10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven
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Kurenai recovered faster than we expected, thanks to my outstanding medical skills. We could have left two days ago, but Tazuna and the citizens had asked to wait for the bridge to finish. My clones and the Genin helped the builders, finishing faster than planned. Overall, we had only spent one week in the Land of Waves.
"Oy, why are they here?"
Today was the day of our departure. However, before we departed, Tazuna treated us to a feast. Sitting at the dining table with us, we had the fully recovered Zabuza and Haku. Zabuza hadn't talked to me since our talk, but Haku and I already established an amiable friendship. We had decided to forget our not-so-innocent first encounter and started anew.
"Why do you guys not question anything? They were trying to kill us just a few days ago!
Although Zabuza was practically harmless given his nonexistent access to Chakra, it was still hard for everyone to accept him to be around. After all, he had almost ended their lives twice. Kurenai was fairly nonchalant about it, but her Genin team wasn't fond enough of the development. The most expressive about that was Kiba.
"I can't accept this. These two should be in jail for the shit they did!"
"Shut it, dobe," Sasuke grunted. "They are no longer trying to kill us. Even if they are, Naruto and Kakashi will be able to take him down easily."
"That is correct," Kakashi agreed, smiling with his eyes. "It is normal for Ninjas to have a truce, Kiba. We go for each other's throat today, but we may eat at the same table the next day. We fight for peace, so it is preferable to solve a conflict without bloodshed."
"Are you just going to ignore the fact that they almost killed us, Kakashi-sensei?" Kiba asked, nonplussed.
"What matters is that you live," I chimed in as I enjoyed my food. "If you look at it from the other way, we are trying to kill them. A great friendship doesn't always have an amiable start. Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama butchered each other's families before they became friends. The friendship eventually fell off, but it gave birth to Konoha during its peak."
Pointing the potato on my fork at Kiba, I concluded, "What I am trying to say is don't get too emotional. If you are not satisfied with how things turn out, you can fight Zabuza one-on-one and take your revenge on him."
Kiba turned to Zabuza, prompting him to grin predatorily. Kiba shivered and then cursed under his breath.
"Fuck! This is so unfair."
I thought Kiba's indignation was justified. I wouldn't want to hear that lecture if I found myself in Kiba's situation. However, he was wrong for bitching about it. It was indeed unfair, but that was your fault for being weak. If I were in his shoes, I would train harder and plot Zabuza's murder. Be strong enough and no one would complain about what you did.
When we had had our fill, we stood up and bid farewell. Tazuna and Tsunami along with Inari who had come to idolize me accompanied us to the bridge. Upon getting there, we found a lot of citizens waiting for us. They cheered the moment they spotted us. Kakashi and Kurenai barely reacted to the attention, but the Genin's reactions were quite interesting.
Kiba waved around with a wide grin, enjoying the attention. Sakura smiled politely and waved her hand whenever someone was calling her name. Sasuke and Shino decided to ignore the citizens, but I could tell they were glad that their work was appreciated. On the other hand, Hinata was on the brink of collapse. The attention was too much for her. She needed to work on her confidence.
"Eh, isn't that…?"
"Ah, right. That must be them."
"So, Naruto-sama did spare their lives."
"It's his decision, but it somehow feels wrong."
"I agree."
To expect fully positive reactions was quite impossible. Some citizens were weirded out by Zabuza and Haku's appearance. The two hadn't hurt a single citizen, but their association with Gato was not a secret. Fortunately, no one reacted extremely. Zabuza and Haku also took negative reactions in a stride.
"Naruto-san, I can't thank you enough for what you did for this country. Our country will become prosper thanks to your help." Tazuna clasped my hand with two hands while bowing respectfully.
"It was thanks to everyone, Tazuna-san. You are giving me too much credit," I returned professionally. "You also don't need to feel you haven't thanked me enough. We are Shinobi, so the payment we receive from the country is enough thanks for us."
We got a cut from the money stashed in Gato's fault. My service wasn't free. I had immediately taken the offer for payment from the country's newly established council. Kurenai didn't think I should take the offer but still received her share, albeit reluctantly. We couldn't portray ourselves as heroes. Only heroes provide their services for free.
"That money is worth nothing compared to your initiative to help us. For that, we are forever grateful to you, Naruto-san!"
"Thank you for saving our country, Naruto-san!"
The citizens bowed following Tazuna's example. I returned the bow like a proper Japanese. I might be selfish, but I was not an asshole. I treated people who respected me with respect. When everyone straightened up, I went to say goodbye to Tsunami. She blushed lightly before giving me a warm hug that looked innocent from other's perspectives.
"Don't be shy to visit, okay?"
"I won't."
She kissed my cheek before separating.
"Take care, Naruto-kun," she said with a smile.
Waving my hand, I turned around and joined my fellow Ninjas. We walked to the end of the bridge, idly listening to the conversation the citizens had about what they should name the bridge. Unfortunately, some things couldn't change. They still named the bridge The Great Naruto Bridge.
Well, more reason for me to be great.
After some time, we encountered an intersection. We stopped in our tracks and turned to the pair of silent Kirigakure Shinobi. Zabuza looked at me and Haku alternatingly. He furrowed his nonexistent eyebrows, thinking deeply to himself. A few seconds later, he turned to me and stared at me with a determined look.
"Give me Kubikiri Bōchō back," he said firmly, causing Haku to look at us in worry.
"You know the deal. You won't be alive the next time I see you if you don't fulfill the conditions on your side," I warned.
"I know."
Kakashi frowned and Kurenai was ready to attack. I raised a hand to calm the two Konoha Jōnin. Without any warning, I slammed my hand into Zabuza's stomach, eliciting a startled gasp from Haku and the Genin. Zabuza keeled over but quickly recovered. I just unsealed his Chakra. He nodded at me appreciatively as I retracted my hand.
Channeling my Chakra into the Storage Seal under my wrist, I took out Kubikiri Bōchō. Holding it in a vice grip, I planted it into the ground. When I let go of the hilt, a seal of my name was plastered on it. Zabuza frowned at that but didn't say anything.
"Go to the Land of Snow and show it to the Daimyō. She will tell you what you need to do," I instructed, gesturing at the seal.
"The Land of Snow…?" Haku tilted her head. "Are we going there, Zabuza-sama?"
"Yes. We are going to start a new page," Zabuza grunted.
When Haku turned to me, I put my hand on her head. "See you next time, Haku. Enjoy your new life."
"Eh…?"
Turning around, I urged the others to move. I didn't need to say goodbye to Haku. I would meet her when Koyuki summoned me, which wouldn't be long from now. Running at a leisurely pace, we quickly reached the Land of Fire. We kept running until most of us were tired. We took a rest for three hours before resuming the journey.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye and we eventually saw the gate of Konoha. The Genin heaved a sigh of relief at the sight. The past week had been chaotic. They had been forced to kill and put their lives on the line. I couldn't blame them for looking so relieved that they could finally return.
Greeting the Chūnin guards of the gate, we entered Konoha. We hadn't had a proper rest for the last two days and a half, but we had to report to the Hokage first. We went to the Hokage's office and recounted what happened. Sarutobi chastised us for not putting our safety ahead but sincerely praised us for what we did for the country.
He delivered it in a roundabout manner, but he was satisfied with our performance. We were awarded an A-Rank Mission on our record and a week to rest. The Genin were excited, but I didn't share their sentiment. After all, Sarutobi wouldn't stop training me during the free week he gave us.
Oh, how I miss the days I can laze around.