Chapter 23: Killing Blow
Kill... the rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist?
Sasuke lifted his head to look at Naruto, frowning almost instinctively.
With just the three of them, could they really kill a jōnin on par with Kakashi?
And that's not even counting the masked boy beside Zabuza, whose strength was unknown. How was that even possible?
It was sheer madness.
Sakura stared at Naruto in shock, almost thinking there was something wrong with her ears.
"Naruto, we're just genin! Killing a jōnin… isn't that completely impossible?"
"It's possible." Naruto raised his hand, and searing Lava Release flared in his palm. "If we get the chance, I can kill them."
"What is that?" Sakura froze in place.
"I don't even know how I can do it." Naruto scratched his head, feigning innocence. "One time, in a tight spot, it just came out."
Sasuke said nothing. His gaze started to wander, as if realizing that ever since they left the academy, the gap had only grown.
That guy had said it before—almost every other squad was made up of clan shinobi, probably with inherited techniques like the Uchiha once had.
But now, the Uchiha clan was gone... Sasuke's eyes dimmed for a moment, a wave of helplessness surging up before vanishing in an instant.
"What's the plan?" Sasuke looked up, his eyes resolute.
If he didn't grow stronger in battle, he'd die in battle. If he kept going like this, he'd never have a chance to kill that man.
"Hit him while he's down!" Naruto said decisively. "Kakashi-sensei is already badly injured, and Zabuza was at a disadvantage back then."
"That masked boy's lost half an arm. Now's the best time to strike!"
"Naruto!" Sakura's mind went blank. She finally understood—these two really intended to kill those jōnin.
"But we don't even know where they are."
"I do!" Naruto suddenly grinned. "They can't have gotten far. They must be hiding somewhere in the forest."
"Maybe in a small cabin, maybe in some house."
Hearing this, Sakura glanced at Naruto, then at Sasuke. She could see the determination in both their eyes—there was no turning back.
"Isn't this too risky?"
At those words, Naruto and Sasuke both turned to look at her.
Sakura froze, suddenly flustered and unsure of herself. She stammered out,
"What?"
"Nothing," Naruto replied. "Sakura, if we don't act now, it'll be even more dangerous once they recover."
"We've got no way out. Behind Zabuza is Gatō. You heard that drunk, didn't you?"
"Gatō's got plenty of rogue ninjas and mercenary swordsmen. If we don't take out Zabuza and the masked boy now, we'll end up fighting both sides at once."
As he spoke, Naruto held up four fingers.
"There's only four of us—one jōnin and three genin. Against Gatō and Zabuza, we don't stand a chance."
"Right now, it's just the three of us, and all we have to do is take out a one-armed masked boy. Any way you look at it, this is our best move."
Naruto's reasoning was sound. Sakura's eyes widened, but she couldn't refute it. In the end, she bit her lip and nodded.
Seeing this, Naruto swept his gaze over them both and said firmly,
"Trust me."
"This time, we'll win. Once Zabuza's gone, Gatō's nothing but a bug."
He wasn't exaggerating. Zabuza was the strongest ninja Gatō could afford. A greedy, ruthless merchant like Gatō would never pay top coin for proper shinobi.
His men were all rogue ninjas and wandering swordsmen—basically thugs. He'd only hired Zabuza because he was a missing-nin and cheaper to deal with.
It was simple: Gatō wanted the bridge builder, Tazuna, dead. But when he learned Tazuna had hired Leaf shinobi, he called in a cheap ringer.
Gatō wanted to save money, so he didn't use any proper channels. He found Zabuza privately, promising to pay after the job was done.
But he had no intention of paying. He planned to swoop in once both sides were weakened and take everything for himself.
Night fell.
Team 7 undertook their first solo mission, slipping quietly into the forest under the cover of darkness.
"Found them." Naruto scouted ahead, then leapt back to the others, lowering his voice. "They're in that two-story cabin in the woods."
Hearing this, Sakura couldn't help but tense up.
"I'll strike head-on. You circle around. Sakura, can you support with genjutsu?" Sasuke quickly outlined the plan.
"Got it!" Naruto nodded. "But there's one thing I want to confirm."
"What?"
"The Uchiha clan's Sharingan—you can use that, right?" Naruto said casually. "Sasuke, you'd better go all out from the start. That way, Sakura's safer."
"The longer this drags on, the more danger she'll be in."
"Me?" Sakura didn't quite understand, but the words made her even more nervous. "Don't… don't worry about me. I can handle myself."
"Sakura, fighting isn't your strength." Naruto looked at her seriously. "You don't need to push yourself. Sasuke and I will handle the fighting."
"Just keep supporting us with genjutsu. When things go south, we'll need you to get us out."
Sakura felt a wave of emotion and nodded firmly.
"Don't worry. I can do it!"
Whether she could or not, Naruto didn't know. But he knew one thing: with Zabuza and Haku right in front of them, if he and Sasuke went all out from the start, Haku wouldn't be able to stop them.
The three of them took their positions on either side of the cabin.
After a final exchange of glances, Sasuke made the first move. He broke into a run, loosing three shuriken at an odd angle toward the house.
Naruto circled around back, crimson chakra cloaking his body, searing Lava Release enveloping him. This time, he poured out every last bit of chakra—one strike, kill.
Sakura took a deep breath, locking onto the shuriken's point of impact. As the window shattered, her hands flew into seals, and her genjutsu struck instantly.
The cabin exploded as Naruto smashed through, his molten chakra igniting the wood. Haku burst out, carrying Zabuza, one arm limp and useless.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke was already in position, blocking their path. His Sharingan flared—one tomoe, blood-red.
Haku, still forming a one-handed seal, froze for an instant. Less than a second—but it was enough. Sasuke's genjutsu struck again.
"Die!" Naruto's voice was feral, his pupils blazing scarlet.
In the moment Haku was stunned again, Naruto hurled himself forward, molten heat tearing through them both.
His blow pierced straight through Haku's chest.
The searing magma burned through Zabuza's already-crippled body. Eyes wide with disbelief, the two could only realize—too late—that they'd been utterly undone.
[Gatō's treasure has been stored in the warehouse.]
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