Two blurs raced through the mist.
Steel met steel.
Will clashed with will.
Then—silence.
Kakashi and Zabuza now stood with their backs to each other, blades lowered, breaths shallow.
Time paused.
Even the river stilled to witness.
Then—thud.
Zabuza collapsed; the great Kiri no Kijin was finally brought to his knees, not by hatred… but by a reminder of what he once fought for.
"Kakashi... the Copy Ninja… takes the win," Zabuza muttered, a bitter grin tugging at his lips as he lay on the river's surface, half-submerged.
But Kakashi didn't smile.
He turned his head slightly, his voice steady, low, and heavy with something more than pride.
"No… not Copy Ninja," he said."Son of Shiroi Kiba."
That name.
The name of the man who carried honor like a blade, who smiled through shame, who died with courage.
Zabuza chuckled—an actual chuckle, dry and raw. That was a name worth losing to. A man worth remembering.
Then he slipped into unconsciousness.
His body began to sink, pulled gently by the river's current—as if the water itself was mourning.
But Kakashi wasn't letting him go. Not like this.
He moved quickly, catching Zabuza's body before it was claimed by the depths. Despite his wounds, despite his exhaustion, he carried him—the enemy who reminded him of himself—back to the bank.
Like a fallen comrade.
Sasuke and Tazuna came near as Kakashi knelt beside the unconscious body of Zabuza, still catching his breath.
Tazuna crossed his arms, peering down. "So… uh, what are you gonna do with him?"
Kakashi glanced at Zabuza, then away, clearly at a loss. "I'm… not sure. Where's Naruto?"
Sasuke tilted his head in the direction of the grassy slope behind them. Tazuna followed his gaze, lips twitching in disbelief.
Kakashi turned too—and froze.
Naruto and Karin were still at it. Lips locked. Not a care in the world. Time? Irrelevant. War? Optional. PDA? Mandatory.
Kakashi blinked.
Once. Twice.
Then slowly turned back to Tazuna and Sasuke with a look of eternal suffering.
"…I'm over here fighting for my life," he said flatly, "and that brat's out there acting like it's a honeymoon."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "They've been like this all morning."
Tazuna let out a helpless chuckle. "I mean… young love, eh?"
Kakashi just sighed, exhausted. "This is why I read Icha Icha… At least Jiraiya's characters don't ignore battlefield protocol."
"Don't add your preferences in between," Sasuke said, throwing Kakashi a deadpan glare.
Kakashi raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, geez. Back to business."
He paused, mentally rifling through protocol and mission etiquette like an overworked Chūnin exam proctor.
For a moment, the only sound was… well, some very loud, very unapologetic kissing in the background.
Smack… smooch…
Kakashi's eye twitched. "They're gonna die of oxygen deprivation at this rate."
Trying to ignore the passionate apocalypse happening 20 meters away, he finally said, "He's a rogue ninja from Kirigakure. We can't take any action against him ourselves. I'll contact Konoha—they can coordinate with Kiri for his extradition."
Sasuke nodded. "Good plan. Let's do that."
Tazuna scratched his head. "But until then… what do we do with him?"
"Temporary detainment," Kakashi replied. "We bring him to your village, bind him, and wait for backup."
But just as he finished his sentence—
A voice, sharp and unfamiliar, cut through the woods like a blade through mist.
"Hand him over to me."
Instantly, Kakashi, Sasuke, and even Tazuna were on alert. Kakashi stood, placing himself protectively in front of Zabuza's unconscious body.
From the shadow of the trees, a figure emerged—tall, lean, with a hunter-nin mask glinting in the sunlight.
"Who are you?" Kakashi demanded, hand hovering near his kunai pouch.
The figure tilted their head slightly. "A hunter-nin… from Kirigakure."
The mask was standard, yes. The tone? Oddly soft. Too soft.
And something about the chakra signature—it was masked well, but not enough.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Why would a hunter-nin come alone… and just now?"
Kakashi's visible eye sharpened.
'Something's off.'
"I was hunting him," the hunter-nin said calmly, voice muffled slightly through the porcelain mask. "Once I tracked his whereabouts, I followed. Upon arrival, I saw he'd already been defeated. I'll take him to Kirigakure myself."
Kakashi gave a thoughtful nod, but the crease in his brow deepened. "I see…" he murmured, though his instincts weren't buying the story.
Too clean. Too quick. Something's fishy.
Before he could question it further, another voice chimed in—smooth, casual, and almost too unfazed by the tension in the air.
"Why not?" it said. "Our mission's to protect Tazuna, not play bounty hunter with Zabuza."
Heads turned toward the voice's owner.
Naruto strolled up casually—shirt rumpled, hair windswept, and that classic "I just changed the plot" grin playing on his face.
Karin walked beside him, the breeze gently tugging at her red hair. A confident spark in her eyes and a faint smile that said she knew Naruto like the back of her hand.
Naruto stopped beside Kakashi and gave the hunter-nin a long look.
"Let's just leave him to hunter-nin," Naruto said coolly, brushing his fingers through his hair as if brushing off the tension too. "We've still got a mission to finish."
Kakashi studied Naruto for a second—then sighed, resigned. If the kid said so, he'd trust it.
"Alright," he said, turning to the masked ninja. "You can take him. Keep the credit for the capture, too. We're not in this for the fame."
The hunter-nin nodded silently, bowed with practiced grace, and lifted Zabuza's limp form with ease. A moment later, they vanished into the trees, melting into the forest like a shadow at dusk.
Everyone turned to leave, the tension slowly lifting as their mission resumed.
But Naruto didn't move.
He just stood there, eyes locked on the place where the hunter had disappeared—silent, contemplative, as if listening to the wind whisper secrets only he could hear.
Karin, noticing, gently tugged his sleeve. "Nii-san, let's go," she said with a soft smile.
"Yeah…" he replied, still distracted.
She blinked. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Naruto said, finally turning away. "Just… a feeling."
Karin tilted her head.
"A feeling that we'll see them again," he added, voice barely above a whisper.
And as the group walked away, the wind danced through the leaves, as if agreeing with him.
As the group trudged toward the river's edge, the tension from the battle slowly began to settle—until Kakashi suddenly stumbled.
Then collapsed.
"Kakashi!" Tazuna cried out, panicking as the man hit the ground.
Naruto was by his side in a second. "Don't worry, Sensei," he said calmly, placing a hand on Tazuna's shoulder. "He'll be fine. He just needs rest."
"I actually thought he'd drop the second Zabuza went down," Karin added, adjusting her coat with a sigh. "Guess he's more stubborn than I gave him credit for."
Without a word, Sasuke bent down, hoisted Kakashi up onto his back, and carried him like it was second nature.
Tazuna led the way down to the water's edge, where an old wooden boat was waiting for them.
"With this boat, we'll be in Nami no Kuni in a few hours," Tazuna said, motioning them in.
They climbed aboard one by one. Sasuke gently laid Kakashi down, making sure he wouldn't roll over the edge.
The boat creaked as it pushed off into the water, ripples dancing beneath the hull. Wind tugged gently at their clothes, and the scent of salt hung in the air like a promise of things to come.
Naruto leaned on the edge, gazing at the shifting horizon.
A storm had passed.
But he could feel it.
This journey wasn't over yet.
With the Hunter-nin
The forest rustled as the hunter-nin moved through the shadows, swift and silent, carrying Zabuza's unconscious body with effortless ease. At the edge of the woods, nestled between ancient stones and thick vines, a small cave lay hidden—untouched, forgotten.
Without hesitation, the hunter stepped inside.
A low growl echoed from within.
A massive bear stirred in the darkness, its feast not long finished. Its eyes, catching the silhouette entering its den, gleamed with irritation. Rising to its full height, it let out a thunderous roar and lunged forward, teeth bared and claws raised.
But the hunter-nin didn't flinch.
A flick of the wrist. A sharp glint in the dim light.
A senbon needle flew through the air with surgical precision—embedding itself into the beast's neck.
The bear halted mid-charge, stumbled once, and collapsed to the ground like a crumbling boulder.
"Still too noisy," the hunter murmured softly, voice calm and neutral.
Stepping past the motionless creature, the hunter laid Zabuza down gently near the cave wall. Fingers moved deftly, checking his pulse, adjusting his posture.
Then, slowly, the mask came off—revealing a youthful face, elegant and serene, framed by loose strands of dark hair. A face that radiated quiet strength and unwavering loyalty.
"You'll be alright," the hunter said gently, voice barely above a whisper. "Like always… I'll protect you."
Outside, the trees swayed with the wind.
Inside, loyalty stood vigil—silent, watchful, and ready.