Emiko's POV

I sighed as I sat on Sasu-oji's lap. We were currently sitting on a boat towards the land of waves. I squinted my eyes to see anything around us, only for the thick fog to get in the way. I pouted considering using my Sharingan but decided against it. I opted for closing my eyes and sensing for any threatening presences in the area. I opened my eyes again when I felt no danger around us. Right now, I could only sense the presence of teams, Tazuna, and the man controlling the boat. I turned my attention to the team when Sakura began to speak.

"The mist is so thick. I can't see what's ahead." Sakura said.

I sweat dropped a bit at her usual obvious observation. Seeing as nothing interesting was going to happen anytime soon, I closed my eyes and leaned against Sasuke to catch some sleep. Of course that couldn't happen with my team around when Naruto decided to interrupt my short moment of peace.

"IT'S HUGE!"

I growled a bit at the sudden noise but opened my eyes nonetheless seeing the silhouette of the bridge.

"Hey, keep your voice down! We're using this boat and hiding in the mist. That's why I'm rowing instead of using the engine. In other words, if we get caught, we'll be in big trouble!" The boatman hissed.

"Tazuna-san.... before the boat gets to the pier, there's something I need to ask you. I need to know the identity of the ones who are after you and the reason. Or we can call this mission off when you get ashore, Tazuna-san." Kakashi said calmly, but I could hear the treat in his voice.

The boat was silent, and the salty air around you mingled with the water. You looked expectantly at the bridge builder, waiting for him to spill the truth.

"It looks like I have to tell you the real story. I mean I would like for you to hear my story. As you have said, this mission is mostly out of your job description. An extremely terrible man is after my life." Tazuna started.

"An extremely terrible man?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yes."

"Who is it?"

"You should have all at least heard of the name. Marine transportation billionaire Gatoh."

My head perked at this.

Gatoh? It can't be him that man. He's a coward, there's no way he could have taken control of the Land of Waves no matter how small it is.

"Gatoh? The one from the Gatoh Company?" Kakashi's eyes widened, "He's one of the richest men in the world."

"Who's that? What?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," Tazuna nodded, "He is the president of the marine transportation company on the outside. But underground, he uses gangs and ninja to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also does nasty jobs like takeovers of other companies and countries. A year ago, he set his sights on the Land of Waves. He entered this country using violence and wealth as his shield-"

Of course the coward would use his money to hire ninja and gangs.

"-And he quickly took over the island's sea traffic and transportation. On an island like the Land of Waves, controlling the sea means ruling over the wealth, politics, and people of this island. And the one thing that Gatoh is afraid of..."

"The completion of the bridge, correct?" I interrupted, staring up at the bridge.

Tazuna nodded solemnly.

"I see. So you, as the one building the bridge, became an obstacle to him." Sakura said.

"Then those ninja were sent by Gatoh." Sasuke added.

"But I don't understand. He's a dangerous man that uses ninja. Why did you hide the fact when you came to us?" Kakashi asked.

I sighed and decided to answer, "From the condition that the Land of Waves is suffering right now, they don't have enough money to request for anything higher than a C Rank. Don't bother asking how I know. Let's just say that before I came to Konoha I travelled a lot."

At this I gave Kakashi a pointed look. He nodded understanding that I knew from being with the Akatsuki. We both turned our attention to the bridge builder as he began to speak.

"If you quit your mission after we reach the pier, I'll be killed for sure, while I go home," I knew Tazuna was up to something when I saw the glint in his eye, "But there's no need for you to blame yourselves. Only my cute eight year old grandson will cry and cry and cry some more."

I sweat dropped.

No way. He's actually trying to guilt trip us?

"And my daughter will just hold a grudge against Konoha ninja and live a lonely life. But it's not your fault."

We all stared at each other knowing we all felt guilt building in all of us. Kakashi sighed as he played with his forehead protector as he thought of what to do. Kakashi sighed again and turned to Tazuna.

"I guess it can't be helped. We will continue escorting you." Kakashi agreed reluctantly.

"That's good to hear." Tazuna grinned obviously knowing we were going to agree.

The remainder of the ride was silent before the man steering the boat told us we were almost there. I turned to the front and squinted my eyes seeing the pier up ahead. We steered into a tunnel and my eyes widened when I saw the beautiful site of the Land of Waves. A smile made it's way on my face when I remembered the time I came here with Kisame. Seeing that we were on land now. I got off of Sasuke's lap and pulled myself up off the boat. The rest of the team got off as well, Tazuna being the last one.

"All right, take me home safely." Tazuna ordered.

I huffed at his remark.

He could at least say please. We are saving his life right now.

"Hai hai." Kakashi answered lazily.

We all turned, making our way to Tazuna's home.

As we were making our way down a path I walked calmly beside Sasuke. I glanced at Naruto and saw that he was glaring at Sasuke. My eyebrows burrowed when he suddenly walked ahead of the team and glanced everywhere. I gasped slightly when he suddenly took out a kunai and threw it towards a bush. From everyone else's expressions they were surprised as well.

"There!" Naruto yelled.

We all remained silent until Naruto broke it.

"Oh, it was just a mouse." Naruto stated as if he were proud of himself, and knowing him he probably was.

"Stop showing off! There was nothing there!" Sakura chastised.

"Please Naruto, don't use-your kunai so abusively." Kakashi added, "It's dangerous in the first place."

"Hey, you dwarf! Don't scare us!" Tazuna yelled.

"I see someone hiding over there. No, is he over there?" Naruto said.

Kakashi glanced behind us as I did the same. I closed my eyes searching for any presences ignoring the fact that Naruto threw another one of his kunai.

Where could they be?

"There!" Naruto yelled.

"Hey, I told you stop!" Sakura yelled, and from the sound of it also smacked Naruto.

"But I really did sense someone." Naruto complained.

"Liar, cut it out!

My eyes widened when I felt the faint presence from where Naruto threw his kunai. I gasped as I felt something heading our direction. My eyes snapped open when I yelled at the same time as Kakashi.

"GET DOWN!"

I tackled Tazuna to the ground, as I was closest to him, while Kakashi tackled Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke hearing our warning ducked down in time to dodge a giant sword that forged itself into a tree where our heads once were.

A man suddenly jumped down, landing on the hilt of the giant sword. His head turned as his eyes narrowed at us. My eyes widened when I saw the familiar man. The man was tall and noticeably muscular man with pale skin, short spiky, black hair, brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He wore a bandaged like mask over the bottom half of his face. He wore his Kirigakure forehead protector sideways on his head and was donned with a belt that covered his chest, baggy pants with a striped pattern, mimetic wrist-warmers extending to his elbow and matching leg warmers which held a cow print pattern to them. Glancing at the sword he stood on, I remembered it being called Kubikiribōchō, the Decapitating Carving Knife.

"Oh my my, you are Momochi Zabuza, the exiled ninja of the Hidden Village of Mist." Kakashi stated calmly, but from his tense form I could tell he was ready for any attack.

I gasped a bit when Naruto ran forward only to be blocked by Kakashi.

"You're in the way. Stay back, everyone." Kakashi ordered.

"Why?!" Naruto protested.

"He's way out different from the guys we met before. If he's our enemy," I watched transfixed along with the rest of the team as Kakashi reached for the covered eye, "I can't win like this."

"I'm guessing you are Kakashi the Sharingan User." The man finally spoke.

I glanced at Sasuke and saw him stare at Kakashi in surprise.

"I'm sorry, but I'll need you to hand over the geezer."

Everyone was silent at the man's statement. My hand slipped under my cloak side as I grabbed the hilt one of my katanas. Tracing over the symbols that were on the hilt I could tell it was Hi.

"Everyone, form the swastika formation," Kakashi said with his hand still on his hitai-ate, "Protect Tazuna-san. Don't join the battle."

"What?" Sakura questioned quietly.

"To not interfere with this battle is teamwork."

I watched transfixed as Kakashi lifted his headband up. Snapping his left eye open, it revealed his Sharingan. No matter how many times I saw it, It always mystified me how non-Uchiha could wield the secrets of the Sharingan.

"Fight me." Kakashi declared as everyone stared at his left eye in shock.

"I'm honoured that I can see the Sharingan that I've heard about." Zabuza said.

"You guys have been saying Sharingan, but what is it?" Naruto asked.

I turned my sight to Sasuke as he began to explain the Sharingan. "Sharingan... The eye creates it, and it is the power that the pupil generates. Ones who use doujutsu are said to have eye powers that can see through all genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu, and cancel their effects. Sharingan is one of the various types of eyes that those doujutsu users possess. But that's not the only ability the Sharingan possesses."

"Correct. That isn't all though," Zabuza said, "The scary part is that Sharingan can understand how an opponents technique works, and copy it."

My eyes narrowed and grip tightened in my katana when I saw mist beginning to envelope the area.

"When I was in the Hidden Village of the Mist's assassination squad your information was listed in the bingo book I carried asking for you capture. It also noted this. The man who copied more than 1000 techniques, Kakashi the copy ninja."

"Wow!" Naruto said amazed at the information Zabuza had just revealed. 

My eyes widened a bit when I saw Zabuza turn his gaze to me. Seeing Kakashi's shoulders tense I knew he noticed as well.

"I see you have the little princess on your team as well," From the movement, I knew Zabuza was smirking under his bandages, "It's good to see the Cloaked Dragon Princess of the Akatsuki after so long. Tell me, what are you doing so faraway from your castle?"

I felt myself tense at the stares I could feel from my teammates and Tazuna.

"Zabuza..." I said.

"Oh? You're not calling me Moomoo-chan anymore? What about Zabu-oji? Or did you not miss me that much, Doragon Hime-sama?"

I remained silent but looked up in surprise when Kakashi stepped in front of me.

"Leave her out of this." Kakashi commanded. 

"Hn, anything for the dear princess," Zabuza said as he did a mock bow towards me causing me to clench my teeth," Let's cut the chitchat here. I have to kill that geezer right away.

We all got information around Tazuna, with Sakura on his right, Naruto on his left, Sasuke in front, and me in the back. My katana Hi was now out in the open, ready for any attack. 

"But Kakashi, it seems I have to defeat you first." With that, Zabuza took out his sword from the tree and disappeared from our sights. I glanced around trying to pinpoint his location and stared up at the trees when I saw movement, but quickly moved my attention to the water where I sensed Zabuza's chakra.

"He's there!" Naruto exclaimed.

"And he's on top of the water?" Sakura added.

I felt a huge amount of chakra being added to the water and couldn't help but wonder what exactly Zabuza was planning. Seeing his hands in a familiar stance, I got ready for anything.

"Mist concealment." Moments later, the mist began to thicken, and Zabuza had once again disappeared from our sights. 

"He disappeared." Naruto said.

"Sensei!" Sakura began.

"He'll try to eliminate me first, but..." Kakashi said.

"What is he?" Sakura asked.

"Momochi Zabuza. He was in the Hidden Village of the Mist's ANBU and was known for his 'silent killing' techniques." 

"Silent?" Naruto questioned nervously.

"Just as the name implies, it's a killing technique that's executed in a flash and carried out in absolute silence. It's possible that you'll be dead before you realize it. And I cannot use my Sharingan to its fullest potential. So don't let your guard down."

"But if you fail, you're only going to die." Kakashi added nonchalantly.

I sweat dropped as he added more pressure to the rest of the genin.

"You're so carefree!" Sakura said.

The mist around us thickened, which did not go unnoticed. "The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto said.

"The Land of Waves is surrounded by the ocean, so a mist often emerges." Tazuna explained.

I shook my head feeling the chakra surrounding us. "No, that's not it. This mist, it's a concealment jutsu. Zabuza was the one to cast it."

"Sensei." I turned to where Kakashi stood at Sakura's call only to see mist blocking my view.

"Eight points." Zabuza's voice echoed around us.

"What is it?" Sakura inquired.

"The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart. Now, which vital organ do you want me to get struck at?" 

Everyone tensed at Zabuza's words but was snapped out of our daze as Kakashi used his chakra to move the mist away. I glanced over my shoulder when I felt Sasuke's heart rate increase. The kunai in his hand was shaking as he shook. I bit my lip from saying anything but my eyes widened when he suddenly turned the kunai to himself.

'Sasu-oji!' I screamed internally.

"Sasuke," Kakashi snapped Sasuke out of his daze," Don't worry. I'll protect the four of you with my life. I won't let anyone on my team die." 

Kakashi turned around and gave us a reassuring smile causing us to relax a bit. Sasuke's shaking stop but I froze when I felt Zabuza's chakra signature advance towards us at an amazing speed.

"I don't know about that." I gasped as I saw Zabuza in the middle of out formation in front of Tazuna, "This is the end."

Quickly, I pushed Tazuna out of the way and blocked Zabuza's sword with my katana. I felt myself being forced back from the amount of pressure but added chakra to my feet to keep my steady. I gritted my teeth as Zabuza stared at me with his usual hidden smirk. "Still the same as ever, Hime-sama."

I pushed his sword back and jumped over the incoming blade. Before he could dodge, I kicked him square in the face making sure I infused some chakra in my leg, sending Zabuza away from my team and Tazuna. Kakashi took this chance and flashed in front of Zabuza and stabbed him using a kunai. My eyes narrowed as not blood poured out from the wound but water.

Water Clone!

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto warned.

Kakashi turned in time to see Zabuza but not enough to dodge.

"Die!" Zabuza yelled.

Seeing the slight change in Kakashi's chakra, a smirk took place on my lips as Zabuza's sword cut through Kakashi's own water clone. Zabuza's eyes widened at this revelation. I watched with my katana in front of me as Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza holding a kunai to his neck.

"Don't move," Kakashi threatened, "This is the end."

- - - - - - - - - 
Hai - yes / okay
Hitai-ate - forehead protector
Kirigakure - Village Hidden by Mist
Doragon Hime - Dragon Princess
Kubikiribōchō - decapitating carving knife
Doujutsu - eye technique
Zabuza - never cut twice

Yeah and I'm back. Sorry for not updating sooner. I'm really behind in all of my work and if I don't catch up soon I'll fail my first year at high school. Anyway, sorry for the really late update. From now on, I will try my best to update faster, but if I don't I hope you all understand. With March break up ahead, I'll be updating more often and that's for sure. I hope you all liked the update and please comment below or DM who you think Emiko should be with. Thanks for all your support. Comment, vote, follow, or add to your library. This chapter is dedicated to @SilverWolf457. Thanks for the support!

Dream on, 
Yoru/Yume-san