novelhk Page 44
Page 44
"You bunch of useless trash!"
Kado roared furiously, "He doesn't even have a decapitation sword, what's he afraid of? Charge! Kill him and the bounty will double!"
With such a generous reward, more than twenty samurai charged toward Zabuza at the same time.
What happened next will become a nightmare that everyone present will never forget.
I won't move again.
There are no fancy ninjutsu, no exquisite taijutsu, only the most primitive and cruel killing instinct.
The kunai in his hand transformed into the scythe of death, each swing precisely slicing open a samurai's throat.
Blood splattered on him, completely staining the already bloodstained bandages red.
"The first one."
Zabuza whispered, his voice as cold as ice.
The samurai were terrified by this horrific method of killing, and some turned and fled.
But Zabuza was even faster. He moved through the crowd like a ghost, and each flash of his kunai took away a life.
"The fifth one."
A samurai mustered his courage and launched a sneak attack from behind, thrusting his katana toward Zabuza's heart.
Without turning back, he grabbed the opponent's wrist with his left hand and thrust his kunai directly into the samurai's eye socket with his right.
"The tenth."
Kado finally realized the situation was bad and turned to run away.
Zabuza hurled a kunai, which accurately pierced Gato's right foot, pinning him to the ground.
Kado screamed like a pig being slaughtered, "Stop him! Stop him now!"
The remaining samurai gritted their teeth and formed a human wall to block Kado's way.
Zabuza picked up a katana from the ground, held it in both hands, and charged into the crowd.
His movements were wide and sweeping, completely disregarding his own defense, with each strike carrying the momentum of mutual destruction.
"fifteenth."
"eighteenth."
When the last samurai fell, Zabuza was covered in blood.
His left arm had a deep, bone-revealing wound, and half a broken knife was stuck in his right abdomen, but he seemed to feel no pain as he walked step by step toward Cardo, who was slumped on the ground.
"No...don't come any closer!"
Kado crawled backward, trembling, "I can give you money! Lots of money!"
Zabuza bent down and pulled the kunai out of Kado's foot, blood splattering on his indifferent face.
"Do you know,"
Zabuza's voice was surprisingly calm: "Haku never liked killing people. After each mission, he would secretly go to the river to wash his hands and wash them for a very long time."
Kado stared wide-eyed in horror, not understanding why this was being brought up now.
“I’ve scolded him many times, saying that ninjas don’t need this kind of pointless pity.”
Zabuza raised his kunai: "But I never told him... That's why I allowed him to stay by my side."
As the kunai fell, Kado's left little finger was severed at the base.
"Ah!!!" Kado screamed, "Spare me! Please!"
Last winter,
Zabuza continued, as if talking to himself: "I had a high fever, and he knelt in the snow all night, begging an old doctor to treat me."
With another slash, Kado's ring finger flew off.
"Three months ago, a traitor poisoned my food. Bai discovered it and tasted it himself first."
Zabuza's voice began to tremble: "He was curled up in pain, but he still smiled and said to me, 'That's great, Lord Zabuza is alright.'"
This time it's the index and middle fingers.
Kado's screams were no longer human, and his face was covered in snot and tears.
Zabuza, however, seemed to be immersed in his own world, continuing his torture.
“A week ago, you called me a ‘lost dog of the Hidden Mist’.”
Zabuza grabbed Gato by the neck and lifted him up: "For saying that, I broke your arm."
"I'm...I'm sorry..." Kado pleaded desperately.
"And today,"
A single tear finally rolled down Zabuza's cheek: "He died trying to save a complete stranger."
A cold glint flashed from the kunai, and Kado's head rolled to the ground, his face still frozen in fear.
Zabuza dropped his kunai and staggered as he turned around.
His injuries were so severe that every step he took left a bloody footprint on the bridge.
Naruto tried to step forward, but Kakashi stopped him.
"Let him go," Kakashi said softly.
Zabuza struggled to crawl to Haku's side and knelt down.
He gently brushed the dust off his pale face with his still-intact right hand, his movements so delicate that they didn't seem like those of a ruthless ninja.
"Bai...I'll take you home..."
Zabuza formed a hand seal; this was his last bit of chakra.
A thick fog gradually rose, enveloping the two of them.
Under the cover of the Mist Concealment Technique, this man who never showed weakness finally broke down, tightly holding Bai's body in his arms, trembling silently.
His hoarse whisper drifted through the mist: "I'm sorry... I couldn't give you a better world..."
When the fog cleared, everyone saw the two people who had died in each other's arms.
Zabuza's head was lowered, resting on Shiro's forehead, as if he were just asleep.
Sunlight streamed through the clouds, bathing them in a golden glow.
Naruto could no longer control himself and knelt on the ground, wailing loudly.
Within him, the three fathers were unusually silent at the same time.
“That Zabuza…” Kurama spoke first, “He’s quite a man.”
“He loved that child in his own way,” Minato said softly, “but…it was too late.”
Ban offered no comment, only letting out a cold snort.
But Naruto could sense that his usually cold-hearted father was also moved by Haku's death.
Kakashi stepped forward and gently pressed Naruto's shoulder: "They went to the same place and will never be separated again."
Sasuke turned his face away, a complex emotion flashing in his dark eyes.
Sakura was already crying her eyes out, and even Tazuna kept wiping his reading glasses.
"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto asked, sobbing, "Why... why did it have to end like this?"
Kakashi gazed at the azure sky of the Land of Waves and said softly, "Because this is the world of ninjas, Naruto. But it is precisely because such tragedies exist that someone is needed to change it."
"Change...?" Naruto murmured to himself.
Ban's voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Kid, remember today's anger. Use it to drive you to become stronger, strong enough to change this twisted world."
“Madarasan is right,” Minato added gently, “but anger isn’t the only way to grow. Haku’s kindness, Zabuza’s eventual awakening—these are equally important.”
Nine-Tails snorted but didn't say anything.
Naruto wiped away his tears and slowly stood up. He walked to Zabuza and Haku's side and gently closed their eyes.
The sea breeze swept by, carrying away the bloodshed and the souls of the two Hidden Mist ninjas.
In a distant land of water, there may be a river where cherry blossoms bloom year-round, and two figures walk side by side—one tall and aloof, the other gentle as water.
And here, on the bridge in the Land of Waves, the sunlight finally dispelled all the gloom.
Naruto turned to look at his companions, his sadness replaced by determination.
"Let's go, we still have a bridge to build."
Chapter 50, the Land of Waves mission, completed.
The sun rises over the Wave Country Bridge.
It has now been officially named the "Friendship Bridge," representing the friendship between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire.
It shimmered with a silvery-white light in the morning glow.
As soon as the last steel plate was welded into place, hundreds of workers and villagers gathered at the bridgehead, cheering loudly.
"I hereby declare the Friendship Bridge of the Land of Waves officially completed!"
Dazner stood on the makeshift platform, his voice trembling with excitement.
He turned to Team 7 standing to the side, "A special thank you to everyone in Konoha. Without you, this bridge would never have been built."
Kakashi, as the teacher, stood at the front of the group, with Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura behind him.
Soon, Dazner handed him a specially made certificate of honor.
“It’s what we should do,” Kakashi replied with a smile.
The three boys stood in a row below the stage. Sasuke looked at Naruto next to him and couldn't help but ask, "Shouldn't you jump up and shout that you want to become Hokage at a time like this?"
Naruto scratched his head sheepishly: "Let's keep quiet in formal settings."
Sakura smiled faintly: "Naruto, you've grown up."