Some backstory on Haku, and the first part of the different clash on the Great Naruto bridge.

The first decade of Haku's life was spent in a peaceful and often snowy village at the north of the land of water. The village itself was fairly remote, mostly serving as a rest stop for travelers heading for the great port at the north. It was a place where conflict was lacking and the people were warm like the hearths of their homes. Still, if threats arose, the people would gather up and beat them back. Soon enough, the village was forgotten by bandits, deemed as too much trouble for its worth.

The children were artists in the snow, the village commonly decorated with various lifelike statues made of solid snow, or more rarely, ice. Some did not have the time to play, busy helping their families with nurturing the crops in the snow, or going out to the lake in order to fish. Some would never act as children, silently growing into the elderly villagers that walked through the village every day, giving gleeful youngsters a smile or the occasional freshly caught fish.

Haku's mother was one of the people who just appeared in the village one day, only to be accepted as a native almost the same day. She was kind and gentle, the neighbors being able to attest to the fact that she had never raised her voice in her life. She did not need to, as her life suited her fine. She had a husband she loved, a sweet little boy named Haku, and a village to call home. She believed that her legacy would fade as the long winters passed. She believed that her family would be happy forever.

Among the village children, the young Haku was always known for his different look and mild manners. The kids found it funny to tease him that he looked like a girl, something he never really took offense to. Still, there were some strange things about the boy. He could walk on ice without ever slipping once, even when more sure-footed adults would manage to lose their balance; he would stop building his snowman in the evening, dream of it being slowly completed, and wake to see that the snowman was indeed created, save for the accessories. People just thought it was a coincidence.

One day, as he played around with the well in the back of their field, he noticed something really fun; If he wanted to make the water splash, it would splash, without him having to touch it. He was amazed, he played for hours, first making the water swirl and bubble, then making it crawl up the walls of the well. After a while, he took a bubble of water in his hands, and ran off to show his new trick to his mother. Instead of praise, he had received a slap.

Raising a hand against her own child was painful. As the sharp snap of skin meeting skin rang out across the yard, she could feel the fire spread on her own cheek as well. What little solace from the fact that the child learned the danger of that power, she took, kneeling down and slowly, quietly, explaining the origin of their family.

As she did so, a man stood right behind the corner, frozen in place by the weight of the truth that his wife has kept hidden from him for so long. Something inside of him grew cold. It was his duty to protect his home from any threat that may appear. His only regret was that the threat came from his own wife and son...

However, the man was a good actor. He hid the fact that he knew his wife's secret well, and lived the rest of the week feigning ignorance. It was his responsibility, but he knew that he could not do it alone. His colleagues helped spread the word, keeping the date of their gathering hidden from anyone who might let the truth slip too early. Almost overnight, the entire village was aware of the two monsters in their midst.

One night, they simply gathered in front of the man's house. They were there just in case something went terribly wrong, no one really believed that they'd have to interfere. It was his own fault for bringing those threats into their village, and as it stood, it'd be his duty to rid the village of them. But when they heard the piercing shriek of his wife, their feet moved on their own.

Haku didn't know what to feel. In his head and heart, so many complicated emotions came together and mixed, the only coherent one of the lot managing to come to the forefront of his mind - fear. He had loved his mother, and he had loved his father. He was sad to realize that his mother was no more, as he realized what had happened. He was feeling guilty because of what he had done, guilty over his childish desire to show off something so dangerous. He was feeling confused about why his father had done what he knew he had done. He was afraid. He didn't know what to do.

When the figure of his father had appeared in the doorframe, tears flowing from his eyes and blood dripping from his knife, the world had gone dark to one of the few remaining Yuki. The room became cold, and screams filled the night. He felt something strange right below his heart flaring like an overworked muscle, and he saw his reflection in the ice.

Where did the ice come from?

Three days have passed since then. The boy had kept running as far as he could, reaching the next village down the road. To those cold people, he was nothing but another orphan left alone by the civil wars. They guided him to the orphanage just like they did with every other one. The young woman there did her best to keep all of them fed and warm, but the winter was harsh, and not many had supplies to spare. Most days, they'd get a broth, only rarely getting something solid such as fish.

The other children never really tried to approach the new kid. He looked scared and sad, and he didn't hide it like they did. They all knew the hardships, but they stayed strong for each other. This newcomer couldn't understand that. Instead, the boy would disappear after breakfast, only returning as the sun set. The young woman worried about the boy, but with so much things needing to be done to keep the orphanage going through the rough season, she simply never could spare the time.

Haku was lonely most of all. His family and his village seemed so far away now. He ran for so long, who knows where they are now. He was all alone in this new place. The kids didn't want to have anything to do with him, and the woman was always too busy dealing with something else. If he were to disappear, no one would bat an eye. No one in this world needed him anymore.

Five days from then, on the same bridge where he spent his days, the young boy would meet a demon.

The Hideout was in the village itself, but the two men kept themselves hidden well, the swordsman tending to his minor wounds and planning his next and final encounter with Kakashi of the Sharingan. He had figured out how his little copycat act worked, and he would be ready for it. He would teach the Konoha jonin to respect the name of the 'Demon of the Mist'.

"Zabuza, you shouldn't let yourself be caught off-guard like that against foes as strong as the copycat ninja of Konoha..." Spoke the boy as he prepared the salve for the swordsman's hurt ribs. It was the last of his dwindling stock, his last attempt to restock on herbs being interrupted by a rather strange bounty hunter. So far, they were in luck, as there was no sign of the man.

"Be quiet, Haku," Grunted the demon, "I know how to take care of Kakashi."

The boy handed the salve over, stepping back and busying himself by arranging his massive supply of senbon needles. It would take a while for Zabuza to finish taking care of his injuries, no matter how few there were. Kakashi didn't need to hit you more than once to do the damage. Although they were softer in the leaf than in the mist, that didn't make them any less dangerous in combat...

"Why do you keep fighting?" The words escaped the boy's mouth, he himself only half-aware that he even spoke them. The demon only looked over at him for a moment, then went back to using the boy's salve.

Their hideout was an old family home whose occupants have fled due to the island's progressively worse situations. The owners weren't the only ones to flee, however; after Kaiza, many families just packed up and left, prompting Gato and his men to start seizing anything that resembled a boat. It was just about the last nail in the coffin when it came to their freedom. There was no escaping the island, the last one to leave was Tazuna, the drunkard old man, a engineering prodigy back in his better days. He was sent to get help from the nearest ninja village, in this case the Village hidden in the Leaves.

As for Zabuza, he was silent. It wasn't like Haku to ask questions like that. Then again, it wasn't that surprising; the fight against the mysterious bounty hunter shook him up pretty badly, and having to watch as the Konoha team managed to fend off his assault...it had to bother him. However, Haku already knew why Zabuza fought, asking that question in particular was pointless.

"I told you before, the reason I fight is to make my ambition come to life." Said the missing-nin jonin, his voice flat and emotionless like it always was. It only ever changed when he was angry.

"But the village turned on you, didn't it? Why fight for something that isn't worth fighting for?" The boy's face was still as stone, his shinobi training showing.

"Why do you fight for me, Haku? I am not a man who inspires loyalty. I am nothing more than a single man intending to kill the way of a nation." He sighed, something he didn't do very often, " Following me is a shortcut to the afterlife. A tool that cannot do its' task properly rusts away and disappears, I told you this as well."

By now, he had finished using the salve, leaving the empty container on the table. The herbs made his skin feel numb and cold, but they also lessened the pain. Haku claimed that they hastened the body's natural healing, but that was a non-factor, as Zabuza would be up and about before the bridge is finished anyway. He looked over at the boy, noticing that his weaponry is arranged and prepared already. Good, he isn't losing it.

"I will follow you wherever you decide to go, Zabuza. But I only ask to know why." His voice was almost pleading. That was hardly fitting of a shinobi, but it was simply the boy was...

"The village hidden in the Mist... It is a place that would destroy people like you, Haku. It breeds monsters and demons, calls them shinobi, only to have them wash the streets with blood the next time a war comes around." He sat up, running a hand through his hair, something he hadn't done a long time, ever since he first received his executioner's blade. "Kind and gentle souls as yours cannot breathe the air of that village, it would be poison to you. The reason I fight is to force that sick village to become healthy once more. To make it remember the face of the first Mizukage."

Haku nodded, apparently content with the answer. He wished that Zabuza's wish to serve his village outweighed the Konoha ninjas' desire to serve theirs. He had seen the first fight, and he had to intervene to save the swordsman's life. He could not pull the same trick again with these enemies...

Somewhere nearby, a boat docked to the island, its passengers stealthily making their way through the village, careful not to attract any attention. Four of them wore Konoha headbands.

The icy dome had long since disappeared into the mist. Zabuza would taunt and engage in the often forgotten art of combat banter, the heavy chakra load in the mist more than enough to hide the point his voice came from. Kakashi wasn't really that amused. Before the boy released that kekkei genkai, he was confident Naruto and Sasuke would be strong enough to defeat him alone. He was not as confident now, but he could not go and help them. A moment of inattention meant the death of the bridge builder. No matter how much potential Sakura had as a kunoichi, she was still fairly useless in actual battle, and would prove nothing more than an annoyance to the trained killer of the mist.

"I'm tired of this, Zabuza. I know it goes against your style, but let's stop playing around. I'm deciding everything with this next move."

A dark chuckle rang out through the thick mist, the silence only long enough to get Kakashi to suspect a possible attack. "Interesting words, Kakashi. But what can you do when placed in this situation, though? Show me, copycat ninja of the Leaf."

Before he even finished speaking, the silver-haired jonin was already reaching for the scroll in his pocket. Ninja summons don't necessarily need to be summoned via scroll, but doing so allows them to use ninjutsu or techniques they otherwise wouldn't be able to. In this case in particular, they would already know the scent they're intended to track, without being offered it in advance.

Kakashi was done playing around. He wasn't lying when he said he'd finish it. As his hands moved through the signs of tiger, snake, dragon and dog, his mind was focused on his students. The boy shinobi was unnaturally fast, and those mirrors couldn't mean well...

"Earth Style; Summoning: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!" Slamming the scroll with his blood onto the ground, Kakashi smirked under his mask upon noticing the subtle shifting of the ground, meaning that his hounds were already after whoever had Kakashi's blood on his blade. On this bridge, the number of choices was severely limited.

The demon didn't sound impressed. "Whatever you do, it's pointless. You cannot even feel my presence in this mist! But you've done well, Kakashi of the Sharingan, even if you did fall into my trap completely." However, before he could rush forward and take out the man who intended to stop him from realizing his ambitions, the ground in front of him caved, a pack of dogs leaping up and biting into him, holding the swordsman in place. As surprised as he was, he gave nothing more than a grunt.

"If I can't use my eyes and ears,I guess that only leaves the nose," spoke the copy-nin touching his nose for emphasis, "these hounds are my own pack of ninja dogs, and their noses are among the best of any creature alive." As the mist began to clear, Kakashi turned to his foe, staring at him with his single uncovered eye.

"Drawing blood without finishing me brought about your downfall. Now you are the one who is trapped, Zabuza. The mist has cleared, and I can see clearly," as he spoke, Kakashi pulled up his headband, revealing his single Sharingan eye, "The mist has cleared, your future...is death." He took a step forward, leaving the scroll lying down on the ground behind him. With each step, his arm slowly rose.

"You fooled around too much, Zabuza, you aimed too high. Failing to assassinate the Mizukage, you ran." The Konoha jonin's voice was now louder, almost angry. "To avoid persecution and keep yourself safe, you stopped so low as to side with trash like Gato..."

His arm was at chest level, the other one snapped to the same height. After three quick hand signs, he held his right arm as chakra gathered in its' palm. "Now I'll show you my original technique, not just another copy." The chakra flared for a moment, before solidifying itself into a bluish blade. Arcs of electricity began hopping from the concentrated chakra to the ground, at moments creating a perfect circle around the jonin.

With the lightning blade stabilized, Kakashi took one more step, the final one before he would dash in for the kill. "You are too dangerous to be left alive. The man you intend to kill is this country's hope," said the silver-haired ninja, his eyes narrowing.

"Your ambition would sacrifice too many lives. That is unworthy of a ninja."

Although he was lightly bleeding from the several bites, and was at his foe's mercy, Zabuza had kept strangely silent, up until this point. As the copy-nin spoke of his own ambition, the Demon of the Mist, Zabuza, could not control the rage that overcame him.

"Who cares! I fought for my ambition! That is something that will never change!" His breathing was ragged, and his eyes were flaring. Damn him, Kakashi, and his Sharingan! This was supposed to be a simple assassination job to take care of some nobody bridge builder. Things weren't supposed to turn out this way...

"I offer this again. Give up." Spoke the ninja.

"Fuck you." Spat the swordsman.

It all happened so quickly. One moment, Naruto was looking into the eyes of the battered and bruised boy, the boy who killed Sasuke, and the boy who was begging him to end his life. The very next moment, the boy was gone, the mist was clear, the mirrors were gone, and Sakura was shouting. Only when Naruto turned to where he last saw his sensei, did the harshness of reality catch up to him.

Having his Sharingan active, Kakashi noticed the subtle shine of the senbon flying past his leg. As the mirror began to form in front of Zabuza, Kakashi realized it was too late to cancel his jutsu. At this range, the only thing he could do...

"Ugh!"

In a puff of smoke, Kakashi's ninken all dispelled at once, the means of their summoning now destroyed. Zabuza looked on wordlessly as the mirror in front of him shattered, the tip of the lightning blade protruding from Haku's chest. On the boy's other side, Kakashi Hatake looked on as well, praying that he had managed to change his angle enough for the blow not to be fatal. The boy spat blood.

"Za-buza..." His voice was weak, fading quickly.

The lightning chakra fading from his hand, Kakashi stood with his arm half-buried in the boy maybe a year older than his own genin students, his last words the name of the man he had devoted his life to. He was about to point out how the boy saved his worthless life, but then he heard the Kubikiribocho clang against the ground.

The air was no longer just cool, it was freezing. The mist had changed it. The sky was almost completely covered in clouds, and the water below was still hidden under a thick layer of fog. The air tasted of blood and electricity. Naruto stood a ways' off, face frozen in a look of numb shock. He had not expected the boy to do what he did. He had not expected to see someone die that day.

"No! Haku you fool!"

Moving with speed he did not possess before, the swordsman caught the boy's body, reflexively sticking a senbon into a specific point of the neck, slowing his metabolism to a near-standstill. This was not how shinobi behaved in battle. This was not how the man known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist behaved in battle, especially against a ninja of Kakashi Hatake's caliber.

Yet there he knelt, eyes wide with anger and terror, his hands holding the still body of a small boy. This was not the man he was fighting, it couldn't be. He had not believed that the swordsman saw the boy as anything more than a mere tool to serve in achieving his bloody ambition...

In a shunshin, Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, a kunai to his neck. While he was shocked at what had happened, this was no time to lose yourself. A battle was a battle, and Kakashi fought to win. However, even as he clutched the blade, he felt disgusted at what he was doing. The life of shinobi often meant becoming something dark and vile. His hand shook, only for a moment.

"Perhaps I've misjudged you, Zabuza. You might not be the trash I see you as."

Only then did the swordsman stir, realizing that his position was even worse than it was while the dogs were biting into him. The man who had killed Haku was now holding a kunai to his own throat. He was furious.

"What did you say!?" Roared the swordsman, beads of sweat now clearly visible underneath his headband.

Kakashi did not flinch. "One day, you might have known what real strength was, Zabuza," he leaned in just a bit closer, sacrificing just a sliver of balance in order to get the last taunt in, "Game over, you lose."

Just as the words left his covered mouth, Sharingan Kakashi saw the mist shift once more, revealing the mass of people gathered on the far end of the bridge. There were dozens, maybe a hundred of them. Thugs wielding crude weapons like clubs and bastard swords, wearing cheap armor and identical vests. In front of them all stood a short little man, grinning from ear to ear, his eyes hidden underneath dark, round glasses.

"My, my, what an entrance we've made, boys." Spoke the man, his voice sending a chill down Naruto's spine.

The momentary opening was enough for Zabuza to reach his blade and try and slash at his foe, only to see him flipping away. He leapt backwards as well, stuck between Gato and his men on one side, and Sharingan Kakashi on the other. Yet he could still afford to talk.

"Gato, why are you here?" Asked the swordsman, his voice back to its' usual dead monotone, "With your little escort nonetheless."

The small man's grin grew wider, something no one thought possible. He adjusted his glasses, hands clasped firmly on the tip of his walking stick. His voice was high-pitched and malicious. "There's been a change of plans, you're going to die here, 'Demon of the Mist', heh."

He needed to buy more time, he needed an opening, he needed to get Haku back to the hideout, the medic Kunoichi was there. The best thing he could come up with was a simple, flat question.

"Why?"

"You ninja cost money. Getting rid of you here means there's one less bill to pay. Simple economics, nothing personal." His grin was sickening, fading completely as the small man noticed Haku's body on the ground.

"And you call yourself a Demon? This boy died saving your worthless life!"

Zabuza flinched as he felt the blade of a kunai against his throat once again, dropping his blade. He took his eyes off Kakashi, and this was punishment for that mistake. Shinobi weren't supposed to make mistakes, but then again, nothing that was supposed to happen happened today, so fretting over one mistake in a whole lifetime of them was hardly productive.

"While we fought, I truly believed you were nothing more than trash, Zabuza, a bloodthirsty man who would only ever live up to his nickname. But the way you treated this boy...you proved me wrong." His fingers danced across the handle, the tension in the air becoming almost palpable. A ways back, a girl started screaming.

"I will give you this chance, Zabuza, " spoke the Leaf jonin, his voice louder and clearer than it ever was, even to the one student within earshot, "swear on your honor as a shinobi to give up on your bloody ambition, and I will make sure Gato and his men pay."

Although hidden underneath bandages, the lips of Zabuza Momochi curved into a twisted smile. "You really are a bastard, Kakashi, offering this when I'm in no position to refuse..." His eyes wandered over to the grinning figure of Gato, and his resolve hardened. "Fine! I'll give up on the coup."

As his gaze lowered to the body of the boy who most likely gave his life to protect him, Zabuza felt guilt, more than anything else. It's been years since he had felt something like that, and it hurt worse than any bite or jutsu. "It doesn't even matter now, anyway..."

Nodding, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing himself to be a shadow clone. Leave it to the copycat ninja to send a fake for something like that. He turned to the shinobi who only seconds ago held a blade to his neck, staring at him with strangely serene eyes. "But don't you dare lay a finger on Gato..."

The demon bent down, picking up his great blade, the Kubikiribocho. He then turned around once more, facing the now spread-out mass of thugs, all eyeing him with murderous intent in their eyes. Zabuza tore the bandages from his mouth, revealing a grin of sharpened teeth.

"...He's mine."

Kakashi only nodded. "I understand."

Gato walked over to the body of the very feminine boy, admiring the still smoking hole in his chest. This was the little shit that had the audacity to insult him in his own office. Well, he got his, and his brute of a master would get the same soon enough. Leaning back, Gato gathered strength, sending a sharp kick to the boy's stomach.

The boy coughed up more blood.

"Bastard!" Shouted a small boy, clad in orange, attempting to dash forward only to be caught by the firm grip of his teacher. Not even bothering to look at the jonin, the boy pointed to the assassin, his voice slowly rising. "You! Why don't you say anything!? He was on your side, right?"

The swordsman didn't even bother turning around. "Shut up, kid."

That wasn't good enough. The boy needed to know how someone could be that cold. His voice dipped, but was still loud enough. "You...You really didn't feel anything about what he did?"

Zabuza stood silently for a moment, then curled his free arm into a fist. "Like Gato used me, I used Haku. To me, he was nothing more than a tool. I do not regret it."

The boy tried moving again, his sensei's iron hands only holding down harder. With no other choice, he could only raise his voice. "Do you really mean that!? You really are a demon!"

Enough was enough, and the silver-haired jonin spoke: "Naruto, enough. He is no longer our enemy."

"The hell he isn't!" Shouted the boy, baring his teeth, "He's MY enemy!"

The boy's hand shot up, pointing at the body of the boy who he had met picking flowers only a few days ago. "He cared for you! You were the most important person in the world to him!"

The businessman grinned again, enjoying the tongue-lashing of sorts the demon was getting. His men never took their eyes off of him, and that was good. Any second now, he would try and make a move, and that would be his end.

"You really don't think anything of him?" Asked the blonde boy, his voice fresh out of strength. He couldn't believe that someone could be so indifferent to someone who would give their life for them. It didn't seem human...

"When a ninja becomes as strong as you, do you really start believing all people are tools? He gave you his life!" And then the boy quieted down, looking at the body at the businessman's feet.

"His dream was to help your dream come true, y'know. That's why he became something he's not. That's why he died."

Silence for only a moment, and then: "Kid..."

The shinobi rules state that a ninja may not show emotion. This rule was to prevent ninja from lowering their guards while emotion overcame them. In the Hidden Mist, any who would be caught or reported breaking this rule were executed. Under such conditions, Zabuza never once shed a tear in his life. But now, with the harsh reality of having to deal with Haku's death, tears flowed uninhibited from the Demon's eyes. It was a strange, foreign feeling to him, but he could not control it anymore than he could bring Haku back to life.

"Don't say anymore... Haku hurt his very being fighting not only for me, but for you lot as well...I know very well of the kindness in his heart."

His hand's grip on the executioner's blade tightened, so hard that his knuckles turned white. Kakashi slowly lowered his headband back over his Sharingan eye.

"I am glad that we were able to have you as our opponents..."

Slowly, the blade rose in the air, pointing towards the small man in the business suit, the one desecrating Haku's body by his mere presence.

"You were right, Ninja are human too...No matter how much we try, we cannot become emotionless tools."

He closed his eyes for only a moment, the tears abruptly stopping.

"Kid..."

Then he ran.

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

I gotta say, the Wave Arc is my favorite in pre-shippuden. Not many characters were as ultimately likable as the Mist Assassins were...

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to spread the word, as the story won't stay at the top of the list for longer than a few hours.