One day later.
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Waves]
The news of Gatō's death spread across the island like wildfire.
The corrupt merchant, who had built his fortune through exploitation and oppression, was found impaled by a chandelier in his own mansion, hanging from the ceiling—his unseeing eyes wide open, becoming the talk of the town for the people of the Land of Waves.
Chaos briefly erupted across the land.
The locals, who had been oppressed by Gatō for most of their lives, didn't rush to repair the bridge when they heard the news. Instead, they threw down their tools and flooded toward Gatō's mansion.
"These people—when it came to building the bridge, they had no strength. But when it comes to looting, they're faster than rabbits," Naruto grumbled, squatting on a rock in front of Tazuna's house, chin resting in his hands.
Sakura also sighed, "Well, Gatō's dead. And now everyone wants a share."
"But what about the bridge? When are we going back?" Naruto picked up a pebble and tossed it into the distance out of boredom.
Kakashi leaned against the doorframe, holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise without even looking up. "What's the rush? Our mission is to protect Tazuna. We leave when the bridge is done."
Sasuke sat in a corner of the room, eyes closed as if resting.
But the people of the Land of Waves were destined to be disappointment.
In this timeline, Zabuza and Haku were still alive.
When they arrived at Gatō's mansion, Zabuza was already standing at the entrance, Kubikiribōchō in hand. A few of the loudest looters were so terrified they wet themselves on the spot.
Zabuza didn't waste words on these people.
He casually cut down a few greedy fools who had deluded themselves into thinking they could snatch food from his mouth—and the rest scattered like birds.
After all, this money wasn't worth dying for.
As for Zabuza, he wanted both Gatō's life and his fortune.
So he took Gatō's entire estate, leaving not a single coin for anyone. After all, this was money he had earned at the cost of his reputation.
---
This, of course, delayed the bridge's construction—much to the annoyance of Team 7's three younger members.
But Kakashi didn't mind. Their mission was merely to protect Tazuna, so this little interlude could serve as a break.
It also gave him time to study his left eye's ability—as long as Zabuza and Haku didn't cause any trouble, everything would be fine.
Though he doubted they would. After all, Zabuza had already killed his own employer—he certainly wasn't going to carry out Gatō's mission anymore.
Thinking about it, Kakashi found it a bit absurd. Sure enough, only someone from the Bloody Mist would go so far as to kill their own client. After all, that kind of move would ruin his reputation—how would he take on future missions?
Then again, with the fortune Zabuza had just seized, he probably wouldn't need to take bounty jobs anymore anyway.
For three days in a row, Team 7, with time on their hands, intensified their training.
The weather in the Land of Waves was neither particularly good nor bad. Mist would dissipate and gather, gather and dissipate again, with sunlight occasionally breaking through gaps in the clouds, scattering golden fragments across the river's surface.
Naruto practiced his fundamentals on the water, Sasuke worked on the Hatake-style swordsmanship, while Sakura punched trees one after another in the forest.
Kakashi still leaned against a tree, pretending to read Icha Icha Paradise, but in reality, he was watching his three students train.
Though he still hadn't found a way to use Kamui for the time being, he was pleased to see how astonishingly fast the three were growing.
Sasuke had already mastered Chidori—not to mention his two-tomoe Sharingan was becoming more adept, and he was even learning the Hatake-style swordsmanship Kakashi had shown him.
His overall strength was at least Chūnin-level now—if not held back by his still growing physical strength and limited chakra reserves, he'd likely be even more impressive.
Naruto was equally striking. Under Jiraiya's guidance, his fundamentals—tree climbing, water walking, and basic Taijutsu—had gone from barely functional to solid and reliable. Combined with his massive chakra reserves and the tailor-made Rasengan, he wasn't far behind Sasuke anymore.
'No wonder they'd reach Six Paths-level in the future—these two are indeed gifted,' Kakashi mused silently.
At their age, he had been stronger, but far less talented than these two. One was the so-called reincarnation of Indra, the other of Asura—both tied to the Sage of Six Paths. So their potential was on a completely different level.
But what pleased Kakashi even more was Sakura.
He had once misjudged her, thinking she was better suited for Genjutsu. But after the Sky Screen revealed her future, Tsunade took her on as a disciple—and that was when her true talent blossomed.
The monstrous strength of the Chakra-Enhanced Strength technique, and Medical Ninjutsu—both required exceptional chakra control, exactly where Sakura excelled.
What Kakashi noticed most, however, was her newfound confidence.
Though she never said it, Sakura had clearly felt discouraged in the past. After all, her two teammates had consistently outperformed her since graduating from the academy, and she probably despaired at not knowing how to improve faster.
But everything changed once she became Tsunade's disciple. Her growth in Chakra-Enhanced technique and Medical Ninjutsu was explosive. Even if she might not catch up to Naruto and Sasuke, she was certainly no ordinary shinobi.
In fact, if Kakashi had to fight all three of them now, he wasn't sure he could easily defeat them. And if they had to do the bell test again, they'd pass without question.
Kakashi's lips curled slightly beneath his mask.
These three were no longer the rookies who couldn't even coordinate properly.
---
On the fifth day.
Land of Waves, outside Tazuna's house
The mist was thinner than previous days, and sunlight fell directly onto the ground.
Team 7 was undergoing their usual training.
Kakashi, leaning against a tree, suddenly lowered his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and looked up toward the distance.
Soon after, Sasuke also noticed something unusual and turned to face the same direction, his body shifting into a defensive stance.
Only Naruto and Sakura were slower to react, following Sasuke's gaze to finally see who had arrived.
It was the two they had seen on the Sky Screen a few days ago—"Demon" Zabuza and Haku.
Zabuza carried the Kubikiribōchō on his shoulder, its broad blade exposed. Haku followed behind him, dressed in a light kimono, looking as beautiful as ever.
Noticing Team 7's guarded stance, Zabuza tossed his blade to Haku without a word; the sword flipped through the air and landed steadily in Haku's hands.
Zabuza then slowly stepped forward alone, stopping a few meters from Team 7.
"Relax. I'm not here to fight," Zabuza said with a light grin, his gaze sweeping over the four of them. "Besides, even if I wanted to, I'm probably no match for you all now, am I?"
"Huh… no-eyebrows, then why are you here?" Naruto was the first to speak, his tone wary.
Sasuke also remained on guard, his hand already resting on his blade, while Sakura clenched her fists, ready to act at any moment.
Kakashi, however, was relaxed. He closed his book and rested it on his knee, still leaning against the tree without moving. "Zabuza, are you here to say goodbye?"
Zabuza nodded. "Mm, I've already received word from the village—I'm no longer a rogue-nin. I'll be heading back soon." He paused, his tone turning slightly serious. "I know what the screen showed was only one possible future, but I still wanted to say thank you."
"Thank you… for helping me see many things clearly."
Kakashi noticed that Zabuza's eyes carried far less hostility now—more calm.
"No need for that. After all, none of it actually happened," Kakashi said with a dismissive wave.
Zabuza shook his head but didn't press further.
Just then, Sasuke suddenly spoke: "Haku, right? I want to fight you."
His Sharingan was already fixed on Haku, the two tomoe spinning slowly, eager and ready.
Haku stood behind Zabuza, startled for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't fight."
Sasuke frowned. Haku possessed the Ice Release kekkei genkai and was clearly skilled—he had almost single-handedly suppressed both Naruto and himself on the screen. So how could he not fight?
Zabuza, seeing Sasuke's confusion, grinned: "Haku's telling the truth. He only knows how to kill—he doesn't know how to spar. He's not cut out for friendly matches."
Sasuke fell silent for a moment and didn't press further.
Then Zabuza spoke up again: "But I wouldn't mind fighting you all."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
"After all, punching Indra and kicking Ashura, such an honor cannot be missed," Zabuza said with a wry smile. "Future Six Paths-level fighters—if I don't fight them now, I'll never get the chance again."
*****
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