The air was silent, as Zabuza hit the ground, the demon succumbing to defeat after claiming its prize. Naruto started to turn his head away.
"Don't look away. This was the end of a man who lived full out."
"… yeah."
Nishira patted Naruto's shoulder, he looked up to her, his blue eyes glistening with those easy tears he'd been shedding. She gave him a gentle smile.
"It's a good death, Naruto."

Sakura sobbed over Sasuke; her vision completely blurred from the stinging tears. She spoke his name and grieved a little more every time. Sasuke started to regain consciousness. Greeted by the sounds of sobbing, he wondered if he was dead, and was a ghost hovering over himself, for all he saw at the moment was darkness, but slowly a light started to break through. He recognized Sakura's voice as she spoke his name again. He opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Sakura… your arm's heavy."
Sakura looked at him, shuddering. Renewed tears of relief sprung forth as she surged forward to take Sasuke in her arms, screaming his name in elation.
"Sakura… you're hurting me." She didn't care but apologized and eventually released her grip slightly.

Sasuke waved her arms away and slowly sat up.
"I'm alright… how's Naruto? And that… little creep in the mask. What happened to him?"
"Don't try to move! Naruto's fine! And the boy in the mask is dead!"
"Dead? Did Naruto?"
"N-no. I mean, I'm not sure. I didn't see it very well. But the boy died trying to protect Zabuza."
"I was afraid- I thought-"
"You're amazing, Sasuke. You survived a deathblow."
"No."
Sasuke knew that Haku's needles were deliberately not targeting his vital parts. The boy had spared him, saved him.
"NARUTO!" Sakura flapped her arm wildly to get his attention. "It's Sasuke, he's alright! He's alive!"
Sasuke put one hand in the air to acknowledge the situation. Naruto struggled not to let more tears flow from his eyes, knowing Haku had shown him mercy. Kakashi let out a breath of relief.

"Hey! Aren't you sweethearts forgetting something?"
The remaining mercenaries worked up into a roar.
"Who's going to pay us now that Gato's gone? No way we gonna leave here empty handed so we're just going to have to hit that village and take everything valuable!"
The idea spread like wildfire through them. They charged towards team seven and Tazuna.
"Uh… this isn't good."
"Kakashi sensei – isn't there some technique we can use to take them all down at once?"
"I'm afraid with the lightning blade, the illusions and conjurations, I've exhausted my chakra."
"I'll go!"
Kakashi looked at Nishira, she almost eagerly bounced in her step.
"You can't take them all down yourself."
"You don't know that! Let me try!" there was a thready excitement that shivered in her voice.

Before he could reply, an arrow flew from overhead and landed in between the mercenaries and the ninjas. They turned their attention to see where the arrow had come from. There stood many people from the village, led by Inari who clutched his small crossbow in his hand. He had rallied them to come and defend the village and the bridge.
"Stop where you are. This island is our home. One step further, you'll die where you stand!"
Tazuna gazed on his comrades who had refused to take part in building the bridge, who now stood at the village end of the bridge, ready to defend it. Naruto smiled a massive smile at seeing the crowd Inari had drummed up, Inari looked pleased with himself.
"Heh heh – it's being a hero, you know? All that nick of time stuff!"
"Good one, kid. Mind if I join you?"
Naruto summoned four more clones. Nishira nodded and made a three of herself. Kakashi knew he had expended most of his chakra by this point but decided an illusion would be sufficient for these idiots, and generated dozens of copies of himself. This was sufficient to turn some of the mercenaries, who turned tail to attempt to flee.
"Now, shall we?"
Nishira took him at his word and held her hand up in a sign, her and her copies disappearing from sight. Her targets fled towards the ramp towards the ship, some weren't fast enough. Nishira appeared in the midst of her victims and whirled her ninjato as a natural extension of her arm, but Kakashi was startled when she reached her hand out and grazed the back of one of them and grasped what look like air, but the vibrant red color shone from her fist, she appeared to pull out his blood, and absorbed it into her. She shuddered slightly, raising a hand to her face, and a mercenary decided to take advantage of her distraction. But she glared through two of her fingers at him, before reaching out, beckoning the blood from his body that emitted from the man's body and every pore on his face as he screamed, the panic spread like a brush fire. Uncertainty climbed Kakashi's spine in disbelief, he would have to report this back to Lord Hokage. He watched in abject horror as her clones were also consumed in drinking in the blood of scumbags, like some vampire.

Any remaining mercenaries just jumped from the bridge to the frigid water below, taking their chances there instead of on the bridge. Nishira stopped and dissolved her clones, observing their retreat. It took only a moment before she fell to her knees, and from the distance, Kakashi could see the spewing of a thick red liquid from her mouth. Knowing it was likely blood, Nishira wretched until she was empty. Only standing when the heaving ended, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, staining it red. The rapturous cry of the villagers carried across the bridge and the water below, as a conquering spirit. Kakashi approached Zabuza's body, Nishira was nearby rubbing her stained hand on her jacket. Zabuza's eye trailed up to Kakashi.
"Looks like it's all over, eh, Kakashi?"
"Yeah"
"Kakashi, do me a favor? I want to… see… his face."
Kakashi pulled his headband over his sharingan eye.
"Sure."
Gently, Kakashi pulled the weapons that pierced his fellow shinobi, and as he lifted Zabuza's limp body up in his arms, it started to snow. The white flakes floated down, hitting the upturned faces of the people standing on the bridge and melting immediately. Nishira's poor mood immediately evaporated as she held her hand out to catch them, closing her eyes as they landed on her face like a cold kiss. Naruto looked up in childlike wonder.
"It's snowing?"
Kakashi placed Zabuza gently beside Haku's body. Slowly with a shuddering hand that he could barely move, Zabuza placed his hand on Haku's face.
"If I could… if I were able, I would want to go… to the same place… on the other side as you."
A single snowflake landed under Haku's eyes and melted resembling a single tear. Naruto began to sniffle behind them.
"He… he was born in a village that snows a lot."
Kakashi nodded, until he felt a gentle tug. Glancing down, he saw Naruto's tiny hand gripping the edge of his flak jacket, seeking comfort. The boy seemed so small in that moment, not yet hardened to the realities of this life.
"I see. He was a pure spirit – as true and clean as a newly fallen snow."
Kakashi thought that Zabuza could go with Haku, together.

Nishira walked through the town, in the aftermath of the incident at the bridge, there seemed to be a much more joyful spirit infecting the citizens. The news of Gato's death had been celebrated, and the town began to work harder, encouraged by the prospect of change. Nishira was just walking to town to get some medicinal herbs for the injured. It was curious though, Naruto had similar injuries to his moodier teammate, sliced to ribbons by Haku's needles, but most of his were healed into little pink scars already. Sasuke had been pierced much deeper and the stress on his body was ultimately more severe, but his healing was much slower. Her new jutsu helped with Kakashi's cuts, but Sasuke would simply need time.

As she ambled through town, someone's shoulder knocked into her, and she looked back to see a man in a long coat and hat walking away. Nishira did a routine check of her pockets and found a slip of paper in one.

Meet me outside Uzu's tonight

Nishira looked back to see if there was anyone she recognized. Seeing no one in the milling crowd, Nishira pressed her lips together, it sounded a lot like a trap. But she knew her curiosity would get the better of her, and she'd go.

As the night came upon peacefully as it had since that day on the bridge, Nishira crept in the shadows, looking for any signs of movement. The only thing she could sense was the wanderings of citizens and above her on the roofs, Kakashi accompanied her to make sure if it was a trap, she wouldn't be alone. That thought made her braver as she reached the block the bar was on. Up the sleeve of her leather jacket, the heavy weight of a kunai knife lay there, a comfort against her anxiety about what was about to come.

She was about to reach the storefront of the bar when a hand grabbed her wrist pulling her into an alley and pinning her against the brick siding of the building. She flipped the kunai out and pressed it low against the man, just as a knife pressed threateningly on her throat. She gulped under the pressure, the man staring at the expanse of her neck as the movement slid down. Nishira eyed the man who she'd encountered at the inn.
"You came?"
"Why wouldn't I? And miss another encounter with you?"
She gave him a devilish smirk.
"So now that you have me, why don't you tell me what you want, or at least lower the knife." She pressed the kunai more threateningly against his groin. He chuckled and eased the pressure.
"I have to hand it to you, to infiltrate with the bridge crew was pretty sneaky. But I guess with Gato dead, we're not on the job anymore."
She searched his face that came closer, occupying all of her vision.
"And you thought that this would be a good time for a conversation?"
"The way you look, a conversation would be the last thing I'd want. But first, I figured it was time to get your name, your real name. Maybe if we hit it off, we can partner up, split the rewards. I liked the way you worked out there."
"Yours first."
He chuckled, almost into her mouth.
"Moyoshi, from the Land of Mountains, heard of me?"
"Can't say I have."
She gave him a playful smirk, pushing him to get some more room.
"What about you?"
"I don't know if you want to know, you might get a little scared."
Her eyes flicked up to see Kakashi watching the encounter very closely.
"Try me, doll. I can handle my women. Even the ones who want me dead."
The thought disgusted her, but the idea of following through with that threat was tempting. She leaned into his ear.
"Ever heard of the Gokayama Shrike?"
The man drew back to look at her fully, to see if there was any trace of deceit. Seeing none, his hand flew to the back of his head, and he slapped his knee in jest.
"Well, wrap me up and call me a dumpling, I didn't think I was in the presence of a legend. Hmm, I'm not going to lie, that turns me on even more, doll." She wasn't looking at him though, instead her gaze looked past him up to see the frowning face of Kakashi. Moyoshi pressed in even closer.
"What do you say? Let's make something good of a bad day and celebrate right here or at my room at the inn. I can't believe I'm in the same place as the Shrike!"
An idea slid into place in her mind, so devious and maybe a little mean. The soreness of the rejection Kakashi had placed on her was still fresh and here was an opportunity to get him back. Without thinking about it, she grabbed Moyoshi's jacket lapels and pulled him in, her lips pressing on his hungrily. He responded greedily, his hands roaming her body freely. Nishira opened one eye to see the stoic face of her sensei looking down at them, spurned by him, she closed her eyes to deepen the kiss, feeling his tongue invade into her mouth. She lifted her leg to wrap around Moyoshi's hips, pulling him closer and grinding against the hardness in the front of his pants. He growled in her ear, gripping her hard enough to lift her and press her into the rough surface of the brick. but all it did was remind Nishira this wasn't the man she was wishing for. She looked back up to see if he was gone. Seeing no one observing them, she pulled away from him, lowering her leg.
"Listen, stud, you seem nice and all and spending the night with you would definitely be a nice treat, but I should let you in on a little secret." He looked at her face, puzzled and pulsing erection tenting in his slacks.
"I don't want to partner with you. This is my town now, this land is my home now, and just as I got Gato killed, I will kill anyone like you who shows up here and messes with my property. This visit was to give you a warning that if you stay here another night, all your family will get is scraps of your body when I'm done. Do I make myself understood."
The man stepped back to see the wicked smile on her face, her hand deliberately wiping her mouth.
"I'm sure you're a delicious morsel, but if I even smell that you've sent anyone here or linger a minute longer than you have to, I will hunt you down. And I'm sure you know how good I am at that."
"You- you wouldn't! You, bitch!"
"Oh I would." She turned to the alley mouth. "I did this is as a professional courtesy, I hope you'll do the same and leave here, tonight."
The man scrambled past her and ran to the inn. Nishira watched him a while until he was out of sight before heading back to Tazuna's.