CHAPTER 14
TITLE: Weapons, Tools, and Symbols
There was no such thing as true silence once a battle between two experienced shinobi had begun. As he stared into the eyes of the man that had nearly murdered his students, there was no silence. Only the last moments of a missing nin.
Kakashi focused himself.
'Everything, in the shinobi world is a tool. A weapon. And in the hands of one skilled enough to use it, anything can be used to kill. Be it words, seemingly harmless objects, the environment, even people. Sharpen it, harden it, hone it, and any decent shinobi would find a way to kill you with it.' His father whispered to him. Nearly twenty years gone and his teachings still reverberated in his mind. Teaching him, guiding him.
His father taught him honor, and protecting one's comrades above all. In the past, Kakashi hastily decided that his father was a fool, and that the rules for shinobi would avail him in the end.
It's a shame it took him losing nearly everything he held dear for him to wisen up. But in the end, he had.
Now her fought for something greater than excellence, duty or honor. He fought for those he loved, was prepared to sacrifice everything for his team, and his village.
That's what being a ninja meant.
Kakashi and Zabuza stared at each other in total silence, each one searching, prodding for a weak spot.
Kakashi mentally chucked at the validity of his fathers words.
Even silence, the emptiness, the lacking of any trace of sound, was useful to a shinobi. Filled to bursting with time for thoughts and strategies, plans, upon plans, upon plans. But as Kakashi stood there, his hand bleeding from the deep wound on his hand, he realized that there was no need.
He knew exactly what he had to do to win, to make Zabuza pay.
Kakashi leaped back, and Zabuza did as well. Kakashi watched him, Obito's eye tracking his fingers, predicting the exact jutsu he was about to use.
Kakashi's hands blurred with motion, Zabuza's hands doing the same. He tracked his movements as if the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' was in slow motion, predicting his hand seals as he made them, as they both sped through the hand signs for the Water Dragon jutsu.
After barely a second, chakra surged from them both, clogging the air with live, crackling energy. The feeling as familiar as an old pair of sandals.
He didn't even watch as the dragons fought in the air above him, their jaws locked on the other, wrestling for the control neither would claim.
Zabuza leapt into action only milliseconds later, but still proved quick enough to avoid the hail of shuriken he threw.
Kakashi threw another handful, still sprinting to close the distance, but Zabuza swept his sword in a heavy swipe. Knocking all the projectiles out of the air, the slash nearly cutting him in half at the waist.
The water from the clashing dragons splashed them overhead as they stood in the middle of their battle.
'Here's where the fight will really begin.'
Zabuza swung again with a roar, and his body's reflexes took over.
His mind focused to a point, his opponent using the long and heavy blade to his advantage. Swinging the sword in long sweeping arcs, denying him every inch of space, or any advantage at all.
Zabuza whirled his blade with expert speed and precision. High, low, feint, kick, on and on the pattern went.
All wasted efforts.
Obito's sharingan tracked every movement before it was even made. Reading everything he'd seen in the mysterious missing nin. His body language speaking to him as clearly as if his very sword was speaking aloud to him.
He dodged, ducked, and glided past every blow, watching, and waiting.
His opportunity came when Zabuza's left foot slipped just an inch too far, the treacherous, loose sand slipping under him.
Kakashi blurred into motion, the world passing him by in an instant.
Zabuza swung an arm out, his reflexes alerting him to danger, but Kakashi saw it coming. Ducking under the blow, pouring all of his strength and momentum into one savage kick to the ribs.
He felt two ribs give, eliciting a pained grunt from the swordsman. Zabuza swung with his other arm, the incredibly sharp, heavy sword coming with it.
Kakashi whipped out a kunai, getting in close, thrusting with the blade as if to stab him. Only to toss the kunai into his other hand.
Zabuza noticed the trick too late, the skin where his eyebrows would be, raising and wrinkling in an expression of sudden surprise and grim understanding.
Kakashi rushed forwards, forcing his head forwards and slamming his Hitai-ate into Zabuza's nose. He heard the satisfying crunch of cartilage being crushed under the force of the blow, moving quickly to capitalize on the distraction.
He swept his left arm in a downward slice, feeling the edge scraped against his ribs as he cut through the weathered skin of the Ex- Mist jounin's exposed chest.
Zabuza glided backwards in a chakra enhanced leap, the motion saving him from the follow up slash for his throat.
There, the mist jounin paused. He leaned forwards, one hand on his knee, panting and bleeding, his eyes staring at him balefully across the water. Kakashi stopped as well, his breath even and controlled, meeting the stare with a dark confidence born of knowledge only he possessed.
He flared chakra into Obito's eye, feeling the burn as he relaxed his body, letting the subtle genjutsu take effect.
Zabuza gathered himself, gripping the blade he held just a little tighter. Kakashi gripped his in turn, watching in satisfaction as Zabuza noticed his movements.
Zabuza rose, running to his left, Kakashi followed his every movement.
The swordsman stopped suddenly, sending a spray of water and choppy waves flying as he skidded to a stop. A mirror image of the same scene playing out in front of him as Kakashi stopped as well.
Zabuza growled at him, hanging his sword behind him, Kakashi imitating the same motion.
"Hehe, 'Copycat Kakashi' huh?"
Kakashi huffed dismissively, flashing through hand signs so quickly his hands blurred together, "And here I thought you already knew who I was." Zabuza laughed bitterly, shaking his head, "Guess the rumors about you are true then eh?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "Yes. Every one." He flashed the final sign, "Suiton: Water Explosion Jutsu!"
He pushed his chakra through the technique, and a surge of water responded to his chakra. Surging up, and forwards in a blast of pure, solid water.
Zabuza shouted in pain and surprise as the techniques blasted him away, sending him careening towards a sturdy tree.
Kakashi grabbed a few kunai from his pouch, aiming all of them towards the tree, hearing the telltale sounds of pain from his opponent. Kakashi stalked towards him, watching as the mist gradually faded, dropping completely once he was only a few feet from him.
Zabuza shook with pain and effort as he lay against the tree, kunai sticking out of his arms and legs. He shook with effort as he tried to stand, his eyes bulging and accusing.
"You fucking bastard. You can see the future can't you!?"
Kakashi drew another kunai as he walked, "You're right. I can, and what I see right now, is your death."
Zabuza flinched, growling in anger as he tried to stand on his wounded limbs.
Kakashi registered the speeding projectiles far too late, only able to track the trajectory of two senbon fly through the air, slamming with force into their target. A torrent of blood surged out of the two fresh holes now punched in his neck.
Zabuza's eyes widened to their limit, staring at something in the distance. A thick croak, turned gurgle leaving his throat before his knees finally wobbled, and he collapsed in a heap on the forest floor.
For a split second, was only the sound of rushing leaves, and the distinct sound of blood dripping from a fatal wound. He heard the wind pick up unnaturally, and his instincts told him to look up.
He looked, and saw a masked ninja, there, perched on the branch like a vulture, giggling softly to herself. The stranger giggled, "Well, I guess you were right. He is dead after all."
Kakashi felt a strange mix of emotions just then, feeling distinctly relieved, yet put out at the missing nin's sudden death.
He studied the kunoichi, his Sharingan instantly memorizing the swirl pattern of her mask. The symbol of Kirigakure carved over her forehead.
She bore all the symbols of a Kiri ninja, the heavy clothing despite the already cold temperatures, a green haori with white highlights over a pinstriped colored gambeson.
Her hair seemed to be long, although it seemed to be contained by a white bun holder at the top of her head, held together by two senbon.
The mystery shinobi hummed to herself, dropping from the branch to land in front of Zabuza's body, "Hm. I apologize for stealing your kill Hatake-san, but it looks better on paper this way. I'm sure you understand."
Kakashi nodded, "Dead is dead. He was an obstacle for our mission in protecting the village bridge builder."
The ninja bowed slightly, "Then both our missions will surely go smoothly, I thank you again."
He heard the pitter-patter of sandals hitting sand come from behind him, and turned to see his team running up to him. He turned his head slightly, not taking his eyes off the visitor, "Is everyone alright?" He asked his team.
There was a pause, all of their attention sitting on the strange new presence with the eerie hunter-nin mask.
"...Y-Yes sensei." Hinata said.
Kakashi sighed, 'None injured, thank the sage.' He walked over to Zabuza, kneeling down to check the body.
He stared down at man's blank unseeing eyes, and held out two fingers to his neck. He sighed again, "Hunter nin, right?" Naruto flinched, water still dripping from his golden hair, "What the hell is that?"
The kunoichi knelt over the body, "I am a ninja of Kirigakure. A ninja who specializes in tracking down, and disposing of rogue ninja who possess the secrets of our nation's secrets."
Kakashi nodded, turning to Naruto, "Calm down Naruto, this one is no enemy of ours." He walked forwards, still keeping an eye on the strange mist shinobi as he kneeled over to press two fingers to the jugular vein.
He waited, and felt nothing but cold flesh, and the sticky, gritty sensation of blood under his fingers.
He nodded to himself, "He's dead alright." The Hunter nin huffed irritatedly to herself, "I never miss Hatake-san." She declared with pride.
Kakashi shrugged turning back to walk to his team, "As I can see."
Naruto bristled, his eyes blazing with anger, "How could she just step in here and do that? She sounds even younger than me."
He shook his head, "Sometimes it's like that Naruto. Being a ninja isn't always about strength and power. Sometimes, it's better to hit first, than to hit harder."
Naruto seemed to listen to his words, his angry expression softening somewhat. Kakashi shook his head in wonder, 'I wonder if that's how people looked at me back then.'
Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair, "Ack, hey!"
The nameless kunoichi giggled to herself, "Well said Kakashi-san. Well, I must be on my way. Disposing of this body will take me some time, and I'd like to be home as soon as possible."
Then the kunoichi raised a hand, made a seal, and vanished in a flurry of whooshing air, dust and leaves.
Kakashi finally allowed himself to sigh, rapidly pulling his headband down over his eye to stem the flow of chakra. He could feel his body's energy sap from him with every breath he took, the cost for using his old teammate's eye rearing its ugly head.
Tazuna appeared behind him, and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, "Kakashi-san, I owe you and these brats my life. A debt I won't forget. As soon as we make it to my home, you'll be welcome there as long as you like."
Kakashi nodded to him, smiling at him behind his mask, "That sounds like a plan Tazuna-san." And with that, His body finally gave up on him, his legs falling from under him. Plunging his mind into a deep, but comforting darkness.
Hinata activated her doujutsu as soon as the mysterious kunoichi and the man that had came this close to massacring her and her entire team, left in a swirl of leaves and dust.
He saw as the kunoichi carried him roughly, her speed carrying them both out of her range within seconds.
She stared anyway, hearing only the loud rhythm of her own heartbeat. Hearing it slow, and grow more and more quiet as the seconds ticked by.
By the time she'd snapped back into the present, their sensei was flat on the ground, flanked on either side by Naruto and Tazuna. "Kakashi-sensei!", Naruto yelled out, kneeling down beside him.
Hinata ran past Sasuke to scan him with her eyes, sighing with relief when she saw his form rise and fall in steady, even breaths. Roughly, awkwardly, they all carried their sensei up the hill, led by Tazuna. He led them to a path he told them was in the direction of his village.
Their progress was slow but steady as Hinata led with his head and shoulders, Sasuke carrying his legs, leaving Naruto to support the majority of the weight in the middle.
They marched silently, the excitement of the fight long since evaporated, leaving them all feeling empty and still on edge. Tazuna marched alongside them, glancing at them every few seconds, his eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion.
She thought that perhaps he felt guilty at not being able to help more, his offer to help carry their sensei being refused also likely made him feel inadequate.
Hinata sighed, 'Well there's enough of that to go around.'
Her ability in the fight had been abysmal, she knew. Whenever her father spoke of the Hyuuga, it was often in such a tone of reverence and awe you'd think that he spoke more of holy deities than mere humans.
She swallowed, looking down, 'So that is the power of a Jounin. An elite shinobi...' She recalled her eyes unconsciously focusing on their forms, so quick and fluid they melded together completely.
Morphing into a pattern so graceful it was like a dance. A dance without a rhythm, that ended with death.
Her dark thoughts evaporated when she heard a cry of surprise from Naruto, and a sudden increase of weight. She grunted with effort, but the weight decreased again after only a second.
Hinata glanced back at Naruto, peering at him through the veil of her dirty, tangled hair, "Are you alright Naruto." He looked surprised for a moment, like he was disturbed from a moment of deep thought, before his face twisted into a sardonic frown, "Yeah, just slipped. Damn, I guess Kakashi-sensei needs to lose a few pounds."
Hinata giggled, "That would make this easier, wouldn't it?"
Sasuke growled from behind them, "Could we please hurry this along? Your stupid jokes are slowing us down." Naruto's eyebrows raised, "Shit, Uchiha Sasuke saying please? There'd better be a casino where we're going old man, cause I've got some bets to make dattebayo!"
Sasuke growls in anger, only made Naruto and Tazuna laugh harder, his protests evolving into the usual insults that Naruto was all to happy to reciprocate.
Try as she might, Hinata couldn't wipe the wide smile off her face.
"Just let me know if you need anything else." She said sweetly, turning with a wave. Closing the door as she went.
Tsunami; Tazuna's daughter, showed them all to their rooms when they arrived. Kakashi breathed deeply in the bed in the center of the room, Naruto curled up in a bundle of sheets in the corner.
Hinata was downstairs, Tsunami apparently declaring them all staying in the same room as each other as, 'Inappropriate'.
Sasuke scoffed to himself, 'Tch, civilians.'
Sasuke stared down at the warm bowl of broth, meat and vegetables. His tired eyes watching the contents of the stew swirl around. A red eye flashed in his vision, his memory taking him back to the start of the fight. Kakashi, raising his headband to reveal a fully matured Sharingan.
A fucking, SHARINGAN!
He gripped the bowl a little harder, his hands clenching around the old wooden bowl, nearly cracking it.
He saw echoes of the fight, Kakashi's movements eerily similar to his.
Then there was Naruto. He caught the brief look of horror in his eyes, and if not for the ongoing life or death fight he would've questioned him about it sooner.
He hummed in thought, 'Naruto's only a few months younger than me, so he'd have been as old as me when Itachi... left.'
That was plenty of time to have met another Uchiha, but for the life of him Sasuke couldn't understand how Naruto could have such a reaction to the sight of his clan's doujutsu.
He took a spoonful into his mouth, his mind moving too fast to appreciate the savory taste of the meal, 'That was real fear. A reaction to something that happened to Naruto. Had he fought someone from his clan before? Did he met Itachi?' His mind swirled with questions, none of them answerable due to his scant knowledge on his teammate.
Talking to his teammates seemed like a waste of time to him earlier, but as he sat there, he realized just how little he knew about his blonde teammate.
He looked across the room. Naruto was asleep, but restless, groaning softly as he shifted from side to side.
He narrowed his eyes. There was always something off about the Uzumaki, something that always eluded sasuke, yet never seemed to relevant to him. The mission was the same as always, or at least it had been.
He made his decision, resolving to confront Naruto about his questions in the morning. He turned back to his stew, slurping it down before turning back to his sleeping bag. His mind already preparing for the next day, whatever may come.
Today's nightmare was about that irritating ANBU known as Tori this time.
Another failure, some lapse in control or attention that led to the woman being stabbed through the chest. A fault now etched in blood on the floor.
'My fault... My fault...'
She gasped harshly in pain and shock, blood pouring from the wound like an open faucet. The boy ran to her, trying in vain to use his feeble, shaking hands to stem the bleeding as he cried, mumbling out apologies through the sobs.
Kurama rolled his eyes, 'Pathetic.' He spat.
He turned away from the vision of misery to focus on his work. He held out his mighty clawed hands, letting his energy coalesce into twin balls of red hot chakra.
They glowed brightly in the soft yellow light of Naruto's mind. The nearly blinding red haze reflecting softly off the shin-deep water at the bottom of his cell.
He held them for a moment, breathing out slowly through his nostrils, letting the energy leak slowly, the chakra branching out in translucent beams of light, fading slowly as they went.
The effect was instant. He dared not turn and disturb his concentration, but his pitiful cries and screams of anguish made him wish he could watch.
He could feel the angry, waves of hot passion, anger, hate and fear. It radiated from him like a bonfire, and Kurama channeled it. Fostered the emotions into an energy source of its own, leaning back with a satisfied grin on his face when it was done.
'Excellent...'
The merge was almost complete now. The changes he'd promised the boy were soon coming. They'd both already seen the signs, his heightened senses, sharper and whiter teeth, Naruto's chakra now laced with a tinge of his own caustic power.
Kurama chuckled darkly in approval, 'Oh the chaos and destruction you will bring Uzumaki Naruto...'
The visions were necessary to unleash this power, as true mastery of his own chakra would require anger and hatred in spades.
His own rage was boundless. Unequaled, even among his supposed 'siblings'. A mere human, not even a Jinchurriki would be able to properly control it.
The most that Naruto would be able to achieve would be to 'direct' it. And Naruto's own emotions would serve as a sort of compass at which to point all the power Naruto would ever want.
Kurama snorted, 'Besides. It is amusing to witness the boy's hatred take shape. The, 'attachments' those vermin speak of would only get in the way.'
He grinned again, letting even more chakra go, hearing another rewarding hiccup and sob, 'Trust is such a 'human' concept. How absurd.'
The pots and pans clanged loudly as Hinata set them down with a sigh. She wiped her forehead, "Phew. All done Tsunami-san!"
The older woman turned to face her, pleasantly surprised, "Done already? You're a wonder Hinata-san!"
Hinata felt her cheeks warm at the praise, dabbing her hands on the grey apron the woman gave her, "You flatter me Tsunami-san. It's not that difficult."
The black-haired woman turned her head with a huff as she wiped the sink dry, "Difficult enough that it seems to scare everyone away. If my father ran away from chores as he did than he ran to Konoha for aid, he could've left and retuned in time for supper!"
She frowned then as if she recalled something, "My apologies for being such a poor host. I should be the one cleaning after such esteemed guests."
Hinata shook her head, "Then us guests, esteemed as we are for both our presence, and our skills, should be able to handle a bit of work to repay you for your hospitality Tsunami-san."
Tsunami giggled, nodding back at her, "Very well Hinata-san. And may I say you have excellent manners! Your own father must be proud." She kept her face impassive, not letting the sharp stab of doubt and shame show on her face.
She could think of nothing polite or honest to say to that, so she smiled instead. Still feeling like a liar.
She bowed as she left, wandering upstairs to check on her sensei.
She opened the door only slightly, enough to see Kakashi on the bed, still sleeping peacefully. Hinata frowned, worry creasing her brow. So she made a quick seal to concentrate, activating her bloodline limit soundlessly, scanning his body for what felt like the tenth time.
She scanned deeply, avoiding certain areas to preserve his decency, cursing her own lack of medicinal knowledge. It was hard to see what was wrong when she knew so little about the human body.
Everything looked normal to her, no untreated or infected cuts, internal bleeding, or any other issues she could find. So she let the chakra go, her eyesight going back to normal.
'It's no use. He'll wake up on his own. I only hope that he'll wake up soon...' She closed the door, walking back downstairs, maybe to find something else to take her mind off her sensei's sorry state, when she heard a noise.
It was a whimper. In a voice that was chillingly familiar.
He eyes widened, "Naruto..." She whispered quickly, immediately fast walking to the next door over.
She opened it quickly, walking in to the room, scanning it as she went. The room itself was as she left it barely an hour ago. The sleeping bags and organized equipment laid in neat piles.
Naruto's corner being the exception, with him sprawled on top of his own supplies, asleep just as Hinata had seen him last.
But he was no longer still.
Sasuke stood over him, watching Naruto with an expression of somewhere between confusion and horror on his face. Naruto was on top of his sleeping bag, groaning and writhing as if her were in pain. His forehead was covered in a shiny sheen of sweat, his fists clenching his sleeping bag so hard his knuckles were white as snow.
Hinata jogged over next to Sasuke, she turned to look at him. "What..."
Sasuke jerked his head at him, his eyes never straying an inch from the Uzumaki, "Nightmare. He's been like this for a minute or so." He said quickly.
Hinata looked back, her heart aching as he suddenly cried out, a tear dripping down the side of his face. She rushed over, kneeling to hold Naruto's head as he struggled against some invisible force.
She looked down, panic rising in her as she struggled to think of what to do. She shook his head back and forth, "Naruto-kun, wake up. It's only a nightmare, please. I promise it's alright."
No response. Naruto struggled and writhed just as he did before, only now keening in a low, pained while. Hinata felt the pain as if it were her own, tears prickling the edges of her eyes.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Enough. He's gonna wake the whole house at this rate." He sighed and marched forwards, rearing a leg back for a kick. "Oi, dobe!"
Naruto's eyes opened immediately, narrowed, focused, and not at all blue.
His red, slit pupils dilated, then darted over to look at Sasuke, Naruto's hand thrusting out against the ground to launch himself high into the air. Sasuke's kick hitting only the empty air where his head would've been.
Naruto lashed out with a kick of his own, far faster than Hinata had ever seen him move, catching Sasuke square in the ribs.
The Uchiha grunted loudly, his feet skidding backwards, the force of the kick pushing his entire body backwards. He slowed to a stop, hunching over, his arms crossed protectively over his chest, his face screwed up in a grimace. For a moment, he looked more indignant than hurt, then his face relaxed. His eyes narrowing as he ran at Naruto.
"Sasuke, stop!" Hinata cried. But the Uchiha ignored her. Naruto growled again, snapping out his other leg just as fast as before. But instead of dodging, Sasuke grunted loudly as the grabbed at Naruto's leg with both hands, his elbow bent to wrap his arms around Naruto's ankle.
Naruto snarled, bestial and deep, and instead of trying to pull free, he reeled himself in. Bending his leg, and bringing his body in close; throwing himself headlong for Sasuke.
The momentum pushed Sasuke onto his back, his head impacting solidly with the wooden floor.
Naruto loomed overhead, snarling as he raised both hands above his head. His fingers bent slightly, poising his now sharpened fingernails high into the air, as if to swipe them downwards at her teammate.
Hinata rushed over, grabbing both of his arms, "Naruto-kun!" She screamed, clutching him close.
No one moved for a moment, and as Hinata opened her eyes, she saw Naruto's. The red was completely gone. 'Thank Kami'. And his face was a picture of utter confusion, his eyebrows pulled down, his lips curled down into a frown.
"Wha—".
Naruto was launched in the air as Sasuke thrust both legs out, flipping him completely upside down, the back of his head impacting the wood with a crack.
"Ahh! Mother—"
Naruto rubbed at his head, sitting on the floor, while Hinata could only stare in befuddled silence. The only sound in the room was the sound of Sasuke's footsteps as he rose from the ground, and walked alongside Hinata.
She shook her head, holding her head in her hands, 'Just what the hell is going on?'
Sasuke grunted, stepping forwards to grab Naruto by the collar, nearly hauling him off the ground. "Just what the hell was that dobe!?"
Naruto scoffed at him, standing up to swipe the Uchiha's hands away, "Me!? Who wakes a guy up like that!? Apparently the only thing Mr. Uchiha hasn't mastered is his manners!"
Sasuke spluttered, "Y-You're insane. You were the one freaking out!"
Naruto frowned at him, and Hinata stepped forward to speak, "You were having a nightmare Naruto."
The blonde paused, his jaw dropping as he turned to look at her. Hinata fought the urge to turn away from his intense eyes, but she made herself meet them, narrowing her own, "You looked... like you were in pain."
Naruto's gaze dropped from hers, rubbing his arms, almost holding himself, "It's fine. They usually don't bother me too much. Sorry if I scared you."
Hinata couldn't help herself, "They... Usually!?" She stared at him as Naruto's eyes widened again.
She stepped forwards, her lavender pupils narrowing further, inspecting him, "How... H-How often do you have these kinds of nightmares?" Naruto laughed shakily, holding his hands out in front of him, "Come on guys, it's alright. Everybody has a few bad dreams once in a while."
Hinata nodded skeptically, "Yes, but I wouldn't use the word 'usually'. Sometimes, sure. But, how often do you get them?"
Naruto's smile faded, "...Maybe, like, a couple times a week. I mean it's not like I..." His words trailed off when he saw her face fall. She took another step, and Naruto tensed, his body still primed for a fight.
Hinata raised her hands slowly, reaching out to touch his shoulder, "Naruto... What are you seeing that would make you react like that?"
"You reacted to the Kakashi''s Sharingan too."
Hinata and Naruto both looked over to Sasuke, who now stepped closer as well. Naruto retreated, but Sasuke glared, moving faster to get close to the Uzumaki, "You recognized the doujutsu of my clan. How?"
Naruto paused, then crossed his arms, turning away.
"I saw it in a book." He said vaguely, turning away from them both.
Hinata winced at the poor lie, and Sasuke took a step closer.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, "A book... Pfft, like you'd read anything if the cover didn't have pictures and big colorful letters on it." Naruto scoffed, shoving the Uchiha, "Back off!" He said, taking a step forwards, jutting out his chin.
Sasuke tensed, and Hinata prepared herself to intervene when the door slammed open, revealing Tsunami, looking less than pleased.
"What is going on here!?" She looked to Sasuke and Naruto, both mere inches from each other. Both with hands raised. She narrowed her eyes, "I thought I told you no roughhousing in the house."
Naruto was the only one to look abashed, stepping away from Sasuke, while the stubborn Uchiha only took a half step away from Naruto, looking at the woman of the house with a heated glare.
"Please. We're shinobi hired to protect your father. Rest assured we'll cause no harm to you or your house."
Tsunami met his glare like only a mother could, "Shinobi. And children. And as long as you occupy my house, you'll obey my rules. Hinata-san seems already to have understood this. I'm sure a big strong shinobi like you can as well."
Sasuke bristled, turning away from the older woman, "Tch."
Naruto giggled at him, but shut himself up when Tsunami glared at him as well.
Finally she looked to her, her face so serene it looked like an entirely different person, "Hinata-san, I'm trusting you to keep these two boys in line. Can you do that for me?"
Hinata held back a snort of laughter at Sasuke and Naruto's look of shared outrage, bowing to the woman, "Of course Tsunami-san."
The woman nodded, then looked surprised all of a sudden, remembering something.
"Oh yes. Your sensei is awake."
Chakra exhaustion was different for everyone. To many, it was the worst feeling one could experience. Painfully drawn out, with long-lasting side effects reminiscent of recovering from a serious illness.
Kakashi was no stranger to it, and to him, it was like experiencing the worst hangover ever. All the side effect attributed to a hangover were the same, with the exception that they were magnified by 10, and would last for at least another week.
'It beats being poisoned.' He reminded himself.
So when Naruto slammed to door so hard it shook the room, it took all his shinobi endurance training not to cry out in pain from the massive headache that shook him just then.
The three ran into the room, with Hinata leaping up to give him a hug that was only an 8/10 on the pain index. He hugged her back, groaning with pain and effort, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Yes yes, I'm only partially dead. Now please quiet down."
Hinata practically leapt off of him, snapping into attention, her face flushed, her eyes looking anywhere but him. "S-Sorry sensei."
Sasuke and Naruto stood behind her, and Kakashi sighed, "Glad to see that you're all alright.
Sasuke grunted in acknowledgment, and Naruto gave Kakashi a thumbs up, "We're tougher than we look Sensei! I'm just glad that we beat that eyebrowless freak earlier."
Kakashi gave a huff of laughter at that, "That, 'eyebrowless freak' was an A-rank shinobi. We were lucky that we were strong enough to put him down."
Naruto's previous cheer melted off his face, frowning at his sensei, "We didn't put shit down. That weird ninja got him before we could." Kakashi frowned as well, thinking back to the uncanny timing of that hunter-nin.
Hinata stepped forwards, "They don't send Hunter nin after just anyone, what made him so special."
Kakashi shrugged, "Not just anyone tries to kill their own Kage and gets away with it. Kage especially, are known to hold one hell of a grudge." Naruto gaped at him, "He tried to kill his Kage?"
Kakashi leaned back in his bed, "Zabuza always has been bloodthirsty. He's infamous back in his village for passing his genin promotion by killing his entire class." He watched as Hinata and Naruto's faces paled. "W-What!? But... why?" Naruto asked softly.
Kakashi shrugged, "The graduation exam back then was to kill one of your classmates. To cut out the competition, he killed them all." His gaze darkened, staring off to the side, "They ended that kind of test the next year, but Zabuza never could shake the reputation of being especially feral and murderous. Even when compared to his peers. And that's saying something since this is back when Kiri was called, 'The Bloody Mist'. Named after the village's especially violent, and gory reputation at the time."
The room was silent when he was done, Hinata and Naruto both staring at him in shock, while Sasuke just looked at him silently, looking as if he expected something more.
Kakashi sighed to himself, 'I always had hoped to give them a hefty dose of reality to kill those dreams of glory and flashiness. I just wish it didn't happen so soon.'
He looked a little closer Sasuke, then at Naruto. Who now looked to be deep in thought, 'Although that may not be totally necessary for some present.'
The door opened then, revealing Tazuna, accompanied by two others he'd never seen before. The first was a woman relatively close to himself in age, stark black hair, with pale and gentle features.
There was a young boy at her side, with dark hair that he apparently inherited from his mother, only his was spiky and cut short. He wore a white fisherman's cap with blue stripes, and a set of green overalls over a thin hoodie.
They walked in, the mother bowing to him, "Thank you for bringing my ornery father here safely Jounin-san. I've already met your wonderful students, but I don't believe we've met officially."
Kakashi shook his head, "No, I believe I'd remember a face such as yours. Hatake Kakashi, at your service."
She giggled, bowing again, "Tsunami. And this is my son Inari."
Kakashi looked down at the boy, who stayed silent. Satisfied enough with staring, one hand clutching at her mother's green skirt. Tsunami looked down as well, patting Inari on the head, "Go on Inari. Say hi to these shinobi. They're the ones who kept your grandfather safe on the road."
The boy looked up blandly, his eyes sweeping the lot of them, seemingly studying them.
Naruto stepped forwards, grinning as he knelt down to talk to the boy, "It's alright little guy. We're super heroic ninja where we come from. And we already took out a big bad missing ninja on the way here. You're grampa is as safe as could be."
That seemed to spark something in Inari, as he turned to tug at her skirt, leaning up to speak to his mother, "Mom, why should I say hi? They're all gonna die anyway."
The cheeky little brat's face never even flinched, even as Naruto's furious rantings went up even further in volume. Sasuke and Hinata both held a fistful of his jacket in their hands, holding him back from giving this ungrateful brat a well-deserved smack over the head.
Tsunami put her hands on her hips, frowning at at the boy, "Inari-kun! You promised me you'd be nice."
The infuriating child puffed out his cheeks in defiance, "Well why should I? There's no way they can stand up against Gato. They'll be dead in a week, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."
Naruto growled as he strained against his captors, Hinata sighing behind him, "Naruto-kun, you can't just assault children. Especially when they're the children of our clients."
He spent another few seconds against his chains, relaxing after a moment, straightening out his hoodie. He growled again, raising a fist to Inari, "Listen up you brat! You're looking at the one who'll be the world's strongest shinobi! There's no way that Team 7 is gonna fail our mission. I don't know too much about this 'Gato', but he's nothing against me!"
Inari frowned at him, "What are you, an idiot? There's no such thing as a hero. Grow up."
Naruto surged forwards again, ducking to avoid Sasuke and Hinata, but was caught once again when he felt the strong tug from behind him.
Inari just scoffed at him, turning to leave. Tsunami frowned, "Inari, where are you going."
The boy stopped at the door, "To go to my room and look at the ocean." He was about to step through, when he turned again, looking at them all, "If you don't wanna die, then leave. You can't beat Gato."
He shut the door, leaving them all in silence.
Naruto shook himself free of Hinata and Sasuke's grip, stomping past Tsunami and Tazuna. "Naruto, where are you going?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto didn't stop, opening the door roughly, "To give that ungrateful brat a piece of my mind!"
He expected an angry call of reproach from his sensei, or even some kind of vague, training involved threat when he announced his intentions to leave, but Naruto only heard one set of footsteps go up to follow him as he began the trek up the stairs.
Hinata rushed up next to him, "Naruto-kun, what are you doing?"
Naruto maintained his stride, "Exactly what I said. That brat needs a lesson in manners." He went up a few steps when he heard something from above that gave him pause.
Hinata stopped too, and from the confused look on her face he could tell that they both heard the same thing. Crying.
Curious, Naruto went up a few steps, arriving at a single door, not completely closed. The door was ajar enough to see Inari there, hunched over a picture of someone Naruto didn't recognize.
He heard the pained sobs and cries and heard his own, the grief filled hiccups so familiar it was like recalling the sounds from memory.
"...Dad...Why..."
Naruto frowned, the connection to his own childhood bringing a well of guilt, 'Great, now I feel like an asshole.'
Looking back, it looked like Hinata felt the same way, her lavender eyes glistening with tears. Naruto glanced back up to the door and sighed. Turning around, and following Hinata as they began their walk back to the room in silence.
All eyes were laid on the closed door in the wake of Inari's dramatic exit, and Naruto and Hinata following close behind. Tsunami turned back to Kakashi and Sasuke, bowing hastily, "I-I must apologize for my son's behavior. I—"
Kakashi raised a hand, perturbed at how much extra energy was required for such a simple act, "All is forgiven Tsunami-san. You've been gracious enough to give us food and shelter. We'd be the most ungrateful of guests to take offense at merely a few harsh words."
Tazuna stood beside his daughter, joining in her bow, "You're very kind Hatake-san. My daughter and I will leave you to recover. Just let us know if you need anything else. Its the least we can do."
At that, the pair made their exit, leaving Kakashi and Sasuke alone together.
He glanced at the young Uchiha, vaguely aware of the unyielding stare he had leveled against him. He could feel the heat of the stare from here, the little ball of spite saying nothing at all for several long moments.
Kakashi sighed, mentally preparing himself for whatever pressing and important issue Sasuke had.
His eyes rolled to one side, matching the boy's stare with his own, "Yes Sasuke, what can I help you with."
Sasuke glowered once more, before extending a hand expectantly, "You can start with returning my clan's property to me."
Kakashi tried his best not to laugh, he really did. But exhausted as he was, paired with the ridiculousness of the question took him off guard.
Kakashi had lost count of how many shinobi targeted him for his sharingan. Many straightforward missions gone awry on the account of some arrogant Kumo nin who thought he could just kill him and steal Obito's eye from him. Pfft, as if he would make it that easy.
Years ago, he probably would've taken offense, upset at his friends ultimate sacrifice being diluted down to a sharingan. A mere tool.
Now however, it was just funny. All those years and this one thought he could just stroll over and ask?
He tried to raise a hand to stifle the laughter that came spilling from his mouth, but his weakened muscles simply weren't up to the task. He managed to quiet himself after only a few brief seconds, but by then the damage had been done.
Sasuke's high and mighty stare down was upgraded to an outraged glare that matched his father's stern glower on his best day.
"I am the sole heir to the Uchiha clan. All secrets and properties concerning our Kekkei Genkai is mine by right of—"
Kakashi sighed loudly, cutting the boy off. "What was his name?"
Sasuke paused, his frown deepening in thought, "What does that have to do—"
"If you were the clan leader, who truly owned all secrets, and properties, you'd know whose sharingan this belonged to. There aren't too many Uchiha who are unaccounted for. Your clan, your father especially, was notorious for making special care that every sharingan was accounted for. So, whose do I have?"
Sasuke never broke eye contact, but his glare lost a hint of it's previous fire. His frowned deepened, but he said nothing.
Kakashi looked away from Sasuke, sighing again before he spoke, "Clan heir you may be Sasuke, but the position of 'Clan Head' is lost to you for now."
Sasuke growled, stepping closer, but Kakashi raised a hand, "To be a 'Clan Head', there must be a clan to speak of. Speaking frankly Sasuke, you, are the clan. Normally being clan head comes with certain perks. Powers, lands, and titles are granted to gain power over others."
"Power that still, exists. If it didn't, you wouldn't still have that sharingan would you." Sasuke spat. Kakashi unconsciously rubbed at his eye, "True, but now that power, is mine." He said with a lilt in his voice.
He turned to look at Sasuke now, pinning him down with a glare of his own, "Power is just that Sasuke. Power. It's fleeting, firm, subtle and constant. But of all the things that it is not, it is never truly owned. Only borrowed."
He gestured to his eye, his piercing glare melting into a stare of pure pleading, as the memories stirred unwanted emotions in his heart, "Or... given."
Sasuke never wavered, eyes narrowing into slits, "Or taken."
Kakashi laid back on the bed with a sigh, "Do you remember the screwup from before. The kid who taught me about what it meant to be on a team?"
Sasuke scoffed next to him, "You mean that story about the one who saved—"
Kakashi's gaze snapped to the young genin, "Watch it Sasuke-kun. It was no story. And his Name... was Obito."
Sasuke's eyes widened, "Uchiha Obito...Kannabi bridge..."
Kakashi's eyebrows raised in surprise, "So you know of it. I'm surprised that someone so young would know." Sasuke turned away from him, "Hn. Any of the exploits of my clan I made it a point to know about."
Kakashi nodded, "A wise move. Knowing the failures of the young and stupid is the best way to make sure that you don't end up the same way. Or end up dead."
He looked back to Sasuke, "He saved us. Me and my other teammate..." He wet his lips, pushing past the exhaustion and latching onto whatever reserves of strength he had left, "...Rin... And in his dying breath he gave me his Sharingan. How else would I have kept it for so many years if I didn't have a witness."
Sasuke stepped back, calmer now, if not still a bit put out, "That explains why the Uchiha council let you keep it."
"Well, they tried their luck a few times. Mostly with bribes and old loopholes, but I never let them take it from me. So, clan heir you may be, but I won't be giving it to you, either."
Sasuke stared for a few seconds longer, then sighed, turning away, "Well, you used it well enough anyway."
Kakashi chuckled, "I should, after training with it this many years, but I'll never really use it to it's true potential. I'm no Uchiha." He sighed, settling deeper into his pillows, "But I'd make a awful Uchiha anyway. So many rules... So many meetings."
Sasuke huffed again, his tone more amused than angry now, "You'd make a wretched Uchiha. They'd probably send you off to be a diplomat, or a Hunter nin or something out of sheer embarrassment."
Kakashi began to nod, when Kakashi felt the world shift under his bed. A heavy sensation of something he missed, or forgot fell on him, dwelling like a heavy fog. Or a mist...
The facts all connected at once, all the nagging little inconsistencies all colliding and resolving at once.
The old style of mask the Hunter nin used.
The style of weapon she used.
The fact that she kept the body instead of disposing, or dismembering it.
"Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, leaning closer.
Kakashi's gaze darkened, his jaw clenching painfully, "Zabuza is still alive."
Once she felt that she was far enough away, she went to work.
She lay Zabuza down on a brief patch of bare, dry land, turning around to reach for the medical bag strapped to her waist. She opened the bag with a sharp tug, pulling out a bundle of clean gauze.
She wiped at the wounds on his neck, checking the area for any extra damage. Finding none, she went for the first needle, slowly and carefully pulling it out, careful not to nick any arteries, or extra nerves on the way out.
She pulled it free, setting it to the side, before she went for the next one.
Before she could, Zabuza's arm jerked up to grab her arm, "No need. I'll do it myself."
Haku merely leaned back, unsurprised at her sensei's sudden revival. And his subsequent haste to injure himself further.
'He always was unpredictable that way...'
She turned to him, "Oh, you're awake. And I see you're throat's not slit."
Zabuza jerked the remaining needle free in one fluid motion, glaring darkly at her, "Careful girl. I'm not exactly in the best of moods right now."
He grabbed the gauze roughly from her, dapping the cloth at his neck, wiping the area clean of blood. His body shivered with pain, a raspy groan coming from her master, "Ugh, you didn't have to go with the neck you know. There were other area's you could've used."
Haku collected her supply of herbs from the bag, speaking over her shoulder, "Ah of course Zabuza-sama, but then it may not have been as convincing. Hatake is no fool, he's experienced. Who knows if he may have gotten in an extra stab or two just to make sure the job was done?"
Zabuza let out a choked, painful sounding laugh, "You think that softie would've double tapped me!? Ha! You're as clueless and annoying as ever."
Haku just smiled at him, "Of course Zabuza-sama."
He just growled, glaring at her for a moment, "And when are you gonna take off that fucking mask?"
Haku knelt down to take it off, "If not for this mask, it's unlikely those Konoha-nin would've believed my story, and you would've been killed." She took it off anyway, placing it neatly in the bag. She smiled at him, but Zabuza just scoffed, looking at the floor as he rubbed at his neck.
Haku walked over and knelt down to inspect the injury. Gently lowing his hand away from his now bandaged neck, "Hmm, the nerve damage is minor... You'll have trouble moving for about a week. But by then you'll be good as new."
Zabuza nodded, rising quickly as the mist slowly descended, dissolving into nothing after only a few seconds. Haku stood as well, "The mist has cleared. We should head back to our hideout."
Zabuza clicked his tongue, "Looks like we'll have to hear a lot of bitching and moaning from that rat Gato." Haku frowned, "Must we go groveling before that wretched little man? I don't like the way he talks to you."
Zabuza snorted, "If we wanna be paid, we have to." He tuned to her, staring at her seriously, "It's all worth it in the end. Remember our goal."
Haku stared back, "Kiri."
Zabuza nodded, "Kiri. Once we've made enough, we can buy Gato's spare hired swords and missing nin and head back. I can show you my homeland, and we'll retake it. Inch by bloody inch."
Haku bowed, smiling to herself, "We'll make your dream a reality Zabuza-sama."
"By working for Gato." His tone allowed for no argument.
So she sighed, nodding back at her master, "By working for Gato."
He stepped forwards, placing a hand on her shoulder, "They're ants, Haku. Little, worthless ants who have no say in controlling the world around them. Only observing. They work, they die, and we go on. Because we're shinobi. Those who last."
She nodded solemnly, her eyes narrowing grimly, "We'll outlast them all Zabuza-sama." She said.
She rose, and met his dark, dark eyes, "Damn straight."
Hey guys, me again
Chapters 1-17 have been edited to make some revisions, and add some life and much needed substance to this story. As such, they're worth a read through, both to catch up as I release more chapters, and to alert you on what is different about the story.
I can't say for sure when the next full chapter will be up, but I am sure that it won't be too long until then. Again, I'm glad that I'm back, and plan to make the most of the time that I have back home.
Stay safe,
KCMC66
