A Worthy Tool

"Hm?!"

Zabuza's eyes widened, his face twisting into a fierce glare.

It was as if he were warning Cangwu not to do anything reckless.

Otherwise, he would rather kill himself.

But when he saw Cangwu's eyes turn crimson with the Sharingan once again,

he instinctively looked toward Haku.

Aside from panic and reluctance, Haku's face held an almost desperate anticipation.

Zabuza's eye twitched.

Like a deflated ball,

"you win."

After saying that, Zabuza slumped to the ground.

Seeing this, Haku felt a pang of heartache.

"Mr. Zabuza... I'm always ready to die for you..."

"No need." Zabuza cut Haku off, closed his eyes, and refused to look at him.

Haku's meaning was clear: he didn't want Zabuza to feel cornered.

If Zabuza felt humiliated, Haku would rather "go on ahead."

"In that case... from today onward, your lives belong to me."

"Hmph!" Zabuza crossed his arms and snorted.

But since he didn't object, that meant he accepted the fact.

"What do you want us to do?"

Cangwu ignored Zabuza and looked at Haku instead.

"Surely you're tired of living on the run after all these years?"

"Go back and investigate all of Gato's assets."

"Wait for the right opportunity, kill Gato, and reclaim all of his assets."

"What?!" Zabuza's eyes widened.

He was going to make sure they could never work as ninja again.

Killing a client... that was a major taboo.

"Okay."

Haku agreed without the slightest hesitation.

He even gave Zabuza a sweet smile.

"Mr. Zabuza," Haku called softly.

"You once said that we ninja are all tools."

"Since our lives belong to Mr. Cangwu... that makes Mr. Cangwu the owner of the tools."

"All a tool needs to do is follow orders."

"I believe Mr. Cangwu won't send us to our deaths."

"Besides... we don't have a choice anymore."

Haku's words left Zabuza silent.

Looking at the pleading in Haku's eyes,

Zabuza sighed.

"Heh..."

He gave a self-mocking laugh, then said,

"I suppose you're right."

"Besides, you want us to put those three brats through their trial, don't you?"

Zabuza wasn't stupid.

Earlier, he'd sent a water clone ahead, and Cangwu had deliberately left one of them to deal with Team 7.

He'd already figured out Cangwu's intentions.

Since he'd accepted his fate,

then... in truth, it wasn't much different from the life he'd been living on the run.

If anything, accepting his fate meant setting down the burden of struggling to survive.

Zabuza found that it wasn't so bad.

But there was no way he'd admit that.

So, since they no longer had a choice, they might as well make the best of it.

Zabuza's willingness to bring it up himself caught Cangwu a little off guard.

But that worked out perfectly; he'd been planning to ask anyway.

After all, he hadn't forgotten that his cheat was all about teaching and nurturing.

His rewards were tied to Team 7's strength.

"No rush. First, finish the job involving Gato's assets."

"Money is still important right now."

"Also, if you can, gather more people."

Cangwu intended to keep them in the Land of Waves.

Of course, he couldn't say that outright.

Zabuza and Haku could probably guess what he had in mind when they heard him mention gathering people.

It was also a promise of future rewards, something Cangwu was dangling in front of them.

Knowing how to manage people meant knowing how to dangle a carrot.

If you're enjoying this book, add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time.

The trick was knowing how to dangle it.

"Yes!"

Haku bowed respectfully to Cangwu.

He'd already guessed that once they finished this job, he and Zabuza would have to disappear for a while.

But as rogue ninja, they'd spent most of their lives like rats in the street, constantly looking over their shoulders.

Now, all they had to do was obey orders.

Besides, he trusted Cangwu to leave them a way out.

In short, their future wasn't all darkness.

Even if it was... as long as he could be with Zabuza, he'd be content.

"I won't bother explaining the rest."

"I value your identities, not your strength."

"Remember, don't even think of betraying me. Otherwise... I'll take your lives at once."

"Being alive is good. Being able to live well is even better."

"Yes, Lord Cangwu!"

Haku quickly dropped to one knee.

Almost instinctively, he looked at Zabuza.

Zabuza asked in a low voice,

"Will Kirigakure's Blood Mist policy continue?"

"No. Once the Fourth Mizukage returns to normal, he'll be eager to put the Blood Mist policy behind him."

Cangwu thought for a moment, then added, "It'll be a great achievement, and the future Fifth Mizukage will surely step forward to make it happen."

"The Fifth Mizukage, huh... Heh. I hope so."

Zabuza picked up Kubikiribōchō and slung it over his back.

Cangwu didn't seem to be lying.

Even if he was... so what?

Zabuza wasn't strong enough to turn the tide in the Blood Mist.

As he watched the sun slowly rise,

Zabuza basked in the morning light.

"So that's how it is... I have just one request... one plea."

"From now on, I want to live in the sunlight."

Zabuza looked up at the clear blue sky.

Then he turned toward Cangwu.

"It'll take some time."

"But all you need to know is that I'll grant your request after the Chunin Ninja Exams in Konoha," Cangwu said, looking back in the direction they'd come from.

"By then, everything will be ready."

"The Chunin Ninja Exams... I understand." Zabuza took a deep breath and, like Haku, went down on one knee.

"Before then, is there anything else you need me to do?"

Cangwu smiled faintly. "Just finish the job here in the Land of Waves."

"When the time comes, I'll send someone to tell you."

"I don't think you'll have any qualms about going after Gato."

In the original story, Gato had tried to double-cross them, yet they hadn't even considered making a move against him.

But all of that had been based on Zabuza's blind confidence.

Of course, Zabuza had also been caught between a rock and a hard place.

On one hand, he couldn't beat Kakashi and couldn't complete Gato's job.

On the other, if he refused the job, Gato's power—and the force behind him that let him get away with such dirty deeds—would make sure no one hired Zabuza again...

As for robbing Gato?

Plenty of people coveted Gato's wealth.

If they really robbed him, they'd just be waiting for the Five Great Villages to kill them and divide up his fortune under the guise of justice.

"We've already been exposed. There's no way to clear ourselves of suspicion. Besides... if we kill Gato..."

Zabuza's voice trailed off. He didn't finish the sentence.

His meaning was already clear.

Cangwu smiled.

"Zabuza, you used to be an Anbu ninja in Kirigakure, didn't you?"

Though puzzled, Zabuza nodded.

"Then let me put it another way."

"When a client gives you a mission, do you need to check whether the details are true?"

Hm?!

Zabuza's eyes widened. "You mean...?!"

Cangwu smiled without saying a word.

"Phew!"

"I understand."

After calming himself, Zabuza replied in a low voice,

"Once we get back, I'll say that I failed and need some time to recover."

"Gato will be unhappy and start doubting us. After we look into it, Haku and I will leave behind a few 'eyewitnesses' to say that Gato tried to double-cross us, so we killed him."

"We'll do everything we can to make sure this doesn't affect you."