Of Bone And Ice - Chapter 55

Haku stood face to face with Zabuza. The man who he had first thought would be his saviour, his master and his purpose.

Zabuza was dressed in a sleeveless black shirt and matching pants, complete with Kirigakure’s striped wrist and leg-warmers, Zabuza also wore bandages that were wrapped around his face and neck along with his Kiri forehead protector, with two swords strapped to his back.

Kimimaro recognized who he was, also having seen him in person, as well as reading a file on him as a missing-nin in the bingo book.

“This isn’t good.” He thought to himself as he ȧssessed the situation in an instant.

“Fire style, fireball jutsu!” Koyuki shouted trying to launch a counterattack after seeing what he had done to their sensei.

Zabuza simply gruffed as he didn’t even move out of the way of the fire style, instead slicing it in half with a large sword he pulled from his back.

“Haku get away from him!” Kimimaro shouted all of a sudden trying to warm his friend as Zabuza seemed to vanish.

Zabuza was too fast though and struck Haku in the stomach with a kick while he was still a little confused.

The force of the kick sent him flying before Kimimaro caught him in the air, halting his fall.

Koyuki was shocked he had deflected her fire style so easily and watched as Zabuza kicked Haku before Kimimaro saved him.

“We can’t beat him!” Kimimaro shouted over to her, just as she was getting ready to launch another attack.

Koyuki looked at Kimimaro and then back to Zabuza who was stood still with his sword resting over his shoulder.

Zabuza smiled as he recognised who Koyuku was.

“So the daughter of the fourth, and the two adopted kin of the fifth.” He said pointing his sword at them.

“What an interesting combination for a squad.” Zabuza then said before he stabbed his sword into the ground.

“It’s time to see how well Fuyōna taught you,” Zabuza said as he started to walk towards them.

Haku had recovered now but was still a little shaken up from the attack. However, he didn’t have time to rest as Kimimaro snapped him out of it.

“He’s coming! Defensive positions!” He shouted alerting Haku and Koyuki to Zabuza’s sudden ȧssault.

Zabuza suddenly vanished and reappeared as he moved too fast for them to keep track of.

“Behind you.” He then said before he kicked Koyuki with enough force to send her flying through the air and crashing into the cliffside.

Kimimaro quickly jumped forwards attacking with everything he had, letting his bones fly as he danced and sliced using his body as a living weapon.

Zabuza dodged his attacks and blocked others with a kunai he pulled from his hip to counter Kimimaros razor-sharp bones.

“Not bad boy.” He said as he blocked a spinning ȧssault from Kimimaro who continued to jump and attack without stopping.

Zabuza jumped back into the air, blocking the ȧssault of bone bullets that were gunning for him before he landed.

“Not bad.” He thought before he quickly ducked as a handful of senbon flew over his head from Haku, causing Zabuza to shift his attention to him for a moment.

Haku launched in and attacked using his wind style to boost his speed. Something Zabuza noticed right away.

Zabuza blocked a one-two and leaned back to avoid a jumping roundhouse kick, making it look like he was toying with the boy.

Haku quickly landed and attacked with another flurry of punches and kicks that Zabuza swatted away with ease.

“Hmm, is that all he taught you?” Zabuza said mockingly.

Haku frowned as he grew serious now and dropped to the ground avoiding a slap from Zabuza.

Haku quickly threw a handful of senbon needles to distract him which Zabuza deflected with his kunai. However, Haku had planned for that and finished his hand signs with one hand still free.

“So you can do that too?” Zabuza said seeming impressed.

“Ice style, one thousand needles of death!” Haku said as the moisture in the air froze and formed a large number of ice needles that surrounded Zabuza.

“Take this!” Haku said as the ice needles crashed into Zabuza, impaling him.

However, Zabuza’s body turned to water and burst.

“A clone!” Haku shouted in surprise.

“Perhaps I chose the wrong apprentice,” Zabuza said seeming disappointed in his abilities as he appeared behind him.

Haku’s eyes suddenly opened wide in rage as his anger took over him.

Zabuza could feel the temperature around him drop before an ice spike started to shoot from the ground.

Zabuza jumped high into the air to avoid them, almost seeming impressed. He didn’t have time to take it easy though as Kimimaro appeared behind him midair, as he opened his arms wide, letting his ribcage shoot from his skin like a steel trap.

Zabuza was hit by the jutsu and the boys watched with hopeful eyes as he hit the ground, becoming trapped by the bone cage.

Their hope was quickly replaced with panic as Zabuza’s body turned into water, showing it was another water clone.

“Now!” He shouted as he leaned forwards and let the bones in his back shoot out, trying to impale Zabuza who he thought was behind him.

To Kimimaro’s surprise, a hand suddenly gripped his head and slammed his face into the ground.

“You have some good reflexes kid,” Zabuza said before letting go as he felt the boy stop moving.

“Kimimaro!” Haku shouted as he watched from the sidelines, not being able to move fast enough to help his friend.

Koyuki was back up now and also watched as Kimimaro was slammed face-first into the ground. Her body was still hurting from Zabuza’s kick but she knew she had to do something to try and stop that monster.

Koyuki pulled two handfuls of kunai from her weapon pouch, holding them between each of her fingers as she crossed her arms over her face.

“This is the last thing my father taught me before he died.”

“I’m not going to be left behind!” She shouted as she tossed them all at the ground in front of her before forming hand signs.

Her chakra started to flare as the wind picked up around her body before she finished her jutsu.

“Wind style, violent Windstream!” She said as the wind style suddenly picked up all of the kunai and spiralled towards Zabuza, growing faster and faster.

He noticed the jutsu coming towards him and smiled, knowing it wasn’t a simple one this time.

“Not bad.” He said as he was forced to draw his other sword from his back before the wind style reached him.

“I’m not done yet!” Koyuki shouted as she jumped into the air and threw barrage after barrage of kunai into the wind style turning it into a tornado of razor-sharp projectiles with Zabuza at the centre.

Zabuza deflected all of the kunai that came his way. However, as the number started to increase he was unable to keep up with so many and small cuts started to appear on his body.

Zabuza noticed the cuts and clenched his teeth as he growled in anger.

“This is for Kaga sensei!” Koyuki then shouted as she formed the hand signs for her fireball jutsu, taking as large a breath as she could before unleashing it with a massive roar.

The firing style and the wind style suddenly mixed and the tornado of kunai abruptly became engulfed in fire with the heat being so intense that it melted all of the kunai inside of it.

Haku watched in amazement at Koyuki’s combined jutsu. Not knowing she was so strong.

He took his chance and quickly grabbed Kimimaro from the ground before regrouping with Koyuki, as they watched her jutsu at work.

“Did we get him?” He asked as he looked at the fire tornado.

Suddenly the fire style burst open as if something inside of it had ripped it in half. The flames dispersed and the half-melted kunai fell to the ground before the three genin could see what had happened.

Their eyes slowly opened wide in fear as they laid their gaze upon the one who was responsible.

Zabuza’s demonic aura had burst to life. Its will and force were so strong that it had even extinguished the flames from Koyuki’s jutsu before it fixed its attention on all three of them.

Zabuza took a step forwards as his demonic aura seemed to almost force the three of them to their knees, it’s weight being too strong to resist it.

He was unharmed but his rage was certainly felt. Zabuza slowly stood up straight and let his demonic bloodlust calm down before he fixed his sight on the three of them.

“You brats made me get serious for a second there,” Zabuza said as he raised his sword, letting it rest on his shoulder.

“But im afraid playtime is over.” He said growing serious once more.

Haku, Koyuki and Kimimaro all took a defensive stance as they got ready to at least try to defend themselves, not giving up.

Zabuza felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and suddenly turned around, quickly slicing his sword down as hard as he could at Kaga, who had tried to slice him in half with his own large blade.

Their blades clashed in the air letting sparks fly before the two locked into a battle of strength, neither of them giving in.

“Kaga sensei!” All three of the genin shouted as they watched him exchange blows with Zabuza before they broke away and Kaga slid back towards his students.

“Sensei we thought you were dead!” Koyuki said looking happy to see him.

“I’m sorry I took so long, are you three ok?” He asked as he took a good look at them.

“Yes sensei we are fine,” Haku said.

Kaga could tell that the three of them had given it their best shot. But he knew how strong Zabuza was before he left the village and he knew the only reason they were still alive was that he was toying with them.

“It’s ok now, leave it to me,” Kaga said as he swung his sword and took an offensive stance.

Zabuza slowly walked over to his other sword that was still stuck in the ground before he pulled it out.

“It’s been a while, Kaga,” Zabuza said as he gave his blades a twirl in his hands.

“I’m under orders from Lord Mizukage to take you in Zabuza. Dead or alive.” He said giving him a warning.

“If you think I will answer to Fuyōna, you are mistaken! And if you think you can take me alone you are a fool.” Zabuza said as he pointed one of his swords at Kaga.

Kaga smiled, showing his perfect white teeth.

“But im not alone.” He said.

Suddenly two Anbu dressed in Kiri robes appeared and attack Zabuza from either side with their swords.

Zabuza was taken off guard for a second but blocked both of the attacks before the two of them tried to chain another combination attack at him.

“Not so easy!” Zabuza said as he blocked one of their strikes and kicked him in the stomach sending him crashing into the ground.

The second Anbu exchanged blows with Zabuza before he was forced to jump back to avoid a killing blow.

“Fools,” Zabuza said as he smiled.

“If that’s how you want to play it, then so be it.”

Zabuza placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled, giving a signal to the rest of his men who had remained hidden until now.

Two shadows appeared from the darkness next to Zabuza before the pair threw away their cloak.

“You called?” One of them asked. He had shoulder-length, wild dark-brown hair and dark eyes. He had a rebreather that covers the lower half of his face and a large, clawed, gauntlet on his left arm. He wore a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, dark-coloured, knee-length sandals and several pouches around his waist and his forehead protector had two horns on it.

The other also had shoulder-length, wild dark-brown hair and dark eyes. He to wore a rebreather that covers the lower half of his face and had a large clawed gauntlet on his right arm. He wore a camouflage suit with bandages around his waist, dark-coloured, knee-length sandals and a ragged black cape. His forehead protector had a single horn on it.

Kaga stepped forward and clenched his teeth along with the Anbu who also took a defensive position.

“The demon brothers.” Kaga spat, tightening his grip around the hilt of his blade.

“Look who it is Gōzu.” The one with two horns on his head said.

“Long time no see, Kaga,” Gōzu said as he flexed his clawed gauntlet.

“Meizu, looks like we finally get to finish Kaga off for good this time,” Gōzu said getting a smile from his brother.

“This isn’t time for playing around you two,” Zabuza said as he stepped forwards.

“We kill them all.” Zabuza then said, getting serious.

Kaga turned to his students and then looked at the two Anbu he was with.

“There is no way we can take them on without their help.” He thought, not liking the idea.

“Kimimaro.” Kaga then said in a serious tone.

“I am appointing you squad leader and giving you a new mission.” He said, not taking his eyes off Zabuza.

“I and the two Anbu there will need everything we have to have a chance at taking Zabuza down. For us to do that im going to need you three to hold the demon brothers off, think you can handle that?” He said.

Kimimaro looked at the two brothers, weighing them in as he looked them up and down.

“They are both chunin level mist shinobi who specialise in poisonous combination attacks. Do not take them lightly.” Kaga said.

Kimimaro and the others listened closely before they nodded.

“Yes sensei, leave it to us,” Kimimaro said with both Haku and Koyuki nodding in agreement.

“Leave Zabuza to us.” Kaga then said as he walked over to the Anbu, standing in front of them with his sword pointed at Zabuza.

“We are taking you down Zabuza!”

“He’s still got a big mouth,” Meizu said with a frown.

“Things won’t be the same as last time, Kaga,” Gōzu said getting angry.

“I want you two to kill the kids. Leave the other three to me.” Zabuza said to both of them.

The demon brothers didn’t object and instead smiled.

“Leave it to us,” Gōzu said as he looked at his brother.

“Let’s do this,” Meizu said with a wild look in his eye.

“Now!” Kaga and Zabuza shouted at the same time as both teams charged in for the attack.

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That’s the end of this chapter!

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