Without even looking the pair know what the powerful howling of arge broadsword spinning thrown toward them by a clone is without looking. Naruto''s baby-blue, slitted eyes re at Zabuza in open challenge, setting his feet wide and holding firmly in ce for therge butcher''s de to dismember them both, however, Zabuza isn''t worried and only smiles demonically. Just before the loud spinning de reaches them, the elite Zabuza leaps high enough for the spinning de to harmlessly drive-by underneath him. Holding firm himself to keep Naruto in ce to be severed in half, Naruto easily read Zabuza''s eyes as they say, ''not good enough.''


    Zabuza hadn''t expected therge sword to burst into a puff of white smoke and be reced by a clone with a Rasengan already formed. Though the clone''s attack would''ve missed Zabuza still mid-leap, Naruto drops to his knees sinking the midair Zabuza low enough for the clone to hit the tall shinobi right in the gut.


    So long as the equilibrium of the spinning spirit energy remains in check, the spinning ball of chakra is an effective kill technique. However, Naruto doesn''t want to kill Zabuza and allows thepact hurricane to explode forcefully upon contact rather than maintain its shredding spin, rocketing the former Kiri ANBU forty feet away, scrapping skin against the ground with every bounce until he hits one of therge trees still standing with a loud ''thwack!''


    When Zabuza awakens, his once peaceful mind is immediately bombarded by volleys of sheer agony from the number of broken bones and shredded muscle. He then realizes he can''t move; not due to being restrained in any way, but because his fevered and dirty limbs feel heavier than he currently has the energy to lift.


    With busted blood vessels filling the whites of his eyes with red and wincing from the intense pain, Zabuza looks to the dark forest above sinking in his sight at a snail''s pace. It''s when his slow mind realizes he''s being carried before eventually discovering he''s being carried on the shoulders of six clones, almost as if he were a casket being taken to his gravesite.


    "If Haku…" Zabuza grunts in pain but ignores it, as he''s been trained to do. "If Haku… hadn''t shown you my style… you''d be dead."


    Tilting his view to the seventh Naruto, who''s left arm is in a splint made out of the remains of his orange jacket, limping on his right foot, dirty, sweaty, bleeding from multiplecerations nowhere more severely than his swollen left hand and injured pectoral. Even half-dead, the boy still has enough strength to lug Kubikiribōchō over his right shoulder.


    "No," Naruto huffs. Thinking of an appeased Kurama, Naruto adds, "I wouldn''t."


    With a concussed brain and, likely, a fractured skull, thinking hurts the elite ninja, however, after a moment, Zabuza recalls aloud, "the red… chakra."


    Feeling a great wave ofughter from his torn gut, Zabuza only chokes out blood onto the blond hair of the nearest clone, prompting the clone to angrilymunicate, "watch where you''re spitting Jiji," at the same time the real Naruto mumbles, "easy, easy-"


    "You didn''t… even… use your ugh! full power," Zabuza yells, immensely amused, half choking out more red liquid, halfughing.


    Rolling his eyes at the bleeding psycho, Naruto reiterates, "I told you… we didn''t need to-"


    "Yeah… we did," Zabuza heaves. "Now I know… the only way… to kill you… is… the most boring way."


    …..


    Frustrated, Naruto spits red saliva from his muddy and bloody mouth before berating the elite ninja. "Will you stop trying to make Haku sad!"


    "Haku knows… who I am," Zabuza returns. "Don''t worry… when I do kill you… it''ll be an end… befitting of a true… shinobi."


    "Urgh… I don''t even want to know what that means," Naruto groans. "But I''ll take you on… anytime. And for Haku… I''ll kick your ass… and make sure we both survive… because… he''d be sad… if one of us died."


    "Guess I''ll take… the bun-haired brat," Zabuza voices pityingly, as if Tenten is a constion prize, going so far as to add, "might be able to… make a decent weapon out of her."


    "You''re not taking Tenten-chan," Naruto huffs with bored finality as if he understands more who Zabuza is.


    "I said pick, didn''t I," Zabuza reminds the blond. "Haku… should be more important… than some chick… or even, your vige. Unless you don''t think… I''ll really take Haku with me."


    With dizzy thoughts of future Sasuke, Naruto angrily retorts, "trying to force someone to stay… when they really want to leave doesn''t work, you idiot. It''s not my ce to decide for Haku. If he ever wanted to leave… I know I''d hate it. I''d probably beg for him to stay… but I won''t physically try to stop him. As long as Haku knows he can always rely on me… that I''ll always be there for him… then that''s all that matters."


    "…Ugh, shut up," Zabuza bellows. "You''re making me feel worse than I already do."


    "That''s called your feelings," Naruto hums. "Because you''re such a loving and caring Jiji."


    "SHUT UP," Zabuza nearly yells, then immediately regrets it, turning silent as the throbbing agony nearly knocks him out.


    "You''re taking Kubikiribōchō back," Naruto deres with authority. "And you''re going to stop doing bad things to good and innocent people."


    "…I''m… not," Zabuza stubbornly returns. "I work… for the highest bidder. As long as they pay… I do whatever they want… whether that''s killing women and children… assassinating a Kage… or nting damn trees."


    "But you don''t have to-"


    "Kubikiribōchō is yours," Zabuza cuts him off, wincing in pain for his efforts. "So… if… you''re …willing to let me earn it back… I''ll work for your n… when it''s up and running."


    Naruto''s aching mind takes several moments to realize what Zabuza is offering, and calls out, "oh… yeah sure."


    "Having said that," Zabuza voices between his raspy breathing. "You still have to pay me."


    "What," Naruto yells then winces. "But I barely have any ryo as it is!"


    "Not my problem," Zabuza maintains.


    "…mnn, if I sell Kubikiribōchō, I''d probably get a ton of ryo-"


    Growling, Zabuza yells at the blond, "do that and I''ll definitely get it back and kill you with it!"


    "Sheshesheshe- o… oww… ugh, Kami," Naruto moans frompounding pain radiating throughout his body. "Whatever, Jiji."


    NARUTO


    "Zabuza-sama," Haku calls,nding in front of them from the high branches above. "Naruto-sama," an unsettled Haku adds, immediately looking over both men before beginning to treat them. As the clones gently set the tall man down, Haku takes a scroll of Naruto''s design and unseals several vials of green and white liquids and pills. Handing Naruto a few, Haku then takes the initiative to pour the medicinal contents between Zabuza''s lips.


    Falling from the trees above, Tenten yells, "Naruto!" Landing near the bleeding blond, Tenten simply looks at her fellow ninja in sheer amazement, forgetting everything but the simple fact that the genin Uzumaki Naruto beat the elite Momochi Zabuza.


    "Hey, your dad''s fine now," he tells her befuddled expression. Despite her clear shock and silence, Naruto heaves the legendary broadsword from his sore shoulder and extends it to the young weapon''s specialist, asking, "mind holding this for me?"


    Further amazed, she hesitates to ask, "you… trust me?"


    With azy shrug, he stiptes, "as long as you promise not to run off with it-"


    "I won''t," Tenten quickly interjects. "I wouldn''t! Not after…" Tenten trails off, turning her view to a concentrating Haku treating Zabuza before noting each and every one of Naruto''s visible injuries. "I can''t believe you actually beat the Demon of Hidden Mist… after everything my father said and did… I didn''t even defend you-" which voicing aloud only made her realize, with widening eyes, she''s exactly as Zabuza had identified her, ''sheep,'' saddening her beyond belief.


    .


    .


    .


    ??The novel is avable in PDF with more than 400 chapters, visit us in our Ko-Fi store??


    /horizon2075??