Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the air I breathe :(
Chapter Sixteen
Long, Long Way From Home
Part II
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I was inside, looking outside
the millions of faces but still I'm alone
Waiting, I was over waitiiing
Paying the penance,
I was longing for home...
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Fifteen years ago, the Genin Wars practice was ended in the Sekiho corporation when a twelve year old brutally murdered all other rookies participating in the competition that year. The Yondaime Mizukage had kept it all under wraps at the time but the boy had been inducted into the ANBU and given a codename:
Fifteen years later, and Masa Chojuro was just now finding out why Momochi Zabuza was called the Demon of the Mist.
The first few strikes were sloppy, easy enough for the Mist operative to evade. It was only as he rushed in for the counter that the poor boy realised it had all been a setup.
Zabuza's elbow dug deep into his abdomen; forcing spittle from his mouth, and it was only through sheer force of will that the young boy managed to raise his sword, stopping his skull from being split in two.
The weight of the zanbatou forced him to his knees and he gasped in painful surprise when he realised that his opponent was still using just a single hand.
That gasp turned into a cry when Zabuza leered evilly before sending him flying with a thunderous back kick.
The youth crashed painfully into a stack of wood only to swerve out of the way - and not a moment too soon - as the kubikiri boucho was hurled after him; cleaving the oak pile into two perfect halves.
Chojuro rolled with the momentum, weaving through a series of handseals before vanishing in a thick cloud of smoke.
Zabuza guffawed, "This is hilarious, Kakashi! I don't know how you get these mice to do your bidding but surely, even you must have a conscience! Do you gain a perverse pleasure watching me take them apart limb by limb?..."
The hulking man picked up his fallen sword, "...because that's just twisted, you sick fuck - letting kids prance around fighting your battles! I think this one ran away to go pee hims..."
He turned abruptly; the same time Chojuro leapt out from the depths of a small puddle, trusty sword held at the ready.
'I see', Zabuaza mused, 'He performed the water hiding technique and used the smoke to conceal the fact. An impressive deception.'
The demon simply sidestepped the attack only for his eyes to widen in surprise when the sword glowed blue. Raising the boucho, he managed to parry the chakra blade in time, which pushed him back some distance.
'Flying swallow?'
"I-I did not run away", Chojuro spat, fury in his eyes, "I promised you'd die here and I'll make sure you do, you... you b-bastard!"
He brought his sword around and released another blade of chakra forcing his opponent to block once again. The blue streak hit the other sword, dispersing into smaller blades which left painful cuts all over Zabuza's sides.
The mist demon narrowed his eyes. If the boy wanted to play rough, he'd give him rough!
Twirling his sword, he sprited forward just as Chojuro unleashed another of his signature blades at him. The kubikiri boucho cut seamlessly through the attack; and Zabuza ignored the subsequent smaller cuts as he reached with his free arm, grabbing a thick hold of the boy's face.
"Nnngh!"
The youth responded with another swing of his katana - a move Zabuza countered by releasing his zanbatou and making a grasp at the offending blade; containing whatever attack Chojuro was about to release.
With a roar, he snapped the blade in half causing a great surge of chakra to explode outwards.
"You wish to know why I'm called the Demon of the Mist? Well then, let me show you!"
The bespectacled boy cried in pain as Zabuza smashed his skull into the ground; releasing a killing intent that almost seemed to topple the bridge with its force.
"This is my true strength, you stupid boy. This is why they fear me! This is why I'm master of the Kubikiri-boucho! And this is why they call me the blue Demon of the Sekihotai no Kiri!"
"Kakashi-san?" Tazuna looked strangely at the tall jonin who was now beginning to effuse thin threads of chakra.
"It's alright. Don't panic."
This was one of the reasons why the use of soldier pills were frowned upon so much in the world of the mercenaries. They put too much strain on the chakra coils and artificially forced the human body to metabolize more units. The side effects could range from anything like a migraine to a semi-conscious coma after the course of action, but prolonged use of the pill was known to cause terminal backlashes; with physiological trauma, dependency and irreparable chakra damage topping the list.
Kakashi didn't care much for the use of soldier pills but ever since the year-long skirmish between Fire and Earth Nation, he had come to always carry a single pill within a small bottle in his pouch. A single pill for moments like this in order to prevent similar mistakes that had happened all those years ago...
A single pill for Obito.
Zabuza was just about crushing the young operative's skull with his bare hand when he felt a brief disturbance directly behind him. Turning quickly, he managed to evade the sneak attack as the silver-haired jonin almost scored a kunai in his solar plexus. He dropped Chojuro in his haste and instead reached for his sword, eyeing his opponent warily.
"I see. You're finally ready to face me then, Sharingan Kakashi?"
The veins around his forehead became more pronounced and his eyes bulged out, signs of his unhealthy addiction ultimately showing through.
"After all this while, it seems we finally get a chance to finish our battle! Face me, Kakashi!"
"Chojuro", the jonin called, helping the shuddering boy to his feet, "You've done well but I'm afraid I must step in now. Take Tazuna and get some distance away from here. This is going to get ugly."
"A-arigatou, K-kakashi-s-san. But my teammates! I have to...!"
"Leave this one to me, Chojuro. Don't throw your life for nothing..."
The boy looked unsurely at him for a moment - then at his hands (which were still burned black) before leaping away. Kakashi sighed before raising the iqal over his left eye.
It was time he finished this.
Sharingan.
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Sasuke swerved as he avoided yet another of Haku's senbon attacks, a thin trail of blood running down his arm. He jumped back some distance and tried to assess his current situation.
Haku had barely moved so far, not even when he evaded Sasuke's earlier kunai and mono-wire attack.
The Uchiha cursed. He had always prided his speed above all else and it irked him to no end whenever he faced an opponent faster than he was. It undermined the amount of work he put into his training with Itachi...
"Are you done yet, Sasuke-san?"
"Hn." Of course, he still had the sharingan. If it came down to it, he'd activate it, consequences be damned.
He almost choked on his spit when the youth vanished and appeared before him, right arm extended to poke a senbon in his jugular.
His eyes flashed red.
"No!"
Sasuke's fist snapped forward, punching Haku's face violently but the youth recovered quickly, flipping backwards and extending a long leg.
The Uchiha smartly latched onto the offending appendage before bulleting his own fist which Haku also caught. The two were locked in a stalemate.
Sasuke had just begun smirking at the situation only for it to quickly turn into a frown when the older boy's foot smashed into the ground, sending water droplets flying into the air. At the same time, his free hand took to his side, moulding seals at an amazing rate.
Sasuke's eyes widened. One handed seals? How in the world?
The droplets turned into sharp shards of ice which all flew at the Uchiha, tearing towards him at point blank range. His captured fist prevented him from spinning away.
'Shit!', he cursed, hastily releasing Haku's leg. The icicles punctured his still body, spilling blood all over the wet ground.
Haku cocked his head to the side.
"Kuso."
Although hurt, Sasuke had managed to protect himself somewhat with an inflatable tube hidden within his weapons pouch. The doll-like Kakashi replica floated in front of the boy, having taken a considerable amount of damage.
"I see", Haku observed mildly, "You know your equipment very well, Sasuke-san. But it still won't be enough."
A flashkick tore into the Uchiha's midsection but he barely even grunted, choosing instead to leap backwards and pull on a string attached behind the doll.
The structure exploded outward with concussive force, releasing a torrent of kunai and shuriken at Haku.
Sasuke grinned. He had just now used up all of his weapons to pull off that trick. It was something he'd been working on while they had trained in the forest. Nii-san would have been proud.
His grin turned sour. From behind a solid wall of ice, Haku had stepped out, a single kunai sticking out of his left shoulder.
"Like I said before, you know your equipment well, Sasuke-san." The boy pulled the weapon out of his arm, "However..."
With a single one-handed seal, the puddles on the floor morphed into thin spears of ice; gathering moisture rapidly and rising to gigantic lengths, before racing towards a dumbfounded Uchiha.
Sasuke blinked as he found himself face down on the floor, an arm draped protectively over his form.
"You bastard!", Naruto cursed before sprinting through the distance, landing a square punch on the shocked boy's face.
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Haku tumbled on the ground for a short while before gently rising to his feet. A thin crack had developed on his mask from the force of the impact.
"What the hell, you sicko?", Naruto growled, "Who the hell do you think you are to attack my teammate like that?"
"Welcome, Naruto-kun."
The blonde paused, "You know my name? Who the fuck are you?"
"Dobe?", Sasuke asked, still in a transient state of shock, "Don't tell me you don't know who that is."
"And why should I know that?", Naruto asked incredulously, "I haven't seen him before!"
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose before whacking his friend upside the head.
"Dammit! What was that for?", he paused to eye his teammate, "Wow, you look like shit, Sauce-gay."
The brune scowled, "The Dozukis?"
Naruto whispered from the side of his mouth, "Heading somewhere safe with Pakkun. I'm hurt, what did you expect, teme?"
Before they could say anymore, Haku caught their attention.
"Sasuke-san, Naruto-kun, I'm glad you're safe but as I said before; I am simply a tool, so forgive me for what I must do."
"Naruto", Sasuke spoke rapidly, "lend me some of your weapons..."
"..."
"..?"
"...uh... I think I kinda lost my pouch back at the warehouse..."
Sasuke face-palmed. 'kami, what an idiot!'
"Look, Naruto", he began anew, "We have to be extremely careful. This guy possesses some kinda kekkei genkai. He can create..."
"...ice. I know; I saw that." The blonde frowned, "But he is still the friggin' enemy. So..."
Before Sasuke could respond, he had dashed off, fist drawn back for a brutal attack.
"You idiot!"
The first punch flew a mile wide of Haku's face. The same happened to the follow-up kick as the masked boy once again simply stepped out of range.
'Oops, too fast!'
Haku retaliated with a swipe of his arm, sending a senbon straight at Naruto's forehead. The thin needle hit its intended target right on point.
"Naruto!"
To Sasuke's surprise, the blonde disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Teme, what are you shouting about? I never left your back."
The raven-haired male turned to see his friend behind him, a serious look on his face. It seemed the idiot was getting even better in his use of kage bunshin.
"Haku", Zabuza called from the side as he stared down Kakashi, "Be done with those rats already. I need you to kill the builder while I deal with the copycat."
"Yes, Zabuza-san."
Kakashi glanced sideways too. 'Naruto is here? Then it meant he was able to rescue the Dozukis!'
The jonin felt some pride. 'Those two. They've matured a lot since we got here. Naruto! Sasuke! Do your best! I'm counting on you!'
He immediately swerved to the side to avoid Zabuza's attack; his sharingan picking up the movement before even he did. He retaliated with a kunai to the gut which the demon also dodged.
"Don't get too hopeful, Kakashi", Zabuza sniffed, "Your worthless students wouldn't last all of two minutes against Haku. He is a possessor of the Hyoton (ice release) kekkei genkai."
The jonin's eyes widened. 'Hyoton? That meant he was a member of the Yuki clan! But I heard all members of that clan were massacred during the civil war in Kiri many years ago!'
"You seem surprised, Kakashi. Heh. Haku is one of the few survivors of that bloodline and I've raised him personally for nine years. He's killed hundreds in his career, well up to the point I'd say he's even become much more dangerous than I am."
Kakashi frowned but then relaxed visibly. Haku might be all Zabuza claimed him to be and more, but he'd never thought lightly of Naruto or Sasuke. They had two of the most powerful blood flowing through their veins and if their training was any indication of what he had seen, they were both geniuses in their own right.
He smiled, "Then it means that you have never met Uchiha Sasuke or Uzumaki Naruto. I have the utmost faith in them."
Zabuza frowned. 'An Uchiha and an Uzumaki? So, one of them too is from a family that has been dealt a heavy hand by fate. And the other one? A descendent of Uchiha Madara... This is going to be interesting.'
"I see, Kakashi. But you must watch this. Haku has an ultimate bloodline jutsu that even I cannot defeat. Something your bloody sharingan cannot even dream of copying..."
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"Haku?"
Naruto's body shuddered in rage, "So, you have been Haku all this time?"
The youth stared at him impassively.
"Don't do anything stupid, dobe", Sasuke chastised, "Keep your head in the game. It's a wonder you didn't realize this when you first arrived."
The Uzumaki stretched a finger, "THIS bastard is Haku! He's the one who rescued Zabuza the first time! He's the one who put Kyuubi-chan where she is! And now he's..."
"I apologize, Naruto-kun. But Zabuza-san is counting on me. I have to end this quickly."
With another unique set of one-handed seals, the puddles on the ground rose in an instant, solidifying into great mirrors of ice which formed a dome around the three combatants.
"The fuck?", Naruto glowered.
"Sasuke-san. Naruto-kun. This is my ultimate jutsu. The Demonic ice crystal mirrors."
'No!', Kakashi thought, racing towards his students' location. He was stopped by a speeding blur.
"You're opponent is I, Kakashi!", Zabuza growled, levelling his blade at the Leaf operative, "If you take your attention away from me and try to assist them, I will go after the builder!"
He swung his sword at Kakashi who jumped backwards to avoid the blow.
'Naruto. Sasuke. I'm sorry but from here on out, you are on your own.'
A barely conscious Chojuro also looked up from his hidden spot at the giant dome of ice.
'What kind of jutsu is that?'
Zabuza chuckled, placing his blade behind him and settling into a familiar position.
"It seems that this is the climax of our battle, Kakashi. This is where it all ends!"
He pulled out a small bag from his pouch and took a large whiff, dumping the entire contents of it into his nose. His eyes bulged.
"I'll show you, Kakashi! I'll end this once and for all! Mist concealment technique!"
A very thick fog rolled through the bridge as before, obscuring the vision of all within. The sharingan spun.
'Two can play your game, Zabuza.'
He raised his arms in the odd pose and performed the same technique, also vanishing into the mist.
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"What is this?", Naruto growled, looking warily at the mirrors around them which oddly enough gave off no reflection. Haku turned and began walking towards one of the crystals.
Naruto barely registered the rush of air as Sasuke swept past him, aiming a solid kick at the boy which was easily caught.
"Dobe!", Sasuke yelled, "Don't let him! Don't let him near those mirrors!"
"Oi!"
Sasuke was thrown aside forcefully but he slowed his momentum somewhat by bouncing off a mirror's surface. Naruto followed, fist extended only for Haku's foot to totally blindside him, sending him crashing back whence he came.
A second Naruto, however, had been shadowing the original, and it dove in with a headbutt forcing the short youth into an awkward block.
"Futile."
Even as Haku made a move to dispel the clone, Sasuke had vaulted off its back acrobatically, capturing his neck in-between a strong scissor hold. The added momentum forced the clone to the ground, wherein it latched unto Haku's ankles; holding it in a strong vice grip.
Grunting, Sasuke swivelled sharply, intent on snapping the boy's neck; but Haku - who had already anticipated this - grabbed the Uchiha's knees and squared both shoulders, reducing his centre of gravity in the process. The odd move forced all three into an awkward stalemate...
... which was soon broken by the real Naruto.
"TEME!"
Had the punch connected, Sasuke was almost certain that the battle would have been won but he never counted on the winds picking up around Haku, spinning all three like a top before flinging them some distance away.
'Ack!'
The three individuals landed in a tangled heap, Sasuke shocked at the extent of their opponent's nature manipulation skills.
Haku stilled his vibration and stepped into the nearest mirror just as Naruto prepared a second attack.
"It's over, Naruto-kun."
And like that, similar images appeared in all of the mirrors, each wearing the same plain, porcelain mask and standing in the same loose, relaxed manner.
Sasuke frowned. What was this?
"There is a reason why this is called the ultimate Hyoton jutsu", the boy described, "No one has escaped this, not since it's inception."
'An amplifier?', Sasuke thought, 'That would explain why he would exist in all the mirrors at the same time. Then it means that only one of them is real.'
"Naruto!", he whispered, "Don't get confused. These are probably just reflections. Try to locate the real one!"
"Ahn, I figured that too!"
"You waste your time", Haku chastised, "We are ALL real." He pulled back and flung his senbon.
Sasuke tensed, expecting the attack to come from any direction so it was to his ultimate surprise when a flurry of senbon cascaded down on them, not from one but EVERY direction.
"GHK!"
He cried in pain as the needles dug into his back, coming very close to rupturing some organs. Beside him, the same also happened to Naruto, who fell to his knees in pain.
"Ack!", the blonde coughed, blood dribbling down his chin, "Bastard!"
"Wait, dobe!"
But his friend had already flung himself forward, aiming an attack at a random mirror.
"Foolish."
Another flurry of senbon followed. Sasuke tried to evade it as best as he could but still couldn't help getting hit by more than a few.
This wasn't possible. Mercenaries did extraordinary things quite all right but jutsu always did follow the common laws of nature and physics. Matter could not be created; it could only be converted or combined. Like what Zabuza did with moisture or what the Uchiha did with the oxygen in their lungs. It wasn't possible for one to recreate himself simply by stepping into a mirror. He could understand holograms or projections but REAL duplicates shouldn't have been possible!
Or could it? The kage bunshin (an S-rank technique) denied even more laws of matter and science...
A thought hit him.
"Naruto", he called, "How much chakra do you have left?"
The blonde groaned as he rose to his feet, a senbon sticking out of his shin, "About enough. Why?"
"I need your shadow clone technique. There's something I need to confirm." He pointed to the lone mirror staring down at them, "Can you get them as high as that?"
Naruto's reply was to cross his fingers. With an explosion of smoke, an army of clones were airborne, racing to crush the masked image staring down at them.
Sasuke blinked.
Within seconds, the clones were no more as Haku's tandem attack dispelled them with relative ease.
The real Naruto raised an eyebrow at his friend, "Did you get what you wanted?"
"Try it again - this time over there."
"Wha?"
"You said you have enough chakra, right?", he whispered, "Make it seem like you're trying to find an escape rou..."
But Haku had attacked again, turning the two boys into pincushions. Naruto cursed as he hauled himself to his feet, blood dribbling from a side of his head.
"The fucking sadist! He's toying with us! What kind of freak is he? You better get what you're looking for, teme!"
Another loud explosion and yet another plethora of clones were racing towards the designated area.
'This is it', the Uchiha thought; left eye briefly dancing to red; a hot pain coursing through his skull.
Haku decimated the clones just as easily as before.
'Got it!'
The Uchiha released a flowing stream of flame which struck harmlessly against the surrounding crystals.
"Sasuke?", Naruto asked, wondering the reason behind the seemingly random attack. Although he couldn't see what his friend could, he had never once doubted the raven-haired male's judgement.
'How?', Haku thought, leaping back into his mirror, a part of his right sleeve now burnt off, 'How did he?'
'I knew it!', Sasuke panted, dark bangs obscuring his face, 'I knew it! There's no way he can be in all mirrors at once. I can see it now... He's too fast to hit but at least I know...'
Haku's eyes narrowed behind the mask. With the demonic ice mirrors, he could move at close to the speed of light! Not even Zabuza-san could anticipate his movements whenever he employed the technique but now, this Uchiha had somehow managed to singe his right arm. How did he...
Unless, he'd gotten lucky.
Haku tensed. Maybe it was time he ended this. Employing this technique for too long always did leave him burned out after all. He leapt from his mirror and prepared to attack again...
"Down!", Sasuke yelled, throwing Naruto to the floor as more senbon were hurled at them. He pulled out his belt and deflected them all.
'What?', Haku gasped.
The plume of fire that followed was even greater than the last one. Haku slipped through the glass of one of his mirrors, the right side of his mask burned black from the heat.
'He can follow me? Impossible!... this is...'
Sasuke raised his face.
'... I see... The Sharingan!'
The infamous dojutsu was swirling rapidly in the Uchiha's eyes; two tomoes a piece.
'He has the sharingan? But how? The Copycat? No... the Uchiha... Uchiha Sasuke.'
Haku began jumping between mirrors rapidly, well aware that Sasuke was following his every movement.
'Hm, so he's a member of that great clan but why do his eyes appear different from that of the Copycat's? It looks under-developed for one and he seems to be in so much pain...'
He frowned, 'No! The longer I keep this up, the slower I become as my chakra gets used up. Soon, it would be too dangerous for me to continue fighting such a foe like this! I need ONLY one shot. But if one can read me, then the other...'
"Sasuke?", Naruto asked, coming to stand beside his teammate. The raven haired male was panting harshly, sharingan blazing wildly in his eyes.
"Teme, do you have to? Remember what Itachi said..."
Although it wasn't a well known fact, those of the Uchiha clan (and by extension, Naruto) knew of the problems Mikoto-san had encountered with the birth of her sons. Itachi had been born sickly; suffering from a mild anaemia ever since, but it was Uchiha Sasuke that had been the biggest blow, raising a mild uproar within the clan.
Because, despite being the son of the clan head, and an Uchiha of pure-blood heritage; the raven haired male would never be able to properly utilize the sharingan.
Naruto didn't know much of the details behind this (except it had something to do with improper DNA coding, yada, yada) but ever since its activation; Sasuke's sharingan had been known to cause him blinding pain and even render him comatose on certain occasions. Fugaku had taken his son to see the best medical specialists in the continent but nothing could be done for him. The entire ordeal had only served to draw a wrench between the patron and his wife and alienate Sasuke from the rest of his clan.
It was at this point that the brooding male swore to gain power without the sharingan's aid, surpass his brother, and prove to his entire clan that he wasn't a liability. Sasuke had made progress (eventually gaining recognition from most of his clan) but he could also be reckless, and it was times like this that made Itachi force Naruto to promise Sasuke's sharingan remain off; irrespective of the given circumstances, for the sake of his sanity.
"Shut up, dobe! I can hold out for sometime, just listen to me...!"
However, it was also times like this that the blonde failed in his promise, because dammit! Sasuke was just like him. Tough. Tougher, even! And the blonde never quit at anything - until it killed him - making it difficult to enforce any less on his friend.
So he set his face in a grim line, accepted Sasuke's declaration and silently hoped that this battle wouldn't drag out much longer.
For both their sakes.
"Naruto! All these figures are frauds! They're after-images! The real one keeps jumping from one mirror to another! I can barely keep track of him but he seems to be slowing down..."
'Shit!' Naruto thought, 'After-images? Then that meant in order to attack, the bastard also had to leap out of the mirrors, and that was what Sasuke was counting on!'
"You want me to lure him out again?"
The Uchiha nodded, "I won't miss this time."
Haku frowned as Sasuke kept tracking him; his movements becoming increasingly predictable. He pulled three senbon from his pouch. He would deal with the Uchiha but first...
"NARUTO!"
Sasuke had seen it coming but couldn't move fast enough to intercept it. The masked youth had attacked just as Naruto crossed his fingers and the blonde stared in horror at the three senbon peeking out his chest before turning to his friend then collapsing to the ground.
"You're next, Sasuke-san."
Haku's movements were quick as he unloaded a ton of his signature weapon at the Uchiha. The boy moved deftly, utilizing his belt to knock the weapons away from him while also protecting the body of his fallen friend.
He cursed. There was no way he could do this... not without Naruto...
Another cascade of weapons were thrown leaving the Uchiha no choice but to deflect wave after wave as Haku began molding subsequent ones out of ice. His sharingan was on overdrive and even as some of the senbon slipped past his defence and struck him, he knew he couldn't continue with this forever.
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Kakashi moved quickly. He had left the boys for too long as it was and considering that neither had yet to emerge from the dome, he could only assume the worst...
But damn that Zabuza! The demon kept toying with him and the heavy mist was making it no easier to utilize his dojutsu properly!
He clutched his wounded arm as he hid within the fog, wondering when their game of peek-a-boo would come to an end. Although he was hailed as the famed copycat, he knew within himself that he simply was a jack of trades. There was no way he could defeat a master at his own game. The cuts on his body signified that much.
He cursed. Zabuza was relying on his other senses in the Mist and they were far superior to that of Kakashi's. He had to up the stakes somewhat.
Digging into his pocket, he pulled out his summoning chain (the one he disguised as a prayer bead) and smeared a thumbfull of his blood all over it. His scent will be heavy on the demon's blade after all.
Twirling the chain, he joined his hands together to initiate his tracking jutsu and that was when he felt the rush of power...
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Sasuke looked like crap. His legs felt like lead and his skull hurt like a motherfucker. The sharingan's vision was also dimming slightly.
How long could Haku keep this up? Just how many weapons could he keep conjuring?
The Uchiha's belt was already in shreds and his shirt was worn beyond repair; a map of painful cuts lining his entire body.
"It's over, Sasuke-san", Haku's monotonous voice cut through the dome, "It's obvious you can fight no more. Please stand down. I do not wish to kill you."
The Uchiha sneered only to follow it up with a bloody cough.
Maybe, all this would end if he just gave in.
Gave in to the weariness.
Gave in to death.
But then again. There was Itachi-nii. And Kaa-chan. And tou-san too. What would he have proven if he surrendered here?
That he truly wasn't worthy of the sharingan? That he was not of the caliber of the rest of their legendary clan? What would he have proven to his teacher? And his team?... Naruto? They had promised to never back down, all those years ago - even in the face of death. And here he was, currently staring the shit in the eye.
"Teme", the blonde coughed weakly from his spot under Sasuke's arm causing his friend to heave a sigh of relief. At least, dobe was still alive even though he was pretty out of it. Suddenly, the burden seemed less heavier.
"It's alright, Naruto, we'll make it out of this."
He couldn't bring himself to care whether he was simply assuring himself. They'd make it out of this! They had to!
'Dobe' seemed to be trying to whisper something but Sasuke never heard him over his own pained cry as his brain felt like it had exploded to mush. His sharingan was never meant to be abused this much. The Uchiha collapsed dramatically to his knees.
Haku; who had been observing the boys, saw the window of opportunity and dived out for a fatal blow only to be blinded by a column of smoke.
'Huh?'
All around the dome, battalions of Narutos had formed, completely covering every square inch of ice. Haku stood stranded in the centre, astounded by the recent development.
'But how? He's been unconscious for the last few minutes! I didn't even see him form seals!'
Naruto smirked weakly and muttered, "The bastard fell for it... delayed jutsu... took so much chakra... damn...", before collapsing once again.
Realization hit Haku. 'I see! Delayed reactions! He must have cast the initial technique the moment before I hit him!'
He turned sharply to see the Uchiha right in his face, fist drawn back for a fatal right hook.
He grasped at his senbon belatedly, 'I fell for their schemes. They'd intended to lure me out all along! A trap!'
Sasuke smirked as he closed in on his enemy. 'Well done, Naruto. You've done your part, now leave this to me!'
The two mercenaries clashed in violent glory.
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"Oww..."
Naruto groaned as he got to his feet, head swirling wildly from the exertion he had forced his body through.
Heh! Who would have thought that he could figure out how to cast delayed jutsu on his own.
He turned and smiled at his figure of his friend; standing in the distance, "Yo! Sasuke! Sasuke! We've done it! We've done it! Alrig...~!"
His elation turned to shock when he saw the Uchiha's silhoutte sway then fall, a blank look in his now onyx eyes. A thin piece of icy senbon was sticking out his neck, where his jugular ought to be. His face was pale.
"Sas... Sas...", he fumbled, heart thumping violently in his chest, "Sasuke!"
Haku stared at him impassively; masked form standing superiorly over Sasuke's slain figure.
"I apologize, Naruto-kun."
"You bastard!"
The blonde saw hot tears as he rushed forward, body protesting despite his will.
"I warned him to stand down", Haku stated calmly, easily dodging the sloppy blows, "I am nothing but a tool, the same will happen to you if you don't give up."
"SHUT UP!", Naruto quivered, throwing another clumsy punch, "Just shut up!"
He didn't see the fist coming but when it hit, it forced the wind out of him, knocking him to his knees. He coughed a gob of blood.
"Listen to me, Naruto-kun, stop this. I never wanted to kill any of you."
"I don't care", Naruto spat, glaring at his now sworn enemy, "Either way, I'm going to kill you!"
His pupils turned a blinding orange and the youth stepped back involuntarily. However, he reacted quickly when the blonde rose; faster than before - intent on gutting him with his bare hand.
Haku's arm slammed forward in a knife-chop, feeling throat muscles collapse under the force of his blow.
"Ack..!"
Naruto gurgled for breath; stunned, falling to his knees once again. But his right arm went up in a defiant motion, making a swift grasp at Haku's face.
"'Told you so", he rasped, ripping off the mask and crashing to the floor - only to reveal a familiar, wide-eyed redhead standing some ways behind him.
"Haku?"
She gazed unsurely at the boy's beautiful face before her eyes drifted over to Sasuke's pale corpse and Naruto's fallen form;
Then the world turned red.