Though Gato controlled all of the Wave Country's maritime trade, at the end of the day he was nothing more than a gangster boss.
He had no real strength of his own.
Killing him didn't even require someone like Senju Haruto to act—
even a rogue ninja of Momochi Zabuza's caliber could end his life effortlessly.
That was precisely why Haruto proposed such a condition.
Team Seven was no longer what it once was.
Even with Kakashi drained of chakra and unable to fight, Uzumaki Naruto alone was already enough to deal with Zabuza as he was now.
The moment Zabuza agreed to Haruto's terms, he had essentially stepped straight into a trap.
And worse—Zabuza was already a rogue of Kirigakure. If he turned his back on Gato now as well, a man with such an infamous name would find there was no place left for him to exist.
"I understand."
Zabuza drew in a deep breath. Once he realized Haruto wasn't going to strike him down, the tension in his chest eased considerably.
Turning, his cold eyes locked onto Kakashi.
If Haruto refused to move, then the Sharingan wielder was undeniably his greatest obstacle.
Only by defeating Kakashi could he grasp victory in this battle.
Yet—
just as Zabuza was preparing to weave the seals for Hidden Mist Jutsu, Haruto casually gestured with his hand, signaling Kakashi to step over to his side.
Kakashi blinked at first, but quickly caught on.
With his chakra exhausted, he couldn't possibly serve as Zabuza's opponent anyway.
"???"
Zabuza stared, stunned, as Kakashi actually obeyed, walking straight to Haruto's side and stopping there.
"Lord Haruto… what's the meaning of this?" Zabuza couldn't hold back his question.
If neither Haruto nor Kakashi would fight, what did that mean?
Were they seriously expecting him to serve as a training dummy for these three genin?
What kind of joke was this?
There were limits to how much you could underestimate someone!
"Naruto," Haruto said, completely ignoring Zabuza's protest.
"Didn't you want to prove yourself? Then take Zabuza as your opponent—defeat him."
He didn't even consider Sakura or Sasuke.
At the level of mere genin, they stood no chance against a shinobi like Zabuza.
Only Naruto, in Haruto's eyes, had the ability to stand against him.
Still—
Sasuke didn't shrink back.
He stepped forward, planting himself on Naruto's left, standing shoulder to shoulder with him to face Zabuza together.
Sakura, by contrast, was far more nervous.
In her view, either Haruto or Kakashi-sensei could easily finish Zabuza themselves—or simply force him to abandon the mission and retreat.
Why drag things out like this?
If the three of them weren't Zabuza's match… what then?
"I understand, Haruto-nii."
Naruto's heart was pounding with excitement.
This was his first time on such a high-stakes mission.
His first time standing against a jonin from outside the Leaf.
And more than anything—
this was his chance to prove his strength right before the eyes of Senju Haruto.
"Sasuke—be careful," he said firmly.
Clenching his fist, he smacked it into his open palm.
The only time he'd ever crossed hands with a jonin before was against Kakashi-sensei.
That had ended in crushing defeat.
Now, facing someone on Kakashi's level once more, Naruto's expression turned deadly serious.
Kakashi glanced at Haruto, lowering his voice as he murmured, "Are you sure this is wise?"
"Don't worry, Kakashi," Haruto replied with a calm nod.
Yes, Zabuza was a jonin-level missing-nin.
But his actual strength was nothing extraordinary.
And more importantly—
he was one of the few who still formed seals properly and thoroughly.
Especially his signature Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu—
the technique required over forty hand seals to execute.
If it ever came down to it, Haruto could stop this charade at any moment.
"Lord Haruto," Zabuza finally growled, his voice low as he studied the three brats before him, "during this little sparring match… am I allowed to eliminate that old man?"
To Zabuza, these three kids couldn't possibly stop him.
He even wondered if Haruto had intended all along to let Tazuna die.
After all, with the bonds between ninja and clients, it would have been unseemly for Haruto to say it outright.
At Zabuza's words, Tazuna froze in place, his expression twitching awkwardly as he glanced nervously toward Haruto.
Inwardly, he cursed every ninja of the Hidden Leaf a hundred times over.
But Haruto only nodded, calm and certain.
"You may."
He didn't hesitate.
If anything, he thought it would add pressure to Team Seven—pressure they needed.
And if things truly went too far, he could always intervene in an instant.
"…I see."
Zabuza inhaled deeply, hands flying through seals, one arm rising high.
If he could treat Tazuna as his target during this so-called spar, then there was no need to waste time trading blows with the genin.
Besides, something in his gut told him—
if he truly threatened the Leaf brats' lives, even if Haruto stood aside, Kakashi would never allow it.
After all—
the Leaf was not the Mist.
Its children of the shinobi world lived lives that could only be described as paradise.
Exhaling slowly, Zabuza made his move.
"Ninpō: Kirigakure no Jutsu! — Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
His voice rumbled like thunder as thick fog rolled out into the air, growing denser and denser with every heartbeat.
Within breaths, visibility plummeted to almost nothing.
Though Sakura stood right beside Sasuke, she could no longer see him.
"A jutsu to obscure vision, huh…"
Naruto swallowed hard, scanning the shifting whiteness around him.
In that instant, he finally understood why Kakashi-sensei had warned them about a man like Zabuza.
In just moments, he had covered the battlefield in suffocating mist.
It was impressive.
But—
unfortunately for Zabuza, while he'd been weaving seals, Naruto had already drawn in enough natural energy.
With a sharp snap, his eyes opened wide, pupils transforming as he slipped straight into Sage Mode.
His perception sharpened to its peak, locking instantly onto Zabuza's position within the fog.
Sasuke and Sakura tensed, every muscle on edge, listening for the faintest change.
Meanwhile, Zabuza's aim was crystal clear.
He suppressed his own presence within the mist, tracking Tazuna through the sound of his panicked breathing.
The old man wasn't a shinobi—he couldn't mask his respiration.
In fact, in such conditions, his heart was hammering even louder.
Zabuza had no trouble at all.
He slipped silently behind Tazuna, both hands gripping the massive blade, swinging it in a brutal arc toward the old man's neck.
But—
Before steel could bite flesh, Naruto appeared in a flash, surging into the space between them.
His hand shot up, clamping down hard.
With sheer force, he caught the executioner's blade mid-swing, halting it cold.