20
The days continued much like the first two. Sasuke and Naruto continued battling it out in training as either Kakashi or Akari would accompany Sakura to the bridge with Tazuna as the other would watch over the boys' training. At night Sasuke would intrude on Akari's training drawing her to take him into the forest in order to spar with him in a way his speed was steadily picking up. Just as movements that he had a difficult time noticing the other night, he was now able to pick up on more often. Each night would end with his muscles aching from the strain and his energy levels depleted enough he could barely remember closing his eyes after laying down.
Finally, at the end of their second week, Naruto and Sasuke both showed up for dinner. Naruto draped over Sasuke's shoulders as they both looked like they had gone through hell and back. Naruto was chuckling happily, perfectly content for someone who couldn't even stand up on his own. "We both did it. We both made it to the top." He speaks proudly with a goofy grin even though Sasuke was trying to hide his own pride in their accomplishment with a feigned annoyance. "Good, then starting tomorrow you both will be guarding Tazuna." Kakashi chuckles lightly watching as Naruto shouts happily and throws his arms in the air. Successfully sending Sasuke off balance so they both land on their rears. "You're such a loser." Sasuke snips lightly trying to stifle his own chuckle.
That night, Akari had slipped out of their room after she and Sasuke had finished their training in the trees. She had moved up to the roof and laid down looking up at the moon, planning to return to the room after taking in the serenity of the night. Instead, she had actually fallen asleep due to the workout she had put herself through with her training and helping with Sasuke's. A figure appears on the roof next to the sleeping girl. He had been tasked with gathering data on the ninetail jinjuriki with his partners. Though, he hadn't expected to find her amongst the genin team. Teams that usually consisted of three genin and a jonin leader.
As he peers down at her now, he almost couldn't see the girl he had left behind even though her attire hasn't changed much at all. The last time he had seen her the girl still had some baby weight on her cheeks that made her face look rounder than it actually was. Now with age, the once childish figure was already changing, bringing soft wavy curves to her form. Especially the curves pulling tight against the fabric at her chest. What was once a navy blue short sleeve jumper and matching sandals is now a sleeveless jumper with white and blue arm and leg warmers. The way the fabric on her limps is laying as she sleeps he can tell that she has weights nestled in the fabrics, either to purposefully slow her movements or further push her abilities.
For years he has wondered if the leaf had picked up on what had happened that night beyond his involvement. As he has worried about his little brother and Akari where Danzo is concerned. Seeing them both currently safe eased his worries. However, when he had witnessed the fight involving the two Jonin he wondered if she had managed to grow without them. Something he has thought about periodically over the years but never truly dwelled on. Akari never felt as people should and he was the only one she had ever really let in. Itachi had hoped that she would find someone she could let in so she wouldn't feel alone. Yet during that battle, she had been emotionally inept. As if she truly didn't feel anything.
However, over the last couple of weeks. He has seen moments when she would allow a bit of emotion to show through, though it is still far less than what he had become accustomed to seeing before he left. Even the way she treats his brother leaves much to be desired. Itachi found himself squatting next to her and resting his arms against his knees as his eyes travel her form again. Replaying the last time he had seen her in his mind. He knew that leaving her in the leaf was the best decision he could have made for her and he still believes that. Though he had hoped the next time he got to see her he would be able to find out what she had meant that night even if he highly doubted that she would give him his answer easily.
A sudden presence behind him had Itachi standing and looking back at his partners. His scarlet hues meet both of their gazes before he glances down at the girl sleeping recklessly on the roof. Goodbye, Akari. He thinks before without a word spoken between the three of them, he leaves the rooftop with his partners on his heels. With newfound distance from the house, one of them begins to snicker behind him. Just loud enough that he could hear it. The man knew better than to ask about what he had walked up on since he would never get an answer either way. But what he had seen his partner doing spoke more than this particular partner has uttered the entire time they've been together. The third, however, was watching Itachi's back with a heavy heart. Knowing what that meeting had meant to his friend by the mere fact Itachi couldn't leave the land of waves without going to her side first.
In the morning they left Naruto asleep at the house. With Sasuke at her side, Sakura on the other side of Kakashi who was walking next to Tazuna, they make their way for the bridge. Tazuna gasps at the scene that was awaiting them as Sakura catches herself from running toward the men. The workers were incapacitated, still laying where they had been previously working. Akari's hand moves to her side, ready to pull a kunai as she looks around before glancing at Kakashi to see if he was thinking the same thing that had crossed her mind.
It was then mist begins to roll in causing Akari's eyes to narrow. "Sasuke, Sakura, Akari. Get ready!" Kakashi calls as the four of them automatically move around Tazuna to protect him. "Kakashi Sensei it's Zabuza isn't it?" Sakura asks as all three genin pull a kunai. "This is his hidden mist jutsu." Sakura points out as she holds her kunai up at the ready. "Sorry I kept you waiting Kakashi. I see you've still got those brats with you. That one's still trembling... Pitiful." Sasuke grunts in surprise as Zabuza's water clones surround them. Akari raises her kunai up a bit staring into Zabuza's eyes.
"I'm trembling with... Excitement." Sasuke's words fill the air causing Zabuza's eyes to widen as the boy smirks. Akari glances over her shoulder to Sasuke a small hint of a smirk coming into view as she thinks about how he's finally beginning to enjoy this. "Go on Sasuke, show him how much you've grown." Kakashi says just before Sasuke uses the speed he's built up training with Akari these last few weeks as he leaps to the side and makes a complete circle around them, taking down Zabuza's water clones before any of them could blink. "Nice." Akari utters out pulling her counterpart's eyes to her as he grunts in shock from the irregularity of her attitude lately. "Looks like you've got another rival Haku." Zabuza practically growls out with his irritation.
"So it seems." Haku speaks as his mask moves to signify he was looking toward Akari. "Well Haku, I know you are probably itching to fight her. Why don't I let you two fight it out." Zabuza chuckles watching the girl he had faced last time. "Thank you, Zabuza." Haku responds rather quietly to Zabuza as Akari moves ahead of the others calmly, her dark eyes watching the boy in front of her. "Still hiding behind that mask? Who does he think he's fooling?" Kakashi utters out sternly, his voice practically dripping with his disdain for the two in front of them.
Akari drops her left foot behind her a bit as she shifts her weight, holding up her kunai ready for a fight. "Speak for yourself, Sensei." Sakura practically snickers at her own comment. Since the conversation she had with Kakashi on the roof of Tazuna's house, Akari had decided it would be alright to show a bit more of her strength than she has. Even though, a part of her really wishes to just let loose and stop hiding like he wants her to do. She couldn't shake the fact of what will happen if she does. So during training, she has only focused on her chakra control, shadow clones, and taijutsu. Trying to push her body to react without using her Sharingan.
"That's it, I'm taking him out, who does he think he's fooling hiding behind that mask, like some sort of clown." Sasuke speaks as if he wasn't basically just reiterating what Kakashi himself had said. Yet, as he goes to move next to Akari, Kakashi holds his arm out to stop him. "Sasuke! You're so cool!" Sakura cheers dreamily at the male Uchiha causing a bead of sweat to linger at Kakashi's brow. "I told you, you were lying before." She points out simply as she watches the boy slip into his own fighting stance.
"Yes, you are quite perceptive." Haku responds to Akari before he begins spinning toward her as if he were a miniature tornado. Sasuke watches as Akari simply raises her kunai further as she judges Haku's attack point. As if her eyes could see his movement without having the Sharingan. "What's this?" Sasuke questions just as Akari suddenly catches Haku's needles with the blade of her kunai before she slowly pushes the boy's arm back. When he pulls his hand away from her he tries again to strike her causing her to deflect it. "You are quite strong." Haku mutters in realization as he attempts to attack her again pushing her to deflect his needles.
Akari simply sighs heavily even as her eyes never leave his mask. "That obvious huh? I thought I was doing well hiding it before this mission. As I can tell, you are strong too but you are only testing me." She states simply as she keeps her voice quiet enough no one else can hear her. "As you said, I am perceptive. I've known since the last we saw each other, that you do not truly wish to do this. For if you did, you would have attacked us when we were left weakened from fighting against Zabuza, instead of simply intervening enough to save him." Akari informs him.
"We are alike." Haku realizes just as quietly as his hidden eyes very nearly widen. "That is both true and incorrect." She counters confusingly as the sounds of metal scraping on metal continue to echo as they push back and forth with their weapons, seemingly neither one of them willing to back off even for a moment. "I will not kill you if you choose to concede defeat." She elaborates for him quietly, giving him the option to fight or not. "Sakura, Sasuke, cover Tazuna and stay close to me. Let Akari handle this." Kakashi orders causing Sasuke to growl as he is forced to watch.
Haku pulls back and tries to strike her only to have his needles simply deflected again as he watches silently, the girl's eyes move around them erratically seeing the water in the air he had begun to build up. This girl. Haku thinks just before he raises his hand to form a one-handed sign. Akari tilts her head just before she leaps at the last moment, avoiding the water needles from Haku's jutsu. Using her speed against him just like when she had fought Zabuza. However, the moment Haku's gaze raises to meet hers, Akari was already in mid-spin. Her foot strikes against his mask hard enough that he is sent skidding back. With his mind still spinning from the strength behind her strike Akari sprints after him with her fist catching the other side of his face. Haku is sent rolling back toward Zabuza as he hits the bridge near the Jonin's feet, almost like Akari had felt it necessary to prove to him that she had meant her ultimatum.
While Haku was trying to regain his head so he could get up, Sasuke comes up next to Akari with his kunai raised ready to fight from having slipped past Kakashi. "You made a big mistake insulting these ninja calling them brats. That's just guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude. Together, he and Akari make up the best young fighters of the hidden leaf village." Kakashi speaks up proudly to Zabuza. "Sakura here is our sharpest mind." Sakura giggles sticking her tongue out. "And last but not least, our number one Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja is Naruto Uzumaki."
Zabuza's chuckling draws the eyes of the leaf ninja. "Haku, if we keep going on like this we'll be the victims instead of them. Get on with it!" He snaps out in a growl. "Right." Haku sighs as he stands with his head bowed, his blue chakra leaks out from him visibly. "What's that?" Sasuke asks as his hold on his kunai tightens. "I'm sorry it has come to this." Haku apologizes as his mask focuses on Akari. "The air, it's so cold." Sasuke utters as they watch Haku raise his hands in a seal. Akari frowns as one ice mirror after another rapidly forms around them.
"What's happening?" Sasuke questions as Akari stands straight watching the dome of ice complete itself with the final mirror above them as Sasuke gives a grunt of confusion from next to her. "He captured us. Maybe now wasn't a good time for you to move past your fear, huh Sasuke." This draws a glare from the boy next to her before he smirks. "Like you said. We are stronger together." This pulls Akari's gaze to him from having not expected to hear that from someone as arrogant as Sasuke.
Seeing what is happening, Kakashi makes a run to help his students before Zabuza appears before him cutting off his route. "If you enter this fight, you fight me. Those kids of yours stand no chance against that Jutsu, they're finished." Kakashi's breath catches watching the dome begin to glow as his gaze wavers on the sight before him. "Now we'll begin." Haku informs them from all the mirrors around the two genin. "And I'll show you both what speed, really means." Sasuke watches the multitude of Hakus as he clicks his tongue.
"Sasuke, I should tell you something." Akari suddenly speaks up drawing Sasuke's gaze to find her still looking up at the mirrors though she shoots him a glance from the corner of her eye. "I will protect you." The very notion she has only ever told two people in this world, brought a weight to her heart, as she thinks back through her memories of Sasuke and how he fights against the loneliness in her heart just by being at her side. Before they knew what was happening, Sasuke's shirt is torn by a throwing needle that sticks into the bridge behind him. As a second one comes at him, Akari slides in behind him and blocks it with her kunai.
She closes her eyes and steadies her breathing knowing the moment those words had filtered through the air what they truly meant. Every person she has ever wanted to protect, she went above and beyond for. She had cast aside any reservations about what may happen to her and focused solely on their safety. To the point, Akari had even dared to attack a Leaf Village Elder knowing her strength paled in comparison to his. She had cast herself into darkness for another and delved into the blood to pull him out. Yes, Sasuke. I will protect you. She thinks as she opens her inverted eyes and narrows them on Haku within the mirror.
"Akari?" Sasuke grunts when he glances over his shoulder to her before he is suddenly knocked away from her as she sends him skidding against the ground. Her eyes track the trajectory of the flying projectiles she uses her kunai to block the barrage of needles. Sasuke sits up fearing what may have happened to her before he watches with wide eyes. Seeing Akari's movements pick up speed to an entirely different level as she somehow blocks every single throwing needle that had been sent her way. Once the attack stops, Sasuke gets up and moves back to her side. His gaze flits over her form as if making sure she is fine ever before his onyx hues settle on her eyes.
"Listen up, Sasuke. He isn't in every mirror at one time. He is moving from mirror to mirror at an alarming speed. The weakness to this jutsu is the frailty of the mirrors from the outside. However, with both of us in here that option will not easily be obtained for he can see everything we do in clear precision." Akari explains for him causing him to frown. He had actually wanted to know how long she has had the Sharingan and why she never told him she had unlocked it, but she was right. They have to focus on winning this battle first. "I have trained your eyes to keep up with my speed. Now I need you to keep up with his. Perceive his movements, know where he will strike next."
He isn't in all of them at one time! He's just moving fast enough through them that I can't see! That would mean there is another weakness to this jutsu. Which would be... When he's jumping mirrors. Sasuke realizes silently watching Akari's eyes training back onto Haku as he moves. She knew there was no way she could continue to protect Sasuke and fight against Haku. But, for the first time in six years, she found herself willing to fight against the odds.