Mission complete!

"Lord Zabuza?!" Haku cried out, wanting to step forward.

"Haku... stand down."

Zabuza gave the order in a low voice, his gaze never leaving Ye Chuan.

"This is... my final battle as a ninja... no, as Demon Zabuza."

He looked at Ye Chuan, a trace of complicated admiration actually showing in his eyes:

"Kid... you're strong. Stronger than I could have imagined."

"You destroyed my sword and severed my arm... I, Zabuza Momochi, have roamed the Shinobi World for years, yet I've never suffered such a complete defeat... but that's precisely why..."

He drew a spare kunai with his left hand and took a resolute stance.

"...I absolutely refuse to run away like a beaten dog!"

"Come! Show me your full strength!"

"To die at the hands of someone as strong as you... perhaps that wouldn't be so bad!"

Looking at the man before him, dragging his gravely wounded body along, Ye Chuan was slightly moved.

He had to admit that Zabuza Momochi lived up to the name of Demon.

"All right." Ye Chuan nodded and drew Wado Ichimonji again.

"I accept your challenge. I'll use my full strength to see you off."

There were no more unnecessary words.

Zabuza roared, pouring all his remaining strength into his sole remaining left arm, and burst forth with astonishing speed, like a final surge of vitality before death.

The kunai in his left hand became a cold streak of light, thrusting straight at Ye Chuan's heart!

Facing this desperate final strike, Ye Chuan did not dodge with the same ease as before.

He too stepped forward, Wado Ichimonji moving later yet arriving first as an invisible layer of power silently coated its blade.

Clang!

The kunai struck the blade coated in Armament Haki with a crisp ring, unable to advance another inch!

Immediately afterward, Ye Chuan flicked his wrist, turning the blade at a tricky angle to slip past Zabuza's last instinctive defense.

Shhk!

Wado Ichimonji's tip pierced Zabuza's heart swiftly and precisely.

Zabuza's body suddenly stiffened, his forward momentum stopping abruptly.

The ferocity and fighting spirit in his eyes rapidly faded, replaced by a sense of release.

Perhaps there was also a trace of attachment to the figure beside him.

He took one final look at Haku, who had rushed to his side. His lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, all that came out was a barely audible sigh.

[Detected that the host has killed Kirigakure rogue ninja Zabuza Momochi...]

[Overall assessment... Inheritance Experience +200 points!]

[Current Inheritance Progress: 49.9%]

Ye Chuan slowly withdrew Wado Ichimonji, a multitude of feelings stirring within him.

"Lord Zabuza..."

Haku sank to his knees, tears silently flowing from beneath his mask.

He did not look at Ye Chuan, only carefully closed Zabuza's eyes.

This time, there was no hatred, only endless sorrow and a kind of... acceptance of fate.

After a long while, Haku stood up and silently lifted Zabuza's body into his arms, then picked up the broken half of the Kubikiribōchō.

He gave Ye Chuan one final look, said nothing, and disappeared into the thick mist in the distance.

Ye Chuan watched him leave and sheathed his sword.

"Let's go."

The group continued on their way.

Along with his earlier admiration, Kiba Inuzuka's gaze toward Ye Chuan now held an indescribable hint of fear.

Even Kurenai Yuhi's gaze was filled with complicated feelings as she looked at this student of hers.

Finally, toward evening, they reached Tazuna's home in a small seaside village in the Land of Waves.

To everyone's surprise, they heard the villagers cheering as soon as they entered the village.

Only after asking around did they learn that Gato had been found dead in his mansion not long ago!

He had supposedly been killed by a mysterious masked person, with extremely clean and efficient methods!

"It was Haku..." Ye Chuan was not surprised.

It seemed Haku had still kept his promise.

Gato's death meant that the obstacles to building the bridge had largely been cleared away.

Tazuna was so overwhelmed that tears streamed down his aged face, and he thanked Team 8 over and over.

The villagers also gave these saviors from Konoha the warmest of welcomes.

Considering the late hour and the team's poor mental state, Kurenai Yuhi decided to rest in the Land of Waves for the night and set out for Konoha tomorrow.

That night, Ye Chuan was wiping down Wado Ichimonji in a temporary guest room at Tazuna's home when someone knocked on the door.

It was Kurenai Yuhi.

"Can we talk, kid?" Kurenai Yuhi walked in, looking at the boy sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Miss Kurenai, is something wrong?" Ye Chuan looked up.

"Thank you... for today." Kurenai Yuhi's expression was somewhat complicated. "If it weren't for you, we might all have been in danger."

She paused before continuing, "Your strength is far beyond the level of a genin. You're even... stronger than many jonin. You've kept it very well hidden."

"I just had a bit of an unusual encounter," Ye Chuan said evasively.

"I won't pry into your secrets." Kurenai Yuhi gave him a long look.

"Everyone has their own secrets. I won't take the initiative to report anything unusual about you, but as for everything else, you'll have to be careful yourself."

"I understand. Thank you, Miss Kurenai." Ye Chuan nodded.

Kurenai Yuhi's willingness to go this far had already exceeded his expectations. She was quite a good teacher.

Then, after a few more reminders to stay safe, she left.

Ye Chuan settled down again and began reflecting on the day's battle.

Killing Zabuza had given him a clearer understanding of his strength.

With his current Inheritance Progress approaching 50%, combined with Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and Wado Ichimonji... he truly possessed strength on the level of an elite jonin.

But he was still far from invincible.

There were deep waters in this world, with all kinds of bizarre kekkei genkai, secret techniques, and forbidden techniques emerging endlessly.

Take Miss Kurenai and her specialty, genjutsu. If he carelessly fell victim to it, his chances would probably be grim.

A large part of why Zabuza had lost so easily was that he had underestimated his opponent too much.

While he was pondering this, another soft knock came at the door.

This time, it was Hinata.

The girl walked in carrying a cup of hot tea, a trace of hesitation and unease still on her face.

"Ye Chuan... thank you... for today."

"It was no trouble." Ye Chuan took the teacup.

Hinata sat down across from him. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked in a quiet voice:

"Ye Chuan... do you think ninjas... can be divided into good and bad? Someone like Zabuza... he killed so many people, so he was a bad person, right? But... that masked person looked so sad..."

The day's brutal slaughter had clearly dealt a considerable shock to this kindhearted girl.

Looking at her, Ye Chuan thought of those characters in Naruto.

Itachi, who shouldered everything for peace, and Pain, who pursued a twisted ideal...

After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke:

"There is no absolute good or absolute evil. Everyone has their own reasons and position."

"What you need to do is see clearly what they've done and why they did it, then... form your own judgment."

Hinata nodded, and some of the confusion in her eyes seemed to fade.

Then she suddenly stood up and threw herself into his arms.

The girl's warm, soft body made Ye Chuan instantly stiffen.

Ye Chuan hesitated, but ultimately did not push her away, simply letting her hold him.