Hakureisaiga- Hey, guys, my friend Kurama Kuchiki wrote this story called Snow Fox…I thought it was awesome and shouldn't go to waste at all. This is not my chapter in any shape or form, this is Kurama Kuchiki's own writing ability. I don't want to change anything for the first two chapters. In the third chapter, it will be all original

Bold- Summons, and anything to do with Kyuubi's speech.

Italic- thoughts

Bold Italic- Kyuubi's thoughts

Now to the story.

Chapter 1- How to Save a Life

The newly unmasked ninja, her voice full of pain, said, "I am useless as Zabuza's tool! Naruto…please…" she paused to meet the blond boy's eyes, "kill me."

Naruto stared at her for a moment in disbelief. How can she say that so calmly? How can she want to die? He thought as he stumbled back in surprise.

"Why do you hesitate?" Haku demanded, taking a step forward to close the gap again. "I thought you wanted to be a great ninja?"

Naruto shook his head. "How can you say that? Do you really believe that's all there is to it?" he yelled. "Fighting and killing until there's only one person left standing?" His voice softened a bit. "There's a lot more to being shinobi than that. There are more ways of showing your strength than beating someone in battle."

Haku felt her lips twitch into the start of a sad smile. "I've had this feeling ever since we met in the woods…that you and me, are a lot alike. Maybe in another life we could have been friends…maybe even more," she paused with a sad smile. "You know what it is I'm talking about. I'm only sorry that it is you that will have to stain your hands with my unworthy blood."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "This…this is the only way…?"

"Yes!" Haku insisted.

"You've lost your dreams…and ask me to kill you!" Naruto thought as he bowed his head, "The both of us are caught in this…as shinobi…" "The weird thing is that you're right; if we'd met under different circumstances, we probably would have been friends…" The blonde said out loud to receive a small nod of agreement from the girl.

Pulling a kunai from the pouch on his leg, Naruto started towards the other, raising his arm as if for a single slash across the throat.

Haku watched him, feeling oddly content, "He will become strong. Naruto, fulfill your own dreams! Protect those that are precious to you."

The blond drew closer, intent on killing her, but his thoughts were different, "You think I can kill you Haku, but you don't understand! I won't kill you, not for that man! If I hit you with the flat of the kunai, I can knock you out! That should be enough!" He began to swing his arm down—

"Your future is death!"

Haku's head snapped up as the words carried to her ears. "Zabuza-sama!"

"Sorry Naruto, change of plans!" Haku yelled, catching the arm and whirling the unsuspecting boy around. "I'm not ready to die quite yet!" She quickly began forming seals with one hand. "How could I have been so foolish? How can I ask for a merciful death, when Zabuza-sama still needs me? My last breath belongs to him!

There was a swirl of mist as Haku disappeared; releasing Naruto from the hold she had had on his arm. Naruto stumbled and stared dumbstruck at the spot where Haku had been seconds before. "Where…!"

Suddenly, he felt his body shudder, it felt as if all his energy had suddenly disappeared. "What's happening?" Naruto wondered. "Whatever that was, it's used up almost all my chakra! And I still have to find Haku!"

To his surprise the fog was lifting. He glanced down the bridge and saw—

His breath stuck in his throat. Kakashi and Zabuza were stood staring each other down. Between them stood the blood-drenched body of Haku, Kakashi-sensei's hand punched through her chest. "She jumped in to save Zabuza!"Naruto realized.

"I never realized what a useful thing I had picked up that time!" Zabuza was saying, while hefting his sword back.

"He intends to cut through Haku and Kakashi-sensei both!"

"HAKU!" Naruto screamed, watching as Zabuza's blade swept down.

At the last second, Kakashi jumped out the way, taking Haku's body with him. Dropping to his knees he laid the girl out on the floor carefully. Quickly, Naruto ran over to them both and dropped to his knees beside Kakashi. The girl was spitting up blood, and there was a gaping hole right through her lung.

"Haku…" Naruto murmured. He turned to his sensei; Kakashi had a sad look on his face. "Is she going to live?"

Kakashi looked away from the blonde's anxious face. "Stay here, Naruto. This fight is between me and Zabuza." He stood up and walked past the blond, though a hand fell on Naruto's shoulder for a second and squeezed in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

Naruto turned his gaze on the girl, who looked up at him with happy eyes. "Naruto…"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled, running over with Tazuna in tow. "You're alright! I'm glad. Is Sasuke with you?"

Naruto's face dropped and he yanked his gaze away from her eager one. "Naruto…" he heard her whisper, as if in question, or perhaps realization. He heard her run away down the bridge.

Haku looked up at the blond, whose face was fixed on the ground. "I'm…sorry…"

Naruto turned his gaze onto the girl. "Hey, you ought to be preservin' your strength! Don't talk right now!" He grabbed one of Haku's hands.

The black haired girl smiled, even as a sudden wailing cry rose up. It sounded as if Sakura had found Sasuke. Naruto closed his eyes for a second, trying to push back the tears.

"You'll see…" Haku said his voice barely a whisper. Naruto opened his eyes to look at him again. "Naruto-kun…know that I died…fulfilling my purpose. It was…a…honor…" the girl trailed off.

Around Naruto things slowed to a stop; the hand he held was cold. "Haku-chan…" he murmured as the girl's eyes slid shut and her chest stopped rising.

"HAKU!" he yelled. Red fire flew over his hands, bathing Haku's body in its glow. Time for Naruto seemed to stop and go black.

"Do you want to save her kit?" the Kyuubi asked.

Naruto's vision returned and he found himself before a huge iron gate with a piece of paper holding it shut. The word seal written on it. Looking further into the cage he could see two crimson eyes.

"You can save her!" Naruto yelled back. "Heal her now!"

"I can save her, but to do so she will have to become your mate," Kyuubi replied. Naruto listened quietly. "You will also have to tear part of the seal off."

"Why would she have to be my mate?" Naruto asked.

"To save her, you need to mix your chakra and blood, along with my chakra, over her wound. By doing so you two will be bonded, making you mates," replied Kyuubi in a matter-of-fact tone.

"So this is the only way to save her," Naruto silently thought.

"Yes, and remember, I can hear what you are thinking, ha-ha!" an amused Kyubi laughed.

"Fine I'll do it," growled the blonde.

"Ha-ha; fine, let's start. Cut your hand and place it on the hole in her chest." Naruto cut his hand and held it to the fatal wound. "Now channel you chakra and then mine to your hand." He quickly channeled his chakra, but he was having some trouble in channeling Kyuubi's, though he was able. As the two chakras and the blood mixed with the wound a blue light surround both the blonde and Haku.

Elsewhere on the bridge-Gatou appeared on the bridge with a small army of thugs with him.

"So, the demon of the mist is defeated? You're nothing but a little puppy devil. Luckily, I was never going to pay you. See, missing-nin are much easier than shinobi from villages to hire, because after a missing-nin is done, you can kill them while they're weak. I'll double the pay to the man that brings me Zabuza's head, ha-ha," laughed Gatou

With a quick look at each other, Zabuza and Kakashi nodded.

"Kakashi, I see no reason to fight you now, but I still haven't killed anything yet. Say, first one to kill as many men of Gatou's wins?" it's at this point everyone froze. It wasn't because of what Zabuza said, but because they can feel the chakra that was coming off of Naruto. They looked over to see the blue light spinning around Naruto and the downed form of Haku.

"What is this chakra? It's as powerful as the Kyuubi's, but it doesn't feel evil," the copy-nin wondered silently.

"What is this power?" Zabuza started but before he could think farther Gatou spoke again.

"Kill them all now!" the tyrant of a businessman yelled.

Kakashi and Zabuza quickly began to cut down the thugs like they were dogs.

Later, at the end of the bridge, after Gatou was killed, lay Zabuza with various weapons stuck into his back. "Looks like I win Kakashi, ha-ha," the ex-mist-nin laughed. He stopped after a second and said in a sad, low voice, "Kakashi, I want to see her."

"I'll take you to her," Kakashi mumbled as he took out the weapons carefully and then picked up the missing-nin. He carried Zabuza over to where the bright light once was. The copy-nin saw the two laying teens on the ground; Haku completely healed and a now black haired Naruto by her side. He gently placed Zabuza on Haku's other side.

"What's going on here? Did Naruto heal her, and why is his hair black? More importantly, how could he heal her? He doesn't know any medical jutsu. Guess I'll have to ask him when he wakes up."

Zabuza cut through his thoughts as he spoke up, "Kakashi, I don't know how, but your brat healed Haku. Will you take her with you …? She doesn't like to take a life…. Maybe in your village she can live a normal life and be happy," he finished with a small tear running down his face.

"Yeah, I'll let her come if she wants."

"Thank yo…" he never finished his word, the last of his breath leaving him.

"I'll watch for her for you, Zabuza, but first I need to get everyone back to Tazuna's house," the one eyed Nin thought as he walked over to his other students, only to stop as he saw Sasuke lying dead on the ground; Sakura was crying on his chest. "NO! Not again! No I couldn't have failed again!" Kakashi started forward with tears in his eyes when a dry low voice reached his ears.

"Sakura…get off….You're heavy," Sasuke rasped.

"Sasuke! You're alive! You're alive!" screamed Sakura as she hugged him. He yelled for her to stop.

Kakashi couldn't help but give his eye smile. All of his students were alive and safe. He turned to see the town's people gathering.

A few days later

Naruto awoke to see he was in Tazuna's house. As he started to sit up images of the other day flashed in his mind.

Flashback Starts

Naruto watched as the blue light covered him and Haku. A few minutes later his body started to hurt. A second after that his body felt like it was on fire.

"Kyuubi, what's going on!" the blonde cried as he heard laughter.

"Well kit, since my chakra is running wild in your body right now, I decided to do some remodeling," laughed Kyuubi.

"WHAT! You baka fox! Stop whatever you are doing!" Naruto screamed.

The laughter stopped and a low growl took its place."Listen here you hairless ape! All I'm doing is giving you a kekkei genkai. I will not have my container being some weak child who can't even defend himself!"

"Ooh, really? I'm getting something that could show Sasgay up?" asked a very hopeful Naruto. Kyuubi ignored him in favor of explaining the changes.

"Your kekkei genkai will have three parts; body, chakra, and sight. Now what they do is …."

Flashback ends

Naruto was pulled from his thoughts by a voice at the doorway.

"So…are you feeling better?" Naruto turned to see Kakashi standing there with his eye smile.

"I'm fine, but what about Haku? Is she alright?" asked the slightly worried teen.

"Well Haku is…"