We made it to the Wave country in a boat. The mist really thick but we could still see some things. Like the huge unfinished bridge.
I sat in between Sasuke and Naruto while Kakashi sat directly behind with Tazuna on his left. It took a while because Sakura really wanted to sit next to Sasuke so all four of us were crammed onto one bench. I offered to go sit behind and sat down on Kakashi’s right.
I kept close to Kakashi because I was feeling cold and wrapped my hands around his arm. He didn’t seem to be bothered by it and patted my head, smiling. I saw Sasuke turned around to glance at us and he kind of narrowed his eyes when he saw me practically hugging the Jounin.
“IT’S HUGE!” Naruto yelled when he saw the bridge.
“Hey, be quiet!” the boatman scolded. “We’re using this boat to use in the mist. That’s why I’m rowing instead of using the engine. If we get caught, we’ll get into trouble.”
Naruto immediately put his hands over his mouth and his eyes twitched. I giggled quietly and heard Sasuke mumbled ‘dode’.
“Tazuna-san,” Kakashi started and I listened quietly. “Before the boat gets to the pier, there’s something I need to ask you. The identities of the one who are after you and the reason they are. Or we can call this mission off when you get ashore.”
Tazuna sat in silence for a minute. Everyone turned to look at him and the atmosphere was tense.
After a short while, he said, “It looks like I have to tell you the real story. I mean, I would like you to hear my story. As you said, this mission is most likely out of your job description. An extremely terrible man is after my life. You should have all at least heard of the name… marine transportation billionaire Gato.”
“Gato?” Kakashi asked, surprised. “The one from the Gato Company?”
“Who?” Naruto asked.                                                  
I explained, “He’s one of the richest men in the world.”
“Yes, he’s the president of a marine transportation company on the outside. But underground, he uses gangs and ninjas to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also does nasty jobs like takeovers of other companies and countries. A year ago, he set his sights on the Wave Country. He entered this country using violence and wealth as his shield and quickly took over the island’s sea traffic and transportation. On an island like the Wave Country, controlling the sea means ruling over the wealth, politics and people of this island. And the one thing Gato is afraid of is the completion of the bridge that has been in construction for quite some time.”
“So you, the one building the bridge, became an obstacle,” I said.
“Then, those ninjas were sent by Gato,” Sasuke concluded.
“I just don’t get one thing,” Sakura said. “Why did you lie about the rank of the mission? You could have gotten ninjas in a higher rank to you.”
“The Wave Country is a really poor country,” Tazuna explained. “Even the feudal lord doesn’t have much money. And we do not have much neither. We don’t have the money to request an expensive B-ranked or above mission. If you quit your mission after I land, I’ll be killed for sure while I go home. But there’s no need or you to blame yourselves. Only my cute eight-year-old grandson will cry, cry and cry some more. An my daughter will just hold a grudge against Konoha ninjas and live a lonely life. But it’s not your fault.”
An irk mark appeared on my forehead. He’s just trying to use guilt…
Kakashi scratched his forehead (actually it was his forehead protector). “I guess it can’t be helped. We will continue escorting you,” Kakashi said with a nervous smile.
“That’s good to hear,” Tazuna said.
The boat landed and we got off. Soon, we entered a forest, close to Tazuna’s house. This time, nothing seems to be out of place.
Kakashi walked behind with Tazuna while Sakura, Sasuke and I were in front of them. Naruto was walking in front of everyone but Sasuke caught up with him. They glared at each other.
Suddenly, Naruto jumped forward and looked around. He took out a kunai and threw it at a bush. Tazuna trembled in fear, thinking there was someone there.
Nothing happened for the past few minutes.
“Oh, it was just a mouse,” Naruto said smoothly.
“Geez! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” said Sakura, clutching her shirt.
“Naruto, don’t use your kunai so abusively,” Kakashi almost begged, whose arm’s was clutched by a trembling me. “It’s dangerous in the first place.”
“Hey, you dwarf!” Tazuna shouted. “Don’t scare us!”
“I see someone hiding over there!” Naruto said. “No, is he there? There!” He threw another kunai at the left bush.
“I said stop!” Sakura yelled.
“But I really did sense something,” he said, rubbing his head.
I sighed and decided to see what Naruto’s so worked up about. I walked towards the bush, Sasuke closely followed, and parted it.
“Yeah, you did hit something this time,” I said. The kunai was a few inches above a white rabbit’s head. The poor animal had fainted in fright.
“Good job, dode…” Sasuke said.
“GAH!” Naruto gasped, running up to the rabbit. “Sorry, bunny, I didn’t mean it!” He hugged the rabbit. “I’m SO sorry.”
“Don’t strangle the poor thing!” Sakura said, walking up to the rabbit.
Hey, isn’t this the time where –
“Everyone duck!” Kakashi suddenly shouted, pushing Tazuna to the ground.
Naruto and Sakura ducked in time. Sasuke ended up tackling me just as a giant sword flew over our heads and got stuck in a tree.
Someone jumped down and stood on the blade of the sword. It was a grey-skinned man with bandages covering his mouth and a scary murderous look was set upon his face.
Zabuza… great.
~
Everyone stared at the ninja with wide eyes and stood up from the ground. I whimpered a bit and Sasuke stood in front of me a little.
Kakashi stepped forward and looked at the newcomer. “My, my, if it isn’t Momochi Zabuza, the exiled ninja of Kirigakure,” he said.
Naruto ran forward but Kakashi stopped him. “No, Naruto. I’ll take him on.”
“Why?” Naruto complained.
“Well… if it’s him we must face, I just might have to use this.” Kakashi grabbed his headband and started to remove it from his eye.
Oooo, this is gonna be fun! Yes, I’m crazy and I know it.
“So, you are Kakashi the Sharingan user.” Zabuza’s gaze landed on me. His eyes widened for a second then turned back to its original killer look. Kakashi appeared in front of me in a protective stance. “And I see that you have the last royal clan member. Well, the more the merrier.”
Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and I had a confused look. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and Tazuna gasped.
“So that’s why…” Tazuna trailed off.
Sakura asked, “What’s Sharingan?” Sasuke, who was beside me, tensed up.
“I’m going to need you to hand over the geezer,” Zabuza said.
“Everyone, square formation!” Kakashi directed at us. “Do not join the battle, especially Etsuko, and protect Tazuna.”
I did as I was told but the rest of them didn’t move and watched as Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing a scar that ran vertically down his left eye. He opened his eye to reveal… the Sharingan.
“I’m honoured that I can see the Sharingan that I’ve so heard about,” Zabuza said mockingly.
“You guys have been saying Sharingan but what is it?” Naruto asked.
Sasuke opened his mouth to explain but I beat him to it.
“A shinobi who has the Sharingan eye has mastered a form of ocular ninjutsu,” I said. “It enables them to penetrate and see the reality behind any illusion or spell. And to reflect the power of the jutsus they penetrate back on those who performed them. But there’s more…”
“Correct,” Zabuza said. “The scary part is that the Sharingan can understand how an opponent’s technique works and copy it.” Mist began to surround everyone as the assassin spoke. “When I was in Kirigakure’s assassination squad, your information was listed in the bingo book I carried, asking for your capture. It also noted this: the man who copied more than a thousand ninja techniques… Copy Ninja Kakashi.”
“WOW!” Naruto yelled excitedly.
I looked at Sasuke to see that he looked troubled. First, he thought that his whole clan was dead and now, Kakashi had the Uchiha’s Kekkei Genkai.
“Let’s cut the chit-chat here,” Zabuza said. “I have to kill that geezer right away.”
Tazuna gasped. The four of us stood in front of him, holding our kunais. Sasuke and Naruto were on the front line, Tazuna in the middle then Sakura and I at the rear.
“But, it seems that I have to defeat you first, Kakashi.” Zabuza jumped out of the tree and landed on the water.
Sakura gasped and I watched in awe. “He’s standing on the water?!”
Zabuza rapidly performed hand seals and the water began to circle him. He was putting a lot of chakras in it. “Mist Concealment,” he stated as he performed the final hand seal.
The water turned into mist, covering Zabuza. The mist surrounding us grew thicker. If Zabuza attacked, we would be dead. And I’m going to be the first.
“Crap,” I said under my breath. I was breathing heavier than usual and fear was slowly starting to consume my heart. My hands were shaking and I was afraid that I might collapse any minute.
“He’ll try to eliminate me first but…” Kakashi seemed to be lost in thought.
“What is he?” Naruto asked.
Kakashi explained, “Momochi Zabuza. He was in Kirigakure’s ANBU and was known for his ‘Silent Killing’ techniques. Just as the name applies, it’s a technique that’s executed in a flash and carried out in absolute silence. It’s possible that you’ll dead before you realize it. And I cannot use my Sharingan to its fullest potential. So, don’t let your guard down.”
I looked at Naruto’s horrified expression. No doubt that he was scared. Sasuke was masking his fear well. Sakura tried to keep a straight face but inside I could tell that she was freaking out.
“But if you fail, you’re going to die,” Kakashi continued calmly.
“You’re so carefree!” Sakura snapped a little.
“The mist is getting thicker!” Naruto pointed out.
Tazuna said, “The Country of the Wave is surrounded by the ocean so mist often emerge.”
Everyone waited for some kind of sign or signal from their team leader.
“Eight points,” Zabuza’s evil voice suddenly echoed. I winced. “The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, vein, collarbone, kidney and heart. Now, which vital organ do you want to get struck at?”
Hey, I learnt them in science class at school! Er… off topic!!!
This time, nobody could hide their nervousness. I tightened my grip on my kunai and looked around. The air was getting tense.
Suddenly, an intense flow of chakras took away a big part of the mist. We could see clearly again. Kakashi was still standing in front of us, his light blue chakra glowing.
I looked over at Sasuke. His eyes were filled with fear and his body was shaking. I’ve never seen him so scared before… well, not in real life. It’s like Sasuke’s fear was rubbing off me. I also started shaking. This time, uncontrollably.
Kakashi noticed it and said, “Don’t worry. I will protect all of you with my life. I won’t let anyone on my team die.” He turned to me and smiled. I smiled back.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Zabuza spoke. We suddenly sensed his chakra right behind us. “This is the end!” He swung his sword.
Everyone scattered. I grabbed hold of Tazuna and jumped to the side. Kakashi ran straight up to Zabuza with a kunai and stabbed him but only water leaked out and Zabuza turned into a puddle.
“A water clone?!” Naruto said.
I saw a something behind Kakashi. “Kakashi, behind you!” Again, I forgot to add ‘san’.
Kakashi turned around and Zabuza’s sword slammed right into him.
“Sensei!” Sakura held her breath but Kakashi turned into a puddle too.
“So he copied my water clone technique?” Zabuza smirked slightly.
Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza with a kunai to his throat. “Don’t move. This is the end,” the Jounin said.
Zabuza started laughing. “You think so? I don’t think you understand, Kakashi. You cannot defeat me with your cheap imitations.” He chuckled. “But I must say, you copied my Water Clone Jutsu quite quickly. You hid in the mist and watched as your clone distracted me. But, like I said, you cannot defeat me with cheap imitations.” Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi as the clone in front of him turned into water.
Zabuza swung his massive sword down but Kakashi dodged, causing the blade to get stuck in the ground. Zabuza swiftly switched hands on the handle and kicked Kakashi, sending the Jounin flying into the river.
“One kick and he blasted Kakashi-sensei away…” Sakura quivered.
Zabuza pulled his sword out of the ground and ran towards Kakashi. He halted to a stop when he got near the shore of the river.
“Makibishi spikes?! Does he really think that it can work on me?” Zabuza did a back flip. With a big splash, he landed in the water.
“His taijutsu is powerful too,” Sasuke said.
We got out of formation and stood in a straight row. Kakashi’ silver-haired head bobbed to the surface of the river.
“What’s with this water? It’s dense, not normal…” the Jounin observed as he moved his arms in the water.
Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. “Fool. Water Prison no Jutsu!”
“Damn!” Kakashi turned around but it was too late. With a simple hand seal, Zabuza formed a sphere of water that captured Kakashi.
“Retreating in the water was a huge mistake!” Kakashi realized as he pushed against the walls of the prison.
“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable, Kakashi? You might be in here for a while, my prison is inescapable. It’ll just be more painful if you move around or try anything. Now, we can finished things later.” Zabuza turned to face the rest of us, his hand still sealing Kakashi with his jutsu. “But first, I’m gonna get rid of these brats! Water Clone Jutsu!”
We were all on full alert and a water clone appeared.
“You three wear those headbands like you’re real ninjas but you have no idea what being a real ninja means. A real ninja is someone who has faced so many brushes with death it doesn’t even faze you. To put it bluntly, once you’re good enough to be listed in my bingo book, then you may have the honour of calling yourselves a ninja.” The clone made a hand seal and disappeared.
Naruto looked around frantically. “Where’d he go?!”
Suddenly, Naruto was hit hard on the head and flew back. His headband came and landed near Zabuza, where he stomped on it and rubbed it into the ground with his foot.
“All of you are just brats!” Zabuza said.
“No! Do not fight him! Take Tazuna-san and ran!” Kakashi yelled. “As long as he has me sealed inside this prison, he can’t move. Clones can’t stray too far from their original bodies!”
“We have to do it!” Sasuke shouted, launching towards Zabuza’s clone.
“Sasuke, are you crazy?!” I yelled.
The Uchiha threw several shurikens at the clone. It blocked them with his sword. Sasuke jumped forward with a kunai aimed to the clone’s head.
The clone smirked. “Too easy.”
Zabuza’s clone lifted his hand and grabbed Sasuke by the neck. Sasuke cried out in pain and the clone flung him away.
“H-He’s got Sasuke!” Naruto turned to Zabuza in fear, his whole body shaking. “He’s truly is a ninja, a real ninja!”
I watched as Sasuke got thrown and hit a tree hard, slipping to the ground like a rag doll. I gasped and… that feeling came again: anger.
I closed my eyes and I heard Kakashi yelled, “Etsuko, don’t!”
But it was too late. I opened my eyes. “Miryogan.” Like before, everything acted on its own and this time, I had no control over my body.
Zabuza smirked. “The last royal family member AND Miryogan user is standing before me. What are you doing to do, little princess? Turn invisible?”
I smirked. “You betcha.”