I found myself washing the little kid's hair. Luckily his back was facing me, I'm not really used to this kind of thing …

(A while ago)

"Want to take a bath together? Zabuza-san!"

"Wha-what?"

"Come on, my daddy used to do it too."

What a close father-and-child relationship they share.

I didn't get to see anything during the bath. All he did was sit there and let his hair be washed. Then he rinsed. Then I was out of there when he reached for a towel. All I saw was his back and the hair I was made to wash ("Before I killed my daddy he always washed my hair" he said with a sad look which caused me to volunteer to help do what his father used to do … big mistake …). It's hard to say 'no' to this kid …

When he changed back into his tattered clothes, I realized he needed new ones. So I had to get a decent set somehow, and when he received it, the poor, deprived scrawny kid wouldn't stop smiling for hours.

I looked at the contentedness that was painted all over the boy's face. He was so pure, so simple. I then knew that I wanted to make this kid into a great shinobi. In turn he will thank me for helping to make him into a valuable person by letting me use him like a tool. I told that to him over dinner at a shady-looking inn during the evening. He does not seem to be frightened, instead he broke into one of his 'all right then' smiles. I hada n urge to pinch his cheeks.

We shared the bed again at night. Haku seems to be awake, so I asked, "Haku, I am living a dangerous life, and you will be following me for a long time. "Are you afraid?"

He turned over and faced me. "Zabuza-san is my saviour. If he is not afraid, then I will not be." His reply was straightforward and satisfying. "That's the way it should be," I remarked, and ruffled his ebony hair lightly.


Almost a month had passed. We got along well as he was quiet and docile as a rabbit - great to take along on journeys, because rabbits don't require much attention ... anyway, I was talking about his strengths. Haku knew more about his abilities and was improving rather fast with the basic shinobi training.He is a child prodigy. He was incredibly intelligent and extremely observant, plus he was rather sharp in figuring things out. He, if pushed, is capable to kill an adult with his abilities, like he did with his father. But he needs to be stronger in order to deal with ninjas like me. In future, we will be on the run from figures like hunter-nins.

Which is why I'm going to train him to be a competent hunter-nin.