Zabuza Momochi had killed countless men in his life, but few things angered him more than arrogance — and yet, when it came from a merchant, it was almost funny.
Kado, trembling on the ground, realized only too late what kind of monster he had provoked.
The executioner's massive blade gleamed inches from his neck, cold and hungry for blood.
"You—you misunderstand, Zabuza-sama," Kado stammered, sweating.
"I wasn't talking about you—spare me! Please!"
Zabuza's eyes narrowed.
He pressed the dull side of the blade against Kado's throat, just hard enough to make him gasp.
"Half of the money," Zabuza said flatly.
"Now. Or I'll take it from your corpse."
The merchant's face drained of color.
He nodded furiously, his forehead slamming against the floor as he groveled.
"Yes! Yes! I'll pay—just don't kill me!"
The two so-called "bodyguards" standing beside him barely dared to breathe.
Before they could even draw their swords, Haku's hand flashed — gripping their wrists in an instant.
"Don't move," Haku said softly, voice calm yet sharper than any blade.
The two ronin froze.
They weren't fools — they knew when death was standing behind them.
Moments later, Zabuza lowered his blade.
"Good. Remember this mercy, Kado — next time, I won't bother talking."
He turned, his tattered cloak fluttering as he and Haku disappeared into the mist.
Only then did Kado collapse onto the ground, trembling violently, muttering curses between gasps.
"Damn it… what a loss… I should've hired someone else!"
But deep down, even he knew — no amount of money could buy a shinobi who could face that boy.
No one would take this mission now.
And so, the construction of the Great Bridge continued, uninterrupted.
Under Team Kakashi's protection, not even Kado's greed could stop it anymore.
The tides of the Land of Waves had turned.
A few days later.
Arata's world had shrunk to one thing — learning the sealing arts.
Days passed with him and Kakashi sitting among the trees, surrounded by scrolls, formulas, and countless scribbled notes.
It wasn't easy.
If ninjutsu was art, sealing jutsu was mathematics — precise, intricate, and punishingly complex.
For days, Kakashi drilled him on theory alone.
They hadn't even started practical application yet.
Finally, after nearly a week, Kakashi decided it was time.
The first technique he chose was none other than one of the most legendary sealing arts ever created.
"Today," Kakashi said, eyes gleaming beneath his headband, "you'll learn the Four Symbols Seal."
It was the very foundation upon which the Fourth Hokage had later built the Eight Trigrams Seal used on Naruto.
A technique born from the Uzumaki Clan — their proud, terrifying legacy.
Unlike the simpler Sealing Formula: Evil Sealing Method, this wasn't meant to contain curses or chakra signatures.
The Four Symbols Seal could hold a tailed beast.
And only a handful of shinobi in Konoha's entire history had ever mastered it.
Kakashi explained for over an hour, tracing complex symbols into the dirt as he spoke.
Each line, each curve represented a layer of chakra flow — a precise balance between containment and harmony.
When he finally looked up, his voice carried a note of uncertainty.
"So, Arata… did you catch any of that?"
He had reason to doubt.
Even he, the Copy Ninja, had never fully grasped it.
Arata said nothing for a long time.
Then he stood up, wiping his hands on his knees.
"I think… I understand enough to try."
Kakashi blinked.
"Wait — try? Already?"
But Arata was already weaving hand signs, eyes focused.
His chakra surged, forming intricate patterns of power.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
With a thunderous bang, he pressed his palm against the bark of a nearby tree.
A faint glow erupted, spreading into a beautiful, complex seal — black ink symbols intertwining like living veins.
The air rippled as chakra pulsed through it.
Then came a loud crack — "kachaa!"
A portion of the tree's trunk simply vanished, sealed away within the formula.
Arata exhaled, his hand lowering slowly.
"It worked."
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Can't believe it actually worked on the first try."
Then, his expression turned wry.
"But… damn. The chakra cost is ridiculous. That one seal took as much chakra as a full C-rank jutsu."
He shook his head, sighing.
"No wonder the Uzumaki clan were all chakra monsters. Without that kind of stamina, this technique would drain you dry."
Only now did he understand why so few dared to study sealing arts — it wasn't just complexity, but consumption.
It wasn't a technique for ordinary shinobi.
Kakashi was speechless.
"Y-you actually did it…" he murmured.
"You really did it… on your first try."
He had expected effort, failure, progress over weeks — not this.
Even Minato hadn't succeeded this quickly.
"You're unbelievable," Kakashi said finally, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Do you even realize how few people have ever performed that seal successfully?"
"You're talking about legends, Arata. The First Hokage. The Second. Uzumaki Mito. Kushina. The Fourth."
"Even the Third Hokage couldn't do it."
Arata looked genuinely surprised.
"Wait, really? The Third couldn't?"
Kakashi nodded.
"No. He used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal — a one-time forbidden technique. But not this."
He stepped forward, clapping Arata on the shoulder.
"You did what even the Professor couldn't."
Arata scratched his head.
"It's just a tree, though. Not exactly sealing a tailed beast."
Kakashi chuckled.
"That's not the point. The theory, the control, the chakra flow — you nailed them all. That's already a miracle."
He gave a faint smile.
"Looks like I won't have to worry about Naruto blowing up half the village after all."
Arata's mouth twitched.
"You really just want to dump the responsibility on me, don't you?"
Kakashi laughed softly.
"Of course not. I'm just… optimistic."
He paused, watching the glowing seal fade from the tree bark.
"You've taken your first step into a world only a handful of shinobi ever reach. Be proud of that."
Arata stared at the tree for a moment — then smiled.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "It's a start."
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