Captain Blues: Enjoy the chapter!


Ansatsuken
Chapter Six: Harmony


It was eerily quiet the following morning after Naruto had his breakdown. Admittedly, he was embarrassed that Sakura had seen him like that but he was appreciative of her being there for him but it was her being with him then that made him realize something.

As much as he liked Sakura, he realized that her consoling him was so much different than how she normally treated him, and oddly enough, that crush that harbored had faded away.

He had been drifting from that crush already but when she acknowledged him hurting, it was gone and replaced by a sincere feeling of friendship. Was it that he only sought out her attention instead of actually being in love with her?

Naruto didn't know but he decided to just wait and see where this took him.

"We're one day out from the village," Tazuna nervously said to the group as he walked ahead of the group with Kakashi beside him. "After that, you guys can stay at my home during your time there."

"That is very kind of you Tazuna-san. Thank you," Kakashi replied with a genuine tone.

"It would be nice to sleep in bed again after sleeping on the ground for the last four days," Sakura said with a stretch.

"Hm…" Sasuke merely added.

Naruto remained silent.

He didn't know why but he felt a faint malicious feeling in the air as the fog began to settle in around them. "Naruto-kun?" Sakura's voice questioned, which caused Naruto to blink and look at his pink-haired teammate. "How are you feeling?" Sakura asked softly, her emerald eyes shining with concern.

"I feel a little better about it all," Naruto replied truthfully with a weak smile. "I just hope I stop having nightmares about it soon."

"I hope so too…If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here," Sakura told him with a small smile.

"Thank you," Naruto replied but it was then he felt that malicious feeling again. This time, however, the feeling was thicker, just like the mist that had now surrounded them.

"Something…Isn't right," Naruto told her. "I feel something wrong around us…Like danger."

"Danger?" Sasuke questioned from behind Sakura.

Naruto nodded.

"Think we should tell Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"If the dope can sense it, Kakashi-sensei should," Sasuke admonished, which made both Naruto and Sakura shrug in unison.

He did have a point.

It was then the trio heard something from the left of them and without hesitation, Sasuke launched a kunai at the area where the sound came from.

Kakashi and Tazuna stopped and looked back at the group. "What is going on back there?" Kakashi questioned.

It was then a brown bunny hopped out of the bushes, which caused the Genin to face-fault to the ground.

"A bunny, you threw a kunai at a bunny?" Sakura admonished the Uchiha once they got to their feet instantaneously as the bunny hopped to her. She knelt down to pet it but to their surprise, the bunny nuzzled its head into her palm. Kakashi narrowed his eye.

"Something isn't right about that bunny," He muttered.

It was then Naruto felt that malicious energy double but this time, he could sense where it was. "Guys! That feeling is coming from in front of us!" Naruto exclaimed.

It was then the sound of metal slicing through the air was heard.

"Get down!" Kakashi ordered as he tackled Tazuna to the ground. The Genin followed his orders and all three of them hit the deck just as a large blade flew over their heads and into the tree behind them where it stuck.

"Eight points," A malevolent voice stated through this mist.

Naruto lifted his head and it was there he saw the back of a tall and noticeably muscular man with light grayish skin, short spiky black hair. The man was shirtless from what Naruto could tell at the angle but due to the large sword strapped to his back.

The man also had baggy pants with a striped pattern, a pair of mimetic wrist-warmers extending up to his elbows with matching leg-warmers, and shinobi sandals.

And he stood on his large, imposing blade.

"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, Coronary artery, kidneys, and heart. Now, which one will be my attack point?" The man questioned as he turned his head just enough for Naruto to see the wrappings around the bottom half of his face and his dark brown eye, which gleamed with darkness.

Naruto looked and saw Sakura, Tazuna, and surprisingly Sasuke trembling in absolute terror and while Naruto was apprehensive, he wasn't petrified in fear like them.

He had already experienced a life-or-death battle.

He had, unfortunately, taken his first life…

There was no reason to be afraid anymore.

"Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi announced as he appeared before the group with floating leaves around him, his Hiate-Ite lifted up to reveal the three tomoe eye of the Uchiha bloodline. "The Kirigakure no Kijin…This is far more serious than I anticipated."

Zabuza chuckled and leaped down from his blade

"It seems out of the bunch of you, only two remain calm and unflinching. It is no wonder that Demon Brothers were killed," The man said as he turned around fully. "You must have trained him well, Sharingan no Kakashi."

"Calm down," Kakashi said as he glanced back to Sakura and Sasuke. "I'll protect you all with my life…I won't let my team die…" Kakashi then turned back and Naruto could see the smile behind his mask.

"Trust me," he added.

"I wouldn't be so sure," The man said before he suddenly flickered into mist and appeared in between Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke and in front of Tazuna.

[THEME OF BOUT (ZABUZA):
THE GREAT SIGN FROM SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI]

Without hesitation, Naruto twisted his body and aimed a punch at Zabuza's face but Zabuza lifted up the flat end of the Kubikiri Hōchō to block the blow but was impressed when he felt himself skid slightly from the blow.

"Such malice with that punch Gaki…" Zabuza noted before he pushed the blade forward to knock Naruto off balance.

Before he could follow up, however, Kakashi shouted, "Dynamic Entry!" And delivered a hard flying kick to Zabuza's face, which caused him to fly above Tazuna's head from above.

Zabuza recovered and landed on his feet as Kakashi withdrew four kunai and launched them each at Zabuza. Zabuza easily deflected each one with his blade where he then stabbed the weapon into the ground and formed dozens of hand seals before he shouted "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"

Behind him, a large pillar of water rose up and took the form of a dragon and rushed towards Kakashi, who had just finished his own seals and shouted "Katon: Hiryū no Jutsu!"

With a deep breath, Kakashi blew forth a large fire dragon, which collided with Zabuza's attack, which canceled out both techniques and added to the thick mist. Kakashi flared his chakra to lessen the mist, which allowed him to see as Zabuza appeared behind him, his Kubikiri Hōchō in mid-swing.

Kakashi pulled out two kunai and turned around to block it and successfully managed it but the strength of the blow sent him to one knee. Zabuza pushed down on his blade and managed to get the blade to the right shoulder of Kakashi but without warning, A shout of "Tornado!" caused Zabuza to turn around into a brutal right kick from Naruto's right foot.

Zabuza tilted off balance as Naruto spun his body and delivered another kick, this time aimed at his jugular then with another twist, the third blow collided with Zabuza's forehead before Naruto delivered the final blow to the middle of Zabuza's face, which sent Zabuza skidding backward from the blow while Naruto used his face as a springboard to push himself away.

The moment Naruto was out of frame, Kakashi was before him and managed to stab him in the gut with the kunai but managed to catch Kakashi's other wrist before the other kunai pierced his head.

Zabuza pushed Kakashi's head away and delivered a sickening head-butt to Kakashi, which stunned the masked shinobi enough for Zabuza to lift up his right foot and boot him in the chest, which sent Kakashi skidding backward away from him.

Naruto suddenly ran past Kakashi and dashed towards Zabuza as he created nine clones, with five of them leaping towards Zabuza while Naruto and the remaining four clones remained running. Zabuza avoided the first clone, who had attempted a flying kick, and cleaved its head off with his blade, which dispersed it into smoke.

Through that smoke, he grabbed the second clone's fist, pulled the clone by the fist, and delivered a clothesline, which caused the clone to disperse into smoke.

"Go!" Naruto shouted to the remaining five, who dashed forward. One by one, Zabuza exterminated the clones with various amount of swings, each one causing the smoke around him to increase but as he swung upwards to nail the last clone, Naruto skidded in front of Zabuza on his knees and shouted "Shōryūken!"

Naruto delivered a rising uppercut with both arms extended which carried Zabuza into the air as he was punched repeatedly before Kakashi jumped into the air and together, the pair delivered a hard punch to Zabuza's face, which sent the shinobi to the ground but nearer to the water.

Zabuza flipped to his feet and felt blood drip down his nose.

Broken.

With a grunt, Zabuza pulled out the kunai tossed it to the ground, formed seven hand seals, held out his right hand, and said, "Suiton: Suiryuusou (Water Release: Water Flowing Lance)." From the lake behind him, Water flowed into Zabuza's hand and took the shape of a lance where he then launched it towards Kakashi.

Kakashi shook off his stunned state and formed four hand-seals then slammed his hands to the ground and shouted "Doton: Doryūheki!" A wall of earth shot out in front of Kakashi and shielded him from the attack. Kakashi then formed another set of hand seals, smacked the wall directly, and shouted "Doton: Dosekiryū!"

From the wall, a large brown and gray dragon came to life and flew towards Zabuza, who smirked and picked up his blade and cleaved the dragon in half with a mighty swing, which caused its separated forms to disintegrate around him.

But the moment he cleared the dragon, Kakashi was gone. Seconds later, the ground exploded from beneath him, revealing Kakashi, who delivered an uppercut to Zabuza's chin, which sent him into the air.

Naruto and a clone then ran up and leaped off of Kakashi's shoulders and flew above Zabuza's form and together, the duo cupped their hands at their right sides and where energy began to form.

"Hadoken!" The original and the clone shouted as they both lunged their hands forward, which caused a small wave of energy to collide with Zabuza's face, which sent the shinobi soaring down to the ground.

Zabuza bounced off the ground and remained in the air, only for Kakashi to jump into the air and shout, "Konoha Senpū!" And delivered a hard roundhouse kick to Zabuza's left side, which sent Zabuza sailing through a tree upon impact where he then fell and skipped across the water where he managed to catch himself and remain kneeling, his body trembling.

Naruto landed on the ground and rose up and Kakashi couldn't help but be impressed at this harmonious teamwork.

He had only experienced this once with….

Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto…I expected a lot of things but first, you took your first kill and now you jumping into this battle between Jōnin…It's dangerous but I am very impressed," Kakashi commented, unable to keep the pride from his voice.

"Hey, if there is an opening to help when you're caught flat-footed, I'll capitalize. I know that alone I can't beat this. Hell, even the speed he had to get to Tazuna, Sakura, Sasuke, and myself outranked me but if we keep him on his toes…I think we can win," Naruto replied with a grin.

Kakashi chuckled at this and said "I think I have it handled thanks to your assistance Naruto. You may want to stick your teammates and protect Zabuza."

Naruto nodded and ran off.

Kakashi watched him leave and thought 'That Uzumaki Naruto…It was fairly smart but I can't let him die…Not him…'

Kakashi then narrowed his eyes at Zabuza, who had now stood up albeit on shaky legs before he fell to one knee against the water, his bandages now dripping with his own blood. "I won't let you or that brat get the better of me!" Zabuza shouted as he began to form seventeen hand seals.

Kakashi walked out into the water and he began to copy Zabuza's hand seals, his Sharingan spinning wildly as he copied this move. "You're copying me like a damn monkey!" Zabuza shouted but then he saw it.

Behind Kakashi, he saw an image of himself behind him and it stopped him in his tracks while Kakashi finished the final seal and said "This was easier than I thought. Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu." A ring of water formed in front of Kakashi before a large vortex of water flew toward him.

The attack collided with Zabuza's body and sent him crashing into a tree where the water tore away at him. When the attack was done, he slumped down against the tree. Battered and wounded…But still alive.

[BOUT END]


Haku was stunned at what she had witnessed.

She expected Zabuza to finish the battle but this was unexpected.

He had lost…

There was a chance that he could have been injured but to have been defeated like this. It rocked her…But it wasn't due to Kakashi…

No…The blond.

Throughout the battle, she watched him place himself in situations where if Kakashi was off guard, he would fill the space in order for Kakashi to regain his footing.

It was…smart…

"It's over Zabuza," she heard Kakashi say as he approached her master, and with eagle eyes, she saw Zabuza weakly give the signal.

And so with a precise aim, she launched her senbon and watched his head slump. With a splash of water, she appeared beside Zabuza and said "You are right. It was over. I have been hunting him for some time…Thank you and your student for the opportunity."

"Maa, Maa, it's no problem Hunter-san," Kakashi waved off but there was something in his eyes that made her question if he had believed her ploy.

She picked up her master's body and said "Farewell," but before she did, her eyes glanced at the blond running up from behind with his teammates and with a swirl of water, she was gone.

But one thing rang true to her.

The blond's name was Naruto.

She would remember that name.

And she would see him again.


Captain Blues: What an end to the fight. So I decided that I was going to do something different in terms of the Zabuza battle. I have seen too many keep to Canon or see Naruto duke it out with Zabuza directly so this time, I decided to do something different keep Kakashi as Zabuza's main opponent but have Naruto there.

Essentially: Naruto was Kakashi's assist in fighting game terms lol