A/N: I do not own Naruto.
Having foreknowledge of your opponents would always give you an edge in every battles; otherwise, it would be like fighting in darkness, not knowing the looming danger that was waiting for you. Hence, it was the mission protocol for every shinobi to gather as much intelligence regarding their missions as possible before making any strategies for their operations.
As such, Nezu had received or forcibly demanded news from a generous source that there would be a meeting of Gatou's hirelings in his mansion tonight. Its purpose was to give a warm welcome to Zabuza for the success of his mission. It would be naïve for anyone who called themselves competent killers of hidden villages to believe that. Gatou was known for his cunningness, capable of orchestrating heinous crimes. The current situation of the Land of Waves was a plain example of his doing.
If Gatou wanted a meeting, Nezu would wholeheartedly give him the meeting. Another piece of information that Nezu got was that the merchant, as irony as it was, only hired thugs and mercenaries to do his biddings. He believed that missing-nin had too high of a demand for payment, and Gatou wouldn't be who he was right now if he wasn't good at making crafty deals. However, it looked like his greed would be his own downfall.
The ANBU captain stretched his necks, popping a few joints. Just another day of work. Only this time, it would be the head of the richest man in the world.
He was crouching on a branch of a tree, a few feet away from the building. The edifice was deep into the island, surrounded by walls of trees. A perfect location for a hideout.
Forming a handseal for transformation jutsu, his appearance was swapped with the main guest of the meeting. 'Zabuza' dropped down to the ground and walked toward the twin front doors. He could already hear the distinctive chatter of thugs from the inside.
Kicking the door open, 'Zabuza' walked in with his usual arrogant and cold demeanor, and on his shoulder flung a sand bag. Suddenly, all the noise stopped and were replaced with intense scrutiny. The Kiri missing-nin in disguise took all the glares in pride, traversing the main hall filled to the brim with dozens of thugs. Soon after, he reached the dining room.
First thing he saw was that there were also some men there, though more equipped than those in the hall, sitting in their own tables. Their conversation quieted down as well the moment 'Zabuza' showed himself. Then, there he was, the master of these wretched men, sitting at a long wooden dining table befitting of those in huge mansions. Behind him were his two personal bodyguards. Although all these mercenaries were no match for an experienced shinobi like him, 'Zabuza' would admit their number was a bit too high for him to get out without a scratch.
Gatou was enjoying his dinner. A feast, to be more precise. It was an abundance of delicious-looking foods and drinks. The only sounds that could be heard were Zabuza's steps and Gatou's discordant eating.
'Zabuza' stood before his dealer and announced, "The old geezer is dead. Give me my payment." However, the corrupted merchant was still feasting. 'Zabuza' then threw his sandbag, which was soaked red with blood, on the table. It landed on one of the dessert plates, and the content inside the bag rolled out. That turned out to be the 'head' of the bridge builder with eyes and mouth wide opened.
That did the job when Gatou immediately spewed the food he was chewing out of his mouth. One of his bodyguards took the 'head' with a disgusted look and walked away. Gatou reassumed his posture, wiping off his mouth, but not without shooting a glare full of contempt at the missing-nin for ruining his appetite.
"Finally! You are here. I thought the oh-so-scary demon of the mist had fell short of his reputation." Gatou retorted, barely managing to hide his vehement mood. He was about to continue before his attention was caught at Zabuza's attire. So worn out it was that it could hardly cover the swordsman's body anymore.
"Well, look at you." The shipping magnate bemused with a wry grin. "Couldn't handle a bunch of kids?" He finished with his aggravatingly grating chuckle.
'Zabuza' didn't rose up to the taunt, however. He had encountered cockier men; thus, such insults had become numb to him. He remained still, his face in stoic expression.
"Oh? No retort whatsoever? How unlike you, Zabuza." Gatou uttered, pretending to sigh in disappointment before his face returned to its smirking form. "You know why you are still struggling with your plan to save your village while I am enjoying a plethora of wealth and power?" Gatou casually asked Zabuza as if they were friends having a friendly chat.
"It's because we are different! You shinobi always fight for your village as if there is glory in doing that while I hunger for money and power!" He continued, "I have money, lots of money! You have just a tiny portion of mine! Money is power, Zabuza. Money can buy anything, it can get you anything that you desire!" the corrupted man vaunted, his arms opened wide just to emphasize the effect of his words.
"I can hire any mercenaries or shinobi to do my bidding. I even hired you to kill off the last thorn in my side." Tauntingly Gatou said.
"Where are you going with this?" 'Zabuza' cut off the short man's narrative. The swordsman's eyes narrowed, his body braced in anticipation.
"I've finally had the Land of Waves under my thumb. What makes you think I won't get rid of you now? There are dozens of men here, and you are badly injured from your fight as well. Do you think you can handle them all by yourself? Your lackey won't be here in time to save you either." Gatou explained, candidly revealing his plan.
The swordsman scoffed at the ridiculous remark. "You'll regret this, little man."
That insult unexpectedly broke something inside Gatou's head. Then, his condescending expression diminished as rage took its place. His face turned red, his eyes venomously glared at Zabuza. "Kill him! I will give 10,000 ryo to the one who can take that bastard's head" he yelled out his command.
All the mercenaries in the room stood up and prepared to engage. There were hungry looks in their eyes, wanting to get a piece of the swordsman for the reward. Then, with a yell, all hell broke loose.
Just as the first wave of men were meters away from reaching their target, Zabuza's body glowed brightly, and time seemed to slow down at the last minute. What happened next was the swordsman exploded in a giant fiery destruction, decimating everyone within a small radius. The rest were blasted away by the collision, violently hitting the walls. Some were killed immediately while others were left severely lacerated by fire. The furthest ones from the blast were barely holding onto consciousness.
Luckily, Gatou were among those. His head was ringing, his focus fuzzy. His eyes kept on blinking to wash away the blur. He managed to raise his body and leaned it on the wall. He looked left and right while he was profusely breathing. One moment his men were running toward Zabuza, and another moment the said man exploded.
The shipping magnate didn't know how long had passed, but his eyes could make out a figure standing on top of Zori, his bodyguard. Instead of a tall man with a big broadman, there was a slightly smaller figure whose whole body was covered by an overhead white cloak.
The man raised up his tanto. Then, with a swift swing, the tanto separated Zori's head from the body, splashing out goo of blood.
Then everything became clear to Gatou. His eyes widened in horror at the sight. Lying down on the floor in disarray were the dead bodies of his lackeys. Some were coal black caused by the explosion. Those who had survived were later on finished off by the cloaked figure.
Gatou was shook with fear. His body was trembling in a quick jerky manner. His pants were starting to get wet by his own urine.
Not helping at all was the figure's slow walking toward him. Blood was dripping down the tip of the sword, creating ripples on the pool of blood on the floor. Gatou dared not to look at the killer's face, afraid he would defecate his pants as well.
The figure was now right in front of the semi-crying and shaking man. The slow and suffocating pressure was directed at Gatou, fueled on by his appearance which was decorated with fresh blood stains.
The corrupted merchant, in his desperate attempt to make a deal to save his own life, managed to stutter out, "W-who are you?!"
A few seconds went on in silence.
"P-please spare me! I-I can g-give you anything!" Gatou continued his pleading.
The figure answered in a muffled voice, "No."
"W-why?" Gatou's last chance to survive was squashed by the curt response.
"Because I'm different from you." With that, Nezu swung his tanto horizontally at the man. Gatou's head fell down to the floor. The corrupted shipping magnate of Waves was no more.