Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the Naruto characters used in this fic. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
Chapter 3: Assault
A/N: Wow. My muse just keeps on going. I'm actually rather surprised. I mean, I've actually completed a total of three fanfictions in one weekend, which doesn't usually happen, thanks to my awkward schedule. But, Spring Break is almost here for me, and I'm quite happy about that. ^-^ I was also reminded of a certain manga character who has a rather... interesting name. The character is from Katekyo Hitman REBORN! (or just REBORN!), and her name is.... Shitpee. XDDDDDD I just can't say that with a straight face! XDD Okay, I'm done with my random author's rant. You may continue reading now. ^-^ Please enjoy!
They're watching me, he thought. Fine! Let them watch. It won't make any difference once they're dead...
"Hey, Hiro," he heard the boy behind him whisper to a friend. "You see that kid?"
Even without turning around, he knew that this Hiro had no idea who his friend was talking about, as he didn't answer immediately. Of course, that was to be expected. After all, he couldn't really expect his classmates to keep up with him or his reputation. For his abilities were far beyond the scope of their pitiful imaginations. But they'd only understand this once they got the chance to fight him. Then, and only then, would they learn what had taken root within his heart.
"Which one, Akira?"
There was a sigh. "The one in front of me," Akira hissed.
"Oh! Yeah, I see him. Why?"
"Well, this morning, my dad told me to watch out for him," came the reply. "Said that he's the monster who killed every member of last year's graduating class!"
He smirked, imagining the shocked look upon the other boy's face. They were both fools. If he could have his way, he'd show them what a 'monster' really was. Show them that a 'monster' wasn't some mythical creature of unknown size and origin, but something existed within one's heart that altered the way one perceived the concept of life and death. A perception that gave one power beyond that of any ordinary shinboi.
"N-No way!" Hiro gasped. "He's the kid everyone in the village calls the 'Demon'?"
"Yup. That's him. The Demon of the Hidden Mist... Zabuza Momochi..."
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"Hey... Hey!"
Zabuza turned away from the voice, trying to ignore the constant chattering that echoed in his ears. He wasn't ready to be pulled from the past yet. He hadn't killed them yet... He hadn't seen the fear on their faces and the fear of death in their eyes. His bloodlust would only be sated after re-living the moments in which he had crushed and obliterated, not only their bodies, but their hopes and dreams, and watching the life leave their eyes as their souls were given over to that dark abyss.
Go away, he thought as he felt his mind slip back into that dark cacophony of dreams. I'm not through here... Not yet...
He had to prove to them, as he did every night, what true fear and helplessness was. What it really meant to lose all manner of hope and courage as they were locked into battle with a harbinger of death. But death had not overcome them yet. And as such, he refused to be parted from the memory until it had. And as the memory continued on, leading up to the moments before the final slaughter, something at the back of his mind managed to grab hold of a small part of the reality that surrounded him. The sound of someone's voice cut in, putting everything else on hold.
Who the hell is that? he wondered. The voice was all-too familiar, but he couldn't find the name it went with, until...
"Wake up!!!"
The sound of roaring water filled his ears, and the Demon abruptly shot to his feet as Kaoru finished pouring a bucket of water over his head.
"What the hell?!" he roared, watching her roll around in the dirt as she laughed. "You think this is funny?!"
Kaoru, still clutching her ribs in a fit of hysterical laughter, nodded as best she could. "It's... It's...!"
The Demon ground his teeth together. As he remembered, Haku hadn't been this much of a pain in the ass, and he'd been even younger that Kaoru. He found it quite surprising that a shinobi of Kaoru's age, not to mention caliber, could be so immature. But then again.... he really should have expected as much, given the constant nagging she'd so "graciously" bestowed upon him back in the village.
Despite knowing how much of a help her kekkei genkai would be to him, he was still contemplating whether or not he should leave her lying in a ditch somewhere. Then again, that didn't seem like much of a possibility. For Kaoru seemed to be dead set upon following him, and something within the back of his mind told him that nothing he did would be enough to get rid of her. Hopefully, she'd quit being such a pain in the ass.
"Okay, okay," Kaoru said, trying to keep a straight face. "I'm sorry. It was a joke."
Zabuza rolled his eyes. He was a shinobi, not a fucking circus clown, and as such, the Demon didn't give a rat's ass about "jokes" and the like. As Kaoru stuffed her face into her bag to muffle her laughter, Zabuza realized that there was something oddly familiar about her. Something, or someone, he'd completely forgotten about. He wracked his brain, dying to know what the hell was so familiar about the girl. But after a few minutes, he gave in to the lost memory, dismissing it as something irrelevant.
"You don't think it was funny at all do you?" Kaoru asked incredulously.
The Demon sighed. The fact that she was asking such a question completely astounded him. She was either incapable of being serious, or just plain stupid. No... He took that last part back. It was painfully obvious that Kaoru was anything but stupid. Especially given her masterful display of discipline in the face of certain death. If he could somehow discipline her into taking things more seriously, then she could easily develop into the perfect killing machine.
Luckily for Zabuza, he didn't have the need to teach Kaoru any of the basics as he had taught Haku. For she clearly knew how to stand her own ground in battle, as well as perform jutsu, conserve and release chakra, and handle weapons. That made his job a great deal easier, and only left one thing for him to do: turn her into the heartless shinobi that Haku never could have become. After all, it was of great importance that he have as many skilled shinobi under his command if he were to take down the government in the Hidden Mist.
Without a word, Zabuza gathered up his pack and set off, once again, down the road, not even bothering to look if Kaoru was following. She could do as she liked, he'd decided. As useful as her talents would be in taking down the Hidden Mist's Mizukage, he wasn't requiring the girl to do anything. And if she chose to leave, then so be it. Such a decision on her part would, of course, bring a slight setback to his newly developed plans, but he'd surely find a way to make up for the loss of strength.
"So..." Kaoru began hesitantly, taking several steps to keep up with the Demon's longer stride. "How did you manage to escape from Kakashi?"
There was silence for a moment, and then, "I didn't."
The young shinobi scowled, unable to understand exactly why her companion wouldn't give her the answers she was looking for. With a shrug, Kaoru dismissed her curiosity from her mind, deciding to focus on something different.
I wonder what kind of training this is gonna turn out to be, she thought with a grin. Some epic new jutsu, or maybe even assassination training, I hope.
As the sun moved higher into the sky, signaling noon, Kaoru began to grow bored of the silence that existed between herself and the Demon. Quite frankly, the horrible silence, which had lasted since around dawn that day, was beginning to drive the young ninja utterly insane. It was truly surprising, even to Kaoru, that she had managed to survive such a long time without speaking, but now, she was bored out of her damned mind. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Zabuza beat her to it.
"Who did you say your parents were again?" he asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
Kaoru's mind froze, utterly shocked that he was actually showing some genuine interest in her. She grinned. "Natsuki Kaguya, from the Hidden Mist, and Hiroto Akiyama, from the Hidden Rain. Why?"
The Demon simply shrugged. "Curiosity," he said plainly, as they crossed the border into the Land of the Waterfall.
That's all it is, he told himself. Curiosity... Nothing more, and nothing less...
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"Okay," one of the teachers, Izumo Sugisaki, said as he scribbled various names down on the clipboard he held in his hands. "Since this is your first day as Academy students, you will be divided up into pairs. You are to train only with your partner unless instructed otherwise. Not only will your partner be your training companion, but your roommate as well. Understood?"
Several small heads nodded in agreement. Izumo smirked, glancing at the children around the room. He hoped that this bunch would prove to be more promising than last year's. Especially given that the students of the previous year had all been slaughtered. And, ironically, the boy who had killed those students was sitting here today, having finally been acknowledged as being talented enough to enter the Academy for true shinobi training.
"All right," Izumo said. "Form a straight line, and wait until I, or one of the other teachers, call your name."
Numerous names were called before the young Zabuza was assigned a partner. "Zabuza Momochi," one of the other teachers said, as the boy stepped forward. "And Natsuki Kaguya."
Zabuza rolled his eyes. Great, the eight-year-old thought. I'm stuck with some stupid girl. No challenge whatsoever.
He turned his head towards his partner and sighed. Natsuki Kaguya was a small, frail-looking girl, with white hair and blue eyes. In the eyes of the young demon, Natsuki didn't look like anything special. Even if she was a member of one of the Hidden Mist's most illustrious clans.
"Hi, there," the twelve-year-old said with a smile. "I guess we're partners."
Zabuza felt himself twitch. Not only was she some stupid girl, but she was also obnoxious as hell... and he hadn't even known her for more than two minutes. "Whatever," he sneered. "I know who you are, stupid. And since I'm stuck with you for the rest of the year, here's some advice: Don't slow me down. You're no good as a training partner if you're only going to be a liability."
Natsuki wrinkled her nose. "Well!" she said, making a face at him. "You don't have to be mean about it!"
The boy grinned, showing off his sharp little teeth. "And for the record, 'nice' isn't in my skill set. So, if I were you, I'd get used to it."
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"You're lying."
Zabuza's eyes widened at the young ninja's sudden accusation. So what if he was lying? He didn't give a damn what she thought. Besides, he hadn't asked for an opinion. Kaoru had asked a question, and he'd answered as he had seen fit. And that, should have been enough to satisfy her.
The Demon scoffed. "And what if I am? There's nothing you can do to make me say anything. It's like you said back in the village, 'I do what I want, and everyone else gets the hell over it.'"
"You knew my mother," Kaoru said, as if she had read his thoughts. "There's no other reason you would have asked about my parents."
He smirked as they entered the Hidden Waterfall Village. "Either way, it's not your business, so shut up about it. I have no obligation to discuss my personal affairs with a wet-nosed brat like you. Now, hurry up," he said, as Kaoru bitterly lagged behind him. "We have business to attend to."
With a groan, Kaoru ran to catch up, following the Demon into a bar. "Another bar?" she whined. "What is with you and sake?! I can't believe--"
"Shut up," Zabuza said, clamping a hand over Kaoru's mouth. "I don't need you drawing attention to us. Now, go sit over there, and shut up." He lead her over to a table in the furthest corner of the bar, far from the door. "Stay here, and don't do anything stupid. I'll be back." And with that, the Demon headed out the door and down the street.
Kaoru, who seemed to be drawing the gazes of several men in the bar, sighed. "This is so lame," she said to herself, pulling her notebook out of her pack. "I mean, he brings me with him and then ditches me in a bar in the middle of a foreign country. Thanks a lot, chief."
Bitterly muttering to herself, Kaoru began to draw, trying to pass the time until Zabuza returned. Page after page soon became filled with numerous sketches of anything the young ninja could think of, ranging anywhere from animals to even the most random objects. As Kaoru completed her sketch of a toaster, she heard the sound of boots thumping against the floor. The footsteps drew nearer, but Kaoru refused to look up.
"Hey, girlie," a voice said.
Kaoru glanced up to see a sleazy man sitting across from her, a twisted grin plastered on his face. He, too, appeared to be a shinobi, as he had his headband, which was emblazoned with the Hidden Grass Symbol, tied to his neck. She glared at him, hoping he'd get the picture and leave her alone. When he didn't seem to get the picture, Kaoru rolled her eyes at him.
"What do you want, faggot?" she hissed, stuffing her notebook into her pack. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
The man's grin grew wider and his eyes narrowed. "Busy? You don't look too busy. So, I thought you might want a bit of company."
Those words had told Kaoru everything. This fool thought she was an easy target, be he was greatly mistaken. With a smile, Kaoru slowly drew a kunai knife from her side pouch, clutching it tightly as she spoke. "Oh, really? Well, I must say, that's very kind of you. But there's nothing to worry about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet up with my companion."
As Kaoru slid out of her seat, and started for the door, the man jumped in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. "Hey, what's the rush?" he said, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "We haven't even been acquainted yet. So, how about we go... hang out for a while? What do you say?"
"I don't think so," Kaoru replied, drawing her kunai knife. "I've got better things to do than entertain a horny fool like you."
At her words, the man's grin vanished, his eyes becoming feral. "That's too bad," he said, waving at someone across the bar. Another man, about twice the size of Kaoru, approached, lifting the young ninja over his shoulder as he followed his friend into one of the back rooms. Kaoru heard the door slam behind them, and the large man threw her to the floor.
"Now then," the smaller man said, tying Kaoru's hands behind her back. "Let's have a little fun."
Before the man could make a move, Kaoru screamed and flipped backwards, kicking the man in the face. "Don't underestimate me, assholes," she sneered. "I'm your worst nightmare."
Kaoru's bones began protruding from her flesh, severing the ropes that had kept her bound. She raised her hands towards the men, the bones from her wrists extending out over her hands to create two calcified blades. She leaped, bashing the larger man in the face with her knee, and delivering a large gash to his shoulder. The man screamed in pain, and fell backwards through the door. The smaller man, who had recovered from her first attack, began weaving hand signs. Kaoru smirked, and fired off her fingertip bones at the man, penetrating his hands.
"I already warned you," she said as the man backed towards the window, "you can't beat me. And now, if you don't mind, I'll take my leave." Kaoru grinned. "Thank you, gentlemen, for a lovely time."
Okay! It's finished! :D And I don't think my Naruto phase will end anytime soon. Especially since I've been reading the manga nonstop and watching Naruto and Naruto Shippuden episodes since my Spring Break began on Thursday (I stayed up until 1 am this morning watching Naruto ^-^'). Here's hoping you enjoyed this chapter. :) I hope you'll all continue to read, enjoy, and review.