Well, here's the next chapter, I plan on updating the next chapter soon, I'm almost finished with it, but I wanted to get this one out there before hand. At the end will be a ranking of several character's skills and power ratings just to give you an idea as to how Ed and Al fit into the world atm.
Enjoy :D
"Easy does it Ed..." Ed began this simple mantra in his mind to keep his body from shivering. The power that hung in the air, as thick as the fog around him sent his body into a near panicked state, leaving him very nervous and jumpy. The sound of metal clashing against metal in the distance did nothing to settle his nerves. The oddly quiet orange clad ninja that stood next to him didn't seem to feel the power that hung thick in the air as much as he did, but Ed passed that off a one of those "ninja things" that was a list growing surprisingly large of late. Ed shook his head to clear his mind... he was getting off topic. He shifted his gaze from the blond next to him to the thick layer of fog that covered what was supposed to be a bridge. The fog was so thick you could almost literally cut it with a knife, in fact he was having a bit of a hard time breathing, but whether that was from the sheer power emanating from what felt like two sources or from the insane amounts of moisture in the air he wasn't sure. "We need a plan..." Ed thought to himself as he studied the heavy mist that hung over what he assumed to be the bridge. Ed thought for several moments before coming up with a suitable plan and turned to relay his thoughts to his blond counterpart... well he would have... if he was still there. Ed looked around frantically, looking for Naruto, only to see him halfway to the bridge already. Ed smacked his palm to his forehead in frustration and sighed to himself, wondering, not for the last time, why the hell he listened to the damned fur ball...
Kakashi's hear raced as his mind went into overdrive. If he moved to help Sasuke out, Zabuza would make short work of Sakura and Tazuna. His panic increased when another scream came from the dome of ice, where Sasuke was currently fighting for his life against the mysterious girl named Haku. With the way he saw it he had two choices, jump in to save Sasuke or stay put and fight Zabuza... but with either choice he would most likely lose a team member. Kakashi mentally sighed, making up his mind, "I hope you can hold off long enough for me to finish this Sasuke." He drew a kunai from his pouch and settled into a ready stance. "Zabuza," Kakashi called to his opponent, "this is where..." He was interupted though when a small explosion sounded and a cloud of smoke billowed near the dome of ice.
After a moment the smoke began to thin revealing a certain brightly colored individual who gave a shit-eating grin, " Never fear," he said striking a (what he thought) dramatic pose, "Uzumaki Naruto is here!"
It was at that point that Kakashi regretted his decision to NOT beat the stupidity out of his blond student.
----
A high-pitched whistling was the only warning he had before something painfully forced its way into his skin. Sasuke muttered a curse under his breath as he once again was force to abandon his position before the area was littered with senbon needles. The fight was drawing on too long and Sasuke was beginning to feel the toll his injuries were having on his body. The girl he now knew as Haku was fast, much more so now that she had these god cursed mirrors. At first he was confident he could keep up with her, but that all changed when he saw her first attack. It was so fast; he didn't even see her move. Well, at least his body was beginning to react better and she seemed to be wearing down, looks like this technique used a lot of chakra. Maybe if he could last longer...
His thought process came to a sudden and very abrupt halt when he heard a voice from behind him. "Holy shit... what the hell happened to you?" Sasuke spun around quickly in alarm and pulled a kunai into hand, facing the newcomer causing the owner of the unknown voice to stumble backwards and land flat on his ass.
"Itai..." Naruto moaned as he stood back to his feet and rubbed his sore butt. Sasuke sighed in relief and lowered his arm when reality struck him. "YOU DUMBASS!" Sasuke suddenly screamed at Naruto in rage. "What the HELL are you doing in here!?"
Naruto, faking a hurt look faced Sasuke, "I'm merely here to help your royal highness save his royal ass."
Sasuke wasn't very happy at the moment, as a matter of fact, he couldn't remember the last time he felt this pissed off before... well... other than the time that Naruto pulled that prank on him back in the academy. The result of which left his skin a light purple and pink polka doted hue for nearly a month... but he wasn't really thinking that hard on the subject at the moment. Sasuke's face began to turn red with rage, "I meant what the FUCK were you thinking coming INSIDE an UNKNOWN technique and just casually strolling up to me, scaring the SHIT OUT OF ME!"
By this time Naruto was leaning back away from Sasuke using his hand as a shield from the spit flying from his mouth. "Jeez, Sasuke. If it's that time of the month don't take it out on me."
Sasuke almost lost it there... almost being the keyword here. Slowly Sasuke convinced himself that the current situation wasn't as bad as it seemed, and that now that Naruto was here, there were two targets instead of one... as a matter of fact, maybe he could convice this Haku that Naruto was a better target and just get rid of future headaches... Sasuke shook his head, leaving that line of thought and got back on track. "Alright Naruto... here's the deal. She's faster than I am, so fast it almost seems like she attacks from every angle at once. You have the Kage Bunshin, and I have Katon: Goukakyu no jutsu... so our techniques might work if we use them together..."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well, why don't you just blast the ice mirrors with your Katon technique?"
Sasuke shook his head, "Doesn't work... The flames aren't hot enough to melt the ice." Sasuke watched Naruto's face fall at that piece of information. "Don't worry though. I've got a plan..." Sasuke began before he was interrupted by a loud, "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"
Sasuke sighed to himself, not realizing that this wasn't the first plan ruined this day by the Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto.
----
Ed couldn't help but wonder where that damned blond ninja had gotten to as he attempted to navigate his way through the thick fog that settled over the area. He had to wonder where all this damned fog came from in the first place. By nature fog is created when a body of water is warmer than the air around it, but he had never seen fog this thick before, or filled with an unknown energy. Whatever this fog was, he was sure it wasn't natural. Lost in his thoughts, Ed nearly missed spotting three crouched forms in front of a wall of earth. Looking closer, it didn't seem that the figures noticed him. Deciding to get the drop on them, Ed crouched low to the ground and began to slowly creep towards them.
----
Something was off. Al couldn't help but wonder what it was. It could have been the unsettling feeling the fog gave him, almost like the feeling one gets just before lightening strikes, but he couldn't place what was causing it. Looking around at the old man and the pink haired girl next to him he sighed, "It doesn't look like either of them could defend themselves in combat... I'll need to make sure they stay safe."
Al shifted in his crouch to look at Sakura who was shaking in fear. "Haruno-san, please calm yourself. It won't do to have you worked into such a frenzy before the enemy is even within sight. A calm mind in the midst of battle is key to a desirable outcome." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled slightly, "There is no need to worry, if worst comes to worse I shall fight as well."
Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit better after the young man's speech. For someone that looked to only be around her age, give or take a year or two, he had a lot of wisdom. It almost seemed that he was used to battle and life or death situations, she wondered exactly where this enigma really came from. He couldn't be what he said he was. A simple traveler, a civilian traveler at that, keeping calm in the midst of the insane amount of killer intent Zabuza was pouring out was simply unheard of. So Sakura came to the conclusion that he just HAD to be hiding something... but this wasn't the time to be shunning any sort of help that was offered so she shook the thoughts of the young blond and his companion from her head and focused on the task at hand.
The rustling of clothing from behind her brought her out of her daze. She looked to where Al had been to find him with his back to her and in what looked like a ready position. "Haruno-san, be on alert. There is someone lurking nearby." Sakura's body stiffened at the simple warning. Panic began to spread through her again as the adrenaline began to pump through her veins. Sakura stood to her feet and pulled a kunai out of her pouch, ready to slice at the intruder at a moments notice. She was expecting an attack at any moment, but when the silence carried on for what seemed like hours, she began to relax, thinking it was a false alarm. "Haruno-san, do not relax just yet. This one seems to know what he's doing." It was at that time a voice came from behind Sakura.
"Al?" The voice whispered. The surprise of having someone sneak up on her from behind coupled with the adrenaline rush from earlier caused Sakura to panic. With a shriek, she spun on her heel and buried the kunai into the right arm of the unknown person. The person grabbed Sakura's wrist with his other hand and yanked it free of the kunai. "You're really starting to annoy me, you know that?" Sakura looked up to find it was the other boy that helped Tsunami.
Sakura's eyes grew wide and she pulled away from Ed. "I'm so sorry!" She managed to squeak out between bows.
Ed looked to the semi-panicked state of the young girl in front of him and sighed, "Eh, it's no biggie. I can't feel it anyway." He said as he yanked the lodged kunai from his metallic arm. He held the kunai up to examine it a bit, shrugged, and held his hand out to give it back to Sakura.
Dumbstruck, Sakura reached out and took the kunai. She had heard of prosthetic limbs before, but nothing she had heard of worked with such realism. The replacements were always made of hooks or a claw of some sort that could open and close, but this limb emulated all the abilities of a real human arm, from the bending of the fingers and thumbs to the swift almost natural movement of the elbow. It was astonishing how well the arm worked.
Ed couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Sakura's amazement and was about to show her what it looked like under his sleeve when Al interrupted. "I realize that this is the first time you have seen auto-mail Haruno-san, but I believe we have more important business to direct our attention to at the moment."
Ed nodded in agreement, "Well, Naruto should be here somewhere. The kid's too eager for his own damn good. Just rushed in here without a plan."
Al raised an eyebrow, "If I recall correctly, you would have done the same not too many years ago, Nii-san."
Ed had the decency to look sheepish. "Well, I've changed a lot since then." Ed's face changed to one of complete seriousness, "What's the situation here?"
Al looked Ed in the eye. This was one of the things he'd never understand about his brother. His ability to change from a joking manner to one of seriousness was unnatural. With a face to match Ed's seriousness Al looked around himself, "From what I gather, there are two enemies of unknown power and ability. Their names are Momochi Zabuza and Haku. Apparently this heavy fog is a direct result of a technique called "Kirigakure no jutsu" used by one, Momochi Zabuza. So far I've managed to remain undetected by both the enemy and ally parties that are currently engaged in battle." Al paused a moment to take in the scenery once more. "I believe Haruno-san has more intel, since she has been here since the beginning." Both Ed and Al turned to face Sakura at this point, who blinked at the sudden mention of her name. "If you would Haruno-san?"
"Umm... What do you need to know?" Sakura asked not completely sure she could trust them. Something just seemed off about these two.
Ed paused for a moment to think, "Well, I suppose for now, I need to know the condition of your teammates and who is fighting who."
"I'm not exactly sure about Sasuke-kun's condition, but that girl used a weird technique on him a while ago. It looks like a dome made of ice mirrors or something. I don't know anything more about that, and it looks like Kakashi-sensei is just staring at Zabuza." Suddenly the sound of metal against metal rang through the thick air. Apparently, Kakashi and Zabuza decided they had enough of just waiting.
Ed looked at Al, "Well, looks like things have gotten off to a good start." He looked in the direction of the ice mirrors, "Why don't you go help out Sasuke, I'll bet Naruto is there with him." Al nodded in response. "I'll go help Kakashi with this Zabuza guy." With a grin Ed took off to the last place he heard the fighting.
Al looked back to Sakura, "Haruno-san." Sakura looked towards Al, determination settling in her eyes. "I do not think it necessary to say but, be careful." Sakura just nodded and reached for her weapon pouch. With that warning, Al went to help Sasuke.
----
Concentration is key when it comes to detecting someone without the use of one's eyes, and as such, Kakashi was concentrating as hard as he could on finding the location of one Momochi Zabuza, infamous Demon of the Mist. He cursed his luck, not for the first time, when Zabuza used that damnable Kirigakure no jutsu. He didn't let anyone know it, but since he acquired the Sharingan through an eye transplant, he didn't easily have full access to all of the Sharingan's abilities. If he wanted to use an ability the Sharingan granted him it cost him double the amount of chakra it did for an Uchiha. So needless to say, he COULD use the Sharingan in this fog, but it would most likely leave his chakra reserves completely dry. The most efficient way for Kakashi to fight in the current circumstances would be to conserve his chakra and rely on his ninja honed senses. Unfortunately, that was much easier said then done when your opponent is Momochi Zabuza, since he is one of the most renowned masters of the Silent Killing techniques, which means, if he doesn't want you to know where he is, you're gonna have one hell of a time finding him.
He's coming.
Kakashi's senses sprung to life as he felt a presence close in on the left. Quickly he stepped back, and only just in time, as mere moments after he moved a huge sword sliced down through the air where he once was, embedding itself into the concrete. Kakashi flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding a kick aimed for his head. He land several yards away expecting another attack, but nothing came.
Kakashi sighed and began to concentrate again. "Let's see," Kakashi thought to himself as he scanned the area with his senses. "I see fog... fog... more fog... a strange collection of energy... fog... wait... energy!?" Kakashi's eyes shot open when a powerful gust of wind buffeted the area, pushing the heavy fog away. Kakashi was forced to protect his eyes with his arm until the wind finally died down. When the fog was lifted, all that remained was a shocked Zabuza, an equally surprised Kakashi, and a blond with a red coat billowing in what was left of the wind.
Ok, now for some of the power ratings, These are good up until about the beginning of the chunin exams.
Below is a description of the ranking system and how many points per rank
Rank E: no skill in the area 0 Points
Rank D: Very little skill in the area (About graduate genin level) 20 Points
Rank C: Moderate skill in the area (High genin-Low Chunin level) 40 Points
Rank B: Average skill in the area (Mid-High chunin level) 60 Points
Rank A: Skilled in the area (Low-Mid jounin level) 80 Points
Rank S: Very skilled in the area (High jounin- Kage level) 100 Points
Rank EX: Mastered the area (umm... well... Super kage level?) 120 points
Within each rank a level is given to signify how far into the ranking they are, 0 being the lowest and 9 being the highest, giving each ranking (except Rank E) 10 levels.
Name: Edward Elric
Alliance: N/A
Elemental Affinity: N/A
Ninja Ranking: N/A
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: E 0
Chakra Control: Rank: E 0
Taijutsu: Rank: A Level 1 81
Ninjutsu: Rank: E 0
Genjutsu: Rank: E 0
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: E 0
Alchemy: Rank: EX Level 4 124
Bloodline: Rank: E 0
Intelligance: Rank: B Level 1 61
Strength: Rank: C Level 6 46
Speed: Rank: B Level 1 61
Stamina: Rank: B Level 1 61
Adaptability: Rank: A Level 1 81
Threat Rating: 515
----
Name: Alphonse Elric
Alliance: N/A
Ninja Ranking: N/A
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: E 0
Chakra Control: Rank: E 0
Taijutsu: Rank: B Level 1 61
Ninjutsu: Rank: E 0
Genjutsu: Rank: E 0
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: E 0
Alchemy: Rank: EX Level 1 121
Bloodline: Rank: E 0
Intelligance: Rank: B Level 7 67
Strength: Rank: C Level 5 45
Speed: Rank: C Level 9 49
Stamina: Rank: B Level 4 64
Adaptability: Rank: A Level 8 88
Threat Rating: 495
----
Name: Kakashi Hatake
Alliance: Konohagakure no sato
Elemental Affinity: Lightning
Ninja Ranking: Jounin
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: A Level 8 88
Chakra Control: Rank: A Level 5 85
Taijutsu: Rank: A Level 0 80
Ninjutsu: Rank: S Level 1 101
Genjutsu: Rank: B Level 8 88
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: D Level 7 27
Alchemy: Rank: E 0
Bloodline: Rank: B Level 4 64
Intelligance: Rank: A Level 9 89
Strength: Rank: B Level 7 67
Speed: Rank: B Level 7 67
Stamina: Rank: B Level 9 69
Adaptability: Rank: B Level 4 64
Threat Rating: 889
----
Name: Sasuke Uchiha
Alliance: Konohagakure no Sato
Elemental Affinity: Fire
Ninja Ranking: Genin
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: C Level 2 42
Chakra Control: Rank: C Level 1 41
Taijutsu: Rank: D Level 8 28
Ninjutsu: Rank: C Level 1 41
Genjutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: E 0
Alchemy: Rank: E 0
Bloodline: Rank: C Level 5 25
Intelligance: Rank: B Level 0 60
Strength: Rank: C Level 1 41
Speed: Rank: C Level 1 41
Stamina: Rank: C Level 3 43
Adaptability: Rank: C Level 8 48
Threat Rating: 430
----
Name: Sakura Haruno
Alliance: Konohagakure no Sato
Elemental Affinity:
Ninja Ranking: Genin
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: D Level 2 22
Chakra Control: Rank: B Level 1 61
Taijutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Ninjutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Genjutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: E 0
Alchemy: Rank: E 0
Bloodline: Rank: E 0
Intelligance: Rank: B Level 3 63
Strength: Rank: D Level 4 24
Speed: Rank: D Level 3 23
Stamina: Rank: D Level 6 26
Adaptability: Rank: C Level 8 48
Threat Rating: 327
----
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Alliance: Konohagakure no Sato
Elemental Affinity: Wind
Ninja Ranking: Genin
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: A Level 7 87
Chakra Control: Rank: D Level 9 29
Taijutsu: Rank: D Level 5 25
Ninjutsu: Rank: B Level 0 60
Genjutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: E 0
Alchemy: Rank: E 0
Bloodline: Rank: EX Level 9 129 (Kyuubi is considered a bloodline)
Intelligance: Rank: D Level 7 27
Strength: Rank: D Level 4 24
Speed: Rank: C Level 3 43
Stamina: Rank: B Level 0 60
Adaptability: Rank: C Level 0 40
Threat Rating: 544 (Using Kyuubi(Not using more than 1 tail)) 415 (Without Kyuubi)
----
Name: Sarutobi (Hokage during his prime)
Alliance:Konohagakure no Sato
Elemental Affinity:
Ninja Ranking: Hokage
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: S Level 7 107
Chakra Control: Rank: S Level 7 107
Taijutsu: Rank: S Level 9 109
Ninjutsu: Rank: EX Level 9 129
Genjutsu: Rank: A Level 7 87
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: S Level 8 108
Alchemy: Rank: E 0
Bloodline: Rank: E 0
Intelligance: Rank: S Level 9 109
Strength: Rank: A Level 9 89
Speed: Rank: A Level 8 88
Stamina: Rank: A Level 5 85
Adaptability: Rank: S Level 4 104
Threat Rating: 1122
----
Name: Shikamaru Nara
Alliance: Konohagakure no Sato
Elemntal Affinity:
Ninja Ranking: Genin
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: D Level 5 25
Chakra Control: Rank: B Level 7 67
Taijutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Ninjutsu: Rank: C Level 2 43
Genjutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: E 0
Alchemy: Rank: E 0
Bloodline: Rank: E 0
Intelligance: Rank: A Level 9 89
Strength: Rank: D Level 2 22
Speed: Rank: D Level 2 22
Stamina: Rank: D Level 2 22
Adaptability: Rank: A Level 4 84
Threat Rating: 414
----
Name: Kiba Inuzuka
Alliance: Konohagakure no Sato
Elemental Affinity:
Ninja Ranking: Genin
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: C Level 7 47
Chakra Control: Rank: D Level 5 25
Taijutsu: Rank: B Level 2 62
Ninjutsu: Rank: C Level 6 46
Genjutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: E 0
Alchemy: Rank: E 0
Bloodline: Rank: E 0
Intelligance: Rank: D Level 5 25
Strength: Rank: C Level 7 47
Speed: Rank: C Level 8 48
Stamina: Rank: C Level 4 44
Adaptability: Rank: D Level 6 26
Threat Rating: 390
Name: Ino Yamanaka
Alliance: Konohagakure no Sato
Elemental Affinity:
Stats-
Chakra Capacity: Rank: D Level 6 26
Chakra Control: Rank: C Level 9 49
Taijutsu: Rank: D Level 0 20
Ninjutsu: Rank: C Level 5 45
Genjutsu: Rank: D Level 8 23
Fuuinjutsu: Rank: E 0
Alchemy: Rank: E 0
Bloodline: Rank: E 0
Intelligance: Rank: B Level 0 60
Strength: Rank: D Level 3 23
Speed: Rank: D Level 1 21
Stamina: Rank: D Level 0 20
Adaptability: Rank: C Level 4 44