Chapter Thirteen: The Arrival of White, Sasuke's Awakening

Chapter Thirteen: The Arrival of Haku, Sasuke’s Awakening

On the Great Bridge, a thin mist began to rise.

“Form up! Protect Mr. Tazuna. Shuster, support from the outside,” Kakashi said quickly.

“You’ve kept me waiting, Sharingan Kakashi and Leaf's Thunderbolt. You’re just the same as ever, bringing those little brats with you,” Zabuza’s voice echoed from every direction. “Look at him, trembling again. How pitiful!”

As he finished speaking, six water clones appeared around the group.

“Tch, I’m trembling with excitement!” Sasuke retorted.

“All right, let’s go, Sasuke!” Kakashi called over his shoulder.

“Yaa!” The clone before Sasuke lunged at him.

“Tch—” “Shhh—shh...shhh—shh—” In an instant, Sasuke had taken down all six clones.

“Oh! You actually saw through my water clones’ movements. Seems you’ve grown quite a bit, kid. Well then, you’ll have a worthy opponent yourself—Haku!” Zabuza and the masked member of the Mist’s assassination squad, previously called Haku, appeared before them.

“Shuster, cover Mr. Tazuna, I’ll take on Zabuza. Sasuke, Naruto, you two handle the one called Haku!” Kakashi stepped forward.

“Fine. I can’t stand these mysterious types,” Sasuke said, drawing two kunai.

“Watch me send him flying with one punch,” Naruto grumbled.

“All right, Haku, go test them. I'll handle Kakashi,” Zabuza said, unsheathing his massive blade.

“Yes, Lord Zabuza.” Haku replied, transforming into a gust of wind that shot toward Naruto and Sasuke.

“Heh! Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Naruto grinned, and in a flash, over twenty clones surrounded them.

“Clang—” Sasuke blocked Haku with his kunai.

“Take this!” Naruto sent two clones at Haku to grab him.

“Not good!” Haku leapt up, dodging quickly.

“Let’s see where you run!” Sasuke unleashed his Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique at Haku’s landing point, while the rest of Naruto’s clones flung shuriken at Haku in midair.

“Damn!” Haku used senbon needles to deflect several shuriken, barely dodging the fireball.

“Bang!” Suddenly, Sasuke appeared in front of Haku and kicked him flying.

“What? He actually beat Haku at his own game of speed!” Zabuza exclaimed in shock.

“Looks like I have the edge in speed,” Sasuke said with disdain.

“Heh, you see that, Haku? If this keeps up, you’ll be the one to die,” Zabuza laughed.

“Yes, forgive me, but I must kill you now! Secret Art: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!” Haku stood up and invoked his jutsu.

In an instant, a multitude of water-formed mirrors surrounded Naruto and Sasuke.

“What’s this?” “Mirrors?” Naruto and Sasuke stared in confusion at their shimmering prison.

Haku said nothing, simply stepping into one of the mirrors; in the next moment, every surface reflected his image.

“Sasuke, find a way to defend yourself. Naruto, protect yourself with shadow clones. The opponent is from the Yuki clan!” Shuster shouted, noticing that Haku had used such a technique so soon.

“We got it!”

“Hmph—” Haku scoffed, and in the next instant, a hail of senbon needles rained down on them.

“Waaah—” Both boys cried out as they were struck and fell to the ground.

“Damn it! Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Naruto quickly used Shuster’s advice, creating a swarm of clones to shield himself and Sasuke.

—Scene shifts to Zabuza and Kakashi—

“Well, we can’t stay idle either, Zabuza!” Instantly, Kakashi lifted the restriction on his left eye.

“Fine, let’s have a real battle, Sharingan Kakashi,” Zabuza replied.

“Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu—” Zabuza enveloped the area in thick fog and vanished.

“Idiot! You can’t see in this mist either, can you?” Kakashi muttered, cold sweat on his brow. Even the Sharingan couldn’t make out anything in this density.

“I never kill with my eyes, Sharingan. My last Hidden Mist was only broken because you hypnotized me! You think I’ll let you do that again?” Zabuza’s voice drifted through the fog.

“Damn! If big brother’s Sharingan is useless, this is bad!” Shuster was panicked as well; he couldn’t see a thing in this mist.

“Clang—clang—” The clash of blades rang out repeatedly in the air.

“Without your eyes, Kakashi, you’re just an ordinary jonin. Heh...” Zabuza continued his assault.

“Damn! Which side should I help?” Shuster was frustrated.

“Hmm? Is that... the Sharingan?” Shuster glanced at Sasuke inside the mirrors—his Sharingan had awakened.

“That settles it!” Shuster broke into a smile.

“Sakura, protect Mr. Tazuna. I’ll save those two!” Shuster activated his Lightning Speed Flash and shot toward Sasuke and Naruto.

“Trying to save them, are you? Don’t even think about it!” Haku, seeing Shuster’s approach, immediately targeted him.

“Lightning Style: Lightning Armor!” Sensing Haku’s intent, Shuster quickly cast a level-four defensive spell.

“Clang, clang, clang—” A rapid series of metallic impacts rang out as Shuster safely rescued Sasuke and Naruto.

“I’ll handle him now. You two go protect Mr. Tazuna,” Shuster said, eyeing the ice mirrors.

“Let me see what you’ve got—so this is a kekkei genkai?” Shuster stepped into Haku’s mirror domain, his body crackling with lightning.

“Speed and numbers, huh? Then—Lightning Style: Thousand Arrows!” With hands moving faster than the eye could follow, Shuster unleashed a volley of lightning arrows.

“Not good!” Haku hurriedly fired senbon to intercept.

“Unfortunately, no matter how fast you are, you still have to move—and when you move, you lag; and when you lag, you get hit!” Shuster, with a final surge of power, pressed the attack.

“Uwaaah—” Haku’s mirror domain shattered instantly; struck by hundreds of lightning arrows, he spat a mouthful of blood, his mask knocked aside to reveal a face more beautiful than most girls.

“Thud—” Barely standing, Haku felt a heavy blow to the back of his neck and lost consciousness.

“Huh? Isn’t that the person I bumped into the other day?” Naruto said in confusion, looking at Haku lying on the ground.

Turning to Kakashi’s side...

“It’s over there too? Looks like I can’t wait any longer. All right, Zabuza, here I come!” Kakashi formed the hand seals: Boar–Dog–Bird–Monkey–Ram, then, “Ninja Art: Earth Style: Tracking Fang Technique.”

In the next instant, the eight ninja hounds erupted from the ground, seizing Zabuza from his hiding spot.

“Nani?” “With my eyes and ears useless, all I can trust is my nose. Zabuza, you assassinated the Mizukage, failed in your coup, became a rogue ninja, and now you’ve joined forces with scum like Gato. Did you think all I had was the Sharingan? This time, I’ll show you my own jutsu!” Kakashi formed the Ox–Rabbit–Monkey seals, and a ring of lightning formed at his feet, concentrating in his hand. “Chidori!”

“What? The chakra’s so dense it’s visible to the naked eye!” Zabuza gasped.

“Hmph, you’re too dangerous. The man you want to kill is this nation’s hope. I can’t let you go—so die!” Kakashi charged forward.

“Thud—” Just as Kakashi’s lightning-charged hand was five centimeters from Zabuza’s heart, a hand seized his wrist. Looking up the arm, he saw Shuster’s face.

“Huh? Shuster, you—” Kakashi was shocked.

“Look over there,” Shuster replied, nodding toward the end of the bridge.

A large crowd of people was approaching...

P.S.: I had a brain freeze—sorry everyone, I uploaded late again!