"WHAT? KAKASHI-SENSEI YOU CAN'T EXPECT A GREAT NINJA LIKE ME TO BOARD A BROKEN DOWN BOAT LIKE THAT!"
"Naruto this is the only boat available to take us across. It's a short trip so just put up with it"
"What the hell were you expecting Dobe? A cruise ship?"
"You know for a Hokage wanna be you're very full of yourself"
"GAHH! SHUT UP OLD MAN!"
Sakura sighed; once again Naruto was causing a fight to break out between the male members of her squad and the bridge builder. Standing at the very edge of the pier she could barely see a few meters in front of her, a fog had descended upon the water making navigation next to impossible. The boat they were to travel in looked as though it could fall to pieces at any second.
"DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT UP YOU RUNT!"
"STOP CALLING ME THAT! YOU'RE LUCKY SENSEI MADE ME PROMISE NOT TO DEMOLISH YOU!"
"OH YEAH LIKE YOU COULD LAY A SCRATCH ON ME. THE ONE WITH THE ATTITUDE STANDS A BETTER CHANCE THAN YOU!"
"ARGGHHH! WILL EVERYONE STOP COMPARING ME TO SASUKE! HE'S NOT EVEN THAT GREAT!"
As Naruto continued to get more worked up he began flailing his fists around trying to get close enough to hit Tazuna. Unfortunately it was not he who was on the receiving end.
"Oh no Sakura-chan watch out!" Naruto yelled in warning but it was too late. His fist connected with Sakura's shoulder causing her to topple forward. Desperately groping the air the blonde boy tried to stop his pink haired teammate from falling in.
A huge splash, some mumbled curse words and two seconds later Naruto emerged coughing and spluttering. Sasuke smirked at Naruto, he had seized Sakura's wrist a second before she fell and pushed Naruto into the water for good measure.
"SASUKE-TEME!" Naruto yelled, shaking the water out of his hair.
Kakashi sighed and reached into the water to help his student out. Sakura looked at the raven haired boy and smiled "Thank you for not letting me fall. You can let go of my wrist now" she said quietly.
Slightly embarrassed Sasuke snatched his hand away.
"Whatever, just stop getting yourself into trouble" Sasuke muttered. Sakura's grateful smile was replaced with a hurt look which quickly turned into a fiery anger.
"CHA! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? UCHIHA FRICKEN SASUKE OR NOT WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS LECTURING US! IT WAS NARUTO'S STUPID FAULT WE ALMOST FELL ANYWAY!" Inner Sakura roared.
"Are you getting me to the Land of Waves anytime this year?" Tazuna asked impatiently watching while Kakashi heaved Naruto onto land.
Stuffing his hands in his pockets Sasuke glared at the ground and walked off in the direction of the boat followed by a dripping wet Naruto and a steaming mad Sakura.
"I guess that means yes" Kakashi said in an upbeat voice following his students. Tazuna silently questioned the sanity of the silver haired man.
As Sakura predicted the fog was thick and visibility was next to nothing as the boat moved out onto the open ocean. The motor was cut off and one of the villagers steered the boat with a stick making the trip twice as slow. Naruto position himself up the front of the small boat and kept a look out. Sakura fixed the bottom of the boat with an intense glare and Sasuke tried his best to ignore everyone.
"The bridge isn't far now, our destination is just ahead, the Land of Waves" Tazuna said.
Peering through the fog Sakura could make out a huge construction site and presumed that to be the location of the bridge.
Naruto was elated "WOAH IT'S HUGE!" he exclaimed.
At this the villager became agitated "What? Quiet! I told you no noise, why do you think we're travelling like this huh? Cutting off the engine and rowing? Moving through the dense fog so they don't see us!"
Naruto stuffed his hands over his mouth but Sakura glanced at the bridge builder. "Exactly who are they?" she questioned.
Kakashi nodded "Mr Tazuna I see you're still keeping the identity of your attackers a secret. I need to know why they're after us, if you don't tell me I'm afraid despite our agreement to continue guarding you, for the safety of my students I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore" the Jounin declared.
The bridge builder looked up at the curious faces of Team 7 and sighed.
"I have no choice but to tell you. Now, I want you to know the truth. Like you said this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow" Tazuna said
"A deadly shadow? Who is it?" Kakashi asked.
"You know him; at least I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of wealthiest men in the world. The shipping magnet Gatō" Tazuna spoke quietly.
At this Sakura spoke up "You can't mean Gatō of Gatō Transport? He's a business man not a murderer"
Naruto leaned forward eagerly "Who? Who? What? What?"
Tazuna sighed "Gatō. He's a very powerful tycoon from a famous company that's true. But below the surface with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations. He sells drugs and contraband using gangs and ninja"
Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, hadn't Kakashi-sensei just told them this country had no ninja?
"It was one year ago when Gatō first set his sights on the Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply disappeared. In an island nation a man who controls the sea controls everything. Finance, government, our very lives but there's one thing he fears, the bridge. When it is complete it will join us to the land and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder" Tazuna explained.
"So that's it, since you're in charge of the completion of the bridge it would make sense that Gatō would be after you. You're standing in his way" Sakura said.
Sasuke nodded "That means those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gatō"
"I don't understand" Kakashi said, frustrated "If you knew he was dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you. Why did you hide that from us?"
"Because the Land of Waves is a small impoverished nation, even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for an A or B ranked mission it's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore there will be no bridge, they'll assassinate me before I reach home. But don't feel bad about that of course my sweet little grandson will be upset. He'll cry "Grandad! I want my Grandad!" Tazuna said trying to sway the ninja.
Talk about emotional blackmail, Sakura thought.
"Oh and my daughter will condemn the ninja of the Hidden Leaves, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow. Ah well it's not your fault, forget it" Tazuna finished, satisfied with himself.
"We have no other choice now do we? We'll have to keep guarding you" Sakura said before muttering something about emotional manipulation.
"Aww I'm very grateful" Tazuna said, sounding pleased with himself.
"The fog is clearing, we must be approaching shore" Kakashi said and the villager nodded before turning his attention to Tazuna "We've been very fortunate, no one has noticed us so far"
The bridge builder smiled grimly as the boat entered a tunnel before breaking through the archway of light at the end to reveal the Land of Waves. Houses were lined up against the shoreline; the whole village was bathed in sunlight which Sakura was surprised by as she thought it would be rather dreary and covered in fog.
Naruto leaped off the boat as Team 7 disembarked, Tazuna lagged behind. "Well this is as far as I can take you, good luck" The villager said before pulling on the motor chord a few times.
"Right, thank you for taking such a risk" Tazuna said. The engine stalled and sputtered before the villager pulled on the rudder and steered the boat away from the dock.
"Alright take me to my home and I mean get me there in one piece" Tazuna demanded reverting back to his usual bossy rude self.
Kakashi had more pressing matters to think about. The next ninja they send won't be Chunin they'll be Jounin elite ninja with deadly skills
Sakura considered her surroundings very carefully; making sure her attention did not wander and keeping her chakra senses sharp.
Walking along a similar forest path as the one in Konoha, Naruto and Sasuke struck up their rivalry once more as Sasuke increased pace and fell into step with the blonde ninja.
"Grrr I'm not letting Sasuke get all the glory this time. Believe it!" With that thought in mind Naruto ran forward and began vigorously twisting his head in all directions. "Over there!" he yelled picking up a kunai knife and throwing it into the bushes.
Everyone froze, even Kakashi and stared wide eyed at Naruto who had crouched into a fighting stance
After a few seconds Naruto stood up straight and dusted himself off. "It's okay, it was just a mouse" he said proudly as though he had saved everyone's life.
"YOU PUT US ALL ON ALERT OVER A MOUSE! DAMN IT QUIT TRYING TO DETECT ENEMY NINJA WHO AREN'T THERE!" Sakura yelled angrily.
"Naruto those are kunai knives, they're not supposed to be thrown around carelessly like that!" Kakashi said. Sasuke simply scoffed.
"GRRRRR AHHHHHHH! STOP TRYING TO SCARE ME YOU SCRUFFY LITTLE DWARF!" Tazuna screamed.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DWARF?" Naruto hollered back.
"Well you are the shortest idiot" Sasuke observed.
"SHUT UP SASUKE! WHY DON'T YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS?" Naruto glared at his teammate.
"Maybe because you're a loser?" Sasuke reminded him.
"I'LL PROVE SOMEONE IS FOLLOWING US! THEY'RE OVER THERE!" Naruto said determinedly, throwing another kunai into the bushes.
"I heard something coming from over there as well. He could just be right" Kakashi said and stepped into the bushes to check it out. What he found was a barely conscious rabbit scared half to death.
"Uh I'm guessing this is your enemy ninja then Naruto?" The silver haired man asked, Sasuke took one look at the rabbit and rolled his eyes.
"AH! A rabbit! Oh I'm sorry little rabbit I'm sorry!" Naruto said and began hugging the rabbit to his cheek.
"All this over a rodent" Tazuna said in disbelief.
Kakashi saw it otherwise.
That's a snow rabbit, but the colour they only have white fur during winter when the days are short and there is little sunlight. This rabbit was raised indoors away from the light which could only be for one purpose, a replacement technique. So they're already here, he thought.
A man hidden in the trees examined Kakashi carefully and reaching behind himself unsheathed a sword from his back.
"Quick everybody down!"
The silver haired Jounin instructed his team as a blade came spinning through the air and straight for Tazuna. Sasuke threw himself to the ground as did Naruto who let the rabbit escape. Sakura was sprawled in the dirt and saw Tazuna rooted to the spot. Leaping up the pink haired girl threw her full body weight against the bridge builder forcefully knocking him to the ground as the incoming blade landed with a thump and embedded itself in a tree trunk.
"Nice save sweetheart, but it would have been so much easier for me if you'd just let him die" The man from the trees appeared and stood on the blade facing Team 7.
Glaring at him Sakura helped Tazuna to his feet.
Naruto glanced at his sullen teammate "Here it is my chance to shine! Believe it I'm ready this time I'm not going to lose out to Sasuke!"
"Well well if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rouge ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist" Kakashi said identifying the swordsman.
Rouge ninja? Whatever, nothing is going to stop me! Go!Naruto thought, charging forward to attack. But Kakashi stuck his arm out and prevented the boy from going any further.
"You're in the way, get back" he said as Naruto began to get frustrated "But why?!" the blonde boy asked.
"He's not like those other ninja; he's in a whole other league. If he's our opponent I'll need this. This could be treacherous" Kakashi said reaching his fingers up to his forehead protector covering his right eye.
"What does he mean by that?" Sakura wondered as the three Genin members of Team 7 stared at their sensei in confusion.
"Kakashi the Sharingan Eye, did I get that right?" Zabuza said and chuckled darkly. At the word sharingan Sasuke froze and looked at Kakashi.
"It's too bad huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man" Zabuza said, not really considering the situation 'too bad' at all.
"Sharingan? What is that?" Naruto asked, the word completely foreign to him.
Sakura on the other hand, recognized it. "Where have I heard that word before? In something I read perhaps?" she questioned.
Taking control of the situation Kakashi instructed his team "Now quick, Manji Formation protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork, now it's time to use it!"
Pulling back his forehead protector Kakashi revealed his eye, the pupil was a blood red with one black dot in the middle and three around the outside.
"AH! His eye! What is that?" Naruto asked "Is it like a super power or something?"
Zabuza too seemed to be impressed "Well looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action, this is an honour"
The blonde ninja was fed up "EVERYONE KEEPS SAYING SHARINGAN SHARINGAN! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IT IS?" he bellowed. For the first time since Zabuza appeared Sasuke spoke.
"A rare power, it resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu or dojutsu can instantly see and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu and reflect the attack back on the attacker. Sharingan is a special rare form of dojutsu. However there is more to the Sharingan than that, a lot more" Sasuke explained, watching Kakashi carefully.
Zabuza scoffed. "You got it right boy but you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyse an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail"
"I remember now" Sakura said defusing the mounting tension and drawing all attention to her. "Kakashi Hatake, the copy ninja. Famous for his use of the sharingan, it is said that he copied over one thousand jutsu. That's how you earned your nickname right sensei?"
Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle "I see you did your research on me Sakura"
Zabuza smirked "In the assassination unit of the Hidden Mist we had a standing order to destroy you on sight; your profile was in our bingo book. Your name is legend"
"Woah that's so cool!" Naruto yelled out in admiration.
Sasuke continued to watch the Jounin deep in thought. Wait a minute; the Sharingan is a rare trait that only occurs in a few members of the Uchiha clan. My clan. Could he be?
But there was no time for Sasuke to ponder Kakashi's acquisition of this rare visual jutsu as the air around Team 7 and the bridge builder began to get misty.
"Enough talking. I need to exterminate the old man. Now!" Zabuza spoke calmly.
Immediately Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto stationed themselves in manji formation around the bridge builder. Sakura covered everything on the left hand side, Naruto on the right and Sasuke in the centre.
"Well looks like I'll be taking you down first Kakashi, so be it" With that Zaubza withdrew the blade from the tree and disappeared.
"He's over there! Standing on the water!" Naruto said loudly and everyone's attention was turned towards the lake where Zabuza was standing one arm raised in a sort of salute. He had two fingers pressed against his lips as though he were creating a jutsu.
"He's gathering a high concentration of chakra at a high speed, this can only mean a very powerful jutsu is about to be produced" Sakura said, her observation skills and chakra reading kicking in.
"Ninja art; Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Zabuza called out before disappearing once more leaving solitary leaf floating in the air which came to rest on the water.
"He vanished again!" Naruto called out.
Kakashi approached the water and spoke directly to his team. "He'll come after me first"
For the first time in a while Tazuna spoke "Who is this guy?"
Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes Doesn't this man listen to anything? He's worse than Naruto he thought.
Kakashi, still somewhat angry at the bridge builder for misinforming them about the rank of the mission spoke in an annoyed tone.
"This guy is Zabuza Momochi, the ex-leader of the Hidden Mist assassination unit and master of the silent killing technique. As the name suggests it happens in an instant without sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast you pass from this life without realising what has happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard"
As if on cue the members of Team 7 suddenly realised exactly what was at stake.
Their lives.
Back in the academy the lectures they received on life threatening situations were never taken seriously, how could they be? Well at least Sakura had never taken them to heart, sure she knew about the dangers ninja faced on missions but it was only now that she was in the situation that she could fully comprehend.
"The mist is getting thicker and thicker!" Naruto said wide eyed as the trees and bushes started disappearing under the blanket of white.
"The Land of Waves is surrounded by ocean. The swirling mists are ever present" Tazuna said but Sakura wasn't listening, she could only watch in horror as Kakashi began to disappear before her eyes.
"Sensei disappeared" Sakura said in a quiet voice alerting Sasuke and Naruto to the severity of their situation. "
He knows what he's doing. We just need to protect this guy" Sasuke said which reassured his teammates, just a little.
"Eight points" Zabuza's voice echoed in the silence.
"Larynx"
"Spine"
"Lungs"
"Liver"
"Jugular"
"Subclavian Artery"
"Kidneys"
"Heart"
From her textbook reading Sakura recognised these as the eight most common kill points.
"Now which one shall I choose?" Zabuza asked himself out loud which sent a shiver of terror down everyone's spine including Sasuke.
Kakashi positioned his hands in a releasing sign before gathering his chakra and dissipating the mist surrounding himself and his team.
Sasuke began to shake, overcome by the tension and anticipation of the fight.
"What an intense thirst for blood. One shallow breath one tiny movement of the eye is enough to bring on instant death. If it goes on like this I'll go insane, the clash of two Jounin intent to kill, I've never felt anything so chilling. It's as if my own life is being choked off… N-no I can't bare it! I'd rather take my own life!"
Sakura noticed Sasuke shaking beside her, his hands reaching for his kunai pointing it at his own heart. "Sasuke! Calm down!" she yelled out to him snapping him out of his trance. Sasuke heard the familiar voice of his female teammate and turned his head to look at her.
"We're a team which means we protect each other with our lives. I refuse to let any of you die for me and I hope you grant me the same courtesy" Sakura said seriously.
Sasuke starred at her in shock. Naruto nodded his head.
"She knew just what to say… interesting" Kakashi thought to himself.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that little girl" The rogue ninja echoed.
Zabuza appeared behind the bridge builder with lightning fast speed, Sakura's eyes widened, there was no time for anyone to react as the hidden mist ninja raised his sword
"It's over" he said in a deadly voice.
The pink haired ninja prepared herself for certain death, but instead she was roughly shoved to the ground.
True there was no time for anyone to react, except for those with the Sharingan. Kakashi rushed forward, pushed his team and the bridge builder to the ground before plunging a kunai in Zabuza's stomach. All in a matter of seconds.
Sakura watched the kunai waiting for blood to appear but instead water began to flow out and form a puddle on the ground. "A water clone! So that must mean the real Zabuza…"
A figure appeared behind Kakashi just as he destroyed the water clone.
"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto called out.
The real Zabuza lifted his blade and sliced Kakashi in half screaming "DIE!"
Expecting another replacement jutsu Sakura was shocked to see Kakashi's remains turn into water. "He created a water clone as well. It must be the work of the Sharingan" she thought to herself.
Zabuza appeared surprised as he watched the water droplets fall to the ground
"The water clone jutsu, impossible he couldn't have….. Even in the mist he saw through my illusion and copied it in an instant" the rogue ninja asked himself in shock.
Suddenly Zabuza felt a kunai knife against his throat.
"Don't move. Now it's over"
"You're finished" Kakashi said pushing the kunai harder against Zabuza's neck.
"Alright!" Naruto yelled out, glad to see that the fight was over and Kakashi had won.
Immediately Sakura knew something was up. Sensei is a great ninja and all but this seems a little too easy, she thought and looked at Sasuke who didn't seem to be letting his guard down either.
Zabuza began to laugh darkly "Finished. You really don't get it do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation. I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed as the Hidden Mist ninja continued to chuckle.
"You are full of surprises though, you'd already copied my water clone. Very skilfully executed, you used that moment to make a water clone while you hid in the mist waiting for me to make my move" Zabuza observed. Tightening his grip on the kunai Kakashi glared.
"Nice try. But I'm not that easy to fool" The voice came from behind him and at once Kakashi knew the Zabuza he was holding the kunai to was a clone.
With a quick strike the water clone was destroyed. "
Hey that one's a clone too!" Naruto exclaimed.
Turning his head Kakashi watched as Zabuza picked up the huge sword and swung at him. Ducking the leaf Jounin was able to evade the swing and the sword landed blade first into the ground. Quickly changing hands Zabuza leaned on the blade for support before aiming a kick at the copycat ninja and sending him flying into the water.
"SENSEI!" Naruto screamed.
"He kicked Kakashi-sensei as though it were child's play" Sakura said as she watched her sensei plummet into the water.
Zabuza speedily retrieved his sword and began to run to the water but stopped suddenly a few meters from the edge. "Makibishi spikes! Trying to slow me down, hmph foolish" he said noticing the spikes on the ground and disappeared.
A few seconds later Kakashi emerged from the water and noticed that the water itself was dense and heavy.That's odd
Before the silver haired ninja could even try to escape Zabuza approached him from behind and did a quick series of hand signals.
"Fool. Water Prison Jutsu!" he yelled.
A huge ball of water encased Kakashi leaving him totally helpless. "Escaping into the water, bad mistake" the Jounin concluded.
With one hand inside the ball Zabuza chuckled "This prison is made of water but it's stronger than steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move, so much for the great Kakashi. I'll finish you off later. But first your little friends will have to be eliminated"
Using his free hand the Hidden Mist rouge created a water clone. "One handed! He's even more skill than I thought" Kakashi thought as he watched the clone rise out of the water. Pressing two fingers to his lips Zabuza slowly started to disappear.
"Calling upstarts like you three ninja is a joke. Wearing the headband means nothing if you are not feared and fearsome"
Sakura shuddered involuntarily as his voice echoed.
Naruto looked around frantically "He disappeared again"
Zabuza aimed a kick out of the mist which hit Naruto hard, sending him to the ground. "You're just brats" he said.
Glaring at nothing in particular Sakura decided she was sick and tired of being called a brat.
"Listen, get the bridge builder and run! You can't win this fight! He's using all his power to keep me in this prison so he can only fight you with his water clone, but the clone can't go far from his real body! If you get away from him he can't follow! NOW RUN!" Kakashi yelled frantically from his prison
"Run away? Not an option, that became unthinkable the moment you got caught" Sasuke thought to himself.
"No matter how fast we run or how far we go he'll track us down and wipe us out. A manji formation is useless, he can get through it in seconds" Sakura assessed mentally.
"OUR ONLY CHANCE IS TO RESCUE KAKASHI, WE'VE GOT TO DO IT!" Sasuke yelled and charged straight for the water clone throwing shuriken. Zabuza blocked these effortlessly with his sword. Sasuke then lept into the air and attempted to destroy Zabuza's clone from above.
"Too easy" The clone said as it grabbed Sasuke around the throat and tossed him aside like a rag doll.
Direct attacks just aren't working Sakura thought as she watched Naruto charge forward again only to be hit back.
"He's controlling his water clone from a distance, he can't move because he needs to have his hand in the ball of water to keep Kakashi-sensei trapped…. We need to stop attacking the clone… And go for him directly!"
"Sasuke! Naruto! I have a plan!" Sakura called out to her two teammates stopping them in their tracks. "
What is it?" Naruto asked as he and Sasuke walked towards her.
"Foolish brats walking away with your back to a battle….. But since you're going to die anyway I'll humor you. You have five minutes to come up with your little plan before I destroy you three and eliminate the old man" Zabuza threatened menacingly.
Huddling together as a team the pink haired ninja whispered the plan to Sasuke and Naruto who nodded and smirked. "Timing is imperative; we've got one shot to make this work! Okay?" Sakura asked.
"Believe it! We're taking this guy down" Naruto replied
"Hn" Sasuke grunted in response. Both boys broke the huddle and took a determined stance facing off against the clone.
"What are you doing? I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I got caught! Now take off! Your mission is not to prove how brave you are it's to save the bridge builder! Stay on mission!" Kakashi yelled.
"Hm, bridge builder?" Naruto questioned, turning to Tazuna.
"Well I-I guess this all happened because of me, because of my desire to live. But I won't let that stand in your way now. Forget about me and do what you have to do! Go ahead and fight to save your sensei!" Tazuna affirmed.
"Alright Sasuke, Naruto you here that?" Sakura asked.
"You bet! Believe it we're going to save Kakashi-sensei and complete this mission!" Naruto yelled, adjusting his forehead protector.
"Hn, this is becoming annoying. Let's finish it" Sasuke declared.
Zabuza began chuckling like a maniac and the mist became thicker once more. "You really haven't learnt anything have you? Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja"
Raising his hand to study it carefully, the Hidden Mist ninja looked at the genin of Team 7. "When I was your age this hand had already crushed many opponents"
Kakashi looked at the man who had imprisoned him. "Zabuza, the Demon!" The silver haired Jounin said in recognition.
"Ah, so I was in your book too" Zabuza said somewhat proud of that accomplishment. Team 7 looked completely confused so Kakashi decided to explain.
"Long ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist also known as Blood Mist Village before a student could become a ninja there was one final test"
Zabuza looked at the copy ninja "Do you know about the graduation exam?"
Naruto stared at the older ninja, confused. "What graduation exam"
Again came the sadistic chuckle from Zabuza
"I don't see why you tell us we're pretending to be ninja. We had a graduation test as well" Sakura said getting frustrated, how hard was it to get a straight answer out of this freak?
"Did you have to kill the other students to pass?" Zabuza asked in a deadly voice.
What? He can't be serious! Kill the other students?Naruto thought to himself as he looked to his teammates who wore similar expressions of shock.
"Imagine young ninja like you, eating together training together and then comes the final exam. Only they change the rules: killed or be killed! You can't stop while your opponent still breathes, he was your friend shared your dreams! Now it's him or you" Zabuza said angrily.
"That's barbaric!" Sakura exclaimed loudly.
"Ten years ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist the graduation exam ... changed. One year before a dark evil had filled the school with terror. Without pause or hesitation a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class and took down over a hundred other students" Kakashi explained.
"But… it felt so…. GOOD!" Zabuza yelled and the clone charged forward and elbowed Sakura in the stomach knocking her off her feet.
Once she was down clone Zabuza raised his elbow again and brought it down with almighty force, as it connected with her stomach once more a handful of blood shot out of Sakura's mouth.
"SAKURA!" Sasuke yelled out, he and Naruto could only watch in shock as the clone put his foot on their teammate's stomach and pressed hard causing her to scream in pain.
"You know you're quite a pretty one but you're nothing! I've always wondered why they ever made it possible for females to become ninja. They're weak, useless and all they do is let their team down and jeopardise the mission. You've got a lot to say for one so young but your death will bring silence!" Zabuza said as Sakura struggled to get any air, blood dripping from her mouth.
Kakashi could only watch on in horror, helpless to do anything.
Naruto had enough "GET OFF HER! MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" he yelled.
At least 50 shadow clones appeared surrounding Zabuza who looked mildly impressed.
"Shadow clones huh? And there's quite a few of them" he muttered to himself, the clone took its foot off Sakura and reached for his sword.
Gasping and coughing Sakura tried to move but she couldn't. W-what's happening? Looking up she saw she was surrounded by Naruto clones baring kunai knives.
"Alright let's go!" The Naruto clones yelled in unison as they charged for Zabuza. Sakura felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and pull her safely out of fight.
"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked kneeling in front of her, concern present in his eyes.
Sakura put a glowing green hand to her stomach and weakly summoned a little chakra to heal herself.
"I should be fine, I just need a moment to heal my injuries" she explained and Sasuke nodded and stood up adopting a protective stance in front of her.
With one sweep of his blade Zabuza knocked out all of the clones and hit Naruto back a few meters.
"His skills are too advanced; he's too powerful there is no way to defeat him!" Tazuna yelled "Don't talk like that! You lose hope too easily!" Naruto exclaimed.
Sakura, regaining some of her strength nodded in agreement as she shakily got to her feet.
Naruto pulled out something from his bag and threw it into the air. "SASUKE! CATCH!"
Reaching his arm to the sky Sasuke caught the flying object with ease "DEMON WIND SHURIKEN- WINDMILL OF SHADOWS!" he yelled clearly.
Zabuza could only laugh in disbelief "A shuriken? You'll never touch me with that!"
Jumping into the air Sasuke threw the shuriken as hard as he could, as planned the shuriken bent around the clone and was on course straight for the real Zabuza.
"So, you passed the clone and aimed for my real body... smart. But not smart enough" Zabuza said as he caught the flying shuriken only to be surprised when a second one appeared still heading for him.
"Huh? A second shuriken in the shadow of the first? The shadow shuriken jutsu" the rouge ninja exclaimed.
Tazuna watched the flying object "Maybe they have a fair chance now. He can't catch this one" he thought.
Zabuza however simply jumped over the shuriken keeping his hand inside the water ball.
He dodged it! These kids don't stand a chance and neither do I The bridge builder thought in fear, changing his attitude.
"I told you a shuriken can't touch me" Zabuza said haughtily but this time it was Sakura's turn to chuckle "Who said anything about it touching you?" she said.
It was then that the second shuriken turned into Naruto with a kunai aimed straight for the arm Zabuza was using to connect himself with the water ball.
"Eat this!"
The blonde ninja threw the kunai right on target and Zabuza quickly pulled his hand out of the water prison to dodge the kunai which then destroyed the water clone.
The rouge ninja turned around to face Naruto, blood streaming out of a cut under his eye where the kunai had sliced.
Spinning the shuriken he had caught earlier violently in his hand Zabuza took aim at Naruto. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" he bellowed.
However something blocked the shuriken from going any further.
A spurt of blood and Zabuza looked up to see a dripping wet Kakashi had blocked the shuriken with his hand. Naruto landed in the lake with a splash.
"Well done team, I'm proud of you" Kakashi said.
"The plan was simple; when all the Naruto clones attacked the real Naruto transformed one of them into the shuriken. Sasuke knew about this so he wasn't at all surprised but he spun around so Zabuza wouldn't suspect anything and pulled out his own shuriken. The Naruto clone shuriken hid in the shadow of the real shuriken and his target was the real Zabuza. The whole objective was to free Kakashi-sensei" Sakura said explained.
"I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison" Zabuza said
"Hmph, don't flatter yourself you didn't get distracted, you were forced to let go!" Kakashi said his voice laced with malice.
"Your technique worked on me once but it won't work again, so what's it going to be?" The silver haired ninja asked offering Zabuza a choice.
"Sakura you know what to do right?" Sasuke asked, the pink haired ninja replied with a nod and both ninja position themselves defensively in front of Tazuna.
Zabuza grunted as he pushed the shuriken down harder against Kakashi's hand. Kakashi however replied in kind and with a strong push he sent the shuriken speeding off into the distance. Immediately both Jounin flew back across the water, Zabuza performed a hand sign in mid-air and the sharingan activated immediately.
As soon as Zabuza landed on the surface of the water he began a series of fast and complex hand signs which Kakashi, aided by the sharingan, copied perfectly.
"TORIE!" Both ninja yelled at the same time completing the series of hand signs. "Water Style Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Immediately two water dragons rose up from the lake and began to do battle. The dragons exploded together sending a huge wall of water straight for Tazuna.
"Brace yourself" Sakura warned him as she and Sasuke took the full force of the wave. But Sasuke couldn't help marvelling at the sharingan "There were so many hand signs and he copied them all perfectly, instantly" the Uchiha boy thought.
Underneath their dragons Zabuza attempted to strike Kakashi with his blade which was blocked by a kunai knife. Both pushed their weapons hard against the other.
Something isn't right; the sharingan can comprehend and replicated the enemy's technique. However both jutsu occurred simultaneously… Could he? Zabuza thought as the genin members of Team 7 watched on in amazement.
Undetected by anyone, a masked person was also watching the fight from a distance.
Zabuza lept back only to have Kakashi do the exact same. He then began to run in a circle, Kakashi following him the whole way.
Both ninja planted their feet and Zabuza raised one arm to perform the Hidden Mist jutsu, Kakashi also positioned his arms in the same style.
"He's not just following, he moves the same way at the same time" Sakura said out loud.
"How is he doing that?" Tazuna asked but was given no answer.
"What? Is he reading my mind as well? He looks at me with that eye…" The rouge ninja thought as he did another hand sign which Kakashi immediately copied.
"It makes you furious doesn't it?" Kakashi asked and this sent Zabuza over the edge as he changed hand signs again.
"Ha! All you're doing is copying me, like a monkey! You can't beat me with cheap tricks, I'll crush you!" Zabuza said angrily and his anger only intensified when Kakashi repeated his exact same words.
Again the rouge ninja began a fast series of hand signs "When I finish with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!"
Suddenly a shadow appeared behind Kakashi, the shadow was Zabuza himself.
"It's me! But how? Is it his illusion jutsu?"
But he had no further time to wonder as Kakashi called out.
"WATER STYLE GIANT VORTEXT JUTSU!"
The sharingan began spinning madly as a vortex of water opened up in front of Kakashi and swallowed Zabuza.
"I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CREATE A VORTEXT BUT HE CREATED ONE FIRST! HE COPIES MY JUTSU BEFORE HE CAN EVEN DO IT! I CAN'T KEEP UP!" Zabuza yelled as he spiralled through the vortex which was destroying the landscape.
Sasuke and Sakura once again fought off the onslaught of water, Naruto was able to grab hold of a tree and hoist himself out of the raging torrent.
The stranger with the mask vanished as a wave of water crashed through the trees and washed Zabuza up against one coughing and spluttering. A series of kunai flew through the air and embedded in his flesh.
Kakashi looked down on Zabuza from the branch above "You're finished!" The water slowly began to recede leaving behind a trail of broken tree branches and bushes.
"How? Can you see into the future?" Zabuza asked as he looked up
"Yes, this your last battle ever!" Kakashi replied, kunai in hand ready to strike.
Suddenly two objects came flying through the air and struck two vital pressure points in Zabuza's neck causing a spray of blood. All heads turned in shock towards the directing of the objects to see a masked stranger standing on a tree branch.
"Heh, you were right it was his last battle" A male voice said from behind the mask.
Kakashi jumped down from the tree and ran two fingers along Zabuza's neck, searching for a pulse. Naruto hauled himself from the water and went to join Sasuke and Sakura as they all waited for Kakashi's verdict.
"No vital signs"
Turning his head the silver haired ninja examined the stranger closely.
"Thank you, I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down" The masked ninja said
"By your mask I see that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist" Kakashi observed quietly.
"Impressive, you're well informed" the man replied.
Naruto jumped in front of the bridge builder "A tracker!"
Sasuke scoffed "Dobe don't pretend you know what that is, you missed the lesson on it"
Before Naruto and Sasuke could start their argument Sakura decided to explain "When a rouge ninja breaks away from his village he carries all kinds of important information, the information of his people. Trackers are specially trained to hunt down these ninja and eliminate them, that way the information doesn't fall into the wrong hands"
"That's correct; I'm a member of the elite tracing unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza" The tracking ninja said.
From his size and voice he must be the same age as Naruto, yet he's an elite assassin. He's no ordinary kid, but what is he? Kakashi thought.
The blonde ninja charged forward breathing heavily and yelled at the tracker "What is this? Who do you think you are? DID YOU HEAR ME?"
"Easy Naruto, he's not our enemy" Kakashi said trying to calm his student down.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID JUST LIKE THAT? Zabuza was huge and powerful like some kind of monster, and this kid who's no bigger than me! He brought down Zabuza with one move! Like it was nothing! I mean what does that make us? We're just fumbling around, we don't know anything! HOW CAN I ACCEPT THAT?"
Kakashi walked towards the loud blonde boy and placed a hand on his head "Well even if you don't accept it, still it did happen Naruto. In this world there are kids who are younger than you, and yet stronger than me"
Sasuke glared at these words and Sakura simply nodded her head in sad acceptance. The tracker ninja vanished from the tree and reappeared on the ground next to Zabuza's body.
"Your struggle is over for now; I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body; they must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me, farewell"
As the tracker ninja disappeared Kakashi once again pulled his forehead protector over his sharingan, Naruto ran over to the space where the ninja disappeared
"He's gone Naruto, let it go" Kakashi said but the blonde boy dropped to his knees in anger and began punching the ground "WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? WE'RE NOTHING! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"
"SHUT UP! What because one person is better than you, because one person said you were nothing you're going to believe them! Instead of wasting your time punching the ground and breratting yourself, use your anger to train harder and get stronger!" Sakura said angrily much to the shock of everyone including Naruto.
"Right, in any case we still haven't completed the mission. We have to get the bridge builder to his bridge" Kakashi said trying to defuse the serious mood as Naruto stood up.
"Sorry I caused all this trouble for you. You can rest at my house when we get to the village" Tazuna said in a happy voice.
"Alright, let's get a move on" Kakashi said leading the way, but suddenly he stopped and froze on the spot before falling over and almost landing face first on the ground. Sakura however, was able to catch him in time. "
SENSEI!" Naruto called out as he, Sasuke and Tazuna rushed over.
"Sakura, what happened to him?"