BlackStar_BH:
I have some good news for the readers of this fanfic on Webnovel.
Well, I listened to the advice and decided to speed up the story without affecting the core of the fanfic, which lies in the characters' reactions to the manga.
Starting from Chapter 100, you will notice a change in the speed of the narrative. Some events from the manga may be skipped, as that's part of what increasing the story's pace means.
In the advanced chapters on Patreon and Ko-fi, I've already begun the arc of Volume 6, where the Chunin Exam in the manga reaches its conclusion.
Greetings to all of you, and enjoy the chapter!
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Kirigakure:
Here, the atmosphere was not merely boiling—it was an explosion of pent-up fury.
The mist surrounding the village seemed to grow thicker with every sentence Gatou uttered on the manga's pages.
Here, the "Devil of the Mist" was not just a fictional character, but a title that embodied the village's prestige and its brutal military might.
Indeed, ever since the people of Kiri learned that Zabuza bore the title Devil of the Mist, despite hating him for becoming a missing-nin, that very title granted him a form of immunity. Internally, he was still considered one of them—even as a fictional figure.
And as the chapters progressed, and the truth was confirmed that he had earned that title through sheer merit and bloodshed, the idea became firmly rooted in their minds.
Zabuza was the Devil of the Mist.
And now… what had happened?
An ordinary man—vile at heart, and even physically falling short of what one would call a proper human due to his pitiful stature—had dared to call their Devil of the Mist, the man who was fighting the Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, fame as an equal…
"Little Baby Devil."
"How vile… how infuriating!"
Inside the Art Store, the paper fan in the hands of the Daimyō of the Land of Water shattered. His eyes burned with a fury none of his attendants had ever witnessed before.
"This… this money-grubbing dwarf…" the Daimyō spat, his voice trembling with rage.
"He dares mock an S-rank ninja from our military village? He calls the 'Devil of the Mist' a cute little devil?! This is not an insult to Zabuza—this is spitting in the face of the entire Land of Water!"
He turned sharply toward the Third Mizukage, whose face had turned ashen.
"Mizukage! Is this what our ninja have been reduced to?! Being used like disposable handkerchiefs by black-market merchants?!"
The Mizukage could not respond. His fist was on the verge of shattering—were it not for the fact that the chair's armrest in the Art Store could not be broken.
"Excellent… it seems he has arrived right on time to die."
The fury vanished from Mezuro's face, replaced instantly by a cruel smile.
He could already see the moment Gatou's head would separate from his body—before even turning the next page.
Behind the Mizukage stood Ao, fighting an overwhelming urge to tear the manga pages apart just to avoid seeing the face of the bastard called Gatou—especially after watching him kick Haku's corpse.
"Mizukage-sama…" Ao whispered hoarsely.
"This is unbearable. The Seven Swordsmen, the elites, even the genin… everyone feels ashamed. Gatou did not just insult Zabuza—he insulted our educational system and our blood-soaked history."
"That is true," Mezuro replied calmly. "But do not forget—these are merely events on paper."
"…Don't you feel that this is the future, Mizukage-sama?"
"Yes. And that future will no longer be allowed to exist."
As he spoke, Mezuro stared into the distance—toward a little child who was meant to grow into the Devil of the Mist.
…
In a corner of the store, young Zabuza stared at the page with a furious expression.
He was not crying—his entire body was trembling violently. He saw himself in the future: crippled, armless, standing before trash unworthy of even a drop of chakra.
"I won't become like that…" the boy muttered with iron resolve.
"I won't allow anyone… anyone… to belittle me."
His father nodded in satisfaction, witnessing this change in his son.
Even Momochi Genma himself was boiling with rage at Gatou's despicable actions.
…
Young Jūzō Biwa shouted while swinging his wooden sword, "Zabuza! Kill him! Even with your teeth if you have to! Don't let him laugh!"
"Calm down, kid. That man is already dead."
Jinpachi Munashi glanced at young Jūzō while picking his ear, utterly unconcerned about what would eventually happen to Gatou—he already knew.
Hearing that, the boy's expression eased.
The page turned, revealing the moment that made everyone stop shouting.
Gatou, utterly cold, approached Haku's body lying on the ground… and raised his foot.
At that instant, everyone in Kirigakure felt as if a heavy boot had stomped down on their chests. Gatou kicked Haku's face—the boy who had sacrificed everything.
Even if he belonged to the wrong clan… he was still a warrior.
To trample a fallen warrior was an insult to every single one of them.
"This… the death isn't enough for him…"
At that moment, even Jinpachi—who had previously seemed indifferent—felt pure loathing rise in his heart.
Jinin Akebino slowly wiped the edge of his massive axe—Kabutowari, its other half being a heavy hammer.
"If Gatou ever falls into my hands," he said coldly, "I'll make his death last for weeks."
Naruto's reaction in the manga perfectly mirrored the readers' rage in Kiri, as he screamed and lunged at Gatou—only to be stopped by Kakashi.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU BASTARD!!!
…
..
[— Manga Scene —]
"Don't you feel anything at all?! Weren't you two always together?!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Zabuza, who stood there without reaction.
"As I was used by Gatou, I used Haku. That's all it was. I've said it already—in the world of shinobi, there are only those who use, and those who are used." Zabuza continued speaking without turning around.
"We shinobi are simply tools… what I wanted was his blood, not him… I have no regrets."
"Hey… do you really mean that?" Naruto's rage reached such an extreme that it became eerily calm.
He pulled his hand free from Kakashi's grip.
"Stop, Naruto! We're not fighting him anymore. Plus—"
"Shut up!!! My enemy is still him!!!" Naruto pointed at Zabuza.
"He… he really loved you!!!" He gestured toward Haku's body, remembering their earlier conversation.
"He loved you that much!!! Do you really feel nothing?! Do you really… really not feel anything?!" Tears pooled in Naruto's eyes as he screamed.
'I want to fulfill his dream. For that, I can become a shinobi.'
Remembering this, Naruto could no longer hold back his tears.
"If I become strong like you… Will I really become like you?!" That was Naruto's deepest fear—that power would steal his heart.
"He threw away his life for you!!! Without his own dream… to die as a tool… that's just too sad…" Tears poured freely as his voice softened, heavy with sorrow.
"Kid…" At that moment, Zabuza's tone completely changed—his demonic mask shattered.
"You don't need to say any more…" Tears streamed down his face as he spoke.
[— End Scene —]
As Zabuza's tears fell in the manga, something unprecedented happened in the Art Store—a silence of a special kind descended.
Not a silence of awe, but one of complete emotional collapse.
In Konoha:
Kushina covered her mouth with both hands, tears silently streaming down her face.
"Naruto…" she whispered the boy's name—unaware he was her son—yet his words struck chords deep within her soul she never knew existed.
She was not crying solely for Haku's death, nor for Naruto's tears, nor even for the moment the devil Zabuza surrendered to his true feelings—but for that innocence Naruto was desperately trying to protect in a world that crushed hearts.
Minato, always the embodiment of calm, felt a lump rise in his throat.
"It's surreal…" he murmured, touching Naruto's crying face on the page.
"What kind of spirit does a kid possess… one who grew up in loneliness and rejection…"
The pain in his throat turned into a tear that fell without permission.
He looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi—only to find the Professor of Shinobi had closed his eyes, a single tear carving a path through the wrinkles on his face.
"He did it…" Hiruzen said hoarsely.
"This kid didn't defeat Zabuza with ninjutsu—he defeated him by being human. At this moment, the 'tool system' we built over decades has shattered."
…
Even Danzō, who saw emotions as a fatal weakness, found himself unable to sneer.
''Is he really crying?''
He stared at Zabuza's tears and thought, 'If even the devil has broken… then what value do the laws we protect truly hold?'
…
In Iwagakure:
Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage—now closer to an old man than ever, a veteran of countless battles—felt the familiar ache in his back grow heavier.
"Hah…" he exhaled deeply, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.
"We've lived too long, children… long enough to forget that behind every shinobi mask is just a child searching for somewhere to belong."
"This Naruto… he reminds us of everything we lost on our path to power."
The elites around him lowered their heads. Naruto's words about "dying as a tool" struck a painful chord in a village that revered blind obedience to stone.
Even Iwa's jinchūriki could not speak—they could only wipe away tears, trying to understand the boy called Naruto.
'Who was he… really?'
…
In Kumogakure:
Killer B—who could always find a rhyme—fell completely silent.
He set his notebook aside and stared at the Art Store's ceiling, which blocked his view of the sky, but it couldn't stop him from imagining it. The sky has always been there.
'These feelings… they were always there. So why am I only touching them now?'
"Heh… these kinds of feelings…"
He sighed. "I can't put this into a rap, bro."
A clenched his bandaged arm tightly.
In Zabuza, he saw the reflection of every shinobi who sacrificed everything for their ambition—yet now he understood that sacrifice without love was nothing but loss, no matter how powerful the ambition.
"Naruto… you're an annoying, weak brat—but you have courage even the strong lack."
…
Back in Kirigakure:
The impact was seismic.
When Zabuza's tears appeared, weapons slipped from the hands of the shinobi.
The Third Mizukage felt an unnatural chill run through his veins.
Zabuza—the embodiment of Kiri's "pride in cruelty"—was crying openly before the entire world.
"My God…" Ao whispered.
"Haku died protecting him—that already hurt him. But Naruto's words… those are what truly killed him."
At that moment, the people of Kiri no longer saw Zabuza as a traitor or missing-nin, but as a tragic symbol cursed by their unjust system.
Young Zabuza, who had been trembling with rage earlier, completely broke down. He cried aloud, covering his small face with his hands.
"Haku… I'm sorry… I won't ever turn you into a tool again!"
His father, Genma, did not scold him this time. Instead, he placed a firm hand on his shoulder, eyes fixed on the next page.
Everyone was waiting for one thing now.
The devil had cried in sorrow—and now… it was time for rage.
Suddenly, in the manga, Zabuza asked Naruto for a single thing in a tone that set readers' blood ablaze with anticipation.
Give me… give me that kunai of yours.
At this moment, Jūzō Biwa screamed at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down his face.
"Kill them all, Zabuza-san! Show them why we're called the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist! Show them that shinobi are NOT just tools to be used!!"
It had always been his dream to become one of the Seven Swordsmen—that was why he clung to them so closely from a young age, even believing himself one of them already.
The store in Kiri erupted with cheers and sobs simultaneously, emotions transforming from overwhelming grief into a mad hunger for vengeance.
Rob had completely seized the world's hearts—and now… it was time to spill blood for the sake of dignity.
Elsewhere, even Rob himself felt fear as a flood of Art Coins overwhelmed his system notifications.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 109: The End of a Devil Who Realized His Humanity.
Chapter 110: Life in Exchange for Death.
Chapter 111: Snow? No—Haku's Tears.
Chapter 112: The Land of Waves' Art Store!
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