Chapter 16
Unknown Futures: A New Nindo and Friend
Gatō was dead.
After who knows how long, his tyranny was ended by the very shinobi he hired to kill the bridge builder—the shinobi he betrayed.
Although Amari found herself stuck in a fragile emotional place, she couldn't deny the lingering satisfaction she felt at his end. To see an entire land finally be freed of their imprisonment, it was one of the few heartwarming feelings she had in her sea of turmoil.
I'll never regret giving him to Zabuza.
Before Gatō was eliminated, the people of the Land of Waves were suppressed by the violence and intimidation of his thugs. But now they could make their own way, follow their own paths and live the lives they wanted to once the bridge was finished. No longer were they bound to the fate of cattle to be slaughtered at the whim of a vile man.
They were free. Free.
Free of his taint. Free to walk tall. Free to live life without restraint.
The Land of Waves was free, and that was wonderful, yet Amari was stuck at her own crossroads. As these people were walking towards their new future, she stood in the center of a splintered road, uncertain of where to go. Her Byakugan couldn't see the end points of the paths left to her, only the road she walked to get here.
Three days had passed since the battle for the fate of the Land of Waves. Three afternoons she spent in the forest near Tazuna's house lying in the grass, meditating on her life thus far and the future she wanted. Looking back she could see the defining moments of her life; Ryu's death and Kasai's betrayal, Kurenai adopting her, graduating from the Academy, Team Seven's coronation and finally the Lightning Blade.
It was like watching her life play out from the sidelines, all the while trying to piece together the shattered fragments of her heart to make it whole again. Those shattered fragments came with hard questions. Who was Amaririsu Yūhi really? What were her likes and dislikes? How did she feel beneath the armor covering her heart? What did she dream of? What fulfilled her and what left her feeling empty?
Self-reflection opened her eyes to a truth she hid from herself: she didn't dream of a future because deep down she didn't believe she had a future. When she took on Ryu's goal in his final moments, she didn't have any one left to love and care for. Her goal was to end Kasai…and die in their final battle.
After finding people precious to her, she recalibrated her overall goal to include protecting them, but deep down she never reconsidered her end point. Kasai remained her inevitable end point where she would fight, avenge her fallen friends and rejoin them in death.
I…Amari clenched a hand over her heart and took a deep breath. I gained new people to love, people who have made me whole. So why haven't I reconsidered a life with them after I finish Kasai?
In all the time since she entered Konoha, she never once stopped training or studying. Every day, day in and day out, she was doing something to try to improve her abilities, dedicating her life to the purpose Ryu left her and the desperate need to protect her friends—a goal stemmed from losing him.
Never did she stop and ask herself what happened after Kasai was gone, and because of that she never started living a full life. Honestly, outside of training and studying, what had she done? What little enjoyments had she found? When was the last time she stopped to breathe in life without rushing off to do something else?
I've done it a few times…but I've let so many other moments pass me by.
In hindsight, her greatest mistake was becoming consumed by her single purpose—something Ryu had tried to warn her about it in his final moments.
"Do not become consumed by revenge but do not forget what happened here. It will make you stronger in the end."
Amari had tried hard to steer clear of being consumed by hatred, but in doing so she let training and the need to become stronger to consume her instead. In an essence that made her and Sasuke more alike than she ever realized. We're both so shallow minded in our respective goals. I wonder when Sasuke last thought about something beyond his goal, or stopped to enjoy life.
Not nearly enough if his brooding was anything to go by.
Without a nindo to follow, without considering a life beyond their goals, they were tunneled visioned on a single purpose; both oblivious to the world around them and the emptiness their goals created within them.
Ryu didn't want his final wish to turn me into a tool. While her friend wanted her to stop Kasai, what he wanted most for her was to see a brighter future for them—a future they could only dream about back in the orphanage.
What Ryu wanted was for her to live. To dare to dream of something amazing and make it a reality so they could see it together. What it could be was entirely her choice. As long as she was happy with and proud of the path she chose, Ryu would be happy too. If that meant risking her life to save an enemy she felt connected to, that was okay.
I wonder what Haku and Zabuza are doing right now.
Team Seven hadn't seen the two rogue ninjas since they left for their hideout. All they had was a promise of their eventual return to settle where they all stood. Were they still enemies? Or were they temporary allies now going separate ways? Or was there a potential to befriend their former enemies?
Amari couldn't say how it would turn out. Everything had happened so fast, and the emotions she was sifting through only relayed her greatest hopes, not the possibilities of what might actually happen. Admittedly, a non-hostile conversation with the pair would be pretty strange, but she couldn't deny how her heart yearned to speak to Haku without violence or tears.
I…hope we can be friends.
For now that wasn't one of the Nara's primary worries. The pressing matter at hand was finding fresh bandages to replace the old, freshly soaked ones.
Amari frowned down at her crimson colored arm. Just had to go an itch it, didn't you? Her entire morning had been spent fighting the war between the need to scratch at her arm and the knowledge that she shouldn't. In the end, one brief lapse of logic and self-control was all it took to lose the war.
Blood now drained from one of the wounds on her forearm, its crimson liquid soaking the old bandage and dripping off her fingertips. Dull aches thrummed across the entire length of her arm; slight trembles attacked her hand as she watched the red trails line her palm.
You're okay. You're okay. You're okay, she repeated the mantra while bringing her right hand to her left to try to stop it from trembling. Taking deep breaths, Amari continually reminded herself that the battle was over and the pain would pass. She would be okay.
When the trembles ceased, she resumed her search until eventually…
"Damn," Amari muttered. She was out of bandages. Closing her pack, Amari slung it back on before deciding to head into the Land of Waves market. Hopefully one of their stores had minor medical supplies to suit her needs. Still, this wasn't a ninja village, and though they had defeated Gatō, the Land of Waves would remain an impoverished land until commerce opened up through the bridge.
I hope they have something. I don't want to use my bandana to stop the bleeding, but I might have to.
The young girl made it to the market quickly and began her search for the appropriate store. It took some time, and asking a stranger for directions, but she finally found exactly what she was looking for. Luckily all their D-Rank missions gave her some money to spend, so at least something good came out of them.
"Thank you, and keep the rest," Amari thanked as the store clerk handed her the bandages. She had paid more than necessary for the bandages, and the look of gratitude that small amount of extra money earned her was even more reason to not ask for any change.
It wasn't like she was in dire need of money like these people were. Being generous was something she could do right now to help them more, even if it was one person at a time.
As Amari walked back through the village to Tazuna's house she attempted to bandage up her arm again. Of course the idea proved to be far more difficult than she initially thought. Between the wind catching the bandage and the awkwardness of working one-handed, the amount of attention required to accomplish the task dulled her senses to her surroundings. She didn't even realize she was being followed until she felt the sharp point of a knife suddenly press against her lower back.
"Don't move," an unknown male voice ordered her.
Obviously he had bad intentions for her. Unfortunately for him, he also chose the wrong person to have them for. What little patience Amari had for random thugs or former Gatō employees was at an all-time low currently. Her arm was bleeding, she was trying to find her nindo and interrupting her attempts to deal with those problems irked her immensely.
Amari attached her Shadow to the man and unclenched both hands, forcing him to drop his knife harmlessly onto the dirt road. To say she was unimpressed when she turned her head around to see who she was dealing with would be an understatement. He was no warrior or hired thug, but he was certainly the village scum. One of the few people who either profited from Gatō's control without his knowledge or would do anything he could to get on Gatō's good side, even if it meant betraying someone in his homeland.
A hint of fear revealed itself to her when he realized how utterly powerless he was against her jutsu, yet underneath it all she could still see his bad intentions waiting to spring forth.
Hopefully a warning would be enough to keep him from making a big mistake.
"How about you walk away and I don't pummel you so far into the ground they'll need a giant crane to dig you out." Amari gave him a closed eye smile and released a small fragment of killing intent. "Okay?"
She didn't wait for an answer. Retracting her Shadow, Amari continued on her way, only this time keeping her senses open to see what he would do. Much to her disappointment he picked up his knife and began running in her direction. I guess he wants me to kick his ass. Amari sighed and prepared to strike.
Why did jerks have to be so troublesome?
"Give me your money little girl!" the man yelled.
A gust of wind cut through the village just as Amari turned to kick the man to the other side of the village. Every muscle in her body halted immediately at the sight she was greeted with.
"Keep your filthy hands away from her," Haku seethed, his hand wrenching the wrist of her would-be assailant.
Haku?
A familiar dark chuckle caught her attention from a nearby alleyway. Zabuza appeared from the shadows a moment later casually holding an apple in one hand as he approached them. "Attacking the girl who helped save your village from Gatō? Not your smartest move, punk."
Haku glared daggers at the man who tried to harm her, his hand tightening with each passing second until the man was on his knees. Agony was clear on his features as he tried fruitlessly to pull his hand free.
To be honest, Haku's protectiveness over her was…strangely flattering.
"Drop your weapon or I'll break your hand off." Fear swarmed the man's face; the knife hit the dirt immediately after. "Leave," Haku ordered upon releasing his wrist.
Zabuza tossed the apple to the would-be thief, who barely caught it with his uninjured hand. "Consider your future carefully, punk. Don't make me come looking for you."
The man sprinted in the opposite direction without looking back. Confrontation over, Amari finally found words to say to the surprise arriving pair. "Thank you…What are you two doing here?" She immediately shook her head when her brain kicked on. "Wait, sorry. We were going to meet up at Mr. Tazuna's house."
"What? Shocked to see us again?" Zabuza asked, amused by her flustered state.
"Well…yeah. You made quite an entrance." Haku smiled sheepishly while Zabuza chuckled. "You guys want to follow me back to Mr. Tazuna's so I can get this cut fixed up?" she asked as she looked down at her blood red forearm.
Haku frowned, finally noticing her open wound. "Did he do that?"
"No, that was me." She shrugged helplessly. "Couldn't resist itching it any longer but I didn't realize I was out of bandages." Had she known…she still would have scratched it. The relief it provided before the pain was totally worth it.
Haku nodded understandingly but his eyes noticeably fell away, guilt for the wound she received to save him.
"Lead the way, little girl," Zabuza said.
A half frown formed on her lips at the nickname. She knew she was small, but really? Did he have to use a nickname that pointed it out? If he wants to play that game…"Try to keep up, old man."
Her retort earned a chuckle but nothing else. Without further conversation they ninja jumped back to Tazuna's house, only resuming a steady walking pace when they reached the docks. Upon approaching Tazuna's house, Amari noticed Kakashi and the rest of her team huddled together outside. Naruto appeared worried, if the frantic waving of his hands was anything to go by.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" Was there some sort of trouble she didn't know about? If Gatō's thugs were trying to threaten anyone in the Land of Waves or Tazuna's family she'd be happy to send them running.
Her sudden entrance and the company she was keeping earned her a mixture of surprised looks and confused noises. Well, all except—
"Amari!" Naruto rushed over, cerulean eyes analyzing every inch of her and widening when he noticed the blood. "We've been looking for you. Is your arm okay?" He narrowed his eyes at her company and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Did they hurt you?"
Naruto's brotherly protectiveness over her had grown since the bridge, and although she knew it was meant to be serious, she found it cute. Giggling at his actions, she poked his forehead. "I'm okay, Naruto. A lapse in my self-control led to me picking and itching it until it opened. I didn't have bandages so I went into the village to get some," she explained. "Someone did try to attack me, but Haku stopped him and Zabuza gave him a warning."
The shocked look he sent the pair made an additional giggle bubble out of her.
"If you ever need to leave again, Amari, just be sure you tell us," Kakashi scolded lightly.
"Sorry, Sensei," she apologized sincerely before walking over to the edge of the dock to sit down and bandage her arm up.
"Okay, now that that's settled." Kakashi returned his attention back to the team. "Sasuke, Sakura, you two are going to go protect the bridge builder for the day. Naruto, Tsunami and Inari are going into the village and I want you there protecting them. Gatō's thugs are still out there, and they'll be desperate to regain their power by any means necessary. Keep your mind on the mission. Don't get distracted."
"You can count on me, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto declared proudly.
"Sakura and I will make sure none of Gatō's thugs think about going after the bridge builder," Sasuke replied cooly.
Which leaves me on my own again. She didn't mind it. There were still feelings and thoughts she needed to sift through while the two Jōnin figured things out. Team Seven dispersed to fulfill their respective missions, leaving the kunoichi back to her one-handed struggle to set the bandage. When she nearly had it in place, two gentle hands halted her and eased the bandage from her hands.
Amari lifted her head to see Haku kneeling down next to her, his brown eyes focused on resetting the bandage. "Here, let me help. You won't get it right if you do it like this."
He wasn't wrong; the bandages were too loose despite her best efforts. With two hands he managed to fix the bandage faster and smoother than she could do on her own. Once done, he offered her a smile and sat down next to her on the edge of the dock.
Zabuza and Kakashi left quietly to, hopefully, discuss peacefully what the end of their quarrel meant. Being left alone with Haku made the yearning to speak to him grow, yet Amari struggled to figure out where to start or what to say.
"It was foolish of you to stand in the way of that jutsu your Sensei used," Haku stated softly.
"I know," she admitted through a sigh. Not exactly how she wanted this conversation to start, but she'd work with it. "But it was a better alternative than allowing him to kill you. I may have shattered my own perception on my purpose and ended up severely injured, but I would go through this pain all over again if it meant sparing you from death." She shook her head. "I won't say I'm sorry for following my heart. My conscious is clear."
"Is that what you seek? A clear conscious?" he asked, not angrily or in disbelief, but in honest curiosity.
Maybe? Amari wasn't sure. Finding her nindo was by no means easy; it forced her to truly consider what her wants, dreams and goals were…and come to grips with the fact that she didn't really know what they were or who she wanted to be as well as she once believed. To find those answers she had to break through the walls she used to protect herself from her pain and confront who she was as a whole, not just the fragments she held onto.
"I-…" Amari paused and turned her gaze down to the water below them as she tried to find the real answer. "…I'm not sure. Life as a shinobi is a difficult path; far more difficult than I understood even with the pain I was given. I'm not sure a clear conscious would be possible, but I'd like to try. I don't want to have any more regrets than I already carry when I reach the end of my life, no matter how short or long it is."
The regrets she carried were heavier than the weights Kakashi made her wear, and she knew she'd have to bear them until she drew her final breath. But if she could live a life without adding anymore onto them, she'd die happily.
"My cousin once told me to make my own path, to choose a way of life to follow that gave me no regrets and made me whole inside. I've spent the last few days trying to figure out what kind of path I'd need to follow to do that."
"And?" Haku asked, again genuinely curious to hear if she figured it out.
"It's been tough," Amari admitted. She reached up to untie her bandana then laid it across her hands so she could look at it. "I want to protect my friends and be there for them through all their fights, and I still want to be a ninja. None of that has changed, but I don't…I don't want to be used and discarded like a broken tool when I'm no longer needed. I don't want to be stripped of my emotions. I want to keep my compassion and use my skills to protect those I care for and spare lives instead of taking them when I can."
Haku remained silent this time and the pair remained that way for a few minutes, both content to traverse their own thoughts as they listened to the waves sloshing under them. Amari's mind returned back to the questions she had been asking herself for the last few days. What were her wants? Her dreams? What path did she want to follow and how did she build a foundation around them?
I never want to give up. I want to protect the people I care about and remain compassionate. I don't want to seek power for the wrong reasons and lose myself to the anger I hold. She could be proud of that, but what about her dream? What did she want to do with her life? Defeating Kasai couldn't be the only thing she strived for. She wanted and needed more.
I think…I think one day I'd like to settle down and have kids. At least two, but I wouldn't mind more. I doubt I'd give up being a shinobi, but I want…I want to fall in love with someone and have kids. Plus Mom can be a grandma that way. Hehe, that'd be awesome, she giggled internally.
Kids were a long way off, though, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever find someone she could love like that, or if she was capable of it. Still a good dream to strive for, but she wanted something that wasn't as far into the future as that would be.
Mulling over her wants and desires in the comfortable silence was nice, and eventually it led to a smile pulling onto her lips. "I think I figured out my nindo." She tied her bandana around her forehead again and stared out at the horizon. "I'm never going to give up. I'm going to remain compassionate and follow a code of honor, love, respect and loyalty to my friends and family. That's something I can be proud of and it gives me the chance to still protect my friends to the best of my ability, and one day I'll become a Jōnin Sensei so I can teach the next generation of shinobi about the Will of Fire."
And someday I'd like to find my peace and have kids, she added silently.
Looking back to Haku, she found him smiling warmly at her. "I think you've found a good nindo. I hope one day you do succeed in your dream." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar Leaf Village headband she had totally forgotten back on the bridge. "I've been meaning to give this back…Thank you for saving my life."
He handed it back to her, the familiar weight and Leaf symbol bringing a smile to Amari's face. So much hard work went into earning it. And the pride in Iruka's eyes as he gave it to her made it all the more special. "Thank you for holding onto it. I…I forgot how important it was to me when I was hurting." Two years of hard work. Two years of trying to prove to herself that she was capable of becoming a shinobi. Two years of struggle to overcome her inner demons, all of it amounting to the day she finally earned this headband.
Amari tied it around her neck again then looked back to Haku with a kind smile refusing to leave her lips. "The connection we made on the bridge, I've never experienced anything like it before. But I'd like to redefine that connection so it isn't built on our shared pain and forced circumstance where we had to hurt each other. It might be too hopeful, but I'd like for us to be friends."
The Mist ninja smiled softly and gave her a small nod. "I'd like that too."
Seeing it as an opening to start over, and remembering how she first met Naruto and Shikamaru, Amari put her hand out for a handshake. "I'm Amaririsu Yūhi, formerly known as Haya Uchiha. Everyone I know now calls me Amari. I was orphaned after the Uchiha massacre and I don't really know how I survived or who my parents were."
Lifting up her other hand, she traced the scar on her face, her smile shifting into one of sadness as she prepared herself emotionally for her next words. "This scar was given to me by a boy who killed my two best friends, and in one of my best friend's final moments he transplanted this new eye for me and gave me the task to end the one responsible for their deaths. I was found by Leaf ninjas, my Sensei being one of them and my adopted mother being one as well. They, and a few others, saved me from my loneliness."
This was actually really refreshing to be starting over with him and having a nindo. She felt stronger and happier inside even as she was speaking of some of the hardest moments in her life. "I graduated as the top kunoichi and number one rookie from our Academy after spending two hard years training to become strong. I was assigned onto Team Seven as the balancing point and this was our first big mission as Genin, which was actually an accident since it was meant to be a C-rank not a B- or A-rank."
Haku laughed softly at her introduction before taking her hand in his own and giving it a shake. "My name is Haku. I am a descendent of the Yuki Clan who possess the kekkei genkai Nature Transformation of Ice Style. I was born in a small snowy village in the Land of Water. Not long before I was born, the land was torn apart by a war where shinobi with my kekkei genkai fought. Because of that, those of us who possessed it became feared and hated for our abilities."
Hearing how they were outcasted made her heart fall a little. But just like her he continued on without hesitation in his introduction. "My mother was the wielder of this kekkei genkai, and after it manifested in me, my father and some of the villagers killed my mother and attempted to kill me…I ended up killing them to save myself. I was alone for a long time until I met Zabuza. He gave me a purpose and trained me; in return I devoted my life to him. After his failed attempt to assassinate the Mizukage, we fled and we've been on the run since. We came here and allowed Gatō to use us." His saddened smile lifted into a warm one. "And then I met you."
His smile made her heart flutter pleasantly against her chest.
"I wish the world didn't have to burden you with so much pain, but I'm happy to have had the opportunity to fight you, be foolish and nearly get killed trying to save you and now try to start over," Amari said.
"I'm glad to have been given this opportunity as well." He turned his gaze out to the horizon. "I…I'm not sure how we continue from here. I've never had anyone besides Zabuza to talk to." Haku looked back to her with a hopeful and sheepish expression on his face. "But if you're willing to be patient with me, I'd be happy to be your friend."
Amari's lips split into a fond smile as she gave a nod of agreement. Falling back into comfortable silence, their eyes drifted to the water below them and their reflections in them.
"Haku, would you be able to turn a large area of water into ice?" she asked at length, a new idea coming to mind.
"Yes. Why?"
"Want to ice skate?"
"I take it your student hasn't been around lately?" Zabuza questioned, looking over to Kakashi.
Both shinobi stood on the roof of the bridge builder's house looking down at Amari and Haku, who were speaking to one another as equals instead of enemies.
"What makes you say that?" Kakashi quizzed, not ready to let his guard down. They may have joined forces to defeat Gatō's thugs, but he wasn't ready to give his trust or an agreeable attitude to a person that had a hand in causing his student so much pain.
Zabuza snorted in amusement at his returned question. "Come on, Kakashi. You're not the only one who can pick up information in a brief encounter."
Unfortunately, he was accurate in his observation. Amari had been taking time off ever since the battle on the bridge. After everything she went through, the injuries she sustained and the emotional damage, she needed time to regroup and assess who she was and what she wanted to do.
No one else could do that for her. This was one battle Amari had to fight alone, no matter how much he wished he could fight it for her.
All of Team Seven was worried about her, but none of the Genin were yet aware of the nightmares their teammate now suffered from because of her actions. Kakashi wouldn't have known either if he hadn't found her sitting on the same roof he was currently standing in the early hours of the morning, eyes pinned on her trembling hand as tears glistened in her eyes.
No explanation was needed for him to understand what she was experiencing. He knew. The suffering she was now experiencing and hiding from her team was an all too familiar friend. Worst part about it, there was absolutely nothing he could do to take it all away. All they could do was support her as she fought through these new terribly real nightmares.
"She's been trying to find a path to follow since the bridge. In the meantime I've given her time off so she can recover from her wounds and get her mind right," Kakashi explained.
"You do realize she has no choice but to continue to be a shinobi, right?" Zabuza asked.
Kakashi gave a small nod. Her eyes and her bloodline made his student a target. Even if she gave up the life, she'd be pursued if the knowledge of her eyes became widely known. There were bound to be others like Mizuki who would betray the village. Traitors were an unfortunate part of shinobi life that was bound to repeat, and if the next person wanted to take her eyes then she'd be forced to fight again.
"So long as there are those who seek out power for their goals, she'll have no choice but to fight. The least she can do is choose what she wants to fight for."
After a brief moment of silence, Kakashi turned to the rogue ninja, his brow furrowed and his single eye active as he examined him. "Why exactly did you come back?" Zabuza made a confused sound, breaking his gaze from Haku and Amari to look him in the eye. "We did work together to scare off Gatō's thugs, but after that you and the kid could have left without a word. I'm no fool, there's a reason you chose to come back."
"I see nothing escapes the eyes of Kakashi of the Sharingan," Zabuza said, his voice containing hints of humor. The rogue ninja turned to look back down at the kids, his face softening in a rare show of honest emotion. "…Haku wanted to speak to your student again and return her headband. I owe him much for everything he's done…and I owe that girl a debt for saving both of our lives."
"Is that a sense of honor coming from Zabuza the Demon?" Kakashi prodded, intrigued by the notion.
Zabuza shut his eyes, chest rumbling as he chuckled. "Call it what you want, Kakashi."
A sly smirk crossed Kakashi's lips under his mask at the easy dismissal of his statement. He didn't need anything more than that to reach his conclusion.
"What? Surprised that I'm human enough to feel those emotions? No matter how hard we ninja try, we can never escape our humanity."
Even when we're lost in our darkness, all it takes is someone willing to reach through to us to remind us we're not emotionless tools. And sometimes, Kakashi thought as he glanced back to his student, that hand can come from the unlikeliest of places.
"Looks like she made her decision," Zabuza noted when Amari took her headband back from Haku and tied it around her neck again.
Kakashi couldn't help but smile at the sight, knowing that within Amari's heart the resolve he had seen grow over the years was ignited once more.
The balancing point of Team Seven was back.
Maybe now I won't be put into an inescapable genjutsu by Kurenai.
Explaining how her daughter's arm was torn apart was not something he was looking forward to upon returning to Konoha, especially when he had to explain how it was his attack causing her nightmares.
Kurenai's motherly claws were bound to come out.
No point worrying about it now.
He needed to ask Zabuza one more question anyways.
"Where are you going from here?"
"Not sure yet," Zabuza answered. "We won't be staying here though. Any decent tracker ninja will hear of our battle once word of Gatō's demise begins to spread. We'll have to lay low for a while and then decide what to do from there."
His answer was vague, but honest. Kakashi figured Zabuza and the kid would be packing up as soon as they could to head out, it was one of the reasons he was suspicious of their return. Despite everything that had transpired, however, he wished them the best. Few shinobi who lived as long as they had were able to turn back from the darkness. He didn't know if it would stick for the Demon, but he hoped, for both the kid's sake and Zabuza himself.
Amari held her hand out to Haku and the boy took it as he began speaking to her. Both had wished they could meet without clashing blades, the connection they made causing their hearts to ache the more they had to cause the other pain.
This situation certainly counted as a better circumstance.
Probably the first real friend he's made. Kakashi glanced to the man smiling next to him, his eyes holding none of the malice they had during their fight. Another reason he came back? Short of asking directly, there was no way for him to know for certain. It wasn't a terrible reason to come back, and it showed that Zabuza wasn't just seeing Haku as a tool anymore.
Haku jumped down onto the water and created a medium sized circular area of ice with his jutsu. Hopping down after him, Amari attempted to slide on the ice, only to let out a surprised "Eep!" as she lost her feet and fell backwards. Haku was there to catch her before she could hit the ice. Gently, he lowered her down to the ice so he could create ice blades on the bottom of their sandals.
He spared a few words to her then helped her onto her blades. Without another word he began skating around the ice as Amari studied his movements. Not long after the Nara began to follow after him, moving in the same manor he had to an impossibly precise degree for someone who never skated before. Using your Sharingan to copy movements so you can ice skate? Kakashi wasn't sure if he wanted to smile or sigh at her use of the ability, so he chose sighing first and then smiling. At least she's using it.
"Haku?"
"Yes?"
"Do your arm and chest still hurt?" she asked curiously as they skated side by side.
He didn't seem to be favoring his arm or his chest at all despite the wounds her clone dealt to him. Not that she wanted him to still be injured. She didn't want that at all. Amari was just worried he was hiding his injuries from her, and possibly causing himself more pain because of it.
"They're still healing, and my arm is a bit sore, but I was able to create an ointment from healing herbs that has helped accelerate the process." A frown tugged onto his lips. "My apologies, I should have made some for you. Your wound was far worse than mine."
A light giggle escaped her, lifting his frown into a confused look. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm durable!" Her attempt to make him laugh was a mission success and led to her giggling right along with him. Laughter was a good way to forget about the terrible nightmares haunting her now, the ones that matched Ryu's death in intensity and pain. "Besides," she continued in a somewhat more serious voice, "the long healing process is motivation to never let myself get this injured again. I'll train harder and get stronger."
"I'm certain you will," Haku said, his smile making her feel warm and fuzzy and flustered for feeling warm and fuzzy.
Haku's strength was eye opening to how far she needed to go. Quite frankly, he kicked Sasuke's, Naruto's and her clone's butts badly. Had he wanted to, he could have killed all three of them with relative ease.
Amari shrugged the thought off and focused on the feeling of relaxation ice skating was bringing her. Although The Land of Fire did have snowy winters, she had never taken the time to do normal kid things like making snow angels or going ice skating. She wanted to…she wanted to be normal and try those things, but every time the desire came she thought of Kasai and how he was undoubtedly training harder than her.
No time for it, she would tell herself.
As she skated now, Amari realized she had been too stubborn, too focused on her goal to end Kasai and had missed so many opportunities to have fun. There was nothing wrong with stopping to smell the roses now and then. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I need to take a page out of Shika's laziness doctrine and start trying things I thought would waste my time.
Silently she vowed to make several snow angels when winter came to Konoha.
"What do you plan to do when you return to your village?" Haku asked, breaking Amari from her thoughts.
When she looked to the boy to answer, she couldn't help but smile when she noticed how at peace he was. His soft smile hadn't left his face since she first jumped on the ice with him to start skating, save for the one moment when he thought he needed to apologize to her. He seemed truly happy, and she was glad to have even a minor role in it.
Unknown to her, the role she played was far larger than she realized.
"Knowing my mom and Sensei, I'll be sent to the hospital to make sure my wounds are fully healed. Troublesome adults," Amari mumbled the last part to herself but Haku still caught it and chuckled softly. Being stuck in a hospital was going to be a total drag. "After that…I really don't know."
The Shadow user rubbed the back of her head as she pondered on what would happen when they got back home. "At a guess, D-ranked missions will be coming our way. I'm pretty sure Lord Hokage will think twice before caving into Naruto's requests of a harder mission after the injuries we all received."
Or sending us to catch Tora if she ever gets loose again, that seems to be a bad omen for Team Seven.
"I'll definitely have to step up my training if I want to be a Jōnin Sensei, though I think I'll go about it differently." Haku's features became one of curiosity, a curiosity she had no probably sating. "Before this I was training hard every day, which won't change. But I never took the time to do things I enjoyed, outside of shogi and cloud watching. I haven't read a real book in ages, or watched a sunset without thinking about training and what I need to do to improve."
"You were trying to gain the strength you believed necessary to defend those precious to you."
"And didn't realize I was steadily losing myself to the dark road I promised my friend Ryu I wouldn't fall down. Power leads down two paths, a dark road that leads to hate and pain and a brighter path that is not easy to stay on but lets us stay true to ourselves. Both roads can be abandoned for the other thanks to the side roads that lead back, but the brighter path has many roads leading back down to the shadowed road while the darker paths detours aren't always lit for people to see," Amari recited.
The words felt familiar even though no one she currently knew had ever spoken them to her. Must have been my family before.
"Wise words," Haku complimented.
"I think someone once told me them. Maybe one of my parents," she replied softly.
"You had a good goal. Protecting the people precious to you isn't something to give up on."
Amari nodded in agreement as they skated along. "True, and I won't. I may have a new nindo but that doesn't change who I care about or the fact that I'll fight for them regardless of what I face. Still, someone with pure intentions can do bad things and never realize it. It's thanks to the people around me that I didn't go completely power crazy." She gently bumped Haku with her shoulder. "You helped too."
"How so?" Haku asked.
"You fought to help Zabuza and to not kill us," Amari explained. Looking back, she should've realized his intentions during their fight, but she hadn't. "You managed to remain compassionate towards us and still mostly kept your dream of protecting Zabuza alive. You found a way to avoid killing us and would have fulfilled your mission had Kakashi-sensei and I not got Zabuza in such a sticky situation where my Sensei was using such a strong jutsu. I can only follow such an inspiring example."
His ability to not lose his compassion and spare them, all the while keeping his promise to his own dream of protecting Zabuza was where she had gotten part of her inspiration for her new nindo. Over the years, this boy had had his heart torn between his duty to Zabuza and his peaceful nature. To not have killed them outright like he could have was inspiring to Amari, because despite all the bad he had seen, despite all the pain he went through, he didn't lose his heart.
He might have been close, he might have nearly cracked during their fight, yet he didn't. He kept true to his duty and kept from killing his heart completely.
No matter what kind of fight she ended up in, she wanted to try to end things without death the same as Haku. Death wasn't the only option, and in the young girl's eyes it shouldn't ever be the first option someone jumps to. She was sure someone or multiple people in the world today believed sacrifices were necessary for peace, but in her mind that was where they were at fault already.
Peace shouldn't have to require sacrificing others' lives. War wasn't the answer to gaining peace and neither was gaining enough power to put the rest of the world under your heel. This wasn't to say achieving peace was easy or that it could be done overnight, but diplomacy and peaceful resolutions to age old problems were worth pursuing.
Feeling suddenly alone, Amari stopped and found that Haku was no longer next to her. She turned around in search of him and found the boy completely still, an awestruck look on his face. "Haku?"
"I— your words…" His eyes shifted in different directions as he seemed to struggle to find the words he wanted to say. He lowered his head, which only furthered the Nara's confusion.
Had she just offended him?
Worried and ready to correct her mistake, she skated back over and stopped in front of him, hoping he wasn't too mad at her. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
Haku shook his head and then she noticed a smile on his face. "Thank you for your kind words," he said, bowing his head in a respectful manor.
She smiled fondly at him. "Well, you're cute for a boy, so consider those on the house." Pink tinted his cheeks as a bashful smile took over his features. It took a second for Amari to realize exactly the words that had just come out of her mouth, but as soon as they did she felt her cheeks beginning to burn as she most certainly turned strawberry red in sheer embarrassment.
That was supposed to be an inner thought! This was sooo embarrassing! How could she let that slip at a time like this?! Shrieking internally in mortification, she fought against the need to Body Flicker to the opposite side of the continent to hide away forever. "Er-…that wasn't- I meant to say—"
Had the ice melted and become a desert or something? Because sheesh did she feel warm. Man, why did I have to make this so awkward? I'm such a drag!
She did think he was cute, one of the cuter boys she had met since becoming a ninja. But to have let that slip out was almost the same level of mortification as Naruto and Konohamaru using the Sexy Jutsu on her.
Much to her utter dismay, a low chuckle echoed from behind Haku…meaning others had heard this and seen them both turn red. "Well well well Haku. Looks like you've got a crush on the Leaf Genin, and looks like she has one on you."
Once more Amari's shades of embarrassment turned into shades of rage as her eyes pinpointed the rogue ninja behind Haku as her target. He would never speak of this again to anyone!
"Aren't you a bit old for her? What is she, ten? And you're fifteen."
While Haku continued to turn red in embarrassment with his brown eyes refusing to leave the ice below them, the kunoichi of the pair blasted off the ice to destroy Zabuza. "I am not ten! Prepare to be pulverized, old man!"
Zabuza rumbled with laughter as he dodged away from her, hopping back and out of the way of each strike easily as Amari tried her hardest to land a blow on him in retaliation. "Oh, so what are you? Nine?" Zabuza prodded humorously.
"I'm twelve!"
"You're pretty tiny for a twelve year old. I'd be worried if I were you. You may never hit a growth spurt and become a woman."
Oh. Oh. He did not just go there! "I'm going to destroy you! Stop running so I can introduce your face to my fist!"
Zabuza chuckled at her outburst and jumped onto the water, likely assuming she couldn't follow. When her feet hit the water and continued carrying her across it, his eyes widened a fraction in surprise before his instincts resumed in guiding him in agile dodges. Unfortunately for Amari, she was having trouble diverting her attention between the inevitable demise of Zabuza and distributing the proper percentages of chakra to her feet.
The toes and heels of both of her feet were already soaked from a few close calls. But she kept pushing forward. She wasn't going to let him escape without some kind of retribution for his taunts. No way! No one got to make fun of her blush, her age, her small size and insinuate she might never grow into being a woman without meeting her fist.
Channeling chakra through her body, she launched forward to land her strike when she believed him to be off guard. Before her fist could connect, her forward momentum was halted completely as she was suspended and incased in a water sphere.
"Water Prison Jutsu," Amari groaned at being caught by the stupid jutsu. She crossed her arms and legs and puffed her cheeks in a pout as she floated in the center of the bubble. "I hate you so much right now."
"I'll give you credit, little girl. I didn't think you'd be able to walk on the water."
"Hmph!" The kunoichi turned away from the man and continued to pout.
"If you didn't have to focus so hard you would have seen this jutsu coming."
"I only managed to do the Water Walking Technique shortly before our fight on the bridge." Looking back over her shoulder, she squinted a glare. "But don't think you're exempt from being pulverized. Once I figure out a way to get out of here, you're face and my fist will become close friends."
He snorted humorously at her challenge, bringing up one hand to glide a finger over the spot her fist and kunai had hit. "Got a nice new scar from the first meeting and I don't plan to gain another. You also know there's only one way out and I don't see your team or Haku coming to your rescue." Zabuza smirked and lowered his hand. "Get comfortable."
He's right. Amari looked over to Kakashi and Haku, who were still standing off in the distance. Sensei looks lazier than ever and will tell me that I got myself into this situation, and I think Haku's still trying to regain his composure. She groaned inwardly. Man I'd be so screwed in a real fight right now if I didn't make my single contingency plan.
"Don't think you've beaten me yet. I may have been too focused on my chakra distribution to not see this jutsu coming, but I still have one more move left." A startled gasp escaped Zabuza when three Shadow Clones came springing out of the water around him. "I told you, didn't I? Stop underestimating me."
With no other choice, Zabuza released the jutsu to take down the clones, leaving the real Amari to catch herself on the surface of the water.
"Hey, what's going on?" Naruto's voice echoed from the dock.
The sound of his voice brought an evil smirk onto the kunoichi's face. Seeing the evil intentions, Zabuza frowned and took a cautionary jump back. "I'll be right back." Amari Body Flickered and reappeared right in front of Naruto. "Naruto, it's time to show Zabuza why he shouldn't mess with you and me when we team up!"
It took him a moment to readjust to her sudden appearance in front of him, but when her words registered, her best friend grinned widely. "Oh yeah!" He pumped his fist into the air. "Amaruto is back in action! Zabuza!" The knucklehead pointed a finger at the rogue ninja. "You're going down right now! Believe it!"
"We're not trying to kill him," Amari whispered to him.
"I know but I want him to take us seriously," Naruto whispered back.
She nodded then motioned for him to get on her back. "Come on, I'll carry you so you don't fall in the water." He hopped on her back without argument and Amari Body Flickered back over to where she had been initially standing.
"And how do you expect to fight like that?" Zabuza asked, clearly amused at the piggy backed Naruto.
"Naruto, let's go with Amaruto Ninja Skill number one. Ten clones." They both brought up the clone seal to the best of the ability in the situation they were in. Truly neither of them had thought this far ahead. Fighting Zabuza while having to carry Naruto would be difficult, if not impossible.
Thankfully they had trained to synchronize their Shadow Clones.
"Combined Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A half circle was formed in front of Zabuza of ten Amari's holding ten Naruto's. "Naruto's, get on my clone's shoulders," Amari ordered.
There were synchronized laughs and "Yes ma'ams!" from the Naruto's followed by groans of "Troublesome" from her own clones.
The Naruto's jumped up onto their shoulders and then the real one did the same to Amari, earning a muttered, "Troublesome," from her.
"Time for Amaruto Ninja Skill number two!" Naruto announced from her shoulders. He jabbed a finger at Zabuza, who was trying to figure out if he should take them seriously or not. He wisely chose to bring his guard up. "Taijutsu Flurry! Charge!"
His enthusiasm made Amari smile to herself before charging in with their group. "Naruto, you're the leader on this one. I have to focus on my chakra so shout directions."
"You got it, Amari!" He was excited. Her time away seemed to have left a hole in his life, and honestly it had done the same to her. Although she had seen her teammates over the three days, the short time she was able to spend with them wasn't enough to fill in that hole. Reunited fully with her best friend filled the hole again, and there was nothing that would ever separate the duo again.
I hope I can stay true to that sentiment.
As the group attempted to land blows on Zabuza, who easily out maneuvered them at every turn, Amari worked hard to form a plan of some kind while focusing on distributing her chakra to her feet. The problem with coming up with a plan was that she wasn't sure what she was going for here anymore. It had started out as a way to get away from the embarrassing situation she and Haku had found themselves in, but now it was more like a fun war that she had dragged Naruto into.
Their Amaruto Ninja Skills would certainly help here, although they had trained differently to do these moves. They had never planned for her to be carrying him on water where her focus wasn't fully in the fight. Taijutsu Flurry and Combined Shadow Clone Jutsu were meant to be used on solid ground where they could use them to a better effect.
If they were both masters of the Water Walking Technique then they wouldn't have this dilemma, but Amari wouldn't give up so easily.
"Amari, dodge to your left!" Naruto shouted, bringing her back into the fight.
Obeying his command, she jumped left a decent ways away from their opponent. When her right foot hit the water she felt it break through the surface. Her heart jumped into her throat and her eyes widened. Chakra. Feet. Now! Refocusing, she channeled the necessary amount to keep them above water. Too close, she sighed in relief.
"So, what's next in your so-called ninja skills?" Zabuza taunted. He had managed to escape their Taijutsu Flurry without getting hit and now they were down to five clones and themselves.
"Amari, do you have the tools needed for number three?" Naruto asked, mischief in his tone.
"Give me one second and I will," Amari replied, bringing up her clone seal again with her clones following her movements. This was going to take some chakra, but it'd be worth it. "Get ready. It'll appear right in front of you." Two shurikens suddenly appeared right in front of her friend. He, along with his clones, were quick to grab them before they fell out of reach.
"Ninja tools from a Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Zabuza asked in confusion of the strange sight.
Amari smirked and would have shrugged if her shoulders weren't burdened by extra weight. "Not quite." She looked up to Naruto. "Ready when you are."
"On three!" he yelled to the clones. "One! Two! Three!" All five clones and Naruto tossed their dual shurikens into the air above Zabuza. His eyes followed the tools up, body tensing in preparation for their next attack. On cue the shurikens dispelled into twelve Amari's, all carrying boat paddles in their hands. Normally it would have been kunais and shurikens, but since they didn't want to kill Zabuza she had to improvise.
"We usually would call this one Ninja Tool Rain, but for the sake of improvisation and blunt weapons I'll go with Paddle Storm," Amari said casually.
Her twelve clones let out battle cries as gravity took hold and began throwing the paddles at Zabuza. Again he dodged around until one paddle smacked him in the back of the head. Then he stilled and let the clones falling from the sky hit the water around him without moving.
Uh-oh. Darkness permeated off of the rogue shinobi. Darkness Amari believed they were about to regret bringing out of him.
The clones that splashed into the water started grabbing the paddles to return them to their rightful owners, each doing their best to steer clear of the Demon.
Then Zabuza started going through his handseals for Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu.
"Uh-oh."
"My sentiments exactly, Naruto," Amari responded.
"Time to dispel the clones and go with number four?" he asked.
"Yes to the first. As for the second, I don't recall a number four."
The boy on her shoulders laughed nervously. "Yeah, I was kinda hoping you'd think of one right now."
Their first clones dispelled themselves, leaving them as the only target for Zabuza's jutsu. Okay, think. He still has some handseals to go through. Water is weak against Earth, but I can't even pull off an Earth Style Jutsu. Pretty much screwed there. Wind won't do much either, and once again I can't even use that jutsu. That leaves me at Fire, which is weak against Water.
"We're screwed, aren't we?" Naruto asked.
But if I could at least make a hole in his Water Dragon I could…Amari's eyes bulged at her own ingenious thought. It would take testing to make sure she could do it, but if it worked she'd definitely get the jump on their opponent. "Not yet. I need to test my Fire Ball Jutsu against his Water Dragon first. If it doesn't work, then yes, we're pretty much screwed. But hey, we never give up, right?"
He grinned down at her. "That's right!"
The large Water Dragon formed out of the water, its menacing gold eyes staring right through them. Amari quickly weaved her Fire Ball Jutsu handseals then took a large inhale of air. She exhaled a wave of fire that smashed into the Water Dragon Jutsu, creating steam at the point of contact but not doing nearly as much damage as she hoped.
Damn. Amari disengaged her jutsu to conserve her chakra for her next attack. I'll need a lot more heat to punch through that mass of water which means…"Naruto, how's your chakra?"
"Good to go Amari. Need some?"
She nodded and rested her hand on his knee; a blue hue formed around her hand as she focused solely on taking his chakra and maintaining her place above water. "Amari, jump straight up!" Naruto shouted.
Amari snapped to attention and saw that the Water Dragon was nearly upon her. Acting on instinct, she released a surge of chakra from her feet and flew into the air, narrowly dodging the dragon and leaving them floating helplessly.
"Nice try," Zabuza taunted.
"Behind us!" Naruto shouted.
What?! Amari peered over her shoulder in her horror to see the dragon had changed direction and was aiming right at them. He changed direction so fast! No way was she going to be able to land on it or on the surface of the water to dodge the attack. But if she didn't get a solid surface then they'd be swallowed whole by the dragon.
Thinking quickly, the Nara created a clone directly under her and used her as a surface to jump higher into the air just as the jaws of the dragon nearly smashed into them.
"Amari, I'll distract him. Just get your jutsu ready," Naruto said.
"What are you planning to do?" Amari asked as they ascended.
"Our fourth Ninja Skill! Shadow and Fire Dynamics!" Naruto jumped off her shoulders before she could process how well he had guessed her next move. A set of twenty Naruto's appeared around him with another twenty underneath them being used as platforms. "Attack!" All of them launched off of their clone platforms using chakra, leaving Amari to use the twenty clones falling forms as makeshift stairs to slow her descent.
"Come on Amari and Naruto, you can do it!" Sakura's cheered from the docks. Glancing over, she noticed Sakura and Inari both cheering them on. Nearby, Kakashi, Haku and Sasuke all watched on, thoroughly entertained by their play fight from the look of it while Tazuna and Tsunami watched on with smiles.
Now I have to make sure we succeed. Can't let Zabuza win, even if it isn't a serious fight. We'd never live it down. The Naruto's pelted the Water Dragon like missiles and exited out the other side in a desperate attempt to hit Zabuza, but none got close enough. Trying to shoot through the dragon knocked them off course and sent them yelping and flying into the water.
This is my time.
Amari created two Shadow Clones then charged closer to the Water Dragon. In synchronicity the trio weaved the Fire Ball Jutsu handseals and inhaled large, chest expanding breaths. Fire Style: Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu! They released their large mouthfuls of flames, combining them to smash into the large mass of water.
Steam formed at their area of impact again, and this time it seemed her flames were beginning to finally push through. Seeing her opening to give this fight a grand finale, she channeled as much strength as she could and put them into her flames. A blast of energy came off the trio as the flames gained new intensity; the surge of power proving to be just enough to tear a hole straight through the dragon.
The Dragon began collapsing on itself. Her clones dispelled as her energy hit a low point, but the cheering of Inari and Sakura made her smile through the wave of exhaustion. I can't let this end without the finale. Using what remained of her energy, she charged forward and, when she reached the collapsing Water Dragon, used her chakra to launch her through the opening she had made.
"Got you!" Naruto snickered as he and a clone grabbed onto Zabuza's legs from the water.
"Dynamic Entry!"
Amari could practically see the scene behind her; his Water Dragon collapsing, the shine of the sunset creating a beautiful background and her now damp blue hair flowing behind her.
This was likely her most dynamic entry yet.
Before her foot connected with his face, she readjusted her body and tackled him. "You bra—" Zabuza's curse was cut off as they both were submerged in a sea of blue.
When she surfaced fully soaked, Naruto met her wearing a bright grin. "Haha! Nice one Amari!" He brought his hand up for a high five and she cracked it with a giggle. "No one defeats the Amaruto combos!"
Zabuza surfaced between them and shook his head to shake some of the water off of him. He then turned his mildly perturbed gaze to her. "Want to go another round, old man?" Amari teased.
Reaching over to her, Zabuza rested his hand on her head in what she thought was meant to be a head ruffle, but instead he pushed her down under the water.
Naruto jumped to her aid and onto Zabuza's back sinking him down and giving her the chance to resurface and breathe again. Laughs began to bubble out of the two kids as they continued fighting in the water with Zabuza, doing everything they could to keep him from dunking them.
In the distance Team Seven, Tazuna's family and Haku watched on, smiling and laughing at the trio in the water.
The future was always an unknown but that didn't bother Amari anymore.
She was ready for any challenge that was thrown at her.
Review Response to the guest mikan26: Sorry, no Sasuke POV yet, but there will be soon. I'm happy the last chapter stirred some emotions within you and hope you enjoy this new update.