AN: Happy New Year yall! Here's a new chapter for you to gobble up. Sorry for any errors, I wrote most of these on my phone while I wait for my pc to be fixed.

Chapter 9: Deal with the Demon

The first thing Sasuke saw upon opening his eyes was a delicate face with a pair of soft brown eyes. He was quick to sit up, causing the stranger to move back and give him space. He assessed the area and slowly his fogged mind pieced together his predicament, the previous night's events racing flashing before his eyes. He groaned and clutched his head, reeling from the pain of pushing himself to the brink of chakra exhaustion.

"I'm sorry...I did not mean to startle you," A pleasant voice momentarily soothed his aches, right he wasn't alone.

"Who are you?"

The person in question blinked, "Oh, my name is Haku." They answered with a smile, that almost melted him away, keyword *almost*.

The Uchiha groaned and prepared himself for the investable migraine, he propped one knee up and pushed himself off the ground, staggering into the tree behind him. Haku reached out but stopped when Sasuke shook his head, "I'm fine," he would grunt, letting himself adjust.

"What were you doing out here Shinobi-san, if you don't mind me asking that is. Were you trying to catch a cold?" There was a bit of mirth and mockery in their voice, enough to bring a scowl on his face, but not within the realms of turning him hostile.

"I...I was training." It was a half-truth, but he was not about to let a stranger know of his outburst.

"You should take better care of yourself Shinobi-san-"

"Sasuke."

"I'm sorry?"

He sighed, "My name, it's Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke." he kicked himself for giving away such information to a complete stranger.

'It's not like you have your clan badge boldly screaming on your back.'

"Oh, that's a lovely name. My master would often say you can tell a lot about a person just by how they present their name."

He raised a brow, it was also at this point that he recognised that he was subconsciously following Haku as they walked deeper into the clearing and towards the sprawl of plants peering from the soil.

"You said yours with a hint of pride, you find honour in what that name represents and stands for. I can only guess that you're from a powerful clan."

Sasuke was a little surprised that Haku had not heard of the Uchiha clan, but he took a moment to remember that he was within a civilian island and not to mention his clan has been dead for quite some time now. He could not fault them.

"My clan is no more, but I do aim to honour the fallen and avenge them."

Haku gestured for him to come to their side, and for some reason he complied, assiting them to pluck whatever plants he was told to.

"Is that what drives you? Vengeance?"

He closed his eyes. It was the only thing keeping him alive, the only thing that pushed him day after day. Without this one purpose, what could he possibly live for? He knew nothing else.

"I don't need anything else."

Haku smiled as they deposited their handful of flowers.

"I live to serve, to protect the one I deem precious to me. Do you have anyone precious to you?"

He opened his mouth to speak with harsh denial, but found himself unable to do so. Could he really stand there and say there wasn't anyone precious in his life? Once upon time his family could fit that criteria, but now he only had scorn for his last blood relative. His mind drifted to his team; Sakura was a mere presence, a slot to fill the cell, nothing more and probably less. He did not have I'll-intent toward her, but she has yet to prove herself anything other than deadweight.

Kakashi was supposed to be a way forward, a catalyst for change and improvement, but the man was far more concerned with his smut and lethargy. They've been a team for several months now and he's felt himself stagnate, gaining nothing at all. He felt nothing for the man except for envy, he possessed a portion of what he did not, the very pride and joy of his clan was somehow a part of an outsider and he still needed answers concerning that.

And then there was Natsumi. The ace of the team, the brains and the brawn, and the same girl that haunted his thoughts. Sasuke could not claim to know much about Natsumi other than what she revealed herself, but everything about her drew him in. She was strong, smart, and the gap between them was getting lengthier. At first he wanted nothing else but to beat her, to be better than her, but now he wanted her acknowledgement, to be her equal.

"Uchiha-san?"

His blurred vision settled and he was brought back to reality. He blinked a few times, but he could still hear his echoing thoughts.

"I'm not sure,"

Haku seemed confused but caught on, "That's quite alright. That precious person can come at anytime, I believe we are at our best when we have people precious to us. When a person has something important they want to protect… that's when they can become truly strong. To me, it is my master."

He dwelled on those words, and unbeknownst to Sasuke those words would shape his future henceforth. He could not help but crack a smile, and to borrow a phrase from his lazy former classmate, "Troublesome."

"What was that Uchiha-San?"

He shook his head, tossing the herbs into the basket. Seeing Haku rise and grab the basket Sasuke followed suit, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"What is a girl like you doing here anyway? Isn't your master concerned about you getting hurt?"

"I can take care of myself Uchiha-san, and do you think I'm a girl?"

His eyes widened, "Y-you're a boy?"

Haku smirked, "Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, you'll have to excuse me Uchiha-san, I need to get these herbs to my master before he grows more ill. I hope to see you sometime in the future."

A still stunned Sasuke could only watch as Haku vanished into the thicket of the woods leaving him alone in the silence of the clearing. That was an odd encounter, and one that left him with many questions and possibly an unfortunate visit to his forgotten therapist.

"Close your mouth or you'll catch flies, Uchiha-san."

He did as he was told, the gears in his head took a moment to turn but he eventually realised that he was no longer alone. He swiveled his head and looked down to see the top of his teammate's hair. This was also the first time Sasuke noticed that Natsumi had white hair roots, and that a portion of her head was clear of hair as if giving way to something.

"How long have you been here?"

She hummed while taking a step forward, she spun around to face him and point an accusing finger at him.

"Long enough to see your date. Sakura's going to be heartbroken. Who would have guessed that Uchiha Sasuke would find love in a foreign land?"

He growled and glared at her, of course this did nothing to deter the blonde as she proceeded to poke his chest.

"Oh what's that? Doki-doki, is that the throbbing of a lovestruck heart?"

His face heated up. He was only gone for a few hours but he forgot how infuriating Natsumi could be, she was a farcry from her cold academy self, now she seemed to relish in pushing his buttons. He grabbed her wrist and held it within a tight grip, onyx eyes bore deep into pools of cerulean, but Natsumi stood unwavering.

"You know, you could have been killed, Sasuke."

"I can handle myself."

"Hm, but not your anger it would seem." She would say as she surveyed the area. He flinched and hoped she didn't notice.

"But there's no point dwelling on what-ifs, I came to check on you and that's all. I'll be heading back to the house now, are you staying or will you join me?"

He looked at her and then in the general direction that Haku had disappeared in. Their words still played in his head, he had a lot to think about later that night.

"Hn, let's go."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out in relief as she watched Sasuke and Natsumi's forms appear. The object of her infatuation sported a few bruises and cuts, and his clothes needed mending, but he appeared to be physically fine.

"He's fine, just broody as per usual. Maybe a warm bath will cheer him up."

Sakura looked between the two but did not wait for anything else to be said, "A-a bath? Right! I'll run one now!" She turned on her heels and dashed into the house, they heard her hurried footfalls as she climbed up the staircase and headed for the bathroom.

"Tsk tsk, see she's wife material. But anyway go take a bath, you smell something foul."

Sasuke did not retort, he did not have the energy nor the will to get into a spat with Natsumi. And although he refused to verbally admit it, he needed a bath, a warm and long one too. His body still ached and he felt sticky from all the dried sweat and the soot from his fire techniques.

"Hn," He followed after Sakura, leaving Natsumi to stand outside the house.

The blonde waited close to a minute before turning her head to the very end of the house, "Good morning sensei, can we have a moment of discussion?"

Kakashi peered out from his hiding spot, book in hand and eye curved into a smile. He had to give Natsumi credit, the girl had a good read of her surroundings.

"Of course, what good news do you have for me?"

Natsumi looked around for a moment. The coast was clear and both her teammates were out of earshot.

"I found Sasuke in a clearing not far from here, Zabuza's partner was there too. They were talking about something, but I couldn't quite hear what it was about. The hunter-nin left and I sent a clone to follow them."

There was that Yondaime brilliance shinning through.

"Good job, Natsumi. Out of curiosity how would you approach the situation once you know of their location?"

"Well, we know that his target is Tazuna and the only person to have a strong motivation for eliminating him is Gato, therefore we can make the connection that Zabuza was hired by Gato. It's obvious. But what if we can stop Zabuza from killing Tazuna without fighting?"

An intrigued Kakashi closed his book.

"Go on."

"We confront Zabuza, he is still weak from our last encounter and us knowing his whereabouts is enough to get him thinking. We can kill him at any moment while he's weak, he can try to move locations but he knows we will follow him and possibly strike while he tries. He is at out mercy. Which makes for perfect bargaining ground."

"So we threaten to kill him?"

Natsumi shook her head. She gained nothing from killing Zabuza.

"Yes, and no. I want to investigate Gato, specifically his manor. It's bound to have some riches that we can lump on Zabuza."

"So you want to turn him on his employer? What makes you so sure that Zabuza will agree to this and not turn on us?" Kakashi was intrigued by his student's plan, despite his inquiries, he wanted her plan to work. Fighting Zabuza was not on his list of things to do, and he would much prefer if the mission wrapped up cleanly without any casualties.

"Zabuza is in it for the money, well that's what I surmise. We give him what he wants, and there's a high possibility that he'll leave."

Kakashi set in silence as he went over what they discussed. They were currently dealing with unknown factor and it all boiled down to trusting a man who fled his own village. Could they trust Zabuza? Not entirely, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. It was worth a shot, and if things went sour they could at least spring on a crippled Zabuza.

"We can give it a shot, but I'd prefer if this remained between us. It's not that I don't trust Sasuke and Sakura, they just lack a certain...edge, that you have."

Natsumi raised a brow, "Edge? You mean I'm willing to kill without hesitation?"

He wasn't wrong. She was no stranger to taking lives, but the same couldn't be said about her teammates. Sasuke may have experience with death, but his hands were still clean. Sakura was as clean as they came, the girl flinched from the slightest bit of contact.

A sudden string of images played in her mind as the memories of her clone came rushing in. Zabuza's hideout was deep within the woods but it lacked any obvious fortifications, probably out of confidence.

"I know where they are."

"Well then I suppose it's time to see whether this will work or not, but first." A puff of smoke engulfed his form and when it cleared, a perfect replica of Kakashi stood right next to him.

Natsumi did the same calling upon a shadow clone to take her place while they were gone.

"Right, let's just hope Zabuza can play nice." Kakashi hoped that would be the case.

Momochi Zabuza, former member of the Seven Deadly Swordsmen of the Mist, found disgrace in his loss against not only Kakashi, but his brats as well. Images of the white haired man, and the blonde brat crossed his mind every other hour and it bothered him to no end. He would have never been in this situation if he had not played around, and just finished the job. He underestimated the Genin and he wound up bedridden from the whole ordeal.

His body was still stiff and several bones and muscles ached. His chakra was still a scrambled mess, the brat's technique was something else, a whole different ball game to what he was used to. Haku's treatments were aiding in everything else however, and within a week he should be back on his feet.

"The next time I see that brat I'll make sure to take her head."

"A brat did this to you? What am I even paying you for?"

He whipped his head towards the doorway and occupying the space was a walking piece of shit, in his humble opinion of course. Gato sneered and pressed his cane against the floor.

"Zabuza you told me that damned bridge builder would be dead by now. But here you are licking your wounds like a fucking cat."

He bit back his words, if it weren't for the fact that Gato was paying him a lot of money, he would have separated the man's head from his shoulders already.

"I will have to ask you to refrain from speaking to Zabuza-sama like that." Haku spoke as she appeared from behind Gato, pushing past his two lackies.

"Or what? It's not like he can do anything right?" And as if to prove his point, Gato reached his cane outwards with the intent to poke at the lulling bear that was Zabuza, but before he could continue any further his wrist was grabbed and twisted forcing him to drop to his knees.

"Gah!"

"I warned you." Haku's voice dripped with venom.

Gato sneered and tried to pull his arm and free his wrist, but Haku tightened her grip forcing him further towards the floor. His armed goons readied their weapons but did nothing fearing they would hurt their meal ticket.

"You'll get the bridge builder's head in due time, Gato. I just gotta take care of a certain...complication first." Zabuza signaled for Haku to release the man, letting him stumble back while clutching at his arm.

"Hng, You better! Or else it's your head I'll be having, and this stupid bitch too. You two get moving, I don't know what I even pay you for."

The trio left and Zabuza spat. He should have just killed him on the spot.

"Well it would seem we're having some work related issues here, maybe we should come back later."

The former Kiri nin froze upon recognising that voice. He tried to roll himself out of bed and grab his sword, but Kakashi had already intercepted his attempt and blocked the path.

He turned and looked towards Haku only to find her pinned to the ground by Kakashi's blonde brat.

"Fucking Hatake Kakashi." The mercenary grunted.

"Momochi Zabuza, we meet again. I love what you've done with the place."

The four ninja sat in silence, a thick and heavy atmosphere gripping the room as beads of sweat rolled down Zabuza's face. He was in no shape to outplay Kakashi, and his only hope was secured to the ground like a hog.

"Here to kill me? I thought you Konoha nin had a bit more class."

Kakashi let out a humourless chuckle, "Depends on who you ask, but we're not here to kill you...well that's not our intention anyway."

Zabuza raised a brow but said nothing. He continued to watch the two with a critical eye, and although Kakashi held the poise of a trained man ready to fight at any moment, he was considerably lax.

His brat was calm too, eyes glued on Haku as she wriggled and tried to break out of her bondage.

"Well spill it already."

"I'm glad you're willing to lend us your ears. You see, my adorable student and I here would like to cut the bloodshed to a minimum, so we've come with a proposal."

That explained the absence of the other two Genin, not that it mattered. Besides the dark haired one, the blonde posed the highest threat thus far.

"What kind of proposal?"

"Well, we're willing to pay you to kill Gato!" Kakashi announced with faux excitement.

Zabuza blinked, and then blinked again. He finally laughed as he comprehended just what Kakashi had said.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you just ask me to turn on my client?"

"Zabuza-sama-"

"Shut up, Haku, things have gotten a little interesting."

"Yes, it doesn't take a genius to see that your work relationship with Gato is a bit...strained."

"No thanks to you."

"Now, now, Zabuza, you attacked us. But I digress. We are willing to pay you to kill Gato."

The blonde brat cleared her throat and tore her icy gaze away from Haku, "To be more precise, Gato is willing to pay you to kill him."

Zabuza snorted, so she wasn't mute, good. She was all mouth when they first fought.

"Kakashi, clarify."

"We're going to raid Gato's home. Rob him blind and distribute whatever wealth he has stashed here."

Zabuza sat in silence as he gathered his thoughts. Why didn't he think of that? He could have just robbed the fool as soon as he met him and pissed off, he wouldn't even be in this situation in the first place. He laughed once more, a genuine hearty laugh that caused his ribs to ache.

"Never in a million years...have I thought that I'd agree to something as dumb as this. But I ain't exactly got much of a choice here."

He looked to Haku who could only hang her head in shame. He assumed either she was followed or Gato was, either way he'd deal with that later. But now he was intrigued, he wanted to see just how well this would play out. And he wasn't one to pass the opportunity to kill a smug bastard and get paid for it too.

"But before I agree to this, promise me this one thing, Hatake."

It was Kakashi's turn to quirk his brow.

"I want a fight, both you and that brat of yours. Not now, I want her when she's a Jonin."

Natsumi huffed. What a boorish request, but it would seem she left an impression on the man for him to personally request a fight many years in the making. But it was a toss up whether that fight would occur, as a shinobi life was filled with many uncertainties.

"Well I can't see why not. I'm fine with that, Natsumi?"

"I suppose it is a deal."

"Hahaha! Good, now let's talk about this payment thing."

It would be many hours later that both Kakashi and Natsumi would return to Tazuna's house. The pair quickly traded places with their unoccupied clones and upon inspecting their memories, it would seem none of team 7's other members caught on to their ruse.

Things with Zabuza were turning out to be far more interesting than a battle to the death.

Natsumi walked up the stairs with the goal of grabbing her belongings and taking a warm and relaxing bath, but as she entered the room she shared with Sakura and Tsunami she found her pink haired team-mate staring out the window with a distant stare.

"Sakura-san?"

Her voice was enough to break the girl out of her musings. Green eyes fluttered and cleared away a fog of forlorn thought, "N-Natsumi? Sorry, I must have been lost in thought."

Natsumi made her way to the window and stood beside her comrade. Tsunami's room looked over a stretch of the forest with a serviceable view of the main town. If she peered hard enough she could even make out the faint outline of the bridge being built.

"Mind if I ask what's eating you up?"

Sakura seemed hesitant at first. A thousand thoughts racing through her mind. She bit down on her lower lip and chewed on the flesh, the subtle taste of iron began lacing her tongue as she subconsciously bit down harder.

"I...I'm considering resigning." She immediately dropped her head as the words left her.

"Why is that?" Natsumi asked, hand reaching out and cupping at her chin. Forced to make eye contact Sakura could not hold back the tears anymore as hot liquid pooled and streamed down her cheeks.

"I can't...I just can't do this." She sobbed, words struggling to escape the lump in her throat, "I thought we were going to die...I watched helplessly as you risked your lives. I keep getting these nightmares-" Natsumi's thumb slid across her chin and pressed against her lips. If it were not for the atmosphere, it would have been a rather sensual moment, a fact that escaped the two girls.

"Sakura, this mission is above us, it is not what we signed up for." When they chose to further pursue the mission, none of them could have predicted it turning out like this. It was a C-rank, even Natsumi had anticipated maybe a couple of chunin level threats, not the presence of an infamous shinobi with a track record that was a mile long.

"What you're feeling is normal; fear, anxiety, dread. It's just that Sasuke and I have faced our own demons that allow us to steel our nerves in the moment. Do not think less of yourself because as a fresh out of the academy Genin you encountered Momochi Zabuza of all people."

Her thumb felt soft milky skin as it trailed from her lips and to her cheek, wiping away a streaking tear.

"It is the unfortunate life that we chose, but over time we'll grow used to this and jaded to the horror. I will not stop you if you desire to quit, but I want you to stop blaming yourself over this."

A sudden thought crossed her mind.

"And if you think you cannot be of use, then I'll show you otherwise. Follow me."

Sakura tried to speak, to whimper and mumble something in defeat, but she found her body obeying Natsumi's movements. The blonde pulled her by the hand and led her out the room and subsequently the house.

As they travelled to the unknown destination Sakura noted just how small Natsumi was. If she was brave enough she would rested her chin atop her head, but that would draw the other's ire and undoubtedly lead to swift retribution.

The two girls were oblivious to the dark eyes that watched them from above. The lone Uchiha casting a curious glance to his teammates, but ultimately choosing to not humour his interest. His mind was still occupied by...strange thoughts. The kind that were normal for a boy his age, but Sasuke was not exactly in tune with himself regarding that sense.

"Natsumi where are we going?" Sakura finally found her voice bringing the leading girl to a halt.

"We're here."

It was the same clearing that they had used for the tree climbing exercise. Her eyes were immediately drawn towards the large oak that had several gashes cut into its bark. Her eyes trailed from the first notch up until the last one, barely visible behind the drooping branch and its leaves.

'Sasuke-kun worked really hard...'

But her mind could not linger on Sasuke for long as she was drawn to reality by the fluttering of fabric. Natsumi had pulled out a tanto from her behind her waist, a well made blade that rarely saw any usage.

"I'm going to teach you a technique, one that Senju Tsunade deems essential and detrimental to any team's survival." Light bounced off the exposed blade as Natsumi slid it from its sheath.

She held out her hand and in a swift motion into her palm. Crimson began to seep and flow.

Sakura could only wince and swallow a gasp. But she was quiet throughout the demonstration, watching now as her teammate sheathed the blade and momentarily stored it in her sash.

"This is the Mystical Palm Technique." A green glow engulfed her uninjured hand which she would then hover over her bleeding palm. Before her very eyes Sakura witnessed the cut suture itself as flesh came together.

Natsumi revealed her now healed palm to show that not even a scratch remained.

"You might be familiar with the technique in passing, it was demonstrated to us during our Kunoichi lessons." Sakura remembered it vaguely, she usually buried those lessons deep behind some vault in her mind. There were some things about being a Kunoichi she did not want to even entertain.

"In any case, it is a Medic nin's most important tool other than their wits. It uses chakra to accelerate the body's healing process. The perfect solution to non-fatal injuries that happen on the field."

Natsumi performed the technique once again, this time opting to carefully flow through the two hand seals required. The green aura surrounded her hand once more, and silently she gestured for Sakura to reach out.

Upon doing so, she immediately felt serenity wash over her. A sense of calm and tranquility eased and her anxiety washed away in waves. For a moment she felt safe, but that would wither away as Natsumi pull back her hand.

She almost let out a whimper of dissatisfaction, but held enough control over herself to stop it in its tracks. She just hoped Natsumi did not notice.

"It's an advanced technique that requires precise chakra control. If performed incorrectly, it can have adverse effects on the body."

Sakura felt herself shudder. But this was her one way to find use within the teams dynamic, she had to get this right.

"Normally, practitioners will practice on fish due to their small size and expandable nature, but due to Nami's current situation I would rather we not deplete what little they have. So I'll act as volunteer."

"B-but Natsumi-"

She laughed as she let her kimono slide off her shoulders before she neatly folded it, "Do not worry Sakura, I am an Uzumaki, we have extraordinary healing capabilities and a chakra system that can take a beating. You will not harm me, leave that to me and me alone."

Before Sakura could voice anymore concerns, Natsumi cut herself once more.

"We'll start small, and gradually ramp up in difficulty. I want to see satisfactory results from you by the time we return to the village."

The look in her eyes sent a shiver down her spine and elicited goosebumps to rise.

No! Focus on training! Ignore teenage hormones!

"R-right!" She nodded with firm conviction.

Several Hours Later...

The sun had set and Sakura could barely keep herself upright. Her brow was crusty with streaks of dry sweat, her fingers smudged in blood, and her eyes heavy with fatigue.

"Two hundred...and...fifty-six." She managed to squeeze out before finally collapsing onto her knees.

She thought Kakashi-sensei was a slave driver, but oh she was wrong. Natsumi had a mean streak that was a mile long. At this point Sakura was beginning to feel herself grow accustomed to blood, after all it was one of three things she had seen for the past couple of hours, non-stop.

"I suppose this is enough for today."

Natsumi's cool voice said, but Sakura could detected a small hint of joy behind it. She wasn't sure if it was from the torturing she was dishing out, or if she was happy with her progress.

Speaking of which, the Mystical Palm Technique definitely was not for beginners. Her first few attempts would cause chakra burns and even worsen the cut that Natsumi would inflict upon herself. She panicked quite a lot, but around the 80th mark she began to mess up a lot less.

The technique strained her coils, reminding her just how small her reserves were compared to someone like Natsumi who has been described as a walking dam with one of the largest reserves in all of Konoha. Now the girl managed to refine her control to this point is both a mystery and awe-inspiring.

"Can you stand? Or should I carry you?"

The pinkette put on a tough front. Mustering her strength she shakily rose to her feet, but would immediately stumble and land in Natsumi's awaiting arms.

"I'll take that as a yes. Do not grow concerned, you are not heavy." And as if to prove her point, she positioned Sakura on her back and hoisted her legs up to her waist.

"Thanks..." a flushed Sakura muttered, chin resting on the blonde's shoulder.

"You're welcome, we'll get to Tazuna's home and I'll run us a bath."

The words were enough to temporarily drag her out of her stupor, "Us?"

"Yes, are you shy? You remind me of Him- Hinata-chan, but we frequently bathe together."

Sakura did not say anything, choosing to hid her flustered face instead.

"How adorable, Sakura-chan~"

The girl in question, groaned.

End of Chapter 9

A/N: So there's chapter 9! Sasuke meets Haku! Natsumi and Kakashi met with Zabuza! Natsumi trained Sakura! And team 7 is confused because their blondie reads too much of a specific orange book. So there's a few changes from canon with Sasuke meeting Haku instead and the whole plot to steal from Gato. There will be a lot more canon divergence after the wave arc so stay tuned.

I wasn't sure with Haku when I initially wrote this, hence the vague nature of their identity in the first half of the chapter. I think I made Haku female on a whim with possible future plans, so if you were curious, there ya go.

For those wondering about the ships, I'm still not sure. Natsumi swings either way and usually shoots her shot when she can, so that will happen here and there until I land on a solid ship. If all fails it will default to Natsumi/Hinata.

While I continue to work on this fic, I've got a fem Naruto x fem Sasuke fix in the works as well, it's an extremely rare pairing that I want to crack a shot at. I hope you guys like sukeban!

Anywho, I appreciate all the support I've been receiving, I honestly didn't think people would still be interested in this story but the few that still follow and the new people joining the journey keep me going, thank you all and I hope I can deliver a story you'll enjoy even more.

Keep an eye out for Chapter 10 soon!

Ciao!