Appearing

Kakashi instantly appeared beside Zabuza, pressed a kunai against Zabuza's neck, and said...

You lost.

"Heh, I never thought I, Zabuza, would fall to you today. But to die at your hands, Kakashi, is a worthwhile death."

Zabuza harbored resentment towards Kakashi, but also sought relief in dying at the hands of a stronger opponent.

"Kakashi-sensei is amazing!"

When Naruto saw Kakashi defeat Zabuza, he jumped up with joy.

"Finally safe."

Even the bridge-building expert Tazuna breathed a sigh of relief. He had been terrified when he saw Kakashi being trapped by the enemy, because even the strongest Kakashi couldn't stop them, and he couldn't count on the other kids. It turned out that it was all Kakashi's doing. From Kakashi's escape to his subjugation of Zabuza, Tazuna's heart had been on a rollercoaster of tension, and now he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hey friend over there, can we come out now that we've seen this much?"

Kakashi spoke up at that moment.

"What?"

There are other people here.

Naruto, Sasuke, and the others were taken aback and quickly surrounded Tazuna. He was their target for protection, and they couldn't afford to let anything happen to him.

"Could it be that Kakashi knows Haku is hiding in the shadows? Impossible, Haku's concealment technique couldn't have been discovered so easily."

Zabuza thrilled, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Karot, your brother has spotted us. Shall we go out?"

Kakuzu finished speaking, he looked at Karot.

"It's all because you accidentally revealed your presence."

Karot rolled his eyes at Kakuzu. When Kakuzu saw Kakashi trapped by Zabuza's Water Prison Technique, he got excited and revealed his presence, which Kakashi noticed, thus exposing his location.

"Friend, aren't you coming out? If you're not, I'm going to make my move."

Kakashi looked in the direction of Karot and Kakuzu and said.

"Um?"

Seeing that Kakashi wasn't looking in the direction Haku was hiding, Zabuza breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Haku's strength was no match for Kakashi. During their final Ninjutsu exchange, Zabuza had already witnessed Kakashi's power; he had felt this strength from the Mizukage. Kakashi had reached Kage Level, while he was merely an elite Jonin. There was an insurmountable gap between Jonin and Kage Level, and with this gap, an elite Jonin was far from being a match for Kage Level. He also developed a slight interest in this hidden person.

"Could it be other ninjas sent on an assassination mission?"

This question arose in Zabuza's mind. And this question was also the question of everyone present.

Haku stopped his leap. Zabuza was a bond Haku couldn't sever, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. But seeing that Kakashi wasn't looking in his direction, Haku remained hidden.

As the saying goes, "after much anticipation, they finally emerge," and seeing everyone looking in their direction, Karot and Kakuzu no longer hid and stepped out.

"Kakashi, my dear brother, I never imagined we'd meet under these circumstances."

Before seeing him, Kakashi heard his voice. Upon hearing it, Kakashi knew something terrible had happened. Karot had seen his embarrassing moment, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Embarrassment was embarrassment, Karot didn't care.

"Damn it. How did he manage to see us?"

Karot and Kakuzu suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

"Sasuke, that man said he's Kakashi's brother."

Naruto nudged Sasuke on the shoulder and said.

"I am not deaf."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his "friend." Now he finally saw this ninja whom his brother and Shisui both greatly admired. But he couldn't see anything different about Karot. It was the ninja beside Karot who had a powerful aura, while Karot was just ordinary.

"I really don't understand why my brothers and the others revere this man so much."

Sasuke murmured.

"Sasuke, what did you say?"

Naruto leaned forward, wanting to listen to Sasuke, but Sasuke pushed him away.

"Kid, stay away from that man."

Suddenly, the Nine-Tails inside Naruto's stomach spoke.

"Hmm? Nine-Tails, do you know him?"

Nine-Tails's sudden conversation made Naruto even more interested in the man before him. Nine-Tails was usually aloof and ignored everyone; Naruto had taken Naruto several years to finally speak to Nine-Tails, but Nine-Tails had always been indifferent. Today's unusual behavior caught Naruto completely off guard.

"Hmph, he thinks he can even get to know the Nine-Tails Fox?"

Nine-Tails sat up with his arms crossed, looking like he was the most important person in the world. However, his evasive eyes betrayed his true feelings.

Naruto was too young to realize that Nine-Tails was all bark and no bite.

Just as Nine-Tails was showing off to Naruto, a voice came in.

"You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you, you fox?"

The sound startled both Nine-Tails and Naruto; they hadn't expected there to be a third person inside Naruto's stomach.

Who is it?

"Weren't you just talking about me? Why can't I recognize my voice?"

After identifying the owner of the voice, Nine-Tails was immediately startled. It hadn't expected that its self-congratulatory chatter would be overheard. It truly proved the old saying: don't speak ill of others behind their backs.

The Nine-Tails creature simply buried its head among its nine tails, much like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Naruto was completely dumbfounded by Nine-Tails's actions. It was the first time he had ever seen someone scare Nine-Tails like that with just a few words. Even his mother and father had never done it, yet this man had done it so easily. At that moment, Naruto's interest in Karot went straight to admiration.

"Alright, I'm not playing with you anymore. Just stick with him and get the Nine-Tails. This kid is the one you've been waiting for."

Karot's words only reached Nine-Tails's ears; Naruto didn't hear them. He only saw Nine-Tails stare at him with wide eyes as soon as Karot finished speaking. Naruto was so startled he took a step back. It was the first time he'd seen Nine-Tails like this; that look made Naruto feel extremely uneasy. However, Nine-Tails didn't give Naruto time to react, and immediately sent Naruto flying.

Could it really be him?

The Nine-Tails felt that this outcome was absurd when it thought of Naruto's appearance.

"However, a strong person like Karot wouldn't deceive himself."

Nine-Tails's heart was clearly leaning towards Karot's words.

After Naruto was expelled from the Nine-Tails' consciousness space, he saw Karot smile at him. It seemed like they had been communicating in the consciousness space for a long time, but in reality only a few seconds had passed.