"Haku!"
"Ice Style: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!"
Almost simultaneously with Zabuza Momochi's roar, a clear, androgynous voice cut through the air. With it appeared a thin, masked figure, and in front of them, a massive, domed wall of ice erupted from the ground, intercepting Sasuke Uchiha's attack. The Great Fireball washed over the frozen surface, hissing into steam without leaving so much as a scorch mark.
What?! He has a companion? Sasuke's heart sank as a new enemy joined the fray.
"Sasuke!" Sakura Haruno's shout came from behind him. Two kunai flew past his head, aimed squarely at the water prisons trapping Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake.
Clink! Clink!
The kunai were struck from the air by a pair of perfectly aimed ice needles.
"Don't come any closer!" Sasuke commanded, his composure returning as he wheeled around to stop Sakura from rushing forward. "Protect the old man. I'll handle this one."
Sakura bit her lip, her protest dying on her tongue. Watching her teacher and teammate fall under the enemy's control was an immense pressure, but she was a ninja. If their client, Tazuna, were killed, the mission would be a failure, and the hopes of the Land of Waves would die with him. Caught between her teammates and her duty, she was frozen by indecision.
Seeing that Sakura had halted, Sasuke relaxed slightly, focusing all his attention on the masked figure. This one uses ice-based ninjutsu...
Before he could formulate a plan, the ninja—Haku—attacked. Long senbon needles, held between their fingers, became close-combat weapons, thrusting towards Sasuke with blinding speed. The rapid movements made Sasuke's pupils contract, his muscles tensing for the clash.
CLANG!
His kunai met Haku's senbon, the two blades locking in a stalemate.
Damn it, he's fast. Sasuke's brows furrowed. To his astonishment, Haku began forming hand seals with their free hand.
"Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
As the words fell, the surrounding water vapor instantly condensed into countless ice senbon in mid-air, all of them converging on Sasuke.
Damn it! Damn it all!
Am I going to die here? The terror of impending death, raw and absolute, was a powerful stimulus. He was filled with a furious unwillingness. From the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto's unconscious form, and the image of that man flashed in his mind.
No! I can't die! Not before I kill him!
The surge of adrenaline and raw emotion ignited something within him. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes had turned blood-red, a single tomoe spinning to life beside each pupil.
One-tomoe Sharingan, activated.
In an instant, the world slowed to a crawl. The senbon flying through the air, Haku's movements, even Sakura throwing kunai from behind to intercept the needles—he could see it all with impossible clarity.
I can react to this!
Sasuke's movements accelerated. He dodged Haku's lunge with a flicker of motion, then used his kunai to precisely deflect dozens of the ice senbon.
Good! I have a chance!
Seeing Sasuke's crimson eyes, the restrained Zabuza let out a guttural laugh. "Oh? Those eyes... so you're from the Uchiha clan of the Leaf." The Sharingan was renowned throughout the ninja world. "Too bad your clan should have been wiped out long ago."
Hearing this, Sasuke whipped his head around, his eyes blazing with hatred.
"Do you really have time to be distracted?"
The distraction was all Haku needed. Another volley of ice senbon filled the air. A continuous clinking sound echoed as Sasuke desperately parried the attack. Realizing his initial assault was no longer effective, Haku increased his chakra output, creating an even denser storm of needles. The sudden increase in intensity crushed the hope that had just begun to bloom in Sasuke's chest.
It's not enough! This level was still not enough. He had awakened his Sharingan at seven, the night his clan was slaughtered, but he had never been able to call upon it freely. This was his first time using it in true combat, and while it had granted him a surge of power, it was quickly reaching its limit.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Three more kunai flew from behind, deflecting a few senbon and giving Sasuke a precious moment to dodge.
"I'll help you, Sasuke!"
So unnecessary. The thought flashed through his mind, but when he saw the fierce resolve in Sakura's eyes as she rushed to his side, the words died in his throat.
As if sensing his question, she spoke again, her voice firm. "It's okay. I've placed Old Man Tazuna in a safe spot. Now, we just have to take care of them and rescue Naruto and Kakashi-sensei."
"...Okay." For once, Sasuke didn't dismiss her. He looked at her seriously and nodded. Sakura's heart soared.
But before they could coordinate, Haku launched another attack.
"Secret Jutsu: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
This time, the ice coalesced not into needles, but into smooth, human-sized ice mirrors that rose from the ground, trapping them in a crystalline cage.
"What is this?" Sakura and Sasuke stood back-to-back, their guards up.
"Now, I will fight you seriously."
Under their shocked gazes, Haku walked "into" one of the mirrors. His figure was then reflected across every polished surface, an army of identical masked ninja surrounding them. Then, each Haku pulled out several senbon and fired.
The air became a storm of ice. Even with their coordinated efforts, they were overwhelmed.
"Ah!" A sharp cry escaped Sakura as needles grazed her shoulders and arms. Sasuke was no better. Though he avoided a direct hit, maintaining the Sharingan was draining his stamina at an alarming rate.
What brought true despair, however, was seeing Haku calmly produce another set of needles. This time, even with the Sharingan, Sasuke found himself unable to keep up.
Whiz!
A senbon flew from his blind spot, aimed directly for his head.
"Watch out!"
Sakura, already deflecting another senbon, saw the lethal needle. Without a second thought, she abandoned her own defense and threw herself in its path, reaching out to block it with her hand. The needle pierced clean through her palm, but the momentum was slowed just enough for her to catch it.
"Sa-Sasuke... I'm fine," she gasped, her face pale, blood streaming from the wound.
Sasuke, his own face splattered with her blood, felt a familiar rage ignite within him. The warm sting of it on his skin was a visceral reminder of another day, another person who had stood in front of him to block a fatal blow.
In his crimson eyes, a second tomoe spun into existence.
At that same moment, encased within the water sphere, Naruto's eyes snapped open.
Looking at the struggling forms of Sasuke and Sakura, his gaze, which had been lazy and distant just moments before, was now anything but.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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