I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

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'Um... how did my negative-emotion-senses not detect him?' Naruko asked her tenant, who shrugged. 'Well aren't you helpful,' she grumbled as she prepared to defend herself.

Kakashi was quicker as he launched himself at Zabuza, driving a kunai into his gut and eliciting a cry of surprise and pain. But instead of the thick, coppery scent of blood filling the air, the only sound was the trail of water that was leaking from the stab wound.

Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, and Naruko quickly called, "Kakashi, behind you!" as the one in front of him turned to water.

"DIE!" Zabuza roared as he swung his sword through Kakashi's torso, cleaving him clean in half. However instead of blood and cloth and skin, water splattered to the ground, leaving Zabuza stunned.

'The Water Clone Jutsu,' Zabuza realized. 'It can't be... even in the mist, he saw through my illusion and copied it in an instant.'

A kunai was suddenly against his jugular, and Kakashi ordered, "Don't move. Now it's over. You're finished."

Dark chuckles erupted from deep in Zabuza's throat. "Finished? You really don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation. I'll never be defeated by a copycat ninja like you. You are full of surprises, though. You'd already copied my Water Clone Jutsu when you made your little speech. Very skillfully executed... you made your clone say those words to draw my attention while you hid in the mist, waiting for me to make my move. Nice try—"

Kakashi's eyes widened as Zabuza was suddenly behind him again.

"—but I'm not that easy to fool!"

Once again the Zabuza he had cornered fell into a puddle of water, and Kakashi barely ducked in time as the Kubikiribōchō swung horizontally with an aim for the Jonin's head. It struck deep into the ground, but Zabuza swapped hands and flung himself in the air with a kick straight for Kakashi's head. It connected, and Kakashi was sent flying.

"Now," Zabuza said seemingly to himself as he grabbed his sword out of the ground and ran towards the Jonin with such speed that he became a blur of colour. His eyes widened when all he saw was makibishi spikes. "Trying to slow me down... how foolish." He turned and jumped upwards just as Kakashi landed into the water headfirst.

"I can't believe Kakashi-sensei got kicked through the air like that," Sakura whispered, a little terrified at what the rogue ninja could do.

"I can," Naruko said bluntly.

"How can you say that? Isn't he your brother?" Sakura exclaimed.

Naruko shrugged indifferently. "Yeah, but he's not invincible, you know. At some point he was bound to get his ass kicked."

"He has great physical strength, too," Sasuke appraised.

"Who, the cowprint man or our one-eyed sensei?" Naruko asked humorously, though her eyes were searching for any sign of her brother surfacing.

"Zabuza," Sasuke deadpanned with slight amusement tinging his voice.

Kakashi finally surfaced, his gravity-defying hair looking very... well, non-gravity-defying. He lifted his arm, confused. 'This isn't just normal water. It's dense — heavy.'

"Fool..." Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and started weaving hand signs. "Water Prison Jutsu!"

'No!' Kakashi shifted to send a jutsu back, dodge the water prison, anything. But the water was stopping him from moving too much; he was in his enemy's element.

A sphere of water enveloped the Jonin, and he glanced up at his adversary, who had one hand in the Water Prison to sustain the jutsu. 'Escaping into the water? Bad mistake,' he thought ruefully. He only hoped his mistake wouldn't cost him his team. And possibly the success of the mission as well. But mostly his team. Because y'know, much as he hated to admit it, he had grown quite attached.

Zabuza chuckled darkly. "This prison is made of water, but it's stronger than steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move. So much for the great Kakashi... I'll finish you off later, but first your little friends have to be eliminated. Water Clone Jutsu!"

Kakashi inwardly growled. 'He's even more skilled than I thought.' His gaze swept across his team and client, scanning the landscape that was flooded with the thick mist.

Sasuke's and Sakura's eyes widened as a human-shaped water embodiment emerged from the water, quickly taking the shape and colour of its creator. Naruko simply stared impassively at it, completely unfazed at the situation at hand. Why wouldn't she be, after having prior experience with something that looked like her older brother created?

Zabuza chuckled darkly as he gazed at the three Genin. "You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja. When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you, then you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly your profile has been entered in my Bingo Book, then you may have earned the title "ninja"."

The water clone made a one-handed ram sign and mist started flowing even thicker, blinding the youngsters from their surroundings.

"But to call upstarts like you ninja, is a joke."

'He disappeared again!' Sakura thought as she watched the mist close in, leaving her sightless and thus vulnerable to any attack.

"Listen, get the bridge builder and run!" Kakashi called, his voice a little muffled due to his water imprisonment. "You can't win this fight! He's using all his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone, but the clone can't go far from his real body! If you get away from him, he can't follow. Now run!"

'Run away? Not an option,' Sasuke gritted his teeth. 'That became unthinkable the moment you got caught. No matter how fast we run or how far we go, he'll track us down. And wipe us out. If we try a Manji Formation in defense he'll get around it in an instant. In the end...' Sasuke took a glance at Naruko who was glaring at Zabuza with three shuriken between her fingers, and then at Sakura who was watching their client while also keeping an eye on their sensei, '...if we're on our own, we're finished. Our only chance of survival is to rescue you.'

"How is Kaka-nii breathing, let alone shouting, in that water-thing?" Naruko wondered aloud suddenly. Sasuke barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes in fond exasperation as Sakura covered her mouth to stop a snicker from escaping. Kakashi would've facepalmed if he could, but he was stuck in his watery confinement.

"Damn Mister Cowprint, you sure can pack a kick," Naruko's amused voice came through the mist, causing both the raven and pinkette to spin to their left where they found Naruko holding Zabuza's foot in her hand.

Everyone's eyes widened.

Naruko blinked at their surprised expressions. "What? I've had training," she stated simply as if that explained everything.

Sasuke and Sakura facepalmed at her simple logic, half-expecting that answer. They hadn't been a team for very long, but already they had gotten so used to her and her simple answers as if they had grown up with her. Well in a sense they had, but they weren't all that close when they were younger. Especially when you compared it to now.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed at the simple yet offending comment. "You're just a brat."

"Maybe," a smooth male voice interrupted as the thick mist suddenly dispersed like it was never there, revealing a sandy-haired boy with bright pink eyes and a taller man with shoulder-length brown hair and a blue kimono beside him. "But she's my brat," the shorter male finished with a light smirk. The brunette man beside him sighed as if annoyed by something.

Zabuza's eyes widened. "Mizukage-sama..."

Naruko's eyes narrowed slightly as her head snapped to Zabuza's water clone who was staring with slight fear in his eyes at the shorter man a few yards away from them. Sakura stifled a gasp as Kakashi's, Tazuna's and Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Wait, what do you mean she's "your brat"?" Sakura suddenly asked, confused.

Yagura Karatachi blinked at the girl, having not noticed her before a smug smile came over his face. "She's my brat, and that's all you need to know."

Sasuke's and Sakura's heads snapped to Naruko, who was blinking blankly at the boy-Mizukage.

"Come again for Little Fudge?"

Everyone face-faulted at the blonde's blank tone. For Kami's sake, the Fourth Mizukage himself had just called her "my brat", and that was all she could say?

Naruko stared at her normally stoic teammate and pinkette teammate before sighing and letting go of Zabuza's foot before walking over and whacking the back of the sandy-haired boy's head, causing him to yelp in pain. "I'm not an object, baka. And stop acting so damn smug! What's with the sudden possessiveness anyway? Hang on, when did you become Mizukage and why did I not hear of this?"

Yagura opened his mouth to answer, but Naruko interrupted, "Hold that thought; if you're the Mizukage, does that mean you came out here just to take a break from your paperwork?"

"You know him just as well as I do," the brunette man beside the Mizukage sighed heavily.

"That paperwork is evil! Pure evil, I tell you!" he exclaimed, rubbing his sore head. Naruko, in response, merely hit his head again.

"Stop hitting me, child!" Yagura shouted, both hands clutching his head which was sporting two large, red bumps. "This is how you greet your beloved older brother after two years apart?"

Naruko's mouth quirked up. "Love you."

Yagura smiled lopsidedly back before Utakata sighed, "Shut up and deal with it like the man you're supposed to be."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"That you're a boy and not yet a man, even though you're Mizukage."

"Naruko~!"

"Boy, you are as hot as lava but just as thick," Naruko stated bluntly. Utakata guffawed at the complisult, and even Sasuke and Sakura had to put their hands to their mouths to stop from laughing out loud.

Yagura turned red. "I am not thick!"

"Yagura," Utakata put a "sympathetic" hand on the shorter male's shoulder, "you once ate a vanilla-scented candle."

"Oh, that was my fault, I shouldn't have left that in the kitchen," Naruko said quickly and then paused. "Wait... that was lit. Man, you dumb."

"Shut up!" Yagura snapped, reddening slightly. "Dammit child, I just saved your ass and this is how you show your gratitude?" he fumed, on the edge of throwing a temper tantrum. Yep, he's that childlike.

"Who said I was showing my gratitude?"

"I will kill you!"

"Have fun with that, my dear older brother."

"And you just had to pull that card out," Yagura cursed at the wide blue eyes that he knew were anything but innocent; they were the eyes of a devilish fox.

"You know it, you know me, and you love me," Naruko smiled sweetly and patted his head.

Noticing something, she blinked once with eyes that were immediately cleared of their cheeky sparkle, void of emotion as she started to gently trace Yagura's stitch with her finger. "Yagura..."

Yagura blinked, but before he could ask what she continued.

"Who and what the hell happened to your face?"

Yagura grimaced as Utakata momentarily put his fist to his mouth and swallowed thickly. "It's... not a pretty story. I'd rather you not ask."

Naruko cocked an eyebrow. "Yagu-nii, we're family, and family should trust each other enough to not keep secrets from each other."

Yagura opened his mouth but Naruko placed a finger on his lips. "Ah-poot-tu-tat. Your office."

Yagura sighed, giving in and nodded.

Naruko smiled with satisfaction and then turned behind her. "Mister Cowprint, please kindly release my sensei from your water prison bubble thingy, and Sasuke, Sakura... I'll see you at Tazuna-san's house later."

Zabuza opened his mouth to retort to the little girl, but Yagura's eyes blazed, shooting him a glare so fierce he practically scrambled to obey. The Demon of the Mist scowled at the girl and disappeared in a swirl of mist, his face black enough to convey the message he didn't voice.

I will be back, and I will destroy you.

Kakashi hopped back onto dry land, and before anyone from the Leaf could open their mouths to protest, Naruko had clapped her hands once in delight that Zabuza had let her sensei go and disappeared before she herself disappeared in a flash of yellow, taking the child-Mizukage and his bodyguard along with her.

Sakura blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Did that just happen?"

"Judging by Zabuza's and Naruko's absence, yes," Sasuke answered sarcastically.

"I wonder how Naruko knew the Mizukage," Kakashi murmured to himself. "She acted familiarly with him... too familiarly."

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm?"

"What do you know about the Fourth Mizukage?" Sakura asked curiously. Sasuke was also staring at him with curiosity fiercely burning in his onyx eyes.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "While most view him as a dangerous ruler, the fact that he acted that way around Naruko proves that those two are close, very close. He might, in a way, be like the First Hokage — dangerous, but relaxed and friendly and maybe even childlike in non-hostile situations."

Sakura frowned. "Naruko always lived at the Leaf, right? So how...?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It's not in our place to pry or ask. But I think she may have had some past affiliation with the Hidden Mist, if her relationship with the current Mizukage is any indication. Besides, she did call him older brother."

"But if the Mist sent Naruko over to the Leaf, wouldn't Hokage-sama have a letter or some written explanation? Naruko would've had an escort, too," Sasuke frowned as he tried to think of why his teammate knew the Mizukage so well.

Kakashi sighed. "We can ask her when she comes to meet us at Tazuna's house. But for now, let's just go there. Tazuna, care to lead the way?"

Tazuna slowly nodded, still trying to process the fact that a mere child, the blank-faced girl, had at one point been close with the current Mizukage, and still was. The Mizukage was rumoured to be the type of leader who would do anything for his village, even if it meant giving up his friends or his life. He was also the one who stopped the Bloodline Purge that was about to start when he had received the title.

Tazuna shook the thought from his head and quickly started leading the way to his home, still rather paranoid about his life and safety.

Sakura suddenly snorted, and everyone looked at her in surprise and curiosity. "S-Sorry," she giggled. "It's just... Mizukage-sama's bodyguard said that he once ate a vanilla-scented candle, that was lit."

Sasuke started, miraculously, chuckling as well. "The distinguished Fourth Mizukage ate a lit vanilla-scented candle that Naruko left in the kitchen?"

Kakashi eye-smiled. Of course they could find something funny in the weirdest of situations. He was fairly sure no other team was like his. Maybe being a Jonin sensei wouldn't be so bad after all... not that it was even bad to begin with, especially with these three mini-devils.

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OMAKE:

"Yagura, quit whining tell me the story," Naruko frowned with her hands on her hips.

"It's an ugly story," Yagura wheedled, trying to get out of telling Naruko the story behind his scar. "And I have a surprise for you~"

Naruko's eyes flashed with interest but was quickly replaced by blank neutrality. "Don't really care about that right now."

"But you love surprises!"

"Yeah, ten-year-old me loved them. Now that we're in your office, you're going to tell me the damn story and stop with the whining and trying to get out of it."

"..."

"I'll do half your paperwork for you, deal?"

"But..."

"Deal?"

"But..."

"DEAL?"

"Butt," Yagura muttered with a cheeky smile as he held up a baby fox with its butt towards his little-sister-figure.

"Yagura," Naruko said sternly, although amusement glimmering in her blue eyes.

Yagura merely looked at the baby fox and then put the hind legs down, showing the fox's private parts, smirking at the blonde.

"Deal~"

Naruko facepalmed. "YAGURA!"