Hi everyone! I know I promised that I would upload chapters faster..but life has quite the way of..well, getting in the way. I'm starting to write again more regularly, and I hope that is reflected in the near future. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!


The trio of Team 7 and Tazuna's family looked over the bed ridden Kakashi. In addition to sporting cuts and bruises all over his body, the fight had taxed him entirely. He had only just recently been able to talk. "How bad?" Sasuke asked Tsunami as she wrapped the bandages around his body.

"I did what I could for his physical wounds." She answered. "But I think it's something else that's rendered him immobile."

"My sharingan eye." Kakashi answered, his strong and authoritative voice now quiet. "That's why I'm spent. You see, the eye is not my own. The sharingan can catch movements at three times the rate the average human eye can. The difference between it and my natural eye can cause quite the headache...among other things." He let out a loud groan.

"Is there anything we can do, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Just let me rest. Within 3 days...I can at least fight again."

"I'm not sure if we have three days." Tazuna said. "Your kids are alright, I guess. But if that serial killer of a ninja comes back, I'm not exactly confident I'm going to live through next week."

"I wouldn't worry about him." Kakashi said. "I put quite the number on him. He's not getting back up anytime soon." He narrowed his normal eye at the ceiling as he thought back to the other. "It's the masked one that worries me."

"The one that took him away?" Naruto blew a raspberry. "He was just there to collect his boss."

"Kakashi-sensei and I fought him." Sasuke quickly corrected him. "He was powerful, with jutsus I've never seen before. You only got a small taste of it."

"It's possible that Zabuza could just send him after us to finish the job." Kakashi answered. "We may have one thing in our favor. Zabuza is definitely out of the picture for now, and I bet his employer isn't too happy with him right now. If Gato is the scum you said he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to kill Zabuza for his failure."

"So...?" Sakura began.

"...his student will most likely be protecting him." Kakashi answered. "So I'd say we're in the clear for now, at least when it comes to shinobi attacks."

The three sighed in relief. Before anymore could be said, Tazuna heard a knock on his door. "Hold on." He sighed.

"Dad..." Tsunami warned him.

"It's not him; Gato just threw his best weapon at us, and he's probably licking his wounds right about now." Tazuna said. "Kakashi' s right; for now we're safe."


What Tazuna saw wasn't ninja, Gato or Yakuza. It was his neighbors. He had expected them to be in his corner, but by the looks on their faces, it seemed otherwise. "Tazuna...did you hire ninjas?" One asked.

"What's it to ya?"

Another shouted "They destroyed our homes!"

"Gato's own hired dog ruined your homes, so don't pin this on them!" Tazuna yelled.

"Don't you see!? Gato's sending us a message!"

"I didn't think that rich bastard would go as far as he did!" Tazuna protested. "The ninja I hired were supposed to deter him, not escalate things!"

"Well guess what!? THEY DID!" One of them shouted.

Tazuna sighed. "You know what? You're right; things HAVE gotten out of hand. What can I do to make it up to you all?"

The neighbors looked to one another, and sighed. "We think you should give the bridge to Gato...or destroy it all together."

Tazuna scowled at them. "WHAT!?"

"Gato isn't going to stand for this! Now that he's hired ninja of his own, there's no stopping him!"

Tazuna shouted back "Gato has kept us down, bribed our leaders, and worse! You saw what happened to my son in-law! You want to live your lives worse than dogs!?"

"At least we'll be alive!"

Tazuna growled. "I can't believe you guys. I once had your support to build the bridge, and when things go tough, you tuck your tails between your legs!? You knew there would be consequences!"

"Gato will attack again!"

"Even if I begged his forgiveness, the genie is out of the bottle. He'll kill me, and will go after any of you out of spite!" Tazuna took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. There's no going back now. If you don't have the courage to help me...then just hide until everything is clear, and stay out of my way." With that, Tazuna slammed the door, disappointed in his neighbors.

Looking back, he saw the three genin staring at him. "Sorry you had to see that." Wiping his forehead, he said "Don't let what they say get to you. The three of you are doing good; they're just scared. They've been scared ever since he had Kaiza crucified."

"So, what now?" Sasuke asked.

"Same deal as before. I build, you continue to protect me and my family."

"But even if you finish the bridge, Gato could still take it from you...or worse!" Sakura protested. "This won't end with its completion!"

"I've already sent a letter to some high level officials. If nothing else, it would put the spotlight on Gato. Force him to spend more time on PR." Tazuna then looked to the floor. "Have you ever been in the middle of a typhoon?"

"We live a bit too far inland for those." Sasuke answered.

"In the center of every storm is an eye, an area where the winds are calm and the sun can get through." Tazuna began to explain. "Many make the mistake that the storm has passed, step outside to rebuild, and by the time they realize their mistake, it's too late." Tazuna sighed, as he looked out the window. "Let's hope we don't get too careless before the storm comes back."


Gato angrily walked down the hall, flanked by his guards. Slamming the doors open, he found Zabuza laid across the couch, Haku looking over him. "Zabuza, what just happened!? Tazuna ain't dead!"

"It seems your lowly enemy was able to hire better protection than we thought." Zabuza said. Despite being vulnerable, he showed no fear in the face of Gato's wrath.

That unnerved the billionaire to no end. "So, you ran. Like a dog."

"If I ran, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place." Zabusa shot back. "I knew the jonin would be tough. It's those two boys I underestimated."

Gato growled. "How long?"

"Three days. I will be able to fight again by then."

"Three days!?" Gato yelled. He trotted over and grabbed Zabuza by the collar. "In three days, Tazuna will finish the groundwork of the bridge! I need him dead now and claim that bridge for myself!"

Before he could rant further, Haku grabbed him by the arm. Gato's yell became a whimper; this kid was a lot stronger than he looked! "You will keep your hands off Zabuza-sama, worm!"

Ice began to crystallize around his arm, eliciting a cool burn that rivaled coals. "AHHH!" With that, Haku threw Gato clear across the room. His guards drew their swords, prepared to cut the boy into pieces. However, as they saw the ice grow around the edges in the room, they froze not from the cold, but fear.

"Haku." Zabuza said. "It isn't wise to kill one's client." After a moment, Haku relented. The ice seemingly vaporized, and not even Gato could stop himself from breathing a sigh of relief. "Still, Gato does have a right to be upset." Zabuza added. "Certain things have happened outside of our control, and we couldn't deliver." Under his sunglasses, Gato blinked, surprised such a cold-blooded killer would admit such a thing. "Three days. We will kill Tazuna, his family, and those ninjas protecting him. We'll reduce the rate by a quarter to amend for our first and failed attempt."

Gato slowly stood, and wiped the sweat off his brow. "Fine. This next time, you better deliver!" Gato stormed out, his guards tailing him.

"He should not treat you like that, Zabuza-sama." Haku insisted.

"We need the money." Zabusa reminded him. "Don't worry, if he takes that tone again, I'll put him in his place."

Haku slightly nodded in acknowledgement. "Anything else, Master?"

"I want you to watch our targets, but don't attack them."

"I do not understand, sir." Haku said, confused. "Hatake is weak; I can take out his genin and end Tazuna."

"It's the blond kid. He has a power, a fearsome power!" Zaubuza exclaimed. "If it wasn't for my needles, it could have gone badly for me. I do not want you to fight him unless absolutely necessary. Understood?"

Haku stood there silently for a moment, and then quickly bowed. "I am an extension of your will, Zabusa-sama."

"Very good. Do not worry about me; I can take care of myself." Underneath the sofa pillows, Zabusa tightened his grip on a kunai; he was prepared to slit Gato's throat if he got any closer. His only worry if Haku wasn't there was that they would have been out of a job. "Now go!"

"Yes sir!" A mist swirled around Haku, and he was gone.


"Here's the plan." Kakashi said, as his genin gathered near his bed. "For now, Zubuza is weak, but he won't be out for long. And there's a small chance that Gato will get impatient and send some samurai to finish the job. So, we will still guard the family like before. However, you all still need to continue your training."

"How are we going to do that?" Naruto asked.

"You will be taking shifts." Kakashi explained. "One will go train on the bridge, another will rest, and another will stand guard. In the event of an emergency, you will see a signal flare near here. Sasuke, you will train first. After three hours, you and Naruto will trade places. Naruto, you will guard the household while he trains. Sakura, you probably had it the worst of us today; you should probably rest for now."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said. "But with all due respect, will it be safe to train?" She asked. "Gato could attack at any time, and I think it would be wiser if we all stood guard."

"It's a risk, no doubt about that." Kakashi agreed. "This mission went beyond what any of us were prepared to do. And it's because the mission became more dangerous you three must train still. Zabuza and his lackey will challenge us again, that I have no doubt of. And when they do, it will be on the bridge. It would prove highly advantageous to us if you can master what I've just shown you. Is that understood?"

The three nodded. "Very good. You may all begin." Kakashi ordered.

As they walked out of the room, Sasuke walked ahead and waved. 'Well, I'm off." With that, he exited the door.

"Well, guess it's up to me." Naruto smiled cockily, wrapping his hands behind his head. Sakura just looked to him with a sour look. Naruto peeked out of the corner of his eye, noticing it. "Sakura-chan? Is something wrong?" Sakura just turned away sharply. Even with Naruto's lack of social skills, he could tell something was wrong. "Sakura-chan! Whatever it is, I'm sorry!"

"You're damn right you should be!" Sakura suddenly snapped. "I was nearly killed today, all because you froze up!" Naruto was taken aback, and couldn't retort to that. "We're supposed to be teammates, working together to fight our battles! And you just turn chicken on me!" When he didn't speak, Sakura continued to rant. "It's not just me I'm upset about! Tsunami and Inari were nearly killed because of you! You keep boasting about how you'll somehow become Hokage, but based on your performance today, I don't think you even deserve to be a genin!" Naruto was still frozen, and Sakura turned away. "You don't belong here."

A part of Naruto wanted to argue back, but he couldn't; after all, she was right. If Kakashi and Sasuke hadn't returned, Sakura would be dead. And it would've all been his fault. Naruto clenched his fists as he struggled to keep himself from crying.


Sasuke kept running up the tree. So far, he had made some fairly good progress; he was about 2/3 of the way up there. Still, he was not satisfied. He still struggled to keep his feet planted on the tree; he couldn't walk up as easily as Kakashi did. It also felt like he was still using mostly his speed to get up; Sakura managed to do it perfectly her first time. Sasuke breathed as he sat back on the grass. "I should probably take a break..."


"Oni-Chan!" A six year old Sasuke shouted into the forest. "Mama says it's time for dinner!" Sasuke looked around the forest; he could have sworn he saw Itachi and his friend Shisui head here earlier. For a long moment, Sasuke heard nothing but the cicadas.

"Looking for your brother?" Sasuke turned to see Shisui. His only distinguishing feature was his black, messy hair. Still, he was quite a fit shinobi.

"I thought he was with you, Shisui-san."

"He is." The genin answered, smirking. "Look up." He pointed.

Sasuke looked straight up, seeing his brother, Itachi, hanging from under a branch, like he was stuck to it. "Hey." He said. The two brothers looked very similar. The only notable difference aside from age was their hair. While Sasuke's was quite spiky, Itachi's was smooth and kept in a pony tail. Itachi then detached himself from the branch, falling to the forest floor before righting himself and landing feet first.

"Wow, Oni-Chan! That was so cool!" Sasuke said in amazement.

Itachi brushed off his hair. "It's not a big deal, really." He said. "It's a simple technique, really."

"Says the one guy of our class who mastered it in a day!" Shisui said as he tapped his shoulder laughing.

"Maybe you should have studied more." Itachi said. "Listen, my folks want me back. I better get going."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, bro!" Shisui said as he waved goodbye.


Back in the present, Sasuke's eyes snapped open. Seeing his training was not yet complete, Sasuke gripped his kunai. "I'm not done yet!" Sasuke growled. Sasuke made a mad dash for the tree, intent to reach the top.


Despite the earlier incident, Naruto stuck to his assigned duty. He sat by the stairs, making sure no one suspicious was coming, the lights being kept to a low burn. He suddenly heard a creak up the stairs, and turned as he gripped his kunai. He saw Inari staring back at him. Naruto would have shouted at him, asking 'What are you looking at!?'. But he just looked away. Inari said nothing, only walking back up the stairs.

After what seemed to be forever, Sasuke opened the door. He had half-expected Naruto to be his usual hyperactive self, maybe even do something stupid like throw a kunai at him. But Naruto looked depressed. "I believe it's your turn to train; I'm going to bed." Naruto only nodded. He got up, and walked past Sasuke. "Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto said nothing, ignoring him as he practically ran past him. That's when he knew something was definitely wrong.

Sasuke walked over to the living room, finding Sakura resting on the couch. Gently, he shook her awake. "Sakura, it's your turn to watch." Sakura groaned as she rose up. After she swallowed a food pill, Sasuke asked her "What's going on with Naruto?"

"Nothing." Sakura sighed.

"Don't lie to me, Sakura!" Sasuke demanded. "Naruto's upset, and I want to know why!"

Though Sakura was initially startled by him, she calmly answered "I told Naruto off, that's all."

"How so?"

"We were attacked, and he panicked, okay?" Sakura shouted. "I took a strike for him, and I wound up poisoned." she muttered.

"So you're mad you helped out a teammate?"

"I'm mad I had to help out our 'teammate' who couldn't carry his own weight for the mission!" Sakura shouted back. "I'm happy to take a blow for you or Kakashi-sensei; I know neither of you would just freeze up." Sakura sighed. "I went off on how he also endangered Tazuna-san's family, then I told him he didn't belong with us." Sasuke looked off as she processed what she said. "Don't worry about it." Sakura waved it off. "He'll just shrug it off." After a moment of silence, Sakura turned to Sasuke to see him avoiding eye contact with her. "Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke began to walk off. "Sasuke-kun! What's gotten into you?" Sakura followed after him.

"You think Naruto doesn't belong?" Sasuke growled as he clenched his fists, causing her to stop dead. "Whatever happened up to the point you were poisoned, Naruto was nothing like what you think. Somehow, he crippled the two ninja with those snorkel masks, and even gave Zabuza a run for his money. And at some point in the fight, Zabuza had Kakashi on the ropes. I was the one who suggested retreating, but Naruto insisted we stay to rescue Kakashi. And we succeeded BECAUSE of him." Sasuke finally turned to face Sakura, looking furious. "And you know what good you were? NOTHING." He swung his arm. "You were literal dead weight, and yet Naruto still refused to leave your side until he was able to hide you someplace safe." Those words felt like a stab to Sakura's heart, but Sasuke didn't see this as he continued ranting. "Naruto may be an untalented idiot, but he tries. He has something to strive for. And SOMETIMES, not often, but SOMETIMES, he succeeds. You, on the other hand, are completely content where you are with no intention to improve, or make an impact. You could die tomorrow, and our so-called team would be no better off." He all but yelled, pointing at her.

The two just stood in silence as Sasuke stared her down. The only others who could make Sakura feel so small was her parents; but they never said something as hurtful as what he said. "Sasuke-kun..."

"You're annoying." Sasuke muttered. "Just go about your duty. Or not; I don't think it will make a difference either way. I'm going for a walk; I don't feel like sleeping anymore." Sasuke stormed back out of the house.

Sakura's head dropped down, and the tears flowed down to her sandals.


Kakashi, having listened from upstairs, sighed. "You really made sure my work was cut out for me, didn't you, Hokage-sama?"


Kirigakure

Six years ago...

The boy sat alone in an isolated and sterile cell, wearing only a tattered kimono and holding a white stuffed bunny. Though the room was perfect room temperature, his breath was visible, and small icicles formed overhead. The reflective window inside the room gave the ninja outside of it a safe place to watch him from.

A man wearing a white sash and hat, with the kanji for water, stroked his mustache as he looked. "How did he lose his parents again?"

"We believe ronin attacked." One of his ninja answered. "We could tell by the bodies the parents were killed by standard weapons. Swords, knives. When we got there, the bandits were hanging by icicles, impaled through their mid-sections."

"It's barely the beginning of fall." The Mizukage noted. It shouldn't have been cold enough for even simple snowflakes!

"It's obviously the work of the lost Yuton kekkei genkai." One of them answered. "It seems the death of his parents was the trigger."

One of them took a step back as he took a tray with food. "I'll go ahead and feed him." He volunteered.

The Mizukage nodded. As the young man walked away, the Mizukage called "Zabuza!" The swordsman stopped. "Just remember, he is to be OUR WEAPON." The young Zabuza only nodded silently.


The boy continued to hug his animal. When the door opened, he gasped and scurried over to the corner. Zabuza walked in the center, like nothing was wrong. "Time to eat." The boy continued shaking. Zabuza sighed. "What the hell am I even doing?" Kids were NOT his thing. He then sat down, undid his mask, and took a loaf of bread from the tray. "Look kid, we're not going to force you to eat. But if you choose to starve yourself, we're not going to help you out either." The boy looked up from his animal. He was still scared, but it seemed Zabuza got to him. "It may not be as good as your mother's, but it will have to do."

After a moment of silence, the boy finally spoke. "My papĂ  usually cooks." He muttered. "Mama wasn't very good at it."

Zabuza blinked. "Well, there's one in every family, I guess." Zabuza tapped the tray again, reminding the boy of the food. Slowly, he walked over, and took the chopsticks. He hesitated as he picked up the beef. "If we thought about poisoning your food, we would have taken your head and been done with it in the first place." The boy took a bite, and then another. Seemed he was quite hungry, Zabuza noted. "What's your name, boy?"

Swallowing his food, the boy replied "My name is Haku."


Present Day

Haku walked down the street that night, unmasked and in his effeminate street clothes. He decided not to dwell on the past, and focus on the present. "I want you to watch our targets, but don't attack them." He remembered Zabuza telling him.

Haku approached the bridge their target was building. It was, for all intents and purposes, an impressive feat of architecture. Haku pitied the fact the man had to die. It would surely help the people who lived here, but that was not his or Zabuza's place to decide. He then heard some grunting further down the bridge.

Walking further down, he investigated the noise. It was the orange track suit boy, still training on the tree. Judging by the bark, it seemed he hadn't made much progress. Haku quietly approached him, tightening the grip on the tanto stashed in his Obi. "I know Zabuza-Saka said not to attack..but if I can take out the one he fears most, our mission's completion will be all but guaranteed."


I think I'll leave it at here for now.

Also, I think I may need to address Sakura in advance here.

Given the stigma around her character, many blame it on the fact that she didn't make a good first impression on the readers. I know that her blow up here may not help matters in this regard, but I feel it was necessary to both improve her relationships with her teammates and put things in perspective for not only her, but the others as well. I'll do my best to bring that about next chapter.