A/n: Wow, it's been a long time since I published a chapter. I've been super busy and having no beta reader is really annoying. Your kudos and comments are all that's keeping me going so thank you so much! I won't hold you back anymore, go ahead and enjoy! *Hopefully*
"Naruto, we need to hurry up." Sumiko said, nerves on edge. Her body was constantly twitching, instincts running wild.
They shouldn't have left Sasuke and Kakashi on their own. What if they were in danger while they were dilly-dallying in the village? What if Zabuza had already attacked? She had known the danger they would be facing and yet, she had left them alone. She didn't think about what that could entail.
"Don't worry, Sumiko-chan. They will be okay without us." he replied. "Both Sasuke and Kakashi are strong, they can manage some foreign nin on their own."
She looked down at the broken branch she was jumping over, trying not to step on the frail part. "Not if they get attacked by a S-rank shinobi." she mumbled under her breath.
Naruto didn't hear her over the sound of the breeze. She was glad. They leaped between trees, speeding through the forest. Her heart beat at an erratic pace. She tried to put down her fear but it was hard to swallow. She did what she used to do as a kid and hadn't done a long time since. She took a breath and calmed herself, imagining a room in her mind. She pushed the thoughts of Sasuke inside, as if flooding the room. Then, she locked it.
When Sumiko released her breath, all her nerves had disappeared. She sped through the forest, leaves whipping past her with only one goal in mind. Reach her client as fast as possible.
...
Sasuke's pov
"Zabuza"
Zabuza?
"Well, well ,well, if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, the rogue ninja from Kiri."
Silence.
"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, I assume?" The man replied, eying their sensei.
Sharingan eye? He remembered Sumiko's words during their introduction. She had said Kakashi possessed the Sharingan. He hadn't believed it. He had thought she was rambling like she did sometimes. Was it true? Did Kakashi really possess the Sharingan?
"It's too bad but you'll have to hand the old man over."
Sasuke readied himself, hand going to his kunai pouch. Now wasn't the time for wondering about this. Suddenly, he was glad to be the only one with Kakashi and their client. At least Sumiko and Naruto would be okay. He could handle one foreign shinobi along with a jonin.
"Sasuke, protect the client."
"Hai"
Zabuza jumped off the sword, landing on the river. His feet floated over the waves. Sasuke's eyes widened. How could he –
Mist covered the area, drowning the world in white wisps. He couldn't see past his arm, senses dulled by the chakra infused fog.
A pang went through him. All of sudden, Kakashi activated his chakra, killing intent flooding the area. The back of his neck prickled. This immense chakra... It weighed down on him. It seemed to push him to the ground, asking to bow before the almighty.
Sasuke clenched his knuckles. He refused to go down. Sweat coated his arms. So this was what it felt like when two jonin were fighting.
He gave a shudder. Despite everything, he wanted to go and hide, to run away from this incredible chakra. He could never hope to defeat the enemy nin. It was too much for him. He should just run, leave the client behind. He would have a failed mission on his record but that was better than dying. If no one was alive, who would tell that he left the client? Nobody.
He wanted to scream.
"Sasuke!" A shout broke through his panic haze. "Calm down"
He looked up at Kakashi sensei. The mist had cleared, chased away by Kakashi's surge of chakra. He could see his sensei now, looking back at him, one eye curving in a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I will never let my comrades die. I will protect you with my life."
His erratic heartbeat seemed to calm down.
He gave a nod, standing straight. Kakashi was right. He could do this. If he was to defeat his brother, he must fight now, must get stronger.
His hand stopped trembling. Sasuke held the kunai steady. He was ready.
"Well, I don't know about that." A voice pierced through the mist and the next moment, he felt a presence behind him.
Eyes wide, he froze. It was just for a second. His body had stopped for barely a moment and yet, he would've been cut to pieces if Kakashi hadn't jumped to his aid.
He dove to the side, completely forgetting about the client. The Konoha jonin jumped in front, slamming a kunai through the shinobi's chest.
Sasuke gave a gasp. Was it over?
Zabuza's body burst apart, water pooling on the ground. He cursed. Another Zabuza came from behind, sword slashing in an arc towards Kakashi. He gave a shout but before his sensei could do anything, the sword cut through his body like paper.
He burst apart. This time, it had been Kakashi's clone.
The real Kakashi stood behind Zabuza. "It's over."
"Not so fast, copy ninja."
The real Zabuza was behind Kakashi, swinging a sword. Kakashi ducked. The foreign nin kicked him and he flew through the air. With a splash, he landed in the water.
By this time, Sasuke's pulse was racing. This was going horribly wrong. How could someone like Kakashi get kicked in such a shameful way? How strong was Zabuza to be able to do that?
A dome of water covered Kakashi, trapping him. Sasuke's teeth clenched. This was bad. Things were getting very bad, very fast.
"Now, for your student."
His hand trembled. Without Kakashi, he stood no chance. There wasn't a single way he could think of winning the fight.
Sasuke cursed. Closing his eyes, he willed his chakra to activate, clutching at the threads. He felt a pressure at his core and he pushed his stomach in with a breath, concentrating on the back of his eyes. Chakra flowed through his veins, reaching his eye socket.
When Sasuke's eyes opened again, they were red.
"Oh…" Zabuza muttered, eyes impressed. "It seems I'll have the privilege of killing one of the last Uchiha. Maybe I'll be the one to end the last Uchiha too."
Sasuke's lips twisted. He wasn't interested in death and he would never let anyone touch even a hair on his sister's head. She was his to protect.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi called out. "Take the client and run. Zabuza can't leave the prison without releasing me. His clone can't reach you if you run far away enough."
He blinked. He could do it. He could run away like he wanted to. He could survive like his brother had asked. Then he thought of Sumiko. Could he let someone like this be alive? What if he proved to be a threat later? He had already proved he wanted to kill his only family. Even so… could he really defeat someone as powerful as Zabuza? Did he have it in him?
His brother had asked him to survive. To run away till he got strong enough. How was he supposed to get stronger if he ran away? Why should he listen to his brother anyway? Kakashi was strong. He could help Sasuke.
Mind made up, his hands folded to form hand signs while saying, "Tazuna-san… stand a little to the side. You don't want to get mixed up in this. "
Seals completed, he took in a breath. "Fire style, fireball jutsu!"
A huge ball of fire erupted from his mouth, smothering the ground as it sped towards its enemy. Heat enfolded him, warming his skin.
Zabuza's clone brought up his sword, cutting the fireball in two pieces. "You'll have to do better than that, brat. "
Sasuke's feet were running on the ground before he finished speaking. Grabbing a few shuriken from his pouch, he threw them at the foreign nin one after the other. Zabuza simply bent around them, body relaxed as if he was just playing around.
"Sasuke… don't! Run away while you still can!" Kakashi's voice came through but he ignored him.
His fingers twisted to move the wires attached to the shuriken, pulling them back. Noticing the incoming projectiles, Zabuza jumped up. Anticipating the move with his sharingan, Sasuke twisted his fingers, pulling the shuriken up. Zabuza jerked. Bringing up his sword, he turned in the air, slashing the shuriken away. The moment the sword touched the black weapons, they burst, the paper bombs attached to them exploding with a bang.
When the smoke cleared, Zabuza was standing in a pile of rubble, sword in hand. There wasn't even a single new bruise on his body, no sweat glistened on his arms. Meanwhile Sasuke was breathing hard, the activated sharingan rapidly draining his chakra.
How could he ever manage to defeat a S rank ninja? What was he thinking? Without Kakashi, there was no way he could survive the fight. The moment he got caught, it was over for Sasuke. He had to find a way to rescue–
A kick to the stomach.
He was sent flying back, the breath leaving his chest as he slammed against a tree. Pain flared up in his muscles. He clutched his chest. Probably a few broken ribs. Shit.
Zabuza was on top of him before he could think of what to do. A foot propped on his stomach, pressing in. The tip of the sword brushed against his Adam's apple.
"It's over, brat. " Zabuza said, voice course. "I congratulate you for lasting this long. "
He raised his sword. Sasuke didn't close his eyes.
That was the only reason he saw a flash of black rushing through the air, piercing Zabuza's hand right in the flesh.
Sasuke gave a smile. She was here.
…
Sumiko's pov
They were rushing through the forest when she first heard it. It was Naruto, actually, who heard it first. The sounds of battle.
By the next moment, they were just a blur as they sped towards their teammates. The sight that greeted her was not good. At all.
A kunai flew out of her hand before she knew what she was doing. A clench was heard and she jumped to another tree. Naruto stayed. The idiot!
Zabuza turned to where she was standing just a moment ago. "Who's this orange kid? "
"Orange kid?! " Naruto burst out. "Who are you calling 'orange kid', man with the big sword? I'm a ninja dattebayo!"
He gave a scoff. It looked more like a smirk. "Ninja? A brat like you?"
She watched as Sasuke slid away, backing off from the enemy nin. Her heartbeat slowed down. In her opinion, she was pretty calm. Having seen her brother this close to death had only left her heart racing. She would call it pretty calm. Her shivering fingers weren't a sign. She was just cold, that is all.
"You will only be a ninja in my eyes if your name is in the bingo book. Kids like you aren't real ninja."
They already had someone who's name was in the bingo– shit. Kakashi sensei. Sumiko's heart gave a low thud, as if it was its final work. He was trapped in a dome-like shape that seemed to be made of water. Actual water. If she hadn't given up on marveling at things this world provided, she would've gawked. But as it happened, her concern was more with the fact that the only person who could really fight in their team was trapped. Meaning there was no one to save their asses. Great. Really, really great. She kind of wanted to cry.
Kakashi's eyes were scouring the area. She gave a bird cry, taught during their academy days. His eyes whipped towards her. He should've been relieved but his shoulders slumped, as if in despair.
And now she was angry.
How dare he give up when they were still alive? How could he just accept their death so easily? He could still save them. They could save him. It was possible if they played their cards really, really well.
Sasuke and Naruto ran forward, kunai in each hand. She recognised the pattern. It was something they had practiced in their academy days. Body moving through memorized motions, they spun around Zabuza, shuriken flying towards their enemy. Sasuke's hand weaved to form seals and she knew her turn had come.
The moment he released the fireball, she leaped to the next tree, a kunai merging with the fireball. However, while it disappeared before reaching its mark, the kunai continued.
Sasuke and Naruto continued to distract their enemy, weapons thrown at the shinobi. Eyes wide, she saw as the kunai sped towards his fatal point.
A blur of black and the kunai veered off course.
Adrenaline rushed through her body. She jumped down, just as a kunai sped past her, cutting open her cheek. Blood welled in the wound as she rushed through the trees, trying to find her opponent.
There was someone else.
There was a blur and she stumbled to a stop. In front of her was a boy with a painted mask. It reminded her of a circus. "I am sorry but I cannot let you hurt Zabuza-sama."
The figure rang a bell, the dialogue only adding further recognition. 'Haku', she thought.
"Listen here, I don't want to hurt your master or whatever but I need to, because he has captured our sensei. I need to free him. "
He didn't make a move. It was almost as if he was trying to figure her out. "You mean you want to protect him because he's your precious person?" he asked, head tilting.
All Sumiko could think was that his stance was too relaxed, no weapons at ready. That just won't do now, would it?
She walked sideways, slowly so as to not irk her enemy. His eyes followed her, or that's what she thought by what she could see through the mask.
"Precious person?" she asked. She could remember Haku going on about something similar to Naruto in the series. It was something that had influenced Naruto over time.
Sumiko could see Naruto and Sasuke, fighting Zabuza's clone while giving their all. The sharp clang of kunai rang in the air.
"Is Kakashi my precious person?" she wondered aloud. A glance at her sensei revealed he was staring at her teammates like his life depended on it. She saw his clenched fists and remembered the moments they had together.
She remembered a hand ruffling her hair, a smile through the mask, a helping hand here and there. It was the little things rather than the big ones. "I suppose he is." she said.
Haku gave a nod. This time, he had a weapon ready.
Sumiko sped forward. She swiped her kunai in a cutting arc and he ducked, bringing his own to slash at her stomach. She brought her knee up but he moved, spinning to come behind her. She turned and ducked on reflex but he had anticipated the move. He swiped his leg, trying to take her out but she jumped at the last second, pushing the kunai towards his mask.
A crack. It clattered to the ground.
She sucked in a breath.
Before she could move, mist filled the air. She gripped her kunai, eyes scanning for any movements. A gleam and she was moving, body speeding towards the flash of light.
She stumbled to a stop. All around her, there were mirrors, forming a circle around her. Her heart thudded in her chest. This was his kekkei genkai.
She heard a shout, someone shouting her name. She concentrated on her enemy, his body encased in ice. "It seems you have a kekkei genkai, shinobi-san."
His eyelashes brushed against his skin, pink lips parting. "Haku." he said. Now that the mask wasn't warping his voice, it sounded more feminine. "You can call me Haku. "
"Haku-san… you do know we're enemies right? You shouldn't be telling me your name." she said, raising an eyebrow. "If I didn't know better, I would think you were flirting. "
His cheeks tinted pink. Senbon flew towards her and she twisted to avoid them. "Someone's flustered." she muttered before jumping to the side. This time, however, she couldn't avoid some and they stuck in her skin.
Sumiko cussed. She pulled them out, blood welling from the wound. Before she could take a breath, another bunch flew towards her. She tried to see where Haku was but he kept moving from mirror to mirror. He was too fast for her to catch his movement. The senbon pricked her and she gave a hiss of pain. It hurt. Like hell.
She didn't know why it hurt this much. It was just a prick after all. But it did. She could feel her body getting weaker and weaker. She could barely stand up now.
"Sumiko!" she heard a shout.
She didn't have the strength to reply. Closing her eyes, she tried to sense her team's chakra before giving a smile. They had freed Kakashi then. Good.
Blood welled up from her lips. One of the senbon must have hit a fatal point. She remembered a memory then; as if death was granting her a last wish.
It was after they had finished one their d ranks. They were tired and bored, wanting nothing but to go home. She was slumped between Naruto and Sasuke, each arm hanging off their shoulders. They, in turn, were leaning on her, heads brushing against her ears. All she could think about was the fact that she had to go home and cook. She did not have the energy for that.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well, how about we do something? "
Naruto gave him a suspicious look. "What do you mean? You're not gonna make us do more work right? "
He shook his hand as if in a shooing motion. "You act as if I give you all the work and do nothing myself."
"That's exactly what you do!" Naruto's shout was ignored.
"I've heard Asuma's team goes to eat barbeque at a local restaurant." he rubbed the back of his head. "Do you guys maybe wanna go?"
Her pupils turned to stars. "And you're gonna pay? " she asked with a grin.
Kakashi turned to her with a smile, eye curving. His hair fluttered in the air, strands looking silky in the sunset. "Of course not."
Sumiko pouted. "You're mean, Kakashi sensei."
"I want to go." Sasuke said with a shrug.
Naruto agreed.
Sumiko, of course, didn't mind it in the least.
They went to the barbeque place and had a filling dinner. Sumiko had no idea what they talked about. All she could remember later was that her cheeks hurt from smiling.
In the end, the owner told them somebody had already paid for the dinner and there was no need for them to pay. She had an idea who the secret benefactor was.
Sumiko felt a new pain in her joints and knew the senbon had attacked her again. This wasn't fair. She didn't want to go out this way. She wanted to enjoy her time with her friends and family. She didn't want to leave them as she had before. She didn't want to die again.
Tears rose in her eyes. She concentrated on her chakra. The branches came together surprisingly easy, sticking together as if meant to. She pulled it up. Another stack of senbon hit her. The chakra disappeared.
She gave a cry. She could see her body ridden with sharp darts, hitting her pressure points. Legs weak, she dropped down. Kneeling on the ground, as if praying, she tried to get back up. She closed her eyes.
When Sumiko opened her eyes again, all she could see was orange. Naruto stood in front of her, protecting her from their enemy. He was speaking to Haku but it was a blur to her. She could barely hear anything.
She felt a hand on her. Sasuke.
Energy rushed through her. She couldn't afford to lie down. She needed to help them. With a groan, she got back up. Her arms felt like lead. She had no idea how she was going to dodge the senbon, much less manage to attack Haku.
"Sasuke… what happened to sensei? Is he alright? " Sumiko asked.
He gave a nod. "Yeah, he's fighting Zabuza right now. "
Her eyes widened. He was out there, fighting him all alone? She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to worry about him. He was strong enough to take care of himself. He wouldn't die and leave them in danger. She swallowed. He wouldn't.
Sasuke activated his sharingan. His eyes tracked Haku as he flitted through the mirrors, too fast for her eyes. Ignoring the jealousy, she waited for his attack.
Sasuke pulled her out of the way, some of the senbon sticking in him in the process. She cursed aloud. "Do not tell me you came in here without a plan. "
His eyes turned down. Great. No plan and three trapped genin. Their chances looked slim.
Naruto was kneeling in front of them, grimacing with pain. He hadn't moved, hadn't bothered to dodge. Because he wanted to protect her.
A flood of emotions rocked through her. She clenched her fists. She was not going to let her teammates die. She was not going to let them get hurt on her behalf.
She stared at Haku's floating figure. She was going to figure it out. He moved and her eyes glided, trying to follow the movements. She was sort of starting to get it. Her body seemed to know when and where to turn. Haku threw the senbon and she saw a blur, she moved. Next thing she knew, she had pulled Naruto by his sleeve, trying to protect him from the lethal weapons.
Her hands ached. Something was wrong. Her body felt wrong, limbs too heavy for simply being injured. It took her a second to realise why. Poison. The senbon were leaden with poison.
Haku increased his speed. They were spinning, trying to dodge the darts. It was getting more and more difficult. Sasuke was slowing down too. She needed to find a way out soon or they were doomed.
She felt for her chakra. It came at will, as if it didn't want her to die, as if all those times it was simply misbehaving because she was in no real danger. But chakra didn't have a mind of its own.
Sumiko pulled her chakra and felt coolness enveloping her body. When the next batch of Senbon were released, she was ready. She sped forward, eyes tracking every movement. She could tell that there was a distinct pain in her eyes but she ignored it, her full focus on the flying weapons. She moved to pull Naruto away from danger but just as she was about to grab him, her heart thumped. A massive pain wracked her body. Panic-hazed, she stumbled forward, trying to protect him before it's too late. Grabbing onto his collar, she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.
There was none.
Sumiko looked up into Naruto's eyes, only to see them widened. Heart thumping, she turned back and froze.
Sasuke.
She gave a cry before opening her arms to catch his falling form. Blood welled up his lips.
This was way too dramatic. That was all Sumiko could think. When a real person was dying, it was never this dramatic. This only happened in anime. In real life, people don't have this dramatic of a death. This was just a nightmare.
"Miko" Sasuke gasped out.
Wait, wait, wait. She could feel her cheeks getting wet and she touched them. Blood coated her fingers. Sasuke gave a smile. "You unlocked them. The Sharingan."
No. No. Wait.
She closed her eyes. A memory jarred through her. It was Sasuke, lying with senbon in his body, just as he was now. And that was when she remembered this scene.
Haku didn't want to kill them. He wouldn't. Sasuke wasn't going to die.
Her body shivered from relief. She looked up. Haku was still encased in ice but this time, his eyes looked sad. They were devoid of any light despite the thousand reflections.
"Haku-san… " Sumiko mumbled. "I kind of want to kill you right now."
She had never felt this honest, this sure of something. She knew Haku didn't want to kill Sasuke and yet, she wanted to take his life. She didn't know what that said about her. She didn't care.
And then, it happened. She felt an immense chakra in the air, building up and up. Her body froze. Goosebumps rose on her arms. The chakra felt so… angry. Sad. Vengeful.
Sumiko knew what it was.
Naruto was staring at Sasuke's crumpled form, mouth agape. His eyes were dilated with horror, pupils slit. It wasn't Naruto anymore. It was Kurama.
…
Naruto's pov:
Sasuke.
He was just lying there, crumpled. Naruto couldn't breathe. His lungs seemed to be bursting, heat rushing through his veins. All his senses were on alert and yet, it felt as if the only thing he could see was Sasuke's dead body.
His friend. His rival. Was dead. Fury leaped inside him. If Sasuke wasn't there, who would bicker with him? Who would tell him he was being an idiot and correct him? Who would relieve Naruto of his stress?
No. He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't.
Something twisted inside him.
He blacked out.
….
When Naruto awoke next, he was standing in front of Haku, without his ice mirrors. Sumiko was behind him, holding a kunai that pierced his side.
"Naruto… calm down. "
Her voice was stern and Naruto obeyed it without understanding. "S-Sumiko-chan?"
Memories flooded through him. Sasuke. Dead.
He turned around. Sasuke's body was still lying on the ground. He was furious.
"Why do you want to stop me?" he roared. He didn't notice the difference in his voice. "Didn't he kill Sasuke? How could you let him be? "
She closed her eyes. "Because Naruto, he isn't dead."
A gasp. He turned around again. The pretty enemy boy had his eyes widened. Naruto still wasn't sure if he was a boy or a girl. He looked stunned and Naruto couldn't understand why. Did Sumiko-chan just say that Sasuke wasn't dead? Everything was a little slow.
"What do you mean? " he asked.
"So… the pulse isn't there, I know… but he isn't dead." she said. "Is he, Haku-san? "
How did she know then? Was it something you could tell about your brother? He wouldn't know. He didn't have a family except for them. They weren't a family by blood.
The shinobi – Haku-san – looked down. "How did you know? "
She shook her head. Haku didn't argue.
"Kill me… I am of no use to Zabuza-sama anymore."
"Huh?" he gasped out. What was he saying? "What do you mean 'of no use'? Family isn't there for you to use dattebayo."
"Zabuza-sama has only taken me in because I could be a good tool to him. If I am no longer useful, I do not deserve to live."
"But–" He didn't know what to say. It seemed bizarre to him. "Are all families like this? Do they not love each other? Even sumiko-chan's– Maybe it's good I don't–" He didn't want to say it. However, that didn't mean he thought it was false. He had heard what the Uchiha did to Sumiko-chan and Sasuke. How cruel they were sometimes. Were all families supposed to be like this?
Before the boy could reply, Naruto heard a sudden sound of birds chirping. Where did so many birds come from? He couldn't see any in the sky.
Something rushed past him and body going alert, his head whipped down. He was alone. Both Haku and Sumiko-chan had vanished.
Heart thundering in his chest, he looked around. That was when he noticed the fight between Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza.
The enemy shinobi had dogs wrapped around him, biting almost every inch of his skin. Blood dripped from the wounds. Naruto's skin itched.
He could see Sumiko-chan and Haku-san talking, whispering something to each other while the adults talked. Something glowed in Kakashi's hand, sending lightning skittering around. It looked really cool to Naruto.
In the next second, the lightning sped towards Zabuza, Kakashi's hand guiding it. Naruto's eyes widened, not ready to see a man murdered in front of him by someone he knew.
A kunai whipped through the air, hitting Kakashi's palm right in the middle. His hand veered off course. Zabuza remained in the dogs' grip. He hadn't moved even when he had the chance. Naruto couldn't understand why. There were a lot of things going on today that he couldn't understand.
Kakashi whipped around, glaring at Sumiko-chan, one eye swirling an angry red. "What do you think you're doing?"
A/n: Hi! I hope you liked the chapter! Why do you think Sumiko stopped Kakashi? It definitely wasn't for Haku. She isn't good enough for that. Let me know in the comments, I'd love to know your answers!
Also, on another note, it really has been a long time since I published. I just wanted to say that I'm not planning on abandoning the book but at the same time, I don't know when the next chapter will be finished. It could weeks, months or years. Okay maybe not years but you get it. I'll try to get it done as fast as possible. Thank you so much for your continued support!