"Zabuza-sama! Watch your back!" Haku hollered, as he ducked behind a piece of rubble scattered across the field.
Prey became predator and predator became prey as Zabuza swung Kubikiribocho, cleaving off the head of one of their Kirigakure pursuers. As the head rolled onto the floor, Zabuza's blade absorbed the blood, lengthening. "Nice save, Haku."
Rapidly weaving hand seals, Zabuza conjured a large dragon out of the moisture in the area. The dragon drifted across the battlefield, charging head first into Zabuza's enemies.
"Ah!" One of the hunters cried out in pain as a large gash was inflicted upon their chests.
"Don't be too reckless. That was Orca's undoing. Just remember, don't get close to him!" The leader of the hunter platoon fired off orders to his subordinates as he returned another jutsu. A wave of water about to collide with Zabuza, another random member reappeared behind the rogue with his tanto drawn.
It was at that moment when Haku struck.
A senbon needle was buried into the hunter's neck as Zabuza beheaded the hunter in one clean swing.
"Nice save, Haku." Zabuza grunted, quickly whipping out another Suiton ninjutsu.
Haku gratefully nodded, his excitement at his master's compliment displayed all over his face. Peering at the fifteen remaining hunter-nin, the youth launched several ice spears hurtling at another one of the shinobi.
The targeted hunter tried to dodge, but a quick attack from Zabuza forced him back into the trajectory of Haku's attack. He instantly dropped to the floor, his weapon clanging as it hit the ground. Haku rushed over, taking cover behind another piece of rubble. Disguising himself as the man, Haku snatched the mask from his enemy's head.
Meanwhile, Zabuza summoned another layer of mist to blanket himself. The master of the Silent Killing sped around the area, trying to find and exploit weaknesses in the platoon's formation. Much to his dismay, and according to his expectations, there were none. He, after all, had once been a member of that group.
'That damn Yagura… If only he hadn't taken over…' Zabuza mused in his mind, recalling the events of the day before. The Demon Brothers had been brutally beaten into the ground as Zabuza had tried to stage a coup d'etat, Yagura killing them without breaking a sweat. And he was there, thinking that they were prepared enough to assist him in his operation.
Zabuza shuddered as he focused his attention back on the battle in front of him.
Haku crept behind enemy lines, sealing the corpse in a scroll. His needles dug into the pressure points of one hunter, incapacitating him. The unconscious body fell, and the other hunters noticed.
"There. We can take out the weak one first." The leader directed again, pointing his tanto dagger at Haku.
Haku was caught trying to infiltrate enemy lines, and everyone's eyes shifted to him. The apprentice made a mad dash away from them, as some hunters gave chase.
The shinobi at the back of the formation produced walls made of solid water to fend off Zabuza, trying to cut off his connection with Haku.
Zabuza cursed as he tried to pursue Haku from another angle. He was repelled by another artificially created tidal wave.
Drenched, Zabuza expelled a wave of bloodlust, but the hunters were unfazed. The hunters had endured much, much worse situations from which they had to claw their way out of. Take Kisame Hoshigaki, for example!
Zabuza growled in frustration, charging at the hunters. They, however, did not break formation, learning from the mistakes of their fallen comrades. The broken shields being reformed by others, the water shields kept firm.
Haku tossed volleys of senbon at the chasing party, trying to hit their pressure points. Seeing as none of his shots seemed to hit, Haku cursed. Haku blamed it on the fact that he was moving, but still! He had been drilled by Zabuza when they were preparing for the coup! He should be better than this!
Checking his pocket, the youth felt his supply of needles depleting. 'My chakra supply is getting smaller as well…'
Zabuza shaped another dragon out of water chakra once again, the dragon trying to devour all of its enemies. One of the platoon members created a mud wall, soaking up all of the water.
"We can't beat them in this state, Haku! Let's retreat!" Zabuza hollered, his cries reaching his apprentice. Zabuza's booming voice deafened that of all of the hunters, projecting it with the help of chakra.
Haku nodded, agreeing with his master's assessment. "We'll regroup nearby!"
Both of them sharing the same thought, each of them created four other clones, heading in separate directions.
"We can't split up!" The leader barked. "Split up into groups of three, and pursue the clones that are heading towards each other."
Zabuza and Haku flashed each other a glance, before darting off in opposite directions. Zig-zagging to evade the hunters, both of them sprinted as far as they could.
As soon as they were sure that they had escaped their hunters, Haku and Zabuza spun around, running back to regroup. The duo climbed atop a tree, formulating a plan on where to go next.
"There's a merchant road a few kilometres away from this location." Haku whispered, pointing south. "We can disguise ourselves and escape from there."
The two set off, racing off towards the road in question.
A few minutes and a small chakra illusion later, Zabuza and Haku were merchants from the Land of Hot Water heading towards the inland, far, far, away from the Land of Water and the village of Kirigakure.
Haku jolted awake, scanning his surroundings. Zabuza had taught him to be alert at all times in order to avoid capture. Much to his surprise, Zabuza was sprawled on the floor right next to him.
'We must have fallen asleep somewhere on the road to nowhere.' Haku thought. 'Zabuza-sama must have exhausted most of his chakra for him to be sleeping like this.'
Haku glanced at himself, pondering about how long he had been knocked out. Why was there a shadow cast on his torso? Was there someone there?
Once Haku turned his head to look at what was above him, a pair of round, white eyes met his dark-brown eyes. Immediately, despite the fact that he was still fatigued from the tiresome battle the day before, Haku assumed a battle stance in front of Zabuza. "Kisame Hoshigaki. To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting one of Zabuza's former colleagues?"
Giving no verbal response, the shark-like man simply chuckled.
It was only then when Haku noticed the two men flanking Kisame. One of them donned a headband signifying his severed ties to Konohagakure, and the other one, seemingly a hunchback, had his hands hidden inside his cloak. Drawing from the depths of his memory, Haku instantly recognised them from the many hours that Zabuza had him poring over the Bingo Books. "Itachi Uchiha and Sasori of the Red Sand. And what are you doing with one of the most infamous rogue shinobi from Kirigakure?"
Met with silence, Haku's muscles instinctively tensed up. As Zabuza's weapon, he would protect his master at all costs, even if it resulted in his death. From their classification in the Bingo Books, Haku knew that these men were way out of his league. Just one finger movement from any one of them could leave his body in pieces, leaving him lifeless. But he had sworn an oath, and he would keep it. Determinedly, Haku added on to his words, having unwavering confidence in what he had said. "I won't let you lay a finger on Zabuza-sama, even if I have to give up my life to protect him."
Just on time, Zabuza's eyes snapped open. Before he had the chance to question Haku on what had happened, Zabuza instantly firmed up. As soon as he noticed Kisame Hoshigaki, Zabuza's eyes narrowed and his body instinctively entered a battle stance.
"Akatsuki." Zabuza remarked, as his sword materialised from one of the storage seals marked on his arm.
Itachi looked on at Zabuza in contempt, as if he was one of the Five Kages. Just his sheer presence radiated power and authority. Zabuza and Haku shuddered as their eyes met Itachi's. "We come in peace."
"Yep!" Kisame smirked, sending chills down their spines. "If we wanted to kill you, your corpse would be on the floor right now."
Despite how afraid they were, Zabuza and Haku didn't let down their guard, still prepared for a confrontation. They were severely outclassed, and they knew it, but they would not go down without a fight.
"Then what do you want?" Zabuza sternly questioned Kisame. His fingers tightened around the hilt of the Executioner's Blade and sweat rolled down his palm as he prepared himself for a confrontation.
Haku's eyes drifted to the curious cloaks adorned with crimson clouds as well as the strange jade rings that the three were wearing. Each of the rings was on a different finger for each of the Akatsuki members. Could each of the rings have a meaning to them? What were they used for, and did they hold any significance to the Akatsuki? Haku redirected his attention to the men in front of him, listening to the tense conversation held by the four rogues.
"On behalf of our leader, we would like to extend an invitation to our organisation, the Akatsuki." Sasori droned, his bland reply expressing his disinterest in the two. "I would just put an end to your misery, but our leader apparently sees something in you."
"I will not allow you to harm Zabuza-sama-" Haku was instantly silenced by Zabuza, not wanting to attract the ire of the puppeteer. Zabuza, from his many years of experience, knew the risks of angering a stronger opponent.
The bulky puppeteer grabbed a scroll from seemingly nowhere, one of his large hands hovering over the singular character on the scroll.
Swiping the scroll from Sasori, Itachi narrowed his eyes at the bulky puppet master who was trying to murder Zabuza. "Should you join, you will be given protection from Kirigakure and any shinobi who wants your head."
The former Konoha shinobi knew not to mention the deranged bounty hunter that had been recruited. He knew that that man had killed so many of his own partners, and the one that he had been assigned to just days ago would not last for much longer. At the end of the day, they were here to recruit someone new, not discourage them from accepting the invitation.
Itachi's words somewhat comforted him, but Zabuza was still doubtful, unfooled by illusions of grandeur. Sasori had been ready to kill him; what could stop any of the other Akatsuki members from trying, and possibly succeeding in doing the same?
Haku's mouth began to open in protest, but Zabuza's bandaged hand covered it.
"Haku!" Zabuza hissed, not wanting to provoke the Akatsuki members. "Don't be so rash. Do you think we have a choice in the matter? What can we even do if we say no? Do we even have the chance to get away?"
Haku took in Zabuza's words in an instant, processing them internally. Understanding the logic behind Zabuza's assessment, the user of the coveted Hyoton bloodline nodded in understanding, quieting himself down and allowing his master to make their final decision.
Zabuza did not have to consider the offer for long. After all, there was only one feasible choice on the table. "I accept."
"Good to have you on board. We leave now." Kisame gestured for his fellow Akatsuki members to follow him, breaking into a sprint. As the designated leader of this mission, it was his responsibility to lead the newbies to Pein's base of operations.
Itachi and Sasori turned their backs on Zabuza and Haku, unworried, as they were fully aware of the fact that the A-Ranked rogue from Kirigakure had no chance of either escaping or ambushing them. They began to run after Kisame, but a shout from Zabuza cut through the clearing, halting them in their tracks.
"Wait! I have one simple request." Zabuza knew that he was powerless in this situation, and that the Akatsuki could deny his request at any time that they wanted to. However, he still had to try his best to stop the mercenary organisation from getting their greedy hands on his pupil's Kekkei Genkai. "Please, please! Allow me to continue mentoring Haku."
Haku's eyes widened and his mouth opened at the fact that Zabuza was pleading to the Akatsuki just for him! His mentor would go to such lengths just to protect him? He was just a tool! His entire purpose in life was to be used for the sake of furthering Zabuza's plans of reclaiming Kirigakure and freeing it from the clutches of the ruthless and cutthroat Yagura!
"Hmm…" Kisame briefly thought about Zabuza's request. Should he make a decision? No, it would be better if their leader was the one to have the final say. He knew, loud and clear, that their leader would have his head if he did something stupid. "I will take it up with our leader. He will be the one to make the final say."
Zabuza let out the breath that he had been holding. Spotting the Akatsuki trio far ahead of them, Zabuza and Haku hurriedly sprinted towards the three men in front of them, trying to catch up with the Akatsuki members. As much as he hated to admit it, that short nap had been extremely crucial in replenishing their energy.
Despite the fact that they were attacked by some relatively weak B-rank bounty hunters on the way, who were swiftly dispatched by Sasori, Zabuza and Haku had successfully arrived at their destination.
Itachi and Sasori had left the former Kirigakure shinobi as soon as they had arrived in Amegakure, heading off at the request of the Akatsuki leader's personal messenger.
The three remaining hiked towards the command centre in the village, preparing themselves to meet Akatsuki's leader.
Both master and apprentice were taken aback by the fact that Pein, the shady leader of the Akatsuki, had an entire shinobi village at his disposal. Just how much influence did he have?
The village, blanketed in rain for what seemed like all of eternity, was rumoured to be the home base of Akatsuki. It appeared as if the rumours were confirmed, as Zabuza and Haku followed Kisame up the ebony black spire nestled between the grayscale architecture.
According to some of Zabuza's sources and contacts across the five major nations, the legendary Hanzo of the Salamander had been overthrown by a mysterious man known only as "Pein" in a coup. The details, however, were extremely vague and there was little to no information that anyone knew of the current state of Amegakure. All spies and intruders had been captured immediately, as if there was some sort of chakra sensing barrier surrounding the village, which, from Zabuza's experience, meant that most of them had either been killed or were tortured for information. He supposed that he would have to see it with his own two eyes, to assess the situation and find out more about the shadowy figure at the helm of Ame.
Peering out of the opening on the spiral tower, Zabuza spotted a shinobi donning the Amegakure hitai-ate on his head, the four stripes made famous by Hanzo barely reflecting anything from the gloomy weather. The shinobi appeared to be placing a black duffel bag of some sort at the base of the tower, as a woman cloaked in Akatsuki robes materialised out of paper. She returned a curt nod, as the bag, which Zabuza identified as containing a corpse, was lifted into the air by paper wings.
'Why would they give the corpses of dead shinobi to the leader of the village? Does he want the bodies for something?' Zabuza wondered, as he walked up the many flights of stairs.
The seemingly endless climb to the top was silent, with only the echoes of low but steady breaths resonating throughout the staircase. The eerie silence did not perturb Zabuza, although Haku looked quite unnerved. After all, silence was vital for his line of work - a hired assassin.
Haku's voice pierced through the silence, his curiosity shining through the somewhat forced silence. At the end of the day, he was still only 15. He lacked information and experience, things that he hoped that the Akatsuki could give him. "So, Kisame-san."
"Yes?" Kisame retorted.
"How long will it take for us to arrive at the top?" Haku asked.
"We're not going all the way to the top." Kisame answered, turning his head to look at the youngster that Zabuza had taken under his wing. Seeing Zabuza's pupil's puzzled look, Kisame added on to his reply to provide more context. "The room at the very top is strictly off limits to everyone but Konan and Pein-sama. We are not permitted to know the reason behind this, but we're meeting Pein-sama in the room up ahead."
Sure enough, there was finally something other than endless flights of steps. From the corner of his eye, Zabuza saw it - the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Pein-sama, we have returned with the new recruits, as you have ordered." Kisame put his hand to his heart, kneeling before the orange-haired man. Zabuza and Haku glanced around, before copying the gesture.
The man known as Pein stood in front of another stairway, with the blue haired paper woman known as Konan and a strange man with his face obscured by an orange mask right next to him.
"Well done, Kisame." Pein boomed, his authority made crystal clear by just one sentence.
Zabuza shuddered. He felt shivers spreading across his body and through his spine. His sweat glands spewed out sweat. From the climate of the room, the Demon of the Mist was instantly able to deduce the fact that he was extremely outclassed. This man could slaughter him with just a glance.
Pein's overwhelmingly strong and frightening aura suffocated Zabuza, his purple, ringed eyes piercing into his soul. 'The eyes… The power must be coming from those eyes.'
As he turned his head to gaze at his new recruits, Pein's almighty eyes told him all there was to know about Zabuza and Haku. "So. You are Zabuza Momochi, a former Kirigakure shinobi in possession of one of the Seven Swords of the Mist, the Executioner's Blade, Kubikiribocho. You attempted to stage a coup d'etat together with the Demon Brothers, but ultimately failed and was forced to escape from Kirigakure two days ago. Your goal is to create a society where shinobi are in control, and to topple the regime of the Third Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi. Recruitment suggested by Zetsu and Tobi."
Zabuza was initially taken aback at the sheer volume of information Pein had about him, suspecting that Pein had even more, but realised that if he was recruited, the Akatsuki must have had information on him.
"An honourable goal, but one that you do not have the power to achieve yet." Pein remarked. "Power that we, the Akatsuki, can eventually provide."
"Thank you, Pein-sama." Zabuza responded to Pein's remark, bowing once again in gratitude. "Will Haku and I be assigned a mission or a uniform?"
"We will provide the two of you additional training from Kisame and some of our other members before you are given a mission. Also, you will not be working alone. Konan! Get the ring." Pein ordered, his blue-haired subordinate bringing two of the highly identifiable Akatsuki cloaks to Zabuza and Haku.
Konan handed the two their new uniforms, giving Zabuza the ring with the symbol for "sky". Zabuza and Haku respectfully bowed as they took the cloaks with two hands.
"Tobi! You will be their new partner when they are prepared to embark on their missions. Now, go and brief them on what they will be doing for the next few months." Pein added, sending the orange-masked man to Zabuza and Haku. "Kisame has informed me of your request. My decision is final, and it is that you two will be trained by Kisame in order to sharpen your skills."
Zabuza knew not to protest.
"Yes yes sir, Pein-sama!" The enthusiastic man known as Tobi chirped, saluting his leader. Pein shook his head in disappointment as Tobi warped away, disappearing from Zabuza and Haku's line of sight.
A moment later, Tobi rematerialised outside the tiny window, struggling to stay afloat as he waved his arms around. Tobi warped out of sight again, now appearing atop the roofs of one of the buildings. "What are you waiting for, Zabuza, Haku? Come on! Let's go~!"
Zabuza grunted and leapt out, gracefully landing in a squat position. Haku, slightly anxious, hesitated before he followed behind them. The newly minted Akatsuki members jumped from rooftop to rooftop, passing through Amegakure's cityscape.
Below them, the citizens of Amegakure looked up in curiosity. Zabuza, Haku, and Tobi were surrounded by eyes as they made their way to their destination, which was a clearing on the outskirts of Amegakure. The only audible sounds in the city were the sounds of leaking pipes and dripping rain, as well as their own footsteps. The Amegakure populace was used to this, or so it seemed.
Their surroundings rapidly shifted like a mirage, the speed they were going at causing their vision to blur. They were shinobi, after all, capable of covering massive distances at breakneck speeds.
Already there much earlier than them, Kisame stood at their destination, leaning against one of the trees. "You're finally here, aren't you?"
Itachi, bored, looked down from atop the trees,. Itachi found it quite amusing that Zabuza, the one that they had actually been sent to recruit, was way below the power level of even Kakuzu's partner. He was by far the weakest member of their organisation, and Itachi knew that the Kirigakure rogue needed the most training, along with his apprentice. If it was up to him, Zabuza would not have been approached at all, but alas! He was not in charge, which meant that the only thing he was permitted to do was observe. After all, Pein - no, it was Tobi who was actually in charge - must have had his own reasons for this recruitment. Itachi trusted their judgement.
One of the last of the Uchiha Clan looked on as Zabuza, Haku, and Tobi exchanged words, Tobi answering the questions thrown at him. On the surface, Tobi looked like a clown, or even a petulant child, but the orange mask hid many deep, dark secrets, ones that even the seemingly all-knowing Pein did not know.
"So. What are these rings even for, and why doesn't Haku have one?" Zabuza asked, sceptical of the true purpose of the rings. "Also, why don't you have a ring of your own?"
"Oh, little old me?" Tobi squeaked. "I'm just here to help supervise you newbies! There aren't enough rings, so Pein-sama won't give me one…" Tobi pouted.
"So, why don't I get one of these rings?" Haku questioned again, repeating one of Zabuza's questions earlier.
"You? You're too young to be entrusted with the responsibility of bearing a ring. These rings are used for something REALLY, REALLY important, something that we'll tell you once you earn our trust!" Tobi replied in a delightful tone.
The senses of both of the new recruits perked up when Tobi mentioned the importance of the ring. That tiny jade ring, with just a single kanji character emblazoned on them? What was of such major importance that those small rings were used for? Still, seeing as every Akatsuki member apart from Tobi had one, both of them knew that Tobi's claim was true.
Tobi looked on as Zabuza slotted the ring on his left ring finger. "No, no! It doesn't go there! It doesn't go there!"
Watching as Tobi began to throw a tantrum, Zabuza looked towards Kisame. Samehada's wielder pointed at his left little finger, and Zabuza swapped the ring to the correct finger.
Satisfied with the position of Zabuza's ring, Tobi's eye lit up again, inviting Kisame to join in. "So! Shall we begin?"
Kisame formed a water clone to help train Zabuza, as he went to help Haku improve his skills. The torturous drilling began.
His hands on his knees, Haku caught his breath, panting hardly. Kisame counted down from three, Haku preparing himself for another round of sparring. He couldn't be caught off guard again.
Kisame raised his blade as he dashed towards the youngster, slashing at Haku. An ice shield was formed to block the attack, but it shattered, sending Haku skidding backwards. The member of the Yuki clan conjured ice needles out of the moisture in the air, flicking his finger as they flew towards the Akatsuki member.
Kisame moved Samehada to shield his face. The needles snapped as the chakra infused in them was soaked into the sword. Haku tapping the ground with his finger, ice spread across the ground. The frost slowly crawled up on Kisame's leg, inching closer and closer to his upper body, but a swift application of chakra in all directions splintered it.
Several water sharks rocketing towards him from every direction, Haku summoned an ice dome to protect himself. While Kisame disappeared, leaving a line of dug-up dirt with a shark fin protruding from underneath behind, the sharks exploded into dangerous water missiles as it made contact, destroying the dome in an instant. Kisame burst from underneath the ground and grabbed Haku's legs, placing Samehada at the boy's throat.
Haku raised both of his arms in surrender, and as soon as Kisame let go, Haku struck. With one touch, Kisame's body temperature plummeted, ice beginning to form near Kisame's neck. Haku grabbed a senbon and began poking at Kisame's pressure points. The shark-man was unscathed.
"Nice try, kid." Kisame barked. "But not good enough."
The needles could not penetrate Kisame's rough skin, even if Haku put all of his power into it. His needles dropping down to the ground, Haku weaved hand seals in an attempt to launch a point-blank attack, but to no avail.
Kisame once again spun around, restraining Haku with one hand and stopping the boy from weaving hand seals. A sphere of water rotated around his hand, Haku trapped inside. The user of the Hyoton struggled, trying to get rid of his prison, but Kisame gave him no leeway. "That's enough for today."
Haku spat water out of his mouth as Kisame loosened his grip. The seasoned veteran dispelled the water surrounding Haku, as he gave Haku instructions for a new training routine. "No more combat practice for today. We'll be doing some physical training for the rest of the day."
Kisame handed Haku some weights, before instructing the boy to do a physical training routine. "Wear the weights at all times. We'll up the weight once you feel like they aren't there. It will eventually help you build up your speed and power."
Haku glanced at his new mentor, before fastening the white wrappings onto his legs. Immediately, his legs felt much more fatigued, and his body swayed forward. Haku nearly collapsed, but he caught himself before he fell. No. He would not show any weakness, especially to his new teacher.
Kisame watched as Haku stopped himself from succumbing to his fatigue, as he forced Haku to undergo a gruelling physical routine. The youth dropped to the ground, completed a few pushups, and began running laps, as Kisame snapped at him and forced him to speed up more and more.
Haku huffed and puffed as he dashed around the area, as Kisame shook his head. Back when he was still a rookie, Kisame's training was much more intense. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted Haku to be at least an A-Rank by the time this training period was over.
Like a diamond, Haku was unrefined. His potential was endlessly deep, like a well, but it was untapped. 'Zabuza did not teach him well,' Kisame thought. 'But to be fair, he was the weakest of us…'
A short distance away from where Haku and Kisame were sparring, Zabuza sparred with Kisame's water clone, still failing to land a blow.
"I'm not going to go easy on you like my actual body is doing to Haku." Kisame taunted, his blade at Zabuza's chest once again.
"Again." Zabuza growled, as he shrouded himself in mist. The chakra surrounding Zabuza propelled him forward, as he tried to drive his blade into Kisame's chest.
Kisame stopped the blade with one hand, using it to swing Zabuza around and send him crashing into the forest. The Demon of the Mist crushed the trees that he was sent flying into, coughing blood onto the floor.
The man dubbed as the "Tailless Tailed Beast" blitzed Zabuza and held his blade at Zabuza's chest, bringing the battle to a halt. "Drink."
Zabuza took the water bottle that his more experienced master handed him, pouring the liquid into his open mouth. Cooling himself down, he let out a big breath. Seeing the shark man readying himself for another spar, Zabuza tossed the bottle to the side, entering another battle stance.
As soon as he saw Zabuza preparing his signature mist, Kisame used his blade to gradually pump his chakra into the air, mist enveloping the clearing. "Two can play at that game."
Zabuza moulded some of the water in the air with his chakra into two doppelgangers, rushing Kisame from three sides. Unfortunately for him, a spinning strike from Samehada sent him skidding backwards, instantly forcing Zabuza's clones to melt back into water. Barely executing a block with the Executioner's Blade, the new recruit caught his breath for a brief moment, hoping that Kisame would let up.
He did not.
Kisame grinned, as he sent his arm flying at Zabuza. It instantly regenerated, the water forming a replacement.
Cursing as the arm split into a few small sharks, one of Kisame's signature ninjutsu, Zabuza activated an inventive variation on one of the jutsu that he had mastered, shielding himself with a massive water dome.
Knowing that there would be a brief but exploitable window of time, Kisame made his way to Zabuza in a flash. With one swing of his blade, Kisame removed Zabuza's protective shield, his sword sucking in all the water chakra.
"Surrender." Kisame declared, as he placed his blade at Zabuza's chest before the man could react. As soon as he saw a nod, a smile graced his face. "Good. I'll tell you this. By the end of these four months, you will be more than ten times stronger than you are right now. I guarantee it."
The sun rose over the mountain, as Haku wiped the sweat off of his forehead. It was time.
Tobi warped into their training area, handing Zabuza and Haku a manila folder. "It's our first mission! It's our first mission! Pein-sama gave this to me himself!"
Zabuza grinned, ripping open the file. Papers fell out, detailing the mission that the trio were about to take on.
In the centre of the page was a man with his face crossed out. Grey hair, a grey beard, black eyes, and small glasses with rectangular frames. 179 centimetres tall, 79 kilograms, age 59. Occupation: carpenter.
Their target was decided. Tazuna, the Bridge Builder.