A/N: I've been informed by a reader that my formatting can be hard to read in places, and looking back at it myself, I think they're right. So I'm going to try separating out different characters' dialogue in this chapter. Please let me know if it's easier to read, I might go back and reformat the first three chapters if that's the case.

Strongly appreciate the feedback by the way! Reviews are truly the lifeblood of authors, so please keep 'em coming!


Even though I already knew about the nature of the D-rank missions given to freshly-graduated genin, that didn't make having to actually do them any less tedious, especially since the use of ninjutsu to make them easier was forbidden. Whether that last part was an actual rule or just something Kakashi made up to torture us as revenge for hospitalising him was unknown to me. And since Kakashi was on crutches the entire damn time, he couldn't help us either.

So it was that I was crawling through some bushes stalking the Fire Daimyo's wife's pet cat instead of just Body Flickering in front of it and hitting it with a genjutsu. Because any time I activated my Sharingan, Kakashi threw a pebble at me.

"Stalker to Trapper," I whispered into the radio in my collar (made using some kind of advanced fuinjutsu, which seemed to be how all of the 'modern' tech in the Naruto world worked). "Target in range, repeat, target is in range."

"Roger Stalker," Naruto replied. "Closing the trap… Now!" Instantly, a hidden rope trap ensnared the cat, hanging it up by its forepaws. Apparently Naruto's years of pranking experience translated well to the construction of traps.

"Mission success," I reported as we all stood up and approached the cat.

"So who's carrying it?" Naruto asked, backing off after it hissed and bit out at him. I tried second, only to receive the same response.

"Huh, cats usually like me," I commented idly, thinking back to my old world. "Actually, pretty much all pets usually like me." We both looked at Sakura.

"Hey, why me?"

"Well, Naruto laid the trap and I herded it into the trap, so it's only fair that you carry it back," I pointed out. She sighed.

"Fine." I suspected that, if Naruto had made the same argument, she would have outright refused. "Huh, looks like he likes me." Naruto and I looked at each other blandly as Sakura freed the cat, which immediately nuzzled into her. "Come on, let's get back to the tower."

Naturally, when Hiruzen announced that our next mission could be baby sitting, running errands to another village, or digging up potatoes, Naruto had his outburst asking for a more interesting mission. I zoned out looking at the birds out the window while the Hokage explained the mission and shinobi ranking systems.

"Sasuke, pay attention!" Iruka suddenly shouted from behind his desk.

"Huh? What?"

"The mission you just got! What is it?" I looked over to the old drunk by the door.

"Escort Tazuna-san on the way back to his village in Nami no Kuni and protect him while he builds a bridge."

"Oh. So you were paying attention…" The poor guy sat back down, cowed.

The next morning, we all met up at the village gate, packed and ready to go. It seemed that, when there was an actually important mission scheduled, Kakashi could indeed show up on time. I looked over at him and suddenly realised something: he wasn't using crutches anymore.

"Sensei, how long has your leg been healed?"

"Oh, that? It was fine the morning afterwards. Medical ninjutsu is truly an amazing art!" he answered with an eye smile.

He… He was fine the entire time? He could have been helping us with those so-called 'missions' the entire time!? If their faces were anything to go by, Naruto and Sakura were just as infuriated at this revelation as I was. Well, Naruto's anger lasted less than ten seconds because he immediately got all excited the moment we exited the village gate.

"Alright, road trip!" he declared energetically. "I've never left the village before, this'll be awesome!"

"Am I really supposed to put my life in the hands of this fool?" Tazuna complained. Kakashi sighed.

"There's no cause for concern," he said reassuringly. "I'm an elite ninja, and I'll be along, too."

After Naruto's outburst and Tazuna's dismissal, nothing more of note happened for a good long while. We just walked casually down the path, Kakashi assuring Sakura that we wouldn't be attacked by foreign shinobi on a C-rank mission (Tazuna made a very bad attempt at hiding his nerves when that particular subject was brought up), and we walked right past a puddle.

A puddle in the middle of a path, in a place that hadn't seen rain since I'd arrived.

The Demon Brothers. I activated my Sharingan and glanced at Kakashi, who nodded, and we fell back to the rear of the group, Kakashi behind me, as I mentally prepared myself for my first combat encounter and, possibly, my first kill. Exactly as expected, the two assassins leaped out of the puddle they had merged into and wrapped their bladed chain around 'Kakashi'. In the meantime, I had immediately started running through hand seals. The instant the substitute was destroyed, I cast my jutsu. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Just as the Demon Brothers began charging for Naruto, one of them was engulfed in flames, screaming.

"Brother!" The second one immediately switched targets, though not to me. He charged straight at Tazuna, and Sakura bravely threw herself in front of him, kunai at the ready. Before he struck, Kakashi dropped in and knocked him out. The other one was still screaming, still burning, so I drew a shuriken and tossed it right into his throat, silencing him. I stood still, staring at what I had done, watching the blood flow from the burning corpse. I vomited, heaving and retching until my stomach was completely empty. Kakashi's hand landed softly on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Sasuke. You did well."

"Y-yeah, thanks…" I forced myself to look away.

Kakashi soon had the surviving assailant tied to a tree.

"Tazuna-san, we need to talk," Kakashi began, voice cold. "These men are chuunin of Kirigakure, and were clearly here waiting for us. Sasuke," he turned to me. "You spotted them around the same time I did. Can you explain how?"

"Yes, Sensei. That puddle shouldn't have been there. It's a clear day and we haven't had rain recently."

"Excellent observation skills, Sasuke," Kakashi complemented.

"If you both knew all that, why let them attack?" Tazuna queried.

"I could have killed them on sight," Kakashi explained. "But I wanted to know who they were targeting. Us… Or you." Tazuna gulped. "You never told us there were shinobi looking to take your life, Tazuna-san. Your request was for an escort to protect you against common bandits. If that were the case, protecting you until you finished your bridge would be simple, but if you knew beforehand that you could be targeted by other ninja, then this mission definitely would have been classified as at least a B-rank mission. You may have had your reasons, but you shouldn't have lied to us when asking for our help. As it is, this task falls beyond the boundaries of the job we were assigned."

"What do we do, Sensei?" Sakura asked, worried. "If we're not good enough for a mission like this, do we go back to the village?"

"Hmm, this is a difficult situation…"

"We keep moving forward!" Naruto suddenly spoke up, no doubt desperate to redeem himself for freezing up. "We gave our word that we'd finish the mission, and Uzumaki Naruto never goes back on his word, dattebayo!" Kakashi turned to me.

"Sasuke?" I took a deep breath. This mission was incredibly dangerous. I knew what was coming – Zabuza Momochi and Haku. A former Swordsman of the Mist and an Ice Release user. Both were high jounin-level threats, with Haku being arguably stronger than even Kakashi. It wouldn't be unfair to say that advocating that we continue in the face of such knowledge would be irresponsible. However, completing this mission would provide vital experience for what was to come. Leaving my teammates unprepared for what would come after, for the chuunin exams and Konoha crush, would be even more irresponsible. And that wasn't even taking into account Nami no Kuni itself, which was suffering under the boot of Gato Company. Wasn't part of my goal here to protect people? To bring about peace?

And Naruto would never forgive me if I asked to turn back. "I agree with Naruto. We should continue with the mission."

For the next leg of the journey, I stuck to the back of the pack. I wasn't exactly being observant, too caught up in my own worries, but assuming events held to canon, it wouldn't matter. We would be safe until we arrived in Nami.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" I hadn't even noticed that Sakura dropped back to talk to me.

"I'm alright. I just… I didn't know what to expect, you know? From my first kill, I mean." I shook my head. "I should be the one asking you. That guy with the claw…"

"I'm… Trying not to think about it," she admitted. "Do you think we made the right call, moving on?" I looked at her.

'I don't know,' I wanted to say. But I couldn't, because that wasn't what she needed to hear. She needed confident Sasuke. She needed to hear that we definitely made the right decision. That we could easily handle whatever came. "I do. Now that we've seen the enemy, we have an idea what to expect. We can handle this." She nodded, encouraged, but for me, the words tasted like ash in my mouth.

While Tazuna got talking with the man whose boat we would be riding into Nami no Kuni proper, I asked Kakashi for a quiet word.

"Sensei," I whispered. "None of us know how to walk on water. If there are more Kiri ninja hiding in the mist, or in the ocean, we're sitting ducks. We can't fight properly on a rowboat." I didn't expect it to happen, since so far the only changes from canon had been direct results of my actions, but you can never be too careful.

"I know, Sasuke, but anything larger would attract attention, and I have a feeling Tazuna-san can't afford a bigger boat anyway. But don't worry, now that we know why we're being targeted, I won't hold back. If we're attacked on the water, I won't let them get to you. I promise." Even if I hadn't already known about Kakashi's determination to protect his comrades, his tone would have been reassurance enough. I nodded and began to head back towards the group. "And Sasuke." I turned back. "It gets easier."

While we were on the boat, Tazuna fully explained the plight of his country, and his reasons for lying about the danger of the mission. Since I was already aware of all this, I feigned paying attention while actually thinking about the battle ahead. While I could remember the general flow of most major battles in the series, I could only remember the full details of a few, though fortunately this was one of them.

Best to try and stick close to canon for now. We can win this one relatively easily. I also decided that I'd rather avoid using my Sharingan in this fight if possible, since I didn't want to make myself a priority target. If Zabuza found out I had it, he'd probably have Haku try to pluck my eyes out so they could each take one, and there was no way Kakashi could fight Zabuza and protect me from Haku at the same time.

By the time Naruto threw his kunai into the bushes, I was barely managing to conceal the combination of anticipation and dread swirling around in my gut. My eyes narrowed when Sakura hit him.

Once we're out of danger, we'll be having words, I decided. Naruto threw his second kunai, this time barely missing a white rabbit, one that was likely used as part of a Substitution Jutsu. This is it. Naruto was fussing guiltily over the rabbit he'd scared when Kakashi suddenly shouted.

"Everyone, get down, now!" We all dropped just an instant before the Executioner's Blade flew just above our heads, burying itself in a nearby tree. Immediately after, a familiar man with bandages covering his mouth and nose landed on its hilt.

"Well, if it isn't Momochi Zabua, formerly of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," Kakashi drawled as we all stood up.

"Sharingan no Kakashi," Zabuza replied casually. "Surrender the old man, and this doesn't have to get bloody."

"I'm afraid we can't do that. You three, Manji Formation!" Kakashi ordered us, and we all immediately fell into formation, kunai at the ready. "Protect the bridge builder, and stay out of this fight. This man is too much for you." A hand went to his headband. "Now, Zabuza-san…" He revealed his hidden Sharingan. "Shall we?" Zabuza chuckled.

"Ah, to face the legendary Sharingan… Truly an honour. You know, the Kiri bingo book has quite the write-up on you. It looks like I'll have to kill you first." With a lightning-fast Shunshin, he grabbed his sword and flew off to stand atop a nearby lake. Lifting one arm over his head, he spoke. "Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in the Mist Jutsu)." Immediately the area was covered in a thick fog that obscured our vision.

"Everyone, stay on guard," Kakashi warned. "Momochi Zabuza is an infamous master of the art of silent killing. Stay on your toes." The fog continued to thicken.

"Eight vital spots," Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist, sounding as if it came from all around us. "The throat, spine, lungs, liver, kidneys, heart. The jugular vein and the subclavian artery. So many choices… So where should I choose to strike?" His dark chuckling surrounded us. The suspense was getting to me, to all of us.

"Calm down," Kakashi said reassuringly. "No matter what, I will not allow my comrades to die."

"I wouldn't bet on that, Kakashi-san." I felt the air shift behind me, and suddenly I was shoved forward. I turned to look, and saw Kakashi crouched low, holding a kunai that was stuck in Zabuza's torso, right in the left kidney.

But not the real Zabuza.

"Sensei, behind you!" Naruto shouted out as the Water Clone dissipated and a second Zabuza swung his sword, cutting Kakashi in half.

Only to reveal that he, too, was a Water Clone.

Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza again, kunai to his throat this time.

"Game over, Zabuza." Naruto and Sakura were looking on in awe. Until Zabuza started laughing.

"You think you can beat me by just copying me like some kind of ape? You'll have to try harder than that!" The Zabuza Kakashi held captive dissolved into water, and anotherone appeared behind him. This Zabuza took a swing, but Kakashi ducked only for his foe to turn the momentum into a hard kick that sent him out into the middle of the lake. Zabuza followed, easily avoiding the caltrops Kakashi had scattered in flight. "Suiro no Jutsu (Water Prison Jutsu)!" Immediately, Kakashi was encased in an orb of water, with Zabuza using one hand to maintain it. "That prison is inescapable, you're trapped! I was planning on killing you first, but I suppose this will do just as well…" He turned his attention to us, bringing his free hand up into a seal. "I'll just kill the others and come back for you later, if you don't drown in there. Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Water Clone Jutsu)!"

"Naruto, quick!" I shouted as Zabuza's clone was still forming.

"Right! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Over three dozen Narutos appeared in a puff of smoke.

"No! Run!" Kakashi shouted from his prison. "He can't leave here as long as I'm in this prison, and Water Clones dissipate if they get too far from the original! Take Tazuna-san and go!"

"With all due respect, Sensei: shut it. Like you just said, we will not allow our comrades to die." I hoped I looked calm, because I was shitting myself inside, barely managing to keep my head in the game.

"So the brats think they can help?" Zabuza taunted. "I admit, those Shadow Clones are impressive, but we're not playing ninja here, kids. This isn't a game. Are you really willing to die for your sensei?"

"We're certainly willing to kill for him. Naruto!"

"Charge!" At his shout, his clones rushed forward. Zabuza's clone was destroying them, but it was trivial for Naruto to replace them. While that fight was happening, I covered my mouth in case Zabuza could read lips.

"Listen, both of you," I said quietly, reaching into my weapons pouch with my free hand. "Start strapping explosive tags to the backs of Naruto's clones. The smoke will blind him long enough for us to dive into the bushes. Naruto, leave three clones behind and have two of them Transform into Sakura and I. If his clone is destroyed, he'll make another one. Ignore it. Focus on getting his hand away from that Water Prison." They nodded, and we got to work, using the mass of clones to hide our movements.

Soon enough, the first suicide clone was hit, creating a chain reaction that obscured the spot Clone Zabuza had been standing in with a billowing cloud. We all ducked into the bushes, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Sakura had grabbed Tazuna, too, and Naruto had left an extra clone to Transform into him. I smiled.

Good job, I should've thought of that myself. The smoke cleared, revealing that the Water Clone had been completely destroyed. Zabuza laughed out loud.

"Not bad, brats! With some training, you might actually be a threat! Too bad you won't survive beyond today. Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"You're the one who won't make it beyond today, dattebayo!" Naruto's clone shouted. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The clone began making its own Shadow Clones. While the clones fought, I looked over at where Naruto was hiding just in time to see him transform into a fuma shuriken, which a clone grabbed and waved to me.

Ah, so we're going for that plan. I nodded. Clone Naruto grinned and held up three fingers. Two. One.

I jumped out, already running through hand seals.

"What!?" Real Zabuza shouted.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu)!" Fireballs containing concealed shuriken slammed into Clone Zabuza's back, and at the same moment, Clone Naruto tossed Shuriken Naruto at me. I grabbed him and, with a spinning flourish, pulled out my own fuma shuriken in the same hand, opening both simultaneously to hide one behind the other. I tossed them with a shout. Zabuza easily grabbed the first, then jumped over the second. He looked smug until the sound of a dissipating Transformation rang out from behind him.

"Eat this!" A kunai flew out, aimed directly at his back, forcing him to release the water prison and dive to one side to evade, the knife just barely leaving a cut beneath his right eye.

"You little runt!" He made to throw the shuriken he'd caught, but Kakashi blocked it with the steel plate on the back of his glove.

"That was an excellent scheme, team. I'm proud of how much you've all grown." He turned to glare at Zabuza. "Just so you know, the same trick never works twice against me." The two of them jumped apart, and I discretely activated my Sharingan, ready to copy what came next.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)!" Both men shouted simultaneously, forming the water beneath them into breathtaking eastern dragons that twisted around one another before slamming down, creating a miniature tidal wave. It was an incredible sight to witness, especially through my Sharingan, which made the dragons appear to glow with an inner blue light from all the chakra being channelled.

Watching Kakashi completely screw with Zabuza's head was a thing of beauty. Through my Sharingan, I could see the subtle genjutsu he was using to plant subconscious suggestions in Zabuza's mind. The missing-nin was completely falling apart under the pressure.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu! (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)" Kakashi fired off the ridiculously huge vortex just before Zabuza had the chance to, nearly drowning his foe, slamming him into a tree.

"Wh-what… Can you… See the future?" Zabuza asked, coughing and sputtering.

"Yes," Kakashi replied, smooth as silk. "And your future... Is death." Just before he could strike, a pair of senbon needles struck Zabuza's neck. I quickly deactivated my Sharingan, not wanting Haku to see it.

"Well, it seems your prediction came true."

We all stared at the source of the playful declaration, a teen wearing the uniform of the Kirigakure hunter-nin, not that Naruto or Sakura recognised it.

Haku. I briefly considered attacking, but immediately thought better of it. Tazuna was still hidden with Sakura, but I suspected that Haku had seen us all dive into cover and knew where he was. With Kakashi running low on chakra and a lake nearby to fuel Haku's Ice Release, there was no way we could beat Haku and defend Tazuna at the same time. Kakashi moved to check on Zabuza while Sakura and Tazuna came out of hiding, the clones dissipating.

"He's dead," Kakashi confirmed.

I really wish he was. The brief impulse to toss a shuriken into Zabuza's throat just as I had the Demon Brother from earlier hit me, but I ignored it. Haku bowed.

"I hope you don't mind," he apologised, "but I wanted the satisfaction of taking Momochi-san down myself."

"That mask is familiar," observed Kakashi. "Are you a hunter-nin from Kirigakure?"

"Indeed. I have been tracking Momochi-san for a long time now. I thank you for providing me an opportunity to strike."

"Wait, what's going on!?" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto, he's not our enemy," Kakashi said.

"That's not what I meant. He killed Zabuza like he was nothing! And he looks about our age, so what's the deal!?" Kakashi laid a hand on Naruto's head.

"Naruto… You need to learn, that in this world, there are kids who are younger than you… And yet, stronger than me." Haku dropped down by Zabuza's corpse.

"Your fight is over now. I will go and dispose of the corpse." In a flash, he was gone. Kakashi covered his eye.
"Well, now that that's over, let's get Tazuna-san back home, shall we?" Just as he said that, he dropped to the ground.
"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Mh, must have overused the Sharingan," he mumbled, seemingly unbothered.

"Ha! Well, you can come lick your wounds at my house!" Tazuna laughed while Naruto and I supported Kakashi. "We're not far away now, come on!"


A/N 2: I know these early portions of Naruto fics can be kind of monotonous as we go through the obligatory stations of the canon, but chapter 4 will be where things start to divert a little more, and 5 is where we start to see some real changes. Hope to keep you in suspense for next week!