Chapter 5

Attack, Team Seven! The Shinobi Hidden in the Mist!

霧

Wind whistled through the wide, delicate green leaves as Team Seven escorted their client towards his homeland. The winter sun beat at their backs, distant and merciless, a cold brand of white flame in the brilliant blue sky. Fire Country never really experienced winter; temperatures rarely dropped below seventy degrees in the sweltering climate, and it only ever snowed deep in the mountains to the north. As it was, mid-November felt more like mid-July, especially in the humid forests that bordered Konoha and extended to the national borders.

The path to Wave Country, a small island nation with no ninja village of its own (except for the now-destroyed Uzushiogakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Whirlpool), was a well-worn track. Wave Country's economy survived through extensive trade with the mainland nations. They were particularly known for their textiles and excellent workmen. From Tazuna's story, he was spearheading the construction of a bridge across the ocean, to connect Wave Country to the outside world without the use of boats, as was usual custom.

As this was a merchant path, it was expected for bandits to camp in the brush, waiting for caravans to rob. However, Sasuke's senses told him a different story. Alarm bells rang in his head, warning of an impending danger, possibly life-threatening.

And so, though he appeared to meditate, Sasuke extended his chakra-sense to encompass a radius of ten or so feet—the most he could achieve without use of the Byakugan, Sharingan, or vampiric chakra (the first two of which he didn't possess, and the third he feared Kakashi would detect) to anticipate enemy movements.

It still didn't save them when they attacked.

Suddenly, in a particularly quiet part of the forest, twin spiked chains whistled from the undergrowth, wrapping around Kakashi and pinning his arms to his sides with sprays of blood. Sakura let out a short, quiet scream of alarm, Naruto gasped, and Sasuke was thrown from his meditative state when the blunt end of one of the weapons struck the left side of his face, breaking his cheekbone in the process. Still in shock, the now-bleeding boy fell to the side.

N…no way…they hid their chakra perfectly…

Then, as the one closest to Kakashi, Sasuke was the victim of yet another cruel twist of fate; the chains tightened, ripping their sensei in half and coating the Uchiha in a layer of blood.

Sasuke inhaled sharply, struggling with the sensory overload of the sheer amount of gore. Kakashi's bloodscent was as pungent and musky as he'd remembered from the Genin test; the last time he'd been injured. His chest tightened, and Sasuke could feel his control beginning to break, his human instincts fighting those of his vampiric self.

Two shinobi leapt from the bushes, charging forward, clawed gauntlets gleaming with poison and ready to slice Naruto, frozen in shock, in half.

Something within Sasuke snapped. He let go of his control, and, fueled by the power of instinct, moved.

A black blur shot forward, pushing off of the ground, blood spilling from a long gash along the left side of his face, the glimmer of a kunai barely visible in the distortion created by speed. A white line seemed to hang in the air, as well as the ring of metal on metal, as Sasuke braced his legs, skidding to a stop with his head down and kunai in the follow-through of a swing. The first ninja's gauntlet suffered the most damage, losing the points of its claws, while the second lost a prong entirely. Sasuke looked back over his shoulder, marveling at the clarity of his vision. Using it to his advantage, he spotted an opening and took it, leaping between the attackers to split-kick them into conveniently-placed trees on either side of the clearing.

Sakura, who had placed herself between Tazuna and the shinobi at the start of the battle, turned back with an obviously-faked reassuring smile.

"You'll be OK, Tazuna-san. Sasuke's got this."

Tazuna took a moment to wonder at the ninja team's calmness despite the situation.

They…they just watched their sensei die in front of them…and yet they have the strength to fight, to go on, even to reassure me that I'LL be alright? This…this must be the power of Konoha shinobi.

Naruto's grunt of pain had them all looking up; the blonde had parried both shinobi's claws, but one had managed to get inside his guard and stab him through the back of the hand. For Sasuke, this was nearly the straw that broke the camel's back; his vampiric side, Zian, was going mad with bloodlust within his head, and only years of practice and the iron will of the Uchiha kept the demon from taking complete control of his body.

As it was, the cinnamon-and-spice-laced smell of Naruto's blood on top of the almost-rainwater-and-cool-pine of Kakashi's set Sasuke's instincts aflame. With a growl, he turned to see Sakura, bracing herself as the twins bore down on her, kunai in hand, protecting Tazuna with her body.

Now that pissed Sasuke off.

With an almost animalistic roar, the Uchiha launched himself in front of her, slightly-elongated fangs beginning to protrude from his mouth in his fury. Bringing up his own weapon, Sasuke flew between the attacking ninja and his teammate, just in time to block the blow and throw them off balance. Using the instant to his advantage, Sasuke pinned the spiked chains that the two had used to bind and kill Kakashi to a tree, securing the shuriken with a thrown kunai through the central hole.

The chains snapped taut as the ninja hit the end of their slack, and Sasuke put his hands on their shoulders, whipping his legs out and back in a double kick. The shinobi shot forward into yet another tree as the chain broke under the force, sliding down with their back to the thick trunk as Sasuke landed in a kneel, standing up slowly.

霧

What scared the shinobi wasn't his fighting ability, or his speed; it was the red gleaming in his eyes, the way the pupils seemed to narrow and elongate until they resembled those of a dragon.

The fangs and the odd rumbling in his chest weren't helping the image either.

Sasuke started to walk towards them, bangs hiding his eyes. They could feel the pressure around him, like a vacuum of energy, sucking naturally-occurring chakra into his system to help maintain his half-gone control over his inner demon.

The shinobi shivered, frightened by the aura of deep-set pain and sadness and rage surrounding the young Uchiha.

Then, it stopped.

霧

Sasuke's vision was covered in a thick haze of red mist. He could make out figures, shapes, shadows, but no features or details. Suddenly, a hissing voice filled his ears.

"Give yourself to me…Sasuke…"

He knew the voice…but why was Zian acting so strangely? They'd gotten to know each other over the past two months (Sasuke allowing Zian access to his senses and, by extension, the outside world, while the demon gave him advice and someone to talk to), after Zian had agreed to leave him alone. So why was he trying to take over again?

Sasuke's chakra flickered, a candle against the bonfire of Zian's might. It was already taking all of his strength to keep the demon at bay. If he attempted to subdue him now…he would run out of chakra and either die or become the human avatar of Zian.

A wolf in sheep's clothing.

Suddenly, a cool wave of blue cut through the sea of crimson, flowing in from the hand resting lightly on his shoulder.

Sasuke was pulled away from the haze, away from Zian, and back into reality.

霧

The comfortingly familiar white smoke cleared in a few seconds, revealing Kakashi with his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, squeezing lightly. The Jounin snatched the broken chains, and, with a few deft movements of his hands, bound the defeated shinobi to the tree. He examined them for a moment before turning to Tazuna, letting go of Sasuke in the process.

The young Genin fell to his knees, breathing harshly. Sakura ran over to him, a worried expression on her face, while Naruto scowled. Kakashi closed his eyes.

"Tazuna-san…we need to talk."

霧

Stupid teme. Why does he get all the glory? And more importantly…what happened to me?

Naruto glowered at Sasuke, cerulean eyes narrowed in dislike.

Why did I freeze up? Why didn't the teme?

Grabbing one of his kunai, Naruto positioned the point before the cut on his hand, preparing to bleed out the poison.

"From now on…I will always keep my promises and protect my nakama with my life. This is my nindo, my ninja way."

With the whispered vow, Naruto stabbed himself, reopening the now-scabbed-over cut and spraying purple-red blood everywhere. Kakashi looked up in alarm, eyes widening as he beheld his student's self-harming actions. The silver-haired man relaxed, seeing the method behind the blonde's madness, and smiled gently.

"You know, Naruto, if you leave that kunai in your hand you'll bleed to death."

"EEEEEH~?!"

霧

"Sasuke…?"

Sasuke didn't respond, still attempting to catch his breath. His chest rose and fell with feverish speed, and the edges of his vision started to warp and twist and fade to darkness. His struggle with Zian had almost completely exhausted his chakra supply, and without the demon's help he would take a lot longer to recover. As it was, he couldn't breathe. He could feel his muscle starting to spasm in the absence of cooling energy, twitching and tensing until he was shivering uncontrollably. Blood trickled slowly from his cheek, which seemed to pulse with slow, pounding waves of agony. He could tell the bone was shattered; when he tried to move his mouth, he could feel the slivers of hardened marrow burrowing into his facial muscles.

"Just calm down, Sasuke, please…you'll be alright…"

Sakura sounds worried…why is she worried? I'm fine…

"You don't sound fine, Sasuke. Don't lie."

I said that out loud. I must be more fatigued than I thought.

Suddenly, he felt warmth along the right side of his body, and could hear the steady beats of a heart and whooshes of blood. Lean arms circled his shoulders, holding him in place.

Sakura was…hugging him?

A wave of confusion washed Sasuke away, until all he could feel was her warmth, all he could smell was her scent, and all he could hear was her heartbeat.

Over the years, he'd taught his senses to behave like those of a normal human's, using a tiny amount of chakra to power a set of runes designed to limit his sight, hearing, and sense of smell. In the absence of the chakra, drained as he was, the runes lost their power and his senses ran wild.

In short, his brain was overloaded with sensory information, which, on top of severe chakra exhaustion as well as both mental and emotional turmoil, gave him a splitting headache.

It didn't help that he was a vampire, and she was holding him directly over her heart. Sasuke bit his tongue to keep his fangs from sliding out—even though he'd eaten barely a day prior, that much blood that close to his face was…tempting. But Sasuke's mind won out, managing to convince his instincts that no, you do not eat friends. Or teammates. Or pretty girls who just happen to be hugging you because they don't realize your exhaustion is from holding back a demon that will not hesitate to kill them instead of rescuing them like the ever-fabled Prince Charming or knight in shining armor.

Sasuke winced as his fangs pierced the tip of his tongue, sending a warm trickle of tangy iron down his throat. His own blood always tasted odd to him, like a mixture of olive oil and ripe tomatoes, with a hint of butter,lemon, and metal. Nothing like the donated blood the Hokage smuggled him from the hospital, or the animal blood from the butcher's shop down the street. Still, he imagined the blood of someone he knew, someone who knew about him, would taste all the sweeter…

Unconsciously, Sasuke buried his head deeper in Sakura's chest, the right side of her face flat against her rib cage. He was almost completely relaxed, limp in the girl's arms. Soon, his breathing adjusted, calming until it fell into step with hers. Half-closed, glazed-over eyes fluttered shut, and Sasuke succumbed to his exhaustion.

霧

Kakashi frowned at Tazuna disapprovingly, watching Sasuke pass out from the corner of his eye as he bandaged Naruto's hand. The man was ice white and shaking, staring at the blood on the ground.

"I…I was hoping they'd send some better ninja…more advanced…"

"That does not excuse the fact that you lied about the mission's rank. You said there were bandits after you. These two are the Demon Brothers of the Mist, A-ranked missing ninja. This mission should have been at least a B-rank, if not higher. Why did you underrank the mission?"

"This was all my village could afford. We are poor, especially since a man named Gatou took over. He wants to control the village and its trade, and is against the building of our bridge. To hinder our progress, he's taking all of our jobs, all of our money, everything. As the lead architect of the project, I am his main target—"

"I will report you to Konoha. Either find the funds to finance a higher-rank mission or drop the idea altogether. Team Seven isn't qualified to handle this type of job."

"Fine. Drop the mission. You won't get paid, and I'll get killed. Then the island's economy will collapse, my daughter will be devastated, and my grandson will grow up hating Konoha because of your choice."

"Kakashi-sensei…we gave our word that we would see this mission through. Breaking that agreement now would be breaking my nindo. If you decide to drop the mission, I'll stay with Tazuna-jiji and protect him myself, 'ttebayo!"

"Naruto…"

"I'M NOT GIVING UP, 'TTEBAYO!"

"NARUTO! CALM DOWN!"

Everyone turned towards Sakura, who was panting. Sasuke still lay buried in her arms, breathing evenly, eyelids fluttering slightly. She turned to Kakashi, gently setting Sasuke down so that she could stand.

"We shouldn't abandon the mission, Kakashi-sensei. At this point, it wouldn't be right. Besides, it would look bad to run out in the middle of a job. However…I still can't forgive Tazuna-san for putting my teammates in danger."

Sakura glowered at the old man as she spoke, green eyes seeming to light from within with viridian flames. A heavy weight settled over the clearing as murderous purpose filled the air, spewing forth from both the pinkette and her sensei. Kakashi sighed, and glared at Tazuna. The man was still shaking slightly, nervous because of all the killing intent in the air.

"We will complete this mission, and we will protect you until the bridge is completed. However, if one of these ninja is killed, you will pay compensation or we will come for you. Got it?"

"H-hai, Kakashi-san. Arigato gozaimasu."

"You'd better be thankful. Now, team, let's get going."

Kakashi slapped a transport seal on the unconscious missing ninja, sending them to Anko in Torture and Interrogations in a poof of smoke. Turning back, he smiled gently at the three Genin: Naruto grumbling as he carried a dead-to-the-world Sasuke, complete with a gauze-bandaged cheek, piggyback, and Sakura smiling gently with three backpacks slung over her shoulders.

They were more than a team, already. Sasuke talked more in the past two months than during his entire four years at the Academy, while Sakura's presence soothed Naruto's raging flames to a tolerable point.

However, even Kakashi, half-blind as he was, could see the depth between Sasuke and Sakura. The only reason he could read Sasuke in the first place was because the boy reminded him of himself as a Genin, and he could tell the teen was practically hanging on her every word and gesture (most likely subconsciously). He could also tell that Sakura, for all her non-fangirl apathy, was slowly but surely falling for, not only the boy's looks, but what little of his personality he'd let slip through the cracks in his Uchiha mask.

It was incredibly fun to watch them dance around each other in a sea of social awkwardness.

Kakashi didn't realize he was giggling until Naruto whacked his arm and screamed at him to 'stop being such a perv, 'ttebayo!'

霧

The party of five had almost reached the coast when Sasuke stirred, three hours after he went under. Naruto, predictably, dropped the other boy like a red-hot poker, and the Uchiha woke to his head impacting something again. Thanks to the absolutely amazing luck that had been favoring him, he landed on his left side, resulting in his broken cheekbone hitting a convenient rock. The gauze stained red as the cut reopened, and Sasuke swore rather violently as the blow jostled the bone splinters that remained in his wound.

Predictably, everyone looked back to see him, rolling on the ground, spewing some rather creative curses on Naruto, his family, his ancestors, his stupidity, and his blondeness. After an interesting one involving his grandmother, primordial ooze, a donkey, several goldfish, a whale, some rather indecent activities, and a spatula, Kakashi decided to intervene.

"Ano…Sasuke, I think you should probably stop now."

"SHUT THE (insert convenient, extremely loud birdcall here) UP, LAZY AS (bird call), ETERNALLY-LATE OLD SON OF A (birdcall) WHO—WHY CAN'T THESE GODDAMN (birdcall) BIRDS SHUT UP?! I WILL (Many birdcalls in extremely quick succession. Maybe they're hungry? Maybe they recognize Sasuke's hair as one of their own? Who knows with Plot-no-Jutsu.)!"

Five minutes later, Sasuke had calmed down somewhat, though he was still homicidally pissed at Naruto, who was making a titanic effort to stay away from him. Sakura had nearly passed out with laughter—as it was, she lay on her back, erratic giggles still spewing forth occasionally at the randomness of it all. Kakashi was giving them all the old 'what-the-hell-are-you-ON' look that Naruto had gotten when he'd suggested they catch Tora for good by training an army of hamsters to act as miniature Konoha shinobi, complete with a ranking system, ANBU, and a Kage. As well as full-sized ninja weapons. Needless to say, that idea hadn't lasted long.

Another, more profound instance of the 'WTHAYO' glance (patent pending!) was when they'd had their first team dinner. Since the night of their first mission, it had become tradition for all four members of Team Seven to get together and go out for dinner. Which was usually at Ichiraku's, since Naruto blatantly refused to eat anything other than ramen. Of course, Sasuke hated ramen (from his experiences trying to cook the instant stuff, it was disgustingly laden with salt), so of course Naruto had to attempt to force-feed him and of course Sasuke had to nearly choke on the sheer amount of noodles stuffed into his mouth at once. Sakura had been nearly catatonic with laughter at the time, actually falling off of her stool and rolling on the ground cackling.

Tazuna shook his head, doubting that an emo with a hot temper, an idiot with absolutely no clue, and a slightly sadistic girl with obviously dyed hair could protect him. He decided right then and there not to listen to any of the kids, and to trust Kakashi and Kakashi alone.

That was his second mistake. The first had been even thinking of writing the three off in the first place.

It was entirely his fault that he was almost sliced in two when Naruto nearly impaled a pure-white rabbit and a huge broadsword came slicing out of the brush. It was only (you guessed it) Kakashi's quick action that had them all ducking to avoid extremely painful and messy bisection via oversized butcher's knife.

That was no exaggeration; the blade itself was at least five feet long and a foot wide, lightened considerably by a huge hole near the point and a semicircle missing from the area near the hilt and cross-guard of plain wood. It was finely crafted, with a keen single edge sharp enough to drive halfway into the thick trunk of a tree on the opposite side of the clearing they'd entered, near the border of Fire Country and Wave Country—a large lake stood behind them, a prequel to the endless ocean only two miles further west.

The leaves of the tree rustled, and a dark shape appeared, standing atop the sword like it was just another irregularly flat, straight, sharp, metallic branch. Team Seven stared, and Sasuke worried.

I didn't even sense him…who is this guy?

The man had to be at least six feet tall, with an insanely sculpted upper body visible thanks to lack of shirt. In fact, the only thing that even came close to covering that barrel chest was a leather strap that went over both shoulders, before joining under a metal plate and continuing past his left hip. His pants were light blue and baggy, with thin, vertical navy stripes. His arms were covered up to mid-bicep by dark-brown-and-white camouflaged arm warmers, with the matching ones on his legs stopping just below the knee from where they attached to his dark brown zori. The man wore a Hidden Mist hitai'ate slanted sideways over his head, like Kakashi's style but without covering his eye. Short, spiky black hair protruded from over it, matching dark brown eyes over a face half-covered with white bandages.

In all, Sasuke thought, he looked like a bigger, bulkier, eviler Kakashi from Kiri. Maybe they were bros?

Naruto glared heatedly at Sasuke as Kakashi stepped forward, speaking calmly.

"Well, well…if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, rouge ninja of Kirigakure no Sato."

The blonde growled, and, decided, charged forward, a snarl on his face. Kakashi stuck out a hand so fast that even Sasuke couldn't track his movements, blocking Naruto. Without looking back, the silver-haired man chided his student.

"You're in the way, Naruto. Get. Back."

"But why?!"

"He's not like those other ninja. He's in a whole other league."

Kakashi reached up, preparing to lift his forehead protector and free his blinded eye.

"If he's our opponent…I'll need to use this…"

The trio let out small sounds of surprise as Kakashi continued.

"This could be treacherous…"

"Sharingan no Kakashi…did I get that right?"

Zabuza asked casually. Sasuke felt himself freeze up.

So that's what Kakashi's hiding underneath that forehead protector of his…and it's the reason he's called Konoha no Kopi Nin…

"It's too bad, eh? But you'll have to hand over the old man…"

Zabuza turned his head to observe them over one broad shoulder. Kakashi tensed, lifting the edge of the cloth a little more. There was silence except for the wind in the trees.

From the corner of his eye, Sasuke could see the looks of confusion on Tazuna, Sakura, and Naruto's faces.

Figures…they've probably never heard of the Sharingan. Its secret wasn't exactly broadcasted for all the world to hear, was it?

"Now, quick! Manji Formation! Protect the bridge-builder…and stay out of this fight."

"Huh?"

"I taught you teamwork…and now it's time to use it, Sakura."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes as Kakashi pulled up his hitai'ate in a single, swift movement, revealing the severely scarred eye beneath. The lids opened to reveal a brilliant red iris, three comma-like shapes swirling around the pupil.

"I'm ready!"

Everyone stared at him as Zabuza turned all the way around.

"Well…looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is an honor."

Naruto turned towards Kakashi.

"Everyone keeps saying Sharingan, Sharingan! Will someone PLEASE tell me what Sharingan is?!"

It was Sasuke who answered. He made sure to keep his explanation vague; it wouldn't do to expose his family secrets…

"The Sharingan…a rare power that resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or doujutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any attack—be it taijutsu, ninjutsu, or genjutsu—and reflect it back on their opponent. But there's more…so much more to Sharingan…"

Zabuza chuckled.

"That's right, kiddo. You've barely scratched the surface of Sharingan. It can analyze an opponent technique…"

Kakashi's eye spun even faster, preparing to engage in combat.

"…and copy it down to the smallest of details."

Zabuza's muscles tensed as he plowed on with his dialogue. Sasuke could see that the man was getting impatient.

"As for you, Jounin, in the Assassination Unit of the Hidden Mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile was in our Bingo Book. It called you…'The Man Who Copied Over 1000 Jutsu, Kopi Nin no Hatake Kakashi.'"

Sasuke heard fabric rustling as he deactivated his runes, allowing himself full sensory freedom once more.

"Enough talking. I need to exterminate the old man…now."

Tazuna's heartbeat sped up drastically. Sasuke could sense his complete and utter state of mental panic, though he showed no outward sign of it.

He must be hiding it so that WE don't panic ourselves…dammit, old man, it should be the other way around!

Drawing a kunai, the Uchiha jumped away, to a spot two feet in front of where Tazuna was. Sakura took her position on his right, while Naruto stood on his left. Kakashi remained where he was, Sharingan eye glaring red through the slight haze of mist in the air.

"So, I'll have to eliminate you first, eh Kakashi? So be it."

In a flicker of movement, Zabuza jumped off of his sword, grabbing the handle and pulling the blade out of the tree as he kicked off its trunk to land, perfectly poised, atop the water. Barely a ripple escaped from beneath his feet as he straightened to his full height.

"He's over there!"

"Standing on the water?! What is that jutsu?!"

With the index and middle fingers of each hand straightened in a half-ram seal, Zabuza lowered one hand before his mouth, while the other pointed straight up at the end of a well-muscled arm. Tendrils of clear liquid writhed around him, rising into the air like charmed snakes. The mist swirled as well, in a clockwise fashion centered about his raised hand. When he spoke, his voice seemed even deeper than it had been before.

"Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

With those four words, the mist thickened to an almost suffocating gray veil. Sasuke couldn't even see the silhouette of his own hand before his face, let alone Sakura, Naruto, Tazuna, or Kakashi. Footsteps echoed through his ears as Kakashi (it had to be Kakashi; Zabuza had vanished, and the other three hadn't moved) stepped forward.

"He'll come after me first."

"But, sensei…who is this guy?"

Sakura asked, confusion evident in her tone.

"Momochi Zabuza…the ex-captain of the Kirigakure Assassination Unit. He's a master of the Silent Killing Technique."

"S-silent?"

Naruto stuttered. Sasuke could hear his pulse beginning to increase, and feel a slight shivering of his shoulder beneath the cloth.

"As the name implies, it happens in an instant…without sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast that you pass from this life without even realizing you were killed. Not even the Sharingan can fully neutralize it. So…don't lower your guard."

The three gulped, and Kakashi said, rather nonchalantly,

"Well…if we fail, we only lose our lives."

"HOW THE HELL CAN YOU SAY THAT IN SUCH A CAREFREE WAY, CHAAAA~?!"

Sakura screamed. By now everyone in their little cluster was completely and totally overloaded with nerves, practically waiting to die. Sasuke, however, was the most effected when the Killing Intent hit them.

"Eight points…"

"Huh?! Who's there?! SHOW YOURSELF!"

Sakura yelled, bringing her kunai up in front of her face.

"Larynx…spine…lungs…liver…jugular…subclavian…kidne ys…heart… now, which will be my kill point?"

The voice listed in sadistic glee. Then, in an explosion of chakra, the mist cleared slightly, revealing Kakashi with hands clasped in the sign of the ram, a classic focus seal. Sasuke, meanwhile, had frozen completely as waves of KI washed over him, most of them from Kakashi himself, aimed for Zabuza.

Suddenly, Kakashi was predator and Sasuke was prey. There was no concept of 'ally' or 'teacher' or 'protector' now—Kakashi would kill him should he move, or even breathe, before he could bat an eyelash. Sasuke's eyes glazed over with fear. He began to hyperventilate, his heart beating much faster than humanly possible. He was staring to lose control of himself all over again, fangs shredding his bottom lip as they burst from red gums.

What an intense thirst for blood…one shallow breath, one tiny movement of the eye, is enough to bring on instant death. If it goes on like this…I'll go insane…a clash of two Jounin, intent to kill…I've never felt anything so chilling. It's as if my own life is being choked off…no! I can't bear it! I'd rather take my own life!

Sasuke lifted his kunai, placing both hands on the hilt, and was about to plunge it into his stomach when Kakashi called, in a stern tone,

"Sasuke!"

Just like that, the feeling lifted, along with most of the KI. Sasuke felt himself going weak at the knees with relief.

"Calm down. I'll protect you with my life, all of you. I will not allow my comrades to die."

He half-turned, and with an eye-smile, said,

"Trust me."

Sasuke gave him a small (but genuine) smile, and that was when all hell broke loose.

They say an Uchiha's smile brings bad luck. Well, it did. Again. Sasuke really was his father's son.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

In an instant, Zabuza was between Team Seven and Tazuna, sword prepped to slice through all three Genin at once.

"It's over."

Kakashi turned around, and the Sharingan glowed crimson. In a flash, he flickered over to his students and tackled the missing-nin just as he starting his downswing. The team and their charge scattered, throwing themselves in all different directions to evade the conflict that had come to them. A slow, gushing sound had them all looking over.

Kakashi had impaled Zabuza with a kunai, but instead of blood, water poured out of the wound. The real Zabuza appeared behind him, sword at the ready.

"Sensei, BEHIND YOU!"

"Huh?!"

"Die!"

Zabuza sliced as the water clone dissipated, bisecting Kakashi for the second time in as many hours. Liquid shot everywhere…as the water clone of Kakashi burst into a pool of brine. Zabuza's eyes widened.

The Suibunshin no Jutsu…it can't be…even in the mist, he saw through my illusion and copied my technique?! So this is your true power…Kopi Nin no Kakashi…

A kunai flicked out to rest against Zabuza's throat. Kakashi stood behind the man, arm steady.

"Don't move."

Zabuza, who was trapped between Kopi Nin and kunai, glared at the air.

"Now it's over."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until the Curse of Happy Uchiha-ness came through again and Zabuza burst into a puddle of water as the real Zabuza came up behind Kakashi, swinging his sword. The silver-haired man dodged the first swipe, before Zabuza twisted and caught him in the ribs with a sandaled foot. Kakashi grunted, flying backwards, as Zabuza ripped his blade from the ground and ran beneath him.

The man skidded to a stop as shards of black metal littered the ground before him.

"Matsubishi spikes, eh? Trying to slow me down, are you, Kakashi…hn. Foolish."

Kakashi landed hard on his right shoulder, sliding ungracefully into the water as Naruto screamed after him,

"SENSEI!"

The now-drenched man surfaced almost instantly, seeming to have trouble getting away from the water. Sasuke's eyes widened as he sensed the sheer amount of chakra in the water. Beside him, Sakura tensed and whispered,

"You sense it too, don't you?"

"Aa. The water…it's infused with chakra. I can't tell how, though…"

"He's from Kiri, right? That's the Land of Water's ninja village; he kinda has to be a water-type."

"Mm."

Suddenly, a huge surge of chakra, centered on Kakashi, rippled through the lake. The silver-haired ninja's eyes widened as Zabuza stuck his hand out and called,

"Suiton: Gokuso no Mizu no Jutsu!"

A huge orb of water formed around Kakashi, trapping him in a bubble of chakra-laden brine. The man swore violently, and Zabuza chuckled, forming a water clone with a single-handed sign.

"Go! You three can't win this. Get Tazuna to safety; leave me behind. I'll be fine!"

Sasuke stiffened. He knew that Zabuza would kill Kakashi as soon as they left, he knew that Kakashi would be helpless in the water prison…and he knew that Zabuza, an S-class missing ninja, was too much for them to handle.

But he couldn't stand the thought of one of his precious people dying again. So, even though he was shaking, even though he was practically frozen solid with ice-cold fear, Sasuke stepped forward.

Sakura would reflect later that his eyes seemed to glow red, his hair seemed a little longer than it was a minute before, and his incisors were slightly longer and sharper than they should've been.

"No."

"Dammit, Sasuke! Set aside your damn pride and RUN!"

"No."

"Why?! Save yourself and your teammates! COMPLETE THE MISSION!"

"Because…I don't want to lose anyone again. If I ran now, and left things as they were here…I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Kakashi stared at his student, standing tall before almost certain death. Sasuke's head was bowed, fists clenched as they came up behind his head.

"I will protect those precious to me…that is my nindo…"

Sasuke raised his head as he tightened his forehead protector, the metal plate flashing in the cool sunlight as his eyes narrowed. The red glow had faded, leaving crimson-tinged black streaked with charcoal gray and wine-doused ruby.

"My ninja way!"

A flock of birds came loosed from the trees as Sasuke brought forth every ounce of his chakra to coat his body in tongues of flame. His muscles bulged, showing the chakra networks beneath as overflowing veins, thick and extremely noticeable.

Sliding into the classic 'horseback' stance, Sasuke twisted his torso so that his right shoulder was to the water clone, lifting his hand in the process.

The fire at the tips of his fingers swirled, forming the character across them.

With an extremely uncharacteristic smirk, Sasuke challenged Zabuza confidently.

"Well? What're you waiting for? Come at me!"

霧

Sasuke grins at Zian. The demon smirks back, still channeling himself into Sasuke's body (though keeping a leash on his chakra; he doesn't want to tip Kakashi off that something is wrong).

They're lounging on two luxurious couches Sasuke's conjured in the mindscape, before the flat-screen, plasma TV with huge surround-sound speakers that illustrates Sasuke's point of view (in the third person, of course).

"I look like a badass. Good one, Zian."

"Oi, oi, you're the one who came up with the awesome nindo speech. Seriously, that was GOLD!"

"But saying 'come on' with fire? And the whole, 'come-at-me-bro' vibe? I approve."

"Jeez, gaki. Who knew you were such a different person in your mind?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well…you're a stuck-up bastard in the real world, but actually a pretty good guy in here. What gives?"

Sasuke looks down slightly, eyes softening.

"I don't want to form bonds out there. If I act cold, people will want to stay away from me. This lonely existence is a small price to pay for a life free of pain. I've already lost everything…I don't want to go through that same pain again."

Zian stares at him.

"Sasuke…"

"You didn't call me 'gaki'."

Zian, realizing his mistake, turns away and huffs.

"I…I just felt like using your name for once! That's all! Not because you're in need of comfort or anything!"

Sasuke just smiles a little, and turns back to watch the goings-on of the world.

Because now that Zian has taken over control of his body, things are bound to get a little messy.

霧

~Tsuzuku~

A/N: OH YEAH! XD I'm pumped! A new, 6000-word-chappie (half of which I wrote in ONE DAY) with an ending cliffhanger…I plan to update with a standard-length chapter by this Sunday (May 5) so I don't leave you guys hanging for too long a time, but still. I'm happy I can even try to do that (I've had track meets every Saturday since the start of the season (in early March…) but I have a week off before league finals and IECs (I don't know what they are either, so please don't ask…)) so…I MUST! It'll be a pain, though; I literally took ALL THE DIALOGUE and ALL THE ACTION (up until Sasuke's nindo speech) from the anime. Basically meaning that I had to rewatch everything and take notes on speech, thought, and action patterns. It. Was. Painful. Anyways, in response to a confused reviewer:

This story WILL BE SasuSaku, NaruHina, and possible NejiTen later on. I may try to write a yaoi side-pairing, but this WILL NOT BE A NARUSASU/SASUNARU.

I looked back over my little explanation in the author's note last chapter, and I realize I worded things rather ambiguously. I'm glad your review brought it to my attention! Thank you~! :D

Itachi: *facepalms* Blade-chan, you really need to clarify yourself.

KBA: Says the guy who no one can write because we NEVER KNOW HOW HE THINKS…

Itachi: …

KBA: Kami, every time I try to write you you're either emo, emo-wannabe, or so OOC with Sasuke it's not even funny. Seriously, just look at the end of the prologue.

Itachi: …

KBA: SAY SOMETHING! D:

Itachi: …

KBA: Sasuke~! Make your aniiki speak!

Sasuke: No.

KBA: *whispers menacingly in Sasuke's ear* Do it, or I'll throw you into a pit of your own fangirls…no, fanboys just as you get out of the hot springs. Do you know what they'll do to you if they see you in ONLY a towel?

Sasuke …*shivers* You wouldn't dare.

KBA: *smirks* Try me.

Sasuke: …Itachi, talk. Now. Please. To save your precious little brother from the horrors of…*coughs* dropping the soap in front of several hundred rabid teenage males.

Itachi: …You'd probably like it, otouto.

KBA: HE SPEAKS!

Sasuke: HEY~!

*door creaks open*

*everyone freezes*

Zabuza: What the hell am I walking in on?

KBA: *smiles awkwardly* You heard the wrong part of the conversation, Zabuza-san. Anyway, would you mind doing the intro?

Zabuza: *Announcer-Voice-no-Jutsu!* A crazy plan! What on earth is Naruto thinking? Join us next time for: This is My Nindo! The Uchiha Will of Fire Ignites!

This chapter's page break is kiri, or mist.