Author's Note: Originally written as a treat for MasuTrout for the 2021 Heart Attack Exchange.

Unofficial titles: "Itachi Gets Bullied By Kiri-Nin For 12,000 Words," "fellas is it kidfic to temporarily adopt your ex-kohai's student."

It was supposed to be a simple mission.

It should have been a simple mission. Some criminal family had started muscling into other families' established territory in the Land of Hot Water, upsetting the locals and throwing their weight around. Yugakure was taking its usual tactic of "ignore anything that could require a fight until someone else takes care of the problem for us," and unfortunately for the established families, the new family had either deep enough pockets or good enough connections to keep a surprisingly large number of missing-nin on retainer for protection from more mundane attacks. It was exactly the kind of situation that could make a daimyo and the heads of the established families consider their options and decide that pooling their resources to get some outside help, even from a thoroughly disreputable source, was their best chance of calming things back down to the country's usual levels of tepid peace.

Really, any pair of Akatsuki members could have taken the job. It didn't require stealth, subtlety, or discretion, just a lot of violence and the ability not to come right out and tell any innocent passers-by who had hired them. If Yugakure kicked up a fuss, the daimyo and family heads could always shrug it off as a mysterious but lucky coincidence. Who knew why Akatsuki committed any of the crimes they did, after all? Having a terrifying reputation for basically nothing but existing was useful that way.

But Kisame and Itachi had happened to be in the general area anyway, working on some information gathering; both of them had also been through the Land of Hot Water in their times before joining Akatsuki and had a decent grasp of the territory, and they were, as a rule, better about keeping their mouths shut than certain other pairs. Not that the leader had mentioned that part specifically.

What the leader had said, specifically, was, "Don't be too quick to wipe out the family. I want to know how they're recruiting their missing-nin and if any of them could potentially be of use to us."

That seemed unlikely to Kisame, but far be it from him to question the leader's methods. Itachi was good at that sort of thing, so it wasn't likely to be a major hurdle in completing the overall mission. Find the upstart gang family, let Itachi go through the more important members and dazzle them with his creepy eyes until they got the answers the leader was interested in, then kill the lot of them, with exceptions for any particularly powerful or talented missing-nin who were willing to take them up on a job offer. Not that different from plenty of other missions. Simple, start to finish.

Of course, "simple" lasted right up until they ran into the kid.

A cool and steady breeze blew through the small huddle of weathered buildings clinging to the cliff-top, carrying the tang of salt and seaweed and the repetitive crashing of waves against the rocks below. Sullen gray clouds hung overhead and threatened rain without any signs of following through, but Itachi had still insisted on them taking refuge in the village's tiny tea shop to be safe.

If he thought that they would be able to pick up any gossip from the locals about the Awagami family's operations on the coast, he was mistaken. There were a couple of middle-aged ladies in one corner and three old men plus a younger man with half his right arm missing at the table next to Itachi and Kisame, all of whom had been chattering away at the pair's entrance, but every one of them had clammed up immediately after. Even the server, though reasonably polite and swift to fetch them their tea and snacks, didn't have more than the bare minimum of pleasantries for them. It was one of those villages, then. No time to spare for outsiders, whether they were shinobi or regular visitors.

At least the snacks were good.

Kisame was about to suggest that they finish up quick and either stick one of the other customers in a genjutsu to fish the local news out of them or go canvassing the village for someone discontented enough to talk to strangers of their own free will when the boy walked in.

"Oh, Yuki-kun," one of the old men said, his wizened face brightening, and the aunts in the corner waved cheerfully at the boy. "What brings you back so soon? You were just here yesterday for supplies."

The boy didn't answer at first, looking warily at Kisame and Itachi. Curious. He probably didn't recognize them as themselves, especially since they hadn't taken off their hats, or he would be running already, but he didn't have the tanned, weatherworn look of the locals; he was pale and smooth-skinned, with long, loose dark hair and dark eyes, and probably around twelve or thirteen years old. A natural sensor, possibly, picking up on the chakra they weren't suppressing that hard around civilians, or - Kisame glanced down at the boy's hands and spotted familiar calluses. Or someone was training the kid as a shinobi and not doing too bad a job of it.

"Yuki-kun?" the old man said, and he gave Kisame and Itachi a mistrustful glare. "Everything all right?"

"Yes - sorry, Jiro-san, I'm just a little tired today." Yuki smiled sweetly, but to Kisame's experienced and jaded eyes, the forced edge to it rang clear. "I hope I'm not bothering you? I was wondering something..."

Jiro and the rest of the group hastened to reassure the kid that he wasn't a bother at all while Kisame tried to place his accent. It wasn't a strong one - probably the teacher was training it out of him - but there was a trace of something familiar to it. From one of the northern islands, maybe?

His line of thought took a sharp zag when the boy said, "You haven't seen my older cousin, have you? He was supposed to meet me back here a few days ago, but he's so late now, and it isn't like him... I'm starting to worry."

Jiro and the man with the half-missing arm exchanged significant looks, and then the latter said carefully, "Don't think so. Haven't seen too many new people around here. He look much like you, your cousin?"

"No - he looks more like his father. He's tall and has short hair and brown eyes, and he's very strong. You would definitely know if you'd seen him." Yuki sighed in an artfully pitiful way. "I suppose it wasn't very likely, but I was hoping... Thank you anyway, Mashiro-san."

"Well, maybe he'll turn up soon," Mashiro said, looking uncomfortable, and another of the old men shook his head. "If he was coming by boat, sea's rough this time of year. Might have been delayed waiting for better weather. Stick around a while, see what washes up."

"That could be it. Thank you again, Mashiro-san - I'll come by again tomorrow, if it's all right?"

"Of course, any time," said Mashiro.

The server came by and gave Yuki a little packet of mochi "to keep your spirits up while you wait," which bought her another of those sweet false smiles, and then the boy left the shop.

Cute kids had all the luck, Kisame thought gloomily, and he wondered whether Itachi had been as good at charming information and free snacks out of strangers before all of the massacring. It didn't seem likely, unless his personality had been a lot better back then. Maybe if Kisame had been luckier and gotten his father's pretty green eyes instead of his mother's, he could have -

"Such a shame," Jiro said, almost too quietly for Kisame to hear. "Poor boy. You oughtn't encourage him, Mashiro - better for him if he moves on."

"Don't know for sure it was the same man that night. Dark out. Could've been some other stranger they took."

"You know it was -"

"Hush up, no more of that talk," the third old man muttered, with a sideways glare at Kisame and Itachi, and the little group fell back into quiet.

It was somewhere to start, potentially. Kisame took a final swallow of his tea and mouthed to Itachi, You take these four, I'll handle the boy. He wasn't that great with kids, but he would have a better chance at intimidating something out of Yuki than testing out his mediocre genjutsu skills on a few grumpy old men. Better to leave that to Itachi, who could handle it with a lot less fuss.

Itachi nodded, and Kisame got up from their table and headed out of the shop.

Yuki - if that was the boy's name - hadn't gone far, only to the end of the single street, where he was nibbling on one of the mochi and staring pensively over the edge of the cliff. Kisame took a slow, casual approach, not bothering to muffle his steps. No point in spooking someone he just wanted to have a nice, casual, informative chat with by being too sneaky.

The boy didn't startle, but Kisame could see him tense up ever so slightly as Kisame got closer, his stance shifting so he could take off quickly if he needed to. Fair enough; Kisame tended to have that effect even when he wasn't trying to. "Hey, there," he said, going for the most neutral tone he could manage. "Not a very pleasant day for watching the ocean - Yuki-kun, is it?"

"Not really, Kisame-san."

Damn, that had been fast. It might make things easier, though. "So you did recognize us in the tea shop."

"I'm afraid that I don't know your partner." Oh, he had better not mention that to Itachi; he would be sulky about it for days if he knew. "But my master has always spoken very highly of you."

That narrowed the field of candidates for the kid's teacher considerably. Not too many people had great things to say about Kisame, unless Oh shit, it's that scary shark bastard, run for it counted as praise. And he did seem to remember hearing that one of his former comrades had been collecting strays and malcontents for nefarious anti-Mizukage purposes. Which one of them had it been, again? "How is Zabuza-kun doing these days?"

The kid's face fell, but only for an instant before he collected himself. "That's the problem, Kisame-san - I don't know."

Ah. Now there was an interesting development. And quite possibly a very useful one. "My, my, that's a shame to hear. Why don't you tell me all about it?"

With Kisame out of the tea shop, it was much easier to lower the guards of the old men and Mashiro, and Itachi only had to use the lightest illusion of familiarity and comfort to earn their confidence and get them to talk. Particularly Mashiro.

"I was up the coast at the big port a few days," Mashiro said, cradling in his hand a fresh cup of tea that Itachi had quietly paid for. "I go up with Jiro and Kazuma here to sell the catch most weeks, you see, and a storm'd blown in, so we stayed the night there with Aunt Benio's oldest - she left this place to paint screens and such for nobles. But I went out with Jiro, to go visit with an old friend of his. We saw it, coming back..." He shivered. "Dark night, with the storm, and half the lights were out. Won't swear it was Yuki's cousin we saw for sure. But it was a tall man, short hair, tough-looking. Had the biggest sword I ever saw, too. Didn't help him, though, when they went for him."

"That does sound like a terrible experience," Itachi said, as sympathetically as he could manage. "It's lucky whoever it was didn't try to take you, too."

"Oh, I can guess who it was," Kazuma said darkly. "Luck hadn't nothing to do with it. Of course those people wouldn't spare any of us a second look - all they want are more -"

"Don't say it!" Mashiro glanced at the door, and his fingers tightened around his cup. "They haven't shown up in these parts yet, but there's no knowing if they'll try and hunt out Yuki. Or just come round here looking for somewhere new to bring their goods through."

"Poor Yuki-kun," said Jiro, shaking his head. "Not that we can't always use a spare pair of hands, if he wants to stay and wait just in case, but it's a damn shame. Nice kid like that deserves better."

Itachi made a noise of polite agreement as the other men shared a round of sorrowful sighs. The boy had quite a talent for infiltration, to have become so friendly with the village's inhabitants so quickly and so thoroughly. At least he could count on Kisame not to be fooled that easily.

"You and your friend ought to take care, too," Kazuma said. "You two might be ordinary folk, but your friend's big enough those people won't care, if they think they can get some use out of him."

"I appreciate your concern. We'll be careful." Itachi stood and bowed to the group. "Thank you for talking to me - it was a pleasure to meet you." As vague as the information was, it was still a place to begin in tracking down the Awagami family and their crew of missing-nin and restabilizing the Land of Hot Water.

Outside of the tea shop, Kisame was waiting for him - but unexpectedly, so was the boy. Kisame seemed entirely unfazed by it or Itachi's obvious displeasure, however, and said cheerfully, "So, have a useful chat with the local grandpas?"

"Somewhat." Itachi looked the boy over skeptically. He didn't appear hostile or threatening, and Kisame wasn't under the influence of a genjutsu, but that only deepened Itachi's suspicions. "Why is he here?"

"Ah, that's a rather funny story, actually... Why don't we talk about it a bit more once we're out of town? Yuki-kun's got some things to pick up."

Out of the question. What had gotten into Kisame? He had never shown the slightest bit of interest in children before, even clearly shinobi-trained children. "How is that our concern?"

"Well - I'd rather not explain here. But let's say that we might have the same interests for the moment, so we may as well work together. Right, kid?"

The boy bowed and said, "I appreciate your willingness to help, sir."

Itachi wasn't feeling particularly willing to do anything without a thorough discussion with Kisame first, but they shouldn't do more to attract attention than they already had simply by being strangers in a small village. Although Kisame would have to have an excellent explanation very soon. "Then let's go. We shouldn't waste time."

They followed the boy along the road that wound out of the village and through the dense pine forest; Itachi remained alert for any signs of treachery. A short way from the village, after a curve that hid the houses from view, the boy glanced around and then led them into the forest itself, where they could take to the trees once they were out of sight of the road and move faster.

At a pointed look from Itachi, Kisame said, "I know, I know - but this isn't just any kid. You're familiar with the other sword-wielders of Kiri, right?"

"Of course."

"This kid was picked up by one of them. Imagine, one of my cute younger comrades with a student of his own... It's not as if I owe Zabuza-kun anything in particular, let alone his follower, but it's difficult to say no to someone who asks so nicely for a favor from a sempai, you know? Especially since that favor may just be helping us with what we're getting paid to do in the first place, depending on what you found out."

Unfortunately, Momochi Zabuza disappearing on his student without warning did fit with the information Itachi had gathered, although why the Awagami family would choose to ambush and kidnap a missing-nin rather than hire them outright remained an oddity. Most missing-nin, if not organized like Akatsuki, were too desperate to demand an unreasonably high price for their services.

"He should be able to haul his own weight on the job, anyway," Kisame said. "Unless Zabuza-kun's that terrible a teacher, in which case he has no one to blame but himself for not training the kid better."

Itachi suppressed a sigh. "This is not a complication that we need on this mission."

"You shouldn't worry about it so much, Itachi-san. Won't it be fun to have an adorable little rookie of our own to help us hunt the Awagami family and their minions down?"

Sometimes Itachi didn't understand Kisame at all. "We don't need help. And -"

"We're here," the boy said, leaping down from the branch ahead of them and into a small clearing created by two giant pines that had fallen at slight angles to each other. A small shelter had been constructed between them, along with a well-used firepit. The boy had to have been staying there for some time, waiting for his master to return.

"Need a hand with anything, Yuki-kun?" Kisame asked, for some reason.

"No, Kisame-san. I won't be long." The boy paused at the mouth of the shelter. "Also - my name is Haku, actually."

"I see. Thanks for sharing." Once Haku had disappeared into the shelter, Kisame said, "Well? Am I wrong in thinking that Zabuza-kun going missing might be the Awagami family's work?"

"No," Itachi said reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean we should drag an unknown quantity along with us." Haku might be skilled, but skilled was rarely the same as trustworthy.

"Unknown quantity? The student of a subordinate is hardly a stranger. And besides -" Kisame's smile was filled with teeth. "- I'd like to see what sort of child the Demon of the Bloody Mist found worth taking in. The leader is looking for new faces, after all."

Itachi pushed down another, heavier sigh. "Very well. But I won't tolerate him getting in our way." Trouble in the Land of Hot Water could prove dangerous for the Land of Fire and Konoha, as well, with their shared border; the mission had to be completed to maintain peace. And if there was a chance that either Zabuza or Haku could become a threat to Konoha... Better to end that threat as soon as possible, while he had a believable excuse for doing so.

"You're always so pessimistic. I'm sure it will be fine."

Haku came out of the shelter a minute later lugging two packs, one of which had an occupied rabbit cage attached, and then set about dismantling the shelter and the firepit with silent, ruthless efficiency. He was admirably thorough about it, although Itachi noted one or two traces of the camp's presence that he would need to clean up before they left for the port town.

As Haku finished burying the last of the soot-darkened rocks from the firepit, Kisame reached for the pack without the rabbit cage, saying, "I'll take this one, if you don't -"

"No!" Haku snatched the pack away from him. "That one is Zabuza-san's. Don't - I mean, I'll carry it. You don't need to trouble yourself with it."

"Oh, sorry. Is it all right if I take yours, then? These look a little heavy for you to carry both."

Haku hesitated, then said, "Yes, it's fine. Thank you very much, Kisame-san."

Itachi inspected Kisame again, but there was still no sign of genjutsu or a transformation. Or any other technique that could possibly make sense of why his partner had suddenly become so solicitous of a near-complete stranger.

"All ready to go, then?" Kisame asked as he shouldered Haku's pack next to Samehada. "Remember, if you don't behave and do well, I'll tell Zabuza-kun all about it once we find him."

"Don't worry. I won't let you or Zabuza-san down, I promise."

Why.

The port town to the north of the village was almost a full day's journey by the road, but only a few hours away through the forest at a shinobi's pace. Perhaps even less time, at the speed that Kisame-san and Itachi-san set. Haku could keep up with them, but with Zabuza-san's heavier pack, it was more difficult and tiring than he'd expected.

But he couldn't fall behind or complain. Not when Zabuza-san could be in danger.

Itachi-san had taken the lead; Haku assumed it had something to do with his unusual eyes. A bloodline ability of some kind, maybe. He would have to look Itachi-san up in the bingo book later to be certain. Kisame-san stayed next to Haku, running in silence the same as Itachi-san. It was almost like traveling with Zabuza-san, except - Haku bit his lip. He couldn't let himself be distracted, either. He had to focus. Zabuza-san needed him.

"I have to admit," Kisame-san said out of nowhere, "I never really figured Zabuza-kun for the teaching type. Talented shinobi, but a little impatient sometimes. Bit of a temper. Not very friendly. I'm surprised that you're so eager to go back to him when you've got the perfect chance to strike out on your own. A nice young man like you, with the skills you have - you could probably do quite well for yourself."

That was a strange thing for someone like Kisame-san to say. But perhaps, since he had Itachi-san, he had forgotten what it was like to be alone. "I couldn't do that. If it weren't for Zabuza-san, I wouldn't be here at all, so I won't desert him."

"Not even for, say, an easy, peaceful life somewhere? I hear Yugakure is a pleasant place to live and even be a shinobi, if you don't like to shed blood. Not a particularly difficult trip from here, either, if you stick to the main roads."

"No. Not for anything," Haku said. "Without Zabuza-san -" He swallowed the fear that had leaped up in his throat at the thought. "- without him, I wouldn't have any purpose in the world. So whatever he needs me to be, I'll become, no matter what that means." He forced a smile. "But it's kind of you to be concerned on my account."

Kisame's round eyes widened. "Ah, that isn't quite what - well, you're welcome, I suppose. It seems like Zabuza-kun's gotten pretty lucky, finding you."

"Really? I think that I'm the lucky one... But perhaps both of us are."

"Hm - that could be true."

They ran on in silence, for which Haku was grateful. He needed all his energy and concentration to continue matching Kisame-san's pace.

He hadn't been to the port himself, only memorized its location and general layout from a map, but he suspected that they were getting close when the old, thick-branched pines of the forest began to thin out into younger trees and undergrowth and the ground started to slope lower. His suspicions were confirmed when Itachi-san signaled for them to stop at a thicket. Haku took a moment to check that Zabuza-san's pack was all intact and catch his breath; when he looked up, two average-looking men had replaced Itachi-san and Kisame-san.

"Sorry if we startled you," one of the men said in Kisame-san's voice, and the other glared at him with a very Itachi-san sort of look. "You never know who might be passing through a port, though... You're probably fine as you are, but we're rather unpopular with a lot of people, so it's better if we don't get noticed just yet."

"I understand," Haku said, committing the appearance of their transformations to heart so he wouldn't lose track of them. "Actually - may I see my pack for a moment?"

"Sure thing."

It only took a few seconds to find his choker and a hairband, and then a few more to put them on and arrange his hair a little differently. People mistaking him for a girl might not make too much difference in a port town when it came to gathering information, but if whoever had taken Zabuza-san was searching for him as well, they would be more likely to overlook or underestimate him this way. "All right. I'm ready," he said.

Kisame-san muttered something that sounded like, "No - Zabuza-kun's definitely the lucky one here," then said more loudly, "Stick close to us and let us know if you hear or see anything suspicious. Particularly if it's someone talking about Zabuza-kun or the Awagami family."

"Yes, Kisame-san."

"Oh, and no names, either."

"Of course, sir."

There was a road a short distance from the thicket and not too busy with people coming and going from the port. It was easy to slip onto the road between groups of travelers. Even at a normal walking pace, it wasn't long before they reached the aged wooden walls and gate of the town, and the guards allowed them through after a quick and quiet talk with Itachi-san that almost certainly involved genjutsu.

Once inside, Haku took a quick assessment of the port. The town itself wasn't especially large, with most of its buildings concentrated near the docks that stretched out into the small, deep bay as well as a narrow sprawl along the shoreline, but the streets bustled with people and rang with the sounds of busy shops and crafters hard at work. Fish-sellers, blacksmiths, traders, wheelwrights, weavers, ship-builders... After spending weeks alone in the forest and Mashiro-san's quiet village, it was a little overwhelming, and Haku clutched the straps of Zabuza-san's pack more tightly. He couldn't let something so small and so normal bother him when he had work to do, but - it was harder than it should have been to readjust.

"I'm going to see what I can find out around the docks," Itachi-san said. "Stay together. We'll meet again at sunset by the gate we entered through."

"Yes, sir."

"Try not to fall prey to the call of the sea," Kisame-san said, and laughed at the irritated look Itachi-san gave him. Maybe it was a personal joke. "I know, I know - we'll see you at sunset. Good hunting."

Itachi-san glared one more time at both of them before disappearing into the crowd in the direction of the docks.

Haku pulled himself together and followed Kisame-san as they wandered through the markets and workshops, his ears perked up for any interesting information. Most of what he could pick out seemed to be normal gossip, though: the weather, the sea, dockings and departures, sicknesses and marriages and funerals and births, who was having sales and who overcharged or cheated on weights. Nothing that sounded obviously shady or suspicious.

"Hm," Kisame-san said after half an hour or so. "I don't suppose you know where the seedier element hangs out in this place, do you? Other than the docks - trust that guy to keep the best leads for himself."

"I'm afraid not, sir." Haku appraised the street they had turned onto. There were several food stalls doing a busy trade and a bar still in the process of setting up for the evening, as well as a bookshop that had already closed its doors next to a dispirited-looking store for used clothing. "But it may be worth trying here."

"Oh? Are you sure you don't just want me to treat you to something? Sorry, I'm not that soft a touch."

"No, I wouldn't dream of it. Everyone has to eat, though, so our chances might be better if we wait here for someone to come by."

"Good point - all right, we'll try it your way."

Kisame-san chose the yakitori stall next to the bar and, despite his previous words, bought skewers for both of them. That truly hadn't been Haku's intent - though he was hungry, there were food pills in both his and Zabuza-san's packs he could have eaten - but he didn't want to refuse the small kindness. It would be better to repay it by learning some useful information, if he could.

The stall's chefs were occupied with their work, so they wouldn't be good targets, and the other customers at the moment mostly seemed to be apprentices on late afternoon breaks complaining about work. Haku kept an eye and ear on the street and the bar's entrance instead.

"Not open yet?" a man passing by him grouched. "All I want's a drink - least I deserve now I'm back on my feet. Bastard damn near took my legs off with that freakish sword, he'd better be worth his weight in ryo."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first twenty times. You got a light? Might as well have a smoke while we wait."

"Sure." The click of a lighter as Haku forced himself to take a casual bite from his skewer. "Reckon the boss has that guy whipped into shape yet? He might be tougher than some of the others we've grabbed."

"Tough doesn't matter when it comes to Nanase-san's tricks. She'll have only had him a couple of days, though, so who knows. She might still be working on him."

"Guess so. As long as the boss doesn't send him back here - I'm not working with him after what he did. Bet he'll be more useful closer to Yugakure, anyway." A deep, coarse laugh. "Though maybe I'd forgive the asshole if I got to watch him slice up some of those snots working for -"

The clack of doors opening and a cheery "Welcome, welcome!" interrupted the man. But Haku had heard enough.

He finished his yakitori in another bite and started to stand when Kisame-san said, "Hey, kid. Get yourself some more," and handed him a bill that would cover the cost. "Then meet me on the roof next door. Got it?"

"I can -"

"No, I don't need your teacher coming after me for taking you into a bar. If they'd let you in at all." Even with the transformation, Kisame-san's smile was very sharp. "Eat up, and I'll see you in a few minutes to chat with our new friends."

"Yes, sir."

Haku dutifully ordered and ate another skewer after Kisame-san had disappeared into the bar, but he could barely taste the chicken through the ash in his mouth.

Zabuza-san - are you all right?

Three days earlier:

Zabuza woke with a snarl, snapping the ropes around his arms and ankles in two swift motions. If those sneaky, underhanded bastards thought they could grab him and get away with it, he'd show them just how wrong they -

"Oh, my," said a sweet, low voice from behind him. "I did tell them those ropes wouldn't be enough to hold someone of your reputation, but they never seem to listen to me. I suppose it makes them feel better to do it, even when it isn't necessary."

He whipped around and saw a fancy painted screen half-folded back to reveal an older woman in fiery red eye makeup sitting on a cushion, covering her lower face with a plain, open paper fan.

Quick check: no sword. Most of his backup tools and weapons were gone, but not all. The edge of a second cushion was visible next to the woman, so there was someone else back there with her, possibly as a guard. He snuck one of his remaining kunai into his hand and growled, "What the hell do you want with me?"

"So direct - just as I would expect from you," the woman said, with a little laugh. "Really, you can relax, Zabuza-kun. I promise that it's nothing too terrible. Merely a job offer, of a sort."

Zabuza didn't relax. "Job offer, huh? There's better ways to hire someone than yanking them off the street." He had to get back. Haku was - Haku would be fine on his own, of course. But he wasn't ready to step up and run herd on the rest of Zabuza's followers by himself, let alone pull off a coup. He still needed training and experience. And Zabuza.

Another little laugh. "Oh, I know. And I understand that you're already in search of work, so I'm sure you don't see why we didn't approach you in a more usual way..."

"Nah. And I don't care, either."

Her fan snapped shut just in time to block his strike at her throat. The richly dressed young man on the cushion next to her barely blinked; he rested his cheek on one hand and said lazily, "Looks like you were right, Nanase. I don't think this one is interested in listening to reason."

"As perceptive as ever, Awagami-dono," the woman said. "Now, then -"

Zabuza broke the block and leaped away from her. The room's walls looked like regular shoji. Easy to tear through and get out, then come back with Haku and burn the whole place down, and he was going to have a damn good time burning it down, too.

His kunai bounced off the paper as scrawls of black ink spilled across the blankness. Barrier seals. Damn it.

He pivoted to go after Nanase again, but froze at her unfolded fan and the hypnotic swirl of colors spreading across it. Despite himself, his grip on the kunai loosened.

"Why don't you come over here, Zabuza-kun?" Nanase said, smiling, and unwillingly he took a step toward her. "And we can have a little talk about the debts that you owe to Awagami-dono..."