Reaching a Consensus

"Stop now, your chakra is already exhausted."

Kakashi looked at Haku: "If you continue to force yourself to use ninjutsu, you will die."

Haku knew this, but he had no other choice.

"I also think it would be best for you to stop."

Naruto's voice drifted over, and he emerged from the thick fog, shaking the Zabuza he was carrying by the collar. He held a Kunai against Zabuza's neck and gestured twice: "Unless you want Zabuza to suffer."

"Zabuza-sama... has lost."

Looking at Zabuza in Naruto's hands—unconscious but still alive—Haku suddenly collapsed.

Kakashi couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief; his own chakra was nearly bottomed out, enough for at most two more C-rank ninjutsu: "Naruto, well done."

Naruto was quite pleased by Kakashi's praise, letting out a "hehe" laugh as he pulled out two sealing scrolls, unrolling them to use as rope to bind Haku as well.

"Why are you the only one here?"

Kakashi asked: "Where are Sasuke, Sakura, and Mr. Tazuna?"

"Just now, Zabuza used a large-scale Water Style technique. I was worried Mr. Tazuna would get hurt, so I used the Flying Thunder God Technique to send him home first."

Naruto explained: "It turned out I arrived just in time to encounter the samurai sent by Gato. If I had been any later, Tsunami and Inari might have been captured or killed. I was worried Gato might send more people later, so I had Sasuke and Sakura stay at the house with them."

Kakashi nodded and asked Naruto: "How do you intend to handle these two?"

"Huh?"

Naruto was stunned: "Kakashi-sensei, I was hoping for your advice; why are you asking me instead?"

"They were both defeated by you, so how to handle them is naturally your decision."

Kakashi said seriously: "Whether you want to kill them, let them go, or bring them back to Konoha, I have no objections."

"I don't want to kill them, but letting them go isn't an option either."

Naruto thought for a moment: "Let's take them back to the village first."

Kakashi nodded: "I will explain everything to the Third Hokage."

Just as the two were preparing to leave with Zabuza and Haku, Gato arrived at the other end of the bridge, accompanied by a group of samurai.

"So arrogant when talking big, yet you ended up losing so miserably."

Gato leaned on his cane, slowly walking over surrounded by a large crowd: "You have disappointed me, Zabuza."

Zabuza lay quietly, offering no reaction.

It was Kakashi's first time seeing Gato, and he had no particular thoughts, asking calmly: "You must be Gato. Bringing so many people here, what is your business?"

"Need you ask? Obviously, to finish you off."

Gato said with a wicked grin, looking very composed; the numerous samurai behind him gave him plenty of confidence: "I actually quite dislike ninjas. The hiring fees are expensive as hell, and there's always the risk of betrayal. It's truly quite troublesome."

Gato gripped one end of his cane with both hands and slammed the other end heavily against the ground: "But rogue ninjas are different. The price is cheap, and they'll act as enemies to ordinary ninjas like you. I originally wanted to wait until you had both exhausted each other, then use a human-wave tactic to finish you all off at once. That way, I could have saved a large sum of money."

"Unfortunately, Zabuza is too useless. Forget about mutual destruction; he couldn't even force you to expend much of your stamina."

Gato shook his head, looking regretful: "And he calls himself the Demon of the Hidden Mist? If you ask me, he should just be called the Clown of the Hidden Mist."

"He said that about you."

Naruto said to the Zabuza lying on the ground: "The client you encountered is quite despicable."

"...It's fine. Since leaving the Hidden Mist, I've encountered similar situations many times over the years."

Zabuza flipped his body like a salted fish and struggled to sit up: "There is no longer any need for us to fight. Can you let me go?"

"Hmm... fine, but only you."

Naruto considered it for a second and retracted the sealing scrolls wrapped around Zabuza: "I have left a technique mark on you, so even if you run away, we will catch up to you immediately."

"Rest assured, I will not run. This is the final pride of a defeated man."

Zabuza pulled out a Kunai and unleashed a chilling killing intent toward Gato and his group of samurai: "But you lot, don't think you're leaving here alive!"

After saying this, Zabuza began a "slaughter" as if he were a vengeful ghost—even without the Kubikiribōchō, and even after exhausting most of his chakra, Zabuza still possessed Jonin-level combat ability. Killing these ordinary people who didn't even have chakra was no more difficult than waving a hand.

Naruto watched silently as the people in front of him fell one by one, the smell of blood gradually blending into the surrounding fog.

"Watch closely; that is the truest face of a ninja."

Kakashi said somewhat coldly: "Whether in the past or the present, a ninja is an existence that takes the lives of others. If you don't fully understand this, there is no way to talk about changing the Ninja World."

Naruto watched as Zabuza became increasingly stained with red. There was no intolerance in his eyes, nor was there numbness—only the calmness of someone who understood everything: "I understand."

About half an hour later, only four people remained alive on the bridge.

Zabuza walked over slowly, the blood on his body gradually congealing, though his aura was not as frightening as before.

"Hey, kid."

Zabuza walked up to Naruto: "How do you intend to handle me and Haku?"

"Originally, I intended to take you back to Konoha and hand you over to Grandpa Third."

Naruto looked at the corpses on the bridge: "But now, Gato is dead, and the assets he left behind need someone to manage them."

Zabuza: "You want us to help you manage Gato's assets?"

Naruto did not answer, continuing to ask: "I've heard that rogue ninjas usually scratch out their headbands. Why haven't you done that?"

Zabuza fell silent. After a long while, he finally spoke: "I never betrayed the Hidden Mist; it is the people currently in the Hidden Mist who betrayed me. One day, I will return and transform the Hidden Mist into the image I desire."

"So that is your ambition."

Kakashi: "You want to become the Mizukage?"

Zabuza: "That is correct."

"What a coincidence, I also want to become the Hokage!"

Naruto laughed: "Uncle Zabuza, let's make a deal. I'll let you and Haku go, and you will be responsible for properly managing the legacy Gato left behind. A portion of the money earned will be used to help you return to the Hidden Mist and become the Mizukage, and another portion will be used to help me become the Hokage."

Zabuza agreed decisively: "Fine."

Kakashi watched the two reach a consensus in silence, feeling quite troubled: "How am I supposed to report this to the Third when we get back..."

Naruto continued to talk with Zabuza for a while, released the seal on Haku, and then the four of them worked together to clean the bridge deck.

By the time they finished, it was already noon.

Naruto had Zabuza and Haku go to take over Gato's estate, while he and Kakashi returned to Tazuna's house for lunch.

Upon learning that Gato and his samurai subordinates were all gone, Tazuna immediately relayed the good news to his companions, after which the speed of the bridge's construction increased significantly.

In the blink of an eye, another six days passed, and the Great Naruto Bridge was fully completed. Team 7's first C-rank mission also drew to a close.