On the surface of the lake, Kakashi and Zabuza moved in perfect sync, both weaving hand seals with practiced precision. They were rapidly approaching the final sequence.
Zabuza was just about to complete his last seal
But Kakashi beat him to it.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
A massive surge of water erupted behind Kakashi, forming into a towering wave that crashed toward Zabuza with explosive force.
'How…... can he see the future?' Zabuza thought, stunned.
He hadn't even finished the seals himself how did Kakashi complete them faster? Wasn't he supposed to be copying me?!
The wave slammed into him before he could react, sending him flying.
Though injured, Zabuza used the momentum from the hit to his advantage.
He knew Kakashi wouldn't give him another opportunity to escape
so he made a quick, decisive move: burn through the last of his chakra to summon a swarm of water clones, scattering them into the thick mist.
The gamble worked.
Kakashi, already low on chakra, was delayed just enough by the clones for Zabuza to vanish into the fog.
Before disappearing completely, Zabuza embedded a kunai into a tree trunk near the shore, a note tied to the hilt—clearly left for Kakashi.
But there was a problem with this note—it had a very strange drawing at the bottom of the page. Still, Zabuza had no other paper left, so he could only grit his teeth and use it.
Two days.
That's how long he needed to recover, tend to his wounds, and restore his chakra. It was also the deadline for his demand:
"Meet me here in two days. Bring the bridge builder. In exchange, you'll get your student back. Otherwise, you can guess the consequences.
(✿˘ω˘)˘ε˘˶ )"
A weird little sketch doodled at the bottom ruined the otherwise serious tone of the message.
Kakashi, soaked and exhausted, finally reached the shore. He spotted the kunai stuck in the tree and frowned.
"What's this about…?" he muttered, pulling the paper loose.
One glance—and his expression fell.
"Oh shit…"
How did I get so careless? I forgot to monitor the surroundings… I was too focused on Zabuza.
But as he scanned the strange, indecent drawing at the bottom of the message, his expression shifted from grim to disturbed.
With years of reading indecent books, and rereading the message again and again
between the word "consequences" and that sketch—Kakashi finally reached a terrifying conclusion.
After a long, painful silence, he muttered under his breath:
"…Is Zabuza into boys?"
Kakashi shuddered, deeply unsettled. That fierce demon… had some strange hobbies.
Naruto… I just hope you can survive these two days with that demon.
Across the land, deep within a hidden cabin, Haku had already returned to their hideout.
He gently placed Naruto on a futon and removed his hunter-nin mask.
"He should be waking soon," Haku murmured, watching as Naruto's fingers twitched.
The sleeping powder's effects were wearing off.
A few minutes later, Naruto groaned and opened his eyes.
He blinked at the wooden ceiling above him, confused. The last thing he remembered was swimming through the river, trying to reach shore.
A soft voice broke the silence.
"You're finally awake. How do you feel? Any pain or discomfort?"
Naruto turned toward the voice—and froze.
A beautiful girl with gentle features and kind eyes leaned over him.
She spoke with such genuine concern that Naruto's face turned bright red.
"U-Umm, Sister… My name's Naruto Uzumaki. Where am I? Last I remember, I was fighting some browless uncle in the river… how did I end up here?"
???
Mr. Zabuza, Haku thought, your aesthetic has just been insulted by this brat.
Before Haku could reply, the door creaked open.
Zabuza entered the room—looking worn, but still as intimidating as ever.
Naruto's eyes widened.
He immediately stepped in front of Haku protectively, arms outstretched.
"YOU! ..... Sister, that's the browless villain I was talking about! I was fighting him before I passed out. Quick run! I'll cover you!"
Zabuza froze. A single tick mark pulsed on his temple.
"…Browless villain?"
He stared blankly at Naruto, deadpan.
I was considered handsome back in the Mist… How dare this little brat slander me like this?!
Zabuza suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to give Naruto a solid smack—not lethal, just enough to teach him respect.
Beside them, Haku covered his mouth, stifling a chuckle.
"Ahem. Naruto," Haku said, stepping forward, "you were… kidnapped. You'll be staying with us for a while until the deal with your Sensei is completed."
Naruto blinked.
"Wait—what? Sister, you're joking, right? Why would you work with that browless uncle?!"
The words "browless uncle" echoed again.
Zabuza's eyes twitched. His breathing grew heavier. His hands clenched into fists.
He was the Demon of the Hidden Mist… and yet here he was—being called browless uncle by a loudmouthed brat.
"I'll punish him," Zabuza muttered to himself.
Naruto was about to say more—but then he noticed something strange.
Zabuza was smiling.
Even with the mask on, Naruto could tell.
That smile was not good.
It was the kind of smile someone made just before committing a crime.
"Your name's Naruto, right?" Zabuza asked with forced calm. "How about we spar a little? I could teach you a few moves…"
Gulp.
Naruto was sweating buckets. "Umm… Mr. Zabuza, I'm really not in the mood to fight right now. How about we do this some other day? I still need to go find my team…"
"…"
Does this brat not understand what kidnapping means?
Both Zabuza and Haku were momentarily speechless after hearing that.
But Zabuza, now fully committed to beating Naruto to a pulp, kept going with a straight face.
"No, no, that won't do. You must spar with me first. What's happened to your generation? Are all ninja these days this soft?"
Zabuza raised his chin proudly and slipped right into uncle-mode, ready to give a whole speech.
"Back in my day, we sparred every chance we got. No whining, no excuses—just fighting, every single day."
"I once crossed five countries on foot just to challenge a guy I met once in a tea house," he added with a serious tone,
clearly pulling stories out of nowhere. "And I still made it home before dinner."
"Come. Let me show you some skill. You might learn something."
And just like that, he grabbed Naruto—who had only just woken up—and dragged him outside for what he called a 'fair spar.'
"…"
Beat me if you want… why the formality? I'm not learning anything from you, Naruto thought, grumbling inside.
He glanced at Haku with a pleading look—big puppy eyes and everything—hoping he might step in.
Haku casually looked away, pretending not to notice.
He didn't have any say in matters like this. After all, he was just a tool of Mr. Zabuza.