"We'll Burn That Bridge when we Get To It"
Ten years ago.
While Neji was gazing into the fire, he also saw Itachi sit up in his tent with a strangled gasp. The Uchiha's eyes were wide for a moment before he carefully controlled his expression, and got out of his sleeping roll. He walked up to Neji and sat down next to him, poking at the fire and casually asking, "How goes the watch?"
"Nothing as of yet." Neji replied simply. The pair were escorting a fire noble on a trip up to wind country; the man had been understandably concerned about leaving protection of himself and his retinue to two children, but had been placated somewhat by a demonstration of the pair's dojutsu.
"Good." Itachi replied, simply, joining Neji in staring into the fire. Neji wondered what he saw there.
They had been a team for two weeks now, and hadn't said more than a few sentences to each other. Both were perfectly comfortable with it, but there was still an undercurrent of antagonism there Neji wanted rid of.
"Did you have a nightmare?" He asked.
Itachi gave him a sharp look. "I assure you I will be fully prepared if we are attacked."
"I don't doubt your ability will be unaffected." Neji appeased. "But that isn't what I asked."
There was a long silence.
"The war." Itachi eventually said.
Neji quickly understood. "You fought in it?"
"Not officially, but I witnessed the aftermaths of several battles. One time I saw a struggling ninja, begging for water, so I went down and helped him." Itachi stared back into the fires. "He attacked me the moment he opened his eyes. It was my first kill. I was four; I didn't fully understand what I'd done for a week."
"And that was the nightmare?"
Itachi nodded. "Can I tell you something? I hate violence."
"A pacifist ninja?" Neji tried to keep the disbelief out of his voice. "So you fight for peace?"
"Counterproductive, I know." A smile pulled at the corner of Itachi's mouth. "I want to make the world a better place. Being a ninja wasn't my first choice, but...I'm just so good at it."
"So like me, you had little choice." Neji mused. "I always felt I was fated to be a ninja."
"You really believe in fate, don't you? What will you do when fate turns against you?"
"You can't fight fate."
"I thought fighting was the thing us ninja are good at?" Itachi pointed out.
Neji looked across at him in surprise. "If fate can be changed, what's the point in it at all?"
"Exactly." Itachi pointed out.
"...I can see we're going to have a lot of interesting conversations." Neji stood up and stretched his neck. "I wasn't going to wake you, but there is a contingent of ninja moving up on our location."
"I noticed." Itachi admitted, getting to his feet as well. "I was about to excuse myself and go after them."
"Want to take them out together?" Neji asked.
Itachi nodded, smiling. "Yes. I'd like that."
Present day, five days after reaching wave.
"You finish tomorrow?" Kakashi asked.
Tazuna nodded. "The main body of the bridge is practically done. We lift one last piece into place, lash a few things together, and we're sorted."
"Well, perfect." Kakashi sighed. "Tazuna, I strongly recommend you and your men take the day off tomorrow."
"What? Impossible!" The old man exclaimed.
"They are going to attack." Kakashi replied, evenly. "We're lucky Zabuzza took as long to recover as he has. Tommorow they are going to come to the bridge, and we are going to go to the bridge, and we are going to be killing each other. I would strongly advise that you not get in the middle of that."
Tazuna sighed. "I'm afraid that's not possible, master ninja. These people know the bridge is almost finished. It doesn't matter if I go in tomorrow and die, but it will crush them if I give up this close."
"Why?" Everyone's eyes turned to Inari. He had been avoiding them at dinners so far, taking his plate up to his room and eating alone. Tonight, however, he couldn't seem to bring himself to go. "Why put your life on the line like that?"
Tazuna sighed. "Sonny, I have to-"
"No you don't!" Inari cried out. "I...I don't want you to die, grandpa."
"You lost your father, right?" Hinata asked.
Inari looked across at her. He nodded.
"Me too." Hinata said. Inari's eyes widened.
"He didn't get to choose his death." She continued. "He didn't get to lay his life on the line for a cause he believed in. He was murdered in his own home. Maybe he died defending his family, my mother...I don't know. Which is good, because if he'd sacrificed his life for nothing I'd have felt the same way you feel."
Inari's eyes were wide.
"Fortunately, that isn't the case. Your father died defending something he believed in. That is honourable. You are upset that your father died, and I can empathise with that. So are you going to whinge about the concept of heroism, or are you going to do something about it?"
There was a pause as everyone stared at the normally quiet girl.
"Well, talk no jutsu aside." Kakashi spoke. "I've had an idea."
It was a strange procession that walked through Wave the next morning. Tazuna at the head, with Kakashi at his left hand. The pair were flanked by team 7. Two lots of team 7, actually. Two Sasuke on the left, two Naruto on the right, and two Hinata behind. Shadow clones were really useful for showing off. They had significantly more presence now than when they had arrived, and the people in the surrounding houses took notice, whispering to each other about the bridge builder and his ninja procession.
Work began.
There was relatively little left to do, and the work was simple. Tazuna had been alone for the last two days, and he worked in silence on the simpler tasks as team seven arrayed themselves around the bridge. His eyes were shifty, looking around for the attack to come. Fortunately, when it did, it made little effort to be stealthy. A wave of mist rose from the water's surface, swamping the bridge.
"Naruto." Kakashi addressed the blond, who nodded. He and his shadow clone clapped their hands together. "Wind style! Buffeting wind jutsu!"
A doubled up gust caught the clouds of mist and blew them backwards, clearing them to the sides of the bridge. It left three figures on the bridge instead of one. Zabuzza held his sword to a stoic Tazuna's throat. Haku, mask in place, stood to the side, looking away.
"Well, I can't say I didn't expect more." Zabuzza said, addressing them across the bridge. "But I have a pay-check to earn." He drew the sword right. It passed straight through Tazuna's throat, blood flying from the wound. Then the transformation dispelled. Hinata, almost half Tazuna's height, was unconcerned by the blade passing over her head. She spun in place and pushed a palm towards Zabuzza's chest, chakra bursting from the tenketsu there. He jumped backwards, pushing himself out of her immediate striking range. Then Hinata flicked a tag out of her sleeve and made a hand sign. The explosive seal detonated.
The shadow clone (for that's what Hinata had been the whole time) popped, and Zabuzza was well within range of the explosion. Team seven's vision whited out for a moment, but when it returned they saw something that shouldn't be there. A wall of ice across the bridge.
"That's...not a water jutsu." Naruto stated the obvious.
"It was Haku." Hinata muttered.
"That wasn't a wind jutsu either." Naruto added.
"Bloodline limit." Sasuke growled.
The ice wall melted, and Zabuzza used the melt to form a trio of water clones. Team seven put their hands together, declaring "Null!" and deactivating their training seals, freeing up their movements. The battle began in earnest.
Haku was significantly more threatening than Sasuke's teammates were. He preferred long range, obviously. Those senbon were a pain, Sasuke couldn't cut them out of the air like Hinata could (still waiting on the Sharingan, body) but if he knew where they were coming from, he could dodge them. The ice, however, was a problem. Fire jutsu wouldn't melt it, against all logic. The damn thing must have been a mixture of water and something, because it cut off all his offensive ninjutsu, and Haku was good enough with it he could throw out ice in Sasuke's way any time of the battle. Crap. He ducked another swipe from a water clone (mental note; get a weapon bigger than a dagger) and went for it's knees. It dodged left, which was good, because that put it in the way of a trio of senbon launched at Sasuke. Unfortunately, water clones didn't have pressure points, and it was fine. Fortunately, Hinata leapt after Haku that moment, and kept his attention thereafter.
Sasuke finished his clone off.
Kakashi was busy with the real Zabuzza. He was unable to simply genjustu the missing-nin, because Zabuzza had decided to blindfold himself the absolute madman. So the pair were duelling across the bridge.
Naruto was...actually helping. His massive reserves of chakra meant he could blow back the mist anytime Zabuzza tried to bring it back in, and his shadow clones let him dogpile water clones, pepper Haku with kunai, and occasionally throw themselves at Zabuzza (only to be immediately cut down.) Zabuzza was doing well against Kakashi, yes, but not well enough to summon any fresh water clones or perform other battle changing water jutsu like the dragon thing he'd launched the first time they'd met. In the next minute or so, they would empty the field of water clones, gang up on Haku, and leave Zabuzza by himself. Itachi had told him not to count his chickens before they hatched, but it looked like they were only three moves from checkmate.
Which was exactly when it all went wrong.
Naturally it started with Naruto's voice. "Sasuke! incomi-"
"Demonic ice mirrors jutsu!" Sasuke's shuriken, which he had hurled towards Zabuzza in a free moment, hit a blank wall of ice. He growled, trying to find a way around the surface-
And realised he couldn't find one.
He was surrounded. Walls of ice appeared, six sides, and stretching up towards the sky. Oh dear.
A reflection of Haku appeared in the mirror. Sasuke looked for the real version, couldn't find it, and caught a senbon in the shoulder for his troubles. He hissed and yanked it out. "My apologies." Haku said, and continued throwing. Sasuke couldn't dodge. The needles came from everywhere, Haku was actually in the mirrors, peppering him. He tried to jump towards one mirror, use his tree walking skills to run out the gap in the top, but Haku appeared in the mirror of his choosing and pushed him right off. Sasuke grimaced. Hinata couldn't do anything against Zabuzza and neither could Naruto. If Haku killed him in here then went to join his master... then even if he couldn't use the jutsu twice (and he probably could) victory would be in their grasp.
Fortunately, Sasuke's solution arrived.
"Hey haircut! Here's a get out of jail free card!" Sasuke grinned, and saluted mockingly to Haku. "See you on the outside."
He felt the pull of Naruto's substitution jutsu and consented, appearing beyond the ice walls. "What kind of prison has gaps in the walls?" He shouted back at the mirrors, giving the Naruto shadow clone on the inside a thumbs up.
The blond shot it back, grinning. Then he took a senbon in the shoulder. He grimaced, and tried to track Haku, and took another couple needles.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just dispel!" He told the clone.
The clone grimaced.
"Yeah...about that..."
"What?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I...may have forgotten I'm not a clone."
Sasuke gaped.
Across the bridge. Zabuzza laughed.
Naruto took another senbon in his side and turned to point a finger at Haku. "Oi!"
Sasuke sucked in a breath. "Naruto you absolUTE FUCKING IDIOT!"
Naruto winced at his teammate's voice and pointed at the nearest image of Haku on the prison's wall. "And you! Why didn't you tell me?"
Haku sighed. "I'm sorry, Naruto. But what did you expect? For me to tell you I was working with your enemy?"
Naruto blinked. "No, not that. You have a penis! You couldn't have warned me?"
"What?" Haku tilted his head. "Oh, right. You thought..? I mean I've been told I look girlish before but I didn't think-"
"You were wearing a pink kimono, Haku! Pink! Kimono!"
Haku sighed. "Can we just get back to the fighting please?" He threw another handful of needles. Naruto dived out of the way, only to get hit in the side by another two from a different mirror. He grimaced. "Shadow clo-" A needle caught him in the fingers, breaking his concentration.
"Just don't. Please." Haku's face couldn't be seen from behind his mask, but his voice was begging. "Let me put you out. Zabuzza says he will let me spare you if it doesn't get in the way of the mission."
"Take that mask off!" Naruto snarled. He felt anger building in his stomach. "We all know who you are! Don't you dare do this without showing your face!"
"I won't." Haku replied, voice breaking. "It makes this easier."
"But it doesn't make it right!" Naruto shot back. "If you can't do this without hiding behind a mask you shouldn't be doing it at all!"
Haku's breath hitched, and he threw another brace of needles. "I'm sorry." He repeated. "I can't be like you, Naruto. If I get attached to you, and your friends and your Sensei, and everyone else...what do I do if they disagree? What do I do if they want different things from me?"
"Decide!" Naruto yelled back. He fell to his knees, the last few needles had cut out feeling to his legs. "Do what you think is right!" He continued. "Be your own damn person!"
Haku shook his head. "I can't live like that. Goodnight, Naruto." He pulled out one more senbon.
Naruto growled, audibly.
He could feel rage building inside of himself, as well as what he could swear was someone chuckling. He remembered the forest, with Misuki. He remembered what had got him out of that situation.
Hey kyubi! He thought. If you feel like letting out some demonic power, now is the time!
He didn't hear a response.
Haku flung his senbon, and it flew right at Naruto's forehead.
Then everything went dark.
Outside the mirrors, everything was going horribly. Zabuzza had used the distraction caused by Haku's ice mirrors to hit Kakashi with a water bullet, then summoned a new brace of water clones. Those did have a permanent cost, unlike shadow clones, but Zabuzza didn't look to be tiring. If anything, his pace had increased, knowing victory was so close. He was monologuing to Kakashi about something, Sasuke didn't know what, he was a little busy. "Can't you 'gentle fist' them!" He called across to Hinata, who was similarly occupied with another damn water clone.
"I can't hit the pressure point on a sword!" The exasperated girl called back. She had actually pulled a kunai for close quarters combat, something he'd never before seen from her.
"We need Naruto out here! Can you make another shadow clone to substitute with him?" Sasuke asked. He was close to empty, one too many fireballs meant that if he split his chakra in half again he was liable to pass out.
Hinata flipped backwards, but her Zabuzza didn't let up.
"If I had a spare second and a half, sure!" She called back.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. Ignoring his own clone, he leapt at hers. It saw him coming and lifted up its sword but he battered it with his kunai once, twice, landing and wrapping his legs about its shoulders. He dropped the Kunai, grabbed it's head and twisted, wrenching its neck to an odd angle. It collapsed into a puddle. "Do it!" He instructed Hinata, landing on the floor and rolling. He was in position to glimpse through the ice mirrors, looking up he saw Naruto kneeling on the floor-
And he saw a needle sprout from his forehead.
"NARUTO!"
His voice echoed Hinata's as the blond genin collapsed to the floor in a heap. Sasuke felt the world around him slow, watching Naruto just lay there lifelessly, and after a moment came a weird feeling behind his eyes that was echoed by two red circles appearing in his reflection in the ice. Oh, Sharingan. Took you long enough to show up.
Well, this was good. Sasuke turned to the main opponent. Now he was going to kill Zabuzza, and then he was going to kill Haku, and then he was going to hope, hope, that the blond moron wasn't actually dead-
There was a rumble.
Then the ice prison exploded.
Sasuke's new dojutsu let him track every single shard of ice falling through the air, and he had a moment to appreciate the beauty of the sight before he noticed the two very important parts of the image.
One: Haku was flying backwards away from the ice with half his mask torn off. There was a giant claw mark across his chest.
Two: Naruto was stood up. His teeth were bared, his wounds were gone, and his eyes were red. Not Sharingan red, but rust red, the same colour as the malevolent chakra that was pouring off of him in waves.
"N-Naruto?" Hinata asked.
Naruto looked up to the sky and let out a bestial roar.
Oh this one was fun to write, I hope you're enjoying it. Cliffhangers, I'm sorry, and some more flashbacks to young Neji and Itachi. Expect a few of those.
Next week, the conclusion to this fight, more Haku edge, and some fun showings from KCM 0 Naruto. All that good stuff. See you then!
