"Oh... so it's over…"
Looking at Zabuza's still-upright corpse, a complicated emotion flickered in Naruto's eyes. This was probably only the second time in his life that he'd seen a real dead body—and this time, it was a powerful enemy.
"...You'd all better take a good look. This is what it means when a man—a shinobi—fights desperately to survive… and reaches his end."
Kakashi, too, seemed solemn. Though Zabuza had been their enemy, he was still a representation of a corner of the shinobi world. Even though Kakashi had personally struck him down, he still felt a bitter pang—like mourning a kindred soul.
"With nothing but brute strength and blind ambition, charging headlong through the world with nothing but obsession... this was the only possible outcome."
Hinata's voice was flat, and with deliberate care, she subtly turned her body so that Kakashi and the others couldn't see her. She quietly tucked a sealed scroll into the ninja pouch behind her waist.
It was a specialized storage scroll, containing a unique container—a large pot designed to hold living beings. This vessel was a low-grade sealing tool originally created for transporting live ingredients for feudal lords. Extremely expensive, but money was no longer an issue for Hinata.
She had obtained it before the Land of Waves arc precisely for this moment—to store Haku's body. And everything had gone exactly as planned.
Normally, sealing scrolls couldn't contain living things. But specialized tools could seal them, and then those tools could be sealed inside scrolls—allowing for the indirect storage of live bodies in scrolls.
"Hmm? What happened to that other enemy?"
Looking around, Kakashi asked with some confusion. Based on his analysis, the ninja named Haku shouldn't have had a chance to escape.
"She ran. I didn't have time to chase her down, you understand."
Hinata lied effortlessly. Kakashi didn't have Byakugan—he couldn't possibly see what was inside her pouch.
"I see... well, forget it. We'll bury Zabuza nearby. His companion might return for his body."
Shaking his head, Kakashi didn't press further. After all, they were about to leave the Land of Waves. There was no point digging deeper.
What followed was simple. After Tazuna gathered some workers, the final section of the bridge was completed in about half a day. Hinata and the others buried Zabuza near the bridge, placing the executioner's blade—his symbol as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—at his grave. Then they began the journey home.
Of course, elsewhere in the Land of Waves, something entirely different was happening.
"AAAH!!"
With a scream, the two samurai guarding Gato collapsed. Judging by the expressions frozen on their faces, they hadn't even realized how they died. Bright blood spread rapidly from beneath their bodies, thickening the air with the scent of death.
"Hehehee~~ That's it? Seriously? As toys, you're way too fragile."
Standing within a blood-painted ritual circle, Hidan licked his lips with a disappointed expression. His eyes turned toward the rest of the trembling samurai nearby. "No helping it~ Lord Jashin won't be satisfied with just this. Guess I'll pick a few more sacrifices."
No doubt about it—this was why Gato and his samurai didn't storm the bridge like in the original timeline. They were intercepted by something far more terrifying.
"Honestly. Every time you turn the ground into a mess…"
Arms crossed, Kakuzu looked on without much interest. He was long used to Hidan's antics. Before, they hadn't always had the luxury of free targets. But these samurai were perfectly valid clean-up—both personally and for the organization.
"Well, Suigin Tou has officially withdrawn. According to her orders, it's our turn now."
Kisame, resting his Samehada on his shoulder, cast a look at Itachi. "Itachi-san~ They've already left. I thought you might at least go say hi to your little brother."
"You talk too much."
Coldly brushing Kisame off, Itachi glanced at Gato. "What about him?"
"Heh~ What kind of question is that? Trash is meant to be thrown away. His money and cargo are all in the warehouse—we'll collect them ourselves later. So stop interrupting my accounting."
Kakuzu didn't even lift his head, furiously scribbling in a notebook. Kisame shrugged. "Fine, I'll handle it."
The towering rogue shinobi approached the terrified Gato, who finally snapped out of his daze and screamed hoarsely: "Don't kill me! You're rogue ninja, right?! I can hire you! Name your price—anything!"
"Haha~ Thanks for the offer, really. But… how should I put it?"
Grabbing Gato by the collar, Kisame lifted him off the ground with one hand. His expression was oddly gentle—almost pitiful. "Thing is, we've already got a client—way smarter, way cuter. So~ farewell. You should've realized long ago that this day would come."
With a flick of his wrist, Kisame hurled Gato's squat, fat body into the air like a rotten apple. It arced hopelessly before splashing into the ocean below. A dozen gray-and-white shark fins converged in an instant.
The blue waters turned red.
---
RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED RED
RED RED RED RED RED
---
"Heh. How ironic. Even the flesh of evil men can paint such a beautiful scene."
Shaking his head faintly, Kisame turned back to the others.
"So it's finally over, huh…"
With a rustling sound, Zetsu's flytrap head emerged from the ground nearby. White Zetsu grinned: "Great~~ All conditions for the factory are now met!"
"Then don't waste time. That old man Tazuna is the local leader. Go tell him: serve the Akatsuki's factory, or end up like the rest of this trash—fish food."
Black Zetsu's voice dripped with unfiltered cruelty. "Leader said Deidara and Sasori are on their way. Once they arrive, start conscripting locals for factory labor. The figure manufacturing plant must begin production in one month."
"Isn't this a little too rough?"
Unexpectedly, Kakuzu finally spoke up, still not looking up. "If we treat everyone like that Gato trash, we might just stir up more trouble in the long run."
"Yeah~ That's why I think we should wait for Suigin Tou and see what she says."
Still sprawled inside the ritual circle, Hidan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Y'know, we're not exactly experts in this kinda thing."
"Eh? But what about the Leader's orders?"
White Zetsu tilted his head. He could sense the subtle tone in Kakuzu and the others. They weren't disobeying Pain outright, but they clearly wanted better leadership on this task.
"Well… fine. We'll report everything to the Leader. As long as the plan proceeds, do what you like."
Black Zetsu's tone was flat, but his words confirmed he wouldn't cover for Kakuzu's passive resistance.
Once Zetsu disappeared into the ground again, Kisame shrugged.
"Seriously now…"
"You think Suigin Tou would join us?"
---
"A toast to welcome Hinata and the others back from their mission~!"
Inside the Uchiha compound, at a long table overflowing with food, Ino—serving as party host—raised her glass of juice and gave a cheerful shout. The others at the table all echoed happily, lifting their cups: "Cheers! To surviving our first month as real ninja!"
This was clearly a welcome party. Unlike Team 7, the other teams had a leisurely month filled with basic D-rank tasks—garbage pickup, babysitting, flyer distribution, and the like. If it weren't for Naruto and Hinata pushing for higher-risk missions, the Wave mission wouldn't have landed in their laps at all.
"Man~ that really was dangerous. That guy, Momochi Zabuza, was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—a real jōnin, y'know!"
Having eaten two liquor-filled chocolates, Naruto was already tipsy, flailing dramatically as he recounted the mission. The rest of the production crew listened with wide eyes—part nervous, part curious.
"Lucky you guys! At least you got to leave the village! All our missions this month were just lame D-rank chores. We thought maybe something cool would pop up, but nope… sigh…"
Kiba, with Akamaru on his head, looked utterly defeated. Clearly, he shared Naruto's pain. Babysitting duty, for example—no one needed to describe how agonizing that was.
"D-rank missions are meant to build experience and help us adjust to the rhythm of active duty. That said… I do agree—it'd be nice to get something with a little more challenge."