Ch. 26

The next day, Moriko was out supervising the team's training and the house while Kakashi went with Tazuna to the bridge. She sighed as she leaned against the tree while her clones patrolled the area, even more clones working on the Mobile Medical Defense Seal. She was getting closer to a solution to complete it, she could feel it.

The barrier was still up around the house protecting the client's family while the massive barrier around the bridge protected it from tampering by foreign ninjas. Kakashi was checking the workers' identity before granting them the seal that would allow them to pass through. If any attacks came, he would be able to alert her via flare or by scroll.

The kids had also watched in interest earlier when she had unsealed all her building materials before condensing the logs and rock down to one pile.

She looked over her shoulder as she sensed two chakras coming closer through the trees. She grinned seeing who it was.

"Yo!" she called cheerfully with a wave. Zabuza took in her relaxed posture before they came closer. Zabuza sat carefully by her side, the beautiful-faced child sitting beside him.

"So, I take it we have a deal then?" he asked cautiously as she nodded.

"It's been approved. I can see why you were worried and had him wearing a mask," she said, as her worried eyes cut to where the boy sat. The child sent his master a curious look as the man shifted uncomfortably.

"Haku is a tool that I find useful," Zabuza said resolutely. Moriko shot him an unimpressed look.

She squinted at the boy, causing the child to shift uneasily and Zabuza began to bristle protectively. Moriko looked at Zabuza with shrewd eyes before her expression turned mischievous.

"So, he's just a tool huh? It's a bit odd for you to get so protective over a tool. For you to not send a tool out first, to keep him in reserve, to not throw him in my path so you could get away yesterday…" she noted as the man sighed.

"You two are clearly not related from the feel of your chakra… the child has an unusual chakra… maybe a kekkie genkai…" she mused as the two of them tensed. What the hell Zabuza thought, not liking how easily she was able to read their bond through one reation from him and the feel of their chakra. She snorted as she waved off their concerns.

"In Konoha we don't care about stuff like that. So, he has a kekkie genkai then. Desperate enough to please you, so most likely trauma and abandonment due to the kekkie genkai purges in Mist and you took him in. At that point, the poor boy didn't understand that your help was out of human decency?" she seemed to murmur to himself and Zabuza had to fight back a wince, remembering the puzzlement that Haku had shown when Zabuza gave him the rabbit. Of course it was for ninjutsu, Zabuza had amended to the boy, not wanting to sound weak and the child had relaxed, not able to understand kindness but able to understand logical.

"And you fed into it, telling him he's a tool, not wanting him to be used against you. Smart," she said as she cut into Zabuza's memories, the redhead looking away as he frowned at her forebodingly. If she knew to target Haku-

She glanced back before giving a wry grin cutting through his thoughts once more.

"A little tidbit about me Momochi-kun, I love kids. I wouldn't use him against you. I wouldn't need to," she said with a flirty smirk as the man relaxed. He could understand this; the line that a person was unwilling to cross. The fact that she had just offered up her own weakness to put him at ease showed him that she was serious about this partnership as well.

"Well, now that I know where three of your weak points are I feel much better," he said dryly, wanting to know how she would react. Not a lot of ninja told you their weaknesses. Moriko pierced him with an ice-cold look, freezing him in place as his heart started to pound, teal eyes like razors of ice.

"Careful Zabuza," she purred seductively, anything but friendly, "hurt a hair on their heads and I won't kill you, just make you wish for death once I'm through."

The death threat, her beauty, her strength, the protectiveness for the children. It was like a kick in the gut, and he was forced to raise a leg to hid the semi he was suddenly sporting as he began to grin under the bandages. Oh, new kink unlocked, he thought to himself as he realized he found dangerous women who were protective of kids veeeeery attractive. Haku sent him a reproachful look seeing the semi before looking away.

"I like your style hot stuff. Protectiveness for your little ducklings only seems to add to the hotness factor," he teased as Moriko smirked back, relaxing slightly. It seemed they found a line they could both agree on and the both of them seemed more relaxed now.

"When are you going to get rid of those bandages Momochi-kun? You're among allies," she teased back, and the man hesitated. Well, there went any chances with this chick.

"Most people find my teeth unsettling," he finally said, hoping she would drop the point as Moriko shot him a curious look.

"I doubt it will bother me. I once met a man with blue skin and shark teeth and it didn't bother me," she said as the man shot her an impressed look.

"You met Hoshigaki then?" he said, looking impressed. Her cheeks flushed.

"Something like that," she said cooly, looking away as the man frowned in confusion.

"Did you fight him then?" he asked curiously. She coughed face flushing further.

"Sort of," she hedged as the man continued to frown. The realization made him sit back with a laugh.

"You and Fish face got it on?" he demanded gleefully as she glared, face pink.

"It was a long time ago," she grumbled as Zabuza laughed, clearly delighted before he began to remove the bandages around his face. When he grinned at her with an equally shark-like grin she blushed and looked away.

"Oh hoooooo, someone's actually got a thing for the teeth," Zabuza said gleefully as he scooted closer, motioning to the boy to join the other children. Haku sighed in exasperation but did as told. Moriko glared as her cheeks flushed.

"I don't have a thing, I'm just remembering what they can do," she breathed leaning closer, her lips inches from his. The man's eyes widened as she leaned close, her soft breath fanning his face before she pulled away with an impish grin.

"Want that spar now or do you want to go hunting?" she asked with a mischievous grin as the man blinked out of the stupor her actions had put him in. He stood with a smirk, helping her to her feet.

"Considering the sexual frustration you're probably going to put me through, let's go hunt some ninja," he said with a laugh as she grinned back.

"Sounds good. Let me extend the barrier and we can go," she said before going to speak with the kids and tell them what she was going to do. They nodded, sending curious looks to the other ninjas way before Moriko sent some clones to help her with the process. Zabuza gave a sound of appreciation as he watched her work.

"You're a real Uzumaki then, a sealing master," he said as she shot him a look over her shoulder.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't spread that around, but yes," she said as she finished the barrier. He gave an appreciative hum as he tossed a rock at the now invisible barrier only to watch it shimmer when the rock struck it. She turned away so as not to see the appreciative look in his eyes.

"Well, let's go, Sealing Master, there's cannon fodder to get rid of," he said as they set out through the trees.

"With pleasure," she purred causing the man to shoot her a heated look over his shoulder. She chuckled and they sped over the island heading towards Gato's hideaway. This was going to be fun.