“Naruto!” The cry came from a few metres away, but I recognised the voice instantly.

It was Hinata.

But there was… an edge to her voice that almost made me lose focus of the jutsu I was preparing. Strangely, Haku flinched too, standing stone still, despite the four senbon primed in his left hand.

I took note of that and quickly flicked my gaze east.

Hinata stood guard in front of Choji while the Demon Brothers flanked her on either side. They lashed their linked chain forwards, yet each time, it was deflected inches before making contact with Hinata’s palms. But even she didn’t have the focus to repel their chain repeatedly without slipping up and ending up poisoning herself on the spikes.

Cursing, I stopped mid-hand sign and partitioned the chakra. I’d been breaking apart Haku’s water ninjutsu by overcharging my wind jutsu this entire time but in doing so, forced myself to knead more chakra. It was a bitch to do, but it was how I’d managed to maintain decent control over my stupidly large chakra capacity.

I sent around a third of the moulded chakra down to my feet before blitzing through the rest of the hand signs, altering the jutsu I’d planned on using. I steadied my feet, using a fraction of the chakra in my feet to stick to the ground, and belched an air bullet the size of a man and the width of a car directly at Haku.

What was even more strange was that his previously lightning-fast reaction was a beat too slow. I couldn’t see past that ANBU mask of his, but he seemed preoccupied with something.

Throughout our fight, he’d made it clear he was keeping me in check as much as I was doing the same to him. It was clear beyond anything else that he’d paid close attention to our assault on the Jagged Blades’ outpost. He knew about my chakra enhancement and how I leaned more toward close-range combat.

But I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Haku fired a wide jet of water to counter my jutsu. I could see it already breaking through my jutsu but that was perfectly fine. Focusing on the chakra I’d directed to my feet, I cleared the ground in an instant, sailing high enough to look down on the battle unfolding down below.

As I reached the apex of my jump, I twisted my head to the outpost, where Asuma and Zabuza’s battle had destroyed its remains. The ground was scorched and blackened. The outpost was still aflame, roaring and writhing under some strong wind.

I couldn’t count on Asuma to save our hides, and with Choji injured, it fell on me to try and get us out of here alive.

Drawing two kunai, I aimed and flicked my wrists wide. The Demon Brothers reacted just about as expected, twisting out of the way. The movement also pulled the chain back with them, giving Hinata some reprieve and me somewhere to land.

“Be quick, what’s happened?” I asked, positioning in front of my friends and drawing two more kunai.

Hinata immediately ripped her pouch free. “Choji’s been hit with a paralytic but I can bleed it out of him if you can buy me fifteen—no, ten seconds.”

I gritted my teeth. “Where’s ANBU mask?”

“Still dealing with your jutsu but it’s unravelling. She’ll be here in five seconds, minimum.”

I froze after hearing Hinata say “she”—Haku was a girl here?

“Naruto!”

I jolted back to the present and tightened my grip over my kunai. “Bleed him out and bandage him in five.”

Whatever he replied with, I didn’t hear it because the Demon Brothers had made their move.

I couldn’t move, otherwise, they’d kill Hinata and Choji, so I threw my kunai at them and weaved seals faster than I ever had in my entire life.

My chakra was almost frantic but I tried to ease the flow as my lungs expanded. I directed some chakra to my palms and used Great Breakthrough, swinging from left to right as fast as I could. The focused gale was akin to a whip, lashing from side to side and I held the Confrontation Seal, gathering more chakra to fuel it.

It wasn’t the most complicated technique, but it was effective and that’s all that mattered. The Demon Brothers buried their claw-like gauntlets to anchor themselves to the ground. Despite that, their bodies flailed helplessly under winds so strong they were tearing literal chunks out of the ground.

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of energy at the sight of their long cloaks riddled with minuscule, surface-level cuts. It meant that my training to infuse some cutting into blunt-force wind jutsu was working.

But my smile vanished almost immediately—it was a sixth sense. A chill along the nape of my neck that spelt things out for me as clear as could be.

It was Haku.

“Oh no,” I muttered, crouching and twisting my torso to avoid Hinata and Choji.

Now that I was higher, my jutsu made direct contact with the ground. I flicked my head diagonally, managing to knock the Demon Brothers away as I turned in the other direction. I saw the glimmer of needle-thin senbon before they were blasted away but Haku was nowhere to be found.

Even if I managed to knock him—or rather, her—away, the Demon Brothers would definitely take the chance to poison me. Instead, I armed myself with another kunai and stood sideways, facing both directions while keeping Choji and Hinata in front of me.

“Are you ready yet?”

Choji rose to his feet with a grimace. “...Yeah.”

“Never mind that,” said Hinata, rapidly shaking her head. “Naruto, ANBU mask is coming.”

Shooting her a thumbs-up, I turned in the other direction, trusting my back to the two of them without hesitation. Now that Hinata was no longer on the defensive, I had nothing to worry about. The Demon Brothers had the advantage in terms of teamwork, but Hinata and Choji were stronger than them.

With my fears laid to rest, I focused on my own battle. I could see Haku just fine—we were in an open field. She ran right at me, throwing senbon after senbon. I deflected most of them and dodged the ones I couldn’t. She’d probably laced them with the same paralytic the Demon Brothers were using.

Stepping in before she could back up again, I slammed a front kick into her guard, the momentum from my chakra-enhanced dashing sending her sprawling across the grass. She swayed back to her feet, but I was already in range, feinting and weaving around her guard to apply enough pressure and dissuade her from committing to anything too big.

But… wasn’t this too easy? Why was she letting me get so close and where the hell was her ice mirrors? If this was some kind of plot on her end, then it wasn’t a very good one. Haku was all defence, barely slapping away my attacks and focusing on dodging, so I took a chance and ramped up my offence even more.

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She leaned forward as if to prepare an attack and I skipped back. Instead, she jumped over me, throwing a hail of senbon to prevent me from following after her. Behind us, Choji and Hinata had the advantage against the Demon Brothers—especially Choji.

He’d re-applied Stone Fist to his already expanded arms and fought with no hesitation thanks to the added reach and defence. Haku threw a senbon at Choji, but he blocked it using his stone gauntlets, backing away from her intrusion.

“Haku!” one of the Demon Brothers growled. “Why aren’t you using your Ice-Release?”

She gestured towards Hinata and Choji, but instead of listening in on their conversation, I tapped Choji on the shoulder and blitzed into range. The Demon Brothers were slow to react and Haku was caught completely off-guard—so her reaction was even slower. I launched one of the brothers in the opposite direction to the other, leveraging both my weight and momentum to send him flying.

Choji rushed past us, re-engaging the furthest one with more space than before and no allies to worry about injuring by accident. Hinata engaged the only left but went for Haku first, forcing her to spring back and giving me an opportunity to attack her on a silver platter.

I slammed a spinning elbow into the side of her head, feeling her buckle under the blow. While she was shaking it off, I adjusted my feet, guiding chakra down my body to steady myself. To be honest, I didn’t know what the problem with her was, nor why she was suddenly holding back—but I didn’t care.

My priority was getting my friends and I back home alive—and Haku was in the way of that goal.

I buried my fist into her stomach, allowing the gathered chakra to flow out of it. She gave a strangled grunt behind her mask before the enhanced blow took her off her feet. Slowly, I approached her fallen body, not sure whether she was faking or not. I stood over her for a few moments—a minute at max—before something changed.

“She’s unconscious,” said Hinata.

I swept my gaze across the field to see Choji standing over the other Demon Brother’s corpse, shoulders heaving.

“How’d you do it?” I asked.

“Targeted his heart. Without their teamwork, they’re not particularly difficult to deal with.”

Accepting her words with a nod, I picked up Haku’s body, draping an arm over my shoulder and heaving her up with very little effort. She was a lot lighter than I thought she’d be.

“Don’t follow me and scan over Choji for any lingering toxins.”

She nodded. “What are you going to do with her?”

“With her?” I looked to the outpost and mustered up confidence that I definitely wasn’t feeling. “I’m going to see if I can buy us some safety.”

I half-dragged Haku to the outpost, circling the burning and burnt wood to find an entrance that wasn’t likely to crush my hostage. Inside, Asuma and Zabuza were locked in a fierce exchange. Surprisingly, neither of them was too injured, but Asuma looked more tired than I’d seen him. He held out his chakra sabres but I could see his shoulders heaving up and down.

I continued to drag Haku behind me until I was around twenty metres out from the two of them, but they noticed me well before that, stopping their battle but still facing each other.

“Zabuza,” I began with a smile. “I’ve come to bargain.”

“What are you doing?” Asuma asked, looking between Zabuza and I cautiously. “It’s dangerous—get out of here.”

I didn't let Asuma's words deter me. With every step I took closer to Zabuza, my heartbeat grew louder in my ears, but I kept my grip firm on Haku's limp body. “Listen to me, Zabuza. I've got Haku. If you want her back, you'll have to—”

“Do you think you can bargain with me, brat?” Zabuza's voice cut through the air like his oversized blade, sharp and unforgiving.

His gaze locked onto mine.

I felt a wave of killing intent crash over me. It was like being plunged into icy water, every nerve in my body screaming in terror. My breath caught in my throat, and I struggled to keep my composure.

The weight of his intent was suffocating. My legs trembled, threatening to buckle under me. Each step forward felt like wading through thick mud, my body fighting against an invisible force. I could feel my resolve weakening, the confidence I had mustered slipping away. Visions of death raced through my mind—all the different ways Zabuza could and would kill me.

“I-I'm serious, Zabuza,” I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady. “We can end this without more bloodshed. Just listen to—”

“Shut it!” Zabuza's roar sent another jolt of fear through me. His eyes, cold and merciless, seemed to pierce through my very soul. “You dare to bargain with me using a tool? You have no idea what you're dealing with, kid.”

My grip on Haku's body tightened, but my hands were shaking. I tried to push back against the overwhelming pressure, but slowly, I was being crushed underneath it. Sweat trickled down my face, and my vision blurred at the edges.

I could barely keep my focus on the ground in front of me let alone Zabuza.

My voice was barely more than a whisper. The crushing weight of his intent was breaking me. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to get away from this monster, but I couldn't move.

For the first time in my life, I was paralysed by fear.

Zabuza took a slow, deliberate step toward me, his presence looming larger, more oppressive. His voice was mocking, filled with disdain. “You are nothing but a child playing at being a ninja.”

The world seemed to narrow to just the two of us, his killing intent the only thing I could feel.

Zabuza's laughter was cold and devoid of humour. “What makes you think I need any of you alive?”

He raised his sword, ready to strike, and I felt a jolt of fear run through me.

The killing intent intensified, and I felt my vision narrowing further. Every breath was a struggle, every muscle in my body screamed in agony. I was on the verge of blacking out. My mind was a whirl of despair and regret.

Why the hell had I tried to bargain with a man who’d killed a hundred people at the age of ten?

Summoning every last ounce of my willpower, I forced myself to speak. “Kill me, and I’ll slit her throat.”

Zabuza froze, not changing his posture at all. The unbearable pressure eased just a fraction and his beady eyes flickered with something unreadable. Doubt? Curiosity? I couldn't tell. But it was enough for me to push on.

“We have no reason to be enemies,” I continued, my voice gaining strength with each word. “But this girl here is worth more to you than Goro Tanimoto. I’ll give her back to you alive alongside Goro Tanimoto if you leave.”

“We don’t?” He grunted. “Not while you hold your kunai to my subordinate’s throat? Your sensei’s bounty is at sixty-five million ryo.” Zabuza's gaze hardened again, but the killing intent didn't return with the same force. “Why would I ever let that go?”

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. “Because the Demon Brothers are dead. It’s the four of us against just you. You’re outnumbered, and I’m giving you a way out.”

Then, the pressure on me intensified—my throat dried, and I felt the panic I’d suppressed starting to rise again, bit by bit. Instead of succumbing, I nodded at Asuma—but it felt more like a convulsion than a gesture—and he pulled out the scroll holding Goro’s corpse within it.

“Again!” I raised my voice, pressing the knife against her throat hard enough to draw blood despite my shaking. “Haku is worth more to you alive than she is dead. Take the bounty you came for, and we can part ways.”

“You heard him.” Asuma stepped forward, ready to intervene if necessary. “We can end this and live to fight another day.”

There was a long, tense silence. Zabuza's eyes bore into mine, and I could see the conflict raging within him. Finally, he lowered his sword slightly, the killing intent dissipating like a receding tide.

“I’d offer you one of the Demon Brothers too, but they were your subordinates… right?” I trailed off, afraid of drawing his ire again.

“I don’t give a shit,” he replied. “They outlived their usefulness, so I’ll make good use of their corpses, but you’ve got balls, kid. Take one of ‘em.”

Almost blankly, I watched him walk over to the corpse of one of his subordinates, scaring the crap out of Choji, sliding his massive sword beneath the corpse and slinging it over his shoulder without an ounce of hesitation. Was this the reality of being a shinobi? I shuddered at how blasé it was.

Zabuza's eyes flicked to Asuma, then back to me. Choji and Hinata came running, immediately standing next to me. He took Haku from my arms before I could even notice what happened, slinging her over his shoulder.

“You’ve got guts, kid.” He let out a long, slow breath, glancing at Hinata with a furrowed brow. “We have a deal—but make no mistake, if you try anything, I’ll cut off your arms and legs.”

I’d done it.

My legs finally gave out as the adrenaline left my body. I sank to the ground, exhausted but hopeful. I watched Zabuza lop off Goro Tanimoto’s head along with one of the genin before leaving the outpost.

Hinata and Choji flopped to the ground beside me, staring up at the pink-hued sky before a shadow fell over us.

“Let’s go report to Yasuhiro,” said Asuma, helping me up.

Choji struggled to his feet, using Goro Tanimoto’s ringed broadsword as a crutch. “And after that?”

“We’ll rest for the day and then go home,” he replied.