“Maybe… it’s over.”
With Zabuza’s fall, Kakashi walked over, still bleeding heavily and clearly severely injured.
“Hey, hey, hey… We’re still here!”
Hearing this, the hundreds of henchmen suddenly raised their makeshift weapons, shouting angrily, “Damn ninjas… we went through so much trouble to find our employer, and you just killed him…”
“We might as well destroy this town!”
“Take anything valuable!”
“Yeah, yeah!”
…
Tazuna watched the mob brandishing weapons and rushing towards the town, panic written all over his face. He could almost foresee the atrocities they would commit once they entered. He immediately turned to Kakashi and Yukigetsu with a pleading look.
Yukigetsu grimaced and looked at Kakashi, “This is bad… do you have any Jutsu that can deal with all these people at once?”
“No! Between Raikiri, summoning my ninken, and using the Sharingan… my chakra is already depleted!” Kakashi said, clutching his forehead with a helpless expression.
The few of them exchanged glances.
“Da-da-da-da-da! The heroes have arrived!”
At that moment, Naruto and Sasuke appeared on the scene with a dramatic shout.
“What happened here?” Sasuke scanned the area, frowning, “Isn’t that Zabuza?”
Naruto took a closer look, and his face changed dramatically. He yelled angrily, “Wow! Did you guys defeat all the enemies already? I haven’t even made my heroic entrance yet!”
Kakashi shook his head and exhaled lightly, “We’ve completed the B-rank part of this mission. The remaining C-rank follow-up is up to you two!”
“What do you mean?” Naruto scratched his head in confusion.
Time was of the essence; a moment’s delay could lead to the townspeople’s death. Kakashi quickly explained, “Hundreds of enemies are charging into the town. Try to hold them off and give the townspeople time to escape…”
“This…”
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, quickly realizing the gravity of the situation. Without another word, they ran towards the direction the henchmen had taken…
“Can they handle it?” Tazuna wiped the sweat off his forehead, worried.
Yukigetsu shook his head helplessly, his face grim, “In a direct fight, their combat power might not lose out… but this is street fighting. They’re rushing in to extinguish the fire without a good plan, and the numbers are overwhelmingly against them.”
Tazuna’s face fell. His daughter and grandson were in the town, along with the friends he’d known for decades. Knowing that Kakashi and Yukigetsu were at their limits, he still wished he could ask them to help.
At this moment, Kakashi swayed slightly, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He slowly pulled down his headband to cover his Sharingan.
“Kakashi… can you do me a favor?” On the ground, covered in blood, Zabuza looked over with a weak voice.
Kakashi turned and replied indifferently, “What is it?”
“I want to see… that kid’s… face… one more time…” Zabuza’s gaze moved to Haku’s body.
Kakashi silently nodded, lifted Zabuza, and placed him next to Haku.
Yukigetsu watched the scene in silence, his eyes deep and his skin feeling the cool sensation of snow. He looked up…
Unbeknownst to him, the snow had begun to fall, landing gently on everyone.
“This time of year, snow?” Sakura held out a hand to catch a delicate snowflake, surprised.
Lying on the cold ground, Zabuza turned his head, staring intently at Haku’s scarred face. For the first time, he looked so seriously, so carefully…
Haku… are you crying?
You’ve always been by my side…
At the end, I want to be by your side too…
He moved his broken hand, inch by inch, slowly but surely.
He finally touched Haku’s cold cheek with his last bit of strength.
“If I could… I really wish… I could go… to the same… place… as you…”
Snowflakes landed on Haku’s eyes, each flake like a white tear…
…
After a long time.
Zabuza finally closed his eyes, lifeless. The snow seemed to fall heavier.
Yukigetsu closed his eyes. This boy was born in a snowy village, and his soul was as pure as the snow…
He opened his eyes, walked over, and momentarily looked at the two. When he felt his strength returning, he softly said, “You will go to the same place… I promise!”
Swish, swish…
He began forming seals, ancient hand signs changing one after another until the final one.
“Spirit Release: Soul Pursuit!”
A dense spiritual light enveloped Yukigetsu, spreading over Zabuza and Haku, forming a giant cocoon that hummed in the snowfall.
Sakura asked in confusion, “Kakashi-sensei, what is Yukigetsu doing?”
“This is his kekkei genkai,” Kakashi replied, shaking his head, “I’m not entirely sure.”
“Kekkei genkai?!”
Sakura’s eyes widened. She had heard about the power of kekkei genkai. The fallen boy was exceptionally strong because of his. She never expected the ever-smiling Yukigetsu to possess such a talent!
…
Yukigetsu didn’t have time to observe his surroundings in the spiritual realm. He immediately sat on the Chakra Light Bridge, closing his eyes.
Whoosh!
Dense spiritual light emanated from him, scanning the depths of the Spirit River as if searching for something.
The Spirit River flowed as usual, with countless souls drifting unconsciously, carried towards the unknown.
Suddenly, Yukigetsu opened his eyes, spiritual light gathering in his gaze. He looked deep into the Spirit River, “They… are there!”
The next moment, spiritual light burst from him, transforming into two giant hands reaching into the river!
Boom, boom!
The peaceful Spirit River erupted into massive waves with no warning, shattering Yukigetsu’s spiritual hands.
Spurt!
In the real world, Yukigetsu spat out blood, startling Sakura into a scream.
In the spiritual realm, Yukigetsu’s avatar clutched his chest, his face pale, “The Spirit River still resists me, damn it!”
Buzz, buzz!
The entire Spirit River suddenly glowed, forming giant words in the air, “You cannot touch the rules!”
“What rules did I touch?” Yukigetsu asked loudly, frowning.
The light formed words again, “The Spirit River must guide the souls of the dead into reincarnation. That is the rule!”
Yukigetsu’s face turned cold. This meant he couldn’t extract Haku and Zabuza’s souls. That wouldn’t do.
He snorted coldly, “I possess Spirit Release, so the Spirit River should follow my will!”
Buzz, buzz!
“Spirit Release is the power of the Guardian God. As his reincarnation, you should inherit his will.”
Yukigetsu was shocked, “Reincarnation of the Guardian God? My soul is clearly from Earth, and my mother gave my body!”
“The Guardian God has no soul. He embodies this world’s rules, gaining consciousness to become human. For some reason, he wanted to become truly human, hence the reincarnation. You are the reincarnation inheriting his power.”
Yukigetsu’s expression hardened, recalling the mysterious origin of his name. It had come from Kakashi’s mouth, not daring to add a surname. What kind of tyrannical Guardian God was this?
He tentatively asked, “So, my name is also from the Guardian God?”
“Yes!”
So it’s true. Yukigetsu clenched his fists tightly. What a joke… memory is the essence of existence. The past isn’t me, nor is the future. Only the collective memory of the past and present defines me…
Yukigetsu pressed his lips together, coldly asking, “What if I change my name?”
“Then you will be rejected by the world’s rules.”
He frowned deeply. What was the point of a journey if he couldn’t even be himself…
No matter the cost, I will shatter all these chains one day!
“And what are you?” He focused on the immediate matter, leaving other concerns for later. He was too weak now.
“I am the will of the Spirit River.”
“Is the Spirit River also a rule?”
“The Spirit River is part of the Guardian God’s power.”
Yukigetsu pondered for a moment before speaking, “Spirit Release is my power now. You should listen to me!”
“But you intend to break the rules.”
“But you are not a rule, you are power,” Yukigetsu argued.
“I am the power generated by the rules.”
Yukigetsu rubbed his head, feeling a bit dizzy…
“If both are power, then Spirit Release and the Spirit River are the same!”
“Correct.”
Yukigetsu’s eyes lit up, “Then I will use Spirit Release to fight you!”
“You are too weak to succeed.”
“How will I know if I don’t try!”
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