Chapter 162: The Courage to Consort with Demons
"It seems you've found the courage to consort with demons?"
Sea wind rustled Menma's black robes as the air filled with the scent of blood, salt spray, and a heart-stopping pressure.
"...As long as it can save Haku." Zabuza's voice was unusually firm. He maintained his dogeza position, forehead still pressed against the cold ground. "If consorting with demons is the only path to saving him... I accept it willingly, without regret."
Menma watched him quietly. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, the playfulness in his voice fading, replaced by a deeper interrogation.
"Very good. Then, Momochi Zabuza, I need to confirm you possess the 'courage' I require."
His words dissected the deepest parts of the man's heart before him. "This courage doesn't come from clinging to what you consider precious and refusing to let go..."
"Rather, it must be born from completely 'letting go' of your past obsessions and ideals."
"Tell me, are you truly prepared to... sacrifice the so-called 'dream' you once fought for, carried everything for, in exchange for passage to the other shore?"
This was no longer a simple transaction, but more like an interrogation of the soul. He was asking Zabuza to deny the very foundation of his existence as the "Demon of the Mist" Momochi Zabuza.
Zabuza didn't hesitate for even a moment.
"This resolve..." Zabuza suddenly raised his head, tears and blood mingling on his face, his eyes burning with absolute determination.
"I already have it! As long as I can save Haku, what I possess is no longer just the courage to consort with demons!"
His voice rose sharply. "If what you want is a demon... then that's what I am!"
For Haku, he could completely stain himself black, become something more terrifying than any demon. His past ambitions, his dream of ruling the Hidden Mist, even his pride as a ninja... all could be abandoned in the face of Haku's life!
On the other side, Kakashi's Sharingan spun frantically, trying to analyze that incomprehensible scene, but enormous shock and pressure made it almost impossible to maintain calm thinking.
Resurrection? Restoring corpses? Bringing the dead back to life?!
What kind of... gentle yet terrifying power was this?! But why would it appear in the hands of Ember's leader, this ninja world's greatest enemy who possessed the destructive jutsu "Great Spiraling Ring of Ruin"?
What exactly was this ability? Some unheard-of bloodline limit? Or some even more forbidden secret technique?
However, the enormous pressure Kakashi felt at this moment didn't come solely from shock and fear of this unknown power.
A colder thought crept into his mind, making him feel as if he'd plunged into an ice cavern.
This power to reverse life and death, capable of overturning the entire ninja world's understanding... would Menma allow those who knew about it to leave easily?
Might he choose to silence them... to keep this secret?
This possibility made Kakashi's blood nearly freeze! He instinctively held Sakura more tightly, his Sharingan fixed on Menma's back as his brain calculated all possibilities and countermeasures at unprecedented speed.
The disparity in strength was enormous. The enemy had Kakuzu and those terrifying Nine-Faced Beasts, while his side had three students to protect, one of whom (Naruto) seemed severely drained...
The desperate situation was almost suffocating.
But no matter what... Kakashi's gaze swept over Naruto, Sakura, and Satsuki beside him.
No matter what happened... even if it cost him his life, he had to keep them alive!
This conviction quickly solidified in his heart. He prepared for the most extreme defensive measures, even fighting to the death.
Menma was completely unaware that his teacher was currently under such enormous psychological pressure, nearly at the breaking point.
After hearing Zabuza's answer that abandoned everything with absolute determination, he nodded with satisfaction.
"I have truly felt your resolve to abandon the past and transform into a demon of carnage. Now, I will fulfill this contract and complete this transaction."
As his words fell, the gently glowing "Crazy Diamond" visible only to Menma quietly materialized behind him once again. Its hands targeted the weakly breathing Haku on the ground as that power to restore all things began silently surging once more.
Zabuza's breathing almost stopped, all his attention locked on Haku, his heart pounding like drums with tension even exceeding that moment years ago when he single-handedly attempted to assassinate the Mizukage! Success or failure, whether Haku could return, everything depended on this moment!
Under Zabuza's nearly suffocating gaze, the miracle unfolded again.
The horrific massive hole in Haku's chest pierced by the Lightning Blade began glowing with warm, pure light at its edges. Shattered bones, torn muscles, severed blood vessels... everything was precisely reconnected and reshaped by invisible hands.
The destructive wound healed at visible speed, flesh rapidly spreading to fill that terrible void, skin mending over it until it became smooth as before, leaving only slightly pale skin.
For some reason, Zabuza seemed to glimpse several butterflies fluttering out from Haku's completely healed chest. He blinked hard, suspecting it was a hallucination born from excessive tension and anticipation.
But none of that mattered now!
All irrelevant thoughts were cast aside. He had only one thing that needed confirmation!
When the treatment ended, an incredibly clear, steady breathing sound reached Zabuza's earsâ€"no longer the weak airflow from before that required holding one's breath and listening carefully to detect, but real, genuine proof of life's revival!
This breathing was the most beautiful sound Zabuza had ever heard!
Haku wasn't dead! He hadn't gone to that cold, unreachable other shore.
This realization instantly shattered the heavy shackles and despair that had nearly crushed him. Enormous joy and indescribable anguish surged simultaneously, making this "Demon" accustomed to coldness and killing unable to maintain any composure.
He tremblingly, extremely carefully bent down and gently gathered the still unconscious but stable Haku into his arms.
Silent tears burst forth like a broken dam, mixing with the earlier blood and dirt to fall in large drops on Haku's clothes and beside his pale but revitalized face. This was his release after surviving catastrophe, and the enormous emotional impact of loss and recovery.
Menma's gaze moved away from this touching scene to sweep over the pile of headless corpses left by Gato's subordinates nearby. This subtle movement made Kakashi's already taut nerves skip a beat.
However, the next moment, a precisely controlled violent hurricane formed from nowhere again, not attacking anyone, but quickly gathering up that bloody mess of severed limbs and the sticky blood sprayed everywhere, carrying it all over the bridge railing into the surging seawater below.
Only the large patches of dark red bloodstains that couldn't be completely blown away remained on the bridge surface, silently testifying to the brutal slaughter that had occurred.
Can't let Satsuki see this bloody scene...
This was Menma's or rather, Naruto's subconscious thought driving him to complete this cleanup.
After finishing this, Menma glanced toward where Kakuzu had dragged Gato away, understanding that Kakuzu's "financial audit" work wouldn't be finished anytime soon.
So he didn't linger, stepping forward to place his hand on the shoulder of Zabuza, who was still immersed in overwhelming emotion, holding Haku and crying silently.
As the Flying Thunder God Technique activated, the three figures instantly blurred and vanished from the spot, leaving only the empty bridge surface, the not-yet-dried bloodstains, and a stunned Kakashi and his group, pressure suddenly lifted but hearts full of shock and confusion.
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