Mind, Magic, and Sword…wait what?
Chapter 5
Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.
"Shit," swore Sasuke as he looked between Zabuza's Mizu Bunshin and their originator, "do you think we can take them?"
"We nothing," said Naruto as he gripped his sword, "I'm going to be taking them on. Alone."
"Are you crazy?" demanded Tazuna, "You saw what he did to your sensei! How do you think you can take him alone?"
"I have to," said Naruto, "Sasuke's spells take too long to cast for them to be of any use against an opponent with Zabuza's skills and Sakura's powers are best used to keep you safe while Sasuke prepares his defensive wards. That leaves it to me to engage Zabuza and his Mizu Bunshin in order to free Kakashi-sensei."
"Much to my regret, that is logical," sighed Sakura, "fine, do what you need to do and don't die. We'll keep Tazuna safe."
"You should be more worried about yourself!" yelled one of the Mizu Bunshin as it closed the distance in a burst of speed, his massive sword drawn back to take their heads.
*shing*
"Sorry," intoned Naruto as he sheathed his Katana, letting the remains of the Mizu Bunshin splash onto the ground as he walked forward, "but you won't be killing anyone today."
"Oh?" said Zabuza with an impressed tone, "You know your way around a blade, boy. Unexpected from a Konoha Genin. Who are you?"
"My name," said Naruto seriously, "is Naruto Uzumaki, student of the blade, and follower of the way of the sword."
"Really now?" smirked Zabuza, "Let's test that."
His remaining Mizu Bunshin then charged at Naruto forcing the blond to roll to the side to dodge a downward slash that would have bisected him down the middle. Rolling to his feet, the blond swordsman quickly drew his sword in time to block a swing from Zabuza's cleaver that still sent him skidding across the ground from the power behind it.
"Ittoryu," ground out Naruto as he gathered his strength and slid into a practiced stance, "Odoru Tsubame!"
Swinging his sword out, Naruto sent several blades of wind flying at Zabuza's Mizu Bunshin, but the Mizu Bunshin showed a surprising amount of strength as he sliced through each wind-blade with his massive sword with several quick strikes despite the weapon's large size. Not relenting on the attack, Naruto dashed forward, striking with several lightning-quick slashes, but Zabuza's skill as a former member of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen showed through his Mizu Bunshin, as each of Naruto's strikes was quickly parried by the Kiri-nin's massive sword, before delivering a retaliatory swipe at Naruto's midsection that forced the blond to jump back.
"Ittoryu," said Naruto as he sheathed his sword and crouched down, "Issen!"
Naruto shot forward, quickly unsheathing his sword as slashed at the Mizu Bunshin, but his attack was easily deflected by Zabuza as he swung the flat of his larger sword into Naruto, sending the blond tumbling across the ground.
"You're good," commented the Mizu Bunshin, "in another life, you might be recruited as an apprentice of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen, but you don't have what it takes to finish the job."
"Perhaps," said Naruto as he panted in exhaustion, "then it is perhaps time that I stop holding back."
"What?" said the Mizu Bunshin in surprise as Naruto bit his thumb and wiped the blood across the flat of his sword.
"This will end it," said Naruto, "unleash the hidden arte."
Zabuza watched as the blood was absorbed by the blond's sword, causing crimson runes to appear across its surface that glowed with an ominous light. An aura of red flames then erupted from Naruto's body that coalesced along his blade as burns began to form across the blond's skin.
"Ittoryu Kijutsu," intoned Naruto as he raised his sword, the energy leaking from him distorting his voice, "Kyōkai-sen!"
Naruto brought his sword down, releasing an energy slash that tore through the ground as it streaked towards Zabuza, bisecting his Mizu Bunshin as it tried to defend its creator from the attack. Zabuza brought his sword out from his back to deflect the slash, but he couldn't muster enough strength with one arm being used to maintain the Water Prison holding Kakashi, and the empowered slash slammed into his blade, cutting into it as Zabuza skidded across the ground, being pushed away from Kakashi by the force of the attack, releasing the Jonin from the Jutsu that was holding him.
Zabuza continued to struggle against the powerful attack, but it eventually broke through, snapping his blade in half and slamming into the Missing-nin's chest. The attack would have ripped him in two, but luckily it had been weakened from breaking through his blade, and instead tore a gash across his chest and sent him flying into the nearby lake, with his body slowly sinking beneath the water as blood leaked from his chest.
"Good," said Naruto weakly as the aura of power faded and he fell to his knees with burns across his body, "it's over…"
"Naruto!" yelled out Sasuke as he and Sakura rushed over to their injured teammate. Kakashi, now free, got their first and did a quick check over his blond student.
"Mild Chakra burns and acute exhaustion," said Kakashi, "plus it seems that he bruised the bones in his arms as well. We'll need to find some place to rest and lay low."
"My home is nearby," said Tazuna, "We can go there and let the kid recover. It's the least I can do."
"You have our gratitude," said Kakashi, "now we should get moving. Sakura, I assume you can carry Naruto?"
"You're asking her to do it?" asked Tazuna in surprise, "I guess Chivalry isn't a Shinobi trait."
"He asked me because of my particular skillset," said Sakura as her eyes glowed pink and she lifted Naruto off the ground with her powers, "I can move him with less chance that his injuries would be aggravated."
"You kids," muttered Tazuna, "do other Konoha Shinobi have such incredible powers and skills?"
"Dear Kami I hope not," muttered Kakashi as he shook his head, thinking of the headaches these three had caused him.
Tazuna glanced at him for a moment before deciding that he probably didn't want to know what that was about. Wordlessly, he led the group to a nearby port where they paid a boat owner to take them across the waters to his home in Nami no Kuni.
xXsceneXx
The lakeside battlefield where Naruto and Zabuza fought was quiet, with only the wind rustling the trees being heard. Suddenly, the waters of the lake bubbled and two figures surfaced, one of them supporting the other as he dragged him ashore.
"Thank you, Haku," grunted Zabuza as he laid on the shore of the Lake.
"It was nothing, Zabuza-sama," said the second figure, a petite figure with long black hair tied up in a bun and a green outfit with white trim and a dark green sash, "let me tend to your wounds."
Withdrawing a container of salve from his person, Haku began to smear the paste onto Zabuza's chest wound, stemming the bleeding as the medicinal herbs got to work, but the swordsmen pushed him aside and began to attempt to stand, forcing Haku to steady him lest he fall.
"Zabuza-sama," said Haku, "you need to rest. If you keep moving your wounds will get worse."
"Then I'll rest back at the hideout," said Zabuza, "not here in the middle of the road like some beggar."
"Hai, Zabuza-sama," said Haku before glancing at the broken piece of his master's sword, "it is a shame about your blade though. I will see about retrieving a replacement."
"Tch," spat Zabuza, "Kubikiribōchō is not some weak sword. It wasn't one of the Seven Blades for nothing."
Walking over to the lake he had fallen in, Zabuza plunged his broken blade into the bloody waters and watched as the blood floating on the surface was drawn to the metal of his sword and absorbed. Once the blood was gone, Zabuza withdrew the weapon from the lake to reveal that it was all but fully restored, with bits of it still regenerating as it converted the iron in his blood into new metal for the blade.
"I will have my rematch with that blond swordsman," said Zabuza, "and next time, only one of us will walk away breathing."
Sorry for the short chapter. I wanted to draw out the fight between Naruto and Zabuza, but there was only so much I could do with a Mizu Bunshin, and Kakashi could only last so long while holding his breath. Their next battle should be sufficiently exciting.