A faint, bitter look surfaced on Haku's delicate face.
"Naruto, kill me. You won," Haku said calmly, as though there was not the slightest ripple of emotion in his voice.
Yet Naruto, who had been as ferocious as a killing god before, hesitated slightly. Looking at the beautiful girl—or perhaps boy—before him, Naruto found that he could not bring himself to strike. He knew Haku was the enemy who had killed his companion, but at this moment, Naruto's heart was a tangled mess.
He had no idea what to do.
"I... I..." Complex emotions flickered in Naruto's eyes. He did not know what to say, but one thing was clear: he truly had to kill the person before him. There was no reason needed beyond the fact that he was the enemy who had killed Naruto's dear friend!
That was right, a dear friend. Though they never said it aloud and constantly mocked each other, Naruto could feel that Sasuke treated him completely differently from everyone else.
It was a kind of recognition, a kind of bond.
Recognition from someone his own age, other than Ueno Kei! It was something Naruto treasured deeply, yet Haku had ruthlessly shattered it.
What made Naruto feel even guiltier was that Sasuke had died to protect him—died to protect this dead-last loser whom Sasuke had always scorned.
The hesitation in Naruto's eyes gradually turned to resolve. No matter what, he had to avenge Sasuke! There was no question about it!
Naruto slowly pulled out a kunai and stared coldly at the beautiful youth before him.
Haku smiled and slowly closed his eyes.
"Naruto!" At that moment, an extremely anxious voice rang out. Naruto froze, and the hand holding up his kunai abruptly stopped. Surprise appeared on his face, because he knew that voice far