Alright True Believers, the wait is over! (Whew!) You wouldn't believe how long it took to get the layout done for this fight, but its finally finished! Now, not only will you get to witness the epic clash of two powerful Jounin, but you'll also get a glimpse at one of Naruto's new techniques! But enough of my rambling, there's a fight to get to! On with the fanfic...

Chapter 6: The Demon of the Mist.

"Now, ain't this a surprise," laughed Zabuza Momochi as he stared down at Team 7 and Tazuna from atop his sword. Naruto clenched his fists anxiously as the nuke-nin spoke. Behind his bandages, his voice was gruff and evil, almost like that of Sabertooth. "Who'd have thought I'd find you here, Hatake Kakashi. Or should I call you by your alias, 'Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye'? Did I get that right?"

'What?! The Sharingan?' thought Sasuke in surprise. He whipped his head around to stare at Kakashi intently. 'How could he...'

"Hmph," responded Kakashi nonchalantly. "And, you must be Momochi Zabuza, 'The Demon of the Hidden Mist'. S-Class nuke-nin. Graduated from the Kirigakure no Sato Shinobi Academy by slaying his entire class, despite his lack of ninja training. Ex-member of the Seven Swordsmen of the 'Blood' Mist and leader of Kirigakure's assassination squad before being exiled following his failed coup against the Mizukage."

"Heh, impressive," replied Zabuza.

'This is not good,' Naruto thought, a sudden feeling of unease washing over him.

"Alright, enough small talk Kakashi," the nuke-nin growled, kneeling down to clasp the hilt of his blade. "Let's not make this any bloodier than it needs to be. Hand over the old man and I'll spare you and your pathetic excuse for a team."

"Now, you know that I can't do that Zabuza," Kakashi rebutted dryly as he slowly lifted his hitai-ite, revealing his left eye, which was shut in intense concentration like his right. After a moment, which seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes, revealing a red pupil in his left, its iris hemmed with three separate tome. "Everyone," he said to the group over his shoulder, "Manji Battle Formation. Protect Tazuna, and don't interfere."

All three of them nodded in acknowledgement and got into position around Tazuna. Naruto to his left, ready to ignite his plasma claws; Sakura to his right, a kunai at the ready; and Sasuke out in front, his hand shadowing his ninguholster. 'How does Kakashi have the Sharingan?' Sasuke thought, still staring at Kakashi's left eye in astonishment. 'Sharingan is a rare trait that only manifests itself in a few members of the Uchiha clan, my clan.'

"Heh, looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action," Zabuza said bluntly, a grin barely visible beneath his bandages. "This is an honor. I have the pleasure of being the one who slew 'The Man Who Copied a Thousand Jutsu'. Kakashi, the Copy Ninja." With that, Zabuza grabbed hold of his sword and kicked off of the tree, ripping the blade free in the process. To the amazement of Naruto and his friends, he landed on the top of the water and stood there, one hand at mouth-level and the other raised above his head, both forming a ninjutsu seal. Tiny droplets of water swirled around him like a small hurricane.

'He's building up a huge amount of chakra,' Kakashi observed silently, 'and channeling it into the water. This could be trouble.'

"Ninpou: Kiri Gakure no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu)," said Zabuza menacingly. In a matter of seconds, the mist that blanketed the area became thicker than it was before, causing Zabuza to vanish without a trace.

"This is not good," Kakashi said as the mist enveloped them. "Zabuza is a master of the 'silent kill', a deadly technique that takes place without warning." He looked over his shoulder at his team. "Don't let your guard down, not even for a second. If you do, you'll be dead before you know it."

Naruto nodded, dropped into a low Hung-Gar Serpent stance and unsheathed his plasma claws; his right arm out in front of him, parallel with his right leg while his left hand guarded his face. His eyes flicked back and forth from his teammates, to the foreboding mist that surrounded them. The silence in and of itself had become overwhelming. 'So much bloodlust,' he thought as he scanned the mist warily, his heart pounding away in his chest like a jackhammer. 'It's almost as powerful as Sabertooth's. I've fought cyborgs, alien invaders, mutant-hunting Sentinels, and psychotic super criminals. So, why is it that this one guy so terrifying?'

"Eight points," came Zabuza's voice from somewhere in the mist, causing the hackles on the back of Naruto's neck to stand on end. "Larynx, spinal column, lungs, liver-"

"Where is that coming from?" Sakura wondered aloud, terror growing in her voice. 'It's like we're fighting the mist itself! He could be anywhere!'

"-Jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart," the nuke-nin finished. "So many choices! Which vital, vulnerable spot shall I choose? Heh, heh, heh, heh."

'Th-this is crazy,' thought Sasuke in a panic, sweat beading down his neck, his eyes shifting warily from right to left. 'It feels as though one small breath, one twitch of the eye, and it'll all be over. If it goes on like this, I'll go insane!' In his mind's eye, Sasuke had a chilling image of himself being decapitated mid-blink. It was so frighteningly realistic he had to force himself to push the vision out of his head and focus on reality.In front of him, Kakashi had triggered a massive release of his own chakra, so intense that Sasuke could actually feel it bearing down on him.

'The clash of two Jounin, both intent on killing one another, I've never felt anything so chilling. Not since that night...' That thought prompted another vision, only this wasn't a figment of his imagination, but a memory long since repressed. An avenue littered with bodies and horrendous gore, blood trickling steadily through the crevices in the pavement; a dark figure crouched atop a telephone pole silhouetted by the moon, its eyes burning a hellish shade of red; the unearthly silence of the night seeping into the marrow of his bones. 'No!' Sasuke cried out in his mind. He pulled a kunai free from his ningu holster and raised it over his abdomen. 'I can't take this, I'd rather-'

"Sasuke!" Kakashi barked, startling him. "Calm down. I'll protect all of you with my life. I will not allow my comrades to die, trust me on that." Somehow, his words did calm Sasuke, reassuring him of their safety.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," retorted Zabuza smugly. Suddenly, he materialized in the center of the group's formation, sword at the ready. "It's over."

Without warning, Naruto's instincts took over and he shifted his stance, whirling around to slash at Zabuza with a powerful right stroke. His attack caught Zabuza by surprise, forcing him to hastily block Naruto's claws with his sword. The energy blades left five, smoking marks that gored along the width of the Kubikiri Hocho. 'What the hell are those things?!' Zabuza wondered as he backpedaled to avoid another attack.

Seeing the opening Naruto had inadvertently given him, Kakashi rushed nuke-nin and plunged a kunai into his side. Much to his surprise, it wasn't blood that flowed from the wound, but water. A fraction of a second later, 'Zabuza' collapsed into a puddle of water at his feet. Before Kakashi could react, another Zabuza appeared behind him and swung his sword with all his might, effectively cleaving the Copy-nin in two. However, it was his turn to be surprised, as the Kakashi he struck bust into a spray of water as well. 'It can't be!' thought Zabuza. 'Even through the mist, he saw through my jutsu and copied it in an instant.'

"Don't move," threatened Kakashi's voice from behind him. Zabuza flinched at the sound and felt something sharp press against his throat. A razor-edged kunai, held by none other than Kakashi himself. "Now it's over."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh," Zabuza chuckled darkly. "Finished? You really have no idea. Your technique is but a mere crass imitation, I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you. You're full of surprises though, I'll give you that; you'd already copied my Mizu Bushinn no Jutsu (Water Clone Jutsu) when you made your little speech, hiding in the mist to analyze my technique. Nice try-"

"-but I'm not that easy to fool," said the true Zabuza from behind him. Kakashi barely had time to react as the nuke-nin swung his massive blade, his clone popping into a spray of water at the same moment. He ducked under the blade, which caused it to miss him, its momentum forcing it into the ground. Kakashi rose to attempt and attack again, only to be met with a solid and powerful kick that sent him flying off into the lake. Zabuza took hold of his sword and ran to intercept Kakashi mid-flight, wrenching it out of the ground in the process. He was halfway to the lake when he spotted a number of caltrops scattered around in front of him and skirted around them. "Makibishi spikes. Trying to slow me down, eh? Foolish."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled as their sensei hit the water. 'Crap, not only is this guy an expert assassin, but his strength is insane too!'

'I can't believe Kakashi-sensei got kicked through the air like that,' thought Sakura, fright taking a stronger hold in her mind.

"Gah!" gasped Kakashi as he resurfaced from beneath the water. However, something wasn't right. "This isn't normal water," he observed. "It's dense, heavy."

"That's the idea, fool," Zabuza mocked as he flickered into view behind Kakashi, weaving hand seals at incredible speeds. "Suirou no Jutsu (Water Prison Jutsu)!" Immediately, the water around Kakashi surged upward on either side of him, joining together over his head to form a bubble-like prison.

'Okay,' reflected Kakashi. 'Escaping to the water, big mistake.'

"This prison is made of water, but it's as strong as steel," explained Zabuza haughtily. "Hard to fight when you can't move, isn't it? So much of the great Kakashi Hatake. I'll finish you off later, but your little friends have to be eliminated." The nuke-nin made one-handed ram seal, and a new Mizu Bushinn materialized from the water, striding towards Team 7 and Tazuna with a murderous look in its eyes.

"You think that wearing a hitai-ite makes you a ninja?" the clone said. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it ceases to faze you, then you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly that your profile is listed in my Bingo Book, then you may have earned the title 'ninja'. But, to call upstarts like you ninja is a joke." Before their very eyes, the clone vanished into the mist. Then, in an instant, it reappeared in front of Naruto and delivered a powerful kick to his head that sent him flying backwards, knocking his hitai-ite clean off in the process. "You're just brats," the clone hissed, stepping on the headband as it did.

"Everyone," Kakashi yelled at his team, his voice slightly distorted from behind the wall of water, "take Tazuna and run. He's using all of his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only engage you with his Mizu Bushinn, but it can't stray far from its' real body. If you leave here, he can't follow you, now run!"

'Run away, no,' mused Sasuke, trying to overcome his growing sense of paranoia, 'that became unthinkable the moment you got caught. It doesn't matter how far we go, he'll wipe us out. In the end, if we're on our own we're done for. Our only chance of survival is to rescue you.'

Acting on sheer impulse, Sasuke ran at the clone head-on, cutting loose with a volley of shuriken as he went. The Zabuza bushinn whipped out its sword and easily deflected the shuriken as though they were nothing but a swarm of gnats. It was then that it noticed a chakra signature directly above it and looked up just in time to see Sasuke bearing down on it, a kunai poised high over his head. The blow never connected however, as the clone lashed out with its right hand and had Sasuke by the throat in the time it took him to blink

"Heh, pathetic," the bushinn sneered arrogantly. With that, he effortlessly tossed Sasuke aside like a sack of flour, sending him crashing into the ground in front of Team 7 and Tazuna.

"Sasuke-kun, no!!" screamed Sakura in horror, rushing to her crush's side.

By this time, Naruto had managed to shake off the effects of the bushinn's kick and sat up in time to see Sasuke get sent flying. 'That idiot!' he thought. 'What was he thinking? There's no way we can take him one-on-one like that. We've got to- ARGH!" A sudden wave of pain shot through his left arm as he tried to push himself to his feet. He looked down at his bandaged hand, the gauze serving as a reminder of his oath that he'd made yesterday. 'That's right, I made a promise. And if we want to get through this guy, we've got to quit acting like a bunch of kids, and start thinking like a team instead. First things first though...' All of a sudden, Naruto charged the Mizu Bushinn with incredible speed, bellowing in rage as he went.

"AHHH! Naruto, what the heck are you doing?!" yelled Sakura in disbelief, pulling at her hair in response to the tension. Beside her, Sasuke looked on in confusion. Just what was Naruto going?

"What? Naruto, no!" warned Kakashi from his position inside the water prison.

"Heh, little fool," scoffed the clone haughtily. As soon as the young X-Man reached him, 'Zabuza' sent him flying backwards with another, crippling kick. He flew for several feet, before landing and skidding to a stop directly in front of Sakura.

"What're you think charging at him by yourself, baka?!" she asked as she knelt down to his level. "We're only Genin, we don't have a chance against a Jounin, and even Sasuke couldn't touch him! What did you think you'd accomplish by that?!" At that moment, Naruto slowly began to stand, wincing in obvious pain. It was then that Sakura noticed something in his left hand that wasn't there a second ago, his hitai-ite that 'Zabuza' had knocked off. 'The headband?' she thought, a bit perplexed. 'That's what he wanted?'

"Hey you," said Naruto, cracking his neck audibly as he got to his feet, "the freak with no eyebrows. Put this in your damn Bingo Book, bub: The shinobi who will become Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, he never backs down." Naruto emphasized this by cinching on his hitai-ite tightly. "His name's Naruto Uzumaki-Howlett and he's the best at what he does!"

'Heh, and I thought he was all talk,' Tazuna observed from his position behind Sakura and Sasuke. 'This kid's got some guts after all.'

"Alright Sasuke, listen up," said Naruto, flicking out his plasma claws as he spoke. "I've got a plan for how we can beat this guy."

'Oh, now he's got a plan?' thought the Uchiha sarcastically. "Okay, let's hear it."

Out on the surface of the lake, Zabuza watched them as Naruto explained his plan, none of which he or his clone could hear at such a distance. 'That little brat with the claws is a persistent one,' he thought as he observed them silently.

"Okay gang," said Naruto as he finished explaining his plan and turned back to face his opponents. He then slammed his fist against his opposing hand and activated his clothes' Unstable Molocules, changing them into his X.S.E uniform as he had during the Bell Test. "Now, let's go wild!"

"Heh," smirked Zabuza, "pretty big talk from such a little man."

"What are you going, I told you to run!" Kakashi shouted at them desperately. "This fight was over the moment I got caught, now take off! Your mission isn't to prove how brave you are, it's to save Tazuna!"

Tazuna looked at the kids in front of him for a moment. All three of them were putting their lives on the line for him, even after he'd gotten them into this mess in the first place. Somehow, he knew that these kids would win no matter what. Sensing his gaze, Naruto and Sasuke looked back at him over their shoulders, wondering what he would say. "This all happened because of me," said the bridge builder after a moment, "because of my desire to live, but I won't let that stand in your way. Forget about me, do what you have to do to save your sensei."

Naruto nodded in compliance and turned back to face his opponent. "Alright, you ready Sasuke?"

"Ready when you are, dobe," responded the Uchiha heir.

At that moment, Zabuza began laughing maniacally and uncontrollably, which caught their attention. "You really haven't learned anything, have you?" he finally asked a mocking tone in his voice. "Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja." All of a sudden, the Zabuza bushinn flickered into view in front of Sasuke and elbowed him hard in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. It then slammed the back of its forearm into the center of Sasuke's back, sending him crashing face-first into the ground. "Heh, you're a joke," it scoffed, kicking the Uchiha heir in the ribs as it took hold of it's sword to finish him off.

"Hold it right there!" Naruto yelled, forming a hand seal with his clawed hands. "Kage Bushinn no Jutsu!" Instantaneously, fifteen shadow clones appeared and tackled the Zabuza bushinn, forcing it to focus on him instead of Sasuke. Once Sasuke was safe, Naruto and his clones dog piled the Mizu bushinn, attempting to bury it under a mass of bodies. But, this clone was no push over. With an angry roar and a swing of its massive sword, it hurled the clones and Naruto through the air with incredible force, causing all of the kage-bushinn to dispel. Naruto managed to right himself midair and produced a series of folded blades from his backpack. "Yo teme, heads up!" he shouted, landing in a crouch and tossing the blades at Sasuke, who caught them one-handed.

Sasuke grinned at Naruto in approval and unfolded the blades in the blink of an eye, causing them to form a massive fuma shuriken. He brought the shuriken's blades to eye-level and glared over them at the nuke-nin. "Akki Kaze Shuriken, Fuusha no Kage (Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Shadows)!" he hissed ominously. He vanished for a second, then flickered into view high above his team and launched the shuriken at the bushinn with all his might. However, just before it struck the clone, it veered around it and shot straight for the real Zabuza.

"Heh, so you bypass the bushinn and aim for my real body," smirked Zabuza. "Smart, but not smart enough." With his free hand, he reached out plucked the whirling metallic fan out of the air, spinning it mockingly around his index and middle fingers. Sadly, his moment of triumph didn't last long, as he noticed a second shuriken closing in on him with surprising speed. 'Clever, using the Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Shadow Shuriken Jutsu) to deceive me.' Just as the spinning projectile neared him, Zabuza jumped in place, allowing the shuriken to pass harmlessly beneath him. "Ha! You brats will never get the best of me, especially with a shurike- WHAT?!"

Much to the surprise of both Zabuza and Kakashi, the shuriken disappeared in a puff of smoke a few yards away from him, revealing Naruto in its place, still flying backwards with all ten of his claws leveled at nuke-nin. "Take this," proclaimed the young X-Man, "Gatling Claw!" With that idiom as his opponent's only warning, Naruto loosed a huge barrage of plasma claws at Zabuza, one after another in rapid succession until there were roughly 40 of them flying his way. Just as the glowing blades were almost upon him, Zabuza yanked his arm free of the water prison that held Kakashi and leapt aside to avoid them, his bushinn dispelling as he did so. Two of the claws found their mark however: one carved a long, jagged groove along the metal of his hitai-ite; the other sliced a deep cut underneath his right eye that would most likely scar.

"I'll destroy you!" the nuke-nin roared as he charged Naruto, the shuriken he had caught moments ago spinning like a miniature helicopter in his left hand. Only moments away from killing the blonde, Zabuza found his weapon stopped short by a very wet and very angry Kakashi. His sensei's intervention bought Naruto enough time to teleport back to shore in a burst of inky black smoke. Bamf!

"Alright!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he reappeared next to Sasuke. "I think we just reinvented my dad's Fastball Special, Konoha style!"

"Not bad dobe," replied Sasuke with a smirk, "not bad at all."

"Nicely done you two," said Kakashi as he wrenched the shuriken free from Zabuza's grasp and tossed it away. "That was an excellent plan."

Cursing himself for being so careless as to set Kakashi free, Zabuza leapt back a ways and began to weave an intricate and complex series of hand seal. Kakashi did the same, his hands moving at the same blinding speed, yet never failing to perform the correct seal as his opponent continued formulating his jutsu. After fifty some hand seals, both Jounin finished on the bird seal and immediately, the water around them began to foam and churn violently. On the shore, Team 7 and Tazuna looked on in awe as a large dragon made of water appeared behind both combatants.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)!" they both shouted, their creations rushing at one another viciously. In an incredible explosion of water, both dragons collided with each other and dispersed, showering the surrounding area in a refreshing drizzle.

'Wow, so many hand seals and he mirrored them all perfectly,' mused Naruto in amazement. 'So this is the power of the Sharingan.'

Growing even more enraged at the ease at which Kakashi was able to mimic his jutsu, Zabuza rushed the Copy-nin and brought his sword down on him, only to have it blocked by his opponent's kunai. Both of them glared at one another for a moment, each straining behind their blades to gain the upper hand. Then they pushed off their opponent's blade and backed off a distance, circling each other like two lions. It was then that Zabuza saw it: when he stopped, Kakashi also stopped. When he attempted to use his Kiri Gakure no Jutsu, so did Kakashi. 'My movements,' he realized as he slowly formed another seal, watching Kakashi do the same. 'It's as if... as if he knows what I'm-'

"-Going to do next?" Kakashi said, finishing his opponent's 'secret thoughts'.

'What?!' thought Zabuza in surprise. Was he reading his mind as well? Perplexed, the nuke-nin formed another seal. Again, Kakashi did the same thing, at the same time. 'He looks at me with that eye...'

"It makes you furious, doesn't it?" mocked the silver-haired Jounin.

"Heh, all you're going is copying me like a monkey."

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks!" growled both Jounin in unison. "I'll crush you!"

Unable to think clearly through his anger, Zabuza began going through a series of seals for one of his more potent water jutsu. Half way through the formula, he looked up at Kakashi to see him doing the same, only there was something different this time. Standing directly behind the Copy-nin was-

'Th-that's me!' he exclaimed mentally as he saw what appeared to be himself standing behind Kakashi. 'But how, is it a genjutsu?!'

As he stood there, unmoving and dumbfounded, Kakashi continued performing the seals for the jutsu Zabuza had begun, the tome of his Sharingan eye spinning wildly. The effect was nigh hypnotic, he couldn't break the Copy-nin's gaze! "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu)!" Kakashi shouted, completing the jutsu. In the air before him, a swirling vortex formed, about the size of a small elephant. Without warning, it shot out with incredible speed, bearing down on a very surprised Zabuza.

"WHAT?! Impossible!" protested the nuke-nin, seconds before he was struck by the wall of water. It carried him for half a mile before slamming him into a sturdy tree. The effects of the jutsu had not only sent Zabuza reeling, but also submerged the surrounding area around the two in five feet of water. As the water level began to recede a moment later, Zabuza attempted to stand, coughing as he did so. Adding to his already full day of surprises, five kunai stuck him in the chest, knocking him back against the tree. It was then that he noticed that Kakashi had teleported to a branch above him, another kunai at the ready. "H-how?" coughed Zabuza. "Can you... see into the future?"

"Yes," replied Kakashi coolly. "You're going to die."

Suddenly, before Kakashi could say another word, a pair of senbon shot out of trees and buried themselves into the back of Zabuza's neck. Amazed and caught off guard, Kakashi and Team 7 turned to were the needles had originated from. They were greeted by the sight of what appeared to be a young ninja standing on a nearby tree branch, garbed in a blue and green gi and sea green pants, his face hidden behind a mask that bore the same symbol as Zabuza's hitai-ite.

"You were right," he said behind his mask. "He did die."

Intrigued, Kakashi leapt down from his perch and placed his fingers on the side of Zabuza's neck. There was no pulse whatsoever. 'He really is dead.'

"Thank you very much," said the ninja with a deep bow. "I have been trailing Zabuza for weeks, waiting from an opportune moment to strike and kill him."

"That mask...," said Naruto thoughtfully, willing his costume back to its civilian form. "If memory serves, that makes you a hunter-nin from Kirigakure no Sato, right?"

"Your memory serves you well," replied the hunter-nin gently, a hint of a smile in his voice.

'Hmm,' thought Kakashi in curiosity. 'From his height and voice, he's about the same age as Naruto and the others. How is it that a thirteen-year-old was able to become a member of the Kirigakure no Sato Assassination Corps? He's no ordinary kid.'

As everyone continued to stare at the hunter-nin silently, Sasuke gave the newcomer a sidelong glare. Something about this ninja wasn't quite right. Ignoring Sasuke's gaze altogether, the masked ninja silently vanished in a icy cold whirlwind of leaves and reappeared next to Zabuza's body. With a show of surprising strength for his small stature, he hefted the nuke-nin's unmoving frame over his shoulder and turned to leave.

"Thank you again for your assistance," he said. "I must leave now to properly dispose of this corpse. Excuse me." And with that, the mysterious ninja and Zabuza's body disappeared from sight.

"Whew," Kakashi sighed, moving his hitai-ite back to its original spot over his eye, "I'm glad that's over."

"Now that was interesting," said Tazuna as the fog began to clear. "Never expected that to happen."

"I don't think anyone did," replied Sakura.

"Anyhow, good job you three," Kakashi beamed at his students. "You did an exceptional job in both engaging the enemy and protecting Tazuna. That was an impressive display of teamwork. Now that our unexpected guest is no longer with us, we should be on our way." With that, the Copy-nin yawned and promptly collapsed on the forest floor.

"Kakashi-sensei!" exclaimed the kids as they rushed to their teacher's side.

"Give me some room," Sakura told the boys as she looked over her sensei's vitals. As a kunoichi, she had not yet learned any medical ninjutsu, but she still knew a thing or two when it came to medicine in general. A few seconds later, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the others. "He's alright, just suffering from chakra exhaustion and physical exhaustion as well. All he needs is some rest and he'll be back on his feet in a few days."

"Okay, we'd better get Tazuna home," Sasuke reasoned as he stood. "Naruto, can you and some of your clones help carry Kakashi while Sakura and I guard Tazuna?"

"Heh, I can do you one better, teme," replied Naruto, performing another Kage Bushinn no Jutsu. Two clones appeared in a puff of smoke and propped the unconscious Jounin between them, supporting him with their shoulders. "This way all three of us can protect Tazuna without having to worry about who's looking after Kakashi-sensei."

"Fair enough," agreed the Uchiha heir, turning his attention to their client. "Alright Tazuna-san, lead the way."

'Hmp, I guess these kids aren't half bad after all, especially the blonde and the moody one,' Tazuna thought contently. "Okay, let's go. We've only got five miles until we reach my daughter's house." With that, the group continued on their way, only this time more observant.

A couple of hours later, Kakashi awoke to find himself underneath some blankets in someone's house. 'Ugh,' he groaned. 'My head feels worse than it does after listening to Gai ramble about 'youth'. That man needs so serious help.'

"Are you alright?"

Kakashi looked up to see that the voice had come from a fairly attractive woman, who seemed to be in her twenties, with dark hair kneeling beside him. "I'm fine," he replied weakly. "My name is Kakashi by the way."

"I am Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. My father told me about all that happened and I cannot thank you and your students enough for keeping him safe." She bowed to him respectfully as she spoke.

"We are happy to help," Kakashi said humbly. "Could you tell me where my students are now?"

"Look no further Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto off to his left. Beside the young X-Man sat Sakura and Sasuke, both of whom were still in one piece, much to his relief. At the foot of the tatami mat he lay on was Tazuna, who was also in good health. "It'll take more than some Hydro-Man wannabe to take us down," continued the blonde, "you can believe that."

"How are you feeling, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura, her voice brimming with concern.

"As well as can be expected," the Copy-nin replied with a sigh. "It'll probably take me a few days to recover, but when I'm a little stronger, I have a special training regiment that you three will need to practice. Until then, you should focus on getting to know the layout of the area, the town, and the bridge as well, just to be safe."

"Gotcha," nodded Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura agreed as well. Until Kakashi was better, familiarizing themselves with their surroundings would help them have more of an edge up on their opponents if the time ever came. As he laid back down and mulled over their recent battle, Kakashi thought about the Hunter-nin that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere just as he was about to kill Zabuza. It was then that the truth of the matter became clear in his mind. 'Damn it!' he swore mentally. 'How could I have missed that?!'

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, what's up?" asked Naruto, having noticed the Jounin's expression.

"We had better begin your training as soon as we can," replied Kakashi grimly. "Zabuza is still alive."

"WHAT?!" shrieked his students in disbelief.

"When a Hunter-nin takes a victim's corpse, they eliminate their remains on the spot," explained the Copy-nin. "Yet, what did our masked friend do with Zabuza's body?"

"He took it with him," answered Naruto, his teacher's reasoning starting to click in his mind. "Usually, a Hunter-nin will dispose of a body on site, destroying it so thoroughly that there wouldn't be even ashes remaining."

"Exactly," Kakashi continued. "Also, if their commander required proof of their target's demise, they would take the head as it is easier to carry than the entire body." He noticed that his last statement had brought a queasy look to Sakura's face. "Another reason that Zabuza is alive is because the boy used senbon needles to do him in. Normally, these needles aren't used in assassinations since they don't penetrate deeply. However, they are used in acupuncture and shiatsu techniques to relax the body. The spots in Zabuza's neck where he was hit would've put him in a death-like state, one that I couldn't see through and that would render him bedridden for days."

"So that ninja was trying to save Zabuza, not kill him," Sasuke observed, rubbing at his eyes, which had started to itch again. He reached for his eye-drops and swiftly applied a bit of solution to either eye, blinking a couple of times to get it working. 'I knew there was something funny about that guy.'

"And that means that we'll get to have a rematch with him and Zabuza sometime soon," Sakura interjected.

"Excellent," grinned Naruto, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "I can't wait."

Before Sakura or Kakashi could respond, a young boy entered the room. Upon seeing Tazuna, his face lit up and he ran over to tackle the old man in a loving hug. "Grandpa!" the child exclaimed happily. "You're okay! I was afraid I was never gonna see you again."

Tazuna smiled warmly and returned the boy's hug. "I'm fine Inari," he reassured the boy, turning to face Team 7. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my grandson, Inari. Inari, the fellow lying on the mat over there is Kakashi, and those are his teammates, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. They helped protect me, and they're going to stick around to help me finish the bridge and get rid of Gatou once and for all."

At hearing this, Inari looked Team 7 over with piqued interest. "You're here to fight Gatou?" he asked in a confused manner.

"Yep," Naruto nodded proudly. "All four of us have sworn to protect your grandfather with our lives, and help you guys finish the bridge for your country. I guess you could say we're being kinda heroic."

Something that Naruto had said caused the boy to send the group a hurt look, appearing to be on the verge of tears. "You're an idiot," he said coldly. "Heroes? There's no such thing! Gatou's thugs are gonna tear you guys apart."

"What'd you say?!" Naruto growled, getting to his feet with the intent of clobbering Inari. Luckily for the boy's sake, Sakura quickly put Naruto in a headlock and held him back.

"Naruto, calm down!" she reasoned, but he still kept talking.

"Listen," the blonde continued, "you're looking at someone who's just risked his neck to save your grandfather, and the next Hokage of Konohagakure! This Gatou guy doesn't have a prayer, no matter how much muscle he's got to back him up!"

"I don't care who the heck you are!" Inari shot back indignantly. "You're just gonna end up dead, just like everyone else who crosses Gatou!" With that, Inari stormed out of the room, fists clenched in frustration at his sides. As he left, he slammed both the sliding doors shut with an impressive sounding thwack!

"Inari!" Tsunami called after her son, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Tazuna sighed audibly and shook his head sadly. "I am truly sorry. Please, forgive my grandson's rude behavior," he asked to the group. "There are... reasons for his outburst though."

"I guess I should be used to crap like this by now," Naruto grumbled under his breath, shrugging off Sakura's hold. "Excuse me for a sec." He stood up and exited the room, hoping to catch up with Inari and try to explain (calmly this time) that they hadn't come all that way just to die. Though the boy's attitude did press his annoyance vein a bit to the red, he knew that there had to be a reason for it.

Naruto's acute sense of smell told him that Inari had run up to the second floor, most likely were his room was. Sure enough, as he reached the top of the stairs he saw a door near the end of the hallway with 'Inari' carved onto it in small characters. As he neared the door, Naruto's ears picked up a faint sound coming from within the boy's room. Gently pressing his ear to the wood, he realized that it was sobbing.

"(Sniffle) Daddy...," came Inari's heart-broken voice from behind the door. The poor kid was bawling his eyes out.

Both saddened and embarrassed at once, Naruto backed away from the door and stood there for a moment. True, he'd never lost his adopted father, and he'd never known his biological father; yet, deep down, Naruto knew exactly how Inari felt. A long time ago, he'd lost someone that close to him too, someone he'd called …family. Pushing those memories out of his head, he turned and headed back downstairs, deciding that it would be better to talk to Inari later on. He wasn't leaving anytime soon.

Aw, poor Inari... No worries folks, things will turn around for this kid soon enough. Now, don't tune out just yet gang, because the next chapter will be quite a surprise for you. Get rady for the ultimate twist, as a certain shinobi finally gains their latent mutant abilities! Who will this future X-Man (or X-Woman) be, what are their abilities, and what is to become of Zabuza and Haku you ask? Stay tuned to find out!