Naruto, If You Don't Roll, What Kind of Hokage Are You?
"Just like you said," Naruto spoke coldly, his eyes fixed on the fallen enemy,
"you'd do anything to protect the person who matters most to you."
"Unfortunately," he continued, his voice steady and merciless,
"we stand on opposite sides."
"All I can ask of you now—"
"—is to die."
"I am… sad."
Haku lay motionless on the cold ground.
There was no fear on his face. No panic. No despair.
Only emptiness.
And within that emptiness, a faint reluctance that refused to disappear.
"Kill me," Haku said weakly, his voice mechanical, devoid of emotion.
"I am nothing more than a tool… a tool created to protect Zabuza-sensei."
"If I can't even do that…"
"Then I have no value."
"I can only die."
Naruto listened to those words quietly.
But unlike before—unlike the Naruto of the original story—his heart did not waver.
He had changed.
He had already killed.
Mizuki's blood was still a vivid memory.
His mindset had long since crossed a line that the former Naruto never could.
"You can say whatever you want," Naruto replied calmly.
"It doesn't matter whether you see yourself as a ninja or a tool."
"But in the end—"
"You are still the enemy."
"You were hired by Gato," Naruto continued, his voice hardening,
"to assassinate Tazuna, a man building a bridge to save his country."
"You tried to kill Kakashi-sensei."
"You tried to kill Sasuke."
"You tried to kill Hinata."
"You tried to kill everyone I care about."
Naruto clenched his fist.
"I don't care about your tragic story."
"I don't care about your loyalty."
"But anyone who threatens the people important to me—"
"I will never forgive."
There was no hesitation.
No mercy.
No unnecessary words.
Naruto gathered the last remnants of his chakra, compressing them violently into his right fist. The air twisted and roared, forming a spiraling storm of pressure and cutting wind.
"Goodbye."
"Wind Release: Hurricane Punch!"
BOOOOM—
The punch landed squarely on Haku's chest.
A deafening explosion followed.
Haku's body flew backward like a broken doll, smashing into the ground. Bones shattered instantly. Internal organs ruptured. Blood poured uncontrollably from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.
Yet—
He did not die immediately.
With the last strength remaining in his fading consciousness, Haku slowly turned his head.
His eyes locked onto Zabuza Momochi.
"Zabuza-sensei…" he whispered weakly.
"I'm sorry… I was useless."
"I couldn't protect you."
"But at least…"
"At least we can die together."
"We'll go to the other world… together…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
And then—
Haku closed his eyes.
The battlefield fell silent.
Zabuza Momochi stared at Haku's lifeless body.
For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes.
But it vanished instantly.
"Useless trash," he spat coldly.
Hinata's expression changed.
"He gave his life for you," she said quietly, her voice trembling.
"And you still say something like that…"
Naruto stepped forward and placed himself between Hinata and Zabuza.
He nodded slightly at Hinata.
"People like him," Naruto said calmly,
"will never understand what bonds truly mean."
"Hinata," he asked gently,
"can you do it?"
Without hesitation, Hinata moved.
She knocked Zabuza to the ground and pressed a kunai against his throat, her hands shaking slightly.
Earlier, she had done it to protect Naruto—at any cost.
But now…
Now that Naruto was safe…
She hesitated.
It was natural.
Hinata was still a newly graduated Genin.
Even in the original story, Naruto himself had rarely killed with his own hands. Most enemies were left for Kakashi to finish.
Naruto understood.
He reached out and gently took the kunai from Hinata's hand.
"I'll do it."
He aimed the blade at Zabuza Momochi's throat.
"Hahahahaha!"
Zabuza burst into laughter, his voice hoarse and broken.
"So this is how it ends…"
"Zabuza Momochi, dying at the hands of a brat."
"What a joke."
"Maybe this is punishment," he muttered,
"for killing so many from my own generation…"
"Heh… I lived freely. I killed freely."
"It's just a shame I couldn't kill that damned Mizukage—"
"I don't know any Mizukage," Naruto interrupted coldly.
"But you almost killed Kakashi-sensei."
"You almost killed Sasuke."
"If you live—"
"They die."
"So—"
Naruto drove the kunai forward.
PFFT—
Blood erupted.
Zabuza's eyes widened as he tried to speak, but only blood-filled foam spilled from his mouth.
Hatred burned in his gaze.
Yet in his final moment—
His eyes drifted to Haku.
And then—
Everything went dark.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Naruto's strength finally gave out.
His body collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Naruto!" Tazuna shouted in panic.
"Are you alright?!"
Naruto forced a grin.
"Of course… I'm fine!"
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto—"
"A genius!"
Tazuna stared for a moment, then laughed bitterly.
"Such a show-off…"
He turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei… how are you?"
"I'm fine… really…" Kakashi replied weakly.
He smiled faintly.
"Good job, Naruto… You saved everyone…"
And then—
He passed out.
Naruto wasn't worried.
He was exhausted too.
"What about Sasuke?"
Sasuke was barely standing.
The prolonged battle and overuse of his Sharingan had pushed him to the brink, but he refused to fall.
"I'm fine," Sasuke replied.
His voice was filled with complicated emotions.
Naruto had risked his life to save him.
That fact stirred something deep inside Sasuke's heart.
Naruto let out a relieved breath.
This was Team Seven's first true battle.
Though filled with danger, pain, and moments of despair, it forged their bonds more tightly than ever before.
Tazuna carried Kakashi on his back.
Hinata supported Naruto.
Sasuke stubbornly insisted on walking alone.
Together, they made their way home.
Inari witnessed everything.
As the sun set, Naruto's shadow stretched across the road and reached the boy standing ahead.
Golden sunlight wrapped around Naruto, making him appear almost sacred.
Inari whispered softly,
"Is this…"
"A hero?"
Team Seven stayed at Tazuna's home for nearly half a month.
Ironically, the weakest among them was Kakashi.
Overusing the Sharingan had drained him completely. It took over ten days for him to recover.
Sasuke and Hinata suffered severe chakra exhaustion but no serious injuries.
Naruto, despite being pierced by dozens of senbon needles, recovered almost completely in just two or three days.
Such terrifying vitality shocked everyone.
While Kakashi rested, training never stopped.
Sasuke completed tree-climbing training and soon moved on to walking on water.
Naruto and Hinata underwent special training to strengthen their weaknesses and enhance their strengths.
Meanwhile, Tazuna resumed bridge construction.
Gato sent wave after wave of thugs, but they were effortlessly defeated.
No matter how many there were—
Ordinary people were no match for ninja.
Finally, the bridge neared completion.
Tazuna promised—
It would be named Naruto Bridge.
Naruto was ecstatic.
Recognition was everything to him.
At last, it was time to part.
Tazuna's family—Tsunami and Inari—came to see them off.
Many villagers gathered at the shore.
Inari waved his arms and shouted loudly.
"Brother Naruto! I'll work hard too!"
"We'll meet again for sure!"
Naruto clenched his fist.
"Yeah! Next time we meet—"
"I might already be Hokage!"
Inari grinned.
"I'll become a man like you!"
"It's a deal!"
The boat slowly drifted away, disappearing into the mist.
The Land of Waves mission—
Was complete.
Though less than a month long, it felt like a lifetime.
Team Seven had been reborn through fire and blood.
At last—
They returned to Konoha.
Naruto was excited, eager to explore.
But Kakashi stopped him.
"First," Kakashi said,
"we report the mission."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)