Is Sasuke... Minato-sensei's child?
The thought blazed through Kakashi's mind like a lightning strike, impossible and yet somehow fitting all the pieces together.
Then reality reasserted itself, cold and undeniable.
Sasuke had the Sharingan. His features were pure Uchiha, from the sharp angles of his face to the way he carried himself with that clan's distinctive pride. There was no mistaking his lineage.
And Naruto—blonde hair, blue eyes, those features that were almost painfully familiar if you knew where to look—he was the one who actually resembled the Fourth Hokage.
Kakashi dismissed the absurd theory immediately, but another thought, more terrifying in its implications, took root in its place.
He turned his head slightly, keeping Zabuza and Haku in his peripheral vision. "Sakura," he said quietly, "that technique Sasuke just used. That was Flying Thunder God, wasn't it?"
Sakura didn't turn, her attention locked on the battlefield, kunai held in a white-knuckled grip. "Yeah. Naruto taught it to him."
The words hit Kakashi like a physical blow.
His visible eye went distant, his mind reeling through the implications. Beneath his mask, a bitter smile twisted his lips. How could Naruto possibly know Flying Thunder God? The technique had died with Minato. No one else had ever mastered it.
Which meant...
Sensei, did you leave behind more than we knew? Did you pass on your techniques before...?
The pieces were starting to fit together in a picture Kakashi both desperately wanted to see and desperately feared.
Across the bridge, Zabuza had pulled himself to his feet, one hand pressed against his fractured ribs. Beside him, Haku stood with careful balance, his cracked mask obscuring whatever expression lay beneath.
Zabuza's mind was churning with similar disbelief. Flying Thunder God. The Yellow Flash's signature technique. He'd heard stories about it, legends really, about how the Fourth Hokage could appear and disappear across a battlefield like a ghost, how entire armies had been given standing orders to flee on sight rather than engage.
And now some black-haired kid was using it like it was a common jutsu.
The speed, Zabuza thought, touching his ribs gingerly. I didn't even see him move. No hand seals, no chakra buildup, just gone and then—
He'd fought the Fourth Mizukage and escaped. He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He wasn't supposed to get knocked on his ass by fresh genin.
This is ridiculous. First the blonde demon nearly makes me wet myself in the forest. Kakashi's hands are useless, so I think maybe things are looking up. Then this black-haired kid appears with the Fourth Hokage's technique and treats me like a training dummy.
If Konoha's genin are this strong, what the hell happened to the rest of the world?
His eye found Sakura, still standing protectively in front of Tazuna, and he felt a surge of resentment. Could he even beat the girl? She looked terrified, sure, but after what he'd just witnessed, who knew what other monsters were hiding in this team?
Why is the world so cruel to me? Zabuza thought bitterly. I survived fighting a Kage. I should be able to handle a simple assassination contract. Instead, I'm getting humiliated by children.
Sakura noticed Zabuza looking at her and tensed further, misreading his expression of existential despair as bloodlust. Is he going to attack me because he can't beat Sasuke? But wow, Sasuke-kun is so amazing! So strong! So fast! So—
"Hey, you two." Sasuke's voice cut through the tension, drawing everyone's attention. He stood with one hand on his hip, his Sharingan spinning lazily. "You went down before I even got serious."
Despite the situation, despite his pain and his pride, despite knowing he was looking at a genin who'd just demonstrated a legendary technique, Zabuza felt something shift in his chest.
The kid was treating this like a proper fight. Showing respect, in his own arrogant way.
"I admit it," Zabuza said, straightening despite his injuries. "You're strong. Fast. Worth taking seriously." He paused, then added formally, "My name is Momochi Zabuza."
It was the traditional challenge—an acknowledgment that his opponent deserved to know his name, deserved to be treated as an equal.
Sasuke's expression shifted, the cockiness giving way to something more genuine. He understood the weight of that gesture. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke." His Sharingan flared. "And I'm the one who's going to defeat you today."
"So come at me." Sasuke spread his arms, inviting attack. "Both of you, together."
He needed to finish this quickly, before Naruto showed up and stole all the glory. He was tired of standing in the background while Naruto got all the attention. For once, he wanted to be the one people talked about, the one who saved the day.
Not this time, Naruto, Sasuke thought. This one's mine.
Zabuza caught Haku's eye and gave the slightest nod. The plan was simple: Zabuza would keep Sasuke occupied while Haku eliminated Tazuna. Then they'd retreat immediately, before the blonde demon could arrive.
It was the only way.
Haku understood instantly. They'd fought together too many times to need words.
Zabuza's hands blurred through seals. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
The river beneath the bridge exploded upward. Two massive serpentine forms burst from the surface, water sculpted into dragons with gleaming scales and gaping maws. They curved through the air toward Sasuke from opposite sides, their roars shaking the wooden planks.
Sasuke didn't bother with seals.
Blue chakra spiraled into existence in both his palms, the distinctive whine of the Rasengan filling the air. He thrust both hands forward, one toward each dragon.
The spiraling spheres tore through the water constructs like they were made of tissue paper, ripping them apart and sending spray cascading across the bridge.
While water was still falling like rain, Haku moved.
He vanished from Zabuza's side and materialized in front of Kakashi and his students, his movements fluid and precise. Dozens of senbon needles appeared in his hands, glinting in the gray light.
He threw them all at Tazuna.
"Sakura, he's coming for us!" Kakashi shouted, taking a step forward despite his useless hands.
The needles flew through the air in a deadly cloud, each one aimed with surgical precision at vital points. Tazuna's eyes went wide, sweat pouring down his face as he stared at his own death approaching.
Sakura's kunai came up, her hands moving to intercept, but there were too many needles, too fast, coming from too many angles—
A hand appeared in the empty air.
It was pale, almost luminescent in the morning light, with fingers that looked like they'd been carved from ivory. The air around it rippled like the surface of a disturbed pond, and that ripple spread outward in expanding circles.
The senbon needles touched those ripples and simply ceased to exist, disintegrating into harmless dust that drifted away on the breeze.
Then Naruto's full body materialized, standing between Haku and his targets as if he'd always been there.
Kakashi's eye widened. That speed. He moved faster than I could track, and I'm watching for it. How is he—
"Naruto!" Sakura's voice was pure relief. With Naruto here, she could relax. Everything would be fine now.
"We're saved," Tazuna breathed, his knees nearly giving out.
Naruto didn't turn around. His eyes were fixed on Haku, and a small smile played at the corners of his mouth. "We meet again." His voice was warm, friendly. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto."
Basic courtesy demanded a proper introduction when meeting someone a second time, even if they were technically enemies. That was just being polite.
Though admittedly, Naruto was inclined to be polite right now. Those senbon needles hadn't been aimed at Kakashi or Sakura—Haku had deliberately targeted only Tazuna, the actual mission objective. He was still showing restraint, still trying not to hurt anyone unnecessarily.
That deserved respect.
Behind them, Sasuke's Rasengan collided with the water dragons in a massive explosion of spray. The clash sent water raining down across the bridge, droplets catching the light like falling diamonds.
The water headed straight for Naruto's group.
Without looking up, Naruto's muscles vibrated—a controlled, high-frequency oscillation that created a bubble of displaced air around him. The water droplets hit that barrier and were blown away before they could reach within a centimeter of his skin.
"My name is Haku," came the quiet reply from behind the mask.
Haku studied the blonde boy who'd appeared like a ghost. He knew, with absolute certainty, that the mission was over. This boy—this impossibly strong, impossibly perceptive boy—would not allow them to harm Tazuna.
His gaze drifted to where Zabuza was fighting Sasuke, and his heart sank further. Sasuke was toying with him, clearly holding back, keeping Zabuza suppressed but not finishing him. Like a cat playing with prey before the kill.
Why isn't he ending it? Haku wondered. It's not a ninja's style to draw out a fight unnecessarily.
But Haku didn't understand what Sasuke was thinking. Sasuke kept glancing toward Naruto from the corner of his eye, his internal monologue a constant loop of Look at me! Notice how strong I am! I'm fighting a jonin!
Unfortunately for Sasuke, Naruto's attention remained fixed on Haku.
"I'm curious about something, Naruto." Haku's hands rose to his mask. "How did you recognize me? And how did you know I'm male?"
He removed the mask slowly, revealing delicate features that could have belonged to either gender, framed by long black hair tied behind his head with a few strands falling loose around his face. His voice was soft, his movements graceful, his entire bearing radiating a strange kind of peace despite the battle raging around them.
Sakura's jaw dropped. If Haku hadn't just explicitly said he was male, she would have sworn he was a girl. A beautiful girl, in fact, possibly even prettier than—
She shook her head, trying to focus.
Naruto considered the question, then shrugged. "It's actually pretty simple. I can sense Ki and blood—life force. Everyone has a unique pattern." He gestured vaguely. "When I killed those Kirigakure ninja and stopped Zabuza in the forest, you were nearby. I felt your Ki and blood signature then."
"As for identifying you as male..." Naruto's expression was completely innocent. "That's because the circulatory pathway in your body is about ten centimeters longer than a woman's. The blood flow follows a male-specific route through certain... areas."
Dead silence.
Haku's face turned brilliant red, flushing from his neck to his hairline.
Sakura made a strangled sound, her own face matching Haku's color. Did he just—did he really just say—oh gods, why would he explain it like that?!
Kakashi stared at Naruto with an expression of profound shock behind his mask. That's... that's how he could tell? He can sense... everything?
Then a new worry struck him. Wait. Does that mean Naruto has already—
He glanced down at himself, then at Naruto, then relaxed slightly. Well, I do have some capital there. I think I'm safe. Probably.
Naruto looked around at everyone's red faces, completely confused by their reactions. What had he said wrong? He'd just explained the biological facts.
His attention shifted to Sasuke, still dramatically fighting Zabuza with elaborate ninjutsu and unnecessary flourishes. Naruto recognized the pattern immediately—Sasuke was showing off, making the fight look impressive while actually holding back to stretch it out.
Just like his Fire Style: Can't Hit Anyone Jutsu, Naruto thought with amusement. All flash, no finish.
"Haku," Naruto said, his voice drawing the hunter-nin's attention back, "give up. You weren't trying to kill us. I can let you go."
Haku's gaze found Zabuza, currently getting knocked down again by one of Sasuke's attacks. Despite being outmatched, despite bleeding from a dozen small cuts, Zabuza kept getting back up, kept fighting.
If his master wouldn't give up, how could he?
Haku shook his head slowly. "Naruto, you have things you want to protect. I have things I want to protect." He picked up his mask, preparing to put it back on. "So I'm sorry, but I can't accept your offer."
The decision was clear.
Naruto didn't try to persuade him further. Everyone had their own path, their own convictions. He could respect that, even if it meant fighting. "All right. I respect your choice. Let's do this properly then."
"Secret Technique: Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors."
Haku moved before the words finished leaving his mouth. The moisture in the air began to crystallize, temperature plummeting so fast that everyone's breath turned to fog. Mirrors of perfect ice formed in a circle around Naruto, each one tall as a man and polished to flawless reflection.
In seconds, Naruto stood trapped in a cage of ice.
Haku's form flickered and disappeared into one mirror. The next instant, his reflection appeared in all of them simultaneously, surrounding Naruto from every angle.
"Naruto-kun," the voices echoed from every direction at once, "I will fight you with my full strength. You deserve nothing less."
Naruto looked around at the ice mirrors with calm assessment. He could shatter them all with a single punch if he wanted. The technique was impressive, but against someone with his physical abilities, it was like building a sandcastle to stop a tsunami.
Still, Haku was showing him respect by using his best technique. Naruto would return that respect.
"If that's how it is, Haku, then I'll use my full strength too."
The moment the words left his mouth, Naruto's Ki surged through his body. His jacket exploded off his torso as his muscles expanded, his frame growing at impossible speed. One meter seventy became five meters, then kept going, climbing past ten meters until his head nearly brushed the underside of the bridge above.
His bare chest was a landscape of muscle that seemed to move with its own life, each fiber visible beneath skin that gleamed like bronze in the morning light.
Kakashi stared up at the giant Naruto had become, his mind struggling to process what his eye was showing him. He's... he's massive. How is this possible? What kind of technique—
Sakura's mouth fell open into a perfect 'O' shape, her brain temporarily short-circuiting.
Tazuna just stood there, wheezing.
"Thousand Buddhas Ascend to Heaven."
Naruto's fist moved, and suddenly there weren't one fist but hundreds, thousands, each one moving at different angles with impossible speed. The air itself shrieked with the force of the technique.
The ice mirrors shattered like glass in a hurricane, fragments exploding outward in glittering clouds. All except one—a single mirror that Naruto deliberately left intact.
His hand shot out, fingers passing through the surface of that last mirror like it was water, and closed around something inside. He pulled, and Haku emerged from the mirror's interior, lifted by the neck into the open air.
Haku dangled there, his face flushing as the pressure cut off his air supply. He stared at the giant face looking down at him with something between awe and despair. "How?" he choked out. "How did you find me?"
"I already explained that." Naruto's voice was gentle despite his size. "I sense Ki and blood. No matter where you hide, I can find you. There's nowhere that's beyond my perception."
Haku's eyes dulled, acceptance settling over him like a shroud. "Then kill me, Naruto."
I'm sorry, Zabuza-sama, he thought. I couldn't beat this boy. I couldn't help you achieve your dream. I'm useless. Better to die than continue as a tool that's broken.
"Kill you?" Naruto's tone carried genuine confusion. "That time in the woods, you didn't even try to kill me. Just now, you aimed only at Tazuna, trying not to hurt my friends or sensei. Why would I kill you?"
The words hit Haku like a physical blow. All the speeches he'd prepared in his head, all the arguments to convince Naruto that death was the only option—they evaporated. He couldn't say a single word.
"Hey." Naruto glanced toward where Zabuza was lying on the bridge, nursing yet another bruise courtesy of Sasuke. "The guy you want to protect—that's him, right? The one getting beaten up over there?"
Haku followed Naruto's gaze. Zabuza lay on his back, his face swollen, blood trickling from his nose, his bandages torn and dirty. He tried to rise and collapsed back down, completely spent.
Sasuke stood beside him, practically vibrating with excitement as he looked at Naruto, his expression screaming Did you see that? Did you see how strong I am? Praise me!
Naruto still wasn't looking at him.
Haku's expression cycled through several emotions before settling on resigned sadness. Is this really Konoha's genin level? We never stood a chance.
"I just want to die," Haku said quietly. "I'm useless to Zabuza-sama now. Without purpose, living is meaningless."
He began to speak, words flowing out unbidden—about his childhood, about his mother's death, about Zabuza finding him in that alley eating garbage. About the dream they shared, of a quiet place far from war where they could just live in peace.
Naruto listened without interruption, his expression growing more complex with each sentence.
"I really wanted to go somewhere with Zabuza-sama," Haku finished, his voice barely a whisper. "Somewhere with no one around, where we could live without worry. But there's no chance of that now."
The resigned acceptance in those words touched something in Naruto's chest. He'd been alone too. He understood the desperate need for a place to belong, for someone to belong with.
He released his Iron Body transformation, shrinking back down to his normal height, and set Haku gently on the ground.
"Maybe," Naruto said slowly, an idea forming, "maybe I know a place like that."
Haku's head snapped up, hope flickering in his eyes before he could suppress it.
Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke! Don't kill Zabuza!"
Haku's pupils dilated with panic. He moved without thinking, his body flickering toward his master as Sasuke's fist descended toward Zabuza's unconscious form—
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