Chapter 35 Mist and Ice

The teams made their way on to Tazuna's home, after the encounter with that last group of ninja they were being a bit more on guard this time around. Little was said on their way to the village, although he told them they would need to hire a boat to get them to his village as the bridge of course wasn't completed enough for them to travel on. They mainly tried to keep going on being quit hoping not to draw out too much attention.

The atmosphere was a bit tense as they made their way they entered into a forested area that was near the large body of water that separated Wave country. There was a dirt road that they were taking it was an old trade route to the country although no one really used it anymore thanks to Gato. Kakashi didn't like to take this route as it was too exposed but Tazuna wasn't a ninja and would only slow them down if they tried another method. He just hoped that because this route was old any forces wouldn't be watching it.

Naruto was looking around the forest, he didn't want to get surprised like last time and this time he would be a bit more ready. He cast a worried look to Hinata and he knew that she had trouble believing in herself although he didn't know why. She was one of the strongest Kunoichi that he knew in their age range, she was the daughter of the head of one of the most powerful clans, and she had her family's bloodline and fighting style. She had a lot more going for her than most of the females in their class so he didn't see the problem.

He was wondering what to say to her but wasn't sure since as he didn't know what the exact problem was. He looked to see Kiba and Akamaru sniffing around for trouble, Shino looked calm and relaxed but that wasn't new. Sasuke looked like he actually wanted a fight and Naruto was eager to get into a fight as well but when he saw Sakura he noticed that she had been looking depressed lately.

He would have asked her what was wrong but his dad said they had to try and be silent from this point on and so he never could get the chance. He didn't like the quit, although his dad kept telling him that silence was a good friend to a ninja he just never liked it, it just went against who he was really.

He sighed as they walked along the road until he noticed a rustling in the bushes, at first he thought it was an animal but it was a bit big to be one. It had to be someone waiting for them and he slowly went to his weapons pouch on his leg.

"Got ya!" he shouted as he threw the kunai into the bushes startling everyone there.

Everyone turned to see what was going on, only to see a small little white rabbit hop out of the bushes.

"Oh man Naruto you need to loosen up some," Kiba laughed.

"Naruto how could you!?" Sakura yelled at him, "It was a harmless bunny rabbit!"

"N-Naruto-Kun!" Hinata agreed as she watched the little white bunny hoping along. She hoped that Naruto hadn't hurt the little rabbit. It was a cute little thing and she bent down towards it, the little white rabbit seemed to regard her for a moment before slowly going towards her. She was surprised at this the rabbit seemed to be a tame animal and not some wild one. Hinata was thinking someone might have lost a pet as she slowly petted the small animal.

"I think he likes you," Sakura said smiling at the cute little animal. Hinata smiled as she dug into her backpack for something for it to eat. She found some small baby carrots she took for some snack food as sometimes people didn't take the right kinds of foods with them on missions. She knew that Naruto would have carried a lot of instant ramen on him and she made sure that he at least ate something good for him at times.

She handed the small carrot to the animal as it sniffed it and slowly started to eat the offered food. Hinata giggled feeling its whiskers tickling her hand.

Kurenai sighed knowing that look the young girl would most likely want to keep it now. At least Akamaru didn't seem to mind the other animal. She was thinking of saying something when she noticed how hard Kakashi was staring at the rabbit.

"What?"

"Haven't you noticed that the rabbit is tame?" He asked her and she looked at it.

It was odd but it could have been a pet but there had to be more to it than that to get Kakashi so intent on it. It was just a small white rabbit so...wait, it was white? They were in the wrong part of the land and the wrong season for white rabbits to show up. The only way both odd things about the rabbit would happen is if someone kept it around for something like...substitution.

"Everyone down!" Kakashi yelled out and quickly everyone went down.

A huge wind seemed to fly just over their heads although it wasn't the wind exactly but the after effect of a giant sword being flung through the air just missing them all. Everyone turned to see the sword being caught by a tall man. He wore no shirt, but his mouth was covered in bandages, there were some type of camo style clothing on his arms and although he looked strong he wasn't like a bodybuilder and yet he swung the giant eight foot long blade like it was nothing.

Kakashi and Kurenai's eyes widened as they recognized the man right away.

"Well I was wondering what happened to the Demon Brothers and look what I found. Two genin teams, guess the old man got a bit more protection than I was told he could afford. And I see we have Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja of Konoha as well." He said in a cold killer's voice. He looked to Kurenai studying her for a bit.

"I don't know who you are though."

Kurenai wasn't sure if she should be thankful a killer like this didn't know her or insulted. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi."

"Hmmm...might have heard of you after all," He said thinking on the name.

Kurenai knew that she was still a rookie jonin but she had worked hard to get where she was now and if there was one thing she hated it was a lack of respect. But she wouldn't let him goad her into any unnecessary actions either she had a team of genin to think about. She and Kakashi could take him one but the kids were in no way ready for this kind of monster.

There was also the amount of killer intent that the man was giving off, it was a lot of it too. Kurenai felt her teeth on edge just by being this close to him and the look in his eyes were just as scary. They were dark and totally menacing as well.

Back with the genins they too were feeling the killing intent of the man. For Team 8 who had never felt anything like this before it was a shock for a bit. Akamaru whined as he took a few steps back, and Shino could feel the bugs inside of his body were very agitated by it. The others weren't doing too well too, that is until Naruto did what naturally came to him, he started shouting.

"Come on there's only one of him and eight of us!" Naruto shouted. He heard a growling and looked to see Akamaru glaring at him. "Opps, sorry I mean nine."

"Naruto, don't you remember all those times I made you study my bingo book?" Kakashi yelled back to him not taking his eyes off their opponent. "This is Zabuza, a missing nin from the Mist Village."

Naruto thought about it, his dad for the last year made him study the bingo book like it was extra homework. He had asked why he had to study it and his dad had simply told him that a good ninja knew the kind of enemies he might randomly face out there. Information about an opponent ahead of time could allow you an advantage and a ninja took every advantage they could get in a fight. So Naruto had studied it and his dad even told him some stories about them too.

"Uh...let me think," Naruto had remembered a lot of stuff in there but he was trying to place the name. "Oh I remember now, Zabuza also known as the Demon of the Mist right?"

"Demon of the Mist?" Kiba asked him.

"Oh yeah, why was he called that again?" Naruto thought trying to remember.

"Naruto, he was called that because the Mist village used to be called the Blood Mist village," Kakashi said still keeping an eye on the man in front of them. "Their genin exams were different than other villages, at the end each student was put up against another to a fight to the death. All year round they were comrades and friends but in the end they would end up killing at least one of them or die by one of them at the end of their training."

"Oh I remember that now," Naruto said as it brought back memories of Anko once using that as a bedtime story. He hadn't slept at all that night thanks to her, "And he got that name Demon of the Mist because...uh oh..."

"What?" Sakura asked him not liking the look on his face.

"I got that name because I killed my entire class," Zabuza said as if he was proud of it.

"That's right," Kurenai said knowing the story as well. "One year only one student was alive and it was him, after that they changed the testing but everyone remembers the one student that massacred his entire genin class."

Sasuke tensed up at hearing this, this man sounded like his search brother Itachi. If he ever had a chance to see what kind of ninja his search brother was this was a good way to judge. This Zabuza had an air about him, the killing intent that was coming off the man was insane and he could feel the fear in his heart. He checked and noticed the others were starting to feel the effects of it as well. Akamaru was whimpering with his head down at the man, he could see sweat showing off of several of them as well.

"Everyone, I want you to protect our client let Kurenai and myself handle him," Kakashi ordered.

"Yes Kakashi-sensei," Shino said as he looked to Hinata and Kiba as they took up defensive positions around the man. Naruto didn't want to but he held back with the others and his team took up defensive options as well.

Zabuza looked at the area around them and he didn't like this at all, the two jonin would he trouble. Kakashi was about his level but he didn't know about the woman, she looked seasoned in combat and sure of herself but he wasn't sure what type of ninja she was. The kids were already defending the old man and he would have to get by the two adults. If it was just one jonin he wouldn't mind the exercise but as one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist he knew his limits.

His eyes narrowed as he thought about his options and he might have to play his trump card early. His partner, Haku was waiting in the trees in case he couldn't finish the job he was to hit him in spots with his senbon needles that when hitting him would simulate death. He already had a mask from a ninja hunter from Mist that they had killed earlier that had tried to kill him. After all he had tried to kill his Mizukage in a failed coup d'état and had hunter nins after his ass since then.

Haku had just been a young boy with talents that he picked up on his travel and was a good tool for him to use. The only problem was that the boy was still too soft for his own good, but it would look like he would need him anyway.

"Haku! Get out here and deal with the kids while I deal with the adults!"

'He's got a partner?' Kakashi thought as he heard someone leap out of the trees behind them, he just hoped that they could handled whoever it was.

The genin teams were surprised when a boy not much older than them jumped out to meet them. He was tall and thin but he wore robes so they couldn't be sure, he also wore a mask of some kind that they hadn't seen before.

"I'm sorry but I have to fight you," the boy said in a soft voice.

"Yeah, well we're not. Go Akamaru!" Kiba shouted out as his dog ran forward to meet the ninja.

Haku saw the duo and quickly threw out several senbon needles, normally these weren't used as ninja weapons as they were very thin and a critical hit was hard to do. But to him they were a perfect weapon and his aim was always great. With lightning speed he threw the needles at the boy and the dog, both were surprised as they fell back in pain as the needles hit their bodies.

"What the hell!?" Kiba shouted out pulling out the needles. "Guys, cover me while I get Akamaru!"

He ran to his dog to pull out the needles as Shino raised his arms, the insects came out to meet the strange ninja. Haku saw them coming and Shino noticed that the masked boy made one handed seals. This surprised him as he never heard of anyone just using one hand to make seals before. But before he could think on what he could be doing a block of ice jutted out of the ground. Yet again this was another surprise.

'How could he have done that?' Shino thought as it was his turn to dodge senbon needles as he redirected his bugs around the ice. 'Ice isn't a normal elemental attack. Could this be a water type? No, it doesn't feel like it, the only thing I can think of that even comes close was the First Hokage's ability to use wood. Is this the same? Is this a bloodline ability to make ice?'

Even thought Shino was the quite type he had top grades in class, it wasn't too difficult to get an idea that this boy used some kind of ice ability but bloodlines like this were rare. He also didn't know what his full abilities meant. Unlike his, everyone in his clan had the same abilities or like in Hinata's but when you ran into someone with a unique bloodline you weren't sure what to expect. It left you at a disadvantage.

"Everyone be careful, he's got some kind of ice abilities," Shino called out.

Meanwhile with the adults, Zabuza smirked under the bandages over his mouth. "So here we are, I think I'll enjoy this. I wonder if Haku will kill them before or after I kill you two?"

"Don't underestimate our teams," Kurenai said to him.

"Oh? I'll tell you this if the boy's heart was as cold as his ice he could have surpassed me by now in everything. As it stands he's more than a match for anyone, I've trained him since a small boy and he's the most advance tool I've ever used."

"A child is not a tool," Kurenai said.

"Fool, we're all tools, all ninjas are just tools to be used and discarded." He laughed at her face.

Kakashi didn't like the sounds of this, he knew that his team was above an average team and they had handled some rough moments before. But a boy that Zabuza himself trained gave him a bad feeling, he and Kurenai needed to take him out quickly and make sure the others were okay.

"Well then I guess it's time to get serious," Kakashi said as he lifted his protector and uncovered his Sharingan eye.

"So the famous Sharingan, huh? I've always wanted to see it in action, guess that means you really are serious. Very well then so will I," He said started to make hand seals.

"Don't let him finish!" Kakashi yelled out and Kurenai ran forward.

Zabuza jumped back as he cried out 'hidden mist jutsu' and suddenly a thick mist started to show up all over the place. Kurenai lost him for a moment but dodged back feeling the wind of his blade coming towards her. She jumped back with Kakashi as he was looking around just as she was.

"Heart, lungs, liver, brain, throat." A voice came from the mist. "These are just some of the ways to kill a person in one move."

"What's he doing?" Kurenai softly asked.

"Zabuza is a master of the silent killing technique," Kakashi told her seriously looking for the man. Suddenly a form came at them. Kakashi got his kunai up and just managed to block the sword coming at him but he could feel the pain in his limbs from stopping the force of the blow. He was also certain his kunai would break if he tried that again. Kurenai didn't wait time and ran below the blade and stabbed him in the chest with her own kunai. But to her surprise he just turned into water and fell into the ground.

"Water clones?" She asked out loud.

Kakashi nodded and he couldn't hear them but he had a bad idea. "Teams 7 and 8, there could be more coming towards you!"

Kurenai looked shocked at him as she knew why he warned them, Zabuza could be also sending clones to help this Haku person as well.

The genins were starting to form up, they had to protect their client but also they had to deal with the ninja in front of them. It might not have been so bad, that is until a thick mist started to show up around them. Zabuza's mist was thick enough to mask a person from sight unless were at least fifteen feet in front of them, this made long range attacks useless but it still affected Haku.

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto shouted out.

"How the hell should we know?" Sasuke asked irritated.

"Hinata, can you see what's going on?" Kiba asked his teammate.

Hinata nodded even though he couldn't see him. She closed her eyes and activated them, the veins protruding slightly from her skull as she opened her eyes. With them she could see through the mist but she gasped out loud. There were more than just one ninja now, she called out to them to be careful of this.

Kiba had pulled out the last of the senbon needles as Hinata let out a warning. He couldn't smell anything but Akamaru could hear sense something and barked out a warning as he jumped back as a huge blade hit the ground where he was. He couldn't believe how close that came, he put Akamaru on his head and pulled up the hood of his jacket to keep him tucked in until he could walk again.

"Well buddy looks like this is going to get interesting," Kiba said to his small dog.

Hinata found herself with Sakura as they were guarding the client.

"Hinata, warm us if someone is coming okay?" Sakura said with her tonfas out and ready. Hinata scanned the area feeling very nervous as was Sakura only less so. The amount of killing intent that was being sent out was chilling to the bone.

Hinata looked and her eyes widened as a large form was coming towards them, she yelled out as it came at them. Sakura was closer and held up her weapons in defensive as the massive sword hit into her metal weapons, the jarring force of it made her arms numb. She felt a swift kick to her stomach as well as she hit the ground but she rolled with it and jumped up back into a defensive move. She saw the shape of the ninja coming at her as she dodged and tried to swing one of her weapons back at him but he dodged them.

Hinata saw all of this but didn't move, at least not at first. She remembered how she had done nothing and Naruto had gotten hurt because of her. She was now watching Sakura and the other girl could get killed and she couldn't move her body. But she thought about all her friends fighting and how they could die without help. She had to help them, she couldn't afford to be weak at this moment.

'I won't let them down again, not this time.' Hinata thought to herself.

With that she launched herself at the Zabuza water clone, he noticed the girl and went to cut her in two. Hinata easily ducked under it and it was enough time for Sakura to hit the taller man in the back of the knees with her tonfas, the man growled out as he dropped to his knees. Hinata took her shot and placed several palm strikes to his chest making the clone dissipate into water.

Sakura gave Hinata a thankful smile and Hinata smiled back feeling better that this time she had managed to help instead of just freezing up like last time.

"Hinata can you also tell the others what to do if they need help?"

Hinata nodded her head, "Shino, Kiba-kun needs help he's over to your left."

"Naruto-kun, there's someone behind you!" Hinata shouted out.

Naruto turned and pulled up his family sword to block a blade, only to find himself flung back a few feet from the huge sword.

"Oh man that's a big sword," Naruto muttered as what looked like Zabuza charged at him. He jumped back from the Mist ninja and putting the sword down for a second started to make several of his own clones. "Alright ugly try and take on all of us!"

The clones charged the other clone, but the massive sword cut through most of the clones. "If that's all you got kid, you're going to die very soon."

"Oh yeah well I don't die so easily!" Naruto shouted out making more and more clones.

"Kid this is pathetic," the Zabuza clone said killing all the clones easily enough. What he didn't know was the Naruto was going to use the same trick he used on the Demon Brothers, it worked out so well that mixing in shadow clones with exploding shadow clones was becoming a winning strategy with him. As soon as there was an opening one of the clones latched onto the leg of the Zabuza clone and an explosion was seen and felt. There was a small gap in the mist as the concussion blew away the mist.

Naruto looked to see all his clones had been taken out but so had the other Zabuza, "Yeah I got him!"

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke is in trouble!" Hinata called out to him.

Naruto could hear steal on steal and guessed that was where Sasuke had to be as he ran towards the noises.

Sasuke was having a hard time again the masked ninja. The other boy was fast, really fast, faster then he was. He got in close but the boy's taijutsu skills were better than his and those senbon needles were a major pain as well. He had to use his sword to block most of them, but a few still got through. He jumped back to get some room as he put the sword into the ground and started to make the hand seals for his grand fireball jutsu. The large fireball headed for the ninja and Sasuke smirked seeing that the other ninja wasn't going to dodge it.

There was an explosion but as soon as the smoked cleared he was surprised to see that there ninja was still there only in what looked like a piece of ice, the side facing him almost looked like a mirror instead that it didn't reflect anything back.

"I'm impressed, it's been awhile since anyone has made me use this technique," Haku stated. "Unfortunately I can't allow you to stand in the way of Zabuza-san's dream, if you don't move aside I will be forced to deal with you."

"Do your best," Sasuke said.

"Very well then, Demonic Ice Mirrors," Haku said and suddenly Sasuke found himself surrounded by the ice mirrors but they all held an image of the masked ninja.

At first he thought it was an illusion like that woman he fought before but when the senbon needles were thrown they were all real. His eyes couldn't see an illusion this time like the last time he was in something like this, this time they were all somehow real.

He tried his fireball jutsu again but he only managed to slightly melt the edges but they just froze over again. If he could he would try those other fire jutsus that he had been working on but in this kind of enclosed area they would do a lot more damage to himself then the enemy ninja.

'Damn it, this guy's better than that other missing nin, there has to be a way around this. I can't get out, but if someone were to attack from the outside it might work at least it's better than just charging right in or they would be as stuck as I am.'

"Hey, Sasuke how's it going?" Naruto shouted out as he jumped into the ice mirrored cage.

Sasuke just stared at him for a moment, '...idiot.'

Naruto just ignored the look, "So you're trying to kill the old man huh? That's not exactly a good thing in my book."

"I don't want to but to protect Zabuza's dream I will do what's necessary for him," Haku said as a hail of senbons from all direction came at them. The boys did their best to dodge and deflect them but there were just too many of them. Many hit them over and over again, they tried to fight back but Haku was just too fast. Naruto tried to make shadow clones and attack each mirror but Haku was able to attack each one in the blink of an eye.

The boys weren't doing well and they were running out of ideas.

Shino and Kiba had managed to fine the girls and the old bridge builder, they decided to keep together as they could see the others although the sounds of battle could be heard. Shino said that they had to protect their client and they needed to ensure his survival. There were some mutters against it but he could be very persuasive when he had to be. But for Hinata she could see that Naruto and Sasuke were in real trouble.

She couldn't stand watching as both of them were being hurt more and more and she just stood there. Seeing Naruto go down again in a yell of pain was just one time too much. She broke free from the group, she heard them yelling at her to come back. She was sorry but she had to help him, all the time Naruto was the one that helped her but she had never really helped him out when he was in trouble.

Without thinking she ran up to the ice mirrors seeing Naruto on the group and a group of senbons heading for him. She didn't think as she jumped to cover him, she gave a small cry as the needles hit her back and arms.

Naruto was expecting the impact but suddenly felt something very warm covering him, he heard a whimper of pain and when the pressure left he looked up to see Hinata's smiling face.

"Hinata!?"

"A-are you okay Naruto-kun?" She asked him.

"Hinata, you're hurt!" Naruto said seeing the needles inside of her.

"I had to help you, you've helped me so much in the past it's only right I do the same," She gave him a small smile but winced feeling some of the pain in her body.

He cried out and held her close to him as she looked a little unsteady, Haku saw this and couldn't help but feel sad at the sight. He didn't want to kill them but it looked like the girl meant a lot to the boy and what he had to do gave him no joy at all. He continued his attack but was surprised by the girl's abilities she was able to dodge them much better than the boys and with her bare hands was able to hit the center of his senbons knocking them out of the way.

"I'm sorry but I have to end this, this is taking too much time." Haku told them all. Before they could give a replay the masked ninja fired a horde of needles at them all.

Naruto felt the blinding pain all over his body as he slowly tried to get up, he went to look on Sasuke and Hinata but they were both on the ground. He ran over to them the fear in his heart was racing through him.

"Sasuke, Hinata-chan!" He yelled out as he checked on them.

They were hardly moving and they didn't look too good either.

"Damn it...I guess I couldn't kill him after all..." Sasuke groaned out.

"Don't say that like you're going to die you bastard," Naruto told him.

Sasuke gave a rare smile at him, "An idiot to the end huh, Naruto."

The boy went limp and he heard Hinata coughing as he turned to her, "Hinata-chan just hang on okay?"

"N-Naruto-kun...I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough..."

"You are strong how many times do I have to tell you that?" He pleaded with her. Sasuke was already gone and he couldn't lose Hinata. She was too important to his life, his first and best friend, she meant so much to him that he felt like he was dying on the inside.

"N-Naruto-kun, I've...I've wanted to...to tell you that...I...lo.." She passed out and fell still at that moment.

"Hinata-chan? Hinata!" Naruto shouted out feeling the tears coming out as he held her limp body in his arms. "No...you can't die...you're not supposed to die..."

"I'm sorry but as I said I can't let you get in the way." Haku stated.

"You think that makes it alright?" Naruto said his voice getting deeper. He was shaking all over as he looked at the boy. Haku noticed something odd about his eyes, they were red now and he could have sworn that they had been blue earlier.

Then Haku felt it, a large pulse of chakra and killing intent the likes he had never felt before. Naruto clenched the sword in his hand as the blade glowed but this wasn't the white glow that it was known for it was red now. In fact a mass of red chakra seemed to erupt from the boy as everyone in the battle felt the sudden surge of power. Haku was so surprised he nearly missed all the needles were somehow forced out of the boy's body and he came at the mirrors even faster than before. The sword which left a red streak as it moved actually cut into the mirrors nearly shattering them.

'I have to end this quickly,' Haku thought worried. 'I don't know what's going on but he's gone berserk, I have to deal with him now or I might not be able to do it later.'

As Naruto was on the ground he tried to appear in the top mirror and try to stab the boy from the air. But he seemed to know or at least moved fast enough to dodge the next thing he knew his kunai was cut in half by the boy's sword and felt his wrist being crushed in the boy's hand. He was surprisingly strong and looking into those pain filled red eyes he froze at the sight of them.

It was nearly like looking into the eyes of a demon and the killing intent and chakra were so intense he couldn't even move. Naruto shifted his sword hand to the blade was facing away as he slammed his fist into the boy's face sending him flying into one of the mirrors and then landing into the ground.

Without his concentration the mirrors melted into water but Naruto didn't care, the tears were flowing through his eyes as he ran at the boy. Haku managed to get to his knees as he saw the boy coming at him, the mask being damaged fell apart and Naruto could see the face behind it for the first time. He saw the hurt face there but it was the eyes that he couldn't help but see. The eyes were filled with a pain and regret that seemed familiar to him for some reason. He wanted to kill this boy but something inside of him couldn't help but look at the boy's eyes. The image of that ninja he tore open came to mind at the last second and he stopped the blade at the boy's throat.

"Why!?" Naruto shouted in his face with his sword resting on the boy's neck.

"Why what?"

"Why are you so ready to die, why did you have to kill them, why are you working for someone like Zabuza, tell me why?" Naruto shouted out feeling the tears on his face.

Haku gave him a sad smile, "I had no one, I was going to die in the cold alone hated by everyone just because of my ability. In Mist, everyone with a bloodline ability is hunted down and killed. It was Zabuza-san that found me, trained me, he gave me my life back and gave me a purpose again. My dream is for him to achieve his dream and if it means my life then so be it."

"So please kill me now I'm nothing more than a broken tool for him now. I'm worthless to him now."

"A tool? That's all you think you are?" Naruto asked.

"All ninja are tools to be used by others," Haku told him simply.

"I don't believe that! We are not tools, we're human first. We all have lives, hopes and dreams and tools don't have any of that!"

Haku gave him a warm smile then, "You are truly unique, I wish I had known you better in life. I'm sorry I killed those close to you but please, end me now."

Naruto closed his eyes he didn't know what to do. This boy just reminded him too much of himself, Kakashi had adopted him and taken him in when he had no one and had been a good father to him. And now this boy had the same thing done to him, if it was Kakashi then Naruto would die to protect his father as well. But to just think of yourself as just a tool, with a dream that wasn't even your own in life then there was Hinata and Sasuke behind him.

He wanted to kill him for that but he also pitied him too. He didn't know what to do.

With Kakashi and Kurenai they were having a major fight on their hands with Zabuza. The man's reputation was well worth it as they had a hard time with him. He created a large water dragon at them that they managed to dodge it although he didn't exactly let up with that either. That large sword of his was trouble and the man moved in and out of the mist like he was a phantom.

Zabuza wasn't going easy on them either, as both jonin were now fighting on the lake trying to keep ahead of the man.

"I think it's time for a little bait and switch," Kakashi whispered to her. Kurenai nodded her head knowing what he was talking about. It would just take the right moment to get it set up, it was a complex genjustu that she was preparing and it needed a lot of concentration.

Zabuza came at them again as Kakashi threw down smoke bombs, he could fight through the mist so some smoke wouldn't do anything for him. It was also the best time to get his water prison jutsu for them. He would have to use both hands but he could wait until they were drowned in the water. As he came through the smoke seeing the two jonins, he smirked as he had them right where he wanted them. As soon as they stopped moving he gathered the water around them into a sphere, shoving a hand into each sphere to search control the prison.

He knew he had them as he saw their surprised looks but something was wrong, he could feel no real change in pressure in the water. It was almost as if...

He jumped out of the way as Kakashi came flying out of nowhere nearly attacking him from behind. He let the prison go as the illusion of the two jonins inside vanished. He had to admit that illusion was good if he hadn't known about the weight difference in the water he would never had known. He turned to face Kakashi when he realized that he couldn't see where the woman was.

Just as he was about to move something strange happened, a tree was suddenly growing out of nowhere but the thing was it was growing around him. He knew it was an illusion but it was so real that he couldn't even move. In a swirl of air the woman seemed to appear out of thin air.

"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death," She said as the jutsu was completed. "You should never underestimate someone just because you never heard of them."

"Apparently so," the man said back glaring at her.

Across the area Haku had prepared himself for death but something was wrong, he could feel something wrong with Zabuza. He cast a look and he didn't like what he could see in the mist. For years he had trained enough to be able to see through it enough to know what was going on.

"I'm sorry but it seems I can't die just yet," Haku told him with a sad smile. Before Naruto could react the boy made several hand seals with his one hand and suddenly vanished right there.

Across from them on the lake, Zabuza was held in Kurenai's tree as he stared down Kakashi. He could tell that he was finished at this moment and he couldn't break out. Kakashi came running over to him with his chidori charged up and ready to pierce his chest. He didn't blink or look away, if this was how his life ended he would stare it straight on and meet death itself unflinching or afraid. Kakashi got closer but when he was within a few feet the boy Haku suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of him, Kakashi's arm was already extending and it seemed time slowed down at he locked eyes with the boy.

He seemed sad and yet he held a purpose in him, he was sacrificing himself for Zabuza. He could hear, Naruto yelling out to him to stop but he wasn't sure he could at this moment Kakashi thought that he had passed the point of no return as he watched his hand moving towards the boy.

He was getting closer and closer until...

Next up chapter 36: After the Battle