Zabuza's Past

I am Zabuza.

After clashing with Team Kakashi that day, I was kicked into the river.

Luckily, someone pulled me out, and I survived.

It must have been Haku!

But after saving me, Haku probably died!

After giving that family some money, I began traveling across the Shinobi World!

At least that battle had brought me to the threshold of Kage Level.

Haku, wait for me to avenge you!

These days, I often dream of you—Haku.

Only now did Zabuza understand how important Haku was to him.

Having someone so important suddenly gone from his side was hard to get used to!

I was Zabuza the Demon! Yet I had ended up caring for someone.

I became a bounty hunter. Every mission left me half-dead, but I couldn't die before avenging you.

Then, against all odds, I heard news of you.

I heard you had joined the Uchiha Clan. Someone had seen you there.

I would never believe you'd betrayed me. That evil Uchiha Yoru must have threatened you.

But I wasn't strong enough to see you yet. If I went, the Ninja of Konoha would probably beat me to death.

At last, after risking my life to take the head of an S-rank Missing-nin, I reached Kage Level.

And Konoha was holding an Engagement Ceremony for Uchiha Itachi. What better chance to get inside?

I could use the confusion to rescue you.

Haku, wait for me. I know you hate killing. I have enough money now. We can live in peace and happiness.

But right now, this dark-skinned bastard in front of me dared to stop me? The nerve of him!

Zabuza didn't dare draw the Kubikiribōchō. He could only fend off the attacks with a Kunai.

"You bastard! How dare you do something like that?"

"What did I do? You're making no sense!" Zabuza cursed inwardly, but his opponent gave him no chance to fight back.

The man's swordsmanship was vicious, no weaker than Zabuza's had been when he was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

The one who had set this whole incident in motion, a little girl, sat upstairs with a lollipop in her mouth, enjoying the fight.

"Mission complete. Don't forget what you promised me!"

"I know. I'll save you one of the new limited-edition cards!"

Uchiha Yoru sounded a little helpless.

"And?"

"I'll reserve a private room for you at the Konoha Hotel. Come whenever you want, free of charge!"

"And?"

"Don't push it, China!"

"Want me to tell him right now that you made me say all that?"

"Fine, fine! You can get into Konoha's Arcade for free too, all right?"

"That's more like it!"

The little girl haggled with Uchiha Yoru over the phone.

"The Konoha Military Police Force is here! The Konoha Military Police Force is here!"

"Oh, no!"

Zabuza broke off the fight and fled at once. If Konoha discovered his identity, he'd be in serious trouble. He had come only to rescue Haku; he couldn't afford any complications.

Darui alone was left surrounded.

"Hands up! Drop your weapon! You don't have to say anything, but anything you do say can be used as evidence against you!"

The Ninja of the Uchiha Clan shouted as they surrounded him.

Who knew how Yoru had come up with those lines? They sounded pretty imposing, though.

Looking at the Ninja around him, Darui knew he had crossed a line. He shouldn't have fought someone in Konoha.

Yet for some reason, it had felt as though he'd been hypnotized. Or perhaps his sympathy simply hadn't let him stand by and watch.

The little girl had vanished by then. Darui figured she must have run off in fright. A child that young would naturally be scared by a fight between Ninja!

Darui put down his weapon and obediently let himself be taken away.

"Tell the Raikage to come get him!"

The police squad captain gave the order.

"How dare Konoha do this?"

Raikage A flew into a rage when he heard the news and smashed the table with a slap.

"Lord Raikage, please calm down!" Yugito Nii urged him.

Judging by the Raikage's expression, he really might start a fight with Konoha's Ninja.

"It's fine. I'm calm. I know what's going on!"

"Take me to him!"

When Raikage A arrived at the Anbu, he found Darui locked in a cell. He didn't seem to have been mistreated, but Sealing Jutsu had apparently been inscribed on the cell. He couldn't use a shred of Chakra.

"Lord Raikage, I'm sorry I worried you!"

"It's fine. I'll ask Konoha what it'll take to release you," Raikage A said. He could have smashed the cell and rescued Darui on the spot. He was confident he could escape the Ninja of all Konoha, but the others couldn't!

And when he learned what had happened, he was baffled himself.

Darui had suddenly picked a fight with a Ninja on the street. Wasn't he always complaining that everything was a drag?

If he wanted a fight, he could go straight back to Kumogakure. Raikage A would fight him all he liked.

"Tell me! What will it take to release Darui?"

Raikage A shouted at the young man before him.

"Three hundred and fifty million silver taels. Once the money arrives, I'll release Darui!"

"You!"

Blue lightning crackled around the Raikage. His hair stood on end, and his eyes blazed with anger.

Uchiha Yoru remained unfazed. "Go on, try hitting me. I've been frail since I was little. I can't lift a thing or carry a load. Even a tiny scratch would put me in bed for ten days or half a month!"

"Touch me, and I'll bleed you dry!"

"Fine! Three hundred and fifty million taels. I'll have someone bring it to you right away!" [The price of ten Asuma Sarutobis!!!]

"Release him first!"

"When the money arrives, I'll release him!"

"You... Fine! Just you wait!"

Raikage A left him with that threat and turned away.

"Lord Yoru, aren't you afraid he'll hit you?"

"I honestly wish he would! Then I could make him pay for the rest of my life!"

Uchiha Yoru suddenly remembered something and called after the Raikage. "You smashed the hotel table. Don't forget to pay for it!"

"You!"

The ground split open in an instant.

"You broke the ground too. Don't forget to pay for that!"

"Let's go, Yugito!"

Raikage A vanished from sight in an instant. If he stayed any longer, he feared Uchiha Yoru would infuriate him to death.

"Dangerous individual detected! Dangerous individual detected! Dangerous individual detected!"

Messages poured into Uchiha Yoru's phone.

At Konoha's Memorial Stone, a figure emerged from a Space-Time Vortex.

"Rin, in that Ideal World, I'll hold a ceremony for you just like this one. No, a bigger one. Minato-sensei, Kushina, and Kakashi will all be there!"

"You'll be so happy!"

The Masked Man had no idea that everyone in the Monitoring Room could see his every move.

They recorded every word he said, too.