Blood is Thicker Than Mist

Chapter 1

This was not the way their mission was supposed to go .

Zabuza Momochi thought irritatedly as he hurried through the forest. Their mission had been simple on paper- infiltrate the Hidden Leaf, find their Yellow Flash, and kill him quickly and without detection. However, nothing had gone according to plan. As soon as they neared the village, the air filled with an ominous, thick tension. And then, out of nowhere, there was an explosion and the Leaf's legendary Nine-Tailed Fox appeared.

Instead of a stealth assassination mission, their objective became 'avoid being hit by its attacks' and 'avoid being crushed in its rampage.' Zabuza had seen many things and faced many opponents in his thirteen-almost fourteen years of life- but witnessing the rampage of a beast such as the Nine-Tails was something unique to him. The demon's size and power had caused even him, the "Demon" of the Hidden Mist, to be startled upon seeing it. Had he not been so intent on staying out of sight as the Leaf's shinobi battled the creature, he would have liked to fight it himself in order to gauge its strength, although it was more than clear to him that he was no match for the beast.

So, this is the level of power that the Mizukage wields?

Zabuza's brow furrowed and he quickly leaped to the side to avoid being struck by one of the Fox's enormous feet. Its growl echoed in the air, causing the leaves to tremble, while each enraged step of the monster shook the earth. If the Fourth Mizukage contained this same level of power, he would never stand a chance against him.

He braced for impact as the monstrous Fox tilted its head back and gathered chakra in its mouth. Once the ball had grown to an enormous size, he directed it at the Leaf's precious monument where its Hokage were immortalized. He waited for the impact, for the rumbling, for the loud crumbling of rock and the screams of those crushed below- but none of it came.

The attack seemed to, from his perspective, pass through the monument harmlessly. When he strained his eyes to see, he discovered a large seal pattern in the air as if acting as a shield. Then, moments later, a deafening explosion sounded far into the distance, paired with a bright burst of light.

Zabuza had an idea of what had just occurred, but he couldn't be sure. Not yet . He needed confirmation.

He continued to avoid the beasts' mindless rampaging and advanced until he, while still unseen, could clearly see the figure of their target: the Leaf's infamous Yellow Flash, and their Fourth Hokage.

In the flesh...

Zabuza and his teammates had separated when the beast had appeared, hoping to have the good fortune to come across the Yellow Flash during the mayhem, take advantage of the situation, and kill him without incident; and he had been the one to find him.

He reached back for his sword, hesitating briefly as he surveyed the damage already done to the Village by the monster. Could he contest with this target, when he could so easily counter the beast who had done all this? He gripped the handle of his blade firmly and narrowed his eyes. Regardless of the odds, he still had to try.

However, as he focused once again on the Hokage, Zabuza realized that the man was already engaged with someone else. At first, he mistook the masked man as one of his own comrades though understood quickly that it was not. And then, the pair of fighters vanished.

Gone? Just like that?

Zabuza growled under his breath and released the hilt. He knew of course what was said of the Leaf's Minato Namikaze. He was well aware of his ability to bend time and space to his will and teleport in an instant. It was, after all, what made him such a threat that many had tried to assassinate him before now. Zabuza glared at the empty space his target had been and set to getting as high as he could.