Once again, I looked over my chapters on and was really annoyed to find that the formatting I used didn't come through properly. So I decided to upload the chapters with a slightly different formatting…again.

If you didn't read the last chapter I'll say it again, I don't own Naruto.

Team Seven was in trouble. Hatake Kakashi, their sensei, was currently trapped in a sphere of water – suirou no jutsu – and his captor was not someone you'd ask to a tea party.
"Get out of here! Take Tazuna and run, I'll be fine!"
Kakashi-sensei… Sakura was worried. Kiba was still too mired in grief over the loss of his nin-dog partner to respond to much of anything and Sasuke was frozen in fright from the nukenin's killing intent.
Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of Hidden Mist, laughed.
"I think you're getting your hopes up Kakashi! These brats of yours are still as useless as the day they were born." He sneered contemptuously. "They're barely out of diapers and you brought them on a mission? How far Konoha's standards have fallen!"
A large white thing came solidly screaming out of nowhere headed straight for Zabuza's arm. His eyes widening, he pulled his arm out of the ball, forcing its release and freeing Kakashi. The thing curved around and spun off into the trees, destroying any in its path.
Whoever threw that, I'm grateful, Kakashi thought as he caught himself on the water's surface.
A dog's barking drew their attention to the shore where a figure was stepping out of the forest. Kiba's head shot up. He knew that bark!
"Akamaru?" he whispered.
A bark answered him.
"Akamaru!" His voice stronger now, he turned towards the newcomer. A brown and white streak leaped from his shoulder and raced for his master.
"So, he's yours then?"
Kiba looked at him gratefully. "Thank you for saving him! I thought I'd lost him."
"Your welcome, Kiba-san."
I've got Akamaru back! Akamaru's back! Wait, what? He knows my name?
The stranger lifted his hat slightly. "I'd suggest, if you don't want to die, that you don't step outside of that line."
Bah! He's barely more than a boy! Zabuza thought.
"What line?" Sakura said. The rest of the group had questioning expressions on their faces.
"This one." The young man lifted his hand to his chest, forming what looked like a half-ram seal. His hand glowed blue and the next moment, a thin line of earth in a circular shape hoed itself around them. It closed itself in a figure of eight form. The line then flashed blue, highlighting an invisible dome around them.
What the fucking hell? Kakashi blinked.
The man turned to Zabuza. "That takes care of that. I assume you, sir, are the aggressor?"
Zabuza laughed, long and hard. "Aggressor? That's a new one. But, yeah, I attacked them."
"Just checking." Checking? What the…?
Laying down his weapon, revealed to be a giant white boomerang, he lifted his hand and as they all watched, his fingers grew into claws. The whisker marks on his cheeks deepened, and a tail unwound itself from his waist. He tossed his hat aside to reveal a pair of golden fox ears.
"I was travelling untroubled up 'til now. I think I'll take the inconvenience out of your hide."
" 'Zat so? Kid, you're welcome to try!"
"Don't mind if I do." He vanished.
Wha…? Zabuza was suddenly thrown across the clearing. He rubbed his chin dazedly. That hurt! was all he had time to think before he was tossed up in the air and hit with a string of blows finishing with a red-glowing strike to his breastbone.
Caught against a tree, he watched with unfocused eyes as his opponent slunk towards him.
Is this the end? he thought.
Schluk.
Apparently so.
'Bout time he got here…
But not by the blonde's hand.
"Ufufufu. My thanks." The masked arrival jumped down to gather up the body.
"And you are?"
"A hunter nin from Kiri." Kakashi answered dazedly in the masked nin's place.
"Ah."
"Bye-bye!" He was gone.
Kakashi pried himself out of his stupor. He moved towards his bestial saviour. Standing tall on the lake's edge, the young man reached up to feel his ears.
"Damn. Not enough" he growled, appendages twitching in annoyance.
Suddenly, Kakashi stumbled. The blonde turned, in time to see his rescuee go head-over-tail. He lay there panting.
Idiot. The Sharingan used too much. My chakra's drained. His world greying, he inchingly covered his eye again. A whump, then footsteps approaching caught his attention.
"You're in a right sorry state."
"Thank you for…pointing out…the obvious," he gasped.
"Haaaaa. Blast my upbringing," the speaker grumbled, "Mah, I suppose it can't be helped. I have nothing better to do."
"Wha-oof!"
"Looks like I'll be joining you for a bit."
From his new position on the blonde's back and supported by the boomerang, Kakashi spoke.
"Thank you."
"Huh. You're welcome." He looked to Tazuna. "Oi, ojiji. Where were you lot heading?"
"Uh… home?"
"You don't sound too sure of that."
"Yeah, I was going home. The ninja were escorting me."
"Well, let's get going then." He shifted Kakashi. "This guy needs to rest up and he can't do that here."
"Oh, right! This way!" Tazuna leading, they moved off.
"Oh, yeah. Oniisan?" Sakura.
"Hmm? Me?"
"Yeah. What's your name?"
What is our rescuer's name?
"Naruto. My name's Naruto."

A/N: If you read Naruto fics with any regularity you should know what most of the Japanese used here means. If not, here's a glossary. I won't do this every chapter though. Just where I've used Japanese that people might not know.

Haaaaa – sigh
Kiri – mist, referring to Hidden Mist Village
Mah – corresponding to the English 'well, …' in this instance
Nin – ninja
Nukenin – missing nin
Oniisan – brother, here it's used as a younger form of 'mister'.
Ojiji – least polite form of 'grandfather'. Sort of like 'paps'
Suirou no jutsu – water prison technique

The chapter following this one is currently in bits and pieces, and it may be a while before I'm happy with the structure. It'll be posted as soon as I'm happy with it.