Task One in Progress

Regaining his composure, Zabuza relied on his remaining chakra to force out one last Hidden Mist Technique, determined to take Haku away with him. At this moment, Isho felt incredibly troublesome and dangerous to him.

Gray, hazy mist rapidly spread and enveloped the area. Isho turned his head and flexed his hands without haste, feeling a power he had never experienced before.

Even though the mist obscured his vision with the Three-Tomoe, every move the two made across from him was clearly transmitted to his ears.

"Zabuza, it's your turn to guess where I am~ You use this Hidden Mist Technique quite well; it saves me from wasting my own chakra."

Isho's voice echoed from above. Even though it was Zabuza who had deployed the technique, he could not pinpoint Isho's true location.

"Found you!"

Zabuza hurled a Kunai with a fierce throw, but with a soft 'poof', the target he struck dissipated.

"Your little trick of playing god is quite good, relying on Water Clones to talk and wear down the enemy's patience while your true body hides in the shadows, waiting for a chance to deliver a fatal blow."

Isho seemed to be everywhere; his voice resonated from all directions.

"Kid, who exactly are you?! This chakra, which surpasses my peak state—could it be that you are a Konoha Jonin disguised using the Transformation Technique!"

While questioning Isho, Zabuza had already secretly formed hand seals to summon six Water Clones. With his chakra nearly exhausted and the simple dressing on his back, he was spent.

He no longer had the strength to fight. Even at his peak, he couldn't be certain of defeating Isho as he was now, let alone in his current, dire state.

Sensing Zabuza's intention to flee, Isho decided to stop toying with them.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Water dragons nearly two zhang tall emerged from behind Isho's four Shadow Clones; he was going all out from the start.

Two water dragons blasted Zabuza's Water Clones into nothingness. Another water dragon, to Zabuza's disbelief, surged directly toward him and Haku.

In the moment of crisis, Zabuza quickly shoved Haku aside and held the Kubikiribōchō horizontally across his chest to block. Boom! Zabuza was sent flying in a sorry state, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, Haku suppressed his inner grief and was about to check on Zabuza's injuries when another water dragon, coming from an unknown direction, blasted him backward several meters.

"This power is truly fierce."

To be safe, Isho only sent his Shadow Clones to observe their injuries.

"I know clearly what you have been through. It is not you who are wrong, but the country you reside in that has gone astray. Therefore, I offer you a choice: become my companions or face death."

Facing their surprised gazes, which showed little wavering, Isho continued, "I will not force you to do anything, and what I ask of you will be for the greater good. But there is one premise: from now on, you must never commit evil. For any money you lack, I will provide it in the form of issued missions. You may judge for yourselves whether to take the missions I offer. There won't be many, and you will be free to do as you please the rest of the time. Furthermore, if you are in danger, you may call on me for help."

Hearing that they could call on Isho for help when in danger, Zabuza turned his head with difficulty to look at Haku, his expression wavering. Haku nodded at Zabuza, ready to follow whatever decision he made.

"Also, I am 13 years old. I am not some Jonin in disguise; if you don't believe me, you can investigate me, Uchiha Isho. If you still wish to change the Land of Water in the future, I believe I have the strength to overcome any obstacle."

The two looked at Isho again in astonishment. To possess the strength of a top-tier Jonin at 13—as long as he didn't die prematurely, he would surely become a Kage-level, or even a top-tier powerhouse among them.

"I agree. I hope you do not go back on your word. Pfft!"

As soon as Zabuza finished speaking, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed, unconscious. Clearly, he had been forcing himself to stay awake until now.

Seeing this, Haku struggled to get up, his eyes filled with worry as he looked at Zabuza. He shot a glare of resentment at Isho and said in a cold voice, "If you don't take us to get treated soon, you won't have to wait long before you're collecting our corpses."

Isho scratched his head in slight embarrassment, and his two Shadow Clones each supported one of them, rushing toward the destination Haku indicated.

Inside Gato's base, after Haku's ministrations and the use of the medicinal supplies found there, Zabuza's condition finally stabilized.

"Uchiha Isho, you stay here and watch over Zabuza. Gato might bring his men to inspect the place; I hope you can help me drive them away when that happens. The medicine here isn't enough; I'm going to gather some herbs."

Seeing Isho nod earnestly, Haku finally felt at ease and left.

It was already evening, and Isho looked out the window, feeling a bit bored as he considered his next move.

That night, Haku had yet to return when the door was rudely kicked open. Gato, short and stout, walked in, flanked by two fierce-looking samurai.

Seeing this, Isho suddenly smiled. He had been planning to go and rob the man, but the prey had delivered itself to his doorstep.

"Brat, what are you laughing at? Where did you come from? I've never seen you before."

Gato questioned Isho with a puzzled look.

Isho couldn't be bothered with small talk. He grabbed the Kubikiribōchō nearby and instantly flashed in front of the two samurai, slicing through them as if they were tofu; their heads were severed from their bodies.

"So... fast."

As their heads were about to hit the ground, both samurai uttered the same sentiment.

"What are you doing!! Don't come any closer! I can give you whatever you want. Zabuza, stop your subordinate!"

Watching Gato fall to the ground in terror, Isho grabbed him by the collar like a chick with his left hand. He then glared at him with his scarlet eyes, a murderous glint in his gaze.

"Take me to where you hide your money. If you don't comply, your end will be far worse than those two on the floor. Hahahaha!"

Isho's crazed demeanor and words made Gato tremble uncontrollably, his mouth repeating over and over, "I'll give it, I'll give it all to you. Just spare my life."

After leaving three Shadow Clones behind to guard Zabuza, Yi Xiang watched as Gato trembled while leading the way forward.

Before long, the samurai stationed at Gato's residence gathered together, surrounding Yi Xiang and Gato in a tight circle.

Gato's fear dissipated by more than half, and he slowly turned to look at Yi Xiang. He saw only an expressionless face, with blood-red eyes that shone brilliantly in the dark night, scanning the twenty-plus samurai surrounding them.

Yi Xiang could not help but recall the scene of the first time he had killed someone; it was that very B-rank mission that had caused him to awaken his Three-Tomoe.

That B-rank mission had shown him what true scum looked like; that band of about a hundred mountain bandits could be described as having committed every evil imaginable. They would snatch beautiful women from nearby villages into their stronghold to toy with them at will, the youngest being no more than fourteen or fifteen years old.

If any family was unwilling to hand over their wealth, then in the eyes of those bandits, it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. They would simply slaughter everyone and then proceed to search for the money.

It was precisely because those bandits had a strategist with some foresight that they were able to settle on the border of a small nation. The location was treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and perfect for hiding.