Chapter Note: This chapter covers the majority of the Zabuza and Haku fight so it's longer than usual to provide more original content alongside the canon content. Also, every OC has to have something special about them, right?

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After that night, they didn't share the futon again. Inari's mother had walked in the next morning and found them sleeping together, apparently wrapped in each other so tightly that she didn't bother them but left a cup of water on the floor next to them to let them know that she had been there. Kakashi had woken when she had walked into the room but had waited until she was gone before gently waking Avurin up, letting her know that they had a visitor while they had been sleeping. She had been too tired to be embarrassed and had simply unwrapped herself from Kakashi, moving on with her day.

The kids continued training, the competition high as the marks on the trees grew higher and higher. Avurin watched the training occasionally just to make sure they were actually focusing on the training instead of fighting each other, seeing Naruto from a new light as he reached new heights each day. Her and Kakashi had decided to wait until they got back to the village before working on her own training with her newly discovered lightning nature. He had explained that there were certain jutsu that he planned to teach her but he needed to be at full strength to do them and the kids currently needed a lot more attention before the impending battle. The family that they had been staying with had a lot of history with Gato's little group and Inari had to be lectured by Kakashi on Naruto's history to get the kid to stop spreading his pessimistic views on the situation.

Finally, a week had passed and Kakashi was back to normal. He moved with a casual demeanor but Avurin could see occasional glimpses of the training he had endured over the years. A quick flash from one location to the next, a kick that seemed to materialize from thin air, catching anything that was thrown at him without blinking. She was watching him a lot more closely as they prepared for the reunion with Zabuza and Haku. She was worried. She wanted to get to know him. She wanted to go home with him and see her friends again. She wanted to live.

With Kakashi back to full health, they decided to escort Tazuna to the bridge together after tensions started to run high. Tazuna was making great progress with the bridge and if something was going to happen, it would happen soon to prevent the finishing of the bridge. Naruto had finally reached the top of the tree the previous day but had exhausted his chakra doing it so Kakashi had decided to leave Naruto at the house to recover. Apparently that had not been the right decision.

When they arrived at the bridge, the workers were scattered throughout the area, having been attacked just prior to their arrival, and a mist was rolling into the area.

"What happened?! Someone got to them!" Tazuna yelled, looking at his men scattered over the bridge. Kakashi's eye narrowed and he glanced at Avurin. She nodded. Everyone put their backs to each other, forming a circle. Avurin unsheathed her katana, holding it out in front of her as Sasuke and Sakura put their hands on their own weapons. Kakashi prepared his hands to create a jutsu at any given moment.

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Kakashi. I see you still have the harlot and the brats with you. That one is still trembling." Zabuza's voice rang through the area before several clones surrounded the circle.

"I'm trembling with excitement." Sasuke stated from next to Avurin as he looked one of the clones in the eyes. She would have rolled her own eyes if they weren't in a standoff.

'What a fucking psychopathic child…' she thought at the same time Kakashi voiced his approval. Sasuke quickly took care of the water clones and Avurin actually rolled her eyes. 'Little show-off, too. I guess Kakashi knows how to get the kid to train seriously.'

"Looks like you have a rival, Haku," Zabuza drawled as Kakashi and Sasuke faced the real Zabuza with Haku at his side.

"Looks like you were right, Avurin. They ran a scam to get the jump on us as long as we thought Zabuza was dead." Kakashi said, glancing at her and smiling. She smirked.

"I'd recognize the fuckers that burned down my home, behind a mask or not. I overheard too many conversations between the two in my own home not to use the information. Repaying my kindness with that kind of bullshit deserves having their little scam ruined before they even had a chance." She smirked in Zabuza's direction, knowing he could hear her. "You fucked with the wrong 'harlot,' Zabuza."

"Oh shut your mouth, you run it too much. You should have kept your dog home with that mouth choking on his-" Zabuza was cut off by Kakashi speaking, obviously uncomfortable with the explicit turn of the conversation.

"Who does that kid hiding behind the mask think he's fooling?" Kakashi teased from behind gritted teeth. Avurin winced. Zabuza was starting to strike a nerve.

"Speak for yourself, Sensei!" Sakura chimed in.

"That's it. I'm taking him out. Who does he think he's fooling, hiding behind a mask like some sort of clown?" Sasuke asked. If Avurin rolled her eyes any harder, they'd get stuck that way. Kakashi had just said that.

"Sasuke, you're so cool!" Sakura cheered and Avurin felt a vein in her forehead tick slightly. She felt a fluctuation in chakra from Haku and turned her attention back to the standoff.

Haku lunged with light feet, twisting into a small tornado as he charged Sasuke who was smiling like a little lunatic. They met in the middle, senbon to kunai. Avurin was surprised Sasuke had managed to keep up with Haku but was glad that he had a chance. They needed every hand they could get in this fight.

"Sakura, stay with Tazuna and stay close to me. Avurin, stay with her but watch my back." Avurin nodded, standing closer to Tazuna and Sakura with her katana still drawn. They watched as Sasuke and Haku traded blows, talking to each other quietly as they stood at a standstill for a moment. Avurin felt her eyes widen along with Kakashi's as Haku started using hand signs with only one hand. This was beyond advanced. Avurin found herself worrying about Sasuke's ability to keep up with an opponent that could use advanced skills like that.

The water around Sasuke and Haku began to float before sharpening into several needles, converging on the two before Kakashi or Avurin could do anything to prevent it. Haku jumped back at the last second and Avurin caught the flash of Sasuke shooting into the air to avoid the needles, following the attack with several shuriken aimed at Haku. Haku avoided them with ease, however with some footwork, Sasuke managed to land a kick to Haku, sending him flying back to Zabuza who looked on in shock.

"You made a big mistake insulting these Genin. It brings out Sasuke's attitude and he's one of Konoha's best young fighters. Sakura is our sharpest mind and Naruto is as unpredictable as always. He's the number one hyperactive knucklehead." Kakashi bragged across the bridge. Avurin elbowed him and glared.

"Stop gloating. This is serious." she growled. Zabuza seemed to laugh before sending Haku to attack Sasuke again. Avurin watched as ice formed into a dome of mirrors around Sasuke before Haku merged into the mirrors, appearing on each one. Kakashi growled and lunged towards the dome, fully intending on stopping the attack, however Zabuza blocked him. Avurin moved to join Kakashi but he subtly put a hand up behind his back to stop her.

"If you try to jump in, you're fighting me and I'm killing those three. Including your little harlot that you seem so fond of." Zabuza said with a smirk behind the bandages on his face. Kakashi hesitated and they watched as senbon started cutting into Sasuke from every angle. A kunai flew from over Avurin's shoulder, aiming into the dome but Haku caught it. Avurin looked back to Sakura and saw the look of horror on the girl's face. In that brief moment where Haku was vulnerable, a shuriken flew from the air and knocked Haku out of his mirror. Avurin watched as Naruto appeared in a dramatic puff of smoke.

After a flashy show of Naruto blocking senbon seemingly by luck alone, Avurin was shocked to hear Kakashi give him a very thorough dressing down in the middle of the battle. While she agreed that Naruto should have remained hidden and not just charged in and revealed everything from the get-go, that harsh tone was certainly a team Captain's voice from a battlefield. Naruto didn't seem affected in the least, however. He was sorry, sure, but there was no true fear or urgency in his whining.

Haku demanded to fight Naruto as well as Sasuke which Zabuza allowed. Avurin's eyes narrowed at Zabuza. He was playing a game with them and keeping Kakashi held off on the side would only work for so long. There was only so much to be observed from Haku who had the opportunity to kill Sasuke ten times over, yet didn't hit a single vital spot on Sasuke. Something wasn't connecting between Zabuza and his partner.

"Don't even think about it! Same goes for you, harlot! Remember the score, if either of you step in, I go after the bridge builder." Zabuza snapped as Kakashi took a step towards Naruto. She couldn't blame Kakashi for wanting to protect his team, however he was currently keeping Zabuza out of the fight. By breaking the battles up like this, the kids may have a chance without Zabuza just committing a massacre of all of them right off the bat. Haku and Zabuza weren't working together at the moment and that was an advantage they sorely needed.

Kakashi could leave her to protect Tazuna despite Zabuza's threat to go after him if Kakashi tried to protect his students, however something was holding him back. Her eyes narrowed at the back of Kakashi's head. This worked right now, but he could trust her abilities if it came down to it. She didn't want Zabuza jumping in if he was content to watch the Genin fight his pet. She wasn't planning on jumping in to save the Genin either, she knew she would get into trouble and cause trouble for Kakashi. He was the Captain of this mission and she was in no place to act outside of his orders.

The kids were arguing inside of the mirror dome and while there were flames being blown into the mirrors and shadow clones exploding, she could see Haku was just toying with the kids.

"I've got it! It's a kekkei genkai!" Kakashi exclaimed. After an on-the-spot lesson on bloodline traits for Sakura, they all watched on in horror with the implication that the jutsu being used couldn't be broken. After the explosions stopped, they could hear Haku speaking about not wanting to kill them but he would just to protect a special person and his dream. Avurin glared in Zabuza's direction. What had he done to this kid for such loyalty?

"Naruto! Sasuke! Take him out! You can do it!" Sakura shouted towards her teammates. Kakashi turned towards her with a dark look in his eye.

"Don't, Sakura. Don't push them. Even if they somehow found the way to overcome this mirror jutsu, they wouldn't have the strength to defeat the ninja." Avurin froze. Kakashi almost sounded like he had given up on them but he had to have a plan, right?

"How can you be so sure?!" Sakura yelled, obviously upset.

"They have the desire to win but they don't have the instinct to kill. That boy is a whole other breed. He lives for pain and thrives on it." Kakashi stated, his voice deep. Avurin had seen her fair share of battle and knew about killing intent. It could be felt similar to chakra in some extreme cases. It didn't roll off of Haku the way it did for Zabuza, but she understood what was being implied. Haku's demeanor could change at any moment. They were in a very precarious situation if Haku made up his mind. Sakura didn't need the lecture about killing intent in the middle of this battle, they didn't need to scare her any more with that kind of information. All she needed to know was that some people had an instinct to kill in some cases and right now, Haku should be treated as such.

"Your village has become complacent. Your trainees never learned the most important lesson. To kill the feelings in their own hearts and crush an opponent mercilessly." Zabuza's killing intent rolled off of him in waves, intensifying as he spoke. The Demon of the Mist was known for his bloodlust and Avurin had spent her fair share of the last month watching the man kill like it was a sport.

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi took a moment to assess his options before putting his hand up towards his headband, intending on revealing his Sharingan. Zabuza had faced it before, though, and despite his standing and reasoning, he wasn't an idiot.

"That same trick won't work on me," Zabuza said as he lodged a kunai in Kakashi's hand that had flashed forward to protect his face. Kakashi's blood dripped to the ground and Avurin froze.

"Sensei!"

"Kakashi!" Avurin felt herself yell. She didn't expect him to get hit so easily.

"If it's the same trick, why stop me?" Kakashi asked, his own killing intent starting to come off of him. Avurin could feel the tension building between the two.

"Let your opponent see your jutsu too many times and he'll find a way to use it against you."

"Count yourself lucky, you're the only man alive to see my Sharingan twice. Show's over. There won't be a third time." Kakashi growled. His voice had dropped to a deep rumble that carried a very serious warning. Avurin shivered. It was like watching animals squaring up to fight to the death. Zabuza seemed to enjoy it if the smile under the bandages was anything to go by.

"Even if you did defeat me, you'd have no chance against Haku. I trained him in the most advanced ninja techniques. I taught him everything I know in addition to his own special abilities. His power has surpassed even mine. I've created a perfect tool, unlike your useless pups!" Zabuza told Kakashi. There was a sharp spike in the killing intent coming from Kakashi. Avurin had a feeling calling his Genin his pups may have been a little on-the-head for him. Kakashi had mentioned that some wolf traits had carried over, were his Genin his pups in this case?

"Let's finish this, now!" Kakashi snarled as he pulled his headband up and his eye honed in on Zabuza. Zabuza growled back and revealed that Haku had observed everything about Kakashi's Sharingan during their last battle, reiterating that there wasn't anything about Kakashi's Sharingan that Zabuza felt like he couldn't counter. The mist became thicker around them, blinding everyone. Avurin inched closer to Tazuna as she heard Kakashi tell Sakura to do the same.

"Stay close!" Avurin yelled to both of them as she started focusing on feeling chakra signatures close to them. Kakashi and Zabuza hadn't moved just yet but she needed to know if she had to get Tazuna to safety if they got too close. She had a feeling this battle was going to get very, very messy.

The sounds of battle started from Kakashi and Zabuza's position.

"Without your Sharingan, you are nothing. You wanted me to believe you could see anything, even time. I'm still alive, you're a fraud. The Sharingan is just a cheap trick. It has two elements, the hypnotic eye to mesmerize your opponent and the piercing eye that sees everything. All you're doing is copying me like a monkey. A very simple plan can defeat you. Neutralizing your piercing eye with the mist and neutralizing your hypnotic eye by keeping my eyes closed, you can't use it." Zabuza's voice cut through the mist. That was what he was doing? Neutralizing the Sharingan? Kakashi was stronger than the eye but Zabuza didn't know that. The entire time Avurin was in the village, his achievements were earned without that eye.

After a few silent moments, Avurin's eyes widened and she swung her katana to her left as Zabuza's shadow appeared in the mist. She pulled back at just the last second as a green flak jacket appeared between her and Zabuza. She couldn't completely stop the swing and she felt it make contact on Kakashi's leg, leaving a scratch as blood flew through the air from a slash hitting Kakashi in the front. Zabuza had hit him as well.

"YOU IDIOT!" Avurin screamed, flashing to stand next to him, one arm held out in front of him with her katana ready and pointed at Zabuza. Chakra flowed down the length of the blade in her anger. "JUMP IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN AND I'M TAKING YOUR LEG OFF, YOU HEAR ME?!" she yelled at Kakashi who kept his eyes focused on Zabuza. His lack of answer didn't surprise her but she could feel his killing intent reeling back sharply as she moved to stand in front of him.

"Your harlot is quite mouthy but she's quick, Kakashi. She might have caught me with that little stick she's carrying if you hadn't jumped in. Quite a protective little thing. You're made for eachother." Zabuza teased, eyes wide and obviously enjoying the infighting he was inciting.

"You, shut up! You seem to forget that there's another shinobi in this equation! Counter this!" she shouted at Zabuza who only seemed to grow more excited.

"And what, pray tell, should I be countering?" he asked, stretching with his sword off to the side, lazily swinging. Avurin smirked.

"You may have taken away sight, but you haven't countered sound, asshole!" She made a quick hand sign and felt the chakra building in her eyes and throat. "Shut up." Her voice came out even and smooth and Zabuza just raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth as if to retort before his eyes widened.

"What did you do?" Sakura asked, clueless behind them. Avurin looked towards her, still holding the hand sign, watching as Sakura's eyes widened. Avurin knew her eyes were glowing golden in the mist but did not speak.

"Zabuza's not the only one with a kekkei genkai on his side, is he?" Kakashi asked, sounding not in the least bit surprised. If anything, he sounded relieved and almost teasing. Avurin nodded, still holding the hand sign. They saw Zabuza disappear back into the mist but she held the hand sign, still feeling her chakra trickling into her eyes and throat. Her control was rusty, she didn't know how long she could hold it, but she'd revealed her cards and she wasn't going to give Zabuza a chance to communicate it to Haku.

"Wait, if this is a kekkei genkai too, what is happening? Zabuza just left but she didn't hurt him!" Sakura said and Avurin rolled her eyes, giving a pointed look to Kakashi. She knew he knew more than he was letting on. She couldn't speak directly to anyone or they would be affected. He could explain.

"Avurin, I'm deeply sorry for this but I did look at your file when I got back to Konoha after meeting you. Sakura, Avurin has a kekkei genkai passed down in her family that only appears every couple of generations. There was speculation that she may have had it when we were Chunin, but no one had seen it in over fifty years prior to her birth and she never confirmed that she had it. This kekkei genkai can control people with the voice of the user. Everything from simple commands to demanding someone die right in front of them. It matures over time with use, starting simple, but it can be extremely powerful. However, she can only speak directly to the person she wants the command to act on while it's activated which is why she isn't speaking to you. She told Zabuza to shut up, so he did. Anything she tells you to do while it is activated, you will do it even if it ends in your death." Kakashi explained. Avurin wanted to be irate with him at the complete invasion of privacy, but the bead of sweat running down her face and the level of concentration one simple command was requiring was forcing her to focus entirely on holding up the jutsu.

She had kept this hidden for years, especially while she was a Chunin, so she wouldn't be put on any pedestals like Kakashi or the Uchiha. Her father had explained to her prior to his passing that she may not ever develop it but it had only taken the first mission of being injured by her teammates to use it to kill their enemies out of desperation before they killed her as easy prey. After that, every time she found herself in that situation, the same thing occurred. She always came back by the saving grace of a bloodline trait she never thought she would develop. The last thing she needed was her greedy teammates running her to the ground using it on every mission and then striking her down while she was weak from chakra use.

"Why hasn't she told us about it?" Sakura asked. Kakashi sighed.

"Not everyone looks at kekkei genkai as a great thing to have. It can be dangerous, especially with a jutsu as strong as this one. A stigma that she could use it against anyone for the smallest reasons could have gotten her into a lot of trouble. Some kekkei genkai are kept as clan secrets. Avurin and I will discuss it with the Hokage directly but you are not to speak of it to anyone under any circumstances unless the Hokage asks you directly. Not even Naruto and Sasuke unless she reveals it to them on this mission." Kakashi stated firmly. Sakura's silence was enough of an answer.

"I have faith in Naruto and Sasuke to get past Haku. Avurin may not need to show them. I'm sure Naruto would think it's the coolest thing but I understand." Sakura finally said. Avurin liked her determination, even if she was way too obsessed with a certain black-haired broody member of her team.

"I have faith in them too. Naruto as the number one knucklehead ninja and Sasuke as the heir to the most powerful bloodline in Konoha." A gasp was heard from the mist. Zabuza was listening. "That's right, Zabuza. His name is Sasuke Uchiha and he carries the most powerful bloodline trait in Konoha." Kakashi confirmed. Avurin knew the kid was an Uchiha, but the heir? Now that was a pedigree. They heard Zabuza ready his sword in the mist.

"Avurin, release the jutsu. I'll handle him. Save your chakra and stay with Tazuna. With your jutsu, no one will be able to get close enough to Tazuna to hurt him. You're the most valuable player we have on the board right now." Kakashi said before taking off into the mist. Avurin took a deep breath and let the jutsu release, slumping slightly. She wiped the sweat off her brow and turned to Sakura. Her eyes were back to normal so she knew Sakura would know that her request was not backed by the jutsu but was still just as serious.

"He's right about one thing. Do not breathe a word of this. My story is not to be told just yet." Avurin stated simply. A frown etched into her face and she huffed. The simple command had taken too much chakra. She was rusty and she needed to fix that. However, training this kind of jutsu was difficult to do in controlled environments without hurting someone. If she was jailed when they got to Konoha… the type of restraints they used for this kind of jutsu were not pretty. She shook her head. She couldn't focus on that right now. Her thoughts were cut off as a giant wave of killing intent came from the direction of Naruto and Sasuke. It was so strong Avurin leaned over to throw up on the ground, eyes wide. Her vision was swimming from the sheer power and bloodlust.

"What's wrong, Avurin?!" Sakura asked as she ran to Avurin. Avurin stared at the ground with wide, unseeing eyes. It was so… evil… She stood straight up and grabbed Sakura by the arm.

"Take Tazuna and get him as far away as you can! Even if it's just the end of the bridge!" Avurin whispered harshly, praying Kakashi and Zabuza were far enough away that they didn't hear her. She didn't have time to explain this. Sakura looked scared but nodded. Tazuna looked at Avurin with confusion but understanding. Shinobi could sense things civilians couldn't and he looked like he wasn't going to question it.

The sound of shattering glass shocked Avurin into movement. She started running towards the source. Naruto and Sasuke were going to die! As she arrived in the area, she saw Naruto standing in the middle of the shattered mirrors, glaring at Haku with the most feral look on his face that Avurin had ever seen on a person. Bright orange, almost red chakra whipped around him as he lunged for Haku. Kakashi had said that the Kyuubi was inside of this kid, what was happening? It was a seal that held it in, right? She had no idea how Jinchuriki seals worked! As Naruto approached Haku, the chakra seemed to slip away and he stopped before landing the blow to Haku.

Avurin heard mumbled words exchanged before Naruto threw a punch at Haku, laying the kid out on the bridge. Haku got back up and they started speaking. Haku was giving a lecture and Naruto was yelling. Avurin watched from the mist, knowing they couldn't see her. Haku didn't know about her kekkei genkai just yet and she was going to use it if Naruto was in danger. After a few minutes, Haku's cadence sounded like he was telling a story. Avurin stayed hidden longer. Naruto was learning something very important if this conversation was as important as she thought it was. Enemies that knew they may not make it sometimes spilled their stories. This would be good for Naruto, even if it hurt to hear. Kakashi was correct, Naruto needed to learn many stories and lessons if he wanted to be Hokage. He needed all perspectives. She would protect him if things turned for the worst.

The distant sound of dogs barking and growling caught her attention but the two in front of her didn't seem to notice. She couldn't be concerned about it at the moment, but she was curious. She had a feeling it had something to do with Kakashi. Soon after, a very high pitched chirping came from the same area. Was that… Chidori? She'd heard of it, the chirping of a thousand birds being the reason for its name. Kakashi had been testing it on missions when she had left. It was a signature of his. She smirked. This would be over soon.

Naruto finally lunged and Haku blocked him, saying a few words to Naruto, before disappearing. Shortly after, a huge shockwave ran down the length of the bridge from where the sound of the Chidori was the loudest it had been. Avurin quickly flashed over to Kakashi's location, seeing that the mist was starting to clear. The scene that greeted her made her blood run cold.