"I once lived a simple life." Haku began, as he recalled looking at the rice paddies from his parents' old hut. "My parents were farmers, living off the land. We probably lived in poverty, but I was too young to know the meaning. It was a peaceful life; I loved it. And my parents were always smiling around me. It was perfect for us, and lived not wanting.
"But come winter, bandits attacked. I recall father running forward with his hoe, and that was the last I saw of him before Mother scooped me up and took me inside. Mother hid me in the cupboards, keeping guard. Though I could see nothing, I heard the screams all across the village. I curled my knees up and gripped my hair, trying to will the screams away. Then, I heard our door break down. My mother fought back bravely but in vain. Even now, I refuse to contemplate exactly what they did to her, but in the end she died. I only pray she did not suffer too much before her end."
"Then, one of the bandits opened the cupboards, finding me. He was but a man, yet to me he was an ogre, with his balding head and rotten teeth. He called his comrades over, and reached for me. At that moment, I forgot about my concern for my parents; the fear for myself overwhelmed me, and I felt something inside of me I never felt before. I remember feeling a chill, and then I heard more screams, but not my own, nor those of the villagers."
"When I opened my eyes, my hut was destroyed, the ice rising like crystals and obliterating it. When I saw no one was alive, I went back into the cupboards, which had miraculously survived intact. I don't know why I hid; perhaps deep down I refused to believe that I could do such a terrible thing. Maybe I blamed myself; where was this power before? Why didn't I use it to protect my parents earlier?"
"Either way, all I wanted to do was hide, and wait for the end."
I don't know how long I waited. But after an eternity, I heard voices. I edged myself towards the wall, expecting the worst.
"It's a goddamn mess in here…"
"I don't smell any survivors."
"The blood is probably throwing your sense of smell off, Kisame-san." A female voice said.
"True."
"Still, we have our orders. Don't leave any stone unturned. When all casualties have been accounted for, set the village aflame."
As my breathing increased, I felt ice form in my hand. It wasn't quite a dagger, but it was still sharp. It was better than nothing. The cupboard doors opened…and I screamed, charging out. "AHHHH!"
"Ah!"
I got him! I didn't dare stop, trying to run away. However, someone strong grabbed my wrist, and stopped me dead in my tracks. I looked up, and in that instant the fight left me. I didn't know his name at the time, but that was the first time I met Zabuza-sama. He was a most fearsome man, his eyes seeming to stare right into my soul and past it.
"Zabuza!" Someone shouted. "Ease up! It's just a kid!"
My ice dissipated, and Zabuza-sama took notice. "I think I found out what killed the bandits here." Zabuza announced.
A large man approached him, looking like a had a buffet and carried a large sword on his back. "The Mizukage will want him." Zabuza stayed with me the entire time while the rest of the swordsman went about there duties.
Not having human contact for so long, I leaned into his vest and cried. Knowing what I know of Zabuza-sama now, I could only imagine how uncomfortable he must have been. Even so, he patted my head lightly. Nothing would bring my parents back, or take away the pain I felt. But that simple gesture was enough to give me hope.
For nearly a year, I spent my life in a sterile room. I had a bed, I was well fed. But my childhood died in the village. The instructors helped to bring out my power, but they only saw the jutsus. To them, I may as well have been the proverbial jar, and the ninja only concerned with the cookies inside. But the one thing that made everything worth it was Zabuza-sama. He would talk with me, he would listen to me as I opened up. No matter how harsh and empty my life was otherwise, I endured just so I could see Zabuza-sama one more day.
That was the routine, until I asked if we were a family. Zabuza became distant from me, and for a while, he didn't even come to see me. Then, out of nowhere, he broke into my room, and took me away from the village.
"It was a routine clean-up mission." Zabuza wheezed, now down on a hand and knee. Kakashi was not much better off, crouching down and standing on the balls of his feet. "Though Suidenmura was a civilian village, it was still considered under our protection. By the time we got the messenger bird, we knew we would be too late." He began. "Upon arrival we written the possibility of any survivors off, but not for the reasons we expected. Icicles erupted everywhere, the bandits all dead by impalement that made even me and my nakama uncomfortable. While the winters in Water Country can be harsh, no blizzard could have caused what we saw. We made one last cursory search, and Haku ran out of a cupboard like a feral cat. When I took hold of him, something in me changed. I too had to live through the murder of my parents, and I understood his pain. We concluded he created the ice."
"And you brought him to Hozuki Gengetsu." Kakashi finished for him. "One of the worst and most sociopathic Kages to ever serve in recent memory."
"His lust for power was known, the lengths he was willing to go for it known only to a few." Zabuza panted. "I thought Haku would be trained into an assassin, just like me." Even under his mask, Kakashi could see Zabuza grimace. "What he had in mind, however, was much worse…"
Zabuza thought about what Haku asked him, if they would be together forever. He hesitated when asked, and he regretted that it took him this long to find an answer. However, he made a decision."I will ask the Mizukage to allow me to adopt the boy." That would be his answer.
It was a scary proposition to him, Zabuza having lost his parents a long time ago. Even then, he did not have fond memories of them. His mother being neglectful, his father getting drunk and taking out his anger on him. Yet even after their murders, he still felt sad. He supposed it was natural for children to love their parents in spite of their imperfections and sins.
Surely, he was not qualified. Yet he had to try. Haku would become a weapon, there was no changing that. But at least he would not feel completely dehumanized. Zabuza may have been a cold-blooded assassin, but even he understood how necessary it was to maintain even a shred of humanity.
"…obtaining his powers from a few cells is simply impossible." A strange voice said as he reached the Mizukage's office.
Zabuza's eyes perked up. Quietly, he pressed his ear against the wall. "What would it take then?" The Mizukage asked. "We're falling behind Konoha, and with Sarutobi watching me like a hawk, I din't have that big a window to act on!" He emphasized, slamming his fist on the desk. After a moment, he seemed to calm down. "I need ninja with his powers. You said you could make that happen."
"I can." The other voice sounded especially frightening, like a snake waiting to strike. "But you must give me more." Zabuza began to tremble, whether with rage or fear, he still can't say. Perhaps a little big of both.
"How much of him do you need?" The Mizukage asked.
"With the current technology available, I'm afraid I will have to dissect the child, and harvest all his organs."
"Very well." Hozuki answered without hesitation. "Tomorrow morning, he is yours. But I am keeping my eye on you. You will inform me of any breakthroughs you make, and I want at least three new Hyotoun children by the next year."
Zabuza slowly peeled himself away from the wall, and walked back the way he came. He kept his emotions in check, his body still. But inside he was trembling.
Zabuza approached the compound from the outside, his Kubikoricho on his back. And of course, there were guards patrolling. He recognized them as two chunin, Kinta and Ringo. Kinta was a chunin, and a family man. Would never shut up about his wife and daughter. Ringo also looked up to Zabuza, practically worshipped him. It flattered and annoyed him to no end.
"Zabuza-sama!" Ringo saluted. "What brings you here?" Like a switch, Zabuza went from walking calmly, and was in his face in the blink of an eye. Before they could register it, he brought his sword down, cutting the chunin in half.
"Zabuza!" Kinta shouted in horror, drawing his kunai. "You traitor!" He threw them, skewering Zabuza. Unfortunately, he disintegrated into water, and reappeared behind him. Kinta gave a look of horror as the large zanbatou came down on his head.
Zabuza stared as his head rolled off and his body fell on the ground. Zabuza was a cold-blooded killer, but turning on his countrymen, even under these circumstances, made his stomach turn. "Now there is truly no going back." He thought.
Wasting no more time, he pulled out two explosive tags from his vest. Quickly slapping them on the wall, he stepped back and watched the wall explode. He then saw Haku turn to look at him. "Zabuza-sama?"
They quickly reached the outskirts of the village, overlooking it from the tallest tree. They could hear the bells; no doubt they found out. Zabuza looked on in longing. "Zabuza-sama?" Haku asked, pulling at his arm. "Where are we going?"
Zabuza looked at him, keeping his emotions in check. "Anywhere we can." He gently set him on the branch and gripped his shoulders, looking him in the eye. "Listen to me, Haku. The world is a cruel place; you've seen that first hand. I will teach you everything I know, and how to use your abilities. But, I will not protect you. The only rule in this world is survival of the fittest. If you look upon me as your family, you will depend on me, and you will die. If you look at me as your master, however, you will know purpose, and you will survive. Do you understand?" Haku seemed to freeze. "Do you understand?!" Zabuza shook him.
"I understand, Zabuza-sama!" Haku began to cry, but he did not reach out for him. "I understand…"
Zabuza sighed in satisfaction, patting his shoulder. "Good." Taking his hand, he said "When we cross the border, your training will begin."
"And here we are." Zabuza sighed, finishing his story.
"You may have had noble intentions." Kakashi admitted. Forcing himself to stand, he grunted. "But you could have saved him from this. From being…us."
"Don't fool yourself." Zabuza growled. "Even if I gave him to a better family, he would be found. If not by my village, another…maybe even yours."
"The Hokage would never-!"
"Maybe not your current one." Zabuza finished. "But one day, sooner than you want, you will have a despot. And when that happens, all bets are off."
"I get it, okay?!" Naruto shouted. "Zabuza may have saved you, but how do you know it wasn't to use you?!" Naruto breathed deeply.
"Does it matter?" Haku asked with sincerity. "Zabuza-sama saved me. He gave me purpose. One could not ask for anything more."
"Then you never asked for a life in the first place." Naruto said. "Purpose is important. But loyalty is nothing if the other person doesn't promise you the same! Living is nothing if you can't do so as a human being! You may love Zabuza like a father, but does he think of you as a son?!"
"And these things you speak of, family. Friendship? Are you the expert?"
Naruto looked away, before chuckling a bit. "You know what? Maybe I'm not. Like you, I've been alone a lot of my life. But…with time, I've met people. I've got something of a bond with each of them. I had a boss; he was a pain, but he's actually a pretty cool guy. Iruka-sensei…he's kind of like a big brother. There for me, but lets me fight my own battles. The Third is sometimes hard to get, but I think he's the closest thing I've had to a grandpa. I'm still trying to figure Kakashi-sensei out…but I know he just wants what's best for me." Naruto then clenched his fist. "I don't think I can face Sakura-chan now. But she was a nice girl. I just wanted to be acknowledged by her; I think we were kind of heading that way. And Sasuke…" He then thought back to how they interacted since early childhood. "I guess it really doesn't matter now."
"You can still avenge him. It is your right." Haku felt the tears stream down his eyes. "Naruto, you have fought with bravery and honor. I bear you no grudge; we were simply on opposite sides. My life is yours to take."
Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"
Suidenmura-Paddy Village
