Zabuza's Choice

A figure lurked outside the Uchiha Clan compound.

I'll grab a Uchiha and ask where Haku is!

That was Zabuza's plan.

After escaping that day, he had hidden for a while. Only when he realized Konoha wasn't looking for him did he finally relax.

A doll-like little girl appeared before him, eating Potato Chips as she walked.

"You'll do!"

Zabuza clamped a hand over the girl's mouth, and they vanished from the spot.

He sensed an empty room, opened the door, and slipped inside.

"Don't say a word, or I'll kill you!" Zabuza had meant to put on a terrifying face and frighten her, but her adorable face made that difficult. His voice softened instead.

China nodded. The man in front of her looked like that unlucky fellow from a few days ago.

"Tell me! Do you know someone named Haku?"

"You mean Haku? I know him!"

China nodded.

Zabuza was overjoyed. As far as he was concerned, children didn't lie!

"Take me to him! Hurry!"

Zabuza seized the girl's arm and spoke excitedly.

"You're hurting me!"

"Sorry!" Zabuza apologized at once.

"Follow me. But watch out for the others! If they catch you, you're on your own!"

China spoke with complete seriousness.

Zabuza nodded. He didn't think twice about how cooperative she was. What bad intentions could such an adorable little girl possibly have?

Zabuza followed China as she walked along, greeting members of the Uchiha Clan. They all responded warmly, and some even gave her snacks.

Seeing that, Zabuza felt safer still. If China had shouted for help, he would have had to run.

"In here!"

China entered a room, and Zabuza slipped in right behind her.

"Where's Haku?"

China felt around the room and slowly flipped a switch. An entrance to a basement appeared.

"He's locked up in the Uchiha Clan's prison. I only found it because I secretly saw my brother open it last time!"

Zabuza didn't hesitate. He slowly headed down.

At the end of the passage, he found a blood-red pool with white bones floating in it.

Could Haku already be...

"Konoha is researching a Forbidden Technique this monstrous? Unforgivable!"

Zabuza roared in fury. Rage swallowed his reason, and he hoisted the Kubikiribōchō, ready to take revenge on the people outside.

"I wonder how much you're worth!"

Two dragon-shaped creatures burst from the bloody pool and clamped onto Zabuza's limbs, binding him tight.

Pain shot through Zabuza's hand, forcing him to drop the sword.

Without his sword, Zabuza had lost more than half his fighting strength.

"I wonder what I can get for a sneaky fellow like you?"

China's eyes turned blood-red, their pupils forming a straight line like a sage's.

"The Sharingan!"

"Look at you, knowing nothing. This is called the Ketsuryūgan!" China said with disdain.

Her gaze swept over Zabuza as though she were appraising merchandise.

"Let me go!"

"Quiet! I'm making a call. Keep it up and I'll rip your tongue out!" China threatened.

Zabuza obediently shut his mouth.

"Hey, Yoru! I caught someone over here. Want to come take a look?"

"What do you want?"

"You know me so well!"

"I want..."

"No."

"Aren't I your favorite little sister?"

"You could be a puppy and I'd still say no!"

"Then I'll kill him!"

"Go ahead! You think I'm short on people?"

"You're no fun! Then I get first go at the next new game!" China backed down a step.

"Fine, fine!"

Uchiha Yoru agreed. Once Orochimaru designs the game, I'll have him add an endless loop. When you ask me about it, I'll tell you it's a bug. That'll wear you out!

By the time they finished talking, Uchiha Yoru had arrived in the prison.

"You tricked me again! You obviously didn't want me to kill him!" China huffed.

Even counting from the moment Uchiha Yoru had agreed, only a few minutes had passed. He must have started coming while he was still on the phone with her.

"Don't worry about the details!"

Uchiha Yoru pinched China's cheek.

"Long time no see, Zabuza!"

"Kill me," Zabuza said.

"You don't want to live?" Uchiha Yoru looked puzzled.

"You killed Haku, and we're enemies. You're not going to let me go!" Zabuza said, resigned to his fate.

He had fallen for a little girl's lies. That was how he'd ended up here.

"Haku's dead? Who told you that?"

"Hasn't he become one of the skeletons in there? Food for your Forbidden Technique!" Zabuza said through gritted teeth.

"Well..."

China and Uchiha Yoru looked at each other.

"Those are just animal remains and blood! It's only a place for China to train her Dōjutsu!" Uchiha Yoru explained.

"Then where's Haku? Where is he?" Zabuza shouted.

"You know Haku's a man, right?" Something seemed off to Uchiha Yoru. Zabuza's feelings sounded stronger than ordinary affection.

"I know!"

"And you still..."

"What difference does that make?"

"Fair enough. Nothing can stand between you two!"

"China, let him go. I'll take you to Haku," Uchiha Yoru said.

China snapped her fingers, and the blood dragons binding Zabuza released him.

On the way back up, Zabuza couldn't help glancing at China.

China noticed and gave him a frighteningly sweet smile, like an innocent little girl.

Zabuza shuddered and hurriedly looked away.

He couldn't forget how that seemingly harmless, astonishingly cute girl had led him here step by step before trapping him.

You can't trust kids these days. Especially girls like her!

China had clearly left him shaken.

"Haku! Is that you?"

Following Uchiha Yoru, Zabuza finally saw the figure he had longed for and started toward him.

Uchiha Yoru caught him by the arm.

"Do you really think it's right to disturb Haku like this?"

Zabuza stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Haku has a happy life of his own now. Can't you see how happy he is?"

Only then did Zabuza notice how different Haku seemed from when they had been together.

A happy smile kept appearing on his face.

"Can you really bear to drag Haku back into a life on the run? Besides, he's used to living here!" Uchiha Yoru said, sounding deeply pained.

Zabuza hesitated.

"Don't forget, you're a missing-nin from Kirigakure. Even if you kill every Ninja sent after you and keep Haku safe, does Haku want to see all that?" Uchiha Yoru asked.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Zabuza asked, at a complete loss. Uchiha Yoru's words had shattered the future he had imagined.

"Come to Konoha!" Uchiha Yoru said.

"I can do that!"

"But do you think Konoha will shelter a missing-nin just like that?"

Zabuza shook his head.

"So you need to prove your value. Give Konoha a reason to protect you!"

"What value?"

"An organization called Akatsuki is recruiting. As long as you're a missing-nin, they'll come for you sooner or later. Join them and feed us intelligence!"

"I'm warning you: they're all S-rank Missing-nin, and some may be stronger than you. If you're exposed, you'll die!"

"Will you return in glory and meet Yuki Haku as a hero of the Shinobi World, or take him away now to live like that with you?"

Uchiha Yoru waited for his answer.

After thinking it over, Zabuza finally nodded, his expression heavy.

"Good. You made the right choice. From now on, only the Hokage and I will know your identity. You'll infiltrate Akatsuki as a Konoha Jonin. We'll wait for you to come back!"

Uchiha Yoru took out a Konoha Forehead Protector and handed it to Zabuza with a touch of ceremony.

"Yes!"

"I'll take China and leave you to it. Don't stay in the village too long!" Uchiha Yoru took China's hand and left.

From the shadows, Zabuza looked at Haku. Wait for me, Haku!