Demons and Scorn Chapter 8: Bridge Battle! Bring It On!, a naruto fanfic

Chapter Eight

Battle on the bridge! Zabuza returns!

In Zabuza and Haku's hut deep in the forest, so it wouldn't be found by anyone who didn't know of its location, Haku was standing at the window, looking out into the lively forest. He reached up and undid his hair, so it fell down to the middle of his back and continued to look into the forest.

[--

Haku, dressed in a light pink kimono with his hair down, sat in a small clearing, picking plants and herbs from the ground and placing them in the small wooden basket beside him. With his choice in clothing and his hair down, it was almost impossible for anyone not to think he was a girl.

A small brown and white bird flew down and landed on his shoulder, causing the Androgyny boy to look to the perched animal. Haku smiled as the bird chirped looked at his face with curiosity. Letting a small chuckle escape his lips, Haku went back to picking herbs.

When the bird suddenly leapt up and flew off, Haku jumped slightly and looked over to the direction of the bird's flight. There he saw a blonde boy wearing an orange, blue and white jumpsuit, lying on the ground, looking completely exhausted. The deep, heavy breaths the boy was taking was enough proof to show he was alive, just tired.

In the blonde's had was a kunai and his eyes were closed, leaving the boy in a sleeping state. Birds landed around him and on his arms and legs, but the boy didn't stir or make a noise in his sleep. Haku gasped and let shock cover his face when a bird pecked the blonde's Hatei-ate.

The symbol on the metal part of the boy's Hatei-ate was what caught Haku's attention though. Konohagakure. Sure enough, Haku remembered this kid from a few days ago. He frowned as the memory entered his mind, unwelcome and unwanted.

"What is this?! Who do you think you are?!" Naruto asked in rage. "Did you hear me?!"

Haku rose from the ground with lightly clenched fists and walked over to where Naruto was resting, the birds still gather around the orange-clad body. He stopped in to the side of the blonde, looking down at his sleeping face and reached out his hand to the boy.

The birds fled.

[--

With the others back in Tazuna's home, everyone was just waking up from a good night's rest. Tsunami had already prepared breakfast, without Sakura's help this time, and had placed it out for everyone to dig in when they woke up.

Tazuna, Inari, Sasuke, Kakashi and Tsunami were already in the dining room, the latter not actually sitting but bustling around doing her chores, and Sakura was the last to enter. She had a sour look on her face which made even Sasuke want to shudder. Inari, on the other hand, looked overjoyed to see her, scary face or not.

"Sakura-nee-sama! Good morning!" He greeted, causing everyone to look at him with surprise. Not only had he, the hater of ninja and heroes, just called Sakura his 'big sister', but she seemed to lighten up her mood so she didn't make him upset.

"Morning, Inari-chan." She yawned back. Inari pouted.

"Don't call me Inari-chan, onee-sama! I'm a boy not a stupid, weak little girl." He complained.

"What was that?" Sakura growled out menacingly.

"Ah! N-Nothing! G-Girls are…g-g-great!" Inari covered badly. Sasuke cleared his throat to stop Sakura from responding before he drank his tea.

"Here." Tsunami offered as Sakura sat down. She placed a bowl of food in front of the pinkette kunoichi.

"Oh, thank you." Sakura muttered, trying to sound polite. Tsunami, despite the fact Sakura failed miserably at trying to leave the cold and nasty tone out of her words, smiled in understanding.

"Naruto's not here?" Tazuna asked. "Looks like he was out all night again."

"Poor Naruto. He's always out climbing trees in the dark." Sakura mumbled so that no one would hear her, but Sasuke did. He was, after all, sitting right next to her. "He could be injured or dying from using too much chakra." She added with, as is sounded to Sasuke, a slightly weaker voice.

"We certainly hope he's okay." Tsunami stated to try and put the kunoichi's mind at ease. "A child, spending a night in the woods alone. It does make one worry."

"There's nothing to worry about. Naruto's a goofy kid, but he's also a fully fledged ninja. He can handle himself." Kakashi assured, talking to Tsunami but also trying to comfort Sakura as he did so.

"Naruto is such a loser; a truly pathetic ninja. He's probably lying out there dead somewhere." Sasuke stated nonchalantly. Sakura gripped the table's edge hard, trying to stop herself from hitting him.

"As for Sakura…well, she's full of rage, scorn and hate. Not even I know why, but it's there. I can feel it boiling up inside of her every day of her life. One of these days, she'll lash out and kill anyone who stands in her way." Mizuki told Iruka.

"In fact, I wouldn't count on him coming back here at all." Sasuke scoffed as Sakura's grip on the table tightened until it began to crack.

"One of these days, she'll lash out and kill anyone who stands in her way."

"Why did we even bring him here in the first place?" The Uchiha asked in a stuck-up way.

"One of these days, she'll lash out…"

"I mean, he couldn't even fight up to the standards of an academy student in his first battle." He continued.

"…she'll lash out…"

"SHUT UP! You don't know him at all! Naruto's a good ninja! He's not dead and he'll finish training a long time before you do!" Sakura screamed at him before she stood from the table and ran out of the room.

Sasuke looked at the door, which was still hanging slightly open, in shock and slight question. 'Does Sakura really care for Naruto that much? Would she have protected me if Naruto was saying all that stuff?' A small voice in the back of his mind yelled 'no' over and over again.

The young Uchiha survivor then looked down to the part of the table the kunoichi was sat and his eyes wandered over to where Sakura's grip was held firmly and he froze. He swallowed hard, in a way which could only be compared to a gulp, and stood up, also going to the door.

"Sasuke? Where are you going?" Kakashi asked his dark-haired pupil.

"For a…walk." Sasuke replied, walking out of the door and closing it gently behind him.

Everyone looked to where Sasuke had been staring and gasped.

The table looked like it was covered in ice and snow.

But the frozen substances were burning right though the wood.

[--

Haku was knelt down beside Naruto, breathing calmly. With a steady hand, he reached over the boy to where the blonde's tanned neck expanded and deflated with every breath he took. Haku's hand stayed above the neck for a while, as if the boy were contemplating where to strangle him, break his neck or just leave him alone.

Thinking better if it, Haku moved his hand to the boy's shoulder and shook it gently, but still harshly enough to wake him.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep here. Wake up." Haku prompted, still shaking Naruto's shoulder. The latter groaned and opened his eyes slowly, taking in everything around.

He saw Haku's face, which he believed to be a girl, looking down on him and sat up. Haku backed off slightly to give Naruto his personal space back and the blonde rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. Once that was done, he looked towards the 'woman' again.

"Who the heck are you?" Naruto asked sleepily, trying to sound just as intimidating as his female friend always did, but only succeeding in sounding like he needed more sleep. "Oh, uh…" He stuttered, see Haku smile. Still believing this was a girl, Naruto blushed. "I mean…um. Hi there. Where did you come from? And, what are you doing out here?"

"I'm gathering herbs." Haku replied.

"Herbs?" Naruto questioned in a slightly loud voice.

"Yes, that's right." He answered with another smile. "They're for treating illnesses and healing wounds."

[--

A few minuets later, Naruto was fully awake and helping Haku, whom he still didn't realise was a man, gather herbs. He picked one off of its stem and twirled it in his hands before sitting back on his butt and looking over at Haku.

"You start work early, huh sis?" Naruto asked the boy, calling him with a girl's title.

"I like it early." Haku admitted, not bothering to correct Naruto about the gender confusion just yet. "It's calm and I really didn't think anyone would be sleeping out here in the woods." He ended. Naruto grinned at the boy.

"I'm training." He stated simply.

"Hm?" Haku asked as he raised his delicate eyebrow. "So, are you a ninja then?" He questioned as if he didn't know. "I did notice that headband you're wearing, or are you just making a fashion statement?"

"You noticed that?" Naruto asked with another blush. "All right! Only super cool ninja can wear these!" He boasted.

"Oh really? I see." Haku stated, pretending to be interested. "That's very impressive. But…does that mean that you're training for something dangerous?"

"I'm just developing my skills so I can get stronger! Dattebayo!" The blonde told him proudly.

"You seem very strong now; isn't that enough?" Haku enquired.

"No, no! I need to get stronger and stronger and stronger! I have to keep practising!" Naruto exclaimed. Haku narrowed his eyes slightly.

"How so?" He asked. "Why is it so important?"

"So I can become the best ninja in my village! Then everyone will know who I am and they'll all respect me!" He claimed. "There's also a certain person, a kid, who I have to prove something to."

"So are you doing it for this certain person?" Haku questioned, now interested in what Naruto had to say. "Or are you doing all this training for yourself?"

"Uhh, huh?" Naruto asked, thoroughly confused. Haku giggled. "What're you laughing about? What's so funny?" He asked in anger.

"Is there…someone who's precious to you?" Haku questioned when he stopped laughing.

"Someone who…what're you saying, sis?" Naruto asked. "Someone who's precious?" He repeated. Haku looked down in sadness at his words. He remembered a memory from long ago.

[--

A homeless child sat outside in the snow, just to the side of a large metal bin. People passed him, but no one spared him the time of day to give him some help or even a small amount of money.

Someone walked over and dumped a bag of rubbish in the bin and the child got up quickly to run to it. He rummaged though the trash and rubbish until a growl and two loud barks stopped him. Starving and not wanting any trouble, Haku hit the dog away from him and looked at the creature with blank eyes.

He turned away and continued to go though the rubbish, but smaller snarls and growls caught his attention. When he turned back to the dog he had hit, two smaller puppies were stood to either side of the unmoving body of the bigger dog. The bigger dog got up again and joined in the growling.

Haku looked at the canine family with sad eyes.

[--

Haku was sitting on a stone bridge alone, still in the lightly falling snow but feeling no cold. Feet were herd coming in his direction and a shadow loomed over the younger child. He looked up to see a man with sharp eyes, spiked hair and a Jounin uniform on. The most surprising this was that this man was actually looking at him.

Not passed him.

Not though him.

At him.

[--

The brunette androgyny broke from his memory and looked up at the orange-clad twelve-year-old again, who was looking at him in thought.

'Hmm. What's she thinking?' Naruto asked himself.

"You see, when a person has something precious they want to protect, then they become genuinely strong." Haku told him. Naruto considered those words carefully. He then remembered his people who had protected him in his life, which he had never really thought of before.

[--

"Calm down; I'll protect you with my life. All of you." He assured. "I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me." Kakashi concluded, turning to the rest of them with a smile.

[--

The fuma shuriken, the one that was meant for him, was dug firmly into Iruka's back and a lot of blood was falling from his new wound. Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of his teacher risking his life for him. Mizuki's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth.

"W-Why?" Naruto gasped though his tears.

"Because we're the same." Iruka told him.

[--

"If you ever lay a hand on my sensei," Naruto began. "I'll kill you!" He threatened.

[--

"I'm not killing Naruto. Example or not…never ever ask me to do something like that again." Sakura threatened, her glare becoming colder than ice.

[--

"Baka! The heroes on that stone are d…dead. They died on missions or in a battle. A ninja's death." Sakura told him mournfully. "And I hope to never see your name on that rock, Naruto." Naruto's grin fell from his face and he paled, looking towards Sakura.

[--

"Ugh!" Naruto heard as he landed in the water with something heavier than a shuriken on top of him. He opened his eyes and saw that, somehow, Sakura had twisted herself in flight and made the shuriken catch her and not him. It was now digging dangerously far into her right hip.

[--

"Yeah, I hear ya. I know exactly what you're saying." Naruto told the boy with a smile, remembering all the other times Sakura has stood up for him and Hinata. 'I think I have my precious person.'

[--

"S-Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in wonder. Sakura lifted her head and pulled away from her one-sided hug before taking a few steps away from Naruto and turning her back on everyone.

"Let's get going already! We've wasted enough time here!" She barked, walking quickly in the direction of wave country.

Naruto looked down on his jacket where Sakura had rested her head and saw a small patch of the orange was darker than the rest and, when he ran a hand over it, it felt a bit damp. She had cried.

[--

"I think I have someone in mind." He told Haku. 'Sakura-chan…'

"You will get strong. Very strong." Haku told him, picking up the herb-filled basket and standing. Naruto grinned at him. "Goodbye. We'll meet again sometime." He said, walking away. Haku stopped. "Oh, and by the way, I'm a boy." He added as he began walking again.

'WHAAA! NO WAY! I-I-I-I B-B-BLUSHED! I CALLED HIM "SIS"! I-I-I KEPT THINKING OF WAYS TO ASK HIM OUT! NOOOOO!!!'

[--

Sasuke was taking his walk, thinking about what had happened back in Tazuna's house and to the table. It looked like it was frozen, but also like the actual wood was melting.

Hearing footsteps ahead of him, Sasuke looked up and saw a girl wearing a pink kimono with long brown hair and brown eyes. As he passed the girl, he felt as if he knew her from somewhere. However, when Sasuke turned around to look at the woman, she kept walking.

Naruto's growling caught his attention, so he turned around to look at the blonde. He was clutching his head, shaking it and nodding a few times, before growling and finally calming down.

"Wow, I've seen a lot of weird things in my life before, but this one just takes the cake." He commented. Sasuke walked over to his team mate and punched him on the head. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?!" The blonde asked, clutching his poor, abused noggin.

"Hey, twerp. Did you just forget about breakfast?" He asked gruffly, not wanting to tell Naruto about how Sakura yelled at him. "You're such a loser." He added. Naruto grinned, causing Sasuke to cringe.

[--

"Naruto!" Sakura called, standing next to her sensei. "He could be anywhere right now." She added in a worried voice. Kakashi looked over at his female student and sighed.

'Aw man…this ruins the ending. It's so obvious that she'll end up with Naruto now. Then again, maybe more boys will come into the picture and try to steal her heart! Oooh! I can't wait!' Kakashi thought excitedly.

"Come on, Naruto! Where are you?!" She called again, biting her lip in fear of his death. Her heart jumped when a kunai landed in front of her, thrown from the top of one of the trees.

Looking up, Kakashi and Sakura saw Naruto laying down on one of the branches, grinning down at them. Sakura's eyes widened at his feat, since everyone thought he would fail constantly.

"What do ya think? High enough for you guys?" Naruto asked, looking right at Sakura for some reaction. "Well, I mean, it's a long way down, huh?" He added, jumping up and landing on his feet on the branch. He slipped and began to fall back off the tree and Sakura's breath hitched.

"NARUTO!" She screamed, closing her eyes. Her body was frozen in fear for her friend and she couldn't move to save him, no matter how hard she tried to.

When she heard no 'thump' or any other noise that would be heard from someone falling to their deaths, Sakura opened her eyes again. Her sight landed on the grinning blonde of her team, hanging upside-down from his branch with his chakra holding him there.

"Haha! Just kidding!" He yelled to them. Sakura released the air she didn't know she had been holding before frowning. "You guys really fell for it!"

"Don't do that, baka!" Sakura scolded.

'I'm gonna strangle him!' Inner yelled. '…Just as soon as I stop crying from the shock of thinking he was dead!'

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to end very, very badly in some way or another?" Kakashi asked himself out loud. Just then, Naruto's feet lost the chakra and unattached themselves from the tree.

"Ahh! You just had to push it, didn't you!? Show off!" Sakura screamed at him, getting ready to catch the blonde.

Sasuke, who no one had noticed until now, ran up the tree using his own newly gained chakra skills and hung off the same branch Naruto did, catching the blonde's ankle before he could plummet to his death. Naruto hung limply from Sasuke's grip, too shocked to do anything except sway from side-to-side.

"You really are a total loser, Naruto." Sasuke stated bluntly.

"Wha-? Sasuke?! You're not supposed to save me!" Naruto yelled.

"Should I drop you, then?" He asked, loosening his grip.

"NO! I WAS KIDDING! DON'T DROP ME!" Naruto screeched like a baby, causing Sakura to cover her ears.

"YOU'RE BOTH BAKAS! YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK!" Sakura yelled at the two boys, who looked down at her.

"SORRY, SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto replied loudly.

"Yeah…what he said." Sasuke answered.

'If I'm still sane by the time I finish their training, or even this one mission, it'll be a miracle. Oh well. I love to play match-maker and I'm shipping Sasu-Saku!' Kakashi cheered to himself.

[--

Inari was in his room, sitting on his windowsill again. He was looking out to the ocean, the picture of his father figure in his hands. However, this time the small boy wasn't crying, nor was he moping or about to burst into tears. No. This time he was contemplating.

"Naruto." He muttered. "Hm. Uzumaki Naruto, huh?"

[--

Zabuza crushed an apple easily as he sat on a chair. Haku was stood beside him, completely unfazed by the fruit-abuse that was going on in front of him.

"You're recovery is going well." Haku noticed calmly.

"Just a little longer, Haku." Zabuza grunted, dropping the remains of the crushed fruit on the floor.

"Yes." The boy agreed.

[--

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all stood on the very tip of their chosen trees, looking around them with different expressions. Sasuke wore a smirk at his accomplishment, Naruto grinned as the wind blew passed his face and Sakura's eyes showed childish delight as she watched the fireflies circle her small frame.

"Dobe, Sakura. Let's go back." Sasuke prompted, not letting his smirk falter for a second.

"Alright!" Naruto agreed. "Sakura-chan?"

"I'll stay for a little while longer." She whispered, barely loud enough for her team mates to hear. They shrugged and jumped down, knowing that girls sometimes liked to be left alone.

As soon as they had moved out of sight and out of hearing distance, Sakura leapt from her tree top and onto Naruto's, the tree swaying under the sudden addition of her weight. As soon as the tree stopped moving, Sakura leapt onto Sasuke's old perch, the same action happening again before she moved back to her own tree.

The serine smile slid off of her face when she heard a rustle in the bushes, signalling the weekly visit of the ones who took her from Yukigakure and made her see the true purpose of her life. The very reason she had been trained until she was near death every day of her life.

"Haruno, we need to talk." The lonely visitor stated.

Sakura nodded, taking out a kunai. The speaker did the same and a smirk fell on his face. His golden eyes glinted in amusement as she let her weapon do the glinting.

"Indeed we do. Let's…talk."

[--

Everyone in Tazuna's family was gathered around the table for dinner as Tsunami placed down the plates. Kakashi was the only ninja present at the moment, since he knew his team were off training. Inari looked at the place Sakura usually sat with worried eyes.

"K…Kakashi-san…where is onee-sama and the others?" Inari asked shakily, obviously worried for his sister-figure and her team.

Just as the words left his mouth, Sasuke and Naruto stumbled in, cuts and bruises coving their bodies. Sasuke was supporting Naruto's weight, since the blonde was near collapsing, but both held the look of supremacy on their faces. They had more likely than not completed their tree-climbing to an outstanding degree.

"But…where is Sakura-san?" Tsunami asked, worry apparent in her voice.

"She said that she wanted to be alone." Sasuke told her. However, before anyone could say anything else, the door flung open again and the pink haired kunoichi stumbled in.

"Sorry I'm late." She muttered. Naruto and Sasuke let their eyes widen when they saw her cuts. Her body was littered, once again, with scrapes and deep cuts, as well as a good amount of bruises. The boys were scratched up too, but nothing like her. Those cuts were done with a weapon, and they looked almost identical to the ones she had on the day of the orientation.

"S-Sakura-chan…are you okay?" Naruto asked slowly.

"I fine." She hissed with a death glare. "I just tripped and got cut up a bit on the way here."

"You used that excuse during the orientation too." Sasuke noticed. She glared at him.

"I think that we should leave Sakura alone. If she wished for us to know what was going on, she'd tell us." Kakashi said, even though he was worried about her too.

"What have you three been up to, anyway? You look like something the cat dragged in." Tazuna commented bluntly.

"We both made it. Sasuke-teme and I climbed all the way to the top this time!" Naruto pronounced. "Sakura-chan guided up both every step of the way and all three of us stood at the tips of the trees…together!"

"Good. Now we move on. Starting tomorrow, you're both going to join Sakura in guarding Tazuna." Kakashi told them.

Naruto and Sasuke, putting aside the worry for Sakura's health as she acted like she was fine, both cheered and Naruto kicked up his leg to dance. However, his victory dance only succeeded in dragging Sasuke and him down to the floor. Sakura, who was just behind them, ended up under the heavy weight of her two male team mates.

"Naruto, you are such a loser." Sasuke commented as he tried to get up.

"Well, your both really heavy!" Sakura panted. Everyone else, except Inari, laughed at the predicament the three Genin had found themselves in.

[--

"In a few more days," Tazuna began as Tsunami cleared the plates from their now finished dinner, "the bridge will be complete. I have you four to thank for that."

"You've all done great, but you still have to be careful." Tsunami reminded them.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, but I haven't had the chance until now." Tazuna admitted. "Why did you choose to stay and protect me, even after you found out that I'd lied to bring you here?"

"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage." Kakashi stated, placing his elbows on the table. "But underneath the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive."

"…Huh?" Tsunami asked, taking the question off of her father's mind.

"That was a quote from the first Hokage." The silver haired man told them.

"Hmm." Inari hummed thoughtfully. He remembered his father and began to cry. "But why?" He asked.

"Hm? What'd you say?" Naruto asked, raising his head off of the table and frowning. Inari stood and slammed his hands of the wooden surface.

"All this training is just a waste of time!" He stated. "Gato's got a whole army behind him! He'll beat you down and they'll destroy you! These cool things you all say, they don't mean anything! No matter what you do; the strong always win and the weak always lose!"

"Just speak for yourself." Naruto glared, brushing Inari off. "It won't be like that for me, you got that?"

"Why don't you be quiet?! Just looking at you makes me sick!" Inari stated, tears running down his face. "You don't know anything about this country! You're just butting in! Always laughing and joking around! You have no idea what it's like being treated like dirt!" He concluded.

A dark shadow fell over the faces of Naruto and Sakura, but the blonde was the only one who said anything. Sakura just sat there, Inari's words running though her head as she fingered an itchy cut on her leg which had ripped though her trousers.

"Listen to yourself! Always whining and complaining like some sort of sorry little victim!" Naruto commented. "You can whimper all day for all I care. You're nothing but a coward!" Inari stated to cry heavier than before.

"Inari, I like you like a little brother, but don't go shooting off your mouth when you have no idea about what happened in the past of the people you're talking to." The pink haired ninja warned. "Compared to what I know of Naruto's life and what I saw after I entered Konoha, you have it easy. Then when I think about what happened to Sasuke…you should be thankful that you don't have either of their lives." She snapped at him, not wanting to add her own life into the mix.

Naruto and Sakura stood up to leave, but were stopped when Sasuke's chair scrapped across the floor and he stood up. His own face was shadowed, but when he looked up they saw his past reflecting in his dark onyx eyes.

"Wait up, I'm coming too." He said.

Naruto began to walk again, but Sakura waited until Sasuke was with them to join him. She cast one last look in Inari's direction before shaking her head and walking out with her boys. Inari's sobbing just grew louder and Kakashi looked over in the small boy's direction thoughtfully.

[--

"Compared to what I know of Naruto's life and what I saw after I entered Konoha, you have it easy. Then when I think about what happened to Sasuke…you should be thankful that you don't have either of their lives."

[--

'But what about you, Sakura?' Kakashi thought. 'Your own life couldn't have been a walk in the park if you turned out the way you did.'

[--

Inari sat on the small pier outside his house and looked up at the moon, thinking his 'big sister' and what she had said to him. He noticed how she had left her won life out, but from what she had said to him about when her memories when he asked if she had any good ones, he guessed that she just didn't want anyone to think she had it rough.

"…I have…very few good memories from my entire life, Inari-chan."

"Can I talk to you?" Kakashi asked the young boy as he walked up behind him. Inari turned, but offered no answer, so Kakashi just sat down with him. "Naruto can be a little…harsh sometimes, and Kami-sama only knows when Sakura isn't harsh, but neither hate you. In fact, I know that Sakura has grown quiet fond of you."

"She…has?" Inari asked quietly, blushing.

"Yes, but I don't think she'd date you." He added, looking at the blush staining the boy's cheeks get darker. "You know, your grandfather told us what happened…to your father." He said. "You probably don't know this, but Naruto also grew up without a father. In fact, he never knew either of his parents, and he didn't have a single friend in our village his own age, only his school teacher."

"…Really?" The small boy questioned, looking shocked.

"Still, I've never seen him cry, sulk or give up. He's always…eager to jump in. He just wants to be respected. It is…his dream. He'll put his live on the line for that, in a heartbeat. That's also the reason he likes Sakura so much. She was the first person ever to show respect for him, and she was also the only person ever to stand up for him. My guess is…he just got tired of crying, and decided to do something about it." The sensei sighed.

"Oh." Inari whispered.

"Even though he's young and still learning, he knows what it means to be truly strong…like your father did. I think Naruto knows better than any of us what you are going though. Sakura…my guess would be that her life has been pretty tough too, to turn her into the cold girl she is now. What they told you earlier, not matter how harsh it sounded, was probably something they've told themselves a thousand times."

[--

The next day, the sun was shining brightly again. Naruto was sprawled out over his futon, catching up on the sleep he missed due to the training he had preformed at night.

"Okay." Kakashi started from outside the house. "I leave Naruto in your hands. He's pushed his boy to the limit, over-doing it as usual, so he might not be able to move today at all."

"What about you? You're still recovering too." Tsunami reminded him gently.

"Why? Do I look wobbly? I'll be okay." Kakashi assured her.

"Where is that Haruno girl? I'm gonna be late!" Tazuna barked.

"Oh! Her clothes were damaged, so I gave her some of my old things from when I was a little older than she is now." Tsunami remembered, informing the men. "I'm going to sew her clothes up and give them a quick clean tonight. Strange that she didn't have any clothes spare that weren't damaged in some way or another."

"Well, she'd better hurry up!" Tazuna yelled, looking at the sun.

"I'm here, geez." Sakura muttered, hiding her body from view.

"Well? Are you coming out?" Sasuke asked. Sakura's cheeks turned a little bit pink at the thought of leaving the safety of the doorframe.

"Tsunami…did you really wear this?" Sakura asked. "Wait, let me rephrase that question. Do I really have to wear this?" She revised. Tsunami smiled and nodded but Sakura wouldn't budge. Kakashi sighed.

"Sakura, we're leaving. You either come with us now, or be the one to tell Naruto we ditched him." Kakashi said, walking away with Sasuke and Tazuna.

"Wait! I'll come. Just promise not to laugh." She muttered. Everyone agreed, so she stepped out. Sasuke's face practically exploded with redness.

Tsunami was a…lover of tight clothing when she was younger, to say the least.

Sakura's all-baggy clothing was replaced by a light orange tank top and a crème-brown mini-skirt. Her skirt had slits up both sides going to her hips and a pair of soft, baby yellow under shorts beneath it, which went down to her knees. She also had light yellow gloves that stopped at her wrists and long, black, open-toed boots, which stopped just below her knees and had a small heel.

The tank top was tight and cut off about three inches below her breasts, leaving almost all of her stomach bare. Tsunami's old clothing showed off every curve on Sakura's body that she was so used to hiding and it made her feel uncomfortable. Her Hatei-ate sat, gently tied at the back, around her neck.

Her body was curvy, for a twelve-year-old, and Sasuke's face looked as red as the fruit he loved. Sakura's skin was pale, but peachy and smooth with a few scars, but nothing too big or noticeable.

Sakura had kunai and shuriken pouches were in there usual places and she had a scowl glued to her face and a small pout on her lips, making her look like a spoiled child who couldn't have her own way. Of course, no one would say that out loud.

"Well, you look different." Kakashi smiled, trying to get Sakura to calm down and stop being so nervous. "Right, Sasuke?" He added, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to help Sasuke catch up to Naruto in the race for her heart.

"Um…you look…good." He stated, causing Kakashi to take his Icha, Icha book and repeatedly slap himself on the forehead with it.

"Thanks…I think. Hold on, I'll just tie my hair back." She said, taking her black ribbon and holding up her hair. Tsunami gasped and snatched the ribbon from Sakura's hands.

"No! I'll do you hair. We can use these." She smiled, magically pulling out two long, pale orange ribbons.

"Do we have to use so much orange and yellow?" Sakura complained as she took back her black ribbon and put it in her kunai pouch.

"Well, it's either orange and yellow or blue and black." Tsunami told her with a small grin. 'And I'm voting Naru-Saku! Orange and pink all the way!' She added to herself, going completely against the Sasu-Saku paring Kakashi was supporting.

When Tsunami was done, Sakura's hair was sat in two braided buns at the base of her neck, just behind her ears, with the orange ribbons braided with her hair. Sakura looked in the window, which was the closest thing to a mirror she could see at the moment, and cringed. However, she had to admit that her clothing suited her in a way.

"Yeah, yeah, you look fine. Let's go!" Tazuna declared, leading everyone away from his house and to the bridge.

"You know…you look good, Sakura." Sasuke tried to compliment her as he walked next to the pinkette. He saw her flinch slightly and moved her arms to cover her exposed stomach. She didn't reply, but sped up slightly so Sasuke would be walking behind her. He lowered his eyes and sighed.

[--

Gato sat on a sofa in a large room which had a view of the ocean and, more importantly, the bridge. He wasn't looking at said view, however, since he was too busy talking on the phone.

"Still wasting time licking your wounds?" He asked nastily. "I hired you to do a job, you know! Are you even listening, Zabuza?!"

[--

"Still wasting time licking your wounds?" Zabuza and Haku heard Gato say over the phone they had. "I hired you to do a job, you know! Are you even listening, Zabuza?! Hey!" The two had heard enough and Zabuza stomped on the phone, crushing it into pieces.

"Haku, you ready?" Zabuza, who was wearing his usual attire and a black tank top, asked his young ward.

"Yes." Haku answered, wearing his hunter-nin mask. They were on a boat just under the incomplete bridge.

[--

Naruto, who had a thin trail of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth, woke up in his futon back at Tazuna's place. He then remembered what his task was for the day and sat up hastily.

"Gah! Why didn't somebody wake me up?!" He yelled. He sprung into the other room, were Tsunami was sewing Sakura's clothing. "Where is everybody?! Where'd they all go?" He asked her.

"Oh, Naruto! You're sensei wanted to let you rest. You got the day off, or so he told me." She answered him. Naruto growled and ran back into his room, rushing to get dressed.

"I knew it! They ditched me!" Naruto yelled as he zipped up his jacket and pulled on his Hatei-ate. "See ya!" Be bid to Tsunami as he ran out of the door, not noticing that she had all of Sakura's clothing in a pile next to her.

[--

A certain blonde knuckle-head jumped though the trees as fast as he could, trying to catch up with his team before they got to far away or at least arrive before they all took a lunch break. He kept muttering and mumbling to himself about how they ditched him.

"Argh! They could've at least woken me up!" He complained. "And what about Sakura-chan? Tsunami had all of her clothes next to her for sewing or something! Is she running around in just her underwear?" He wondered, picturing his words and trying to stop his upcoming nose-bleed.

Naruto saw a wounded creature sitting in the middle of the forest as he almost sped straight passed it. Upon closer inspection, it looked to be a boar or a pig.

[--

"Hold on! What the heck is this?" Tazuna asked as he looked at his workers, who were all injured and in pain. "What happened? Someone was here! Someone got to them!" He noticed.

'Could it be?' Kakashi asked himself.

[--

"Inari!" Tsunami called to her son. "Inari, could you give me a hand over here? Inari!"

"I'll be right there!" He called back as Gato's two bodyguards, the very ones that Haku beat, stepped up to the front of the house.

They unsheathed their swords and smirked sadistically.

[--

A dense fog covered the bridge in a time so fast it had to be jutsu induced; no question about it. Kakashi looked around the best he could in deep shock.

"This mist…" He whispered. "Sasuke! Sakura! Get ready!" The sensei of team seven ordered. Both Genin took hold of a kunai, knowing exactly what was coming next. "I knew he was still alive. He just couldn't wait for round two." Kakashi stated, using the tiger seal.

"Great…just great. It's Zabuza, isn't it?" Sakura snapped quietly.

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Kakashi." Zabuza mocked from somewhere in the mist. "I see you still have the Haruno and the Uchiha brats with you, but you appear to be missing that other one, the short one… That one's still trembling. Pitiful." He chuckled, seeing Sasuke's hand shaking.

Water clones of Zabuza suddenly surrounded them, one in front of each shinobi and another in front of Tazuna. Sasuke saw them and smirked, causing the Zabuza in front of him to raise his invisible eyebrow in mild wonder at the facial expression.

"I'm trembling with…excitement." Sasuke stated, the smirk remaining on his dark features.

"Go on, Sasuke." Kakashi prompted. Zabuza growled and lunged at the Uchiha, only to have him dodge and, with almost frightening speed, slice though all of the Zabuza clones, turning them into puddles of water.

''I can see it.' Sasuke stated in his mind.

"Oh, so you could see they were water clones, huh?" Zabuza asked mockingly. "The brat's improving. Looks like you're got more than just the Haruno to deal with, Haku." He added as he and Haku stepped into view.

"So it seems." Haku mused.

Haku's Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors

Naruto carried on jumping though the trees, going as fast as he could while not tiring himself out too much. He squinted as the wind made his eyes water, but never slowed down.

"Gah! I hope I'm not too late." He said to himself.

[--

Sasuke, Kakashi and Sakura stood in a line in front of Tazuna as Haku and Zabuza faced them not too far away. Kakashi held his hands inside his pockets, Sasuke griped his kunai and Sakura prepared her hands for any jutsu use she would need. Haku and Zabuza, however, just stood in a perfectly calm manner.

"Well, well." Kakashi spoke to break the silence. "So Sakura and I had it right. It was all an act. An act, with a cute little mask." He taunted.

"Big phoney, ha." Sasuke jeered.

"So, I guess that stuff about you being a tracker ninja, trying to do nothing more than protect his village, was just a bunch of bull to make your act more believable." Tazuna noted with a sneer.

"They look pretty 'chummy' to me. I'd say they've been pulling scams like that one for a long time." Kakashi added.

"Chummy?" Sakura snorted, but no one heard her thankfully. "Tch. It was pretty obvious when he didn't destroy the body." She said louder.

"And hiding behind that mask…who does he think he's fooling?" Kakashi stated, causing Sakura to clear her throat.

"Speak for yourself, Kakashi-sensei." She scoffed, motioning to his own mask while rolling her eyes.

"What about you, Sakura? When are you going to remove your mask of indifference?" Kakashi shot back jokingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I am indifferent." She corrected.

"That's it. I'm taking him out." Sasuke promised, going back to the fight before Sakura could carry on about masks. "Who does he think he's fooling anyway? Hiding behind that mask like some sort of clown."

"Sasuke…good luck." Sakura said with a smirk.

'Wait a second.' Kakashi thought. 'Didn't I just say that? Hmm, I get it now! Nice one, Sasuke! Get your score back up and win over Naruto for Sakura's love!'

"The boy is impressive. Even though they were just one tenth the strength of the original water cline jutsu, he did destroy them all." Haku noted.

"That move still gave us the first advantage." Zabuza cut in. "Now use it."

"Right." Haku said as he began spinning at an alarming speed towards his and Zabuza's enemy ninja. Sasuke clenched his teeth.

"What's this?" The Uchiha boy asked no one in particular. He smirked and readied his kunai for battle as Haku drew ever closer.

[--

Gato's bodyguards sliced though the wall of Tsunami's home and smirked when they saw her with fear in her eyes.

"So, you're Tazuna's daughter, huh?" The shorter of the two asked. "Too bad. You'll have to come with us. Now."

[--

Inari was washing his hands in the bathroom when he heard crashing, the sound of something break and his mother's scream. He looked at the door in shock and fear.

[--

Tsunami was on the floor, holding her hands in her head as the men continued to break anything they could get their hand on. The men grinned and the taller one dropped another plate on the ground. Inari ran in the room and saw what was going on.

"Okaa-san!" He called.

"NO! Don't come out here!" Tsunami cried franticly. "Run away!"

"Don't move." The taller one warned Inari. "Shall we grab the little one too?" He asked his partner quietly.

"No. Gato asked for just one hostage." He reminded the taller man. Inari froze.

'H-Ho-Hostage?' He stuttered mentally as he shook with fear.

"Alright." The taller one said, taking up his sword. "Then let's waste him!"

Inari gasped and shrank further behind the door frame as the man half drew his sword. He chuckled sadistically as he watched the poor little boy shake in fear, both for his mother's life and his own.

"Wait!" Tsunami cried desperately. The en looked at her. "Please don't hurt my son. I'm begging you; he's just a child! I'll do…anything." She promised. "Just please, don't hurt him."

The men smirked as the taller one sheathed his sword. The shorter of the two looked towards Inari and the taller looked at Tsunami with what could only be described as a disappointed look in his eye. However, only disappointed because he wasn't allowed to spill blood.

"Looks like your mom came though for ya, kid. Lucky." The shorter one said. Inari fell to the floor and began to sob.

"What a waste." The taller one sighed. "I was in the mood to cut, maim or completely destroy something."

"Give it a rest." His partner scolded. "You've already drawn blood at least once today from what I know. Let's just get the woman and go." He took a tight and painful grip on Tsunami's arm and pulled her up from the floor, causing the woman to cry out in pain.

He bound her wrist tightly behind her back. Inari couldn't stop crying behind the wall which separated him from them. The small boy leant on the door frame, loud sobs causing his shoulders to shake.

"I'm sorry, okaa-san. I'm sorry." He choked. "What…could I do?" Inari continued as the men took Tsunami out of the house. "I'm too weak to protect you…I'm scared. I don't wanna die."

[--

"…My guess is…he just got tired of crying, and decided to do something about it." The sensei sighed.

"Oh." Inari whispered.

[--

"…I have…very few good memories from my entire life, Inari-chan."

[--

Inari sniffed and wiped his eyes, going though all these memories and thinking about how everyone was trying their best. Everyone, that is, except him.

"Can…Can I be that strong too?" He asked himself. Inari stood up with pure determination in his eyes.

[--

Outside the house, the two men were leading Tsunami away so she could be held as a hostage. The larger one pulled the woman to a stop and began to chuckle.

"We're gonna treat you just fine." He promised mockingly. "Don't you worry your pretty little head."

"Come on, keep walking." The other ordered as he gave the rope a sharp tug forwards, causing Tsunami to go with it.

"STOP!" A small voice bellowed out from behind them.

"Well, well; if it isn't the little tough guy." The taller one sneered.

"Inari!" Tsunami cried.

"How cute. You've come to save your mommy." He mocked.

"You…better get away…from my Okaa-san!" Inari yelled as he charged towards the two men.

"Inari! NO!" Tsunami called to him, but he didn't stop.

"This kid is a little short on brains, don't ya think?" The taller man jeered.

"Take him down." The short one ordered, both men drawing their swords to attack.

"If you hurt him, I swear I'll-!" Tsunami was cut off when the shorter man hit the back of her neck, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Take a nap." The man who hit her joked as he watched her fall into unconsciousness.

"Inari." She groaned as darkness consumed her vision. Inari just kept charging as two blades swung themselves upon their victim.

[--

Sasuke and Haku were both putting their strength into pushing the other with their weapon of choice. While Haku was using a senbon, Sasuke held a tight grip on his kunai. In his other hand, Sasuke had a second kunai and Haku was performing what looked to be a one-handed seal, but never had Sasuke seen one before now.

'So…he can keep up with Haku's speed, huh?' Zabuza observed.

"Sakura, cover Tazuna and stay…huh?" Kakashi questioned when he observed Sakura closer. It was merely a Kage Bunshin. He shook his head and decided to act as if it was really her. "Sakura, cover Tazuna and stay back until you're needed. Let Sasuke handle this."

"Whatever." 'Sakura' replied with a wink and a small smirk.

Sasuke and Haku both moved at great speed, parrying their weapons again and again until it was obvious that this was going nowhere. Haku noticed this too and decided to use a different tactic.

"We want the bridge builder, not you." He reminded. "If you back down, I wont have to kill you."

"Save it." Sasuke smirked, not loosening his grip on his kunai.

"You're making a mistake. You wont be able to keep up with my speed. I have gained three key advantages."

"Yeah? What are they?" Sasuke asked with interest as they moved again, but still managed to black the other's attack.

"First; we're surrounded by water." He noted, putting more pressure on the senbon. Sasuke copied. "Second; I've managed to get one of your hands blocked. Therefore, you have only one hand to defend yourself."

"That's only two." Sasuke grunted as they spun and parried yet again. He noticed Haku nod and chuckle.

"Fine then, since you want to know. Third; I've got knowledge you can only wish to hold. I know about the life of your team mate before she joined the Konoha academy." Haku told him.

At first, Sasuke wanted to laugh and not believe him. However, when Sakura's form went rigid and her shoulders tensed, the Uchiha boy knew it was true. Now, rather than killing Haku, he would have the 'hunter-nin' tell him about Sakura. It was curiosity or victory in battle. Hakudid have something against him after all.

"What about you?" Sasuke asked, trying to ignore the over-whelming urge to drop his kunai and ask about Sakura. "You also have only one free hand to defend yourself." He noticed. Haku laughed and held his hand in a one-handed seal.

"I only need one." He boasted. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly and his breathing hitched in his throat.

'What? Using only one hand? Impossible!' Sasuke thought to himself as he continued to push on the kunai in his hand. Haku's hand flared though the signs, gather Kakashi's attention too.

'Hand signs with a single hand? I've never seen that before.' Kakashi, not even blinking as he watched the seals being preformed, thought as he tried to figure out the jutsu Haku was using.

"Sensatsu Suishō." Haku said, finishing his seals. Sakura's eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth as Haku stamped his foot in the water. It rose up around him and Sasuke.

"Careful, Sasuke." Sakura warned. The water around the two boys split into hundreds of ice needles, sharpened to a point and ready to kill on contact. Kakashi gasped and looked up as Sakura took a step back and preformed her own hand seals. However, she preformed one-handed seals, just like Haku, but did them on both hands.

'Remember the training. Focus.' Sasuke chided himself as he closed his eyes and used one hand to focus his chakra.

[--

Sasuke was a bit more successful and made it up a full fifteen steps before the bark cracked under his foot and he had to mark the tree before falling back. He landed on his feet and observed the rather impressive height he had travelled.

[--

'Summon my chakra at once.' He opened his eyes and they widened as he saw the needles closing in on him. They moved with lightening speed, but he just closed his eyes again.

[--

Inari's hat flew in the wind as the two men with swords sheathed their weapons and watched Inari's body become nothing more than a log, which fell into three pieces. They looked in shock, not knowing the boy to have the ability to use that technique.

"The substitution jutsu." The shorter man recognised.

"The woman…she's gone." The taller one added as both looked around for any signs of Tsunami or Inari.

"Sorry I'm a little late." A voice neither recognised called out. They looked behind them to see a boy in an orange jumpsuit placing an unconscious Tsunami gently on the ground and hold a semi-conscious Inari over his shoulder carefully.

"Who's that?!" Both men asked in union.

"But, you know, heroes usually show up at the last minuet." Naruto added as Inari opened his eyes and looked at his saviour.

"Naruto, it's you!" He gushed in surprise.

"Who else?" Naruto asked with a grin, his back still facing the men.

"Well, maybe Sakura-nee-sama." Inari muttered. Naruto growled slightly.

"She's a little busy on the bridge at the moment, and I thought that I should save you. I mean, Sakura-chan would kill me if I let anything happen to her favourite Water County kid." Naruto told him with a sigh, just imagining the beating he's get.

"Favourite? Cool! But…thanks for saving me…" Inari ground out, not liking the turn of events at all.

"Inari, you did great." Naruto complimented. "When you charged, they forget about your mom for a minuet. That gave me a chance to use a cool jutsu to get her away from them."

"Naruto! How did you know these samurai guys were coming here?" Inari questioned curiously.

"Uhh…in the forest, I found a boar that had been attacked. And the trees were all cut up too, like someone had been practicing with a sword or something. The cuts lead back towards the house and so I followed them here to make sure you were okay." The blonde informed him.

"That was…really smart." Inari said non-believingly.

"Yeah! Sakura-chan taught me to look out more for my surroundings." He admitted, blushing. Inari sighed and muttered something very close to 'I should have known' under his breath.

"Blah, blah." The tall samurai grunted. "It's just one of those puny ninja brats Tazuna hired." He added nonchalantly.

"Get him!" His partner in crime ordered as they unsheathed their swords and charged.

"They're coming!" Inari cried in fear. Naruto just smiled at him. He threw two shuriken in their direction, but the men easily knocked them away with their swords.

"Try something else." One of the men grunted as they carried on running.

"I did." Naruto stated with a grin.

"I was piece of him!" The other man yelled in anger, not noticing the two Narutos behind him and his partner. The clones kicked the two men in the backs of their heads and disappeared at the men were knocked unconscious.

"How…You did it!" Inari cried in shock. Naruto laughed as if it was all a game and he had just achieved a high score.

"Yeah! Dattebayo!" He yelled, punching his fist in the air. Inari looked stunned before he laughed.

"That was so excellent." The younger boy praised. "Like a real ninja." He added with a grin to rival Naruto's own.

"You twerp." Naruto laughed. "I am a real ninja. That's what I've been trying to tell you all along!" He sighed as they both laughed together, long and hard.

[--

'Summon my chakra at once.' He opened his eyes and they widened as he saw the needles closing in on him. They moved with lightening speed, but he closed his eyes again. 'And direct it to my feet!'

The needles landed and Haku stumbled back at the force of the attack hitting. When he looked to were Sasuke was, nothing was there except a swirl of water where the needles had melted before impact.

"He vanished." Haku noticed with a small gasp. Looking up, he saw Sasuke in the air with a kunai poised for attack. He threw three shuriken at Haku, who jumped back to avoid them all. However, just as Haku landed, Sasuke appeared behind him.

"You're not as fast as you think." He told the mist-nin with a mocking smirk. "From this point on, you'll be the one defending against my attacks." Sasuke warned, holding his kunai to Haku's neck. Sakura dropped her hands from the seals and sighed, shaking her head at Sasuke's unpredictability.

Haku and Sasuke whipped away from each other and held their respective weapons of choice ready to kill. Sasuke was the first to move as he swung his fist at Haku's face. Haku blocked with his forearm, but couldn't stop the Uchiha as he flicked his kunai from his hand. The mist ninja was forced to duck down to dodge the weapon, but Sasuke predicted this and was quick to kick him in the face and send him back towards Zabuza.

'It is simple not possible.' Zabuza thought in shock. 'That boy cannot be faster than Haku!'

"Thought you were quicker, huh?" Sasuke scolded mockingly. "Now, what else are you wrong about?"

"You made a big mistake insulting these Genin and calling them brats. You see, that's just guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude." Kakashi joked, making fun of Zabuza and Haku.

"And Kami, does that boy have a lot of attitude." Sakura added, crossing her arms and smirking at Sasuke, who just took it as a compliment and smirked back.

'CHA! Sasu-kun has an attitude the size of Fire Country!' Inner grinned, putting her hands on her hips.

"He is one of the best young fighters of the hidden leaf. Sakura here is our sharpest mind and one heck of a fighter." Kakashi continued. "And last, but not least, Naruto is our number-one, hyperactive knuckle-head ninja."

[--

"A-A-ACHOO!" Naruto sneezed.

"They say when you sneeze it's because someone is talking about you somewhere." Inari told him. The two samurai were tied up far behind them.

"Nah! You don't actually believe that, do you?" Naruto asked. Inari just shrugged. "Hey, sorry about yesterday."

"Huh?" The younger boy asked in confusion.

"Calling you a coward was pretty mean, I guess." He explained. "Anyway, it's not true, you know." He ruffled Inari's hair. "You are really brave." The blonde looked down when he heard Inari start to cry.

"Darn it!" The boy yelled. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore!" He scolded himself. You will just make fun of me again and c-call me a b-ba-baby." Inari choked. "But I can't stop!"

"What're ya talkin' about?" Naruto asked, turning away. "You're happy, is all. What's wrong with that? When you're happy, it's okay to cry. Really, it is. I cried at home one night when Sakura-chan and I started hanging out, because I was so happy she accepted me."

"Naruto…" Inari cried.

"Okay. I can leave you in charge of things now, right?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah." Inari promised, drying his tears.

"Good. Then I'm going over to the bridge." He claimed. "It's not easy being a hero." Naruto said as he ran towards the bridge. "It's actually really tough, Dattebayo!"

"Dattebayo!" Inari copied, using Naruto's typical 'fist in air' pose.

[--

The air on the bridge was this with mist and tense with the anticipation of a surprise attack. Sasuke remained standing in front as Sakura, Kakashi and Tazuna let him fight his won battle. Haku was sat on the ground beside Zabuza, who started to chuckle darkly.

"Haku, if we keep going like this, we'll be the victims instead of them." He pronounced to his underling. "Get on with it!"

"Right." The boy said. Haku got up and faced Sasuke again as a vibrant blue chakra began emitting from his body.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked cautiously. Sakura observed his movements, but she just didn't recognise the jutsu Haku was using.

"I'm sorry it's come to this." Haku apologised in a trance-like way.

"I-I'm…so cold. The air…it's the air." Sasuke breathed. Haku raised both hands and put them together in a tiger hand sign, but with his index fingers crossed under his middle fingers.

The water around Sasuke and Haku began to rise and freeze solid in rectangular shapes. This happened again and again until both of them were completely surrounded with what looked to be smooth, clean mirrors, only about as thick as the hilt of a kunai, made of ice. They looked harmless, but everyone present knew not to judge by appearance alone.

"Secret jutsu; crystal ice mirrors!" Haku yelled. The mirrors glowed and Haku dropped his hands.

"What is that? How does it work?" Kakashi asked, stepping forwards slightly to get a better look. Sakura frowned and clenched her teeth.

'I've heard of this jutsu before, but never actually seen it! If what I know is right, then Sasuke is in for a heap of trouble.' Sakura noted to herself.

'So why don't we go in and save him?' Inner asked, pulling out a kunai and getting ready to break down into the emotions. FYI, inner is all the emotions put into one soul to Sakura doesn't get over-loaded with chatter and such between the emotions.

'Because…I don't even think that I can handle the mirrors.' She stated in worry for her team mate as she took a kunai in hand, just in case she absolutely needed to help him.

Haku stepped back and melted into one of the mirrors. It then reflected his body as if he were standing in front of it. Everyone looked in shock as all of the mirrors then stopped glowing and adopted the reflection of Haku inside them.

'The mirrors…' Sasuke began, not knowing what to do. 'But…how?'

Kakashi, seeing this as more of a threat than he had previously assumed, began to run towards the mirrors. He was stopped, however, when Zabuza jumped in front of him, arms spread wide. Kakashi glared at the one who would stop him from saving his student.

"If you enter this fight, then you fight me." Zabuza grunted. "Your boy has no chance against that jutsu. Even Haruno looks a little wary now that it's been called upon. Sorry, but the boy is finished."

Inside the mirror dome, Sasuke looked around at every Haku reflection to watch for movement. He couldn't hear what was going on, but really wished Sakura or even Naruto was in here with him. He was cold, alone and had no idea how this jutsu worked.

"Now," Haku began slowly, "we'll begin. And I shall show you what speed really means." He warned as all of the reflections took senbon in their hands. The needles were thrown one by one at him and he couldn't dodge.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi called from outside the dome. Sasuke's body was being pierced with many needles, all being thrown as such a speed that not even Kakashi could keep up with where they were all coming from. His kunai was knocked from his hand.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called, moving to step forwards. Only when Zabuza looked behind her and she heard Tazuna gasp did she realise that with Sasuke fight, or getting killed by, Haku, Kakashi being stopped by Zabuza and with no Naruto in sight, she was the only thing stopping Tazuna from reaching his end.

Sasuke crouched and covered his head with his hands as he cried out in pain. More and more senbon pierced his flesh, coming and going so fast that not even his won blood could keep up with seeping from the deep, possibly poisoned, cuts.

"If you try to help him, I'll kill the bridge builder and even the Haruno girl in a heart beat. All I really need is her eyes anyway." Zabuza warned.

"I'm sorry, Tazuna-san, but I can't stay here and just watch Sasuke get killed." Sakura said to her client.

"I understand." He replied. "You go now."

Sakura stepped forwards, took the kunai Sasuke had been forced to release and threw it at the ice mirrors. Everyone, even Sasuke, watched the kunai move with exact speed and precise aim. It was, however, stopped short of its target as Haku reached out of his mirror and took a hold of it. The barrage on Sasuke stopped, but Sakura didn't.

She ran forwards and in the direction of the ice mirrors, not a single sign of hesitation in her movements. Haku's head snapped up and he looked at the girl, who stopped and smirked at him. He tilted his head, wondering as to why she stopped and smirked.

"I make a great distraction, no?" She asked with a widening smirk as something blasted passed Haku and hit him on the side of the head. Again the thing sped passed and caused Haku's head to snap to the other side from the force. It happened again and his whole body was pulled from inside the mirror he had situated himself in. he dropped the kunai and fell, face first, to the ground. As Haku got up, an explosion made everyone turn their attention to the one who had just caused the ice-jutsu user to fall.

'What a fool. He is such a show off.' Sasuke thought o himself as blood trickled from all of his wounds. He caught Sakura's eye and a brief smile flitted across her face, but it was gone so fast that Sasuke almost believed it to have been his imagination.

"Number one, hyperactive, knuckle-head ninja." Haku recognised as he raised form the ground with a slash across his mask. The smoke cleared to reveal said ninja, striking a pose and grinning slightly as everyone expected him to be.

"Uzumaki Naruto…is here!" Naruto grinned. "Yeah! Dattebayo!"