"We'll help you."
To keep Tazuna from talking any longer and disrupting his thoughts, Madara readily agreed to protect him.
"See? I told you Teacher Itachi looks cold, but he's kindhearted!"
Seeing Madara agree to protect Tazuna, Naruto gave Sakura a slightly smug look. Though Sakura worried about the enemies they would face next, her kind nature made her want to protect Tazuna as well. Now that Madara had agreed, she felt reassured.
After passing through the thick fog, Madara Uchiha and the others entered the Land of Waves. Since it was an island nation, the houses along its borders were built beside the water, giving them a distinctive local character. They still had some distance to walk after coming ashore before they reached Tazuna's house, and Madara's group would naturally continue escorting him.
So he's here.
Partway along the road, Madara Uchiha sensed someone approaching them at tremendous speed. The man was faster than even an ordinary Jōnin. He was most likely Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
"So that's it. No wonder the Demon Brothers couldn't beat him. Uchiha Itachi, Konoha's youngest Jōnin. The circumstances of his promotion were kept very quiet, but he's completed plenty of remarkable missions since then."
Long after Madara had sensed him, Zabuza finally reached the area around their group. From the shadows, he caught sight of his enemy for this mission.
Though there were five people in Madara Uchiha's group, Zabuza paid attention only to Madara. What he did not know was that the ones who had defeated the Demon Brothers were not Madara, but Sasuke and Naruto, whom he had overlooked.
The Kubikiribōchō came flying toward them from afar. Just as the Greatsword was about to sweep over their heads, Madara Uchiha reached out with his