Chapter 10 Zabuza MomochiThe group hadn't gone far after reaching the shore when a large sword hurtled towards them with a whistling sound. Fortunately, Kakashi warned them, and they narrowly avoided the attack.
Then, the sword embedded itself in a tree in front of them, and a figure exuding a chilling aura stepped onto the hilt. Such a unique entrance—who else could it be but Zabuza?
Kakashi immediately recognized the Executioner's Blade and Zabuza's identity. This was troublesome.
After the initial attack, he knew this mission was no simple matter, initially assuming it was at least a B-rank mission. Hearing Gato's name, he thought it was at least an A-rank, and meeting Zabuza confirmed it was an S-rank mission. (Don't be fooled by the seemingly large sum of tens of thousands of ryo for a C-rank mission. Considering a bowl of ramen in Konoha costs at least 60 yen, that's equivalent to a few thousand dollars on Earth. For this amount, Kakashi would be leading Team 7 against an S-rank dangerous individual, spending at least several months, and then giving a portion to the village, with the remainder to be split with Naruto and the other three.)
"Hey, isn't that the escaped ninja from Kirigakure, Momochi Zabuza?"
"You're Hatake Kakashi from Konoha, right? Hand the old man over to me quickly."
In this battle, although Kakashi showed no sign of underestimating his opponent, activating his Sharingan immediately, he still found himself in a difficult situation, nearly killed by the Water Prison Technique. He only managed to escape and ultimately win because Naruto and Sasuke successfully diverted Zabuza's attention.
Watching Haku, disguised as a member of the Hidden Mist Hidden Squad, rescue Zabuza, Naruto didn't offer any warnings. He knew Kakashi was already at his limit. If he stopped him from leaving, Zabuza might not have the chance to turn against Gato. More importantly, if a change in the course of events created a butterfly effect, resulting in the death of Kakashi or someone else, it would be too late for regrets.
Naruto didn't respect Zabuza, but he didn't hate him either. Zabuza's story, while not epic, was filled with a masculine romance, tragically poignant.
Zabuza grew up during Kirigakure's darkest period. Due to the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, being controlled by Obito's genjutsu, Kirigakure began a series of tyrannical policies. Ninjas had to kill their closest comrades to graduate, and Zabuza was also a victim. To survive, he had to kill two people who were important to him; otherwise, he would die. Faced with the fear of death and the yearning to live, Zabuza had no choice.
This drastically changed his personality, completely unleashing the evil within him. During the exams, he slaughtered all his fellow students, forcing a change to the Kirigakure graduation exam rule of infighting. If this slaughter continued every year, Kirigakure would have no ninja left.
After Zabuza grew up, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, initiated the Blood Mist Policy. Those with bloodline limits within the Land of Water were massacred and persecuted, their families destroyed and they wandered to various places. Countless people lost their lives due to constant bloodshed and vendettas. People lived in fear, and even ninjas were not spared. The entire Hidden Mist Village seemed to be shrouded in blood mist, and during this period, the Hidden Mist Village was known to the outside world as the Village of Blood Mist.
The rule at that time could no longer be described as tyranny, but rather as a bloody and brutal political system. The faith of many ninjas began to crumble, and even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the highest fighting force protecting the Mizukage, were becoming disloyal. But Zabuza didn't betray the village like Suigetsu Hozuki, nor did he flee in despair like Kisame and Juzo. He launched a coup, intending to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, change the status quo of Kirigakure, and establish his ideal nation. Unfortunately, he failed… and was forced to live a nomadic life, far from his home.
He once swore an oath in the snow: "One day I will return." That was not only his ambition to make a comeback, but also his complex and unspoken feelings for Kirigakure.
However, making a comeback was easier said than done. Zabuza had wandered for years, and his only decent helper was Haku. Money is a powerful motivator; to recruit capable allies, money naturally became paramount. Therefore, it's not hard to understand why Zabuza would become entangled with Gato.
For money, Zabuza indiscriminately killed even ninjas from the Five Great Shinobi Villages. He didn't consider whether his opponents were good or bad, kind or evil, nor did he consider the consequences. Such a person could hardly be called a good person; to be precise, he was a villain. But for Kirigakure, the village that raised him, Zabuza was undoubtedly a hero.
In that dark era, in that cold-blooded, numb environment where only compromise mattered, Zabuza fired the first shot of resistance. His actions were like a muffled thunderclap in everyone's hearts, pointing the way in the darkness and laying the foundation for the later success of reformers like Mei Terumi.
If it weren't for a last resort, I really wouldn't want him to die like that.
Naruto sighed inwardly. Just then, Kakashi, who was out of danger, finally collapsed and fainted. Naruto quickly used his body to support Kakashi, preventing him from falling to the ground.
"How are we going to take Kakashi-sensei away?" Sakura asked, somewhat troubled.
They were strong, but not big enough to drag Kakashi along. As for Uncle Tazuna? That was even more impossible; carrying Kakashi at his age would probably break his back.
"Ah, don't worry, Sakura, leave it to me!"
Naruto patted his chest confidently, then summoned several shadow clones, lifting Kakashi up like ants carrying food.
"That's enough!"
Well, Sakura and Sasuke were completely dumbfounded. The forbidden Konoha technique, Multiple Ninja Clone Jutsu, huh? So that's how it's used!
Although it was easy at first, by the time they arrived at Tazuna's house, Naruto was exhausted. After all, he'd been consuming a lot of chakra the whole way, which was no joke; even he was starting to feel the strain.
"Naruto, are you alright?"
To Naruto's relief, Sakura noticed his exhaustion and took out a handkerchief from her bag to wipe his face.
Naruto had only wiped half of it when he grinned, revealing a silly, goofy smile, and couldn't help but lean closer to Sakura.
"Here we go again~ You annoying brat!"
Sakura blushed slightly, threw the handkerchief at Naruto's face, and stormed off angrily.
Sasuke, observing everything, felt a pang of annoyance as Naruto and Sakura drew closer to each other, even though he didn't have any particular feelings for Sakura.
"So, these girls keep saying they like him? They're getting so close to someone else, even if they're in the same class. Humph, he wouldn't admit he was jealous. Women, they really are fickle."
Sasuke muttered to himself, but maintaining his aloof persona, he suppressed his feelings.
It wasn't until the next morning that Kakashi awoke from his coma.
"I suspect Zabuza wasn't killed."
Kakashi had anticipated this when Haku made his move, but at the time, he was exhausted (from being controlled by the Water Prison Technique for so long and then fighting fiercely, leading to oxygen deprivation in his brain), unable to continue fighting, and worried about Naruto and Tazuna, so he could only let the situation continue.
"Before it's too late, we need to prepare."
Sakura asked, puzzled, "Teacher, what preparations do we need to make? You can't move yet."
"You all need to train hard," Kakashi said calmly.
"Train? But no matter how much we train, there's a limit to our abilities. Our opponent is a ninja who almost killed Kakashi-sensei, who has the Sharingan!"
Sakura said with concern.
Was Kakashi-sensei planning to use them as scapegoats? Sakura felt a little uneasy. This wasn't surprising, after all, she was only a twelve-year-old girl.
"When I was in a difficult battle, who saved us? You're all growing rapidly, especially Naruto, your growth has amazed me."
"Ha~ha, it's nothing, nothing at all, it's nothing to mention~"
Kakashi's words overjoyed Naruto, who pretended to be nonchalant, but his small eyes were constantly glancing at Sakura.
Sakura's gaze towards Naruto also became complicated; Naruto had indeed become much more reliable than before.