Decisive Battle Begins 2/2

As the saying went, men and women worked together without getting tired—especially when it was two men and one woman.

Heh, men's pride.

Sakura Haruno's talent for tree climbing—or rather, her precise chakra control—spurred Naruto and Sasuke on, especially Sasuke, who had always considered himself gifted. Coupled with the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke, the two threw themselves into tree-climbing training with feverish enthusiasm, as though pumped full of stimulants. Their progress far exceeded expectations.

Because of the Nine-Tails' chakra interference, Naruto's chakra control had always been weaker than others', forcing him to put in far more effort.

That night, Naruto practiced tree climbing all night long, eventually collapsing onto the ground and falling asleep from exhaustion.

A young girl in a pink sleeveless kimono patterned with large brown polka dots carried a basket through the woods, gathering medicinal herbs.

Huh? Wait... wasn't that Haku?

Hayato, who was taking over guard duty, widened his eyes in disbelief.

Those exquisite features, that smooth skin, that sweet smile—oh, my old man's girlish heart... Wait, that was a guy?!

I refuse to hear it! I refuse to hear it! I refuse to hear it!

Important things had to be said three times.

I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Even if Haku said it himself, even if it was written in the official databook, I still wouldn't believe it!

Seeing was believing. Haku was clearly cuter than every girl Hayato had seen across both his lives. Sarara's occasionally dazed face flashed through his mind, and he hurriedly shook his head. "Begone, evil spirits, begone..."

Put it this way: unless Haku pulled it out right there and then, Hayato would never believe she was a guy.

Heh heh. You couldn't wake someone pretending to sleep.

In his previous life, many people claimed that Haku's surname was Mizunotsuki, but that was wrong. Haku's mother had inherited her bloodline limit from her own mother, and she herself had not come from the Mizunotsuki Clan, but from the Yuki Clan. As for Haku's father, neither the manga nor official materials had ever established his identity. Whether he had belonged to the Mizunotsuki Clan was impossible to verify.

Haku's childhood had been miserable. His father had murdered his mother and then tried to kill Haku. At the critical moment, Haku's Ice Release went out of control and killed his father. From then on, the young Haku lived in this world like a stray dog, muddleheaded and unwanted by anyone.

Until Haku met Momochi Zabuza. From then on, he followed Zabuza as his attendant, seeing himself as a tool and making the protection of Zabuza the entirety of his life.

Perhaps that was tragic, even laughable.

Yet similar things happened every day in the ninja world. No—in the real world, they also happened quietly in certain dark corners.

The cause of the family tragedy that befell Haku was the harsh policies of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, and Yagura had been controlled by Uchiha Obito's Sharingan.

In pursuit of his beautiful new world, Uchiha Obito was creating countless tragedies. He called them necessary sacrifices.

Haku was a sacrifice made in complete ignorance.

If it were you, would you be willing to become that sacrifice?

That was why Hayato wanted to defeat Nagato, defeat Obito, and defeat Madara. No matter how great your ideals were, don't come hurting the people around me. No matter how powerful you were, if you dared hurt the ones I loved, I'd break all five of your legs.

When Haku saw Naruto's Konoha forehead protector, killing intent leaked out uncontrollably. In that instant, Hayato pressed his thumb against his index finger, Bullet String at the ready. If Haku made any suspicious move, his transparent line of sight would pierce the back of her head at once.

Yes, Hayato understood Haku's experiences and circumstances, but as he had said before, Naruto was one of his people.

Haku was kind by nature, not a true tool of slaughter. In the end, he did not harm Naruto. They merely chatted pleasantly for a few moments before he left.

Before leaving, Haku said, "I'm a boy."

Naruto's jaw nearly dropped off.

The days passed amid training.

Meanwhile, Zabuza's body gradually recovered, which meant the day of the final battle was approaching.

Sometimes, Haku thought of that blond-haired boy with clear eyes.

Haku asked himself, Could I really bring myself to do it? Then he quickly gave himself a firm answer—because of Zabuza, he could become a merciless tool of battle. He could kill anyone, even himself.

"What the hell are you doing? I didn't hire you for charity. Hey, Zabuza, can you hear me? Hey!..." Gatō's grating voice came through the radio. Zabuza crushed it beneath his foot and made up his mind. Even if it exposed his whereabouts, he would cut down Gatō no matter what.

"Let's go, Haku."

"Yes!"

On the unfinished bridge.

Wounded workers lay on the ground as thick mist gradually enveloped the area. Kakashi realized that Zabuza had arrived.

Kakashi was not surprised by Zabuza's arrival, though it was somewhat earlier than expected.

The battle was on the verge of erupting.

By the time Naruto dealt with Gatō's two pathetic subordinates and reached the bridge, the battle between Haku and Sasuke had already reached its conclusion.

Sasuke was covered in wounds and had been completely overwhelmed.

Hatake Kaito said, "Hmm, if I remember correctly, that should be the bloodline limit of the Hidden Mist Village's Yuki Clan. Sasuke's Sharingan hasn't awakened yet. Against someone like that, it'll be hard for him to win."

Hayato said, "Even if his Sharingan awakened, that wouldn't necessarily mean he'd win. Haku's combat experience is beyond anything Sasuke can compare to. That gap is hard to make up with talent."

Sarara pouted. "You two just can't stand seeing the Uchiha boy doing well. Are you jealous because he's more handsome than you?"

"Shut up!"

Hayato and Kaito spoke in unison.

With our peerless good looks, what was jealousy? Could you eat it?!

What kind of joke was that?!

Naruto's arrival gave Sasuke a chance to catch his breath.

Unfortunately, Naruto made such a grand entrance just to show off that there was no way to even mock him properly.

Sarara covered her face. "This idiot!"

Hayato smiled. Hiding in the bushes and breaking line of sight had never been Naruto's style. Not now, and not in the future. He might be unreliable in some ways as a teammate, but as a friend, he gave people peace of mind.

Sarara sighed. "Can we only watch? It's been so long since I fought. My hands are itching."

Hayato quietly took two steps back.

If your hands were itching, why were you staring at the flesh around my waist?

At that moment, Naruto voluntarily entered the range of Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

Several attempts at Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu proved futile. He could not break through.

Hatake Kaito said, "A semicircular enclosure formed by ice mirrors created through a secret technique. It uses the mirrors' reflections to create false images, while also allowing rapid movement between the mirror surfaces. That's quite troublesome. What would you do, Hayato?"

Hayato said, "Destroy the ice mirrors."

Hatake Kaito said, "Those mirror surfaces seem capable of ignoring damage. They don't look like something that can be easily destroyed."

Hayato said, "The ice mirrors are ultimately made of chakra. The Byakugan can see chakra flow. Given enough time, it would definitely find a weakness."

Sarara said, "That would require you to have enough time, though. They'd take you out in a second."

Hayato rolled his eyes. "You just love arguing with me, don't you? If you're so capable, then you go."

"Of course I can." Sarara grinned. "That guy can move quickly between the mirrors, but it's all in straight lines. Catch an opening and cut him down with one slash."

Though Sarara was clearly trying to argue, the fact that rapid movement could only occur in straight lines really was one of its weaknesses.

If Sasuke awakened the Sharingan, its dynamic vision would indeed allow him to clearly see Haku's movements.

"Heh, there may be many images in the mirrors, but there's only one real body. The Byakugan could see through it in minutes, all right?"

"What use is seeing through it? They move so fast you wouldn't even be able to touch the hem of their clothes."

"I could..."

Hatake Kaito rubbed his forehead. These two enemies were at it again.

[PS] Thanks to reader 01707916501014 for 1 recommendation vote, 1A90 for recommendation votes, Yi for recommendation votes, Other Shore, Reversal, Cao Wanju, and Harmless Ghost for 4 recommendations, and A Good Man for 5 recommendation votes.

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[PS] Two updates tomorrow, and a surprise character will appear.