"I'm Naruto."
The voice wasn't Haku's.
Zabuza's hand jerked in surprise, and his shovel sent a load of wet manure splashing directly onto the carefully separated pile of dry waste.
"Zabuza, what's wrong? Do you have something on your mind?" Naruto stepped closer, pointing at the contaminated pile. "You're supposed to be separating dry from wet, not mixing them together."
"Sorry. I'll fix it right now." Zabuza hurriedly began scooping the wet manure back where it belonged, his movements stiff and mechanical.
After Zabuza had corrected his mistake, Naruto looked at him directly. "Zabuza, I came here because I have something to discuss with you. Let's become friends."
Zabuza took a deep breath. Even if you don't do some things, they still happen to you anyway. Remembering Haku's words from earlier, he nodded numbly. "Alright. I'm willing."
Ten minutes later, Zabuza lay flat on his back in the dirt, his face swollen beyond recognition, his eyes staring blankly at the sky.
"Come on, Zabuza, get up. The ground is dirty." Naruto hauled the former Mist ninja upright and helped him sit on a wooden stump near the pig enclosure. His voice was genuinely cheerful. "There! Now you're officially my friend. Work hard here, and if you ever need anything, just come find me."
Zabuza's eyes lit up despite the swelling. "Actually, Naruto, there is something I want to ask for your help with."
"Oh? What is it? Tell me." Since Zabuza had become both his friend and a dedicated employee of the farm, Naruto didn't mind helping him out if he could.
Zabuza didn't ask directly. Instead, he said, "Naruto, do you know my real identity?"
"Aren't you a Kirigakure missing-nin?" Naruto's expression showed genuine confusion. Could it be he's also the child of a Kage, like me?
"That's right, but do you know why I left Kirigakure?" Zabuza's voice grew heavy. "It's because the current Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, is systematically killing our village's ninja. He especially targets anyone with a bloodline limit. That's why I made the decision to assassinate him. When the assassination failed, I became a traitor."
His hands clenched into fists on his knees. "But I've never stopped wanting to return to Kirigakure. I want to kill that old dog Yagura and end his reign of terror."
"I see..." Naruto's voice was thoughtful. "So what are you asking me to do?"
"I want to ask for your help in overthrowing Yagura's brutal rule." Zabuza bowed his head, his tone completely serious and formal.
"But that's Kirigakure's internal affair." Naruto frowned slightly. "If I intervene rashly, it could have negative consequences for Konoha."
He didn't actually care much about Konoha's political standing. What he cared about were his friends who lived in Konoha. If those friends lost their homes because of his actions, he'd never be able to forgive himself.
"Naruto, please agree to my request." Zabuza lifted his head, his bruised face showing complete sincerity. "I can make the decision right now: you'll receive half of all the spoils from overthrowing Yagura."
"Deal." Naruto's face broke into a grin. "Just let me know when you're ready."
With his current strength, wiping out Yagura and his loyalists shouldn't pose much of a problem. With complete certainty of victory, Naruto didn't have to worry about any remnants of Yagura's forces coming back to hurt his friends.
"Eh..." Zabuza felt a moment of regret. I should have just talked about the reward without offering so much. What a waste.
"You can continue your work, Zabuza. When you're ready to move, just let me know." Naruto waved and headed off toward the waterfall to begin his training.
After Naruto disappeared from sight, Zabuza went back to shoveling manure, but his movements were lighter now, almost cheerful. Working at this farm suddenly didn't seem so bad anymore.
With Naruto's promise secured, he'd work here willingly, even happily.
During the evening meal, Zabuza couldn't contain his excitement. "Haku, you were right! I became Naruto's friend, and he immediately agreed to help us take down Yagura and reclaim Kirigakure!"
Haku nodded with a gentle smile. "Naruto-kun has always been a kind person. He's very good to his friends. He never breaks a promise."
"Though I did promise to give him half the spoils after we overthrow Yagura." Zabuza's tone carried a hint of regret at the lost wealth.
"That's only proper." Haku's voice remained calm. "Naruto-kun will be doing most of the work himself. Half the spoils is fair compensation. Besides, Naruto-kun isn't wealthy. Giving him a share will only increase his goodwill toward us."
Then Haku's expression grew troubled. "However, Zabuza-sama, you've been sneaking back to Kirigakure to find allies, haven't you? You promised to give Naruto half the spoils on your own initiative. Will those people agree to that?"
Concern shadowed Haku's delicate features.
Regarding Haku's worry, Zabuza's face split into a roguish grin. "Haha! They don't need to agree. If they refuse, we'll just ask Naruto to talk to them, heck we can help Naruto befriend them!"
Hearing Zabuza's shameless solution, Haku shook his head helplessly. Asking Naruto to "befriend" just means letting Naruto use his fists to make the argument.
Though he had to admit, it would probably be very effective.
Naruto made his way to the waterfall for his evening training session, passing the spot where Sasuke practiced. His friend was working hard, going through kata after kata with intense focus.
Naruto nodded approvingly. Sasuke's dedication is admirable. That man spurs him forward constantly...
Just as Sasuke continued his rigorous training routine, two figures appeared on the horizon.
They wore long black cloaks embroidered with red clouds, walking with unhurried steps. One of them was Itachi Uchiha, the man who had single-handedly annihilated the Uchiha clan. He carried something long on his back, carefully wrapped in cloth. Anyone who didn't know better might assume it was a weapon.
Since personally wiping out his clan, Itachi had joined the organization called Akatsuki. But he'd joined with other motives, secrets known to very few.
The person beside him was his partner in Akatsuki, code-named "South," while Itachi's code-name was "Vermillion." Though the code names were ultimately meaningless since everyone in the organization knew each other's real identities anyway.
Kisame Hoshigaki had long dark blue hair and a distinctly shark-like face. His weapon, Samehada, rested on his back. They'd just finished a mission, and Kisame squinted at the wrapped object on his partner's back with barely concealed exasperation.
"Itachi-san, you really don't need to bring that streetlamp with you on missions. Don't you think it's troublesome?" His voice carried a note of long-suffering patience. "Just leave it at the base. No one's going to steal it."
"It's very important to me." Itachi's tone was completely calm, brooking no argument.
"Haa..." Kisame sighed heavily. As a teammate, Itachi was perfect in every way. Skilled, reliable, easy to work with. But this one quirk, this obsession with carrying a streetlamp on every single mission, was utterly baffling.
Kisame didn't understand what the streetlamp meant to Itachi. But Itachi did.
They returned to the Akatsuki base in silence. After submitting their mission report, Kisame stretched and turned to his partner. "Itachi-san, let's go. I'll buy you a drink."
"Wait a moment. I need your help with something." Itachi walked ahead, making his way to an intersection in the organization's courtyard. He carefully removed the streetlamp from his back and unwrapped the protective gauze.
"Help me dig a hole." His voice was matter-of-fact.
"Understood. It's not the first time I've done this." Kisame moved to the spot Itachi indicated and immediately began digging. His powerful arms made short work of the task, quickly excavating a large, stable hole.
After the hole was ready, Kisame helped Itachi plant the streetlamp. They tested its stability, shaking it gently. Perfectly secure.
"Itachi..." Kisame began, turning to speak to his partner.
He stopped mid-word, stunned.
In the blink of an eye, Itachi had vanished from ground level.
Kisame looked up. Itachi now stood balanced perfectly on top of the newly planted streetlamp, arms crossed over his chest, gazing intently in one particular direction.
The direction of Konohagakure.
The night sky slowly darkened around them.
Kisame stared at the man standing on the streetlamp, utterly speechless. "Hey. Do you want that drink or not?"
"Bring me back some food." Itachi's voice was calm, unmoving from his perch.
"Fine, fine. I get it." Kisame waved his hand in resignation and started to walk away.
"One more thing." Itachi's voice stopped him.
Kisame turned back. "What?"
"Turn on the light."
Kisame sighed, found the switch at the base of the streetlamp, and flipped it on. The lamp blazed to life, casting a warm yellow glow across Itachi's face and the Akatsuki cloak that fluttered gently in the night breeze.
"Don't stand there too long. I'm not helping you if your feet go numb." Kisame grumbled as he headed off to find food.
Itachi ignored the comment completely. He stood motionless atop the streetlamp, the wind playing with the edges of his cloak, his arms folded across his chest. His dark eyes remained fixed on the distant horizon, staring in the direction of Konoha.
After a long while, he murmured softly, words carried away by the wind:
"Brother... we will meet again soon. I hope you can surprise me. Wait for me..."
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