Despite his severe injuries and extreme exhaustion, Zabuza Momochi did not fall.
Blood soaked his clothes, his breathing was ragged, and his body trembled on the verge of collapse—yet his expression twisted into something terrifying. His distorted features no longer resembled those of a human, but rather a savage monster clawing its way back from death.
"It looks like Kakashi's Sharingan is draining too much chakra…" Zabuza muttered hoarsely.
"It's already reached its limit."
A cruel grin spread across his face.
The executioner tried to lift his massive blade, but the moment he exerted force, his arms went numb. His strength was completely gone.
Click.
Zabuza released the sword.
Instead, he pulled out a kunai from his waist and began to stagger forward, step by step, toward Kakashi Hatake.
"Zabuza-sensei… you're awake?!"
Haku's voice trembled with shock and joy.
Just like in the original outcome, Zabuza had only been feigning death. He had regained consciousness shortly afterward—but now, he was no stronger than a dying beast.
Zabuza continued forward.
However, before he could reach Kakashi, a small figure stepped in front of him.
Hinata Hyuga stood there, her body shaking but her eyes unwavering.
"I will never allow you to hurt Kakashi-sensei or Tazuna-san!"
Zabuza's gaze sharpened.
"Kid," he sneered, "your chakra is nearly exhausted too. You've been using the Byakugan nonstop. You've already reached your limit."
"If you don't want to die—step aside."
Hinata inhaled deeply.
Her lungs burned. Her vision wavered.
But she did not move.
"As long as I don't die," she said softly.
Kakashi's heart trembled violently.
"Hinata…"
Zabuza roared, his veins bulging.
"Then die!"
Gathering the last fragments of strength left in his body, he lunged forward and thrust the kunai straight toward Hinata's chest.
But at that instant—
"Protective Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palm!"
Hinata moved.
Her remaining chakra erupted outward as she deflected the kunai with a precise palm strike. The impact didn't just knock the weapon away—it sent Zabuza flying.
Under normal circumstances, such a strike would not have seriously injured him.
But now?
Zabuza was already a candle flickering in a storm.
He was flung backward and crashed heavily onto the ground, unable to rise.
"You… damn brat…" he snarled weakly.
Hinata picked up the fallen kunai and stepped forward.
Her hands trembled, but her eyes remained resolute.
She pressed the blade to Zabuza's throat.
"Let Naruto-kun and Sasuke go."
"Otherwise… I'll kill him."
Haku froze.
His face drained of color.
"Y-you… are you really going to do this?!"
Hinata's voice was low, but firm.
"You protect the one you care about—no matter how dirty the methods."
"For Naruto-kun. For Kakashi-sensei. For Sasuke…"
"I can do the same."
Haku's heart shook violently.
He wanted to move. Wanted to stop her.
But his body refused to obey.
Zabuza suddenly burst into wild laughter.
"Kid! Have you ever killed anyone?!"
"You're just a novice girl. Do you think killing is that easy?!"
His laughter was harsh and mocking.
"Let me tell you something. I'm a demon who carved his way through mountains of corpses in the Bloody Mist Village!"
"I slaughtered my classmates, my friends, my comrades—all for a single graduation exam!"
"You flowers raised in Konoha's greenhouse—what do you know about real killing?!"
"Stop pretending!"
Hinata's fingers tightened around the kunai.
Her heart pounded wildly.
"I don't know what killing is," she admitted.
"But I know what it means to protect people."
"I won't abandon them."
Naruto watched the scene unfold, his chest tightening painfully.
"H-Hinata…"
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The sound wasn't external.
It was his heartbeat.
Deep within his mind, the cage rattled.
At last, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sensed an opportunity.
"What do you say, brat?" the deep voice echoed.
"Do you want my power?"
"You're exhausted. But with my chakra, Zabuza and Haku are nothing!"
"You can save Sasuke. Hinata. Kakashi Hatake. Everyone."
"Let go. Do nothing."
"Accept my power."
The Nine-Tails' plan was simple.
Erode Naruto's will bit by bit.
Let chakra corruption seep in until Naruto's body belonged entirely to it.
But this time—
Naruto was still fighting.
And that resistance created the opening the beast had been waiting for.
Naruto stared at the massive fox behind the bars.
Then he shook his head.
"I don't know what kind of monster you are…"
"But if, after trying this hard, I still need your power…"
"Then what was the point of all my effort?!"
The Nine-Tails' vertical pupils widened instantly.
"What… did you say?"
Naruto's presence vanished from the mental space.
The cage fell silent.
Back in reality—
Naruto suddenly roared and threw his head back, shouting toward the sky.
"Sasuke! Hinata! Kakashi-sensei!"
"I'll protect you all!"
Hinata's willingness to risk everything for him had shaken Naruto to his core.
But he refused to let her bear that burden alone.
He wanted to overcome this—with his own strength.
The recent chaos had restored a small portion of his chakra.
Ignoring the senbon embedded in his body, Naruto forced his hands into seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Only one clone appeared.
That alone showed how depleted he was.
But it was enough.
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto shouted, "three days are up!"
"Let me show you my results!"
Kakashi's heart shook.
"Could it be… Naruto?"
Blood streamed from Naruto's mouth, his body battered and broken—but he smiled with absolute confidence.
"Speaking my will clearly and seeing it through to the end—"
"That's my Ninja Way!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
In an instant, Naruto and his shadow clone unleashed two completely different Wind Release techniques simultaneously.
Great Breakthrough transformed into a raging storm, tearing across the battlefield with overwhelming force.
At the same time, Wind Cutter compressed two opposing wind currents into an extreme pressure differential—forming a massive, razor-sharp wind blade.
The two techniques merged perfectly.
The howling wind intensified.
Invisible blades screamed through the air.
Then—
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, Naruto's desperate assault shattered every remaining ice mirror.
Shards exploded outward, glittering like falling stars.
Haku was thrown violently from the mirror formation, coughing up blood as he crashed to the ground.
The battlefield fell silent.
Naruto's figure stood revealed.
"No—Naruto-kun!"
Hinata's eyes sparkled with joy as she stared at him.
Kakashi, however, was shaken to his core.
"He mastered both Great Breakthrough and Wind Cutter… in just three days."
"He really is… a genius who surpasses me."
But what moved him even more wasn't Naruto's strength.
Naruto risking his life to save Sasuke.
Hinata threatening Zabuza to protect Naruto.
Naruto unleashing everything to rescue Hinata.
At that moment, Kakashi truly felt it—
Team 7's bond.
They weren't just teammates anymore.
They were family.
A faint smile crossed Kakashi's face as a single tear slid down his cheek.
Another image surfaced in his mind.
A photograph.
Minato-sensei.
Rin.
And… Obito.
His vision blurred.
Meanwhile, Zabuza lay on the brink of death, Hinata's kunai still at his throat.
Haku, gravely injured, lay helpless on the ground.
Naruto stepped forward, looking at the bleeding Haku.
For the first time—
He hesitated.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)