Eien no Shasai
(Edited Version)
Chapter 5;
Kiri Youkai
Mist Demons
For there is nothing more terrifying than not knowing.
For what we do not know, we cannot prepare for.
Kari happily traced patterns into the waters surface with her fingertips choosing to ignore the gloomy mist pressing in on all sides. Deep down, the mist unnerved her, it was so thick it was almost like solid walls and made her feel like she was being slowly suffocated. However, the man rowing the boat seemed to know where he was going and Kakashi was at ease, so she cast her worries aside.
"What a thick mist, I can't see ahead," Sakura said peering around with furrowed brows.
"We should see the bridge soon, the Wave country is at the base of the bridge," the rower explained.
Kari gasped excitedly at the sight of little silver fishes tickling her fingers and leaned further for a better look. Sasuke irritably pulled her back before she fell into the water and she glared at him for startling her fish friends.
"Aa, Kari don't fall out the boat, the water's cold and you'll get a cold," Kakashi said simply and she retracted her glare towards Sasuke, directing her attention ahead where she could see a large shape beginning to form. She fidgeted slightly, she didn't like not being able to see properly it made her feel vulnerable.
"Sugoii! It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.
"Shh! Oi, be quiet. Why do you think we're not using the engine?" the rower hissed. "We'll be in deep trouble if Gatou finds us."
At the mention of this new name Tazuna glanced quickly at Kakashi.
"Sensei, I want to talk to you. It's... about this mission. You're right, the job is most likely outside of your duties, it turns out that a super dangerous man is after my life."
"Super dangerous man?" Naruto echoed.
"The wealthy shipping magnet, a man who goes by the name of Gatou," Tazuna said gravely.
"Gatou?" Kakashi said surprised. "From the Gatou company? He's said to be one of the worlds few extremely wealthy people."
"Hai. Officially he owns a large shipping company, but secretly he sells drugs and other illegal items, using ninjas and gangs to take over businesses and countries. He's a very nasty man. It was about a year ago when he set his eyes on the wave country. Through money an violence he quickly took control of the countries shipping industry. Gatou now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country," Tazuna said wearily. "The only thing he has to fear now is the completion of the bridge."
"I see, since you're building the bridge you're in the way," Sakura evaluated.
"So those ninjas were hired by Gatou?" Sasuke asked. Naruto pulled a confused face and Kari couldn't help but smile fondly at him.
"What I don't understand is, if you knew ninjas would be after you, why did you hide that fact when you hired us?" Kakashi questioned.
"The wave country is really poor, even our feudal lord has no money. We can't afford an expensive B-rank mission," Tazuna explained hanging his head in shame. "Well if you quit the mission now, I'll definitely be killed." He suddenly grinned. "But don't worry about it! If I die my cute ten year old grandson will just cry about it for a few days! Oh yeah! And my daughter will live a sad life hating the ninjas of the leaf! But it won't be your fault! Not at all!"
Kari bit her bottom lip to stop herself giggling at Kakashi's unimpressed posture. The poor old bridge builder hadn't fooled anyone with his extremely poor blackmail.
"Maa, I guess we have no choice, we will protect you until you get back to your country," Kakashi offered. Tazuna seemed distinctly victorious.
"We'll be there soon, it seems like we've avoided detection this far but just in case we'll take the route that has vegetation so we will be harder to spot. There's the dock, good bye and good luck."
"Thanks," Tazuna said smiling to his rower friend who quickly disappeared.
Unable to resist the nagging urge any longer, Kari pulled on the old man's sleeve.
"Hmm? Nani?" the old man asked. Kari blinked and pointed at the bottle in his grasp and then looked back up at him. She tilted her head and smiled.
"Can I please try some?"
'Kawaii...' Tazuna couldn't help but think as she looked up at him like an angelic little puppy.
"Kari-chan, that's sake, you're too young to-" Kakashi began but faltered when Tazuna easily handed over the bottle. "Ch-chotto matte, Kari-"
She ignored him, took a sniff and then without hesitation took a long swig. Sakura appeared appalled, Kakashi went pale, Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Naruto looked insufferably curious. After gulping the alcohol down she looked back at the top of the bottle.
"Ehee..." she giggled as her cheeks pinked. "Arigatoo gozaimasu Ojiichan!" Kari happily declared, returning his bottle and skipping ahead full of glee. Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly walked after her.
"Baka-onna," Sasuke scoffed under his breath.
-x-
Kari was made to hold Kakashi's sleeve when he caught up with her. He promised her pocky if she was a good girl and behaved (and did not mention to the Hokage she had drunk alcohol in front of him without him being able to stop her).
"Ne, Kashi-sensei?"
"Mm?" the Jounin replied. She'd adopted the nickname after getting slightly tongue-tied over his name. He supposed it was logical, she was tiny so her alcohol tolerance wasn't exactly going to be high. She wasn't falling over herself though, so that (rather large) swig only left her merry and in extremely good spirits. He would've held her hand, but needed his hands free in case an unwanted visitor showed up.
"What's wrong?" she asked giving his sleeve a tug.
"Nothing, nothing, just thinking," Kakashi reassured. 'If we get attacked again it will surely be a Jounin not a Chuunin... *sigh*'
Meanwhile, Naruto seemed to have remembered his and Sasuke's rivalry and felt the need to remind everyone of it. He darted forward looking left and right before suddenly declaring "There!" and flinging shuriken into the bushes. Everyone was immediately on high alert.
"Heh," Naruto said simply. "Just a rat."
"Stop trying to act cool! There was nothing there!" Sakura shrieked accusingly.
"Hey... stop using shuriken, it's dangerous, seriously..." Kakashi said sheepishly but was pulled from his awkward scolding by a tug on his sleeve. Kari was staring fixedly into the foliage, unmoving and unblinking. "Oi, it's okay," Kakashi reassured but she didn't listen cocking her head as though listening to something farther away. Her body was riddled with tension, her face blank from her previous cheerfulness.
"Oi midget! Stop acting like a moron!" Tazuna shrieked clutching his heart.
"I think I saw a shadow dattebayou!" Naruto cried flinging yet more sharp weaponry into the trees and bushes. Sakura clobbered him over the head and scolded him sharply while Kari tugged on Kakashi's sleeve again.
"I know," Kakashi said in a low voice. He could've sworn he'd seen something too. Kari walked steadily over to the bushes with Kakashi and Sakura in tow where a horror-struck white rabbit lay hyperventilating beneath a shuriken embedded in a tree a hair-width's away from the top of it's head.
"Oh it's just a rabbit," Tazuna sighed in relief.
"Naruto! Look what you've done!" Sakura cried angrily.
"Waa! Gomen Usagi-chan!" Naruto apologised snuggling the traumatised rabbit against his cheek.
"That's a snow rabbit, yet it's spring, what's with it's colour? The snow rabbit changes colour based on the amount of sunlight, white is it's colour during winter. This is a rabbit that's been kept in a cage for the sole pupouse of body switching," Kakashi murmured.
"He's here," Kari whispered. Kakashi glanced at her quickly. "In the trees."
"Can you pinpoint his location?" Kakashi said lowly so the observing ninja would not hear. How Kari could sense his masked presence was both incredible and troubling, now he knew it was there he could feel it too but previously he had overlooked it. The Hokage should have more information about the mysterious little girl by the time they get back, and hopefully some answers.
"Right."
At that moment Kakashi heard the shift of weight and the distinct sound of metal.
"Everyone, get down!" Kakashi ordered and Sakura forced Naruto down as Sasuke all but leapt on Kari to knock her to the ground. 'Strong senses, slow reactions,' Kakashi documented as the large blade swirled over his head. The blade embedded into the trunk of a tree with a dull thud and a large man landed on the handle. Glancing up Kari quickly observed his appearance, bulky muscle, tanned skin, bandaged mouth, thick camouflage arm and leg warmers, striped trousers, topless, hitai-ate tied sideways, short dark hair, cruel eyes. But the feel of him... he seemed to radiate strength, brute force and power. His blade was at least the length of his large body and with the ease it sliced halfway through the trunk of the tree, it was sharp.
Sasuke pulled her up, gripping her tightly and told her roughly to "Snap out of it."
Her brain registered the man's apparent strength but never even crossed the fleeting thought of fleeing. Her body became tense in preparation to attack.
"Well, well, if it isn't Kirigakure's missing-nin Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi stated. Naruto went to propel himself into battle but Kakashi held a hand out in front of him. Kari legs trembled slightly in protest. She felt she needed to attack, before he attacked her. "Everybody get back, this one's on a whole different level. Against him, it will be tough unless I use this..."
"You appear to be Sharingan Kakashi, sorry but that old man is mine," Zabuza said in a deep gravelly voice. Kari noticed Sakura and Naruto were seemingly as confused as she was about what a 'Sharingan' was, but Sasuke's shock hinted at familiarity.
"Surround and protect Tazuna-san, do not enter the fight, that's the teamwork here. Zabuza, first..." Kakashi instructed while a hand went to lift the slanted left side of his hitai-ate. Naruto gasped as Kakashi's eye was revealed, a thin scar running down the centre of the lid, down his cheek where the rest was hidden by his mask. The eye was a deep red with three tomoe markings surrounding the pupil like black koi in a red pond. "...Fight me."
"Ah, I already get to see the famous Sharingan. What an honour," Zabuza said his eyes now fixed on Kakashi.
"Sharingan, Sharingan!" Naruto cried impatiently. "What the hell is that?"
"Sharingan..." Sasuke began, "It is said that some have the ability in their eyes to read and defeat all types of Nin, Tai and Gen-jutsu. The Sharingan is one of the types of pupil that gives you this power," Sasuke explained. "But that's not the only ability that the Sharingan has..."
"Heh, exactly. What's even scarier is, that you can copy your opponents techniques once you see them," Zabuza elaborated. "When I was a member of Kirigakure's assasin team, I kept a handbook. It also contained information about you; kopi ninja Kakashi; the man who has copied over 1,000 jutsu."
While Sakura and Naruto stared at Kakashi's awe, Sasuke eyes were narrowed into a suspicious glare. Kari glanced between the three, still unsure about this Sharingan business, then returned her attention to the enemy.
"Now, let's end all this talking. I have to kill that old man." The tension steeply rose. "But Kakashi, it seems I have to beat you first." Zabuza jumped from the tree, easily freeing his sword. Kari felt the tremble in her legs again and fought the overwhelming urge to attack, to fight.
"Over there!" Naruto cried in alarm.
"On top of the water!" Sakura gasped.
Kari felt the air shift as though it were becoming thicker and a sensation like that of fire without heat, energy coming from Zabuza.
"Ninpou; Kirigakure no jutsu." Zabuza said with one hand in front of his lips with the other raised above his head. He suddenly disappeared leaving behind a leaf on the waters surface.
"He'll come after me first," Kakashi said. "Momochi Zabuza, as a member of Kirigakure, he was known an exert in silent killing. You don't even notice until you're already dead. It's not like I can use the Sharingan perfectly, you guys be careful."
"The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto cried as the cloudy air pressed in on them. Kari could swear she could hear sounds all around her, feel stirs of air in all directions, the sounds of her team and client seemed deafening as she desperately tried to pinpoint his location.
"Eight choices." Zabuza's voice called from the mist in what almost resembled a coo.
"Nani?" Sakura cried in alarm.
"Liver, lungs, spine, subclavical artery, jungular vein, brain, kidneys, heart. Which one should I go after?"
Kari's eyes widened, her glances quicker, more frantic as her heart rate increased. She couldn't tell if she was petrified or excited. The thundering sounds of her team-mates hearts seemed to pound against her skull. One of them was faster than the others and glancing to her left she saw it was Sasuke. It was... scary, seeing him like that. Pale, drenched in sweat with wide, mad eyes. The way he held his kunai was almost like he was about to plunge it into himself. She reached for him blindly catching hold of his shaking wrist.
"Sa...Sasuke," Kari murmured and he glanced at her, his hand grasping hers painfully tight, crushing the bones. It was a warning not to touch him again and a desperate plea for protection, some sort of safety. "I'll back you up... It'll be okay." She glanced away from the fog and into his eyes. "I'm scared too."
And she was. She felt a chilling terror at the thought of him stabbing that kunai into himself.
He seemed to calm, his grip relaxing on her bruised fingers.
"Sasuke," Kakashi said from in front of them. "Don't worry, I'll protect you even if it kills me. I don't let..." he looked over his shoulder and his eye crinkled from his invisible smile, "...my comrades die."
In that moment she felt Zabuza so strongly she could almost taste the force of his energy. The overwhelming strength, that had taken form right behind her. Ripping her hand from Sasuke's grasp she turned, kunai ready to attack no matter how useless her attempt might be. If she was going down, she was going down fighting.
"It's over," Zabuza said gleefully, eyes fixed on Kari's, the only one who was fast enough and brave/stupid enough to attempt an attack. Before he could behead all the little children, Kakashi appeared, knocking his students and the client away while shoving a kunai under the indent of Zabuza's ribcage. Water dripped in the place of blood and Naruto cried out in alarm.
"Kakashi-sensei! Behind you!"
But as Zabuza sliced Kakashi in half, Kakashi's body burst into water.
"Don't move!" Kakashi ordered, a kunai to Zabuza's neck. "It's over!"
"Wow!" Naruto cried in amazement while Sakura giggled in glee at the teams victory. Kari's eyes narrowed as Zabuza too began to laugh and could feel that this definitely was not over, not by a long shot.
"Heh, it's over? You don't get it. You can't beat me with your monkey-like imitations," Zabuza sneered. "Heh, but that was impressive of you, at that time you had already copied my Mizu Bunshin no jutsu. You had your clone say those words in order to attract my attention while the real you hid in the mist and watched me. Nice plan... But..." Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi as the one he held at kunai-point erupted into water. "I'm also not that easy..."
"That one's a fake too?" Naruto cried incredulously while Kari's eyes narrowed, desperately trying to figure out the difference between water and flesh. Kakashi ducked to avoid the sword, but failed to move in time to avoid the kick and was sent flying towards the water. Zabuza went to follow but was slowed by the sharp makibishi scattered on the ground.
"Foolish."
"Sensei!" Naruto called as Kakashi landed with a splash. Kari felt sick while she looked at the water, it didn't look right but she couldn't fathom why.
"What the, this water is heavy?" Kakashi groaned as he surfaced, the water seeming to try and drag him back under its surface down into it's shadowed depths.
"Fool," Zabuza said as his bandage-mask shifted with a hidden sinister smile.
"Kakashi!" Kari bellowed in alarm. "MOVE!"
"Too late, Suirou no jutsu!" Zabuza cried pushing his hands in front of him as a sphere of water appeared around Kakashi, trapping him inside.
"Nani?" Kakashi cried in alarm, surveying the liquid bubble around him.
"You may have been trying to escape the water but that was a big mistake, now your trapped inside my escapable special prison. It makes it more trouble if you can move you know? Now Kakashi, we can finish things later, first I'll take care of them," Zabuza raised a hand and murmured, "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu." Another Zabuza rose out of the water a few feet in front of him."Heh, wearing forehead protectors and acting like real ninjas. But you know what? A real ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death. Basically, when you're good enough to be listed in my handbook, then you can start calling yourself ninjas. You brats, should not be referred to as ninjas."
The clone faded into the air and Kari's eyes darted around desperately. Kakashi couldn't come to their rescue if she wasn't fast enough this time. The others were scared, she had to protect them. She had to.
"Naruto!" she cried as Zabuza appeared in front of him, but the boy was too slow and with a sharp kick he was sent flying back, his hitai-ate knocked loose from his forehead.
"Just a brat," Zabuza scoffed.
"You guys! Take Tazuna and run away! You have no chance of beating him! As long as he has me trapped inside this water prison he can't move! The water clone can't go very far from his real body! Run away now!" Kakashi ordered.
"I'm not leaving you!" Kari retorted. Just the suggestion made her blood boil inside her veins. The thought of turning her back on any one of them made her feel physically sick.
"This is no time to be chivalrous! Rein in your temper and run Kari! Protect your team!" Kakashi begged and she looked away from him glaring at the clone. The others could leave, she would stay and fight the clone to give them a chance to escape. Her mind could not accept the idea of running away, her very soul refused it.
"Ite-e," Naruto hissed as he put weight on his injured hand. His eyes lowered as he remembered how he declared his oath, Sasuke mocking him, Kari standing up for him, Iruka-sensei explaining the importance of a hitai-ate. Iruka-sensei's old hitai-ate... Kakashi passing them, the way he demanded a higher ranked mission, his dream of being Hokage.
I promised I wouldn't run away anymore...
"UWAA!" Naruto roared charging towards the clone.
"Naruto! What are you thinking?" Sakura cried shrilly. "No – KARI NO!"
Kari wasted no time in chasing after Naruto despite Sakura and Kakashi yelling for them to stop. The way he would tweak his forehead protector as a habit, the way he would always grin when he did, it was important to him. She would not let him fight alone.
"Baka," Zabuza scoffed raising his sword.
Neither hesitated for an instant, Naruto ducked low grasping the metal plate and cloth tightly when Zabuza's foot crashed into his chin forcing his head back in time to see the blade coming down towards him, ready to chop him in half. He couldn't move... he was still falling back from the kick. Naruto's eyes scrunched shut, waiting for the white hot pain, the blood, the crash. The next thing he knew he was flying backwards like something had hooked him by the navel and was dragging him back.
"Naruto! What were you doing flying in all by yourself? We're Genin we have no chance against him!" Sakura scolded as he stopped in front of her feet on his knees. "Look at Kari-chan!" Kari's right leg was sliced neatly from mid-outer-thigh, down into her calf. Blood clung to the wound, glistening as it slid lethargically down to her ankles.
"You..." Kari hissed, eyes intent on the real Zabuza. "I'll kill you for hurting him..."
"Kakashi, it seems at least one of your students is vaguely interesting," Zabuza mused. "I can feel the bloodlust from here."
"Kari," Kakashi murmured as a pained expression flitted across his face. She had taken the role as protector now he was trapped, if she was fighting alone she might have stood a chance, but with Naruto charging in recklessly and the other two afraid and not knowing what to do she's taking their hits as a human shield. On that damaged leg the next hit will destroy her.
"Hey, you eyebrow-less freak," Naruto said as he stood shakily as blood dribbled from his lower lip. "Put this in your handbook, the man who will one day become Hokage," Naruto retied his hitai-ate and smirked confidently. "Konoha ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!" He then pointed to Kari. "And this girl here, she's going to be my right-hand woman! We'll be an unbeatable team!"
Kari's eyes never left Zabuza's the threat still thick in her bloodlust. Her eyes were chilling, with the warmth and softness replaced by frozen stone.
"Sasuke, lend me your ear!" Naruto said, looking to his male team-mate.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
"I have a plan!"
"Pfft, teamwork from you?" Sasuke asked and Kari shot him a glance ordering him not to argue. It shook him slightly but he pushed it aside, she was just the dorky girl who slept on his floor.
"Now... let's get wild," Naruto said with a grin and the smile that slid onto Kari's face only succeeded in chilling Kakashi further.
Kari's loyalty, it's so intense it's frightening.
"What are you doing?" Kakashi yelled. "Run away! This fight was over the moment I got caught! Our duty is to protect Tazuna-san, did you forget that?"
"Ojiisan," Naruto said unsurely, looking over his shoulder at Tazuna with a questioning expression.
"Well, I planted this seed myself..." Tazuna said with a grin. "I'm not going to say now that I desire to live so much that I'd stop you. I'm sorry guys, fight as much as you want."
"Hn, you hear that?" Sasuke asked.
"Are you ready?" Naruto asked.
"Ha. You kids will never grow up," Zabuza said mockingly. "Going to keep playing ninja, ne? I... When I was about your age, these hands were already dyed with blood."
"Zabuza no Youkai," Kakashi murmured.
"Ah, so you've heard a little about it," Zabuza mused.
"Long ago in Kirigakure in the days it was called Bloody Mist there was a final obstacle in becoming a ninja," Kakashi explained grimly.
"Hm? You even know about the graduation exam."
"What graduation exam?" Naruto demanded nervously. Zabuza's chuckles only made him more anxious.
"Fights to the death between the students," Zabuza stated with no hint of remorse. "Friends who have trained together, eaten at the same table, studied together, are pitted against one another and go at it until one of them loses their life. Friends who helped each other, shared dreams..."
"...terrible..." Sakura murmured bringing her hands around herself.
"Ten years ago, the Kirigakure graduation exam was forced to change. This change came after the previous year... the year a youkai appeared," Kakashi explained.
"Change? What change?" Sakura asked. "What did this youkai do?"
Kakashi paused, before reluctantly revealing the answer.
"Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja, had killed over a hundred students..."
'That would be like killing everyone I had met so far, everyone I had befriended, and probably all of their families too,' Kari thought as her eyes hazed and her face paled. She could see them all dead in front of her, blood, blood everywhere... everywhere... everywhere!
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed and Kari was brought out of the horrors of her mind to see Sasuke being crushed beneath Zabuza's foot. Without thought she rushed forward, fists tightening, strategies flickered through her mind and she flung herself into his side, unbalancing him slightly taking the pressure off Sasuke who coughed and gulped down lungfuls of air. She misjudged her landing having momentarily forgotten her leg, which seared in protest, stinging as it was landed on and she crashed to her side.
"Oh? You want the attention instead?" Zabuza asked and before Kari could realise what was happening a crushing pressure slammed down on her chest, the pressure building and building until the weight of all his muscle was forced onto the fragile bones of her sternum, collarbone and ribs. Black spots appeared in her vision as her lungs failed to inflate, the force increasing until a resounding crack pierced the air.
"K'so! Kari-chan!" Naruto cursed quickly forming a seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Suddenly there were clones everywhere surrounding Zabuza.
"Aa, Kage Bunshin, and a large amount."
"Here I come," Naruto roared and Sasuke rolled onto his front, spitting out the blood in his mouth and rushing to grab Kari as Naruto dived on the missing-nin. The clones cried out as they were easily propelled away, disappearing into poofs of smoke. Naruto skidded back reaching into his bag.
"Hang in there Kari," Sasuke murmured, setting her down as she choked and heaved.
"Saa..." she warned and pointed in Naruto's direction.
"Sasuke!" Naruto hollered, flinging a large shuriken in their direction. Sasuke managed to catch it and his eyes widened in realisation of the plan.
"Fuuma Shuriken: Kage Fuusha!" Sasuke declared, opening the large shuriken and jumping into the air.
"A shuriken won't work against me," Zabuza scoffed as he and his clone watched the shuriken approach. The shuriken passed the clone, which stared at it in surprise as it whizzed past. Kari pulled out a kunai and managed to catch the unsuspecting clone in the base of the neck, sending it exploding into water. "I see, so you're aiming at the real me," Zabuza realised. "But... that's not enough!" He caught the shuriken in his free hand and then paused as he was about to mock them. "Another one in the shuriken's shadow? That's Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!" Zabuza suddenly jumped letting the shuriken fly underneath him. "But still not good enough."
"Heh," Sasuke scoffed a smirk sliding across his bloodied lips as the shuriken burst into smoke revealing Naruto wielding a kunai.
"RAA!" Naruto yelled, throwing the knife with all his might directly at Zabuza's shoulder muscle. Zabuza moved his arm out the way just in th nick of time, losing his hold on the water prison in favour of keeping his limb. The kunai sliced through his cheek as he turned back to glare at Naruto, windmill shuriken spinning in his hand. But the shuriken stopped as it hit the guard of Kakashi's glove, slicing through his knuckles as the Jounin stood, glaring darkly at the missing-nin.
Kakashi was free.
Now the real fight begins.