"Over there!" alerted Naruto.
"And on top of the water!" exclaimed Sakura.
Zabuza had one arm upraised and his hand forming a seal, his other hand in front of where his lips would be and forming the same seal. Kakashi turned just in time to hear him pronounce his jutsu.
"Ninja Technique: Hidden Mist Jutsu," he murmured and slowly, the mist carried his words and his silhouette away.
"He's gone!" panicked Sakura.
"He'll come after me first. Momochi Zabuza, as a member of the Hidden Mist, he was known as an expert in silent killing," Kakashi reflected darkly.
Naruto shivered and Kakashi continued, "You don't even notice until you're already dead. It's not like I can use the Sharingan perfectly, so you guys have to be careful," he warned, his eyes flickering from one place to the next.
Everyone stood as still as a statue as the mist continued to grow thicker, "The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto pointed out, always announcing the obvious.
A faraway voice drifted out of the mist, "Eight choices," it hissed.
"What?" Sakura jumped, it sounded so close, but so far at the same time.
"Liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, neck vein, brain, kidneys, heart. Which one should I go after?" the voice rasped with a mocking edge.
A slight breeze rocked us and suddenly I was frozen in place. Kakashi reacted quickly and murmured something quietly. I felt paralyzed with fear, I've never felt so scared in my life! Liz was struggling next to me and she was finally able to release herself with a soft murmur.
"You can do it, Vira!" she encouraged, forcing a pained smile.
I closed my eyes and reached for my energy and murmured the counter jutsu. Suddenly the foreboding feeling lifted off of my shoulders, I gasped as a reaction and thanked Liz. I looked back at the other three and Tazuna. Sasuke was frozen and sweating, his Adam's apple betrayed a nervous gulp.
"Sasuke," called Kakashi and Sasuke's head snapped up, "Don't worry, I'll protect you guys even if it kills me," he turned his head slightly and smiled at all of us, "I won't let my comrades die."
Sasuke blushed along with Naruto and Sakura, I nodded, "We've got your back, Kakashi-Sensei!" I assured.
"We'll see about that," Zabuza's voice emanated out of the mist and suddenly, he was right in front of Tazuna and behind Sasuke and Sakura.
"It's over," he laughed.
Kakashi jumped at him and we followed right after, knocking Tazuna and the others out of the way. He stopped Zabuza before he could do any harm by stabbing a kunai into him, now Tazuna was isolated.
Liquid dripped out of the wound and a second Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi.
"Sensei! Behind you!" screamed Naruto.
I jumped at the second Zabuza with Liz right behind me and slashed at him with my broadsword. His halberd came up to meet my attack and brushed my attack off easily, I grunted and flipped out of the way. Elize shot in with her deadly sharp rapier ready to pierce.
"Girls!" cried Kakashi, surprised.
Liz got distracted and Zabuza took the chance to flip her blade in her hand, twisting her hand. He slammed the flat side of his blade into Liz and sent her flying.
"Liz!" I wailed and caught her before she hit the ground, she coughed as the breath was knocked out of her.
The wounded Zabuza burst into a shower of water droplets and the remaining Zabuza whipped his halberd into the air, bringing it in a clean slice, right through Kakashi.
Sakura released a scream so high that it was almost ultrasonic but her fears were groundless, it had been a water clone. Zabuza had a look of confusion on his face. I helped Liz up to her feet and charged Zabuza again. He flipped his blade in his hand and raised it above his head, ready to bring it down on me. I raised my broadsword up to meet his attack and nearly collapsed as the weight of his halberd fell upon my shoulders. I bared my teeth in a furious struggle, trying to throw the weight back at him but it was no use. Liz ran up behind me and jabbed her rapier at his right arm, just breaking his skin. The halberd ceased contact with my sword and he swung it around to cleave us in half, I pushed Liz back and leaped into the air, landing on his blade as it passed beneath me. I lifted my broadsword up to meet his neck but he flipped his blade before I could decapitate him. I bounded backwards and suddenly, Kakashi appeared behind him.
"Don't move," said Kakashi, dangerously quiet, "It's over," he lifted a kunai to Zabuza's neck.
Everyone smiled hopefully, "Wow!" praised Naruto.
Zabuza laughed mildly, "It's over? You don't get it. There's no way you can defeat me with your monkey-like imitations and your two useless all-beauty-no-brawn back-ups," he declared harshly, "But I'm impressed," he continued, "That time you consoled your own student, you had already copied my Water Clone Jutsu and you had your clone say it to attract my attention while you watched in the mist. Nice plan," he congratulated, "But, I'm not that easy," and the figure exploded in a loud splash.
Another one positioned itself right behind Kakashi, "That's a fake one too?!" exclaimed a confused Naruto.
The two Jounin suddenly burst into action. Zabuza swung his sword in a round about attack at Kakashi. He ducked at the last minute Zabuza's sword dug into the ground, he spun his body around and landed a kick on Kakashi who was sent soaring backwards. He grabbed his sword handle and tore it out of the ground and raced after Kakashi and slid to a stop a few meters inland. There was makibishi scattered all over the ground. The little nail-like pieces almost proved their use but Zabuza hadn't let his guard down. A splash sounded in the middle of the water, I couldn't see the other side of the water body and I was unsure of whether it was a lake or a wide river.
"Foolish," chided Zabuza and he disappeared again.
"Sensei!" cried Naruto, deeply concerned.
This time Kakashi was actually hit, Liz and I bounded up to the water's edge as Kakashi reemerged. He seemed to be having a hard time in the water, as if it were as thick and heavy as tar. We held our hands out to him, trying to pull him out before Zabuza reappeared but we were too hopeful.
"Heh, fool," mocked Zabuza and he formed several seals with his hand, "Water Prison Jutsu!"
We jumped back from the water's edge and watched helplessly as a swirling sphere of water trapped Kakashi within. Zabuza's hand was in the water prison as well, holding it together.
"What!" Kakashi's surprised cry sounded.
"You may have been trying to escape to the water, but that was a big mistake!" he laughed with a sinister edge, "I now have you in my inescapable prison."
Kakashi glared silently out from his containing bubble.
"It makes things tougher when you can move, you know?" he formed a single seal with his other hand, "We can finish things later, Kakashi. First, I'll take care of them," he said a smirk popping up to his lips, "Water Clone Jutsu."
Kakashi watched in horror from his prison as another Zabuza formed from the water and confronted the rest of us. Liz and I took up defensive positions in front of Tazuna and the others, hoping against hope that we would win somehow.
The clone Zabuza laughed maliciously, "Wearing forehead protectors and acting like real ninjas. But you know what? A real ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death," he made a seal with his hand and began to fade away into the light mist, "Basically, once you're good enough to be listed in my handbook, then you can start to call yourselves ninjas. Right now, you guys shouldn't be referred to as ninjas," and he faded away completely.
His movement was fast, I could see only a light silhouette as he rushed Naruto and kicked him in the face. Naruto reeled backwards, dripping blood. His forehead protector fell and Zabuza stepped on it.
"Naruto!" wailed Sakura.
I sheathed my broadsword and rushed forward jumping around and firing punches and kicks. Liz joined me and we punched and dodged and kicked furiously but none of our attacks hit their mark.
"Ah!" he had placed a kick to my stomach, knocking the air out of me and I slid along the ground and came to a jarring stop against a protruding rock along the edge of the water.
Liz doubled her strength and speed, desperately trying to cause some damage but to no avail. She was blasted into a tree just meters away and she coughed out blood this time. I looked again to see a slight graze on the clone's left arm. I stumbled to my feet and collapsed after a few steps, my back weak from the impact.
"Just a brat," muttered the real Zabuza.
"You guys, take Tazuna-san and run away! You have no chance of beating him! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison, he can't move!" Kakashi commanded hastily, "The clone can't go very far from his real body! Run away now!"
Naruto had finally sat up, a fearful expression dominated his face. He fell forward and saw his hand. He looked at it for a good, long moment and then he turned his gaze on the fake Zabuza with his forehead protector still trapped firmly beneath his foot.
I leaped at the clone again, pulling out my broadsword, "Go, Naruto! Take the others and leave! I'll keep him here! Run!" I screamed and began to exchange blows with the clone.
Zabuza didn't move at all, I couldn't force him back, he kept his foot planted on the forehead protector. I swung my sword up to meet the halberd and kicked out with my foot, making the clone wince. It only seemed to anger him more and he crushed his halberd onto my sword. I grunted from the enormous effort it took to keep my arm upraised.
"I said go, Naruto! NOW!" but he didn't listen, he had managed to stand up and he had a determined look on his face, "Don't be delirious, Naruto! You can't take him! Ah!" a bloodcurdling scream ripped itself from my lips as his halberd changed angle of force and slid down my blade, biting into my waist.
He then slammed the flat end into me and I collided with Liz, my blood began to pour out of the sword wound like a waterfall, soaking the ground. Naruto screamed wildly and charged the smirking clone.
"No! Don't!" pleaded Kakashi.
"Naruto! What are you thinking?" Sakura screamed, tears in her eyes, Naruto aimed at the clone's legs, trying to incapacitate it.
I quickly staunched my bleeding with a quick murmur and a few seals and pushed myself back up and dragged Liz to her feet. She grunted in pain and I saw a slight bulge in her collarbone, she had dislocated her collarbone from the impact and I set her down by Sakura and rushed forward.
"Bah, idiot!" scoffed the clone.
Zabuza sent Naruto flying back and I caught him and we both skidded to a stop, he coughed up a little blood but, otherwise, he was okay.
"What are you doing jumping in all by yourself?! We Genin have no chance against him!" screeched Sakura.
"Naruto... are you okay?" I tried to pull him up but he pushed my hand away and he got up to his knees by himself.
Sakura looked taken aback, Naruto grunted heavily and raised himself to his feet. The forehead protector was in his hand. Everyone looked at Naruto with surprise. Liz regained some confidence and popped in her dislocated collarbone with a sharp snap and a groan. She coughed a few times, stood up and summoned her rapier that was lying at the base of the tree.
Blood dripped in thick blobs from Naruto's mouth, "Hey... you eyebrow-less freak," he insulted and spat out a globule of blood, "Put this in your handbook. The man who will one day become Hokage," he said, his voice rasping.
He stood with his back straight and held his head up proudly. He lifted his forehead protector up and tied it around his head, "Leaf Village Ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!" he finished, a confident smile playing on his lips.
Kakashi looked on with wide eyes.
"Sasuke, lend me your ear!" requested Naruto.
"What is it?"
"I have a plan," he said staring straight ahead.
"Naruto!" I called and Elize walked up behind me, "We'll help too."
"Pft. Teamwork from you?" voiced Sasuke, disbelievingly.
"Now, let's get wild," he smirked.
Liz and I took up positions on either side of Naruto with a confident air surrounding us.
"A lot of arrogance but, do you actually stand a chance?" questioned the clone, mocking us.
Kakashi's smile had suddenly flipped, a fearful frown replaced it, "What are you doing?! Run away! This fight was over the moment I was caught! Our duty was to protect Tazuna-san! Did you forget that?" roared Kakashi angrily.
Naruto turned around to look at Tazuna, "Old man?"
He sighed, "Well, I planted this seed myself. I'm not going to say that I want to live so much that I'd stop you. I'm sorry guys but, fight as much as you want!" he flashed us a proud smile.
"You hear that?" asserted Sasuke.
"Are you ready?" challenged Naruto.
The clone laughed softly but it gradually grew louder into a maniacal one, "You guys will never grow up," he smiled, "Going to keep 'playing' ninja, eh?" he paused dramatically, "When I was your age, my hands were already dyed red with blood," he claimed.
"Devil Zabuza," muttered Kakashi.
"Ah! So you've heard a little bit about it?" he asked cheerily.
"Long ago in the Hidden Mist Village, also called the Blood Mist Village, there was a final obstacle to becoming a ninja," began Kakashi but he was interrupted by Zabuza.
"Hm? So you even know about that graduation exam?" said Zabuza with interest.
"That exam?" repeated Naruto, all Zabuza did was laugh to himself.
"What's this graduation exam thing?" he urged again.
He laughed again and snapped his head up to look Naruto in the eyes, "Fights to the death between students," he said darkly.
"Friends who have trained and eaten at the same table are pitted against each other and go at it until one of them loses his life. These are friends who had helped each other and shared dreams," expanded Kakashi, shivering.
"T-that's t-terrible," stammered Sakura.
"Ten years ago, the Hidden Mist graduation exam was forced to change. This change came after the previous year... when the devil appeared," he continued as we all listened intently.
"Change?" questioned Sakura, "What change? What did this devil do?"
Kakashi hesitated before continuing, "Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja had killed over a hundred of the students," ending on a dark tone.
As fast as lightning the clone decided that they had delayed long enough and lashed out at us, grabbing Sasuke and stomped on his stomach. He coughed out blood.
"Sasuke-kun!" lamented Sakura, close to tears.
Kakashi froze, furious at being unable to help his team.
"Die," whispered the clone.
"Damn it! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" vociferated Naruto.
Twenty or so Narutos popped into existence, "Ah, Shadow Clones, and a large amount too," identified the Zabuza clone.
Each Naruto pulled out a kunai and shouted in unison, "Here I come!"
Sasuke rolled onto his knees, blood falling from his lips. The twenty Narutos piled onto Zabuza with their kunais all directed at him. Suddenly, there was a ferocious battle cry and Zabuza's big brute of a blade spun circles above his head, knocking all of the Narutos aside. I leaped forward and caught the remaining Naruto, reducing the damage he was receiving and realizing his plan at the same time. Tazuna and Sakura watched with anxiety.
Naruto reached into his back and pulled out a huge shuriken, "Sasuke!" he called, catching his attention.
Sasuke caught it expertly and flipped around, I could see the understanding in his eyes.
"Evil Wind Shuriken, Shadow Windmill!" exclaimed Sasuke and he jumped up into the air.
I jumped into action with Liz and charged the clone, swiping at him with our blades as the shuriken made its way towards the clone.
"A shuriken won't work against me," he said cockily and we concluded our attacks with a swipe of our blades in the opposite directions and jumped back.
None of our attacks hit him but we just needed to keep him in the same spot. The shuriken veered around the clone and headed for the real Zabuza.
"I see, your aiming at the real me but... that's not enough!" he shouted as he caught it on his hand.
But then the second shuriken broke free from the first one that he caught and headed towards Zabuza, "Another one in the shruiken's shadow?" he realized, much too late.
"But," he jumped over it, "It's still not enough," he teased.
We smiled happily as he fell for the trick. The shuriken that had flown past Zabuza suddenly turned into Naruto with a kunai in his hand. He threw the kunai with incredible velocity as it flew at Zabuza's shoulder, dead on track. At the last second, Zabuza pulled his hand out from the water prison containing Kakashi as the kunai flew by and skimmed his face just beneath his eye, drawing blood.
He flipped around angrily and raised the first shuriken over his head, prepared to throw it at the vulnerable Naruto, "You damn brat!" but his shuriken was obstructed by something and it spurted blood as the shuriken made contact with it.
It was Kakashi, "Kakashi-Sensei!" cheered Sakura happily.
Naruto reemerged from the water in time to hear Kakashi praise him, "Naruto, great 'plan'. You guys have grown up," he smiled proudly at him.
Naruto snickered sheepishly, "The aim of the Shadow Clone wasn't to defeat Zabuza but to hide the fact that I had transformed into the Evil Wind Shuriken. Of course I didn't think that it could beat him, but I thought that it would be enough to break open the water prison," he smiled, blushing.
"Heh, I got distracted and released the jutsu," concluded Zabuza.
"Wrong!" Kakashi looked deadly angry, "You didn't release it, you were forced to release it. I'll tell you that I don't fall for the same jutsu twice. What will you do?" provoked Kakashi.
"Bah!" Zabuza pushed off of the water at the same time as Kakashi and their movements were absolutely identical.
Every seal that Zabuza formed was copied by Kakashi and they pronounced their jutsus at the exact same moment, "Water Dragon Blast Jutsu!"
Two gigantic water dragon emerged out of the water and collided with an earth trembling impact force. Water gushed over the rest of us inland and Naruto was swept away. Then they met again in a burst of sparks, Kakashi's kunai against Zabuza's blade. They jumped back at the same moment, Kakashi mirroring every single move Zabuza made. Zabuza's face creased in shock, his mind whizzing as fast as a hummingbird's wingbeats.
"... Reading them," suggested Kakashi, most likely punctuating Zabuza's thought.
Kakashi stared straight at Zabuza and sweat began to pour off of his head like a waterfall.
"... Freaky eye is pissing me off, right?" Kakashi said again, guessing straight through Zabuza's mind.
Zabuza laughed nervously, "All you're doing in copying me," he started, "You can't beat me, you monkey bastard!" Kakashi finished his sentence with him.
"Damn you!" exclaimed an angry Zabuza, "I'll make it so that your mouth can never open again!" he declared angrily and continued to form seals.
A Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, one that Kakashi made himself by copying his seals, "Water Explosion Jutsu!" Kakashi cried.
"What? Impossible!" shouted Zabuza unbelievingly.
Zabuza's own jutsu was stolen by Kakashi. He was able to perform it faster than the one who had planned to use the jutsu in the first place. Zabuza was blown away by the water and we were splashed with yet another wave of water.
Zabuza was slammed against a tree and Kakashi perched on the branch just above him on the same tree, "It's over," he said for the second time today.
"How can you see the future?" wondered Zabuza with a nervous edge to his voice.
"Yeah, you're going to die," Kakashi confirmed and pulled out a kunai.
Suddenly, out of the blue, two needles as long as my hand planted themselves right in the middle of Zabuza's neck, both ends sticking out.
Zabuza's face was frozen in shock as he collapsed, his breathing ceased.
We all looked up to see a masked, feminine ninja, "You're right, he's dead," the ninja laughed.
Long strands of hair tied at the bottom flowed out from beneath the mask which covered the ninja's whole face. From the outfit, the sound and the appearance, the ninja was probably a young boy, not much older than us. Naruto had finally managed to swim to shore and got out to inspect Zabuza's body. Kakashi disappeared from his spot on the branch to reappear at the base of the tree, where Zabuza's still body lay. Kakashi placed two fingers on the side of Zabuza's neck, feeling for a pulse, but from the evidence on his face, I was pretty sure there was no pulse.
The boy bowed to Kakashi, "Thank you very much, I have been searching for the opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time," his voice was filled with gratitude.
"That mask, you're a Hidden Mist Hunter-Nin?" interrogated Kakashi with narrowed eyes.
"Impressive," he replied with a silk smooth voice, "You are correct."
"Hunter-Nin?" Sakura asked innocently.
"Yes, my duty is to hunt down Missing-Nins. I'm a member of the Hidden Mist's Hunter-Nin team," he explained patiently.
Naruto ran up to the tree that the ninja was standing on and looked from her to the motionless body of Zabuza and back again, "What the hell! Who are you!" screamed Naruto obnoxiously.
"Don't worry, Naruto, he's not the enemy," Kakashi sighed.
"I'm not asking that!" he shouted back angrily, "That Zabuza was killed! A guy that strong was killed by a kid! By a kid not much different from me! We look stupid! How can I understand that?" Naruto shouted, wheezing from his anger.
"Well, I know how you feel but, this is also the truth," Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's head, "In this world, there exists kids younger than you, yet stronger than me," said Kakashi, staring at Naruto seriously.
The boy whirled around and vanished from sight to appear in front of Zabuza's body, "Your battle is now over and I must dispose of this body since it seems to be a body with many secrets. Farewell," he murmured and departed along with Zabuza's body in a gust of wind.
"He's gone!" stated Naruto loudly.
"Phew" sighed Kakashi as he moved his forehead protector back over his eye, "Now we have to get Tazuna-san back to his house. Let's go!"
Tazuna laughed merrily, "Super thanks, guys! Come over to my house and relax for a while!" he invited graciously.
My eyes caught Kakashi waver and tip as his energy was drained, I bounded over and caught him on my back, "Are you okay, Kakashi-Sensei?" I asked turning my head to look at him.
"Huh? What's wrong, Kakashi-Sensei?" everyone fussed over him.
"M-my body w-won't m-move, it s-seems that I've u-u-used the Sharingan t-too much," he managed to choke out.
I hefted him onto my back with Liz's help, "It's okay, I'll carry you from here, Sensei," I offered, giving him a warm smile.
"T-thank you," he sighed and closed his eyes tiredly.
I tightened my grip on him and began to walk, everyone else walking warily behind me, just in case Kakashi were to fall.
"Hey! Elvira! You're bleeding like crazy!" noticed Sasuke as we saw a house loom out of the distance.
"Hm? Oh, that, it's nothing," I said shrugging off the pain.
Tazuna looked at me with concern, "We're almost there, just hang in there for a few more moments. That house up there is mine."
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak without wavering.
"E-elvira, i-if you're t-tired, then I-I'll w-walk the rest of t-the way. I-it's not t-too far," persisted Kakashi from my back.
"I'm fine, Kakashi-Sensei," I forced my voice to stay steady.
I could feel each of my muscles burn in my legs and arms. The steady drip, drip, drip of my blood kept my pace.
"Seriously, Elvira, you're going to kill yourself, pass Kakashi-Sensei to me," insisted Sasuke, he was now beside me, looking at me with eyes filled with worry.
"I'm fine!" I snapped but that drained the rest of my energy.
Black dots swam in my vision, blocking out the light and the last thing I saw was the ground rising up to meet me.