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Chapter 3.10 [33]

"Zabuza Momochi, what business do you have with the Hidden Leaf?"

Asuma kept his students inside his peripheral vision, calming himself down by the time he finished his question. They had carried out their raid, knowing there was a chance that they would be ambushed. Knowing, however, wasn't the same as responding. It boiled his blood, but Zabuza Momochi had timed his ambush perfectly, waiting for his team to come down from their adrenaline high.

And what better time to launch an ambush when your enemy was so far removed from the battle that they were discussing morality? Luckily, the kids had kept their chakra networks active just in case, but what was the point if they couldn't get their heads in the game?

"What else would a rogue like me want?" Zabuza hefted his massive cleaver over his shoulder with ease.

He nodded—it was straightforward then. "So, it's money… I'm guessing you were after the Jagged Blades?"

"I was until more interesting prey wandered into this backwater village." He looked him up and down with an impressed whistle. "Asuma Sarutobi: A-rank threat, wanted dead or alive… bounty of thirty-five million ryo. Why go for small-fry like Goro Tanimoto and his lackeys when there's you?"

Asuma's stomach gave a little somersault at his doubts being confirmed—there was no talking his way out of this one—and now his only option was to fight to the death against the Demon of the Mist.

Of course, none of this showed on his face, and he responded to the question with an easy smile. "Making a move on the Hidden Leaf in our territory, eh? That's pretty bold of you."

He stood more side-on, facing both his genin and Zabuza.

Naruto was up and alert—good.

He gave him a slight nod before flicking his eyes to Choji. The kid was looking at Zabuza's allies blankly, and it was obvious that his mind was nowhere near the present. Noticing his look, Hinata fitted several kunai between her fingers and leaned over to whisper something in Choji's ear.

Zabuza shrugged. "We're so far out it might as well be the Land of Grass out here. Besides, the Third Hokage is a pretty infamous pacifist these days. He bent over backwards for the Cloud despite holding all the chips, so I doubt he'll do anything to us when we kill you. Even if he did, well, it's a big world."

All banter went right at the window with that comment, and the smile fell from Asuma's face in a heartbeat.

He levelled his chakra sabres at the rogue ninja with an openly bloodthirsty smile because screw this guy for dredging up old news. "…There goes any chance of talking this one out. It's a damn shame, too—I washed these clothes just yesterday."

Zabuza held his sword out to the side, evidently amused. "I guess the operational procedures on your Bingo Book entry were right, after all—you're a lazy bastard, even when your life's on the line."

Instead of replying to the low-level insult, he glanced at the kids again—Choji's eyes were focused, nervous, but back in the game. Reassured, he gave them a final nod before dedicating his full focus to the jonin-level rogue. Asuma couldn't afford to offer anything less if he wanted to keep his own life, never mind the kids'.

And so, his biggest priority was to move their battle away from his genin.

It wouldn't mitigate the risk of death completely, seeing that the masked hunter was at least a few notches above the Demon Brothers, but the odds were certainly better without their leader. So, Asuma attacked without warning, surging ahead of his students at speeds too fast for anyone on the battlefield to react to save for Zabuza.

He felt the cold trail of wind chakra within his lungs and the almost immediate depletion of the chakra he'd moulded for his jutsu, but he couldn't be stingy. Zabuza had the physical advantage—just lifting that stupidly humongous sword proved that—but Asuma was confident in his chakra reserves.

The rogue ninja slammed the top of the blade into the ground and crouched behind it. He couldn't have announced his intentions any louder, making Asuma smile. The space between them rippled as Asuma expelled a wave of compressed air from his mouth. It took shape, easily visible, as a massive ball and eagerly surged towards Zabuza's defence.

For a moment, he thought the rogue Mist ninja might withstand Vacuum Great Sphere—that sword wasn't just some random hunk of metal but one of the seven most renowned blades in the world—but his fears were put to rest in an instant.

The blast reached critical mass, flattening the grass around its epicentre and Asuma gave a small prayer for Danzo inside his mind. The old war hawk boasted an impressive arsenal of wind jutsu that he offered freely and his mastery of wind-release ninjutsu surpassed Asuma's. Danzo's wind jutsu were concussive yet sharp, managing to retain the wide-range damage while still being able to cut precisely.

Zabuza went flying, blade and all, back towards the destroyed outpost and Asuma raced after him, moulding more chakra. He crashed into the watchtower's smouldering remains, but in the seconds it took Asuma to arrive, he stood at the ready and roared, swinging the Executioner's Blade wide and fast.

Asuma ducked, feeling the air whistle above him, and countered with a swift upward strike from his left trench knife, aiming for Zabuza's ribs. Zabuza twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the chakra blade, and brought his sword down in a brutal overhead slash. Catching the Executioner's Blade between the ethereal scimitars, Asuma pushed back and used the momentum to spin underneath the massive sword.

Zabuza's swing continued, burying the tip of the blade into the ground. Their eyes met, and Asuma immediately capitalised on the opportunity with a slash. Zabuza wrenched the blade out just in time to block but staggered. He regained his footing just as quickly and lunged in with a snarl.

This time, he feinted a high slash before pivoting and aiming low. Asuma skipped back, avoiding a slash that would've otherwise opened him up from hip to throat. Zabuza chased him, even as he dodged and pivoted, riddling him with cuts of various depths while he used the momentum to swing his sword in a deadly arc.

The air grew heavier with each exchange, chakra and killing intent leaking into their surroundings. Asuma's trench knives, with their chakra-infused scimitars, gave him the versatility to match Zabuza's reach and ferocity. He weaved and dodged in the hopes that his elusiveness would piss the rogue ninja enough to make a mistake.

He was halfway there, but the rage didn't grant Asuma any openings. If anything, it made Zabuza even more aggressive. The fight raged on amid the ruins of the outpost, each strike bringing them closer to the final, decisive blow.

Asuma could feel it in his muscles—he was growing tired, slower, and soon enough, he'd screw up, and Zabuza would exploit that and kill him. He tasted blood in the back of his throat, and his arms throbbed in protest each time he raised them.

Meanwhile, this guy was coming at him without any sign of exhaustion. He slipped to the side of another swing and got ready to counter when Zabuza broke the pattern and slammed the flat of the blade into him instead. The blow sent him flying but he gathered his wits and righted himself in mid-air, flipping back to the ground before launching himself back even further.

The massive blade spun fast enough to blur.

He gritted his teeth, bringing his hands together as fast as possible and altering his series of hand signs to go for an easier, but weaker jutsu. He aimed, levelling his palm with the incoming blade and used Wind-Release: Shotgun, one of Naruto's modified ninjutsu. The compressed winds collided against the weapon, sending it arcing wide.

Zabuza raced after it, making Asuma grit his teeth. He moulded more chakra and launched himself into the air. His eyes roamed over the battlefield, searching for the rogue, though he didn't need to look far.

He burst into view and threw his sword again with a roar. "You can't dodge in mid-air, Sarutobi!"

Grinning Asuma kneaded the chakra in his stomach, orange wisps flickering out of his mouth. Zabuza's jubilation vanished, replaced with realisation and then something different.

Horror.

In mere moments, Asuma engulfed most of the outpost in a sea of flames. He remained suspended in the air, gathering more chakra and turning up the heat until he was sure he'd reached the absolute limit of his control. He only touched down after finally running out of moulded chakra and instantly ignited his chakra sabres.

The fires that had nothing to latch onto died once Asuma stopped supplying his chakra as kindling, the flames vanished to reveal Zabuza crouching behind his sword, raw and red but very much alive.

He glared at Asuma with an intense hatred.

Smirking, Asuma beckoned him in with a wave of chakra blades. "Looks like someone failed to dodge."

Yet, instead of rushing in as he'd expected, Zabuza sheathed his sword and darted out of sight. In moments, a thick mist draped their surroundings.

"I'll admit it…" The rogue ninja's voice came from everywhere at once. Asuma couldn't pinpoint its location but remained on guard. "You're stronger than I thought… however, things won't go as you like for long."

Crossing his arms, Asuma whipped his arms outwards, summoning a massive gust that banished the mist. Zabuza pierced the fog before it could completely dispel, but he ducked under the blade and buried both chakra blades into the man, twisting the weapons sharply.

Zabuza toppled back, eyes rolling into his skull, yet his corpse liquified before it touched the ground.

Asuma stepped back as the mist resettled over the outpost. Zabuza's chuckles reverberated within the mist.

"Nice try, but I'm not so obvious."

Asuma sighed, looking down at the puddle left after he disposed of the rogue ninja's water clone. Inwardly, though, he couldn't help but swell with joy. Zabuza had willingly turned their battle into one of ninjutsu—and in a battle of ninjutsu, he was a lot more certain of victory.

…That said, the Silent Killing Technique wasn't reliant on Zabuza's Hidden Mist Jutsu.

"Better keep my guard up," he muttered to himself.

Haku often pondered the philosophy of shinobi. Strictly speaking, she wasn't a shinobi; she hadn't studied under any hidden village nor taken on the titles that rendered her as one. She was a civilian, but for circumstances beyond her control, the world had forced her to become a shinobi in all but name.

Her hand traced the mask fastened to her head.

"Even this…" she muttered, finger trailing across the red patterning.

It belonged to a hunter from the Mist's ANBU sent after them a few years ago after straying too close to the Land of Water. Usually, Zabuza would have dispatched them as he did with all the other hunters, but instead, he ordered Haku to do it; called it a final test seeing that she had learned all the Demon Brothers had to offer.

But she saw it for what it was—he wanted her to take another's life. He took her in when no one would and gave her purpose; for Zabuza, she would kill without question, but being willing to kill and able to kill were two different things.

In the end, it wasn't her but Zabuza who took the hunter's life. Gozu and Meizu teased her for it, and Zabuza glared, but neither of them ever disparaged her for it. She wondered what that meant when she was alone; in the end, it mattered very little. Mercy was a luxury, and soon, the gap would be close enough that it wouldn't be an option.

Maybe her master and teachers knew this. Maybe their laughter was on the part of her ignorance.

She nibbled her bottom lip and stayed on the periphery of the current battle. Would today be one of those times?

Haku shook her head, once again breaking the Leaf genin's momentum with a shower of well-aimed senbon. The symbols gleaming off their foreheads brought a series of memories to the front of her mind, but she squashed them before his face came to mind.

Her eyes focused on the biggest threat out of the three genin. The blond boy was the obvious leader, using his ninjutsu to thwart Gozu's and Meizu's poisoned chain. If allowed to do as he pleased, the others wouldn't hesitate to kill her allies.

Haku came to a decision and flew across the battlefield, armed with four senbon and a curved knife in her offhand. The blond boy reacted immediately, abandoning his hand signs to spring back and deflect the volley. In the next exchange, she realised he was as fast as her and backed away.

Close-range combat was tantamount to suicide. She was strong, but her strength paled in comparison to her speed. The blond boy, however, possessed monstrous physical strength. Fitting another batch of senbon between her fingers, Haku formed seals with her free hand and a dozen more needles materialised using the vapour in the air.

She glanced at the ruined outpost in concern. There was more vapour in the air than usual, and dark plumes writhed skyward, standing out against the pink-hued sky. That moment's distraction was all her opponent needed to close the distance at blinding speeds.

He wasn't as fast as her—he was faster. His left hand came swinging, and she swayed back, barely avoiding a swipe from his kunai.

She felt it cut along her mask but succeeded in creating some distance and launched two dozen water needles at him. They were broken apart against a compressed gale, exploding in a shower, dousing the tall grass between them. The morning dew glistened, and it was cold enough that she could see his breath misting in front of his face.

An idea came to mind, then; Haku sent a chakra-coated senbon whizzing to his face. He leaned off-centre, but it ripped through the remaining vapour left on his breath, coalescing into a water needle and stabbing him. The blond boy twisted out of the way enough that it cut his forehead instead of puncturing his eyes.

Blood trickled down the blond boy's face, mingling with the sweat and grime. Haku noted his sharp intake of breath, the way his eyes flickered with both pain and fury at having nearly lost his eye. He charged forward faster than before. Haku barely had time to react, instinctively raising her arms to block the barrage of punches and kicks.

Unable to run, she parried his blows, feeling the force of his attacks reverberate through her slender frame. Her mind raced, seeking an opening. The blond boy was relentless, each strike more powerful and precise than the last. Haku spun on her heel, deflecting a kick aimed at her ribs and countering with a swift swipe of her curved knife.

The blade caught the edge of his sleeve, tearing at the mail sleeve but failing to draw blood. He retaliated with a knee to her midsection, and Haku doubled over, gasping as the wind was knocked out of her. She stumbled back, creating a momentary gap between them. Her hand moved in a blur in her panic, forming a series of seals.

Ice began to form around her, separated at first, but coalesced in an instant as a protective barrier that she hoped would buy her enough time to regroup. The blond boy hesitated for a fraction of a second, then lunged, creating a spiderweb of cracks in the barrier with one punch.

He shattered its front face with the second.

Shards flew in all directions, catching the light and shimmering like deadly fragments of glass. Haku ducked under his wild swing, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't afford to let him get too close again. He hurled a kunai at her but she weaved around it, slashing at his back before disappearing again just as quickly.

If she stopped her onslaught, he'd gather more chakra and use what she finally realised was chakra enhancement. His strength was still a notch above hers, but they equally matched in speed so long as he couldn't increase it using his technique.

Haku once again darted in under the cover of water needles, aiming for an incapacitating stab. The boy twisted at the last second, her blade grazing his shoulder instead of sinking deep into flesh.

He whirled around, blue eyes blazing with determination.

He closed the distance between them in what felt like an instant, grabbing her wrist and twisting it. Haku cried out, the knife slipping from her grasp. He yanked her forward with his other hand forming a fist aimed at her face.

She dropped to the ground, rolling away just in time to avoid the punch but before she could capitalise on the opening, Haku heard a cry that stopped them in their tracks for very different reasons.

"Naruto!"

The blond boy stiffened at the cry and gave her a cautious look, even as his eyes flitted to his comrades. He launched into a series of hand seals and immediately exhaled a massive gust strong enough that she could see its shape.

Haku countered immediately with Water-Release: Water Bomb, just about countering the jutsu. A light gale tousled her tied-back hair, and the grass below her drooped under the weight of her ninjutsu.

She blitzed over to her teammates, keeping the battle at bay with her presence. Her opponent did the same, standing guard over his injured teammates, allowing the dark-haired girl to attend to him.

"Haku," Gozu growled, his straight hair sticking to his forehead protector, "what are you doing? Why are you holding back!"

Meizu raised his unarmed hand placatingly and nodded at her. "Kid, I get you weren't raised in the Bloody Mist like us and Zabuza were, but you can't afford to hold back."

She nodded numbly, hearing their words but not truly listening.

How could she when there was a chance—an infinitesimally small chance—but a chance that the boy she was fighting and nearly killed… might be her friend's son; with that realisation, all the fight left her body, vanishing just as easily as she had dispelled his—no, Naruto Uzumaki's—wind-release ninjutsu.

Haku met his eyes, remembering a conversation she'd had aeons ago.

"We also look nothing alike. He's got blond hair and blue eyes."

"I wonder how you explain your relationship to people," she smiled. "What's his name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's Naruto."

"Haku," Meizu shook her by the shoulder roughly, "get your head in the game, goddamn it."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "R-Right."

"Naruto!" The cry came from a few metres away, but I recognised the voice instantly.

It was Hinata.

But there was… an edge to her voice that almost made me lose focus of the jutsu I was preparing. Strangely, Haku flinched too, standing stone still, despite the four senbon primed in his left hand.

I took note of that and quickly flicked my gaze east.

Hinata stood guard in front of Choji while the Demon Brothers flanked her on either side. They lashed their linked chain forwards, yet each time, it was deflected inches before making contact with Hinata's palms. But even she didn't have the focus to repel their chain repeatedly without slipping up and ending up poisoning herself on the spikes.

Cursing, I stopped mid-hand sign and partitioned the chakra. I'd been breaking apart Haku's water ninjutsu by overcharging my wind jutsu this entire time but in doing so, forced myself to knead more chakra. It was a bitch to do, but it was how I'd managed to maintain decent control over my stupidly large chakra capacity.

I sent around a third of the moulded chakra down to my feet before blitzing through the rest of the hand signs, altering the jutsu I'd planned on using. I steadied my feet, using a fraction of the chakra in my feet to stick to the ground, and belched an air bullet the size of a man and the width of a car directly at Haku.

What was even more strange was that his previously lightning-fast reaction was a beat too slow. I couldn't see past that ANBU mask of his, but he seemed preoccupied with something.

Throughout our fight, he'd made it clear he was keeping me in check as much as I was doing the same to him. It was clear beyond anything else that he'd paid close attention to our assault on the Jagged Blades' outpost. He knew about my chakra enhancement and how I leaned more toward close-range combat.

But I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Haku fired a wide jet of water to counter my jutsu. I could see it already breaking through my jutsu but that was perfectly fine. Focusing on the chakra I'd directed to my feet, I cleared the ground in an instant, sailing high enough to look down on the battle unfolding down below.

As I reached the apex of my jump, I twisted my head to the outpost, where Asuma and Zabuza's battle had destroyed its remains. The ground was scorched and blackened. The outpost was still aflame, roaring and writhing under some strong wind.

I couldn't count on Asuma to save our hides, and with Choji injured, it fell on me to try and get us out of here alive.

Drawing two kunai, I aimed and flicked my wrists wide. The Demon Brothers reacted just about as expected, twisting out of the way. The movement also pulled the chain back with them, giving Hinata some reprieve and me somewhere to land.

"Be quick, what's happened?" I asked, positioning in front of my friends and drawing two more kunai.

Hinata immediately ripped her pouch free. "Choji's been hit with a paralytic but I can bleed it out of him if you can buy me fifteen—no, ten seconds."

I gritted my teeth. "Where's ANBU mask?"

"Still dealing with your jutsu but it's unravelling. She'll be here in five seconds, minimum."

I froze after hearing Hinata say "she"—Haku was a girl here?

"Naruto!"

I jolted back to the present and tightened my grip over my kunai. "Bleed him out and bandage him in five."

Whatever he replied with, I didn't hear it because the Demon Brothers had made their move.

I couldn't move, otherwise, they'd kill Hinata and Choji, so I threw my kunai at them and weaved seals faster than I ever had in my entire life.

My chakra was almost frantic but I tried to ease the flow as my lungs expanded. I directed some chakra to my palms and used Great Breakthrough, swinging from left to right as fast as I could. The focused gale was akin to a whip, lashing from side to side and I held the Confrontation Seal, gathering more chakra to fuel it.

It wasn't the most complicated technique, but it was effective and that's all that mattered. The Demon Brothers buried their claw-like gauntlets to anchor themselves to the ground. Despite that, their bodies flailed helplessly under winds so strong they were tearing literal chunks out of the ground.

I couldn't help but feel a surge of energy at the sight of their long cloaks riddled with minuscule, surface-level cuts. It meant that my training to infuse some cutting into blunt-force wind jutsu was working.

But my smile vanished almost immediately—it was a sixth sense. A chill along the nape of my neck that spelt things out for me as clear as could be.

It was Haku.

"Oh no," I muttered, crouching and twisting my torso to avoid Hinata and Choji.

Now that I was higher, my jutsu made direct contact with the ground. I flicked my head diagonally, managing to knock the Demon Brothers away as I turned in the other direction. I saw the glimmer of needle-thin senbon before they were blasted away but Haku was nowhere to be found.

Even if I managed to knock him—or rather, her—away, the Demon Brothers would definitely take the chance to poison me. Instead, I armed myself with another kunai and stood sideways, facing both directions while keeping Choji and Hinata in front of me.

"Are you ready yet?"

Choji rose to his feet with a grimace. "...Yeah."

"Never mind that," said Hinata, rapidly shaking her head. "Naruto, ANBU mask is coming."

Shooting her a thumbs-up, I turned in the other direction, trusting my back to the two of them without hesitation. Now that Hinata was no longer on the defensive, I had nothing to worry about. The Demon Brothers had the advantage in terms of teamwork, but Hinata and Choji were stronger than them.

With my fears laid to rest, I focused on my own battle. I could see Haku just fine—we were in an open field. She ran right at me, throwing senbon after senbon. I deflected most of them and dodged the ones I couldn't. She'd probably laced them with the same paralytic the Demon Brothers were using.

Stepping in before she could back up again, I slammed a front kick into her guard, the momentum from my chakra-enhanced dashing sending her sprawling across the grass. She swayed back to her feet, but I was already in range, feinting and weaving around her guard to apply enough pressure and dissuade her from committing to anything too big.

But… wasn't this too easy? Why was she letting me get so close and where the hell were her ice mirrors? If this was some kind of plot on her end, then it wasn't a very good one. Haku was all defence, barely slapping away my attacks and focusing on dodging, so I took a chance and ramped up my offence even more.

She leaned forward as if to prepare an attack and I skipped back. Instead, she jumped over me, throwing a hail of senbon to prevent me from following after her. Behind us, Choji and Hinata had the advantage against the Demon Brothers—especially Choji.

He'd re-applied Stone Fist to his already expanded arms and fought with no hesitation thanks to the added reach and defence. Haku threw a senbon at Choji, but he blocked it using his stone gauntlets, backing away from her intrusion.

"Haku!" one of the Demon Brothers growled. "Why aren't you using your Ice-Release?"

She gestured towards Hinata and Choji, but instead of listening in on their conversation, I tapped Choji on the shoulder and blitzed into range. The Demon Brothers were slow to react and Haku was caught completely off-guard—so her reaction was even slower. I launched one of the brothers in the opposite direction to the other, leveraging both my weight and momentum to send him flying.

Choji rushed past us, re-engaging the furthest one with more space than before and no allies to worry about injuring by accident. Hinata engaged the only left but went for Haku first, forcing her to spring back and giving me an opportunity to attack her on a silver platter.

I slammed a spinning elbow into the side of her head, feeling her buckle under the blow. While she was shaking it off, I adjusted my feet, guiding chakra down my body to steady myself. To be honest, I didn't know what the problem with her was, nor why she was suddenly holding back—but I didn't care.

My priority was getting my friends and I back home alive—and Haku was in the way of that goal.

I buried my fist into her stomach, allowing the gathered chakra to flow out of it. She gave a strangled grunt behind her mask before the enhanced blow took her off her feet. Slowly, I approached her fallen body, not sure whether she was faking or not. I stood over her for a few moments before something changed.

"She's unconscious," said Hinata.

I swept my gaze across the field to see Choji standing over the other Demon Brother's corpse, shoulders heaving.

"How'd you do it?" I asked.

"Targeted his heart. Without their teamwork, they're not particularly difficult to deal with."

Accepting her words with a nod, I picked up Haku's body, draping an arm over my shoulder and heaving her up with very little effort. She was a lot lighter than I thought she'd be.

"Don't follow me and scan over Choji for any lingering toxins."

She nodded. "What are you going to do with her?"

"With her?" I looked to the outpost and mustered up confidence that I definitely wasn't feeling. "I'm going to see if I can buy us some safety."

I half-dragged Haku to the outpost, circling the burning and burnt wood to find an entrance that wasn't likely to crush my hostage. Inside, Asuma and Zabuza were locked in a fierce exchange. Surprisingly, neither of them was too injured, but Asuma looked more tired than I'd seen him. He held out his chakra sabres but I could see his shoulders heaving up and down.

I continued to drag Haku behind me until I was around twenty metres out from the two of them, but they noticed me well before that, stopping their battle but still facing each other.

"Zabuza," I began with a smile. "I've come to bargain."

"What are you doing?" Asuma asked, looking between Zabuza and I cautiously. "It's dangerous—get out of here."

I didn't let Asuma's words deter me. With every step I took closer to Zabuza, my heartbeat grew louder in my ears, but I kept my grip firm on Haku's limp body. "Listen to me, Zabuza. I've got Haku. If you want her back, you'll have to—"

"Do you think you can bargain with me, brat?" Zabuza's voice cut through the air like his oversized blade, sharp and unforgiving.

His gaze locked onto mine.

I felt a wave of killing intent crash over me. It was like being plunged into icy water, every nerve in my body screaming in terror. My breath caught in my throat, and I struggled to keep my composure.

The weight of his intent was suffocating. My legs trembled, threatening to buckle under me. Each step forward felt like wading through thick mud, my body fighting against an invisible force. I could feel my resolve weakening, the confidence I had mustered slipping away. Visions of death raced through my mind—all the different ways Zabuza could and would kill me.

"I-I'm serious, Zabuza," I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady. "We can end this without more bloodshed. Just listen to—"

"Shut it!" Zabuza's roar sent another jolt of fear through me. His eyes, cold and merciless, seemed to pierce through my very soul. "You dare to bargain with me using a tool? You have no idea what you're dealing with, kid."

My grip on Haku's body tightened, but my hands were shaking. I tried to push back against the overwhelming pressure, but slowly, I was being crushed underneath it. Sweat trickled down my face, and my vision blurred at the edges.

I could barely keep my focus on the ground in front of me let alone Zabuza.

My voice was barely more than a whisper. The crushing weight of his intent was breaking me. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to get away from this monster, but I couldn't move.

For the first time in my life, I was paralysed by fear.

Zabuza took a slow, deliberate step toward me, his presence looming larger, more oppressive. His voice was mocking, filled with disdain. "You are nothing but a child playing at being a ninja."

The world seemed to narrow to just the two of us, his killing intent the only thing I could feel.

Zabuza's laughter was cold and devoid of humour. "What makes you think I need any of you alive?"

He raised his sword, ready to strike, and I felt a jolt of fear run through me.

The killing intent intensified, and I felt my vision narrowing further. Every breath was a struggle, every muscle in my body screamed in agony. I was on the verge of blacking out. My mind was a whirl of despair and regret.

Why the hell had I tried to bargain with a man who'd killed a hundred people at the age of ten?

Summoning every last ounce of my willpower, I forced myself to speak. "Kill me, and I'll slit her throat."

Zabuza froze, not changing his posture at all. The unbearable pressure eased just a fraction and his beady eyes flickered with something unreadable. Doubt? Curiosity? I couldn't tell. But it was enough for me to push on.

"We have no reason to be enemies," I continued, my voice gaining strength with each word. "But this girl here is worth more to you than Goro Tanimoto. I'll give her back to you alive alongside Goro Tanimoto if you leave."

"We don't?" He grunted. "Not while you hold your kunai to my subordinate's throat? Your sensei's bounty is at thirty-five million ryo." Zabuza's gaze hardened again, but the killing intent didn't return with the same force. "Why would I ever let that go?"

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. "Because the Demon Brothers are dead. It's the four of us against just you. You're outnumbered, and I'm giving you a way out."

Then, the pressure on me intensified—my throat dried, and I felt the panic I'd suppressed starting to rise again, bit by bit. Instead of succumbing, I nodded at Asuma—but it felt more like a convulsion than a gesture—and he pulled out the scroll holding Goro's corpse within it.

"Again!" I raised my voice, pressing the knife against her throat hard enough to draw blood despite my shaking. "Haku is worth more to you alive than she is dead. Take the bounty you came for, and we can part ways."

"You heard him." Asuma stepped forward, ready to intervene if necessary. "We can end this and live to fight another day."

There was a long, tense silence. Zabuza's eyes bore into mine, and I could see the conflict raging within him. Finally, he lowered his sword slightly, the killing intent dissipating like a receding tide.

"I'd offer you one of the Demon Brothers too, but they were your subordinates… right?" I trailed off, afraid of drawing his ire again.

"I don't give a shit," he replied. "They outlived their usefulness, so I'll make good use of their corpses, but you've got balls, kid. Take one of 'em."

Almost blankly, I watched him walk over to the corpse of one of his subordinates, scaring the crap out of Choji, sliding his massive sword beneath the corpse and slinging it over his shoulder without an ounce of hesitation. Was this the reality of being a shinobi? I shuddered at how blasé it was.

Zabuza's eyes flicked to Asuma, then back to me. Choji and Hinata came running, immediately standing next to me. He took Haku from my arms before I could even notice what happened, slinging her over his shoulder.

"You've got guts, kid." He let out a long, slow breath, glancing at Hinata with a furrowed brow. "We have a deal—but make no mistake, if you try anything, I'll cut off your arms and legs."

I'd done it.

My legs finally gave out as the adrenaline left my body. I sank to the ground, exhausted but hopeful. I watched Zabuza lop off Goro Tanimoto's head along with one of the genin before leaving the outpost.

Hinata and Choji flopped to the ground beside me, staring up at the pink-hued sky before a shadow fell over us.

"Let's go report to Yasuhiro," said Asuma, helping me up.

Choji struggled to his feet, using Goro Tanimoto's ringed broadsword as a crutch. "And after that?"

"We'll rest for the day and then go home," he replied.