Haku, you wouldn't want Zabuza to get hurt, would you?

Without a word, Zabuza immediately leaped backward several times, cold sweat already pouring down his body.

Because for that split second, he really had been caught in a genjutsu.

But where had the genjutsu come from?

"You said you were one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. What's your specialty?"

At that moment, Uchiha Sora's figure emerged from the shadows in the distance.

Behind him stood Kakashi and the Bridge Builder.

After all, he'd known someone was going to ambush them. How could he possibly have gone unprepared?

In fact, as soon as they'd left the place where they'd rested, he had already used genjutsu to conceal their figures.

More precisely, he had used genjutsu to create several clones, while his real body followed a few dozen meters behind them.

That way, he could keep the clones in existence the whole time without using much chakra.

But Zabuza was staring in stunned disbelief. He drew in a deep breath, dazed.

"As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, my blade is definitely the fastest!"

Uchiha Sora snorted with laughter.

"Is that so? Let's see whether your blade is faster or my gun!"

"Sir, times have changed!"

With that, Uchiha Sora pulled an AK-47 from inside his clothes.

The dark muzzle immediately aimed at Zabuza.

"What is that...?"

Zabuza's eyes widened.

Even if he'd been living under a rock, he'd still have heard of Uchiha Sora, the powerful shinobi from Konoha who'd become famous recently!

The one thing that set this guy apart was his bizarre weapons!

He'd never seen anything like the thing in front of him.

Remembering the genjutsu from moments ago, his expression changed at once.

No way. Was he really this unlucky?

Had he run into Uchiha Sora right after leaving home?

As he wondered, Uchiha Sora opened fire, the shots ringing out one after another.

Bullets tore through the air and headed straight for Zabuza's face!

At this critical moment, Zabuza could only draw his greatsword and block a small portion of the attacks.

But it wasn't nearly enough. Many bullets still hit him.

In an instant, pain sent cold sweat pouring down his face.

"Damn it! What kind of weapon is that?"

Zabuza gritted his teeth, already beginning to regret this.

Beside him, Kakashi laughed.

"I've heard of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. They're famous and powerful, but Uchiha Sora is no pushover. That thing just now is called a gun!"

Deidara was also brimming with excitement.

"That's my master for you! Master, how about we make art again?"

Sasuke hurriedly shook his head.

"What are you talking about? It's not like you can just make art whenever you want. And if you really used that kind of art, the whole bridge and the nearby forest would be gone!"

Their conversation sounded perfectly casual, but to Zabuza, it was anything but.

He couldn't help sucking in one sharp breath after another.

Good heavens!

What the hell were these people?

They were supposed to be a group carrying out the weakest kind of mission. Why did they feel even more powerful than the Hokage?

What did they mean, the whole bridge would be gone?

What the hell kind of move was that?

He immediately thought of the scene from not long ago, when a Tailed Beast had been killed in an instant!

No way!

Was Uchiha Sora about to use that move on him?

Wasn't that using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?!

Just then, Uchiha Sora shook his head.

"It's fine! This guy's only good at close combat. The Gatling Gun will be more than enough to deal with him!"

Uchiha Sora chuckled and pulled the big weapon out right then and there!

All six barrels pointed at Zabuza.

The sight made Zabuza's scalp prickle.

"Damn it! One was already hard enough to deal with, and now you're giving me six?"

He didn't understand what a gun was.

But he knew that more meant more power.

A thing that big, with six barrels, had to be some kind of ridiculously powerful weapon!

Just then, a voice suddenly came from nearby.

"Stop! I'm from Kumogakure. This man is a missing-nin from our village. Please let us deal with him ourselves!"

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw someone wearing a mask.

It went without saying: this was Haku.

Kakashi was just about to nod.

Suddenly, Uchiha Sora stepped forward.

"Kumogakure? I know Kumogakure pretty well. How come I've never heard that you deal with your missing-nin this way?"

"Uh..."

Haku was clearly taken aback.

He hadn't expected Uchiha Sora to have such far-reaching connections.

His usual excuse wasn't going to work!

He was just about to say something when Uchiha Sora suddenly raised the barrel and aimed it at Zabuza.

"Let me kill him. He's a traitor either way, and I'm far more brutal. I can make sure he suffers more before he dies!"

Haku immediately grew frantic.

"Don't! Whatever you do, don't!"

Haku was panicking. In the original story, after he gave that excuse, he'd been able to take Zabuza away.

But now, Uchiha Sora had shown up!

It looked like that excuse wouldn't work anymore.

Haku was at a loss for words.

Uchiha Sora chuckled.

"Or are you two actually in this together?"

At that, Kakashi's pupils contracted.

"How cunning! Come to think of it, Kumogakure is so far away. Why would they come all the way here to capture a missing-nin?"

Haku panicked. He was just about to resort to force.

Suddenly, Uchiha Sora spoke up.

"Don't move! You've heard of my strength: Uchiha Sora. I've beaten Orochimaru twice and killed a Tailed Beast in one blow!"

"What you've seen me do so far is only part of my abilities. If you fight me, you'll have almost no chance of winning."

Haku's expression changed at once, turning very grim.

Uchiha Sora was telling the truth. If they fought, Uchiha Sora had all these allies beside him, too.

There was no telling whether Haku could win.

"But... I can give you a chance!"

Uchiha Sora suddenly spoke up.

"Haku! You wouldn't want Zabuza to get hurt, would you?"

Haku's face turned deathly pale as soon as he heard that.

"What are you going to do? What do I have to give up?"

Uchiha Sora smiled maliciously.

Kakashi saw it and couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.

What was with this guy? Why did he seem like the villain here?

What was he implying?

Was he going to make Haku offer himself in exchange?

Even Sasuke looked completely baffled.

Bro, what do you mean?

Did you take a liking to this guy?

Deidara was mostly just confused. He rubbed his chin and pondered for a while.

Then his face lit up with excitement.

Master had to be giving him a hint.

There had to be some deeper meaning!

What could it be?

Was it some kind of art?

But Haku's thoughts were completely different from everyone else's.

He thought Uchiha Sora was an incredibly strange person.

What had he meant by that?

Did he want Haku to pay a price?

But Haku didn't have any money or anything. How was he supposed to pay?

Just then, Zabuza suddenly spoke.

"Uchiha Sora! What are you trying to do? I raised Haku as if he were my own daughter!"

Uchiha Sora froze.

How had Haku become his daughter now?

In an instant, Uchiha Sora's Sharingan spun as he glanced at Haku.

And what he saw was that Haku really was a girl.

Damn!

Could the story really change this much because of him?

What was going on with Haku now?

At that moment, the system's notification suddenly sounded.