Chapter 13
Tazuna tried to hide his terror for a moment, but ultimately spilled his guts out when he realized that there was no way to hide it anymore. I tapped over my body to see if I had been nicked anywhere by the claws of the Demon Brother I had fought. It may be a little strange to do, but I felt like making sure I wouldn't die from poison took priority over the tale of sorrow that this man was trying to weave.
Besides, I already knew the majority of what was going on. And it wasn't like I wasn't listening; just… letting more important things take priority for the moment.
"The Land of Waves was never a very prosperous country. The best ways we made by was in fishing and trade, but an island nation only receives so many routes. When Gato appeared with promises of bringing prosperity to the country, the Daimyo and other lords were all to happy to give him the permits to settle his business in the area."
"That's a pretty big mistake on their part." Kakashi commented, his eye flat and glazed in a deadpan as he spoke. "Gato's a pretty infamous criminal. He's wanted in all five major nations and in several smaller ones for all sorts of crimes."
"Well, our leaders didn't get that memo. By the time they realized their mistake Gato had turned and drained their already miniscule coffers dry. He hired a massive force of mercenaries to do his bidding, and began brutally crushing any meager attempts at resistance. Murder, looting, trafficking of all kinds… it wasn't long until we basically had nothing to our names, just sitting around and waiting to starve."
"So what did you do to set him off, then?" Sakura asked. "Mercenaries are one thing, but hiring missing ninja is a whole other level of hatred."
"Because his wealth is reliant on the shipping industry." Tazuna explained. "He has a total monopoly on the waters, and my bridge is looking to break that by giving us a land route to the main land."
"It sounds like it's more than that." I stated, getting his attention. "From the way you talk about the situation, your work is the last hope for Wave's people, and he's probably trying to stomp out that hope by killing you."
"That sounds about right." The drunkard stated with a sobered-up tone. "He's already killed a number of the most important souls in our nation. He wants to break the spirit of Wave, and then exploit it for whatever else he can get out of it."
"We have to help them!" Naruto declared, his attention on Kakashi. "We need to complete this mission and help all those people!"
"I don't know about that Naruto." Kakashi tapped a finger to his chin. "The two Chunnin level ninja here would make this a B-rank mission at least, and I doubt that this will be the last encounter we end up having. We'll probably end up fighting someone stronger, a Jonin like me instead of a Chunnin."
The heir of the White Fang turned his eye back to Tazuna, his visage somehow seeming to sharpen.
"Which really begs the question as to why you requested a C-rank instead of an A or S-rank?"
Tazuna sighed, defeated.
"We just couldn't afford it. Even with our combined resources, we could barely purchase a C-ranking." He explained. "Even if the lords added their own remaining funds, it wouldn't be enough for anything higher."
The man kneeled on the ground, bowing his head and prostrating to the Jonin.
"Please, help my people."
"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto looked up at his teacher, somehow seeming both determined and pleading at the same time. "We can't just back out now and do nothing."
"That's not your decision to make, Naruto." Kakashi lightly scolded, causing the boy to flinch back. "There's more people whose lives will be at risk than just yours if we decide to continue, both of your teammates and Ami. If any one of them think we should turn back, then it'll be best for us to take Tazuna back to Konoha and see if another arrangement can be made for him."
Naruto's eyes were on his teammates and myself, somehow communicating a challenge to rise to the occasion and take on the rest of this mission. For a second I could see a hint of the confidence he'd had later in the series, though that flame was just a spark for now.
Sasuke was the first to say something, giving a light smirk and a snort.
"Fighting a Jonin and an army of mercenaries? Sounds like fun." He said, meeting Naruto's gaze with his own. "If you're not going to back down, then neither am I."
Jeez, get a room you two. Maybe that accidental kiss on the team assignment day wasn't an accident after all…
Sakura seemed hesitant, but eventually spoke up with a shaky voice.
"I-If Sasuke-kun is going, then I am too!" She declared, as if she was somehow being cool or inspiring with that asinine claim.
I hate the fact that I probably used to be that way too. How embarrassing…
"And what about you, little miss tag-along?" Kakashi asked me, head over his shoulder. "Do you want to call it quits and head back? There's no problem with it, honest."
"After everything that you guys said? I can't refuse that." I answered instantly, a twang of sarcasm slipping into my tone. "I'm in, just make sure none of you hold me back."
"Ha!" Naruto barked, knowing that I was joking this time. It was crazy how quickly he got used to my sense of humor and teasing. I didn't have to watch my step with him as I did others. "We should be saying that to you instead, given how you can't even beat me during our spars."
"Wasn't really trying during those." I stuck my tongue out playfully, smiling all the while.
"I guess that about does it then." Kakashi decided with an eye smile. "Team 7 – and extra – will be continuing with this mission."
"Yeah!" Naruto pumped his fist in excitement, ready for whatever came next.
The question is, would I be ready for this?
"Those two 'Demon Brothers' you sent to kill that old man failed!" A rotund man stated, the room poorly lit as was requested by the ninjas sitting inside. "And they got captured by Konoha! Do you have any idea how much I had to pay for them to kill that man, only to hear that he's still alive? That's hundreds of thousands – maybe even millions – going right down the drain!"
"They went up against someone that they couldn't fight on par with. It's only expected that it'll happen when weaklings try to fight the strong." A figure stated, his mouth obscured by bandages. "According to what Haku was able to observe, they went up against a group of four Genin and Kakashi Hatake. While they would have eventually taken out the brats regardless of how many there were, they stood no chance against the Copy Ninja."
"Tch, I don't want to hear any excuses Zabuza." The businessman stated with anger in his voice. "I want results. I hired you and your little gang to kill that bridge builder, so I better get what I paid for!"
Within a moment, a giant butcher's blade was slung over his shoulder. The half circle portion carefully located to make sure that the rest of the blade was covering the criminal's body as possible.
"You're forgetting who has the actual power here." Zabuza reminded the man by letting his blade drop even more, getting dangerously close to Gato's untrained flesh. "Your only power comes in the form of what you can buy, whereas I have real, tangible power."
He lifted the blade back up, moving it like it weighed nothing.
"Try to remember that the only thing that keeps your head on your shoulders is my desire for that cash of yours." Zabuza tilted his head slightly, a glint of a sharpened tooth peeking through the whole. "So sit down at your little desk and crunch numbers for your little empire, and let us do our jobs."
Behind the swordsman, a figure appeared. Their face was covered by a nearly featureless mask with the symbol for the mist village etched into the forehead.
"…Fine, just go and finish the job." Gato relented, leaving the room to go somewhere brighter, and preferably close to his liquor cabinet so that he could drink away his anger with the ninja.
With the wide man gone, Zabuza could only chuckle a little to himself.
"Kakashi of the Sharingan… I wonder how it'll feel to kill you?"
As it turns out, traveling across a country and an ocean to get to the Land of Waves wasn't going to happen in a day, especially at the speeds we were moving at. The sun began to set past the trees, and it wouldn't be reasonable to travel when we weren't sure what would be hiding out in the dark.
We began to set up a small camp site, with Sasuke lighting a fire using a small use of his Fireball Jutsu. It might be a bit of a waste since I had matchsticks and fire-starting kits on me, but it was already to late to say something.
Instead, I took the opportunity to have dinner. I had to skip out on ordering lunch so that I could make the mission on time, so I decided to eat double of my stored food tonight. A set of ten sandwiches, a kind that I haven't had in a literal lifetime.
I was really looking forward to it, but got interrupted before I could take the first bit.
"What… are you eating?" Tazuna asked, looking at the food in my hands with suspicion.
"…Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?" I answered, unsure of why he seemed so put off by it.
Actually, now that I was paying attention, everyone was looking at me weirdly.
"That sounds disgusting." Sakura stated. "Why would you put salty peanut butter with sweet jelly?"
"I don't know Sakura, sweet and salty can go together pretty well." Kakashi commented, before reaching out his hand. "Let me try one of those."
Reluctantly, I surrendered the sandwich to the Jonin. Turning his head away from us and pulling down on his mask, he took a bite and put the covering back on his face. He returned the item to me as he chewed the massive bite he had taken out of it.
This bitch…
"Hm… not bad actually." He said, having swallowed the bite. "I noticed that there was something else inside, food pill?"
Just answer the question, Ami.
"Yeah, I spread it in a layer between the peanut butter and jelly." I confirmed.
"Is it your own or one that's made by the village?"
"I buy them from the Akimichi clan." I answered, laughing humorlessly. "I'm pretty sure that if I tried to make food pills at this stage I'd end up poisoning myself more than anything. I've really been more focused on physical training lately."
"Speaking of your training." A voice cut in, and I was surprised to see that it was Sasuke taking an interest in the conversation. "Just a month and a half ago you were even worse overall than Sakura, and a complete and total fangirl. No book smarts or any skills beyond what was taught at the academy."
"…Go on?" I requested, hoping that he wasn't just trying to insult me. He had way too much baggage to be talking smack right now.
"I wanted to know what changed." Sasuke looked me in the eyes, showing a glint of curiosity. "What happened that made you so much more competent as a ninja?"
Oh boy…
"Well, I guess the best way to describe it is… that I woke up." I started, getting a blink from a few members of the group.
"…Expand." The Uchiha ordered.
"What else is there to say, I realized that I was shit at being a shinobi." I pointed my thumb towards a certain blond boy. "I mean, even before we graduated I doubt I could have taken Naruto in an actual fight, which was just one of the many things I'm kicking myself over for not rectifying sooner."
"So what, you're just only now taking your training seriously?" He asked. "That's all it took."
"Hey, it's not like I'm just doing some basic workouts here." I shot back, starting to get annoyed by his responses. "I basically push my body into the dirt and then some, and then I've been studying tons of techniques and jutsu to add to my abilities."
"I've spoken with a Jonin who's been giving her tips on his Genin's team building workouts." Kakashi butted in, likely trying to cool things off before they got heated. "She's been working harder than most Genin I've heard of. It's no surprise to me that she's starting to catch up."
Sakura… looked slightly upset from the flow of the conversation, likely due to how Sasuke was so focused on me.
Girl, don't give me that death glare. You only have yourself to blame. Maybe if you actually trained, you'd have his interest.
Damn, this sandwich is good. Glad I have nine more, I'm starving.
Chapter 14
The night passed without incident, which I was glad for. Without any information to go off of in terms of the in-between of the Demon Brothers and Zabuza, there was no way to predict if some other threat was going to try to ambush us during the night. When nothing ended up attacking, I silently thanked the Sage of Six Paths for his leniency.
I know that he probably didn't have anything to do with this, but the only other deity like characters I could thank were Jashin, the Reaper, or the Otsutsuki. And I'll be damned if I thank any of those guys before the main man Hagoromo.
We set out pretty much the moment the sun peeked over the horizon, much to the complaints of Sakura, Naruto, and Tazuna. None of them were as used to the sleep schedule – or lack of such – that ninjas tend to have, leaving them slightly grouchy and a little aggroed.
"Hey, you were the ones that decided to continue the mission." Kakashi reminded his two students with an eye smile. "Don't complain to me. This is what you asked for, after all~."
Heh, it's funnier when his snark isn't directed at me.
By around midday we were able to reach the coasts leading to the Land of Waves, a surprisingly good time considering we were traveling with an old man. Now whether that was due to him being somewhat fit from his labor job or a little bit of anime logic being present in this universe I wasn't sure, but I decided it wasn't really worth asking.
Waiting by a group of rocks, there was a small boat with a man looking around to see if anyone was around. When he saw Tazuna, he seemed to get slightly less tense, though he was still very clearly nervous.
"You're late." He said gruffly as the bridge builder approached, us following him. "I almost left your dumb ass here and went home."
"Oh shut up Tanjiro, you weren't leaving me." Tazuna grunted back, before pulling out a bottle of something. "Not unless you want to be drinking nothing but fish shit until the bridge is finished."
"Tch, just give me the damn bottle." He grumbled, grabbing it from the other man and popping it open. Taking a small smell of it along with a small swig, he smiled a small bit. "That's the good stuff alright. What is this, White Eye Brew?"
"Nope, it's cheap Oasis Tequila." Tazuna chuckled at the boat man's surprised expression. "Yeah I know; I was surprised too. Guess drinking homebrews for so long our palettes got lowered a peg or two."
"Hmm, just get everybody on and we can get going. I want to get there before the fog fades out."
"Did he just pay a fare with booze?" Sakura asked Kakashi, looking confused. "Why would he do that? Wouldn't it be better to pay with cash."
"Cause their economy is bust and the only thing they can really trade is direct goods." I ended up answering, only to receive a scathing glare from the pink haired girl.
"I didn't ask you, Plum Head. I was asking Kakashi."
Plum Head? What kind of second grade bullshit is that?
I just ended up rolling my eyes, deciding not to engage with her attempts at starting an argument. The most I did was quirk an eyebrow at Kakashi, but he just put a finger to his lips and started making hand signs at me. It was a form of sign language that had been taught to us at the academy so that we could communicate on missions.
It was, of course, only a basis for more unique signs we would create later, but the intent was still there.
"Wait until later. I'll talk to her." He signed towards me, before walking forwards to get on the boat.
The rest of us followed suit, and the boat man began to row us away from the main land. Pushing against the rocks with a practiced ease, we began to float on the water and out into the open ocean.
"Uh, Naruto? You feeling alright?" I asked, noticing how the blond was starting to grow pale as the ship began to rock and sway. "You're looking a little sick there."
"I'm fine, believe it." The boy clipped, trying to sound as though he was fine. Though given how his face was starting to turn green, and the grunt from a particularly harsh sway of the boat, I wasn't too keen to believe him.
"Are you sure? I think I packed some nausea pills to help you feel better." I said, rummaging through my pouch for a moment. "They're a little bitter, but it should help take the edge of-"
"Hrrrrg!" Aaaaand he's puking of the side of the boat. Huh…
When did Naruto get replaced by Natsu?
"Tch, dumbass." Sasuke grunted.
Did he just…
"Hey, don't call him that for getting sick. That's just something that happens to people." I shot back with a light glare leaning over to Naruto and forming a Mystic Palm. It wouldn't do much to prevent him from getting sick, but it would at least sooth his pain. A part of me wanted to fire an insult back, but I knew that it would only make the situation worse if I did.
"Hn."
Things fell back into silence after that, the only things being present in the air is the sounds and smells of Naruto's sick. It grossed me out a little, and even made me feel a little sick myself, so I popped a nausea pill for myself so that I could settle my own stomach.
"Hey, Ami." I head Kakashi call out to me, turning my head to see he had a hand stretched out. "Let me get one of those."
Why would he need one? Isn't he used to- you know what? I'm not gonna question it.
"Understood." I grunted a bit, handing the pill to the Jonin.
"Hm, you have a pretty wide assortment of medicine." He commented.
"Y-Yeah? I figured since I've been alone for a lot of my missions, I should stock up on everything that I thought I'd need." I said, going back to helping Naruto feel better.
"A prepared mindset is usually a good one." He praised, and I noticed how his eye ever so briefly turned to Sakura.
I-Is he using me as some sort of motivator for Sakura? Is that why he brought me on this mission in the first place?
This fucking wet dog. The first thing I do when getting back to Konoha is giving Gai that idea to write that bromance novel! And I'll be sure to add in colored illustrations too, you prick!
I have to admit it, seeing the silhouette of that giant bridge start peeking out of the fog was really something else when you see it in person. It was already a pretty impressive thing to see on screen, but real life gave it this imposing presence that showed how it really was the last hope of the people in this country.
I didn't include myself in most of the conversations beyond this point focusing on keeping my eyes open and my ears clear. With us walking around in another country, the chances that an unseen threat might show itself increased by several magnitudes. And I didn't want to risk getting taken by surprise and kick the bucket to someone hired by fucking Gato.
Hence, the silent treatment persisted throughout the town as we walked through, even as the rest of the Genin in our group started to notice the harsh conditions that people were living in. There wasn't much to go off of besides the two individuals that I already knew, but there was no way of knowing if there wouldn't be another tag along.
I'm here, after all…
But once again, there was nothing. While I'll admit that did put my mind at ease, I was still pretty tense and on a hair trigger. Even though I knew what was coming, Zabuza is still an A-rank threat who's able to put one over on Kakashi here and there. That was a pretty serious threat to have to deal with, and that's not even including the possibility of Haku joining in on the fight.
Yeah it was a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless. We're screwed if he fights us at this stage.
"Oh come on Sakura-chan. I'm not that bad!" Naruto groaned. "I just… wanted to give Sasuke and Ami-chan a chance to show their stuff, believe it!"
"Please, you've been dragging our team down this whole time!" Sakura insulted the boy, and I had to basically bite my tongue to not yell at her for her hypocrisy. "Sasuke-kun had to jump in and save you when the Demon Brothers showed up."
"Hey, I can fight too! I'm not gonna freeze up like that or get taken off guard like that again!" He said, before jumping out slightly ahead of the group. He looked around for a while, trying to see if he could spot anything suspicious. For a moment it seemed like he wasn't seeing anything, but eventually his head snapped towards a set of bushes.
"There!" He called out, throwing a bunch of shuriken into the bushes. The sounds of impacting with wood and dirt echoed out, and after a moment a pure white ball of fluff jumped out of them.
"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura yelled at the boy, brushing right past him and picking the creature up. "You nearly killed an innocent little rabbit! What the hell is wrong with you!"
I tensed even more than I had before, recognizing this set up. He's here.
"B-But I though that-"
"Everybody hit the deck!" "Everyone get down!"
At Kakashi and my own orders, everyone proceeded to fall right to the ground. I reached out and forced Naruto to fall, whereas Kakashi managed to get Tazuna down just in time for a massive object to go flying overhead. There was a massive thunking sound and the bristling of tree branches as the object hit it.
Looking up, I could see the infamous blade of the Demon embedded into the wood.
Crouching up, I pulled out a kunai and silently hoped that I was ready for this fight.
"Is everyone alright?" Kakashi asked, counting heads. When it became clear that nobody had gotten killed by the attack, he let out a silent sigh of relief and turned his attention back to the tree. "The Executioner's Blade… That can only mean we're going up against…"
"Ah, so you know me." A rough voice stated, almost sounding pleased by the prospect. "To think that the infamous Kakashi Hatake would recognize me just from my blade; I'm truly flattered."
"After the kinds of stunts you've pulled, I would be surprised if anyone in the shinobi world didn't know you." Kakashi said, sounding casual even as he prepared himself for combat. "Zabuza Momochi, the man who killed the entire graduating class of the Mist's ninja academy without even being a student, and the man who attempted to overthrow the Mizukage."
Zabuza's mouth shifted under his wrappings, presumably into a smile.
"Oh please, do keep going." He spoke. "It's always nice to hear about my greatest accomplishments from one such as yourself."
…Am I hearing this right?
"I'm afraid we don't really have time for theatrics, Zabuza." Kakashi said, grabbing at his headband with a slightly tight look in his eye. "Why don't you tell us why you're here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" The rogue mist ninja asked. "I'm here to kill the old man. Typical shinobi work; you should be well aware of it by now, right?"
"Then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." Kakashi said as he finally lifted the headband. "Because he's under my protection, and I won't let you kill him."
"Oh, you're pulling out the Sharingan against me?" Zabuza seemed to get even more giddy as the moments passed, like a kid being told he could buy as much candy as he wants. "In that case, why don't you show me the power of that eye."
I swallowed my saliva, feeling a drip of sweat starting to fall down my face.
The enemy ninja lifted his hands into a familiar handsign.
"Show me the power of Konoha's Copy Ninja!" He demanded with glee, as fog began to fill the area.
In an instant, everyone formed a perimeter around Tazuna. The air was thick with both water and Chakra, and I didn't even need to be a sensor to know that. The Hidden Mist Jutsu was stated to be good at hiding someone from such detection methods, given how the technique saturated the area with their Chakra. It'd be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. And given how I didn't have that ability, the needle was now basically also invisible.
I'd need to be extremely careful, or else I'll find myself impaled by that needle before even having a chance to fight back.
A plan began to form in my head, and it started with a certain Jonin leader of mine.
Let's hope this gamble works
Chapter 15
There was a deep, omnipresent chill that seemed to pierce through every bone in my body. Every limb, from the tips of my fingers to the sockets of my shoulders, felt like they were turned to ice even as they were tensing in preparation. For what, I wasn't entirely sure.
It was just an immediate reminder that this was real life, not a manga or an anime. There would be no plot armor or elements of storytelling protecting me from the slaughter.
All that there was between me and death, was my skills and the allies by my side. Of which, I could only really trust Kakashi to save me should I be caught lacking.
If he gets captured by that water prison trap, things will only become more dire. I couldn't just put my faith into the members of Team 7 to get my ass out of it.
Sure, Naruto and Sasuke had literal demi-god type fates for themselves, but that didn't automatically protect me. I could very easily just end up being a dead motivation for them if I'm not careful.
Everyone stood in a protective formation around Tazuna, knowing already that the bridge builder would be the primary target. My heart thumped away in my throat as my eyes tried to pierce through the deep mist that had fallen amongst the area.
But there was nothing, nothing but that deep, overwhelming presence that promised every cruel death that you could imagine. Even as I tried to flair my Chakra to keep my sanity, it was still hard on my sense of self.
Like a whisper of doubt being forced into my mind, telling me I should just let it end.
"Eight points." The low, scratchy voice began as it creeped in from the mist. It only served to make the feeling of dread worse and worse. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart."
The emphasis he placed on the last point only made me more worried, more paranoid. I took a deep breath, trusting in my calmer instincts rather than the frayed and terrified feelings coursing through me.
"I wonder which one I'll get to strike first?" One could tell Zabuza was smiling, even without actually seeing him. "Especially with so many to choose from."
My eyes twitched over to Sasuke, and I saw his kunai start to twitch upwards towards his neck. This overwhelming force; this killing intent. It's getting to be too much for him.
My hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, making his attention shoot over to me instantly.
I shook my head silently, still holding my own weapon at the ready. Just a couple more moments, and I'd be ready to execute my plan.
It probably had a low chance of working. But if it did, then we'd have a much easier time of this encounter.
A moment later, a reassuring power flooded over us, as Kakashi flared his own powerful Chakra. Somehow, it seemed to replace all of that fear and terror with a confidence I didn't know could be brought out of me.
What was this, some sort of ninja emotion trick?
Can you just make an "intent" with any damn emotion now?
"Don't worry, everyone." The scarecrow stated, looking at us all with a smile in his eye. "I won't let any of you die. I swear it."
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Copy Ninja." Zabuza cut in, suddenly feeling much closer to us. Everyone could feel his presence in a much more intimate way than before. "Especially when I'm already here!"
The mist was cut through with all the fluidity of a cinder block, Zabuza ready to strike directly at Tazuna. He was here- he was inside our formation!
I tried to move to stop him, but our own Jonin leader acted first. Pulling out a kunai and cutting through the Mist swordsman in an instant, water poured through the wound, revealing him to be nothing more than an elemental clone.
"Oh, so that's what we're doing now?" Kakashi asked lazily, dodging under a massive sword swing from behind. Everyone else being either pushed back or completely knocked of their feet by the wind generated from the attack.
"W-Woah!" Naruto rushed over and caught Tazuna, who had been sent rolling from the attack. "I got you, drunk bridge guy!"
"Don't call me that you brat!" He chastised the boy before turning his attention back on the fight. "Shit, is this what an actual ninja fight is like?"
"No." I shook my head, watching as Zabuza swung his massive sword – a heap of raw iron – upwards to block Kakashi's mid air kick. "They're just getting warmed up."
The Mist shinobi briefly looked over his shoulder the smallest bit, before flaring out his monstrous Chakra, pushing Tazuna back even more with the sheer power.
Seems he was dispelling a Genjutsu of some sort, just in time to go low under a fist from Kakashi. The pommel of his sword shot out, aiming right for the other Jonin's ribs. I had to bite my lip in order to stop a reflexive cry of panic.
Others around me weren't so restrained.
"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Sakura screamed, loud enough pierce the overbearing weight of the fight in front of us. Thankfully, her worries were for nothing, as Kakashi grabbed the pommel with his own hand. Using it as a lift, he jumped vertically and delivered a swift kick to Zabuza's chin.
"Ha ha, well that was fun." He let out a dry laugh as he landed on one foot. "All this talk and yet you haven't been able to land a hit against me. Maybe all of those boasts about you being a demon were hot air."
"Don't act so high and mighty, Kakashi." Zabuza didn't falter in the slightest, pointing his sword in his direction as he spoke. "I can already see it, the exhaustion starting to weigh down on your shoulders. That transplanted eye of yours is already starting to take its toll. And all before you were able to copy a single one of my jutsus…"
Kakashi's eyes turned slightly mischevious, in a different way than the eye smiles he gave Team 7 and I when he was teasing us. It was like he knew something that the other ninja didn't.
Oh.
"He copied the Hidden Mist Jutsu right when the fight started." I muttered, watching Kakashi making the single hand sign and casting the technique. Within moments it turned the oppressive and dark battlefield into a crisp morning haze that felt almost comforting.
By all means, it was the same technique, the same situation. But having the Jonin's Chakra throughout rather than Zabuza's seemed to make it more mentally bearable. Looking to my sides, I saw Team 7 and Tazuna each starting to loosen up a bit too.
"Look alive. We're not out of the woods yet." I reminded them of the danger, hearing the sounds of combat beyond the reinforced mist in front of us. "Even if Kakashi's taken control of the mists, there's still mist. Keep a watch on each other's backs and make sure the bridge builder is protected."
"And why should we be following your orders?" Sakura asked with a sneer. "You're not a part of our team, Plum Head."
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
"Just do it."
"Sakura, please just do what she said." Sasuke backed me up, inciting a slightly betrayed look from the pink haired girl.
"But…" She took a second to stock up on the situation, putting that brain of hers to use and thinking for once, about if it was really worth risking everyone's lives just because she wanted to be petty towards me. And ultimately, she proved herself actually useful by keeping her mouth shut and giving a simple nod.
It was only when she went silent, that I realized that the rest of the battlefield had turned quiet as well. There were no sounds of impacts, of jutsus, or even of the back and forth flirting that had been going on between the two of them.
There was just the sounds of nature.
"…Reform the defensive perimeter around the bridge builder." Sasuke ordered, everyone having kunai drawn and ready to defend the bridge builder at a moment's notice. There wasn't any dread this time – unlike the earlier wait – but I knew that things were still dangerous.
The silence was deafening, right up until it wasn't.
"Ha ha ha ha~." The sound of a newly familiar voice echoed around us in a laugh, as a figure stepped out of the mist. I could feel every part of my body turn ice cold once again when I saw Zabuza come to a stop, sword sat on his shoulder in an almost casual manner.
A sword that was now drenched in blood.
"No way…" I murmured to myself at the sight, watching the dripping liquid with a sinking feeling in my stomach. "No fucking way."
"As much as I'm sorry to say it – which is none – it is that way little girl." He said with an taunting voice, knowing that every moment that he rubbed it in, the worse and worse it would be for our morale. It was working incredibly well. "But I think I've had plenty of fun at this point. Let's just finish this up. I'm sure you're looking forward a bit to rejoin your sensei in hell."
It was then that I felt an explosive force to my side, an even more dangerous feeling that felt like pure, liquid hate washing over me. I could feel it, both as if it were aimed at me and like I was the one feeling it. It wasn't just a hate that one felt towards a shitty neighbor, or for a bully, or even towards an enemy…
This was the feeling of a demon feeling hatred down to the very core of its soul.
"What?!" Zabuza yelled, looking in the direction of the source. Everyone else snapped their eyes over as well. "This energy… it's just like…"
I barely managed to swallow in fear.
"Naruto…" I let it out as a whisper, seeing the changes that had overtaken the other Genin.
Only, he didn't look like a Genin anymore. Hell, he didn't even look human.
Red, slitted eyes. The four limbed, low to the ground stance. Even the whisker marks growing and extending outwards from his face.
"You…" His voice came out as a growl, at a tone that I don't think I've ever heard from him. The voice itself was very clearly Naruto's, but it almost felt like it was being spoken by an entirely different person. "Bastard…"
He took a single step forwards.
Zabuza's hand clenched around his blade.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" He yelled, leaping forwards at a speed that matched what we had seen earlier from the two Jonin's. Zabuza, for his part, could only brace himself for the attack from the newly empowered Naruto.
His sword immediately shattered on impact from Naruto's clawed hands.
Ah… so that's what a sliver of half of Kurama's Chakra can do?
It feels like it could kill me just by existing.
Just how strong was the full fox? And how strong was Minato in being able to match it?
Pure insanity. I'm still just a tadpole in the worlds biggest ocean.
Naruto's attacks were relentless. No rhyme, no reason. Just a pure, emotional beatdown of the hidden mist ninja that seemed to stretch on and on, with the man not being able to set up any sort of defense. Massive chunks of his body were torn off of him, ripped off by claws that dug straight into him.
It was when I was watching one of those chunks fall, that I realized that it was made of water.
Looking down, I saw that the rest of the stuff that had broken off of his body had turned to water also. Even the supposed ruined pieces of his sword.
"NARUTO!" I yelled at the boy. "It's a trick! That's not the real Zabuza! It's another water clone!"
My voice was just in time for the Uzumaki to rip the clone's head clean off, causing it to be reduced to a puddle in his hands.
"H-Huh?" He asked, suddenly knocked out of his angry attack, looking down. "A clone?"
"Naruto, he was trying to sneak a clone out of the fight to kill us with Kakashi busy!" I said, walking over and grabbing him by the shoulder. "He hasn't beaten Kakashi yet. He used the fight as a distraction for him. Feel the mist, Kakashi's Chakra is still there."
Naruto paused for a moment, looking down at his hands, and then feeling the atmosphere of the mist.
He didn't say anything, but I feel like this was going to have some sort of massive impact
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