Live On Together!

"He... isn't dead..."

Ling Yue's weak voice was like a stone tossed into a calm lake, instantly shattering the frozen atmosphere.

Haku, who had been preparing to self-destruct, froze on the spot. Even the unstable chakra fluctuations around him came to an abrupt halt.

He looked at Ling Yue in disbelief, then abruptly turned to look at Zabuza lying on the ground in the distance.

Kakashi was stunned as well. His Sharingan activated again on instinct as he carefully examined Zabuza. That Lightning Cutter had clearly struck the heart... could it be?

Sasuke and Sakura were equally bewildered.

"Y-You... what did you say?" Haku's voice trembled violently as he stared fixedly at Ling Yue.

Ling Yue struggled to catch her breath. [Resilient Body] was slowly but steadily repairing her grievous wounds, barely allowing her to remain conscious.

Recalling the details from the original story, she spoke in broken fragments. "Your senbon... the feigned death technique... last time... this time... Kakashi-sensei's attack... was aimed at a vital point... but... it missed... by just a little..."

She could not actually see very clearly. She was relying entirely on guesses and vague senses, but she had to take the gamble! She had to stop Haku from doing something foolish!

Prompted by her words, Kakashi focused his Sharingan on Zabuza's "corpse" and indeed noticed several nearly imperceptible details.

The chakra response in the charred area on his chest had not completely vanished. There was still an extremely faint trace of life! And the wound seemed to be ever so slightly off from the heart!

That was it! He himself had been at the end of his strength at the time, so the precision of the Lightning Cutter could indeed have been affected! On top of that, the Decapitating Carving Knife's final block had shifted the strike...

Haku's eyes lit up at once, the dead stillness of despair replaced by overwhelming hope! He immediately dispersed the chakra he had gathered for self-destruction and rushed toward Zabuza without a thought for himself!

Kakashi did not stop him this time, merely watching vigilantly.

Haku threw himself to Zabuza's side, his trembling hand checking his breath and pulse. Then he looked up, tears streaming down his face even as wild joy filled it. "He's alive! Zabuza-sama is alive!"

He immediately began frantically applying emergency treatment, stopping the bleeding and tending to Zabuza's wounds. His movements were careful beyond measure, as though he were handling a priceless treasure.

Naruto slowly came to as well, rubbing his head as he sat up. "What... happened? Huh? That bandage guy isn't dead?"

Sasuke and Sakura both let out sighs of relief. Though the other side had been their enemies, seeing Haku like this left them with complicated feelings.

Kakashi watched Haku working, then looked at the badly injured Ling Yue. At last, he sighed and withdrew his killing intent. He walked over to Ling Yue and carefully examined her injuries, his brow tightly furrowed.

"You're badly hurt... but your vitality is unexpectedly tenacious." He was somewhat astonished by the speed at which Ling Yue's wounds had stopped bleeding and begun recovering. "You need more thorough treatment immediately."

He took out more professional medical bandages and medicine, then personally began treating Ling Yue's wounds.

On the other side, after Haku had roughly treated Zabuza's injuries and ensured that his life was not in immediate danger, he slowly stood.

He walked over to Kakashi and Ling Yue and, before everyone's astonished eyes, bowed deeply.

"Thank you... for not delivering the final blow." Haku's voice was choked with emotion and sincerity. "And thank you... for waking me up." The last words were directed at Ling Yue.

He straightened and looked at Kakashi. "We lost. By the rules of shinobi, our lives are yours. Kill us or do as you please. I only ask... that you spare Zabuza-sama."

His gaze was firm and calm. He had already prepared himself to die.

Kakashi silently looked at him, then at the unconscious Zabuza, before slowly speaking. "Your mission has failed. The Land of Waves' bridge will continue to be built."

Haku nodded. "We know."

"Leave," Kakashi suddenly said. "Take him and leave the Land of Waves. Never come back."

Everyone froze, including Haku.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto cried out in surprise.

"Why?" Sasuke was confused as well.

Kakashi gave no explanation. He merely looked at Haku. "Can you do that?"

Haku looked deeply at Kakashi, then bowed once more. "...Thank you. I swear on my life that I will never again be an enemy to any of you, nor will I ever set foot in the Land of Waves again."

Without another word, he carried the unconscious Zabuza onto his back and walked step by step toward the other end of the bridge. His figure gradually vanished into the lingering mist.

Only after watching them disappear did Kakashi let out a breath. His body swayed, and he nearly fell.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura hurriedly supported him.

"I'm fine... just a little... tired..." Kakashi's face was even paler than before.

"Sensei, why did you let them go?" Naruto still did not understand. "They're bad guys!"

Kakashi looked at his three students and slowly said, "Sometimes, killing is not the best solution. That boy named Haku... he and Zabuza share a bond that goes beyond a mission. Killing them would only create more hatred."

He paused and looked toward the barren land of the Land of Waves in the distance. "Besides, what this country needs is not death, but hope. That bridge... is hope."

Naruto nodded, seeming to understand but not fully.

Sasuke looked in the direction Haku had disappeared, deep in thought. A bond...

"All right, enough talking." Kakashi forced himself to stay alert. "Treat your injuries quickly, then leave this place. Kado's men may still come."

Only then did everyone remember that their greatest problem had yet to be resolved.

After briefly tending to their wounds, Kakashi carried Ling Yue, who was still too weak to walk, on his back. Sasuke and Naruto supported each other, while Sakura protected Tazuna. The group slowly made their way down the bridge and returned to Tazuna's home.

Over the following days, the Land of Waves was unexpectedly peaceful.

Both Kakashi and Ling Yue needed bed rest. Ling Yue's [Resilient Body] proved enormously useful. Such serious wounds began healing at an astonishing speed, leaving Sakura, who came to change her bandages, clicking her tongue in amazement.

Sasuke and Naruto had lighter injuries, so they took responsibility for keeping watch and helping out.

Tazuna, meanwhile, gathered the workers again, and construction on the bridge resumed in full swing.

After hearing that Zabuza and Haku had been defeated and had left, the workers found their courage again.

That day, Ling Yue was finally able to get out of bed and walk around with difficulty. When she stepped outside, she saw Naruto playing with several children from the Land of Waves, while Sasuke sat on a tree stump nearby, wiping down his kunai.

Sunlight fell across the massive unfinished bridge, reflecting a dazzling gleam.

Everything seemed to be getting better.

Yet she could not shake the unease in her heart. Would someone like Kado really give up so easily?

Just then, a worker came running over in panic, shouting, "Tazuna-san! This is bad! Kado... Kado brought a lot of people to the bridge! They have weapons too!"

Kakashi immediately came out of the house, his expression grave. "They've finally come."

Sasuke and Naruto immediately rose to their feet as well.

"We're going too," Ling Yue said.

"Your injuries haven't healed yet." Kakashi frowned.

"I can walk now." Ling Yue insisted. "I can't keep hiding forever."

Kakashi looked at her, then at Naruto and Sasuke, who were eager to fight. Finally, he nodded. "All right, but be careful. If anything goes wrong, retreat immediately."

The group promptly headed for the bridge.

At least several dozen people stood on the bridge, forming a dark mass. They were all thugs and wandering samurai hired by Kado, armed with swords, clubs, and staves. At their head stood the short, fat, lecherous merchant himself—Kado.

Tazuna and the workers had been forced to the other end of the bridge, furious but afraid to speak.

"Tazuna! You old bastard! You still dare build this bridge?" Kado shouted arrogantly. "Smash it! Tear the bridge down! Anyone who tries to stop you, beat them to death!"

The thugs began shouting as they started destroying the bridge.

"Stop!" Tazuna trembled with rage.

"Bastards!" Naruto was the first to lose patience and was about to rush forward.

Then, a sudden change occurred!

Several shuriken flew in from nowhere, precisely knocking the weapons from the hands of several thugs!

Immediately afterward, two figures appeared atop the highest point of the bridge tower, standing against the wind.

Everyone froze and looked up.

Both figures wore familiar masks, yet their builds and auras were completely different.

One of them spoke coldly, their voice muffled through the mask.

"Zabuza Momochi's mission has failed."

"His execution will be taken over by us."

"This bridge, and everything related to it, is now under the control of Root."