{Land of waves: Tazuna's residence}
April 17th
Line break.
'Zabuza is probably alive.' Naruto went to bed with those words stuck in his head all night.
Sasuke and Sakura could sleep just fine, but he couldn't. The mystery behind the masked shinobi kept him up the entire time, and it was frustrating beyond belief.
Who was he/she? How powerful was he/she? Will they have to face them both simultaneously in their subsequent encounter? And if so, could they win?
When morning came, he was surprised that he wasn't tired despite not getting much sleep.
[flashback]
Kakashi sighed and struggled to sit up." Zabuza is probably alive.
Sakura gasped and looked at Sasuke, whose eyes widened.
"We saw him die before our eyes. How can you be sure?" Asked Sasuke.
Kakashi looked down in thought before answering. The hunter-nin used senbon, which are non-lethal unless they hit a vital point in the body, not in the neck. They are modified from needles used for medical treatment. What this figure did was hit a point in Zabuza's body to stop his heat temporarily to give the appearance of death.
These ninjas are supposed to destroy the body on the spot. This Anbu didn't do that. They took him with them.
Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other and then back at Kakashi.
"Aren't you overthinking this a bit?" Asked Tazuna.
"No, I'm not. Trust me on that. I've been at this for a long time, and this kind of caution has saved my skin many times. We must always be prepared for the unexpected.
"Sensei. How are we going to deal with him and this new foe if you're out of commission? We don't stand a chance!" yelled Sakura.
"Simple. We train.
"Hold on. A little last-minute training won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza!" exclaimed Sakura.
Kakashi chuckled." You speak as if Zabuza is in better shape than me. With the beating he took, he won't be on the move for some time. We have time. And you're underestimating yourself. You guys have improved since the bell test by an impressive degree. You'll be fine; we should have a few weeks before we'll need to nip Zabuza in the bud.
He turned to Tazuna." how long do your workers need to finish the bridge?
Tazuna shrugged his shoulders. "A week at most, maybe two if we are being thorough.
Kakash nodded. There is a deadline for us to work on it. Get some rest, kids, and be up by 9. We have some training to catch up on.
[flashback end]
"Earth to Naruto!" Sasuke shouted while shaking his shoulder.
Naruto looked at him and narrowed his eyes." what is it?
"Breakfast is ready. Get down there and eat something," he replied, crossing his arms.
The two stared at each other for a few moments before Naruto nodded.
Sasuke watched the other preteen walk down the stairs before sighing and following suit.
Downstairs, a feast awaited. There was fish, bacon, toast, rice with eggs, and tea and milk to drink.
Tsunami was helping Kakashi eat, and Naruto could tell Sakura was playing match-maker in her head.
When he was about to sit down and eat, Tazuna called out to him.
"you don't look exhausted for a kid who was up all night."
Naruto frowned and gave him a suspicious look, and Tazuna chuckled and put his arms in the air. " I was up last night, too. I saw you head out for some fresh air.
Naruto nodded and sat down to eat. " I just needed to think, is all."
Tazuna raised his eyebrow and was about to reply before Inari walked in. he took one look at the team and scowled.
Inari huffed and glared at them, saying nothing as he ate his meal.
Sasuke's eye twitched at the boy's attitude, and Sakura frowned. However, Naruto turned the boy out, still in his head space.
Kakashi made plans to protect Tazuna's house, his family, and the bridge. Guarding them is crucial and ensures Tazuna has nothing to worry about at home while working on the bridge.
Sasuke himself had yet to unlock the power of his Sharingan, but as a combatant, he could handle any type of thug sent to the bridge, save for Zabuza and the masked ninja.
Sabotage was too frequent and too easy to commit. They needed to find a better solution than just leaving it alone, so a rotation between the Genin and himself was devised.
Tazuna was just thankful his home hadn't been attacked since Gato knew who was responsible for the construction efforts. He had been worried about his family since setting out to gain foreign shinobi aid.
With that being established, they could go forward in an organized fashion.
Line break.
{Land of Waves: Tazuna's residence}
A few hours later, Kakashi ordered his team to follow him to the forest for some training. Despite not fully recovering, he needed to train his team to be better prepared for their subsequent inevitable encounter with the Demon of the Hidden Mist.
"Alright, we know that Zabuza and his friend will be back, and we need to be prepared for it," Said Kakashi as he threw three Kunai at the feet of his students.
He began his lecture on tree walking and set them to the task of trying to climb their respective trees. He watched from his own tree perch to see their progress.
Sakura went first and managed to get to the top. Kakashi nodded in approval.
"Good job, Sakura," said Kakashi. Sakura smiled brightly at the praise. However, it seems you're able to climb the tree easily due to the lack of chakra within your system. Continue the exercise. This way, you'll build and grow your chakra reserves to become even stronger. I want you to do laps up and down the tree for the whole day."
Sakura noticeably deflated at that but did as ordered.
To Kakashi's complete surprise, Naruto walked up to his tree without difficulty and stood upside down on a large branch around the same comparative height as his and Sakura's branches.
"You've done this before…" Kakashi concluded. Naruto nodded in acknowledgment. "Well then, I suppose we can start you on the next exercise."
Naruto shook his head in response. Kakashi frowned within his mask. It couldn't be…
"I've mastered that exercise too, Kakashi-sensei; I was standing on the water when we were fighting Zabuza," answered Naruto to Kakashi's unasked question.
Kakashi resisted the urge to facepalm. He'd forgotten that detail. He'd been so caught up in the fact that his students were in danger he hadn't adequately seen just how well they performed that day and what they were genuinely accomplishing before his eyes.
He sighed and ushered Naruto down, and Naruto dropped from the height without issue, which further impressed the Jōnin.
"Then how about I help you with your taijutsu."
Naruto turned to Kakashi, looking him up and down before giving him a look.
"Ah, my condition. Don't worry about that, and just trust me. "said Kakashi.
Naruto sighed. "actually, there's something I could use some help with.
Kakashi raised a brow at that. "And what's that?
"Lightning release. I'm having a bit of trouble pumping out a basic technique from it, and the only one I have access to is too extreme for me." Said Naruto.
Kakashi chuckled. "Very well. I'll do both, then. If what you said earlier about your rate of learning is true, we'll be getting a lot done in the coming weeks.
Kakashi pulled Naruto away while Sasuke glared at the boy from behind. 'Just my luck, getting stuck running up a tree rather than learning jutsu.' he thought bitterly.
Line break.
{Land of Waves: Unknown location}
Zabuza growled as Haku stitched him up. He felt like such a fool. He had no idea why he had gotten so worked up. Of course, the Sharingan can't see the future; what a foolish notion. But to be caught up in such fears and to let Kakashi best him through mind games is something he can't forgive.
Then there are the kids. He hadn't expected to lose to a bunch of kids. He would have taken them out quickly had he not underestimated them.
He glanced at the clock. It read 11:00 AM. "Gato will be here to bitch soon, he spoke in a gruff tone.
Haku nodded as she stitched up his last wound. When she was done with her work, she stood up.
"I'll handle Gato if he tries anything.
Zabuza nodded. "Did you have to go for the neck?
"yes. It's more convincing that way. And I don't know what the Sharingan is capable of, so it had to seem real. Sorry.
Zabuza grunted as he tried to stand up.
"You might want to lay back down," warned Haku.
"No, I'm fine. I need to stretch my legs."
"Okay, but if you feel dizzy, lay back down."
They both turned their attention to the door flying open. A short businessman stomped into the room, two bodyguards behind him.
"What do I even hire you fools for?" Snarled Gato." All I ask is for the head of a fucking builder. Not a ninja, not a politician, a fucking construction worker! he yelled as he smashed a lamp with his cane in anger.
I'm paying you for what your rank and bounty are worth, and you can't even do that much! What the fuck, Zabuza! What! The! FUCK!
"Calm your tits, little man; everything is under control," Spat Zabuza.
Gato glared at Zabuza and pointed his cane at him. " I need results soon, or you can forget any shelter from me! The Demon brothers were a failure and probably put me on the radar of Fire Country! What were you thinking-
Haku's Needle cut him off as she held it up to his throat.
Gato's men went to react, but a killing intent flooded the room and froze them in place. The feeling of death caressing their bodies made them tremble in fear.
Zabuza stared at Gato in silence." now, now, calm down," said Zabuza. "I respect your authority here. But I don't work for you like the men pissing themselves behind you do. I'm a hired sword. I'll fulfill my contract on the honor of my title as one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. But you won't speak to me as you wish. I told you I had it handled. Tazuna won't finish his bridge, and we'll go our separate ways. Haku. You can let him go now.
She did so and appeared next to Zabuza faster than any of the men here could process.
Gato didn't say anything afterward. He left the room with a cold chill running down his spine, yet his anger was not quelled. He'll be keeping a close eye on Zabuza. No one disrespects Gato and gets away with it.
With those thoughts running through his head, he left the room.
Haku sighed and turned to Zabuza." I suppose we'll be sleeping with one eye open from now on?
Zabuza glanced at the girl and nodded. " affirmative.
Line break.
{Land of Waves: bridge construction site}
Kakashi has been spending the last few days helping his team become stronger, Sakura is getting a much better grasp on chakra control, and Sasuke is almost done learning the tree walking exercise.
But his mind wasn't on them. His mind was on Naruto. Why? The speed at which the boy was learning.
He'd managed to rationalize this pretty well. Naruto told him he was self-taught and given material from the Toad Sannin. So, having someone break the material given to him down in an easy-to-understand manner made him realize just how complex Naruto's mind has become.
Naruto is messing with fuinjutsu on a rather complex level, and as such, it makes him a problem solver. In essence, Naruto is a genius.
'A genius on the level of his parents. He's snowballing faster than I can come up with material. Lightning release and water release. He's made them his own in a matter of a few days. That is scary. He doesn't need Ninjutsu now. He needs to master what he has. What he needs is speed and skill. If I can coach him on his fighting style, maybe-' thought a brainstorming Kakashi before he was interrupted.
"Earth to Kakashi!" yelled Tazuna."
Kakashi looked up from his brainstorming. "Hmm?
"We're going to get some lunch. Do you want anything? " Asked Tazuna.
Kakashi shook his head. "Be sure to bring Sakura, just in case."
The old man nodded. "That was already the plan. We'll be back.
The Jōnin sighed once they were gone. 'Speaking of Sakura, I need to help her make amends with Naruto as soon as possible. Perhaps I should pair them up in guard duty while I help Saske finish up his tree walking exercise. That should do the trick. Before I do that, though, I should also talk to him. '
Kakashi brought his book out and decided to read. He'd done enough thinking. It was time to unwind and not think so hard about it.
Line break.
{Land of Waves: Tazuna's residence: the woods}
Naruto's eyes opened at the feeling of another chakra signature. One he's felt before.
He sat up and looked over to see a girl staring at him not far from where he was resting. "Who are you?" the boy spoke calmly as he drew his Kunai.
The girl had brown hair that was dark enough to be considered black and grey eyes. She frowned and held her hand up as she placed her basket down. " Easy there. I was just curious. I saw you on the ground and wasn't sure if you were alright, but I could tell you were fine by how you were breathing.
Naruto narrowed his eyes cautiously. "What's your name?
she smiled and curtseyed." Haku. I'm sorry for startling you. I was just picking some herbs to help my friend. He's sick, and I wanted to make him feel better.
Naruto looked at her for a few moments before relaxing. " I see. You should know I'm a ninja. I was ordered to be on the lookout for any thugs hired by Gato.
She tilted her head and looked him up and down. "you're a ninja? But you're so young. You must be pretty strong.
He blushed at that but shook his head. The way she talks and the way she looks—she's beautiful and charming. Yet he knows it's an act. The scary fact, though, is that if he hadn't sensed her chakra to be the Anbu that took Zabuza's body away, she'd have fooled him, even without a mask. A scary thing indeed.
He blinked when he caught himself staring and realized she'd asked him a question. "I'm sorry, what?
She giggled and repeated herself. "I asked for your name.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you, Haku.
She smiled brightly at that." nice to meet you as well, Naruto Uzumaki. Well. I have to get going; I'm sure you understand. My friend needs these herbs as soon as possible.
"I'll see you around, I guess?
She nodded, picking up her basket, and began walking away, only to stop when he added something." I know who you are, hunter nin."
She didn't move from her spot, and a cold breeze was felt then and there. He began to sweat a little but stood up and crossed his arms. "you being here and gathering medicinal herbs means Zabuza is alive, am I right?
She slowly turned her head, her eyes cold, with a slightly amused smile on her face. "And what if I'm simply sizing up my competition?" She replied, her voice sounding somewhat sinister.
The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood on end. He swallowed but held her gaze." Then I suppose you can add me to the list-
The boy quieted as he felt a senbon at his neck. She was in his personal space in less than a second, her presence barely felt.
Her face was close to his, and they stared at one another in silence as he looked into her grey eyes. They stared at one another in silence, with neither budging.
"You need to be more careful when giving away knowledge, Uzumaki-san. If I were as ruthless as my friend, I'd have slit your throat. "she said with a whisper.
Naruto gave a nervous smirk. "you might want to look down Haku-san.
Her eyes traveled down momentarily, and an impressed smirk found its way onto her lips when she saw the Kunai sitting right where it needed to be for a killing thrust. "Ah. You aren't as helpless as I thought, little Genin.
Naruto gave a nervous chuckle as the girl removed her senbon, allowing Naruto to jump back, his guard up.
Haku shook her head and turned around. "I'll be seeing you soon, Naruto. May the best shinobi win." She said before walking off.
Naruto didn't relax until he couldn't sense her presence. "Note to self. The masked hunter Anbu is a girl. And a dangerous one at that.
Line break.
{Land of Waves: Tazuna's residence: the Lakeside}
A week and some days have passed since that encounter, and Team 7 has been on edge a lot more now.
Kakashi upped their training as much as he could and had Naruto sparring with his clones while he dealt with Sasuke and Sakura.
Sasuke went on to learn how to increase his speed in small bursts using chakra and also learned to use an additional fire jutsu for good measure. Sakura finally got the chance to start her real training in shuriken-jutsu and upping her hand-to-hand. As for Naruto, he improved the most.
Right now, Naruto is sparring with Kakashi, and their exchange is much more advanced than before. They are fighting at a nearby lake.
Fighting on the water was something Naruto had never done before, but it was indeed helping a lot. He was improving by the moment. Every mistake he made was corrected in the following exchange, making Kakashi more aware of Naruto's ability to pick up on things quickly.
In a burst of speed, Kakashi was behind Naruto, sending a kick at him, only for Naruto to weave and appear at Kakashi's side to thrust his Kunai at him.
Kakashi jumped out of the way and gave an impressive woop. "well, now. It seems your timing has improved immensely. I can't teach you anything more extensive since I know little about Jiraiya's fighting style. Still, I can tell you that your knowledge of fighting another opponent has propelled you well beyond what you were when we were in Konoha. So, with that, the mission was accomplished.
Naruto huffed and shook his head. "I don't even feel a difference, though. This chick was in my face in the blink of an eye. I can't fight that.
Kakahi sighed. You are underestimating yourself, Naruto. You were off guard and still managed to react in time. If it were Sasuke or Sakura, I doubt they'd be so lucky.
The two stared at one another in silence. Naruto had to admit that Kakashi had a point.
The boy sighed and took off his shirt to ring it out.
"Hey, Naruto. There's something we should discuss as well.
Naruto walked back onto the shore and threw his shirt over his shoulder. "Oh? And what's that?
"It's about your teammate, Sakura. She is-
"I'll deal with that soon," said Naruto dismissively.
Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto, listen. I understand you are bitter about how she treated you in the past, but she really is trying to make amends. She is feeling a lot of shame for her actions as of late, and it has become an issue. If you could please talk to her and at least come to an understanding, I'd really appreciate it.
Naruto sighed. "I'll talk to her.
Kakashi nodded. "Good. That's all I ask. And if you guys can come to an understanding, I'll pass something down to you that will really help.
Naruto gave him a look, and Kakashi smirked under his mask. 'There we go. Now, he'll cooperate. No more drama, that's all I ask.
Line break.
{Land of Waves: The Local Marketplace}
5:17 PM
Sakura was walking through the city to shop for Tsunami. Naruto agreed to go with her for protection, compensating for their lack of interaction.
"So where are we headed?" asked Naruto.
"The produce market for veggies.
Naruto looked around and frowned." Sakura, we're in the produce section.
Sakura looked at him, confused at first, but she frowned when she saw the empty shelves with leftover and rotting food.
"No way. This is the produce market? It's a dump. How can people live like this? There's barely anything to go arou-. She cut herself off when she saw the absurd prices for what was left in stock.
Naruto seemed to notice and walked next to her to see.
She looked at him with a frown. "these people must be starving.
Naruto nodded. They are. This is why Gato needs to be stopped.
He looked at her. "what do you think we should do?"
Sakura shrugged." I don't know. I'm not sure what I can do. I don't even know what I'm capable of doing.
"you're capable of more than you think, Sakura.
He paid for a batch of apples and walked over to an alley, which confused her at first.
Then she realized what he was doing when some kids emerged from hiding.
They were dirty and skinny.
She looked at them and smiled.
Naruto bent down and gave them a good portion of his apples.
One of them ran over to Naruto and hugged him tightly. "thank you, thank you!"
Sakura looked on in surprise.
"No problem. just be sure to share it, okay?"
the kids nodded and ran off.
Naruto turned back to her, and she saw he still had quite a few in the basket.
"let's get the rest of what we need and leave before we attract too much attention. What I did was kinda stupid."
Sakura nodded, and they continued shopping. She kept giving him this look, and it was pissing him off a little.
"What is it, Sakura?" he asked in an annoyed tone.
She frowned and looked down. "Naruto. I want to apologize for the way I treated you in the academy. I was wrong to act like that when you'd done nothing wrong. I'm sorry.
Naruto gave her a stare that made her uncomfortable momentarily before he broke into a smirk. "All is forgiven, Sakura-chan! I was, after all, an annoying pest. Am I right, or am I right?
Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed. "well, yes. But still, I shouldn't have said the things I said about you. I'm sorry, really.
He smirked. "All is forgiven. We're teammates. Besides, I don't hold grudges for long, so all is well.
She raised a brow at that. "Two months was a long time.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, you said it yourself. I'm annoying. I figured space was best for both of us.
Sakura flinched and looked down. "S-sorry-
"Stop that. Seriously. Besides, you gave me plenty of hints. You love Sasuke, and I respect that. Hell, if you want, I'll even help you get a date to spite him.
"H-Hey!" she yelled, punching his shoulder.
The boy laughed it off while rubbing his shoulder. "relax, I mean it. Let's finish up here so we can get going, okay?
She nodded and walked ahead slightly, feeling good about how she finally had her apology out and about.
Naruto's smirk didn't reach his eyes, though. 'I'll forgive you, Sakura-chan, but I won't forget. It's unfortunate, but it's true. I learned the hard way that girls my age are all shallow in nature. I suppose that's the way things are.
Line break.
{Land of Waves:Tazuna's residence}
That night, Tsunami fixed them all with a wonderfully sized meal, and they ate quietly for the most part.
Inari wasn't as hostile as he was when he first saw the team. He was beginning to have respect for Naruto and the way he talked to him with respect and without contempt. That didn't change his opinion of how things would end.
Naruto didn't see the point in criticizing a child whose entire life had been turned upside down. If he were a more insensitive person, he'd have smacked the boy in the back of his head, but that didn't seem like something a person with morals would do. He saw the boy crying to a picture of Kaiza, the boy's stepfather.
He asked Tsunami what happened to the man, and she told him how Gato executed him. The man was cruel in how he did so, cutting off the man's arms to mock his motto of protecting the things you love with both arms. Not that pissed him off. That was something to be angry about.
He sighed as he finished his food and crossed his arms to think.
Next thing he knew, everyone was finished eating, save for Inari, who was picking with his food.
He'd been glaring at Naruto, and the older boy noticed this and leaned forward. "Something on my face?
Sakura giggled and shook her head while Sasuke glared at Naruto, hoping he wouldn't cause an argument.
Inari slammed his chopsticks on the table. "you'll die like my hero did.
"Oh? Will I? Well, isn't that unfortunate? If I did, your country would be screwed, your grandfather would be killed, and your mother probably-
"Naruto! Stop!
"Sakura, calm down," replied Naruto calmly and firmly. He turned back to a shaking Inari.
"The way you speak on things with finality could bring those things into reality. I would know. I spent more than half my life pitying myself and allowing myself to rot rather than trying to do something to change my fate. It took someone else showing up in my life for me to have a chance. Now, I'm here to do the same for you. Whether you like it or not, I intend to save you, your family, and everyone in this country from the Tyrant. Or would you rather me fail?
Inari gritted his teeth and stared at Naruto angrily, tears welling up in his eyes.
Naruto sighed. "I don't intend to fail, so just watch and see.
Inari frowned but nodded in understanding.
With that out of the way, Sasuke and Sakura dispersed and left the table, leaving Naruto with Inari for a moment.
When Naruto finally got up, Inari spoke up. "Promise me," he said in a voice just loud enough for the young ninja to hear.
Naruto looked down at the boy with a raised brow.
Inari's eyes hardened." promise me you'll come back alive. Promise me you'll stop Gato.
Naruto gave a smile. "Of course, I promise.
The boy smiled back. "Thank you.
The older boy chuckled. "Don't thank me yet. We have a whole fight ahead of us.
Line break.
{Land of Waves:The bridge construction site}
Kakashi had stationed Sakura and Sasuke to watch over the bridge with him in the few days that followed after Naruto reported the incident with Haku. In case Haku showed up to take out Tazuna's family, Naruto stayed at the house.
Currently, Kakashi was reading his book when he noticed fog climbing onto the bridge.
His eyes widened, and he slammed his book shut and jumped off the high-rise Platform he was standing on.
"Sasuke, Sakura, Vigilent, now!
Sakura and Sasuke immediately rushed to Tazuna's side, who looked confused along with his workers, but upon seeing the fog, his coworkers fled the scene in haste.
The last man heading into the fog screamed out, and they heard a squelch.
The silhouette Zabuza formed as he walked toward team 7.
"Ready for round two, Kakashi?
Sasuke's eyes narrowed." so you are alive.
Zabuza chuckled." you have the balls to speak to me, half-baked Uchiha? Haku!
Kakashi" 's eyes narrowed at seeing the masked girl show up next to Zabuza.
"Sasuke. I'm going to need you to cover me.
Sasuke nodded and moved to face his opponent.
The girl turned to look at Zabuza." I'll take care of him."
"Make it quick.
Haku dashed at her opponents, and the battle commenced.
Line break.
{Land of Waves:Tazuna's residence}
Inari was sitting by his window watching the ocean when he heard a crash, and his mother screamed.
He rushed downstairs to find Naruto standing over two men and his mother cowering behind him.
Inari ran to his mother, who was shaking at nearly being killed, and Naruto turned and gave them a stern look. "hide yourselves and don't come out unless I say so. There is a lot more outside.
Tsunami nodded and grabbed Inari, but the boy shook her off, "Wait! Naruto.! Don't be a fool! Come with us before you get yourself killed!
Naruto looked at Inari and scowled." I'm no fool, and I'm not weak. You'll see.
Inari frowned and was dragged upstairs by Tsunami.
Naruto turned and faced the door before sighing. He opened it to reveal what was probably 20 or 30 men armed with clubs, swords, and spears waiting outside with Gato in front of them, a smirk on his face.
Naruto closed the door and crossed his arms.
" Well, well, well. Isn't this something else?" said Gato in an amused tone. I figured we'd catch the old man off guard by taking his family, but the copycat ninja is smarter than I thought. But to leave a child here as a guard? How insulting.
Naruto seemed to be done counting the men in Gato's employ. ' he doesn't have any shinobi. I have a good idea of how to deal with them then.
Gato's face was passive as he pointed his cane at Naruto, and his men charged. He didn't like the way the kid was looking at him. It reminded him of the ice brat.
Naruto went through hand signs and performed the shadow clone jutsu, creating five clones. Then, they simultaneously performed the wind cyclone jutsu, creating a significant Barrier of wind that swept them up and blew them apart. Some flew meters into the air and fell to their deaths, and others were torn apart in the mini storm of winds.
Naruto frowned as he watched the men fall and fly around like autumn leaves. The wind blew hard enough to shake the foundation of the docks they were standing on, and the trees in the distance danced wildly.
Gato looked on in shock as he held on for dear life and began to panic.
Once the winds died down, his men seemed to lose morale and begin to flee the scene.
'That did way more damage than I thought,' thought Naruto to himself. I spared the two in the house and made it so they could never hurt a living soul again, even if they tried. But this is a bit extreme. I guess this is to be expected when dealing with people who may as well be civilians with clubs.
Naruto took the opportunity to attack.
He rushed at the remaining men who were trying to ensure their boss's protection.
He dispelled his clones to preserve chakra and effortlessly danced past their sword strikes, slashing at debilitating cuts across their bodies with his drawn Kunai.
One man was poised to strike, his arms in the air to bring his sword down, but he was slow. He kicked him in the stomach, his word falling out of his hand from the force and sending it flying into another grunt before Naruto blurred in front of both of them and skewered them with the fallen sword.
He let go of the blade to avoid a cleaver, ducking out of the way of the second swing and rolling under the third made by the giant man wielding it. He stabbed the man in the back of his leg with a kunai, sending him down to one knee before he slit his throat and retrieved the sword from the two writhing men he had just skewered.
He lazily deflected an arrow that came from the treeline as he walked towards Gato, and the man decided it was time to leave.
Gato pushed past his men and yelled at them to get out of his way and kill Naruto.
Naruto frowned and began to chase him but found a wall of his most loyal remaining to him.
He sighed and dashed into the line of thugs and hacked away.
Line break.
{Land of Waves: The bridge}
Sasuke realized very quickly that he was out of his league. As he clashed with the girl, at first, it appeared that they were even, with Sasuke even kicking Haku to the ground and sending her to Zabuza's feet.
But when Zabuza scolded Haku for toying with her prey and making him feel like he had a chance, he realized that he was indeed facing a sadistic girl who enjoyed tormenting people.
He dodged her attacks, her Senbon grazing him with each thrust.
He knew that she could end his life with a single slash, so he tried to make sure he never got hit.
He backflipped away from her to catch his breath for a moment.
He needs a different strategy. She's faster than him by a lot, and she has better taijutsu coordination. This leaves Ninjutsu, but he needs to find a way to keep her from dodging.
He pulled his shuriken from his belt and threw it at her, and she responded by throwing her senbon to deflect it.
The masked girl seemed to tilt her head as he ran around her and attempted to throw a shuriken at her.
She moved faster than he thought possible and caught it midair.
She tossed it back at him, and he barely managed to deflect it with his next barrage.
Her hand twitched for her holster, but instead, she dashed forward, her senbon at the ready.
He brought his Kunai and blocked the first three slashes she made before leaning over to the side to avoid a sudden thrust to the head and a cut on his cheek for his troubles.
He grabbed her arm and flipped her over his shoulder to slam her, but she landed on her toes like a cat and flipped over with him, still gripping him, leaving him in an awkward pose before getting kicked in the face and sent on his back.
He panicked and rolled back to his feet, finding that he was right to do so when senbon struck where he was lying.
He readied for another engagement, and she sent a kick towards his chest, which he was able to block. She followed up with a series of kicks and punches that he found difficult to defend against.
He dodged her attacks and countered with a punch to her face that seemed to surprise her as she skidded away a bit, her head leaned back.
Thanks to her mask, he didn't do any damage, but he may have annoyed her as she suddenly lunged at him and tackled him to the floor.
She straddled him and began to rain blows down on his head and body with her fists.
She then punched him in the nose, causing him to cry out in pain, but he eventually got his barring when he caught one of her fists and kicked her off of him; his eyes gleamed with rage.
Haku stood on the other side and stayed sat as he stood up, ready for another round.
She seemed to sigh, seeing him ready for more, and stood up as well.
"You're better than most Genin, you're age, but you don't come close to me.
"You need to stop playing around and fight seriously," he growled.
She shook her head, and this act infuriated him.
He rushed her and tried to grapple her, but she used her speed to slip out of his grasp and kicked him in the gut, sending him back.
He coughed and doubled over in pain, but he managed to stand straight again.
"Just give in. I don't particularly appreciate killing kids my age. But I will if I have to.
Sasuke gritted his teeth. It seems he can't catch a break. he came out of the academy as the rookie of the year, only to find that this world doesn't care for such things. He felt rather stupid. Top of my class? What bullshit!
He readied himself again, deciding not to be so eager this time. 'I need to stall for Kakashi. It's all I can do. She has no reason to hold back, yet she is. If he decides to, she could really kill me. I can't slip up. Not once, ' he thought to himself.
He took a deep breath and focused on her movements.
She dashed at him, and this time, he was ready.
He dodged her dash attack by ducking under her kick before moving to take her from underneath, only for her to leap over his attack and kick him in his face. This time, he was ready, blocking with both arms and quickly recovering by flipping back to his feet. He dashed and threw multiple punches her way, forcing her to deflect a few of them before he brought his Kunai the slash against her Senbon when she whipped it out.
She suddenly began jabbing at him at extreme speeds, and his eyes strained to keep up. He redirected, dodged, and backpedaled what he could, but her training was too great.
However, something she wasn't expecting suddenly occurred when he caught her fist and leaned to avoid her second hand, pulling her forward into a hold.
He squeezed her wrist, and she squeezed his.
He thought he had time to think until he felt a freezing sensation wash over his left hand. He yelled in pain as he saw his wrist grow pale and begin to coat in frost and then let go of her left wrist to grab a kunai. However, he had no idea how advanced she truly was compared to him. Her one hand then let go suddenly and started making single-hand signs to activate one-handed Ninjutsu before whipping out a Senbon to block the Kunai he was bringing down on her in just moments.
The two weapons met in a clang, but he saw what she'd done as he writhed against her hold and struggled for domination.
Secret Jutsu: ice style: a thousand needles of death. She spoke calmly as ice from the water around them suddenly formed into ice needles and hurled straight toward him.
His eyes widened, and he tried to calm himself for what was coming, focusing on the fact that she'd need to let go in order to dodge her attack.
The moment she did, he sprung up at a speed that surprised even himself as he was grazed by the needles that were thrown at him.
He landed and fell to his knee, a smirk on his face." not bad for a lowly genin, huh?
She didn't respond at first, simply pacing a bit before she spoke." I usually have a clone ready to sacrifice itself for the jutsu. What you did is something anyone with a little skill could have accomplished. You have my respect, though," she said as she looked to the battle raging a ways away between Kakashi and her master Zabuza.
"It's time to end this. Whatever happens next, don't take it personally. Unless. Are you willing to let me pass to kill the old man behind you?
"That's not going to happen, spoke Sasuke as he prepared for whatever she was planning.
She chuckled and shook her head." how stubborn," she said as she readied herself.
He frowned and readied himself for an attack.
She didn't move immediately; the air seemed to still in her presence.
He narrowed his eyes and waited patiently for her to make her move.
The air grew cold. Really cold. Blue chakra began to pour from her, and it surrounded him in what was almost a barrier as the ice formed around him.
His eyes widened at her mastery of the element, and mirrors of ice appeared all around him. He clutched his Kunai and prepared for the worst.
They were encased in ice mirrors.
She stepped back into one, and her reflection was suddenly in all of them.
He scowled as he threw his Kunai at the one she entered, only for it to bounce off harmlessly, leaving no scratch or blemish.
Kakashi, who was engaging in a fierce duel with Zabuza, felt the jutsu being cast in the distance, and his heart dropped.
"Sasuke's in grave danger; I need to hurry!" He said in his head as he tried to stay focused on his opponent before him.
Zabuza seemed to notice his worry and smirked under his mask." Ah, it seems you overestimated your student, Kakashi.
He grinned and thrust his sword down on Kakashi, forcing him to dodge to the side before Kakashi did the unthinkable and caught the follow-up with his hand before he could fully wind up the swing.
Zabuza narrowed his eyes and pushed forward instead, scraping Kakashi's hand and aiming to nail him in the face. Kakashi blocked the attack, but Zabuza twisted his sword enough to get Kakashi to let go, cutting Kakashi's chest and getting blood on them both.
Zabuza laughed as Kakashi took a knee to assess the damage he had just taken and scolded him." getting a bit desperate there, aren't we? Relax. Haku has an unhealthy tendency to play with her victims. She doesn't feel like killing brats, something I've failed to break from her. We have all the time in the world until she grows bored of the brat and ends his suffering.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, but deep down, he was calm. The blood he got onto Zabuza is precisely what he needs for his nuke-nin to show up when the time is right.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was having a hard time with Haku.
He was shocked to find that the Haku reflections could throw senbon like the original, and he was struck by senbon from all directions.
He yelled out in pain and tried to deflect what he could before he gave up and went into a fetal position, trying to recover from the barrage of attacks.
Haku sighed softly and spoke." given up already, I see.
She brought out another handful of senbon, and her reflections did the same.
"shit. This is crazy! How is anyone supposed to survive this?!" he yelled out as he finally managed to stand again after taking the first barrage. Any one of those could have, no, should have killed him, yet he's alive. Did she miss, or is she playing with him?
His thoughts were cut short as he lunged away from as many senbon as he could before being overwhelmed all over again and yelling in pain when he was pelted with more senbon.
If these were Kunai, I'd be dead a thousand times! He thought as he dodged and ducked the projectiles.
Sakura saw what was happening, and the stress on her face spoke volumes to Tazuna. When she heard his scream of pain, she couldn't take anymore and turned to Tazuna.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to leave you for now.
He nodded, do what you have to do.
She ran towards the mirror and threw a kunai at it from behind, only for an arm to shoot out of the one she was aiming at and catch it.
Her eyes were wide, and she stared at the arm as it pulled itself into the mirror and disappeared.
She blinked once and then twice before she realized it was Haku.
"This is crazy!" she whispered as she threw a barrage of Kunai at the mirror, only for them to be deflected. Upon impact, the mirror glowing with chakra.
Sakura growled in panic and ran toward the mirror, only for Sasuke to yell at her to stop. " Don't get any closer!" he bellowed. "It's too dangerous here! Find a way from the outside, distract her, but whatever you do, don't get caught in this!"
Sakura nodded and tried to find a way to distract Haku before bringing out the only paper bomb she had on her person.
She threw it at the base of the mirrors, and upon Sasuke seeing this, he prepared to make a dash for the first opening he saw.
An explosion rang out as he dashed toward the damaged part of the mirrors, only for him to be struck in the face by a blur, and he hit the ground with a painful thud.
He groaned in frustration and wiped his mouth of blood. He looked to see the mirrors regenerating and almost howled in anger as he went through hand signs.
Fire style: Fireball jutsu! he bellowed, and a torrent of flames shot from his mouth and hit the mirrors head-on, melting them slowly. But the moment that showed any sign of completely melting, a hit to the face sent him flying backward, landing painfully on his back.
He coughed and spat out blood as he struggled to sit up. He looked up to see the mirrors regenerating, and his eyes widened." No. No, this can't be.
Haku laughed from the mirrors." This is my trump card, Uchiha. No one has ever escaped this jutsu to tell the tale. You are just another casualty of mine.
Sasuke felt a sense of dread before shaking his head." I can't die here. Not until I've killed Itachi. I won't fail.
"I Won't Die!
Line break.
End chapter.