“I believe Zabuza might still be alive.” Kakashi said shortly after the masked person took Zabuza away.
“What, how!?” Sakura exclaimed in disbelief.
“While the senbon looked like a fatal blow it was far too much of a coincidence that that person just so happen to show up and land the killing blow so easily. Not to mention they took the entire body rather than just the head which was needed to claim the bounty. In addition the person didn’t allow us any time to make certain that Zabuza was truly dead.” Kakashi explained seriously.
“If this is true then that means Zabuza has a partner that didn’t participate in the attack on the bridge builder. Perhaps on Zabuza’s orders since the man seemed so confident in his success.” Sasuke said seriously and Kakashi nodded.
“A good deduction that fits the situation perfectly. While it’s possible that we are wrong lets act as though we are correct for the next couple days until we reach the destination.” Kakashi ordered and all the Genin nodded.
Over the next few days the squad traveled and camped with their heads on a swivel at all times but no more attacks came until the arrived. The old man introduced the squad as the shinobi he hired to the village and his family. Naruto pitched in with his shadow clones in the construction of the bridge while his main body alongside his squadmates were getting in some emergency training with Kakashi while they stayed in a state of alertness. During this time Naruto met a very feminine boy in the woods named Haku who was foraging at the time when he came across Naruto napping after training.-
Something about the boys name tickled the back of Narutos mind but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. Due to this he left himself vulnerable around Haku when logically he shouldn’t have due to the fact they were technically enemies. Naruto quickly forgot about the meeting and didn’t report it to the rest of his squad. A couple days passed quietly and finally the bridge was completed. On the final day though Zabuza appeared again without the reckless confidence he had previously. Instead he and Haku who was wearing a mask at the moment confronted Kakashi , Sasuke and Sakura who were on the bridge with the old man.-
Naruto was in the forest at this time and thus was unaware of what was going on until he came across a boar that had been attacked and broken branches leading to the old mans house. Investigating he came to the house just in time to rescue the bridge builders family from some of Gatos men before rushing to help his squad after ensuring they were safe. In the meanwhile back on the bridge Haku and Sasuke were facing off while the Zabuza and Kakashi warily watched without interfering. Sakura was reduced to a spectator as the fight was too intense for her without risking injury.-
Haku turned out to possess the ice release Kekkai Genkai and was pushing Sasuke hard with the wide range that this gave him with the fight being fairly one sided on Hakus end when Naruto finally showed up in a dramatic fashion. The battle split into two parts at this point however as Naruto charged into Hakus domain of ice mirrors getting trapped inside with Sasuke. Meanwhile Zabuza and Kakashi were starting their own serious battle as Zabuza intensified the mist around them until even he was blind to prevent Kakashi from utilizing his sharingan to it’s fullest.-
Kakashi took damage defending the old man and Sakura while in the domain of ice mirrors Haku was causing more and more injuries to Naruto and Sasuke who kept trying to break out. Sasuke even awakened his sharingan in the heat of the moment at which point Haku decided enough was enough and used his senbon to attack Naruto which Sasuke was forced to block with his body. Naruto watched as Sasuke appeared to die and rage overcame him as his chakra surged and burned red like flames. It couldn’t be seen but the seals on his body containing the nine tailed fox slipped at this moment letting it’s influence out ever so slightly.-
In this heightened state Naruto beat Haku out of the domain of ice while shattering the mask he wore. Seeing Hakus face was enough to shock Narutos mind out of his rage state and let him gain control over himself again. Meanwhile Kakashi’s fight with Zabuza was also wrapping up as Zabuza had both arms crippled by Kakashi’s summoned ninken after Kakashi used his own blood to mark Zabuza so that he could be tracked via scent.-
Kakashi summoned his signature finishing move, the lightning cutter and in a split second the fight ended as Haku pushed Zabuza out of the way sacrificing himself to the unstoppable attack and perishing. The mist cleared and Gato appeared with dozens of mercenaries to clean up the tired ninjas and the bridge builder all for the same low price. This didn’t mean that the despicable man didn’t kick Hakus dead body and insult him and Zabuza confidently. Naruto called Zabuza out on his callus behavior and the man sacrificed himself to behead Gato with a kunai while getting stabbed by the mercenaries in a lethal manner.-
With Gato dead the mercenaries scattered after being attacked by Narutos clones that outnumbered them. Sasuke as it turned out was still alive but was in bad shape as this event ended with the newly finished bridge being named after Naruto. Zabuza and Haku were buried in under the same tree as team seven made their way back to Konoha. The medical supplies Kenzo had Naruto pack turned out to be extremely useful in giving everyone field treatment that stabilized Sasukes condition until they reached Konoha. In a funny way Naruto had also totally forgotten about the enhancement medicine that Kenzo gave him which irritated the young sage to no end after hearing about how the mission went.-
(Normal pov)
As the best iryonin in the village I was called to treat Sasuke due to the seriousness of his injuries. As the “last” Uchiha Sasuke was extremely important to the village and so got the best treatment. I wasn’t just bragging when I said I was the best iryonin in the village as my sensei and Shizune were the best in the world and they told me themselves that I was only lacking in experience to match both of them.-
Naturally this information was also publicly known since the people at the hospital had spread it out from me spending time there treating people. I insisted that I treat the entire squad however rather than just Sasuke which was approved and I chuckled at the uncomfortable look Kakashi had as I treated him and Naruto. The Jonin likely hadn’t ever expected that he would get put under my care and I made sure to lord it over him just to be petty.