Insert disclaimer here

Blah Blah Blah basic text (i.e. description, speech, etc)

Blah Blah Blah Thought or some transaction within someone's mind (also flashbacks)

Blah Blah Blah Kyuubi talking Jutsu will also be bold

BLAH yelling, or emphasis of some sort

Wrath of a Woman Scorned

Rated M for: language, violence, adult situations and concepts, lemons, and graphic imagery

Chapter 5: Bloody Mist

"One," muttered the figure on the right before he and his partner moved to their next target as Kakashi's remains fell to the ground in a bloody mess.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura muttered in uncomprehending horror as she stared at the pile of gore that had been her teacher.

Sasuke was already on the move taking up a defensive position in front of Sakura and Tazuna… he needn't have worried.

There was a slightly wet chinking sound as Aki caught the chain in her now bleeding hand. "A two man razor chain?" she asked, mockingly lifting a brow at her opponents. "Surely you can do better."

The two men growled and in a practiced motion they both pulled on the chain in such a way as to lift and throw Aki obviously intending to use her hold on the chain to pull her off balance and leave her open for attack.

Aki had other plans. Jumping with the pull she flew through the air twisting like a cat to bring her feet back under her and dodge her attacker's claws. Firmly planting herself as she touched the ground, she made a vicious yanking motion on the chain using the same maneuver that the two men had just attempted with her. One of the men was quick enough to realize what was happening and press the release on his gauntlet. The other was not so fortunate as Aki swung him over her head and into the ground where he made contact with a sickening crunch.

"Gouzu! NO!" the surviving man cried staring at the lifeless body of his partner, his moment of inattentiveness cost him dearly as Aki appeared next to him.

"Pay attention!" she growled, driving her foot into her opponent's stomach with the force of a rampaging bull, sending the much larger ninja flying into a nearby tree.

'What the hell is she?!' Meizu wondered, instinctively scuttling away from Aki in his panic as she advanced on him. 'The chain should have ripped her to shreds- and that strength-there's no way she's human!'

"Tch," Aki scoffed, a disgusted scowl crossing her face as she watched Meizu scrambled to his feet and run for a few moments before blurring out of existence.

'Gotta get away, gotta-' Meizu thought as he frantically scrambled away from the red haired devil only for his eyes to go wide in shock as said girl to suddenly appeared in front of him and drove her hand clear through his chest, killing him instantly as she destroyed his heart.

"How disappointing," Aki sighed as she freed her arm with a wet squelch. "I'd expected more from the supposed "Demon Brothers" but it would appear that I over estimated them, no fun at all," she said to herself as she sealed the bodies into a scroll that she pulled out of nowhere.

"Couldn't you have left one alive for interrogation?" the evidently alive Kakashi asked as he walked out of the trees.

"I could have," Aki admitted absently as she started to glow slightly with a red chakra that seemed to scorch the gore from her body, leaving it as though she had never been in combat at all.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Sakura cried, her eyes wild as she tried and failed to comprehend what she had just witnessed.

"Hm? What was what?" Aki asked coyly.

"Kakashi-sensei was-! Then you were like- grabbed the freaking blade chain-! And then you-!" she rambled, absolutely hysterical and incoherent until Kakashi put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura. Breath," Kakashi ordered as he crouched down until he was at eye level with the pink haired girl. "Deep breaths, in and hold... out and hold, again, that's right."

As this was happening Sasuke noticed a change in Aki, an odd look passing through her eyes as she watched Kakashi calm Sakura down. That wasn't what he had expected. Considering what he knew of Aki's usual behavior a pout at Kakashi "ruining her fun" would be more appropriate. 'What's different?' he wondered.

"I'm going to scout the area," Aki said as she abruptly turned toward the woods. "I'll make sure there aren't any more of them."

And then she was gone.

"Ok, what was that about?" Tazuna asked staring at the spot where Aki disappeared into the trees.

"I have a better question," Kakashi said now very serious as he turned to face Tazuna. "Why are there ninja trying to kill you."

Tazuna froze. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he denied.

"Your body language speaks otherwise," Kakashi informed him…

Some time later Team 7 plus Tazuna were in a boat crossing over to Wave Country. Evidently Tazuna had lied about the mission because of how desperately he needed help, some gangster business man had taken over and the bridge he was building was the only chance his people had. Funny thing was that Kakashi had bluffed when he had accused Tazuna of lying, he'd just asked on the off chance that Tazuna had lied.

"What did you say this guy's name was again?" Aki asked.

"Gatou," Tazuna answered.

"Gatou…" Aki repeated thoughtfully.

"What is it Aki?" Kakashi asked.

"This Gatou, he's short, white hair that stands up, wears glasses, serious ego problems, and carries a cane like it's a king's scepter?" Aki asked remembering the description the poster had given as she momentarily put off Kakashi's question.

"Yeah that's him," Tazuna answered, where was she going with this?

"He's made a lot of enemies," Aki said with a smile, answering Kakashi's question before turning to stare into the fog.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tazuna asked Kakashi.

"It means that even if you never finish your bridge, by the time we leave Gato won't be a problem anymore," he said with a sense of finality.

"Oh…" Tazuna muttered, he wasn't sure how to react to that. On the one hand he wanted to dance a jig that his country was going to be saved. On the other he was becoming increasingly nervous about this Aki girl.

"That's the bridge," the boatman said as a large shadow loomed in the mist ahead of them.

"Whoa…" Sakura muttered staring up at the hulking structure as they passed it.

"Impressive," Sasuke agreed just before they entered a short tunnel.

"This is where I let you off," the boatman said, bringing the boat up to a dock a short distance from the tunnel's exit. "This is good bye, and good luck my friend."

"Yeah, thanks for everything," Tazuna said as the boat moved away.

"Well, let's get going then. Is there a way to your home that is less out in the open?" Kakashi asked.

"There is, it's over this way," the old bridge builder replied as he led them to a trail nearby.

"We're being watched," Aki muttered low enough so only Kakashi would hear her as they made their way through the trees.

"How many," Kakashi asked.

"Two, but they do not appear to be working together," Aki explained.

"How close?"

"One just moved behind us," Aki replied just as the tell tail whistling of something cutting through the air reached Kakashi's ears.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" Kakashi cried dragging Tazuna down as Sasuke did much the same with Sakura to avoid a massive sword that cut through where they had just been standing. Aki simply stayed put watching as the blade continued its rotation, missing her by a hair's breadth as it's rotation caused it to pass several inches from her face.

"Hm…that was Kubikiri Houcho," Aki muttered thoughtfully. "Which means," she turned around to face the man now standing on the handle of the massive sword that had embedded itself in a tree, "Momochi Zabuza, formerly of the Hidden Mist's Seven Swordsmen. You have quite a price on your head."

"Oh? The little gennin fancies herself a bounty hunter?" the man, Zabuza, asked amusedly.

"There's also one other thing that I've heard," Aki continued as though she hadn't heard him.

"And what's that?"

"Is it true you slaughtered an entire graduating class?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Oh? You've heard about that have you?" he asked looking at the little red head with a new curiosity. "You know, now that I think about it you look kind of familiar… have we met?"

"Nope!" Aki chirped, appearing entirely too pleased with the state of affairs.

'Wow, she's really excited,' Kakashi thought as Zabuza turned his gaze to him.

"So Konoha has their last Sharingan master babysitting a bunch of brats and an old man, my how the mighty have fallen," Zabuza chuckled.

'Sharingan?!' Sasuke blanched, 'But Sharingan's unique to the Uchiha, how could he-!?'

"Pot calling the kettle black, Mamochi?" Kakashi shot back smugly.

"True I suppose," Zabuza admitted with a frown.

"So is there a reason you're attacking my team?" Kakashi asked politely, he was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he would prefer to avoid a confrontation of this magnitude.

"I'm here for the bridge builder," the former swordsman replied.

"I was afraid you'd say that, seems a fight in inevitable," Kakashi sighed, his hand moving to his hitai-ate. 'Against someone like him I'm going to need it.'

"Oh? I get to see the famed sharingan already? I'm honored."

"Surround Tazuna," Kakashi ordered. "I'll handle this."

"Big words, but it doesn't matter, the old man is mine," Zabuza said as he ripped Kubikiri Houcho from the tree, appearing a moment later on the surface of the nearby lake, "Ninpu: Kirigakure no jutsu."

'That isn't natural,' Sasuke thought as he eyed the thick mist rolling into the area, hiding Zabuza as he and the rest of Team 7 surrounded Tazuna.

"Likes to play in the mist does he?" Aki chuckled, cocking her head curiously. "So this is Kirigakure's famed art of silent killing, I have to admit, it's rather impressive combined with this mist."

"Eight points," Zabuza whispered, his voice echoing in the mist, "Lungs… liver… clavicle vein… carotid artery…spine… kidneys… heart… brain… decisions, decisions."

'And head games too? I like this guy,' Aki thought, her predatory grin widening ever so slightly.

'What incredible intent,' Sasuke thought, trembling from the force of Zabuza's killing intent. 'This pressure, it's overpowering. I almost want to kill myself just to escape it.'

"Hey," Kakashi called to his team, "relax, I'll protect you guys even if it kills me," he said giving them an eye smile over his shoulder, "I don't let my comrades die."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep Kakashi," Zabuza spoke as he appeared in the middle of the gennin's formation.

'Impressive,' Aki thought, licking her lips as Kakashi drove a kunai into ex-kiri nin's gut only for him to dissolve into water.

"Sensei behind you!" Sakura screamed as another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi swinging Kubikiri Houcho, cleaving the silver haired jounin in two only for him to burst into water.

'Mizu Bunshin? He copied it even in the mist?!' Zabuza wondered before feeling the cold steel of a kunai against his neck.

"Don't move," Kakashi said, now standing behind his opponent, "It's over."

"Over?" the missing nin chuckled. "That performance your clone put on was impressive, but do you actually think-"

"- that your cheap imitations can beat me?" the real Zabuza asked, appearing behind Kakashi as the mizu bunshin collapsed.

'Shit,' Kakashi cursed as he ducked under a slash that would have cut him in half only for Zabuza to use the rotation to switch into a roundhouse kick.

Thud!

"What!?" Zabuza cried, staring in disbelief at the little red head appeared out of no where and caught his kick with one hand.

'When did she-' Sasuke thought before a sharp tang of copper hit his nose. 'Blood?' he wondered as the mist began to turn red. "What the hell?" Sasuke muttered.

"You're getting rusty Inu-san," Aki addressed Kakashi, never taking her eyes off her opponent. "Why don't you let me take care of this."

For a moment Kakashi didn't say anything. Then, with a resigned sigh, he pulled his hitai-ate back over his eye and took a step back. "Alright Aki, have fun," he said, jumping the rest of the way to take up Aki's position with Sasuke and Sakura.

"Aki," Zabuza mused thoughtfully as he and Aki jumped away from each other. "This red mist? It couldn't be…"

"Something on your mind, Ijin?" Aki asked with a disturbingly manic smile that showed off her impressive canines.

"I recognize you now," Zabuza spoke, assessing her with fresh eyes. "The Hunter squads in Kiri called you Konoha no Benihime, The Crimson Princess."

"Oh, so you have heard of me!" Aki said, a creepy sort of cheerfulness saturating her voice.

"You could say that, you were something of a ghost story among missing nin, a relentless hunter with a terrifying tenacity who would pursue a bounty regardless of borders or laws, was impossible to shake, and destroyed anyone that got in their way. The ultimate boogieman for anyone with a price on their head," he explained, remembering the stories his comrades had told him. "Back in Kiri a friend of mine said that if they found out you were after the same target they just scrubbed the mission and made sure that they offered the biggest bounty. They all mentioned the same things, icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce like a knife, long hair the color of fresh blood, and small, just a child, a little girl not even part of the ninja corps. They said that you could paint a battlefield red… I had assumed that those morbid bastards were being poetic," he mused wryly as he kept a wary eye on the red mist that surrounded them.

"What else did they say?" Aki asked as the mist started to close around her.

For a moment Zabuza didn't say anything. "One called you a demon," he finally admitted. "Said you were vicious and that watching you fight was the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen. Considering there were ninja like me and Kisame walking around that's something to think about."

"A demon huh? So it's the demon verse the devil, how appropriate," Aki chuckled as she stepped back, fading into the mist. "Let's play Ijin," Aki whispered, her voice echoing eerily in the mist in much the same way Zabuza's had.

Edited: 6/10/17

End Notes

Ok originally I was going to go through the entire fight with Zabuza but I changed my mind and decided to retool a few things so here's this. Next chp will be Aki vs Zabuza and will most likely take a while since I decided to change how the fight is going to go.

Benihime= Crimson Princess

Ijin-Devil