Mind, Magic, and Sword…wait what?

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Once Haku had isolated himself and Sasuke within his Jutsu, Zabuza sprang into action, with his Mizu Bunshin aiding him as he attacked the younger swordsman. Gripping the handle of his blade, Naruto flipped back to avoid their slashes and lashed out with his weapon, releasing several blades of compressed air that flew at the Mizu Bunshin, but Zabuza's copies proved they were as skilled as the original and cut through them easily. Naruto wasn't done yet though, and rushed at the original, but the Mizu Bunshin blocked his path and he was forced to fall back to avoid getting cleaved in half.

"Four on one," grunted Naruto, "not very honorable."

"I'm a Shinobi, kid," scoffed Zabuza. "Honor has no place in my line of work. I'm here to kill the bridge builder and finish our fight. That's all that matters."

"Very well," said Naruto as he readied his sword. "Then I shall not hold back."

Rushing at the Mizu Bunshin, Naruto held out his sword as he ran towards them, dragging the blade across a puddle of water that lay on the bridge's surface before sweeping it upwards as he neared the copies, creating a wall of water between them as he moved, his reflection glistening across its surface. The Mizu Bunshin in question wasn't hindered though and it sliced through the water wall, intending to get the blonde as well, but to its surprise, behind the wall, was empty air.

"Ittoryu Ippo," said Naruto from behind the Bunshin, causing it to stiffen in surprise, "Kyoka Suigetsu!"

Before the Mizu Bunshin could react, Naruto struck out with his sword, cleaving through the copy and reducing it to a puddle of water. The other Mizu Bunshin then leapt at the blonde swordsman, aiming to overwhelm him with their numbers, but Naruto quickly sheathed his blade and tensed. Gripping the hilt in a reverse grip, he quickly drew the weapon while spinning in place, surrounding himself with a slash-tornado that tore the Mizu Bunshin apart, "Tengoku Rasen!"

"Well," said Naruto as he sheathed his blade again and turned to Zabuza, "it's just you and me now."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," said the Demon of the Mist as he smirked behind the wraps that covered his mouth. "You're pretty skilled in Iaido and you certainly know your way around that sword of yours, but it won't be enough."

"We'll see," said Naruto as he slid into a ready stance.

Without another word, Naruto rushed at the older swordsman and quickly slashed forward with his blade, prompting Zabuza to guard with the flat of his cleaver, causing the attack to glance off the side. Swinging his blade outwards, Zabuza blew Naruto back across the incomplete bridge with the force of his swing before rushing at him with surprising speed considering the size of his weapon. Utilizing this speed, Zabuza rapidly struck out several times with his cleaver blade, forcing Naruto backwards as he tried to dodge the blows from his opponent's larger weapon.

Pressing the attack, Zabuza pushed Naruto into a defensive position, as the blonde swordsman was forced to dodge or deflect the blows from the older shinobi's larger blade, with Naruto's arms slowly beginning to become achingly numb every time he deflected his opponent's heavier weapon. Knowing he needed to create some breathing room, Naruto slashed the ground with a quick movement, kicking up a cloud of dust that forced Zabuza to shield his eyes, breaking the flow of his attacks. Using the dust as cover, Naruto rushed in and slashed Zabuza across the chest before skidding to a stop behind the man, several feet away.

"Ittoryu Ippo: Kage no Me!" declared Naruto as blood spurted from the wound, causing Zabuza to drop to one knee and use his cleaver blade as support.

"Tch!" spat Zabuza. "A lucky shot. The last one I'll let you make."

"We'll see," said Naruto before quickly sheathing and unsheathing his blade. "Odoru Tsubame!"

Zabuza brought his sword up to defend against the blades of wind but the cut on his chest hindered his movements and he received several shallow cuts across his torso as a result.

"You're good, brat," said Zabuza with a smirk, "but I've been doing this a lot longer. You don't stand a chance."

As he felt the ache in his muscles and the weariness of exhaustion, Naruto couldn't help but agree with that assumption. He may be skilled in the way of the sword, but Zabuza was older and stronger. If the battle continued to stretch out further, then he would find himself tiring long before his opponent, and that could lead to fatal mistakes.

He needed to end things now.

Gripping the hilt of his blade, Naruto rushed forward and attacked Zabuza with several rapid thrusts from his sword. Zabuza blocked the attacks with the flat of his cleaver, but it was then that he noticed something was wrong.

"Wh-what did you do?" grunted Zabuza as he fell to the ground feeling his muscles lock up across his body, effectively paralyzing him.

"Suzumebachi no Mure," replied Naruto, "a technique that sends pulsing shockwaves through your body via sword impact that temporarily paralyze your muscles. This fight is over."

"I'd have to agree," said a slimy voice, causing Naruto to tense as Zabuza scowled in disgust. "To think, the Demon of the Mist, bested by a mere child."

"Gatō," spat Zabuza, "what are you doing here?"

"Why I'm simply here to ensure that my current business venture goes off without a hitch," replied Gatō as he walked forward, flanked by several dozen armed thugs, "and a good thing too, as it looks like the fabled Momochi Zabuza and his annoying apprentice are not worth the money I'm paying you, not that I intended to pay you that is."

"Bastard!" growled Zabuza as he tried to force his limbs to comply. "We had a contract!"

"Yes yes, that old thing," scoffed Gatō. "I never intended on honoring it."

"You see," sneered Gatō as he gestured to the men behind him, "these gentlemen, are much cheaper to finance than a Shinobi like yourself, and when I deal with you, not only will our contract be void, I can even make a profit by turning your head in to the hunters from Kiri."

Naruto reached for his sword, but froze as the shipping magnate pointed in his direction, "Not so fast kid. You put up a good fight, but you're looking a bit spent. One move towards me and my men here will paint the bridge with your blood."

Naruto scowled, but forced his posture to relax. As much as he hated to admit it, the man was right. The fight against Zabuza, short as it was, had taken a lot out of him and he didn't think he would be able to fight off all the goons alone.

"Boys," said Gatō, "take care of them, but leave the bridge builder. I have something special planned for him."

The hired mercenaries drew their weapons and began to advance on the downed Shinobi, when suddenly, several Kunai stabbed into the bridge in their path, forming a line between them and their target.

"What the?" exclaimed Gatō, "Who's there?"

"My my," said Kakashi as he appeared on the bridge in a swirl of leaves, "imagine my surprise when I come to check on my students and find a scene like this. Mind if I cut in?"

"Whoever you are, stay back!" yelled Gatō, "I've already sent men to the builder's house. If you lay one finger on me…"

"Do you mean those men you sent to capture Tazuna's daughter and grandson?" asked Kakashi casually. "My student already dealt with them, and she is currently moving them to a safer location."

"I see," said Gatō as he began to sweat. "Tazuna can't be paying you that much. If you work for me, then whatever he's offering, I'll double, no, triple!"

"An interesting offer, except for one thing," said Kakashi before he leveled a severe scowl at Gatō from behind his mask.

"You see," said the Copy-nin calmly as he began to release Killing Intent, "you threatened my students, and that's something I cannot ignore."

"To answer your earlier question," said Kakashi as he walked forward causing the mercs to back away in fear, "My name is Hatake Kakashi, Jonin of Konoha. I've copied over a thousand Jutsu. Do you want to try your luck at facing me?"

"What are you waiting for?" yelled Gatō frantically. "Get…grk!"

Kakashi cut him off by snapping his hand out in a blur of motion, impaling the crime lord through the neck with a thrown Kunai before turning to face the mercenaries, uncovering his Sharingan as he did so. Wordlessly, Kakashi made three Kage Bunshin and the three of them blurred through hand-seals, summoning four massive water dragons from the sea around them as they stared down the hired muscle.

"I was going to let you off easy," said Kakashi, "maybe rough you up a bit, but ultimately send you back to your bosses so you could show them why messing with Konoha is a bad idea."

"But," finished Kakashi, "that was before you tried to hurt my students. Now, congratulations, because you've actually pissed me off."

"Suiton," intoned Kakashi and his Kage Bunshin as one, "Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"

The four serpentine dragons roared as they descended upon the goons, and Gatō's men were devoured by the sea.

"Now," said Kakashi as he turned to Zabuza who was just beginning to regain his mobility, "what to do with you?"

Zabuza grit his teeth in anger before responding, "Don't get all worked up. I was doing this job for the paycheck Gatō promised me. Now that he's dead, I don't see a reason for continuing our fight."

"So we just part ways?" asked Kakashi skeptically. "A bit hard to trust a Missing-nin that attempted to assassinate the Kage of his village."

"That old story?" said Zabuza with a dark chuckle. "I tried to take the bastard's head because of what he was turning Kirigakure into. I only took Gatō's job to help fund an attempt to overthrow Yagura's barbaric tyranny. Aside from wanting a rematch with the blonde over there, I have no quarrel with you lot now that the job is over."

"Hmm," said Kakashi before making a decision. "It is a shame that you and your student escaped while my team was dealing with Gatō's forces. It couldn't be helped though, just like half of Gatō's fortune going missing as well. At least we can give what's left to the people of Wave."

"…Are you serious?" asked Zabuza skeptically, surprised at the gesture from the Konoha Shinobi.

"Go," said Kakashi, "before I change my mind. And remember, I'm still running on a full tank, so if you try anything, I'll deliver your head to the Mizukage myself."

Zabuza nodded curtly before slowly climbing to his feet and moving to collect Haku. Throwing the boy over his shoulder, Zabuza spared one last glance at Kakashi to give him a respectful nod, before vanishing into the mist.

And thus, the battle for Wave, was over.

To be continued…