DC: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 29

Naruto slept in the morning of the final attack.

The day before after his 'special' training, Naruto had fervently set upon his fuinjutsu work, and he remained working into the dead of night. Guy hadn't stopped him, guessing the blonde was creating something usable against Hiru. He was right. The day of the encounter, Guy had woken up with a note on his chest:

Sensei, could you not wake me up?

I made something that could help us

win against Hiru. The seal's design is

on the back of this note. Give it to TenTen.

She'll know what to do.

-Naruto

Guy had smiled and had awakened TenTen to show her the design. Her eyes had widened, and she let loose a string of curses before grudgingly praising Naruto. Before everyone had eaten, she had painted the design onto their backs, a process that took an hour and drew complaints from Sasuke. Satisfied with her handiwork, she had grabbed a quick bite before heading out with the rest of shinobi and Tazuna.

Now, they were just stepping onto the bridge, and Tazuna frowned as he squinted up at the scaffolding at the sides. "This place looks empty," he commented. "Strange. My men should be here by now." He hollered up the scaffolding, but no one answered. Uneasiness flicked across his face, but Tazuna pushed it away. "Lazy bums. I bet they're late."

Behind him, Guy and Kakashi exchanged glances. Kakashi had heard some of the workers whispering about desertion the day before, but he had doubted all of the workers would desert. Apparently he was wrong. Later, he wished he had been.

Farther up the bridge, they found the workers. Several lay in pools of blood with slash marks up and down their bodies, and a single one remained alive and lucid enough to recognize them and moan. Tazuna shouted in shock and knelt by the man. "What is it? Who did this?" asked the old bridge builder.

"A-a monster," sputtered the man, and then the light faded from his eyes. Everyone tensed as a familiar mist enveloped the bridge. Neji cursed inwardly, wishing he had the Byakugan again, and he summoned his tonfa, silently cursing again.

Kakashi took out a kunai. "They're here!"

Back at Tazuna's house, Naruto woke up and groggily blinked his eyes. He stretched and yawned, and Tsunami called for Inari to help with the dishes downstairs. The boy hadn't talked to Naruto since the argument, but the blonde sensed that something had changed between them. Inari didn't sneer at him or his words anymore, but instead he watched Naruto carefully when he thought the blonde wasn't looking.

Naruto dressed and gathered his gear, knowing that his team had gone ahead of him. He was just pulling on his jacket when there was a loud crash downstairs. He frowned, mind still addled by sleep, but then male voices muttered lowly, and Tsunami screamed.

In a flash, he was at the foot of the stairs, gazing at two katana-wielding men who had punched a large hole in the wall. Tsunami was in the floor, leaning against the counter. One man had shoulder-length gray hair covered with a toboggan, and his long gray jacket came down to his dark pants' knees. The other wore no shirt, baring a dragon tattoo that swirled down his arm, and an eyepatch covered his left eye. His hair was divided into two bunches, and his mouth twisted into an ugly grin at Naruto.

"A shinobi, huh? Can I cut him, Zori?" Someone ran toward them, and Inari appeared at the opposite side of the room. He froze once he saw the two swordsmen, and he huddled behind a door, eyes transfixed on them. "A brat, too? Can I cut both of them?"

Zori made a dismissive gesture. "Go ahead. We only came for one hostage." Both Naruto's and Inari's insides flipped, but when the tattooed man stepped toward Inari, Tsunami intervened.

"Don't touch him!" she shouted bravely. "If you touch him, I'll bite my tongue and kill myself! You need a hostage, right?" Zori regarded her coldly, and the tattooed man waited for an order. "Right?"

"Don't kill the boy," said Zori finally. "The shinobi, however..."

"Ha! Cuttin' time for Waraji!" He charged toward Naruto. He wasn't as fast as Naruto anticipated, who had been thinking Waraji would be at Tomitsu's level, but he was still fast enough to be threatening. Naruto ducked under a swipe and lashed out with a kick. Waraji jumped back, slicing as he did. Reacting fast, the blonde unsealed a kunai and locked blades. Waraji grinned fiercely. "You're more fun than I thought!" Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Zori leading Tsunami out of the house.

"Inari, do something besides sit there!" he yelled at the boy, still huddling behind the door. "They're taking your Kaa-san away, and you're just gonna sit there?" Waraji shoved Naruto away and swung, and the blonde dodged and delivered a punishing punch to his side. The man hunched over, coughing, and Naruto kneed him in the face. Waraji sailed back and landed roughly, blood dripping from his nose.

Naruto glanced at where Inari had been and saw that he was gone. Swearing and thinking that the boy had fled, Naruto left a clone to tie up Waraji and dashed outside to find Tsunami. He saw Inari before he saw Zori, and he inwardly smiled at the boy's courage. Zori drew his blade to cut down Inari, and Naruto went into action.

Inari screamed and closed his eyes, thinking that his life was at an end, but then he felt himself shoot backwards. He watched in wonder as Naruto slid under Zori's sword and kicked him under the chin, sending him into the air. As Zori reached the peak of his flight, Naruto appeared under him, and bandages shot from his sleeves and encased Zori. "Gotcha!" Swirling violently, they crashed through the pier and into the water. Naruto flipped away at the last second and landed near Inari.

He grinned over at the boy and his mother. "Guess I can't call you any names now, can I? A right little hero, aren't you?" Inari blushed, and Naruto patted his head. "I bet you were tired of being afraid, weren't you? The fact that your Kaa-san was in danger made you act. That's true courage." At the soft gesture and words, Inari burst into tears, much to Naruto's surprise.

"Sorry," the boy apologized. "I shouldn't cry so much. You'd call me a crybaby and all."

Naruto smiled and shook his head. "No. It's alright to cry when you're happy." He looked down into the hole where Zori bobbed in the water. He reluctantly fished him out and, with a piece of rope, tied his hands and feet. "Now, if these two attacked here, I bet someone else attacked the bridge." He turned to leave. "I can leave you in charge, right?"

Inari grinned, drying his tears. "Right!"

As the mist thickened on the bridge, Sasuke began to tremble. His face had a hungry look, a look that frightened Sakura and made TenTen understand her fright. A deep chuckle traveled through the mist. "Is my presence that terrifying? You don't even see me, and that boy is already shaking. What a joke." Suddenly, there were ten clones of the same man around them, and Team 9 saw Zabuza for the first time. With his mask, glinting eyes, and gigantic blade, he truly looked like a demon unleashed hell. "I'll stop your shaking for you."

"I'm shaking in excitement!" crowed Sasuke, pulling out a kunai and blurring between the clones. They were caught off-guard, and Sasuke managed to eliminate nine before the tenth brought his sword down. He raised his kunai as if to block, but everyone saw the mismatch between the two shinobi. Suddenly, Neji was between the two, deflecting the blade off one tonfa and jabbing the clone's chest with the other.

All of the clones popped and collapsed into puddles of water, and Tazuna gasped in suprise. Sasuke glared at Neji. "I could have taken it," he said brusquely. "You didn't have to butt in."

"You would have been killed if I hadn't," countered Neji. "He had all the advantages. He had leverage, strength, and a better weapon. Be thankful I stepped in." Sasuke didn't look the least bit thankful, and the mist cleared to reveal Zabuza and his accomplice at the bridge's other end.

"Impressive. And such speed," commented Zabuza. "You might just have a new rival, Haku, even if he's bit reckless."

"Indeed," Haku concurred, smiling behind the mask framed by long locks of brown hair. With a tied gi over a loose, striped shirt and shorts, he looked like a Wave hunter-nin, but Kakashi was much wiser now. "Even though the water clones are only one-tenth of the strength of the original, it's still a remarkable feat for one so young."

"Definitely Zabuza's ally," Kakashi said. "I was right."

Sasuke took a step toward the pair. "I'll fight the masked guy. I hate guys who use tricks. They're bastards in my book." Sakura didn't say a word, but TenTen stopped him with her staff.

"No, you don't fight him," she said. "I have a feeling things would go very, very badly if you did. Let me and Neji handle him."

Sasuke turned red and roughly pushed the staff away, and without warning, Haku sped toward Sasuke. The Uchiha barely enough time to react before his shoulder was sliced by Haku's senbon, and Neji caught Haku's next strike and held him there. "Your fight is with me and TenTen," he said. "We would be a much more entertaining show anyway."

"I do not want to kill you," Haku stated, puzzling Neji. "But I will if you stand down in my way."

"Don't kid yourself."

"I see, but don't expect to keep up with my speed next time. Plus, I already have two advantages."

"Two?"

"Yes, the water on the ground is one of them, and the other is I've occupied one of your arms. You won't be able to do anything while I attack." Neji smiled cryptically. "What are you smiling at?" Haku demanded.

"One advantage is not truly an advantage," he said. "And you've forgotten that you're fighting two people, not one." He shouted over to TenTen. "Now!" TenTen, fingers crackling with electricity, touched the water, and Neji flipped into the air. Haku was stunned for a moment, but then pain blanked out all other thoughts as his body was racked with electricity. Neji frowned as Haku fell to the ground. That was too easy.

It was. Haku popped into water, and Neji spun to stop him from stabbing him in the back. Haku kicked him back and threw a few senbon. Neji sidestepped them, and TenTen readied another Static Charge, but then Haku was upon her, slicing with senbon. She summoned her staff and swung at him, charging it as she did. He leaped back and then kicked her toward Neji.

Haku sped toward him, but Neji dodged a swipe and struck at his elbow. Haku ducked, but Neji's other tonfa was already in motion, smacking him on the jaw. To follow, Neji's foot connected just under it. Haku tumbled backwards and ended up near an amazed Zabuza. Is Haku getting slower? the man thought, Or are these kids just too good?

Sasuke stormed over to the pair. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "He was my fight, my responsibility! You shouldn't get in the way! You're a bunch of brainless fools!" He seized Neji by the collar, and the Hyuuga gazed down at him coolly. "I'd challenge you right here if those two bastards weren't here. You ought to be lucky."

"I would say the same to you," retorted Neji, shaking loose of Sasuke's grip.

Zabuza laughed as two argued, and his laugh froze the shinobi's hearts. "You know, at this rate, we'll be driven back by these bickering idiots." His eyes smiled cruelly. "We can't let that happen, now can we?"

Haku, staggering up, nodded, and the air chilled as he said, "No, we can't." Icy mist rose from his skin, and the water around Neji, TenTen, and Sasuke floated up as if controlled by something. The chill turned fierce, and TenTen shivered as her breath fogged from the cold. Neji raised his tonfa, wary of an attack.

Before they could do anything, Haku flew through a flurry of handsigns, and the water instantly froze into rectangles that organized themselves into a hemisphere around them. Almost carelessly, he stepped into one rectangle and melded into it. Then they learned what the rectangles were: mirrors. Haku's image was everywhere inside the hemisphere now.

Guy widened his eyes and ran to intervene, but Zabuza appeared in front of him and kicked him away. "Your fight is with me," he growled. "Haku will kill them."

"Frankly, I think you're making a mistake," informed Kakashi, straightening his headband, revealing a Sharingan in his right eye. "And Haku, too. Sasuke is the best rookie in the Leaf."

"And TenTen and Neji have faced fish bigger than Haku," Guy said, thinking of Sayuri. Even though they died in the process.

"Really?" Zabuza asked skeptically. "Tell me: do any of your recognize what Haku is using?"

Kakashi grimaced. "A kekkei genkai. A bloodline technique. Something I can't copy with my Sharingan." Guy turned sharply to him, and the silver-haired man looked back sadly. "I hope they can survive long enough for us to save them." He turned to his remaining students. "Sakura, Sai! Protect Tazuna while Guy and I take care of Zabuza."

The rogue ninja chuckled. "Easier said than done."

Inside the mirrors, Haku calmly asked, "Shall I begin?"

What is this? thought TenTen, This is the weirdest jutsu I've ever seen. Neji expected an attack at any second, but Sasuke, ever prideful, arrogantly puffed out his chest. "You can never hope to beat me! I'm an Uchiha! I possess the Sharingan!"

Neji frowned at him. Not exactly something I'd be proud of. Haku merely laughed lightly as if Sasuke had made a friendly joke. "Fine, Uchiha. I'll show you my true speed." All of the images shifted and grasped a senbon, but they didn't seem to move. Suddenly, Neji and the others received sharp cuts on their arms. They hadn't even seen any movement, and then the barrage came, covering their entire bodies with painful cuts. TenTen cried out, and Sakura went rigid.

"Sai, you take over!" she shouted, and she ran toward the mirrors despite Sai's protests. She threw a kunai at the mirrors and hoped to pierce them, but Haku snaked from a mirror and caught it. Her jaw dropped, but then a shuriken whizzed in from nowhere and knocked him out of the mirror. She turned and smiled at whom had thrown it.

Naruto sped in with a drawn-back fist and punched Haku in the gut. "Surprise!" He kicked him in the same place and landed several blows before Haku managed to separate himself and jump back into the mirror. "Dammit! Come back out here!" Guy couldn't help but smile at his immaturity, and Zabuza frowned in puzzlement at this new player.

"I'd rather not," said Haku, sporting new bruises. There was a silence in which the two regarded each other, one recognizing the other who did not. "Interesting," was all that he said, and then he returned to those trapped inside his mirrors. "Now, as for you three-,"

"Don't ignore me! Combination: Scorching Grand Fireball!" A tempest screamed, and with it came a roaring fireball that engulfed the mirrors. TenTen quickly erected a barrier from the fire, but they still felt the fireball's sizzling heat. When the barrier fell away, they saw that the mirror closest to Naruto had been completely melted. Three clones of Naruto dashed in to pull them out. "C'mon, Uchiha, Buns, teme! We gotta get out of here!"

Haku had different plans.

As soon as TenTen and Sasuke had been pulled from the mirror trap, the mirror reformed immediately, leaving Neji and a clone of Naruto inside the mirror. Neji glanced at the clone who was sweating. It swore colorfully and shot him an apologetic look. "Please don't tell me you're the original," he said.

"Uh, well, you see-,"

Neji sighed. "Sometimes, I gain a little respect for you, Uzumaki-san, but then you do something that makes me lose it all again."

"Hey, I'm not that bad-,"

"Sometimes you are." Neji evaluated their situation. "Well, if TenTen and Uchiha can disrupt matters outside, we might stand a chance. For the time being, we have to-," A cut appeared on his and Naruto's shoulder. "-survive!"

Neji's plan might have been sound in theory, but Sasuke made it much harder than it should have been. He was furious that he had pulled from the fight again, and he struggled against Naruto's clone. "Let go of me, you trash!" He struggled more, and TenTen eyed him carefully. "Let go!" He stepped on the clone's toes and spun to punch it in the face. He made a run for the mirrors again, but TenTen stepped in front of him and knocked him unconscious with a bolt of lightning.

Naruto's eyes darted between the mirrors, searching for the real Haku. His cheek sliced open, but he ignored it. He could see the tiniest flits of movement between mirrors. The memories from Sasuke's restrainer came in, and Naruto indignantly yelled, "Uchiha, you hardheaded dumbass! You'd do more good outside than me inside!" A row of cuts etched themselves into his leg. "Agh!"

"Don't worry!" TenTen shouted back. "I knocked him out!"

"Good!" The cuts were already disappearing on Naruto, but Neji's still bled. "How you doing, Neji?"

"I'm fine. Don't preoccupy yourself with me." Haku cut his cheek, making him wince.

Outside, TenTen tried to think of a plan, but then Zabuza decided to act. He threw shuriken at her, and she didn't move for a moment, confused. They were moments from hitting her when senbon came from the side and knocked them away. Zabuza frowned at Haku whose arm extended out of a mirror. "Why did you stop me?"

"Please don't interfere," asked Haku softly. "I want to kill these children on my own terms."

Zabuza rolled his eyes and turned back to Guy and Kakashi who could only watch. "I should've known you'd be soft. Oh well. I can have fun now with these two." He made a handsign, and a thick mist rolled onto the bridge. He gave an evil laugh as it swallowed him. Some became entrapped in the mirrors, and it gave the whole scene an surreal feeling.

Naruto and the others were surprised by Haku's words, but they did not relax. Naruto still tried to follow Haku, but it felt futile. The tiniest flits were all he could see. Neji tried to lash out at one of the mirrors, but then Haku slashed him and tossed him back. "Trying to follow me with your eyes is impossible. You will never catch me." Haku slashed at Naruto on the leg, and he growled.

"Naruto, have any ideas?" asked Neji.

"One." Naruto threw down a seal tag at Neji's feet, and a barrier formed around him. "Maybe I can't see you, but fire can still burn you!" He blew out a huge fireball that lit the entire trap and aimed to melt at least a couple of mirrors, but when the fire cleared, the mirrors were intact. "What? But that was the hottest I've ever made it!" A row of slash marks opened his back up, and he stumbled forward. "Ow! Damn, which one are you?"

"I am one, and I am all," Haku said vaguely. "I use the mirrors' reflections to transport me to each mirror. To me, you seem to go in slow motion."

"I'm not that slow!" Naruto argued, tapping the seal to remove his weights. "I was trained by the Mighty Green Beast of the Leaf, the fastest shinobi in all of the Ninja Lands! I am not slow!" He rocketed off toward a mirror, taking Haku by surprise, and punched the mirror. It cracked but didn't break, but it was enough to throw off Haku. "I have a dream that still needs to be done, dammit, and you're not getting in the way!" He leaped toward another mirror, but Haku was able to kick him away and repair the cracked mirror.

Haku watched Naruto warily. "Dreams, hm? I have a dream as well, dream to make another person's dream come true. This bridge will serve as a connection between us and our dreams, then. Your dreams, and mine." He sliced Naruto's legs, intending to hamstring him but missing by inches. "Please don't hate me."

"Kind of hard not to when you're making confetti out of us!" shouted Naruto. "I'll show you what a shinobi from the Leaf can do!" He pelted toward another mirror, but when he saw the flit of Haku moving, he changed direction and grabbed at it. There was a ripping sound, and Haku returned to his mirrors, a piece of cloth torn from his shoulder. "Think you're so fast now?" asked Naruto, waving it tauntingly. Man, I'm lucky. Won't be able to do that again.

In the thickening mist, Guy and Kakashi were back-to-back, Kakashi armed with a kunai and Guy with his nunchaku. Zabuza had mocked as the mist had swallowed him, "So, Kakashi, you think you can use the Sharingan against me again? A trick never works against me twice, isn't that your line? I think I'll keep it." He hadn't mentioned Guy, but he sensed that Zabuza was testing him.

"Back-to-back, my rival. Just like old times, yes?"

"Unfortunately, like old times, yeah." Kakashi glanced around warily. "He hasn't attacked for a while. What does he plan to do?" He caught something moving in the corner of his eye, and Kakashi hastily blocked incoming strikes. Guy whipped around and lashed out with a nunchaku, but it hit nothing. Zabuza attacked again, this time piercing Kakashi's hand with a knife. The man grunted in pain, and Zabuza chuckled darkly. Guy furrowed his brow when he saw that his eyes were closed. "Why-?"

"I figured out your tricks, Kakashi. Your Sharingan can't read into the future like you said it could. No, it just cast a genjutsu that suggests a handsign to the afflicted, right? And without looking into my eyes, you can't cast it." He turned to Guy. "And you...you won't be much to take care of." He vanished into the mist. "And don't forget that I was Mist's legendary silent assassin. I find and kill targets by only listening to their heartbeat."

Guy was offended, but then Kakashi grabbed his arm. "Guy, he's heading toward Tazuna and my students! You're fastest, so go beat back Zabuza!" Guy nodded and with one nunchaku intercepted Zabuza's blade which would have chopped the party in half. He crushed his sides with nunchaku, and Zabuza gasped for air and slipped away in the mist. Kakashi ran up a moment later and checked on them. All but Sai gazed at Guy wide-eyed. "You OK?"

"Yes, sensei," said Sakura. "That-that was scary. Guy-sensei's fast."

Kakashi nodded. "Fastest in the Leaf." Guy smiled at the compliment, but then TenTen screamed somewhere in the mist.

Everyone inside the mirrors turned in the direction of the scream, and Neji shouted, "TenTen! What happened?" There was no answer, and Haku swore angrily.

"Zabuza, I told you I would take care of these children!" Again, no answer. "Zabuza, do not play with me!" Something crackled, and then TenTen and Zabuza burst out from the mist. TenTen wielded two short sticks as if her staff had been cut in half, and they were the crackling's source as electricity sparked off them. Zabuza was on the retreat ironically, and TenTen's swears told a story.

"You big, eyebrow-less bastard! You broke my damn staff and left me with these jackshit sticks! I oughta beat the hell out of you! Taste electricity!" She slammed the two sticks on the ground, and the sticks discharged into Zabuza. He staggered back and grunted, but then he dodged TenTen's advance and vanished into the mist. "Come back here!" She ran after him.

Haku blinked in bewilderment, and Naruto couldn't resist laughing. "Man, he just made the biggest mistake of his life, pissing off TenTen. I've made that mistake a few times."

Neji smiled. "At least you've never broken her staff. She would have killed you." Haku shook off his bewilderment and focused back on the two boys. Even though Naruto had only damaged his clothing, he had also damaged something else: his pride. He had underestimated him, underestimated him badly. If he didn't end it now, Naruto would gain the upper hand. Haku readied, and Naruto tensed.

Naruto jumped to side as Haku flitted past him, but Haku let fly two senbon that lodged in Naruto's knees. He cried out and fell, and Haku was on him again, slicing and stabbing at every important muscle in his arms and legs. Neji could only see blurs as the two moved, and then Naruto was on the ground, his body limp but mouth flinging insults at Haku.

Neji shifted, ready to dodge, but then senbon began to sprout from his body. His arms, legs, chest, back, all of him were stuck with the needles, and Neji let out a painful roar before falling to a knee. Naruto struggled to move and threw more insults at Haku. He tried to lift his arms, but they were deadened and weak. He watched as Haku sped in for the final strike at Neji's neck, and he used his last option.

Haku lifted his arm to stab into the vital point on Neji's neck when his arm stopped abruptly. An iron force crushed his wrist, and Haku stared into a pair of blue slitted eyes. The chakra pouring from his was potent and orange, something that he had never seen before. "No one else," growled Naruto viciously. "No one else while I'm still here on Earth!" He delivered a powerful punch to Haku's face, and Haku broke through a mirror and sailed out onto the bridge. "I will protect those I have left with my life! You won't take them from me!"

In the mist, Guy, Kakashi, and Zabuza noticed the spike in chakra. Guy and Kakashi recognized it as Naruto's Kyuubi chakra, but Zabuza questioned it, crossing out the possibility of it being Guy or Kakashi. The chakra had an inhuman feel to it. Kakashi called out to him, "Zabuza, I think it's about time I get serious."

"Yeah? You're not serious now?"

"No, not even close." He took out a scroll that Guy knew. "You think I only survived in this world by using the Sharingan. You're wrong. I'm former ANBU, your worst nightmare. I have few other tricks up my sleeve."

"You're calling them, aren't you?" asked Guy.

"Yeah, and you need to distract him. I bet he's heading toward us right now." Guy nodded once and closed his eyes, listening closely. The mist muffled everything, but Guy could make out the faint sound of someone walking toward them from the right. He waited until the right time, and then he struck. Guy was a whirlwind of kicks, punches, and nunchaku as he fought Zabuza fiercely, thinking he had injured TenTen. Zabuza retreated back, realizing he was outclassed, but then the ground cracked open underneath him, and dogs of all sizes burst forward and clamped onto his body.

"Gah! You damn Leaf shinobi!" he cursed. "First Kakashi, then that brat girl, then you!"

"What about that brat girl?" Guy spun to see TenTen emerge from the mist, two short sticks in her hands. "God, you can run around in this fog well. I'd thought I'd never find you." He glared at her, a few burns from her sticks of a staff still smarting. "I only found you because I could hear Guy-sensei's nunchaku."

"TenTen," Guy cut in. "You might want to check on Neji and Naruto now."

"Why?"

"Because this man is about to die," said Kakashi who came over and gazed at Zabuza coldly. TenTen gulped and hurried away. "I'd say your final prayers if I were you," he warned. "You're too dangerous to let live. You seek destroy Tazuna's bridge, the hope of his country. You don't even deserve to live."

"What could you possibly do to me?"

Instead of answering, Kakashi grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and held it toward the ground. His legs bended slightly, and then lightning began to arc onto his palm. More arced, and Zabuza's eyes held a hint of fear. "Surrender," Kakashi said plainly. "Or die. Lightning Blade!"

Haku stood slowly, his mask breaking off in pieces and clattering to the ground. His mirrors crumbled and crashed like glass, and Naruto pounded toward him, fist drawn back. He bellowed in rage, and another piece of Haku's mask fell, then another, then another. Finally, his face was revealed, and just feet away from finishing him, Naruto froze in recognition. "You-you're the person from two days ago." It was the delicate face of the herb-gatherer. "But-how?"

"Finish me," pleaded Haku quietly, urgently.

"What? No!" Naruto cried, Kyuubi chakra fading. "Why would I do that?"

"I have failed in my task. I am no longer a useful tool. You must destroy me."

"You're a human being! Why are you saying this?"

"Why do you hesitate?" asked Haku. "You would not have hesitated if I still wore the mask. Why now?"

"Because I'll never willingly take another life, dammit! Not even yours. Why do you want me to kill you?"

"Because I am not useful anymore. I am no longer a shinobi. I have failed Zabuza. Kill me like I would have killed your friend!" Naruto grimaced, and he punched Haku again, but he softened it at the last moment. Haku stumbled but did not fall. "Why do you feel pity for me? I deserve none. I am a shinobi like Zabuza, and we die when we are no longer useful."

"What's so special about Zabuza?" demanded Naruto. "He's just a killer! Why do you like him so much?"

Haku gazed at him listlessly. "Before Zabuza, I was nothing. He gave my life meaning."

"Why? What happened?"

He stared off into the sky reminiscently. "I had precious people once. My parents. The Land Hidden in the Mist persecuted those who possessed bloodline techniques. It wasn't as generous as your village where bloodlines are cherished, and my mother hid her heritage because of her blood. She settled in a small village and married a simple farmer. Not long after I was born. We were happy for while, but then something happened." His eyes darkened. "And because of me, my parents are dead.

"One day when I was young, I discovered my inheritance, but my mother warned me not to reveal it to my father. It was too late, though. He had seen it, and he went to the village and gathered a mob to kill my mother and me. My mother was killed in front of me." His fists clenched. "Then I killed my father and the mob.

"Do you see, yet? Before Zabuza, my life was nothing but pain and suffering. When he found me, cold and helpless, he gave me meaning. I was his tool, a tool that never failed. He is the person precious to me, the person whose dreams I want to come true. Now I can't do that. You must end me. Dying is all a weak shinobi can do."

"You're wrong!" shouted Naruto. "You're so wrong! There is so much more to a shinobi than just being a tool or being strong."

"Maybe to you, but for me, that is all there is. Kill me. Do not hesitate. I would have not hesitated to kill you or your friend."

"Is this the only way you'll find peace? Find meaning?" asked Naruto. Around them, the mist was clearing slightly.

Haku smiled. "Yes. It is."

Naruto's stomach dropped, but he took out a kunai. "Fine. For your own sake, I'll do it." He paused, frowning. "Y'know, if we had met elsewhere, I bet we would've been friends, and...I hope you go somewhere good, Haku." He charged toward him and lunged, but then Haku suddenly grabbed his wrist and looked at something through the clearing mist. "Huh?"

"I can't die yet. Sorry, Naruto." He disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Guy watched as Kakashi sped toward Zabuza, his Lightning Blade sparking dangerously. Zabuza sweated heavily, but there was nothing he could do to stop him. Guy saw a shadow in the corner of his eye, and he instinctively grabbed it. Haku came to a rough stop and let out a gut-wrenching wail as Kakashi's jutsu pierced Zabuza's heart. Blood splattered Kakashi, and he withdrew his hand, Zabuza falling to the ground.

Haku freed himself from Guy and cradled Zabuza's body, smearing blood on his hands. Tears fell onto Zabuza's blank, bloody face, and the mist finally melted away. Haku rocked him back and forth and whispered sobbingly into his ear. Naruto hurriedly checked on Neji, attended by TenTen now, and he lifted his head to look at the downy snow. He saw Haku over by Kakashi, and he ran over but stopped upon seeing Zabuza.

"What happened?"

Haku sobbed and shook his head, more tears falling onto Zabuza. He closed his master's eyes and glared at Kakashi. "Kill me," he said in desperation. "Kill me now!" Kakashi drew back, confused, and Haku staggered up and lurched toward him. "Kill me!" Guy tried to restrain him again, but Haku sliced at him angrily. "Don't touch me!" He lurched again toward Kakashi. "Kill me!"

"Kakashi-sensei, don't do it!" shouted Naruto. Haku turned to him. "Haku, think! I know that you think that dying is right, but it's not! You said you lived to help others accomplish their dreams, so continue that dream somewhere else! You can find another person who is precious to you, I know it." Haku shook his head. "C'mon. I bet we could find you place in the Leaf, right?" He glanced meaningfully at Kakashi and Guy who both had doubtful expressions.

Haku furrowed his brow, and through the snow, Naruto could see his face lift. "I could...go to the Leaf?" he said, tone unsure. "They wouldn't reject me?"

"Yeah, and I bet you'll find someone there," assured Naruto. "The Leaf villagers are a mostly good people, and you could help people reach their dreams. What do you think?"

"It sounds very generous," Haku replied. He smiled, but then said, "But I already have another precious person, and I'm going to protect his important ones." Naruto furrowed his brow confusedly, and he vanished. Who did he mean? Naruto looked past where Haku had been to see the last person he wanted to see: Hiru.

He was behind TenTen and Neji, and his tanto was raised to stab into her back. Naruto yelled to warn them, but it was too late. The tanto was already plunging downward-

-Straight into Haku's back. TenTen gazed at him wide-eyed, and he smiled, life fading from his eyes. Naruto was stunned, and then he realized that Haku had meant him in his last words. What? Why me? Then he knew. Haku had wanted to have a sanctuary, but it was death's sanctuary. He had wanted to die with some sort of purpose. With Zabuza dead, he could no longer die an useless tool but instead die a nothing, the worst death. Now, he chose to die for Naruto, for Naruto's friends, to die with meaning. Naruto would never forget it.

Snow began to fall.

Hiru withdrew his tanto and shoved Haku away. The boy hit the ground limply and didn't move. He moved to stab TenTen again, but then she landed a blow on his chest with her hammer. He flew away but righted himself yards away. Guy and Kakashi tiredly readied to fight again, but then the sound of a cane drew their attention.

Gato grinned. "Well, well, how about it? Looks like we have two ninja, six brats, and an old man. Easy pickings for these guys." He motioned to the crowd of rogue shinobi behind him. "This is almost child's play. I didn't even have to pay for that Hiru guy." He walked over to Zabuza's body. "Nor did I have to pay for you, you freak. I'm glad the Leaf ninja killed you." He kicked it callously several times. "I would love to do this to your little boy-toy-,"

"Don't kick him!" shouted Naruto, eyes turning to slits. "He was the one person that Haku cared about, and don't you dare disrespect either of them!"

Gato sneered at Naruto. "Shut it, brat. This guy was coward and not worth a damn. His brat wasn't much better. He gave me a broken arm, and so I think it's right if I repay him." He walked toward Haku's body, but Naruto stood in front of him suddenly and seized his broken arm. "Ow! You bastard! Let me go!"

The look on Naruto's face was murderous. "You-you've caused all of the pain. You've caused suffering. Caused families to be broken up. Killed good, honest men. All for money." He wrapped a hand around Gato's neck and lifted him until his legs dangled. "You're a true demon. Zabuza is nothing compared to you. He's a soldier, a mercenary. You're the mastermind, the guy behind everything." His anger rose, and the Kyuubi's chakra wasn't doing any favors. Naruto's face twisted into a snarl. "You should die." And with a flick of his wrist and a choke, Gato did.

The shinobi crowd circled around him, weapons at the ready but faces uncertain. He gave them a disgusted look before zipping past them and back to Guy. "Bring it if you want to feel true pain!" He wrestled his anger under control, but it still simmered under his skin.

Sasuke had woken up by now from his induced nap from TenTen, and when he rose up, he saw Naruto and his orange chakra. How is he doing that? He tightened his fists. How is he doing something I can't? He noticed the shinobi crowd and curled his lip. He started to challenge them, but then an unfamiliar man with green hair stepped in front of him. "Out of my way!" The man ignored his snarl and struck with his tanto, but then Naruto's voice rang out,

"Hiru! Your fight is with me!"

The next chapter is halfway done. I'll have it out soon.