Frost Chapter 1, a naruto fanfic

Full Summary: The mission to Wave didn't only bring a Swordsman of the Mist and one Hunter Nin, but two Hunter Nin. One with brown hair and the other with pink…

Disclaimer: No own.

Yes, I know. xD You're all like, 'Update your other stories, you bitch!' Sorry, but I had to do this… It's just like… one of those NEEDS… Sorry… I may also try to incorporate some of my little Japanese I know, so excuse me… If I use a Japanese word, I'll have the translations… Unless it's EXTREMELY easy to know what it means... (Like 'okaa-sama' for example…) But, I'd rather sway away from it so… Maybe just a few phrases here and there, when I think the Japanese phrases sound better than the English when said… Heh…

PS: I also now do a page and word count, along with a 'warning' thing (but I don't think I'll put in really bad stuff… I keep meh stuff teen, excuse brief, UNDESCRIBED nudity… but even so, THAT's very rare of me.), so yesh. I find it more… organized… Plus, I also like knowing if there is content I'd rather skip on… But I never do, anyways… Hah.

Um, dialogue won't be exact… Pardon that. I try my best to do my best from memory…

Also, the amount of –'s shows how much time passed. So, if there is one of theme, a short amount passed. If there's three or four, a good amount has passed.

Warnings: None

Page count: 16

Word count: 7,027

Frost

Chapter 1

The Two Hunters from the Mist

As Sai insulted Naruto for being stupid, Kakashi inspected the white rabbit Naruto had shot at with a kunai. He noticed that the rabbit's fur was white, meaning it had been raised in captivity. He listened carefully, and widened his eye.

"Get down!" he commanded, dragging Naruto to the floor. Sasuke fell to the floor and Sai dragged Tazuna, their charge, to the ground. Just in time too, as a large sword came flying across the area. It lodged itself into a tree, and a figure landed onto it.

"Well, what do we have here? Copycat Kakashi…" the tall, shirtless man remarked, sounding gruff and coarse.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "Momochi Zabuza, rouge nin…" Kakashi said, "How do you know who I am?"

Zabuza laughed, "You've done your homework Kakashi. I know all about you: Sharingan Kakashi, the man said to have copied over 1000 jutsu. A top ninja in the bingo book…"

Kakashi, grunted, "And what do you want from me?"

Zabuza laughed as he dislodged his sword, "Not you, but the man you're guarding. I must say though, I am quite honored to have seen your famous Sharingan…"

Sasuke gasped, he knew of the Sharingan? If Kakashi had a Sharingan… Wouldn't that mean he was…?

Naruto was very confused, wondering what 'Sharingan' was.

"No one has ever seen it twice," Kakashi said, "and I don't plan on changing that." Zabuza laughed.

As his rough laughs subsided, he looked towards Kakashi, a deadly glint to his eye, "Well, that's too bad, isn't it? I guess you'll have to make an exception for me!" Zabuza yelled, swinging his large sword at Kakashi. Kakashi dodged to prevent himself from being beheaded. Naruto was about to jump in, but Kakashi's voice halted his actions.

"No, Naruto!" Kakashi yelled to the boy behind him. "This battle is way out of your league! Stay back and guard Tazuna!" Naruto looked defiant for a minute, but he winced and stepped back. Kakashi turned back to Tazuna. "I guess I'll have to get serious…" He lifted his headband, revealing a scar and a Sharingan eye with three tomoe.

Sai stared at the eye, and Sasuke gasped. He whispered the name of the doujutsu, astounded.

"Ugh!" Naruto called out, holding his head in confusion. "What is this 'Sharingan' everyone keeps talking about?!"

"Sharingan…" Sasuke started, "is a bloodline limit in the eyes… Capable to see through genjutsu and turn it against your enemy…" Naruto stared at his sensei with new amazement.

"You've only scratched the surface, kid," Zabuza remarked. "There's much more to it."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. "The surface?"

"It not only does that…" Zabuza started, "it can also copy any jutsu to the tiniest detail." As he informed this, fog started to pool in the area. "I was sent for an assassination… and I also get to face Copycat Kakashi. Lucky me." Zabuza moved into the mist, disappearing. The Team 7 gennin moved into a protective triangle around their charge. Tazuna was scared, afraid Zabuza would kill him.

Sai yelled out to Kakashi, "He's standing on the water!" Everyone turned to see Zabuza standing on water, defying logic. Zabuza was in an odd stance, with one arm propelled into the air and the other in a common chakra-focusing sign.

Kakashi noticed that he was building up a large amount of chakra. 'What is he doing?'

"Kiri Gakure no Jutsu!" Zabuza called out, summoning a thick fog to hide himself and cause all the ninja to lose sight.

"What the? I can't see anything!" Naruto yelled looking around for Kakashi and Zabuza. Kakashi mostly.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke commanded, standing with a kunai out. "Our job is to protect Tazuna. Focus on it." Naruto growled as he drew out a kunai and stood in a stance identical to the two black eyed gennin.

"Don't worry about it Naruto—he's merely hiding in the mist." Kakashi told him. "He'll go after me, but stay on guard."

"Hai!" Naruto said, as the other two only made committal sounds.

"Good, this guy is very talented in the art of silent kill."

"S-silent?" Naruto echoed, frightened more than before.

"Yes, silent. He sneaks up from behind you and gets you when you don't expect it." He waited for Zabuza to attack, and, when he did, started a small war between the two. The gennin were choked by the thick atmosphere of killing intent.

'It-it's like I can't breathe!' Naruto yelled in his head, eyes widening in terror.

'It's like squeezing the life out of me…' Sasuke winced, holding his kunai with more force than intended.

When they saw Zabuza trap Kakashi into a water cage, they started to get extremely worried. Zabuza had created a clone to deal with Tazuna. The clone had disappeared into the mist, running ready to attack. It kicked Naruto, sending him backwards, making his hitae-ate flying off. The clone stepped its foot onto the hitae-ate bearing the Konoha symbol.

"The life of a ninja is paved with death and blood! You'll never survive, being so weak! When I was your age, I had killed all of my classmates! When you earn a place in the bingo books, I'll call you a 'ninja'!" It called out, crushing the hitae-ate into the ground. Naruto rose, and wiped the dirt from his mouth. He glared, and thought of all the things that had happened. He angrily charged, ignoring his teammates' calls. The Zabuza clone had sent him back, making all his effort seems pointless—or as it seemed. Naruto had gotten up, hitae-ate in hand.

'He did all of that just for his hitae-ate?' Sasuke thought, staring at his teammate. Sai glanced over unemotionally, not truly caring.

"Sasuke," Naruto started, "Let's go all out." He smirked towards the Uchiha's direction. Sasuke smirked in return, and the two boys started to fight the Zabuza clone. Sai stood back, protecting Tazuna and let the two boys do their work. The boys destroyed the clone, and went over to the true Zabuza. Naruto was kicked back, but reached into his backpack. 'I've still got something!' "Sasuke!" he called out, throwing Sasuke a Kage Shuriken. Sasuke smirked as he realized right away Naruto's plan. Sasuke threw the large shuriken towards Zabuza.

"It's gonna hit!" Sai said, watching with Tazuna. To his surprise and horror, Zabuza laughed and caught it. Sasuke smirked as another Kage Shuriken came towards Zabuza. Now, he couldn't escape without letting go of the water cage. Zabuza grunted, and, to everyone's terror, jumped over the offending projectile. "What?!" Sai worriedly said leaning forwards to make sure he was seeing the truth.

All of a sudden, Naruto's voice sounded from behind Zabuza, "Not so fast!" he yelled. He grinned as he threw a kunai straight towards Zabuza's back. Zabuza made a noise of displeasure as he watched the kunai come towards him. He unwillingly let go of the cage, and jumped out of the way, dropping the kage shuriken into the water.

"Thanks Naruto, Sasuke." Kakashi said, standing up, amazed at their teamwork. "I'll take it from here!" he exclaimed, running towards Zabuza. Kakashi relentlessly sent attack after attack, and finally pinning Zabuza into a tree. Zabuza had kunai and shuriken lodged into his body as he yelled in pain. Kakashi appeared before the bloodied man to send the finishing blow. "Zabuza, the Sharingan can also see the future, and I predict that this is your last battle!" Before he could kill Zabuza, senbon punctured his neck, killing him instantly. Kakashi gasped and Zabuza fell to the ground.

"What?!" Naruto yelled in question, looking around frantically.

"Thank you for weakening Zabuza," a feminine voice called out from the trees. Team 7 and Tazuna looked upwards, and found a brunette in a kimono-like outfit. His hair was done in a bun, and he had two bangs hanging in front of his face with two small clasps. He wore a hunter nin mask, hiding his face. The transported down, kneeling next to Zabuza.

"A hunter nin?" Kakashi pondered. "It would make sense."

"What's a hunter nin?" Naruto asked, still amazed.

"A hunter nin is a ninja that deals with nuke nin from their villages. They destroy the body, so none of the clan secrets were to get out." Sai answered. Naruto was amazed that this boy was no older than him, yet he had killed Zabuza!

"How?!" he angrily questioned. "How did he kill him?! It seemed so easy!" Naruto started to leap towards the boy, but another hunter nin with pink hair blocked his path. She was dressed in a short kimono, and also had a mask on. Her pink hair was styled similarly, but she had a long ponytail cascading from it. Also, her bun cover had hanging ornaments, and her hair clasps were white, and not silver.

"I will not allow you to harm him." She had her arms spread out in an act of protection. Naruto stopped, and was entranced by her voice. It sounded proud and majestic, while calm and collected. He could've compared it to ice—it had a no nonsense sound to it. Yet, it was also short and cold, piercing through his soul. "Please step back." The boy hunter nin picked up Zabuza, and thanked them once more. Turning to the girl hunter, the boy asked her to thank them also. Without waiting for a second to pass, the girl bowed deeply and gracefully, showing the upmost thanks, "Arigatou gozaimasu." Her hands were clasped together and placed on her thighs. She leant back up, seemingly patient with her hands clasped like so.

"Come," the boy ordered, dragging Zabuza's body, one of his arms around the boy's neck. The girl turned to the team, her long, loose hair moving from the force of her movements. She stared for a second, before jumping away so quickly they only saw a quick glance of a blurry image of her body. She transported back to the boy, and when she landed on the branch, she made a thump. The boy started to jump away, and the girl turned only her head to them as far as she was capable.

"Sayonara…" she whispered, leaping off into the forest in pursuit of her fellow hunter nin.

Naruto started yelled in frustration, and punched the ground. He was angry that that kid had beaten Zabuza so easily, and that girl… The air around her just exerted power!

"Haku-teishu…" the pink haired hunter nin whispered as they jumped from tree to tree towards a tree house like structure.

"Nani, Sakura-chan?" Haku asked, keeping his hold on Zabuza tight.

"Was it… wise to do that? I'm predicting that they'll figure it out…" she answered, concentrating on her feet. "I believe that either the Jounin or the black haired boy protecting the bridge builder will figure it out first."

"It wouldn't matter, would it though?" Haku replied. "In the end, they'll still discover our true identities."

Sakura looked towards the ground and muttered softly, "Hai, Haku-teishu…" She looked forwards as she sensed the familiar aura of their home. They landed onto a porch like structure, and Haku took Zabuza inside. Sakura did not linger outside, and was quickly by her master's side. "Zabuza-san will most likely be out for a few days… but knowing him, he'll wake up the day after tomorrow, ne, Haku-teishu?" Sakura asked, wondering what her master thought of her analysis.

"Hai, Sakura-chan, you're right. Zabuza is too stubborn for his own good…" Haku replied, smiling at his savior's unconscious face. "Let's get started on healing him, shall we?" In response, he got the sounds of medical equipment being rustled around.

"Hai!" Sakura said, pulling out gauze and other various items.

It had been a day, and Haku had run out of an herb. He called out for Sakura, and she quickly appeared by his side, ready for anything he sent at her. "Hai, Haku-teishu?"

Haku held up the last of the herb, "I need you to go and collect this, please. Here's the basket." He handed her the wicker basket, knowing she would not reject this—any—of his requests.

"I'll be back soon, Haku-teishu." Sakura declared, and disappeared from view, making Haku chuckle, muttering about her dramatic entrances and departures.

Sakura leapt from tree to tree, holding the wicker basket in her hand. Haku-sama needed the roots of a plant that grew nearby, and she would be able to retrieve them fairly quick. As she neared the opening, she saw that the boy from before was sleeping there. She crept over to him, and held her hand out to strangle him, but moved it to his shoulder. 'I can't…' she thought, as she shook his shoulder, waking him. Naruto stumbled into consciousness, and looked into Sakura's snow like orbs. He gasped, and Sakura leant back.

"I-it's you!" he claimed, pointing a finger at Sakura. "The hunter nin from before!"

Sakura played dumb, "Excuse me?" Naruto looked over the girl once more, and took into notice that she was wearing a yukata colored in shades of blue. Her hair was not in a bun, not did it have white clasps. Also, her voice sounded gentler. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura confessed, sounding incredibly believable.

"Oh, sorry, I must've been a little foggy…" Naruto sheepishly said, trying to impress the girl. Sakura shook her head, and smiled.

"No, it's quite all right," she ensured. Sakura smiled fondly and started to dislodge a plant from the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, watching her with confused azure eyes.

"I'm collecting herbs—would you like to help? It'll help me," Sakura informed, and extended her invitation. Naruto agreed heartily, slightly blushing. Sakura pointed out the correct herb, and the two started to pick their herbs. "So…" Sakura started, "why were you out here? It's dangerous to be sleeping out here."

"I was training!" Naruto answered, looking brightly at the pinkette.

"Oh?" Sakura asked, feigning surprise and confusion. "What for?"

"I'm a ninja!" Naruto responded happily, readjusting his hitae-ate unconsciously.

"Wow, really?" Sakura remarked, 'amazed'. "Why are you training?"

"I want to become the Hokage, the strongest ninja in the village!" Naruto responded, happy that the pretty girl was interested in his dream. "I have to train a lot to become that strong!" He looked downward, determination glowing in his eyes. Sakura smiled truthfully at his ambition.

"Do you…" Sakura started, looking dead into his eyes, "have someone you wish to protect?" Sakura demanded to be answered.

"Someone… to protect?" Naruto echoed.

"Yes, you get stronger if you have a good reason," Sakura cleared. Naruto thought about all his friends in Konoha, his team, the old man, and Iruka. He smiled and looked up to the girl.

"Yup!" Naruto exclaimed. "I have lots of people to protect!" Sakura looked downwards, and to Naruto, it seemed like she was either spacing out, or thinking about his words.

Sakura sat; legs folded in a traditional manner, and started at her hands, thinking. 'Haku-teishu…'

---Flashback---

'I remember when I first met him…'

A young pinkette walked out from the underbrush, her worn kimono dirty and torn. She had cuts and bruises, and had blood caked on her clothing as well on her face and hair. Her snowy eyes were dull, slightly scanning the area she was in for a second. Sakura leant on a tree, exhausted

'I was near death, and couldn't remember anything… not even my own name.'

The young girl panted, closing her eyes, trying to fight off the unwelcome weariness. Her kimono had been smudged by the dirt under her bottom, but she paid no heed. Her breathing was deep, and Sakura tried calming her body.

'It was a total chance meeting.'

"Mou, Zabuza-san always sends me out to gather herbs in this part of the forest," a young brunette whined softly, stepping into the same area Sakura rested, carrying a small basket for herbs. He saw Sakura, watching him with deflated eyes. He gasped at her appearance, and went to help, but remembered that Zabuza had said that sometimes ninja transformed into that for traps. "Who are you?" he asked, standing in a defensive position.

"I don't know…" Sakura replied, breathing heavily. She seemed tired and worn beyond belief.

"What?" the boy asked, "How do you not know who you are?"

Sakura sent an exasperated glance at the boy. "How would I know? I don't remember anything. Not my name, not my age, not anything."

'I had been annoyed and tired. He helped me in the end though…'

The boy thought carefully, and slowly moved towards Sakura. Sakura made no move to repel him when he was close, so the boy assessed her wounds. "Only slight scratches and bruises… Why so much blood?" he questioned, not knowing he would get an answer.

"When I woke up I had it all over me. I only had scratches and bruises too, so I think it's not mine," Sakura answered bluntly. She glanced up tiredly to the boy. "Do you know who I am?"

'He gave me a name…'

The boy smiled slightly, "No, but I can give you a name."

"A… name…" she mirrored.

"Your hair—it reminds me of the Sakura blossoms, so, I'll call you Sakura," the boy informed. "My name is Haku." Sakura looked up to the boy who gave her a name.

"Haku…" she whispered as she fell, fainting. Haku gasped and dove to catch her.

"I'll bring you to a safe place," Haku comforted, carrying the small girl in his arms.

Sakura looked up to Haku weakly. She knew that by doing this, he had undoubtedly saved her young life. He had even given her a name… "Arigatou… Haku-teishu…" The girl fell into the clutches of sleep.

'A home… and love. I might only be Haku-teishu's tool, but it is my own dream to protect him, and help his own goal to be accomplished…'

---End Flashback---

"Oi, oi…" Naruto waved a hand in Sakura's face. "You there?" Sakura snapped back into reality, and apologized for her absent mindedness.

"I'm afraid I got too far into thinking… Gomenasai," the girl apologized, picking up her full basket. Sensing another chakra signature closing in, Sakura decided to make a departure. "I'm afraid I have to go… I have enough. Arigatou for all of your help. Sayonara…" Sakura walked out of the area, but not before stopping. Knowing she shouldn't do this, she whispered, "Naruto-san," to scare him slightly, before walking again. Naruto sat in confusion, when had he told her his name? His was brought out of his thoughts by Sasuke.

"Oi, dobe, what are you doing out here?" Sasuke asked, making his appearance. Naruto shook his fist at Sasuke and yelled his disagreement about his 'nickname'. Sasuke grunted and started to leave, with Naruto angrily trudging after him. He, although was caught up in his own thoughts.

'Who was she? She was very pretty…' He blushed a little. 'She was prettier than any girl in Konoha!' He shook off his blush, and caught up to Sasuke.

"Haku-teishu," Sakura called from the door, announcing her arrival. "I have the herbs you requested."

"Arigatou Sakura-chan!" Haku called from the kitchen. "Help me prepare the herbs, please?" Before you could blink, Sakura was by Haku's side, basket of herbs ready. "All right, we have maybe… 15 minutes to mix the herbs and another 15 until Zabuza awakes… Let's get working!" Haku informed, starting to clean the plants. Sakura followed his example and started to chop some of the leaves. The two worked to the constant sound of a faucet and the knife hitting the cutting board. They had finished in 7 minutes, rewarded with a paste like concoction. "Now, all we have to do is apply in onto his wounds so they close up…" Haku muttered the rest to himself, well knowing Sakura knew what else to do. She followed him through the hallway and into Zabuza's room, carrying the small bowl of paste. They sat next to each other and proceeded to apply the paste to Zabuza's wounds from the fight with Kakashi. As they cleaned up their work, Zabuza awoke.

"Uhn…" Zabuza sounded. "Geez, Haku, you're as ruthless as ever." Haku turned to his savior.

"Only when I need to be, Zabuza."

"How can you be so ruthless yet pure?" Zabuza laughed roughly. He looked to Haku's side, and saw Sakura. 'She always seems to be near him. Even when he's sleeping, I've seen her watch him. I don't even know when she goes to sleep…' A man coughing got their attention. They turned to see a short tubby man in a business suit with two samurai bodyguards.

"I see you've failed Zabuza… I don't want it to happen again!" Gato went to hit Zabuza, but Haku caught his wrist in a vice grip.

"Don't you touch him!" Haku hissed out. Gato flinched and one samurai went to slash Haku. Haku saw the blade and widened his eyes.

"Don't you dare touch him!" was followed by the sound of metal piercing flesh. Sakura was in front of Haku, the sword dangerously close to slicing her hand off. Blood had splattered onto Haku and Zabuza, and it cascaded down Sakura's arm, staining her folded sleeves. Her glace pierced Gato's and his men's minds, making them shiver as the temperature decreased alarmingly. "Leave before I decide to purge you from life," Sakura warned, not even grunting when the samurai dislodged his sword and walked backwards. Gato made a sound.

"Don't let it happen again Zabuza," and he walked out with his bodyguards.

"Sakura-chan!" Haku yelled, taking her hand into his. Zabuza watched from the bed as the boy fussed over the majority of the cut and the amount of blood lost. He caught sight of the horrible gash in her hand that was deep enough to show bone. How did she not make a sound?

"Haku-teishu, please, it doesn't matter," Sakura said calmly, taking her hand back and inspecting it, turning it around to survey damage. She flexed some of her fingers, and made not a sound of pain or displeasure. She dragged a thumb over it, and before the males' eyes, the cut disappeared. "See?" she asked, shoving her palm into their faces to show she was fine. A second later, she excused herself to change into a new kimono, her long pink hair flowing behind her as she turned and darted out of the door.

"She seemed a little fidgety, Zabuza…" Haku said, looking at his mentor and savior.

"I think that it's just that she was a little distraught about you fussing over her," Zabuza answered, putting his two cents in with a laugh. "You know she looks up to you like a god or something higher." Haku mock glared him, and stared out the door Sakura left through.

'Why would she be uncomfortable with me worrying?' Haku thought, deep in his mind. He was alerted of Sakura's entrance when the door shut, and soft footfalls sounded. Sakura was in a new kimono, since bloodstains were nearly impossible to destroy. Her hair was redone in the style exactly similar to his.

"Haku," Zabuza called. "Tomorrow we're giving Kakashi a little surprise." Haku nodded, and Sakura emotionlessly watched the interaction. Zabuza turned to Sakura, "I want you to help too."

Knowing her teishu's wishes, Sakura bowed slightly and muttered, "Hai." She looked back up, her moon eyes dull. Inside though, she was anticipating the battle coming up soon. Naruto had also struck her as something, and she sensed a strange familiarity with him. She hoped to discover why the following day. "Zabuza," Sakura said pointedly, "we must firstly think up of a plan… Just showing up wouldn't be as… dramatic as say… setting up a cold and deadly atmosphere…" She smiled wickedly, letting an unknown emotion flicker throughout her eyes, and started to plan—something she did best. Haku and Zabuza watched in fascination as Sakura sat in a chair not far away from Haku, and crossed her legs with an out of place grace. "We could knock out the workers and scatter them. That way, the feeling of dread would intensify—seeing dead or unconscious people do have some… interesting affects."

Zabuza listened in, smirking from underneath his mask. Haku had one odd follower…

Kakashi, Sai, Sasuke, and Tazuna surveyed the bridge in dread. The workers were all strewn across various places.

"Sasuke, Sai! Guard Tazuna!" Kakashi ordered, getting prepared. Zabuza's laugh resonated throughout the area.

"Very sharp Kakashi," Zabuza complimented, stepping out from the small fog. Behind him, Sakura and Haku followed, both had their identical masks on, taking proud places beside the wandering nin.

"I knew they were with Zabuza all along," Sasuke uttered, sending a glance to the two hunters. Zabuza smirked and sent a clone towards them. Sasuke started to shake. The clone laughed heartily.

"Look, he's so scared he's shaking!" it rumbled. Sasuke smirked, and sliced the clone so quickly no one could see him.

"I'm not scared… I'm shaking… with excitement!" Sasuke announced, a proud countenance spread across his face.

"Oh ho, it seems he matches your speed Haku," Zabuza remarked, looking down at the masked brunette. "You can deal with him. Sakura, stay by Haku…" Zabuza ordered, internally knowing that she would be by Haku's side even if he had told her not to. Sai nodded to Sasuke and Sasuke moved over towards the hunters.

"Stay behind me Tazuna," Sai ordered, taking out a kunai. Tazuna gulped and nodded. Sai watched as Zabuza got into a brawl and Sasuke and Haku started attacking each other. Their kicks and jabs were too fast for the naked eye, and Sai observed that Haku specialized in ice, for he was using ice projectiles along with senbon rather and kunai and shuriken, like Sasuke. He dragged his eyes away to Sakura, who idly stood there watching like he. This time he fully examined her.

Sakura seemed to be only a centimeter or so higher than Sasuke, and wore a clingy kimono. The bottom of the kimono only reached to her mid-thigh, and he wondered how she was not freezing, But, then again, 'Zabuza's shirtless,' he commented in him mind. He started from her head down. She had vibrant pink hair, and moon like eyes. As he noted before, she wore a kimono. It was darker in colors, ranging with hues of black, navy, gray, sky blue, and white. If he remembered correctly, she had the kanji 雪 for 'snow' on her back in white. Her obi was navy with an odd pattern as if it was fading into white, or, if you turned it vertically, it would resemble snowfall. He noticed that now, she had a wakizashi on each exposed thigh. They were both black, one's sheath with designs of white and pink snow, while the other had a blood pattern. He was sure she had more weapons hidden in her sleeves. Her feet had the same sandals as Haku, only black. 'She really likes black,' he noted. Upon closer perception, he saw that the wakizashis had a kanji imprinted on the base. The blood designed one had 死 for 'death', and the snow design had 生命 for 'life'. If he had paid more attention to her neck, he would've seen a necklace with an upside down crescent moon pendant with the kanji 月 on it for 'moon' in a jewel held in place by the ends of the moon.

'The red on the mask clashes horribly with her outfit,' Sai remarked in his mind, not noticing that all his detailing had cost him the sight of Sasuke being entrapped by Haku with ice mirrors.

"I'm afraid to say it had to come to this," Haku said, melting into a mirror. "I apologize."

"Keep your apologies to yourself!" Sasuke said, watching Haku with careful eyes.

"This is my kekkai genkai and curse," Haku informed. "I have the ability to create these mirrors…" he said, still in a mirror, holding up a senbon. Sakura watched faithfully, waiting to be able to help her teishu. She knew that Haku liked his battles undisturbed, so she kept back, waiting for the opportune time. She examined the Uchiha boy's movements and speed, and was slightly surprised when he used the Sharingan to help him. She noted only one tomoe. Not many, but still could be a threat. Sasuke's speed had increased, and the number of guarded senbon and hits were rising.

'Still, Haku-teishu knows what he's doing…' Sakura thought, still stationary. Sasuke now had multiple senbon in his body from Haku, who had stepped up. 'He's breathing heavily, a good sign for Haku-teishu… But he only hit the boy in non-lethal places…' sakura noted, hard and calculating. 'Haku-teishu wins either way. The Uchiha will either die from blood loss, or Haku-teishu will kill him.' She was distracted from her teishu's fight when smoke bombs had exploded, revealing Naruto, dubbed by Kakashi as, 'Konoha's knuckle headed ninja.'

"Naruto is here to save the day!" the blonde exclaimed, standing in an outrageous pose. He found Sasuke beat up, and decided to help the poor kid out. Sasuke saw Naruto poof in.

'Good, now he can break one of the mirrors from outside…'

"Hi Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, crouching next to his bleeding teammate.

"GAH! NARUTO-DOBE!" Sasuke called, angry. "You have to be OUTSIDE for my plan to work!" Naruto rubbed his head and apologized. Sasuke explained to the blonde the plan to escape. "You need to get out and break one of those mirrors!" Sasuke hissed, getting another kunai out. Naruto nodded, and tried to get out, but was stopped by Haku and his senbon.

"Once you're in, you can't get out," Haku declared, his arm still in a throwing position. Naruto smirked and used Kage Bunshin, trying to distract the hunter. Haku destroyed them, and after a few failed attempts, Naruto was panting. Sasuke had been watching, his Sharingan adapting to the boy's speed. Before Naruto was hit, Sasuke ran in front of him and defended his teammate. Before Haku could throw another projectile, Sasuke kicked him. Haku dodged, and Sasuke continued to barrage Haku with kicks. One kick was successful, and Haku's mask was broken. Sakura gasped in the background.

'Haku-teishu! He… he... hit you!' Sakura thought, struggling to keep out of his battle. 'Haku-teishu wouldn't want his battle interfered!' Sakura shifted to relieve the mental stress building up from not obeying rules she had made mentally. 'Even though I vowed to always protect him, I must honor his wishes!'

'Urg, he hit me! The boy is faster than I thought…' Haku thought, preparing to send another barrage of senbon. 'I'll have to use a weak spot… That's it!' Haku inwardly smirked. 'His weakness is the blonde! He's always protecting him!' Haku threw the senbon at Naruto, and Sasuke guarded the blonde. Naruto got up, only to be pelted by senbon shortly after sending a wave of kage bunshin.

"Arg!" Naruto cried, falling to the floor. Sasuke glared at Haku. He realized Haku was targeting Naruto because the blonde couldn't protect himself, so Sasuke had to do it for him. Sasuke made a sound of displeasure, readying himself. Haku frowned behind his mask, and threw senbon at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked, but widened his eyes and gasped as more senbon was thrown towards Naruto. Said blonde closed his eyes, readying for his death. He opened his eyes when he heard a gasp of pain. "Sasuke!" he called out, seeing his friend looming over him with a trail of blood dripping from his lip.

"Heh, dobe…" Sasuke whispered out, before falling to the ground in a bloody heap. Naruto watched horrified as his best friend's body fell to the floor, multiple senbon meant for him in his back. Naruto grew angry, so angry he was about to burst. Red chakra started to encase him, his cheek marks growing more defined, and his eyes turning red and pupils slitting. Naruto sent a piercing glare at Haku, stunning the poor boy.

'What is that chakra?!' Haku pondered, bracing himself as Naruto stood. Naruto growled and charged at Haku's mirror, breaking it, sending the boy out and flying out. Haku landed on his feet though, just in time to see Naruto running after him. Sakura gasped angrily, and phased in front of her teishu.

"You will not hurt him!" she declared angrily, icy tone directed to the demonic blonde. Naruto had his hand grabbing her mask, and he squeezed it, making it break. He watched as the mask fell into tiny pieces, revealing the girl from the day before. He gasped.

"You're-you're that girl from yesterday!" he realized, gaining back some humanity. Sakura had a defiant and angry glare on her face, her mouth set into a snarl. Her snowy eyes were now ice, glaring at him coldly.

"You are not allowed to hurt Haku-teishu," she said frozenly, just as she had countless times before. Her face was bleeding from cuts the mask had caused. "I protect him with my very life, to ensure his dream is accomplished. I shall not die until it is accomplished. If I do die, I will stay by his side as a specter, guarding him until his own death," Sakura declared her own oath. Haku was shocked, for he had never known that Sakura's dedication went so deep. He panted from exhaustion; the mirrors took a lot of chakra. "He saved my life," Sakura explained. "gave me a name, a home, and love. It is my duty to guard his existence until the very end!" Naruto and Haku listened to the girl recite more of her oath, a fierce countenance set upon her face. Haku glanced towards Zabuza and Kakashi, and glared.

"I am not ready to die yet," Haku said, transporting to the jounin. Sakura gasped in horror as Kakashi's chidori ripped through Haku's body. Haku had guarded Zabuza form the fatal blow, and muttered his last words. "I guess I'm just a blunt tool now, Zabuza..." he coughed, and fell to the ground.

"HAKU-TEISHU!" Sakura yelled, darting to her master and the two jounin. Naruto watched sadly as the melancholy girl reached her precious person. Sakura collapsed down, over Haku's pale body. The hole in his stomach was disgusting, and Sakura started to cry. "H-Haku-t-teishuu…" she softly whined, her face contorted into sadness. Haku-teishu was dead. Her master was dead. Her home was dead.

Her reason was dead.

Sakura hiccupped as she glanced towards Zabuza who was held by dog summons, and then to Kakashi, who looked horrified. Sakura hardened into a feral glare, still hunched over her master's body. "You killed him," she muttered hoarsely, her bangs hiding her face, only showing her lips. "You killed him," she muttered once more, this time filled with more anger. This time though, she screamed, "YOU KILLED HIM!" A white chakra surrounded her body in a fashion similar to Naruto's. She slowly raised, her eyes closed and her face contorted into hatred. "I'll kill you," she said, her ice having a double voice effect, the other voice was deep and matured, sending chills through everyone's body. She stood straight, and opened her slit icy orbs to Kakashi, channeling all of her pain through them. "I'll kill you!" she yelled, going to attack him. Sakura now had bent lines under her eyes that were black, and her canines grew to an alarmingly sharp and large size. Her nails were now claws, and her body radiated demonic energy. In her demonic form, she halted before she could reach Kakashi, and turned to Zabuza, anger clear on her usually stoic face. "Why do you don't cry?!" she yelled at him, grabbing onto his arms. Being shorter than him, he looked down into the eyes of a demon. "Cry for him! He cared for you so much! You were Haku-teishu's world!" she shook him angrily, "Are you that heartless that you don't care that he died for you?!" She stopped her shaking and yelling as she smelt tears.

"Are you shocked? Even I can cry. Haku was the only thing dear to me," Zabuza's eyes leaked a substance forbidden by ninja. "I'm not that heartless to not care for his death."

"Not dead yet Zabuza?" a cocky voice came from behind them. Gato stood there with over a hundred samurai. "You know, I never even meant to pay you," Gato sneered at Haku's dead corpse. "Seems the gaki's finally dead, huh?" Sakura's anger returned full force, and she pulsed chakra.

"Don't—" Zabuza held one of his arms out.

"Give me a kunai kid," he ordered, his eyes slightly red. "I'll do this. It's what I can do for Haku." Sakura gave him a kunai, but without Haku, she had no one to give her a clear order. She and Zabuza charged into the crowd. Zabuza went for Gato, while Sakura merely relieved her stress. Zabuza impaled Gato and whispered his final words. "I'll see you in hell. Haku won't be going where we are." And collapsed to the side, dead from blood loss, along with Gato. Meanwhile, Sakura slaughtered multiple men, killing a fourth of the army. The others ran away, but were soon cornered by the townspeople at the end of the bridge. Sakura walked towards Haku, her demonic façade still intact.

She angrily leant over him and whispered some undistinguishable words, and encased Haku's body with the chakra. The hole in his stomach disappeared, and the color in his skin returned. Sakura swayed with exhaustion, and the demonic traits receded. She collapsed onto Haku's stomach, causing Haku to rouse from his 'slumber.' Weak, he only saw Sakura, Kakashi, and the Gato's dead forces before falling back into unconsciousness. The rest of the mob Gato had brought were being taken down by the villagers with Inari leading them. Kakashi wet and handed Sasuke to Tazuna, and through the transaction Sasuke woke up from his unconscious state, only to see Naruto's relieved face, and fall back into darkness. When the villagers had killed and or caught the samurai, Kakashi went and picked up Haku and threw him over his shoulder. He picked up Sakura and carried her bridal style.

"Come on team, our job is done," Kakashi ordered, starting to leave. Naruto looked unsurely to Sai, who just walked forward. Naruto wondered about Sakura's demonic state, and her devotion to Haku. He continued after them, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. At least Sasuke was alive! The complete team walked back to Tsunami's house to regenerate, and let the young hunters rest.

Gargh, longest I've written, I'm sure. Well, I'll put my small Japanese dictionary right down here for you guys!

Kiri Gakure no Jutsu—a jutsu used by Zabuza to summon mist; mist village technique

Tomoe—The comma marking in the Sharingan

Hitae-ate—the headband adorning the village's symbol; the headwear used by ninja to symbolize which village the hail from

Arigatou gozaimasu—thank you very much

-teishu—master

Mou—an annoyed sound, like 'hey!' or, 'humph!'

Arigatou—thank you

Oi—hey

Gomenasai—sorry

Sayonara—good bye

Dobe—dead last

Hai—yes

Wakizashi—a sword commonly used as an accompanying sword to a katana

Kage Bunshin—a forbidden jutsu used by Naruto to create solid clones that can cause and take damage more than a regular bunshin; shadow clone

Bunshin—a ninja technique used to create a pass through clone

Chidori—a lightning jutsu used by Kakashi; thousand birds

Gaki—brat

Tell me if I have any mistakes! I double checked! Please review, I want to hear your opinions! Any advice is greatly appreciated also! I also hope you like the length—I regularly don't write this much, but I'll try keeping it long!

Preview

So many questions must be answered! The Konoha ninja are wondering who the hunter nin are. What will they do? What were those demonic chakras? Why did Sakura have amnesia?

Haku and Sakura wake to find team 7 questioning their identities. After explaining, Haku is devastated by Zabuza's passing. The Konoha ninja extend an invitation to their village. Will the two hunter nin accept?

Look out for the next chapter for answers! Well, some answers.