"Ahhhhhh!"
Gato let out a terrified scream, stumbling and crawling frantically in an attempt to escape.
"Hey—where do you think you're running to?"
But Naruto was already on him.
Before Gato could even take a step, Naruto grabbed him with one hand. The man struggled weakly, flailing in panic.
"D-Don't kill ! Please! Don't kill !" he scread. As nma approached, Gato's eyes widened in terror—his entire body trembling as his lower garnts darkened.
Naruto frowned, a look of disgust and disbelief on his face.
"Is this guy… seriously this cowardly?"
nma's tone was calm and cold. "Naruto, this is what evil looks like. Sotis, it's not strength or courage that makes soone dangerous—it's fear and greed."
Naruto frowned. "Maybe… but nma, you didn't have to kill them all, right? They were just hired thugs. We could've just knocked them out. They weren't real shinobi, just ordinary n."
nma paused, glancing at the bloodied corpses around them and the crimson chakra flickering faintly along his skin. "You're right. I lost control for a mont. It won't happen again."
His sudden compliance stunned Naruto.
He had expected nma to argue—like always. He had even prepared a counterargunt in his head, but nma's soft reply left him wordless.
Was this… good?
nma was agreeing with him now. That should be a good thing, right?
But sohow, it didn't feel that way.
For the first ti, Naruto felt sothing distant—sothing cold—between them.
That strange bond, that quiet sense of kinship he'd always felt with nma since childhood… it flickered.
It wasn't gone—but it was fading.
Naruto couldn't explain it. The sensation vanished as quickly as it ca, leaving only confusion and unease in its wake.
anwhile, nma turned away. "The mission's complete. Bring this man to Kakashi-sensei. Once he confirms the final information, the Land of Waves can finally have peace."
He grabbed Gato by the collar, dragging him along the deck like a carcass toward the bow of the ship where Kakashi was waiting.
Naruto blinked, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, then followed silently.
Even though Gato was clearly no warrior, Kakashi didn't take chances. After using genjutsu to extract information, the truth ca out easily.
It had all been Gato's doing.
No connection to the Land of Water. No orders from the Hidden Mist Village.
Zabuza Momochi had been hired privately—nothing more.
Kakashi exhaled in relief. "So it wasn't Kirigakure interference after all. Good. If the Mist had actually intervened, this could've sparked another war."
The Copy Ninja's gaze hardened. "Even a small spark can set two nations ablaze."
nma stepped forward. "Then, Kakashi-sensei, can I handle him?"
Kakashi studied him for a brief second, then smiled faintly beneath his mask.
"Of course, nma. Do as you see fit."
He tossed him a sealing scroll. "Make sure it's done cleanly."
To Kakashi, nma's request wasn't strange. Killing an enemy who threatened the mission was standard procedure for a shinobi. Showing hesitation was what got people killed.
Naruto's hesitation, however… worried him more.
"Kindness is fine," Kakashi thought quietly. "But if it clouds your judgnt—you're no longer a ninja, you're a liability."
"Understood," nma said. "I'll finish it quickly."
While Gato remained trapped under Kakashi's genjutsu, nma leaned close, whispered a few words, then hauled the trembling man away toward the ship's cabin.
Kakashi turned to Naruto. "Let's head back. Leave this to him."
Naruto hesitated but nodded. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."
They walked back toward Tazuna's bridge, leaving the ship behind.
Monts later, the vessel shifted direction—no longer heading toward the main island of the Land of Waves but turning north, slicing across the waves at full speed.
An hour passed before it reached a small island—a secluded place hidden behind mist and jagged cliffs.
"Are you sure it's here?" nma asked coldly as he pushed the trembling Gato forward. "You know what happens if you lie to ."
Gato's body shook violently. "P-Please, Lord nma, it's true! My hidden assets are here! I swear I'm not lying!"
nma's expression didn't change. "Good. Lead the way."
"Y-Yes, yes, of course! This way, Lord nma!"
The two figures moved silently—one trembling, the other calm as ice—as they approached a massive, luxurious building that rose from the lonely island like a fortress.
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