The Executioner's Blade Is Mine! / The Demon, Zabuza, Makes His Entrance!

If they continued the mission, they would run into Kirigakure's A-Rank Rogue Ninja, Demon Zabuza, and Yuki Haku, a Ninja with a Kekkei Genkai who could use Ice Release!

Those two heads were worth only a hundred thousand?

What a joke.

"I... I don't have any more money." Tazuna looked miserable.

"I told you I'd raise my price on the spot, didn't I? Once you finish that lousy bridge," Aogetsu Hyuga said, holding up three fingers, "I want thirty percent of the Land of Waves' profits every month."

Once the Land of Waves completed the bridge, it would begin trading with the Five Great Nations. Its economy would soar!

The reason he hadn't exposed the mission's hidden details back in the village was that he had been waiting for Tazuna to run out of options. Then he could demand an outrageous price: thirty percent of the Land of Waves' monthly profits!

That thirty percent was worth far more than twenty million. It would bring in a large, steady sum every single month.

"..." Everyone on Team 7 was speechless. The Land of Waves might be a remote little country, but it was still a country.

Thirty percent of an entire country's monthly profits had to be an astronomical sum.

Raising his price on the spot...

When Cangyue-sensei raised his price, he really went for it!

"How could I give you that much?" Tazuna was stunned. He had never imagined Cangyue would demand a share of the Land of Waves' profits.

Tazuna gritted his teeth. "We can negotiate the money, but the Land of Waves' profits... That's not my decision to make!"

"Playing dumb won't work. I know you're the one calling the shots in the Land of Waves." Aogetsu Hyuga walked up to Tazuna with his hands in his pockets, bent down, and gave him a wicked smile. "You still don't understand your situation. The Land of Waves is on its last legs."

"If I abandon this mission, you'll die on your way back. The bridge will be destroyed, and the Land of Waves will become a crooked merchant's plaything."

"Old man, I'm the only one you can rely on now."

He wasn't lying to manipulate him. That was the truth. Right now, Cangyue was the only one who could save the Land of Waves. If Tazuna wanted to build the bridge and revive his country, he had to agree to Cangyue's exorbitant fee.

"I agree." Tazuna let out a long breath and sagged like a deflated balloon. He seemed to have aged several years in an instant.

He had no choice.

The Land of Waves had nowhere else to turn. He could only grit his teeth and accept Cangyue's outrageous demand.

"A wise decision. Sign the contract." Aogetsu Hyuga took out a Scroll, opened it, and tossed it to Tazuna.

"Y-you knew from the start that there was something wrong with the mission I posted, didn't you? You were already planning to name your price?" Tazuna held the contract Scroll, surprise flashing in his eyes.

He never would have guessed!

The bastard had even prepared a contract!

So Cangyue had spotted the problem with his mission all along and had been patiently waiting to raise his price.

"Who knows? It's a Daimyo's contract, so breaking it won't do you any good." Aogetsu Hyuga smiled and whispered in Tazuna's ear, "Remember this, old man. If you ever short me by even one coin, I'll destroy the Land of Waves."

Tazuna swallowed and signed the contract with trembling hands.

"Good. Now let's get back to our pleasant little trip." Aogetsu Hyuga put away the Scroll. His attitude did a complete about-face as he looked at Team 7 and scolded them. "Don't just stand there. Help Mr. Tazuna up. He's an important client."

"..." Team 7 was speechless. Cangyue-sensei's change in attitude was shamelessly obvious!

Soon, Team 7 continued toward the Land of Waves.

The Kubikiribōchō Is Mine!

Dusk fell, and the red sun sank toward the western mountains.

In the forest.

Tazuna drank as he walked. He glanced at Naruto Uzumaki, who was trudging along beside him in low spirits, and said drunkenly, "Hey, kid. You going to be all right? If you're scared, go home and suckle at your mother's breast."

After revealing the full details of the mission, he felt much lighter.

The only thing weighing on his mind now was that thirty percent of the Land of Waves' profits.

Sasuke Uchiha walked ahead with his hands in his pockets. He looked back at Naruto and sneered, his face cold. "If you're scared, don't stray too far from me, coward."

"What did you say... Sasuke?" Naruto Uzumaki's face darkened. He gritted his teeth and slowly clenched his fists, itching for a fight.

"Nobody's perfect. Everyone has flaws. Yours, for example, is that you're a coward." Aogetsu Hyuga took a box of Dango from Naruto's pack, a trace of mockery in his faint smile.

"You bastard!" Naruto Uzumaki looked even more upset.

Aogetsu Hyuga ate a Dango and glanced at the scratch on Naruto Uzumaki's right hand. "Those people had poison under their nails. You'd better treat that wound. Kids really are a hassle. Anyway, work hard and try not to hold us back."

"Coward... coward! Every one of you looks down on me!" Naruto Uzumaki stopped walking, drew a Kunai, and drove it hard into his right hand. Bright red blood ran down the back of it.

Everyone froze. They stopped in their tracks and stared at Naruto Uzumaki.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura Haruno's pupils contracted. She hurriedly pulled out some gauze and ran toward him.

"Wait. Naruto seems to have something to say." Aogetsu Hyuga put a hand on Sakura Haruno's shoulder and took the opportunity to squeeze her backside.

"You pervert! Where do you think you're touching?" Sakura Haruno's cheeks reddened. Anger flashed in her eyes as she gave the back of Cangyue's hand a hard pinch.

Aogetsu Hyuga withdrew his hand and looked calmly at Naruto Uzumaki.

The Nine-Tails kid has finally caught on.

"Why am I so different? Why am I always the one holding everyone back? Damn it!" Naruto Uzumaki gripped the Kunai. Tears welled in his reddened eyes, and frustration roughened his voice.

"I should be stronger than I used to be. I keep completing missions, and I train every day the way Cangyue-sensei told me to."

"I don't want to keep waiting for someone else to save me."

"I won't let setbacks beat me, and I won't run away. I don't want to lose to Sasuke. I want to prove myself to Cangyue-sensei." Naruto Uzumaki's voice shook with tears, but resolve rang through it.

"Hmph." Sasuke Uchiha stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Naruto Uzumaki coolly.

"I swear on this pain that I'll become strong—strong enough to protect all of you and earn Cangyue-sensei's approval!" Naruto Uzumaki raised his bleeding right hand, then drove the Kunai straight through his palm.

Naruto Uzumaki looked at everyone with fierce determination. "I say what I mean, and I do what I say. That's my Ninja Way!"

He swore that from this moment on, he would be a strong Ninja, one who could stand alongside Team 7 and face any enemy without wavering.

He would earn Cangyue's approval and praise!

The corner of Sasuke Uchiha's mouth lifted. He raised his chin and snorted. "Idiot. You've still got a long way to go."

"Naruto..." Sakura Haruno was speechless. She hadn't expected him to say anything like that.

A Ninja Way?

What's my Ninja Way?

There's someone I don't want to lose to, either. I want to prove myself to Ino.

Aogetsu Hyuga clapped, chuckling with satisfaction. "Well said. Seeing you grow moves me, too. I'll find a chance to give you an award."

It was a good thing that the Nine-Tails kid was growing mentally.

A firm will would help him grow stronger and speed up the Master-Disciple Mission. That meant more rewards for Cangyue.

Perfect.

Aogetsu Hyuga pointed at Naruto's right hand. "Looking cool is all well and good for a Ninja, but you're going to bleed too much."

"Huh? Huh? Huh?!" Naruto Uzumaki's eyes went wide. He grabbed his head and cried out in panic, "Am I going to die? What do I do? Cangyue-sensei, what do I do?"

"It's fine, don't worry. I'll buy you a Coffin after you die. They're on sale right now." Aogetsu Hyuga took Naruto's right hand and studied the wound, which was gradually closing.

The Nine-Tails' power?

Healing yourself with that enormous supply of Chakra sure is convenient.

He had even more Chakra than the Nine-Tails now. Healing his own wounds would be easier still.

"Hey! Is that any way for a teacher to talk?" Naruto Uzumaki protested angrily.

Sakura Haruno put a hand to her forehead and sighed. "Even after that impressive speech, he's still an idiot."

As they talked and laughed, white mist gradually spread across the area.

Pale snowflakes drifted down, and a chill crept into the air.

"Mist?"

Everyone on Team 7 stiffened and looked around. Pale mist had already covered the whole area. They could barely see their hands in front of their faces!

"Why is it getting misty? Is the weather changing?" Sakura Haruno looked puzzled.

"What kind of weather is this? Hot one minute, cold the next!" Naruto Uzumaki complained.

Sasuke Uchiha frowned. There was something strange about this white mist.

"Everyone, get down." Aogetsu Hyuga ate a Dango and activated the Tenseigan's ability to see through objects. In the distance, he spotted a huge blade spinning rapidly toward them.

"Get down?"

Team 7 stared at Aogetsu Hyuga in confusion. A moment later, everyone covered their heads and crouched on the ground.

Why do we have to get down?

Is Cangyue-sensei messing with us again?

"What's this about? Making us get down for no reason." Naruto Uzumaki crouched with his hands over his head, grumbling. "Cangyue-sensei, can you stop playing pranks? We've got a mission to finish."

The moment he finished speaking—

Whoosh! A violent gust swept past as a massive blade severed two tree trunks and flew over Team 7's heads.

The Kubikiribōchō spun like a Shuriken. All Team 7 could feel was the fierce rush of air as the blade hurtled toward Aogetsu Hyuga's neck.

Aogetsu Hyuga kept eating his Dango without moving. He watched the blade close in, then raised the thin wooden skewer in his hand and effortlessly blocked its ferocious strike.

Clang! The blade struck the skewer, sending out a fierce gust that blew dust from the ground into the air.

The massive blade fell heavily to the ground. The thin wooden skewer was completely unharmed.

"A welcome gift for me? You shouldn't have." Aogetsu Hyuga ate another Dango, picked up the Kubikiribōchō, and strapped it to his back.

With the Tenseigan's ability to see through objects, he could see Zabuza hidden nearby.

Zabuza Momochi had probably thrown the blade intending to lodge it in a tree. Then he could make an imposing entrance, stand on it, and look down on everyone.

Trying to show off?

Not a chance!

So much for your grand entrance, huh?

And now the Kubikiribōchō is mine!

Nothing pleased Aogetsu Hyuga more than watching someone fail to show off.

Demon Zabuza Appears!

"Wh-what happened?" Naruto Uzumaki looked around in a daze. He had only felt a fierce gust sweep past. Then his gaze settled on the Kubikiribōchō on Cangyue's back.

"Was that...?" Naruto Uzumaki went pale, fear rising in his eyes. Had that terrifying-looking blade been what flew past them just now?

If they hadn't listened to Cangyue-sensei and gotten down...

Team 7 might have been wiped out!

Naruto Uzumaki sucked in a breath and touched his neck. A chill ran down his spine as dread washed over him.

Everyone on Team 7 felt the same dread. They silently swore to listen more closely to Cangyue-sensei from now on. Whatever Cangyue told them to do, they would do it.

If they hadn't listened to him just now, their heads might already have been flying through the air.

"Naruto, Sasuke!" Sakura Haruno recovered first. She drew a Kunai and took position in front of Tazuna, her face pale with fear as she watched the space ahead.

Sasuke and Naruto drew their Kunai as well and moved to protect Tazuna.

The three members of Team 7 formed a three-way defensive formation, keeping Tazuna in the middle.

"Where's the enemy?" Sasuke Uchiha's expression turned grave. He stared ahead with his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, but he still couldn't find where the enemy was hiding in the white mist.

Cangyue-sensei must know where the enemy is, right?

He hadn't noticed the blade coming, either. Without Cangyue's warning, he would probably be dead.

I guess that's Cangyue for you.

Damn it!

This has to be a joke!

I'm a genius of the Uchiha Clan!