Chapter 48. Through water and flame.

"Did I get 'em?" Naruto stood a distance away, watching the result of his handle work.

"Overkill," Sasuke muttered in response.

"Sakura said so too, but I didn't really have a choice," Naruto admitted. "Besides, when else am I going to get to use it!?" Sasuke said nothing as the waters rained down and the pillars of ice crumbled. The explosion took out the ice forest Haku made, leaving nothing but mist.

Black eyes bled into red as he searched the mist; Sasuke doubted the explosion killed the ice user.

Killing intent. No, murderous intent flowed from the mist. Zabuza stood atop the water littered with broken ice; Haku tucked under his arm. He glared at the leaf shinobi channeling all his hatred. He was never one to whine when things went wrong, but he felt he could be forgiven just this once.

He was promised a simple job. Kill a civilian and protect Gato from retribution. It was easy money compared to what he was used to. And he needed money. His village wouldn't last much longer under that man's rule. He failed to kill him once before; he wouldn't allow it again.

He wouldn't die here; he refused to die at the hands of brats. His killing intent increased and focused on said brats in front of him. Asuma's team froze under the pressure of his killing intent, they might be shinobis, but they were just kids.

The promise of their end made Naruto and Sasuke shiver, but that was all. After living with Sakura's killing intent for so long, it made no sense for them to fear his malice. Naruto took out another scroll as Sasuke spun a kunai by the ring.

Zabuza couldn't help the chuckle that came from his throat. They who have never tasted the blood of their enemy, weren't scared of him.

"Hehehehe"

"Zabuza…" Haku looked up at him in a daze. The ice user vaguely remembered Zabuza grabbing him and shielding him against the explosion by going underwater. Haku hung his head in shame; he was getting in Zabuza's way.

"Looks like we'll have to use it after all," Haku looked up in confusion. Use what? It was after Zabuza took out blue stone that he remembered.

"Zabuza Momochi?"

The swordsman looked back at the calling of his name. He'd receive orders from Gato and was heading out. What did this person want? Looking back, he was met with a smiling redhead. Dressed in loose kimono that fell from her shoulder, the woman smiled brightly at him. Her scarlet hair in a loose bun, she showed no reservation about casually approaching him.

"Oh wow, you really have no eyebrows." At her unexpected statement, he froze. "You're not bad looking either," she cupped his chin, and he flinched. When had she moved!? He pulled away and leaped back, putting distance between them.

"Oh silly me, I didn't mean to startle you," She giggled, looking at him as though he was a child. Pissed, Zabuza reached for his blade, but it wasn't there. "Surely you weren't planning to use this against me?" The executioner blade, he one true partner, why was it in her hands?

True to form, the blade that was suppose to be by his side was a distance away in that woman's hand. She smiled warmly at him.

"You really must be tired if such a magic trick worked on you," she said, releasing the blade. It fell with a metallic clank as silence fell upon them. Just who was this woman? Zabuza gritted his teeth, his eyes finding Haku. Said ice user was pinned to the wall by a blond boy he didn't notice. Before h could move she was on him.

"Don't be too upset," she whispered from behind him. "You're not at your best. You suffered a lot at the hands of those leaf ninja, didn't you?" her soft hands wrapped around his, placing his blade where it belonged. "A useless civilian like Gato won't realize the pain you went through, but I do. I know why you're fighting so hard." She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her cheek against his.

Wasn't she shorter than him!?

"I can help you, ya know," the temptress whispered. "I can give you the strength you need to win." She held a glowing blue egg before him. "With only a shard of this, you can achieve the powers of a god. With training, the Mizukage will be child's play."

So she knew what he wanted after all.

"And in exchange?" he asked for this could never be free.

"How do you feel about marriage?"

Zabuza released Haku and gripped the stone tighter. He could already feel the power flowing into him. It was exhilarating, the feeling almost addicting. Yes, with this, he could defeat the copy ninja, Kakashi.

"Haku, " he spoke, and the boy nodded in understanding, taking out a blue stone of his own. The woman, Ina, was generous enough to give them both a stone.

"Oh, and do be careful of the pink-haired demon," she warned. "She won't stay down even if you impale her. I wonder if she can survive decapitation? I've seen people who can." She looked at him with hard eyes. "I don't know what she's been up to over the years but im assuming she's gotten stronger. Do be careful around her fists. You don't want to die, right?" she thought for a moment and tossed Haku another stone. "And try not to die this time." She smiled at them before walking away.

The pink hair wasn't here, which meant they had a chance.

Placing the gem over his heart, it warped into his chest. Zazuza fell to his knees, confusing the leaf shinobis.

Power rushed through his veins, so much, it busrted out of him. The outburst of energy sent Haku flying, though he managed to right himself his mask cracked. He hesitated only for a moment before undoing his haori and placed the stone beneath his shirt.

Energy rushed through his chakra coils bringing him to his knees. Panting he winced as the extra energy exploded outwards taking his mask and haori with it.

"No way! You're a girl!?" Naruto, who watched them intently, stumbled. Haku's girly appearance threw him off.

"No, he's a man," Sasuke assured him.

"Huh?"

The Uchiha pointed to Haku's visible chest; there wasn't a hint of feminity there.

"…Sasuke," Naruto hesitated. "Why were you looking there?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Don't tell, Sakura."

"Even if you didn't say that, I don't want to see you killed." Naruto deadpanned. "Don't die in front of me."

Maniacal laughter cut off whatever Sasuke would have said. Pale blue light surrounded Zabuza and Haku like an aura. The overwhelming power threatened Zabuza's sanity. She was right, with this power; who could stand in his way?

"Let's go, Haku!" Zabuza commanded and charged at his foe. His movements were quick, cutting the waters as he ran. A swing of his blade caused a small tsunami that washed team Kakashi and Asuma away. They screamed as the waves gripped them, but it wasn't enough.

Under normal circumstances, a shinobi would require hands seals to mold their chakra in order to cast complicated Jutsu. However, there are exceptions to every rule.

With ample chakra control, one wouldn't need as many hand seals at the cost of more chakra.

"Water dragon Jutsu!"

With enough chakra, one need not worry about such trivial matters.

A majestic dragon of water rose into the sky before crashing down on Zabuza's foes, creating a vortex.

"How do you like that, Kakashi!" Zabuza, drunk on power, cackled with laughter.

From the spiraling depts, a flurry of orange launched like arrows. The sky darkened as the clones rained down on Zabuza.

Gripping his blade, Zabuza channeled his newfound power into his sword and casually swung it. A gust of wind dyed with pale blue energy swirled. There were numerous poofs as naruto's clones dispelled upon making contact with it. As for the real Naruto, he was thrown back violently, crashing into the water with a splash.

A bird dive from the depts. And into the air, carrying the leaf shinobis.

Zabuza almost forgot about the summons.

"Come!"

But he wasn't afraid.

Shikamaru wasn't a good actor; maybe that was why he didn't have many friends. He couldn't be bothered to put in the effort to be something he was not. The fact that he didn't have to do anything but look helpless was very pleasing. Acting like a defenseless child was the best.

Shikamaru, disguised as Inari, lay on the ground silently watching the bandits walkabout. Bound by rope, his range of movement was limited, not that he was complaining. Ino, on the other hand.

"I can't believe that midget was the one running things," she complained. "If I had my way, I would kick his ass!" Shikamaru ignored her as he thought up a plan. They were both in a cell alone but tied up. They could get away if they transformed back, but with a building filled with bandits, they didn't stand a chance.

He sighed, getting comfortable. In the end, they weren't the best persons for this job.

Green eyes flashed in his mind, and he flinched. He wanted to groan, so what if Sakura was disappointed; what did he care? He gritted his teeth.

"You're not strong, but you are smart," she said. "Use that brain of yours. It's your only redeeming quality."

"Troublesome woman," he muttered, "Hey Ino," he called, stopping Ino's grumbling.

"Hey?"

"How long has it been?"

"About thirty minutes," she said after some thought. It was longer, but that wasn't important.

"You think Sakura is awake yet?"

"She better be! Otherwise, all our hard work will be for nothing." She began to grumble about Sakura being a useless forehead, but Shikamaru once again ignored her.

Sakura was low on chakra and won't be much help this time. They were betting on her protecting Tsunami and Inari and sending the others to save them. Of course, if their lives were in danger, they would run away.

It was with such thoughts that they heard it.

"Fire style great fireball Jutsu!"

A wave of heat floated through the building, causing panic. The bandits who had been calmly chatting were now running around like headless chickens.

"What the hell happened!?"

"We're under attack!"

Boom!

The ground shock knocking everyone off their feet. The building tilted before rocking back into place, throwing everyone around. The bandits looked around confused before getting up and running towards the explosion. The sound of burning wood became louder than the sound of stamping feet. The air became hot as water in cups began to evaporate.

Shikamaru wasn't sure what to do at first. Like everyone, he couldn't comprehend this situation.

"You're useless if you die thinking."

He calmed himself and looked over to Ino, who was just as confused. Sasuke and Kakashi were the only fire users nearby, so it had to be them. It seems calvary has arrived. Taking the distraction for what it was, he transformed back and cut the ropes.

"Come on, Ino, we need to get out of here before we're cooked alive."

Shikamaru pulled her to her feet after cutting her rope. Flames crawled along the walls hallway, outside their cell. He looked around franticly when an explosion brought them to their knees.

The building groaned in pain, and its walls trembled in agony. The roof cracked, dust falling down on them as the structure fell apart. Catching sight of a crack in the wall, Shikamaru splatted an explosion tag to it and watched it explode.

The cell wall exploded outwards, throwing dust and debris into the hallway. Shikamaru took the initiative, pulling Ino out of the collapsing cell. He didn't stop to comment about their near-death experience and ran through the halls.

Bandits with mud on their shoes always came from this direction, so it had to lead outside. Shikamaru recalled the map he created through his mind as they made their escape. The building shuddered as screams rang through the hall. The heat was intense as flames fed on the building.

"What the hell!?" Ino cried when another ceiling collapsed. "Do they not know that we're still in here?" Shikamaru didn't have a response for her. It was possible they didn't expect the flames to spread so far so fast. Without Sakura, it was impossible to find them in this flames maze.

"It doesn't matter," he called back. "We're almost there."

They turned another corner and an open door leading to the forest.

They weren't the only ones rushing for the doorway. Bandits also ran for their lives as the flames licked at their heels. Burns adorned their skin some more severe than others. They took no note of the genins among them as they screamed in panic. Something Shikamaru was grateful for.

The cool air of the misty forest was a stark contrast to the raging flames from the building. Shikamaru and Ino tumbled as the building exploded with an agonized scream. Ino looked back in terror; they barely made it. The desire to simply sleep on the moist grass was tempting, but it was not to be.

"Ahhhh!"

A bloodcurdling scream pierced their ears, drawing their attention. They looked towards the scream their body tense and then froze.

They would forever wish they hadn't looked.

"Kyaaa!" Ino screamed in pure horror before losing consciousness. Shikamaru, however, wasn't so lucky. Emptying his stomach, his body trembled with a familiar feeling.

"Oh, so you came out, after all. I was starting to get worried."

An odd voice reached his ear, as though two people spoke at once. Steeling himself, Shikamaru looked up again. The scene didn't change.

Corpses. There were corpses everywhere.

The bodies of the bandits were littered all across the forest floor. Like water in a swamp, their blood mingled until the grass was no longer visible. Burnt corpses charred beyond recognition were scattered among the pile, making Shikamaru sick. They ran from the burning building only to die on the edge of pink swords.

And that was it wasn't it, that pink swords buried in the bodies. It told him exactly who was the one responsible for this massacre. Pink hair, no. It wasn't ymore, was it? With all the blood that soaked into it, it looked more red than pink. Her kimono wasn't much better. Ino had put her in a pink kimono as though to mock her, but it only added to the bloody scene.

Covered head to toe in blood, Sakura looked down at him with a blank expression. Even her eyes were red.

!

"Using flames to draw out the rats was the right choice after all."

The voice that sounded like two people talking at once came from Sakura's licks, adding to Shikamaru's tremors. He knew this feeling.

This was fear.

You gotta love when your plans turn into something else.

It's the holidays! Merry Christmas and happy new 🎊

Next chapter Jan 4

Night song~

Post edit: I just realize the way I ended each section. That was a happy accident.