Chapter 16

"The bridge isn't far now. Our destination's just a head, the Land of Waves."

The words of the ferryman were not lost on them. The six passengers had been in the small cramped boat for most of the day as they made their way across the water. Tazuna had been lucky to set up the transportation before hand so there was someone waiting. The ferryman's nerves were not lost on Keiko and Kakashi. The man was nervous, it was obvious from his mannerisms. They were sure the Genin did not notice.

Tazuna sat at the back of the ferry boat. Kakashi and Keiko in front of him on either side. Kakashi sat comfortably, watching the heavy fog around them while Keiko did the same. Keiko sat across from him, legs crossed and her katana and wakizashi close to her chest, arms around them. Sitting with them on her waist did not provide much comfort. The three Genin were at the front of the boat, only interested in the area a head of them and where they were going. The Jonin knew another attack was eminent, and the odds of it coming from the front were slim.

The fog hung like a curtain around them. When the bridge finally came into view Naruto couldn't contain his excitement, "Whoa! It's huge!"

Without warning Keiko took hold of her katana and wacked Naruto on the head with the sheathed blade. The boy rubbed the top of his head and groaned, looking at Keiko in frustration. She grinned and held up a finger to her lips, a signal to keep quiet.

The ferryman looked at Keiko and nodded in thanks. "There's a reason we're traveling like this. Cutting the engine and rowing. So they don't see us."

Keiko and Kakashi shared a glance. The closer they got to the Land of Waves, the more it seemed that something bigger was at play here. Kakashi turned to the bridge builder, "Mr. Tazuna," he began, his voice quiet in order to comply with the ferryman's wishes, "before we reach the pier, I want to ask you something." Tazuna lowered his gaze, hiding most of his face from view thanks to his large rimmed hat. "The men who are after you, I need to know why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore."

All five of the ninja looked at him and he could feel the severity of their gaze. "I have no choice but to tell you. No, I want you to know the truth." He raised his head to meet their gaze, "Like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow?" Kakashi questioned, trying to think of who this mystery man could be.

Keiko watched Tazuna's face pale as his gaze locked with Kakashi. "Who is it?" She asked, making him look at her.

"You know him, at least I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of the richest men in the world. The shipping magnet, Gato."

Both Jonin looked at Tazuna incredulously. "Gato?" Kakashi stated again, "Of Gato Transport? He's a business leader, everyone knows him."

"What on earth did you do to upset him?" Keiko questioned.

The Genin weren't familiar with the name, all of them sharing the same quizzical look. Naruto leaned forward having turned around from his spot at the front. His voice was almost a whisper, "Who? What?"

Tazuna continued, "Gato is a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true. But, below the surface, with the same ruthless menace he uses to take over businesses and nations, he sells drugs and contraband. Using gangs and ninja. It was one year ago when Gato set his sights on the Land of Waves. He came to our Island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to get in his way simply disappeared. In an Island nation, the man who controls the sea controls everything. Finance, government, our very lives. But there's one thing he fears, the bridge. When it is complete, it will join us to the land, and that will break his control." He looked up at the bridge they were sailing under, "I am the bridge builder."

There was a pause among them and Sakura put her hand to her chin in thought, understanding the situation. "So, that's it. Since you're standing in this gangster's way."

Sasuke looked at her, "That means, those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gato."

Naruto nodded, looking down as he thought it all through. He supposed it made sense.

Kakashi appreciated that his Genin understood and he didn't have to explain that to them. He looked back to Tazuna, still not satiated. "I don't understand. If you knew he was dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?"

Keiko looked at Tazuna, compassion seeping into her features, "You said Gato controls everything, even finance. I'm guessing even the cost of a C-rank mission was nearly too much for you. I've heard the Land of Waves wasn't very wealthy to begin with."

Kakashi looked to Keiko and sighed, annoyance shining in his eye. He admired her for her ability to empathize and understand ones emotions. It was something he himself had trouble with. It had served them well on a few of their missions. In this circumstance though, while Tazuna had his reason, his reason lead to a huge problem. His Genin were not ready for this level of mission, not even close. For that, he was thankful to have Keiko along with them, another Jonin evened the playing field. If it were just him, it wouldn't be so bad, but having the Genin with them put a damper on things as he would need to protect them as well as Tazuna.

The bridge builder nodded, "Yes, the men who build this bridge, they can't pay for an A or B ranked mission. It's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home. But, don't feel bad about that. Of course, my sweet grandson will be upset. He'll cry, 'Grandad! I want my Grandad!'" There was a collective groan from the Genin at the man's interpretation of a child. "Oh, and my daughter will condemn the ninja of the Hidden Leaves, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and live her life in sorrow." He left another pause for the ninja to feel the guilt he was intentionally trying to make them feel. "Oh well, it's not your fault, forget it."

They all looked away. Kakashi scratched his forehead protector in thought before meeting the eyes of Keiko. She had that compassionate and sympathetic look in her eyes. It was a look that triggered a feint flutter in his chest. He didn't like how much control she had over him with just a single look that was able to surface emotions. Emotions that were foreign and dangerous. He was confident too that she had no idea how she could make him feel. He couldn't let her know. Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed, turning to Tazuna, "I guess we have no other choice. We'll have to keep guarding you."

"Oh, I'm so thankful."

It wasn't long before they rode under a tunnel and out of the fog. It was surprising how much of a difference there was outside of the fog. It was actually a pretty nice day, blue sky and no breeze. The port town showed just how impoverished the Land of Waves was. Rickety shutters, poorly maintained buildings, it was easy to see. The ferryman took them to one of the docks and let them off. He looked at Tazuna, "This is as far as I go."

Tazuna nodded, "Right, thank you for taking such a risk."

With a few parting words, the group were on their way. Tazuna's home village wasn't on the water, rather is was still a ways into the forest that surrounded the area. Tazuna estimated that they would be there in a little over an hour. Kakashi knew they were not out of the woods yet, they had to be on the lookout for another attack.

It would seem one of his Genin had the same idea. They watched as Naruto ran forward onto the path and looked around eagerly before taking out a kunai and throwing it into a bush. All five of his companions stood back in shock at what he had done. Naruto stood back up when nothing came of his attack, "It was just a mouse."

Both Tazuna and Sakura were shaking in frustration. The girl pointed at him, "A mouse? Yeah right! Everyone can see through your stupid act! You're so obvious it's embarrassing!"

Kakashi raised his hands to try and reason, "Naruto, those are kunai knives, they're dangerous!"

Tazuna screamed at him, "Stop trying to scare me you scruffy little dwarf!"

Keiko winced at Tazuna's scream. It was right in her ear. "Naruto, what are you even doing?" She questioned.

Naruto didn't seem to pay attention to any of them. He still looked around as if someone was there, going to jump out at any moment, "Hey! Is something hiding over there? No, they're over there!"

While the others were growing more impatient with Naruto, the two Jonin's attention was suddenly drawn to something. The hair on Keiko's neck stood up as Naruto threw another Kunai. She looked to Kakashi and he nodded, also having picked up on it. They both seemed to ignore Sakura's berating of Naruto as they moved over to the bush to inspect it, the others following them. Keiko gasped at the sight of a rabbit with perfectly white fur. She was very familiar with the creatures, having grown up around them in the Land of Iron. She shot Kakashi a glance and his thoughts matched her own. This was no wild rabbit.

Naruto saw the rabbit and gave a cry, feeling ashamed for what he had done to the poor creature. He picked it up and held it, begging for its forgiveness. "I'm sorry little rabbit! I'm sorry."

Tazuna grumbled, "All this fuss over a rodent?"

The two Jonin stood back, assessing the area. Naruto was onto something, they were being followed. Kakashi was the first to notice, "Look out!"

Just like that everyone hit the ground as a massive sword flew above them. Thankfully, it didn't rip into any of them as they dodged it. The sword embedded itself high in a tree, the owner stood upon the hilt, back turned to them as he looked over his shoulder. Keiko got up and stood with Kakashi, her gloved hand resting on her katana. "Well, well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from the village hidden in the mist."

Keiko cast a glance at Kakashi, so she knew of him. The name sounded familiar but she knew with Kakashi's time in the Anbu he had a more vast knowledge of missing nin. Kakashi's hand shot out, stopping Naruto who had ran forward, "You're in the way. Get back."

Keiko turned to Naruto with a smile, but it was different. This smile made his eyes wide and a sickening chill run down his spin. It didn't reach her eyes. "Naruto, this isn't like before. Remember what I told you and use your head, now stay back. Kakashi and I will handle this."

"He's in a whole other league." Kakashi told him. "If he's our opponent, I'm going to need this." Kakashi reached for his forehead protector to reveal his eye and Keiko narrowed her gaze at the rogue ninja. If Kakashi was bringing that out right away, this shinobi was nothing to sniff at.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan. Did I get that right? And Keiko, also known as, Konoha's Beaming Blizzard. It's a shame really, but you'll have to hand over the old man."

The three Genin looked at the two Jonin. Sasuke was beyond confused, there was no way Kakashi could use the Sharingan. It was a trait only members of the Uchiha clan possessed. And, if Kakashi were a member of the Uchiha clan, he would know. His team mates looked at Kakashi in confusion, they had never heard of the Sharingan before, was it some kind of power?

"Now quick, Manji formation!" Kakashi called out to his Genin. "Protect the bridge builder, and stay out of this fight. I taught you team work, and now it's time to use it." He revealed his eye and the gasp of his students was not lost on him. He was sure Sasuke would have questions.

Zabuza turned, "Well, looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is an honor."

Naruto flailed his arms. He hated being out of the loop, "Sharingan, Sharingan, would someone please tell me what Sharingan is!?"

"Sharingan. A rare power. It resides in the eyes. The user can instantly comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu, and reflect the attack back. There's a lot more to it than that. A lot more" Sasuke spoke. Of course Sasuke would be aware of what the Sharingan was and have an idea of its abilities. He was a Uchiha after all. Keiko's eyes shifted toward him and she wondered if he was thinking about Itachi and the genjutsu he had been stuck in for nearly a week after the massacre.

Zabuza chuckled, "You got that right boy but, you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyze an opponent's technique. And then copy it to the smallest detail." He eyed the two Jonin, analyzing them. "As for you two Jonin, in the assassination unit of the hidden mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight, Kakashi. Your profile was in our Bingo Book. It called you, 'The man who copied over 1,000 jutsu.' Kakashi, the Copy Ninja."

Keiko glanced at Kakashi quickly, "And you said I have a reputation."

"Don't worry, Keiko. You also had a page in our book. It was said the two of you made quite the pairing. Your Blizzard technique rivals the jutsu you based it off of. It's an honor to see you both in action."

Sakura blinked in surprise, were their Sensei's really such famous ninja? Naruto couldn't control his excitement, "Wow, that's so cool!" He knew Keiko was strong but he had no idea she was so regarded by other ninja! And Kakashi too, he had no idea! Sasuke was lost in his own thoughts, his on a whole other level from his teammates as his eyes dug holes into the back of Kakashi's head.

"Enough talking," Zabuza spoke. He crouched, readying himself to attack, "I need to exterminate the old man, now."

Taking that as their que, the three Genin entered their Manji formation around Tazuna. Each ready with their own kunai knife. Zabuza watched the group, the two Jonin stood side by side, eyeing him with the same cold eyes many ninja had before. "So, I'll have to go through you two first. So be it."

Zabuza moved quickly, his sword leaving the tree with ease. A testament to his strength. The two Jonin looked to the water where he stood, readying a jutsu as the mist around them grew. The Genin noticed him too, surprised at his ability to stand perfectly on the water's surface. And then, he vanished into the mist.

The Genin held their kunai more intensely, looking at their Sensei. Kakashi walked forward, "He'll come after either me or Keiko first."

"But, who is he?" Sakura asked.

"Zabuza Momochi, the ex-leader of the hidden mist assassination unit. He's a master of the silent killing technique."

Naruto's voice grew shaky at his Sensei's words, "S-silent?"

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant, without sound of warning of any kind. It's so fast you pass from this life to the next without realizing what has happened. The Sharingan can't fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard." There was an unsteady silence as the Genin realized just how serious this all was. He continued bluntly, "Well, if we fail, we only lose our lives."

"How can you say that?" Sakura snapped.

Keiko chuckled, "Your students don't appreciate the bluntness, Kakashi." She raised a single hand, forming a few seals. "Perhaps, I can try something." The air around them grew cold, a thin lair of frost forming on their surroundings.

Kakashi cast her a glance, "Keiko, do not get carried away here. We're not entirely sure what he's planning."

She continued to focus her chakra, some of the mist in the air turning into the tiniest bit of ice. It wasn't exactly snow, but it was enough to give her a baseline. "Noted." She told her old partner as she closed her eyes, trying to seek out their opponent. She seeped her chakra into the surroundings, battling with Zabuza's own chakra in the mist that kept him hidden. She had never done such a thing before to this extent, and it took a bit of chakra, more than she would have liked. Keiko reasoned that it was worth it if she could keep him away from Tazuna and the Genin.

The mist grew heavier, as did the frost. The three Genin were surprised at just how cold it was getting. None of then had ever been in a situation like this before. The overwhelming bloodlust that hung in the air. Knowing if you make the smallest move, that you could die. None of them knew the reality of the situation more than Sasuke. He had been faced with this bloodlust once before. It was enough to make a person go insane. He would rather die than face it again!

"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted. "Calm down. I'll protect you with my life, all of you. I will not allow my comrades to die." He turned his head back toward them, "Trust me." His eye closed in a smile.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Keiko's eyes widened, there he was! In a feat that made Sakura, Tazuna and Naruto shout in surprise, she moved to intercept Zabuza. In an instant there was a gust of wind as the two swords clashed. Keiko's chakra enveloped her blade, making it a more even match against Zabuza's behemoth of a sword. The pained look on Zabuza's face was apparent as Kakashi stood behind him. A kunai sunk deep into the man's lower back. She grinned, "Kakashi's right, we won't allow our comrades to die." Her eyes widened, "Kakashi!" The clone between them fell into a puddle and another Zabuza was behind him.

Zabuza's blade cut through Kakashi, only to reveal that it was a water clone after all. Kakashi had copied Zabuza's jutsu. Not allowing himself to get distracted by the feat Kakashi had done, he swung again at Keiko. Keiko lowered herself to the ground onto one knee feeling the blade rush just above her head. Her palm went to the ground, using her chakra to freeze what was once Kakashi's water clone and trapping Zabuza in place.

He cursed, having been trapped in place by the ice when he felt a kunai at his neck. Kakashi stood behind him, "You're finished."

Keiko stood, katana at the ready if need be. She heard Naruto and Sakura give a small shout in victory but Keiko knew better. This wasn't over. It was too easy, and Kakashi must have known that too.

The assassin laughed, "Finished? You think this is over? You're both using poor imitations, I'll never be defeated by ninja like the two of you. Let alone a copycat." Kakashi's gaze narrowed. "You are both full of surprises though, you'd already copied by water clone when you made your little speech. And you," He said addressing the woman in front of him, "I never thought that my movements would be seen so easily. The two of you are a formidable team, very skillful." He chuckled again with the mock praise.

"Nice try, but I'm not so easy to fool." Kakashi stiffened as Zabuza appeared behind him, and another appeared behind Keiko.

Keiko brought her sword up to counter Zabuza and she was uncertain if this was the real him, or just a clone. Either way, she couldn't let her guard down. The force of his swing sent her back as she met his blade with her own, feeling the overwhelming strength behind each swing. She was having to exert herself to hold her self steady against him. For a man who wielded such a large sword, his maneuverability was astounding. Much more than she had expected. Keiko flipped backward to doge another blow when she heard Sakura's scream and a notable grunt from Kakashi. For the briefest moment her eyes flickered over to see Kakashi's body being rocketed through the air and into the water.

That was all the more her opponent needed. The opposing Jonin used her split second of lost attention and used it to get close, delivering a blow to her stomach strong enough to send her flying back into a tree. The tree splintered from the force of the blow and there was a sickening sound as her body made contact. Blood sputtering from her mouth at the force. Her sword fell from her grip as Keiko fell forward in a daze and collapsed, her opponent sneaking back into the mist.

Naruto could feel his blood run cold at the sight. This guy, he landed a hit on Keiko and Kakashi! Just what was he? He was some kind of monster!

Kakashi surfaced from the water, noting that the water didn't seem normal. It was dense, heavy even. Zabuza appeared behind him, forming hand signs and Kakashi gasped, "No!" His body was caught in a water prison and he cursed.

Zabuza laughed, looking down at Kakashi, "This prison is made of water, but it's stronger than steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move. So much for the great Kakashi. I'll finish you off later. Thankfully, for the woman, I can get a much higher price if she's alive."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the man. He could see Keiko in the distance, she was on the ground finding the strength to push herself up. Kakashi was not ignorant to the implication Zabuza had made. There were powerful men who would pay good money to dominate a powerful kunoichi. He had to get out of this prison, for her sake as well as his students! This situation had went from bad to worse.

"But, before any of that, your little friends will have to be eliminated."

Keiko flickered in and out of consciousness. She had to get up, she had to fight! Ignoring the pain that radiated across her body she lifted her head and looked up through her bangs, her vision blurry.

"Naruto! No!"

She witnessed Naruto running forward toward Zabuza's clone and ice settled in her blood. There was no way any of them could take him! Especially not Naruto! Keiko tried to stand but grimaced and fell back down. 'Shit, I think I broke something.' There must have been a broken rib or two from the impact. It wasn't the first time she had sustained that kind of injury, but that layered with the lose of chakra made it hard to ignore.

Finally, she made it onto her knees only to see Zabuza standing above Sasuke, using his foot to push the Genin into the ground. A trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. An uncharacteristic snarl left her and she moved, grabbing her katana. She appeared behind the clone, swinging down in an arch and cutting into the clone, making it disappear and fall to the ground in a puddle. She fell to her knees again and turned to Sasuke, "Are you alright?"

Before he could respond, Naruto shouted, "Keiko, look out!"

Zabuza had made another clone and this one aimed for her. Keiko held her sword up to anticipate the attack but both her and the clone paused when they were suddenly surrounded by at least twenty Naruto's. Keiko had to take a moment to admire his skill with the advanced jutsu. The Naruto's swarmed Zabuza, "Don't you dare lay a hand on them!"

She watched in surprise as all of his clones surrounded him and piled on. Sure enough, in one fell swoop he was able to dispatch most of the clones and free himself. The clones vanished and Naruto skidded back on the ground, grabbing something inside of his bag, "I'm not done yet, I still have this! Sasuke!"

The Uchiha stood, grabbing for the demon wind shuriken, instantly aware of what it was Naruto had been planning. Sasuke prepared himself to launch the attack while the others watched him in anticipation. Keiko settled on one knee, watching the Uchiha. She didn't know what these guys were planning but she had to be prepared to give them a chance to run incase it didn't work out.

"A shuriken? You'll never touch me with that." Zabuza laughed.

Sasuke jumped into the air and threw the shuriken, and as it flew Keiko smirked, seeing what he had done. The shuriken flew past the clone and right toward the real Zabuza, who caught it with his free hand. Moments later, he was forced to dodge the second shuriken by jumping. Just as the two Genin had planned.

It was a surprise to everyone when the second shuriken poofed and from the smoke appeared Naruto. The Genin threw a kunai, directly targeting Zabuza's arm. Keiko smiled, so this was their plan. Force him to let go. Sure enough, Zabuza was forced to release his arm from the water prison holding Kakashi and the Jutsu failed. When Zabuza turned on Naruto with the real demon wind shuriken, Kakashi was there.

His body soaked to the bone as he held his fist up, the metal on his glove helping to soften the blow but blood still trickled down from the new wound. Kakashi stood, eyes seething with a new fierceness that made even Zabuza gasp.

Naruto emerged from the water to see his Sensei free and he smiled in triumph, it worked! "Naruto, that was an excellent plan. You've really grown, haven't you?"

Keiko smiled, he was right. Naruto had grown. The old Naruto never would have thought of such a brilliant plan. It seemed Naruto was taking her advice after all and using his head. Sakura gasped when Keiko disappeared and reappeared out on the water behind Naruto. "Keiko," her eyes met Kakashi's and she could feel her heart skip a beat from the seriousness in his gaze, "Take Naruto back to the others. I'll handle this."

She nodded, "Right." Keiko gathered up Naruto before heading back. Keiko put Naruto down and turned back to the two shinobi on the water. She grimaced once again, the pain throbbing. She must have hit her head harder than she thought. Naruto and Sakura came to her when she fell to one knee. She smiled at them, "I'll be fine. You still have a mission to do so keep on your guard." The Genin all nodded and moved to stand around Tazuna, Keiko staying ahead of them. She watched Kakashi as he copied Zabuza's movements. Keiko wished that he would end this quickly, he was sure to over use his Sharingan after this.

When the water dragon jutsu was cast, Keiko saw the torrent of water approaching them and weaved a few hand signs before slamming her palms to the earth. The four behind her gasped when the ground beneath their feet shook as it rose. Sakura, Tazuna and Naruto all had trouble staying on their feet. With them a good six feet in the air, the water rushed around the raised earth and it allowed them a good view of the fight.

"He's not just following," Tazuna stated, "he's moving the same way at the same time."

Sakura looked to her teammate, "How's he doing that? How Sasuke?"

Instead of Sasuke, it was Keiko who answered, "It's the power of the Sharingan. There is a reason Kakashi is called the Copycat Ninja." She had seen Kakashi use his Sharingan many times before, and she knew how much chakra it used. It was why Kakashi was so thought out and methodical. He had to make sure his chakra was used wisely. For that reason it was no wonder he was one of the strongest in the village. She knew he would chew her out later for being so reckless with her own chakra.

Sasuke clenched his fists, so this is what the Sharingan was capable of. And Kakashi wasn't even a Uchiha. He could only imagine the devastating power it had when wielded by a true Uchiha. His gaze hardened as he looked at his Sensei. Just why did Kakashi have it?

Another rush of water engulfed the assassin and Keiko watched the rushing water to pinpoint the man's location. He appeared, body slamming into a tree and Kakashi quickly threw several kunai into his flesh, causing him to scream in pain. Keiko reached down, hand in the receding water as she formed a hand sign with the other. Ice spread in the water, creating a line of ice in the water reaching Zabuza. The ice entrapped him to the tree and the man glared at her before finding Kakashi perched upon a branch above him. "H-How? Can you see the future?"

"Yes," Kakashi said, holding a kunai as he prepared to end the man's life, "and I foresee, your death."

Everyone was shocked when two needles flew out of nowhere and pierced his neck, effectively killing him. The assassin's upper half fell limp, only being held up by Keiko's ice. Kakashi and Keiko gasped and looked over toward a young shinobi wearing a striking mask. He chuckled, revealing a young sounding voice, "You were right. You did see his death."

Kakashi appeared on the ground next to Zabuza and inspected the body to confirm that he was indeed dead. It was true, Zabuza neither breathed nor had a heart beat. He looked up to the Shinobi and saw them bow, "Thank you, I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down."

"From your mask, I see that you're a tracker ninja from the village hidden in the mist."

"Impressive. You're well informed."

Keiko looked at the young boy. There was no way that this boy could be older than the three Genin behind her, yet he was already a tracker ninja. An elite class of shinobi. She heard Sakura give Naruto a quick lesson on what a tracker ninja was and she was reminded that out of all of them, Sakura was indeed the superior in book smarts. Keiko's eyes settled on the tracker and she could sense that the boys eyes were on her as well. It gave her an ominous feeling, as if the boy stared into her soul. Keiko blinked when Naruto ran passed her and jumped off of the platform.

He growled, "What is this? Who do you think you are?" The boy didn't answer, making Naruto's anger grow, "Did you hear me?"

Kakashi turned, "Easy, Naruto. He's not our enemy."

Naruto turned to his sensei, "That's not the point! Did you see what he did? Just like that? Zabuza was huge and powerful like some kind of monster! And this kid, who's no bigger than me, took him down like it was nothing. I mean, what does that make us? We're just fumbling around! How can I accept that?!"

Kakashi walked toward his student, "Still, even if you don't accept it, it did happen, Naruto." He did something Naruto wasn't expecting. Kakashi ruffled his hair, his hand was much larger than Keiko's and he was ruff as he did it. "In this world, there are kids both younger than you, and stronger than me." Naruto looked away, still not willing to accept that reality.

Keiko smiled softly at Kakashi's action toward Naruto. He was proud. In Kakashi's own way, he was trying to show that he was proud of Naruto and his growth.

The tracker ninja disappeared from the tree and appeared next to Zabuza, the ice seeming to disappear and Zabuza's body fell on the boy so he could carry him. Keiko's eyes narrowed as she stood, it was unusual to see another ninja able to dispel her ice.

"There are many secrets in this body." The boy began, "They must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Farewell."

Kakashi let out a loud sigh and lowered his forehead protector over his eye. He witnessed Naruto run forward and while he could understand Naruto's frustration he had to let it go. "He's gone, Naruto, let it go." Naruto fell to his knees, punching the ground in frustration. Kakashi sighed and walked forward, grabbing the boys arm, "As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy. Save your anger for the next enemy."

Keiko smiled, her features showing her growing exhaustion as she relaxed. They were all safe, for now at least. She had planned on stepping down and joining the two but Keiko was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness as the pain in her head returned. Her vision blurred and she was falling.

"Keiko Sensei!" Sakura shrieked when she noticed Keiko fall off of the edge of the platform she had raised. Instantly, Kakashi was there and he caught her. Sakura felt a little embarrassed, of course Kakashi would catch her! After all that, he was incredible!

Kakashi looked down at Keiko's unconscious state and sighed. She used too much chakra, and her encounter with the tree didn't help much either. He was confident she would have been fine if not for that instant. She modified her jutsu in order to try and encompass Zabuza's mist. A reckless thing to try and do in the midst of a battle. It did come in handy, but it was not perfected.

Naruto ran up to them and saw the serious expression he had, "Keiko! Kakashi Sensei, is she- will she-"

Kakashi cut off his worried rambling and nodded, "She will be fine, she's injured but she will pull through. Keiko has had worse injuries." Kakashi stood, "Alright, we still have a mission to complete. Sasuke, help carry Kei-" His body went stiff and his words caught in his throat. Oh no, and he thought he didn't overuse it to this extent.

The three Genin and Tazuna gasped and screamed when Kakashi fell forward like a ton of bricks and hit the ground. He supposed, he couldn't be too mad at Keiko for overdoing it now...

I'm on fire with these updates, lol.

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Posted - 6/27/2021