Author's Note: This is the second chapter of a story I thought was a one-shot, though I wrote this because I wanted to give Kisame backstory and some foreshadowing for the next chapter of "A Fox and a Shark Walk into a Bar" more than anything else. Haku isn't even in this chapter, though he's discussed a lot.

"So it's true then."

Zabuza didn't bother to look up from his reading. "Do you care?"

"No. Just. . . surprised. I didn't think you liked kids."

"I always thought I tolerated you pretty well."

Kisame grinned. Tall and lanky, the twelve year old shinobi's features had lost their baby fat years before, and he had never been called on his youth by anyone except those who knew him.

"I'll be ANBU next month. Show some respect to a peer, Zabuza-san. Or is it Zabuza-sensei, now?"

Zabuza ignored him. The blue-skinned youth was talented and usually inoffensive, but his gregariousness was occasionally grating. It didn't seem right that someone who liked to be around people so much would be so eager to join the assassination corps, but Kisame had about as much introspectiveness in him as any true predator. He enjoyed the fight and didn't think of the bodies left in the wake of his hobby. And that was all the ANBU was to Kisame, really. A hobby. Someone's death wasn't so much a goal as a result of a good battle. The adolescent was under the mistaken impression that a higher ranking would result with more skilled opponents, but he would be disillusioned soon enough. Assassination was silent killing. Your target usually didn't even notice you until after he was dead. Zabuza didn't care either way, but Kisame was bound to be disappointed. He had the shinobi version of innocence, still believed death came from the conclusion of a well-fought battle instead of in the dark from the back.

"But really, Zabuza-san, what do you see in this kid?"

"He has potential."

"Zabuza-san, a wall has potential. You've passed up tons of opportunities to go jounin and train a genin cell. You taking on an apprentice is like me giving up sea food."

"Stay out of my affairs."

Kisame raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry, sorry. I'm not trying to interfere. Just curious, that's all."

Which was why Zabuza tolerated Kisame to begin with. The kid so rarely intended to be insulting that it was just easier to take his words at face value most of the time. Refreshing to be around someone who had so little in the way of ulterior motives.

"Haku is. . . different. He can do things I thought impossible, and he's only been in the village two weeks. Startling improvement. He isn't nearly as frustrating as most brats."

"Sounds like he has a bloodline limit."

Zabuza shot the youth of sharp look, but again it proved unnecessary. With anyone else, the words would be a threat. With Kisame, it was a simple statement.

"All the advanced bloodlines were destroyed after the last war."

"Hell, no matter how thorough the hunter-nins are, they couldn't have possibly gotten everyone. Some of the clans had to have surviving members, and you've gotta figure they bred kids at some point. Besides, you know as well as I do that the annihilation of the 'bloodline threat' is just a line the Mizukage fed the people to get everyone to calm down. The Kaguya Clan still lives on, and so do I."

How could Zabuza have forgotten. Kisame had been three when the Hoshigaki Clan was murdered in a night by a wave of hunter-nins out of fear of possible uprisings, though the family had fought on the side of the Mizukage during the wars. Kisame had been the only one spared, because of his age and the hope that after he reached maturity, the bloodline limit of the Hoshigaki Clan kept secret for centuries by its members would finally be revealed and put to good use by the village. It was a rather stupid idea, or would have been had Kisame possessed a single vengeful bone in his body. The Mizukage had been fortunate to have in his possession a child who lived so much in the moment. But no one's luck was that good. Kisame had been too young at the time of his clan's massacre to even remember his parents, much less any bloodline lore. He had no more idea of what his bloodline might be than the Mizukage, his exotic appearance offering little clue. Rather ironic that the thing that let Kisame be spared was the same as the thing that so limited any chance of using that ancient bloodline for the Mizukage's own ends.

He had already thought of the possibility, but it was nice to know the survival of an advanced bloodline wasn't so outlandish an idea that someone else didn't consider it likely as well. "It seems possible. Any clans come to mind regarding manipulation of water?"

"You know, I don't think that was a broad enough topic, Zabuza-san."

Finally, some recognizable sarcasm, even though it lacked the proper bite.

"Haku is six, Kisame. I'll be sure to narrow it down for you in a few years."

Zabuza went back to his reading. Not that a scroll teaching the basics of henge- a technique Zabuza had long since mastered- was all that interesting, but he needed to brush up on the beginners stuff if he ever wanted to be able to instruct Haku, and it was a convenient way to indirectly tell Kisame to stop bothering him. Not that the twelve year old took the hint. Friendly and extroverted Kisame might be, but he had no concept of social cues whatsoever.

"You might want to stick with the writings of Hanashima, Zabuza-san. Akito's scrolls are pretty dry."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Kisame grimaced, his sharp teeth flashing in unintentional viciousness. "I was supposed to start training with Kano-sensei ten minutes ago."

"You should know by now the surest way to piss him off is to be late."

"Like I care. He beats the shit out of me either way."

Kano's unnecessary roughness with Kisame had been noted by the higher ups, but they had decided to leave the issue alone until something more serious than bruises and cuts came along. An attitude that was likely to get Kisame killed, eventually, but Kisame was a katana fighter and the only other ones vaguely qualified to train him were otherwise occupied. Zabuza himself might have done a decent job of it, but Kisame was too talented to be left in his charge for long, especially considering their less than impressive age gap. Nami would have been the best choice, but leading an ANBU squad took up too much of her time to spend any of it as an instructor.

"You should go anyway. You'll never get better, otherwise. That and he'll come looking for you soon, which is the last thing you want."

"Thanks for the advice, Zabuza-sensei. You really should consider a position as a council member. They like to push their opinions on those who don't want it, too."

"Kisame, it would be a good survival tactic to learn when to shut up while addressing someone who could so easily knock you unconscious."

A genin, who in reality was probably the same age as Kisame but appeared years younger, crept into the room with a mouse's fearful hunch. "Kisame, Kano-san is searching for your whereabouts. You might want to go to him. He's very angry today."

Kisame grimaced again, and the genin flinched, though the look wasn't directed at him. "Damn it. I guess I'll be seeing you, Zabuza-san."

"Try to survive today. I have a few techniques I want to demonstrate to Haku and I need someone to practice them on."

After managing a weak grin, Kisame left, looking as dejected as Zabuza had ever seen him. Zabuza went back to his reading, but silently made a note to himself to never make Haku dread his training as Kisame did. No matter what some elder shinobi thought, fear was hardly the best motivator. He would come up with something else to stimulate his apprentice.