บท 18: I'm Right Behind You!

"No doubt he'll come after me first," said Kakashi, who was slowly backing away from the lake, and towards Team Seven and Tazuna. "Momochi Zabuza is infamous as a silent assassin; most of the people who've faced him have died without knowing ever how it happened…"

Sakura slowly raised her katana, foregoing her two-handed grip on her hilt, opting instead to put the palm of her left hand along the mune, the spine of her single-edged katana, for better control. Incidentally, mune is also a word for breasts, just written differently!

"Manyuu-style Kenjutsu: Breast Guarding Stance!"

By assuming this stance, Sakura would be able to effectively deflect any incoming attack from the front, before counter-attacking with a slash from her sword!

"So many vital organs, which ones shall I aim for first…?"

Zabuza's mocking voice echoed all around them. Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke nervously peered into the dense fog, but their eyes were useless here; they could barely see a meter in front of them. They could almost taste the man's bloodthirst; even Sasuke couldn't help but shiver.

In their current state, Team Seven were a bundle of nerves; they would be too tense to be able to react effectively to any threat that might jump out from the mist, so Kakashi tried to loosen them up.

"Calm down, Sasuke," Kakashi said reassuringly. "No matter what, I'll never let my comrades die (again)!"

"Is that so?"

If before, Zabuza's voice had been indistinct, now, Sakura could hear it clear as day; it was coming from right behind her, in the middle of Team Seven's Manji Formation!

Kakashi flickered behind Zabuza and drove his kunai in between his ribs, aiming for his heart. But what spurted out from the wound wasn't blood, but water. He had only killed a Water Clone!

"Scatter!" Kakashi yelled, and Sakura quickly did as she was told.

What ensued was slightly ridiculous: Zabuza then appeared behind Kakashi and stabbed him in the back with a kunai; but that Kakashi also turned out to be a Water Clone! Another Kakashi poofed behind Zabuza and attacked, but that too had been a Water Clone! Dumbfounded, Sakura watched as the two Jōnin continued faking each other out, one after the other.

Whoever had made the most Clones would be the victor!

…but unfortunately for Kakashi, his Sharingan was a permanent chakra-draining debuff, so he ended up losing the Clone-making battle.

"I've got you now," Zabuza sniggered. "Water Prison Jutsu!"

And just like that, Kakashi, the future Sixth Hokage, was trapped inside a bubble of water. He could no more escape from his prison than a jumbo koi fish could escape from a plastic bag!

"Is this somehow part of your plan, Sensei!?" Sakura called out nervously. "It's just a mere Zabuza, so hurry up and finish him off, so that we can move on!"

Unfortunately, what Sakura hadn't realized was that Kakashi in his present state was the weakest he'd ever been in his career as a shinobi. After suffering through his father's suicide, getting his teammate Obito crushed to (death?) under a boulder and then directly killing his other teammate Rin, Kakashi had fallen into a deep depression. For a long time, he had lost the will to train himself properly, and it's only recently that his mental state had begun to improve.

The current Kakashi was rusty, low on stamina and low on willpower, so his chakra reserves had decreased even further; meaning that Kakashi could very well die today unless Team Seven saved him!

"Are you trying to rile him up!?" Kakashi somehow managed to yell, even though he was fully submerged in water. "Run, you fools! Take Tazuna with you and escape, before Sakura gets you all killed!"

That, of course, was completely out of the question. Once Kakashi was dead, nothing would be stopping Zabuza from killing them. And that, Sakura could understand very well!

"Do you think the Great Fireball Jutsu would be enough to free Kakashi-sensei from that bubble, Sasuke?" Sakura asked anxiously. Sasuke was the team's resident Fire Style expert, after all.

"He'd boil to death before that happened," said Sasuke coldly. "We'll have to go after Zabuza himself; it looks like he needs to keep his hand in that bubble in order to maintain his Jutsu."

Boiling or drowning; which was better? While Team Seven were discussing their options, Zabuza performed a one-handed seal, summoning yet another Water Clone.

"For taking my Kubikiribōchō and making fun of me, little girl," Zabuza began, "I think I'll have you die last, after I've put those little friends of yours playing at ninja to the sword. Luckily for you, I'm a busy man, so I'll at least make it quick…"

"Manyuu-style Kenjutsu: Breast Guarding Stance!"

Zabuza's Water Clone flickered to her side and slashed with its kunai. Sakura just barely managed to deflect the blow, but before she could counter-attack, the Water Clone moved impossibly fast and kicked her, sending her flying into a tree.

Sakura spat out a mouthful of blood as she slid down to the base of the tree. If she hadn't possessed reinforced bones, that kick would have caved in her chest, which would have been a tragedy for men everywhere.

"Sakura-chan!!"

Naruto crossed his fingers in front of him and performed the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. Incensed by his rage, the Nine-Tail's chakra began leaking through its seal, bolstering Naruto's base 4 KK chakra capacity by a hundredfold!

Hundreds of Shadow Clones poofed into existence, much to Sasuke's and Zabuza's shock. Zabuza and his Clone quickly recovered from their surprise; the Clone performed three hand signs in quick succession.

"Water Style: Water Whip!"

The Water Clone cracked its Water Whips menacingly, and Naruto's Shadow Clones roared as one, before jumping at Zabuza's Clone. With each crack of its whip, the Water Clone would cleave through dozens of Shadow Clones without taking any damage in return, filling the air with white poofs of smoke.

Sasuke shook himself out of his stupor. Now was the best opportunity to free Kakashi, while the Clones were fighting each other! He looped a length of razor-thin steel wire through a pair of shuriken, linking them together. The Demon Brothers' chain had given him an idea…