The Mist Rolls In Again

In the "employee dormitory" Gato had prepared for his men in the Land of Waves, Gato stood with two samurai, glaring unhappily at Zabuza. "Didn't you say you'd kill that old bridge-building bastard any day now? Why has he not only made it safely back to the Land of Waves, but also kept right on building the bridge? Is the so-called Demon of the Hidden Mist only good at making big promises?"

Zabuza was furious, but had no way to argue back—after all, he had said exactly that.

Who could have guessed they'd run into Konoha's Copy Ninja?

Who could have guessed that among the Genin accompanying that Copy Ninja would be a monster of a kid!?

"Don't worry. Since I accepted your commission, I'll see it through."

Zabuza suppressed his killing intent and replied calmly, "Once I'm ready, I'll bring that old man's head straight to you."

"I hope you're not making empty promises this time."

Gato adjusted his sunglasses and left with the two samurai.

Once Gato was gone, Zabuza slumped into his chair, as if all his strength had left him. "Haku."

"I'm here."

A masked figure appeared beside Zabuza. "Why wouldn't you let me step in earlier?"

"Even if you had, you wouldn't have been able to deal with them. You would only have let those Konoha ninja find out you were here."

Zabuza tore the bandages from his face and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Our target is the old man building the bridge. There's no need to go head-to-head with Konoha's ninja. For the next two days, prepare with me. We'll look for a chance to get around them and take the old man's head directly."

"I understand."

With four ninja guarding the site, the bridge workers felt safer than they had in a long time. Naruto also used Shadow Clones to help carry materials, significantly speeding up construction.

"It's already the fifth day."

Sakura leaned against the bridge railing, bored. "Kakashi-sensei, when do you think Zabuza will attack?"

"I don't know."

Kakashi looked just as relaxed. "The bridge should take about two more weeks to finish. Zabuza will definitely come before then, but exactly when depends on how soon he's ready."

Sasuke's expression was much the same as usual. "Ready?"

"He needs a replacement for the Kubikiribōchō, since Naruto has it."

Kakashi analyzed the situation. "And with our strength, he has no chance in a direct fight. So he'll definitely try to get around us and go straight for Tazuna."

"Can he get around us?"

Sasuke said coldly, "He's only one person, and there are four of us."

"He might not be alone."

Naruto suddenly leaned in. "When Kakashi-sensei fought Zabuza, someone was hiding farther away the whole time. They didn't seem hostile toward us, though, so I could never pin down their position."

Sakura asked, "If they're Zabuza's ally, how could they not be hostile toward us?"

"Not being hostile doesn't mean they won't hurt us."

Naruto said, "Think of ourselves. When you pluck a flower or casually snap a blade of grass, are you doing it out of malice?"

Sakura was at a loss for words.

"Just as Naruto said, even without malice, they could still put our lives in danger."

Kakashi turned to Sakura and Sasuke. "You two seem to have started trying out some techniques taught by that master of yours. Be careful with your bodies. If Zabuza attacks while you're both unable to fight, we'll be in serious trouble."

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. Qi Refining isn't chakra training, so it won't damage our bodies."

Naruto explained, "Qi is a kind of energy in our bodies. Qi Refining just builds up and strengthens that energy. There are no ill effects from Qi Refining alone, even if you do it for twenty-four hours a day."

"So it only builds up and strengthens the body's energy. Combined with the Uzumaki Clan's constitution... no wonder you have so much stamina and chakra."

Kakashi thought of an old friend. "This 'Qi Refining' you mentioned should be well suited to ninja who specialize in Taijutsu."

"That's right."

Naruto nodded. "But qi isn't just useful for Taijutsu. My master said that if you can learn to use qi, you can become as strong as a ninja even without chakra."

Kakashi's eyes widened a little. "So, can you use qi?"

"Not at all."

Naruto said with a smile, completely unembarrassed. "My master said that I'm not stupid, but I'm not especially clever either. What he's already taught me is enough. Rather than waste time and effort on things that would be hard to master even if I learned them, I should focus on training what I already know to a higher level."

Naruto said it casually, but Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi were all inspired in different ways. It prompted each of them to make some changes to their plans for the coming days.

Another three days passed in the blink of an eye. The bridge was coming along well, and nothing unexpected had happened.

Early that morning, the bridge workers began their day, and Team 7 arrived at the same time.

"The fog's pretty thick today."

Kakashi surveyed their surroundings and realized visibility was poor. "And with seawater all around us, even Naruto's Wind Release might not be enough to clear the Hidden Mist Technique in these conditions."

"You mean..."

A hint of excitement showed on Sasuke's face. "Zabuza might attack today?"

"If I were him, I'd choose today."

Kakashi nodded. "Be careful, and pay special attention to Tazuna."

"Right!" ×3

Things went much as Kakashi had predicted. When Zabuza saw the heavy fog over the sea that day, he immediately grabbed his prepared ninja tools and went with Haku to hide near the bridge.

"Zabuza, I've found the target."

"Good. Now disguise yourself as a Kirigakure Ninja pursuing me and go talk to them. While they're focused on you, I'll kill the old man."

"Understood."

"Go."

When a masked ninja appeared openly on the bridge, everyone in Team 7 immediately went on alert.

Kakashi recognized the pattern on the mask and judged that the newcomer was from Kirigakure. "Mist Hunter-nin Unit. What brings you here?"

"We're pursuing Zabuza."

Haku delivered the lines he had prepared. "We received word a few days ago that he'd been seen nearby. Have you seen him?"

Kakashi remained calm. "I have no obligation to tell you that."

"Fair enough."

Haku replied evenly, "How about this, then? If you're willing to share any information you have on Zabuza, once we've dealt with him and recovered the Kubikiribōchō, Kirigakure will pay you according to the rate for an S-rank mission."

"That sounds pretty good."

Kakashi nodded as Haku looked at him with slight anticipation. Then his tone changed. "But I refuse. You're not part of the Mist Hunter-nin Unit at all. You're Zabuza's ally, aren't you?"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had already sent the bridge workers away. Only Tazuna remained, surrounded by the three of them.

"How did you figure it out?"

Haku looked puzzled. "I don't think I did anything suspicious."

"My subordinate says he can't sense any hostility from you."

Kakashi lifted his Forehead Protector. "But how could someone from the Mist Hunter-nin Unit possibly have no hostility about them?"