Edited 29/06/2015

Kakashi's POV

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" I call, as Zabuza stares at my Sharingan eye in frustration and disbelief.

"W-What?!" he yells, water beginning to violently swirl at my feet. It forms a ring above my head, gathering more and more water from the lake beneath us. The vortex explodes towards Zabuza, crashing into him heavily and throwing him backwards

I can't help but be a little bit smug, knowing how much it would annoy him that I'd just used the same Jutsu that he was about to use.

I hear Zabuza shout in frustration, as the vortex of chakra fuelled water cascades through the forest, washing the Demon of the Mist along with it. I spot Naruto hurriedly grabbing for a tree, not wanting to be swept along with Zabuza in the small flood. Luckily, Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna aren't in the line of fire.

Zabuza grunts in pain as he is bashed against a tree, the water pushing him up against the bark and flowing powerfully around the base of the trunk. I quickly throw four kunai at Zabuza, the knives piercing through his clothing and pinning him to the tree. Bending my knees, I leap up to a branch above Zabuza and glance down at him over my shoulder.

"You're finished" I inform the injured man darkly, before taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. Fights between Shinobi don't usually last this long, and I'm beginning to feel a little tired now. Time to finish this before Zabuza has a chance to catch his breath.

The rest of the water I'd used for my Jutsu rushes past Zabuza, forming a rather large puddle some distance behind him. Clearly irritated, the Mist Ninja raises his head and glares up at me.

"How?!" he asks me sharply. "Can you see into the future?!"

"As a matter of fact, I can" I lie, pulling another kunai out of my weapons pouch. "I can see that this is going to be the last battle you ever have a part in!"

"I see no one's dead yet" a voice mutters from somewhere in front of me, sounding a little disappointed. I glance up, only to see Ashley standing on a tall rock in the middle of our battlefield. She stares back at me, only for her eyes to flick up to my left, an unimpressed scowl suddenly appearing on her face.

"Ashley?!" Naruto calls out in surprise.

"What are you doing back here?" I question my most unfriendly student, though her eyes don't stray from whatever it is she's glaring at.

Before I can ask what she's so troubled by, Zabuza suddenly lets out a yell and slumps heavily to the ground.

"What the-?" I exclaim in surprise, jumping down to the ground without finishing my sentence.

I see two needles sticking out from Zabuza's neck, his eyes closed. He looks dead to me, but just to make sure, I place two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse.

"He's got no vital signs" I eventually announce, sighing.

Glancing up into a tree, I see a figure dressed in green and yellow, wearing an ANBU mask. That must have been what Ashley was glaring at. But why did the presence of an ANBU irritate her so much?

Actually, everything seems to irritate her, so it's not really that strange I guess.

The figure in the tree suddenly chuckles as he jumps down from the tree, his voice light and silky.

"Looks like you were right" he agrees softly. "It was his last battle."

The rest of my team, as well as Tazuna, all watch the new Ninja cautiously as he approaches us. Ashley bends down and suddenly appears next to me, staring up at the newcomer darkly, scowl still in place.

The ANBU pauses at the sight of the blonde and seems to look back at her for a few moments, before bowing his head.

"Thank you" he says humbly. "I've been tracking Zabuza for quite some time now, just waiting for the chance to finally take him down."

"By the looks of your mask, I'd say that you're a Tracking Ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist" I comment warily, causing him to lift his head and look at me.

"Hmmm, impressive" he compliments kindly. "You're obviously well informed. I am indeed a Tracking Ninja from the Hidden Mist Village, and it was my duty to stop Zabuza."

'Judging by how tall he is and the sound of his voice,' I think to myself, "He's around the same age as Naruto and Sasuke. Yet, he's already an Elite assassin.....He's definitely no ordinary kid.'

Suddenly, Naruto rushes forwards and growls at the Ninja before us.

"What is this?!" he yells in frustration, raising his fist at the Ninja. "Who do you think you are anyway?!"

The Ninja just stares at him, while Ashley looks deep in thought, still scowling as she tilts her head to the side. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that that girl has conversations with herself a lot.

"Did you hear me?!" Naruto demands to know, as I stand up.

"Easy there Naruto, he's not our enemy" I inform him, causing the blonde kid to turn to me, a determined look on his face.

"That's not the point!" he cries. "Did you see what he did, just like that? I mean, he's no bigger than me, but he brought Zabuza down so easily! Zabuza was huge! Like a monster! He took him out like it was nothing to him!"

Naruto turns to everyone.

"What does that make us?!" he asks pointedly, his teammates looking ashamed. Well, except for Ashley. She's staring back at the young Ninja with a stony expression, but I can see the hint of suspicion in her gaze. "We were just fumbling around, like little kids who couldn't do anything!"

"You've only just begun your journey as a Ninja" I explain, as gently as I can, "But this kid has obviously been a Ninja for a lot longer than you. No one expects you to be an elite Ninja yet Naruto."

I place a hand on the blonde's head, ruffling his hair slightly.

"In this world there are kids who are younger than you" I add, causing Naruto's blue eyes to widen, "And are actually stronger than me."

With a gust of wind, the Tracker Ninja disappears from before me and reappears next to Zabuza's body. I hear Ashley let out a small growl as he appears closer to her, but I'm not sure why. She must really just dislike people.

The boy places Zabuza across his shoulders, before looking at all of us.

"Your struggle is over for now" he informs us calmly. "I will deal with Zabuza's remains. Please excuse me, and farewell." He disappears with another gust of wind.

I sigh and pull my headband back down over my eye, relieved that our fight with Zabuza is over. That had been one tiring fight. Not to mention my team had almost gotten seriously hurt.

Naruto suddenly runs over to the tree the ninja had first appeared in, a frown on his face.

"He's gone Naruto, just let it go" I sigh, to which he growls, but says nothing.

"Hmmmm....." I hear Ashley murmur, making me think of something.

She had abandoned her team in their time of need. Now, I may be her Sensei, but I do not respect people that leave their teammates behind.

"And just where did you run off to Ashley?" I ask sternly, trying not to sound too angry. "We could've used your help with Zabuza."

Her bright, fuchsia eyes land on me, face as blank as ever while she stares at me thoughtfully.

".........I'm not stupid enough to take Zabuza on" she eventually informs me bluntly. "I.......Look, it's none of your business, okay?"

Giving the blonde girl an unimpressed look, I cross my arms and lean down towards her.

"I have some questions that I'd like to ask you at a later point in time" I inform her seriously, earning a sharp glare.

"Don't expect me to answer any of them" Ashley retorts, making me sigh once again. Why did she always have to be so difficult. I know next to nothing about her, and I can't help but feel like she's hiding something from us. Especially since that run in with Zabuza. Had they known each other at some point?

Sakura timidly steps forward, trying to look Ashley in the eye without seeming afraid. Despite not looking too scary, I think the blonde's sharp tongue and cruel words were somewhat intimidating to a girl like Sakura.

"Uhh, Ashley?" she questions, causing Ashley to throw her a bored look. "How did you know Zabuza anyway?"

I roll my eyes and wonder why she'd bother asking, it's not like Ashley will-

"I met him around three years ago" Ashley sighs irritably, interrupting my thoughts and surprising me at the same time. Naruto and Sakura look on with obvious interest, while Sasuke pretends to not care. Anyone with a brain can see that he really wants to know though, seeing as he's subtly edging closer.

Heck, even I want to know, so I allow her to continue.

"It was back when I was....well, doing a lot of travelling you could say."

Ashley's POV

"It was back when I was-"

'Don't tell them....' Hakuba warns.

"-Doing a lot of travelling you could say" I tell them, internally rolling my eyes at Hakuba's warning. As if I'd be stupid enough to tell them anything important.

Naruto plonks himself down on the ground and leans forwards as Sakura watches me eagerly, while Sasuke sort of glances me from the corner of his eye.

Pffft, his cool act doesn't fool me at all.

"I was making my way past the Village Hidden in the Mist-"

'Shut your mouth brat!' Hakuba barks angrily. 'You'll regret sharing this with them!'

'I know Hakuba!' I snap back, finding his interruptions not only rude, but seriously annoying. I'm not quite as dumb as he may think.

"Past the Mist Village?" Kakashi prompts, seeing that I've suddenly paused. I shake my head quickly and give Kakashi a questioning look. Why does he want to know my story so badly?

"Yeah" I continue slowly, still giving Kakashi a strange look, "So I was making my way past the Hidden Mist Village, when I was suddenly surrounded by a really thick fog and had a huge sword pointed at my throat...."

"You......" deep voice growls through the thick fog, a sword suddenly being pointed at my Master's neck.

"What could you possibly be skulking around here for?" the voice questions tauntingly, causing my Master to smirk.

I stare nervously into the thick fog, unable to see anything in front of me. It wasn't often that my Master took me out so far away from the hideout, and I really didn't want to get into any fights if I could avoid it.

"I am merely out to collect volunteers" my Master answers mysteriously, sounding somewhat amused. "I have no business with the likes of you."

"Well, I now seem to have some business with you," the unfamiliar voice chuckles lowly, "Since you're trespassing in Hidden Mist territory."

My eyes flick to the left slightly, sensing faint vibrations that feel like footsteps, although they seem to be retreating. Does this mystery person before us have an accomplice with him?.....

My Master smirks, seemingly unfazed by the underlying threat aimed at him.

"What do you care?" he hisses darkly, "You're nothing more than a rogue and a deserter. How could my presence, in a land you betrayed no less, possibly offend you?"

The seemingly invisibly Ninja growls, pulling his giant blade away from my Master's neck with a whoosh sound, before it is suddenly swung towards me. Managing to sense the movement through the ground, I do a back handspring, sliding backwards across the dirt. Crouching down, I place a hand to my neck, feeling a slight stinging sensation in my skin.

"That's some quick reaction speed your brat's got" the deep voice chuckles mockingly, sounding unimpressed. "I only managed to scratch her. Most people would be headless after that."

"She has......abilities" my Master murmurs, turning his head in my direction. "This fog won't hinder her much at all."

I don't respond to my Master's praise, only narrowing my eyes as I feel the mysterious Ninja facing us shift his weight.

I don't know who this Ninja is, but to face my Master like this without fear, I can only assume that he is incredibly strong. My Master's faith in me does nothing to calm my nerves either. He is correct in stating that I have abilities and for someone my age I am strong, but this......I can only hope that my Master will be the one taking on the fight if it comes to that...

"I don't really care about this kid" the man growls dangerously, taking a step forwards, "I'm more concerned about you Orochimaru. Your presence here can't mean anything good, and I don't have time to ask questions!"

That said, I feel the man hoist his giant sword back, before suddenly launching himself forwards, moving with considerable speed.

Feeling that my Master isn't going to move out of the way, I rush forwards, throwing my arms out in front of me. I skid to a halt beside my Master, as a thick dome of earth rises over us and envelopes us in darkness.

I flinch slightly at the sound of a loud thud outside of the dome, the attacking Ninja's sword crashing down on top of it. Luckily, I had not been far away from my Master, because this other Ninja is fast...

My Master smirks as a small trickle of dirt fall to the ground, apparently unconcerned by our situation.

"A fine defence" my Master drawls. "But it seems he isn't finished yet......Go and prove yourself to me."

My head whips to the side as I stare at in my Master's direction in disbelief, despite not being able to see him. He surely couldn't be serious?

Was this going to be some sort of test for me?

"But Lord Orochimaru" I begin to protest, not really wanting to risk my life to protect his. "This guy seems way too-"

I am cut off as my Master's hand suddenly grips my throat, his cold fingers sending a chill down my spine.

"Do not disappoint me" the man warns me in a low voice, before releasing me and pushing me away.

I stumble backwards a few steps, waving one hand to make an opening in the dome behind me.

"Y-Yes my Lord...." I finally answer, feeling defeated.

I can already tell that I'm not going to be able to match this guy. He can move so fast and to swing such a large weapon with ease.....

I take a deep breath as I exit the dome and step back out into the dense fog, my heart thudding against my chest. I have fought with many people since Orochimaru took me away from my home, but it had only ever been people that he had kidnapped and brought back to his hideout for experimentation.

Well, I had sparred against Kabuto a few times as well. But Lord Orochimaru had seen me lose every time, so why would he put me up against this guy now?!

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" I shout, jumping up on top of the dome and leaning forwards to breathe out a chakra powered gust of wind.

I watch as the gale wind blows away most of the fog, allowing me to now stare down at the man that had attacked us.

Though he has his head turned slightly away from the stinging wind, I can still see that our attacker is a tall, muscular man with dark hair. In one hand he wields a giant blade, the weapon even larger than I had been expecting.

Slowly turning his head back around, the man narrows his eyes at me, the lower half of his face covered by bandages.

"Foolish little brat" he growls, straightening up and hoisting his sword over his shoulder. "You have no idea who it is you're up against. If you want to live, you'd best run away."

I remain silent for a moment, almost laughing at the thought of being able to run away. If only it were that easy, I would have done it already...

"It seems like you're the one who doesn't know what he's up against" I retort, if only to satisfy my Master's ego. "Lord Orochimaru is the strongest Shinobi alive, and I won't let anyone disrespect him like this!"

"Your Master is nothing more than a twisted, old man" the dark haired man taunts, as if I am not already fully aware. "He knows that he can't hold his own against the Demon of the Hidden Mist, so he's sending in his embarrassingly weak lackey to do the work for him. What can a kid do against me?"

I can't help frowning with annoyance at the man's mocking words. While I may seem like nothing to him, I certainly wouldn't call myself embarrassingly weak!

"Water Style: Water Beast!" I call out, sending a small amount of chakra out into the damp ground, before leaping towards the man. As I pull two kunai out of my weapons pouch, a large Wolf-like creature forms out of the water on the ground. It releases a loud roar, before charging towards the man as well.

"I'll show you what a kid can do" I murmur, trying to encourage myself and ease my own fear, before leaping forwards.

I narrow my eyes as the man chuckles under his breath and swiftly pulls his sword from his shoulder. He easily counters my two kunai as I crash into the blade, the different metals hitting each other with a loud clatter. Glaring into his dark eyes, I am suddenly pushed backwards with the man's sword, the sudden change in trajectory winding me for a second.

I slide backwards across the ground, just as my Water Beast gallops past. I watch as, with one powerful swing of his sword, the enemy Ninja slashes my Water Beast in half. The water sloshes to the ground around his feet, as he raises his eyes to look at me.

I immediately fling my two kunai forwards, only to then raise up my arms and focus on the water.

"I'm so disappointed" the man scoffs, easily deflecting my kunai knives with his sword. "I would have expected a student of Orochimaru's to be better than-"

The man is suddenly silenced as the water around his feet rises up into the air and surrounds him, swiftly encasing him in a watery sphere. I see the man's eyes widen slightly, seeming to realise that he can no longer breathe.

I feel sweat beginning to form on my brow as the Ninja begins to flail around, trying to escape the water. I hold my arms out in front of me, hands clenched into fists, as I struggle to keep him prisoner.

Let him drown. Then at least he won't try to kill me and Lord Orochimaru will be satisfied.

"Zabuza..." I hear a voice softly say, before I am suddenly hit by a painful stinging sensation in the side of my neck.

"Aahh!" I cry out, automatically dropping my hands and bringing one to my neck. I see the water fall from around the enemy, as my fingers touch what seems to be a needle.

The man drops down into a crouched position, gasping for air and glaring angrily at me, as I grit my teeth and rip the needle from my neck. I drop the small weapon on the ground and open my mouth to speak, when a heavy force slams into me from the side.

I am sent tumbling across the dirt, until I crash into something very cold, and very hard. For a few seconds, I remain lying in a heap, my head spinning and my neck still stinging. After a few moments, I slowly climb to my feet and look around.

My eyes widen in confusion, as I see that I am now surrounded by large mirrors. They line the ground and floating in the air around and above me, seemingly trapping me inside.

"....Is this a Jutsu?" I wonder out loud, rubbing my arms due to the sudden drop in temperature.

I have only been learning about Jutsu since Orochimaru took me away from my homeland, so there are many that I don't understand or have never seen. I don't even know very many myself yet.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you for threatening my Master" a quiet voice tells me, causing my head to snap back down to ground level.

I find myself staring into the mirror directly in front of me, only to see a person reflected in it. An older boy looks back at me, wearing green robes and having his long, black hair tied back from his face.

I can't help growling quietly at this person, taking up a more defensive position. I may not know much about Jutsu, but if this guy was going to threaten me, I was going to die fighting.

"You're out of your mind if you think a bunch of mirrors are going to defeat me" I scoff, before leaping for one of the small gaps between the mirrors.

As I am about to escape my icy prison, something heavy collides with me, sending me tumbling back down into the dome and landing heavily on the ground.

Blinking with surprise, I quickly jump to my feet and look up, only to see the boy still staring at me, though he seems to have moved from one mirror to another.

"Hmph..." I mutter, staring the boy down, before abruptly whirling around darting towards a different exit.

Just like the first time, as I am about to leap between the mirrors, I am abruptly hit by something heavy and thrown back down into the dome, though this time I manage to land on my feet.

"What......" I whisper irritably, finding myself face to face with the pale skinned boy once again. He blinks his pretty, brown eyes, looking somewhat indifferent to the situation we're in.

"You can't escape from my Jutsu" the boy informs me in his soft voice, making my scowl deepen. "I can travel from mirror to mirror at the speed of light, so you've got no possible way of out manoeuvring me."

"I'm pretty fast" I boast, bending my knees as the boy shakes his head, momentarily closing his eyes.

"I doubt you're faster than the speed of light" he states, seemingly mocking me. "I don't really want to kill you, but if you continue to attempt to kill Zabuza, then I'm afraid I may not be able to show you as much mercy as I am now."

"Mercy?" I repeat, feeling somewhat conflicted.

I had spent the last three years of my life being shown no mercy and being taught to show none in return. My Mother had taught me differently but.....but that felt like a different lifetime already.....

Outside of the mirrored dome I am currently in, I sense Lord Orochimaru beginning to move outside of the earth shield I had created to protect him. The movement immediately makes me begin to panic.

He must be growing tired of waiting for me.

I pull out a kunai knife and fling it up at one of the mirrors, hoping to shatter it and escape. I am disappointed however, when the boy flashes through the other mirrors and stops in the one I had aimed my knife at, deflecting it easily.

I jump to the side, narrowly avoiding having the knife slice my arm.

"Pointless effort" the boy informs me softly, eyes looking somewhat empathetic. "I'm too fast for you to hit, yet you can only hit me when I'm travelling between mirrors. A perplexing situation you're in."

"You should shut your mouth" I warn darkly, clapping my hands together and performing a set of hand signs. "I don't have to attack you directly. I'll just bust out of here! Earth Style: Stone Column Spear!"

Using one of the Jutsu I had learned only recently, I leap out of the way as multiple rock spears tear themselves up out of the ground, their sharp tips crashing against the boy's icy mirrors. To my aggravation, the tips of my stone spears snap off and crumble as they collide with the ice, clearly not strong enough to break through.

"Please" the boy sighs, watching me from the mirror high above me, "These mirrors are infused with a huge amount of chakra. Using a weak Jutsu like that isn't going to do any damage. This is my Kekkei Genkai, I'm afraid you're going to have to do a lot better."

Glaring up at the softly spoken boy, I pause, seeing a number of needles now in both of his hands. The boy tilts his head and releases a sigh.

"There's really no point in attacking" he informs me. "You'll be full of needles before you can finish blinking."

Before I can reply, a number of mirrors to my right suddenly explode, sending pointed shards of ice flying in all directions, raining down on me and cutting into my skin.

"What?!" I hear the boy cry, now standing in the mirror closest to me, his eyes wide with shock. Turning to see what had happened, I see hundreds of brown Pythons writing in the air, tongues flickering and fangs bared. They hiss menacingly, the noise so loud, I almost have to cover my ears with my hands.

As swiftly as they'd appeared however, the evil looking snakes retract and disappear from the icy dome, only to be replaced with the form of my Master, his arms crossed. Smirking at me, he jerks his head backwards, snake-like eyes filled with amusement.

"Come along Ashley" he hisses, "I've grown bored with these two. They have been fun to play with, but killing them will serve me no purpose. We have more important matters to attend to."

"Yes my Lord!" I reply obediently, hurrying after my Master as he turns his back on the icy dome, the mirrors beginning to crumble and fall to the ground.

It doesn't seem like he's angry with me, and I definitely want to keep it that way.

"Such....such strength...." I hear the boy whisper in disbelief, referring to my Master.

As I step out of the crumbling ice dome, I see holes in the earth and broken trees around me. I pause for a few seconds, surprised by the devastation that Lord Orochimaru had managed to create in such a short amount of time.

I supposed I shouldn't be shocked though. I've seen what great and terrifying power he has...

Hearing a faint groaning sound to my right, I turn my head, only to hood my as my mouth turns down. Lying on the ground, half covered in rocky debris, is Zabuza, his blade laying a couple of metres away from him.

I can't help but stare at Zabuza as Lord Orochimaru and I move to exit the area. I had been so scared of that Ninja, knowing he was far more powerful than me and yet....My Master had managed to defeat him in mere minutes.

I glance back up at Lord Orochimaru from the corner of my eyes, swallowing the lump that has formed in my throat.

No matter how much I may hate him, this is exactly why I don't disobey him or run away. He'll easily find me and do much worse to me than he did to Zabuza.....

Everyone gives me a questioning look, wanting me to continue. I snap my head up, only just realising that I've been staring at the ground, silent.

"You know what?" I ask rhetorically, glowering at all of my teammates in turn. "I don't have to tell you anything about myself!"

"Screw you all....." I add under my breath, turning my head away and scowling to myself.

'Good choice brat' Hakuba praises, though doesn't sound too sincere. 'It's not a good idea to tell anyone about yourself. That kind of information can be used against you in the future.'

'......You're right Hakuba' I begrudgingly admit. 'I dunno what I was thinking....'

Kakashi stares at me curiously, before sighing heavily and turning to the rest of our team.

"Well, the mission isn't over yet anyway" he tells us cheerily, trying to change the subject. "We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge."

The others look slightly disappointed, probably because I didn't end up telling them how I knew Zabuza. Tazuna laughs roughly.

"Sorry about causing all this trouble for ya!" he exclaims sheepishly. "But you can all take a rest when we get to the Village."

Kakashi nods at him and then glances at Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and myself.

"Alright then, let's get a move on!" the silver haired Jonin orders, with all of us following after him, admittedly a little begrudgingly, when Kakashi freezes.

"What's your problem Kakashi?" I inquire boredly, considering shoving him aside. "You're in the way."

Without a word, the Jonin suddenly falls to the ground, face first. Sakura, Naruto and Tazuna gasp loudly, while Sasuke's eyes widen with concern. I cross my arms and look at Kakashi through hooded eyes, one eyebrow raised.

"Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura cries with alarm, dropping to her knees beside the now unconscious man.

"What happened to him?!" Naruto exclaims, as Sakura begins wringing her hands in distress.

"Oh, what'll we do?" Sakura questions rhetorically, not really looking for answers. "What's wrong with him?!"

Annoyed by their hopeless expressions, I sigh and shove everyone out of the way. Stopping beside Kakashi, I roll him over with my foot and peer down at the unconscious man, mouth set in a firm line.

That idiot. He'd probably passed out from over using his Sharingan. Surely he'd know that since he has no Uchiha blood whatsoever, maintaining use of the Sharingan takes a much harsher toll on his body than it would if he did have Uchiha blood.

"He's just passed out from exhaustion" I inform the others bluntly, waving my hand in a dismissive fashion. "He overused his Sharingan and his body just gave out. He needs to rest for awhile and then he'll be fine."

"How do you know that for sure?" Sasuke demands to know, giving me a suspicious look. Returning his look with an even, uncaring one, I shrug a shoulder.

"I just do" I tell Sasuke smartly, making him scowl. "Now, you and Naruto will pick him up and carry him the rest of the way."

"Hn" is Sasuke's only reply, as Naruto turns to me angrily, pouting like a child.

"Who made you boss?!" the blonde asks rudely. "Why do me and Sasuke have to carry him?"

I glare back at Naruto, making him shrink away.

"Really, you'd make two small girls carry their Sensei all the way to the Village?!" I shoot back at him, causing Sakura to smirk at Naruto smugly. "Where's your pride as a man?!"

The pinkette then turns to me with an appreciative look, causing me to roll my eyes and turn away, also ignoring Naruto's childish pout.

'Looks like you've just gained yourself a best friend' Hakuba laughs darkly, to which I shrug.

'Woo hoo' I reply sarcastically, 'Lucky me....'