Once More by ItsHardToFindAPenName

Chapter 8: Preparation

Tsunami was horrified when a bunch of people she didn't know stumbled at her front door, all looked like they had just crawled out of a minefield.

"By Kami! What in the world had just happened?" she exclaimed in disbelief, slapping a hand to her mouth. But everyone, well, maybe almost everyone, was too exhausted to answer her question.

Finally, Tazuna said, after catching his breath.

"Tsunami, these are the ninja escorting me. Please treat them properly. We've been through a very hard day."

"Um... How is Kurenai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked at the timid Hyuuga and smiled.

"She'll be fine. She's drained herself out, but nothing a few days of rest cannot fix. Right now she's sleeping, so don't disturb her."

The girl let out a sigh in relief. "Thank goodness..."

"Oh, and how're your teammates doing?" Kakashi remembered. "I think they were hurt pretty bad out there."

"They... they're fine, I think..." Hinata shook her head. "Shino-kun's bugs are exhausted... and Kiba-kun and Akamaru... they are quite... beaten up... but I think... they're not hurt too much... At least... no bone is broken..."

"Ah, that's great," Kakashi's facial muscles relaxed. "Then let's go check up on them, shall we? I don't know much about medical jutsu, but I can still help patching them up."

For the first time in the day, Hinata smiled.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"

And she was able to complete a sentence without stuttering, too.

"Well, I hate to tell you this, but I suspect that Zabuza is still alive."

Kakashi's words were nothing less than a bomb dropped in the middle of the quiet room.

"What do you mean sensei?" Sakura blinked. Kakashi nodded solemnly.

"Senbon is the type of weapon with the lowest probability of killing the target. Furthermore, I didn't have the time to check Zabuza's body to ensure that he was dead. And hunter-nin's job is usually to destroy the body of a ninja right in the battlefield to ensure that secrets in that body don't fall into enemies' hand. In fact, I've never seen a hunter-nin carrying a dead body away like that. Connecting all those evidences... yeah, there is a very high possibility that Zabuza is still alive."

For a while, the room was silent. And by silent, I meant completely, utterly silent.

There was absolutely no sound. Even the sound of breathing was absent. It seemed like time itself had stopped during that moment.

Then total pandemonium broke out.

"AHHHH! ZABUZA IS STILL ALIVE! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" screamed Kiba hysterically, while running around the room like there was a train chasing after him. Sasuke and Shino cringed at the same time and jumped out of their seat, both ready to defend themselves with whatever they had: Sasuke with weapons, and Shino with his newly revived kikai bugs. Sakura's and Hinata's faces were as white as chalk, and they started to tremble uncontrollably. It seemed they could faint if anyone touched them on the shoulders at that moment.

Kakashi sweatdropped. "Uh, you guys, I didn't say that..."

Screams cut him short.

Had it not been for the fact that almost everyone was scared shitless, the scene in the room right now would have been incredibly funny.

"CALM THE FUCK DOWN ALL OF YOU!"

After five minutes, Kakashi had enough. He exploded, and everyone in the room cringed. Yes, even Naruto.