The mist rolled in quietly at first — soft, almost harmless.
Then, it thickened.
The chirping of birds faded, the sound of rushing water dulled. The forest around the path grew silent, as if the world itself had stopped breathing.
From high within the canopy, I felt the pressure shift. The air grew heavy with moisture, the kind that clings to skin and dulls every sound. My senses sharpened immediately.
It was here.
An unmistakable killing intent, precise and suffocating, spread through the fog like ink in water. Even before I saw him, I knew who it belonged to.
Zabuza Momochi.
A former Hidden Mist assassin — a master of silent killing.
This was no longer a lesson. This was survival.
⸻
Tension Rising
Below, Kakashi halted abruptly, his visible eye narrowing. "Everyone, down. Guard the client."
His tone shifted — no longer the calm teacher, but the jōnin he truly was.
Sasuke moved first, forming a defensive stance beside Tazuna. "Who's out there?"
Naruto trembled, kunai in hand. "I can't see anything…"
Sakura swallowed hard but kept her ground, forcing herself to breathe evenly.
Through the mist, the faint scrape of metal echoed — deliberate, rhythmic. I recognized the sound immediately: the slow drag of a blade across a surface. It wasn't a warning. It was a promise.
Then, a massive sword — wide and heavy, like a guillotine — sliced through the fog and embedded itself into a tree trunk, mere inches from Kakashi.
"Scatter!" Kakashi barked, shoving Tazuna back as he vanished in a burst of speed.
⸻
The Silent Blade
A silhouette emerged from the mist — tall, broad-shouldered, his presence dominating the space before he even spoke.
"Hatake Kakashi," the voice said, low and rough. "Sharingan no Kakashi, huh? I didn't think I'd run into you this far from the village."
The Demon of the Hidden Mist stepped into view, water droplets clinging to his bandaged face. His eyes glinted with the hunger of a predator.
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "Momochi Zabuza. You've been busy."
Zabuza grinned. "And you've been sloppy — letting brats wander into my hunt."
Below, Naruto and Sasuke froze. Even without understanding who this man was, they felt it — the weight of his killing intent pressing down like a physical force.
I crouched along the upper branches, chakra suppressed so low it barely rippled the air. Even I felt the edge of Zabuza's killing intent biting at my nerves. Efficient. Focused. Lethal.
Kakashi drew his kunai slowly. "Sakura, protect Tazuna. Sasuke, Naruto — don't interfere. This one's out of your league."
Zabuza chuckled darkly. "Big words. Let's see if your legend's earned."
⸻
The First Clash
In an instant, the two vanished.
A burst of water exploded where they'd stood, followed by a shockwave that tore through the clearing.
Sasuke's eyes darted wildly, trying to track them. "I can't see—"
Naruto grabbed his shoulder. "He's everywhere! The mist's—"
"Stay calm!" Sakura hissed, her voice trembling but determined. "Protect Tazuna, that's our job!"
High above, I followed the rhythm of battle — the faintest distortions in air and chakra. Kakashi moved with measured precision, reading Zabuza's motions and countering every swing of the massive blade.
Zabuza, in turn, pressed forward with raw power and speed, every strike meant to kill. Their movements blurred together in a deadly dance, steel and water clashing in seamless rhythm.
Each impact shook the trees. The fight was almost too fast for the genin to comprehend.
Even I had to admit — Zabuza's mastery of mist and water was impressive. Controlled. Calculated. He wasn't fighting for show. He was fighting to end this quickly.
⸻
Trapped
Kakashi's Sharingan flared open, the tomoe spinning.
"So it's true," Zabuza growled, stepping back. "The Copy Ninja."
Kakashi's eye gleamed crimson. "You're not the first to test that title."
The mist thickened further, chakra-laden and heavy. In one swift movement, Zabuza vanished beneath the lake's surface.
Naruto gasped. "Where did he—?"
Before he could finish, Zabuza's arm shot out from the water, snaring Kakashi by the ankle and dragging him beneath. The surface rippled once, then went still.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed.
Sasuke stepped forward, his eyes darting across the lake. "He's trapped him somehow — I can't—"
The water exploded upward, revealing Kakashi suspended mid-air inside a water prison, Zabuza holding the jutsu with one hand while his clone stepped onto the shore.
Zabuza's voice echoed, calm and cruel. "It's over. Don't worry, kids. You'll be next."
⸻
Observation
From my vantage point, I observed quietly, every detail burned into my mind.
Naruto's panic. Sasuke's hesitation. Sakura's fear.
And yet, beneath it — resolve. Weak, trembling, but growing.
I could end this easily. One strike from here, and Zabuza would never see it coming.
But this was not my mission.
This was theirs.
Still, my instincts remained taut. Should Kakashi's condition worsen, intervention would no longer be a choice — it would be necessity.
For now, I waited. The wind obeyed my stillness.
⸻
A Test of Resolve
Sasuke's hands trembled, forming seals. "If we don't do something—"
Naruto grabbed him suddenly, his voice shaking but firm. "We can! Kakashi-sensei told us… to protect the client!"
He reached into his pouch and pulled out a shuriken — but his eyes were unfocused, fear clouding his aim.
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered. "If you miss, he'll just—"
Naruto's eyes sharpened suddenly. "Then I won't miss."
With a fierce throw, he launched two shuriken toward Zabuza's clone — but one sailed off course. Zabuza smirked, deflecting the first effortlessly.
"Pathetic."
Then, the "missed" shuriken curved midair — a shadow clone.
Zabuza barely had time to react as Naruto appeared from beneath, launching a desperate strike that broke the clone's concentration. The prison faltered — and Kakashi surged free.
⸻
Kakashi Unleashed
Water erupted upward as Kakashi emerged, Sharingan blazing. His chakra pulsed sharply, mirroring Zabuza's every move with terrifying precision.
Zabuza froze mid-seal, his eyes widening. "What— how—"
Kakashi's voice cut like steel. "You're too slow."
Their jutsu mirrored each other perfectly — every movement, every sign. The lake rippled violently as twin dragons rose, clashing in a deafening surge.
Zabuza's own attack turned against him, forcing him back toward the water's edge. The fight was brutal, fast, efficient — and Kakashi never once looked away.
Finally, with one final strike, Kakashi's kunai found its mark — but before he could land the finishing blow, several senbon whistled through the air, striking Zabuza's neck.
The Mist Ninja collapsed instantly.
A new voice echoed through the fog.
"That will do."
⸻
The Hunter
A masked figure appeared from the mist — small, poised, and silent. The hunter-nin.
"He was a missing-nin from my village," the newcomer said calmly, bowing slightly. "Thank you for weakening him. I will dispose of the body."
Kakashi studied the body and checked for a puls, but then nodded. "Fine."
The hunter-nin gathered Zabuza's body with practiced ease and vanished into the mist.
Naruto exhaled shakily, trembling with adrenaline. "He's gone… right?"
"For now," Kakashi murmured, his expression unreadable. "But we're not done yet. Stay close to Tazuna."
From above, I remained motionless, watching the fog swallow them again. I recognized the hunter's movements — precise, but too careful. Zabuza wasn't dead. Not yet.
This was far from over.
⸻
The Hidden Wind
The mist finally began to thin, revealing the weary faces of the young genin as they gathered around their sensei.
Naruto's hand still bled faintly, his knuckles white around the kunai. Sasuke stared at the rippling water, frustration simmering beneath his calm mask. Sakura exhaled shakily, tears threatening but unfallen.
Kakashi offered them a small nod. "You did well. You adapted under pressure."
His gaze flicked once toward the forest — just long enough for me to know he had felt it. My presence. Watching. Waiting.
I inclined my head slightly, unseen through the haze, before vanishing into the trees.
The Land of Waves had only just begun revealing its shadows — and I would continue to watch them move through it, growing, breaking, rebuilding.
The wind stirred softly in my wake.