Chapter 13 The Other Side of the DemonSeven days later, Kakashi had almost fully recovered.
Naruto chose to miss his chance encounter with Haku. Even if he had, what difference would it have made? If he hadn't lost, Zabuza would be unlikely to back down. Before anything was resolved, further words were pointless.
"Kakashi-sensei, now that you've recovered, Zabuza could reappear at any time. Why don't we head to the docks early today? There are workers there, just in case something happens."
Naruto suggested, knowing that Zabuza would reappear today to fight Kakashi again, and the bridge-building workers had been killed or maimed by Gato's men. If they arrived early, perhaps all of this could be prevented.
"Alright, let's go now."
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat. He didn't agree with Naruto's suggestion. Having decided to intervene, he naturally didn't want innocent civilians to lose their lives.
"Naruto, you stay and protect Inari and her son."
"No, Sasuke should stay, Kakashi-sensei."
Sasuke, who had been completely calm, nearly exploded with anger upon hearing this, glaring fiercely at Naruto.
Kakashi pondered, "Sasuke or Naruto? Ah, Sakura, stay."
The group fell silent.
Sakura: "Everyone, please be careful."
"Don't worry, Sakura," Naruto said with a smile, giving her a thumbs-up to reassure her.
Arriving at the construction site, they saw a group of thugs chasing and attacking workers, throwing materials into the sea. Although the workers tried to resist, they were outnumbered and lacked proper weapons; several had already been hacked to pieces.
"Damn it!"
Naruto, enraged, charged directly at the thugs, his hands rapidly forming hand seals—Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
"A contest of numbers?"
Dozens of Naruto-like figures charged forward like tigers among sheep, quickly dispatching the group of thugs.
The thugs were dumbfounded. They were only good at bullying civilians; in a real fight with ninjas, their fighting strength was probably no match for a first-year student at the Ninja Academy.
"You've come. I'm so sorry, Tazuna, we didn't protect the materials properly."
A worker's voice choked with emotion. He had several gruesome cuts on his body, but his sobs weren't from pain; they stemmed from guilt. These shipbuilding materials were the result of everyone's frugal living and saving; they were the hope of everyone in the Land of Waves. Every piece of steel was the result of many people going hungry.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Go back and get treated. It's not safe here anymore."
Tazuna said, about to step forward, but Kakashi abruptly stopped him.
"We're here."
Hearing Kakashi's words, everyone immediately tensed up, more focused than ever before.
Suddenly, a thick fog filled the area, and two figures appeared in everyone's sight. The first, a tall, thin man with no eyebrows, had his Executioner's Blade stuck diagonally in the ground—it was Zabuza, who had feigned death and escaped earlier. Standing beside him was the masked boy, Haku.
"Still surrounded by these brats, you haven't changed, Kakashi," Zabuza's voice was devoid of warmth.
"Those two brats are yours, Haku."
"Yes." Haku's expression was hidden behind the mask.
"Wait!"
Just then, a loud shout rang out; it was Naruto.
Zabuza sneered, "What's wrong, kid? Want to beg for mercy?"
Naruto wasn't angered by Zabuza's words. Instead, he walked towards Zabuza, looking him directly in the eye, and said, "Zabuza, you want to kill Uncle Tazuna and us, right? These workers aren't your targets. Let them leave."
"Naruto, come back! Don't waste your energy. That guy won't do it!"
Kakashi shouted urgently. He had read many of Zabuza's files; he was a cold-blooded killer, having taken countless lives and never acting on emotion.
Naruto didn't stop. Instead, he walked directly to Zabuza, staring at him without blinking.
He dared to do this because he was confident he wouldn't be instantly killed by Zabuza. After all, his talent was vastly different now. Over a month of training hadn't been in vain. The Flying Thunder God Technique had greatly improved his survival abilities, and his trump card, the Rasengan, was enough to make any opponent wary.
"Kid, you've got guts."
The next second, an unbelievable scene unfolded. Zabuza picked up the Executioner's Blade lying on the ground, not to slash at Naruto, but to rest it on his shoulder. He made no further move. Though he didn't speak, the meaning was clear: let him go.
So easy, it was done?
Not only were the others shocked, but even Naruto himself was somewhat surprised. He had only wanted to try his luck, after all, these workers were innocent. If Zabuza disdained killing ordinary people, it might give him a chance to persuade Kakashi to let him go.
He hadn't held out much hope, thinking it would take a lot of persuasion to convince Zabuza. He hadn't expected Zabuza to agree so quickly; it was truly...
Naruto: "Uncle, you guys should leave first."
"Okay, be careful."
The workers were almost all injured; staying would be useless, especially since they knew the difference in skill between them and ninjas. They had no choice but to help their companions leave. Tazuna, of course, couldn't leave; he was Zabuza's target.
Kakashi's gaze towards Zabuza became complicated. This man was a born killer, but not born cold-blooded.
The instant the workers left, Zabuza and Kakashi moved simultaneously, their figures flashing in a blur of offense and defense.
"I won't lose to you again, Kakashi."
"This time you won't have a chance, Zabuza."
Naruto wanted to confront Haku, but Sasuke was already watching intently. He uttered a single sentence and dashed away like the wind.
"Protect Tazuna, Naruto."
"Damn it..."
Naruto couldn't abandon Tazuna for the sake of the battle, so he could only anxiously wait for Sakura to arrive.
The battle between Kakashi and Zabuza was a given, but Sasuke was indeed exceptionally talented. A week of chakra training had greatly improved his strength, allowing him to hold his own against Haku, who was using hand seals with one hand.
However, after Haku activated his bloodline limit, Sasuke was completely at a disadvantage. Trapped in the Ice Crystal Mirror, neither his eyes nor his body could keep up with his opponent's speed. He was being utterly humiliated, completely powerless to retaliate, and within moments he was covered in wounds.
It's important to understand that this was only because Haku hoped Sasuke would back down and showed him mercy at every turn; otherwise, Sasuke would likely be dead, and there would be no chance of reviving the Uchiha clan.
"Sasuke!" Just then, Sakura rushed in, clearly having witnessed Sasuke's miserable state.
"Sakura, you protect Uncle Tazuna, I'll go help Sasuke."
The next second, Naruto's figure was already inside the Ice Crystal Mirror. Although he had seen everything in the manga, seeing Sasuke being tortured was still unbearable for Naruto. He instantly appeared in front of Sasuke, shielding him from Haku's attack.