𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐇𝐀, various! naruto x reader [BOOK 1]

s i x t e e n

chapter | sixteen

IT WASN'T UNTIL you hovered above the lifeless body of Sasuke, that you finally realized the reality of this mission. You held Sakura as she sobbed, her hand caressing his pale face. Tazuna stood over the three of you, watching in silence. It wasn't as if you've never seen a dead body. Hell, just moments earlier, you had watched Haku die. It was strange, really. Though Zabuza and Haku were your enemy, your heart stung at the sight of his body. He was still human. Nonetheless, death was no stranger to you. This, however, was different. Sasuke was your friend. Sasuke was family.

And Sasuke was dead.

You let out a curse, frantically wiping the tears that stung at your eyes. There wasn't any time to mourn— you had a mission to attend to. This mission had to end, before any more lives were lost. Rising from your crouched position, your eyes lingered over Sasuke a moment longer, before you sprinted toward the rest of your team.

. . .

Stumbling over piles of kunai and blood, you came to an abrupt stop beside Kakashi and Naruto, whose eyes were trained on the scene in front of them. Following their gaze, your heart dropped at the sight. There were hundreds of men, all wielding some kind of weapon. In front of them stood an old man, smirking as he adjusted his sunglasses.

"Sorry, Kakashi. Our fight ends here." Zabuza said lowly, stepping toward the crowd of men. Both of his arms were completely paralyzed, multiple kunai pierced deep into his skin. "As long as my reason to take down Tazuna is gone, there is no reason to fight you." The man who controlled the men approached Haku's body, a look of disgust evident on his face.

"It's the same brat who almost broke my arm. . ." He kicked his lifeless body, letting out a sadistic laugh. You covered your mouth, tears falling down your face. It was sickening to watch.

"Bastard!" Naruto yelled, stepping forward. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Don't act so reckless!" Kakashi yelled, pulling Naruto back by his collar. Zabuza was silent, his eyes piercing into the geezers skull.

"What about you?!" Naruto screamed, eyes brimming with tears as he stared at Zabuza. "Haku risked his life for you! Don't you even care?!"

Zabuza scoffed, only looking ahead at the man and his men. "I already told you, brat. Shinobi are merely tools. Gato used me, just as I used Haku. There's nothing more to it." His eyes never wavered. "I have no regrets."

Liar. . . You thought, watching his eyes well up with tears. You do care!

Lowering his gaze, Zabuza spoke, "Give me your kunai, brat" Sniffling, Naruto pulled a kunai from his pouch, tossing it toward Zabuza. Catching the kunai in-between his teeth, Zabuza rushed toward the crowd of men, a murderous glint in his eyes.

"That's enough!" Gato yelled, pushing himself toward the back of the crowd of men. "Take him down!"

Zabuza wasted no time cutting though the hundreds of men, forcing his way toward the back of the crowd. Dozens of them collapsed every second, Zabuzas attacks being much more deadly than anticipated. Many men attempted to flee the scene, but was met with no mercy from Zabuza. As he finally appoached Gato, he pierced the kunai deep into his neck, watching as he dropped to the ground- dead. Achieving his goal of killing Gato, Zabuza stumbled back toward Haku's corpse, before collapsing.

In a split second, a multitude of emotions rushed through Team 7. Naruto cried over Zabuza's lifeless body, while Sakura bombarded the awakened Sasuke with an emotional embrace. As Zabuza caressed Haku's pale face, he whispered.

"How I wish I could join you in the afterlife. . ." The life slowly drained from his body, a smile still adorning his face. In that moment, you felt your lips curve into a sad, yet relieved smile. You've learned that life as a shinobi was much different than a rogue nins. It met with many heartbreaks, but without the sadness, you would never experience the moments of
happiness. Turning away from the scene ahead, you locked eyes with Kakashi, sharing that same smile.