Reborn in the Mist

“Kirigakure!”

There was enough hostility in the voice that everyone in the dining hall shushed and glanced over at the approaching Iwa team. Zabuza recognized the man at the forefront of their trio as the Iwa-nin he caught a glimpse of back in Fukasa. He wore the same smug smirk that clearly said he thought himself better and stronger than everyone in the room.

Zabuza knew that wasn’t true though, the uncertain gait of his teammates was one thing and the way they eyed Utakata and Mangetsu as they approached their table.

“What do you want now, Dogan?” Mangetsu said with equally as much hostility in his voice, surprising Zabuza entirely.

Just what happened while I was in here memorizing? It was more so confounding because Utakata hadn’t any sign of his usual politeness, instead his shoulders were squared and ready for combat, even his fingers twitched eagerly for his pipe in his pouch.

The Iwa-nin, Dogan, cast his gaze across the table. Audibly counting heads at a respectable distance from Mangetsu and Utakata who’d found their place beside Zabuza. “There’s six of you water fowls here now, where are the other two…or three, can’t register two-man teams for these exams can you?”

The only team missing from Zabuza’s table now was Team 8 and Zabuza thought that was a good thing if for the fact that Maita’s explosive personality wouldn’t be able to resist the Iwa teams obvious taunts.

Sick of sitting and observing, Zabuza stood to his feet and put himself between the table and the Iwa team with the rest of Team 3. “And just how did your team get to register? I thought for sure you stone heads came for a sandy vacation.”

Zabuza didn’t expect his retort to hit the mark but it did, Dogan’s ears blew up with blood as he and his teammates took on embarrased blushes. He was quick to yell right back at Zabuza, teeth gnashing as he did. “Yeah, well some of us don’t have two extra teams to save face with. Or are you all so expendable, so damn useless that more is better than the quality of one, efficient team?”

He scoffed and then loudly laughed as he continued to make assumptions and throw insults. “Out of every other here only Kirigakure sends three teams, did you all come for the buffet or is your Kage just trying to find other ways to get rid of useless shinobi?”

Zabuza took a breath, laughter just on the edge of his throat at the desperations of the Iwa-nin to put down Kirigakure for his own ego. He was about to burst out laughing in Dogan’s face but the arrogant fool was flung forward as a foot planted itself in his back. He flailed to find his balance and Zabuza was quick to step out of his tumbling path, Mangetsu wasn’t.

The short apprentice of the Fourth Mizukage grinned ever so slightly as the Dogan came tumbling his way. His tightly closed fist dug into the boy’s cheek, redirecting his tumble into a table of Suna-nin.

Gasps and murmurs went across the hall, Dogan’s teammates looked completely stunned before they got angry. “Oi! You can’t start fights in here!” one of them said, screaming at Maita who’d appeared behind Dogan with his teammates by his side.

“Why not? I thought that’s what you were looking for coming at us here, Dogan.” Maita said, looking down on Dogan as his other teammate helped him get clean of all the food smeared on his body.

Dogan glared furiously, his eyes darting between Mangetsu and Maita, trying to decide which one to attack first. Zabuza wasn’t sure what to do in this moment, a large part of him wanted to remind Mangetsu that if he got disqualified for fighting without permission he’d be the only one of their team to be affected.

At the same time, judging alone from Utakata’s disinterest in deescalation, Zabuza felt Dogan deserved what was coming. A steep, silent moment passed while the entire Hall waited for Dogan to decide what his response would be, he gritted his teeth between Mangetsu and Maita, and then the rest of the teams watching, judging.

“You fools!” He yelled, ripping away his arm away from his helping teammate. “What are you idiots waiting for? Teach them a lesson!”

As soon as he said those words a Suna kunoichi from the table he’d stumbled into rose up to him, shaking her head as she warned. “Hey, there aren’t any rules against fighting, its all at your own risk. You still haven’t apologized for ruining our meal.”

“Ruining your…get out of my way you sand whore!” Dogan grabbed her by her face and shoved her aside. His teammates got the message then, just as hers did— there was no resolving this peacefully.

Chakra surged all around as three teams came to blows against each other. Maita’s fists burst alight with flames, he leaped straight at the Iwa-nin nearest to him, swinging wilding at the taller man’s head.

Two Suna-nin grappled Dogan, but the arrogant fool had already gotten his handseals off. He muttered something on the last handseal and his entire body began to shake violently. He threw off the Suna-nin and dashed towards Mangetsu who’d already knocked out his other teammate.

Dogan’s jutsu made him hard to pin down, his feet scratched the floor as he vibrated forward with a kunai materialized in hand. Mangetsu saw him coming but he wouldn’t be fast enough to react in time, not without getting hurt.

“Water Release: Water Bullet!” A concussive force of water blasted Dogan inches away from Mangetsu, sending the Iwa-nin crashing into yet another table of shinobi trying to have a meal.

Zabuza and Utakata looked back to find Yaga behind them, his fingers curling back from the tiger handseal and into a closed fist. “Sorry?”

Zabuza smirked up at him and shook his head. “No, well done.”

Yaga’s intervention shattered the last bit of restraint in the hall. Chairs overturned. Someone hurled a bowl that shattered against the wall. A stray wind blade carved through the edge of another table and suddenly half the room was on their feet.

Zabuza stepped back from the mess, watching with only the girls of Team Kirigakure trying to calm people down or simply stay out of it in Haruka’s case.

Mangetsu was on the move again. A random shinobi from one of the lesser villages lunged at him and slipped the moment his foot hit the water Mangetsu had spilled across the floor. Mangetsu pivoted smoothly and drove a kick into the man’s ribs, sending him crashing into a bench.

Across the hall Maita had turned his fight into a brawl. Flames wrapped around his fists as he hammered at the Iwa-nin in front of him, each punch cracking loudly against stone-covered arms.

Near the ruined table the Suna kunoichi recovered from the humiliating slap and had now snapped open a fan.

“Wind Release: Cutting Gust!”

Thin blades of wind tore across the room, forcing several shinobi to scatter.

Zabuza didn’t move. He was watching Dogan.

The Iwa-nin climbed out of the wreckage Yaga had sent him into, body trembling with that strange vibration technique. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth as his glare locked onto Mangetsu.

Then he charged. His vibrating sprint turned him into a blur, kunai thrusting forward.

Mangetsu didn’t bother to dodge this time. The blade struck—and passed straight through his arm in a splash of water.

Dogan’s eyes widened with realization.

Too late.

Mangetsu appeared beside him and slammed an elbow into his jaw. The impact sent Dogan stumbling just as a flash bomb detonated somewhere behind them, flooding the hall with light and thunder.

For a moment the entire room dissolved into chaos.

Wind techniques, thrown weapons, shouted curses.

Zabuza simply leaned against a broken table and watched.

Different villages. Different styles. Different temperaments. All revealed the moment the fighting started.

A small grin crept across his face. He hadn’t even thrown a punch, and already he was learning who in this room might survive the exams and who wouldn’t.