Zabuza Momochi cracked his neck as he reclined on the couch, thumbing through his bingo book. He had to admit that Gato's hideout had a certain dark appeal to it, although why a mob boss would set up his headquarters in a glorified tree house still puzzled him. As it happened, Zabuza's relaxation was interrupted as his 'Boss' entered the room.
The short bespectacled man had an annoyed look on his face as Zabuza paid no mind to his entrance. The Mob Boss wondered if Zabuza and his goons were actually worth the premium he had been paying them for, "The Bridgebuilder's been on the road for two days now, and you're sittin' here reading your little book, what am I payin' you for?" Gato growled at Zabuza in annoyance.
The Shinobi raised his eyes to Gato, sensing the Mob Boss's fear even through his dark glasses. He took his gigantic sword and raised it, resting the edge against the smaller man's throat, "You should have more faith Gato, my last employer struggled with faith… and now he's dead." A menacing chuckle came from behind his mouth cover.
"I-I" Gato swallowed. He should never have hired Zabuza and his little gang of freaks from the Hidden Mist Village. "I-I'm sorry Zabuza, I just don't want anything compromisin' this operation, this old Man's bridge threatens my business and its been making me anxious!" He stifled out a nervous laugh, "I know you're the best at what at what you do, I'm just worried about these Shinobi the Old Man hired… 'makes me feel like I'm not holdin' all the cards anymore…"
Zabuza lowered his sword, but his eyes were still transfixed on Gato's dark glasses. "Don't worry Gato, my underlings can handle a few Leaf Village Shinobi. And if they can't…" The swordsmen let out a hearty laugh, "Then I'll get to deal with them myself."
Gato nodded, "Y-yeah… nothing to be worried about, right? I mean, no one's more brutal Zabuza's boys right? Haha… ha."
As the Morning Sun began to rise overhead, Team One (Plus Tazuna) began packing up their makeshift camp. It was the start of their third day of travel and so far everything had been smooth sailing, apart from Tazuna spending most of the journey at least partially intoxicated. Even as they packed up, Anko had seen him take a swig of his bottle when he thought she wasn't looking.
Anko had also noticed that the old man had been especially quiet since they had left the village, and most attempts at conversation with the old man showed that he was never paying attention to the group's conversations. In Anko's expert opinion, he was on the lookout for something, or someone… She was positive that the bridge builder was hiding something, but what? Her contemplation would be interrupted as Hinata came up to her.
"The boys and I are all packed." The Genin smiled at her Sensei. "We're going to reach the coast today right?"
"Yup, so I want the three of you to be on extra high guard." Anko said absent mindedly. She was securing her pack, positive she was missing something. "Hinata, help me check my pack, I'm missing something right? Something obvious?"
Hinata looked into her sensei's backpack, but didn't see anything particularly out of the ordinary. "I don't think so Anko Sensei, the campsite is empty except for Mr. Tazuna's things."
Anko once again looked through her things, everything was there, but she still felt like something was staring her in the face.
"Maybe try making a list when you pack?" Hinata suggested, feeling a bit bad for her Sensei, "It helps to make sure that I'm not missing anything."
Anko's head shot up, and she looked at Hinata. "Hinata, are you feeling alright?" She inspected the girl's face for any discoloration, she had a suspicion but it couldn't be…
Hinata's eyes widened at the sudden concern from Anko, "Um, I feel fine Sensei, why?"
Anko's look at Hinata intensified for a moment, before her features relaxed and she let out a sigh of relief, "Nothing Hinata… I just can't help but feel a bit proud…" She smiled at her Genin student, It was only now that Anko noticed: Hinata had not struggled with her stutter once in the three days they had been travelling.
Hinata was a bit confused, but Anko Sensei seemed to find what she was missing. Not sure of what to say, she nodded before walking back to her fellow Genin.
Anko closed her pack and threw the straps over her shoulders, 'Maybe I'm not such a bad Sensei after all…' The distraction had been nice, but her thoughts wandered back to whatever it was Tazuna was hiding from her. Her eyes now fixed on him, and she approached the old man as he was slowly packing. "You should know something, Mr. Tazuna." Anko said grimly.
The old man stopped his packing for a moment, and turned his head slowly toward her. Since they'd met, Tazuna had tried to stay on the violent women's good side, but she had been watching him like a hawk for two days now and he was starting to crack. "W-what would that be Anko?"
Anko crouched down, meeting Tazuna eye to eye, "I am the Hidden Leaf Village's second in command in Torture and Interrogation Corps."
Tazuna's eyes widened, and his pupils shrank. "W-wha-"
"That means," Anko continued, "That if whatever you're hiding jeopardizes my students… well, I'll have a very easy, very fun time extracting it from you."
Tazuna couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't spend another day with this madwoman's eyes watching him. "Alright, I-"
Anko put a finger up, shushing him, "Think very carefully about what you want to say to me, pack up you shit, meet us by the road, and then you can tell us anything you like." Anko stood and walked through the brush to her three Genin. The three were crouched side by side, looking down the road with intense expressions. Anko hurried over. "Whats are you three doing?"
Naruto looked up at her, "Anko Sensei, do you remember the last time it rained? Its been a long time, right?" He had a nervous look in his eye.
Anko shook her head, "Why whats happening?"
Hinata pointed to what the trio were looking at. "Shikamaru noticed it earlier... "
Anko followed Hinata's finger toward its target, up ahead about 30 meters down the road the sun reflected off the ground. Anko squinted her eyes to focus and saw what the three were staring at, a puddle. The Jonin thought back, despite her hesitation to answer Naruto's question earlier, her Memory had been conditioned to recall even the smallest detail. "Its been 6 weeks, three days since it rained last… too long for a puddle that size to linger…" It was more than suspicious, but she recognized that a lesser Ninja wouldn't even had noticed. "Shikamaru, good work." Anko whispered.
The Genin nodded, "There hasn't been any suspicious movement since I noticed it… if it is an enemy, we may still have the element of surprise." His voice was hushed, but Shikamaru felt anything but calm. 'If its an enemy trap… then this could be the real deal…' He swallowed hard, his heart thumping in his chest. However, his focus on the puddle, on impending danger, was broken as his Sensei placed her hand on his shoulder.
"We've trained for this." Anko reassured Shikamaru, she then looked at Hinata. "Hinata, go help Tazuna finish packing and get him out here." She then turned to face Naruto, "I need two clones positioned on either side of the road, and they need to remain undetected. Understood?"
Naruto nodded before crossing his fingers in his most practiced handsign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu~" He whispered, and four duplicates of him appeared. Naruto's gut churned in a mixture of nervousness and excitement. A moment like this was what truly began a Ninja's career… and his determination seemed to be overcoming his worry. 'After all… Anko Sensei has been working us for months…'
Anko looked down at Shikamaru and offered a reassuring grin. "Be on your guard, always, but trust in your training. Trust in yourself. If anything goes down I want you to try and get the enemy with your Shadow Possession, but if that doesn't work, try to force them to the treeline for Naruto's clones to ambush them." She then turned her head and saw Hinata and Tazuna approaching, much to Anko's relief.
Shikamaru took a deep breath. They had a plan… he felt more reassured knowing that Anko Sensei had thought things through. He nodded, and both Shikamaru and Naruto stood.
Anko pointed to Hinata and then tilted her head in Tazuna's direction.
Hinata nodded in understanding, she would stay close to Tazuna, and provide as much cover for the old man as possible. "Byakugan~" She said in a whisper, her vision altering as she could see the area surrounding the group in a 358 degree circle.
"Tazuna!" Anko barked. "Stay close to Hinata, she'll keep you safe."
The bridge builder did as told, but was a bit dumbfounded, "W-what's going on?"
"We don't know yet." Shikamaru answered. He remembered what Anko had told him, if anything were to happen to her, he would be the one to take over the mission. Shikamaru had a responsibility to his team to keep his emotions in check. "We aren't taking any chances so just do as our Sensei says."
Naruto blinked, before rubbing his eye. One of his clones had just signaled him with a mirror, "We're good to go." Naruto announced to the rest of the group.
Hinata looked at Naruto from behind, the determination in his voice resonated with her. Despite her fear of having to fight an enemy Shinobi, she was even more afraid that Naruto would be hurt. She would have to be strong for her team.
The group began moving forward one pace at a time. Hinata and Shikamaru kept guard in front of and behind Tazuna respectively, while Anko and Naruto walked on either side of Tazuna. Anko would be closest to the puddle in case something did happen.
They were only about ten meters further down the road when they came into Hinata's range, "Sensei!" She called out, beneath the puddle she could now see a mass of chakra points, too many for it to only be one person. "Two enemies!"
Anko didn't hesitate, her hand went to the pouch at her hip, and she flung a kunai toward the puddle. She wouldn't take any chances with her new students, and sent a little surprise along with her knife.
As the Kunai landed in front of the puddle, two Shinobi emerged from it. "Looks like our Ambush didn't work brother!" One of them cackled.
"B-brother!" The other pointed toward the ground. A paper bomb was attached to the ring at the end of the Kunai's handle, its fuse about to reach its base. As the bomb went off,the two brothers hit the dirt on either side of the Kunai, one of them was knocked into the brush by the blast, but the other had used a substitution Jutsu.
"Naruto!" Anko yelled, loud enough for all of his clones to hear as well. She sprinted toward the dust cloud.
Naruto followed behind his sensei as fast as he could, and out of the corner of his eye he saw orange jackets attacking something in the bushes. Their ambush had worked!
"Shikamaru there!" Hinata pointed, through the dust cloud she could see where the Shinobi had landed after his substitution.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!" The Genin crouched and his shadow extended ahead of the group from the shadow of Hinata's fingertips.
The enemy shinbo put his hands together, "Water Clone Jutsu!" From the puddle beside him, the water shaped to match his form. The clone would charge and, concealed by the dust, would run forward to engage the eldest of the Ninja approaching him.
Anko barely had time to block a swift kick directed toward her face.
"Anko Sensei!" Naruto called out, focusing on his Sensei and not the Shinobi still concealed in the dust cloud.
The real version of the Enemy Shinobi chuckled, they might have seen through their trap, but no one except Zabuza could beat the Demon Brothers, and he had always been the stronger of the two. He raised his arm and let his chain whip fly from his hands toward the distracted Genin. "Amateur!" He cried out.
Naruto's eyes widened, but he turned to see the whiplash out from the dust cloud, coming right for him.
"Naruto!" Shikamaru cried, he diverted his shadow, and connected it to Naruto, Unsure, of what to do, Shikamaru stuck out his hand in an attempt to help Naruto stop the chain from landing a direct hit.
Naruto felt his arm move without his consent, and the chain would wrap around Naruto's hand. The sharp edges of the chain stung, and cut into his palm, but he was grateful that Sikamaru had acted. His eyes looked down, and Naruto saw something interesting. "Shikamaru! The chain has a shadow!"
Shikamaru nodded, and he put more of his chakra into his jutsu, following the chain's shadow back to its user.
The Demon brother was surprised that the boy had caught his chain, but was more amused than anything. "Stupid kid! I'll just tear your hand clear off!" He went to rip his razer chain back from the leaf Genin's grip… but his arm wouldn't move…
The Water clone turned its head back to wear its original was located. "W-what happ-" the water clone would suddenly dissipate as Anko delivered a swift kick through its chest.
"Naruto, are you alr-" Anko began to ask, but as the dust cloud began to lift, she saw the scene of the battle before her. The Enemy Shinobi was frozen in place, a thick dark Shadow extended from him, under the Shadow of the chain whip to Naruto, and then all the way back to Shikamaru. Meanwhile, two of Naruto's clones had already subdued the other Shinobi after Anko's paper bomb had disoriented him. "Now all that's left is to-" Anko did have time to finish her sentence before Hinata had rushed the Shadow Possessed enemy.
Hinata had unclasped her weights the moment Naruto had been in danger, and with her unrestricted speed, delivered several intense chakra blocking strikes. She then followed up with a kick to the enemies knee, a shattering noise could be heard as her strike landed.
"AHhhhhhhghhhh!" The enemy shinobi cried out as he was sure the side of his knee fractured. He then fell to the ground, his chain whip going limp along with his body.
Anko put her hands on her hips… all in all, the fight had gone much smoother than Anko thought it would. She approached Naruto, who was carefully unwrapping the razer chain from his hand, but as Anko got closer, she whiffed a familiar scent in the air. "Poison!" Anko said, grabbing Naruto's hand. "Naruto, the chains were poisoned, we need to bleed your hand before it spreads."
Naruto looked down at his hand, and then back to his sensei, "Wait, what?! I've been poisoned?" He said, beginning to panic.
"Calm down." Anko said, pulling out one of her kunai. "Just let me-"
Naruto snatched his hand away from Anko. "N-No!" Naruto insisted, "L-Look… just let me do it okay?" Naruto took a deep breath as his sensei gave him the kunai. It was even scarier doing it himself, but something inside him couldn't let someone else take care of it for him.
"Naruto you have to hurry…" Anko said, trying to stay calm.
"Can't we take naruto back to the village?" Hinata suggested.
Shikamaru and Tazuna had walked over to the others. "It would just hurt Naruto more to wait until we got him back… do we have any medicine or-"
"Agh!" Naruto let out a sharp groan as he plunged his kunai through his palm. He swiftly pulled the blade back out, and turned his head to not look directly at the wound. "I-It's fine guys… I can take it." He took a few deep breaths, letting his hand fall to his side. "I'm sorry for freezing up like that… I won't ever let it happen again." He looked at His sensei, and then to Shikamaru, "Thanks for saving me like that."
"Anytime Naruto," Shikamaru said. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
Naruto shook his head, and looked at his teammates, "You and Hinata both had my back… I promise that I'll be the one you guys are counting on from now on." He held up his bleeding fist. "And I never go back on my word…"
"That's your Ninja way, right Naruto?" She said, admiring Naruto's stoic behavior. If only he knew how much she already counted on him.
Anko raised an eyebrow, and cracked a smile. "Well, that's a fine pledge to make Naruto… but you're going to bleed out from a wound that deep…"
Naruto suddenly felt sick to his stomach, "O-oh…"
Anko approached her student, and pulled out a bandage, wrapping his hand up. As she examined it, she noticed that the wound was beginning to heal right in front of her. The edges of Naruto's split skin was already beginning to grow! 'This must be the Nine-Tails… his Mother's legacy…' Anko securely wrapped the bandage around Naruto's hand. "There, now quit being such a tough guy. You all did exceptionally well for your first combat encounter… especially against these Chunin from the Hidden Mist Village." She turned to look at Tazuna, a deadly glare on her face. "Alright old man… you have one chance to explain what's going on."
Zabuza looked to Haku, his eyebrows raised in surprise as he heard the news from his masked subordinate, "So the demon brothers fell to a Genin squad and their sensei? How disappointing…"
Haku nodded, "Yes, although I have to say I did learn a few things about them, so their operation was not a complete failure." The masked Chunin held up Zabuza's Bingo book. "...Anko Mitarashi…"
Zubuza cocked his head, "The Viper? She was trained by one of the Leaf's legendary ninja… how interesting."
"One of her students seems to possess a visual technique… the other uses a hidan technique that incorporates Shadows." Haku closed the book. "The third has mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Zabuza chuckled, "So, A Kekkei Genkai, a Secret Jutsu, and what must be a Genin prodigy, lead by the Brutal Viper of the Leaf?" His Chunin underlings didn't stand a chance… "Well it might be time that I went and introduced myself." Zabuza stood, towering above Haku and attaching his sword to its place at his back.
"If you underestimate them… I'll have to save you again." a small laugh came from behind Haku's mask.
Zabuza squinted at him. "Remember your place, we only pull that little stunt as a last resort…"
"Of course, Zabuza." Haku gave a small bow.
The sun began to set in Hiruzen Sautobi's office. He had just finished a long day of filing various sheets of paperwork, assigning missions to various squads, and beginning preparation for this year's Chunin Exams. He was hoping to enjoy a quiet smoke of his pipe before returning to his family home to see his son and grandson, but was interrupted when one of the Chunin assigned to guard the gate opened his office door.
"Message for you Lord Hokage!" The Chunin knelt and presented the scroll to the Hokage. "Anko's… pet delivered it to us."
Hiruzen picked up the scroll and began reading it:
The bridgebuilder had a few secrets.
He's got a price on his head. Hidden Mist Shinobi. 2 Chunin captured. No sign of Jonin.
Team One is prepared to continue the mission.
We arrive in the Land of Waves at dawn.
A.M.
Hiruzen pulled on his beard,so Tazuna had been hiding the danger from him, no doubt his finances were too low to afford a proper Ninja escort for what they would be up against. The Third Hokage sighed, smoke pouring from his mouth. A Genin's first mission was meant as a test against thieves, mountain bandits, not other full fledged combatants. But it sounded as though what he thought would be a C-Rank mission, might actually be a B, or even A-Rank mission.
"Lord Hokage?" the Chunin asked.
Hiruzen cleared his throat, "So be it…" If Anko had faith in her students, Hiruzen would have faith in her. 'She is not Orochimaru… she will guide them correctly.' "Return to Mudamura and tell the Snake that the Hokage approves of Anko's decision. This Mission is B-Rank now, but if a Jonin threat presents itself, they will be undertaking an A-Rank Mission!"
"So…" Tazuna asked quietely as the small boat they sat in was propelled slowly by an old boatman. "What happens now?"
Anko spat into the water, "If the Hokage approves it, we'll be assigned to guard you until one of two things happen." The Jonin held up a finger, "One, you finish your damn bridge… which would take months I'm assuming…" She then held up a second finger, "Or two, the more preferable option, we defeat the Assassins sent after you and find their boss." Anko then smiled, "You will then pay the Hidden Leaf Village the proper Escort fees, and depending on what rank the Hokage places this mission at… well I'd stop drinking and start saving if I were you."
Tazuna gave a faint smile, "s-so generous of you Ms. Anko…"
The Jonin shot daggers with her eyes, "You should be grateful my students agreed to this…"
"Hush up!" The boatman pleaded. "I swear Tazuna, after this, you and I are even… I don't need friends who keep crossing Ninja!" He complained in a hush tone.
As the Boat approached the shore, the only sound that could be heard were the waves lapping against the shore. A heavy Mist had rolled in during the early morning, making it difficult for the group to perceive their surroundings.
"Byakugan!" Hinata activated her visual technique. They had not rested since the previous day, and the use of Hinata's Byakugan was starting to wear on her chakra supply
"We're really lucky to have you hear Hinata." Naruto said with a sigh of relief. The boat ride had been tense, and the three Genin had remained mostly silent since their journey across the channel began.
Anko nodded. "But don't overexert yourself, we all need to be on top form." She pulled a small scroll and held it between her thumbs, moving her fingers together in various handsigns. "Summoning Jutsu!" She bit her thumb and unravelled the scroll, letting a streak of blood fly across her Summoning formula.
With a puff of smoke, the adolescent giant serpent MudaMura appeared. "Hey Boss! I got some good news for ya!" He then looked down, "Oh hey Naruto! How's the Sealing Jutsu coming along?"
Naruto smiled up to the big snake, the two had only met a few times, but it seemed like MudaMura considered him a friend. "S'goin okay." He put his hands behind his back, "Hey do you think I could try summoning you sometime?"
"Ehhh," The snake paused, "Anko probably wouldn't like that… she's been raising me since I was no bigger than a garden snake, she gets really overprotective sometimes."
"MudaMura, focus… the Hokage?" Anko sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Oh yeah!" The giant snake looked at Anko, "Lord Third approves, the mission is classified as B-rank as long as you're only facing Chunin level threats."
Anko looked at her team, "Are you all still willing to go through with this?"
The three Genin looked at each other for a moment, then back to Anko before Naruto spoke. "I never go back on my word."
Tazuna looked the bizarre group over, children who could fight they did were strange enough… but the fact that they would stay to help him showed the kind of characters these kids had. The old man felt bad that he had thrown a bunch of kids into danger, but their resolve to help him had touched his heart. "You're welcome to stay with my family, we don't have much, but its the least I can do."
Anko nodded. She was still suspicious of the old man, especially after he told her what he was hiding. Anko had never heard of this Gato, but she knew his type: greedy, mean, and overconfident… he, or one of his goons, would slip up eventually, and when his location was known, Anko would strike… hopefully.
The group found the road through the Mist and began their hike to the Bridgebuilder's home. It wasn't too far, at their current pace in their defensive formation and if nothing got in their way, they would be there before 8 A.M.. The light of early morning gave the mist a dull grey appearance, making it difficult for the non Hyuga members of the group to perceive their surroundings.
From what Anko remembered of the map, they would be coming up to a crossing soon, a small river that divided the road. She thought it odd that the area in which a famous bridge builder was from would not have even a simple bridge to cross what was essentially a big creek.
Hinata's spine shot up. "Sensei…" She whispered. "There's one person ahead… it looks like he's standing on the water… he's… his chakra is increible… like it's in the air around him." Hinata said discouragingly. "We should go around."
Anko hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Too late…" She looked down at her students. "He already knew we were coming, chances are he's aware of the bridgebuilders home."
Tazuna swallowed hard, "M-my family…?"
"Probably fine." Anko said, "unless they're also bridgebuilders.
The old man gave a sigh, a mix of relief and contempt. "You could be a bit kinder when a man's life is on the-"
Anko handed the man her high collared trench coat. "Shut up and listen!" She seethed at him, at all of them. "I am going to handle this myself. I do not want any heroics, from any of you." She eyed Naruto on her last remark. "This is the most likely the Jonin we learned about from our talkative Chunin friends from before. You are not ready for his level of combat."
The three Genin looked at each other, and then to their sensei, speechless.
"Looks like I've made my point." Anko turned and walked further into the Mist. "Keep Tazuna safe, if anything happens to me you three are going to deliver him to his home and then leave the Land of Waves by any means necessary."
"No way!" Naruto argued. "I promised to protect him, and I never go back on my-"
"Naruto!" Anko shouted, shutting him up. If the Jonin hadn't been aware of them before, he certainly was now. "I'm not going to let you all die here, that's not what she would want."
Shikamaru put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Anko Sensei's got this Naruto. Trust her."
The orange clad Genin grimaced but crossed his arms and solemnly nodded.
"Great, good." Anko said as she continued her march toward her opponent. "Now I'm going to go introduce this guy's face to the ground!"
Zabuza actually heard that remark, and cackled. He had heard that Anko Mitarashi was good, her place in his Bingo Book confirmed it, but even a Sanin's apprentice would be no match for him. "If you think you're that good girl, then quit stalling!"
Anko's march turned into a run, which quickly evolved into a full on sprint. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Two copies of Anko would appear on either side of her, and began vaulting a barrage of shuriken through the mist toward the figure before her.
Zubuza took advantage of his Hidden Mist Jutsu and dodged into the mist when he saw the clones stop their charge. "Water Clone Jutsu!" From below the surface of the water, a copy of Zabuza would appear and helped the Jonin vault high into the air, holding his sword high above his head.
One of Anko's clones managed to see Zabuza's shadow from above and called out to Anko, "Dodge!" Which the original, quickly reacted too, rolling behind where Zabuza would land.
Zabuza's massive blade collided with the ground where Anko had been just a moment previously, regretting the miss, he swung his blade behind him toward Anko.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" Anko sighed in relief as her mud wall stopped the momentum of Zabuza's sword, performing a backflip to gain distance. Both of her clones would then rush Zabuza as he slowly pulled his sword from the thick mud, connecting a few light strikes to their opponent.
"Gah!" Zabuza groaned as he was quick punches connected with his chest. With one hand still on the hilt of his sword, he pulled a Kunai free and sliced it through the two clones.
As the mudwall dissipated, Anko spat, the two Jonin watching each other for a moment. "So… this is one of the Seven Swordsmen." She smirked at him, perhaps she could goad him into making a mistake, "Nice sword, what's it compensating for?"
Zabuza growled, and hurled the human sized sword toward Anko with surprising precision.
"Shit!" Anko said as she leapt as high as she could, the swirling blade slicing clean through the tips of her boots. As Anko watched the sword's arc, she saw it slice halfway through a thick tree behind her where it rested firmly
With his kunai still drawn, Zabuza charged at Anko, leaping up to meet her midair. As his knife went for her throat, Anko moved her head to the side, the blade thinly slicing her cheek. "First Blood! Like like you're the one who needs to compensa-"
"Shadow Snake Hands!" Anko's hands transformed into ten brown vipers, which propelled themselves at Zabuza, sinking their fangs into his limbs. The Jonin would twist her body in an attempt to fling her enemy to the ground, the vipers releasing their grip with practiced timing.
The pain from the vipers' fangs were like little lovebites to Zabuza, but being tossed into the ground was not. His body hit the ground with a bounce that slammed him into the trunk of the tree his sword was lodged into.
Anko landed a few meters from Zabuza, she felt the warmth of her blood sliding down her face where Zabuza had sliced her. 'Okay, maybe trying to make him mad was a bad idea…' She went to her pouch and flung a kunai, the handle wrapped with a paper bomb, into the tree trunk.
Zabuza looked up to see the Kunai, and knew he had to move fast; with all four limbs, he flung himself upward, grabbing the handle of his sword and swingwing his body so he landed on top of the flat of the blade. As the bomb went off, the sheer size of his sword prevented the blast from reaching him. He let out a sigh of relief as he stood to look down at Anko. "You're as Merciless as the stories say! Anko Mitarashi, the Viper of the Leaf."
Anko glared back at Zabuza, "What, you want an autograph or something?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Zabuza saw the little group that Mitarashi had been with. "I want to know What kind of idiot brings a bunch of Genin to deal with a monster like me!" He turned and launched a handful of Shuriken toward Tazuna and the three Genin.
Anko's eyes widened as she turned to watch the Shuriken fly with a velocity that no Genin would be able to block, Not even with the Hyuga's visual prowess. 'One chance!' Anko flung her hands together, "Shunshin!" The Body Flicker Technique would allow her to place herself between her students and the shuriken, but the nature of the technique meat that she wouldn't be able to defend herself, after all the human brain couldn't keep up with the speed the Shunshin provided.
Zabuza's shuriken would sink into Anko's back, the four projectiles cutting deep, and forcing Anko to the ground. "Haha, well aren't you fast? Guess I was right to target the kiddies…" The Hidden Mist Shinobi planted his feet against the tree trunk, and dislodged his sword from its mass, landing on the ground.
The three Genin crouched down to try and help their Sensei. Naruto wasn't sure if they should pull the Shuriken out, Shikamaru wasn't even sure if their Sensei was still alive…
A cough from Anko turned into a gasp as she regained her breath. She picked herself up, and looked at the ground while on all fours, panting. A pain in her shoulder began to ache… but not from the shuriken… 'No… not now. Not in front of them.' She tried to mentally suppress her pain, but coughed up blood and lost her mental fortitude.
"Anko Sensei!" Naruto put his hand on her shoulder. "Please, let us help you! You can't do it yourself!"
"Why, because I'm not good enough?" Anko asked bitterly. "Because I don't have what it takes?" Her mind was in shock. She thought back to that day, to the disappointment in her Sensei's eyes.
Zabuza approached them now, his sword firmly on his back. "Trust me kid, you wouldn't be much help for your Sensei here." He crossed his arms, glaring at Naruto, "Now, hand over the Old man… I don't have to kill all of you after all."
Naruto looked to his teammates, and both Shikamaru and Hinata looked frightened, even more so than they had been during their battle against Zabuza's underlings. The three were about to speak, to come to a conclusion, when they were interrupted.
"I told you brats." Anko growled, when she raised her head to look at them, her face and arms were covered with bizarre black markings, "I'm going to end him." Pushing herself off the ground, Anko felt the Shuriken in her back being forced out of her skin, "We done warming up?" Anko asked Zabuza.
The Mist Shinobi cocked his head, "Nice tattoos… what did I knock off your makeup?" He pulled the sword from his back and charged at Anko, swinging the massive sword at her neck, but to Zabuza's surprise, the blade was stopped with minimal effort by a Kunai knife held in Anko's hand.
"You went after my students." Anko said with a frightening smile. She kicked the flat of Zabuza's sword, sending it flying high into the air. She followed the momentum of her body into another kick, which connected with Zabuza's chest. "Big mistake."
Zabuza's shock at being immediately disarmed was followed by the shock of having the wind knocked out of him from the force of Anko's kick, in fact he felt something shift inside his body. He took a few steps back, clutching his stomach, "G-gah!" he felt blood on the inside of his face cover as he coughed.
The three Genin looked at their Sensei, somewhat bewildered.
Anko pivoted, kicking out the back of Zabuza's knees, knocking him off balance before driving her elbow into his chest, forcing him into the ground.
Zabuza's eyes widened before his body dissipated into water.
"His Clone!" Anko spat, with her curse mark filling her body with natural energy, she would be able to pinpoint his location back toward the water.
The brutal pain his clone had been in was an indicator to Zabuza that he would need to finish this fight now. He began performing handsign after handsign, watching as Anko sprinted toward him. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" The water below would swirl around before rising and beginning to take its shape.
"Shit!" Anko hissed as she pulled out her summoning scrolls, "Summoning Jutsu!" MudaMura appeared before her, "take care of that dragon!"
The Giant snake grimaced, but let his massive body slam into the water Dragon's form and attempting to his weight to disperse the water. The water however would persist, and by the time Mudamura had finally sloshed the water away, he was exhausted, and disappeared into a puff of smoke.
"Damn It!" Anko cried, hurling a handful of shuriken at Zabuza, her rational mind was overwhelmed by the Curse Mark's influence and she charged at him, her speed letting her follow just behind her speeding shuriken. Pain, anger, and instinct had control over Anko's body now..
Zabuza grumbled as his Water Dragon was dispersed. He should've been able to anticipate that an Apprentice of the Sanin would be familiar with the Summoning Jutsu, but whatever these markings were doing to her, he couldn't predict. Her speed was clearly amplified, with Zabuza barely having time to form his handsign before her shuriken reached him.
Anko followed her projectiles past the bank of the river, running across the water's surface. She drew a kunai, but as shuriken hit their mark, Anko was surprised. The Zabuza that her shuriken struck dispersed back into the water, a substitution!
From below, Zabuza's trap was finally triggered. "Water style: Water Prison Jutsu!" He stuck his hand out below Anko, and water began to swiftly surround the Jonin. As she struggled against the wall of water, she would find that nothing could escape once trapped inside. Zabuza emerged from the water, standing on top of it's surface with his hand still extended.
Anko's student's turned to eachother as they saw their sensei trapped within the sphere of water and immediately felt Zabuza's deathly glare upon them.
Naruto wanted to move, wanted to fight and protect his sensei and his friends, but his body was paralyzed by fear. Zabuza had actually trapped their Sensei, and they were helpless. 'Crap, crap, crap! What are we going to do?!' His breathing became more intense, more panicked.
Shikamaru noticed Naruto's erratic breathing, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Remember what Anko Sensei told us… trust in our training… Remember the Forest of Death? We've taken Jonin by surprise before." He turned his body to look past Naruto, to Hinata. "Hinata, I know your Byakugan has you weakened, but we need you at top speed."
Hinata looked at Shikamaru, and nodded, crouching down to unclip her ankle weights. She then Looked at Naruto, and put her hand on his shoulder as well. "We need you too… Naruto."
Naruto's fear was pushed aside, and he looked back and forth at his two friends. "You guys…" He wanted to throw his arms around both of them, but now wasn't the time to get mushy! "You guys… I think I have a plan…"
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Why don't you run it by me first?"
Zabuza's water clone began walking toward the three Genin and the old man they were protecting. It was a shame he didn't get to see them in action… after all, according to Haku the three of them should've been a problem. But it looked as though their fear had frozen the three of them. The Clone drew the sword from his back.
"Now!" Shikamaru shouted, from either side of him, Naruto and Hinata began sprinting toward the Jonin. Hinata's speed meant that she would reach the clone of Zabuza first, but instead of engaging, she leapt high over him, landing behind the water clone, and rushing the original Zabuza.
The Clone went to move after the girl, but its body was out of its control. It took everything the clone had to make its eyes look down to a long, dark shadow connecting him to the Genin with the ponytail. 'The girl was a diversion to keep me from noticing the Shadow…"
The clone would dissipate as an orange blur slashed through its side with a kunai, and
as Naruto caught up with Hinata, he reached into his bag and pulled out his secret weapon. "Hinata!" He called as he tossed her the giant, folded shuriken.
Hinata looked down at the weapon, surprised, but grateful that Naruto had come through. "Demon Wind Shuriken! Windmill of Shadows!" She channeled as much of her chakra as she could into her Byakugan, using its visual prowess to aim the giant shuriken. When she heard Shikamaru's footsteps approach from behind, she knew it was time; She jumped as high into the air as she could, spinning her boyd with a velocity that blurred her movements, at the apex of of her rotation she flung the Shuriken at Zabuza.
Zabuza's eyes widened, these kids were more clever than their Sensei had let on. 'But it'll take more than one Shuriken to-' In the Shadow of the first Shuriken, he saw a second one being propelled with the same speed and accuracy. 'Shadow Shuriken… the girl didn't make any handsign-' Zabuza jumped over the second Shuriken and let the first one hit him, as he suspected it dissipated into nothing. He glared at the boy with the ponytail, who had his fingers arranged in a handsign. "It'll take more than a little Genjutsu to put me down!"
The Shuriken Zabuza had jumped over suddenly poofed into smoke behind him, revealing itself to be Naruto. "How about this then!" The Genin cried as he flung four shuriken toward the back of Zabuza's head.
Zabuza didn't have time to process what had happened behind him, but jumped into the air on pure instinct. Too little too late, Naruto's Shuriken tore into Zabuza's lower back.
Anko, seeing her opportunity, jumped from the water and spun, delivering a roundhouse kick to Zabuza's back, sending him flying back to the shore of the river.
Shikamaru immediately crouched and sent his Shadow to possess Zabuza's body. Hinata, Shikamaru, and Anko were now surrounding Zabuza, with Naruto swimming up from behind.
Anko panted as she felt her rage start to slip, her curse mark slowly began receding back to its origin point. Her injuries began catching up with her, but she refused to let herself look weak in front of this scum again. "Get up!" She barked at Zabuza.
With Shikamaru's allowance, Zabuza now knelt in front of the leaf Shinobi, silent.
Anko smiled, "Not a big talker huh? Well I'm pretty good at breaking prisoner-" She was interrupted as Naruto tackled her to the ground. "N-Naruto what the Hell?"
But Naruto's reasoning became apparent as he pointed toward the Senbon, now sticking out of the side of Zabuza's neck. "I didn't want you to get surprised again Sensei."
Anko looked at Zabuza, whose body went limp as Shikamaru recalled his shadow. She then turned to look at the owner of the throwing needles, a young person in a mask, a Hidden Mist Black-Ops Mask of all things! "So… Do all you Hidden Mist Ninja work from Gato?"
The mysterious figure jumped down from their perch on a tree branch. "You misunderstand…" The Masked Shinobi Began. "Zabuza Momochi had stolen secrets, secrets the Hidden Mist could not allow to be obtained. Once we learned that the Great Viper of the Leaf was going to fight Zabuza… well, I was sent to ensure that those secrets died with him." The young voiced Masked man bowed. "Zabuza's Mission was a failure, mine was not. I am not here to fight you, just to reclaim what is ours." He passed into the group's circle without another word, moving to pick up Zabuza's body and carry it over his shoulders.
Anko glared as the Mist Shinobi walked off with Zabuza… but for now the Danger had passed. Her students had survived an encounter with a Jonin, and an encounter with her curse mark… Anko felt lightheaded, and the world around her went dark as she collapsed.