Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Moreover, it was rare that Danzo was not monitoring them in the Land of Waves.

During this time, Naruto can unleash his true strength without restraint.

Taking this opportunity, secretly kill Haku and Zabuza—

—Kill him.

Chapter 18 Instant Kill of Flying Thunder God

"Naruto, he is not the enemy."

Kakashi stood up from beside Zabuza's body, confirmed Zabuza's death, and then left Zabuza's side.

Kakashi's actions were a way of telling the masked boy that he had no hostility towards him.

Upon arriving at Team 7, Kakashi breathed a slight sigh of relief after noticing that Naruto and the others, as well as Tazuna whom they were protecting, were all safe and sound.

"Zabuza, did you kill him?"

Sasuke stared at Zabuza's corpse and asked a question.

"That boy took care of it."

Kakashi answered.

"what?!"

Upon hearing the unexpected answer, Sasuke's face showed disbelief.

If Zabuza had been defeated by Kakashi, Sasuke wouldn't have had many thoughts about it, since they were both Jonin.

The previous battles also made Sasuke realize that as a rookie ninja, the gap between himself and a Jonin required a lot of combat experience to bridge.

but……

That Zabuza Momochi was actually defeated by a boy who was about the same age as me...

“He is indeed extraordinary. But Sasuke, you don’t need to be anxious. You have exceptional talent that is beyond the reach of ordinary people.”

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke and knew what he was thinking. "What you lack is growth."

Kakashi's words silenced Sasuke.

He was unwilling, but he also knew that although he was hailed as a genius by everyone, he was still too immature.

Sasuke suddenly felt somewhat grateful to Sakura for making the decision to continue the mission to the Land of Waves.

Is this the kind of battle you'll face in a Rank B mission?

Having witnessed the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza, and having learned that among their peers there was another character, like the masked boy, whose strength was so great that he could rival Zabuza.

Sasuke relaxed his furrowed brow; everything he had experienced during the mission had benefited him greatly.

Sasuke's gaze involuntarily drifted to Naruto beside him.

Naruto, what are you thinking about during this battle?

Sasuke was immersed in frustration for only a moment before his competitive spirit immediately rose.

What an astonishing rate of growth...

Paying attention to Sasuke's emotional changes, Kakashi was amazed by how quickly Sasuke had grown.

It was at this moment that the masked boy used the Body Flicker Technique to climb up the tree trunk and appear beside Zabuza's corpse.

"It seems you've all finished your discussion. Now, please allow me to take Zabuza's body and leave—this body contains a great deal of important information, and I need to spend some time processing it carefully."

As he said this, the masked boy looked at Naruto again.

"If possible, I hope to return that decapitation sword."

Naruto was holding the greatsword that originally belonged to Zabuza Momochi in his hand.

The length of this greatsword was not apparent in Zabuza's hands, but when twelve-year-old Naruto held it, the sheer size of the Executioner's Blade became clearly visible to the naked eye.

"Why? Kakashi-sensei, shouldn't this be considered our spoils of war?"

Earlier, when Kakashi used his ninja dogs to suppress Zabuza, the Executioner's Blade was disarmed by Kakashi and kicked aside.

Naruto just picked up the Executioner's Blade.

"Well... Generally speaking, after an enemy dies, his ninja tools, scrolls, and even the enemy's corpse itself become the victor's spoils of war."

Kakashi did not deny Naruto's winning logic, and even took the opportunity to teach the three members of Team 7: "However, there are also special cases like this one."

All eyes turned to Kakashi.

Kakashi explained, "In the ninja world, where information is highly valued, ninjas themselves are a very valuable source of information—the secrets of the village, the nature of chakra, the ingredients of secret medicines... My Sharingan is something that can be taken away. Once it falls into the hands of the enemy and is analyzed, the Sharingan will be used to deal with my comrades in Konoha."

"Therefore, the renegade ninjas are hunted down by the assassination squads of their respective villages in order to protect the village's intelligence."

“If an assassination squad is monitoring the battle, even if we are the victors, we should return the spoils of war—but this is not mandatory, and it is more often a matter of political consideration. After all, we are in a time of peace, and the five major powers are trying their best not to do anything that could cause conflict between the two countries.”

Kakashi glanced at the masked boy who was still waiting.

Even though a conflict did arise with the masked boy in front of him, Kakashi was able to fight back.

However, his chakra was almost completely depleted during his battle with Zabuza due to his Sharingan.

Kakashi's remaining chakra is no longer enough to allow him to continue protecting Team 7 and Tazuna during the battle.

The priority now should be ensuring the safety of Class 7, and we also have the task of protecting Tazuna.

"Naruto, return the sword. Zabuza's Executioner's Blade is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and it is an extremely important ninja tool for the Mist Village."

Kakashi, as the captain of Team 7, gave Naruto his orders.

They were also worried that the tone of the command would be too serious.

Considering Naruto's feelings, Kakashi then added softly, "If you want to use a sword, I'll help you find a substitute when we get back to the village. Don't underestimate me; I know a little about swordsmanship, and I might even be able to teach you some techniques."

I only have a basic understanding of it.

Naruto glanced at Kakashi... That's quite a modest remark.

"I see."

Naruto was quite happy to receive orders from Kakashi that he couldn't refuse.

He had no interest in the decapitation sword.

The reason I picked it up—

—It was all just to carve the Flying Thunder God mark on the hilt of the sword.

At this moment, the Flying Thunder God mark on the Executioner's Blade has been hidden, and it will only become visible again when Naruto activates the technique.

"Then, I'll take my leave now."

With the Executioner's Blade slung over his back, the masked boy carried Zabuza's corpse as he bid farewell to Kakashi.

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind rose from beneath the masked boy's feet, engulfing him and Zabuza.

The wind stopped, and the two disappeared.

Kakashi then pulled down his headband again, covering his Sharingan once more.

"There shouldn't be any more ninja attacks, Mr. Tazuna. Please take us to your house quickly."

Kakashi said to Tazna.

"I know, hahaha, thank you so much for your hard work! We'll be home soon, and then you can all try my daughter's cooking!"

The tense and oppressive atmosphere dissipated, and Tazna finally regained his composure.

The exhilaration of escaping death made Tazuna happily raise his hand and pat Kakashi on the shoulder.

Unexpectedly, Kakashi fell straight to the ground as Tazuna patted him on the shoulder.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The unexpected situation surprised everyone.

"Kakashi-sensei has fainted."

Naruto helped Kakashi up from the ground and carried him on his back.

"The battle just now must have used up too much chakra. Sasuke, Sakura, we can't let our guard down yet, we need to get out of here quickly!"

Upon hearing Naruto's words, both Sasuke and Sakura nodded emphatically.

Naruto then looked at Tazuna and said, "Please lead the way quickly!"

"I see."

Tazna also suppressed his excitement and stepped forward to act as the guide.

A short while later, the group left the place where the two Jonin had just fought.

After confirming that everyone had left, another Naruto emerged from the bushes.

Feeling the chakra in the wind, Naruto's gaze turned in the opposite direction from where Team 7 had left.

That was the direction Haku and Zabuza left in.

"Then, let's deal with this trouble before Kakashi wakes up and discovers that the 'me' carrying him is just a shadow clone."

Naruto held one hand in front of him, formed the Body Flicker Technique hand seal, and used the Wind Sweeping Dawn Technique to track Haku.

Only after Naruto's original form left did the forest truly return to its original tranquility.

……

Having confirmed that no one was following him, Bai finally stopped leaping and moving between the tree trunks.

He carried Zabuza to the ground and carefully laid Zabuza's "corpse" flat.

"Let's treat the wound first."

Bai unfolded his medical ninja tool kit and pulled out a dismantling knife.

Then, Bai reached out to take the decapitation sword off his back.

But as soon as he touched the hilt of the decapitation sword, he suddenly froze.

Blood flowed from his mask and down his chin.