The Legend of Konoha's Shooting Star

We're Ninja!

"Heheheh, I now have you in my special inescapable prison," Zabuza told him. Kakashi could hear the smirk in his voice. "You give me a hard time when you can move. Now then, Kakashi... We can finish things later. First, I'll take care of them." He raised his free hand and formed a seal. 'Water Clone Justu.'

"!" Kakashi said, alarmed. 'He's stronger than I expected...!'

"!" the others gasped as a Zabuza's new water clone rose up out of the water directly in front of them.

"Heheh, wearing forehead protectors and acting like real ninjas..." The clone laughed mockingly at the four genins. "But you know what? A real ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death."

'By that definition, I might actually be a little over qualified...' April thought with a straight face.

"In other words, you can start calling yourself a ninja once you're good enough to be listed in my Bingo book. You four shouldn't be referred to as ninjas," the clone finished, flickering out sight.

"!!" Naruto gasped. 'He disappeared again!!' April's eyes widened.

"Naruto!!" she shouted, shooting towards him as the clone appeared right in front of him, delivering a kick to the head that was so strong, it not only sent Naruto flying, but took off his forehead protector as well. April pivoted on her heel and changed her trajectory slightly, while Zabuza's clone slammed his foot down on top of the forehead protector, grinding it into the dirt.

"You're just brats," the clone said disdainfully.

"Naruto!!" Sakura cried in alarm as she and Sasuke watched April run alongside Naruto as he sailed through the air. His posture... He wasn't taking the fall right!!

"Safe!!" April said as she slid in front of Naruto, managing to catch him just in time.

"Oh? Not too bad, for a brat," the real Zabuza remarked, watching as he held Kakashi prisoner. "That one might actually be worth killing." But even if that one could keep up with his speed, she still didn't stand a chance. Her chakra levels were pathetic.

"Guh!!" Kakashi gritted his teeth. It looked like April had managed to get Zabuza's attention in the worst way possible! "You guys!!! Take Tazuna-san and run away!!!" he shouted desperately at his students. He wasn't about to let them die, not again!! "You have no chance of beating him!! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison, he can't move. The water clone can't go very far from his real body. Just run away now!!"

They all looked terrified. Even Sasuke had broken out into a cold sweat. The only one who looked even remotely calm was April, but her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white, and her nails were threatening to cut through the skin of her palms.

'This is a jōnin, a real ninja,' Naruto thought, shaking in fear. 'At this rate... I'm really... really... going to die!!' Naruto shifted into a crouching position to push himself up off of the ground and run away, but he felt a sharp pain in his bandaged hand, reminding him it was wounded. "!" he gasped as he stared down at it, remembering the promise he had made earlier. He clenched his fist.

"Run?" April asked through gritted teeth as she straightened up. "You must be joking, Sensei!" she said sternly, surprising the others. "That stopped being an option the moment you got caught." She looked down as a drop of blood fell from one of her hands. "Even if we run, Zabuza will get to us sooner or later, and even if we try to surround Tazuna-san to protect him, we can't block his attacks. He'll go right through us again. Without you there, it'll be a slaughter!"

"!!" Kakashi gasped, realizing she was right. Zabuza laughed. At least one of them understood their current situation.

"But most importantly... I don't want to let any of my comrades die, either!!!" she finished resolutely, raising her head to reveal eyes burning brightly with determination. Kakashi's eyes widened.

'April...' he thought.

"!" Sakura and Sasuke said, remembering their teacher's promise to protect them.

"That's right," Naruto said as he pushed himself up to stand beside her, remembering how he had earned his forehead protector from Iruka-sensei and that first lesson Kakashi had taught them about what was most important for a ninja as he kept his eyes focused on it. "I became a ninja, and decided I wouldn't run away anymore... I won't run!!" he roared as he charged recklessly toward the clone.

"No!! Don't!!" Kakashi yelled.

"He..." Sasuke said, taken aback.

"Naruto, what are you thinking!?" Sakura shouted frantically.

"Hmph, Idiot!!" Zabuza sneered.

WHAM!! SHING! SHING! SHING!

"!" Sakura gasped as Naruto was sent tumbling back with another kick, but even more surprising was when they all realized the clone had to stepped to the side for a moment in order to dodge three kunais. It had been so fast, only Zabuza and Kakashi had caught the moment they were thrown, but everyone could see the kunais that were now embedded in the ground behind the water clone.

'Those kunai had left April's hands only a fraction of a second after Naruto charged... She knew what he was going to do and threw them to distract the clone, in case it tried a second attack, while Naruto got away!' Kakashi realized.

"What are you doing jumping in all by yourself!!?" Sakura yelled at Naruto. "Genins like us have no chance against him!!!" She expected April wanted to scold him too.

"Did you get it?" April asked instead.

"!" Sakura and Sasuke were surprised by her calm reaction.

'Huh? Get what...?' Sakura wondered as Naruto began to straighten up, grunting in pain. He had managed to catch himself that time, but it was still a rough landing, and that had been a really mean kick. He held up his forehead protector in response to April's question, gripping it firmly in his injured hand.

'His forehead protector...!?' Sakura thought, surprised.

"..." Sasuke said as he, Kakashi and Zabuza looked on while Naruto finished straightening up.

"Hey... you eyebrowless freak..." Naruto said, addressing the Zabuza that had just kicked him, as blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. A vein throbbed on the clone's head. "Put this in your bingo book... The man who will one day become Hokage..." He put his forehead protector back on and tied it firmly in place. "... is the leaf ninja, Naruto Uzumaki!!" he finished boldly with a smirk, staring down his enemy as he pulled the knot tight.

'Naruto...' Kakashi thought as a vein throbbed on the real Zabuza's forehead.

'Oh... That midget...' Tazuna thought, a little impressed by the kid's guts. 'He's not as super useless as I first thought...'

"Sasuke!! Lend me your ear!!" Naruto said.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"I have a plan," Naruto stated confidently.

'He came up with a plan in this situation...?' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow. "Hmph... teamwork, from you?" he said aloud.

"Today's just full of surprises, isn't it?" April quipped. She had a feeling she knew what Naruto's plan was if he was involving Sasuke, and she approved.

'What's this feeling?' Sakura wondered as she watched them, blushing. 'This is Naruto...'

"Now... Let's get wild..." Naruto said, grinning, as he wiped the blood from his mouth.