Zabuza Momochi gritted his teeth.
This kid… his tongue is still so sharp.
The rogue ninja from the Mist cursed Naruto Uzumaki a few times in his mind, then gestured for Haku to take the lead. After all, he wasn't very good with words himself. If a problem could be solved with the Executioner's Blade, Zabuza would never bother with his useless mouth. What if he said the wrong thing and damaged his image as the future Mizukage?
Then again, with a face like his, what kind of image did he even have?
Naruto turned to look at Haku and was immediately confused. He couldn't understand why Haku would be wearing a female kimono. But the kimono, worn by Haku, somehow made him look even more beautiful. This was a man more feminine than Sakura.
Naruto wouldn't be fooled again. He kept reminding himself that the person in front of him was a man. "Hmph. Couldn't you even find a suitable female ninja to greet us, so you had to dress up as one?"
"You're teasing, Lord Hokage."
Haku's eyebrows curved slightly, his eyes crinkling as he smiled sweetly. "Zabuza-sama still has important matters to attend to, so I am the one to receive you. I hope you don't mind, Lord Hokage."
"..."
All the boys' faces immediately turned red. Even though they knew from the earlier conversation that Haku was a man… his looks were just too cute. Come to think of it, when had they ever seen such a gentle and cute kunoichi in Konoha? When had the female ninjas in Konoha ever acted like women?
Especially the recently appointed Lady Tsunade. Someone had personally witnessed her sending Lord Jiraiya to the hospital's intensive care unit with a single punch.
"Alright, let's just find a place to talk!" Naruto covered his eyes, feeling like he couldn't look directly at Haku in a kimono. Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't seen Hinata in full kimono attire.
Compared to Mei Terumi and Zabuza, Haku's attitude was much, much better. It was probably because Haku was thinking entirely of Zabuza's best interests and didn't dare take a strong stance against the Hokage of Konoha.
And, Haku had a brain.
Zabuza had always been too optimistic about their situation. In contrast, his young follower was keenly aware that their rogue ninja force was difficult to sustain, especially after the Six-Tails jinchuriki, Utakata, went missing.
Forget conquering the Mist Village and seizing the Mizukage's position; even maintaining a stalemate in the upcoming war would be a struggle. No matter how you looked at it, Zabuza's strength was limited.
The only reason he had managed to gather a rogue ninja force in the Land of Water was that he had once tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage to oppose the "Bloody Mist" policy, leaving him with the reputation of a hero.
Because of this, Haku needed to think carefully about their future.
"One week from now, at the Land of Water's Daimyo's residence, the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, will attend a meeting," Naruto said, clenching his fist softly. "Are you willing to accept my mediation? Or do you have other ideas?"
"I need to discuss this matter with Zabuza-sama," Haku replied with a smile, looking at the young Hokage. "Of course, we will certainly attend the meeting at the Daimyo's residence in a week, even if it's just me alone. After all, it is a kind gesture from you, Lord Hokage."
"..."
The young Hokage's eyes grew serious. "I want a definite answer, not an invitation to wait while you discuss it. Tell me Zabuza's answer. You must know it!"
"...But..." The Ice Release user frowned, looking somewhat pitiful. "Zabuza-sama hasn't fully considered it yet. This matter is of great importance, concerning the future of the Land of Water and the Mist Village. Lord Hokage wouldn't be trying to force us to choose right now, would he?"
"..."
He'd met his match.
Naruto's face soured. His usual strategy was to force a response with a strong attitude, allowing him to gain the upper hand. However, Haku's words were all soft and yielding.
This guy wears a woman's outfit; does he really think he's a weak woman?
"One week," Naruto announced firmly. "Within this week, I will do my best to facilitate a peace agreement between you two."
A week was also what he needed for propaganda in the Land of Water. According to his discussion with Tobirama Senju, one week was enough time to let all the civilians know that Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage from the distant continent, was working hard to mediate their war.
"Yes, I understand." Haku stood up and bowed to Naruto.
With such a humble attitude, how could Naruto possibly get angry?
Everyone thought this Fifth Hokage was just playing around by trying to mediate a civil war in another country. What right did he have to make decisions for another nation's ninja? Who would have thought he was actually serious?
-----
Within a week, the common people of the Land of Water all knew that the Hokage of Konoha was actively mediating, and the war was expected to end soon. Naruto was incredibly active, his figure even appearing in small-scale battles to stop the fighting.
The young Hokage spread his palms, his expression serious. "I hope that before the leaders of both sides reach an agreement, all ninjas can maintain restraint..."
"Sorry, Lord Hokage!" a Mist ninja shouted, swinging his sword as he charged his enemy. "Our orders are to clean up this batch of rebels!"
"Hey, Hokage kid, don't get in my way!" A rebel ninja threw several shuriken with explosive tags toward the Mist forces.
Several hundred ninjas completely ignored the yellow-haired boy and went after their own enemies, clashing once again.
A flash of helplessness crossed Naruto's face as he began to gather chakra in his hand. "Since none of you are willing to listen to my opinion, I must take some necessary measures to stop this war..."
The white Hokage robe instantly became the center of attention on the battlefield. The pitch-black orb forming in his hand, however, made everyone afraid to move. All the ninjas froze, staring intently at the black sphere, feeling the terrifying chakra contained within it.
"Stop!"
At this critical moment, Chojuro leaped onto the battlefield. He waved his hand to dismiss the Mist ninjas and looked up, shouting, "Lord Hokage, do you intend to end this war through violence?"
The young Hokage tilted his head, playing with the black orb in his hand. "For the sake of the civilians of the Land of Water, I don't mind."
"..."
Chojuro felt that something was off about Naruto's words, but the threat from the boy was probably not fake. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Can I interpret this as you wanting to declare war on the Mist Village?"
"No, I never want war," Naruto shook his head, looking down at Chojuro from above. "If I wanted to start a war, the entire Mist Village would have already been conquered by Konoha. Konoha has always been a village that considers the peace of the ninja world its own responsibility."
Chojuro was speechless. Although he was also very young, he knew Naruto was just spouting high-sounding nonsense. If Konoha really took peace as its responsibility, why was his attitude toward Mei Terumi so arrogant?
A chill was in Naruto's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Can't you even wait one week? Can't you let the Land of Water be peaceful for just one week?"
"Of course we can."
Haku happened to arrive as well. Compared to the conflicted Chojuro, Haku's decision was more rational. He immediately led the hundred-strong rebel force away from the battlefield.
Chojuro watched this scene and gritted his teeth. Since the opponent had already left, he could only withdraw resentfully with his own subordinates.
No one expected that this was just the beginning.
By the time they truly began to realize their mistake, it would be too late.
-----
Bonus:
Hinata: Who's prettier, me or Haku?
Naruto: Do you want the truth?
Hinata: Don't you dare lie.
Naruto: It's hard to explain because you haven't seen Haku in women's clothes...
Hinata: Hmm?
Naruto: Let's put it this way: in women's clothes, he's prettier than you. And in men's clothes, he's more handsome than Sasuke.
Hinata: ...Hold on, I'm calling Sasuke.
Naruto: Huh?
Hinata: This Haku guy is too much of a threat. We have to get rid of him.
Naruto: ???