In an instant.
A sacred radiance seemed to shine upon Lei Dou.
Accompanied by the light, melodious sound of flowing water.
Plop! It sounded as though something had gently fallen into a still pool.
A blade flashed past, utterly silent.
"Water Breathing!"
Lei Dou's eyes were half closed, his mind as still as water.
The blade swept gently across Zabuza's neck.
"Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought!"
In that instant, the expression on Zabuza's face changed wildly, shifting from shock to confusion, then horror, before finally becoming a relieved joy.
He even smiled as though he had been released from his burdens.
At the very moment Zabuza smiled, Lei Dou's gentle voice rang out.
He passed Zabuza, holding the Black Blade, Zangetsu, and slowly slid it back into its sheath.
Click!
The blade was sheathed!
Only then did Lei Dou finish speaking.
Kakashi: "..."
Naruto: "..."
Sasuke: "..."
Even Tazuna's eyes widened as they all stared fixedly at Zabuza's face, as though they had seen a ghost.
Dead!
He was dead!
Yet Zabuza's corpse wore a peaceful smile.
Someone could smile while being killed? No... rather, Lei Dou had killed Zabuza with that move, yet Zabuza had actually enjoyed dying?
"You can take him away now! From this day on, I hope the Shinobi World never again hears the name 'Demon of the Hidden Mist'!"
Thud!
Only then did a thin line of blood appear across Zabuza's neck, and his body slowly toppled backward.
By now, tears streamed down Haku's face. The anger and hatred in his eyes seemed to have vanished along with that gentle stroke.
He silently approached Zabuza, struggled to lift his body into his arms, and staggered away into the distance.
Kakashi watched Lei Dou return with a complicated expression.
This battle had shocked Kakashi in far too many ways. So this was Lei Dou's true strength!
What a terrifying brat.
No!
Now he ought to address him respectfully as "Konoha's Ogre," Shimozuki Raito.
An assassin even more terrifying than Zabuza Momochi!
Transparent Release combined with astonishing swordsmanship made him far more intimidating than Zabuza. On top of that, Lei Dou seemed to have secretly learned and mastered Zabuza's Silent Killing Technique during their battle.
Was this what they called talent?
Still, Kakashi was puzzled. "Why did you spare that Masked Ninja?"
Lei Dou gave Kakashi an indifferent glance. "He never actually attacked, and he wasn't determined to kill our client. Even if I let him go, the worst he'll do is come after me for revenge. As long as he doesn't drag our client into it, there's no need to wipe everyone out, right?"
Excessive mercy was generally taboo in the ninja profession, but Kakashi found Lei Dou's reasoning quite agreeable.
As the enemy's subordinate, Haku should logically have been eliminated during the mission to prevent future trouble. Yet that boy was simply too devoted to Zabuza.
He wasn't bad at heart. Had they truly killed him, even Kakashi would have felt guilty.
"On your very first mission, you defeated and killed Zabuza Momochi, an Elite Jōnin from Kirigakure, in a head-on fight. Lei Dou, ordinary Genin standards no longer apply to you!"
Kakashi smiled with satisfaction as he spoke, then vanished from the spot in a flash.
His assignment was to protect these youngsters from the shadows while observing their growth.
Had Zabuza not used the Hidden Mist Technique, which even Lei Dou found troublesome, Kakashi would never have shown himself.
"Let's go!"
Lei Dou turned to Naruto and Sasuke, who were still standing there in a daze.
It was also a reminder to their client, Tazuna, who now felt as though he had hit the jackpot.
He had never imagined Konoha harbored such hidden talent. For the price of a C-Rank mission, he had hired such a terrifying youngster to escort him.
What a bargain!
Konoha truly lived up to its reputation as the greatest village in the Shinobi World!
The group collected themselves and continued toward the Land of Waves. They would reach their destination before long, and Lei Dou and his companions' first C-Rank mission with A-Rank difficulty was finally nearing its end.
Meanwhile!
Deep in the forest, Haku stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Zabuza, who had actually sat back up.
"Mr. Zabuza, you're... you're not dead?"
Zabuza himself was astonished. He touched his neck. The wound looked long and frightening, but it had only sliced through the outer layer of skin, completely avoiding his carotid arteries and windpipe.
Zabuza found it unbelievable that anyone could control their strength with such microscopic precision.
"That brat... didn't kill me!"
Haku froze for a moment. "Why didn't he kill you?"
Zabuza shook his head. He didn't know either, but he now recalled Lei Dou's final words.
I hope the Shinobi World never again hears of the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Was that a hint that he should take on a new identity and live a proper life?
"Lord Zabuza, what do we do next? Do we keep following Gato's plan and assassinate that old bridge builder?"
Hearing Haku's question beside him,
Zabuza stood frozen, lost in thought.
Should I keep going?
Keep living in darkness, forever hiding in the gutters as a tool for murder?
I hope the Shinobi World never again hears the name Demon of the Hidden Mist!
Zabuza smiled in relief. He finally understood. That brat was giving him a chance to start his life over.
After encountering a monster like Lei Dou, Zabuza had also realized something: this Shinobi World no longer belonged to him.
The new generation of monstrous prodigies was already beginning to emerge. Remnants of the old era like him would only serve as stepping stones for their successors if they continued clinging to the Shinobi World.
"No!"
Zabuza gazed at Haku, whose eyes held nothing but him. Having died once, Zabuza now knew what he truly wanted.
He simply wanted to find somewhere no one knew them and live quietly with Haku.
"Let's leave the Land of Waves, Haku!"
Haku looked astonished. He gave Zabuza a puzzled glance. "Then where will we go, Lord Zabuza?"
"We'll find somewhere with no ninja in sight and live a quiet life for a while!"
"Yes!" Haku beamed, tears of excitement shimmering in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Lei Dou strolled comfortably along the Land of Waves' unfinished bridge, his hands clasped behind his head.
He wondered whether Zabuza would make the right choice. If the fool lost his mind and came back to cause trouble, Lei Dou would have no choice but to kill him for real.
Haku was such a pitiful boy. Hopefully that blockhead Zabuza would learn to cherish him!
Still, one enormous question lingered in Lei Dou's mind.
Haku... is a boy, isn't he... huh... Zabuza's taste is...
Imagining that scene, Lei Dou shuddered, goosebumps breaking out all over his body.
Sasuke, who had been watching Lei Dou the whole time, paused. "Are you cold?"
"No!"
Lei Dou answered offhandedly.
Sasuke looked at him in confusion. "Then why did you suddenly shiver?"
"Uh! I just imagined something really scary!"
Something scary?
Lei Dou didn't even fear an Elite Jōnin. He possessed terrifying swordsmanship and Transparent Release, and thanks to Zabuza, he had also mastered the man's Silent Killing Technique.
Could someone like him really be afraid of anything?
Sasuke found it utterly inconceivable.
"All right, vehicles can't go any farther from here. Follow me!"
They followed Tazuna off the bridge and arrived at a secluded dock.
It looked more like a poor little fishing village.
The Land of Waves was surrounded by sea, and most of its people made their living handling freight at the docks, so it was natural for them to live nearby.
"All right, we've brought you here safely, so our escort mission is officially complete!"
Lei Dou clapped his hands as he spoke.
Tazuna's expression changed at those words, and he hurriedly reached out to stop Lei Dou. "Uh! Well... please wait! You dealt with the people sent to assassinate me, but what if that bastard Gato sends someone even stronger to kill me?"
Sasuke fixed his cold, sharp eyes on Tazuna, his voice full of impatience. "We made it clear when we accepted the job: we were only responsible for bringing you here in one piece. We never agreed to be your bodyguards for the rest of your life."
Tazuna's wrinkled face flushed red. His lips trembled, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word in protest.
An amused smile curled Lei Dou's lips as he broke the awkward silence. "All right, old man, give us a straight answer. How many more days will this lousy bridge take?"
As though grasping a lifeline, Tazuna shakily raised three rough fingers. "Three days! Just give me three more days!"
"Fine. Three days."
Lei Dou settled the matter, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The moment the bridge is finished, our mission is over for good. If any assassins with a death wish come after you afterward, you'll have to fend for yourself."
Relieved, Tazuna gritted his teeth and declared fiercely, "As long as this bridge opens, it'll be worth it even if it costs me my old life!"
That decision instantly darkened Sasuke's expression, his brow knitting tightly.
The young Uchiha was restless. All he wanted was to sprout wings and fly back to Konoha, seizing every second to train and grow stronger.
Throughout this journey to the Land of Waves, he had felt like a bystander, watching Lei Dou single-handedly crush every enemy.
The helplessness of being left so far behind by someone his own age made the proud Sasuke feel that every second he spent breathing was a waste of his life.
"Why waste time meddling? The mission is over. If you want to stay, stay by yourself!" Sasuke finally erupted, his voice thick with pent-up anger.
Lei Dou paid no mind to the bristling Uchiha Sasuke. He turned and beckoned to Naruto, who was kicking pebbles nearby. "Naruto, quit standing around. We're spending these three days on special training!"
"We'll have you master that jutsu completely and improve your fine chakra control while we're at it!"
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up, and he nodded eagerly like a chick pecking grain. "You got it! We've got nothing else to do anyway. Might as well train!"
Sasuke, who had been about to lose his temper, immediately developed a peculiar expression at the words "that jutsu," his ears unconsciously pricking up.
He glanced sideways at Naruto and asked with feigned indifference, "What jutsu? Why all the secrecy?"
"Hehe!" Naruto smugly rubbed the tip of his nose. "It's an incredibly powerful move. Once I learn it, I'll definitely knock you flat, Sasuke!"
The words "knock you flat" pierced Sasuke's pride like a thorn, and his face instantly turned thunderous.
He opened his mouth to ask Lei Dou, then found himself too embarrassed. His awkwardness was almost laughable.
Lei Dou decided to stop teasing the prickly boy and waved a hand. "All right, stop being so difficult. None of you are going anywhere for the next three days. We're training together, and I'll teach you personally. I may not have much else, but I've got plenty of ninjutsu up my sleeve."
Hidden in the bushes, Kakashi's eyelid twitched violently.
This kid sure talks big. Plenty of ninjutsu?
Was he kidding?
Even setting aside the difficulty of obtaining ninjutsu scrolls, at his age, his chakra reserves and limited time to study should have made mastering even one or two techniques impressive enough.
"Still, I think the best fit for you, Sasuke Uchiha, would be that move Kakashi-sensei used during the bell test."
Behind the bushes, Kakashi's face darkened. So the kid had roped him into this too?
"Come out for some fresh air, Kakashi-sensei. There isn't even a mosquito around here. Staring any longer won't make anything happen, so why not come out and fulfill your duties as a teacher?"
Lei Dou's voice was lazy, but it carried straight to Kakashi's ears.
With a soft whoosh, a cloud of white smoke dispersed.
Kakashi appeared before the three of them, his dull eyes half-lidded with resignation. "My current assignment is to observe and record your performance in actual combat, not to babysit."
"Those don't conflict." Lei Dou spread his hands. "You can observe and record while giving us a few pointers. Work and teaching, both handled at once. Perfect."
Kakashi stood speechless for a moment, actually finding a certain logic in that twisted reasoning.
Lei Dou smiled like a little fox. "Besides, your observation assignment was actually over a while ago, wasn't it? You let us Genin act alone because you wanted to use Zabuza's blade to test what we were made of, right?"
"Now that Zabuza's been taken down, your observation report should already be full."
This time, Kakashi was genuinely astonished, his mouth falling slightly open beneath his mask. The kid's insight was terrifying.
When the Third Hokage had issued the order to use the Demon of the Hidden Mist as a whetstone to test Lei Dou's abilities, even Kakashi, a Jonin, had thought it insane. He had never expected the subject himself to see through it so easily.
"How did you figure that out?" Kakashi asked gravely.
"The logic's simple." Lei Dou pointed to his head. "Normally, you'd personally lead us on a job with A-Rank difficulty. Instead, you left us to handle it, and when Zabuza showed up, your eyes were as calm as if you were watching an old neighbor out for a stroll. You weren't surprised at all."
Shock surged through Kakashi's heart.
During a life-or-death battle like that, this kid still had the attention to spare to study my slightest expressions?
No wonder Lord Third dared to make such a ruthless move. This kid's mind belongs to some ancient monster.
But what was Lord Third's real intention? Had he already figured Lei Dou out, or was he still testing him?
Once Tazuna had quickly arranged lodging for the four of them, the damp, briny smell of the sea hung in the air.
Naruto, like a hyperactive monkey, eagerly pestered Lei Dou. "Lei Dou, Lei Dou! Let's get started! I keep falling just short on the last step of that jutsu. It's driving me crazy!"
The Rasengan's final stage required maintaining extremely dense, compressed chakra. Clearly, his chakra control was holding him back.
"Then we'll start with the basics and do special chakra-control training," Lei Dou said calmly.
Kakashi gave Lei Dou a long look. Why did this brat sound even more like a veteran Jonin than he did?
The group headed into a dense forest outside the harbor, where the sea breeze rustled the leaves.
The trees here were tall and straight, making it an ideal place to practice Tree Climbing.
"Lesson one in chakra control: Tree Climbing." Lei Dou pointed at the large tree in front of them.
"Huh? Tree Climbing?"
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look, their faces full of bewilderment, as though he had just told them, "Stay right here. I'm going to buy a few oranges." Did a children's game like this really call for special training?
Without another word, Lei Dou pushed off with his toes and sprang lightly onto the tree trunk.
But he did not use his hands. Instead, both feet clung firmly to the vertical trunk, his body forming a ninety-degree angle with the ground in outright defiance of Newtonian mechanics.
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