Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Lessons in Shinobi Love ❯ Lesson 8: To Win and Lose ( Chapter 8 )

A/N: I've been off on updating. Sorry about that, I just dread the sheer re-capping of the manga. I've been using a mixture of manga and anime (from what I remember) but mostly manga. It's just a drag to write things less original then what my mind works up. So this part will drag on until I get on to another resting point, probably when they stay at Tazuna's daughter's house.

 

Well, enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

II.

 

Lessons in Shinobi Love

 

Lesson 8: To Win and Lose

 

II.

 

 

Sakura watched as the two remaining males on her team stepped up to battle against Zabuza. They all stood there, frozen in silence before a conversation began to take place.

 

Their enemy began to chuckle at their efforts.

 

“Apparently, you don't care if you'll live to get any older.”

 

“What!?!!” Of course, leave it up to Naruto to pop off.

 

The pink haired genin produced an irritated glare towards her teammate.

 

His answer, however, didn't stop Zabuza from talking.

 

“Playing ninja like it's a child's game…I, however…By the time I was your age, had already dyed these hands in my enemies' blood.”

 

Meadow eyes widened and a realization had hit all three members of squad 7, and she began to feel a bit of fear course through her veins, turning her blood degrees cooler.

 

“The Demon, Zabuza.” She could hear the distant voice of her sensei, from inside his watery imprisonment.

 

“It would seem my reputation has preceded me.”

 

“Long ago…In the Village Hidden in the Mist, also known as “The Village of The Bloody Mist”, the final step towards becoming a full-fledged ninja was the most inhumanly difficult test imaginable.” Kakashi explained.

 

“So…You've heard about our little graduation exercise.”

 

“Graduation exercise?” Naruto seemed confused.

 

Sakura was wondering the same thing. What type of Graduation exercise were they talking about? Whatever it was, Kakashi-sensei certainly had a serious expression on his face.

 

“Wh-what graduation exercise?” The blue eyed child asked again and only received a chuckle in return.

 

“It's a kind of “killing spree” among classmates.”

 

Shocked faces lit up around the area like stars brightening up a night sky as surprise and fear spread like an infectious disease.

 

“Students who'd been friends, eating from the same dish, as undergrads were divided into pairs who would be forced to fight each other. Think of it. Comrades who had trained together, lived together, shared each other's hopes and dreams…”

 

The green eyed girl brought her balled fists to her chin. “That's terrible……”

 

“Ten years ago, the elders of The Village Hidden in the Mist were forced to enact a sweeping reform of their barbaric graduation ritual. Because of the appearance during the previous year of a human fiend who made reform essential.” She could hear her sensei explain further.

 

“What kind of reform?” Sakura asked, she got no response from Zabuza. “What are you talking about? What did the fiend you're talking about do?” She turned to the white haired jounin, hoping that he would answer her question.

 

“Without a moment's hesitation. Without any hint of a qualm, a boy who hadn't even yet qualified as a ninja butchered over a hundred members of that year's graduating class.”

 

“Ah, yes. Good times…I used to have such fun.” Their reminiscing enemy seemed overjoyed in his own wicked actions.

 

Then, out of nowhere, he lunged towards the remaining members of squad 7 and landed a hit in on Sasuke.

 

“Sasuke!” the pink haired girl yelled out, fearing for her team mate.

 

Kakashi was helpless to do nothing but watch in silence and hope that his students would get out of this situation alive. He had promised earlier to not let his team mates die before his eyes. He didn't want to make that foolish mistake.

 

It would be all the more hurtful to add guilt onto his already growing syndrome.

 

All eyes were on Naruto and Sasuke as they faced off against the Mist Ninja. Naruto's Doppelgangers all piled a top of Zabuza, but he simply threw them all back with his enormous sword. The blonde then threw something to Sasuke. It was a Demon Wind Shuriken.

 

“Windmill of Shadows!!” The stoic one yelled as he jumped into the air.

 

“Shuriken are useless against me!” Their enemy warned as the giant blades came spiraling towards his clone, but took a different direction and headed straight toward the original. “At least this time you've had the sense to zero in on my form.”

 

Zabuza caught the shuriken in his hand, calling Sasuke an amateur, but then noticed that there was a second shuriken in the shadow of the first.

 

` There was a second shuriken in his blind spot.' Sakura almost mimicked Zabuza's sentence in her mind.

 

The Mist ninja simply jumped over it. “Still an amateur.” The short haired man muttered.

 

`He dodged it!!!' Surprise lit up through green eyes.

 

The Shadow Shuriken flew a distance, then turned into another Naruto, who threw a kunai knife, enough to distract the real Zabuza into releasing the water imprisonment spell. The shuriken in which the real body was holding was blocked by a gloved hand.

 

Green eyes lit up with hope and happiness. “Kakashi-sensei!!!”

 

The silver haired jounin complimented the blonde and he and Zabuza exchanged a few words, before jumping back and going into a series of hand signs as the water around them began to twist and swirl into long, serpent-like stalks with dragon's heads at the peak of each of the stalks.

 

“Water Style! Water Dragon Missile!”

 

The dragon's clashed together, sending waves of water outwards and into the group of people. The pink haired genin reclaimed her post as body guard of Tazuna, helping block him from the waves.

 

`What the?! Is this Ninjutsu?' She wondered to herself as the fight continued.

 

The two opponents again went into a series of hand signs, as completed were in the same post.

 

“Through them all.” Kakashi said, out of nowhere.

 

Sakura was confused. What was happening? And why did her sensei say a sentence fragment out of nowhere? That was random, not to mention confusing.

 

“Got that sickeningly evil look in his eye…right?”

 

The green eyed girl blinked, then her eyes widened in realization. Can her sensei read minds? The would certainly explain why he asked Naruto, Sasuke and her if they were doubting the power of the Hokage earlier.

 

“Water Style! Giant Water Fall!”

 

In an instant, more water came flooding Sakura's way as the enemy was washed up against a tree trunk.

 

“What? Can you see the future?” Zabuza asked.

 

“I forsee…Your death.” Was his only reply as the enemy was seemingly attacked out of no where and fell to the ground before Kakashi had the chance to finish him off himself.

 

 

“Your prediction came true.” A foreign voice replied with an heir of calm around it.

 

All eyes looked to the tree branch, where a long haired ninja wearing a mask was present. The ninja seemed young, and dressed in many shades of green. They were silently watching the events of the fight and Sakura wondered how long exactly they had been there.

 

All eyes went to Kakashi, who was checking the body for a pulse. He said not a word.

 

The mysterious voice broke the silence.

 

“Thank you for your help. I hope you don't mind my interfering, but I wanted the satisfaction of putting Zabuza out his misery myself.”

 

“The mask is familiar…Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you a Shinobi Hunter from The Village Hidden in the Mist?” Kakashi asked.

 

“Well, aren't you the smart one?”

 

“A Shinobi Hunter?” Naruto asked, getting up from the ground.

 

“I am indeed, a member of the elite tracking until from The Village Hidden in the Mist. It is our responsibility and out art -- to hunt down and deal with the Rouges and the Outlaws.”

 

Sakura noticed from a distance away that her sensei looked as if he were pondering something...

 

`Judging by his size and the timbre of his voice…he couldn't be much older then Naruto or my other students…yet, he's already a full-fledged Shinobi Hunter!'

 

But what?

 

`He's not your average kid, that's for sure.'

 

“What's going on here? What are you!?” Naruto shouted as he pointed up to the figure.

 

“Relax Naruto, he's not an enemy.” Kakashi said as he got up, a bit slower then usual. He must have been tired from the battle. Perhaps he used too much chakra.

 

“That's not what I asked--! I mean…What I mean is…He killed Zabuza…Who wasn't exactly a pushover, but still got taken out by a guy who's only about my age! Like it was nothing! What, do we suck or something? What's up with that?”

 

“Oh,” Kakashi walked over to Naruto. “Well, you have my sympathy. I can see where a thing like that would be hard to accept.” He sat a hand atop of the blonde's head. “But it's a fact you'll have to live with. This probably won't be the last time we run into a kid who's both younger then you and stronger then me.”

 

The blue eyed child beneath the hand made an irritated face.

 

“Your battle is over for now…and the remains must be disposed of. Lest they give upsecrets to our foes. Well then, I must be off.” The mysterious boy said, as he and the dead body disappeared within a jutsu.

 

Kakashi pulled his hitai-ate over the Sharingan Eye and sighed to himself. “Now! We still have to escort Mr. Tazuna the rest of his way home. Let's put our best feet forward.”

 

In the back of his mind a tiny feeling told him that he would regret saying that.

 

“ Ha ha ha! You poor kids must be exhausted But never mind. You can lick your wounds at my house.” Tazuna laughed.

 

Suddenly there was a loud thump.

 

Everyone whirled around to see the silver haired jounin fall to the ground.

 

“What? Huh? What's happening!?” Green eyes set on the fallen form and widened with concern and worry. “Kakashi-sensei!!”

 

Thoughts ran through the pink haired girl's mind. She hoped that he wasn't hurt. Scenarios ran through her mind. Maybe he was hurt internally? Did he loose too much blood? Maybe he used too much chakra…Maybe using the Sharingan took a toll on him.

 

She hoped that it wasn't too serious.

 

`I can't budge…I...Must have used the Sharingan Eye too much…' Was the silver haired jounin's last thought before fading into darkness, but just as he did, he caught a glance of meadow green, shimmering with a kind concern.

 

 

TBC

 

 

 

A/N: Wow, that was troublesome. Too much dialogue. Too much recapping. My hatred for the past two chapters burns with the intensity of a thousand suns, but I finally got them finished. Sorry about the late posting. The next chapters will come quickly and there will be more fluff between Kakashi and Sakura.

 

Please review!