Naruto stood over Haku, his expression unreadable.
Haku lay on the icy ground, unable to move. His body refused to obey him, no matter how much he struggled.
Naruto bent down and took the needles Haku had been using. One by one, he held them between his fingers and infused them with demonic qi.
The tips began to glow faint red.
Haku's eyes moved toward him.
"W-What are you doing?" Haku asked, his voice weak.
Naruto did not answer immediately.
He removed the upper layer of Haku's clothing enough to reach the important chakra points. Then he began placing the needles into Haku's body with careful precision.
Each needle entered a different point.
As the demonic qi flowed through them, faint red lines began to appear under Haku's skin. The lines connected like a hidden path of energy, showing the route of his meridians.
Haku's breathing became uneven.
"What are you doing to me?"
Naruto placed a finger against his own lips.
"Shhh."
His voice was calm, but it carried command.
Then Naruto knelt beside Haku and placed his hand on Haku's head.
Demonic qi entered Haku's body.
Haku's eyes slowly lost focus. His eyelids became heavy, and his breathing softened.
Within moments, he fell into a deep sleep.
Naruto closed his eyes.
A small soul fragment separated from him and entered Haku's body.
'I hope he is strong enough to handle this.'
The technique Naruto used was called the Ghostery Technique.
It was a strange and dangerous technique he had learned in his past world. By sending a soul fragment into another person's body, he could control them and force them to obey him.
If the person refused his command, Naruto could kill them by destroying their soul.
But that was not the only use of the technique.
It could also be used for soul manipulation.
With it, Naruto could alter a person's soul and memories, but the success rate was very low. The target needed enough strength and enough chakra to survive the process.
In this world, that meant a person with a good chakra pool and a strong body had a better chance of handling it.
There was another problem.
The older the target was, the harder it became.
Older people had stronger souls and too many memories. Changing them was almost impossible, especially for Naruto in his current state.
Right now, Naruto was only at the first stage of both body cultivation and qi cultivation.
A newborn child would be easier to control because the soul was still weak and undeveloped. But a newborn would not survive the process, since the technique needed the target to have enough qi or chakra.
Haku was different.
He was still young, but he already had strong chakra and a trained body.
For Naruto, he was a good target.
Naruto felt his consciousness move with the soul fragment.
Then everything around him changed.
Inside Haku's Soul
Naruto's soul fragment entered a world made of memories and emotions.
Snow covered everything.
In the middle of that cold land stood a young boy.
He looked barely nine years old. His clothes were worn out, his body was thin, and his lips were bitten from pain and fear.
This was young Haku.
Naruto watched as Haku was pushed out of a house.
The boy walked through the snow alone, shivering from the cold. Everywhere he went, people looked at him with fear and hatred.
Their whispers followed him.
"Monster..."
"Stay away from us!"
"All Kekkei Genkai users are monsters."
Haku lowered his head and kept walking.
Near a pile of garbage, he searched for scraps of food. His small hands dug through the waste, looking for anything he could eat.
Then a figure appeared from the shadows.
He is non other than Zabuza.
He offered Haku food.
He offered protection.
He explained Haku's ability and told him why people feared him. After that, Zabuza took Haku in as his disciple.
No....not as disciple.
But, as his weapon.
Naruto watched the memories move forward.
Time passed, and Haku's loyalty toward Zabuza grew stronger and stronger. Gratitude turned into devotion. Devotion turned into complete obedience.
Haku became willing to do anything Zabuza ordered.
He was even willing to die for him.
Naruto felt Haku's emotions clearly.
His fear., His loneliness, His gratitude.
His loyalty towards Zabuza.
Naruto's soul fragment stood silently inside that memory world.
'He has courage, and his loyalty toward Zabuza is strong.'
A faint smile appeared on Naruto's face.
'But from now on, that loyalty will belong to me.'
Now it was Naruto's turn to work.
............AT THE BRIDGE.
At the bridge, Gato and his men moved forward with slow, confident steps.
Their eyes were filled with greed and cruelty as they looked at Sakura standing in front of Tazuna.
Gato stopped and adjusted his glasses.
"Well, well," he said with an ugly smile. "Looks like the little girl wants to play hero."
His gaze moved over Sakura in a way that made her skin crawl.
"What a shame. A pretty thing like you standing in the wrong place."
The goons behind him laughed loudly.
"Boss, let us handle her!"
"Yeah! She looks too soft to be a ninja!"
"We are going to enjoy her today night, Boss!"
then Gato slaped one of his goon and declares, "Her first taste will be taken by me, only then you get chance for her."
Then every goon of Gato started cheering their boss.
Their dirty laughter spread across the bridge.
Sakura's grip tightened around her kunai.
Disgust and fear mixed inside her chest, but she forced herself to stand firm. Her legs wanted to move back, but she held her place in front of Tazuna.
She quickly scanned the area, searching for help.
Kakashi was still fighting Zabuza somewhere in the mist.
Naruto was trapped inside the ice sphere.
Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
'Come on, Naruto... Sasuke... anyone...'
Her fingers trembled slightly around the kunai.
'I can't take all of them alone.'
Gato's group kept moving closer.
The pressure around Sakura grew heavier with every step.
Still, she raised her kunai and stood in front of Tazuna.
She was afraid.
But she did not run.
(.......to eb continued.)