Naruto couldn't take it anymore. "How can you say that about your companion?!"
"Naruto, shut up. This is their business," Kakashi said firmly.
Haruto stepped forward, eyes sharp, kunai in hand. He looked at Zabuza and Haku with cold intensity.
"Have you decided?" Haruto's voice was like steel. "I don't have room for pity. If you're both rejecting life, I'll end this here."
Haku's tears flowed freely now.
"Please... kill me. Let Master Zabuza live."
He looked back at Zabuza, voice cracking.
"In this way... maybe I won't be a useless tool anymore."
Zabuza's jaw clenched. "Haku, I told you—I'm not going back to that village. I won't let them humiliate me. As my tool, shouldn't you follow my orders?"
"But... what's the point of living if I can't protect you?"
Haku's sobs grew heavier. "My only reason for existing... is to be useful to you, Zabuza-sama. Without that... I don't belong in this world."
Zabuza was silent.
He lowered his head, voice quieter. "...Haku. I used to be just like you."
"In the beginning... I didn't want to kill either. But to survive, I kept lying to myself. I told myself it was fine. That even if I became a demon, I'd live."
"I lied so much... eventually, I became that demon. I loved killing. I loved the fear in people's eyes. I felt nothing... until I met you."
Zabuza raised his eyes to Haku's. "You're not a qualified tool. You can't kill. You've put me in danger more than once."
"But..."
He stepped forward, his voice raw and heavy.
"Your worth isn't something a tool could ever have."
"Only when you're by my side... do I feel alive."
"I stop being a ghost... and start being human."
In the end, it was as if Zabuza had released years of pain, roaring with tears streaming down his face:
"If there's no Haku, then I have no reason to live either!"
"Zabuza-san..."
Haruto.....
Kakashi.....
Even Naruto's eyes shimmered with tears. Sasuke turned his head to the side, trying to hide the way it affected him.
Haruto stepped forward—but Naruto suddenly jumped in front of him.
"Boss, I won't let you kill them!"
Haruto raised an eyebrow, then gently pulled Naruto aside. "Who said I was going to kill them?"
He walked over to Zabuza and Haku, standing above them silently for a moment.
"...You didn't kill me when you had the chance. And I've heard of the crimes you've committed—I was ready to kill you without question. But ending your life would mean killing Haku, too."
Haruto's voice turned serious.
"You were lucky Haku was your companion. I didn't spare him earlier to save myself—it was because I saw what kind of bond he had with you."
He narrowed his eyes.
"So I'll give you a chance. Live. But if I ever hear of you causing harm again..." Haruto's gaze became ice-cold." No matter where you hide, I will find you—and I will kill you."
He turned to walk away, then stopped after a few steps.
"Oh, and by the way..." Haruto smirked. "I don't like the nickname 'Demon of the Hidden Mist.' A man who can't bring himself to kill his own comrade doesn't deserve to be called a demon."
He glanced back over his shoulder.
"From now on, I'll call you... Noodle Man." He shrugged casually. "Don't think too hard about it. It's just my way of humiliating a defeated opponent. If you're not satisfied... feel free to come challenge me anytime."
Kakashi, watching all this unfold, asked quietly:
"What about Raiga and Ranmaru?"
Haruto answered without hesitation.
"Already taken care of. They're dead."
Everyone: "!!!"
"Haha, of course I was joking." Haruto said with a faint smile. "This whole test was mainly aimed at Zabuza and Haku."
He glanced around at the group, then continued.
"From Raiga's previous actions, it was clear—he would rather be captured than abandon Ranmaru. That tells us their bond is deep. There's no need to overanalyze that. But Raiga... just like Zabuza—if I hear even a whisper of your evil deeds again, I will come for you."
"Senior Yamato," Haruto turned calmly, "let them go."
But Kakashi stepped forward, his expression serious.
"Haruto, wait. Letting them go like this might mean sending two blood-stained blades back to Kirigakure. Their return—Zabuza and Raiga—will strengthen the Mist in both power and reputation."
Kakashi didn't say the rest, but everyone present understood. If these two regained footing in Kirigakure, they could shift the balance.
Far away, Terumi Mei, who had just relaxed upon hearing Haruto had spared them, suddenly tensed up again at Kakashi's warning. Her sharp, enchanting eyes glared at Kakashi—if looks could kill, he'd be a pile of ash.
Haruto, however, remained unfazed.
"It doesn't matter," he said indifferently.
Tch... who knows how many years it's been? Haruto thought to himself. They've probably become more than just lone swordsmen by now. If they return, they'll at least bolster Mist's forces—a card that might be played in the next war.
He smirked and said aloud, with just a hint of arrogance:
"Konoha has never feared a challenge. Even in the face of a joint strike from the other four great nations, we've never backed down. We don't fear strong enemies—we fear only our own weakness."
Haruto turned, locking eyes with Terumi Mei, voice cold and firm:
"If Kirigakure thinks it can start a war just because of these two... then go ahead. Try."
For a moment, Terumi Mei hesitated.
She realized she couldn't even meet the boy's gaze—there was something dangerous behind those eyes. This kid... he's terrifying.
From the beginning, he had controlled the pace of the situation, turned their advantage into his own rhythm, manipulated the battlefield, and stood unflinching in the face of death. He wasn't just some loudmouthed Genin—he was something far more dangerous.
Is this really Konoha in a time of peace? she wondered. If every team has someone like this...
A chill ran through her spine.
But instead of responding with hostility, Terumi Mei's lips curled slightly. Something flickered in her eyes.
And then—
She made an astonishing move.
Terumi Mei leaned in suddenly, her lips close to Haruto's ear.
With a playful whisper, she said:
"Speaking of which... I really must thank the Konoha ninja for all the help this time. Consider this—"
She gently kissed Haruto on the ear.
"—a thank-you gift. Oh, my cute little brother... I'll remember you."
Haruto froze.
Completely still.
His brain, normally sharp and unshakable, completely stopped processing for several seconds.
Then—
His face turned bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"W-What... what just happened...?" he muttered under his breath, eyes wide.I'm so tired. What the hell just happened...?
Terumi Mei, watching his stunned reaction, looked thoroughly pleased with herself.
"Heh. Still just a kid."She gave a smirk like she had claimed total victory.
Everyone around stared at her—confused, suspicious, and slightly alarmed—while Haruto just stood there, shell-shocked.
"Let's go," she ordered casually.
The Mist shinobi began to retreat.
As Zabuza, Raiga, Haku, and Ranmaru walked away alongside her, Haruto's eyes lingered on their backs. His mind, still shaken by the unexpected kiss, slowly wandered back to something Zabuza had said earlier:
"The more you lie... the more those lies start to feel real."
Haruto exhaled quietly.
"Maybe... I'm a liar too."