Hey there! Sorry to keep everyone waiting! It has been well, an interesting day!
I am very proud of my team.
We have just returned from the bridge and let me just say that this was... Ahh, but I am jumping ahead too much! Let me start from the beginning.
This morning Myself, Tazuna-san, Sasuke, and Sakura arrived at the bridge to find that most of the workers have been savagely murdered. Not good, and immediately I knew who was responsible. Momochi Zabuza, just as I had suspected he was very much alive. And this time joined by his young friend, the fake hunter-nin. Zabuza tried to spook my team, but my guys surprised him as he showed how much they had grown. Sasuke quickly dispatched of the water clones that where conjured before us. He then continued by showing off some fancy footwork engaging in a match with the boy in the mask. I figured this pair up would work, while I ordered Sakura to protect Tauzuna and stay close to me.
Then the first troublesome event occurred.
The boy in the mask, which was named Haku, has some very interesting talents. In the beginning of his skirmish with Sasuke he formed seals with just one hand! That is something I have never seen before! Sasuke though remembering his training in the woods easily dodged that attack. I reminded Zabuza not to underestimate my team, but then had to quickly eat those words with the next jutsu that Haku performed. Something both truly amazing and terrifying at the same time. He forms a dome made from sheets of ice that acted as mirrors trapping Sasuke. (I was glad someone got a picture of that for later study).
Now I wasn't sure what was going to happen but I knew I had to go help him. Just as I set off, Zabuza got in my way and threatened the life of Sakura and the old man if I didn't fight him.
Sakura tries to help Sasuke by throwing him a kunai but it got caught by Haku before making it to Sasuke. In that moment of surprise Haku gets hit with shuriken.
Things seemed good. Then I just was dumbfounded...Naruto makes the NOISIEST entrance known to man!!! Sigh... Sometimes I just want to kick that kid. He had the perfect opportunity to keep hidden and be more effective in helping out Sasuke. But what does he do? He comes in like the start of the fireworks display during the Hanabi Matsuri festival!!!!
Naruto has made himself a perfect target. Idiot. Then performs his jutsu right in front of the enemy! Ugh! Has he remembered anything from the academy?!? Zabuza throws a shuriken at Naruto but Haku deflects them with his needles. Haku then says that he saved Naruto so that Haku can fight Naruto himself. Now, I am a bit worried that Haku may be too much for Naruto and Sasuke. But I can't interfere because if I go near Naruto, Zabaza will kill the others.
Haku decides to go back after Sasuke, so then the plan should be this. Sasuke fight’s from the inside and Naruto at the same time from the outside. Makes sense right?
Unfortunately, Naruto goes and sneaks up on Sasuke inside?!? SIGH....
Now they are both trapped in the ice mirrors. It's then I realized that the boy possesses a Kekkei Genkai (or bloodline limit) It's an ability that is passed on in family bloodlines from generation to generation. Much like my sharingan. And it's also impossible to copy! Now my big fear is that Naruto and Sasuke won't be able to endure this battle because of one simple fact.
They have never killed before.
I am not sure they have it in themselves to actually kill another person. And the only way they will survive is to have that killing intent. The boy Haku, has defiantly killed many before I can tell, and will have no problems doing it again.
This really left me with a big dilemma. Do I help them, risk Tazuma and Sakura's life. Copy myself with a clone jutsu, and battle it out using up a lot of chakra?
No, I decide to use the sharingan and hopefully end this quickly.
Zabuza attempts to stab my in the eye, But I deflect the blow with my other hand. He tries to egg me on about my own jutsu and brags about how he has the ultimate tool, which I find really disturbing for him to refer to the boy Haku that way. The one last thing he adds is that he has been told how to beat my sharingan. This statement worries me.
Zabuza continues to explain how during our last battle he had Haku watching. In order to figure out a counter to my sharingan. Zabuza he says, "Even if by chance I do defeat him I won't be able to defeat Haku." After that he disappears into the mist again grr.
This time around the mist is so thick no one can see anything. He figured out that the hypnotic element of the sharingan is dependent on eye contact and so now I am at a huge disadvantage. Zabuza then attempts again to kill Tazuna, I just made it to them in time to deflect the blow. But not without incident Zabuza gives me a good slice to my chest. It hurt ALOT....
And once again he disappears into the mist. Sakura was a nervous wreak, I try to comfort her a bit. And reminder her that Sasuke is an Uchiha after all. And Naruto as goofy as he is is a strong kid. Though honestly in the back of my mind I was a little concerned. But then I just decided that I would trust my team, and go and stop Zabuza once and for all. I formed a plan.
Just as I have strengthened my resolve and set off into the mist, I sense another potentially HUGE problem.
It the direction of where I believe Sasuke and Naruto are. I felt the energy of this enormous, terrible, HUGE EVIL, chakra.
One of my biggest fears, Naruto 's seal, the seal that keeps the Kyubi (nine-tails) within him is breaking. Or at least I thought so for a moment. This would be bad, REAL BAD. I waited a moment to feel out the situation, I can sense that that the seal is leaking, but not yet broken, this is good it bought me some more time. But I still have I have to act fast just in case. I pulled out a summoning scroll, and yelled out a proposal to zabuza to end this battle with one last blow.
Now I just had to hope that Zabuza would take the bait. I complete my summoning of my cute lil nin dog's that track Zabuza out in the mist using the sent of my own blood. I have him trapped. I told him off and then I decided that I was going to show off a little bit and show him my own special justu before he dies. Just as i was about to deal the finishing blow to Zabuza, something quite unexpected happened. The boy got in front of Zabuza taking the full blow of my Chidori and saving his life by giving up his own.
I was in shock. Then I was just plain angry. Zabuza just used this final act of sacrifice as another opportunity for him to kill me. Without any thought to the event that just took place. This was the last straw. I kicked him in the head followed by stabbing him with 2 kunai in his left arm, disabling that arm. Followed by a few more hits, his energy level was low. As he attempted to swing at me with his sword, I got his good arm with 2 more kunais. Now both his arms were useless.
The last strange thing happened. We were interrupted, by Gato himself who had decided that he was going to get rid of Zabuza himself along with all of the bridge workers with the employ of a mob of thugs.
So Zabuza now had no more reason to fight me. Gato walks up to Haku who is dead. Gato starts to kick his dead body. Naruto gets mad at Zabuza for not doing anything about it. Zabuza says that Haku is already dead. He had used Haku as a tool so he doesn’t have any feelings for him. Ninjas are tools. Naruto is really mad at Zabuza for not standing up for Haku. I tell Naruto to stop but he doesn't listen. Naruto yells on that Haku had really cared for Zabuza and had thought Zabuza as someone precious to him. Haku had sacrificed his life for Zabuza but yet Zabuza only thinks of him as a tool. Naruto starts to weep tears of sadness.
Zabuza finally breaks down. He tells Naruto to stop. Zabuza knows Haku was a kind person. He realizes that Haku had sacrificed a lot to fight for him. Zabuza says that Naruto is right, ninjas are humans and ninjas do have emotions. He takes a knife from Naruto and runs for Gato. Gato gets behind his men and Zabuza attacks through all of them. Zabuza is stabbed multiple times but Zabuza still is able to stab Gato multiple times in the chest. Gato falls off the bridge and into the water. Gato’s men are scared and they back off of Zabuza. Zabuza thanks Haku for everything, apologizes, and falls down.
Sasuke wakes up. Haku had purposefully not killed Sasuke from the very beginning. So he was alright, thank goodness.
Gato’s men decide to rob and pillage the village because they lost their source of money. Then the villagers show up with Inari ready to fight. This scared Gato’s men away.
Zabuza is about to die. He asks me to place him next to Haku so he can see Haku one last time. It starts to snow. Naruto says to me that Haku was born in a snowy village. It then made some sense. Later we buried Zabuza and Haku. And there we talked about how ninjas are supposed to be a tool but unconsciously suffer from this ideal just like Zabuza and Haku. Naruto doesn’t like this ideal and decides to follow his own way of the ninja with out any regrets. Interesting. Naruto always seems to say things you don't expect. Well the bridge is finally completed. And now we are headed back home!
In retrospect even though this mission turned out to be a little more than planned, i think it was a great learning experience for each of us. We have all gotten stronger and wiser. Now if only I can teach a bit of cleanliness to the two boys. The whole time in wave country their room was a mess.. Man...
Sigh..Poor Tsunami, she should not have had to clean up after them. Then I would have the no more problems. Sigh... Oh well!
That's all for now. See you all back in Konoha!
Ja' Ne!
P.S. Oh and here's a pic Naruto INSISTED on me posting, I can't believe everyone agreed to do this, a chakra power pic of Naruto infront of the bridge. He used so much chakra that the bridge got faded out... hehe what a cocky kid... Oh well it's been a while gotta go to Konoha Books, to see if the new book came out or not~ Te he he~
