Inside the Akatsuki base, Kabuto sat cross-legged before a massive chessboard.
There were already plenty of pieces on the board, yet the box beside him still contained many more unused ones.
The masked man appeared silently behind Kabuto.
"Is the intel accurate?" he asked. "Shinju and Naruto are really being hidden out at sea?"
Kabuto nodded, picking up a chess piece and slowly placing it onto the board as he replied,
"Of course it's true. But since it's out at sea, there's little around to use as reference points—pinpointing the exact location isn't easy."
He paused, then continued with a sly tone,
"Also, through Deidara's eyes, I noticed something odd. That island… seems to be moving."
"Moving?" the masked man muttered. "That's troublesome..."
Kabuto tilted his head.
"Are we going to act? The Allied Shinobi Forces have already started sending people to wipe out your organization's bases."
Black Zetsu suddenly emerged from the ground.
"We should move. The hundred thousand White Zetsu will travel underground and strike straight at the Allied Shinobi Command! (*Ӧ)σ"
Kabuto frowned slightly, clearly disapproving of the plan.
"If you concentrate all one hundred thousand White Zetsu in one place, and they get discovered, our main force will be wiped out in one blow."
As he spoke, Kabuto somehow produced a huge map of the shinobi world and drew three points on it.
"I've been studying the Allied Forces' march routes. We can advance from these three directions—one to weaken their main force and slow their purge, the other to launch surprise attacks and strike directly at their command center!"
The masked man listened silently, giving Kabuto a subtle glance.
That guy was not to be trusted. There was no way the masked man would deploy troops exactly as Kabuto proposed.
But even he had to admit—some of Kabuto's ideas had merit.
And Kabuto's Edo Tensei army... was indeed formidable.
The masked man smirked.
"Speaking of weakening the Allied Forces' main strength—those reanimated Kage of yours will be perfect for the job. ´･ᴗ･`"
Kabuto could tell exactly what he was thinking. With a faint smile, he nodded.
"Don't worry. I've already released them. (｡◝ᴗ◜｡)"
"Actually, there's something I've been wondering," the masked man said casually. "If you've revived the former Kage from other villages to join the war, why didn't you bring back the ones from Konoha?"
Kabuto thought for a moment, then answered seriously,
"The Fourth Hokage's soul was sealed by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. The Third Hokage's body is buried in Konoha, not easy to retrieve… As for the First and Second Hokage—there are too many uncertainties surrounding them! ~_~"
"But I heard that during the Konoha Crush, Orochimaru used Edo Tensei to summon the First and Second Hokage," the masked man pressed.
"The way I control Edo Tensei is different from the method Orochimaru-sama used back then."
"And besides, the two Hokage Orochimaru-sama summoned at the time weren't exactly at full strength."
"If I were to reincarnate them, their power would surpass even what they had in life! ୧⍢⃝୨"
"But you know the consequence—that would make them far harder to control."
The masked man nodded thoughtfully. What Kabuto said did make some sense.
"Fine. Get back to work. I'll go draft the war strategy and prepare to mobilize."
After the masked man left, Kabuto lowered his gaze once more to the chessboard...
...
Deep within a dense forest.
After exchanging only a few words, Haku and several other reanimated shinobi suddenly turned hostile—launching a surprise attack on Zabuza and the two behind him, Hyuga Tokuma and Aburame Muta!
"Zabuza-sama, run! My body's out of control!" Haku shouted urgently.
But Zabuza didn't move. He raised his Executioner's Blade, blocking the incoming strikes.
"Are you kidding me? I finally get to see you again. There's no way I'm leaving you behind!"
While Zabuza held off the reanimated shinobi, Tokuma and Muta seized the chance and bolted.
The intel they carried was critical—it had to reach headquarters!
But they barely made it a few steps before an icy mirror formed before them, blocking their path!
Then—
Shff!
Haku's figure burst forth from the mirror like a phantom, brandishing a kunai aimed straight for Tokuma!
At the last instant, the Executioner's Blade appeared out of nowhere, intercepting the blow!
Clang!
The kunai struck the blade, sparks flying. Haku's attack was blocked, and his body retreated into the Demonic Ice Mirrors, vanishing again.
Tokuma and Muta exchanged bewildered looks, unable to understand why the infamous Demon of the Hidden Mist—who had vanished from the world long ago—was helping them.
"Don't overthink it," Zabuza said gruffly. "If you're being hunted, that means you're enemies of the one controlling Haku."
"And the one controlling Haku... is my enemy too! (▼ヘ▼#)"
Though his tone was as cold as ever, Tokuma and Muta could sense a strange warmth behind it.
"Thank you," Tokuma said earnestly. "We're carrying critical intel about their movements—it must reach the Allied Command."
Zabuza waved a hand boldly. "Go. I'll hold them off!"
The two exchanged shocked glances—stunned by his selflessness.
Every one of those reanimated shinobi possessed kekkei genkai and monstrous resilience.
To fight them head-on, especially when they couldn't be killed, was suicide!
They couldn't fathom why this rogue from Kirigakure would go so far.
"Thank you!!" Tokuma and Muta bowed deeply before dashing off into the forest.
Once they were gone, Zabuza stood alone amidst the trees, facing wave after wave of reanimated attacks.
"Hey! I said I'd hold you off, didn't I? You're not going after them! (′д｀σ)σ"
"I'm the Demon of the Hidden Mist, master of silent killing! Stopping you lot is nothing!"
"Damn it! These Explosion Release users are such a pain!"
"Haku! Wake up, Haku!"
Within two minutes, Zabuza was overwhelmed.
It wasn't that he was weak—the Edo Tensei opponents were just too cursed.
Each one wielded kekkei genkai, and they couldn't even die!
"Cough... I can die... but can you at least not make Haku do it..."
Zabuza lay on the ground, bleeding and exhausted, looking up weakly at the reanimated shinobi about to finish him off.
From the day he found Haku, he'd treated him as nothing but a tool.
And Haku, accepting that role completely, had followed him with unwavering devotion—even giving his life to protect him.
Only after Haku's death did Zabuza realize... Haku had become far more than just a tool to him.
In the forest, Kabuto—who controlled the Edo Tensei—seemed to decide to grant Zabuza's final wish, guiding Haku forward with a kunai in hand.
When Zabuza saw Haku approaching, he closed his eyes.
He didn't want to admit it, but dying by Haku's hand... would at least bring him peace.
As the cold edge of the blade neared his chest, a familiar voice suddenly rang out beside his ear—
"Hey, Zabuza! Don't just lie there! Get up and take one last look at Haku!"