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"…We're almost there, Lord Zabuza"
On a quiet forest path within the Land of Waves, Zabuza and Haku made their way toward the heart of the country, their destination none other than Gato himself.
After Zabuza's failed attempt to assassinate the Mizukage, they seized the opportunity during the Kaguya clan's uprising to flee the Hidden Mist Village, thus becoming rogue shinobi.
Since then, they had wandered from place to place, taking on assassination jobs wherever they could, though life had hardly been kind or easy.
To secure a more stable income and amass enough funds to one day return to the Land of Water with power, Zabuza naturally set his sights on Gato, who was currently recruiting ninjas.
Gato was a despicable man, no doubt, but his wealth was undeniable.
And perhaps due to the professional training instilled in him during his time in Kirigakure, Zabuza, much like Kisame, upheld a certain code of conduct. He had no intention of simply cutting Gato down and taking his money.
"Hmm. Let's pick up the pace."
Zabuza nodded, his voice devoid of warmth, cold and emotionless.
"The sooner we finish this job, the better. I'd like to find time to return to Kirigakure and take a look around… over there."
Zabuza was a man of deep ambition. Like Kisame, he still carried a lingering attachment to his homeland.
Were it not for that, he would not have risked everything to strike at the Mizukage in an attempt to end the madness and chaos plaguing the Hidden Mist.
Even now, though he had turned his back on the village, a part of him still longed for it.
"You will surely succeed, Lord Zabuza."
Haku nodded quietly beside him. As Zabuza's tool, no matter what thoughts or plans he had, Haku would follow without hesitation or question.
They continued forward, but after a short while, both suddenly furrowed their brows.
They had noticed three figures approaching from the path ahead, and judging by their attire—
"Ninjas… from Konoha?"
Zabuza cast a brief glance their way. The middle-aged man with white hair seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place him immediately.
He completely dismissed the young boy at their side, but the man with silver hair and a forehead protector covering one eye immediately caught his attention.
"Kakashi Hatake… the Copy Ninja of Konoha?"
"Huh? That's…"
The trio ahead—Kitagawa Gen and his companions—also stared at Zabuza and Haku in surprise. Gen's expression, in particular, turned peculiar.
Wasn't that Zabuza and Haku?
Judging by the timeline, this was indeed around the time when they were supposed to be recruited by Gato as hired muscle.
What caught Gen's eye even more was the absence of Zabuza's iconic executioner blade, the Kubikiribōchō, on his back.
Honestly, he was never entirely clear on the exact sequence of events in the Naruto timeline. He vaguely remembered that Zabuza already had the executioner's blade around the time of the Kaguya clan's fall. Back then, he had even encountered Kimimaro and nearly fought him.
But at that point, Uchiha Itachi had yet to massacre his clan, and Jūzō Biwa had not yet been slain by the clear-headed Fourth Mizukage. The chronology was… messy.
Still, Gen didn't dwell on it. The moment he laid eyes on Zabuza, he knew he had found exactly the person he had been waiting for.
Especially Haku—his Ice Release might even be able to help him
"That guy seems like a rogue from the Hidden Mist."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and spoke with curiosity. Kakashi gave a small nod of confirmation.
"Yes. Zabuza Momochi. Also known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist. He reportedly led an insurrection against the Mizukage, which is why he fled the village. I didn't expect to run into him here."
"Huh, led a coup?"
Gen blinked slowly and murmured under his breath.
"So he managed to escape the Mist after that… wouldn't that mean he knows the village inside and out?"
He didn't need to elaborate further. Kakashi and Jiraiya had already picked up on the implications.
After Gen's earlier suggestion, they had been considering heading to Gato's territory in hopes of running into a missing-nin from Kirigakure—someone who could serve as their guide.
They never expected to stumble upon such a major figure so soon.
"How fortunate."
Zabuza, though slightly wary, didn't think he had done anything to provoke Konoha. Unaware of the gravity of the situation, he took the initiative to speak.
"Never would I have imagined that in a remote place like the Land of Waves, I would have the honor of encountering the famed Sharingan Kakashi of the Hidden Leaf."
"Ah, and I also never expected to meet the missing-nin of Kirigakure, Momochi Zabuza."
Kakashi looked around with measured calm before nodding and replying.
"Though I wonder, just where exactly are you headed? Considering your history, you remain a dangerous man."
"My destination has nothing to do with you."
Zabuza frowned and gave a cold snort.
"I believe it's best if we leave each other alone. In the past, due to various reasons, there was tension between the Hidden Mist and the Hidden Leaf. But I am no longer a shinobi of Kirigakure."
"We're well aware of that."
Jiraiya gave a light chuckle after a moment's thought and then spoke again.
"That's why… we have a rather presumptuous request."
"A presumptuous request?"
Zabuza scoffed softly. Something about these Leaf shinobi felt off to him.
"What sort of request? Speak plainly."
"Lord Jiraiya, perhaps it's best if I explain."
At that moment, Kitagawa Gen stepped forward and spoke—and the words that left his mouth made Zabuza's eyes widen in disbelief.
Jiraiya?
One of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha?
As a former member of Kirigakure's assassination squad, there was no way he hadn't heard the name Jiraiya. In fact, his intelligence reports had naturally included information on such a figure.
However, it had been quite some time since Jiraiya had left the Hidden Leaf, and with the Land of Water being relatively isolated and closed off, recent information had become scarce. As a result, Zabuza had paid little attention to this aging shinobi.
Yet to think they would actually cross paths here and now? No wonder the man had seemed vaguely familiar earlier.
"Sharingan Kakashi, and now Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin... what exactly are these people trying to do?"
Zabuza swallowed hard, a trace of unease tightening in his throat. Even so, he kept a calm front, concealing his apprehension behind a composed exterior.
"You tell him, then?"
Jiraiya glanced at Kitagawa Gen with a trace of confusion, though he nodded almost immediately in understanding.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you."
"Okay."
Gen gave a faint smile before turning his gaze toward Zabuza.
"Lord Zabuza, to put it simply, we have important matters that require our presence in Kirigakure. Given your considerable knowledge of the village, we were wondering—might we be able to hire your services?"
"Hire me? To go to Kirigakure?"
In that instant, Zabuza fully grasped the gravity of the situation—and he realized just how deep into trouble he had stumbled.
Of all the possibilities he had considered, never once did he imagine that his escape to the Land of Waves would lead him straight into the path of these people.
Even though they hadn't revealed much, as a former ANBU operative, he knew very well what it meant when Konoha shinobi turned their eyes toward Kirigakure.
Especially considering this particular lineup—it was no ordinary team!
More importantly, if Kirigakure's standard operating procedures were anything to go by, anyone involved in classified matters would, without question, be eliminated afterward to protect the secret.
And if Konoha acted in a similar fashion… there was a very high chance that he would be discarded once he had outlived his usefulness.
This thought alone caused a flicker of something dark to pass through Zabuza's eyes. His fingers slowly tightened around the short blade strapped to his back, and when he spoke, his voice was low and guarded.
"Everyone, I'm afraid I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about. I don't understand your intentions, nor do I wish to. I believe it would be best for all of us to part ways here, peacefully, and go on with our lives separately."
"..."
Zabuza's caution left Kitagawa Gen momentarily stunned. His expression shifted, becoming subtly peculiar, before he raised a brow and asked, half-sarcastic,
"So, what you're saying is... there's no room for negotiation?"
"You little brat. I'm warning you—don't push me."
Zabuza's voice grew heavier with each word, and the grip on his blade tightened until the veins on his hand were faintly visible.
Even Haku, standing silently at his side, sensed the sudden shift in atmosphere. Without a word, he began to gather chakra in secret, subtly easing into a battle-ready stance.
Jiraiya and Kakashi both understood then—this conversation would go nowhere. Things were unlikely to end without a fight, and they too began preparing for the inevitable.
In that moment, the air itself seemed to tense, as though holding its breath. The gentle rustling of fallen leaves in the distance was the only sound that broke the silence, yet even that carried with it the chill of looming violence.
"So we really aren't going to talk this out, then..."
Kitagawa Gen let out a theatrical sigh, feigning regret. But in the blink of an eye, his chakra surged violently from within, and arcs of purple lightning danced across his body like living serpents.
"In that case, let our fists do the talking."
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[Chapter End's]
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