"What? A grown man afraid of drinking?"
"Down it in one go! Then I'll pour you two more cups. Trust me, once this liquor hits your stomach, you'll forget all your troubles."
Kazuyama Gekkō grinned mischievously at Haku, blatantly urging him to drink.
Haku looked at him skeptically, as if wondering: Could drinking really make him forget his pain?
"Haha, relax. Why would I lie to you? If I wanted to trick you, I wouldn't have taken you away from that miserable place."
"Come on, drink. Big gulps."
Hearing this, Haku clenched his teeth, stomped his foot, grabbed the cup, and downed it in one shot.
"Whew! That burns!"
"Hahaha, that's more like it! Big bites of meat, big gulps of wine—that's how you live!"
Before long, Haku was sprawled out on the crystal bed, snoring softly, his body reeking of alcohol.
Kazuyama Gekkō leaned back with a smile, muttering, "Not bad, kid... half a bottle in one go. Tsk tsk."
"But yeah, this trip was worth it."
"I'll keep him around for a few days to settle in. No need to hand him over to Orochimaru—he'd only ruin him."
"Better idea... send him home and let Pakura handle his training?"
Kazuyama Gekkō's journey to Kirigakure was no secret to the village leadership—it had even been approved by the Hokage, Minato Namikaze. So bringing back a child wouldn't raise any objections.
[Ding! Detected host bullying young Haku and even forcing him to drink—inhumane behavior! Reward: Taijutsu +1!]
Reward in hand, Kazuyama Gekkō smirked, conjured a recliner, and stretched out on it contentedly.
"Hmph, you really are stupidly lucky. Such a promising kid, and you stumble across him by chance."
"Ah, the heavens are unfair!"
Perched on the crystal table, Tagitsuhime lifted her serpent head and complained helplessly.
That made Kazuyama Gekkō burst into laughter. With a flick of his hand, Tagitsuhime slithered back onto his body.
Outside, the storm raged. Inside, the cave was warm and comfortable. Soon, he drifted into sleep.
...
The next morning, Haku groggily rose, holding his aching head.
"Oh, awake?"
"Come eat some breakfast."
At the mention of food, Haku instinctively stepped back. His headache vanished instantly, replaced by sharp wariness in his eyes as he scanned the table.
No liquor bottles. Only then did he breathe in relief.
"Hey, who drinks in the morning? Haku, did you dream yourself drunk?"
"Or maybe... one drink and you're hooked? Hahaha, no worries, I'll have sake ready for dinner!"
Haku shook his head furiously, like a rattling drum, which only made Kazuyama Gekkō laugh harder.
"Haku, what are your plans now?"
"Want to come with me?"
Kazuyama Gekkō placed a piece of bread and a cup of milk in front of him.
Haku looked at the breakfast, surprise flashing in his eyes. It wasn't that he'd never eaten food like this before—he just couldn't understand how Kazuyama Gekkō had carried it with him.
"I told you—I'm a shinobi. We have many ways to store supplies."
"I'll teach you too. Come with me, Haku. Staying here won't end well for you."
This wasn't exaggeration. Haku was just a child, with no means to survive on his own.
If Kazuyama Gekkō remembered correctly, after suffering all that loss, Haku had survived by begging.
A genius reduced to living in such hardship.
But now, things were different. Since fate had brought him here, everything else would be handled.
"Alright..."
"Really? You'll come with me... wait, what did you say?"
"I said yes... If I don't go with you, I don't know what else I'd do..."
Haku's gaze lingered on Kazuyama Gekkō, his eyes still empty and lifeless.
Kazuyama Gekkō didn't mind. The kid had just gone through the greatest trauma of his life—he didn't expect healing overnight.
"My name is Kazuyama Gekkō. I'm not from the Land of Water."
"If you're willing to come, then let's go. First, we'll buy you some proper clothes. For now, finish your breakfast."
Kazuyama Gekkō...
Haku nodded, committing the name to memory, and began to eat.
Once everything was settled, Kazuyama Gekkō set out again with Haku.
...
Over the next few days, Kazuyama Gekkō shared bits of daily knowledge and stories about himself.
Haku listened attentively.
At night, Kazuyama Gekkō never slept out in the open. If there was a cave, he remodeled it; if not, he built a shelter from scratch.
Thus, Haku witnessed only the tip of Kazuyama Gekkō's true strength.
Like him, Kazuyama Gekkō had a Kekkei Genkai, but his mastery of Crystal Release had reached its peak.
He could casually craft a shelter strong enough to withstand wind and snow—the only flaw being that the whole thing was transparent!
"Sensei, why can't my ice grow as big as your crystals?"
Inside the transparent house, Haku toyed with a block of ice he had just formed.
Under Kazuyama Gekkō's guidance, he had begun to explore his Kekkei Genkai.
His talent was undeniable—his grasp of concepts was quick enough to make even Kazuyama Gekkō nod in approval.
"It's too early. How old are you?"
"What did I tell you earlier? The scale of a technique depends on your chakra. And chakra grows with age."
"You're still young. When you're older and your reserves increase, you'll be able to."
"Now eat. This fish—I bought it from Takigakure. Tastes different from the ones here."
Kazuyama Gekkō valued food highly. After all, in life, good meals were not to be missed.
Haku nodded and tossed the block of ice aside.
What they didn't realize was that they had already been discovered.
"Captain, over there..."
"Mhm, I see. Judging by that campfire, they're not just lying in the snow..."
Not far away, perched on a tree branch, three Mist shinobi with forehead protectors had spotted Kazuyama Gekkō and Haku.
They were watching them.
But they didn't know Kazuyama Gekkō had long been aware of their presence.
"Hehehe, Haku, looks like we've got company."
A faint red glow flashed across Kazuyama Gekkō's body—the chakra of Tagitsuhime.
With the perception of Sage chakra, anyone entering his range was immediately detected.
Kazuyama Gekkō wasn't the least bit concerned. In fact, he saw it as a good thing.
After all, Haku still didn't understand just how deeply the Village of the Bloody Mist had sought to oppress and destroy him.