"What should we do next, Zabuza-sama? Are we still going through with the assassination?"
An unknown voice echoed faintly in Zabuza's ears.
He stood there, silent and dazed.
Should I really continue?
A life without sunlight, forever drenched in darkness.
"I hope the name of Kirigakure no longer carries weight in the shinobi world."
Zabuza let out a small smile. He understood now—this brat had given him another chance. A chance to live again.
After meeting Shigure, Zabuza realized something profound: the shinobi world no longer belonged to people like him.
New generations of monstrous talents were rising. If relics like him stayed too long, they'd become nothing more than stepping stones.
"No!"
Zabuza's gaze landed on Haku. After dying once, his path had become clear.
He didn't want power, fame, or bloodshed anymore.
He just wanted to find a quiet place to live together with Haku.
"Let's leave the Land of Waves, Haku."
Haku's eyes widened. Shocked, he looked at Zabuza with disbelief.
"Then… Zabuza-sama, where should we go next?"
"Somewhere no one can find us. We'll live a simple life."
Haku's eyes glistened with tears, and he smiled. "Yes!"
Meanwhile, Shigure walked along the unfinished Great Naruto Bridge, hands folded behind his head, carefree.
I don't know if Zabuza will really choose to live in peace. If he shows up again and causes trouble, I'll have no choice but to kill him.
Haku… that poor kid. I hope Zabuza takes good care of him.
But then again, Shigure had one lingering thought…
"Haku… is a boy…? Wait… Zabuza's type?"
The mental image made Shigure visibly shiver.
Sasuke, who had been watching him quietly, narrowed his eyes. "Are you cold?"
"No!" Shigure snapped back.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Then why were you shivering?"
"Uhh… I just remembered something creepy."
Creepy? Sasuke was puzzled.
This was the same guy who wasn't even fazed by elite Jonin. His swordsmanship was terrifying, and now he'd even learned Zabuza's Silent Killing Technique.
What kind of scary thing could even rattle someone like him?
Sasuke couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Alright, this is as far as we go," Shigure said, stopping at the end of the bridge. "Come with me."
The group followed Tazuna down to a nearby pier.
It looked more like a small fishing village than anything else.
The people of the Land of Waves made their living working the docks—transporting goods and supplies. So naturally, many of them lived right by the water.
"Alright, we've escorted you here safely. Our mission is officially complete," said Shigure.
Hearing this, Tazuna quickly stepped forward. "W-Wait! You took care of one assassin, but what if they send someone else?!"
Sasuke folded his arms and said coldly, "Your request was to escort you to the Land of Waves. We were never hired to stay here and protect you."
Tazuna stammered, unable to argue.
Shigure, however, spoke up, "How long until your bridge is finished?"
Tazuna held up three fingers. "Three days! Just three more days!"
"Alright then. We'll stay here for three days. Once the bridge is done, our mission is truly complete. Whether someone comes after you later… that's your problem."
"As long as the bridge is completed," Tazuna muttered, "I don't care even if I die after."
Sasuke clearly wasn't pleased with Shigure's decision.
He just wanted to return to the village and begin training immediately. This mission had done nothing for him—everything had been handled by Shigure.
The overwhelming difference in strength gnawed at him. Every second spent here felt like time wasted.
"Why do we have to stay? Our mission's over. If you want to stick around, then do it yourself!"
Shigure chuckled and turned to Naruto.
"Naruto, let's use these three days to train. Focus on completing that ninjutsu, and keep working on your chakra control."
Naruto gave a confident nod. "Alright! I've got nothing better to do anyway!"
Sasuke glanced at him, his expression shifting. "Ninjutsu?"
"Hmph! It's a super strong jutsu," Naruto said smugly. "Once I master it, you won't even be my match anymore!"
Sasuke's face twitched at the words "you won't be my match."
He turned to Shigure, about to speak, but stopped—too embarrassed to ask directly.
Shigure noticed and smirked. "Fine, we'll all stay for three days. We'll train together. I'll even teach you guys some ninjutsu. I know a lot of them."
Hidden in the shadows, Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly.
Shigure knows a lot of ninjutsu? At his age?
Not only was it unclear where Shigure had learned them, but how could someone so young have mastered so many?
Then Shigure spoke again:
"But Sasuke, I think the ninjutsu that suits you best is the one Kakashi-sensei used during our bell test."
From his hiding spot, Kakashi stiffened.
He's dragging me into this now?!
"Come out, Kakashi-sensei!" Shigure called casually. "There's no danger around, and it's not like you're getting any useful intel just standing there."
"You're our teacher, right? So you should help train us!"
Swish!
Kakashi appeared in front of the three of them and said calmly,
"My current assignment is to observe and record your performance on this mission."
Shigure replied with a shrug,
"That doesn't mean you can't also help train Sasuke. You can guide him and observe us—it's a win-win."
Kakashi stood there, silent for a moment.
...That actually made sense.
Then Shigure added with a knowing smile,
"Besides, isn't your observation mission basically over by now? The only reason the Hokage let us handle this mission on our own was to use Zabuza as a trial—right?"
"Zabuza's been dealt with. So shouldn't your surveillance mission be complete?"
Kakashi blinked. That caught him off guard.
He hadn't expected Shigure to piece it together.
The truth was, the Third Hokage had given Kakashi this covert assignment to monitor Shigure during a high-risk mission. By using a real enemy like the Demon of the Hidden Mist, the Hokage hoped to uncover the full extent of Shigure's power. Kakashi himself hadn't fully understood why the Third would make such a call.
Now he was even more confused.
"How… did you figure that out?" Kakashi asked, eyes narrowing.
Shigure smiled faintly.
"It was simple, really. You were supposed to lead this mission. But instead, you took a step back and left it entirely to us."
"And when Zabuza appeared, you didn't even look surprised."
Kakashi's eye widened.
At that moment, when Zabuza had launched his ambush, Shigure had been locked in battle—yet he still managed to read Kakashi's reactions?
No wonder the Third trusted him enough to pit him against Zabuza.
But now Kakashi was left wondering—
Why had the Third Hokage really arranged this?
Did he already know the true extent of Shigure's strength?
...
TN:
🔟 Support me on P-com/LordMerlin (60+ Chaps)