Chapter 5 - The Hidden Mist Rises

THE HIDDEN MIST RISES!

The air was ripe with intensity. The stare down between Kakashi and Zabuza was the first time any of the genin had seen a battle between two jonin. Add that to the fact that these were jonin of the highest caliber, and the intensity level rose ten fold.

Kakashi had lifted his headband, but kept his eye closed to Zabuza. Until now. This elicited a chuckle from Zabuza, which seemed grossly misplaced, considering the danger he was in.

“So, I get to face the famous Sharingan? This is quite the honor! Ha ha ha!” Zabuza seemed pleased to be facing Kakashi, while Kakashi remained his normal, impassive (albeit slightly more intense) self.

“Man, Sharingan, Sharingan, Sharingan! What the heck is it, anyway?!” Naruto’s voice pierced the silence like a kunai. To Naruto’s surprise, it was Sasuke who answered him, instead of Sakura.

“Sharingan is a type of doujutsu, or ocular jutsu. Shinobi possessing the Sharingan have the ability to instantly copy any jutsu performed in front of them. Not only that, they can also see through illusions, and genjutsu. But the Sharingan is not a learned technique. It’s a kekkaigenkai.” Sasuke was deadly serious, and thoughts were rattling around in his head nonstop.

How could he have the Sharingan? It’s the Uchiha kekkaigenkai!

“Wait, a kooky-WHAT? What’s that?!” Naruto’s face was screwed up in confusion.

“(Sigh)Didn’t you EVER pay attention at the academy, Naruto? A kekkaigenkai is an ability that is inherited, not learned. It comes from your ancestry, and depends on who your parents were. There are lots of kekkaigenkais, some we don’t even know about yet!” Sakura, of course, knew the answer. She was a brilliant girl by anyone’s standards.

“Oh, I kinda get it. It’s special, then. Okay. GET HIM, SENSEI!” Naruto declared loudly, cheering on Kakashi.


“Right, right. Even if you’re leading a pack of brats Kakashi, it’s still interesting…When I was still in Kirigakure, our BINGO books had quite the collection on you. Rumor has it that you’ve copied over a thousand jutsus…impressive. Let’s get to it, Kakashi, I’m on a schedule, and killing that old bridge builder is tops on my agenda! But I can see I’m going to have to wipe you out first!” With that, Zabuza leapt backward onto the water. To everyone’s surprise (save for Kakashi and Ryouko’s), Zabuza was standing on the water.

Kakashi’s Sharingan was taking in everything, and assisting Kakashi in supplying sardonic thoughts.

Clever bastard…he’s built up a huge amount of chakra…where is he going with this?

“The Hidden Mist Village Jutsu…” touted Zabuza, before disappearing into a thick fog. That fog began to spread all over. The group of genin clustered around Tazuna tightened the grip on their kunai, partially in fear, partially in anticipation.

“Don’t drop your guards! If you do, you’ve got a one-way ticket to the next life!” Kakashi warned the group. “Zabuza has mastered the art of silent killing…you’re dead before you can even know he’s been here.”

“There are eight targets…” Zabuza’s voice said, seeming to come from everywhere, though there was no visible source. “Throat, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, subclavian artery, kidney, heart…which delicate life source will I pick first?”


Sasuke, usually the most collected of his team, was starting to shake. The kunai in his hand began to rattle in rhythm with his trembling.

I-I can’t even blink! If I do, he’ll find me and kill me! I can feel it! I can’t stay like this for long, I’m going to lose my mind! An assassin, determined to kill, has me in his hands, and he knows it…I…I almost WANT to die…Anything, ANYTHING, just to end the suspense!

“Sasuke!”

Kakashi’s voice cracked Sasuke’s borderline-insane thoughts. Sasuke turned his shaking head slowly to look at Kakashi, who continued to speak once he was sure he had Sasuke’s attention.

“Calm down. Even if it kills me…I will never let my comrades die…”

FWOOMP!

Zabuza landed right in the middle of the genin, his sword at the ready. He elbowed Sakura out of the way, and gave Sasuke a backhand. Ryouko tried to get a grip on Zabuza’s hands, but Zabuza quickly cracked him across the forehead with the pommel of his huge sword.

“Game over.” Zabuza drew his sword back to cut. He stopped suddenly. Kakashi had plunged a kunai hilt-deep into Zabuza. But Zabuza didn’t bleed, he just splashed into water.

“Sensei! Behind you!” Naruto shouted. Kakashi didn’t even have time to turn around as Zabuza used his gigantic sword to cut him in two. But Kakashi just splashed to the ground, the way Zabuza had. This left Zabuza both surprised, and angry.

He was able to copy my jutsu, even through the fog?! Then Zabuza froze up, the cold metal of a kunai against his neck.

“Game over.” This time, the words came from Kakashi. He was holding a kunai at Zabuza’s neck, keeping the rouge Mist Shinobi tight. At such a close range, Zabuza sword would be ineffective.

“Do you really think this is over? It’s going to take plenty more than just mimicking me to defeat me! Although, you’re as good as they say, Kakashi. Copy my Water Clone Jutsu, then making your clone say something you yourself would say, all while you hid in the mist and watched my every move…But I’m not so easy to fool!”

Kakashi was now the one with the kunai at his neck. Zabuza had somehow gotten behind Kakashi. But he was in front of him at the same time. Kakashi stabbed the Zabuza in front of him, and it simply turned into a puddle of water. That’s when the REAL Zabuza swiped at Kakashi with his sword. Kakashi ducked the first strike, though it was close; his silver hair moved in the breeze created by the strike. Zabuza planted his sword in the ground, spun around it, and then kicked Kakashi. The kick was incredibly powerful, and knocked Kakashi into a small lake. But that lake hadn’t been there before.


In the lake, Kakashi pulled himself out of the water. But he immediately registered that something was wrong.

This water…it’s not natural…it’s too heavy…

“Hah! Fool! Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!” Zabuza quickly put the exclamation point on his attack by trapping Kakashi in a sphere of water! “Heh he! That prison is inescapable! You’re not going anywhere! I’ll finish you off later- but first, my mission must be finished!”

Damn! He’s going after them! Kakashi thought, but couldn’t do anything else.

“You little punk…wearing your little hitai-ate, thinking you’re a ninja! You’re just a brat!” Zabuza created another water clone. He himself was holding the water prison that currently held Kakashi. The water clone, however, cracked Naruto across the face, knocking his headband off.

“Listen, all of you! Take Tazuna and run! His water clone can’t go out of his range, he has no choice but to keep me here!” Kakashi plan was desperate, and it left him at Zabuza’s mercy. But to Kakashi, both his comrades and his mission came before his own life.


Naruto, who was still on the ground, looked up, shaking. He-he’s going to kill me! I’ve got to run for it! OW! Naruto had started to push off with his hand, but he had used the hand he had cut with his kunai. It reminded him of his vow.
I swore that I would never back down, or run away again…I’ve got to…get up…and

With a yell of primal rage, Naruto rushed Zabuza, who was stepping on the Leaf Village headband that had flown off of Naruto’s head.



“NARUTO!” Sakura shouted. She looked at Sasuke, who was gritting his teeth, but not moving.

“I’ve got it, you protect Tazuna, Naruto needs the backup!” Ryouko took off after Naruto, focusing chakra to his feet to catch up.

Zabuza grinned widely, thinking this would be the easiest kill he ever had. It wasn’t every day someone rushed you with his head down like that. Zabuza cocked his sword back and started to swing, but found it blocked. What?!

Ryouko had used a kunai to stop Zabuza blade. It took his both hands to do it, but he stopped it’s deadly arch by bracing the flat section of the kunai with his hand. Ryouko and Zabuza were both shaking from the effort, though it was clear Zabuza was the more powerful of the two as the sword moved closer to it’s intended destination. Naruto dove forward, and just as his hand grabbed his hitai-ate, Zabuza’s powerful leg kicked him back toward his group. Ryouko released his hold on Zabuza sword, letting Zabuza’s own force drive the sword into the dirt. Ryouko was tempted to follow up and keep attacking while Zabuza was open, but his mission was to protect Tazuna, not fight this weirdo. Zabuza swung at Ryouko with his free hand, but Ryouko had already leapt backward to Naruto’s aid.



“You okay?” Ryouko asked, wondering what the hell had prompted Naruto to rush in with his head down like that. Then he saw the hitai-ate in Naruto’s hand.

“Naruto, have you lost it?! We’re only genin, we can’t just- huh?” Sakura stopped in mid-criticism, noticing the headband in Naruto’s fist.
He just wanted his headband?


Naruto was bleeding from the mouth, but started tying his headband back in place.

“Hey…you…the freak with no eyebrows…I’ve got a new name for your bingo book. He’s the future Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and his name is Uzumaki Naruto!” Naruto’s eyes flashed up. You could swear it was a different kid. He had a new air of confidence, and while this was undoubtedly Naruto, it was unlike him.

“Sasuke…I’ve got a plan!”




Kakashi was immediately worried. Darn it… He couldn’t keep his worry silent for long.

“What’s the matter with you? Run! You have a duty to protect Tazuna! This was over the second I got caught! Take Tazuna and go!” Kakashi yelled in frustration, his voice garbled from being inside the water prison. Next to him, Zabuza had begun to laugh.

“Heh…do you realize that by the time I was your age, I had already stained my hands with the blood others?!”

Kakashi suddenly felt Zabuza’s name fall into place in his memory.

“The demon…” he said aloud, lost in thought.

“It seems you’ve heard of me…and the Mist Village’s little “graduation ceremony”…Students were paired off and forced to fight to the death. Comrades killed each other, even though they had eaten from the same plate, and had been raised together. That is how you truly became a Shinobi!” Zabuza was seemingly smiling at the memory. Sakura shivered slightly, while Ryouko and Sasuke grew more serious. Naruto was still brimming with confidence. But now, a little anger had risen. To Naruto, life was precious, and to hear about it thrown away in such a senseless manner was foreign to him. Before he could voice that, Kakashi continued where Zabuza had left off…

“Ten years ago, the elders of Kirigakure had to put an end to that test…a young man, not even qualified as a ninja yet, slaughtered over one hundred members of the graduating class…”

“Ah, life was so much fun then!” Zabuza added brightly. Then, without warning, he struck. Sasuke was hit so fast and so hard he didn’t have time to react. After two strikes, Sasuke was down, blood gushing from his mouth, and Zabuza’s foot on his chest. Ryouko and Sakura hadn’t been targeted yet. Ryouko tried to force himself to come up with a plan, but since Sasuke was in the line of fire, and positioned in such a way he could be killed in an instant, Ryouko’s mind gave him nothing to work with. Naruto, however, acted out of desperation.

“Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

The clones swarmed Zabuza, pushing him off of Sasuke. It appeared that Naruto’s tactic had worked. Then, suddenly, all the Naruto’s went flying, the clones destroyed, and Naruto himself hit yet again. But as he was falling backward, he reached into his backpack and pulled out his last idea.

“Sasuke! Heads up!” he shouted, throwing something to Sasuke.

Sasuke saw some salvation as he caught what Naruto had thrown. So THIS is what he had planned…

SNAP!

Sasuke was now holding a black, four-sided throwing weapon. And it had a name:

“Demon Wind Shuriken! Windmill of Shadows!” As he leapt up to throw the weapon, Sasuke let loose a shout of fury, before flinging the giant shuriken at Zabuza.

“Hah! Too easy!” Zabuza reached out and caught the rapidly spinning shuriken by the center handle. WHAT?! There’s a second one?! Zabuza had to jump over the second shuriken.


He hid a second shuriken in the shadow of the first? Sakura was gaping in surprise. Knowing that she was busying oogling this, Ryouko created a Shadow Clone of himself, positioning it on one side of Tazuna, whose mouth had also dropped open with shock.



Behind Zabuza, the shuriken suddenly disappeared! In it’s place was Naruto! And Zabuza didn’t see him until Naruto shouted “Take this!” and threw a kunai at Zabuza. With both arms occupied, Zabuza had to dodge the kunai aimed at his face. He did so by stepping to the side. As a result, his hand broke free of the water prison holding Kakashi. But now Naruto was flying through the air helplessly, and Zabuza had Sasuke Windmill Shuriken. Zabuza, angered by the sudden turn of events, began to spin the shuriken, and reared back to throw it.

THOCK!

Kakashi was standing up, and the back of his hand had stopped the Shuriken from moving.

“Naruto…your scheme was brilliant! Excellent work, all of you!” Kakashi declared, with Zabuza too stunned to move for the moment.

“He he he! The Clones weren’t the attack! It was just a distraction while I transformed into the second shuriken! I used a Shadow Clone to make it LOOK like I saw still standing over here, when really, I was behind Zabuza!” Naruto was beaming with proud. And maybe even a little anticipation. With Kakashi-sensei free, for Zabuza, there was going to be hell to pay!

--

“Heh. You made me so mad I undid my own jutsu…” Zabuza groused, mildly impressed.

“No…they broke the spell, not you. And you know, the same trick won’t work twice on me…”

After a pregnant pause, Zabuza and Kakashi leapt away from each other. They were making identical handsigns, and so rapidly that the genin could barely make out what signs they were. It was also the longest series they had ever seen. Ryouko wished he could see this in slow motion to make some notes. Anything this complicated had to be a hell of a jutsu.

“Water Style! Water Dragon Missile!” Kakashi and Zabuza shouted at the same time. Two dragons rose from the water, and bit each other, in effect canceling out the jutsu. The water rained down on everyone, and left everyone, save for Kakashi, shocked. Zabuza attacked again, and Kakashi blocked his strike with an identical one. As they jockeyed for position, it dawned on Zabuza that something was wrong. He leapt backward, as did Kakashi, and raised his arm, ready to perform another jutsu. But Kakashi had imitated his position.

He sees… Zabuza thought, but his thoughts were cut off by Kakashi’s words.

“Through them all?” Kakashi finished.

Is he-

“Reading my mind?” again, Kakashi finished Zabuza thought.

“Stop mimicking me, damn you!” Zabuza tried to make handsigns, but Kakashi had beaten him to the punch.

“Water Style: Giant Waterfall!” Kakashi shouted before Zabuza had finished.

This can’t be! How did he do this? I didn’t even finish the handsigns! But he used my technique against me! I can’t keep pace with him! Zabuza was swept away in the current, until he bounced off a tree with a loud THUNK!

“How are you…can you see into the future?!” Zabuza was out of breath.

“…Yes. I can see…your death.” Kakashi was ready to kill Zabuza, when two senbon suddenly did the job for him. Kakashi and the others were on their guard again. But a young kid, roughly the same age as Naruto, landed in front of them.

“I apologize, but I wanted to kill him. We’ve been after him for weeks…” the kid, wearing a porcelain mask with the Hidden Mist Village’s symbol on it said, by way of explanation.


“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!” Naruto shouted, an accusatory finger pointed at the kid.

“Naruto, stop it. This isn’t an enemy. (To the masked kid:) You’re one of the hunter-nin from Kirigakure, aren’t you?” Kakashi stated/asked. He had checked Zabuza, and found him to be dead.

The masked person answered Kakashi’s question. “Yes. My duty was to hunt down Zabuza, to stop him from revealing secrets of Kirigakure. Your mission is done, for now. I must take care of this corpse…” The masked hunter-nin made a handsign, and disappeared in a swirl.

Then, Kakashi fell over.

“Must’ve used the Sharingan too much…” Kakashi said weekly from the ground. Without speaking, Naruto and Sasuke picked up their sensei and helped him back to Tazuna’s house, while Sakura bandaged his hand.


---

“Will you be all right?” Tsunami asked. A pretty young woman in her late twenties with chestnut-brown hair, Tsunami was the daughter of the bridge builder, Tazuna.

Kakashi was lying on a futon, his strength still sapped. “I’ll be fine in about a week or so.”

“One thing I don’t get…that masked kid…what IS a hunter-nin, anyway?” Sakura wanted to know.

“Hunter-nin hunt down rogues from their own village. Their main job is to kill that rogue, and then dispose of the corpse. They get rid of the body so thoroughly, it’s as if the Shinobi never existed at all,” Kakashi answered.

“But why? I mean, they’re dead, right? What damage could they do?” Sakura had been sitting on this question for a long time.

“A shinobi’s body holds a lot of secrets. For example, if I were to die, and an enemy took my body, they might discover the secret of the Sharingan, and find a way to ‘manufacture’ it.”

That wasn’t a welcome thought to the genin, but no one said anything else. Kakashi-sensei needed his rest.

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