Chapter 14 The Ninja's Fate"Naruto, you idiot, why did you come in? Attack him from outside!" Sasuke yelled angrily. He thought Naruto had really lost his mind. Knowing his opponent's strength was greatly enhanced inside the Ice Crystal Mirror, he still insisted on going in to fight.
"Shut up."
Naruto ignored him, silently moving forward to shield Sasuke behind him, and looked at Haku in the mirror, smiling, "Hey, your opponent is me!"
"For me, becoming a ninja is a very difficult thing. If I could, I wouldn't want to kill you, nor would I want you to be killed."
Looking at Naruto before him, Haku's tone was extremely calm.
"But if it comes to drawing swords, I will not hesitate to kill my conscience and become a ruthless ninja."
"This unfinished bridge carries the dreams of many, and it is everyone's battlefield."
"We all have our own dreams, so please don't blame me. I also have someone I desperately want to protect. My existence is for that person, to act for him, to fight for him, to help him achieve his dream—that is my dream!"
"For this, I can become a complete ninja and kill you all. Please don't blame me!"
Haku could no longer hold back, because he saw out of the corner of his eye that Zabuza wasn't gaining the upper hand in the battle. He needed to resolve this battle quickly and then go to support Zabuza.
Naruto let Haku's attacks rain down on him. It wasn't that he couldn't dodge; he had many ways to avoid Haku's attacks, and even ways to counterattack. The reason he deliberately took the hits was simply to experience the Nine-Tails' chakra within him. After all, to become strong enough, without considering stealing someone else's eyes, the fastest way to improve was through the Nine-Tails' chakra and Sage Mode. Naruto wanted to shorten this time as much as possible.
Having read the manga beforehand, Naruto knew that emotional manipulation was too difficult; physical suffering was far easier, at least that's what he thought.
But gradually, Naruto sensed something was wrong. His wounds were multiplying, he was bleeding profusely, and he was starting to tire. There was no Nine-Tails chakra coming out. What was going on? Had he gone too far? Would he bleed to death?
"Baka, why are you blocking my way?"
[Because you used to block my way like this.]
Naruto didn't say these words aloud, but Sasuke, standing behind him, saw it differently. Naruto was risking his life to protect him like this? He looked like he was about to die, yet he stubbornly used his body as a shield to block attacks? Did Sasuke really deserve this? How much did Naruto care about him?
Sasuke's vision blurred. In his memory, only that man seemed to have ever given him this feeling—no, even Itachi hadn't given him this feeling. It was a feeling of being needed, of being genuinely cared for.
[No, I cannot let Naruto die before my eyes, absolutely not!]
Sasuke's eyes changed in an instant. A single tomoe appeared in his left eye, two tomoe in his right—the Sharingan appeared!
The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan often requires immense negative emotions to awaken. Sasuke awakened his right Sharingan a year earlier than Itachi when he witnessed the annihilation of his clan. This time, spurred on by Naruto, he not only evolved his right eye into a double-tomoe Sharingan, but also successfully awakened his left eye.
Sasuke slowly rose. With the aid of the Sharingan, his sensory abilities were several times stronger than before. Haku's previously unpredictable movements were now crystal clear to Sasuke.
Easily dodging Haku's attack, just as Haku's figure was about to disappear into the Demonic Mirror, Sasuke flashed forward and punched him in the face.
"Smack."
This punch, filled with rage, was extremely vicious and powerful. Haku's mask shattered, and he rolled away like a rag doll.
"Ah!"
Just as Sasuke was about to finish off Haku with a kunai, his arm was gripped tightly—it was Naruto.
When did he get here? Sasuke tried to break free, but couldn't.
"Let go, Naruto! I'm going to kill him!" Sasuke roared.
"Forget it, let him go."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Baka! This bastard almost killed you!"
Naruto didn't speak, but tightened his grip on Sasuke's arm, his meaning clear.
"Kill me."
Haku had slowly risen to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his expression blank.
"I'm no longer a proper tool. Lord Zabuza won't need me anymore. I've lost my purpose. So, please kill me."
Haku's voice was filled with pain and despair, almost breaking down. In the end, he hadn't become a proper ninja. If he hadn't failed to kill him immediately, things wouldn't be like this, leaving Lord Zabuza in such a difficult battle.
What?! Sasuke was stunned. Was the other's entire purpose in life just to be someone else's tool? His killing intent subsided unconsciously, and even his grip on the kunai loosened slightly.
That must be pathetic, right? Maybe that guy wouldn't even care.
Did Zabuza really not care? Even when Haku was knocked away, even when Haku was about to be killed, his expression didn't change at all, yet his attacks became even more ferocious. It was precisely because of his greed and recklessness that Kakashi seized the opportunity and released his eight summoned ninja dogs to successfully capture him.
Kakashi: "Zabuza, you've gotten a bit too cocky. Your ambition is far too great. Assassinating the Mizukage, a failed coup, and you've become a fugitive ninja ever since."
"Your name quickly spread to Konoha. For revenge? To escape pursuit? Those are probably the reasons. You actually associated with scum like Gato."
"The Tazuna you wanted to kill was the courage of this nation. This bridge carries the future of this nation. Your ambition has already sacrificed many people. That's not what a ninja should do. You're too dangerous. Zabuza, give up, or you'll die."
Concrete chakra condensed into a bolt of lightning in Kakashi's palm, its surging energy seemingly capable of piercing through all barriers of time.
Even Kakashi himself didn't know why he'd said such a thing, hesitating against someone as infamous as Zabuza, even though he was already at his limit. It was probably because Zabuza had just let the workers leave.
"I will fight for my ideals."
Zabuza, his limbs gripped tightly by ninja dogs, was clearly at his wit's end, but he ignored Kakashi's kindness and wouldn't beg for mercy. He had his pride and his ideals; he would fight for them, and he would die for them.
Upon hearing this, Kakashi no longer hesitated. The lightning in his hand solidified to a terrifying degree, and he charged towards Zabuza.
Having given Zabuza a choice, Kakashi had done his duty. If he failed, would Zabuza hold back? This was the world of ninjas; everyone had their own destiny.
"Lightning Blade!"