dead

Sasuke couldn't shake it. It wasn’t grief that consumed him, nor the raw, blinding need for revenge. It was something deeper, something unsettling. He thought it should have been Itachi—his brother’s face haunting his every waking moment. But instead, it was Kakashi.
Kakashi, with his unreadable expressions. Kakashi, who played the perfect subordinate, the perfect teacher, the perfect friend, but Sasuke saw through him. Everyone else fell for the easy charm, the soft-spoken words, the way he always seemed to know just what to say. But Sasuke wasn’t fooled. He knew there was something underneath it all, something cold, something wrong.
And he hated that no one else could see it.
Sasuke watched him, studied him. Every movement, every hesitation, every carefully chosen phrase. He analyzed the way Naruto hung on to Kakashi’s words.
He was too perfect. Too put together. Too much of a lie.
Sasuke needed to expose him.
And the worst part? The absolute worst part?
Kakashi knew.
He knew Sasuke was watching. And he didn’t care. If anything, he seemed amused. That damnable eye of his curving ever so slightly in mockery whenever their gazes met. It made Sasuke’s blood boil.
“Something wrong, Sasuke?” Kakashi had asked once, feigning concern, his voice light, pleasant.
Liar.
“No,” Sasuke had answered through clenched teeth. He refused to give him the satisfaction.
Sasuke kept following Kakashi till he was assigned to Kakashi’s team which at first angered him but later he got used to it and decided to take this opportunity at his advantage.

Team 7’s first real mission.
The humid air clung to their skin as Team 7 walked along the dirt road, the dense forest surrounding them on either side. The mission to escort Tazuna had been uneventful so far—almost too uneventful. Sasuke’s sharp eyes scanned the area, his instincts whispering that something was off. But his gaze kept drifting back to Kakashi.
This man, the supposed Fourth’s disciple, had his own secrets—Sasuke was sure of it. And yet, Naruto, Sakura and even the Hokage trusted him so blindly. The thought twisted in his gut.
The feeling of unease escalated when two figures burst from the undergrowth. The Demon Brothers—two rogue Mist ninjas—lunged toward them with killing intent, chains snapping as they aimed for Kakashi first.
Before Sasuke could react, it happened.
The sound of tearing flesh. Blood splattered onto the dirt path.
Kakashi’s body slumped forward, unmoving, the metallic scent of death heavy in the air.
Sakura screamed.
Tazuna stumbled backward, terror in his eyes. Naruto froze, his breath caught in his throat, but something about his expression was strange—not fear, but confusion.
Sasuke, however, didn’t react the same way. His mind raced, analyzing every detail. Kakashi was fast—too fast to go down like that. Something wasn’t right. He clenched his fists, keeping his breathing steady, observing the scene like a puzzle he needed to solve.
Naruto, meanwhile, had snapped out of his daze, launching himself at the Demon Brothers. “You bastards—!!”
The two rogue ninja barely had time to react before Sasuke moved as well, his kunai flashing as he intercepted their retreat. He was supposed to protect Tazuna, yes, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t deal with threats efficiently. One of the brothers barely dodged his strike, scowling as he backpedaled.
“Damn brat,” one of them hissed, gripping his weapon tighter.
Sasuke’s Sharingan wasn’t activated—yet—but his eyes locked onto the man's movements, analyzing every twitch, every hesitation. His mind, however, kept drifting to Kakashi. Had he really died? No. Impossible. He wouldn’t accept it.
And just as he predicted—
A blur of movement. A flicker of silver.
Kakashi reappeared behind the Demon Brothers, killing one immediately with his kunai and then casually rest his kunai against another’s neck. “Well, that was dramatic.” His tone was light, almost amused.
Sasuke exhaled, not out of relief, but frustration. Of course. He faked it.
Naruto, recovering from his own moment of confusion, let out a relieved huff. “Kakashi-sensei! What the hell, you scared me!”
“Scared?” Kakashi mused. “But you didn’t look scared.”
Naruto’s face scrunched in irritation, but Sasuke was still watching, still piecing things together. Kakashi’s deception had been seamless. Too seamless. And what disturbed him more was how naturally he had done it.
Sasuke didn’t trust him. Not fully. And that distrust only grew stronger.
Now instead of killing the other demon brother Kakashi decided to just torture him for no reason.
The atmosphere was thick with the scent of blood and damp earth. The surviving Demon Brother, now bound tightly against a tree, struggled weakly against the restraints
Kakashi crouched beside the restrained man, his single visible eye sharp, cold. His casual demeanor from earlier had vanished, replaced by something far more unsettling. He had sent Naruto and Sakura away, ordering them to stand guard—leaving only Sasuke to witness what was about to unfold.
Sasuke watched in silence, his expression unreadable. But it’s not like he wasn’t expecting blood and torture they were ninja after all.
“You and your brother accepted a mission to kill a bridge builder,” Kakashi said, his voice eerily calm. “Tell me who hired you.”
The Demon Brother spat blood onto the ground, glaring up at him. “Go to hell.”
Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. “Wrong answer.”
Without warning, his kunai traced a thin, deliberate line across the man’s forearm, as he put his finger inside after cutting the skin and pulled out some veins and flesh with his kunai making him teared up and cream in horror.
“You’re not making this easy for yourself,” Kakashi murmured, tapping the blade against the man’s shoulder. “Tell me what I want to know, and I might let you live.”
The Demon Brother gritted his teeth. “You think you’re any different from us?”
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering between Kakashi’s hand and the man's reaction. He had seen death before. He had seen suffering. But this—this was methodical. This was precise.
Kakashi leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yes for starter, I am very handsome without or even with this mask second I am strong and intelligent and can finish books in single night and I can see future and also I am not from this world.”
Or not, Maybe Kakashi is just kind of retarded in his mind.
Kakashi then simply killed him as he glanced back at Sasuke, his expression unreadable.
“You-are” Sasuke was lost at words. Whatever that was Sasuke know knew after all this he was still nowhere at even knowing Kakashi, killing him wasn’t even in his mind anymore.
They travelled further…and
The mist rolled in thick, obscuring their vision as Zabuza Momochi's chilling laughter echoed through the trees. Kakashi stood at the front with lazy expression.
"Stay sharp," he ordered, voice lazy like he just woke. But his words barely registered to Sasuke, whose gaze flickered between Kakashi and their looming enemy.
Then it happened. Zabuza moved too fast, and before they knew it, Kakashi was trapped in the Water Prison Jutsu, held immobile by Zabuza’s iron grip.
“Oh what happened…” Kakashi spoke observing the water.
(long time Zabuza, to bad he is going to die again with his femboy…I am already feeling kind of sad)
“Damn it!” Naruto clenched his fists. “Who are you and what did you do to Kakashi-sensei.”
Even tho it was Kakashi trapped in it Sasuke still hated this feeling—powerlessness, just standing there, waiting for someone else to fix the situation.
“Listen up,” Kakashi’s voice cut through the tension. “You need to take out Zabuza, distract him so that he loses focus. That’s the only way to free me.”
Naruto gritted his teeth, turning to Sasuke. “We have to do this together.”
Sasuke hesitated. He didn’t like the idea of relying on Naruto, but he hated being stuck in a losing position even more. “Fine. But don’t slow me down.”
“Sakura protect Tazuna” Kakshi said as he pulled his book out and started reading.
As the water clone advanced, Sasuke sprang into action first, shuriken flying from his fingers with deadly precision. The clone dodged, but Naruto was already moving in, creating a barrage of shadow clones that swarmed the battlefield.
Zabuza barely had time to react as Sasuke took advantage of the distraction, darting behind the clone and slicing through his chest with a kunai. The water form collapsed instantly, and with it, Zabuza’s hold on Kakashi shattered.
Kakashi landed gracefully on the water, shaking off the residual chakra effects. “Not bad,” he muttered, glancing at Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke looked away, feigning disinterest, but Naruto was grinning ear to ear.
Zabuza scowled. “So you’re not just a pack of brats after all.”
Sasuke adjusted his grip on his kunai. His eyes flickered toward Kakashi again. That moment—when he had been captured—Sasuke had seen it. A flicker of something strange in Kakashi’s expression.
Kakashi wasted no time, forming a series of rapid hand seals. Before Zabuza could react, Kakashi’s Water Dragon Jutsu surged forth, completely catching him off guard. Zabuza’s eyes widened in shock as Kakashi’s dragon struck first, sending him crashing onto the water's surface.
Team 7 watched in awe as Kakashi moved in an instant, knocking Zabuza down and holding him in place with his summoned snakes. The thick coils wrapped around the rogue ninja, tightening with every movement he made.
“That’s not possible-“ Zabuza said as he couldn’t believe someone else who knew the water dragon that he created and only he knew.
“Let’s move things quickly,” Kakashi muttered, his tone devoid of patience. His single visible eye locked onto the mist. “Come out, I know you are watching.”
As if on cue, a masked figure materialized from the lingering mist, standing poised and ready. The air grew tense as Haku’s gaze flickered between Zabuza and Kakashi, prepared for whatever came next.

Kakashi's grip on the snakes loosened slightly, his gaze unwavering as he met Haku's masked stare. The tension in the air was thick, but instead of pressing forward, Kakashi sighed and released Zabuza from the serpentine bind.
"Take him and leave," Kakashi ordered, his tone unreadable. "This fight isn't worth my time right now."
Zabuza coughed, glaring at Kakashi even as Haku swiftly moved to his side, supporting him. “That jutsu, how did you- just how…"
Kakashi smirked beneath his mask. "Just get out of my face already."
Sasuke watched the exchange, eyes narrowed in suspicion. He didn’t believe for a second that Kakashi was letting them go out of mercy. There had to be something more to it. His grip on his kunai tightened as he forced himself to remain silent, absorbing every detail.
Haku nodded respectfully. "We will take our leave, but next time… we won’t hold back."
Without another word, the pair disappeared into the mist, vanishing from sight.
Naruto clenched his fists. "Why did you let them go?! We could’ve taken them down for good!"
Kakashi turned to him, his expression betraying nothing. "Because, Naruto, we have a bigger priority—ensuring we’re prepared for the next battle. You’re not ready yet. None of you are."
Sasuke scoffed, crossing his arms. "So what now? You expect us to sit around and wait for them to come back?"
Kakashi’s eye curved in what almost looked like amusement. "Yes"

By the time Team 7 arrived at Tazuna’s house, exhaustion weighed on all of them. But Kakashi didn’t let them rest for long.
"Change my mind, We start your training" he declared. "You all need to learn how to control your chakra better."
"That’s it?" Naruto grumbled. "Shouldn’t we be learning something cooler, like your jutsu that you used against him?"
Kakashi gave him a pointed look. "Without proper chakra control, any jutsu you learn will be useless."
Sasuke merely nodded, already tuning out Naruto’s complaints. He wasn’t interested in whining—just in getting stronger.

The dimly lit room smelled of herbs and damp wood as Haku tended to Zabuza’s wounds. The rogue ninja lay on a makeshift bed, his breath slow but steady. Haku moved with practiced precision, carefully wrapping fresh bandages around Zabuza’s torso where Kakashi’s attacks had struck hardest.
“You should rest, Zabuza-sama,” Haku said softly, adjusting the cloth around his mentor’s arm.
Zabuza scoffed, though the effort made him wince. “Tch… I can’t believe what just happened…I have known about that the only surviving Fourt’s disciple was a genius but of this level that’s impossible there’s something else about him nobody knows.”
Haku nodded, eyes filled with quiet determination. “Next time, we will be prepared.”
Zabuza’s grip tightened around the blanket. “We don’t have a choice. Gato expects results. If we don’t finish this, we’ll both be hunted. Plus, the reward is too much to decline”
Haku’s expression remained calm, but his hands trembled slightly as he poured warm water into a small bowl. “Then we’ll have to strike first.”

Meanwhile, back at Tazuna’s home…
Naruto grumbled, stretching his sore limbs. “How long till we fight those guys again? I want a rematch!”
Sasuke, leaning against the far wall, narrowed his eyes. “Rushing in without a plan will get you killed.”
Naruto shot him an annoyed glance. “Like you’re one to talk.”
Kakashi snapped his book shut. “The real battle isn’t far off.”
________________________________________
Days passed in tense preparation. The mist hung heavy over the bridge the morning Zabuza and Haku returned. This time, there was no hesitation.
“You’ve healed up fast,” Kakashi remarked, stepping forward, his gaze locked onto Zabuza. “I assume you’re here to finish what we started?”
Zabuza grinned, lifting his massive blade onto his shoulder. “That’s right. Hatake, but before I finish you off I am gonna need to know how did you know about water dragon jutsu.”
Haku stepped forward, his masked face unreadable.
The battle erupted in an instant. Kakashi met Zabuza’s blade with a kunai, the force of the clash sending ripples through the air. Sasuke and Naruto took their stances, eyes flickering between their opponents, ready to fight.
“What’s up with the masked person?” Naruto asked.
“You two take him, I’ll handle Zabuza” Kakashi replied.
"This time, I won't let you toy with me," Zabuza growled, vanishing into the mist. His voice echoed, surrounding Kakashi from all directions.
Kakashi remained still, listening, waiting. The moment Zabuza lunged, Kakashi struck—his kunai clashing with the executioner’s blade. Sparks flew as the two locked eyes.
"Your mistake was thinking I’d fight the same way twice," Kakashi murmured. He surged forward, faster than before, forcing Zabuza onto the defensive. Water splashed as their blows sent ripples through the mist.
(Fight happened and I won obviously…Zabuza was weak man I don’t even know how weak I was back then…I am ashamed right now actually)
The bridge was stained red, the mist hanging heavy as the battle reached its tragic turning point. Haku's lifeless body lay motionless, his mask shattered beside him. Naruto, panting heavily, trembled as the reality of the fight weighed on him. Sasuke, barely conscious, stared at the scene with unfocused eyes. While everyone gathered to watch the end.
Zabuza, again restrained by Kakashi's snakes, stood frozen. His gaze fixated on Haku, the only person who had ever truly been by his side.
Gato’s mocking laughter echoed through the mist as he stepped forward, a horde of mercenaries trailing behind him. "What a pitiful sight. I never planned to pay you, Zabuza. You were just a tool, and now that you're useless, I'll dispose of you myself."
Zabuza’s fingers twitched. His entire life had been spent as a weapon, carving a path of blood through the Hidden Mist. But Haku... Haku had been more than a tool. Haku had followed him, believed in him, even in his final moments. And Zabuza had let him die for nothing.
Gato stepped closer to Haku’s body and sneered. With a swift kick, he sent the boy's corpse rolling. "This brat was a waste too."
The air turned razor-sharp as Kakashi felt a shift in Zabuza’s chakra. Kakashi let go off his snakes that were holding Zabuza. Zabuza growled, his voice low and guttural, "You shouldn’t have done that."
Gato scoffed. "Oh? And what are you gonna—"
As Zabuza was about to move Kakashi threw him his kunai which he grabbing it in his teeth, in a blur lunged into Gato’s men like a demon unleashed.
The mercenaries barely had time to react before Zabuza was upon them, cutting through flesh and bone with savage precision. He took every strike meant for him without flinching, his only goal to reach Gato. Bloodied and battered, he pushed forward, eyes locked on the coward who had sealed his fate.
Gato stumbled back, panicking. "Wait! No, I can—"
Zabuza didn’t let him finish. With a single slash of the kunai, Gato’s throat was cut, his gurgled cries lost to the roar of the wind. The warlord collapsed, lifeless, into the cold mist.
The remaining mercenaries, seeing their leader fall, scattered in fear. The bridge fell into a heavy silence, broken only by Zabuza’s ragged breathing.
He staggered toward Haku, dropping to his knees beside the fallen boy. His bloodied hand reached out, trembling, as he brushed Haku’s hair from his face. "I... I'm sorry, kid..."
Kakashi stepped forward, watching as the once-feared Demon of the Mist collapsed, his body finally giving out. Snow began to fall, mixing with the blood-stained bridge.
Zabuza exhaled one last time, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. "Haku... I'm coming too..."
With that, the Demon of the Mist was no more.