Demon's Shadow – Chapter 3
At the age of four, Momochi Zabuza made his first kill. It was an awkward sensation; it gave him an odd sense of joy. It was weird. There was the man, neck broken, his head lying at an odd angle. And there was him, a four year toddler standing in his shadow. He found the experience rather pleasing. This was before his parents died. They didn't care. They had never cared for him. They had made him into a machine, a machine fuelled by blood. They had destroyed his emotions, and that was something he could never get back.
There was really one event that changed his life. It seemed so silly now, but at the time it had been the only way to satisfy his hunger for blood was to kill, an urge he could now contain. Just. He knew all about the graduation ceremony at the academy. He had been banned. They deemed him a health risk; they got one right, just too late. He had walked into that arena, and was astonished by the evil men could do. There were brothers fighting each other to death, while crying their soul out. Best friends who were only to be reunited in heaven. He was stunned.
There was blood everywhere. Corpses littered the floor. Weapons were scattered, the arena was destroyed. And in the midst of all this was a child, no older than ten, sitting there, on the blood mixed with dirt. Laughing. His lips stretched wide in a demented grin.
It was disgusting. Of course after that he had to leave. People didn't want him there. They tried to kill him, and he ran, and ran. He didn't stop, just kept running. Eventually he reached the border of the land of the water. He found, or rather stumbled into, the most dangerous hideout in the world.
The headquarters of the seven swordsman of the mist was supposed to be the most secret place in the world. Lo and behold, they were astonished when a kid stumbled in. Then when that kid killed a couple of guards, nobody too good, but one would expect them to deal with a child, they were more than astonished. So surprised that they forgot to get mad. They saw what he sees in Naruto. Potential.
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Naruto walked with Zabuza. They had been walking for days. Stopping only at night for sleep. Naruto was older now. Eight years had passed since he had left Konoha and he had changed. He was taller now, much taller. He wore black. Black everything. This included a face mask, the kind that you would expect to find in an ancient Greek theatre, but the major addition was the weaponry. The only visible weapons appeared to be strapped to his back, two swords, their sheaths made of a simple metal painted black.
Zabuza walked alongside him. Age had done terrible damage to his features, but so had Naruto. He didn't treat the kid so badly after a couple of years, because that would have meant instant death. The kid had progressed quicker than he had expected, but when someone possesses that kind of power there isn't much you can do to stop their development.
"Zabuza-san, who is our target today?" Naruto asked
"A man, a bridge builder, by the name of Tazuna"
"And why must we kill him?"
"Because we are paid to. That is our job. Must you ask this every time?"
"Is money so important?"
"Of course it is. Too me, at least. You know what my goal is-"
"Why must we kill him?"
"Huh?
"Why must we kill him?"
"I told you. It is our-"
"Don't give me that. I'm not stupid"
"Because I need the money"
"And. Is this man guilty?"
"I don't know. I didn't ask"
"What if-"
"Quiet!"
Naruto was silent. Nobody was fooled. You could see the frustration building up. Zabuza sighed. That kid was never a born killer. He had too many emotions, he questioned everything. Hopefully he would make his first kill this mission. Hopefully.
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They set up near the bridge in the outlying shrubs. One of Naruto's strongest points was his stealth. He was a great assassin, but then again he had been taught by Momochi Zabuza, one of the greatest ever.
"Naruto" He whispered.
"Yes" Came the response. He was almost invisible, in every sense possible. That was what made him great. He could hide his sent. Hide his chakra. Muffle his breathing. Camouflage his body, using the most simple of jutsus. Then he would sneak up upon his prey. Once with a hundred metres, against a weak opponent, they would die. He would throw, a blade of some sort, with pinpoint accuracy. Then death came upon them. Of course, this was all a theory, but Zabuza was positive it was right.
"Target is coming up on the left" Zabuza whispered.
"I see him. He is accompanied by three. Two of them are kids. One of them, your old pal"
"Who?"
"The Copy cat"
"Kakashi. You old bastard. Haha…." Zabuza chuckled to himself. "Naruto, you stay here. I can take care of him, we need to catch up. Anyways, you know the plan if things go wrong."
"Yep."
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Naruto watched from afar. He smiled. Zabuza always was one for the grand entrances. The mist swirled in from all sides. Kakashi wouldn't fall for this cheap trick, but it would scare the kids. He could see them shaking in fear, he couldn't make out the words, but Zabuza was doing a pretty good job of frightening the kids.
Naruto watched on with interest as Zabuza slowly began to beat Kakashi back, who arrogantly refused the help of his students. He didn't understand why he didn't use them. Surely, if he could use them as tools to win, then they should be used. If one was damaged, then it would be unfortunate, but that was life. Some things would never make sense.
Slowly, however, Kakashi seemed to be beating Zabuza back, his one sharingan, too much for Zabuza to handle. Naruto knew this was a chance to strike, but stayed put, knowing that Zabuza would only call in his help when needed.
He could tell from the flow of chakra and the emotions of the combatants that Zabuza was tiring, being driven back; his jutsus were copied, sometimes before he could finish them. As well, the kids who had been so afraid of him before were regaining their confidence, now they were calm, their heart beating at a steady rate, a little above the normal, but nowhere near where it had been before.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Kakashi was tiring, using the Sharingan required a lot of energy for an Uchiha, but for one outside of the clan, the strain was unbelievable. Even though Kakashi knew more about the eye than most of the Uchiha, this was one mountain he could avoid. He knew that if the fight was to go on much longer, he would tire, and most probably collapse, leaving his students to deal with Zabuza.
The Sharingan wields unimaginable power, giving those who control it, a huge advantage from the rest of the shinobi world. Its power has never truly been unlocked, with many achieving new stages in its development. Hatake Kakashi was one of these people, someone who could unlock a new technique, and someone, who in fact had almost done so. But, at this present moment, he was using it to concentrate on Zabuza's movements, and to mimic every single one.
Their hearts beat in time, their tongues moved inside their jaws with the same course, and their bodies reacted identically, with each move of the hand, or the slight move of a leg copied.
It was then that Zabuza made a fatal mistake. He stopped and waited for Kakashi to make a move. Kakashi knew his reactions all too well, and struck, a near fatal blow.
"It's over" He whispered.
That was when Naruto struck.
A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to update, but my sister was in a serious car crash, and I have had to take care of her. I hope to update soon, keep reviewing. As well, point out any mistakes etc etc.
Agsdragon.