Blood Tainted Roses

• 26 • Step two; infiltrate with your presidential pass •

We're in the 26th chapter and there's no hint of NejiTen progression. Wow.

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Neji did not however go the ship with Haku. One part of the mission, getting Haku out of Kirigakure safely, was over. It was time to get Tenten back.

***

The first time Haku ever met Zabuza, he was nothing more than a national threat to her. That night had been chilly, air damp and silent save for the croaking of frogs and chirping of crickets.

As an ANBU captain she had been tasked with the job of catching the terrorist who threatened the life of the Mizukage, the president, and she was successful in tracking down his whereabouts. Catching him was the difficult part.

He had been deigning when he first saw her; a typical misogynist who believed that women on the force were a waste of time and only good for honeypot missions. The diagonal scar across Zabuza's face was as a continuous reminder not to undermine women so much.

_

Haku stood before the wanted criminal in an attacking stance, ready to retaliate should he make any movement. She had finally cornered him, ready to immobilise and arrest him, but the man appeared the least worried about her presence.

"Ugh, a woman?" The criminal, Zabuza Momochi, spat the word disdainfully like it was a bitter tasting pill. "What do they take me for, sending a woman after me?"

Haku didn't react to his overconfidence or his words. Even if she did he could not see her reaction because of her ANBU mask. Instead she hardened her voice with authority. "Momochi Zabuza, you're under arrest for..." He never let her finish her sentence.

"How did you even crawl your way up to the captain level? How many people did you sleep with?" Zabuza drawled lazily as he stuck a pinkie into his ear. It was as if she never even spoke, as if she was a mere humming fly and it grated on the ANBU Captain's nerves. She swung her arm.

He never saw the giant needle coming until it slashed him in the face and he bled. The needle stuck itself in the wall behind the criminal.

"What...?" Zabuza gasped, surprised at how fast the attack came. That had been a warning strike. If she was serious the ANBU captain could've killed him just then. Zabuza collapsed to his knees. He suddenly felt weak and dizzy. "The needle was poisoned."

It more of an observation than a question but Haku wasn't planning on answering him in the first place. She returned her needles to their pouch and took out a pair of handcuffs from her garter.

"Momochi Zabuza, you're under arrest for treason and murder. You have the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer. Whatever you say now would be used against you in the court of law." She recited as she walked towards him.

Haku stopped her in her advancement tracks when Zabuza suddenly burst into a bout of laughter. She watched patiently, carefully, as he did until he finally wheezed to a stop after a full minute.

"Don't mind me, haha, I just didn't think you would get me this good." He chuckled some more and rose to his feet, unbothered by the poison flowing in his blood.

Haku took a defensive step back, hand flying to her needle pouch. "How...?" She barely managed to get her question out before Zabuza struck with his big executioner's blade. The woman blocked the attack with her metal arm braces on reflex.