You've Gotten Stronger, Zuo Hao

Itachi stood there quietly, his face as still as a stagnant pool. Not a trace of emotion showed.

Zuo Hao's lips curved slightly. He fixed his gaze on Itachi, as though he could see straight through that indifferent mask and lay bare everything beneath it.

Kisame turned his gaze to Zuo Hao and grinned. "That's your little brother? He doesn't look very strong. Can't believe he came to stop us alone."

Only then did Zuo Hao look away. His gaze swept over Kisame's sharklike face before settling on the bandage-wrapped Samehada across his back.

He raised an eyebrow, amusement creeping into his voice.

"You're... Kisame Hoshigaki, the rogue ninja from Kirigakure. Wielder of Samehada... Not bad. That sword looks like it could do some damage."

A dangerous glint of interest flashed through Kisame's eyes. He grinned, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Interested in my Samehada, kid?"

Zuo Hao tilted his head. His gaze left Samehada and returned to Kisame's sharklike face, his smile widening.

"I wouldn't say interested," he said lightly. "I just think... it suits you. A shark with Samehada—the look really comes together."

Kisame's small eyes narrowed.

He had spent years in Akatsuki and killed more people than this brat had ever seen. Never had anyone been foolish enough to speak to him in that tone.

"Kid." Kisame bared his pointed teeth, his smile openly bloodthirsty. "Do you think you're funny?"

He slowly drew Samehada from his back. The bandage-wrapped blade swept through the air and pointed at Zuo Hao.

"Since you're so interested in my Samehada," Kisame said, his grin turning vicious, "why not try it for yourself?"

"I guarantee you'll never forget how it feels to be carved up by this sword. Though the rest of your life might not last very long."

The instant he finished speaking, Kisame moved.

He was impossibly fast for someone carrying such a massive sword. His feet drove two deep, cracked pits into the ground.

He shot forward like a cannonball. Samehada tore a dazzling arc through the moonlight as it came down on Zuo Hao's head.

Kisame held nothing back.

The blade shrieked through the air, so piercing it nearly split the eardrums. The violent rush of wind sent every loose stone and blade of grass around Zuo Hao's feet flying.

If that blow landed, it would pulverize not just a person but a slab of granite.

Zuo Hao did not dodge.

He did not even move.

He stood where he was, hands in his pockets, looking up at the descending blade with the calm expression of someone watching a performance that had nothing to do with him.

Kisame's pupils contracted.

Does he want to die?

No.

At that distance and angle, there was no way to dodge without Space-Time Ninjutsu.

But Zuo Hao showed no sign of a chakra surge. No Hand Seals, no substitution. Even his breathing had not changed.

Samehada came down.

The blade passed through Zuo Hao's body.

Zuo Hao was completely unharmed.

The murderous gleam in Kisame's eyes froze.

"What?!"

His first strike had missed. He immediately reversed his grip and slashed sideways.

This time, Kisame saw it clearly.

The sword passed straight through Zuo Hao's body. Not even the hem of his clothes stirred.

"How is that possible?!"

Zuo Hao stood motionless, letting the monstrous blade pass back and forth through him.

"Finished?"

Zuo Hao tilted his head. The faint, teasing smile on his face had not changed once.

He even found time to yawn. A tear formed at the corner of his eye, and he wiped it away casually, his voice openly lazy.

"Honestly, your swordsmanship is pretty impressive to watch. Too bad it's useless."

Kisame's sword hand trembled.

He had killed countless people and seen countless jutsu, from the assassination techniques of the Bloody Mist Village to the most powerful forbidden techniques of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Never—never—had he encountered anything like this.

A living, breathing person stood right in front of him, yet no matter how he swung, he could not touch a hair on his head. This was beyond the realm of ninjutsu. It was an ability that defied all reason, one that seemed almost impossible to counter.

Itachi had stood beneath the trees the entire time without moving.

But from the moment Zuo Hao first turned intangible, Itachi's crimson Mangekyō Sharingan had remained fixed on him.

Itachi's expression stayed as calm and indifferent as ever, as though none of it concerned him.

"Kisame, that's enough."

Kisame whipped his head around. Frustration and cold fury still lingered in his small eyes as he lowered his voice.

"Mr. Itachi, this kid's ability is too strange..."

"I said, that's enough."

Itachi's voice remained calm and detached. He did not raise it, yet it carried a pressure that could not be defied.

Kisame clenched his pointed teeth. At last, he slung Samehada back over his shoulder and took two reluctant steps back, his small eyes locked on Zuo Hao.

Itachi turned away, his black cloak with its red clouds lifting slightly in the night wind.

He paused for a moment. Without looking back, he turned his face just enough to speak, his voice as faint as the wind.

"You've gotten stronger, Zuo Hao."

The playfulness left Zuo Hao's face. He stared at Itachi's back.

"Brother, you're leaving?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. He said nothing and walked away.

His figure vanished into the darkness of the dense forest, with Kisame close behind. Kisame glanced back at Zuo Hao one last time. The contempt was gone from his small eyes; only deep wariness remained.

Zuo Hao stood where he was and muttered, "That's Itachi for you. He really managed to make an exit out of that."

The next day, Team 7 received a mission involving the bridge in the Land of Waves.

How it came about was rather dull.

An old carpenter named Tazuna had stumbled into the Hokage's office reeking of alcohol and demanded the strongest ninja available to escort him home to build a bridge.

The Third Hokage looked at him over his pipe for a while, then glanced at Kakashi dozing by the window. In the end, he handed over the mission scroll.

"A C-rank escort mission. Destination: the Land of Waves. Team 7's first official mission."

So, before dawn had fully broken, the four members of Team 7 stood at the gates of Konoha.

Naruto carried a travel pack bigger than he was, his eyes shining like two little lamps. He bounced around Tazuna, peppering him with questions.

"What's the Land of Waves like? Does it have ramen shops? Any strong ninja? Hey, old man, your hair's really white! How old are you?"

"You're too loud!" Tazuna smacked Naruto on the head, and not gently. Naruto merely ducked his neck and ran to the front of the group, laughing.

Sakura stood beside Sasuke, anticipation written all over her face. Her gaze kept drifting toward him.

Sasuke wore his usual keep-away expression, hands in his pockets and eyes fixed straight ahead, as though nothing around him mattered.

Zuo Hao walked at the very back of the group.

To be precise, he was the only one who showed no interest in the mission whatsoever.