A/N Hey, back with another chapter. Hope you all enjoy.
Who Are You Really.
Chapter 6
They sat in a small boat, crossing the waters into the Land of Waves. Sasuke could practically feel her improvements; she was now further from Konoha than she had ever been. She was one step closer to her end goal of slaying her demon of a brother, Itachi. The mist surrounding them was thick, seemingly growing thicker as they approached the opposite beach. Their boat slid to an ungraceful stop before her, Kakashi, Naruto, and Tazuna hopped out.
She immediately went on guard; the thick mist obscured their vision as Kakashi led them, following Tazuna's directions to his village. She felt eyes on her. Glancing at Naruto, who was scanning his sector meticulously, didn't ease her concerns. She glanced at Sakura, who was visibly nervous but didn't seem to have the acute senses of her and Naruto. Kakashi still didn't show any signs of concern, but the Uchiha knew that must be part of the Jonin's cover. He didn't want to raise the suspicions of the person watching them.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, his voice coming out quieter than usual.
"Yes, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, hands still in pockets, displaying an exterior of confident laziness.
"I think we are being watched." Naruto said, shifting his gaze back to the trees surrounding them as they walked closer to Tazuna's village.
"I am aware, Naruto. Sakura, Sasuke, be alert," Kakashi said, his demeanor never changing.
Sasuke shifted slightly closer to Tazuna; as the rear guard, she knew she was likely the one to be attacked first. It was how she would go about ambushing a group like theirs in this mist—her and Kakashi would be the first targets, striking them from the front or the back.
They walked for an hour before reaching a small clearing in the woods, where the fog that had enveloped the forest was suspiciously clear. Her hand hovered closer to her shinobi weapons pouch. Kakashi led them into the clearing before suddenly stopping in the middle, taking his hands out of his pockets.
Sakura and Naruto instantly moved closer to Tazuna's sides, reacting to their sensei's pause.
They stood there, her ears seeming more acute, her eyes darting around the clearing looking for potential threats. She noticed Kakashi bend his knees slightly, getting into a more athletic position.
They all heard a slight rustling in the woods to their right, the same side Naruto was on. Naruto reacted to the noise quickly, throwing a pair of kunai in the direction of the sound. She heard a thud from one of his kunai hitting a tree, but no sound came from the other, meaning one of two things: Naruto didn't hit anything, or his kunai had hit the target and therefore wouldn't make a noise.
"Go check that out, Naruto! Quickly," Kakashi said, still not moving or taking his eyes off the surrounding area.
Naruto darted off in the direction he threw his kunai, coming back a few moments later with a kunai and a dead white-haired snow rabbit, and an embarrassed smile on his face.
"Sorry, Sensei, I guess I'm too worked up. It was only a rabbit," he said, scratching the back of his head.
Sasuke let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and released the tension in her shoulders. She noticed that Sakura seemed to do the same.
I guess we all are feeling the pressure suddenly.
Sasuke watched Kakashi eye Naruto then the rabbit. Sasuke's face twisted with confusion.
What is he thinking?
"Naruto, get back in formation now. Team 7, prepare for enemy contact!" Kakashi said, whipping out a kunai and assuming a defensive stance.
His orders were immediately met by the three genin. Naruto dropped the dead rabbit and resumed his previous position next to Tazuna, facing outward, his back to the man, looking for possible threats. Sakura did the same, and she did a 180 with her back to Tazuna to guard their rear.
"What's happening, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, her nervousness and fear evident in her tone.
"That rabbit is white, meaning it still thinks it's winter. We are in the middle of spring. That only happens when a rabbit is held in captivity for long periods. It is likely that rabbit was used as a method of substitution for a shinobi," Kakashi said, his voice even and calm.
Sasuke understood immediately and was impressed by their sensei's quick reaction to the little information he received.
His words put them into silence, though; only the sound of the breeze could be heard in the clearing.
"Impressive," a voice called out, from the sound of it, the direction the voice came from would have been directly in front of Kakashi. "I would have never guessed I'd run into you, Kakashi Hatake of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, also known as the Copy Ninja." The voice sounded demonic; Sasuke could feel the bloodlust in every syllable.
"It's an honor to be so well-known," Kakashi spoke back to the voice in hiding.
A chuckle was heard at his words. "And you brought little genin as an appetizer. How sweet of you."
This time the voice sounded as though it was to the left of them, indicating the enemy had changed positions without being seen. Kakashi immediately reacted to this, shifting himself between the voice and the rest of his team. Without communicating, she shifted from behind Tazuna to guard their right flank, where Naruto had once been.
They had trained for moments like this. In this diamond formation, Kakashi was the point man. He was leading them through the terrain, but he was also responsible for handling direct conflicts. So, with that, he had moved himself into a better position to confront the threat. Since he was the tip of the diamond originally, him moving to the left, because that is where the enemy was, left the front of their formation weak. They trained for this; to make up for Kakashi's repositioning, the rest of their team did the same. Naruto shifted to the front to take Kakashi's previous spot, Sasuke shifted to Naruto's previous spot on the right of their client, and Sakura shifted to her old position at the rear.
"Oh, and they are well-trained. I guess that is to be expected of your genin, Kakashi of the Sharingan."
Sasuke gasped, what does he mean? Kakashi of the Sharingan?
"Why don't you stop hiding and talk face to face?" Kakashi said, his voice still surprisingly calm.
A chuckle came from the man's mouth. "As you wish."
Naruto looked to his left as he saw a man appear from the woods. The first thing Naruto noticed was the man's face; he wore bandages around his face that covered half of his identity, similar to Kakashi. Naruto briefly wondered if that was common among shinobi. The next thing he noticed was that the man was completely shirtless; the only clothing the man wore were pants that reached his knees, arm sleeves, and leg sleeves. The last thing Naruto noticed was a huge sword the man carried on his back. The sword was huge, easily the size of the man carrying it, which was impressive because the man was probably as tall as Kakashi, so he guessed the man was 6'3" to 6'5".
As he stepped more into the clearing, the murderous pressure from his gaze sent a chill down Naruto's spine.
Sakura gasped; she could feel the man's aura in his presence. His aura screamed death and malice.
So, this is what it is like to face off against a Jonin in a real battle! I feel as though I am about to die with his presence alone!
Naruto growled to himself at his body's reaction to the Shinobi before him. He was about to run straight at the shinobi before he was stopped by Kakashi. Kakashi held his hand out, stopping Naruto's progression towards their enemy.
"Kakashi-sensei, let me at him!" he was eager to prove himself to his team.
"No, Naruto, this man is in a different league than the two we faced earlier. This man is a former Jonin from Kirigakure. He is known as the 'Demon of the Mist.' A missing-nin like the demon brothers, but way more dangerous. You three need to stay out of this."
Zabuza laughed at this, "Let the idiot come and play, Kakashi."
Sasuke's temper flared; she turned to look at Zabuza from her position. "Don't call Naruto an idiot!" She spat, glaring at the man.
Zabuza's eyebrows raised at this. "What a feisty little cunt you are." His tone was mocking, and it pissed her off more.
She tossed some shuriken and kunai at the man, who flipped and twirled around them, dodging them before jumping back into a tree, still within sight of Team 7. Zabuza laughed harder than before at her reaction.
"An idiot and a hothead, you have quite the Genin, Kakashi." Zabuza said, his eyes moving to Sakura, whose legs were visibly shaking, and that brought a smile to the man's face.
"I think after I kill you, Kakashi, and the idiot, I'll take those two girls and sell them to Gato. I heard he had a thing for younger girls; they'd fetch a nice price!" he laughed menacingly.
Sasuke glared at the man in response. Sakura let out a scared yelp. Naruto was staring daggers into the man, holding his kunai tightly in his hand. Sasuke could see he was shaking with anger. When he spoke, his voice held that angry tone.
"Ha! Joke's on you! Sasuke's a boy! So, who's the idiot now!" Naruto spat at the Kirigakure Jonin.
Sasuke and Kakashi sweat-dropped.
Zabuza stared at Naruto, the confusion visible on his face and in his body language. He watched as he stared at Naruto, then looked at her, then back at Naruto. He did this a few times before speaking.
"You're serious, aren't you, kid?" Zabuza asked.
"Yeah! Dummy! Can't you tell the difference between a boy and a girl!" Naruto said, trying to mock the man.
Sasuke had to resist the urge to facepalm herself.
You're not helping your case right now, Naruto! She thought.
"You're not that bright, are you, kid?" Zabuza teased.
Naruto was shaking with anger, but before he could retort, Kakashi cut him off.
"What do you want, Zabuza?"
"Well, I'm being paid to make sure he," Zabuza said, pointing at Tazuna, "doesn't finish building the bridge, so I'm here to kill him. I sent those two idiots to do it, but if you were their opponent, I guess it's understandable why they weren't able to accomplish their mission."
"I won't let you harm Tazuna or my students, Zabuza." Kakashi said coldly.
"Then I guess I'll have to kill you all." Zabuza said, flashing through a set of hand signs before mist started to encase the previously mist-less clearing.
"Naruto, get back into position. Team 7, no matter what happens, DO NOT leave Tazuna unguarded," Kakashi spoke as the mist became heavier. "Zabuza is a former Jonin; he is out of your leagues. Let me handle this. I'll focus on him, and you three focus on protecting the client." Kakashi said as he raised his headband, uncovering his Sharingan eye.
Naruto immediately went back to his position in the front of their formation. Sasuke activated her two-tomoe Sharingan, and Sakura stood in a defensive posture to the rear. She was terrified.
This was it, the atmosphere of two Jonin-level ninja with the intent to kill. I won't be able to do anything; it'd be better if I just killed myself!
"Why did he call you Kakashi of the Sharingan!" Sasuke asked her sensei from her position.
"Because I have a Sharingan. Now, you three wait here while I engage Zabuza. Sakura! You will be okay. I won't allow my precious students to die! Get a hold of yourself!" Kakashi said before taking off in the direction of Zabuza. Sakura straightened up at this; she had to try to compose herself a little, at least.
How does Kakashi have a Sharingan? He isn't Uchiha; how did he possess my clan's eyes!
Sasuke felt a mix of emotions: curiosity, anger, disgust, but she pushed those thoughts and feelings away to focus on her current objective, which was to make it out of this alive.
In the near distance, they could hear the sounds of combat, as kunai clashed together, which meant that Kakashi had found Zabuza, and they were now engaged in combat.
Sasuke glanced to her left and saw Naruto was staring off in the area that the sounds of combat were coming from. He was shaking, but not in fear like Sakura; it was taking all of his might to keep from running into the battle.
"Sasuke-kun, isn't the Sharingan your clan's dojutsu? Then how does Kakashi-sensei have one? Is he Uchiha?" Sakura asked her.
Sasuke figured that talking probably was a way for her to settle her nerves.
"Yes, it is. I don't know how he has one, but after this, I will find out," she spoke.
"Sharingan, you talked about that before, Sasuke, but what is it exactly? I still don't know," Naruto asked. He remembered Sasuke mentioning it before during their dinner talks, but he never asked more about it, knowing that anything to do with Sasuke's family could spark intense, life-threatening reactions. But now seemed like an important time to know.
Sasuke sighed. "The Sharingan is the Uchiha clan's dojutsu. It's the sole reason that my clan has been feared for generations. We of the Uchiha possessed exceptional chakra along with the Sharingan, which allowed us to excel in all types of warfare. It gives us the ability to not only see and recognize jutsu but to copy jutsu we see immediately. It gives us acute eyesight and tons of other things, but there is a price to pay for that power, a darkness that comes with the Sharingan that you wouldn't understand without being Uchiha."
A loud boom could be heard in the near distance; it sounded like the battle had gone from taijutsu to heavy ninjutsu, meaning the battle had intensified greatly. Hearing this, Naruto couldn't hold himself back from joining the fray any longer. For some reason, he could feel everything around him; if he closed his eyes and focused, he could sense the chakra of the people around him. He could feel Kakashi's determination, he could feel Zabuza's bloodlust, he could sense Sasuke's anxiousness, he could sense Sakura and Tazuna's fear. He could feel it all, and it moved him to action.
"That's it, you two stay here. I'm going to help Kakashi-sensei!"
"Wait, Naruto, at least let's have a plan first!" Sakura shouted, stopping Naruto who had started running towards the sounds of battle.
"I do have one!" Naruto said.
Sakura shook her head in response, and Naruto let out an annoyed sigh.
"We can't just sit here & do nothing." The blond yelled at her.
"Wait, Naruto, tell me your plan," Sasuke spoke up.
Naruto's eyes darted to his other teammate. Sakura turned to Sasuke with an expression of horror and surprise. "Well, this is no different than our second examination with Kakashi-sensei. Except we aren't going to go after bells; we're going after him and just smash him with my super cool jutsu! We can use the mist as cover, surround him, and make an opening for Kakashi."
Sasuke rolled her eyes at his thought process.
Well, he isn't wrong.
"Well then, let's do it, idiot!" Sasuke responded with a smirk.
Naruto smiled at her in response, his eagerness evident in his eyes.
Sakura looked back and forth between the two. She had to speak up; this was life or death. Zabuza is dangerous! "Sasuke-kun, you're really going to do this with Naruto, risking your life? Kakashi-sensei told us to stay out of this. We could die!" Sakura pleaded.
They are crazy! No way we can take on a monster like Zabuza!
Sasuke turned to look at her, his eyes cold and his face expressionless.
"Are you a shinobi or not?"
Sakura was stunned.
"You talk about being a shinobi as though it's all sunshine and rainbows. As a shinobi, we risk our lives daily; it's part of the job. Kakashi-sensei said, 'those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum'. You were scared before when the Demon brothers attacked; you're scared now. You may have fooled Kakashi, but I know you; you wouldn't have moved or even been any better than Naruto back there. Now, at least Naruto isn't being a coward! Are you really that much of scum to abandon your sensei as well?" she said with a glare.
Sakura turned her head away in shame.
It's true. I was just as scared as Naruto, and I don't want to face someone like Zabuza now! I also don't want you to get hurt, Sasuke-kun!
"That's all true, Sasuke-kun, and I am a shinobi. But this is suicidal. If Kakashi-sensei ordered us to stay out of this, we should listen! You really trust Naruto enough to risk your life?" Sakura pleaded again.
"Your opinion doesn't matter to me, Sakura. You're just a pampered weakling!" Sasuke spat in retort.
"Hey, bastard, give her some slack, will ya?" Naruto said, trying to intervene between the two. Sasuke turned and glared at the blond, who matched the glare. Sighing, Sasuke looked away, rolling her eyes.
Turning to Sakura, Naruto spoke with a soft gentleness that annoyed Sasuke even more.
"Sakura, it's okay to be scared. I am scared too. You can just stay with Tazuna and protect him; me and the bastard will help Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto offered with a smile. Sakura just looked at him with a sad and helpless expression before nodding her head slightly.
Sasuke was annoyed and broke up the moment.
"Naruto, create as many clones as you can," Sasuke asked, her annoyed scowl still evident on her face, at Naruto coming to Sakura's defense.
Without hesitation, she saw Naruto create 4,000 clones; an endless wave of Naruto's appeared in front of her. She, Sakura, and Tazuna were left shocked, staring at the seemingly endless amounts of Naruto. They had been stunned silent.
I knew he could create tons of these clones, but I've never seen him make this many before at once. There has to be at least 2,000 of them.
"Sakura-chan, I will leave half of these clones with you. If anything happens, I'll know, and we will come back to help you!" a Naruto said with a grin.
"Alright, Naruto, you ready?" Sasuke asked. He just stared at her with an intense expression; she'd hate to be the opponent against a dedicated and serious Naruto.
"Yeah, bastard, let's go help our sensei," Naruto said, and they took off away from Sakura with half of the clones. The remaining 2,000 clones were left with Sakura and Tazuna in defense.
Sasuke and Naruto didn't have to run far before they encountered Kakashi and Zabuza in the middle of a fight at the edge of the lake.
Both Jonin sensed the new arrivals and turned simultaneously to inspect who was interrupting. Kakashi sweat-dropped at seeing two Naruto's staring back at him and Zabuza.
"Naruto, I thought I told you to stay back and protect the bridge builder!" Kakashi yelled at him.
Naruto smirked in reply, "And let you have all the fun? I think not!"
Turning to face Zabuza, Naruto shouted, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! A genin of Konohagakure and future Hokage! And I'm going to kick your ass!" as he pointed at Zabuza.
Zabuza was speechless, turning his head to Kakashi, "Is this kid serious?" he asked in disbelief.
Kakashi groaned, "Yes, sadly, he is not joking."
Naruto rushed in, throwing a pair of kunai at Zabuza, who jumped back and out of the way. Naruto was on him immediately, throwing a three-piece combo at the experienced Jonin, who blocked the jab and cross before sidestepping the uppercut sent his way and sending a hard counter right cross to the boy's cheek. Much to his surprise, the boy puffed into smoke.
"Shadow Clones? As a Genin, impressive," Zabuza thought.
Zabuza wasn't able to ponder the thought long as the second Naruto engaged him in taijutsu.
"Impressive, kid, knowing the shadow clone jutsu so young, scary even, but I wasn't a Jonin for nothing," Zabuza said as he ducked under a left hook while simultaneously unsheathing the sword on his back. Taking the sword, he cut the boy in half with a menacing smile.
"It was fun while it lasted, ki-" his victory speech was cut off when that Naruto puffed into smoke as well.
Two shadow clones? For a genin? That's almost impossible! Zabuza thought.
"Take this!" Naruto shouted from behind Zabuza.
Zabuza turned to see three more Naruto's, with a swirling ball of chakra in each of their hands, flying towards him. He didn't know what jutsu that was, the boy and his clones were coming at him with, but he wasn't going to stay still to find out!
Dodging each incoming Naruto with ease, he was slightly mortified at the craters created in the wake of the boy's jutsu. After each blond missed hitting him with that powerful jutsu, they immediately engaged him in hand-to-hand combat. He was so wrapped up in dodging the boys' heavy assault that he barely had time to react to an attack from his side.
"Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled from her concealed location in the fog.
A massive fireball came flying towards him. Zabuza expertly parried an incoming strike from two Naruto's, grabbing them both by the wrist then mercilessly tossing them towards the incoming fire, before quickly getting out of the fireball's way. He watched as the jutsu hit the ground, creating a smaller crater than the boys' jutsu left. He recognized that the two blonds he threw at the fireball must have also been clones, because there was no other sign of them.
He didn't have time to recuperate, though, because he was under another assault. Kakashi watched this, quickly relocating out of Zabuza's sight while he was distracted by clones. He ran to the location where the fireball jutsu came from, spotting Sasuke, who sensed him coming. She turned with a kunai in hand in a defensive posture, with a deadly look in her Sharingan eyes. Once she recognized him, she turned back to Zabuza, who was now being swarmed by 20 Naruto's.
"What's the plan?" Kakashi said as he crouched next to Sasuke and watched Zabuza mercilessly beat Naruto's clones out of existence.
"We are going to try to tire him out and give you an opening!" Sasuke said in reply, not looking at her sensei, focusing on the fight going on in front of her.
"Good plan, except Zabuza is as skilled as me. By now, he knows we're up to something. He will probably remove this mist that you two wisely used against him and attack us with a powerful jutsu." Kakashi said. At least, that is what he would do.
"So what! By now, Naruto should have him surrounded with a ton of clones." Sasuke replied with a smirk.
"We will use it to our advantage. Keep up the pressure!" Kakashi said, disappearing from her sight as he repositioned himself to counter Zabuza's counter.
These damn clones are endless, Zabuza thought.
There is no way that idiot should be able to create this many clones. It's ridiculous; that kid is a monster! And that damn jutsu he is sending them in with is deadly. If one of those hit me, I'm done for. Plus, Kakashi disappeared when I was distracted, and another one of his brats is using my mist against me. They are all annoying the heck out of me!
Zabuza was done with this farce. Beating on the blond idiot's clones was fun and all, but it was growing tiring fast! He jumped away from the 4 clones in front of him, allowing himself space to dispel his mist jutsu.
"It's been fun, kid, but I am growing tired of the games. I will see where you all are hiding now!" Zabuza said as he dispelled his mist. His vision became clearer, and his senses, which had been telling him he was surrounded by these idiot clones, turned out to be spot on.
Zabuza's eyes widened in shock; he had been completely surrounded by at least 1,500 clones.
"This shouldn't be possible!" Zabuza said, looking around at the endless blonds.
"Release!" He said, believing he somehow had been caught up in a genjutsu by Kakashi unknowingly. To his surprise and horror, none of the clones disappeared from sight.
"What is this? What type of monster are you?" Zabuza said to no one Naruto in particular.
He weaved and dove in and out of the blondes' assault, expertly dodging kunai thrown at him by the blondes' endless clones. He managed to use those very kunai against the idiot, though, waiting until the last second to dodge some; they'd zip past him and impale a clone.
He saw black hair, which to him stuck out like a sore thumb in the endless sea of blond. He remembered that the feisty genin had black hair. As soon as he recalled this, he was met with another fireball hurling at him.
She wisely disappeared into the sea of Naruto's as swiftly as she appeared in his line of sight. He couldn't track her movements, though, because he was being swarmed by Naruto's and had a fireball racing towards him.
I'm really starting to hate these brats!
He barely managed to get out of the way of a Naruto clone with a Rasengan in time. It was too dangerous for him to remain encircled like this. Grabbing the same Naruto that tried to obliterate him moments prior, he tossed it into the incoming fireball.
Looking for the furthest blond from his position, hoping he was lucky and it ended up being the real one, he substituted with it at the last second, providing it with no chance of survival or escape.
He watched as the Naruto he substituted with and a few of the ones that were about to attack him were hit with the ground-shaking fireball. He noticed that the clones were still active, meaning that the caster was still alive and well, much to his annoyance. He quickly jumped back from the heads of blond hair, retreating onto the nearby pond, and watched as the idiots looked for him.
"Where did he go?"
"I swore he was just there!" a clone said.
"He used that damn substitution jutsu! I saw it!" spoke a clone.
"Kakashi-sensei needs to teach me that jutsu!" another clone responded.
"Focus! Where'd he go? Look around!" a clone said.
"I see him!" a clone shouted.
He watched the spectacle partly in irritation, that such an idiot could be so strong, and partly in awe. When he was finally spotted by one of the dumb clones, they all collectively turned towards him.
"Come back here! We aren't done kicking your ass!"
Zabuza chuckled at this. "Well, come get some then, kid!"
He watched as the clones approached the water but didn't attempt to join him in the middle of the pond.
Smart... Wait.
"You can't walk on water, can you, kid?" Zabuza asked teasingly.
"Shut up! Get over here!"
Zabuza hunched over laughing while pointing at the kid. "You're full of surprises, aren't you, brat! You can use a jutsu like the shadow clones to the extent that you do but can't walk on water yet! You're hilarious!"
He was met by multiple glares. He noticed a flash in the corner of his eyes and turned to see Kakashi standing 30 meters away from him.
"What the heck are you teaching these kids, Kakashi? That idiot has more chakra than a regular genin, and that feisty one was hurling terrifying fireballs at me like she had an unlimited amount. But they can't walk on water yet? And you brought them here? You must be as crazy as them! And I thought I was mad?!"
Zabuza didn't realize his mistake until it was too late. He turned in time to see a kunai flying towards him along with 3 shuriken; he blocked each projectile with a kunai of his own, yet he failed to realize that attached to the kunai was an explosive tag.
"I told you not to call Naruto an idiot, didn't I!" Sasuke spat at him from the shoreline.
She watched as Zabuza deflected the kunai and shuriken she had thrown at him. She expected it, smirking she watched the kunai fall to the surface of the water before exploding right next to him. She saw Zabuza's surprised face when he realized the kunai had a paper bomb attached to it. He tried to jump back, but it was already too late. Kakashi had his jutsu ready.
From the shoreline, it sounded like a flock of chirping birds. Sasuke, even with her Sharingan activated, recognized the speed at which Kakashi was moving towards Zabuza. Before his feet could touch the surface of the water again, and before all the water droplets that had been launched into the air from the explosion returned to the pond, Kakashi had already reached Zabuza and had impaled his chest with his right arm.
She saw the blood trickle off Kakashi's fingers to the surface of the water and watched as, at the same time Kakashi ripped his hand back out of Zabuza, a pair of senbon needles impaled themselves into Zabuza's neck.
Kakashi saw the senbon needles and jumped back in surprise; he hadn't sensed anyone besides his students. He watched as a hunter-nin caught Zabuza before he fell into the water.
As Kakashi's vision began to blur, he squinted at the figure who had just appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The hunter-nin, who had effortlessly caught Zabuza before he could fall into the water, was shrouded in mystery, clad in the traditional mask and garb of a tracker from Kirigakure. The mask concealed any distinguishing features, leaving only their eyes visible, eyes that seemed too gentle for the world of shinobi. Despite the concealment, there was an elegance to the hunter-nin's movements, a fluidity that spoke of both youth and a peculiar kind of sadness. Kakashi couldn't help but be intrigued.
Where did this one come from? Kakashi wondered to himself, his Sharingan eye taking in every detail it could before the dizziness worsened. There was no chakra signature, no sound, nothing. As if they materialized from the mist itself. The thought nagged at him. It was rare for anyone, even a highly skilled ANBU, to approach so stealthily that not even his Sharingan detected their presence until the last moment.
Kakashi's gaze lingered on the hunter-nin's posture and the way they held Zabuza with an ease that belied their slender frame. There was a carefulness in their touch, a reluctance to cause more harm than necessary. Not just a skilled ninja but also someone with deep-seated principles he assessed, the analytical part of his mind still functioning sharply despite his physical condition weakening.
As the hunter-nin vanished as quickly as they had appeared, Kakashi felt a mixture of frustration and admiration. To come and go without trace... Whoever this ninja is, they possess skills that could rival the ANBU's best. And yet, their intervention seemed almost... reluctant. As if their role in this was something they wished to be detached from.
"Thank you for your assistance with Zabuza. He was my target. I will take my leave."
Just as suddenly as the hunter-nin appeared, the young shinobi vanished. Kakashi didn't have too much time to think about what just happened. He felt his vision begin to blur as he tried his best to stumble his way back to shore.
He focused on Naruto and Sasuke's concerned faces as he approached them.
Ha! Sasuke worried about me.
"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright?" Naruto asked as he watched his sensei stumble towards them.
"Yeah... I'm alright... Naruto… just a little..." He was close, only two more steps to shore. "Tired." He managed to get out before passing out and landing face-first on the shore.
"Sasuke! Something is wrong with that hunter-ninja!" Naruto shouted at her as one of his clones picked Kakashi up on his back.
Sasuke was there in class when Iruka taught them about hunter-nin. Unlike Naruto, they learned that hunter-nin come from the Land Hidden in the Mist. Hunter-nin were elite ninja whose sole purpose is to hunt down missing-nin from their village to keep the secrets of their village hidden. The mask was the giveaway to her. She didn't see or sense anything wrong with the interaction earlier. Her quiet indecisiveness seemed to irritate Naruto and his clones; he spoke again before she could respond.
"Okay, I'm going after them. They couldn't have gone far. For some reason, I have a better sense of them right now. I know something is wrong with what just happened! I'll check it out. You just stay with Sakura and Kakashi-sensei, and I'll go check it out!" Naruto said before taking off with his clones hot on his heels.
"Wait, Naruto!" Sasuke said, taking off after him.
It took her only a few moments to match his pace and catch up with him.
"What are you thinking, Naruto? Tell me!" Sasuke asked.
Naruto just stared at her seriously, which encouraged her to listen. His face seemed frustrated, angry, and worried.
"I don't think that was a hunter-ninja. I read that hunter-nin always dispose of their targets immediately to not risk the chance of their target's secrets being exposed. If that hunter-ninja isn't up ahead destroying Zabuza's body, then he is a fake! Also, I read that senbon needles are an effective tool for a shinobi but hardly lethal without proper training or poison. Why would a hunter-ninja carry an ineffective killing tool if that's their goal? It isn't sitting right with me!" Naruto told her.
Sasuke thought for a moment. The hunter-ninja came and left so quickly they really barely had time to register what was going on. Still, leaving their sensei, who has an unknown injury, with Sakura and Tazuna isn't the best call either. If the hunter-ninja ran too far, she would voice her concerns; for now, she would trust Naruto.
Smirking at him playfully, she said, "Wow, so you actually did learn something from all that reading Kakashi-sensei has you doing. You have something in that brain of yours after all!"
Naruto gave her a playful glare in response. "You know I can be pretty smart."
Sasuke rolled her eyes but remained silent, which got her some protest from Naruto.
You can be clever, Naruto, and you're full of surprises.
Naruto stopped his complaints, and his face turned serious. "They are right up ahead; he must've sensed us coming. Prepare for contact."
Sasuke wordlessly whipped out a kunai and prepared herself for the battle. Unlike this one, they had no plan; they weren't relying on Kakashi-sensei. It was just the two of them versus another shinobi village's best of the best. All she had to rely on was Naruto; she oddly was okay with that.
They ran into a small clearing, and she saw the hunter-ninja standing with his back to them, his head down, staring at Zabuza. There was blood on the sleeves of the hunter-ninja; Sasuke couldn't tell whether it came during transit or due to something else. The ninja had his mask, which was previously on his face, in his hands.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted at the shinobi, who still had his back to them.
The shinobi didn't respond; Sasuke could see the slight shaking within the shinobi's body.
"What is your reason to exist?" The hunter-ninja responded, voice shaky.
Naruto was confused by this, stepping closer towards the shinobi, ignoring the warning Sasuke sent him.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, genuinely confused.
"What do you think your purpose is in this life? What is your dream?"
Naruto smiled at this understandingly. "Oh, that's easy. I am going to become the greatest Hokage ever!" Naruto said.
For some reason, in the middle of his confrontation with Zabuza, Naruto began to feel different as though his body and mind were more acute; he could sense everyone's chakra around him. But it wasn't just that; it's like he could feel their emotions too. He felt Sakura's fear, even from this distance; he could feel Kakashi's tiredness and pain; he could sense Sasuke's worry and apprehension; and he could also feel the shinobi before him... he could sense his pain, sadness, and loss. Zabuza was dead; Naruto knew this because he couldn't feel anything coming from the man.
"I too had a dream. I dreamed of making someone precious to me dreams come true." the man said, his back still to him, but Naruto could feel and see the sadness in him.
What's going on?
"You took that person away from me! Now I will never be able to accomplish my dream." the shinobi said, finally turning to face them. The mask was no longer on his face; Sasuke and Naruto were met with a face of pure sadness and loss.
"I don't know what you mean!" Naruto replied.
Haku just looked over to the dead Zabuza sadly. "Zabuza was my precious person. He found me, raised me, provided for me. Before Zabuza, I was nothing. With Zabuza, I was something—an instrument, a tool he could use to accomplish his goals. Now, you have made me nothing again." he said, tears running down his eyes.
Naruto froze.
So, they were working together.
The realization hit Naruto hard; the shinobi before them, the one they had thought was a hunter-nin, was actually someone deeply connected to Zabuza, someone who now felt they had lost their purpose with Zabuza's demise. This was a side of the shinobi world that textbooks and training didn't cover—the deep bonds that could form even in the darkest of circumstances, bonds that could define one's very existence.
Sasuke stood silently next to Naruto, her own emotions a mix of understanding and sadness. This mission had started as a straightforward task, but it had quickly spiraled into a series of revelations about the world they were part of—a world where dreams could be as much a source of strength as they could be a cause of despair.
For a moment, the battlefield was quiet, the tension replaced by a shared moment of sorrow for dreams lost and lives changed irrevocably. Then, Naruto, with a look of determination, stepped forward.
"We... We didn't know about your connection," Naruto began, his voice steady despite the turmoil he felt. "But I believe everyone has a purpose, a dream. Losing someone important... it's hard. But your life, your purpose... it doesn't end with that loss."
The air was heavy with emotions, with Naruto's words hanging between them, offering a sliver of understanding in the midst of conflict.
Sasuke ran to Naruto's side immediately, with his clones surrounding the hunter-ninja.
"Naruto, he was working with Zabuza; he is an enemy." Sasuke hissed, glaring at the boy.
"I know that, Sasuke! But look at her! She's so sad; she doesn't want to fight!" Naruto responded.
Sasuke rolled her eyes at Naruto.
Does he confuse every person's gender?
Sasuke maintained her guard as she watched Naruto get closer to the shinobi. What are you doing?
Naruto stepped closer to Haku; now they were a mere 10 feet away. Naruto was able to get a better look at the girl. "Wow... you're prettier than even Sakura," Naruto said. At this, Haku just looked at him, face blank but holding one of slight surprise. Naruto observed the girl's long black hair, pale skin, and large, dark-brown eyes, and a slender frame, wearing a standard Kirigakure pinstriped outfit which stopped at her knees. Over this, she wore a green haori with white trimmings, and around her waist, a brown sash with a fringed trail wrapped around her waist twice. She also wore light-brown platoon sandals with straps in the same color as her kimono and nail polish on her fingernails and toenails in matching blue-green color. When wearing this outfit, Haku's long hair was gathered in a white bun holder, while two locks of her hair fell loose, framing her face, bound with metal hair cuffs at the ends.
"Are you going to kill me now?" the boy said.
"Huh? Why would I do that? I won't hurt you, but you have to come with us!" Naruto said.
"I am a tool with no master, a knight with no king, a being with no soul. I no longer wish to participate in this world. Without my master, the person who gave me purpose and a reason to live, the person who named me and raised me, teaching me the ways to be useful. I want to die." Naruto watched the tears fall from the shinobi before him. Naruto couldn't help himself; he wanted to help.
"You are not a tool! You are a human being! Your life means something even if you believe it doesn't!"
"And how do you know! You know nothing about me!" The shinobi shouted. "You took away my dream! So, before I die, I will take away yours!"
Sasuke had heard enough and immediately moved into action. "Naruto, watch out!" She said, running towards Naruto, but it was too late.
Haku quickly flashed through a set of hand signs before Naruto was surrounded by ice mirrors.
"What is this?" Naruto said, looking around. Sasuke slid to a stop outside the ice dome. She could see that Naruto was completely surrounded by the dome; the shinobi had disappeared from sight and had moved into one of the mirrors surrounding Naruto.
"This is my ultimate jutsu, a jutsu passed down from my clan. It is my kekkei genkai; it allows me to perform ice release. This is my Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals jutsu. You will die here now, or you will kill me and allow me the privilege to serve my master again in the afterlife."
Naruto growled at himself. Haku's chakra was all over the place; he could sense it even better now that he was closer. He could feel the sadness and loss; he could feel his anger and hurt. Although the shinobi before him said vengeful things, Naruto didn't feel any malice within the words.
"Hey, we can talk this out. I'm sorry that your friend died, okay? He was trying to kill us. We don't have to do this; let's talk. Tell me your name. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a shinobi of Konoha."
"My name is unimportant. I failed to protect my master; I no longer am deserving of the name he gave me!" the shinobi replied.
Before Naruto even realized it, he was hit with senbon needles; blood trickled from his wounds. He pulled out his kunai and got into a defensive stance. Damn it, I didn't even see him move!
"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted from outside the dome.
"Stay away, Sasuke! Don't get trapped in here! It's okay; I got this. Trust me; I have everything under control!" He said, giving her a confident smirk. He watched as several expressions flashed through Sasuke's face before she nodded her head in reply.
Looking back at the mirrors surrounding him, he spoke again. "If you're not going to listen to me and you want a fight, then I'll just beat you and force you to listen to me!"
Haku didn't respond, just throwing more senbon at Naruto. The needles impacted his flesh, causing more wounds and blood to fall. Making Naruto drop to one knee, his heart was racing with pain, his vision was becoming blurred, and he was finding it hard to focus. The senbon came too fast for his eyes to keep up with.
"You will die here, Naruto Uzumaki. I will extinguish your dreams as you have extinguished mine. Then you will know the sadness I feel!" the shinobi said.
"I already know how you feel!" Naruto said, struggling to his feet as the pain from the needles in his body dug deeper with each breath and slight movement.
"All my life I've felt sadness, only recently have I had people who acknowledge me. All my life I have been ignored and hated because of something that I didn't even have a say in, something I didn't want! But even I know that my life is still meaningful. I'm more than what they say; I am more than a monster, just like you are more than a tool! Zabuza might have told you that, but I don't believe it! You are more than a tool! You're a person, you should want to be more than a weapon!"
The shinobi glared at Naruto in response, sending more senbon at the blond from a different location. Naruto tried his best to move out of the way of the senbon needles and managed to block some before more peppered his body. Now he had senbon embedded all across his body, and he was struggling to stand and breathe.
"You will die now, Naruto." the shinobi said sadly before launching his final attack. Haku watched as his needles went flying towards Naruto; this time he aimed to kill the persistent blond. He would erase this person from existence. Haku was surprised by chains that shot out from the boy's back, wrapping him in a ball of chakra chains. The senbon he sent to kill the boy bounced right off.
"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted.
That's it, I'm intervening
Turning to face Naruto's clones, she spoke, "Half of you run in there and try to rescue Naruto! The other half help me destroy this jutsu from the outside! Hit it with all you've got!"
The clones immediately burst into action. Sasuke launched a chakra-filled fireball at the outside mirrors and gasped when it barely made a dent in the ice.
No way! I won't be able to break it! I'm too weak!
She felt helpless in that moment. If she ran in, she didn't think she would be much more useful to Naruto, but even remaining outside of the dome, she didn't have the raw power to break the jutsu. She watched as Naruto's clones who went in were being impaled and dispersed mercilessly by the shinobi. Naruto's clones on the outside had grouped up into twos before forming his new jutsu in one of his clones' hands.
They all shouted in unison, "Rasengan!" The clones launched themselves at the backside of each mirror with a Rasengan in hand. Sasuke watched, helplessly yet with amazement, as the Rasengan impacted the ice with a loud 'boom'. She observed the determination on his clones' faces as they pressed their individual Rasengans into the back of the icy dome with all their might.
A loud crack resounded, followed by a scream of pain and the shattering of the ice dome. Haku, visibly pained and wounded from the Rasengan tearing into his back, fell from the destroyed dome. The explosion sent shards of ice flying, dispersing all of Naruto's clones. Sasuke felt pain as ice fragments sliced and impaled her right arm and left leg. She shielded her face from the explosion's debris with her arms getting more cuts from the flying projectiles.
When the shockwave passed, she looked up to see Naruto left on one knee, blood pouring from his injuries. He looked tired, exhausted, and weak. He staggered over to the fallen Kirigakure shinobi.
As Naruto approached, Haku, despite his severe injuries, made a desperate attempt to defend himself. "You won't take me without a fight," Haku whispered, barely audible, as he threw three senbon aimed at Naruto's jugular.
"Naruto, watch out!" Sasuke screamed, spotting the incoming danger and moved to intercept it. However, as time seemed to slow, four pairs of chakra chains emerged from Naruto's back, shooting forward. Both Sasuke and Haku's eyes widened at this sudden development. The chains deflected the senbon and wrapped around Haku, restraining him.
Naruto mustered all the strength he had left for one final move. "You're not going anywhere!" Naruto yelled determinedly as he launched himself forward, tackling Haku with every ounce of energy he possessed.
The impact was immediate and forceful; Naruto crashed headfirst into Haku's chest, knocking the wind out of him. Haku gasped for air, the pain from the Rasengan wound on his back flaring intensely with the added force of Naruto's tackle, knocking him out cold, while Naruto collapsed beside him, the chakra chains receding into the blonde's back.
Sasuke's initial shock at witnessing chakra chains emerge from Naruto's back gave way to a surge of urgency as she saw Naruto collapse beside Haku, after a forceful tackle that seemed to sap the last of his energy. Those chains... Since when could Naruto...? Her mind raced, but she shoved the questions aside, focusing on the immediate crisis.
Mentally cursing Naruto's persistent stubbornness, she watched in a mix of awe and frustration as he, despite his grievous injuries, staggered back to his feet only to collapse once more, then started crawling towards the downed Haku with a determination that seemed to defy logic.
Idiot she thought, always playing the hero, even when you can barely stand.
Naruto, panting heavily, crawled towards the incapacitated shinobi. "This is a chakra suppressant seal. It will make transporting him easier," Naruto said weakly as he began writing something on Haku's arms and legs. After finishing the last seal, he summoned the last of his remaining strength to activate the seal before collapsing face-first into the dirt next to Haku.
"Naruto!" she called out, her voice laced with concern as she rushed over to him. Sasuke's heart pounded against her chest, fear and admiration mixing in equal measure as she took in the full extent of Naruto's injuries. Blood stained his clothes, and his labored breathing was a clear sign of his struggle. How can he still be moving?
Naruto rolled over to face the sky, a weak triumphant smile on his face. "We did it, Sasuke. We beat him!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Yes, Naruto. You beat him. Now don't talk too much; you're losing a lot of blood!" Sasuke said, tears rolling down her eyes.
Naruto chuckled. "Why do you keep calling him a 'him'? He is way too pretty to be a boy, Sasuke. Are you blind?" Naruto managed to say between coughs, his laughter making him cough up blood that had pooled in his lungs.
"Idiot, it's because he is a boy! Now stop talking; you're severely injured!" Sasuke countered, frustration and concern in her voice.
Naruto turned to her, and she didn't like the look in his eyes; his gaze seemed unfocused. "Sasuke, stay with me!" She said, tears rolling down her cheeks and landing on Naruto's bloody face.
"It's okay, Sasuke. I'm just... a little tired," was the last thing he said to her before Naruto's eyes shut, and the world went black for him.
"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed, horrified.
A/N Thats all folks, i have been told before that my fight scenes arent the best so i apologize, i am trying my best and working with my beta to produce good quality chapters, still i hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to seeing you again next time!