Team Eleven stepped onto the damp sand of the island shore. The gentle splash of waves seemed deceptively peaceful, yet the air was heavy with tension. Following security protocol, the squad lined up in formation: Yamato led the way, alert but composed; behind him moved Tazuna with Karin, shielded by his presence; closing the line were Menma and Naruko—twins sticking close, as if glued together.
A narrow path brought them onto a dirt road winding between thickets and tall trees. The silence felt unnaturally even, as though the forest itself was holding its breath.
"Stop!" Karin shrieked suddenly, pointing at the bushes. "Enemy there!"
Without hesitation, she hurled a kunai into the greenery. But it never reached its target—Menma caught it midair.
"Look closer," he drawled lazily, twirling the kunai on his finger. "Even a cat would have trouble fitting in that bush. You've already imagined a rogue ninja hiding there."
"We'll see about that!" Naruko declared, eyes sparkling. Without waiting for objections, she dove into the shrubs with the ease of someone returning to her den.
There was rustling, a short cry and… a triumphant "ha!" The girl popped back out, disheveled, leaves tangled in her hair, holding a fluffy white bundle.
"A rabbit?!" Karin stepped forward, her eyes softening at the sight. "Oh, what a cutie!" Her shrill warning turned into an adoring squeal as she stroked the creature's back. "So soft…"
The rabbit looked indifferent to the fuss, calmly chewing on a blade of grass in Naruko's arms, unbothered by strange hands or the chatter around it.
"He's just like Shikamaru," Naruko chuckled, peering into its eyes. "Couldn't care less about anything. Brother, can I take him home?"
"No," Menma cut her off like delivering a verdict.
"Please?" Naruko clasped her hands together, but her brother only gave her a weary look.
"Need me to remind you what happened with the last animal you dragged in?"
"Don't start…" she rolled her eyes, but both Karin and Tazuna leaned in with eager curiosity.
"She brought home a bear," Menma sighed.
"A bear?!" Karin nearly choked.
"Yeah," he confirmed grimly. "Huge, stinking, straight from the Forest of Death. Nearly killed me."
"Oh, you just didn't get along," Naruko waved it off like she was talking about a neighbor's kitten.
"You killed it yourself! When it broke the fridge!" Menma's voice carried tired exasperation.
"Deserved punishment," Naruko declared coolly, like a judge signing a sentence. "And you've no right to complain—you stuffed your face with bear barbecue afterwards."
Menma gestured helplessly, admitting defeat. There was no winning against her.
"The rabbit's not coming with us," he said firmly, pointing at the fluffy prisoner. "And I'm not worried about you—I'm worried about him. He'd have to live with you."
"Fine, handsome," Naruko sighed, letting the animal go. The rabbit darted back into the bushes without a backward glance. "We could've been friends…"
"Done chatting?" Yamato said dryly, arms folded. "Move on."
The squad resumed their march down the road. But silencing Naruko was impossible.
"Yamato-sensei," she piped up suddenly, "do you have a summoning technique?"
"A proper shinobi," he answered with the gentle smile of a teacher, "doesn't reveal all his trump cards in advance."
"Knew it!" she brightened. "It's a squirrel, right? Has to be a squirrel! With your love of nuts, it just has to be a squirrel summon!"
A sharp whistle.
An instant later, the world tore apart. A colossal blade slashed into the clearing like a guillotine. Five cut-up bodies hit the ground.
BOOM!
The earth quaked. Trees shuddered, leaves showered down. A blinding flash—fire and smoke whirled into a deadly vortex. A crater yawned at the impact site.
In its center, amid flame and smoke, stood a man. His clothes were tattered rags, his skin scorched and bruised. But he stood. And he smiled. In his hands was a massive sword, so huge it seemed to split the world in two.
"Clones with explosive tags?" he roared, his voice echoing through the forest. "Ha! Clever! I underestimated you. Who the hell are you?! Haven't seen your face in the Bingo Book!"
From the ground, stone spikes shot toward him. Sensing the vibration, the man swung his sword in a wide arc. The spears shattered and scattered.
"I prefer to stay out of the Bingo Book," Yamato replied coolly, rising from the earth as though surfacing from water. "Victory matters more to me than fame. Unlike you, Momochi Zabuza."
"Those ANBU habits…" the mercenary's tone carried a trace of amusement. "I've cut down plenty of your kind. Brings back memories."
Suddenly, senbon rained from the trees at Yamato. The jonin didn't turn—he simply raised his palm. Living roots burst from his hand, deflecting the needles, then surged toward the attacker.
But an icy shimmer froze them in place. Frost spread, the roots cracked and broke apart.
Another figure appeared at Zabuza's side: a slender youth in a green haori and a white mask, standing guard.
"Wood Release…" Zabuza muttered with interest, studying Yamato. "What are you, Hashirama's grandson?"
"I get asked that a lot," Yamato replied evasively, his focus unshaken.
Zabuza smirked as though sharing a campfire joke.
"I like duels. Long, bloody ones. I thought you were some weak chunin, figured I'd finish you fast. But here you are—a jonin with ANBU tricks and Wood Release. Would've been fun to drag this out. But…" his eyes flicked to his burnt hands and shredded clothes. "In my state, wasting time would be stupid."
At that moment, Zabuza and Haku lunged forward.
A Menma clone, which had been watching from the shadows all along, dissolved into smoke, passing the memory back to the original.
///
[Mm. That's what it means to play off-script. Without Kakashi or another well-known jonin, Zabuza drops the theatrics and goes straight for the kill. Just like a mercenary should—he's paid to murder, not for dramatic pauses.]
The shore reeked of wet earth and salt. The team and their client, along with that very same Sanbei, hid inside a wooden dome Yamato had grown right after they landed. From there, joint Uzumaki clones had gone out, two more taking the form of Yamato and Tazuna.
"So, what's going on?" Naruko was the first to snap. She noticed her brother frown and immediately locked her gaze onto him. "My clone didn't even have time to blink before it got blown apart!"
"The blast hit Zabuza, but didn't kill him." Menma bit his lip. "As expected, a monster like that doesn't go down so easily."
"But we used up the whole stock the right way," Naruko said stubbornly. "That was the best move. Imagine if Zabuza decided to chit-chat instead of attacking outright—then all our prep would've gone to waste!"
"How's Yamato-sensei holding up?" Karin asked, her voice barely audible.
"Not great," Menma muttered, his frown deepening. "Zabuza's got a partner with an Ice Release."
"Ice?!" Karin gasped, her eyes going wide.
"Yeah. And it's exactly the kind that hard-counters wood." Menma clenched his teeth. "That guy moves like a jonin. Sensei's holding off two right now, but he won't last long."
He and Naruko exchanged a glance—and at the same moment, both stepped toward the exit.
But Karin caught them, clutching their arms in desperation.
"You're not going anywhere!" her voice cracked. "Sensei ordered us to stay here! Those are jonin fighting out there, and we… we're just genin!"
"Karin-chan," Naruko winked. "Remember what he said on the very first training? That we're much stronger than ordinary genin."
"Then at least send clones!" Karin raised her voice. "Let them fight instead!"
Menma shook his head.
"Shadow Clones can't reproduce our best techniques. Sensei needs our full strength."
"I need you!" Karin suddenly burst out. Her lips trembled, her eyes filled with tears. "I won't survive if you get killed!"
She no longer gripped their arms—she just clung to them like a drowning girl.
The twins glanced at each other and, as if on cue, wrapped her in a hug.
"Hey," Menma whispered, gently rubbing her back. "Nothing's going to happen to us. We've got a trump card strong enough to crush even a Hokage."
Karin pulled back for a moment, staring into his eyes.
"Really..?"
"We never lie to you, Karin-chan," Naruko smiled—bright as the sun, brimming with confidence and childish audacity all at once.
Tazuna and Sanbei stood nearby, hardly daring to breathe, afraid to break the moment.
Menma released the hug and took his sister's hand.
"We'll be back soon." His voice hardened, nearly steel. "And you… keep an eye on our guests. Make sure they don't wander where they shouldn't. Especially this one."
His gaze fell on Sanbei.
"You may have tricked Zabuza and switched sides… but I don't trust you."
Without waiting for a reply, the twins bolted toward the lake.
/////
Author notes:
I do have a Patreon, where the story is already 10 chapters ahead.
If you'd like to support me personally as an author, I'd be truly grateful.
patreon.com/Vetrax