Zabuza slowly opened his eyes, his head pounding as if he had been hit by a mountain. The dim light of their hideout filled his blurry vision. His body ached all over, bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and arm. When he tried to move, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.
"Tch… where the hell are we?" he muttered, his voice rough and heavy.
"You're awake, Zabuza-sama," Haku said softly, sitting nearby with a bowl of water and a wet cloth. "We're safe. Kimimaro and I brought you and Suigetsu back after the battle."
"Safe?" Zabuza growled, forcing himself to sit up despite the pain. "We lost, didn't we?"
Haku lowered his eyes. "Yes… The Konoha team was too strong. Suigetsu and you were knocked out. Kimimaro was injured badly. I had no choice but to retreat."
"Damn it," Zabuza hissed, slamming his fist against the wall. "That copy ninja… I underestimated him."
'No, I didn't underestimate anyone. I knew who Kakashi fucking Hatake was. I did everything right! This all happened because of that damn pink-haired boy. Damn him.' Zabuza cursed under his breath.
He had Kakashi right there, in his grasp. The fight was all but won by them. But that bastard's Genjutsu ruined everything.
Zabuza could hardly control his anger at what took place—an almost-won battle lost just because of one person.
Kimimaro sat in the corner, his breathing shallow, his ribs wrapped with blood-stained cloth. "You should rest, Zabuza-san," he said quietly. "We were lucky to get away at all. If we had stayed, none of us would have made it."
Zabuza scowled. "I don't need luck. I need that bastard's head."
Haku hesitated, then asked, "Do you know him, Zabuza-san? You seemed to recognize him during the fight."
Zabuza let out a deep breath. "Do I know him? Haku, the right question is whether anyone currently in the Shinobi world doesn't. Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja. They say he copied over a thousand jutsu with that Sharingan of his. He's from Konoha's elite. Back in the days of the Third War, even the Mist's top assassins were told to avoid him unless absolutely necessary.
Both he and his sensei, the Fourth Hokage—the Yellow Flash—were the biggest pains for any village opposed to Konoha. He became a Jonin when he was even younger than those kids you fought," Zabuza spat, recalling the bloody days of the Third Shinobi War, and the one genius of his age who suppressed everyone.
Hatake Fucking Kakashi...
Little did Zabuza know that the person he'd been glazing over until now was currently lying flat in his client's house, sore, after getting beaten by his own student, barely saving his teacher's grace in front of his students.
Haku listened quietly, absorbing every word. "And his students?" he asked after a moment. "They fought well too."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "The Uchiha brat was talented, I'll give him that. Good eyes, fast reflexes, though still green. The blond one's an idiot, loud as hell. The two girls… nothing special, though as you described, one of them should be a sensor—that's how they found you."
He paused, frowning deeply. "They are of no significance, just take care of them. But that other one—the boy with the pink hair and glasses… he's not normal."
"Yes, he was the one who beat Suigetsu and harmed Kimimaro as well," Haku nodded. At first, when Sukuna stayed back to protect that bridge builder, they thought he wasn't that strong, but it was an oversight.
"Yeah," Zabuza said, rubbing his chin. "That kid put me under Genjutsu, and not the normal kind. His chakra… it felt wrong. Dark and menacing almost. Like a sharp blade running through the air. I've fought many shinobi in my life, but that one gave me a bad feeling. Like if I made one wrong move, he'd tear me apart."
Kimimaro nodded weakly. "He's dangerous. He used some kind of water-based technique to pierce through my bone armor."
Haku frowned. "Then maybe… we should withdraw, report this to the Mizukage?"
Zabuza's glare snapped toward him. "Withdraw? After what that copy-nin did to me? Hell no. I'm not running with my tail between my legs."
"But Zabuza-san," Haku said carefully, "we're in no condition to fight right now. Even if we tried, we'd be crushed again. We need time to—"
"I know, but we don't have time. That bridge can't be completed," Zabuza interrupted, his tone cold but calm now. "That's why we're not attacking right away. We'll rest, recover as much as possible, and then strike again. But this time, I'm not leaving things to chance."
Kimimaro looked up. "What do you mean?"
Zabuza smirked. "I'm sending a message to the Hidden Mist. Something tells me we'll need more manpower. If we're going to deal with Kakashi Hatake and that cursed boy, I'm not taking any risks."
Haku frowned. "But won't that alert others of our cooperation with Gato? Mizukage-sama told us to keep it down."
Haku wasn't exactly worried about others learning they were taking missions for Gato—that was a given for any hidden village. What they didn't wish to leak was that Gato was closely working with the Hidden Mist.
This would lead to many political imbalances—like Gato controlling the Land of Waves and the key location falling under Hidden Mist's control through him. The huge profit margin the Hidden Mist could hoard was immense.
If other villages tried to take advantage of this, it would be a huge loss for the Hidden Mist.
Zabuza let out a dark chuckle. "Let them know. The mission's too important. Gato's paying the Mist a fortune for this protection deal. It's not just some guard job—it's long-term funding for the village. Over failing the mission, I'll take attracting some unwanted attention every single week. The Mizukage won't let this deal fall apart just because one team failed."
Haku nodded slowly. "So… we continue the mission?"
Zabuza's grin widened beneath his bandages. "Of course. We finish what we started. Next time, we'll make sure Konoha bleeds."
He leaned back, closing his eyes again. "Rest up, all of you. When the message reaches the Mist, we'll have new allies. And when that happens…" He grinned, the killing intent in his voice sharp as a blade. "We'll hunt them down one by one."
"And when that brat Suigetsu wakes up, tell him to come meet me. I'll have some personal training to give him. What the hell was that brat doing, playing around with that blond idiot the entire time? He needs to be taught a lesson," Zabuza fumed, recalling Suigetsu wasting time with Naruto.
Irritation shot through his head once again.
The hideout fell silent, the only sound being the steady dripping of water from the cave's ceiling.
Both Haku and Kimimaro could only pray for their watery friend once he wakes up.
...
A/N : Be Like Water My Friend. And Throw Some Stones as well !
xxx
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