Land of Waves: Day…
"We're here." The rower declared as the boat pulled up to the dock, located within a small fishing village, and Team 7 and Tazuna disembarked. "This is as far as I go."
"I understand." Tazuna stated genuinely. "Thank you for taking such a risk."
The rower nodded. "Just be careful."
He then turned on the boat's engine and drove off.
"My home is this way." Tazuna voiced, reserved. "Please, follow me."
To Team 7's relief, the mist that had once adorned the atmosphere was gone, and the sun was now shining. They left the fishing village in a matter of minutes and were now within a forest which led to Tazuna's house.
On their way, Kakashi was in deep thought. "The next ninja they send won't be Chunin, they'll be Jonin, an elite ninja with deadly skills."
"This time, my team isn't taking the glory." Naruto was looking for strange signs when something caught his gaze, so he threw a kunai into a bush nearby. "Over there!" Nothing happened. "It was just a mouse."
"What an idiot." Sasuke thought, frustrated.
It was enough to make him wish the blond had Flying Rajin, so he'd have left rather than Goku.
"Naruto, that's a kunai." Kakashi scolded. "It's a dangerous weapon."
Tazuna was furious. "STOP TRYING TO SCARE ME YOU TWERP!"
"Hey, is somebody hiding over there? No! I think he's over there!" Naruto ranted, clearly not paying attention. "Or maybe...over there!"
He threw another kunai, but this time it hit something which drew Kakashi's attention. The Jonin went to inspect it and found a snow-white rabbit almost shocked to death. The kunai was embedded deeply into a tree inches from hitting it.
"Oh, poor dear!" Hinata ran over and picked the rabbit up before attempting to make him feel safe. "I'm sorry my teammate scared you like that."
"Hinata, let me see the rabbit." Naruto was devastated. "I need to make this up to him."
"No way!" Hinata still had feelings for the blond, this incident hadn't changed that, but it'd be a disservice to the animal if she gave him to the blond. "You scared this rabbit half to death. The last thing you should do is hold him."
"Come on, I'm sorry!" Naruto exclaimed. "I didn't realize…"
"All that fuss over a rodent?" Tazuna questioned, as the pair continued to talk about the rabbit.
"That's a snow rabbit." Kakashi thought. "They only have that fur during winter, when the days are short and there is little sunlight. This rabbit was raised far away from here, and I can only think of one reason why, a substitution. That means they're already here." A moment later, there was the sound of metal cutting through the wind. "To the ground, now!"
Fortunately, the Genin and client fell to the ground just in time as a huge weapon passed by overhead. The huge weapon turned out to be a sword which imbedded itself to a tree before a man appeared atop its handle.
This man wore grey, baggy pants, arm sleeves with a camouflaged pattern, and shinobi sandals. His Hidden Mist headband was placed on the left side of his forehead while half his face was covered by bandages.
"Here it is." Naruto thought with a devilish smile. "My time to shine!"
"If it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from Kirigakure." Kakashi declared, stepping forward.
"Rogue ninja? Whatever, nothing is going to stop me!" Naruto thought. "Ready? Go!"
Naruto started to run at the man, but Kakashi stopped him. "You're in the way. Get back."
Kakashi knew his Genin made plenty of progress and were rather strong, especially compared to their contemporaries. Even then, Zabuza was a Jonin like him. Despite how far his Genin have come, the Leaf Jonin liked his chances better than theirs in this confrontation.
"But why?" Naruto asked.
"He's in a whole other league from those other Shinobi." Kakashi grasped his headband. "If he's our opponent, I'll need this."
"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye." Zabuza stated. "Did I get that right?" Sasuke let out a loud gasp. "It's too bad you'll have to hand over the old man."
"Quick, Manji formation!" Kakshi commanded. "Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork, and now is the time to use it."
He then lifted the left side of his headband, revealing a vertical scar and an eye as well. The eye, unlike the black right one, was red with three tomoe.
"What's wrong with his eye?" Naruto thought as he took a step back.
"Looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action." Zabuza gave a predatory smirk. "I feel quite lucky."
Naruto couldn't stand it anymore. "Geez, everyone's talking about Sharingan this and Sharingan that, but can someone please tell me what exactly the Sharingan is?"
Surprisingly enough, Sasuke was the one that spoke up. "The Sharingan is a rare power that resides in the eyes of the Uchiha. The user of this Dojutsu will be able to instantly see and comprehend any type of Taijutsu, Genjutsu, or Ninjutsu."
"You got it right; however, that's only the surface." Now, it was Zabuza's turn to speak. "The Sharingan can copy your enemy's moves to the smallest detail." Right after finishing his sentence, mist started to appear out of nowhere.
"As for you Jonin, I've had my eyes on you for quite a while. I recently picked up a Bingo Book to see if you were still out there, and I was right. Just so you brats know, the man you have for a sensei is called 'the shinobi who has copied over a thousand Jutsu. Kakashi, the Copy-Ninja.'"
"Wow, that's so cool!" Naruto yelled.
"Wait, the Sharingan is an ability possessed only by members of the Uchiha clan, my clan." Sasuke thought as he inspected the Hatake. "Could he...?"
"Enough talk." Zabuza's cold voice interrupted Sasuke's train of thought. "I need that old man dead, now."
The Genin quickly responded by surrounding Tazuna. Hinata and Naruto each held kunai while Sasuke had drawn his saber.
"Looks like I'll have to deal with you first, eh Kakashi?" Zabuza asked. "So be it."
With that said, Zabuza jumped from the tree, with his blade in hand, and applied water walking to stand atop the nearby lake. There, he used a strange hand sign, gathering a huge amount of Chakra.
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
The mist expanded itself to the point where no one could see more than three meters away.
"S-Sensei…" Hinata called out.
"He'll come after me first." Kakashi replied.
"But…who is he?"
"Zabuza Momochi, ex-leader of Kirigakure's Assassination Unit. He is a master of the 'silent killing' technique."
"So, he's strong then." Naruto noted.
"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant, without sound or warning of any kind." Kakashi continued. "It's so fast, you die without noticing. Not even the Sharingan can fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard."
Naruto took note of his surroundings. "The mist is getting thicker and thicker!"
"The Land of Waves is surrounded by the ocean." Tazuna explained. "Here, the mist is as normal as the clouds in the sky."
Much to Team 7's displeasure, the mist became so thick they could barely see anything. Kakashi was now invisible to them, which made the Genin move closer to each other out of fear.
"Eight points…" A hidden voice whispered loud enough for the Genin and Tazuna to hear. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, collarbone, kidneys, and heart. Now, which one will be my attack point?"
Kakashi responded by doing a hand sign and gathering chakra.
"I feel like I can't breathe." Sasuke thought as he started shaking uncontrollably. "One shallow breath…One tiny movement of my eye, and that man will attack me. It's suffocating! If I keep like this, I'll go insane. The clash of two Jonin and their killing intent…It's like my life can be taken away at any moment…No, I can't take it anymore. I'd rather…"
"Sasuke, calm down. I will protect you with my life, all of you." Kakashi then turned around and gave them an eye-smile. "I won't allow my comrades to die. Trust me."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." All the Genin were shocked since Zabuza was now inside their formation. "It's over."
In less than a second, Kakashi spun around, fixed his Sharingan on Zabuza, and buried a kunai into the man's stomach. The Genin took a couple of steps back, visibly startled by the speed of Kakashi's reaction. Then, water poured from the wound and a figure appeared behind Hatake.
"Sensei, behind you!" Naruto yelled.
Turns out that 'Zabuza' was nothing but a water clone. Kakashi looked back just in time to see the real Zabuza slicing him in two. Just as with Zabuza prior, 'Kakashi's' body was made from water.
"A water clone as well?" Zabuza shouted in his mind. "It can't be! Even in the mist, he saw through my illusion and copied it in an instant."
Then, the skin of his neck was greeted by the cold and unforgiving metal of a kunai.
"Don't move." It was Kakashi. "You're finished."
"Alright!" Naruto was the first to react.
"Finished?" Zabuza chuckled. "You really don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but an imitation. I'll never be defeated by a copy-cat like you. You are full of surprises; I'll give you that.
You were able to copy my Water Clone Jutsu in the middle of your speech. Very skillfully executed. You made your clone say those words to draw my attention while you were in the mist, waiting for me to make my move. Nice try, but I'm not that easy to fool."
The moment he finished talking, the real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. Kakashi was about to be chopped in two but ducked at the last moment. Zabuza took advantage of his position and kicked the silver-haired man so hard he sent him flying away into the lake.
By the time Kakashi's head and shoulders were out of the water, Zabuza was already behind him making hand signs. "What a fool. Water Prison Jutsu!"
The Jonin's body was surrounded by a water sphere with Zabuza's hand in it to keep the technique going by supplying a constant and controlled flow of Chakra. Kakashi couldn't believe the situation he had gotten himself into.
He knew this Jutsu all too well and escaping from it with no help from the outside was extremely hard. He had left his Genins unattended and claimed victory far too early. As a result, he had paid the price for his mistake.
"This prison is made of water stronger than steel." The swordsman informed him. "It's hard to fight when you can't move, wouldn't you agree? So much for the great Kakashi. I'll finish you off once those brats are out of the way. Water Clone Jutsu."
Another water clones was made from the lake. "You think you can call yourselves Shinobi just by wearing headbands? Pathetic. The only ones who may call themselves Shinobi are those who have seen the face of death. The fact that you call yourselves ninja is an unfunny joke to me."
The clone disappeared once more into the mist. Before Naruto could react, said clone appeared and kicked him in the gut. The blond was sent flying a couple of meters to the ground. Thankfully, he had no broken ribs, but there was something missing.
His headband was being stomped on by the clone. "You are nothing but kids."
"Listen, get the bridge-builder and run! You can't win this fight!" Kakashi yelled to his team. "He's using all of his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his clone; however, his clone can't go far. If you get away, his clone won't be able to follow you. Now run!"
"Run away? Not an option." Sasuke thought. "The idea of running away became unthinkable the moment you were caught. No matter how fast we run or how far we go, he'll track us down and wipe us out. If we try the Manji formation, he'll get past it like before. In the end, if we do what he says, we're finished. Our only chance of survival is to rescue you."
"We could try to run away, but that clone is faster than us." Hinata was also evaluating their chances. "Even if I'm wrong, there's no way Tazuna can keep up. The clone must be weaker than the original Zabuza.
Still, it's still stronger than the Demmon Brothers. Kakashi Sensei is the only one that stands a chance against him, but he's trapped inside that water prison. The only chance we have is freeing him, but that clone won't make it easy on us."
Before she could come up with a plan, Sasuke started to run towards the clone and jumped. He pulled out several shuriken before throwing them at 'Zabuza'. The clone swatted them away with the use of his sword while the Uchiha descended with his saber drawn.
'Zabuza' snorted at him. "This is too easy."
Zabuza grabbed Sasuke out of the air, by his throat, before tossing him away.
"Sasuke, don't go against him without help!" Hinata yelled at her teammate.
Naruto stared at Sasuke before looking back to Zabuza, who seemed to be towering over him. "So, this is what a Jonin is like." His body was trembling. "I-I got to get away! If I don't, he's seriously going to annihilate me!'
But the moment his left-hand touched ground, his gaze met the sight of his bandaged hand where his wound was. His own words, from his promise, echoed inside his head.
"That's right!" He thought. "I swore an oath of pain, so I can't run away!"
Naruto roared as he charged the clone.
"Naruto, don't go as well!" Hinata yelled.
Naruto kept going until he was close to the clone, but 'Zabuza' punched him back to where he once was.
As Naruto slowly rose, he held something in his hand. "Hey, you…freak with no eyebrows." Zabuza's eye twitched at the insult. "Put this in your Bingo Book. The ninja that will become Hokage of Konoha never backs down. His name...is Naruto Uzumaki!"
Everyone went quiet after the statement.
Even Tazuna found some form of respect for the kid. "I thought he was all talk, but he actually has some guts."
"Listen up Sasuke and Hinata, can you hear me?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, I hear you." Sasuke voiced.
Hinata nodded. "I'm all ears."
"Good because I got a plan." Naruto declared with a smirk.
"He's finally thinking about teamwork." Hinata thought relieved.
"I don't care what kind of plan you have in mind." Zabuza laughed. "I'll rip you apart all the same."
"What do you think you're doing!?" Kakashi's frightened voice came out. "I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I got caught, so take off! Your mission is not to prove how brave you are, it's to save the bridge-builder! Stay on mission!"
Naruto looked back at Tazuna. "Bridge builder?"
"This happened because of me, my desire to live, but I won't let that stand in your way now." Tazuna responded. "Forget about me. Fight to get your sensei."
Hinata smiled as he opinion of Tazuna increased upon hearing that. "You heard him, Kakashi Sensei. Besides, those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. That was the first thing you taught us."
Zabuza started to laugh once more. "You really don't get it, do you? Still playing your little game, pretending to be Shinobi. When I was your age, my hands had already crushed many opponents."
"Zabuza, The Mist's Demon." Kakashi glared at the man. "Long ago, in Kirigakure, also known as 'Blood Mist Village', there was a final task one had to do in order to become a ninja."
"You also know about the Graduation Exam?"
"What Graduation Exam?" Naruto asked. "What's the big deal? We had a Graduation Exam to."
"Did you have to kill another student to pass?" Zabuza asked with a psychotic smile on his face, shocking the Genins. "Just imagine, eating and training together before the final exam comes along to change the rules. You can't stop until your opponent is finished. It is him or you."
"That's so cruel." Hinata whispered, tears threatening to run down her cheeks.
"A couple of years ago, their Graduation Exam had to change." Kakashi said. "One year before, a dark evil came to the academy. Without any pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class and took down over a hundred other students."
Zabuza stared into the sky, sighing wistfully. "That was one of the best days of my life."
"Hinata, when I give the signal, attack the clone with your gentle fist." Naruto voiced. "Sasuke, when the time is right, I'll be counting on your skill with shuriken. Don't miss the target." Seeing both his teammates nodding in understanding, he made a hand sign. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Thirty Naruto's appeared before rushing 'Zabuza'. Though the water clone was stronger and more powerful, compared to the shadow clones, the number advantage made them difficult to deal with.
"Hinata, now!" Naruto shouted.
"Byakugan!" Hinata declared before rushing forward.
In that same instance, the water clone let out a roar and pushed all of Naruto's clones back at once, making them 'poof' out of existence. Through the smoke left by their dispelling, Hinata had drawn in close and managed to get into position.
"You're within range." Hinata declared. "8 Trigrams: 32 Palms!"
"2 Palms"
"4 Palms"
"8 Palms"
"16 Palms"
"32 Palms!"
Despite not having the physical edge, the fact that the gentle fist could strike the internal Chakra, as well as the increasing number of palm strikes, was enough to dispel the clone. The real Zabuza narrowed his eyes.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he threw his teammate a Fuma Shuriken.
Sasuke caught the weapon and turned around. "So, this is your plan; not bad Naruto." His eyes fixated on the Mist Jonin. "Fuma Shuriken: Windmill of Shadows!"
The raven-haired boy threw the Fuma Shuriken as hard as he could, making sure that the weapon was sent directly at the real Zabuza.
"Interesting, so the whole thing was a distraction. They made sure my clone was dispatched, so he couldn't stop the Fuma Shuriken. Not a bad plan. Still…" Zabuza laughed to himself. "You can't hope to defeat me with that."
When the weapon was a few meters away, Zabuza raised his hand and caught the weapon by the handle, making the weapon stop dead in its track.
His eyes widened as another Fuma Shuriken was making its way to him. "A second shuriken hidden in the shadow of the first!"
He had to admit, the plan was well crafted. If he were your average Shinobi, those brats might have caught him, but he wasn't just some Shinobi. He was Zabuza Momochi, and no group of green Genin would get the better of him.
When the second shuriken was a meter away, Zabuza jumped, and the weapon went underneath him. "I already told you that you can't defeat me with that!"
He failed to notice the smirk on Sasuke's face.
The second Shuriken 'poofed' and was replaced with the sight of Naruto holding a kunai. "Eat this!"
Naruto threw the kunai with all his strength. It was only in that exact moment that Zabuza realized the truth. He had been fooled, deceived by mere Genins who were soiling their clothes out of fear not too long ago. Moving out of instinct, Zabuza pulled his hand out of the water.
This enabled him to dodge the kunai. Even though he managed to avoid a fatal wound, the kunai still made a cut in his cheek. Absolutely enraged by the fact that the blonde brat managed to catch him off guard, the swordsman started to spin the Fuma Shuriken.
He immediately widened his eyes as, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted another kunai thrown his way from the shore. "Another kunai!?" He thought he spotted kanji on it. "Was that marked with kanji?"
In a black flash, Goku appeared above the kunai and kicked the Jonin in the jaw with all the might he could muster. At the same time, Naruto and Kakashi ended up landing on the surface of the lake, staring at this intervention.
"Another Genin?" Zabuza thought before his eyes widened. "Wait, the kanji…That kid has the same Jutsu once used by the Yellow Flash of the Leaf!"
"Goku!" Everyone thought, stunned that he'd arrived.
As Zabuza bent back to catch the surface of the lack with his hand, he flowed Chakra there to ensure he wouldn't sink, Neji came speeding out of the brush and was running at him with his Byakugan already active.
"Neji?" Hinata thought surprised.
As Zabuza recovered, Neji slide around to his other side, atop the surface of the water, and was immediately in his stance. "You're within range and can't escape. 8 Trigrams: 64 Palms."
"2 Palms"
"4 Palms"
"8 Palms"
"16 Palms"
"32 Palms"
"64 Palms"
By proxy of being one year older and having that much more experience under a Jonin like Guy. Neji had more strength behind his strikes. He was putting that to good use as every single palm strike proceeded to push Zabuza back.
As he neared the finisher, the Mist Shinobi was backed up to a tree. There Neji gave him the full on 64 palms. Zabuza cried out in pain before his body slumped to the ground. He somehow managed to get into a sitting position rather than falling over.
Almost as soon as he managed that, four kunai, two in his legs and two in his arms, hit the Mist Shinobi causing him to cry out in agony. Kakashi, with his headband back in place, appeared on the branch above him.
"You had it all before being forced to let go of me." Kakashi voiced. "With the well-timed intervention of our missing member and back up, it's over. This is your last battle."
Before anything else could be said, two senbon were buried in Zabuza's neck. The Kiri ninja's shocked expression went without the smallest of shouts, for the attack was as deathly as it was sudden. His body went limp, and he fell to the ground.
"I'd spotted them on our way in." Neji thought, as he turned to the perpetrator first. "A Tacker-Nin."
He had no reason to doubt that, at this time, given he's heard it wasn't uncommon for them to happen across a battle and await the result. If the Chunin had been here from the start of the battle, he might have thought it weird they'd also been here from the beginning.
"Indeed, it was his last battle." The tracker voiced.
Now, everyone saw the figure standing on a tree branch. He wore an ANBU mask, dark green pants, a blue, short-sleeved robe with a green, long-sleeved shirt underneath, and a brown sash around his waist. He had long, black hair to.
Kakashi approached Zabuza's body and placed two fingers on his neck, looking for a heartbeat. "No vital signs."
"Thank you." The unidentified ninja lowered his head. "I have followed Zabuza for a while, waiting for an opportunity to take him down."
"By your mask, I take it you're a Tracker-Nin from Kirigakure." Kakashi responded.
"Impressive, you're well informed."
Naruto made his way to the group as fast as he could. "A Tracker-Nin!"
Tracker-Nin hunt rogue ninja since they carry all sorts of secrets within them. They are trained to hunt these ninjas down and eliminate them.
"I'm a member of the elite tracking unit from Kirigakure." The Tracker-Nin nodded. "It was my duty to stop Zabuza."
"Judging from his voice and height, he must be the same age as my Genin." Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Yet, he is a member of Kirigakure's elite tracking unit. He's no ordinary kid, but what is he?"
The Tracker-Nin body flickered down to Zabuza and picked him up. "Your struggle is over for now. I must deal with the remains, for there are many secrets hidden in this body. I cannot let those fall into the wrong hands. Please excuse me. Farewell."
He body flickered away within a small whirlwind while Kakashi stared intently where the Tracker Shinobi had just been. A mistake had just been made, and as he glanced at everyone there, the fact that Neji caught his gaze told him the Chunin had realized it as well.
Now was not the time to focus on this, as Kakashi decided to address Goku. "Good job on arriving when you did."
"Yeah, and the way you two came in complimented my plan." Naruto added happily.
"How exactly did you end up being the Chunin back up Goku was sent to retrieve?" Hinata asked her cousin suspiciously.
Though the heiress was certain she already knew the answer, and the fact that her honorary brother squirmed under her gaze confirmed it.
"Your father sent me to watch after you, as you are the future clan head." Neji responded. "I just happened to meet Goku at the gate the moment he appeared. After being informed of what was happening, I offered my services as the backup."
"That's just unnecessary, and you should go home." Hinata gave a bratty pout. "I can't grow into a strong leader if the clan constantly coddles me."
"I can't do that." Neji voiced, firmly.
Hinata stamped her foot as she officially showed off a side of herself no one on the team had seen. In fact, it was likely a side of the heiress no one outside of the Hyuga Clan has seen.
"It might be best to stop thinking of Neji as a babysitter sent to watch over you, and instead see him as the backup I requests." Kakashi mediated.
Hinata bowed her head. "I suppose I can do that."
"Good." Kakashi gave one of his eye smiles. "Now, the danger has passed, everyone seems fine, and we've debriefed. All that's left now is to get the bridge builder back to his home and see this mission through to the end."
Tazuna laughed heartedly. "Sorry about all the trouble I've caused you, but you can rest in my house once we get to the village."
"All right, let's get a move on." Kakashi declared.
The reunited Team 7, Neji, and Tazuna moved on.
I know when we they got to the bridge in canon Sasuke could take out all those Zabuza Water Clones, but I'd like to think the one he made the first time was more substantial than. Despite all the progress this Team 7 has made, Zabuza is still a Jonin who could give part I Kakashi a solid run for his money, two times over. Then, we get to the plan where Hinata actually gets to participate. She can go beyond a mere 32 palms, but that was all she needed to destabilize this clone.
Heck, any more than one solid palm strike to disrupt the clone might be overkill, but I think it's cooler taking the clone down with a named attack. Naruto's plan then ends up getting more of a boost as Goku arrives with back up in the former of Neji Hyuga. Given he is already a Chunin, thus cannot take the Chunin Exams, he can have shine on this mission. Shine he does get by disabling 64 of Zabuza's Tenketsu.
volcasiron30: Thank you.
Dreaw Mac: I'll think about it, perhaps it'll be after the next mission.