"Gatō? Here? Why would he be here?" Zabuza asked, not understanding why a businessman would appear at a place he knew two high-level shinobi would be fighting.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" I said, nodding down toward the direction he had his back to.
And indeed, people were appearing there, crawling up from boats in the water under the bridge.
At least a hundred people altogether, but given they were civilians, even Karin had missed them due to the chakra-filled mist still covering the water below.
Only my Byakugan could see them.
At the front of this group was the very short and ugly man himself, Gatō.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," he said, a cruel smirk on his face.
He didn't look at all scared; in fact, he looked quite pleased with himself.
"Zabuza, you have failed me. You were supposed to kill the old man, but you couldn't even do that. I should have known better than to hire a loser like you."
Zabuza's face darkened, but he didn't say anything.
"I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping that you would end up killing one another. That way, I wouldn't have to pay you," he continued, his words dripping with contempt.
"But that's fine. I have my own army, and they will take care of you. And once you're all dead, not only will I still not have to pay you, but I will also take over this country, and there will be no one to stop me."
Like a classic cartoon villain, he laid out his plan, how he never intended to pay Zabuza for his work, how he had always planned on betraying him from the start, and how he would squeeze the country for every bit of profit he could once it was his.
He never noticed the anger in Zabuza's eyes.
Every word the midget spoke only made the waves of killing intent the Demon of the Mist gave off grow in intensity.
I naturally wasn't going to remind him that this was a very bad idea, that he really shouldn't plan on betraying a missing-nin, because the people foolish enough to do that didn't live long.
Because while shinobi were excellent soldiers, they were first and foremost assassins, so they were really the last kind of people you wanted as enemies.
Even more so when you were within their reach.
Every one of us shinobi just watched him with contempt. Even someone as kind as Naruto looked at him with anger and hatred.
Only Kakuzu and I were smiling.
And the reason for that was the very reason we were here.
Because yes, we were here for Gatō.
Or, well, for his money.
And his pissing off Zabuza would only give us all the more reason to squeeze him dry.
After all, if we captured Zabuza and Haku, he would have no reason to pay us, and we would have to fight him to get paid.
But now? Now that he had made an enemy out of the very person he had hired to protect him, we could just take the money and be on our way without any trouble.
After all, it wasn't our problem that he had betrayed Zabuza. That was between them.
"Enough!" Zabuza finally roared, having heard enough from that greedy midget. He quickly looked toward us, since we had more or less captured him. "Can I kill this freak before we leave?"
"Ice Style: Frozen Rain of Death!" I said, not answering his question, and an instant later, countless frozen needles of ice rained down over Gatō and his little army of scum.
These useless civilians had no chance against such an attack. Many never noticed what happened as their bodies were pierced clean through, while others managed to let out bloody screams as their lives ended.
The whole attack was over in less than a second.
Only Gatō remained alive, now very alone, and very aware of just how fucked he was.
The midget was shaking, his eyes locked on me. "Ka... Kaguya... Hime... How... how nice to see you again," he stuttered as he spoke.
"Yes, good to see you again, Gatō-san, though it seems you have some problems on your hands," I said with a fake smile on my lips.
"A whole bunch of angry and armed villagers," I said, pointing to the edge of the bridge, where Inari was leading his fellow villagers, all armed with makeshift weapons.
Not much of a threat, but Gatō no longer had his little army, so any one of those people could kill him with ease.
"And a super angry shinobi from the Hidden Mist, someone who can make you wish you were dead, but unable to die until they grow bored of your screams," Karin added helpfully, as she pointed at Zabuza.
"Sure looks like this will indeed be our last meeting. I really can't see how you will get away from here alive," I shrugged my shoulders as if helpless.
Now, Gatō might be a fool for trying to double-cross Zabuza, but he was still a successful businessman.
He knew how to read a room.
And I wasn't doing much to hide my intentions.
He was fucked. He knew that. He was scared, because he knew he should be.
He had no way out of this alive, no way other than getting help.
And the only people here willing to help him were Kakuzu, Karin, and me.
And that would be expensive, very expensive.
He fell to his knees, pleading. "Please, Kaguya-hime, save me! I'll pay you anything! Name your price!"
"See? I knew you were a smart man," I said, as I gestured for Kakuzu to step forward.
Kakuzu looked truly frightening with the look in his eyes and the smile on his face, because what he was seeing wasn't a pathetic little man crying and begging for mercy.
It was a massive pile of cash that had just fallen into his lap.
"Really? You plan on saving him?" Zabuza asked in disbelief. "He hired me, then tried to double-cross me and refused to pay me, and now you are going to just let him live because he is offering you money?" he asked, not at all liking this.
He wasn't a righteous person, and this wasn't about right or wrong for him, but he was still angry at being used like this, so he wanted the midget to pay for it.
"He is a bounty hunter. What did you expect?" Karin said. "He is paid to do a job, not to punish the wicked."
"Besides, you are in no position to argue. Don't forget, you are our prisoner, and if you can't behave, you are free to experience the Uzumaki clan's legendary Adamantine Sealing Chains," I helpfully reminded him.
Haku was also looking at us. He didn't say anything, but the disapproval in his eyes was clear.
He was a shinobi through and through; he didn't understand the nature of business. He was... truly a tool; he wanted to be pointed at a target.
He was honest, but that was also why he never expected Gatō to stab him in the back, because he was someone who still believed in trust.
Which was rich, given that he had tried to kill the Mizukage.
Naruto, on the other hand, looked at me with confusion, not understanding why I would help Gatō. After all, I had helped the people of the Land of Waves by killing off the thugs.
"You're... you're going to help him? After all he's done?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Why wouldn't I? He is willing to pay," I replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Naruto was silent, unable to find the words to respond, not that I expected him to.
After all, we were different, we were from different worlds, and we lived by different rules.
The life of a shinobi was a lonely one, a dangerous one, and a bloody one.
And you did whatever it took to survive.
"You... you heard him," I said, looking at Kakuzu. "Name your price."
"Of course," Kakuzu said, a greedy glint in his eyes.
"No! He dies here!" Inari shouted, the hatred of his father's death burning in his eyes, his finger squeezing the trigger of the crossbow in his hand.
The bolt sailed through the air, sharp steel shining as the light of the sun broke through the mist.
Despite being a child, despite all the circumstances, the aim was true.
As Inari and the villagers of Wave watched the bolt shoot toward the man they all hated, they believed he was as good as dead.
But just before the bolt hit, a mere inch from his throat, a strong hand grabbed it.
"That will be another... let's say 5 billion," Kakuzu said with a deep voice as he held the bolt, letting Gatō truly feel just how close to death he had come.
The man who had terrorized their land, who had killed their loved ones, who had stolen their hope... he was being saved.
Inari couldn't believe it. He stared at Kakuzu, his eyes wide with disbelief and a growing sense of despair.
He looked at the shinobi from Konoha, hoping they would do something, anything.
But Kakashi just stood there, a grim expression on his face, as he watched the events unfold.
He knew he couldn't interfere. He was outnumbered and outmatched, and he had his students to protect.
Plus, interfering in a bounty hunter's business was a surefire way to make an enemy, an enemy he couldn't afford to make.
He could only watch as Kakuzu leaned in close to Gatō, his voice a low, menacing whisper.
The price was absurd, an insultingly high number that no one, not even a shipping magnate like Gatō, could possibly pay without bleeding a lot.
Gatō nearly fainted from fear, but seeing the bolt, and finally realizing the situation, he calmed down a little. As long as money could solve it... so be it.
This wasn't the first time he had been in this kind of situation.
Hadn't Kaguya-hime been the same back when he first met her?
All problems could be solved with money, and as long as he was alive, he could always earn more.
Staying alive was the most important thing.
"Yes, Mister Kakuzu, 5 billion. I will throw in another... 10 million," he said with pain, "if you kill that damned brat!" he pointed at Inari.
"Deal," Kakuzu said as he dropped the bolt, making no effort to hide his greed.
He then turned to look at Inari and the villagers, a cruel smirk on his face.
"No! You can't!" Inari shouted, as he raised his crossbow again.
But this time, he wasn't the only one. The villagers, seeing their champion stand up, also raised their weapons, their faces set with determination.
They were no longer just a group of scared civilians. They were a united front, a community fighting for their freedom.
But a group of civilians against an S-rank missing-nin?
It wasn't a fight. It was a massacre.
"No! Stop! What are you doing?! You're just going to kill them?" Naruto asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
Even Sasuke was feeling sick. He had been told about the darkness of the shinobi world, but now he was seeing it.
Inari had been brave, finally finding the strength to stand up to Gatō and his tyranny. The Land of Waves could finally break free now.
If only... if only it wasn't for Kakuzu.
He taught everyone a very important lesson.
That civilians could never match the might of a shinobi, and to challenge one was pure idiocy.
(End of chapter)
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