Naruto

"Looks like we're here," Kureiga whispered as he looked over his shoulder. I looked towards my left to see something in the fog.

"Is that the bridge," I asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tazuna nod. The bridge looked simple enough. It looked to be made out of stone, and it was supported by multiple pairs of round columns. "That's awesome, dattebayo."

"Thanks," Tazuna said. "But it will be a lot more awesome once it's finished, provided you can keep me alive."

"No worries," Kakashi said. "You're in good hands." I turned towards Tazuna and nodded fiercely in agreement. I meant what I said earlier. I wanted to make sure I wasn't burden, and this mission was a chance to show that I could hold my own.

The boat finally came to a stop in front of a small beach that to a path through a forest.

"I guess this is our stop, huh?" Kureiga said to the ferryman. The ferryman nodded.

"This is as far I go," he said. "I'll leave everything else in your hands." The whole team nodded as the six of us, including Tazuna, jumped off the both. I landed in the shallow water, splashing as I did so. I stood there for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of the water running between my toes before I walked onto the beach and followed everyone onto the pathway.

"Kakashi-sensei?" I said when I caught up to him. Kakashi turned his head towards me. "Can you tell me about the Land of Waves?"

"How do I say this?" he said for a moment. "This whole island is the Land of Waves. It's rather small, compared to other countries, as you can obviously guess. It's a tropical place, and it rarely snows here, even in the winter." He looked up at the sky in thought. "I guess, weather-wise, it's not that much different from the Land of Fire." He then looked back at me. "Why so curious?"

"It's my first time being outside the walls of Konoha, dattebayo." I said. "I want to know as much as possible about the places I visit." Kakashi smiled as he placed his hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

"You've really grown up in a very interesting way," he said. I looked up at him and smiled. I then blinked.

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei? About the training you set up with Gai-sensei…"

"How has that been going, by the way?" he asked.

"It's going well. I just… wanted to say thank you, dattebayo." Kakashi chuckled.

"No problem."

We walked along the path, with all of us staying quiet. It was actually kind of unnerving. I wasn't used to staying quiet for so long. I looked over at Sakura, who had all of her attention on Sasuke. I frowned at the sight. I really didn't get it. Why did she like him over me? He didn't pay her any attention and he was a jerk to everyone. It just didn't make sense to me.

I taken out of my thoughts by a sudden feeling felt in my stomach. I came to a stop before looking around.

"Short Stack, what's going on?" Kureiga said. The rest of the group came to a stop, looking back at me.

"Something's wrong," I whispered as I reached behind my back and dipped my hand in one of my pouches that was on my belt. "I think we're being followed, dattebayo."

"Again?" Kureiga said as Sasuke pulled out a kunai from his holster. I heard a rustle in the bushes to my right. I quickly pulled out a kunai and threw it into the bushes. The rest of my team convened on the area, weapons readied.

"Come on out, wussy," Kureiga taunted as he slashed at the bush. The bush rustled again before a white rabbit jumped out of it and ran up the path. Kureiga looked at it intently. I was about to ask him what was wrong before I felt a sudden hit pain on the top of my head. I immediately grabbed my head before I looked in front of me to see Sakura glare at me.

"Baka!" she said bitterly. "You made us get all riled up for nothing!"

"STOP ACTING LIKE A MORON!!!" Tazuna added.

"But Sakura-chan, someone is really following us, dattebayo!" I pleaded, totally ignoring Tazuna. However, Sakura raised her fist again.

"Kakashi –sensei," Kureiga said suddenly. We all looked at Kureiga, who was still staring up the path. "Didn't you say that the Land of Waves is a tropical island whose weather is not that much different from the Land of Fire?"

"That is true," Kakashi replied. "I take it you noticed something about the rabbit, too?" Kureiga nodded.

"What's a white rabbit doing in a tropical place like this?"

That's when we saw it. A huge blade flew out of nowhere, imbedding itself into a tree, high up on the trunk. Then instantly, a figure showed up, standing on top of the blade. He wore light blue pants with black pinstripes running up and down them. He seemed to have some kind of belt going diagonally across his back (Kureiga would later tell me that was the sheath for the ridiculously large sword that he was standing on). His sandals were almost knee high, having a black and white cow pattern to it, along with the matching sleeves that covered his forearms. He turned his head towards us, and I saw that he had black hair, with his hitai-ite turned to the side, with the metal piece on the side of his head. The bottom of his face was wrapped in cloth, keeping his mouth hidden. The most notable thing I noticed about the part of his face that was visible was his lack of eyebrows.

"Impressive," he said. "I guess you kids aren't as idiotic as you look."

"Who in the hell are you?" Kureiga yelled out as he reached into one of his holsters and pulling out a pair or shuriken.

"..." The figure glared at Kureiga for a moment. "I'm Zabuza. You should really watch how you talk to your elders," the mysterious figure said. "Especially those who can kill you without a moment's notice." Kureiga merely scoffed as I started to reach behind my back, reaching for a kunai of my own.

"You say that, but you're way up there while we're down here. Honestly, do you think you impress me, having your shirt off and standing on top of a huge blade? The only thing that tells me is that a certain area is lacking equip-"

"That's enough!" Kakashi said. "Surround Tazuna!"

"But Sensei," I protested. He looked back at me.

"That's an order, Naruto!" Kakashi brought his hand towards his hitai-ite. He then lifted it up, revealing his left eye. My eyes widened in surprised.

His left eye, unlike his right eye, was red. And around his pupil were three red spots. They looked like apostrophes. Sasuke also saw the eye and were pale at the sight of it.

"Ah… so you have the infamous Kakashi with you…" Zabuza said.

"Infamous?" Sakura said as she backed away towards Tazuna.

"Do you not know about your own comrade?" I looked over at Kakashi. "Amongst the Leaf is one of the most dangerous ninja's alive, a man who possesses an eye that belongs to a certain bloodline. That bloodline is that of the Uchiha Clan." Kureiga, Sakura, and I turned towards Sasuke. His eyes were still locked on Kakashi. "That eye is the Sharingan."

"Sharingan?" I said. "What's that, dattebayo?"

"It's a doujutsu… an eye technique," Sasuke said. "It allows the user to see chakra flow in a person. It can also see through genjutsu and allow the user to be able perceive things much more clearly."

"And that's not all," Zabuza said. "Because of that little eye Kakashi has, he is a able to copy an technique he wishes. That's how he got his name: The Copy Ninja, the man who knows over one thousand jutsus."

"What?!" Kureiga yelled out before turning towards Kakashi, eyes widened.

"That may be a little bit exaggerated," Kakashi said. "But I know all about you, too. Zabuza, infamous Demon of the Mist. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"You already know why I'm here," Zabuza said. "It's nothing personal. But my client wants this man dead."

"I guess that's too fucking bad," Kureiga said as the four of us moved to surround Tazuna. I was to his left, while Sakura was to his right. Kureiga was behind Tazuna as Sasuke stood in the front. "You're not touching him."

"Really?" Zabuza said calmly he crouched down and grabbed the hilt of his ridiculously large sword. "I beg to differ." In a flash, he disappeared.

Kureiga

I am a trash talker, and I'm a wiseass. And I'm proud about being both a trash talker and wiseass. Always have been, and always will be. But with that said, there were a few times I wished I kept my mouth shut. And this was one of them.

"Over there, on the water!" Sakura yelled out. I didn't bother moving from my position to see what she was talking about.

As we stood, surrounding the Tazuna, I started to get scared again. I couldn't shake the feeling that this Zabuza guy was a lot more dangerous than those Demon Brothers that Kakashi left tied to a tree. From my position, I couldn't tell what was happening. However, I knew something was up when the mist started appear in the air. Normally, I would care less about mist in the air. However, the mist was so thick that I had a hard time seeing everything three feet in front of me.

"Eight choices!" I heard a voice say. The mist became thicker, reducing my range of vision. It clicked in my head. This mist wasn't some random occurrence. It was a jutsu being used by that guy. "Liver, lungs. Clavicle vein, spine. Neck vein, brain. Heart, kidneys. Which one should I choose?"

"Fuck you!" I yelled out.

"I guess I'll start with you!"

In a flash, Zabuza was in front of me, sword poised to slice me in two. Even to this present day, that moment still ranks on my list of the scariest moments in my life as a shinobi. I remembered when my dad would used to tell me scary stories, during Halloween, of a demon whose size was only eclipsed by the sword he carried, and I felt like I was sucked into one of those stories. As the blade neared me, I legitimately thought that I was going to die on my first mission.

However, before the sword could reach me, Kakashi appeared in front of me in a flash, with his hand wrapped around the front strap of Zabuza's sheath. Zabuza was then flung over Kakashi's head. I looked over my shoulder to see that the Tazuna was safe. I scowled in anger at myself.

"Kureiga," I heard Kakashi say. I looked up at him. He gave me a smile. "Don't be afraid. I won't let my comrades die." I gave him a tight frown before I nodded. My eyes then widened as Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi."

"Sensei, watch out!" I yelled out. But it was too late. In an instant, Zabuza swung the huge sword as if it was a kendo stick. Kakashi's top half rose slightly as his body was sliced in two. However, his body dissolved into water.

"He copied me?!" Zabuza said in disbelief. In an instant, Kakashi (the real one) reappeared behind Zabuza. He reached around and pressed a kunai to the enemy ninja's throat.

"It's over," Kakashi said. Zabuza shoulders quivered as he chuckled at the statement.

"Over?" he said. "It's over? Do you honestly think you can defeat me with such a monkey technique?!" Zabuza dissolved into water, which fell to the ground.

"Behind you, Sensei!" I heard Naruto say. In an instant, Zabuza was behind Kakashi. Kakashi looked over his shoulder to Zabuza swung his sword. Kakashi ducked, narrowly dodging the attack. However, Zabuza redirected the sword, making the blade slice into the dirt. He then used the blade to stop his momentum as he swung a kick towards Kakashi side, which landed with enough force to send Kakashi flying to a lake I didn't even know was nearby. Kakashi skidded across the lakes surface before digging his hands into it, with Zabuza diving in to the lake of water after him. Kakashi stood up, looking towards land to try and find Zabuza. However, Zabuza rose up behind, the water around Kakashi rose and surrounded him, trapping him in a nigh-perfect sphere, with Zabuza's hand inside of the orb of water.

Sasuke

Another part of the water rose and formed a figure. After a few moments, it took on the looks of Zabuza. I scowled.

"Another water clone?" I said in a irritated tone.

"So you are the people they sent with Kakashi to protect Tazuna," the clone said in disbelieving tone. "Pathetic." This irritated me even more. It was one thing to be talked down to. But to be talked down through a clone was one of worse disrespects one could commit.

"Yeah, we're the ones who were sent," Kureiga said. "Remember, we're Leaf-nin?"

"Leaf-nin?" the clone repeated. I slowly inched my hands towards my holster. "You actually call yourselves ninja? Do you know what a real ninja is? A real ninja is someone who had many brushes with death and survives. What you done? Chase around a cat across a landscape?" I remained silent, as did the rest of us. There was nothing we could say to that last statement. "You all are just a bunch of punks running around with headbands and ninja tools."

"Punk this!" I yelled out as I pulled out three shuriken and threw them at the clone. The clone disappeared. I looked around, trying to find him before I felt a huge kick to my left side. My body angled as it left the ground for a few moments before I fell to the ground. I looked up to see Kureiga caught in the air in mid-kick by the clone, with one hand. With that same hand, the clone promptly slammed him into the ground, face first.

"Stupid punk," he said. "Do you really think that would work on me?" I then heard the sounds of mini-explosions. I looked up at the sky to see a whole swarm of Naruto's falling from it. "Bunshin? You think regular bunshin could - ?" He was caught off guard when a clone managed to land a kick across his jaw. The Zabuza-cloned staggered backward before catching his footing as the rest of the Naruto's fell on the ground. "So, you managed to learn such a technique…" The clone then drew his sword and, with speed that defied logic when you considered the size of the weapon, slashed threw the hordes clones in mere seconds. "Too bad it didn't work out." He slammed the hilt of the sword into Naruto's gut. Naruto fell over on his knees. Zabuza then knelt down next to Naruto as he favored his stomach and spoke.

"Allow me to tell you a little story," Zabuza said. "Back in Kirigakure, the ninja academy used to do something a little special for their graduates. You see, each of the graduates would be paired off one by one. Then they would fight each other to the death. The survivor of each pair would then go on to become genin. It was because of this method that Kiri's academy was known as The Slaughterhouse. One by one, students kill the same person that they eat with, learned with, and shared their dreams with. Now tell me, how would you react if I told you I was the only graduate of my class? And the best part is… I wasn't even a graduate at the time. The instructors called me a prodigious murderer." I watched as Naruto trembled with fear. I couldn't blame him. "I always keep a bingo book on me. In that book is a list of people who deserved the right to be called a shinobi. And until you make that list, you're nothing to me."

Zabuza then performed what was, arguably, the most disrespectful thing one shinobi could do to another. He reached down and pulled one end of Naruto's hitai-ite, undoing the knot that kept it tied to his head. Then, with the end of the fabric still in the grip of his finger and thumb, he pulled it off of Naruto. My eyes widened at such a display. The clone then turned and walked away.

"Kureiga… Sasuke… Naruto…." My eyes turned back towards Sakura as she ran to our side. A part of me started to simmer as I wondered where she was this whole time. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good Sakura," Kureiga replied. He was on his knees, rubbing his face, which was covered bloodied scrapes and bruises. "Though he was kind of harsh." He then looked over at Naruto. "How about you, Short Stack? Are you okay?" Naruto groaned for a moment before bringing himself to his feet. He then looked forward at the clone of Zabuza, who was walking towards Tazuna, who had his back against a tree.

"I have a plan…" I heard him say in a growl. "I have a plan, dattebayo."

"Plan?" Kureiga said. "We could use one. Whatcha got in mind?"

"I'm going to need all three of you guys for this…"

As he went over the details of his plan, I was actually impressed by his ability to formulate one. Granted, the plan had some flaws that could be exploited, but under the circumstances, it more than forgivable.

"Alright, let's do this before Tazuna becomes a butcher meat," Kureiga said as he brought his hands together into seals with turning towards Zabuza's direction. "Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!" He brought his right hand outwards and aimed towards the clone's feet. The clone looked towards Kureiga before leaping out of the way as the blue stream of lightning flew through the air, leaving Tazuna to take the hit. The bolt struck the ground and enveloped the area in a blue-white flash. Once the flash dissipated, two charred logs were left on the ground.

"Did I not just say you're not touching him?" Kureiga taunted. He then looked over his right shoulder to see Sakura standing behind him, holding up Tazuna.

"You got lucky, punks," he said coolly.

"Really?" Kureiga said. "Write this in your Bingo Book. 'Team 7: Bunch of punks that managed to handle a missing-nin'."

"And what makes you think you're going to come out of this alive?"

"Why don't you ask my friend who's about to retrieve his hitai-ite?"

Before Zabuza could react, he was instantly covered in a swarm of Narutos, with one of them snatching the hitai-ite from Zabuza's hand and instantly tied around his head. However, Zabuza, showing his monstrous strength, shrugged off the clones, sending them flying towards me. One of them took off his back before disappearing, leaving the backpack to land at my feet. I smiled evilly as I picked up the knapsack and reached into it.

"So, you managed to acquire one of these," I said as I pulled out a Fuma Shuriken. "I must say, you have good taste in weapons." I spun the huge shuriken around my head, unfolding all of the blades. "Eat this!" I brought my arm backward before throwing the shuriken forward. As the huge shuriken flew through the air, the clone quickly jumped over it.

"Still using tricks, punk?" the clone said.

"I wasn't aiming for you, baka!" I replied back. The shuriken kept of flying through the air, zeroing in on my real target: The Real Zabuza. Zabuza eyes widened before he ducked underneath the bladed weapon.

"Nice try," Zabuza yelled out. I scoffed slightly as the shuriken burst into smoke, revealing it to be Naruto, who quickly threw three regular sized shuriken. This caused Zabuza to remove his hand from the water orb that trapped Kakashi. Naruto then dove into the water.

"Stupid punks!" Zabuza yelled out as he unsheathed his sword. However, his arm was promptly grabbed by Kakashi.

Kakashi

It's been a while since this happened. I was in a state I wasn't in for a quite a while.

Basically put, I was officially pissed off.

As I was stuck in Zabuza's Water Prison, I looked on as he not only talked down to my students, but talked down to them to my students through a clone. I saw his clone dispatch them one by one. And most importantly, he committed the one disrespect to Naruto that only the most vial of ninja deserved.

"They are not punks," I said. "They are ninja who not only thwarted your attempt to kill Tazuna, but they forced you release me from my prison." My eyes narrowed. "I would say that you should write their names in your bingo book, since they deserve the honor, but after what you did to them, you won't live long enough to get the chance." We both parted as we jumped backward. Each of us landed on top of the water surface again, putting seven feet between us.

"Big talk, Copy Ninja," Zabuza said. "But can you survive this?!" He brought his hands together in seals. I smiled underneath my mask, for I knew I was going to enjoy this. I felt my Sharingan activate as I brought my hands together, matching him seal for seal.

"WATER RELEASE: WATER DRAGON TECHNIQUE!" we both yelled at the same time. Behind each of us, a tall column rose up into the sky, forming into a dragon. Both of the dragons twisted through the sky before crashing into each other. As the water fell into the lake, Zabuza and I ran at each other. He had his Decapitating Knife drawn and brought downward. I immediately reached into my holster and pulled out a kunai. I slashed as his weapon with a resounding clang! We both struggled for leverage for a few moments before we parted again.

This was where things became fun.

As we parted again, I immediately mirrored his movements. His eyes widened again as we both run around the center of the lake in a circle. I inwardly smirked as he realized what was happening. I was matching him move for move. We stopped at the same time, and as he brought his right hand to his mouth in a seal and his left arm up into the sky, I mirrored those actions very well. He started to speak out loud. He was under my Sharingan's other ability: Hypnosis. He was thinking that he was merely thinking those thoughts of him, when in reality, he was speaking out loud.

"My movement... He's completely -" Zabuza started to say.

"- reading them," I completed for him.

"What? Did he just read my mind? Damn! That…"

"'…freaky eye is pissing me off.' Is that what you wanted to say?"

"Heh, all you are doing is copying me!"

"You can't beat me you monkey bastard!" we both said at the same time. He scowled.

"Damn… I'll make it so you never open that mouth again!" he said in frustration as he sped up the formation of his hand seals. He still didn't get it. While he was really forming them fast, my eye made it seem as if he was slowly introducing the concept of hand seals to an academy student. I matched him seal for seal again. This time, however, I adjusted my hypnosis, making him think I was no longer copying him. I knew what he was seeing. He was seeing an apparition of himself over my back, and he saw me being one seal ahead of him. Normally, I'd kill him already, but after what he did earlier, I wanted to make sure he remembered me when I sent him packing into the afterlife.

"WATER RELEASE: GRAND WATERFALL TECHNIQUE!" I yelled out. The water in the lake rose up as his eyes widened. As if it was some great flood, the water surged forward, pushing Zabuza back into the forest. The water flowed back into the lake, but Zabuza was flying through the air before slamming to the tree. In an instant, I jumped into the branch closest to Zabuza. Zabuza looked up at me with a look of fear. I felt a visceral joy from the sight.

"Can you see the future?" he asked me. I reach into his holster and pulled out a kunai.

"As a matter of fact I can," I said. "And I predict… that you're going to die soon."

Before I could land the finishing blow, two senbon needles flew through the air and plunged through Zabuza's neck. Zabuza fell forward, and I looked over at a tree to see a figure standing on another branch.

"I must say, your prediction was spot on," he said. The boy wore a white mask that had tiny slits for eyes. On the forehead was the symbol of the Hidden Mist, and the mask had a red swirl pattern on the bottom half of it. He had black hair, with two long bangs hanging at each side of the mask, with each tied at the end with white bands. He wore a grey-brown gown with a black pinstripe pattern. Over it was a black robe-like shirt with a white trim, tied at the waist by a scarf-like sash.

I dropped down from the branch and landed next to Zabuza's body. I flipped his body and I pressed my fingers against his jugular vein.

"No pulse," I said. "He really is dead." I then looked up at the figure on the branch. "You must be a Hunter-Nin."

"Hunter-Nin?" Kureiga said. I looked over my shoulder to see the rest of the group. To my relief, Tazuna didn't appear to even suffer a scratch. "What's that?"

"We hunt Missing-Nin," the hunter said. "I belong to The Mist. As such, I've been waiting for a chance to kill Zabuza for a while now. I really must thank you and your team."

"HEY!" Naruto yelled out, pointing upward at the Hunter-Nin. "Who the hell are you?!"

"What's with you, Short Stack?" Kureiga asked. Naruto turned towards him with a look of anger.

"Zabuza was just killed. A strong guy was just killed by him! A boy who is not even older than us! What does that say about us? Are we really that weak, dattebayo?!" I looked down at Naruto's fist to see them clenched. I frowned slightly before standing up and walking over to him. I then placed my hand on top of his head and ruffled his hair.

"I understand how you feel," I said. "But, in this world, there are people who are younger than you, but stronger than me." The four genin went silent. Naruto looked off to the side as Sasuke scowled. Kureiga looked up at the Hunter-Nin, shaking his head awe. Sakura looked up at me, trying to see if I was joking. I wasn't. In the world of ninja, age doesn't really mean anything. Sure, most of the time, an older ninja with more experience can trump a younger, less experienced one. However, as I learned in the past, it was not too uncommon for a ninja to face another one that was younger and less experienced then him, and yet be outmatched. Seeing my team's reactions to what I told them was like looking at an image of my younger self.

I turned back towards the Hunter-Nin to see her draping Zabuza's arm over her body.

"I really must go now," he said. "I really do thank you for engaging him. I will go dispose of his body, now. Farewell." They both disappeared in a puff smoke.

"Woo!" Kureiga yelled out. "Two ninja attacks on one mission. I think we're officially on B-ranked status."

"More like A, to tell the truth," I said. "Now, let's get going. We have to get Tazuna home safe."

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Tazuna yelled out. "Thanks a lot. Let's get home so you could relax!"

"That would be greatly appreciated," I said as I collapsed to the ground. "I used the Sharingan too much. Naruto, Kureiga, could you two carry me?"

Sakura

It took us a long while before we got to Tazuna's home. It wasn't a long way from where we were, but with Kureiga and Naruto carrying Kakashi-sensei, it took us a while to get there. During those moments, it was kind of tense. Even though Zabuza was dead, we were still on the lookout for anyone else who wanted to kill Tazuna, and with Kakashi in his state, we worry about protecting two people for the time being. However, we were able to reach his home without incident.

The home was very typical of one you would see in an island setting. It was made out of wood, and it was two stories, with the second story looking smaller than the first one, since it was housed some rooms. On the other side of the house was the sea, and there was a boardwalk that lead out to it.

Once we reached the home, we were greeted at the door by Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami. She was a somewhat tall woman, a few inches shorter than Kakashi-sensei. After seeing the state Kakashi was in, she was quick to grab a sleeping bag and prepare a room for him.

"Sensei, are you okay?" she asked Kakashi. The masked jounin merely nodded as he laid on his back in the sleeping bag.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "I just can't move from this sleeping bag for about a week."

"What?" I said as I crouched next to him. "The Sharingan is incredible, but if it drains you that much, then you should be careful about how you use it."

"Speaking of which…" Kureiga said. He was standing in the corner of a room, bandages covering the scrapes and bruises on his face. "How did you gain Sharingan in the first place? You're not even a Uchiha, are you?"

"…That's a story for another time," Kakashi said.

"If you say so." Kureiga sighed. "I'm just glad we don't have to worry about the big bad Zabuza anymore. That guy is just freakishly strong."

"That is to be expected." Kakashi sighed. "He was one of the members of the Seven Swordsmen of The Mist. Specializing in kenjutsu, they are the strongest jonin in Kirigakure. Each of them held a title and wielded a unique sword. In Zabuza's case, he was called the Demon of The Mist and he wielded the Decapitating Carving Knife, the weapon you saw him wield. Because of his methods of killing, it was made specifically for decapitating." Subconsciously, everyone else in the room, other than Sasuke, rubbed the side of their necks.

"Well, we do not have to worry about having our heads mounted on the wall." Kureiga laughed nervously at his own joke, obviously not finding such an occurrence favorable. "What are they going to do with his body anyway?"

"Hunter-Nin of the Mist doesn't only go after missing-Nin. Once they find and kill their target, they'll make sure that their body is disposed of completely, which resulted in their other name: Body-Erasers."

"Why is it such a big deal to dispose of their body that way?" I asked.

"Even in death, the body of a ninja could be very valuable to the enemy. The body of a ninja can hold many secrets about the village, amongst other things. If someone was to kill me and capture my body, they could learn the secrets of the Sharingan. Could you imagine fighting a whole army of Sharingan users?"

"That would be scary, dattebayo!" Naruto commented. He was sitting right next to Kureiga, who nodded in agreement.

"It is…" I said. "But… if all he is going to do is dispose of Zabuza's body, then why did she need to disappear with the body for?"

We all went silent when I said. No one said anything for a few minutes, but I had a feeling that we all knew the reason. We just didn't want to say it.

"What's wrong?" Tsunami said. In response, Kureiga put his face in his hands and let off a sound that sounded like a cross between a bitter laugh and a sad sob.

"He's not dead, is he?" he said. Kakashi slowly shook his head.

"It would appear that he is not dead after all," he said. "The weapons the Hunter used were senbon needles. They weren't weapons you would use if you want to guarantee a kill."

"But… how did he survive?!" Naruto said. "You said he was dead. You even checked him, dattebayo?!"

"There are certain… points in the neck that can be struck that can put someone in a death-like state. So, unfortunately, we're going to have to deal with Zabuza again in the near future." Kureiga scoffed slightly.

"…So, let me get this straight. We spent all that time fighting Zabuza, and he backdoors his way out from getting killed? If this isn't a Fuck My Life moment, I don't know what is." Normally, I'd punched him on the top of his head for his language. However, I couldn't quite blame him. He was in a bad mood, and for good reason. Zabuza was very scary. More scary than both of the Demon Brothers combined. We did everything we could to fight off that monster, only to find out we were going to have to face him again. "So, is there any good news?"

"Well, he shouldn't be able to move for a week. So, during that time, I'm going to put you through some special training as soon as tomorrow. But for now, rest."

Haku

I looked down at my tools on the ground. Each one of them had a specific purpose. I looked back down at the body, thinking about how I was going to start the process. I turned back to my tools and picked up a small scalpel.

"I'll start with the bandages," I said. "That way I can drain the blood." I brought the scalpel towards the cloth that covered his mouth. However, just before the blade made contact, a strong hand to grab my wrist. I looked into the eyes of Zabuza, who used his other hands lower the cloth covering his mouth.

"Don't bother," he said, his voice sounding gargled. His shark-like teeth was slightly pink from blood. "I'll do it myself." He released my hand as he sat up before he started coughing up and spitting out blood from his mouth. I frowned slightly as he took a few minutes to finish. He coughed one last time before looking at me. "Why do you still carry around that mask?"

"It reminds me of old times," I said as I removed it. "I didn't hurt you too much, did I?" He groaned slightly.

"No, but I wish you didn't use my neck as a strike point!" he said grumpily as he removed the two senbon needles.

"It's all I could do," I said simply. "It was the only pressure point I could hit, since you don't have a lot of hard muscle there. Besides… I didn't want to damage that beautiful body of yours." Zabuza looked over at me, narrowing his eyes.

"Haku… you really are too innocent for your own good." I merely smiled in reply. I then sighed.

"Unfortunately, you won't be able to move for at least a week." Zabuza scowled.

"That's fine. The bridge is still two weeks away from being finished. By that time, I'll kill them all." He tightened his fists. "And I'll take my time with that Copy Ninja. I'll slaughter all of his students in front of his face before I decapitate him."

Naruto

I struggled to breathe after Kureiga told his story. He turned towards me.

"You okay, Short Stack?" he asked rhetorically. "You look like you're in stitches."

"HAHAHAHA, we all are!" Tazuna said.

We were all in the dining room next to the kitchen later on that night. As we ate some rice and chicken, Kureiga was entertaining us all with some stories. We all laughed at them, except for Sasuke (though he did manage a small smile every now and again).

"One more, please?" Sakura asked. Everyone agreed.

"Okay," Kureiga said. "I'll give you one more. You see, a few years ago, back when we were still at the academy, I was sparring with Kiba. Basically, it was an all out spar. Ninjutsu, taijutsu… everything was allowed, barring weapons. So, we were really going at it, and it became an all out fight. Now, at the same time, back at the Kazama Pastry Shop, my dad was disposing on some extremely sticky dough. So, as usual, he pulls it around the side of the shop so it can be picked up by sanitation. Thing is, it's also where I keep my logs for substitution. So, Kiba was about to attack me with Tunneling Fang Technique, and I quickly used a substitution. But instead of a log taking my place, it was the sticky dough. Long story short, the instructors had to spend an hour to pull him out of the dough."

The whole room was in hysterics. Even Sasuke chuckled at that last statement.

"I'm not going to let Kiba live this one down, 'tebayo!" I yelled out.

"Excuse me, could you please keep it down?" I heard a voice say. We all became silent as we turned towards the source of the voice. It belonged to a short boy that wore a white shirt under black overalls. On top of his head were black hair and a blue and white brimmed hat. He was standing right in front of the starewell.

"Sorry Inari," Tsunami said. She then smiled. "I want you to meet some new friends of ours. They are ninja from Konoha. They are here to protect your grandfather." He turned towards us, looking at each of us one by one.

"They are all going to die," he said simply. He then turned around and walked upstairs. We all sat thre, dumbfounded.

"Did that just happen?" Kureiga said, scowling.

"Please forgive Inari," Tazuna said after a sip from his beer. "He's been that way since Kaiza died." Tsunami looked down at the ground in sadness. I frowned slightly.

"Kureiga, please come with me, dattebayo," I said as I stood up.

"Another spar?" he replied as he stood up. I nodded. The spar was all I could do to keep me from running into that boy's room and yelling at him.