A/N: Just a heads up... sorry I skipped half of the first encounter with Zabuza. I have no excuses. I felt really bad because at first, I literally skipped the entire thing, so I just added the latter half lmao.
Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!
Kohana wanted to scream. The air was cold, heavy, and oppressive. The mist was doing nothing to keep Kohana from wanting to run away. Her knees trembled as she stood guard behind Tazuna. The presence of her teammates and Kakashi standing by did nothing to bring her to relative ease. She was determined to stay to see this through. She's a kunoichi now and she was going to fight like hell was nipping at her heels to stay afloat.
But damn her if some small part of her didn't want to turn tail and never return. Zabuza hadn't even done much and already she knew that they were leagues beneath him. She didn't know how Kakashi would fare, but all she could do right now was trust in her sensei. Although she didn't know the scope of Kakashi's prowess, she knew she could trust him with her life. Now, what she needed to do was work on protecting Tazuna, her teammates, and her survival.
"Eight points," said a disembodied voice.
"Zabuza...?" Kohana muttered to herself. Her grip on her kunai tightened as she tried to get her breathing under control. Her heart was beating so very rapidly that it was beginning to hurt.
"The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart."
Kohana knew that list all too well from her conversations with Hinata.
"Now, which vital organ do you want to get struck at?"
"Personally, I would prefer none," Kohana whispered. Any more of this and she was going to lose her mind.
Just then, the mist dispersed as Kakashi released his chakra, but once he did so, it was as if the earth beneath Kohana turned to quicksand. Her fear was amplified until she found that she could no longer move. She could feel her sensei's thirst for blood. The knowledge that it would only be a matter of time until two jōnin-level ninja clashed again terrified Kohana. They were just kids who got tricked into escorting an old man who couldn't afford to avail a stronger team of ninja! Tazuna's life was in the hands of just one jōnin and four kids who only had experience tilling fields, chasing cats, and babysitting! How were they going to serve and not be a burden to Kakashi?
"Sasuke. Don't worry. I'll protect the four of you with my life. I won't let anyone in my team die."
Kakashi's voice was firm and authoritative, and although she couldn't see him, it comforted Kohana more than anything else could right now.
"I don't know about that."
Faster than she could even register those words, she felt a new presence just a foot away. Kohana turned, and she was face to face with Zabuza's blade.
"This is the end," said Zabuza.
Just as he was about to swing his sword, their formation broke. Kohana clutched onto the fabric of Tazuna's clothing and distanced themselves away from Zabuza. Kakashi stepped in, and just as soon as it started, everything stopped.
That was, until they found out that the Zabuza just now was a water clone.
"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto cried.
However, as Zabuza swung his sword and struck Kakashi, their sensei's figure revealed itself to be a mere water clone.
"Don't move," Kakashi growled from behind Zabuza. Like earlier, the Konoha jōnin held Zabuza at knife-point. "This is the end."
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The Red Maelstrom
Fanfiction[Formerly Crimson Thread] There are very few things in life that Fuyu Kohana could confidently say she truly cares about. Orphaned and ostracized, she was born with nothing to lose, and everything to gain. However, as she embarks on a journey with h...
