Chapter 34

"You failed." accused the man in glasses. He was plump and well-dressed, and his hair was fizzy. Beneath him, the floor seemed to be bathed in water, a mirage. This man was rich. He stood out among the vicious and bloodthirsty group of shinobi. 

"Enough," said the gruff voice of the man who appeared to be the boss of the group. "I'll deal with him myself, Gato." He pointed his sword at Gato. "This sword will be the last thing he sees." 

Gato gulped, "You sure about that, Zabuza? He's got some high-level shinobi guarding him." 

"I am the Demon of the Hidden Mist," said Zabuza. 

"You better not fail," said Gato, "Or you're not getting any money." 

"Get out," growled Zabuza. 

Gato nodded and scrambled to get out. He was rich, but he was a coward and when faced with Zabuza, he was nothing but a bug to be squashed. Zabuza watched as Gato ran out, then stood up. "Haku," he said, "We're leaving." 

The youngest shinobi in the corner nodded and stood up. It was hard to tell in the lighting their true age or gender. Haku was male but his face was cute and feminine. "Yes, master."

…

The mist was thick and hard to see through. "So," I turned to Tazuna, "How about you tell me the real reason you need a guard now." 

Tazuan gulped. "Why are you asking him if you already know?" asked Isobu. 

"I wanna hear him say it," I said aloud, "And make sure it's true." 

"Who are you talking to?" asked Tazuna. 

"Oh," I shrugged, "Just the demon trapped in my body." 

Tazuna turned pale in fear, "That's not true right?" he asked Sasuke. 

Sasuke shrugged, "I've heard rumors about the student of the fourth being a Jinchuuriki." 

I grinned, "So. Gato is a mob boss who is extorting your people and taking all your money. You guys are starving so you're building a bridge that will connect your island to the mainland and help you thrive without Gato. Now, Gato knows what you're going to do and he wants to prevent it so he hired missing-nin mercenaries from the Bloody Mist to kill you. You lied to the Leaf and made your mission sound like a C-rank so that the price would be cheaper cause you can't pay for a higher rank. Correct?" 

"I-uh…what…" Tazuna stuttered, "How did you know that?" 

"Sensei knows everything…" muttered Naruto, "Your name, your age, your past, your present, your family, your future, when you sleep, when you eat, what you eat, how you use the bathroom-" 

"Naruto!" Sakura slapped him. 

"So," I leaned back, "I'm correct. Great. You three can figure out what you want to do. If you feel that your life is in danger, I don't mind heading back. Once we reach land, it will be the farthest we accompany you." 

"No," said Naruto, "I made a vow and I will keep it. I want to finish this mission. And, we'll wait until the bridge is finished so that nothing bad can happen. This Gato guy seems like a real d*ck." 

"Ehem," I muttered, "Language please." 

Sakura and Sasuke nodded in agreement. "This is our first C-rank," said Sasuke, "I'm with Naruto." 

"And I'm with Sasuke," declared Sakura. 

"Great," I said, "Now, Naruto, try to walk on water using chakra in your feet." 

Naruto nodded, "Sure!" he jumped out of the boat and fell straight into the water. "Help! I can't walk on water yet!" 

Sakura snorted and I sighed. Channeling chakra to my feet, I stepped off the boat and ran towards Naruto on the water. It was cold and comfortable beneath my feet. I grabbed him by the collar and ran back. "I'll teach you guys next time."

Time passed. "We're here," said the guide, "Be careful." 

Tazuna nodded, "Thanks." 

We walked to the land where the fog was less thick. Off we go to fight an S-rank ninja. 

… 

"Duck!" Naruto and Sasuke slammed to the ground. I grabbed Tazuna and Sakura and brought them down with me. 

The blade flew over our heads and embedded itself in a tree behind us. After walking for hours, Zabuza had finally arrived. "Yo!" I grinned and waved at him, "Why so moody? If I didn't know better, I would think you were here to kill us!" 

"My quarrel is not with you, Leaf shinobi," said Zabuza, "I am here for the old man."

"No way!" said Naruto, "We're going to protect him with our lives." 

"Shush, Naru," I said, "Don't you know, this is an S-rank missing-nin from the Hidden Village of Mist." 

"The Bloody Mist," said Zabuza, "You know who I am?" 

"Of course!" I grinned, "You're the Demon of the Hidden Mist! I know all of my fellow demons." 

"What?" asked Zabuza, "You're the Demon of the Hidden Leaf?" 

"I know," I complained, "So uncreative. That one time I accidentally brutally murdered a bunch of ninjas from some other village. Only one survived and dubbed me a demon." 

"What?" asked Naruto, "You did what?" 

"It was an accident," I explained, "They were sent to assassinate me, but then, you Naruto was there, so I killed them all. Except one. That was also an accident." 

"Enough!" shouted Zabuza, "Give me Zabuza and I'll let you live." 

"Um…" I thought, "Nope." 

"Then," growled Zabuza, "Prepare to die." He released killing intent, enough to make me flinch. 

"Sasuke," I whispered, as the Uchiha began to shake, "Don't worry. Deep breaths. I'll protect you with my life." I pulled out my scalpel.

He nodded. "Ha!" laughed Zabuza as mist began to swirl around us, covering us up, "A scalpel? Don't tell me… you're a medic-nin?" 

"Big Sis!" shouted Naruto, "Where are you." 

"Concentrate on your surroundings…" I whispered. Naruto was actually a good sensor. "Sense him." 

"Twelve o'clock!" shouted Isobu. 

I spun, infusing chakra into my scalpel. CLANG! It hit Zabuza's large sword. I gritted my teeth, pushing towards him. We sprang apart. 

"Lucky guess," I heard his voice to my right. 

I swung right and missed. "Nope," laughed Zabuza. 

I heard Naruto yelp. "Hey!" he shouted, "I got him!" 

"Get off me!" shouted Sasuke, "I'm Sasuke, not the zebra mummy." 

"Oh…" laughed Zabuza, "Nice kids you got. But, they die just the same way as any Genin." 

I sighed. This mist was getting annoying. 'How do I get rid of it? Isobu?' 

"Either you use Wind release," said Isobu, "Or you wait it out… " 

'How long?' I asked. 

"Twenty seconds now," he said, "Five o'clock!" 

My scalpel slammed into Zabuza's sword again. I pushed towards him and leaped forward, into a punch. My fist slammed into something hard: his sword. I swung again. My fist hit something solid. I stepped back. This time, I swung with my scalpel. I felt it cut into something soft: flesh. 

The mist cleared and I looked around. Zabuza turned into water. Water clone… "Behind you!" shouted Isobu. 

I jumped but felt the edge of a blade slice across my leg. It was shallow. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke looked shaken but fine. Tazuna was sitting on the floor, staring fearfully at Zabuza. "Protect Tazuna," I told the three of them. They nodded and stepped into position. 

I threw a Flying Raijin kunai behind him and reappeared. I grabbed it and placed it by his neck. "Don't move or I will kill you." 

Zabuza growled. "Below!" shouted Isobu. 

I winced as a hand reached out the water and grabbed my foot. I stabbed Zabuza in the neck but he turned into water. The hand pulled me into the water. I flailed and swiped my kunai at Zabuza. A bubble of water encased me and I was completely submerged.