Look at Me Now
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Summary: Strange old people in caves are generally to be avoided in the fairy-tales Sakura has grown up reading. But the offer of training from one old lady in a cave in the Land of the Waves not only makes Sakura throw caution to the wind, but teaches her that power comes to those who seize it. Strong!Sakura
AN: Finally, the actual battle on the bridge. At first this reads like exactly what happens in the manga, but there are some differences and a different ending. I also edited it a bit from my first posting because I didn't like how the story flowed. Let me know what you guys think?
Also, how long should the next chapter be? Should I cut it because at this rate it's 12,000 words lol.
Chapter V: Something to Die For
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The first c-rank of a genin team was a wildcard. Kakashi knows this well, despite never having a genin team of his own. Even with the test they had to give each and every rookie, it wasn't until the first C-rank that sensei were aware of their teams abilities, the way they really worked in the field and under pressure. It was all fun and games inside the gates, usually, but once fledging ninja left the relative safety and comfort of their homes, that's when potential could really be realized.
Or that is what other Genin-sensei told him.
Kakashi hadn't really expected to see that much growth but then again he hadn't expected to be facing A-rank missing nin. Fate was just kept swinging surprises at him. His cute little students swung the bat at him once in a while too. Naruto and Sasuke working so well to free him with a very solid battle tactic, he still wasn't sure which of them came up with it on the fly. And then Sakura showed such strength when he'd been recovering from his injuries, even infiltrating enemy headquarters for them to learn about any threats to Tazuna.
If someone had told Kakashi that day on the roof that in a few months that it was like that the knucklehead could be displaying advanced battlefield tactical thinking or that the fangirl (ah, puns!) could be a budding infiltration or assassination specialist (the Mist technique was after all perfect for that) he would have dropped the Icha Icha book he'd been reading to ignore said person.
That said, where was said fangirl? She'd been skittish this week, yes, going off to train in different parts and coming back with solid intelligence, but she had never shirked her duties before. Of course, Naruto was back in at the house watching over Tsunami and Inari, but chakra exhaustion would get the best of him, even if he did have a chakra demon inside him. Kakashi eyed Sasuke. If Zabuza struck today, he's sure he can handle him, but Sasuke might have trouble fighting off anyone Zabuza might send to them. To put it simply, this was not the best day Sakura could have chosen to be late.
At least it was a nice day. Kakashi thumbed through his Icha Icha Paradise haphazardly, only giving the appearance that he was reading in order to appear relaxed. Sasuke looked slightly bored, though he kept his hand near his kunai holster. Good. The young Uchiha was prepared for the possibility of a fight. In all honesty, it was the dark-haired boy who understood the realities of their shinobi world the best.
His eye twitched with that thought and Kakashi was reminded of how he never wanted them to know those realities. His cute little genin were that – cute. Even Sasuke with his cold demeanor, yes he was disturbed, but there was something pure about yes. He had been hurt incredibly, yes, but he was a hurt child not a man. And even though he swore to be an avenger, to kill Itachi, Kakashi could see in the way he fought against Naruto that there wasn't yet the malice that would sometimes take hold in those who walked the path of the avenger.
And that's why his cute little genin were cute. They were like strange seeds that he was planting, unsure of what they'd grow to be, but he'd nurture them all the same.
Icha Icha's prose was really affecting his mind recently.
As they approached the bridge, Kakashi noticed some mist blanketing the water, not unusual since Wave country had its misty days, but it would provide suitable cover for enemies waiting to strike. There was nothing like a natural cover for stealth in aiding assassinations; he wondered if his students were aware of that fact.
But then Kakashi noticed something. For one thing, it was quiet. Too quiet. Eerily quiet. This was his first time with Tazuna at the bridge but he'd gathered that it would be a noisy place generally. But no sounds of construction or working mens' chatter punctured the morning air.
He could see Tazuna shift as well.
"Are they taking a break?" The middle-aged man said as he scratched his head in confusion. Neither Kakashi nor Sasuke answered their client though the answer was a resounding "no".
The other thing he had noticed earlier was the faint smell of blood. Now Kakashi didn't have the best sense of smell, especially among those who specialized in it, like the inuzuka, but he had been privy to enough slaughter in his career that he could tell when was approaching a particularly grisly scene. Like now, for instance.
"Be on your guard!" He barked out to Sasuke who immediately took out his kunai and stepped in front of Tazuna defensively. Tazuna only blinked, already pale with thoughts of what may be causing the lack of sound.
As the bridge came into view, so did the bodies littering it.
"No." Tazuna whispered, his voice sounding hoarse and much older than his age.
Kakashi cast a glance to see how Sasuke was taking this sudden slaughter, but the genin seemed to be entirely focused on protecting their client. Good. This was definitely not the time to be having spontaneous traumatic flashbacks.
And now that the mist was rolling in, signaling the presence of their enemy, now wasn't the time to be missing from duty either.
'Sakura, Naruto, where the hell are you two?'
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Sasuke was shaking. His heart was beating fast in his chest, his arms vibrating, and his breaths were quick. And it wasn't in fear but to the drumbeat of war. Elation blossomed in the pit of his stomach at the mere thought of facing foes. Another chance to prove himself, to show he could, this was really what he lived for, what he had been bred for. He felt like a rubber band when it was being pulled back; he was ready to spring forward with so much force.
If Kakashi would let him.
The deadlast and the fangirl, as Sasuke sometimes referred to them in his mind at times, were not present. And while the training he had been doing had certainly helped, Sasuke was not reckless enough to risk the client by leaving his side when neither Naruto nor Sakura were there to protect him from harm.
"So Sakura's intel was right. I knew he was still alive, he just couldn't wait for round two." He heard Kakashi say this from beside him, closer to Tazuna. The mist rolled unto the bridge thick and cool. Sasuke's heart began to beat louder with the realization he couldn't see a thing.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting, Kakashi." Zabuza's disembodied baritone called out from the mist. "I see you still have one of those brats with you, and look, he's trembling." Sasuke's eyes widened as he noticed a slight movement and the faint sound of metal clinking disturbed his heart's beating.
"How pathetic." The voice was right in front of him. Sasuke stopped shaking and smiled at his foe through the mist. He could hear a startled noise from his foe.
"I'm trembling from excitement."
"Go ahead, Sasuke."
And the rubber band snapped.
"I can see it." thought Sasuke.
Sasuke jumped into the air, his kunai flashing before the Zabuza clones could even move. It slid through the first like butter and before it could dispel, Sasuke pushed himself off it and catapulted towards the other, disposing of it. He made equally short work of the other two, relishing in each splash of chakra infused water that his kunai caused. He returned back to his place in front of Tazuna, giving the mist in front of them a cool look and a smile as droplets of water flew around.
"Oooh, so you could see that they were water clones, huh?" The sound of two pairs of sandals approaching became louder and louder and the mist thinned to show two opponents, Zabuza and someone else. "Looks like that brat's improved." Zabuza closed his arms over his chest, making his large biceps pop even more.
"You might have a rival, Haku."
Haku walked into an area with thinner mist and let the ninja see him. Sasuke clenched his teeth at the sight of the masked young man who just proved that he really was working for Zabuza.
"So it seems." And the masked shinobi cocked his head in the direction of Sasuke. Both sides eyed each other, waiting for the other to make the first move now that Sasuke had proven himself worthy to be pitted against Zabuza's comrade. Kakashi broke the silence first.
"Well, well, looks like it was a pretty good performance you put up there, with nice little mask to complete it." Sasuke noted how Kakashi's lazy drawl seemed slower today with a hint of surprise. It wasn't like Kakashi to take someone as strong as Zabuza lightly, so perhaps he was trying to…
"That's it," Sasuke thought to himself, grimacing as he understood why Kakashi was doing so. They were definitely in trouble with numbers. They had no idea the amount of skill the masked-ninja possessed, except that it was probably in the realm of "skilled" and leaving Tazuna without a guard was practically giving Zabuza Tazuna's head on a platter. Kakashi was stalling so Naruto and Sakura could get here. Now understanding what game his teacher was playing, Sasuke joined in.
"Phony. I bet you guys pull this scam constantly." Sasuke's voice projected confidently over the bridge. Neither of their foes moved an inch.
"Kakashi-sensei, let me fight him." Sasuke added, making sure that the two across the bridge would hear him. "I'm not a fan of phonies." Kakashi didn't object and Sasuke wasn't stupid enough to drop his guard and look back for a second, not that Kakashi's face was expressive or anything, to tell whether his teacher was displeased. The two Mist seemed to be conversing between themselves and out of Sasuke's hearing range. The moment came and went and Zabuza looked straight at him, dark eyes piercing even with the mist screwing with visibility. Sasuke raised his kunai again.
"You think you're something kid?"
Sasuke opened his mouth by a centimeter in surprise as a literal whirlwind came towards him.
"What?"
It seemed that the masked kid was extremely fast, his motions a complete blur as he spun to the Leaf Ninja. Sasuke braced himself protectively, shielding his body with his forearms. Senbon clashed with kunai, before they broke apart and charged at each other again. Sasuke observed as each of his lunges was met with and spin and counter from the enemy. It was strange but Sasuke swore he was keeping up with movements, though he was barely thinking as his body naturally drove him in the battle.
After all this is what he was made for.
Another attempt at stabbing the masked kid was stopped by the other's senbon and over the sound of scraping metal the boy addressed him. It was a much gentler voice than Sasuke expected, awkward but measured in tone.
"I do not want to kill you, but you won't back off, right?" Sasuke almost laughed. There it was. Weakness.
"Are you an idiot?" He asked, slightly mocking in his tone. He honestly expected someone that worked with Zabuza to be more ruthless, if not downright sociopathic like the swordsman himself. The other boy ignored the question as he pressed down on Sasuke's kunai a little more insistently.
"Just like I thought, but you won't be able to keep up with me with my next attack. And I'm already two steps ahead of you."
"Two steps ahead?" Sasuke repeated, unsure of what was exactly he meant by that.
Strangely, even with the literal battle of steel against steel, the masked shinobi decided to explain.
"One, there's water on the ground." Sasuke's eyes wandered down for a second to see that yes they were standing in a puddle. Bad move considering another senbon came towards, which he blocked a few mere inches from his face. The boy's hand retreated instantly.
"Two, I am keeping one of your arms busy. Therefore you can only block and take my attacks."
Sasuke watched as the boy's free hand went up to eye level and began making one-handed seals in wonder. The hand movements were also extraordinarily quick and for the first time since fighting this boy, Sasuke felt outclassed and inexperienced.
"Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishou."
Water rose up into the air along with chakra. It floated in a spiral before it began thinning into smaller particles, forming something tube-like. By the time the sharp ends were forming Sasuke's mind was whirring, thinking back to training this past week.
The feeling of chakra being spread throughout the body was a strange one. At times it felt both hot and cool, and there was always a strange tingle in the area with the newly diverted chakra. Sasuke felt this on the soles of his feet instantly and jumped just ask the needles were being sent down. Wind blew against his back as he rose into the air and took advantage of the height to send three shuriken down at the masked boy. He dodged them of course, but stood still a second too long as if trying to figure out how.
Sasuke never gave them the chance.
"You're pretty slow." He said as moved behind the boy's back to attack him. His attacks were blocked but with the boy now on the defensive. Sasuke gave him a smirk.
"Now you can only block and receive my attacks."
The boy spun around to block Sasuke's right arm, and then dodged a thrown kunai, not realizing that Sasuke had just been waiting for him to tilt his head in the range of his leg. One strong kick later and Haku was thrown on his back several feet away, landing one foot from Zabuza, who threw Sasuke an incredulous look.
"Looks like my speed is better."
"You see, Zabuza, you can't put down my team because we have children on it." Kakashi's voice rang out from the back, a small sense of pride in the usually lazy tone. "Sasuke is the village's top rookie. My kunoichi Sakura is probably going to be an infiltration expert and the other one likes to show off and surprise people. He's the knucklehead ninja, Naruto."
Zabuza laughed.
"If your brats are so good, where are they?"
He chuckled again, obviously expecting no answer as he looked back down at the masked boy.
"Haku, if you keep fighting like this you'll be defeated."
"I know."
The boy rose to his feet again, but this time with something tangible pouring out of him. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as one of the currents coming out of the boy came near his face.
"Cold-d air?"
The mist seemed to freezing and Sasuke could feel the goose bumps on his skin. Whether from the extreme change in temperature – it was May! – or from the weird vibe this was giving him he didn't know. The sound of something cracking behind him startled him enough to look back and he could see that it was ice forming some sort of strange structure. Within seconds he was surrounded by strange, flat ice formations.98
"Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou"
The masked ninja took a step, and then he literally melted into the ice and at once Sasuke could see that these were mirrors as his image was reflected all around him. He spun, kunai at the ready, trying to see where the real image was. He could hear running outside the mirror dome and wondered if it was Kakashi coming. But Sasuke's attention was back on the masked boy who melted into each ice mirror.
"Let's begin. I'll show you my true speed."
Before Sasuke could even blink, two senbon had ripped through his shirt, with only one actually nicking him. He gasped out of pain.
"Sasuke!"
Kakashi's yell did little for Sasuke who was trying to shield himself from the large amounts of senbon being thrown at him from basically every direction he could think of. One of the senbon struck his kunai, sending it clattering to the floor. Blood started flying along with the senbon with some of the needles sticking in him. Sasuke's earlier confidence melted away, replaced with fear and pain.
And then it stopped. Sasuke fell to the ground to see Haku holding a kunai in wonder. Not even a second after, a barrage of kunai and shuriken rained down up on the mirrors, causing the shinobi to fall out of one of the mirrors.
A poof was heard, followed by two voices.
"Sorry we're late, sensei, we had to deal with something." Sakura's apologetic tone could be heard.
"Ne, Sakura-chan, don't apologize! Heroes are generally late. Look at Kakashi-sensei!"
"Why that's absolutely right Naruto." Kakashi sounded relieved.
"Heh," sighed Sasuke as he smiled despite the pain he was feeling.
'I'm on a team with total idiots.'
"Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura, reporting for duty!"
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"Now that I'm here, everything is going to be fine. The main character of a story usually shows up and beats the bad guy in a jiffy, yanno?"
Sakura just shook her head at her teammate's loquaciousness. It was Naruto, after all. In some weird annoying way, he was charming the way he was.
"Alright, Kage-Bu-!"
Zabuza's kunai flew at Naruto before he could even finish the name of his attack and the seals required for it.
"Dodge it, Naruto!" yelled Kakashi.
Sakura's eyes widened as he basically stood there like a trapped deer with a rolling caravan headed for it. She was nowhere up to the speed she would need to get to him and pull him out safely too, unlike Sasuke, but her feet moved of their own accord to where Naruto was, only to see senbon come at the kunai, that looked like they were heading for Naruto but deflected those kunai. A collective gasp rose up from everyone. She managed to grab onto the edge of his jacket and pull him to the side almost immediately.
Her grip tightened on his jacket as she spun him around to make sure he saw her anger-filled eyes.
"You absolute idiot." She whispered.
"Oi, what kind of idiot tries to execute a jutsu in front of an enemy?"
Sakura glanced towards her sensei, currently in a standoff of some type with Zabuza. His pody posture was tight, like he was ready to go off in a second's notice and Sakura could see why. Tazuna was wide open. She bit her lip. No wonder Kakashi was mad, he wasn't even finished with scolding Naruto.
"Shinobi are to practice the art of deception! When you execute a technique, you must do it while the enemy is not looking. Practice the art of surprise and think outside the box. You just made yourself target practice."
Kakashi's lecture made Sakura pause and remember a few words that stuck with her since they had come to this land.
"Shinobi are nowhere as deceptive as they claim to be." Sakura said, mostly to herself.
Naruto looked up from the bridge (he looked sad at the scolding) and gave her a look that spelled confusion. Sakura only looked past him and at her sensei and Zabuza, both of whom had also passed to listen to her.
"You do not need flashy techniques or even strong ones to kill someone. You need them to defeat someone in battle. There is a difference. Killing can be quick and…easier." The sight of the swordsman's body came to mind as she finished her statement and she could feel Naruto reaching to pat her shoulder but she jerked herself away, just looking at her sensei and their enemy with wide but serious eyes. Zabuza narrowed his eyes.
"Sakura, you-?" Kakashi's only visible eye was very expressive and even from far away she could tell he was shocked by her statement. His question was cut off by Zabuza's laughter.
"Ah, so this is the kunoichi who might become an infiltration expert? Well she's certainly got the right mindset for it. So, little girl, who did you kill today? Was it your first? One of Gato's little mercenaries?"
Sakura bit her lip and looked away from Zabuza. The way he was posing the question made her feel uncomfortable.
"Do not answer him, Sakura." Kakashi's voice was softer than the usual tone he gave commands with. Sakura wondered what he was thinking about all this.
Zabuza made a movement with his hand and the masked boy finally stood up.
"Now, now, Kakashi. I have enough time to chat and kill you. So don't get in the way or I'll tell Haku to turn your top rookie brat into a pincushion. Now," and once more he gestured, but towards her, "Tell me, little girl, about your first kill."
Gulping, Sakura opened her mouth to narrate.
"It was a rogue swordsman that Gato sent to take Tsunami-san hostage. Naruto had knocked him off the docks earlier but he managed to sneak back on us. I hid us in mist and then used it to tiptoe behind him and stab him in the back before he could find our clients."
It was concise and to the point, just like the D-rank mission reports Sakura was used to giving her Hokage or whoever was attending the mission desk at that point. But apparently it wasn't enough for Zabuza who gestured to Haku again and he slid back into the mirrors. Sakura clenched her fists.
"I told you what you want!"
"No, you said what you would to a kage. You said nothing about how you felt while doing it. If you cared, or if you enjoyed it." The way he said "enjoy" in that question made her feel filthy, like no matter her answer she'd still end up with mud on her face. His eyes were shining with a sick glee.
"Are you really playing mind games with my genin?"
There was sweat beading in Sakura's palms. A soft groan was emitted behind her, in the mirror house, by Sasuke and she could picture him clearly, hurting and bleeding all over the bridge.
'Sasuke.' She thought. 'This is for Sasuke-kun.'
"I didn't enjoy it." Sakura announced coldly. "It was quick and he was dead before I could even think about it. But I don't regret it. If it could save Naruto and Inari-kun and Tsunami-san, then it was what I needed to do. It was what I had to do."
Silence met her words. Sakura's resolve faded instantly, melting like the sweat pouring out of her palms. She wondered if she said the wrong thing, if Sasuke was going to be killed, if Kakashi was going to be hurt.
"To save?" Zabuza repeated.
"That's right. I won't let my comrades die."
"You Leaf-ninja…." And then he laughed, though as his chest shook his arms were steady at holding in the range of Kakashi's neck.
"When I was nine years old, I killed everyone in the graduating class. I got a head start in our curriculum. Because that's what Kiri was, what it is now. Saving people? You kill because you are ordered to, and eventually because you want to. That's what a shinobi is, brats. At some point your Kage will give an order for you to kill your friends, your family because that's what your duty as a tool is. What will make you kill then?"
"That's a lie!"
Naruto yelled out.
"Hokage-Jiji would never ever order us to do something like that. He's a kind man and he believes in the Will of Fire, he'd never do something like that!"
Zabuza stopped laughing. "If you think that old monkey Kage of yours' never ordered a shinobi to slit the throat of a comrade you're asking for the world to teach you a painful lesson. In this world you're either the weapon or the wielder. Haku, I know you tried to stop me from gutting the kid, but I'll forgive you if you take care of these brats."
Haku bowed his head. "As you wish, Zabuza-san. Let me deal with these children on my own." And he cocked his head at Naruto in particular, who narrowed his eyes in fury.
"What was that?"
Sakura glanced to Kakashi and Sasuke. She was sure that if Kakashi was left to his own devices he'd defeat Zabuza, but with Tazuna unprotected, Kakashi was stuck. And then there was Sasuke who looked like he needed medical attention just now and Sakura, so busy with poisons, hadn't thought to bring some low quality medical salve. And that boy, Haku Zabuza called him, if he was good enough to bring down Sasuke, then Naruto wouldn't do any good with beating him. They needed a plan.
Sakura's decision was made.
"Naruto," she murmured under breath so that boy would not hear. "Try to get a bunch of clones to Tazuna but remember what we told you: deception."
Naruto didn't answer her; his eyes were focused on the masked boy in front of them.
"Oi, I'm gonna beat you first then! You're that masked ninja, how dare you pull one over us?" Naruto's loud voice sounded indignant, providing no clue that he heard her instructions. Sakura could only hope her teammate was working out a plan to do as she asked.
"I'm sorry."
Sakura blinked.
"But your teacher said this too, the role of a ninja is to be deceptive and find an opening. Please do not take it personally." Sakura frowned. This guy…was not what she expected from someone working with Zabuza.
Before Naruto could even respond, a kunai flew at Haku, one that he easily allowed to miss him and disappear into the mist. Naruto made a surprised noise, as if only now noticing Sasuke, who was sitting on his knees.
"I didn't forget about you." Haku turned his head in the direction of Sasuke. "I would preferred if you had laid there quietly but that might be too much to hope for. Very well, I'll deal with you first."
"O-Oi!"
"Naruto-kun, I'll deal with you later." And he melted back into the ice. Within a second, Sasuke's groans of pain were heard and Naruto let his mouth open wide and made a start for the ice, only stopped by Sakura's grabbing of his jacket.
"Stop."
"But Sasuke-"
"We can't help from there, moron. Not yet, anyway." More cries of pain were heard and Sakura was so close to letting Naruto go and jumping in herself, but she couldn't. The textbook ninja in her was railing against the idea and she knew why.
"Naruto, the…?"
Her teammate nodded and took out some kunai from his pouch, handing them to her and prompting a questioning look from Sakura. He winked, bright blue eyes flashing with mischief.
"A bunch of extra sharp things won't hurt when you go to protect Tazuna-san, yanno?" Naruto's plan started to make sense in her mind. So the five extra kunai were disguised and if she managed to get to Tazuna safely, she'd be able to at least have a buffer between Tazuna and Zabuza if she stepped in a helped Kakashi.
"Got it. Thanks. Okay," and she lowered her voice once more, "I'll give you some mist so you can sneak in. Either grab Sasuke or get the enemy while he's distracted."
Naruto's mouth opened wide to probably loud agree with her idea but she clamped her fingers over it. "Quietly."
Naruto nodded with her hand still on his mouth. Kakashi and Zabuza were still talking in distance, with Zabuza's back faced to them. This could only be a fortunate factor in Sakura's mind.
"Kirigakure no Jutsu!" She said under her breath, and it came easier with the mist already in the air, meaning she just had use her chakra to move it around. She made it settle thickly around the dome before it gradually seeped between the cracks of the mirror. Naruto threw one last glance at her before using a cloud of mist to sneak inside and Sakura wondered if this would be the last time she'd see him alive.
'No dying, Naruto. You too, Sasuke.' thought Sakura as she finally released the jutsu and turned back to stare at Kakashi and Zabuza, who were still focused on themselves. Not willing to wait for Zabuza to notice the changes going on with Haku, Sakura ran to the railing and flipped herself over, sticking to the side with her chakra. Walking horizontally was much harder and Sakura founded herself cheating and using beams and scaffolding to get to the other side of the bridge. It reminded her of the day she ran across the water to get herbs for Takehana. Though it was a few days ago, it felt like ages. Today had been a very long day and Sakura was already feeling drained, thanks to her abysmal stamina.
At least her control was good enough that she could climb bridges. She hung on the side of the bridge near where Tazuna was, not yet willing to show herself and instead listened to the conversation.
"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to finish this quickly." That sounded like Kakashi to her and she strained her neck to see what he was doing. His hand was on his headband, like he was going to pull it up.
'The Sharingan! So he's going to fight Zabuza now.' Sakura thought to herself.
Sakura wasn't the only one predicting his use of the Sharingan. Zabuza instantly drew a kunai and ran to Kakashi, blade aiming for his eye. A scream tore out of Sakura's throat, blowing her hiding spot as she saw blood fall from the impact.
"Even if you say it is unoriginal, are you still scared of my Sharingan, Zabuza?"
Zabuza chuckled. "You shouldn't show your techniques twice to a shinobi."
"Be thankful you're the only ninja alive to see it twice. And there won't be a third time." Kakashi's blood kept trickling slowly, and Sakura wondered if he'd be able to back that statement up with an injured hand. Sakura flipped herself over the railing, kunai in hand, and looked at Kakashi for orders.
Zabuza continued the conversation.
"Even if you defeat me, you won't beat Haku." That statement drew surprise and worry from Sakura, who turned to look at the ice dome, where the sounds of battle were still being heard.
'Just how strong is that guy?'
"I've spent years making sure he was an advanced tool. His techniques surpass my own. He is a very good tool, unlike those scraps you carry around." Zabuza's boasting was punctuated by the yells of a dozen Narutos and Sasuke.
Kakashi looked like he was about to roll his eyes.
"There's nothing more boring than hearing someone boast. Let's start." Kakashi finished revealing his Sharingan.
Zabuza looked thrilled and formed the tiger seal. Sakura gasped as she realized the technique he was using was Kirigakure no Jutsu. The mist got thicker in this part of the bridge and Zabuza's body disappeared from view.
"Sensei?"
"Sakura, don't leave Tazuna's side." He gave his orders and began looking around. Sakura ran to where their client was, and slid in front of him.
"Tazuna-san, please don't leave my side." She took out another kunai and planted the two she had into the ground before forming the sign for Kirigakure no Jutsu to make the area around them clearer and less misty. It was hard work and with all she did Sakura was feeling the drain. Because of all this mist, the technique consumed less chakra than it usually would, but using chakra to manipulate it from feet away was hard and she could feel her coils strain. The pink-haired girl could hear muffled talking before seeing a dark shadow in the foggy area being thrown back. Was that Kakashi?
She took out another kunai from the set Naruto had given her, third in a set of four. Those had their usage but she wouldn't be able to control them. If Kakashi was thrown back it was likely Zabuza would try and take advantage of the moment to assassinate Tazuna.
A strange noise startled Tazuna and her, and she looked back to see Zabuza raising his sword to strike Tazuna. She threw the kunai at him just as her sensei appeared to shield them from his sword, the projectile flying over his shoulder and straight at the sword.
"Too slow!" Zabuza yelled as he brought the sword down on her sensei's body.
But instead of the sword swinging down and blood spurting, a loud 'poof' was heard as the impact dispelled the clone disguised as a kunai. Sakura grinned, happy that her plan with Naruto was working. The sword was a few mere inches aware from Kakashi's shoulder.
"Looks like you almost had me there, Zabuza. But I guess my 'scraps' have my back. Good job, Sakura."
Sakura, glowing from the praise, impulsively stuck her tongue out at Zabuza, who narrowed his eyes at her in anger.
"I'm getting tired of you and your brats. Haku needs to hurry up and kill them so I can send you to your death knowing you failed them." And he left the mist-less part of the bridge once more, leaving Kakashi, Sakura and Tazuna.
"Sasuke…and Naruto. They won't lose to that kid. He's wrong." Sakura said out loud.
'Hell no they won't!'
"You're right, Sakura. I believe in them too. This mission has shown me that each of you have the potential to be great ninja. Naruto's the number one ninja for surprising people and Sasuke's from Konohagakure's strongest clan." He finished that line with a look into the mist, where a dark shape was standing.
"So he's a survivor of that tragedy? No matter, Haku's never been defeated." Zabuza spoke from the mist. Kakashi focused in on direction they were hearing it from and put himself in a running stance.
"Sakura, guard." And once more her sensei disappeared into the mist. Sakura looked back at Tazuna and the two kunai at her feet. Tazuna, who looked so very frightened the poor man, attempted to give her a smile.
"Don't worry Tazuna-san, we'll make it out of here in one piece."
But that was before she felt something that made her flesh want to crawl off her body. Every instinct that she had made her want to flee and hide. It was chakra but it was strange, unnatural much like the chakra she had felt before, but this time there was something malevolent about it. It was if it was broadcasting its intent to her. It didn't feel human.
"W-what is this?" She gasped, looking around for the source. 'Is this Takehana?'
The chakra leaked out for a couple of minutes more. Due to the mist, Sakura could only tell what was going on from the sounds emitting pat the mist. At some point there was a crash and then they heard some dreadful snarling and howling.
"Wh-what is that?"
"I don't know what's going on, Tazuna-san!" Sakura knees began to shake from the uncertainty and lack of chakra. Even worse, she knew that it had been almost two hours since she administered the poison gas to Gato's skin. Any minute now it should have started to take his life. But they'd been dragged into battle nonetheless and there was no guarantee Zabuza would stop once Gato was dead.
"Well at least the mist is starting to settle." And it was. As the mist cleared, two shapes were discernable and as far as Sakura could tell, they were talking to each other.
"Two shinobi are up front, facing each other."
"Oh? I can't see very well."
Sakura strained her eyes to see if she could tell them apart when, quicker than she expected, one of them moved towards the other. A wave of wind blew through the bridge when they collided and Sakura could finally identi-
It looked like something out of a horror manga. Kakashi's fist, surrounded by a visible and highly charged chakra, was plunging through the kid, with Zabuza trapped by something right behind him. With complete visibility restored, Sakura could see the blood dripped down Kakashi's arm and down Haku's mouth.
"My future is death, eh, Kakashi? You were wrong."
Sakura gasped as the dying boy (every second that passed poured more blood out of the boy) head her sensei's arm in place. Zabuza lifted his weapon and made to slice through the both of them but Kakashi grabbed the body and flipped out of the way before Zabuza's hit landed.
"YOU BASTARD!"
"Naruto, stay there." said Kakashi, laying the corpse down and closing Haku's eyes. Sakura followed her sensei's gaze to where indeed the orange-wearing boy was.
'He's alive!'
"Naaaaaaaruuuto!" She cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice across the bridge.
"Naruto! Where's Sasuke-kun?"
Naruto didn't answer. In fact, he shrunk back. Sakura dropped her hands, repeating the question in a normal voice. This time he looked away completely. Sakura felt Kakashi's worried eyes on her before Zabuza charged at him again and they were once again engrossed in attacking each other.
But Sakura didn't care for their fight. She kept staring ahead at where Sasuke was supposed to be, her whole body beginning to feel numb.
'It can't. He can't. I asked them not to..'
"I'll go with you so you won't disobey your sensei's orders." Tazuna spoke up. Sakura peeked at him, his hand outstretch and suddenly she felt a wave of fondness for this understanding man. She grasped it and pulled him, bursting off across the bridge. Tazuna made her lag behind for a couple of seconds and he was obviously not in the best shape in the world, but they made it without attracting Zabuza's attention. They passed Naruto and Sakura spared him half a second of a glance before going on to where Sasuke should have been.
And then she stopped.
'No.'
She remembered telling Takehana of her dreams in the cave, the dream of not being left behind by Sasuke or Naruto, of wanting to protect those two, even if they could both be idiots. She remembered her mother's pained glances every time she talked about being a ninja, or the sticks of incense they'd light for the dead friends who had been killed in battle. There was Kakashi looking at the KIA memorial. There was the man whose life she'd taken to save one of her comrades. There was Sasuke bleeding as he asked her for help, a genjutsu made to test her in their exam.
And there was Sasuke dead with countless senbon sticking out of his body.
She dropped to her knees and cupped his cheek.
"He's cold…I guess it's not an illusion." Her own voice sounded so small to her.
"You don't have to hold back because I'm here. It's alright to cry."
Sakura just sat, touching Sasuke's cheek. He would hated this. Sakura was well aware that Sasuke hated being touched like this. She never knew why. And now she would never find out.
"I aced every exam in the academy. I memorized every ninja rule that was written. I was proud of being able to, even. One day the exam asked for the 25th clause of our rules. I wrote the answer down as usual."
Tears ran down her cheeks as the events of the day boiled over and she couldn't hold back anymore.
"It-t was 'A ninja must never show emotion'. A ninja must have a heart that is hardened to tears." And she leaned down to cry into Sasuke's side. Tazuna left her alone for that moment, before shouting a minute later.
"It's Gato!"
Sakura wiped her tears off her face as she stood up and turned to see where he was pointing. Sure enough, the short repulsive man was here, leaning against a bodyguard.
"Well, well, I must say I'm disappointed Zabuza."
A crowd of men with weapons shuffled onto the bridge behind him. Sakura immediately took another kunai out.
"Tazuna-san, behind me."
'Did the poison not work?'
But she could see that Gato was leaning on one of his men too closely. The poison caused mobility problems, perhaps that was why….
"I'm sorry, Zabuza, but you'll die here. You ninja are too damn expensive, even exiled trash like you. And they called you the Demon of the Hidden Mist? Maybe a cute baby devil." And Gato threw his head back and laughed, his men along with him, until he started going into some sort of coughing fit. The man who was supporting him touched his back.
"Are you alright, Gato-san? Perhaps you should wait on the ship. You really don't seem to be feeling well today."
Gato shook his head.
"No, no, I want to see the Baby Devil of the Mist have his head chopped off. Same with Tazuna and all the brats on this damn bridge." And then he pushed himself off the man and limped to where Haku's body was. His cane smacked Haku in the face.
"I owe this brat particularly for breaking my wrist and leg. Now I have to find a decent doctor in this shitty country." Another whack with the cane.
"YOU!" Naruto screamed, running after Gato, only to be pulled back by Kakashi, who shook his head. Agitated, Naruto turned his head to Zabuza, who was looking at Gato.
"Why don't you say something? He was your comrade!"
"Shut up, kid. Haku's dead."
"But don't you feel anything? You guys were together for years!"
Zabuza sighed, and Sakura noticed the numerous kunai in his arms. He wouldn't be able to kill all the mercenaries if it came down to it.
"Kid, I said this before. A ninja is a tool. Haku was used by me the same way Gato is using me now. I have no regrets!"
Naruto began shaking his head, even with Kakashi's grip on him Sakura see that he was seconds away from launching at the nukenin
"You don't mean that! Haku really cared for you, your dreams were his dreams! And you don't feel anything..anything?" Naruto's voice began to crack with sobs.
"How can someone as strong as you think like that?! He gave up everything for you! And he…he died as a tool!"
"Kid…just... don't say anymore. You're right. Haku was a kind man. He had to kill his heart everytime he fought for me. For me. It's hard for us to be tools, no matter how hard we train."
"You.."
"Kid, give me you-"
Whatever Zabuza's request, he didn't get say it because of a yell from Gato. The short man fell on his back, shaking on the bridge. His ragtag army just eyed him with surprise as their client flopped on the bridge. Kakashi let go of Naruto and jumped to where the man was, Zabuza and Naruto following. Sakura gave Tazuna a look and he nodded, grabbing her hand as they ran across the bridge to where Gato was lying down.
"What's going on?"
Zabuza chuckled as he stared down at Gato.
"Looks like someone got him before we did. It looks like poison and it's very strong."
"Poison?" Naruto repeated.
The army Gato had gathered were arguing amongst themselves, too afraid to go near the ninja and snatch their client up. Sakura and Tazuna had finally made it close enough to see what was going on with Gato and Sakura instantly recoiled from the sight.
It wasn't just foam this time. The skin was turning an ugly color and looked like it was melting, like it had the same texture as wax. A brownish fluid was leaking out his mouth, followed by more red blood.
"H-help me." The man gasped weakly. Zabuza shook his head. Gato started coughing and shaking again, flipping over to spew blood out and what looked like…organs….
Sakura trembled. She did this. This was worse, much worse than the man she stabbed. This was painful.
"Machin." Kakashi said. Sakura's eyes few in surprise as he correctly named the poison used.
"I thought so too." Zabuza added. "But it's rarely used."
"I know. The corps doesn't even do immunity training for it anymore."
Gato was dead, lying in a pool of damaged organs, blood, and brown fluid. Tazuna sighed and scratched his head.
"What a messy death. He probably pissed off the wrong person."
Kakashi nodded and looked away, turning his face to where Sasuke's body was. "He's caused lots of bloodshed, so this just a small dose of karma."
"Sasuke." Sakura said quietly, turning away from Gato's remains and walking back to the body of her fallen teammate. No one stopped her, so she just knelt and touched his hand.
"You had your ambition. I'm sorry Sasuke-kun. I-if I knew who it was, I'd swear my life to putting an end to that person."
"N-no." Sasuke's lips moved and Sakura thought someone had put her in a genjutsu. "You don't need to…"
"SASUKE-KUN'S ALIVE!" She screamed out, tears flowing freely once more as she embraced Sasuke.
"Sakura, that hurts." She leaned away from him, but placed her hands over him to stop him from moving.
"Sakura, what happened to the masked kid? And Naruto?"
Sakura gave him a small smile. "Naruto's alright. And that boy..Haku, he's dead, he tried to save Zabuza from an attack."
"I see." Sasuke struggled to sit up and see what was left of the battlefield.
"Zabuza's alive, but he's not fighting us anymore. Gato tried to have him killed but someone poisoned him." Tazuna added. Sasuke nodded and tried to get up, eventually leaning on Sakura for help doing so.
"Naruto! Sasuke…" The blond boy looked back at them and smiled, with Sasuke raising his hand to wave at the rest of his team.
"Oi! Just because someone killed Gato, doesn't mean that we're going to go quietly. You ninja stole our paychecks. We'll just have to get them from the island!" A mercenary called out.
Zabuza groaned loudly from his spot near Haku's body. "****ing mercs."
Naruto looked around and shrugged. "Don't either of you have a super cool jutsu that can take care of them."
"I'm beat kid, and your sensei looks like he'll fall asleep soon. I'm surprised you're still up."
The mercenaries were beginning to charge when an arrow flew at them.
"Hey, listen up! If you try to get closer to this island, we'll beat you black and blue." Sakura craned her neck to see a huge amount of the villagers approaching, with Inari at the forefront. Tazuna started laughing and wiping his tears away.
"Did they really? Haha!"
Within a minute, they had about a hundred Narutos and some sickly looking copies of Kakashi to bolster their numbers. The mercenaries took one look at the numbers and fled back to the boat they had gotten to the ship with. As they turned tail and ran, everyone congregated around Kakashi and Naruto, with only Zabuza off to side with Haku's body.
"Zabuza, what are you planning on doing?" Kakashi asked.
The missing-nin, who had removed the bandages around his mouth, grimaced at them.
"I'll need to rest up and bury him before going on. Plus, with the weather as it is right now, I don't think I can get anywhere." And he pointed up into the sky, where a dark cloud was hanging over the island. Within a minute it was lightly snowing on them.
"Snow?" Tazuna asked. "In May?"
Inari shrugged and looked at his grandfather. "Hey, stranger things have happened."