“Ah!
It’s Sora-sama!” Haku looked at Kurō as he walked toward him and Zabuza, and those large black eyes instantly lit up.
He quickly set the rabbit cage in his arms carefully by his feet, then bowed respectfully.
Kurō looked at Haku and replied with a smile.
“Long time no see, Haku.
You look full of energy.
How have you been lately?” His smile was warm, and his tone was gentle.
There was none of the condescension powerful figures usually carried.
He sounded more like an older neighbor chatting with a child.
Haku raised his head and looked at the kind young man before him.
The corners of his mouth curved upward on their own.
His cheeks flushed slightly, either from excitement or nervousness, but the light in his eyes was real and bright.
“Thank you for your concern, Sora-sama.
I’ve been doing very well!” His voice was clear, carrying the liveliness unique to a young boy, though it had more restraint and politeness than most children his age.
“Zabuza-sama treats me very well!
Whether in daily life or training, he takes good care of me!” As he spoke, he naturally leaned a little closer to Zabuza.
His small hand reached out, instinctively wanting to hold Zabuza’s hand.
Zabuza turned his head and clicked his tongue.
His body shifted slightly, avoiding Haku’s hand.
He turned his face away, putting on an impatient expression.
Haku did not mind at all.
The smile at the corner of his mouth did not fade in the slightest.
He merely raised his head and looked at Zabuza beside him with those clear eyes, full of attachment.
Kurō looked at Zabuza, who was now acting awkward, and could not help laughing.
He had known Zabuza for so many years, but this was the first time he had seen the Demon of the Mist, a man who killed without blinking, reveal such an embarrassed expression.
“Sora-sama…” Zabuza looked at the smiling Kurō and was momentarily at a loss for words.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
On that sharp, angular face, a rare unnatural flush appeared.
If anyone else dared laugh at him like this, he would have drawn the Kubikiribōchō from his back and taught them exactly how sharp his blade was.
But the person standing before him was Shiina Sora.
The first Assistant to the Mizukage in Kirigakure’s history.
The man who had changed Kirigakure with his own strength.
The benefactor who had found Zabuza when he was planning to assassinate the Mizukage, then convinced him through strength and action, allowing him to see a new future for Kirigakure.
It was precisely because of Sora’s efforts that Zabuza now had this calm, peaceful life he had once never dared imagine, no longer needing to struggle for survival inside the Bloody Mist.
Facing the benefactor who had changed his life, Zabuza could only choose silence to hide what he was thinking.
Kurō looked at the slightly embarrassed Zabuza and stopped laughing.
With great interest, he said, “Looks like Haku really likes you.
You’ve become an excellent teacher, Zabuza.” He paused, and the corners of his mouth could not help rising again.
“Though I have to say… I really didn’t expect you to take this child shopping.” Faced with Kurō’s teasing words, Zabuza could not help retorting, “It’s only because I made a promise to this brat.” He glanced at Haku beside him.
His tone carried a hint of disdain, but if one listened carefully, there was a faint trace of guilt hidden beneath it.
“I told him that if he completed the training task I assigned him, I would grant him one request.
“But who would have thought his request would just be going shopping?” He shook his head, as if he had seen something completely unreasonable.
“Tch… in the end, he’s just a kid.” Haku listened to Zabuza’s words from beside him and lowered his head a little, looking somewhat disappointed.
Zabuza saw Haku’s lowered head and opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But the words turned over and over in his throat, and he still could not say them.
His lips moved a few times before he finally squeezed out a stiff sentence.
“That’s enough for today.
Go home and find your mother first.
Tomorrow, we continue training according to the plan.” Haku’s body paused slightly.
He nodded and said softly, “Yes, Zabuza-sensei.” He turned and was about to leave.
“Wait!” Zabuza’s voice suddenly sounded from behind him, carrying a kind of urgency even he himself did not notice.
Haku turned back in confusion, his large eyes full of puzzlement.
“You forgot this.” Zabuza’s gaze was somewhat stiff.
Very unwillingly, he bent down and lifted the snow-white rabbit out of the cage by his feet.
He held the rabbit by the back of its neck.
His movement was not gentle, and even seemed a little rough, but his hand was steady and did not hurt the rabbit at all.
He handed the rabbit to Haku.
Haku’s eyes lit up in an instant.
That light rose from the bottom of his eyes, illuminating his entire face like fireworks bursting open.
“Thank you, Zabuza-sensei!” He took the rabbit and carefully held it in his arms, his movements so gentle it was as if he were holding a fragile treasure.
He bowed deeply to Kurō and Zabuza, then turned and left, looking back and waving at them as he walked.
Kurō smiled and waved at Haku until that small figure disappeared into the mist.
Only then did he slowly withdraw his gaze.
Haku and Zabuza were among the few things he considered himself to have truly changed.
He remembered when he first arrived in Kirigakure.
Back then, he had still been operating as a Kirigakure ANBU and had no intention of appearing openly.
His original plan had actually been simple.
Use missions in Kirigakure as an excuse to stay away from that masked lunatic Obito, make it easier to move around, and, while he was at it, absorb Kirigakure’s accumulated knowledge of ninjutsu and secret arts to strengthen himself.
Changing Kirigakure had not been part of his plan at first.
After all, he was not sincerely helping Obito with the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan.
Joining the Akatsuki and becoming his subordinate had purely been forced by circumstances.
When it was time to work, throwing out a couple of Great Fireball Jutsu was already enough to count as earning Obito’s payment.
Working seriously?
Impossible!
However, that mindset changed instantly when Kurō learned that Obito was planning to wipe out all of Kirigakure’s major bloodline clans.
Excuse me?
How did you even come up with such a brain-dead idea?!
Each of these bloodline clans had nearly a thousand years of history.
Forget the bloodline limits and secret arts they had passed down for generations.
Their bodies alone were an enormous treasure.
Do you understand that this is wasteful?
Orochimaru next door would be drooling with envy!
In order to protect his assets… no, wait, as a messenger of love and justice, Kurō had to stop this inhuman atrocity!
In the end, after a round of persuasion, Obito abandoned the idea of weakening Kirigakure by wiping them all out.
He accepted Kurō’s strategic policy of “stay hidden, gather talent, and move slowly.” The two hit it off.
After Kurō staged a dramatic “risking his life to offer advice” performance in front of all Kirigakure, and after working together with Obito, who controlled the Fourth Mizukage, in a good-cop-bad-cop routine, they successfully brought Kirigakure’s hidden opposition under their control.
Kirigakure entered an era of two suns in the same sky.
Zabuza, who represented the faction deeply dissatisfied with the cruel rule of the Fourth Mizukage, meaning Obito behind the scenes, had now become one of Kurō’s forces.
The same was true of the surviving members of the Yuki clan, represented by Haku, who had been persecuted under those policies even earlier, as well as the Kaguya clan of the Shikotsumyaku and the Hōzuki clan.
On the surface, these forces stood in opposition to the faction represented by the Three-Tails jinchūriki, the Fourth Mizukage.
Kurō pulled his thoughts back from his memories and looked at Haku’s back gradually disappearing into the mist.
He could not help feeling emotional.
Time really passes quickly.
He turned his head and looked at Zabuza.
In those gentle eyes, a trace of seriousness appeared.
“Haku has already left.
Now it’s just the two of us here.
You can speak openly.” “You… have something you want to say to me, don’t you?” Zabuza looked toward the direction Haku had left.
Only after confirming that the small figure had completely blended into the mist did he slowly shake his head.
His expression became serious.
On that face, which usually carried a trace of hostility, there was now only the calm and caution a ninja should have.
“That brat’s talent really is excellent.
At such a young age, he already has strength no worse than a chūnin, but…” He paused.
His tone carried a hint of regret.
“He isn’t suited to being a ninja.” Kurō did not immediately respond.
He merely looked quietly at Zabuza.
There was no surprise in his eyes, no doubt, only silent permission for him to continue.
“You should understand that too, Sora-sama.” Zabuza’s voice lowered, as though he were stating a fact he did not want to admit, yet had no choice but to accept.
“His heart is too soft.
He can’t be ruthless against enemies.
He has no wariness toward strangers.
He still holds fantasies about this world that he shouldn’t have.
“A person like that wouldn’t survive a single day on the battlefield.” His fingers unconsciously tightened around the hilt of the blade on his back.
“The ninjutsu I teach him, he learns quickly.
When I teach him taijutsu, he trains very hard too.
“But the things related to killing… he isn’t suited to learning them.” “He’s different from that Kaguya brat by your side.” Kurō nodded in agreement.
“I know.” His voice was calm, as though he were speaking of something he had confirmed long ago.
“That child truly isn’t suited to being a ninja.” Zabuza’s brow furrowed slightly, as if waiting for him to say “but.” Kurō did not say “but.” He merely looked at Zabuza and spoke meaningfully.
“So this is where you, his teacher, come in, isn’t it?” Zabuza froze, then fell silent for a moment.
His gaze landed deep in the mist, in the direction where Haku had disappeared.
At some point, the hand gripping his sword hilt had already loosened.
“…I’m not suited to getting along with someone like him.” His voice was stiff, as though he were making an excuse, or perhaps trying to convince himself.
Kurō looked at him and chuckled.
Seeing that he could not convince the superior before him, Zabuza gave up struggling.
He took a deep breath, as if he had suddenly remembered something important.
His voice lowered even further.
“Sora-sama, when I was coming over earlier, I ran into Mei Terumī.” Kurō’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“She seemed to be heading toward your residence.
She said there was something she wanted to discuss with you.” Mei Terumī… Listening to Zabuza, the smile on Kurō’s face gradually disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
Isn’t that woman busy dodging the marriage interviews her clan arranged for her?
Why is she looking for me…