Chapter 23: The Dangers in the Mist

So it seems that once again, I need to stop worrying so much about being late or stuff. Most of you either didn't care, or reassured me that it was okay. Still, I will try to update faster, when possible.

So, most of you ignored the trailer in last chapter, and I understand, since as you said, you don't play Mass Effect. I will say though that if possible, you should definitely give the game a try. There are very few games I've ever played that so totally drew you into the story and characters as Mass Effect did, and I highly recommend that you give the games a shot. They're more than just an RPG, they're…well…I don't know what. But it's incredible.

One last bit of news. An author named renegadeofficer89 has a fanfic they'd like to put up for adoption. If anyone here is interested, please PM them about adopting their fanfic "A Loving Heart, A Body of Steel".

Now, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively. All I own is myself.

Chapter 23

The Dangers in the Mist

Sarutobi looked up as team Eight entered his office. "I'm sorry to have called you back to Konoha so suddenly, but a situation has arisen," he said, as they moved to stand before his desk, while Raphael stood at his side.

As the team stood at attention, he continued. "Team Seven was dispatched this morning on an escort mission to Nami no Kuni. The client was a bridge builder who requested protection from bandits. Approximately two hours after their departure, they were ambushed by a pair of chuunin ranked missing nins. The team handled them, and Kakashi, after questioning the nins and the client, found that Nami no Kuni is being taken over by Gato, who hired the missing nin to execute the bridge builder Tazuna."

At the mention of Gato, three members of Team Eight all stiffened a bit, while Ino blinked. "Who is this Gato? What's important about him?" She asked.

Raphael decided to speak up. "Gato is the head of a very large and successful shipping company. At least, that is what he is to the public. In truth, he's a smuggler and drug dealer who has been taking over small port villages, ruining them financially and then buying them out. More importantly, however, he's been active in the past few years in attempting to start up his illegal business within the shinobi villages. He was driven out of Iwa, while I dealt with his operations in Suna, and aided a comrade in taking out one of his operations within Mizu no Kuni," he said, setting a file on the table. "As far as we can tell, he is somehow trying to gain footholds in the various shinobi villages, though for what purpose, we don't know."

Ino blinked at that. "And who are you, if I may ask?"

"He is part of your new mission," Sarutobi said. "I need to send back up to aid Team Seven on their mission. Since Team Eight has not only shown that they are the most skilled of this year's current genin team, but also has some interest in the situation involving Gato, you'll be charged with providing Team Seven with back up, as well as escorting Raphael-san to Nami no Kuni. Once there, he'll begin his own separate mission, though he will have special permission to call upon the aide of both Team Seven and Eight as need be."

"Hokage-sama, if Team Seven ran into missing nin, wouldn't a team of chuunin or a jounin be more appropriate to send in as back up?" Hinata asked as the Hokage, who nodded in agreement.

"Normally, yes. However, I sadly do not have the manpower to spare. Preparations for an upcoming event here in Konoha have required me to assign a number of chuunin and jounin ranked shinobi on important missions outside the village, and the rest are needed to take on the normal missions we receive. That is why I'm assigning your genin team to this mission. With Kakashi, Anko, and Raphael present, I'm sure you'll be able to handle any threats," he said.

Anko gave a nod of understanding. "We understand our mission, Hokage-sama. Team, I want you all to repack and resupply, then get some rest. We'll meet at the gate in two hours, then head out!"

As the genin snapped to attention and nodded to their sensei, Sarutobi felt a small amount of pride rise up in his chest. "Very good then. Team Eight, dismissed!"

The genin quickly headed off, followed by Anko and Raphael. As they walked, Anko leaned over to Raphael. "We might have a problem," she said, nodding to Ino. "She's going to have all kinds of questions. And I'm not sure it'd be good for the team work if we kept too many secrets from her."

Raphael glanced at Ino as well, before nodding. "We'll tell her what we can without compromising the Brotherhood. Though it'd be easier and safer not to tell her anything at all," he said. "For now, tell her to wait till we're heading out. We'll tell her then, away from Konoha."

The purple haired jounin nodded, before grinning at him. "So was it my imagination, or was that cute little ramen girl at Ichiraku's trying to flirt with you last time we ate over there?" She asked teasingly.

Raphael just chuckled softly. "She did, yes, but I had to let her down gently. I'm not sure she could handle dating someone with all my secrets," he said.

"Awww, too bad. She was cute. What you need though is a kunoichi. We tend not to ask about secrets and stuff, since we have our own," she said, trying sound mysterious.

"Why the interest in finding me a girl?" Raphael asked before his voice took on an exaggerated, dramatic tone. "Are thou already so sick of my company that you wish to afflict me on a helpless young maiden?" He asked, clutching his heart as if wounded.

Anko shoved his shoulder. "No, I'm just trying to make sure you don't end up some old recluse absorbed with your work. Besides, we need to try and enjoy every minute of life, considering how short it could be."

Raphael grinned as he suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "And what about you? Hmmm? When are you going to find yourself a nice man who will treat you like a queen?"

Anko was about to answer when they stepped outside of the Hokage's Tower, and a derisive voice spoke up. "Well lookie here. The snake whore of Konoha."

Raphael's head snapped around, his eyes narrowing as he felt Anko tense up next to him. In front of them was a jounin ranked shinobi, who was sneering. "Here getting another mission whoring yourself out? And who is this, your client?" The man said, causing Raphael to wrinkle his noise as he could smell alcohol on the man's breath.

Anko trembled slightly in anger, recognizing the jounin before her as the one who had used her as bait against those missing nin, and then pocketed the bounty with his two accomplices. "Why don't you go stick the sake bottle you were drowning in up your ass," she said angrily.

Her genin team, having heard the commotion, walked over to her, looking worried. "Anko-sensei, what's wrong?" Ino asked, only to draw the jounin's attention. He eyed her outfit, before snorting. (1)

"So, it seems you're busy training a genin to be a slut just like you. She has the outfit down already," he said, making Ino's eyes widen.

Anko growled, grabbing him by his vest. "You take that back you bastard! No one messes with my genin!"

The jounin sneered at her. "Or what? What do you think will happen if you attack me? You'll be in prison before you can blink."

Anko trembled, slowly releasing him. She knew he was right. If she attacked him first, even with provocation, she'd be the one who paid for it. Even if the Hokage believed her, she would still be punished for striking first.

The jounin was smirking, until Raphael spoke up. "Well someone is obviously compensating for their tiny manhood and lack of sexual capability," he said.

"What did you say?" The jounin said, turning to Raphael, who merely smirked.

"Well here you are, insulting a pair of kunoichi in an obvious attempt to mask your feeling of inadequacy, due both to your small manhood and your incapability to pleasure women. I'm betting you've spent a lot of alone time, haven't you?" He said, arms crossed.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" The jounin yelled angrily, lunging at Raphael, only for Raphael to side step him, tripping him and causing him to fall.

"Whoops. Someone seems to be a bit clumsy as well as sexually inadequate," Raphael said with a smirk. The jounin growled and lurched up, whirling and throwing a punch at Raphael, who tilted his head to one side. "If this is what a jounin is capable of, I'm rather disappointed," he added. (2)

"I'll show you what I'm capable of!" The jounin shouted, about to perform a jutsu, when Raphael grabbed his hands, forcing them to together and yanking the man in close.

"You want to know who I am? I'll tell you, so listen very carefully. I am the silent blade in the crowd. I am the poison in your sake. I am the sword buried in your chest. And if you ever…ever…verbally or physically mistreat that woman or her students again, I promise that I will end you. And you will never see it coming," Raphael said in a quiet, deadly whisper.

The jounin normally would have scoffed at that, thinking that Raphael was nothing more than a civilian client. And yet looking into Raphael's eyes, and hearing the deadly seriousness within his voice, he felt fear grip his heart and sober him up quickly. Giving a hasty nod, he soon found himself released.

Raphael dismissed him with a jerk of his head, and the jounin, muttering a hasty apology, quickly left. Anko just stared at Raphael as he dusted himself off, before he blinked at her. "What?" He asked her with a bemused look on his face.

"What did you say to him?" She asked him, eyes wide.

"Oh nothing important," he said, giving her a small smile. However, that smile faded as he saw Ino looking down. The Yamanaka kunoichi looked up at her teammates.

"I-Is my outfit that bad?" She asked quietly. Naruto and Hinata shook their heads.

"No, your outfit is fine!" Hinata said. "Don't worry about what some jerk said."

"She's right," Anko said. "You should have seen my outfit before this. A lot more revealing," she said, indicating her Assassin robes. "So don't worry about it, okay?"

Ino just gave a quiet, soft nod, as Anko patted her on the shoulder. "Alright. Everyone, meet up at the main gate in two hours! Dismissed!"

The genin quickly dispersed, as Anko sighed. "I hope Ino will be okay. That jerk shouldn't have said that," she said, clenching her fists in anger.

"She'll be fine," Raphael said. "For now, let's make sure we're well supplied. This mission could take a while," he said, heading towards the warehouse that served as their headquarters. Anko just followed, while looking in the direction Ino had headed off in.

Ru-Same

Ameyuri, from her position near the helm of the ship, glanced towards the bow, where Mukei stood, staring at the horizon ahead. His entire pose was rigid, unyielding to the motion of the ship, the wind whipping past him, or the spray of the sea as the bow dipped into the water and waves hit against the hull.

They had barely arrived at their base in Ryōshi Bei when they received a messenger bird from Konoha. Or rather, from Raphael in Konoha. Mukei had read the message, and almost immediately had ordered the ship be made ready to sail again, for Nami no Kuni. When the crew had asked why, Mukei had said one single word: 'Gato'.

Almost immediately, ever member of the crew had set themselves to work, none of them questioning his orders now, while Mukei had questioned the man they had captured. Even Ameyuri, who had no history with Gato, set to work, since she knew of most of the crew's hatred for the trade tycoon. The ship had been restocked and checked for seaworthiness, before they set out again with Mukei now armed with new knowledge about Gato and his operations.

However, since that time, Mukei had become quiet and distant to everyone. He spent all his time either steering the ship, or standing at the bow, as if waiting to see the island of Nami on the horizon.

Ameyuri slowly made her way forward, and stood behind Mukei. "You should be careful," she said. "You'll catch a cold."

"I'm fine," he said quietly, staring at the horizon.

"It's going to take us a while to get there. Standing on the bow acting all moody won't speed things up," she said, a hint of irritation in her voice.

Mukei didn't even turn to look at her, or answer her. She growled softly in annoyance at being ignored. "Don't ignore me," she said, grabbing his arm.

He looked back at her, his face cold, before he sighed and relented, stepping down. "I'm sorry…it's just…this is what me and my crew have been waiting for these past few years. This is finally our chance. Our chance to kill that bastard who slaughtered our families, just so he could line his pockets with extra money," he said.

"I get that. I get that this is incredibly important to you. But you need to make sure you're ready for when the time comes. And standing up there, not sleeping or eating, is not going to help," Ameyuri said, slowly releasing his arm.

"Yeah, I know…I just…I can't stop thinking…about that day…coming home and finding my village burning, my family dead," he said, looking down.

"Then let's think of something else. Like what do you plan to do after Gato is dead?" Ameyuri asked.

Mukei looked up at her, before blinking. "I…never thought about it," he admittedly quietly. "I guess…I just never really expected there to be anything after we killed Gato."

"Yeah, well I expect there to be something after he's dead. So why don't we go to the galley, get some food, and talk about that, okay?" She asked.

He stared at her for a few moments, before responding. "Yeah…some food sounds nice," he said, before giving her a small half grin. "So you expect there to be something after Gato huh? Not going to jump ship?"

"Heh, are you kidding? I definitely think the pirate life is for me," she said with a grin, as they headed to the galley. "Besides, you'd all be hopelessly lost without me."

Mukei actually let out a soft chuckle at that, as Ameyuri slowly pulled him from the pit he had unknowingly been falling into. The pit of vengeance, from which few, if any, ever truly escape.

Meanwhile, in Nami, a short man wearing a business suit and a pair of sunglasses growled angrily as he stared at a shadowy figure sitting on a couch. "Damnit Zabuza, what am I paying you and your minions for? The bridge builder is still alive, and on his way here!"

"I'll handle him," the figure, Zabuza, said. "They may have survived the Demon Brothers, but they won't survive me."

"You better handle him! Or else you and your grunts won't see a single ryo!" Gato shouted, only to cringe as a massive blade appeared in front of his face, the figure on the couch holding it one handed.

"If you cheat me out of my payment, Gato, I'll be happy to show you what happens to short pig fucks like you. Now get out of here," Zabuza said in an irritated voice. He smirked though as he watched the short man flee with his two bodyguards, before sighing. "Haku…we'll be going in next. I want you to watch and observe the battle. If things go south…well you know what to do," he said.

A soft monotone voice spoke up from a figure that appeared behind the couch he was on. "Of course, Zabuza-sama," they said.

Outside Konoha, a couple hours later

Team Eight was heading east towards Nami, with Raphael in tow. As the team moved quickly through the trees, Anko glanced a bit worriedly at her Yamanaka student. Ino had shown up no longer wearing the outfit she had been wearing before, but instead was wearing a midriff baring long sleeved purple top with a purple knee length skirt over some shorts. She also was apparently wearing a short sleeved and legged mesh armor body suit under her clothes. While not entirely modest, it was also not as revealing as her old outfit had been. She had also been somewhat subdued, not being as confident or self assured as she had been earlier that day.

Quietly she cursed that jounin again, wishing she had done something rather than letting Raphael handle him. She hated how he had been able to affect Ino in such a way. What she hated even more was the fact that she couldn't do anything, and had to rely on Raphael to fight her battles for her.

She glanced over at the Assassin Master as he focused on not falling from the tree branches. He might have mastered the tree walking exercise, but he didn't often practice tree hopping, and so he hadn't quite developed the instinctual skill for measuring leaping distance and landings that came from repeated use.

Anko let out a mental sigh, thinking about Raphael. She liked him. He was funny, he was smart, he was strong, and he had a kind soul. She could tell, from how he had taken to her and Naruto, protected them from the glares and words of the villagers. Again, she didn't necessarily like someone else fighting her battles, but she did like that he was kind enough to stand up for her. She felt her thoughts falter, as she knew that the depths of her feelings for him went a bit beyond friendship. She was interested in him. She might deny it when Kiseki or Yugito teased her about it, but in truth…she did like him. But the problem was, she was scared of liking him, or anyone for that matter. While she had at least Kurenai for a friend, she had never let anyone get closer than that, not since…not since her sensei had betrayed her. And she was scared of the fact that part of her wanted to be closer to Raphael, to let him in.

She shook her head, focusing on the mission at hand. Plenty to time to worry about her nonexistent love life later.

They soon stopped briefly to catch their breath. It was at that moment that Raphael moved to Ino. "Ino-san, I think you need to understand something," he said simply, squatting next to her. "By now, you've probably realized there's something about the four of us you don't know about. Something that connects us."

"Well…the semi-matching outfits are a bit of a give away," she said, pointing to the hoods of each of their outfits. They were all down at the moment, but she could still see them.

"Yes, well I think it's about time to tell you what we can about that," he said. "Normally…I wouldn't do this. For both your safety and our own. However…it will be hard for you all to work together as a team if you don't trust your fellow genin or your sensei."

Ino gave him his full attention, as he began to speak. "We're…part of a group that is dedicated to certain goals. I at least am loosely affiliated with Konoha, serving the Hokage when he requires my…particular skills. Anko, Hinata, and Naruto here are members of my group. And what we specialize in…well is assassination," he said simply. "It's why these two were teamed up with you and Anko. Because you all have skills or abilities that have potential for assassination work."

Ino blinked as she looked at them all, before looking back at Raphael. "Okay…so what's the big deal about that? Why all the secrecy? Aren't all shinobi assassins?" She asked.

Anko spoke up at this moment. "Well yes and no. Shinobi are sometimes hired to assassinate targets by a client, or asked to take out a target that is a threat to the village. Our group…well…we have particular criteria that need to be met regarding our targets, before we go and kill them. We only kill certain, select people."

"I see then," Ino said, blinking at them. "And are you testing me, to recruit into your group or something?" She asked.

"No," Raphael said quickly. "It is not that you wouldn't make a fine member, but it is that our group…it is not something that you can enter easily. It demands a lot of you physically, mentally, and emotionally. We only take those who are willing to live this life, or who truly benefit from our help. Anko and the others might teach you a few tricks that are common to assassins, but the particulars of our group…no, those will remain with us," he said.

Ino nodded quietly, looking at them. "Okay…is there anything else you think I should know?"

"At the moment, no. We can't share anything else. I hope this doesn't hurt the bond we've already been forming as a team, and if it does…I'm sorry," Anko said quietly.

Ino shook her head. "D-Don't be sensei," she said, with a half grin. "My dad's always been talking to me about how there's some things I can't know, not yet anyways. How they're best kept secret, for village safety and such. A few years ago I might have tried to weasel the information out of one of you, but now…now I understand why you can't tell me."

"Thanks Ino. And we're sorry about this. But hey, you know what they say: curiosity killed the cat," Hinata said, only for Ino to gain a somewhat cocky grin.

"Hmm, maybe, but no cat was a cool and as fine as I am," she said, causing the others to laugh as well. Raphael smiled as he stood up.

"I'm glad you understand Ino. And even if we can't tell you everything, just know that you have allies you can depend upon. We'll offer you what help we can," he said.

"Alright. And I'll do the same," Ino said with a grin. "You know, it might be a good idea, getting an outfit with a hood. Then we can all match," she said.

Anko smirked. "Maybe when we get back to Konoha. For now enough lollygagging gaki's! Team Seven is in over their heads, and they need the obviously superior Team Eight to bail them out! So let's go!" She said.

The genin quickly got back to their feet, and as one, they started back on their route after Team Seven.

Ahead, Team Seven was moving at a slower pace, due to the fact that they had a civilian with them. Tazuna was feeling more confident about his protection after seeing them in action. They had been ambushed earlier by a pairing of missing nin, chuunin known as the Demon brothers, according to Kakashi. They had emerged from a fake puddle of water they had created with a ninjutsu, and encircled Kakashi with a bladed chain, ripping him to shreds. Kiba had been caught off guard, as the two chuunin had apparently been using scent maskers to hide from his and Akamaru's noses. Sakura had apparently noticed something wrong with the puddle being in the middle of the road, and had quietly drawn some weapons, but had frozen at the sight of her sensei being ripped to shreds. She was shaken from that moment though when she saw Sasuke whirl, pinning the chain between the two chuunin to a tree with a shuriken and kunai, before using two kicks to send them both flying.

As their chain detached from their gauntlets, Sakura had immediately moved in front of Tazuna, settling into a combat stance. One of the chuunin rushed her, but had suddenly stopped, frozen in place, before screaming in fear as Sakura managed to cast a genjutsu on him, one that she had learned studying some genjutsu scrolls Ino had helped her find. The other brother had lunged at Kiba, who had managed to gather his wits and dodged the slash from the bladed gauntlet the chuunin wielded. He then had attacked the chuunin with Akamaru, only to find the man being held in a headlock by Kakashi, who proceeded to knock the chuunin out.

As it turned out, Kakashi had faked his death with a kawarimi no jutsu in order to see who the rogue chuunin's target was. Seeing one of them going for Tazuna, he stepped in to finish the matter.

Afterwards, Tazuna had confessed the truth, that his village and land was being held hostage by the trading tychoon Gato, and that the only way he could stop Gato was to finish his bridge. He had pleaded with them to continue the mission, even after Kakashi cited that the presence of missing nin bumped the dangers of the mission up to B-ranked, well above his genin team's level. Yet, Kakashi had relented, and so now they were nearing the coast, where they would meet a boat to take them over to Nami.

When they arrived, they found a man wearing fisherman's clothes and a straw hat waiting impatiently next to a boat. "C'mon, hurry up," he said worriedly. "There's a fog bank rolling in over the water that should mask us from Gato's patrols, but I don't know how long it'll last," he said.

The team quickly boarded the boat, and settled in as the man used an oar to push them off, and then started the motor. They soon were on their way, heading into the very fog bank the fisherman had mentioned.

About a half hour later, the boat pilot turned off the engine and grabbed the oar, making Kiba blink. "Hey, what's up?" He asked.

"Quiet. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves," the pilot murmured, rowing to propel the boat forward. As he did, a shape began to loom up through the fog, a massive one.

"There it is," Tazuna murmured quietly with a hint of pride in his voice. "Isn't she something?"

Indeed, they could now make out that the shape was a large bridge, incomplete as they could see quite a bit was still missing. Still, it was quite an impressive sight.

They quietly followed the bridge, their senses straining to listen for any sign that might be another boat, but they heard nothing thankfully, until they neared the shore and heard the soft sounds of waves against the beach, muted in the fog. As the boat pilot dropped them off, Kakashi stopped him for a moment. "Listen, if it's at all possible, can you or someone else try to return to where you picked us up? We're expecting reinforcements," he said quietly.

The fisherman shook his head. "That's suicide. We were lucky to slip through this one time; I doubt I can do it two more times!" He said, until Kakashi slid some money into his hand.

"For your troubles," Kakashi said with an eye smile, as the fisherman looked at the money, before sighing and nodded. He pushed the boat off, and started heading back the way they had come, while Kakashi nodded to his team and client.

"Alright then, let's head out. Sooner we get to Tazuna's hut, the better," he said, as the team nodded and they began to move out.

As they headed inland, Tazuna giving them directions to his house, Kakashi kept his senses sharp, knowing an attack could come at any time. He felt his wariness increase as the fog didn't seem to dissipate as they headed further inland. "Tazuna, is the fog here usually this thick?" He asked, after they had been traveling for close to an hour.

"Well sometimes in the morning, but occasionally we do get some really thick fog inland, even during the middle of the day," the old bridge builder said.

Before Kakashi could respond, Kiba threw a kunai into some bushes, growling. "There's someone in there!" He shouted.

Sasuke and Sakura readied their weapons, only to stop as a rabbit shot out of the bushes, running away from the group at top speed. Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed as he saw the rabbit, while Sasuke scoffed.

"You're senses don't seem that impressive, dog breath," he said.

"Screw you Uchiha! I smelled a person in those bushes," Kiba snapped back, only to be interrupted by Sakura.

"That rabbit's fur was white…they only get like that in winter. It should have been brown since we're in spring," she said.

At that moment, Kakashi's eyes widened. "Everyone down!" He shouted, dragging Tazuna to the ground as he heard a whirring noise in the distance. The genin dove to the ground as well, barely escaping a massive blade that spun through the air where they stood, before arcing up and slamming into a tree. A figure landed on the handle of the tree almost as soon as it stuck into the tree.

The Konoha shinobi scrambled to their feet, taking in their new enemy. He was a tall figure, his chest bare and muscular. He wore camo pattern pants and arm warmers, with bandages tied around his neck and lower face. His dark hair was short and spiky, with a Kirigakure headband haphazardly tied around his head. The headband had a gash through the emblem though, indicating his missing nin status.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he took in the man. "Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the hidden Mist," he said, as he recognized the man from the Bingo Book.

"Kakashi Hatake…no wonder the Demon brothers failed. This should be fun," Zabuza said in a gravely, bloodthirsty voice. "And these must be your cute little genin…I hope they're ready to die."

Sakura trembled at that, while Kiba scoffed. "Sensei, who's this jerk supposed to be?" He snarled.

"Zabuza Momochi, ex-jounin of Kirigakure no Sato. He was one of their Legendary Seven Swordsmen, and master of silent assassinations. He left Kiri after failing to lead a coup attempt against the Mizukage," he said.

"Heh heh, you didn't tell them the best part, Kakashi. How I graduated from the Academy," Zabuza said, his killer intent leaking out, and starting to affect the three genin, as each shifted nervously. "I'll go ahead and tell them for you. It's so much fun seeing them pee their pants."

"What should it matter how you graduated?" Sasuke asked, only for Sakura to speak up in a quiet voice.

"Kirigakure no Sato used to be known as Bloody Mist, because their Academy students were paired up with each other, and studied and trained together. When they were ready to graduate…each pair were forced to fight to the death, in order to graduate. Only those who killed their partners graduated."

"Heh, indeed little girl. That is, until I came along one day. I was just a little kid, with no training at all…and I killed an entire graduating class at the Academy," he said, his voice gaining a nostalgic tone, while still retaining the bloodthirstiness. "I still remember the feeling, slaughtering those students, being covered in their blood…it was glorious," he said.

Sakura was now trembling in terror, while Sasuke and Kiba both were pale and shaking. Tazuna looked like he was about to puke, while Kakashi had a hard look to his face. Zabuza just smiled down at them all now, as he hopped off his sword, yanking it out of the tree with him as he landed, sheathing the sword onto his back. "I'll do you all a favor. I'll let you all leave and return to Konoha, unharmed, if you hand me that bridge builder. My client wants him dead," he said simply.

Kakashi moved in front of his students, drawing a kunai. "Not happening," he said, before shouting to his students. "Majin formation! Protect the bridge builder!"

As the trio of genin formed into a triangular defensive formation in front of Tazuna, Kakashi slowly moved his hand to his headband, and pushed it up, revealing his other eye, which had a scar running through his eye from above the eyebrow to below the eye. However, when he opened his eye, it revealed that unlike his other black colored eye, this one was red with three markings in it. Zabuza smirked as he saw it.

"My my, the famous Sharingan. I'm honored, Copy-Cat Kakashi," he said, as Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sharingan…he has a Sharingan?" She whispered. "But how?"

Zabuza just smirked as he jumped back, moving his hands into position to perform a jutsu. "Doesn't matter in the end…I'll enjoy going on a killing spree," he said, before performing his jutsu. "Kirigakure no jutsu! (Hidden Mist Jutsu)"

The fog around them seemed to condense, limiting their vision even more, as Zabuza disappeared in the mists. Sakura trembled as now she could barely make out Kakashi. "W-What is this?" She asked quietly.

"The Kirigakure no jutsu," Kakashi stated. "It's a specialty of Kiri shinobi. They utilize their chakra to generate a mist to hide their movements, before sneaking up and killing you. And Zabuza is a master of it, of the silent kill."

At that moment, Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist. "Heh, compliments will get you no mercy. Now, who should I kill first? The mongrel with the dog, the pink haired girl who's wetting herself, or the pale skinned emo?" He said, his killer intent filling the air.

The three genin were shaking in absolute terror now, with Sakura almost being driven to her knees. The kunai she was clutching was about to fall from her grip, when they suddenly felt another presence that seemed to dispel Zabuza's killer intent. All of them looked at Kakashi, who had flared his chakra, dispelling Zabuza's killer intent, and some of the mist.

"All of you calm down. I promise that I will protect you. I won't let my comrades die," he said, giving them his eye smile.

Before they could take assurance at that, Zabuza appeared in the middle of their group. "Too late for that Kakashi!" He said with a mad gleam in his eyes, about to spin around and bisect Tazuna.

That didn't happen though as Kakashi appeared right next to Zabuza, a kunai buried into the man's torso. Everyone stared in amazement that the fight was already over.

That is until Kakashi saw water dripping from the wound, instead of blood. "What…a Mizu Bunshin!" he shouted, as Zabuza exploded into water. At the same time, Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi.

"That's right Hatake. Now you die!" he shouted, as his sword slashed diagonally through Kakashi, severing him from his left shoulder down to his right hip. He grinned maliciously, expecting to see a fountain of blood. Instead, his own eyes widened as he saw water droplets from the two halves of Kakashi, before both halves exploded into water as well.

"W-what…how is this possible?!" He demanded, as Kakashi's genin stared in awe.

"Two can play the bunshin game," the real Kakashi said, appearing behind Zabuza with his kunai at his throat. "Don't you agree, Zabuza?" he asked in a somewhat smug tone.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "So…you copied my jutsu through the mist, and used it as a replacement, just like I did," he said dangerously. "Very clever. You're almost living up to your reputation, Copy Cat Hatake."

"Almost?" Kakashi asked, only for his eyes to widen as the Zabuza he had pinned exploded into water as well. At that moment, Zabuza against appeared behind him, sword swinging at Kakashi. Kakashi ducked down to avoid the blow as Zabuza spun around, buring his sword into the ground. Kakashi was starting to swing around to stab Zabuza's unprotected back, only for his eyes to widen as he saw Zabuza's hand reversing the grip on his sword, allowing him the purchase he needed to spin and kick at Kakashi. Unable to avoid it, Kakashi blocked the kick with his arms, but was still sent flying by the force of the blow. Zabuza smirked as he grabbed his sword, and prepared to charge after Kakashi, who smashed into a nearby river, only to stop as he saw caltrops scattered on the ground.

"Heh, not bad Kakashi. But not good enough," he said, disappearing into the mist.

Kakashi gasped for air as he surfaced, only to blink. 'Why does the water feel so heavy? It shouldn't unless…no!' He thought in panicked realization, just as Zabuza appeared on the water above him.

"Oh yes Kakashi. You've fallen into my trap. Suirō no Jutsu! (Water Prison Jutsu)" He said, running through handsigns and touching the water surrounding Kakashi. Kakashi suddenly found himself trapped in a ball of water, which was raised up out of the water with Zabuza's right hand holding the jutsu together.

Kiba growled angrily. "Kakashi-sensei! Let him go!" He shouted, prearing to lunge forward, only to stop at Kakashi's muffled voice.

"No! You all need to get out of here! Grab Tazuna and flee!" Kakashi said.

"We can't just leave you sensei!" Sakura shouted, while Tazuna took a hesitant step back. He didn't want to abandon these kids, but he also knew he was worse than useless in this fight.

"You have to go! This battle was over the minute I was captured!" Kakashi said, even as Zabuza smirked.

"Awww, you don't think I'll actually let them leave, do you?" He asked, as he used his free hand to perform a single handsign, causing a new Mizu bunshin to rise out of the water, and step onto land, drawing its massive sword. "It might have only ten percent my own power, but I'm sure it'll be able to handle your little genin."

Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly. "We can't flee, because he'll just kill Kakashi and come after us in person," he said. "All we can do is fight."

"That's what I like to hear!" Kiba shouted, as he and Kiba lunged forward.

"Kiba, wait!" sakura shouted, only to be ignored as Akamaru transformed into a copy of Kiba, and the prepare dropped on all fours.

"Gatsūga! ((Fang Over Fang)" Kiba shouted, as both he and the transformed Akamaru began to spin rapidly, launching themselves as two whirling tornadoes at the Mizu Bunshin. The clone of Zabuza simply held up his sword, before swinging it, so the flat side smashed into both the whirling tornadoes. Kiba and Akamaru were sent flying, Kiba hitting the ground as Akamaru smashed into a tree, turning back into his true form and sliding to the ground.

"Pathetic," the clone said, smirking as he began to advance, only to block a flurry of kunai and shuriken with his sword. The clone looked at Sakura, who had fired the weapons, only to then turn to Sasuke, who was going through handsigns.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!)" Sasuke shouted, before drawing in breath and firing a massive fireball at the Mizu Bunshin. The fireball looked to be dead on target, only for the clone to dodge to one side. Sasuke's eyes widened, only for the breath to be driven from his body as one of the clone's fist drove itself into the boy's stomach, almost bending him in half while saliva dripped from his mouth. The clone pulled back its fist, leaving Sasuke to drop to the ground, arms wrapped around his stomach. The Mizu Bunshin stomped a foot on Sasuke's back, causing him to cry out in pain as he was driven into the ground.

"Get off him!" Sakura yelled as she rushed the clone, using the normal bunshin technique and attempting to confuse the clone. The Mizu Bunshin simply stared at the three charging girls, before suddenly reaching out, grabbing the one on the left. Sakura gasped and choked, struggling at the hand that was gripping her throat as she was lifted into the air. The Mizu Zabuza just let out a snort of disgust.

"Pathetic. This is what passes for genin these days? You're worthless, all of you," he said, as he drew his sword and held it over the pinned Sasuke. "You're all hardly worth killing, but better I do it now, then let you all live out your fantasies," he said, preparing to stab down.

Suddenly, there was a muffled whistling noise, before something impacted the chest of the Zabuza bunshin. Or rather, something ripped through the chest, leaving a trail of water behind. The clone gaped for a moment, slowly looking down at the hole in its chest, before exploding into water.

Zabuza's eyes widened as well, as he immediately looked at the object that had killed his bunshin, only to see an arrow. "What the-," he said, only to hear two more whistling noises. His eyes shot up, just in time to see another arrow and two smaller, stockier bolts shooting towards him. He was barely able to yank his sword off his back with his free hand and shield himself from the three projectiles, hearing each of them ping off the metal of the sword. "What the hell is this?!" He shouted, looking up.

And as he did, he found himself looking at a grinning Anko Mitarashi, who was descending towards him from above with her twin ulak's drawn. Having no choice, he kicked back, dodging her as she slammed down onto the water where he had been, while also dissipating the jutsu that had held Kakashi in place.

Anko grinned as she stood up, seeing a soaking wet Kakashi stand up as well. "Must be getting slow, if he caught you Hatake," she said with a bit of a smirk.

"Not now Anko. What are you doing here?" He demanded, glancing back. He saw Anko's genin helping his own out, tending to their injuries. Standing with them was a hooded figure he had seen in Konoha on a few occasions, who was currently carrying a crossbow.

"You really that dumb?" Anko shot back. "We're your reinforcements, sent by Hokage-sama to back you up and escort our own client to Nami." (3)

Before Kakashi could retort, Zabuza growled. "So more Konoha weaklings for me to crush? Good?!" He snapped, though underneath, he was worried now. The numbers were not in his favor. Two jounin, six genin, and whatever that other man was. He could tell the hooded figure with the crossbow was not some normal civilian. Not armed as he was.

Kakashi just growled softly, angry that Anko was here, and that Zabuza had caught him off guard. "Don't worry about it Zabuza. You only need to worry about me," he said, gripping a kunai he drew out from his pouch.

The two suddenly disappeared, their weapons clashing together in sparks, as Anko jumped back a bit. The two were soon visible, weapons locked as they strained against each other. Zabuza growled, jumping back from Kakashi, who quickly did the same. Zabuza sheathed his sword on his back, quickly going through hand signs, only to see Kakashi performing the exact same handsigns. 'How is he copying me so quickly?!' He thought, as they both landed on the same final handsign. As one, they both shouted out "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu! (Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!)"

Two massive dragons made of water rose from the river they stood on, and rushed towards each other, crashing into one another. As water splashed everywhere, raining down upon them all, Zabuza's eyes widened as he was forced to tilt his head back to avoid a slash from Anko. A second slash forced him to duck, before Anko spun, kicking him in the chest and sending him flying. Kakashi took that moment to throw a number of kunai, piercing Zabuza's arms and legs and pinning him to a tree on the opposite bank of the river they had been standing on. Kakashi landed on a branch on the same tree, staring down at Zabuza, who slowly looked up at him.

"You damn…monkey," he panted out, as Kakashi simply readied himself to end Zabuza.

"This is your end Zabuza. Die with dignity," he said, only for a pair of senbon needles piercing Zabuza's neck. The missing nin's eyes widened as he let out a gurgle, before he slumped over.

Kakashi landed on the ground, checking Zabuza's pulse, as Raphael, Naruto, and Hinata all immediately aimed their weapons at the source of the senbon. A small figure, not much taller than the genin, stood on another branch wearing a battle kimono, striped calf length pants, and a full face mask with the Kiri symbol on it. They seemed to be ignoring the weapons aimed at them, instead watching as Kakashi pulled his hand away from Zabuza's neck. "He's dead," the Konoha jounin said, lowering his headband to cover his Sharingan eye.

The masked figure nodded as they jumped off the branch, landing next to the body. "Thank you for distracting him. It was the perfect opportunity for me to finish him off," they said in an almost monotone sounding voice. The masked seemed to muffle their voice, making it hard to determine their gender.

"You're one of the Kiri Hunter Nins, aren't you?" Anko asked, raising an eyebrow. "An odd choice of weapons, using senbon."

"I find them sufficient for my purposes," the Hunter Nin said, slowly hefting Zabuza's corpse onto their back. "now if you'll excuse me, I must dispose of the body," they said, slowly forming a single handsign with one hand. Immediately, red flags went off in Anko and Kakashi's minds. Anko was grabbing a kunai, about to throw it, when the Hunter nin disappeared with Zabuza's body.

"Damn it," she said, growling in annoyance. Behind them, Naruto and a shadow clone were carrying Kiba and Sasuke across the river, while Hinata carried Akamaru and Raphael was piggy backing Tazuna across the water, followed by Ino and Sakura.

Kakashi took that moment to turn to Anko, his visible eye narrowing a bit. "Anko, why are you?" He demanded. "Hokage-sama should have sent at least a team of chuunin. Why did he send you?"

"Well he sent us," Anko said, arms crossed, a look of annoyance on her face. "My team was assigned to help protect Tazuna, as well as escort our own VIP down here. Someone who's going to look into the Gato situation."

Tazuna blinked as he looked at Raphael, who after setting him on the bank, had moved off to one side. "You're here to deal with Gato?" He asked.

Raphael glanced at him, before looking at Anko and Kakashi. "Yes. But right now, we should focus on getting someplace safe. Your genin need to recuperate from their injuries," he said to Kakashi.

Kakashi would have retorted, if not for the wave of exhaustion he felt hit him. He nodded tiredly, looking to Tazuna. "Tazuna-san, if you would?" he asked.

The bridge builder just nodded, and the teams began moving out.

Elsewhere, the Hunter Nin calmly finished removing the bandages around Zabuza's neck, before removing their mask, revealing a young female face. She smiled as she saw the white rabbit hop into the clearing near her. "I'm glad you made it out of there safely," she said, before unrolling a kit with medical supplies. Extracting a pair of tweezers, she had barely grasped the first senbon when Zabuza's eyes shot open and he drew in a deep, pained gasp of air. The Hunter Nin merely smiled at him. "Welcome back, Zabuza-sama," she said, her monotone voice gaining some warmth and life to it.

"Uugghhh. Haku you sadist," he snarled, glaring at her. "Did you have to hit my neck?"

"It was the best place to ensure our escape," she said. "Now please don't move. You could really die if I don't extract these properly." She began to slowly remove the first senbon, as Zabuza remained still. When she finished, he growled, trying to move, only to find that his muscles had seized up. He glared at Haku, who just kept smiling. "A side effect, unfortunately. Your body needs time to heal. I'd say a week at least, before you are fully healed."

"Fine...while I'm healing, I want you to investigate those new shinobi who arrived," Zabuza said. "I want to know who they are, and how dangerous they are. With two jounin and that many genin, we can no longer simply rush in against them."

"Of course Zabuza-sama. But first, I must ensure your safety and well being," she said, as she packed up her medical kit, stowed it away, and then gently picked up her rabbit, tucking him into her battle kimono. She slung one of Zabuza's arms over her shoulder, and the pair disappeared, leaving behind no trace that they had even been there.

And that was chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Next chapter, we'll see the Assassins begin their work in Nami. Will Haku and Zabuza prove too much for our heroes? Will Gato finally be brought to justice? Tune in next time to find out.

Just a reminder, renegadeofficer89 has a fanfic up for adoption, so again, please PM them if you're interested. It's a really great fanfic, and I'd love to see it continue, if any of you are interested in adopting it.

Big thanks again go to Bill Alain and Kyuubi123 for all their hard work betaing my chapters and fixing my errors. Thank you so much guys.

Until next time my readers!

1. Just to clarify, Ino's been wearing her canon genin outfit at this point.

2. No, Raphael is not some overpowered OC who can suddenly match a kage in combat. In an all out fight between a jounin and Raphael, Raphael would lose currently because he is still getting himself used to fighting not only in hand to hand at shinobi speeds, but also against various jutsu. However, against a guy who he's royally pissed off in hand to hand combat, even a jounin, Raphael does have an advantage.

3. For those of you wondering 'how in the heck could Team Eight get there so fast', please remember that they were traveling via tree hopping, and were moving as fast as they could. Team Seven however as moving at civilian walking speed, courtesy of Tazuna. The only thing that would slow Team Eight down would be the boat trip across the water to Nami, so is it really surprising that they got there so quickly?