Saiyans in the Naruto world

Haku, who had been taking care of Zabuza, was overjoyed to see that Zabuza had woken up.

"Bai, you went too far."

Zabuza felt a pain in his neck, causing him to gasp involuntarily.

"I had no choice! If I didn't put on a serious act, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fool them."

Haku was also filled with lingering fear. During the rescue of Zabuza, he was so nervous that his hands and feet were sweating, fearing that Carrot and the others would notice something amiss. Fortunately, he succeeded.

"Once they realize what's happening, they'll know I'm not dead yet."

Zabuza said confidently, knowing that with their intelligence, they must have already found a flaw in Haku's actions and realized he was still alive. Zabuza didn't underestimate anyone; he knew Kakashi would definitely notice.

"Lord Zabuza, what should we do next?"

Haku looked completely bewildered, but he was content just to be by Zabuza's side.

"I'm going back to the Land of Waves now. That bastard Gato's information almost killed me. I'm going back to settle the score with him. I'll teach him a lesson for deceiving me."

Zabuza's anger flared whenever he thought of Gato, that short, stocky guy. The information he'd been given had actually caused him a major setback.

Zabuza has wronged Gato. According to Gato's intelligence sources, he only knew that Tazuna had hired ninjas to protect him in Konoha, but he did not know that a big fish like Kakashi would accept this mission. It was all a coincidence.

Zabuza certainly wouldn't take the blame himself; in fact, he initiated the attack. The more arrogant he was before, the more pathetic he became afterward. Zabuza needed to vent his anger, and Kakashi, being rich and weak, was the perfect punching bag. As for Kakashi, Zabuza didn't want to bother him. Knowing something is futile and still doing it is something only a fool would do, and Zabuza considered himself a smart man; he wouldn't be foolish.

If Karot had known Zabuza had such thoughts, he would have immediately killed Zabuza. Karot allowed Haku to rescue Zabuza, hoping that Zabuza would cause trouble for Kakashi. But Zabuza chickened out.

Kakashi and the others finally took Tazuna home and moved in as well. After dinner, Kakashi spent the whole day reviewing the day's battle.

"Kakashi-sensei, is there something you can't figure out?"

Sakura, with her keen observation, noticed Kakashi's distracted state. She wanted to help Kakashi, hence the question.

Upon hearing Sakura's words, Naruto, Sasuke, and Tazuna's family all looked at Kakashi.

"Zabuza should not be dead."

Kakashi shared his assessment.

"How is that possible?" x3

"Wasn't that ninja named Zabuza killed by their pursuit team?"

Tazuna's experience today was more dangerous than half his life had ever been; the pressure from Zabuza was immense. He felt like he had walked through the gates of hell today. He never wanted to see that man again.

"That's the strange thing. Assassination squads are only responsible for killing the target and then taking away the evidence that can prove the target's identity. Think about how that ninja did it?"

"That ninja took Zabuza's body away."

Sakura recounted what the ninja had done. Her expression changed.

"It seems you know."

When Kakashi saw Sakura's expression change, he knew she had guessed it too.

"What are you talking about?"

Only Naruto is unaware of this.

Looking at the clear, foolish eyes of his teacher's son, Kakashi felt a deep sense of defeat. How could someone as outstanding as his teacher have given birth to such a child? Was it a genetic mutation?

"The pursuit team only needs to take Zabuza's head as proof when they return, and that ninja was clearly there to rescue Zabuza. They're in cahoots."

Kakashi explained the whole story to Naruto. Naruto then realized what had happened.

"Damn it, that bastard Carrot didn't tell me."

Kakashi slammed his fist on the table and started cursing at Korot. He could only curse behind Korot's back; he wouldn't dare do that in front of Korot.

"Kakashi-sensei, your brother might have been deceived by Zabuza's accomplices too, right? We were fooled in the same way, weren't we?"

Sasuke then spoke highly of Karot, because Karot's performance had earned Sasuke's deep admiration. He didn't want anyone speaking ill of his idol behind his back, not even Kakashi, who was his brother.

“It might be possible with anyone else, but he is Carrot. No one can pull any tricks under his nose.”

After being away for so long, he dug himself a hole as soon as he came back. What a great older brother! The astute Kakashi understood Karot's actions.

"Carrot did this because he let his guard down."

Kakashi mentally reviewed his actions. He understood what he had failed at and resolved to ensure he wouldn't repeat the mistake.

"Having seen your performance today, your strength is still too weak. We will start training first thing tomorrow morning to help you improve your strength in preparation for any possible battles."

Kakashi felt he needed to help his student improve his strength. While he wasn't afraid of Zabuza himself, Zabuza's subordinate was quite powerful. By training his student to deal with Zabuza's subordinate, he could focus solely on Zabuza.

"Yes." X3

Kakashi's morale was high, but what Kakashi didn't know was that Zabuza wouldn't bother him again. Although Zabuza wasn't afraid of death, he didn't want to seek it out.

Chapter 127 Blocking the Road

When Zabuza was about to confront Gato, they were stopped.

"who are you?"

Seeing someone blocking his way, Zabuza asked warily, not believing the two people in front of him were just passing by. Zabuza had lost count of how many assassination attempts he had faced over the years, but this time was different—he was injured and unable to unleash his full power. And the two in front of him clearly had ill intentions.

They were clearly not respectable people, judging from their attire. The respectable one was dressed in all black with red cloud patterns on the clothes. Crucially, one of them wore a mask, while the other was so dark that his face was obscured, clearly indicating he wasn't a respectable person. The masked man's faint but palpable murderous aura suggested he couldn't perfectly control it because he had killed too many people.

"If you want to kill me, you'll have to see what you're made of."

Seeing that the two ignored him, Zabuza drew his guillotine from his back and assumed a defensive stance.

The masked man seemed to have been waiting for Zabuza. Seeing that Zabuza was ready, he stomped his foot, leaving a footprint in the ground, and instantly rushed in front of Zabuza. A punch was aimed straight at Zabuza's face.

Zabuza swung his broadsword horizontally, blocking the oncoming punch.

"when."

Zabuza's greatsword began to hum, and he nearly lost his grip. This showed just how powerful the punch was, and coupled with Zabuza's previous injuries—although he had received treatment—his strength had been significantly reduced.

Seeing an opportunity, Bai launched a rapid barrage of flying needles, attempting to force the masked man to defend and disrupt his offensive rhythm. However, he underestimated the masked man. With a flick of his long robe, the masked man concealed the needles within his sleeve. Then, his single eye instantly turned red and glanced at Bai. Bai froze on the spot, his eyes glazed over, clearly a sign of being under an illusion.

Unfortunately, Zabuza's view was blocked by the Executioner's Blade, so he didn't see that the masked man had Sharingan. When Zabuza moved the Executioner's Blade away, the masked man's Sharingan returned to its black and white state.

Zabuza slipped and pushed Shiro next to him, shaking Shiro's body, but Shiro remained trapped in the illusion, showing no sign of waking up.

"What exactly did you do to him?"

Zabuza, suppressing his anger, spoke to the masked man. Haku was a ray of light in Zabuza's heart, and he didn't want Haku to suffer any harm. However, this masked man was too strange; Zabuza didn't even know how Haku had fallen under the genjutsu.

"I didn't do anything. I just didn't want him to interfere with our fight."

The masked man spoke up.

Zabuza was worried about whether he could survive. Two enemies had arrived, one attacking and the other watching. The one who attacked subdued his helper in an instant, demonstrating his formidable strength.

Zabuza glanced at Haku. He wanted to find a way for Haku to live. He could die, but Haku should live.

Zabuza gripped his greatsword tightly, as if he had made a decision in his heart.

"Your target should be me, right? If I give up resistance, could you spare his life?"

Zabuza stared straight at the masked man and said.

"Oh, why should I let him go? Dealing with the two of you wouldn't be difficult at all."

The masked man said with interest that before coming to see Zabuza, he had investigated Zabuza beforehand. Zabuza was a cold-blooded assassin who took money to do his jobs, and whether the target was an unarmed infant or the elderly and infirm, Zabuza would carry out his orders to the end as long as he was paid. But now, he was willing to give up his own life for a boy. This made the masked man like Zabuza even more, because a subordinate with a weakness is easier to control.

"You are powerful, but if I fight back desperately, risking my life for yours, you will inevitably be injured. It would be a loss for you."

“If you let him go, I’m willing to die, and you can take my head and collect the reward.”

This was the first time Zabuza had spoken so much. In the past, he was a ruthless and taciturn man, who would wield his guillotine and slaughter indiscriminately. He had never been so humble and begging for death.

"Your idea is good, but I don't accept it. However, if your abilities satisfy me, I wouldn't mind letting you two go."

The masked man's purpose in coming here was to recruit Zabuza. Zabuza's strength was quite good among elite Jonin. If given enough resources, it was not impossible for him to become a Kage. However, he encountered Kakashi, who had no weaknesses and whose strength was Kage-level. It was normal for him to be defeated.

Upon hearing the masked man's words, Zabuza's face turned serious and his eyes sharpened. He didn't know if the masked man was lying to him, but he had no choice. He was going to gamble with his life to see if what the masked man said was true.

Zabuza carefully observed the masked man. Seeing him standing there leisurely, Zabuza knew he was being provoked into making the first move. This was the first time Zabuza had ever been so blatantly disrespected. His pride was utterly trampled upon by the masked man at that moment.

Zabuza ran quickly with his sword, and in the blink of an eye, he rushed in front of the masked man. He slashed horizontally with his sword, trying to cut the masked man in half. This slash was extremely fast, exceeding Zabuza's usual level. With someone to protect, Zabuza performed beyond his usual level.

After the slash, the masked man was no longer in front of Zabuza. Zabuza only felt that his Executioner's Blade had become even heavier.

Turning my head, I saw the masked man standing on the guillotine.

"That slash was brutal..."

Before the masked man could finish speaking, Zabuza activated his ninjutsu.

"The Water Cloaking Technique".

A clone burst forth from Zabuza's body, stepping on Zabuza's shoulder to receive the momentum. Zabuza twisted his shoulder, and the clone launched like a cannonball, instantly appearing before the masked man. Just as the kunai pierced the masked man's body, a smile appeared on Zabuza's face; he was relieved that his attack had worked.

However, his smile vanished instantly. The clone's body passed directly through the masked man's body.

"Shocking or not, unexpected or not."

The masked man spoke to Zabuza.

After his initial shock, Zabuza resumed his attack. The ninja world was teeming with strange and unusual abilities; with proper intelligence gathering, he might be able to find a weakness and launch a counterattack. Zabuza's clone and his main body attacked the masked man from both sides, his large sword slashing repeatedly at him. However, Zabuza felt no resistance from his blades, as if he were swinging them at thin air.