AN: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.
First day of construction
They'd all gone undercover.
The jounin had disguised themselves as workers, whilst the genin had set up a lemonade stand nearby & were using it as a pretext to constantly monitor the area.
They hadn't actually been to this part of the island before, so it was a bit surprising to find the bridge nearly completed.
It would be two miles long when complete, connecting the Land of Waves to the mainland Elemental States.
Tazuna-san had told him that the bridge had been under construction long before Gato had arrived, but since Kaiza's fate no one was willing to come to work anymore.
The builder was in luck, because word had spread of Team 7's arrival, & a few brave men had volunteered.
Naruto estimated it would take them until dusk to complete the bridge.
Not that it would happen
He'd also spread his clones a mile in each direction, under orders to retreat & report to either of the jounin.
They'd gained valuable information thus far.
It would be a group of four, without any reinforcements.
A Captain, his First Officer & two newly passed Tokubetsu jounin.
Kakashi had informed them he would take on the Captain; Asuma-sensei decided to go for the First Officer, meaning they would have to split up the weaker of their rivals with Zabuza & Haku.
This also excused him from patrolling, which was a relief.
Maintaining shadow clones for hours on end gave him a splitting headache.
Naruto was sat in a small cabin at the island's end of the bridge.
Haku was with him as well, disguised as a guard.
He still wasn't sure if he could trust her.
"I'm surprised that you approached us with your plan, much less that you wanted to work with us."
"I assure you; it is purely out of self-interest."
"I don't doubt it."
She turned around, & Naruto didn't ask any more questions.
A minute later, he felt a hand on his shoulder, & turned around to see Choji with a glass of lemonade & a headache pill in his hands.
Naruto accepted thankfully & invited him to sit.
"How's everyone outside?"
"Tense, but otherwise fine. A mist is slowly moving in, I suppose it won't be too long now."
Sasuke knew they had planned for this. He'd studied it several times over.
So why couldn't he ignore that uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach?
In the first attack, there had been no scope for preparation. The enemy had simply attacked, & they'd had to improvise to come out alive. Even with Kakashi. Now, even with another Konoha jounin & a Swordsman of the Mist he wasn't confident. Especially because of the latter - Sasuke could trust him less than he could've tossed him.
Then again, he had Naruto next to him last time. Now, the blonde was MIA; atleast for the beginning. Sasuke was expected to lead his fellow genin until then, a fact which didn't inspire confidence in him.
During the first phase of the plan, Team 10 would fake leaving like the rest of the workers. When the time came, they would box the Iwa shinobi in from the outside, making them fight a two-front battle.
After the initial attack, they & Sakura would retreat a safe distance, where they would block off Gato's civilian mercenaries from reinforcing their shinobi counterparts.
Kakashi had hoped that upon seeing what was happening, the island's natives would rally & come to their help, attacking the thugs from behind.
Wishful thinking. If Inari was anything to go on, the islanders had succumbed to a defeat fatalist attitude of the presence of Gato.
Choji had returned from the cabin, giving a little nod to signal Naruto was okay.
He looked over his shoulder & saw Haku in the cabin, using her post as guard to keep an eye on everyone.
Zabuza's disciple had defied her master's orders & come to them the day following their little 'exercise' into the rogue nins' quarters. Haku's entry had been nowhere near as covert as theirs had been. She had simply walked into the backyard of the family. The casual, friendly look on her face when she greeted him betrayed the seriousness of her intrusion.
Sasuke had been the only one there, & upon seeing her he instinctively attacked her with a Great Fireball. The jutsu was effortlessly evaded, though within moments he was backed up by everyone.
Though Sasuke had wanted to draw weapons & apprehend her, Kakashi made him stay his hand.
It turned out to be the correct decision.
The previous evening (Sakura POV)
The girl had risked the wrath of the former Swordsman by coming to them.
"I want to ensure there's a viable action plan in place prior to the contact, so that Zabuza-sama & I survive."
She took note of her wording. Apparently saving their lives was not enough to gain their confidences.
"What did you have in mind?" Kakashi asked.
"Before I can decide, I'll need to know what you've prepared so far."
"You speak as if we're still rivals" Shikamaru frowned, "I thought the point was to work together for mutual benefit."
"Indeed. By reviewing your plans, I'll be able to rectify any mistakes."
"If any." Naruto added, clearly not liking the insinuation that she could do a better job than them.
Asuma-sensei invited her in.
"Well, as my mother always said - no good plans ever happen on an empty stomach. We were getting ready for lunch. Do join."
If Inari had been hostile before, he was downright hateful now. Tsunami-san had had to restrain & almost bind him to his chair to prevent him from attacking their 'guest'.
Sakura truly felt for him. Not only was he constantly reminded of his loss by their presence, now he also had to welcome someone who was actively aiding & abetting the man who had taken so much from him.
After a quick, wordless meal they got on with the task at hand.
"Our chief advantage will be the enemy's focus on the two of you. We will use that attention to maximum effect."
"Zabuza-sama will move in with the fog."
"As is his M.O" Kakashi-sensei noted.
"Our second advantage is numerical superiority. Myself, Kakashi & Zabuza will each take on one of the Iwa nin. The fourth will be your responsibility. Do you think you're up to the task?"
"Of course. Do you want them alive?"
Sakura could almost admire the arrogant confidence with which she dismissed both the question & their opponents - as if their defeat was a mere formality."
"Yes. Of course, it won't be the end of the world if they were to die, but keeping them alive would be of great service to our intelligence services. We'd happily be in your favour in that case."
It took another few hours to iron out the details, though by the time Haku left they all clearly knew their roles.
Haku looked at the jounin.
"I have a proposition, for your ears only. It's do with that favour you'd be owing me."
The genin were sent to dinner, each silently wondering what that could be. Half an hour later both senseis joined them, looking grim & not saying anything.
The Iwa jounin
"Remember, do not attack unless attacked upon. We will wait for them to kill each other; whoever is left will be easy pickings."
"I don't have a good feeling about this", his Lieutenant warned.
"Damn you & your superstitions Hirohito" Captain Shiro growled.
"Perhaps it would be better to convert this into an observation period Captain. This does feel like we're walking into a trap" Kenchi advised.
"COs order NCOs; not the other way around Sergeant. We won't get a better opportunity than this, & I'm not about to let it go to waste because my men lack courage."
"Courage is not what we're lacking in Captain. It's information. Would it not be better to learn all we can about our opposite belligerents now, then use that to ambush them later?"
That was the other Sergeant, Nakuzu.
Shiro detested newly promoted jounin. Not only did they think they should control everything, the rank of Officer made them cocky & bold in a way they wouldn't dream of as chunin.
"The plan stays as it is. You all know your roles, & I will not tolerate anything other than perfect execution."
He had considered the idea that their targets may team up against them, but dismissed it after some thought. Shinobi don't easily forget someone trying to kill them.
They waited as the fog rolled in, & continued following the target.
"Looks like our man is a real go-getter. He's not wasting any time" Lieutenant Hirohito observed.
"The quicker this is over the better. I don't want to spend a second more than needed on this island."
"It's not all bad" Kenchi smirked. "At least the company isn't".
"There's plenty whorehouses for you back home as well. Now focus on the mission."
When the fog was at the thickest, they split up.
The fog grew thicker, and his Sharingan came to life. He could barely make out an individual moving closer at the edge of the fog, & scanning the entire bridge showed two more swimming closer to them, another stalking the rogue nin & the last member travelling across the underside of the bridge.
"They're here" he informed the other genin.
Everyone drew weapons in both hands. Sasuke could now see Zabuza & Haku.
"To keep the pretense, we must attack as usual. Otherwise they may learn of the deception."
Kakashi nodded, and Zabuza summoned a water dragon at him. He dodged, unleashing a fireball in return.
Haku attacked him & Sakura, sticking to taijutsu. Even combined, they were barely able to keep up with her; and it became obvious to Sasuke how barely she was trying.
Sakura retreated & flung a hail of kunai at her.
Of course, they were illusions & Haku did the courtesy of appearing to evade them.
He jumped back, scanning the surrounding with his dojutsu.
Their soon-to-be attackers were now rapidly converging on them.
Sasuke nodded at Kakashi, who signalled Zabuza to lose the fog.
Just as the fog was about to part, the jounin gave the handsign to open fire.
Together, they all hurled weapons at the Iwa nin.
He saw Team 10 & Sakura immediately climb down the bridge to a boat waiting to take them to the other side of the bridge, where a crowd full of hostiles would inevitably gather soon.
Only Asuma stayed where he was - the Sarutobi being a key part to this phase of their operation.
As expected, the enemy managed to dodge the projectiles.
That was where Asuma-sensei came in. He rapidly underwent a series of handseals, & re-directed the weapons back at the attackers boomerang-fashion.
It worked only partially. The person farthest to them could not react in time; as they received a number of surface wounds along with a kunai embedded into their heel. Their grunt of pain however, alerted the others into evasive action.
The workers all fled, Team 10 accompanying them.
The jounin engaged the other three in combat, deliberately taking them away from the genin to the unfinished side of the bridge.
The three of them threw kunai at the injured enemy, making sure he could see them retreat to the other side of the bridge.
Instinctively, the genin along with Haku encircled the injured Iwa nin, leaving the jounin to draw the attention of the others.
Their enemy caught up with them.
"Go now. I have a jutsu that will contain him."
Sakura nodded, making a dash to the start of the bridge.
She came out of the fog, making haste to catch up with Team 10.
They were the only ones standing.
She could see Naruto in the cabin from the window, clutching his head as his clones had all dispersed by now.
Sakura went to him first, making sure he was fine.
"I'll be all right. Two more minutes, then I'll join them."
Sakura prayed that the enemy could be held off for that long.
All they had to do was hold things steady until Naruto could recover from his migraine to join them.
They moved around him slowly, making sure to keep their distance.
The injured nin looked angry, not appreciating being treated like wounded prey encircled by its predators.
"You are a jounin."
"You're right. You're gonna regret the day you brats messed with me."
"We shall see."
Sasuke stepped back as Haku performed a series of handseals.
He prevented the enemy from attacking her in the meantime with another attack of kunais, which he easily avoided.
That was enough time for Haku to finish readying her jutsu.
Their enemy attempted to dodge what he assumed was an attack, but instead he was fenced in by a circle of ice mirrors.
Haku stepped closer to one, & simply stepped inside. She then appeared in all the mirrors at once.
It took all the control he had not to gasp.
"Stay near. If this man can escape, I will be severely weakened. You will need to cover me."
Slowly, the image of Haku in the ice spread to all the mirrors.
"I call them Demonic Mirrors. No one has ever escaped from here."
The fog reappeared around them, making then invisible to the outer world.
Kenchi gritted his teeth.
He'd told the captain to hold back. Of course he hadn't listened.
Senior officers never did.
Now he was trapped inside some jutsu a brat had conjured up. They had been deceived. The Konoha & rogue nin had formed an alliance against them.
He was limping on his left leg where a kunai had nicked him.
"What makes you think you can keep me in here?"
"Better shinobi than you have tried, & failed."
"Then clearly they weren't better than me."
"Only one way of finding out."
His reactions were slowed by the injury, but he was still fast enough to avoid most of the senbon.
One grazed him on his arm, but it didn't do much damage.
He didn't have time to think further as the senbon kept coming in waves.
Kenchi went through handseals as he evaded the senbon, firing a jutsu of his own.
"Doton: Ganseki Shuriken!"
Four rocks each weighing a ton smashed against the mirrors.
To his horror, the giant rocks bounced back at twice the speed in the direction they came from.
Him.
"Captain Hatake of the Sharingan, it is an honour."
Kakashi had led one of the attackers onto the water. He'd worn full black clothing, hiding his face with a mask. There was no hitaite on him; par for the course for Iwa.
During the war they'd carried out several ambushes this way. It had been decided later that all shinobi would have a visible hitaite on their person when on-duty. Clearly the Rock had chosen to ignore it.
"It feels unfair that you know my name whilst I am unaware of yours. Surely you'd do me the honour."
"I don't see why not. It's Captain Shiro Mokuza, Iwagakure ANBU."
"Special forces. I wonder what business you have here? Illegal business, might I add."
The man removed his bo staff from behind.
"Nothing you need to know. All you need to know is I'm going to leave with all your heads."
"You should leave while you can."
"Make me."
The man charged at him, & Kakashi threw a kunai.
Shiro ducked, aiming his weapon at Kakashi's leg.
The Leaf jounin somersaulted into the air, launching another kunai at his adversary's Achilles' tendon.
Shiro blocked it with his staff, & with the same momentum swung it upwards at him.
Kakashi quickly performed the handseals for a Wind Style jutsu.
"Futon: Daitoppa!"
He channeled the air from his mouth onto his rival's face.
Not only did it send him skidding back 100 yards, it also removed his mask.
To his opponent's credit he was able to hold onto the staff, despite Kakashi's efforts to gain control of it.
Shiro rapidly closed the distance between them, expertly utilising his staff against Kakashi.
For his part he stuck to defence, keeping the Iwa nin away with Wind attacks.
His counterpart seemed to think this was his way of avoiding hand-hand combat. When he repeatedly tried to get closer Kakashi let him, making sure to dodge & block the attacks. You could tell a lot about a shinobi from their taijutsu.
He liked to know all he could about his opponents before going on the offensive.
Asuma donned his chakra blades. He could see Kakashi going on the defensive against his foe's physical attacks.
Unlike his fellow jounin's defence-first style, he preferred to go on the attack from the beginning.
The man in front of called out, "Surely we can have an exchange of pleasantries before we try to kill one another."
"Where I come from, you tell someone your name before asking for theirs."
"Very well. I'm Lieutenant Hirohito, Iwagakure ANBU. Yourself?"
"Captain Asuma Sarutobi."
"Sarutobi? As in Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
"Indeed."
"You're his son. The younger one."
"That is relevant because?"
"We'll have to keep you alive then. The son of the Hokage will be a great bargaining tool."
"I always forget how confident your people are. Didn't work out so well the last time did it?"
He was referring to the Third Shinobi War, which of course was a sore spot for an Iwa nin.
Asuma ducked as his opponent hurled weapons at him, & then closed the distance between them.
The Lieutenant didn't know of his blades, & he cut Hirohito's cheek from a distance of half a foot.
The Iwa nin fell back. He took note of the blood flowing down his face.
"Those trench knifes - they're more than just a weapon are they? You use them to extend the range of your Wind Release attacks."
"Extra points for solving the puzzle."
"A Wind user on top of everything? Bringing you to Iwa will finally get me that promotion."
Zabuza was irate when they had left this weakling to him. As if he wouldn't make mince meat of him.
"I will enjoy killing you."
The nerve of this punk! Did he not know who he was talking to?
He did the Seal of Confrontation.
"Ninpo: Kirigakure no Jutsu!"
The fog reappeared around them, & he enveloped himself in it, blinding his enemy of his actions.
"Scared to face me are you? If you are truly the Demon of the Mist then come out & face me."
"Do you know why they call me that?"
He made sure to circulate the air around them, so it seemed that his voice was omnipresent.
"When I was a brat at our academy, we had a ritual to pass. They would lock all the students in a room & wait for a dozen to come out. No one was ever killed. Until it was my turn. I slaughtered everyone! Because I could not bear the thought of them surpassing me! Now they call me the Demon of the Mist, Zabuza of the Kubikiribōchō! What hope does a green jounin have?"
"Oh. You've been tracking us?"
"Of course. Beg for mercy now Sergeant Nakuzu, & I'll make it quick. Not too messy either. Your loved ones will be able to recognise your corpse."
"A very generous offer. But I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
He was getting closer to his prey, when he felt a shift in the fog.
"Doton: Ganseki Shuriken!"
He leant backwards as the shuriken-shaped giant rock passed inches over his head.
Three more travelled similarly in the other directions.
Zabuza wanted to neuter his opponent first before playing with him.
He attacked with a jutsu of his own. This time, he poured chakra into it than against the CopyCat. He could afford to since not only was his opponent magnitudes weaker but also lacked the Sharingan to see through the mist.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu"
He could feel the dragon smash through the mist, hitting its victim with full force.
The enemy was caught in its current, tossed around like a ragdoll & thrown onto the concrete on his back.
Zabuza forced a partition in the mist, walking over to his prey & pressing down on his chest with his boot. Now you'll truly learn why I am the Demon of the Mist!"
Kenchi ducked, letting the rocks collide against each other & shower him in little pieces.
He sprang up immediately, "How can that be? What are these mirrors?"
"They're made of ice."
"Ice?"
A bloodline user. That was the only answer.
"Is that why you ran away from your village? Because of the bloodline purge?"
"Making small talk is not the worst way to bide time. Unfortunately for you it won't be of any use. You'll be dead long soon enough."
It was disorienting to see & hear his opponent from all sides.
Kenchi did the Tiger seal.
"That won't work. You cannot Shintensin out of my mirrors, nor use any genjutsu. The only way to escape is physically, which I assure you you are incapable of."
Speed eh?
He could work with that. Kenchi was the fastest runner in his squad - that was the reason he was promoted to Special Jounin.
Even with his injury, he was faster than this girl. His disadvantage was numerical
An idea popped in his head.
Making handseals, he erected an Earth Barrier around himself. He broke apart a small gap from which to enter & exit.
Kenchi leaped through the gap, his hands forming another series of signs.
"Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu."
He created several dozen of them, which had little effect on his chakra levels since they were made of stone.
Kenchi made most them appear or attack near the mirrors, forcing the several versions of his masked opponent to come out fully & destroy them.
Taking advantage of the confusion Kenchi escaped from the other end, keeping one clone inside the barrier.
"Sasuke, my attacks will not be as effective with his shield. Hit it with a fireball from outside."
He hit the Mud Wall with a Great Fireball, to no effect.
When going through the handseals to make a stronger one, he felt a hand clamp down on his mouth.
Before he could reach for his weapon he felt a sharp force on his forehead, & he crumpled to the ground.
Shiro regrouped with his lieutenant. Things were not looking well for them. He had been on the back foot against his opponent, & judging from Hirohito's frazzled expression so was he.
He'd tried everything he could; trying to find some weakness or omission in Hatake's repertoire - distressingly he'd found nothing.
They both jumped off the bridge, landing on the other side.
"They've managed to split us up. We must regroup."
"I would advise we retreat Captain. We've walked into a trap. Our targets are working together - against us."
"Gather yourself Hirohito! I won't be remembered as the coward who ran away from some genin."
"Captain, we are outnumbered & quite possibly outmatched. The most likely outcome is we face defeat, perhaps even death."
50 yards ahead of them, he could hear two voices.
"They're good", one praised.
"We're better", the other countered.
The fog partially cleared, & they stepped forward to reveal themselves.
His ego resurfaced as well.
"Your misgivings about us suit the arrogance of the Leaf. It's that same hubris that's going to kill you today."
Hirohito's opponent engaged him in taijutsu, his duel with the bearded man taking them back into the water.
His own opposite unveiled his Sharingan.
"At last. That fabled dojutsu. I was beginning to think I'd never get to see it."
He formed handseals:
Ramu, Uma, Doragon
"Doton: Doryūdan!"
Hatake managed to block it with a Mud Wall, & sprang at him once it disintegrated. Shiro threw a smoke bomb at his position & jumped to his left, maintaining his distance. If his opponent wanted to engage him in hand-hand combat, Shiro would not allow him the opportunity.
He went through another series of handseals.
Asuma was relentless in his pursuit. The Iwa nin was trying to desperately to get on solid land & return to ninjutsu.
Not under Asuma's watch. He was keeping Hirohito away from both the bridge & the mainland. Denying his opponent the material he sorely needed to create his jutsus was sure to frustrate him. That would lead to mistakes - which always lead to defeat.
He chased him for a while longer before stopping, putting away his knives.
"You do not favour taijutsu?"
"It is amongst my many failings, I will admit."
Asuma paused. So did the enemy.
He ran through hand signs.
"Futon: Daitoppa!"
Hirohito simply let go of the chakra under his feet, sinking & reemerging five seconds later.
Just as Asuma had guessed.
That's why he hadn't aimed the attack directly at Hirohito.
He aimed it at the water five feet before him. He guided the air onto the water at such an angle that it bounced off & moved upwards at an incline.
It's velocity took it straight onto the Iwa nin's chest - colliding with him & careening him into the air for twenty feet.
He'd got a lot of people that way. It wasn't always about strength, speed or who had the best jutsu - a lot of fights were decided by trickery & subterfuge.
Asuma caught up to where the Lieutenant was floating in the water. He was unconscious, limbs spread like a starfish. Tying his limbs & taping his mouth, Asuma carried him over his shoulder back to the bridge.
Kenchi traveled across the mirrors, & when he reached his destination he quickly gagged & tied his victim over the side of the bridge, securing him there with some spare rope left nearby.
Taking note of his physical dimensions, the clone did a Transformation jutsu into him.
Coming closer, he called out to the girl.
"Let me try again. You try & hit him with senbon again."
Her mask-covered face came out of the mirror & turned to him, nodding.
This side of the mirrors were blank, & he wagered that she could only appear & thereby see the inside of them.
Just as he'd guessed. She had to come out of the mirrors to do anything. It had been difficult to see that from the inside.
He prepared the Fireball, & this time he waited for her hands to come out.
From the upmost mirror, he saw her protrude out the mirror waist-upwards, & directed the ball of fire at her.
The girl had better reflexes than he thought.
She managed to retreat a whisker before she was burnt.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"What's the meaning of what?"
Kenchi's clone hadn't asked the question.
He turned to the person that asked it.
A blonde boy was standing in front of them, regarding them both with varying degrees of suspicion.
He had the strangest face markings Kenchi had seen - almost like whiskers.
This was probably the Uchiha's teammate.
"It's good that you are here. She tried to double cross me, so I defended myself."
While Naruto was less distrustful of Sasuke than Haku, something felt off.
"Do not believe a word he says. I have trapped our opponent in my jutsu. He is hiding in that Mud Wall. I asked Sasuke here to attack him with a fireball, when he tried to strike me."
He could see a Mud Wall inside a tall structure of mirrors, but he couldn't see any activity from within.
"There's only one way to know the truth."
Naruto took a knee, placing two fingers on the concrete.
He checked the mud fall first. There was someone inside, someone he could not identify.
The Iwa shinobi.
Haku's chakra signature was also correct.
Now Sasuke.
He had to fight back any expressions developing on his face.
"You're right. We've been played."
Naruto charged at Kenchi.
Before his fist could connect, his target was replaced with a pile of stones.
"An elemental clone. But how? And where is your teammate?"
"Leave him to me. I suspect you'll have to stop your jutsu. If the enemy got out once, he'll do so again."
Naruto found Sasuke bound & gagged on the end of the bridge, dangling over the end like bait for fish.
The thought of cutting the rope briefly strayed into his mind, but he came to his senses & pulled the Uchiha up.
Freeing him of the gag & binds, he employed the best method of waking someone up in a hurry.
The slap was heard a mile away.
Sasuke rubbed his face groggily.
"Why do I feel like someone slapped me."
Naruto helped him up, "Because I did."
Sasuke glared at him.
"There was no reason to use so much force."
"I had to be sure. There wasn't enough time to exercise restraint."
He took bearings of his surroundings.
"Why has she stopped her jutsu?"
"Because the enemy had found a way out. His Rock Clone knocked you out & took your place, attacking Haku. The situation is under control for now."
Sasuke saw the Earth Barrier.
"Is he still inside?"
"Yes. He's not coming out."
"Can you tell if someone is manipulating chakra?"
Naruto nodded.
"Check again."
Naruto placed his fingers onto the ground.
His eyes widened.
"Over the bridge. NOW!"
The three of them jumped, hanging onto the bridge off the railing.
A second later, a loud BOOM occured, & they watched as dagger-shaped pellets of stone flew harmlessly overhead into the water.
"You two. Get back up this way. I'll flank him from behind."
"We're back where we started. Except this time, you've brought one more lamb to the slaughter."
"All this bravado & you haven't been able to do anything to us."
"You were lucky to escape in time. How did you even know?"
"I'm a sensor. Out of professional respect, I will commend you for your creativity. Blasting the side of your Earth Barrier towards us with an Earth Dragon Bullet; that too at such an inclincation that it would propel a knife-like debris at breakneck speeds."
"You're smart for your rank."
"It's how I've survived."
"That's about to change."
Haku asked the opponent a question.
"How did you do it? It couldn't have been Shintensin."
"It wasn't. I just overwhelmed you with Rock Clones. And I'm naturally faster than you. It was simply a matter of slipping out under your nose. You said I can't Shintensin out of your mirrors, but what if I wanted to come inside? When your friend here found out who I really was I simply substituted myself with a Rock Clone I'd kept inside my barrier."
Having decided the time for talk was over, their opponent started molding chakra.
Sasuke's Sharingan activated as he took note of the jutsu.
"Doton: Sokonashi Numa!"
The concrete underneath their feet turned into a gooey mud, & they sank waist-deep.
Their enemy sneered at them from the edge of his jutsu.
"I can control the rate at which you sink; by manipulating the viscosity of the mud."
"Then you should've buried us instantly."
Naruto made the Tiger seal, "Guys, you know what to do."
Three Shadow Clones formed atop them, standing on their heads.
They all simultaneously carried out the Replacement jutsu, & jumped off the heads of the clones as they sank; all landing on separate sides.
Kakashi smirked underneath his mask.
The Sharingan in his left eye spun as it ascertained what jutsu was about to be performed.
Kakashi began mimicing his opponent's handseals: Uma, Inu, Tori, Ushi, Inu, Ushi, Ramu, Hebi
They finished at the same time.
"Doton: Dosekiryū!"
The Earth Dragons cancelled each other out.
He could see the suspicion develop on his counterpart's face.
Shiro attempted another jutsu.
Kakashi copied him perfectly.
When his opponent realised what was happening, he stopped.
"How are you-"
"The Sharingan, along with copying jutsu, can also store, analyse & predict movements. You say you've never seen the Sharingan before; now you can experience first-hand it's capabilities."
Kakashi didn't allow any time for the implications of what'd he said to sink in. Completing the handseals, he forced open a fissure under Shiro's feet, taking him deep inside the earth.
"Doton: Kiretsu!"
Using his Sharingan, Kakashi immobilised him to the ground with kunais. They struck him on his limbs, ensure he couldn't move or form any more handsigns.
Kakashi jumped down below, bending so that his enemy could hear him.
"The only one misgiven here is you. This fight was over before you began it."
He took out a pair of senbon from a pouch, piercing Shiro's upper lips with it.
The loud cries of pain were silenced when he brought the senbon out from his lower lips.
Shiro seemed to understand moving his lips would further the damage.
Kakashi could have simply taped him shut, were he not from Iwagakure.
"I'll be back for you."
"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
A dozen clones attacked their adversary. He got rid of them without much difficulty.
Then another dozen arrived. The Iwa nin repeated his actions.
A third dozen came yet; & were met with the same fate.
"He's dispatching your clones easily. Why are you still sending them?"
"Give me a minute. Haku, reapply your jutsu. I have a plan. Sasuke, be ready to hit him with a fireball if need be. Wait for my word."
He sifted through their memories, & when he recognised a pattern Naruto stepped inside Haku's contraption of mirrors.
"I can get out of here anytime I want."
"But you won't."
Naruto didn't let him respond, leaping towards him with a flying kick. Kenchi deflected it with his forearm, spinning around to greet Naruto with his own foot.
He ducked underneath, catching Kenchi's heel & spinning him upwards. Naruto punched him square in the chest, the force throwing Kenchi back into a mirror.
The Iwa nin bounced off the surface, & Naruto heard the sound of something cracking.
Kenchi got up gingerly, nursing the back of his neck.
Naruto got close to him again, attacking ferociously.
His clones' memories had been correct - Kenchi did not attack with his feet, only defend & react.
Naruto stopped his punch in his fist, & struck at Kenchi's face with his other hand.
Kenchi copied him, as he had hoped for.
They grappled for a second, though Kenchi was pushing him back.
Naruto stomped on Kenchi's foot, & holding onto him fell backwards.
Executing a rollover, he let go of Kenchi's hands & kicked him in the abdomen with both legs.
Kenchi hit one of the mirrors again, this time headfirst.
He got up even slower. Moving his hand over his skull, he felt the blood oozing down.
His rage seemed to overpower his senses, & this time he charged at Naruto.
Naruto realised at the last moment he was coming too fast to deflect, so he reacted instinctively.
He jumped over Kenchi, & watched as Haku was about to shower him with another burst of senbon.
Naruto held up a hand, stopping her & waiting until Kenchi cleared the mirrors.
"Now!"
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
The flames came at Kenchi from his hindquarters, allowing him no time to evade.
They struck him, the momentum of the fireball carrying Kenchi over the bridge & into the water.
The three of them heard a splash & raced over to the edge, watching for a body.
Nothing came to the surface
Sasuke asked both of them to sense for his chakra signature.
Naruto shook his head & explained
"It doesn't work that way for me. Liquids have certain characteristics which make sensing chakra in them difficult. Their ability of movement distorts the presence of chakra."
"I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as Naruto-san. For now atleast, sensing for his chakra underwater is not an option."
He turned to his teammate, "Did you really have to go so hard with the Fireball?"
"I didn't want to take any chances."
Naruto could see behind Sasuke's false apathy. This potentially being his first kill was starting to sink in, which made him look flush & take deeper breaths.
"It's most likely that the Fireball knocked him unconscious & sent him to the bottom of the water. Anyway, he was the junior; there wouldn't have been much he knew."
Where his enemies had failed, was checking the other side of the bridge. He was hiding there, spread flat against the railing.
Kenchi had jumped, but his foot had caught in a block of steel rods.
He quickly pushed down some & crawled across the underside of the bridge.
It was taking every fibre in his being not to scream in pain, but he'd taught to withstand it.
His face would never heal, but he could still escape with his life.
Kenchi waited silently for them to move, doing the utmost to slow his breathing down to hear them.
"We should check on the others."
"I'll find Zabuza-sama."
He could hear a pair of footsteps, lighter than the others.
The girl had left.
"Sasuke?"
That name was repeated twice.
"Uh...yes. I'll check on the jounin. Check on Sakura. She should still be with Ino at the other end.
"I'll go-"
His objection was cut off by another pair of footsteps.
The third person waited for a second, before walking in the opposite direction.
Kenchi had to get there before him.
His mission might have been a failure, but he'd still kill some Konoha scum before going back home.
Zabuza was moments away from decapitating his opponent if Kakashi hadn't stopped him.
"We need them alive Momochi. Evidence of their actions here will be invaluable to us politically & informationally."
"That means fuck-all to me. They tried to kill me - there's only fate awaiting them. Death."
Kakashi caught his arm mid-swing.
"Put your weapon down. Or I'm going to have to put you down."
Zabuza growled, before resheathing his sword.
That was not the only revenge he was after. It had taken too much effort & time on his part to defeat his foe. Part of it was due to his incomplete recovery from the battle with Hatake; but that was no excuse.
Kakashi bound the Iwa nin's limbs, & lifted him over his back.
"See you around."
Out of habit, Zabuza reapplied the fog when Kakashi left, wanting a moment to himself.
He heard a small tschk, & blood came out of his mouth.
His abdomen suddenly turned damp.
Zabuza put his hand there & felt blood.
Before he could react, another tschk went off, this one louder & closer.
He could feel the thin metal poking out of his throat, his eyes turning watery as he realised what was happening.
The Changing of Swords.
He was spun around, where he saw his killer.
"I'd say I'm sorry, but I don't want the last thing you hear from me to be a lie."
A third senbon was put into his neck, this time horizontally through his carotid artery.
She'd learned well.
He choked out blood, his voicebox betraying him.
His apprentice laid him onto the ground to bleed out & as his eyes closed forever he saw Haku walk away from him, not once looking back at him.
Zabuza breathed long enough to hear the words from the CopyCat.
"I bear witness to this. From this day forth, you are Haku of the Kubikiribōchō."
This was a good exercise for them, Ino figured.
Their squad, along with Sakura had a long way before they could catch up to Naruto & Sasuke.
At times it felt like a practice simulation.
Gato's thugs gathered in number and then attacked.
They saw four kids & assumed they were harmless.
Choji did an Expansion & ran over them like a pinball, flattening the first wave. The others stayed back.
When they procured enough weapons they came again.
Shikamaru stopped a good number of their forward ranks with his Shadow Imitation Jutsu.
Sakura experimented a genjutsu on them them.
"Genjutsu: Mirāju."
A good number of their targets behind the first wave suddenly started attacking one another.
"What is that?"
"It's something I worked on with Kakashi-sensei. I realised after our first encounter with Zabuza & Haku-san that I couldn't get into combat with them; at least not yet. When Tazuna-san mentioned the vast number of civilians Gato employs, I came up with the idea. What I've done is taken an image of my liking - in this case the sight of us four & fooled them into thinking we're standing right next to them. Since they possess very little chakra, & are unable to control what little they have, I'm finding it very easy to maintain it."
And it was working exceedingly well. Ino decided she would try something as well.
"Shikamaru, let one of them go."
He nodded, & she brought her thumbs & first two fingers on either hand together, forming the handseal for her clan's signature jutsu.
"Shintenshin no Jutsu".
Contrary to prior belief, the jutsu could be countered by psychic means. It all depended on the robustness of the individual's chakra & neural networks.
This fellow's mind was as strong as a cushion.
She easily gained control, & started knocking out the henchmen Shikamaru had stopped. It was quite eerie, knocking them unconscious only to see them still standing, their bodies struggling to collapse. When she finished them all off, Shikamaru let go & they collapsed like the sacks of topsoil in the Yamanaka flower shop's warehouse.
A good number of the goons' back ranks fled, citing witchcraft & black arts as the reason. She would've felt sorry for them had it not been deserved, & then some.
Ino couldn't describe the next few seconds.
One moment they were all talking, the next all three were lying on the floor unconscious.
She looked around in panic.
Her ponytail was jerked from behind.
She jerked backwards in pain, & came into contact with someone.
"Well well, what do we have here?" the voice cooed.
Ino struggled against him.
"Let go of me."
He poked something sharp into her ribcage, & her eyes widened.
"I will. I'm just waiting for someone."
Naruto stopped breathing when he saw Ino.
She was supposed to be a non-combatant.
Wrong
The Kyubi.
There are no non-combatants in the battlefield. Only the dead & survivors.
"Shut up" he gritted his teeth.
The man that they had been fighting did not retreat, as they'd originally assumed.
He had crossed the bridge, perhaps from its underside
Now though, he had stopped. With Ino at knifepoint.
She was doing her best to fight back, struggling against him & striking with her limbs, but Naruto could tell it would be of no use even with the man severely wounded & fatigued.
The others were all preoccupied. It was up to him to save her.
"You come a step closer, & I'll kill this pretty one." As an emphasis, he ran the knife through her blonde hair.
"Kill her. She means nothing to me."
"Bullshit. You Leaf fuckers can't stop moaning about your Will of Fire. I didn't become Tokubetsu just to be fooled by the likes of you."
His bluff had failed. Not that he'd expected it to work. He tried to ignore the look of hurt on Ino's face when he'd said that.
If they were lucky he'd have time to apologise later.
Naruto tried to come up with something, anything to get her out of there. But he couldn't think of anything.
It was as if his mind had gone blank.
The scene suddenly shifted.
Everything turned pitch black.
Naruto saw himself staring eyes wide at Ino & her assailant. The Kyubi appeared behind them.
It eyed them like a snake stalking its prey.
He was having an out of body experience.
The man had Ino by the neck now, the knife slowly making its way up her torso.
'You know you can save her. All you have to do is give in.'
"No."
The blade moved north, his other hand tightening around her throat.
"No".
He placed the blade against her throat, slowly moving across.
'All you have to do is break your word. Is her life really worth your pride?'
"No".
He said that to his foe as much as to the biju inside him.
Naruto fell to his knees, closing his eyes & clutching his head.
Give in. It's the only way you'll save her. Do you want another of your loved ones to die because of you. Quickly, you don't have much time.
His enemy sneered, "Say your last goodbyes."
"NO!"
Naruto said that to the enemy this time, giving in to the beast within him.
He opened his eyes, and everything became blood red.
Naruto heard screams.
Later, he would learn it was him.
His enemy was pulverised, a steaming heap of junk marking his last location in the realm of the living.
Ino lay flat on the ground, sheer terror on her face.
She's afraid of me
Naruto closed his eyes & collapsed.
Zabuza has been quite difficulty to write, even if he hasn't had a major part. His backstory is quite violent & his fate here bucks with the trend with redemption in the Narutoverse. Ultimately, I believed that not everyone is reedemable, & to prevent it from becoming an overused trope this is what I've decided.
I'm pretty sure what Asuma did is outside the bounds of the Laws of Physics - but I'm certain you'll forgive me for it.
This chapter in general has been difficult to write - I don't think I'm good at writing combat, especially when it's as unrealistic as Naruto.