Chapter 16: Battle at the Bridge
…
"There was something I didn't mention before," I said quietly when we were all settled inside Tazuna's house. "When we were fighting Zabuza, I felt another chakra presence in the trees. It was the hunter-nin who took Zabuza away. But they were together right from the start."
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise.
"No way," he said. "Then that means…"
"What does it mean?" Naruto asked. I grimaced as the implication went straight over his head.
"It means that Zabuza is still alive," said Kakashi grimly.
"Eh!?" Naruto shouted, loud enough to startle birds from a nearby tree. "How could he be alive?! You checked him, didn't you sensei?"
"It was momentary death," I explained quietly. "By hitting a target's acupuncture points, a person's vital signs and chakra can be erased. It can't be used for long or else the target really will die, but it is a known method for feigning death."
"Senbon are not normally used to kill," Kakashi added thoughtfully. "And hunter-nins destroy bodies on site. They don't take them away to other locations."
"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Sasuke demanded.
I bit my lip and looked to Kakashi. I hadn't said anything because I'd expected Kakashi to collapse at any moment.
"I…wasn't sure if Kakashi-sensei was injured by the Water Prison," I mumbled, uncomfortably aware of how ridiculous that sounded. I'd used my future knowledge to make a decision without realizing how my actions had changed the situation. It would have been better to tell them right then. Zabuza was incapacitated, and Haku couldn't fight all four of us at once. "…Sorry…"
Kakashi, Naruto, and I had all revealed our abilities. The only one who hadn't shown the true extent of his skill was Sasuke, and as good as he was, he wouldn't be enough to stand up to a jounin. Kakashi ruffled my hair and gave me an eye-smile.
"Knowing the limits of your team is an important consideration," said Kakashi. "And you only learn those limits through experience."
I nodded, relieved that he wasn't upset over my mistake.
"With an injury that could simulate death, Zabuza will be out of commission for at least a week," I offered. "It's not much, but it is some time."
"That it is," said Kakashi, clapping his hands. "So, let's go over some training, shall we?"
He led us out onto the dock and had us line up with our backs to the water.
"I see that you've already learned water walking," he said.
"Yeah, Kiyo-chan taught us," said Naruto, his posture relaxed with hands behind his head. "Pretty great, huh?"
"I wonder," said Kakashi, and then, lightning fast, he booted all three of us off of the dock.
I let out a startled gasp and landed flat on my back, bringing up chakra to keep me above the surface. To my left Naruto gave a startled yelp and splashed straight into the water while Sasuke sank halfway before catching himself with his hands and feet.
I sat up, easily shifting the chakra from my back to my legs and then to my feet as I stood up.
"Hey, what was that for?" Naruto called, still swimming. He braced his palms flat against the surface of the water and hauled himself up shakily. Sasuke was doing the same.
"A ninja with true mastery of chakra control is able to bring chakra to any point on their body at any time," said Kakashi. "Kiyo was able to remain above the water using her back. Sasuke was able to channel chakra to his hands and feet, but couldn't bring it to the rest of his body. And you, Naruto, weren't able to catch yourself at all." Kakashi was silent for a beat. "Well, Naruto, you say you want to be Hokage, but it looks like Kiyo closer to that goal than you. As for you, Sasuke, I suppose it's lucky that at least Kiyo inherited the Uchiha genius."
I winced and cast a nervous, sidelong look at my brother. Sasuke glowered, but he shared a speculative glance with Naruto.
"Wow, Kiyo-chan, you're really good at this!" Naruto cheered.
I felt my face turn red and looked away.
"I, um…thanks," I muttered uncertainly. I'd had a disproportionate amount of training compared to either of them. It really wasn't a fair advantage.
And they'd catch up soon anyway.
Kakashi clapped his hands and gave us an eye-smile.
"Alright, you two will practice water-walking, and Kiyo will take over guard duty," he said.
"What will you be doing, sensei?" Naruto asked.
"This and that," he said vaguely.
Probably scouting the area using his nin-dogs. He was the best option for setting a perimeter while my barrier seals made me an ideal bodyguard. Naruto's personality wasn't suited to the often-times boring work of sitting around and waiting for an attack. Meanwhile Sasuke was specialized entirely in offensive tactics.
It made sense that I should focus on the mission.
And yet…
Was this really all he was planning to teach us? Better chakra control for Naruto and Sasuke while I received nothing at all? I could understand it somewhat. This wasn't a training trip. We were here on a mission and we had a job to do. But against Zabuza and Haku, how could he expect this to be enough?
"Kakashi-sensei…" I said barely audible. He turned and gave me an eye-smile. "Um…I was wondering if maybe…maybe if you could show me a genjutsu to practice…?"
Kakashi rubbed his chin, thoughtful.
"There really isn't enough time to learn anything new," he said. "It's also dangerous to use a technique you're not familiar with against a more powerful opponent. You should practice what you know already and focus on teamwork."
It was true and good advice.
But it was also a brush-off
"…Please, sensei," I said, making an effort to add volume to my voice. I closed my eyes and filled them with chakra. When I opened them again, they were Sharingan red. "I need to get stronger to protect Nii-chan and Naruto."
Kakashi was silent for a moment longer.
"Well, I suppose I did show you the Hell Viewing Technique during the bell test," he said. "You were able to turn it back on me partially, so I suppose I can show you how to land it properly."
My heart soared as Kakashi beckoned me back to the wharf. He lifted up his headband to reveal his Sharingan and shaped his chakra into the genjutsu. I felt how it maneuvered through my mind. It started in the amygdala, the fear-response part of the brain, and then it branched out to the auditory and visual cortexes. Kakashi, for all his skill, was not nearly as adept as Itachi had been as a child. His movements were roundabout, like he was feeling around in the dark for the correct location. I was so preoccupied with his chakra that I almost didn't notice the phantom butchered bodies of Sasuke, Itachi, and Naruto lying on the wooden planks in front of me. But seeing them there, I could understand the layered effect of the genjutsu.
"Oh," I said as Kakashi's chakra stabilized, holding the genjutsu in place. "So it's like this?"
I snapped his genjutsu with a twist of my chakra and met Kakashi's eye, zeroing in on the amygdala, and the auditory and visual cortexes simultaneously. This cut down the initiation time. And, in a moment of inspiration, I added a link to his hippocampus, the memory center of the brain.
Unlike Kakashi's technique, which would trigger a person's greatest fear, this should trigger their most horrifying memory.
I was mildly pleased with the innovation until Kakashi stopped breathing, his eyes going impossibly wide in horror. And his Sharingan twisted, the black tomoe spinning and expanding into a three pointed curved shuriken shape.
The Mangekyo Sharingan.
Oh no.
I ducked out of his line of sight and cut the genjutsu, but Kakashi was still staring in blank horror at the air in front of him. He lifted one hand as though to reach out but halted the gesture, sucking in a deep breath of air in a strangled gasp.
With a shaky hand, he reached up and lowered his forehead protector.
"…Um, sensei?" I asked, hesitantly. "…Are…are you okay?"
Kakashi didn't answer right away, but when he looked up, it was with a crinkled eye-smile.
It felt unnervingly hollow.
"Well, you really are an Uchiha," he said. "That's an interesting variation of the technique."
Interesting.
It only struck me then how cruel it was.
"…I think, um, maybe I shouldn't use it again," I said, my voice small.
But Kakashi waved me off.
"It's a useful technique, but one you should use with discretion," he said.
In other words, don't use it during training. Yeah, I could imagine the things that Naruto and Sasuke would see.
I shuddered, and Kakashi ruffled my hair before vanishing.
I sat on the dock to think while Sasuke and Naruto trained. Since Tazuna wasn't going to return to work until tomorrow, I had plenty of time to consider the situation. On the surface, everything would probably be fine. Kakashi would defeat Zabuza without much difficulty using his nin-dogs, and Haku's gentle soul would not allow him to kill Naruto and Sasuke.
But something still gnawed at me.
What if everything wasn't fine?
After all, I had changed things, however slightly. I'd ended the fight with Zabuza early. Maybe that wouldn't make a difference, or maybe Haku would realize that Zabuza didn't stand a chance against us. If that happened, would he still be willing to spare Sasuke and Naruto?
I didn't know. I couldn't know.
Sasuke was sitting cross-legged on the water, steady and still. He was surrounded by a dozen Naruto clones that bobbed and tumbled into the water at regular intervals as they lost focus. Chakra control training wasn't enough.
But what could I do?
Maybe I could try to help Naruto reach out to Kurama?
Or maybe not.
No, definitely not.
What about Sasuke? I didn't have any more techniques to teach him. Well, I had the Sharingan. In theory, he should have it too after everything he saw that night. But he hadn't awakened it at all since then, and I wasn't sure how to force it to…
Wait.
Black tomoe spinning and expanding into a three pointed curved shuriken shape.
If it could force Kakashi's Mangekyo to manifest, then maybe it could…
No.
No, that was a dangerous train of thought. That was the path Itachi had chosen to walk: traumatizing Sasuke to make him stronger. I did not want to follow in those footsteps. But what was the alternative? I imagined Sasuke standing over Naruto, each pierced with dozens of senbon, and I bit my lip. If any of those senbon were aimed to kill…
"Kiyo-chan?" Sasuke asked, making me jump. I hadn't realized that I was staring at him in panic.
"It's n-nothing, Nii-chan," I said, giving him a weak smile before looking away. I wasn't Itachi. I didn't want to do what Itachi had done. But if Sasuke died, could I live with the knowledge that I might have withheld the key to his survival? "I was just thinking…um, and I don't know if this will work, but if I had a method that might a-awaken the Sharingan, would you…want to try it?"
It was a foolish thing to ask.
Sasuke's whole body stiffened and his chakra sharpened in concentrated focus.
"Yes," he said without doubt or hesitation. "Whatever it is, I'll do it."
I nodded slowly before looking back at him.
"I-I'm not sure if it will work," I mumbled again. "But the Sharingan is awakened when a person is in a heightened emotional state. And I have a genjutsu that can show someone their most terrifying memory. It will be really scary, so, um…only if you're sure you want to try…"
I trailed off lamely as if I actually thought that Sasuke would refuse. He approached the dock and sat beside me.
"What do I have to do?" he asked.
I took a deep breath, held it in for a moment, and then let it out. I shouldn't have offered, but now that Sasuke knew that it was a possibility, I couldn't back down.
"Just look into my eyes," I said, activating my Sharingan. I took his hand. It was rough and calloused from years of training while mine was still soft from constant healing. "If you want out of the illusion, just squeeze my hand twice, and I'll let you go. Are you ready?"
Sasuke nodded once, his expression hard and unreadable.
I waited a moment longer, giving him one last chance to back out before I cast the modified Hell Viewing Technique. Just like with Kakashi, Sasuke's eyes went wide with horror. For a moment, I thought it hadn't worked. His eyes remained pitch black even as his chakra burned. But then his chakra twisted, and his Sharingan awakened. I cut the jutsu, and Sasuke hunched forward, bringing his hand to his face. His shoulders shook.
"Nii-chan!" I shouted. This was wrong. I shouldn't have done this. I knew what he would see, and yet I'd still… "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
But Sasuke raised his free hand to silence me, and when he straightened, his lips were curled in a grin. He leaned over to examine his reflection in the water.
"So this is the Sharingan," he said as if to himself. "I can feel its power."
That was…not the most promising reaction to experiencing a traumatic memory.
"Nii-chan…" I began, but I trailed off, uncertain.
When Sasuke glanced back at me, his smile faltered and fell away.
"I'm fine, Kiyo-chan," he said. "I'm used to it. There's no need to cry."
Used to it?
"I'm not!" I said, rubbing my hands over my eyes.
There was no need to cry. I wasn't the one who had been put under a terrifying genjutsu. Sasuke pulled me into an awkward hug, which wasn't fair because he was the one who should need comforting.
But he held me anyway until I was ready for him to let go.
…
Despite our combined efforts, Kakashi maintained that attempting to learn a new technique while on a mission was a bad idea. We should just focus on our teamwork and leave Zabuza to him. And that might have been the best option if it weren't for Haku. I couldn't exactly fault Kakashi's judgment, though. Haku wasn't in the bingo book, which was rare for a jounin-level threat. Kakashi probably thought that Haku was chunin-level at best, and that we'd be able to handle him like we'd handled the Demon Brothers.
It was a mistake he wouldn't realize until it was too late.
But even if we didn't manage to learn any new jutsu, Kakashi drilled us on formations and taijutsu. Sasuke benefitted the most with his new Sharingan, but Kakashi also had a few tricks that would help me against larger opponents. Even Naruto benefitted by creating a hundred shadow clones and having them spar against one another in the forest.
He returned to the house one night after training and mentioned a beautiful boy who talked about precious people. It was both reassuring and terrifying to think of how close Naruto had come to certain death, though the fact that Haku hadn't killed him was a promising sign for their eventual fight on the bridge.
It still wasn't a guarantee, though.
Eventually, the morning of the seventh day arrived bright and clear with only small fingers of mist clinging to the sea. The attack would be today. At my request, Naruto left a few clones at the house to guard the family, and we proceeded to the bridge. I sensed the muted chakra signatures of the workers before I saw them.
"They're unconscious," I said quietly. It was another sign that Zabuza wasn't as bloodthirsty as he pretended to be. He hadn't killed the workers, though it would have prevented the completion of the bridge just as well as killing Tazuna. "Stay behind me, Tazuna-san."
I set down the barrier seal and channeled chakra to my eyes, activating the Sharingan. The world became hyper-real. Beside me, Sasuke did the same.
"Long time no see, Kakashi," Zabuza's mocking voice echoed from the mist. "I see you still have those brats with you. He's shaking again…poor kid…"
Six Zabuza clones appeared, encircling us.
"I'm shaking with excitement!" said Sasuke.
And I was suddenly reminded that Sasuke was indeed the fastest shinobi at the entire Academy. The Zabuza clones exploded in a bust of water.
"Hm, he saw through the water clones," said Zabuza. "And he has the Sharingan as well. The brat has grown. It looks like a rival has appeared, eh Haku?"
"It does indeed," Haku replied blandly.
Sasuke grunted.
"I'll fight him," he said. "Tricking us with that stupid act. I hate bastards like that the most."
I gave him a sidelong look. Right, because Itachi had supposedly lied to him throughout his childhood by pretending to love him.
"Hey, I'll beat your ass too!" shouted Naruto, who was promptly ignored.
I forced my gaze back to the missing ninja. They were the priority right now.
Haku's chakra twisted and he was on top of Sasuke. But Sasuke met him blow for blow, matching his speed perfectly and anticipating his movements. After a quick exchange, they stilled, Sasuke's kunai holding back Haku's senbon.
"I don't want to kill you," said Haku. "Will you surrender?"
"Don't be foolish," said Sasuke, grinning like he was actually enjoying this.
"Yosh!" shouted Naruto, barreling into the fray before Haku could speak again.
Naruto and Sasuke pushed Haku back, away from Tazuna and toward an empty section of the bridge. Beyond my sight.
They'll be fine.
They'll be fine.
They'll be fine.
"You shouldn't underestimate my team," said Kakashi casually. "Sasuke is Konoha's #1 rookie. Kiyo is our brightest little kunoichi. And Naruto is…the loudest and most unpredictable ninja."
From the other side of the bridge, I felt Haku's chakra flare, and ice mirrors rose up from the ground. Kakashi's eye widened as he finally realized the gravity of the situation, but Zabuza blocked him.
"Your fight is with me," he said. "Against that jutsu, they're finished."
Sasuke and Naruto screamed.
Kakashi tried again to get around Zabuza, but the missing ninja flicked his eyes to me, though he was careful not to meet my gaze. It seemed he'd learned his lesson.
"If you get by me, I'll kill the girl and the old man," he said.
"I guess I have no choice," said Kakashi, reaching for his forehead protector. "I'll end this in an instant."
"Ha, is the Sharingan really the only thing you can do?" Zabuza asked, sneering. Then he moved, slashing at Kakashi to stop him. Kakashi kept his eye hidden, blocking the kunai with his bare hand. He could have raised it up, but with how much chakra the Sharingan drained once active, he had to be strategic about when and how to use it.
"Your trump card isn't something you should show over and over again," said Zabuza.
…And they were back to pre-fight chatting. I tuned out their words. They weren't important. I focused my chakra sense on Sasuke and Naruto. Their chakra was agitated, clearly from pain. Sasuke's was low, likely from trying to use a fireball to dispel the chakra ice.
They weren't dead. That was about all I could hope for. If Haku had really wanted to kill them, they wouldn't have survived past the first attack.
That was when Zabuza vanished into a veil of chakra mist.
He's on your two o'clock, sensei.
Zabuza attacked, striking at Kakashi with his eyes closed, which prevented me from catching him in a genjutsu with the Sharingan. Well, I could still direct Kakashi to his chakra signature, at least-
"SASUKE!"
Naruto's scream was pained, like a wounded, furious animal. And then chakra spilled forth from the prison of ice, red and fiery. It smothered my senses and brought me to my knees.
It was too much.
I gasped, but the air didn't seem to reach me.
I was drowning in chakra.
And then it was over. I sucked in a long wheeze of air. My whole body was shaking, and I was hunched over on the ground. Behind me, Naruto's Kyuubi chakra died down. And Sasuke…
I couldn't feel him at all.
I was up and moving before I even registered the thought. Kakashi would be fine. Tazuna was safe behind his barrier. An enraged Naruto was even more dangerous than Kakashi. The only one who needed saving was Sasuke.
I found him lying in a puddle of ice water surrounded by the shattered remnants of Haku's mirrors, and my breath stopped. I reached out my senses, searching for any sign of life and…
There!
He was still breathing, and his heart still beat, albeit slowly. He was alive and I could heal him. I pressed my hands onto his chest, and used chakra to push out the various senbon while healing the resulting stab wounds. The needles clattered to the ground, sounding light and morbidly cheerful as they danced across the stone.
The senbon hadn't hit anything vital, though I couldn't tell if that was due to Haku's intent or Sasuke's skill.
"Naruto-kun, please…kill me," said Haku.
I didn't dare take my eyes off of Sasuke. His pulse fluttered dangerously. Was he reacting to the stress of my chakra? No. The senbon. Even if Haku hadn't hit anything vital, he'd certainly struck various chakra points.
"Nii-chan," I whispered plaintively. My eyes stung. The world was too bright. "Nii-chan…"
Don't die.
"Is this the only way?" Naruto asked. There was something ominous in his voice, enough to make me look up.
Naruto was watching us. Something dark passed over his eyes, something so unlike the bright and eternally cheerful Naruto I knew. He'd finally realized the truth of what this battle meant. It wasn't a chance for him to prove his worth, to gain glory, or even to grow his skill. It was a battle to the death. Twelve was a young age to face the concept of losing something more important than your own life. We fought not just for our own survival, but the survival of those we cared for.
No matter the cost in blood, heart, or conscience.
"Yes," said Haku. "Please fulfill your dreams."
Naruto's eyes lingered on Sasuke and then me. His gaze hardened in resolve.
"They had dreams too," said Naruto, shifting to stand between Haku and us. He unsheathed a kunai. "I won't…let anyone hurt Kiyo-chan. If we'd met under different circumstances, we might have been friends."
Kiyo-chan.
Wait, did Naruto not realize that Sasuke was…
"Naruto!" I called out, but he was already darting forward with Killing Intent. Beneath my palms, Sasuke stirred, blinking awake and squinting against the light with a pained groan.
"Thank you," said Haku.
"Wait!" I shouted. Naruto was too young. He shouldn't have been forced to make this choice. It wasn't right. "Naruto, Nii-chan is…!"
I half-stood. Sasuke would be alright. His chakra was gaining strength and he was already struggling into a sitting position, aware even in this state that the fight wasn't over yet.
But before Naruto could land the killing blow, Haku glanced back toward Zabuza. A spark of something passed over his eyes, and he blocked Naruto's attack with ease.
"Sorry, Naruto-kun, I can't die yet," he said, vanishing.
I finished standing and pushed Sasuke back down.
"Stay here, Nii-chan," I said, sprinting toward Kakashi. I knew where this was going.
Through the mist appeared a grisly scene. Zabuza was held in place by the jaws of Kakashi's nin-dogs. And in front of Zabuza was Haku, his body pinioned by Kakashi's fist through his shoulder, the light of chidori casting dancing shadows over all three of them.
No…
"I sure picked up a useful tool," said Zabuza as he raised his sword.
Kakashi leaped back, well away from the attack. He pulled his fist from Haku's body and laid him gently onto the ground. I darted past him as Kakashi returned to the fray and fell to my knees beside Haku, bringing healing chakra to my hands and pressing them into his wound.
His heart had stopped, and his lung was punctured, but there was a faint trace of chakra left in his chakra coils. It wasn't necessarily the end. I poured my chakra into his body, forcing his heart to beat and his diaphragm to draw breath even as I knitted his wound closed. Kakashi and Zabuza were fighting. I could hear the clang of metal and smell the coppery tang of blood thick in the air.
With a stutter, Haku's chakra coils sluggishly blinked back to life and began producing chakra. It was a good sign. I kept working, shutting away the shattered ribs and broken blood vessels to stabilize him.
I barely noticed when Gatou arrived with fifty or so hired hands at his back.
"Zabuza," said Gatou, amused contempt dripping from the name.
"What are you…Why are all those men here?" Zabuza asked. Distantly, I noted that he was in rough shape. Both arms were hanging limply at his sides.
Gatou laughed.
"The plan has changed," he said. "Or rather, this was the plan from the start. I'm going to have you killed here, Zabuza. I never intended to pay you. Ninja from villages are expensive. Missing Ninja like you are cheap and easy to get rid of afterwards. I just let the ninja fight and kill them off with numbers once they're weakened. The only problem in the plan was you, Zabuza. Demon of the Mist? What a joke. You're more like a cute little baby devil."
The men behind him jeered.
"Kakashi, the fight is over," said Zabuza. "I have no reason to go after Tazuna. Now that Gatou has betrayed us, I have no reason to fight you."
Kakashi glanced at me and then behind me where I could feel Naruto and Sasuke approaching. I could almost see the thought process as Kakashi ran through various potential outcomes. Against so many enemies, weakened as he was, we couldn't afford to continue picking fights.
Kakashi leaned back, shifting out of attack stance and moving to stand beside me. At Haku's side, I was the closest to the new set of enemies, but I didn't budge even as Gatou approached with languid ease.
"And this one, heh, he broke my arm," said Gatou. Haku's pulse fluttered like the wings of an injured bird. I couldn't risk raising my hands, so I leaned forward, shielding him with my body instead. Gatou reared his leg back as though to kick me away.
And a kunai embedded into his leg. Gatou screamed in agony, lurching back.
"Stay away from my little sister," said Sasuke, ragged and furious.
"Give the word boss!" one of the men shouted. "Let's kill 'em!"
"Brat," Gatou spat, limping away and snarling at Sasuke. "Make sure he dies slowly."
"Hey, no brows, aren't you going to do something?" Naruto shouted. "Don't you feel anything at all?"
"Shut up, kid," said Zabuza. "Haku is dead. Your little friend there can't save him. There's no point in jumping into a fight. As I was used by Gatou, I used Haku. We shinobi are simply tools. What I wanted was his blood, not him. I have no regrets."
"He really loved you!" Naruto screamed, anger bleeding to pain. "Do you really feel nothing?! If I become as strong as you, will I really become like you?"
The anger was almost gone now, replaced entirely by agony.
"He threw away his life for you," Naruto's voice choked. "He had no dream…To die as a tool…It's just too sad!"
Beneath my hands, Haku stirred. His heart beat. His lungs drew breath.
He was almost stable.
"Kid…" said Zabuza, his voice soft. There were tears wetting his cheeks. "You don't have to say anything else. It pained him to have to fight you. He fought not only for me, but for you as well. He was too kind. I'm glad I got the chance to face you in the end. Kid, you may be right. A shinobi is still human, and we may not be able to become emotionless tools…I've lost. Kid, let me borrow your kunai."
Naruto looked down, nodded, and tossed Zabuza a kunai, which he caught in his mouth.
Zabuza sprang forward. Even injured, he was still a jounin. Gatou limped away, urging his men forward. I couldn't watch as the men began to scream. Instead I focused on mending the last of Haku's life-threatening injuries.
"This will be fun!" Zabuza shouted when he finally reached Gatou. "We'll have plenty of time to see if I'm a baby down in hell!"
Gatou's chakra signature abruptly vanished.
Zabuza fell and the remaining fighters charged forward only to be interrupted by the arrival of the villagers led by Inari. It was abrupt chaos as Gatou's men retreated, and the villagers cheered. Then Kakashi carried Zabuza over to us just as Haku's eyes fluttered open.
"Haku," said Zabuza. "He's…is he…?"
"He'll be fine," I said, standing shakily and walking around to Zabuza. I laid my hands on his chest, but to my dismay, he had more injuries than I had chakra. I poured my chakra into him anyway, knitting together what I could.
"Zabuza-san," said Haku. He seemed to realize his position and register Zabuza's injuries. "Forgive me. I wasn't able to save you."
But Zabuza shook his head.
"You did," he said. "We were betrayed by Gatou. These Leaf ninja aren't our enemies anymore."
He coughed, and I worked faster, but if this was a race against time, I was losing. And my chakra dipped lower.
Haku tried to sit up, but he blanched.
"Hey, girl, forget about me, and focus on Haku," said Zabuza. His voice was faint, and his chakra was fading fast.
"No, I am your tool," said Haku. "I have no reason to exist having failed you."
Zabuza's heart stuttered beneath my hands. He'd lost too much blood.
"I never once thought of you as only a tool," said Zabuza. "Live…Haku. Find your own dreams, and be free…"
With a last, shuddering breath, Zabuza went still.
"Please save him!" cried Haku, grasping at my sleeve.
I poured my last bit of chakra into Zabuza's coils, but there was nothing there for it to reach. I tried again.
And again.
And again.
But it was no use.
He was gone.
…
AN: How do you feel about the idea of Haku joining Team 7?
