"I have my own methods of training. You don't need to speak so much."
Zabuza's cold tone silenced Raiga.
He turned his gaze forward—"Ninjutsu: Iron Melting Technique "
One of the Seven Ninja Blades—the Shibuki—began to hum. Its surface, once smooth, now bristled with fine, needle-like spikes.
Raiga stepped forward. Lightning danced across his fingers.
"Lightning Release : Thunder Net"
Lightning chakra surged across the needles, forming a wide, crackling net of lightning that surged outward. The ground erupted in sparks and screams. Buildings collapsed in arcs of blue fire.
"I never imagined I'd use this on people from my own village," Raiga muttered bitterly.
The air filled with smoke and the sharp scent of ozone.
"These blades alone can't show their true potential in a chaotic battlefield like this," Zabuza said calmly. "There are too many, Fall back."
The remaining rebels scattered.
A small group fled toward a cliffside.
Raiga looked back, teeth clenched. "Zabuza... the coup failed."
Zabuza, still composed: "I never expected it to succeed."
"Then why—"
"I just wanted the Fourth Mizukage to reveal his hand and he did. Now people will start to question."
"Damn it!" Raiga snapped. "You dragged us all into this mess!"
Zabuza shrugged." You weren't planning to stay in the village forever anyway, were you?"
Raiga scoffed. "You'd better hope this works, or I'll make you pay."
Later, in a cave, Zabuza carefully dressed Haku's wounds.
"Haku… why did you block that attack? You would've survived with just an injury."
Haku smiled weakly, leaning against Zabuza's chest. "This is all I can do for you, my lord."
Zabuza stared down at him silently. "You've done well," he finally said. "You are my finest tool."
A faint smile appeared on Haku's lips. "That makes me… happy." He slowly closed his eyes.
Zabuza sat there, unmoving, through the entire night. Morning light trickled in. A soft voice broke the silence.
"Zabuza-sama… I'm a little hungry."
Zabuza turned, voice low and strange. "I'll get something."
As he stepped out, images from the past rushed through his mind—A broken village. A child clutching his hand, blood on the snow.
He stopped. "Haku… if Kirigakure is serious this time… we might be in real danger."
"I will definitely protect you and never leave you alone, my lord."
Haku's words were soft but unwavering, eyes shining with quiet determination.
Zabuza nodded. "After this mission, once we've got the money... we'll disappear. "He glanced toward the mist-covered horizon. "A quiet mountain village, far from any border. If Kirigakure starts hunting seriously, we may have to hide for years."
"No matter how long, I'll always be by your side, Zabuza-sama."
Zabuza paused, looking at him for a long moment."…Good."
He stood, tightening the bandages on his arm. The shadows of war still clung to him, but his presence now radiated focus—silent and deadly.
"Your wounds are healing. That's enough rest. "He slid the giant blade onto his back.
"It's time." He looked back, eyes sharp as cold steel. "Let them see… the true terror of the Demon of the Hidden Mist."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the thickening clouds above. "The situation looks really bad."
Beside him, Haruto Itsuki placed a hand on the bridge railing, his voice calm but firm."It's quiet… too quiet. The mist is unnatural."
Naruto crossed his arms, frowning. "I'm telling you, I sensed killing intent earlier. It was faint, but it was there."
Sasuke scoffed. "You're just trying to act cool again."
"Tch! Believe what you want!" Naruto shot back.
Kakashi raised a hand to quiet them. "This isn't the time to argue. Everyone stay sharp. If Zabuza and the others come, it'll be soon."
Meanwhile, Tazuna stood firm, his back straight despite the tension. "If anything happens, just protect my grandson and daughter. I've already lived my life. The bridge is almost done… and I won't let it become their grave."
Sakura, wide-eyed, looked at him in surprise."Mr. Tazuna…"
Haruto glanced toward the mist again. "Let's hope we're just being paranoid." He unsheathed Murasame, its edge humming faintly in the damp air.
Suddenly—"Thud."
A single drop of rain hit the wood.
Then another.
The downpour began.
"So much for good weather," muttered Kakashi, pulling up his headband slightly. "It's starting."
From the depths of the mist, a faint echo answered—a laugh. Cold, hollow, and unmistakably familiar. "Heh… the Demon hasn't drowned yet."
Kakashi narrowed his eye. "Two elite Mist shinobi… One specializes in assassination, the other in lightning Release and it's raining. Great."
Haruto gripped Murasame tightly. "We've lost control of the battlefield."
Suddenly—Thud… thud…Heavy footsteps echoed through the dense fog.
"Save your shouting," came Zabuza's chilling voice, muffled by the mist. "Just die quietly. You've stepped into the Demon's hunting ground."
"Tch. I hate how smug you sound," Raiga growled. "But fine—we're allies, for now. Just stay out of my way."
Naruto: "Damn it! I can't see anything! Are they messing with us again?!"
Kakashi: "Stay in formation! They'll try to split us up and pick us off one by one!"
CRACK!A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky and surged into Raiga's dual blades. "Kiba Blade—fully charged," he muttered with a twisted grin.
From the other direction, metallic clicks—Haku had already fired senbon from the fog, targeting their formation.
Haruto deflected several with a kunai. "We need to flush them out! I'll break the fog with wind release!"
He stepped forward.
"Wind Style: Gale Breaker!"
A strong gust tore through the mist, scattering part of it—just enough to reveal a silhouette.
Raiga grinned—then vanished in a flash of lightning. "Too slow."
"Scatter!" Kakashi shouted.
Lightning exploded behind them as Naruto and Sasuke split up, trying to flank him.
Before they could regroup—
A cold, bone-chilling voice drifted through the mist. "Did you forget about me?"
Zabuza stepped out of the fog, Executioner's Blade raised—directly behind Tazuna.
Haruto's eyes widened. "Zabuza!" He sprang forward, Murasame clashing with the massive blade in a shower of sparks.
Clang!
Zabuza grinned under his bandaged face. "That blade of yours… interesting. Let's see if I can break it."
Just when everyone was bracing for a direct attack, Zabuza's ghostly voice drifted out from the dense fog again.
"Why wait for us to charge at you like fools? Hahaha..."
He let out a low, wild laugh."I have to admit, you're a tough bunch. I underestimated you last time and paid the price. But make no mistake—I didn't lose."
"Back then, Haku watched the entire fight from start to finish. He saw it all... and figured out three weaknesses of yours."
"First," Zabuza continued coldly, "you're skilled with a sword, but you can't maintain your stamina for long. If I hadn't gambled, I'd have lost. You were about to use explosive ninjutsu to finish me off, just like last time."
"Second, I still don't know how you located me in the mist... but the truth is, you can't see me, and that means you can't track my movements clearly."
"And third—your ninjutsu is weak, and you don't have much chakra. That's the nail in your coffin."
"Knowing all of this, you have no chance against me."
Then Zabuza shifted his focus. "And Kakashi—sure, you're a complicated guy. But with your students around to hold you back, how much of your full strength can you really use?"
Everyone felt their hearts sink. Zabuza's words were cutting—but not baseless. Whether he meant to shake their morale or not, he'd done it.
"Tch. Bastard!" Naruto yelled, his face red with rage. "Don't underestimate us! I'm gonna be Hokage someday, and I'm not losing to some freak with no eyebrows! You hiding 'cause you're too ugly to show your face?!"
Haruto, who had been worried up to this point, blinked in surprise. "Wait… did he just steal my line? That insult was way too on-point for Naruto…"
Still, even if it was a fluke, Naruto's reckless spirit raised the team's energy.
"You think you can ignore me too?" Sasuke said coldly. "I'll show you what it means to face the Uchiha."
Zabuza chuckled darkly from within the mist. "Hah… That eyebrow line was actually decent. But now you've all got jokes, huh?"
"Shut your mouths."
The killing intent suddenly surged again.
Zabuza's tone dropped, colder than before. "So morale attacks won't work on you... fine. Let's get to it."
"You think I'm just going to charge in and hand you a clean target? Don't be stupid."
A chill ran down Haruto's spine. Something was wrong.
"As much as I'd love to run in and chop your heads off… in this mist and this rain? I'd be a fool not to take advantage."
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"
A roaring current of water burst from the fog, surging straight toward them.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Bullet!"
From the opposite direction, crackling orbs of lightning shot out—Raiga's attack.