Mist Division felt as if his arm was being gnawed by a million ants, numb and itchy, unbearable. He clenched his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, but he still refused to put down the Ninja Blade in his hand.
He stared intently at Uchiha Itachi before him, inwardly marveling, "This guy's strength is unbelievable!"
Uchiha Itachi stared expressionlessly at the Mist Division Ninja, a slight, enigmatic smile playing on his lips. "Hmm? Ice Release? So you're a descendant of the Yuki Clan of Kirigakure. That's quite unusual. I heard your clan was wiped out because you were feared?"
His words struck Mist Division Annin's heart like a heavy hammer. His face turned ashen instantly, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Those painful memories buried deep in his heart surged up like a tide. His parents, relatives, friends... familiar faces flashed before his eyes, then gradually blurred.
However, the Mist Division ninja was not defeated by Uchiha Itachi's words. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He slowly steadied himself, gripped his Ninja Blade tightly with both hands, and continuously poured the Chakra within his body into it.
As she moved, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and a chilling aura spread out.
"Ice Release: Thousand Cherry Blossoms!" Mist Division shouted, and with a sudden swing of his Ninja Blade, countless ice blades scattered and danced like cherry blossoms, sweeping towards Uchiha Itachi.
This move was incredibly powerful; an ordinary ninja would likely have been torn to shreds by the barrage of ice blades.
However, Uchiha Itachi simply stood still, motionless. His Susanoo skeleton was like an indestructible fortress, easily withstanding the attacks of the Mist Division ninja.
The ice blades struck the Susanoo skeleton with a crisp sound before shattering into countless ice shards scattered across the ground.
Seeing this, Mist Division's heart sank. But he was not discouraged. Instead, he quickly adjusted his posture, swung his Ninja Blade again, and continued to attack.
Buzz buzz buzz!
With each collision between the Ninja Blade and the Susanoo skeleton, deafening roars echoed through the air.
However, despite Mist Division's best efforts, each of her attacks was like a stone sinking into the sea, failing to cause any real damage to Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi stood there quietly, his gaze fixed on the Mist Division in front of him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Although this ninja's strength was far inferior to his, she displayed extraordinary perseverance and tenacity, which made Uchiha Itachi look at her in a new light.
After a fierce exchange, the longsword of the Mist Division ninja was badly damaged, with numerous nicks and slits on its blade.
He finally realized that the Susanoo skeleton before him was not something she could easily destroy.
Just then, the Mist Division ninja suddenly knelt down with a thud. Without hesitation, he kowtowed deeply to Uchiha Itachi and shouted, "Respected Konoha Ninja, I am Zabuza- sama's subordinate, Yuki Haku. Please Zabuza -sama!"
Yuki Haku's voice revealed a resolute and determined tone. She seemed to completely disregard her own dignity, and her only thought was that Uchiha Itachi would Zabuza and allow him to live peacefully.
If it weren't for Lord Zabuza, he would have died on that snowy night!
Zabuza's words, "From now on, you'll follow me," were like a lightning bolt piercing the darkness in Yuki Haku's heart, allowing him to find a glimmer of hope amidst endless confusion.
For Yuki Haku, this sentence was not just a simple phrase, but a kind of redemption, a force that rekindled his passion and courage for life.
In the depths of Yuki Haku's heart, Zabuza had become his everything. He was willing to give everything for Zabuza, even his own life. Because in his eyes, Zabuza was his faith, his only motivation to live.
Therefore, when Uchiha Itachi captured Momochi Zabuza, Yuki Haku rushed forward without hesitation, wanting to save his lord Zabuza. However, his actions were met Zabuza a reprimand from Zabuza.
"Hey! Haku! Get out of here! In my eyes, you're nothing but a useful tool! I don't need you pleading for me here!" Zabuza's voice was cold and ruthless, like ice shards in the dead of winter, sending chills down one's spine.
Yuki Haku quietly looked at Zabuza- sama, his eyes filled with no resentment, only endless tenderness and concern.
He smiled slightly and said softly, "Lord Zabuza, if that were really the case, you wouldn't have forced the silver needle out of the back of your neck, would you?"
These words were like a sharp sword, piercing Zabuza Zabuzhan's hard shell and exposing his true feelings.
Momochi Zabuza, and he turned his head away from Yuki Haku. Damn it, that guy was still so perceptive. But to be honest, Momochi Zabuza really didn't want Haku to get caught up in the ninja Uzumaki.
After all, Bai was different from him. His hands were already stained with blood, and he knew that what goes around comes around. He died here today because he was no match for Bai. He had no regrets.
However, Zabuza absolutely cannot involve Yuki Haku in this. He was so innocent and kind; hell should not be open to him, and he should not have died so young.
Therefore, Zabuza could only pretend to be a fierce jackal, trying every means to make Yuki Haku hate him, so that he could live and not remember him after his death.
When Yuki Haku saw Zabuza's fierce appearance, he only trembled slightly before regaining his composure. He raised his head to look at Zabuza, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips.
"Lord Zabuza, if you hadn't passed through our village, I would probably be in hell by now, reunited with my family."
"In my heart, Lord Zabuza is not an evil person, but a great benefactor. I believe in my own choice, so please, Lord Zabuza, stop saying such hurtful things!" Yuki Haku smiled at Zabuza.
Zabuza momentarily speechless. He turned his head away, his eyes filled with tears and boundless tenderness. He never expected that he would be called a ghost or Ghost God and then described as a good person. Only that idiot Bai would think that way.
Uchiha Itachi remained silent, looked at Yuki Haku, then at Zabuza, retracted the Susanoo skeleton, and placed Zabuza on the ground.
Zabuza aback. He looked at Uchiha Itachi, "You're not going to kill me?"
Uchiha Itachi glanced at him. "After all, you didn't cause any harm to my mission target, and you have such a loyal subordinate, so I'll let it go this time. But if there's a next time, I definitely won't show any mercy."
Momochi Zabuza was stunned. He looked at Uchiha Itachi as if he were looking at an idiot, because he couldn't understand why a ninja who attacked him would not kill him when he had the absolute advantage, but instead let him go.
This was the first time he had ever seen such a thing.
With gratitude in his eyes, Yuki Haku bowed several times to Uchiha Itachi to express his thanks.
Uchiha Itachi waved his hand, then asked a question, "Zabuza, are you short of money?"
Zabuza aback. He instinctively wanted to refuse to answer, but Uchiha Itachi had just let him go, which made him feel that he owed Uchiha Itachi a favor.
Besides, they just wanted to know the situation; what can't I say?
Zabuza. "That's right, I'm short of money, a lot of money!" He looked at Uchiha Itachi and didn't hide anything.
He plans to use part of the money to live with Yuki Haku. Currently, the lives of ninjas in various Ninja World, except for those in Konoha, are barely enough to support their families.
However, the situation with missing-nin is complicated. To be honest, Zabuza regretted it somewhat. He betrayed the Mist Division for the sake of his pride, which resulted in him having almost no source of missions.
It made him worry about daily necessities, but he didn't care about these things at first. The main thing was that Yuki Haku was taken in.
He didn't want Yuki Haku to end up like him, wearing the same clothes over and over again, patching them up repeatedly, and therefore only being able to accept some shady tasks from nobles.
Once the nobles learned he was missing-nin, they continuously reduced the scope of his profits, ensuring he earned less. Even if he harbored resentment, he couldn't possibly harm the nobles.
Now, nobles and merchants have become his main source of income, and if he were to target them, it would be tantamount to cutting off his own path.
If he wanted money then, he would have to resort to robbery! In that case, Zabuza be a bandit! As a ninja, he absolutely could not accept such an outcome.
Therefore, he has not had a good life these years; his profits from his tasks have always been squeezed, but he can only endure it.
Uchiha Rou released her Susanoo and stepped forward. "Uncle, do you want to come to Konoha? The rewards for missions here in Konoha are strictly controlled, and no one will embezzle them."
Having witnessed Zabuza's strength, Uchiha Rou considered recruiting him on behalf of her elderly father.
Sitting at home, Uchiha Kō's lips curled up. Zabuza? To be honest Uchiha Kō quite admired him, after all, he was a ninja who appeared in the first volume.
His values are absolutely sound, so he has no objection if Zabuza is willing to join Konoha.
Zabuza aback. Did missing-nin like him really deserve to join Konoha? He had heard of Konoha.
Konoha is Icha Icha Paradise for ninjas and ordinary people, with a Hokage who loves his people dearly and officials who serve the villagers wholeheartedly.
At night, doors were left unlocked and lost items were not picked up. 24-hour commerce developed rapidly, and every month, the Hokage Building would provide subsidies to registered ninjas.
To make the ninjas' lives comfortable.