“Ugh!”
On the cold ground, Zabuza struggled to get up. His arms hung limp, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably, with drops of blood dripping from his fingers…
Drip, drip, drip…
“Now your hands are useless, and you can’t form any seals!”
Yukigetsu stood a short distance behind him with his hands in his coat pockets, his expression indifferent and emotionless.
At that moment, a commotion arose from the front, and everyone looked up in surprise.
“You lost so miserably… How disappointing, Zabuza.”
Kado, dressed in a black suit with bandages on his left hand and leaning on a cane with his right, appeared on the bridge, surrounded by hundreds of henchmen, looking every bit the mob boss.
“Kado…” Zabuza slowly lifted his eyes, his gaze slightly irritated, “What are you doing here… and bringing so many people? What does this mean?”
“Heh heh, I changed my mind. No, actually, I planned this from the beginning…” Kado’s eyes glinted maliciously from behind his small round sunglasses, “Zabuza, you can die here. I never intended to pay you.”
Zabuza’s face instantly darkened, “What did you say!”
“Hiring proper ninjas costs money and is troublesome if they betray you… so I targeted rogue ninjas like you, who are easy to dispose of!”
Kado pushed up his sunglasses with his left hand, a smug smile spreading across his face, “After you fought other ninjas to mutual destruction, I planned to use sheer numbers to finish you off… That way, I wouldn’t have to spend a single cent. Clever, right?”
He switched the cane to his left hand and spread his right hand, chuckling, “If there’s any miscalculation, it’s you… Zabuza, what kind of Demon of the Hidden Mist are you? In my eyes… you’re nothing but a laughingstock… just a clown.”
Hearing this, the hundreds of henchmen behind him raised their weapons and started cheering, “We can take you down easily now!”
Sakura, wide-eyed, muttered, “Where did all these people come from?”
Kakashi also frowned, realizing that in his current state, he couldn’t handle so many people…
“Yukigetsu, right…”
Standing at the front, Zabuza suddenly said, “Let’s stop fighting.”
The boy withdrew his gaze from Kado and glanced at him coldly, this guy was also being used.
“Since I no longer need to kill Tazuna, there’s no point in fighting further,” Zabuza said in a low voice.
Yukigetsu narrowed his eyes and then snorted coldly.
Meanwhile, Kado slowly walked a few steps forward, stopping right before Haku’s body. The beautiful boy’s face was covered in wounds and bloodstains.
“Speaking of which… I have a grudge against this kid!”
Both Zabuza and Yukigetsu raised their heads simultaneously, just in time to see Kado kick Haku’s face with his right foot, sneering, “He caused me to break my bones… Hmph! Good riddance!”
After saying this, he stomped on Haku’s face, grinding it cruelly: “He looks good, but he’s just so hateful!”
Whoosh!
Yukigetsu’s eyes sharpened, and he clenched his fists, speaking in a low voice to Zabuza’s back, “Hey… aren’t you going to do something? That guy was your companion!”
“Don’t give me that crap! Haku is already dead!”
Zabuza slightly turned his head, letting Yukigetsu see his indifferent eyes clearly, “Haku and I were merely using each other, just like Kado and me… There are only those two kinds of relationships in the ninja world.”
His voice was cold and emotionless, “Don’t be naive. You’ve killed so many people, how could you not see through it… Ninjas are nothing but tools. What I wanted was Haku’s bloodline, not him as a person… There’s nothing to be sentimental about…”
“Is that really what you think?”
Yukigetsu lowered his gaze. Zabuza was actually avoiding the truth. He said all this to convince himself, even if it meant deceiving himself. He couldn’t admit his feelings for Haku.
Zabuza turned away, his back to Yukigetsu, silent.
Kakashi walked over and patted the bloodstained shoulder of the boy, “Our fight with Zabuza is over… Why does that boy matter so much to you, Yukigetsu? What’s going on with you today?”
“Because he woke me up…”
Yukigetsu raised his gaze, staring intently at Zabuza’s back, blood slowly filling his eyes…
Do you have someone especially important to you?
“He… liked you so much!”
When someone is determined to protect something important… they can become truly strong.
“But… you never cared about him at all!”
Giving up all my emotions to become a true ninja is very hard.
“He worked hard to become stronger… just for you!”
I want to help him realize his dreams… For this, I can become a true ninja.
“To save you… he gave up all his dignity, begging his enemy, me! In the end… he didn’t even care about his own life…”
I want to help him realize his dreams… That is my dream.
“That guy… didn’t even have his own dreams… not even a dream!”
He said, ‘Come with me,’ and I was truly happy…
“And yet, this is how it ended…”
…
Plop!
“Stop… talking…”
Plop, plop…
Tears, mixed with blood, dripped to the ground.
“Yukigetsu…”
Zabuza turned around, his face streaked with tears, no longer emotionless, “Lend me your kunai.”
The boy silently looked at him, remembering their meeting in the falling snow. He thought he had found a useful tool, but ninjas are still human, never truly emotionless tools…
Yukigetsu casually tossed a kunai over, “Take it!”
Crunch.
Zabuza bit down on the kunai, turning his head forward, an intense hatred slowly rising on his face. His eyes filled with murderous intent, and the next moment, he charged forward with a whoosh!
“Ah…”
Startled, Kado dropped his cane and turned to flee into the crowd. “Finish him! It’s up to you!”
Hundreds of henchmen raised their various weapons, shouting in unison, “Yes!”
Those at the front smirked, “Injured like that, and still thinking of fighting so many of us… Ah!”
The man, covered in blood, charged forward with limp arms, his momentum terrifying.
The murderous aura, filled with blood and hatred, seemed to create a sinister blood-red face above his body, staring down his opponents!
“A demon! A demon!”
Hiding behind everyone, Kado saw this terrifying scene and horrifiedly widened his eyes. Was this the true Demon of the Hidden Mist…?
Whoosh!
The blood-red figure crashed into the crowd like a tiger, facing countless blades without dodging or retreating. His bloodthirsty eyes struck fear into every enemy’s heart.
“Aaaaaah!”
Continuous screams, mixed with the sound of blades piercing flesh, reverberated in Kado’s ears, shaking his soul. He stood in utter terror, unable to comprehend the ghastly figure covered in swords and knives, breaking through the human wall and rushing toward him!
Like a nightmare descending, Kado’s face was filled with horror, completely breaking down, “You should just die!”
Slash!
In the next moment, a kunai pierced his body!
Kado spewed blood from his mouth, muttering, “If you want… to see your comrade… then go alone… Don’t take me…”
“Too bad… I don’t plan… to go to the same place… as Haku…”
Zabuza’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent as he bit down on the kunai, speaking in a low voice.
Kado, stunned, “What… still so stubborn…”
“Hmph!”
Zabuza’s eyes turned demonic, “I’ll take you… to hell… with me!”
“What is the Demon of the Hidden Mist… In hell, I’ll be a true demon!”
Slash!
The kunai slashed through the air, followed by Kado’s horrific scream, “Aah—”
“Whether I’m a clown or not, you’ll know in hell! Just wait!”
Slash, slash, slash…
The kunai, controlled by Zabuza’s head movements, cut through Kado’s body countless times, his terrified and painful screams ceasing only after his throat was slit. Kado’s eyes glazed over, and with a thud, he fell to the ground.
Zabuza, covered in swords and knives, drenched in blood, turned around, his aura formidable, like a demon reborn!
“Aaaaaah!”
All the henchmen took a step back in unison.
He lifted his gaze, his deep eyes piercing through the crowd, finally landing on that pure, snow-like boy…
Clink!
The kunai fell from his mouth, and with a soft thud, Zabuza collapsed to the ground…
It’s time to say goodbye, Haku…
Thank you for being with me on this journey…
I’m sorry…
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