The End of the First Volume

"Cough cough--!" Bai, who had stopped breathing, suddenly coughed up the blood clot that had been blocking his airway, and miraculously, his heartbeat returned weakly, and he opened his eyes!

Haku is still alive! Sakura's technique may have just missed the fatal spot, and her Ice Release ninja constitution allowed her to breathe again!

"That's great, you're not dead, Haku..." Zabuza tried to raise his hand, but he was too weak to touch Haku's face.

"... Kakashi, Naruto, can you grant me one last request?" In his dying moments, Zabuza's eyes held no murderous intent, only the most sincere plea.

"Take Haku away... Take care of her in my place, take my place... Be someone important to her..." Tears welled up uncontrollably in Zabuza's eyes.

"... Tell Haku to live on... This was Demon Zabuza's final order..."

"... You must live on, for Demon Zabuza..."

"... This is my last request in my life, please..."

Then, the light that represented life in Demon Zabuza's eyes dimmed.

A light drizzle began to fall.

In the end, however, it was a happy ending for everyone.

The thugs, eager to avenge their master Gato and take down Sakura and her gang who were robbing them, charged forward menacingly, only to be brutally beaten by the enraged Sakura.

Encouraged by Naruto's persuasive words, Kito Inari led a group of villagers armed with crossbows and harpoons to the battlefield. Although they didn't make it into the fight, they at least showed Sakura that the people of the Land of Waves had regained their manly spirit. Incidentally, the thugs who had been beaten up by Sakura were later held captive by the villagers and made to help build the bridge before being released.

The kind and beautiful young man, Bai, was resurrected after faking his death without any lasting effects, and his body is slowly recovering.

After experiencing initial pain and confusion, he gradually emerged from the shadow of suicide and decided to live well in accordance with Zabuza's dying wish.

Kakashi and his two companions accepted Haku because they saw no sign of revenge against Team 7 in the clear eyes of this pure white ninja. Since Haku hadn't killed Sasuke in that battle, Kakashi wouldn't mind giving her another chance this time.

As it turned out, Kakashi's judgment was correct; Haku was indeed a person who could be accepted.

The only one with mixed feelings is Sakura. She was just one shot away from killing Haku as an enemy, and now she's an ally...

Sakura felt like her brain wasn't working properly! Naruto and Sasuke both expressed their incomprehension. "I didn't care when Haku beat me up like that, and you, who just barely managed to kill Haku, are still agonizing over it! You're such a wimp!"

In addition, Sakura made a joke about Shiro's gender.

When Kakashi brought the white bag back to Tazuna's house, he asked Sakura to apply the medicine for her. Sakura blurted out, "Shouldn't you be the ones applying it for him? He's a man!"

Naruto immediately looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Haku is a guy?"

Sasuke sighed regretfully, patted Sakura on the shoulder, and said, "Sakura... I never imagined your views on gender had become so distorted! Not all women are as violent as you!"

Then, unsurprisingly, he received a sharp rap on the head from Sakura, who was clearly annoyed.

Kakashi, however, noticed something amiss. He glanced at Sakura's chest and said earnestly, "Sakura, judging a person by their chest is bad behavior! Actually..." Kakashi turned his head and said mysteriously to Sakura, "She's just binding her chest up; she's not flat-chested!"

"And," Kakashi sighed, glancing at Sakura's lackluster figure, and patted her shoulder, "Not all women develop breasts as they grow up."

"Be mentally prepared."

Cherry. "..."

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A light drizzle was falling outside.

The same drizzle that fell when Zabuza died.

A girl in white with black hair and black eyes sat quietly under the eaves, watching the rain fall from the sky, a deep sorrow hidden in her delicate brows.

Sakura sighed softly, looking at her with a touch of heartache. She quietly Earth Flow behind Shiro, rested her chin on her shoulder, and pulled her into her arms.

"Sister Bai, can you tell me what you're thinking?"

"... When I was stepped on, I was actually almost awake... Hearing Zabuza's words, hearing his concern for me... I was so happy, so happy... Why was I the only one who woke up in the end? Why couldn't I have gone to hell with Zabuza then... If I could be with Zabuza, I would be willing to go to hell with him... Why... Why was I the only one left alone..."

Tears of confusion streamed down her face; Yuki Haku remained deeply troubled by the fact that she was still alive.

"... Zabuza found you were still alive, a happy smile appeared on his face, perhaps the only one he ever showed in his life! Although his ideals and life were about to end, he still smiled because of you, and then gave you all his hopes, hoping you would live on, ordering you to live well, because he had given you his share as well, so he commanded you to live a life worthy of both of you, to reap happiness worthy of both of you..."

This was already the most poetic answer Sakura could come up with after racking her brains.

"To live on in Zabuza's name...?"

Bai silently repeated the sentence, completely unaware that Ying had already taken off her top.

"The wound is healing very well," the bandage was removed, revealing a small red mark on the girl's chest. A faint, pleasant fragrance filled the air. "Does it hurt?"

"It still hurts," Bai finally came to her senses, "Wait, wait a minute, Sister Sakura Haruno! Please don't do this...!"

"This is a necessary medical examination...!"

"Hmm, after making a fuss like this, I feel much less conflicted!" Sakura thought to herself.

Huh? How did Kakashi know she wasn't flat-chested?

Then the answer came quickly: After all, it's about watching the ninjas of the Make-Out Hall!

Kakashi, who was supervising the construction on the other side of the bridge in the distance, suddenly sneezed. He touched his head: Who's talking about me?

The mission to the Land of Waves has thus come to an end.