Of Perfect Timings, Zero Visibility, and Teamwork
-Of Perfect Timings, Zero Visibility, and Teamwork-
"Hah, now that I'm here everything will be alright!" Naruto said with a small laugh as the others watched on blankly.
"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed happily.
"You know how in stories the hero usually shows up at the last minute and kicks butt? Well that's what I'm gonna do right now! Believe it!" Naruto continued confidently, taking everyone's blank expressions as surprised ones.
'Saa~ He had the perfect opportunity, and he wasted it.' Amaya thought, deadpanning.
"Ugh, this kid again." Zabuza complained, glaring at the blond.
'Shut up, Naruto.' Sasuke thought as he winced in pain from Haku's previous attack.
'What an idiot. If he'd stay hidden, he could've been so much more effective.' Kakashi mused to himself dully. Both himself and Amaya thinking of all of the openings the blond could've used to attack.
"Alright you're history!" Naruto said as he began to make an all too familiar hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Already annoyed and wanting to finish quickly, Zabuza let out a low growl before pulling out four shuriken.
"NO!" Kakashi bellowed, his eye widening as Zabuza threw the shuriken. However, despite Naruto watching this, he didn't move out of the way. "NARUTO! MOVE!" Kakashi yelled as the boy only gave a small "Hah?" in confusion. However, just as the shuriken almost hit their mark, Haku pulled out and threw his his own senbon. The needles hit the oncoming shuriken and knocked them off course.
"They didn't get him..." Sakura said aloud in awe.
Amaya slouched over, placing a hand on her chest as she said, "If Zabuza doesn't kill me today, Naruto eventually will." Feeling her rapidly beating heart, she continued to herself, 'I won't even get to be as old as Tsunade.'
"The weapons cancelled each other out, amazing! Now that's what I call lucky, I think." Tazuna comments suddenly, startling the brunette once again as he'd been quiet this whole time. 'I can't believe I forgot about him.' She thought with a sweatdrop, side-eyeing the elder.
"What are you doing Naruto?! Are you crazy?!" Sakura scolded, shortly followed by Kakashi. "This is a battle, not a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your jutsu!" At Kakashi's scolding, Naruto flinched back slightly. The silver haired Jounin then continued, "The shinobi's art is deception! Always keep the enemy guessing! Even when executing a single jutsu, one must distract their opponent's attention. Catch them off balance, and out maneuver them. You just turn yourself into a human target when you enter a battle like that!"
"GAH! I'm sorry! I was just trying to rescue everybody!" The blond apologized hastily, nervously sweating.
Kakashi, however, ignored the boy as he focused his attention back on Haku. "But there's another mystery here." He states as everyone glanced at the masked nin. 'Him.'
"Haku, what are you doing?" Zabuza asked gruffly with narrowed eyes.
Haku was silent for a moment before finally replying, "Zabuza, this boy... Let me fight him my own way. Please."
"Bring it on!" Naruto retorts confidently as he moved into a fighting stance, taking Haku's words as a challenge.
"Hmph, so you want me to leave this to you. Is that it, Haku?" Zabuza asked again. His only response, however, was silence. "As usual, you're too soft."
"Forgive me." Haku replied quietly.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Zabuza's words. 'Soft? Hmm.. he's right. Look at these wounds, he cut me up with his needles, yet he didn't hit a single vital spot. Why? Is he just trying to humiliate me?!' He asked himself angrily, taking in all of the scrapes covering his skin.
"I'm warning you! One way or another I'm gonna rip off that mask and tear you apart!" Naruto yelled, pointing at Haku, who stayed silent.
'Saa~ Here we go.' Amaya thought as she watched her best friend closely.
'It's impossible. Naruto can't match this kid. I've got to...' At the thought, Kakashi made to move forward again, but Zabuza kept him in place with a single look.
"Don't even think about it. You know the score, Kakashi. If you go after Haku, I go after the bridge builder." The rogue all but growled threateningly.
'Hah, he's got me... I can't protect Tazuna and help Naruto and Sasuke at the same time. Sakura's feisty and Amaya's fiercely capable, but they can't fight Zabuza alone.' Kakashi thought to himself, glancing briefly at the three behind him.
"Relax, Kakashi. Sit back and enjoy the show. Let's see how they do. One on one." Zabuza adds with a dark chuckle.
Kakashi glanced back at the three again. 'Maybe Amaya could...' He thought and with a moment's hesitation, nods to himself. "Amaya." He calls out as the brunette turns her attention back to him.
The Minamoto stares for a moment, waiting for him to say more before realizing what he wanted her to do. "Right." She replies with a nod, immediately breaking into a sprint towards the dome of ice mirrors.
Zabuza's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he watched the girl move. Unsheathing his sword, he jerks forward and makes a large swipe at the brunette.
Amaya quickly drops to the ground and rolls under the blade, barely missing it by a second. Once free of the swords range, she's on her feet in a flash, leaping away slightly for more distance.
The rogue growls and begins to pivot on his heel, however, he's stopped by Kakashi as the Jounin surges forward and blocks the attack with his quickly drawn kunai and hand guards.
"Keep going!" He snaps, not once taking his fierce gaze from Zabuza's form.
Amaya flinches at her teacher's tone of voice but doesn't hesitate to follow the order as she turns and continues her trek towards the dome.
"'If you enter this fight, you fight me.' Remember?" Kakashi asks lowly, putting more pressure against the blades.
Zabuza growls and jumps back, his anger and annoyance reaching a whole new level as the Copycat used his own words against him.
***
As Amaya reached the dome, she spared a glance at Haku. Seeing as he was too busy watching Naruto, she slipped into a gap between two of the mirrors. "Sasuke? Hey Duckbutt!" She called out in a whisper as she padded over to the Uchiha.
Sasuke looked away from Haku at the sound of nearing light footsteps and an all too familiar voice. "Amaya? What are you doing here?!" he asked in a harsh whisper.
"Oh, please there's no need to thank me. Really." The brunette sarcastically shot back, rolling her eyes. "Sensei sent me. He's got his hands full with chuckles over there." She added while jabbing her thumb over her shoulder. "Now, can you stand?" She asks, moving closer to assist him if needed.
Both of their attention was soon caught by Naruto's voice. "That mask! And that bogus story! You were with Zabuza all along! You think that you can get away with a stunt like that?!" He asked angrily, pointing at Haku once more.
"I'm sorry." Haku replied softly, still watching the blond silently.
"Huh?" Naruto asked confused, his posture relaxing slightly.
"But as your sensei said, deceiving your opponent, catching them off guard, that is the art of shinobi. Please don't take it personally." Haku continued calmly.
Amaya turned her attention back to Sasuke next to her. She began to help remove some of the needles as gently as she could. "So, what's the plan Uchiha?" She asked quietly with a raised brow, making him smirk.
Sasuke however, didn't look away from Haku or reply to her question. 'And while your jabbering, I'll catch you off guard!' He thought to himself, quickly pulling out a kunai before throwing it at the masked nin.
Haku leans backwards slightly as the kunai flies past his face. The sudden attack surprised Naruto, prompting him to look towards the dome of ice mirrors. "Sasuke...? Amaya?"
"I haven't forgotten about you. Not for an instant." Haku informed lowly, his tone sending uneasy shivers down Amaya's spine.
'So that's where Sasuke is... He's pinned down, and Amaya must've gotten stuck helping him.' Naruto thought to himself as he observed his best friend and teammate.
"Some warriors accept defeat gracefully. They know when they are beaten. Others do not. So be it, let us finish out battle then. To the death!" Haku states seriously as he turns away from Naruto and begins to walk back to the mirrors. Not at all phased by Amaya's sudden appearance.
"Wha-- Hey, where are you going?!" Naruto asks in disbelief, as Haku brushes him off for the moment.
"It's alright, Naruto. We'll have our fight next." Haku replies calmly as he steps back into the mirror.
Amaya took a deep breath and pulled out a kunai. 'Saa~ Here we go.'
Sasuke looked around at the surrounding mirrors before focusing on the one Haku initially stepped into. 'The real one is over there. Now--'
"I'm behind you."
Both Sasuke and Amaya spun around. 'He transported himself in an instant! How?!' Sasuke thought, slightly exasperated.
Before the two could do anything, they were surrounded by mirror images of Haku once again. Each image moved in sync as they readied their senbon needles and flung them at the duo.
As Sasuke fell backwards hissing in pain, Amaya stepped in front of him and tried to use her kunai to stop some of the onslaught. It proved to be effective, but it still didn't stop her from getting multiple scrapes and scratches on her arms and legs.
'So he can move between the mirrors and use them all in unison... Obviously he can't be in more than one at the same time... Is it like a mirage? A Genjutsu technique?' Amaya asked herself, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to unravel the jutsu.
"Sasuke! Amaya!" Naruto yelled out in concern as he watched as the two were barraged by needles. 'What is that?! Amaya and Sasuke's getting all ripped up! I can't even tell where the attacks are coming from! How's he doing that?!'
Sasuke winced in pain as he sat up. 'What kind of jutsu is this? Could it be.. he has clones hiding in the mirrors.. all throwing needles at the same time. No.. they're too fast for that. I can't even see where they're coming from! And if it was just a clone jutsu, then he wouldn't need the ice mirrors. Those mirrors are definitely the key to his attacks. But what's our next move?' He thought to himself as he glanced to the panting brunette beside him.
"You three. Think. You need to attack from the inside and the outside at the same time!" Kakashi's voice called from outside the dome, his voice slightly muffled by the distance.
At the advice, Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction as a smirk formed on his lips. 'Yes, it's all about positioning! And we're in the perfect position. If Amaya and I attack him from here, and Naruto hits him from the outside, we can do it.'
Suddenly the duos vision was filled with bright orange, along with yellow and blue.
Naruto.
"Hey! I snuck in here to save you two! Pretty cool move, huh?" The blond gloated confidently.
Amaya stared at the blond, dumbfounded. "Eh?"
On the other hand, Sasuke's own bewildered expression quickly turned into one of annoyance. "Gah! You are a complete loser! You're a shinobi, think carefully before you move!" He scolds harshly, sending the boy a fierce glare.
"What the heck's your problem?! You should thank me for coming in here to help you!" Naruto snapped back, returning the Uchiha's scowl.
"Saa~ Naru.. I love ya and all, but you can be such an idiot sometimes." Amaya groaned, facepalming.
"Naruto, if we're all inside here... UGH! Forget it! I've had it with your mistakes!" Sasuke snapped angrily, only a second away from throttling the blond.
Naruto's scowl only deepened. "And I've had it with your attitude! Believe it!"
Amaya's own temper only rose higher and higher every minute the two argued, until she finally snapped. "WELL I'VE HAD IT WITH THE BOTH OF YOU!" She screeched angrily, her eyebrow twitching and her fist clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white.
Sasuke huffs and turns back to face Haku. "That's it! I'm going to destroy these mirrors right now!" As he said this, he began to perform hand signs. "Katōn..."
"Hey what attack are you using?!" Naruto asked.
"These mirrors are made of ice, so how do you destroy ice? Figure it out!" Sasuke snaps in response before finishing the hand signs. "Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
The huge ball of fire hit the ice, melting it slightly and nothing else.
"That didn't do anything at all!" Naruto complained, prompting Haku to speak up.
"You'll need much more heat than that to melt this ice." He informed, making Sasuke lowly growl in response. Suddenly the ice began to glow with the same white light as before, and the trio were knocked back.
"Where is he?! Where's the needle attack coming from?! Are they clones?!" Naruto asked as he stood. "We've gotta find the real one! Which one is it?"
"You can look into every mirror as hard as you like, you'll never learn the secret." Haku replied nonchalantly, his voice ringing out clearly throughout the dome.
'Saa~ These guys really don't understand how persistent Naruto can be.' Amaya thought to herself with a weak smile.
"Oh yeah?! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, preforming the hand sign.
Sasuke shot the blond a look of surprise. "No don't!" He cries out; however he was too late as the surrounding area began to fill up with the boys clones.
"If you've got a hundred mirrors, then a hundred of me will smash them all! Then I'll find where you really are!" Naruto states confidently with a grin as they all run forward.
Suddenly, faster than any of their eyes could comprehend, the clones began to disperse before they even attempted an attack on the ice. One by one they disappeared with a poof, leaving the real Naruto crashing to the ground with a thud.
"These mirrors only reflect my image. Allowing me to transport myself at light speed... Through my eyes, you appear to be moving in slow motion." Haku informed, not phased in the slightest.
"I knew it! It's a bloodline trait! Kekkei Genkai." Kakashi murmurs in realization as Zabuza laughs. 'Amaya must've thought the same.' He thought to himself as he remembered what the brunette had told him before. '"That's not a normal jutsu..."'
"Kekkei Genkai? What is it?" Sakura asked curiously, glancing between the two Jounin.
"It's like my Sharingan, or the Minamoto's Yōso no Mage. You can't learn it, it has to be in your blood. In your genetic code, passed down from generation to generation within a single clan." Kakashi replied informatively. His focus drifting between the rogue in front of him and the ice mirrors.
"But that means..." Sakura trailed off.
"Yes. Even I can't copy that jutsu. There's no way to destroy it, and no way to stop him." Kakashi replied gravely as Zabuza smirked to himself.
"I couldn't break through." Naruto growls, catching the trio's attention. He then continued, "So what? He's not gonna stop me! I'm not giving up and I'm not gonna lose here! Cause I have a dream, and no one's going to take it from me! Someday I'll be respected in my village, that's my dream! To be the greatest Hokage!"
"Dreams..." Haku mumbled, as he began to think back to when he and Zabuza first met. Soon enough, he snapped out of his reverie. "It was not my dream to become a Shinobi. It's painful. I don't want to kill you, but if you advance, I will have no choice... Then I'll kill the kindness in my own heart and fully embrace the shinobi way. And there will be no mercy, no turning back. This bridge will be the battlefield where our dreams collide. Now I must fight for my dream, just as you fight for yours. Please do not blame me, I fight for someone who is precious to me. I live for him and I face death for him, so that his dream may become reality... That is my dream, and for the sake of that dream if I must, I will act as a Shinobi, and take your lives." After saying this, Haku's mirror images ready their senbon as the three Genin smirk in response.
"Sasuke! Naruto! Amaya! Take this guy out! You can do it!" Sakura calls out, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Don't Sakura! Don't push them." Kakashi cuts in, interrupting her as he glances back.
"Huh?"
"Even if they somehow found a way to overcome the mirror jutsu, they still couldn't defeat this ninja." Kakashi replied, giving Zabuza a hard look.
"H-how can you be so sure?" Sakura stammers out. Her question causes Zabuza to laugh loudly, making her look fearfully at her teacher.
"They have the desire to win, but they don't have the instinct to kill. That boy is a whole other breed. He lives for pain, he thrives on it." Kakashi replies, not once moving his gaze from Zabuza.
"Exactly. Your village has become complacent. Your trainees never learn the most important lesson of all: To kill the feelings in their own hearts. Crush an opponent mercilessly. To destroy with no emotion or regret." Zabuza sneered.
"But then... Sensei what are we gonna do? Please tell us!" The pinkette pleaded, her voice filled with worry.
Kakashi however, didn't reply. Instead he tried to formulate a plan. 'I could make a break to save Naruto, Sasuke, and Amaya. But he'd slay the bridge builder. If I use shadow clones... Nah, he'd just match them with water clones. I'd be wasting chakra. Heh, so I have no choice. It's me or Zabuza here and now. I'll have to do this the hard way.' As he thought this, he went to remove his headband. 'The Sharingan.'
Zabuza lets out a chuckle. "Sharingan. You're no fun Kakashi. Using the same old tricks." He mocks before rushing forward.
"Huh?!" Kakashi questions as his eyes widen slightly, not expecting Zabuza to make a move so soon.
Ignoring the other male's brief confusion, the rogue nin pulls out a kunai and makes a swipe at Kakashi's eye.
In response, Kakashi quickly brings up his other hand and blocks the blow, receiving a stab wound to his palm. "If it's just a old trick, why did you just stop me?" Kakashi asks earning a chuckle in return.
"Let your opponent see your jutsu too many times, and he'll find a way to use it against you." Zabuza replied gruffly.
"Then count yourself lucky. You're the only man alive who's seen my Sharingan twice. Shows over, there won't be a next time." Kakashi counters back.
"Even if you did defeat me, you'd have no chance against Haku." Zabuza informs with a chuckle.
Sakura gasps lightly at the insinuation and turns to look at the ice mirrors. 'Is that possible? That boy in the mask is stronger than Kakashi-sensei?'
Zabuza then continued speak. "When I found him, he was just a street kid. But I trained him in the most advanced ninja techniques. I taught him everything I know. Plus, he has special abilities that he refined on his own... The boy developed quickly, soon he could face the most powerful enemy. Outnumbered or in total darkness, it didn't matter. He could strike with perfect accuracy. He cares nothing for his own life, or the lives of others. He'd become a unique fighting machine. A Shinobi. In the end, his powers surpassed even mine. His bloodline trait, the Kekkei Genkai, cannot be defeated by anyone. I've created a tool that can destroy anyone that stands in my way... Unlike the useless punks that follow you around!"
'I didn't get to him! Then I'll try it again! As many times as it takes!' Naruto thought to himself before preforming hand signs. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
"Naruto, don't!" Sasuke yelled again.
'Saa~ He's just gonna waste more chakra that way.' Amaya thought to herself, watching along with Sasuke as the attack failed once again. This time however, the ravenet was able to follow Haku's movements slightly with some water that Naruto and his clones had kicked up.
Once again, the clones dispersed, and Haku sent another barrage of needles at the trio. "How is he doing that?!" Naruto yelled angrily.
'It was barely there... But I saw it. I could see the trails and follow his moves.' Sasuke thought to himself as Naruto made more hand signs. "One more time! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
As the clones ran forward once more, Sasuke followed suit, he swiped his leg out and kicked more water into the air. "Don't you see that it's useless?" Haku asks as he stops the clones again, unknowing that Sasuke could track his movements with the droplets of water in the air.
'I can see his speed, but that doesn't mean that I can match it!... The water.. it's being repelled. What if I try something else? Not water.. but.. yes. Now it's my move.' Sasuke thought to himself with a slight smirk before turning to the brunette beside him.
Zabuza lets out a chuckle. "You think those Genin punks together can beat Haku? He's the ultimate battle tool of destruction!"
"Are you finished bragging? You're starting to put me to sleep. Let's finish this!" Kakashi snaps as he pulls his headband up. "Now!"
"Fine. But there's one more thing you should know. A little more "bragging" as you say." Zabuza replies lowly.
"Hm?"
"Did you really think our last battle was just win or lose? That I took your attacks like some rank Genin? Haku was there, hiding. Watching every move you made, studying your Sharingan. Haku can see a Jutsu once and immediately devise a lethal counterattack. It's one of his.. gifts. I've been waiting to see the look on your face when you realize your Sharingan has become worthless. You once said, "The same Jutsu won't work on me twice." Well now I'm telling you that." Zabuza continued mockingly.
"Huh?"
Zabuza jumps farther away and begins to make hand signs. "Kirigakure no Jutsu!"
'This is it.' Kakashi thought as he dropped into a fighting stance.
Tazuna looked around the area with squinted eyes. 'What going on? The mist is so thick. Visibility is zero.' He thought to himself as the surrounding area became an almost white canvas of swirling mist.
"Sensei?" Sakura called out, looking blindly in the direction where Kakashi was last seen.
"Sakura, stay with Tazuna." The Jounin replied as he stared hard into the mist.
The pinkette nodded to herself as she thought, 'I have to be strong and believe in Sasuke, Naruto, Amaya, and Kakashi-sensei.' She then turns to run towards Tazuna. "And I have my job to do, no matter what it takes!"
Hearing footsteps draw near, Tazuna turns in their general direction. "Hmm? Oh Sakura." The elder sighs in relief as the girl moves to stand in front of him defensively once more.
Pulling out a kunai, she says, "Follow my lead Tazuna-san and whatever happens, stay close."
"Alright, I'll stay right behind you." Tazuna replies gruffly.
'I know you need me Zabuza... I'll finish them off quickly.' Haku thought to himself as Naruto, once again, attacks with his shadow clones. 'He just won't give up!' He thought again before moving to stop the clones once more. As he's jumping out from one mirror to another, he sees a bright, gleaming fireball headed his way. 'What?! Fireball Jutsu?!'
He narrowly dodges and continues to stop the clones. 'It shouldn't be taking this long to defeat them!' He thought, slightly exasperated.
***
Meanwhile, Sasuke and Amaya watch from below as the clones disperse one by one. They make eye contact and nod, both thinking back to the conversation from before.
-Flashback-
'I can see his speed, but that doesn't mean that I can match it!... The water.. it's being repelled. What if I try something else? Not water.. but.. yes. Now it's my move.' Sasuke thought to himself with a slight smirk before turning to the brunette beside him. "Amaya." he calls quietly, making her turn to him.
"Yeah?" She questions, her eyes darting from the clones to the boy next to her.
"You're a wind style user, right?" Sasuke asked rhetorically, prompting the girl to nod.
"Yeah, it's my clans governing chakra nature... Why?" Amaya answered, raising a curious brow. Sasuke didn't say anything but gave her a knowing look, making her eyes widen slightly. "You mean you--"
Sasuke's nod of affirmation silenced her question. "Can you do it?"
"Well yeah, I actually have a jutsu in mind for that... But we have to be careful, I'm still learning so it takes up a lot of chakra plus, I've never used it like this before." Amaya trailed off with furrowed brows.
-Flashback End-
"Saa~... Well, here goes nothing." The brunette mumbled as she and Sasuke began to preform hand signs. She stretched her thumb across her palm with her ring finger touching its tip, keeping the rest straight. "Let's hope this works!... Yōso no Mage: Kaze no Bāsuto!" She mumbles before jutting her palm outwards, sending out a sharp burst of wind towards Sasuke's fireball.
The duos combination seemed to work as the fire got larger than before. And it seemed to be successful as Haku didn't dodge the attack in time, the fire burning a piece of his clothing.
'Got him that time. I'm starting to get the timing.' Sasuke thought to himself proudly as he watched Haku jump back into the mirrors. Looking over to Amaya, he found her hunched over panting harshly. "Oi, what's wrong?"
Amaya waved a hand in dismissal. "That was... A new jutsu.. Tou-sans been helping me with." She answers in between pants before adding with a deep breath and exhale. "It still gets me since I'm learning it. It uses quite a bit of chakra as well."
The Uchiha stares at her for a moment longer before letting out a "Hn".
"It's the Hidden Mist Jutsu. But this mist is even too thick for Zabuza. How can he fight in it?" Kakashi mused to himself aloud. Suddenly a light whistling sound fills the air, he quickly turns to find multiple weapons flying towards him. Pulling out a kunai, he knocks them away.
"Very skillful, as I'd expect from Kakashi the Sharingan Warrior." Zabuza drawls while appearing in his earlier spot.
"His eyes are closed!" Kakashi gasped in surprise, observing the rouge nin a few feet away.
"But next time you see me, will be the last time you see anything. Without your Sharingan you're nothing." Zabuza continues before disappearing into the mist again.
"What?" Kakashi mumbled to himself while glancing around the area.
Zabuza's voice rang out again. "You wanted me to believe you could see through anything. Even through time. But your prediction was wrong, I'm still alive. So, you're a fraud Kakashi, you can't read the future and you can't read me. The Sharingan is just a cheap trick that makes you seem more powerful than you really are. I know now, your Sharingan has two separate elements. The piercing eye, which sees every detail, and the hypnotic eye, which mesmerizes your opponent. Employing these abilities, you can execute multiple jutsu in quick succession. To make it seem like you could see the future. First, with the piercing eye, you copied my movements instantly. This replication of movement makes me doubt my own thoughts. Once I was shaken, you infiltrated my mind, waiting for the slightest flutter to anticipate my actions, seeking out any hints to my next move. You time it precisely. Waiting for the right moment. The instant my mind becomes unfocused, you create a new illusion. With your hypnotic eye, you induce me to make hand signs while you're making the same signs. So you seem to be copying me, when really you're controlling my movements. Now that I know this, a very simple plan can defeat you. First, neutralize you're piercing eye with zero visibility mist." Right as he finishes speaking, Kakashi is knocked back roughly.
'The mist is slowing down my reaction time.' Kakashi thought to himself as he continued to scour the area with narrowed eyes.
Zabuza chuckles. "Next, neutralize your hypnotic eye, by keeping my own eyes closed. You can't bore into my mind if you can look into my eyes."
"Brilliant. Except with your eyes closed, you can't see me either." Kakashi replies, somewhat smug.
"Have you forgotten who I am Kakashi? I'm the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Master of the silent kill. I can take you out by sound alone." Zabuza retorts, his response making Kakashi's eyes widen slightly before narrowing once more.
'They read my movements! But that's not possible!' Haku thought in surprise as he stared down at the Uchiha and Minamoto below.
"I was so close, but I couldn't quite get to him." Naruto mumbles in frustration, making the two turn to him.
"Naruto can you do it again?" Sasuke asks.
"Huh? Of course, nothing can stop me, believe it!" The blond replies haughtily, preparing to make more shadow clones.
"Amaya? What about you?" The Uchiha asks again, turning to her as she hums in thought.
"I think I can do that jutsu one more time, after that I'll have to stick with weapons and Taijutsu." Amaya finally replies with a small nod as she made the single-handed sign once more.
'They don't want to show it but they're exhausted. The Shadow Clone Jutsu takes up so much chakra and if what Amaya says is true, that jutsu takes a lot out of beginners. But thanks to them I figured it out. I know how to break through.' Sasuke thought to himself as he glanced at the two beside of him.
'The human eye cannot track my movements. It must've been a coincidence.' Haku thought, still trying to shake off what happened before.
The mirrors begin to glow again, prompting Sasuke to turn to the blond while making hand signs. "Naruto run for it!" He yells, confusing the boy slightly.
"Huh?"
"Get out of here and attack from the outside! Hurry!" The Uchiha orders again.
"Alright, you got it!" Naruto replies confidently, taking off towards a small opening between the mirrors.
"You cannot escape." Haku states calmly just as Naruto is thrown back. The blond, however, is unperturbed, as he gets back up and tries again.
"You think you can keep me here? Forget it!" Naruto yells as he takes off running. In response, Haku steps out of the mirror once more to stop the blond.
Sasuke, seeing their chance, motions towards Amaya who nods in response. "That's it! Katōn: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"/"Yōso no Mage! Kaze no Bāsuto!"
The duos combination once again, works. However, Haku swiftly dodges and throws senbon needles at the two, leaving Sasuke with a somewhat deep shoulder wound and Amaya a nasty scrape on her cheek. Haku then jumps in front of Naruto before spinning around and kicking the blond back to his teammates.
"I couldn't get past him." Naruto grunts, looking over as Sasuke pulls a needle out of his shoulder and Amaya wipes blood from her cheek.
"That's was good, Naruto." Sasuke praises as he re-evaluates the plan.
"Huh?" Naruto asks confused, not seeing anything good about the situation they were in.
"One more time!" The Uchiha replies as he turns to look at the two.
"Yeah, let's do it!" Naruto agrees, turning to Amaya with a grin.
The brunette stares at the two before sighing. "Saa~... Let's end this already." She finally concedes, smiling softly as the two begin smirking.
'There must be a limit to his chakra, too. I can feel him slowing down.' Sasuke thought to himself.
Soon enough, the three took off running at the same time, each one aiming for an opening between the mirrors.
"No more games. I need to stop this now! This time you'll stay down!" Haku yells out, thoroughly annoyed as he throws a needle at Sasuke, which embeds right under the Uchiha's knee. The needle does its job, forcing Sasuke to the ground. Haku then takes this chance to throw more, each one hitting their desired mark.
"Sasuke!" Both Naruto and Amaya cry out as they both stop running to turn and look at their teammate. Haku, using this to his advantage, sends a barrage of needles their way as well. Most of them embed into Naruto's back, while the rest hit Amaya in her thighs and right side.
'An enemy you can't see and can't hear.' Kakashi mused to himself before adding worriedly, 'It's been a long time since I've faced anyone this tough. And Sasuke, Amaya, and Naruto... I don't know if they can hold out.' He then let out a sigh. 'Stay calm. Think. Where will he strike?' Kakashi stood there for a moment before realization struck him. 'The bridge builder!'
About that same time, Zabuza appeared right behind both Tazuna and Sakura. Kakashi moved quickly to stand between the elder and the rouge.
"Too late!" Zabuza roared as he swung his sword.
Sakura's screams echoed throughout the area.