But An Illusion

A Naruto Fanfic by

Joak Drysso

Chapter 5

---

Nami's main port city was unnamed. The country being poor as it was, it happened to be the country's largest city, and so when people said that they were going to Nami, it was generally taken to mean that they were headed to the port city. The business district was actually surprisingly large, all things considered, stretching out over a good two square miles with streets every few hundred yards dividing the place into a fairly neat grid.

Naruto and Kakashi walked down one of those streets, taking in the various shops. In one stretch, a place Naruto had nicknamed the Killer's Street, blacksmiths had been lined up in a row, each boasting quality specialty items. The boy had had to drag Kakashi away from a swordsmith's shop by his collar, ignoring the man's pained cries and constant insisting that they needed to go back.

"So what exactly are we here looking for? I know names, but I don't know who these people are or what they look like." Naruto turned to his silver-haired companion, who hummed thoughtfully.

"Well. Either will do, but they've been spotted together recently, so we're keeping on the lookout for both. The people we're looking for are Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin. Two of Sandaime-sama's students. Either would be a perfect candidate to take over as Hokage." Kakashi frowned. "Just keep your eyes peeled for a blonde woman and a white-haired man."

Naruto gave him an incredulous look. "That's all you can give me? Blonde and white?"

Kakashi shrugged. Naruto growled. "Look, if that's all you're going to give me, you can look yourself. I'll go take care of the herbs for the poultice."

"I don't think Kiba's in need of it that badly, Naruto. He didn't screw up his leg too much." Kakashi really didn't want to run into the Sannin by himself.

"He's the kind of guy who would break his leg trying to do something on it while it's injured. The sooner it gets taken care of, the better. I know some of this stuff. Don't worry about it, I'll be back in a few hours." The blond began to wander off.

"Wait, Naruto! I'll buy you ramen!"

Naruto stopped. Slowly turned his head. "Three bowls, and a decent description of who we're looking for."

"Deal."

"Lead the way! I haven't eaten in almost two hours!"

Kakashi's shoulders slumped in relief. On the way to the ramen bar, he gave Naruto a more detailed description of their targets.

"Oh. So you mean those two people right there?"

Kakashi paused mid-step, looking in the direction Naruto was pointing. Indeed, he caught a flash of blonde, followed by Jiraiya's distinctive hair and swagger, ducking into a restaurant.

"…yes, Naruto. Those two. Ramen will have to wait."

"But…but…"

"Not now. Listen, I need to inform you of something. Jiraiya's eccentric, but he's not really dangerous to us, and he's sympathetic to Konoha. You don't have to be worried about him unless you say something really stupid. However, Tsunade is, well. How do I put it? The last agent sent to talk to Tsunade about returning to Konoha is still undergoing physical therapy."

"When did that happen?"

"Oh. Ten years ago, I think."

"And you want her in charge of your village…why?" Naruto turned a skeptical eye to Kakashi, who shrugged helplessly.

"Triumvirate's decision, not mine. I think they'd prefer Jiraiya, but we can't afford to be picky right now. Come on. We're going in."

"Why am I going again?" Naruto whined.

So I don't get killed. "So that you can help me appeal to them."

"Tch. Fine, whatever. If a fight breaks out, though, don't expect me to help."

"If a fight breaks out, you'll have to worry more about defending yourself than helping me." Kakashi took a deep breath, and then strode into the restaurant, Naruto following after him. He glanced around, marked their targets, and then, uttering a prayer to whatever gods were listening, made his way over and sat down. Next to Jiraiya.

Naruto gave him a look of betrayal as he took the seat next to Tsunade. Kakashi mentally prayed for Naruto's safe trip to the netherworld. Then, as Tsunade opened her mouth to question them, Kakashi spoke. "Forgive me for being so forward, but we need to talk about Konohagakure no Sato."

"Boy, move. Or you're going to regret it." Tsunade's tone brooked no argument.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm comfortable where I am, thanks." Then, at the sound of someone clearing her throat, he glanced to his right. A black-haired woman carrying three drinks, a pig, and a scowl, looked down at him. "Oh. Excuse me."

Naruto shifted out of the seat, and the woman sat down, handing Jiraiya and Tsunade their drinks. The blonde woman took a long pull on hers, and then set it down. She extended her middle finger and began to slide it around the rim of the glass. She rested her cheek on the palm of her left hand. "And why should I care anything about Konoha?"

"Well, I don't know if you're aware, but Sandaime-sama is dead." Kakashi stated bluntly. Naruto shifted on his feet. Even after knowing it, it was still a strange statement to hear.

Tsunade's eyes darted to Jiraiya, who tensed slightly. "No, I wasn't aware. Jiraiya, did you know?"

The Toad Sage blanched. "I…might have heard a rumour to that effect from a few sources. I did some checking around and confirmed it. I didn't really want to say anything though." He seemed to relax a little when, instead of reaching over and grabbing him, she merely lifted the glass to her lips for another pull.

"Did your sources happen to mention that it was Orochimaru who killed him?" Kakashi mentioned innocently.

The cracking and shattering of glass drew the attention of the entire restaurant. Tsunade stared at Kakashi, ignoring the blood seeping from cuts, and the sting of the alcohol the glass contained. "Is…is that right?" She turned away for a moment, and Naruto tilted his head in curiosity. When she faced them again, her face was impassive. She turned her attention to her wounded hand. "Well, it's no surprise. He had to die one day."

Naruto froze. What did she just-she did not just-how could she just-

"I see. Then I suppose any entreaty to you will fall on deaf ears." Kakashi nodded to himself and turned to Jiraiya. "Given that Konoha is currently leaderless, I would like to ask you to assume the role of-"

"Hold it!" Naruto's fist slammed down on the table. Again, the restaurant looked over at the interruption. A few patrons, now paranoid of a fight, left money and rose to leave. "He was your teacher, wasn't he? And all you can say is…all you can say is that it had to happen?"

The dark-haired woman gave Naruto a sharp look and a shake of her head. He understood that she was trying to turn him away from this before things got out of hand, but Naruto was beyond caring.

"Yeah. It had to happen. The title of Hokage is a death sentence. The old man was lucky he survived it once, taking it on a second time was stupid." Tsunade shrugged. "You're asking me to risk my life for a village I have nothing but contempt for? I'll pass, thank you. I have better things to do. Shizune, move. We're done. Our guests will pay." The dark-haired woman, Shizune, gave her a helpless look and rose, moving to let her out. Tsunade scooted over and made to stand up, only to be blocked by Naruto. She quirked a brow. "Look, brat. I don't have time for this, and this conversation has put me in a foul mood. If you want to walk away from this place with every bone intact, I suggest you get the hell out of my way."

Naruto folded his arms and stood stock-still.

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. With a grim smile, she reached out and patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Kid, you've got a lot of nerve. I admire that." Then her hand gripped him, and the blond could only watch as the world tumbled. He felt his body slam into – and break through – the wall. He tumbled out into the street.

Traffic stopped and people stared open-mouthed at the boy that lay in the street. Then their eyes traced his path and saw a blonde woman dusting her hands off. As the remainder of the party rose to go check on the boy, the other two exited through the hole in the wall. The owner of the restaurant was too dumbfounded, and perhaps a little too terrified, to call after them.

However, even as Jiraiya and Kakashi reached Naruto, the boy was pushing himself up, groaning. "That hurt a lot." However, he managed to stagger to his feet, and glared at Tsunade's retreating form. "Hey, old hag! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" He took a certain pride in watching as she stopped and turned to him. He felt her menace wash over him, and it took a lot of his control not to tense up under the sheer pressure she exuded.

"Brat. You have a death wish, don't you?" Tsunade began to crack her knuckles one at a time. "Nobody, nobody, calls me an old hag and gets away with it."

"I call it as I see it. I should also add coward and bitch to the list while I'm at it." He growled. He knew he was being petulant at this point, and likely signing his own death warrant, but she was pissing him off.

Even Tsunade paused. She was used to the words, of course. She had heard them quite often in her years. Running from debtors (less because she was scared and more because she lacked the patience needed to fight through hordes of pathetic chuunin and yakuza trying to collect from her), ruining tables due to failing to restrain her strength in particularly long stretches of bad luck, she had heard a lot of it.

She had never heard the words spoken with such vindication. At least, not by someone she had never actually met before. Her fury began to bubble over. Stomp by stomp she made her way toward Naruto. Her progress was only impeded once, and that was by Shizune, who desperately attempted to calm her down. It failed, and her companion knew to get out of the way.

"I'll give you one thing though." That made Tsunade stop; the boy's tone sounded a little off. "I can understand you not wanting to risk your life for Konoha. I'm in a similar situation. I'm supposed to risk my life for a village I can't really remember? I may have been born in Konoha, but it isn't my home. When I came back, I could remember maybe five people in the entire village." Naruto shook his head. "No, Konoha isn't my home. And I'm not ready to put my life on the line for it. Not yet."

Then, much to her surprise, he took a step forward to meet her. "But that crap about the old man deserving to die? He was one of the few who ever talked to me longer than thirty seconds. He was the one who gave me the choice and ability to become who I am today. I owe who I am to him more than anyone. And I will not allow you to dishonor his memory!" He took another step forward and stomped his left foot down, adopting a fighting stance. "I am Sakurazuka Naruto. Come, if you dare."

Tsunade had to resist the urge to laugh. This brat, standing in the middle of the street, was challenging her, Senju Tsunade, to a fight, and demanding that she attack him if she was brave enough? This was too rich. She took one step forward, then another. Time for a little stress relief.

---

A roar disturbed the forest on the edge of the small village. Sakurazuka Naruto, battered, beaten, and furious, punched a tree in anger. "Dammit. I couldn't do anything! I should be stronger than this!" He let his arm fall to his side and groaned. He was hurting a lot, but knew that going back to the others in his mood would only lead to him starting another fight entirely on accident. He'd eventually decided to just go and burn steam while getting the red silk grass he needed for Kiba's poultice.

As he attempted to direct his attention from obsessing over the events of the previous hour to looking for the herbs, he finally noticed that he wasn't alone. A rather surprised-looking figure, knelt over a few herbs, was giving the boy a rather hesitant look. And Naruto knew why; he was rather busted up, and part of his hair was crusted in dried vomit. So the blond smiled awkwardly to break the ice. "Sorry. Just dealing with personal issues."

"Aha." The figure nodded. Naruto came a little closer, and managed to fill in more details. A young, feminine face concentrated on the herbs, and he caught the barest traces of humming. He slowly walked over, and when the figure made no effort to dissuade him, he knelt.

"Oh, hey. Costus herbs." The figure turned to him in some surprise, and Naruto grinned. "I learned a decent bit about herbs in medicine from people I knew. I'm actually out here looking for some red silk grass for a friend's leg. He screwed it up pretty bad during a training exercise and knowing him, he'll want to get back up on it as soon as possible."

The figure chuckled and nodded, and Naruto finally concluded to himself. Despite the appearance, this person definitely had to be male. He stuck his hand out. "Sakurazuka Naruto, at your service."

After a moment's hesitation, his companion accepted the shake. He looked up at Naruto and smiled. "Haku. My name is Haku."

"Oh, a nice name." Naruto grinned. "Well, Haku, how about a trade? If I help you with all the herbs you need, you help me find some red silk grass?"

Haku nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds fair. I have to warn you though, my list is pretty lengthy." When Naruto simply waved his comments away, he smiled. "All right then. Suit yourself. I'll help you find the red silk grass when we're done."

The two set about collecting a variety of herbs; Saw Palmetto, Echinacea, and even white peony roots, which earned Haku an odd look from Naruto. Finally, the blond managed to gather up the courage. "So, uh, who are these herbs for anyways?"

"Hm?" Haku looked over at Naruto and smiled. "Oh, they're for a good friend of mine. He was hurt recently, and these are to take care of the pain and any infections he may have." When Naruto gestured to the white peony roots with a quirked brow, he blushed. "It's muscle relaxant."

Naruto caught that lie, but decided not to call him on it. The guy was fairly obviously into appearing feminine, so it made sense that he'd want the roots. A little strange, but then, Naruto had two other conscious beings living inside him, so he ranked high up there as well.

They finally managed to finish up Haku's list, and began to hunt through the forest for the red silk grass. After a few minutes of silence, Haku broached the subject. "You know, when you first found me, you seemed pretty angry about something. I hate to pry, but if you've calmed down and want to talk about it, well, I'm interested."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully as he glanced around. "Well. To put it simply, I lost a fight. Really badly. Couldn't even touch my opponent. And after all the crap that I said, I just feel like my words meant nothing in the long run. It…ugh." He clenched his fists. "Sorry. She said some things that I didn't take too kindly, and as a result I'm a little strung out about it. Sannin or no, that was embarrassing…"

Haku paused and stared at the boy. "Wait. You fought Tsunade of the Sannin?" And you're still able to stand and talk about it afterward?

Naruto blinked. "Yeah. How do you know about her?"

Haku swore mentally. "Are you kidding? Even civilians know about the Sannin. They're the stuff of legends. I mean, you don't fight Hanzo the Salamander to a standstill and not get recognized everywhere you go. I didn't realize they were here." Then the boy frowned. "What on earth did she say that made you want to fight her at all?"

Naruto scowled. "She insulted the memory of someone I hold dear. I wanted to set her right."

"So you fought one of the strongest kunoichi in the world because of that?" Haku tilted his head. Zabuza had not taught anything like that. You picked your fights and you picked them well. Fighting such an uphill battle for sentimental reasons was a little strange to him.

"Kinda." Naruto smiled grimly. "Looking back, I never stood a chance, but I'm pretending that I gave as good as I got. I just wanted to make sure that she knew that saying that kind of stuff about the old man wasn't gonna fly."

---

Tsunade was running at him. Naruto grabbed at an ofuda, softly whispering the incantation. He had maybe three seconds, and would be cutting it close even with that. He finished the spell just as she reached him, his voice having risen to a cry. Then, her motion stopped entirely before him, as his will, the manifold roots, held her in place.

Tsunade inhaled sharply as roots tore up through the ground to grapple her, freezing her forward charge. Mokuton? Impossible! Nobody but grandfather ever… She ground her teeth together, and summoned up her strength.

Naruto's jaw dropped. He was used to his illusions failing. He was inexperienced, it wasn't really expected of him to have constant long-lasting, or even positive results, and his success rate during his training had actually been astonishingly high. But that wasn't what was happening in front of him. He watched as, through sheer belief in her own strength, she overpowered the grasping roots. That was bad. So Naruto stepped forward, and drove a strong fist into her stomach. And then cried out in pain. It was like he had punched steel.

"Did you really think I wasn't going to reinforce the obvious spots, brat?" She grinned malevolently. Her arms flexed, and the surety of her strength shattered the illusion. She looked at her arms, then back at Naruto. "An illusion? Hey, not bad, brat. Unfortunately, you reminded me of someone I didn't want to think about." She raised her hand to strike him, but was interrupted. There was a dull sound of impact, and her body jumped a little before she sank to her knees as her mind attempted to translate the sensation of pain and discomfort she was feeling.

Naruto looked down at her, and smiled cheekily. "Not every obvious spot, apparently." Then he was turning, pivoting on his left foot. His right leg, bent and coiled, unwound, driving his foot into her collarbone with all the force he could muster.

Tsunade flew back a few yards. Naruto held his breath for a moment, exhaling when he saw her stir. It had been a calculated risk to strike near her neck, especially with her so disoriented, but irritation and anger had driven him to take that risk. "Come on. I thought you were supposed to be a big deal. Don't know why they'd want you for a Hokage if this is all you can do."

Her head rose and she glared at him, and Naruto froze. He was used to killing intent and the pressure of presence. They rarely gave him pause anymore, in part because of prana-bindu, in part because of simple experience. He was not used to the feeling she was giving off. If he had to pin it…fury? Maybe that first kick hadn't been an excellent idea.

She disappeared, and it was only through sheer will that Naruto managed to unlock his body, pivoting to catch her kick in a cross guard. He gave a weak cry when the kick nearly broke his arms, the force knocking his arm into his face and drawing blood from his nose and throwing him down the street. He was back on his feet before his momentum had halted, sliding the last few feet to a stop. Okay. Blocking is a bad idea.

He kicked off to close the ground between them, but his charge was interrupted when she appeared in front of him, kneeling on the ground. She rose in a broad, fast uppercut that would have caught Naruto in the gut had he not thrown himself to the left in time. As it was, the sheer power she swung with made a whip-like crack in the air. Naruto managed to land on his feet, and stared at her in consternation. "What the hell are you?"

"I'm pissed." Tsunade replied. Then she was moving again. Naruto drew another charm, beginning another incantation, dodging her wild swings. From a purely technical standpoint, her form was atrocious; Naruto spotted several openings he could have exploited during her assault. However, on a purely instinctual level, she was terrifying, and her massive strength and polished speed meant that she didn't even need to score a direct hit to deal damage. As much as he wanted to break open her form, she simply recovered too fast for him to be able to get away unpunished.

So he had to make his own opening. He finished, and in his mind's eye he watched as the roots grabbed at her again. She smirked. "I've already broken this once, brat. I can do it again." She lunged, and shock passed across her face when it held.

"Don't assume every illusion is the same," Naruto intoned, and then drove his open right palm against her abdomen, and kept it there. He grabbed her extended arm with his left and turned, hauling her over his shoulder, using his right arm for additional leverage. She landed harshly a few feet away, and the illusion broke. She was up on her feet instantly, ready to defend from another assault. Naruto, however, sank into a loose stance that kept his options for movement open.

She stepped in, Naruto stepped back. Two steps forward, two steps back. His eyes analyzed her for any sign of movement, saw her tense, but could not react in time. She dashed in, her arm shooting up in a short uppercut. Naruto bent backward, the fist coming up just in front of his face. He smirked, preparing to step in and lay into her after her missed swing.

Then he noticed that his foot wasn't moving. More than that, his legs weren't following any commands. Wait, that uppercut, did she-

"Did she hit my jaw?" His eyes darted to where Tsunade was standing, smirking in triumph. "That's what you're thinking, right? I hit the tip of your jaw, just barely, but enough to short out your ability to control your legs by knocking your brain around. Hard to do unless you're lucky, or you know the body as well as I do. You fought well, brat. But not well enough."

Naruto barely saw the punch coming, testament to its speed. His legs still refused to move; even as he tried to twist out of the way, he knew it was pointless. He grunted as it caught him in the stomach, and his mind understood instinctively that it was over. She reached up and grabbed him by the shoulders, and spun, hurling him a long ways down the street with a decent measure of strength. Even as he hit the ground and began to roll, bile was rising from his throat. He barely managed to push himself up onto his arms as he vomited.

"You're not too bad, runt. Better than some chuunin I've fought, I'll tell you that much. But you're not good enough, not to give me a run for my money. You'd better get yourself looked at. " Tsunade called out to him, then turned away, and began to stride off. "Shizune, come. Jiraiya, I'll see you later, I imagine."

"Yeah, sure." Jiraiya commented, then began walking toward Naruto. The blond glared after Tsunade's back weakly, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Then his arms gave out. Kakashi and Jiraiya both rushed forward, and eased him upright. Jiraiya was a little surprised to find that Naruto was crying. Despite the situation, the Toad Sage smiled a little. It was surprisingly easy to forget that he's still just a kid. He reached out and patted Naruto's head. "Let it out."

The trio sat in the middle of the battered street for five minutes as Naruto cried, damning "that old hag" and "the old man" in between sniffles. When he finally calmed down enough, Jiraiya sat next to him and looked up at the afternoon sky. "You know, she's really not that bad a person. She drew a bad hand in life, and has been dealing with the fallout ever since."

"I don't care." Naruto said glumly.

Jiraiya chuckled and continued. "Give me a few days to work on her. I'm really no good at leading anyone. Her, though…" His gaze turned slightly lecherous. "She could lead me anywhere." He glanced over at Naruto and Kakashi, who gave him blank and horrified looks respectively. He cleared his throat. "She's good at inspiring confidence and isn't the type of person to back down at all when she really gets into it. Like I said, give me a few days."

"Well, the construction is moving along, so we'll have another week or two. No telling when Zabuza will make another move though." Kakashi mused.

"Oh? Zabuza, the Devil of the Mist? You certainly make big enemies, Kakashi. I'd be careful, if I were you." Jiraiya teased.

"Yeah." Kakashi nodded. "I've been doing workouts ever since. Everyone on the team has, with the exception of this guy." The Copy-Nin dropped his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "He hasn't participated in any of our exercises, he either watches or does his own thing."

Naruto scowled and batted Kakashi's hand off, which caused Jiraiya to grin. "That's because you're teaching them stuff that I have no idea about. Stuff I'll probably never actually use."

"Oi. You have to learn some of that stuff if you plan on being a ninja."

"That's what you think. My onmyoujutsu is more than enough." Naruto grumbled.

Jiraiya blinked and looked at Kakashi. "Onmyoujutsu? What the hell are they teaching in Konoha these days?"

"I didn't learn anything in Konoha. Weren't you paying attention?" Naruto stood up and turned to face Jiraiya. "I'm the Sakurazukamori. Sakurazuka Naruto. Tell that old hag that if she wants to fight, she's welcome anytime. I'll get strong, and then I'll drag her back unconscious if I have to. She'll pay penance to the old man by following in his footsteps."

Jiraiya outright laughed. "Sure, kid. I'll tell her."

Naruto nodded, and turned to walk away. Kakashi called after him. "Oi, where are you going?"

"To find the herbs for Kiba's poultice. I'll be back before sunset."

---

Naruto blanched at the memory, only to realize that Haku was staring at him, and that he had not said a word in the last minute or so. He summarized the events briefly, and Haku nodded. They finally reached a patch of red silk grass and knelt, then began to collect it.

"That's some story." Haku smiled. "That you went through all of that just for the memory of someone is pretty impressive. Was he that important to you?" At Naruto's nod, Haku hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose I can understand that. But I mean, if he's gone, what are you making yourself stronger for?"

Naruto paused in his work. "I don't know." He finally admitted. "I mean, there's a lot of work I have to do as part of my inherited position, but I don't know if that really qualifies as a reason."

Haku frowned. "Don't you have anyone precious to you? That you would do anything to protect?"

The blond nodded. "Several hundred, actually, but I don't live with them anymore."

Haku's arms dropped to his side as he stared at Naruto, who had resumed pulling the grass out. "You…don't? Were they killed?" The thought that he would leave those people behind otherwise was alien.

"No. It was a…I guess kind of a self-imposed exile. I learned everything I needed to learn, and had to move on."

"How could you leave them?" Haku began to tremble slightly. Even the thought of leaving Zabuza's service was terrifying.

"I had no real choice. I'd have loved to stay. But I know now that if I had, I'd never go anywhere. I would stagnate. And in my line of work, that's not really acceptable."

"Ninja don't really travel that often outside of missions." Haku had to interject.

"Oh. I'm not really a ninja." Naruto gestured to his forehead, and Haku finally seemed to register the lack of the protector with some surprise. "I'm…it's difficult to explain. Nevermind."

Silence fell on them again as they continued to work. Then, Naruto finally spoke up. "So how about you, Haku? Do you have a precious person?"

Haku nodded fervently. "Oh yes. He's taken care of me for a long time. I've tried my best to be useful and to further his cause, and I think it's because he's there for me that I can be as strong as I am."

Naruto hummed. "I suppose that's admirable. Don't you think you'd be even stronger if you built that strength around yourself though? Basing the pillar of your strength on something as unstable as someone else's life seems risky. If something happened to-"

"Nothing will ever happen to him!" Haku glared at Naruto, who seemed rather taken back. "Nothing will ever happen to him. If anyone ever tries to kill him…I'll kill them!" Naruto blinked, rather surprised by the look in Haku's eyes. They were similar to his. Haku had killed before.

Slowly, the young onmyouji nodded. "I believe you."

"Oh, there you are, Naruto." Kakashi's voice came into the clearing.

Naruto watched, perplexedly, as Haku suddenly sank, before his knees gave out and sent him to the ground. Setting his collection of red silk grass down, he jogged over to Haku, and helped the boy back up onto his feet. "Kakashi. I told you I'd be back this evening. What's the deal?"

"We're having a meeting, and we need you there to discuss – who's your friend?" As Kakashi himself came into the small clearing, he saw Haku, and waved in greeting, getting a hesitant wave in return.

"This is Haku. He helped me gather the red silk grass for Kiba." At the reminder, Haku unslung the pouch containing his share and handed it to Naruto. Grinning, Naruto accepted it, and stuffed the remaining grass into the pouch. "When I get back, while we're having the meeting I can get to making it. Kiba should be good as new inside a day."

"Good to hear. We should get going then. Haku, it was nice to meet you."

"…nice to meet you too, sir." Haku responded hesitantly.

Kakashi frowned underneath the mask, tilting his head lightly and looking at Haku. The boy seemed to tense up slightly, and then Kakashi turned around and began to walk off. Naruto began to follow. As he reached the clearing, he turned to Haku. "Hey, this was fun. Maybe if you're free in two days we can meet in the village?"

"Eh?" Haku blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah. We can talk some more. I think it'd be fun." Naruto grinned.

Haku couldn't restrain a smile. The boy's enthusiasm was infectious. "I'll see what I can do."

Naruto waved, then turned and jogged to catch up to Kakashi.

---

"Where were you?" Haku's head snapped to the right as Zabuza spoke. Having just gotten back, Haku had hoped to get dinner started before waking Zabuza. That was impossible now.

"I was out collecting some things while you were asleep, I didn't want to wake you." Haku turned to look at the missing-nin. He was still pretty banged up from the fight with Kakashi and the Konoha genin. Haku hadn't been lying entirely about the white peony roots; the muscle relaxants were almost necessary for Zabuza at this point in his recovery. Another week or so and the man would be back on his feet, but until then… "I actually managed to get enough supplies to last us until you're as good as new. Took the help of a boy though."

"Oh? Is Haku finally showing interest in boys?" Haku could hear the grin Zabuza wore in the smugness of his voice. "Do I finally get to be an overprotective dad?"

"This boy happens to be the same blond child that you fought against a few days ago." Haku had to restrain the grin as the older man tensed slightly. She waved her hand to calm him down. "Relax. He didn't recognize me. Our secret is safe, for the time being. I was a little worried when Kakashi showed up though. I kind of reacted to his voice, but passed it off as a collapse. I don't think Naruto-kun caught it, and Kakashi didn't seem to register me as a threat."

"Tch. Well, as long as they don't see you enough to piece together that you were the Hunter-nin who got me away from them, it'll be fine." Zabuza rolled his neck back to stare at the ceiling.

"…that may be difficult. I kind of promised Naruto I would meet him in town in two days."

Zabuza blinked. "Did you agree on a date with a kid who can't be more than thirteen?"

"It's not a date!" Haku frowned. "It's…nevermind." She chose to ignore Zabuza's retort as she set the basket of herbs down and began to sift through the pantries of their (temporary, stolen) home in search of something to cook. "Anyways. Thanks to Naruto-kun, I've learned some interesting news. Were you aware that Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin are in town?"

Zabuza looked at her. "Really? Are they here on a mission?"

Haku shook her head. "Near as I could glean from what Naruto told me, they're not affiliated with Konoha anymore. We shouldn't have too much to worry about as long as we don't provoke them." Gathering several ingredients, she began to dice vegetables, taking some of the herbs out to be prepared in Zabuza's portion.

"Wow. The Sannin, here. I know it sounds strange coming from me, but I'm a little disappointed they're not here on business. Fighting one of them…honestly sounds like a lot of fun."

Haku gave him a strange look. "You can't be serious. That's practically suicide! We've all heard the stories. It took a man on Kage level to be able to fight off all three of them at the same time, and they've only had opportunities to get stronger since then. Even fighting one of them, especially in your condition, is ludicrous." She was appalled. Zabuza was usually far more restrained than this. Was there something in the herbs that was affecting him that she hadn't counted on? An adverse reaction? Or… "Zabuza-sama, I told you not to get into the cannabis!"

"Watch your tongue, girl." Zabuza growled. Haku's body tensed immediately as pure, unmitigated killing intent flooded over her. "You're overstepping your place." He turned his head away, and after a few seconds he heard the chopping resume. "You're certainly energetic today. Is love in the air?" He sneered. "Fraternizing with the enemy? Did something else happen in the forest that I should be aware of?"

He would have continued, but for her response. "No sir." Haku said softly, her head bowed. Zabuza sighed and closed his mouth. He wouldn't apologize, because he wasn't really sorry. But he would at least give her a minor reprieve.

The house was filled with the soft noises of Haku's cooking. After a time, she set the meal down before Zabuza, and then rose to leave. "Where are you going?"

"I…"

"Eat. In here, for once."

Haku turned to face him, a trembling smile on her face. She nodded. "Yes, Zabuza-sama." She grabbed her own meal and sat down on the floor across from Zabuza and began to eat.

Zabuza watched her for a moment and then tore into his meal with a voracity born of extreme hunger. It was a moment of peace and quiet for the family of two.

---

Naruto finally stepped into the old man's house. He felt incredibly sore, both from his earlier beating, and from the workout he had forced himself through alongside Team 7. Kakashi had been putting them through various teamwork-building exercises, and Naruto had to admit that he was fairly impressed with the coordination they were showing, even if they still had several personality issues to work around.

"You look like shit." A blunt statement from his right. Naruto looked over lazily, and saw the runt of the family standing there – Inari, if Naruto recalled. His arms were crossed and he bore a look of mild disgust. "Seriously, what are you even working yourself this hard for? It's pointless, you know."

"I'm sure as hell not working this hard for you. Most of this comes from fighting with someone who outclassed me severely." Naruto growled. The last thing he needed was to be dealing with some ungrateful little brat. Seriously, people were risking their lives and he acted like this? God help the person who actually saved his life, they'd never hear the end of it.

"You really are dumb. Fighting all these battles you can't win. We're screwed. You guys should just pack up and go ho-" Inari was cut off as Naruto shoved him against the wall. "Hey! Get off me!" He began to struggle, but was unable to dislodge Naruto. "I said get off!"

"Now who's fighting a battle he can't win? Shouldn't you just give up and accept the fact that I'm stronger than you?"

"You're…you're hurting me!" Inari grunted in pain. Naruto withdrew his arm, and the boy collapsed on the ground, glaring up at Naruto with teary eyes. "What the hell was that for?!"

"That was for insulting the work that everyone's been doing. Everyone works so hard and you sit here and say that it's pointless? You're weak." Naruto stared down at Inari. "You want to give up without a fight on the off-chance that it'll hurt less. I can understand that. People dislike pain, and go to great lengths to avoid it. But confronting people like Gato, even if it means pain and death? That's what makes these people strong. And that's what makes you a kid."

"Sh-shut up!" Inari snarled. "You're only saying that because you don't know what Gato's done here! He's already killed people, and he's going to do it again! You'll die if you stay!"

Naruto looked down at him, and then sighed and shook his head. "Nevermind." Then he turned and walked away.

In the kitchen, he found Tsunami, who was dutifully working on preparing dinner. He sat down at the table, and grabbed one of the prepared ice packs – he had been surprised at how quickly the lady of the house adapted to having such needy guests around and what those needs were – to apply to his stomach. He winced tenderly.

"You should give him a break, you know." Tsunami said softly. "Gato…he killed someone important to Inari."

"He's not the only one who's had someone close to him die." Naruto responded. "I've lost important people too."

"Yes, but Inari is, well, too much my son, I think. I was seeing a man. Not Inari's father, but he might as well have been. He taught Inari well. And I think Inari would be stronger if not for the fact that he died opposing Gato."

"Strength based on someone else is bound to fail. If he wants strength, he should find it for himself."

"Is that what you've learned, Naruto-san?"

"Yes."

"You must live such a lonely life." Tsunami said at last.

Naruto was taken back. And then, after a moment thinking on it, he nodded slowly. "You're probably right." He glanced back into the hall where he'd come from. "Inari." Guiltily, the boy appeared in the doorway. "Want to know why I fought that person?"

Inari blinked, and then hesitantly walked over to the table and sat down across from Naruto.

"She insulted the memory of a person I loved a lot. He was probably the closest thing to a father, or grandfather, that I ever had when I was really small. I never want to hear anyone say anything bad about him. So I fought her. Even though I never stood a chance of winning, as long as I could protect my memories, it was fine. As long as I could fight for the old man, it was fine." Naruto smiled lightly. "The guy your mom talked about, sounds like he's someone you want to remember for a long time too. Right?"

Inari nodded fervently.

"Then you should pick up where he left off. I'm sure that the old man would want me to do the same." Naruto snorted. "Listen to me. I sound like a cartoon character." Despite himself, Inari couldn't help but laugh. And Naruto soon joined him.

For several minutes, the kitchen was filled with the sound of both of them laughing at a joke that wasn't really funny.

Tsunami simply smiled and continued to cook.

---

"Shizune." The dark-haired woman looked up from her meal abruptly. She had been on-edge since the fight earlier that day, and the fact that Tsunade was (generally) an angry drunk who was currently downing bottle after bottle of alcohol was not helping. She wasn't in any immediate danger, but the establishment and customers certainly were.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" She kept her tone neutral as best she could.

"Have I ever told you about my grandfather?"

Shizune had to pause and think. Tsunade rarely ever talked about her family, but when she did, it was usually about Nawaki, or maybe her mother. "No, I don't think you have."

"He was…strong." The odd timbre in Tsunade's voice made Shizune focus on her teacher. "Nobody was stronger. But he'd always pass it off, saying that he cheated by using stuff that was already there. Everyone knew though. Nobody fought him, except for great-uncle Tobi." She smiled bitterly. "I was ten when he died. The worst thing? It wasn't even a fight that took his life. It was some stupid infection from some war he couldn't even remember that had taken decades to kill him."

Shizune blinked. "Tsunade-sama…"

"I was heartbroken. Grandfather was dead. No glorious last stand, just some stupid slow death. What an insipid way for a Hokage to go out." Tsunade scowled. "I never wanted that to happen again."

Shizune nodded slowly. Things were starting to make sense. "So you eventually…" Her voice trailed off. She knew where this was going. She knew all-too-well how her uncle and teacher had been connected.

Her eyebrow twitched. Far too well.

"Yeah. I proposed the medic-nin as a step toward preventing that." The busty woman nodded. "That, and mandatory checkups after battles and missions. It's a shame they never listened."

"Tsunade-sama, I-"

"That brat. Naruto, wasn't it? He reminded me of grandfather during the fight. I guess it was an illusion, but for a moment I was so certain that he had used grandfather's techniques." Tsunade leaned back in her seat and stared up at the ceiling swirling the sake bottle. "It scared me, but it also reminded me of him. Do you remember the Will of Fire bullshit Sarutobi used to spout all the time?"

Shizune shook her head. "No, I don't. I think we left before I enrolled in the academy proper."

Tsunade laughed. "Consider yourself lucky. The man was a second father to me, but if you ever got him started on Konoha, he wouldn't stop for at least an hour. It was always Jiraiya who would irritate him into one of those lectures too. But the whole Will of Fire, grandfather founded Konoha on those principles. My father used to joke that the Will of Fire, rather than grandfather's Mokuton, was the Senju's special technique." She barked a humorless laugh. "I always thought that it skipped my generation."

Shizune tilted her head curiously. "You thought?"

"I need a drink." Tsunade set the empty sake bottle down. "Mind getting me a refill, Shizune?" She handed it over to her apprentice. Shizune gave her a skeptical look, before sighing and rising to go get the bottle refilled. Pressing her forehead into her cupped palms, Tsunade couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Maybe I thought wrong."

---

"Haku! Hey!" The young woman looked up when she heard her name being called. A smile bloomed when she saw Naruto running full tilt at her. In fact, perhaps a little too full-tilt; recognizing that he wasn't going to be able to stop, she stepped aside, a little too slow. Naruto snagged her foot with his own and went down.

With an abbreviated laugh and a concerned look, she knelt next to the boy, who was whimpering in pain. However, as quickly as he fell, he was back up on his feet, and tugging on her hand. "Come on, come on! Let's have fun!"

Haku blinked, stumbling the first few steps. Naruto was a veritable bundle of energy, not at all like he had been two days earlier. She had to smile; it was rather endearing seeing him so happy. She caught herself and followed after him. "So what did you have in mind?"

"I dunno. Mostly just wandering around, I guess. We didn't get to look too much, and this place is pretty big. You know any good places?" Naruto paused, and turned around and around, humming as he looked in every direction.

Haku thought to herself. No, she didn't know any good places, because she rarely ever came into the town proper. But she couldn't really say that, not if she wanted to keep him from figuring her out. What did she know about Nam-

"Oh! We can go to all those weapon shops! There was stuff that looked cool there!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, and was on the move again, hauling her along by the arm.

This time, Haku couldn't restrain her laughter, and Naruto joined in. They were soon walking along Killer's Street. Naruto peeked into every shop, testing out various items. He eventually found a heavily stylized kaiken, the sheathe engraved with a famous haiku about sakura flowers in war. "Oh no. No, no."

Haku blinked. "What's the matter?"

"I can't buy this. If I buy this, I'm going to go overboard. It will never leave my hands for at least a month. I can't." And yet, even as he protested, his hand itched toward his wallet.

She smiled. "What if I were to buy it and just conveniently forget it?"

Naruto gave her a look that was both betrayed and hopeful. "I couldn't allow that."

Silence seemed to settle between them, and Naruto could swear that he heard someone whistle a few high notes before dropping to a low tone. Haku twitched and Naruto was already grabbing his wallet and throwing down the money to pay for it.

She pouted, and he smiled. "Look, I couldn't let you pay for it. And I did want it, so…" He grabbed the kaiken, and drew the blade, looking at it joyously. "I'll use you a lot, I promise." Haku couldn't help but laugh as he nuzzled the hilt affectionately before sheathing it and stowing it in his obi.

"Do you even know how to use a kaiken, Naruto-san?" She finally asked.

"Well, I know how to use blades about the same size. It was about all that Mitsuomi-sensei would let me learn. Was never as good with them as I was at Hakkyokuken, though." He smiled, in embarrassment and at the fond memories that his instruction recalled.

Haku paused. "Hakkyokuken…Eight Extremes Fist? That's kind of an archaic martial art, isn't it?"

Naruto grinned, and Haku had to repress the urge to shudder at the carnivorous hints that lay underneath the gesture. "I learned the Eight Infinities Palm. There's a difference, believe me."

Feeling a small coil of dread settle itself in her stomach, she nodded. "I do."

Then he was dragging her off again. "Naruto-san, wait, can we just rest a moment?!"

She didn't pay attention to the flash of blonde as Naruto hauled her down the road.

---

The sun was beginning to touch the tree-line when they finally sat down for dinner at a restaurant. Haku thanked whatever gods were listening for the reprieve. She hadn't counted on Naruto being so active constantly. Where does he get it all from? She stole glances at him as she analyzed the menu; he didn't notice, being so intent on selecting his meal. She shook her head and smiled.

Their orders were taken. They had just received their drinks when a boisterous voice called over. "Why, if it isn't the brat!" Naruto twitched, and slowly turned his head. Now standing by the table were two women. Haku tilted her head curiously.

"Oi. Old hag. What do you want?" Naruto glared half-heartedly at her. The blonde woman rapped her knuckles on his head. "Ow."

"That's no way to talk to a woman. Oh, but I suppose you're annoyed because I'm interrupting your date, right?" She smiled. Haku had to restrain the urge to blush.

Naruto did no such thing. He pointed at Haku and managed to stammer out "Wait, no, Haku's a guy! We're not on a date!"

The woman turned an appraising eye on Haku, and she felt a sinking feeling in her gut about who this woman was. "I see. A guy? Well, my apologies then, Haku-san." She smiled, and managed to conceal any sign of distrust, which Haku found rather admirable. The woman extended her hand. "Tsunade. My friend here is Shizune."

Oh fuck me. Haku smiled sweetly. "It's not a problem. I get that response a lot." She did her best to avoid shifting uncomfortably under the Sannin's gaze. It was very hard not to. Please just go away.

"Would you two mind scooting over? I mean, since we're here, might as well eat together."

Double fuck me. Haku began to move over. Shizune sat next to her, and Naruto likewise moved over, allowing Tsunade to take a seat next to him.

"So, old hag, what are you doing here?"

"Hey." Tsunade rapped Naruto on the forehead with her knuckles again. "I told you, that's no way to talk to a woman. Anyways, I finished my gambling run for the day, and decided to come get a bite to eat. Didn't expect to run into you at all."

Haku was flabbergasted. Please tell me he's not gullible enough to actually fall for that. It was fairly obvious, in hindsight, now that Haku thought it about it, that they had been tailed. She kicked herself mentally for not noticing before; of course a Sannin would be good at redirecting attention when it came down to it.

"Oh, I see." Naruto nodded in understanding. Haku barely managed to resist planting her forehead in her palm. "Did Jiraiya pass along my message?"

"Yeah, he did." Tsunade responded amiably. "It's an interesting proposition. So what do you say we turn it into a wager?"

"A wager?" Naruto tilted his head. "What did you have in mind?"

"Jiraiya mentioned that you were protecting a bridge builder, and things got a little hairy. You manage to kill the guy trying to off the bridge builder, I'll agree to your demands. Anyone else gets the kill, you become my servant."

Haku started, and her knee bumped into Shizune's. She apologized with a weak chuckle, and went back to staring at the table. Zabuza-sama…

"I refuse." Three pairs of eyes turned to Naruto, who was fixated on Tsunade.

"Oh? You're going to give up your mission that fast?" Tsunade snorted. "I thought you were supposed to be dedicated."

"Dedication has nothing to do with it. You're making a bet on someone's life. That's sick." He shook his head. "If those're the only terms you're offering, I want nothing to do with it."

Tsunade paused for a moment, and then smiled. She reached out and ruffled the boy's hair. "You sure are stubborn, for a brat. All right, fine. Show me something worthwhile, and I'll give you this." She tugged on her necklace.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune gasped.

"A necklace?" Naruto blinked, and tilted his head. "I don't see what's so important about that."

"This necklace belonged to the First Hokage. My grandfather." Tsunade spoke softly. Naruto frowned.

"If it's something like that, why would you give it to me? I mean, placing something like that on a bet is…"

"You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago." Tsunade smiled weakly. "He was every bit as stubborn and headstrong as you were. He had a lot of power, too, and used it to protect everyone in Konoha. I know that you've said that you can't consider Konoha your home. But maybe, maybe if you're always carrying around a little piece of it with you, you'll start to understand. What it meant to him, and what it meant to all of the Hokages."

Naruto stared up at her for a long moment. And then he nodded. "I accept then. I'll give you a hell of a show."

The tense mood that hung over the table gradually began to lift, and by the time everyone had their food, they were chatting fairly animatedly about various things. Even Haku began to feel a little at home. That thought startled her. She momentarily stopped paying attention to the conversation, turning that thought over in her head. This sense of safety, security, and warmth…even with Zabuza, she'd never felt quite this way. It felt nice.

It scared her with its tempting promise.

"Haku, you okay?" Naruto waved his hand in front of her face.

"Ah? Oh, sorry. I got distracted by something." She smiled.

Eventually, she looked out at the sky and saw that it was very dark. "Oh dear. I think I need to be going."

"Oh?" Tsunade smiled. "Let me walk you out. Shizune, keep Naruto company for a moment." She got up, and Haku felt fear crystallize in her stomach. Shizune got up, and Haku exited, smiling pleasantly at Tsunade, who hooked her arm around Haku's own and led her out. When they got far enough away that only elevated voices would reach the restaurant, Tsunade let go and turned to face Haku. "Listen very carefully to what I'm about to say."

Haku gulped.

"I don't know what game you're trying to play with Naruto. Lying about being male and all of that. But judging by the way you reacted to my first wager with Naruto, you're associated with the man who's actively trying to kill him and his companions. I doubt you have control over your friend, but let me make myself perfectly clear. If you hurt Naruto, either personally or through your friend, I will hunt you down and make your life a living hell. Do we have an understanding?"

Haku nodded rapidly. Tsunade released her arm, and stepped back. Slowly, Haku began to retreat.

"I won't say anything to him. If you want to tell him, that's your prerogative. But keep my warning in mind."

Haku vanished before her eyes, and Tsunade sighed. Damn brat. You just had to go and revive this "Will of Fire" crap. Sarutobi and grandfather are laughing their asses off right now, I bet. Then she turned and began to make her way back to the restaurant.

---

"Excellent!" Kakashi voiced his glee as he defended himself from the onslaught. Team 7 plus Akamaru were forcing him to yet another level as part of their coordinated assault. It had taken him a relatively short amount of time to actually determine the layout of his team, and had thus given them exercises designed to play to their roles. He hadn't been surprised to discover that Kiba was the technical fighter; the kid was a wild beast, but Inuzuka taijutsu had a very formulaic approach and Tsume had done a fantastic job teaching her son. Sasuke had been another obvious one. Knowing what he did about the Sharingan, Kakashi had elected to make him the Jack-of-All-Trades of the group; equal parts frontliner, support, and artillery.

No, the real surprise had been Sakura. He'd had his theories after watching her punch out one of the Demon Brothers on the way to Nami no Kuni, but after the tree-climbing exercise where she mastered it in one go, Kakashi had confirmed it. Sakura was a bruiser with a fantastic talent for channeling chakra to the appropriate body part. He knew for a fact that he didn't have the technical expertise required to get the most out of it, so she would need another teacher. He also knew that Gai would hardly protest another student learning Gouken. If she learned the specifics of chakra reinforcement alongside Gouken, Kakashi had no doubt she would be an incredible fighter.

Kakashi ducked underneath a high kick from Kiba, extending his arm to catch the low kick from Akamaru in Beast-Human Clone form. He swung Akamaru's body into the path of a broad swing from Sakura, then let go, using Kiba's body as a shield from Sasuke, who was currently in the back, attempting to locate an opening in the frenzied melee to unleash his kunai or a small Katon jutsu. The boy's eyes, reddened by his active doujutsu, tracked Kakashi's movement and the movements of his teammate with ease, but could not find an opening to exploit. He grunted with irritation and stepped forward.

"Match, Kakashi." Naruto called out from the sidelines. The frenzied melee halted at the announcement, and four heads turning to him in question. The onmyouji gestured at Sasuke's foot, and much to the Uchiha's chagrin, he had, in fact, broken the rules of engagement. He had been ordered not to move unless he was turning to follow the combat, and provide long-range support. The step had declared his intent to close, which signaled the end of the bout.

Kiba collapsed onto the ground, and Akamaru followed suit, the Juujin Bunshin breaking. Akamaru panted, but gave a pleased growl when Kiba reached over and scratched him behind the ears. Sakura placed her hands on her knees and hunched over, trying to catch her breath. Sasuke simply scowled as he walked over. Kiba looked up at him, and the two seemed about ready to come to blows. The last week had put everyone on edge, waiting for Zabuza's inevitable attack, and Kiba and Sasuke's relationship had been strained to the breaking point.

"Sorry." Sasuke said at length.

Kiba blinked. "Huh?"

The Uchiha growled. "I'm sorry. I screwed up. I should have trusted that you guys would have gotten him to a place where I could hit him, but I was too impatient."

The clearing was silent for a moment, and then Kiba laughed. He laughed hard. Sasuke's face darkened in anger and he raised his arm, ready to punch out the dog nin. However, in between laughs, Kiba managed to gasp out "I'm sorry, I just never expected you would apologize. It's not what I expect from you at all." Forcing himself back up onto his feet, Kiba turned to face Sasuke, his grin still present. "Apology accepted. We've both been making stupid mistakes lately. We've got better things to do than fight." He shoved his hand out.

Sasuke paused, momentarily, then smirked and grabbed Kiba's. They shook once, and then dropped their hands back to their sides.

Kakashi smiled. "I think you're truly on your way to becoming Team Seven at last."

Naruto took a moment to glance at the timepiece on his wrist. "It's eight-thirty. Tazuna should be preparing to head out."

The activity in the clearing halted, and the dull weight of the mission set in on them again. After a moment of reflection, a mandatory exercise Kakashi enforced for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was to cool tensions after rough training sessions, the group began to prepare for their daily excursion to the bridge.

On the way out, Naruto was accosted by Inari, who handed him the lunch that had been made for Tazuna. "Oh come on, why do I have to carry it? Ask one of the others, or make the old man do it himself."

Inari smirked. "Not a chance. You'll have to deal with it."

Naruto grumbled in irritation before giving the young boy a gentle shove. "You have that charm I gave you, right?" When Inari nodded, Naruto grinned. "Good. Remember, if you're ever in trouble, just do what I told you, and the charm should help."

Inari smiled. "Got it. Good luck, and keep grampa safe!"

"You got it, kid." Kakashi motioned. "Let's go."

---

"Wha-what happened?!" Tazuna fell to his knees. More than half of the bridge construction crew were littered about the site in varying states of dismemberment. Bodies torn apart in random segments, blood everywhere, it was a gruesome sight. Naruto scowled; Kiba and Sakura looked away in disgust. Tazuna ran forward, and the group hesitantly followed. They caught up with the old man, kneeling beside a coworker who was on the verge of death. "Mimura! Who did this?!"

"It was..." Mimura vomited blood on his chest. "It was a monster." His eyes began to twitch as the pain worsened.

"Stand back." Naruto said, walking over to kneel next to the man. "He's in pain." He fished an ofuda tag from his sleeves, and after a brief chant, pressed it to the man's forehead. Mimura's twitching lessened, and he finally relaxed on the ground. When he looked up at everyone, he smiled weakly. "I've blocked out most of the pain. It will make his passing easier."

"Brat..." Tazuna started.

He was interrupted by the sound of clapping. "At last, the heroes of this farce of a play appear on-stage. So sorry we had to kill the extras, but we don't need anyone stealing the spotlight away from this climax." All gazes turned to the roof of a nearby building, where two figures stood. "And now the denouement can begin. Oh, how I've waited for my chance to get revenge on you little bastards. I don't appreciate having to fight the same enemies twice."

Naruto was hating this setup more and more. Lots of water. The enemy had time to prepare beforehand. God only knew what kind of traps were waiting for them here. Kakashi was of the same mind, but before anyone could suggest a tactical retreat, Zabuza, or rather Zabuzas, were among them.

The four Mizu Bunshins hefted their swords; they were interrupted by fists and a small hail of kunai that dispersed them almost as quickly as they appeared.

"Hoho?" Zabuza jeered. "Looks like the brats have gotten better. Good."

Both figures shimmered and reappeared on the bridge, significantly closer to the group. Naruto looked away from Zabuza to his companion, the same hunter-nin who had taken Zabuza's body away after the first fight. So it had been a ruse. Clever.

But something about the way the figure moved was irritating Naruto. He had seen those movements before. Not as pronounced and combative, but...there was no mistaking it. His training in prana-bindu had allowed him to see that no two people ever moved the same, even when they practiced the same thing. This hypersensitivity to motion in the visual spectrum gave Naruto a nifty way of analyzing people for tells. And the tell that this person gave was his identity.

"Haku." He stated evenly, trying to hide the fact that his stomach was churning. The genin trio looked at him quizzically, but Naruto simply stared at the hunter-nin. Hesitantly, the figure reached up and took off its mask, revealing Haku's impassive face. "So this is what it comes down to."

"That's right." Haku responded.

Naruto was silent; Kakashi and Zabuza edged toward each other, the Team 7 genin readied themselves. Then, Naruto raised his arm and pointed at Haku. "You and me."

He saw Haku shifted uncertainly, and crouched. He didn't have it in his mind to give Haku time to think about it; his muscles coiled and then sprang, launching Naruto forward. Kakashi, knowing that Naruto was going to do something reckless, moved with him to engage Zabuza.

"Thirty percent should be enough." Zabuza said aloud, and then flashed through seals. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!" Water leapt from beneath the bridge to congeal into another Zabuza; Kakashi frowned. He didn't want to fight two at once. However, even as he began to work through the seals to form his own, the clone jumped high and long, sailing over Kakashi's head.

Immediately, Kakashi pivoted on his foot, ignoring the pain shooting through his ankle at the sudden momentum reversal, determined to catch the clone before it came into range of his students. Then he ducked as Zabuza's enormous sword cut through the space Kakashi's head had been a moment ago. Kakashi felt a dull impact in his stomach as Zabuza's foot caught him and threw him up, and then gurgled as Zabuza grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the side.

"Can't afford not to pay attention, Kakashi." Zabuza grinned. "Don't worry, I'm sure my clone will kill your brats quickly. It's not all about suffering."