Zabuza's Arrival

A/N: We've reached our goal, so you guys will get a double release next Monday. We've also smashed the target of 150 powerstones. New target is to get the story to 200 powerstones by Sunday. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones. New goal 200 powerstones!

"I can't believe you convinced me to come…" Shikamaru complained, nearly falling off the edge of the cramped boat.

"Yeah, and now I have to sit next to this witch!" Ino retorted, giving Sakura the stink eye.

Irritated by Ino's attitude, Sakura grabbed her by the collar, rocking the boat. Ino mirrored Sakura's actions, causing the boat to sway even more, which led to Choji's chips falling into the river.

Shikamaru's face went pale as he glanced at his chubby friend, who was beginning to look like a tomato.

"Cut it out, you two. You'll flip the boat," Kakashi chided the girls.

Goro sat in the frontmost seat, where the boat was narrowest, while Kakashi stood at the bow.

"Sakura, Ino, it's probably best if you apologize to Choji. You made him drop his chips," Goro suggested, trying to calm the situation.

Ino quickly apologized upon realizing what had happened, but Sakura smirked and remarked, "The fatty needs a diet anyway."

A murderous aura filled the air, catching even Kakashi's attention. Tazuna's friend, who was steering the boat, shivered in fear.

"Now, now, Choji, I personally think you look fine," Kakashi said, wanting to appease him.

Naruto, who was too busy sightseeing, suddenly joined the conversation. "Yeah! You may be fat, but you're our fatty!" Naruto yelled, grinning widely.

'Naruto…'

After a few minutes of pacifying Choji, the group arrived at the dock. Tazuna thanked his friend, and they continued their journey.

'Zabuza should appear around now to attack us. If we can kill both Zabuza and Haku now, it'll make our mission easier.'

As the group walked down a wide road in the forest, Naruto abruptly froze and threw a shuriken into the bushes, garnering everyone's attention. The group paused, shifting their gaze toward where Naruto had thrown the shuriken.

"Haha! Looks like it was just a rat," Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head.

Sakura turned to Naruto with a straight face. "You're an idiot. What're you startling us for?!" she chastised him. Naruto, however, wasn't deterred and remained ready to throw another kunai at a moment's notice.

The group walked a little further when another rustling in the bushes caught both Kakashi's and Goro's attention.

Naruto, perceiving movement, threw a kunai in the direction of the sound.

'It's time. Zabuza is here…'

"I told you to quit it!" Sakura nagged.

"I swear there was something in there!" Naruto insisted.

Kakashi walked over to where the sound had come from and noticed a snow rabbit.

"Some sort of party? I've got a lot of guests, I see. And not just any guests either—Kakashi the Copy Ninja is among them," Zabuza thought, observing his targets from the branch of a nearby tree.

Wrapping his hand around the hilt of his blade, Zabuza inspected the group. "It's time for me to strike," he muttered, throwing his blade with full force toward the group.

Goro, anticipating an attack, grabbed both Ino and Choji, pulling them down to the ground.

"Everyone, duck!" Kakashi yelled, dropping down.

Zabuza's blade sliced through the air, narrowly missing its target and embedding itself in a tree that stood in its path. Zabuza body-flickered on top of his blade, using it as a foothold.

"Well, well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, the kid who ran away from the Mist," Kakashi said, lifting his headband to reveal his Sharingan.

Goro released his teammates and stood up straight, staring at Kakashi's eye.

'The Sharingan is beautiful… I want it…'

While Kakashi was conversing with Zabuza, Naruto attempted to charge at Zabuza but was quickly pulled back by Kakashi.

"All of you, stay back. This is an opponent on another level—"

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!" Goro shouted. A series of mini fireballs homed in on their target, the flames raging.

'I can justify using another Jutsu by saying I spent two months learning it. My team already sees me as special anyway. This Jutsu didn't use my full power or even close to half of it.'

Crouching down and grabbing his sword, Zabuza flickered to the ground a few meters away from the group.

"Defend the bridge builder. Form a wall around him!" Shikamaru ordered. Choji, Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke took up defensive stances, positioning themselves around Tazuna.

"That attack could've been fatal. That Jutsu of yours is powerful. You remind me of someone," Zabuza laughed, holding his blade over his shoulder.

Kakashi was perplexed. Goro had managed to defeat a Chunin on his own and also managed to push Zabuza back with his Jutsu.

'Being so capable at such a young age… He reminds me of myself. If things go smoothly for him, he'll become a Jonin in no time. I'll also have to report to Lord Hokage about his talent,' Kakashi pondered.

"Naruto, you stay back. Goro, try to keep up with me," Kakashi instructed.

"But Sensei—" Naruto protested.

"Naruto. Like I said, this isn't an opponent of your caliber," Kakashi reiterated.

Naruto frowned but obeyed, moving back to help defend Tazuna. 'You're letting Goro fight alongside you. I can do the same!' Naruto thought.

Sasuke also felt a bit of envy. He didn't want to be stuck with the task of babysitting the bridge builder; he wanted to fight on the front lines like Goro. Fighting was the fastest way he'd get stronger and the quickest path to reaching his brother.

Sasuke's thoughts became clouded as his mind trailed back to the night his older brother had killed their family.

"Sasuke! Snap out of it," Shikamaru said, shaking the Uchiha beside him.

Zabuza, standing on top of a pond, began forming the hand signs for his famous Hidden Mist Jutsu.

The surroundings steadily became engulfed in mist. Kakashi assumed a defensive stance, preparing for the incoming attack. Goro, however, was weaving the hand signs for his Fireball Jutsu. This time, intending to create a sizeable fireball, Goro used 30% of his chakra, leaving him with only 50% left.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" he roared, sending off a fireball the size of a large tree toward the mist where Zabuza stood.

"That fireball… It's three, no, four times the size of mine…" Sasuke mumbled, sweat trickling down his forehead.

"What…" Naruto muttered, shading his eyes from the bright bundle of flames.

"As I thought," Kakashi murmured.

Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru chuckled. They felt good being the only ones who knew what Goro was capable of.

Zabuza leaped out of the mist, holding his blade high and crashing it down on where Goro stood. Goro easily evaded it by using the Substitution Jutsu, leaving a log in his place and disappearing into a tree.

'I'm wise enough to know I cannot beat Zabuza one-on-one. He needs to die, though, and I can do that with Kakashi Sensei's help. If I take the burden of protecting the other Genin off Kakashi's shoulders, he should have an easier time dealing with Zabuza. The Silent Killing technique would've just made things harder for him.'

Taking advantage of Zabuza's blade being stuck in the log, Kakashi stabbed Zabuza in the neck, but Zabuza began to melt and turned into a puddle.

"A clone!" Kakashi thought, scanning the surroundings for the real Zabuza.

Zabuza flickered in front of Shikamaru with a kunai in hand. Picking up on Zabuza's presence, Goro shouted, "Use Shadow Possession, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru tried to form the hand signs, but he was too slow. Goro quickly pulled out two shuriken and threw them toward Zabuza. The first one flew past Zabuza, forcing him to pause, while the second one headed straight for him. Zabuza jumped back, dodging the second shuriken, but hadn't noticed Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu.

"Nice!" Goro yelled, elated.

"I can't hold him for long!" Shikamaru said, panicked.

Goro and Kakashi both flickered toward Zabuza, attempting to deliver the finishing blow, but a masked individual suddenly intervened, throwing senbon needles at them.

'Haku…'

Goro retreated as a senbon needle grazed his forehead. Zabuza, having broken free from Shikamaru's Shadow Possession, lunged at Goro in an attempt to remove him from the battle. Goro was still recovering his footing from Haku's attack, making Zabuza's strike unavoidable.

'I blundered. I didn't consider the possibility that Haku would join the fight!'

Just as Haku was about to stab him with his senbon needles, a force suddenly yanked Goro back, causing Haku to miss.

Looking back to see who his savior was, Goro noticed a blond-haired boy with a cheeky expression.

"I can't sit this one out if I want to become Hokage one day!" Naruto said, his eyes full of conviction.

"Thank you, Naruto," Goro said sincerely.

'If Haku's attack had hit, it would've paralyzed me…'

Sasuke stepped forward, standing beside Naruto.

"I have my own reasons for needing to do this," Sasuke said.

Goro smiled and returned his focus to the new enemy, Haku.

Haku darted toward the trio, with Naruto and Sasuke raising their guards. However, instead of attacking them, Haku leaped over the three boys and rushed toward Tazuna.

'Shit!'

Realizing Haku's true objective, Goro flickered in front of Tazuna to protect him, but Haku didn't target Tazuna. Instead, he went for Ino.

Knocking Ino out with the flat of his hand, Haku grabbed her by the collar and placed a senbon against her neck before flickering away.

"Damn it!" Shikamaru shouted, overwhelmed by the situation.

With the objective of copying Haku's skills still in mind, Goro told Shikamaru and Choji to continue guarding Tazuna and flickered after Haku.

Haku stopped running when he reached an open field and waited for his pursuer to arrive.

Goro arrived in the open field a few moments later, assessing the situation with displeasure.

"You're such scum, using hostages like this," Goro said, frustration evident in his voice.

"You're too much of a threat to Master Zabuza's mission," Haku replied frankly.

"You won't return her until the end of the battle, will you? What if I just leave?" Goro asked, half-turning away.

'In the canon, Haku was too kind to kill. Why would he do it now?'

"She'll die," Haku said, emitting a faint bloodlust.

'What's going on? I can feel it. Haku has real intent to kill…'

[Circumstances have changed. Earlier, you and Kakashi made an attempt on Zabuza's life, which would have succeeded had Haku not intervened. Haku will do anything to prevent that outcome, even if he doesn't want to resort to such measures.]

Goro sighed and sat on the ground with his arms and legs crossed. He had no choice but to stay put and wait until Haku let her go.

"You're talented, yet you waste it following a man who won't amount to anything," Goro said, trying to provoke a reaction from Haku.

Haku remained silent, ignoring Goro's words. Minutes passed in this tense standoff.

The silence was broken by an explosion that sounded from where Zabuza and Kakashi were fighting. Haku immediately rushed toward the location, leaving Ino behind.

Goro picked up the slumped Ino and chased after him. By the time Goro returned to the scene, Haku and Zabuza were nowhere to be found, and Kakashi lay on the ground unconscious.

"Is she alright?" Choji asked, concerned.

"She's fine," Goro said, seething with rage. He had failed his objective. The only thing keeping him sane was the knowledge that he'd get another chance, but this mission was becoming far more tedious than he had initially planned.

Reminder: We've reached our goal, so you guys will get a double release next Monday. We've also smashed the target of 150 powerstones. New target is to get the story to 200 powerstones by Sunday. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones. New goal 200 powerstones!