Glassy Sky (A Naruto Fanfiction)

Fighting in the Mist Part II

Zabuza laughed. "Such loud snorting, but do you have a winning plan?" His water clone questioned.

"What are you guys doing? I told you to run!" Kakashi yelled from his water prison. "It was obvious what was going to happen once I got caught! Hurry! Run! Listen to me! Our mission is to protect Tazuna! Have you forgotten that!?"

"Old man?" Naruto asked, looking back to Tazuna, who lowered his head.

"Well, this is a seed that I planted. I can't say that I want my life to be spared. Sorry you guys, fight as much as you want!" He smiled approvingly. Yosuga clicked her tongue from her place in the tree. Her clone did the same, lowering her guard and relaxing her stance.

"You hear that?" Sasuke asked.

"Are you ready?" Naruto added. Zabuza laughed for the fiftieth time that evening.

"You guys really haven't learned anything, have you?" He taunted.

"W-what?"

"You're still playing at being a ninja? When I was your age, this hand was already stained red with blood!" He announced. Yosuga's clone's nose scrunched up in distaste.

"Zabuza, The Demon." She spoke.

"Oh? It seems that you've heard of me." His gaze fell on her.

"Of course. A long time ago, in the Mist Village, often called the town of Blood Mist, ninja candidates faced their biggest hurdle." She started.

"So you also know about that graduation exam." Zabuza acknowledged with interest.

"That graduation exam?" Naruto questioned, receiving a chuckle form Zabuza. "Hey, what is it? This graduation exam that you're talking about."

"The students killed each other." Zabuza finally answered. "Classmates who had shared rice from the same pot formed pairs and tried to kill each other. It didn't end until one of them died. Partners who used to talk about each other's dreams and aspirations..."

"Ten years ago, the Mist Village's graduation exam was forced to undergo drastic reform. That was because an evil demon had appeared on the scene the previous year. With no scruples or hesitation... a young boy who didn't even have the qualifications for being a ninja, annihilated over a hundred examinees." Yosuga's clone explained.

"That sure was... fun." Zabuza recalled. Sasuke and Naruto looked taken aback, whereas Yosuga twisted her face into a scowl. She found it absolutely disgusting how someone could talk about killing people so freely. Then, out of nowhere, Zabuza's water clone elbowed Sasuke in the stomach, forcing him to the ground and shoving his elbow into Sasuke's abdomen again. He stepped on the boy's stomach. Yosuga stiffened on her branch.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" Dozens of Narutos appeared around the Zabuza water clone.

"Ah.. Shadow Clone Jutsu, and there are quite a few of them." The water clone observed. They jumped him, tackling him all at once, but were pushed back.

"It's impossible after all! There is no way you can defeat that guy!" Tazuna exclaimed, Sakura nodding in scared silence.

"Don't say that." Yosuga's clone spoke before disappearing and reappearing in front of Zabuza, sending a punch towards his face. Zabuza caught it of course, but the clone smirked, dissipating into electricity and running up his arm. Zabuza held his arm in shock, letting out a grunt of pain.

"A clone, eh?" He remarked, looking around. "Then where's the real one?"

"You don't have time to be worrying about that right now." Sasuke interrupted, holding a large shuriken. "Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Shadows.

"A shuriken won't work on me." Sasuke ignored Zabuza's words, vanishing and appearing above, throwing the shuriken down. The shuriken missed the clone, though, and went straight towards the real Zabuza, who caught it, but was met with another shuriken aiming right for him. But that was also evaded with Zabuza jumping over it. The shuriken whipped past him before turning into Naruto, who held a kunai. Yosuga smirked.

Zabuza dodged the kunai, but not without pulling his hand out of Kakashi's water prison, releasing him from the sphere. As Naruto fell into the water, Zabuza spun around, still holding the windmill shuriken and about to throw it at Naruto. "You brat!" Though before he could throw the shuriken, Kakashi appeared in front of him and stopped the movement of the blades with his fist.

Yosuga swallowed hard, coming out of the tree. It seemed she didn't really have to do anything after all. The boys could handle themselves.

"Naruto. Your strategy was outstanding. You've grown up... all of you." Kakashi praised. Naruto grinned from his place in the water.

"The purpose of the Shadow Clones was not to take down Zabuza, but the hide my transformation into the Demon Wind Shuriken. Left one clone behind, then turned into the Demon Wind Shuriken. With Yosuga's clone acting as a quick distraction, my clone threw the real me towards Sasuke. When Sasuke got me, he must have realized right away who it was. Then he took out his own shuriken, and that's the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu! Hidden in the shadow of the real shuriken, I aimed for Zabuza. Of course I didn't think I'd defeat Zabuza, but I thought I'd destroy the water prison. As a bonus, I destroyed his water clone, too... it was a huge success!" Naruto explained his plan.

"It was a fluke." Sasuke smirked.

"It was a fluke, huh!" Tazuna repeated. Yosuga laid a hand against her forehead, walking over to stand in front of Tazuna. It was still their mission to protect him.

"Where did you-" Sakura questioned, but Yosuga shook her head, signaling the Pinkette to be silent.

Not too long later, Yosuga cursed herself for zoning out after hearing Naruto yell in frustration. He couldn't wrap his head around someone as young as him being so strong. He was upset over the tracker ninja that has just left with Zabuza's body.

"Naruto." She stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. Naruto stopped punching the ground and looked up at her. "Stop being so childish. There are kids in the world that are younger than you, but stronger than Kakashi, even Zabuza. That's just the way life is. Stop complaining about it and work towards your own goals. Don't worry about how strong others are, just worry about yourself and your strength." She should really follow her own advice, she realized the more she spoke, the more her own words were directed towards herself. Sighing, she extended a hand towards Naruto. "Get up."

And he did.