The silence that followed Louis's words was heavier than any noise before it.
But Haku completely ignored Louis, as if he had not heard him at all, and continued walking calmly toward Zabuza. His steps were light but careful, making almost no sound.
Zabuza's body was lying on the ground without moving. The Executioner's Blade lay nearby, and the mist slowly wrapped around him like a wet shroud, touching his limbs and hiding his features. Haku stopped beside him, bent slightly, and reached out his hand, as if this were nothing more than a routine task, take the body and leave, a simple end to a bloody battle.
But...
"Stop."
Kakashi's voice was calm, unnaturally calm, the calm of a man who no longer needed to raise his voice to be heard.
Haku froze in place.
Kakashi's left eye, the Sharingan, was still open. The three tomoe spun slowly, dangerously. His gaze was not focused only on Haku, but on every small detail of the scene: the needle stuck in the neck, the angle of its entry, the slight tension in the neck muscles, and even that strange silence that did not feel like the silence after real death.
Kakashi took a single step forward, one careful, measured step, then said in a steady, emotionless tone:
"If he were truly dead… you wouldn't need to hurry like this, would you?"
Haku's voice did not change when he replied. It remained soft, calm, without emotion:
"I only completed my mission."
Kurenai, who had stayed in the shadows the entire time, watching without interfering, smiled faintly, the smile of someone who had seen the hidden thread in the fabric.
She spoke in a completely normal tone, as if commenting on something ordinary:
"What a rare skill. The needle was inserted with extreme precision."
Then she added, without changing her rhythm:
"A temporary neural paralysis point, right? Breathing stops, the pulse stops… but the brain stays alive for a few minutes."
The air grew tense.
Haku slowly turned around. The white mask showed no expression, but it did not need to. The silence that lasted longer than it should have was an answer by itself.
Kakashi let out a light sigh, as if the final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.
"Advanced medical technique… rare even in the Mist Village."
Then he added in a colder voice, carrying the weight of a final conclusion:
"If you were only an executioner from a cleanup unit, you wouldn't risk entering a battlefield that hasn't settled yet."
A short, heavy silence followed, as if even the mist had stopped moving.
Then!!
The mist exploded.
It was not a real explosion, but a sudden, dense surge, a white wall that swallowed vision in an instant, twisting the air and confusing the senses.
"Be careful!" Kurenai shouted, clenching her fist.
At that moment, Zabuza's body trembled.
A small tremor… but a real one.
The mist partially split, as if the scene itself wanted to reveal the truth.
Haku immediately retreated, moving with a trained body. He stood in front of Zabuza, the black chains in his hand rising slightly, ready for anything.
"Enough…"
Zabuza's eyelids slowly opened.
He coughed, a rough cough mixed with water, then laughed.
A low, hoarse laugh, but full of life.
"Ha… haha…"
"I knew it… these ones aren't fools."
He raised his head with difficulty and looked at Kakashi through the mist, his eyes shining with bitter understanding.
"Ninja who rely only on strength… die quickly."
Haku clenched his fist without realizing it.
"Lord Zabuza…"
"Silence."
Zabuza said it without looking at him, then added in a heavier voice:
"We've been exposed."
Kakashi finally closed his Sharingan, his face returning to its usual calm, as if the entire battle had been nothing more than a mental exercise.
"Withdraw," he said in a firm tone that allowed no argument.
"This day is over."
Zabuza smiled a twisted smile, the smile of a man who lost the round… but not the war.
*** ***
Louis was kneeling on one knee, watching the situation unfold as if he were watching a live movie, its scenes changing in front of his eyes with no chance to pause or rewind. From the outside, he looked calm, composed to the point of seeming indifferent. His face was steady, his gaze fixed. But inside, a storm still raged without mercy.
His body screamed silently after what he had done moments ago. He felt an unnatural weight pulling at his limbs as if they no longer belonged to him. Every breath dragging into his chest was sharp and painful, and every beat in his head tapped like a late warning, reminding him of the truth he had tried to ignore since the moment he took that "step between breaths": he had pushed himself beyond his limits, and it had a cost.
He raised his eyes to Kakashi, who stood at a distance from Zabuza's body. The Sharingan was still open, yes, but Louis noticed something no one else did: the flow of chakra around him was no longer violent or explosive like at the height of the fight. It was controlled, restrained, careful, as if its owner was measuring every moment, every movement. In Louis's mind, the thought became clear: Kakashi had been severely drained. Using the Sharingan for so long, then the Chidori, then direct combat with Zabuza, all of that had accumulated. What he had left now was skill, not surplus power.
Louis's eyes quickly scanned the team, assessing them coldly despite his exhaustion. The old man, Tazuna, who had boasted hours ago about his courage, was now hiding behind the group, silent and hunched in fear. Naruto stood frozen in place, eyes wide as he faced the true ninja world for the first time, a world with no place for naive slogans. Sakura and Hinata were in quiet shock, their faces pale. It was impossible to predict their reactions if the balance suddenly shifted. Sasuke and Aburame Shino were eerily calm; no one could read their thoughts, but Louis knew their combat abilities were limited in this environment, especially Shino, whose power relied on controlling insects in a battlefield full of fog and unstable humidity.
Only Korinai was ready to fight if necessary. Her body was tense, eyes scanning every corner. Still, Louis knew for certain that even she, despite her experience, could not protect everyone if the scales tipped suddenly. Kakashi and Korinai's priority in that moment was not victory, but the safety of their students and getting out with as few losses as possible.
Yet Louis knew the matter was far from over. Everything so far had been just a prelude. The message he had leaked was never meant for Zabuza, it was for the man who thought himself the master of the Wave Territory, the one pulling strings behind the scenes. And indeed, just as Kakashi was about to allow Zabuza and Haku to retreat, the scene split open with the arrival of Gato, the corrupt businessman, surrounded by armed thugs. Their faces were hard, their intentions clearer than any disguise, they came determined to eliminate Zabuza, now a burden, and at the same time seize the chance to finish off Tazuna and the exhausted team.
Everyone was shocked. Tension became tangible in the air.
Gato stepped forward, his short cane striking the ground with confident rhythm, a twisted smile spreading across his face as he looked down at Zabuza lying on the ground with open contempt, as if all that had just happened were a poor performance.
"Pathetic…" he said in a hoarse voice full of mockery. "The demon who terrorized the Hidden Mist… ends up lying in the mud."
Zabuza slowly raised his head, eyes half-open, but their glint had not faded. It was sharp, like a blade. "Gato…" he said slowly. "I knew you would appear in the end. Rats only come out after they think the hunter has finished his work."
Gato let out a short, humorless laugh and waved his hand carelessly. "No need for all that. Your mission is over, and you… are no longer profitable." He leaned forward slightly, adding coldly, "In fact, you've become a burden… why pay for a broken tool?"
At that moment, Haku stepped forward, his body moving before his mind could catch up, the black chains trembling in his hands. His voice came tight, unlike usual:
"Lord Zabuza is not a tool."
Gato stopped, looking at him as if he were nothing important. "Ah? And who are you? Another servant?" Then he smiled a filthy smile. "No matter. You'll be buried with him."
Haku clenched his teeth, chest rising and falling quickly. Behind his white mask, his eyes burned, not just with anger, but pure betrayal, betrayal that could not be undone. His voice slipped out low, but trembling:
"He risked his life for you…"
Gato chuckled, "And that's his mistake."
Zabuza suddenly laughed, a short, harsh laugh that cut the air like shattered glass. "Haku…" he said without looking at him, "Now you understand, don't you?" He then lifted his gaze to Gato, a twisted smile forming on his tired face. "The difference between you and me, Gato… is that I know I am a monster. But you… you think you are human."
Haku's body tensed. His fists clenched so hard the chains shivered. At that exact moment, Louis realized this scene had reached its logical end, and any further delay would only lead to an unnecessary massacre.
Louis gripped his kunai in his hand. With one thought in mind, he used his teleportation skill, vanishing from his spot and appearing directly in front of Gato, who stood with overconfidence at the front of his men, with no real protection. A single mistake cost Gato his life. In a swift motion, Louis slit Gato's neck with the kunai without hesitation, then used teleportation a second time to return to his original spot before anyone could react.
Two seconds! That was all it took for Louis to move, kill Gato, and return, leaving everyone in shock and confusion. Frozen eyes, held breaths, unanswered questions.
But there was no time for questions. Everyone prepared to confront the remaining thugs. Yet these men, motivated by profit alone, did not even think to avenge their master. They had seen death move and vanish before them. Fear of Louis and the other ninjas overcame them. With their source of income gone, they had no reason to sacrifice themselves. Their cohesion broke, and they fled, leaving a silent battlefield behind, filled with the smell of an unexpected ending.