Alrighty! I do not own Naruto at all! All rights and regulations do go to Masashi Kishimoto! Azuna does belong to me however! Ok now to write this fan fiction I did use the episodes and I used all of the actual sentences said from the anime so all of those rights again go to the producers, Madman Entertainment and of course the beautiful voice actors and everyone on the crew. Thanks guys... hope you like it!
Chapter Fifteen: A Fight for Nozomi: Her Partial Broken Seal
Naruto clenched his fists and stared at Zabuza in hatred. He breathed a heavy sigh and then sprinted towards Zabuza with a battle cry. As Kakashi saw this his eyes went wide. "What? Naruto no!" He screamed from the water prison that Zabuza had him locked in.
"Ah! Naruto! What in the world are you doing?" Sakura screeched clutching her head in distress. Azuna could hear Sakura's screeches and Naruto's shouting. What is going on? She thought in dismay as she fought to open her eyes. What did I miss?
"Fool." Zabuza laughed shaking his head as Naruto ran towards him. In a fluent movement Zabuza flung Naruto back, some of Naruto's blood flying into the air and joining the mist. Naruto rolled along the ground until he was lying in front of Sakura and Sasuke and beside Azuna.
"What are you thinking charging at him by yourself? Even Sasuke couldn't get to him! We're only Genin we can't defeat a Jounin what did you think you'd accomplish by that?" Sakura shouted as Naruto struggled to get up. In his hand was his headband that Zabuza had knocked of his head before. The headband? That's what he wanted? She thought stunned.
Naruto managed to stand to his feet. He glared at the ground as he panted putting his headband on. "Hey you, the freak with no eyebrows, put this in your bingo book." This comment made Zabuza glare at Naruto as the kid just smirked. "The ninja who will become Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he never backs down. His name's Naruto Uzumaki!"
Zabuza's eyes became wide with shock which soon turned into a glare. Uzumaki? This kid is an Uzumaki? There is no way he can be related to her, absolutely no way! This kid is nothing like her! There is no way in hell! Zabuza growled in his mind. I thought he was all talk, but this kid's got guts. Tazuna thought as he stared at Naruto.
"Alright Sasuke, listen up can you hear me?" Naruto belted out with a smile.
"Yeah I hear you." Sasuke replied coolly.
"I've got a plan." Naruto beamed.
Hm, now he's got a plan? This guy… "So you're finally thinking about team work huh?" Sasuke smirked.
Why do I get this feeling that Naruto is so, determined? Sakura wondered blushing as she looked at him. Gosh damn it why won't I move! Azuna thought to herself in dismay again as she struggled to even open her eyes.
"Now alright guys, let's go wild and bring this guy down!" Naruto laughed.
Zabuza began to laugh and shake his head. "Big words for such a little man. You think you're plans going to keep you in the game?"
Gah, this isn't good! Kakashi growled. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING I TOLD YOU TO RUN! THIS FIGHT WAS OVER THE MOMENT I GOT CAUGHT NOW TAKE OFF! YOUR MISSION IS NOT TO PROVE HOW BRAVE YOU ARE! IT'S TO PROTECT THE BRIDGE BUILDER! STAY ON MISSION!"
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all turned to the bridge builder. His decision was final. Whatever Tazuna said was what they would do. "Bridge Builder?" Naruto asked as the excitement in his voice died.
Tazuna sighed and looked down. "Well, I, uh I guess this all happened because of me, because of my desire to live. But I won't let that stand in your way now. Forget about me and do what you have to do! Go ahead and fight to save your Sensei!"
Sasuke smirked and breathed out a sigh. "Alright do you hear that?"
"Yeah, believe it! You ready?" Naruto laughed.
Zabuza started to laugh. At first it was just a low chuckle but it grew into something more sinister. His shoulders shook violently and he held his stomach. "You really haven't learned anything have you?" He laughed cruelly looking at his hand. "Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja. When I was your age this hand had already crushed many opponents."
Sakura, Naruto and Tazuna all gasped and stared at Zabuza in shock. Sasuke just glared and gritted his teeth. Azuna on the floor who still wasn't able to move rolled her eyes internally. He's not going to tell that story is he? Man, I forgot that he was such a show off.
"Zabuza, the Demon." Kakashi sighed staring at him.
"Ooh, so I was in your book to huh?" Zabuza assumed.
"Long ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist – also known as Blood Mist Village – before a student could become a ninja there was one final test."
"Do you know about the graduation exam?" Zabuza asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"What graduation exam?" Naruto wonder. When Zabuza started to laugh again Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "What's the big deal anyway? We had graduation tests to!"
"Did you have to kill the other students to pass?" Zabuza snickered.
Naruto's eyes became so wide that Zabuza thought they were going to pop out of his head. Azuna struggled on the floor as she knew things were going to get real ugly real soon. She managed to move her hand slightly and twitch a few of her fingers. Great! Now I just need to open my eyes and move everything else and I'm set!
"Imagine young ninja like you eating together, training together and then comes the final exam. Only they change the rules. Kill or be killed! You can't stop while your opponent still breathes. He was your friend! Shared your dreams! Now it's him, or you."
"How cruel." Sakura mumbled holding a hand to her face.
"Ten years ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist the graduation exam, change." Kakashi announced. "One year before a dark evil had filled the school with terror."
"What's he saying?" Sakura wondered frightened. "What evil? What kind of change? What caused the terror?"
"Without pause or hesitation a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class and took down over a hundred other students." Kakashi continued.
"It, it felt so good!" Zabuza growled in delight. As everyone became frozen in fear Zabuza lurched forward and knocked Sasuke to the ground. He rammed his elbow in Sasuke stomach as hard as he could which made Sasuke cry out and blood pouring from his mouth. Move Azuna move! Azuna cried to herself in her head. They need you! Move you idiot move!
"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out in dread.
Zabuza laughed again and stood on Sasuke making him groan. "You're nothing." He chuckled as Sasuke squirmed. As Naruto was about to do something Zabuza, or as Azuna just figured out Zabuza's clone, was cut in half. The water from the destroyed clone came up and splashed Azuna's face. She could feel the heat and the tingling. I can feel it. Azuna breathed. I can feel every drop of water. I can feel it all!
Sasuke looked up to see Azuna standing in front of him her sword in her hand and dripping with water. "A – Azuna?" He mumbled as her the wind blowed her hair around.
"That's it!" Azuna shouted. "No more! Don't you dare lay another finger on them!"
"Ooh, so my baby awakes from her slumber." The real Zabuza mocked. This should be interesting. He thought to himself. "If you're my opponent I'm going to be more than just one water clone."
Zabuza stared at his daughter as her hair began to pick up and sway around her face with the wind. He looked into her eyes and saw waves crashing in them as she glared. No. Zabuza thought in horror. How could the seal have broken? Nozomi, Haku, Aki and I sealed it away! Nozomi – when Aki died we needed Haku to take over her seal! Now that Nozomi is dead – her seal is partially broken!
Zabuza sat at the table with his eleven year old son Nozomi. They were eating barbequed pork ramen that Zabuza's wife and Nozomi and Azuna's mother Aki had brought them. Azuna however refused to come inside and eat until she was able to form at least a small water beast. But whenever she tried it the water just rippled and nothing happened.
Aki thought that is was cute Azuna was trying so hard but she wished that she wouldn't. She had begged her daughter to stop trying to become Shinobi and become a dancer like she had instead. But Azuna wouldn't listen. She loved Nozomi so much and wanted to be just like him. And that meant she wanted to be Shinobi.
Aki sat down at the table and gazed lovingly into Zabuza's eyes. He gave her back the same stare and winked at her before eating more food.
"Ugh I wish you two wouldn't do that." Nozomi complained making a face.
"Do what?" Aki laughed smiling at her son.
"That whole lovey gaze thing." He said sticking his tongue out in disgust.
"What? This?" Aki teased leaning over the table and kissed him on the forehead.
Nozomi pretended to be completely grossed out and wiped his forehead in complaint. "Ew Mum that's gross!"
The three of them laughed and Aki sat up looking out the window at her daughter who was still standing in the ocean. She smiled at her, but it quickly dropped as there was a flash of a bright light and her daughter fell forward into the ocean.
"Azuna!" Aki screamed getting up from the table.
Nozomi and Zabuza turned around so see Azuna face down in the water. The three of them all ran out of the house as fast as they could towards her. There was another flash and then the waves started to rise.
"AZUNA!" Aki shrieked again.
Nozomi and Zabuza ran towards Azuna but Zabuza did want his son anywhere near the water so he pushed him back. "Keep Nozomi back Aki!" He yelled before he dived into the ocean.
"No Father let me help you!" He screeched as Zabuza went under the surf.
Zabuza swam towards the bright light, fighting against the waves, in anticipation to save his daughter. It got brighter and brighter as he swam closer until he surfaced in a pocket of air that was surrounded by water. His daughter floated in the air glowing. Her long hair flying back and her eyes shut tight. The water flowed into her through her and back out again. Zabuza stared at his daughter's face as from beneath her shirt blue scales started to appear on her neck and rising onto her cheeks. The scales stopped as they were an inch away from her nose. They glistened with a hidden power.
Her head started to turn towards Zabuza as he swam closer to her. When Azuna opened her eyes Zabuza stopped and looked up at her frightened by what he saw.
Her eyes had dark blue waves crashing inside. The type that sunk ships and killed many men. She looked so innocent though. Innocent and scared. Her lips parted as she looked at him and the water seemed to stop flowing. "Daddy." She whispered before she fell from the air.
Zabuza whirled forward and caught his daughter. She gazed up at him tiredly as the scales started to disappear and her eyes turn back to normal. "It's ok baby I've got you." Zabuza said holding his daughter close to his chest.
"Daddy." She whispered once more before she closed her eyes and sunk into unconsciousness. The water surrounding them fell and the waves stopped crashing. Zabuza lifted his head to see Aki and Nozomi standing on the beach gazing at them with tears in their eyes. And for the first time in a long time Zabuza cried to.
The waves in Azuna's eyes started to get darker and crash more viciously. "I will kill you where you stand!" She growled.
"Such hatred in your eyes, but you can't kill me Azuna no matter how hard you try." Zabuza laughed as he created five water clones.
"You took away the one person who meant more to me than my own life. I would go to hell and back and give up my life a thousand times over for his. And you took him away from me. I'll kill you father and you can't stop me no matter how hard you try." Azuna said, mocking her father with her last sentence.
Azuna sprinted forward as Zabuza's five clones ran towards her. In three swift movements Azuna had all the clones destroyed. The water from the clones kept splashing her and making her hair drip. I can feel all the drops of water. I can feel every single one of them!
Zabuza made another clone blocking her path. Zabuza – the clone – forgot that this girl was his daughter for the moment and wielded his large sword. Azuna leapt into the air and swung her sword at Zabuza which he deflected with his own blade. Quickly Azuna flicked her leg up and kicked the Zabuza clone before stabbing it quickly.
Azuna sprinted forward again and held the blade with her teeth. She extended her arms towards her father and felt the water respond to her call. Azuna pulled her arms back towards her quickly and a large wave of water assaulted Zabuza completely covering him. Azuna dived into the wave as everyone held their arms up to protect themselves from the water.
Zabuza was fighting with all his might to keep his hold on the water prison. He held his free hand up to his face to protect himself when he felt Kunai stab into his shoulder, hip, his right thigh and he felt something stabbing all the way through lower back. He cried out under the water and sent bubbles to the surface.
Sasuke and Naruto stared into the water searching for Azuna. Azuna you idiot how the hell did you think you could beat this guy Sasuke hissed. "Azuna!" He cried as the water started to fall.
Zabuza was staring intently into Azuna's eyes. He noticed that they didn't just hold hatred, but also fear guilt and a speck of love. The water that was falling felt like ran on their skin and they both looked down at the Azuna's sword which she had shoved through Zabuza's lower back, through him and into her stomach.
She had missed all of his vital organs and hadn't really hit him in a crucial spot, he wouldn't die from it. Azuna however, had stabbed herself in a place in her stomach that might kill her. She looked up at her father with tears in her eyes as she let go of the sword and balled her hands into fists.
"Why did you have to take Nozomi him away from me? Why on earth would you do that?" Azuna shouted beating his chest with her fists. "I loved him. I loved him." She sobbed until she closed her eyes and went limp. The only thing that was holding her up was the sword that was stabbed through her.
When the water fell away everyone saw what Azuna had just done and they all stared at her body wide eyed. "AZUNA!" Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi screamed together.
Zabuza wanted only to wrap his arms around his daughter and kiss her forehead but he knew that he couldn't. He knew that whatever it was inside of her would protect her, it wouldn't let her die. So he pretended not to care and let out a sinister laugh as he pulled the sword from his back and threw it.
The sword fell at Naruto's feet as Zabuza caught his daughter before she sunk into the water. Zabuza made a water clone and chucked his daughter to it. The cloned Zabuza continued his laugh and walked onto the land holding Azuna in his arms bridal style. He stood before Sasuke and chucked Azuna down at him. He lunged forward and caught her before she could hit the ground and Zabuza jumped back still laughing.
Sasuke looked down at Azuna and pressed his hand against her stomach where the blood was pouring from freely. It stained his hand and he shook. "God damn it Azuna! You're an idiot!" He shouted putting more pressure on her wound effectively soaking his shirt in her blood. "Get up you loser you only just woke up!" She didn't stir though and Sasuke looked up at Zabuza with a glare.
"Who's next?" Zabuza sneered.
"How can you be so heartless as to try and kill your own daughter?" Sakura screamed from behind Naruto.
Zabuza cackled again and wiped his eyes pretending to have tears in them from laughing so hard. "Who do you think I am? And who do you think Nozomi is? She shouts his name enough that you must have caught on by now."
"He was her boyfriend wasn't he?" Sakura shouted again.
"No, try again."
Sasuke's eyes widened as he realised what he was talking about. "Nozomi is her brother, your son."
"Oh very good, you're the sharpest out of all of them. But can you get any sharper? What do you think I did to him to make Azuna flee her home and try and kill me here today? Why do you think I would be so willing to kill my daughter?"
"Because you killed your own son!" Sasuke shouted.
"Give the boy a prize." Zabuza teased. Everyone's eyes widened including Kakashi's. He knew that Zabuza was pretty demonic but to kill his own son? Not even Kakashi thought that he would have done that.
Kakashi looked over and saw Sasuke holding Azuna. He looked down at her in fear as the blood began to soak his shirt. His eyes were shaking and he was fighting for control of himself and Kakashi needed to do something about that.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi called out. He looked up in shock still holding Azuna close to him. "She's going to be alright! Right now you need to focus. Azuna wouldn't want you hovering over her; she would want you to fight. Put her next Sakura and Tazuna then get back to position. She will be fine Sasuke! I said I would protect you all and I meant it!"
Sasuke nodded slowly and bounded quickly to Sakura and Tazuna laying her on the ground gently. He then jumped back to position and stood staring as Naruto put his hands together in a hand sign. "Azuna is your daughter and yet you still treat her as if she is nothing! You will pay for this! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"