Zabuza's Final Moment!

"Ice?" Sasuke asked me, puzzled.

"Ice? Where's there ice? Huh, Sakura, where did the ice in your hand come from?"

Those two idiots...! I shouldn't have expected them to understand!

Well, here was what had happened. I woke up early this morning and had only been training for a little while when I realized I had mastered wind nature transformation. Then I performed wind and water nature transformations with my left and right hands respectively, and brought them together! The water in my hand turned into a cold lump of ice. My ability to divide my attention and perform two nature transformations at once with ease probably had something to do with my soul being a fusion of two people's souls.

In other words, after spending thirty-one mornings, I had completed both wind and ice nature transformations! I immediately went to show off to the two of them, since they were closest, only for them to have no idea what I had accomplished! My sense of achievement plummeted! I'd expected Sasuke, at least, to understand a little!

"Have you two finished Tree Climbing?"

"Hehe! Sasuke and I reached the top of the tree last night!"

I was even more depressed. In the end, I was still a step behind them! Forget it, I'll go show off to Kakashi!

"Since you've finished too, let's go back for breakfast!"

"Since you've reached this stage in your training, the next step is to think about how to use wind and ice nature transformations to help you purify water... You can't accomplish that just by putting your head down and practicing, so spend the next few days accompanying them on their outings! I'm leaving the mission to you!"

After offering me a few lukewarm words of praise, Kakashi sent me on my way. Sasuke and Naruto, meanwhile, began learning how to make better use of Chakra to enhance their bodies in combat.

The Land of Waves was really poor. I accompanied Uncle Tazuna to buy groceries, and along the way I noticed that the streets were full of beggars, thieves, and unemployed people looking for work. Everyone looked malnourished, and nearly all the shops on the streets were barely open. Even the grocery store that supplied food had very little produce inside. Many shelves were empty, with only their labels showing what had once been displayed there.

Judging by the size of the grocery store, the Land of Waves hadn't always been like this... Uncle Tazuna told me that Gato had brought all this about. The Land of Waves had no ninja or ninja village, so even an ordinary person like Gato could bully the country. That was why they needed to build a bridge, not just to break Gato's blockade at sea, but, more importantly, to awaken the courage to resist in the people's hearts!

Seeing all this in the Land of Waves, I couldn't help feeling a little fortunate that I had transmigrated into a ninja family in Konoha... Becoming a ninja meant frequently facing combat and danger, but it was still better than transmigrating as a civilian in this country. The feeling of having no control over your own fate was terrible!

A few days passed like that.

There was still little progress in developing Ninjutsu, though I did learn the Hidden Mist Technique Kakashi had copied from Zabuza, along with some practical Wind Release techniques.

I also created Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, officially completing the development of the Fourth Hokage's Ninjutsu-in the hands of someone who had never even encountered his technique. The result was rather poignant. But this Ninjutsu consumed an astonishing amount of Chakra. Even if I exhausted all my Chakra, I couldn't match Naruto's power in the original story, which really frustrated me...

Being able to use Wind Release and Ice Release meant I had better ways to deal with elemental attacks, which made up for one of my weaknesses. But learning these two natures hadn't brought me a dramatic improvement in the short term. I still needed time to figure out how to incorporate them into my fighting style. Besides, I hadn't learned a single Ice Release Ninjutsu yet, because none of us knew any, including the man who claimed to have copied a thousand Ninjutsu.

Worried about Zabuza's next attack, I had never been able to devote myself fully to researching the new natures, and I had made no new progress at all in purifying the azure water.

On the sixth afternoon, Kakashi took Naruto and Sasuke to the bridge to protect Uncle Tazuna. While I was home alone guarding the house, another attack came without warning.

I was using Water Release to help Aunt Tsunami with the housework, while a Shadow Clone played with Inari, when several Kunai suddenly smashed through the window and flew at Tsunami and me!

"Auntie, watch out!" I pulled Tsunami behind me to shield her, then controlled the laundry water to form a water shield that blocked all the Kunai. But when they pierced the shield, they dyed the water light green. They were poisoned!

A masked ninja burst through the window into the house, a slashed Mist Ninja Forehead Protector on his forehead. By the moment he landed, he had already completed his Hand Seals!

"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"

An elemental attack followed the Kunai! But after seeing so much of Kakashi's and Zabuza's B-rank and even A-rank Water Release, this low-rank Water Release from a small fry really didn't look like much to me! Without hurrying, I formed an ice Kunai in my hand, then waited until the Wild Water Wave was right in front of me before swinging the Kunai and cutting it in two!

A Kunai infused with wind nature Chakra was that sharp!

I sent the Kunai flying with a backhand throw! At the same time, one of my Water Clones had quietly formed behind him and thrust a Kunai at his heart! He was caught between attacks from the front and rear!

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

A wall of water rose abruptly, blocking the Kunai I had thrown. On the other side, the Kunai in the Water Clone's hand glowed faintly azure and pierced straight through the water wall's defense! When I made the clone, I had added a little Chakra of another nature...!

The Mist Ninja's extensive experience alerted him to the Water Clone's sneak attack. Although he was somewhat surprised that the clone could break through his water wall, he reacted immediately, turning and striking the Water Clone cleanly in the head with his Kunai!

Splash!! The Water Clone fell, and a crystalline Kunai pierced the masked Mist Ninja's heart! Although he had destroyed the Water Clone's head first, the rest of the clone had held on for another half a second, long enough to drive the ice Kunai into his heart.

"How... how is that possible...?" Filled with endless confusion and regret, the Mist Ninja's life came to an end!

Counting the Demon Brothers last time, this was already my second time killing people... But this time I was closer, and it was more direct and bloodier! Looking at the Mist Ninja's corpse, I felt vaguely uncomfortable.

"Aunt Tsunami, let's get out of here first..." Suppressing the faint nausea, I used Chakra-controlled water to help the trembling Tsunami up, and we slowly walked out of the house. Outside, a thick fog was so dense I couldn't see my hand in front of my face!

"You managed to take out Mizuyoshi. Looks like you're pretty good, kid!" A voice came from the air. "But I'm much stronger than Mizuyoshi! Let me show you the power of the Silent Killing Technique!"

"Eight places..." It was the same old line. When paired with Zabuza's killing intent, it could make your skin crawl, but hearing this guy recite it by rote nearly made me laugh. "Which one... would you like me to attack?"

"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique..."

While the guy kept talking nonsense, I quietly mixed my Chakra into the mist. I soon sensed the position of the person hiding in it and made Hand Seals again-

"Water Release: Super Water Gun Jutsu!"

The mist concealed his position, but it also concealed my actions... Once I had a rough sense of where he was, a line of water flashed past and cut him straight in two! The Mist Ninja missing-nin died on the spot without even letting out a scream!

With the technique's user no longer supplying it with Chakra, the thick fog quickly dissipated in the sunlight...

"Are you coming out yourself, or do I have to invite you out...?" I asked the empty air. With the Hidden Mist Technique just now, I had sensed two sources of Chakra!

A figure suddenly attacked from behind me, moving at an unbelievable speed! Pssh! A Kunai pierced my body!

"This is-!" The Mist Ninja stared at my wound as water flowed out around the edge of the Kunai. This was a Water Clone!

The moment I stepped outside and noticed the fog, I had made a Water Clone and a Shadow Clone to confuse the enemy, then pulled Tsunami back into the house. The Mist Ninja had seen me use Ninjutsu to kill his companion in an instant and probably thought that was the real me!

Meanwhile, Tsunami, who was standing nearby—or rather, my Shadow Clone-took the opportunity to release the Transformation Technique and send the last Mist Ninja crashing to the ground with a powerful kick! Enhanced by Nintaijutsu, the kick shattered the caught-off-guard Mist Ninja's internal organs!

"Cough, cough-" The Mist Ninja spat blood and struggled to get up, but couldn't get back on his feet!

"Stop struggling. I'll make it quick!" With a forceful swing, I sent another ice Kunai through his heart!

After easily taking care of the three Chunin, I realized that completing my wind and ice nature transformation training had given me an increasingly varied arsenal. Although I hadn't seen an immediate improvement on a larger scale, the details of my fighting had become more refined! Just a little wind and ice nature Chakra had greatly improved the offensive and defensive abilities of my Water Clones, which couldn't use Nintaijutsu... And in a flash of inspiration, I had used ice nature Chakra to give that Water Clone a simple ice skeleton, allowing him to last the crucial extra half second needed to kill the enemy!

If I had encountered these enemies before, I probably would have had to put in much more effort. Now, just a few clones and two Water Release techniques had been enough to kill them cleanly. After taking part in a battle between powerful fighters on Kakashi and Zabuza's level, my combat skills were growing rapidly!

I'm starting to look a little like an expert myself, aren't I?

I took a deep breath to calm my somewhat excited body, then ordered the Shadow Clone to clean up the battlefield and dispose of the corpses while I thought things over.

I had been attacked here, so Naruto and the others must have run into Zabuza and Haku! I had to hurry over there. Haku was much stronger than Naruto and Sasuke, and I didn't dare gamble on Haku holding back like in the original story!

But I didn't know where Inari and my Shadow Clone had run off to. I didn't dare casually dispel the Shadow Clone to get information, so I had to leave them be for now. As long as the Shadow Clone hadn't died, that meant Inari was safe!

As for the three Mist Ninja I had killed here, judging by their strength, they would have been quite formidable if they had fought normally and worked together. So I didn't think there would be any other enemies here.

Just in case, I left that Shadow Clone behind.

"Aunt Tsunami, I'm afraid the fighting at the bridge has already started. I have to hurry over and help. I've taken care of the ninja here, and there probably won't be anyone else, but just in case, my Shadow Clone will stay here to protect you. Please find Inari first, then hide somewhere safe. I left another Shadow Clone with him. With two Shadow Clones protecting you, there shouldn't be any problems."

After giving Tsunami those instructions, I had the Shadow Clone follow her as she left. I turned toward the bridge, and even from this great distance, a faint haze seemed visible!

"Well then, Sakura Haruno, here we go!"

Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, wait for me!

By the time I reached the bridge, the battle was already nearing its end.

"Kill me, Naruto." The beautiful boy, pure as snow, spoke to Naruto. "I can't beat you. I'm no longer a tool Zabuza needs... So please, I have no reason left to live..."

Hearing those familiar words, my heart jumped. I looked to the side and, sure enough, Sasuke was lying there, his fate unknown!

Anger and fear surged uncontrollably from the bottom of my heart!

In my previous life, Haku had been one of my favorite characters, and I had secretly shed tears over this tragedy when I watched this part of the story. After transmigrating, I had often imagined how I might save this snow-like boy. I had thought about checking whether Haku was a boy or a girl, becoming close friends with Haku, how I would greet Haku when we first met, and how I would feel...

But I had never imagined that, when I actually saw Haku, my greatest desire and anger would be to kill Haku! Over these twelve years of living again, many of those fantasies had gradually faded. I had gradually come to regard this as a real world and the people here as real people, and formed bonds with them... So when I saw Sasuke lying on the ground, my first thought was that my friend had been beaten by Haku and might be dead, not Haku's tragic past...

I shot Haku a fierce glare, but didn't attack. Instead, I rushed to Sasuke's side as fast as I could. Once I confirmed that he had only been knocked unconscious and wasn't dead, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Haku really hadn't dealt a killing blow...

But just as Haku had resolved to die, the thick fog that had shrouded the battlefield on the other side slowly dissipated, and the time had come to reveal the outcome of Kakashi and Zabuza's battle-!

Two figures gradually emerged from the mist. Kakashi was covered from head to toe in sword cuts and Kunai wounds, a truly gruesome sight! But Zabuza was in even worse shape. One of his hands had been pierced by a Kunai and hung limply, Ninja Dogs pinned down his entire body, and the Kubikiribōchō stood planted casually in the ground beside him. Great pools of blood covered the ground, along with broken Kunai and the remains of several Ninja Dogs, torn into pieces!

"Zabuza, your ambition is too dangerous, and you've even joined forces with a man like Gato... For the hope of this country, I'll finish you here!" Kakashi gathered an enormous amount of Chakra in his hand, so much that it was clearly visible to the naked eye!

"Lightning Blade!"

"With this strike, I'll bury you and your ambition together!" Amid the flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, Kakashi's voice rang out clearly!

Lightning Blade, charge!

Zabuza couldn't move!

"Mr. Zabuza...!!" Haku let out a cry of anguish, quickly forming an ice mirror in the air-

"Don't even think about it-!" A line of water pierced Haku's chest. Haku's movement froze in midair, the final look of anxiety and resolve on that face solidifying like ice. Then Haku fell to the ground and closed those eyes forever.

I had killed one of my once-favorite characters with my own hands...

Haku's final Ice Release only caused Kakashi's attack to veer slightly. Lightning Blade passed below Zabuza's heart, smashing his internal organs. Although he didn't die on the spot, everyone knew he was beyond saving...

"It's all over..." Kakashi pulled his hand out, and blood immediately gushed out like a spring!

"I never thought, cough, cough..." Zabuza stood leaning against the Kubikiribōchō, coughing up blood as he spoke. "My dream would end here..."

"I only hate that the kid was so damn weak... cough, cough... couldn't even save me... What a waste, raising a useless good-for-nothing!"

"How can you be so cold-blooded?!" Naruto shouted angrily at Zabuza. "Wasn't he your comrade?!"

"Ours was only a relationship of user and used, just like Gato and me... I only... saw Haku as a tool!"

"Ahahaha, you really did tear each other apart!" A grating voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. "This is perfect. Would you all please die here?"

"Gato...! Was this your plan?!" Zabuza's voice was deep and low.

"That's right! I never intended to pay you, Zabuza. You're just a bunch of missing-nin anyway! Once you and your enemies had both suffered heavy losses, I'd swoop in and reap the benefits, kill you all, and take control of this country without spending a penny!! Zabuza, in my eyes, you're nothing but a clown! Hahaha!"

Gato walked over to Haku's corpse, raised his foot, and stomped hard on Haku's face!

"Stop!" Naruto and I shouted at the same time! Naruto demanded of Zabuza, "Zabuza, are you just going to watch?! Are you really that indifferent?!"

"Haku is already dead...!" Zabuza said, head lowered. "Nothing more than... a useless, dead tool!"

"How can you say that?! Haku cared about you so much! He always thought of you as the most important person to him!"

"He gave up everything for your dream, and he even gave his life to save you! He wasn't a tool!" Tears gathered in Naruto's eyes...

"That scum is desecrating his body, and you don't care at all! You don't care about him one bit!"

The tears in his eyes gradually broke free!

"Do you really... not care at all?!"

"Haku died for you... He died to make your dream come true... And he didn't even have a dream of his own..."

"He thought you were the most important person to him, willingly became your tool, and died for you, only to end up like this... It's really... too cruel...!"

Tears poured down Naruto's face, and he was too choked up to speak!

"Stop, kid..." Demon Zabuza's voice was hoarse. The man who hadn't even frowned in the face of despair now had tears silently streaming down his face. "Please... don't say any more..."

"Maybe you're right. Ninja... are just ordinary people in the end. We can't become emotionless tools... Haku was too kind. I'm the one who wronged him..."

"I've lost... Let me do one last thing for Haku-"

He lifted the Kubikiribōchō in one hand. This man, terribly weak and nearing the very end of his life, charged madly at Gato! Ignoring every blade and every wound, he cut Gato in half with one stroke!

The demon, whose flame of life was so faint it was about to go out, dragged his battered body to Haku's side and collapsed. Perhaps for the demon, being able to fall beside the person he loved at the end, though somewhat unexpected, was also a kind of happiness!

But in the final moment of his life, a miracle occurred-

"Cough, cough-!" Haku, who had been dead, coughed up the blood clot blocking the airway and actually began breathing faintly again!

Haku's still alive! My technique might have happened to miss the vital spots!

"That's wonderful, Haku..." Zabuza was already too weak to reach out and touch Haku's face. "...Kakashi, Naruto, will you grant me one last request?"

"Take Haku away... Look after her in my place, and in my place... become someone important to her..." Tears streamed uncontrollably from Zabuza's eyes.

"...Tell Haku to live well... This is Demon Zabuza's final order..."

"...You must live well, for Demon Zabuza's sake as well..."

"...This is the last request of my life. Please..."

Then the light of life faded from Demon Zabuza's eyes.

A fine rain began to fall from the sky.