Zabuza: I will win!

Naruto squatted on a withered tree trunk, his toes perched on the bark as he stretched his neck out as far as it would go.

Sasuke walked back from the two rogue ninjas, his face devoid of expression.

"Sasuke!" Naruto leaped down from the trunk, covering the distance to Sasuke in a few quick strides. "What on earth did you show them? Those two were stubborn as mules just a moment ago, but the second you walked over, they looked like they'd seen a ghost!"

Sakura followed behind him, her fingers still gripping the buckle of her ninja tool pouch, her gaze darting back and forth between Sasuke and the two rogue ninjas sprawled on the ground.

Meitou and Yetou were now unconscious, white foam bubbling from their mouths, their bodies soaked through, and their faces still twisted in a mask of extreme terror.

"They were babbling about being sliced in half, being chopped into mincemeat or something..."

Sakura's voice sounded strained as she looked up at Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, what exactly did you show them?"

Sasuke shoved his hands back into his pockets. "Nothing. Just some painful things."

"Painful things?" Naruto tilted his head, his brows knitting together. "How painful? More painful than being chased and bitten by those dogs of yours?"

"Naruto, Shiro never bit you," Sasuke corrected. "He just tackled you."

"That still hurts, okay! I had a bruise on my knee last time!"

Kakashi walked over from the side, took one look at the two completely incapacitated rogue ninjas, and then glanced at Sasuke.

"The efficiency of Sharingan interrogation is quite high." Kakashi's tone remained as lazy as ever, but his right eye lingered on Sasuke's face for a moment longer than usual.

"But be careful next time; don't break them. A living prisoner is more useful than a dead one."

"They aren't dead," Sasuke said. "They just won't be waking up for a while. Three to five days, give or take."

"That's fine, then." Kakashi closed his book and tucked it into his pouch. "What did you find out?"

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

"Gato wants to monopolize the shipping routes between the Land of Waves and the mainland, and the bridge Tazuna is building is blocking his path to profit. These two were just the vanguard; the real killers are still to come."

Sasuke paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at Kakashi.

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

Kakashi's hand, still in the middle of tucking away his book, froze in mid-air.

"Zabuza, huh."

"Is he strong?" Sasuke watched 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 Kirigakure, nicknamed the Demon."

"He spent many years in the Kirigakure assassination squad and specializes in silent killing techniques. He uses the Kubikiribōchō, a decapitation blade taller than a man."

He tilted his head to glance at Tazuna. The old man was leaning against a tree trunk, his face turning deathly pale at the mere mention of Zabuza's name.

"I wouldn't lose in a one-on-one fight. But assassination isn't always about a frontal assault. If he hides in the shadows and strikes at Tazuna when we aren't looking..."

Kakashi swept his gaze over everyone present.

"I can'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 defend against an assassination."

Sasuke nodded, not asking any further questions.

"That's fine, then."

Naruto, having listened from the side, planted his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest.

"What's there to be afraid of! Some Seven Ninja Swordsmen, some Demon! With yours truly here, he won't be leaving once he shows up!"

"Naruto, it's Kakashi-sensei who has to fight Zabuza," Sakura reminded him in a low voice.

"So what?!"

"So, could you stop getting ahead of yourself?"

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

"As for the Demon Brothers, let Mi and Tatsu contact Konoha; someone will come to collect them soon."

The cedar trees on both sides of the dirt road grew denser, and the sea breeze began to blow from ahead, carrying a mix of salt and dampness.

"Is this the sea breeze? Doesn't smell very good, does it?"

Naruto walked for a while, but his curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Sasuke, what did you really show them? I thought they were supposed to be tough."

"Just what I said: sliced into mincemeat," Sasuke said.

Naruto's footsteps faltered. "Huh?"

"Turned into grilled meat," Sasuke added.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"Uh, I can't even imagine what that looks like. But seriously, what kind of stuff do you have in that head of yours to come up with something like that?"

Sakura covered her mouth, her expression looking rather unpleasant. "Sasuke-kun, isn't that method of interrogation a bit... well... a bit extreme?"

"As long as it gets the intel, it's fine," Sasuke said calmly.

At the rear of the team, Tatsu lowered his voice: "The target has activated the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. His genjutsu interrogation ability has reached the level of a Special Jonin."

A nearly inaudible response came from Mi's throat: "Does it need to be sent back?"

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

Tatsu's fingers tapped twice against his sleeve, the secret signal agreed upon within Root.

"Send a summoning animal to deliver the message. You will be responsible for this report once the mission is over."

Mi was silent for a moment: "Lord Danzo won't send anyone else, will he?"

Tatsu did not answer.

Both men looked up at Sasuke's back simultaneously, then withdrew their gazes at the same time, continuing to follow silently at the end of the team.

Deep in the dense forest about two hundred meters from the dirt road, two figures stood on the horizontal branch of a cedar tree wide enough for two people to embrace.

Zabuza was shirtless, his Kirigakure forehead protector hanging askew on his temple.

He pressed one hand against the tree trunk, the Kubikiribōchō thrust diagonally into the branch beside his feet, the white cloth wrapped around its hilt soaked through with mist and its master's sweat.

Shiro stood half a step behind him, long hair swaying slightly in the high-altitude breeze.

He wore the porcelain-white mask of the Kirigakure Anbu, and behind the eyeholes of the mask were a pair of quiet eyes.

"Zabuza, they have arrived."

Zabuza's mouth twitched, a look of satisfaction at seeing prey enter a trap.

"Those two pieces of trash, the Demon Brothers, but Kakashi has brought quite a few ordinary brats along." Zabuza let out a cold snort through his nose.

"That little whelp from the Uchiha clan has interrogation methods even dirtier than the Anbu."

Shiro tilted his head, looking at the small team on the dirt road in the distance.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the pink-haired girl and the orange-clad boy, then withdrew.

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

Zabuza turned around, his rough fingers tapping twice on the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō.

The low hum of metal vibrating echoed through the branches.

"Kakashi? He is indeed a tough nut to crack. I have already called Raiga here."

"Besides, that fat man Gato has more money than he knows what to do with; he won't mind paying for one more of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

He held up three fingers.

"Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. I will deal with Kakashi. Raiga and you should have no problem handling those brats and the two masked ones, right?"

"Although those brats are unusual, I believe you are stronger, Shiro."

"Therefore, we will win."

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

"He is already on his way here." Zabuza pulled the Kubikiribōchō from the branch and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

"Let's go, stop crouching here. Once Raiga arrives, we strike at the bridge."