["Humph!"]
["Stop talking nonsense." Zabuza's brow furrowed; the heart that had just calmed down was now in turmoil.]
[Haku sensed something and looked at Zabuza.]
[Naruto's lips curled slightly into a mischievous smirk.]
["Nonsense?"]
["I don't think so."]
["Besides, your disguise isn't as good as you think it is."]
["Face your own heart..."]
[Before Naruto could finish, Zabuza growled, "Brat!"]
["I've already told you!"]
["A Ninja is nothing more than a tool!"]
["What I've always wanted is his ability, not him as a person!"]
["Tools have no feelings!"]
[Zabuza was in a hurry.]
[He immediately refuted Naruto's words.]
[But as soon as he spoke, Zabuza regretted it.]
[What was this?]
[He looked at Naruto, who was wearing a half-smile.]
[Zabuza didn't dare shift his gaze, afraid of catching a certain someone's eye.]
[Zabuza shut his mouth.]
[Wasn't that speech just now a self-confession?]
[Naruto had only asked him to value his own heart.]
[He hadn't mentioned anything else at all.]
[Yet he had blurted it all out, almost like a stress response.]
[Sure enough.]
[Zabuza soon felt that familiar gaze upon him.]
[It was bolder than when that person used to steal glances at him before.]
[After a long silence.]
[Finally, Zabuza sighed.]
["That's why you Ninjas living in times of peace are the most naive."]
["Stop playing these boring games."]
["Tell me your purpose."]
[Naruto shook his head.]
["Peace?"]
["In this pathological Ninja World, does such a thing even exist?"]
[Zabuza frowned.]
[Usually, Ninjas who say such things...]
[Suddenly, Zabuza chuckled in spite of himself.]
[Yes, usually Ninjas who say such things are naive.]
[But hadn't he been naive once too?]
[Attempting to change the Ninja World by himself.]
[Only to end up as a rogue Ninja.]
[However, those few words alone significantly lessened Zabuza's resistance.]
["Brat, what do you want to do?"]
["Change this Ninja World?"]
["Don't waste your energy."]
["If you don't try, how do you know it can't be changed?" Naruto asked back with a smile.]
["No, it's impossible," Zabuza said categorically.]
[Naruto chuckled and said, "I know a few things about you."]
["You came out of the Hidden Mist Village's inhumane village of the bloody mist."]
["The rules of the village of the bloody mist... you broke them a long time ago."]
["Surviving until the end, you were the only one alive from that class."]
["Because you killed everyone else in your year."]
["This alone is enough to show that you have a heart that wants to resist."]
["Unfortunately, your strength was too weak, and you were like a frog in a well."]
[Hearing this, Zabuza's expression turned somewhat ugly.]
[Haku's eyes lowered, his thoughts unknown.]
["Don't be in a hurry to refute me."]
["Also, let me remind you of one thing: living in the false peace of Konoha, I am not as simple as you think."]
[Naruto glanced at him and then found a place to sit down.]
["You attempted to break the rules and failed."]
["Even though you killed everyone in your year, it didn't change the village of the bloody mist."]
["Of course, there are reasons for that. You might know some, but you definitely don't know the true root of the problem. We'll talk about that in a moment."]
["The fundamental cause of the village of the bloody mist."]
[As those words fell, Zabuza's eyebrow twitched.]
[A fundamental cause he didn't know?]
["Your attempt to change the village of the bloody mist by altering the Village's upper management also failed."]
["It wasn't that your ideas or preparations weren't good enough, but because your strength simply wasn't up to the task."]
["Pride is a good thing; it can motivate one to improve."]
["However, excessive pride is just arrogance."]
["Just like today's battle."]
["Similarly, as pretentious as you are, you don't even dare to face your own feelings."]
["Zabuza, if your life ends here, then your entire life will have been a failure."]
Zabuza Momochi: Utter nonsense!
Zabuza Momochi: That damned Black-Framed Naruto is just talking nonsense!
Ino Yamanaka: "Alright, alright, you're already dead, don't be so anxious."
Sakura Haruno: "Yeah, you're dead, what's left to be so hung up about?"
Inuzuka Kiba: "Tch, 'this Great Me'... did you really think others couldn't tell?"
Uzumaki Naruto: "It really is full of holes. Zabuza, both you and Haku cherish each other, but because of worldly conventions, you chose to escape... Do you still want to escape even after death?"
Uzumaki Naruto: "Didn't you say that Ninjas are humans too?"
Pure Land World.
Zabuza fell silent.
He lowered his head slightly, not knowing how to respond.
Hmm?!!!
And at the moment Zabuza lowered his head.
His whole body shuddered.
Such a familiar feeling!
He shifted his gaze to the right.
Soon, he saw a familiar foot.
Those familiar geta... that familiar outfit, and that familiar face.
Haku?!
How could he be here?!
Zabuza's heart leaped into his throat.
Fortunately, Haku was currently focused on the black-framed large screen.
But Zabuza didn't dare look any longer.
He didn't know how to face Haku anymore.
If he looked for a while longer, Haku would surely notice him.
The black-framed large screen footage continued:
["Humph!"]
[Zabuza snorted coldly.]
[However, this time he didn't refute it.]
["The village of the bloody mist was proposed and implemented by the Third Mizukage. That should be correct, right?"]
[Naruto's lips curled slightly.]
[Halfway successful.]
[He said he would win over both of them, but in reality, he only needed to handle Zabuza.]
[Of course, if that didn't work.]
[Naruto would just cripple Zabuza.]
[And then pressure Haku.]
[Give him some hope—the old carrot-and-stick approach.]
[The final result wouldn't be too bad either.]
[Zabuza didn't reply; his silence was a tacit admission.]
["The real village of the bloody mist, while cruel, was not as cruel as it was during your time."]
["All the changes came from the Fourth Mizukage,"]
["Yagura Karatachi!"]
[Zabuza's eyes instantly turned cold.]
["Don't be impatient. Once you know the fundamental cause, I think you'll be interested in what happens next."]
["The true instigator of such a brutal village of the bloody mist..."]
["I believe you've also guessed my identity."]
["That mission was carried out by someone who chose a time when the yellow flash was busy with another task."]
["Hidden Mist Anbu Ninjas captured Rin Nohara, Kakashi Hatake's teammate."]
["They sealed the Three-Tails inside her."]
["And they placed a Curse Seal on Rin Nohara's heart, making it impossible for her to commit suicide."]
["The goal was to have Rin Nohara return to Konoha and then release the Three-Tails to destroy the Village."]
["That's why Kakashi was able to rescue Rin Nohara all by himself."]
["And the one behind all of this was... Uchiha Madara."]