"Why am I here? You should already know the reason in your heart, right? Of course it's because I dealt with my opponent, so I came over. What were you fantasizing about?"
"He's dead? Whatever. I don't need such a useless tool anyway. If it's gone, it's gone."
After getting the answer he least wanted to hear from Furina, Zabuza's eyes trembled slightly. But he quickly put on a cold, ruthless facade, expressing disdain for his "tool."
Since Haku was already dead, he absolutely could not show any weakness because of it.
"So you really treated him as a tool. Just now over there, when I listened to him recount your past, I thought you two were companions. He even said you were the most important person in his life. Looks like I misunderstood.
But that's fine. Originally, I felt a little guilty for killing someone else's important companion. Now I don't have to. In fact, I helped you get rid of a useless tool. If anything, you should be thanking me."
Even Kakashi, standing nearby, felt something was off after hearing Furina's somewhat outrageous statement. Sure, the guy might call him a tool out loud, but they'd been traveling together for a long time.
After that much time, even a dog would develop some feelings. You kill the one called Haku and then expect Zabuza to thank you? That's... kind of absurd.
If even Kakashi felt that way, Zabuza felt it ten times more. Though he kept saying Haku was just a tool, deep in his heart, the other held a very important place.
"Brat, I have to admit you've successfully pissed me off."
Zabuza had originally been thinking if there was any chance to withdraw and fight another day. But facing the experienced jōnin Kakashi plus Furina working together, escaping was pretty much a pipe dream.
In that case, he might as well take this brat who insulted Haku down with him before he died at least he'd have someone to accompany him in death.
But all these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. The moment Zabuza opened his mouth, he used Body Flicker to swing his large sword toward Furina, attempting to catch her off guard and finish her in one strike.
Unfortunately...
"Bang!"
A kunai clashed against the Executioner's Blade once again. Kakashi had already guessed that Furina's words would very likely enrage Zabuza, so he had remained constantly on guard to prevent any surprise attack.
"You think you can hurt my student right under my nose? Aren't you taking this teacher a bit too lightly?"
"Hmph." Seeing Kakashi standing in front of Furina like an immovable wall, Zabuza had no other choice but to retreat again.
This clash looked like an ordinary exchange on the surface, but he knew in his heart that there probably wouldn't be a second chance after this.
Before Zabuza could even readjust his mindset, he heard that annoying brat's voice again, as if she was determined to torment him to death.
"Ara, why so worked up? Didn't you say you only treated that 'Haku' as a tool? I just helped you dispose of a tool is that really worth getting this mad over?
Or is it that deep down you never actually treated him as a tool, and you were just too embarrassed to admit it because of pride? Is that it?"
After Furina saw right through his thoughts and said it out loud, Zabuza's following words became somewhat incoherent things like "This great one would never be held back by face," "He's my tool; if he's to be discarded, only I can do it," and so on. It was almost comical.
Looking at Zabuza glaring furiously at her, and then at Kakashi whose gaze toward her had also turned a bit strange, Furina realized that if she didn't explain soon, her reputation might actually get ruined.
"Ahem, alright, enough messing around. The real reason I said all that is because that person named Haku right before our final decisive clash,
I asked him one question: Are you two companions? He said that you, Zabuza, are the most important person in his life. He also wants to become your companion,
but he doesn't deserve it. So being able to serve as your tool already makes him very satisfied."
"And then?" Kakashi wasn't surprised that there was a twist to the story. He never believed Furina would be that cruel. Sure enough, this confirmed it.
"And then of course I didn't believe him. After hearing him recount your past experiences, aside from the way you address each other, aren't you two basically companions in every other way?
In the end, it's just pride getting in the way and embarrassment. After I shared my view with Haku, he asked me to help ask you after I defeated him whether you truly see him as a companion. And that's why we're having this conversation right now."
"Hah... so that's what Haku was thinking?" Hearing the full sequence of events from Furina, Zabuza felt a surge of emotion from afar. He clearly hadn't expected things to develop this way.
"Yeah, so... what's your answer?" Furina didn't want to give Zabuza too much time to think and quickly pressed him for a response.
"I never thought a little girl would see through my heart so thoroughly. How ironic." With that, Zabuza gave a self-deprecating laugh not sure if it was because he'd been seen through or because he was only now truly understanding his own feelings.
Although Zabuza still didn't say it outright, it was as if he'd said everything. At the very least, Kakashi had pieced together the situation.
"So you really do see that boy named Haku as a companion after all. No wonder your killing intent was so intense just now."
"Heh, does saying it now make any difference?"
Seeing Zabuza shift back into a combat stance, Kakashi stayed silent. Since Furina had supposedly killed the other's companion, nothing he said now would matter.
Though he felt some regret about it, Furina was his student and his comrade he wouldn't let her run wild.
Just as the atmosphere between the two sides grew increasingly tense, reaching a critical point right before explosion, the sudden appearance of a figure pressed the pause button on the impending deathmatch.
"Haku? You didn't die just now?"
The moment Haku appeared, Furina instantly went full drama-queen mode. Taking advantage of the others not yet reacting, she started spouting nonsense, acting as if Haku had genuinely survived by sheer luck.
But none of the others present were fools or rather, no one who becomes a jōnin is that stupid. Analytical ability is a necessary part of the job.
Perhaps Furina's acting was convincing enough on the surface, with nothing obviously wrong.
But Haku couldn't keep it up. The instant Zabuza gave him that scrutinizing look, he instantly broke character looking all embarrassed. Combined with the fact that Haku had supposedly just barely escaped death yet showed no obvious injuries...
Kakashi and Zabuza had basically already figured out seven or eight tenths of what was really going on.