As Tazuna and his entourage minus a still sleeping Naruto arrived at the bridge, they were welcomed by a disturbing sight. Five men lay on the bridge surface, crimson blood oozing from their soaked clothes as they struggled to keep their breath. Tazuna ran up, turning one of them over. The man's laboured breaths made his chest heave.
"Nino! What happened?!"
The only word the man managed was "M-monsters…"
Kakashi looked around, hoping he was wrong. "Wait, where's Nishira?" Seeing all the bodies were decidedly male, their last comrade was missing among the injured or dead.

A thick mist was rolled onto the bridge, blotting their view of the bridge surface and threatened to isolate them from their sense of sight, the herald of the enemy to come.
"They're coming!"
The three shinobi circled around Tazuna, their hands grazing their weapons, ready.
I was right, he survived and he's come back to finish things.
"Kakashi sensei, is this… that man we met, his 'hiding in the mist' technique, isn't it?"
Sakura edged in closer. Sasuke felt a shudder ripple through his body, as he held his kunai. Zabuza's eerie voice sounded distorted over the mist.
"Been a while, Kakashi. And I see you've got those brats tagging along, just like last time. And the little boy is trembling again, poor thing."
From the mist, many copies of Zabuza surrounded them on all sides. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the form before him.
"I'm shaking with eagerness for a rematch!"
"Go ahead Sasuke." Kakashi smiled. In a blink of an eye Sasuke disappeared and reappeared, and all the water clones around them returned to liquid, splattered on the surface of the bridge.

Watching from across the bridge, Sasuke saw Zabuza and the masked boy there.
"Well! My water doppelgangers were obviously no match for you! It seems the brats have matured quite a bit into worthy rivals eh, Haku?"
"Indeed."

Kakashi turned towards their watchers. He spotted his opponent, fully alive. Beside him stood the masked figure that had taken Zabuza away from them. To their left, a globe of ice seemed to contain a prisoner. He spotted Nishira banging her fist on the ice surface, marred with a slick smear of what he assumed was blood that had begun seeping into thin spidery cracks of the prison. At her feet lay a concrete chisel as long as she was tall. Her head swiveled to look at Kakashi, eyes wide in fear, the whites visible even from there. Her mouth open in wordless yelling as her fist continuing its rhythmic frantic banging. Nishira struggled against the casing, but it held firm for the moment. Kakashi let out a breath, she was alive at least.
"Looks like I was right. Our mysterious masked friend is playing on Zabuza's team."
Tazuna grunted. "He has nerve, showing up like this!"
Sasuke looked between them, and his eyes rested on the masked figure.
"This one's mine. That was quite a show you put on before, but we're on to you now and I hate ham actors!"
Sakura beamed at Sasuke. Kakashi grimaced, painfully aware of the double standard Sakura had for her male teammates. If Naruto showed such eagerness, she'd have criticized him for it. Haku looked at the eager shinobi, impressed. They watched as Zabuza motioned to his accomplice, who then vanished into thin air. Sasuke braced for it and his kunai met with the thick long needle the boy used.

Sasuke parried every one of Haku's moves in a matching flourish. To both the sensei's it showed that their students were equally matched.
"Sakura, we have to cover Mr. Tazuna. Take that side and stay close! Let Sasuke handle Haku."
"What about Nishira?"
"She's alive, we will deal with that when we get there."

"I don't want to have to kill you, but you probably won't leave quietly, will you?"
The voice behind the mask was soft, but firm, a genuine enquiry. Sasuke smirked at the masked opponent.
"Don't be stupid."
"Just as I thought. However, you won't be able to match my speed for long. And I've laid the groundwork for two attacks. Firstly, there's the water splashed around us. Secondly, I've trapped one of your hands with parrying this move which leaves you only one hand free to defend yourself from my attacks."
Haku lifted his free hand into a sign, and proceeded with a sequence, using only a single hand.
Secret art of water! The Thousand Stinging Needles of Death!
Haku stomped his sandaled foot into the water. It rose into the air forming countless needles pointed directly at Sasuke and Haku in the center. Sasuke reflected on his training and focused his chakra into the soles of his feet. As the needles moved in deadly aim at the apex of the attack, Sasuke used the push to fling his body straight into the air above them. From there, shuriken rained down on the masked boy, forcing him back in generous leaps.
"You're not that fast. Now you're the one who has to worry about defending yourself from my attacks."

Sasuke held a kunai in each hand. He used the one in his right to force Haku to block, using his Chakra to throw it. Haku ducked, as Sasuke expected and wound his foot up to deliver a powerful kick, sending Haku dragging across the bridge.
"You're fast, I'm faster."
Kakashi tutted.
"You had that coming for underestimating my team and for name calling. He may not look like much, but Sasuke here is the top-rated rookie from all of Konohagakure village. Sakura here is our sharpest mind. Nishira's will is unstoppable; And last but not least, let's not forget our own comedy ninja – the maverick showstopper, the one and only Naruto!

Zabuza lowered his head and chuckled.
"Haku, do you understand if this goes on, you could end up dying at the hands of the very person you sought to spare?"
"Yes, I do. What a pity."
Sasuke looked at his opponent, wisps of chakra emanated from his frame, the air around them cooled, nipping at Sasuke's skin. The water all around them lifted in the air and formed several rectangular mirrors forming a large dome, their glassy surfaces facing inwards around Sasuke.
Secret Art of Water! Ice Crystal Magic Mirror Technique!
Haku stepped into one of the mirrors and Sasuke was faced with numerous copies of Haku all looking in on him. With the realization that Sasuke may be in over his head, Kakashi leapt forward to interfere. Whatever technique this was, the jonin had never seen one like it. Zabuza slid into his path.
"Let's not forget I'm your enemy. Our children can play together while my boy kills yours."

As Kakashi stared down Zabuza with his one eye, his hand grasped the headband, preparing to reveal the sharingan eye. Zabuza reached into his pack before rushing at his opponent, aiming to gouge out the deadly eye. Kakashi could only lift his right hand to defend himself. The blade pierced his outstretched hand, slicing through the protective glove. Blood spurted from the wound as Kakashi held the knife from his face, glaring at Zabuza.
"You can sneer all you want about my 'lack of finesse', it doesn't change the fact that you're afraid of the sharingan and of me."
Zabuza chuckled.
"A ninja's secret weapon should be employed judiciously, not displayed at random to every foe you face!"
"You should feel privileged. No one else has ever lived to see the sharingan a second time. And no one will ever see it thrice!"
"By all means, defeat me if you can. You still won't have what it takes to kill Haku! Since he was a toddler, I've beaten his fighting skills into him! Even in the face of unthinkable adversity, he has always prevailed! He's lost all regard for his own life and become a killing machine, a true shinobi. His skills surpass even my own. And he bears within him the formidable legacy of inherited Kekkei Genkai. Thus, I have forged and carried with me a weapon of matchless quality and skill. Entirely unlike the scraps of trash that follow at your heels."
"Is there anything duller than listening to someone else brag?" Pulling his left hand off Zabuza's blade without hesitation, Kakashi unshielded his sharingan eye. "It's show time!"
"Perhaps you might hold off a moment, now that I've caught my breath. And – to borrow your own idiom – permit me one more boast. You turned a very pretty phrase at our last encounter. Frankly I've been dying to steal it. Something to the effect of 'just so you know, the same spell won't work on me twice'. Having had a chance to see it in action, I now have a thorough understanding of the arcane workings of your mirror eye. There was far more to our previous battle than the apparently humiliating defeat I permitted you to hand me. Haku, who was hiding nearby, observed and studied every aspect of our fight, from beginning to end. Haku is extremely intelligent. For him, to see a technique and analyze and understand it. And with that understanding, he can develop effective countermeasures"
Zabuza raised his hand in a sign.
"And now, the Kirigakure Jutsu!"
Zabuza bled away from sight, leaving Kakashi to stare at the empty rolling mist.

Naruto, who had shown up in the middle of the mirrors in a half-baked plan to rescue Sasuke, now found himself trapped along side him. Together they suffered waves upon waves of needles seemingly being thrown from each mirror, piercing them and threatening to hit something more lethal. Naruto huffed from the exertion on all fours, However, Sasuke was already standing up holding his weapon ready for the next wave.
"Aw man! Sasuke! We've gotta stop reacting and take back the initiative!"
"Shut up and get on your feet! I can't fight him and watch out for you too! We're both wounded, but we have to suck it up and go on. We'll be fine as long as he doesn't kill one of us! There must be a limit to his chakra. His attacks have been getting weaker!"
Sasuke watched as the many faces of Haku surrounding them lifted his arm holding the needle, and he knew the next attack was coming.

Kakashi called out to his last available student.
"Sakura! I'm counting on you to protect Mr. Tazuna!"
Sakura knew she must have faith in Sasuke and Naruto and concentrate on her own part of the fight. More billowing clouds of thick fog rolled in from the river, obscuring all vision, including Kakashi's. Sakura felt the mist on her skin, roiling with power, Zabuza's power. She lowered in a defensive stance.
"STAY BY MY SIDE, MR. TAZUNA!"

Kakashi listened intently, eager to hear any indication of Zabuza's next move. He received it with a whistling of flying projectiles. He turned and used kunai to deflect the sharp stars. Zabuza's voice sounded from behind him.
"You repelled those nicely. No less than I'd expect of Kakashi of the Sharingan eye."
Kakashi turned to see that Zabuza's eyes were closed.
"However, the next time you see me it will still be the end. You've underestimated the power of your Sharingan."
Zabuza faded into the mist again.
"You pretend it enables you to penetrate all. But you've turned out to be a false prophet after all, Kakashi. You can neither read my mind nor the future. In other words, your precious sharingan is just an elaborate hoax, a confidence trick you play in order to psych out your opponents. More precisely, it combines clarity of perception and insight on your own part with the ability to all but hypnotize those around you! Using those skills in concert, you are able to create your illusions through combination of mimicry – from movement, to thoughts, to the skills of those you fight! Prancing around acting like you can see the future! You analyze my superficial movements, copy them, and use the rapidity of the turnaround to induce fear and insecurity. Once you're certain you understand what's going on in my heart and mind, you calculate just what to say to bend my mind to your will, and then you calculate when my insecurities have reached a fever pitch, and then you lay your trap. You use visual hypnosis to trick me into signalling what technique I'll use and how I'll be using it. And then all you have to do is mimic it!"

Kakashi sensed a powerful force was coming towards him straight on as a show of arrogance. All he could do was block it with his arms crossed, but it was not enough. A strong kick sent him sliding backwards, he dug his kunai into the ground to slow and control the slide.
"Knowing that it was simple to choose a countermeasure. First, I conceal myself within this thick mist and neutralize your visual acuity. With my own eyes closed I eliminate the possibility of your hypnotizing me while we're in close proximity."
"But then, while I can't use my eyes, neither can you."
"Ah but you forget. I am trained in silent killing. My genius lies in the ability to hunt by sound alone."
Further away from them, another crashing sound, of ice breaking, followed by a sharp yell, colored with seething rage.
"ZABUZA! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" This was followed by more crackling of ice.
Kakashi paused, lamenting on his distraction, and recentered himself, trying to anticipate his opponent's next move. The old man popped into his head, Zabuza's ultimate target, Kakashi was falling for the distraction. He turned towards Tazuna and Sakura and spotted Zabuza's form materializing behind them from a ribbon of water. Both Tazuna and Sakura unaware of his presence, Kakashi propelled towards them, hoping to make it in time. He managed to arrive in time to shield them, arms wide to protect them.
"TOO LATE, KAKASHI!"
Sakura let out a piercing scream, as the sword swung towards them. Blood dripped in heavy splattering on the ground. Kakashi's hand went to his chest to put pressure on the wound, he hunched from the effort.
"KAKASHI SENSEI!"
"You were slow on your guard, Kakashi! Your desire to save those brats caused the blood to rise to your head, obscuring your thoughts and vision as surely as the fog I've created does! Even with your impressive eye and the formidable powers you wield with it, your ability to read my movements has been blunted!"
Zabuza relished in his opponent's injury with a throaty chuckle.
"Heh heh, I want to enjoy this, Kakashi! Paying back what you did to me would give me the greatest pleasure! Don't worry, Haku should be finishing off those brats of yours right about now. I'll be reuniting you with them shortly. When you meet with them in the afterlife, beg them to forgive you for your weakness and folly!"
Zabuza let out a hearty laugh. It covered up the sound of footsteps slapping the wet surface of the bridge. Sakura further obscured the sound by letting inner Sakura take over, unable to contain it any longer.
"SASUKE WON'T BE EASY FOR SOMEONE LIKE THAT MASKED KID TO DEFEAT! NEITHER WILL NARUTO!"
Kakashi agreed.
"I have faith in them and in their strengths – Naruto's unpredictability and Sasuke is one of the most worthy heirs to the most superior bloodline of Konohagakure village!
"You don't mean-"
"That's right. His full name is Uchiha Sasuke. He's a ninja genius who carries in his genes the Kekkei Genkai of clan Uchiha."
"He's the sole surviving member of that tragic clan, eh? So, he may indeed be Haku's equal. No one has ever penetrated the secrets of Haku's techniques until now, no one!"

Nishira silently emerged from the mist with fury, armed with a salvaged kunai and a look of pure rage, she flew at Zabuza with bloodlust in her eyes. She landed with her knees on his shoulders, pinning his head between them. Her kunai held with both hands above her, her teeth clenched in a silent roar. Before she could land the blow, Zabuza held his hand in a sign and disappeared, and Nishira plopped on the ground. She let out a frustrated howl. She was about to follow suit, make a sign that Kakashi recognized before he stopped her.
"Nishira, stay here with Mr. Tazuna and Sakura."
She turned to face him, her face contorted in an expression half crazed with an unmatched intensity, he didn't flinch in its gaze.
"You are injured, so I need you to stay here."
"He killed them. He killed Nino and everyone else. I couldn't stop them." Her clenched bloodied fists rested on her forehead as only bits of her mumblings were audible, leaving smears of bright blood. Kakashi grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her in, feeling the hot tears in the slash in his chest.
"Listen to me, Nishira. I need you to focus. I need Sakura to stay here and not move an inch and I need you to watch my back. I'll finish this as quickly as I can. But right now, your teammates need you. Can you do that?"
Nishira looked up at Kakashi, her eyes wide, returning to a more familiar expression while searching for reassurance or anchoring in a windy storm of emotions. The deep urge to hold her in his arms longer rose, wanting to just wipe that look away. But he remained disciplined and gently let go as she nodded in agreement. Kakashi leapt away, Nishira following close behind.
"Did you hear that, Zabuza? Do you truly believe after all the hardships I've survived in this world I was armed only with the sharingan?" Kakashi unsnapped one of the pouches on his vest, releasing a scroll. "I too was once a member of a ninja assassin corps. I'll show you what kind of shinobi I once was. This isn't something I learned with the sharingan. Let me show you my own true art!"

Naruto looked up after a difficult wave of attacks from Haku. His eyes landed on the prone form of Haku who was struggling to get back on his feet. Chuckling, he turned to congratulate his teammate for his skilled take down of Haku in Naruto's defense, with his new ocular prowess of the awakened sharingan. But his breath froze in his lungs as he beheld the form of Sasuke, bloodied and with needles protruding from every side of his body.
"Sheesh no matter how many times I warn you, Naruto, you still keep getting in the way."
There was a lightness to the tone that normally didn't accompany Sasuke's scathing criticisms of Naruto. As the form of Sasuke fell backwards, Naruto opened his arms to catch him, his mind blanking at the reality of what he beheld. Sasuke kept muttering, confusion and regret plain in his voice, but Naruto couldn't hear it. Instead, he wished that this moment was simply a bad dream, just a dream, that he'd wake up and Sasuke would call him a loser when he arrived to training late again. As Sasuke parted his last words to Naruto, something in him snapped, a hollowness that sat foreign and unfamiliar. He looked up at the masked boy, feeling that void fill with something dark, a power he'd never felt before, as it threatened to swallow him up completely.
"Your friend was a worthy shinobi of respect. Is this the first time you've seen a friend die? This is the way of the shinobi."
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Kakashi felt the roiling energy in the air, pulsing and deadly, his first thought was it was Zabuza's doing, but seeing his enemy's expression change, he knew the truth as his gaze drifted to the mirror dome, pulsing with a fiery inferno of bright chakra energy. Nishira shivered behind him but did not let her eyes wander to find the source of her discomfort. It felt evil, and familiar. The air in Kakashi's lungs froze as he contemplated that the seal that bound the nine tails fox in Naruto was breaking after all these years. He held his breath waiting for the energy to increase to the full potential of that evil spirit, but nothing happened, the seal seemed to be holding. However, it was something to report to the Lord Hokage when they returned, if they lived through this ordeal. It was time to end it. Behind him, Nishira blocked a few shuriken that came from beyond their view, the clattering of metal echoed in the emptiness the mist covered.

Kakashi flipped the scroll with one hand, dipping his thumb of the other into the blood from his chest wound. The scroll opened and Kakashi smeared the blood over the surface. As it flapped in front of him, he spoke to the mist.
"Listen to me Zabuza, I'm a busy man. You're a busy man. We've both got a lot on our plates," he moved the scroll around him in a practiced and intentional manner. "And it goes against the grain to even suggest this, but what do you say we stop screwing around and wrap this up right now? One big move, winner takes all?"
he pulled the scroll back together held between both his hands, his pointer and middle fingers pressed together, pointing to the sky.
"An intriguing notion. What's left, Kakashi? Show me what you've got!"

Haku watched as the shinobi in front of him, the one he'd met in the woods a few days prior as he was out picking medicinal herbs, crouched in an unnatural stance, an orange energy pulsing around him in a stinking cloud of death. Gone was the imbecilic and naïve boy who had spoken of his dreams with relentless energy, here stood a feral animal, snarling and setting its sights on him. Haku tried to escape, but with a speed that outdid his and a strength that clenched his throat and threw him like he weighed nothing, Haku realized this was the end. That his mission to protect Zabuza was now a failure. Haku just stood there as the mask he wore, now cracked in his assault, fell to the ground, accepting the strike that was about to end his life in disgrace.

Kakashi made the required signs and slammed the scroll into the ground with a wave of chakra billowing out.
Shinobi Conjuring! Earth Style! Fanged Vengeance Technique!
Zabuza's voice permeated the mist around them.
"This posturing will get you nowhere Kakashi! You can't even tell when I truly am! While I, on the other hand, know exactly where you are and exactly how to defeat you! You are completely enmeshed in my spell!"
"Nishira, don't move."
She didn't respond, but Kakashi felt her go still behind him. He didn't respond to Zabuza's taunts. Instead, the ground shook, and Zabuza's eyes widened as a great strength came for him from below. As too many heads to count broke through the concrete surface and their long jaws clamped down on any available surface, pinning him to the spot. From further out, canines of many sizes, mouths open in a snarl, leapt to grab him, immobilize him to the spot.
"When your eyes and your ears have let you down, you can always follow your nose."
The mist cleared, and Zabuza stood helpless in the grasps of the ninja hounds that weighed him down.
"It worked because you shut your eyes in the mist. This conjuration is specifically designed for tracking."
Nishira grinned behind Kakashi, a bit of malice dripped from it, an eagerness as she bobbed unnervingly readying herself for an attack.
"It's why I went out of my way to bleed a bit during both of our earlier encounters. My little ninja pups couldn't miss it! The smell of my blood is all over you and your weapons, so thick. Every dog has his nose, and they all know you stink! So, who's enmeshed in whose spell now? The fog is lifting. I can see your future; Your future is death."