Open the Land of Waves 2

"Hoo hoo... Zabuza-sama... Please hold on just a little longer... We'll be on shore soon... -

"Hoo...Please hold on..."

In Zabuza's ears, such a voice rang out.

This voice was familiar, so familiar that it could easily make Zabuza's mind, which was incredibly panicked due to its proximity to death, quiet down again - although realistically speaking, Zabuza and this teenager named Hatsuyuki had only known each other for a few short days.

But... was saved.

Zabuza would allow Hatsuyuki to stay by his side, in large part from a direct order from the Mizukage.

He didn't really feel that this Chunin level Genjutsu specialist would be able to help himself in a truly high end combat.

It was nothing more than playing an abusive game.

And that was indeed the case.

An opponent that even Zabuza couldn't handle was even less likely to be defeated by Hatsuyuki.

In the previous battle with that super rouge-nin named Kakuzu, Zabuza truly realized what it meant to be truly powerful.

This was Zabuza's first encounter with Kakuzu, and the two had never fought before this. But it didn't mean that Zabuza lacked understanding of Kakuzu.

No matter what, Kiri was one of the five great hidden villages.

Even if because of the mysterious man's mess, Mizukage Yagura was controlled, and Kiri suffered a huge damage that was almost unbridgeable, the intelligence power under its control was unimaginable to outsiders.

Not to mention the fact that there was Makoto taking the initiative to leak it.

But... before having actually encountered Kakuzu, Zabuza still didn't put Kakuzu in his eyes.

In order to protect themselves, rouge ninja not only liked to give themselves loud names, they would also exaggerate their own battle results intentionally or unintentionally.

Under Zabuza's Kubikiribocho, there were already many such boastful dead souls.

Before the real encounter with the strong enemy, he had a small doubt about whether the Akatsuki organization, the world's number one villainous organization that was gradually becoming world-famous, was as powerful as the rumors - their leader Pain did have the power of one person to flatten a country, but what about the others?

Then Zabuza realized that Kakuzu wasn't bragging.

The difference in strength between the two sides was so great that it almost made him despair.

What was even more unlucky was that obviously he had already known Kakuzu's information in advance, but when it came to actually fighting, Zabuza had an extremely difficult time - I don't know if it was intentional or not, but Kakuzu's ability and fighting system just restrained him to death!

The art of silent killing emphasized a single, clean cut. On the contrary, Kakuzu was basically an immortal body, only five hearts on his body were weak points, and the rest of his body was basically randomly cut.

Even if the two sides play swap wounds, the other side is not afraid of him at all.

The Silent Killing Technique had almost become a joke.

What was even more disgusting was that this guy was simply as despicable and shameless as Makoto. Despite having the battle advantage, he still played very obscenely.

-After realizing that Zabuza was inferior to himself, this guy simply gave up on suppressing Zabuza for the time being, and instead focused on attacking the unarmed Tazuna.

As an ordinary person, Tazuna's resistance to Ninjutsu was about zero. Faced with Kakuzu's constant onslaught of wide-range offensive Ninjutsu, Hatsuyuki soon couldn't carry it.

Unable to do anything else, Zabuza could only stand out of the fog and start hurting each other with Kakuzu.

The escort mission was probably the last mission ninjas wanted to take on.

In addition to enemies hidden in the shadows, what's even more troublesome are those pig teammates who may drag their feet at any time...

Hatsuyuki was quickly knocked out, and had Kakuto not seemed too lazy to waste chakra on him, he would have died long ago.

Tazuna was knocked into a deep coma.

Zabuza was even more scarred.

Things couldn't have been worse at one point.

But who would have thought that it was such a kid who looked like a weakling abnormally, but at the critical moment, he actually blocked Kakuzu's fatal blow for him, creating an incomparably valuable opportunity for several people to escape from life.

Zabuza even less would not have thought that such a seemingly frail and weak teenager would not be willing to abandon him in such a dangerous situation...

At this time, Zabuza was seriously injured and his mouth could not speak, but this did not prevent the ninja's sharp five senses from allowing him to perceive the teenager's difficulty in carrying the two adults forward.

Zabuza was a standard Land of Water native, and he knew the surroundings of the Land of Water very well.

He knew exactly how vulnerable they were to sea beasts in their current blood-soaked condition.

At the same time, having undergone the strictest ninja education, he knew what to do at this time - leave Zabuza behind and escape with Tazuna alone.

It's cruel, but that's ninja.

The mission is always above the ninja's life, and a ninja who can't even fulfill the mission is a complete hot chick.

Even if it's just a mediocre C-rank mission...

No, this is not just a C-rank mission, but some kind of political alliance... If Kiri can really help the Land of Waves get the bridge across the sea built, the relationship between Kiri and the Land of Waves is bound to drastically improve in a short period of time.

This would not only benefit Kiri's subsequent development, but also Terumi Mei's elevated prestige.

Terumi Mei would not allow this mission to fail no matter what.

Since Hatsuyuki this guy was sent by the Mizukage and was specially thrown to him by Terumi Mei, he should have some understanding of this mission before...

Zabuza's heart was filled with incomparably complex feelings.

He didn't like being saved, and even more so, he didn't like being saved by a guy who was far inferior to himself.

But... even he wanted to live.

Without any reason, wanted to live.

Whether Zabuza wanted to admit it or not, he owed Hatsuyuki his life.

"Big deal... I'll just save him once in the future too..."

Even Zabuza himself didn't expect that even at this point in time, such thoughts would still be born in his mind... However, this seemed to be the only thing he could do...

Zabuza's mind was at a loss, he only felt vaguely happy and vaguely angry.

He could understand the source of the anger.

After all, this battle was really too stifling, even if he thought back later, it was still incredibly difficult to lift the table.

And the happy words... even Zabuza did not know exactly why.

It seemed to be because of being saved, and it seemed to be not all...

All in all, in a haze, Hatsuyuki, with two big men, collapsed on the sandy beaches of Land of Waves.

He made it.

Perhaps even the heavens took pity on this cute kid, he actually did bring two of his teammates to relative safety after ditching Kakuzu by virtue of the confusing terrain.

Even Zabuza had to admit that this was no small miracle.

Under normal circumstances, Chunin's stamina should have been exhausted halfway through the journey... No, now was not the time to be happy.

Dragging the two to the shore was truly an incredible thing. Zabuza had no way of knowing Hatsuyuki's inner activities, but it was clear that this was indeed his limit.

When the three of them landed together, Hatsuyuki could no longer hold on to his physical sleepiness and mental exhaustion, and he didn't even have time to say anything else before collapsing straight onto the beach and passing out.

He had reached his ultimate limit, and trying to do anything more was completely out of the question.

Zabuza had no intention of criticizing Hatsuyuki - after all, he was only a Chunin, and expecting more from him was a strange thing in itself.

But after Hatsuyuki had fallen, what lay before Zabuza was yet another desperate situation.

Their people had made it to the Land of Waves, but the injuries they were carrying hadn't healed.

Especially Zabuza, in order to protect Tazuna, he had taken too many injuries in the early stages.

The vast majority of those wounds were not fatal, but the constant bleeding still made his body reach its limits.

In this situation, not to mention whether or not Kakuzu would continue to pursue the killers - this guy was considered a professional assassin, and regardless of what exactly his purpose was, and who exactly had sent him, he would never stop until he had acquired their heads in exchange for a large bounty.

Even if Kakuzu just left it at that, the bloodshed alone would be enough to kill the three.

It was said that Shodaime Hokage's body was exceptionally strong, and even if he was accidentally injured, he could quickly heal himself without using jutsu.

But that was the Shodaime.

For most people in this world, this is an unattainable realm.

A body as strong as Zabuza's would be doomed if it bled too much.

When people are killed, they die.

"No... have to do something...I have to wake up soon... I have a bag of ninjas with hemostatic injections and bandages and all sorts of secret medicines in it... As soon as I wake up... As soon as I can get over there..."

There are great terrors between life and death, realizing the desperate situation ahead, Zabuza instead exploded with great strength.

Also not knowing where the strength came from, he actually once again propped open his incomparably tired eyes.

"Good... it's already halfway there... as long as I'm... again."

Zabuza who managed to open his eyes tried to touch the ninjutsu pouch at his waist.

But the originally easy and incomparable action had become extremely difficult at this time.

It took him a full fifteen minutes to complete this small action.

Then... fell into even greater despair - at some point, Zabuza's ninjutsu bag had disappeared.

Had it been knocked away by Kakuzu during the battle?

Or was it accidentally swept away by the seawater while crossing the strait just now?

Zabuza couldn't be sure.

The only thing that was certain was that if it continued like this, the three of them would all die here.

"Surprisingly... but... there doesn't seem to be any other way... Is this my limit... It's really ridiculous..."

Before Zabuza's eyes, blackness began to form.

After even the last of his will collapsed, his stubborn soul began to fall towards the final abyss.

However, just at this time, Zabuza noticed a strange movement coming from the beach not far away - because at this moment, Zabuza was lying on his back, and he had no clothes on the upper half of his body. In this stance, he was actually very sensitive to what was going on around him.

Zabuza barely raised his head, and after the scenery in his vision blurred several times, Zabuza finally determined what was actually happening not too far away.

It was a group of several young people, as well as an old man who looked to be in his 50s or 60s.

The young people were wearing uniform clothing and were protecting the old man behind them.

Judging from their appearance, these young people should not be the old man's grandchildren, and seemed to be closer to disciples.

Behind them, they were all carrying a huge back basket containing a lot of strange and weird herbs... Did they run into the traveling doctors of the Land of Waves?

Zabuza really didn't expect that at this time, his luck would rebound.

But Zabuza's side's cry for help hadn't even been sent out yet, and that white-bearded old man had only taken a few steps before being forcibly pulled back by the young people around him.

"Look at their dress, it seems to be a ninja... and a Kiri ninja... Shisho, we can not save them!"

"Why can not save? How did I teach you guys before? Seeing death and saving them, what kind of doctor are we? You guys disappoint me too much!"

"No, it's not like that... If it's someone else, even if it's a complete stranger, we'll do our best to rescue the other person, this is our bottom line as doctors... But this is a Kiri ninja! ...These ninjas live in the darkness, and look at the sorry state they're in right now - Kiri is one of the five great hidden villages, who would dare to attack them? It's either an encounter or a calculated murder... Shisho, let's get out of here, if we don't, it'll be too late!"

The reason the disciples gave was ridiculous, but Zabuza knew in his heart that it was necessary caution.

There were just too many bad things that the ninjas had done.

There was no need to mention the small hidden villages.

Like the grass ninja before, it was actually just a difference in name from the Mountain King.

As for the great hidden village... even their own small children are forced to go to the battlefield, the outsider... world is a big quagmire, in which all people flop around and are in pain.

And even for serious ninjas, there are some things that cannot be exposed to outsiders, especially civilians... For the sake of absolute secrecy, many ninjas will choose to kill the civilian witnesses completely clean.

Just like the Gray Knights - of course, if you are strong enough, you can ignore this...

Like Makoto right now in the Mizukage's office, which had the highest level of secrecy, playing backgammon with former Mizukage Yagura without a care in the world.

The common people knew the habits of the ninjas, so they preferred to do nothing when confronted with a wounded, fallen ninja, and just watch the ninjas die on the ground.

It was cruel.

However reality had always been cruel.

Not to mention this world that was like a quagmire.

Under the persuasion of his disciples, the old doctor's face hesitated, and in the end, he did not come forward.

Zabuza's mood instantly dropped to the bottom.

Just at this time, another group of villagers from the Land of Wave arrived at the beach.

Like the old doctor and his disciples from before, they also acted quite cautiously, and did not have any intention of wanting to come forward to investigate at all.

They were all waiting for him to die.

Zabuza thought so, and the last bit of hope in his heart disappeared.

Perhaps, this was his fate.

"Huh? The forehead protector on that ninja's head ... Isn't that a Kiri ninja?"

"Brothers, save them!"

The villagers were cautious, after all, they didn't want to use their own lives to verify if the ninja they saved was a good person or not.

But after realizing that Zabuza and Hatsuyuki were Kiri ninja, they quietly changed their attitude.

Kiri's reputation, when was it so good?

Zabuza didn't know.

As far as he could remember, Kiri's reputation among the five great hidden villages had always been at the bottom of the list.

It wasn't a problem that started with Yagura, but from a long time ago, Kiri had been famous for being mysterious and treacherous.

Just like the fog that was so thick that it couldn't be melted when using the Silent Killing Technique, everything in Kiri was always shrouded under a suffocating mystery.

But... it was saved.

Seeing a whole bunch of villagers pouring up and starting to save them with seven hands and eight feet, Zabuza's already clueless mind finally couldn't hold out completely.

"Save Hatsuyuki first!"

After leaving behind such a sentence, Zabuza's world was completely plunged into pitch blackness.

... ...

When Zabuza woke up again, it was two days later.

When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was lying in a dilapidated hospital.

"Strange ceiling... Is it a hospital in the Land of Wave?"

Zabuza wasn't familiar with hospitals in the Land of Wave, but the various types of decorations on the walls, and most importantly, the coat of arms, still told Zabuza where he was at the moment.

-It was hard to say how the future would be, but in this era, things like family crests and coats of arms were still stubbornly rooted in people's various daily lives and were difficult to uproot.

"It seems like... survived... hiss..."

Once his consciousness returned, Zabuza began trying to mobilize his body.

The good news was that he was still alive and his limbs and internal organs were intact and not missing anything.

The bad news was that his entire body was now like a mummy... Let alone using ninjutsu, even applying physical techniques against the enemy had become almost impossible.

"I was saved... and I don't know how Hatsuyuki and Tazuna are doing ... I have to move."

"I have to find Tazuna quickly... I can't let him die in my C-rank mission..."

Zabuza easily justified himself, but as he dragged his incredibly stiff body and prepared to get out of bed, the hospital room door was opened.

From outside walked in a young doctor with high-count glasses and a mercenary face.

"Well... is this the recovery speed of a ninja? Even after being beaten to this state, it only took two days of rest to open their eyes again. -

"It's really enviable..."

The doctor wanted to say something else, but was crushed back by Zabuza's beast-like eyes.

"You guys... saw Hatsuyuki? How is he, is he still alive?"

"Hatsuyuki? Oh, you're talking about that very beautiful and gentle child ah ... Of course he's fine. After all, I'm here, if he died here, wouldn't it look like I'm incompetent?"

Hearing that Hatsuyuki was fine, Zabuza immediately let out a sigh of relief.

The matter of the little guy desperately bringing him to escape left a deep mark in Zabuza's heart.

This mark of shame became a spiritual nitrogen pump for Zabuza to continue his efforts, but at the same time, he was also concerned about Hatsuyuki's death.

After the previous life and death battle, he began to become concerned about this little follower.

After all...

He had saved his life.

And...

Since that incident, Zabuza was not killed by the village, but he still became the monster of the village.

No one pays attention to him, no one goes near him, and both his friends and coworkers treat him as the most terrifying monster of all time.

Like Hatsuyuki, the first one in years.

Zabuza admitted that he didn't want Hatsuyuki to die.

"Is that so? ...Can you show me?"

"Sure - but then again, don't you care about Tazuna-san's condition? He should be considered your employer if you're serious?"

"He can't be dead, can he?"

"Indeed he is not dead, except that the alcoholic old drunkard has become rather unstable after learning that he cannot drink for three months at the very least." The doctor whistled in a very gloating manner, "Serves him right, that's what he gets!"

It looks like this doctor and old man Tazuna are very familiar with each other... Forget it, whatever they do, Zabuza just wants to confirm Hatsuyuki's condition.

So, at Zabuza's insistence, the doctor put Zabuza into a wheelchair and pushed him into Hatsuyuki's hospital room.

Hatsuyuki was lying in the middle of a pure white bed, his face as white as paper, his soft hair like seaweed pouring randomly on the pillow, making him look beautiful like a princess.

Zabuza and the doctor had already lowered their voices as much as possible when they came in, but the sensitive Hatsuyuki still opened his eyes.

Hatsuyuki's eyes were a bit confused at first, but after seeing Zabuza, Hatsuyuki immediately smiled.

"Zabuza-sama! Great, you're safe and sound..."

"Where did you see that I'm fine?"

Zabuza signaled the bandages all over his body with his eyes, and his voice line couldn't help but return to the coldness of the past.

"For the truly weak, even if you roar with all your might, in the eyes of the strong, it's just a milk cat being cute. -

"Nowadays, I've really seen it."

Zabuza knew that there were many people in the world who were far stronger than himself. However, to actually be defeated by someone so devastatingly, it still made him feel a pang of exasperation.

A Kakuzu was already this strong, what would a stronger Pain be like?

Also, the rumored Gondaime Hokage who was on par with Pain...

"This... is momentarily behind, but if Zabuza-sama continues to work hard, he will definitely become stronger as well!"

Zabuza didn't expect that Hatsuyuki, who had just awakened, didn't say anything about herself, but instead first consoled Zabuza, who was clearly depressed.

"Really..."

Zabuza didn't say what he was really thinking, he just looked at Hatsuyuki, who was tired but forcibly pretending to be fine, and asked the question in his heart that he couldn't let go of.

"At that time, why did you save me?"

It was an odd question to ask.

But Hatsuyuki knew why Zabuza asked it.

The atmosphere was a bit stagnant, but Hatsuyuki finally said the reason.

"Because... I'm such a person... only Zabuza-sama, won't talk about me behind my back... although I told myself that I'm no longer a child anymore. But it's still very sad every time I'm pointed out behind my back... -

"But Zabuza-sama is different! You have never... -

"If even Zabuza-sama is dead, then I... I don't want to return to them."

A very unexpected answer.

Zabuza couldn't understand this kind of mood at all.

Was it worth sacrificing one's own life for just some forgiveness from others?

Zabuza could not accept such a thing.

A ninja's destiny was to become a tool and die.

Ever since he was a child, Zabuza's surroundings had always been filled with such remarks.

In the ninja's world, individual independence of thought was not allowed to exist.

Zabuza detested such an environment so much that it almost suffocated him. But everyone was saying the same thing, that he alone, with one sword, could not make a difference.

No, they could obviously do something about it.

For example - kill all the students in the same class that were supposed to graduate with him.

Before Zabuza graduated, the graduation rule in Kiri was that you had to kill two by two, and the one who survived would become a ninja.

But Zabuza killed all of his contemporaries.

Because the killing was so excessive, Kiri later changed this rule.

Since then, he had been disappointed in the village.

Not only that, but he knows that fate must be in his own hands.

Only by working hard can one blaze a true path.

Is it right to never be like that?

If one were to die for the sake of others, then all the efforts from the past to the present would all be in vain.

But facing Hatsuyuki's innocent and delicate face, Zabuza didn't say these cruel words after all.

After all... he saved him.

Even if it was repayment.

After all, it was only this fool in front of him who would go out of his way to save him when he was in a desperate situation.

"Rest well, don't think too much, our mission is not yet complete. "

"...Yes."

Both sides could feel that the other had a thousand words to say.

However both ended up not saying anything.

After an unspeakable silence, the two said goodbye once again.

Not to mention what Hatsuyuki was really thinking, anyway, Zabuza arrived outside the hospital room and then was informed by the doctor about the medical expenses.

"That Tazuna guy, he's kind of an old friend of mine... His problems aside, I'll go to him myself anyway. The cost of your treatment then... is ten million."

Hearing this figure, Zabuza almost jumped up from his wheelchair.

-That's the bounty for ten S-rank missions!

Doing this crappy C-rank mission, his wallet went straight to a big break - damn Terumi Mei, could this be the reason why you had to ask me to carry out this mission!

Zabuza glared at the doctor, his eyes flashing with the purest killing intent.

"Why don't you go grab it!"

"Isn't that what I'm doing, robbing? Love to cure, don't cure pull back. -

"...Hmph, no cure! -

"Tsk. Scrooge."

The doctor was very upset, but he seemed to not care at all about Zabuza's threat, his attitude was very indifferent... Then again, to be able to pull the dying Zabuza back from the brink of death, this person should also be an extremely strong doctor, right?

Perhaps not as good as Tsunade, but the difference should not be too much.

And for some reason, he had come to nest in the land of Wave.

"All right, this is what you said... By the way, that guy in there, it's not going to be healed either, is it? -

"What a waste of time, originally thought it was to bring back two fat sheep, did not expect it to be two poor people..."

Zabuza swore that if at this time the decapitating machete was still in his hand, he must give the doctor a show, what is called a cut.

But for now, he held back for now.

"Hatsuyuki words... how much does it cost to cure him?"

"Fifty million ryo, he is more seriously injured, his internal organs are out of the question, I have spent a great deal of effort to..." halfway through the words, this crumb doctor suddenly looked at Zabuza with a very odd look, "You yourself ten million are not willing to continue treatment, but you are willing to give him a fifty million ryo level of treatment?"

Fifty million... For most ninjas, this can really be said to be an astronomical figure.

Those who could finish 50 S-rank missions alive, no matter in which ninja village, could be said to be a phoenix-like existence.

Zabuza's income as an elite upper ninja was quite a lot. Because the account book itself is only one page, it is also true that it has accumulated a lot of money over the years.

But after paying this 50 million...

"Let you heal you heal, what are you nagging for? -

"Believe it or not this big master kill you?"

Facing Zabuza's gaze full of threats, the doctor directly raised his hands in surrender.

"Really vicious... but you couple, really interesting... -

"Then, I'll start."