The local ninjas were far too rude

Just as Dōmeki was growing dizzy and might even have died of malnutrition, he felt a chill on his wrist. Looking down, he saw that Xiaobai, the summoning beast he had chosen, had returned.

Only after the little white snake received an egg several sizes bigger than her head did Xiaobai flick her tongue in satisfaction and say, "Hiss, hiss, hiss. Lord Orochimaru orders you to infiltrate Kirigakure and gather intelligence on the Kaguya Clan!"

"Infiltrate? Me?"

Hearing Orochimaru's orders, Dōmeki was beside himself. "Orochimaru, what kind of misunderstanding do you have about me? How could a Genin like me possibly sneak into a place with thousands of ninjas?"

But no one responded to the muttering boy, so he could only sigh, squat by the roadside, and gnaw on the buns he had bought.

Suddenly, a figure darted out in front of him, snatched the paper bag he had set beside him, and ran off!

Dōmeki froze and glanced at the small, skinny figure from behind. In an instant, he recalled his own youth. Back then, he too...

No, wait! I, Dōmeki, may pick through trash, but I've never robbed anyone!

The disgruntled boy watched as the brat carried his buns around a corner and disappeared, and then...

Then, as if he had run into someone, he was sent flying backward. Even the buns tumbled to the ground and became covered in dust!

Thud, thud, thud!

The footsteps stopped in front of the brat, and a large foot ruthlessly came down on the buns.

Suddenly, a hand seized the child by the throat and lifted him up. The cold eyes above held not a trace of pity for the child.

Dōmeki stared at the muscular hunk who had suddenly appeared. The man's entire face was wrapped in bandages, leaving only his exceptionally vicious eyes exposed. He carried a gigantic Ninja Blade on his back, and a faint red killing aura flickered around him.

Pain showed on the raised child's face, but he kept looking at the buns on the ground and forced a few words from his throat. "Xiaobai..."

Suddenly, a layer of ice crept over the burly man's hand. In the moment he was stunned, his hand abruptly went empty. The child had vanished.

"Who's there?!"

The burly man named Zabuza warily put his hand on the hilt of his great blade, a terrifying killing intent bursting from his eyes.

But a voice tinged with annoyance echoed in his ear, making him even more alert.

"Hey, those were my buns! Are the local ninjas this rude?!"

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and saw that another boy had appeared, shielding the reckless brat behind him and glaring at him in annoyance.

"Not bad!"

Zabuza offered a word of praise, but his gaze swept over the red-haired brat, who bore no ninja village markings, before settling on the trembling child.

"Two brats with the makings of ninjas, and one has even awakened Ice Release! What luck!"

Zabuza, who had originally intended to infiltrate Kirigakure as a hero who would end the Blood Mist Policy, found that he had an unexpected gain today.

Feeling the child trembling behind him, Dōmeki ignored the burly man's piercing gaze and placed a hand on the child's head.

"Who's this Xiaobai you mentioned?"

Enveloped by the astonishing killing intent, the child felt the warmth of the hand on his head and, at that moment, forgot his fear.

A warm smile entered his eyes, and the child named Haku stammered, "Xiaobai is a cat who's about to die. I gave him the same name..."

"Wow! Your taste in names is just like mine." Dōmeki sounded amazed. He stroked his chin in thought for a moment before speaking reflectively.

"How about this, brat? Be my... uh, come follow me!"

"C-can I?" Haku's eyes lit up for an instant, then dimmed. He lowered his head, fidgeted with the hem of his clothes, and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "But they all say I'm a monster..."

"Then that's perfect!" Dōmeki couldn't help laughing.

"Because I'm a monster too!!!"

Watching the two brats chatter away as though no one else were there, Zabuza felt not only that he was being ignored, but also that something had been stolen from him.

"Brats, do you want to die?"

A whistle cut through the air as the Kubikiribōchō traced an arc of light and abruptly came to rest against the boy's neck.

"Isn't this Mr. Human Trafficker?"

Dōmeki didn't even look at the Ninja Blade. He merely said at a leisurely pace, "Could it be that Mr. Demon Zabuza, one of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, has been reduced to a criminal?!"

Zabuza was shocked. "Brat, you actually know who I am?"

Dōmeki tapped the enormous Ninja Blade and said softly, "Anyone who can wield the Kubikiribōchō, one of Kirigakure's strongest Ninja Blades, must be Zabuza. There's no doubt about it."

The red-haired boy went on at length out of habit, paying no attention to the extremely ugly look on the burly man's face. "Though I've always thought the Kubikiribōchō was the most useless of the lot. All it can do is absorb the iron in human blood to repair itself. What use is that, anyway?"

"If someone can break it once, can't they break it a second time?"

"I originally planned to take you both as tools, but since you've seen through my identity, I can't let you live, for the sake of the greater good!"

As he spoke in a chilling voice, Zabuza could no longer restrain his killing intent. He swung with all his might, intending to chop off the red-haired brat's head.

But...

No matter how hard Zabuza strained, the Kubikiribōchō, which had already pressed against the boy's skin, did not budge an inch.

"How could this be?" Zabuza stared in alarm at the red-haired boy, who had made no move at all. What kind of Ninjutsu is this?

Seeing that things were going badly, he immediately let go of the Kubikiribōchō, which he ordinarily treasured, and rapidly formed Hand Seals as he retreated.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"

Dense mist instantly enveloped the secluded street, leaving everyone unable to see even their own hands in front of them.

Zabuza's towering figure moved through the mist, while only his cold, harsh voice came from all directions.

"Throat, spine, liver, lungs, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Eight places..."

"Brat! Where would you like me to strike?"

"Boring!"

Dōmeki turned back and patted the nervous Haku on the head, then drove a fist straight out.

Boom!

As if a gale had swept through, the force of the punch suddenly cleared a strip through the mist, revealing Zabuza with a look of shock on his face.

The towering man stood less than a meter from the boy's side, holding a sharp Kunai to his mouth, his tongue extended to lick it.

Then a tremendous force struck his abdomen like a charging bison. Zabuza spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward more than ten meters, only coming to a stop after crashing through two sturdy trees.

Thick mist covered the battlefield once more, with only the sound of unhurried footsteps echoing through it.

Half-sprawled on the ground, Zabuza struggled to prop up his upper body, only to hear the boy's somewhat youthful voice sound in front of him.

"Mr. Zabuza, underestimate young people too much, and you'll pay for it!"