"Kakashi-sensei, the old man is quite pitiful. Why don't we help him?"
Having finalized the plan with Black Zetsu in his mind, Naruto spoke up at the opportune moment.
"Naruto, it's not that I don't want to help Mr. Tazuna, but we have another mission, as you should know."
Kakashi Hatake glanced at Naruto Uzumaki with some surprise.
In Team 7, only he and Naruto knew the real mission.
Sasuke Uchiha assumed they were escorting Tazuna.
Sakura Haruno might have some guesses, but she wasn't sure.
"Kakashi-sensei, Naruto is right. Since the old man still has unresolved issues, we can't just leave like this."
Uchiha Sasuke stepped forward and spoke.
"Alright then!" Kakashi nodded helplessly. "You and Sakura can stay at Tazuna's house for now. Naruto and I will go take care of other things."
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Kakashi had no choice but to split the team in two.
Sasuke Uchiha is a genius ninja second only to Naruto Uzumaki, so dealing with Gato's people shouldn't be a problem.
However, taking Sakura Haruno to find the Scroll of Seals would make it difficult to guarantee her safety.
Letting her and Sasuke stay here is not a bad idea.
"This... leaving only the two of them, isn't that a bit hasty?" Tazuna said with some concern.
Because of the calm and uneventful journey, Uchiha Sasuke had no chance to show his skills.
This led Tazuna to look down on the three kids.
His idea was to leave Kakashi here, and as for the other matters of Konoha, wouldn't it be better to leave them to these three kids?
"Mr. Tazuna, Sasuke is an excellent ninja, so please don't underestimate him," Kakashi said.
After speaking, he didn't give Tazuna a chance to stop him and left with Naruto.
...
On the other side.
Zabuza Momochi had tested the Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu with the hand seals, and now he had no more doubts about Sage Mode.
Therefore, he entrusted all external affairs to Haku.
He himself held the Scroll of Seals and signed a so-called contract with Black Zetsu, which was the 'Tongue Curse Seal'.
Black Zetsu was very generous to him. After planting the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal in him, he completely opened the Scroll of Seals, allowing him to cultivate to his heart's content.
As for how much he can actually learn, that depends on his own destiny.
"Haku, quickly call Zabuza out."
"That Tazuna has already brought Konoha's ninjas to the Land of Waves. When are you going to make your move?"
"I hired you here not to be idle. If you don't do anything, you can get lost. I, Gato, may not be short of money, but I won't keep trash like you."
Gato's anger was palpable.
As early as when Tazuna and his group first entered the Land of Waves, he ordered the White Belt to assassinate them.
However, Haku repeatedly refused Gato's request, citing Zabuza's seclusion for training.
They also claimed that all action could only be taken once Lord Zabuza emerged from seclusion.
"Mr. Gato, I know you're in a hurry, but please don't rush."
"According to my information, the person escorting Tazuna this time is Konoha's Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. With my abilities, I am no match for him."
"Only Lord Zabuza can fight him. If we act rashly now, we will only alert him. We must wait for Lord Zabuza to come out before we can deal with him."
He said this, but in reality, it was only because he detested war and killing from the bottom of his heart.
He was a kind person, and even as Zabuza's tool, he rarely killed his enemies.
That's why he kept delaying the assassination of Tazuna.
"If Zabuza dies in there, does that mean the money I paid you was wasted?"
Hearing Haku's words, Gato became even angrier, pointing his finger at Haku and roaring.
Whoosh!
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a chill on his arm, followed by excruciating pain.
Upon closer inspection, he saw two senbon needles made of solidified ice stuck in his arm.
"Please retract your disrespectful remarks about Lord Zabuza."
For Haku, he doesn't care about himself, but he absolutely won't allow anyone to say anything bad about Zabuza.
"You…when Zabuza comes out, I will have a good talk with him about how you threatened me with force."
Gato, of course, couldn't apologize, but he also didn't dare to force Haku to take action anymore. He could only leave after uttering a harsh remark.
"Haku, is this okay?"
"After all, we took his money, so it would be unreasonable not to do the job."
The two Chunin following behind Haku asked with some concern.
Haku is Zabuza's confidant, so even if he offends Gato, he doesn't need to fear being punished.
But the two of them were different; they were neither valued for nothing nor did they possess great strength.
If Gato were to really accuse them of wrongdoing, Zabuza would very likely kill them with a single stroke.
"Don't worry!" Haku reassured the two. "If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."
Hearing this, the two felt somewhat relieved.
Just as they turned to leave, a huge wind blade, resembling a sickle weasel, suddenly hurtled towards them.
"Fūton: Shinkūha!"
The sudden attack caught the two off guard.
One of them was unable to dodge in time and was directly cut in two by the wind blade.
"Kakashi-sensei, this is it. The Scroll of Seals must be nearby."
After taking down one of them, Naruto Uzumaki descended from the sky and spoke.
Kakashi Hatake: "..."
His original plan was to sneak in quietly, find out the other party's background, and then gradually take action.
Who would have thought that Naruto Uzumaki would be so reckless, taking down one of the opponents right away?
Now, there is no possibility of negotiation between the two sides; taking back the Scroll of Seals by force is the only chance.
"There's no other way!"
Left with no other choice, Kakashi revealed himself, and with a flick of his kunai, he slit the throat of another Chunin.
At the same time, he noticed that the two men were wearing headbands from Kirigakure, and there were no marks from rogue ninjas.
"Kirigakure?"
"Danzō actually has a partnership with Kirigakure?"
Before setting off, Kakashi learned from Hiruzen Sarutobi that Mizuki was Danzō's man.
Now that the Scroll of Seals, which Mizuki stole, has appeared here, it means that there must be some unspeakable secret between Danzō and Kirigakure.
"You are... Konoha ninja?"
When Haku saw the headbands and masks worn by Kakashi and the other person, his expression became extremely solemn.
"Is Mizuki here with you?" Kakashi looked at Haku. "I don't want to say anything more. If you don't want to start a war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, hand over the person and the things."
Even though I know it's impossible, I still have to say what needs to be said.
"I'm sorry, I can't give you the things or the people."
Haku gently shook his head, already understanding the situation.
Even at the cost of his own life, he would help Lord Zabuza defeat the powerful enemy.
...
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