Chapter 25

Zabuza looked at the clones in front of him with some surprise. It wasn't every day that you witnessed a genin make so many Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clones) and not be winded. The way how the genin treated the situation was also something that surprised him. He didn't know who trained this boy but he was not thinking like a genin. He created two Mizu Bunshin (Water Clones) to deal with the clones. He watched as they attacked his Mizu Bunshin and was impressed with the kid. That's when he witnessed the black haired boy unfold whatever the blond gave him. It turned out to be an Fūma Shuriken (Wind Demon Shuriken).

The boy jumped into the air and launched the projectile. He watched as it avoided his two Mizu Bunshin and came right at him. It was an interesting ploy but it would do nothing against him. Zabuza easily caught the Fūma Shuriken when he noticed another Fūma Shuriken.

'So, that was their plan, hiding another shuriken within the shadow of the first one. The Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Shadow Shuriken Technique), a very good technique. However,' Zabuza then jumped over the second Fūma Shuriken as it passed by him. "A shuriken will not touch me!" he shouted.

"How about a kunai?" Zabuza turned to see the Fūma Shuriken transform into that blond. He threw a kunai and was on target with Zabuza's head. Zabuza cursed as he was forced to release the prison in order to avoid the kunai. He managed to avoid it and the kunai nicked him on the cheek. That's when he noticed the tag on the end of it. There was an explosion that consumed Zabuza. Naruto hit the water and sunk for a bit before swimming to the surface. He broke the surface only to see a very pissed off Zabuza, his blade raised.

"You're dead kid!" Zabuza exclaimed. Lucky for him, Kakashi saved him with the Fūma Shuriken. Naruto dove under the water and swam back to the shore. He reached just in time as Kakashi launched another massive Suiton (Water Release) jutsu. He ignored it and focused on the remaining Mizu Bunshin. He threw two kunai; one was off its mark. The clone batted one away while the other exploded in the clone's face, dispelling it. Naruto shook off the access water while Kakashi was about to finish the real Zabuza off. That was until someone interfered.

XXX

Naruto sat on a stump near Tazuna's home. He had just finished securing the area with traps, just in case someone came for the bridge builder. Sakura called him a little paranoid because she believed that Gatō's main attacker was dead. Naruto was not so sure about that. The end of that battle kept running through his mind. The person who killed Zabuza couldn't be much older than him. He did it without a hint of hesitation. What made Naruto curious was the hunter-nin's next action, which was when he took the body away from the area. There was something that nagged Naruto about that. He sighed and tried to relax.

'Maybe Sakura is right about me being paranoid.' Naruto thought.

"Hey Naruto!" Naruto turned to the sound of Sakura's voice. "Kakashi-sensei is up and he wants to see us."

"Fine, I'm coming." Naruto said. He made his way back to the house and continued on upstairs. He entered the room to see his teammates, his sensei and Tazuna. He sat in the corner and looked at Kakashi.

"Glad you can join us Naruto. I must thank you for your help in getting me free from Zabuza's prison." Kakashi said.

"No problem, I'll just put that on your tab." Naruto said. Kakashi sighed and looked at his students.

"I have some bad news for you guys. We might be fighting Zabuza again." Kakashi said, shocking everyone.

"What are you talking about sensei? I thought you said that Zabuza was dead. You checked his pulse and everything!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I know but that hunter-nin didn't act like a hunter-nin is supposed to do. It shouldn't have mattered if we were there or not, he should have taken Zabuza's sword as a confirmation while destroying the body. Then there was the weapon they used. Senbon are not the normal killing tool. They are too thin and there are only a few spots on the body that a senbon can kill." Kakashi explained.

"That makes sense. Anko-oneesan use senbon but she coats them with various types of poisons, some that kill, some that paralyze. It could be that this guy coated his senbon with something that made us think that he's dead." Naruto added.

"Or he hit a certain point on his body that gives the illusion of death. All hunter-nin are skilled with the human body. Either way, I assume that Zabuza will be out for a while unless this hunter-nin is skilled with medicine. If it's the latter, we have about a week." Kakashi said.

"Aren't you guys overthinking this?" asked a worried Tazuna.

"In the shinobi world, we have to deal with the unexpected." Naruto said.

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