The First Rule of Being a Ninja Is...

Zabuza, who had vowed to become Kirigakure's savior, sat sprawled on the ground, letting blood drip from his lips. He still couldn't believe he had been defeated by a brat.

An indescribable humiliation welled up in his heart. Still unable to understand how it had happened, Zabuza bitterly demanded an answer.

"The mist contains my Chakra. No sensory ability should work in it. How the hell did you find me, brat?"

Dōmeki slowly stepped out of the thick mist with the Kubikiribōchō over his shoulder. Without betraying any reaction, he glanced at the Kunai clutched in Zabuza's hand, then crouched down in front of the resentful man.

"Mr. Zabuza, as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, you should have a way to help someone get into Kirigakure, right?"

Ignoring the man's question, Dōmeki tapped the Kubikiribōchō, producing a clear ringing sound.

Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "You want to go to Kirigakure? Why?"

"People who know too much don't live long, Mr. Zabuza," Dōmeki said with a smile.

"Besides, it's not like you're going to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, right?"

"Assassinate the Mizukage!!!"

Zabuza's heart jolted. That was exactly why he had returned to Kirigakure this time.

Ridiculous as it was, every ninja who lived in the Bloody Mist Village and fought their way out of that sea of blood came to loathe the Fourth's policies. The endless cycle of hurting one another left companions, friends, and family alike living in constant fear, and everyone wanted to change it. Yet the only way to do so was to kill the Kage who should have been the most respected of all among the Mist Ninja.

Zabuza Momochi had realized this as a boy. He had even killed everyone in his class to make Kirigakure's higher-ups change that cruel examination.

But he found that was far from enough. He could only use every means at his disposal to climb the ranks, hoping to reach a higher position and see what had caused such an unreasonable system, until he became one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

When he obtained the Kubikiribōchō he had dreamed of, he suddenly looked back and realized that the root of it all was that man: Kirigakure's supreme ruler, the Three-Tails' Perfect Jinchuriki, the Fourth Mizukage who stood at the pinnacle of all Mist Ninja.

So he had spent many years preparing for this. At last, Zabuza felt that he had recently gathered enough strength to kill that man with his own hands.

Who would have thought that before he could act, he would fall into the hands of a strange brat?

And whether the brat's remark about "assassinating the Mizukage" was a joke or a guess at what he was thinking, he couldn't be allowed to live!!!

Zabuza, who had been pretending to be incapacitated, suddenly sprang up, his hands forming seals at breakneck speed.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"

As Zabuza thrust out both hands, a giant sphere of water surrounded the caught-off-guard boy. Surging water instantly poured into his mouth and nose. If Zabuza maintained it for just a few minutes, Dōmeki would surely drown.

"Brat! Let me teach you a lesson. Make sure you remember it in your next life!"

Zabuza created a Water Clone to maintain the water prison, then picked up his beloved sword and looked at the struggling boy with some regret.

"The first rule of being a ninja is never to let your guard down, no matter what!!!"

With a whistling slash of the blade, the red-haired boy was cut in two along with the water prison.

Poof! White smoke drifted through the air, and the boy's body suddenly vanished.

"Not good! A Shadow Clone!" Zabuza whirled around, only to find that the red-haired boy hadn't launched a sneak attack. Instead, he was watching him calmly.

"Bastard!"

Not daring to fight at close range, Zabuza rapidly stirred up his Chakra. His hands moved so fast they became a blur, and almost instantly, a giant dragon of water reared its head and roared, charging at Dōmeki with its fangs and claws bared.

"Earth Release: Giant God Warrior!"

The boy looked at the water dragon right in front of him without changing expression and gently raised his right fist.

As Dōmeki moved, the earth behind him suddenly shook. In an instant, a pitch-black giant hand thrust out, mirroring the boy's movement exactly.

It swung with a sound like wind and thunder, smashing the charging water dragon into a spray of water.

Then the iron fist continued forward and smashed down in front of Zabuza Momochi.

As rubble and dust flew, Zabuza struggled to stay on his feet. He stared dumbfounded at the enormous crater several meters deep in front of him, cold sweat dripping unnoticed from his forehead.

"I've always wanted to see this famous scene. It's just a shame Senior Kakashi isn't here!"

Dōmeki clapped his hands as though he had fulfilled a wish, then asked Zabuza with some curiosity.

"What amazing hand seals! But using a technique that needs forty-four hand seals must be exhausting, right?"

"No matter how exhausting it was, didn't you smash it apart easily anyway, brat?" Zabuza's mouth twitched as he inwardly groaned, Where the hell did this little monster come from?!

But Zabuza wasn't a man who gave up easily. As he gritted his teeth, a blood-colored current of energy gradually rose, enveloping him in a bloody mist so dense it was almost solid.

Dōmeki could almost smell the blood on the man's Chakra, a killing intent that could only have built up after killing countless people.

"Demon Zabuza!"

As Zabuza unleashed his power, the mist, already so thick he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, grew denser still. His body vanished into it once more.

Unlike before, when he had been moving casually, Zabuza now moved so fast that even Dōmeki's senses could only detect him darting about like a ghost. Several clones with the same presence also moved to confuse the boy.

Whoosh!

The Kubikiribōchō, wrapped in a current of blood-colored Chakra, slashed at Dōmeki with unmatched force. But the moment Zabuza appeared, the giant hand caught him in its grasp.

An ear-piercing screech like a chainsaw grinding against iron rang out, and countless sparks flew, but the giant hand didn't budge or suffer the slightest damage.

But-

"Brat! I knew-"

Zabuza Momochi had abandoned the Kubikiribōchō and used a clone as bait. The Water Whip in his hand was already curling around the boy's right arm. As long as he could restrict the boy's movements-

To Zabuza's surprise, Dōmeki had already caught his Water Whip, as though he had anticipated it. A friendly smile blossomed on his face.

"Mr. Zabuza, how well done do you like it?"

"Crackle!"

Electricity flashed over the boy's arm, and the flickering current surged into the man's body in an instant.

Pfft!

Puffs of black smoke poured from his mouth, and Zabuza, feeling medium-cooked, fell to the ground unwillingly.

In an instant, the wind rose and the mist dispersed.

Haku timidly ran over to Dōmeki, holding the ruined steamed buns. He looked at Zabuza, unable to bear the sight. "Is he... is he going to die?"

"That depends on how Mr. Zabuza behaves!" Dōmeki said softly.

His body stiff, Zabuza glared at the red-haired boy. He wanted to speak, but couldn't get the words out.

Several hours later.

After settling Haku and his little Bai at a safe inn, Dōmeki came over to Zabuza, who was growing impatient from waiting. "I thought you'd rather die than agree to take me into Kirigakure, Mr. Zabuza?"

Zabuza snorted and walked out ahead of him, leaving only a barely audible voice drifting behind him.

"Brat, do you know what the first rule of being a ninja is?"

"Don't let your guard down?" Dōmeki tilted his head.

"It's to endure!"