A week had passed and all of Naruko's wounds had pretty much healed. A week had passed and not a clue was left behind about Zabuza or the tracker. Naruko, Sasuke, and Sakura were traveling behind Kakashi- sensei and were guarding Tazuna. They knew from earlier Zabuza had a knack of jumping out of the shadows. They were traveling, about to go out of the forest. They would then be on another country's grounds. The moment they stapped out, they saw someone sitting on a bench near the shore. They walked up to them and to their horror they saw the man was the one and only, Zabuza. Sakura gasped and guarded Tazuna while Sasuke noticed something was off. The tracker guy wasn't there. He sensed a needle-like kunai coming and threw his own blocking it.
"Oh? Looks like we have a sharp one here," the tracker stated." But don't get too confident. I'm Haku, and I'll make sure you won't leave this place alive." Sasuke gritted his teeth and started to attack. Before you knew it, they were in a full out fight. Kakashi had also started attacking Zabuza. Naruko and Sakura stayed and protected Tazuna. The mist started to grow around them, making it hard for them to see. Zabuza and Haku, however, were unfazed, this place being their hometown.
Sasuke's POV:
Argh! I can't see a thing! The whole place is so foggy! I can barely make out colors. I closed my eyes and let my other senses take over. I sensed Haku coming and immediately blocked. He backed up and came charging again from another side. This is easier than I thought. I blocked the guy again and tried to hit him. He dodged to the side and sent a needle through my shoulder. he's fast. He used my shocked state to send ment more down my bicep and shoulder. "Arghhhh!" I yelled. This guy was tough.
Naruko's POV:
I heard a loud groan of pain coming from Sasuke's side. I couldn't see where I was going but I had to help him, fast. Running as fast as I could with my short legs, I went to help Sasuke. The fog and mist was higher here. I scrunched my eyes and found Sasuke defending himself. I ran up to him and declared,
"I'm here to help you Sasuke!" He audibly groaned and I helped defend our backs. This guy came out of the blue and was almost everywhere. He came straight towards me and I yelped, immediately defending myself. He smirked in my face and was then gone. I was then only greeted with sharp pain in my leg. I had previously gotten hurt here before. I fell to my knees and clenched my teeth in pain. I hadn't felt pain at this level at all before this job. I staggered back to my feet and ran away to avoid the attacks coming at me. This guy was mega fast.
"Wait Naruko keep it up! I'll try to figure out this guy's trick!" Sasuke yelled. I only had 50% of my vision back. That teme. Trying to distract him I threw kunai at him, which he effortlessly dodged. I ran further and further, trying to not get caught. I was overloading myself. I knthat. But I couldn't give up as long as I'm still alive. I kept attacking as distractions while Sasuke tried to figure out his attack positions and strategies. I was running when I looked back and threw all the shuriken I had. But I didn't notice a tree root on the ground and fell on the ground. He threw a couple needles at me and was now aiming for my heart. "NARUKO!" I heard Sasuke yell.
Sasuke POV:
He was going to kill her. He was going to kill Naruko. I had to stop him. I couldn't let Naruko die.
"NARUKO!" I yelled. She turned around to face me. Shit! Make it in time I thought. I ran up and did the first thing that came to mind, I jumped in front of the attack. The pain came instantly. I coughed up blood and noticed Naruko stare at me in horror. Her hands were shaking. My vision got dizzy and I couldn't stand up anymore. I fell back, and Naruko caught me in her lap. I noticed tears coming out of her eyes. It broke my heart. Seeing tears on Naruko's eyes made me want to cry as well. I grabbed her cheek with one hand and looked straight up at her. She looked shocked. "You have to defeat Haku quickly. He's slowed down and the mist has cleared. I know you can do it Naruko. You need to live. Don't give up on your dreams dobe." I felt my eyes closing involuntarily until it all turned black.
Naruko's POV:
"SASUKE!" I screamed the tears coming at full force now. He may be annoying, overconfident, cocky, and competitive but he was still Uchiha Sasuke. And he was gone now forever. I looked at him and slowly pulled him into a hug.
"You've never seen a friend die in battle?" Haku asked. That one phrase made me snap and fill with rage. The one person that accepted me for more than just being the hokages daughter was Sasuke. The one person that actually become a close friend was Sasuke. The one person I felt completely comfortable was Sasuke. He was now dead because of Haku. If looks could kill, Haku would be deep in hell by now. I got up and threw a kunai straight up at him. He was shocked and just barely missed. My next throws and punches were reckless and angry. I had a lot of energy and stamina and Haku was really tired. I punched him as hard as possible and stabbed him with a kunai. He collapsed to the ground. I walked up to Sasuke and put his head in my lap and yelled for Sakura. She gasped and her eyes filled with tears when she saw Sasuke. I looked down feeling all the blame. If I hadn't been so ignorant Sasuke wouldn't have to risk his life for me. I was pathetic. I cried silently, my tears falling on Sasuke's now pale face. Kakashi had also defeated Zabuza and came up to us. He looked at the scene and understood what was going on.
"Let's get going back," he stated, we still have a bridge to build." I nodded. I got up shakily dragging Sasuke with me but my legs gave up and I fell to the ground. I began slipping unconscious. I guess I did overdo it.
