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Haku gently placed Zabuza inside a large, hollowed-out tree trunk, surrounded by dense thickets.
Not long before, he had carried Zabuza across a small stream. Just as his strength was about to give out, he had slid down a slope and stumbled upon this hidden spot.
After carefully inspecting the surroundings and confirming that the location was well-concealed, Haku finally let out a sigh of relief.
Just moments ago, he had truly believed they were doomed. Yet, out of nowhere, a mysterious shinobi had appeared and rescued them, allowing them to escape against all odds.
However, their situation remained dire.
The people who wanted Zabuza dead were still nearby and could catch up to them at any moment. On top of that, Zabuza's injuries were worsening.
Zabuza had already been severely wounded before, and now he had suffered another heavy blow. Even if there were no new fatal injuries, his condition was growing increasingly precarious.
Haku turned to look at Zabuza's pale face, his heart heavy with worry.
The medicinal herbs he had painstakingly gathered had already been used up, and even after applying them, Zabuza's wounds continued to bleed. Whether the herbs could truly stop the bleeding was uncertain.
"Haku…" Zabuza forced his eyes open, his voice weak.
"Zabuza-sama, please don't speak—" Haku quickly tried to stop him.
Zabuza shook his head. "Let me finish… You should leave. If you stay any longer, you'll die too."
"No, Zabuza-sama. I'm not afraid of death," Haku replied firmly.
"But why?" Zabuza asked. "They only want to kill me."
"Without you, Zabuza-sama, what meaning would my survival have?" Haku shook his head.
Zabuza let out a heavy sigh.
Just then, the branches beside Haku rustled slightly. He immediately turned, only to see the foliage concealing them being pushed aside as a figure wearing a black mask appeared before him.
Who—?
Haku's mind went blank for a moment, but he quickly recognized the man.
Not long ago, he had encountered this masked individual.
Without a second thought, Haku lashed out, his kunai mere centimeters from the man's throat before his wrist was seized in an iron grip, rendering him immobile.
"Who are you?!" Haku demanded angrily.
"Zabuza… long time no see." The man removed his mask, revealing a familiar face as he smiled at Zabuza.
Zabuza froze for a moment before forcing himself to sit up, his smile bitter. "Seems like you've been doing well for yourself."
"Well?" Midorima raised an eyebrow slightly.
In the two years since leaving Kirigakure, he had experienced much. While his circumstances couldn't be called ideal, the gains he had made far surpassed anything he could have achieved by staying in the village.
"Well… better than you, at least."
Zabuza let out a cold laugh. "You didn't come here just to mock me, did you?"
"Do I look that bored?" Midorima released Haku's wrist and said, "My relationship with Zabuza isn't exactly friendly, but it's not hostile either. You can put the kunai away."
Haku glanced at Zabuza, who gave a slight nod. Relieved, Haku sheathed his weapon.
Midorima, however, drew his own kunai and, before Haku could react, sliced away the bandages covering Zabuza's wounds.
"What are you doing?!" Haku panicked.
"He's a medical ninja," Zabuza stopped him.
"A medical ninja?" Haku stared at Midorima in surprise before immediately kneeling. "Please… save Zabuza-sama."
Midorima glanced at Haku and smiled. "You're lucky."
"Or unlucky," Zabuza muttered.
Having someone by his side wasn't a bad thing—especially someone as loyal as Haku. But at the same time, such loyalty could also bring danger.
If not for Haku, Zabuza would never have ended up in this state.
Midorima patted Haku's head reassuringly. Though the boy still looked uneasy, he managed a faint smile.
"Since you're just lying there anyway, why not tell me what's been happening in Kirigakure lately? It'll make this less boring." Midorima motioned for Zabuza to lie flat as he began using Mystical Palm Technique to treat his injuries.
Zabuza's current situation was critical.
Not only were his injuries severe, but he was also being hunted by the Akatsuki.
If he were to use "Activation" now, the chakra drain would leave him weakened for an extended period—a disadvantage Zabuza couldn't afford.
Zabuza sighed. "After you left… everything changed. But first, why were you suddenly branded a rogue ninja?"
"It's a long story. Before the Seven Swordsmen competition, I ran into the Third Mizukage. At the time, he had already lost his memories. I knew my strength back then wasn't enough to become one of the Seven, so I took a huge risk—I challenged the Third Mizukage himself. Of course, I was completely outmatched, but surviving that fight gave me a significant boost in power." Midorima summarized.
"So that's how you got so strong so quickly?" Zabuza finally understood.
He had always wondered how Midorima's strength had skyrocketed in just a month. Turns out, he had faced the Third Mizukage.
"But why did he lose his memories?" Zabuza pressed.
"Do you really think I'd be privy to that?" Midorima countered.
Zabuza fell silent.
The Third's memory loss must have occurred after he stepped down as Mizukage—back when Midorima hadn't even graduated. It made sense that he wouldn't know the reason.
"Later, on the night after I defeated Ameyuri, the Third suddenly appeared. I followed him and saw the Fourth Mizukage being attacked, with Igawa also present. When I tried to return to the village for help, Igawa ambushed me. The Third risked his life to get me away from the battlefield, and the next thing I knew, I was labeled a 'rogue ninja' out of nowhere."
"You're saying Igawa conspired with outsiders?!"
Midorima's words confirmed Zabuza's suspicions.
After Midorima was branded a rogue ninja, three people underwent drastic changes.
Two of them were the Third and Fourth Mizukage. The third was Igawa—who became far more arrogant and domineering than before, effectively controlling the village unchecked. Yet, neither Mizukage raised any objections.
Some, like the ANBU Commander Ōgaki Yū, had opposed him. But Igawa had arrested him under charges of treason, and Ōgaki had died miserably in prison.
As for the claim that Midorima had colluded with foreign ninjas—anyone with half a brain could see how absurd that was. At the time, Midorima was just a medical ninja with no access to classified information and no remarkable combat prowess. For outsiders to target him would have been laughable.
In contrast, Igawa had far more motive.
Thus, even though Kirigakure had issued a bounty for Midorima, many within the village believed the alternative theory—that Igawa had conspired with outsiders to seize control.
However, with the support of both the Third and Fourth Mizukage, anyone who dared question Igawa met one of two fates: death in prison like Ōgaki, or becoming a rogue ninja like Zabuza.
"Alright, I've told you most of what happened back then. Now it's your turn—what's the current state of the village?" Midorima asked.
Zabuza exhaled deeply. "You know about how I killed the other graduates, forcing the village to change its graduation exams, right?"
Midorima nodded.
Regardless of Zabuza's original intentions, that incident had indeed altered the academy's graduation system.
"Now, we've reverted to the 'Village of the Bloody Mist'… No, it's even worse than before…" Zabuza's voice was heavy with resignation.