About 2 hours passed before the mist was thick enough to pass over the lake unseen. Tazuna was eager to leave and more eager to have the group see his bridge.

"Wow, that's a big bridge," Naruto leans over the side of the boat peering at the bridge that stretched far overhead.

"Shh, we left in the mist on purpose. Unless you want to get caught shut up." Botan glares at Naruto.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, watching for people on the bridge. When they made landfall Tazuna leaped outta the boat, "alright! Now let's get me home safely!"

Everyone sighed, Kakashi thanked the boatman and they walked down a path leading to Tazuna's house. They walked for about 20 minutes before Naruto stopped everyone by throwing a kunai into the bushes. they all stood in silence waiting for someone or something to jump out of the bushes, but nothing happened.

"Naruto, stop trying to show off!" Sakura walked to the blonde and smacked his head.

"But there really was something there!" Naruto retorted rubbing the back of his head.

Kakashi walked over and found a snow-white rabbit shivering below the weapon.

"Ah! I'm so sorry bunny! I didn't mean to!" Naruto ran over and scanned the creature for any injuries. He stopped though when something dawned on him. He dropped the rabbit and backed away.

"Nauto?" Sakura looked from him to the bunny.

"During my time in the forest of death, I was able to watch foxes and snow rabbits change colors as it got colder and the days got shorter. Rabbits only turn white in the winter," he said with a cautious tone.

"Get down!" Kakashi yells as a large sword flys out of a nearby tree. Sakura tugs Tazuna down with her and Naruto jumps out of the way along with Sasuke. The swords trajectory is stoped when it lodges itself in a tree. A figure shunshins on top of the sword and looks down on the group.

"Rogue Ninja Zabuza," Kakashi looks at the man with a scowl. "It looks like this mission got a little more tricky."

"If I'm not mistaken you're Sharingan Kakashi." Zabuza looks back at him with a grin growing under his ask. "You have a hefty bounty on your head."

Naruto reaches for his kunai pouch and begins to advance at Zabuza, but is stopped by Kakashi's hand, "this guy is much stronger than the demon brothers from before. Let me handle him." Kakashi pulls up his headband from over his eye.

Sasuke's eyes widen when he sees something he never thought he would see again. "Sharingan," he gasps, trying to figure out how his sensei could have an eye from his lineage.

Kakashi looks at the group, "formation B, protect Tazuna. Do not, I repeat, do not intervene in this fight. You will die." The three children nod and stand in their B formation as ordered. Kakashi turns back to Zabuza, noting the slow crawl of mist starting to cover the area.

"If you're done talking," Zabuza crouches down to jump and grabs the handle of his sword, "I need to kill that man now."

"Sorry, but you will have to fight me first," Kakashi holds up a kunai and narrows his eyes, ready to fight, "Demon Zabuza."

"I guess you're right," instead of jumping at Tazuna, the Hidden Mist Ninja jumps onto the nearby lake, building up chakra, "Suiton, Kirigakure no Jutsu." The mist over the lake thickens and Zabuza disappears.

"I still haven't mastered my Sharingan, so keep your guard up at all times. And remember, do not involve yourselves." Kakashi turns to his team and gives a thumbs up, "but if we fail we will only die!"

"Stop being morbidly optimistic!" Sakura yells at her Sensei, huffing she gets in her stance to fight anyone who comes near.

"Did you know," a voice begins echoing around the group, "the human body has 8 places that are the most vulnerable. The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, and lungs. Then there are the jugular, subclavian veins, kidneys, and lastly, the heart. Which one will I strike for first?" Zabuza grins as he feels the genins anxiety rise.

Kakashi holds the sign for Tiger and builds up his KI the force of it blowing away the mist. Sasuke starts shivering at the feeling of pure bloodlust, "Sasuke, don't worry. I won't let you die." Kakashi smiles and turns to his genin.

"Don't be so sure about that," Zabuza appears behind Tazuna, but Kakashi sees him and flys at him with a kunai. The others jump to the ground to avoid the crossfire.

"Behind you!" Naruto points to another Zabuza as the one in front of Kakashi splashes to the ground in a puddle of water.

Zabuza pulls back his sword and smiles, he slashes Kakashi through his stomach, splitting the jonin in half. Except for Kakashi also splashing to the ground using the water clone technique as well.

"You could copy me even in this mist?" Zabuza yells panicky and looking for the Copy Ninja Kakashi.

Kakashi Holds a kunai to the missing-nin from behind, "Don't move, unless you want to lose your head."

"You think that is all it takes to end me?" Zabuza laughs, "you are good, but..." Kakashi senses another Zabuza appear behind him, "I'm no fool!"

Kakashi ducks, avoiding the sword trying to sever his head from his shoulders. Then to get kicked in the face by Zabuza, as the man charges at Kakashi still in midair, Kakahi drops Makibishi spikes. Zabuza stops dead in his tracks, as Kakashi falls into the nearby lake. Kakashi brings his head above water, struggling to get ontop since the water feels heavier than it should be.

Zabuza shunshins in front of Kakashi and yells, "Surio no Jutsu!" Weighed down, Kakashi can't escape the ninjutsu and is traped in a swirling orb of water. "Looks like you're trapped." A wicked smile stretches on Zabuza, "now how about you wait here and watch as I kill your precious genin and the old man." He summons another water clone and sends it to the group. "You all act so big with those headbands, but do you know what makes a real ninja?" Zabuza's clone reaches the shore, "the experience you gain from hovering between life and death, the exhilaration from taking a life, everything you don't have." His clone fades into the mist and grows silent until he kicks naruto's headband making it fall off, "you're just a kid!"

"Everyone, Take Tazuna and run, sooner or later you'll leave his range and will have to fight me again!" Kakashi yells to his students, he was afraid. Afraid of losing someone again, afraid of failing to protect the children before him.

"Our best chance of survival," Sasuke starts running towards Zabuza, "is to fight!" He throws eight shuriken at the water clone only to have them knocked away by the large sword. He jumps above the man with a kunai and attempts to stab him with a kunai.

"Stupid," the water clone grabs Sasuke and throws him to the side knocking him out.

"Sasuke-Kun!" Sakura yells and drags Tazuna to him, standing in front of them both with a kunai front of her face. "I have to protect them, no matter the cost," she thinks, shaking in fear.

Naruto looks at his friend lying on the ground, then his Sensei floating, traped beside the real Zabuza. Naruto looks at the ground and starts laughing, "it seems it will take a demon to fight another demon." His nails grew and so did his teeth, his whisker scars got deeper and his hair stood on end.

Eyes widening, Zabuza's clone jumps back looking at the boy with wide eyes. "What are you?"

Naruto walks over to his headband, "Iruka-Sensei would be very upset to hear that you scratched his headband." Naruto tied it back around his forehead, "my name is Naruto, but my village calls me Kyuubi." He gets on all fours and charges the clone. Using his claws he slashes wildly trying to land a hit to dispel the Jutsu.

Zabuza, surprised by the sudden change in Naruto, can do nothing but defend each attack. The attacks continue on for another few seconds until Zabuza finds an opening, blocking Naruto with his sword, he throws the boy off balance and kicks him.

The blonde flys back beside Sakura, "why are you running in on your own like that?" She yells at him, wondering why he was trying so hard. "He even took down Sasuke-Kun, what could you do as dead last?"

Naruto stands up with blood trickling from a wound just above his eyebrow, "my name is Naruto," he glares at Sakura before turning to Zabuza, "Kyuubi of Konoha," he wipes the blood away and crouches down preparing his claws, "and I will be the future Hokage!" He yells and charges Zabuza again, this time instead of blindly throwing out attacks, he tries to hit the clone's blindspots. While Zabuza was distracted defending the furious attacks from the blonde, Sasuke had snuck behind the man and took a stab to the base of his neck. The clone jumped away, feeling the presence of the other boy.

"Kagebushin no Jutsu!" Naruto summons forth 30 Naruto's and sends them all at the clone distracting the man, the real Naruto runs to Sasuke and transforms into a large shiruken. The boy gets the point and throws the other past the clone Zabuza to the other.

"Too easy," The real Zabuza jumps over the shiruken not knowing what was about to happen.

With a poof, Naruto transforms back into himself and skids across the water. He summons another Kagebushin below him using it as a springboard to launch himself at Zabuza. "Got you," Naruto's hand punches through Zabuza's chest before the boy tumbles into the water. Zabuza stumbles from his injury and breaks his Jutsu, thus Kakashi falls and lands on the surface of the water. Kakashi pulls a kunai and runs at Zabuza to deal the finishing blow, but stops when needles fly from a nearby tree and hits the other man's neck. A small boy with a Wave country ANBU mask appears beside Zabuza to catch him before he falls into the water.

"Thank you all for taking care of him," the boy nods to Kakashi, "I was sent on a mission to eliminate The Demon Zabuza and return him to the Mizukage, but I wasn't able to find an opening."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and smiled, "always willing to help out where we can," he eyes the young ANBU suspiciously before hearing Naruto come above the water gasping for air. "We will leave him to you then," Kakashi waves to the boy the pulls Naruto out of the water as the ANBU shunshin's away with Zabuza's body over his shoulder.

"Thank you, Kakashi-Sensei," Naruto says as Kakashi wraps an arm around the boy. They Shunshin to the shore and join the others.

"You've grown up, all of you," Kakashi looks at his three genin with pride.

"What do you expect," Sakura smiles and looks at her Sensei, "we have a pretty good Sensei."

Kakashi wanted to tell his students that it was time to leave but felt a sharp pang in his left eye and passed out.

"Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto kneeled down beside his Sensei and turned him over, "I think he passed out."

"Let's take him to my place, he can get some rest there," Tazuna said walking up to the man on the ground.

"Sounds like a good idea, Naruto his legs, "Sasuke said as he lifted up his sensei by the arms. Naruto put Kakashi's legs over his shoulders with his feet in front of Naruto and lifted the man as Sasuke and Sakura each grabbed an arm and put it on their shoulders. Between the three of them, they reached Tazuna's house in an hour.

Once they arrived, Tazuna's daughter opened the door and saw the three genin and their sensei draped between them. "Hurry inside before someone sees," she moved to let them inside before looking to make sure no one saw. Motioning for them to follow, she walked them down the hall to a spare bedroom. she pulled out some bedding and the children laid Kakashi down before leaving the room to let him rest.

"I'm Tsunami, Tazuna is my father," she held out her hand to each genin to shake. "Thank you for bringing my father home safely, though I'm surprised that they sent children for this mission." She said, looking at her father.

"It's because we are strong," Naruto put up a fist and gave Tsunami a wide smile.

"I guess you are!" She smiled back, "well you all made it in time for diner, we are going to have Miso soup and Grilled Shake!"

As Tsunami walked into her kitchen, Sakura chimed in, "I'll fix your jacket too Naruto-Kun, Tsunami-San, do you have any orange thread?"

As the two worked on dinner and sewing Naruto's jacket, the boys sat at the table. "What did you mean when you said you where 'The Kyuubi of Konoha'?" Sasuke turned to Naruto, squinting his eyes.

"Oh, you heard that..." Naruto suddenly looked very interested in the table.

"Does it have something to do with the scars all over your torso?" Sasuke looks at Naruto's back seeing the dried blood from before they left.

"I don't really want to talk about it, it's... I'm not ready." Naruto turned his head to look the other direction.

"Fine, but you will promise to tell me someday," Sasuke sat back in his chairs crossing his arms.

"I will, eventually," Naruto looked at his hands and sat silently until Sakura came over with his jacket.

"There, all patched up!" She handed the jacket to Naruto proud of her work.

Slipping it on, Naruto grew a huge grin, "Thank you Sakura-chan," before she could say anything he gave her a big hug.

Sasuke smiled and closed his eyes, "Dobe."

Sakura's face flushed tomato red then yelled, "baka, get off me!" Then banged her fist on the top of his head.

"Ouch, that hurt," Naruto rubs his head looking at the pink-haired girl with a glare.

Tsunami laughs and brings over a tray covered in Grilled Shake, "you all are really energetic," smiling as she set it down and left for the kitchen again.

"Sorry Tunami-san if we are too loud," sakura glares at Naruto, "especially him."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaims, looking up at the girl.

Tsunami came back to the table, this time carrying a large pot filled with Miso, "no you're all fine! I love the energy!" She smiled again and called out, "Inari, dinner!"

After a few loud thumps, a boy comes running down the stairs and stops once he sees the Konoha ninja setting st the table. Glairing he sits in his chair and avoids looking at the three genin.

"Inari, say hello to our guests, they are here helping grampa," Tsunami looks at he son with hands on her hips.

"Hello, I'm Inari," the small boy says crossing his arms.

"Hello, Inari-kun," Sakura looked at the boy with a smile, "my name is Sakura Haruno, this is Sasuke Uchiha and that is Naruto." Sakura pointed to each person.

"Naruto what?" Inari looked at Naruto.

"Just Naruto," said the blonde, "my parents dies fighting the day I was born so I never was able to learn my name," Naruto smiled at Inari.

After inari thought for a little while, Tsunami spoke up, "well, who is hungry?" She smiled and said, "Itadakemasu," the others followed and proceeded to have dinner with light conversation. when everyone was finished, the boys went to the room that Kakashi was sleeping in, while Sakura went upstairs with Tsunami to the smaller room for her.