The Hero's Bridge stretched silently across the sea, untouched by the conflicts plaguing the Land of Waves.
Its massive pillars cast wide shadows on the water's surface. A headless, charred body lay sprawled in one of those shadows, blood gushing from its severed neck.
Zabuza, wrapped in bandages with burn-scarred skin exposed, stood to the left of the corpse. He gripped his bloodstained Kubikiribōchō, casually tossing Hidan's head to Kakashi nearby.
Whoosh~
The Kubikiribōchō sliced a crescent arc through the air, flinging sticky blood that left a spreading red stain on the sea.
"What a hassle!"
Catching Hidan's head midair, Kakashi examined the perfectly smooth cervical bone at the neck, nodding in approval.
No surprise there—Zabuza was the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō. His technique was clean and precise.
"I don't like owing favors," Zabuza said calmly. "You saved my life. If you ever need anything, just say the word."
Though his words sounded light, Kakashi could feel their weight.
To repay Gato's life debt, Zabuza had guarded the Land of Waves for five years after the bridge's completion. Even when pursued by such terrifying enemies, he sent a clone to hide under the bridge to monitor the situation while his real body escorted Dazna to Muya.
Later, when Dazna canceled the mission, it was Zabuza's mist clone that struck a deal with them, restarting the mission to save the Land of Waves.
This guy was the real deal when it came to keeping promises.
"Hikari was the one who saved you. Talk to her," Kakashi said, refusing to take credit.
The toughest opponent, the flying ninja, was handled by Hikari. Team 7 had only dealt with Hidan, a foe who couldn't use his secret technique and whose abilities were leaked—yet they'd nearly been taken out.
The enemy's abilities were too bizarre. If Zabuza hadn't given a critical warning, Naruto would've died under Kakashi's own Lightning Cutter!
Just thinking about it made Kakashi shudder.
Hidan's earlier taunts weren't entirely an act. The moment Naruto collapsed, coughing up blood, memories of all Kakashi's fallen comrades flashed before his eyes—especially the girl with purple markings on her face.
If he'd accidentally killed another precious comrade, the only son of his teacher and master's wife… Kakashi's gaze toward Zabuza carried a bit more gratitude.
Zabuza, wincing in pain, nodded and clutched his left ribs, saying no more.
He'd been hit by Kakuzu's wind-fire combination ninjutsu and had to dive into the sea to escape.
But a sudden tsunami had swept him into the air, breaking his ribs under tons of water pressure and nearly scalding him in the steam from the water-fire clash.
He'd barely recovered.
Seeing Hikari and Kakuzu locked in a frenzied shootout at the coast plaza, he knew he couldn't help there. So he lurked near Kakashi's battlefield, hoping to ambush Hidan.
But the group had moved so fast he couldn't keep up with his injuries. By the time he arrived, the fight was over. If not for his mist clone monitoring the Land of Waves, he'd have only stolen a head.
"Useless! I'm immortal, you pathetic idiot! Moron!"
Reduced to a lone head, Hidan kept ranting. His Death by Blood technique had worn off, and his black-and-white face returned to normal.
"Hey, hey~"
Kakashi, with his dead-fish eyes, barely listened, responding as if humoring a child. He dangled Hidan's cursing head by the hair, holding it aloft.
Staring at the dripping red flesh and stark white bone, Kakashi's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
What was the deal with this guy?
With a severed neck and no blood flow, his brain cells should've died from lack of oxygen. His vocal cords were cut, too—he shouldn't be able to speak. This guy was defying biology itself.
Spending so much time with Hikari had rubbed off on Kakashi, nudging him toward mad-scientist territory.
His three-tomoe Sharingan studied Hidan, itching to dissect this bizarre creature.
But now wasn't the time.
Kakashi shook his head regretfully. Holding Hidan's still-cursing head in his left hand, he crouched to hoist Hidan's body over one shoulder and supported the heavily injured Zabuza with the other.
The three joined Naruto, who was carrying Sasuke, and headed toward the Land of Waves' coastline.
Medical ninjas were rare in the shinobi world, and master-level healers were even rarer. But luckily—they had Hikari!
The five moved at a steady pace, soon nearing the port.
"Hey, Sasuke—thanks for saving me!" Naruto, carrying the immobilized Sasuke, apologized repeatedly, his whisker-marked face brimming with sincerity.
Seeing Naruto's earnestness, Sasuke let it slide.
What could he do? Naruto wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch.
Dumb luck, though.
Naruto's Eight Gates could only reach the second gate, but his injuries had sparked his potential, accidentally unlocking the third gate—the Gate of Life!
His strength had skyrocketed!
By comparison, Sasuke's Sharingan hadn't evolved, and he'd injured his legs. Worse, Kakashi and Zabuza had taken care of the enemy, leaving him feeling like dead weight despite contributing nothing.
It left the proud Sasuke frustrated.
"Mmff!"
Hidan, dangling like a lantern in Kakashi's hand, had a kunai stuffed in his mouth, silencing his rants.
He glared at the approaching port, letting out muffled whimpers.
"Be quiet!" Naruto snapped irritably.
He had no patience for the enemy who'd nearly killed him. While marveling at Hidan's freakish abilities, he wasn't about to show him any kindness.
"Naruto—!"
Sasuke's hoarse, slightly panicked voice suddenly called out, startling Naruto. He turned quickly. "What's wrong?"
Sasuke, pale-faced with wet hair plastered to his forehead, looked disheveled. His dark eyes stared into the distance, slowly turning red with shock.
"Did I see that right? Isn't that the port we just came from?"
The port?
Naruto followed Sasuke's gaze.
Like Kakashi and Zabuza beside him, his body froze. His blue eyes widened, pupils dilating, reflecting a faint golden glow.
Before them.
Dark gray clouds blanketed the sky, split by a golden seam. The blazing sun poured piercing golden light over the coast.
At the edge of the coastline, the earth was fractured with jagged cracks, like an enormous spiderweb. The web stretched far beyond the island's edge, as if some unknown force had shattered the entire landmass.
Boom!
The fissures trembled, tons of earth breaking off and crashing into the sea, sending up massive sprays of water. The already dark seawater grew murkier, churning like sludge.
Foamy, muddy waves lapped at the low cliffs, some areas nearly flooding the island. If the collapse continued, the entire island might sink into the sea!
"An—an earthquake!" Naruto stammered, watching the coastal cliffs crack and vanish. His voice shook. That cliff was where they'd just jumped from, now completely swallowed by the sea.
"An earthquake splitting the sky?" Sasuke's voice lacked conviction.
The sky, earth, and ocean all showed anomalies, as if torn apart by some energy. If this wasn't an earthquake, it couldn't possibly be man-made, could it?
"I've lived in the Land of Waves for years, and there's never been an earthquake. This is most likely man-made!" Zabuza exhaled heavily, his eyes a mix of fear and awe.
Only a "Kage" could cause destruction on this scale!
The shinobi world didn't officially have a "Kage" rank, and even "elite jonin" was an informal term. But with vast strength disparities among ninjas, such titles were used to clarify power levels.
Other villages might not have clear rank divisions.
In the blood-soaked Mist Village, which valued elites, ninja ranks—including elite jonin and Kage-level—had strict strength-based distinctions.
Genin and chunin were straightforward.
In combat, a ninja who could slaughter enemies regardless of numbers was two ranks above their victims.
For example, a special jonin was two ranks above a genin.
When Zabuza graduated from the ninja academy, he effortlessly killed all his genin classmates, earning recognition as a special jonin and a direct spot in the Anbu.
Jonin held village privileges because they were two ranks above chunin, the villages' backbone. On missions, jonin could sweep through most shinobi in the world.
Beyond jonin.
A ninja who could defeat a tactical team of three to five well-coordinated, experienced jonin with diverse attack ranges was an elite jonin.
A ninja who could slaughter village-controlling jonin like dogs, ignoring numbers entirely beyond elite jonin, was Kage-level!
Outside the five great nations, most villages had at most one elite jonin and three to five regular jonin. Such a lineup was defenseless against a Kage-level ninja.
Some even said a ninja who could single-handedly destroy a small nation could be called Kage-level.
No doubt.
The insane destruction at the coast was the result of multiple Kage-level ninjas fighting. If they kept going unchecked, the entire Land of Waves would be obliterated!
"That battlefield's way worse than we thought!" Kakashi, holding the whimpering Hidan, was stunned by the devastation at the coast.
That was clearly Hikari and the black-tendril monster's battlefield. He couldn't tell which one had unleashed such a terrifying ninjutsu attack.
For some reason, an image flashed in his mind:
A silver-haired girl in a white robe leaned against a giant tree—a beautiful scene, except the tree creaked and bent downward. The Land of Waves now felt eerily similar to that poor tree.
The five, lost in their thoughts, quickly reached the port.
Hikari, in fresh clothes, sat on the ground amid cracked earth that sank into a deep crater. Ignoring their strange looks, she waved casually in greeting.
The plaza was due for rebuilding anyway—she wasn't about to waste chakra reinforcing the ground.
"What happened here?" Zabuza asked, leaning on his Kubikiribōchō. The plaza, built with the Land of Waves' fortune under his protection, was in ruins.
"That guy named Kakuzu did it. I took him out for you, but the plaza's a lost cause," Hikari said, shrugging and pinning all the blame on the dead Kakuzu.
It was technically true.
He'd pushed her buttons, forcing her into her second phase.
Otherwise, the plaza wouldn't be in this state, with the coastal cliffs collapsed. Thankfully, the fight was short. A longer battle on this isolated island could've triggered an earthquake, potentially destroying the entire nation.
Hearing Hikari's half-hearted explanation, Kakashi glanced at the crater under her, the crystallized ground scorched by fire release, and the small footprints deeply embedded in it…
He chose to stay silent.
Zabuza, not wanting to die, kept quiet too. Everyone fell silent.
"Mmff!"
Hidan had something to say, but the kunai in his mouth stopped him from speaking.
Hikari had no interest in his nonsense. Clasping her hands, the ground rumbled as a coffin-shaped tree sprouted, about the size of a suitcase.
The sight stunned everyone nearby!
"W-W-Wood Release!" Naruto, no longer the class dunce thanks to copying Hikari's notes, pointed at the coffin, his mouth wide enough to stuff Hidan's head inside.
If even he recognized it, the others were floored!
Since nearing the port, Sasuke's Sharingan hadn't stopped spinning. Seeing the legendary bloodline limit of the Senju clan, his mind raced with guesses.
Zabuza was outright dumbfounded.
He'd thought Hikari was a remnant of the Mist's Kaguya clan, but now she'd whipped out Wood Release. Had the Senju and Kaguya intermarried?
The God of Shinobi's technique, which swept the ninja world, was universally known.
Even Hidan, familiar with the God of Shinobi's legend, stopped whimpering and stared at the tree coffin with curiosity.
Only Kakashi leaned back slightly. He'd once saved a boy named "Tenzo" from Root, who'd been experimented on by Orochimaru as a child and gained the First Hokage's Wood Release.
Was Hikari one of Orochimaru's test subjects?
Seeing the emotional thought bubbles popping up over everyone's heads, Hikari didn't know how to explain. If she revealed her Byakugan and Sharingan at the same time, they'd probably lose it!
"Shh, keep it secret," she said, opting not to explain. She shushed the loudest one, Naruto, with a gesture, then took Hidan from Kakashi's complicated gaze.
Buzz!
A wind-release chainsaw sliced the body into neat chunks, which she tossed into the wooden coffin.
Hikari clapped her hands, and the coffin grew a twisting, tightly sealed lid.
The corpse was fully contained. Wood Release's power drained Hidan's chakra, sprouting blood-stained green branches from his body. His cries quickly weakened.
Wood Release's timber was incredibly durable, with strong vitality and chakra-absorbing properties, making it ideal for sealing. Kakuzu's consciousness was shattered by black lightning, but his Grudge hearts were still alive. Hidan was outright immortal. Sealing them with Wood Release gave her peace of mind.
With that, the Land of Waves mission was complete.
Though she didn't find the Ice Release bloodline, capturing the zombie duo's bizarre bodies was a decent haul. After spending so much chakra, she'd have something to show her main body.
Speaking of, how was her main body doing in Muya?
Lost in thought for a moment, Hikari waved at the stunned group. "I'm a medical ninja. Anyone need healing?"
Zabuza, starting to recover, froze again. Watching the blind girl heal Sasuke's legs with glowing green light, he smacked his lips.
He'd almost forgotten she was a medical ninja too.
"Uh… patch me up too!"
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