"Zabuza," Kakashi panted, his voice hoarse from exhaustion and wounds,
"your ambition is too dangerous. You even stoop to associate and cooperate with scum like Gato… For the hope and future of this small country, I will kill you here, right now!"
Chakra in Kakashi's right hand began to condense rapidly, swirling and gathering, transforming into a dazzling blue light that emitted a crackling sound like a thousand chirping birds – a distinctive, thunderous roar!
Raikiri!
"This jutsu will bury you and all your rotten ambitions!"
Kakashi's eyes, his Sharingan still active, were fixed sharply on Zabuza.
A cold, inescapable killing aura billowed around him like a dark storm cloud, and his voice was so clear and firm amidst the thunderous roar of lightning from his technique.
Raikiri, with its concentrated destructive power, shot forward, aimed straight at Zabuza's heart.
Zabuza, already severely injured and helplessly pinned by Kakashi's ninja hounds, couldn't move an inch.
The dazzling blue light from Raikiri made Zabuza's already pale face even more deathly.
Zabuza could only widen his eyes, staring desperately at Kakashi rushing towards him, accepting his fate.
"LORD ZABUZA...!" On the other side of the bridge, Haku, seeing Lord Zabuza in a desperate situation and about to be killed, screamed in pain and panic.
With strength from who knows where, he actually managed to break free from Naruto's slightly loosened grip.
With a desperate movement, Haku condensed two thin ice mirrors in the air in front of him, and with incredible speed, he intended to use his Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals technique to dart between the mirrors and stop Kakashi's Raikiri attack, protecting Zabuza with his own body.
Sakura could only stare blankly and in disbelief at the tragic drama unfolding before her eyes.
She saw how Haku, with blinding loyalty, leaped in front of Kakashi's Raikiri, sacrificing himself to protect Zabuza.
She saw how Gato, that tyrant, arrived with his gang of thugs, only to be brutally killed by a dying Zabuza who still had a final reserve of strength.
She also saw how the villagers, led by Inari and his family, finally mustered their courage, arriving with makeshift weapons and together fighting off Gato's remaining hired thugs, reclaiming their freedom.
All those events, all the adrenaline, all the mixed emotions – anger, fear, relief, sadness – it was too much for a newly graduated Genin like Sakura to bear.
Her body felt weak, her head dizzy.
Finally, her consciousness faded, and Sakura fainted beside Sasuke, who, coincidentally, had just begun to regain consciousness from his own faint and saw Sakura collapse.
When Sakura opened her eyes again, she found herself in one of the rooms in Tazuna's house, lying on a comfortable futon.
The afternoon sunlight streamed in through a gap in the window.
She slowly sat up, stretching her body.
"Ah~," she sighed softly, "I feel much fresher after a good night's sleep."
She felt like she had slept for a very long time.
When she came out of the room, she found Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Sasuke already sitting in the living room, seemingly waiting for her.
In the middle of the room, there was a large rectangular object covered with a white cloth.
Sakura walked closer, her curiosity piqued.
Without hesitation, she lifted the white cloth.
It was Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō!
Its large, unique blade looked so sharp and intimidating even while lying still.
Sakura gently stroked the cold surface of the blade with her hand, feeling the aura of power emanating from it.
"Kakashi-sensei,"
Sakura said suddenly, turning to her teacher.
"This sword... it seems to suit you very well."
Kakashi looked a little confused by Sakura's statement.
"Huh? Suits me?"
He scratched his head.
"A tactical ninja like me, who relies more on speed and strategy, how could I possibly be suited to carrying such a large and heavy sword?"
But on second thought, this blade did look quite good and had a history.
Why not try it just once?
Kakashi stood up and walked over. He grabbed the hilt of the great sword and lifted it.
Surprisingly, despite its weight, the sword felt fitting and balanced in his hands.
He tried swinging it a few times, and his movements looked quite natural.
Naruto, seeing him, immediately shouted in admiration,
"Kakashi-sensei! You look so cool with that sword, dattebayo!"
Sakura also nodded in agreement, her eyes sparkling.
Kakashi-sensei holding the Kubikiribōchō indeed looked much more imposing and impressive.
"Ah, no, no... not that cool," Kakashi scratched his head again, looking a bit embarrassed by his students' praise.
"Well, since Sakura is awake and seems to be in good condition, let's pack up quickly and prepare to return to Konoha,"
Kakashi said, changing the subject.
"Our mission here is successfully completed."
Everyone packed their belongings and bid a warm farewell to Tazuna-san, Tsunami, and Inari, as well as all the villagers who saw them off with gratitude.
They then began their journey back to Konoha.
The only difference from when they arrived was that Kakashi-sensei now had an additional large Kubikiribōchō slung across his back.
As they walked along the path, they chatted and laughed, the atmosphere feeling much lighter and more familiar than before.
Naruto, with his overflowing enthusiasm, shouted,
"Wait until we get back to Konoha! Let's eat ramen at Ichiraku together to celebrate our first successful mission!"
Sasuke turned his head away haughtily.
"Hmph, I don't want to eat ramen with a noisy guy like you, Dobe."
"What did you say, Teme?!"
The two started bickering as usual, disliking each other yet inseparable.
Sakura just smiled watching their antics.
After returning to the village, they reported the mission results to the Sandaime Hokage.
The C-rank mission they had initially taken, due to the development of the situation and the level of danger faced, was officially upgraded to an A-rank mission.
The payment they received was also very substantial.
The united villagers of the Land of Waves had also managed to collect a considerable amount of money through fundraising as an additional token of gratitude.
Now Naruto no longer had to worry about lacking money for his favorite food and drinks, and he wouldn't feel hungry again for a while.
If counted from the day of their departure, Sakura and Team 7 had spent nearly a month on this dangerous mission in the Land of Waves.
That meant it had been approximately two months since she officially became a Genin!
Time passed so quickly.
Oh, and it seemed all members of Team 7 had matured and grown after this mission and seeing the true 'hard life of a ninja.'
Especially Sakura.
The ordinary fangirl who had somehow obtained a mysterious System, now had no traces of her fangirl self left.
Sakura had truly transformed into a genuine Kunoichi, with a sharper gaze, a more mature mind, and a stronger will.
They also didn't forget to return to the bridge before truly leaving the Land of Waves, to bury Zabuza and Haku properly and pay their final respects to the two strong ninja who had once been their enemies.
It was an act that showed a ninja's respect.
A few days after returning to Konoha and resting…
Sakura and Kakashi-sensei (along with Naruto and Sasuke who somehow tagged along) arrived at the Hokage's office, and Kakashi-sensei reported Sakura's Kekkei Genkai to the Sandaime; after that, nothing significant happened.
Sakura woke up very early that day.
The Konoha air felt so fresh and familiar.
She had already made plans to meet her team and undertake a new mission today.
When she arrived at their usual meeting spot – a small bridge near a training area – she found only Sasuke already waiting there, leaning calmly against the bridge railing.
'Damn it, Kakashi-sensei is late again as usual,'
Sakura thought with a sigh, already guessing what would happen.
Not long after, Naruto also arrived, running hastily.
"Morning, Sakura-chan! Morning, Sasuke!"
When Naruto and Sasuke saw each other, they both simultaneously snorted coldly and turned their heads in opposite directions.
Their rivalry was still burning.
They waited… and waited…
The sun began to climb higher, and Kakashi-sensei still hadn't appeared.
Naruto started grumbling, Sasuke remained silent but looked slightly annoyed, and Sakura could only resign herself to it.
Finally, after almost two hours of waiting, until the three of them had nearly fallen asleep from boredom, a familiar voice woke them.
"Hey, good morning, everyone!"
Kakashi-sensei greeted them with his typical smile, as if nothing had happened.
Then he said casually,
"Sorry, sorry. Today I accidentally got lost on the path of life, hahaha."
Sakura felt extremely frustrated.
She should have known better.
Kakashi-sensei's excuses were always so absurd.
"Alright, alright, since everyone's gathered, let's get on with today's mission,"
Kakashi smiled, ignoring his students' annoyed stares.
They spent the rest of the day doing mundane and boring tasks as usual: weeding gardens, picking up trash from the river flowing through the village, helping to repaint the academy walls, and so on.
Frustrating D-rank missions.
They only dispersed in the afternoon.
Sasuke, as usual, immediately left the team alone without much conversation.
Naruto smiled broadly and said to Sakura,
"Sakura-chan, since we're done, how about we eat ramen together at Ichiraku? My treat!"
Seeing Naruto's enthusiastic and sincere expression, Sakura suddenly found it hard to refuse him.
Besides, she also felt hungry after a long day's work.
"Hmm, alright, Naruto. Why not?"
Just at that moment, a brown cardboard box with a very suspicious stone pattern moved towards them.
Sakura and Naruto noticed it at the same time.