---
"Domineering? What is that? Why have I never heard of it?"
Both of them frowned.
Ye Dou didn't bother to explain. His feet tapped lightly against the ground—his figure vanished—and in the blink of an eye, he reappeared before Zabuza.
Wounds covered his body. Though none were immediately debilitating, blood still trickled from the gashes. He had yet to master Life Return (Seimei Kikan), and thus couldn't control his bodily functions well enough to stop the bleeding.
To avoid losing too much blood, he needed to end this fight quickly.
"So fast—!"
Zabuza's eyes widened.
He couldn't even follow Ye Dou's movements with his eyes. In a mere instant, the boy had closed the distance to nearly point-blank range. Zabuza's instincts—honed from countless deadly missions during his time in Kirigakure's Anbu Black Ops—barely saved him from a fatal blow.
Born from the Bloody Mist, Zabuza had bathed in blood and thrived in slaughter. He had fought his way to the top, once infamously killing over a hundred academy students without a single ninjutsu—earning the name Demon of the Hidden Mist.
But even with all his battle experience, he could barely react to the blade.
"Armament... Gravity Blade!"
A deep voice echoed—like a call from the abyss.
Ye Dou's sword swung down with a heavy hum, coated in black—imbued with an oppressive force. In that moment, Zabuza raised his iconic Kubikiribōchō, the Executioner's Blade, to block.
With a thunderous clang, the massive blade cracked—and then shattered in two.
"Nani?!"
Zabuza's eyes bulged. He couldn't hide his shock.
This was no ordinary weapon. The Executioner's Blade was one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist—renowned for its ability to regenerate using the iron from the blood of its victims. Yet now it lay broken.
He had no time to think.
The next slash came with brutal precision. Zabuza retreated half a step, but it wasn't enough. A deep gash tore across his chest, blood spurting out violently.
Even someone like Zabuza—hardened killer that he was—couldn't suppress a cry of pain.
"Zabuza-sama!!!"
From within the ice mirrors, Haku's expression changed instantly.
He leapt out, casting three senbon with flawless speed and accuracy, aimed directly at Ye Dou to protect his master.
But Ye Dou, without even turning, reached back and snatched the senbon from the air as if he had eyes on his back.
With fluid motion, he redirected them—sending all three senbon hurtling back.
Zabuza barely moved before they pierced his chest.
Then came a brutal kick—Ye Dou's heel crashing into Zabuza's ribs and launching him back several meters.
"Gah!"
"Zabuza-sama!!"
Haku rushed forward, catching him just before he hit the ground.
But when he looked down—his heart sank.
Blood drenched Zabuza's entire torso. A grotesque diagonal slash split across his chest, exposing torn muscle and fragments of bone. The heart region had been punctured by the very senbon he'd meant to use for protection.
Step... step... step...
Footsteps echoed through the forest as Ye Dou approached.
Zabuza stirred. He tried to speak—but blood welled in his throat and sprayed from his lips.
"Le...t... go..." he rasped.
But before he could finish the sentence, the light in his eyes faded. The Demon of the Hidden Mist—Zabuza Momochi—was dead.
"Zabuza-sama!!!"
Haku's anguished scream rang through the mist-shrouded forest.
Unmindful of his own injuries, Haku clutched the lifeless body, trembling and sobbing uncontrollably.
"You lived for him. Fought for him. Did he make you stronger?"
Ye Dou stood over them, expression unreadable.
"Just kill me."
After a long silence, Haku raised his head. His eyes were lifeless, soulless. The will to live had drained from him.
He hugged Zabuza's body tighter, as if trying to hold onto what was already gone.
"I will."
Ye Dou raised his blade.
But just before it descended, the long sword in his hand cracked—and shattered.
Haku's voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"Ye Dou... that's what they called you, right?"
He closed his eyes tightly and whispered, "I hope your soul finds peace."
Thump.
Ye Dou didn't hesitate. He drove his right hand forward, piercing Haku's chest and crushing his heart in a single, swift motion.
"The living must find their own peace."
A sudden gust of wind swept through the forest.
Snow began to fall—flakes drifting down from the sky—and in moments, the world turned white.
Ye Dou pulled back his bloodied hand, cast one last glance at the pair, and turned to leave for the abandoned camp once occupied by Zabuza.
---
Note:
Zabuza's real title is "Momochi Zabuza," wielder of the Kubikiribōchō (Decapitating Carving Knife), one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Haku uses the Demonic Ice Mirror technique and senbon needles.
The snow at the end is a symbolic nod to the anime scene of Zabuza and Haku's death, emphasizing the tragic beauty of their bond.
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