Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal. The two ninja jumped back away from each other to create some distance for a second attack. This mist was so thick around them that they lost sight of each other.

"You have been hiding your true skills haven't you Kakashi." The Mist Nin chuckled listening for a sign of his opponent.

"You don't have to be the Demon of the Mist to make it into Anbu you know." The Leaf Ninja's voice lazily floated though the mist causing Zabuza to smirk at his opponent's use of his nickname.

The smirk was wiped off his face as a wave of chaotic chakra washed over the battlefield. The air grew heavy with the feeling of power.

"Is this some jutsu?" Zabuza wondered opening his eyes to see that the mist was dispersing under the whirlwind of chakra. "No. This doesn't feel like Kakashi, it doesn't even feel human. Still… there is something about it that Zabuza recognized."

He began to be able to make out the outline of his opponent through the thin veil of mist that was left. Kakashi wasn't looking his direction either, but was instead looking towards where Haku was fighting the Leaf Genin. Zabuza's head spun as he realized that Kakashi was looking at the source of the chakra. It was coming from within Haku's Mirrors. The familiarity of the chakra was even more disturbing to the Demon of the Mist than the malicious feeling it gave off. Zabuza couldn't shake the feeling that Haku needed his help.

"Kakashi… I think that whatever that is may be more important than our fight for now." Zabuza called out to his opponent. The Leaf Nin hesitated for a second before nodding his head and racing towards the Chakra with Zabuza not far behind.

Haku's mirrors were melting under the oppressive heat that was pouring out from inside them. A dark orange chakra was clearly visible between the mirrors making the inside look like the interior of a kiln. The air seemed thick with it as well, and Zabuza had to push against it as if he were trying to walk through quicksand. What little could be seen between the mirrors was distorted by the air inside and Zabuza couldn't tell what was happening to Haku.

Suddenly a form rocketed out from inside the dome and skipped across the ground. It took a moment to recognize the form, but the body slowed to a stop to reveal a badly beaten Haku. A second form pouring out the dark orange chakra shot out of the haze heading straight for Zabuza's ward.

"HAKU." Zabuza shouted moving to intercept the enemy before he reached the ice user. He dimly recognized Kakashi behind him shouting one of his students names.

Zabuza barely made it to his enemy before its attack struck. He swung his huge sword with all his might battering the enemy aside with the flat of the blade. Zabuza landed and readied his blade for a second swing but the enemy took a moment to gather itself.

The orange chakra cloaking the enemy flickered and Zabuza was struck with why he recognized the chakra. Then all at once the chakra subsided to reveal the little blonde boy on Kakashi's team, except now the Mist nin couldn't shake the specter he had seen in the boys place.

"You…?" The boy said heartbrokenly.

Zabuza looked around confusedly, his eyes landing on where Haku was laying limply in Kakashi's arms without his mask.

"You are the boy from the woods." The boy said again falling to his knees coughing.

"For my precious person I would do anything." Haku croaked out before falling unconscious from the strain of his fight.

"Sasuke." The Leaf Genin cried out standing shakily and stumbling a few feet towards where the dome had fallen. He didn't make it far before he fell again. Kakashi set Haku down and moved to his own students side.

Zabuza ignored the Leaf Nin and made his way to check on his apprentice. A in depth exam revealed that the ice user was bruised, and a blow to his face had caused an orbital fracture, but that he was otherwise fine.

The Demon of the mist looked over at the Leaf nin to find both of Kakashi's boys alive and sitting up. The Uchiha boy looked every bit like a pin cushion but it appeared Haku had missed his vital points. The other one though, the one that had been cloaked in that chakra, was absolutely fine. There wasn't a mark on his body. The only sign he had been in a fight was the exhaustion he was experiencing from using that chakra.

Any further inquiry into the situation was cut short by an annoyingly familiar voice.

"You didn't even have the decency to fight to the death." Gato said limping at the head of a group of bandits. "I should thank you for weakening them though. Even a cute little baby demon like you has his uses I guess. Just one more thing, take as many of these bandits out as you can before you die would you, they are so expensive."

"Kakashi, I know we aren't exactly on good terms, but I have a proposition for you." Zabuza said standing up and taking his Kubikiribocho in hand. "I no longer have a need to kill the bridge builder so we have no reason to fight. However it seems that Gato is still after him. Seeing as I am in need of work now, how about you hire me to help you out."

"I don't exactly have much to give you in return for your help." Kakashi responded taking out his own kunai and weighing the full gravity of the situation.

"I'll give you my revenge rate." Zabuza smiled wickedly. "All it will cost you is a round of drinks after this is over."

Kakashi considered the Demon of the Mist carefully before responding.

"I could do that." He replied preparing what little chakra he had left for the coming battle. "Just make sure you kill Gato quick, I don't know if we can take all of them."

"These thugs can't stand up against two legends such as ourselves, but my Decapitating blade will make sure to separate his head from his body."

Without another word the two Ninja charged their enemies. In no time at all the bridge was covered in blood and the majority of the bandits lay dead. Among the bodies lay the headless body of the late shipping Magnate of the Gato Company.

The townspeople showed up just in time to watch the diminutive man fall to the Demon of the Mist. The relief they felt at watching the tyrant fall was uncontrollable. They hoisted the ninja up, carefully as to not aggravate any of their wounds, and carried them into town where a celebration was held. No one noticed Zabuza slip through the crowd of admirers and disappear into the night. No one except The Copcat Ninja.

Zabuza landed softly on the dock outside Tazuna's house.

"I wondered when you would show up for that drink." Kakashi said from his position against one of the docks pillars.

"I had a little business to attend to first." Zabuza replied.

"Business, what kind of business can one attend to with a decapitated head I wonder." Kakashi said smiling behind his mask.

"I left it at Gato's shipping company along with a note implying that if anyone wished to take over as the CEO they would be welcome to do so, but that the companies holdings and business in the land of Wave are off limits. " Zabuza said sitting down on the edge of the dock as well.

"I didn't know you were such an altruist." Kakashi laughed mirthlessly. "It is almost as if you weren't trying to ruin this lands only hope of freedom this morning."

"You know as well as I do that very few acts in our world have no victims."

Kakashi nodded in agreement before pulling out a bottle of Sake and two saucers.

"Tazuna offered some of his own private Sake as payment." The one eyed Ninja said pouring for each of them.

"That was nice of him considering I almost took off his head." The mist nin replied taking his drink in hand.

"Oh don't get me wrong. He is very afraid of you, terrified really. But he knows that you also saved his life today, and he hopes that any ill will is behind you two now."

Zabuza nodded and offered up his saucer in respect to his drinking partner. Kakashi did the same, muttering a line about fallen comrades before they took their drinks. Kakashi held his in such a way that even with his mask down his face was covered

"Now what was this all about." Kakashi said pulling his mask back up. "I assume there is an ulterior motive to this payment, or are you just in need of a drinking buddy."

Zabuza laughed and poured himself a second drink thinking over his next words carefully.

"I would like to know that boys name. The one that fought Haku."

Kakashi's body tensed at the mention of his student.

"Why do you ask." Kakashi said trying to be nonchalant but Zabuza recognized the stance of someone that was edging for a weapon.

"I am not stupid, he is clearly a weapon of your village. I wouldn't trust you with information like that either, but I recognize that chakra. It reminds me of someone that I once fought in the Third Great war." Zabuza said drinking his second drink before continuing. "A woman that I owe a great debt for sparing my life."

Kakashi eyed the missing nin for a moment before answering.

"I will tell you, but first I need to know why you betrayed your village."

Zabuza sighed before acquiescing.

"After the war one of our main village leaders took the opportunity to use a few specific failures to blame the clans with bloodlines for our loss. Many within the village needed a scapegoat for their hate, and those that sided against the bloodlines gained much political power. This led to much animosity between the clans, and eventually led to civil war. I watched many of my friends turn on each other. I watched people that had fought at my side die for nothing."

Kakashi nodded in understanding at the ever familiar politics behind Hidden Villages. Everyone at the higher ranks, especially clans and well-known names, knew that nothing was as crippling to a military force as civilians.

"The Fourth Mizukage didn't take sides but rather let the civil war take place. The Seven Swordsman were ordered to stay out of the conflict, though several disobeyed. In the end the Bloodlines were all but wiped out, and in the final push the Mizukage used the Seven Swordsman to wipe out the last of the resistance. I refused, and in the end I was forced to flee accused of attempted assassination." Zabuza rolled his shoulders trying to temporarily relive some perceived exhaustion. "I wasn't the only one. Some of my allies fled with me. Many other Mist Nin and even a few of the Swordsman abandoned the village, taking to other villages in some instances. A few like myself however refuse to sell our service to another village, and instead wander as mercenaries. My duty is to gather those that wish to return to the Mist one day, and with the help of those still loyal that stayed behind in the village, we will retake our homes."

Kakashi had heard rumors along the same lines, but there were just as many rumors claiming that the coup had been a bloody and senseless grab for power. Either way Zabuza seemed to be a honorable person, and the Leaf Jonin could feel that no matter the reason, Zabuza believed what he had done to be right.

The two Ninja sat in silence for several minutes listening to the sounds of nature around them. It seemed as if all of their problems were imaginary for a few minutes. However they knew it couldn't last forever. Kakashi was the first to break the silence.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

Zabuza's eyes shot open in surprise.

"The Red Death."

"How do you know that name."Kakashi asked, on guard once more. "She wasn't in service for that long."

"I once faced her, in the last battle before Kirigakure was forced to surrender. She fought like a Demon, defeating the force I was leading and fighting me one on one for several hours. It was in that battle that we gave her the name that showed up in the Bingo book. In the end she defeated me, but refused to kill me as she had enjoyed the battle." Zabuza answered. "Like I said I owe her my life, and my respect."

"What makes you think she could be related to Naruto though?" Asked the Leaf Nin. "Uzumaki was a enormous clan with a dozen branches of the family. There are Uzumaki all over the Elemental Nations ever since the fall of the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools."

"It is his chakra. She had the same chakra as he did. The famous Uzumaki main branch Chakra. I would know it anywhere." Zabuza replied.

Kakashi didn't know how to answer. The circumstances of Naruto's birth had been deemed classified, but it was a poorly kept secret. All the villages had known of Kushina as the Foxes container. So when reports of another Uzumaki as a Jinchuriki arose many had suspected the truth. Everyone in the Council had known as well. They are the ones that had made it illegal to speak about the boys lineage.

"What do you plan to do with this information?"

"I plan to continue my life as I have up to this point. Your village is of no concern to me."

The two nin took their time heading inside, deciding instead to enjoy the quiet night, and the silent companionship someone that had experienced the same things.

The next morning Zabuza packed his things and made his way into the dining room where Haku and the Leaf Nin were eating breakfast.

Tazuna lay passed out on the other side of the table, clearly having enjoyed himself at the celebration in town. The dark haired boy and the pink haired girl sat together on one side of the table where the boy was still having trouble using his chopsticks after experiencing Haku's Near Death State. Their jonin sensei was leaning against the wall reading his orange novel. Meanwhile Haku was being asked a million questions a minute by the Uzumaki boy. Everything grew quiet once Zabuza had made his presence known.

"A word outside Uzumaki." The demon said grabbing a bowl of rice and several fish before stepping out.

Kakashi looked on with interest. He was fairly sure that Naruto would be asking some questions soon. He had considered telling the boy his heritage before, even with the laws in place. Now that Naruto knew the truth himself, there was no laws that could keep him from telling Naruto about his parents.

Zabuza sat down on the edge of the engawa with his legs dangling over the water while Naruto stood nervously to one side. The Demon of the Mist took several bites of his breakfast before addressing the blonde boy.

"I saw you fight yesterday. It reminded me of someone that I am indebted to from long ago." Zabuza said through a mouth full of rice.

"Really. Who?" Naruto said cocking his head to one side in confusion.

"Your mother." The blonde boy's mouth opened ever so slightly as he tried to reply, but nothing came out for several seconds. Zabuza waited to see if that would change before going on."Uzumaki Kushina, the Red Death of Konoha."

"Uzumaki Kushina." Naruto finally croaked out.

"That is right." Zabuza answered pulling out an old bingo book and tearing a page out. "This is her. If you have any more questions I think Kakashi can answer some of them"

Naruto numbly looked over the page with his mothers picture. She was the most beautiful thing in the world to him. He didn't realize his eyes had watered up until he couldn't read the words anymore. He held the picture further away from himself to keep it dry.

Zabuza finished up his breakfast while the boy processed the myriad of emotions that he was feeling.

"Your mother was a powerful ninja, and a fair Bukijutsu user as well. But what is more, she was honorable and spared my life when she was well within her rights to kill me. I always wanted to meet her again so I could thank her."

Naruto watched dumbly as the Demon of the Mist stand up and shoulder his sword.

Zabuza leaned inside and called to Haku while putting his bowl on the table by the door. He turned back to Naruto to address him one last time.

"You have earned my respect as well. It seems I have a bond to what is left of the Uzumaki clan. Should you ever need my assistance, there is a ferryman in the coast town of Kikai in the Land of Hotsprings. His name is San Zaku, and he takes people to the Isle of Black Sands. He will know how to get in touch with me."

The Blonde Ninja watched as the two missing nin disappeared into the early morning mist without another word. He took one last look at the paper in his hand before turning to head inside. The door opened before he had a chance to reach for it to reveal his sensei standing there without his usual book.

"I guess you have questions." Kakashi sighed taking the picture of Kushina from Naruto to look at it. He returned it to the boy before continuing. "I can answer some, but most of them you will have to wait for the Hokage to answer. What I can do though, is tell you stories about your mother."

Naruto nodded and headed inside to hear the stories his teacher had to tell.