Chapter 234: Meaning of Existence...

[I am—]

Momochi Zabuza felt a bit lost as he sank into the warmth, while countless memories from the past came rushing back.

Happy ones, sad ones, angry ones, and those filled with disappointment.

Memories he thought he had long forgotten appeared clearly in his mind one by one.

He still remembered every single comrade he had killed, remembered the lofty ambition he held when everyone fled the village because of tyranny—how he planned to assassinate the Kage and change everything. He remembered the desolate feeling when he led his men out of the Land of Water, and he remembered so many events, so many emotions, and so many faces brimming with hope.

It turned out that he simply hadn't dared to forget them.

[How is the village now? Is it still under Yagura's control? And how is everyone living there?]

Crack. The clay figure broke, and sunlight poured into the darkness.

Zabuza was still immersed in the strange emotions of living a second life. He had nothing more to do with the village; nothing in the past seemed to have changed. All those things he once couldn't bear to forget—everything he gave and sacrificed in his previous life—what was it worth?

And what meaning did it have?

He, the "Demon of the Hidden Mist," Momochi Zabuza, felt a moment of confusion about who "I" really am.

All the clay shell fell away, turning into dust and drifting off. Bathed in the warm sunlight, he raised his head to look at the blue sky. For a moment, the man who had long hidden his true appearance seemed lost.

"Lord Zabuza."

A happy voice from Haku rang by his ear.

Turning around, Zabuza saw the same dirt-smudged kid from his memories standing behind him. Only now Haku seemed so bright, so gentle, holding a stack of clothes and smiling radiantly.

[So that's it. There is still some meaning to it all.] Zabuza closed his eyes, forcing back tears.

He, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza, had found the meaning of his past life in the orphan he had taken in on a whim.

He had saved a child.

"Thank you," he said in a low voice as he opened his eyes and took the clothes, quickly putting them on.

"Huh?"

Haku tilted his head innocently at the unexpected thanks. Watching the usually stern-faced Lord Zabuza walk over to another kid, Haku blinked in surprise, keenly aware that the once perpetually gloomy Zabuza now seemed to be in better spirits.

"Well—"

A big smile spread across Haku's face. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but as long as he could stay by Lord Zabuza's side, that was enough.

[Another awkward kid.]

Senju Tobirama retracted his gaze and muttered inwardly. Why were all the kids these days so reluctant to speak their minds?

If you hate someone, just say it. If you like someone, don't keep it bottled inside.

Like him, for instance—he openly despised the Uchiha, never bothered to hide it. As for the people he liked… well, there was that brother of his…

Zabuza walked up to Link, dropped to one knee without hesitation, and said, "I will devote myself to you, as promised." His expression brimmed with resolve.

The "Demon of the Hidden Mist" had lived a life of failure; there was no harm in discarding it. In order to protect the one meaningful thing in his existence, he was ready to pledge his true loyalty.

"There's no need to go that far," Link said with a smile, signaling the shadow to lift up the disoriented kid who had lost his powers. "Even if you've been reborn, you don't have to abandon the past."

"As your boss, I'm quite tolerant. I have no intention of taking away your bonds or the ideals you once chased."

"Ninja are tools, but my subordinates will never be ninja, much less mere tools."

Zabuza froze in place.

Haku stood behind him, suddenly anxious. What did that mean—did it mean Lord Zabuza no longer wanted him to serve as a tool?

"Oh, and if certain people insist on being something, I won't stop them either," Link added, almost forgetting there was a weirdo behind him who was all too willing to be someone else's tool.

Relieved, Haku stood quietly in the back. Experiencing "life" again felt so new and amazing.

Pop—

Utakata seemed to be in a great mood, blowing bubbles happily, unable to hide the grin on his face.

Link, feeling his chakra mostly restored thanks to the soldier pill, glanced over at Senju Tobirama, who had already put away his notebook. "It's about time we head back."

He'd resurrected nearly everyone he intended to—except for Baki. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to bring his parents back. He was still wary of forming bonds too deep, ones that might affect his grand plans.

For now, he'd return to base and meet up with Sasuke and the others, then relocate the little Uchiha daycare to Konoha.

Unfortunately, most of them had the bodies of three- or four-year-olds, so they couldn't enroll in the Ninja Academy yet.

Senju Tobirama sighed. He spread his arms so that the shadow could carry him. To be honest, at first he felt humiliated or annoyed by it, but now he had to admit it was really convenient. After all, the shadow holding him wasn't a living being—it was just a ninjutsu construct. It traveled fast and didn't cost him any extra energy.

[Maybe I should prepare a seat like Link's as well?] he mused. All of a sudden, he became alert to a gaze from his side.

Hina, the cat, was curled up in another shadow's arms, secretly eyeing him.

[That cat… it looks like it's put on weight again,] Tobirama judged silently. Compared to half a month ago, the ninja cat had gained at least half a pound. Its little belly was starting to show.

Hina shifted around uneasily, feeling as if someone was talking badly about it behind its back.

Zabuza's expression grew strange again as he was picked up. He wanted to struggle, but he had the body of a child now, leaving him no strength to resist. Face a bit red, he turned away and watched the scenery whipping by at high speed.

Haku let out a small snicker. Life was just so interesting; he never thought he'd get to see the fierce and wild Lord Zabuza making such an embarrassed face.

Utakata kept up easily at their side, reveling in his control over the Six-Tails' chakra. Lately his physical abilities had been undergoing a second round of growth.

According to Tobirama's research, his condition was somewhat similar to the Uchiha when they awakened the Sharingan—

That clan possessed a certain "dark obsession," and after awakening the Sharingan, they could synchronize with the power of their hearts and rapidly grow stronger.

The Six-Tails inside Utakata had fallen into slumber, and Utakata was simply controlling its body to generate chakra. During that process, his own mental energy mixed in, not unlike forming senjutsu chakra. Resonating with that energy was causing his body to evolve more and more into a human-shaped Tailed Beast.

It was different from Kisame, who was basically a "tailless Tailed Beast" famous for his vast chakra reserves; Utakata was literally evolving physically toward the state of a beast.

If Tobirama hadn't been busy perfecting the Edo Tensei ritual and incantations, he would have already begun researching Utakata's peculiar transformation in detail.

After all, the history of Jinchūriki wasn't very long. Everyone was still exploring. It looked like Utakata's condition might be even closer to "perfect."

The only cost was the Six-Tails' deep slumber, but since Tobirama didn't mind human experimentation, he certainly wasn't worried about experiments on a Tailed Beast.

~~~

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