharingan, you're nothing." Zabuza disappeared again.
Erina could feel Kakashi was starting to get worried, anxious and scared. He was in uncharted territory, putting all his trust in her. This wasn't the first time for something like this to happen, but they now also had three young Genin to protect, and their mission still needed to be completed. So many people depended on this one battle. So many people would die if they failed.
"You wanted me to believe you could see through anything, even time." Zabuza was talking about their last fight. "But your prediction was wrong, I'm still alive, so you're a fraud, Kakashi. You can't read the future and you can't read me. The sharingan is just a cheap trick that makes you seem more powerful than you are. I know now, your sharingan has two separate elements. The piercing eye, which sees every detail and the hypnotic eye, which mesmerizes your opponent. Employing these abilities, you can execute multiple Jutsu in quick succession, to make it seem like you can see the future. Now that I know this, a very simple plan can defeat you. First, neutralize your piercing eye with zero visibility mist,"
"Watch out!" Erina braced herself to take the brunt of the hit that seemed to come out of nowhere, knocking her back into Kakashi, sending them both flying a few feet back. Kakashi gripped her with one hand tightly, they both made the movement to dig their kunai into the ground to slow themselves.
Zabuza laughed, "Next, neutralize your hypnotic eye. With my own eyes closed, you can't bore into my mind if you can't look into my eyes."
Kakashi and Erina stood, "Brilliant. Except with your eyes closed, you can't see us either."
"Have you forgotten who I am, Kakashi? I'm the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Master of the Silent Kill. I can take you out by sound alone."
Kakashi looked down to meet Erina's eyes and she tapped the side of her nose twice. He nodded.
She focused, trying to see through Zabuza.
Why doesn't he strike? What's his plan?
Both Kakashi and Erina gasped, "The Bridgebuilder!" They cried out in unison.
Her knee jerk reaction was to grip Kakashi's hand and they ran to Sakura and Tazuna, trying to get to them in time. Zabuza appeared behind them and they turned around, Kakashi and Erina appearing in front of them just with hardly a second to spare, blocking any move Zabuza could make.
"Too late!" Zabuza said. He knew he was either going to get Tazuna or Kakashi and Erina. He swung his enormous blade and sliced both of their chests, Kakashi's blood spilling onto the ground, his Jōnin jacket now torn open; Erina's blood was spattered on him, the smell of it making him nauseated from his sensitive nose. His Alpha instincts flared, angry that Erina had been harmed.
They heard a shrill scream directly behind them, Sakura now stunned in terror.
"Your eyes are sharp, Kakashi. But not sharp enough to read my moves. Not anymore." Zabuza taunted.
Kakashi leaned on one side, gripping at his now bleeding chest.
"Come on Kakashi, I want this to be fun. I want to enjoy myself as I exact my revenge." Zabuza started to laugh manically, disappearing into the mist once again.
Kakashi's breathing was hard, the cut going deeper than he expected.
Erina was having a hard time keeping Zabuza's emotions out of her mind, his insanity almost contagious.
She gripped Kakashi's hand and looked up at him, putting her other hand to cover his, and bring it to her chest. Her fresh blood stained his fingers, his entire palm now nearly red. She nodded, his mind beginning to calm at her confidence.
She returned to stand in front of him, their blood heavy in the air.
"Sakura, stay with Tazuna." Kakashi instructed while they both ran off into the mist and seeking out Zabuza.
They were only able to run for a moment, until Erina was thrown backwards by an unseen force. Kakashi gripped her tightly, protecting her from the fall.
"Sandā?" He said, trying to cradle her face and see what was happening. There shouldn't have been any surprises in this fight, she knew what she was facing. The boy Haku wouldn't be able to have this kind of power over her.
That was when he felt it. Erina screamed a bloodcurdling scream, her body shaking from fear. The chakra that cascaded around all of them completely overtook her, something so potent, dangerous and deadly would of course steal her senses.
He didn't have to worry about Zabuza for the moment, he knew this wasn't his chakra.
"Kakashi…" She whimpered. Crawling on all fours to try to get away from whatever was assaulting her senses. "What's happening?" He stood over her, holding her still while she writhed in pain, screaming and clawing at her chest, making the gash open even deeper. Her own blood was now spreading on her palms, staining her clothes.
"Stop, Sandā you have to stop!" He tried to hold her hands, but the look on her face pained him so much.
He was out of options, he had to protect their students and Erina. He had to snap her out of it somehow. He'd made up his mind. If she was going to be angry at him, fine. At least she'd be alive.
He reached up and pulled his mask down, pinned her arms beside her head with all the strength he could without hurting her, her body now not moving around so frantically. He forced his body down on hers and held her still, pressing his lips against hers. His Alpha instincts fighting to take over, so claim her for his own, damn the consequences.
She cried out once more, but started to calm at the physical sensation of his lips on her own. He held still for a moment; her body was still jerking around like she was trying to get away. He opened his mouth and allowed his tongue to seek hers out, her body now becoming completely still. Resisting the urge to take her away from here and mark her as his, it was nearly impossible. He just needed to get through this battle, then he could take care of his instincts.
"Mhm!" She whimpered against his lips, no longer from pain. Her tongue danced with his erotically, her hands and arms going limp. He let his hands move from pinning her down to cradling her face in a possessive manner, holding her and his kiss became punishing. He wasn't going to lose her, not to something like this. They both swore to each other long ago that their lives belonged to one another; no way in hell was he going to let someone like Zabuza claim her life, or an accidental slip like what was happening over power her.
He slowly pulled away, his teeth gently biting her bottom lip, her gasp making him nearly smile.
"Kashi…" She didn't know what to say.
He stood quickly and held his hand out to help her up. They met gazes, "Kakashi, this is…"
"Yeah…"
"How can it be possible? The seal couldn't have possible broken."
"I don't think it did, I think it's been loosened and a fraction of the chakra has seeped through."
"Something must have happened to make Naruto react this way."
Kakashi nodded, understanding what she was getting at.
"Time for our final move." She said, standing beside him.
He flicked open one of the buttons on his Jōnin jacket and caught the scroll as it fell out, letting it unroll open in front of him, using his other hand that had both his blood and Erina's on it to put a solid line through the scroll.
"Zabuza, I don't mean to spoil your fun, I know how you like to stretch these things out, but how about we put an end to this now?" Kakashi had spoken out loud to Zabuza and completed the summoning formation, making the scroll roll back up and seal shut in his hands. "Come on, what do you say? We're both busy people."
"Hm. Tempting. I'm curious to see how you intend to back up such brave words. Show me, Kakashi!" Zabuza yelled out his challenge.
Erina stood beside Kakashi, waiting for Zabuza's slightest movement anywhere.
Kakashi completed his hand signs and drove the scroll half way into the ground, calling out his Fanged Pursuit Jutsu.
"I don't know why you bother. What use is your Jutsu if you can't even find me? But I can find you… blindly falling into my trap… you disappoint me, Kakashi. I think you're right; it is time to put an end to this." Zabuza teased.
Kakashi slowly stood to his full height again, while Erina could hear the sound of his hounds finding Zabuza and immobilizing him.
"I realized if I couldn't see you, I'd have to smell you out. I was calling forth my ninja hounds, they can track a scent anywhere. When you attacked us, I let you get past our guards, I wanted you to cut us. You see, it's the smell of our blood on your blade that led them to you. Are you surprised? Looks like I wasn't the only one who was blind." Kakashi explained.
Zabuza gasped, "That's why she…" He trailed off.
Erina smiled at Zabuza, tapping her nose twice again. The mist began to clear rapidly.
"Poor Zabuza, you were always pushing things too far. There was the failed Mizukage assassination and your attempt at coup d'état. You were forced to flee with the few followers you had, your countries tracker ninja hot on your heels. You became a rogue ninja, whose name was quickly known, even in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Now you're crazy enough to want to go back and try it again. But for that, you need money and to get it you stooped so low as to be the hired thug of a swine like Gato… all right, Zabuza. Enough talk, time to finish it. But it won't be with sharingan, imitations of some other ninja's tricks. No… it's time I introduced you to," Kakashi quickly made a hand sign. "my own Jutsu."
Erina immediately jumped back fifteen feet, still able to see Kakashi as he continued with his hand signs. The chakra was so strong it became visible, looking like blue and white lightening, gathering in his hand. The intensity of it was blinding.
"You're like a disease, by attacking one you infect all. And you don't care."
Zabuza smiled under the tape covering his face, "You're right, I don't care! These useless little people and their petty little dreams… why should they matter to me?"
Kakashi's anger reflected in the chakra he held in his hand, making it shake violently.
Erina watched closely as Kakashi began to quickly run at Zabuza who was completely immobile from the hounds. The Lightning Blade was sure to end his life.
Something was wrong… Erina sensed a very calm and determined chakra suddenly get much closer.
"Kakashi, no!" She cried out, trying to stop him but by the time she appeared… it was too late.
Haku was now standing in between Zabuza and Kakashi, taking the full force of the Lightning Blade in his chest. Kakashi's hand was right in the chest cavity of the young boy, Haku's hand slowly coming up to grip Kakashi's wrist and keep him still.
The hounds disappeared, Senbon having been thrown into the summoning scroll that brought them.
"He saved your worthless life… at the cost of his own." Kakashi said, looking at Zabuza.
Zabuza laughed a crazed laugh, reaching back for his blade and aiming for Kakashi, regardless if Haku's body still stood between them.
Erina stepped in as quickly as she could pulling both of them out of the way, pushing them backwards until they were a safe distance from Zabuza.
"You'll pay for that!" Naruto called out.
"No! Stay out of this, Naruto." Kakashi warned. Erina appeared beside him and she kneeled down to gently lay Haku's body on the cement and close his now vacant eyes. "This is our battle. Zabuza belongs to us."
"No. He belongs to me." Kakashi growled to Erina when she spoke.
She glanced up at him, seeing nothing but anger in his gaze. The next time he aimed for Zabuza, he wasn't going to miss. And he'd be taking blood this time.
Sakura started speaking up, "Naruto! You and Sasuke are okay then?"
Erina looked over to Naruto and saw his expression change to one of pain and guilt.
"What's the matter? Where is Sasuke, anyway?" Sakura asked.
Naruto looked away and Sakura put the pieces together.
"So that's what happened…" Erina said to Kakashi.
Kakashi stood and gently gripped her hand, "Go." He ordered. Not only did he not want her anywhere near him when he killed, he also wanted her to go check on Sasuke. He also needed to ensure that Naruto didn't lose control again and feed off the Nine Tails chakra.
She nodded and ran over to where the mirrors had been, Sakura and Tazuna close behind her.
They walked towards Sasuke's body lying on the ground, covered in needles, blood everywhere, his face calm.
Sakura fell to her knees in pain, gently placing her hand on Sasuke's cheek. "His body is cold… this isn't just one of his Genjutsu's is it?" She asked quietly.
Erina knelt down next to Sasuke's body, watching Sakura. She started rambling about how she always got perfect scores in the Academy, loved showing off how smart she was. Then she voiced the twenty – fifth rule of being a Shinobi – to never show your emotions, no matter the circumstances. She started to cry, the tears falling to Sasuke's cheek. Sakura then fell onto his chest, crying her tears into his shirt and praying for his return.
Sakura raised her head and yelled at Erina, "Why aren't you saying anything? Do something! Anything! Bring him back!"
Erina glanced at Sakura but didn't say a word, just started to slowly remove the Senbon from Sasuke's body.
She could hear Kakashi and Zabuza fighting a few yards away, looked up seeing Kakashi and Zabuza standing face to face, but Zabuza's arms hung uselessly at his sides, his blade nowhere to be seen, while Kakashi stood tall. There was another man that stood between them, short and with a cane and at least thirty other men standing behind him.
That must be Gato. She thought.
She leaned over Sasuke and started to pat his face gently at first, increasing the pressure in her hand to be lightly slapping him. Come on, Sasuke. Wake up.
Erina lifted her head to see Gato approaching Haku's body, she instantly got a bad feeling and jumped towards the short man, hearing him say to Haku's corpse, "That reminds me, you little punk. You grabbed me and nearly broke my arm." His foot pushed Haku's face away a couple times, "I've been meaning to repay you for that." He brought his leg back and kicked Haku's face, then poked it with his cane.
Before he could speak anymore, Erina showed up right in front of him, giving him a backhanded smack so hard, he fell ten feet away. She was breathing heavily, continued to advance on him, murder now in her eyes.
Kakashi appeared behind her, gripping her waist tightly, "Sandā, stop. This isn't our fight anymore."
"Let me go, Kakashi." She didn't look at him, her voice almost unrecognizable to his ears. "I want to hurt him." He'd never heard her say such words. This was what happened when you pushed her too far. He had only ever seen her like this once before, in their childhood, on the worst day of their lives.
His grip tightened, not letting her go, "I am not letting you near him."
"Why the hell do you care so much?" She yelled, trying to twist out of his embrace. She ended up turning around in his arms and came face to face with him, his sharingan still uncovered. He was able to trap her arms as well, stopping her movements entirely.
"Because your life belongs to me!" He yelled at her, breaking her from the blood lust. He paused for a moment, "We made a promise to each other. Your life belongs to me. And my life belongs to you. That's why I won't let you die." His voice started to quiet near the end and she slowly slumped into his embrace, giving up on fighting against him. They jumped away together, standing beside Zabuza.
Erina started speaking to him, her voice soft and filled with pain, "Zabuza…"
"Hm?"
"Are you really going to let that excuse of a man do that to Haku?" She asked, turning to him.
"Shut up, you stupid bitch, Haku is already dead." He was angry. "I used him just as Gato used me. I'm sad to see his powers and abilities gone… but the boy himself… nothing."
The words didn't affect her, "Bullshit. He died for you. You wouldn't be alive at this moment if it weren't for him. Don't you think you should spend your last minutes protecting him? Even if it's just his memory?" She walked around to stand in front of him, looking into his dead eyes, her anger now surfacing. "If you ever once cared for him, even the slightest fraction for a moment during your time together… you won't let him be treated like that. He deserves better. He only became what he did to please you, make you happy. There's a reason why he was the only one that could make you smile. Don't let his sacrifice be for nothing." She said, staring up at him.
Zabuza didn't say anything for a moment. She couldn't feel anything from him, her own emotions so strong right now, they overrode everything around her.
"You talk too much, woman…" Zabuza's voice said beside her ear. His head was hanging down, tears now streaming steadily down his face. "Your words cut deep… deeper than any blade…" He started to tear at the tape covering his mouth with his teeth, freeing his face for the first time.
He met Erina's eyes again, "Give me a kunai." He said simply.
She didn't break eye contact as she removed one from her necklace, tipped with her deadliest poison and put it into Zabuza's mouth, immediately jumping back to Kakashi, to watch Zabuza slaughter Gato's men.
It lasted a matter of seconds then Zabuza had stabbed Gato with the kunai, sending him over the bridge into the water. He had multiple spears and swords sticking out of his back, he slowly made his way over to Haku's body, but fainted before he could reach him. Zabuza apologized to Haku, begging for forgiveness for not ever appreciating what Haku did for him.
Naruto couldn't look anymore.
"Don't turn away." Kakashi instructed. "When you live like a warrior, this is how it ends." Kakashi knew Erina could understand the hidden meaning in his words.
They soon heard Sakura calling out to Naruto from a few yards behind them, showing that Sasuke was now standing.
"Well, well. Will wonders never cease. Amazing." Kakashi said.
The angry tap of a spear drew their attention again, "Hey! Who's gonna pay us now that Gato's gone?" One of the men from the other side of the bridge taunted.
They threatened to steal from the village, "Not good." Kakashi said to both Erina and Naruto.
"Come on sensei, you must have a Jutsu that can take care of this bunch of losers?" Naruto asked in hope.
"Not right now, I used too much of my chakra." Kakashi looked to Erina, hoping that she would have some kind of idea. She stood completely still. "Sandā?" He asked quietly. She smiled down at him.
The group of rogues started running at them, before they were only able to get a few feet forward until an arrow came from out of nowhere and stopped them all dead in their tracks. The Village Ninja turned around and saw the entire town rallied behind them weapons at the ready, young, old, women, all gathered to defend their homes.
Naruto smiled and summoned his Shadow Clone Jutsu, Kakashi soon following and doing the same. There were now the entire village, five Naruto's, and a terrifying amount of Kakashi's. They called the thugs out, but they quickly retreated to trying to get on to the boat they arrived in as quickly as possible, some even landing in the water.
Kakashi walked over to Zabuza, who asked Kakashi to take him to Haku. Kakashi covered his sharingan and smiled down to Zabuza through his mask, lifting him after he had removed the spears and swords from his back. He slowly walked over to Haku's body and gently placed Zabuza beside Haku. It began to snow, gently cascading all around them.
"It's not cold…" Erina noticed as she held her hand out to catch a few snowflakes in her hand.
Zabuza apologized to Haku, even though he knew he couldn't hear him. Soon, the rays of the sun shined on them, as Zabuza spoke his last words to Haku.
The five of them made the graves for Zabuza and Haku beside each other, where it was always sunny, overlooking the town. Their graves had identical crosses and flowers on them, Zabuza's blade sticking out over his and Haku's scarf on his cross.
Sakura began to question if the things Zabuza said were true, if it was really the shinobi way to use and be used like tools. Kakashi somewhat confirmed her fears, simply saying that's the way it's always been, that there was no answer as to how it came to be.
Naruto then declared that he wouldn't follow those rules, but would make sure that every day he was proud of who he was. Kakashi laughed at this, glad to see that Naruto's spirit wasn't dampened in the battle.
Later that morning, when the five ninjas were departing, they thanked the villagers for all their hospitality. Inari made Naruto swear that they would come and visit in the future, which made Naruto start to tear up which then made Inari start to nearly cry. They were both too stubborn to actually cry in front of each other, until Erina came up behind Naruto and bonked him on the head to make him nearly cry tears of pain rather than sadness. This made Inari smile.
They started to walk down the newly built bridge, Naruto talking about how he was going to get Iruka to buy him a bunch of ramen and tell Konohamaru about the trip to the Land of Waves.
Sakura asked Sasuke out on a date, but he turned her down. Naruto then offered to go out with Sakura, until she threw him twenty feet away. Erina and Kakashi continued on ahead, letting the young Genin enjoy their youth once again.
Not long later, they made it back to their home village, the students immediately going to their own homes.
Kakashi and Erina headed back to their apartment mostly in silence. When they walked through the door, Erina headed for their room and quickly changed into one of his shirts and stole a pair of his sweats. They were far too long for her, but she looked cute in his clothes.
He hung up his Jōnin jacket and settled on the couch, Erina joining him and propping her feet up in his lap, like she always would.
"Kashi, are we going to talk about what happened?" She asked, looking at him.
"Which part?" He was so tired.
"About that kiss." She clarified.
"I had to do something to snap you out of it." He responded quickly with a cool tone, seeming completely uninterested.
She sat up and stood on her feet, moving to stand between his legs. She removed his head band and pulled down his mask, exposing his face completely.
"What is it?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. He tried to stay completely calm, aware she was trying to see if he felt anything for her romantically.
Stay calm.
She watched him, not saying anything then sighed, "Nothing." She said, walking away.
"Uh, do you want dinner?" He called after her.
"Follow me." She instead replied.
He hesitantly followed her into their room, where she stood with her back to him, facing their work desk.
"Erina?"
She stepped aside and revealed his huge stack of Make Out Paradise collection, all together and waiting for him. "I thought you more than earned them back." She said, blushing a little.
He couldn't help but smile, embracing her in a tight hug, "Thanks, Erina."
"Don't get all mushy on me." She said, pushing him away playfully.
"So, what are we going to do for dinner tonight?" He asked, putting the collection where it belonged.
"Are you hungry?" She asked, sitting on the bed.
He paused a moment, "Not necessarily." He said.
"Me neither, so let's just go to bed and get some good rest." She said, pulling the covers aside and quickly getting into bed. It was dark outside, he supposed she was right.
He removed his shirt and joined her, holding her close.
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly in her ear.
"What do you mean?"
"That mission was pretty brutal…" He reached a hand up and stroked her hair in the comforting way he knew she loved.
"Yeah. I think I'm okay." She sighed into the sensation, closing her eyes.
"I want you to take the next couple days off, Erina. Rest. And if you need me home, tell me immediately." He ordered.
She didn't respond but rolled her eyes.
He gripped her chin tightly, forcing her to look at him, "I mean it." He nearly whispered against her lips. His eyes were searching hers, trying to find anything that may suggest she returned his feelings. God how he wished she felt the same for him, she was his mate, he knew it in his bones. No other Omega had such an effect on him, his sole purpose in life was to protect her, love her and mate with her. He just needed her to give him a reason to act on his impulses.
He realized his thoughts and made a mental note to go find some privacy later for a little while, they didn't need to deal with a possible rut catching him off guard.
She paused for a moment, "Okay…" She promised. She was sure there had to be some kind of romantic emotion there behind his gaze. But as hard as she looked, she couldn't find what she thought for sure she would see.
He released her chin a moment later and pulled her close. She smiled and drifted.
How long can I keep fooling her?