𝙇𝘼𝙑𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍. | 𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗢

X

"YOU'RE right. He is dead." Six sets of widened eyes flew at the newcomer, and after taking in their appearance, their shock only began to increase.

Now Kakashi was crouched atop a tree branch that Zabuza was below, his lifeless body spread dead on the floor, his eyes wide. The young boy who had seemingly ended Zabuza's life stood on a tree that was a line down from which Kakashi was placed at, his hand on its wooden trunk.

Naruto took this chance to take himself back to where his fellow genin team members were, dashing over in a sprint to take a closer look at the scene. He stopped in front of Sakura with a halt.

Kakashi quickly stepped down from his tree and assumed another crouch beside Zabuza. His two fingers, middle and index, were placed atop of the side of his neck. Kakashi felt for a pulse. He didn't find one.

"He's definitely dead," Kakashi let out. He looked up to the masked boy. The boy bowed his head.

"I thank you," he said, his tone hard and void of any emotion. "I have been waiting for this chance to kill Zabuza."

"By the looks of that mask," The boy lifted his head to look at Kakashi. "You're a Tracker nin from the Hidden Mist."

"Exactly," the boy said, now his tone taking up a small tint of recognition. "You are very knowledgeable."

"Tracker ninja?" Naruto questioned. He glared at the ninja, his hands balled into fists.

"You don't know what a Tracker nin is?" Sakura asked. "We learnt it at the academy.

"Tracker nin, well, track down . . . guys like Zabuza who turn against the village they were born and raised in. And when they break away from the village, Tracker ninja go after these rouge ninja and assasinate them, in order to keep the secrets of the village from being leaked."

"That's right," the Tracker nin spoke plainly. "I am a member of the Hidden Mist Village's Tracking Unit whose mission is to hunt rouge ninja like Zabuza."

"Oi!" Naruto shouted, shooting a prosecuting finger straight at the Tracker ninja. Kakashi watched his student, puzzled.

"What are you?!" he yelled, beads of sweat falling down the sides of his head. His genin team looked at him with confusion, taken aback by his actions. Though they were use to his random behaviour, none had seen such a disrespectful side of him. Sasuke looked away, and Riki narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, you!" he roared again when he received no response. Kakashi stood from beside Zabuza.

"Relax, Naruto. He isn't our enemy."

"That's not what I'm asking! I . . . That Zabuza . . . that Zabuza was killed!" Naruto pointed another finger at the boy, but turned himself to face Kakashi. "That guy who was so strong!"

Kakashi began to walk towards Naruto, his own shoes making an identical squelching sound to what Naruto's ones had done. "He was killed so easily, by a kid just like me! We're . . . We're pathetic!"

"Well!" Kakashi said, now standing next to Naruto. He stuck his hands into his dark trousers and bent down to Naruto's level. "I do understand your disbelief. But . . . This is also reality." He placed a hand on Naruto's blonde head.

"In this world . . . there are kids, kids just like you, who are stronger than me."

Kakashi looked at Naruto head on, and at that angle, Sasuke caught a glance of the Sharingan and tensed. Naruto turned away from Kakashi, a strange mixture of a pout and scowl showing upon his face.

Wind came again, and before Team Seven knew what had happened, the long haired boy had appeared right beside Zabuza's corpse. He lifted Zabuza's arm over his shoulder and pushed over his back, lifting him up with hand on the rouge nin's back and another on his arm.