Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Coexsistence	By : Kakashifan727 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 3612 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto, the series or its characters. Those belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Shounen Jump. I make no money off of this work.

Chapter List
- 1-Coexsistence
- 2-Ch2
- 3-Ch 3
- 4-Ch 4
- 2
- 3
- 4
A/N: trying to slowly do more writing. It's been hard. Lots of Rl things going on; but I wanna try to write more. Chapters may be short this time around. Hope to write more in the future; I have ideas, just giving those ideas thought is hard; like this chapter for instance. Like I have things for Chunin exams, some of the Movies, a couple of those fillersodes and Part 2, in between timeskip already, but they just won't...come out? It's driving me insane; I wonder if I should just make a bunch of random chapters instead of an interconnecting thing...Or do the in between chapters late while these ideas are still fresh? Maybe I'm out of practice...
And as always, any reviews would help, even if it's just "this is garbage". I need to know how to get better. And no, telling me to stop writing KakaOC fanfic will not help. He's a great who deserves a happy ending, like Gaara, just because the author chose not to give him one. And they say, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

…. …

All I can do is stare at the figure in front of me, my wrists bound by the wire holding me to the tree trunk. She walks towards me, an unreadable expression on her face as she presses up against my much taller body. I am unable to think, my mind blank as her hands run across my stomach and abdomen, only able to watch as the smirk on her face grows wider. I'm not sure if I should be worried or turned on. This situation is so bizarre. She's so close, too...My heart starts beating rapidly at our closeness, my face flushing with embarrassment at my situation. I can't do anything to stop her as she partially climbs the tree, using chakra on her left foot to stick to it. She is almost on top of me, her right foot oddly enough just dangling near the tree until she wraps it around my left leg. She doesn't care about the thin wires binding my leg in place, actually using them as a sort of fulcrum to lock herself in place. Her tiny hands are curling themselves around my fingers, wrapping around my hand; Her fingers are nice and warm to my cold, wet body. I am a little wet from rewashing myself in the river, the hairs on my skin on edge as goosebumps appear on my forearms. That's not from the cold, however, my heart beating rapidly as I feel her clothed body push against me. Her large breasts are smushed in her shirt, the wrappings covering them making them seem flatter than usual. I feel them press up against my chest, her soft skin making me feel extremely self conscious at my own vulnerability. She was only wearing a short shirt and long pants that seemed more like casual wear. We were preparing to go to sleep for the night so it's not unreasonable she's in a state of partial undress. Despite my dangerous predicament, I find myself somewhat enthralled by her proximity, my hands wishing they could be free right now as impure thoughts start running through my mind. I try to shake them away; this was how I had ended up like this in the first place. If I hadnt snuck up on her while she was bathing , I wouldn't be tied up like this, my naked body exposed for anyone to see. Panic flashes through me for a minute as I pray no one else is nearby; Hyakkimaru seeing me in such a state is bad enough. If Naruto or the others did, I'd never live it down. Her face is quite close to my own and I can feel her warm breath tickling my ear as she leans in even further, her short, brown curls brushing against my unmasked cheek.
"So it was you, Hatake-san," She starts to say, her voice sounding quite different from it's usual stern and commanding tone. I noticed she had stopped imitating Naruto, her voice back to its usual low cadence. It was soft, playful almost as she continued to speak, her voice rumbling quite seductively to my ears, even though I could tell she was pissed by her tone. She probably won't forgive me for this. She knew. I thought I was being careful...I think as I wait for her to continue.
"I had thought something was up. I assumed it was my paranoia because I was on edge from today's assault," She starts to say, her left leg bumping against my pelvis as she lifts it onto the tree trunk. I grunt in surprise and a bit of pain as she rests her shapely hips on top of my abdomen, using the tree as a balance to not put too much weight on my body. I can't do much, my voice stuck in my throat as I try to understand what is going on. I assumed she was angry, going by her tone and body language. And the fact that I was tied up, unable to move or make hand signs. I'm not so sure that is the case now, as her bandaged hand brushes my bangs out of my face as she looks at me. I stare into her eye, her brown eye never looking away as she speaks.
"I was just being ogled at by a pervert. If it was one of the kids, I'd have brushed it off as teenage curiosity or sex drive...punish them with a small prank and then call it a day. Instead I find you..." She comments, her right hand tracing around my cheek, stopping on my lips. Eh? What does that mean? I think, confusion flashing across my face as my heart leaps into my throat. Please, this isn't what I think it means, is it? Not that I would mind if that was the case; it's just that I feel vulnerable like this. I'd rather be in control to be honest. I've never done anything this intense before; even in my books it was usually the male lead who initiated the relationship.
"I-i just want you to be honest with me. How much did...you see?" I can only blink at this comment, my body heating up as I remember her nice naked body which was more or less on top of me right now. I can feel myself start to rise slightly, a curse coming out of my mouth as I realize Hyakkimaru will feel this. Her own composure is broken for a second as a shocked expression flashes across her face, a blush coloring her cheeks. I stammer nervously, any words I had planned to say stolen by my body's reaction.
"Uh...erm...I just wanted to stop Naruto from peeping on Sakura. Then things got out of hand."
"Naruto...I can't believe it..." She stutters, our gaze broken as she looks away from me. She stares at me again, moving her bandaged arm in front of my eyes.
"What about these? Did you see under these bandages?" I shake my head no, causing a sigh of relief to come out of her mouth. Why's she more concerned about her arm and leg? She stares at me again, a blush running across her cheeks as she asks me a question.
"Erm...ah..." She trails off, her voice surprisingly timid as I feel an odd push against my abdomen, the area where her crotch is kind of poking me softly. I watch as blood trickles down her nose, the two of us just still like this as it stains her shirt red. She makes an embarrassed squeak, her face turning an even darker shade of red than I thought it could. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, words trying but failing to come out as she stares at me. Her tone is harsh as she stares me down, her brow furrowed.
"Don't tell me you were peeping on Sakura-chan, you...you..." I shake my head furiously at her stuttering, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. I attempt to explain myself.
"S-Sakura? No, never! I'm not into children; I was just making sure Naruto and Sasuke weren't..." Her index finger presses up against my lips at this moment, stopping any more words from coming out of my mouth. Her face is red as she stares at me.
"Fine then, but...I can't believe you tried to see me naked, you pervert!" She stops talking, my own face blushing wildly as I evade her gaze. I didn't try to see her naked; I burned that image into my brain. It's kind of hard to not imagine her naked as she is the only thing in my field of view right now.
"Well what you're doing now isn't any better!" I shout, my anger rising just a little bit. She actually nods at my response, her voice timid as she mutters something.
"Of course it isn't! I feel kind of bad doing it," I blink at her staunch acceptance, my mind blank for a moment. I'd have thought she'd try to deny it or something. The fact that she didn't takes me off my guard a bit, my voice soft as I ask a question.
"Then why? This seems quite outrageous for someone as even keeled as you." I ask, her only response a small chuckle.
"What goes around comes around; that's how this world works. You shouldn't have spied on me; and so you know, I would have done something similar to those kids as well if I had caught them." Ok that makes some sense...It's a kind of punishment I suppose. I reason, her logic somewhat sound. I probably wouldn't like being spied on while bathing either. I really only spied on her for curiosity's sake, wanting to see what she looked like under the armor. She seems to have some sort of phobia or something, considering she didn't even let Sakura see her nude body. That and the fact that half of her body is covered with bandages for some reason. She must be hiding something she finds odd or embarrassing, similar to how I hide my face. The two of them being women, I figured she'd be more comfortable around someone of the same gender...I guess not. I focus on talking.
"So you're punishing me? Why something like this?"
"Simple." She starts, her eye scanning me up and down, making me feel nervous and embarrassed.
"I think it's only fair that I get to see you naked, hmmm? You wouldn't voluntarily show yourself to me of course, so I had to...set things up to work to my advantage." Makes some sense. But not really. This is almost assault. I never touched her; even though I masturbated to her naked body. Ah...I suppose that is kind of similar. She's objectifying me as I did to her. She just has the 'balls' to be more hands on. Quite different from most women who've had crushes on me. They would just act meek and shy, sometimes even following me around. They wanted me to make a move, and I had no time for that back then, usually busy with work for the village. Come to think of it, that was mainly when I was in Anbu. Not to say that women don't try to approach me now, most of them using the same shy tactics, though there were a few who had tried to be more aggressive. I just don't have time for that. Besides, after Rin died, I swore to myself that I wouldn't fall in love. It would be bad for both me and the person involved. I don't want someone close to me to die again. In this line of work, death is a constant companion, and I can't take any more deaths. I've seen too many people die; I don't want her to get hurt too. She seems like a decent enough person. Too decent to be involved with someone like me. Well...aside from this little odd encounter. That I caused, I admit. She's only responding with what she sees as an appropriate measure. Well, it's working, just not as a deterrent. Ah, stop it. This train of thought is bad. I should attempt to let Hyakkimaru down gently, ignoring the embarrassing reactions by my body. It's not like I have full control over those either.
"I apologize. Really, I'm sorry. This is just... quite...embarrassing..." She smirks at my comment, causing my stomach to lurch with nausea. I feel her face move close to mine, her brown curls obscuring my vision for a few moments. Her lips press up against my cheek, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Well...I had planned to let you go after you confessed, however...This...isn't exactly how I wanted...it to happen. Y-you..." Her face reddening as she turned her head away from me for a moment, the rest of her sentence inaudible.
"What do you mean by that?"
I say, shivering a bit in the cold air. She clears her throat, staring at me one last time, her eye roving over my naked body. I feel her weight lift off me as she attempts to untangle herself from my prone form, being careful not to touch my sensitive parts. She's surprisingly dexterous for someone with a body that small. Hopefully her wound doesn't open up again, though it's not like she's doing anything too strenuous. An odd twinkle shines in her eye, her fingers on her bandaged hand trailing down my exposed neck. I shiver again, this time from her sensual touch as she rests that hand on my bare chest, her thumb quite close to my hardened nipple. She stares up at me, her uncovered eye locking onto mine for a few moments. I can see something akin to pity or sadness in that eye, or so I think. Her body turns away from me, breaking our contact as she walks toward another tree. I see my bag in her hand as she bends down, giving me a nice view of her butt. I close my eyes, not wanting to look, ignoring the feelings along my lower half. As I open them, her face pops into view, making my heart leap a bit at how close she is. I feel the wires around my body loosen, already preparing myself to land on the ground. My bag is at my feet, closed and looking as if it wasn't tampered with. Hyakkimaru looks away from me, her face beet red as she begins to turn around. I barely hear her speak, my ears picking up the smallest sound.
"Let's keep this between us, shall we?" Her question surprises me slightly, but I don't object to it. I'd rather keep this private.
"O-of course. This never happened." I respond, and she nods as she walks away. I quickly attend to my own business, getting dressed in more comfortable clothes afterward. Nothing is out of place as I return to our makeshift camp, aside from Naruto giving me an odd look as he looks over at the small samurai.
"What are you doing?" I ask him, the blond snickering at me. I sigh, shaking my head as I stare at him.
"Well, you two were gone for a few minutes. You weren't back with your stuff either, so I figured..." I stop him there, covering his mouth with my hand so none of the women could hear. Sakura was closer to us than I would like, and who knows how she would react to that.
"N-nothing happened, you idiot!" I hastily confirm, letting go of Naruto and setting my own stuff down somewhere else. I quickly settle into my own sleeping bag, tired and mentally exhausted from this afternoon. I watch as everyone else starts to fall asleep as well, minus Sasuke who is on watch tonight. We can't be too careful. I do notice that Hyakkimaru's things are quite far away from everyone else's, far away from our small fire pit. It's definitely not close enough to feel heat from the fire, yet still close to Tazuna-san's things. I wonder why, my mind wondering up scenarios until it finally succumbs to sleep.

.. … …

"Momochi Zabuza...He's going to be a difficult opponent," I comment, looking up at the hulking man using his own sword as a foothold. I look over at the others in our small group, watching their reactions. The small samurai is calm, just standing there with a hand on their sword hilt, their silver armor glinting slightly in the light. They are standing protectively in front of Team Seven and Tazuna. As I expected Tazuna and the three kids are obviously terrified, never having seen an opponent like this before. Of course they would be; their only actual combat scenario was just yesterday. They've never really faced someone with killing intent before. Zabuza is a jounin as well, almost on the same level as me; He's nothing like the two claw wielding ninja we fought earlier. They were pushovers compared to him.
This might be bad...I'm honestly not at my best...I think, regretting my own carelessness with keeping up with my training. I've definitely been taking it easy these past couple years; My body feeling lackluster. My chakra capacity is not at it's full potential either. Using the Sharingan here would be dangerous...Against an opponent like this, however, it's probably our best bet. I slowly lift up the left side of my head protector, my Sharingan already active, feeling the drain on my chakra already. I haven't had to use it in a while, so it feels more pronounced than usual. I hear a mumbled whisper of 'Amazing...', the voice slightly familiar as I had grown more accustomed to it over time. The samurai mutters a word of praise, my heart skipping a beat as I realize she's talking about me. I doubt I can fight too long like this, and honestly I'm not expecting much from Hyakkimaru in the way of offense. Her role is more for support and defense, especially against an opponent like this. His Silent killing technique is formidable. I doubt I'd be able to perceive it in time even with my Sharingan. It's best that they stay and protect the kids and Tazuna. I think, looking up at Zabuza, who has not yet begun to move from his position on the tree. I hear the clink of armor behind me and notice the samurai staring at me, nodding.
"I will protect Tazuna and your team. Please do whatever you must to end this. Just do be careful, my good sir. Do not put yourself in any undue harm, yes?" They comment, their voice slightly muffled behind their closed helm. I could detect a slight hint of concern there. I turn my head slightly, looking straight at her. I blink a couple times, unsure of what my Sharingan was processing. Her chakra flow...was quite a bit different from most people. Not like Naruto's case, where his was abnormally large, with two chakra flowing through his body. Hers was small...definitely average or below average at best and seemed to flow in irregular ways throughout her body. It's probably worse than my capacity right now, and I'm out of shape. How can she fight like that? Using powerful jutsu is out of the question for her, unless she has perfect chakra control, which I doubt. Not many people do; controlling one's chakra flow is difficult enough, but she seems to have extra difficulties on top of that. I am curious, but I don't want to pry. I attempt to hide my concerned look by responding to her question. She only looks at me with a raised eyebrow, her face neutral other than that one quirky movement.
"Of course. I don't intend to lose so easily. Are you sure you're going to be fine? That wound you received a day ago still hasn't healed...It might open up again if you're not careful, y'know?" I ask, causing them to nod.
"Ah, right...Thank you for the concern," They mutter, seeming to freeze in place for a second. They straighten up almost immediately however, their bandaged hand grabbing ahold of their katana hilt. "If you do need help, however, please don't hesitate to call me for support. Even among samurai, the Seven Mist Swordsman are quite infamous. My skills may possibly be of use," They comment, backing up a few paces to move closer to Tazuna-san and the kids. The old man was clearly petrified, sweat beading his forehead, and my team was in a similar state. Naruto and Sakura were clearly distressed, the former's eyes darting to the samurai and I. None of the usual confidence was on his face, the small kunai in his hand shaking. Sakura was probably worse off, her expression one of pure terror as she stood at the old man's side. Even Sasuke, the most composed of our team, was shaking slightly, his face pale. They had never been up against anything remotely like this; the three of them having only having seen real combat and death only a day and a half ago.
"Oh...So I see the famous Copy Ninja Kakashi at work, eh? I'm honored," Zabuza taunts, finally leaping off of the tree and onto the water. I could see and feel his chakra fluctuating, his chakra network pulsating as he molded chakra by using hand signs. Mist began to slowly coagulate in the area, spreading out from the small lake Zaubza was standing on. A couple shrill gasps from Naruto and Sakura made me turn around quickly. They were looking around frantically, their eyes darting to and fro as they nervously scanned the area. To them this must be quite frightening; Hyakkimaru was the only one unfazed. She gently put her armored hand on Naruto's shoulder, saying something to him, and then did the same for Sakura. The two relaxed quite a bit after that, both taking out a kunai and brandishing it to protect the old man. They were still nervous, but looked more focused on the task at hand, Naruto even grinning at Tazuna-san in a mock attempt to reassure him. Well...that seemed to have helped those two a little. Good. They're more focused now, and even Sasuke is looking a little better. I think, wanting to give a few encouraging words of my own.
"Don't worry. I won't let any of you die. You're my precious comrades," I say a reassuring smile forming on my face. The kids brightened up instantly when they heard me, smiles on their faces as they stared at me with glowing eyes. Even Tazuna-san and the small samurai looked less flustered, the latter offering a short bow in return for some strange reason.
"Sensei, how can you be so calm? That's amazing!" Naruto shouted, the other two responding in kind. Hearing the slightest sound, I turned around to see Zabuza making hand signs. MY eyes widened in surprise as I read them; that jutsu...I immediately start to throw shruiken at the huge man, hoping it would slow his concentration or possibly break his casting. He barely even flinches, most of the projectiles missing him but a couple cutting him in the shoulders and one even embedding itself in his torso. He took a full on shuriken to chest, granted it was small, but that should have been a direct hit. Either he's more sturdy than I thought or I didn't hit a vital spot. It was possible, since I am rusty, and the mist does obscure visibility even with the Sharingan. Seeing that my first idea failed, I quickly run toward Tazuna-san and my squad. There's no way I can copy those signs in time now, and it's easier to dodge out of the way than counter. I'd rather save my chakra; this fight could go on for a long time. I don't know if he could use more of those as well, that would be bad if I had no way to counter them.
"Everybody scatter! Get as far away from here as you can!" I shout, everyone reacting differently to my command. Sasuke grabs Sakura and flees into the trees, Naruto looking at the samurai and the old man before doing the same. She nods, hoisting the old man over her shoulders, before taking off into the trees with amazing speed. I didn't think she could move so fast with that armor. It looks quite heavy, the silver metal almost blending in with our dull surroundings. Then again, she nearly took down those Mist Chunin on her own, so I probably shouldn't be underestimating her...Feeling the pressure of chakra building up, I also head for the trees, hoping he hasn't noticed our quick escape. He probably has; but controlling a Water Dragon of that size takes a considerable amount of chakra, and if has to turn it to slam into us, I'm hoping it loses much of its momentum. That way it would lessen the damage and the destructive force of the technique quite a bit. Finding a high vantage point from the trees, I watch as the chakra dragon skates through the ground, causing a large tunnel of dirt to spray forth, the thing finally rising in the air as it goes past our previous positions. If that had hit... I think, watching as the huge dragon turns towards me, though its form is quite a bit smaller than before.
"...I should be able to counter it now..." I mutter, quickly going through hand signs, my chakra depleting as I focus on the casting. I watch as pillars of rock erupt out of the ground, some of them destroying the trees around me and a few feet around and causing splinters and chunks of wood to fly everywhere. Hearing some more movement in the trees, the leaves rustling as I hear the familiar clink of metal, I see a couple shapes out of the corner of my eye land on the solid field below us. My team seems to be fine, totally unaffected by the dragon's attack, probably because they are on the complete other side of the grove of trees surrounding the plain. At least they were smart enough to do that much... I follow suit, not wanting to be in the impact zone when that thing comes rushing at us. Zabuza has also stopped casting, feeling the pressure of chakra leave the surface of the lake and calm down. Of course. Now that his target is in the open he'd obviously go for a more hands on approach. He was already charging at the two, brandishing his blade that looked about twice his size.
The samurai quickly brandished her own katana, the small silver blade looking more like a toothpick in comparison. Thankfully I was only a few steps away, right next to her and the old man, the clinking of her armor rattling in the mist as I saw her head turn my way. Her bandaged hand pointed towards the old man, who was shaking where he stood, his poor hunching figure looking quite out of place next to the looming Mist ninja. I nod, understanding her intent as I grab Tazuna-san, who is probably getting used to be hefted over people's shoulders by now, and sped off as far away as possible. I set him down in the other grove of trees, easily finding the three terrified kids and checking they were fine. Despite being a bit dirty and mentally flustered, they were otherwise okay. I had no time to inquire further; getting back to Zabuza was my top priority right now. I had no doubt he could out power the samurai, noting the difference in size and power of the two based on the few things I had seen. She was just too small, and being a woman on top of that, even with her physique, there was no possible way she would be able to hold him off for too long if it came to a no holds barred match. Plus, those injuries from earlier are hampering her movement; she should be careful lest they open up again. I'm honestly surprised she was able to do this much.
"...Is...that the best you can do? Using...that slab of metal like a cleaver, eh?" I hear the samurai mutter, her breathing slightly ragged as she ducks under a large winding swing from Zabuza. The blade scrapes against her silver armor, sparks flying as the tip of the blade brushes against her chestplate. From that position, there's not much chance she could maneuver well enough to dodge another blow. They both know this, Zabuza brandishing his blade once more in an overhead arc to split the small samurai in two. I feel my pulse quicken, adrenaline running through me as I furiously speed through hand signs. I won't make it...My casting speed isn't nearly as good as it was. I've let myself get too lax...I think, pillars of earth rising up from the ground near the two swordsmen. I watch a couple pillars graze Zabuza on the chest and shoulders, small nicks of blood pouring down his body, the criss-crossing pillars completely missing any vital spots or organs. That's fine; that's not what I was aiming for. The samurai has moved out of the range of the swing at this point, and Zabuza's blade cleaves nothing but air. Good. I can see the samurai unleash her own blade in a flurry of attacks before it actually strikes, and I quickly brandish a couple kunai to throw at the hulking man. I still keep one in my hand, using my chakra to sharpen it slightly, the blade sparking a bit with electricity as I swing at him. Being already preoccupied with Hyakkimaur's flurry of blow, using his huge sword to deflect a few swings, he doesn't have enough time to dodge both the kunai and my lunge at his vital organs. He does, however, have time to substitute out of the way of my strike, his body turning into a mix of blood and water as a kunai pierced him. Interesting. He used a combination of the blood on the rocks, the mist in the air and the water in the lake to completely evade our assault. I can't tell where he went either; the mist hides him too well, and I can't smell his blood with it on the rocks and the ground. He's not going to give us enough time to find him, anyway. I think, carefully scanning the area while stepping closer to the samurai. Her head is also turning around and about, probably trying to find any trace of the Mist ninja.
"...Completely vanished. Hatake-san, can you feel his presence at all?" She comments, her odd use of my last name and the honorific making me feel uncomfortable. I ignore it, trying to find any trace of the huge man. There's no way he could have gone far; definitely not in this short amount of time. He's probably hiding in the mist, waiting to strike one of us. He would not go after Tazuna or the kids right now. He knows we expect him to do that. I say as much, my heart racing from the feeling of something hard and kind of soft pressing up against it. Hyakkimaru's back is pressed against mine, her armor protecting my back as a sort of shield. Speaking of flanks, I deftly reach into my pouch to grab a couple shuriken, my fingers gliding along to touch the samurai's posterior, my composure momentarily lost for a fraction of a second. That was an accident. Completely by mistake, I tell myself as I respond to her, my voice calm as I can make it sound after what I just did. By pure accident. I do notice however, that her back is once again wet with what was probably blood; meaning that the wound on her back has opened. That is not good. She won't be able to fight too well in this condition. If she is in any pain, she does not show it, her face a blank mask underneath her helmet. I avoid asking about it for now; we have slightly more pressing concerns to take care of. Maybe after this is over. My own body is becoming tired; I can feel the chakra drain out of my body with each moment. It's a scary feeling and reminds me that I shouldn't be so quick to rely on this eye. It's dangerous to use so often, even if it was a gift from my departed comrade. I want to do right by him using the strength he gave me, but that's useless if it ends up killing me.
"No. Thankfully, he's focusing on us now, so he won't bother going after the kids or old man. We may be able to take him, but I'd suggest you be careful. Like I mentioned, even with my Sharingan, we should be careful of his Silent Killing technique." I respond, the shuriken in my hand poised to throw into the mist. We can do this. Just as I think this, I notice a flash of movement to my left, a dark figure appearing out of the mist. The shuriken in my hand fly out in a wide arc, converging on the center of the figure, the clang of metal telling me that he had deflected my attack. I hear the whizz of the shuriken as they fly off into the air, the rush of heavy steps pounding against the wet grass I as notice Zabuza coming at us, his blade already beginning to swing. I leap out of the way, the clinking of chainmail telling me that the samurai has done so as well. The burly dark skinned man can only stand there, using his hands to try and pull out his cleaver-like sword that was lodged in the dirt. Every movement looked painful for the man, his earlier wounds from our assault still dripping blood. I sort of felt bad for him, but right now he's our enemy; we can't afford to have pity here. He has to die. I can see him move before he does, heading for Hyakkimaru to the right of me. I hear her sigh, a deep muffled sound, as well as the soft unwrapping of bandages. She is still holding her blade, but in an awkward way to as not to cut either of us with while doing this. I grow confused for a moment; why is she unwrapping her injured arm? What good could that do? I turn my head to look at her, my heart rapidly beating as I exhale in shock.
"Guess I should stop holding back. I can't have you protecting me all the time; I have my own pride to watch out for, you know?" She mutters, staring down at her arm, the unusual appendage making my eyes widen as I took it in. It was the form of a human arm, hand and all, but that was where the similarities ended. It was not made out of skin, muscle and bone like a human arm, but of some synthetic material. It had numerous joints, seams and creases running across it. It did connect to a human appendage, her right shoulder clearly made out of flesh and blood. The fingers were bent at an angle no human fingers could be, small holes poking out of the disconnected joints. I just blink at it, slowly realizing something the more I stare at it with my Sharingan. From where the mechanical arm connected to the shoulder I could not see the flow of chakra at all. It just...stopped. The amount of chakra in her shoulder was very small; it might as well have not been in that part of her body at all for all the good it did. With that type of impairment...how does she even make hand signs or mold chakra? Doing those things one handed is pretty difficult, not to mention some of more complex hand signs are almost impossible to pull off. I ponder, my ears noticing the odd sound of mechanical whirring as I watched her point the odd appendage at the ground of Zabuza. I can see the projectiles before they come shooting out of the small holes, the tiny needles littering the ground right in front of us and the dashing Zabuza. The battle weary man swiftly stops in his tracks, but not before a couple of needles pierce his feet and legs, small puncture wounds compared to the many others on his body. She doesn't stop there; an odd sound like the hissing of steam coming out of her arm as she presses down on specific parts of it.
"...W-what? What are you doing!?" I hear myself shout, my body frozen in shock as I watch the arm cleanly detach itself from the stump of her shoulder. Other than a small grunt, she is completely fine, already turning to me and holding out the odd...thing. I just blink, unsure of what to do, as she shoves it into my hand.
"Sorry to impose Hatake-san, but I need you to hold onto this for me. Please don't lose it, alright?" She says with a smirk, her now free hand already brandishing her bloody sword. Her hand holding the blade is making some sort of hand sign, the amount of chakra in her body fluctuating wildly as she attempts to mold it into a usable state. The other arm is just a long piece of slim metal; the blade of a katana running along the length of where her false arm used to be. There is still no chakra running through it, her right arm entirely devoid of the stuff except for the shoulder. She moves it as deftly as she does her real arm, crossing the blade in front of her as her knees tense. How is that possible? Jumping into the air, her blades crossed in front of her, she lunges at Zabuza, who is also shocked at the removal of her arm. He probably wasn't expecting this either. I watch as her body moves to and fro in the air, mirror images copying her movements as she plunges forwards.
"Sorry, but I can't let you live. Or client's life is on the line here," She shouts, her arms moving across each other to slice the swordsman in half. He smirks, brandishing his own large blade as the two meet; her body seemingly cut into pieces by the heavy series of swings. She was fine of course, the thing that he hit only being a projection of her real body, which was on our left. So she used a clone technique as well to help maximize the effect, too... I think, honestly impressed with her quick wit. I had seen that blade technique before, but I don't remember where. I doubt it was only a technique used by ninja; we probably adapted it from the samurai, seeing as shinobi were an offshoot of the sword wielding warriors. By using such simple techniques in tandem, along with the confused state of her opponent, she was able to make an opening for herself.
"Hmph. Amateur. Don't think such shitty parlor tricks will work on me just because I'm wounded!" Zabuza shouts, his right leg lashing out with a strong kick. I feel my heart skip a beat as I see it happen before it does, my reflexes too slow even as I move to try and intercept the attack. I can feel my chakra leak every time I use the precognition of the Sharingan, my body becoming more sluggish and tired than I want to admit. I haven't had to use this eye in a long time, or not as much as I would like. I try to use it sparingly as well, even on the higher ranked missions I go on, saving it for only the most deadly encounters. Even though her swords do cut Zabuza, her normal katana piercing into his side as her arm blade slashes across his ribs, she cannot defend herself from his strong kick. The momentum of her body rushing towards him, and the force of the powerful kick mesh together to send her flying, her hand losing it's grip on the hilt of her sword which was still embedded in the man. If that wound hasn't already opened it definitely is now, blood marking the path Hyakkimaru made into the small glade of trees. A harsh crashing sound echoes in my ears, along with a yell of pain. My stomach churned, worry and fear building as I stare Zabuza down, not wanting to let down my guard. I want to go see if she is okay, but I don't have the chance, Zabuza quickly making hand signs in front of me. I quickly decipher them, realizing he's trying to hide in the mist again, and I drop Hyakkimaru's false arm to lunge at him with another kunai I pull out of my pouch. My swing only cleaves through air, and I feel no trace of his chakra nearby.
"Dammit! This is getting old..." I curse, trying to predict where he would strike next. My thoughts instantly turn to my injured companion, the blood trail on the ground easy to see even in all this mist. If I was Zabuza, a smart move would be to finish off a downed opponent. He could also be thinking of going after Tazuna now, since one of us is down for the count, and he probably think I'll go check up on her first. He was right in that regard; I can't just leave her like that. There's no way he can get to the old man in time to kill him, not with those wounds. That should save me a few minutes. I think, ignoring the dread in my stomach as I quickly follow the line of bloody grass, her prosthetic arm in my hand. It made the bottom of my sandals wet and sticky, my own tracks leaving dark prints as I hurried to the splintered tree. Her tiny frame was splayed across the trunk, her armor and helmet disheveled in the impact, red crimson liquid laying in a small pool beneath her. Still no trace of Zabuza's chakra nearby. If he wanted to kill her, he would've attempted to already. I hurriedly kneel down next to her, quickly checking for a pulse on her human wrist. It's still warm, causing me to let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Her blood covered arm blade is still poking out of her shoulder and I am careful as not cut myself with it. She seems to be out cold however, her eye glazed over as I take off her helmet, blood streaming down her face. Her hair was wet and matted with blood, my gloved hand coming away covered in the stuff as I gently moved her body to a better position against my chest. I carefully check the spot where her previous wound was, carefully lifting her chestplate and running my already bloodied hand against the wet bandages. The gashes had opened completely, my earlier stitching now made useless as they once again were exposed to the air. From what I could feel, she had a few broken ribs as well, and some other small internal wounds. A small sound came out of her mouth then, a weak groan of pain as I put her armor and shirt back in order. I want to fix her up right now, seeing as she is losing more blood by the moment, but I am also worried about Tazuna and my three students. If Zabuza got to them, they'd most likely die. A small tug on my vest startled me, Hyakkimaru's hand trembling as she held on. I could only stare at her, my mouth slightly agape as her eye stared me down. It was slightly unfocused, but still held an odd inner fire. If it wasn't for her wounds, I expect she'd get up and start searching for him right away. She was in no condition to do that however, and even she knew it, her voice soft as she attempted to speak.
"Got away, huh? I keep screwing up...the last few days...W-why?" she muttered, my only response was to lean in closer so I could hear her better. She coughs a bit, blood spewing out of her mouth, and I can feel her broken ribs painfully shuffle a bit as she tried to move.
"Don't move. You'll only make it worse. I'll finish this," I say as I gingerly hold her in my arms, trying not to agitate her wounds, grabbing the hand that was holding onto me, its grip already failing as her strength wore out. I don't want to leave her here vulnerable, and if there's nothing wrong at the other side, then I can leave to have the kids look after her. She's not doing too great though, as I can feel her body shaking against me each time she takes a breath.
"Fine...Just don't think...I'm letting you off...you pervert," She says, her last words making me freeze in place, a chill running down my spine. She knew. Oh dammit; that wasn't on purpose! I make an excuse in my mind, my face flushing a bit as I placed her hand on her bleeding chest, in an attempt to stem the bleeding. She was out cold now, her face pale and covered in sweat, her body starting to tremble as I press her against my chest. If we make it out of this, it'll take a long while for her to recover. Probably a week at best, if nothing goes wrong during that time frame anyway. I focus chakra in my feet, being careful with my movements as I head for where we last split up. They should still be in the same spot, and I pray that is the case as I head into the thicket of trees. It doesn't take long to find them, the four of them clearly visible even though they are doing their best to try and hide. All four of them stare at me with wide eyes, their looks of shock on their pale faces focused mostly on the prone Hyakkimaru.
"...What happened?" Sasuke surprisingly speaks up first, his eyes narrowed as he watches me lay the wounded warrior down on the grass. He moves slightly so he can see more from his vantage point in the glade of trees. Naruto, Sakura and Tazuna are just watching, the kunoichi at least able to take some small items out of her pack. They seemed to be a small roll of bandages and a needle, which alleviated my fears somewhat. She had helped stitch up her wounds before, so I think I can trust Sakura with this. I say as much, quickly scanning the area so as not to miss any odd signs of movement.
"I need to see if Zabuza is still pursuing us. His wounds are also grave, so he may have given up by now. Still, I need to do a quick patrol before we can make sure and get going," I say, making some quick hand signs and focusing chakra throughout my body. This will be the best way to get an area this large cleared out quickly. A wave of exhaustion sweeps over me as the chakra exits my body, several familiar shapes appearing before me. Good, they seem fine. I notice as I crouch down to their level, holding out my hand to let a few familiar snouts sniff it. One of the many dogs looks right at me, his wrinkled face and short stature making him easy to spot.
"It's hard to find the scent since you're covered in so much blood, but it ain't impossible." The small pug comments, his droopy eyes locking into me as I nod.
"Right. I just want to make sure he's no longer pursuing us. Do not go after him or provoke the target. Just let me know if he's left the area. Understood?" I command, the small pack of ninja dogs barking eagerly at my voice. The three kids and old man just watch with wide eyes as they dart off into the trees, the only one staying behind the small rotund pug. Pakkun walks over to the group, his tiny tail wagging a bit as he looks them all over. I nod, knowing that he'd be the first to alert me if something goes wrong. I want to do a sweep of the area myself as well. Sakura is carefully examining the unconscious Hyakkimaru, her body unmoving aside from the rise and fall of her chest.
"Sensei, what's wrong with her body?" Naruto asks, his eyes darting to her prosthetic arm lying on the ground next to her, the blood stained blade still sticking out of her shoulder. I'd like to cover it up or remove it, but I have no idea how to do so. I believe messing with it would hurt her further, and she's in enough pain as it is. I'm not really sure what to do here.
"I don't know Naruto. She's hurt pretty badly; don't move her too much. Sakura, if you could try and fix her up while I'm on patrol that would help. Of course I'll take over once I'm sure the area is secure, but for now anything would do," I answer, Sakura already at work cleaning and stitching some of the smaller wounds on the woman's body. Good. That should help a little bit at least. I think, watching as Sakura slowly turned her body over to inspect the wounds from yesterday. I jump on one of the trees overhead, sprinting through the branches to reach the misty clearing, on the alert for chakra signals the whole time. I don't find anything, no trace of his chakra signature anywhere in the clearing or small lake near us. My dogs are also coming up with nothing, barks of disappointment echoing throughout the small clearing.
I dash around the opposite side of trees and even further beyond, the only thing there the trail of blood from the samurai. He must have left; the fact that I can't sense his presence anymore confirms it. But how? I keep walking, the air feeling slightly colder as I go on, which strikes me as odd. This isn't natural, mist would not make the air this cold, even if it was enhanced by chakra. My Sharingan quickly picks up something out of the ordinary, as I spot traces of chakra the further I go. I notice that some of the trees are covered in a light frost, the ground also spotted with white in a couple places. It'd be hard to see in this mist, the traces of ice so tiny that you'd really have to focus on it to find it. Plus, I doubt I'd have found it without the help of my Sharingan, which clearly makes the chakra visible. I feel a wave of dizziness come over me, and I stumble a bit as I attempt to keep my balance. This eye is wearing me out more than I thought it would. A searing pain emanates from my left eye, a ache that spreads to my head. I can feel a headache coming on; a migraine brought about by using the eye too much. Dammit. I don't need this now.

I've already confirmed that Zabuza is no longer pursuing us. I can worry about myself later. Detecting movement near me, I turn my head a bit, my ears registering it as the soft thump of dog paws. Most of the pack has finished scouting by now, having found nothing from the disappointed looks on their faces. Poor guys; to be called out for something like this must be a downer. I should spoil them later. They'd like that. I think, watching as the pack of dogs walks up next to me. I quickly return to where the kids and Tazuna are, the dogs falling into formation behind me. I check on Sakura's progress on the samurai, who is looking a little less pale and bloody but still critical. Pakkun is watching the two intently for some reason, his wrinkled face tilted in that way pugs do. I close my left eye, the huge drain on my chakra finally lifted somewhat as I quickly pull down my hitai-ate to cover the scarred skin. The three men look at me expectantly, so I give them the good news.
"He's gone. Don't ask me how, but he's not pursuing us anymore. Seems like he had help as well; there's clear signs of a third party involved." I state, Tazuna sighing as he wipes his brow. Naruto and Sasuke look more relieved, though the former is looking at Hyakkimaru with a concerned face. He must be worried too. I walk over to Sakura, being careful to not disturb her as I crouch down. She ignores me, her blood covered hands deftly stitching up a gash in the samurai's abdomen, though I notice her fingers are trembling. I wait until she is finished, then I put my hand on her shoulder, causing the pink haired teen to jump a bit.
"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. I can do it from here. Thank you Sakura," I say, Sakura nodding as she moves out of the way. I grunt with pain as a sharp throb pierces my left temple; the beginnings of a headache starting to creep in. It could be much worse, I remind myself, remembering the few times I overused the Sharingan. Guilt quickly flows through me as I stare at the woman's body, her bloodied helmet and armor laid off to the side on the grass. Checking on Sakura's work, I notice that she has done a good job. Well for someone born in a civilian family with hardly any shinobi training. I'm proud of her. I finish up what she started, cleaning and stitching some of the wound Sakura didn't touch or notice, which I can't blame her for. Even I'm a bit hesitant to touch these, especially with her internal injuries. A doctor should look at her in more detail. I'm also careful not to cut myself on her blade, the silver metal sticking out of her right shoulder. However, I do the best I can, while also putting her armor and helmet into a bag. Gently lifting her bag, I hand the provisions to Naruto who dutifully takes it. He looks at me, and I only turn to Tazuna in response.
"How far is it to your home town? We might have to camp the night again if need be," I stop talking, both because I was waiting for his response and remembering our little rendezvous the previous night. My eye unconsciously turns to the samurai's small form, my face heating up as I recall the encounter.
"Eh? Nah, we don't need to camp. My tiny village is about a half hours walk from here. Maybe a bit longer, considering we have her to look after." He responds, and I nod. Her body is warm as I carefully press it up against me, once again being careful to not disturb her wounds. She doesn't move much, other than a small moan of pain erupting out of her mouth, more of a sigh than anything. I gesture to the old man to lead the way, following behind as Sasuke and Sakura go ahead of me. At least we made it out of this mess. I doubt that will be the last we see of him though.
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