What? Are You Jealous?

The sun had climbed high; without realizing it, the night had already passed.

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Sasuke slowly rose to his feet.

At the same time, with a flick of his mind, he silently tucked the system away.

"Are you here to gather herbs, too?..."

Just as Sasuke was about to step away, a pleasant, feminine voice suddenly drifted from behind him.

Someone is there?...

To be able to walk up behind him without making a sound and without being detected—this made Sasuke instantly alert.

He took a step back, pivoted, and turned around, all in one fluid motion.

He saw a young girl dressed in a pink kimono standing not far away, pure and moving, her beauty unparalleled.

She carried a flower basket on her arm, smiling, her autumn-water eyes crinkling into slits. It was a breathtaking sight, a beauty that left one lost in thought...

"You..."

This was the first time Sasuke had seen such a pure girl in the ninja world.

For a moment, he even forgot his previous vigilance, standing rooted to the spot, dazed and lost in thought.

"Uh... hehe, are you here to gather herbs, too?..."

Seeing Sasuke staring at her in a daze, the girl smiled and spoke again.

"Uh... hehe, I... I was training here. Sorry about just now, I lost my composure..."

Sasuke scratched his head, his face flushing red, looking somewhat shy.

"You seemed very afraid of me just now. Am I that scary?..."

The girl asked again.

"No, no, no..."

Sasuke waved his hands repeatedly.

He was truly embarrassed to leave the impression of a "creepy uncle" on such a beautiful girl.

Instead, he hurriedly explained:

"That was just a professional habit. My name is Sasuke, I'm a ninja. It's a pleasure to meet you, pretty lady. Would it be convenient to leave a...?"

"Would it be convenient to get to know each other?..."

In his excitement, Sasuke had almost brought the lifestyle from before his transmigration into the ninja world...

"Ah, this..."

Seeing Sasuke being so forward, the girl was slightly taken aback, then smiled:

"My name is Haku. I'm here to gather herbs. It's nice to meet you."

Haku?...

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's expression instantly froze.

Land of Waves, Zabuza...

Could this beautiful girl in front of him be none other than Zabuza's subordinate, Haku?...

The atmosphere between them turned cold again. Seeing this, Haku smiled slightly once more and changed the subject:

"I just heard you're a ninja, which sounds very impressive. But why train so desperately?"

This was a very profound question.

If anyone else had asked him this upon their first meeting, Sasuke would have turned and walked away without even sparing them a glance.

But this person was different; she had deep, inextricable ties to Zabuza.

Although they served different masters, Sasuke still had a decent impression of Zabuza from their last encounter.

Therefore, after a pause, Sasuke replied in a deep voice:

"Perhaps you'll laugh at me for saying this."

"But from the very first day I began training, I have had only one goal: to become the number one in this ninja world!"

"To sweep away the Five Great Nations, conquer the separatist forces, end the chaos of the ninja world, and bring eternal peace to all generations!..."

"The number one in the ninja world?..."

Haku asked, lost in thought:

"To bring eternal peace to all generations—is it for the sake of one person?..."

"One person?..."

Hearing this, Sasuke immediately thought of Zabuza.

He then smiled:

"Everyone has bonds, but I will not sit idly by and accept my fate."

"On the contrary, I will give my all to make this ninja world brilliant because of me."

"Just one person? No, the entire ninja world—I want it all!..."

He raised his right fist and clenched his fingers, looking incredibly imposing.

"Want it all?..."

Haku murmured, his thoughts already drifting far away.

Snow fell in heavy flakes, and the air was biting cold.

Beside a trash can.

A little girl huddled with her knees pulled to her chest, dressed in thin rags, shivering uncontrollably.

Humanity was cold and indifferent.

Though a few people passed by, they all turned a blind eye.

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she was on the verge of drifting off to sleep right there.

But just at that moment, a tall figure slowly crouched down and asked in a calm, deep voice:

"Are you willing to come with me?..."

At this thought, a flash of light crossed his eyes, and Haku snapped back to reality from the scenes that had been sliding through his mind:

"Perhaps, when a person has something they want to protect, they will find a way to become stronger..."

His tone was flat, a mere mutter to himself.

Seeing this, Sasuke was momentarily stunned.

He thought to himself, these words...

Women are naturally weak, but mothers are strong...

For some reason, this phrase suddenly popped into Sasuke's mind.

Turning to his own thoughts, he was shocked:

"This... could Haku already be pregnant with Zabuza's child?..."

Following this line of reasoning, the more Sasuke thought about it, the more he felt it was highly probable.

After all, intercepting an elite Jonin like Kakashi was truly pushing it for a Zabuza of the same rank.

But looking at it now, what if they were saving up milk money for an unborn child?

It suddenly became very easy to understand...

Thinking this, Sasuke looked at Haku:

"I understand what you're saying, and while I can't help you with much, meeting is fate. Please accept this small token, consider it a—"

In his agitated state, Sasuke almost let Zabuza's name slip.

He quickly corrected himself:

"Consider it a gift for our next meeting. I have things to do; remember to give my regards to your big brother. Goodbye..."

Having said that, Sasuke turned and disappeared from the scene in a few flashes.

He had given Haku all the money he had confiscated from the four Chunin mercenaries earlier.

He had a decent impression of Zabuza.

Since they were short on cash, he might as well do them a favor.

It could also be considered repaying the kindness Zabuza showed him when he taught him swordsmanship that day.

Furthermore, he didn't want Zabuza and Haku to keep getting mixed up with someone like Gato just for money.

"This... is this guy that wealthy?..."

"Or is he like this whenever he sees a pretty girl?..."

Opening the bag, he saw a stack of banknotes.

Haku was slightly stunned, then shook his head, watching the back of Sasuke as he disappeared into the distance, and murmured softly.

In a corner of the Land of Waves, inside a room.

"I just saw that kid."

Haku walked in through the door, the taiko-musubi knot on his back swaying with his graceful steps, looking truly enchanting.

"Oh? That kid is not simple. You just greeted him?..."

Zabuza was shirtless, his torso wrapped in bandages.

Hearing this, he turned his head and asked with great interest.

"Indeed, that kid is no simpleton."

"Do you know what he told me his goal for cultivation was?"

"He actually wants to become the number one in the ninja world, then unify it and bring about eternal peace for all generations?"

"He really is a boy like the wind..."

Upon hearing Zabuza mention Sasuke, Haku also responded with great enthusiasm.

"Hehe... not only does he have a lot of personality, but he's also quite good-looking!"

"Did you not take a fancy to that pretty boy?..."

"Yo! I never expected that you, usually so cold, would actually be jealous of a little rascal?..."

Hearing this, Haku set the flower basket in his hands aside, looked at Zabuza, and smiled gently.