Naruto: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

Keiichi was not to be outdone, pulling out an explosive tag with the air of someone ready to go down with his opponent.

"Stop, let's not invite unnecessary trouble." Kakashi frowned, preventing the situation from escalating further.

Hearing Kakashi's order, Keiichi's heart skipped a beat; seeing the man's pale complexion, he immediately understood why.

If Kakashi lost his ability to fight, the group present might truly be no match for Haku.

Setting aside the trio of students, the crux of the matter was that he himself was injured and his chakra was nearly exhausted; he had no confidence in a real fight.

It seemed Kakashi also highly suspected whether the other party was truly a hunter-nin, but this was simply not the right time to start a war.

And so, the group could only watch helplessly as Haku took Zabuza's body away, disappearing without a trace after a few leaps.

"Tch, why did we have to back down to a Mist ninja?" Naruto was still fuming with indignation.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than Kakashi collapsed to the ground, his life or death uncertain.

Keiichi felt no surprise at all; it was just as he expected. The burden of the Sharingan was far too heavy for Kakashi, and he had likely been forcing himself to stay upright, his chakra long since overdrawn.

Therefore, although he was unwilling, he could only watch Haku leave, for he had no certainty of stopping the other party on his own.

Did they really think Kakashi, a captain of the Anbu, couldn't see the problem?

It was merely a mutual retreat, using the last of his consciousness to scare the opponent away.

With Kakashi incapacitated, the group no longer had the heart to dwell on what had just happened, and they quickly followed Tazuna to his village to get settled as soon as possible.

It wasn't until the next day that Kakashi woke from his coma, and his first words left everyone present in shock.

"Zabuza is still alive."

"What?!"

"How is that possible!"

The group was stunned, yet they did not doubt Kakashi's judgment for a moment.

Only Keiichi tried to put on a look of surprise, only to realize he had overestimated his acting skills; he simply couldn't manage the level of shock that made everyone else's jaws drop.

"Keiichi-kun, you saw it too, didn't you?" Kakashi asked calmly.

"Fine, I saw it, but under those circumstances, I couldn't have stopped it." Keiichi gave up on the act and simply admitted it.

"Do you know how much effort it took for us to defeat Zabuza? How could you...!" Naruto grabbed Keiichi by the collar, shouting in extreme anger.

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

Hearing Kakashi's words, Naruto let go, albeit reluctantly.

"Correction: it was Kakashi-sensei who defeated Zabuza, not us. At best, we were just dead weight." Keiichi straightened his clothes and said calmly.

"Keiichi-kun is too modest. If not for your help, it wouldn't have been so easy for me to break free." Kakashi smiled faintly.

"I didn't do much. It was your Water Clone that was hidden so cleverly, Lord Kakashi; I just cooperated well."

"Oh? My Water Clone... is that so? Very well, that is indeed the case." Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone quite playful.

He naturally understood what Keiichi was trying to express: he wanted to use this favor to have Kakashi help cover up the fact that he himself had used a Water Clone.

That... was indeed difficult to explain.

"Then... would you like to learn the Water Clone technique from me?"

"Thank you, Lord Kakashi." Keiichi didn't stand on ceremony, bowing excitedly to seal the deal.

No one noticed that in just a few words, a transaction of favors had been successfully completed.

Kakashi smiled; this Keiichi was becoming more and more interesting to him. With this kind of wit, he was far superior to the students in his own charge.

It was just a pity that he was a commoner; his future achievements would be limited.

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

"Kakashi-sensei, why did you say Zabuza isn't dead yet?" Sakura asked at this moment.

"Because that masked person is no hunter-nin from the Mist."

"What?!"

"Thinking back now, the way the opponent used needles to kill was far too confident. You must remember, that was Zabuza."

"Damn it, we were tricked by him!"

"Keiichi, you saw it early on, didn't you?" Sasuke stared at Keiichi with sharp eyes and asked in a low voice.

"That's right. I wanted to keep him, but Lord Kakashi stopped me."

Naruto was left completely confused. How did Keiichi figure it out? And why did Kakashi-sensei stop him?

"Indeed, that person is very strong. With just the few of you, you likely wouldn't have been a match for him. He only refrained from attacking because he was wary of my presence; otherwise, the consequences would have been unpredictable."

Kakashi's words silenced everyone. His meaning was clear: if they had really fought, it wasn't certain who would have been the one left behind!

How weak could an accomplice of Zabuza possibly be?

"That guy looked about the same age as us, how strong could he really be?" Naruto muttered.

"Naruto, there are plenty of people your age in this world stronger than you; don't underestimate anyone. Take Keiichi for example—even if there were ten of you, do you think you could beat him?" Kakashi said with a stern expression, pointing a finger at Keiichi, who was standing to the side.

Keiichi waved his hands repeatedly, saying it was an exaggeration, while inwardly grumbling, Why are you dragging me into this again? Are you really using me as a catfish to stir things up?

"Hmph, I'll beat him sooner or later, and Sasuke too!" Naruto said defiantly, though he didn't realize that by saying this, he had already admitted in his heart that the other party was currently stronger than him.

"You'll never beat me in this lifetime." Sasuke turned his head, and their gazes clashed, as if sparks were about to fly.

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Sakura quickly changed the subject: "Kakashi-sensei, what kind of injury did you actually sustain? Weren't you in the dominant position throughout the fight?"

"It's the Sharingan. It puts too much of a burden on me. Under normal circumstances, I prefer not to use it, and now it won't recover for at least a week." Kakashi covered his eye and gave a wry smile.

Sasuke desperately wanted to ask where Kakashi had obtained the Sharingan, but with so many people around, he couldn't ask in public and had to keep it to himself.

Looking at Kakashi's sickly appearance, especially hearing that he needed at least a week to recover, Tazuna felt increasingly desperate.

What would happen if Gato's men came knocking during this time?

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

Only Keiichi noticed his distress. After a moment of thought, he understood what Tazuna was thinking and suddenly had a bold idea.

Once everyone finished visiting Kakashi and the plan for the trio's intensive training over the next few days was set, Keiichi slipped away from the others and found Tazuna alone.

"Mr. Tazuna, there is something I must make clear to you."

"What is it?" Tazuna looked confused.

"You... need to pay more." Keiichi said with a calm expression.

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

To build this bridge, he had not only spent all his savings, but the entire village had emptied their pockets for it as well; where would he get more money?

"That won't do. If that's the case, we'll have to head back home."

"You Leaf Village ninjas have no integrity! The contract clearly stated the mission would end only when the bridge was finished!" Tazuna was furious.

"That is true, but that was the price for a C-rank mission. Given the current situation, this mission should be at least A-rank. You know the price tag for an elite jonin like Zabuza, don't you?" Keiichi said seriously.

Fear was exactly what Tazuna was feeling.

How could he not know? The bounty on Zabuza was as high as one million ryo!

This was clearly an A-rank mission!

But who could have guessed beforehand that Gato would be able to hire such a powerful ninja?

"Then... then how much more do you want..."

"At least three million ryo." Keiichi raised a finger.

"You're robbing me!" Tazuna jumped up as if his backside were on fire; this number was completely beyond his imagination.

"Do you think that's an exaggeration? Don't forget your real enemy is Gato. Zabuza is just one of his subordinates, not to mention there might be another helper with similar combat strength. I think three million is a bargain."

Keiichi certainly wouldn't tell him that among Gato's men, only Zabuza and Haku were actually capable fighters, and the rest were weaklings—but he had the advantage of foresight.

"Forget three million, I can't even come up with three hundred thousand, or even thirty thousand!" Tazuna was suddenly anxious.

"Then... I'm afraid I can't help you. I really want to complete this mission successfully, but the difficulty is just too high. Even if I risked my life, I'd only be getting paid for a C-rank mission. No one would be able to tolerate that, right?"

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

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

"I have elderly parents and young children to support, and... the people of the Land of Waves are all waiting for this bridge to be finished so they can live a better life! Everyone's hope is pinned on you; you can't just abandon us!"

"You're using moral blackmail, which makes me even less inclined to agree."

Seeing Keiichi about to walk out the door, Tazuna went all out, slamming the door shut and blocking it with his body, looking like a stubborn mule.

"Can't I just climb out the window?" Keiichi chuckled and turned toward the window.

Seeing he couldn't stop him, Tazuna had a sudden flash of inspiration and shouted, "Go ahead! I don't believe Naruto and the others will abandon us too; he's an honest kid!"

If something happens to Naruto and the others, let's see if you can explain that when you get back!

Looking at the man's desperate, deadbeat behavior, Keiichi shook his head and sighed, "If you think those three kids can stop Gato's men, then keep living in your dream world."

Hearing this, Tazuna's expression collapsed, and he burst into loud sobs.

He was truly desperate. He suddenly realized that even if he convinced Keiichi to stay, what would it change? Wouldn't he still be unable to stop them?

It would just be four children instead of three!

The only one he could rely on was the famous jonin Kakashi, but he had lost his basic combat capability.

Greed leads to great loss!

"Mr. Tazuna, as long as you can come up with the money, I can guarantee that the bridge will be completed successfully." Keiichi seemed to soften, trying to persuade him earnestly.

"It's gone, every penny is gone. To build this bridge, all the money was poured into it," Tazuna said while crying.

"Oh? Then how much did you spend on this bridge in total?"

"A... about two and a half million ryo..."

"Hmm... alright, that should be about right. I'll make the executive decision for you: sign the bridge over to us." Keiichi pondered for a moment, acting as if he were suffering a great loss, before speaking with a magnanimous air.

"...Huh?" Tazuna stopped his sobbing, his mind momentarily frozen.

"The value of this bridge of yours is roughly equivalent to the commission fee for an A-rank mission. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for you to use it as payment?" Keiichi said with a look of utter sincerity.

"But... I hired you specifically to finish building this bridge! Doesn't that mean I'd be working for free for you Leaf Village folks? And then I have to hand over the bridge on top of that?" Tazuna gradually began to process the logic, and the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

"You're trying to swindle me! If that's the case, I might as well just hand the bridge over to Gato and be done with it once and for all!"

Keiichi let out a chuckle, cupped his hands in a mock salute, and without saying another word, turned to leap out the window.

"Wait!"

"What now?"

"You at least have to give me a reason that convinces me!"

"I just think you're too stupid. You can't even grasp such a simple concept, and I have no interest in wasting my breath on a fool like you."

Despite being called a fool, Tazuna didn't get angry; instead, he adopted a humble, eager-to-learn expression and bowed repeatedly.

"Let me ask you: what is the purpose of you building this bridge?"

"To open up trade routes and let the impoverished people of the Land of Waves live a better life."

"Then if you hand the bridge over to Gato, what will he do?"

"He would obviously tear it down so it wouldn't interfere with his shipping company's business."

"So, how could handing the bridge over to the Leaf Village possibly be the same thing as handing it over to Gato?"

"Ah, this..."

"Let me ask you: even if this bridge belongs to the Leaf Village, would it hinder the Land of Waves from opening trade routes and making money?"