"You… you dare to hurt my Haku!"
"Use my blade!"
Zabuza, locked in intense battle with Kakashi, instantly sensed the commotion from afar.
Without hesitation, he abandoned the fight and dashed in that direction.
There were subtle differences between this world's Zabuza and the original timeline's version. Having witnessed Uzumaki Naruto's immense power, Haku had once urged Zabuza to leave the Land of Waves.
People like Gato were beneath even mercenaries and assassins like them.
Zabuza, bandaged and lying on a hospital bed, slowly shook his head, refusing Haku's suggestion.
Haku was confused. He knew that continuing the mission meant certain death. Why persist?
"Because, Haku… this is what it means to be a ninja."
Zabuza finally revealed his true feelings.
He wasn't a traitor to Kirigakure. On the contrary, everything he did was for the sake of the village and the Land of Water.
In the past, Kirigakure had been under the oppressive rule of the Third Mizukage, a time so dark that other nations nicknamed it The Village of the Bloody Mist.
The initiation to become a ninja at that time was brutal—young academy graduates were forced to kill their own classmates.
Only through surviving that bloodbath could one earn the title of a shinobi.
At just nine years old, Zabuza emerged from that sea of blood. He had slain all of his peers alone.
He was the sole survivor of that twisted graduation test.
People branded him a "monster" and a "demon."
But what they didn't understand was that Zabuza hated the blood mist policies. Just like a young Uchiha Itachi, he was powerless to change anything.
It wasn't until years later that a glimmer of hope appeared. Yagura, a perfect Jinchūriki, became the Fourth Mizukage.
Under Yagura's rule, reforms began. Kirigakure started to open up.
Notable ninjas like Ao, Hozuki Mangetsu, and Xiguashan Pufferfish joined forces to support Yagura's vision.
Even Zabuza found a place among them, though his reputation as a killer made others wary of him.
He eventually covered his mouth with cloth—not to hide, but to help others fear him less.
"If they can't see the monster's grin," he thought, "perhaps they won't be so scared."
Over time, Kirigakure truly changed. The once-infamous village slowly evolved into an open and hopeful community.
Zabuza was proud. He had hopes for the village's future.
But one day, something changed.
Yagura's personality abruptly shifted. Under his new iron-fisted rule, dissenting voices were silenced—one by one, they disappeared.
Kirigakure, once on the path to renewal, began descending back into the darkness of its bloody past.
Zabuza couldn't stand by and watch. For the sake of the Land of Water, he resolved to assassinate the Mizukage.
He knew what it meant. From that moment on, he would be an enemy of the village. A ghost with no home.
Still, he accepted his fate.
But he failed.
Yagura was far stronger than expected. Not even a direct hit from the Executioner's Blade could bring him down.
Zabuza should have died that day.
By sheer luck, he escaped during a brief moment of Yagura's unexplained migraine.
From then on, Zabuza became a rogue ninja. Yet, even while on the run, he never forgot his identity as a shinobi of Kirigakure.
Once a mission is accepted… it must be completed, no matter what.
That is a ninja's duty.
When Zabuza finally finished recounting his story, Haku understood everything.
He had always wondered why Zabuza, despite abandoning the village, continued to keep track of Kirigakure's news.
He had believed Zabuza held hatred for the village.
But now he realized—
Zabuza was waiting. Waiting for the day when Kirigakure would once again become the utopia they dreamed of.
---
Live Broadcast System - Chat Room
Sarutobi Hiruzen:
"I never imagined that such atrocities took place in the former Kirigakure. It's disgraceful for a nation of such stature."
Orochimaru:
"They did it to grow stronger, unlike you, Hiruzen-sensei. When trouble came knocking, you willingly handed your own people to another village."
Hyuga Hiashi:
"Orochimaru, enough. This isn't the time to stir division."
The past weighed heavily on Hiashi.
During the war between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, countless ninjas lost their lives.
The Lightning Country, under the pretense of peace talks, entered Konoha.
Then, they kidnapped Hinata—the heiress of the Hyuga clan.
Hyuga Hizashi, Hiashi's twin brother from the branch family, not only rescued Hinata but also killed the kidnapper from the Hidden Cloud.
It should have been a triumph.
But instead, the Lightning Country shamelessly demanded an apology.
They insisted that Hiashi, as the head of the Hyuga main family, travel to the Land of Lightning to atone.
Everyone in Konoha knew what that meant: death.
The village was furious, yet the Third Hokage chose to keep the peace.
Ultimately, Hizashi volunteered to die in Hiashi's place.
A noble act… but a political sacrifice nonetheless.
Neji, Hizashi's son, had carried hatred toward the main family ever since.
This was the cruel fate of the Caged Bird Seal.
---
Terumi Mei:
"Kirigakure may have had a bloody past, but it has been reborn. I ask that you judge us not by our past, but by who we are now."
Chojuro:
"It's all thanks to Mizukage-sama. She defeated and killed the Fourth Mizukage, saving Kirigakure from the Blood Mist!"
Terumi Mei:
"I only did what needed to be done... but I still feel I was too late. If I had acted sooner, Zabuza and Haku might still be alive."
Terumi Mei's voice carried the weight of guilt.
But the truth was, none of it was her fault.
Even with her exceptional talents—four chakra natures and two kekkei genkai—defeating Yagura had taken everything she had.
Haku (spirit):
"Mr. Zabuza... it's wonderful. The Mist Village you longed for has finally come true."
Zabuza stared silently at the chat interface.
He didn't type a word.
But in his heart...
This once cold and feared "Demon of the Mist" was filled with gratitude for Terumi Mei.
She had fulfilled the dream he could never reach.
It was also because of this miraculous chat system...
That he could finally learn the truth and find peace.
For Zabuza, the humiliation of being defeated by a Konoha Genin like Naruto...
That no longer mattered.
---
Senju Hashirama:
"This is why Madara and I always hoped for a peaceful ninja world. Sadly, I didn't accomplish that dream while I was alive."
Uchiha Madara:
"Peace? With you? I've told you before—your peace is childish and naïve. Hmph. One day, everyone will understand that I was right!"
Senju Hashirama:
"Madara..."
60 chapters adavance in patreon.
More episodes are available on patreon