Chapter 15: The Land of Waves
...
Like all genin, we began with D-rank missions.
They were basic things like cleaning, gardening, and babysitting along with the infamous Tora missions. When we weren't working, we were training. Or we were supposed to be training. Unfortunately, Kakashi tended to keep us waiting around for hours each day. Well, if our wayward sensei wasn't here to guide us, I had a few things we could work on.
"Nii-chan, have you ever tried tree-walking?" I asked one morning. By my estimation, we had a solid three hours before Kakashi would show up, and this was as good a topic as any.
"No, what's that?" he asked, frowning.
"It's chakra control training," I said. "But it's also really useful for mobility."
"Meh, sounds like those boring exercises Iruka-sensei made us do in class," said Naruto. He was lying on the grass, half-dozing.
"It's a little more than just that," I said weakly. Sure, it wasn't a powerful jutsu, but it was a fundamental building block for chakra manipulation. "Chakra control is very important, Naruto. It will allow you to use your chakra far more efficiently."
"Eh, who cares?" Naruto asked, eyes shut and completely disinterested.
With everything that was coming, he should care. He should care a lot. But I had to find a way to pierce his armor of disinterest. What did Naruto think was cool?
"Imagine you have a bowl of ramen," I said. Naruto was suddenly sitting up, his eyes wide and eager.
"Pork ramen?" he asked.
"Erm, sure," I said. "But now imagine that when you go to eat the ramen, you spill half of it on the floor."
Naruto gasped.
"No!" he shouted, scandalized.
"Yes," I said. "And what do you do then?"
"I order more ramen!" said Naruto.
"No, you're out of money," I said. Naruto actually reached into his back pocket for his gama-chan purse and began counting his money. "The point is that you have to go home hungry because you wasted half of your ramen. But, if you have better control, you won't spill any of your ramen on the floor."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense," said Naruto, putting away gama-chan. He scratched his chin and thought hard for a long minute. "But what if I just ordered a bigger size?"
"You'd get more ramen, but you'd also spill more ramen," I said. "If you bought a bigger size and didn't spill any, then you'd have all the ramen you could want."
"Ah, ramen," he said, his eyes glazing over with a dreamy expression. "Hey, all this ramen talk is making me hungry. Let's go get some right now!"
And just like that, I lost him.
Well, sticking to trees wasn't very cool. How could I appeal to him? What would motivate him?
"Anyway, tree-walking is probably too advanced for you right now," I said with faux disappointment. "I think only Nii-chan is ready for something this difficult."
Naruto was on his feet pointing at me in an instant.
"Nothing's too advanced for Uzumaki Naruto," he said. "C'mon and show it to me."
"Tch, Moron," muttered Sasuke, giving me a baleful look. Yep, he knew exactly what I was doing. But he was paying attention, always ready to learn something that would help him grow stronger.
"Here, let me demonstrate," I said. "First you need to draw chakra to your feet…"
Considering how many shinobi used it, it was a wonder that tree-walking wasn't part of the Academy curriculum.
After two weeks of training, Sasuke and Naruto could run to the tops of their trees. Not bad since we only practiced while waiting for Kakashi. I then suggested water-walking. The shallow, slow-moving river beside the training field was perfect for it, and since we were in the middle of a warm spring, getting repeatedly dunked into the cool water was more refreshing than punishing.
To my surprise, the water-walking only took them the better part of the morning to master. Well, it wasn't really all that different from tree-walking, but their rate of progress was startling. We spent another three days playing ninja on the water, perfecting speed on the uneven surface.
Still, as useful as these skills were for chakra control, we would soon be fighting Zabuza and Haku. And shortly after that would be the chunin exams, Orochimaru, and Gaara. It was a sobering thought.
"Hey, Naruto, do you think you could teach me the Shadow Clone jutsu?" I asked.
"What, oh sure," said Naruto, scratching his head. "It kinda goes like this."
I activated my Sharingan as Naruto made the clone hand sign.
"Whoa!" said Naruto. "Why'd your eyes go red like that?"
"Oh, um, this is my Sharingan," I said, feeling slightly silly. Had I really never mentioned it to him before? I'd used it a few times in class when I wanted to copy or memorize something, and I'd used it during the bell test, but I supposed that eye color could be hard to spot so… "It's a blood limit for the Uchiha clan. It allows me to copy jutsu, memorize things, and cast genjutsu. Though right now I only have one tomoe, so it's not very strong yet."
"Wow, that's so cool!" said Naruto, and I couldn't help but smile at his exuberance.
"Kakashi-sensei has a Sharingan too," I said. "In fact, he's known as Sharingan no Kakashi. But he's not a member of the Uchiha clan. He was given his eye by…um, a friend…"
That wasn't my story to tell, and even that small piece of information was stretching the limits of what I 'should' know. Sasuke was listening with disinterest. I'd already shown him Kakashi's page in the bingo book.
"The jutsu?" Sasuke asked.
"Right," said Naruto as he molded his chakra, and a second Naruto appeared beside him.
"It's just like that," he said.
Not the most helpful of instructions, but the Sharingan made explanations redundant anyway.
I molded my chakra, pouring half of it into the jutsu, and a second Kiyo appeared beside me, blinking in surprise. Wow. It was one thing to know that Naruto had a lot of chakra. It was another to know that he had terrible control and could still produce hundreds of these things.
I inspected the other me, who did the same. Huh, I hadn't realized my hair was so spikey. My shadow clone and I reached out to touch each other's hands. She felt warm and solid, like she was real. The fabric of her shirt had the same texture, and her hair felt soft beneath my fingertips.
"Wow, you did it just like that…" said Naruto, seeming half impressed and half dismayed. That wasn't too surprising. It had taken him hours of study to do what I had replicated in seconds with my Sharingan.
"Yeah, but I can only make a few," said the other Kiyo.
"You must have an amazing amount of chakra, Naruto!" I added, because praise for Naruto was pretty rare, and he deserved acknowledgement for his signature technique.
"Haha, yeah, that's right, dattebayo!" he said with a grin. His shadow clone nodded in agreement.
"Okay, Nii-chan, your turn," I said. "It goes like this…"
The explanation I gave to Sasuke was a little more thorough than the one we'd received from Naruto. The jutsu wasn't actually that much more difficult than the regular clone technique, just more chakra-intense. So I wasn't really all that surprised when Sasuke got it on his third try.
But although Sasuke had learned the technique, I doubted he would be able to use it in battle. It cost too much chakra and the clones were too frail. They were useful to Naruto specifically because he could produce hundreds at a time and still have enough chakra left over for other techniques. Sasuke seemed to realize this too because he was frowning at his clone, which frowned right back at him.
"How do you have that much chakra?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto's smile faltered.
"The Uzumaki clan is famous for their high chakra capacity," I said. I also had above-average chakra reserves, but my weakened immune system meant that I had to constantly cycle healing chakra through my body, which ate up a significant portion of my reserves. It kept me healthy, though, so I considered it a worthwhile trade.
"Hey, there was something I wanted to test out," said my clone. "Naruto, Nii-chan, can you send your clones with me?"
They agreed, and the clones went off together out of sight. Since my clone was a separate entity, I wasn't sure what they were doing, but I could guess. A few minutes later, the chakra from my dispelled clone swept through my body, startling me momentarily and I…remembered seeing me, the real me, touching my hand and shirt and hair. I remembered our conversation from her perspective, and I remembered what we'd been doing.
"Do you remember the game?" I asked. It had been a simple game of rock-paper-scissors. I'd won against Naruto, and Sasuke had won against both of us.
Sasuke nodded, and Naruto pouted.
"It will be useful for training," I said. "You learn anything your clones learn. Naruto, since you can create so many, you could learn something a hundred times faster than a normal person."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Really?!" he asked. "Hey, that's cool! I never noticed before…"
How he hadn't noticed was a mystery. But this was Naruto, so maybe that was just how his mind worked.
Sasuke looked speculative.
If we could just manage to convince Kakashi to teach us a jutsu, this would help all of us.
Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance.
When Kakashi arrived to take us to the Mission Desk for our next assignment, Naruto threw a fit, demanding something more important than finding a lost cat. He was a ninja now, dattebayo!
Sasuke, though silent, gave off a definite air of agreement, and Kakashi just looked exasperated. The Hokage merely chuckled at the childish tantrum, and that was how we landed our first C-rank mission: to protect a bridge-builder from Wave Country.
Well…
There was a mood-killer.
I thought we'd have more time.
Tazuna walked into the Hokage's office with a sake bottle still in hand.
"What's this?" he asked, his tone thick with dismissal even as I detected the slightest hint of dismay. "A bunch of brats?"
I couldn't exactly fault him for his skepticism. Civilians had very particular ideas about what ninja should be, and we obviously didn't fit the mold. We were literal children, and all of our official missions were chores. We weren't exactly battle-hardened veterans here. He knew, rightly, that this mission would require more than a group of three rookie genin. But he couldn't afford anything more.
"And what about that shorty?" he asked, pointing to me. "How old is she? Six?"
Eh?
"I'm twelve," I mumbled, self-conscious and keenly aware that being twelve didn't really make things better. I couldn't blame him for his misunderstanding, though. I was tiny.
Really, really tiny.
It was a side-effect of my healing jutsu. Since my last meeting with Ameko, I'd reached 100% purity for my medical chakra, and as a result, cycling healing chakra no long caused chakra poisoning. But the template for the healing was taken from my seven-year-old body, so I still looked seven. In fact, as long as I used the jutsu, I would always look seven.
"I am the Master Bridge Builder, Tazuna," said Tazuna. "I expect you to provide protection until I return to my country and complete my bridge."
Tazuna directed his words to Kakashi, clearly banking on him doing the actual fighting. He wasn't entirely wrong, but he wasn't entirely right either.
With that, we set off to gather our long-term mission gear. Protecting Tazuna against jounin-level threats wouldn't be easy, but I did have a few tools that might help. I'd already drawn up a set of barrier seals just for this mission. But it didn't feel like enough.
I pictured Kakashi trapped in a water-prison and swallowed thickly.
Then I shook my head.
It would be fine. I knew it would be fine.
Just in case, I also brought along an entire pharmacy's worth of medicines and antidotes. The demon brothers used poisons, so I also brought along a poison identification seal to help.
As I stared at the contents of my bag, I took a steadying breath.
I'd signed up for this. I'd known it was coming, and now I had to go forward. I fastened the latch and set it down.
It would have to be enough.
…
The first three days of our journey were pleasant, almost scenic with clear blue skies. To pass the time, Tazuna regaled us with stories about his homeland and family. The picture he painted was pretty bleak, but he highlighted the kindness of his people and their desire to make things better for the community. Because I already knew about their situation, I'd brought along plenty of extra food with the intent to share.
If anyone asked, I could say that I just wanted to be prepared.
Unfortunately, the peaceful days could not last. On the third day, I almost didn't notice the puddle on the side of the road, but as we approached, it lit up like a bonfire to my chakra sense.
I activated my Sharingan and glanced back at Kakashi.
There's chakra in the water, I said via genjutsu. Shinobi.
Kakashi seemed unconcerned.
They'll target me first, and then let's see who they're after: us or the client, Kakashi thought back. Let Naruto and Sasuke know. Protect Tazuna-san.
Sasuke was already watching me intently, so passing the message to him was easy. Naruto was harder since he was looking the other way. He remained oblivious until I brushed his arm, and he glanced at me with a painfully conspicuous 'Huh?'
I'd have to think of a better method of signaling him. Once I relayed Kakashi's message, Naruto looked equal parts nervous and excited, staring straight at the puddle. I winced, hoping that the Demon Brothers had limited vision from within the water.
We passed the puddle without incident, and for a moment I dared to hope that they'd noticed Naruto's reaction and had chosen to abandon the ambush. But that hope was shattered when the water swelled with chakra as they formed a jutsu.
I moved, putting my body between the foreign ninja and my team. In the two seconds it took for me to grab the barrier scroll, the demon brothers, Gozu and Meizu, appeared behind us, catching 'Kakashi' in their chains and ripping him to pieces.
I tracked Kakashi's replacement jutsu as he settled into the trees. Obviously he was content to let the fight play out, certain in both our ability to survive and his ability to intervene when things became too dangerous.
But that wasn't exactly a comfort when the enemy ninja turned their eyes on us.
"Stay behind me, Tazuna-san!" I said, slamming the barrier scroll into the ground. A rectangular barrier appeared around Tazuna. It was mostly to prevent collateral damage. Against a pair of chunin, it would buy maybe a minute or two.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, staring at the place where Kakashi once stood.
He didn't realize it was a trick.
Sensei is okay, Naruto! I said via genjutsu. Lookout!
The demon brothers made their choice, going after Naruto first. I used the Blind Spot technique to hide Naruto from their sight, but they swung their chains in a wide arc to cut off any escape. Sasuke leaped up, drawing out a kunai and shuriken to pin their chain to a tree. He managed to get in a solid kick to both of their faces before they broke free.
But by now, Naruto had recovered from his shock, and they were met with about thirty shadow clones. One of the brothers, probably Meizu, charged straight at the clones while Gozu swung around toward me. I had a moment of heart-stopping terror before he made the mistake of meeting my eyes, and I caught him in a genjutsu. His body seized under my paralysis. He flared his chakra, but he wasn't a genjutsu type, so even with only one tomoe, I was able to hold him despite his struggles.
I was so engrossed in containing Gozu that I barely registered the taijutsu match between Sasuke, Naruto, and Meizu. At least until Sasuke managed to knock him unconscious.
"Nii-chan!" I said as Gozu's struggles became more frantic, nearly managing to break free from my hold.
Then Kakashi was there, knocking out Gozu with a clean hit to his neck.
"Good job, my cute little genin," said Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, obviously relieved. It was one thing to hear that Kakashi was fine. It was another to see him alright in person.
The whole fight had lasted less than a minute, but my heart was pounding in my ears, and I was breathing in short, ragged gasps. It wasn't until Kakashi gave me a happy eye-smile that I felt safe enough to take down the barrier.
"The—the area is clear, Kakashi-sensei," I rasped, still attempting to control my breathing. There were no other chakra signatures in the vicinity.
Kakashi nodded and patted my head before turning to Naruto.
"Naruto, try not to move around too much," said Kakashi. "Their claws are soaked in poison. Kiyo?"
"Yes, sensei," I murmured. Despite all of the clones, Naruto had still been scratched in the fray. "I'll run a poison scan on your injury, Naruto. I need to drain the poison and get a sample. I have a full spectrum of antidotes with me, so if it's a common poison, I should be able to heal it."
"Huh?!" Naruto shouted. "Poison?"
Oh, right. He had no idea who they were.
"These are the Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist, Gozu and Meizu," I explained as I sliced open the back of his hand. Behind us, Kakashi was questioning Tazuna about the real nature of the mission. "According to the Bingo book, they're chunin who defected from the Hidden Mist after attempting to kill the Mizukage. They're known to use water release and poison."
My hands shook as I dropped a generous sample of blood onto the seal. It lit up with a rare type of snake venom. It wasn't very fast-acting, but it would guarantee death within a day if left untreated. I breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out the correct antidote, giving Naruto the pill and finishing up with healing his wound.
Naruto was looking between Sasuke and me with a confused and somewhat uncertain expression.
"You alright, scaredy-cat?" Sasuke mocked. I shot my brother a frown, and he had the grace to look away. Pointless antagonism wasn't helping anything. And Naruto had done well enough after he'd recovered from his initial hesitation. Then again, Sasuke wasn't exactly the best at expressing his emotions or concern. This was probably the closest he would ever get to saying 'I was worried about you, are you okay?'
Kakashi wondered aloud if we should proceed. It shouldn't have been a question. This mission was far too dangerous for us. Facing the chunin was bad enough, but going against Zabuza and Haku, two jounin-level opponents, was nearly suicide. Then again, we did have Kakashi, a jinchuuriki, and Sasuke. It was far from a guaranteed victory, but it was more than most other genin teams could offer.
Sasuke was looking at me with a shadowed expression. I could guess at his thought process. He wanted to test his abilities against other ninja, but he also wanted to keep me safe. Which would take priority?
"We're continuing on with the mission!" shouted Naruto. He was holding a kunai and practically snarling in Sasuke's direction. "I swear on this kunai that I'll protect the old man!"
Sasuke looked to me again, and I suddenly realized that he waiting for me to decide.
It was tempting to say that we should go back. But if we did not help him, Tazuna would be killed, the Land of Waves would remain under Gatou's control, and countless people would suffer. Could I really turn away just because I was afraid?
"He needs our help," I said quietly.
Sasuke nodded, as if that was good enough for him.
"Well then," said Kakashi. "Let's continue with the mission."
…
Tazuna already had transportation waiting for us in the form of a small boat at the water's edge. It was an hour-long ride across the waves, and as we approached, the weather obliged us with a blanket of thick fog to conceal our passage. The boat driver cut the engine for stealth, and we made our way slowly through the mist, skirting the coast and gliding beneath the enormous pillars of Tazuna's nearly-completed bridge.
I wondered briefly why Gatou didn't simply destroy the bridge with explosives, but from the stories Tazuna had told us, I could make a guess. It wasn't enough to create a monopoly. He wanted to crush the spirits of the people who defied him. That was why he publicly tortured and killed everyone who stood against him. Bridges could be rebuilt but only if the people felt empowered enough to continue working. If he wanted to maintain control over them, it was more effective to kill their leaders first and then destroy their work.
We arrived on shore in a sheltered bay lined with rotting shacks. We still had a fair distance to go, and Naruto was jumping at everything from the wind to a rabbit in the bushes. I didn't immediately think much of the rabbit, but when Kakashi's eye narrowed in thought, I gave it a second look and noted the unusual color of its fur. I stretched out my senses, searching for chakra, and I noticed them immediately.
They moved.
"Sensei!" I shouted, tackling Naruto to the ground. I trusted Sasuke to do the same with Tazuna. "Get down!"
A sword cut through the air like a boomerang until it embedded into a tree. And Momochi Zabuza appeared standing on its hilt. Heart in my throat, I slammed down my four-point barrier seal around Tazuna.
"Well, well, if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, missing ninja of the Hidden Mist," said Kakashi, more for our benefit than anything else.
Naruto was ready to leap into action, but Kakashi held him back.
"This one is on a whole other level," he said. "It'll be difficult unless I do this."
He reached up to uncover his hidden eye.
"Sharingan no Kakashi," said Zabuza. "Sorry but the old man is mine."
"Surround and protect Tazuna-san," said Kakashi to the rest of us. "Do not enter the fight."
Not yet, anyway.
I swallowed thickly.
"Ah, I already get to see the famous Sharingan," Zabuza said with a sardonic lilt. "I'm honored. I've been hired to kill the old man, but it looks like I'll have to kill you first, Kakashi."
Zabuza leaped out onto the water and used a jutsu to create a thick layer of chakra mist before vanishing into the cloak of white.
"Eight choices," came Zabuza's voice from the fog. "Liver, lungs, spine, cervical vein, neck vein, brain, kidney, heart…Which one should I choose?"
It was purely a fear tactic. He was putting us on edge, both with his words and the suffocating Killing Intent that washed over us in heavy waves. I couldn't breathe. I activated my Sharingan, but that merely highlighted the nothing I could see in the mist.
The world narrowed as my vision dimmed in panic.
I was going to die…
I needed to see.
I was going to die.
I needed to see.
Iwasgoingtodie.
I needed to see!
Chakra pooled into my Sharingan, and my gaze seemed to focus further. Everything was brighter, sharper. It was almost too real.
"Kiyo," said Kakashi. His words cut through my blind panic. His voice was an anchor, something I could latch onto in the fog. "Don't worry…I'll protect all of you even if it kills me."
I licked my lips and tried to pull myself together. Why should I fear death? I'd died once before. I was prepared to die again that night with the rest of my clan, though I'd been spared by an unexpected act of mercy. Every moment of my life was borrowed time. Every action was a gift. I shouldn't fear death. Slowly, carefully, I reigned in my heart rate and focused, sharpening my chakra to a fine point and piercing through the blanket of fear.
Kakashi turned to show us an eye-smile.
"I don't let…my comrades die," he said.
Obito.
Rin.
Minato.
Right. Even if I didn't fear death, I still had to live. Because there were people here who wanted to protect me. And there were people here who I wanted to protect.
"We'll see about that," said Zabuza's water clone from behind us. Fast! "It's over."
But Kakashi's clone was there first, brushing us aside and stabbing into the clone with a kunai. I was back up and in front of Tazuna's barrier even as Naruto shouted a warning to Kakashi. How could we ever hope to keep up with speed like that?
Zabuza's water clone cut through Kakashi's water clone, and the fight was on again. I could barely track their taijutsu before Kakashi retreated over the water, confident that Zabuza would follow him away from us.
But Zabuza was a water-type. Going onto the water was the worst possible idea. I was proven right when Zabuza trapped Kakashi in a water prison and then created a water clone to finish off the rest of us.
"Wearing those forehead protectors and acting like ninja?" Zabuza laughed. "A real ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death. When you're listed in my bingo book, maybe then you can call yourselves ninja."
Zabuza lashed out, striking Naruto and knocking off his forehead protector. The taunts were unnecessary. Kakashi was the threat, not us. We were dead the moment Zabuza decided to get serious. But he didn't. And I wondered why.
Did he…not want to kill us?
I didn't think Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist, would go easy on anyone even if we were just a bunch of kids, but Haku was a gentle soul whose words would deeply impact Naruto. Was it so impossible that Haku's gentleness could affect someone as bloodthirsty as Zabuza too?
I wasn't sure, but I really did not want to test it.
"Take Tazuna-san and run!" shouted Kakashi. "You have no chance of beating him. As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison, he can't move! The water clone can't go far from his real body. Run away now!"
Haku was waiting in the trees. If we tried to run, we would never make it. No, if we were going to survive, we needed to free Kakashi. Naruto scrambled to his feet, his face a picture of panic as he was about to run away.
Not good.
I met his eyes, and he froze, his panic fading as he looked at me.
When he turned back to Zabuza, his expression was filled with determination. I wasn't entirely surprised when Naruto charged at the missing ninja, and I was equally unsurprised when Zabuza kicked him away easily. But it didn't matter because Naruto had achieved his goal.
"Hey you eyebrow-less freak, put this in your bingo book," said Naruto as he returned his forehead protector to its proper place. "The man who will one day become Hokage is Uzumaki Naruto of the Hidden Leaf."
I let out a slow breath because I knew what was coming next. As bad as this was, our situation was far from hopeless. Because Zabuza was right. We weren't in his bingo book. He knew absolutely nothing about us, and that was the only advantage we had.
"Naruto, make as many clones as you can!" I shouted. I just needed a distraction.
"Yeah, I've got a plan!" said Naruto as he created dozens of clones and charged straight at Zabuza. It wasn't much against a jounin, but Naruto did manage to pile onto him, blocking the line of sight for both the clone and the real thing.
That was all I needed.
I created a shadow clone and ran through the hand signs for the Blind Spot technique, vanishing into the mist and leaving the clone in my place. Not a moment too soon, either, since Zabuza cut away all of Naruto's shadow clones with a swing of his sword.
I only half-listened as Zabuza began talking about his past, how he'd killed an entire graduating class in the Mist village. It wasn't important, but it did buy me a few precious moments as I skirted the clearing, keeping as silent as possible. Zabuza's bingo book page had mentioned his enhanced hearing. Fortunately, he seemed focused on Naruto and Sasuke.
Behind me, Sasuke threw his shuriken. It curved around the water clone, and the real Zabuza caught it. Only then did he see the second one hiding in its shadow. He jumped over it easily, but it transformed into Naruto, who threw his kunai, breaking Kakashi free of his prison.
Now was my chance.
I used the body flicker to slide between Zabuza and Kakashi and dropped the Blind Spot technique. I met Zabuza's eyes with my Sharingan, trapping him in a genjutsu and paralyzing him in place. Zabuza instantly flared his chakra in an attempt to break free, but to my shock, he was easy to hold. I added things to the genjutsu to confuse and disorient him: more mist, more leaf ninja, a black sky. I inverted reality and made him stare into his own eyes.
"You brats!" Zabuza gasped.
But Kakashi materialized behind Zabuza and raised his kunai.
"You will die here," said Kakashi.
Zabuza, blinded by my genjutsu, did not move to defend himself. From the trees, I felt the other chakra move, and a pair of senbon pierced Zabuza's neck. His chakra cut out, and he fell as the water no longer supported his weight. My genjutsu collapsed around the lack of chakra as Zabuza was knocked unconscious.
A masked figure appeared on the water in time to catch Zabuza before the body could sink below the surface. His speed surpassed even Kakashi's.
"Thank you," said Haku. "I have been searching for the opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time."
I glanced at Kakashi, who was watching the newcomer with confusion and a healthy amount of suspicion. He approached slowly and touched Zabuza's neck.
"He's dead," Kakashi said aloud.
No.
No, he wasn't.
"You're a Kirigakure hunter-nin," said Kakashi. It wasn't a question.
"Impressive," said Haku. His voice was light and feminine but also masked by a cool tone, almost bored.
Lies.
It wasn't safe. Haku was our enemy, though clearly he was far more concerned with rescuing Zabuza rather than fighting us.
"Huh, a hunter-nin, what's that?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, it's my duty to hunt down missing ninja," said Haku.
Naruto looked from Haku to Zabuza and back again.
"Hey, just who the hell are you?" he shouted. "A guy that strong was killed by a kid?"
Not killed. No.
I opened my mouth, but Kakashi slumped his shoulders wearily before covering his Sharingan, and I closed it again. Kakashi would pass out soon, right? Haku was a gentle soul, but if he was protecting Zabuza's life, I had no doubts that he would kill us all if he had to.
I swallowed my words and stood silent.
"Well, I know how you feel," said Kakashi, patting Naruto on the head. "But this is the truth. In this world there are kids younger than you who are stronger than me."
I blinked at the odd statement. It was technically true, but Kakashi had become a jounin when he was only 12 years old. He was in ANBU by age 13. In terms of prodigies, there were very few children who could compare with Hatake Kakashi. In fact, there were only two that I could think of right away.
One was Minato, the Fourth Hokage.
And the other was Itachi.
I glanced over at Sasuke, who was frowning. Yeah, he'd probably come to that conclusion as well even if he didn't know that Kakashi had been Itachi's captain in ANBU. There were only so many record-shattering prodigies to go around.
"Your battle is over," said Haku. "And now I must dispose of this body. It holds many secrets. Farewell."
Haku took Zabuza's body and vanished.
Well, at least that was over.
"Kakashi-sensei," I said.
I coated my hands in medical chakra and placed them on his chest to run a diagnostic jutsu. He wasn't hurt beyond a few cuts and bruises, which I healed with a thought. And his chakra…
I frowned.
He was supposed to be chakra-exhausted, right? He should be ready to pass out and remain crippled for a weak. And yet he was…fine?
Oh! Right. He'd only used his Sharingan and a few water clones. I'd ended the fight prematurely by catching Zabuza in a genjutsu so Kakashi hadn't needed to cast two massively chakra-intense water techniques.
Kakashi gave me an eye smile and patted my head, mussing my hair.
"Sorry to worry you," he said. "And congratulations on your second tomoe."
I blinked and reached up to touch my cheek. Then I fished out a kunai and checked my reflection. Sure enough, when I activated my Sharingan, two tomoe were present in each of my eyes.
"I'm just glad you're okay, sensei," I said weakly, letting go of my Sharingan. Well, that explained why it was easier to hold Zabuza than I was expecting. Two tomoe was a significant boost in power.
I went to check on Naruto, who was likewise battered but still mostly okay. Sasuke had been roughed up by the water clone while I snuck up on Zabuza, but he too was healed with little effort. And while Tazuna was untouched, I ran a diagnostic jutsu over him just to check anyway.
"Let's get going," said Kakashi with an eye-smile when I'd finished.
We nodded and continued to the dubious safety of Tazuna's home.
…
AN: It was surprisingly difficult to incorporate Kiyo into these fight scenes. I wanted to showcase her abilities: seals, sensing, genjutsu, and healing. But I didn't want to steal feats from Naruto and Sasuke to do it. I ended up rewriting the fights 5-6 times before I was satisfied. In the end, the fights are mostly canon so Sasuke could show off his taijutsu and bukijutsu while Naruto got to have his moment of brilliance against Zabuza. But Kiyo contributed too, which caused the results to be more favorable, such as Naruto and Sasuke getting to take down a chunin without Kakashi's help, and Kakashi ending the fight with Zabuza in a healthy state. Kiyo is supposed to be roughly equal to Naruto and Sasuke, so hopefully she and the rest of Team 7 come across as balanced in this chapter.
