Wow. That's all I can say, is wow. You people seem to really like this story. Sheesh, over a hundred reviews in only 8 chapters. I guess I have no choice but to continue the story! Now, while I intend to go into later events, this part of the story will 'end' by the end of the next chapter. After that...

Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Momochi Zabuza was a master of silent killing. His style was to usually hide in the mist and attack without warning, killing the target before they knew they were being hunted. Never before had he fought an opponent that could hide in the mist just as well as himself. Never.

He was still standing on the surface of the lake, his right hand occupied with holding the Water Prison and Kakashi in place. Just a moment ago, he sent out a Mizu Bunshin, or Water Clone, to finish off Kakashi's brats and the old man. However, one of the brats used a technique unlike most others Zabuza had seen. Somehow, ...the little punk had scanned him and, judging by his next move, also read his jutsus like a book. The blonde kid, who the others called Naruto, used Hidden Mist no Jutsu; one of Zabuza's favorites. ...The little bastard shouldn't have been able to do anything with water.

Yet, he did disappear.

The assasin focused on the mist, reading it, sensing it. Any movement through it would be detected, revealing the boy's location. Yet there was nothing; nothing but the unsteady breathing of the ninja on the shore. For the first time all day, he began to worry. The kid was gone.

Then he was back. Naruto appeared directly in front of the startled Jounin, quickly slicing his kunai through the air, aimed strait for the head. Zabuza was still alert, though, and he caught the boy's hand, twisted it, and drove it back into his gut. The blood that spurt forth was not blood, but water. The body resumed it's previous water form. Mizu Bunshin. /Damn it! .../ Instantly, three more Naruto's appeared behind Zabuza, who pulled a kunai of his own out and, in one motion, sliced them all into puddles. More Mizu Bunshin. Shit. What next?

Sasuke, meanwhile, was so distracted by Super-Naruto that he almost forgot about Zabuza's earlier water clone. Almost. Seeing the bandage-faced ninja running towards him quickly snapped the boy back to reality. The clone came, sword held strait up, aiming for a downward slice...

Which was stopped. Naruto suddenly had his legs wrapped around the clone's neck, while holding the sword in place with both hands. The water clone froze, trying to process this, but would have clearly been able to break it. "What are you waiting for, idiot? Hit him while he's open!" Naruto yelled.

Just then, Sasuke's shinobi training took control, instinct forcing his hand. He reached into his pack, pulled the first weapon out that it touched, and swung. The water clone of Zabuza fell into two pieces, each disintegrating into small waves that soaked only Sasuke. Naruto dropped down in front of him, a slight grin on his face, gasping. "You know... for a moment there... I was forgetting... that this was... a team effort..." He dropped to one knee, not saying anything else. Sasuke could tell he'd run low on chakra.

He then looked at the weapon he had pulled out, instantly feeling what it truly was. The Evil Wind Shuriken. Even though Naruto had been showing him up since they left, even though he was as angry with the blonde punk as ever, ...somehow Sasuke managed to make himself cooperate. Naruto had a plan, and the Uchiha wasn't about to endanger the mission by being stubborn.

The blades unfolded, one by one, until the weapon's true shape appeared. With some concentration, Sasuke leapt, aiming true, and hurled the shuriken at the real Zabuza.

Even though the assasin was on guard for more feign attacks, he could still see this one coming a mile away. "A shuriken won't work on me," he growled. The weapon flew strait at him, but the Jounin managed to catch it with his free hand. He then looked up to see a second shuriken flying on the same path. "Shadow Shuriken. Clever, but..." As the whirling blades came to him, Zabuza had no free hands to catch it with, so he simply jumped out of the way, letting it sail past him out over the open water. He then returned his attention to the fighters on shore.

This was his mistake. The second Evil Wind Shuriken, which had been hiding in the shadow of the original, vanished in a puff of smoke, and the real Naruto appeared in it's place. Henge no Jutsu. Basic transformation. A kunai flew from his hand strait for the now-defenseless Zabuza. His right arm, to be precise. The panicked Jounin pulled his arm out of the way, freeing it from the jutsu in the process. In a rage, he turned and began to throw the caught shuriken, only to have it come to a dead stop a moment later. He turned to find Kakashi, soaked to the bone, using one arm to stop the shuriken's spin. His face was set in a glare that would leave you a smoking spot on the floor.

/Nice plan. Use a shadow clone disguised as a shuriken to sneak behind the enemy and force him to release the jutsu.../ For a couple of newbies that had been at each other's throats since they left the village, this was quite a change. Kakashi snuck a quick glance back at the three genin, making sure they were all alive and well. Yep, they were all in one piece. He also noticed that Naruto's eyes were their normal dark-blue. /Strange. He used that new jutsu when he was 'different', yet now he's normal.../

Once again, the two Jounins faced off the way they were meant to. One on one. Kakashi knocked the shuriken away, then both men jumped out over the water, putting some distance between them. While in midair, Zabuza made the Seal of the Ox, indicating the beginning of a jutsu. Kakashi's single Sharingan opened wide, already copying. Once the two men landed on the surface of the lake, the seals began. "Ox, monkey, rabbit, rat, pig, bird, ox, horse, bird, rat, tiger, dog, tiger, snake, ox, goat, snake, pig, goat, rat..." Zabuza's hands moved very rapidly, not quite a blur, but fast enough that anyone with normal eyes would have a really hard time following them.

Kakashi did not have normal eyes. As Zabuza's hands moved and created the seals, his own hands matched the movements perfectly. Every seal, every twitch, every movement, ...it was as if they were connected to the same brain. "Ninth monkey, bird, dragon, bird, ox, horse, goat, tiger, snake, rat, monkey, rabbit, pig, dragon, goat, rat, ox, monkey, bird, ninth rat, pig, ninth monkey, bird, dragon, bird, ox, horse, goat, tiger, snake, rat, monkey, rabbit, pig, dragon, goat, rat, ox, monkey, bird, ninth rat, pig, ...BIRD!" The final seal began the jutsu itself.

Slowly, almost naturally, the water began to swell. Two distinct bulges were forming, rising to form twin serpentine bodies, each made of the water itself. "Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" The two forms rose higher, thier outer layers contracting into distinct dragon-like shapes. They rose, twisted, twirled, and otherwise flowed around each other, each doing exactly the same motions as it's twin. At the topmost peak of their dance, the beasts dove, each aiming for the source of the other. Their heads hit their targets and effectively lost their hold. Waves cascaded down around, not on, the two shinobi.

A massive wave swept onshore, carrying the wet body of Naruto with it. Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna found themselves waist-deep in a surge from the lake.

The two dragons re-formed, continuing their battle. They bit, tore, and attacked each other as well as two creatures made entirely of water could. Finally, with one last bite to each other's necks, they lost the struggle. All the water that was used was normal water again, and began it's descent back to the lake. Still on the surface were the two Jounins, who were now face-to-face, their weapons interlocked in a battle for dominace. The assasin had his mind elsewhere. /Strange... the Sharingan can absorb and copy techniques. But... why was he able to use that jutsu? .../

It was about this time that a lone figure appeared, somewhere within the treetops. His thick robes and sleeves helped to hide his thin frame. He also wore a mask, white with red markings on the lower half and framed by two sections of flowing black hair. Two thin slots in the mask itself allowed him to observe the battle before him.

The three genin and the old man watched from their location on the shore, in a stunned silence. They watched as the two fighters circled each other, moving and stopping at the same instant. They assumed various poses at the same time. The more they moved, the more Zabuza was getting freaked out. Being scanned by a kid was bad enough, now he has to fight a feakin' mirror! He gave a low growl, muttering something under his breath, then began a set of hand seals.

Which Kakashi promptly finished for him. "Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu!" A thin circle of water quickly surrounded the silver-haired jounin, becoming thicker and more intense by the second. In no time, it had grown into a massive, whirling torrent, which was aimed strait at the missing-nin.

"What!" That was all Zabuza had time to shout before his own prized jutsu swallowed him up. The water caught him and tossed him around, taking with it all possibility of regaining control. /I'm the one doing the jutsu, yet I CAN'T KEEP UP!.../ The torrent swept clean out of the lake, crashing through trees and ground, maintaining it's powerful force as it went. On and on, it continued it's path of destruction for a good distance off shore.

After what seemed like an eternity, it finally forced Zabuza up against a tree. It quicly returned to the lake, leaving the assasin where he landed. For a moment, he just stood still. The combination of being hit with such a powerful technique and the fact that it was his technique had left him stunned. His mind was brought back to stark reality when 4 kunai's struck him, one in each major limb. The copy ninja lightly landed on the nearest tree branch, holding a single kunai. "It's over."

Zabuza was not in the best shape, to say the least. He gasped, "How...? Can you... see the future?"

"Yeah." The jounin held up his kunai, ready for the final blow. "You're going to die."

Whatever plans Kakashi had for finishing this fight, they were never meant to be. Out of thin air, two slim, silver needles hit Zabuza in the neck, forcing him into unconsciousness. The figure was still standing on a branch, his location now revealed for all to see. Slowly, Zabuza fell to the ground face-first, very still. Basically, dead. The figure, no older than Naruto, stood watching. "You're right. He died."

No one spoke. There was nothing to say. They all looked from the new boy, back to Zabuza, back to the new boy. Kakashi lept down next to the body, feeling for a pulse. Nothing. "He really is dead..." He looked back up at the boy, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

The masked figure bowed. "Thank you very much. I have been searching for an opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time."

Kakashi just watched. "That mask... You're a Hidden Mist hunter-nin..."

The boy stood back up. "Impressive. You are correct."

Naruto took a few steps forward, cricking his neck, his eyes a light blue. "Oh, yeah. I remember them... Ninjas that track down and assasinate missing-nins like pretty boy over there." He motioned towards Zabuza's motionless body. "Something about preventing the secrets of the village from getting out."

Both his teammates and sensei looked at Naruto with a mix of awe and suprise. For dead-last to remember something from class, ...was unheard of. Kakashi then noticed his eyes and suddenly realized that... whatever was wrong with Naruto, it was helping, ...not hurting. /I'm gonna have to have a nice, long talk with him later.../

xxxxXxxxx

(...You thought I was done, didn't ya?)

OOOOOOXXX FROM THE JOURNAL OF UCHIHA SASUKE XXXOOOOOO

Okay, ...Zabuza was killed, right? I mean, for God's sake, after all that, ...the guy'd better be dead. After using his needles, that weird kid just disappeared from the branch, and reappeared on the ground next to the body. He then picked it up, held it up at the shoulder, and vanished again. Now, personally, something about this whole situation just didn't feel right. Like there was something out of place. And I'm not talking about Naruto's sudden brain spurt. That was just a little too freaky.

Anyway, as we started walking again, Kakashi sensei just collapsed. Fell over. Boom. Out cold. Naruto and I had to carry him all the way to Tazuna's house; I carried his feet, Naruto carried his other half. ...I don't know how the little prick managed to carry a full-grown man's torso all the way there, but he did. We were both out of energy by that time, and it was a good thing, too. I would have had to kick his butt for showing off again.

For the next two days, Kakashi slept. Apparently, using his Sharingan for that long just completely wiped him out. I didn't worry about him too much, though, because for the entire two days, my mind was on Naruto. On that strange doujutsu he used on Zabuza. I admit, I don't know all the different types of techniques that different shinobi use, but I think I should have at least heard about one that turns your eyes blue! Judging from what he used, it looks as if it copies jutsu's as well. What pisses me off is that Zabuza didn't even use the jutsu in front of him, yet Naruto copied it. There shouldn't be a jutsu that copies other jutsus without them being used. God... the more I think about it, the more I want to beat his blonde brains out!

But enough of that. On day three, Kakashi sensei finally woke up. We had a short chat, and finally realized what was out of place. When the boy took Zabuza's body, he didn't destroy it; he took it as it was. Hunter-nins never did that. They always destroyed the body on site, making certain that no secrets could ever be obtained from it. The fact that his body was merely taken, in addition to the weapons used, raised severe doubts about Zabuza's actual state. If senbon were used, it would be easy for a skilled fighter to put a body into a state mimicking death. So, most likely, Zabuza was still alive. Funny, it seems the only ones who were too suprised by that news were Tazuna and Sakura. Judging by the look on Naruto's face, he had also figured out the connection with the senbon.

Kakashi's response, like a true shinobi, was to train and prepare for when we next meet him. He took the three of us out into the forest, himself on a pair of crutches. He was going to be immobile for the next week, or so. Once there, he explained our training: climb trees without the use of hands. He further clarified that we were to focus our chakra into our feet and, if done correctly, that would allow us to walk strait up the trunk. Kakashi demonstrated, crutching his way up a sheer trunk, not slipping a bit, finally stopping underneath a thick branch. Just hangin'.

According to Kakashi sensei's ever-so-trustworthy judgements, we could all use jutsus, but not correctly. Something about using too much chakra and wasting it during the jutsu. This training would help us learn to focus the right amount into the soles of the feet -- the most difficult area to focus. Too much, and you punch through. Too little, and you just slip off.

As we started climbing, I fully expected to see Naruto the super-ninja to walk right up to the top of the tree. What I saw was the blonde take a running start, make it about 3 feet off the ground, and slam his head into the dirt below. Heh, ...not as good as he thought he was. But then, I can't exactly brag, either. I made it about a dozen steps before my foot punched through the bark, and I had to jump down.

The suprise came when I looked up and found Sakura sitting on a really high branch, just grinnin' and admiring how easy it was. ...You know, sometimes she just pisses me off.

And that was how Naruto and I spent the rest of the week. Running up trees. Sakura was allowed to stop early and accompany Tazuna during the day, 'cause she's already good enough. Blah, Blah. That meant that dead-last and I were stuck in the forest, alone, for hours at a time. Every so often, I would think about how many bizarre techniques Naruto had displayed since graduating, how different he could be in the midst of battle; but he couldn't run up a tree to save his life.

By the time the two of us finally reached the tip top, the week was almost over. We were both exhausted, tired, worn out, tired, sweaty, tired, annoyed, ...and did I mention tired? Right now, it's about time to go to sleep. Tomorrow, everyone but Naruto will accompany Tazuna out to the bridge. Naruto was more worn-out than anyone else, so he gets the day off. Lazy bastard.

OOOOOOXXXXXXOOOOOO

Holy wow! Somehow, I've managed to squeeze everything I wanted to cover into one chapter. But that leaves only one chapter to go before I move on. All you Haku fans, be patient. I intend to cover the entire fight in chapter 10, so it's going to be a bit before I update. Thanks for all your patience and reviews thus far!

...Don't you dare stop. R&R!