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But whether alive or dead, a body should be found. How could those two guys not even leave a corpse?
Gato walked forward cursing. With so many men, was he supposed to be afraid of a bunch of kids, an adult, and an old man?
"Did they escape? People from Kirigakure are just unreliable..."
"Originally wanted to get rid of them all together, hmph."
"Alright! Just you few can't cause much trouble anyway! Go! Bring Tazuna to me!"
Gato glanced at Kakashi and the half-dead Sasuke, assuming they had already been pushed to their limit by Zabuza. With an incredibly arrogant wave of his cane, he ordered the armed forces behind him to go finish them off.
A dense crowd carrying various cold weapons like katanas walked towards Naruto and the others with grins.
Kakashi rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. From Gato's tone, Zabuza was likely just another tool he hired. Thinking of the dying youth and Zabuza, Kakashi felt vaguely annoyed. Unsure if it was because of the Hunter-nin who suddenly appeared and snatched the kill halfway, or because Haku blocked the blow for Zabuza.
"Really can't let people rest..." Kakashi slowly turned his head. His droopy dead fish eye and the residual bloodstains on his face instantly made his expression look somewhat murderous.
"Take one more step forward, and I'll kill you all!"
The overwhelming killing intent instantly froze the crowd's movements in place, making it difficult to advance or retreat. The previously chattering and exceptionally arrogant group suddenly fell silent, looking left and right at each other, bewildered. This person's aura didn't seem like someone defeated and dying at all. Looking closely, there were no fatal wounds on this person, at most just a slash across the chest.
This killing intent almost bypassed the crowd directly towards Gato behind them, like a vicious dog baring its teeth at him. The crowd neatly parted a path, leaving Gato directly facing Kakashi's glare.
What a terrifying man! Not just Kakashi, but even the two kids beside him fiercely protected Tazuna behind them, glaring menacingly at them. Did Zabuza and Haku even fight them? How are these guys still so energetic?
Gato sucked in a cold breath, deeply feeling that his current group of men was absolutely no match for these few.
"Tch... Let's go first! We'll come back next time." Gato timidly backed into the crowd beside him while shouting pretentiously.
Immediately, he slipped away and jumped onto the boat below the bridge, then pressed the detonation button for the bridge bombs. He had installed bombs under the bridge precisely because he worried Zabuza and Haku might be unreliable.
However, there wasn't the slightest sound from the bridge. Gato frowned and muttered, forcefully pressing the button in his hand.
A person standing on the boat beside him held binoculars, looking hesitantly between Gato struggling with the button and the completely dismantled explosives under the bridge.
"Boss... the explosives have already been removed by someone."
"Hah?! How is that possible!? If forcibly removed, those explosives definitely would have detonated directly!" Gato jumped up, snatching the binoculars from the person beside him....
Indeed, the spot where the explosives were originally tied had been forcefully destroyed, messy wires sticking out randomly. And underneath the bridge, a crudely drawn face was painted, beside which was a row of messy yet arrogant large characters:
"Don't hang dangerous items here~"
...
Zabuza and Haku lay separately in beds, each attended by a medical-nin. The room quieted down, emitting a faint smell of alcohol.
Hatake Kuroshi stood by the window outside the room, glancing out. Although there was some mist over the sea, the location of Kirigakure could still be clearly seen. This was a coastal building, supposedly well-built but not meant for living, only for sightseeing.
After arriving, Hatake Kuroshi had dealt with the miscellaneous occupants in the room, simultaneously threatening them not to inform Gato. As for those miscellaneous people, they were now standing guard outside; any movement from Gato required immediate reporting.
However, with Zabuza and Haku gone, Gato currently couldn't pick out anyone capable of dealing with Kakashi. He could only secretly gather forces.
As for the three kids from Team 7, they were all protecting Tazuna while assisting with bridge construction. Kakashi, as the teacher, hadn't shown his face at all. Gato assumed he was secretly gathering strength, feeling quite tense every day.
However, Hatake Kuroshi knew his younger brother's physical condition quite well. Two minutes of Sharingan, two weeks of bed rest. Kakashi's blue energy consumption really took a toll on his body.
Hatake Kuroshi lazily shifted his body, pulling down the Kirigakure mask on his face, completely covering his features. Then the main door behind him slowly opened. A medical-nin in a white coat walked out and whispered a few sentences to him.
Hatake Kuroshi's eyes behind the blindfold blinked, then a smile appeared. He turned and walked into the room, striding over to Zabuza's side, his lighthearted voice sounding out immediately.
"If you're awake, hurry up and get up~ You want to lie here until maggots grow?"
"It's normal for Haku to be unconscious for so many days. With your injuries, you definitely don't need to lie down this long~"
"Are you trying to slack off here~? Accommodation fee is twenty ryo per day. Get up and pay!"
"..." Zabuza opened his eyes coldly, looking at the ANBU before him.
For several days, he had been secretly observing this guy. But whether out of hostility or vigilance, this guy hadn't taken off his mask even once. Zabuza didn't know his true identity, nor his intentions. To make him lose consciousness instantly, this person's abilities might be far above his own.
After being taken from the bridge, they arrived here. Besides the Kirigakure medical-nin, they hadn't seen anyone else. The entire room was sealed; Zabuza could only vaguely discern they hadn't left the Land of Waves based on the architectural style.
Failing two missions at once, and Gato's was even a long-term one... And the person sent by the Mizukage was a terrifying ANBU of unknown strength. It looked troublesome no matter how you viewed it.
"I noticed, you've been secretly observing me~ Trying to gauge my strength?"
"Mission failed. You don't want to go back and be slandered with Haku, so you plan to defect after getting healed?" Hatake Kuroshi tilted his head, smiling as he directly exposed Zabuza's plan.
"Since you've noticed, there's nothing to be done. That is indeed what I thought. But I don't quite understand why you saved us." Even arranging medical-nin specifically to treat them. For someone who failed a mission, this kind of treatment was bizarre beyond belief.
Zabuza stopped pretending and threw off the covers, sitting up. Since he was caught, there was no need to keep up the act. Haku still lay motionless on the other bed. Although Hatake Kuroshi controlled Kakashi's hand, causing the Lightning Cutter to deviate slightly, it was still a penetrating wound. Surviving was entirely due to Hatake Kuroshi's teleportation ability, allowing immediate first aid.
"You really held out lying there. Couldn't you just get up and ask me directly?" Hatake Kuroshi shrugged somewhat innocently, spreading his hands. He wasn't a ninja and couldn't quite understand Zabuza's behavior.
"The mission isn't exactly a failure. Mangetsu Ho... Lord Mizukage's side, I'll handle it."
"Failing to bring back the Jinchuriki and the Uchiha survivor is indeed a fact, but—you still have a chance to redeem yourselves~"
Hatake Kuroshi almost accidentally called Mangetsu Hozuki by name. Well, in his impression, Mangetsu Hozuki really was just a child student. Addressing him formally as Lord Mizukage felt somewhat awkward.
Zabuza probably would never imagine he was currently chatting with the true mastermind behind Kirigakure. Even worse, he previously had a fleeting thought of eliminating this person with Haku to prevent him from reporting the mission failure back to the Mizukage. Fortunately, Haku woke up a bit later, sparing him the chance to witness true terror.
"A chance to redeem?" Zabuza felt this guy's words were somewhat perfunctory, as if saying whatever came to mind. Although feeling subtle doubt, this ANBU was, after all, directly under the Mizukage, sent to convey a mission. Allowing medical-nin to come likely meant the Mizukage implicitly approved. If it was to let them make amends, that made sense.
Zabuza wasn't an idiot either. Having a village to stay in was certainly better than being a wandering missing-nin.
"You're still in the Land of Waves now. Just resolve your previous long-term mission~"
"Kill Gato, transfer the assets."
"After all, having funds like this can be considered buying your own lives in front of Lord Mizukage."
"If he's in a good mood, maybe the Jinchuriki matter will be written off."
Hatake Kuroshi gestured towards Zabuza with a grin, looking like he was planning the future with him.
Zabuza looked thoughtfully at Hatake Kuroshi. What this guy said wasn't wrong. As long as the Mizukage could still use them, their existence still had room for maneuvering. Frankly, Lord Mizukage hadn't exactly indicated that failing a mission meant certain death. It was just Zabuza didn't want to go back and be slandered for failure.
"Understood. After Haku wakes up, we will go." Zabuza nodded in agreement.
Hatake Kuroshi stood up leisurely, rubbing his chin with a resolved expression.
"Do what you're supposed to do, then report truthfully back to Lord Mizukage."
"Ah, my codename is 'Satoru'. Remember to report me up; I still have other missions to do here~"
Before leaving, Hatake Kuroshi glanced at Haku, whose forehead protector lay beside his pillow, squinting thoughtfully. This guy is still a Genin... interesting things will happen later.
...
"Hah?! Those ninjas are helping them too!?" Gato nearly poked a hole in the floor with his small cane, glaring furiously at the subordinate before him.
Fearing Kakashi's presence, he had been secretly gathering forces during this period. Hiring people, buying people; he had gathered another group of desperados, preparing for a showdown with that group.
"Yes... yes... The bridge is almost finished now. After all, that old man Tazuna is there..." A subordinate timidly glanced up at Gato. Their construction speed was indeed terrifyingly fast.
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