The Bond Called a Tool

The Land of Water lay to the right of Konoha on the map, surrounded by the sea on all sides. It did not even cover half the area of the Land of Fire. As the smallest of the Five Great Nations, its daimyo constantly feared being annexed by other countries. As a result, Kirigakure's ninja training was exceptionally harsh—only those stronger and more ruthless than ninja from other nations could survive.

Kirigakure was as cold as ever that year. Snow drifting down in the depths of winter seemed to freeze people's blood in their veins. Haku, who had wandered here, had finally found half a loaf of bread in a garbage bin, only to give it to a stray dog. Alone, she sat on a wooden bridge and blankly watched the passersby.

At that moment, a man with bandages wrapped around his face entered Haku's field of vision. Unlike everyone else, he did not ignore her. Instead, he walked up to her and spoke the first words she had heard since her parents' deaths.

"Not even a single person would spare a glance for a brat like you."

Zabuza did not know what madness had taken hold of him. When he saw the brat sitting on the bridge, he could not help but speak. Every winter, countless brats like this starved or froze to death, yet he simply could not leave her alone.

"Big Brother's eyes are the same as mine."

Haku gave him a pure, white smile, making Zabuza pause slightly. Shouldn't she have been begging him for food or clothes at a time like this? Then he could kick the brat away and let her know the terror of the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Instead, he received a smile.

"...Brat, do you want to follow me? Give me everything you have and live as my tool."

This brat was different. With that thought in mind, Zabuza asked the question.

"...Yes."

Young Haku did not know what Zabuza meant. She only heard from his words that he needed her, and that alone was enough for her to nod.

"From today onward, you belong to me."

Zabuza picked up Haku's small body. It was not because he wanted to do anything; her limbs had already begun to stiffen. If he left her alone, before long there would be another corpse on Kirigakure's streets, carried away by sanitation workers.

The encounter between the Demon and the brat began there.

"...You're a girl."

After returning home, Zabuza casually tore away the tattered cloth wrapped around Haku's body, then speechlessly found several pieces of his old clothing for her.

"?"

"More troublesome than I thought... From today on, live as a boy."

A few months later

"Mr. Zabuza, what's wrong?"

Haku, who had been reading at home, saw Zabuza return. Unlike his usual imposing self, he was covered in wounds, and his face had turned an ugly shade of blue. She asked worriedly.

"I killed a few Sand Village ninja and got poisoned by their puppets."

He had wiped out an entire puppet squad on his own, but he had also been injured by their final counterattack. The Sand Village's distinctive deadly poison made Zabuza feel miserable, yet there was no better solution.

"Will you be all right?"

"I've already taken the antidote. I'll be fine after some sleep."

Pushing away Haku, who had come over to support him, Zabuza walked to the corner, sat down, and closed his eyes.

"Mr. Zabuza, please wait for me."

Haku looked at Zabuza's furrowed brows and silently made up her mind. Braving the heavy snow, she walked out the door.

"Haku? Haku? Where did that damn brat go?"

Zabuza awoke from a long coma, only to find Haku nowhere in sight.

"Mr. Zabuza, you're awake. Please wait a moment, the medicine will be ready soon."

Haku emerged from the kitchen carrying a medicine bowl, her hands still continuously grinding herbs.

"You went out to gather herbs?"

Zabuza recognized this medicine. Because of its powerful detoxifying effects and the harsh environment where it grew, it had become rare in Kirigakure. Seeing it in Haku's bowl now was almost unbelievable.

"I read about it in a book. This herb is very effective at cleansing poison."

"Where are your shoes?"

His gaze slowly lowered, and he saw Haku's bare feet. Her once-fair soles were covered in wounds, leaving faint bloody marks on the floor. Even so, Haku had not treated them, placing the preparation of his medicine first.

"...The cliff was too slippery. It was easier to climb barefoot."

Those simple words brutally pried open the Demon's heart. A trace of emotion flashed through Zabuza's eyes, but he swallowed it down in an instant and returned to his usual coldness.

"Come over and sit properly."

After drinking the medicine, the poison had eased considerably. Zabuza placed Haku on a chair and took hold of her foot. Unlike the feet of a rough man, Haku's feet were pale and smooth, but unfortunately, they were already covered in injuries.

"Mr. Zabuza, that tickles... I can do it myself."

Haku could not understand Zabuza anymore. Zabuza, known as the Demon, bandaging her wounds felt like a dream.

"Shut up. You can't see the soles of your feet, can you? This is just routine maintenance for a tool. If you break, I'll have to find a new one."

"Mr. Zabuza is really gentle."

"Hmph."

Six years later, six years had passed since she met Zabuza. Haku had also grown into a twelve-year-old girl. She and Zabuza lived a wandering life, and at the moment, they were disguised as father and son, living in a small country called the Land of Rice Fields.

Splash

The third time, she slipped and spilled a cup of water over Zabuza's head. Several veins bulged on the Demon's forehead.

"Haku, do you have some kind of grievance against me?"

"Wah... waaaah... Mr. Zabuza, I'm sorry. I can't be your tool anymore."

Haku finally couldn't hold it in any longer. Her little mouth trembled, and she burst into tears.

"What happened, Haku? Talk to me."

Zabuza looked calm, but his heart was churning. Haku—the Haku who had endured countless hellish training sessions from him and still smiled—was actually crying. What had gone wrong? Had the brat next door bullied her? At that thought, astonishing Killing Intent erupted from Zabuza.

"I might be dying. I'm sorry... Mr. Zabuza was looking forward to me helping you as your tool."

"Dying? Are you hurt?"

"I don't know. It's just that the blood down here won't stop..."

As she spoke, Haku took off her underwear. Zabuza nearly choked on his own saliva. Just as he was about to lose his temper, he saw the bloodstains on it.

"..."

The room was terrifyingly quiet. Zabuza and Haku had been staring at each other for nearly an hour. The Demon had no idea how to explain this to her. More importantly, why did a mighty Demon have to take on the role of a single father?!

"Mr. Zabuza, it really can't be cured, can it? I'm sorry. I can only stay with you until here."

"Wait for me to come back."

Zabuza grabbed the Kubikiribōchō and rushed out of the house. He hesitated for a long time outside a store called Women's Products before finally charging in amid the clerk's screams, abducting a young female clerk along with some supplies.

"Mr. Robber, here's my contact information."

The young clerk had initially been terrified, but after Zabuza ordered her to teach Haku some basic physiological knowledge, she found this robber unbearably adorable. She mistook him for a shy father and nearly fell for him.

"Get lost!"

This incident eventually became one of the Demon's few dark chapters.

"Brat, from today on, you belong to me."

"I failed to assassinate the Mizukage. We're leaving the Land of Water today. Are you willing to follow me?"

"You gave a name to a Snow Rabbit I used for the Substitution Technique? Are you that bored? Go do a thousand push-ups."

"When those days come, tell me. Don't misunderstand—I'm enough for missions on my own. Don't come hold me back."

Scene after scene of his time with Haku surfaced in his mind, turning into the Demon's tears as they fell before Naruto.

"So... I cared about Haku that much."

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PS: Girls really do have all kinds of inconveniences, which is why Kishimoto drew a girl and insisted she was a boy.