Haku chose to give his own life in exchange for Zabuza's.
Meanwhile, Zabuza was facing Kakashi's final strike.
"Chidori!"
Kakashi's right hand crackled loudly with electricity as he lunged toward Zabuza's left chest.
[Magnet Release! Magnetic Induction Jutsu!]
Kakashi suddenly felt himself being pulled backward by an invisible force.
"Eh?"
Kakashi turned his head toward the distant Shindai. "What do you think you're doing?"
Shindai said to Kakashi, "I've made a deal with this kid—to exchange his life for Zabuza's. Your mission is simply to protect the bridge builder, not to help Kirigakure eliminate rogue ninja."
Hearing this, Kakashi dispersed the Chidori in his hand.
"It seems you've managed to save yourself some extra time after all."
Kakashi turned and began walking in Shindai's direction.
Zabuza spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered, "Looks like I really got my hands on a useful tool. At such a critical moment, it even gave me a perfect opening!"
Believing he had found his chance, Zabuza bit down on a kunai lying on the ground and launched a surprise attack at Kakashi's back.
"Don't force me to kill you, Zabuza! You've already lost. And the one who saved you is your own subordinate!"
[Body Flicker], Kakashi instantly appeared behind Zabuza and coldly warned him before kicking him hard and sending him flying.
Zabuza tried to get up but couldn't manage it due to his severe injuries.
Zabuza glanced at Haku, who stood there silently with blank eyes, and indifferently said, "He doesn't belong to me alone anymore. Whether he lives or dies means absolutely nothing to me!"
Naruto looked at Zabuza in disbelief. "You bastard! Haku did this for you!"
Zabuza replied coldly, "So what? This is exactly what a tool should do!"
Seeing how heartless Zabuza was, Naruto shouted angrily, "Don't you have any feelings at all?!"
Zabuza scoffed, "Feelings? As a ninja, emotions are our greatest weakness. It's Haku's ability that I need, not the boy himself. That tool called Haku has completely lost its value now. If you guys like worthless tools so much, then keep him!"
Haku lowered his head deeply, clearly feeling intense pain and sadness.
"You damned son of a bitch!"
Naruto attempted to charge forward, but Shindai grabbed him.
"Calm down a little. What do you want him to say instead? 'Oh, my heart breaks, I'm devastated! Haku, you shouldn't have done that...'?
Can't you see the situation clearly by now, even with your thick skull?"
"They've already lost. Killing them would have been too easy for us. Even if he had ambushed Kakashi and succeeded, I would have killed him immediately. So why did he do it? Think carefully."
Hearing Shindai's words, Naruto gradually calmed down.
After some thought, Naruto hesitantly replied, "Because... they're ninjas? They had to complete their mission?"
Shindai pressed his lips together and sighed, "Forget it. You wouldn't understand anyway. They're rogue ninja. Complete a mission? For whom? They're just a gang of criminals gathered together. They follow Gato simply because they want his money.
They already learned that our targets were Haku and Ranmaru. If we capture Haku like this, he'll be considered a prisoner since he was Zabuza's subordinate. But now that Zabuza has abandoned Haku, he's no longer under his command, so he's not a prisoner anymore. Got it?"
Naruto nodded vaguely, as though he only partially understood.
Shindai felt helpless—obviously he hadn't comprehended at all.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were both so smart, so why did Naruto turn out so dense?
Suddenly, a group appeared on the bridge—Gato and his gangsters.
Zabuza frowned—his signature thick unibrow furrowing. "Gato, why are you here? What about your subordinates?!"
Gato said coldly, "The plan has changed. Don't think I don't know your true intentions and that guy's real purpose. Want my money? Dream on! Sorry, Demon of the Hidden Mist from Kirigakure, Zabuza Momochi, and Raiga Kurosuki, former members of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist, please die here together with these Konoha ninjas!
If hiring legitimate ninjas weren't so expensive, who in their right mind would hire rogue ninjas like you? Watching you kill each other saves me both time and money. You guys really crack me up!"
Zabuza took a deep breath, "Looks like our fight ends here… Since I have no reason to kill Tazuna anymore, there's also no reason to keep fighting you."
Kakashi looked toward Gato's group and spoke, "That's right."
Shindai released the magnetic field binding Raiga.
Raiga pulled out the [Iron Sand Spears] embedded in his limbs and said to Shindai, "I heard you're quite a despicable guy. Seems the rumors are true."
Naruto asked puzzledly, "Brother Shindai, you kindly freed him, why does he speak ill of you?"
Shindai turned his head aside, "Who knows?"
Raiga answered Naruto's question while forcing himself to stand, "Our battle has ended. Now it's our fight against Gato. He released me simply so I could fight against Gato's men. Enjoying watching us fight among ourselves, aren't you, Shindai?"
Shindai shrugged with a mocking grin. "Yeah, I'm really happy. Your Kiri has the blood mist policy, right? It's all about weeding out the weak through internal conflict. Gato and his group were just worthless. You and Zabuza wouldn't possibly fail to take them down, would you?"
Raiga Kurosuki glanced at Shindai, who was holding Ranmaru, then grunted without a word as he staggered toward Zabuza.
He decided to let go of Ranmaru. After all, Konoha didn't reject bloodline limits, so joining Konoha would allow Ranmaru to live a better life.
His relationship with Ranmaru was one of mutual dependence.
For Ranmaru, Raiga wasn't just his protector—he acted as his limbs, enabling him to interact with the outside world. For Raiga, Ranmaru's Red Eye ability allowed him to detect enemies more effectively during battle, acting as his eyes in combat. They lived and fought side by side, bound by their mutual dependence.
Moreover, both Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru were lonely individuals who found emotional support in each other. Raiga regarded Ranmaru as family, while Ranmaru saw Raiga as his guardian and protector.
Raiga hoped Ranmaru could find a better life. Now that such an opportunity had come, letting go at this moment was the best decision.
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