Sparkle: Kakashi, I Didn't Lie

Damn, flipping up the collar—oh my god, that was a special attack on me.

You can't ship that.

???

What kind of thought process is that?

After reading the Danmaku, Sparkle had to admire the netizens' wild imagination.

But Sparkle wasn't afraid of their guesses.

Rather, some things were only truly frustrating because people could guess them, yet still couldn't change them.

"Why is that guy staring at me?"

The moment Naruto arrived, he noticed a child inside the house constantly peeking out at him.

"That's Tazuna's grandson, Inari."

Sparkle walked out. "That kid seems to think we can't handle Gato."

"Huh?"

Naruto didn't like that.

As the saying went, Kobe and I combined for ninety points. Having previously driven off the big bad Momochi Zabuza, Naruto was feeling a little full of himself.

"Hey, you over there, listen up! No matter what kind of villain he is, I'll defeat him! I'm the man who'll become Hokage! I'm the superhero ninja, Naruto Uzumaki!"

"What hero? You look like an idiot. Heroes don't exist."

Inari turned and left, leaving Naruto standing there, fuming helplessly.

Sparkle tilted her head. She didn't intervene. After Naruto left, the Shadow Clone simply turned into smoke and vanished.

Meanwhile, Sparkle's true body, transformed into Kushina Yukiei, arrived at Zabuza's hideout. However, she had wrapped her body in His Child.

Although some viewers had already spun theories, it was better to leave them with a little suspense before the truth was revealed.

Melody of Conspiracy

Nice, I want to see blood flow like a river.

Burn the Mist God to ashes!

It's Kirigakure.

The person above is making a reference to Weak City and Offline Warriors.

Damn, it's already 4202 and people are still playing that game?

The meeting between Kushina Yukiei and Zabuza became part of the story as well.

This probably counted as an interlude for the villains.

"Since when have you been watching us?"

Zabuza stared at Kushina Yukiei.

"Since you arrived in the Land of Waves. Gato is a pawn of the Blood Mist, and I came to claim his life. You people helping him commit evil were originally targets as well."

Kushina Yukiei lowered her voice.

"That bastard Gato should've been killed long ago."

Zabuza had never liked Gato. Especially after analyzing things with Sparkle, whenever Zabuza thought of Gato, he couldn't help feeling that everyone was out to get him.

And this woman before him had practically confirmed his previous suspicions and analysis.

Zabuza had completely fallen into the cocoon Sparkle had carefully woven for him.

Through "Hanabi Hyuga's" guesses and hints, she had made Zabuza suspicious of Gato.

Then, by having a woman like Kushina Yukiei, who wanted revenge against Kirigakure, push Gato further toward Kirigakure's side, Zabuza's unease had intensified.

Once someone began to harbor doubts, they would only believe what they wanted to believe and ignore objective facts.

Besides, Zabuza couldn't exactly go to Gato and demand confirmation.

"Then why did you save me?"

Zabuza asked.

"Because you were merely deceived and turned into a pawn of your enemy. Besides, I haven't seen anyone from my clan in a long time."

Kushina Yukiei looked at White.

White said nothing.

Though they were supposedly from the same "clan," White trusted Zabuza more.

What did this clan that had suddenly appeared have to do with her?

"It can't be that simple."

Zabuza said, "You said you wanted to burn Kirigakure to ashes? Heh. How would you do that?"

"You know about the Nine-Tails incident in Konoha twelve years ago, right?"

Hearing that, Zabuza could no longer stay calm.

"Don't tell me you know about the Nine-Tails' seal? Wait, could it be in Kakashi's team?!"

The other party had appeared while he was fighting Kakashi.

Thinking about it that way, could it be...

Was the problem here?

That was possible. And the possibility was quite high.

Zabuza fell into thought.

Who could it be?

That detestable Hyuga brat?

Or the one in blue? The blond-haired one?

The other party hadn't said it outright, so Zabuza could only guess.

"So, you want to use the Nine-Tails' power?"

"Yes. Use the Nine-Tails to burn Kirigakure to ashes."

A cruel smile appeared at the corner of Zabuza's mouth.

If the Nine-Tails appeared in Kirigakure, the Mizukage would have no choice but to show himself.

If possible, they could even have the Nine-Tails appear near the village rather than inside it, then draw the Mizukage and his trusted subordinates over here. That way, they could wipe them all out in one go without causing too much damage to Kirigakure. The Nine-Tails itself could even become leverage in negotiations with Konoha...

Mm, wait. Since when did I care so much about whether those people from Kirigakure lived or died?

"I'm Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza!"

Yet for some reason, the words of that kimono-wearing brat kept lingering in his mind.

Those words that seemed to be speaking to him coiled around Zabuza's head, circle after circle, circle after circle, driving him into extreme rage.

"Damn it, how did things turn out like this?!"

Zabuza was furious. He felt like that damn brat had brainwashed him.

Zabuza looked at Kushina Yukiei again. "Are you really going to do this? Then how do you plan to do it? Can you actually release the Nine-Tails?"

"Over a decade ago, Kirigakure sealed the Three-Tails inside a Konoha ninja, intending to release the Three-Tails in Konoha and destroy it. If the Nine-Tails appears in Kirigakure, it would merely be them reaping what they sowed."

Kushina Yukiei said, "And I made a deal with a 'demon.' I originally intended to use it against the Three-Tails, but now I have a better choice. The Nine-Tails' power... far surpasses that of the Three-Tails."

"Is that so..."

Zabuza was still weighing his options.

If it was only about controlling the Nine-Tails, it didn't seem impossible.

"What do you need to do?"

Zabuza asked.

"Cough... cough..."

Kushina Yukiei covered her chest and coughed. "I need to prepare a ritual. I know you have quite a few people. I need your help making preparations."

The original Land of Waves arc was too shallow, whether in its discussion of heroes or its exploration of ninja.

That might have been just right twenty years ago, but twenty years later, amid a pile of formulaic stories, that was harder to say.

The dark, grim, and edgy stuff started with me.

Besides, no one would get hurt anyway. Naruto would gain a mother's love, Gato would gain death, and perhaps Zabuza and White could even become lovers who finally ended up together...

Everything was perfect.

Everything was joyful.

Right?

Chapter 53: Sparkle: Kakashi, I Didn't Lie

Nine-Tails? Three-Tails? What the hell?

Don't tell me there are One-Tails, Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, and so on?

Feels possible.

The setting is getting more interesting.

I feel like there's another boomerang coming.

I think so too. Did you notice? Kakashi once killed his own teammate, and now the villain here says Kirigakure once used a Konoha ninja to try to release the Three-Tails in Konoha.

Holy crap, it's all connected. The author is incredible.

Keeping track of the viewers' feedback was important too.

Sparkle quite enjoyed reading the viewers' comments and jokes.

It helped Sparkle grasp the viewers' mindset.

Besides, the viewers approached things from angles different from her own. Those who liked digging into details might notice things she had overlooked.

"Sparkle, what do you think of the current situation?"

After meeting with Zabuza, Sparkle returned to Tazuna's home.

But Kakashi seemed to have been waiting for her all along.

"We are Konoha ninja. From beginning to end, we have only one objective: the bridge in the Land of Waves."

Sparkle said, "If the bridge is completed, that is our victory. Zabuza has no direct conflict with us in that regard... Mm, if we're lucky, even Gato himself might not be a problem."

Kakashi broke out in a cold sweat again after hearing Sparkle's words. "...Using one enemy to kill another?"

"How can you put it that way? But Zabuza and his employer probably have a major conflict between them."

Sparkle's meaning was obvious.

"Is Gato really connected to Kirigakure?"

Kakashi asked again.

"When an enemy starts becoming paranoid, it means we are moving toward victory. It doesn't matter whether Gato is connected to Kirigakure. What matters is whether Zabuza thinks so. And Zabuza's personality means he would disdain going to Gato for confirmation, because he probably looks down on Gato completely. Taking this mission was likely only a temporary measure."

"Paranoid..."

Kakashi was sweating profusely.

Well, Kakashi himself was actually becoming paranoid.

"As for the third person who appeared at the end, I'm somewhat concerned about her. Then I found something interesting."

Sparkle smiled.

"Something interesting?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.