Chapter 3 — Momochi Zabuza
Passing through layers of thick mist by boat, Team Kakashi finally escorted Tazuna beneath the massive bridge under construction in the Land of Waves.
Mist swirled everywhere, making the surroundings look almost like a fairyland. The great bridge loomed faintly within the fog, appearing and disappearing as the mist shifted.
As the boat slowly approached the shore, Kakashi's calm and steady voice broke the silence.
"Mr. Tazuna, before the boat reaches land, there are a few things I need to clarify. Who exactly is targeting you, and why are you being attacked? If you refuse to answer, then our mission will end immediately once you step ashore."
Faced with Kakashi's questioning, Tazuna lowered his head in silence, his brows tightly furrowed.
After a moment of internal struggle, he finally spoke.
"It seems I have no choice but to tell you… No, please listen carefully. Just as you said, this job is probably outside the scope of your mission. The truth is, my life has already been targeted by a truly terrifying man."
Kakashi frowned in confusion.
"A terrifying man? Who?"
Tazuna continued,
"You've probably heard his name before. He's a wealthy tycoon who runs a shipping company. His name is Gatō."
Kakashi's expression immediately changed in shock.
"What? Gatō? The president of Gatō Company? I heard he's one of the richest men in the world."
Gojo Satoru couldn't help becoming curious. In fact, he was curious about almost everything in this new world.
"Who? Who? What? What?"
Tazuna closed his eyes, a pained expression crossing his face.
"That's right. On the surface, he's the owner of a shipping company. But behind the scenes, he uses gangs and ninja to deal drugs and smuggle contraband. He even swallows up other companies and nations. He's done all kinds of unspeakable things."
He continued speaking.
"About a year ago, that man set his sights on the Land of Waves. With his wealth and violence, he quickly monopolized the island's sea routes and shipping. For an island nation like ours, controlling maritime transport means controlling all the wealth, politics, and people of the country. Right now, the only thing Gatō fears is the completion of this bridge."
Sakura stroked her chin thoughtfully and said,
"I see. That means the bridge builder here is standing in Gatō's way."
Sasuke glanced at her and added,
"Then those ninja we encountered earlier must be Gatō's lackeys."
Gojo thought to himself quietly.
One of the richest men in the world? Then the ninja he can hire definitely won't be ordinary ones. This is getting more and more interesting.
At that moment, Kakashi spoke again.
"But what I don't understand is this: the enemy is clearly someone dangerous enough to hire ninja. Why hide the truth and hire us under false pretenses?"
Tazuna looked at Kakashi and answered honestly.
"The Land of Waves is an extremely poor country. Even the feudal lord has no money. Naturally, I'm completely broke as well. I simply can't afford the high payment required for a B-rank mission or higher. If you cancel the mission the moment we reach shore, I'll definitely be killed before I even make it home."
He sighed and continued.
"But it's fine. Even if I die, the only ones who'll suffer are my adorable eight-year-old granddaughter, who will cry every day… and my daughter, who will spend the rest of her life hating Konoha's ninja, living in loneliness. Of course, none of that would be your fault."
It was quite a pitiful story—mixed with a bit of emotional manipulation.
After hearing Tazuna's words, Kakashi and the others' expressions immediately became complicated. They exchanged glances with one another.
Kakashi scratched his head protector and gave a wry smile.
"Alright… I guess there's nothing we can do. We'll continue protecting you."
Tazuna showed a look of triumph.
"Oh, then I'm truly grateful."
As the boat continued moving forward, the surrounding mist gradually faded behind them.
Thanks to the boatman's skillful navigation, they finally arrived safely at the interior of the Land of Waves.
When the boat came to a steady stop at the shore, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, they hadn't encountered any ninja along the way.
Stepping onto the land of the Land of Waves, the group began exploring this unfamiliar environment.
However, a pair of sharp eyes were watching them from the shadows.
On a large tree by the roadside, Momochi Zabuza lay quietly in ambush. His figure blended perfectly with the leaves, making him nearly impossible to detect.
But no matter how perfect the disguise was, it couldn't fool the eyes of these two.
Kakashi relied on his vast experience to pinpoint Zabuza's location.
As for Gojo Satoru—he practically saw right through Zabuza down to his underwear.
Even Gojo himself hadn't expected that after being reborn as Naruto, the Six Eyes would be reborn along with him—only now they existed in a far more concealed form.
"Naruto's" iconic azure-blue eyes appeared no different on the outside, yet internally they had completely transformed into the Six Eyes.
The Six Eyes granted Gojo abilities far beyond imagination.
A 360-degree field of vision at long distances—he could see behind himself, observe from afar without blind spots, much like the Byakugan.
He could see through an opponent's techniques and directly trace or predict the trajectory of chakra.
They also allowed extremely precise chakra manipulation, similar to the abilities granted by the Sharingan.
Even obstructed vision could not interfere with his sight.
In short, nothing could remain hidden before Gojo Satoru.
There were no secrets.
Hiding was impossible.
Neither Kakashi nor Gojo immediately exposed Momochi Zabuza. Instead, both chose to quietly observe the situation.
As Kakashi's group approached, a cold gleam flashed through Zabuza's eyes.
He stared intently at Kakashi, thinking to himself:
I see… if it's that guy, then no wonder the Demon Brothers were defeated. The Copy Ninja of Konohagakure… Kakashi of the Sharingan.
At that tense and delicate moment, Momochi Zabuza suddenly launched his attack.
His speed was lightning-fast. With a powerful motion, he hurled the massive blade in his hand, sending it flying toward them with unstoppable force.
"Everyone, get down!" Kakashi shouted, warning the group to dodge the sudden strike.
Hearing his command, everyone reacted immediately, bending down and lowering themselves.
Gojo, on the other hand, lazily leaned his body backward with a casual motion.
The enormous blade swept past just above his face and the others' heads before finally crashing into a tree behind them with a deafening boom.
In the next moment, a figure flashed through the air.
Momochi Zabuza landed firmly atop the trembling blade, standing there like a proud king making his grand entrance.
Tazuna, overwhelmed with fear, simply clutched his head and ducked down, terrified of being struck by the massive weapon.
Sakura and Sasuke, however, stared at Gojo in shock.
Sakura muttered to herself inwardly, convinced that Gojo had merely gotten lucky—just barely dodging the attack by coincidence—and now he was acting cool about it.
Sasuke also frowned deeply. While he acknowledged that Gojo had avoided the strike, he too believed it was nothing more than luck.
Kakashi's gaze, however, became noticeably deeper.
He had observed how calmly Gojo had evaded the attack, and a hint of suspicion began to form in his mind. For the first time, he started to reassess this seemingly useless boy.
As for Momochi Zabuza, he had originally intended to test Kakashi.
He hadn't expected to be toyed with by a kid.
Zabuza despised that kind of show-off genius. In his eyes, Gojo's evasive movement had been far too relaxed and casual—almost as if he were mocking the weakness of his attack.
Especially when Gojo straightened his back, casually swayed his body from side to side, and said in a calm tone:
"Whoa, that was close. I almost got cut in half."
That offhand remark completely infuriated Momochi Zabuza.
He suddenly turned his head, glaring viciously at Gojo.
Through clenched teeth, he growled:
"Kid… the next swing will take your head."