Ultimate Naruto

by KiShang

AU. In a world populated by modern day shinobi; a brooding genius, an insecure enigma and an irresponsible idiot make efforts to rise above the madness of it all. Trick question: What is the real secret behind October 10? /Naruto; Fem Kyuubi centric/.

17. Long, long way from home III

a/n: Hi and welcome back. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting this long but I hit a sort of wall while writing this. This chapter was originally brimming with details, and the frustration got to me so bad that I had to enlist the help of a friend (and some other means I won't be revealing here on FFnet) to try and cut it back some. Nontheless, I can now say I am moderately satisfied with how things turned out.

This is the final chapter of the Wave arc and I will warn you; it is freakishly long. And I mean LONG. 15,000 odd words or so... It contains an epic battle and dialogues that will hopefully round up what I began in what now seems like ages ago. I hope this doesn't deter you. Please enjoy.

(On a side note, does it strike anyone as queer that canon Gato; with all his resources, will look to hiring a shipload of thugs as enforcers? - when he could supposedly pay for the services of the entire Akatsuki if he ever wanted to? Well, this is my remedy to that.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Neither do I own the lyrics to the song Long, long way from home. It was recorded by a band named Foreigner, which I felt I had to mention; considering those notes have been the source of my inspiration the entirety of this arc. Wherever you guys are right now, I thank thee.

**Warning: Character death**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Seventeen

Long, long way from Home - III

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Monday,

Yes, it's a Monday -

She's waiting for me

but I'm a long, long way from home...

'said its a Monday,

She's waiting for me but I'm ~

The short man stepped on the ruined stereo, effectively returning the large home back to its former stillness.

He tapped his cane on the wooden floor once and tore his eyes around the ransacked house; black glasses glinting with the sunlight from an open window.

"Well, well, wotcha know? It seems like nobody's in after all. What a wasted housecall."

Thudding sounds were heard as a tall figure descended the stairs; each footstep weighing like thickened lead.

"Did you find anything?"

No reply.

The short figure snorted, "Heh-hehn, just as I thought. We have no choice but to the head to the bridge then..."

"... this should be interesting."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The explosion of power was TREMENDOUS.

Chojuro felt it all the way from his position when it struck; repelling him and the builder with such force that they were almost thrown overboard into the sea.

Grabbing Tazuna's sleeve tightly, he wondered exactly what this horrible chakra could be? And if so, who then was creating it? Could it be Zabuza?

The demon of the Mist was also thinking along the same lines.

'This chakra... so immense... Is it Kakashi's - ? No, it's too foul for someone like him! It seems rather similar to those of the bijuu... and since the Sekiho's jinchuuriki roster is currently full, that could only mean...!'

He cursed, 'One of Kakashi's brats is a demon host! The Oniwabanshu have been hiding a jinchuuriki all along! Things could go south from here...'

"Haku!", he yelled, racing from his position underneath the bridge to topside only to be accosted by a rather calm Kakashi.

"Move, Copycat!", he snarled.

The jonin didn't flinch.

"I see. So this was why you were unconcerned about your genin facing Haku", Zabuza chuckled mirthlessly, "You brought a demon along, didn't you?"

Kakashi didn't bother to openly acknowledge the remark although within himself, his mind was also pacing frantically.

This was undoubtedly the chakra of the 'nine-tails'; the demon which Kyuubi was oh-so-subtly named after. But what did it mean? Was Naruto now manifesting the strange power? Or had his redhaired student somehow been revived and made it to the bridge? If so, what had happened to provoke such a reaction? Were his students okay?

The jonin needed answers but he had to deal with Zabuza first. He couldn't afford to let this charade go on any longer.

The demon too seemed to have drawn the same conclusion because he threw himself at Kakashi, forcing the man to the floor. The Oniwaban operative rolled with the blow, swiftly evading a powerful fist that would have surely caved his skull had it connected.

Using his sharingan, he dodged his opponent's subsequent attacks only to go in for the kill upon discovering an opening. However, his misjudgement cost him dearly when Zabuza recovered quickly from the feint; slashing the man in a wide arc right across the chest.

Kakashi gasped as he leapt aside, clutching a hand to the now furiously bleeding wound.

'He's taking great care to avoid my gaze', he observed, even as his chest stung painfully, 'Just like Gai does when he faces against the sharingan... Obviously, he is very wary of my genjutsu.'

Cursing, he dug into his weapons pouch, procuring his now favorite double-handed kunai. It seemed they both had a high threshhold for pain - a factor that meant their match up would not be decided with a single blow. His famed bloodline spun as he leapt into action, 'Let's see just how far we can push this, Obito!'

XXXxxxxXXX

A defeaning roar.

Then stillness.

The next sounds that came were the words "You bastard", coined in such a vile, twisted and heinous manner that could make even the coldest of hearts flash-freeze in their veins.

Haku stood rooted to the spot, unable to take his eyes off the spectacle before him. He had never seen anything like this before. This chakra... this girl... what was she?

He gazed unsurely at her transformation as she remained crouched; fascinated - despite the circumstances - by the way her hair wafted listlessly even when it should have been twirling perilously in the midst of such raging chakra.

Clothing had been shredded in several places, revealing expanses of appealing creamy skin. Her fingernails had lengthened and her canines were sharper - features supporting her new bestial form - but most noticeable of all was the single tail of red, and pair of slitted eyes; which produced a look even the most menancing of sharingans couldn't hope to achieve.

Haku took one look at those crimson pits and realised innately that he was a dead man. Whatever had been brought forth from within the core of the once jovial girl would not allow him to live out the night.

"Kyuubi-san..."

The explosion of wind tore him off his feet and it was a true testament to his skill that he flung himself sideways, barely evading the scarlet blur that tore a chunk off his right arm.

Crying in pain, he sought refuse in one of his mirrors; only to escape again as the screaming girl tore straight through it; shattering the crystal like common glass.

"Too fast!", he gasped, switching mirrors at lightning speed yet again even as she destroyed another one of his defences.

He multiplied his reflection quickly and formed a large number of senbon; fingers shaking violently as he did so. He had to take her down as soon as possible - anything less would only mean his head on a pike for all to see -

To his ultimate shock, the redhead swivelled abruptly, crimson pits coming to a stop exactly where she knew he would be. It was as if all the other mirror images didn't exist! She could see right through them!

Faster than thought, she was before him; a snarl on her lips, and it was all Haku could do to gape in shock as she punched a chakra-enclosed fist through the mirror's surface, reducing the crystal to fine rubble.

"Aaaaaarrrrrhhh!"

The barely human girl then followed her attack with a scream; a dreadful sound derived from the fact that her prey had escaped her yet again. Scarlet eyes roved the length of the battlefield, searching for the next spot her enemy just might appear.

Her efforts were rewarded when her lone tail stilled - the same moment Haku manifested from the depths of a broken shard; fistfuls of his trademark weapons in both hands. He fired them rapidly, targeting areas he knew were sure to kill...

... Only for the weapons to bounce harmlessly off her chakra cloak and vaporize before even falling to the ground.

'A shield?'

Kyuubi swiped at him in retailation just as he retreated into another crystal.

'Missed!', he declared.

However, his movements were halted when he felt his vest gouge open; blood pouring profusely from three slash marks trailing across his chest. He doubled over in pain.

"Kyuubi-san...", he hacked out, studying the demonic redhead who now had a sinister smile on her darkened lips.

'How did you become this strong? Is it because you lost something precious to you? Something you cherish?'. He watched her eye the blood on her claws in child-like fascination, 'But I have a loved one too! And I do not want to lose him! I cannot afford to die here!'

With a single handseal and a great deal of effort, he replaced all his broken mirrors, reforming the dome once again. His reflections multiplied almost instantly, all mirroring the same seal sequence he had already begun.

'I have no choice but to use THAT jutsu... Zabuza-san would understand. I have to live... I have to end this...'

Unfortunately, it seemed the trapped girl had become rather tired of this particular maneuver. Huddling in on herself, she released a powerful shriek just as Haku finished his seals; sending a massive shockwave in every single direction.

Their section of the bridge almost gave away completely and the demonic ice crystal mirrors tumbled to the ground, reduced to nothing but sparkling dust, albeit not before Haku took off lest he be trapped within the chaos.

Spinning in the air, the boy began contemplating his next move only to have his ankle grabbed by a speeding blur.

'Oh no.'

His heart leapt into his throat as a fist snapped forward; crushing ribs and sending him flying like he'd been loaded from a canon. He smashed into the ground, rolling for what seemed to be ages before coming to a jarring stop.

"Ack", he coughed painfully. He had never imagined his body being in so much pain all at once.

Rising to his knees, he was forced to watch helplessly as the beast-like girl raced forward, a manic look on her face. Her darkened lips were spread wide in a feral grin of triumph even as her claws unfurled, poised to tear the head off the rest of his shoulders.

Haku bowed in submission as she neared him, violent chakra already beginning to lick at the tears on his face.

'I am sorry, Zabuza-san. I was not strong enough to be your aide. Forgive me.'

A large volume of blood was splattered across the bridge.

XXXxxxxXXX

Kyuubi was exhilarated.

She felt invincible.

She felt god-like.

She had never thought that it could be this incredible to give in to the darkness lurking within her soul... this awesome, to finally stop fighting and let it all take over.

So, this was what she had been resisting all along? This longing? This thirst? It was intoxicating! The power was far beyond her imagination! It made her feel sensual. Gods, it even turned her on!

This was natural. It was how it was all meant to be. She wasn't human but she wasn't beast either.

She was something entirely her own and she loved it. Embraced it even.

Nothing else mattered at the moment, except the evisceration of the puny human before her. She would feast on his screams and scatter his limbs all over the entirety Wave.

All she saw was destruction. All she saw was red...

... until a flash of blue crossed her vision and she was forced to return; if only briefly, to a semblance of reality. She tried to fight it - really she did. She struggled to cling on to the amazing power that eluded her grasp but ultimately, her slit-pupils dilated to normal ones, and she was treated to eyes of sapphire blue only a mere distance away from hers.

Why that colour chose to stand out amongst the other shades of red, she would never know... but something was off. The bright colours seemed so wrong. They looked so sad. Kyuubi felt her heart wrench painfully as she realised what it was.

"Naruto?"

The blonde smiled sadly, the pained look never leaving his eyes. Soon, the last vestiges of red chakra formed a small wind around her before dying to a calm breeze, and yet, through it all, her hair flowed softly, not a single strand running out of place. It was almost surreal.

And that was when she felt it.

As the chakra receeded, she began regaining the bulk of her original senses, and there was no denying the feeling of wetness forming around her hand.

She glanced at Naruto's face sharply - searchingly, pleadingly - before dropping her gaze to his lower abdomen where a good length of her arm was currently sticking through. The appendage was covered in blood and whatnot, and squelching sounds could be heard whenever her fingers twitched.

She threw up.

"S'okay", the blonde grinned, his trademark attitude springing to life even as Kyuubi retched noisily, "I've had worse."

"Naruto..."

The girl caught him before he could topple to the ground, broken form cradled in her bloodied, messy fingers.

"I-I tried yelling but you couldn't hear me", Naruto gasped, "So, I j-jumped in front of Haku to try and stop you. You were too fast, you know?", he gritted in pain, "Didn't even haf' time ta try a block."

"Why?", Kyuubi asked, still in a state of numb shock, "Why did you do it, you stupid moron? Why?"

Naruto frowned briefly but then his eyes dimmed in anguish, "I... I don't know. I just... didn't want YOU to kill him. The bastard deserved to die but...", he desperately tried swallowing lungfuls of air, "... i-if I let you, t-teme won't have been the only one he killed today. I couldn't let you spill blood - n-not when you obviously had no control over your actions. You would have... killed yourself over it..."

"And, how is this any different?", Kyuubi cried, tears streaming down her face, "How does this change anything, idiot? I ended up killing you instead of the HIM! What makes you think I would want to live after this?"

Naruto grinned as he felt his consciousness leave him. Damn, he was in so much pain. Before him, Kyuubi's face blurred and was replaced with that of an unfamiliar woman; one with similar red hair and pale amber eyes.

Heh. If only he knew who that was.

He drifted off into the inky blackness but not before uttering his last words -

"At least, I get to hang out with teme... yay..."

Haku rose unsteadily to his feet, still unsure about the events that had taken place in the last couple of minutes.

Naruto had tried to save his life even after killing his friend in cold-blood. Why?

Was it because he felt the same pain Haku did? Could he understand the will of an urchin to protect those he called family? Or was it something more?

He glanced at the hysterical girl who was now desperately trying to revive her teammate by some unfamiliar means. It was of no use. Even he could see from where he stood that the blonde was now far gone. There was no getting around it.

"Dammit!", Kyuubi yelled in-between tears, trying to force chakra through Naruto's seeping wound. She was the daughter of two acclaimed medical operatives and she couldn't even perform a simple healing jutsu to save a single life.

She felt so weak... so useless.

"Dammit!", she cursed again, trying to staunch the petulant blood flow. The warm green chakra she was supposedly trying to generate was nowhere to be found, instead coming out in thick, quick spurts of red. It seemed her system was still being tainted by the transformation of earlier.

"Come on, Naruto! Wake up!", she cried, beating his chest in her sorrow, "Stop fucking around and wake up! I'm not going to lose you too - I can't lose two teammates in the same frigging day! Wake the fuck up!"

Her palms became enclosed in a red bubble and Kyuubi felt a spark of hope that she had somehow managed to pull off the technique, only for the chakra to recede in mere seconds.

"Please, Naruto... I beg you... wake up... wake up... please."

She tried pumping more of the tainted chakra through the wound, hoping that its healing properties would perhaps kick in and do the job... Or was it her blood?

Thinking frantically, and afraid that she might have actually poisoned her friend with her desperate efforts, the redhead bit into her wrist and drew blood. She then placed the wound over his gaping abdomen, praying to Kami for some miracle to happen. She cried harder when she realised that not even the sligtest hint of agglutination had been displayed - blood still flowing everywhere.

Kyuubi sniffed and sat back on her haunches, staring dumbly at the corpse. What was wrong with her? All her power had been good for so far was only to cause destruction. And yet she had embraced it without second thought. Swallowed the lust without hesitation...

"I'm sorry, Kyuubi-san..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!", the girl snarled, pupils sharpening once again. She tried to rise to her feet, viciously intent on gouging the throat of the bastard before her only to find that ultimately, all she could do was cry. She had lost two loved ones today, and to make it even worse, couldn't bring herself to enact revenge on the one responsible...

She just wanted to curl up and die.

Biting her lip, she chanced a glance at Sasuke's immobile body.

Sasuke...

What was she going do? What was she going to tell his mother? Who was she going to turn to now that the friend that always knew what to say was no longer alive?

Grasped her head, she imagined her teammates in her mind's eye.

Sasuke's aloof pose.

Naruto's slouched one...

The Uchiha's baritone voice.

Naruto's grating gnawl...

Sasuke's superior smirk.

The blonde's blinding grin...

Kyuubi screamed.

Haku looked at the girl uneasily, unsure of what action to take.

He was a mercenary, a killer by nature... but he was also bruised... and bleeding. And it wasn't exactly from the wound displayed on his chest.

A true mercenary would have taken the opportunity to snuff the life out of the defenceless girl but he couldn't.

Not now.

Not ever.

So he turned away, a look of resolution on his face, deciding to leave the girl with parting words, regardless of whether she heard it or not.

"Kyuubi-san" - she stilled - "Everything I told you about my past is true. I am from the Water nation and my family were casualties in the war. However, I left out a small detail..."

"... the mercenary we were accused of hiding was a man named Momochi Zabuza. Nobody knew how he got on the boat but the militia didn't care and attacked anyway. Obviously, this Zabuza was a wanted man, and yet, despite all this, he fought valiantly - not for himself, but to protect all the innocent lives onboard. Eventually, the boat got destroyed and it was he who carried me to the shores of the Wave where we were revived by the local fishermen."

He turned to face her, "I've known Zabuza-san ever since and I swore to repay the debt; to become his aide, so that he might have some use for me. He's the only family I have left and it is because of this that wherever he goes, I go. Should he say jump, I'll jump"

Kyuubi was still sobbing, her pale arms wrapped around her wiry form but Haku could tell she was listening now, if only barely. He sighed.

"I'm not telling you this to elicit your pity or remorse. I only wish you may understand why we mercenaries sometimes have no choice in carrying out the actions we take. Left alone to me, I'd never wish to fight any of you here on this bridge - much less even dream about bringing you death... but it is out of my hands. Each of us had our loyalties and we belonged to opposing sides. However, my eyes have been opened, I know what I must do now."

The youth began walking ahead, "This is your last chance to kill me, Kyuubi-san. I wouldn't begrudge you. A life for a life is our code. Do it."

The redhead snarled, grabbing a kunai off the ground and racing towards the retreating individual. Haku did not turn; fearlessly prepared for whatever might occur. He left his back exposed to the girl who raised her weapon, ready to plunge it deep into his spine...

But the short blade clanged harmlessly on the ground, freed from the hands of its shaking wielder. Kyuubi could not do it.

There was a brief moment of silence in which Haku paused, allowing the redhead to struggle with her decision - and tears, before continuing his forward push once more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zabuza hit the ground violently, rolling for a few moments before righting himself once again. His right arm hung limply at his side, impaled at the joint by a kunai buried up to the hilt. Cursing, he hefted his sword with his free arm, glaring at the man standing some ways away from him.

Hatake Kakashi wasn't any better off. Blood was pouring softly from a gash over his head - not to mention that on his chest - steadily becoming a nuisance to his sharingan eye, but the jonin maintained his lax mein; casually spinning a kunai in one hand.

"Had enough yet?"

The question was cheeky, quite definitely, but Zabuza was no fool. Although Kakashi's gait would seem quite healthy to the untrained eye, the Mist demon could make out the slight unsteadiness with which the jonin stood on his feet. Obviously, the battle had taken more than its fair share on the both of them.

The demon adjusted his grip. He wouldn't let it go on for any longer though. He could sense Haku's chakra which meant his apprentice was probably still alive. He had kept the boy waiting too long as it was.

He zipped forward the same time Kakashi did, both mercenaries sending water puddles flying in their wake. The demon's fist tightened around his hilt as the Copycat reversed the grip on his blade. This would be it.

"STOP!"

Kakashi flipped out of the way as large spikes erupted in-between the two men. He landed a bit awkwardly on his feet, squatting to regale the newcomer with keen eyes.

"Haku. What is the meaning of this?"

The long-haired youth turned away from his mentor who was now entrapped among the cones of ice.

"Kakashi of the sharingan, we wish to retreat. We have no desire to keep fighting you or going after the builder anymore..."

"WHAT?"

"...Please accept our request. Blood has been spilled once. We want no further part in this skirmish again."

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD, HAKU?"

Kakashi eyed the interaction thoughtfully, not once relaxing his guard or loosening his grip on the kunai. 'Blood had already been spilled? Whose?'

"I'm sorry, Zabuza-san", the boy said softly, "But this has to be done. My heart can take none of this any longer."

"Haku", the demon growled, "you made a promise the moment you approached me to train you, and yet now, you turn against your own words. Why?"

The short youth smiled gently; one that didn't quite fit the mold of an acclaimed mercenary such as he.

"You are wrong, Zabuza-san. I always keep my words. I promised to protect you and that is what I am doing, even up until now." He turned to face the masked jonin who was still wearing a puzzled expression on his face, "Hatake-san..."

But he never got to finish those words for at that moment, a raging torrent of super-heated steam washed over them; hauling with it a ton of debris and other matter from the bridge.

Kakashi was the luckiest; having been just at the edge of the blast range. Even as he was flung away from the rest of the group - shawl being the only fatality - he spied the steaming body of Zabuza being thrown to the ground; sword still miraculously in hand. The enclove of ice had obviously protected him from most of the harm that he had been due.

Ignoring the sinking sensation in his gut, the silver-haired jonin searched wildly for the source of the attack only to be drawn by Zabuza's anguished cry to what he had been desperately trying to ignore...

Because a few feet away from them; draped haphazardly over the edge of a rail, lay a limp Haku, most of the skin burned right off his bones.

The sound of a rasp chuckling was heard, and both men turned to see a shortish man in a grey suit, standing behind an incredibly larger companion whose hands were still raised in the form of a strange seal.

"Aha! Beautiful, my boy!", continued the man, "You got that little ferret good, didn'cha? I'd have preferred the foolish brute over there but I'm sure you wouldn't miss next time, wontcha boy-o?"

And with a steadily increasing feeling of dread, the Oni jonin realized that he was now staring at the mastermind behind all this.

The one named Favaullis Gato.

Zabuza had moved before Kakashi had time to process this new predicament. The demon looked truly frightening as he blitzed forward, even as one arm dangled uselessly at his side, "GATO!"

The addressed man simply scurryied out of the way, allowing the mist demon to catch himself on a flash haymaker from his large companion. Kakashi cringed as he heard bones snap.

"What an idiot", Gato sneered, peering from beneath his aide's arm at the defeated man. Zabuza looked terrible where he lay on the cracked surface; chest revealing a painful bruise, an arm lying limp, and a skin hue that would have looked more natural on the back of a lobster.

It was a wonder how the man forced himself to keep going despite being in such obvious pain.

The unnamed bodyguard stepped forward to finish the job only to be stopped by the outstretched arm of his master.

"Just a second now."

Zabuza's beady eyes trailed the multi-billionaire as he walked around, before coming to a stop over him.

"You don't look too good now, Zabu-chan", Gato taunted, "Bloody bastard. I give you all my money and yet, you can't even get a single job done! You don't listen to my instructions - you give orders and make demands. For the hell of it, you and that ferret of yours even go as far to threaten me! On my own money!"

The limey man raised a foot, "Well, guess what? Your services have just been expended! Say hello to my new bodyguard now, wontcha? He's going to help me terminate you and that irksome builder all in a single blow. Worthless piece of shit!"

His attempt at a kick was foiled, however, because Zabuza latched onto his foot at that moment, teeth set to tear a new one into Gato.

The billionaire squealed, just as his aide stepped forward; sending the opponent flying with a resounding boot. Zabuza crashed some distance away.

"O-oh very good. Very good. Thank you for that, boy."

Straightening his tie nervously, he then proceeded to frown at the hanging mist. He gestured childishly at the strangely quiet man who simply formed a seal before expelling a pulse of warm air. The mist was forcibly beaten back to the sea - visibility returning once again to normal.

Kakashi took the chance to glance back at his students and almost felt his heart crash in shock... because, next to a dazed Kyuubi; who seemed very much unaware of her surroundings, lay a bloodied Naruto and an immobile Uchiha.

The jonin cursed. 'How?'

He was forced to turn back to the matter at hand, however, when another grating voice swore out Gato's name and rushed into the frenzy.

"What is it now?", the businessman whined as Tazuna; a thick rod in hand, raced forward to enact his own vengeance upon the man. Chojuro managed to apprehend him, preventing what would have been a sure-fire death.

Tazuna's death, that is.

"You wretched bastard!", the large man cried, struggling against the Sekiho operative's unsurprisingly stronger hold, "I'll kill you! Look at what you've done to my country! Look what you did to my family!"

The businessman spared him an uninterested glance, "Where do these rodents come from? - I swear they're everywhere! I come back from visiting the lands of the Great West - those British really do know their cup of tea, mind you - only to find my own country in such bloody ruins..."

"This is not your country!"

"Who says, man? I paid for it with my hard-earned money, did I not? Who the bogus are you anyway?"

"Dozuki Tazuna! I'm the one who's building this bridge, and I'm the one who's about ter put a hole in yer head!"

'Uh-oh', Kakashi's eyes slowly widened.

"Dozuki Tazuna, you say? I see", the man turned to his accomplice, "Boy-o?"

Kakashi was quick; jumping between Tazuna and the soon-to-be fatal technique. His doton wall sprung up from the ground like lightning, absorbing a good deal of damage from the steam.

"Not again! Who are you now?"

"Tazuna is my client", the jonin said sternly, even as he gasped for breath, "I cannot allow you to harm him."

A tick mark appeared on Gato's forehead and he swung his cane around in a tantrum, "Cannot allow? CANNOT ALLOW? You know what, enough of this! Waste them, boy! Waste them all!"

Kakashi studied the bodyguard as he stepped menancingly into full sight. He was huge, heavily clothed, with a red kasa that obscured most of his face. His mind raced frantically to place the features with anyone he knew in the bingo archives...

He never got the chance.

The man had moved with a speed belying his frame. Kakashi readied himself to quell the impact halfway but it was instead met by Zabuza; who halted the scarlet blur with his great sword.

"We're not done yet!", the demon snarled.

"Quick; you two! Get out of here!", Kakashi instructed his comrades as he leapt over the doton wall, already weaving through seals.

Gato's aide, meanwhile, had twisted with such immense agility, sending Zabuza reeling with a powerful kick mid-riff kick.

"Yes! Get the bloody demon first! The others can follow later!", his client urged.

Kakashi's water dragon roared to life, formed from the various puddles lying around the ground. It sailed towards the unsuspecting man at great speeds - who turned at the last moment, catching the dragon's maw in his giant fist. With a single squeeze, the entire construct vaporized into moisture.

"Wha...?"

The leaf jonin raised his arm to block the surprise bullet kick that followed but the force of impact sent him flying nontheless. His wall was the next to go as a single punch forced it to explode to smithereens.

Tazuna; who had been behind it, tried racing for cover, allowing Chojuro to studiously cover for him, but the poor boy recieved a merciless beat-down; ending up much the same as Kakashi.

The silver-haired jonin had barely recovered when he sensed a shadow loom over him and turned sharply to see their brutal assailant, fingers raised in his signature seal. He caught a glimpse of light brown eyes and a cloth-masked face.

"Jouton..."

Something exploded in their midst, raising lots of dust and debris. The attacker flipped some distance backwards while Kakashi struggled to stand, rubbing the dirt from his eyes.

"Wake up and stop smelling the roses, Kakashi!", Zabuza chastised, veins bulging in his head.

The Copycat quickly did as he was told only to wobble unsteadily on his feet as he rose. 'Damn. The effects of the soldier pills must be wearing off.'

"My apologies, Zabuza", he sighed, "But it seems, at the moment, we would be unable to conclude that battle of ours."

The demon eyed him nastily before turning back to the opponent at hand.

"I concur but don't delude yourself, Copycat. We are still enemies! I simply have bigger fish to fry now... but I won't hesitate to cut you down if you get in my way!"

"Fine by me. However, if you want your revenge..."

Another steam blast was hurled at them.

"... you'd better start learning how to work together."

They leapt into action.

Gato smirked in approval as he watched the three operatives go at it.

Yes, the lumpy oaf was quite good, easily matching the others blow for blow. Considering that over a third of the shares of the Bakumatsu belonged to him, it was only right they provide him with the very best whenever need be. Still, he had to say; these mercenaries were powerful! Maybe it was about time he acted like his associates from the West and opened a private company all his own! He could call it the Kamigato corporation...

...yes, that had a nice ring to it.

Hatake Kakashi danced around the lethal blows, managing to stay just out of the hulking man's reach. He lured him towards the designated spot, where with a single handseal, created a a small amount of bunshin.

The man gave a short bark of mirth. Even Kakashi knew it was pathetic. Ordinary bunshins couldn't hope to fool even the basest of mercers at this distance not more of someone of such calibre. But the plan wasn't to fool - it was to disorientate.

All as one, each of the bunshin leapt forward attempting to obscure their opponent's vision the best they could. The large man grunted angrily as he weaved, trying to dispel them all with a single burst of steam.

Zabuza manifested amidst the commotion, utilising his silent assasination technique to the fullest. Due to the ineffectiveness of the kirigakure no jutsu, more practical means had been in order and hence the use of the simple ploy. He walked up behind his opponent and slit his throat, handling the Kubikiriboucho as if he were carrying a simple kunai!

To his amazement, rather than slump, the huge man turned on the spot, swinging a bone-shattering punch at his face. Kakashi managed to save him from what would have been a badly done face surgery.

"I think we might have finally gotten our answer", the jonin said apprehensively, letting his companion rise to his feet.

"What are you talking about?", the mist demon snapped before looking at their opponent and growling in frustration.

Where copious amounts of blood should have been spilling from a slain throat, the result was simply a cut portion revealing a sturdy substance underneath all the garments.

It was metal. Red metal plating.

"He moves this fast yet wears armor?"

"No. Not just any armor. Steam armor."

"Jouki no yoroi? Then that means...!"

"... this must be Han..."

"... of the Bakumatsu!"

"The pressurized steam can be used to increase his velocity", Kakashi sighed, "That was why he seemed so strong..."

Zabuza chuckled, "I see. I've actually heard a bit about that stuff. The technology was the envy of the five great companies for ages. It originally belonged to the Third Mizukage but the idiot died without passing it on. It seems the Bakumatsu must have gotten their hands on its blueprint somehow."

The one named Han tipped his straw hat, which was; on closer inspection, also made of the same material as his revealed breastplate. He looked at the two operatives before him with something akin to grudging respect.

"It seems I have been unvieled; Kakashi of the sharingan, Demon of the Mist", he spoke in a raspy voice, "There is no point concealing my identity now."

His clothes were shredded with a burst of steam - all except the innermost gi - revealing a studious, cylindrical-like armor plated over every single inch of his body. A furnance was positioned over his back, emitting steam in brief bursts.

Combined with the masked faced and completely lowered kasa, the whole scene looked pretty terrifying.

"I feel honored battling against mercenaries of your calibre", he continued, "but I have a duty to my client and my company. If my orders are to kill, then kill, I shall."

"Fine by me" , Zabuza sneered, raising his infamous weapon, "Let's see just how much damage that armor of yours can take." - but Kakashi was wary. Between him and Momochi, they had just about the total chakra capacity of a field mouse. Unless they came up with some kind of plan and FAST, winning here would be naught but a childish dream.

"You moron! What are you doing chatting up the enemy?", Gato cried, "Finish them before they get a chance to recuperate! Finish them!"

The mercenaries were pretty much prepared for anything but they certainly didn't expect the jet of steam which exploded from Han's boots; propelling him forwards at a rather stunning speed.

Kakashi ducked under a punch, only to thank his garters that he had ducked even lower than normal, when a burst of steam followed the fist; heating the air where his head had been rent just moments ago.

Now alarmed, the jonin took great care to scurry out of the way as a flash kick followed; releasing the same fatal stream of vapour. An unfortunate lever behind Kakashi got obliterated in its wake.

This armor was B.A.D. It seemed the large man had only just been coating the true extent of its abilities up until now. Kakashi knew he had to figure out a way to dismantle it, but how?

His nin-ken were out of the question. Contact with that steam would probably turn them to little more than dust and end their summoning life. Genjutsu? He could barely see his opponent's face, much less make eye-contact.

Han smashed his foot into the ground, expelling a powerful wave of steam as he did so. The ground crumpled beneath his feet; debris falling to the sea below, leaving a rather large hole.

Kakashi cursed. At this rate, the bridge would not even be surviving the battle not to talk of them.

"Raaaarghhh!"

Han barely flinched as Zabuza swung his weapon. The boucho collided with the armor, sending sparks flying everywhere.

"It is useless."

"I'M NOT DONE YET!"

The return swing was way more powerful than the first and this time, the demon wisely aimed for his head. Han lowered his body slightly to take the blow on his hasa. There was a deafening screech as they clashed, along with even more sparks but finally, to everyone's amazement, a part of the cone shattered.

Even Gato blanched in shock. The demon's resiliency was proving to be both annoying and impressive at the same time.

Unexpectedly, Han reacted violently to the incident; despite the damage being only aesthetic. His hands formed similar gestures and fired off dual concentrated blasts of steam which at such close range, hit Zabuza head on. The demon was washed in the attack.

Sensing his opponent's distraction, Kakashi moved swiftly. Since Han's armored defense had all but rendered every form of weaponry useless, the silver haired jonin was left with only one trick in the bag. He wasn't sure about its plausibility, but if he could target the joints between metal segments, then maybe...

His lightning blade sprung to life.

However, the big man had anticipated the sneak attack and the resulting back kick had once again, sent the jonin hurtling through the air - but not before Kakashi had managed a glancing blow to his side. A very thin crack developed where his weapon struck.

'Well what do you know?', he thought, 'It seems the armor might actually have some elements of earth in it... no matter how little.'

The flying jonin's tangent was halted by a powerful arm. Kakashi turned only to see...

"You don't die easy, do you?", he joked.

Zabuza glared at him, steam wafting all over his form, "And neither do you, you goddamned weasel. Have you found a way around the blasted armor yet?"

"Maybe", he focused back on their query who was now calmly adjusting his hat. A thin cut was visible close to his right eye showing that Zabuza had indeed nicked him, "His armor seems earth-based, an advantage for my lightning techniques. However, it is too dense to be harmed by a simple thrust. I'll need more speed... and power."

His ally-by-circumstance nodded in return, "And me?"

"Hold him down at this end of the bridge. I'll come in a straight line from the opposite end and, oh, do make sure to get out of my way." An eye-smile.

Zabuza didn't speak instead weaving a brief seal sequence. As quick as thought, numerous moisture droplets were pulled to his form, forming a thin film of water around him. Kakashi whistled in admiration. So that was how he had managed to survive Han's steam jutsu...

"Did you honestly think I was stupid, Copycat?", Zabuza growled, "There's no way I would have engaged the jouki no yoroi to a melee without some sort of protection..."

When the jonin simply gave him a 'duh' look, Zabuza hissed darkly and reached for his sword.

"Get them, boy! I see them. They're over there!"

Kakashi sighed. Despite the protection of the moisture film - and his great resiliency for pain - Zabuza wouldn't be holding out for much longer. The bruise on his chest was turning a sickening purple, and his skin was so tender from the repeated heatings, it looked like it would come off if someone so much as brushed him.

Not to say that the Leaf jonin didn't feel any worse. The cut on his chest still oozed blood; agitated even more by his jerky movements, and Han's kick had more likely than not shattered a few ribs. This move would be their last.

"He's attacking again", Zabuza drawled casually.

The two experienced operatives leapt out of the way as a massive steam blast was fired at them. The attack pulverised most of the obstacles in its path and kept going... only for Kakashi to realize belatedly that it was heading straight for his un-aware student.

"Kyuubi!"

He didn't even attempt to move - still airborne - knowing he wouldn't be able to make it anywhere close in time. The broken girl kept staring sadly at her deceased teammates even as the deadly attack raced head-on for her.

"KYUUBI!"

She turned - a blank look on her face - right before she was engulfed in the violent explosion.

Kakashi landed weakly, mind so frustrated, it almost broke - but then didn't know what to think when the dust settled to reveal that his red-haired student had simply CAUGHT the jutsu - in a giant red paw of chakra.

He blinked once.

Kyuubi blinked twice.

"Get a move on, Kakashi!", Zabuza barked as he headed for Han.

The jonin disappeared in a body flicker, appearing by the side of the girl who was still staring owlishly at her new appendage, "Kyuubi, I'll need you to move out of the way..."

The red head paused for a moment to take in his exposed face (which a slightly irked Kakashi remembered was due to Han destroying his shawl), then bared her fangs at him, causing the man to cringe involuntarily.

'She really is the demon after all.'

"... for your teammates' sakes", Kakashi completed belatedly.

Realization dawned on her face and she dispelled the red chakra, moving to relocate the bodies. Once sure they were out of harm's way, Kakashi flickered again until he had gotten to the unfinished end of the bridge. He came to a halt at the very edge, forcing gravel from his feet to topple into the sea below.

Making sure his iqal was tied strongly over his normal eye, he tore off the billowing bottoms of his thawb and settled into a small crouch. Grabbing his right arm with his left, he began channeling the chakra required to initiate the only other jutsu he had ever created.

It wasn't much. He had to grab at the last vestiges of his reserves to even manage to form the technique completely.

'Well, it comes down to this now', he mused.

This was it. The last shot. Should this fail, he could probably kiss the world of the living goodbye. Smiling, he realised Obito would be having a hay day whereaver he was - the 'great' Sharingan Kakashi having had to resort to the use of soldier pills, and now one of his rival's signature techniques, to get a single mission done. Not to mention, a 'C' rank one at that.

Amused at the irony of things, Kakashi focused deep within himself and searched for that tiny spot lodged in his brain; the one only trained martial artists could hope to identify...

It didn't take long.

"Release!"

XXxxxXX

Han had expected both opponents to dodge the attack. It had been fairly slow to be honest, making up for what it lacked in speed with sheer power.

He had also expected them to ready some kind of counter, as such, he had begun preparing another move even as he fired off the last one.

However, he had definitely not expected one of them to 'flee' from the scene of battle and for the other to attack him head on.

This was not right. From what he'd read in the archives, the Copycat was no pushover. He was one of the select elites of the Oniwabanshu, an extremely resourceful ninjutsu master, and - logged in by the Tsuchikage himself - a blasted student of the bastard Kiiroi no senkou. (Old man's words not his).

He could also tell simply by looking at him that the man was no coward. So, why now did he run? Unless it was all part of some ploy - the man was renowned for a cunningness even kitsunes couldn't match.

The demon, on the other hand, was a bit more straightforward and splendidly easier to read. Han knew all about his violent escapades and signature techniques. It would be best if he disposed of him now lest his brawn combine any more with Kakashi's brains to create a formidable combination.

He met Zabuza's attack head on; fending the boucho's whooping arc with his armored arm. The force of the swing jarred him some and he felt the underlying metal plates shift slightly, but he was confident his armor would hold. Instead, he increased his output of produced steam, truly intended on decimating the demon right then and there.

To his surprise, his oppponent decided to prove at that moment just how good his swordplay was. Spinning sharply, the Sekiho renegade brought the blade around in a neat swerve, aiming a blow at Han's thick neck. The Bakumatsu agent was cocksure the armor would protect him but he certainly didn't want to risk the effects of blunt force trauma the blow could cause. This forced him to rely on his reflexes; which were extremely acute, and he leapt backwards nimbly before catching a part of the blade.

He really was getting tired of this sword.

Zabuza's eyes bulged as the boucho was split into two unequal halves with a simple steam-powered punch. The blow also glanced off his shoulder, coming very close to dislocating a joint, and forcing the demon to the ground in pain.

Han formed a single seal and stepped forward. 'Victory is mine.'

However, he was shocked moments later when he found that he couldn't move - both feet seemingly stuck to the pavement. Chancing a quick glance, he was treated to the sight of the demon with both hands on the ground; wherein ran a thin line of water which ended as a miniature bubble around his ankles.

"My mini version of the hydro prison technique", Zabuza uttered in a deranged chuckle, "NOW, Kakashi!"

Han heard the sonic boom before he felt it and turned towards the opposite end of the bridge in time to see a barely visible blur approach.

It whipped past Kyuubi; almost throwing her overboard, and tore a wake of debris and destruction along its path before slamming into the giant mercer at super-sonic speeds.

The big man could do nothing but watch in horror as the chest region of his armor exploded; the reason being the fist-sized hole currently lodged through it. His heart remained unharmed but that had only been because he had managed to escape Zabuza's trap and shift at the last moment.

Nontheless, the lightning blade tore through his sternum and forced him off his feet - and he gazed in wonderment at Kakashi; whose unparalled speed had caused him to sail over his head - before collapsing to the ground. His limbs twitched in shock.

"WHAT? No!", Gato cried, "That shouldn't happen!"

Kakashi's body hit the ground several paces behind and skipped for a few moments before coming to a spread-eagled stop. He didn't get up.

No one noticed Gato trying to sneak away from the battlefield.

Tazuna who had been watching the fight and Chojuro; who was just now recovering, yelled the jonin's name in joy before rushing towards his position. They met him with his hair haphazardly bunched all over his face, and more than a few painful gashes lining his body, muttering inaudibly under his breath.

"... never again... bloody jutsu... must be crazy..."

"Kakashi-san! Are you alright?"

"You've done it! You've done it again, Kakashi!"

"Yay", he muttered, pumping his fist half-heartedly, "I probably should get some sleep now."

Zabuza walked over and hauled the man to his feet. "Now's not the time for your antics, Copycat! The scum bag is getting away!"

They all turned towards Gato, who was still in the process of sneaking away.

"Then again", Zabuza snarled, a sadistic look settling on his face, "On second thought, you can take that beauty sleep of yours. This bastard is mine!"

The demon advanced sharply, easily hefting the half of his sword still connected to the hilt. The mogul saw him come and stumbled on a puddle in his fright, landing pathetically on his butt. Zabuza watched it with a pitiful chuckle.

"I'm going to enjoy this."

However, Gato stopped trying to crawl and instead began laughing maniacally. The four men wondered if something had finally snapped in the billionaire only to turn and see a reformed Han standing behind them.

Suffice it to say, they were all speechless.

"Truthfully impressive", Han rasped, casually cracking his neck from side to side, "This armor is made from a special mineral located deep in the mines of Iwa. Only a handful can ever boast of breaking its defence amongst which is the present Tsuchikage. I am glad to have had this battle with you."

It became evident as he spoke that a strange aura was now coating the man and right before their eyes, they could see the gaping hole in his chest begin to close slowly but surely.

Zabuza and Kakashi reached the same conclusion at the same time.

"Jinchuuriki", they stated wearily. Han gave no reaction to the comment.

Gato, meanwhile, was now laughing in a high pitch, "Ha ha! I knew you couldn't go down that easy! Don't hesitate now, chum, you've seen what they can do. Kill them before they do it again! I have somewhere to be!"

Kakashi grimaced as pain lanced through his form. The front lotus was a pretty tasking move requiring the opening of the first gate of chakra in order to increase one's physical attributes. However, after the brief period of action, one usually experienced mild atrophy as a consequence of use. The jonin could normally withstand this backlash but general weariness was now beginning to set in. Black spots danced across his vision.

Zabuza; who still had an arm rendered useless, spared his companion a baleful glance and said pitifully, "Heh. There's no way we could beat a jinchuuriki like this. It seems we've finally lucked out, Copycat."

"I said be done with them, you big dolt! What the hell are you waiting f..."

Nobody even noticed Tazuna had moved until they saw him rush at Gato with a large rock. The man hurled the stone at the mogul just as Han body-flickered to intercept him.

"Aarrghh!"

Han had been merciful, going for a simple backhand when he could have easily snapped the geezer's neck on the spot. Still, despite the relative weakness of the move, the old builder was catapulted backwards, spraying blood and spittle as he fell.

But the damage had been done. Han watched passively as his employer cried out; clutching his forehead which was now steadily dampening with blood.

"Aaah! What is this? What is this?", Gato cried, glancing hysterically at the blood on his palm before placing it back to his aching brow, "You imbecile! You were paid to protect me! PROTECT me! How dare you let that piece of filth harm me like this? Oh Gawd, my head... I was almost killed. You blundering buffoon! What more do you wish to happen before you obliterate them all?"

As usual, the bodyguard didn't bother with words but a light bulb had gone off in Kakashi's head. Although the Bakumatsu hadn't been overtly civil to their Oniwabanshu counterparts in ages, he had to know...

"First rule of the mercenary?", he shot out on a limb.

Han eyed him shrewdly before replying, "The mercer is not bound to his mission; rather to the services of the client."

Zabuza's eyes widened when he realised where Kakashi was headed.

"And if the client becomes inaccessible?"

There was a pause and a flash of humor became visible in the man's eyes, "Then the mission must be abandoned at all cost."

It was true. Unlike the shinobi of old, mercenaries were all about the effective utilization of time and resources; which could simply be transcribed as 'self-preservative greed'. The old founders had believed that the mission was the true goal. That, no matter the circumstances, once a mission had been accepted, it had to be completed even at the cost of one's life.

However, ever since the second era; when the need for preservation arose, a new principle had been implemented and with it the development of the name 'mercenary'. The mercenary was bound only to the funder and not the confines of a mission. Should the client become deceased, all ties to the mission were annulled. This was particularly important during wars where mercers were allowed to freely return to their duties once their employer (usually a daimyo) had been snuffed, and right now, Gato was the 'employer' in that rule.

It seemed the billionaire had made a huge mistake coming to the bridge today.

"I see what you are thinking, Hatake, but I am liable to the details of my contract", Han said coolly, moving to stand before his contractor , "I will not let you lay another hand on this man."

"W-what a-are you talking about? What's g-going o-on, boy-o?"

His reply was a simple spike in chakra level, which caused a faint shroud to form around his aide.

"Kakashi-san?", Chojuro called.

"Kakashi?", Zabuza too inquired. There was a mad gleam in the demon's eyes. This was exactly what he needed. A challenge! He could already begin to feel himself get high off his own adrenaline.

The Oni jonin answered in two quick words - "Breastplate. Now." - and then they were off.

Gato shrieked as Zabuza pulled up beside him, weapon in hand, only for the demon to be knocked away by a violent blow from Han.

Kakashi was next; trying for an overhead attack, but the jonin's wounds had slowed him immensely, making him easy game for the bodyguard to pick off.

The huge mercer then came around to intercept another advance from Zabuza, who shocked him by turning away from the mogul at the last moment and instead lashing out at him. The blunt sword sought through the gap in Han's chest, withdrawing a thick line of blood.

"Now!"

Kakashi landed harshly on the ground and rolled out of the way as Chojuro stepped forward, unleashing twin chakra attacks with his broken blade. The two brutish mercenaries were forced to take to their skirmish to the air lest they get skewered by the volatile move.

Sensing the lapse, Chojuro gathered strength and swung at the now defenceless businessman - in an impressively wide arc of chakra.

Just when it seemed the attack might actually connect, Han was before it once again, taking the brutal force head on. His armor protected him from majority of the damage though a good bit of it slipped through his chest, drawing blood once again. This one took longer to heal.

"They've all gone nutters! They're mad, I tell you!", Gato screamed, racing to his feet, "I'm outta here!"

Kakashi pinged the retreating man with shuriken but Han was proving far too resilient in his new duty. He smartly intercepted the projectiles, which all bounced harmlessly off his sturdy armor.

'Kami, we've been battling for hours and we're all too weak to keep this on. He, on the other hand, is even moving faster than when he first arrived. Is this the power of a jinchuuriki?'

The undeterred Zabuza had raced after the billionaire again, entire being focused on the impending slaughter. Kakashi didn't need the explosion and subsequent formation of a body crater to tell what had intercepted him.

"Chojuro - "

But the short youth was already busy; his face contorted in concentration and his ruined sword glowing a mighty blue. The next moment saw him swing his weapon, firing off over a score of numerous chakra blades into the air.

The jonin nodded appreciatively. The boy certainly had great potential.

Even as Gato ran, he couldn't help noticing the multiple shadows descending upon him. The bridge soon became riddled with dust as the blades met the asphalt, cracking the ground wherever they landed.

An expulsion of steam from Han's boots had him airborne and soon he was deflecting any attack that came close to his client. However, one slipped his guard and struck Gato's heel, sending the man to the ground in a crumpled, crying mess.

The bodyguard quickly realised that the blue-haired boy; being the only one still capable of using jutsu - and long-ranged ones at that - was the logical threat. He had to be taken down.

"Very nice, Chojuro, but you should be more conservant with chakra in this situation."

"It's alright, Hatake-san. That was just a diversion, I think I have a plan", Chojuro whispered, frowning at the puddle underneath his feet.

Kakashi's black eye bored into his, "Shoot."

Han was fast. Before much could be said, he had swooped in, sending Kakashi flying with a well-placed tackle. Chojuro couldn't move fast enough to evade the hulking man as he stretched a single fist towards him.

"Jouton..."

A powerful blast of steam gushed out of his fist, almost toppling the entirety of the bridge

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kyuubi really couldn't care about what was going on before her. She didn't even have the slightest clue except that it seemed someone else had shown up and suddenly, sensei and Zabuza were allies.

That bastard Haku was probably with them too.

She hoped he died.

The sounds of explosions rose to a crescendo and she chanced another glance at their end of the bridge which was quickly becoming obscured in mist and dust. Hopefully, they would end up destroying the bridge, leaving them all to fall to their watery deaths below.

She sighed. Kami never was that merciful.

Biting her bottom lip, she glanced down at Naruto and gently carressed his face again. His once tan skin was now a pale white in death.

Naruto...

'It's certain now. I am a monster', Kyuubi thought, cringing at the sight of her own clawed hands running the length of Naruto's cheek. She'd always denied it. Run from it. Tried to laugh it away... but there was no escape now. Nothing her mum, dad or Mr Sarutobi could do to change this revelation. She'd killed a teammate with her own hand, and not just a teammate...

... 'her' teammate.

They'd probably lock her up when she got back to Konoha... or maybe turn her to a guinea pig for Ibiki to work on.

'I guess I shouldn't have given up on my determination to never sleep again', she mused wryly. Who knew? Maybe she would have gotten too weary from lack of sleep and get run over by a train or something...

She didn't notice that the other teammate had been twitching until he sat up and raised a hand to his head.

"Owww...", he groaned, Uchiha-style.

The redhead blinked.

Carefully scanning his surroundings with slightly disoriented eyes, the Uchiha noticed that Haku was nowhere to be seen. Reaching up, he gently extracted the senbon from his neck before turning to see his fiery teammate; staring at him with a blank look on her face. He furrowed his brows.

"Something on my face?", he growled.

When she simply blinked at him, he realised she was in a state of shock and lifted his palm to give her a light smack across the cheek.

SLAP!

'Okaaay, now that was unexpected.'

Before his hand had even connected, she had smacked him soundly, withdrawing a pink bruise from his face.

"YOU HAVE A LOT OF NERVE, MISTER!", she screeched, "PRETENDING TO BE DEAD WHEN YOU WERE CLEARLY STILL ALIVE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU PUT ME THROUGH?"

Then she had her arms around his neck and was hugging him fiercely. Sasuke frowned as her hair got into his nose and tried to push her off, only to realise that she was sobbing.

"Sa-sasuke...", she cried.

The Uchiha's sense of foreboding was suddenly alerted. Kyuubi never broke down like this before.

"I k-ki-k... S-sas-suke. I k-killed him!", she wept.

"You killed Haku?", the Uchiha asked. 'Why in the world would she be unhappy about that?'

When Kyuubi's sobs only increased, the raven-haired male suddenly realised something important.

"Where's Naruto?"

And as the redhead hugged him even tighter, he spied a body laid out behind her; a gaping hole where its stomach should be.

He blanched.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gato had managed to crawl behind a pile of cement bags, shakily clutching onto his bleeding leg. The ground around the area was sloppy and wet but it would have to do for now. Boy-o was almost done.

He gritted his teeth. That bastard. He'd be sure to make Han pay for this passive insurbodination the moment he got back to Earth country. How dare he strike a chat with the enemy while his life was on the line? How dare he play with his wellbeing like it was some kind of test-run?

Meanwhile, across from him, the battlefield was a waste. Kakashi was lying almost dead on the cool surface, lone eye punched shut. Zabuza was some distance away, laughing hysterically where his skull had been forced to eat into the ground. Han observed the two of them calmly; as if daring any to get up again - but the battle had been lost. Even where he lay, the Oni jonin was blinking in and out of consciousness.

"It's over."

The operative from Iwa raised both arms, already beginning to fill up both nodes in his pressure tanks.

"I must commend you all on your bravery and skill - had it not been for my 'condition', I'm sure I wouldn't have been the victor here. Nontheless, I am proud to have excelled in combat over you. Your deaths would be remembered. It would be swift and merciful."

Zabuza was still laughing and Kakashi briefly wondered if all that pain, coupled with losing Haku, was finally getting to the man.

This was one of the setbacks of the mercenary way. Sometimes, even comrades would be forced to become enemies for the sake of their mission, and enemies in turn forced to find solace in one other. Kakashi was dimly aware that Han had formed his unique seal once again.

"Come on...", he muttered under his breath, even as he tried moving his numb digits, "Come on..."

There was a hissing noise of steam.

"Come on..."

Gato had been so occupied with watching his aide snuff the life out of the two rodents who had made his excursion to the bridge such a miserable hell, that he didn't even notice the water puddle behind him distort and expand until a blade was placed upon his heart.

He stilled.

"D-drop d-dead, bitch", came the wavering command - and then there was pain.

Han was just about completing the jutsu that would have sent his two opponents into oblivion, when he heard the bloodcurling scream.

"No!"

Turning so quickly he almost snapped his neck, he watched his employer slump to the ground in a pool of blood; a blade of finest silver buried up to the hilt in his back. Another body appeared behind him and this one too swayed then crashed to the ground revealing...

'How come? I thought I killed him!'

He swerved his eyes back to the earlier rubble and noticed that the hand - formerly lying underneath all the chaos - had just now faded from view.

'What?'

"Bunshin", Kakashi coughed, managing a glimpse at him over his swollen eye, "You got careless. Chojuro used the water hiding technique the same moment you struck him. I snuck a bunshin under the rubble, right before the dust cleared, and you didn't bother to check the authenticity of the body or if it was even Chojuro in the first place, before you took off again. After that, it was a small matter for him to sneak behind Gato while we kept you occupied."

The bodyguard looked reasonably stumped. Kakashi knew exactly how it must feel though for a veteran such as he to fall for such a rookie ploy. He had been overconfident and let his guard over his client down.

Zabuza had stopped laughing and was now watching Han with wary eyes, as was the Copycat. Both were wondering if the Bakumatsu operative would break the way and attack them nonetheless. After all, the way was just that; a way. Mercenaries weren't advised to get too personal to their mission but it also wasn't a crime if they did. Zabuza had done just that when he allowed his rivalry with Kakashi get in the way of his target.

Han's organization had more than likely already received a stipulated fee for the mission although the mercenary wouldn't be getting paid for his failure. It was now up to him whether he wanted to cut back and count his losses or take the lives of the defenceless mercers before him. After all, one would be hard pressed by the significant increase in reputation that came with the vanquishing of such established foes, not to mention the numerous bounties hanging over both their heads...

To their relief, he turned away only for them to realize that he was instead heading for Chojuro. The blue-haired boy glared up at the giant man in defiance, despite being sprawled out in exertion over the ground. Han ignored him and crouched, assessing the damage done to his client. He flipped the corpse over rather roughly, revealing Gato's disbelieving look and gaping mouth.

Glaring at Chojuro, he then rose to full height and levelled a palm at him. The ANBU trainee's glare did not waver even as he stared down death in the face.

"~Stop", Kakashi groaned weakly, hoping to somewhat avert the boy's fate but the furnace mounted on the armor had already begun emitting pressurized vapor.

The metal platelets shifted slightly - adjusting for the stream that was sure to spew - and a hissing noise was heard as the servos whirred into action.

Just when everyone thought Chojuro would now be having a very unfortunate meeting with Grim reaper, Han's fist dropped to his side and he uttered in a neutral voice,

"I am a man of my code. You bested me here thus my mission is over."

"A-ano, y-you're n-not angry?", the boy asked in surprise after a beat.

Had Kakashi's vision not been so blurry, he'd have sworn he saw a smile light up the mercer's eyes, "Angry? Now why would I be?"

"I-I k-killed your client..."

Han gave a short back of laughter, "That's all he ever was now, wasn't it? Old man Tsuchikage might probably be a bit peeved considering Gato was one of our biggest investors, but he also owned quite the amount of our shares - up to the point of making jest about a possible take over and implying he'd someday demote the old man from position. The other stakeholders will have a fieldday over this."

"A-ah, but if your company disliked him so much why didn't they just get rid of him?"

Han had already begun walking away, "It's in the contract. We dare not harm the shareholders of our plc. But I did not kill him, did I? So, I'll probably have to take his body back as evidence."

This was the most he had heard Han speak since their battle began so Kakashi was nary surprised when the man turned to address him before taking his leave.

"I can't remember the last time my armor has taken this much damage" (For he did look pretty banged up, what with the hat and all), "You are a mighty opponent, Kakashi of the Sharingan. It seems even with the disadvantage, you could still rally your allies to claim victory over me today. I wish we can have a new battle some other time, when we are both fit, and you too, demon of the Mist."

"I might honor the way now", Zabuza spat grieviously, "But in the long run, even though we've all done our share of evils under the banner of a mission, I cannot ever forget what you did to Haku today."

There was a brief lapse of silence; a silence in which a lot was spoken between the two men before his opponent simply replied, "I wait."

Zabuza nodded, content to have made his peace for now. The time would come to hunt Han down in vengeance, and he would do so with the fearsomeness of a man possessed.

Kakashi, on the other hand, didn't care much about what was being said around him. He was just glad that all this was finally over. Kami, he was weary. He wondered if the Mist demon would take the opportunity to strike again... but even if he did, there was nothing the silver-haired jonin could do about it right now.

'Well, Obito. It seems we might live to fight another day yet again.'

Black spots began to dance around his vision.

'I wonder what would happen now? Naruto... Sasuke... where would this lead?'

He heard a loud shout and the screeching sounds of tires and numerous feet.

"T-Tsunami-chan!", came Tazuna's weak voice, "She brought the townspeople!"

More noises...

"Hn. Sensei's out like a light bulb..."

'Sasuke? Was he still alive?...'

"Oh god, Kakashi-san!..."

... bright lights...

"Get that boy to the ER now!"

"Thank you. Thank you. All of you!"

The cacophony of voices was confusing and since the lull of darkness seemed much, much more appealing, Kakashi finally succumbed to it.

His world went offline.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Epilogue

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kyuubi bit her lip in thought as she cleared the expanse of the grounds taking her to her supposed destination. Her hair was laced into a braid once again and a she had borrowed some pins from Tsunami to keep a few rogue strands out of her face.

The water sloshed peacefully along the docks and the sun shone brightly in its place. A small amount of workers and coastguards were present and even the hanging mists famous around these areas were nowhere to be found. Life was going on smoothly.

Or not.

Kyuubi sighed, recalling the incidents of the week before. Despite the fact that she still shuddered whenever someone brought the memory up, she did find it ironic the way everything had wasted no time in falling back into place.

She had been on the bridge there - helpless - crying on the shoulders of a friend, when said Uchiha had urged her to man up (or was it woman up in her case?) and see if they could assist their sensei in any way. What they had seen, however, was a decimated battlefield and a hulking man poised to kill both Kakashi and Zabuza, before Chojuro had managed to snuff Gato's life from out of nowhere. After that, it wasn't long before the citizens of Wave arrived, rallied on by a determined Tsunami, and the unconscious/injured combatants were then rushed to the nearest hospital.

Kyuubi had been torn over her feelings when she spied the state of Haku's corpse but that had quickly changed when Naruto had followed next; in a black body bag.

Then came the celebrations when Tazuna informed the populace that the Gato menace was no more, but the redhead had been unable to join in, choosing instead to hold a constant vigil by her teammates' bedsides. It was only upon the arrival of the baseball cap-wearing-face-protector guy; who called himself Yamato, that the girl finally let herself go out for some much needed fresh air.

The kindly jonin had revealed that Kakashi did call for reinforcements but he couldn't make it in time due to 'complications'. (He had muttered something about having to take a train all the way here causing the girl to wonder if her teacher's colleagues were truly all as cheap as him). Everything had gone smoothly after that, although there was a bit of a hitch when it was found that Zabuza had gone missing immediately after awakening; along with Haku's corpse and both halves of his blade. Probably a wise thing too because the evening of the same day, ANBU from the Sekiho corporation had promptly arrived only to go back empty handed with a rejuvenated Chojuro. (Sasuke had told her in privacy that he had a feeling that the black ops trainee had in fact, been the one to radio in his colleagues as he still held a potent grudge towards the demon of the Mist).

Kakashi had eventually been restored to full health and moved out of the hospital, and in gratitude, Tazuna had awarded them a large amount of money from the Bridge Trust Fund. In response to Kyuubi's complaints, he'd simply replied that the bridge could be completed any other time they chose but their gratitude could never be repayed. Still hesitant, she had only relented when Yamato informed her that since the company was now aware of the dupe, it was the least Tazuna could do lest ANBU agents begin hounding his door. The money was almost equivalent to that of a standard A-rank fee, a fair price for the duty they had performed.

Things had gone much smoother after that and team three had relocated away from the Dozuki household to a small hotel near the docks to get ready for their journey home. However, Kyuubi was still disturbed. They were a more than a few things nagging at the back of her mind and she knew just now how to settle one of them.

Her destination now in sight, she entered the small garage quietly while also avoiding the numerous hazards littered on the floor. The Chevrolet Impala 69 stood in all its glory and Kyuubi felt her heart leap in fondness as she took a sight of the car. Tinkering noises alerted her to the fact that even now, her query was still working to get it back to prime form.

She chose a bench and sat patiently - still biting her lip - waiting for her teacher to appear from underneath his beloved vehicle. She didn't wait long before a pale hand extended from under the trunk, gesturing towards her position.

"Maa, help me with the wrench by the side now, would you?"

Kyuubi humphed. Trust only her sensei to know when anyone got as close as fifty feet to that of his beloved machine. She passed him the wrench and watched his hand disappear, the tinkering noises emanating once more. She briefly wondered what he was fixing. Zabuza hadn't damaged the ride that bad. In fact, most of the damage had come from the jutsu Kakashi used to shoot it back to land in order to prevent it from sinking.

After a few more minutes, she finally decided to speak.

"Sensei, can I talk to you?"

"You are now", came the cheeky reply. Kyuubi growled as he poked his hand out and asked for a smaller wench this time around.

"I have some questions and I need a really honest answer", she passed him the equipment, and after small pause added in gentler tones, "please."

Kakashi stilled, hearing the emotion in her voice. Casting a sigh, he once again recalled that Rin never gave their sensei this much trouble, "I'm listening."

"How would you rate me as a mercenary?"

"You're still green, Kyuubi." The tinkering restarted.

"I know that", she growled annoyedly, "But how would you evaluate me assuming a superior asked you to? And don't lie to me!"

Kakashi frowned, "Well, to be honest, you're hot-tempered, hesitant, insecure and more likely than not to end up letting your emotions cloud your judgement... not to mention you have sexually pent-up frustrations towards one or both of your teammates." The last part, of course, was said in an undertone that even she couldn't hear.

"Oh..."

"But apart from that, you have a flawless taijutsu form, incredible reflexes, and are a fine athlete through and through. You also possess fairly high chakra reserves and a competitive streak; the latter of which will benefit you greatly in our line of work. I don't think I need to mention how so. Bolts please?"

Kyuubi spared a small smile and passed him the box of screws. However, there was something else... the main reason she had come to speak with him in the first place.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think I'm a human being?"

The noises in the garage came to a stop.

"I'm going to stop deluding myself and start facing cold, hard logic now" she continued, "Ibiki-sensei back at boot camp hinted knowing something about my condition so I'm guessing you do too. The whole thing with my wounds, the strange power, the chakra... It's not normal is it? I saw the look on your face back at the bridge, sensei. I need to know, what am I?"

When the jonin didn't answer, her eyes began tearing up.

"So, it's true then? I'm not human, right? I'm some kind of sick experiment or super soldier or something", she cried, "Or maybe just some hideous monster. The antichrist? I'm tired of people hiding things from me! I'm tired of children bawling aloud when they see the colour of my eyes! I'm tired of my parents being scared shitless all the time! What the hell am I?"

Kakashi kept mute, unsure how to proceed with this one. Kyuubi took his silence as evidence of guilt and leapt from her stool. The jonin groaned loudly before thrusting another of his oil-stained palms forward.

"Grease."

There were a few uneasy seconds in which he thought the redhead might have actually bailed before he felt a tube of the material being placed into his hand.

"Tubes."

The two worked in silence for a while, Kakashi sensing a need to let the girl calm some of the rage frothing within her soul. Eventually, she sat back on her haunches upon fishing around for a clean towel for him. The jonin wiped his dirtied face off and draped the material over his visage before protruding halfway from his vehicle. He looked upon her inverted silhouette with a stern look in his eyes.

"I am only going to say this once so you listen carefully, miss... You are Hanataka Kyuubi; daughter of Hanatakas Gin and Senna, a member of team Kakashi and a soon-to-be bondiggity mercenary all at once. You are different in your own way and it is those differences that make you special; and your specialty makes you who you are. So, if that isn't enough of a label for you, fine, go chase your demons, but the only way we get any answers in life is by embracing who we are first then waiting against hope for what the future might bring."

A beat.

Kakashi rose and inspected his handiwork. The dents in the car had long since been galvanised and all that remained was some good old spraying to complete the job. He turned to his student and rubbed his sore neck,

"Maa... It'd still be pretty cool if you were a super soldier at any rate. Who knows, maybe you might have helped get this done faster?"

He glanced at her only to find her deep in thought, her eyebrows furrowed cutely.

"Kyuubi", he knelt to her to her level, "If you are uncomfortable with all that has been happening, I know a few people back at Konoha. If we are in luck, they might be able to help you suppress..."

"I've made a decision, sensei", she said, so suddenly she almost startled the poor man.

"Huh?"

"I've been trying to treat this or keep it at bay ever since I remember", her eyebrows twitched, "But after what happened last week, I guess I can't put it on hold any longer."

She turned to the man, eyes filled with determination, "I know it's a hard thing to ask but you're the only one who can help me. This is why I even joined the Oniwabanshu in the first place."

Kakashi had the feeling that he actually knew where this was going...

His student's eyes burned into his,

"Train me, sensei. I need to learn how to control my power."

XXXxxxxXXX

Naruto was flipping through channels disinterestedly on the T.V only to perk up upon hearing the sound of footsteps. He turned to his door with a wide grin but sighed loudly when it parted to allow Sasuke walk through.

"Nice to see you too, dobe", the Uchiha muttered sarcastically. Naruto simply stuck his finger at him in return.

"So, whaddya get me?", he asked, causing his friend to dump a bag on his laps. The blonde ruffled through the contents eagerly only to find...

"...Clothes?"

Sasuke shrugged, "The doctor will be here soon. Kakashi's sorting everything out below. We're leaving now."

"Aww", Naruto whined, looking around the small white-walled room he had been confined to for the past week or so, "Just when I was beginning to like this place, it's so much better than my old dump."

"A cesspit's even better than your old dump", Sasuke retorted.

"Hey, I resent that!"

Shifting his gaze uneasily, Sasuke tried not to stare too much at Naruto's bandaged belly as the blonde awkwardly shook his hospital gown off and slipped into more casual gear. He did this in all of five seconds, mercenary style.

"Aw shit, Sasuke, I'm hungry as a motherfucker. Didn't you get me anything else?"

"Hn. You're not supposed to be eating solid foods yet, dobe."

"So I can die all over again? I've been living on fluids and injections for the past week! Fluids! I mean, what the hell is 5% dextrose? I might actually end up kicking the bucket for real by the time my belly develops an ulcer that would be visible from the back!"

The Uchiha shifted again, "Don't joke about such things!"

It was true that he still hadn't gotten over the image of a lifeless Naruto that had been burned into his retina. No one had. The whole thing still seemed like one stupid fairy tail to be honest. One moment, they were loading his friend into a body bag and the next (just as Kyuubi had begun tearing up again), an orderly was yelling out that he had found a pulse.

What followed next was a hectic and trying surgical procedure but after about twenty-eight hours, Uzumaki Naruto was finally declared stabilized.

Sasuke sighed. 'How in the world did the dobe even survive?' He was clinically dead for over an hour, and Kyuubi's... arm had gone straight through his stomach. Not to mention that not even two days after the surgery, baka was up again and well on the way to recovery. The doctors had been baffled at that one. It was as if his inner organs had simply healed themselves over a fortnight, no strings attached. Sasuke had asked Kyuubi if she knew anything about the strange occurence but the girl had simply been content with the fact that her teammate was once again among the world of the living.

And speaking of Kyuubi...

"Just eat it quickly", he sighed, digging into his backpack and producing a deluxe burger. If Naruto could survive a ruptured spleen, he doubted a McDonald's burger could possibly kill him.

The blonde grabbed the junk food and wolved it down in seconds much to Sasuke's amazement.

A wry smirk appeared. 'He really is famished.'

"How's Kyuubi doing by the way?", he asked offhandedly.

Sasuke eyed him, knowing that there was more than a small amount of concern under those words - and to think he was the one in the hospital bed.

"Not so good", he admitted tiredly, "She's broken, Naruto. She can't bring herself to visit you, not because she doesn't want to, but 'cos apparently, she's scared of what you might say."

Naruto spluttered, "I'd never blame, Kyuubi-chan!"

"We know, dobe. Give her time to come to grips with herself. Either way, you'd see her today." He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"The headaches still going strong?", Naruto asked, concerned.

"Yeah, but I took some painkillers. It's worn down some."

"Good. Haku's beat down probably already scarred you physically - what with all the senbon sticking out yer butt. I'm not sure, you'd need the mental equivalent either."

"You're one to talk, dobe."

"So are you, teme."

"Idiot."

"Fool."

"Ramen-breath"

"Panty-hose."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. That was a new one.

The door opened soon after that revealing a rather harried doctor (who was still adamant that the blonde be held for observation) and an eye-smiling Kakashi.

"You're free to go, Naruto."

"Yay!", he didn't need any nudging after that.

The entrance to the hospital was crowded by a small group, who were all trying to say their goodbyes to friends they had made in what seemed like such a long time ago. Tsunami embraced Kyuubi dearly, Tazuna had some last words with Kakashi while Inari flew at full speed to his new idol, almost taking the crutch-dependent blonde to the ground.

"Oww, watch the belly, Inari."

"S-sorry, Naruto-niichan!"

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed where he stood next to Yamato. It seemed Naruto was quickly starting to build an army of these small 'brother' miscreants.

"I promise to become a mercenary when I grow up - so I can be as cool as you, Onii-chan!"

"What?", Tsunami screamed, immediately turning away from Kyuubi.

Naruto chuckled, "I'm not sure that would be too much of a bright idea, Inari." (But he did write his address at the back of the little boy's hand, in case he ever found himself in Konoha and needed to catch up with his 'big bro')

Team three prepared to board the car and ultimately Kyuubi had to face Naruto. The girl's eyes widened when he looked her way and immediately cast her face towards the ground, but Naruto; mind already scheming, knew the best way to bring her out of her funk.

He placed a hand over her head and ruffled her hair as he hobbled by, saying in his best Gin voice.

"It's alright, cry baby. Daddy's going to buy you a mocking bird."

It had the intended effect. She looked up at him in shock only to see the same easy smile on his face... then she exploded.

"Who did you just call a cry baby, NARUTO?"

Kakashi smiled as he watched them race around. Things might just be beginning to get back to normal.

As the car sped back along the high way; Yamato - who was riding shotgun - fiddling with the stereo much to Kakashi's chagrin, Sasuke glanced over to his side where Kyuubi was asleep, curled up against Naruto's shoulder. The blonde looked noticeably pale, not even chancing so much as a twitch of his fingers, but the girl looked like she hadn't slept anywhere near that peacefully in decades.

'All is well now', he thought, briefly rubbing his temples to ease the ache. He had already called Itachi the first chance he had gotten to inform him about the events of their 'C-rank' mission. His brother had just simply replied that mother was worried and that he should get back quickly because some dishes were waiting for him. Sasuke couldn't tell if he had been joking or not.

They arrived in Konoha at nightfall and Yamato muttered about needing to draw up a schedule or something of the like for his team before disappearing. Kakashi rolled his eyes, gave a quip involving a 'Yugao', then turned to inform his students that he could handle everything at headquarters and that they should go get a goodnight's sleep. Their mission reward was to be collected the next time they met.

Naruto was the first to run in-town, immediately going on his knees and kissing the ground much to the chagrin of passersby, "Ah, Konoha! Good ol' Konoha. How I've missed you ~ !"

Kyuubi made a giggling noise, "Eww, Naruto. That's disgusting."

Sasuke was next, walking some distance ahead of them so he wouldn't be roped into their antics. However, he had barely taken two steps when a familiar pain lanced through his skull and he was forced unto his knees.

"Oi, teme?"

"Sasuke?"

Gods, the pain hurt, dammit! It hurt so much! Brief images flashed through his mind and his brain exploded in what felt like hellfire, releasing a strangled cry from his gritted teeth. Passersby were staring curiously now.

"SASUKE!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

The pain had risen to a crescendo and Sasuke couldn't fight it anymore. He didn't know when he hit the ground.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

To anyone who has taken the time to review this story, I thank you for your support and hope this chapter was up to standard. I didn't intend to be mean with the events of the last scene but I hope it didn't ruin the ending.

Due to low stats, UN will have to be put on the back burner for a while so I can work on two great fics I just recently started. However, I won't be posting any of these until I've gotten a significant number of chapters primed and ready so that I won't have to keep the readers waiting too long from the get go.

Also, on a side note, I hope I didn't overdo it with Han. I wanted the experience to be a humbling one for Team Kakashi and in my opinion, that needed an almost kage-level opponent. Hopefully, it will teach the team something about mortality and the fact that there is always someone out there better than you.

What's going to happen next? Are we going to see the chunin exams? Did Kakashi accept Kyuubi's request? Is Sasuke dead? How did Naruto survive the bridge? Is the Third Hokage currently sitting in his office smoking crack and taking small shots of grey goose... or is it just me?

Anyways, I can only assure one thing. There will be no chunin exams. Considering I've already done the Wave arc, I don't want to turn this story into a cliche rehash of canon. I've developed the main characters quite a bit so I think it's about time I introduce the overall arching plot and expand the story of other important side characters. Right now, I don't even know what will happen next but I'm sure it'll hit me as I go.

Thanks for all the support, guys. And the reviews too for those who managed it. Till next time.

Yabayaba doo.