The air in the Land of Waves felt different after Gato's fall.
Not because it had changed physically, but because its weight was gone, as if the island itself had finally freed itself from a nightmare that had pressed on its chest for years.
This mission had finally come to an end.
Not with a final strike in battle, but with the collapse of the man who had controlled everything from the shadows.
With the death of the corrupt businessman Gato, his gang fell apart like a body without a head. His followers fled, and the Land of Waves was freed from fear and exploitation.
No one was forcing taxes by violence anymore.
No one was starving the people.
It was a quiet ending… but a decisive one.
Zabuza, who once stood like a demon who knew only killing, changed.
He chose not to risk Haku's life, the only person who had never betrayed him, and surrendered willingly.
This change was not sudden or dramatic.
It was slow and heavy, born from a single moment: the moment he saw Gato's betrayal clearly, without any mask.
The tool he thought he controlled had abandoned him at the first chance.
That night, Zabuza sat restrained, with Haku beside him.
There were no tight chains, no tense guards. There was no need anymore.
Kakashi stood before him, his voice calm and direct as always.
"I won't kill you."
Zabuza slowly raised his head and gave a short, tired smile.
"I knew you would say that."
"But that doesn't mean freedom," Kakashi continued.
"You will remain under temporary detention until we decide what happens next."
Haku bowed immediately.
"We accept any judgment."
Zabuza closed his eyes for a few seconds, then spoke in a low voice.
"If I must place my trust in someone… then let it be you, Copy Ninja."
And so, it was decided that both teams would stay in the Land of Waves for a short time.
Everyone was exhausted, physically and mentally, and returning immediately to the Hidden Leaf was not a wise choice.
Two days of rest.
Real sleep.
Silence without the intent to kill.
During those two days, something unexpected happened.
Because of Louis's performance in this mission, and because of the decisive kill that ended everything in two seconds, he was given the right to make the final decision about Zabuza and Haku's fate.
Kakashi wanted to see where this would lead.
When Louis was informed, he said nothing.
He only gave a faint, mysterious smile, as if he had not been waiting for this right… because he had already made his decision from the beginning.
*** ***
Two days later, away from everyone's eyes, Zabuza and Haku sat alone.
The night was quiet, and the sea whispered in the background.
Haku broke the silence first, his voice hesitant for once.
"Master Zabuza…"
He paused, then continued more softly.
"The price you paid for this freedom… was it really worth it?"
Zabuza did not answer immediately.
He looked at the sky, at the distant clouds, then said:
"True freedom hasn't come yet."
He turned to Haku and looked at him directly.
"But what we gained… is a chance."
"A chance?" Haku asked.
"A new beginning," Zabuza said, without sarcasm or cruelty.
"As for what I paid, I will reclaim it one day."
Haku lowered his head, a clear and pure smile on his lips, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted from his chest.
*** ***
On the same day, the teams began their journey back to the Hidden Leaf Village.
The road was quiet, but the atmosphere was not completely calm.
Louis walked at the front, holding the Executioner's Blade.
He tested its weight, its balance, its movement through the air, as if getting to know a new beast.
Naruto stared at him, teeth clenched.
"Huh?! A legendary sword?! And you just took it like that?!"
Louis turned the blade, then returned it to its resting position.
"I didn't take it for free."
He smiled.
"I earned it with my strength."
Naruto froze for a moment, then shouted again.
"I'll become stronger than you! You'll see! I'll defeat you one day!"
Louis looked at him calmly and said:
"If you don't, I'll be disappointed."
A short silence followed, before Naruto burned with even more determination.
"Just wait for me!"
Behind them, Sasuke watched in silence.
His face looked indifferent, but inside, it was different.
There was a gap.
A clear gap between him and Louis.
And without saying it out loud, he knew he would put himself through harsh training once they returned.
Sakura looked at Louis with quiet pride.
A look that said without words: this is the man I chose.
As for Kakashi…
He watched from behind his mask, his single eye calm, but his memory was not.
He remembered the moment Gato was killed.
He remembered how Louis moved.
He remembered how even his Sharingan could not follow that movement.
And he remembered the Hokage's warning.
Do not get too involved with the Uchiha twins.
They seemed to carry a silent resentment toward the village because of the massacre of their clan.
Kakashi closed his eye and let out a slow breath.
He decided to ignore the matter for now.
Because some answers…
If revealed too early, could ignite a fire that cannot be put out.
*** ***
Time passed slowly and heavily, as if the days themselves felt the weight of what was coming. With every new sunrise, the Hidden Leaf Village moved one step closer to this year's Chunin Exams. This was not just an official test, but a true turning point—the stage that separates ordinary ninja from those recognized as fighters capable of bearing leadership and killing alike.
During this period, no one stayed idle.
Everyone trained hard, each in their own way and for their own reasons, trying to strengthen themselves before the exams began.
As for Louis…
he lived at a different rhythm.
After more than six full months of continuous training, Louis had fully stabilized the Sharingan he had already awakened before. It was still limited to a single tomoe, but it was no longer a tool he activated only in emergencies, nor a power that drained him too quickly. It had become a natural part of his combat awareness, clear vision, faster processing, and the ability to fight without the dangerous exhaustion that once followed its use.
But this was not the true growth he had worked toward all those months.
The most important achievement was something else entirely.
Louis had finally mastered the Rasengan.
It was a technique that required perfect chakra control, balance between rotation and density, and absolute focus with no room for error. His method was not perfect, and it had not reached legendary levels, but it was stable and reliable in real combat, and that alone was a great achievement.
Even so, Louis did not allow himself to be impressed.
He knew that no matter how powerful the Rasengan was, it was still just a tool.
And tools were meaningless if the one using them was not ready to pay the price.
In taijutsu, the real leap happened.
Under extreme physical pressure and calculated risk, Louis managed to reach the Fifth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates technique. It gave him tremendous power and terrifying speed, but it was a double-edged sword. To avoid drawing attention to how he learned such a forbidden technique, he chose to merge this power with his own special skill...
Step Between Breaths.
A technique that hides the violent physical explosion inside smooth movement, making what looks like natural speed conceal the opening of a deadly inner gate.
As part of his preparation, Louis also tested his chakra nature.
The result was clear: Fire Release.
This was not surprising.
Fire was the symbol of the Uchiha, their legacy flowing through the blood. And since Louis had only average talent in ninjutsu, nothing unexpected appeared. No sudden genius, no rare mutation, just a solid foundation that could be built upon over time.
Kurenai was a capable teacher, but her true specialty was genjutsu rather than direct combat. Louis knew that what he needed now was different.
So he chose to ask help from only one person.
Kakashi.
Louis wanted to test his limits against the enhanced vision of the Sharingan, to see how long his speed and movement could survive against an eye that sees even before motion begins. He went even further, and tried using teleportation to surprise Kakashi.
For a moment, Louis's movement looked like true teleportation, even to Kakashi.
But...
Kakashi blocked it.
Without much difficulty.
After the attempt, Louis pulled back and clenched his teeth as he understood the painful truth clearly:
Using teleportation against fighters with high danger awareness, without enough power to finish the strike, could backfire and cost him his life.
It was a harsh lesson…
but a valuable one.
*** ***
One quiet morning, Louis opened his eyes from light sleep.
The ceiling of his room was still and silent, but his thoughts were not.
"It's finally time."
He said it in his mind without hesitation.
Elsewhere!!
The Hidden Leaf Village began to receive new waves of ninja.
Teams of genin arrived from different villages, young faces carrying ambition, tension, and the deadly hunger that always came before the Chunin Exams.
Among the crowd was one especially striking figure.
Sharp features, a tense body, and on his forehead, a headband of the Hidden Cloud Village.
As for his shirt, it carried clear words with no ambiguity:
"The Raging Tiger."
And as they stepped into Konoha, the exam had already begun...
even before it was officially announced.