𝙇𝘼𝙑𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍. | 𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗢

XVI

"GATO? What are you doing here? And who are those henchmen?" a bloody Zabuza asked, eyeing Gato and the lines of armed men behind him.

Gato laughed mockingly. "Our strategy has changed a little . . ." Gato tapped his cane onto the bridge's cement floor with authority. "I'm sorry Zabuza, but you will die here."

Zabuza's eyes widened a fraction, surprised and annoyed by Gato's carefree demanor. "What?"

"Since hiring a regular shinobi costs a lot of money, I hired Rogue ninjas like you. And, it would've been even more ideal to save my money and effort if Ninja-to-Ninja battles ended up killing each other off," Gato revealed. "Well, you are certainly not worthy of being called the Demon of the Hidden Mist Village. If you were to ask me, you're just a cute little demon!" Gato declared, eyeing Haku's dead body as the men behind him laughed.

At the sight and the complete turn of events, the other Leaf genin and Tazuna could only look on with wide eyes, bewildered by the appearance of Gato's men and Gato himself.

"Kakashi, I apologise. Our fight ends here. As long as my reason to take down Tazuna is gone, continuing our fight would be meaningless," Zabuza said, staring at the men before him.

"You're right," Kakashi agreed. As he spoke, Gato approached them, drawing nearer to Haku's lifeless body.

"That reminds me. I owe him something," the short man said, referring to Haku. He kicked the dead boys head with barely any effort "He squeezed my arm 'till it broke. . ." The man cut himself off, kicking the boy in his side with more strength than before.

"Oi, you bastard! Stop what you're doing!" Naruto shouted with anger, running at the man without a second thought. Kakashi caught Naruto by the cloth of his jumpsuit before he could progress any further.

"Stop! Don't act so recklessly!" Kakashi let go off Naruto slowly.

"You day something too!" Naruto yelled at Zabuza. "He was you're comrade right?"

"Shut up, punk. Haku is already dead," Zabuza said, his eyes still lingering on Haku and Gato.

"Don't you feel anything watching him doing that! Weren't you with Haku for a long time!"

"As Gato used me, I was simply using Haku," Zabuza stated. "I thought I told you. We shinobi are merely tools. What I wanted were his skills, not Haku himself. I have no regrets."

"Do you . . . Do you really mean that?" Naruto questioned in a smaller voice. "He.. He really liked you! He liked you that much . . . !" Naruto's voice grew louder and it cracked as he pointed at Haku's dead body. "Even so, don't you feel anything at all?! When a person becomes as strong as you, does that person really behave like you? He didn't even get to fulfil his own dreams . . . to die as a tool to you . . . that's too painful. "

Naruto stared at Zabuza, tears streaming down his face as he remembered the events that took place a few minutes ago, as he remembered Haku's voice and his tragic backstory. Little did he know, Zabuza had tears of his own leaking from his eyes, the bandages wrapped around his face absorbing them as they trailed down his face.

"Kid..." Zabuza mumbled, though loud enough for Naruto to hear him. Naruto looked up at Zabzua. "Don't say . . . anymore." A few of Zabuza's tears dropped onto the floor as Naruto realised Zabuza was crying.

"Haku . . . he wasn't only thinking about me. He was also thinking about you while he battled you. I know he was too kind. I'm glad we could fight to the end," Zabuza said, shaking his tears away. He ripped the bandages off his face with his sharp teeth. "I've lost. Kid! Give me a kunai knife! "