The sudden intervention of Hyuga Hinata shifted the tides 180 degrees. Haku, who had occupied an invincible position within his mirrors, suddenly collapsed without even letting out a cry of pain.
The moment the Gentle Fist's chakra pierced his vital point, Haku's life force began to drain rapidly. Within seconds, he was paralyzed and speechless, his life flickering like a candle in the wind. As he hit the ground, his featureless mask fell away, and blood began to stain the earth.
In his final moments, Haku was eerily calm.
Growing up in the cruel environment of the Hidden Mist, his mind had long surpassed that of ordinary people. Even before becoming a ninja, he knew that death was a constant companion.
Everyone dies; it's only a matter of when. Having seen so much death in the Mist ANBU, he felt no fear.
But he felt a deep, hollow sadness. He feared the parting.
The ice mirrors surrounding Naruto shattered into shimmering dust, falling like snow. Haku's pupils dilated. With his last ounce of strength, he tried to pierce the thickening mist with his gaze, desperate to see Zabuza one last time.
He was an orphan. For as long as he could remember, Zabuza was his world. He had felt unneeded, but Zabuza had given him value.
It was a twisted, co-dependent bond birthed by a distorted world, but to Haku, Zabuza was the only reason to exist.
Perhaps... Zabuza-san will feel a little sad after I'm gone? Haku thought. With that final, lonely hope, his breath ceased, and his eyes went blank.
The Aftermath of the Trap
"Naruto! Are you okay?!"
Confirming the enemy was dead, Hinata rushed toward the sea of orange. "Poof, poof, poof—" The Shadow Clones vanished in clouds of smoke, leaving the original Naruto standing shakily. Hinata caught him just as he stumbled.
Without the Nine-Tails' regenerative power, Naruto's recovery was human. While the needles weren't fatal, the pain was agonizing, and the exhaustion from the Multi-Shadow Clone technique was catching up to him.
This was his first true brush with death. Before Hinata arrived, he and Sasuke had been completely helpless.
Naruto panted heavily. With Hinata's help, he began pulling the senbon from his body one by one. His orange jumpsuit was quickly soaked in a deeper crimson.
They didn't rush to Kakashi's side yet; they used this small window to patch Naruto up, knowing the "Demon" was still out there.
The Execution
In the thick of the fog, Zabuza and Kakashi were still locked in a stalemate. As the noise from the other side died down, Zabuza's grin widened.
"It's gone quiet. Your brats must have been finished by Haku," Zabuza taunted. "Are you going to keep hiding, Copy Ninja Kakashi?"
Zabuza was confident. He didn't believe three Genin could touch a shinobi of Haku's caliber. But he was wrong. He was standing on the edge of a grave he hadn't seen yet.
"Actually," Kakashi's voice echoed, cold and steady. "I have absolute faith in my students. They won't lose. But you... Why are you here?"
The sound allowed Kakashi to pinpoint Zabuza. In an instant, Kakashi appeared behind the swordsman, a kunai pressed against his throat.
"Hoh?" Zabuza's eyes shifted. He didn't panic. "Faith? Even against Haku's Ice Style?"
"Ice Style?!" Kakashi's heart skipped a beat. That split second of shock was the opening Zabuza needed.
Zabuza dissolved into a puddle—a Water Clone. In the next breath, Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, hands moving in a blur of seals. Kakashi reacted instantly, his Sharingan tracking every finger.
"Water Style: Water Prison!""Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
The water orb tried to engulf Kakashi, but the rising stone wall disrupted the flow. Zabuza leaped, slashing his blade down. Clang! Kakashi blocked with a kunai, the sparks flying in the dim light. They traded blows—kicks, parries, and grapples—until Zabuza threw Kakashi into the air.
Zabuza quickly began a long string of seals. He knew better than to fight a Sharingan user in close quarters. But Kakashi was the Copy Ninja. Even while airborne, his hands mimicked Zabuza's perfectly.
"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"
The river erupted. A massive wall of water slammed into Zabuza before he could finish his own jutsu. The force swept him away, crashing him through the forest until he hit a massive tree a hundred meters away.
The impact knocked the wind out of him. As the water receded, the mist thinned. Through his blurred, drowning vision, Zabuza saw the chirping blue lightning—the Chidori—in Kakashi's hand.
But Zabuza didn't look at Kakashi. He looked past him, at the slumped, motionless body of Haku near the three Genin.
Haku?!
"Chiiiii—"
The Chidori tore through Zabuza's chest, obliterating his heart. Kakashi's hand was once again stained red. As he looked at his bloodied arm, the image of Rin—slain by his own hand years ago—flashed through his mind. A nightmare he could never escape.
The Hidden Watcher
Kakashi pulled his arm back, looking at the dead "Demon of the Mist." He turned back to his students, amazed that they had overcome a Bloodline Limit user on their own.
"You guys... you actually did it," Kakashi whispered, pride swelling in his chest.
But the joy was short-lived.
Suddenly, the mist didn't dissipate; it grew thicker and colder. From the shadows of the forest, a small, youthful figure stepped out—Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage. Behind him, the forest floor rustled as over a hundred Mist ninjas emerged, surrounding Team 7 in a perfect circle.
Yagura walked over to Zabuza's body. Controlled by Obito, the Mizukage reached down and gently closed Zabuza's eyes.
From the shadows, a voice that only the wind seemed to carry whispered:
"Impressive, Kakashi. You can kill a Demon... but why is it you could never protect Rin?"
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