"If you don't kill my lord— you've finally appeared! I couldn't contact you before!"
Seeing Zabuza Momochi, Haku's usually calm face lit up with relief.
Then he noticed Mangetsu Hōzuki standing beside him.
"And this lord is…? Are you going to kill your master's friend again?"
Zabuza's eyebrow twitched.
He was just about to explain when something crossed his mind.
His expression turned cold instantly.
"Why are you asking so many questions?"
His voice became sharp.
"Don't forget your identity. You're just a tool I picked up from the trash. Deliver the message and get lost."
Haku froze.
"…Yes, Zabuza-sama."
He lowered his head and stepped back obediently.
Zabuza felt something tighten in his chest.
He hadn't meant it.
Yes, he found Haku half-dead in a garbage heap after the boy awakened his Ice Release from the Yuki Clan bloodline.
Yes, at first he only kept him because he was useful.
But over the years… things had changed.
Their bond was no longer master and tool.
It was closer to teacher and disciple.
This mission to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage was practically a suicide run.
Zabuza didn't want Haku dragged into it.
Mangetsu saw right through him.
"Oh, stop pretending," Mangetsu said lightly. "The kid didn't run even when he had the chance. As a remnant of the Yuki Clan, he has the right to know."
He waved at Haku.
"Kid. Zabuza and I are returning to Kirigakure to assassinate the Mizukage. Even knowing that, are you still coming?"
Haku was stunned.
"Assassinate… Mizukage?"
He didn't hesitate long.
He nodded solemnly.
"Zabuza-sama saved me. If he walks into hell, I'll follow."
Zabuza clicked his tongue irritably.
"I told you to get lost! Now look at this mess. You're going to end up trying to kill a Kage. Do you not understand human language?"
Mangetsu shrugged.
"One more person increases the odds."
He looked at Zabuza meaningfully.
"And if you don't take him, what future does he have? The world won't treat a kekkei genkai survivor kindly."
Zabuza fell silent.
Mangetsu changed the subject.
"Enough emotional drama. Let's think about the masked man. If we fail to handle this carefully, even if we reach the Fourth Mizukage, we'll just be executed as traitors."
He subtly pointed across the street.
Naruto was casually eating seafood porridge like a tourist on vacation.
"With him here," Mangetsu continued dryly, "any plan we make is meaningless. Everything depends on what he wants."
Zabuza clenched his jaw.
"Once we return, we can cooperate with other factions. No matter how strong Menma is, he can't fight the entire village."
Mangetsu chuckled softly.
"Ninja can't fight a ninja village."
"But villages have never been unified."
"They don't need the whole of Kirigakure. They just need to support certain chess pieces from behind the scenes."
Zabuza's expression darkened.
"So we just sit here and let others treat the village like a chessboard—and us like pieces?"
Mangetsu didn't answer.
He simply gestured forward and walked toward Naruto.
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly as they approached, spoon still in his hand.
Haku's appearance at this point surprised him.
But the world line had already shifted.
If fate were fixed, he'd still be the so-called dead last in Konoha right now.
Anyone who blindly trusted destiny would eventually trip over their own stupidity.
Mangetsu stepped forward with an unusually polite smile.
"Menma-senpai, we've received news. Kisame Hoshigaki killed one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Fuguki Suikazan—then attempted to assassinate the Daimyō of the Land of Water. He failed and defected."
He paused.
"If this isn't the masked man's conspiracy… shall we proceed to Kirigakure as planned?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately. His gaze shifted to Haku.
Mangetsu quickly explained.
"He's Haku, Zabuza's subordinate. Ice Release user of the Yuki Clan. He delivered our intelligence."
Naruto spoke calmly.
"Assassinating the Mizukage is your business. I'm just an observer."
"You make the plan."
Mangetsu inhaled slowly.
"I know Menma-senpai looks down on ordinary jōnin."
"But what if I overthrow the Fourth Mizukage… and become the Fifth?"
He met Naruto's gaze directly.
"A Mizukage should be valuable as an ally."
Naruto looked him up and down lazily.
"With your strength? Becoming Mizukage?"
"That cake you're painting for me is a bit undercooked."
Mangetsu didn't flinch.
"That's why I need your support."
He spoke clearly.
"If I become Mizukage, I'll immediately sign a formal alliance with Uzushiogakure. We'll recognize its sovereignty and reopen trade routes."
He didn't hide his ambition at all.
Zabuza frowned slightly.
Originally, their goal had been to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and seize power.
But now that they suspected mind control… wasn't waking him up another option?
Mangetsu's new plan was different.
Overthrow the Fourth Mizukage completely.
Break the masked man's control.
But in doing so, wouldn't they simply become Menma's pieces instead?
Kirigakure would still be a chessboard.
Only the player would change.
Zabuza hated it.
But he couldn't deny reality.
With their current strength, they couldn't handle a Three-Tails Jinchūriki plus a Mangekyō-wielding lunatic behind the scenes.
Between being manipulated secretly and bargaining openly—
The latter was at least honest.
Naruto finally spoke.
"We'll discuss conditions later."
He looked toward the distant sea.
"First, find a way to approach the Mizukage and prove you're serious about taking the position."
He smiled faintly.
"Otherwise, what if you die at the masked man's hands before negotiations are finished? That would be embarrassing."
Mangetsu smiled back.
"I'll show my sincerity, Menma-senpai."
Naruto gave him one last unreadable look—
Then vanished from the street.
The Land of Water was Kirigakure's territory.
And effectively, Obito's territory.
Naruto couldn't casually eliminate White Zetsu here.
That would be like sending Obito a handwritten letter saying: Hey, I'm in your backyard.
Not smart.
Besides, Naruto had other plans.
He intended to secretly contact survivors of persecuted bloodline clans in the Land of Water.
If possible, he would relocate them to Uzushiogakure.
At the same time, he was preparing for something bigger—
Artificial kekkei genkai.
If Wood Release could be recreated through transplantation, why not other bloodlines?
Once such technology matured—
Artificial bloodlines.
Artificial immortals.
Maybe even artificial Ōtsutsuki.
After all, those so-called gods were just aliens with advanced chakra tech.
Power wasn't divine.
It was engineered.
After Naruto left, Zabuza exhaled.
"Looks like we can't escape being chess pieces."
Mangetsu walked beside him quietly.
After a long silence, he said:
"If we're lucky… maybe we can become players this time."
He glanced at Zabuza and shook his head with a faint smile.
"Don't flatter us."
"Before this, we weren't even chess pieces."
"We were just dust."
"Dust that gets crushed when the real pieces move."
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