The Tale Of Naruto Uzumaki

Chapter 12: Naruto Joins The Fight

All eyes were on Naruto as he suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
Naruto: "Now that I'm here, everything will be alright!"
The others stared at him in shock.
Sakura: "Naruto!"
Zabuza, thinking: Ahh, this brat again.
Sasuke: "Shut up, Naruto!"
Kakashi: sighs "What an idiot. If he had stayed hidden, he could have been so much more effective."
Haku: whispers "That boy..."
Flashback to Naruto and Haku's first encounter
Haku: "What are you doing sleeping way out here in the woods?"
Naruto: laughs "Haha, I'm training!"
Haku: "Impressive. Are you training for something dangerous?"
Naruto: "I'm just developing my skills so I can get stronger!"
Haku narrows his eyes.
Naruto: "Alright, you're history! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto makes the hand sign, and Zabuza stares at him, throwing two shuriken.
Kakashi: "What? No!"
The shuriken zip towards Naruto.
Naruto: scared "Huh?"
Kakashi: "Naruto, move!"
Naruto: dodges "Ahhh!"
Haku throws three senbon, blocking Zabuza's shuriken. The weapons clash and fall to the ground.
Everyone is shocked, even Zabuza.
Naruto: pants "Ahhh!"
Sakura: "They didn't get him..."
Tazuna: "Their weapons canceled each other out! Amazing! Now that's what I call lucky!"
Kashimo: "Haku, what are you doing?"
Sakura: "What are you doing, Naruto? Are you crazy?"
Kakashi: "This is a battle, not a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your jutsu!"
Naruto: pants "Ahhh!"
Kakashi: "A shinobi's art is deception. Always keep an enemy guessing, even when executing a single jutsu. You must distract your enemy and catch them off guard."
Kakashi: "Naruto, you just turned yourself into a human target when you entered the battle like that."
Naruto: scared and shocked "Ahhh! Sorry, I was just trying to rescue everybody..."
Kakashi: "But there's another mystery here..."
Sasuke: nods towards Haku "Him."
Zabuza: "Haku, what are you doing?"
Haku: "Zabuza, this boy... let me fight him my own way, please."
Naruto: "Bring it on!"
Everyone stares at Haku.
Zabuza: "So, you want me to leave this to you, is that it, Haku?"
Zabuza: scoffs "As usual, you're too soft, Haku."
Haku: "Forgive me, Zabuza."
Sasuke, thinking: Soft? He's right. Look at these wounds. He cut me up with his needles, yet he didn't hit me in any vital spots. Why?
Sasuke stares at Haku.
Sasuke: thinking "Is he just trying to humiliate me?"
Naruto: "I'm warning you! One way or another, I'm going to rip off that mask and take you apart!"
Kakashi, thinking: It's impossible. Naruto can't take on this kid. I've got to—
Zabuza: "Don't even think about it, Kakashi."
Zabuza blocks Kakashi.
Zabuza: "You know the score, Kakashi. If you go after Haku, I go after the bridge builder. That pink-haired brat is fighting Kashimo, and she is going to lose, making this even easier."
Kakashi, thinking: Huh, you got me. I can't protect Tazuna and help Naruto and Sasuke at the same time. Sakura's feisty, but in no way could she fight Tazuna and Kashimo.
Zabuza: "Sit back and enjoy the show. Let's see how they do one-on-one."
Naruto: "That mask and that bogus story—you were with Zabuza all along! You think you can get away with that?"
Haku: "I'm sorry, but as your sensei said, deceiving your opponent and catching them off guard—that's the art of the shinobi. Please don't take it personally."
Sasuke, thinking: While you're jabbering, I'll catch you off guard.
Sasuke launches a kunai at Haku, who dodges it effortlessly.
Sasuke: shocked
Naruto: "Sasuke!"
Haku: "I haven't forgotten about you, not for an instant."
Sasuke grows angry.
Naruto: thinking "So that's where Sasuke is. He's pinned down."
Haku: "Some warriors accept defeat gracefully. They know when they are beaten. Others do not. So be it. Let us finish our battle, then—to the death."
Haku walks towards the ice mirrors and gets sucked in.
Naruto: "Whaddya doing?"
Haku: voice echoing "It's alright, Naruto. We'll have our fight next."
Naruto: confused "What is he...?"
Sasuke: "Here he comes..."
Sasuke looks around, trying to pinpoint Haku's location.
Sasuke: "The real one is over there... Now!"
Sasuke is about to pull a kunai out of his holster.
Haku: voice echoing from the mirror "I'm behind you."
Sasuke: shocked "He transported himself in an instant! How?"
Sasuke looks around, seeing multiple reflections of Haku in every mirror.
Naruto / Sakura: "Sasuke!"
Zabuza, Kakashi, and Kashimo stare at the altercation intensely.
Naruto: thinking "What is that? Sasuke is getting all ripped up, and I can't even tell where the attacks are coming from!"
Naruto: scared and shocked "How is he doing that?"
Sasuke grips his shoulder in pain.
Sasuke: thinking "What is this jutsu? Could it be? He has clones hiding in the mirrors, all throwing those needles at the same time?"
Sasuke: thinking "No, they're too fast for that. Where are they coming from? And if it was just a clone jutsu, he wouldn't need the ice mirrors. Those mirrors are definitely the key to his attack, but what's my next move?"
Kakashi: "Sasuke, Naruto, think! You need to attack from the outside and the inside at the same time!"
Sakura: thinking "To figure out how the mirrors work..."
Naruto: thinking "I got it!"
Sasuke: thinking "Yes, it's all about positioning! And Naruto and I are in the perfect position. If I attack him from here and Naruto attacks him from the outside, we can do it!"
Suddenly,
Naruto: "Hey, I snuck in here to save you, Sasuke!"
Sakura and Kakashi look annoyed.
Sasuke: "You are a complete loser! You're a shinobi—think carefully before you move!"
Naruto: "What the heck is your problem? You should thank me for coming to help you!"
Sasuke: "Naruto, if we're both inside here, ugh, forget it! I've had it with your mistakes!"
Naruto: "And I've had it with your attitude! Believe it!"
Kakashi: thinking "Naruto, building a reputation as one of the most clueless ninja in history. The more he helps, the worse things get."
Sasuke: "That's it! I'm going to destroy these mirrors right now!"
Sasuke: "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Naruto: "Hey, what attack are you using?"
Sasuke: "These mirrors are made of ice, and how do you destroy ice? Figure it out, loser!"
Sasuke performs the Fireball Jutsu, and the mirrors start to crack but don't shatter.
Naruto: "That didn't do anything at all!"
Haku: voice echoing "You're going to need more heat than that to melt this ice."
Haku throws some senbon, pelting both Naruto and Sasuke. They both writhe in pain on the ground.
Naruto: pants "Where is he? Where is the needle attack coming from? Are they clones?"
Sasuke is down, and Naruto stands up.
Naruto: "We've got to find the real one! Which one is it?"
Haku: voice echoing "Look into every mirror as much as you like. You'll never learn the secret."
Naruto: "Oh yeah? Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Sasuke: "No, don't!"
100 Naruto shadow clones appear.
Naruto: "You've got a lot of mirrors, but 100 of me will smash them all! We'll find where you really are!"
Haku moves from mirror to mirror, destroying a big group of Naruto clones in the process. The real Naruto is hit and falls back down to the ground.
Haku: voice echoing "These mirrors only reflect my image, allowing me to transport myself at light speed through my eyes. You appear to be moving in slow motion."
Kakashi: shocked "Hah, I knew it! It's a Kekkei Genkai!"
Zabuza / Kashimo: laugh
Sakura: "Kekkei Genkai? What is it?"
Kakashi: "It's like my Sharingan. You can't learn it—it has to be in your blood, your DNA, passed down from generation to generation in a single clan."
Sakura: realizes "But that means..."
Kakashi: "Yes, that means even I can't copy that jutsu. There's no way to destroy it and no way to stop him."
Naruto and Sasuke are down, panting.
Naruto: defiant "I could break the mirrors, so what? He's not going to stop me! I'm not giving up, and I'm not going to lose here because I have a dream, and no one is going to take it away from me! I want to be respected in my village! That's my dream—to be the greatest Hokage!
Haku - Dreams
Flashback to Haku's childhood
Haku is a child sitting on a bridge homeless, poor with little life worth living
Zabuza approaches, laughing
Zabuza: Hahaha, pathetic little urchin.
Haku looks up
Zabuza walks towards Haku
Zabuza: No one wants you. Hah! Before winter ends, you'll die with nothing, not even a dream.
Zabuza is shocked
Haku: Your eyes... they're just like mine. We're the same.
Back to the present
Haku: It was never my desire to be a shinobi. It's painful. I don't want to kill you, but if you advance, I will have no choice. I will kill the kindness in my own heart and fully embrace the shinobi way. There will be no mercy, no turning back. This bridge will be the battlefield where our dreams collide. Now, I must fight for my dreams, just as you fight for yours. Please do not blame me.
Everyone is staring at Haku
Haku: I fight for someone who is precious to me. I live for him and I face death for him, so his dream may become reality. That is my dream. And for the sake of that dream, I will act as a shinobi and take your lives.