She smiles, folding a ribbon of bark. "I thought the bridge builder lived near here."
"He does," I say, cautious. "I… booked a double mission with him. Group rate." I grimace. "Cheaper. Never doing that again."
A soft laugh; she covers it with the back of her hand. "So you are frugal and brave."
"Or cheap and lucky."
"Caution," the PDA reports. "Subject displays shinobi-level movement discipline. Probability of combat training: high. Recommendation: minimize disclosure of companions and assets."
I pretend to adjust the basket on my forearm and glance past her shoulder, back toward the trees where Naruto sleeps. Still quiet. No reason to bring him up.
Haku straightens, the short kimono shifting with the motion, and gestures to a patch of low-growing plants dappled in sun. "These will help with infection. Could you hold the basket a little closer?"
"Course." I step in, careful, and she plucks the leaves with swift, neat motions. She moves gracefully, a dancer trimming the forest.
"You speak differently," she says after a moment. "Your words."
"Accent," I say smoothly. "I'm from far away."
Haku studies me for a moment, then tilts her head. "What drives you to do something so dangerous?"
I glance toward the treeline where Naruto snores and then back to her. "It's just… what I have to do," I say. "Food, parts, fuel. If I don't hunt, I don't eat. Simple math."
Her smile gentles. "Do you have anyone precious to protect?"
That line hits in a place I don't look at often. I rub the back of my neck. "I suppose I used to," I admit. "And… I likely will again."
"Mm." She selects a leaf, holds it up to the light. "People become truly strong when they find someone to protect. With someone precious to protect, they can endure anything."
I'm quiet for a beat, then I can't help it. "You speak like someone who's lived it," I say. "You're—" I search for the words that don't sound like a line. "—steady. Kind. Focused. It suits you."
Color touches her cheeks; she doesn't hide it. She angles slightly toward me as she drops the leaf in the basket, like she's soaking in the warmth of being seen.
I take the leap. "If you're ever free… maybe we could get tea? Or, uh, whatever people drink around here that isn't seawater."
Her eyes brighten—happy, genuinely—and then soften with apology. "You're very cute," she says, almost playful. "And kind. Exactly my type." A small, regretful tilt of her head. "Perhaps if I did not have my master…"
"Oh." My shoulders sag before I can stop them. "Right. Got it."
She closes the basket, fingers lingering on the rim. "I should go," she says, almost singing the words. "Thank you for helping."
"Any time." I manage a smile I hope looks braver than I feel.
She turns, steps light and unhurried, a teasing sway in her pace that says she knows I'm watching. A few meters on, she glances back over her shoulder, eyes bright with mischief.
"By the way," she says, voice as soft as before, "I'm a boy."
My brain skids.
I raise an eyebrow, because apparently that's what my face does when the rest of me is buffering. He studies me, amused. "You... don't seem to mind," he says. "Perhaps are you…?"
Spoiler: Haku~
"No—well—yes? I mean—" Words tangle, panic doing cartwheels in my chest.
He laughs—light, delighted—and the sound rings through the trees. "Goodbye, Ryley."
"Bye," I say, a little hoarse.
He slips into the green and vanishes between the trunks like mist burning off the water. I stand there for a long second, hands useless, heart thudding, then look back at the base of the tree where Naruto is sprawled, dead to the world and drooling on his own sleeve.
I sit down beside him, pull my knees up, and stare at the forest edge, replaying every word, every glance.
"Someone precious," I murmur, and let the idea sit with me.
"Someone precious," I murmur.
"Wow, he really had you fooled."
I just about jump out of my skin. I whip around, and Naruto is very much not asleep—he's lying there with his hands behind his head, grin wide and feral, eyes sparkling with gossip.
"—how long have you been awake?" I demand.
He snorts. "The whole time, duh. I'm a ninja. And you guys were really loud."
My face goes hot. "You could've said something."
"Nah," he says, rolling up to sit with that weird boneless ease. "This was way more fun." He jabs an elbow into my side. "You really thought he was a girl, though. Like, for real."
"He looked like a girl!" I protest, flailing a hand in the general direction Haku vanished. "And sounded like one! And—why am I defending this to a twelve-year-old?"
Naruto cackles. "You were flirting," he sing-songs. "With a boy."
"Thank you, Naruto, I was there," I mutter, burying my face in my hands. My ears feel like they're on fire. "Great."
I'm never going to hear the end of this.
He leans in, eyes bright with mischief. "Sooo, Ryley-bro, does this mean you like guys now?"
"I—no—maybe—I don't—" I stop, inhale, pinch the bridge of my nose. "Shouldn't you be climbing a tree or something?"
He grins like a fox. "Nah. I got higher than before, and Kakashi-sensei said not to blow all my chakra if it starts feeling weird. Plus it's almost time to head back. Old man Tazuna's probably whining about dinner already."
I latch onto that lifeline. "Right. Yes. Tactical retreat. Let's go."
He hops to his feet and stretches, then gives me a sideways look, smirk creeping back. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
"Thank—"
"I'll wait till it's the funniest moment," he adds, hands behind his head as he starts toward the path. "Gotta use material like that right."
I groan and push myself up to follow. "You are a menace."
"Yup!" he chirps. "But hey—" he glances back, grin softening just a bit, "Haku was kinda pretty. Boy or not. So I get it."
I blink at him. "…Right. Uh, Thanks?"
His face scrunches like he's allergic to sincerity. Then the grin's back. "Race you to the house!"
Before I can answer, he bolts down the path, laughing, and I find myself jogging after him through the trees, cheeks still burning, mind still tangled.
Dinner at Tazuna's place is simple—rice, fish, and something pickled I don't ask too many questions about—but it's food, and for once, I don't feel like an outsider at the table. Naruto talks way too loud, Sakura sighs dramatically at everything he says, Sasuke glares at his food, and Kakashi reads from his little book between bites. I don't say much, just eat and nod when spoken to.
But the quiet creeps in when the dishes are done. After a few yawns, Sakura claims the top bunk again, muttering something about boys being gross. Sasuke takes the farthest wall. Naruto, snoring within five minutes, is curled up in a blanket nest on the floor beside my bunk.
I lie there on the bottom, staring at the underside of the bed above me, heart still chewing over the earlier conversation. Haku's voice, soft as silk. His hair. His eyes.
Eventually, the weight in my chest gets too heavy to ignore.
I ease myself out of bed, careful not to jostle the frame or step on Naruto's mop of hair. I tiptoe through the creaky floorboards and just barely push the sliding door open when—
"Late-night walk?"
I freeze.
Kakashi is standing just off to the side of the doorframe, leaning against it like he's been there the whole time. His eye is half-lidded, the book tucked into his vest. I didn't hear him move. Didn't feel it either.
He doesn't scold. He doesn't threaten. He just… waits.
"I need to think," I say after a beat.
Kakashi nods once. "Just don't go too far."
I nod back, grateful he doesn't press. I step outside.
The night air is cool, salted with sea breeze and forest loam. I walk until the house is just a glow between trees and the wind drowns out the creak of wood. Then, once I'm sure I'm alone, I toggle my mic.
"PDA," I whisper, "be honest. What are the odds I get dragged into their mess?"
"Estimating based on current trajectory and proximity to hostile actors: 84.6% probability of direct involvement in regional conflict."
My stomach turns.
"And the odds I survive?"
"Based on existing equipment, known combat aptitude, and baseline reaction times, probability of survival under hostile conditions is… 27.3%. Rounding errors included for optimism."
"Great," I mutter. "Okay. What do I do?"
"Recommendation: prepare defensive infrastructure. Data indicates that shinobi possess speed and reflexes significantly exceeding user capability. Suggest supplementing deficits with terrain control, misdirection, and pre-emptive deterrence."
I sit on a mossy stump and scrub a hand down my face. "You mean traps."
"Correct. Utilizing localized resource fabrication, user can modify existing blueprints for 'Stasis Rifle' into a modular, trigger-based system. Recommended parameters: wide area field emitter, proximity or manual trigger, brief recharge cycle. Intended use: delay or incapacitate."
"…Am I even allowed to do that?"
"As acting captain of Aurora escape operations, user possesses full override clearance for adaptive tech deployment under extreme conditions."
The PDA's light blooms in front of me, a pale blue lattice hanging in the air like frozen smoke. Rings of geometry spin into place, panels sliding out of nothing, the familiar CAD interface rebuilding itself piece by piece.
A ghost of my stasis rifle floats in the center.
"Alright," I murmur. "Show me how to ruin a perfectly good tool."
The model fractures into layers—barrel, emitter core, coil housing, trigger array. Lines of data crawl along the edges as the PDA begins guiding me through the modifications.
"Stationary application allows a wider area-of-effect while maintaining a hold duration of approximately 3 minutes; the system will require increased energy throughput. This will allow ample time to neutralize any non-friendly operators," it says.
"Standard battery cells insufficient. Power cell required."
I wince. "That's expensive."
"Cost calculated. Alternative: death."
"…Yeah, okay, fine," I mutter, dragging the virtual power cell slug into the schematic. The projection resizes itself, recalibrating field radius. The sphere of potential stasis swells wider, touching the edges of the clearing around me. Perfect for a trap.
I start reworking the trigger mechanism—external activation, pressure plate option, manual remote, line-and-trip sensor. If they're as fast as the PDA thinks, I won't get a second chance once this starts.
As I'm rotating the field emitter in the hologram, the PDA speaks again, driftless and blunt.
"Additional analysis: Earlier interaction subject. Name: Haku."
A pause.
"Biological incompatibility confirmed. Reproduction not possible."
I stop mid-gesture. "…Not you too."
"Clarification: statement was informational."
"I don't need relationship advice from my diving computer," I mutter.
"Acknowledged. Emotional subsystem: not installed."
"Sh-He's taken anyway," I add, more to myself than it. "So it doesn't even matter."
"Acknowledged."
The emitter locks into place with a soft chime. I move on to anchoring it as a deployable node—camouflaged housing, semi-buried installation, linked to my wrist interface. Something I can activate the second things look bad.
The PDA's light shifts, pulling up a secondary schematic—larger, more complex.
"Supplementary recommendation: Deployable safehouse structure. Defensive configuration against high-mobility hostile entities."
I squint at it. It's a scaled-down habitat module. Armored plates. Shock dampeners. A shell with auto-seal doors and limited life support. Nothing new, just put together.
I frown. "But if I hide in there, I won't be able to see or respond to what's happening outside."
"User is statistically unlikely to be primary target. Additionally, the user is unable to respond effectively regardless of vision. Advice based on survival priority."
"…No," I say after a second. "If the ninja fail, the rogue ones won't leave me alone. They'll just crack it like a shell and go digging. I don't build coffins."
There's a tiny delay.
"Acknowledged. Safehouse design shelved."
The stasis trap schematic rotates before me again, complete now. Clean. Efficient. Cold.
A tool built for explorers.
Twisted into something meant to stop monsters wearing human faces.
I stare at the hologram a while longer, the blue light reflecting off the bark and dirt, and finally reach forward to finalize the design.
The projection collapses with a soft shhhp as I confirm the design. The CAD interface folds into itself, leaving only the night around me.
I blink, eyes sore from staring at blue light for...
I glance at the time readout in the corner of my HUD and grimace.
"Hours," I mutter. "I've been out here hours."
The house is still there in the dark, a squat silhouette nestled among the trees. I make my way back slowly, mind still full of emitter arcs and sensor thresholds. I don't even bother trying to sneak this time—just walk up to the porch.
Of course, Kakashi's waiting.
He's leaned casually against the wall just beside the door, arms crossed, visible eye unreadable in the dark.
"You like long walks, or are you just avoiding bedtime?" he asks lazily.
I sigh. "Lost track of time."
"Mhm." He doesn't press. Just holds my gaze for a few seconds too long, then tips his head toward the door. "Perhaps we wander the road of life in the daylight next time. When no one has to give up their precious beauty sleep."
"…Noted."
I slip inside, gently closing the door behind me. The room's dim—moonlight drifting through the windows and the glow of a cooling fire in the hearth. I make my way across the wooden floor on quiet feet, stepping carefully over Naruto's blanket pile, past Sasuke's bundle in the corner, toward my bunk.
Just as I start to climb in, a voice whispers from the top bunk.
"Next time you try to sneak out and back in," Sakura says without looking down, "remember that we're trained to wake up from exactly those types of noises."
I freeze, halfway under the blanket.
Sasuke grunts softly from his corner—clearly awake, clearly annoyed.
Naruto is snoring like a bear in a tin can.
I sigh, slide fully into bed, and stare at the underside of the mattress above me.
I've outsmarted apex predators. Outrun reapers. Built deep-sea bases in high-pressure zones no sane person would go.
And here?
I can't even sneak out of a damn house without getting caught by two kids and a bookworm.
/ VITAL SIGNS: ELEVATED/
/ RECORDING SUSPENDED — USER UNCONSCIOUS /
/ VITAL SIGNS: ELEVATED/
/ AUDIO / VIDEO / RECORDING RESUMED /
The morning starts with the gentle clatter of dishes and the sizzle of eggs on a pan. Tazuna's daughter hums under her breath while the rest of us gather slowly, the floorboards creaking beneath tired feet. Naruto is half-asleep at the table, face hovering dangerously close to his rice. Sasuke looks alert, but only in the "don't talk to me" way. Sakura, somehow, is perfectly put together. Again.
I chew quietly, still feeling the ghost of last night's cold CAD light in the back of my eyes.
Kakashi finishes his tea, then closes his little orange book with a snap. "Alright. Assignments for today."
Everyone perks up.
"Sasuke, you're on escort with Tazuna. Stick close, stay sharp."
Sasuke grunts and glances at the old man, who's already mid-sip of something alcoholic.
"Naruto, you're with me. We're going to run a few solo drills."
Naruto pumps his fist, already halfway awake. "Yes! Finally!"
Kakashi's eye crinkles with amusement. "And Sakura, you'll be shadowing Ryley."
I nearly choke on my rice. "Wait—what? I don't need a babysitter."
Tazuna snorts into his drink. "Give up. I've been trying to shake mine for days. They stick like wet socks."
Sakura turns to him with a sugar-sweet smile. "And your constant swearing and alcohol breath has been a delight, old man." Then, just as smoothly, she pivots to me, her voice high and cheery. "Even if you wanted to get away, it wouldn't work. I'd just follow you, so you might as well just give up. You can't escape me, Ryley~!"
I sag with a groan. "Fantastic."
Kakashi and the others begin to move. Tazuna and Sasuke shuffle out the door, the old man muttering something about "damn teenagers," while Naruto trails Kakashi, still shoveling food into his mouth with one hand.
Sakura's practically glowing as we finish breakfast—bright-eyed, straight-backed, practically vibrating with anticipation.
I blink at her blearily, brushing sleep from my face. "What's got you so happy this early?"
She clasps her hands behind her back with a shrug. "I've had to watch Tazuna the last few days. I'm almost positive anything we do today will be an improvement over hearing that old man bicker with his tools for six hours and call his hammer a bastard."
I chuckle as I stand up and stretch. "Alright. I'm hitting the bathroom first."
"Alright," she chirps, already moving to the living room couch like it's a throne she's claimed.
I duck into the bathroom and close the door behind me. Once I'm alone, I lower my voice. "PDA. Where should I deploy the traps?"
"Analysis complete," it responds immediately. "Current threat model indicates an approximately equal probability of enemy assault targeting the residential structure or the bridge construction site. Note: These outcomes are not mutually exclusive. Multiple hostile actors remain at large."
"That's not helpful."
"Contextual probability adjustment: The bridge is a high-value target for Gato's regional control strategy. However, user has no tactical or strategic necessity to be present at the bridge. Recommendation: prioritize fortifying the residential structure. Supplement with bridge reinforcement if resource surplus is available."
"Got it," I sigh. "One thing at a time. I'll need a base… and a fabricator."
"Confirmed. Local construction capability limited. Recommend establishing temporary habitat and energy supply. Current inventory sufficient for base framework and limited fabrication."
Perfect. Not like I wanted a relaxing morning or anything.
I step out of the bathroom.
Sakura immediately perks up. "Let's go!"
I groan. "Yeah, alright."
We make it just far enough into the treeline to escape the view of Tazuna's porch when I stop and pull the Habitat Builder from my belt holster. It hums to life in my hand, metal coils unfolding, the projection beam strobing softly.
Sakura stares. "Wait—what's that?"
"A tool," I mutter. I crouch by a flat patch of earth and activate the foundation schematic. Nanite streams ripple through the dirt as the blueprint takes form.
Sakura's jaw drops. "It's—It's building something! Like, right now!"
"Yes, yes. Clan technique. Very rare. Yada yada." I wave her off, already placing the next structure—a multipurpose room, followed by a small airlock hatch.
"How are you so nonchalant about this?" she asks, actually circling the growing habitat like it might vanish if she blinks.
"It's normal to me." I pop the hatch open, duck inside. "Assign Sakura: Rank Ensign, Habitat permissions only."
"Acknowledged. Rank: Captain, Temporary. Sakura: Rank Ensign, Temporary. Permissions: Habitat access only."
Sakura freezes at the door. "Wait. It—it talks?!"
"Yuu-p," I say, already installing the Bioreactor—the one I dismantled from my temporary shelter near the ocean. I slot a plant into it and bring the Fabricator online next to the wall. The lights flicker on, interior systems humming to life.
Sakura walks in slowly, turning around in a full circle. "You made a house. In under ten minutes."
"Temporary shelter," I correct. "Kind of a glorified pod."
"Does Kakashi know you can do this?"
I pause mid-inventory check. "I… don't know. Probably not."
She narrows her eyes. "You say that like it's a good thing."
"It's not not a good thing."
Sakura leans against the wall, arms crossed, clearly still reeling. "You're not even a ninja."
"Nope."
"And you're building miniature buildings out of light and dust."
"Uh-huh."
She squints. "This isn't normal even by ninja standards."
I don't even look up from the fabricator as I slot the power cell into the first stasis mine. "Where's the fun in being normal?"
Two mines are all I can afford right now. I need to pull materials from The Brick if I want more. But two is a start.
Sakura watches me slot the second stasis mine together like I'm laying an egg made of lightning. When the last component seals and the PDA confirms operational readiness, she breaks the silence.
"What are you making?"
I don't look up. "Traps."
Her brows knit. "Why?"
I glance over at her. "Because weak people have to be smart."
She doesn't answer right away. She looks down, frowning in thought, then mutters, "Huh."
She kneels suddenly and starts pulling items from her thigh pouch—wire, tags, a small capsule of something black.
I raise an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
"Being smart." She's already looping the wire around a small tree branch. "We've got days until Zabuza shows up again. And we know where he's likely to strike. I can't believe those idiots didn't think of setting traps earlier."
I pause, impressed despite myself. "You've got a mean side, don't you?"
"I'm surrounded by boys with egos and demon swordsmen. You adapt."
Fair.
I turn back to the stasis mines, lifting them from the fabrication platform. They break apart in a cloud of blue shimmer, deconstructing into motes and vanishing into my suit's inventory buffer.
Sakura jolts at the sight. "They just… vanished. What the hell?"
"Storage," I say with a shrug.
She narrows her eyes. "That's not an explanation."
"I know," I say as I step outside the habitat. "That's kind of the point."
We head back to the house. As soon as we're within the clearing, I crouch and carefully set the first stasis mine just in front of the doorway, tucking it beneath the porch boards.
"Mine deployed," the PDA announces in my ear. "Friendly operators tagged and will not trigger the device."
Sakura nods approvingly. Then without a word, she slips around the back of the house, hands busy with wire and paper tags. I wait by the front, pretending not to be curious.
A few minutes later she reappears, brushing dirt off her knees. "Mine's set."
I blink. "Where?"
She grins. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Hmm, so that's what that feels like.
We make our way to the bridge after that. It's overcast, the clouds thick and gray, and the wind carries the scent of salt and steel. When we arrive, we find Sasuke leaning against one of the support beams. Tazuna is the only one working, hammering away with grim determination, sweat on his brow.
I scan the site, frowning. "Where are the rest of the workers?"
Tazuna scowls. "They stopped showing up. Scared off. Cowards."
He spits a nail from between his teeth and lines it up with a plank. "Don't care. I'll finish this bridge myself if I have to."
I nod to him, then turn to Sakura. "Same plan. You set your traps?"
She nods, already jogging toward the far edge of the scaffolding.
I head toward the end of the bridge and bury it in the dirt just before the stone starts. As it hums faintly to life, I back away and rejoin the others.
"Alright, Sakura, let's head back," I say.
Then the air shifts.
Not just colder—but thicker. The wind dies. Visibility drops fast, the fog rolling in like someone's pouring it out of a bottle.
I look to Sakura. Her expression is already tight, focused. She glances back at me, jaw clenched.
"What's with this mist?" I ask, low.
Sasuke draws his kunai. "He's here."
My breath hitches as the fog thickens, curling low across the wooden planks and swallowing the horizon. Visibility is down to ten, maybe fifteen meters at best. I materialize the stasis rifle, and I lock the propulsion cannon to my quick access, ready to grab.
"Chakra vision, on."
Immediately, the fog becomes layered in faint glows—ambient chakra particles drifting through the mist, a dozen false signals dancing like fireflies. But then—
"Filtering non-cohesive chakra structures," the PDA whispers into my ear.
The clutter clears, and I see it. A dense, serpentine chakra network, crawling low through the fog like a wolf stalking its prey. Distinct. Lethal.
Spoiler: Zabuza
"Subject identified: Zabuza Momochi. Current position: 32 meters, west. Approach trajectory: slow, circling."
Another ping.
"Second chakra signature detected. Stationary. Elevation: 4 meters. Location: forest canopy. Observation confirmed. Analysis: accomplice."
My gut tightens. "We're being watched," I whisper to the others, stepping back toward them. "Back-to-back. Slowly. Move toward the front of the bridge."
Sasuke and Sakura flank me instantly, kunai drawn, nerves high but steady.
A voice cuts through the fog like a blade.
"So this is all that's left," Zabuza growls from the mist, circling like a shark. "No Copy Ninja. No Jonin. Just two little leaves and a man in a funny helmet."
His tone is casual, but probing. He's trying to draw Kakashi out—or confirm he's not here. I don't answer.
Sasuke does.
"I'm more than enough," he bites out.
He's bluffing. I can't hear it in his voice, but my gut tells me he's stalling. His hands don't shake. His stance is ready. I'll give him that.
The chakra mass moves closer.
I mean... I have to try, right?
I raise the stasis rifle, letting its barrel hum to life. I line it up—slow and steady—and fire.
The orb sails through the fog, blue and ominous, glowing softly like a slow-motion comet. It moves with deliberate speed, not fast enough to be a threat… or so it would seem.
A laugh slices through the fog.
"That's it? A genin throws faster than that."
The shimmer of steel arcs out of the mist. Zabuza's sword comes down to swat the orb aside like a fly.
The moment it makes contact, the orb detonates in silence—time warps around him, particles freezing in the air. Mist hangs still, droplets paused mid-fall.
Zabuza is trapped mid-motion, sword halfway through the swing. Caught like an insect in amber.
Oh fuck.
"Now!" I shout. "He's stuck! Go—"
Sasuke leaps forward, kunai drawn, sprinting toward the frozen figure.
And then a blur slips from the trees behind.
The landing is so quick, I only catch it on my HUD—chakra signature trailing. Elegant and flowing like a silk ribbon.
"Hunter-nin identified. Affiliation: Kirigakure. Probable match: Haku."
My heart stutters.
Haku?
The figure places themself directly between Sasuke and Zabuza, hand raised, a flurry of senbon glinting from their sleeves.
"Don't," I breathe, too late.
The moment Haku lands, the air shifts. It's presence. Controlled, measured, and effortlessly dangerous. Even through the mask, even knowing what I know... I still feel it. That same graceful poise. That same... beauty. My chest tightens with the same confusion.
I act before I think.
I raise the stasis rifle and fire again, the shot streaking toward Haku in a slow arc. The orb glides through the air, pulsing, humming with stasis energy.
A single senbon flicks from his fingers.
It hits the orb mid-air.
Fwoomp.
The stasis field detonates prematurely—far from him. The energy hangs there, harmless. One senbon floats, caught mid-spin in the distorted time bubble.
Sasuke steps back toward, teeth clenched.
Thirty seconds pass.
And Zabuza shudders violently back into motion. The mist around him ripples like disturbed water. He vanishes.
Then reappears a heartbeat later—right in front of us.
His sword swings out like a bat.
Sakura and Sasuke are tossed aside like dolls, smashing against the railings of the bridge. I barely have time to turn before his massive hand grabs me by the throat and lifts me off the ground.
My feet leave the planks. My rifle drops. I'm choking.
Zabuza's face is inches from mine, his teeth bared in a sneer. "What was that?" he growls. "That thing you used on me. What did you do?"
I gasp, hands scrabbling at his wrist. "Clan... technique..."
His grip tightens. His eyes narrow. "You're lying."
And just when I think I'm going to black out—
Zabuza staggers.
His eyes widen. He reels back suddenly, letting go of my throat as blood spatters across the mist.
A slash across his upper arm opens wide. Clean. Precise.
Kakashi appears behind him, one knee bent, blade dripping red. He flicks the blood off his kunai, eye hard and cold.
"Mess with my cute little genin again," he says calmly, "and I'll take more than just your arm."
Zabuza growls, clutching his wound. Then in a blur, he jumps back. The mist swallows him like a curtain falling.
The fog thickens again, curling around us like a living thing. My breath comes in shallow gulps, throat sore from Zabuza's grip. The bridge is a war zone of tension—silent, save for the slap of water below and the faint creak of wood underfoot.
Kakashi doesn't hesitate. He steps forward, hand already lifting to his headband. With a flick of his fingers, the cloth slides up, revealing a single crimson eye—black wheel set in blood-red.
Zabuza sees it and snarls. "So it's true. The Copycat Ninja. Kakashi Hatake."
"Analysis: Eye pattern matches 'Sharingan,'" the PDA notes in its usual emotionless tone.
"Reference Source: Konoha Shinobi Bloodlines: An Illustrated Guide, page 117. Capabilities include enhanced perception, predictive motion tracking, genjutsu capability, and chakra technique mimicry."
Just as the PDA says it.
They move.
Blades flash in the mist. Zabuza lunges with that enormous cleaver, swinging it wide, but Kakashi meets him with equal force—kunai scraping against steel, feet skidding along the soaked bridge. Every time Zabuza makes a hand sign, Kakashi matches it beat for beat.
Zabuza roars as he weaves a jutsu. Water peels off the bridge and spears forward in the shape of a dragon, but Kakashi's already forming the same signs.
The same technique—mirrored—crashes into it.
The water explodes, sending mist spiraling outward.
I can't keep up. I barely track their shapes in the fog, let alone their moves. Each flash of light or water is a guess. Each burst of chakra shakes the planks beneath me. It's like watching gods duel with lightning.
I'm still staring, trying to follow even a fraction of what they're doing—
—When Sasuke crashes into me, knocking me backward.
I hit the ground with a grunt just as three senbon clatter against the stone where I had been standing.
Sasuke is crouched low in front of me, kunai raised. He's breathing hard, bleeding slightly from his temple.
"Pay attention," he snaps.
I scramble back to my feet, scanning the mist, and there—moving like wind through trees—is Haku. He's dancing around Sasuke in short, fast motions, lashing out with his senbon. Sasuke is faster, barely, deflecting what he can, dodging the rest.
Their fight is tight. Controlled. Pure melee with bursts of flying needles. Haku doesn't speak, doesn't taunt—he just attacks, each movement measured, fluid, almost elegant. I can't tell if he's holding back, or if Sasuke's skill is just enough to match him for now.
It's different from Zabuza and Kakashi, whose battle is pure chaos.
My eyes drift back.
Kakashi slings another jutsu—water crashing out of thin air in a spiral that matches Zabuza's motion perfectly, copying his movements with frightening precision. Zabuza tries to pivot away, but Kakashi's already there, throwing kunai to box him in.
"He's reading him before the move finishes…" I mutter.
Every clone, every wave, every step Zabuza makes—Kakashi follows flawlessly. It's like watching a reflection that's just slightly faster than the original.
And then I hear the tap of soft feet behind me.
A hiss of air. A flash of silver.
Sasuke glares at Haku, who's already closed the gap. Their clash is swift—Haku blurs forward, senbon flying like rain. Sasuke dodges, counters, lunges. It's constant motion. Ice and steel.
And I'm standing in the middle of it, like a fool.
Sakura staggers back toward us, arm cradled against her ribs. Her face is pale, but her eyes are alert. She takes position at my other side, trembling slightly.
The PDA chimes in my ear.
"Warning: User combat utility is low. Current weapons ineffective against targets. Recommend immediate withdrawal. Engagement is high risk. Primary threats are focused on high-value targets. User is not one."
I hesitate.
Then glance at Tazuna.
He's crouched by one of the bridge supports, eyes wide, staring at the chaos. He sees me looking. I move—subtly—start edging backward.
Tazuna immediately starts moving with me.
He's not saying a word, just watching me like I'm the one with the plan.
Another hiss.
Senbon embed in the stone just behind us. Cold needles, surgical.
Haku's voice cuts through the mist. "I'm sorry."
I freeze.
"I cannot allow you to leave," Haku says softly, already turning back to Sasuke without another word.
Sasuke lunges again, a blur of motion in the fog.
Haku and Sasuke blur together at the center of the bridge, their figures jerking in and out of view through the mist. Senbon flash like silver threads, clashing against Sasuke's kunai. They re-engage, locking weapons mid-strike.
Their blades screech against each other.
For a moment, they're frozen—locked, kunai pressed to senbon with white-knuckled force.
"You should back down," Haku says quietly, voice barely audible over the wind. "You are not my target. Our mission is to eliminate the bridge builder, and nothing more."
Sasuke's eyes narrow, breath sharp. "You're wasting your breath."
Haku tilts his head slightly, almost disappointed—but not surprised. "As expected."
Sasuke snarls, pushing harder into the blade lock, but Haku's not finished.
"But you won't be able to keep up with me."
"What?"
"And I've already made two preemptive moves," Haku explains softly. "The first… is the water scattered across the bridge."
My HUD flickers as the chakra lines surge around us. The pools of water left from Kakashi and Zabuza's jutsu... they're glowing now, alive with intent.
"The second… is your arm."
Sasuke's eyes flash wide as Haku subtly shifts.
His free hand snaps into a seal.
Sasuke's eyes widen. "A one-handed seal?!"
But it's too late. Haku blurs through several more signs—fast and clean—and the puddles on the bridge react.
The water lifts into the air in slow, spiraling droplets—hundreds of them.
Then the temperature drops.
The droplets crystallize, each one turning into a perfect, razor-sharp ice senbon, suspended mid-air like a glimmering death net.
Sasuke pulls away, just as Haku leaps back.
The senbon swarm forward, a glittering tide of death.
I flinch. Sakura gasps. I raise my Stasis Rifle instinctively—but before I can even fire, the needles move.
A blur.
A rush of air.
Then silence.
Sasuke is gone.
Haku lands a short distance away, standing still, breathing calm—but suddenly, there's a crash behind him.
Sasuke appears in a streak of movement, chakra flaring briefly under his feet. He slams into Haku with a palm strike, sending him skidding across the bridge.
Haku barely catches himself, sliding back, feet scraping the planks.
I blink, stunned.
Sasuke wastes no time. He lunges again, this time attacking with a flurry of strikes—quick jabs, spinning kicks, low cuts. Haku is on the defensive now, dodging with fluid grace, but clearly pressured. Several blows land—nothing lethal, but enough.
One of Sasuke's kicks hits hard against Haku's shoulder, sending him sliding backward across the mist-slick bridge. His sandals squeal faintly on the soaked planks as he steadies himself, head lowered, breathing light—but controlled.
Across the way, through the mist and bursts of chakra light, Zabuza's voice bellows over the chaos:
"Stop playing around, Haku! If you can't handle this, I'll do it myself!"
Haku doesn't turn to respond. He exhales slowly. Calm, cold, resigned.
"…That's unfortunate."
I catch it. The shift. The change in the air—and the light.
"Warning," the PDA says in my ear, tone flattening to full alert.
"Subject Haku—chakra emission spike detected. Pattern shift active. Seal type: unknown. Estimated class: Bloodline Limit."
Chakra vision shows it before it even manifests—Haku's aura swelling, focused in both palms as he brings his hands together in a unique, symmetrical seal that isn't in any of the standard libraries.
"Unknown technique," the PDA mutters. "Updating local records."
The ice needles scattered from earlier begin to shimmer.
Then they start to move.
The water left behind by the senbon shivers on the surface of the bridge and rises, curling into sheets and shapes with eerie smoothness. They don't form weapons this time—but panels.
The air grows colder by the second.
I take an involuntary step back as mirrored walls of ice solidify one after the other in a perfect arc around Sasuke—trapping him inside. Twelve panels. Each one taller than a person, semi-transparent, forming a crystalline cage.
Then Haku steps forward.
And walks into one of the mirrors.
He just melds in, flattening into a two-dimensional reflection—his figure rippling across the glass. Then—his image appears in all twelve mirrors simultaneously.
"Subject has bifurcated image stream," the PDA says, confused. "Visual tracking compromised. Motion indistinguishable from projection."
Sasuke spins wildly, eyes trying to catch a real target, but there's no opening.
A whisper of movement.
Then—
Senbon.
Dozens. Hundreds. Firing from every angle.
He barely dodges the first barrage. Some he deflects, some he absorbs—needles bite into his arms, legs, even his shoulder. His shirt starts staining red. He screams through clenched teeth and whips his kunai in a wide arc, but it hits nothing but frost.
Outside the trap, I flinch. "Sakura—!"
She's already running forward, fury burning in her eyes.
Sakura draws a kunai from her pouch and hurls it straight at one of the mirrors.
It spins true—until a flicker of motion bursts from the glass.
Haku emerges from one of the panels like a ghost breaking the surface of a lake, hand outstretched.
He catches the kunai mid-air. Effortlessly.
Sakura skids to a halt.
Her face twists in shock and horror. "What—!?"
Haku meets her eyes, calm and cold, and says nothing.
Something moves through the mist—silent until the last second—then shnk!
It cuts straight into Haku's mask, the impact snapping his head back as the force throws him out of the mirror. His body tumbles across the bridge, rolling once before landing on one knee, shards of ice cracking around him like glass.
The suddenness leaves all of us stunned—until we see an explosion of smoke.
A rush of white fog billows up—
And from the cloud bursts a blur of orange and blond.
"Naruto Uzumaki… is finally here!" he yells, striking a ridiculous pose with both arms raised, hands sideways. "The hero always arrives late… to take out the villain!"
Even through the tension, a snort escapes me.
From deeper in the fog, Kakashi and Zabuza reappear—both bloodied, both still ready, weapons raised. But the commotion makes them pause, each flicking a glance toward Naruto's entrance with varying degrees of disbelief.
Kakashi's lone visible eye squints. "…You always leave an impact, Naruto."
Naruto beams. "That's what makes me the main character!"
Then he starts racing through hand seals. But I don't get the luxury of watching.
"Warning," the PDA barks in my ear.
I look up just in time to see a fan of projectiles arcing through the air, spinning out of the mist where Zabuza stands.
They're headed straight for us—Sakura, Tazuna, and me.
The HUD flashes red.
But before I can even move—
Flick.
Three senbon cut through the shuriken mid-flight, sending them clattering harmlessly to the bridge.
We all whip around to the source.
Haku, breathing hard, mask cracked, eyes unreadable.
He lowers his hand slowly, voice low but steady.
"Zabuza… leave this battle to me."
There's a weight to his tone now.
"Please. Let me fight this battle my own way."
The PDA's voice returns, quieter now.
"Analysis complete. Subject: Haku. Observation: All injuries inflicted on Subject: Sasuke Uchiha are non-lethal. Lethality threshold intentionally avoided. Hypothesis: Subject Haku is not attempting to kill."
I stare at her—no, him. My thoughts are still a mess. But there's clarity in how Haku moves. How he chose to save us.
What is he thinking?
Zabuza's response cuts through the tension like a blade.
"You're naive... As usual."
He turns just slightly, glaring toward Kakashi.
"But fine. I won't interfere." His cleaver lowers slightly. "Don't get any ideas, Hatake. If you move… we both know what happens to your client."
Kakashi doesn't lower his stance—but he doesn't attack, either.
Naruto's chakra flares behind me.
Sasuke, bleeding and cornered inside shattered ice, locks eyes with Haku.
And I just stand there.
Still trying to understand how someone so dangerous… just saved my life.
Suddenly, as if something just clicked for him, Naruto bristles. His eyes blaze as he points straight at the cracked mask.
"That mask!" he snaps. "You really were working with Zabuza! You weren't just some hunter-nin! You've got some nerve, deceiving me like that!"
Haku doesn't flinch.
"I am sorry," he says softly. "But deceiving, misleading, catching others off guard… those are a ninja's duties. Please do not take it personally."
For half a second, there's quiet. The unexpected politeness catches us all off guard.
And then Sasuke moves.
He flicks a kunai at Haku's face—sharp, fast.
Haku barely reacts. He just tilts his head.
The blade sails past his cheek, shaving a few dark strands of hair without even touching him.
"You see?" Haku murmurs. "This is why I can't hesitate."
And then he moves.
His body dissolves into one of the ice mirrors like mist being pulled into glass—and instantly, his reflection appears in all of them again. Twelve Hakus. Twelve directions. Twelve possible deaths.
Sasuke bolts forward, trying to strike before the technique fully stabilizes—but the air fills with senbon again.
A storm.
They hit.
His shoulder. His leg. His side. His throat guard. Not lethal—never lethal—but precise enough to cripple.
He gasps and staggers.
Just as the barrage pauses, Naruto charges.
"No way! I'm not letting you die like this, Sasuke!"
He dives straight into the cage of mirrors—
— and Sasuke's eyes go wide.
"You idiot!" he snaps. "Now we're both trapped in here!"
Naruto looks around, realizing where he is. "Huh?"
The ice walls pinch together, sealing them in.
Sasuke's teeth grind. He spins toward one panel and roars.
"Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!"
Flames explode from his mouth, crashing into the mirror with a flash of orange heat—
But the ice doesn't melt.
Not even a crack.
The fire gutters out, leaving only frost and drifting steam.
Haku's voice echoes from every direction now, soft… almost regretful.
"I'm sorry I have to do this."
Senbon rain down again.
Sasuke grits his teeth, shielding his face.
Naruto takes the hits, too—wincing, snarling, refusing to go down even as needles pierce his arms and legs.
"I can't die here!" Naruto shouts through the pain. "Not now! Not ever! I'm gonna become Hokage! I'm gonna be the strongest ninja in the village!"
His voice cracks through the mirrors.
And something…
Shifts.
The chakra around Haku flickers.
His next volley of senbon slows—just a little.
"Dreams…" Haku's voice echoes, almost distant. "…are strange things, aren't they?"
The temperature dips further, frost crawling across the bridge planks.
"For me… becoming a shinobi is difficult."
His reflection pauses in every mirror, head slightly lowered.
"I do not want to kill you. But I also do not want to die by your hands."
Outside the mirrors, I swallow hard.
"But you continue to move forward," he continues. "So I must also move forward."
The mirrors gleam.
"If that means I must kill my feelings… then let duty be the only voice I hear."
Another senbon forms in his fingers—larger than the others.
"I have someone precious to me," he says quietly. "Someone I must protect. Someone whose dream matters more than my own life."
Zabuza watches from the fog, unreadable.
Haku's voice carries clear and cold through the crystalline prison.
"For the sake of that person's dream… I will become a true shinobi."
His eyes harden behind the fractured mask.
"And if that path leads through you two…"
The air fills with ice.
"…then please do not hold it against me."
Haku steps forward, senbon flashing as he readies to strike.