Sup nerds. Its me, ur favorrritte loser lol. So uhm just so u know Kagome and Naruto are there a bit earlier because a lot of Naruto's dialogue with Inari and stuff was cut out last chapter obviously, as Kagome got to the men before they even reached Tazuna's home. Which means they'd b getting to teh bridge earlier, lol. o and happy new years eve! Hope u kids enjiy lol.

Previously:

"But-" seeing the look his sister shot him, Naruto could only pout in defeat. Kagome could be extremely stubborn at times, and she often overruled anything he said that concerned her, despite being the younger of the two. Kagome broke the light silence between them with a few coughs, and without warning, took off in the direction of the bridge, "Hey!" Naruto called, "Wait for me!" and they were off, speeding towards the battle that awaited them at the bridge, jostling each other along the way in a fashion only siblings could manage as they raced.

Presently:

"Haku, do you understand that you're going to going to get defeated like this?" questioned Zabuza. Kagome's ears were easily able to catch the chiding tone of the man despite the distance that separated her from him. She had been listening to the interactions between Zabuza and her team since she and Naruto had first began making their way over to the bridge, her demon hearing quite helpful in order for her to stay informed. The competitive edge that had started their approach to the bridge had been lost for a more serious one, Kagome briefly signing the little dialogue that had transpired to Naruto as the pair made their way to battle. They had just made it to the bridge when Haku stood from his position by Zabuza's feet, nodding before he summoned mirrors with a unique series of hand signs. Sasuke watched with suspicion as the boy approached the floating objects, body melting into a thin sheet as he was absorbedinto one of his mirrors.

"I will show you my true speed," monotoned Haku from within the mirror. With his senbon in hand, he shot the needles with great precision at a tremendous speed, one unable to be tracked by the human eye. A senbon made contact with Sasuke's kunai, sending the weapon flying out of the mirror arena, puncturing the earth before Sakura's feet. Sasuke curled into a defensive position, his head protected by his hands as the needles barraged into his body, tearing both his clothing and his skin. Cries of pain were released from his mouth, a shocking response from the generally stoic genin.

Horrified, Sakura cried, "Sasuke-kun!" her hands at her mouth and pupils dilated as she observed her crush being ripped apart by the senbon. Kakashi tensed up, eyeing the scene dangerously as he plotted how he would retrieve his pupil from the mirror prison.

The jounin's hand moved to his kunai pouch, but Zabuza only smirked in reply, "Move without thinking, and I'll-"

Zabuza's words were cut short, a kunai grazing his arm, "You'll what? Kill him?" Kagome snorted, masking a soft cough, "I highly doubt that."

"Kagome-san!" the girl's attention was drawn from the irritated missing-nin to Kakashi, "What're you doing? You're still hurt, get out of here!"

Oh, go suck my dick, Kakashi. I'm practically fine, she signed, knowing her words were bound to irritate her teacher.

"Kagome-!" Kakashi suddenly stopped, a new wave of Sasuke's yelps of pain tearing his attention from his defiant student to his pupil in need. Once again he was compelled to aid his student, but Zabuza's cocky smirk stood in his way. Mind running with possibilities, Kakashi knew that if Sasuke were to get out of the prison alive, the boy would need his help. It was only a matter of time before the assault of senbon became too much, or struck a major artery.

Eyeing the two new arrivals, Kakashi went through a mental checklist of their abilities and stamina, and deduced that together they should be capable of fending of Zabuza for the amount of time it would take him to break the ice prison with Sasuke's aid. They would have to move fast though, as Kagome's wound factored into the equation, as well as Zabuza's patience. The missing-nin would probably take Kakashi leaving the two nin alone with him as a game, but if Kakashi was gone too long he would tire of their antics and only grow more and more violent as time passed, as was his ruthless nature. Despite this, if Kakashi didn't act at all he was risking the life of his student, and he refused to let him die. Kagome and Naruto were fully capable of fending off Zabuza for a few minutes, and if they truly required aid, Sakura or himself would step in. If he needed to remain with Sasuke he could possibly send his dogs, but it'd be best if they had a scent to track beforehand. Nevertheless, he had a plan with safeguards and the like, so the only thing he needed to do was put it in action.

Turning, Kakashi began to share his plan with his students, "Kagome-san," he said, gaining the girls attention as he began to sign, stay with N. A. R. fight Z. I go to S. A. S. U.

Despite her clear understanding of Kakashi's instructions, Kagome snickered at his broken sign language. It had taken him more time to sign to her with weak instructions than it had for her to sign to him two proper sentences earlier, and if it weren't for her rather remarkable inferencing skills, she would have been quite lost as to what the man was attempting to communicate. At least he tried.

"At least he tried," remarked Naruto, voicing Kagome's thoughts. A smirk hovered on his face, Naruto childishly gloating to himself as Kakashi's signing skills were inferior to his own. Naruto was quite able to keep up with Kagome's own fast signing and entire conversations able to be held in sanctuary of silence. It had been a big part of their relationship, as they had learned it together in order for Kagome to communicate easier, as she had told him she had gotten an infection as a child that sometimes rendered her vocal cords useless.

Kagome shrugged at her brother in mild amusement, the pair sharing an almost inside joke since (according to their knowledge) everyone else on the bridge was not educated in sign language as extensively as they. The only signs most people knew were the handful of animals used in jutsu's, and that was excluding most civilians who didn't have any true contact with ninja on a frequent enough basis to learn what the hand signs meant.

Only Naruto's form in the air was visible as he and Kagome dodged a sudden attack from Zabuza, "Don't forget about me! Wouldn't wanna lose your pretty little heads, now would'ya?" the man's impatience was already beginning to shine through. Zabuza hadn't lasted but a minute without their full attention and already he was antsy to get it back, "Well, at least one of you has a pretty head, the other...well its just fuckin' ugly."

Naruto let out an affronted gasp as his feet made contact with the earth, wide blue eyes training on his sister, "Kagome! He just called you ugly!"

Don't really give a shit, Naruto, she signed. Unlike with Zabuza's name, Kagome had created a sign that was meant to act as Naruto's name, to make conversation a breeze. It began with the sign for N, thumb tucked under both the index and middle fingers, and transitioned to the sign for bright, with her fingers unfolding outward in a quick display, only the bright portion was done a total of two times. When they were younger they had once challenged one another to create as many unique hand signs as possible, and Kagome had decided that making one for Naruto had been long overdue.

Naruto, however, missed her response, already hurdling forward to begin his attack on Zabuza, "No one calls my Kagome ugly!"

It was almost as if Naruto hadn't anticipated being thrown backwards and skidding on the floor as a result of his headstrong attack. To Kagome, it seemed like he had forgotten everything he learned from their last battle. Going head to head with Zabuza wouldn't work courtesy of his immense strength, however a less direct approach would inevitably be the way to go due to the man's cocky nature and his way of overlooking small details. Such a fault should have gotten him killed, as observed in their last battle, but since it hadn't they would use his weakness to their advantage.

Strategy would be key in this battle, and Kagome had to figure out which cards to play, and how to play them to set Zabuza up for the path of misery. She did have a bit of a grudge on the man, since the asshole did steal her hitai-ate; something she was still hiding from her teammates by simply wearing the power suppressor and not even acknowledging its absence. By force of habit, Kagome put her hair up, as it typically became a bit of a nuisance in battle. If she wasn't stepping on it, it was getting in her mouth, or perhaps getting soaked in blood and innards. Whatever the case may be, Kagome preferred for the majority of her hair to remain in a bun, excluding her bangs as they never really proved to be an issue to her.

Pulling her sword from its sheath, she could feel it almost hum with excitement at the prospect of another battle, "'My Kagome'?" snorted Zabuza, "So you like the wench? Too bad she's alr-"

Clang. Kagome's sword clashed with Zabuza's, a few sparks flying in the air for dramatic affect. Naruto threw a shuriken at Zabuza just as he began to put more and more strength into his sword, causing the man to jump back and catch the weapon, "Not falling for that one again," Zabuza said, a toothy smirk hiding behind his bandaged mouth.

Zabuza threw the weapon back at Naruto with tremendous force, anticipating the telltale poof of the transformation justu to reveal that it was one of his clones acting as the shuriken. No poof came, however, and instead it clattered to the floor, lying tiredly against one of the bridges sides. A bit perturbed by the lack of liveliness from the shuriken, Zabuza returned his focus to that of Kagome. Just as he raised his sword to strike her, he recognized the familiar sound of kunai cutting through air. Following through with the strike to Kagome, Zabuza twisted his body so that his torso was in line with his sword and dodged the oncoming kunai. With his eyes facing behind him, he saw the soaring form of Naruto with another kunai in hand and determination painted on his face. Using just a single leg, Zabuza kicked the boy just as he came within range, shoving the genin with enough force that he flew far out of range.

"Naruto!" shouted Kagome, instantly both concerned and ticked off by Zabuza's single action. Taking advantage of Kagome's distracted state, Zabuza performed the Hidden Mist Jutsu, summoning a thick fog that was impenetrable to the human eye. Sharp eyes turning to her pleased companion, Kagome was gravely irritated by the smirk she knew he wore beneath his mask. The man had just possibly harmed one of the few things she actually cared for, and he had been a nuisance for quite a while leading up to this battle. It was without saying that Kagome was quite capable of murdering the man before her without a single ounce of remorse, and in doing so she would be saving herself a lot of trouble in the future.

"Where's my hitai-ate, Bankotsu?"

"Ah-ah-ah, Kagome, you can't call me that while I'm in this form. And as far as the forehead protector goes-" his grin grew annoyingly large, "It's safe with me."

"Just give it to me you asshole," Kagome replied with a cough.

"Asshole doesn't qualify as my name either, Kagome. Why do you want it so bad? Is it cause of my little bite- or because of something else?" Zabuza's knowing gaze bore into Kagome's own stare, the girls bangs a slight obstruction in the exchange.

"You saw." Clearly, the man had to have seen, so it was a simple statement from Kagome's part.

"Of course."

"Then that makes you a dead man."

Clash. The sounds of battle began once more.

•~•~•~•~*~•~•~•~•

When Kakashi had finally arrived at the mirror prison to be of aid to Sasuke, a barrage of senbon had just ended their attack on the boy and Sasuke was recovering his breath. Haku had been too immersed in his attack to take note of Kakashi's presence, already calculating his next attack. Sasuke, on the other hand, had noticed his sensei's approach, and cast the man a glance as he steadily regained his bearings. Sasuske's attention refocused on Haku, his mind already beginning to formulate plans of escape, and how he could get out with Kakashi's aid. It didn't take him but a few seconds to deduce that the glass would be structurally weak should it be exposed to a force or pressure on a single point on either side, causing it to shatter- meaning Kakashi's presence would be necessary if he were to escape the mirror prison.

Casting a look at Kakashi, Sasuke eyed a mirror near him, and just as he began to look at Kakashi again he noted that the man was already in action, two kunais in hand prepared to strike. Since he was lacking any weapons, his kunai still buried within the earth by Sakura, Sasuke sneakily stole some stray senbon off the ground and activated his sharingan for the utmost precision. Without warning, Sasuke shot them at the mirror of choice. Together, with the kunai and senbon colliding at once, the mirror cracked, shards of glass slowly crashing to the ground before it shattered.

"How-?" questioned Haku, eyes wide as one of his mirrors fell to attacks for the first time. These mirrors were the result of years of grueling hard work, and were the epitome of his strength, determination, and worth. For one to fall was gut-wrenching, pieces of everything he was and who he was to be shattering against the earth and dispersing into millions of reflective pieces upon the ground. Eyes wide, Haku resumed his attacks with an intense fervor, unwilling to allow all his accomplishments to crumble to the floor.

Sasuke had just shot senbon at another mirror when once again he was faced with another onslaught of metal, blood summoned at every contact it made with his skin. There wasn't a pause in this particular attack though, Haku drawing it out as long as he could before he required a rest. As Kakashi watched his student being attacked he knew he needed to get him out, as the senbon seemed to be targeting Sasuke's most vulnerable areas.

In the midst of the attack, a thick mist filled the air, making it nearly impossible for Kakashi to see but a few feet before him. Even when he activated his sharingan, he was unable to see past the thick fog that obscured Sasuke from his view. The sounds of tearing had stopped, as well as the soft clatter of metal against the ground- Haku's attack had stopped. Even he was hindered by the fog, meaning Kakashi would need to act fast in order to ensure Sasuke's life. Kakashi knew that Haku was rather sharp witted so it wouldn't take him long to figure that he was finished playing games and go straight for the kill, instead of avoiding it like he had been. Every second was precious, and Kakshi had to act fast in deciphering a plan.

Haku didn't wait for Kakashi though, his mind running with the possibilities of his demise, the image of shattered glass burned into his mind. Not one to waste his time, he utilized his speed and leapt one last time where he believed Sasuke to be. Finding the boy despite the mist, Haku shot his senbon at a rather vulnerable area, already melting into one of his mirrors before they hit their target. A soft thump onto the earth alerted him that the deed was done. Instantly, Haku's eyes began to glaze over due to the kill, growing dead as he released the mirror prison. Just as his hand made the final seal, did his eyes widen as he looked at Sasuke's body once more. Wait, was that-

The world melted around him, his hands feverishly forming hand signs as he realized what had occurred, "So you figured it out, huh?"

Brown eyes snapped to Kakshi, gravity defying hair nearly blending in with the mist, "When did you-?"

"Just after the fog came," no wonder Haku hadn't noticed the genjutsu that had been placed on him, he had been so focused on locating Sasuke within the mist that he had forgotten to pay proper attention to his surroundings. As a result, he had deactivated his strongest attack and had been throwing senbon at air, Kakashi able to retrieve Sasuke while Haku had been enveloped within the genjusu, "Welp, I've got bigger fish to fry, Sasuke- do you think you can handle this?"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," the boys pride was obviously hurt.

Nodding, the jounin ran back into the fog, doing his best to locate the missing-nin of the hour. Sasuke glared at the dull eyed boy before him, his position reeking of defeat despite the terrible strength he had displayed naught but a minute ago. Taking advantage of the boy's despondent state, Sasuke sent a powerful kick to his gut, throwing the boy into the air. Unresponsive to the pain, Haku allowed his limp body to fall to the ground. Instead, he collided with another human being. Together, they crashed to the ground, Haku's mask ripped from his face in the impact.

Dizzily, Naruto jumped up from his vulnerable position on the floor, staring down at the shell of a person that was just beginning to stand up, "Hey!" Naruto shouted, finger poised accusingly at the figure that had just rammed into him, "You're that guy from before!"

"You know him, dobe?" questioned Sasuke, strolling over to where Haku and Naruto stood.

"Yeah, I met him the other day." Naruto then addressed the slightly swaying form of Haku, "What're you doing here anyways, civilians shouldn't be here-"

"He's not a civilian you idiot, he's the ninja from the other day, the one who took Zabuza."

Naruto's wide eyes zeroed in on Haku's ghostly form, "I'm a ninja, I've been one for years. Zabuza's the one that trained me, and forged me to be the person I am today."

"Wait, Zabuza's your dad? But he's so ugly and you're like- you're prettier than Sakura!" Naruto was appalled, how did such a pretty boy come from such an ugly shark like Zabuza?

"No, Zabuza took me in when I was young. My parents are dead," Haku wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, blood smearing onto his hand, "all because of this blood."

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto, ignoring Sasuke's impatient look. Sasuke didn't come to chitchat, he came to finish a mission, and Naruto's big mouth was hindering him from doing so.

"My father killed my mother and tried to kill me," now that got Sasuke's attention.

"What? Why?"

"I was born in the Country of the Water, in a small village where it snowed frequently, and many civil wars occurred throughout history there. Those who held a Kekkei Genkai were deeply hated."

"Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto tilted his head in a fashion similar to his sister when confused (a particularly doggish trait of Kagome's), having never heard the term before.

"Naruto, did you ever pay attention in class? Kekkei Genkai are special abilities or techniques that are hereditary within a family, sometimes skipping a generation or being present within every child of a particular family. Mine is activated right now dumbass," Sasuke said, motioning to his red eyes.

"Correct, and often times those who possess such an ability have a tough life, as everyone around them fears them. He must've had a tough life," said Haku, remorsefully gazing into Sasuke's red eyes.

"That's none of your business," Sasuke growled, glaring at Haku, "Why are we wasting our time anyway? We're supposed to be fighting him, not having story time, Naruto."

"Story now, fight later teme," said Naruto, waving off Sasuke's words as he was too entranced by Haku's tale, "Just think of it as information, yeah, we're gathering information." Sasuke actually quieted, he himself a tad intrigued by how the boy came into Zabuza's care.

"My mother was the one to pass the Kekkei Genkai down to me. She kept her ability a secret even after she married my father, and she must've believed that everything would be perfect forever. But, one day I discovered my Kekkei Genkai, and showed it to her, quite proud of the discovery. When she saw that I too carried the skill, she grew hysterical and made me promise to keep it a secret, but my father somehow learned of our secret. Later that night, my father murdered my mother, with the aid of some neighboring village men, and was about to kill me too when..." Haku paused, his eyes growing melancholy with remembrance, "my ability, my blood saved me, and I killed them all. I had no home to call my own, or anyone to care for me, so I was cast to the streets, the freezing of winter disciplining me in the fragility of life. It was then that I learned my most painful lesson: that my existence didn't matter to anyone or anything, and I was without purpose.

"But then, Zabuza-san found me, rotting in the snow. He saved me and raised me, despite knowing of my Kekkei Genkai. He knew of this blood that everyone despised, but he needed me, wanted me despite that, and he was my most important person. I was happy," Haku shook his head, arms pinned down to his sides and fists clenched, "I'm sorry, Zabuza-san, I couldn't be the tool you wanted me to be."

"Naruto-kun, please," Haku began to walk where Naruto and Sasuke stood, Sasuke tensing up while Naruto took a step back, "kill me."

"Wait-ho-what?" Both Naruto and Sasuke were alarmed by the sudden request, Naruto openly voicing his confusion.

"Kill me, please."

"No! That's-that's just not right! How can he be your most important person when all he does is use you! You're not just a weapon, you're a person with emotions and needs and wants of your own!"

"He gave me a purpose. All I need and want is to serve and protect him, and all I am is his weapon. My dreams are to be nothing but his perfect tool. But, I have failed my task, and I am useless to him. I am nothing without my purpose, since Zabuza-san doesn't need weak weapons like me. Just kill me, please."

Haku bowed his head, placing himself in a position of vulnerability, all the while expressing his extreme sincerity to his request. What was the point of his life if he couldn't be a good tool to Zabuza? His mirrors shattered, he fell for a simple genjutsu, and his opponent hadn't even worked up a sweat. He was useless, and everything he had spent years working towards had been for nothing. He was nothing, not without a purpose, not without serving Zabuza.

A raspy yowl broke the tense silence.

Haku's head snapped up, eyes wide as he recognized the voice- Zabuza was in danger. Haku shot from his spot, racing towards the source of the sound and left Sasuke and Naruto to follow behind him. The mist had already began dissipating, so he could easily make out where Zabuza was, along with the girl who he had stabbed their last encounter. For a moment, it almost looked like the girl had been stabbed once more, their figures still a tad unclear due to the fog that lingered. That was, until Haku realized it was she that wielded the sword this time around, and Zabuza was the one who harmed. Haku's fair skin turned to porcelain, his soul cracking as his mirrors had. No, he thought, this can't be happening.

Kagome pulled the sword from it's position within Zabuza's liver, relieved to have gotten her revenge from when he stabbed her, "Now we're even," she monotoned, "however I still have every intention of killing you."

Just as she finished her sentence did she raise her sword once more, shoving it into the flesh where his heart was. Kagome wasn't expecting the body on her sword to be that of Haku, the boy's eyes wide with shock as his body momentarily reacted to the sudden pain. Haku's heart had been impaled as he had jumped to save Zabuza's life. Cursing, Kagome began to pull out her sword, blood already staining Haku's clothing. Despite the pain, Haku grabbed onto the sharp blade, gripping it tightly even as it began to cut through the skin on his hands, "Zabuza-san," he coughed blood pooling from his mouth, "now's your chance."

"Splendid, Haku," chuckled Zabuza, his thick blade aiming for Kagome without care of the body between them. Kagome's eyes narrowed at Zabuza's response, before she teleported away, Zabuza's blade cutting nothing but air. Kagome was able to hear the entire exchange between the now dead boy and Sasuke and Naruto, and felt that Haku didn't deserve to be sliced in half by his 'most important person'. After all, she was more than strong enough to have simply pulled the blade from his grip. Kagome laid the boys body out of the way, so that it wouldn't prove to be a hindrance later, and rematerialized near her comrades to ensure that Zabuza wasn't on his way to attack them. Sakura and Tazuna were shocked to see her suddenly appear beside them.

"K-Kagome-san, is he dead?" stuttered Sakura, having never seen anyone in her age group kill before.

"Yeah," she replied casually, unfazed by the blood on her hands and face.

Just as she turned to kill the man of her irritation, Kakashi arrived in her place to fight Zabuza. For a moment, he eyed the still bleeding body of Haku from a distance, doe brown eyes devoid of life, before he focused on that of the nonchalant Zabuza. Sasuke and Naruto appeared a few moments later, making their way over to where Kagome stood, "Hey Kagome-chan, what happened? Where's Haku?"

"I was going to kill Zabuza when he," she motioned to where Haku's body laid, "jumped in the way. Needless to say, I was unable to stop myself from killing him."

Sasuke's coal black eyes widened, as he was suddenly reminded of her words of advice from the previous battle. Where he had been incapable of handling bloodlust, she was able to commit murder with ease. Now that he thought about it, when they had done their team introductions, it sounded as though she too was on the road of murdering someone. But who? It was so irritating to him that she was always a step ahead, constantly beating him in milestones he should've already reached. They were both going down the same path (albeit to murder different people presumably), and she was already making leaps and bounds while he was struggling to make the first steps onto the road that would surely lead to many deaths.

"No?" refused Naruto, his voice rising in intonation as though he had asked a question, "You could've done something, you could've stopped."

"Let's say that I didn't kill him, since you seem to believe I was capable of such, imagine how that would've made him feel. He would've failed his mission once again, and would feel like an utter failure as a weapon. It was merciful that he died."

"Merciful? Kagome, do you hear yourself?" Naruto looked appalled by her response.

"Yes, I happen to be self-aware, Naruto," Kagome drawled, "Listen, maybe you haven't grasped this concept yet, but all shinobi are weapons. We are tools for our country, and to be quite frank, we are rather disposable as generally we have a plentiful supply for little demand." People die and are quickly replaced by new ninja, she signed, coughing. Kagome hadn't signed the entire time because although her speech was directed to Naruto, she felt that her teammates needed to hear it as well. Kagome's eyes swiveled to where Zabuza knelt on the ground, the two kunai in his arm enabling it useless, "We are but simple pieces in a greater struggle for power."

Naruto was at a loss for words, his mind trying to absorb the fact that this was how his sister viewed shinobi, as well the greater truth to her words. It was almost painfully simple how true her words were, but there had to be more! Being a ninja wasn't just about being a tool, it was about so much more, right? Conflicted, Naruto turned to the battle being waged, Zabuza standing defenseless, his sword tossed astray and kunai disabling his arms. Looking past the battle, he saw a flock of men gathered around a rather small one, the leader in a clean business suit with an arrogant smirk upon his face.

Naruto wasn't the only one to notice the new arrivals, the battle pausing as Zabuza turned to address the leader of the pack, "Gato, what're you doing here? And who're those men?"

"I apologize, Zabuza," the man, despite his small stature, carried presence and authority, "but our plans have changed. We no longer require your service, and as such, you will die here."

A pause, "What?"

"You see, I only hired you because regular shinobi are too expensive, however a rouge ninja like yourself- easy to deal with, generally, and fairly inexpensive. Ideally, you would have just died in battle, you and the target killing one another in the process of the mission I assigned you. I had high expectations for you, but you can't even handle these mere children! It's obvious you don't deserve the title Demon of the Hidden Mist village. If you ask me, you're nothing but a cute little demon!" as if on cue, all of Gato's subordinates laughed heartily, all of them recognizing Zabuza as inferior.

"Kakashi, I apologize, but our fight ends here. I have no reason to fight you, since I don't have a reason to kill Tazuna," Zabuza's voice was dry, lacking all emotion.

"Yeah, you're right," replied Kakashi from where he was crouched, eyeing Gato as he approached Haku's body.

"Heh, that reminds me," Gato said, nudging Haku's head with his cane, "I owe this little brat something since he squeezed my arm 'til it broke." Abruptly, Gato's face contorted with anger, before he sent a hard kick at Haku's bloodied body, "So the brat really is dead."

"You bastard!" exploded Naruto, face pink with anger. He sped off to attack Gato, blinded by his rage, but was stopped by Kakashi.

"Don't do anything reckless, Naruto," came Kakashi's stern warning, releasing his grip on the boy's shirt.

Still unable to contain his emotions, Naruto turned to Zabuza, whose eyes were still trained on Gato, "Hey! You, say something too! He was your comrade, wasn't he!?"

"Shut up, punk! Haku's already dead-"

"-So? That's not the point! Seeing that, seeing him do that, doesn't it make you feel something- don't you care?"

Dully, Zabuza replied, "As Gato was using me, I was using Haku. He was a tool, capable of following my orders thoroughly, and that was all I needed. His power is all that mattered to me. Didn't you hear your girlfriend- shinobi are nothing but tools, disposable and easily replaced."

Naruto's face scrunched up, "Firstly, Kagome's my sister, not my girlfriend: that's nasty. And secondly, don't you get it? He cared for you that much," he shoved his finger at Haku's body, still being disrespected by Gato's assault, "that he died for you! He did so much for you, and you're saying he was disposable? You were his 'most important person'! He never got to fulfill his hopes or dreams- all he ever did was care for you! He threw away his life for you!" Naruto sniffled, having become overwhelmed with emotion, "All that remains of him is his body, and you're telling me you don't feel anything, watching him do that!?"

"To-to die as a tool. That's just...so painful," Naruto hiccuped, his passion leaving his body and sadness the only thing that remained. Kagome came to his side, procuring a tissue for him. Naruto mumbled his thanks to her as he cleaned his face free of snot and tears.

"Kid. Stop talking...anymore," Naruto looked up at the intimidating back of Zabuza, a few tears dropping onto the ground before his feet, "I know he was too kind, too pure. He was...look, I'm just glad we could fight you in the end." The rouge nin tore the bandages that had been obscuring his mouth with his sharp teeth, continuing to address Naruto as he spoke, "Heh, maybe you're right. Maybe ninja can't just be emotionless tools," Zabuza turned facing Naruto, "Kid, give me your kunai!"

Solemnly, Naruto obliged, lightly tossing the sharp blade in Zabuza's general direction. The man caught it in his mouth, and just as he did, it was like a beast had been released. Zabuza was thirsty for blood, Gato's blood, and nothing would stop him. Despite the fact that he was limited by his two unresponsive arms, he soared headfirst into battle, eyes wild as he targeted his prey. Gato ran into his mob of henchmen for protection, screaming, "Kill him!" shoving through the mob to get as far away from the approaching demon as possible.

The mob had severely underestimated Zabuza's power, and when he finally reached the front lines, the men seemed far too relaxed for their own good. Which inevitably, they were. Zabuza killed and killed as he attempted to reach Gato, blood encasing him like his deep guilt, a force of devastation with only a single kunai held within his mouth. Even as he was speared in the back he continued, not once pausing until he reached Gato. From where they stood, the team couldn't even make out what was occurring, only the clangs of metal and shrieks of death reaching their ears as Zabuza forced his way through the crowd. Only Kagome got the clearest depiction of what was happening, her hearing allowing her to hear every final beat of the heart and every word being passed as Zabuza finally killed Gato.

The crowd parted for Zabuza when the deed was done and Gato's body was flung from the bridge, whether the action was out of fear or respect was unknown. When Zabuza finally crumpled to his knee's due to his wounds, not one of the men got within five feet of him, even when he didn't get back up. Instead, they turned their attention to an issue personal to them, "Damn ninja- killing our source of money!" raved one, "Now we've gotta get our hands dirty- raid the fucking town and steal the goods!"

Wow, Kagome thought, these dumbasses literally just told us their plans. Whatever happened to the element of surprise?

"Kakashi-sensei, this isn't good. Do you have a jutsu to annihilate them all at once?" asked Naruto, watching the men with suspicion.

"Of course not Naruto, I've used up a lot of my chakra already."

The men charged, running forward in a unit as they had the strength of numbers. Kagome placed her hand on her sword, already devising a plan, "Look Naruto," these guys aren't that strong- all we gotta do is scare 'em off, maybe kill a couple of them and we're good, she quickly signed. Kagome had a small coughing fit, motioning Sakura and Sasuke over as she gathered her breath, "We all need to just summon clones, at least ten per person, twenty's better, and then maybe we don't have to deal with them."

"Ten? Twenty? That- we never had to do so many at the academy!" said Sakura incredulously, although she was already beginning to build up her chakra for the task.

"True, but it's either that or you get to go head-to-head with those animals for men," Kagome motioned to the fast approaching hoard of men.

Kagome summoned precisely twenty clones of herself, Naruto summoning 32, Sasuke 24- no he upped it to 33, and Sakura summoned twenty as well. Kakashi then decided to help as well, "I can do that as well, even with my scarce chakra. At least it will bluff..." and with a few hand signs he had 50 other Kakashi's all ready for battle.

With each summon the men grew more and more reluctant for battle, and finally with Kakashi's summoning they ran for the hills, hopping off the bridge in fear of their lives. Kagome calmly walked to where Zabuza laid in the midst of the hysteria, prompting the men to move faster in their exit, approaching the still alive body of Zabuza. Kagome didn't spare him a word, harshly ripping out the spears in her back, "That's for being an asshole," she said as she tugged out the last of the spears, "and this, is for Haku," she finished, grabbing his body in her arms. His butt grazed the floor due to Kagome's height, but that didn't matter, the man's eyes trained on the body they were fast approaching.

"It's in my right-hand pocket. Your hitai-ate," Zabuza said distractedly, as she laid him next to the boy. Kagome grabbed it, slipping her forehead protector into her kunai pouch in order to not bring attention to it, "I wish I could go to the same place he's going..." he trailed off, staring at Haku's face, "Thank you, for bringing me to him miko- Kagome."

Kagome nodded, walking away to give him peace as snow began to fall, "Snow? In this time of year?" questioned Tazuna, hand out in the air to catch one of the elusive snowflakes that seemed almost alien due to how out of place they were against the summer landscape.

Already, Naruto was crying again, "Haku was born in a village where it snowed a lot," once more trails of snot and tears cut through the grime on his face, Naruto's crying growing uglier by the second as he grew more and more touched by the bittersweet moment. Haku wouldn't know that Zabuza had actually cared for him more than a weapon, as Zabuza hadn't seen it himself until after he had died.

"I see. Haku truly was a boy as pure as snow," Kakashi said, respecting the boy's kind heart. Slowly, everyone gathered themselves, and they began to walk back to Tazuna's home. Just before they left, Kagome muttered a quick prayer over the two souls whom had been lost, as at least Haku deserved her blessing. Kagome was still a miko at heart, and she did have empathy for the young boy. With one last utterance of prayer, and a bit of pink, Kagome was sure that Haku was at peace. Turning, away from the bridge, Kagome resumed walking, content with the days events and proud of her brother's moving speech. He truly was a little piece of heaven, after all it wasn't everyday that someone was able to get through to such a hardened heart like Zabuza's.

•~•~•~•~*~•~•~•~•

Only two bodies had been buried the day of battle, Gato's own lost at sea and no one caring enough to give the man a proper burial in the first place. The swarm of henchmen had returned two day's following the bridge battle, still hoping to receive some form of payment for their appearance, but were swiftly thwarted by the villagers. They had finally grown tired of being bullied around, and with Gato dead, many had regained the backbone that had been lost after Kaiza's murder. It had been a heartwarming sight to see, for the reign of fear to be broken from them all, and Inari at the lead. Naruto had engaged in a heart-to-heart talk with the boy following the bridge battle, and he had been fired up by all of Naruto's words of wisdom.

Needless to say, the boy had grown to idolize Naruto.

By the time a week had passed since the battle, the bridge had been completed, and their mission finished. One last time, they paid their respects to Zabuza and Haku, before leaving the small nation of the Land of Waves. Many villagers gathered to see Team 7 off, expressing their thanks for the ninjas presence and for ensuring the completion of the bridge. Their thanks was received well, and they said goodbye to all the nameless faces of the village. Finally, just before they left, all they had left to say goodbye to was Tazuna and his family.

"It's thanks to you that we were able to complete the bridge, and for that you have my thanks. Fare well on your travels," Tazuna said, full of gratitude for the team whom had saved his life on many occasions.

"Be safe," supplied Tsunami, her motherly warmth present even as she bid them farewell.

"Thank you for taking good care of us," replied Kakashi, "and we'll be sure to be safe."

"Now, now, I'll come back to visit one day, Tazuna! Don't think you've gotten rid of me yet!" smiled Naruto, happy with completing his first real mission.

"...for sure?" asked Inari timidly, voice shaky as he withheld tears.

"Of course," began Naruto, already beginning to grow emotional himself, "it's okay to cry. Go ahead."

Sniffling, Inari gave a watery smile, "I don't have to cry, but you look like you have to. Go ahead, you can cry."

For a moment, the pair shakily stared one another down, "No- I'm fine...well see ya!" Naruto replied turning away and beginning to walk, he and Inari crying freely simultaneously once they no longer could face each other. Kagome simply rolled her eyes at her brothers antics, ruffling his hair in a sign of comfort as they walked. It didn't take long for him to recover from the event, already starting to chatter about ramen which prompted a whole chain of events that led to Sakura being rejected by Sasuke once more, and a bump to appear upon Naruto's skin courtesy of said pink-haired kunoichi. Kagome allowed the action to slip though, seeing as it was merely a superficial hit and it seemed in good humor.

The trek to the village would take three days, two days tops if they cared enough to travel fast enough, but they weren't in any true rush. For Team 7, it was smooth sailing home- except for Kagome. No, for Kagome, the pace only grew to irritate her more and more as they had a certain someone following them throughout the time they traveled, chakra concealed but aura easily able for her to find and detect. Following the second day of travel, she decided to confront the stalker in the night, a tad confused by their presence in the first place.

Once camp was set up, a small fire having been built for the sole purpose of cooking and sleeping bags laid out, Kagome figured it was as good a time as any to confront the stalker, "Kakashi-sensei," I'm gonna go grab some more water from that river we passed, Kagome signed, waving her empty water canteen for dramatic effect.

Kakashi nodded, waving her away as he continued to read his favorite book, pleased with how the story had been developing thus far. Kagome then removed herself from the campsite, collecting the water as she had said she would, before calling out, "I know you're here

"Bankotsu."