Tazuna gulped under Kakashi's sharp gaze, shifting uncomfortably. His eyes darted toward the two unconscious assassins, then to the four shinobi who had so easily taken them down. He hesitated for a moment before rubbing the back of his head and laughing nervously.
"Well… uh… you see, the thing is… I might've… slightly downplayed the danger of this mission," he admitted.
Kakashi sighed, rubbing his temple. "Tazuna-san."
Tazuna held up his hands. "Listen, listen, I had to! If I told you guys the truth, the mission would've been bumped to a higher rank, and I can't afford that! The Land of Waves is poor, and Gatō's got us by the throat! If I didn't do this, the bridge would never be finished, and we'd all be doomed! I had to take a chance!"
Sakura looked horrified. "Wait, wait, wait—so this isn't just some simple escort mission? You lied to the Hokage?!"
Tazuna flinched but stayed firm. "I had no choice!"
Kakashi exhaled heavily, crossing his arms. "This mission was assigned as a C-rank, but these two were professionals. This means we're dealing with a much bigger threat than simple bandits." His visible eye sharpened. "And you knew this."
Tazuna lowered his gaze. "I… yeah."
Sasuke scoffed. "Tch. Typical."
Naruto just stared at him, blank and unreadable. He wasn't particularly surprised. Humans lied all the time. He had seen it in every life he had lived—desperation, fear, greed. It was all the same. Still, he wasn't sure how to feel about this.
Sakura turned to Kakashi. "Sensei, shouldn't we go back and report this? If this is actually an A-rank mission, then we shouldn't be handling it, right?"
Kakashi hummed, considering. "Technically, yes."
Tazuna's shoulders slumped. "So… you're really going to leave?" His voice was strained, his fists clenched. "You're just going to let us suffer? Let him win?"
There was silence.
Naruto felt the weight of the moment settle over them. Tazuna wasn't just trying to build a bridge—he was trying to free his people. It was a battle of survival, of resistance against a tyrant who saw them as nothing more than tools to exploit.
Naruto had been prey before. Had been hunted, had been powerless. He knew what it was like to have no control over his own fate.
Slowly, he turned to Kakashi. "We're already here."
Kakashi glanced at him.
Naruto continued, voice quiet but steady. "It'll take too long to get a replacement team. If we leave, they won't get help in time. If we stay, we might be able to finish this before it gets worse."
Sasuke huffed. "I can handle an A-rank mission."
Sakura bit her lip but, after a moment, nodded. "If we're careful, we can do this."
Kakashi studied them for a moment before sighing. "Alright. We'll continue."
Tazuna let out a breath of relief. "Thank you. Seriously, thank you."
Naruto didn't respond.
The journey continued, the air heavier than before. Now that they knew the stakes, every rustling leaf, every distant movement in the trees, every shadow felt like a potential threat.
Kakashi remained alert, but his body language was still relaxed—watchful, but unbothered.
Naruto, however, was more tense than usual. His mind kept circling back to one thing.
Those assassins had attacked Kakashi first.
A direct move to remove the strongest fighter. Which meant they knew who Kakashi was. Which meant they expected him.
This wasn't random.
They knew about Team 7.
They knew their route.
Naruto's fingers twitched.
They weren't just dealing with assassins.
Someone had planned this.
By late afternoon, they reached a wide riverbank. Tazuna led them to a small boat, explaining that they had to cross quietly since Gatō's men patrolled the area.
Naruto didn't like the water.
He had died in water before—drowned, hunted, dragged beneath the depths.
Still, he didn't hesitate as he stepped into the boat, settling himself as Tazuna paddled them forward.
The river was eerily quiet, mist rolling in thicker as they moved.
By the time they reached the other side, the air felt almost suffocating.
They walked for a few more minutes before Naruto's eyes narrowed.
Something was watching them.
Then—
Shhhk!
A massive sword whirled through the air, slamming into a tree with a deadly thunk.
The air turned deadly still.
Then, a deep voice rumbled from above.
"Well, well. I was hoping to see you, Copy Ninja Kakashi."
A figure stood on the sword's hilt, looming over them with a shark-like grin.
Zabuza Momochi.
Kakashi's eye darkened. "Everyone, stay back."
Naruto didn't need to be told twice.
This wasn't just another enemy.
This was real.
This was a true predator.
And for the first time in a long time, Naruto felt like prey again.
The air crackled with tension as Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing the crimson Sharingan beneath. The single eye swirled, locking onto Zabuza with chilling precision. The rogue shinobi smirked, his stance shifting as he prepared to face the infamous Copy Ninja.
Naruto barely breathed. This wasn't like the fights at the Academy, or even against those assassin brothers. This was different. Zabuza radiated something—something primal, something that sent every instinct screaming that this wasn't just a battle. This was a hunt.
And they were the prey.
Zabuza's grin stretched wider. "So the rumors are true. You really do have the Sharingan."
Kakashi's voice was steady. "And you're as talkative as the Bingo Book says."
A low chuckle rumbled from Zabuza's throat. "Hah! This is going to be fun." He vanished.
Naruto's muscles tensed, his breath hitching as the mist around them thickened. It wasn't natural mist. It was heavy, cloying, unnatural. Chakra-infused.
Sakura shifted closer to Tazuna, gripping a kunai in her trembling hands. Sasuke's jaw tightened, his fingers curling.
Then—
Kakashi's voice rang out. "Get down!"
A shadow exploded from the mist.
Steel met steel in a violent clang as Kakashi's kunai deflected Zabuza's massive cleaver mid-swing. Water sprayed from the force of impact, rippling through the mist.
Zabuza laughed. "Not bad."
Then he vanished again.
Naruto clenched his fists. He couldn't see him. He couldn't sense him. His eyes darted through the mist, scanning, searching, but Zabuza was a ghost.
Then, a whisper.
"Eight points."
Naruto's blood ran cold.
"The lungs… the liver… the spine…"
A shadow loomed behind them.
"The jugular… the kidneys… the heart."
Zabuza was inside their guard.
Naruto turned, fast—
Only for Kakashi to materialize in front of them, kunai raised.
Shhhk!
Zabuza's massive blade clashed against Kakashi's weapon, forcing him back.
The rogue smirked. "Your reaction time's sharp. But how long can you keep up?"
Kakashi's Sharingan spun. "Long enough."
Water surged around Zabuza's feet as he leapt back, forming hand seals in a blur.
Naruto saw it, saw the way the water moved unnaturally, and his stomach dropped.
Water Clone.
Multiple Zabuza clones rose from the mist, stepping toward them with matching grins.
"Protect Tazuna!" Kakashi snapped before vanishing into the mist after the original.
Naruto didn't hesitate, stepping in front of the bridge builder as the clones lunged.
Sasuke moved beside him, kunai flashing as he intercepted the first.
Sakura stayed behind Tazuna, her back rigid as she gripped her weapon.
Naruto's instincts screamed. He dodged left, barely missing the swipe of a clone's blade. His footwork was quick, fluid—too fast for a genin, too sharp for someone his age. But the clone was relentless, pressing forward, forcing Naruto into a defensive dance.
Not good.
Water clones were durable. Even if they weren't as strong as the original, they were still fast, still dangerous.
Naruto twisted, flipping backward as the clone swiped again. His fingers blurred through seals.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Three clones burst into existence beside him, immediately rushing the water clone with synchronized attacks.
A punch to the ribs. A sweep to the legs. A kunai to the throat.
The water clone burst into a splash of liquid, dissolving back into the mist.
Naruto exhaled sharply, already pivoting as another clone lunged.
Sasuke had taken down one already, his breathing heavy but controlled. His Sharingan wasn't active yet—probably couldn't be—but his movements were efficient, calculated.
Sakura hadn't engaged yet, holding position near Tazuna, her kunai shaking slightly in her grip.
Naruto's eyes flicked to her, then back to the enemy.
If even one clone got past them—
Another surge of chakra rippled through the mist.
Naruto felt it before he saw it.
Kakashi's chakra spiked.
His head snapped toward the fight between their sensei and the real Zabuza, eyes widening.
Zabuza was winning.
The mist thickened, swallowing Kakashi's figure. Then, a shadow moved—
And Kakashi collapsed into the river, trapped inside a sphere of swirling water.
Naruto's stomach clenched.
Water Prison.
Zabuza stood on the surface, his arm outstretched, holding the jutsu effortlessly. His grin was sharp. "Well, this was easier than I thought."
Kakashi's face was calm, but his eye was sharp. "Don't just stand there. Move."
Zabuza chuckled. "It's pointless. That brat team of yours can't do a thing."
Naruto's breath was steady.
The situation had turned sour, fast. Kakashi was trapped, suspended inside Zabuza's Water Prison Jutsu, his body rigid but his eye sharp, tracking every movement, every shift in the battlefield. The enemy's clone loomed over them, cleaver resting lazily on his shoulder, daring them to make a move.
"Run," Kakashi ordered, voice firm. "Take Tazuna and go."
Sasuke's jaw clenched. Sakura looked frozen. Naruto stared, unblinking.
Leaving a comrade behind.
He hated shinobi. Always had. They hunted, killed, and took what they wanted—no remorse, no hesitation. He had been prey, predator, and everything in between. He had been torn apart, poisoned, eaten, skinned alive, and discarded as nothing.
But Inu—Kakashi—had never hurt him.
And Naruto didn't want him to die.
He thought fast. The Water Prison was sturdy, formed from thick, swirling chakra-infused liquid. He had no wind jutsu strong enough to disperse it. No weapons sharp enough to cut through it. No speed fast enough to counter it.
But he had memories.
Memories of wind ripping through the sky, of powerful currents lifting his wings, of soaring so high the earth became a distant blur beneath him.
A Quetzalcoatlus.
Naruto took a breath.
He brought his hands together, fingers curling into a seal, channeling his chakra.
Sasuke saw it first—the way the air around Naruto shifted.
The way the mist started to pull toward him.
The way the leaves on the trees trembled.
The way the very atmosphere around them seemed to inhale.
Naruto exhaled.
And the world roared.
A hurricane-force gale exploded from his hands, a sheer force of wind that howled through the clearing, erasing the mist as it surged forward. It slammed into Zabuza like a tidal wave, tearing him away from the water prison, away from the river, away from everything.
Zabuza flew.
He crashed through trees, slamming against the earth, rolling before skidding to a halt, dazed and breathless.
The Water Prison shattered.
Kakashi dropped to his knees, coughing sharply, water dripping from his form as he whipped his head around to Naruto.
Naruto stood, arms still outstretched, face blank. The gale had already died down, but its effects remained. The mist had vanished, trees bent at unnatural angles, leaves scattered across the battlefield.
Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed slightly.
Then, without another word, he turned his attention back to Zabuza.
The rogue shinobi groaned, pushing himself up. He wiped blood from his mouth, then tilted his head, staring at Naruto.
"What the hell was that?"
Naruto just blinked at him.
Zabuza's smirk twitched back into place. "Heh. Interesting."
Kakashi didn't give him a chance to recover.
With a burst of speed, he vanished.
Zabuza barely brought up his cleaver in time to meet Kakashi's kunai, the two clashing with a spray of water.
Sasuke finally exhaled. "What… just happened?"
Sakura swallowed. "Naruto, what was that?"
Naruto tilted his head. "Wind."
Sasuke scowled. "No shit."
Tazuna gawked at him. "Kid, remind me never to piss you off."
Naruto just stared as Kakashi and Zabuza engaged in a brutal exchange, steel meeting steel in a flurry of precise, calculated strikes.
But in the back of his mind, he wondered.
How many more memories of his past lives could he use?
Kakashi moved like a shadow, his Sharingan spinning, tracking every twitch of Zabuza's muscles. The rogue shinobi was fast, strong, and merciless, but Kakashi was reading him, mimicking his movements, predicting his next strike before he even made it.
Zabuza scowled, gripping his cleaver tight. "Damn copy ninja..."
He swung, but Kakashi dodged, slipping past his defenses like water. A kunai lashed out, grazing Zabuza's bicep, drawing a thin line of blood.
"You're too slow," Kakashi murmured, voice low and calm.
Zabuza gritted his teeth, shifting back, adjusting his grip. He wasn't used to being pushed like this.
And then—
A whistle split the air.
Kakashi barely had time to register the blur before thunk—two senbon needles embedded themselves into Zabuza's neck.
Zabuza's eyes widened. His grip on his cleaver slackened.
And then he collapsed.
The silence was deafening.
Naruto stared. Sasuke tensed. Sakura clutched Tazuna's sleeve.
And then—
"I appreciate your help," a voice said.
They turned.
A shinobi stood on a tree branch, clad in a deep blue outfit, their face hidden behind a porcelain mask. The symbol of Kirigakure's hunter-nin gleamed under the fading light.
"Zabuza Momochi was a rogue ninja from our village," the masked nin continued, voice smooth. "Thank you for weakening him. I'll be taking the body back."
Kakashi exhaled, lowering his kunai. "Hunter-nin, huh?"
The masked figure nodded.
They leapt down, landing near Zabuza's fallen form. A hand touched his neck, feeling for a pulse, before nodding slightly.
"He's dead."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
Something was off.
The masked ninja heaved Zabuza's massive frame onto their back effortlessly.
"Thank you again," they said, before disappearing into the trees, body flickering out of sight.
Sakura exhaled, finally relaxing. "That was close."
"Too close," Sasuke muttered, eyes still sharp.
But Naruto—
Naruto stared after them.
He had been prey too many times to not recognize a lie.
His glowing blue eyes flicked to Kakashi. "Why did you let them go?"
Kakashi gave him a tired look. "Naruto—"
"They were lying," he said flatly.
Kakashi sighed, rubbing his temple. "Yes."
Sakura's head snapped toward them. "Wait—what?"
"Zabuza's not dead," Kakashi admitted. "Those senbon were too precise. They didn't hit anything vital. The hunter-nin just put him in a near-death state."
Naruto frowned. "Then why—"
"Because I'm too tired to fight another battle right now," Kakashi muttered.
And then—
He collapsed.
"Sensei!" Sakura yelped.
Naruto watched as Kakashi hit the dirt, his entire body slack, Sharingan flickering out of sight as his headband slipped back into place.
Sasuke took a step forward, scowling. "Seriously?"
Tazuna looked down. "Uh. I mean. My house is close."
Naruto crouched, inspecting Kakashi's unconscious form. His breathing was steady, just shallow.
Naruto sighed, glancing at Sasuke. "Help me carry him."
Sasuke groaned. "Tch. Fine."
Together, they hoisted their jounin instructor up, arms slung over their shoulders, dragging him along the dirt path.
"Geez," Sasuke muttered. "He's heavier than he looks."
"He's dead weight," Naruto said.
"Obviously—"
"Literally, dead weight," Naruto repeated. "He passed out. He can't hold himself up. We're carrying a log, basically."
Sasuke scowled. "Shut up and walk."
Tazuna led the way, Sakura trailing behind, muttering about how unfair this all was.
Naruto had a feeling this mission was about to get a whole lot messier.
TBC