NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30 – Zabuza and Haku Submit
Suddenly—whoosh!—a figure appeared where Nagi had just been looking.
It was a masked ninja dressed in the uniform of the Hidden Mist ANBU.
"You're from the Mist ANBU, aren't you?" Nagi said casually.
His words caught Haku completely off guard.
How did he know what I was about to say?
"Your mission is to apprehend the rogue ninja, Momochi Zabuza, right?"
"Uh… yes?" Haku nodded instinctively. How does he know that too?
"And I'm guessing you planned to bring Zabuza's body back to report in?"
Nagi's triple kill of a line left Haku completely speechless—he'd just taken all his lines.
"So, you're from the Mist ANBU, then," Kakashi sighed in relief. For a moment, he'd been worried this guy was one of Zabuza's allies. But if he was after a rogue ninja, that made sense.
After all, Zabuza was a known missing-nin.
"Thank you, Konoha shinobi, for your assistance," Haku said respectfully, unaware that Nagi had already seen through his disguise from the start.
"Kakashi-sensei, I have a question," Nagi asked suddenly. "When ANBU report back after a mission, does returning just the head count as completing it?"
Kakashi was momentarily stunned but answered truthfully, "As long as the identity can be confirmed, that's acceptable."
He had plenty of ANBU experience, so he knew how these things worked.
"I see…"
Nagi looked like he'd just had a realization.
"In that case, this ANBU from the Mist shouldn't mind bringing back just a head, right?"
After so many pointed remarks, even an idiot could tell something was off.
Kakashi drew a kunai and watched the ANBU closely, eyes narrowed.
"Kakashi-sensei, what's going on?" Naruto and Sasuke were confused.
One second they were relaxed, the next they were ready to fight again. Was this guy an enemy or not?
"I-I don't understand what you mean, shinobi-dono," Haku feigned ignorance, slowly stepping closer to Nagi.
"Water Style Secret Jutsu: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
In an instant, Haku sprang into action, transforming the surrounding moisture into countless senbon, launching them in a wide 360-degree burst.
"Shun Goku Satsu Formation!"
But Nagi instantly activated his own jutsu, slipping into an untargetable state and dodging the entire barrage.
"Ice Style Secret Jutsu: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Seeing his ambush fail, Haku immediately switched tactics, summoning multiple ice mirrors to surround Nagi.
"Sakura, be careful!" she shouted in warning as she saw what was happening.
Within the mirrors, Haku's body blurred—he could move between them at light speed, striking with senbon in the blink of an eye.
But Haku had completely underestimated Nagi's maxed-out sensory perception with Wood Release.
Nagi spun and slashed with the Executioner's Blade.
Haku barely had time to react. He pulled out a senbon to block—but there was no way that tiny needle could match a giant blade.
Clang! The senbon snapped in two.
Crash! Haku was launched backward by the sheer force of the strike.
"Interesting," Nagi muttered.
He had to admit, Ice Release was kind of cool.
Not that it did much for him personally, but among kekkei genkai, it was definitely top-tier.
He found himself wondering—when Orochimaru was in the Mist, how did he pass on Haku? Was Ice Release not tempting enough?
"I can give you and Zabuza one chance…" Nagi began but almost said too much.
He'd forgotten Kakashi was still watching.
If he tried to recruit rogue ninja in front of him, that old man Hiruzen would definitely hear about it… and who knew what kind of nonsense he'd pull?
Better to handle this privately.
Because honestly? Nagi did admire both Zabuza and Haku.
Zabuza was no joke.
This guy once punched the Seventh Hokage, stomped on the last Uchiha clan head, and even pinned down the Sixth Hokage with one hand.
And Haku? Just the fact that he managed to hold out against Nagi for more than one exchange said a lot about Ice Release's potential.
Nagi didn't need followers. His strength was enough on its own.
But there were some dirty jobs he didn't have time for, stuck in Konoha all the time.
And using clones for that stuff? Total overkill.
"Ugh…"
On the ground, Zabuza finally stirred.
The commotion had pulled him out of his fake-death state.
"Haku…"
He stared at his partner—the person he'd always treated like a tool—fighting so fiercely to protect him.
For a moment, Zabuza began to doubt himself.
"Kakashi-sensei, I'm going to deal with these two somewhere else. That okay with you?"
Nagi gave Kakashi a look.
Kakashi saw no reason to object. From his perspective, Nagi had no reason to spare them anyway.
After all, Nagi was the genius personally groomed by the Third Hokage.
The clear leader of the new generation in Konoha.
There was no way someone like him would throw away all that to join a pair of missing-nin.
Totally unrealistic.
So Nagi grabbed Zabuza and Haku and leapt into the mountains where Haku had previously hidden.
"I'll give you two a choice," Nagi said as he tossed the Executioner's Blade onto the ground. "Submit… or die."
He didn't even hesitate.
If either of them dared say no, he'd end them on the spot.
"you mean… if we submit, you'll let us live?" Zabuza asked, summoning the courage to speak.
He still had things to do. He didn't want to die here—nor see Haku die.
"You don't get to negotiate," Nagi said coldly, not even looking at him.
Their lives were his to decide.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]