After finishing their discussion with Tazuna, Kakashi gathered everyone inside the small living room — Arata, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.
Sitting cross-legged before them, Kakashi's voice carried its usual calm weight.
"Alright, everyone. About our mission to protect Tazuna — I need to reorganize our approach."
He looked over the four of them seriously.
"We'll split into two teams. One team will guard Mr. Tazuna, while the other trains with me. Then we switch."
Naruto immediately threw up his hand.
"Then I call dibs! I want to be on Sakura's team!"
Sakura's expression darkened instantly.
"I refuse."
Naruto froze, clutching his chest as if struck by lightning.
"S-Sakura… why?"
Her eyes twitched. "Because I said no."
Naruto's desperation only made her annoyance worse. He grinned sheepishly, trying to play it off.
"Come on, Sakura! We'd make a great team!"
Kakashi pressed his fingers to his temple.
Here we go again…
Sakura folded her arms, frowning. "I want to be with Sasuke."
Sasuke didn't even react — he just shrugged. "Do whatever you want."
Arata remained silent, expression calm. He didn't care who he was paired with.
After a moment, Kakashi sighed. "Enough. The teams are set: Sasuke and Naruto will be one group. Arata and Sakura will form the other."
Naruto jumped to his feet. "What?! No way! Why do I have to be with Sasuke?!"
His loud protest echoed through the room.
Sakura, meanwhile, blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected to be paired with Arata — though she didn't dislike the idea.
In fact, the thought of training alongside him sparked a quiet curiosity she didn't fully understand.
Naruto, however, was fuming.
He jabbed a finger at Kakashi. "That's favoritism! Why does Arata get to be with Sakura?!"
Arata didn't even flinch. To him, the pairing didn't matter — but Kakashi answered nonetheless, patient but firm.
"Because Arata's strength is enough to protect her. You and Sasuke, on the other hand, together can handle yourselves if something happens."
Naruto blinked, then frowned. "Huh? So… you're saying I'm strong enough to protect people too?"
Kakashi gave him a small smile. "Exactly."
That single word seemed to soothe his bruised ego — at least for the moment.
Meanwhile, Sasuke muttered under his breath, "As if I need his help…"
Naruto shot him a glare. "What was that, teme?!"
Sasuke ignored him completely.
Sakura sighed, glancing at Kakashi. "So you're saying I'm the weakest?"
Kakashi didn't answer — which was answer enough.
Her shoulders dropped. She knew it was true, but it still stung to hear it unspoken.
The meeting ended soon after, and everyone went off to rest.
Elsewhere — in the dark woods outside the village.
Mist drifted low over the forest floor as Zabuza sat in silence, the Decapitating Blade leaning against the wall beside him.
The flickering candlelight cast sharp shadows across his face.
He was replaying the battle in his mind — every strike, every dodge, every glance at that silver-eyed boy.
That kid… he's not normal.
The door creaked open. A figure stepped in quietly — pale-skinned, graceful, and almost ethereal under the dim light.
Zabuza didn't even look up. "Haku. You saw the fight, didn't you?"
The young man nodded softly, expression calm as ever.
This was Haku, Zabuza's partner — the last survivor of the Yuki clan, and a wielder of the rare Ice Release bloodline limit.
At a glance, anyone would mistake him for a beautiful woman. But behind those delicate features lay the heart of a shinobi trained to kill.
Haku spoke softly, "Yes. I watched everything. That boy — his power is impressive. He's not weaker than me."
Zabuza grunted. "Exactly. He's strong. Too strong. If we're going to finish this mission, we need to separate him from Kakashi. You'll deal with him next time."
Haku's eyes lowered slightly. "…You want me to fight him?"
Zabuza's tone hardened. "No choice. That brat's the biggest threat. As long as he's alive, I can't focus on killing Kakashi."
For a moment, Haku was silent — his expression unreadable.
Finally, he said quietly, "He looked inexperienced. Strong, yes… but raw. He fights on instinct, not discipline."
Zabuza nodded. "He's fresh out of the Academy. Probably Kakashi's student. But that makes him even more dangerous. If he lives long enough, he'll become a monster."
His voice grew colder.
"We can't let that happen. Kill him, and the mission ends quickly."
Haku didn't respond. He stood perfectly still, the candlelight flickering in his eyes.
He didn't like killing — especially someone who had done him no wrong.
But Zabuza was right about one thing: survival.
They'd been hunted for years by Kirigakure's Anbu. Their only chance to live freely was to complete Cardo's mission — no matter the cost.
After a long silence, Haku finally whispered,
"…I understand."
Suddenly, the door slammed open.
Two burly men carrying swords barged in, stomping noisily across the floor.
Zabuza's brow furrowed instantly. His hand twitched toward the hilt of his blade.
The intruders froze under his killing intent. One of them trembled visibly.
Then, from behind them, a short, portly man stepped forward — Cardo.
The merchant's smugness filled the room like poison.
"Well, well. Zabuza," he sneered. "Care to explain why Tazuna's still alive? I pay you a fortune, and you fail to kill an old man?"
Zabuza's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a low growl.
"Watch your mouth."
The sheer coldness in his tone made Cardo take a half-step back — but arrogance won over fear.
"I hired you because you were supposed to be strong," Cardo spat. "But you've disappointed me."
He didn't even finish the sentence.
There was a blur of motion — a flash of steel — and suddenly, the tip of the massive Decapitating Blade rested against his throat.
A thin line of blood trickled down his neck.
Cardo froze, shaking.
"Y-you wouldn't dare kill your employer! If you do, your reputation's finished! No one in the shinobi world will ever hire you again!"
Zabuza's voice was cold as ice.
"Say another word, and I'll decorate the floor with your head."
The killing intent radiating from him was so suffocating that even Haku's breath slowed.
Cardo's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, sweat beading on his face.
He could feel the sincerity in those words — Zabuza wasn't bluffing.
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