"Shiro!"
Shiro was more than happy to satisfy Zabuza's small request.
As the name echoed, Zabuza realized he had truly met his match. Who could have imagined that a ninja who had never once appeared in the Bingo Books would possess such formidable strength? Zabuza was now certain that during the previous Great Ninja Wars, Konoha had been feigning weakness. With a shinobi of this caliber in their ranks, how could they have ever been forced to sue for peace?
What was even more terrifying was Shiro's age. Already this powerful while barely in his teens, Zabuza dared not imagine the monster he would become in the future.
Just when everyone thought the battle had concluded...
Several senbon were fired from the shadows, striking Zabuza with surgical precision. Before Kakashi and the others could even react, the "Demon of the Mist" collapsed, appearing to have lost his life instantly.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Naruto shouted, immediately dropping into a defensive stance.
"Heh."
Shiro merely chuckled. Stepping in at the critical moment to "claim" the kill—aside from Haku, he couldn't think of anyone else loyal enough to pull such a stunt.
"Naruto, stop being so jumpy," Sakura scolded, though her eyes immediately drifted back to Shiro with pure admiration. To her, it felt as though no danger could truly exist as long as Shiro was standing there.
---
With a sharp *whoosh*, a ninja wearing the porcelain mask of a Hidden Mist Hunter-nin appeared exactly where Shiro had been looking.
"You're a Hunter-nin from the Hidden Mist, I take it?" Shiro's opening remark nearly made Haku freeze in shock. How did this boy know exactly what he was about to say?
"Is your goal to retrieve the rogue ninja Zabuza Momochi?"
"Yes..." Haku nodded subconsciously. Did this opponent possess foresight?
"Then, I assume you plan to take Zabuza's body back to the village to complete your mission?"
Shiro's trio of deadly questions had completely stolen Haku's script.
"So it's an operative from the Mist," Kakashi noted, exhaling a long sigh of relief. He had feared it was an accomplice; if it was a Hunter-nin pursuing a high-profile traitor, then the intervention was perfectly standard.
"Thank you for your assistance, honorable shinobi of Konoha," Haku said, bowing politely. He was entirely unaware that Shiro had seen through the charade the moment he arrived.
"Kakashi-sensei," Shiro asked out of the blue, "tell me, when turning in an elimination mission, does bringing back just the head count as proof of success?"
Although Kakashi was confused by the grim nature of the question, he answered honestly. "As long as the identity can be verified, the head is sufficient." Having served in the Anbu for years, Kakashi was intimately familiar with the protocols of body disposal.
"I see." Shiro nodded, feigning enlightenment. "In that case, this Hunter-nin gentleman shouldn't mind taking back just the head, right? It saves the trouble of carrying the extra weight."
Under Shiro's repeated, pointed prodding, even a fool could see that something was amiss. Kakashi's grip tightened on his kunai, his gaze turning wary as he scrutinized the masked figure.
"Lord Ninja... I'm afraid I don't understand your meaning," Haku said softly, his posture shifting as he slowly approached Shiro.
"Secret Ice Art: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
The moment he was within range, Haku struck. He flashed through hand seals, turning the surrounding water vapor into a hailstorm of senbon, unleashing a high-speed, 360-degree bombardment.
"Instant Hell Murder Formation!"
Shiro utilized the untargetability of his technique to phase through the assault effortlessly.
"Secret Ice Art: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
Seeing his opening strike fail, Haku instantly escalated. Several towering mirrors of ice condensed around Shiro, trapping him in a prismatic prison.
"Shiro, look out!" Sakura screamed.
Haku merged into the mirrors, moving between reflections at the speed of light to launch a relentless barrage of needles from every conceivable angle. However, he had completely underestimated the perception of a shinobi who possessed max-level Wood Style.
Shiro turned and slashed the Executioner's Blade in a powerful arc. Haku, shocked by the speed of the counter, tried to block with a senbon, but a mere needle was no match for the legendary cleaver. The senbon was sliced clean in half, and Haku was sent hurtling backward by the sheer kinetic force.
"Impressive," Shiro murmured.
He was starting to appreciate the utility of Ice Style. While it wasn't strictly necessary for his own arsenal, it was undeniably a tier above most bloodline limits. He wondered why Orochimaru hadn't tried to collect Haku during his time in the Mist. Perhaps the allure of Kimimaro's bone pulses had been enough.
"I can give you and Zabuza a chance..." Shiro began, before catching himself. He realized Kakashi was still watching. If his attempt to recruit rogue subordinates was reported to the Third Hokage, there was no telling what the old man might plot.
Shiro decided to move this negotiation to a private venue. He genuinely appreciated the potential of Zabuza and Haku. In the entire story, very few people had ever driven Team 7 into a genuine corner; Zabuza had once held the future Sixth and Seventh Hokage in his palm, after all. As for Haku, the fact that his Ice Style allowed him to trade moves with Shiro at all proved his immense value.
While Shiro didn't necessarily *need* help, certain "dark matters" were better handled by competent hands while he maintained his reputation within Konoha.
"This... I can't believe it," Haku muttered, struggling to stand. He was someone who lived only for Zabuza's will.
*Cough, cough!*
Nearby, Zabuza finally "woke up." With such a massive commotion, he could no longer maintain his state of feigned death.
"Haku!" Zabuza watched as the boy he had always claimed was a mere tool risked everything to protect him. For a fleeting second, the Demon of the Mist began to doubt his own cold philosophy.
"Kakashi-sensei, I'll take these two elsewhere to finish the job. That should be fine, right?" Shiro glanced at Kakashi.
Kakashi had no reason to refuse. In his eyes, Shiro was the golden genius of the village, a hero beloved by the Hokage. It was unthinkable that Shiro would abandon his prestigious life to become a rogue.
"Make it quick," Kakashi agreed.
With a single leap, Shiro carried the two Mist ninjas toward a secluded valley.
"I'll give you one chance: submit, or die," Shiro stated decisively, planting the Executioner's Blade into the ground. If either of them dared to refuse, he would end them without hesitation.
"Are you sure... that if we pledge ourselves to you, you will let us live?" Zabuza asked, finding the courage to speak. He still had unfinished ambitions; he wasn't ready to die in a foreign land.
"Do you think you're in a position to negotiate?" Shiro didn't even spare him a glance. Their lives were entirely in his hands.