Zabuza Has Body Odor

"It was that kid with the markings on his face. Those people called him Naruto. The brat's sensory abilities were very strong; he could easily locate me, even within the Hidden Mist Technique."

Zabuza recalled the details of their earlier battle and explained bit by bit.

"He does have some tricks, but that can't be why you retreated, can it?"

Haku knew Zabuza's personality very well, so he could not help raising the question again.

"Yes. That brat was really good at pissing people off. He actually said I had body odor. I got so angry that I gave him a slash, but..." Zabuza paused, his expression gradually turning serious.

"But my blade, which I swung at full speed, was actually flicked aside by that brat's single finger. More importantly, the force that rebounded was enormous. It numbed my right hand, and I still haven't fully recovered from it."

As Zabuza spoke, he raised his right hand and found that it was still trembling slightly. It was clearly caused by that immense recoil.

That result truly surprised Haku. He asked in disbelief, "Just one finger? Really, just one finger?"

"Yes, it really was one finger. I remember it clearly. He flicked with his index finger," Zabuza explained gravely.

"Doesn't that mean Naruto is incredibly strong? If he struck with all his might, I'm afraid very few people would dare take it head-on."

"Yes. That was exactly why I retreated. Copy Ninja Kakashi was already difficult enough to deal with, and now this strange brat has appeared. That makes things even more troublesome."

As Zabuza spoke, he felt that the brat countered him completely. With the brat around, his Silent Killing Technique and Hidden Mist Technique were useless, and...

And in close combat, the brat was immensely strong. If he took a punch from the brat, he would likely be seriously injured. With Kakashi nearby as well, he would definitely lose.

That was one of the reasons he had retreated so decisively.

"Zabuza-sama, there's no need to worry. Naruto may be strong, but if he can't hit anyone, that strength is useless. I'll accompany you in the next battle. He definitely won't be able to keep up with my speed."

Haku removed his mask, revealing his delicate features, then smiled at Zabuza.

"With your speed and Kekkei Genkai, defeating that brat indeed won't be difficult. Let's do this. Gather intelligence over the next few days. When we attack next time, you'll come with me."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama."

"Right."

Zabuza thought of the body odor issue. He remembered Naruto saying that a person could not smell their own body odor and had to let others smell it.

If someone concealed the truth, there would be subtle changes in their expression. That would prove he had body odor.

Still doubtful, Zabuza moved closer to Haku, then raised his arm. "Do I really have body odor?"

"No, how could you possibly have body odor, sir?"

Haku already had special feelings for Zabuza. Now that Zabuza had suddenly moved so close, a subtle change instantly appeared on his face.

Zabuza immediately caught that slight change.

Zabuza's expression darkened as he silently cursed, Could that brat have guessed right? Do I really have body odor?

Zabuza was beginning to lose confidence as well. He knew perfectly well that Haku would never say anything bad about him, so he could only tell from subtle expressions.

But now...

Zabuza truly felt like cursing, because everything seemed to indicate that he really did have body odor.

Unwilling to accept it, he pulled a long face and prepared to ask someone else.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two set off again, heading toward their hideout.

When they arrived at the hideout, they found the wealthy Gato already waiting there with a group of people.

"Zabuza, have you dealt with the people from Konoha?" Gato asked loudly, wearing glasses.

"No," Zabuza replied coldly.

"No? What the hell is wrong with you? You went out personally and still couldn't handle them? I didn't hire you people for charity!" Gato berated him loudly.

Whoosh!

The massive Executioner's Blade swung out fiercely, its tip stopping just an inch from Gato's head. Gato was so frightened that he hurriedly shut his mouth.

"I'll deal with the people from Konoha. Now get the hell out," Zabuza said coldly.

"Fine, fine, fine. You said it. You'd better take care of them." Gato replied angrily, then led his people outside.

However, just as he passed Zabuza, Zabuza stopped him again.

"Let me ask you something. Do I have body odor?" Zabuza asked coldly.

"Body odor?"

Gato's expression turned strange. He felt that the jonin he had hired had something wrong with his head to ask such a question. Impatiently, he said, "No."

After saying that, Gato turned and left, leading all his subordinates away in a grand procession.

But...

The strange expression on his face as he left did not escape Zabuza's eyes. The two-meter-tall man seemed to have suffered a fatal blow, and his face completely darkened.

He thought of Naruto's words, of that remark about observing subtle changes in expression. Gato's expression just now had been very strange.

"Damn it!"

Zabuza clenched his left fist and strode angrily toward the bathroom. He had to thoroughly wash away the smell on his body. He absolutely could not allow such a thing to exist on him.

Beside him.

Haku was somewhat confused. Gato, the wealthy man, had clearly said there was no body odor, so why had Zabuza's face darkened instead? This seemed rather different from what he had expected.

However, he did not think too much about it. Instead, he considered approaching Naruto to see whether Naruto's strength was really as great as Zabuza claimed.

Meanwhile.

Dazuna led everyone to his home, where they officially began resting. He even arranged a separate room for Naruto to rest in.

Of course, finding Zabuza remained the important task. Since they had not defeated the enemy yet, they could not leave and could only find a way to locate him.

"Naruto, your sensory abilities are strong. I'll leave the task of finding Zabuza to you," Kakashi said seriously.

"Okay, I'll do my best to find him. But since we're teammates, we should divide the work. From now on, Sasuke will be responsible for cleaning my room."

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke.

"Cleaning? Are you kidding me? Why should I clean your room? That's impossible," Sasuke refused angrily.

[Experience Points +1]

"If you're not cleaning, what are you going to do? Are you planning to be like Sakura and not even cook?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto!!"

Sakura shouted. She had been sitting quietly off to the side, yet she had somehow been dragged into this for no reason. She could not have felt more frustrated.

Sasuke felt even more frustrated upon hearing that, but he simply could not come up with anything to refute it.

"Ahem. Sasuke needs to train in the ninjutsu I'm teaching him. This is a good time for him to improve his strength," Kakashi said, helping Sasuke out because he thought highly of him.

"I see. Fine, then. I'll go check things out and dye my hair while I'm at it."

Naruto took a bottle of hair dye from his backpack and walked outside under Kakashi and the others' watchful eyes.

"He actually brought hair dye. What a narcissist." Still dissatisfied over being dragged into the conversation earlier, Sakura could not help muttering.

Sasuke said nothing. He merely clenched his fists, seemingly feeling that he was too useless.

Meanwhile.

Naruto was moving quickly. The reason he was in such a hurry was because he was going to exchange for Saiyan Blood.