The Cloud Over The Leaf

The group headed back to Tazuna's home around the crack of dawn.

Everyone was exhausted as they slowly ambled their way to their assigned rooms.

Zabuza decided to take up a couch to rest while Haku slept in a chair nearby. 

The Demon Brothers decided to sleep on the other couch as they all felt exhausted. 

The Leaf group continued to their assigned rooms and slept their exhaustion away.

Lots of things needed to be discussed, but it would have to be done once they were rested.

Hii laid down with a grim expression.

'I screwed up, huh?'

[Not exactly, but to someone who doesn't know about us, you were pretty reckless.]

{Don't make your friends and comrades worried about you. It could make a bad situation worse. Keep this lesson in mind for next time.}

Hii's face grew red as he shuffled under his sheets.

'I didn't mean to do that on purpose.'

{You mean you didn't think at all about it. You know those two are really mad at you, right? You not telling them is like saying they would be in the way.}

'.....'

{They have their own goals for getting strong, yet you took the trial and the danger on your own. I can understand it because of your speed, but those two may not see you as being much stronger than them. You better get ready for their complaints.}

Hii couldn't argue against Fuyuki's logic. He just decided to let it go and get some sleep. He'd have to deal with it tomorrow.

*********

The next day was....a battle for Hii to say the least.

Hii and Haku were sitting on a nearby couch as everyone crowded around.

Tazuna could finally work on the bridge in earnest while Gozu and Mezu went to go watch over him. 

With the two watching him, he would easily be able to finish the bridge in a few days.

Sakura sat beside Zabuza and healed his wounds as best as she could.

Maka and Shizuka both stood behind the teachers as. Hii and Haku went over their encounters. Sasuke stood beside them at a distance against the wall.

"I see. So now you two are on his list of puppet candidates."

Kakashi brought his arms across his chest and shook his head.

"That's some pretty bad luck you two have there."

Yamato nodded his head as well and looked over at Hii.

"Why didn't you at least inform the team? It may have worked better for you with more people than with just Haku-san."

Maka and Shizuka's eyes narrowed as they waited for his response.

"It was because of information I learned about him from....a source. His weapons were all coated in poison and judging from how he used his weapons, I could assume that the poison was definitely lethal and the primary way he would claim bodies."

Hii kept his eyes on the two as he continued.

"I wasn't confident I could deal with the poison if anyone was hit. I became even more certain of my decision once he started spraying Zenbon everywhere. I didn't want anyone to suffer whatever he had cooked up. He told us he wasn't very far from 300 kills and he sure showed how efficient he was at getting those kills."

Maka and Shizuka shivered as they thought of the insane amount of people he killed.

Kakashi and Yamato nodded their heads at the analysis.

"I also noticed that Haku had speed comparable, if not more, to my own. I felt he could dodge and move faster than the others could. He was also compatable with me since he and I can both use water techniques."

Zabuza nodded his head in agreement.

"That's right. Haku can even be faster than me when he uses his secret techniques."

Maka and Shizuka became a bit deflated as they heard the reasoning behind the events. They didn't have enough confidence to refute his thoughts.

Yamato looked over to them, then back to Hii.

"Still, it would be good for you to at least notify your comrades. It may make the tension increase, but one mind might miss what three minds can come up with."

"I understand. Sorry for going off without letting you know."

Hii bowed his head in apology while Kakashi thought about the situation.

"Hii, Haku-san, did Sasori say anything strange to you during the fight? Anything that stuck out to you two as important?"

The two thought about it for a moment, but couldn't remember anything noteworthy.

"No. Other than his intense fascination with us because of our secret techniques, he only said something about the group having bigger things to do."

Kakashi nodded his head and decided he'd think some more about it.

"Well then. That's all for now. I'll start getting the report done for the mission. It should take a few days for the bridge to be complete, so do what you want for now."

""Yes, Sensei!""

Kakashi stood up and headed off to write his report.

"I still have to sort the pictures out! The fall section photos still need to be decided..."

Yamato stood up as well, deep in thought over which photo should take which month.

Hii sighed as he nearly forgot he might end up being in an actual calendar.

"Hii-kun~."

"!!"

Hii shivered, and slowly looked up at Shizuka. He could see a sinister smile on her face.

"Let's go hang out at the forest area for a bit."

'...Doesn't look like I can say no.'

{Afraid not.}

Hii could only nod his head at her invitation.

*********

The three made their way to the edge of the forest. Shizuka and Maka started to stretch as Hii looked on.

"Um? What are we doing here exactly?"

Shizuka finished her stretches and jumped in place.

"Well, someone decided we weren't ready to fight the enemy on our own without informing us. We have to test the merit of that decision and see where we stand."

Maka shook her legs, stretching her lax muscles in preparation.

"We need to see if you are really stronger than us."

Hii sighed and cracked his neck.

He knew he wasn't going to be able to get away without fighting.

"Are there any rules?"

Shizuka smiled and weaved multiple hand signs quickly.

"Hmph!"

Her hand slapped the ground as a large, circular seal spread out around them.

She patted her hands and nodded at her work.

"You have to stay in the circle of the seal. You get knocked out, or give up, you lose."

Maka and Hii nodded their heads and readied their stances.

"Ah! Only use Taijutsu as well! We aren't going for each other's throats after all."

"Fine."

Hii pulled off his sword and placed it at the edge of the circle.

"Whenever you're ready."

"Hehe! I'll go first!"

Shizuka dashed towards Hii shortly after speaking and punched towards his chest.

Hii easily dodged her punch, then ducked under her kick from the left.

*Bang Swish Bang*

Hii steadily blocked and dodged her moves, only sending short jabs towards her in retaliation.

Shizuka jumped back from Hii and stared at him.

Hii realized her face wasn't a smiling one, but a cold frown.

"Take this seriously, Hii. I don't want you to hold back. I have to see how far I am from you."

"....."

Hii looked at her and slowly nodded his head.

"All you have to do is heal me if you injure me. I'm not going to cry about pain."

Shizuka's aura grew colder as she shot towards Hii at greater speed!

* Swish Swish Swish*

This time, Hii dodged her frenzied attacks with great ease!

"Haaa!"

Shizuka goes to her max speed, throwing everything she can at Hii, but he still reads her moves and dodges narrowly beside her.

"Ugh!"

Shizuka groaned as he punched her in the gut after dodging another furious punch.

She tried to recover, but Hii grabbed her arm and tossed her to the side.

"Hrrrng!"

Hii's toss flung her outside of the ring. She laid on the grassy ground for a moment before swinging her fists into the grass!

*Bang Bang Bang*

After she swung her fists a few more times into the ground, she took a deep breath and stood up.

A smile was back on her face as she turned around to them. 

"Okay! I'm out!. Go ahead, Maka-chan! Avenge me~!"

Hii watched Maka as he listened to Shizuka. She had tried to sound cheery, but both of them could hear the frustration deep in her voice.

"Got it!"

Maka took in a deep breath and rushed towards Hii!

Hii punched out towards Maka preemptively, but his punch was narrowly dodged as Maka tried to sweep his feet!

Hii jumped over her to avoid the attack and struck towards her back!

She quickly evaded and punched towards him!

*Bang Bang Bang*

Maka countered and fought back against Hii, but her ground was slowly disappearing as she was being pushed towards the edge.

"Tch! Haaaa!!"

Maka made a push towards Hii after feeling the increased pressure!

Hii moved to strike her away, but she feinted her attack and distanced herself away from the edge!

"....."

"Haaa. Haaa. Hooooh~."

Maka evened her breathing and stared at Hii, her eyes shining with a familiar red glow.

Hii was shocked at first, but soon started to smile.

"I'm glad you're starting to take this seriously."

"??"

Maka didn't understand what he meant until she started to see faint images of his movements.

"My eyes?! Hold on a moment!"

Maka quickly closed her eyes and started to focus her chakra away from them.

"Wait, Maka! Try to fight me with it on."

Maka looked at Hii with a glare.

"Why?"

Hii chuckled, but didn't back down.

"I know you want to be strong without it, but it is a part of you. You shouldn't neglect it. It could save your life someday."

"......"

Maka looked conflicted as she thought about his words.

Hii shook his head lightly and tried one more time to convince her.

"Just do it for me. I want to see you at full power, with everything at your disposal. Only then can we make an accurate comparison."

"....Haaaa."

Maka sighed and twisted one of her bangs in silence as she stared at him.

Hii held a gentle smile as he waited for her to decide what to do.

"....Don't regret this."

Maka opened her eyes and revealed her two tomoe Sharingan as she readied her stance.

Hii smiled and readied his stance as well.

Shizuka sat on the side, greatly confused at the turn of events.

'Maka has a Sharingan?! I thought she couldn't use it! Hii knew about it as well?!'

Her cheeks started to puff up as she watched the two continue their fight.

"Here I come!"

Hii dashed towards Maka and threw a punch!

Maka saw the silhouette of the fist coming and nimbly dodged his strike.

'She can see a lot more now. I can probably go a little faster.'

Maka jumped back from Hii and felt conflicted.

'I could see the moves, but I don't want to rely on this. No, that's not important now. I need to use this to its fullest potential!'

Maka shook her head and focused her gaze.

'I have to see the distance between us! With everything I have!'

This time, Maka shot towards Hii and the two engaged in close combat!

*Bang Bang Bang*

The two dodged and struck at each other in a deadlock of blows!

The two were even in their exchanges until Maka noticed a savage grin forming on Hii's face.

"!!!"

Hii's blows became faster and faster as Maka went from being even with him to being defensive!

Hii's blows began to blend together in her eyes, making it impossible for her to see what angle he was coming from!

"Tch!"

She unknowingly kept backing up as Hii's blows became more and more tricky to see!

Just when she couldn't take blocking any more hits, everything stopped.

"Huh?!"

She could see Hii standing with his hands on his hips and a smile on his face.

"Look down."

Shizuka's voice sounded in her ears. She looked down, causing her face to frown.

She was outside of the seal.

"Haaah~! I didn't think the gap was so big! He didn't even look like he sweated against us!"

Shizuka stood up and patted herself down, getting rid of any grass or dirt.

She walked over to Hii and punched him in his shoulder.

"You won this time, but don't think I'll let you stay the strongest!"

"Hehe! I can't wait for you to get stronger."

Shizuka smiled as she looked over at Maka.

Maka's fists were tight as her nails threatened to pierce her palms.

"Maka-chan~!"

*Glomp*

"Huh?!"

Shizuka surprised Maka as she hugged her and started to rock side to side.

"Hii is bullying us! Did you see how he punched me?! I'm sure I have a bruise on my stomach!"

"What?! Are you okay?!"

Hii quickly panicked as he started to ready his medical ninjutsu, but stopped once Shizuka started laughing.

"Hahaha! I'm fine! Geez! How about you, Maka-chan?"

"I-I'm fine, so can you..."

Maka looked okay as well, but couldn't seem to escape Shizuka's grip.

"I see~! In that case, I have a question for you two~."

Hii and Maka suddenly shivered!

Something was wrong here!

"Why does Maka have a Sharingan~? Why aren't you as surprised as me, Hii-kun~? Did you already know about it~?!"

Shizuka turned Maka around and hobbled over to Hii menacingly with Maka in her arms.

"Can you please explain this to me~?"

**************

"After that, Maka showed me her eyes and she kept it hidden ever since."

Hii explained to Shizuka as she looked between the two of them with sparkles in her eyes.

Her foot tapped on the ground rhythmically as she mulled over the information.

"So basically, you helped Maka unlock her own Sharingan?"

"Yeah."

Shizuka looked at Maka with a wide grin.

"I see~."

Maka couldn't withstand the look and checked the nearby bushes and trees for any movement.

"Okay. I understand that now."

Shizuka nodded her head and looked over at Maka.

"There is something I want to say though, Maka-chan."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I think you should use your Sharingan more often."

Maka immediately frowned at the suggestion.

"...I'd rather not, honestly."

Shizuka sighed and raised her hands.

" Just hear me out, okay?"

Maka still frowned, but kept her attention on Shizuka.

"You don't want to use your eyes because they remind you of the scorn you felt from your relatives, right?"

Maka slowly nodded her head.

"I can understand that in a way, but they're your eyes. You should be able to use them without worrying about people that don't care about you. It would be a waste for Hii to help you get them if you don't even know how to use them well."

Shizuka paused for a moment, then continued.

"I'm not saying to let the whole family know you can use it, but you should at least let your brother and Sasuke know. He can train you on how to use them and what to look out for. Being able to survive is better than being prideful about silly things."

Maka didn't say anything, but slowly nodded her head.

She could feel the sincerity in her words, but the wounds from then wouldn't disappear so easily.

Shizuka rubbed her arm with her hand as she looked down.

"It's good to be able to have a bond with your family. It's better than losing them all, no matter what had happened before."

"".....""

Hii and Maka looked at each other and back at Shizuka's lonely face. They both immediately hugged her in a tight embrace.

"What?! What are you-Hahaha! Stop! Hahaha!!"

They both started to tickle Shizuka's sides since she couldn't escape!

They only stopped after a few seconds, leaving Shizuka slumped on the ground.

"Haa! Haa! You jerks!"

""Hehehe!""

Maka and Hii copied Shizuka's laugh while they helped her back up.

"You feel better now?"

Hii asked her with a smile.

She frowned at him, but nodded her head.

"Yeah. I do feel better."

Shizuka rubbed her sides bitterly, but she felt refreshed.

"Ah! I almost forgot!"

Shizuka clapped her hands and turned to Hii.

"There was something bothering me about your explanation."

"Hm? What was it?"

"You said you healed Maka and her eyes shortly after Sasuke awakened his, right?"

Hii nodded his head.

"How?!"

The two looked at each other and then back to Shizuka.

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't make any sense."

Shizuka shook her head and looked at Hii.

"I'm not too familiar with it, but the way the eyes work is because they are linked to the brain. I find it really strange that a smart, little you could make his way through another kid's brain without practice."

Maka slowly looked at Hii as well as she also started to contemplate on the odd situation.

"To be able to do that so young would make you a prodigy of medical techniques, but you studied those books in class."

Hii stared at Shizuka while Shizuka and Maka stared back at him.

"How could you do that if you didn't know medical techniques then? Even more unbelievable is your Grandpa and Grandma."

Shizuka folded her arms and went deep into thought.

"Mom and Dad said that they were disabled when I went to ask them about the strong ninjas they knew in Konoha."

Shizuka closed her eyes and recalled a memory.

"But when we went to your house for your birthday, they were fine! Healthy even! You and the others are even being trained by them."

"......"

Hii stared down at the ground as Shizuka finished her thoughts.

An awkward silence descended on the group as the sun started to set over the horizon.

The two girls stared at Hii, but he didn't answer their doubts.

How did he do it?

Shizuka stared a bit longer, but soon sighed and threw up her hands.

"Well, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

""What?!""

Hii and Maka were shocked to hear that as Shizuka started to nod her head.

"However you did it, you did it to help the people you cared about."

Shizuka looked up at Hii and smiled.

"I can respect that ideal!"

Hii shocked face slowly turned into a smile as he nodded his head.

Maka also smiled as she relaxed her gaze.

The three felt a bit closer than before. They felt more like a team.

"Hnnngh~! Well, we should probably head back. I think we practiced enough for today. We can continue this tomorrow."

"Huh? We'll keep doing this?"

Shizuka gave Hii a cheeky smile as she nodded her head enthusiastically.

"I'm gonna figure out all your moves and kick you out of the ring! I won't let you get any leeway to widen the gap!"

Shizuka made a peace sign as she posed triumphantly!

"Mmm. I'll get stronger too. I won't be left behind again."

Maka also committed to the training as she turned her Sharingan back on.

'I'll try to use everything I can to keep up!'

Hii looked at the two for a moment...and just started to laugh.

The girls were taken aback by this and stared at Hii with concern in their eyes.

'Akumu. I think we should let them know about you two. What do you think?'

[....If you really want to, I don't mind. Their fathers already know about us anyway.]

Hii nodded his head and looked at his comrades.

"I have a secret I want you two to know. You can't tell anyone about it until I say it's time, okay?"

The two looked at each other, looked back at Hii and nodded their heads slowly.

'How should we do this? You come out of the ground?'

{I wanna meet them too~!}

[....Fist bump then. I'll connect to my chakra inside you and greet them that way.]

Hii nodded his head and sat down on the grass.

"Sit down with me."

The two nodded and sat down in front of him.

Hii raised his fists and extended one out to each girl.

"Bump fists with me."

"Ah. Okay."

"....Sure."

The two girls bumped fists with him and soon found themselves inside a white and black space.

"Welcome to my inner space."

"W-What?!"

"The hell is this?!"

The girls saw looked around in shock and found a large white wolf laying down on the side.

It raised its head as it sensed the presence of people.

The girls were shocked and mesmerized by her appearance.

The silky white coat covered with golden symbols and sunny eyes gave the wolf a regal look the girls couldn't pull their eyes away from.

{Hello, Shizuka-chan and Maka-chan~!}

[Oh. They made it in fine.]

""!!!""

The girls turned and saw an even larger black wolf trotting towards them!

The black fur with purple symbols scattered all over made it look sinister and mysterious to the girls.

The two wolves came behind Hii and sat on next to him, Fuyuki on his right and Akumu om his left.

"Maka, Shizuka, these two are what you would call Biju and my family. The black one is Akumu and the white one is Fuyuki."

The two girls stared in shock as they looked at the pair of wolves with their mouths wide open.

{Hello? Can they hear us?}

[Pretty sure they can. They just seem to be processing everything.]

{I guess it is shocking to see us, huh?}

[That's an understatement. Anyone that knows about Biju only know one beast can usually be contained in a single person. Two is rather-]

""What the hell is this?!!!!!""

[....Unique.]

Hii could only chuckle as the girls tried to make sense of the situation.

**************

"You suck."

"Meanie."

"Hahaha..."

Hii laughed dryly as he saw Maka and Shizuka laying down on Fuyuki and Akumu respectively.

"You get to have such soft and fluffy friends with you at all times? So unfair."

Shizuka rolled to her side on Akumu's stomach and buried herself in his fur.

It was cold to the touch.

"I'm mad you kept this a secret for so long."

Maka rubbed her face into Fuyuki's warm white fur.

She simply didn't want to leave.

Hii looked over at the two shaking his head.

"Are you two mad because they're so comfortable?"

""Yes.""

Hii just shook his head. They acted just like Moya and Yozora.

{Nice to finally meet you girls!}

"It's nice to meet you too!"

"Tell us a bit about yourself, Fuyuki-san!"

The girls just laid around on Akumu and Fuyuki and talked for a good while.

Hii sat down next to Akumu and rubbed his head as the two kept quiet unless they were asked a question.

The three kept talking for quite a while until Hii finally stood up.

"We'll only be here for another minute or so. Sorry to inconvenience you two."

[Don't worry. I've already accepted I will probably be a couch of some sort in the house once this is all over.]

{I don't mind at all. It's pretty boring in here by myself. I can't wait until I'm complete!}

Hii let the two rest for a short while before clapping his hands for their attention.

"Okay! The first meeting is over. Let's go back."

""Awwww!""

{A few more minutes...}

[No. They have to go.]

{Boo! You're being old again!}

[But we are older...]

The girls slowly climbed off of the two wolves, albeit very slowly.

 "We'll head back now. I'll probably bring them in here again to see you."

{Yay!}

"See you next time!"

"Bye~!"

The girls wave energetically at Fuyuki and Akumu while Hii disconnected from the two.

The three woke up back in the forest. The sun was close to fully setting as Hii stood up and stretched.

""........""

The girls were silent as they stood up as well.

"Hm? You guys okay?"

Hii couldn't help being nervous about revealing the two to them. He didn't want their relationship to grow sour since he held it a secret for so long.

Both of them grabbed one of his shoulders and stared at him with sparkling eyes!

""Can we talk to them tomorrow too?!""

"...Sure."

It seems he didn't have to think about it too much.

*********

Two days later, the group were once again in the forest. This time, everyone had gathered together besides the Demon Brothers. They still kept guard of Tazuna as he completed the bridge.

Kakashi and Yamato stood in front of the group while Zabuza stood nearby, leaning against a tree.

"Since Tazuna is almost done with the bridge and we have nothing to do, I thought some training should be in order."

Kakashi folded his arms and began to explain.

"Since you guys have officially battled in a life or death situation, it's time for you to get used to reading and anticipating lethal attacks."

Kakashi pointed over to Yamato.

"The both of us will switch squads for this training to make it easier to fight at full power. Make sure to come at us like you would an enemy ninja. We will come at you with the same energy. Your objective is to draw blood from us."

Kakashi looked at all the students to see if there qas any questions.

Shizuka raised her hand after Kakashi's explanation.

"Yes, Shizuka-chan?"

"Can Hii be excluded from our training?"

"Eh?!"

Hii was shocked!

"Why am I getting excluded?!"

Shizuka rolled her eyes and turned to him.

"It's because you're the strongest of the three of us right now. You gotta give us a chance to catch up."

Maka nodded her head in agreement and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You should just wait by the side and relax for today."

"But..."

'I wanna fight Kakashi too!'

Hii frowned and didn't say anything else.

"If that's the case, can I join the training?"

Everyone turned to see Haku smiling in anticipation.

"Sure! I want to see Haku's speed more closely anyway."

Maka grew excited as the three grouped together.

"Sweet! The all girl squad is gonna kick butt!"

"I'm a boy though..."

Haku protested, but the girls paid him no mind. Despite that, the three readied themselves as they stared at Kakashi.

Kakashi and Yamato looked at each other for a moment and shrugged helplessly.

"Well, I guess I'll have to fight you three then."

Shizuka smiled at Kakashi with a playful grin.

"Shouldn't you use both eyes, Sensei~?"

Kakashi cracked his knuckles and readied his stance.

"I'll have to check if you're worthy of that first."

Naruto grew excited and turned to his comrades.

"Come on guys! We gotta show Yamato-Sensei how awesome we are!"

"Hmph!"

"L-Let's do it!"

Team 7 grew excited as they readied themselves.

"Alright! I won't go easy on you guys!"

Yamato readied his stance as well as the groups started to brawl against the teachers.

Hii sat on the ground with both hands under his chin.

He was not amused.

'This is so not fair!'

[You know how those two can get. It's better to just give in for now. They really do need more training anyway.]

'Haku doesn't! He's probably stronger than me!'

[That's debatable. You are definitely more bloodthirsty than he is. Mindset can make all the difference in a fight. Trust me.]

'.....'

"Whoa! There are roots everywhere!"

"He can use Wood Style, remember?! I'll block the roots! You get close!"

"Be careful on the way to him! He might have traps set up around him!"

"Okay! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Hii watched the four fight it out on one side for a moment and turned to the other side.

"You're open!"

*Pow*

"Ugh!"

Maka flipped in the air to offset the impact, but she could still feel the effect of Kakashi's punch.

"Haaa. He's no joke. No wonder Dad said he was a genius."

Shizuka was also recovering from being pushed back by Kakashi and watched Haku trade blows with him.

*Bang Bang Pow Swish*

The two battled in close quarters at high speed, beyond the level of Genin!

Maka looked over to Shizuka and met her gaze.

The two both nodded and struggled to their feet. 

"I have a seal that should hold him still long enough for us to hit him."

Maka nodded her head and prepared to charge in.

"I'll use Body Flicker and give you an opening!"

"Got it!"

The two sped back into the battle while Hii's frustration was building.

'That looks so fun.'

[I guess fighting Di and Kaya all the time has made you crave combat.]

{Hey. Is Zabuza-san okay? He keeps staring at you, Hii.}

'Hm?'

Hii looked over to Zabuza under the tree and realized he was looking right at him. Zabuza continued to stare at him until his eyes suddenly squinted in delight.

"Hmm."

Zabuza jerked his head towards the forest and started to walk deeper into it.

"....."

Hii watched for a moment, then got up and quietly followed after him.

''I wonder what's wrong?'

{Didn't you want him to fight you? Maybe it's that.}

'Haa! That's right!'

He almost forgot about that!

Hii's eyes sparkled as he quickly chased after Zabuza.

The two continued until they came to another clearing nearby.

"Here should be good enough."

Zabuza turned around and faced Hii with a serious expression.

"Since the others booted you out of your training, I'm gonna use you to get used to my new blade."

Zabuza effortlessly lifted the blade off of his back and planted it into the ground.

"Before that, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

Hii had already unsheathed his blade and waited for the question.

"Are you related to Kaya of the Storm?"

"?!"

Hii trembled slightly and didn't say a word.

"....."

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity until Hii weakly nodded his head.

Zabuza breathed in deep and closed his eyes.

Once he exhaled, his eyes opened with a fierce light!

"I can finally repay that debt!"

"Huh?!"

Zabuza picked up his blade and pointed it to Hii!

"You and I are gonna have a fun time! At first, I was going to spar with you a bit because you helped Haku, but now..."

Zabuza slung the blade over his shoulder while his chakra started to rise.

"I'll show you how to fight like a Mist ninja."

Hii was shocked for a moment, but a happy smile soon came over his face!

"Awesome! I'll do my best!"

Zabuza nodded his head and readied his stance.

"First, you can't use Lightning Chakra in these matches. Second, you are to come at me with the intent to kill. I won't be holding back on you."

Hii nodded his head and focused.

Zabuza had a devilish grin on his face as prepared to strike.

"Your objective is just like the others, to cut me once!"

Zabuza dashed towards Hii and swung the Executioner blade straight towards him.

*Swish Bang*

"Uwah!"

Hii quickly dodged the attack and stared in awe as the part if the ground split with his strike!

[Careful! He's serious!]

"Hahaha!"

Zabuza swung his blade with one hand at Hii over and over, forcing him to dodge and deflect the blows as best as he could!

*Clang Clang*

'He hits so hard!'

Hii had a hard time finding an opening against him!

He jumped back from Zabuza and quickly tried to run around him in a circle.

'I have to use my speed to my advantage!'

*Shuu Shuu Shuu*

Hii zipped around Zabuza as fast as he could while Zabuza just stood by menacingly.

'Hmmm. He has pretty good strength and instincts in battle. He doesn't even look affected by this level of killing intent now.'

Zabuza's aura started to rise as an illusory purple oni manifested behind him!

'Let's test how much he can take!'

Zabuza erupted with killing intent, flooding the area with it.

Hii soon froze and broke into a cold sweat as he struggled to move his legs.

'Come on! Move!'

Hii quickly shook himself out of it and drew more distance between them.

Zabuza was surprised by his quick recovery, but his smile only deepened as he started to enjoy fighting Hii.

Hii shot towards Zabuza, striking quickly towards any gaps he could find!

*Clang Clang Clang*

Hii hit quickly, but ran away quickly as Zabuza started to counterattack.

"Looks like I'll be able to get a bit serious then."

*Shnk*

Zabuza planted his blade into the ground beside him and began to weave several hand signs rapidly!

Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!

Zabuza activated his Jutsu, bringing a thick mist all around them!

Hii had lost sight of Zabuza and quickly put up his guard!

He turned around several times to see if he could spot him, but saw nothing except mist.

"You have to be calm at all times and in all situations or you'll end up dead."

"!!"

Hii was frozen in place as he heard Zabuza behind him!

"Head."

*Swoosh*

Hii quickly ducked down and heard the familiar ring of metal slicing the air!

'He sure isn't holding back!'

Hii tried to stab behind him, but only hit air! 

Cold sweat dripped from his back as he readied himself.

"Liver."

*Swish*

A swishing motion came towards Hii from behind him towards his left side!

*Clang*

"Urgh!"

Hii was sent flying through the air and skidded on the ground!

His legs were shaking as he stood up and watched the fog.

'I have to do something. Maybe...'

Hii sheathed his sword quickly and weaved hand signs.

"Water Style: Water Wolf Armor!"

The fog grew closer to Hii and slowly formed into a transparent water armor. Wolf ears formed on his head as well as a wolf tail behind him.

Hii kept himself upright as he drew his sword once more and watched his surroundings. 

"Interesting."

Zabuza seemed intrigued by the move and came closer for another strike.

"Lungs."

Zabuza swung his blade towards Hii's chest from the right side!

Hii quickly went down on all fours!

He even dropped his sword as he evaded!

*Swish*

Zabuza's blade sliced the air once more, but Hii was ready this time!

His tail suddenly grabbed his sword and swung it behind him!

"Ugh!"

Hii heard Zabuza groan as well as the sound of water hitting the ground.

Hii turned behind him to see a fresh puddle of water a short distance away from him.

'A water clone...'

"Good. You cut me in a pretty interesting way."

Hii looked around and frowned as he heard Zabuza's voice. He could see several shadows in the mist making a circle around him.

The shadows all seemed to have blades pointed to Hii.

""Do it again.""

"...."

Hii closed his eyes and absorbed more water into his armor. His signature look came forth as the water formed around him like fur, turning him into a blue wolf. His tail still held his sword and tightened its grip.

"Grrrrr!!!"

Hii scanned his surroundings for the positions of all the Zabuza clones.

Hii wasn't gonna give up without a fight.

**********

"Whew~! I guess that should do."

Kakashi scratched his head and looked around with a satisfied look on his face.

Maka and Shizuka were laid out on the ground surrounded by scorch marks and busted seals.

Haku kneeled close by and tried to catch his breath.

"This...is....unfair!"

"I....agree!"

Maka and Shizuka both complained as they laid on the ground.

"Haa. This is a bit easier than Zabuza-sama's training."

""Really?!""

The two girls turned to Haku with shocked expressions.

Haku flicked his sweat soaked hair away from his face and nodded his head.

"Yes. Zabuza-sama can get a little too excited when fighting someone he approves of."

"".........""

The two looked at Haku for the nth time today with doubt.

"...What?"

"Haku, are you really a boy?"

Shizuka asked Haku once more. 

Haku had a helpless grin on his face as he nodded his head.

"I'm pretty sure."

"....I still don't believe it."

Shizuka sat up on the ground and shook her head.

Haku could only wryly smile as he looked over at the other group.

*Swish Bang*

"Haaa! Haaa! Haaa!"

Naruto could barely throw the kunai at Yamato's shield as the three had all, but collapsed at this point.

Yamato also lightly caught his breath, but he also had a satisfied gaze as he looked at Team 7.

"You guys did pretty well. With a few more Jutsus, you three could take on quite a few enemies."

Sasuke was leaning against a tree for support while Sakura just sank to her knees on the ground.

Yamato watched them with a smile and checked the others.

"Hmm? Where did Hii and Zabuza-san go off to?"

Everyone immediately looked around for them, but they were nowhere in sight.

Shizuka gritted her teeth in frustration as she struggled to her feet.

"Crap! Is he getting training from Zabuza-san?!"

"I wouldn't envy him if I were you."

Shizuka turns to Haku confused.

"Why do you say that?"

*Rustle Rustle*

The group noticed someone approaching them from the trees.

*Shuu*

""!!!""

Zabuza landed on the ground with Hii over his shoulder. He was covered in knicks and scratches.

"Are you okay, Zabuza-sama?!"

Zabuza looked over at Haku and nodded his head.

Everyone couldn't help noticing Zabuza had a wide grin on his face.

"I'm fine. This kid just ended up being a lot more fun than I anticipated."

He looked over at the other teachers and motioned his head towards the town.

"I'm gonna bring him back to the old man's place. See you there."

Zabuza turned to leave after notifying them, but soon stopped and turned back around.

"Haku."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama?"

"Make sure you can keep in contact with this brat, understood? He's gonna be my second disciple."

Haku was surprised, but quickly smiled and nodded his head.

"It will be done."

Zabuza nodded his head, and headed back to Tazuna's home with Hii in tow.

Everyone watched Zabuza's back as he disappeared.

"Um, was Hii okay?"

This time, nobody knew the answer to Naruto's question except Haku. 

He, however, had no comment on the matter and only smiled gently when asked about it.