Sakura had been silent the whole time.
While Kakashi and Arata spoke quietly under the moonlight, she sat in the corner, listening.
The silvery light poured through the open window, bright enough to illuminate the room.
Arata's calm expression, his steady voice — it all felt so surreal to her.
Her mind wandered back to the scenes from earlier that day:
Arata standing on the raging sea, his small figure silhouetted against the moonlight,
and that colossal, golden lightning-infused water dragon spiraling through the sky like a living god.
At that moment, he had seemed untouchable.
Like something out of a legend.
But now… he was sitting there, talking normally with Kakashi, as though nothing had happened.
It was hard to believe that both faces — the calm boy and the god of destruction — belonged to the same person.
The gap between them was too wide.
Or rather, her gap with him was too wide.
Naruto had the Nine-Tails. Sasuke had his bloodline, his talent, his drive for vengeance.
And she… she had nothing.
Sakura clenched her fists quietly.
"Maybe Arata's right," she thought. "I should learn medical ninjutsu. I'm not a fighter — but I can still protect my team."
For the first time, her decision felt solid. She would become a healer — someone who could stand beside them, even if not on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, deep in the forests of the Land of Waves.
Zabuza and Haku moved silently through the mist, far from the bridge.
Only after putting several miles between themselves and Konoha's squad did they stop to catch their breath.
Zabuza was still shaken.
"That brat…" he muttered, gripping the handle of his massive executioner's blade.
"What kind of monster is he?"
Even recalling that moment made his heart pound.
"That Water Dragon Technique… it wasn't the same as before. It was alive."
He glanced at Haku.
"How can a kid improve that much in ten days? Ten days! What is he made of?"
Haku stayed silent, eyes lowered.
Zabuza spat to the side.
"If we hadn't escaped when we did, we'd both be corpses by now."
He didn't like admitting it, but it was the truth.
When they first fought, Zabuza had estimated Arata's strength as roughly that of an ordinary Jonin.
But now?
The power that boy had unleashed tonight made even Zabuza — a former member of the Seven Swordsmen — feel fear.
It was like facing the Mizukage himself.
No — worse.
Even the Mizukage couldn't conjure a three-hundred-meter dragon that glowed like lightning and refused to vanish.
It wasn't just jutsu — it was a force of nature.
Zabuza exhaled sharply.
"I've fought monsters before, but that boy… that was something else entirely."
For the first time in years, Zabuza Momochi — the Demon of the Hidden Mist — had truly felt terror.
"Damn it," he muttered. "Konoha's full of freaks. First the blond kid — a walking tailed beast — and now another brat who can suppress a Jinchūriki with a single jutsu."
"And that same brat killed Kurotsuchi Raiga."
He laughed bitterly.
"Tell me, Haku. How the hell are we supposed to kill an old bridge builder when monsters like that are around?"
Haku didn't answer.
Zabuza knew the truth already. Their mission was over.
Kado's money wasn't worth dying for.
"Forget the contract," Zabuza said finally. "We're leaving this country."
Haku nodded quietly.
Wherever Zabuza went, he would follow. That was the promise he had made long ago.
But inside, Haku's thoughts were elsewhere.
He couldn't stop thinking about the moment Arata had stepped between him and Naruto — protecting him from the Nine-Tails' claws.
It didn't make sense.
He was the enemy.
Arata had every reason to let him die.
Yet he hadn't.
He'd stood there — calm, firm — and saved Haku's life without hesitation.
Even now, remembering that moment filled Haku with something he couldn't quite name.
Gratitude? Admiration?
It was… warm.
Arata hadn't asked for anything in return. He hadn't even looked at Haku afterward.
He'd just saved him — because he chose to.
That simple act left a deeper scar on Haku's heart than any blade ever could.
"Maybe," he thought, "if I'd met him under different circumstances…"
But that thought vanished as soon as Zabuza spoke again.
"We're packing up and leaving. No arguments."
"Yes," Haku replied softly. "Wherever you go, I'll go."
Still, he couldn't help but glance back toward the distant glow of the sea.
Toward the direction where Arata had stood — radiant, unshakable.
He would remember that light forever.
Just as they finished gathering their things, the heavy wooden doors of their hideout slammed open.
"Zabuza!" a furious voice roared.
Kado stormed in, surrounded by dozens of armed men — wandering ronin and mercenaries, all gripping swords.
"You failed me again! The bridge is almost complete, and the old man's still alive! What am I paying you for?"
Zabuza turned slowly, his expression flat.
"You brought friends," he said, voice dripping with contempt.
Kado sneered.
"This time, I came prepared. Dozens of swordsmen — and I'm paying them well."
He clearly didn't understand what kind of man he was threatening.
Zabuza's eyes darkened.
He took one slow step forward, then another.
The ronin nearest him froze as a suffocating aura swept through the room.
Kado's confident grin faltered.
The air grew heavy — like a beast had entered the room.
Then came the killing intent.
It was so thick, so oppressive, that most of the mercenaries didn't even try to resist.
Their legs buckled. Swords clattered to the ground.
In seconds, they were gone — bolting out of the building in blind panic.
Only two men remained, trembling so violently their swords shook in their hands.
Even Kado's two paid "bodyguards" looked ready to faint.
Zabuza continued forward, the Executioner's Blade gleaming in the moonlight.
"You really have no idea what kind of world you're meddling in," he said coldly.
Kado stumbled back, his knees giving out.
His face turned pale, sweat dripping down his temple.
Zabuza stopped directly in front of him, his shadow swallowing Kado's trembling form.
"The contract's over," he said flatly.
"Find someone else to die for you."
He leaned down slightly, his voice a low growl.
"And one more thing — don't cross paths with Kakashi's squad again."
"Not him, not that golden-haired brat…" his eyes narrowed, "…and definitely not that other one."
"If you do, there won't be enough pieces of you left to bury."
Zabuza turned away, blade resting on his shoulder.
Kado was still shaking on the floor, too terrified to move.
As Zabuza and Haku disappeared into the mist, his last words echoed faintly in the night air:
"Don't ever stand against him again."
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