Caught in the Darkness

CHAPTER TWELVE: Gatou's Downfall

"This is...the Kyuubi's chakra..." Kakashi widened his eyes as he looked at where Naruto was supposed to be. "This can't be possible. The seal can't have just broken."

Hanako started to feel every bit of her muscles trembling. "Is this...the power of the Bijuu?" she thought desperately.

"Akatsuki?" Hanako asked as if it were a joke. "Why would I have any interest in cooperating with you in the gathering of some useless chakra monsters?"

"They are not useless," Obito said. "You'll know what I mean when you face one of them for the first time." She gulped, his voice had become serious all of a sudden. Like what he was saying finally had an important meaning. "If I remember correctly, one of your 'pupils' is the bearer of the Nine-Tails. The Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki is in your team."

"So, this is...the Kyuubi," Hanako could feel an extremely powerful chakra coming from Naruto, which was full of anger and hatred. "It's the same feeling as that night..." She clenched her fists. "Well, this is why I'm here, aren't I..." Hanako muttered, trying to get up from the ground but Kakashi stopped her.

"Don't push yourself! You already used your Mangekyo once!" The Jonin had placed his hand over her shoulder and looked at her with a frown.

Hanako looked up at him with Sharingan eyes. "That is not your problem! The Third ordered me to control the Kyuubi if the seal were to be broken. It broke, Kakashi! And we're all in danger if I don't do something about it!"

"The real question is..." Both Konoha Jonin turned their heads to the swordsman, who was trapped between dogs and fangs, when they heard him speak. "Can you do something about it?"

Hanako pressed her lips into a thin line. Truth was, she had no idea. She had never controlled a beast in her life. She knew it was possible, Madara did it. But she didn't compare to what he was. Madara was known to be the Uchiha legend, the most powerful member ever born.

In addition to that, the Kyuubi's chakra was larger than she had expected. It was nothing like what she had ever faced. Now, she could see why the Akatsuki was obsessed in capturing the Bijuu. Were the rest of the beasts as powerful as the Kyuubi? If they were, gathering all nine of them would be the birth of the most powerful weapon in the history of the Shinobi. It'd be the supreme triumph card. But as fast as the sensation of the beast's chakra had appeared, it vanished.

"Well, we better finish this quick, don't you think, Zabuza?" Kakashi said, bringing Hanako back to reality. The chakra of the Kyuubi wasn't there anymore, Naruto was back to himself. "Did you really think I wasn't going to find you? My hounds can track smell, that's why I wanted you to cut me. My blood is still in your sword, so finding you was an easy task for my dogs." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Do you see what the ambition has done to you? You've taken it too far, Zabuza. Your failed intent of murdering the Mizukage ended in a failure of a coup d'état. You were forced to run away with your few followers from your homeland with tracker-nin at your toes. You became a rogue, with a name too easy to learn even in the Leaf. And now you're too crazy to want to try it again. But for that you need money, and to get it you lowered yourself into a mercenary, turning yourself into Gatou's dog."

Hanako looked again at Zabuza being bitten by Kakashi's ninja dogs all around his body. He was completely immobile, paralyzed by numerous fangs piercing his being. "Rogue ninja, failed coup d'état, hunters following you around, have I heard of something like this before?" Hanako frowned as her head started to hurt. Of course, she remembered. Hanako fell onto her knees again, finding it hard to breathe.

"The mist is finally clearing up, Zabuza, and do you know what I see?" Kakashi asked again. "Your death. But this time it's not the Sharingan, this time there are no copied tricks. This time I'm going to show you something original," Kakashi finished as he got into position and gathered lighting nature chakra in his hand. "Raikiri!"