"Eh?"
Haku looked at Uchiha Kai, hesitating.
He could tell—
Sasuke and Naruto were still green.
But Uchiha Kai?
Calm. Observant. Watching from the sidelines.
Their clash had been nothing more than a warm-up in his eyes.
Haku had grown up under Zabuza.
And Zabuza was no saint.
Cold.
Ruthless.
Calculating.
Haku had survived by being perceptive.
So when Uchiha Kai spoke—
He listened carefully.
The Deal
"I want Black Market intelligence," Uchiha Kai said.
"I want to know who is placing bounties on the Uchiha's Sharingan."
Haku understood instantly.
So that was the real concern.
Killing bounty hunters would only treat the symptoms.
The root problem was the market itself.
"You'll get the information," Haku said.
"I handle intelligence for Zabuza-sama."
"But what will you do with it?"
Uchiha Kai answered plainly.
"Use Gatō's money."
"Take a portion."
"Place a bounty ten times higher on anyone targeting the Uchiha."
Silence.
Even Haku blinked.
So the escort mission—
Was just a cover.
Gatō wasn't the client.
He was the wallet.
Efficient.
Ruthless.
Clean.
Zabuza Moves
"Enough talking!"
Mist swirled.
Eight Zabuza figures emerged simultaneously.
Water Clones.
Unlike simple illusions—
Water Clones could fight.
Zabuza likely created four.
One distracted Kakashi.
Three remained hidden among these eight.
Inside the Group Chat
[Uchiha Fugaku]: He's about to do something.
[Uchiha Izuna]: You know him that well?
[Elder Madara]: He's straightforward.
Izuna blinked.
Madara didn't elaborate.
He didn't need to.
"I'll Make You Never Leave Haku."
"Zabuza-sama, wait—!" Haku called.
"You're my tool," eight Zabuza voices echoed.
"Or have you betrayed me?"
Uchiha Kai stepped forward calmly.
"Relax."
"I'll make sure he never leaves you."
He formed three hand seals.
Eight Uchiha Kais appeared.
Naruto gasped.
"Shadow Clones?!"
Sasuke activated his Sharingan—
And froze.
He couldn't see through them.
Every single one looked real.
Yet—
Not real.
One Zabuza slashed.
The blade passed directly through Uchiha Kai's torso.
Intangible.
But the very next instant—
That "empty" Uchiha Kai's blade descended.
Slice.
Arms severed.
That Zabuza dissolved into water.
A water clone.
More clashes erupted.
Every Zabuza attacked.
Every strike passed through.
Every Uchiha Kai countered.
Real blades.
Real wounds.
Until—
Only one remained.
The real one.
Two severed arms dropped to the ground.
Zabuza staggered back three meters, blood spraying.
"What… is this?"
His voice trembled.
He couldn't comprehend it.
Uchiha Kai replied calmly.
"An Uchiha-exclusive technique."
"The creator named it—"
"Shunshin Shisui."
Zabuza's pupils shrank.
Shisui.
The legend.
The teleporting phantom of Konoha.
System Notification
[Ding!]
[Due to low group member count, a new Uchiha member has been invited.]
[Congratulations! Uchiha Shisui has joined the group.]
[Uchiha Izuna]: Uchiha Shisui? The Shunshin Shisui?
[Ding! Title acquired: Shunshin Shisui.]
[Shunshin Shisui]: ???
[Shunshin Shisui]: Since when did I become a technique?
[Shunshin Shisui]: …Wait. Who are you people?
Madara stared silently.
Fugaku straightened his posture.
Izuna leaned forward curiously.
And on the battlefield—
Zabuza, now armless,
Finally understood what "never leaving Haku" truly meant.
Not metaphorically.
Physically.
He would never fight alone again.
Want More? Get up to +60 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ https://www.patreon.com/MangekyoChronicles
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
Thanks for the support!