Naruto Fan Fiction!
Adventure! SI-OC!
(Title)
"A Song for Them"
A/N: Damn it! I couldn't control myself and wait for tomorrow before posting this! I was just too excited to share this with you guys, so, here! This is the longest chapter YET to make up for the short one last week! Nine-friggin'-thousand words... I love you guys, though. So it's worth it. Someone mentioned to me that I should probably mention this to you guys... I have made art of Sora, Naruto and Sasuke! It's a cute little picture of them hugging and I love it. Yes, they are not little kids. No, it does not have any significance on the story. It's just a fluffy picture. I've put it up as my profile pic on FFnet and up on my Deviantart account: MissNanamiChan
...if you're curious. I love it. Like, far more than I probably should.
(EDIT) 1/26/2019: Cleaned and fixed the issues with distinguishing the POV switches.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the cannon characters! If I had, the Mist ninja would burn all the ugly cow-patterned clothing!
WARNING! RATED M! Language, there is a foul-mouthed jonin here! Blood, I suppose? Man, this M rating hardly ever gets used... yet.
Breaking Waves Arc,
Chapter Twelve: "Don't Lose Your Head"
"So far you've survived 100% of your bad days. You're doing great!" -Anon E. Muss
Perspective:
空 (Sky)
I literally could not see a foot in any direction in front of me, the fog was just that thick. The water was gently rocking our little dingy as we made our way into Wave country. I lowered my arm over the edge and my fingers danced over the cool water. It had been an actual lifetime since the last time I'd been surrounded by a body of water as large as this canal. I was as disappointed as the Hero had been earlier when we arrived at the docks we were to leave from, to find that there had not only been no beach, but that the sun had disappeared behind some ominous overcast skies. Leaving our first real view of the ocean as grey, dull and covered in exuberant amounts of fog. Terra had been immensely relieved to note that it was indeed fog, and not chakra infused mist that surrounded us on all sides.
"We should be seeing the bridge soon. Land of Waves is at the base of the bridge." It was Satoshi-san who spoke. He was who was waiting for us at the docks to take us over the water. Upon seeing him, Tazuna had embraced the man and explained why he was traveling with three children and a man with hair as grey as his. It'd been quite amusing listening him reassure the other man that, we were in fact, full-fledged ninja and were capable of protecting him. The man with the boat had still looked at us doubtfully.
I spotted a mass of shape started to form in the mist and then we were graced with the sight of the future Great Uzumaki Bridge. And great wasn't an understatement... being so close to it now, I realize I've been seriously underestimating it's actual size before. Stone support pillars, easily forty feet-tall stood out from the water, it was nothing like the typical foot bridges I've grown used to seeing in this life, the small ones that were too common back in the Leaf. This looked far more like a freeway from Before.
Naruto's eyes widened and a amazed grin broke across his whiskered face, "Wow! It's huge!" his exclamation was so sudden and loud, all attention was suddenly on him.
"Hey! Be quiet! Why do you think we're hiding in the mist and not using the engine? We'll be in deep trouble if Gatō finds us." Satoshi-san whispered harshly. My face fell as I was reminded of just why we have to sneak Tazuna back into his home country. Gatō...
Still thinking about what the Old man told us? Terra ventured.
'Yes... and here I'd thought that we had the whole story.' I drawled. After leaving behind the Demon brothers for the nearest Konoha border patrol to pick up, Tazuna had began to explain the whole story to us. He told us why he was being targeted for his work with the bridge. About Gatō the criminal and his shipping empire, how the man became so rich selling drugs and other illicit things, and how himself and the rest of the country were too poor to afford paying for a B-Rank mission from the Leaf. So, he lied. I'd known all that already, but what really caught my attention was what he said in effort to guilt Kakashi-sensei into staying on with the mission.
"Well, if you quit the mission now I will definitely be killed... but... Don't worry about it! My cute ten year-old grandson will just cry for a few days!" He laughed, "Oh yeah, and my daughter will live a sad life hating Leaf village ninja forever! But it won't be you're fault, not at all!"
The look of utter deadpan on Scarecrow's face would've been hilarious if I hadn't been tripping on the information Tazuna had dropped so casually.
I hadn't known he had a family. I didn't remember that.
The entirety of the Wave Arc that I remembered only involved the fights with Zabuza vs. Kakashi, and then Haku vs. Naruto and Sasuke. Some backstory that moved Naruto, and the Hero learning all about precious people, but that was pretty much it. What else had I missed? That was about it, right? Were Tazuna's daughter and grandson just mentioned there and just not spoken of again...?
I let out an inaudible sigh. I was thinking far too much about this, and we were getting closer to land now.
"We'll be there soon. Tazuna..." Satoshi-san faced the older man, "It looks like we've avoided being noticed so far, but... just in case we'll take the route that has the extra vegetation. It will make it harder to spot us there." Tazuna nodded and said his thanks as we crossed under another, smaller bridge. The dim lights hanging from the top of the long tunnel didn't help to make the atmosphere any less creepy than it already was. An irrational part of me that I called Terra, kept expecting a sea monster to appear and eat us all alive.
Which was, by the way, ridiculous.
Kakashi-sensei would kill it before it could eat anyone.
As soon as we passed through to the other side of the tunnel I had to squint my eyes at the sudden, but welcome, onset of sunshine. I heard the Hero mumble an awed 'wow' and I opened my eyes. It looked strange. It definitely looked like a fishing village. There were houses on stilts, hovering over the water. All-in-all it was looking to be in better shape than I had first imagined. Less, broken-down-and-in-ruins and more just fixer-upers. The vegetation Satoshi-san must've been referring to seemed to be Mangrove trees that were sitting in the middle of the water. The sight of the gangly roots spreading about in the water put a smile on my face, reminding me of a summer I spent at a camp in Florida, Before. It wasn't long before we reached the dock and were let off. Naruto almost immediately taking off as soon as his feet hit the deck, the rest of us went at a more sedate pace. Satoshi-san said his goodbye and wished us luck before starting up the little engine on his boat and speeding away.
"Okay! Get me home safely." Tazuna ordered us. Scarecrow mumbled an agreement and his shoulders sagged, his chakra swirled around with equal amounts of reluctance and annoyance. I wondered just what he was thinking about as he let out a quiet, morose sigh. Laughing quietly to myself at my teacher's sudden sulky mood, I took in the sight of the path. It wasn't very large. Woodsy, yes. It seemed to be well traveled road if the compacted dirt was any indication.
'When was Zabuza supposed to show up?' I wondered idly. The details were unhelpfully missing in my memory.
I dunno. Soon? Ish. Was my other half's reply.
Still walking at a slowish pace, I decided to close my eyes and rely on my sensing to get an idea. I'd always been much better when standing still and focusing but I've quickly realized when training with -More like, tortured by- Kakashi-sensei that I have to be able to use my sensing while on the move. I repressed a shiver as I remembered 'Blindfolded-Flying-Projectile Day'. I had new admiration for Rock Lee and them for putting up with the Gai that came up with such extreme training measures. My eyes fell closed easily as I filtered out the heavy thrumming chakra of the land. The singing resonance of all the trees and plants then I—Oof! I grunted as I walked smack into the Hero's back, he'd stopped so suddenly that I didn't have time to respond. Peering around at my best friend I see that something has got him pumped up because he's being suddenly... alert. Yes, let's call it that. His head was on a swivel as he looked this way and that.
"There!" He shouted abruptly, then he pulled out a shuriken and threw it into the bushes.
...then there was a dead silence.
The Hero brushed it off and tried to look suave, "Heh... just a rat." he said. I rolled my eyes so hard. He could be such a major dork sometimes.
"Hey... please stop using shuriken. It's seriously dangerous." Scarecrow pleaded, just as exasperated with the blonde as I was.
"HEY MIDGET! STOP ACTING LIKE A MORON!"
"I think I see a shadow 'ttebayo!" The Hero shouted and—
—Cold, cold, cold. Fragile and beautiful. A feeling like as clear as standing under the sun in the dead of winter.
I inhaled sharply and my back involuntarily straightened as I sensed someone near. Was our encounter with Zabuza happening already? "There!" Naruto called out and my attention went to his shuriken as it flew into the brush. Scarecrow followed after it and pulled away the shrubbery to reveal...
Oh, that poor bunny.
The Hero shouted and ran to scoop up the poor creature in his arms, then started to nuzzle it and ask for it's forgiveness. It's was an adorable sight, I watched with exasperated fondness from my place next to Tazuna. All the while I felt an annoying buzzing in the back of my mind, like this was supposed to be something important. Y'know that sixth sense that warns you when bad things are about to happen to you? Yeah, that was going off at the moment.
A wave of Killing Intent drenched the air.
I'd already shoved Tazuna to the ground and had pounced on Naruto, pulling him down with me before I heard Kakashi's warning shout. I heard it slice through the air as it screamed over our heads.
Kubikiribōchō. The Executioner's Blade. The Seversword. It has a couple names. Terra fondly refers to it as the BFS.
Big-Fudging-Sword.
It was wedged into a tree now and Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist, was balancing himself on the hilt and looking at us in a way that sent chills up my spine. I took a moment to fall back onto my chakra sense only half listening as Kakashi and Zabuza exchanged pleasantries. The Demon's chakra was... interesting to feel. That's for sure.
Heavy and dense. Quiet and threatening. A feeling like all the oxygen was being pulled right out of air.
Scary. This guy really is scary, yet... I'm not as terrified as I should probably be... Maybe Terra is right and I really don't have any sense of self-preservation? ...I don't know what I'm more afraid of. The fact that I might not have any healthy survival instincts or the fact Terra might be right about something.
So help me, you little—
'No time for quips Terra. We're in the middle of a Very Serious, life-or-death situation right now.'
I cracked a small smile when my other half started making funny choking noises. Mood lifted, I finally took notice of the position of the Cold and Pretty chakra from earlier. It was about twenty meters to the south of us. I'm quite impressed with Haku's suppressing ability, though not really surprised considering he was taught by Mr. Silent-Killer himself. Haku's suppressing was easily on level with the ANBU back home. It's not his fault I'm just overly sensitive to chakra at the moment.
"Surround and protect Tazuna-san. Under no circumstances do any of you enter the fight. That's the teamwork here." Scarecrow ordered. He gripped his hitai-ate tighter, eye locked on Momochi's arrogant form. "Zabuza, first... fight me."
He lifted his forehead protector.
...Holy smack, it actually glows.
My first time seeing the Sharingan in person? Surreal. I've gotten way past the point of associating the 2D characters I once knew with the real, live, three-dimensional people even with their often times unearthly and vibrant coloring. It's still a bit hard to grasp that fact when they do impossible things using ninja magic, but I manage. But c'mon... glowing red eyes? Or eye, in this case. That's on a whole 'nother level of weirdness, even for me.
It's pretty? My other half offered with the distinct impression of a shrug. And okay, in a weird, haunting way, yes. The Sharingan could be considered 'pretty'.
"—who has copied over one thousand justu... 'Copy ninja Kakashi'." Momochi's low voice rumbled. The two assassin's were glaring at each other now. Naruto was looking at Scarecrow with stars in his eyes and Sasuke was just staring at him, looking very disturbed. What'd I miss? Honestly confused about what just happened. I feel like I missed something semi-important.
Tch. You're such an airhead.
"Now, lets stop all the talking. I need to kill that old man. But Kakashi... it seems like I have to beat you first." We had surrounded Tazuna in an instant. Kunai's -THAT'S NOT GONNA HELP!- readied for any oncoming attack.
The Kiri-nin moved too fast for my eyes to follow. That is getting beyond annoying. Why're they so fast? Now he's standing on the water with Kubikiribōchō strapped to his back once again. Naruto shouted the obvious and I noticed the Kiri-nin's hands were folded into Focusing seals. I felt as he kneaded and mixed his chakra inside himself before finally expelling it.
"Water Style: Hiding in Mist Technique."
Then he gone. The elite assassin had fully and completely disappeared before our eyes. Which was as unnerving as it sounds.
"He'll come after me first." Scarecrow informed us. "Momochi Zabuza, as a member of Kirigakure he was known as an expert in the silent killing technique." He said as he continued to watch the mist for any signs of the other elite assassin. And as if he wanted to make us even more nervous, he continued talking. "You don't even notice until you're already dead..."
Naruto swallowed loudly.
"It's not like I can use the Sharingan perfectly. You guys be careful." He warned. The mist started pouring in. It was the most unsettling feeling I've ever had when I realized I couldn't tell the difference between the man and his mist.
"Eight points." The Kiri-nin's voice echoed eerily through the mist. The man's first wave of Killing Intent hit me hard and fast. It was soaked in every drop of the mist and—and—SurroundedAndEnvelopedAndHEAVY—LikeDROWNINGOnDryLa—Can'tBREA—AndAND—
Sora! FOCUS. Just like Mother taught us! Terra's pitchy voice broke though the panicked haze.
Right. Focus inward.
Focus on my own chakra.
See it, move it.
Ignore everything else.
There is only myself.
Only my own chakra. Only my own intent.
Just like Kaa-chan had taught me.
Breathe.
In...
...and out.
I get up from where I'd fallen onto one of my knees during my brief panic.
"Sora."
That was Scarecrow's voice. He sounded slightly concerned, though I couldn't for the life of me see him in this darned mist. My Hero was also looking at me worriedly. So was Duckie for that matter with... well, not concern but something close. I gave them a thumbs up and a grin. The Hero grinned right back, if a bit nervously, at me before turning his full attention ahead of him again. Sasuke's eyes lingered on my form for only a second longer. I couldn't see my teacher but that didn't mean he couldn't see me. I turned and signed, 'Barrier, sensei?' If I put one up now Kakashi wouldn't have to worry about us so much and could focus all of his attention on subduing the dangerous assassin that was lurking around.
"Wouldn't be fast enough." Was his curt reply.
What does th—Oh... right. Odds are when pitted against the high jonin-level Demon of the Mist, my barrier wouldn't raise in time to stop him from entering. And being trapped inside a small space with Zabuza? That's a terrifying thought to entertain. Pass. No, thank you. I then sensed as Scarecrow channeled his chakra into a hand seal and as he cloned himself. The chakra felt watery and clear. My Sensei's chakra was easily distinguishable here. It was nothing like the Heavy and Quiet of Zabuza's. Kakashi's was White hot and Alive. Totally unique and a very welcome comfort in this hostile atmosphere. The next wave of KI hit us. It was stifling, but now that I was in control of my senses it wasn't nearly as effective as the first time. I was fine now, as long as I kept focusing. But unfortunately, Duckie didn't seem to have the same luxury. Sasuke's eyes were too wide and his entire body was shaking. He was utterly terrified right now. I felt my lips turn into a frown.
Zabuza was a jerk, I decided.
I am suddenly, very thankful you can't speak aloud. Terra sighed.
'What? Afraid I'd tell him off?'
...no. Came the obvious lie. And really? I wouldn't tell the elite assassin off! Probably... most likely. I heard her as she sighed heavily. I couldn't banter with Terra at the moment. We were still in a Very Serious situation after all, no matter how much it didn't seem like it at the moment. Momochi was still an assassin, after all. I spared a glance towards my Hero. Naruto was standing tall, looking nervous but not scared out of his wits. He wasn't nearly as effected by the KI as either of us because he'd been introduced and has grown accustomed to the scariest KI of all time.
Yeah, Zabuza's got nothing on a real demon.
Sasuke was still shaking.
Without another second's hesitation, I reached out my hand and gently placed it on Sasuke's forearm. Onyx orbs snapped to me and I even though I wanted to, I couldn't offer him any words of assurance or strength. All I could give the boy was a warm hand and a confident smile. Confident because...
"Sasuke. Don't worry. I'll protect you guys even if it kills me."
The mist had cleared slightly and Kakashi-sensei was there now, we could still only barely see him through the thick mist. The man was smiling one of those rare, genuine smiles at us. Somehow with his other eye visible it made the sight all the more warming.
"I won't allow my comrades to die."
...because, yeah. That. Kakashi's words did the trick and Duckie relaxed under my hand and he stopped trembling. I gently squeezed and then let go of him and returned to focusing on trying to futilely separate the man from the mist. Then the air moved and that was the only warning that the super-dangerous assassin was RIGHT BEHIND US!
My 'danger sense' was screaming... right alongside Terra.
"It's over." The ninja said tonelessly.
They moved far too fast for me to register what happened. The next thing I knew I was on the ground a few feet away from where I was standing before and Kakashi was there was now, standing over a puddle where the Zabuza-water-clone dispersed. Naruto shouted.
"SENSEI! BEHIND YOU!"
The Kakashi-clone was chopped right through the mid-section. Then the real Kakashi was behind Zabuza, with a kunai pointed at his neck.
"Yeah, it's over."
Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the Kiri-nin decided to do a great creeper impression and started chuckling lowly. "It's over? You don't get it. You'll never be able to beat me with your monkey imitations. Heheh... But that was impressive of you!" He then gave a play-by-play what had just happened and praised my teacher on his plan. "But..." There was now another Zabuza standing behind Kakashi, "I'm not that easy either."
Sensei dispersed the clone in front of him just as Momochi swung. Kakashi hit the ground, the BFS arcing in the air above him. The BFS hit the ground and Zabuza used the momentum from his swing and switched his grip on his sword, smoothly bringing up his leg to slam into Kakashi-sensei's ribs in one fluid motion.
My teacher went flying.
The Kiri-nin was quick to pull out his Executioner's blade and try to pursue but he stopped short. I noticed now that at some point Scarecrow had scattered Makibishi across the ground. Zabuza merely scoffed. There was a splash as my Sensei hit the water. As the silver-haired man attempted to climb out from the water a small, hysterical, part of me thought he looked very much like a disgruntled and wet sheepdog. My funny image disappeared as the Kiri-nin was now standing over my teacher's soaked form, hands flying into seals. Chakra infused water lifted Kakashi right up and trapped him in a ball.
"Heheh. It's tougher if you can't move, y'know?" Zabuza taunted. "Now Kakashi, we can finish things later. First, I'll take care of them."
Then he summoned up one water clone. One. Just one.
Here, I really started to question his motives. He wasn't taking us serious, that much was obvious. I mean, who would take three genin serious? But that wasn't just it, he had announced his presence before the fight had even started. If had really wanted to, he could've hidden himself in the mist and killed Tazuna without anyone to stop him. I seriously doubt that even Kakashi would've been able to protect us without having any idea what he was up against. But by introducing himself, -because let's face it, the man had introduced himself- Scarecrow had known about his silent killing technique before the battle had began and had been prepared for that... just not for the water prison. Which, c'mon Sensei. I wondered about how often the man gets to test his abilities as a ninja-for-hire? I mean really test them. I know for a fact he hasn't started fighting in earnest yet.
Was this all just for fun?
He knows that Gatō was going to betray him, right? I know he was going to betray Gatō after he got enough funds for his second attempt at a coup d'état of Yagura so... what? He was just killing some time playing death tag with another assassin and getting some laughs out of terrifying the bejeezus out of genin? Just waiting for Gatō to screw up? I doubt if I asked him he'd give an honest answer.
...strong ninja are crazy. I decided with a sigh. Terra made a strong sound of agreement with me—OI! He just kicked Naruto! The blonde was then knocked right into me and we flew, I wrapped my arms around Naruto's middle as my back hit the ground and we skidded to a stop. As soon as I regained my lost breath I ignored the painful new, probably-now-bruises on my back and shoulders to get a look over of Naruto. He'd been the one kicked after all. His face was screwed up in pain but he seemed to be okay... he's okay. It was just a kick and if he's not coughing up blood then it wasn't even that strong.
I still glared at Zabuza.
"Just brats." He scoffed.
"Take Tazuna-san and run! You have no chance of beating him!" Yes, but still... ouch, Sensei. "As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison, he can't move! The water clone can't go very far from his real body! Just run away now!" Scarecrow shouted frantically. I had no chance at the moment to even consider how he was doing that while under water. I'd have to ask later. Naruto was breathing heavily, the atmosphere was really getting to him, I realized. He scrambled to stand and winced as he put his weight on his bandaged hand. Then he looked back at Zabuza, who was standing on his beloved hand-me-down hitai-ate.
I knew what came next even without having seen it Before, simply because I knew my Hero.
The Hero stood up again, a familiar, lovely glint in his eyes as he glanced at me. I nodded my permission for him to leave my side.
Then he charged at the dangerous assassin with a war cry.
Okay, get ready. He's about to go flying again. I told myself as I stood and moved closer to Sasuke. I prepared myself mentally and readied myself physically for an armful of projectile blonde. I wasn't going to get caught off guard this time. "NO! DON'T!" I heard Scarecrow shout. I didn't pay him much attention as I was a bit busy at the moment lining myself up with Naruto's predicted line of trajectory. Almost... I winced in sympathy as the Kiri-nin dealt another blow, Naruto went flying aaaand... I've got him... I've got him, I—Ooof!
...caught him. My boots slid on the dirt but I managed to stay upright, holding onto my best friend. He grunted as he leaned off of me, he was trembling a bit and there was blood leaking out of the side of his mouth, but I also managed to catch a glimpse of the metal in his hand. I grinned. Mission success, then.
"Hey Brow-less freak... put this in your book." He lifted his precious headband up and tied it firmly around where it belonged on his fluffy blonde head. "The man who will one day become Hokage... Leaf village ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!"
That's my Hero...
He turned his head towards us, eyes still locked onto Zabuza, "Hey guys, I have a plan 'ttebayo."
The grin that was splitting his whiskered face was downright foxy and promised nothing but trouble. It was infectious as small smile tugged at my own lips as well.
"Pfft, teamwork with you?" Sasuke scoffed with a small smirk. His chakra told me he was worried, no matter how cool he was acting.
'Ready anytime, Hero.' I signed.
Naruto's grin widened if it was possible.
"Now, let's get wild..."
Perspective:
友達 (Friend)
This is bad. I told them to get out of here while there was still a chance and they're just standing around still!? "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? RUN AWAY! THIS FIGHT WAS OVER THE MOMENT I WAS CAUGHT!" I shouted at them, "OUR DUTY IS TO PROTECT TAZUNA-SAN, DID YOU FORGET THAT?"
There. From the guilty look on his face, Naruto remembers. Now they'll go. They'll be safe. They won't die on me.
...but not if Tazuna just gives them his fucking blessing to continue fighting! I made a frustrated sound in the back of my throat, "Sora!" her purple eyes snapped up as soon as I said her name, "Get the others out of here! Get them somewhere safe and protect them!"
At least I can count on Sora. She actually uses her brain unlike the other two, she can see that they're seriously out-matched and with her over-protective tenancies regarding the boys, she'll get them all away to safety. Be able to protect them with her barriers and-and she's scowling at me now. Looking like I'd just insulted her.
Shit.
I forgot she has a habit to side with Naruto's view of things. And I seriously doubt Sasuke's going to leave now that the other two have chosen a course of action. His pride would demand he stay and fight alongside them.
Shit.
They're going to get themselves killed.
Fuck! Why did I allow myself to get captured!? I'm supposed to be a god-damned jonin! I grit my teeth in frustration, trying and failing to move my body even the slightest inch in this prison.
Why the hell is Zabuza laughing now? Oh, he's taunting them by saying that they're 'playing' at being ninja. Which... fuck off. Except for the ignoring my direct orders part, they've been doing great in this fucked up situation. Better than I expected, honestly.
"When I was your age these hands were already dyed red with blood." He said ominously.
I saw an opportunity and spoke, anything to keep him distracted from the kids, "Zabuza the demon." Referring to his moniker from back when he was a Kirigakure shinobi, before he tried to assassinate his Kage. Maybe the kids will catch on and get the fuck out of here before they get themselves killed.
God, please don't die.
"Ah... so you've heard a little about it."
I told them all about the graduation exam of the Bloody Mist, and about who stopped it. Not liking how Naruto and Sasuke had gotten paler and Sora just looked grim at the news, like she's heard about this kind of thing before. Which reminds me... I made a mental note that if we all survived this, to get the truth out of her concerning that 'incident' I read in her file. But, there were more pressing matters at the moment.
Zabuza was laughing again, "Hahahah... yeah, that sure was... fun."
Then the clone was charging at Sasuke, and I couldn't do a fucking thing but watch. Sora moved quickly, pulling out her barrier scroll and placing it up in front of Tazuna before charging it up with her chakra, the wall erected, just like we practiced. All this while the clone was busy pummeling Sasuke into the dirt.
Zabuza was still toying around with them. With my students.
And it was really pissing me off.
"Die." He said as he stepped on Sasuke.
Naruto put his hands together and created a mass of shadow clones. They all readied kunai, "Here I come, dattebayo!"
I'd almost missed it in the sea of clones as they started charging Zabuza. Naruto had signed to Sora, 'Plan—' ...a sign I didn't recognize. Did they come up with a new one? Whatever he said made Sora's face light up with a scary amount of joy, she then took a moment to beam proudly at her best friend. This was so not the time for her strange priorities. My female student then began going through her pouches and I lost sight of her in a mass of rushing orange. The clones dogpiled Zabuza and then they were quickly thrown off. Why did Naruto think he could overpower him? As he was skidding away, the male Uzumaki began going through his backpack, pulling out a... Fūma Shuriken. What? When did he get that?
"Sasuke!"
He threw the Fūma Shuriken to Sasuke. The Uchiha jumped and caught it, rolling to his feet as he unfolded it. He looked like he just realized something, "Evil wind shuriken... Shadow Windmill!"
Sasuke jumped into the air and threw. It sailed right past the water clone, headed straight towards the real Zabuza. No good, he'd caught it.
Wait, what's that?
"Another one in the shuriken's shadow!" Zabuza shouted.
That's shadow shuriken justu, that was... actually a good idea. It had caught Zabuza off guard for a moment, but it was pointless. He jumped right over the shuriken and it flew underneath him. "But! Still not enough!" he rebuked.
There was a 'poof!' from behind.
Is that Naruto!? Wha—he threw a kunai right at the Mist ninja with a shout. The kunai flew and Zabuza removed his hand from the prison to avoid catching it in his arm.
Then I saw it.
Zabuza was retracting his arm and the kunai was directly in between us... it had black cloth tied to the loop. I recognized Sora's handwriting as the leather handle glowed and the seal activated. There wasn't the customary 'poof!' like usual, instead there was just an incredible amount of water blasted into Zabuza's face.
What the fuck?
I didn't have time to think on when Sora had sealed away so much water as the prison was now released and Zabuza was sputtering on the other side of the lake.
"Bah!" Naruto had landed in the water and just come back up, gasping for air. "Haaaa! That was SO AWESOME DATTEBAYO!" he cheered. Yes, it was. Naruto had come up with that plan all by himself and gotten the others to work with him without saying a word. I now understand why Sora is always so proud of him. I channeled chakra through my feet and stood on the surface of the water.
"Naruto, great plan... you guys have really grown up." I told him. And wow, they really have. That was fast. My sensei's kid beamed with joy at the praise. I turned back to my opponent who was looking fairly put out by his impromptu bath. I felt as Obito's Sharingan began to spin violently, it was time to end this little game.
He was done tormenting my cute little students.
Perspective:
空 (Sky)
As I was hauling my best friend out of the lake I quietly bemoaned the loss of my waterfall storage seal. I knew I wouldn't be getting another one because of the utter hassle I went through the first time to get that one. I'd sworn to myself not to do that again. But... it was pretty epic watching Zabuza get blasted with a couple hundred gallons of pressurized water. The surprise that registered in his chakra was priceless.
Kakashi had gone totally elite on Momochi's hide and won the fight quite spectacularly, managing to completely screw with Zabuza's head in the process by copying his every move. Convincing the man he could see the future, which, Ha. No. The Kiri-nin had started taking the battle seriously way too late to change the outcome, he'd toyed around with us too long and Sensei had taken advantage of that. Now, the MIst assassin looked, for all intents and purposes to be dead. Kakashi was about to strike the finishing blow when senbon came out of nowhere and lodged itself into the Kiri-nin's neck. Making him very 'dead'. The chakra induced mist had still been lingering around the lake and that's why I hadn't been able to sense Haku until now. His chakra mixes in quite well with his mentor's.
Seeing the man's body lying there... I know he's not really dead but, it was still made me uneasy when Zabuza just... dropped like that. Something churned in my stomach at the sight. Haku bowed politely to us, voice soft as he spoke. "Thank you very much. I have been searching for an opportunity to kill Zabuza for a very long time."
Wow, he even sounds pretty. Terra commented, something strange in her voice.
'Hush you.'
But it's true~ She insisted coyly. Which, no. Not going there. He's like fifteen! I'm technically thirty-somethin'!
"That mask... you're a hunter-nin from Kirigakure." Scarecrow observed. I felt a flash of worry for my teacher as his chakra was wavering on dangerous levels of low.
As Naruto ran forward I, very briefly, considered outing Haku. I considered telling the other's that he had been with Zabuza since before the battle started. Save us from the whole confrontation on the bridge. But really, what would that have accomplished? This is my first chance to actually speak to say something but Kakashi was at the end of his line right now from overusing his Sharingan, and confident as I was in our capabilities I wasn't too eager to try and win a fight with the Ice user. All for what? Zabuza hadn't really been trying to kill us, only Kakashi at the end there. Plus, I like Haku. I didn't want to fight with him. He was a good kid.
"But this is the truth. In this world, there exists kids younger than you..." Scarecrow placed his hand on the Hero's hair and mussed it up, "yet stronger than me."
Haku shunshin'd to his mentor's side, gave the excuse of disposing of the body and left with a polite 'Farewell', leaving us to stand around in the clearing. Scarecrow let out a very tired and relieved sigh, I walked over to be closer to him, narrowing my eyes in anticipation. "Haa... now let's get Tazuna-san back home." he said.
Tazuna cheered, "Hahaha! Super thanks, guys! Come over to my house and relax for a while!"
And right on cue, Kakashi took one step and dropped like a rock. Already anticipating this, I was standing nearby to catch him. Like I had been doing with the Hero.
"Ack! Sora-chan!" Naruto shouted in surprise.
...unfortunately, I'd terribly underestimated my Sensei's weight and overestimated my physical strength and capabilities.
At least I cushioned his fall.
Naruto, Sasuke and Tazuna dragged our sensei's carcass back to the bridge builder's house on the edge of the water. It was a nice house. Well, not nice but it looked comfortable. I smiled a small smile, feeling nostalgic. It kinda reminded me of my little house with Kaa-chan. As we approached, I spotted a woman with long, dark hair was in the window. As soon as she saw us she rushed out of the front door and right into Tazuna's waiting embrace.
"Tou-chan, you're safe!" "Ah, Tsunami-chan!"
His daughter then.
We were soon ushered inside, Tazuna making the introductions along the way, and we laid Scarecrow down on a futon that Tsunami-san had been kind enough to lay out for him. The rest of us placed our packs along the wall and settled in around the bed. "Are you alright sensei?" She asked, already concerned for the man she met only a few minutes ago. She was kind, then.
"Yes, I just won't be able to walk normally for the next week or so..." he said. I face-palmed at how casually he'd said that. Like this was a normal occurrence. Then I blinked as a thought stuck me. Maybe this was a normal thing for him to become an invalid. I didn't like that idea, he should be taking a lot better care of himself. I looked down at the incapacitated man disapprovingly, he pretended not to notice.
'So who was that kid with the mask?' I asked, although I already knew the answer. It's obvious that Scarecrow is way too tired to realize that Haku was an imposter and had gotten away with Zabuza, I'm hoping that having him explain the duties of a hunter-nin will trigger the same conclusion he came up with Before. So, Scarecrow explained the dirty job of a hunter-nin. I felt my face twist into a grimace as he spoke.
"No sound. No smell... that is a ninja's end." He finished.
That was so depressing. Terra sighed.
'Yes, yes it was.'
"Anyway... you guys get some rest. You deserve it." The silver-haired man then closed his eye, and he was out faster than Naruto after having his fill at Ichiraku's. All was peaceful and quiet as we relaxed from our exciting encounter earlier...
...I swatted Naruto's wandering hand away from Kakashi's mask. He hissed in pain -I barely hit him, the big baby- and looked at me with a betrayed expression on his whiskered face. I rolled my eyes at him in response.
'No, Hero. Sensei has enough trust in us to let his guard down and fall asleep in our presence. I won't abuse that trust by taking advantage of him while he's unconscious.' I signed with an air of moral superiority. The Hero gaped at me, Duckie scoffed at his expression.
Pfft! 'Take advantage of him...' Terra chortled with that dirty imagination of hers. Which, no. Not thinking about that.
Naruto signed, keeping quiet so he wouldn't wake up the man in question. 'But don't you want to see what he looks like under the mask?' he tried.
'Not really.' I smiled, very amused, when his jaw hit the floor. The blonde had literally face planted into the floorboards before gifting me with a astonished look. I had quickly wiped away any trace of amusement and appeared utterly disapproving of his intentions.
'It's always funny when he gets like this. Besides... I already know what Kakashi looks like.'
Mmm... yeah we do. Terra purred, which alarmed me greatly.
'No! We are not going to think about Kakashi in that way! Stop! Stop it right now!' I ordered.
But—
No! Nope. Nuh-uh! Not. Happening. He's Kakashi, there just so much... I can't even... just—NO. I completely ignored my other half as she began to pout petulantly. I also ignored how fast my face started to heat up now that the thoughts had taken root in my traitorous imagination. Instead choosing to curse this teenage body and it's developing hormones. Yes, hormones. Oh, Kami, the hormones!
The Hero let out a quiet groan and flopped backwards in his spot. I reached over and pet his head, knowing that I had won this conversation and that he won't be coming up with any 'Unmask Kakashi!' schemes any time soon. Like the affection deprived boy he is, he scooted over and placed his head on my lap so I could better continue with my ministrations. He melted under my fingers. Not long afterwards however, Scarecrow had woken up with a start, startling Naruto while he was at it, and sitting straight up in his bed. He never ceased to impress me. The man had slept all of five minutes before his brain figured out that something was off and there was a chance Zabuza might be alive.
He reached up and placed his hand over his face, the Hero sat up and asked him what was wrong. His voice was rough as he spoke, exhausted. "Huh? Well... body erasing teams usually dispose of the body of the person they killed right there... and if he needed proof of the kill he could've just taken the head." he mumbled to himself, then he rubbed the side of his face tiredly, "...and that weapon he used to kill Zabuza."
Duckie's eyes widened and his chakra startled badly, "No way..." he whispered in disbelief.
Scarecrow nodded, "Yeah, exactly."
Naruto was at a complete loss. Looking between us all. "'Exactly' what 'ttebayo? What're you guys talking about, huh?"
Sensei leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "Most likely, Zabuza is still alive."
There was a stunned silence from the others at that blunt statement. Naruto and Tazuna were gaping and looking properly flabbergasted. Then the Hero exploded. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'TTEBAYO!? I THOUGHT YOU SAID HE WAS DEAD, SENSEI!"
"Yeah, I did. But it's most likely that was just a momentary death. The senbon that hunter-nin used, unless it hits a vital organ, it has a low probability of killing your opponent." Kakashi-sensei explained that senbon were used in acupuncture. How hunter-nin were thoroughly trained in the ways of the body and how it was simple for one to enact a temporary state of death. How Haku's weapon of choice and the fact he carried Zabuza's much heavier body away, pointed to a motive of saving him instead of disposing of him.
Listening to how Kakashi's thought process works is fascinating.
As soon as he finished telling us that we'll need to prepare for the possibility of Zabuza's return, the Hero was practically buzzing with excitement next to me. He had been really upset that Haku had 'killed' Zabuza.
"What kind of preparations?" Duckie asked.
I think Scarecrow smiled under his mask, "You guys will receive training."
I repressed a flinch, remembering the last time he said something like this. It didn't end well for us genin. I could only dread at what kind of 'training' he'll come up with now. Naruto's excitement increased ten-fold -because I'm figuring out the boy was a training junkie- while Sasuke frowned and looked at our teacher skeptically. "Training. To fight that guy?" He asked for clarification.
Kakashi waved his hand, "Well, no. Obviously this is just training until I get better, you won't be able to defeat him without me." Then he added with a genuine eye-smile, "Though you guys are rapidly improving. Especially you, Naruto! You've improved the most."
The Hero's cheeks flushed with pride, and I smiled at our teacher. He probably had no idea just how much those little words really meant to my best friend.
I blinked and glanced towards the front door as I registered an approaching chakra signature. It was small, civilian, unfamiliar and terribly sad. Was this another member of Tazuna's family? Well, we'll see in a moment. I turned back to my Sensei, 'How long do you think we'll have before he comes back?' Because I honestly had no idea on that front. Just that it was when Kakashi was recovered enough to go to the bridge and fight himself. I have no idea how long that was in the story, though.
"Hmm... well, a person put in a temporary death situation, it should take a while before their body returns to normal so... I give it over a week or so. Maybe." He said with a shrug. Oh, just a week or so? That's so reassuring, Sensei. Way to be specific.
The Hero pumped his fist, "So we'll train until then! Sounds like a lot of fun 'ttebayo!"
"That's not fun." Interjected a young, unfamiliar voice. We turned to the new arrival and... oh... he was adorable, and so tiny! He must be the owner of that sad little chakra I sensed earlier!
The Hero stood and shouted in surprise at the boy. "Who the hell are you!?"
"Ohh! Inari! Where were you?!" Tazuna shouted as he held his arms out for an embrace. The little guy -Inari, the grandson- obliged his grandfather with a hug.
Tsunami-san walked back in from the kitchen, "Inari-chan, say hello to these people. They are ninja's who protected Ojī-chan."
The little cutie was glaring at us from under his hat in a way that reminded me so much of a littler, cuter Sasuke. I then glanced at the older, less cute and more broody Sasuke next to me.
'Where did all the time go?' I lamented with a sigh.
Uhm, the brat is glaring at us, Sky-girl. Terra pointed out with exasperation. And well, yes he was.
The little cutie then pointed at us, and said in a tattle-tail tone, "Kaa-chan. They're going to die."
...What?
WHAT DID THAT LITTLE SNOT JUST SAY!?
"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU LITTLE BRAT!?"
It's kinda funny how alike Naruto and Terra can be at times, I thought. I had to act quick though and grab the blonde's waist from where I was still sitting before he could launch himself at the kid. "There's no way you can win against Gatō." Inari said dejectedly, like he actually believed such a thing. I frowned at his tone.
"You brat! I'll—Hey Inari! Listen!" Naruto held out his fist towards the other boy, "I am a super Hero that'll one day become an incredible ninja called Hokage! I don't know this Gatō guy, but he's nothing against me, dattebayo!"
The boy scoffed. "What are you stupid? There's no such thing as a hero!"
...what.
"WHAT!?" Oops, I almost lost my hold. I was now being half dragged by my, er... Hero.
"If you don't want to die, you should leave." Inari said with a coldness a kid his age shouldn't have.
"Where are you going Inari?" Tazuna asked, concern clear in his voice.
Inari was at the door leading to the upstairs of the house, "To look at the ocean from my room." Then he left.
The bridge builder looked at the door a moment longer after it closed before sighing, and looking towards us, "Sorry about that."
Naruto grit his teeth before rushing off after Inari as soon as he felt my grip on him weaken. The little imp.
Then it was Scarecrow's turn to sigh, "We need to establish a perimeter around the house and set up traps and an early warning system. Sasuke, get Naruto and do that." Duckie nodded before standing and going to find our runaway Uzumaki. I turned to look at my teacher expectantly, waiting for my assignment.
"Sora, you stay here. I need to speak with you."
Oooooh, you're in trouble~ My other half sing-songed.
'Doofus. If I'm in trouble then so are you.' I haughtily informed her.
Terra didn't respond to that.
Scarecrow leaned back into the bed and made himself more comfortable, placing an arm behind his head. He observed me quietly for a moment as Tazuna and Tsunami-san gave us some privacy. He stared and I stared right back, beyond curious as to why he was acting this way. "You aren't aware that you are subconsciously expelling your chakra from your skin, are you?"
I blinked. Wait, what? My brows furrowed and I gave the silver-haired man a questioning look.
"Earlier with Sasuke, you placed your hand on him and he was able to relax. You've been channeling your emotions through your chakra when you touch someone. Hence, why he was able to calm down so easily. It's because you were calm and shared that feeling to him." I looked at the man in bewilderment because, what? He continued. "It isn't the first time I've noticed you do that actually. Usually you do it to soothe Naruto down when he gets upset or to head off an argument between him and Sasuke. You even do it with your Ocarina when you play. I also suspect that your instrument is a tool used for channeling chakra." He informed me oh so casually.
I blinked again, stupefied. That... I didn't... I thought that was just me being pacifying! I didn't think I was actually... doing... something? And Kaa-chan's Ocarina was actually a weapon!?
He chuckled softly, "Don't look so panicked, Sora. It's not an uncommon skill, Iryo-nin do it all the time when healing. You just happen to be doing it unconsciously, which is impressive in itself. Iryo-nin have to seriously concentrate to keep up a calming chakra about them."
Ignoring how my fingers twitched when he mentioned that it was a medic's skill, I raised my hands and signed, 'What exactly does it mean? What am I doing?'
"You're not doing anything wrong or harmful," he quickly assured me, I felt the slightest bit of tension leave my shoulders, "I've just suspected that's what you've been doing for a while now, and only today I've been able to confirm it."
Understandable, I suppose. There's only been Naruto as an example and he genuinely takes comfort in my presence. And I'm not a big touch-er with anyone I don't completely and entirely trust. So there's only really Sasuke's reaction left for Kakashi to see. And I guess he saw.
"I just wanted you to know what you've been doing is why I wanted to talk. So far, it's only been calming and positive emotions but there's a chance for it to turn into something else."
My eyes widened, 'Like what?' I asked quickly.
He shrugged one shoulder very casually, "You could really piss someone off?"
I gave him a flat look which caused him to chuckle again.
"I don't really know Sora, you'd have to ask an experienced Iryo-nin for the specifics. What I do know is that it can influence a person's emotions, not greatly either. Just like a... suggestion." He offered.
I nodded slowly as I absorbed that. Well, it wasn't all that impressive as I thought more on it. I'm a mid-long range fighter because my Taijutsu is just terrible, and there are a sparse handful of people I'm comfortable enough with to actually allow into my personal space. I'm not about to learn how to use my Ocarina in combat, so... it's only really useful for stopping Naruto and Sasuke from fighting.
Pfft... typical. Terra scoffed.
I rolled my eyes at her tone, 'I should really thank Kakashi-sensei for letting me know about this... skill. It might come in handy now that I know about it.'
When I turned back, Kakashi had already passed out again.
...pet his hair. My other half whispered.
'No!'
Breaking Waves Arc,
Chapter Twelve: "Don't Lose Your Head"
END
A/N: You guys are so much fun... answering my crazy questions. So that was the first Zabuza encounter out of the way! And we learned a bunch of stuff! Like, that Sora doesn't remember Inari and basically all the little details that happen during the Arc. That she's doing weird stuff with her chakra. And Kakashi cusses a lot when he's worried about his cute, little students! Tell me, did you guys like the twist in the fight? I know it wasn't much but... were starting with small changes here after all.
Okay... I need to confess something guys...
I haven't decided whether Zabuza and Haku are going live or die yet. Don't get me wrong, I've considered both possibilities and the fact is, it just doesn't matter to Sora's story long-term. Sure, it'll matter in this Arc and little afterwards and how Sora's personality develops but... *Shrugs* It's not that big. So, it's going to come down to either Sora's way or Terra's way. Save them and change things or leave the story to follow the safe, known path?
What way would you guys pick? It'll still be a couple weeks before that happens but I want you're guys' feedback on this. Should Zabuza and Haku live? I'm going to be relying on you guys to help me make this decision.
Absolutely Amazing people that reviewed this last week: xenocanaan, Girl-luvs-manga, Noface, Vixeonea, Outcast001, Lilgreenearth97, blackenflames, wyattharto8, Pizzas Cat, Naomipy, Zhaky, latinagirl-2010, mikan26 and LPWomer.
You. Are. Incredible and I love you.
Author (answers a) Question! -Because someone asked me an interesting question and I wanted to share, not because I'm totally running out of things to ask-
"There's a red cupcake and a blue cupcake. The red cupcake will take you to any fictional world of your choice. The blue one will appear any fictional character to your side. Which one do you choose, and where/who do you choose?" -Pizzas Cat I substituted 'Pills' with Cupcakes 'coz drugs are bad and cupcakes are magic~
I choose red and pick the Pokemon world! I have always held the dream of owning my very own Eevee! I would dedicate myself to raising Eevee's! Squee~
Wuv yew all!
-Nanami