Zabuza's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw Haku collapse from Naruto's punch.
Without hesitation, he rushed to Haku's side, heedless of everything else. He knelt down and quickly checked Haku's condition. Upon seeing the injuries—
Something inside him snapped.
An inexplicable fury surged within him.
His killing intent exploded outward, thicker and more oppressive than the mist blanketing the bridge.
He slowly raised his head, eyes locking onto Naruto.
"…You brat."
His voice was low, dangerous.
"I'm going to make you regret hurting Haku."
"He's my tool."
"And only I get to break him."
Zabuza's voice was filled with rage and something unspoken—something only Haku might have understood.
The next instant—
He charged.
Massive blade in hand, Zabuza shot toward Naruto with blinding speed.
Seeing this, Sasuke's heart leapt into his throat. "Naruto! Look out!"
Kakashi's expression tensed.
He immediately moved, intercepting Zabuza's path as he shouted, "Naruto!!"
Even Sakura and Tazuna were frozen in alarm.
But Naruto stood motionless—unfazed by the oncoming Demon of the Hidden Mist.
Instead, he raised his right hand.
Palm facing the sky.
Suddenly—chakra began to gather.
A sphere of pure chakra formed, rapidly spinning with violent intensity.
BOOM!!!
The spiraling chakra generated a powerful gust of wind, sweeping away the surrounding mist.
Now everyone could see him clearly—
Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, Kakashi—
Even Haku, still conscious but injured.
And Zabuza.
They all stared in stunned silence at the sphere of energy in Naruto's hand.
An orb of highly compressed, rotating chakra.
It made no sense to them.
To the others, Naruto hadn't formed a single hand seal.
This wasn't any normal ninjutsu.
He wasn't weaving signs, wasn't channeling his chakra in the usual way.
They couldn't understand it.
Except for one man.
Kakashi's eyes widened, breath caught in his throat.
As the former student of the Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze, the very man who created that technique—
Kakashi knew exactly what he was seeing.
It was unmistakable.
The chakra flow, the spinning force, the shape and technique…
His voice came out hoarse, disbelieving.
"No… That's impossible."
His gaze locked on the sphere in Naruto's palm.
There was no doubt.
That was the Rasengan.
But…
This shouldn't be possible.
Naruto shouldn't know the Rasengan!
That jutsu… it belonged to the Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze. It was a technique created by Minato himself, the genius of his era. As far as Kakashi knew, only two people had ever mastered it—Minato and his teacher, the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, to whom Minato had passed it down.
(P.S.: Corrected the translation error—lol! 😅 It was a pretty big mistake to say that Jiraiya created the Rasengan. Sorry about that! Thanks for pointing it out! I'll do my best to keep errors to a minimum, but if any slip through, please let me know! 😊)
And after them…
There should be no one else in Konoha capable of mastering the Rasengan.
So where on earth did Naruto learn it?
Could it be—Jiraiya-sama had met Naruto before Kakashi did?
No. That's not right.
Jiraiya had long since left the village, wandering the shinobi world. He shouldn't even know Naruto existed.
When the Fourth Hokage and his wife gave their lives to seal the Nine-Tails, all information about the child they left behind was classified.
No one was told the truth.
Not even Kakashi himself.
Not until Naruto enrolled in the Academy did he learn the shocking truth—that his sensei, Minato, had left behind a son.
And at that time… Jiraiya was still gone. Traveling. Oblivious.
So there was no way Naruto could've learned the Rasengan from him.
But then how?
How?
Kakashi racked his brain, but no answer came.
If not Jiraiya-sama…
Then who?
And just then—Naruto glanced over at Kakashi.
He had noticed Kakashi's expression—the shock in his eyes.
A small grin played at the corners of Naruto's mouth.
He raised the Rasengan slightly and said, with just a hint of mischief:
"Surprised to see this jutsu, Sensei?"
That sentence—
It struck Kakashi like thunder.
His mind reeled.
What did Naruto mean by that?
Does he know?
No… that's impossible.
The Third Hokage had issued the strictest of gag orders regarding Naruto's true heritage. Anyone who leaked it—even unintentionally—would be branded a traitor. Execution was the punishment.
Even Kakashi, as Naruto's jonin instructor, had kept silent.
He had no choice.
He hadn't known Naruto's parentage at first.
He didn't know what kind of suffering Naruto endured growing up—what isolation, what pain.
But now…
As Naruto's teacher, he could at least guide him. Support him.
If he were to break the law and tell Naruto the truth, it could cost both of them dearly.
And yet…
What if Naruto already suspected something?
What if he had figured it out?
Kakashi didn't know what to say. All he could do was whisper, unsure, "…Naruto…"
Sasuke watched from the side, frowning slightly. He noticed something strange in the exchange between Kakashi and Naruto—something heavy, unspoken.
He didn't understand it.
But he could tell it had to do with the village.
Sakura noticed the tension too, but like Sasuke, she was left in the dark.
And in that exact moment—
Zabuza, still in mid-charge, saw Naruto staring elsewhere.
Still distracted.
His killing intent surged.
"You little brat—are you asking to die?" Zabuza roared.
He closed the distance in an instant, his massive blade rising high overhead.
The Executioner's Blade.
He swung it down with full force, aiming to cleave Naruto clean in half.
But then—
Just before the sword struck—
Naruto turned toward him.
A calm smile appeared on his lips.
And with his left hand—
He reached out and grabbed the blade mid-swing.
Zabuza's eyes widened in disbelief.
What!?
This kid—did he really just try to catch my sword!?
Is he insane!?
I'll cut through his hand too!
There was no hesitation in Zabuza. No mercy.
But not far away, Haku—still collapsed on the ground—watched the scene unfold.
A heavy sense of reluctance filled his chest.
Lord Zabuza was about to kill Naruto.
And yet… for some reason…
He didn't want that to happen.
Because, deep down—
Haku never liked killing.
Not even during his earlier fight with Sasuke...
He just wanted to defeat Sasuke.
Not kill him.
And right now…
He didn't want to see Zabuza-sama kill that other ninja—Naruto.
Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna all held their breath in fear. Their eyes locked on Naruto, hearts pounding.
And then—
Zabuza's massive Executioner's Blade came crashing down.
BOOM!
The heavy blade landed squarely on Naruto's outstretched palm.
And then—
CLANG!
Instead of slicing through, the weapon struck something solid—unyielding, like tempered steel.
Sparks flew violently.
The shockwave from the impact exploded outward in all directions, like a bomb of compressed air detonating around them.
The mist that cloaked the battlefield was completely blown away.
And now—everyone could see.
Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, Kakashi… even Haku.
All of them saw it.
Zabuza's blade—the Executioner's Blade—had been stopped.
Held in place.
By Naruto's bare hand.
Naruto stared down the stunned Zabuza.
His blue eyes narrowed, glinting with cold determination.
Then, without a word—
He thrust his right hand forward.
Rasengan.
The swirling sphere of chakra slammed into Zabuza's chest with explosive force.
BOOM!!!
Zabuza was launched backward like a cannonball, crashing into a distant tree trunk.
The bark splintered, and his body crumpled to the ground like a discarded rag doll.
A single Rasengan.
And the Demon of the Hidden Mist had fallen.
"Zabuza-sama!!" Haku cried out, shocked.
Forcing himself up from the ground, Haku bolted toward Zabuza's limp form.
Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, and even Kakashi were momentarily stunned.
Just moments ago, the situation had been desperate—on the verge of collapse.
But with one Rasengan, Naruto had flipped the tide completely.
Before anyone could react—
Naruto stepped forward, now gripping Zabuza's Executioner's Blade.
The enormous weapon had slipped from Zabuza's hands during the impact.
In a blur, Naruto reappeared beside the fallen Zabuza and the kneeling Haku.
He raised the massive blade with one hand and rested it lightly against Zabuza's chest.
One more motion.
Just one clean swing—
And Zabuza would be gone for good.
Haku's eyes widened in horror.
"Please!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
"Don't kill Zabuza-sama!"
"I beg you!"
Haku removed his Kirigakure ANBU mask, revealing a delicate face that could have belonged to either a young man or woman. He looked at Naruto with eyes tinged red, hands clenched together in a silent plea.
He understood.
Anyone strong enough to take down Zabuza-sama in a single strike was far beyond what they could handle.
Continuing the fight would be pointless.
Given his and Zabuza's current condition…
There was no chance of victory.
At that moment, both Kakashi and Sasuke also recognized it:
The battle was over.
Kakashi, though still uncertain about what Naruto had said earlier, set that aside for now and walked over to Naruto's side.
He wanted to see how Naruto would handle these two enemies.
Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna remained silent.
Naruto glanced at each of them—then turned to Kakashi.
Kakashi gave no instruction.
His silence was an answer in itself.
This choice was Naruto's to make.
Naruto thought for a moment.
Then, an idea struck him.
With the strength of both Zabuza and Haku, they were more than capable of keeping the Land of Waves stable.
And considering his larger ambition—to one day unify the shinobi world…
The Land of Waves was naturally part of that plan.
Thinking this through, Naruto turned to Haku and spoke calmly:
"If you go bring me the head of that scum Gato…
I'll let you both live."
Haku froze, stunned.
Kill Gato?
He looked into Naruto's eyes and saw no deceit—only cold truth.
This wasn't a threat.
It was a deal.
After a moment of silence, Haku gave a small nod.
"Understood," he said quietly.
"I'll kill Gato."
And with that—
Though still injured, Haku drew a shaky breath, steadied himself, and dashed off toward the agreed rendezvous point with Gato.
As Haku vanished from view, Kakashi said nothing.
He had no objections. It wasn't his decision to make.
Tazuna, on the other hand, stood in stunned silence.
He hadn't expected it.
With just a single sentence…
Naruto had sealed Gato's fate.
A boy—a genin—was about to do what the Land of Waves' people had only dreamed of.
Tazuna's emotions twisted inside him—hope, disbelief, gratitude—all battling at once.
"…Why didn't you kill me?"
Zabuza's voice rasped from the ground, low and solemn.
He stared up at Naruto, trying to understand.
He knew full well—if Naruto had wanted him dead, he would already be gone.
And yet…
He was still alive.
"Was it just to get rid of Gato?" Zabuza asked.
"You didn't need to spare us for that. So why?"
Naruto offered only a faint smile.
"You'll understand later," he said simply.
The group took a moment to rest.
Sakura tended to Sasuke's injuries and even treated Zabuza's wounds, stopping the bleeding.
Kakashi sat nearby, regaining his chakra.
Tazuna remained on edge, waiting for what came next.
An hour passed.
Then—footsteps.
Haku returned, panting, his clothes bloodied.
In his hands was a cloth-wrapped bundle.
He looked straight at Naruto and said, voice heavy:
"I brought it back."
He unwrapped the cloth.
Inside was Gato's severed head.
Everyone—Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna—stared at the grotesque sight.
Tazuna stepped forward, eyes wide.
He recognized the face immediately.
The bully who had enslaved his people.
The parasite who had drained the Land of Waves dry—
Gato.
Tazuna collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his weathered face.
"Everyone… Kaiza… Can you see this?" he sobbed.
"Gato is dead! This is justice! This is his retribution!"
A grown man in his fifties, broken by years of oppression, cried openly in front of Team 7.
He didn't care about dignity or appearances.
He just cried like a child—tears of liberation and loss.
Even Sasuke and Sakura felt something stir in their hearts.
Kakashi said nothing.
Naruto stayed silent as well.
Finally, Haku knelt beside the wounded Zabuza and helped him up.
He turned to Naruto cautiously and asked:
"Can we leave now?"
Naruto gave Haku a glance—
Then nodded.
"You can go."
But even as he spoke aloud, Naruto was already deep in mental conversation with Kurama, the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
"Kurama," Naruto asked, "have we already sent a clone to the Land of Waves?"
Kurama's voice echoed back lazily.
"No. Why? What are you plotting now, Naruto?"
Naruto's expression didn't change as he continued mentally.
"Then send one. Have the clone take control of Gato's shipping company."
"Make sure they shut down all the illegal business Gato was running."
"From now on, it should operate as a legitimate enterprise."
Kurama gave a rumbling chuckle.
"Heh. Alright, alright. Sounds like you've been planning this from the start."
Naruto nodded mentally.
"Also… I've secured two ninja—Zabuza and Haku."
"Tell them I've claimed them. They work for me now."
"They'll oversee the company and act as enforcers under the clone's command."
Kurama's response came swiftly.
"Got it. I'll send the clone immediately."
Of course, Naruto had no intention of simply letting Zabuza and Haku leave.
The Land of Waves was surrounded by sea and located just off the coast of the Land of Fire—a perfect bridge for future expansion.
Now that the opportunity had fallen into his lap...
There was no way he'd let it slip away.
With the strength of Zabuza and Haku, managing the remnants of Gato's shipping empire would be easy.
Their names alone would be enough to keep the surviving thugs in line.
Sure, Kurama's clone would be far stronger than either of them—but even a boss needs lieutenants.
Besides…
Controlling a well-connected (and now legal) shipping company meant more than just money.
It meant influence.
A foothold to expand Naruto's reach into the Land of Water and eventually Kirigakure—the Village Hidden in the Mist.
Without it, those island nations would remain isolated, resistant to unity.
That wouldn't work for what Naruto had in mind.
And so, with the pieces falling into place, Team 7 continued on with Tazuna, heading toward his home.
The mission still had to be completed.
But this time—
With Zabuza and Haku now serving under Naruto, things had taken a very unexpected turn.
Kakashi no longer had to worry about hostile ninja lurking in the shadows.
But something else troubled him now—
Naruto's words.
The things the boy had said...
The way he'd taken command without hesitation…
The way people followed his lead—even enemies...
Kakashi remained silent as they walked, eyes narrowed in quiet thought.
Sasuke stood frozen for a moment, his eyes fixed on Naruto.
That Rasengan—so raw, so powerful—had stirred something deep within him.
A fire.
His pride.
His competitive spirit blazed stronger than ever.
Tazuna, meanwhile, finally allowed himself to breathe easy.
The one who had oppressed their country—the man who stopped their bridge and bled their people dry—Gato, was dead.
Now, they could finally return to the work that mattered.
The Great Naruto Bridge could be completed without fear.
Far from the bridge, two figures moved through the mist—Zabuza Momochi and Haku.
They walked in silence, heading back to their temporary hideout, each nursing injuries and quiet thoughts.
But just as they turned a corner through the coastal path—
They stopped.
A figure stood before them, half-shrouded in crimson robes, face hidden beneath a hood.
A presence unlike any they had sensed.
Tension surged instantly.
Zabuza gripped his blade.
Haku prepared to move.
Was it another enemy? Another assassination?
They braced for battle—
But then…
The man spoke.
"I was sent by Naruto Uzumaki."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed. Haku froze mid-step.
That Genin again.
The man in red was calm, confident—completely unfazed by their killing intent.
Zabuza glanced sideways at Haku.
Neither of them said it aloud, but the same thought passed between them:
A subordinate… of that kid?
The implication rattled them more than they expected.
Naruto—just a Genin under Kakashi Hatake—was sending agents?
Powerful, mysterious ones at that?
What the hell was this kid hiding?
They thought back to the fight.
To that strength.
To how easily he read them.
To how effortlessly he controlled the battlefield.
To how Gato's fate was sealed with nothing more than a few quiet words.
This… wasn't just some talented rookie.
This was something else.
And so, when Kurama's avatar extended an offer—
Serve Naruto. Take control of Gato's former operations. Bring order. Expand his reach.
Zabuza and Haku didn't resist.
They couldn't.
Whether by conviction or by necessity, both accepted.
Whatever Naruto was building, it was far beyond what they'd ever seen in the ninja world.
And they would now be part of it.
Back with Team 7, Kakashi was walking in silence.
His body had mostly recovered from the intense battle, but his mind was still spinning.
He had observed everything.
Naruto's decisiveness.
His strength.
His ability to turn enemies into allies.
And above all, the way he'd spoken to him earlier—not like a student to a teacher, but…
Like an equal.
No—
Like a superior.
Kakashi knew what that kind of composure meant. He had seen it in the most dangerous ninja alive.
Which is why…
He had made up his mind.
He needed to talk to Naruto.
Really talk.
To find out what this boy had become—and what he was planning to become next.
...
TN:
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