My Ninja Way | Naruto | DISCONTINUED

Chapter 7

                The last thing Nori saw before an arm wrapped around her waist, was Naruto instinctively reaching towards her. Her body flew to the left, pushing her into Sasuke’s side more as he held onto her and Naruto, jumping from tree to tree in an attempt at slowing their fall.

                The air left her lungs as Sasuke landed on the ground before he dropped his teammates, sending them to the ground in a breathing mess.

                After a few seconds of lying there, Nori stood and walked back towards the house, thanking Sasuke quietly as Naruto raised his unusually cold hand. Eyes widening, Naruto stared at the frost covering the inside of his left hand before turning his eyes to the red heads back as she walked away slowly.

                When did he grab her hand?

.

.

.

                She’d woken up late, and by the time she’d stumbled around her room in an attempt at getting dressed quicker than normal and she was out the door heading to the bridge, the workers were lying around in a mess on the bridge.

                Ignoring Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna as they stood there, Nori quickly rushed towards the workers, checking their pulses. “They’re alive.” She confirmed after a few minutes, before turning her eyes back to her sensei for orders.

                Sakura took a step backwards, “K-Kakashi-sensei?”

                Nori suddenly felt sick to her stomach. “Inari-kun and Tsunami-san.” She said wide eyed, making Kakashi clench his teeth together. Nori swallowed, “we left them unguard—” Mist. The bridge was slowly engulfed in mist, making it hard to see further than two meters.

                “Nori, come here.” Kakashi ordered, looking around cautiously.

                “But the workers—” Nori started, however Kakashi gave her a look and she bit her lip softly and walked towards her sensei. By the time she was at his side, that familiar uneasily feeling overcame her once more.

                That man was here.

                “Back to back!” Kakashi ordered quickly, and everyone listened, except Nori. “Nor—” Kakashi stopped, his eyes widening lightly as he turned to look at Nori. It was strange, that despite the situation the little gentle kunoichi wasn’t cautious, shaking, or showing any sign that what was coming next scared her.

                She was calm, collected, and terrifyingly curious.

                “They’re here.” Her voice was low and showed no tremor, Sasuke glared and grabbed her wrist, yanking her smaller body behind his. Tearing his eyes away from his youngest student Kakashi focused on Zabuza and the other ninja.

                “Sorry to have kept you waiting, Kakashi.” Zabuza’s voice rang out from around them, making everyone look around.

                Blinking, Nori turned her eyes to her wrist where Sasuke’s hand still held onto her, shaking lightly. Returning her light eyes to the onyx haired boy’s face Nori watched as his eyes flickered around him. Was he scared?

                “I see you’ve still got those brats with you.” Zabuza continued, “he’s trembling, poor thing.” And then he was there, crouching in front of them quietly. Keeping her eyes on the water clone, Nori never failed to notice Sasuke’s lips curving upwards.

                “I’m trembling… with excitement.”

                “Do it, Sasuke.” Kakashi ordered and a second later, Sasuke let go of Nori’s wrist as he pushed himself from the ground, slashing the water clones across their chests before returning to his place in the circle.

                “He’s grown.” Zabuza said, not standing a small distance away from them with the other ninja beside him. “Looks like you have a rival now, Haku.”

                “So it seems.” Haku said quietly.

                It didn’t take long for Sasuke and Haku to be fighting, their kunai’s clashed together and they stared at each other.

                Watching them with a rapidly beating heart, Nori pushed away her shock at the fact that Haku could do signs with just one hand and focused on their situation. She didn’t know Haku’s true abilities, so even if Sasuke, Sakura, and herself went against him while Kakashi went after Zabu—wait.

                Tazuna was there too. She couldn’t forget about the mission, which was to protect Tazuna. So that meant she and Sasuke would fight Haku, Kakashi would fight Zabuza, and Sakura would guard Tazuna, but even then they could all end up dead because of their limited knowledge of Haku and Zabuza’s abilities.

                No, she was forgetting something else as well.

                Inari and Tsunami.

                These people were smart, and they wouldn’t just go into a battle that they could possibly lose without another option. So they’d go after Tazuna’s family and give them no other choice but to surrender with a civilian hostage.

                Nori felt her breaths start to quicken in panic and she turned to Kakashi, placing her hand which was ice cold against his arm. “Kakashi-sensei.” She said quickly making him look down at her. She met his eyes, “I’m going back.”

                “What?” Kakashi stared at her with wide eyes, his hand grabbing her shoulder when she was going to start running. “Are you running away?” He asked in disbelief.

                “No!” Nori didn’t bother to care that she raised her face as she desperately pushed his hand off of her. “Inari-kun and Tsunami-san, they’re in trouble.” Realization flashed through Kakashi’s eyes and he let her go.

                “Smart girl.” Zabuza smirked lightly and then he was in front of Nori in a second. “However you ain’t going anywhere and you’re also not going to be fighting anyone.”

                Nori’s eyes widened in confusion, “what?” He wasn’t letting her go, but he wasn’t fighting her either? What were his motives—she ducked out of the way as Zabuza reached for her, but she wasn’t fast enough and his hand wrapped around her neck.

                No.

                She let out a noise in struggle, noticing from the corner of her eye that Kakashi was fighting a water clone. Or was it real? She didn’t know, all she needed was air. Placing her hand on his wrist as he lifted her off the ground, Nori became aware of the corner of her vision started to go black.

                No.

                Why couldn’t she just stay conscious at the most important times?

                Zabuza met her eyes. “You’re mine.”

                NO!

                And with one last squeeze and the widening of those brown eyes of his, all Nori could think before she blacked out for the fourth time on the mission was,

                She was so useless.