Bitten Kisses

He really should not have expected anything less, honestly.

Wandering off the way he had, only few days in recovery after the showdown with Zabuza. His body still ached, his reflexes suffering as a result, and the chakra exhaustion weighed upon him heavily. Despite the setbacks, however, he had managed to set his students on the right path towards improvement as they practiced chakra control in the forest outskirting Tazuna's village. Kakashi had overseen them for a few hours, before deciding to wander further into the forest to stretch his limbs, leaving Sakura in charge of the boys. He wasn't too far off that he couldn't sense them if something went amiss, but he was far enough out that he could no longer hear Naruto's tantrums, even with his keen hearing.

Kakashi enjoys the silence, basks in it as he tries to quiet his mind from the recent events. From taking on what was supposed to be a simple C-rank mission due to Naruto's exuberant insistence, only to find out their client had lied about the details and true danger this mission entailed. First the Demon Brothers, which hadn't been overly difficult to deal with, allowing him to observe his kids in real action for the first time. Naruto had froze, Sakura had tried her best to be a small shield for Tazuna, and Sasuke had leapt into action, eager to prove his skill and prowess. All things Kakashi took into careful consideration before he allowed his little students to make the call. Turn back and leave Tazuna to his fate, or continue on with the mission despite the danger escalating. As expected, Naruto was the first to bolster his resolve of continuing on, prompting the others to agree with him. So...they carried on.

The next opponent had been...a very risky challenge that almost saw his kids massacred. Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja hailing from Kirigakure, listed high in the Bingo Books. The former Kirigakure Anbu squad leader, excelling in lethal kills borne from complete silence, followed up by also being one of the famed Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. A well earned title, if the way he had handled Kubikiribocho effortlessly was any indication, as well as his mastery of water based ninjutsu.

It had been a harrowing battle, where one mistake on his part in getting captured by Zabuza's heavy water prison nearly resulted in his students paying the price, even after resorting to using the Sharingan to try and gain the upper hand. Zabuza was a formidable foe, and it was only thanks to his students interfering and managing to catch Zabuza off guard that Kakashi was able to escape. From there, he refused to hold back, copying Zabuza's powerful water techniques and using them against him despite the strain it caused on his chakra reserves. Copying a jutsu was one thing, but having the chakra needed to reflect and use it was another, not to mention the Sharingan itself draining his chakra.

In the end though, Kakashi hadn't gotten the chance to land the final blow. A Hunter Nin had arrived and took advantage of Kakashi's efforts in wearing Zabuza down, piercing him with senbon and supposedly taking the rogue ninja out. Supposedly.

Kakashi had already informed his Genin about the possibility that Zabuza was alive, due to the Hunter Nin's actions not adding up. That, combined with his instincts that just....told him Zabuza was still alive. Kakashi wasn't often one to ignore his instincts, and he had a feeling that another confrontation was eminent. Despite having been hired on as a mercenary for a rat like Gato, surely Zabuza still had his pride as a shinobi. Pride that Kakashi and his cute little students had bruised after one upping the rogue ninja. From what he knew of Zabuza from the stories of his exploits and abilities in Kirigakure, to his desertion after failing to assassinate the current Mizukage, to his Bingo Book entry and now his battle with the man...Kakashi just knew Zabuza would seek him out to settle the score. 

Of course, now that Kakashi's train of thought had drifted towards Zabuza and what he knew of the man so far, he begins musing on a few things he had after that first night after the battle.

Kakashi blinks once, twice, and a third time as he registers the wooden ceiling above him. The room was swathed in darkness, signaling that it was still the dead of night, and he had been pulled from his dreams. He had dreamt of his father, of the circumstances that surrounded the mission that marked him as a disgrace and his...repentance he made after. Sakumo, and only Sakumo had reaped the punishment and disgrace served after a failed mission, that earned him the disdain of so many who had once held him in high esteem. Even the very people he had saved from death that led to the failure of the mission.

Just to himself, Kakashi would lament the unfairness of that. Dark thoughts would manifest, those of which hinted that perhaps if Sakumo's teammates hadn't been so weak, hadn't fallen behind....then his father wouldn't have needed to save them instead. He could have completed the mission if they had pulled the weight they were supposed to, and yet only he was shamed, even by those he helped.

For some reason, Zabuza filters across his brain as he ponders over his father's death. Zabuza, who had tried to kill the Mizukage, something that would brand him a traitor to his very people. But....given the Mizukage's reign and what he ordered to happen to those who possessed Kekkei Genkai, was he really any better? He didn't seem to serve Kirigakure, rather turning the nation inside out with massacres that killed hundreds of their own people, causing the population to dip almost below sustainable numbers. He ordered and maintained horrific traditions and practices that caused the lower caste of people to claw their way up through violence and bloodshed, even in time of peace. Wouldn't it have served Kirigakure better if Yagura was removed and someone else took charge?

He ponders if that had been Zabuza's goal when he attempted the assassination. If the Kiri-nin had decided Kirigakure needed a better leader if the Land of Water was to survive and propser. If he himself was to be that...although thinking on it, Kakashi had his doubts that it was solely Zabuza's decision. The man was clearly smart enough to know that the small group he had amassed the night of the failed assassination would probably not be enough to hold back against the retaliation of those who benefitted from Yagura's reign should he have succeeded. Unless...there were others.

Zabuza surely wanted another shot of taking out Yagura, that much Kakashi was certain. Why else would he lower himself to working for a lowly pig like Gato, if not for the money he provided. Money that could buy supplies, weapons, and more manpower. But Zabuza did not seem the type who could distribute these things all on his own, there had to have been others, contacts he still had within Kirigakure. While not public knowledge, it was known within Konoha's intelligence unit that The Land of Water often dealt with rebellions that would spring forth every few years, all a part of the continued resistance against Yagura's reign. Since it was regarded as a civil matter within Water Country, Konohagakure and the neighboring shinobi villages hadn't interfered so far. 

Perhaps....perhaps Zabuza was still part of that resistance and that was where this money he needed was going. After all, now that he was a well known rogue shinobi, there was no way he could easily return and make another attempt on Yagura's life, unless he had help. The same help that received the funds Zabuza gathered, that continued to rebel against Yagura's reign.

Kakashi pauses then, wondering why he was so hyperfixated on analyzing Zabuza and his motives, especially just after thinking of his father. They weren't the same....not at all. Sakumo had been an amazing shinobi who made one mistake that cost him the respect of the village. Zabuza had attempted to kill his own Kage and replace him, with no guarantee he wouldn't be just as cruel or negligent.

They weren't the same.

But Sakumo carried the burden of the failed mission on his shoulders alone, and took that burden to his grave, while his teammates lived on despite their own failings.

Zabuza carried the blame of his failed assassination on Yagura alone, fleeing his home with tracker ninja on his heels.

Not the same at all.

Kakashi finds himself pulled from his reminiscing as he feels a cool sensation layer over his feet, and a single glance down reveals that a thin layer of mist has coated the forest floor. The Copy-nin halts, his single visible eye narrowing as he tries to listen for anything suspicious. He's met with silence, so Kakashi does the next best thing and slowly lifts up one hand towards his face. He doesn't reach for his lopsided headband, but rather pinches at the mask he adorned as he peels it forward. Just enough to expose his nose to the forest air, and he takes a sharp inhale.

He catches the scent of blood, saltwater, and something personally unique that every person he has encountered owns. Something that couldn't be alikened to anything else, something that made their scent special to them alone.

And he has encountered this scent before.

Very recently.

A few days ago, to be precise.

Honestly, he shouldn't really be shocked at this turn of events.

And it all but confirms that Kakashi was right. Zabuza was alive, and he was here. Hiding somewhere among the trees. Kakashi's confirmation is only strengthened with the fact that the mist begins expanding, flowing from the ground and filling in the space around Kakashi, growing thicker and thicker to the point that the trees around him started to fade from sight.

'Well fuck...isn't this just lovely' Kakashi mentally gripes, his posture going rigid as he settled the mask right above his lips, obscuring some portion of his face as he leaves his nose exposed. It offered him some way of tracking Zabuza through the fog, when his ears and eyes couldn't. He isn't at full strength, not even half if he's being honest. He just needed a few more days, and then he could fight at his best. 

There was one point in his favor though, for if Kakashi was still not at his best....then neither was Zabuza. Unlike Kakashi who had taken a few cuts and bruises, and nearly been half drowned....Zabuza had gotten the worst of it. He had tossed the man around with his own powerful vortex jutsu, and he distinctly remembers piercing the swordsman with several kunai, some of which had hit vital spots. Namely, one had been embedded in his thigh, and that alone would take considerable time to heal before Zabuza could move at his usual speed. The scent of blood in the air had been muted, but still present, which meant that he was still healing from his wounds, same as Kakashi.

Neither of them were at their best...so perhaps Kakashi could try a more diplomatic approach. Surely Zabuza wouldn't count a win against a weakened opponent, and Kakashi would feel just a teensy bit guilty for killing an injured man. Not much though, because said injured man was Zabuza Momochi after all.

Still....perhaps he could delay the inevitable, even if only for a few days more. His kids still weren't ready yet, not for the real kind of challenges shinobi faced everyday. He just needed a bit longer with them.

A deep breath, and Kakashi makes his first move.

"Maa~ Zabuza...nice to see you again as well. How about you come out so we can...talk."