Sand Can't Build a Ship

"I... I was loyal to..."

Haku's voice was rough and hoarse, as though every word had been forced out through a rusted throat.

His body trembled slightly, not from the cold, but because the towering structure called "belief" within him was undergoing a devastating earthquake.

"To Lord Zabuza..."

He answered instinctively.

"And also... his dream..."

Even he felt there was little conviction behind that addition.

"That is a logical paradox."

Naruto's cold voice cut off his struggle.

"When the courses of action of the 'person' and the 'dream' conflict, you cannot be loyal to both at once."

"You must make a choice."

"For example."

Naruto gave Haku no chance to catch his breath.

"Suppose Zabuza's dream is to build a ship capable of crossing the sea. Yet he insists on using sand as the material. As his only craftsman, should you obey his orders and build a ship destined to sink from sand, or should you tell him that you need wood?"

The analogy was simple and blunt, yet it struck straight at the heart of the matter.

Haku could not answer.

Because the answer was self-evident.

"Obeying his orders and being swallowed by the sea alongside him is called blind loyalty."

"Finding real wood, building a sturdy ship, and carrying him across the sea—that is true loyalty."

Naruto withdrew his hand from the ice mirror.

The oppressive force that seemed to reach into Haku's soul vanished instantly. Haku sucked in a sharp breath, feeling as if he had just been pulled from deep water.

"Your current situation is exactly like building a ship out of sand."

Naruto continued speaking.

"Gato is that useless pile of sand. And you possess the ability to find wood, yet you chose to turn a blind eye."

"I..."

Haku opened his mouth but found himself unable to say anything.

Naruto's chain of logic was flawless.

He defined Haku's actions as "a betrayal of the dream," thereby bypassing the emotional minefield of "betraying Zabuza himself."

It was an imperceptible substitution of ideas.

"What you want is to help Zabuza achieve his dream, correct?"

Naruto posed a leading question.

"...Yes."

Haku nodded instinctively.

He had never wavered in that goal.

"Then what if I can offer a plan that is more efficient, more direct, and more likely to succeed than 'working as Gato's thug'?"

Naruto finally revealed his true intent.

Haku abruptly looked up. For the first time, the eyes behind his mask showed an emotion beyond shock.

It was confusion, along with a trace of... longing... that even he himself had never noticed.

"You...?"

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, merely a Genin of Konoha."

Naruto introduced himself.

"But I excel at making plans, assessing risks, and... optimizing resource allocation."

"To me, you and Zabuza are two high-quality resources that have been severely undervalued and used incorrectly."

"I can provide you with the most efficient path to victory."

Naruto's words were filled with unquestionable confidence.

That confidence did not come from arrogance, but from absolute rationality founded upon an immense store of knowledge and countless successful applications.

It possessed a convincing power in itself.

"Why should I believe you?"

Haku's voice still trembled, but his logic was beginning to come back online.

He had begun to question and think. That was the first step Naruto wanted to see.

"Because I can stand here and discuss these matters with you, while you can do nothing about it."

Naruto gestured at the ice mirrors around them.

"Because I can see through every trajectory of your attacks, while all you know about me is that I am 'a blond Genin from Konoha.'"

"More importantly, because we share a common enemy."

Naruto abruptly changed the subject.

"Gato."

Haku fell silent.

"You do not like him."

Naruto stated it plainly.

"His greed, cruelty, and baseness are entirely at odds with the 'way of the ninja' you believe in. Every time you cooperate with him is agony for you."

"You have merely forced yourself to accept it."

"Because you believe it is 'necessary.'"

"Now, I am telling you that it is not necessary."

Naruto looked at Haku.

"We can make a better choice."

At that moment, the battle outside the ice mirrors had also reached its most intense stage.

"Damn it! What the hell are your brats doing?!"

Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō swept through the air with tremendous force, yet it never managed to pose a fatal threat to Kakashi.

Kakashi was like an impossibly slippery piece of chewing gum. Using the Sharingan's copying ability and his masterful Substitution Technique, he constantly circled Zabuza and wore down his stamina and patience.

"How should I know?"

Kakashi answered lazily, though a storm had already erupted in his heart.

Naruto's contingency plan had given him only one instruction: "Hold Zabuza back. Do not attack proactively. Do everything possible to drain his chakra and patience until I give the signal."

Kakashi had not understood it at the time, but now he did.

Naruto's main battlefield had never been here.

It was inside that prison of ice crystals.

It was a war Kakashi could neither join nor understand.

"Haku is slowing down! His chakra is unstable!"

Zabuza roared. He could clearly feel the chakra sustaining the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals fluctuating violently.

That meant Haku's heart was in turmoil.

"Looks like your 'tool' has developed a small malfunction, Zabuza."

Kakashi keenly caught the shift in his opponent's state of mind and mocked him.

"Shut up!"

Zabuza's attacks grew more violent and more disorderly.

He was beginning to panic.

Haku was his only companion, the softest place in his heart.

He could not tolerate anything happening to Haku.

Inside the ice mirrors.

Haku naturally heard Zabuza's roar as well.

His heart grew even more anguished and conflicted.

"Lord Zabuza... is worried about me..."

"Yes, he is worried about you."

Naruto caught the change in Haku's emotions.

"Because he sees you as a 'child' who needs protection and cannot think independently, rather than a 'comrade' who can fight beside him and formulate strategies together."

"This unequal partnership is fragile by nature."

"Look at him. Because your condition is unstable, his attacks have already lost their rhythm. He is being worn down by Kakashi-sensei. This is the 'misallocation of resources' I spoke of."

"You were supposed to be his support, yet because your heart has wavered, you have instead become his weakness."

Naruto's analysis was like one sharp blade after another stabbing into Haku's heart.

He made Haku clearly realize that his current "loyalty" was not helping Zabuza at all. Instead, it was dragging him down.

"Then... then tell me..."

At that moment, Haku's defenses were completely breached.

He raised his head and looked at the blond boy, who was even shorter than himself. For the first time, he asked in a tone that was almost pleading.

"Give me... a better plan."

The corner of Naruto's mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible curve.

The fish had taken the bait.

"The plan is simple."

He raised one finger.

"First, release this technique and stop wasting your strength internally."

Then he raised a second finger.

"Second, join me in clearing out the 'trash' that will soon arrive."

"Trash?"

Haku did not understand.

"Your employer, Gato."

Naruto's voice was calm and even.

"According to my calculations, about fifteen minutes after we began fighting, Gato would grow impatient or distrustful of you and bring his private armed force to this bridge."

"His goal is most likely to reap the benefits without lifting a finger. Once you and we are both badly injured, he will dispose of everyone, including the two of you."

"W-What?"

Haku was stunned.

"That is impossible! We have a contract!"

"To a capitalist with no credibility, the value of a contract depends on whether tearing it up or honoring it yields greater profits."

Naruto said flatly.

"And right now, tearing it up is clearly more in his interests."

"You..."

Haku wanted to argue further.

Just then, a chaotic sound of ordinary footsteps drifted faintly through the thick mist from the other end of the bridge.

Among them was an especially arrogant, shrill laugh.

"Ha ha ha! Looks like those two useless ninja aren't much after all! They've been at it this long and still haven't finished them off!"

It was Gato's voice!

Haku's entire body stiffened.

Naruto's prediction had come true.