"Was that… Zabuza just now?"
"No! This chakra… this disaster-filled chakra—could it be…"
"Naruto!!"
Kakashi, who was still locked in a fierce exchange with Zabuza, suddenly froze when he felt the overwhelming surge of chakra burst from Naruto.
His expression changed drastically.
"Did Naruto's seal break?" Cold sweat slid down Kakashi's forehead.
His eyes narrowed with worry. "No… not completely. The seal isn't broken, thank goodness."
"But the Nine-Tails' chakra has leaked through the cracks. This is dangerous—but not too late."
Without hesitation, Kakashi pulled a summoning scroll from his pouch.
He smeared his thumb with blood from a wound, then swiped it across the parchment.
"Listen, Zabuza!" Kakashi's voice rang out in the mist. "We're out of time! I don't want to waste another second. Let's decide this here and now!"
From within the fog, Zabuza's mocking voice echoed. "Heh. Interesting. I want to see what you can do, Kakashi!"
Moments later, however, his sneer faltered.
"What the—?!"
Zabuza staggered as several ninken—large ninja dogs—leapt from the mist, clamping their jaws onto his arms, legs, and shoulders.
Eight hounds of different sizes pinned him down, leaving him unable to move.
"If your eyes and ears are useless, then you must rely on your nose," Kakashi said coldly, following the barks straight to his target.
The Sharingan in his eye gleamed as he stepped closer. "The mist will disperse soon, and your future, Zabuza, is only death."
"My future is only death? Don't make me laugh!" Zabuza snarled.
"They're just dogs! I'll stew them into pot for Lord Long and maybe even earn a commission for an S-rank mission!"
"Don't be so stubborn. You can't do anything right now," Kakashi said, his voice low but sharp. "You've gone too far."
He walked forward slowly, lightning beginning to spark in his palm.
"Konoha already knows you left Kirigakure as a missing-nin. You attempted to assassinate the Mizukage, your coup failed, and all you have left are scraps of followers. To fund your revenge, you've partnered with scum like Gato."
"Tazuna is the courage of this nation, and the bridge he's building is its hope. Too many have died because of your ambitions. This is not what a shinobi should be."
Lightning erupted fully in Kakashi's hand, forming the Raikiri.
Zabuza squinted, taken aback. I can actually see the chakra in his hand so clearly?
Still, he refused to yield. "I don't care! I fight for my ideals, and that won't change—ever!"
Kakashi glared back. "Give it up. Your only future is death!"
…
Not far away, Sakura Haruno wanted desperately to rush to Naruto and Sasuke's side.
But she had to stay and protect Tazuna.
Her live broadcast in the harem chat group still showed nothing but thick white fog.
But now, with Zabuza restrained, the mist finally began to dissipate. Figures started to emerge through the haze.
Itsuki, who had been observing nearby, judged the battle under control and quietly returned to Tenzo's side.
"What's happening? I can feel the Nine-Tails' chakra!" Tenzo frowned, half-ready to intervene.
Itsuki explained calmly, "It's fine. Just a small leak of Nine-Tails chakra. Naruto is unaffected, and the seal holds. The battle will end soon."
"That's good." Tenzo nodded, relaxing. He trusted Itsuki's judgment.
…
On the battlefield, Naruto's rage exploded. Empowered by the Nine-Tails' chakra, he overpowered Haku easily.
Realizing he was no match, Haku surrendered and pleaded for Naruto to end him.
"Please… kill me quickly," Haku said calmly. "Why hesitate? I killed your companion. Don't you want revenge?"
Naruto's hand trembled on the kunai. "Sasuke… he has his own dreams. If this were another place, maybe we could have been friends."
Even though he didn't want to, he knew he had to kill Haku—for Sasuke's sake.
By now, the mist had thinned enough that the entire battlefield was visible.
Kakashi stood with Raikiri, facing a bound Zabuza.
Naruto held a kunai against the kneeling Haku.
Sakura stood beside Tazuna, unharmed, with two unconscious men at her feet.
And Sasuke lay motionless nearby, his body pierced with senbon like a hedgehog.
Just then, a crowd stormed onto the bridge—villagers from Wave Country armed with fishing tools.
"Tazuna, stop it!"
"You're too stubborn! You'll kill us all!"
"If you go against Lord Gato again, we'll cut ties with you!"
"And you ninja from Konoha—this is Wave Country's business! Stop interfering!"
Everyone froze, stunned by the sudden reversal. Even the fighters hesitated.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Tazuna shouted, panicked. "Why would you defend a bastard like Gato? Hasn't he hurt us all enough?"
He turned to Kitch, his old friend. "If you didn't want to build the bridge, I wouldn't blame you. But now that it's nearly complete, why lead everyone to stop me? This bridge was our shared dream—our hope!"
Kitch's face was twisted with guilt, but his words were resolute. "I'm sorry, Tazuna. We can't let you finish the bridge."
"Why?! Why is this happening?!" Tazuna's voice cracked.
Kakashi and his team were on the verge of victory. Once Gato's forces were crushed, the bridge could be finished.
With it, Wave Country would connect to the Fire Country, opening trade and ending Gato's monopoly.
But Kitch stepped forward, voice firm.
"Lord Gato has promised us three times the price for our fish. The hard days are over. We'll grow more prosperous than ever.
But if you finish this bridge, you'll anger him, and he'll ruin us all over again. Tazuna, stop. Do it for everyone's sake."
Triple the price.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. So that's it. Clever bastard.
With Gato's bribe, the villagers now saw Tazuna's bridge as a threat to their new livelihood.
If Tazuna persisted, he'd become the enemy of everyone in Wave.
And if that happened, Kakashi's mission lost all meaning. He couldn't oppose the entire country for one bridge.
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Konoha Harem Chat Group: I Can Fabricate the Future (Completed) is now on Patreon!
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