Reborn in the Mist

Pakura waited at the side of the item shop while the rest of Team Kirigakure took their sweet time deciding just what they wanted to do. Ao stared at them with his hands pressed to his waist, he looked like he didn’t care what they decided and had said as much as well but Zabuza figured he’d prefer if they chose to stay, rest, recover, have deep cleaning showers and a hot, well seasoned meal…

The more I think about it the more appealing it is. Zabuza shook the temptation away and chugged down on his third bottle of water. He’d already convinced Utakata and Mangetsu to choose to leave now, not that Mangetsu needed much convincing— he too wanted to be done with the extra exams and make it to the third and final as soon as possible, it was the only one that mattered to either of them.

Utakata was as always soft hearted. Even before Zabuza brought the team to huddle, he saw in his eyes what his friend wanted to do and it wasn’t for their sakes, in fact, it’d only be at their expense. Fortunately each team got one vote and if they hadn’t voted unanimously then he’d only need Mangetsu’s vote to count.

Now they waited for the other teams to decide amongst themselves. Team 5 looked particularly divided if only by the way they hushed and muttered. Team 8 was dominated by a single Genin— Maita— and it didn’t take many words for him to get them on board and present a solid vote to move on from Fukasa.

He smirked at Mangetsu like he’d done something victorious but Zabuza could see the eagerness lying behind his eyes. For Maita, getting to the exams wasn’t about performing for the Mizukage or any one else. It was about getting a free chance to wet his blade with Mangetsu’s blood.

Team 5’s vote is irrelevant now.

But Ao still let them present it. Haruka came forward, long since steeled herself from Zabuza’s abrasive personality she declared with a stronger voice. “We vote to stay.”

Maita had already begun to dismiss them and this meeting, halfway turned to leave when Akari hastily stepped up beside her sister to add. “We have to! Don’t you dolts see how obvious this is?”

Maita roared back, finger wagging at Akari. “Fat chance I let you talk us late to the exams.”

Haruka stepped between them, teeth bared up at Maita as she rebuked, “For god sake we’ve met the proctor of the first exam and there’s at least three other Genin teams here.”

Zabuza grunted at himself. He wasn’t in a hurry to believe her but he hadn’t taken any of those observations himself. Maita and Team 8 looked equally as taken aback but the fruit-head Funato wasn’t interested in giving legitimacy to her thought.

“Stay if you want, we agreed to vote and you lost. Majority rules.”

“It’s the strongest who rule.” Mangetsu loudly corrected, speaking as if he couldn’t help but take a shot where Maita was falling. “And Team 5’s theory is plausible to say the least, Pakura-san also guaranteed we’d be met with opposition on our way.”

Zabuza sucked his teeth. Mangetsu coming to the defence of Team 5’s inane theory wasn’t what he expected and he had to say something before optimistic Utakata flipped their team’s vote against him.

“That happens whenever you journey anywhere. Bandits, ronin, beggars even. All sorts of people will try their best to kill and loot your corpse when you travel.” Zabuza argued. “This isn’t any different.”

Akira and Haruka didn’t look convinced but it wasn’t them he needed to convince of this truth. Zabuza eyed Utakata, the only truly experienced Chuunin among them— he’d climbed the ranks without any sort of nepotism involved and had grown into it with each Chuunin level mission he’d been on. If there was anyone who would understand Zabuza’s words as fact and back it, it’d be him.

“Zabuza’s right…it’s true those kinds of attacks happen all the time. Escort missions are one of the first C-rank missions Genin receive for this reason.” Zabuza would be relieved to hear his reasoning backed up if Utakata didn’t also sound like he was about to say something counter to it. “But…with the Chuunin Exams, there’s always a trick.”

“A trick?” Maita said, already starting to sound enraged. Then as if receiving an epiphany he added in a hush, “You’re saying this could legitimately be a part of the exam?”

Zabuza didn’t like that look. Before Utakata could answer he growled forward and centre of the three teams and declared. “This is not a part of the exams. It was a simple question, do we leave now for the actual exams or stay? You’re letting the paranoia of the inexperienced sway you. We voted already, we leave now!”

“You just can’t stand being wrong, can you?” Haruka sneered. “You’ll cost us—”

“Nothing, why? Because for the Chuunin Exams to even initiate we have to have reached the host village…right?” Zabuza looked at Utakata, Mangetsu and even Ao who would have no part in the team's decision making.

Despite years of prior research into the Chuunin Exams, Zabuza felt like he was going mad hearing all this nonsense. But he was right and Utakata’s sheepish expression told him so, the young Jinchuriki scratched the back of his head like that’d save him Zabuza’s wrath, “Ahh, now that you mention it, that is true. The Chuunin Exams have to be held—”

“Finally! Now can we get a move on?” Zabuza groaned, already hefting his backpack as he stormed off. It had gained some weight as did all of theirs, stuffed with bottles of water, random snacks and as much jerky as he could buy without worrying about the future of his finances.

The rest of Team Kirigakure lingered in their voting circle while Utakata confirmed well enough what Zabuza knew to be true. If he were any meaner he’d have waited to shove Haruka and Akari’s foolishness in their face but he was tired, not as hungry any longer but exhausted enough not to want to deal with any more team bureaucracy.

“You’re quite the hot-head, aren’t you?” Pakura said as he approached where she stood against the hostel wall.

Zabuza frowned, “I don’t think so, but you wouldn’t be the first to.”

She smiled accommodatingly, her eyes darted from him to the rest of the team as they finally gathered themselves. “If you’re anything like me, try to hold back. Either that or look forward to a strained path to success.” She winked and added. “From one hot head to another, you’re underappreciated.”

For whatever reason Zabuza caught himself blushing. Ao and the others arrived en masse before he could respond and the Suna-nin’s attentions moved. “Are we decided? Ready to go?”

A lazy chorus of ‘yes’ answered her question. “Perfect, just follow me then and remember to keep an eye out for unfriendlies.”