Zabuza lay motionless on the ground, while the masked boy Haku stood calmly at his side, his gaze fixed on Kakashi and Team 7.
"I am a hunter-nin of Kirigakure, here to retrieve the corpse of a missing-nin," Haku's voice was cold and concise.
The milky-white mist still lingered heavily in the forest, refusing to dissipate. Droplets condensed on the treetops and dripped onto the grass with a soft plop.
Even Kakashi couldn't fully discern the boy's intentions. Team 7, on edge, had their muscles tense, ready to fight at any moment.
Kakashi said nothing at first. He crouched down and checked Zabuza's breathing—none. He finally relaxed and exhaled. Since the man was dead, handing his corpse back to Kirigakure was only natural.
"Kakashi-sensei, is he dead?" Naruto suddenly popped up behind Kakashi, pointing innocently at Zabuza's unmoving body.
Haku showed no reaction, though his eyes behind the mask flickered briefly at Naruto.
"Yeah, he's dead," Kakashi replied lazily, "my Water Dragon Jutsu hit him, and then this hunter-nin's needles struck his throat. That's enough to kill him."
But Naruto couldn't help but suspect Kakashi already saw through Zabuza's feigned death—and was deliberately letting him go.
It made sense. Casting a forty-four–hand-seal Water Dragon had drained a huge portion of Kakashi's stamina. Avoiding further risk was only natural. Still—
Damn it! A jōnin with no finishing instinct?
Naruto decided it was time to teach the so-called Copy Ninja a lesson in what it meant to finish the job properly.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei… if he's dead, why's he still twitching?" Naruto asked, pointing right at Zabuza's "corpse."
"What?" Kakashi's eyes sharpened.
"He's already dead," Haku interrupted coldly, finally unable to stay silent. "Little brother, you must be mistaken."
"This man is a traitor to Kirigakure. His body contains village secrets. Please allow me to take it back."
Haku's voice was steady, but beneath the mask he was starting to feel tense. This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go. Zabuza was meant to slip away under the guise of death, but now this blond brat had ruined everything.
Kakashi looked at Naruto, then at Haku, before focusing back on Zabuza's body.
"In that case, let me confirm his death myself."
"…Fine," Haku replied.
Kakashi extended his hand slowly toward Zabuza's neck. All eyes fixed on that hand. Even Sakura and Sasuke instinctively held their breath.
[Lava Release]
Suddenly, Naruto burst into action. A surge of chakra erupted from his body, and his eyes flared crimson.
Scalding magma spewed from his palm, the searing heat instantly evaporating the mist around them.
Naruto hurled a molten wave directly toward Zabuza's supposedly lifeless body.
"—!" Haku's eyes widened in shock. He lunged forward desperately.
His right hand was instantly scorched black by the molten release, but he managed to shield Zabuza, pulling the needles from his neck in one swift motion.
Zabuza's eyes snapped open—alive once more.
"Zabuza-sama… I failed you," Haku said apologetically, unfazed by the agony of his charred hand, as though it belonged to someone else entirely.
With a single-handed seal, Haku conjured a sudden gale, whisking both himself and Zabuza away like phantoms.
It was an escape technique, similar to the smokescreen escapes Naruto had seen before. He understood it, but he couldn't replicate it.
Kakashi kept his eyes on their retreating figures—only to collapse unconscious three seconds later.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura rushed over in panic.
"He's probably out of chakra," Naruto said calmly, imitating Kakashi's earlier method of checking Zabuza's breath, holding his hand by Kakashi's nose. "He's breathing fine—just passed out."
On the ground, Kakashi slept like a baby.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's get him back first," Sasuke muttered coolly, shoving one hand into his pocket. He had tried a one-handed seal earlier but failed; the hand hung awkwardly before he used it to pull Kakashi up by the arm.
Naruto quickly grabbed Kakashi's other arm. Between the two of them, they hoisted their sensei.
"The village is just ahead. Bring him to my home," the old drunkard Tazuna suggested.
Team 7 exchanged glances before agreeing.
At Tazuna's house, Kakashi was laid carefully onto a futon, Sakura tucking him in with visible worry.
When she stepped out, Naruto and Sasuke were already waiting in the corridor. Their eyes met, and Sakura simply nodded, silently falling in step with them.
They walked a short distance from the house, to a place with open visibility where they could talk without being overheard.
"How's Kakashi?" Sasuke asked flatly.
Sakura looked tired, but reassured them with a shake of her head."He just fainted from exhaustion. He should be fine."
"Until Kakashi-sensei wakes up, we can't let our guard down," Naruto said seriously. "As long as those two are alive, they could strike again at any time."
"Who exactly were they?" Sakura asked anxiously, her nerves frayed by her first brush with life-and-death combat.
"Missing-nin from Kirigakure," Sasuke answered, his composure steadier than hers. "What bothers me is Zabuza's killing intent. He's on par with Kakashi."
"And that masked one—he can use one-handed seals. Next time we face him, we'll need to watch out."
"Then next time, we kill them," Naruto said coldly, slicing his hand in a cutting gesture. "That masked guy's right hand is already ruined."
"Our mission has to be completed. But with Kakashi-sensei like this, he can't fight. Which is why I need to ask you two…" Naruto lowered his voice.
"This mission should have ended here. We already brought the old drunk home. But if we don't finish off those two while they're injured, they'll remain a threat."
"I have a plan. Before Kakashi-sensei wakes up—we'll eliminate the missing-nin ourselves."