Kage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

Especially when he saw Haku's face clearly, he felt even more unsettled.

Although they had only met once, he was full of affection for this "big sister," and in their conversation, he felt as if he were seeing his former self.

Even though he knew he had killed so many villagers, he couldn't bring himself to hate him deep down.

Now that he had died by his own hand, he wouldn't go so far as to say he felt regret, but the pain was very real.

His heart felt empty, as if he had lost something.

What should I do now?

Continue killing and finish off Zabuza?

This thought made Naruto feel extremely resistant; he didn't want to kill anymore, not even a little bit.

But just because he didn't want to kill didn't mean Zabuza didn't want to kill him.

He didn't notice that Zabuza's movement, which looked like he was about to kiss Haku's cheek, was actually him catching the hairpin Haku used to tie his hair in his mouth; this time, he had finally obtained the weapon he wanted.

Let you be the one to accompany Haku in death!

Zabuza ignored the wounds on his body entirely and appeared in front of Naruto in an instant. With a twist of his head, the hairpin was about to pierce Naruto's neck, yet he was completely defenseless!

However, the next moment, a hand blocked the path to Naruto's neck, stopping the hairpin in the nick of time.

Just to block this strike, his palm was completely pierced through by the hairpin.

Naruto was startled, only then realizing how dangerous it had just been, and hurriedly pulled away.

"Keiichi!" Only then did he see clearly who had saved him.

Looking at Haku, who had collapsed on the ground without breath, Keiichi seemed to feel no pain at all; instead, he smiled at Naruto.

"Well done, Naruto."

Yes, more than just well done!

The moment Haku breathed his last, Keiichi received a notification from the system:

"Massacre initiated: Naruto, who never kills, was forced to kill. Gained 50 Magic Modification Points."

You have to understand, this was the largest haul ever, so how could Keiichi not feel happy?

Therefore, he was much gentler toward Naruto, looking at him as if he were an elite monster that dropped gold coins!

What did a little injury matter for that?

Once Haku was dead, Keiichi knew the situation was secure. Don't let Zabuza's appearance of a cornered beast fool you; in reality, those previous movements had already aggravated his wounds. Bandages were soaked with a large amount of blood, which kept dripping onto the floor. If he continued to fight, he would die from blood loss before long.

Severely wounded and having lost the Kubikiribōchō, how could Zabuza maintain his peak strength? He couldn't even hold a kunai steady and could only rely on his mouth to hold the hairpin to launch attacks—how much of a threat could that be?

Looking at his trembling arms, he probably couldn't even manage to weave hand signs if given the time!

Therefore, Keiichi handled him with ease and grace. All of his movements were seen through by the Sharingan, making it effortless to dodge his attacks time and again.

Zabuza in this state might be able to kill some small fry, but he was far from being able to deal with a ninja!

In a short while, Zabuza collapsed to the ground and stopped moving. The surge of adrenaline had made him forget the pain for a moment, but once it wore off, he was like a rusted machine, becoming increasingly stiff.

Keiichi looked at his dying form with a sense of pity. If he had really been given another week to recover, he might have truly returned to the strength of an elite Jonin.

But who told him to discover this place ahead of time?

"Kill me, I don't want to..."

"Alright." Before Zabuza could finish his sentence, Keiichi slashed his throat with a blade.

Zabuza, who held the title of Demon, died just like that at the hands of Keiichi, without rhyme or reason.

As the pressure lifted, Naruto slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the two corpses.

Just as Keiichi intended to use a scroll to seal the bodies, Naruto suddenly spoke.

"I want to bury them with my own hands."

"Do you have any idea how many ninjutsu secrets are on them? Bringing them back to the Leaf Village is the best choice."

"I know, but I..." Naruto grabbed his hair in frustration, unable to find a reason to convince him.

"Fine, we'll do as you say."

"Ah...?" Naruto was a bit surprised.

"We took advantage of their vulnerability. If we don't bury them properly, I'm afraid they won't let us go even as ghosts." Keiichi stuck out his tongue, putting on a look of lingering fear.

"Heh... heh..." Naruto wanted to laugh, but couldn't quite manage it.

In the end, Keiichi burned the entire hideout to the ground. He and Naruto dug a large hole nearby and buried the dead villagers along with Zabuza and Haku, then carried the Kubikiribōchō as a trophy and returned the way they came.

Only then did the sky finally begin to brighten; it was truly a night to remember.

Returning to Tazuna's house, they saw Kakashi sitting at the entrance with a gloomy face, and the two immediately looked away, feeling guilty.

Chapter 23: The Useless Kubikiribōchō

Sakura had returned a step earlier, carrying the unconscious Sasuke. Clearly, Kakashi had known what happened all along.

"Keiichi, I heard this was all your idea?" Kakashi's tone was extremely unfriendly.

"It happened like this..." Keiichi had long since prepared his story and began to explain his motives.

He started from Naruto's encounter with Haku, then mentioned how he noticed Haku's footwork was unlike an ordinary person's, showing traces of ninja training. Suspecting him, he followed him all the way, never expecting to stumble upon Zabuza's hideout.

Upon confirming that Zabuza had lost his combat capability, he reasoned that the only enemy left to deal with was Haku. Since Kakashi was also severely wounded, they were the only four left with any fighting power.

They were all peers, so he didn't believe that four-on-one, they could possibly lose.

So, they simply set out; if they succeeded, the payoff would be huge.

Besides, what if they failed? From the day they became ninjas, they had been prepared to sacrifice themselves at any moment.

Keiichi's explanation was logical and convincing, but Kakashi didn't see it that way.

You came from a cannon-fodder squad where your teachers instilled in you a fearless spirit of sacrifice, so of course you don't care about dying.

But do you even understand how important Naruto is?!

You have no idea!

Yet, this was exactly what frustrated Kakashi; he couldn't explain to a twelve-year-old child why Naruto was different from them.

The only thing that brought him relief was that Naruto was still alive and kicking, and they had actually won.

They won!

It was truly incredible!

Judging by Sakura's account, that guy named Haku was actually a bloodline ninja. He thought he had taken the threat seriously enough, but in the end, he had still greatly underestimated the opponent.

This could already be considered a match for a Jonin-level opponent!

If he had known beforehand, no matter how optimistic he was, he wouldn't have believed four green Genin could defeat a Jonin.

Escaping with their lives would have been a success.

Yet they had won, and not a single one was lost; the whole group survived.

What was a little injury? Just lie down for a couple of days and you'll recover.

Although the result was good, Kakashi still felt annoyed. This Keiichi was simply a troublemaker; he had too many ideas and dared to act on them, not at all like a steady, reliable ninja.

Of course, his own three students weren't exactly easy to manage either; when these four got together, they could really poke a hole in the sky.

They only succeeded this time because of luck; they might not be so fortunate next time.

He just wanted to finish the mission as quickly as possible and return to the Leaf Village; he couldn't let his disciples have any more contact with Keiichi, or heaven knows what kind of trouble would stir up next.

"Keiichi, merits and faults must be clearly distinguished. As the team leader, you should have reported such critical intelligence to me. You acted without orders, and although the result was good, you must still accept punishment. Do you understand?"

"I accept."

"Very well! You will stay here for the next few days and go nowhere until the mission is complete."

Ah, grounded...

"Yes..." Keiichi responded listlessly.

"What are you hiding behind your back?"

"Just a broken sword." Keiichi felt a bit guilty.

"A broken sword? This is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and it's the 'Severing Sword' that can automatically repair its own damage. Although it is your spoils of war, do you really think you can hold onto it?"

"If this sword is truly that important, then we can use it to trade with Kirigakure. I'm sure it could secure quite a few benefits for the Leaf Village, right?" Keiichi rolled his eyes and said with a smile.

"You're willing to hand it over?" Kakashi was somewhat surprised.

One had to know this wasn't an ordinary ninja tool. Holding it, a cannon-fodder type like Keiichi could potentially reach the pinnacle of his life overnight.

"It's just an external object. To become strong, one's own self is what matters most." Keiichi shook his head and tossed the Kubikiribōchō aside casually, not even glancing at it.

Of course, more importantly, he knew very well that compared to the other seven ninja swords, the Kubikiribōchō was the lowest tier, practically just there to make up the numbers.

Besides being able to repair itself with blood, what other merits did it have?

Those 50 Magic Modification Points were the most valuable thing from this battle!

Moreover, the Kubikiribōchō was simply too heavy and cumbersome for a child like him.

By the time he was suited to use it, the Fourth Great Ninja War might already be over.

It was tasteless to eat but a pity to discard; trading it for benefits from the Leaf Village was far more practical.

Kakashi nodded. This child was indeed clever and knew exactly what he wanted. As long as he maintained this momentum of growth, his future was truly unpredictable.

After settling Keiichi, Kakashi focused his attention on Sasuke. He hadn't expected this little guy to turn a misfortune into a blessing and awaken the Sharingan.

In this way, he had become the most suitable teacher for him; after all, in the entire village, no one understood the application of the Sharingan better than he did.

Naruto had also grown quite a bit. Although there was an element of trickery involved, being able to kill an opponent like Haku was no small feat.

Thinking about it this way, it seemed Keiichi's self-assertion had brought nothing but benefits. Could he actually be a lucky charm?

However, Sakura asking him for guidance on medical ninjutsu put him in a difficult position.

It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but that he didn't dare teach it!

A long time ago, Hiruzen had told him how difficult the path of the Copy Ninja was. If he didn't want to be resented, he must never share the things he had "stolen."

Fortunately, he could not copy the secret techniques of Kekkei Genkai; otherwise, had he provoked those bloodline families, he would never have lived to see this day.

What was to be done now? Kakashi fell into deep thought.

When Sasuke woke up, he couldn't wait to try and activate his Sharingan, and he succeeded on his first attempt, which left him inexplicably excited.

However, when he learned that Haku and Zabuza had died at the hands of Naruto and Keiichi while he was unconscious, he became much more silent.

From that moment on, Sasuke trained every day despite his injuries, working even harder than before, as if an invisible whip were lashing at his back, never daring to stop for even a moment.

As it turned out, before Kakashi's injuries had fully healed, something happened at the bridge.

Gato suddenly stormed the construction site with a large group of henchmen, beating everyone in sight and forcing them to halt work.

This was all due to a sudden thick fog that obscured their vision; otherwise, they would not have been caught unable to escape.

Tazuna rushed back to report the news, and the moment Sasuke heard about it, he could no longer sit still, heading toward the bridge without even saying a word.

Sakura hurried after him, her face unable to hide her anxiety, for Sasuke's wounds had not yet fully healed.

Kakashi found out too late to stop Sasuke, so he had no choice but to lift Keiichi's confinement, telling him to hurry over and help.

It was just that Naruto had gone to town early that morning to buy supplies; otherwise, having one more person would have provided an extra layer of security.

Gato was not powerful, and no matter how many henchmen he had, they were mere fodder; the real headache for Kakashi was the Hidden Mist ninja backing Gato.

Even though they had taken out Zabuza and Haku, this mission might not be as easy as it seemed.

Chapter 24: Borrowing the Tiger's Might

The villagers all thought that planting the flag of the Leaf Village would be enough to scare off Gato, but it could only be said that they were thinking far too wishfully.

Was Gato afraid of the Leaf Village?

Of course he was.