Outside the Kaguya clan's compound, Momochi Zabuza appeared with two Chūnin, only to be stopped at the gate by Kaguya clan shinobi — just as expected.
"I thought the blood mist that shrouded the village had lifted, but I didn't expect something like this to still happen."
Zabuza, his face half-covered in bandages, looked with interest at the corpses being carried out by the Kaguya shinobi. The charred, twisted remains were so gruesome that even he, the so-called Demon of the Mist, found it a bit excessive.
"Unable to break through the defenses by physical means… so they used large-scale Fire Release instead?"
When had the Kaguya clan provoked such a powerful shinobi capable of unleashing a Fire Release like this?
Zabuza was very curious about the identity of the attacker.
However, he had a far more important goal for this trip, so he didn't linger.
He needed to find the brat who possessed a kekkei genkai — this was also in response to the new Mizukage's orders.
The shortage of excellent shinobi had caught the attention of Kirigakure's leadership, prompting them to issue orders to properly protect shinobi with kekkei genkai.
"Ice Release, huh… I wonder who would win between them and Konoha's White Reaper."
Recalling the devastation he'd seen earlier in the village, Zabuza's mouth, hidden beneath the bandages, curled into a grin.
A child so young, with no means of earning money, couldn't have gotten far.
"You two stay here and investigate this incident. I'll continue searching for that kid."
Zabuza decisively left the Kaguya matter to the two Chūnin and began mapping out in his head where Haku might be, preparing to investigate.
Little did he know, the Haku he was so intent on finding had already become Danzō's illegitimate son, and under Takeshi's lead, had boarded a ship reserved only for elite individuals.
"One ticket costs fifty thousand ryō… four tickets in total. This is daylight robbery. If we'd gone to a smuggling ring, we might have even made a few hundred thousand ryō instead. And this outfit…"
Listening to Kakuzu's muttering behind him, Takeshi frowned, gaining a new understanding of just how stingy this man was.
The ticket money had come out of his own pocket, the clothes Kakuzu wore had also been bought by him — so what was Kakuzu whining about?
If he'd known, he would have brought Pakura instead.
At least she wouldn't cause any trouble — except for maybe trying to assassinate the Mizukage, which was… admittedly a huge problem.
Takeshi suddenly found himself missing Obito; after all, that guy always followed his orders without question.
"If you want to mumble, do it somewhere else. Don't ruin my view of the sea."
Leaning on the railing, Takeshi snapped impatiently, telling Kakuzu to get back to his own cabin.
"Hmph. You little brat who doesn't know the value of money."
Kakuzu snorted coldly, but knowing he couldn't actually beat Takeshi, he swallowed the insult.
Once they were ashore, he'd just kill a few rogue ninja to vent his anger — and recoup the cost of the tickets and clothes.
The ship sailed on, and soon evening fell.
After dinner, when Takeshi thought the day would end without incident, an unexpected problem arose.
He had booked two adjoining twin rooms.
His plan was simple: he would rest with one person, Kakuzu with the other. This way, safety would be ensured, and they could back each other up — a foolproof arrangement.
Unfortunately, perhaps because Kakuzu's face was… well, not pleasant to look at, when it came time to rest, both little ones clung tightly to Takeshi's pants — one on each side — refusing to share a room with Kakuzu.
Headache.
Before Takeshi could figure out what to do with the two overly clingy brats, Kakuzu had already walked straight into his own room.
"One bed for sleeping, one bed for storing money. Brats, if you dare come in, I'll kill you."
He said this while slamming the door in Takeshi's face, followed by the sound of a lock clicking shut.
Well, that settled it — both kids would have to stay in Takeshi's room.
Fortunately, Kimimaro and Haku were still young, and two children could share one bed without issue.
Takeshi watched the two climb onto the bed and pull the blanket over themselves without arguing over who slept on the inside or outside. He yawned, turned off the light, and drifted off to sleep.
At night, the only sounds on the ship besides the waves were the faint strains of music coming from the dance hall in the cabin.
For a shinobi like Takeshi, this barely counted as noise — compared to the constant explosions of the battlefield, it was practically heavenly.
"Ha… huu…"
In the midst of steady breathing, Haku, sleeping on the outer side, opened his eyes.
Quietly climbing out of bed, he tiptoed to Takeshi's bedside.
One hand rested on his stomach, one leg dangled off the side, and a string of drool hung from his mouth — Takeshi's sleeping posture was far from elegant.
Was he really going to form a family with this person and live together from now on?
Haku thought to himself.
Although he didn't look particularly reliable, this man needed him — and that was enough.
Moving lightly, Haku slowly lay down beside Takeshi.
"How sneaky."
No sooner had he settled down than Haku heard Kimimaro's quiet mutter.
Turning his head, he saw Kimimaro climbing from the foot of the bed to lie on Takeshi's other side.
The two exchanged a glare for a few seconds, then, in perfect unspoken agreement, closed their eyes.
Hey, hey, hey — three people on one bed? You two are really…
Takeshi, who had been awake since the moment Haku got up, couldn't be bothered to open his eyes and simply complained in his mind about the two brats.
Still, for children far from home, that fear and emptiness in their hearts could only be eased with the help of others.
Ah, fine… let my broad shoulders shield you from the wind and rain!
Isobu: Hmm, not bad.
Takeshi: You damn shotacon.
The night passed without further incident.
...
The next morning, Takeshi shook out his slightly numb arm, glanced at the two little ones secretly watching his reaction, and said nothing. As the day before, he took them up to the deck for some fresh air and a free breakfast.
"Make way! Make way!"
Just as Takeshi was elegantly about to put a piece of cake into his mouth, a commotion broke out on deck.
A group of fully armed samurai shoved through the crowd without ceremony, striding toward the bow of the ship.
One man, shoved backward in the chaos, crashed right into Takeshi's hand, knocking his plate to the ground. The neatly cut cake landed on the deck and was immediately trampled flat by others caught in the push.
"I…"
Glancing at his now-empty fork, then at the passerby with his back smeared in cream, Takeshi sensibly tossed the fork aside.
"Should we take them out?"
Kimimaro leaned toward Takeshi, palm revealing bone spikes.
"Huh? Put that away, no need."
Takeshi was starting to sweat — this kid sure had a heavy killing intent for someone so young.