Hey everyone! Hope you're ready for another chapter! They're going to get shorter from here on out, but at least updates (should) be quicker! Enjoy!


Zabuza looked at the red eye on Kakashi's left. He had heard tales of this eye, but this was his first time seeing it in person. "A sharingan? Are you an…Uchiha?" Kakashi said nothing as he simply stared back. "No, of course not. And that scar…" Underneath his bandaged mask, he sneered. "Ah, I see. An implant."

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke watched from afar as they listened in on them. "A sharing gan?" Naruto mispronounced what he heard. "What is that?" he asked.

"Sh!" Sasuke shushed him. Naruto just pouted as he turned his attention back to the battle. Sasuke needed the quiet to think. "He has a sharingan too? How?" Sasuke thought. Kakashi was a teenager when he was a kid…was anything said about him? He tried to keep track, but his father never mentioned him. Were they related? No, he was sure he would have mentioned it, even with Kakashi being as secretive as he was. "How does he have one?"

"Well, I think I've let you ponder enough." Kakashi said, flipping his kunai to a more offensive position. "Shall we begin round 2?"

"Agreed." Without warning, Zabuza spun at full speed without any need to accelerate, and cleaved Kakashi in half. When the top half landed, instead of a thud, Zabusa saw a splash on the ground. "A mizu bushin!?" Kakashi then burst forth from the pond as he jammed his kunai at Zabuza. "Ugh!" Though he didn't land a deadly blow, he managed to cut Zabusa's bandaged mask and lips. Zabuza jumped back before any permanent damage was done. He looked at Kakashi with an enraged look as he licked his lips. "I will make you pay for that, Hatake!" With blinding speed, Zabuza charged once more.


From afar, Haku landed on a roof as he finally found his way back to Zabuza. Far enough from the action so he wouldn't be spotted, but close enough to see the battle, and intervene in time if the battle did not go Zabuza's way. "Be careful, Zabuza-sama…"


Zabuza tightly gripped the hilt as he spun the blade rapidly in a circular motion. The path was predictable, but the speed surprised Kakashi. Even as he jumped back, the blade still managed to cut his shoulder. "Ngh!"

Kakashi reached into a pouch and threw his shuriken. Zabuza quickly blocked with the broad side of his blade, the projectiles bouncing off harmlessly. Kakashi then jumped onto the flat as he used it to flip over his opponent, and hit him in the back of the head with an elbow. "Unh!"

Though Zabuza stumbled, he buried the sword and spun around the hilt, nailing Kakashi square in the kidney with a powerful thrust kick. "Ngh!" Kakashi tumbled across the ground, before finally stopping a good 15 meters away from him. He got up on one knee, holding his stomach. "His strength…incredible!" Inside, Kakashi kicked himself for not realizing this sooner. To wield a blade like that, one would have to be insanely strong, both in the upper and lower body! Just swinging that blade would have torn the arms off any ordinary person even if they managed to lift it. Kakashi looked up to see Zabuza leap forward with his arm cocked back in a punch. Kakashi quickly rolled out of the way as the punch went through the ground where he just was.

Zabuza pulled it out as he pursued the silver ninja, but slowed when his foot landed on caltrops. "Nnh!" Zabuza worked through the pain as he kicked the caltrops off his feet. Once more, the swordsman swung his blade at Kakashi. Though Kakashi managed to dodge every strike, this was by no means easy. The mist swordsman was able to wield it as easily as a katana; if Kakashi made a misstep, he would be done!

When he made a jump back, Zabuza thrust his blade forward again. "Another thrust?" Kakashi simply moved back…and the blade cut his shoulder again. "Agh!" The blade seemed to cut deeper as he felt his right arm began to lose strength. Kakashi looked at the blade. Before, it was shaped like an over-sized butcher knife. Now, it seemed to have grown a saw-like edge, extending it's reach by a good 5 centimeters. "Did it change shape?"

Zabuza turned the blade and swung, but Kakashi was ready as he held up his kunai to block the blade. Despite the ridiculous size difference between the two weapons, the kunai held, and Kakashi used the same technique he taught his students to plant his feet on the ground and not move. "You like my blade's special ability?" Zabuza asked.

"I take it this stick you call a sword wasn't always this big?"

"Indeed." Zabuza sneered. "Kubikiribocho has the ability to absorb the iron from one's blood and add it to the mass of the blade." Zabuza pressed forward, causing Kakashi to lose his footing. "As you can see, I've killed A LOT of people to make it this big."

Kakashi sneered back under his mask. "Why do I have a feeling this is also a parallel for Zabuza Jr?" Zabuza growled as he made another push. Kakashi went with the flow of his energy as he flipped over him, releasing a piece of paper in front of the assassin's face. Zabuza's eyes widened, and raised the flat of his blade to shield his face as an explosion suddenly went off in front of him.


"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed in awe at what he saw. "Did Kakashi light that thing on fire!?"

"Idiot." Sasuke sighed. "That was an explosive tag."

"What!?" Naruto shouted. "They have such things!?"

"Explosive tags are linked to a person's chakra." Sasuke explained. "The link is created when you rub your bare hands against it and apply your chakra to it. In battle, you then spike the energy inside you, and the paper will combust." Sasuke looked back to the battle. "They're generally more effective in combination with other weapons, but it seems he didn't have time to attach it." He noted.


Indeed, Zabuza was fine, the blast only serving to have delayed him. Suddenly, Zabuza jammed his sword into the earth as he made his signs: The Ram, The Snake, and finally the Dragon. "Suiton! Suisei Kazan no Jutsu!" Zabusa gripped the hilt again as he pushed it forward, and water exploded out of the earth.

The geysers hit Kakashi head on. "Ah!" The Konoha-nin rolled across the earth. When he stopped, he took a whiff of the water. "Ugh. You had to make use of the sewer water below." Most Suiton Jutsus required a pre-existing source of water to use them, and now in addition to feeling bruised all over, he stunk as well.

Zabuza stood by the crack as he prepared his next move. "Suiton!-"

"Suiton-!"

"Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

"Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

Two water dragons erupted from the earth and collided with one another. The two ninja just stared at one another as the water rained down between them. "Hn. I'm seeing why you are called the Copy ninja."

"You haven't seen anything yet."

The two charged at each other, slamming their arms into one another, Kakashi jamming up Zabuza to keep him from using his sword. Quickly, Kakashi kicked at Zabusa's fingers. "Agh!" On reflex, he let go of the blade. Kakashi immediately followed through with a spinning kick, knocking the blade far from him. Zabuza knew he wouldn't be able to easily retrieve it now. "I don't need my sword to kill you!" Zabusa pulled a curved knife and made a crescent strike towards Kakashi, who made the same movement with his own kunai as they collided. Zabusa made a strike with his free hand, Kakashi did the same. The EXACT same thing. Zabuza narrowed his eyes in irritation. "Is he copying me in real time!?" Zabusa made several more strikes, and Kakashi did the same ones. "QUIT COPYING ME, COWARD!"

"QUIT COPYING ME, COWARD!" Kakashi perfectly copied Zabusa's speech at the same time. The whole thing unnerved the assassin. At that moment, Kakashi shot an open-handed strike to his sternum, causing Zabusa to skid away.

Steading himself, he growled. "So, it seems you are not quite LITERALLY copying my every move. I suppose that's something in my favor." Zabuza then cut his thumb.

"He's going to summon!?" Kakashi thought. For a ninja on their level, this was not uncommon. Still, what exactly was he going to summon? There were some animals his dogs couldn't handle; he didn't want to summon them unless he was sure they could win.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Zabusa shouted as he planted his hand on the ground. "Teppoumizu!" The puff of smoke occurred, but instead of an animal, a torrent of water flooded the town.


"What the-!?" Naruto felt himself being swept off his feet as the water began to flood the entire block. For a moment, he was under, but despite the undertow, he managed to breach the surface and take in a lungful of air. Looking around him, he saw Sakura's prone form floating down the current. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto never swam in his life, but somehow through both determination and desperation, he managed to doggy-paddle towards her. Lifting her by the stomach, he made sure to keep her head above water.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called from atop a roof as he reached for him. "Take my hand!"

Ignoring his pride, Naruto grabbed his rival's hand as Sasuke lifted them both up. "What the heck happened!?" Naruto asked.

"I think Zabuza summoned this torrent of water!"

"He can do that!?"

"Would you like to ask him yourself?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

The two looked back to the two jonin fighting. Somehow, the two were literally WALKING on the water. "You know that move?" Naruto asked in shock.

"I know OF IT." Sasuke said. "I just don't know HOW to do it."

Naruto looked at the flooding water. It must have been at least 2 and a half meters deep! "Well, that certainly helps a lot… "


Zabuza sliced his sword again, as Kakashi dodged. "I see. You summoned water to give yourself the advantage." The copy ninja surmised.

"But of course!" Zabuza made his signs again, beginning with the bird, the rat, and once more ending with the dragon. "Suiton! Daibakufu no Jutsu!" A vortex of water exploded towards Kakashi. It seemed to hit him dead center, but Zabuza saw he countered with one of his own. "Ngh!" Zabuza growled. "Even now, you still insist on copying me! It seems that's all you're good for."

"Oh, I have other tricks." Kakashi said. "Still, you have a point. Right now, all I'm doing is keeping you at bay. I think it's time we wrapped this up."

"I agree." Quickly, Zabuza made his hand signs, the Ram, the Bird, and the Dragon. "Suiton! Shin Kaho no Jutsu!" The water began to extend at points, like spikes. It seemed they really were sharp, as Kakashi weaved around them like his life depended on it and slid towards Zabusa like he was skating on ice. Using the momentum, he launched a flying kick at Zabuza, aiming for his head. Of course, the assassin blocked. Kakashi landed and launched another hand strike, Zabuza blocking again and taking a swing at him. Kakashi bent down, avoiding the blade by a mere hair. Kakashi then twisted and kicked his opponent in the kidney. "Agh!"

Zabuza retaliated with a knee to the stomach. "Urkh!" Zabuza followed with another, but Kakashi blocked with his hands and engaged him once more.

Zabuza tried to take another slice at him, but Kakashi kicked down on the hilt, blocking it. Kakashi quickly reached into his armor, and pulled out what seemed to be a smoke bomb that he threw into his opponent's eyes. "AGH!"


"He threw a smoke bomb at his face?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. "I thought those were supposed to be used for escape!"

"No." Sasuke answered. "That was a black egg."

"He threw his breakfast at him?"

Sasuke just palmed his face in response. Taking a deep breath, he explained. "A Black Egg is an egg that has been drained of it's yolk, and through the hole that was drilled, different materials are put in it's place." He explained. "The most common type are the ones filled with glass, and since he aimed for the eyes, I'm guessing that's what he used."

Naruto looked back to the fight as he processed what Sasuke told him. When the realization hit him, he winced.


Haku continued to look on from his perch. He then gripped a long sebon needle from his side. He was about to jump in, when he remembered something Zabuza told him when the swordsman began bringing him out in the field.

"Remember Haku, if I choose to fight alone, do not interfere until my loss looks certain."

Haku sighed as he lowered his weapon. If he waited too long, he feared he wouldn't make it in time. "Zabuza-sama…please…" he pleaded to himself.


Indeed, Zabuza stumbled as he struggled to get the glass out of his eyes and see again. At this point, Kakashi wasted no more time, and jammed his kunai into his heart. Zabuza's eyes widened as his body went stiff, then limp as he slumped towards him. Kakashi smirked under his mask. Suddenly, Zabuza's body melted into water. "It was another clone!?" Kakashi thought. The masked ninja jumped away as he sensed the blade jutting out of the water behind him. It managed to get the skin right down the middle, but nonetheless the damage was only superficial as he rolled away without a problem.

"Did you think I summoned all this water just to inconvenience you?" Zabuza said as he rose from the water and slung his sword over his shoulder. "The more water there is, the less chakra necessary to create Mizu Bushins. I've got enough for several others." Kakashi prepared to fling more shuriken at him, when Zabuza suddenly rose behind him again. "Such as that one!" Zabusa made the sign of the dog, the monkey, and finally, the dragon. "Suiton! Suiro no Jutsu!" The water around Kakashi surrounded him, and encapsulated him like a bubble. Kakashi tried to struggle against it, but the water held.

"The water pressure is much stronger than you would think." Zabuza said as he stretched his arms out. "As much as I would like to finish you now, chances are you'll counter anything else I throw at you. This is my best chance to finish you!" Kakashi continued struggling in vain, pressing his kunai against the barrier.


"Shit!" Sasuke cursed. "That's it! It's over!"

"Can't Kakashi break out of that thing!?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded. "No. He's trying." They then saw Zabuza's clone approach them, walking across the water. Both genin got ready to make a break for it before the clone stopped.

Naruto blinked. "What is it? Why'd he stop?"

"He's guarding them." Sasuke replied. "I'm guessing Zabuza needs to focus all his concentration on the bubble. If he takes his arms away, it's integrity will collapse. This Mizu Bushin is here to ensure that neither of us can make that happen."

"And why doesn't the clone just come over here and cleave us now?" Naruto asked.

"I'm guessing that's as far as it can go." Sasuke replied. "But it's skills are equal to that of the original. Even if we manage to land a blow on it, he is sure to cleave both of us in two before it dissolves."

Naruto looked back to Kakashi, still struggling. Even from their distance, he could tell Kakashi's movements were getting slower. "How long do you think he has?"

"The average person can't hold their breath for more than a minute." Sasuke replied grimly. "For someone of our sensei's caliber, I'm predicting maybe 3 minutes at best."

Naruto then looked back across the flood. He saw Tazuna on the roof of another building, hugging his family. He then looked to Sakura next to him, still unconscious. "And once Kakashi's out of the way…there'll be nothing to stop him from killing them." Naruto then looked to Sasuke. "We need to attack."

"It's suicide!" Sasuke shouted. "We can't fight him!"

"We're not going to fight him." Naruto said as he clenched his fists. "We're going to free Kakashi sensei!"


And that will be all for now. There's not too much different in this version from the original, but it's necessary to get to where we're going next. See you all again soon!