Zabuza and Haku (Part 2)

"Kill me."

Haku repeated herself.

"No, no way. There had to be some mistake..."

Naruto took several steps back, shaking his head again and again, refusing to accept what was before him.

"Naruto! I don't know what happened between you and her, but she's our enemy now. If you can't do it, then let me."

Seeing Naruto so shaken, a flash of anger crossed Sasuke's eyes. He gripped his kunai and slashed it toward Haku's neck.

"No, I can't let you kill her... Why would such a gentle sister attack us? There must be some reason, maybe she was being forced..."

Naruto instantly flashed to Sasuke's side and grabbed his wrist. The kunai stopped precariously in front of Haku's neck. Seeing the look in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke's heart softened, and he ultimately gave up.

"Little ninja, you're so kind. Even now, you're still speaking up for me. No one forced me. I only wanted to protect someone important to me and help him fulfill his dream. That is my dream."

Seeing Naruto defend her so fiercely, Haku smiled warmly and denied his assumption.

"Why would someone like you do this for Zabuza..."

"Little ninja, do you know how painful it is to live on, barely clinging to life with no dreams, no hope, no one willing to spare you a glance, and no purpose for living? Mr. Zabuza was the one who gave me hope to live. He made me feel that I was still needed."

In a cool, detached voice, Haku slowly recounted the story of someone who had once been desperate.

"I think you can understand, can't you? Before you met Hinata, weren't you living that kind of life too? Faced with Hinata, who was willing to accept everything about you, your feelings must have been the same as mine, right?"

"I..."

Naruto had no answer. She was right. If Yue Guanhai, Hinata, and Iruka had all been evil people, then he would still have helped them out of the gratitude in his heart. Haku and Naruto—everything about them had been determined by their circumstances.

"What happened to you? Why did Zabuza become the most important person in your life?"

"I was born in a snow-covered little village in the Land of Water. Though we were poor, both my parents were very kind. Before a certain incident occurred, I had always believed that I was the happiest child in the world."

"A certain incident..."

As Sasuke watched Haku sink into her memories, he somehow seemed to know what came next. Perhaps it was the sixth sense of someone who shared her pain.

"My father killed my mother. Then he tried to kill me too."

"!!"

Intense Killing Intent erupted from Sasuke. Haku, bearing the brunt of it, could barely breathe. It only eased slightly after Naruto stepped in front of her.

"Why?"

Sasuke drew back his killing intent, temporarily setting aside his hatred for Itachi as he asked.

"My blood carries something known as a Bloodline Limit, something inherited from my ancestors. It is a cursed power, completely different from ordinary ninjutsu. You saw it just now—Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals are one type of Bloodline Limit."

"In the Land of Water, people deeply rejected those who possessed such power. We were stronger than ordinary people, more dangerous. After the civil war ended, the Land of Water madly slaughtered those with Bloodline Limits. Since you also possess a Bloodline Limit, I think you understand. Even in Konoha, you would be rejected, wouldn't you?"

"Damn it."

Sasuke closed his eyes. At last, he abandoned his killing intent toward Haku and deactivated his Sharingan. Of course he understood. Even before the Uchiha clan had been exterminated, the people of Konoha had feared them. That was why, aside from Itachi, he had not even had anyone to talk to as a child. Later, he had finally made a friend, only for that friend to vanish into his memories as well.

"After killing my mother, my father tried to attack me too. Perhaps my mother's death had shocked me into action. By the time I came to my senses, I had already killed my father. After that, I wandered the Land of Water alone. During a snowy winter, Mr. Zabuza took me in."

"The story is over, Naruto. Whom are your tears falling for?"

"Sniff... Damn it, what kind of reason is that?! Why should it be because of something as ridiculous as bloodline?!"

Naruto's tears continuously fell to the ground. Though Haku's voice carried no emotion, he was still deeply moved.

"Mr. Zabuza needs useful ninja. You have already taken away my reason for existing, so please kill me."

"No, I can't do it!"

"If you don't kill me, you won't be able to go back, you know. Have you forgotten? You promised Hinata that you would definitely return."

Haku picked up the kunai that had fallen to the ground, gently took Naruto's hand, and placed it in his grasp.

"Sister Haku, please... surrender. If you surrender, then I can..."

Naruto cried and shook his head, refusing to move the kunai even an inch closer.

"Isn't killing enemies on sight the purpose of a mission? How many people have spared enemies out of softheartedness, only to be bitten back later? Are you going to gamble with your friends' lives?"

"Naruto, let me do this after all."

Sasuke could not bear to watch Naruto suffer any longer. He snatched the kunai from Naruto's hand and thrust it toward Haku.

"Hm? I'm sorry, but I can't die yet. I still have one last task to complete."

Haku suddenly sensed something. A heavy aura of death rose from her body as she gave Naruto a pure smile. Her hands flew through Hand Seals, and she vanished from before Sasuke.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Blade!"

Chakra in Kakashi's hand condensed into tangible form. Blue lightning wrapped around his right hand as he charged at Zabuza, who had been bitten by the Eight Ninja Hounds and could not move.

Shk!

The sharp lightning-nature Chakra pierced Haku's shoulder, utterly ravaging her skin and flesh. The air filled with the smell of burning as Kakashi stared in shock at Haku, who had suddenly emerged from the mirrors.

"Mr. Zabuza, please cut me down along with him."

Crimson blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. The girl turned back and spoke her final words to Zabuza. Before dying, she also used Senbon to puncture the scroll Kakashi had used to summon the ninja hounds, allowing Zabuza to break free.

"Kakashi, looks like you're the one who's going to die!"

Zabuza swung the Kubikiribōchō, slashing down toward Haku's body.

Thud.

The blade sank into a small palm. Zabuza froze at the sight before him—the Kubikiribōchō, capable of cutting through iron like mud, had actually been caught barehanded.

"Ahhh, Sister Haku! Ahhh!"

Violent red Chakra surged around Naruto, even forming the phantom image of a red monster in the air. The Chakra wrapped around him like a cloak, his eyes turning completely into crimson beast pupils, two fangs exposed in the air. Naruto's low growls pressed down on Zabuza one after another.

"This Chakra... Naruto!"

Kakashi's eyes widened. He had never expected Naruto to transform into the Nine-Tails Fox at a time like this. His arm was still firmly gripped by Haku, leaving him unable to move.

"Why? Why did you treat her like this?!"

Naruto was nearly losing his mind, his eyes filled with rage toward Zabuza. Haku had clearly died for him, yet she did not receive even the slightest sympathy. All she received was the slash of the Kubikiribōchō. How could that not enrage him? The Nine-Tails' power erupted all at once along with his emotions.

"What's there to say? Before dying, a tool made her final contribution. That was the best outcome for both her and me."

"Don't you have even a shred of feeling in your heart? Until the very end, Haku was thinking only of you, wanting to help you fulfill your dream! Even after losing, she didn't beg for mercy—what saddened her more was that she could no longer be of use to you! She was even willing to give up her own life just so you could live, but you!!!"

Naruto's strength gradually overwhelmed Zabuza. He slammed him viciously to the ground, straddled him, and pointed at Haku's body as he cried out.

"What does a brat like you know? Haku is already dead. Will crying bring her back to life? Should I cry like an idiot like you?!"

Zabuza flew into a rage from humiliation. He kicked Naruto in the stomach and sent him flying, then threw back his neck and roared.

"I'll kill you!"

Naruto could no longer control his emotions. He threw his full strength into a charge and rammed into Zabuza. The pressure on his stomach made Zabuza spit out a mouthful of blood. By the time he came to his senses, Naruto's fist, cutting through the wind, was already closing in on his head. He hurriedly raised the Kubikiribōchō horizontally in front of his face to block it.

"No matter how much you scream and cry, the fact remains that ninja are tools! Doesn't your village treat you as tools too? When you die because of a mission, who will cry besides your family? The entire world is the same!"

"Haku and I merely used each other. I needed her talent, nothing more... I have no attachments."

Clang!

"Haku—Sister Haku loved you so much!"

Clang!

"Her mind was full of you! She even abandoned her own dream!"

Clang!

"And this was all she got in the end?!"

Clang!

"What did you ever see her as?!"

Crack.

"She loved you!!!"

The sound of fists crashing against the Kubikiribōchō rang out continuously. At last, unable to withstand such brutal punishment, the Kubikiribōchō snapped in half.

"You... cried?"

The fist that should have struck Zabuza's head stopped in midair. Beneath the broken Kubikiribōchō, Naruto saw the Demon's tears—tears filled with such sorrow.

"Brat, shut up. Haku is gone."

"We ninja are tools. Tools with feelings are destined to vanish in the cycle of reincarnation. Perhaps that is why Haku and I failed."

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PS: The love between family, yeah.

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