Previously

Kakashi released a sigh of relief and exhaustion when Zabuza was seen floating face down in the water. He was about to make his way back to shore when there was a shout.

Now

"Kakashi! Look out!" His young mate warned. But it was too late as Kakashi found when water incased him in a sphere. Zabuza emerged from underwater with his hand on the sphere and the one they thought was Zabuza burst into water.

"Haha! Thought you had me, didn't you, Kakashi? I guess even the Sharingan isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Now that you are trapped, I think I'll have you watch, helpless, as your precious comrades and client die by my hand!" The missing-nin created another water clone and it casually walked to the last four people standing in his way of a great payday.

"Do any of you kiddies truly know what it means to be a shinobi? I bet you don't. All you care about is flashy jutsus and saving princesses. Well tough shit!" He pointed his sword at them. You could barely hear Kakashi telling them to run.

"Being a ninja isn't all that it's cracked up to be! You have to kill and stain both your mind and body with the blood of your victims," Sakura backed up with such fear emanating from her that she practically fell on her ass. Katsuro was looking at him with slight boredom but was ready to move at a moment's notice while Sasuke unsheathed his sword. "You brats are only playing ninja! You're soft! Until you kill someone with your bare hands, even in the name of your village, you will never be true ninja!" The clone ran at them and swung down, planning to bisect the raven in front of him, only to be blocked.

Sasuke struggled to hold back the large blade and was straining not to kneel when Katsuro came up from the side with his own steel to cut the head of the clone. Clone Zabuza saw him and disengaged the Uchiha with a kick to the raven's chest and rolled out of the way.

"I don't need your help, idiot! I had everything under control!" The Uchiha shouted with indignation at his teammate while managing to stay on his feet from the kick. Katsuro gave him a doubtful brow-raise.

"Whatever you say, Uchiha. The fact that your arms and legs are still shaking tell me that you weren't gonna be able to hold him in off for long. I just capitalized on that and helped you out." He tonelessly supplied.

Sasuke faintly blushed and growled, "Why you—!"

"Hahahaha! What's this? You're fighting? And I thought teams from that tree hugging village were supposed to get along." The clone propped his sword on the ground.

"Ya brats wanna know something about how I got my epitaph? It was so long ago it feels like it was just yesterday," one could almost clearly see the dark smile under his bandages. "You see, the Mist's Academy graduation was much different than any other Hidden Village. When the students wanted to become shinobi, they had one more test. It was to kill your classmates!" There were horrified gasps from the more emotional and weaker stomached pair.

"Yes! Your friends, the people you grew up with, are live with, played games with, maybe even had sleepovers with. You had to kill them in cold blood to be named a Shinobi of the Hidden Mist. Now there was a boy. He wanted to participate in the graduation even though he wasn't even part of the academy. That boy killed every last person on that graduation day and was named a shinobi right then!" The clone let the information stew in their minds and watched as the pinky and old man's eyes widened when they started drawing conclusions. The short-haired raven snarled while in his stance and the long-haired genin stayed quiet.

"Yes! It was me! I was the one who killed all those students! And it was so easy, too! It was because I was stronger than them! I had guts! I didn't mind staining my hands as long as I was known as the strongest, I was satisfied!" The clone laughed and swung at them again. This time, Katsuro parried him and the two clashed a few more times before parting.

"You've got some skill, boy. I'll give you that, but just because you blocked me doesn't mean you're a match for me!" Zabuza's clone gibed. The dual-haired teen just positioned his sword to prepare for the jōnin.

Sasuke used the distraction to shins him behind the clone and attempted to cut him, but the clone dosages in time and swung his huge sword diagonally at the Uchiha. Sasuke managed to swerve out of the way, sheathe his sword, and perform hand signs.

"Katon: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" He spewed our head-sized fireballs to which the missing-nin countered with a water jutsu. The two jutsu cancelled each other and created a steam, making the fog even worse and the two ninja disappeared from each other's sights.

While the two dark-haired men were focused on each other, Katsuro used the steam as cover to head to the lake. Just as he was about to send his shadow tendrils out to disrupt Zabuza's jutsu on Kakashi, the clone tried to cut him down from behind causing him to dodge roll and set his sights back on the ex-Mist ninja.

"Not so fast, brat. Don't think I'll just let you get away that easily," he mocked. Katsuro smirked.

"I wasn't trying to get away. I just needed to hold you here for a moment." Clone Zabuza narrowed his eyes then they widened when he felt something binding him. He looked down to see deep purple, nearly black, vines wrap about his body, firmly keeping him in place. He threw his head up to see the Uchiha with a fumashuriken. The raven threw the weapon at the real Zabuza, but he merely jumped over the low swung weapon and floated about how they can't hope to save their sensei.

Katsuro made him eat his words when a tendril he had hidden inside the water shadowing the fumashuriken pierced through the surface of the lake and nearly stabbed Zabuza in the arm had the man not released his hold on the Water Prison, but still got grazed by the spear shaped vine.

Kakashi was released from his restraint with a splash. He claimed to the surface soaking wet but prepared to keep fighting. Zabuza snarled at the trick the two younger males of Team Seven made him fall for.

'Maybe they're not that useless, after all,' the nin begrudgingly admitted. He observed the blood leaking from the wound on his arm. He side-eyed the dual-haired teen with caution. 'Especially that one.'

With that, Kakashi and Zabuza was back at it again and, this time, Kakashi dominated and was about to deliver the finishing blow when he was stopped by senbon needles killing the nukenin.

A hunternin with most of their long hair in a bun under a white cloth shinshined in front of the Konoha-nin with a bow.

"Thank you most kindly for weakening the nukenin, Zabuza Momochi. He has evaded Mist for too long and is very formidable. I will now dispose of his body and inform my village. Good day." The melodious voice from behind the hunternin's mask reached their ears. The slim ninja hoisted the body on their shoulder before disappearing in a shunshin.

Sasuke tried to protest but Kakashi stopped him and informed them that they had to forget about them and get Tazuna home safely. The masked man promptly fainted although Katsuro's quick reflexes prevented him from kissing the ground.

"What happened to Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura fearfully asked.

"Chakra exhaustion. Using his Sharingan fo so long, and not being a born Uchiha on top of it, drained his reserves. He'll be fine after a few days' rest." Katsuro informed the group.

Said male slid the silver-haired man onto his back and firmly held the strong thighs to stop his lover from slipping. His dark blue eyes met the dark eyes of the bridge builder. "Let's go. Kakashi needs rest and we need to get out of the open in case of any more attacks," he solemnly spoke. The old man nodded and urged the conscious members to follow him to a man in a boat that would lead them across the river.

They all gathered in the boat, Katsuro setting Kakashi in his lap to leave room for Tazuna, and silently made their way across the water to the Land of Waves.

Upon disembarking, Tazuna thanked the fisherman gratefully and lead his protection to his home.