Second Battle: Zabuza Returns!

"No... no..."

"I, Zabuza, have spent half my life roaming the Shinobi World. What haven't I seen? Why would I be jealous of some young punk?..."

Zabuza crossed one leg over the other, looking distinctly uneasy in his chair.

"Heehee..."

Seeing this, Haku seemed pleased with himself and covered his pink lips as he giggled:

"All right, I'll stop teasing you."

"Here, this is the parting gift that kid left for you."

"I think he may have already figured out what kind of relationship we have..."

"Ha..."

Taking the stack of bills Haku handed him, Zabuza sighed.

"That Sasuke kid has talent and cunning. Most remarkable of all, he's ambitious!"

"Even in so-called righteous Konoha, you can't find people like that outside Root."

Haku nodded.

"That's right. I saw quite a bit of ambition in his eyes too."

"So what he said earlier didn't really sound like a joke..."

After a brief pause, Haku asked with some concern:

"By the way, do we really have to go up against Team 7?"

"Is it really worth it, all for that useless Gato?..."

"Ha..."

At that, Zabuza let out another heavy sigh. It seemed that whenever the subject came up, he couldn't help sighing.

"It's not a question of whether it's worth it."

"Kirigakure is hunting me, and the Land of Water won't accept you because of your Kekkei Genkai."

"We don't have much room left to survive."

"That's why we're hiding away in this isolated place called the Land of Waves."

"It's only because the Land of Water doesn't care about this place."

"But think about it. If we make even the slightest fuss in a place that's already the middle of nowhere, do you think those Kirigakure shinobi won't come sniffing around?..."

"I see..."

Haku's delicate brows furrowed.

"So we have no way out."

"We'll take a gamble. Once this job is done, we can hide here in the Land of Waves for the long term."

"Maybe, if we're lucky, we can stay here forever, until the end of time..."

The sudden declaration of love was intoxicating, and the room fell silent.

At some point, perhaps to break the awkwardness, Zabuza suddenly changed the subject:

"By the way, all we need to do is kill that old man named Tazuna."

"As for the four members of Team 7, just keep them occupied."

"After all, we can't take that kid Sasuke's money and do nothing..."

As he spoke, Zabuza thought of those two mighty, awe-inspiring sword strikes from that day.

He sighed inwardly, marveling at how quickly time passed. Without even realizing it, the boy was no longer a boy.

Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, half a month had passed.

During this time, the members of Team 7 took turns protecting Tazuna.

Meanwhile, over the past half month, Tazuna and the workers of the Land of Waves had nearly completed Mother Bridge.

The weather was muggy that day.

Mist hung over River Bridge.

Sasuke was off duty, leaving only Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura on guard.

Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out across the bridge.

The three members of Team 7 jolted in alarm!

Their drowsiness vanished in an instant, and they rushed toward the sound.

They saw Tazuna crouched nearby, clutching his head with both hands, his face twisted in anguish.

On the ground lay row after row of workers' bodies...

"Damn it! Could Gato be behind this?..."

Naruto gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and said furiously.

As a Medical Ninja, Sakura went over and checked the workers' pulses. Then she turned toward Kakashi and shook her head, indicating that there was nothing she could do...

"Gato! You vile, heartless bastard!..."

Tazuna threw his head back and cried out, his face contorted with pain.

But Kakashi, who had been frowning in thought, spoke in a low voice:

"I don't think Gato sent anyone to kill them..."

His words stunned everyone.

If Gato hadn't sent someone, then who had?...

As if he had read their thoughts, Kakashi explained gravely, his brow furrowed:

"They were killed silently, hidden in the river mist."

"Look, they all have a shallow cut across their throats—their only fatal wound."

"That's all. They even died with smiles on their faces, having finished their work."

"This... if I'm not mistaken, they must have fallen to Zabuza's Silent Killing Technique..."

At those words, all three turned pale.

Zabuza?

Had that terrifying man come back?...

Naruto and Sakura weren't worried, since Kakashi was right there with them.

But at the mention of Zabuza, Tazuna felt his heart sink.

He looked around—and Sasuke hadn't come!

In his mind, Sasuke was the future Hokage's chosen successor!

And now, he just happened to be absent?

For a moment, Tazuna even wondered if Zabuza had investigated their movements beforehand and deliberately chosen to strike when Sasuke wasn't there!

"Hahahaha..."

Just as Kakashi's words made the atmosphere at the scene unbearably tense,

a loud laugh suddenly rang across the entire mist-shrouded River Bridge!

The voice came before its owner.

Everyone's expression changed at once, and they turned toward the sound.

A tall figure carrying a huge sword on his shoulder slowly emerged from the mist.

It was Momoya Zabuza!

But unlike last time,

this time, a small figure followed behind him.

The figure wore a mask. Apart from the fact that they might not be very old, it was impossible to tell anything else.

Once he had approached to a certain distance, Zabuza clapped his hands and praised them, just as he had that day:

"As expected of the Copy Ninja, reputed to be the strongest beneath the Third Hokage."

"To figure out so quickly that I was responsible, from just a few clues—you're certainly no ordinary shinobi..."

Kakashi stepped forward to stand before the others. Frowning, he asked in a low voice:

"Zabuza, we've already fought once."

"And now you've come here to kill again. Are you trying to make this a fight to the death?..."

"Hahahaha..."

As though he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, Zabuza responded:

"A fight to the death?"

"Who's trying to kill whom?..."

"From what I've heard, your mission was to escort that old man behind you. It didn't include sticking around to protect him afterward, did it?..."

How did he know?...

In fact, even Team 7 had only found out when they were almost at the Land of Waves.

That immediately made Kakashi suspicious.

But just then, Naruto suddenly stepped forward and pointed at Zabuza, shouting:

"Hey! You nasty creep! Are you even human?"

"Uncle Tazuna is building a bridge for everyone in the Land of Waves. As someone from this country, don't you have even the slightest sympathy for other people?..."