"Why did you spare Haku and Zabuza?"
Naruto asked while flying.
Sakura countered, "If the original plot had continued, what would have happened to Haku and Zabuza?"
"They'd have died."
"And then?"
"Then... much later, Kabuto would have brought them back with Impure World Reincarnation to keep working?" Naruto suddenly realized. "You want to weaken Kabuto ahead of time?"
"They're more valuable alive than dead. Besides, I hope to find a way to improve myself through Haku."
"What do you mean?"
"Ice Release is composed of Water Release and Wind Release, and I possess Water Release. Haku's existence can provide a reference for developing new techniques later on. It's like how the Soul Game's schools are created by rearranging and combining existing schools."
"A new technique...? That sounds interesting."
"Sakura, why don't you tell us your real purpose?" Kakashi stared at Sakura.
"Teacher Kakashi," Sakura deliberately let a hint of sorrow enter her voice and said softly, "I encountered that masked boy by chance before."
She simply picked up the story of Naruto's original experiences.
"What?" Kakashi was somewhat surprised. "What did he say to you?"
Sakura gently shook her head. "He didn't try to deceive me. He only told me about his past. Because of his Kekkei Genkai, his family was killed, and he became homeless. At the loneliest point in his life, he met Zabuza."
"He already regarded Zabuza as his only family, so he obeyed his every command. But Zabuza merely viewed him as a tool."
Zabuza, nearby, snorted. "Hmph. Ninja are tools to be used by others in the first place. You're far too naïve."
"Shut up!"
Sakura's voice trembled slightly, prompting Naruto, who had pricked up his ears to listen in, to silently praise her professionalism.
She turned toward Zabuza, her overflowing resentment clear in her voice. "He liked you so much! Even when Sasuke restrained him, he still fought with everything he had to save your life. But what about you? You never cared about him! He wanted to become as strong as you, and this is how you treated him?!"
Zabuza froze. Then he turned his head toward Haku, who was being pinned beneath Sasuke's foot like a pig or dog.
Sakura's voice carried a faint sob. "That guy doesn't even have a dream of his own... And in the end, this is what happened to him... This, this is just... too cruel..."
By the end, Sakura was already sobbing uncontrollably. Kakashi and Zabuza were both deeply shaken.
Naruto was deeply shaken as well.
"6666666... She said everything I wanted to say. No, not my words—the original Naruto's words... Speaking of which, does this count as girls helping girls? A cross-dressing guy counts as a girl too, right?" he muttered inwardly.
"Kid... don't... say anymore..." Zabuza stared blankly at Haku. Haku met his gaze and gave him a bitter smile.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zabuza. I can't fulfill your wish."
Sasuke awkwardly moved his foot away. Just now, he had suddenly felt as though he was the real villain.
"Anyway..." Sakura slowly wiped away her tears. "If Zabuza is executed just like this, that boy will definitely die with him... Yes, die with him."
"He doesn't deserve death."
After hearing this, Kakashi remained silent for a long while before finally letting out a long sigh.
"All right. We'll take Zabuza and this boy back to Konoha together. But let me make this clear first: I can't guarantee that we won't run into a real Pursuit Force on the way."
With that, he signaled for Sasuke to knock Haku unconscious, then struck Zabuza with a knife-hand and rendered him immobile himself.
"Boss, there's one more problem," Naruto finally spoke up from the side. "There's also that bastard Gato. He still hasn't shown himself. Could he have run away?"
Since earlier, Naruto had created Shadow Clones to search the surrounding area. Unfortunately, Gato seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, leaving no trace behind.
In fact, none of them had seen the man from the very beginning.
"This is bad." Naruto immediately felt a toothache coming on. It would be disastrous if that man started running around freely.
By the time they finished the Chunin Ninja Exams instance, perhaps half the ninja world would have been turned into close friends and relatives.
"Naruto, don't think about hunting down Gato for now," Kakashi suddenly said.
"We're all injured. Besides, we still have to protect Mr. Tazuna while he builds the bridge and find a place for Zabuza and the others. We're already far too short on manpower..."
"Who said we're far too short on manpower?"
Suddenly, a tremendous noise erupted around Kakashi. Billowing white smoke filled the area, with several figures concealed within it.
"Kakashi, my eternal rival! Long time no see!"
The tall figure at the center slowly emerged from the white smoke. He had glossy black hair, a powerful full-body uniform, bright and focused eyes, a crisp, resonant voice, sharply defined muscles, and brows as if carved by a knife...
Konoha support had arrived: Might Guy—Emperor Guy, Taijutsu Expert, Six Paths Madara Certified, Kakashi's Eternal Rival—had brought the Taijutsu Squad!
"Teacher Guy, could you stop being so dramatic in the future?" Tenten walked out from behind him with a speechless expression.
"Oh!! Teacher Guy, I can feel my youth burning fiercely! By the way, where are the enemies? Is it that guy in yellow?" He pointed at Naruto, who had yet to deactivate his Nine-Tails state.
Well, Naruto did indeed look a little villainous in this state.
Naruto was delighted and immediately nodded repeatedly. "That's right, I'm the enemy. Prepare to die!"
Neji, at the very back, held his forehead. "He's wearing a Konoha forehead protector. Give it a rest, Lee. Seriously..."
Before Neji could finish, Rock Lee shot toward Naruto in a single burst, unstoppable as a breaking wave!
"Konoha, Whirlwind!" Lee closed in on Naruto, immediately lowering his body as he prepared to sweep Naruto off his feet.
At that moment, it was just like that moment in the original story—except that in the original, Naruto had charged at Lee and been easily defeated by him.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, completely reining in his Nine-Tails Chakra. He reached out and seized Lee's powerful calf, then flung him in the opposite direction. The residual force from the leg made his arm shake violently.
"Your strength and speed are both sufficient, but your angle lacks unpredictability," Naruto said flatly.
He immediately used the recoil from Lee's kick to flip backward, then summoned a Shadow Clone at lightning speed. After readjusting his center of gravity, he hurled his real body at Lee like a javelin!
A spear shot forth like a swimming dragon!
Lee's eyelid twitched violently. He immediately swung out another heavy, powerful whip kick. Unexpectedly, Naruto summoned another Shadow Clone in midair and adjusted his position. Lee's whip kick merely destroyed the clone, and the mist produced by its disappearance instantly blocked his vision.
"It's over."
When the smoke cleared, Naruto's kunai was pressed firmly against Lee's neck, leaving him unable to move.
"Do you know why you lost? It wasn't because you only used taijutsu while I used ninjutsu. It was because you were too impatient."
"Never mind failing to notice my Konoha forehead protector. Once you're in close combat, you should keep your eyes open in all directions and your ears alert to every sound."
"Against a Shadow Clone user like me, you should guard every blind spot and launch a defensive counterattack the instant I expose one of my own. That's the easiest way to seize the initiative."
The surroundings fell silent.
Before you continue