Kakashi, Help Me Train!

Kakashi relayed the Land of Water's demands back to Konoha through a border ninja's messenger hawk, leaving Konoha's higher-ups to make the final decision.

But by his estimate, there definitely would not be an answer for three to five days. So he was happy to take it easy and remain in the Land of Waves with Menma and the other two.

While waiting for news from Konoha, Kakashi also found time to speak with Gato.

Gato expressed his understanding of Kakashi's actions and voluntarily canceled the mission to destroy the bridge across the sea.

Naturally, Zabuza also temporarily asked Tazuna to halt construction on the bridge.

After all, at such a sensitive juncture, no one wanted to aggravate the other side. Who knew whether some ridiculous reason might spark a conflict?

Three days passed quickly. Just as Kakashi had expected, Konoha's higher-ups had reached their decision.

The advisory council agreed to most of the cooperation terms, but they had added some of Konoha's own conditions.

However, Konoha had no intention of sending an envoy to the Land of Water for formal negotiations.

At the end of the letter, Danzo granted Kakashi the authority to act as he saw fit.

Konoha could make appropriate concessions, but it would absolutely not allow the Hidden Mist Village to station an organized military force in the Land of Waves.

Kakashi felt a headache coming on after reading it. This matter should have been negotiated by official envoys sent by the upper echelons of both nations.

Yet for some reason, the Land of Water and the Land of Fire had tacitly refrained from proposing face-to-face negotiations, instead placing the power of decision in Kakashi and Zabuza's hands.

As for the Land of Waves' opinion, no one cared what the Land of Waves thought.

Kakashi summoned Zabuza, and the two discussed the details of the agreement.

Overall, things were going well, but they could not reach an agreement on four clauses.

First was the distribution of mission commissions in the Land of Waves. The Hidden Mist Village advocated splitting them evenly, while Konoha argued that it should receive seventy percent because the Land of Waves was closer to Konoha, with the remaining thirty percent going to the Mist Village.

Second, the Hidden Mist Village wanted Konoha to unconditionally return Nuibari and Kabutowari, which Konoha had seized during the Third Shinobi World War. Konoha said returning them was possible, but they would have to pay thirty million ryo for each blade.

Third was the exchange of prisoners. The Mist Village wanted to exchange forty-seven Konoha prisoners for Konoha's sixty-four Mist Village prisoners, while Konoha proposed a one-for-one exchange.

The fourth point was also the most important: the question of who the Land of Waves belonged to. The Hidden Mist Village advocated joint rule by the two nations, with military and political authority divided equally. Konoha stated that the Land of Waves' government should be returned to the Land of Waves, and other nations could not interfere.

Kakashi and Zabuza fell silent. They understood where the heart of the problem lay, but neither was willing to yield.

"Let's settle it the traditional way of the Shinobi World!" Zabuza said to Kakashi.

The so-called tradition of the Shinobi World meant that whenever a dispute arose, the ninjas of both sides fought with force. The winner naturally gained the right to decide the matter.

With no better option, Kakashi could only agree.

After returning to Gato's place, Kakashi summoned Menma and the other two and explained the current situation:

"...That's how things stand. So, three days from now, we'll have a battle. I'll face Zabuza Momochi, while the three of you will face his three subordinates."

Menma and the other two exchanged looks. Kakashi seemed to notice their nervousness and comforted them.

"Don't be nervous. Your victory or defeat will determine the first three clauses, so winning would be better, but losing won't matter either.

"The most important clause will be decided by the battle between Zabuza and me. I won't lose.

"Alright, the strategy meeting begins now. Since they decided the method and time of the battle, we can decide the order of battle and the opponents.

"Does anyone have anything to say?"

Menma looked at the others and decided to speak first. "I'll start. I know some information about our opponents that may be useful for reference.

"I won't talk about Zabuza Momochi. I believe Kakashi-sensei knows his information better than I do.

"As long as Kakashi-sensei can end the battle quickly and does not let him drag it into a prolonged fight, victory should be guaranteed.

"That pretty-faced boy is named Yuki Haku. He possesses the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, uses senbon as weapons, and excels at Ice Release Ninjutsu.

"His defining trait is his extreme speed. His secret techniques are Thousand Flying Water Needles and Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles. He uses his Kekkei Genkai to condense moisture in the air into tiny, hard Ice Senbon and attack his opponent.

"Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. He uses his Kekkei Genkai to condense the water in the air into ice mirrors that surround his opponent. The user can move freely between the ice mirrors and attack the opponent. His speed is incredibly fast, making him impossible to track with the naked eye."

Menma spoke at length until Kakashi interrupted him and asked curiously, "Where did you get such detailed information?"

Menma glanced at Kakashi, and a lie came easily to his lips. "Before we set out, my mother believed that I was most likely to encounter hostile ninjas from the Land of Water, so she told me about common Ninjutsu, famous ninja, and Kekkei Genkai clans from the Land of Water.

"A few days ago, while you and Zabuza were drinking, I had already found out their names and learned which clans they came from."

Kakashi shrugged. He knew Menma was lying, but he trusted that Menma would not harm them at such a critical moment, so he did not expose him.

Menma continued sharing information.

"That white-haired boy with sharp teeth is most likely Hozuki Suigetsu, the younger brother of Hozuki Mangetsu, the Hidden Mist Village's genius ninja.

"The Hozuki Clan is the clan of Hozuki Gengetsu, the Second Mizukage.

"Their secret techniques include the Hydrification Technique, which allows them to turn any part of their body into water and become immune to physical damage. The weakness of this technique is Lightning Release Ninjutsu.

"There is also Water Release: Water Gun Technique, a secret Ninjutsu passed down through generations of the Hozuki Clan. By forming a pistol shape with the hand, they fire a bullet-like liquid from the tip of the index finger to pierce their enemy.

"As the younger brother of the Mist Village genius Hozuki Mangetsu, Hozuki Suigetsu's talent with the blade is not low either.

"So, the enemy we may have to face is someone proficient in close-range swordsmanship, long-range attacks, and physical immunity.

"Only those two have appeared among Zabuza's Genin so far. Based on the usual composition of a ninja team, they should have one more Genin.

"But we have not seen that person before, so I do not know anything about them."

As though she had remembered something, Sakura added, "The Demon Brothers. It's the Demon Brothers."

Menma suddenly realized it too. That was right—the ones sent to stop Gato from returning to the Land of Waves had been the Demon Brothers. The two of them were also Zabuza's subordinates.

"I'll take Hozuki Suigetsu. My Lightning Release counters his Water Release, and my Sharingan also counters his close-range swordsmanship." Sasuke spoke with complete confidence.

"Then I'll handle that boy. His Kekkei Genkai sounds powerful, but I'm confident I can avoid losing to him." Sakura spoke with a smile, as though she had some hidden trump card.

Looks like I can only fight the Demon Brothers as a pair. Thankfully, thankfully—one against two. I can handle that.

The group discussed the tactical arrangements for three days later in detail, then returned to their rooms to train separately.

Just as Kakashi was about to return to his room as well, Menma called out to him.

"Is there something else, Menma?"

"Kakashi-sensei, I need your help with my training!"