The moment Zabuza died— Inside the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, Haku suddenly stopped moving.
He stood within one of the ice mirrors like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
His voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Zabuza-san…
is dead.” Then a mission panel appeared.
New Mission Triggered: A Choice of Fate — A-rank Mission Description: Zabuza has fallen in battle, and you are now in grave danger.
Will you follow the path fate laid out for you and die quietly here?
Or will you continue living and seek your own reason for existence?
Make your choice.
Reward: One random A-rank reward, determined according to your decision.
Haku stared at the mission for a long time.
“Choose my own fate…?” For Haku, Zabuza had once been everything.
At least, that was what he had always believed.
But now, with death approaching and his own life suddenly hanging in the balance, something inside his normally calm heart began to struggle.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
“So…
I am afraid of dying after all.” That brief hesitation had already given him his answer.
Haku slowly raised his head.
“Then I’ll keep living.” “I want to see what else this life has to offer.” The mission panel immediately changed.
Mission Complete: A Choice of Fate — A-rank Reward: Water Breathing Origin: Demon Slayer — a sword style passed down by a kindhearted young swordsman.
Claim reward?
“Claim.” A skill book appeared.
Haku pressed it against himself.
The book shattered into countless motes of light that flowed into his body.
In an instant, his mind filled with years upon years of training.
Swordsmanship.
Breathing patterns.
Footwork.
Timing.
Muscle control.
At first, every movement had been clumsy.
Then gradually smoother.
Then natural.
Finally— Total Concentration Breathing.
For a fleeting moment, Haku seemed to see a young swordsman standing before him.
The boy’s expression was gentle.
There was warmth in his eyes.
A kindness that extended even toward those he fought.
Haku smiled faintly.
“Water Breathing…” “So this is what you wanted to leave behind.” “You really were a gentle person.” Something subtle seemed to change inside him.
He lowered his gaze toward Naruto and Sasuke.
Both were battered and exhausted.
For a moment, Haku looked as though he might attack again.
In the end, he didn’t.
He let out a quiet sigh.
“Naruto.
Sasuke.” “This time, you win.” “I look forward to the day we meet again.” The moment he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the ice mirrors.
Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other.
Both relaxed slightly.
But neither looked satisfied.
“Damn it!” Sasuke clenched his fist.
“Next time, I’ll beat him.” “Naruto!
Sasuke!” Kakashi suddenly appeared outside the ice mirrors.
“Are you two all right?” Before they could answer, his expression changed.
He turned sharply toward Zabuza’s corpse.
Someone was standing beside it.
Haku.
Before Kakashi could react, Haku lifted Zabuza’s body and disappeared.
“He left?” Kakashi frowned.
Only when his mission panel appeared did he finally accept that the battle was truly over.
Mission Complete: Protect Tazuna — A-rank Congratulations.
Reward obtained: A-rank Skill — Thunder Breathing Origin: Demon Slayer — a sword style.
Claim reward?
Kakashi exhaled in relief.
He didn’t claim it immediately.
Instead, he regrouped with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
Sakura began treating Naruto and Sasuke’s injuries.
After that, Kakashi and Tazuna went to find the workers who had fled the bridge.
Before long, construction resumed.
The once-deserted bridge became noisy and crowded again.
Only then did Kakashi return to the three Genin.
He arrived just in time to hear them comparing rewards.
“I got the Chakra Scalpel!” Sakura said happily.
“Now I finally have something I can use offensively.” Naruto, on the other hand, looked far less pleased.
“Why did I get a taijutsu technique?!” He stared at his reward.
“Soru, one of the Six Powers…” Naruto groaned.
“Taijutsu isn’t nearly as cool as ninjutsu.” Then he turned toward Sasuke.
“What about you?” Sasuke held up his skill book.
“A Fire Release technique.” His expression was curious.
“The note says it was converted from some kind of magic.” “It’s called Flame Blade.” Sasuke was already studying it carefully.
Sakura noticed Kakashi approaching.
“Kakashi-sensei, what did you get?” “A sword style.” Kakashi answered simply.
But there was a faint sadness in his expression.
The reward had reminded him of his father.
Then his tone became serious.
“All of you should learn your rewards now.” “And afterward, spend time getting used to them.” The three Genin looked at him.
Kakashi continued.
“You saw what happened to Zabuza.” “He suddenly gained power he’d never possessed before and let it go to his head.” “He stopped fighting like a careful shinobi.” “That mistake killed him.” “So remember this.” “Power you haven’t properly adapted to can be just as dangerous to you as it is to your enemy.” “Yes!” The three immediately answered.
Kakashi had already explained how different Zabuza’s current fighting style was from his usual methods.
That contrast had left a deep impression on them.
Kakashi finally claimed his own reward.
The skill book dissolved into light.
Knowledge flooded his mind.
A moment later, his eye widened.
“So this is Thunder Breathing…” He was genuinely shocked.
It was a complete swordsmanship system.
Not only could it dramatically increase explosive physical power for short periods, but repeated use and training could also improve the user’s underlying physical condition.
The more Kakashi examined the technique, the more impressed he became.
This reward is far better than I expected.
And there was something else.
Kakashi walked a short distance away.
He took a deep breath.
Then he lowered his stance and placed one hand on the short sword he carried.
“Thunder Breathing…” “First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!” Whoosh!
Kakashi vanished.
A streak of lightning flashed through the clearing.
He reappeared behind a tree.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then— Crack.
The trunk split apart and crashed to the ground.
Kakashi looked back at it.
“Powerful.” His eye gleamed.
“And just as I thought…” “I can strengthen the sword style further by combining it with the shape and nature transformation of Lightning Release chakra.” He replayed that instant in his mind.
For just a moment, he had felt strangely similar to his father— Sakumo Hatake.
Konoha’s White Fang.
Kakashi lowered the blade.
“Looks like I’ll have to start taking swordsmanship seriously again.” Inside Itsuki’s building, Itsuki watched the entire battle through the projection.
He silently compared Kakashi and Zabuza’s performance with his own current strength.
After several days of intensive training in the virtual combat space, he had gained much greater confidence in his combat ability.
Against someone around Kakashi’s level…
Even without relying on Logia intangibility, I should be able to win.
Itsuki was satisfied with his progress.
Then he flipped one hand over.
An Invitation Card appeared between his fingers.
A faint smile spread across his face.
“Time to bring in another player.” “If I wait any longer, I’ll miss an S-rank mission.” His eyes narrowed with anticipation.
“Orochimaru…” “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
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