Haku wakes up early in order to gather herbs to help Zabuza heal faster and in order to complete the mission they were given by Gato.
Haku already manages to gather some herbs close to their living location, but it still isn't enough to help Zabuza fully recover in a short period of time.
Haku decides to traverse deep in the forest in hopes of finding such an herb, and the moment she arrives at the specific area in the forest, she encounters the two girls who are unmistakably part of the team under the Uchiha Clan Head.
Seeing the two girls who are around the same age who clearly just sparred with each other after seeing the bruises they had all over their bodies as well as the heavy and unsteady breathing.
Haku is currently in a dilemma; she knows she can easily end their lives right now, especially due to the fact that they are unable to react in time due to the fact that they are still exhausted from sparring but also due to the fact that they didn't know Haku was with Zabuza.
Yet Haku also understands that if she decides to kill them, the rest of their team will without a doubt try to search for Zabuza's whereabouts, and once that's happened, Zabuza will undoubtedly lose, especially given the fact that Zabuza hasn't fully recovered yet.
After thinking deeply for a short moment, Haku decides not to attack the two girls and focuses on her objective and acts as if this was the first time she knows the two.
While Satsuki and Hinata were looking at Haku, Haku didn't take any action that showed she had knowledge about the two Genin and acted as if she hadn't seen the two yet.
Haku, who finds one of the herbs she is looking for, slowly crouches down and slowly picks the herb and places it in her basket.
Satsuki and Hinata observe Haku for a few moments before deciding to focus on recovering, which really makes Haku relieved inwardly after sensing the two gazing at her.
In the area of the forest, there are strange silences that blanket the surroundings, and none of the three dare to disturb such silence for whatever reason... yet.
Haku changes the direction she was looking and now openly notices the two ninja and acts surprised as if she didn't notice the two girls' presence this entire time.
The slight surprise expression on Haku's face is so incredibly natural that Hinata and Satsuki didn't notice the fact that Haku is acting at this moment.
"... Good morning," Haku said softly while offering a small bow of her head.
Hinata startled slightly before mirroring the gesture. "G-good morning as well."
Satsuki just gives a polite nod while studying Haku for a short moment. This, however, doesn't escape Haku's notice, but she acts as if she didn't notice it.
"My name is Hinata, and this is my friend Satsuki," Hinata softly said.
"I'm Haku," Haku responds.
"You live nearby?" Satsuki asks out of curiosity.
Satsuki notices that the villagers in the village rarely go outside of their homes after Gato's arrival. The fact that she and Hinata meet someone in the forest is quite a surprising thing to see.
"No," Haku shakes her head slightly. "I'm only passing through."
"Those herbs..." Hinata said while looking at the basket. "Are they medicine?"
"They are," Haku answers, "for someone who's injured."
"I see..." Hinata's eyes soften.
"Are the two of you ninja?" Haku asks.
"Yes," Hinata responds, and Satsuki simply nods.
"I see..." Haku whispers. "You must be quite strong."
"...Not really," Hinata responds softly.
"That depends on one's own definition or measure of strength," Satsuki responds while secretly glancing at her teammates. "In my opinion I am somewhat strong, but there are many who are far ahead of me." Satsuki thinks of Naruto.
Haku stares at Hinata and Satsuki for a bit and thinks deeply for a moment.
"So, why do you fight?" Haku asks after a short silence.
Both Hinata and Satsuki stared at Haku with surprise on their faces after hearing her question.
"Why do you have to be strong? It is my belief that one can only be strong if they have something or someone precious to protect," Haku continues.
"...That's a good way to think about it," Hinata whispers while looking at the surroundings.
"Well, it's nice meeting you," Satsuki said. "We should be getting back to our team."
"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Haku," Hinata said with a small smile on her face.
"It's also nice meeting you two. Hopefully our paths will cross again soon," Haku responds with a calm smile on her face.
Another week had passed uneventfully. Throughout the week Team 13 continued to guard Tazuna while he completed the bridge project while also training in preparation for Zabuza and his accomplices' return.
It's been more than two weeks since Zabuza ambushed them, and without a doubt they are already fully healed. Fugaku is certain of one thing: that the reason why Zabuza hasn't made a move even after fully recovering is the fact that Gato's waiting for someone's arrival.
Fugaku is certain that Gato heard about the failure of Zabuza back then and will, without a doubt, call someone to make sure the job of killing Tazuna will be complete before the completion of the bridge.
While carrying out their mission, Fugaku didn't forget to observe his team dynamics. Hinata and Satsuki grow closer throughout this time, while Naruto continues to isolate himself from anyone and only interact with others if he feels like it.
Aside from observing their interaction, he also observes the results of their training.
Hinata has been pushing herself harder, determined to catch up to Naruto. She has been training in chakra control exercises, genjutsu, taijutsu, and even some ninjutsu. She possesses an affinity to water- and lightning-natured chakra.
Satsuki has been honing her fire-style jutsu and chakra control as well. Not being part of the battle against Zabuza last time clearly hurt her ego, and she was determined to showcase her skills this time around.
Satsuki, like Hinata, was also determined to catch up to Naruto, but unlike Hinata, who wanted to be useful instead of being a dead weight, Satsuki wanted to catch up to Naruto because she believed that if she reached his level, then she would without a doubt have a chance to fight Itachi if given the chance, especially after what she saw in the battle between Naruto and Zabuza.
Naruto didn't train as much as the others despite how much Fugaku tried to do so. It was clear to Fugaku that the level of strength Naruto had was already at the Kage-level ninja, and that's just what he observed.
Fugaku believes that Naruto hasn't shown the limits of his capabilities yet, and this really made him worry since Naruto shows signs of a flight risk and is something that needs to be observed no matter the cost.
This also made Fugaku question how Minato and Kushina raised Naruto. Naruto didn't act like his siblings, and with the mindset he learned that night, it really questioned if Minato and Kushina even raised Naruto.
While Fugaku did try many methods to test Naruto's limits, the latter always saw through his actions and suppressed himself.
Fugaku could only temporarily give up for now, and once they return back to the Leaf, he can start his investigation about Naruto.
Currently Fugaku is on the bridge with Hinata keeping guard. Satsuki and Naruto would arrive shortly for the rotation. His eyes survey the surrounding area as he keeps guard.
Fugaku has no doubt that Zabuza and his accomplice will strike at any moment, especially given the fact that Zabuza is clearly in excellent condition after resting for two weeks.
Meanwhile, Satsuki is currently at Tazuna's home. She just returned after training in the forest for hours and now patiently waits for Naruto.
When she woke up this morning and headed downstairs for breakfast, the first thing she noticed was Naruto gone missing. Fugaku told the team that Naruto had asked to be excused for the time being, and the reason for the sudden request is training.
After breakfast Fugaku and Hinata left with Tazuna and went towards the bridge.
Even after hours of training, Satsuki is still unable to see even the shadow of Naruto, and right now she can't wait any longer, as she is already late enough for the rotation.
'Could something have happened to him? Satsuki asks inwardly, and the feeling of worry arises within her.
Satsuki immediately ignored the feeling she felt right now, especially with Naruto's strength that even Zabuza was unable to match, so surely he was safe all along.
"Are you sure you can't wait a little more? I'm sure he's on his way," Tsunami softly said to Satsuki.
Satsuki's head turns towards Tsunami, and she slowly shakes her head.
"I'm late as it is. I should get going. For all I know, he headed to the bridge without me," Satsuki responded calmly.
Tsunami nods in understanding while Inari watches on as well.
"Well, I'm off," Satsuki said while slightly waving her hands at Tsunami.
"Be careful," Tsunami said. Satsuki smiles a bit before stepping out of the house and closing the door behind herself. She looks around before jumping away.