Hey there, you beautiful people, and welcome to another chapter of Shadows Apprentice. I know I saw this basically every chapter, but I honest and truly can't get over how many of you have been giving me such wonderful feedback on, well, everything I've been posting of late. One hundred follows and over 60 favs just on this story. Hooooly every loving shit. When I started this account after a long hiatus from the site and writing in general, I didn't for a moment think I'd be at this point, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you. As long as y'all are here, I am, and I'll always give you 100% on everything I do. Now! As I've gotten all the mush out of my system for this chapter, let's begin eh?

Chapter 8: The Tiger of The Mist Strikes

"Oh finally, a town! I was starting to think we'd be stuck in the backwoods for the entire trip there," Naruto complained, stretching his arms over his head. The town in question, Nayoshi from the sign they passed as they crossed the outer limits, was bustling with activity that reminded him of the center of the Leaf's shopping district. After breaking camp early that morning, a still sleepy Naruto was just happy to see some civilization after hours of more walking. The smells of food vendors filled the air, they passed by a couple stalls selling various trinkets, and there was even a hot spring further down one of the streets to his right, though a quick look at the line told Naruto the wait time to get in was likely ridiculous. Not worth it just to sit in some hot water for a while. "Kakashi-Sensei, have you ever been here?" Naruto asked.

"Once, maybe three years ago, I think? I don't know, time blurs together for me a lot. But it seems to have grown a lot larger than what I remember. That hot spring definitely wasn't there before," he said, pointing over his shoulder in the direction of the spot. Tazuna chuckled, not derisively for the first time since they'd met the man.

"Tourism will do that for you. See Nayoshi is known as a 'border' town, though it's lost that in literal terms these days. Before the re-drawing of the lines after the third great war, this place, and several others to the north and south of here were built along the old borders, and naturally saw a lot of traffic with merchants, shinobi, all types of people passing through. And even after the nations redrew the borders after it was over, the reputation just sort of stuck. These days Nayoshi is the biggest, but their all still thriving, at least as far as I know. It's a big reason as to why the bridge I'm building is so important. We may never reach the prosperity this place has…but if we hit even a fraction of it, the lives of my people will be vastly different," he said. Sakura leaned over to speak softly to Naruto.

"Did he just actually talk to us without saying something snippy or am I going crazy?" Naruto snorted out a laugh.

"Yeah, but don't get used to it. These geezers will flip the switch at a moments notice," he said, making Sakura laugh herself. "Kakashi-Sensei, do you think we have time to stop somewhere and buy a souvenir or something?" Kakashi rolled his eye, answering for him without really saying anything. "Aww come on, it'll be a token of our first mission together or…. something," he said. "Okay, I'm not too good with the mushy crap, but you get my point!"

"This isn't a field trip, Naruto. We already lost a night because the Demon Brothers forced us to exhaust ourselves. And in case it slipped your mind, we have a criminal group on our tail. So no, you'll forgive me if gift shopping isn't high on my priority list," Kakashi said flatly. In truth, he wouldn't have minded a bit of relaxing. Catching sleep leaning against a tree wasn't his idea of proper rest, but you made do. He didn't like their odds if more jounin tried to ambush them. The brothers had been relatively quick fixes, but at the end of the day they were just the lap dogs. Their next attempt on Tazuna's life would require a much more forceful response. And despite the tenacity his genin had proven to have, when it was kill or be killed…he just didn't know. So, with the remembered thought of how much trouble they were in for, and to satisfy Naruto's whining, they stopped at a sweet stand on the edge of town as a treat and they each got a little rice ball filled with some sort of sweet paste. Even Tazuna partook of one, but of course Kakashi had to pay. Man, he couldn't wait until this mission ended so the kids would have some spending money. Ryo didn't grow on trees for him.

Unbeknownst to the group as they left the limits of the town, a pair of eyes watched them from afar before disappearing into a puddle of water.

"These are sooo good. Sakura, you think you could make some when we get back to the village?" Naruto said

"Are you a dunce? How's she going to make something she doesn't know the ingredients for?" Sasuke said

"Oh, I'm sorry, is your name Sakura now? Gee, when did that happen?"

"Don't make me come over there." Sakura waved her hands quickly, the boys sending challenging looks to one another, smirking. They really couldn't afford to have these two hold another of their damned impromptu sparring sessions. She saw enough of those in the academy to know they'd be there a while.

"Relax, boys. I'm sure I could figure out something similar, Naruto, so no worries. Just don't pout if it's not exactly to your taste," she teased pulling on his ear a bit. Naruto grumbled, shaking her hand off. She'd never known why, but Naruto hated when anyone did that with a passion. Obviously, nobody LIKED it, but it seemed to be one of those 'buttons' you just didn't want to push with Naruto. Still, with her, he just pouted and maybe grumbled a bit. If it had been anyone else, he'd have been yelling at the top of his lungs, so that was sort of nice to know he held himself back if she'd been the one to do it.

"I wasn't gonna pout," he mumbled. She looked at him with a quirked eyebrow and he chuckled. "Okay, I probably WOULD for a second or two, but I'd still eat 'em no matter what. After all, anything you take the time to make for me is bound to be awesome," he said with a grin. Sakura's face reddened and Sasuke, from his spot at the rear of the group again rolled his eyes. Oh, for the love of all things good and holy, if these two didn't just come out with it, he was going to have an aneurysm out of sheer frustration. Sakura was like a sister, and Naruto likewise had become a brother in all but blood after they'd grown up around one another, but they could frustrate him to no end with whatever this…thing they had going on more than Itachi did with Megumi. This had been going on since mid-way through their first year in the academy and while he didn't care too much at the time, seeing them act like this now was just putting it over the top. The sooner it was sorted out, the sooner another distraction to their training was removed. He made a mental note to speak with Naruto about it at some point if they kept dancing around like this, but he'd let it be for a while longer.

They hit another little hiccup in their journey when they discovered a small bridge leading across a ravine was collapsed. They'd considered finding a way around so they could save their energy and chakra, but any route around this would shave another couple hours off their day, and Kakashi didn't want to risk having to settle down for camp again if they could help it. So, after a brief debate, he used an earth style technique to form a makeshift bridge for them, but after they got to the other side, he took note that the ropes that had connected the bridge hadn't simply been collapsed-they'd been cut. He frowned at this but decided not to comment for now. It was possible he was just being paranoid after what happened yesterday. All the same, he promised he'd inform his students earlier this time if something did crop up. He wasn't going to let them get caught flat footed again. As the day wore on, they began to realize that the bridge was only the first of a series of issues that they would soon encounter. All along the stretch they were on, they kept encountering obstacles. Some of them appeared natural, some were obviously man-made. It was becoming criminally obvious at this point that they were being tailed, and that whoever it was, they were much more subtle in their approach than their last batch of enemies.

"So, are we just going to waltz around and play his game?" Sasuke asked.

"Sadly, we haven't much choice. If we all go traipsing through the woods looking for whoever it is, we'll just invite more misery on ourselves," Sakura said.

"She's right," Kakashi said. "Truth is, even if my ninja hounds could find a strange scent, a Mist jounin would probably have some sort of counter measures in place. So yes, Sasuke, unfortunately we'll have to play this game. But that won't be so bad if we actually win, right?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't reply.

"Yeah…. I don't know about you brats, but I'm feeling the crosshairs right about here, and I don't much care for it," Tazuna mumbled, pointing at his neck with his thumb. "Besides, were still at least half a day's journey from the port that will take us to the Land of Waves. The less time wasted waiting around for this person to attack the better, you ask me. We should be trying to be proactive for a change" 'Well then it's a damn good thing nobody DID ask you' Naruto grumbled mentally, not wanting to verbalize it and cause even more headaches. He didn't know what it would take for this old man to lighten up, but Naruto was liable to throttle him if he didn't do it soon.

Settled into their wait and see approach, the group trudged along further, knowing that by the time the sun set tonight they'd already be well into the mainland portion of the Land of Water and starting to close in on their objective. The sunlight as they walked began to become obscured, a thing layer of mist starting to settle around them. This wasn't unusual for the area they were in by now, but it still sent shivers up their spines. However, it wasn't just the mist. Sasuke noticed something more suspicious out of the corner of his eye. A small stump where one of the many trees used to be. Not a big deal, except he was relatively certain that they'd already passed that same one half an hour ago. Then, when he saw it repeat again, He threw a shuriken at it, letting it sink into the wood, and kept a close eye out for it popping up again. And sure enough, after a brief time, he saw it. His shuriken was even in the same exact spot. He stopped dead in his tracks as he said this.

"Something's wrong. Have I gone crazy, or have we not passed stump several times already?" he said aloud. The group came to a halt and Sasuke pointed to it.

"Sasuke, have you been drinking enough water back there? I mean, the heat could get to anybody after a while," Naruto said.

"Do I look dehydrated? Look, I swear we passed that exact same stump at least three times. I thought it was just my imagination but look closer. My shuriken is still in it, and I tossed it into it a bit ago." Kakashi frowned, looking from the stump to their surroundings. "And come to think…the mist in the trees seems to have gotten progressively thicker," Sasuke continued. "I chalked it up to the weather, but between that and what I've seen? I think were smack dab in the middle of another trap." Sakura's eyes widened

.

"It's a genjutsu!"

"Oh man, you got to be kidding!" Naruto yelled, looking around. "When the hell did, we walk into this?"

"That's MY biggest question too. It had to be something subtle for none of us to even remotely pick up on it till now. My guess is, the mist was made by a jutsu to hide our surroundings, making it harder to tell we were basically walking in circles. What's more, whoever cast it on us hasn't bothered to attack yet. But for what purpose?" Sasuke said.

"Obviously to make us worn down and tired. Just like those other 'accidents' that slowed us down earlier. It's all been little stabs at our energy and our chakra reserves. Still, it's a sloppy job if a genin was able to deduce it. I suppose being on the run constantly doesn't leave a shinobi enough time to practice the basics, eh?' he called out into the mist before forming the tiger hand seal, dispelling the genjutsu. All at once, they came out of the illusion and realized that they were back where they'd 'started' for lack of a better term. After a certain point, they'd not actually walked much further than they'd expected. If Sasuke hadn't picked up on the little touch that was out of place, they might've 'walked' until their bodies were collapsed into heaps. The bridge builder and their own lives would've essentially been forfeit from there. A dark chuckle came from the mist, seeming to surround them, yet only a single figure emerged. He wore dark pants with a sleeveless white and blue striped shirt, black gloves and his face was half covered by a rebreather mask like the ones worn by the initial attackers they'd dealt with. His piercing blue eyes were like little chunks of ice as they examined the group before him. A reverse bladed sword twice the size of the average blade was in his hand, the added weight it no doubt had seeming to not bother him whatsoever.

"I'm sorry, if my genjutsu was deduced by a genin, does that make me sloppy or does it reflect poorly on the training of the jounin in your village these days?" he said. Naruto gulped, feeling his throat dry up. The aura that this man gave off…it was so much more intense than those two from yesterday. Just being near him was making him feel like he was in a cage with an apex predator. Kakashi-Sensei wasn't joking when he said that their actions in stopping the brothers would drag someone much worse into the fray. When his eyes locked on Naruto's, he felt a jolt of fear, which must've shown, because he seemed delighted. "Aww, look at this one…whimpering like a newborn pup. Well, you know what they say. When you get a lame one- "he appeared behind Naruto before anyone could blink, "-You take it out back and be done with it!" he swung his sword downwards, and might very well have taken his head off, but an arm was thrown around his waist and Kakashi pulled him away. "Fast…" the man mumbled. Kakashi sat Naruto down and reached up, placing a hand on his headband.

"I thought I recognized that blade…Your Kai Fushigoro."

"You know me? I'm flattered, truly. You know, it'd be a shame to have to kill you, but we could easily avoid that if you'd just hand over the old man. My employers wish to have a word with him, that's all. It's ultimately just a simple business issue." The genin gathered themselves and formed a defensive ring around Tazuna as they had before. Kai let out an annoyed breath. "So, I can assume that means no? Well, no matter. I'd prefer to give my sword arm a workout anyway." Kakashi smirked.

"Arrogant…well you certainly live up to that part of your reputation. If you'll forgive my assumption, I think your criminally underrating my team. And me." In one motion, he pulled his headband up and, for the first time since they'd known him, team seven saw their sensei's full face. His eye glowed with a crimson color that, although it surprised Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke was the most affected.

"Is that…a sharingan? But how?" he said softly. The ocular jutsu known as the sharingan was a bloodline trait said to only manifest itself in members of the Uchiha clan. So how did their sensei, someone not of that clan come to possess one? And why only in the one eye? Had the other one been lost somehow, or did he always only have the one? Sasuke didn't really have time to wonder about these questions. The two warriors flung themselves at one another, the blade of Kai's sword and Kakashi's kunai making several clanging sounds as the metal of each weapon sparked against the other. Knowing he had a shorter range as he didn't have a sword of his own, Kakashi kept the distance close, never letting Kai slip too far away. Using his sharingan to predict his movements made this a bit easier than it would've been for others. Perhaps sensing this was his plan, Kai landed a glancing kick to Kakashi's midsection. It didn't do much damage, but in the brief interlude, he sheathed his sword. "I must confess, I'm impressed. Not many can last even a minute against me in a clash of blades, especially when armed with only a kunai. Your not the pushover I anticipated."

"Happy to disappoint you," Kakashi said. Kai smirked, a wicked edge to his expression now as he tore away the breather mask, his hands then flying into a series of signs.

Water Style: Riptide Burst

A gout of water burst from Kai's lips, heading straight for Kakashi. Kakashi leapt out of the way and sent a handful of shuriken which were avoided in turn. Kai and he both formed signs this time. Kai's lips swelled outward with chakra again just as Kakashi's hand slammed into the ground

Water Style: Aqua Bullet

Earth Style: Rock Tomb

The jutsu went off at the same time, a high-pressure orb of water met the swarm of boulders that Kakashi called up from the ground, shattering them. Some shards of the rock embedded into his shoulder, making him wince. There was a brief lull in the fight as the two locked eyes again. Kakashi's mind raced as they shifted their stances a bit, but neither moved 'Obviously a long-range battle is just going to be a big back and forth. And I don't want to tip my hand with my lightning style too quickly…so mid-range is iffy, and if I try to close the distance again, he might be ready this time. Still…' Kakashi moved first, running headfirst into the fray. Kai barked out a laugh as Kakashi drew another kunai and went to slash-only to discover his blade went clean through a solid mass of water that quickly fell away. A water clone. The real Kai appeared next to him then, hand raised. "Gotcha! And now take this!"

Water Style: Water Prison

The water that fell away from Kakashi's blade was suddenly dragged back up and quickly surrounded Kakashi, pinning him down with a weight that could only be from the chakra infused into it. Soon, he was completely immobilized. Stupid. He'd been so preoccupied with how to approach the fight; he hadn't made sure it was even the real fighter he was dealing with. Kai smirked, his eyes falling on the genin, who were utterly petrified. Hell, by now even Sasuke was shaking slightly. "Now then, little pups…how about you send that old man over? I really don't want to slaughter a bunch of kids if it can be avoided. But with you sensei here incapacitated, if you insist on keeping this farce up, that's exactly what will have to happen." The team exchanged looks, Naruto letting out a chuckle.

"Yeah…it probably would be the smart thing to do," Naruto said.

"But where's the fun in playing it the smart way all the time?" Sasuke said. Sakura smirked and the three of them all tightened their grips on their weapons. Naruto's eyes narrowed and risked a step forward.

"Sorry, pal. It's not happening." He lightly touched his arm where their first opponents had wounded him. "I made an oath that I'd never let you people knock me off balance again. And I'm not big on breaking my word. So, if you want to try your luck? I'll show you how big the bite of this 'pup' really is," he said with a growl. Kakashi shook his head

"Naruto don't be stupid! There's no way you can deal with him with me stuck here. Take Tazuna and run! Even if he sends a water clone after you, the clone has a set distance it can move from the real body," he insisted. Naruto shook his head.

"Sorry, Sensei. You can yell at me after we get out of this mess but were not leaving you alone. You said it yourself, people who abandon their friends are worse than scum. Sakura, can you watch Tazuna on your own? At least for the time being?" she nodded. "Good. Sasuke, you with me?" Sasuke stepped up to stand beside him.

"Like you even have to ask." Naruto smirked

"Good…then get ready guys. It's time to go wild!"

Phew…this chapter too WAY too goddamn long to finish. It's damn near midnight as I type this, so I'll spare y'all the long winded outro this time. Read, review, fave, and follow please. All that good stuff, and I will be back at ya with an update to Fox, Hound and Flower next time you see me.

Next time: The Tiger vs Sasuke and Naruto

Till next time, fellow fanatics.

-Elise