Chapter 14
Breaking Point Reached: The Demon of the Hidden Leaf!
"Naruto!" Amari and Sasuke yelled in unison, their eyes wide as they watched their teammate crash back onto the cement, several senbon protruding out of his body.
First I hear Sakura scream, now this? What are Kakashi-sensei and the real me doing out there? Obviously the real Amari was still alive otherwise she wouldn't still be standing here. But what had caused her fellow kunoichi to scream in horror? Did Zabuza deal a lethal blow on Kakashi or Tazuna? Did he sever someone's limb?
Amari fought to keep her eyes from leaving Haku's new position. At a time like this, a single breakage of focus could end them. Haku's battle prowess exceeded theirs in spades; his intellect, his ninjutsu, his aim and his will were all incredible.
I have to trust that the others are still fighting. If I don't stay focused on the opponent in front of me, we're dead.
The activation of her Sharingan hadn't been the difference maker she hoped it to be. She could see small patterns of movements beginning to form, but her body was just too worn down and slow to actually catch Haku and put an end to him. Her latest attempt had failed spectacularly if Naruto's pincushion look was anything to go by.
Sasuke, despite being hit himself, moved to check on Naruto, leaving Amari to clench her kunai tightly in her hand to block out the pain of her own injuries, her eyes continuing to track Haku in preparation for his next assault.
Between her left shoulder and forearm she had five senbons piercing into her skin; her right shin and elbow each had one protruding out of them as did the upper right portion of her chest. Warm pain pulsated across her body, countered by the harsh chilled air of Haku's jutsu. Chakra being consistently given to her was the only reason she wasn't dead yet.
Even with my speed and both dōjutsu's active, she grimaced as she pulled out the senbon in her chest, I still haven't landed a solid blow on him. She grit her teeth in a mixture of frustration and pain as the senbon clinked on the bridge supporting their fight.
Each time she had gotten close enough to Haku to land an attack, he was able to dash away with speed she couldn't keep up with and pierce another senbon into her. With each new attack her speed was reduced more and more. Depleted chakra reserves from too many Fire Ball Jutsus and too many uses of the Body Flicker Technique did nothing to ease the burden.
But, she continued to analyze as she pulled the throwing needle from her elbow and shin, letting out small grunts of pain as she did, he's slowing down, too. Every minute this fight continues his chakra dwindles even more than mine.
It had gotten to the point that Sasuke was beginning to keep track even without a Sharingan or Byakugan like her. To her right eye, however, Haku seemed to be moving even slower than before, where her vision prowess in both eyes were almost lining up perfectly.
That was one of the problem she had been encountering ever since she activated her Sharingan. Haku's incredible speed made him too fast for a regular eye to see. Her Byakugan, however, helped her to track his movements—an ability she thought would also work with her Sharingan. It hadn't, though. Her Sharingan eye was always a second or two behind; the delay between her sensory organs had created conflicting data she couldn't correct in the midst of battle.
The different speeds her eyes processed hadn't been a noticeable problem until now when she was struggling to keep track of the fastest moving enemy she had ever faced. But within the last few minutes her right eyes vision had grown keener, noticing the smallest of movements in almost perfect synch with her Byakugan.
It's still not perfectly aligned, but it's better than before. Whatever the cause of this change was didn't matter so much to her. As long as it helped her defeat this boy, she didn't care for the explanations behind it.
Unfortunately for her, visual prowess alone wasn't enough to turn the tides here. Her chakra was draining fast, and to Haku they were still moving in slow motion due to how his jutsu worked. At this point she was either going to have to end the fight within the next two minutes or do whatever damage she could. After that she'd need to dispel herself to save the real her from exhausting her chakra completely.
But I can't leave them here. She had been given the duty to protect her friends and she couldn't fail that duty. Yet here I am, failing miserably. Naruto is severely injured, and each strike is making Sasuke as much of a pin cushion as Naruto is. Naruto's frontal assaults meant to distract and, with luck, find a breaking point for Haku was draining far too much of his chakra and injuring him with each renewed strike.
He can't keep it up. His will was incredible, but everyone had chakra limitations. Naruto's were obviously ridiculously larger than the rest of the team, but the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was a Forbidden Jutsu for a reason.
No other shinobi could have matched the surplus of clones he created today.
What they needed most was a miracle, but seeing as one wasn't going to appear out of thin air and save them meant she was going to have to think of something more practical.
Haku suddenly appeared in front of her and Sasuke, his arm held back in preparation for his next attack. Damn! The lull in the fight, short as it was, was officially over. Both Uchiha's blocked the senbon with ease and stood ready for the next strike. I suppose Sasuke keeping up is about as close to a miracle as I'm going to get right now.
Surprisingly he had taken her Sharingan and relation to his clan rather well, at least from what she could tell. All he did was give her a smirk and promise they'd talk about it later. Maybe he was just happy he was no longer the lone survivor of the clan or maybe being part Uchiha gave him hope to match her strength someday. Either way, the real Amari would be happy to know once they were out of this prison.
"Get up, Loser. We have to team up if we're going to get out of this!" Sasuke yelled to the still sitting Naruto.
"I…know…" The boy was practically unconscious, his head swaying back and forth as he tried to stay awake and fight.
Damn it, he's at his limit. Haku shifted between his mirrors then jumped between them and sent a series of senbon at each of the Genin. I have to end this right now!
"Protect Naruto!" Amari ordered.
Sasuke grunted in understanding. Their teammate was too wounded and exhausted to defend himself. All this time they had been relying on Naruto to provide a distraction for them. Now it was their turn to cover him and keep him safe as she tried to end this fight.
Amari blocked the senbon targeted at her and started formulating a plan as her eyes darted side to side, never losing Haku as he jumped between mirrors I just have to get him out of his mirror and then this is over.
Naruto fell unconscious behind her. Haku saw his head dip, his body go limp as fatigue took over. He chose to make his move then, but in doing so he put into motion Amari's newest plan. I knew you would target him the moment he passed out. Chakra flowed through her body as she prepared to strike. And I know Sasuke can keep Naruto safe. That's why…
Sasuke grabbed Naruto and jumped out of the way of the attack, dodging the rain of needles meant to take them both down.
You're finished!
Seeing her opening, Amari Body Flickered into action. Half of a blink and she was gone. As the blink was completed she reappeared directly in front of Haku. She could feel his shock, hear the startled sound as hidden eyes met fierce red. Amari knew she would have felt the same in his sandals, but she couldn't think about that now.
She slammed her knee into their tormentors gut as hard as she could. Haku doubled over as they floated, a choked sound as his breath left his body. This was her first blow, and now it was time to make it count. Quickly, she grabbed the front of Haku's top to keep him from going anywhere. In an untraceable second of thought she considered attaching her Shadow to him, but the thought disappeared as quickly as it came when she considered her lack of chakra and the lack of shadows.
No, now wasn't the time for ninjutsu. Now was the time to use physical blows to take him down. Recalibrating her pattern of attack, she spun the kunai in her hand around in her hand and plunged it into his left arm, right above his elbow—his dominant arm. I may not be able to take you down with this single attack, but the least I can do is hinder your ability to throw as fast as you do!
Haku flinched, letting out a grunt of pain she could barely hear over the beating of her own heart. But then his free fist slammed hard into her cheek and was followed up with a hard knee right to her sternum.
Air escaped her lungs and her grip loosened. I…The fabric beneath her fingers began to slip away. I refuse to let him get away! She tightened her grip and pulled the boy forward roughly. As he came back, she slammed her head right into his mask. Pain erupted across her skull, but her body continued to move. She pulled out another kunai as their heads recoiled and swiped at Haku's neck. Her enemy dodged back, causing her blade to only cut through his clothes and graze his chest.
A fast kick slammed into her neck and sent her crashing into the cement below her. Three senbon pierced down the middle of her back when she tried to get up; a pained whimper escaped her lips. Almost…had him. One second earlier and the wound she dealt might have ended the fight. Against the cries of her body, she pushed herself onto her shaky arms and knees. I…don't think I can keep this up…any longer.
"Nice going, Amari," Sasuke congratulated tiredly. Amari lifted her heavy head up to look at the mirror and see if her attack had done enough. Staring back at her from the mirror was Haku; her kunai was already removed from his arm but his posture no longer remained as straight as it was before. He was slightly hunched over, a hand resting over his wounded chest as blood from it and the wound on his arm stained his clothing.
Hehe, got him. An exhausted smile broke onto her lips but it was broken by her left arm collapsing under her weight, bringing her face first back onto the cement. Through the strain she managed to roll her head just enough to look at her teammate. When her eyes fell upon him, her smile returned.
"Sasuke, your eyes." She was far too exhausted for her voice to portray her excitement.
Sasuke, against his own exhaustion, still let a cocky smile grace his lips and let his crimson eyes meet hers. "Looks like you're not the only one with the Sharingan now."
He had finally unlocked it, and in the midst of a life threatening situation no less. Through her Byakugan only was she able to make out the two tomoe in his right eye and the one in his left. This is definitely an advantage we need.
There was just one problem: Now that his eyes could match hers, and now that Haku was wounded, their enemy would be aiming to end this fight quicker than before. He still had the chakra for it, and the number advantage was no longer in their favor. No amount of chakra she could gain from her original would change the wounds dealt to her. She would be dead weight, and if Naruto didn't wake up soon then he'd be just as useless.
As of now it was only in Sasuke's hands to win this. She had to hope his eyes would keep him and Naruto alive long enough to take down the slower and far more vulnerable Haku.
"Just don't get a big head, Sasuke," Amari replied tiredly. Banter was good; it was familiar and took her mind off the pain echoing across her body. I need to dispel. I'm just hobbling them and the real me.
Her Uchiha counterpart snorted, amused in their dire situation. "I wouldn't even consider it. I've gotten enough lectures from you."
"Enough!"
Haku launched out of the mirror, his trajectory aimed directly at the unconscious Naruto. Sasuke followed after him, his eyes granting him the sight necessary to track his movements clearly. A needle pierced through her neck, but just before she dispelled she saw something that would shake the very core of Team Seven's shyest balancing point.
I'm sorry…Forgive me.
Ho— how could I let this happen? Amari stood frozen in shock, all of her senses dulled to her surroundings except her sense of hearing. With every other sense dead, the sound of her Sensei letting out grunts of pain after each breath reverberated in her ears. Blood dripped down in front of him, each plop cutting through the young ninja's ears like crashing cymbals in a silent room.
I was prepared for the strike…and he still stood in front of me.
Kakashi blurred out of her vision and was replaced by Ryu in the same stance he had taken to protect her from Kasai. Then her senses came back but they weren't relaying her current surroundings to her. Everything had returned back to that day, that damned day she lost her friends.
Again she witnessed Ryu take the blow for her, sacrificing his brilliant life for a pathetic waste like her. She could feel the horror again in the pit of her stomach making her nauseous. Her breathing became sharper as the air became devoid of oxygen and her heart seemed to be breaking her ribs with each slam against her chest.
Why? Why did he do it?
"And all for what? To save some pathetic girl who isn't ever going to be good enough to be a ninja," Kasai's taunt echoed in her ears.
Amari gripped her kunais in a vile concoction of frustration, sorrow and disappointment.
Even after all of her training, people were still jumping in front of blows meant for her. But I could have blocked it this time…I was ready, I knew how to counter his attack.
Why did he have to jump right in front of her?
"Ha! This is rich!" Zabuza barked sadistically, snapping her back to the present moment. Thick mist surrounded them, but she could see Kakashi's wounded form directly in front of her. Just in front of him was Zabuza, his sword still held in front of him after his initial strike. "Playing the hero and sacrificing your body for your student, what a foolish waste! All you've done is delayed her death a few minutes and hastened your own demise! I was hoping to enjoy exacting my revenge on you, but if you're going to make soft-hearted mistakes like that then I suppose I'll have to settle for torturing your little brats."
Amari could feel the bubbling anger rising higher and higher in her heart at Zabuza's taunt. Her knuckles had gone white and her whole body was shaking in held back rage.
"You want this to be fun?" she hissed, her voice cold as the steel of the blades in her hands.
"Oh don't you worry, little girl, I haven't forgotten about your promise to settle unfinished business with me. But how do you expect to do that while you're trying to maintain your clone in Haku's prison I wonder? Or has he finished off you and those useless punks already?"
Any retort she might have given escaped her as the memories of her dispelled clone came flooding into her mind. Images of the fight, of the needles protruding out of Naruto and Sasuke flashed before her eyes. Thoughts her clone had echoed in her mind and phantom pains of wounds she knew she didn't have burned across her body.
And then… then everything stood still as she watched in horror at the final image of her clones memories. Sasuke standing protectively in front of a downed Naruto…and a senbon punctured right at his heart.
I'm sorry…Forgive me.
Her eyes widened in dismay. A piercing pain shot through her heart, and it hurt, it hurt so badly. Sasuke…no. Her teammate. Her fellow clansman. He was…
Damn it…damn it…Damn it!
"What? No witty remark? No biting threat? No boiling anger? Ha! Have you lost your will to fight?"
On the contrary, the pain exploding within her heart had set her entire body aflame with white-hot anger. She hadn't been able to defend her friends. She hadn't been able to defend her Sensei. I failed! Blinding anger consumed her vision, the edges of her sight becoming shrouded in darkness as her vision honed in on Zabuza as if he were the only person in the world.
He will pay and so will Haku! Her rage commanded.
"You…you…" Amari couldn't find her words or feel the tears brimming in her eyes. Her voice shook with all of her emotions colliding within her.
"Heh, put those brats out of your mind, little girl. If you want to provide me any entertainment you can't worry about their health. Besides, they're probably breathing their last breaths right now."
Zabuza disappeared within the mist, the only sign he had been there was the echoing of his maniacal laughter.
"Do you…do you think they're okay?" Sakura asked from behind her.
Amari could barely hear her voice, it was but a whisper among the storm that brewed within her. "Yes, I do. Don't worry you two. They'll be fine," Kakashi tried to bolster their morale through his pained breaths.
His words might have helped Sakura, but they fell on deaf ears with the Nara. She was too far gone in her anger to let his words have any impact on her. He didn't know what happened…and she couldn't bear to tell him the truth. She couldn't bear to tell him of what she had seen, knowing it would only make Sakura break down and make him lose focus.
The logic was sound, but even in her anger Amari knew she was being a coward. She could barely restrain her tears, and if she saw Sakura break down she'd lose what control she had over them. She couldn't bear their rightful blame right now. This was her fault, after all. She hadn't been nearly as good as she thought she was.
Haku outclassed them and Sasuke had paid the price of her inability to keep them safe.
"I have faith in them," Kakashi continued, ignorant to the inner turmoil his words were adding onto. "Naruto, Konoha's number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja. Sasuke, the heir to the most powerful clan in Konoha."
"You mean?" Zabuza's startled voice came from the mist.
"Yes, his full name is Sasuke Uchiha. The kekkei genkai of the Uchiha Clan is his birthright. The power of their clan runs in his veins."
Yes, Amari thought, biting her lip and drawing blood to keep her tears at bay, it did. But it wasn't enough. And now…I'm…the last. She was the last of the clan and she wasn't even full-blooded. The weight of that thought was another explosive component to the coming volcanic eruption.
I'm just a half-breed.
Something about that word struck a harsh cord within her heart and nearly sent her into an explosive rage at that instant.
"I heard one child survived the tragedy of the Uchiha Clan."
Kakashi chuckled in pain but still managed to sound amused at Zabuza's assumption. "Not just one. You're forgetting Haya Uchiha." There were sounds of confusion from everyone except the Copy Ninja and Amari. Yes, there was another and she was done standing around. She stepped to his side while keeping her eyes closed. "Better known as Amaririsu Yūhi, the balancing point of Team Seven."
A blazing red eye and uncovered lavender eye full of furious, frightening anger cut through the mist right into the open eyes of Zabuza. His eyes widened in horror and even at this distance she could hear his grunt of shock when their eyes met.
"You—"
His words died on his lips as a tsunami wave of killing intent crashed against him and shifted her visage to that of a black demonic dragon with piercing red and lavender eyes.
"You…You're dead!" she roared, and all those around her faintly heard the roar of a dragon within her voice.
Every ounce of hatred within her body flooded out of her at that moment, and with it all of her latent power burst to the surface in a sudden surge of green, lashing chakra with longer streaks of black within it.
Wisely, he showed a hint of fear at the sudden explosion and wave of energy that cascaded over the bridge from her. He may have found a way to counter the Sharingan but there was no countering her anger.
"Amari—" Kakashi tried to calm.
Amari was already gone.
Amari appeared behind Zabuza, which caused a gasp of shock out of her enemy the second he sensed her presence. He spun around and lifted his blade as a shield to block the chakra fueled kick aimed right for him. The blade blocked the attack, but the force of her strike still sent him sliding backwards on his feet.
"Get back here!"
She appeared in the air in front of him, fist with kunai in hand already sailing right at his face. Her Sharingan and Byakugan let her see in perfect clarity his eyes widened at the sight of her, and the realization he wouldn't have any time to dodge her attack. Satisfaction consumed her when her eyes let her see every moment of pain her strike caused in slow motion. Her fist slammed hard into his cheek, and as his head was forced to turn away her blade cut through his bandages and across his skin.
He stumbled away but recovered quickly enough to see her hands land in Tiger. Let's see how you like this! Fire Style: Fire Ball Barrage!
Unlike Phoenix Flower Jutsu or Fire Ball Jutsu, this attack wasn't a large volley of fireballs or a single powerful fireball. Amari inhaled and exhaled rapidly, letting out a barrage of smaller but precise fireball attacks.
Each strike was measured and targeted low enough to the ground to not cause what remained of her team or the bridge too much damage. It also made them harder to dodge as they flew faster across the ground than a normal Fire Ball Jutsu.
Zabuza didn't lose his cool. He dashed and dodged away from the attacks. Every movement was timed with her breathing and the dodge calculated on where her eyes tracked him, she noted. His agility was definitely impressive considering he was dodging each and every single attack and still lugging around that large blade like it weighed nothing.
He didn't waste time trying to hide in the mist. He knew there was no hiding from her eyes now, and she would be willing to bet he was beginning to enjoy himself a little.
"Keep launching your attacks, little girl, it'll only make you easier to kill!" Zabuza taunted.
Don't you dare underestimate me! Amari inhaled a sharp breath and prepared for her next attack. In her eyes she could see his muscles tense, his legs set and his feet shift for his prepared dodge. Her eyes widened. Now you're dead! Zabuza dodged, but he was too hasty. Too preoccupied with using her eyes and breathing against her to notice she was watching him just as closely.
Amari let her chakra flow through her body and disappeared rather than launch a fireball. When she reappeared Zabuza was stuck in a dash aimed directly at her as she floated a few meters in the air above him. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of her. Turn to ash, you bastard! Her chest expanded further than before. Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!
A wave of flames exploded from her lips, hotter than any flames she had ever previously created. He would pay for everything he caused! Every ounce of pain she felt in her heart, all the pain Haku had experience over the years, she would throw it back on him tenfold!
He would beg for her mercy!
Large arms heaved the blade up and used the momentum of the dash to slam it into the bridge. Zabuza used the solid ground to launch himself further into the air above the bulk of the flames and right at her, carrying the blade with him.
"Die!" he shouted as his large blade came swinging at her.
Thinking quickly, Amari disengaged her flames and created the clone seal, forming a clone right in front of her just as she lifted her feet. Using the back of her clone she pushed herself back and away from Zabuza just as his blade cut right through her clone.
The last Uchiha crashed hard on her back on the bridge, but she rolled out of the landing and back onto her feet, tossing both kunais at her enemy and pulling out another in preparation of defense. He swung his blade again as gravity took hold and batted both kunais right back at her.
Amari rolled out of the way and into a battle ready stance as he charged her again. I can't keep launching fireballs recklessly, what remained of her rational mind decided. She was already low on chakra and so far all she had done was land a single punch and cut on her opponent. Should I keep the shroud active?
If it was increasing her strength then by all means she needed it to kill Zabuza. But it was steadily draining her chakra and if she was going to use Fire Ball Jutsu to burn him into ashes, she'd need her chakra and shroud potency higher than it would be if she kept it active.
Amari ducked under a swipe meant to cleave her perfectly in half at the waist and then rolled across the ground to avoid being cut right down the middle of her body. As his blade landed against the cement, her rational mind fought its way back into the driver seat to rid her of the green glow.
"What? Done already?" Zabuza taunted as he heaved his blade from the bridge. He let out a grunt of exertion as he attempted to cut her again. He only found air as the Nara disappeared from her position. As he finished his swing—the blade ending up behind him—she reappeared in a crouch right on top of his blade.
"For what you turned Haku into," she whispered for only him to hear, "for the pain that resides in his heart, for the pain you've given me and my team, I will turn you into an unrecognizable pile of ash."
At the feeling of his body tensing in preparation for a strike, she too moved into action, jumping up into a backflip and blocking his fast strikes with two kunais. As she flew through the air, their eyes locked again—hers murderous, his growing angrier by the second.
Then she landed and he started swinging heavy, killing blows at her one after another. Amari did her best to keep her feet, dodging, ducking, rolling under strikes, hopping away out of range and blocking the few she knew she could handle as they moved deeper and deeper into the mist.
Their eyes remained locked the entire time, both shinobi fighting to kill or find an opening to kill as their personal fight delved deeper and deeper into unreachable darkness.
I can't go on offense so long as he has that damn blade!
She needed to force it out of his hands, but physically she didn't have the strength to do that. No matter how angry she was, she wasn't stupid enough to believe she could overpower this taller, far more muscular man who had wielded his blade longer than she had been a ninja. Then I'll just have to force him to throw it himself!
Amari hopped back to dodge another attack and brought her hands into Rat as her feet remained off the ground. The shadows here won't be strong enough for a long grab. I just have to get him to throw it fast.
Her shadow shot across the cement and caught the unaware Zabuza. Now! Do it now!
"Wha—!"
Against his own will, Zabuza threw his blade aside along with Amari throwing one of her kunais. Her eyes tracked the blade and the distance between his hand and the grip. She measured the distance, watched as his surprised eyes left her to watch the blade and waited until it was out of his reach to release her jutsu.
Hoping to capitalize on his shock, the moment her feet touched the ground she channeled her chakra throughout her body to send her flying right back at him, an angry snarl escaping her as she prepared to strike him down. Zabuza was no ordinary shinobi, however. He didn't let his shock grip him long and used her momentum against her by grabbing her smaller form by the throat and slamming her back first into the ground.
"Cute trick, brat, but that's not enough to defeat me," Zabuza said as he loomed over her, blood dripping off his stained bandages onto the ground next to her.
"I know, in fact I planned on it!"
The Amari on the ground popped into smoke right as the real Amari latched onto Zabuza's back. She stabbed a kunai right into his arm before he could react; a cry of pain left him but instead of throwing her off he was forced to remain still, paralyzed by her Shadow Possession Jutsu once more. She locked an arm under his muscular neck and then focused internally on her next attack.
"What?! When?!"
"When you took your eyes off me for that single second," she answered, feeling him begin to struggle against her Shadow Possession Jutsu. "I created a clone behind me in the mist, and when my feet touched the ground we used the Body Flicker at the same time. She went in for an attack, I went behind you. And now you're mine!"
A blue hue formed around her elbow as she simultaneously expended chakra in restraining him and regained it by stealing his chakra. "My chakra, you're—!"
"Naturally my Shadow Possession Jutsu gets weaker with each use, and against an opponent of your overwhelming strength it'd be pointless to try to use it normally. But I'm circumventing that danger by rapidly stealing the chakra it takes to restrain you." He forced his head to turn enough to glance back at her with a murderous look in his eye but found it matched. "I'll drain you to absolute zero, and all will know of the humiliation of Zabuza the Demon, beaten by a mere Genin."
Something sparked in Zabuza's eye at her remark, and before she even realized it a surge of pure power exploded off of him and sent her tumbling across the bridge. What the—
Amari rolled back into a battle ready stance and found a huge explosion of chakra irradiating off of Zabuza; violent reds and purples lashing together to create a demonic face. So…this is the power of The Demon. A bead of sweat ran down her face at the darkness and killing intent consuming the air.
Never before had she felt something so…vile. The air became stifling, weighed down by a desire to kill. The very aura around Zabuza meant death and sent shivers down her spine, enough so that neither of them noticed the other demonic chakra surge on the bridge.
"Hehehe…hehehehe...Hahahaha!" Zabuza's laugh unnerved her immensely, but she remained firm and ready for anything. "You overconfident brat. I'll never be beaten by a little squirt like you!" He took a single step forward, and with it came a wave of killing intent that froze her in fear. "You think your anger and that demonic chakra is impressive? I'll show you what it means to be a real demon!"
Another blast of chakra exploded off of him. His foot skidded forward and then he was gone. Damn! Amari fell backwards onto her butt, eyes wide in terror as her body refused to move. All she could do was watch in horror as the demonic, bloodied face of her enemy closed in on her with murderous glee she had never experienced.
I…I'm not going to die here! Not until he pays for what he did!
On frightened instinct alone her right eye widened as chakra pooled into it.
Sharingan!
The chakra surrounding Zabuza died out as he froze in place, a curved kunai pressed against her throat hard enough to draw blood. Again on instinct she scrambled out of range of his strike as her rational mind scrambled to figure out what she'd done.
To figure it out she looked inward to her chakra to see what exactly she was doing. At the same time she reached her hand up to the cut on her throat as her breathing came out rapidly. Too close. Way too close.
So what stopped him? Seeking answers from her steadily draining chakra, she realized far more chakra than normal was being spared to her right eye as she was unconsciously molding her spiritual energy for a genjutsu attack. Quickly grabbing the reins of the attack consciously for the first time, she delved into a world of genjutsu.
The genjutsu was of the bridge they were standing on, simplicity at its finest for a last ditch effort of survival. Zabuza was within the genjutsu world, searching through the mist for her with his demon cloak still active and yelling at her for being so cowardly.
His rage must be so blinding he can't even sense he's under a genjutsu. What was she going to do then? She was no master of this art and she doubted she had the power to knock him out due to her sheer inexperience. What she needed to do was pick apart his fears enough to buy her time to escape into the mist and come up with a better plan at making him pay.
"Tell me, Zabuza," she spoke with a cold blade for a voice. The rage induced enemy snapped his attention to her, his eyes devoid of anything except the desire to strike her down where she stood. He charged at her like a rapid animal only to find himself frozen a few meters away from her through her control. "What is it you fear most?"
His chakra dispersed and his eyes returned to normal as the shadows of the genjutsu made his greatest fears a reality for him. She couldn't see it, not when she departed to conceal herself out of his sight.
As she moved she heard a startled gasp escape the real Zabuza. "Is that Haku?" His voice sounded strangely vulnerable for a moment, but then it was gone. "Argh! He's not real! This is just a genjutsu!"
Truthfully Amari wasn't sure how she did it or how to control her Sharingan genjutsu. Everything she had done so far was on sheer impending death instinct. The drain on her chakra ended a second later and Zabuza was left to curse her.
Knowing he could track her on sound alone made every step she made full of caution to not draw attention to her position in the mist. She knew somewhere in this mist Kakashi was likely searching for them, trying to find her and stop her from getting herself killed, but she didn't have the time to consider his feelings.
The sound of Zabuza dashing through the mist barely ten meters away from her made her freeze and halt all breathing. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest as she followed him with her Byakugan through the mist. When she was sure he was away from her she inhaled a deep breath and held it before starting to move again.
The breath left her when she stepped onto the hilt of his blade and the metal clanged against the cement. Her eyes widened in horror. Oh no—
She was only able to sense Zabuza appear next to her and the blade before she was sent flying across the bridge and skidding across the cement after receiving a hard kick to the sternum.
The reflexes her mother drilled into her moved her back into action. She recovered from her skid and dashed to a new location within the mist, but Zabuza met her there with his blade swinging horizontally for the kill.
"Now you die!"
With no options left, Amari pulled out her last two kunai and let her power surge forth from within her. Chakra exploded to life around her and provided the strength she hoped was good enough to block his attack.
His blade clashed against her two, the power behind it enough to force her feet to skid across the bridge as she held the blade in place so it wouldn't bisect her. Her legs braced against the strength and put her in a desperate struggle to hold the cold metal back.
I…can't hold it back, she realized, gritting her teeth as the blade inched closer and closer to her stomach.
"You- you talk about never giving up and fighting like you are some sort of invincible hero," Inari's voice blasted through her mind. "You're no hero!"
She flinched against the verbal lashing. Stop fighting, there's no point. You'll never become strong enough to beat him. You're too weak. Too pathetic.
"You all keep saying these cool things, but they don't mean anything at all! No matter what you do the strong always win and the weak always lose!"
Amari snarled at her own thoughts and how utterly helpless and useless she felt. After all my training, nothing has changed! Her grip on her kunais tightened but her arms were beginning to shake in weakness. I'm still too weak, too pathetic, too childish and emotional to actually be worthy of the title of shinobi!
The blade inched closer as her shroud began to disappear.
"You're strength is fading, brat. Soon enough you'll be dead and then I'll finish off that monkey sensei of yours!"
Through the darkness of her doubt, her own words were thrown back in her face. "These smiles of ours, this happiness you see in us, we had to fight through hell to get it back…We had to fight through our demons and our nightmares until we found people unrelated to us who helped us to actually experience joy in life again. But you, you still have your family. You still have people worth fighting for. So why aren't you?"
Then her best friend's voice followed.
"All you do is whine and complain like some sorry little victim. You still have two people who care about you, that should be more than enough for you to keep fighting. Me and Amari, we're going to keep fighting for the sake of this land and its future. We're going to help Mr. Tazuna finish his bridge, and we'll put an end to Gatō so he never causes trouble here again.
"But go ahead and keep whimpering all day for all I care. You're nothing but a coward!"
Amari strained against the blade and tears at the words of her friend who could be dead as well for all she knew. But he was right, wasn't he? She was just acting like a sorry little victim, giving up because she hadn't done any damage against her enemy…
I…
"Thank you for always being there for me and believing in me even when I've doubted myself."
But there were still people who believed in her.
I…
"And I love you, little one."
People who loved her, who cared if she made it home from tough missions.
I…
"You're not giving up are you? That's not like you at all, Haya. You can do this, I know it. You're an Uchiha and my little cousin after all."
Family she had forgotten but still supported her.
"I'll be at your side to the end, I promise."
People she made promises to and couldn't let down again.
I…Amari's eyes hardened in fiery determination. I refuse to die here!
"You…keep underestimating me," she grounded out. "But I already told you, I have something within me that is far more powerful than your physical strength!" Digging down deep she grabbed every last scrap of strength that was left within her body. "And you should know what it is because you've seen it within Haku. And that's the will," her arms stopped shaking and halted his blade from moving, "to protect those precious to me!"
Chakra exploded off her and lashed out in all directions. Zabuza watched with intense eyes and a faint hint of shock as she fought for every inch she needed to escape this deadlock. "And the will of those I cherish live within me, so when I run out of strength they'll willingly give me theirs to keep fighting! That's the single mistake you made in training Haku!
"You focused him on your selfish ambition and made him into a tool, but you forgot that tools can be worn down and broken! What my friends give me, their bonds, even in death," like you Cousin, "they will never let my fire die! They'll keep pushing me to fight!" She locked her eyes on his. "And that's why even if you beat me or kill me in this fight, you'll still lose! Because my body may be broken or destroyed, but you'll never break our wills, and our spirits will keep supporting each other no matter what!
"That's what it means to be a Leaf Shinobi! That's what the Will of Fire means to me! And that's why I refuse to let you and Gatō win!"
"Who the hell are you?" Zabuza asked in sheer astonishment as he tried to push his blade against her surprising strength.
"My name is Amaririsu Yūhi, I'm a Leaf Village kunoichi, a member of Team Seven and child of the Uchiha and Nara Clans! Don't you dare underestimate me!"
Now! Amari let out a wordless cry of effort as she pushed the blade back with all of her might and ducked under the swipe as it came flying back at her. Then she was gone, hidden back within the mist with her chakra shroud disappearing as she collapsed onto her knees in exhaustion.
Sensei, where are you?
Kurenai stood lost in thought while her team trained. It had been nearly a full month since Kakashi and his team had left for the Land of Waves and each day that passed only made the Genjutsu Master worry more. Her daughter had been suspicious about the mission becoming tougher than the rank it had been given, and according to Lord Third her suspicions had rang true.
The Hokage had received a message from Kakashi for the location of two Chūnin leveled ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Mist Team Seven restrained. According to his report, Team Seven had been attacked by them and despite knowing that higher-ranked ninjas would be next, they proceeded forward to help the bridge builder and fulfill their mission.
Kakashi's report reassured they did not take the decision lightly, and said if the bridge builder did not disclose further information of who was threatening his life that they would turn back, but seeing as they had not returned it was clear they continued on with their client.
While they were surely going to be gone a while due to the length of time it would take to build the bridge, Kurenai couldn't help but worry for her daughter and her team. She felt like something bad was happening but she didn't know what it was or why she held the feeling.
Come back safe, little one.
"You can't hide forever!" Zabuza shouted in frustration at the mist. Amari watched carefully as he scoured the mist for her; she was waiting to make another break for it, having been thwarted from reaching her sensei twice now by her enemy.
She knew she wasn't in much of a position to attack and expect to win anymore, even if her heart still did ache in pain and anger over Sasuke's fate. The only good news about her rash actions was it had weakened and forced Zabuza to expend energy he hadn't expected. There was also the key note that he was expending chakra maintaining the Hidden Mist Jutsu at its full density to counteract the possibility of Kakashi's Sharingan.
By holding her breath and not moving for long durations she was able to avoid Zabuza's ability to track her by sound, at least until her need for oxygen became dire, which she was nearing again. It didn't help that Kakashi was ambling blindly through the mist, following the last sounds of battle he heard in a desperate search for her.
I made a lot of mistakes on this mission, Amari thought in pensive disappointment. I just have to learn from it and move forward…if Kakashi-sensei doesn't chew me out and disqualify me as a shinobi.
At this point she couldn't blame him. Not only had she failed to keep her teammates alive against Haku, but she ran off on blind emotion and now was close to exhaustion and being completely useless.
The need for oxygen became unavoidable and she did her best to breathe as quietly as humanly possible. Luckily he didn't hear, so she made sure the breath filled her with enough oxygen to hold her over for another thirty seconds.
I can't stay hidden here forever. Eventually Zabuza will lose interest and turn his attention to Kakashi-sensei. She frowned. And he might be too focused on trying to find me to notice Zabuza's sudden presence.
She needed to act before that happened. But what could she even do? She already used up so much of her chakra between keeping her clone alive and then her rage induced assault on Zabuza.
I have to do something. I'm the one that caused this in the first place. I have to at least try to fix it.
So the last Uchiha formulated a desperate plan to make her last ditch effort to reach Kakashi. Exhaling softly, she lifted her hands up to create the clone seal and put the plan into action. Ten clones formed around her and together they took off through the mist.
Zabuza heard them all and began honing in on them through the mist. Amari flinched when two of her clones were cut down one after another, neither being able to put up any sort of defense against his assault.
Come on, faster!
No amount of speed was going to help her now. Three more fell, each of their cries of pain being followed by a sudden popping. "A cheap trick like this won't save you!" Zabuza taunted in a menacing voice. "Eventually the one I cut down will be you."
Another clone popped.
"Not that one, huh? How about this one?"
Another clone.
Damn it, he's annihilating us.
Three clones were left and he was sprinting through the mist to cut down another.
"Not that one either."
Make that two clones.
New plan! Amari brought her fingers back up into the clone seal after dispelling her final clones. "You want some of me, you bastard! Come and get me!"
Two clones appeared on her sides as she continued running through the mist. A glance to Kakashi in her Byakugan showed he had heard that last taunt and was already dashing to the sound of her voice.
He won't make it in time, she realized grimly. Zabuza would be on her any second now. With a resigned sigh, she and her clones stopped and turned to face their enemy. I'll just have to stand my ground for a few more seconds.
The Demon appeared through the mist a moment later, his sword already drawn back for the kill paired with a murderous grin underneath his bloody bandages. He swung his blade and the three kunoichi team dodged back. Her enemy pressed the assault quickly, forcing one Amari into a duck as the other two hopped over the horizontal cleave.
"This is the end!" He stopped his blade part of the way through the swing, spun it around and swung right at the ducking Amari.
Her eyes bulged in horror before her head was cut from her shoulders.
Then she popped into smoke.
"A clone?"
Another Amari pressed her foot against his blade as it passed under her and jumped backwards, moving through handseals for her Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu. The other Amari landed on the ground and dashed in to distract him but received a fist that sent her tumbling across the ground.
The same hand that clocked her grabbed a set of ninja tools and hurled them at the floating Amari. "Too slow, brat!" Five blades punctured her; two in the gut, one caught her arm, another impaled her leg and the final right in the forehead.
Another pop.
"You idiot, did you really think I was afraid to attack you myself?" she chuckled from her place on the ground. The taste of blood was fresh from that last hit and forced her to spit it on the ground. "Heh, I told you not to underestimate me, didn't I? And now you're finished."
"Is that so?"
She allowed a weak smirk to cross her lips as she looked up at him. "Checkmate."
"Ninja Art Summoning: Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!"
The very structure of the bridge beneath Zabuza began to rumble and crack, and then the concrete shattered. As the fragments of broken concrete pelted him, eight dogs of varying sizes burst from the concrete and bit down on his legs, arms, pretty much everywhere they could sink their teeth into. Each new bite earned cries of pain from the enemy as he tried to break free of their jaws, but all he did was shred his skin before they latched on again, deeper than previously.
The only dog not taking a real bite out of him was the runt of the group, who actually snatched onto the cloth holding his headband and hung from it.
A new presence emerged next to her, but Amari didn't need to look up to see who it was. In fact she couldn't even bring herself to look her sensei in the eyes after how badly she screwed up. "Sensei…I'm…" Her voice was as weak as that apology would have been.
There was no good excuse or reason for her actions. She had let her emotions consume her and that hatred she promised Kakashi not to rely on to flood her veins. She didn't deserve forgiveness or even a second chance. All my lectures to the others about thinking like shinobi instead of kids…Her eyes fell further to her lap. I'm such a hypocrite.
The weight of his hand gently resting on her shoulder wasn't enough for her to raise her eyes to meet his. "I know," he soothed. "I don't approve of what you did, but despite that you still held your own and gave me the opening I needed to finish this."
"…I wish I could say that was my plan. But my survival, you're timely arrival, all of it was luck." She deflated further. "After everything I've trained for, after everything I've been through, I'm still just a foolish kid trying to play ninja."
Kasai was right about me…Kakashi's hand left her shoulder, and with the physical anchor gone her heart sunk even further into the depths of disappointment and despair. I really am just a disappointment.
A gentle grip wrapped around her chin and forced her to meet her sensei's earnest eyes. "No, you're not. You are Amaririsu Yūhi, a Leaf Village kunoichi and a member of Team Seven. You made a mistake or two, sure, but what matters most is learning from them to better yourself as a shinobi and a person." He eye smiled at her. "That's all part of growing up, wouldn't you say?"
"Heh." She smiled weakly at him, still too cowardly to tell him of her greatest mistake and what it cost them. "Maybe."
"You'll see, trust me. Until then," his hand returned to his side as he stood up, "it's time I settled this once and for all. And would you look at that, the mist seems to be clearing."
By no means was it all gone, but with each passing moment the mist thinned further and further. Zabuza and his captors were visible to the naked eye from their position. He seemed to be doing his best to remain still to not antagonize the shredding of his skin.
"Poor, poor Zabuza," Kakashi spoke, the jeer devoid of any humor as he stepped closer to their incapacitated enemy. "You were always pushing things too far, losing yourself to your own ambitions and look at where that's gotten you."
Zabuza glowered at them. "You failed to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, and now you're doing everything in your power to gather the funds and manpower necessary to try it again, stooping so low to sell your talents to a wretched swine like Gatō."
"Your point?"
"You're a disgrace to the title of shinobi," Kakashi stated simply. "But enough talk, it's time I finish you, only this time I won't use Sharingan and imitations of other's ninjutsu. No, this time I'll show you my own original technique."
Amari watched as her sensei weaved three handseals. Ox, Rabbit, Monkey. He then clutched his right hand at its wrist with his left and faced his palm upwards. She sensed his outpouring of chakra before she was even able to see it in her Byakugan.
Not a moment later his chakra swirled to life around his feet in the purest sky blue and was quickly followed up by lightning surging in the palm of his hand with strings of its current outreaching from it.
"Lightning Blade!"
Amari watched in awe at the raw power irradiating from Kakashi. She had known he was strong and powerful, but this display of strength, this impressive jutsu left her speechless. His chakra was so powerful it was visible, yet it was unlike her bursts of chakra, in fact it was the mirror opposite.
Where her shroud was uncontrolled and unrefined, this technique was focused, concentrated into the palm of his hand and leagues of strength ahead of anything she could do.
He formed his chakra in his hand in a strong amount then added in his Lightning Nature to it, she analyzed with both of her dōjutsu activated. And then he somehow…changed it even more to create this large surge around him.
How was this even possible? What kind of strength and training did it take to reach this level?
No answers came to her. Her eyes granted her great abilities, but words to describe this down to the very core of the technique were not among those abilities.
"I cannot allow you to kill Tazuna. By completing this bridge he will give his people their dreams and hopes back. But you," Kakashi's voice became colder than a Konoha winter, "you're like a disease. By attacking one you infect all the others and damn them to a broken future. And you don't care." She could sense her sensei's glare. "That is not the way of the shinobi."
"Heh, you're right, I don't care! Why should I care anything for these pathetic people and their pointless dreams?! I have a dream of my own!"
"But to have a dream you need to have a future. You don't. Your future is all used up, Zabuza."
Her Sensei wasted no other words. He dashed forward with his lightning covered hand ready to strike down their enemy. Within her Byakugan sight, a new chakra suddenly began to form right next to Zabuza…That's Haku's chakra! She realized. He's going to sacrifice himself for Zabuza!
Everything to her eyes moved in slow motion, picking apart every little detail down the smallest scrap of information. There was no way Kakashi could react in time to avoid the boy and hit Zabuza. No, Haku intended to literally take the blow for his master…and that filled Amari with a profound sadness she couldn't shake.
She shouldn't have felt this way. She should have wanted his death more than anything after seeing what he did to Sasuke…yet all she felt was sadness.
During her fight with Zabuza, her anger consumed her, blinded her to the point she just wanted to make them hurt as much as she did. Now, though…Now she could feel that feeling in her heart again. That same feeling that they were the same…The feeling that made her wish they didn't have to fight.
In her anger she believed she could strike them down, kill them without mercy, but now she was realizing that would make her just like the uncaring demon who turned Haku into a tool to be used and thrown away whenever he broke.
I don't want to be like them…I don't want to be someone who kills the kindness in their heart for power and ambition.
Everything she was feeling made her for the first time ask the question she never asked herself: what am I gaining my strength for? And what am I willing to sacrifice to kill Kasai?
Was this where her path was leading her?
Haku used all his strength to protect Zabuza's ambition. That was his dream, wasn't it? To use all of his strength to protect the person most precious to him no matter the cost? Just…like…me.
That was her dream too, yet skewed for the purposes of another man's ambition…but how far was her dream from becoming the same skewed dream as Haku's? How many bad days was she away from being where Haku was?
One. The quickness at which that answer came to her fractured her heart with a single blow.
In her anger Amari believed herself capable of becoming a shinobi, of killing her kindness to kill Haku, Zabuza or even Mizuki and walk away without feeling anything. Listening to her heart now, the way it beat frantically in her chest and urged her to do anything she could to stop that boy from giving his life made it abundantly clear to her how incapable she was of doing so.
Why does this have to end in bloodshed? Why do we have to abandon our emotions and become tools? Why do we have to fight each other when in our hearts we don't want to?
Gritting her teeth, she sprang to her feet and used the last remnants of her chakra to create a clone. I won't just stand by and let him die like this! She couldn't stand by and let her sensei strike down this mirror image of her. She couldn't bear that when she had enough strength left to stop him. If she didn't do anything then she'd be just like Zabuza, someone who only saw violence and power as the only ways to solve anything.
She would not abandon her heart to the darkness…No matter how much pain it caused her.
With the stupid plan she had, the two Amari's Body Flickered to cut off the attack.
Then the silence over the bridge was broken by an agony filled scream.
Review Response to Guest: First we must see if Sasuke survives! Thanks for the review!