She woke up the next day to an empty room, and, curious, she sat up. She saw a note on the nightstand, and picked it up before reading it:

Dear Michi,

I went with Sakura and Sasuke to take Tazuna to the bridge. I'm fine, so don't worry about it. Naruto should be there, too, so make sure he doesn't do anything rash.

Love,

Kakashi

She sighed, putting the note down before getting dressed and putting her swords at her hips. When she was tying her pure white forehead protector around her neck, she heard a cry, and muffled voices. Her eyes hardened as she masked her chakra, and she soundlessly went downstairs, hidden from view. She saw two samurai take Tsunami, leaving a crying Inari. Anger raced through her blood, remembering when she lost her own mother, and she immediately went outside. When she was about to attack, Inari ran out, ordering them to leave his mother alone, before charging at them. 'Darn it!' In an instant, she grabbed Tsunami, and got Inari out of the line of fire. "M-Michiko-sama…?" Inari stuttered. "I'd prefer Michiko-chan, Inari-kun." She smiled softly before standing up, facing the samurai with a serious expression. "It's time I dealt with these fools."

She paused for a moment though, saying, "On the other hand…why don't you finish them off, Naruto-kun?" In a moment, two Naruto's punched the men unconscious. "Good job, Naruto-kun! Stay here with Inari and Tsunami. I need to check on the others…" 'I hope their alright…' with that, she left, and was racing through the trees as fast as her legs would allow. 'Dad…Sakura-chan…Sasuke-kun…are you guys okay?' When she reached the bridge, she saw Sasuke fighting the tracker nin from before, and it made her blood boil. 'He tricked me! NO ONE tricks me!!' Before Sasuke could be killed by a thousand ice needles, she jumped in the way, finishing a rapid sequence of hand signs, saying, "Lightning Release: Lightning Shield jutsu!" The needles struck the shield, and fell harmlessly to the ground.

"Be more careful next time!" she chastised Sasuke, smacking him upside the head. "The little Jounin has finally arrived. I was wondering when you'd show up." She glared at Zabuza, feeling Chiaki's power build up in her chest, but she suppressed. "You're not going to win." "And what makes you say that?" his cockiness…it was getting on her last nerve. "I'll make sure of it! Even if it's the last thing I do!" She threw a kunai, but Zabuza stopped it.

"Don't be in such a rush. You're not fighting me. You're fighting him." She turned to the tracker nin, and scoffed, saying, "Do you really think he can defeat me?" "I'm planning on it." She glared at the tracker nin, saying, "Fine. Let's finish this quickly then." In a moment, sparks flew into the air as a kunai struck a senbon needle. "You're pretty fast…" a long cut ran down the middle of his mask. "But not fast enough…" He pushed her away before using the water on the ground to make ice mirrors. "Unfortunately, I must kill you now." She held the kunai tightly, watching in amazement as he fazed into a mirror. "How in the world-?" That moment, a barrage of needles flew at her. "Darn!" She blocked some senbon, dodged others, but a select few found their marks. "Michiko-chan! Are you okay?"

She glared at Haku, saying, "I'm fine…don't worry about me…" She threw the kunai at a mirror, and it stabbed it deeply, before the mirror regenerated, forcing the kunai out. 'Darn it!' "You can't break out that easily." 'I can see that!' she thought testily, doing some hand signs. "Earth Release: Rock Fist jutsu!" She ran at a mirror, and punched clear through it, when she was struck with a needle in the shoulder, making her fly back as the mirror rebuilt itself. "Oh come ON!!" she started hammering the mirrors with her bare fists, cutting her knuckles on the constantly shattering ice, but they kept repairing themselves. "Let me OUT!!!" a needle hit her in the back of her shoulder, making her tense in pain. "You're friends are here." She turned to see Sasuke and Naruto, and she cursed. "Bakas! What are you two doing!" A barrage of needles flew at the boys, and she stood in front of them, doing some hand signs. "Lightning Release: Lightning Shield jutsu!" The needles fell harmlessly, and she was starting to breathe heavily. "Michiko-chan…are you okay?"

"I'm fine…just out of breathe…" She took out two kunai, saying, "I'll cover you guys while you try to break through…BOTH of you…" they nodded, and they moved towards a wall. A barrage of needles raced to meet them, but Michiko knocked them off course with her kunai, quick to make sure Sasuke and Naruto weren't hurt.

She was struck a couple times, but she tried to shrug off the pain as another barrage fell upon them. But she couldn't stop a few from hitting her friends, no matter how fast she was, and Naruto soon fell, too exhausted to keep going. Sasuke was starting to knock needles away, and she realized he had acquired the Sharingan. 'Sasuke-kun…' That's when a barrage of needles flew at Naruto's weakened body. "No!!" Sasuke moved in the way, like he'd done with Sakura, but Michiko moved faster. In a moment, she was in front of him, taking the needles in the chest and stomach, and grabbed Haku by the neck, saying, "Stay away from my friends." Before kicking him in the stomach, making him fly into a mirror, striking it hard. She smirked, coughing up blood. Her knees shook, and Naruto stood, catching her as she fell. "Naruto-kun…I don't think I'll make it…just promise me…you'll never forget your dream…"

She smiled weakly, her breathing becoming difficult. "I know you'll make a great Hokage…and Sasuke-kun…" Her eyes softened with sadness. "I may not completely approve of your…ambition…but I don't want you to forget that little boy I became friends with…" That seemed to hit his heart, and her eyes almost fluttered closed. "Tell Sakura-chan…she's not as weak as she thinks…and tell my dad…" her eyes were almost completely closed. "That's I'm sorry…that I couldn't protect my mother…" with that, her mind went blank, and both boys stared in disbelief at her motionless body. "She's gone…it's not possible…this is Michiko…she's the one that's saved my butt too many times to count…who helped Sakura get out of her shell…the same girl that thinks of others before herself…" "Which is why she did this…"

They both glared at Haku, anger rising in their chests. Naruto was still holding her body, and he looked down at her sadly, brushing some stray strands of hair off her face. Haku threw more senbon, and Naruto wasn't fast enough to stop them, but Sasuke was. Now two of his friends were unconscious…because he couldn't protect himself. His anger rose as red chakra spun around him. "You killed Sasuke…and Michiko…" he glared at him with demon red eyes. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!"