Melted Snow (Discontinued)

Chapter Seven

        "Yuki!"

        I jumped, falling out of the boat and landing in the water. When I resurfaced, Sakura was laughing on dry land. I glared at her and splashed water her way.

        "Shut up, Bubblegum!"

        "Yuki, are you okay?" Naruto asked, obviously trying to hold back laughter.

        "Depends on your definition of 'okay'," I huffed as I got out of the water.

        Kakashi chuckled, patting my head lightly. I pouted and crossed my arms. I actually felt comfort at the chill I felt from being wet, after all I used to live in a winter dominated area. I looked around the forest, feeling like something was off.

        Naruto threw a kunai, shouting and making me jump. I frowned at how out of character I was acting. I normally would've just teased him. Why am I so jumpy?

        After Naruto threw a shuriken, and narrowly missed a, now terrified, rabbit, my unease grew immensely. Suddenly, Kakashi shouted at us to get down, tackling Tazuna. Just as I hit the ground, a sword flew over my head that could have decapitated me. I paled when understanding invaded my mind.

        A man appeared on top of the sword that was now imbedded in a tree. I gulped when my suspicions were confirmed. Zabuza Momochi of the hidden mist. The man who tortured my parents for information on my conservative clan. They warned me about him, and told me he might try to do the same thing to me if he ever found me. I swallowed back a whimper, and stood. I could only hope he wouldn't recognize my dad's white hair and my mother's blue eyes.

        I stiffened when his gaze landed on me, and recognition flashed through his eyes. I could see him smirk through his mask before turning his attention to the rest of the group. I clenched my fists, watching him to see what he was going to do next.

        "Well well, if it isn't the hidden mists missing-nin, Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi stated casually. When Naruto started to rush forward, he stopped him.

        "Get back, this one's on a whole other level. Fighting him will be tough unless I use this."

        I watched him lift his hand to his headband, my attention getting drawn back to Zabuza when he started speaking.

        "You appear to be Kakashi of the Sharingan eye. Sorry but, the old man is mine."

        Sharingan? I grew confused, looking at Kakashi again. He remained quiet for several long moments before he spoke up again.

        "Surround and protect Tazuna. Do not enter the fight, that's the teamwork here."

        I was the only one who didn't move from their position to protect Tazuna like instructed, making Zabuza look at me again. I stared back at him, lifting my chin to feign the confidence I didn't have. His eyes flashed with amusement, but before I could say something stupid Kakashi gained both of our attention.

        "Yuki, protect Tazuna, now," he said, his commanding tone helping me regain control of myself.

        Calm down, Yuki. Kakashi's got this. You won't have to go through what your parents did.

        I nodded, and took my place behind the bridge-builder. I took out a kunai and got into a defensive stance, chanting to myself that I would be okay.

        "Zabuza, fight me," Kakashi said, several gasps following his sentence.

        I turned to see Kakashi had lifted his headband to reveal his other eye. I frowned in confusion when I noticed how strange it looked, squinting to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

        "I already get to see the famous Sharingan? I'm honored."

        "What the hell is the Sharingan?" Naruto asked, obviously as I was.

        "Sharingan..." Sasuke said, gaining everyone's attention. "It is said that some have the ability in their eyes to read and defeat all types of Gen, Tai, and Nin-jutsu. The Sharingan is one of the types of pupil that gives you this power. But that's not all the Sharingan can do."

        "Huh?" Naruto asked, encouraging him to continue.

        "Hehe exactly. That's not all. What's even scarier is," he paused as if to create suspension, "that you can copy your opponent's techniques once you see them."

        I stared at Kakashi, surprised he held that kind of power. He must keep it covered so he wouldn't copy anything unnecessary, since it was obvious he couldn't deactivate the eye. I turned back around, staring at the ground while Zabuza continued talking.

        I snapped my head up when the already heavy mist thickened, making it nearly impossible to see my surroundings, and came face to face with Zabuza. I sucked in a terrified breath, my eyes going wide.

        He smirked. "Yuki Murakami, isn't it? I remember your parents," he said, chuckling darkly.

        "Yuki? Stay calm, he's trying to get a rise out of you," Kakashi warned, clearly not seeing Zabuza in front of me.

        I didn't answer, staring at the man in front of me in fear. When he couldn't get me to react the way he wanted, he disappeared into the mist and began speaking again.

        "Eight choices."

        "Huh?!" Naruto shouted.

        "Liver, lungs, clavicle vein, neck vein, brain, kidneys, heart. Which one should I go after?"

        After a moment of silence, Kakashi spoke.

        "Sasuke, don't worry. I'll protect you guys even if it kills me. I don't let my comrades die."

        "It's over."

        Zabuza suddenly appeared, making Tazuna lose his balance and fall backwards onto me. I gasped as the air was knocked out of me. Tazuna scrambled off of me, but all I did was roll onto my back so I could catch my breath. I closed my eyes, not paying attention to anything that was happening while I recovered.

        I bolted up when I heard a splash, looking towards the lake just in time to see Kakashi get caught in a water prison. I scrambled to my feet, ignoring pain in my back and stomach. I watched in horror as a water clone emerged from the lake, realizing just how screwed we were.

        Even though I knew we had little to no chance at holding our own against him, a memory flashed through my mind that made me stand up tall and lift my chin in confidence.

        "Yuki, you need to understand something. As a ninja, you'll get into many dangerous situations and face even more terrifying opponents, but you must remain strong and brave. You need to remember, with every enemy, there is someone who loves you. Keep that in mind, and fight with all your heart."

        Before I could do something that seemed heroic though, Kakashi shouted at us to run away. His words sent fury through me. Did he really expect me to wimp out when it was most important to stay strong? Did he really expect me to leave him here at the mercy of a skilled murderer?

        I focused on the water clone, my anger doubling as I thought of how my parents were treated while in the hands of the Momochi bastard. When chakra began to surround my body and a single pile of ice began to form in front of me, everyone stopped. When the ice finished sculpting itself into a human-like figure, it faced me.

        "What do you need mistress?" it asked in a male voice.

        I was so focused on my anger, I didn't think twice about answering. Destroy the water clone."

        I watched as the ice-man obeyed my order, turning towards the Zabuza clone. It waited a moment, the ran at him. With a fling of it's arm, it shot out a dozen icicles that impaled and destroyed the clone nearly immediately. As soon as the job was done, the ice crumbled to pieces, and I collapsed.