The chronicles of Tayuya Kommichi

Eleven

All of us were on edge, the tension in this situation was high. I glanced around, seeing worried looks on everyone's face. But, as I looked up at the jounin, they seemed calm in the whole situation. At least from what I could see of their mostly covered faces.

"You're finished." Kakashi-sensei said seriously, kunai still at zabuza's throat.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled triumphantly, causing sakura to let out a nervous giggle, though sasuke still looked tense.

Seemingly out of nowhere a laughter rang through the air, the noise appearing to get louder as the seconds drew on, surprising kakashi-sensei. Unfortunately I recognized that laughter.

"Kakashi! Do you really think you can take zabuza on through imitation alone?" Akari giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes as we all looked toward where she was lounging in a tree nearby.

"He is full of surprises though" Zabuza responded before directing his words toward kakashi-sensei, "you'd already copied my water clone jutsu when you made your little speech. Very skillfully executed."

Akari nodded in agreement, glancing briefly at me, guilt in her eyes, before looking back toward zabuza. For some reason I feel like she's hiding something from me.

I was so busy thinking on this that I missed what else was said between the two skilled fighters before things intensified again.

"Hey! That was a clone too!" Naruto yelled out as zabuza's clone dissipated in front of kakashi-sensei.

What appeared to be the real zabuza swung his sword, which kakashi-sensei ducked away from, causing the sword to get lodged in the ground. This didn't stop zabuza though, who used the sword for balanced as he kicked kakashi-sensei and sent him flying.

"Sensei!" Naruto yelled as kakashi-sensei plunged into the water in front of us. He had barely come up when zabuza went behind him, performing some jutsu that trapped him in a ball of water.

"Ya know..." Akari announced, leaning forward in her perch, "Kashi looks better with his hair wet."

I facepalmed. We were in a serious situation here and she not only nicknames our sensei, but makes a comment on his hair mid battle.

"Not the time Kar!" I yelled out, causing her to giggle and make a motion of sealing her lips. I tuned back into the fight just as zabuza began making more water clones.

"You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja. When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't phase you... then you may be called a ninja." zabuza's clone began, "when you've become so deadly your name gets entered into my bingo book, than you may have earned the title ninja. But, to call upstarts like you ninja is a joke."

After his small rant, the mist surrounding us became heavier. I heard a grunt and looked over to see naruto flying back after being hit. I watched as his headband clattered to the ground before zabuza's clone stomped on it.

"You Are just brats." He growled out, causing fear to run through us all.

"Listen! Get the bridge builder and run! You can't win this fight!" kakashi-sensei yelled from inside the water. "He's using all his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone, but it can't go far from his real body. If you get away from him, he can't follow. So run!"

After a second of stillness, sasuke suddenly ran at zabuza's clone, who grabbed his sword to block the throwing stars that sasuke threw as he ran. At the last second he jumped into the air, planning on surprising the clone. It didn't work though as the clone simple caught sasuke by the neck.

Seconds later he threw him out of the way as a kunai came flying toward his arm. He looked over toward akari, who was the one to throw it. She simply glared harshly at the clone, fangs slightly bared.

Though nobody else seemed to notice as they stared up at the clone in fear. Once the clone looked back toward naruto, he turned to run, wincing harshly as his injured hand touched the floor. This must have sparked some sort of courage because he shakily stood and ran toward the clone. Who simply knocked him back.

"Naruto! What are you thinking charging at him all by yourself? Even sasuke couldn't get to him! We're only genin..." I tuned the rest of sakura's voice out as my eyes traveled to what naruto was clutching his hand. His headband. I see what he did now, he charged at zabuza to get it back. Must be precious to him.

"Hey you. The freak with no eyebrows..." Naruto started, standing up shakily, "put this in your bingo book. The ninja that will become hokage of the village hidden in the leaves, he never backs down. His names naruto uzumaki!" He finished, tying the headband to his head and looking up with determination in his eyes and blood running down his chin.

"Alright Suki-chan, listen up, can you hear me?" He asks, not taking his eyes off of Zabuza.

"Ya, I can hear you" Sasuke acknowledges, glancing warily at him. I turn to glance at Akari in the trees and am surprised to see her intensely focusing on the fight with a look of pride on her face.

"Now guys," Naruto says, wiping off his cheek, grinning wide, "Let's go wild!"