It took about a week or so for Naruto and Sasuke to complete their chakra control training. Sakura on the other hand had managed to improve in speed.

"I leave Naruto in your hands. He's pushed himself to the limits so he probably can't even move today. " The team had breakfast and headed out to the bridge with Tazuna, leaving Naruto in the hands of Inari's mother.

"What about you? You're still recovering yourself." Inari's mother glanced at Kakashi's direction, a glimpse of worry flashing through her eyes.

Cracking up a joke, Kakashi laughed before reassuring her. "Why do I look wobbly? I'll be okay."

It wasn't long before the group had arrived at the bridge. The workers had all collapsed on the floor like the weak being bullied. Gradually, mist had covered their vision. This brought aboit heightened fear in the team but to Itsuko, this was nothing new. "Same old trick. Don't you have something more exciting?"

"Sasuke, Sakura get ready!" Kakashi yelled, jumping into defence. "I knew he was still alive. This is his hidden must jutsu."

It took no time for Zabuza's water clones surrounded them. Kakashi knew Sasuke could handle those clones well enough by himself so naturally he let Sasuke go on to fight them on his own.

"So you knew those were water clones huh? You're not bad at all, but you still have a long way to go." Zabuza appeared, smirking at Sasuke.

"You made a mistake calling these ninja brats. Sasuke is the best young fighter in the hidden leaf village. Sakura is our sharpest mind. And last but not least our number one hyperactive knuckle head ninja, Naruto." Kakashi stirred up a speech, holding his students in high esteem.

Despite that, Haku had managed to trap Sasuke in his kekkei genkai. Secret jutsu: crystal ice mirrors.

"Now we shall begin. And I'll show you what speed really is." Haku said, but he was caught off guard when Sakura sent a kuani in his direction. He caught it with ease but didn't seemed to see Naruto's shurikens coming at him. As the egoistic person ge is, Naruto came in talking about himself and how heroes showing up at the last minute.

"Idiot! It would've been more effective if you stayed hidden!" Sakura yelled, making a valid point.

"Shadow clone jutsu..." before Naruto could finish his jutsu, Zabuza threw shurikens at him. Naruto stood there, frozen on the spot. But before the shurikens could hut Naruto, Haku saved him because he said he wanted to fight Naruto his own way.

"As usual you're too soft." Zabuza smirked. "You know the score Kakashi. If any of you goes after Haku. I go after the bridge builder."

"You didn't say we can't go after you though." Itsuko was thrilled at this point. With a grin, she had vanished and appeared right in Zabuza's face with her sharingan ready.

Kakashi tried to tilt up his forehead-protector but almost immediately, Zabuza went past Itsuko towards Kakashi with a kunai trying to destroy his Sharingan.

"Don't ignore me." Itsuko said, it was more than cold as she glared at Zabuza before she took her sword out, countering Zaubuza's kunai. Ignoring her when she wanted a fight had just made her upset.

"Oh Itsuko. You never change do you?Always toying with the strongest enemies." Zabuza laughed, going full speed against her with his sword. Clashing with their swords was never enough for the two strong fighters.

Zabuza had thickened the mist attempting to hinder Itsuko's sight so he would have an edge in this fight. But little did he nor any opponent that faced Itsuko know, this had no effect on her at all. Before he knew it, she was already rushing towards him with her well-known jutsu, wind style: Illusional bond.

It's a jutsu that contains genjutsu and ninjutsu, one that she created herself. The jutsu, with the help of her sharingan traps the enemy in a genjutsu meanwhile in reality, the windstyle helps sharpen her sword to the point where it cuts through anything. With the enemy inside her genjutsu, she can easily kill the enemy without even staining her sword.

This left Zabuza in confusion, how could she have known? It couldn't have been a lucky guess.

"Oh dear Zabuza. I'm not known as The Wind Assassin for nothing you know." Itsuko said as it came clear to her that Zabuza had started to panicked upon seeing her appearance. "Well, I'm not killing you. That's Kakashi's job. But I can sense you with this, that's how." A shroud of gold chakra, that was how.

Zabuza made no protest as the monster that was close to devour him left on her own accord. Itsuko had left Zabuza busy with Kakashi as she went off to the genins who seemed to be in more trouble.

"Itsuko sensei! Your eye! I-it's horrible... Sasuke-kun might die if this goes on." Sakura reported their situation, her hands shaking as she desperately held on to her kunai, protecting the bridge builder.

"Haku~ Spare the kids, play with me would you?" Being the insane monster everybody saw her as, she teased the boy. Sasuke and Naruto didn't seem like they could handle anymore, even though it looks like they were getting the hang of Haku's jutsu. But that won't help, the only way in facing that jutsu is speed and speed alone.

Voluntarily, Itsuko stepped inside her jutsu, getting Naruto and Sasuke out before Haku could stop her. Haku didn't hesitate, he just kept throwing needles at her. They weren't like the ones he threw at Naruto and Sasuke. He avoided throwing needles at vital spots for those two, but up against Itsuko the only places the needles would hit were her vital spots.

It wasn't too much of a strain on Itsuko but the fight didn't last long before Haku escaped to save Zabuza from Kakashi's chidori. Haku sacrificed his own life to save Zabuza.

Then Gato came with his own men, saying that he didn't need Zabuza anymore. Calling Zabuza names, he had his men ready to rid of him.

The village came to help face Gato's men. Naruto created shadow clones, Kakashi made some illusionary shadow clones. Those scared Gato's men off. But that was only after Zabuza got stabbed and Gato got pushed down the clift.

"Zabuza... It was nice knowing you." Itsuko knelt down beside him as Kakashi placed him down beside Haku.

"Itsuko. Take it. You deserve it." Those were Zabuza's last words before closing his eyes. Itsuko had her own closed. She took in a deep breath before she walked over to the end of the bridge where Zabuza's sword layed, picking it up before she headed towards the forest. She knew, there were still more of his men down there. They escaped, they couldn't be spared, not after what they did. She didn't cope well with death of those whom she deemed 'worthy'. No amount of force was going to stop her from this rage.

Deep inside the forest, you could hear spalts, screams, cries... It was just like back then... But it ended quickly this time.

As she returned, she took out a scroll to seal Zabuza's sword, the seversword.

"Itsuko sensei, what're you going to do with the sword?" Sakura asked, staring at the scroll as if Itsuko was committing theft.

"This? I'm keeping it of course. It's mine." I said without giving her exact details. She looked at me confused.

Ignoring Sakura's question, she picked up her brother, throwing him over her shoulder before they headed back to Tazuna's place with the rest. It turned out that half way there, Naruto had passed out too, leaving Itsuko to carry the both of them. Kakashi offered to help but Itsuko had insisted that she do it herself. He's weakened himself.

"Itsuko sensei, what's wrong with your right eye?" Sakura suddenly asked slightly after Naruto passed out.

"This?" Itsuko said, peeling off the patch, revealing a closed eye. Sakura looked at it weirdly. Kakashi looked over shocked as well."Then why is it you have to patch it? It's perfectly normal."

"It looks perfectly normal. But I can't see with that eye, it's a goner. This is the cost of using a forbidden jutsu. From what I know, I sacrificed it unconsciously when I was born to save an Idiot. At least that's what I heard. If I were to take away the patch for too long it starts bleeding."

"Amazing... You could use a forbidden jutsu when you were just a newborn baby..." Kakashi mumbled as he trailed off out of amazement and admiration.

"It must be good to have such power." A soft, weak voice yet familiar whispered through my ears. It was Naruto. He's awake, but still too weak to stand.

"Good? I don't know about good. They see it as how they see you. A monster, I wasn't treated much better than you were."

"A nuisance, is what they'd describe her as." Sasuke mumbled with his eyes closed, continuing his rest of her shoulder.

"Watch your words Sasuke dear. Looks like we're having a Q&A session now are we?" Oddly, it did little to annoy her today. Maybe it was the hormones making her feelings run wild after Zabuza's death, maybe it was how she coped.

"Why are you called The Wind Assassin? Why didn't we know?" Hesitantly, Kakashi let out his question first. He couldn't hold onto his curiosity but he was always told never to question back in the anbu and he wasn't sure if it would apply now. The thought about the consequences pf offending Itsuko still gave him nightmares till this day.

"I'm not in your version of bingo book because I'm not a rogue yet and there isn't a reason to take me down but if you get a copy from the black market, I will definitely be there. As for why The Wind Assassin... I'll leave you to find out." Maintaining her mysterious aura, she smiled.

"Can you kill all of us, including Kakashi in a minute?" Sasuke took his shot just as they arrived Tazuna's house.

"If I'm serious, yes. You don't remember- no, never mind."

They all looked over, curious to hear what she was going to say. Probably expecting her to say something else. But she just went in and dropped Sasuke and Naruto down before heading back to her room.

'"It's been awhile, ."