Folded Hands, Chapter Five

Pairings: Zabuza/Haku, possibly others later

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Haku was pleased that he awoke before his master the next morning. His ankle was swollen and sore, but knew that he had to fight the urge to lie on the couch any longer—it was imperative that he not disappoint his master with his laziness that day.

Breakfast was a somewhat painful ordeal, but Haku endured. The sun had risen by the time his master awoke.

Zabuza watched his slave for a few moments after he'd left his bedroom. Haku was aware of him, he was almost certain of it, but he continued to work around the house.

"Haku," he said suddenly, making the young man nearly jump.

He was answered when Haku walked forward to meet him silently, waiting for instructions.

Once Haku's eyes were focused on his face, he continued. "I'm going to see my boss about work. I want you to stay here, and rest your leg for a while." Haku immediately felt defensive—it was his fault that he had the injury, after all.

"You should be alright in a few days. Don't wander off," his master said over his shoulder as he left the small house.

Haku stared at the front door once his master had closed it.

The man hadn't even stayed for breakfast.

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Zabuza took his time walking to his 'boss's' place. He took work where there was work, and the local law office had not-so-recently created a branch devoted to contacting men like himself. He knew the man who chaired the department, and he was often given the most violent targets because of his reknown with such men as a skilled assassin.

On the way to the law office, he looked around the local market for breakfast. His slave had prepared something—he'd realized it as he left the house—but Haku seemed to have a rather small collection of recipes in his memory. Rather, his specialties were stew and…stew-like foods.

He noticed that there were women and slaves shopping. Many of the stalls sold their goods at lower prices in the early morning, mostly to get rid of the previous day's bread.

Some of the slaves who were shopping were Haku's age, too. Quite a few were younger, sent out by some idiot master who was just begging to have his slave robbed, beaten, and…harmed in other ways.

Zabuza arrived at the law office about an hour after sunrise. He was greeted by the sight of a dark, empty, room…

"Yamamoto? You here?"

In the light that poured into the room from the outdoors, Zabuza could vaguely make out a man waking suddenly while sitting at his desk.

"Whazzat? Zabu—er…" Yamamoto turned on a nearby lamp, and rubbed his eyes as he stared at his visitor.

"Shut the damn door, it's so fucking bright outside…"

Zabuza complied with the sleepy (or, more likely, hungover) man's request, then took a seat in one of the chair's in front of Yamamoto's desk.

The forty-something government official rubbed his temples and sighed. "I hate you morning people…" he said as he gathered himself. Zabuza didn't reply; he'd been through this with Yamamoto before. It was part of his 'operating procedure'…or a plan to make sure no one would bother him before noon.

"Anything come in?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Wait, I'm getting there…." the older man clumsily looked around the cabinets of his desk, and eventually handed Zabuza a folder labeled 'Gatou'.

"This shithead thinks he owns the fucking East Waterfall Village," Yamamoto said as Zabuza glanced over the file's contents. "Wants to be some kind of 'boss', you know. Hires guys like you, but young and stupid, to do whatever he wants."

"And?"

Yamamoto glared at him. "Freakin' punk. Anyway, we don't like that. He's had some of our officers and judges killed. He's started a prostitution ring, and a drug ring. The whole East…whatever Village has been in a state of disorder and terror, and we don't know what to do about him anymore." He signed, and rested his face on his hands, barely trying to stay awake. "Our boys don't want to go after him…wives and kids and stuff…god, I wish I was still married…"

Zabuza didn't respond to that, either. "What does this say here?" he asked, showing the file to the official.

"What? Can't you read?"

Zabuza glared at him. "Of course I can read. I just want to know why this says that you've already hired some men for the job."

Yamamoto grinned. "I wouldn't call them men, really. More like…an assortment of different people."

"So, is the job taken?"

The official leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Well, the target isn't just Gatou. It's his nest. The office is looking for a team that can taken down Gatou and all those punks he hired, as well as capturing his right-hand man and…some other people."

Zabuza frowned. "Who are these people?"

"I don't know their names or anything, but they're from a place to the east. The job is in two weeks, so you'll get to meet them a few days before the mission."

Two weeks? I won't be able to train Haku very much…

Yamamoto broke his thoughts. "So, you want it?"

"How much?"

"Uh…." The official pulled the folder out of his hands. "Four-hundred thousand, split two ways."

The money was good.

"I'll give you a copy of the information tomorrow, along with some pictures of Gatou and his men." Yamamoto leaned back in his chair. "Anything else?"

Zabuza shrugged. "It'll do."

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He returned home to find Haku resting on the couch, mending some of his clothing. His slave started to stand when he saw him, but Zabuza immediately barked at him, "Don't get up."

Haku sat down, looking downtrodden, and he waited for his master to speak. The shirt he was mending lay neatly on his lap, and he folded his hands over it, holding the needle in his right hand.

Zabuza took the armchair next to the couch.

"There's another job in two weeks, so I need your ankle to heal so that we can pick up training again," he said sternly.

"Yes, master."

"That means that, unless you need to, you don't leave this couch."

"Yes, master."

His slave's displeasure did not escape him, but he didn't really care, either, so he continued.

"I'm assuming you already cooked for the day?"

"Yes, master."

"Good." He looked at Haku's bandaged ankle. "How has your leg been today?"

Haku wasn't sure of how to answer, but he forced out the response, "Painful."

"Looks like it," his master said. "Keep your weight off of it. I'll look at it after dinner."

Haku nodded silently. His master left him then for his bedroom, and Haku returned to his mending.

His injury was frustrating him anew. Not only was he now a burden to his master…his training had to be delayed as well! And there was a new mission!

Haku paused in his mending.

I hope that Master doesn't make me dress like a girl again. I wish that he would tell me what kind of mission this was...If only I hadn't hurt my ankle.

He looked over his injury. His ankle was swollen to nearly twice its usual size, and he could barely walk with it.

As soon as my ankle is better…I'll put everything into training for him.

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One week later, the bandages came off.

His master had made him join him outside the following morning for 'training'. He hadn't been sure of what his training would entail, but his master had decided to teach him the basics first.

"Have you every been in a fight before?" his master asked him.

That was a difficult question. "I've been attacked, but I don't know how to fight back," he said hesitantly. "I only know how to use jitsu."

"Jutsu," his master corrected him.

Zabuza was impatient, and it was obvious to Haku. The mission was only a week away, and he wanted to slave to have enough training to take part in the mission. He didn't want the young man to make a fool out of his master and himself by needing rescuing.

Haku's head hung in shame.

Everything. Everything. Everything.

His master moved on. "One week isn't enough time to develop your taijutsu," this word was lost on Haku but he kept that a secret, "so I'm going to help you with your ninjutsu."

"Ninjutsu?" Haku asked, making sure the pronunciation was correct.

Zaubza nodded. "Ninjutsu is a combination of hand seals and incantations used to attack, defend, et cetera. It seems like you can perform some already with seals and chants, but it's worth teaching you anyway."

His master showed him a few hands seals and told him the attacks' names. Then, he drilled him over the seals.

Haku practiced while he made dinner that night. He was not going to disappoint his master.

"Horse-crane-eagle-toad…" he murmured as he practiced the hand positions over their dinner-to-be.

During those few moments when Zabuza left his room for some reason or other, he was amused to find Haku practicing the hand seals in all of his spare time.

Maybe a few days will be enough time. After all, Yamamoto said that Gatou mostly hired punks…his ninja might be second-rate. Haku's pretty sharp, too, so he'll probably be able to get by with a few ninjutsu and his already-existing techniques.

Haku's ability to manipulate water without seals or incantations was a mystery to his master. He knew that his slave might have possessed some sort of weird ability…he'd heard about kids being born with talents before, but didn't know much about it.

There was also the possibility that Haku hadn't been entirely truthful about his past. Zabuza considered this as he watched Haku practice the Replacement hand seals over the vegetables he was cooking on the stove.

The training might make him more dangerous, but he's nothing that I can't handle.

After all, Haku was just a fair-faced kid with some weird tricks up his sleeve.

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His master let him practice the techniques the next day. By the end of the fourth day, Haku had adequately mastered the Replacement technique, generation of water clones, the general transformation technique, and a few water-manipulating jutsu.

Haku seemed to be the most enthusiastic about the former three techniques. Little did his master know how badly he wanted to learn from him, and how he loved the attention his master gave him when he mastered a new ninjutsu. He was happy to have a master who made him stronger in their time together, rather than…

His thoughts and hand seals were interrupted when the water he was manipulating sloshed around. Haku stopped immediately, and the dragon that had formed from the water in the lake collapsed.

Zabuza growled at him, "Pay attention. This might save your life. Remember, if you screw up during this mission, I won't be there to save you."

Haku hid his disappointment as best he could. "Yes, master," he said softly as he began to recite the incantation again.

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Zabuza soon grew tired of the training session, and sent Haku to the marketplace around sunset. Haku nearly ran to the market, making his old injury sting. What he wanted more than anything was to please his master, and he knew that that wouldn't happen if he was robbed after nightfall.

As he reached the stalls, his empty stomach reminded him that he had not eaten yet that day. His master had also abstained from meals, but Haku knew that Zabuza was stronger than he was, and he had not wanted to complain to his master about food during their training session.

The man was under enough stress as it was.

Haku stopped at a stall that sold snacks, and decided that there would be no harm in buying something for himself. It would help him to concentrate on bargain-shopping, after all.

As he took a place in the line for the stall, a boy with bright blonde hair and bright blue eyes nearly knocked him over.

"Whoah! Sorry, sis," the strange boy said as he looked over Haku quickly. "Sorry about that, you know, ladies first," he said, gesturing for Haku to take a place in line in front of him.

Haku stared at thet boy for a moment. 'Ladies?' He wasn't even dressed like—

He was used to that sort of thing, though, so he took a place in line in front of the blonde boy.

As they waited in line, the blonde boy said, "I really am sorry about that. I know it's wrong to be mean to girls and all. It's just that I came here with my master, and he didn't stop for food anywhere, and you know…" His stomach growled and he laughed.

"Master?" Haku asked, suddenly interested. He was talking to another slave, like himself! A small part of him felt less guilty for stopping at a snack vendor before doing the shopping.

"Oh, yeah, Master Kakashi," the blonde said. The name didn't have any effect on Haku, and the other boy realized why.

"Sorry, I should have told you, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm from the Fire Country, but that's supposed to be a secret." He smiled cockily.

Now that he was officially speaking to the other slave, Haku looked over him again. He had spiky blonde hair, bright blue eyes, scars on either side of his face, and he was dressed in a dark grey robe and shoes that looked like the type his master wore.

Haku smiled back. "My name is Haku. My master is back at home, so I'm doing his shopping."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh? You have a master too? Wow! Total coincidence!"

Haku ordered dango, and Naruto looked over the menu. "What should I get? I'm not used to his kind of food…most of it sounds like girly stuff." He squinted at the menu, then said, "Sis, can you order me something?"

Somewhat bothered by the fact that Naruto, a stranger, was referring to him (a boy) as 'sis', Haku just said, "Well, you could try the yakitori."

"Oh! I've had that before!" Naruto grabbed the stall owner's sleeve and shouted, "Mister! Two—no, three orders of yakitori! I'm freakin' starving!"

Some of the people in line behind them were complaining about Naruto's loudness, but Haku thought his behavior was entertaining. Once he had been served, he waited for the blonde boy.

Naruto took the skewered chicken from the vendor and paid, then joined Haku. "Say, sis, what are you up to?"

Haku smiled softly, a smile that won Naruto over. She's so pretty! Almost as good as Sakura! "I'm out shopping for my Master." He'd already said it, but…the kid seemed a little dense.

"Oh, yeah, you said that." Naruto thought for a moment. "Hey! Why are you out doing his shopping?"

"Isn't that what I'm for?" Haku asked, happily awaiting the strange boy's strange response.

"No!" Naruto starting to eat his yakitori in a starved fashion as Haku neatly ate his dango. "If my master asked me to do that, then I'd kick him!" He smirked. "Master Kakashi would be too busy reading one of his shitty perverted books to notice! Ha!" He turned to Haku, and said, "Your master is supposed to train you, not make you do stupid errands! That's what they're for!"

Haku was somewhat confused by this. Naruto's master must have been very lax…or maybe punishment had no effect on the boy.

"Maybe we're supposed to do things for each other," Haku said softly. He didn't want to disagree with him outright. Naruto was being kind to him, and he like the friendly attention.

Naruto thought for a moment, and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Master Kakashi trains me, and I do stupid stuff for him, like retarded missions back home where all I do is help people cook noodles and find cats and chase down weird bugs and stuff."

Haku smiled softly. "I do my Master's bidding, and he provides me with shelter, food, and clothing."

The blonde looked confused. "Eh? What do you mean?"

"NARUTO!"

The two young men spun around to see a pretty girl with pink hair and green eyes, wearing a deep red robe, standing next to an attractive black-haired, black-eyed boy wearing a deep navy robe.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted, waving at the girl. "This girl's a ninja too!"

The black-haired boy looked stupefied. "You retard, don't shout shit like that!"

Naruto covered his mouth, and it was Haku's turn to give Naruto a confused look. "I'm not a ninja." Not really, anyway.

"Eh?"

Realization came over Haku, and he quickly bade goodbye to Naruto. He was ashamed right then, though he wasn't sure why. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.

I wasted so much time talking to that foreign boy! I need to do the shopping quickly!

Naruto stared at Haku's retreating back while Sakura and Sasuke tried to make their way over to him.

"That boy's a slave," a silver-haired man with his face hidden in a book said suddenly.

Naruto jumped back as he realized his teacher was standing next to him. "Master Kakashi! When did you get here?"

His teacher scoffed. "I've been here. I was actually standing here. You just didn't notice."

Naruto shrugged, and then his teacher's words hit him.

He spun around as his teammates caught up to them, and shouted at his master, "Boy? What BOY!"

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Nightfall had hit when Haku returned home. He found his master sitting at the dining room table, waiting.

He quickly set the groceries on the countertop, and gave his master the change from shopping.

Zabuza arose then, and said, "You're going to train against some other people tomorrow. Eat dinner and go to bed." He left him then for the solitude of his room.

Haku quickly obeyed his master. His hands shook with anxiety. I took too long, I know I did. Maybe he's having me train with someone else because he's tired of me.

Three days left.

As he tried to fall asleep that night, he started to practice the hand seals. He fell asleep with his hands folded next to his face.

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Enter Uzumaki Naruto!