11

I know, scary right?

Naruto: Shift in Life

Chapter 11: The battle on the Bridge

Kakashi was just barely able to duck under a swing from Zabuza, the attack coming so close he actually felt the top of his hair get chopped off. He cursed as he realized his Sharingan was useless in this mist. He had only managed to catch a glimpse of Zabuza, and that was always right before he attacked. So far all Kakashi had been able to do was dodging the attacks when he felt them coming.

"That was a close one, eh Kakashi?" came Zabuza's amused voice.

"I've had closer," Kakashi replied nonchalantly while trying to come up with a plan to defeat Zabuza. Any thoughts on plans stopped when Kakashi rolled under a sword swing that came from his front, flipped over another swing that came from behind and sidestepped a third one that he caught out of the corner of his eye.

He's using Mizu Bunshins to attack from multiple directions…great.

"You know, your brats don't stand a chance," Zabuza conversed lightly, as if they were not in a life and death battle. "You guys may have gotten lucky when they ambushed you, but the Akuma brothers are a force to be reckoned with, and they won't be underestimating them this time. And Haku…well, Haku is my secret weapon."

"I think you're underestimating my genin," Kakashi said, ducking under another swords swing, before sidestepping the next.

Damn it, where is he? Kakashi gave a mental curse, though he did not let his inner thoughts be known, "After all, Sasuke is from one of Konoha's most powerful clans."

"Ah yes! The famous Uchiha clan, though I hear he is the last," Zabuza replied. "However, even an Uchiha can fall, and that boy is still nothing more than a runt."

"Don't underestimate Sasuke," Kakashi said, trying to keep him talking so he could find him threw hearing. "He's not one to be trifled with. As for your 'secret weapon' I'm afraid Haku has met his match. Despite not looking like it, Naruto is the strongest of my genin. He won't be taken down so easily."

Zabuza snorted in amusement at the man thinking some brat could possibly contest with Haku. Though in truth he knew that she would be unable to actually kill the kid after spending nearly an entire weak sneaking out of their base just to see him.

"I think it's you who underestimates their chances for survival. And don't think I haven't noticed what you've been doing. I know how to project my voice, trying to find me with your ears isn't gonna work. Also that Sharingan of yours is useless; since I am a master of Muon Satsujin Jutsu I don't need to use my eyes to fight."

Shit! Kakashi swore as he was forced to duck roll away from another sword swing. He should have realized this battle would not be the same as last time. He began dodging more attacks as he tried to come up with a new plan.

Sasuke ran at the two Akuma brothers. The demons brothers smirked before Gouzu, the older brother shot right, and Meizu, the younger brother went left. Sasuke was forced to stop as he tried to keep both of them in his sights.

It didn't work as Meizu came in behind Sasuke, making the raven-haired Genin roll left. When he came up, Gouzu was in front of him, slashing at Sasuke with his clawed hand. Sasuke jumped up and managed to kick the claw away with his left foot, at the same time he spun around and smashed his other foot in Gouzu's face.

Gouzu stumbled back and glared at Sasuke, "A lucky shot."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a smirk as he charged back in.

However, he had forgotten about Meizu who came in from the left and slightly behind him. It was only Sasuke's fledgling danger sense that allowed him to dodge, jumping back and to the right. Meizu continued on, jumping over Gouzu before turning around.

The two then came at Sasuke in a crisscross weaving pattern, forcing the Genin to try and divide his attention between them. Meizu came in high with a slash from his claw, while Gouzu came in low. Sasuke managed to duck the high slash, blocked the low slash by using his hand to redirect Gouzu's hand, placing it on the man's forearm and pushing it over his head. However, he ended up getting hit when Meizu continued on, jumping over Sasuke and kicking him in the face.

Sasuke's head snapped back as he stumbled backwards a few steps, his nose now bleeding as he glared at the two. He began going through several hand seals and took a deep breath,

"Katon: Goukakyuu No Jutsu!" A large fire ball spewed from Sasuke's mouth, barreling towards the two.

The Akuma brothers just smirked and began going through their own hand seals, "Suiton: Teppoudama (Water Release: Gunshot)!" The two shot out two large cannonball-sized bullets of water, which combined and doubled in size.

It struck the fireball and the two jutsu cancelled each other out and burst into steam that began to mix in with the mist, making it even harder for Sasuke to see. Said Uchiha was now forced completely on the defensive as the Akuma brothers used their impressive teamwork and the thick mist to attack.

Sasuke just barely managed to jump back from another claw swipe, only to be forced away from a jab with another claw. He blocked a kick, but was hit in the face with a thankfully, un-clawed fist. On and on this went as the two brothers worked in perfect synchronization to keep the young Uchiha heir on the defensive, never giving him a moment's rest with their relentless attacks.

Jumping back Sasuke tried to gain some room to think of a plan. However, the two were not about to give him any breathing room. Gouzu came in with a low kick, high kick combination. Sasuke ducked the high kick and then blocked the low kick, only to see Meizu come at him from the slightly behind and to his left.

Gritting his teeth Sasuke channeled chakra to the bottom of his feet like he would do with tree climbing; only this was to give him an extra boost in power and speed. Using Gouzu's leg for leverage he jumped up in a corkscrew style twist, spinning until his body was parallel to the ground. The raven-haired Genin brought one foot to bear on Meizu and smashing under his chin, the force of which lifted him a few inches into the air before stumbling backwards.

Using the small distraction Sasuke turned on Gouzu launching a feint with his left fist. When Gouzu went to block, Sasuke kicked him in the leg, making Gouzu wince and lurch slightly, allowing the raven-haired Genin to smash his fist into the man's breathing apparatus.

Gouzu went stumbling back and Sasuke smirked.

"Lucky shot?" he asked with a cocky grin. I think I'm getting the hang of this. Itachi, I'll catch up to you soon.

"Grrr! That's it! No more playing around!" Gouzu growled, "Meizu! Time to teach this punk a lesson!"

Meizu appeared at his brother's side and the two of them began to attack again, their moves even faster and more unpredictable than before.

Haku and Naruto continued to clash against each other, using their speed to move around and dodge each other's attacks. Naruto would come in with a powerful and unpredictable combination, while Haku would use her speed to either dodge or redirect all of the attacks. Haku would come in with her graceful fighting style, aiming for vital points with her senbon. However Naruto was more than up to the task of fending them off with reflexes he had gained from fighting against Lee and Anko.

The two seemed to be evenly matched. Haku had an advantage over speed, and more experience. Whereas Naruto was stronger, had an unpredictable style that Haku couldn't follow, and better reflexes.

The battle looked almost like a dance, more beautiful than deadly as the two continued to clash. The only sign that it was otherwise were the even number of bruises on the pair's faces and the tears on their clothes.

The two jumped back after clashing again, the battle had felt like it had been going on for an hour, when in truth it had only been two minutes.

"Damn, you're really good Haku-chan," Naruto said, his breathing only slightly heavy.

"Thank you, I learned from the best," Haku held up her senbon as she prepared to attack.

"Yeah, no brows-Ojisan is pretty tal-" he cut himself off as he looked out into the forest. Haku used his apparent loss of focus to close the distance between them, lashing out with a kick. Naruto barely had time to jump back and only just dodged her.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off of your opponent Naruto-kun," Haku said as she tossed a few senbon at him.

Naruto blocked them with his kunai before throwing it at Haku, who managed to catch it and throw it back, forcing him to dodge. "Sorry, my clones just dispelled. It seems your midget of an employer sent some of his goons to try and capture Inari and Tsunami."

Haku frowned in thought as she wondered what Gato was thinking, since that had not been part of the plan.

Her thoughts were cut off as Naruto came at her. He lashed out with a high kick, forcing Haku to jump back. As she did Naruto used Shunshin to get behind her. Haku only had time to notice Naruto disappear before he kicked her in the back of the head.

Haku tumbled forward but changed it into a roll. Coming up she saw Naruto coming at her. She blocked his right fist, redirecting the attack away from her. At the same time she came in with a kick. Naruto managed to block it by bringing up his leg, but was caught off guard when Haku hooked her leg with his and pulled him into a punch.

Naruto stumbled back, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs out of it. When he looked up again his eyes widened as Haku appeared right in front of him. She aimed the senbon in her hand at Naruto's neck, but the blond was able to move out of the way, twisting his body just enough to let the senbon holding hand pass before grabbing onto it and pushing it away at the same time.

Jumping back Naruto threw a kunai and went through several hand seals, "Kunai Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"

Ten more kunai appeared and headed towards Haku, who went through her own hand seals. She managed to create an ice mirror that formed from the puddle at her feet, said mirror being create in only a second. The raven-haired girl managed to step through it, and the moment she did the mirror melted before the kunai could hit it.

Naruto grabbed another kunai before whirling around and blocking Haku's senbon. The two pushed against each other for a moment, using the small respite to breath.

"Seems we're fairly evenly matched," Said Naruto. He pushed against her senbon a bit, and noticed that she moved back slightly, letting him know that in a contest of physical strength at least, he was the stronger of the two.

"It would appear so, but I have the advantage," Haku said, seemingly not concerned that the blond was pushing her back.

"Oh?" asked Naruto, pushing Haku back a little more.

"Yes," Haku replied as she channeled chakra through her muscles to strengthen them and hold Naruto long enough to do what she needed. "The first thing is we are surrounded by water, the second is you only have one hand," With that Haku surprised Naruto as she used one-handed seals.

"Sensatsu Suishou (Death By A Thousand Flying Water Needles)!" Haku stomped on the ground, causing the water on the bridge to shoot up before forming ice needles which charged at Naruto.

Naruto used a Shunshin to get away from the attack and reappear behind Haku, lashing out with a kick towards her legs in an effort to knock her off balance. However, Haku had already predicted that this would happen and spun around, swatting the leg away and sticking several senbon needles into his joint.

Hissing in pain Naruto jumped back, "Damn it, that hurts." Naruto grunted as he pulled the senbon out of his knee cap, wincing even more as he felt it heal. "That was a low blow, Haku-chan," Naruto said, pouting at her.

"So is attacking someone from behind," Haku returned.

Naruto winced, "Touché." He jumped back and went through several hand signs, "Well since we're using jutsu now, allow me to show you one of mine. Fuuton: Kaze Senbon!" Several dozen senbon needles made of wind formed in front of him before shooting off at Haku who began to dodge and wave in between them.

Naruto charged forward hoping that the senbon attack would distract her long enough that he could knock her out. His hope was dashed as she spun around while dodging the last wind senbon, blocking his hand and redirecting it to the left before kicking him in the chest.

Naruto winced a bit but was able to lash out with his own kick that caught Haku in the legs, sending her to the ground and forcing her to roll back.

She flipped back up onto her feet at the same time Naruto regained his balance. The two paused for a moment, watching each other wearily for a moment, before they shot towards one another again.

Kakashi cursed as he blocked and dodged several more strikes, channeling chakra into his kunai so that it could compete with the power of the nuke-nin's sword. This was getting ridiculous. He had been unable to really catch more than a glimpse of Zabuza since the battle started, making his Sharingan almost useless. On top that he was starting to tire, he had a several dozen cuts along his clothing, though none of the attacks had gotten any more than a passing lance. On top of that his Sharingan was draining a lot of his chakra.

Kakashi knew that if he did not end this soon he would be in trouble.

"Getting tired are we Kakashi," Zabuza said with a smug tone.

"Not at all," Kakashi shot back; in truth he was getting really tired.

"Heh, we both know this battle is over," Zabuza said, "Even if you could hold out, your brats won't last much longer."

Kakashi was forced to dodge several more slashes from Zabuza's zanbatou before the man disappeared into the mist again. The Konoha Jonin waited for several moments before he felt it, a small fluctuation in the air current that told him the former Kiri jJonin was coming in from behind him.

Spinning around Kakashi dodged that large zanbatou, letting it smash into the concrete where he had previously been, cracking it from the force of the blow. The copy ninja then stepped on the blade and closed distance with Zabuza, his kunai in a reverse grip. Kakashi plunged the kunai into Zabuza's neck, noticing that said ninja was leaking out water rather than blood.

A second later the Zabuza he had stabbed burst into water and Kakashi was forced to jump back as another zanbatou slashed into where he had just been. A moment later the large sword along with the person holding it wavered in the mist before disappearing.

"You can keep thinking that if you want," Kakashi said, eyeing the mist despite knowing it would not do any good.

"And even if there not, you forgot one important fact," Zabuza's voice seemed to echo from everywhere.

"Oh? And what's that?" asked Kakashi.

"My mission," was Zabuza's laughing answer.

Mission? I don't get it, his mission is to… Kakashi's eyes widened, "The bridge builder!"

Sakura stood in front of Tazuna with a kunai drawn. Her entire body was shaking as the three battles went on around her unseen. But just because she could not see them, did not me she could not hear them. The pinkette heard everything, from the clang of metal, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, grunts, screams. All of it was nearly enough to overwhelm the poor girl with fright.

This is all too much, Sakura said to herself, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried her best not to let her fear get to her, and continue her job to protect Tazuna. I feel so out of my league…like I'm completely useless and at any second I could just die. On top of that, Sasuke-kun and even Naruto are fighting out there, while I'm just sitting here doing nothing.

She was so worried about what could happen to her that she never noticed Zabuza appear behind her and Tazuna until it was too late.

Zabuza hefted his blade off his back just as Sakura and Tazuna turned around to see him. As the giant zanbatou was about to cleave into the pair Kakashi appeared in front of them, using his body to shield the pair from attack.

"TOO LATE!" Roared Zabuza as his blade came down.

Kakashi's eyes widened as the blade came down.

There was a splash of blood and Sakura screamed.

Sasuke stumbled back as he received another fist to the face from Gouzu. His breathing was getting ragged and his clothes were torn and ripped from the many close calls he had with the pair's poisoned gauntlets. It seemed they had been toying with him, after that second punch Sasuke managed to land the two had seemingly turned up the heat.

Now they were nearly twice as fast, twice as vicious and had used it to their advantage, turning Sasuke into what amounted to a glorified rag doll.

Sasuke rolled out of the way of another attack, moving into a series of flips, knowing from experience that Meizu would be there to attack him from behind. As soon as he landed on his feet he was forced to dodge to the left, but ended up running right into Gouzu who hit him in the face.

Sasuke shook his head and jumped back as Meizu came towards his position. He would have thrown several kunai, but Gouzu appeared on his left and came at him with his clawed hand. Sasuke was forced to backpedal right into Meizu and only barely managed to dodge the claw swipe he sent.

Damn it! Sasuke cursed as he dodged another attack, only to be knocked back by a kick to his chest. Sasuke skidded across the ground before pushing himself up. How am I supposed to beat these guys if I can't even follow their movements! They mask each other so well that I can't predict them!

As Gouzu came in with another lunge, Sasuke tensed and timed his attack until the last second. Pushing the clawed hand down, Sasuke used it to jump over Gouzu and smash his foot in the Chunin's face. Landing on the ground Sasuke had no time to celebrate as he was forced to dodge Meizu's relentless attacks.

I've got to concentrate, Sasuke thought as he tried to focus on the pair, to see their movements and react accordingly. They're fast, but if I can just see their movements and predict where they're going to be next, I can beat them!

Sasuke watched Meizu's attacks and tried to follow them. The man came in with a claw swipe that the raven-haired Genin managed to doge by spinning on the balls of his feet to the left. As soon as he dodged, Gouzu was right in from of him, set to impale the Uchiha survivor with his clawed gauntlet. Sasuke jumped up and over the claw, using one of his hands to give him an extra push skyward by planting it on the gauntlet.

Landing on his feet behind Gouzu, Sasuke saw Meizu already coming at him. As the younger brother came in with a claw swipe time seemed to slow down for the raven-haired Genin, everything became much clearer and he could pick out all of the little details on Meizu. From the way the small details of the missing Chunin-level ninja, to the small twitches and muscles movements as he came in.

Sasuke also noticed a small flaw in the man's attack. Sasuke waited until Meizu was attacking him with another claw swipe and this time, ducked under a punch. Getting inside Meizu's guard, Sasuke managed to nick him with a kunai. Though Meizu was fast enough to not get too hurt, getting only a small cut on his torso.

Sasuke panted as he eased off his attack, It was only for a moment, but I managed to see his moves. I'm getting the hang of this!

Meizu jumped back as Gouzu came up to him. "You alright brother?" the older one asked.

Meizu nodded, "Yeah, he just nicked my side."

"Still we can't let him get away with that!" Gouzu yelled.

The two shot towards Sasuke again, but this time it was just a little easier. Sasuke managed to block Meizu's next punch, dodge Gouzu's kick and then he jumped over the foot from Meizu. Using the foot as a spring board, Sasuke jumped up and smashed one foot each into the two chunin's faces by doing a small split kick.

Flipping back Sasuke landed on the ground and smirked, I can see their movements now!

"Damn! Is it just me, or is that kid getting better?" Meizu asked, getting confused. They had been pulverizing this kid just a few seconds ago, but now it felt like the kid had suddenly gotten this huge leap in ability.

"I think you're right," Gozu said as he stared at Sasuke, frowning, not that it could be seen beneath his breathing mask. "Though I don't know how with his eyes bleeding like that. Did you get him?"

I'm bleeding? Sasuke questioned as he ignored the rest of their banter. My eyes don't feel like they're bleeding unless… Sasuke looked down at the puddle at his feet and grinned. His eyes were now red with one tomoe in the left eye and two in the right.

He had the Sharingan.

Naruto and Haku skidded back from yet another failed attack. They had been going at this for a while now and even Naruto's legendary stamina was being pushed. Naruto had long since lost his cloak, and his shirt had several rips in it. Haku had likewise received numerous rips and cuts on her body, one of which had cut off the chest bindings she had been wearing. Something that had instantly caught Naruto's attention, causing his attention to move towards 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.

"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, but it's not every day I get to see such a beautiful sight."

Well, technically I see it all the time with Anko, but who's counting.

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 a bit before looking back up at Naruto, "Pervert."

"Am not," Naruto defended himself, "I was merely saying it's distracting. Besides, I thought we already established your beauty when we first met…tenshi."

Haku blushed a bit 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," Naruto grinned and gave a careless shrug, "it's just cuz I'm awesome like that."

They ran at each other again. Naruto came in with a low kick to the knee caps, but Haku jumped over it and attempted to kick Naruto in the head. Bending backwards slightly, Naruto let the attack pass over his head.

Turning around he lashed out with a fist while Haku was in the air. But she managed to swat the attack away, landing on the ground and coming at him with a kick of her own.

Naruto backpedaled, letting the kick pass him by a few inches. He stopped his reverse momentum, jumped forward and came in with a punch to Haku's face. The raven-haired girl swatted the attack to her left and tilted her head slightly to let the attack pass by, it was close enough that she could feel the rush of air as the blonde's fist brushed against a few strands of her hair. Closing the distance between her and Naruto, she managed to hit him in the ribs with two quick jabs. However the attack cost her and she was unable to retreat in time to get away from the blonde's counter attack; said counter being Naruto grabbing onto her head with both hands, and smashing it into his knee.

Haku stumbled back and shook her head in an attempt to clear it. When she did it was to see Naruto coming at her hard. He sent a kick, punch, elbow, knee combination at the raven-haired girl. She managed to bend backwards slightly to dodge the kick, letting it pass a few inches from above her face. She came back up and brought out her left hand, twisting her body at the same time as she pushed the attack to her left.

Despite being overextended Naruto used the slight forward momentum it granted to come in a little faster and launch an elbow at the girl's face. Haku had other plans however and ducked under the attack. As soon as she ducked the blond stuck out his knee and tried to hit her in the face. Realizing she could not block this attack and did not have the time to dodge, she put her arms in a cross guard, taking the attack.

Haku was pushed back as Naruto's knee collided with her forearms, with said attack being forceful enough to send her backwards into a tumble. However, she managed to plant her hands on the ground before she completed her first somersaulted roll and pushed herself back onto her feet. As she landed she saw Naruto coming towards her and began making several hand seals.

"Hijutsu: Koori Kiri (Secret Technique: Ice Mist)!" Haku inhaled a deep breath before exhaling. As she did Naruto saw noticed that the mist in front of her turned white and looked like the small water molecules were becoming crystalized.

It only took a second for him to analyze what she was doing. She's freezing the mist by infusing it with her chakra! If I get caught in that I doubt even Kyuubi will be able to heal the frostbite I'll receive!

Not wanting to become a popsicle, he kawarimi'd with a clone he had created when the Zabuza Mizu Bunshins had attacked them. The clone froze in his place, turning pure white as it became a crystalline structure.

Haku ended the technique and waited for the mist to clear, before walking over to the now frozen Naruto. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I did not want to do this to you," she apologized.

"That's alright."

Haku's eyes widened as she turned around and saw Naruto right behind her. She was unable to dodge the blow to her face, however despite her surprise, she was still able to counter and catching his foot with her own as she stumbled back, forcing the blond to catch himself when he got tripped up and make sure he could not counter attack, allowing her some time to work out a plan.

The point became mute as Naruto began a set of hand seals, "Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!" Linking his fists together the blond thrust them out and a powerful blast of concentrated wind in the shape of his fist shimmered as it pushed through the mist.

Haku jumped out of the way, feeling the air get displaced as she dodged the attack. But Naruto knew she would and had only used it as a distraction while he closed the distance between them. He managed to get in front of her and plant a knee into her stomach before she could react. The fake Kiri hunter ninja gasped in pain as she coughed up a mixture of spit and blood as the attack folded her over Naruto's knee. However, Haku was not about to be outdone and latched onto his leg, using one of her own to trip him and send the blond sprawling to the ground.

Naruto's back hit the concrete with a small 'oomph!' from the whiskered blond as the wind was knocked out of him. As he tried to regain his breath he saw Haku throwing a punch at his neck with several senbon being held between her fingers. Rolling out of the way Naruto was able to dodge the attack and pushed himself onto his feet several feet away from Haku.

"This is getting us nowhere," Naruto muttered to himself. They were simply too evenly matched, and nothing they did seem to affect the other for long.

Haku seemed to be having the same thoughts. He truly is a strong opponent…I really don't want to use this, but to help Zabuza-sama I have to.

"You really are strong Naruto-kun," Haku said as she began more single handed seals. "But I'm afraid that means I have to use my secret weapon on you. Makyo Hyosho (Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors)!"

Naruto watched as he became surrounded by a dome of ice mirrors. Haku stepped inside one of them and an image of her appeared in all of them.

Naruto looked around at all the Haku's. "Well shit," He said as they all brought out senbon.

"This is the end; forgive me…Naruto-kun." Haku said before all of the Haku's disappeared and Naruto found himself being hit by dozens of senbon at what felt like almost the same time. It was only because of his spars with Lee that Naruto was able to tell they were not at the same time, being maybe several tenths of a second from each other. Though with the pain he was feeling from getting stuck with several dozen senbon needles, he was unsure if that tidbit of information really mattered.

What the hell? Naruto said as they all appeared in the mirrors again. I could barely even see what happened! Are these copies of herself that are attacking me, or is this some kind of speed technique?

Naruto pulled out the senbon that he could reach and threw them on the ground; I need to figure out what kind of technique this is so I can beat it.

The Haku's disappeared again and Naruto found a dozen more senbon sticking out of him. That is if I can survive this…

Naruto dropped to his knees, wincing as he pulled out even more needles.

"Please surrender Naruto-kun…I don't want to have to kill you," Haku begged, her voice not bothering to hide her emotions.

"I don't want you to kill me either Haku-chan," Naruto winced as he stood up. "But I can't let Tazuna-Ojisan die! I won't give up! Kai (Release)!" several seals spread across Naruto's skin, invisible to the naked eye due to the genjutsu seal on them, and all the weight in his wrist and leg bands dropped. Naruto felt about a hundred fifty pounds or so lighter, which was an almost accurate estimation of how much his weights weighed.

"This should help," Naruto mumbled. While Haku had been fast, Naruto had been fighting fast opponents for several months now, one of whom was faster than Haku. "It's time to get this fight really started."

Haku was not sure what Naruto had did, but decided not to give him a chance to try something against her.

She attacked.

Sasuke grinned as he dodged another set of attacks. Jumped over Gouzu and smashing a foot into the back of his head. This was getting much easier with his Sharingan. Now he could see all the attacks sent his way and predict them, Even though it's incomplete, it's more than enough to deal with them.

"You know I'm getting pretty bored here," Sasuke said with a smirk, feeling confident now that he had his Sharingan. "Maybe you aren't as good as I thought you were."

"This battles just getting started!" Gouzu shouted with false bravado. He and Meizu had been giving it their all for a while now and nothing seemed to work on the Genin anymore.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, moving into his Setsujutsuken (Interceptor Fist) of the Uchiha clan before giving them the 'come on' gesture.

As the two charged Sasuke began following their patterns, using his Sharingan to track them both. So long as they did not move too far away from each other he would be capable of keeping track of the two of them.

Gouzu was the first one to reach him, coming in with thrust of his clawed hand in the hopes of impaling the Uchiha heir. However Sasuke sidestepped the attack as if he had known he was going to do this before he even started, grabbed Gouzu's arm and kicked him in the face. Hard.

Both Sasuke and Meizu heard the other Akuma brother's neck snap. Sasuke blinked as he saw the now dead body fall to the floor.

"Brother…" Meizu muttered before turning a glare on Sasuke. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Sasuke broke out of his shock as Meizu closed in on him, already in his face and shoving his clawed hands towards Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he acted on instinct, redirecting the hand and stabbing a kunai into Meizu's neck, killing him. Unfortunately for Sasuke, Meizu's forward momentum was not halted and the Chunin rammed into Sasuke, sending the two of them flying through the air. Sasuke hit the ground hard, his head smacking against the pavement of the bridge and knocking him unconscious as Meizu's corpse landed on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

As Haku attacked Naruto strained his eyes to see her, hoping to catch just a glimpse so he would know where the attack was coming from. He soon found her; she was nothing more than a blur that was closing in on the left. As soon as he found her, the whiskered blond made liberal use of the Shunshin to get away from her senbon attack.

He reappeared several feet away, and saw the mirrors reflecting Haku before she disappeared again. Again Naruto used Shunshin to get away just in time, and continued this over and over until his eyes began to adjust to Haku's speed. Soon he could at least make out her form enough to see the limbs moving.

Realizing that long range attacks would no longer work on the blond, Haku came in and tried to attack in close. However, this was exactly what Naruto wanted. Timing his attack he waited until Haku was right next to him and launching an attack, blocking her senbon before tossing a kunai at her. Haku was forced to swerve to the side, forcing her to slow slightly and Naruto used the extra time that granted to get in front of her and hit her.

Despite the hit and her shock Haku was able to get back into one of her ice mirrors.

"I've figured out your jutsu Haku," Naruto commented as he looked at the mirror he saw her fly into. "You're not using clones, or any kind of illusion. You're bouncing from mirror to mirror, using the high speeds it affords you to move faster than most can follow. The copies in the other mirrors are simply the light reflected off the mirror you're in. so long as I can see when you and your reflections disappear there is no way you can hit me."

It's only been five minutes since he saw it, yet he's already figured out my attack, Haku thought in slight awe and worry. However she did not let that show on her face, "That is very impressive Naruto-kun. No one has ever been able to figure out my jutsu, and even Zabuza has trouble with it."

"We don't have to fight any more you know?" Naruto said, his voice growing soft. "Please surrender, I don't want to fight you anymore."

"I can't," Haku told him in a regretful voice, telling him that she did not want to fight either. "For the sake of my precious person's dreams, I have to fight."

Haku shot out of her ice mirror, changing tactics as she went into the mirror above Naruto before shooting down at him. Naruto sidestepped the attack and tossed a kunai at Haku, cutting her across the shoulder.

Gasping in both surprise and a bit of pain, Haku retreated into one of the ice mirrors. Or at least she would have, had Naruto not appeared right in front of her with a Shunshin and smashed a chakra-enhanced fist into her face.

Unable to maintain the ice mirrors any longer, they shattered and fell apart. Haku went flying several feet back, rolling a bit before skidding to a stop on her stomach.

Naruto ran over to her, gently rolling Haku over before lifting her up and holding her to him. "You ok Haku-chan?" he asked in a worried tone.

Haku blinked a few times before looking over at Naruto, "You beat me…"

"Yeah I did, kicked your ass pretty good too," Naruto said with foxy grin. It dropped a second later, "now we don't have to fight anymore, you can't fight anymore."

"That's true; I'm nearly out of chakra from maintaining my ice mirrors," Haku replied, her entire body was sore and she could not move very well. "Naruto-kun, my purpose is now gone, Zabuza-sama has no need for a broken tool. I need you to do me a favor, and kill me."

Naruto's eyes widened until they looked like they would simply roll out of his head, "What!"

Kakashi grinned underneath his mask as Zabuza disappeared back into the mist.

"Well Kakashi, looks like Haku was right," Zabuza commented. "You rely too much on that eye of yours, and now that it's useless you're nothing."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Kakashi replied in a smug tone as he pulled out a scroll.

Wiping some of the blood from his now cut chest with his thumb, he unrolled the scroll and spread the blood across it. "Well Zabuza this has been fun, but let's be honest, we're both busy people and I'm sure you would like to end this as much as I do. So let's end this."

"Hmph!" Zabuza grunted, "Well that sounds interesting Kakashi. Show me what you can do!"

Kakashi smirked under his mask as he rolled his scroll back up; slamming it on the ground he called out his jutsu, "Ninpou: Doton: Tsuiga No Jutsu (Ninja Art: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique)!"

Seals spread out from the point of impact, the ground also began to tear up and move across the landscape, as if there was something moving under the ground.

"Whatever you're trying Kakashi, it's not going to work!" Zabuza said, knowing that whatever Kakashi was going to do was useless. "You can't figure out where I am. However, I now know where you are…what!"

"If your eyes don't work then just use your nose," Kakashi said as he heard the sound of ground cracking.

The mist cleared and showed Zabuza with several dogs latched onto them with their mouths. There was a giant bull dog latched onto his left shoulder, two dogs biting each of his legs, two dogs biting his thighs, one dog attached to his right wrist, another holding his zanbatou down by the hole at the end, and lastly, a small pug hanging off his headband.

"That's what happens when you have your eyes shut in the mist," Kakashi commented, his tone smug and satisfied. "This summoning is specifically for tracking down an opponent. When you cut me, I let you cut me so that I could get my blood on your weapons. These are my cute little ninja dogs. Their sense of smell exceeds that of all other dogs. You are the one trapped in my jutsu." Kakashi put a finger to his temple as he closed his one normal eye. "The mist has cleared, and do you know what I see? I see your death."

"My future is death?" Zabuza asked, scoffing at the silver-haired Jonin and seemingly not the least bit worried. Though Kakashi could see from the man's change in demeanor that he felt otherwise, "I'm sick of your bullshit!"

"Don't be foolish, your death is certain," Kakashi said. "You went too far, your ambitions were too great. You abandoned your country and became a missing ninja; your story even reached Konoha. Your attempted coup de tat and your attempt to assassinate the Mizukage failed. You were forced to flee the country and become a missing ninja with what little followers you had. You realized that in order to try again, you would need money, and so you ended up working for scum like Gato."

Kakashi began going through several hand seals before putting one had near the ground, the other holding that hands arm in place.

"I won't end this with someone else's jutsu. No, you're going to get a taste of my very own original jutsu. Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)!" a burst of lightning sparked into his hand, crackling with repressed energy so potent it was visible.

Look at that jutsu! Zabuza felt a trickle of fear at seeing the lightning shooting from Kakashi's hand. It's so powerful the chakra is visible, yet he holds it in his hands!

"You're too dangerous Zabuza," Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the man as he spoke. "Tazuna-san, the person you are trying to kill is this country's courage. The bridge he seeks to build is this country's hope. Your ambitions will sacrifice too many people. That's not what a shinobi would do."

"I don't give a shit about other people!" Zabuza growled as he tried to fight against the dogs hold on him, only to find their grip was solid and he could not more than a few centimeters. "I have my own ideals and ambitions to fight for!"

"And that, Zabuza is why you will die," Kakashi said, his sharing an eye blazing.

"Y-You can't ask me something like that!" Naruto shouted, "Why would you even think that I could kill you! What makes you think I could ever Kill you! Just fighting you feels like I'm tearing apart pieces of my soul!"

"I am nothing more than a tool, Naruto-kun," Haku said, releasing herself from Naruto's grip and standing on wobbly legs. Naruto was too stunned to do anything more than just sit there and stared at her. "I am a tool that has now been broken. I can no longer help Zabuza-sama fulfill his dreams. Therefore you mu-"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted as he gave her a glare that would have melted others. "How dare you say something like that! If you're nothing more than a tool, then what did all those times you spent with me mean! Was that a lie! Are you telling me that you felt nothing when you were with me! That all those times we had spent together meant nothing to you!" Naruto's shoulders dropped and his voice lowered. "Were you simply using me to help Zabuza?" he asked.

Haku's eyes widened in shock, "NO!" She shouted as she took a step forward. "How can you think that! Everything I said was true! I loved being with you! Every minute we were together I felt safe, and content! I even spent time with you when Zabuza-sama voiced his disapproval! Don't even think that our time together meant nothing!"

"I thought you were nothing more than a tool," Naruto said as he gave Haku a heated look, watching her flinch. "Tools aren't supposed to feel, especially not for their enemy. And tools aren't supposed to aim for non-vital points that would only knock a person out." Haku's eyes widened as she realized he knew that was what she had been aiming for the whole time. "You're not a tool Haku-chan, you're a ninja, but ninja aren't just mindless tools who are used and then thrown away when someone feels they are no longer useful."

"B-but my purpose…" Haku tried.

"If Zabuza can't see the value in having someone as amazing and willing to go to such great lengths to protect him as you are, then he doesn't deserve you!" Naruto's eyes softened, "if he can't see what's right in front of him then you would be better off leaving."

"But…" Naruto shook his head, interuppting the girl as she tried to give some flimsy excuse.

"You don't have to be his tool anymore Haku-chan," He said, his voice soft, much like when the two would hold each other during their times together this past week. "You can come with me…I'll treat you like you should be treated; I want to be with you Haku…despite having only met you this past week, you are my most precious person." Haku's breath hitched in her throat as Naruto said something like that. No one had ever told her that before, not since her parents had died.

"I…" Haku was unsure what to do. She wanted to go with him, to be with someone who could understand her pain better than anyone else. But at the same time, Zabuza-sama gave me a purpose, what do I do?

"Haku…" Naruto said as he held out his hand, "please, don't do this to yourself. You hate killing, you hate all this running. I can give you a home, a place away from all of that. Just…please just come with me."

"Naruto…" Haku reached out to grab his hand. However as she did, she stopped, sensing that Zabuza was in trouble. She took a step back, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I would love to go with you, but it seems I have one more purpose."

Naruto's eyes widened as she went through a few hand seals.

"I am sorry," She gave him a brilliant smile. "Know that even if I can't go with you, I will always love you."

And with that she disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving Naruto to stand there too shocked to actually move.

"Haku…" Naruto mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the spot that Haku had just vacated.

"HAKU!"

Makyo Hyosho (Demonic Ice Mirrors) - Using her kekkei genkai, Haku can create a dome of twenty-one mirrors made out of ice to trap an opponent. Twelve remain at ground level, eight are placed above the first twelve and angled toward the ground, and the final mirror is above the rest and facing the ground. Haku can then enter one of the mirrors and instantly transport to another mirror. While moving about she bombards the opponent with attacks at very high speeds, such that the rest of the world appears to be moving in slow motion compared to him.

Also, all the mirrors show a reflection of Haku, so it is difficult for the opponent to discern which mirror she is in. If the mirror Haku is in is broken, she can leap out of one of the fragments and continue her attack or move to another mirror. The technique requires a large amount of chakra to maintain, so Haku's movement becomes progressively slower the longer she maintains the mirrors.

Hijutsu: Koori Kiri (Secret Technique: Ice Mist) – A technique where Haku infuses her chakra into a very fine ice like mist. This technique is used to freeze mass amounts of opponents, though it can also be used as a wide scale attack on a single opponent.

Katon: Goukakyuu No Jutsu - A technique where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire, and expelled from the mouth in a massive orb of roaring flame. The scope of the attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered. The released flames will engulf their target, and leave a crater on the ground's surface. The fireball is normally blown through a ring made by the thumb and index finger of the user. However, Sasuke and Itachi are seen doing this technique without making a ring over their mouth.

According to Kakashi Hatake, the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique was originally created by the Uchiha clan, becoming one of their favorite moves with which they became very adept. The Uchiha clan also uses the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique as a 'coming of age' technique. This technique apparently requires more than average chakra reserves and most Genin should not be able to do this technique.

Suiton: Teppoudama (Water Release: Gunshot) - The user kneads chakra, and converts it into water, and then spits it out in the form of condensed balls. The high-speed water ball attack possesses just as much power to kill as an actual gunshot. While this is a water release technique, it can still be employed someplace where no water is available, which is a great advantage. It's also possible to increase the power of destruction of the balls themselves by building up the chakra inside of them. The number of bullets is determined while kneading chakra. By taking advantage of gravity, the bullets can brutally increase in power.

Sensatsu Suishou (One Thousand Flying Water Needles) - Using this jutsu, Haku gathers some water from the air and surrounding environment into one thousand long needles. She then directs them to a specific target at high speed, leaping backwards before impact so she doesn't get caught in the crossfire. While the needles do surround a target from all sides, they don't appear above the target, creating an escape route. Haku is able to perform this jutsu with one-handed seals, allowing her to pin an opponent's arm and attack while they cannot use any techniques themselves.

Ninpo: Doton: Tsuiga No Jutsu (Ninja Art: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique) - This jutsu allows Kakashi to summon his own personal Ninken to perform special tasks. After he marks an opponent with his blood, Kakashi rolls out a scroll and smears his blood across it. Afterwards he places it between his hands and makes the seals before he slams the scroll into the ground. The Ninken are summoned there and travel through the ground following the scent of the blood. When the target is found, they erupt from the ground and hold down the opponent with their mouths. Kakashi uses this to immobilize an opponent for his Lightning Cutter.

Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) - The Lightning Cutter is an enhanced and concentrated form of the Chidori with the same effects and drawbacks. According to Might Guy, it gained its name after Kakashi split a bolt of lightning with it. Because the Chidori is already powerful on its own, the Lightning Cutter requires better chakra control, which is exemplified in its appearance. The Chidori appears as simply a mass of white electrical chakra in the user's hand, while the Lightning Cutter is more focused and blue. In Part I, Kakashi is limited to using it four times a day, but by Part II he can use it at least six times.

Now I know this chapter is one of those terrible vliff hangers that will no doubt make everyone want to strangle me. However! Because I feel really bad for giving two cliffies in two chapters, I am willing to update this story later today. Now normally I update every two days, that way people can read and review my chapter before I move onto the next one. But I am willing to make an exception this time. That means you'll get two chapters for the price of one! Just let me know you want the next chapter and I'll put it up later today.