To the anonymous reviewer known as 'lola' - I am going to write the story as the anime/manga pans out in canon, but adding twists and character changes to it. There are plenty of other stories like this and quite frankly I enjoy them so I've decided to write something similar on my own. I'm sorry if you feel it is a 'poor copy'.
I'm actually not sorry at all, but meh.
Thanks to The True Not Important for the review!
"Oh yeah? You wanna join the battle now?" Naruto smirked. "Who cares?! It's four against two!"
Itachi frowned. Somehow, I can tell... that boy... he's no ordinary kid. We'll need to watch out for him.
"Stay back, team," he commanded. "I'll take care of the both of them. If I can't handle them, then you guys join in."
"No way!" Naruto and Sasuke yelled together.
"I'm afraid you won't have a chance to do that, Itachi." Zabuza now had his eyes closed. "Your opponent is me, and me alone... Heh heh... Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu."
Itachi couldn't see anything either. He cursed.
No one can see in this mist... not even the caster of the jutsu. He wants to render my Sharingan ineffective, but this'll blind him too.
"I know what you're thinking."
Itachi swerved back and brought out his katana in time to block a swing of Zabuza's sword.
"You know that I know this mist will blind the Sharingan," the deep voice of Zabuza sent a chill down Itachi's spine. "But I'll get blinded as well. You're curious as to how I will battle while blinded in the mist."
Throwing his leg back, Itachi only found himself kicking air.
"Sight is only one of the senses we have," Zabuza continued. "Smell. Touch. Hearing. Taste."
I see... he trained himself to fight without the use of his eyes, the Uchiha thought. This could be a little troublesome...
"That's some super thick mist!" Tazuna commented.
Team 7 and their client were outside of the mist, but they knew Itachi and Zabuza were fighting it out in there.
Suddenly, the 'hunter-nin' appeared in front of them, and both Naruto and Sasuke got into fighting stances.
"Don't come any closer," Sasuke warned.
Haku smiled beneath his mask. "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to fight. The two of you are interesting ones, and it'll be nice to see what you can do."
"Hey! Team 7 isn't only made of two Genin!" Sakura retorted from behind Naruto and Sasuke. She dropped into a fighting stance. "I... I haven't been in a real ninja battle before. But I'm not afraid of you!"
"Hm?" Haku said in an amused tone.
"Sakura! Your job is to protect Tazuna-san!" Sasuke told his pink-haired teammate quickly. "Step back. We'll take care of this guy. But if we can't handle him, you join in. Okay?"
The pinkette frowned, but nodded. "You got it, Sasuke-kun."
Sakura stepped back, getting in front of Tazuna protectively.
"Well, bring it on!" Naruto yelled at Haku.
"Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
Mirrors made of ice began to appear around the male Genins of Team 7. Sasuke gulped, as he saw images of Haku in all of them. Naruto looked around, his face one of irritation.
"What kind of stupid jutsu is this?" The blonde yelled. "Secret Jutsu! Ha! I'll take you down! Easily!"
"Don't underestimate the opponent, Naruto," Sasuke warned his teammate. These mirrors appear to be made of ice... I'll melt them all. "Take this! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The Uchiha's fireball burned half of the mirrors, but to the Leaf ninjas' surprise, the ice mirrors stood steadily.
"These aren't just random mirrors," said Haku. "You can't melt them."
Sasuke glared at one of the Haku images. "So this is the power of a Kekkei Genkai that I always hear about..."
"Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto quizzed. "What does that mean, Sasuke?"
After giving a long and detailed explanation about the Kekkei Genkai, Sasuke got ready to return to the battle. He was surprised to see Haku waiting for him to finish his explanation to Naruto oh-so-kindly.
These aren't clones... they're the enemy himself, going speedily through every single one of them so I'm seeing double! The Uchiha Genin realized. Well, not exactly double... He looked around at the army of mirrors. What incredible speed... I have to focus... focus...
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
An army of Naruto clones prepared to attack the mirrors, with one clone taking care of one mirror. Unfortunately, nothing happened. The mirrors were unbreakable. Finally, the original Naruto fell back onto the ground, feeling a tad bit exhausted.
The blonde got back up. Failure and giving up wasn't in his dictionary!
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He repeated.
Another fifty Naruto clones jumped at the mirrors.
"It's useless," came the voice of Haku. "You are better off conserving your chakra and not wasting it like that. At the rate you're going... you'll faint from chakra exhaustion."
The clones dispersed again, and Naruto fell back onto the ground once more, panting hard.
Meanwhile, his Uchiha teammate was studying the movements of the Ice user.
Focus... focus... and...
Sasuke closed his eyes. When they flew open, his black pupils had become red.
"That... the Sharingan..." Haku spoke.
What? Have I... have I... awakened my Sharingan? No... now's not the time for that...
Sasuke jumped towards a particular mirror, dishing out a punch to an image of Haku. To his surprise, the masked boy fell out of the mirror, thrown to the ground from the force of the attack.
I got him... thanks to my newly-enhanced vision.
Unfortunately, Haku soon recovered, and was back in his mirror army. Sasuke cursed.
I will just have to keep hitting him... again and again, until he finally gets exhausted and releases this jutsu of his.
"The Sharingan is incredible," Haku commented.
"It certainly is," Sasuke couldn't help but reply proudly.
"With you, Sharingan and all, I'll only be at a disadvantage if I carry this battle on for too long... I'll be forced to attack now. Apologies."
"Wh-What?"
His reply was an entire army of needles, flying towards Naruto who appeared to be unconscious. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke charged towards his friend.
I have to get there in time!
"You know... I didn't become a captain in the ANBU because of my eyes."
Itachi expertly blocked another swipe of the Kubikiribocho with his katana.
"You are an annoying man... I expected your head to be gone already."
The Jonin ducked as Zabuza's sword swung above his head. Regarding the position where the sword had come from, Itachi quickly formed hand signs. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Graaaa!"
Zabuza fell backwards, his arm burned. He's fast!
Itachi smirked, feeling the mist weakening. Making out the figure of Zabuza, he jumped towards the missing-nin and launched an uppercut that sent the swordsman into the air.
"Bah... just an uppercut..." Zabuza muttered, feeling himself fly into the air.
"I think not." Itachi fastened his hands around his opponent's ankles. Zabuza wanted to look down, but decided not to take any risk of staring Itachi straight in the eye.
"What are you doing?" The former Mist ninja growled out, as he felt Itachi turn his body upside down in the space of a second.
"Showing you that the Mangekyo Sharingan isn't my only way of dishing out pain," the Uchiha calmly replied. Gripping tightly onto Zabuza's ankles, Itachi wrapped his legs around the muscled man's body. "Falcon Drop."
"Argh!"
Zabuza's head slammed onto the ground.
"You... you... you fucker..." He barely managed to say. Pain shot through his skull.
"Now it's time for you to die," Itachi replied coldly. Raising his knee, the former ANBU man kicked Zabuza right in the chin, sending the Demon flying backwards, over the bridge, and into the ocean.
Zabuza soon rose to the surface. He still felt a little dazed.
"You think you can drown me? Ha."
"Nope," replied Itachi. "Water Clone Jutsu."
A water clone of himself appeared beside Itachi. Zabuza frowned, unsure of what his Konoha opponent would try to do. For some reason, he didn't think this would be any fun for him.
This time, the water clone performed hand seals.
"Water Prison Jutsu."
Eyes widening, Zabuza cursed, trying to swim away frantically. However, he soon found himself encased in a sphere of water. Growling in frustration, he roared at Itachi to release him.
The clone simply stared at him, while the original Itachi was seemingly preparing a jutsu behind his clone.
"Your future is death. Do you have any last words?"
"Fuck you."
Naruto opened his eyes, feeling a little drowsy. He turned to see the form of Haku lying on the ground. Excitedly, the blonde turned his head again, expecting to see Sasuke, staring at their opponent victoriously.
To his shock, Sasuke had dozens of needles in his body. The Uchiha boy coughed out blood. Looking back towards Naruto, he gave a weak smirk.
"What... are you... looking at...? ... Loser..."
Sasuke collapsed.
"No!" Naruto shrieked, as the body of Sasuke Uchiha fell into his arms.
"Dying... on my... first mission... pathetic... huh..."
"You are not dying Sasuke!" Naruto said fiercely.
"I am... you... loser..." He coughed out more blood.
"He's going to die." The voice of Haku alerted Naruto. The masked boy had gotten back up, looking ready to take another life. Naruto let out a low growl as he set down the now unmoving body of his teammate.
"You... you... little piece of shit..."
Red chakra enveloped Naruto as he looked up at Haku with murderous red eyes. The killing intent made Haku back away.
"I'll kill you!" He roared, leaping towards the Ice user.
From within the Jinchuriki was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, resting lazily behind his prison. To his delight, the Kyuubi felt the seal weakening, as a result of his foolish container's emotions.
"I said in a few months... but it seems you are eager to meet me again... Naruto Uzumaki..." Kyuubi chuckled to himself.
Back in the outside world, Haku could only stare as he watched Naruto descending upon him. The killing intent from Naruto rooted his feet to the ground, and Haku could only prepare for an onslaught of punches.
And the onslaught came.
Naruto's first punch was strong enough to shatter Haku's mask. The second one slammed into his chest, sending the robed boy crashing into one of the ice mirrors.
Still growling menacingly, Naruto picked Haku up, pressed the masked boy's body against a mirror, and launched another power-packed fist. Haku shrieked in pain as he crashed through the mirror.
He... he... he was strong enough to break one of my mirrors... What is he? Haku questioned himself. His eyes widened when he saw the red chakra enveloping the blonde growing into a tail at his bottom.
"Graaargh..."
He isn't human... Haku shuddered, throwing more needles. Naruto didn't make any attempt to dodge, and instead, the needles burned out upon coming into contact with the red chakra.
"Why did you have to kill Sasuke?" Naruto growled. "Why?!"
"This is the life of a shinobi," replied Haku, trembling.
"Bullshit!"
Naruto leaped towards Haku again, knocking him to the ground and proceeding to pummel him with an array of punches and kicks.
Is this the end, Zabuza-dono?
"Yes..." Haku murmured, as he felt blood running down his mouth. "... Kill me..."
A fist moving towards Haku's face suddenly stopped.
"Kill me..." He repeated. "... Zabuza-dono... he has no use for weak tools like me."
"Tool?"
"That's what every ninja is... isn't it?" Haku breathed. "A tool... I am a tool for Zabuza-dono. I live to serve Zabuza-dono. He has no use for weak tools, and since he has no use for me, I have no purpose to live on anymore."
"Wh-What?!" Naruto yelled. The tail on his bottom was getting shorter and shorter. "No way! That's... horrible!"
"What is?" Haku frowned, pain all over his entire body.
"Why... do you live as a tool? Ninja aren't just tools! They are humans!" Naruto reasoned. "Is there... is there really no purpose in life other than serving the eyebrow-less freak?"
Haku chuckled softly in amusement at Naruto's nickname for his master. "Tell me... if you have no friends... no family... nothing... and someone acknowledges you... won't you do anything for that person?"
The red chakra was slowly disappearing, as a name flashed through the Leaf Genin's mind. Iruka-sensei...
"Y-Yeah... but...!"
"Exactly." Haku had a small smile on his face. "Zabuza-dono... I lived on the streets... he offered to take me in... I know he's after my ability, and not me. But since this is so, I must use my ability to serve him with all I can."
"That's...!" Naruto was at a loss for words.
By now, the reddish chakra had all but disappeared from his body.
Haku's expression turned serious. He got up, and walked half a meter away from Naruto. "Naruto... kill me."
"Is there... is there really no purpose in life for you to live on anymore?"
"No," said Haku, without hesitation. "Kill me... I killed your teammate... your friend... come on... why are you hesitating?"
"If you..." Naruto sighed, taking out a kunai. "... say so."
Gulping, the Kyuubi container steadied himself, preparing for his first kill.
"The weird thing is... I think if we met at a different time and place... we could have been friends..."
Haku's eyes then widened. Naruto frowned at him with a quizzical look.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. Change of plan. I'm not ready to die quite yet."
Naruto frowned, and got into a battle stance. "Was that a trap to throw me off?!"
"No... not quite..."
With those words, Haku disappeared.
"Fuck you."
"No? Okay." Itachi sighed. "I'm actually glad there's this fog... I don't want any of my students seeing this." His eyes glinted. "Your remains will probably make them throw up."
Zabuza felt intense fear pricking his body.
"Mangekyo Sharingan!" The powerful dojutsu activated in the Uchiha prodigy's eyes. "Now..." Itachi stepped back, until he was two meters away from his target. "Let's get this over with."
"What... are you going to do?" Zabuza asked.
"This." Itachi formed a hand seal. "Amaterasu!"
Black flames shot out from Itachi's eye, roaming towards the trapped Zabuza.
Suddenly, Haku appeared, taking the full blow of the attack.
Itachi's red eyes widened. Haku had a small smile on his face as he succumbed to the pain, burned alive by the black flames.
I died for a cause... thank you... Zabuza-dono...
"Damn it..." The wielder of the technique cancelled it. "That was the masked boy tagging along with Zabuza, huh... he jumped right in front of the flames..."
"My future is death?" Zabuza started to laugh manically as Haku's charred body fell to the ground. "Wrong, Itachi."
"Argh..." Itachi clutched onto his eye, which was now bleeding profusely, and he quickly deactivated the Mangekyo. The water clone holding Zabuza prisoner also disappeared, freeing the swordsman.
"I knew I picked up a treasure when I found you, Haku," Zabuza had an evil grin behind his mask. Swinging the Kubikiribocho, he aimed at Itachi's head, and the Jonin barely managed to dodge.
Using Amaterasu... weakens my sight for awhile... I thought I could have killed him with this final move... but...!
Naruto then wandered into the battle. Eyes darting from the body of Haku, Zabuza and Itachi, he understood what had happened.
"You did well, Haku!" Zabuza continued to yell in his deadly voice. "Hahahaha!"
"He died protecting your worthless life..." Naruto said angrily. "Why?"
"That's what weapons are for, brat!" Zabuza sneered, turning to Naruto. "He was my weapon, and he did his job effectively by defending his master!"
Angered, Naruto whipped out his katana.
"No, Naruto," Itachi warned. "Stay out of this."
"Like hell I will!" Naruto replied defiantly.
Sighing, Itachi walked over to Haku's body. His eyes were still wide open. Placing his gloved hand on the Ice user's eyes, Itachi closed them, before getting up to face Zabuza.
Jabbing a finger at the Jonin-level rogue, Itachi cast his illusion.
Zabuza frowned, as darkness enveloped him. The next second, incredible pain shot through both his arms.
The illusion ended, and Zabuza's eyes widened as he saw Naruto's katana stabbing into his arm.
"Genjutsu aren't only for messing with the victim's mind," said Itachi. "They are also useful for paralyzing a target so they'll be a sitting duck for an attack, you know?"
"Why didn't you just stab me in a vital area instead of my arms?" Zabuza questioned.
"I want you to know when you're on the verge of death," was the cold reply. "Both your arms are useless now and you can't form any hand seals. You can't wield your sword. It's over."
"Is it?" The missing-nin chuckled, though on the inside, he knew Itachi was right.
"Even if I have to kill you over and over again... I will." Itachi whipped out a kunai, intending to stab the short weapon into Zabuza's skull. Naruto watched from a distance, but turned away at the last moment.
He expected to hear a sickening, scrunching sound, but instead when he opened his eyes, Itachi and Zabuza both had their heads turned.
A short man, accompanied by an army of tough-looking men, had arrived at the bridge. Itachi's eyes hardened.
"Gato..."
Finally a wrap. I didn't do so well with this chapter and that's probably because the Land of Waves was one of my least favorite arcs...
In the next chapter, Sasuke is revived and Team 7 finally completes their first 'C-Rank'. Stay tuned.