"Who are you, really?"
Shengu Xuan's calm question slammed into the masked figure's heart like an invisible sledgehammer!
An unmistakable flicker of panic instantly crossed the clear eyes beneath the mask!
How was that possible?!
This boy had seen through his disguise at a glance?!
He had clearly kept all his emotions perfectly under control and even altered his voice. Why... why could this boy see into his heart?!
"I... I don't understand what you're saying."
The figure forced himself to remain composed and answered in the same icy tone, "I'm simply carrying out my mission. Zabuza Momochi is an S-rank wanted criminal. He must be captured alive and taken back for interrogation about the intelligence he possesses."
"Oh? Really?" The amusement on Shengu Xuan's face deepened. "Keep going. Keep making things up."
He raised a finger and gently wagged it.
"First, the senbon you just threw appeared to be aimed at my shadow soldiers, but you actually used a special technique to strike several vital points on Zabuza's body, temporarily stabilizing his injuries and putting him into a state of 'false death.' That isn't a technique an ordinary pursuit ninja could master."
"Second, your scent..." Shengu Xuan lightly sniffed the faint scent of medicinal herbs and ice and snow mingling in the air. "And the bloody smell on this fellow-you could clearly only have picked those up by living together for a long time. You two know each other very well."
"Third, and most importantly."
Shengu Xuan's gaze settled on the figure's slender waist and pale neck, and his lips curved into a mocking smile.
"Since when did the Pursuit Squad start recruiting... such cute boys?"
Boom!
Those words exploded like a thunderclap in everyone's mind!
A... boy?!
Naruto's and Sakura's eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They stared incredulously at the slender, graceful figure. No matter how they looked at him, he looked like a girl!
Kakashi was deeply shaken as well. All his attention had been focused on the stranger's strength and intentions, and he had never considered his sex at all! Only after Shengu Xuan pointed it out did he suddenly realize that the stranger's bone structure and build did indeed more closely resemble those of a boy who had yet to fully mature!
The masked figure himself looked as though lightning had struck him, his body trembling involuntarily!
He... he had even figured that out?!
"You... you're talking nonsense!" For the first time, the voice beneath the mask carried unmistakable anger and embarrassment.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did I hit a nerve? Is that why you're lashing out?" To the other boy, the smile on Shengu Xuan's face was more loathsome than a devil's.
"All right, little boy, stop acting." Shengu Xuan waved impatiently. "I'm not interested in playing house with you two. I'll ask one last time. Who exactly are you? Why are you saving him?"
"Give me an answer that satisfies me, and perhaps I'll be merciful enough to let you both die quickly."
Cold!
Bone-chillingly cold!
Those seemingly calm words carried an unquestionable, godlike authority!
If he said you would die, then you had to die!
As the masked boy-Haku-looked at the black-haired, black-eyed boy before him, an unprecedented chill shot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
He could sense that the other boy was not joking.
There was no killing intent or anger in those pitch-black eyes, only emptiness. It was a gaze that regarded others as ants. What did crushing you have to do with you?
Haku's heart sank to rock bottom.
His original plan had been to use his identity as a member of the Pursuit Squad to take away the "dead" Mr. Zabuza. It was a script he and Mr. Zabuza had rehearsed countless times to escape dangerous situations.
He believed that, given how Konoha ninja operated, they would most likely hand over a rogue ninja when dealing with an "ally."
But for all his calculations, he had never anticipated that Team 7 would contain a "monster" like Shengu Xuan, who completely defied convention!
Not only was he powerful enough to brutalize Mr. Zabuza at will, but his mind was so unnaturally sharp that he could see through every disguise and lie at a glance!
What should he do?
Every plan had become a joke in the face of this monster.
Take him by force? Looking at the densely packed Shadowkhan surrounding them, all radiating the aura of death, Haku had no doubt that the slightest suspicious movement would see him and Mr. Zabuza torn to pieces in the next second.
Beg for mercy? Judging by that utterly indifferent gaze, begging was probably the most meaningless act in the world.
"What? Still haven't thought of an excuse?" Shengu Xuan's patience seemed to be running out.
"Then let me give you a hand."
Shengu Xuan raised his hand toward Zabuza, who lay on the ground in a state of "false death," and curled his fingers slightly.
"-Burst."
A single icy word left his lips.
The crimson Totem Mark bearing a coiled divine dragon flickered into view on Zabuza's chest once again!
"No!"
Haku could no longer maintain his composure. He let out a piercing scream, vanished from where he stood with a whoosh, and instantly appeared in front of Zabuza at a speed beyond human limits. Spreading his arms, he firmly shielded Zabuza behind him!
He removed his mask, revealing an exquisitely delicate face whose sex was impossible to distinguish.
That face was now filled with resolve and pleading.
"Please! Don't kill Mr. Zabuza!" Tears swirled in Haku's eyes. "He's the most important person in my life! He's the reason I exist! If you're going to kill him, then please kill me first!"
The boy's clear voice echoed across the silent battlefield, filled with tragic resolve.
Watching this, Naruto opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words. He was deeply moved by Haku's determination to give everything for his companion.
Sasuke's brows knitted tightly as he looked at Haku standing in front of Zabuza, his gaze complicated. Could someone give up even their life for a person important to them... just like his brother had back then?
Kakashi sighed. The bond between this boy named Haku and Zabuza ran far deeper than he had imagined.
Yet Shengu Xuan's expression remained completely unmoved.
He simply watched Haku standing in front of Zabuza in silence, as though enjoying a poorly acted melodrama.
"Trade your life for his?" Shengu Xuan scoffed. "Aren't you misunderstanding something?"
"Before me, is there any difference between your lives?"
"They're both merely things I can crush at will with a single thought."
He slowly raised his hand, aiming his palm at Haku and Zabuza.
"Since you're so eager to die with him, I'll grant your wish."
"Farewell, you two insects clinging to each other for survival."
Crimson light gathered in his palm once more.
Those destructive energy fluctuations, powerful enough to freeze the soul itself, made Haku close his eyes in despair.
It's over...
Mr. Zabuza... I'm sorry... I couldn't... protect you...
At that, Naruto could no longer hold himself back. With a roar, he tried to rush forward to stop him. "Shengu Xuan! Stop!!"
But Kakashi grabbed him and shook his head.
Kakashi knew perfectly well that no one could stop Shengu Xuan now. Anyone who tried to interfere might be caught up in that terrifying power.
Death seemed inevitable.
Yet, in the instant before that destructive energy erupted.
Shengu Xuan's hand suddenly stopped moving.
The red light in his palm slowly dissipated as well.
"Hmm?"
Everyone froze.
Haku also opened his eyes in confusion.
As though something amusing had suddenly occurred to him, Shengu Xuan wore a smile full of interest.
"Forget it."
He lowered his hand and spoke listlessly.
"Killing you both here would be far too boring."
"What?" Haku could not believe his ears.
Shengu Xuan glanced at him and said calmly, "I don't have many hobbies. I just enjoy watching people's expressions go from full of hope to utter despair."
"If I kill you now, I won't get to see those interesting expressions. That would be such a waste."
He turned around and waved to the members of Team 7 behind him.
"Let's go. The mission isn't finished yet."
With that, he really did walk toward Tazuna's house without looking back.
As he left, the hundreds upon thousands of Shadowkhan that had turned the entire battlefield into hell retreated in unison into the shadows like an ebbing tide, disappearing without a trace.
Within a few short seconds, the once clamorous, terrifying slaughterhouse fell silent again.
All that remained were the severely burned Zabuza in his state of "false death" and Haku holding him, his mind utterly blank.
And Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna, all petrified where they stood after their understanding of the world had been shaken once again.
"H-hey! Shengu Xuan!" Naruto was the first to recover. Pointing at Shengu Xuan's retreating back, he shouted in frustration, "How can you just let the enemy go like that?! They're the bad guys who nearly killed old man Tazuna!"
"Idiot."
Walking ahead, Shengu Xuan did not even turn his head. He merely uttered that single word flatly.
"Do you think they can escape?"
"From the moment I set foot on this land, it became my hunting ground."
"I just... want to make this hunting game a little more interesting."
"You lot had better pull yourselves together too." Shengu Xuan paused, a hint of warning entering his voice.
"Next time, if you're still this weak and need me to deal with this trash..."
"Perhaps I'll dispose of you 'deadweights' first, all together."
Those icy words instantly silenced Naruto, and a chill ran down his back.
At the word "deadweights," Sasuke's fists clenched sharply, his nails digging deep into his palms!
Watching Shengu Xuan's figure recede into the distance, Kakashi felt an unprecedented sense of helplessness and... urgency well up inside him.
He understood what Shengu Xuan meant.
This was not mercy. It was a warning!
An... ultimatum to every member of Team 7!
"It looks like..." Kakashi drew a deep breath, his gaze becoming utterly resolute. "We have to get stronger in the shortest time possible!"
"Otherwise, next time, the enemy's blade might not be the only one we face!"
Before you continue