The More Things Change

Chapter Six

Kakashi led the group away from the battleground before stopping for the evening. Naruto was still visibly shaken, and the Jonin didn't think that the blonde would be able to travel much further. It was starting to get dark out, anyways. Kakashi was at a loss of what to do with his only male student. The Jonin knew he should have prepared for this moment before he recommended his team for a C Rank mission, but normally Genin didn't have that much of a killer instinct. Most of Naruto's graduating class would have beat the missing nin to a pulp and left it at that, but Naruto had gone for the kill shot the moment his enemy's guard had dropped. It wasn't a bad instinct for a shinobi to have by any means, but he hadn't expected it from Naruto. It would probably save the boy's life someday. Kakashi had lost too many friends during the war because they hadn't gone for the kill when the opportunity presented itself. He had seen an equal number of promising shinobi break from the trauma that the first kill caused. Kakashi just hoped that Naruto would grow from this experience and be all the stronger for it.
While Satsuki had been washing the blood from Naruto, Kakashi had questioned his client, Tazuna. Apparently, a rich business man called Gato had taken over the bridge builder's village by monopolizing all of the shipping lanes in and out of the otherwise isolated island. He had squashed all opposition with a combination of fear and murder, and had completely trashed the village's economy. Tazuna, one of the last people willing to stand up to the crooked shipping magnate, had fought back by starting construction on a bridge that would allow the town an alternate source of commerce; it was the village's only hope of getting out from under Gato's thumb. Gato, unwilling to let this challenge stand had hired ninja to assassinate Tazuna and his workers. One of Gato's employees, who didn't want to see so many innocent people die, had alerted Tazuna to the danger. Shortly thereafter, the bridge builder had arrived in the Village Hidden in the Leaves to seek protection. However, Tazuna couldn't afford an A Rank or B Rank mission, so he had lied about the dangers the mission possessed and had payed for a C Rank mission.
At this point, continuing the mission or not was purely Kakashi's decision. He and his team would be payed the same amount regardless. Whatever Kakashi did, Tazuna's payment would be forfeit. Hidden Villages didn't issue refunds to people who deceived them. Some of the more brutal villages, like Rock and Mist, didn't issue refunds at all. Kakashi was torn. He really felt for the plight that the Land of Waves was in, and if it had been just him, or if his students were Chunin, he'd give the go ahead and continue the mission. However, he had his team to consider. If any of them died on this mission because he had put them in danger... well, the Jonin didn't think he could bear it. The masked ninja already had enough reasons to visit the memorial stone. He wouldn't add his team's names to it. Then again, he had confidence in his team's abilities. They had performed remarkably well against ninja who were most assuredly Chunin rank. Furthermore, he was confident that he could protect his team against any threat they had to face. Then again, Sakura just wasn't ready for a mission like this. She'd be next to useless in a fight against enemy ninja, and Naruto, the team's heavy hitter, still had a lost look in his eyes. Satsuki was the only one he could count on if the team were ambushed in the middle of the night, and while she was more than capable, it was more than he was willing to ask of her. She had enough on her plate taking care of Naruto.
Kakashi had been surprised at how patient Satsuki was being with the blonde. She hadn't left his side since he had snapped. After washing him, she had led him down the road, only stopping to retrieve the silver kunai he had dropped. Once Kakashi had called for them to set up camp, the dark haired kunoichi had done Naruto's share of the chores, had helped him change, and had practically spoon fed him. It was kind of sweet and sad at the same time. To be honest, Kakashi was more than a little worried about Naruto, as well. Greater shinobi than he had been broken from their first kill, and Kakashi prayed that Naruto would snap out of it.
With that, Kakashi made his decision. He wouldn't continue the mission down a man. If Naruto was still out of it in the morning, the Jonin would have to turn back. If Naruto had recovered, he'd give the team the option of moving forward. Satisfied, the Jonin leaned back and kept his senses open. He would take watch tonight.
Satsuki was worried about Naruto. He hadn't said word since the fight, and she honestly had no idea what to do. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, but he was just staring at their small fire. She had never seen him like this, and she didn't like it all. He'd always held a fiery determination. Now, he just looked lost. His eyes, normally a bright cerulean blue, seemed dead and lifeless. For some reason, she wanted nothing more than to see them shine again.
"Naruto?" He didn't even look at her. "Say something, dobe. You're scaring me."
The blonde gave her a haunted look. "You should be scared." His voice came out a little hoarse. He held her gaze for a moment before turning his attention back to the fire.
Satsuki was confused. "I don't understand." She sat by him, grasping his larger hand in hers. "Please, help me understand."
He didn't answer for awhile, but just when she'd started to give up, he started talking, his voice soft. "Do you know why the villagers hate me so much?" She shook her head, so he continued. "My birthday is October 10th, the night of the Kyuubi attack." Now she was completely lost. Why would people hate him because of his birthday? "Well, the night of the attack, the Yondaime went up against it. I've heard the battle was amazing. But the Yondaime, despite his power and skill, couldn't kill the Kyuubi... at least not yet. So he did the net best thing: He used Fuinjutsu to seal it into a newborn baby."
Satsuki finally saw where this was going. "You?"
"Yeah, me. For years I carried around the thing that had caused so much destruction, killed so many innocent people. The villagers called me a monster. The orphanage kicked me out when I was four." The Uchiha heiress was stunned. She couldn't imagine the kind of hatred that would cause a person to push a four year old onto the streets. "You wanna know the funny thing? I don't even have the Kyuubi inside of me anymore. The seal that the Yondaime used leeched all of the Kyuubi's chakra into me, mixing with my own and making it mine. Ero-sensei said that it killed it... kind of. Apparently it can't be killed. He said it would reform in a hundred years or so." He paused. "I'd thought the people were wrong, that I wasn't a monster. That I was just a normal guy who just happened to have a demon trapped inside him." The blonde let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh. "Guess I was the one who was wrong all along."
SMACK
"Don't you dare!" Satsuki was angry. She didn't think she'd ever been this mad at her teammate. "I've seen a monster, and you're nothing like him!"
The blonde returned her glare. "I didn't even hesitate, Satsuki. I killed that guy. I didn't have to. I could have just pummeled him into the ground."
The ebony haired heiress wasn't backing down. "He was an enemy ninja, Naruto! He would have killed you give half a chance! It's not like you slaughtered an innocent, or wiped out a clan! Believe me, I know a monster when I see one, and if you ever come close to becoming one, I'll kill you myself." The blonde's eyes clouded with uncertainty, but she wasn't even close to done yet. "I'm glad you didn't just 'pummel him!' Do you know how many names are on the Memorial Stone because they wouldn't or couldn't go for the kill? We're ninja, soldiers of Konoha. We specialize in killing. We use deadly weapons and casually throw out Jutsu that'll melt the flesh off a man's bones. Our job isn't to 'beat people up.' It's to complete our mission with as few casualties on our side as possible."
Naruto gave her a small smile. "You always say the sweetest things."
"Well, it's true," she huffed, her eyes flashing. "Now, if you're done being whiny dobe, I'm going to bed." Naruto, still smiling, took her hand.
"I'm going to be fine. And Satsuki?" She focused on is cerulean eyes. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said, hesitating for a moment before planting a kiss on his whiskered cheek. "Dobe." She turned to leave, but he pulled her back. She gave him a questioning look, marveling at how the fire danced in his eyes. He pulled her towards him, and suddenly, he was kissing her. The fire crackled behind her as she sunk into the kiss, her eyes closing of their own volition. His calloused hands were on her back, in her hair, pulling her closer until she was pressed against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, suppressing a moan.
She'd have been lying if she said she hadn't imagined this moment, but the real thing made all of those vague dreams look paltry in comparison. It was filled with hope, desire, and ll the emotions that neither could understand, much less express aloud. His tongue gently slid across her lips, requesting entry that she gave immediately. Why on earth haven't we been doing this the whole time? She thought wildly. His hands slid down her back, leaving fire in their wake as he cupped her ass and lifter her off the ground. This time she couldn't fight the moan that began deep in her chest. She wrapped her legs around his waist and...
"If you two are about done, some of us are trying to sleep." Sakura's voice came from the direction of her sleeping bag.
I'm going to kill her. I'm going to grab her by that ridiculous pink hair and kill her,
Satsuki thought, glaring at her teammate. The moment suitably ruined, the ebony haired Genin buried her face into the crook of Naruto's neck, hiding her blush while untangling herself from his well toned body. She tried to catch her breath and calm down, but his solid chest rising and falling against her wasn't helping at all. Once the blush had left her cheeks, she glanced up at the blonde, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was staring wide eyed at a stoic Kakashi. The Jonin raised an eyebrow, looking from one teen to the other, then turned and walked away, his hand in his pockets.
A few days later, Team Seven and Tazuna arrived in the Land of Waves. Kakashi had seemed relieved that Naruto was doing better, and had allowed his team to continue their mission, despite the increased risk. As the group disembarked from the ferry that had taken them to the island nation, Kakashi laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Walk with me a moment, Naruto." He glanced at the rest of the group. "We'll be right back. The rest of you stay here. Don't go wandering off; we're in enemy territory now."
Naruto swallowed heavily. He didn't like where this was going. Ever since the Jonin had caught him and Satsuki making out by the fire, the masked shinobi had made a point of not leaving the two of them alone. Naruto had been aching for a repeat performance, but Kakashi had been not-so-subtly keeping them apart.
The Jonin led his student a short distance into the woods, seating himself on a fallen log. He seemed like he was searching for the right words, then sighed. "I know that you're an orphan, Naruto, so you probably haven't had anyone to teach you about... certain things. Tell me, do you know where babies come from?"
Meanwhile, the two remaining members of Team Seven lounged on the beach, with Tazuna awkwardly standing behind them. Satsuki was worried about Naruto. What were he and Kakashi talking about? Did it have to do with her? After Kakashi had caught them, she was positive that he'd give them a lecture, but the Jonin just seemed content to keep the apart.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Satsuki asked, turning to her rosette teammate. Normally she would deign to speak to the girl, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Sakura barked a short laugh. "Probably about you and Naruto sucking face in the woods." Green eyes met black, but Sakura didn't seem intimidated by the Uchiha's glare. "That was quite a show you guys put on. Any further and you'd have to sell tickets."
"Hn," Satsuki replied, staring out at the water.
"You know you don't get him in the end, right? It's probably gonna be some girl like Ino or Hinata who snatches him up."
Satsuki was stunned. Who was this girl to tell her that she couldn't get a guy? It had taken the rosette years to work up the courage to ask out Kiba, of all people. "Really? I seem to be way ahead of either of them, forehead." Satsuki felt slightly bad at using the childhood insult, but she quickly swept the guilt away.
"It looks that way, doesn't it?"
"Fine then. I know you want to gloat, so I'll ask. Why won't I end up with Naruto?" The brunette kunoichi's voice was dripping in sarcasm.
Tazuna cleared his throat. "You ladies know I'm still here, right?" Identical death glares pierced through the older man, and he wisely shut his mouth.
Looking back at her teammate, Sakura smirked. "Don't get me wrong, I don't care either way. Well, that's not true. Naruto's my friend, and I know you're going to break his heart when you leave."
Satsuki laughed. "Why on earth would I leave?"
Sakura's smirk disappeared and she gave Satsuki a hard look. "Do you think your brother's going to wait for you to get strong enough to kill him, then show up at the village some day? Is he going to say, 'Alright, Satsuki, now that you can kill me, I've come here to die.' No, you're going to leave. You're going to get impatient after your progress stalls, and you're going to go somewhere else to find power. It's going to kill Naruto, and I don't look forward to having to put him back together after you break his heart. Afterwards, I'll set him up with one of my single friends, and they'll live happily ever after. Face it, Satsuki. You have a choice, Naruto or Itachi. We both know who you're gonna choose. Don't get me wrong, I wish you all the best... but I just don't see it working out."
Satsuki felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. When Sakura put it like that, it sounded plausible. Probable even. While she truly cared for Naruto, and deeply valued his friendship, she knew herself. Revenge for her clan was an ever-present thought in the back of her mind. Thinking about Naruto made her happy, but when she thought of her brother... Rage. All consuming rage coursed through her soul.
Shaking her head, the raven-haired kunoichi chuckled at herself. Things would work out. She didn't even know how deep her romantic feelings for Naruto ran, anyway. They weren't even a couple. So far, they were just friends who'd kissed. Granted, the kiss had been a toe-curling experience, but that didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.
Kakashi and Naruto chose that moment to exit the woods, and Satsuki's heart leaped in her chest at the sight of him. The blonde's face was tomato red, and he wouldn't even look at Satsuki.
Naruto tried to put the memory of Kakashi's version of 'the talk' behind him. He'd never been more embarrassed in his life. Just thinking about it caused him to blush. Both girls had noticed his embarrassment, and Sakura had been teasing him mercilessly all day. Satsuki walked ahead of him, lost in thought, and he hadn't had a chance to clear things up between them.
To make everything worse, he was sure they were being followed, but had no way of communicating his suspicions to the rest of the group. He kept seeing a figure in the trees out of the corner of his eye, but every time he'd turn to look, the figure was gone. If he told Kakashi, then the person watching them might disappear altogether, depriving them of much needed information. Besides, Naruto wasn't vain enough to think that he'd noticed something his sensei had missed. The person following them was extremely stealthy, and the only thing he could do was wait for the opportune moment to launch a preemptive strike.
There!
Naruto drew and launched a kunai with lightning speed. The silver blade arced towards a band of trees, and the blonde smirked as he heard the distinctive thunk of the kunai hitting home. The rest of his teammates stared at him as he drew a second kunai and cautiously stalked towards the trees. He pushed through the bushes... and saw a rabbit impaled through it's side. The animal was kicking, squeaking softly in pain. Holstering his kunai, he stepped forward and snapped the poor creature's throat to put it out of it's misery.
"How could you?" Sakura accused from behind him. "It was just a defenseless bunny!" The rosette seemed to be halfway between anger and tears.
"We're being followed. I was trying to hit whoever was watching us, but he must have replaced himself with the rabbit at the last moment."
Sakura looked skeptical. "Are you sure you're not just imagining things?"
Naruto shook his head. "This rabbit was kept indoors. It should be brown during the summer months. This one's white. He pulled his kunai from the poor thing, wiping its blood on the grass. "I think it was raised exclusively for a substitution Jutsu. Why anyone would be so cruel, I have no idea. A log works just as well."
"How on earth would you know what color bunnies are?" The pink haired kunoichi seemed annoyed that he knew something she didn't.
"Not all of us have merchant parents, Sakura, and the orphan stipend only goes so far. A boy's gotta eat." The kunoichi's eyes softened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Kakashi's voice rang out over the small clearing, cutting her off.
"GET DOWN!" Naruto immediately tackled Sakura to the ground. She squawked as she hit the dirt, but she'd long since lost his attention. His full focus was on the giant... something... that whirled just inches over his head, blowing his hair wildly as it passed.
Looking up, he saw a massive single-edged zanbato embedded in the tree just above his head. On its hilt stood one of the oddest men that Naruto had ever seen. The man was obviously a shinobi, by virtue of the Kirigakure headband cocked to the side of his eyebrow-less forehead. The lower half of the shinobi's face was swathed in bandages, almost like a poor man's version of Kakashi's mask. The Kiri ninja was bare chested, showing off an impressive physique.
"You're a perceptive brat, I'll give you that." The shinobi said, his gravelly voice grating as he stared at Naruto. "There aren't many children who could've realized I was following you."
"Hmm... That's almost definitely Kubikiribocho, one of the legendary Seven Swords of Kiri. You must be Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi stated, drawing the ninja's attention.
"I'm honored that you've heard of me, Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye." The ninja replied, sarcasm heavily influencing his tone. Naruto noticed Satsuki stiffen sharply. "I've heard you're on the short list to become the Godaime Hokage. It's too bad that you'll be dying today. I'll be generous, though. Give up the bridge builder and run along home, and you and your little brats can live to see another day."
"The only one dying today is you, Zabuza. The masked Konoha ninja lifted his headband to rest evenly on his forehead. Naruto couldn't help but stare. His sensei's scarred eye was completely different from his health one. Instead of his normal dark iris, this one was blood red and held three commas evenly spaced around a black pupil.
"Ah, so I warrant the Sharingan eye," Zabuza chuckled. "It's said that eye has analyzed and replicated over a thousand Jutsu. I'm flattered, Kakashi, though in my Bingo Book you have another name, don't you? Kakashi the Copy Cat Ninja. Not very intimidating, but I can't argue with the results. Do you even know how valuable your body is going to be?"
Kakashi chuckled. "I wouldn't go counting ryo just yet. You have to kill me first."
"What's a Sharingan?" Naruto facepalmed. Leave it to Sakura to interrupt a Jonin pissing contest with question that could wait until after they were out of danger.
"It's a rare visual Jutsu, or Dojutsu, that only develops in the Uchiha clan. My clan. It's able to read and opponent's Taijutsu, Genjutsu, or Ninjutsu, analyze and replicate them. But there's more. A lot more." Satsuki was staring at Kakashi, reevaluating him.
"If it's only an Uchiha technique, then how does Kakashi-sensei have one?"
Satsuki seethed. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
"Maji Defense Formation, now!" Kakashi called, ignoring his student's chatter behind him. His students immediately obeyed, falling into silence as a dense mist was rolling over the clearing, obscuring everything, and Kakashi was far too experienced to believe that this was a natural fog. Zabuza and his sword faded from sight, then disappeared altogether. The Copy Ninja was nervous. He was confident that he could take Zabuza if it were a one on one fight, but he had a civilian and three rookie Genin to worry about, as well. He wasn't positive he could protect them and take down one of the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist at the same time.
Kakashi had heard of Zabuza Momochi. The Hidden Leaf's Bingo Book had labeled him the "Demon of the Hidden Mist," and for good reason. The man was well known as a violent, efficient killer who had mastered the art of the silent assassination. His trademark was obscuring the battlefield in a dense fog, then silently eliminating his opponents one at a time. The Mist Jonin was also adept at psychological warfare, often terrifying his opponents into making a mistake. As long as he was in the mist, Zabuza had a distinct advantage over Kakashi, Sharingan or no.
"Eight points." Zabuza's gravelly voice surrounded Team Seven, his true location hidden by the mist. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now, how shall I kill you?"
Kakashi had had enough. He wasn't just going to stand here and let his team be taken out one at a time. Flashing through half a dozen hand seals, Kakashi thrust his arms to the side. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" A strong gust of wind blew through the clearing, powerful enough to tear small bushes from the ground and send them flying. Naruto, Satsuki, and Sakura had to fight to remain standing, crouching against the strength of the wind Jutsu. When the technique ended, the dense fog had been blown away. Kakashi's eyes trained on Zabuza, who was standing on the water with one hand in the air. "You'll need more than cheap tricks to beat me, Zabuza."
The Mist Jonin answered with a roar as he charged Kakashi. The two entered a deadly dance, Zabuza's zanbato against Kakashi's kunai. The bandaged Mist shinobi's Kenjutsu was flawless. Despite the size of his sword, which was easily as tall as he was, he had no trouble keeping up with Kakashi's lightning fast kunai strikes. The zanbato swung in wide, looping arcs, one strike flowing into the next. Kakashi was consistently forced back by the enormous weapon's long reach, the Leaf Jonin's Sharingan carefully analyzing Zabuza, waiting for a chance to strike.
There! Zabuza had overextended with a horizontal slash, just the mistake that Kakashi was waiting for. Quick as lightning, Kakashi stepped inside Zabuza's guard and plunged his kunai deep into the Mist shinobi's heart. Instead of blood, however, clear water started started pouring from the wound. A moment later, the clone had dissipated into a puddle of water. A water clone? Where's the real one?
"Water Style: Giant Vortex !" Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard Zabuza's voice carry from the nearby lake. Turning, the Jonin saw a massive vortex of water appearing behind the Mist Ninja, growing larger by the second. Kakashi knew that his team would be killed or injured by the technique, so he did the only thing he could. Dashing in front of his students, the masked Leaf shinobi flew through a sequence of hand seals before slamming both hands on the ground.
"Earth Style: Great Barrier Jutsu!" A giant wall of earth and rock rose from the ground, just as Zabuza's Jutsu reached Team Seven. The water vortex battered against the make-shift dam, and Kakashi had to keep pouring chakra into the technique to keep the wall from crumbling away beneath current. I forgot how tiring the Sharingan is. I'm running out of chakra. I need to end this now! As Kakashi's natural element was Lightning, using Wind and Earth releases were especially draining on his chakra. Furthermore, the Sharingan, while a potent tool, was a veritable chakra sink.
The moment Zabuza's vortex subsided, Kakashi released his earth Jutsu and flipped over the crumbling rock wall, flying through another set of hand seals. Zabuza was already on the move as well, charging Kakashi with his sword held high.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Kakashi yelled the technique as he hurled a gigantic ball of fire at the charging Mist ninja. Zabuza dodge the fireball, but was caught in the following explosion as it tossed him around like a rag doll and scorched his back and neck.
"Lightning Blade!" Zabuza had barely started to stand as Kakashi dashed forward, a ball of lightning held in his right hand. The sound of thousands of birds filled the air, and the Mist ninja knew he was finished. There was no way he would be able to dodge or block Kakashi's best attack while still reeling from the fireball.
Just before Kakashi, struck, however, two needles flew into the side of Zabuza's neck, a small spurt of blood flying into the air. The Leaf Jonin faltered and let the lightning in his hand dissipate. Zabuza hit the ground heavily, his eyes wide but unseeing. Kakashi turned in the direction that the senbon had come from and saw a girl, who couldn't be older than Satsuki or Sakura, judging by her size. She was wearing a traditional hunter shinobi's mask. The mask was white with an orange design, and had the symbol for the Village Hidden in the Mist where the forehead would be.
"Thank you." The girl's voice was muffled slightly by the mask, but Kakashi had no trouble understanding her. "I've been tracking Zabuza Momochi for a long time, waiting for this moment."
"I'm going to check the body myself, if you don't mind," Kakashi said warily. There was a certain professional etiquette in this situation. Opposing ninja would be allowed to check the body for proof of death, afterwards a hunter ninja would be allowed to remove it from the battlefield and destroy it. However, the Mist Village and the Hidden Leaf hadn't been on good terms since the Third Shinobi War, so Kakashi kept his guard up. His eyes never left the hunter ninja as he checked Zabuza for signs of life. To be honest, Kakashi had greatly overextended himself in this fight; he was barely keeping conscious. However, the hunter ninja didn't know that. He didn't know the young girl's capabilities, but he wasn't in any condition to find out. He also didn't want to pit his team against an unknown opponent who may be vastly superior than them. Sighing, the Jonin stood. Momochi was dead, no pulse and no breathing.
"Satisfied?" The girl asked without emotion. Kakashi nodded and stepped back from the body. The hunter ninja gathered up Zabuza's still form and disappeared. The threat over, Kakashi crumpled to the ground and slowly lost consciousness.