Team 7 searched the mountain bandits' den. They found the merchant's lost goods, but they also discovered something more grim: a dozen or so bodies of wandering samurai, tossed haphazardly into an empty house.
Naruto looked up at his sensei. "Kakashi-sensei, you know who the enemy is, don't you?"
"I… I'm sorry, Naruto," Kakashi said, ruffling Naruto's hair and crouching down to his level. "I can't tell you anything until I figure out what they're really after."
He didn't want Naruto exposed to such dark schemes and treacherous plots. Not yet.
Standing to the side, Sakura spoke up. "Naruto, I think I know something. It's about Ino's family's ninjutsu… the Mind-Body something…"
"It's called the Mind Body Switch Technique," Sasuke corrected, leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed. Ever since the merchant leader had departed, his sour expression hadn't changed.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke doubtfully, then broke into a grin. "Then let's investigate it when we get back to the village!"
"Okay. At least we can confirm one thing: the enemies are ninja from our village," Sasuke nodded.
He wanted to investigate the enemies' origins not just for his own safety, but also for any information about Itachi Uchiha. After all, the female ninja who defeated him so easily had mentioned fighting Itachi before—and had likely lost miserably.
"Just leave this matter to me," Kakashi said, trying to reassure his team. "You three just focus on your training and missions. I'll handle the rest, understand?"
The trip wasn't a total loss. The fact that Naruto could now freely control and use the Nine-Tails' chakra was good news for Konoha.
After Team 7 rested, Kakashi thought for a while and decided to change their route. Since the enemy might try to ambush them again, and with no way of knowing if their numbers had increased, they had to choose a different path back to Konoha.
Standing on a high mountain overlooking the sea, Kakashi announced his plan. "We're heading to the Land of Waves first."
Sasuke frowned, glancing at the unusually quiet forest. "To avoid another attack?"
"And to get reinforcements," Kakashi added, scratching his head. He was thinking of Kosuke Maruboshi. Though just an "eternal genin," Kosuke was far more reliable for delivering intelligence than these kids.
Going to the Land of Waves had several advantages.
First, Kosuke was on a mission there. He was a trustworthy man. Kakashi could ask him to join the team for protection or have him travel secretly back to Konoha to report to the Third Hokage.
Second, they could take a boat from the Land of Waves, find a new entry point along the coast, and choose a new route back to the village, avoiding the enemy entirely.
However, this might cause some trouble for old man Kosuke. The man had been a genin his whole life and rarely got the chance to complete a high-level mission.
Luckily, despite the heavy fog, fishing boats were still operating. The one that had dropped off Kosuke and Tazuna had returned safely, so getting passage shouldn't be a problem.
As they headed toward the Land of Waves, Kakashi realized he may have stumbled into more trouble. Fog rolled in from ahead, and through it, he could hear the clash of blades.
That must be Kosuke-san fighting someone… Kakashi thought. A small place like the Land of Waves could, at most, have a few incompetent rogue ninja, right?
When they arrived, the battle was still going. On the roadside, the bridge builder Tazuna was trembling, clutching a snow rabbit and looking around in a panic.
"Mr. Tazuna, where is Kosuke-san?"
"You're here!" Tazuna looked surprised for a moment before grabbing Kakashi's sleeve. "What is wrong with you Konoha ninja?" he hissed. "That old man caught a rabbit, and now he's fighting its owner!"
Kakashi asked doubtfully, "Is this… a snow rabbit?"
"Yeah…" Tazuna showed him the rabbit, his face a mask of disbelief. "The rabbit's owner is a tall, strong ninja. He said he was going to drain our blood!"
The three kids of Team 7 were speechless.
Kakashi, however, reached out to pet the little rabbit. "This is a domesticated snow rabbit," he explained in a low voice. "Some ninja use them for the Substitution Jutsu. It's not common. It seems our enemy is a man of refined tastes..."
Tazuna didn't understand. He just stammered, "I think I heard him say his name was Momo-something-Zabu-something..."
"It must be Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi finished for him, then his eyes widened in shock. "Wait… you've got to be kidding me!"
That was the rogue ninja from the Mist Village, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen! Even for Kakashi, Zabuza would be a handful.
Of course, it was no joke. When Kosuke found the snow rabbit on the road, he immediately recognized it was raised by a ninja and used the opportunity to lure out Zabuza. Who would have thought that when Zabuza appeared, he immediately threatened to slaughter the elderly genin as payment for Kosuke's plan to stew the rabbit in an iron pot?
No one knew why… maybe because snow rabbits are hard to raise?
As they clashed, the fog began to dissipate, slowly revealing two figures. One was a slightly stooped old man holding an ordinary ninja sword—Kosuke Maruboshi. The other was a tall, muscular man holding a massive, wide blade—Momochi Zabuza.
Zabuza stared at Kosuke, his voice grim. "I never expected an old man with that broken-down body of yours to be so skilled with a sword!"
With that, he fiercely stabbed the enormous blade into the ground. His hands flew together, rapidly forming seals. Zabuza looked coldly at the old man. "Hmph, time to die!"
"Oh? Is that the Water Dragon Bullet Technique?" Kosuke recognized Zabuza's hand seals at a glance. "When I was young, I was actually quite good at that jutsu myself…"
He put down his ninja sword and brought his palms together. "I'm really getting old. These old bones can't form seals as fast as you young people. Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
But no one expected Kosuke to strike first, despite starting his seals later. To Zabuza's horror, a water dragon formed behind the old man and lunged!
The Mist rogue ninja stared in terror at the oncoming attack. "How is that possible? You only made three hand seals!"
The Water Dragon Bullet Technique requires forty-four hand seals. Zabuza was only halfway through when the old man slowly formed three seals and unleashed the B-rank jutsu.
Kosuke watched the water dragon engulf Zabuza. He calmly picked up his sword and walked forward. "It's not that strange," he said. "After all, our village's Second Hokage is the most skilled Water Style user in the entire ninja world."
-----
Bonus:
Momochi Zabuza: I'm reporting this! The Konoha ninja is cheating! He only made three hand signs!
Maruboshi Kosuke: I just had a huge cheat come after me, and he didn't even use hand signs…
Momochi Zabuza: You shouldn't do that. It goes against the rules of the ninja world…
Maruboshi Kosuke: Be rational. The jutsu you're using was invented by us in Konoha. We are the rules…
Momochi Zabuza: You really can't act like this. It's bad for ninja world unity…
Maruboshi Kosuke: I just ate one of your rabbits and you want to drain my blood with a ninja sword? How does that promote ninja unity?
Momochi Zabuza: That rabbit… I gave it to Haku. It was the only gift I ever gave him…