You Need to Pay More / The Leaf Village Never Lies

Keiichi wasn't about to back down either. He pulled out an Explosive Tag, looking ready to take them both down with him.

"Stand down. Don't make things worse." Kakashi frowned, stopping the situation from escalating any further.

At Kakashi's command, Keiichi's heart sank. Seeing how pale Kakashi was, he immediately understood.

If Kakashi was no longer able to fight, the others might not be a match for Haku.

The three kids were one thing, but Keiichi himself was injured, and his chakra was nearly depleted. If they really fought, he wasn't confident they would win.

Kakashi clearly suspected the other person wasn't really a Hunter-nin, but this was no time to start a fight.

So they could only watch helplessly as Haku carried Zabuza's body away and vanished after a few bounds.

"Tch. Why did we have to give way to a Kirigakure Ninja?" Naruto grumbled indignantly.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi collapsed to the ground, unconscious and possibly near death.

Chapter 14: You Need to Pay More

Keiichi wasn't surprised at all. Just as he'd thought, the Sharingan put far too much strain on Kakashi. He'd only been forcing himself to stay on his feet. His chakra had probably been exhausted long ago.

So, much as he hated it, he could only let Haku leave. He couldn't be sure he could stop him on his own.

Did Kakashi, the Anbu Captain, really not see what was going on?

He'd simply taken advantage of the fact that he was still conscious to scare the other man off, letting them both back down.

With Kakashi down, nobody was in the mood to dwell on what had just happened. They hurried after Tazuna to his village so they could settle in as soon as possible.

It wasn't until the next day that Kakashi woke up. His first words left everyone present stunned.

"Zabuza is still alive."

"What?!"

"How is that possible?!"

Everyone stared in disbelief, but not one of them questioned Kakashi's judgment.

Only Keiichi tried to act surprised, then realized he'd underestimated his own acting skills. He simply couldn't match their exaggerated expressions of shock.

"Keiichi, you'd already figured it out, hadn't you?" Kakashi asked calmly.

"All right, I had. But there was nothing I could do to stop him in that situation." Keiichi gave up pretending and admitted it.

"Do you have any idea how much effort it took us to defeat Zabuza? How could you...!" Naruto grabbed Keiichi by the collar and shouted furiously.

"Naruto, stop! He did the right thing."

At Kakashi's words, Naruto reluctantly let go.

"Actually, Kakashi-sensei was the one who defeated Zabuza. It had nothing to do with us. At best, we were just a burden." Keiichi straightened his clothes and spoke calmly.

"You're too modest, Keiichi. I wouldn't have escaped so easily without your help." Kakashi smiled faintly.

"I didn't do much. You were the one who hid your Water Clone so cleverly, Lord Kakashi. I just did a good job of playing along."

"Oh? My Water Clone...? All right, that's true." Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone full of amusement.

Of course, he understood what Keiichi meant. He was using this favor to get Kakashi to help cover up the fact that he had used a Water Clone.

That... really would be hard to explain.

"So... would you like me to teach you the Water Clone technique?"

"Thank you, Lord Kakashi." Keiichi bowed at once, accepting without hesitation and making their agreement official.

Nobody realized that a favor had been traded so smoothly in just a few words.

Kakashi smiled. Keiichi was becoming more and more interesting to him. That quick wit of his was far better than that of the students he had.

It was a shame he came from a civilian family. His prospects were limited...

Helping cover this up was the only thing Kakashi could do for him.

"Why do you say Zabuza isn't dead, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Because that Masked Man wasn't a Hunter-nin sent by the Hidden Mist at all."

"What?!"

"Thinking back, he seemed far too confident when he killed people with Steel Needles. Remember, his target was Zabuza."

"Damn it, he fooled us!"

"Keiichi, you'd already figured it out, hadn't you?" Sasuke stared sharply at Keiichi and asked in a low voice.

"That's right. I was going to stop him, but Lord Kakashi stopped me."

Naruto was completely lost. How had Keiichi figured it out? And why had Kakashi-sensei stopped him?

"That's right. He was very strong. The four of you probably wouldn't have been able to beat him. He held back because I was there. Otherwise, the outcome could have been disastrous."

Kakashi's words left everyone silent. His meaning was clear: if they had fought, it was anyone's guess who would have come out on top.

How weak could one of Zabuza's accomplices be?

"That guy looked about our age. How strong could he be?" Naruto muttered.

"Naruto, there are plenty of people your age who are stronger than you. Don't underestimate anyone. Take Keiichi, for example. Even if there were ten of you, could you beat him?" Kakashi said seriously, pointing at Keiichi.

Keiichi waved both hands, insisting Kakashi was exaggerating. He grumbled to himself, Why drag me into this again? Are you really using me as bait?

"Hmph. I'll beat him sooner or later, and Sasuke too!" Naruto said stubbornly. Even he didn't realize that by saying so, he'd already admitted that Keiichi was stronger than him right now.

"You'll never beat me." Sasuke turned away. Their eyes met, sparks almost flying between them.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Sakura quickly changed the subject. "Kakashi-sensei, what exactly happened to you? You had the upper hand throughout the fight."

"It was the Sharingan. It puts too much strain on me. I usually try not to use it. I won't recover for at least a week." Kakashi smiled wryly, covering his eye.

Sasuke wanted to ask where Kakashi had gotten the Sharingan, but with so many people around, he didn't dare ask. He could only keep the question to himself.

Seeing Kakashi looking so sickly—and hearing that it would take at least a week for him to recover—Tazuna felt increasingly desperate.

What if Gato's men came after them again during that time? What could he do?

Was he really supposed to rely on a group of children?

Only Keiichi noticed that something was wrong. After thinking it over, he understood what Tazuna was worried about and suddenly had a bold idea.

After everyone had finished checking on Kakashi and they'd settled on a plan for the three kids to train hard over the next few days, Keiichi slipped away from the others and went to find Tazuna alone.

"Mr. Tazuna, there's something I need to make clear to you."

"What is it?" Tazuna looked confused.

"You... need to pay more." Keiichi said it without a hint of embarrassment.

"Pay more? Pay for what?! I don't have any money!" Tazuna jumped up in alarm.

He'd spent all his savings building the bridge. The people of the whole village had emptied their wallets to help, too. Where was he supposed to get any more money?

"Then that won't work. In that case, we'll have to head back."

"You Leaf Village Ninja don't keep your word! The mission was supposed to end when the bridge was finished!" Tazuna shouted angrily.

"That's true, but the fee was for a C-rank mission. Given the situation now, this mission should be at least A-rank. Zabuza was an elite Jonin. You know how much someone like him costs, don't you?" Keiichi said gravely.

Chapter 15: The Leaf Village Never Lies

Tazuna's worst fear had come true.

How could he not know? There was a million-ryo bounty on Zabuza!

That was unquestionably A-rank mission territory!

But who could have expected Gato to hire such a powerful ninja?

"Th-then how much more do you want?"

"At least three million ryo." Keiichi held up one finger.

"You're robbing me!" Tazuna sprang up as if his backside were on fire. The figure was far beyond anything he could have imagined.

"Do you really think that's excessive? Don't forget, Gato is your real enemy. Zabuza is only one of his men, and there's also a helper who seems to be just as strong. I think three million ryo is already too little."

Of course, Keiichi wasn't going to tell him that only Zabuza and Haku among Gato's men could actually fight. That was the advantage of knowing what was going to happen.

"Forget three million ryo! I don't have three hundred thousand or even thirty thousand!" Tazuna panicked.

"Then... I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. I want to see this mission through, but it's far too difficult now. Even if I risk my life, I'll still only get paid at the C-rank rate. Who'd be willing to put up with that?"

"You can't leave! What will happen to the bridge if you go?!" Tazuna grabbed Keiichi's arm in a panic and refused to let go.

"I'd rather have a failed mission on my record than take such a bad deal. Sorry, I'm leaving." Keiichi seemed determined to go.

"I have an elderly parent and a child to support—uh... The people of the entire Land of Waves are counting on that bridge to help them build a better life. Everyone's hopes are resting on you! You can't just abandon us!"

"You're trying to guilt-trip me. That only makes me less likely to agree."

Seeing Keiichi about to leave through the door, Tazuna threw caution to the wind. He slammed it shut and stood in front of it, acting as if he had nothing left to lose.

"What if I go out the window?" Keiichi grinned and headed toward it.

Just as Tazuna realized he couldn't stop him, inspiration struck. He shouted, "Go on, then! I don't believe Naruto and the others would abandon us too. That boy's an honest kid!"

If Naruto and the others get into trouble, let's see how you explain yourself when you get back!

Looking at the old man's shameless expression, Keiichi shook his head and sighed. "If you think those three kids can stop Gato's men, then keep dreaming."

Tazuna's expression crumpled at that, and he burst into tears.

He was truly desperate. He suddenly realized that even if he managed to stop Keiichi from leaving, what difference would it make? They still wouldn't be able to stop them.

They'd just go from having three kids to having four!

The only person they could rely on was the famous Jonin Kakashi, but he'd lost even the ability to fight.

Trying to save a little money had ended up costing him a lot!

"Mr. Tazuna, if you can come up with the money, I can promise you the bridge will be completed without fail." Keiichi seemed to soften and patiently tried to persuade him.

"There's nothing left, not a single ryo. We spent everything building this bridge," Tazuna said through his tears.

"Oh? How much did you spend on the bridge in total?"

"Roughly... two and a half million ryo..."

"Hmm... All right, that's about right. Then I'll make the decision for you: transfer the bridge to us as payment." Keiichi thought it over, then spoke magnanimously, as if he were taking a huge loss.

"...Huh?" Tazuna stopped crying, his mind momentarily blank.

"The bridge is worth about as much as the fee for an A-rank mission. Using it to pay us seems perfectly reasonable, doesn't it?" Keiichi said with a completely serious expression.

"But... I hired you to build this bridge. Wouldn't that mean I'd be building it for the Leaf Village for free, then handing you the bridge as well?" Tazuna slowly caught on. The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.

"You're trying to trick me! If that's how it works, I might as well give the bridge to Gato and be done with it!"

Keiichi gave a short laugh, cupped his hands in a farewell salute, and turned to leave through the window without another word.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"You have to at least give me a reason to agree!"

"I just think you're too stupid to understand something so simple. I can't be bothered to waste my breath on a fool like you."

Tazuna didn't get angry at being called a fool. Instead, he put on a humble, eager-to-learn expression and repeatedly cupped his hands.

"Tell me, why are you building the bridge?"

"To open up trade routes and give the poor people of the Land of Waves a better life."

"And what will Gato do if you give him the bridge?"

"He'll tear it down so it doesn't interfere with his shipping business."

"So how could giving the bridge to the Leaf Village be the same as giving it to Gato?"

"Uh..."

"Tell me, even if the bridge belongs to the Leaf Village, will it stop the Land of Waves from opening up trade routes and making money?"