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"Attack!"
Seeing the kunai suddenly appear in Kagaya's hand, Gato was startled and immediately shouted the order.
At Gato's command, the surrounding samurai drew their swords and charged at Kagaya.
Crimson Sharingan eyes materialized. Terrifying dynamic vision instantly locked onto targets. In his hand, a single kunai became two, then three, then four.
He hurled them forth!
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Four kunai shot out. Without exception, each found its mark in a target's throat.
Immediately after, another kunai appeared in Kagaya's hand. This time, he didn't throw it; he lunged forward himself!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several afterimages flickered. A second later, Kagaya was back in his original position. And the surrounding samurai, without exception, were all dead.
In an instant, the entire room fell silent.
Kagaya and Haku looked at Gato, saying nothing. Gato stared dumbfounded at the scene before him, still frozen in his previous arrogant posture, as if his mind hadn't yet processed what happened.
A few seconds later, Gato spoke. "...Huh?"
His mouth hung slightly open. He hadn't grasped it yet, or perhaps he refused to let himself comprehend it.
His eyes swept the room, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "Huh? H-how... how are they all down? Th-this..."
Kagaya looked at Gato. "Do you wish to join them?"
Gato's eyes instantly widened. Kagaya's question forced him to face reality, whether he wanted to or not. And the reality was that his samurai had been eliminated in an instant. Now, his own life was in grave danger.
"N-no, no! I don't, I don't, I don't want to!"
Gato went completely limp on the sofa, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably. Most people, when first confronted with the immediate threat of death, cannot remain calm.
Kagaya walked forward and picked up the suitcase of money Gato had earlier produced.
"I had intended to simply leave. I didn't expect you to be unwilling. In that case, consider this money as your compensation to me. How does that sound?"
"Y-yes! Yes! Absolutely, no problem! D-do you need more? I can give more."
Gato nodded repeatedly, not daring to hesitate in the slightest.
Kagaya smiled slightly. "That won't be necessary. This is enough. Oh, and if you get any news about Momochi Zabuza, remember to inform me."
With that, Kagaya left with Haku.
The reason Kagaya didn't kill Gato was in hopes that Gato could help him find Zabuza. As for whether Gato might try some trickery after Kagaya left?
That wasn't a concern. Kagaya's strength was undeniable. If Gato did anything to displease him, Kagaya could easily find him and crush him. Gato posed no threat to Kagaya whatsoever. Even if the entire Land of Waves became his enemy, Kagaya wouldn't necessarily fear them. This wasn't just about a small country like the Land of Waves; Kagaya was currently planning how to invade Konoha, the shinobi village of the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Nations.
The most disappointing aspect of this venture was failing to find Zabuza through Gato. This meant that he and Haku would have to spend the following period constantly searching for Zabuza.
Kagaya's long-range sensory abilities were practically nonexistent; he couldn't rely on himself to find Zabuza. As for Haku, while his long-range sensing was far superior to Kagaya's, it was only superior in comparison to Kagaya. In truth, Haku's long-range sensing was merely somewhat proficient, not genius-level.
Haku's true talents lay in Ice Release and his hand seal speed.
This situation meant that Kagaya and Haku's search for Zabuza would largely depend on luck. With good fortune, they might find him in a day. With bad luck, it was entirely possible they'd never find him.
*****
Several days later.
Konoha.
Naruto and the others had passed Kakashi's test and had spent the last few days catching cats with him.
By today...
At the Mission Assignment Desk.
The Third Hokage held up a piece of paper and spoke, "Alright then, Team Kakashi, Team 7's next mission is... let's see... help the Chancellor look after his children... or perhaps a delivery errand to the neighboring village... or helping to dig up sweet potatoes..."
Before the Third could finish, Naruto below had already had enough.
"NOOOO!!! Not this kind of mission again! I want to do a more impressive mission! Give us a different one!"
Kakashi looked at Naruto with a resigned expression. He'd known this guy was about to start making a fuss.
Iruka, standing beside the Third, slammed the table and stood up. "You bunch of idiots! You're just rookie beginners! Everyone starts by building experience with simple tasks!"
Naruto retorted unwillingly, "But, but... we've been doing nothing but super boring missions lately!"
Thump!
Kakashi smacked Naruto on the head, knocking him down. "That's enough out of you, you brat."
While Naruto was still throwing a tantrum, begging the Third for a better mission, over in the Land of Waves east of Konoha, Kagaya was getting a headache from searching.
After several days, they still hadn't found Zabuza. To be honest, Kagaya would rather spend the time on his own training than constantly searching for someone. As for Gato's side, it seemed the scare Kagaya gave him had made Gato overly cautious regarding shinobi matters. His efforts to find Zabuza hadn't made any progress either.
Left with no other choice, Kagaya decided to seek help. Continuing to search like this wasn't a viable solution.
A letter, carried by a messenger bird, flew from the Land of Waves towards Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Village.
If Kagaya needed to find someone, there were essentially only two who could help him. One was Akatsuki's Zetsu. That guy was absolutely top-tier at finding people. However, Kagaya really didn't want to get involved with someone like Zetsu. On one side were the White Zetsu, transformed from living humans. On the other was Black Zetsu, the one who literally ripped hearts out. That entity was undoubtedly troublesome. If not absolutely necessary, Kagaya had zero desire to interact with him.
Aside from Zetsu, there was Orochimaru. Although in Kagaya's recollection, Orochimaru didn't seem particularly renowned for tracking people down, Orochimaru, being a researcher, gave Kagaya a feeling of being capable of anything. No matter what, going to Orochimaru was the right move.
Even if Orochimaru ultimately couldn't help him, at worst Kagaya would invade Konoha with one less ally in Zabuza. That wasn't a huge problem.
*****
Konoha.
"Very well, I understand. Since you put it that way, I'll assign you a C-rank mission. You will protect a specific individual."
After some debate, the Third Hokage agreed with a smile to Naruto's request, assigning them a higher-level mission.
Naruto was overjoyed. "Really?! Aha! Who is it? Who is it? Is it a feudal lord? Or... or a princess?"
The Third puffed on his pipe and chuckled. "No need to be so hasty. I'll introduce them right now. Please, come in!"
Naruto and the others quickly turned their gazes to the door behind them.
The door opened. An old man, holding a bottle of sake, his cheeks flushed from drink, looked at the three of them with dissatisfaction.
"What's this? Why are they all just kids?"
This old man was none other than Tazuna, who had once crossed paths with Kagaya.