"Don't worry, Haku won't leak any secrets."
Uehara Naraku waved his hand, glanced at the trembling Haku, and lightly laughed at Zabuza, "Zabuza, your observational skills are quite poor! Haku is so cute, he must be a boy!"
No matter how the truth is twisted, Haku is indeed a man.
Momochi Zabuza glanced at the frail Haku, and said in a deep voice, "Hmph, rest assured, this little one has the Ice Release Bloodline and surely won't be an ordinary person in the future. He will eventually become a ninja!"
"Do you know Haku?"
"Although the Blood Mist Village cannot tolerate the existence of bloodline ninja, for us ninjas, a bloodline inheritor is an incredibly valuable tool. Even though this little brat only has the Ice Release Bloodline, it's no exception."
Momochi Zabuza secretly cursed his Mizukage, and continued in a deep voice, "When this brat's Ice Release erupted and killed many people, it was discovered by the village. I was responsible for dealing with him and naturally have all his information.
The Mizukage is still in power, and the Hidden Mist Village cannot protect him, so the upper-level ninjas of the village turn a blind eye, allowing him to wander in the Land of Water."
"Hahaha..."
Uehara Naraku chuckled, looking at the delicate youth beside him, softly said, "Well, looking at it this way, my luck isn't too bad."
"Hmph, hope your luck continues."
Momochi Zabuza turned around to leave. As if something came to his mind, he added, "One last reminder: don't underestimate the person you're looking for. The previous owner of the Shark Skin had no power to fight back against him."
"That's not your concern."
Uehara Naraku watched Zabuza's departing figure and shouted loudly after him, "Hey, Zabuza, if what you're trying doesn't work out, you can come to me in the future; at least I can protect your life."
"Hmph, idiot!"
Momochi Zabuza cursed Uehara in a low voice.
According to Zabuza's knowledge of Uehara Naraku, he believed it impossible for this young man to have any dealings with Hoshigaki Kisame, and there's even a chance Uehara might get killed.
This time, the mission led by Hoshigaki Kisame was to capture the invading Konoha Ninja Kakashi Hatake. To ensure absolute success, Kisame took several powerful Jonin from the village with him.
After tomorrow, the Hidden Mist Village's defenses would be more vulnerable than ever, giving Zabuza the courage to carry out his plan to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage.
Northern Land of Water.
In search of Uchiha Obito's tracks, Kakashi Hatake ventured alone into the Land of Water, believing that Obito must be lurking in this isolated country for revenge.
Unexpectedly, before Kakashi could find Obito, the Mist Village ninjas in the Land of Water discovered his trace. Facing the famous Copy Ninja Sharingan Kakashi, the Mist Ninja did not dare to be careless and swiftly requested reinforcements from senior officers.
This was truly an unfortunate start.
Kakashi Hatake was pondering his next move when the mysterious masked man also heard about Kakashi, giving him quite a headache.
The mysterious masked man planned to target Uehara Naraku and had specifically used Kakashi as bait to lure out Karin, a spy cultivated by the Land of Lock. Unexpectedly, his goal was not yet reached, and the bait had already jumped out on its own.
Fortunately, the mysterious masked man had Karin detained, and as long as she was unaware of Kakashi's situation, there shouldn't be any complications with the right maneuvers.
However, the four forces formed a perfect close loop.
Uehara Naraku wanted to find Hoshigaki Kisame and bring him back to the Akatsuki. Hoshigaki Kisame wanted to find Kakashi Hatake and bring him back to the Hidden Mist for interrogation about Konoha's information. Kakashi Hatake wanted to find Uchiha Obito and bring him back to Konoha Village to uncover the truth. Uchiha Obito wanted to find Uehara Naraku and lead him into darkness.
Most of these individuals were merely pawns among them.
Uchiha Obito believed everyone, including Uehara Naraku, to be his pawns. Uehara Naraku also thought of everyone, even Uchiha Obito, as pieces under his guidance.
Their confrontation depended on who stood on a higher level.
The next day.
Uehara Naraku followed the route of Hoshigaki Kisame, intending to rush to the northern outpost of Hidden Mist in the Land of Water and lay in ambush.
Uehara did not take Haku with him but left him at the Daimyo Mansion of the Land of Water. He planned for Haku to take Zabuza along when Zabuza failed to assassinate the Mizukage and became wanted by the Hidden Mist Village.
The northern outpost of the Hidden Mist Village was bound to be lively.
The outpost was always garrisoned by a team of four ninja squads led by one Jonin, totaling sixteen people, arranged in the combinations of 1 Jonin Captain + 3 Chunin and 1 Chunin Captain + 3 Genin.
With just one Jonin, it was heart-wrenching to think they could capture Kakashi Hatake since this Mist Jonin Captain had witnessed Kakashi's prowess before and wouldn't risk going head-to-head with him unprepared.
Yet, letting Kakashi escape also didn't align with the Mist Ninja's nature. So this Mist Jonin earnestly executed wartime strategies, leading his subordinates to entangle and blockade Kakashi, waiting for reinforcements from the village.
This was, after all, Sharingan Kakashi.
Kakashi Hatake was the hottest ninja in Konoha over recent years. Capturing him would certainly lead to a wealth of Konoha's intelligence, greatly aiding the Hidden Mist Village's goal of defeating Konoha.
"Team Thirteen, take the left!"
"Understood!"
"Team Fifteen, take the right!"
"Understood!"
"Team Twenty, cover the rear!"
"Understood!"
"Team Eleven, follow me in the attack. When you encounter Kakashi, keep him entangled with shuriken, and remember, do not look directly into his Sharingan!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The four squads of Hidden Mist Village were still entangling Kakashi Hatake in the region, delaying his escape and forcing him to counterattack and deal with the Mist Ninja in frustration.
While Kakashi Hatake was secretly planning his moves, Uehara Naraku had arrived in the area, quickly spotting them with the Aerial Dance technique.
The young ninja gracefully landed before the Mist Ninja, who stared at him in surprise and vigilance. With a pure smile, Uehara asked, "Hey guys, interested in playing a round of cards with me?"
"..."
The Mist Jonin hesitated for a second, then tightened his grip on his ninja blade and loudly ordered his subordinates, "Proceed as planned, don't let this brat interfere with us, kill him!"
Decisive and murderous, that was the essence of the Mist Ninja!
With the Jonin Captain's order, the Mist Ninja hesitated no longer, swiftly throwing dozens of shuriken at Uehara Naraku!
"Wind Release: Wind Barrier!"
A wind wall blocked all incoming shuriken!
Uehara Naraku's smile remained unaltered, leisurely clasping his hands together and softly continued, "Even though your initial encounter with me was rude, I still choose to forgive you... because, the dead deserves respect!"