Land of Waves.
Zabuza and Haku were revisiting their old haunts. The Demon, who had trained in the Underworld for many years, had been resurrected by the Dragon Balls. His chakra was more than ten times stronger than it had been in the past. The Executioner's Blade in his hands had been reforged by the craftsmen of the underworld, with the addition of some special extraterrestrial alloys. Now, when he swung it, the blade generated fierce winds and brimmed with murderous intent.
This blade had accompanied him for years, acting almost as an extension of his own limbs. He wielded it with effortless grace, and the sight of the man and his sword together appeared completely natural and harmonious.
Ino was twenty-eight this year, and Haku was no longer the soft, water-like youth of the past. His features were still handsome, but time had ultimately left a few faint traces on his face.
In the past, when the two stood together, they looked like an adult leading a child. Now, in terms of aura, they seemed like peers of the same age.
Since they were peers, certain things could naturally be spoken of.
The Seventh Hokage had set an excellent example for everyone, and from time to time, couples would follow in her footsteps. Having lived in Konoha for many years, Haku had similarly been influenced by this atmosphere.
The gaze Haku directed at Zabuza no longer held its previous reverence; instead, it had been replaced by a nuance that made Zabuza feel even more awkward than mere admiration ever did.
The illustrious Demon was now somewhat afraid to meet Haku's eyes, terrified of what he might say.
The two had been traveling without pause.
The village was short on manpower, making four-person squads a true luxury. They could only form teams of two. After being separated by life and death for years, the old partners Zabuza and Haku had teamed up once again. They patrolled along the coastline of the Land of Fire, making their way all the way to the Land of Waves.
Looking at the Great Naruto Bridge that connected the Land of Waves to the mainland, Haku offered a smile more radiant than any woman's. "Lord Zabuza, do you still remember this place?"
Zabuza let out a snort, not quite daring to engage with the topic. "So this is the Land of Waves? What a rundown dump. After so many years, it hasn't changed a bit... Having been cooped up for so long, those damn enemies better hurry up and jump out so I can hack them a few times!"
Haku covered his mouth with a soft chuckle. He was just about to say something when he abruptly turned his head, his expression shifting to one of absolute solemnity.
Zabuza's reaction was even faster. Murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he locked his gaze onto the massive whirlpool that had materialized out of thin air on the water's surface.
Haku had long since become a Jonin capable of standing on his own, yet out of habit, he still deferred to Zabuza's judgment.
"Should we notify the village?"
Zabuza observed the anomaly for several seconds. "Yeah. Send up two red flares."
No sooner had their signal been launched than the whirlpool on the sea's surface rapidly accelerated its spin. Massive amounts of seawater were siphoned into an unknown location. The Great Naruto Bridge let out sharp, creaking groans. Soon, a gigantic void a hundred meters in diameter formed in the ocean; from a high vantage point, one could look straight down to the barren seabed.
"They're here. Be careful!"
The piercing chill emanating from the seabed did nothing to dampen Zabuza's fighting spirit; if anything, he was highly invigorated. The moment a Demon Clan soldier—boasting a human body, a fish head, scaled armor, and a mouth full of fangs—burst from the depths, Zabuza met him head-on, cleaving the creature in two with a single strike.
"Exhilarating!"
Zabuza swung the Executioner's Blade like a windmill, creating a defense so tight not a drop of water could slip through. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen Demon Clan soldiers met their end beneath his sword.
On the other side, Haku also dispatched more than a dozen enemies. Zabuza quickly barked out an order. "Fire three red flares. We're taking the fight to the bridge!"
While both were capable of fighting on the water's surface, these demons possessed a bizarre variety of forms and chaotic combat methods. Fighting on solid ground was clearly more advantageous for ninja.
Haku covered Zabuza's flank. Not only did he launch three red flares to signal an extreme emergency, but he also fired two green flares, urging the nearby villagers to evacuate.
Many of the civilians in the Land of Waves had already relocated prior to this. Only a small population remained, mostly local fishermen. Since every household owned their own fishing boat, they didn't necessarily need to rely on the Great Naruto Bridge to escape.
Three minutes later, the Great Naruto Bridge collapsed. The sheer numbers of the tidal wave-like Demon Clan army were simply too overwhelming.
Zabuza's Water Dragon Bullet and Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals slaughtered enemies in droves. The seawater was dyed inky black, and severed limbs were scattered everywhere. Abandoning their defense of the bridge, the duo fought a fighting retreat, soon falling back to a river bend.
A dense, suffocating horde of Demon Clan soldiers lunged straight at them. The residents at the river bend were still struggling to organize their evacuation. Time was far too tight, and their retreat crawled at a snail's pace. The young men of the village immediately took up arms, standing alongside Zabuza and Haku to fend off the demonic tide.
Among them was Inari, the young man who once shared a bond with Team 7. He carried a short axe at his waist and held a crossbow in his hands.
With cool composure, he drew back the bowstring and took aim. A three-inch bolt shot forward, piercing straight through the left eye of a particularly burly Demon Clan warrior.
Roaring in pain, the Demon Clan warrior gripped a crudely forged javelin and thrust it violently toward the young man's heart. While a crossbow was simple to fire, reloading it was a cumbersome process. However, the young man wasn't paralyzed by the imminent threat of death. With an agile roll, he dodged the strike, drew his short axe, and hacked into the Demon warrior's Achilles tendon, a spurt of green sap-like blood splattering across his face.
His eyes completely bloodshot, the repeatedly wounded Demon Clan warrior lunged at Inari with feral malice. This time, Inari couldn't evade. His mind registered the attack, but his body couldn't keep up; the disparity in their physical constitutions was just too vast. Fortunately, a senbon launched by Haku from afar struck true, saving his life.
Haku didn't offer any panicked warnings like "Run!" and Inari didn't take a single step back. He calmly reset his crossbow and took aim at the next target.
Tazuna, the master bridge builder who had conned Team 7 into coming to the Land of Waves all those years ago, was now very old. Yet, the elderly man was still doing everything he could to contribute to the fight.
Standing atop a roof, he alternately waved a pair of torches in his hands.
Catching the signal, the villagers in the distance immediately detonated the local dam.
A sky-high torrent of silver-white water came crashing down. Faced with such cataclysmic force, the Demon Clan's vanguard was cleaved right down the middle. Zabuza planted his massive blade upright before him, drawing upon the surging floodwaters to weave his hand seals. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!" With a single ninjutsu, he swept away nearly a hundred Demon Clan warriors.
The raggedly dressed villagers continued their retreat. The underwater breach opened by the demons steadily widened, vomiting forth tens of thousands of soldiers. The sheer mass of the army choked the flow of the seawater, and the river bend defended by Zabuza and Haku was quickly overrun.
They covered the fleeing villagers, fighting tooth and nail as they fell back. Along the way, more ninja joined the fray, but the anticipated grand army from the ninja villages failed to materialize.
Eventually, Kakashi arrived with an advance force of over five hundred troops to reinforce Zabuza.
"Why are the reinforcements so meager?"
Faced with the Demon's harsh demand, Kakashi remained perfectly composed. "Lady Hokage has a comprehensive plan. You and Haku fall back and rest. I'll cover the villagers' retreat."
Zabuza was drenched in blood from the slaughter. Even as he spoke, he continued to wield his greatsword with a single hand, hacking left and right. Almost no Demon Clan soldier could withstand a single blow from his blade.
"I endured training in the underworld that you couldn't even begin to imagine. I don't need rest for a skirmish of this level. Let Haku retreat first."
Naturally, Haku refused to retreat as well. The three of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the front lines, bracing themselves against the sharp onslaught of the Demon Clan's vanguard.
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