"They still haven't made a move?"
Zabuza muttered to himself.
There was no way Konohagakure would send people here just for a simple C-rank mission.
But what surprised him was that even after he had beaten Kakashi half to death, the other members of Konohagakure still hadn't shown up.
"How pathetic, Kakashi. Looks like you've been abandoned by your village. But that's not surprising. A mere elite Jonin—what does that mean to a great ninja village like Konoha? Just another pawn they can toss away whenever they want."
For a brief moment, Zabuza even felt a bit of sympathy for Kakashi.
A ninja who dedicated his life to the village, only to be discarded like a tool—Zabuza knew that feeling all too well. He had been the same once.
Konohagakure doing something like this was nothing unusual. All ninja villages were the same.
If Konoha could abandon an ally like the Land of Whirlpools, what was a single Jonin to them?
"It's not just Kakashi. There's also that Uchiha kid… and that Uzumaki Naruto."
Maybe he had been wrong from the start.
Konoha didn't send them here because they were strong.
They didn't underestimate the Blade-less Pirates either.
It was simply because these three were nothing but disposable pawns.
Zabuza's mind had never been clearer.
And now, he was even more convinced about Uzumaki Naruto's true identity.
As for Uchiha Sasuke, he was the last survivor of the Uchiha clan.
Why would Konoha want to get rid of an Uchiha orphan?
It was obvious—the Uchiha massacre couldn't have happened without the involvement of Konoha's higher-ups.
"..."
Zabuza, still holding Kakashi, stepped back onto the bridge.
Everything was clear to him now.
If anyone knows the most about the Uzumaki clan, it has to be Konohagakure. Looks like the higher-ups in the village had already gathered intel on Shanks, and they probably knew more than anyone else.
"Captain!!"
"Captain won!"
"..."
Seeing Zabuza return, the pirates' morale soared.
Zabuza, however, had a dark expression as he walked to the front.
*Boom!*
Kakashi was thrown onto the ground by Zabuza. He looked completely defeated.
"Kakashi-sensei!!"
Sasuke's pupils shrank. He couldn't believe Kakashi had lost, and so badly at that.
"Kakashi-sensei... Damn it, you pirates!"
Seeing Kakashi's condition, Naruto was filled with rage and charged straight at Zabuza.
"Naruto!"
Sakura quickly called out to stop him, but Naruto was already blinded by anger.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, dozens of Naruto clones appeared around Zabuza, launching a direct attack that left him with no room to dodge.
"Blade-less Style: Lake Shatter!"
The next moment, Naruto felt as if he had crashed into an invisible wall. Then, the air around him shattered into countless blades.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Dozens of clones were destroyed in an instant. Naruto was sent flying backward, his clothes torn apart, and deep cuts appeared all over his body.
Blood dripped from his wounds.
In just a single moment, he was severely injured.
Not far away, Zabuza looked down at them. A powerful aura burst from his body, just like when he had faced Shanks' Conqueror's Haki. Without strong enough willpower and determination, one wouldn't even be able to move under such pressure.
At that moment, everyone felt the overwhelming presence coming from Zabuza. Even the wind on the bridge seemed to come to a stop.
Zabuza handed his sword to Haku.
"This is your last chance. Either defeat me, or every single one of you dies here—including Kakashi."
"He'll die because he had to carry a bunch of weaklings like you."
"Thirty minutes. That's the time I'm giving you."
Zabuza's voice was ice-cold. A terrifying killing intent spread from him. Everyone could tell—this time, Zabuza was truly enraged.
But his anger wasn't directed at Naruto and the others. It was aimed at the old generation of shinobi, at the ninja villages that played double-faced games.
The shinobi world needed a new era. An era of pirates!
"W-What? We... we're all going to die?"
Kotaro and Sabe, who had been slacking off this whole time, were stunned. Wait, what? What did this have to do with them?! They were just standing a little too close to the Konoha ninja, that's all!
"If you run, you might end up dying even worse."
Sasuke said coldly.
He wasn't going to die here. Besides, the enemy was already seriously injured.
"Go!"
Sasuke charged forward.
Zobei and Kotarou gritted their teeth.
"We're going all in!"
As the weakest of the lower-ranked ninjas, they pushed themselves to their limits—though they were still just weak lower-ranked ninjas.
Boom!
Sasuke was kicked away.
Kotarou took a punch to the face, sending his teeth flying.
Zobei's sword slashed straight at Zabuza's chest, but it barely cut into him.
"The weak blades of the old era can never sever our resolve to forge a new one, you lowly ninja."
Zabuza looked down at Zobei, his fierce gaze more terrifying than any beast Zobei had ever seen.
"Blade-less Style: Stone Crusher!"
Zabuza's hand cut through the air, carrying a crushing force as it came down.
"I don't care if it's three minutes or thirty minutes—I'm going to defeat you!"
"I am not some loser, not a burden!"
Naruto wobbled to his feet, his clothes soaked in blood, his face covered in it.
Bang!
At the last moment, Naruto tackled Zobei, sending him flying.
Then—
Boom!!
The ground beneath Zabuza shattered inch by inch. Cracks spread outward, reaching ten meters away.
"I… will never lose!"
Naruto lay on the ground, his right hand gripping Zabuza's wrist tightly.
"I'm not some weak ninja… I have my own beliefs too!"
In his other hand, he clutched a kunai, stabbing it into Zabuza's thigh.
"Naruto!!"
Sasuke, who had been knocked away, rushed in. His Sharingan was spinning at full power—but it was useless.
Even if he could see Zabuza's movements, his body simply couldn't keep up.
"Hmph!"
Zabuza didn't take them seriously at all. He lifted Naruto up, using him as a shield to block Sasuke's attack.
And in that instant—
A kick came from the side.
Just like before, even though he could see it coming, he was powerless to dodge it.
Boom!
Sasuke took a direct hit from Zabuza and was sent flying. Before he could even react, Zabuza charged again, bringing his hands together.
The air around them seemed to freeze for a moment—
And then—
"Boom!!"
A powerful shockwave exploded. Sasuke felt like his chest was about to shatter. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
Zobei reacted quickly and rushed forward to catch Sasuke.
The two of them rolled across the ground several times before Zobei crashed into one of the bridge's pillars, finally coming to a stop.
Now, only Sakura was left standing on the bridge.
Her heart was filled with fear, like she had fallen into endless darkness. Kakashi-sensei's fate was unknown, Sasuke was gravely injured and unconscious, and Naruto was hurt even worse.
They were all going to die here.
Sakura's body trembled.
In her eyes, Zabuza was like a demon lord. A terrifying killing intent filled the air.
The next moment, two kunai pierced through Sakura's body, and she collapsed.
Not far away, Zobei was completely frozen in ice, unable to resist.
It wasn't Zabuza who attacked—Haku had made his move.
Naruto's eyes burned with pain, nearly forcing them shut. Blood filled his vision, and everything started to blur.
"If… if I really were a demon fox…"
"If I really were a demon fox, then no one would have to die. Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke… Sakura… Kotarou and Zobei… they wouldn't have to die here."
"If…"
Naruto sank into darkness.
He heard the sound of water dripping. A puddle formed beneath his feet.
Looking up, he saw a massive cage formed by thick iron bars, and a terrifying shadow emerged from within.
A surge of power flowed from the other side of the cage. As the dark figure drew closer, Naruto felt his own strength grow. He saw a pair of fierce, bloodthirsty eyes coming toward him.
But in the next moment, the cage twisted and distorted. The towering bars vanished, the terrifying shadow disappeared, and all that remained in the space were three swirling tomoe.
Naruto's consciousness faded.
On the bridge, the sea breeze rustled the red clouds on their cloaks. Two tall figures stood before Zabuza.
Zabuza had already retreated to the distance.
A wall of ice had appeared in front of him, flames burning on its surface. A trail of blood stained the ground—his wound had split open again.
Standing beside Itachi, Kisame slowly raised his massive blade.
His gaze fell on Sasuke, who lay injured in the distance.
That was Itachi's beloved little brother, and Zabuza had beaten him this badly. No wonder Itachi had stepped in.
"Itachi-san, want to team up and teach Zabuza a lesson? I've been wanting to beat him up for a while now."
Kisame grinned, flashing a taunting look at Zabuza.
"No need. We're here for a mission."
Itachi placed Naruto down.
Naruto was badly injured but not fatally wounded. It seemed Zabuza had held back.
"I didn't expect Konohagakure's higher-ups to be working with your revolutionary army!"
Zabuza stood up in the distance. So they had finally shown themselves.
So this was Konohagakure's backup plan—two officers from the revolutionary army.
"Hah? Zabuza, what the hell are you talking about? We're just here to deliver something for Shanks. Konohagakure? Like they're even worth our time?"
Hearing Zabuza's words, Kisame scoffed in anger.
He and Itachi had their own principles. They weren't like Kakuzu, who would do anything for money without shame.
"Hmm?"
Zabuza froze at Kisame's reaction.
Delivering something for Shanks?
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