Demon of the Hidden Leaf

A/N: Grrrr! I HATE the economy! Seriously, I've been looking for work for months now and I still can't manage to get a job! Even my local McDonalds isn't hiring right now and I'm pretty sure all the employees working there now are over thirty. Now, don't get me wrong I'm sure they're just working there to support their families and get through the week, but teenagers like myself need the money and job experience to help get through college and we can't do that without JOBS. The most annoying thing though is when politicians say things like "Oh, the economy is looking up!" because from where I'm standing it's looking the other way. The only good thing from this is that it gives me more time to work on my stories. But, enough ranting from me now.

InARealPickle: Okay, first of all how long did it take you to write that review? I appreciate the comments either way, but I feel I should take some time to go over some of the points you made.

-First off, you complained about how Naruto should've wiped the floor with Kakashi. Who's to say he couldn't have? You have no idea what this Naruto can do or what his intentions are and frankly if I had revealed all Naruto's abilities there would have been nothing left for later. Since you seem to have a grasp on basic writing, you should know one thing you DON't do is give away everything hidden at once.

-Hypocritical? I think not. Not everyone can be Kakashi and he was commenting on Naruto mastering wind element compared to the other users of that nature type that have been in the village before him.

-How didn't he take Naruto seriously? He didn't take out Make Out Paradise to begin with and how did I insult Kakashi's intelligence or Naruto's skill? He figured out almost immediately what Naruto's plan was and what he intended to do. The fact that Naruto managed to retrieve the bells from Kakashi is a testament to how strong he is.

-Rehabilitation? I don't believe Sai took any of that and he turned out rather well despite being in ROOT longer than Naruto would have been at this point.

-No teamwork? News flash, they didn't really show any teamwork in the real Naruto either. Sakura shoved food in his mouth then too, after which they all said they were a team to Kakashi and he passed them. It really wasn't that much different. Yes, he did try to kill them, but how do you know he couldn't have actually done it if he wanted to?

-Most importantly, I think you are overlooking one crucial fact about this Naruto. You pointed out that he's still operating under Danzo's final order which was to 'treat this like any other mission until Konoha comes back under their control.' Perhaps I could have been clearer on this, but killing your teammates or sensei the day after you're put on a team is not a good way to be stealthy or undercover. I just assumed everyone could figure that out.

- The avenger quote I actually just borrowed from the anime. I didn't change anything there. I'm trying to stay in step with the main storyline for now, so yes I am relying heavily on quotes from the anime and manga at the moment. Frankly, I always considered Sasuke to be somewhat sociopathic and creepy.

-It's obvious you have some problems with my writing style. That's perfectly fine and you are entitled to your opinion. You at least had the decency to list why you dislike my story instead of just saying "Your story is stupid" or whatever. However, if you are simply going to comment over and over again on how horrible of a writer I am and don't put any thought or feelings into my characters, I'm not going to even look at it because I already know what it will say. This story was originally meant to be a one-shot and the only reason I am continuing on with it is because I've received several positive comments which motivated me to take it farther.

A/N: Okay, I have an announcement for all you loyal readers out there. For the months of December and possibly part of January, I will be taking a break from my fanfics temporarily. The reason for this is because I've basically been writing non-stop for the past two months and really need a little bit of time to sit back and relax for while. Rest assured, I will return shortly afterwards and continue on with both my stories. I don't plan on abandoning them anytime soon.

'thinking'

'Inner Sakura'

REMEMBER TO REVIEW!

Chapter 3: Mission to Wave

"This is Sakura. I've arrived at point A."

"Okay Team 7, the target has moved. After it!"

Sakura moved quickly, jumping behind a nearby tree trunk to conceal her position. A few meters away, their objective was sitting in a clearing nearby, licking itself.

"What's the distance to the target?" Kakashi asked, requesting an update.

"Five meters. I'm ready to go." Sasuke answered him over the radios they were using.

"Me too." Sakura repeated.

"Affirmative." Naruto finished.

"Okay," Kakashi confirmed. "GO!" The three Genin jumped at their target, their hands outstretched to capture it. Just as Sakura touched it's fur however, the beast became a blur, zooming away from her grasp.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled to her teammate. "It's coming your way!"

"I've got it!" Sasuke quickly moved to stand in front of their quarry, his arms ready to catch it. But to his surprise, the target sped up once more and ran directly between the Uchiha's legs, darting towards some nearby bushes.

"Kakashi sensei, it's too fast!" Sakura informed her teacher in a frantic voice. "We can't keep up with it! It's going to—"

Just as the beast was about to make the leap to freedom, a fist crashed down from above, hitting it directly on the head. With just one attack, the target was now out of commission.

"I have the cat Kakashi-sensei." Naruto spoke into the communicator.

"Does it have a ribbon on it's right ear? Is it our target, Tora?" Kakashi inquired.

"Confirmed." Naruto answered, holding the small, now limp, creature by it's tail. "It is definitely the target."

"Then "Operation Capture Tora the Lost Pet" is now complete." Kakashi stated. "Good work Team 7. Time to return our little friend to it's owner."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ohh, my cute little Tora-chan!" An extremely obese woman wailed holding her pet. "You evil little boy! What did you do to my precious kitty?"

"We retrieved your pet as requested. You did not specify the condition in which you wished to have it returned, so we are not at fault here." Naruto told her bluntly.

"You murdered him!" She screamed back, all while crying all over herself. She then turned with an enraged look to Kakashi. "My husband will hear of this I can promise you that!" Then with a huff, the woman turned and walked off.

Kakashi sighed. "You know Naruto, it wouldn't kill you to be a little kinder to animals here and there. Now I'm going to get scolded by the Hokage for angering the feudal lord's wife."

"I am sorry sensei." Naruto apologized in his normal monotone voice.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Kakashi replied. "Let's just go and get our next mission." With that, the group headed over to the desk where the Hokage was sitting at, handing out missions.

"Finished already Kakashi?" The Third asked, to which the Jonin nodded. "Good, good. Now then, Kakashi's Team 7's next mission is babysitting Yojyu-sama's boy, grocery shopping at the neighboring town, helping dig up potatoes at..."

"Umm, Hokage-sama? Might I have a moment?" Kakashi asked politely.

"Of course." The old man said getting up from his desk, before turning to Iruka and the other ninjas he was sitting next to. "We'll just be a minute. Continue giving out the missions as planned."

"Yes Hokage-sama!" Everyone answered in unison.

With a few quick leaps, the two shinobi found themselves on the roof of the building alone. "Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about Kakashi?"

"Well," Kakashi began. "The truth of the matter is that I would like a higher ranked mission for Team 7 to take."

"Oh? What brought this on?" The Third inquired. "From all your reports, Team 7 has successfully completed each D-ranked mission they've been given. Why then should we change that?"

"We've completed every mission, but none of them have done anything to help the teamwork of my squad. Sasuke and Sakura are still wary of Naruto and he has shown no interest in opening up to either of them at all." Kakashi explained to his leader. "You originally put Naruto on my team because you thought I could be able to help him in connecting with others. I can't do that if we're continually given these mediocre tasks. Naruto is used to far more dangerous missions and if you want him to begin working with his teammates, Sasuke and Sakura need something tougher in order to help prove themselves to him."

The Third closed his eyes, smoking on his pipe as he took the news. "It's not that I'm not aware of this Kakashi. My only concern has always been whether or not Sasuke and Sakura are up to the task." He told the Jonin. "Part of having a teammate with a much greater skill level requires a balancing out of training in order to help the others come along also."

"They're ready. I have confidence in both of them." Kakashi declared. "Also, as a side note for another reason, Naruto knocked out the feudal lord's wife's cat on our last mission. It might be better if we left for a while until the heat dies down, don't you think?"

"He knocked out that accursed feline eh?" Hiruzen repeated. "Hmph, I don't know whether or not I should be scolding him or presenting him with a medal. Very well, it just so happens we've received a C-rank mission recently that seems to fit your criteria. I'll deal with the feudal lord, just make sure your squad is ready."

"You've got it." Kakashi replied with a smile. "Trust me, you won't regret this Hokage-sama."

XXXXXXXXXX

A half hour later, Team 7 stood together outside the village gate to meet their next assignment. "Now remember everyone," Kakashi reminded his students, "this is going to be a C-ranked escort mission and potentially could take us a number of weeks at the most. Our escort is a bridge builder named Tazuna from the land of Waves. We've been hired to protect him while he travels to his country and finishes a bridge he's been working on there. He's a somewhat elderly gentleman, so let's all remember to show respect and courtesy on the trip okay?"

The students all nodded, understanding the instructions. Kakashi smiled in response. "Good. Oh look, here he comes now to meet us." The three young shinobi looked over to see a man with gray hair and a moustache carrying a sake bottle stumbling over to where they were.

"What?" The man hiccupped as he spoke, nearly falling over in the process. His face was bright red, obviously from spending a little too much time with the bottle. "There just a bunch of kids!"

'This is our escort?' Sakura thought to herself. 'He's just a drunk old man!'

"Are they really capable of this mission?" Tazuna asked Kakashi, pointing at the group. "They look more like a couple of wet behind the ear brats to me!"

"Tazuna-san, I can assure you that they are more than qualified." The Jonin asssured him before turning back to his students. "Now why don't each of you introduce yourselves so we can get started with the mission."

"I am Sasuke Uchiha."

"My name is Sakura Haruno, pleased to meet you!"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"And I am Kakashi Hatake. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's be off shall we?" With that the group turned and left the safety of the village, unaware of the dangers that lay ahead.

XXXXXXXXXX

An hour passed by then with nothing but silence, except for Tazuna's occasional drunken rambles about how he deserved better than a bunch of kids for protection. Feeling bored, Sakura decided to pass the time by with a question.

"Hey, Tazuna-san you're from the Wave country right?" Sakura asked the bridge builder.

"Yeah, what about it?" Tazuna replied gruffly.

"Kakashi-sensei, are there also ninja in that country?" She asked in a curious voice.

"No, there are no ninja the Country of Wave." Her teacher answered. "But while the culture and customs of other countries may be different, hidden villages and ninja do exist. To the many countries that exist on land, the existence of ninja villages such as Konohagakure is the equivalent of that country's military power. In other words, that is how they are able to maintain the relationship with neighboring countries."

The Jonin explained further. "But the villages aren't under the control of that country. They are supposedly equal in position. On a small island such as the Wave Country, where it is difficult to be influenced by other nations, there is no need for ninja. The fire, water, lightning, earth, and wind countries occupy the most land on the continent and are therefore known as the Five Great Ninja Powers. They in turn are bolstered by their own respective villages which are controlled by the five kages who command the tens of thousands on ninja in the world."

"Wow, so Hokage-sama must be a really great man!" Sakura exclaimed, even though her inner self was thinking something entirely different. "Is that old geezer really as Kakashi-sensei says? Sounds fishy to me…" Another revelation then struck Sakura.

"So wait," Sakura said, stopping in her tracks. "If we're outside the village, then does that mean we could encounter enemy ninja from other villages?"

"It's possible," Kakashi answered, agreeing with his student's theory. "But unlikely. This is only a C-ranked mission, so it's doubtful that we would have any battles here."

"Then I guess there's no need to worry about that!" Sakura said with a smile.

"Of course not." Kakashi agreed with a chuckle. As they continued walking however, the Jonin noted something out of place on their path. A puddle lay out in the center of the road, even though it hadn't rained in weeks in this area. That could only mean one thing...

Sakura turned upon hearing a movement from behind. To her shock, she saw two grown men dressed in ninja attire charging towards them. Chains sprung out of the equipment they were carrying, binding Kakashi so that he could not move. "First one." She heard one of them speak. Then with a quick flick of the weapons, the young kunoichi watched in horror as her sensei was torn to pieces.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed out loud. Then she heard another noise and looked over to see that the two had now moved behind Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as they both moved to attack. To her surprise however, Naruto moved both his arms up back behind his head. His fists collided with both of their faces, sending them flying backwards. Then, the chain that was attached to their wrists was pinned to a tree with a shuriken. Sakura looked up to see Sasuke follow up his move with a kunai, embedding the weapon in the trunk and thereby making it useless. Seeing that, the two shinobi released the chain and zoomed over to attack where Tazuna and Sakura were standing. The young ninja jumped in front of her charge, holding out her kunai to defend herself.

"Stay behind me Tazuna-san!" She yelled to him. Sakura then closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable as one of the two reached out to strike.

Opening her eyes slowly, Sakura then looked up to realize she was still alive. Standing in front of her was Naruto, who was holding a bloodied wakizashi. Looking over, Sakura held her hand up to her mouth as she saw the shinobi who had previously been attacking her lying motionless on the ground, minus his head.

"You-you killed him." Sakura said trembling as her body shook all over.

"And with good reason." A familiar voice stated. The kunoichi then looked over to see her sensei alive and well, holding the other attacker limp in his arms. "Had Naruto not stopped him, you and Tazuna could have been seriously injured or worse."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed in a confused voice. "But how did you—" Looking over, Sakura saw a pile of cut up logs where Kakashi had been standing. 'So he used the replacement technique. But how did he know to prepare beforehand?'

"Anyway, good teamwork Naruto and Sasuke." Kakashi congratulated the boys. "I would advise you to keep your eyes open in the future however Sakura. It's not a very good tactic to close your eyes when your opponent is about to attack."

"Ye-yes sensei. I'll do better in the future, I promise." Sakura told her teacher looking down at the ground shamefully.

"Good, that's all I ask. By the way Tazuna-san..." Kakashi said turning to the bridge builder.

"W-what is it?" Tazuna stammered in response.

"We need to talk. Naruto, tie this one up and make sure he can't get away. I think we'd all like to have a little chat with him as well."

A few minutes later, their captive was bound and unable to move. "These guys are Chuunin class ninja from the Kirigakure." Kakashi told everyone. "They are shinobi that are known to keep fighting no matter what the cost."

"How were you able to detect our actions?" The mist ninja snarled fiercely.

"It hasn't rained in the past few days and it's sunny today, so a puddle of water shouldn't exist. It wasn't that hard to figure out." Kakashi explained to him.

"Why did you let the kids fight when you knew that?" Tazuna questioned in a disapproving voice.

"If it was up to it, I could've killed both of them in the blink of an eye. However, it was more important that we figure out who the target was and what they were after." Kakashi said, giving Tazuna a stern look. "That's why Naruto only killed that one who attacked you and not the other as well."

Upon hearing this, Sasuke looked over to where Naruto was, focusing in on the blond ninja. 'He never attended the academy, was both smart and strong enough to steal bells from a Jonin, and can kill Chuunin level shinobi with ease. Just who is this guy?'

"Hmm, what are you getting at?" Tazuna asked Kakashi trying to sound tough.

"In other words, were you being targeted, or was it someone from our team? We hadn't heard anything about you being targeted by ninja."

Kakashi reminded the old man of his mission description. "Your request was to be protected from armed groups such as gangs and robbers. As of now, this mission would be classed around a B-rank. Our job was to support and protect you until you completed your bridge. If we knew we would be facing enemy ninja we would have charged differently and put the mission cost at a higher price. Apparently you have your reasons, but lying to us is unacceptable. This wasn't part of the mission.

"We're Genin, this mission is way out of our league." Sakura put in. "We should head back to the village."

"I agree." Naruto spoke up, surprising everyone as he had not made a comment before this on the mission. "As of now, this mission is out of our jurisdiction. There is no reason for us to progress any further than this."

"True," Kakashi nodded his head. "However, as the team leader it falls to me to decide whether or not we should continue. For now, we will continue to escort Tazuna back to his home. Since he's already paid us, it would be courteous to at least see him back to his family."

"Thank you!" Tazuna said gratefully. "If you could do just that, I would be forever in your debt."

"Well, we'd better get moving again then. I'd like to get to the crossing before dark."

As the group once again began traveling, Sakura walked up alongside Naruto. "Umm, Naruto? Thank you for saving me back there. I really appreciated it." The kunoichi said, trying to sound sincere.

"We are even now." Naruto told her bluntly.

"What? What are you talking about?" Sakura asked him perplexed.

"When you gave me part of your lunch on the day we met, you said I could pay you back later. Now, the debt is settled." With those remarks, Naruto continued on walking leaving a still puzzled Sakura behind.

'He did all that just because I gave him my lunch? What is with this guy? I can't figure him out at all.'

"Sakura," Kakashi yelled out to her. Sakura then realized that while lost in her thoughts she had stopped moving. "Come on, don't get left behind now."

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei! I'm coming!"

XXXXXXXXXX

A couple hours later, the team was now on a boat heading for the Wave Country pier. Thick mist swirled all around them, making it almost impossible to see anything clearly.

"We should be able to see the bridge soon." Their navigator told them. "If we move along the side of the bridge, we will then arrive in Wave Country."

As they continued traveling along the water, the man's prediction came true as a large object came into view. A huge half finished bridge came into sight, dwarfing everything else around it.

"Wow, it's gigantic!" Sakura exclaimed out loud.

"Shh!" The navigator told her. "You have to be quiet! We're using this boat to hide in the mist. That's why I'm rowing instead of using the engine. If we get caught we'll be in trouble."

"Tazuna-san, before we get to the pier, I have to ask you something." Kakashi said quietly. "Who are the ones chasing after you and what is their reason for doing so? If you choose not to tell us, this mission can end once you reach the shore."

Tazuna sighed deeply. "It looks like I'm going to have to tell you the real story. I mean, I would like to tell you the real story. As you said, this mission is most likely outside of your job description. An evil man is after my life."

"An evil man?" Kakashi repeated. "Who is it?"

"You should all have at least heard of his name, Marine transportation billionare Gato." The old man told them with a hint of disgust in his voice.

A shocked look came over the Jonin's face. "Gato? As in the Gato from the Gato Company? He's one of the richest men in the world."

"Yes," Tazuna nodded. "He is the president of the Marine Transportion company on the outside, but underground uses gangs and ninjas to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also does jobs such as takeovers of other countries and companies."

The bridge builder then looked back as if reminiscing past events. "A year ago, he set his sights on our little country. He entered using wealth and violence as his shield and he quickly took over the island's sea traffic and transportation. On an island like ours, controlling the sea means controlling the wealth, politics, and people of this island. But the one thing Goto is afraid of is the completion of this bridge."

"I see. So your building the bridge must've made you become a major obstacle to him." Sakura concluded.

"And then there were those ninjas sent by Goto." Sasuke said, connecting the two events.

"I still don't understand one thing. If a dangerous man like Gato uses ninjas, why didn't you tell us that in the first place?" Kakashi interjected.

"Out country is a poor one. Even the feudal lord doesn't have that much money." Tazuna told him sadly. "We don't have the money for a B-rank or above mission. If you do quit after we land, there's a good chance I'll be killed. But there's no need to blame yourselves."

A sob then came from the man. "Of course, my cute little grandson will keep crying and crying "Where's my granddad? I want my granddad!" and my daughter will also hold a grudge against Konoha ninja and live a lonely life. But it's not your fault, don't worry."

Kakashi then pondered this for a moment before speaking. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. We'll continue escorting you."

"Oh thank you again. I'm eternally indebted twice over now to you all." The man said gratefully, although anyone looking closely could see a mischievous smirk on his face.

"We're almost there." The navigator told them as land came into sight. Soon, they were all safely back on dry ground and on their way to escort Tazuna to his house. Along the way, Kakashi contemplated everything he'd learned so far. 'If they attack again, they will be sending Jonin level ninja instead of Chuunin. Oh well...'

As he contemplated this thought, the Jonin suddenly heard a noise coming at them from behind. "Everybody get down!" He yelled out. The group all hit the ground just in time to avoid getting bisected by a large spinning blade that came flying at them from above. The sword imbedded itself in a nearby tree and a man appeared on top of it a moment later.

"Well, well if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, missing-nin from Kirigakure." Kakashi said introducing him to everyone else. "Everyone stay back. This guy is in a completely different league from those other ninjas we faced earlier." The Jonin then lifted his hand to his forehead protector. "If he's our opponent then I'm going to need this."

"Kakashi o,f the sharingan. Isn't that right?" Zabuza asked in a voice that could kill by itself. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to hand over the old man."

"All of you, defensive formation now! Protect the bridge builder and at all costs stay out of this fight!" Kakashi ordered his students in a commanding voice. "I've taught you teamwork, now it's time to test what you've learned." Then with a quick movement of his hand, he moved his headband onto his forehead, revealing his left eye. "I'm ready."

"Well, looks like I'll get the privelage of seeing the sharingan in action. I'm honored." Zabuza stated as a thick mist began rolling in. "When I was in the Kiri ANBU Black Ops, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your information was listed in our bingo book. The man who's copied over a thousand jutsu, Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja."

'What? Is Kakashi-sensei really that famous of a ninja?' Sakura wondered to herself. He hadn't seemed that impressive so far...

'I don't understand this. The sharingan is a rare bloodline limit that only occurs within members of the Uchiha clan.' Sasuke thought as he contemplated how this was possible. 'Could he be...?'

Naruto simply stared up to where Zabuza was standing as if all of this was past knowledge he'd known about his entire life.

Zabuza yanked his sword out of the wood. "Enough chit-chat. I have to exterminate that old man." Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura quickly moved to defend Tazuna while Kakashi stepped forward to face Zabuza. "So I'm going to have to take care of you first, eh Kakashi?" The missing-nin then jumped from his spot in the tree onto a nearby lake and began forming handsigns.

'He's building up a huge amount of chakra.' Kakashi surmised from his actions. Water began rising around the shinobi, surrounding his body as it swirled around in a circular motion.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu." Zabuza stated quietly as mist covered him completely, shielding him from his opponents eye.

"He vanished!" Sakura stated as Kakashi moved further toward the mist. "Sensei, where are you going?"

"He'll come after me first." Kakashi answered in a humorless tone.

"But who is this guy exactly?" Sasuke asked seriously.

"Zabuza Momochi. He was a member of the Kirigakure ANBU and was world renowned for his mastery of the silent killing technique." Kakashi answered him.

"Si-silent killing technique?" Sakura repeated sounding scared.

"As the name suggests, it's a killing technique that's executed in a flash and carried out in complete silence. It's possible for you to be dead before you even realize it." Kakashi informed his students. "I can't use my sharingan to it's fullest potential here, so don't let your guard down."

Sakura gulped in response as the mist began surrounding them all, making it difficult to see anything. Soon Kakashi had vanished completely from their sight. "Sensei!" Sakura yelled out, only to be greeted with no reply. The three young ninja were all alone now.

"Eight points."

"What was that?" Sasuke asked searching around for the source of the noise.

"The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart. Now, which vital organ to attack?" Suddenly, the mist surrounding the Genin was blown away. Sasuke looked up to see Kakashi gathering his chakras around him.

'I feel like I can't breath. One shallow breath, one tiny movement of the eye is enough to draw his attack. It's suffocating! If it goes on like this I'll go insane! Sasuke thought to himself as he struggled to maintain his composure. 'The wait before two Jonin clash. I've never felt anything so chilling. It's as if my own life is being choked off! I can't take it! I have to—'

"Sasuke!" Kakashi called out, breaking the Genin's state of mind. "Calm down. I'll protect you with my life. All of you. I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me." The Jonin looked back with a smile underneath his mask.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." A voice said behind Sasuke. The Uchiha could only pause in horror as he realized that Zabuza was standing right behind him in front of the bridge builder. "It's over."

As the missing-nin moved his sword to attack however, he found the movement blocked, but not by Kakashi. To his surprise, the blond ninja was blocking his decapitating knife with a small wakizashi half his size. 'What the—how did—?' The shinobi did not have any time to think as he found himself stabbed through the chest by a kunai, courtesy of Kakashi. The man then exploded in a burst of water that fell to the ground.

"Kakashi-sensei look out!" Sakura screamed as she spotted the real Zabuza coming from behind her teacher. With a sweep of his huge sword, the Jonin was promptly cut in half. To the Kiri ninja's surprise however, he also exploded into a pool of water. 'A mizu bunshin? But how did he copy it in the mist?'

"Don't move." A voice said from behind him as a kunai was held to his throat. "Now it's over."

Zabuza chuckled. "Do you really think you can beat me with your cheap imitations? You're pretty good, I'll give you that. But I'm not that easy to defeat."

Suddenly, another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. 'Damn it!' The Jonin realized. 'He had another clone in place the entire time as well!' A kick from the Mist Demon to his gut sent the Copy Ninja flying away into the lake. Kakashi swam to the top, noticing as he moved that the water felt unusually heavy.

"Idiot. I can't believe you actually fell for this trick." His opponent said from behind as he came up gasping for breath. "Suirō no Jutsu!" Kakashi suddenly found himself entrapped in a barrier of water, unable to fight or move. "It was a mistake to fight me near the water, now that old man is all mine. But first I better take care of your little friends."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that Zabuza. Frankly, I would say this jutsu here is going to be your undoing." Kakashi told him calmly.

"Hmph, empty bravado. If you think any of those brats are capable of stopping me, you're sadly mistaken." Zabuza sneered at his captive. At the same time though, he remembered the blond ninja from earlier. 'I don't know how, but somehow that kid was able to block my attack. It had to have been a fluke, there's no way a Konoha Genin could have stopped my attack.'

Summoning another mizu bunshin, the assassin set his sights on his new targets standing across from him. "You three might think wearing that headband makes you a ninja, but when you've hovered between life and death as many times as I have, then you might finally be worthy of that title." The clone began making hand signs. Mist once more swirled around the area. "When you've become so deadly you're profile is entered into my bingo book, then you may be a ninja. But to call upstarts like you ninja is a joke!"

Sakura felt herself trembling in fear. Her teacher was gone and now there was nothing standing in between them and the man just a few feet away. 'What do we do now?' Sakura wondered, looking to her teammates for any support. There wasn't any time to talk however, because a second later, their enemy was in their mist. The missing-nin attacked Sasuke first, sending the Uchiha flying backwards with a quick kick from his powerful legs. The Genin landed on his feet and launched a punch at the clone. The boy smiled when his attack made impact, only to find that it wasn't dispersing after the contact.

"Is that really all you've got kid? Pathetic." His fist came flying down, flooring Sasuke to the ground while rendering him helpless and immobile in the process.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out as the man prepared to finish her crush off.

"It's over brat!" Sasuke watched in horror as he felt his body become stiff and unable to move once more as the huge blade came flying toward his head. 'This can't be how it ends! I'm still weak! I haven't avenged my clan yet! I haven't killed—'

The Kiri ninja suddenly exploded in a pool of water, leaving Sasuke soaking wet. Looking up, he realized Naruto was now standing where the mizu bunshin had been moments before.

"Sasuke," Naruto stated calmly. "Guard the bridge builder with Sakura. I will deal with Zabuza alone." With that remark, Naruto began walking over towards where the two Jonin were.

Zabuza had watched the events happen in complete disbelief. 'Again? This shouldn't be possible! How could he be strong enough to stop one of my bunshin?' A sinister grin then spread across the man's face. "Well, well it looks like one of your students isn't completely worthless after all Kakashi. But how will he handle the elimination round?" The missing-nin quickly went through another set of hand signs, causing several more forms to rise from the water. Soon, he was surrounded by ten mizu bunshin, all bent on destroying a single target.

"Kill him." The doppelgangers charged forward, lifting their swords to strike at the boy. As two of them held back their swords to generate power into their swings however, the boy effortlessly dispatched them with a quick slash of his wakizashi, destroying both at once. Another jumped at him from behind, hoping to strike his blind spot, only for the blond to sidestep out of the attacks path and send the clone crashing into another one attacking from the front.

Standing on the sidelines, Sakura and Sasuke watched in amazement as Naruto wiped out Zabuza's bunshin one by one. "He-he's actually winning! He's winning Sasuke! Isn't that great?" She looked over to see a mixed expression on her teammates face, as if torn between relief and anger.

'Am-am I really that much weaker than he is? He can effortlessly destroy ten of those things while I can't even defeat one?' Sasuke clenched his fist tightly. 'No! I have to get stronger than him. I have to become better than anyone else!'

With a final slash of his sword, Naruto sheathed his blade as the last mizu bunshin was destroyed. Zabuza still couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. 'I could accept a Genin being able to block my sword or even being able to destroy my bunshin. But ten of them? There's no way this kid is a Genin. His skill level is far beyond that.'

"I'll admit that was pretty impressive kid." Zabuza called out over the lake. "Tell me, what's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

'Naruto Uzumaki?' Zabuza repeated in his mind. 'Never heard of him.' The missing-nin gazed closely at his young opponent, observing his features and appearance. Spiky blond hair, emotionless blue eyes, a strange looking uniform, and whisker marks on his cheeks. Zabuza immediately went through the list in his head of all the individuals listed in his bingo book to see if any matched that description. Soon, he came to one that fit the bill, one that he would never have expected to meet at this place.

"I don't believe it." Zabuza laughed to himself. "In all my wildest dreams, I would never have expected to meet both the Copy Ninja and my counterpart as well."

'Counterpart?' Sakura questioned to herself. 'Does he mean Naruto?'

"I'm right aren't I?" Zabuza asked. "You are the Demon of the Hidden Leaf, aren't you Naruto Uzumaki?"

A silence greeted the question before the answer came.

"Yes, I am."

"No way." Sasuke said out loud in disbelief. "He's the—"

"But-but that can't be right, Naruto is our age." Sakura said in disbelief as her dream picture of the legendary figure was shattered. "The Demon is supposed to be six feet tall and probably around Kakashi sensei's age."

"Please, rumors always follow those who make great names for themselves." Zabuza ridiculed the two. "Over time they are twisted and exploited until they become gross misinterpretation of who they really are. A wise shinobi will use this to their advantage so no one will be prepared when they finally reveal themselves. I've lived this long because I stay informed about my enemies and don't fall for cheap tricks like that."

"Then if you know who I am, surrender now while you still have a chance." Naruto warned him.

"Sorry kid, but I'm not the type to go down without a fight. Asking me to surrender is pointless so don't even bother with it." Zabuza then sensed a presence behind him.

"Then you will die." A kage bunshin swung it's sword at Zabuza's exposed back. With no other option, the missing-nin withdrew his hand from Kakashi's water prison causing it to collapse in the process. The Kiri ninja then ducked out of the way of the oncoming sword, leaping back on land to a safer position.

"Good work Naruto." Kakashi told Naruto. "I'll take care of the rest."

'This isn't good.' Zabuza thought to himself. 'I came here anticipating only to fight Kakashi. I never expected that I would have another strong opponent to contend with. Time to retreat.' With a quick motion of his hands, unseen by everyone except for another individual hidden in the trees, Zabuza collapsed to the ground within moments.

"Who's there?" Kakashi called out upon seeing Zabuza fall. Jumping out from the trees emerged a young man wearing the mask of the Kiri ANBU.

"How ironic. In the end he did die. I thank you both for distracting Zabuza for me. It gave me the perfect opportunity to attack." The man stated, looking down to the limp body on the ground. Kakashi jumped over to check his pulse. Nothing. "I've been tracking him for some time. You've helped to remove a great threat to Kirigakure."

"I'm assuming you're a hunter-nin from Kirigakure then?" Kakashi questioned him.

"Correct. I was assigned to track down Zabuza and bring him back to the village dead or alive." The boy answered. He then placed Zabuza's body over his shoulder. "If you would excuse me now, I would like to go and dispose of his corpse. It has several secrets which we cannot allow to fall into enemy hands." Then with a blur, the boy was gone.

"Well, that takes care of one problem then." Kakashi said turning to Naruto who was now besided him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" A voice called out. The Jonin looked over to see the rest of his team and Tazuna heading over to their position. "Who was that boy and what did he do with Zabuza?"

"He was a Kiri hunter-nin that had been assigned to bring Zabuza in. He left to dispose of his body." Kakashi informed her.

"So he's dead then eh?" Tazuna said happily. "Good, now I'll be able to work on the bridge without having to worry about him anymore."

Kakashi glanced over to Sasuke who had remained quiet. His teeth were locked together as he stared at the ground in a silent anger. 'It must be hard for him. First he had to witness how much stronger Naruto was and discovered who he really is. Now he's just seen that hunter-nin take out Zabuza with ease. Sooner or later he'd have to realize that there are stronger ninja than him at his age. Maybe it's better that it happens now rather than later.

"Sensei are you all right?" Sakura asked in a concerned voice. Kakashi then realized he was breathing extremely heavily from having his sharingan on for so long.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." The Jonin replied cheerfully as he put his forehead protector back over his eye. "Using my sharingan just takes a lot out of me. Now, let's hurry and get Tazuna back to his house."

XXXXXXXXXX

After traveling a considerable distance away from the Konoha group's location, the Kiri ninja stopped and place Zabuza's body on the ground. "Well, we'd better get you up and moving again shouldn't we Zabuza-san?" As he moved to take off the bandages covering his mouth, a hand suddenly grabbed his.

"I can take care of myself." The man sat up, uncovering his bandages and yanking out the senbon in his neck.

"Zabuza-san you shouldn't take those out too quickly. You'll die for real." The boy cautioned him.

"It would take more than these toys to kill me Haku." Zabuza told him as he pulled out the last one. He then tried to move, only to find that his limbs wouldn't respond to his commands. "What's my status?"

"You'll be unable to move for about a week give or take. After that you'll be fit and ready to go." Haku informed his teacher with a smile.

"Excellent. In the mean time, prepare everything in you're arsenal for battle. Kakashi's mine, but I'm leaving it to you to take care of the Demon."

"Don't worry Zabuza-san. I've never let you down before now have I?"

"That's what I'm counting on."

XXXXXXXXXX

Next Chapter: Battle on the Bridge

Techniques

Kirigakure no Jutsu - This displacement technique is a specialty of the Ninja from Kirigakure, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water, then goes in and out of sight at will from within the pearly-white realm. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it.

Silent Killing Technique - This technique is simply a very quiet method of killing an opponent, usually from behind with a blade. Additionally, because the user is very silent, it cannot be defended against.

Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Jutsu similar to kage no bunshin except it creates clones out of water with 1/10th of the original person's power.

Suirō no Jutsu - This jutsu is used to trap a victim inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water. The only downside to this technique is that the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned.