Chapter 46: The Hunter-Nin

On the Water

Kakashi and Zabuza stood facing each other.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, well done," Kakashi said to the three of them, his gaze still fixed on Zabuza.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright?" Naruto asked. He'd seen Zabuza about to attack Kakashi-sensei and had quickly thrown a kunai, but it seemed Kakashi-sensei had broken free on his own.

"Zabuza, it's time to end this," Kakashi declared.

"I agree. I'll deal with you first, then I'll kill those meddling brats," Zabuza replied, abandoning his Kubikiribocho. He began forming hand seals, preparing to finish Kakashi off with ninjutsu.

Kakashi's Sharingan spun, mirroring Zabuza's hand seals.

"What?!" "What?!" "Damn it, stop copying me!" "Damn it, stop copying me!"

Zabuza realized that no matter what he said, Kakashi could keep up perfectly, not a bit slower than him. Fear began to creep into his heart. In reality, Kakashi was playing a psychological game, using the Sharingan's predictive abilities to say the same words as Zabuza.

Seeing Kakashi and Zabuza preparing to unleash ninjutsu, Sakura quickly called Naruto and Sasuke to her side. She used Earth Release to create a wall, and they hid behind it. The real Zabuza was beyond their ability to handle at this point.

On the water, Kakashi and Zabuza simultaneously finished their hand seals. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Two massive water dragons rose from the surface, colliding with each other. But Kakashi's water dragon was clearly much stronger. Zabuza had been maintaining the Water Prison Jutsu and had split off four Water Clones to attack Team Seven. Kakashi, although trapped in the Water Prison, had been quietly recovering his chakra.

Zabuza's water dragon was overwhelmed and dispersed by Kakashi's, which continued towards Zabuza with undiminished force. A torrent of water swept across the area.

Sakura, witnessing the terrifying power of the jutsu, quickly reinforced the Earth-Style Wall. Because the attack wasn't directly aimed at them, the three genin weren't significantly impacted.

After the deluge subsided, the mist that had filled the air began to dissipate. Zabuza was slumped against a large tree. Kakashi approached, kunai in hand, ready to finish him off.

Zabuza struggled to his feet to resist, but two silver streaks flashed through the air, piercing his neck. Zabuza's eyes widened, and he collapsed, lifeless.

Sakura and the others ran over, seeing the two senbon embedded in Zabuza's neck, his life extinguished.

"Hn..." Kakashi looked up and saw a young boy standing on a tree branch, wearing a mask with the Kirigakure symbol. Sakura and the others also noticed him and looked up.

"Thank you very much for defeating Zabuza. I've been searching for a chance to kill him for good," the boy said to the group below.

"This is..." Kakashi, seeing the mask, realized something. "That mask... You're from Kirigakure's hunter-nin squad, aren't you?"

"That's right. Impressive. You even know that," the boy on the tree complimented.

"Hunter-nin squad? What's that, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"Don't worry, he's not an enemy," Kakashi said, taking a breath.

"Hunter-nin, also known as corpse disposal squads, are tasked with protecting village secrets contained within a ninja's body. If another village were to obtain a ninja's corpse, they could deduce the ninja's jutsu, the medicines they used, and other vital information. A ninja's corpse can leak many important secrets. To prevent this, hunter-nin are tasked with eliminating rogue ninja and completely destroying their bodies," Sakura explained to Naruto, looking up at the boy.

Naruto and Sasuke probably wouldn't know about this. The Ninja Academy wouldn't teach these things; they were classified village operations. Sakura knew because of her master, Tsunade. Learning medical ninjutsu inevitably involved coordinating with these special units in certain situations.

Tsunade was truly a wonderful teacher. Even when it came to classified village matters, as long as it involved medical knowledge, she would explain it to Sakura. Sakura had learned many things that weren't taught at the Ninja Academy.

Kakashi glanced sideways at Sakura. Tsunade-sama must have told her, he thought.

The masked boy used a Body Flicker to appear in front of the group. He lifted Zabuza's arm and said, "Well then, goodbye, everyone," preparing to use the Body Flicker to leave.

Seeing the boy about to form hand seals to leave with Zabuza, Sakura instantly fired a water bullet at him.

The boy hadn't expected the pink-haired girl to suddenly attack. He abandoned Zabuza and quickly dodged.

"Konoha ninja, what do you think you're doing? Do you want to start a war with Kirigakure?" the boy asked, slightly panicked.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing?" Naruto exclaimed, seeing Sakura's sudden attack. Although he didn't understand why, he still drew his kunai and assumed a defensive stance.

Sasuke, too, instantly prepared to attack.

"Sakura, he's not an enemy," Kakashi said. He also felt something was amiss, but his Sharingan had drained him, leaving him in a state no better than Zabuza's.

Sakura's emotions were complex. She knew the boy was Haku. Even if her memories were hazy, the knowledge Tsunade had imparted to her allowed her to see inconsistencies.

Her memories were distant, and she only vaguely remembered him as a boy with an Ice Release kekkei genkai; the specifics of his fighting style were blurry. This was the perfect opportunity to kill Zabuza. If she missed this chance, Zabuza wouldn't be so easy to deal with next time.

Although she couldn't remember the details of how the original Team Seven defeated Zabuza, the original Sakura wouldn't have known her current ninjutsu. Because of her presence, every small change could alter the final outcome.

Next time, Zabuza wouldn't be so careless. He would undoubtedly prepare thoroughly to deal with them, leading to a different outcome.

Sakura wanted to take advantage of Zabuza's weakened state to kill him permanently. But Kakashi was likely in a similar state due to his Sharingan.

To kill Zabuza, she would have to deal with Haku. This boy wouldn't be easy to defeat. But with Naruto, Sasuke, and a different Sakura than the original, they should have a chance.

"You're not from Kirigakure," Sakura stated. "Sasuke, prepare to fight. Naruto, use Shadow Clones to get Kakashi-sensei to Dazuna."

"Alright, Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto complied without hesitation. Although Sakura's earlier instruction to kill Dazuna if things went wrong had left a slight unease in his heart, Naruto trusted that Sakura wouldn't make decisions without good reason.

"So you saw through me?" Haku said, hearing Sakura's instructions to her teammates. He knew he couldn't deceive them any longer. But the priority was to take Zabuza-san and leave; he couldn't afford a direct confrontation.