"Pu–shh!!"
Just as Shinju's hands pierced what he thought was Zabuza's body—
The expression on his face suddenly froze!
Because—
The one who should have been killed by him… had somehow become Haku!
A few seconds earlier—
After fighting Shinju for so long, Haku had realized something.
He knew Shinju had placed a Flying Thunder God seal on Zabuza's back.
So when he saw Zabuza restrained by Kakashi's ninja hounds, he guessed that Shinju would surely use the Flying Thunder God to launch his next strike.
That's why he resolutely stepped in behind Zabuza.
And sure enough—just as he expected—
Shinju arrived right on cue, his Piercing Hands driving forward.
Both arms instantly tore through Haku's left and right chest.
In his final moments, Haku summoned the last of his strength to grab hold of Shinju.
This… was the last thing he could do for Zabuza-san.
A kekkei genkai was something valued in any nation, especially in war.
But for Haku, who had inherited the Ice Release, his childhood had been a tragedy.
He was born in a small village in the Land of Water where snow always fell.
The villagers, scarred by war, feared and hated those with kekkei genkai.
When Haku's father discovered that his wife and son possessed Ice Release, he led a group to kill Haku's mother. Just as the villagers were about to kill Haku as well, the boy unleashed an ice needle technique, killing everyone present.
In one night, Haku became an orphan.
Later, wandering the streets, he met Zabuza, a defector from Kirigakure.
Zabuza saw the value of Haku's kekkei genkai and took him in, teaching him ninjutsu.
Haku had always known Zabuza was using him—but he willingly fought for him.
From the moment Zabuza took him in, his entire life had been for Zabuza's sake.
Even in death, he would create the greatest advantage possible for him.
Now, Shinju was held fast by the lifeless Haku.
They were so close their noses nearly touched. Shinju could see the fading light in Haku's pupils, could feel the warmth of his body rapidly cooling.
This man… even in death, still helped Zabuza one last time.
In front of Shinju—
Zabuza turned his head.
When he saw Haku's body pierced through, his pupils widened, a flicker of emotion breaking through his cold exterior.
But it lasted only a moment. He quickly regained composure, grinning cruelly as he rasped out in a trembling voice,
"Haku… even at the moment of death, you managed to hold down that red-haired brat using the Flying Thunder God. Not bad."
Then, Zabuza swung his massive blade.
"In that case, brat, I'll send you to join Haku!"
The huge sword came crashing down—
Only to split a log cleanly in two! The blade still had force to spare after the cut.
But as Zabuza saw the sword continuing down toward Haku's body, his wrist jerked sharply, halting the blow.
Meanwhile, Shinju had swapped out with a substitution, appearing dozens of meters away. He wiped cold sweat from his forehead, heart still pounding.
Now that Shinju had escaped and Haku was dead, Zabuza had no hope of winning.
Just then—
A group appeared at the far end of the bridge.
It was Gato.
His plan was simple—let Zabuza and the ninja protecting Tazuna fight it out, then appear after both sides were weakened to claim victory.
That way, he wouldn't have to pay Zabuza's fee, and the bridge in the Land of Waves would never be completed.
Looking at the battered Zabuza, Gato sneered.
"Pathetic, Zabuza. You really are useless."
Zabuza had already guessed Gato's intentions when he saw him, but still asked,
"Why are you here? What are you trying to do?"
Gato's mocking grin widened, the lenses of his sunglasses catching the light.
"What am I here for? To kill you, of course!"
"You didn't really think I was going to pay that outrageous fee, did you?"
"Now I'll just kill all of you while you're both half-dead!"
"I see."
A cold gleam flashed in Zabuza's eyes.
He had nearly lost his life for this mission, and now he had lost the only person who truly cared for him.
And here was Gato, not only refusing to pay, but wanting to silence him.
Zabuza spoke coldly,
"Kakashi… looks like we're calling a truce. Without a mission, I've got no reason to keep fighting you."
"Yeah."
Kakashi nodded, reversing the grip on his kunai, shielding Tazuna, Naruto, and Sasuke behind him.
"A ninja shouldn't harm civilians lightly. I'll leave this to you."
Without another word, Zabuza's body blurred—
And then he charged toward the samurai at Gato's side, wielding the Executioner's Blade.
As he rushed forward, a crimson chakra flared and wrapped around him again.
Gato's eyes went wide in fear.
"Protect me!" he shouted frantically to the samurai.
That cold, merciless look on Zabuza's face made him feel like he was staring at a demon.
The samurai were frozen for a heartbeat by the killing intent rushing toward them.
"Protect me! Protect me!"
"Zabuza's badly injured! There's so many of you—what are you afraid of?!" Gato barked in panic.
"He's coming!"
One of them screamed in alarm—
The next second—
Zabuza plunged into their ranks.
"Fwahhh!!"
The Executioner's Blade danced through the air, exuding deadly power.
In less than thirty seconds, the samurai surrounding Gato had all fallen.
Then Zabuza's sword came down.
"Pu–shhh!"
The massive blade, over two meters long, cleaved Gato's body cleanly in half.
The remaining samurai, terrified out of their wits, scattered in all directions.
In an instant, only Zabuza remained on the bridge.
At that moment, Shinju—having just used substitution to teleport away—was the closest to the dangerous swordsman.
He kept a wary eye on him, ready for a sudden strike.
Then he felt faint vibrations through the bridge.
Turning, he saw a large group rushing toward them.
As they drew closer, he recognized the short figure leading them—Inari.
"Shinju, I brought all the villagers from the island!"
"We've come to help you!"
Inari's voice rang out in excitement when he spotted Shinju.
In moments, over a hundred people had surrounded Zabuza, blocking his path.
The crowd was tense, holding their breath.
"Zabuza…"
Kakashi called out, worried he might lash out at Shinju.
But Zabuza simply turned, walking over to Haku's body.
"I'm going to bury Haku. You'd better not try to stop me," he rasped.
He picked up Haku's body.
Before leaving, he glanced back at Shinju.
"Hey, red-haired brat… you really are full of surprises."
"But don't think this is over."
"We'll meet again in the future."
And with that, Zabuza walked away.
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke were taken back to the island for treatment.
With Gato dead, there was no one left to stop the bridge's construction.
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