But Sparkle had no strength left for that. She merely leaned against one side of the deck, quietly watching and gazing into the distance.
The mental strain from resonating with Jingliu twice in a row was still rather heavy. Though she had no external injuries, she had indeed taken several blows from the Nine-Tails head-on.
By the time the freighter returned to port, the events in the Land of Waves had finally settled.
Gato and his men had long since been brought under Zabuza's control. They had been uprooted completely.
Zabuza himself had fallen for Kakashi's technique and lost to the Sharingan—there was no helping it. To ensure Kakashi did not screw up, Sparkle had given him every piece of intelligence on Zabuza that she could obtain.
If Kakashi could still screw this up, then he truly was beyond saving.
"White, so this is how we end."
Zabuza saw White and knew that everything had finally come to an end.
"Give me a quick death, Kakashi. Rather than being dragged back to Kirigakure, I'd rather die here."
Zabuza's defeat had not been a matter of intelligence alone. Another problem was that Zabuza's mind had become unsettled.
After Sparkle had analyzed him—or talked him into it—Zabuza had suddenly begun questioning what kind of person he truly was.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
Once his mind was in turmoil, flaws naturally appeared. After he and Kakashi truly started fighting in earnest, Kakashi seized the opening instead.
"Kirigakure isn't a good place."
Naruto unexpectedly spoke first. "Uncle Zabuza wanted to change the village too, right?"
Because of what Sparkle had said earlier, combined with Kushina Yukiei's tragedy, Naruto's understanding of Zabuza had developed a strange deviation.
"Brat, I don't need your pity!"
Damn it.
I, the Demon