A/N: It has been some time.

A Lot Like Birds

Chapter 9

...Just Got Stronger

Days after Sakura and Kakashi's 'talk'

"So basically what this entails is me placing upon you a simple genjutsu. You, my dear cute little genin student, will endeavour to break it to the best of your ability." Kakashi explained cheerfully.

"What? I think I remember the last time you placed me under a 'simple genjutsu', Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura frowned, crossing her arms.

Kakashi winced, showing a hint of remorse. "Ah, these genjutsu won't be anything like that, I assure you." Kakashi eye-smiled, before frowning playfully, "What happened to the eager, determined kunoichi from yesterday?"

"I-" Sakura began blushing slightly, but Kakashi cut her off, raising a slender hand.

"No excuses, Sakura." Kakashi chuckled, before her eyes narrowed mischievously, "It's a little late for that."

Sakura suddenly froze, under the influence of a genjutsu. Kakashi merely procured her book and began to read as she waited for her student to figure it out. If not, she figured she'd let her out eventually.

With her attention not entirely on the book before her, Kakashi pondered the progress Sakura had made. In truth, Sakura had taken to water-walking like a fish to water, except on the water's surface, of course. The young kunoichi's chakra control was truly remarkable. Her chakra reserves did need improving however... All in due time, she shrugged, returning to her novel.

Yes, her kawaii little genin were just about ready for what was to come.

She hoped.

Inari had finally snapped during one dinner time and his lengthy outburst caused Naruto to snap in return. Being the responsible sensei, Kakashi felt it her responsibility to clean up after her student. She found Inari out at the docks, sitting at the edge. She pretended not to notice his tears as she asked if she could join him. The young boy didn't respond, but Kakashi took that as her cue to sit down anyway.

Procuring a bottle of sake she swiped from Tazuna earlier that day, Kakashi offered it to the young boy lazily. "Want a drink?" She asked, trying to break the ice. She got no response. "Suit yourself..." She murmured, taking a sip.

"Naruto didn't mean any harm with what he said." Kakashi began. "Sometimes he just doesn't use that thick head of his. He might get somewhere if he did, heh... Heh."

'No response, huh?' Kakashi sighed inwardly.

"Tazuna-san told us about your tou-san, Kaiza." Kakashi revealed solemnly. "Naruto never knew his parents and he's never known a true friend. In truth, he's had it worse than you."

"Huh?" Inari finally responded.

"But not once have I seen him complain. Sure, there was a time when he would cry, but right now he's trying his best to get the people who scorn him to acknowledge him. For that dream – that goal, he'd risk his life... He's probably done crying." Kakashi explained, wondering why she was being so frank with a kid she barely knew when she could barely do so in front of her friends. For Naruto, she surmised. "Just like your father, Kaiza, Naruto knows what it truly means to be strong."

"Sasuke-san... I believe that someone can only become truly strong when they have something to protect."

Those were her words – his words. Haku's words. Sasuke shook his head, forgetting unimportant details. In truth, despite his initial confusion and secret embarrassment surrounding the confusion of Haku's gender, Sasuke had found himself considering the boy's words. Much more than he would have liked. And alongside his sensei's words, talk of rules and comrades...

Whereas before, Sasuke may have found himself trembling with the excitement of the possibility of facing a strong opponent through Zabuza, now... He felt something more akin to trepidation. Perhaps, fear.

But was that fear more for himself, or for people he found himself with?

"ZABUZA! Is the ambush ready?!" Gato yelled more than asked over the radio. But it went ignored by the two Mist missing nin.

"Are you ready... Haku?" Zabuza asked, hefting Kubikiribouchou over his shoulder as he glanced sidelong at his apprentice – his tool.

"Yes, Zabuza-sama." Haku answered obediently.

They both glanced down at the incomplete bridge – Nami no Kuni's future.

'I'll teach you to mock me, Sharingan no Kakashi.' Zabuza glowered.

"Let's go."

"Everything's in place, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, as she signed for the rest of her team to do one last equipment check.

"You got it sensei!" Naruto gave a thumbs up alongside a wide grin.

"Good. Leave Zabuza entirely to me. The likelihood of his accomplice appearing is high, so the rest of you will be charged with taking care of that person. You may have to kill, understand that now. You mustn't hesitate. To protect your comrades, one should be willing sacrifice themselves... Or a part of themselves." Kakashi said, her face shadowed by her hair.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura murmured.

"I'd never let anyone hurt my comrades!" Naruto said in determination.

Sasuke looked irritated, but not in his usual manner.

"I do wish you'd let up with the whole super seriousness thing, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto muttered.

"Yeah." Sakura agreed. "Yesterday you wouldn't talk and just kept using ANBU sign language! Then you made your dog summon teach us when you still refused to talk!"

"He doesn't even have proper hands!" Naruto yelled.

"Such training will prove useful in situations that require stealth." Kakashi responded with her eyes closed and arms crossed over her chest.

"Situations like getting ambushed in the mist where we won't be able to see our hands?" Sasuke growled.

"Teme makes a good point." Naruto said.

"Stand down you two, that's an order." Kakashi droned without looking at her genin.

"Sensei, come on! You were way more fun when you were all... flippant and raving about alcoholism." Sakura complained.

Kakashi suddenly turned to face her with an even and unnerving stare, making Sakura flinch. Kakashi held the stare for many long moments until her left eye crinkled into a bright smile.

"Heh. I knew you three would learn to appreciate me more if I suddenly changed my personality to something immediately less attractive and approachable." Kakashi beamed, causing her three students to sweat drop.

"That's real petty, sensei." Naruto shook his head in disapproval.

"Stand now, Uzumaki." Kakashi said darkly.

"Ugh, let's just go already!"

"What the hell happened here?" Tazuna asked the downed worker as he gaped at the scene that met them at his bridge.

"M-m-monster!" One of the workers yelped as he scrambled past them along with a few others.

A slow mist began to coalesce around them, and the three genin wordlessly entered a manji formation around Tazuna. Kakashi kept her eyes forward, addressing her genin.

"Remember, whilst I take care of Zabuza, you three need to work together to take down Zabuza's accomplice. We don't know the extent of his strength, but we know at the very least that he is very skilled, especially with senbon. It's likely that he'll aim to kill instead of incapacitate like he did with his master, so take extreme care. Understood?"

"Yes sensei!" They nodded in unison, Naruto's hand tightening around his kunai. A kid like them who could kill so easily? What did that say about them – about him – when he had frozen up almost entirely the last time he'd been in a true combat situation?

"I guarantee you this - and I can tell for sure - this will be the first and last time your freeze in combat."

Kakashi-sensei was right. That would be the last time. Eyes narrowing as he deepened his stance, Naruto scanned the mists that now enveloped them.

"Remember to hang back, Naruto." Sakura reminded him with a glance. She looked nervous, but ready to fight. Her hands clenched her kunai harder than Naruto's, he guessed her hands might have visibly shaken were it not for her iron grip at the moment.

"You got it, Sakura-chan. It shouldn't be long until I'm with you." Naruto replied determinedly.

"Try not to pop your clone until you get here." Kakashi said, before she reached over her shoulder, sliding her chokutou a quarter ways out of its sheath, her other hand pulling up her hitai-ate to expose Obito's sharingan. Glancing at their immediate surroundings, she saw faint bubbles in the puddles circling them.

"Down." Kakashi ordered, her team responding admirably fast, dragging Tazuna down with them. Light on her feet, she used Naruto as a platform to launch herself above the group, her blade now fully drawn, Naruto initially felt annoyed at having his body used a platform by his sensei, but his annoyance quickly subsided when she acted next. As Kakashi neared the peak of her ascent, mizu bunshin burst from the bubbling puddles in the visage of a recovered Zabuza. Lightning chakra coated her blade, extending her blade's short reach to strike the clones as she made a full rotation with her chokutou. The clones fizzled into steam as Kakashi landed behind her genin, blade at her side.

'Wow.' Naruto thought in awe. 'That was amazing... Wait 'til the boss remembers this.'

"Kakashi-sensei, what was that move? That was so cool!" Naruto shouted.

"A sword?" The unmistakable voice of Zabuza echoed out of the now thinner mists, his silhouette coming into view, alongside another. "I don't think I noticed that last time we fought, sharingan no Kakashi."

"Distracted, Zabuza?" Kakashi drawled, as her gaze met his through the thin mist. "What was the problem? Lost in my... eyes?" Obito's sharingan flared, attempting to trap the swordsman in a genjutsu, but it was quickly dispelled by the silhouette behind Zabuza, the small figure's left hand drawn into a seal, before Kakashi could discern whether Zabuza could dispel it himself, as genjutsu had been the cause of his defeat last time.

"Haha, I'm not interested in that sharingan." Zabuza chuckled, hefting Kubikiribouchou over his shoulder. "I want to see how that little blade will hold up against my Kubikiribouchou. How about it?"

"You won't like what you find..." Kakashi said in a sing-song voice, an eye smile bright on her face.

"We'll see about that, sharingan no Kakashi." Zabuza growled. "Haku! Take care of these brats, she's mine."

"Yes. Zabuza-sama." The silhouette replied, stepping into view. The hunter nin.

"Haku..." Sasuke muttered, clenching his fists.

"Heh, Haku. What's up with this kid? He's glaring death at you. Did your hunter nin act rile them up that much? It's been quite a while since Konoha had a military police force, I'm surprised they were so trusting." Zabuza said, knowing the exact meaning of his own words, his face twisted in sadistic amusement.

Surprisingly, Sasuke didn't take the bait.

"So the herbs were for this person, Haku?" Sasuke asked quietly, his eyes not leaving Haku. "This person, is your precious person."

Zabuza sent a look of askance at Haku. "You've spoken to this brat?" Haku nodded.

"Did you mean what you said?" Sasuke asked simply, Kakashi and her other genin watching on silently. The Jounin observed with interest, having expected this encounter, but not her genin's exact reaction.

Haku remained silent.

"Did you... mean... what you said?" Sasuke repeatedly slowly and with dangerous calm.

"Yes." Haku answered finally and simply.

Sasuke exhaled deeply, before glancing to his sensei, she returned with a slightly sad smile.

"Let's get started, Zabuza." Kakashi said, her voice serious. Her genin parting to let her through, she stopped beside Tazuna. "Stay near Naruto, he'll keep your clear." He nodded with a nervous gulp.

Kakashi and Zabuza both dashed further down the bridge past Haku, keeping their fight separate.

"So..." Naruto said slowly, breaking the tense silence that appeared after the two Jounin left to fight.

"Do you not fear for your sensei? My master is very strong." Haku asked softly.

"Uh... You had to save him last time and sensei didn't even use her chokutou." Sakura pointed out, her tone dry.

"Zabuza-sama will not hold back this time, and as soon as I defeat you three, I will aid him." Haku said, arms folded.

"Ha! I'd like to see you try to beat- " Naruto began, but was cut off as Haku disappeared, suddenly appearing beside Naruto swinging downwards with a kunai.

'Fast!' Naruto thought in alarm, he couldn't block and barely managed to dodge.

"Impressive reactions, but you are a clone." Haku said, surprised that Naruto's face didn't register surprise as she expected, just confusion.

"What? No I'm not!" Naruto protested. Tazuna looked at him in panic.

"Who's protecting Tsunami?!" He hissed in Naruto's ear.

"Hey! I'm trying to pull a ruse here, quiet down..." Naruto hissed in return.

"I see..." Haku said, slightly exasperated.

"Naruto, get back with the old man." Sasuke ordered. "I've got this..."

"Yes Naruto, like Kakashi-sensei said." Sakura moved beside Sasuke, who glanced at her, she was staring at Haku, not at him. Interesting. "Sasuke-kun and I have this."

"Sakura- " Sasuke began.

"Naruto, Tazuna?" Sakura interrupted him, turning to Naruto briefly, who nodded with a quiet grin on his face, beckoning the old man and putting some distance between them and the group.

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged, sensing that this is was now a Sakura that wouldn't be simply dismissed as someone in his way. Now that he thought about, very recently Sakura hadn't acted quite the same way towards him. He had still caught her staring at him a few times over dinner and around Tsunami's house, but usually she would look away and blush, instead she had held his gaze briefly before looking away, looking unruffled. What had changed? No matter. He would work with her this time.

Perhaps because he didn't want to disappoint his sensei.

He dismissed such a notion quickly and turned to Sakura.

"What can you do?" He asked, his tone not condescending and she took no offence, again, to his slight surprise.

Sakura turned her body away from Haku, making the ANBU sign for genjutsu. Sasuke's eyes widened marginally.

'So that's what sensei has been teaching her.' Sasuke thought with interest. 'But how much could she have learnt in a couple of days.' He nodded and they both turned to face Haku once more.

"Give me an opening." Sakura said, entering a combat stance, Sasuke dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement, having never left his own stance.

Kakashi knew she couldn't easily fully block a strike from Zabuza's zanbatou. Sure, she was plenty strong, but it was more effective to use his momentum and strength against him. But still, his strikes sent shockwaves down her arm, almost making her wish that she used a longer blade, like her mother had. Her mother did have a wind affinity though, Kakashi just wasn't compatible with that form of their style.

Eying Zabuza's zanbatou in sharingan-enhanced slow motion as it passed her by, she found herself curious. Surely not? Weren't these blades supposed to be legendary?

"Is it true? Does every one of the seven swordsmen's blades have its own special ability?" Kakashi asked, parrying another blow and using Obito's sharingan to anticipate an incoming kick. "What's yours?"

"If you really want to know... It's that the blade repairs itself with the blood of its victims." Zabuza grinned.

"Morbid... But ultimately, underwhelming." Kakashi taunted him, a bait which he took.

Letting out a roar, Zabuza brought his blade upwards in an arcing strike and to his surprise, Kakashi managed to hook her chokutou through the hole near Kubikiribouchou's tip. Using Zabuza's momentum against him once again, Kakashi flipped herself over his head so that his zanbatou was held awkwardly behind his back. Zabuza found that his arms were trapped in this position, unless he was to let go – something he was to slow to do.

Kubikiribouchou wasn't meant for channelling chakra, least of all elemental.

"An ability like that, it's bound to be useful only because a sword such as yours is brittle." Kakashi said punctuating the last word by pulling her chokutou free rapidly, shattering the zanbatou in two with a raiton chakra infused thrust which went through Kubikiribouchou and tore into Zabuza's back, causing him to let out another roar – this time of pain.

"Lightning chakra is a wonderful thing. All that electricity can weaken bonds, and it doesn't take as long as you think to get something to a vulnerable point." Kakashi explained, as Zabuza was on his knees, his broken blade the only thing keeping him upright it seemed. "I'm Konoha's second best sword user. As soon as you challenged me to a contest of the blade, you had already lost."

"You arrogant... bitch." Zabuza spat, coughing up a glob of blood at his knees. "You held back on me, huh?"

"Virtue is no more than a luxury, Zabuza-san." Kakashi murmured, kicking aside the remnants of Zabuza's zanbatou, causing him to collapse further onto his knees. "But why is it that you treat that kid, Haku, in that way?"

"Haku's a tool, he knows that." Zabuza growled, hissing in pain. "And he's not just some kid."

"So you afford him that much. Barely acknowledgement." Kakashi frowned.

"Why the fuck does it matter?" Zabuza grunted. "He's about to massacre those kids of yours – even though it's impressive that they managed to push Haku far enough to have to use the demonic ice mirrors technique."

"A kekkei genkai, yes. Hyouton, I suppose that must be? If Haku is a tool, then why are you not receiving assistance already?" Kakashi asked.

"Haku knows that this is my fight, he's obedient, he wouldn't-" Zabuza began, but Kakashi cut him off.

"Or can't." Kakashi interjected. "Sakura learns quickly. She's really quite brilliant actually." Kakashi let the pride she felt show in her voice. "Haku does not know what's truly going on outside his mirrors. Sakura made sure of that."

"You – I – don't you dare interfere!" Zabuza yelled, trying to pull himself to his feet.

"What if your companion kills my students?" Kakashi asked calmly, watching as Zabuza slumped downwards with a grunt of pain, unable to get up. "I can't stand by if Haku will kill them."

"Those brats..." Zabuza muttered, the nails of his bloodied hands digging into the wood of the bridge's surface. He let out a sigh as he seemed to sink down even further. "Haku won't kill them. Her heart is too damned soft..." Zabuza admitted, not meeting Kakashi's gaze, which showed compassion that Zabuza was not looking at to see.

"What are you doing working for scum like Gato? Leading a pure kid like Haku around to fund your ambition, the two of you never could have done it alone." Kakashi shook her head, Zabuza now meeting her gaze beneath a heavy glare. "When was the last time you fought alongside someone else? Is Haku really just a tool to you, Zabuza?"

"You wouldn't understand." Zabuza growled, pure venom in his tones. Kakashi narrowed her eyes

"Then help me to. You don't have much time to influence my decision on Haku's fate."

'Damn it.' Sasuke cursed inwardly. He was increasingly getting the impression that he should be dead by now. It didn't so much scare him as it frustrated him. Haku was strong, fast and incredibly skilled. Sasuke and Sakura had managed to work together to push Haku to have to use his current technique, finding himself surrounded my mirrors and an icy mist that he could not see through. It had separated the two, leaving Sakura trapped outside and Sasuke alone against this unknown kekkei genkai. Sasuke hated to admit it, but he sorely needed her help right now. With the skill that Haku displayed with senbon, Sasuke was positive that he could have been struck in a fatal area easily long before now. Why was Haku doing this? Did he think him weak?

'I am an Uchiha, this villageless ninja is nothing to-' Sasuke began to think angrily, before he cut off his own train of thought.

Did you mean what you said?

Yes.

"Haku!" Sasuke yelled, managing to deflect most of the next hail of senbon that Haku sent his way from his mirrors. "Why are you holding back? Do you think you can just toy with us?!"

"As I said before, you are no match for my speed, Sasuke-san." Haku replied calmly from within his mirrors.

"You've slowed down." Sasuke observed with a glare. "Soon, we'll be done with you and if Kakashi-sensei isn't already done with Zabuza, then we'll finish it when we get there. What happened to beating us and going to help him?"

"Zabuza-sama does not need my help." Haku responded, observing the Jounin fighting, there was no clear leader in the fight to his eyes.

'If I have slowed down, it's likely only the most marginal of differences.' Haku thought. 'Is he trying to taunt me?'

Sasuke tried again to look outside the circle of mirrors, this time somehow succeeding to see through the icy mists. Zabuza was collapsed at Kakashi-sensei's feet. The two seemed to be... talking? Why wasn't Kakashi coming to help them? Couldn't she see the trouble they were in? Or did she have that much faith in her genin against an unknown enemy?

Her genin. Naruto Where the hell was Naruto? The real Naruto.

Sasuke scanned for Sakura outside the mirrors, finding her standing still, her hands bloody and face locked in an expression of concentration. She looked exhausted.

'What the hell is she doing?' Sasuke thought, she must have been trying to break the mirrors, judging by her bloodied fists. If Sasuke himself couldn't more than crack a single mirror with his best katon techniques, then she had no chance, not having his raw power. 'What the hell is that coming out of her? It looks like a string of images... Chakra?' Wait... Haku said that Zabuza did not need her help, could she not see that he was already beaten? Sakura! Her genjutsu! Sasuke found himself impressed and part of him registered that it had not been unpleasant to fight alongside her. She had not, despite his expectations, gotten in his way. Surely the genjutsu didn't work both ways? Kakashi could see them just fine, no doubt. Her sharingan could see through any genjutsu performed by a genin no matter what.

"Where is that dobe?..." Sasuke whispered, before turning his blazing gaze to Haku once again. "You won't be there to help him once we go to help Kakashi-sensei. You'll have failed to protect your precious person – just because you couldn't bring yourself to kill us!"

"You're right. I do not want to kill you, Sasuke-san." Haku admitted.

"Then I guess that makes me stronger than you, Haku." Sasuke began slowly. "Because I would be to kill anyone who threatened someone important to me. As if I'd let it happen again!" Sasuke yelled, his fury showing despite himself.

"Yes." Haku agreed quietly. "I suppose you're right, Sasuke-san." She whispered sadly. "I cannot take that risk either."

Sasuke barely had time to react before a senbon was sent towards his neck in a flash.

'Hang in there, Sasuke-kun...' Sakura urged inwardly, sweat running down her brow as she continued to exert herself to maintain the genjutsu. She had tried to break through the mirrors, but she wasn't strong enough. That ice wasn't ordinary... She had felt helpless, but she knew that Kakashi-sensei needed them to keep Haku distracted and away from her fight. The icy mist that Haku had created extended further than just his mirrors and Sakura could not see Kakashi or Zabuza through it. She didn't doubt her sensei's ability to handle the swordsman, but Sakura knew she had no choice but wait on either Kakashi to come and help her get Sasuke free or... Naruto.

Just where was he? Had he not ensured Tsunami's safety yet? His task was as important as theirs, she knew that, but she sorely needed him right now.

"Sakura-chan? Sasuke-teme?" A familiar voice called out through the mist.

"Naruto, over here!" Sakura called out, her voice hoarse.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, finding her. "What's going on? I got the memories from my clone, but I didn't see much more than this icy storm popping up. Where's the teme and what's with these icy walls?"

"Sasuke-kun is trapped inside, fighting against Zabuza's accomplice." Sakura explained. "I couldn't break through, it's too... thick, I don't know, we just can't let him fight him alone! He's so strong..."

"Let me try." Naruto suggested, moving in front of Sakura, facing the mirrors.

"Naruto, how can you-"

"Fuuton: Kuudan!" Naruto yelled, a bullet of dangerously condensed wind chakra exiting his outstretched palms. Sakura felt the tremendous expulsion of chakra from Naruto and let out a quiet gasp. She watched in amazement as it rocketed towards the nearest mirror of ice and she felt her stomach lurch as it impacted against the mirror's surface seemingly having no effect, but the feeling was brief as the condensed chakra bullet exploded in a volatile miniature tempest of slicing wind, shattering the bottom of the mirror.

"Let's go!" Sakura shouted, sprinting towards the opening with newfound energy. She slid under the gap, Naruto following suit.

The first thing they saw when they entered the circle was Sasuke, slumping to the floor, hand to his neck where a senbon had struck him. He lay lifeless with his back to them, face to the mirrored walls of the prison Haku had created for them.

He wasn't moving.

'No... No, no, no, no!' Sakura thought, dreading pooling in the pit of her stomach.

Naruto's eyes were wide, his face frozen in horror. Sakura felt the hair on skin raise as he began to exude a foul, heavy chakra.

"N-Naruto..." Sakura whispered, staring at her teammate.

"I hoped that it would not come to this." Haku said, still circling them in his mirrors. "If you had just given up the bridge builder."

Naruto answered with a bestial roar, sending out a wave of that dark chakra.

Sakura looked around, panic rising. She stared at the senbon lodged in Sasuke's neck. His eyes were open, his expression frozen at the moment of his – red. His eyes were red.

Was Sasuke's hand moving? It was slow but... Yes, it was moving.

'Sasuke-kun is... alive?' Sakura wondered, feeling hope rising within her.

Suddenly, Sasuke yanked the senbon lodged in his neck free, letting out a scream of pain. He struggled to his feet. Sasuke turned to face the nearest mirror, observing his appearance. He let out a slow and victorious smile as he saw his eyes. He hadn't been seeing things then.

His sharingan had awoken. He had caught the senbon, preventing it from penetrating deep enough to disable him fully.

He turned back to face Sakura and Naruto, the latter exuding a foul chakra that shrouded the blonde in a viscous orange-red aura. Something was wrong.

"Dobe, glad you could join us." Sasuke called out to him.

"Sa...suke? What?" Naruto croaked, his aura peeling back and his fury fading away very slowly. His chakra returned to normal not long after.

"You think I'd let anyone beat me?" Sasuke smirked, he was surprised to see that instead of annoyance, Naruto's expression displayed his relief. What was that? That chakra...

Ignoring how that and Naruto's reaction made him feel, Sasuke found himself with a plan. He had seen how Sakura's genjutsu had momentarily disabled Haku before he used his mirrors, giving them an instant of an opening to strike. Approaching Sakura, Sasuke leaned in to speak to her quietly.

"Use that genjutsu you used earlier on Haku on me, Sakura." Sasuke said, seeing how Sakura's eyes widened in confusion, before narrowing with understanding. She met his eyes, scanning them.

Her hands flowed through seals and Sasuke suddenly felt as though his head was submerged and his lungs were filled with water, but his eyes saw through, taking it in. Remembering it. Learning it.

Sasuke's eyes darted back to Haku, who continued to spin through his mirrors. Sharingan narrowed as Sasuke felt the world around him slow down. Haku slowed down, until Sasuke could follow him easily with his eyes. He could see where Haku was. And where he would be.

Sasuke's hands flew through the seals.

"Got you." Sasuke smirked, readying himself to launch into action when Haku was disabled.

Instead, to his surprise, Haku was indeed caught in the genjutsu, freezing within a single mirror, but in an instant, the mirrors surrounding them shattered. Haku collapsed to the ground, his head hitting the ground hard and the three genin pounced towards him, pinning him to the ground.

"Very impressive..." Haku said, his voice hoarse. The icy mists from the mirrors had condensed into moisture, which fell around them in a cool haze. "That genjutsu used by your teammate had disrupted by hyouton before. I did not think I would fall for it again, but... it is much more powerful with those eyes of yours, Sasuke-san."

Sakura and Naruto waited for Sasuke to respond. The two seemed to know each other, but Sasuke said nothing, his eyes boring into Haku's beneath his mask.

"Why did you not use them before? Those sharingan." Haku asked, his mask beginning to splinter and fall from his face.

"I didn't have them before." Sasuke replied. Half of Haku's mask fell from his face, revealing a face that Naruto recognised.

'That girl!' He recalled, but keeping his mouth shut. Clearly there was something between them.

Haku's eye widened as he looked past the genin and saw Zabuza staring back at her. He collapsed, unmoving, at Kakashi's feet. Her expression was one of sadness.

"I am indeed weaker than you, Sasuke-san." Haku said, voice barely a whisper. "I have failed as Zabuza-sama's tool. Please, kill me, as I have no more reason to live."

"Tool?" Sasuke echoed. "Is that all you are? Pathetic."

"No! I-" Haku protested. "Zabuza-sama gave me purpose. I was glad to be his tool to carry out his ambitions."

"People can only become truly strong when they have something to protect, right?" Sasuke said, repeating Haku's own words. "You said you meant what said. Zabuza wanted you to help carry out his ambitions. Protect that. You can't do it if you're dead."

"I can't do it if I'm alone." Haku whispered. "Zabuza-sama-"

"Zabuza would have been alone, were it not for you, Haku." Kakashi said, from behind her genin. "You were more than a tool to him."

Haku's visible eye widened, something akin to hope flickering in that dark brown eye.

"He said you were like a daughter to him."

Sasuke didn't speak much for the next two days they remained in Nami no Kuni. His silence was not unfriendly however and Kakashi had told her other two genin that he merely had a lot of thinking to do. Naruto was feeling slightly annoyed by this new Sasuke. He wasn't as responsive to any taunting Naruto might try and his pensiveness pissed Naruto off even more. Kakashi found herself amused as Naruto let his frustrations out during his training sessions. Sakura had found herself concerned for Sasuke, but true to her will to change how she acted towards Sasuke and her sensei's urge to give him space to think, she did not pester him. It didn't stop her from worrying about him one bit though.

Sakura had been pleasantly surprised however when one dinner time that Sasuke had caught her staring at him, trying to hide her concern, and had sent her the tiniest of smiles. Despite herself, Sakura had blushed and looked away quickly, as she once used to.

Kakashi spent most of her remaining time in wave country grumbling about her horribly stained blade, ignoring how much such rambling freaked out her genin and the occupants of Tsunami's household. Naruto and the other genin still couldn't get over how their sensei had singlehandedly cut a swath through Gato's mercenaries, killing many of them. She had proceeded to seal the small shipping magnate into a scroll for safekeeping. Alive of course.

"Sensei?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

"Do you think you could teach me how to use a sword?"

"Isn't there a book on that or something?"

"Senseiiii..."

Speaking of books, Kakashi fished out the little orange book she had found hidden in Naruto's book about Minato-sensei.

Icha Icha Paradaisu.

'This seems interesting...' Kakashi thought, flipping another page. She was a quick reader.

Her eyes widened, her face reddening suddenly as she continued to read.

'Holy moly.' She let out an audible squeak, causing Sasuke, the only one to pick it up to raise an eyebrow. 'That's like five at once! Are there even that many holes?'

"Sensei, I'm actually... interested in that too." Sakura admitted.

"What?!" Kakashi squawked, pressing the book to her stomach, looking at Sakura in shock.

"Uh... learning how to use a sword." Sakura repeated timidly, taken aback by her sensei's outburst.

"Uh... oh. I... see. Yes." Kakashi spluttered quickly, her eyes returning to the book. Sakura now looking curiously at her mortified expression too.

"Yatta! We're gonna learn how to use a sword, Sakura-chan! You should learn too teme, unless yer scared I'll kick your ass. Never mind that, no nuke nin will be any match for us! We'll be the strongest!"

"Hm." Sasuke responded, shrugging at his sensei's antics. She went from ridiculous Jounin, to terrifying living weapon, right back to ridiculous Jounin. Over and over.

Sasuke's thoughts then drifted back to Haku. To her.

"Let's meet again somewhere." He had said, just before they let her go, out of the earshot of his teammates.

"You're only saying that because you know for sure this time that I'm a girl, Sasuke-san." Haku had responded with a small smile, her eyes still sad.

"So?"

"It would be nice to see you again sometime, Sasuke-san." Haku said, before she left, slowly leaving his sight.

A/N: I haven't updated for a while. Honestly, I was just being lazy. It was a review from a user called flairina who spurred me into action. They expressed that it was sad that the story didn't seem to go any further than what they had read. I had found myself tired of having to work through the wave arc, as it's much more fun and freeing to write about Kakashi's life within Konoha. I hope this chapter finishes up the wave arc in an appropriate manner anyway.

I need to clarify some things about our Kakashi, half for you guys, and half for myself. It was hard getting back into writing this after so long of a time not doing it.

This Kakashi is not a slacker. She was being harsh on herself when she said she was out of shape before fighting zabuza for the first time. She is much more in practice and shape than canon Kakashi was at the time.

She had her father's blade repaired after its destruction on the kannabi bridge mission on team minato.

She also continues to wear the red scarf that younger Kakashi had in canon. It has sentimental value that she holds more worth in than he did.

Apparently females have lower chakra reserves, Kakashi is no exception. Having less than male Kakashi of canon.

Kakashi is visibly affected by icha icha paradise.

This arc was more about Sasuke's and Sakura's development than Naruto's.

Haku is a girl.

Gato is a scroll.

Kakashi says she's the second strongest sword user in Konoha. Who is the first?

See you next time. It is late.