Chapter 81

Sakura had been quietly listening to the conversation between Yoruha and Kakashi.

As moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room despite the night, she glanced at Yoruha and Kakashi talking so casually.

The images of Yoruha's battle with Raiga Kurosuki earlier that day and how he subdued the rampaging Naruto replayed in her mind.

She couldn't believe that this godlike Yoruha could now be so calm and composed.

When she saw that massive, several-hundred-meter-long water dragon soaring through the sky, Yoruha, standing on the surface of the ocean, seemed small in stature yet immeasurably towering.

But once the battle ended, Yoruha reverted to his usual demeanor.

It was hard to reconcile how such contrasting personas could exist within the same person.

The gap between them and Yoruha felt insurmountable.

Or perhaps, it was just the gap between her and Yoruha that felt so immense.

Naruto, with the power of the tailed beast inside him, was already extraordinarily strong—though still not as powerful as Yoruha.

Sasuke was also formidable. Among their team, she was clearly the weakest.

"Maybe I should really listen to Yoruha and learn medical ninjutsu. I'm not good at combat, but I can at least become a medical ninja."

At that moment, Sakura's determination to become a medical ninja solidified.

Elsewhere, deep within a forest in the Land of Waves, Zabuza and Haku, who had retreated from the bridge, felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

Recalling Yoruha's techniques, Zabuza muttered with a lingering sense of dread, "What kind of monster is that kid? To unleash such a terrifying Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"

"It was on a much larger scale than when we first fought. It's only been about ten days—how could his strength increase so much in such a short time?"

Zabuza couldn't understand how Yoruha's power had grown so rapidly.

After all, Yoruha was just a Genin.

"If we hadn't retreated in time, we'd have been killed by him for sure," Zabuza said, his voice trembling slightly.

When he fought Yoruha previously, Zabuza thought the boy was only at the level of an average Jonin.

But today, Yoruha's displayed strength far surpassed his own.

In fact, Zabuza felt as if he were facing a Mizukage.

Especially that Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu—its scale and power surpassed even that of the Mizukage.

No Mizukage could summon a water dragon over 300 meters long.

What terrified Zabuza most was how the water dragon didn't dissipate for a long time, behaving almost as though it were alive.

That was the truly horrifying part.

Just recalling the overwhelming, tsunami-like waves when Yoruha commanded the water dragon made Zabuza shudder. He couldn't imagine surviving an attack like that.

For the first time in his life, Zabuza felt fear toward another person.

Yoruha was undoubtedly capable of killing him with ease.

And he was just a Genin. It was utterly terrifying.

"Konohagakure is too frightening. Not only do they have that blond brat, who's likely a Jinchuriki of a tailed beast..."

"But they also have that kid who can subdue a rampaging Jinchuriki with just one jutsu."

"And he even killed Raiga Kurosuki. That's terrifying."

"With him around, how can we possibly kill the old man building the bridge? This mission is impossible to complete."

Though Zabuza hated to admit it, he knew deep down that this mission was a lost cause.

As long as Yoruha was there, attempting to complete the mission would be tantamount to walking into their own deaths.

Standing silently nearby, Haku didn't interrupt.

Haku remained silent.

Although Yoruha's overwhelming strength had left him shocked, he was even more curious about why Yoruha had intervened when Naruto tried to kill him.

Logically speaking, he was Yoruha's enemy. Even though Naruto had lost control, his target was Zabuza, so Yoruha had no reason to shield him.

However, Haku didn't mention this to Zabuza.

Unable to figure it out, he decided to stop dwelling on it.

In his heart, though, he silently marked this as a great favor. No matter what Yoruha's reasoning was, the fact remained that Yoruha had saved his life.

If Yoruha hadn't stepped in to block Naruto, he would have been dead for sure.

At that time, his entire body had been immobilized by the Nine-Tails' chakra, leaving him completely unable to move.

Moreover, the berserk Naruto's attacks were so fast that evasion was impossible.

After a long silence, Zabuza finally looked at Haku and asked, "That kid didn't attack you?"

Zabuza snapped back to the moment. Back then, Haku had been engaged with Naruto's team.

How had Haku managed to return unharmed?

Haku thought for a moment and replied, "Not long after the blond boy lost control, that person appeared."

"I took the opportunity while they were fighting to retreat."

Zabuza didn't press further.

After all, he himself had fled in much the same way.

Yoruha's strength was simply too terrifying.

Even though Gato had paid handsomely, this mission was utterly impossible to complete—it was practically a suicide mission.

As a rogue ninja, Zabuza wasn't bound by any loyalty to Gato's contract.

"This mission is over. Let's leave this place," Zabuza said decisively.

Haku nodded.

Wherever Zabuza went, he would follow.

But in his heart, Haku would always remember Yoruha.

Yoruha was the first person to willingly shield him from danger.

Years ago, when Zabuza saved him, it was with the intent of turning him into a tool.

But Yoruha had saved him without asking for anything in return. It was a purely selfless act.

This left a deep impression on Haku, whose inherently kind nature made him view Yoruha in a positive light.

The feeling was entirely different from when Zabuza had saved him.

If Zabuza weren't in the picture, Haku might have followed Yoruha with the same devotion that Kimimaro showed to Orochimaru.

Of course, that was impossible.

Yoruha had only shielded him from Naruto because he understood Haku's character and didn't want Naruto to recklessly kill someone.

As the two were packing their things and preparing to leave, the door was suddenly kicked open again.

"Zabuza, why have you failed again?"

"The bridge is only a few days away from completion, and you can't even kill one old man! What have you been doing?"

This time, Gato arrived with dozens of samurai.

He had been too scared by Zabuza the last time.

However, Gato's knowledge of ninjas was limited.

While samurai could include many skilled fighters, the ones Gato had hired were clearly wandering ronin with little ability.

These drifters were no match for ninja, let alone someone of Zabuza's caliber.

Still, Gato felt confident that with dozens of samurai to back him, he could suppress Zabuza.

But Zabuza only glanced at the samurai, and those who had been clustered near him immediately began trembling with fear, scattering in all directions.

Only two samurai remained, their bodies shaking but their teeth clenched as they stood their ground.

These two were the bodyguards Gato had hired at great expense, and they had a shred of professional integrity.

Yet their trembling legs betrayed their uselessness in the face of Zabuza.

Zabuza, already seething with frustration, now had a convenient target for his anger.

Gripping the Executioner's Blade, he began walking toward Gato.

A murderous aura emanated from him, chilling the air.

This killing intent might not faze someone like Yoruha or Kakashi, but for an ordinary man like Gato, it was utterly overwhelming.

Zabuza had barely taken a few steps before Gato was crushed by the sheer weight of his presence, dropping to his knees.

Trembling all over, his gaze was vacant and lifeless.

For the first time, Gato felt the true terror of a Jonin.

"This mission is done. Find someone else to do your dirty work," Zabuza said coldly, towering over Gato.

"But let me give you some advice: don't go against Kakashi and his team again. With your resources, there's no way you can hire anyone capable of defeating them."

"Even if you managed to hire a few elite Jonin, they still wouldn't stand a chance against them."

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