[Gate of Gatō's Hideout — Midnight]
Beneath the swirling mist, ice bloomed like fangs.
A sharp crack rang through the still night as jagged spears of frost burst from the ground near the gate — shimmering and sharp as kunai. A storm of mirrors and cold swept through the dark.
Haku moved like a phantom.
His long black hair flowed behind him, pale mask gleaming faintly in the moonlight. His Ice Release shimmered in the air — mirrors forming and breaking in a dizzying dance.
Steel clanged.Men shouted — their voices rising in panic.
"Enemy, Its enemy attack!" one guard screamed, before a wall of frost sealed his path.
One after another, the outer guards stumbled toward the gate, drawn by the sudden assault — panic overtaking discipline.
The diversion had begun.
Though they had no hope of following the blur within the mist — only fear.
Blade and ice struck swift and silent — twenty guards fell beneath Haku's precision. Frozen limbs. Shattered swords. Breathless bodies scattered across the frost-laced yard.
But it was enough — the inner compound had thinned.
Haku flickered through the mist once more — silent, unseen.
[Inner Compound — Near the Cage]
A flicker — a breath of wind.
Naruto appeared in the heart of the compound, breath steady, chokutō gleaming faintly in his right hand, summoned from the seal on his wrist the moment he had willed it.
His blade gleamed beneath the faint moonlight.
Outside, chaos masked his entry — the perfect cover.
Ten guards remained by the cage, blades drawn, eyes flicking nervously toward the frozen gate.
They turned — too late.
Tsuki no Ryū — Moon's Flowing Style.
Naruto inhaled once.Then — he moved.
A whisper of motion — a flicker of shunshin.
Steel whispered through the air.
The first guard crumpled — throat severed clean in a single breathless strike.
Another lunged — desperate, wild. Too slow.
Naruto's blade arced — severing his sword-arm, blood spattering the cold floor.
A third guard stumbled, backpedaling — too late.
Steel pierced flesh. The man fell wordless, eyes wide.
One after another — Naruto struck with silent precision.
Ten guards fell — blood cooling beneath their feet.
In seconds, silence returned.
Naruto stood before the crude iron cage — blade steady.
One glance — the lock.
With a sharp, efficient stroke, his chokutō split the mechanism clean through.
The cage door creaked open.
Inside — the women shrank back, hollow eyes wide with disbelief.
Naruto knelt, voice calm and steady."You're safe now. We move. Stay close."
There was no time to offer more comfort — not yet.
He glanced to the side — a heavy sack, half-forgotten near the wall.With swift movements, he shoved the bundles of ryō he had found earlier into it — stuffing the blood money without hesitation.
Naruto moved swiftly — shoving the bundles of ryō inside, claiming the blood money.
Gatō's greed would not fund more pain.
[Outer Yard]
As Naruto led the frightened women toward the breached side of the compound, Haku appeared through the fading mist — robes dusted with frost, mask untouched.
Twenty bodies lay frozen or broken in the yard behind him.
"It is done," Haku said quietly.
Naruto gave a nod."You helped them when you didn't have to."
A pause. Naruto met his gaze.
Now came the choice he had prepared for.
He unsealed a scroll — producing a two sack of ryō.
"Gatō promised your master five million. I offered you ten as Zabuza's payment— because I did not wanted to interfere with his contract." Naruto said offering first sack.
"But you acted with honor. And you chose to help me, by going behind your master's back—" he extended the sack of 5 million ryo — "this is yours. Not Zabuza's."
A long moment passed.
Two shinobi — both bound by duty — stood in stillness.
Then, slowly, Haku accepted the sack — bowing faintly.
"Thank you," he said simply.
Naruto gave a short nod.
"And the women?"
"My clones will take them."
He formed the seal — three solid Shadow Clones appeared in puffs of smoke.
"Escort them to the village. Protect them. No risks."
The clones nodded and turned — guiding the women swiftly into the trees, their fragile steps growing stronger with each passing moment.
[Edge of the Forest — Just Before Dawn]
The women had vanished into the trees under the protection of Naruto's clones — the worst of their nightmare now behind them.
Naruto stood beside Haku in the frost-laced yard, tension still sharp beneath the surface.
Then — a faint flicker in Naruto's senses.
A pulse — foreign, familiar.
One of his clones — the one he had sent earlier toward the village and the bridge — had just dispelled.
A flood of memory surged into Naruto's mind — a fleeting glimpse:
Gatō.Five cronies with him — all armed, darting through the northern woods, away from the compound, making for the river path.
Running. Fleeing.
Naruto's breath caught for an instant.
I should have expected it. The rat always runs.
He turned sharply — eyes flashing toward the darkened path beyond the yard.
"He's running," Naruto said aloud, voice cold.
Haku's head tilted."Your clone saw?"
Naruto nodded once.
"North path. River crossing. If he reaches it — we lose him."
Another breath — steadying.
"I left three clones with the women — they'll get them to safety."His right wrist pulsed faintly — chokutō already gleaming in hand.
"No more running." His voice was steel. "Not tonight."
Haku's gaze lingered for a moment — thoughtful.
Then he spoke — low and certain.
"Zabuza must be informed of what has happened tonight. If I leave now, I can reach him before dawn."
Naruto met his gaze, gave a small nod."Do it. Tell him what Gatō paid — and what is left."
Haku gave a faint bow — mask gleaming in the moonlight.
"Good hunting, Naruto."
Without another word, Haku flickered away into the trees — vanishing into the dark.
[Northern Woods — Moments Later]
The night breathed cold and swift through the branches — shadows racing past as Naruto shunshined through the forest.
Above, the silver of the moon caught faint glimpses of steel — his chokutō gleaming in the dark, ready.
Ahead — six chakra signatures.
One weaker, sputtering with fear — Gatō.The other five scattered around him — tense, alert, mercenaries with blades drawn.
He's gambling on them to buy his escape.Naruto's eyes narrowed.He's wrong.
[The River Path]
Gatō stumbled through the brush, panting.
"Move! Faster, you fools!" he hissed, voice thin with panic.
The river crossing wasn't far. If he could reach the boat hidden beneath the far bank, he could vanish with what little remained of his fortune.
"Damn that brat— and that masked freak!" His mind raced, throat dry.
One of the men closest — a scarred thug with a heavy axe — glanced back.
"Boss! Someone's—"
He never finished the sentence.
Flash.
A blur of pale steel swept across his throat.
Blood sprayed the air — a choked gurgle silenced him.
The remaining four spun — weapons raised — as Naruto materialized between the trunks, eyes cold, blade low.
Silent. Measured.
Gatō froze — mouth working soundlessly.
Naruto took one slow step forward — breath steady.
"Run again," he said quietly. "See how far you get."
[The Fight]
The cronies didn't hesitate. Fear made them reckless.
Two lunged first — blades aimed for Naruto's chest.
Too slow.
Tsuki no Ryū — Crescent Fang.
A blur of motion — Naruto's form shifted with a subtle pivot, blade arcing upward in a rising slash.
The first attacker's sword snapped — so did his wrist.Before he screamed, a sharp reverse stroke severed his throat.
The second swung wide — Naruto side-stepped, pivoted low — blade slicing clean across both knees.
The man collapsed, howling — silenced with a final, clean thrust through the heart.
The last two hesitated — blades shaking.
Naruto's voice cut through the space between them — calm as falling snow.
"You can run now. I'm not here for you."
A heartbeat passed.
One man dropped his sword and fled into the trees — gone in seconds.
The last, trembling, cast a glance at Gatō — then followed, vanishing into the dark.
Cowards.
Naruto didn't chase them. They were broken already.
[Confrontation — Gatō Cornered]
And then — only Gatō remained.
He stumbled backward, tripping over a root, falling hard onto the damp earth.
"No— no, wait! Listen! I can pay! I have more! I—"
Naruto's gaze was ice.
He walked forward in slow, deliberate steps — blade dripping faint crimson.
"You paid for pain. You paid for cages."His voice was quiet — too quiet."You think ryo will buy your life now?"
Gatō scrambled, shaking.
"I— I can get you anything— name it!"
Naruto stopped a pace away — the tip of his chokutō hovering near Gatō's throat.
His eyes were flat. Empty.
"There's only one payment left."
Gatō's breath hitched — eyes wide as Naruto raised the blade slightly—
—then brought it down in a swift, clean stroke.
No theatrics. No hesitation.
A merciful end for a man who had shown none.
[Aftermath — The Trophy]
The forest stood silent once more.
Naruto exhaled — slow, controlled — wiping the blade clean with practiced ease.
Then, without hesitation, he crouched beside the headless corpse.
Gatō's severed head was wrapped in oilcloth within moments — bundled into a small scroll-sealed pouch.
Proof.The people deserved to see it. The bridge builders. The villagers. They needed to know — the shadow that had ruled them was gone.
Naruto rose.
Without a word, he flickered once more into the trees — blade back in seal, prize in hand.
The night began to give way to the first pale breath of dawn.
And through that dawn, one shadow ran swift toward the village — carrying justice in bloodied cloth.