No one blamed Kakashi for Haku’s death.
It was tragic, certainly.
But Haku had deliberately thrown himself in front of Kakashi’s Lightning Cutter.
If anyone drew the anger of the shinobi world after watching that scene—
it was Zabuza Momochi.
Haku had been kind.
Gentle.
Unquestionably loyal.
Someone like him deserved to be valued and protected.
Yet everything shown so far made it seem as though Zabuza had regarded Haku as nothing more than a useful tool.
Even after Haku died protecting him, Zabuza had shown no hesitation in swinging the Executioner’s Blade through his body to reach Kakashi.
For many viewers, that was difficult to accept.
Then the screen changed.
A new question appeared.
[QUESTION]
[How did Zabuza Momochi truly feel about Haku?]
[A: Indifferent.
Whether Haku lived or died meant nothing to him.]
[B: He deeply cared for Haku but kept those feelings hidden.]
[C: Cold and pragmatic.
Once Haku lost his usefulness, Zabuza would abandon him.]
[Rules: Members of Live Chat Group One may race to answer.
The first ten respondents must explain the reasoning behind their choice.]
[Reward: Correct respondents will receive “One Asuma” in prize money.]
[Note: One Asuma = 35 million ryō.]
[Preparation Time: Three Minutes]
The moment everyone saw the reward, their eyes lit up.
Thirty-five million ryō!
Strength ruled much of the shinobi world, but money still made everything move.
With thirty-five million ryō, someone could hire highly capable shinobi to handle dangerous work on their behalf.
For an ordinary civilian, it was enough money to live comfortably for years.
Live Chat Group One immediately became lively.
[Shizune: Lady Tsunade…
please wipe your mouth.
You’re practically drooling.]
[Tsunade: Shizune!
Forget that and help me figure out the answer!
We are winning this money!]
Kakuzu’s interest was instantly captured.
[Kakuzu: Now this is a reward worth competing for.]
[Kakuzu: Hidan, pay attention.
It’s time to make some money.]
Kakashi focused on something completely different.
[Kakashi Hatake: Since when did “One Asuma” become a unit of currency?]
Asuma immediately realized the joke.
[Asuma Sarutobi: Hold on…
isn’t my black-market bounty exactly thirty-five million ryō?]
A familiar monk responded.
[Chiriku: Be grateful.
You’re worth five million more than I am.]
Baki sounded completely confident.
[Baki: This question is practically free money.
I could answer it with my eyes closed.]
[Kurotsuchi: Perfect timing.
I’ve had my eye on an expensive new outfit lately.
Thirty-five million should cover it nicely.]
[Chojuro: Then I guess everyone is on their own this time.]
Naruto immediately became excited.
[Naruto Uzumaki: I’m filling up my frog wallet!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: I’m going to eat as much ramen as I want!]
The three minutes quickly passed.
Unlike before, almost no one discussed their actual answer.
Thirty-five million ryō was on the line.
Nobody wanted to give their competition an advantage.
[3…]
[2…]
[1…]
[BEGIN!]
Kakuzu answered immediately.
[Kakuzu: C.
Zabuza is a mercenary and an assassin.
He’s cold-blooded enough to discard anyone who stops being useful.
Haku clearly understood that himself.]
Tsunade followed.
[Tsunade: A.
Their relationship looks purely transactional.
Zabuza uses Haku, but I don’t think he either cares deeply about him or actively despises him.
Haku is simply there when he’s useful.]
Then Naruto’s answer appeared.
[Naruto Uzumaki: B.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Zabuza never showed Haku that he cared, but I trust what Haku saw in him.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Haku said Zabuza had the same eyes he did.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: I think that means Zabuza was lonely too.
Maybe he wanted someone to need him just as much as Haku did.]
Kurotsuchi chose differently.
[Kurotsuchi: C.
Zabuza slaughtered his own classmates before he was even officially a shinobi.
Someone capable of that isn’t going to get attached to a subordinate.]
Darui’s answer appeared next.
[Darui: A.]
A pause.
[Darui: You want a reason too?
What a pain.
I don’t feel like explaining it.]
Chojuro selected another option.
[Chojuro: B.]
[Chojuro: Zabuza has always wanted to change Kirigakure and eventually become its leader.
If he truly wanted to become Mizukage, then somewhere inside him, he had to understand the importance of the people fighting beside him.]
More answers flooded in.
Then—
[ANSWERING PERIOD OVER]
[Correct Answer: B]
[The reason will be revealed in ten minutes.]
[Winners: Naruto Uzumaki, Chojuro]
For several seconds, the entire shinobi world seemed to freeze.
B?
Seriously?
Zabuza Momochi—
the Demon of the Hidden Mist—
actually cared about Haku?
After everything they’d just seen?
It sounded impossible.
Live Chat Group One erupted.
[Kakuzu: Damn it!
Zabuza is an embarrassment to mercenaries.]
[Kakuzu: Getting emotionally attached to your comrades?
Doesn’t he realize dead comrades can have bounties too?]
Tsunade was far more concerned about the money.
[Tsunade: Great.
There goes my chance to pay off some debts.]
Kurotsuchi admitted defeat.
[Kurotsuchi: I didn’t see that coming at all.
A man who looks like Zabuza actually cares about Haku?
I completely misjudged him.]
Chojuro immediately sounded pleased.
[Chojuro: I knew it!]
[Chojuro: Zabuza-senpai may act cold, but he isn’t completely heartless.]
[Chojuro: Why would someone who cared about nothing rebel against Kirigakure’s leadership in the first place?
Somewhere underneath all that brutality, he still cared about what happened to the village.]
Naruto’s attention was on Haku.
[Naruto Uzumaki: Haku!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Did you see that?]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Everything you gave him wasn’t meaningless!]
Iruka immediately switched into teacher mode.
[Iruka Umino: Naruto, listen carefully.
You’re about to receive a ridiculous amount of money.]
[Iruka Umino: Don’t waste it all in one place.
Understand?]
Kankuro was now genuinely curious.
[Kankuro: Now I really want to see the rest.]
[Kankuro: What does someone like Zabuza even look like when he finally admits he cares?]
Temari agreed.
[Temari: At least Haku gets to learn the truth before any of this happens.]
Then—
Zabuza himself finally responded.
[Zabuza Momochi: Don’t be ridiculous.]
[Zabuza Momochi: Why would I care about some brat…?]
But before he could say anything else—
the screen began playing the next scene.
And what appeared there left Zabuza completely speechless.
For all his harsh words and cold behavior…
Zabuza Momochi wasn’t nearly as heartless as he wanted everyone to believe.