Sora didn't even glance at the worthless samurai. He looked at Zabuza and said calmly, "I have something to talk to you about. Clean up this trash, then come find me."
With that, he turned and walked away, casually shutting the door behind him.
He wasn't worried about Zabuza running. He was confident the man didn't have the guts.
"Sir, what should we do? Should we try to run?" Haku asked hesitantly after Sora left.
Zabuza gave a bitter smile. "We can't escape from someone like him. Let's finish off these rats first. Maybe we'll still have a way out."
Below, the samurai had already gone mad, desperately charging the door, trying to break through.
Zabuza leapt into the crowd, gripping his Executioner's Blade tightly, and began a one-sided slaughter.
Though injured, he was still far beyond what this pathetic group could handle.
Haku joined the fight too, but none of the enemies she struck died—Zabuza personally finished off every single one.
When the bloodbath ended, Zabuza stood before Gato. "Gato… your turn."
"Y-you can't kill me! If you take out that other guy instead, I can give you so much money!"
Heh. Zabuza let out a cold chuckle and brought his blade down without another word, not even wasting his breath on someone so foolish.
He and Haku stepped over piles of corpses and blood, pushing the door open and walking toward Sora, who waited in the distance.
"Sir, all the trash has been dealt with. What did you need from me?"
Zabuza had never shown such respect in his life, but now he did so flawlessly.
With Gato dead and no more reason to target Tazuna, Sora might let them go. After all, there was no true grudge between them.
"Relax. I just want to ask a question," Sora said, waving his hand before turning to Haku. "Are you a boy or a girl?"
Both Zabuza and Haku froze, staring at Sora in disbelief.
All this drama… just for that question?
If he weren't so terrified of Sora's strength, Zabuza would've already split his head open for that nonsense.
Seriously? I nearly died of anxiety over this? Ridiculous.
Zabuza turned away, dark-faced, not even wanting to look at Sora's smug expression anymore.
Haku eventually recovered and blushed. She glanced at Sora and replied softly, "I'm a boy."
"Ugh." Sora scrunched his face in mild disappointment. Just as I thought. The creator of this world is such a troll.
"Well, that's all I wanted to know. You two can go."
Zabuza's face twisted even more. I nearly died over this? Absolutely humiliating. Of course, he didn't dare voice any of that. He simply stood respectfully, waiting for Sora to leave first.
After walking a few steps, Sora suddenly stopped, making Zabuza's heart skip a beat.
"The Bloody Mist era in Kirigakure is over," Sora said without turning. "You're no longer a rogue ninja. Mei Terumi lifted your bounty and even asked Konoha not to pursue you."
"If you're tired of running, go back. I can promise you Mei won't harm you."
With that, Sora left without another word, ignoring the complicated expressions behind him.
The only reason he came was to find out Haku's gender. If Haku was a girl, he'd take her back to Konoha. If not, it didn't matter.
Now that his goal was met, he had no reason to stay.
He also figured he'd give Zabuza a heads-up—now that the matter of the Three-Tails was wrapped up, it was a way to fulfill Mei's request.
It didn't take long for Sora to return to Tazuna's home, where he found Kakashi training the trio to walk on trees and water.
Sora walked up. "Kakashi, the Zabuza situation's resolved. You guys can head back once the bridge is done. I'll be heading off now."
Kakashi nodded. "Got it. Take care."
Sora said goodbye to Kakashi and the three genin, promising to give them a training session in the future. Then he focused his senses, searching for that girl from earlier.
He hadn't expected to change his mind so soon. If he had, he would've just taken her with him the first time.
Given how frail she looked, Sora doubted she could even make it to the Land of Fire without starving to death.
Since he was heading back now, he didn't mind bringing her along.
After a short walk, Sora arrived at a dilapidated little shack. Calling it a house was generous—it was worse than a rundown gazebo.
"Big brother, is that you? Why are you here?" the little girl asked, first surprised, then wary.
Over the years, people had often come to rob her. Her home was already stripped bare—there wasn't even a stool left.
Sora gently patted her head and said softly, "I'm a ninja from Konoha. I'm heading back now. You helped me once… so to thank you, I'd like to bring you with me."
The girl hesitated for a moment, but when she saw the Konoha forehead protector Sora pulled out, she lit up and nodded excitedly.
She'd never been to the Land of Fire, but she'd heard the stories—it was like paradise, a place where no one went hungry.
Konoha was the heart of that paradise. It had food, shelter, and all kinds of wonderful things. People there lived well, with purpose and dignity.
She had dreamed countless times of living there, only to wake up cold and alone in this crumbling shack.
As they chatted, Sora finally learned her name: Ami. A beautiful name.
Her father had been killed by Gato, and her mother had been beaten to death by desperate townspeople fighting over food. Only she had survived.
Hearing her story, Sora felt a pang of sorrow. He pulled out a heap of food from his storage space and gave it all to Ami.
After she'd eaten her fill, he took her to bathe and bought her some nice clothes.
Dressed in those new outfits, Ami looked like a delicate porcelain doll—except still far too thin.
They took their time on the road, traveling through scenic spots and enjoying the journey. It took over ten days before they finally arrived at Konoha.
By then, Ami no longer feared Sora. Instead, she was cheerful and comfortable around him.
Standing before the village gates, Ami's jaw dropped. "Brother Sora, this is Konoha? I've never seen such a beautiful place!"
"You'll be living here from now on," Sora said gently, patting her head. "With me. How does that sound?"
This girl was about the same age as Naruto, but her life had been even worse than his in the original timeline.
At least Naruto never truly starved. Ami had nearly died of hunger more times than anyone should.
///
30+ advanced chapters on patreon.com/Emik01