A week had passed since Naruto's impromptu rice-eating moment. The team had settled into a rhythm of sorts. Kakashi was still recovering, but the team knew they had to focus on their mission. Tazuna's bridge was their priority. So while the others were out working at the bridge, Naruto had stayed behind, as usual, inside Tazuna's house.
Tsunami was cooking, the smell of fresh fish filling the air as Naruto sat in the corner of the room. He wasn't tired—his body didn't need sleep much. But his mind wandered. Sometimes, he thought about the countless lives he had lived, about the creatures he had been, about the wars and the betrayals, the survival instincts that drove him. Other times, he thought about how the world hadn't changed, not really, no matter what he had lived through. Greed. Hatred. Survival. He'd seen it all.
Naruto wasn't one to talk much. And today, there was something unsettling in the air. Maybe it was the mist that clung to the trees outside, or the way the sky had turned gray and heavy. Whatever it was, it made him restless.
And then, the door burst open.
The sound of splintering wood filled the house as the door flew off its hinges. Tsunami froze in the kitchen, her hand still on the pot, eyes wide with fear. Inari, who had been sitting at the table with his arms cross ed, scowling, jumped to his feet, his face draining of color as he saw the figures standing in the doorway.
Two men. Tall, rough-looking men, dressed in dark clothing, their faces half-covered by masks. One had a sword strapped to his back, the other a cruel grin as he stood in the doorway.
Tsunami gasped, her hand trembling as she gripped the edge of the counter. "W-Who are you?"
The man with the sword sneered. "We're here for the bridge builder, woman. And you're going to help us."
Inari's eyes widened, and he instinctively moved toward Tsunami, but it was too late. The men were already moving.
Tsunami took a step back, terror flashing in her eyes. "Please, don't hurt us! We have nothing—"
The man raised his sword. Tsunami flinched, eyes shut tight in fear.
But then, it happened. The pressure in the room shifted.
Naruto didn't move from where he sat. He didn't flinch. His eyes didn't even widen. There was a stillness in him, a calm that went beyond just the physical. Something had changed in the atmosphere. The two men, once confident, now found themselves rooted to the spot, unable to move, as if invisible weights pressed down on them. Their legs trembled, their hands gripping their weapons uselessly.
Tsunami and Inari stared in disbelief. Even the men's swords felt heavy in their hands, like they were holding solid rock instead of metal. The air around them felt thick, suffocating, as if the very room had grown impossibly heavy.
Naruto stood up.
"Couldn't you just knock?" he asked, his voice flat, with no sign of emotion, as if he were talking to a child who had made a minor mistake.
"Don't act cocky, b-brat!" One man yelled, though eyes full of fear.
"Are you going to kill them?" Naruto pointed a finger at the mother and son duo.
"Obviously, but not before she gives us some... company," They said, even though they were sensing something unnatural.
Tsunami shivered under their lustful gaze.
"I don't understand what you mean by 'company'" Naruto said honestly but he had an idea. "I reckon you did this before?"
Their grins were all he needed to see as confirmation.
"I see, then I suppose I should kill you," Naruto said simply, his glowing sapphire eyes hollow. "Even though I don't like the concept of killing. Dattebane."
The men's eyes widened in panic, but they couldn't move. Their bodies were paralyzed by the sheer presence that Naruto radiated. For a split second, they thought they might actually be facing something beyond human.
The one holding the sword tried to strike. It was pathetic. He swung with all his might, but the blade didn't cut a thing. It barely even touched Naruto's clothing before the man stumbled back, as if repelled by some invisible force.
Naruto's sapphire eyes narrowed. There was no hesitation.
In a fluid motion, faster than they could react, Naruto grabbed both men by their heads. His grip was inhuman, his fingers like steel, crushing their skulls with a sickening crack. The men's bodies jerked and twitched, but Naruto didn't let go until their bodies went completely limp. He didn't care about the blood or gore; he knew there was no other way to do it.
But Naruto wasn't an animal that allowed mess. He didn't like blood on the floor, especially not in Tazuna's house. Flies. He hated flies. They buzzed around, annoying and relentless. And so, with a small flick of his wrist, he made sure that not a single drop of blood stained the ground.
He let go of the two bodies, their heads twisted at odd angles as they collapsed.
Naruto turned toward the house, eyes briefly scanning Tsunami and Inari. His voice was as impassive as always. "I'll take care of it. Stay inside."
With that, he walked out of the house. He didn't need to say more; they wouldn't question it.
The wind whipped at his face as he sprinted toward the bridge. He could smell the blood in the air, thick and metallic, carried on the wind. The mist hung low in the trees, thickening the atmosphere as he moved. There was something more here—he could feel it. He had always been attuned to such things. The presence of danger, the taste of violence. It was almost like an instinct.
Zabuza was back.
Naruto's eyes glinted with a cold understanding. There were no words for what he would do next. He wouldn't hesitate. Not this time. He couldn't afford to. There were too many lives at stake.
As he sprinted, he could hear the distant clash of steel, the sounds of battle cutting through the mist. Kakashi was out there, fighting, but Naruto could feel the strain in the air. His senses were alive, every part of him attuned to the situation at hand.
He didn't know what exactly had happened, but he knew that Zabuza was not an easy opponent. The man was dangerous, a monster in human form, and Naruto would need to be just as vicious if he was going to stand a chance.