"He left already, but
why is he back in my life again?"

·• ⌠ Unedited Chapter ⌡ •·
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Back then, I could only remember the darkness that swept me away from my consciousness. It greedily robbed me away from my belonging, leaving me astray within the path filled with lonely shadows and deceptive whispers once it was finally satisfied.

There was merely coldness that embraced me, coaxing me softly to sleep with bruised cheeks rested against the frigid stone covered in fleeting dusts. It was a memory hard to throw away in the abyss, reminding me repeatedly about the shadows that twisted around in leisure upon my vision.

Maybe it was a cruel farce orchestrated by fate when I heard his voice within the seams of heavy gloom.

Undeniably solemn and dour that it made me feel the weaving existence of the unspoken tragedy within his orotund voice. If I did not answer his call that time, there might be a chance where we would not need to meet even if it was only my voice he hears. There will be no need for us to meet once more in the coming days for we never met in the beginning of time, I wished that to be so.

However, heaven is against my pleas and desires, it made sure this meeting is done to ensure the predestined providence of the sacred prophecy is met.

That man, with eyes black as the stained ink across these lonely skies, walked into my colorless world and casted a hazy ripple in my tranquility. His words, no matter how harsh and unfeeling they were, helped me realize a fraction of beauty of this world and the ugliness it harbored. He was the one who gave meaning to my life and became a flicker of light in my eyes.

"You, what is a brat like you doing here."

But, he left me.

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
• He Who Left •
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The tendrils of the cold mist wrapped itself surreptitiously around her frail neck, bringing unwanted chills across her skin and within her brittle bones that rattled under his sharp gaze. That man, whom she wished to never encounter again, stood imperiously in front of them with that familiar imposing aura wrapped around his muscular figure.

She could never mistaken him to anyone, even if he were to disguise himself and take another identity that is not his own. That bloody scent, that seemed to cling desperately unto his skin, can never be washed away even he were to bathe himself clean within the purest water existent. And those eyes, those bloodthirsty eyes that can claim multiple lives with a single glance, he is the only one that can wear such eyes with a mocking smirk carved upon his lips behind that cloth. Ai can never forget him. This man, only this man she can never ignore.

However, she cannot let them know. If a single word weaves out from his lips about knowing her, she can never imagine the suspicion they might cast upon her head once they reach their client's destination. Her beloved mother made it certain that any connection she has with that place will never be known by anyone, except for the kindhearted old Hokage that has taken her in.

If they were to know . . .

"Form the Manji Battle formation! Protect Tazuna! I forbid you all to join the battle!"

A loud, sonorous voice reverberated throughout the foggy expanse, their eyes quickly sweeping towards the tall figure that shielded away the small stature of the shaken ebony-haired female from the murderous man in front of them.

"What?" Sakura sharply uttered, vividly perplexed, not understanding the reason behind the command they have received. His orders were, after all, a contradictory to the motto he teaches and holds vehemently. Thus, this sudden change is baffling for the young Haruno.

"To not interfere with the battle is still called teamwork." Kakashi solemnly remarked with his usually idle gaze peculiarly downcast and stern, his slender fingers moved nimbly over his slanted forehead protector and slowly revealing his other concealed eye that possessed a clean perpendicular scar over it.

He then slowly fluttered it open.

There, a remarkably beautiful red iris was revealed with three black tomes encompassing his pupil. Everyone was caught breathless upon that simple sight, deeply mesmerized with the enigmatic beauty and power it was endowed with.

"I am honored that I can see the Sharingan that I have heard about." Lowly chuckling under his breath, his dark eyes held an intense glow of madness within them as he spoke those words feigned in excitement.

The ignorant blond was beyond clueless and lost about the particular excitement regarding to the certain Doujutsu. He darted his eyes left to right; side to side, unable to piece it together in his mind.

"You guys have been saying Sharingan, but what the hell is it?" Roughly tousling his mess of a hair, Naruto frustratingly yelled these words with knitted brows.

"Sharingan. The eye creates it, and it is the power that the pupil generates. The people who uses this doujutsu are said to have powers that can see through all genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu, as well as cancel its effects. Sharingan is one of the various types of eyes that those doujutsu users possess. But, that's not the only ability that the Sharingan possesses."

Taking the initiative to answer the questions of the young Uzumaki, Sasuke gravely elucidated the power behind that enigmatic Sharingan displayed by their silver-haired teacher with a subdued and unsmiling face. Naruto deeply pondered upon the male's words, gradually comprehending the formidable prowess of the said Doujutsu; as much as he can, that is.

A curtain of hazy mist heaved from the moist land, casting a nebulous shade upon their vision as they lightly shiver from it's cold embrace. They, the young ninjas, felt guarded upon such sudden change, their shoulders turning stiff as seconds dripped down to a prolonged period of time.

Followed by this, Zabuza slowly spoke with a sinister tone that made their eyes tremble and knees weak.

"When I was still in the Village Hidden in the Mist's assassination squad, your information is listed in the bingo book that I carried, it asking for your capture. It also noted this, the man who had copied more than a thousand jutsu is called, Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

"Wow!" Overwhelmed in utter awe, Naruto couldn't help but loudly speak his amazement. His eyes practically glowing with a distinguished light of rapture as he swept his gaze towards his teacher.

Unamused and justifiably impatient, Zabuza snarled as he crouched down with a hunched back that was ready to pounce upon his prey.

"Let's cut the prattle here! I still have to kill that geezer right away."

The four inexperienced young ninjas immediately scurried and surrounded their pale-faced client in defense, sharp kunai blades held securely within their hand as they widened their perception for any inviting danger lingering.

"But, Kakashi, it seems like I have to defeat you first before I could do that." Zabuza obviously pointed out. He pushed his foot on the base of the tree and pulled out his sword off the trunk before disappearing within the hazy mist.

Cautious eyes immediately drifted around the misty forest, shoulders conspicuously taut, as the cold fog thickened and rouse from the moist soil with trickling silence. Their eyes finally caught sight of Zabuza's silhouette above the murky lake, hands formed into signs as the water unstably whirled around his figure with undeniable pressure.

"Ninja art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

The cold mist thickened, his hair-raising voice melting within the unforgiving embrace of the fog; his figure suddenly unfounded.

"He disappeared!" Naruto cried out in suprise.

"Sensei!" Sakura cried out, worry evident in her voice.

"He'll eliminate me first, but..." Kakashi trailed off, with thoughtful look on his face.

Shaken, the young Haruno couldn't help but question, "Who is he?"

"Zabuza Momoichi." Kakashi solemnly uttered the name with a chilling cold light flickering within his eyes, "He was part of the Village Hidden in the Mist's ANBU and was very known for his silent killing techniques." He patiently answered with an unsmiling face.

"Silent?" Naruto repeated in question, raising a brow with unrestrained curiosity founded.

"Just as the name implies," Ai gravely uttered in answer with her brows evidently wrinkled together, "They hide themselves in the shadows and silently kill their targets with great precision and speed. People who are unfortunate enough to be targeted by them, will die without knowing who even killed them!"

Fear assaulted their nerves and muscles after hearing her horrific words, a cold chill run through their skin as they heavily gulped in fright. Naruto and Sakura could only pray in their hearts that they survive this.

"I cannot use my Sharingan to its fullest potential, so don't let your guard down." Kakashi heavily warned, "But if you fail, you're only going to die!"

Those clear and bright emerald-green orbs narrowed down towards the indolent adult with a tinge of mirth found on the corner of her eyes, "You are too nonchalant!"

"The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto loudly exclaimed, anxiety churning inside him as he drew in a sharp breath.

"The country of Wave is surrounded by the ocean, so mist often emerges." Tazuna told Naruto, oblivious that the mist was created by the enemy.

"No," Ai sharply interjected, "This is different. Zabuza has casted a ninjutsu to use it as a smokescreen! This, everyone, be on guard!"

Absolute fear coursed fiercely inside the thin and tiny nerves within Tazuna, his aged face turned increasingly pale as he cowered deeply in his heart. He felt like a small pitiful animal, preyed by a ferocious beast with those merciless eyes. His body prominently shook, like a shriveling leaf that could be easily blown away by the wind. He wanted to faint, but was unable to.

The sudden shriek of Sakura broke his deep thoughts, "Kakashi-sensei!"

Their attention immediately drifted to the place she was staring frantically, finding the lean figure of that silvery-haired Jonin slowly getting devoured by the thickening mist. Alarm roused in their heads as their hearts pound loudly under their chest in great fear.

"Eight points." Zabuza's voice echo throughout the area.

"What is it?" Sakura stuttered with chattering teeth, salty sweat dripping slowly from the edge of her shaped eyebrows.

"The larynx, spine, jugular, vein, collarbone, subclavian veins, kidney, and heart. Now which vital organ do you want to be struck at?" His sinister voice, comparable to a diabolic demon, slowly enumerated those deadly vital points with a discernible air of bloodlust coiling within

Their hearts were loudly palpitating under their chest, cold sweat dampening their skin with dread bitterly filling their mouth as they tremor to their knees. This bloody air, induced in diluted fear, has already made their lungs breathless and throat crushed under its heavy pressure.

It was terrible. The ebbing flow of despair twined the knots in their intestines, twisting them, breaking them, as if wanting them to throw up at the nauseating feeling that enveloped their senses.

Kakashi released a terrifying whirl of chakra around him, wading through the man-made mist that covered their sight, clearing it until the lingering wisp remained. The power infused within that single blow was enough to coax the others to tightly shut their eyes as they used their arms to shield themselves away from its imperious force.

It was powerful, but alas, it was still horrible.

The clash of both chakra was a tantamount of great mountains converging together with rampant violence, hurling those who were unable to keep up to fall into pressure.

Sasuke was no stranger of this, after all that, after that night when he met those merciless eyes that can devour him whole. It was familiar, too familiar, that it caused his small body to shake like a shriveling leaf that can fall down any second by the wind. He lost his sense of judgement and hold in reality, everything around him was left blurred and hazy in the lines. He only knew that he wanted this dreaded feeling to disappear ─ to vanish completely from his head. So, he did what first came into mind. Firmly holding his blade, he shakily pointed it to himself, ready to end this miserable emotion that corrupted him completely.

But, he was stopped.

And he found himself looking at those eyes painted in madder red; unable to look away.

Her delicate hand tightly held his thin wrist, leaning closer with furrowed eyebrows as she fiercely said, "Don't do it!"

"── Akashi?" Sasuke lowly whispered her name, surprise evident within those pair of dilated eyes that gazed at her.

"Never let the blade point to yourself," She sternly uttered, "Even at desperate times, don't fall before the enemy does! We are still here, alive, remember that we still got each other's back!"

She strongly reminded, reassured even, that it made her penetrating words the only sound that he seemed to hear within the depths of his soul. Sasuke was pulled away from his internal strife with those pair of blood red eyes seemingly glowing within the hazy mist, instantly waking from his twisted delirium and stirring his mind upon a realization.

"That's right," Kakashi succinctly said, "Don't worry, I'll protect the four of you with my life. I won't let anyone in my team die." A smile under that mask heaved them slightly from their shell of despair slowly; enough to shake away the shadows clouding inside their head.

Those pitch black eyes silently gazed at her luminous hues a bit more, taking in its arduous color and transient emotions within, as if wanting to know what is hidden under those eyes, as if wanting to know the authenticity those emotions kept as his silhouette vividly reflect within them. Sasuke halted, before shaking his head slightly with pursed lips.

Stop.

This is not the time, he silently thought.

Sasuke gave her a fair yet firm nod after much silence, wanting to express his faint gratitude and understanding with that slight gesture as he slowly drew away his wrist from her loosened grip.

Ai did not saying anything anymore after that, lest even mention the strange light that flickered within his eyes as he shook his head in front of her. She knew, that's why she will keep silent. After all, there are far more important things to handle than this.

"I don't know about that." Zabuza suddenly said, appearing behind the five, in front Tazuna, his cold blade unhesitantly raised to strike the unsuspecting elderly man.

"This is the end."

Ai twisted her lithe body and aimed her knee against his solar plexus in a deadly precision found within her seemingly simple attack. A pained groan escaped from his jarring mouth, the momentous force driven within the kick drove him ten feet away from the group before

"Don't harm them." Ai viciously snarled, those mesmerizing pair of peach blossom eyes narrowed down with unfathomable madness flickering within those deep crimson hues.

He maliciously sneered, "Acting tough now, aye? But, it's all futile!"

Zabuza nimbly flickered behind her, deadly and silent, raising the fine yet cold blade above his head as he sneered derisively at the unknowing girl beneath him. Kakashi acted quickly, he cautiously pushed her together with the others away from him as he pierced Zabuza using his kunai blade. But, instead of blood gushing out of his wound, water surprisingly pour out from it.

Impossible, Sakura uttered in great disbelief inside her head once those wide evergreen eyes took sight of the peculiarity.

"Kakashi-sensei, behind you!" Naruto quickly warned with a frantic scream.

Zabuza hid himself perfectly within the mist, his murderous plan coming into light when he appeared behind Kakashi with his blade raised to kill. He laughed, insanity abundant within his reddening eyes as he shouted,

"Die!"

However, his triumph came too short, his victory now raised into nothing when he found that supposedly dead Jonin missing from his spot and instead behind him with a cold blade pointed dangerously to his neck. He couldn't believe his technique would be used against him.

"Don't move," Kakashi lowly uttered, those mismatched eyes narrowed with a bright sheen of keenness and threat within as they gaze steadily at Zabuza's frozen body.

"This is the end."

But Ai knew it was far from it.

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A U T H O R ' S N O T E

Yepp. This no-good author is still alive :') This was actually already finished in my draft for a week now, I just noticed this when I was typing in Chapter 14 (which will be released tonight maybe). Forgive moi /cries/

Btw, I want to give thanks to @Chisato-Hime for making this wonderful and beautiful cover! Thank you for your hardwork! uwu

First chapter out of five! Are you ready? ;)

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