The samurai roared their assent and surged forward through the thin mist.
Dozens of figures crowded closer and closer within the haze.
Steel clashed against steel in a chaotic clatter.
At the middle of the bridge, Zabuza planted the Kubikiribōchō against the deck and slowly straightened.
"Gato."
He spoke in a hoarse voice:
"The deal was, I kill them, you pay."
"I'm still standing here-"
He raised his chin toward the figures pressing forward.
"What the hell is this supposed to mean? What, you want them to finish the job?"
In the center of the crowd, Gato sneered.
"Pay?"
"I never intended to pay you a single penny!"
He planted his hands on his hips and took two steps forward, his voice suddenly rising:
"And I never intended to let a rabid dog like you, or that Ice Release brat, leave this bridge alive!"
"Once you and those Konoha ninja have torn each other apart, my men come in and cut you down, one by one-"
"Now that's the deal Lord Gato really wanted!"
After saying that, he spat hard onto the bridge deck.
Zabuza's grip on his sword tightened and tightened.
At last, the question that kid had asked him on the mountaintop echoed in his ears.
He never cared about you or Haku in the first place, did he?
Back then, he had laughed at him for not understanding a ninja's fate.
"...How dare you."
He forced the words through gritted teeth.
"Ha-hahahaha!"
Gato laughed so hard he could barely stand straight.
When he had finished laughing, he waved a hand.
"What are you waiting for?! Get them!"
"Don't leave a single one alive!!"
"Double the reward for every one you cut down-!!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Dozens of samurai charged forward, howling, their