37 Hesitation
Haku created a thousand long water needles from the nearby water that surrounded Naruto from all sides.
Before the needles could kill him, Naruto used the Body Flicker Jutsu to dodge and reappear behind Haku. He attempted to kick her but Haku swatted his leg away and sticking several senbon needles into some of his joints.
Naruto hissed at the pain he felt before jumping back. He pulled one out of his knee cap as it started healing on its own.
Suddenly, Satsuki appeared beside him. "Need some help?" She asked him. Naruto looked at Haku who shrugged in response.
"Yeah, start us off please." Naruto whispered.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!!" Satsuki shouted as she spat out a giant fireball that split into a volley of small fireballs.
Controlling each individual flame with her chakra, Satsuki guided the fireballs at Haku who barely dodged then all due to Satsuki guiding it. But Satsuki wasn't done yet, there was shuriken hiding in the flames. Satsuki smirked and did a small hand movement.
It was revealed that the shuriken had wire attached to them as they were pulled towards Haku who used the Body Flicker Jutsu to dodge it and charg towards Satsuki at the same time.
Naruto appeared in front of her and attempted to stab her with his tri-pronged kunai in his right hand. Haku blocked his attack with her senbon before pushing his right hand to the left before kicking him in the solar plexus.Naruto grunted at the pain but he suddenly crouched down.
Haku widened her eyes as she was hit in the chest by a chakra enhanced roundhouse kick from Satsuki who was behind Naruto this whol time. The kick was powerful enough to send Haku to the ground and forcing her to roll back.
Meanwhile with Sakura, she was the only one left protecting Tazuna. She looked at the super expert bridge builder. "Tazuna-san, do you mind if I destroy your bridge a little?" Sakura asked nicely. Tazuna shrugged as a response.
Sakura performed four hand seals which were Ram, monkey, horse and lastly ram. "Stone Clone Jutsu!" Sakura expelled earth from her mouth to form it into several identical clones of herself. Unlike other clones, ones generated by this method do not disappear when struck with sufficient force, but rather break apart.
Sakura spotted a group of Gato's thugs approaching their position. She narrowed her eyes and took out an explosive kunai from her pouch.
With one swift motion, she threw it at the middle of the small group of thugs. A loud explosion followed.
*BOOOOOM!!!!!*
Sakura had just gotten her first few kills in one go. Back with Naruto's fight, he saw Haku get up before staring at him and Satsuki. Naruto blinked as he looked at zomething that had instantly caught his attention, he looked at her chest.
Noticing his distracted state, Haku launched herself at Naruto. She aimed a kick at his head that the blond was barely able to dodge. However, he could not dodge the next kick that his him in the face, sending him tumbling back.
"Oi! You idiot! The hell are you doing?!" Satsuki shouted at Naruto who wiped the blood from his already healed lip.
"It's not wise for a shinobi to be distracted on the battlefield Naruto-kun." Haku commented.
Naruto grunted as he wiped away the blood from his already healed lip, "Sorry Haku-chan, but it's not every day I get to see such a beautiful sight."
Haku looked down and noticed that her chest bindings had been ripped up, revealing her mid C cup chest and there was a rip in her battle kimono exposing the lower part of her left breast. She blushed before looking back up at Naruto.
"Pervert." She whispered as Naruto grinned.
"Am not! I was merely saying it's distracting. Besides, I thought we already established your beauty when we first met…angel." Naruto replied to her.
Haku blushed but shook it off as she looked at the blond with a small smile, "Only you could say that in the middle of a battle Naruto-kun."
"I figured as much. It's just cuz I'm awesome like that. Believe it!" Naruto grinned savagely at her and gave a careless shrug. Satsuki looked at Naruto and back at Haku.
" You know her? " Satsuki asked Naruto who nodded.
" Yup, for a week now. " Naruto replied, making Satsuki widen her eyes in surprised. She sighed and palmed her face.
"Only you, Naruto. Only you." She whispered.
" This is getting us nowhere." Naruto whispered to himself. Haku seemed to be having the same thoughts.
'Naruto-kun and his friend are truly a strong fighting duo…I really don't want to use this, but to help Zabuza-san I have to.' Haku thought before performing more one handed hand seals.
"You two really are strong when fighting together. But I'm afraid that means I have to use my secret weapon on you. Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!!! "
.
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Kakashi grinned under his mask as Zabuza disappeared back into the mist after a failed attack on Tazuna and Sakura. But the cost of that was a cut on his chest.
His Sharingan had been almost useless in the fight since the mist was blocking his sight. It was also Chakra draining too. Kakashi knew that if he didn't finish the fight soon he would be in big trouble.
"Sakura! Escort Tazuna out of this place! It isn't safe!" Kakashi ordered the pink haired Genin.
"Yes, sensei! Please follow me, Tazuna-san!!" Sakura shouted as she and Tazuna ran away from the half completed bridge.
Kakashi sidestepped the broadsword Zabuza swung at him and plunged his kunai into his neck, only to realize that it was just a Water Clone of Zabuza's.
Kakashi jumped back as the real Zabuza swung his broadsword horizontally at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Looks like Haku was right. You rely too much on that Sharingan of yours and now that it's useless you're next to nothing."
" I wouldn't be so sure about that, Zabuza. I still have a thousand Jutsus under my arsenal. I just don't want to humiliate you in front of your partner is all. " Kakashi quipped back, making Zabuza narrow his eyes at him.
"Just admit it, Kakashi. Peace made you weak." Zabuza muttered. Kakashi shrugged.
"Maybe it did, and maybe I have been slacking off on my training recently. But that doesn't mean I can't get stronger. "
" Bring it on! "
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Naruto and Satsuki found themselves surrounded by large mirrors made out of ice. Haku stepped into one of the mirrors, making her reflection appear in all of them.
Satsuki cursed as she activated her Sharingan while being back to back with Naruto. Haku brought out senbon.
"This is the end.... forgive me Naruto-kun...." She whispered before akl of the Hakus in the ice mirrors disappeared. In a flash, Naruto and Satsuki found themselves being hit by multiple volleys of thrown senbon in their vital points.
With the Sharingan, Satsuki found out that they were not thrown at the same time, being maybe several tenths of a second from each other.
It still felt like Haku was moving at light speed. Naruto cursed as he pulled them out of his body. Satsuki gritted through the pain as she pulled some of them out.
The Hakus disappeared again and once again the two found dozens of senbon sticking out of their bodies. Naruto spat out blood as he dropped on one knee.
"Get ahold of yourself, idiot! Release your resistance seals already!" Satsuki shouted. The Hakus reappeared in the ice mirrors.
" Please surrender Naruto-kun....I don't want to have to kill you... " Haku begged, not bothering to hide her emotions anymore.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let old man Tazuna and his dream die! I won't give up! " Naruto shouted back, wincing as he pulled out more senbon from his body.
Satsuki cursed in her mind as she realized something else. 'I know why he won't release it! He doesn't want to hurt her!' Satsuki though as she looked at Haku.
"If you won't do it Naruto, then I will." Satsuki whispered to herself as she released her own resistance seals, going full speed.
Haku disappeared again and Satsuki prepared to defend herself. 'Right!' She shouted in her mind as she looked to her right and saw several senbon flying at her. She deflected them with her kunai but grunted as a volley of them pierced her back.
The fight continued with Satsuki getting pierced by a lot of senbon as her Sharingan slowly got used to Haku's immense speed. Soon she could make out her form enough to see the limbs moving.
Realizing long range attacks won't work on her anymore, Haku tried to attack her up close. Satsuki smirked as she threw a kunai at Haku who was right in front of him. Haku was forced to dodge it, slowing her down a little. Satsuki used the chance to hit her.
*BAAANG!!!!*
Satsuki gave Haku a mean uppercut to the chin. Haku grunted and flew up a little before landing back down on the ground.
Despite the hit, Haku quickly got up and got back into one of her mirrors. Satsuki figured out how her Jutsu worked at the same time.
Haku can travel between these mirrors near-instantaneously, giving the appearance that she occupies all of them simultaneously. As such, any attacks she makes from these mirrors can overwhelm opponents, seemingly coming from every mirror at once.
'But she must be low on chakra. And the longer the fight goes she may slow down enough for me to attack her.' Satsuki widened her eyes in horror as she felt Haku zoom past her. She turned around and saw a horrifying scene.
Naruto who was about to join back in the fight against Haku was suddenly pierced by her senbon. It was all over his body. He staggered back a little before blood started flowing out of his out mouth.
Haku entered another mirror and looked back at Naruto. She zoomed towards Naruto again, preparing to finish the fight once again for all.
*SHIIKKK!!!!!*
Naruto raised his head and looked at someone standing in front of him. He was horrified to see Satsuki using herself as a shield to Haku's attack.
Satsuki looked back and smiled at him. She suddenly fell back as Naruto found the energy to catch her and lay her down on the ground.
"Why...." Naruto whispered. Satsuki's smile widened a little.
"I don't know.... My body just moved on its own..... " Satsuki looked at him as she felt the need to close her eyes. She raised her hand and cupped one side of Naruto's cheek.
" That man... My brother... I told myself I wouldn't die until I killed him.... Don't die too.... Because... I.... I.... " Before she could finish her sentence, Satsuki's hand fell onto the ground. Naruto blinked and stared at her. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't responding. She was simply lifeless.
Haku watched it all in her ice mirror silently. 'I'm so sorry Naruto. But I need to help Zabuza-san fulfil his dreams. That is my purpose. ' Haku thought as Naruto looked down. He was angry, he was in denial, he wouldn't accept that Satsuki, his best friend was dead.
"Wh-what do I do?....." Naruto asked himself. There was no reply as there was only silence in the battlefield. Until a deep growling voice in his head answered his question.
'Destroy everything.....'
Naruto's eyes went red.
To be continued...
