The mornings passed rapidly, with each one filled with rigorous training and preparation. With Zabuza's return a steady menace, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura worked themselves to exhaustion.
The atmosphere relaxed on the fourth morning.
There was a strange chill in the wind that blew through the trees. It seemed like there was more fog rolling in from the ocean. As if nature itself could feel something was wrong, even the birds' singing slowed down.
The mood within Tazuna's house was just as strained.
Naruto crunched on rice balls with a furrowed brow. "Something doesn't feel. right today, and I don't know why."
Sasuke folded his arms and said, "You're seeing things."
"But in any case, stay on your toes."
Sakura gazed out the window. "The fog still seems to be a little thicker than normal."
Kakashi appeared with one concentrated eye. "Trust your instincts. If something doesn't smell right, it probably does not."
Tsunami's hands trembled a bit as she set a tray down on the table. "Are you certain he'll come back?"
Tazuna gave a sombre response. "Zabuza is the type of person who completes what he begins. He will return if he is still alive. He won't be by himself, either."
Kakashi gave nod. "Agreed. which implies that everyone must be prepared."
Naruto balled his fist. "Then this time, we'll defeat him."
Kakashi walked towards the door. "We'll cover the perimeter. I want all of you to be on alert. Stay close. We are now dealing with more than just Zabuza."
Even though the words "not the only concern" piqued interest, Kakashi didn't elaborate further. The icy-eyed hunter-nin and peculiar silence were something he knew. He was even more uncomfortable about that masked individual than he was about Zabuza.
To cover more terrain, the team broke up into two-man teams: Sasuke and Sakura, and Kakashi and Naruto.
Naruto spoke up as he and Kakashi walked along the edge of the forest, shrouded in mist.
"Hey, sensei. that last hunter-nin. Do you think he's strange at all?"
Kakashi nodded somewhat. "Very."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say. It's the duty of a hunter-nin to kill rogue shinobi, and for the sake of keeping secrets from spilling, they generally dispose of the corpse. After claiming Zabuza's corpse, that one left. You find that suspicious?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So what, you think Zabuza was assisted by Hunter-nin instead?"
Kakashi took some time to respond. "It's possible. This means that we're dealing with someone who is a mind player as well as a swordsman."
Sakura and Sasuke were on a quieter stroll back in the forest. Sasuke had been unusually quiet, scanning around. The silence was eventually broken by Sakura.
"Do you think we're ready, Sasuke?"
He glared at her and then down the path. "No one is ever really ready. When you must fight, you simply do it."
Sakura dropped her eyes. "You sound just like Kakashi-sensei."
Sasuke smiled faintly. "I suppose I have been paying attention after all."
They were both immediately interested in a rustling noise from the bushes.
Sasuke went into a stance immediately. "Exhibit yourself!"
A rabbit, a little creature, ran out from the underbrush.
Sakura sighed. "It was just a—"
Sasuke's eyes widened. "No. It was a white rabbit. In addition, it was not winter."
She exclaimed. " Bait Substitution Jutsu!"
Just as a giant sword cut through the trees in front of them and stuck into the ground like a guillotine, they both jumped back.
Alive, intact, and with murder in his eyes, Zabuza Momochi stepped out of the fog.
Just as the atmosphere thickened with the intention to kill, Kakashi and Naruto arrived. Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
"So he lives."
Perched on a splintered limb, Zabuza smiled. "Told you I wasn't so easy to kill."
The masked hunter-nin from before stood beside him, calm, serene, and armed with a senbon.
Zabuza commented, "You children have put a lot of training in, but it won't count." Naruto growled. "We've improved from the weaklings you fought before!"
Zabuza let out a mournful laugh. "We'll see."
Kakashi stepped forward, revealing his Sharingan by removing his headband. "I won't hold back either this time."
Sasuke clenched his jaw. "And so it begins."
The Zabuza's mist began to churn and soon developed into a fog that engulfed the whole forest. Visibility dropped to inches. Naruto's sharp senses were also blunted.
"This is his Hidden Mist Jutsu…" Kakashi warned. "He will try to take each of us out one at a time."
Naruto clenched his fists. "Then we'll just stick together."
Kakashi nodded. "Watch each other's backs." No one moves alone.
Hearing Zabuza's voice coming through the mist, "You all die this time."