After some negotiation, Kakashi and Tazuna reached an agreement.
Tazuna winced at the figure but ultimately agreed. Better to lose some money than lose everything. Money could be earned again. Life couldn't.
As a bridge construction contractor, Tazuna calculated that if the Bridge finish construction the future income from it can cover his loss.
As for Team Seven, their acceptance of additional payment wasn't about greed or abandoning shinobi principles. Everyone simply had their own circumstances. Unspeakable difficulties.
Sakura came from a civilian family with no financial cushion. Tazuna's offer was... tempting. Very tempting. And if Kakashi-sensei agreed, who was she to refuse such generous compensation?
Sasuke might be an Uchiha, but that aristocratic wealth belonged to the past. Now, all Uchiha clan assets were locked away in Hokage vaults. He couldn't access a single ryō. The lack of funds was precisely why he'd looted those corpses earlier without shame.
Naruto, despite owning a farm generating hundreds of millions annually, still considered that a modest goal. Nothing to boast about. Besides, seventy percent of his profits went to investors and operational costs. And his personal food budget was genuinely terrifying.
Extra income never hurt.
As for Kakashi, the Copy Ninja's reasoning was devastatingly simple: He'd watched Naruto eat that meal at Ichiraku. His current wealth couldn't sustain feeding the boy regularly. Better earn money now while the opportunity presented itself.
Kakashi had mentally prepared himself to adopt the role of doting guardian. After all, guilt weighed on him constantly—he'd failed to care for Naruto properly during childhood.
The minds of Team Seven's teachers and students operated on pure, simple logic: Only fools thought they had too much money.
"In that case, Mr. Tazuna, let's continue onward." Kakashi's dead-fish eye regarded their premium client with unprecedented warmth.
Naruto and Sakura beamed.
Even Sasuke's perpetually blank expression cracked into a rare smile. Watching him, Sakura froze momentarily, already naming their future children in her head.
Sarada. That's a good name.
Tazuna's face remained sour. If he'd just submitted a proper B-rank mission from the start, he'd have saved money overall. Now he'd paid extra anyway. He'd shot himself in the foot spectacularly.
Seeing Tazuna's misery, Naruto approached with a friendly smile. "Uncle Tazuna, you look upset. Hey, why don't we become friends—"
Before he could finish, Sasuke and Sakura launched themselves in front of Tazuna like human shields, speaking in perfect unison: "Naruto, you can't! Let's just keep moving!"
Their urgency stemmed from pure practicality. If Naruto made friends with Tazuna using his standard "process," the old man's body wouldn't survive a single finger strike.
Kill their premium client? Who'd pay them then?
Risk assessment demanded they prevent this friendship at all costs.
Watching the protective formation, Kakashi looked thoroughly confused. It's just making friends. Why are Sasuke and Sakura acting like he suggested murder?
He still wanted to become Naruto's friend himself eventually.
Naruto caught on quickly, understanding their intervention. He laughed awkwardly. "Mr. Tazuna, I'm joking! Come on, let's keep moving."
Tazuna was too depressed about his hemorrhaging finances to consider friendship with anyone, especially not some blonde brat whose team had just extorted him.
The group resumed their journey.
Team Seven radiated good cheer. Only Tazuna trudged along looking miserable.
Meanwhile, Zabuza had fled back to their temporary camp and collapsed, panting heavily.
Behind the mask, Haku's refined voice carried concern. "Zabuza-sama, are the Demon Brothers dead?"
For Haku, the brothers had been mission vanguard and companions. He cared about his comrades. If they lived, he'd have accompanied Zabuza on a rescue attempt.
Zabuza caught his breath and looked up at Haku. "Dead. Turned to ash."
He stood, already walking away. "Let's go. We're retreating for now."
Haku matched his pace. "Are we abandoning the plan entirely?"
The original strategy had been simple: The Demon Brothers served as vanguard. If they succeeded, Zabuza wouldn't need to appear. If they failed, he'd attack the target himself.
There'd been contingencies built in. Intelligence indicated the team leader was Konoha's Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. The Demon Brothers couldn't possibly succeed against him.
Zabuza's role was testing Kakashi's capabilities, preparing for the killing blow later. If necessary, Haku would intervene—fake-kill Zabuza, pose as a Kirigakure ANBU tracking missing-nin, and extract him under that cover.
But Zabuza hadn't even engaged. He'd just... retreated.
Haku was genuinely confused.
Zabuza glanced back, thinking: I almost didn't make it back at all. That's trivial compared to nearly wetting myself in front of a man.
That humiliation? Absolutely intolerable.
Even ninja had limits!
Out loud, he said, "The Copy Ninja Kakashi is injured. Both hands suspended from his neck in bandages. He can't form seals or fight properly." He paused. "Originally, clearing Kakashi was the only obstacle. But there's a complication now. That blonde boy is more dangerous than Kakashi."
"Without determining the blonde's capabilities, attacking is too risky."
Hearing Zabuza's assessment, Haku's eyes widened behind the mask. A Konoha ninja made Zabuza-sama retreat without testing him? Incredible.
"Let me probe the blonde boy, Zabuza-sama," Haku offered.
Zabuza nodded, then added firmly, "Be careful. Don't show any hostility toward that kid. It's genuinely dangerous."
While Haku was his weapon and tool, tools needed to be used wisely. Not wasted recklessly.
"I understand, Zabuza-sama." Moved by the concern beneath those words, Haku's voice carried warm gratitude through the mask.
Tazuna's home required crossing a river. But that was still several days away. With an elderly man setting the pace from Konoha to the Land of Waves, progress was painfully slow.
Naruto possessed Instantaneous Movement—he could reach Tazuna's house in seconds. But only himself. The technique moved beyond the speed of sound. Tazuna's body would collapse from the stress.
Soon, evening approached.
"Let's find somewhere to rest and eat," Kakashi announced, assigning tasks. "Naruto, you're on reconnaissance."
Naruto, trusted with the surveillance role, used Instantaneous Movement to reach a thick tree branch. He settled in cross-legged and extended his senses.
After a thorough scan, he detected no suspicious presences.
"Wonder what Kurama packed for me." He pulled the backpack around and unzipped it.
Orange fur filled the opening.
"Haha, Naruto! Are you surprised?! Are you surprised?!"
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