I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, I'm just a fan I enjoyed the anime but I love the fanfics, even more, they made me fall for the whole franchise. Whether I will have Oc's in the fic or not depends entirely on how the story goes.

Chapter 18

Zabuza was sweating, Itachi was making him work for everything only to gain nothing. If he was a demon then Itachi was a demon lord and his genin were his minions from hell. The little Uchiha was like a fire-breathing dragon with the damn Sharingan glowing in the darkness predicting his trajectory and flinging him with a fireball whenever he backed away too far from his opponent.

The blonde wouldn't let his water clones get to their target, he had a whole battalion of other blondes ready to throw their lives away to land a 'killing' blow to his water clones, and although Zabuza's clones had more experience, in that situation where one blow meant everything, strength did not mean might numbers was the name of the game and for every clone, Zabuza sent out, 20 were there to cut his path.

Then there was the Hyuga girl, she was a sensor type so his hidden in the mist technique was all but useless. He had made her his first target and swung his blade kubikiribōchō at her, she had bent her waist until her back was diagonal to the ground to evade the blow while bringing her left hand up to strike him, her reach was short but before Zabuza could blink a katana that appeared out of absolutely nowhere came rushing at him, he had jumped away from the blow but when he looked back to the girl he noticed no such weapon on her person.

'A genjutsu?' He had wondered.

Then Itachi had engaged him in combat and Zabuza could say with no small amount of shame he was losing, they were coordinated and the genins covered each other's backs seamlessly it was a sight to behold, Konoha wasn't playing around anymore if these greenhorns were just that, greenhorns.

Zabuza jumped back and dashed to the left making some hand seals as two water clones formed on each side of him one grabbed Zabuza's free hand and threw him away from the incoming fireball, the other clone was already going through hand seals of its own before calling out.

"Water style: water wall jutsu." Placing its palms on the wet ground the clone summoned a giant thick slab of a water-like wall that intercepted the ball of fire while the clone that had thrown Zabuza jumped right coming around the wall already calling out another jutsu.

"Water style: water bullet jutsu." The clone began shooting out water bullet after water bullet from its mouth rapidly aiming at the genins but was surprised that instead of scattering the genin converged around the blonde and Tazuna before each took out a tag placing it on the ground in front of them and a barrier emerged taking the blows for the little tadpoles.

The clone saw the Uchiha smirk and indicate for it to look up, the clone grit its teeth and prepared to shoot another water bullet before in one swift moment it was cut down the middle by a katana.

Hinata turned from her drop and dashed at the other clone before the one she had just eliminated even splashed on the ground, the second clone dropped the water wall technique as it drew its blade and swung it horizontally at her.

She slid under the blow by doing a knee slide bending her body a little the blade going over her head.

When the Zabuza clone turned to face her another replica of the girl was in front of him, 'She' grind at him as in a cloud of smoke a blonde boy took her place, the water clone realized the 'girl' in the barrier was a henged clone while the original Hyuga took to higher grounds waiting to strike at anything that dropped its guard and wasn't in its team. all that thoughts were processed in seconds but the revelation would not help the clone as it got stabbed in the lung by the blonde dispelling it.

The original Zabuza tsk'd, he had to retreat he wasn't going to win here, he quickly turned around to leave only to come face to face with Itachi Uchiha the most dangerous of the four-man squad.

"Where do you think you are going Momochi? stay and play." Zabuza avoided eye contact as best he could as Itachi's face was very close to his. Itachi moved his head around left, right, up, and down as though casually trying to make eye contact.

"Back of Uchiha." Zabuza warned he couldn't even swing his blade at the younger jonin because of how close he was the Uchiha even had a hand casually placed on kubikiribōchō's hilt. Itachi raised an eyebrow at Zabuza's words.

"Okay." Itachi replied. Then an explosion rocked Zabuza's world as the 'Itachi' in front of him exploded, and Zabuza took the force of the blast at point blank range.

"Aghhhhh…" Zabuza screamed in pain as he got burned badly and thrown against a particularly sturdy tree knocking the breath out of him, he slid down the trunk and sat there motionless head hung low not because he was dead or unconscious but because the damage he took left him exhausted and his body unresponsive.

He forcefully with nothing but willpower alone raised his head only for his eyes to widen in shock when two giant fireballs came careening at him Zabuza could do nothing but brace for a blazing death, just then ice mirrors formed from thin air, and the fireballs were stopped in its tracks.

"Zabuza-sama are you alright?" Zabuza looked at the owner of the voice but all he saw were two blurry porcelain masks and he thought he might have had a concussion maybe that's why he saw two fireballs, that was a bit overkill.

"Get us out of here, quickly Haku." Zabuza ordered with a horse voice, The ninja now identified as Haku nodded and carried his master bridal style before sinking into one of the ice mirrors with the man in tow.

Outside the ice dome, Naruto and the others watched the construct In anticipation, Hinata had told them there was another chakra signature in there with Zabuza but after a minute of no activity, Itachi nodded at Sasuke and the boy went through hand seals.

"Fire style: fireball jut……" Before Sasuke could finish his jutsu the ice dome cracked and in an instant broke apart before melting away.

"They are retreating Itachi-sensei, I think the other chakra belongs to Zabuza's ally." Hinata informed and Itachi nodded before smiling a genuine smile.

"You all did great in protecting and helping me fend off Zabuza good work, I lucked out with this team." He rubbed Sasuke's hair who was closest to him and he smiled in appreciation of the compliment.

'Itachi's proud of me I'm really getting there.' Sasuke thought happily, he always wanted to hear his brother acknowledge his abilities and here he was. Sasuke slapped the hand away but mostly just to keep an image.

"Tazuna-San, are you okay.?" Itachi asked their client as he approached him and Naruto.

"Am I okay? I'm better than okay I'm alive!" Tazuna exclaimed then laughed in hysteria eyes wide. The man had seen his life flash before his eyes so much in the last 10 minutes than he has his whole many years of being alive, he would be lucky to not get PTSD.

"Good, let's move on then. Maybe they are heading back to get back up, though that is unlikely." With everyone agreeing with Itachi's words they all prepared to begin their trek to Tazuna's house.

"How are you feeling Hinata-Chan." Sasuke came up to Hinata and asked the girl.

"I'm fine thank you." She replied simply, Sasuke wanted to talk some more.

"Sasuke-Kun, take up position your upfront, Hinata-chan to the right, Naruto-Kun, left and I'll take the rear move." Sasuke sighed and leaped up front a little annoyed at Itachi.

'Can't he read the mood?' Sasuke thought irritated.

"Naruto-kun make a clone to guide Hinata-Chan the terrain is bumpy around here." Itachi ordered and Naruto gulped, Hinata began fidgeting with her jacket sleeves, and Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration.

They could work flawlessly together but they each still had their personal demons to fight. Naruto made the cross seal and a clone appeared next to him. The clone gulped just like its creator had and walked over to Hinata once it was close it stood in front of her and just waited.

Hinata was fidgeting with her sleeves until she looked up at the clone and only saw darkness, she reached out a hand to its face and the clone of Naruto who lived by one rule, 'life to the fullest' steeled its nerves and brought its face to Hinata's hand.

Hinata smiled a sad smile and rubbed the clone's whiskered cheeks.

"I'm sorry Hinata-Chan, I mean the boss is sorry. Well, I'm sorry too but I'm Ugh agh ." The clone just stopped talking it felt like pulling its hair. Why was their existence so complicated? Hinata giggled at the clone's predicament and the clone smiled at the girl kissing her on her forehead protector.

"I promise we will talk later, well, not me but the boss, and if he doesn't apologize, next time he summons us clones we will kick his ass." The clone promised Hinata and she smiled at it before removing her hand from its cheek and grabbing onto its sleeve as they followed the rest of the team and client who were waiting for them.

"Is the blind girl and the blonde dating?" Tazuna asked not knowing he was asking the wrong person and at the worst possible time, just when such an intimate moment had passed, and although they had heard none of what was said the closeness was loud and clear.

"Mind your own business." Sasuke gritted out. This wasn't fair Sasuke thought in anger, he tried these past 2days to make Hinata smile, laugh or just loosen up and all those attempts failed but Naruto, not even Naruto, but a clone of him walks up to her and after saying a few words the girl loosens up and giggles.

'What does she see in him that she doesn't see in me?' Sasuke wondered balling his fists in anger as they marched off. It was clear to him that Naruto and Hinata were going through something and were avoiding each other or Naruto was avoiding her which hurt her immensely, and yet she welcomes him with open arms when he wants back in her life.

Naruto had watched the scene between his clone and Hinata with bathed breath, he heard none of what they said and the anticipation of finding out was so strong he wanted to dispel the clone there and then.

When Hinata touched his clone's cheek his heartbeat skipped and he held his breath when he heard her giggle at something the clone said butterflies flew in his stomach and he wondered what was going on with him.

««««"»»»»

Team 7 reached Tazuna's place a little before midnight they had decided not to stop and camp, more like Tazuna did not want to camp again. They told him they would protect him and he agreed with them without an ounce of doubt but said a heart attack is not something ninjas could protect him from.

Unless he was wrong, then he wouldn't mind taking a crack at it and seeing all the fuss, but only if his chance of survival was guaranteed. He had laughed hard and that time he had gotten someone to join him or something Tazuna didn't know but the blonde clone had laughed with him and the Hyuga had cracked a smile.

"Don't be silly old drunk, we're not magicians maybe we will harvest your organs."Hearing that come from the clone Tazuna's laugh died a slow death and the Naruto clone was giving him an evil look scaring the shit out of him.

It was decided there and then they would continue moving. When they arrived they met Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami who seemed friendly and full of life, she mentioned a son but he was fast asleep, and speaking of sleep everybody there was exhausted and so went off to bed.

The Naruto clone had walked up to the original smiling with eyes closed whistling a shanty tune and before anybody knew out of nowhere he clocked Naruto across the face. Everybody was shocked by the scene, well except Hinata she couldn't see but she could guess what the Naruto clone did.

Naruto rubbed his sore cheek and grimaced when the clone dispelled not because of the memory intake but because of what had been promised to Hinata, and the last thought the clone projected.

'Stop hurting her you, moron.' Naruto stood up and saw everyone watching him so he just decided to go.

"I'll take first watch." He informed the household and left going to the rooftop, when he arrived there he summoned 5 clones to spread around the parameter, and when they all puffed into existence they gave him dirty looks, 4 left without a word the fifth blew him a birdie before dispelling itself.

At present time Naruto just lay on the rooftop looking at the stars as he thought about what he could even say to Hinata, he wished Ino was around she always knew how to identify problems of the mind.

"Naruto-Kun, I'll take over for you." Naruto froze at the voice and looked at his watch to see 2 hours had passed already.

"Sure Hinata-Chan, thanks." Naruto told the Hyuga heiress as he stood up to leave with Hinata approaching him, he walked passed her, and not a second later he received a very cryptic message from the memory of a clone that got dispelled.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you.' One clone had told the other before taking a kunai and stabbing it in the junk.

"Hinata-Chan can I stay a little longer we can keep watching together." Naruto said very quickly so quick Hinata only picked up the 'can I stay' part and the rest was gibberish to her.

"I don't mind Naruto-Kun." Hinata told him and Naruto went over to sit down but a few feet away from her and Hinata was sad again.

'Don't make me come over there.' Naruto rubbed his head, those clones were behaving like they were his parents and because they could clone themselves as well those memories would keep coming with very horrendous deaths the latest clone got a kunai up its ass.

"Do you regret telling me about yourself?" Naruto looked over to Hinata who had asked the question she had her hands balled on the fabric of her pants as she looked down little drops of tears already falling onto the fabric.

"I don't know how to take back that day, if I knew we would end up like this I would have stopped you from telling me." Hinata continued and Naruto felt like a jerk all over again he had to say something he had to do something.

'Do something dammit, say something!' Naruto berated himself until he got so angry that he was still frozen, he punched himself across the face and in that moment of pain and clarity he spoke.

"I don't know why I'm acting like this Hime." He said, the punch knocked so much sense into him he even addressed her the way he usually did. Naruto brought his knees closer to himself trying to make himself small.

"I just feel so horrible, you and Sasuke improved so much since the academy, and yet I'm stuck the way I was back then." Now the words were flowing without a thought and Naruto let them. He didn't want to lose his best friend because of an inferiority complex.

"When I watch you and Sasuke spar I feel wrong, it's like you are slipping away from me and I'm losing you slowly, But I can't say 'Hinata, leave Sasuke and come spar with me' you know, because that would be holding you back I would be holding you back." Naruto kept on talking eyes unfocused and looking down at his knees. Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing her hands were in front of her mouth as the tears continued.

"I just didn't know how to act around you anymore, you felt so far away even now you feel so out of my reach I d-don't know what to think Hime I'm lost and confused and I've been a jerk. It's just stupid and yet it hurt so much." Hinata had never heard Naruto so emotional and in turmoil before even on that day in the cottage but right now he sounded like she sounded all those years ago before the academy.

"Naruto-Kun." Hinata called out after she had stood and walked up to him now in front of him, Naruto looked up and she reached out both her hands towards him. Naruto brought his face closer and she rubbed his cheeks gently.

"You silly boy." Hinata said before handing Naruto the slap of his life one that made even the clones spying on the scene wince and grimace, Hinata then proceeded to mush his cheeks together bringing his face up so he could see her tears-filled face.

"You think I would ever leave you, that I would ever abandon you? Do these tears look like the type someone would shed for someone they didn't care about?." Naruto shook his head at her questions and tried to lower it in shame but Hinata wouldn't let him.

"I was hurting Naruto-Kun, I thought you regretted telling me your secrets that you didn't want anything to do with me anymore t_that you would give up on me as everybody else did." Hinata couldn't control her emotions anymore and began sobbing out loud.

"I-I thought I was losing my best friend, that I was losing my Naruto-Kun the only person who can make me laugh and smile carefree the only one who makes me forget my condition every time he just stands close." Hinata threw herself at Naruto dropping the boy on his back and straddling his stomach as she began hitting him on the chest. Naruto lay there looking away from her tear-filled eyes as his tears fell from his eyes.

"Please Naruto, please don't scare me like that again don't make me slowly lose hope don't make me want to die again." At those whispered words Naruto's eyes widened as his eyes shot to Hinata who was now facing up at the star-filled sky quietly sobbing as her shoulders shook.

"Hinata I'm sorry." Naruto apologized reaching up for her face but just when his hands grazed her cheek she flinched away and stood up quickly, rubbing her left arm with her right hand.

"Can you please leave?" She asked him in a voice that said she wasn't taking no for an answer, her asking nicely was just a testament to her polite nature.

"Hime I didn't know, please can we……." Naruto tried to explain grabbing Hinata's left hand as he stood up but the girl shook her head rubbing his cheek as she smiled softly at him and wiped away the moisture she felt on his face.

"Please Naruto-Kun I'm tired, we can talk later." Hinata said as she removed her hand from his cheek and the other from his grasp and pushed him away.

"Can I at least take your watch, and you can go rest." Naruto begged and made sure his voice carried the tone of a begging man.

"Okay." Hinata simply said and walked away but when she reached the window leading into the house she stopped. "Goodnight." She wished him and entered the bridge builder's house. Naruto watched her enter and close the window before dropping on his ass.

'I fucked up.' Naruto thought with wide eyes recalling Hinata's words.

'Please Naruto, don't scare me like that again don't make me slowly lose hope don't make me want to die again.' Naruto at that moment and time swore he would do anything in his power to make it up to her.

AN

Hahahhahahah Zabuza got his ass kicked this ain't your regular team 7 fool this a group of kids with goals and ambitions they don't slack in training you fool ya fool...

Anyway, Hinata is disappointed at Naruto, Sasuke Is angry, Itachi is a proud sensei, Zabuza is licking his wounds and Naruto is a dummy when he wants to be that won't ever change not in canon and definitely not here his just dumb in a more realistic way...

Next chapter tomorrow...