Chapter 22: Lava Release
Zabuza lay motionless on the ground, and the masked boy Haku stood by his side, calmly watching Kakashi and Team 7.
"I am a pursuit ninja from the Hidden Mist, tasked with retrieving missing-nin from the village," Haku's voice was cold and concise.
The milky-white fog still lingered around the forest, showing no signs of dispersing. Dew condensed on the treetops and dripped onto the grass with a soft plop.
Even Kakashi couldn't quite discern the true nature of this masked boy claiming to be a pursuit ninja. Team 7's bodies were taut with tension, ready to strike at any moment.
Kakashi said nothing. He merely stepped forward and checked Zabuza's breathing—already ceased—before exhaling in relief. Since the man was dead, returning the body to the Hidden Mist was only proper.
"Kakashi-sensei, is he dead?" Naruto suddenly appeared behind Kakashi, pointing at the motionless Zabuza with a look of naive curiosity.
Haku stood silently to the side, his gaze briefly sweeping over Naruto's face beneath the mask.
"Ah, he's dead," Konoha's top technician Kakashi replied perfunctorily. "He took a direct hit from my Water Dragon Bullet, then got a throatful of this pursuit ninja's senbon. That's how he died."
At that moment, Naruto was almost certain Kakashi had seen through Zabuza's feigned death and was deliberately letting him go.
Which, to be fair, was understandable. That Water Dragon Bullet—a jutsu requiring forty-four seals—had drained Kakashi considerably. It was only natural he wouldn't want to risk another fight. But still—
Damn it! A Konoha elite jōnin with zero sense of finishing the job?
Today, Naruto decided to give this naive "Number One Water Master of Konoha" Kakashi a lesson—to show him the ruthlessness of the true "Number One Savage of Konoha."
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, if he's dead, then why is he still moving?" Naruto asked, pointing at the supposedly dead Demon of the Hidden Mist lying on the ground.
"What?" Kakashi's expression instantly hardened.
"He's already dead," the aloof Haku couldn't help interjecting, his cool facade cracking. "Kid, you must be seeing things."
"This man is a missing-nin from the Hidden Mist. His corpse carries the village's secrets. Please allow me to return it to the village."
Even as he spoke, Haku tensed under his mask, grateful that it concealed his true expression.
Zabuza had been unable to withstand Team 7's relentless group assault and had resorted to his prearranged plan of faking death to escape.
Haku arrived as planned, expecting everything to go smoothly—only to have this blond brat ruin everything.
Kakashi looked at Naruto, then at Haku, and finally fixed his gaze on Zabuza's motionless form.
"In that case, allow me to confirm whether Zabuza is truly dead."
"Very well," Haku replied.
Kakashi extended his hand slowly toward Zabuza's neck. All eyes were on his hand. Sakura and Sasuke unconsciously held their breath.
[Lava Release]
Standing right beside Kakashi, Naruto suddenly exploded into motion. A surge of chakra burst from his body, and his eyes instantly flushed scarlet.
Scorching-hot lava gushed from Naruto's hand, the intense heat vaporizing the surrounding fog in an instant.
He hurled a searing mass of molten rock straight at the "dead" Zabuza.
Haku's eyes widened in shock. He lunged at Zabuza without hesitation.
His right hand was charred black by the searing Lava Release, but he managed to save Zabuza, yanking the senbon from his throat with his left hand.
Zabuza's eyes snapped open—he was alive again.
"Zabuza-sama, I've failed," Haku said apologetically, his face unnaturally calm despite the excruciating pain in his ruined hand. It was as though that hand belonged to someone else entirely.
With those words, Haku formed a one-handed seal and, like a swift gust of wind, whisked himself and Zabuza away.
This escape technique was reminiscent of a Smoke Escape—Naruto understood the principle but couldn't replicate it himself.
Kakashi watched them vanish, then collapsed to the ground unconscious three seconds later.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura rushed forward to check on him.
"He's probably just out of chakra," Naruto said evenly, mimicking Kakashi's earlier motion of checking Zabuza's breathing.
Kakashi lay on the floor in a baby-like sleep. His breathing was steady—he had simply passed out.
"This isn't a safe place to talk. Let's get him back first," Sasuke said, one hand shoved in his pocket.
He had just tried forming a one-handed seal himself and failed. His free hand fidgeted restlessly before he bent down, hoisted one of Kakashi's arms over his own shoulder.
Naruto took the other arm, and together they lifted Kakashi.
"The village is just ahead. Bring him to my house," suggested Tazuna, their client.
After a brief discussion, Team 7 agreed.
At Tazuna's house.
They laid Kakashi in a clean room. A futon was spread neatly on the tatami floor, and Sakura tucked the blanket around him with a worried face.
When she stepped out, Naruto and Sasuke were already waiting in the hallway.
She met Naruto's gaze and, with a silent nod, joined them.
The three walked a short distance outside the house—far enough to spot approaching enemies and avoid being overheard.
"How's Kakashi?" Sasuke asked curtly, his face cold.
Sakura's expression was weary with worry. She shook her head slightly.
"He just collapsed from exhaustion. He should be fine."
"Until Kakashi-sensei wakes up, we can't let our guard down," Naruto said. "Those two could come back any time."
"Who were they?" Sakura's voice trembled—this was her first true brush with a fight to the death.
"Missing-nin from the Hidden Mist," Sasuke replied calmly, a touch more composed than Sakura. "What bothers me is Zabuza's killing intent—he's on par with Kakashi."
"And that masked one can form seals with one hand. Next time, we have to watch out for that technique."
"Then next time, we kill them," Naruto said, slicing the air with his hand in a cutting gesture. "That masked ninja's right hand is already useless."
"Our mission has to be completed, and with Kakashi-sensei in this condition, he can't fight. So I want to ask you both—"
His voice dropped to a low, serious tone.
"This mission should've ended here—we've already brought that old drunk back. But if we don't take this chance to kill those two while they're wounded, they'll remain a threat to us."
"I have a way to kill those Hidden Mist missing-nin before Kakashi-sensei wakes up."