Zabuza: We'll win!

Naruto crouched on a dead tree trunk, his toes tapping against the bark as he craned his neck.

Sasuke walked back from the two rogue ninja, his expression unchanged.

"Sasuke!" Naruto jumped down from the tree and rushed over to him in three quick strides. "What exactly did you show them? Those two were still being stubborn a moment ago, but the second you went over, they looked like they'd seen a ghost!"

Sakura followed behind him, her fingers still pinching the clasp of her ninja tool pouch. Her gaze darted between Sasuke and the two rogue ninja sprawled on the ground.

Yetou and Meitou were already unconscious, foam dribbling from their mouths. They were soaked through, and expressions of sheer terror still lingered on their faces.

"They were saying things about being cut in half and chopped into mincemeat..."

Sakura's voice was tight. She looked up at Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, what exactly did you show them?"

Sasuke put his hands back in his pockets. "Nothing much. Just some painful things."

"Painful things?" Naruto tilted his head, his brow furrowing. "How painful? More painful than getting chased and bitten by your dogs?"

"Naruto, Shiro has never bitten you," Sasuke corrected him. "He only knocked you over."

"That still hurt! I bruised my knee last time!"

Kakashi walked over, glanced at the two thoroughly incapacitated rogue ninja on the ground, then looked at Sasuke.

"Interrogating people with the Sharingan is very effective." Kakashi still spoke in that lazy drawl of his, but his right eye lingered on Sasuke's face a little longer.

"But be careful next time. Don't incapacitate them completely. Living prisoners are more useful than dead ones."

"They're not dead," Sasuke said. "They just won't wake up for a while. About three to five days."

"That's not too bad." Kakashi closed his book and casually stuffed it into his ninja tool pouch. "What did you find out?"

"They were hired to kill Tazuna. The man who hired them is named Gato, a shipping magnate from the Land of Waves."

"Gato wants to monopolize the shipping route between the Land of Waves and the mainland. The bridge Tazuna's building is cutting into his profits. These two were just the first wave. The real assassin is still coming."

Sasuke paused, then turned to look at Kakashi.

"They said the assassin's name is Zabuza Momochi."

Kakashi's hand stopped halfway into his pouch.

"Zabuza, huh."

"Is he strong?" Sasuke asked, watching Kakashi.

Kakashi pulled his hand out of his pouch and scratched the back of his head.

"How should I put it? He's one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, nicknamed the Demon."

"He spent many years in Kirigakure's assassination unit and specializes in the Silent Killing Technique. He wields Kubikiribōchō, a decapitating sword taller than a person."

He glanced toward Tazuna. The old man was leaning against his tree trunk, his face already gone deathly pale at the mention of Zabuza.

"I wouldn't lose in a one-on-one fight. But with assassination techniques, there's no need to fight head-on. If he hides in the shadows and goes after Tazuna while we're not paying attention..."

Kakashi swept his gaze over the group.

"I really couldn't be everywhere at once on my own. But there are five of us now. Two Root Chunin and three Genin. That should be enough to guard against an assassination."

Sasuke nodded without asking anything else.

"Good, then."

Naruto had listened to all of it, hands on his hips and chest puffed out.

"What's there to be afraid of? The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the Demon—who cares! With me around, he won't be leaving once he gets here!"

"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei is the one who'll be fighting Zabuza," Sakura reminded him quietly.

"So what?!"

"So could you stop getting carried away for a second?"

Kakashi clapped his hands. "All right, let's keep moving. If we don't reach the coast of the Land of Waves before dark, we'll have to camp in the woods.

"Mi and Tatsu, contact Konoha about the Demon Brothers. Someone will come to pick them up soon."

The cedar trees grew denser on either side of the dirt road. A sea breeze blew from ahead, carrying a salty tang and dampness.

"So this is the sea breeze? It doesn't smell very nice."

After walking for a while, Naruto could no longer contain his curiosity.

"Sasuke, what exactly did you show them? They seemed pretty stubborn to me."

"Exactly what they said. Getting chopped into mincemeat," Sasuke replied.

Naruto's steps faltered. "Huh?"

"Being turned into grilled meat," Sasuke added.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"Uh, I can't imagine what that would look like. But what goes on in that head of yours? How do you even come up with stuff like that?"

Sakura covered her mouth, looking uneasy too. "Sasuke-kun, isn't that method of interrogation a little... well... too extreme?"

"As long as it gets us information," Sasuke said calmly.

At the back of the group, Tatsu lowered his voice. "The target has awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. His genjutsu interrogation ability is at Special Jonin level."

Mi gave a reply so quiet it was almost inaudible. "Should we report it?"

"Yes. The Three-Tomoe information must reach Lord Danzo before the mission ends."

Tatsu tapped his fingers twice against his sleeve. It was a code agreed upon within Root.

"Send the message by summoning beast. You'll handle the report after the mission."

Mi fell silent for a moment. "Will Lord Danzo send more people?"

Tatsu didn't answer.

Both men looked up at Sasuke's back, then looked away at the same time and continued silently following at the end of the group.

Deep in the woods, about two hundred meters from the dirt road, two men stood on a branch of a cedar tree so thick it would take two people to encircle its trunk.

Zabuza stood bare-chested, his Mist Village Forehead Protector slanted across his forehead.

One hand rested against the trunk, and Kubikiribōchō leaned against a branch beside his feet. The white cloth wrapped around its hilt was soaked with mist and its owner's sweat.

Shiro stood half a step behind him, his long hair stirring gently in the wind high above.

He wore the porcelain-white mask of a Mist Village Anbu. Behind the eyeholes was a pair of quiet eyes.

"Mr. Zabuza, they've arrived."

Zabuza's mouth twitched. It was the satisfied look of a hunter watching prey enter a trap.

"Those two useless Demon Brothers. But Kakashi's brought along quite a few ordinary brats, too." Zabuza snorted.

"That little brat from the Uchiha Clan has interrogation methods dirtier than the Anbu's."

Shiro turned his head to look at the small group on the distant dirt road.

His gaze paused for a moment on the pink-haired girl and the boy in orange, then returned.

"Do you have a chance of winning, Mr. Zabuza? Your opponent is Kakashi Hatake."

Zabuza turned around and tapped the hilt of Kubikiribōchō twice with his rough fingers.

A low metallic hum echoed between the branches.

"Kakashi? He's certainly a tough one to crack. I've already called Raiga over."

"Besides, that fatso Gato has more money than he knows what to do with. He won't mind hiring another of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

He raised three fingers.

"Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. I'll take on Kakashi. Raiga and you can handle the brats and those two masked men, right?"

"Those brats may be no ordinary kids, but I think you're stronger, Shiro."

"So we'll win."

Shiro was silent for a while. "Will Lord Raiga agree?"

"He's already on his way." Zabuza pulled Kubikiribōchō off the branch and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

"Come on, let's stop crouching around here. Once Raiga gets here, we'll make our move by the bridge."