"If you dare kill Lord Zabuza, I won't forgive you!"
Haku's voice rang out, icy and resolute. The sheer coldness in his eyes made even Kakashi flinch slightly.
He couldn't help but feel unsettled—how could a missing-nin like Zabuza inspire such fierce loyalty?
Wasn't he a traitor?
"...Haku."
Zabuza's voice was hoarse, heavy with emotion.
He hadn't expected that a routine assassination mission would end with this—a confrontation with a Konoha Genin like Shigure.
If he had known, he wouldn't have accepted the mission. Not for any price.
Who would've thought Konoha's so-called Genin were this monstrous?
But regret meant nothing now. Zabuza looked Shigure in the eye.
"Remember your words. Kill me—and let Haku live."
"Don't worry," Shigure replied calmly. "As long as you're truly ready to die, I won't lay a hand on him… even if he comes for revenge."
Zabuza gave a faint smile.
"Then bring it on."
Haku gripped the senbon in both hands, trembling.
"Zabuza-sama, I won't abandon you!"
Shigure stared at them, lips twitching slightly.
"You two grown men… that's enough. Just get married already."
Seriously, what a scene.
Then his tone changed.
"This is a sword technique I created myself."
He inhaled deeply.
"Breathe."
The Zangetsu in his hand slowly lifted, the dark blue patterns on the blade shimmering softly.
Zabuza's brows furrowed. Was this the same technique that had sliced through the Great Waterfall Jutsu earlier?
Self-created?
A Genin creating his own kenjutsu?
Even the White Fang of Konoha hadn't done that.
"If you truly don't resist, and you're willing to die for his sake, you won't feel a thing," Shigure said flatly. "But if you resist—even slightly—you'll die in agony. Even after death, your face will be frozen in pain."
Zabuza paused.
What kind of sword technique is that…?
He'd killed plenty of people in his life. They called him the Demon of the Hidden Mist, after all. But while he was never obsessed with swordplay, as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he still respected true kenjutsu.
"So… let me see it."
Shigure took a step forward, raising Zangetsu.
He looked at Zabuza with calm eyes.
Another pitiful man. Only at the end did he realize what truly mattered.
Swish…
Steam began to rise faintly around the blade. A light mist curled along its edge.
Even Haku was stunned.
What kind of technique is this?
Ninjutsu? But he didn't even use a hand seal!
Shigure moved slowly.
Gracefully.
It looked more like a rain dance than an execution. A silent, flowing movement, light as mist and quiet as dusk.
Haku stood frozen.
Even Zabuza watched, dazed.
It was as if the blade cut not just flesh—but spirit.
Then—
Plop.
A sound like a raindrop falling into still water.
A single flash of the blade.
"Breathe."
Shigure's eyes were half-closed, devoid of emotion.
Zangetsu passed cleanly across Zabuza's neck.
"Form Five."
Zabuza's expression shifted wildly—shock, confusion, horror…
Then peace.
A smile.
As Zabuza smiled, Shigure's silhouette passed him.
With slow, practiced grace, he sheathed the blade.
Clink.
"The merciful rain… from a withered sky," Shigure murmured.
Kakashi: "…"
Naruto: "…"
Sasuke: "…"
Even Tazuna stared, dumbfounded, at Zabuza's corpse.
Dead.
And yet… smiling.
A man killed mid-battle should not wear such a serene face.
But Zabuza died smiling.
Because it was not just a slash. It was a mercy.
Shigure turned to Haku.
"You can take him."
He looked up at the overcast sky.
"From now on… I hope the name Demon of the Hidden Mist disappears from the shinobi world."
Boom!!
A clean crimson line traced across Zabuza's neck, and then—slowly—his body collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, Haku's tears flowed freely.
The fury and hatred that had once burned in his eyes were now gone, replaced by sorrow and quiet resignation.
He walked forward in silence.
Kneeling beside Zabuza's fallen form, Haku gently picked him up in his arms, then turned and began to walk away without a word.
Kakashi's eyes followed him briefly, then shifted back to Shigure.
This battle had left a deep impression on him.
This... this is Shigure's true strength.
A terrifying little ghost.
No—
Not a ghost.
A demon.
The Demon of the Leaf. Gekkō Shigure.
Compared to him, even Momochi Zabuza paled.
With his mastery of the Transparent Escape Technique and that self-created, elegant swordsmanship, Shigure was more than just dangerous—he was deadly.
And during the fight, he had displayed a flawless grasp of the Silent Killing Technique, the very technique Zabuza had made infamous.
Talent like that was rare. Frighteningly rare.
But still, Kakashi furrowed his brow slightly.
"…Why let that ninja go?"
Shigure glanced at Kakashi, his tone calm. "He didn't do anything. He didn't try to harm the client. Even if he comes back one day for revenge, it'll be against me—not the person I was hired to protect. There's no reason to kill him."
Ninjas were trained to suppress mercy—but Kakashi found himself smiling faintly at Shigure's reasoning.
Even if Haku had been an enemy, he wasn't inherently evil. Just a loyal subordinate. A misguided soul, perhaps—but not someone worth killing needlessly.
"You've just completed your first real mission… and you took down an elite Jonin of the Hidden Mist head-on. From now on, Shigure… no one should judge you by the rank of Genin anymore."
With that, Kakashi's body flickered—disappearing once more into the trees.
His role was to observe and protect from the shadows.
Had Zabuza not used the Hiding in Mist Technique, Kakashi would never have revealed himself.
"Let's move," Shigure said to Naruto and Sasuke.
Dazna, who had remained quiet throughout, now looked at them as if he had won the lottery.
This… this kid…
He'd paid for a C-rank mission… and got a terrifying young assassin instead.
Totally worth every ryo.
This is Konoha. The mightiest of all the Hidden Villages.
The group resumed their journey toward the Land of Waves. The mission wasn't over yet—but the most dangerous threat had been overcome.
Meanwhile—
Deep in the forest, Haku knelt beside Zabuza's body… only to suddenly freeze in disbelief.
Zabuza… moved.
"Z-Zabuza-sama… you… you're alive?!"
Zabuza opened his eyes slowly. Even he looked confused.
He raised his hand to his neck, tracing the long, shallow wound.
It bled—but not deeply. The cut had only grazed the surface, avoiding arteries and vital points entirely.
"…He didn't kill me."
Haku stared, stunned. "Why? Why didn't he?"
Zabuza shook his head slowly.
"I don't know… but…"
He recalled Shigure's last words.
'From now on… I hope the name Demon of the Hidden Mist disappears from the shinobi world.'
Was this… a message?
A warning?
Or perhaps… a chance?
"Change your name. Start over. Live for something else."
Zabuza didn't know why he'd been spared.
But somewhere deep inside…
He understood.
...
TN:
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