Chapter 10

I'm going to be honest. This chapter might end up being a bit short. I feel like the final fight between Zabuza and Team 7 would have been a relatively quick event and I genuinely want to keep Arashi separate from them. The fight with Zabuza and Haku is very much a development point for them and it feels wrong to interject an OC into it.

Basically, Arashi's going to be off trying to be useful in her own way.

Arashi knew that Zabuza was near the bridge.

She woke early to scan the area and stretched her senses as far as she could. Within the town she could feel bands of civilian signatures gathering at a few locations. It reminded her of a storm growing in the distance. With a deep breath, she rose to her feet on the pier and turned to Tazuna's house. It was time to start the day.

There was no need to find Kakashi – the Jounin was waiting for her.

He no longer needed to move around with crutches. If not for her abilities, she would not have known he was there. As if nothing was ever amiss, he returned to his laid-back demeanor. He was stationed near the door, propped against the wall as he read. The eyelid of his uncovered eye was drooped in a bored expression.

Well, I assume it's a bored expression. I can only make out the one eye.

"This is earlier than normal for you." He commented. "Is it that time, already?"

"It is." She replied. "I figured I could do a quick examination and then you and your students can go fight Zabuza."

His eyebrow rose but he never looked away from his book. "So, he's making his move?"

"Yeah." She pushed her glasses up her nose. "It was a matter of time. Think you're ready?"

He nodded. "I'd say I'm completely recovered."

"That's good." She paused for a moment. "Do you think any of the things I've tried helped any?"

"If it has, it's been minimal."

"I see. That's what I expected." She sighed and pursed her lips. "Maybe over a long span of time, I could figure out a way to condition someone's chakra system to heal faster and produce more?"

"Possibly."

She shrugged. "Ah well. I'd like to check on Naruto. He wasn't looking like he felt great last night."

They stood over the Uzumaki and watched him snore heartily. Sakura and Sasuke were already up and ready.

"Well, he's definitely tired." Kakashi commented.

"He could stay here and watch after Tsunami and Inari." Arashi commented.

The Jounin rubbed his chin while he considered it.

She hovered closer to Naruto to get a quick assessment. His chakra was fine, his signature was strong, and there was no sign of anything wrong with him beyond exhaustion. With Zabuza near, there was no dread or fear clouding her thoughts – only concern. If everything went sideways and Naruto was killed, she would be heartbroken and the Kyuubi would once again manifest and be loose in the world.

"I think that's a good idea." Kakashi finally stated. "He can stay here with you."

The medic perked up. "Thank you, Kakashi-san."

"Mm." He hummed a response and turned the page in his book.

She stood, placed a hand on his sternum to get his attention, and peered up at him. "Be careful, taichou. I'll send a shadow clone to follow up behind you, just in case. It's not much, but she'll be able to heal a few wounds and throw a kunai if she has to."

A glint came into his eye as he peered down into her face – almost nostalgic – before he gingerly grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from his chest. "You're very touchy."

She leaned back and he released her. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. It's a habit."

It was the truth, but she was also hoping to gauge his reaction. She had never flirted with anyone before and she wanted to see how he would react to contact that did not fall under necessity.

He was quick to let me know it wasn't cool, I guess.

He recognized the difference between medical concerns and an attempt to show personal concern. There was still an established boundary – they were on business terms. Not friends, but friendlier.

"Anyway, are you sure you want to sacrifice that chakra? Shadow clones are costly."

"I know. I have more than enough for one or two." She replied.

Short of Naruto with his demon, she had the most chakra out of everyone there.

"Mah," he snapped his book shut and tucked it away. "I should probably get going."

"Alright. Try not to get too injured."

After Arashi created a couple clones – one to stay at Tazuna's house and one for the bridge – she made her way straight toward the first cluster of signatures that she felt that morning. It led her to an old warehouse that appeared to be abandoned. The windows were boarded up, the doors looked to be rusted shut, and the streets around it were deserted. At face value, there was nothing notable about it. It reminded her of looking at a placid body of water.

Still waters run deep, though.

Arashi wondered if the group of people inside were workers, but she saw no evidence of it being an active jobsite. She wished that she knew how to imitate Daisuke's camouflage technique, but she knew it was not necessary. The knowledge that time was limited goaded her into action. She found a window that had a gap in the boards in order to peer inside. The crowd that she saw would not fall into a "decent, working men" category. It was a warehouse packed with a rough sort of people.

Now that she was confident that she found some of Gato's men, she circled the building, running her fingers across the wall to draw seals on the exterior. Arashi had never been a fan of violence. Now that it was her time to hold up her end of the deal and handle Gato's small militia of criminals, she was forced to acknowledge a concern that had been nibbling at the back of her mind. She doubted that everyone involved was a hardened thug and she was willing to bet that many of them felt like this was one of the few opportunities they had to make money in the area. Even if it was shady, she could not blame them for that.

It was that line of thinking that made her decide on her current approach. If they could not get out of the building, they would not be able to make it to the bridge.

Her fingertips tingled as the barrier knit together under her hands and wrapped itself around the building, following the path she drew out for it. There was a measure of satisfaction when the jutsu was complete and the barrier faded into the background. To the untrained eye, it was invisible. It would never be considered a particularly strong barrier, but it was more than capable for the task she needed it for. The men contained within would be of no consequence and she did not have to fight them. It was a win-win. She was sure to provide enough chakra to keep it active for several hours.

But, there's definitely more activity going on.

Arashi chewed at her lips as she scanned through the area. There was another cluster of civilians that struck her as unusual. They were not in the market area. They were on the outskirts of the community. She noted that the water ways would serve as an excellent method to get them to the bridge by boat. It was a good plan.

Maybe a little better than I expected. Did they decide to split up due to some sort of foresight or warning? I guess Gato wouldn't have a chokehold on the Land if not for having backup plans and some redundancy.

As confident as she had been, she was now concerned about keeping her promise to Kakashi. Clones were useful, but she knew the more she divided herself, the weaker she and each subsequent clone would be. She needed to keep tabs on her own limits, in the event that she needed to rush back to Naruto. Above everything else, his seal was her priority.

A small group of men turned toward her direction. None of their signatures concerned her, but their approach piqued her interest.

I might have sealed the warehouse a little early.

She brushed her hair from her face and prepared to meet them.

They could be nice. No guarantee that they're more of his hired men.

When they came into sight, she groaned inwardly. The group was led by a man with an intimidating but messy tattoo covering most of his face.

Totally more of Gato's men. Face Tat there looks like he was born and raised in jail.

Arashi pushed through her disdain and regarded them with a calm composure when they drew closer. A couple of them nudged each other and pointed toward her. A whispered exchange passed between them and the group laughed.

"Hello there." She greeted.

Their leader, the man with the face tattoo, sneered at her. "You're not half bad. Too bad we have things to do, but we'll be glad to come back for a little fun later."

Arashi managed to conceal a gag behind her smile. "That doesn't sound too bad. Mind telling me what you're all up to?"

"Don't you worry, baby girl. I'll tell you all about it later if you can ask real nice."

The rest of the men laughed on que.

Instead of replying, she watched as they strolled up to the main entrance and ran face first into the barrier. A chorus of disbelief rippled through their group. Their leader pressed his hands against it and grumbled under his breath. The reset of the group followed his lead, knocking at the surface.

As amused as she was to watch the scene, Arashi had other places to be. She turned on her heel and began walking away.

"Hey!" Their leader called after her. "Do you know who did this?"

"A ninja, I guess." She replied. "Your employer has made some enemies."

Revelation lit up in his eyes. "Was it you?"

She shrugged. "Do I look like I know how to do something like this?"

The group of men eyed her for a full moment.

"Yeah, you kinda do." Was his response.

The medical bag, kunai pouch, and the plethora of scrolls covering her body was a giveaway.

"Huh. Alright." She mumbled.

A normal civilian would avoid a confrontation with a shinobi, regardless of their age, size, or gender. The skills and abilities that a ninja possessed were undeniably impressive, but they were dwarfed by the tales and rumors that were spread around by civilians. In most situations, that alone was enough to act as a deterrent. Most people were not willing to risk their lives in a fight they had no chance of winning.

Face Tat was not a normal civilian – he had a reputation to uphold and a group to impress.

Arashi almost laughed when he drew a knife and pointed it at her. "You better fix this right away!"

"Or what? You'll cut me?" She asked.

He charged.

The medic drew in a deep breath, concentrated her chakra into it, and blew out forcefully – the torrent of air that came out of her was strong enough to sweep all of the men off their feet and deposit them in the water next to the warehouse.

She assumed that they would leave her alone at that point. With a shake of her head, she turned to begin on her way again.

She was wrong.

Their leader drug himself out of the water and found his feet again. "I'm not done with you!"

She gritted her teeth in annoyance and focused chakra to her hand for a scalpel. "Do you really want to die?"

He charged – unaware of the bird shaped shadow that swept over him – and was snatched up by the gigantic falcon that was known as Sukai. The man had time to squeal before the bird landed on top of the building and dismembered him. Arashi and the criminals all yelled in shock as blood showered onto the pavement.

"Sukai! We don't eat people!" She shrieked up at him.

He ruffled his feathers and dropped the corpse. "Why not?"

Arashi rubbed her temples. "I think we should go."

"What?" The bird tilted his head to one side and then the other as he tried to understand her point. "He was going to kill you, little meal."

"I wasn't going to let him but thank you for your concern."

After leaving the scene, she noticed that her clone, Tsunami, and Inari were nearby. She assumed they might have been shopping, but Naruto was not with them. The medic knew that her clone would not have willingly left Naruto by himself with enemy shinobi nearby. Curiosity got the best of her and she changed her course to meet up with their group.

What she found was a scared Tsunami, a motivated Inari, and a thoroughly pissed clone.

The woman startled when Arashi stepped in front of them. "Oh! There's two of you!"

"Yeah, sorry. I have multiple places to be, so I made a couple clones." The medic explained. "I didn't want to concern you with many details, but Zabuza's on the move, Gato's gathering men, and I need to do something about it. Where's Naruto?"

"I'll show you." The clone rolled her eyes and poofed away.

"That was rude." Arashi mumbled.

All of the clone's experiences flooded into her. It took a moment for her to process, but it served its purpose: Naruto awoke, realized he had been left behind and ran out with a declaration that he would not be left out again.

Arashi's clone gave chase, leaping through the trees after him.

"Naruto-kun – Kakashi-san said you had to stay here with me! We're to protect Tazuna's family!"

"They're not leaving me behind! They always leave me out and I'm not letting it happen this time!"

"I get your frustration, but our role is important!"

Naruto promptly changed his course to get away from her. She went after him again, this time tackling him from the branch which resulted in a rough landing on the ground. They argued and struggled. It was like wrestling a wild animal.

In that time, they noticed actual animals cut up on the ground and brush cut away – in a clear path toward Tazuna's house.

They rushed back to the house to find that Tsunami had been taken and Inari was missing – they found Inari as he went to confront the two people that took his mother – he was going to die like a man – Naruto intervened – Clone Arashi discretely killed the two men and drug their bodies away, feeling that an already traumatized child did not need to see that.

By the time she got back from disposing of the bodies, Naruto had booked it and left her there with an unconscious woman and a child that was "going to get the town to fight off Gato's men once and for all."

Arashi rubbed her temples. "Well, I see that you're both still alive, so that's good. I agree that getting everyone to band together is probably a good idea, especially if Kakashi and his team do not beat Zabuza. He'll probably be weak and an entire mob of people would be enough to either kill or chase him away. I also have a band of people locked in a warehouse that we'll need to deal with soon."

"Wait, what?" Tsunami's face darkened with worry.

"We're sorta at the 'act or die' stage, so I think there's no time to really worry. Stick with your son and don't get attacked or anything. I'll, uh, make another clone, I guess."

"You don't have to worry about us!" Inari insisted. "C'mon, mom!"

She created another clone and sent her along with the pair.

I need to hit that other location.

Arashi scaled the side of a building to reach its roof and then signaled to Sukai. The bird swooped down low enough for her to leap onto his back. As they drew close to the next location, she noticed boats lined up and ready to go. There was activity around the area.

They flew over, low enough to get a better idea of who the people were.

They look sufficiently shady.

Instead of it being a warehouse, it looked like a run-down bar or restaurant. There was a decent number of people milling about and the tension was thick in the air. Enough of them were outside that she figured creating a barrier would not be as effective and she would have to fight a lot of people in the process.

But the boats…

She signaled for Sukai to fly over them, even lower than before.

Arashi inhaled, formed a hand-sign, and set them on fire. Yells of shock floated up to her ears and a grin tugged at her lips.

This is actually kinda fun-

The breath was knocked out of her by a wave of chakra she had not sensed in over a decade. It was overpowering and it boiled through her senses – she was simultaneously scorched and chilled to her bones.

It was the Kyuubi.

Not its full power, though! She realized. "Sukai! To the bridge! Fast!"

For all of his lack in manners, the falcon was an invaluable means of transportation. Noting the tone of her voice, he beat his wings against the air and had them cutting across the water as quickly as he could. Despite how swift he was, the clone Arashi sent to the bridge was destroyed well before they could get there.

As the information from the clone made itself home in her head, her stomach sank.

Sasuke appeared to be dead and Naruto's seal was leaking. The masked kid – Haku – did have a kekkei genkai, but it was not holding up against the Kyuubi's chakra. The Uzumaki was on a rampage. The clone met an unfortunate demise while trying to reinforce the seal.

Kakashi was busy fighting Zabuza. Sakura had not left Tazuna's side.

This isn't good.

Her hand found a scroll that she had stored on her person, just in case this happened. The issue was that placing a seal over a seal was more likely to cause additional problems. It would inhibit the function of the original.

But if the seal comes completely undone, I don't think there's anything I'm capable of doing to seal the whole demon.

Sweat beaded on her brow. She weighed out her options – which were fewer than she had realized – and prayed that things stabilized.

The demon's chakra subsided as the silhouette of the bridge came into view through the mist.

Arashi exhaled but was only partially relieved. She needed to see Sasuke and she had to get Naruto away from combat to ensure another leak did not occur.

As Sukai flew over the bridge, the wind from their flight pushed the mist back. It afforded Arashi a clear view of Kakashi concentrating chakra into his hand. The sound of it screeched through the air and her hair stood on end. Beyond that, he had a laceration across his chest.

Zabuza was incapacitated by a pack of dogs.

Well, it looks like he has this under control.

The Jounin charged and thrust his lightning encased hand toward his enemy – but less than a second before he found his mark, Haku threw himself in front of the man and tried to block it with an ice mirror.

It stood no chance against the force of Kakashi's attack. It sliced through the mirror and the momentum carried the Jounin's hand completely through the boy.

Arashi's eyes widened.

Not every day that I see someone get impaled.

The medic dropped from the bird's back as Zabuza attempted to slice through his partner and Kakashi. She landed close to Sasuke's body.

The Jounin evaded the attack, even with the boy on his arm.

"You'll pay for that, Zabuza!" Naruto yelled.

"No, Naruto! Stay out of this." Kakashi ordered. "This is my battle. Zabuza's mine."

Arashi was hit by the familiar intent to kill. Even without that, she could tell that Kakashi was angry by the way that his signature crackled through him. She wondered if his calm, laidback demeanor was just another mask to hide how reactive he really was.

Regardless…

The Jounin had things under control from his end and Naruto was stable. Arashi turned her attention to the Uchiha and found that her feet were heavy as she approached his body. Senbon protruded from him.

She knelt next to him and felt his skin – he was cold.

She wondered how long he had been gone. Gingerly, she removed some of the needles and set them to the side. As she stared at him, all she could see was him as a younger child. He had once been a sweet creature with a bright future. It was just too painful to look at him and talk to him after the massacre. He was angry – understandably so – and she was unable to make anything right for him. No one was.

"Kami, Sasuke." She whispered as she brushed his hair from his face. "You never deserved this. Any of this."

Her hand shook and she pulled it back as if she had been burned. Tears stung her eyes, but she pulled her glasses off and wiped them away, angrily.

"I promised him that I'd help take care of you, you know. A long time ago, when things were different. I couldn't even do that."

Cold was not necessarily a bad thing – it could prevent cells from dying as quickly. While she was unsure of the timeframe that he had been gone, she decided to act. CRP was not as showy or mystified as medical ninjutsu, but it had its place.

Arashi placed her hand on his chest and began compressions. Once she counted to thirty, she provided two rescue breaths and then continued compressions.

The medic completed several rounds with no results by the time she sensed Sakura and Tazuna. Defeated, Arashi rose to her feet and stepped back. She slid her glasses back on and swallowed over the lump in her throat. When Sakura saw the boy, her eyes widened in horror.

"Sasuke-kun!" She gasped.

Tazuna grimaced and averted his gaze from the body.

"Is there anything you can do?" Sakura asked, desperately.

Arashi shook her head, no.

The girl fell to her knees next to him and placed her hand on his cheek. "His body's cold. This isn't Genjutsu, is it?"

Sakura trembled, but managed to keep herself together. It was clear to see that she was on the brink of a breakdown.

"Go on. You don't need to be brave on my account." Tazuna commented. "Go ahead and let your feelings out, Sakura. It's alright."

The girl caressed the Uchiha's face, thoughtfully. "I was the best. Aced every test at the academy. The perfect student. Did you know there are over one hundred principles of shinobi conduct? I memorized every single one. I used to love it when they tested us on them. It gave me a chance to show how smart I was. I remember so clearly this one exam, they asked us to explain the 25th principle. I got it right, of course." She paused to regain control over her breathing as tears streamed down her face. "A shinobi never shows his true feelings, no matter what the circumstance is. Feelings are a weakness. They only cloud a shinobi's judgement and weaken his sense of duty."

She broke down on Sasuke and sobbed hysterically into his chest.

Arashi walked away without a word. Anger rushed through her - if Kakashi had abandoned the mission, he would not have a dead student on his hands. Death was a common risk in the profression, but this felt pointless.

She understood the heartbreak of loss, but she did not have the time to comfort the girl or to sort through the jumbled mess of emotions that knotted her stomach. Gato was there and he managed to bring a decent group of men with him, despite her efforts. She could feel them below the bridge.

With a sigh, she joined Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her but did not speak. Together, they watched Kakashi and Zabuza continue their fight.

The rogue shinobi had use of only one of his arms at this point. Kakashi had driven two kunai deep into the other. He knelt on the ground, eying the silver haired Jounin for an opening, but could not find one.

Out of frustration, he charged again, just to be knocked back. He lurched sideways and stared at Kakashi.

As if to taunt him, Kakashi backhanded Zabuza with enough force that his sword left a deep cut in the bridge as he slid to a stop.

The taunt worked.

"I'll split you in half!" The rogue ninja snarled.

He swung his sword twice more, but never came near hitting his mark.

Kakashi appeared behind him. "Look at you – you're falling apart. I knew you didn't have what it takes for the long haul."

"What did you say?" He hissed.

"You have no idea what real strength is." Kakashi replied.

"Well, well." A new voice interjected, tapping a cane on the ground. "This is how it turns out, eh?"

Arashi stepped away from Naruto and frowned. There was a short man standing in front of a crowd of men. Without a doubt, it was much smaller than it would have been without her efforts, but she was embarrassed by the size of it.

Like I didn't do anything at all.

She glanced toward the other shinobi and noted that they had not noticed their guests.

"Game over!" Kakashi announced, poised to attack with two kunai held in one hand. "You lose!"

As he went in for the final strike, Zabuza swung his sword arm back.

Kakashi was forced to drive the blades into the incoming arm as he was knocked back. The sword slipped from Zabuza's hand and spun to a stop on the bridge in a shower of sparks.

The silver haired Jounin knelt and watched his opponent. "Now both of your arms are useless. What now? You can't even make handsigns."

The short man that Arashi had been watching made his move.

He stepped forward and tapped on the ground again to get their attention. "Did quite the job on you, didn't he, Zabuza? You look like yesterday's sashimi. I must say I'm disappointed."

"Gato? What are you doing here and what's with all these thugs with you?"

"Well, you see, there's been a slight change in plans. According to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge, Zabuza."

Arashi pursed her lips and went to Kakashi's side. Without any explanation, she started to heal the laceration across his chest. It was shallow, but gruesome to look at.

"What?" Zabuza asked, shocked that he was betrayed.

"That's right! You're too expensive, so I've decided to take you off the payroll. Of course, even these thugs I've brought with me cost something, so if you could manage to slaughter a few of them before they take you down, I'd appreciate it. Think you can manage that, Demon Ninja of the Hidden Mist?" He laughed.

"I thought you said you were handling them." Kakashi whispered.

She whispered back, "There were a lot more."

Gato laughed. "Look at you! You're about as demonic as a wet kitten."

The group of men behind him laughed.

"Well, well, Kakashi. It looks like our fight is at an end. Since I am no longer in Gato's employ, Tazuna is safe and we have no quarrel." Zabuza commented.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Kakashi replied.

Gato approached Haku's body and stood over him.

"That reminds me. You little punk, you grabbed me and broke my arm! I've been meaning to repay you for that." The businessman kicked the boy's body and jabbed him several times with his cane. "I only wish you were alive to feel it."

"Get away from him, you bastard!" Naruto yelled and ran forward to confront him. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kakashi grabbed the Genin and jerked him to a stop. "Stop! Use your head!"

Naruto struggled for a few seconds but gave up and turned his attention to the rogue shinobi. "Well, what about you, Zabuza? You gonna let him do that?"

"Be quiet, you fool. Haku's dead. What does it matter?" Zabuza asked.

"You mean you can just stand there and watch him get treated like that?" The boy's voice was loud and hoarse. "You and Haku were together for years! Doesn't that mean anything?

"You don't understand the way of shinobi. I merely used him just as Gato used me. Now it's over. His usefulness is at an end. The loss of his strength and skill, yes, that means something to me, but the boy? Nothing."

Naruto's expression hardened. "If you mean that, you're even worse than I thought."

"Alright, that's enough." Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Naruto. He's not the enemy. Not right now."

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled and shrugged his sensei's hand off. "As far as I'm concerned, he's enemy number one!"

Arashi chewed at her lip. He's taking up for the guy that killed Sasuke?

"Why you – you ungrateful – after everything he did for you! Haku lived for you! He was the most important thing in the world to him! And he meant nothing to you? Nothing at all? While he was sacrificing everything for you, you never felt anything at all for him? And if I become stronger does that mean I'll become as cold hearted as you are? He threw his life away! And for what? For you and your dream! You never let him have a dream of his own, but he didn't care, and you just toss him aside like he was nothing! A broken tool. That's – that's so wrong. So wrong!"

Naruto stood with his fists clenched and tears streaming down his face.

Did they have a full-blown conversation about each other while they fought or something? Arashi wondered. How does Naruto know so much about his enemy? Who would advertise this about themselves while in a battle? What the hell did I miss?

"You talk to much." Zabuza stated as his tears fell to the ground. "Your words cut deeper than any blade.

Holy shit – he just talked a grown man to tears.

"While he fought you, his heart was breaking in two. You see, Haku was always too soft and too kind. He felt pain and sorrow and now – curse him – I feel them, too." Zabuza stated. "And something else. I feel content that this is the way it ends."

The rogue chewed through his mask, revealing rows of sharpened teeth. Everyone watched in silence.

"Well? Are you so surprised to discover that I'm human?" He asked. "Even shinobi are human. No matter how hard we try to escape that simple fact, we always fail. Well, at least, I have failed. Boy! Give me your kunai!"

Naruto's eyes widened, but he did what he was asked. He drew a kunai and tossed it toward Zabuza – who caught the blade in his mouth and charged straight for Gato.

The businessman squealed and tried to escape through the crowd, but Zabuza followed him, cutting a path through the thugs as he went. They crowded around him and blocked Arashi's view.

She leaned to try to see what was going on, "I can't see what's happening. I think he's getting him, though."

Eventually, Gato's signature expired and the crowd parted to allow Zabuza through. Numerous weapons protruded from his back and he collapsed halfway through them, but no one dared make another move.

Naruto looked away.

"Don't turn away." Kakashi ordered him. "When you live like a warrior, this is how it ends.

A spark of life reignited behind them and the medic's eyes widened – Sasuke was back.

Sakura's voice cut through the tension, "Hey! Sasuke's alive! He's okay!"

Naruto and Kakashi turned to look back at them.

"Well, well. Would wonders never cease?" Kakashi commented.

Relief flooded through the kunoichi, just as she wondered at the absurdity of everything. In all of her years, she had never seen a spectacle like this.

"Hey – don't go getting too comfortable!" One of the hired men yelled.

Another added, "Who's going to pay us now that Gato's dead?"

"No way we're gonna leave here empty handed, so we're just gonna have to hit that village and see what they've got for us!"

The crowd cheered at the idea.

"Not good." Kakashi mumbled, still kneeling.

Arashi knew that his chakra supply was low, but she could also sense an even larger group of people advancing to their location.

Naruto turned to his sensei, "C'mon, Kakashi-sensei! You must have some sort of jutsu to take care of this bunch of losers!"

"Not right now – I've used too much of my chakra." The Jounin replied.

"I can see what I can do." Arashi told them.

The group charged at them, but before they made it far, a crossbow bolt arched through the air and hit the ground in front of them.

"There's just one small thing that you're forgetting about!" Giichi yelled. "Before you step foot in our village, you'll have to go through all of us!"

All of the armed people of the Land of Waves held their weapons up and cheered. The medic blinked in surprise – Inari had managed to gather a small army to come to their aid. Their numbers were large enough that the hired hitmen that Gato brought with him began to back away and lose their nerve.

Naruto smiled widely and formed a handsign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Several clones appeared next to him.

Kakashi eyed him and commented, "I might have enough chakra to help you out."

Arashi watched as he summoned enough clones to span the width of the bridge.

Yeah, he should've just saved the chakra, but okay. She pursed her lips.

Their enemies fled to the side of the bridge to reach their boat – many jumped into the ocean in their rush to get away.

Cheers and celebration echoed across the water.

Kakashi went to check on Zabuza and the medic kept an eye on him. From all appearances, the rogue ninja was about to expire, but she did not trust him. They exchanged words that she could not hear and to her surprise, the Jounin began removing the weapons from his back. Once he was finished, he carried Zabuza over to Haku's body, mindful to place him on the ground carefully.

That's… sweeter than I would have expected.

"Thank you Kakashi."

A chill settled over the area and a flurry of snow descended on them. The Jounin left him to have his last moments and joined the medic and Naruto.

"You were always at my side. The least I can do is be beside you at the end." He struggled to get his hand to the boy's face. "I know it cannot be, but I wish I could go to where you have gone. How I wish I could join you there, Haku."

Naruto was ugly crying at this point. "He told me where he came from it was always snowing, all the time.

"I see. His spirit was as pure as the snow." Kakashi commented. "You never know, Zabuza, maybe you will join him there. Who's to say?"

Didn't expect him to be the sentimental type. Arashi waited a few more moments before interjecting, sheepishly, "So, there's a warehouse full of people we should probably take care of and the barrier holding them in is only good for, uh, maybe a couple more hours."

The Jounin gave her a flat look.

"Yeah, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but at least we have some extra help, right?"

And that is the end of the Land of Waves arc. I really feel like this chapter was bit rougher and a little more rushed than I would have liked it, but it's legitimately one of my least favorite arcs out of the series. I didn't want to get Arashi too involved, so I kinda just had her doing her own thing.

VeraciousFFConsumption - Thank you for the review and I'm glad you liked the chapter! Unfortunately, I don't want to change too much this early on in the story. If anything, I felt weird even having Arashi involved in this arc because I believe it's crucial to Team 7's development and bonding. Part 3 will continue until shortly after Pre-Ship ends with some development and changes for Arashi that will set up some important aspects of plot for the next part. Part 4 picks up in Shippuden.

Haku dying really is sad, but it's a hard lesson for Naruto. Since Arashi is older than the Genin and has been through some stuff, I feel that she would naturally have a darker, more realistic outlook about everything. She has no dreams of glory or of being a hero. Ultimately, she just wants to keep the people she cares about alive.

I apologize for how long this chapter took - life got in the way. haha

Windschatten - I got the itch to give it another go. It dawned on me that I really just wanted to reach the Chuunin Exam content for some Orochimaru and power through to Shippuden.

And no, I couldn't resist the push up scene. I'm a pervert. haha Thank you for your review and I really do appreciate your continued support, even after all of this time! :)