The rcenaries panicked, their formation breaking like cheap glass.
"Gatou is dead! The boss is headless!" one scread, dropping his spear. "Who's gonna pay us?!" "Forget the pay! Take the town! Loot everything!" another shouted, eyes wild with greed. "Kill the brats and take the won!"
"Ahem."
I stepped forward, the steel of the Kubikiribōchō scraping loudly against the stone bridge. I rested the massive blade on my shoulder, looking bored.
"Naruto," I said calmly. "Use the Jutsu."
"Which one?" Naruto asked, cracking his knuckles. "Sexy Jutsu?"
"No. Multi-Shadow Clone. The Intimidation Version."
"Got it!"
Naruto crossed his fingers. The chakra exploded.
POOF. POOF. POOF.
White smoke blanketed the bridge. When it cleared, five hundred Narutos stood in formation, filling every inch of available space. Beside them, Kakashi—exhausted but still radiating Jonin-level nace—flared his lightning chakra. Sasuke stood up, blood wiping from his lip, looking like he wanted to murder sothing to vent his frustration.
"Leave," I said, my voice cutting through the wind. "Or beco chum for the sharks. I hear they're hungry today."
The thugs looked at the ninja army. They looked at the headless corpse of Gatou. They looked at the giant sword in the hands of a smiling child.
"SCREW THIS!"
They turned and ran. They trampled each other to get to the boat, rowing away so fast they nearly capsized.
*****
While Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke were busy ensuring the thugs didn't co back, I quietly slipped away to the side of the bridge where the bodies lay.
Zabuza lay on the cold concrete next to Haku. His breathing was a wet, shallow rattle. Blood pooled beneath them, mixing together.
"Kid..." Zabuza wheezed, his eyes unfocused. "You said... he's alive..."
"I did."
I walked over and crouched down between them. I blocked the view with my body so Kakashi wouldn't see.
"System," I commanded silently. "[Purchase: Low-Grade Senzu Bean (Dragon Ball World). Cost: 2000 SP.]"
A small, wrinkled green bean appeared in my palm. It looked like a dried pea, but it pulsated with life energy.
"This is expensive stuff, Zabuza," I whispered, holding it up. "My entire profit margin for this mission. You won't go back on your word, will you?"
"Just... save him..." Zabuza coughed, blood spattering his chin. "I don't care... about the cost."
I broke the bean in half.
I pryed Haku's mouth open and shoved the first half in. "Chew and swallow, Trap."
The effect was instant.
Haku gasped, his back arching. His eyes flew open, pupils dilating. Steam hissed from his chest as the punctured lung knit itself back together. The color rushed back into his pale cheeks.
"Zabuza-san?" Haku whispered, trying to sit up, patting his chest in disbelief.
"Haku..." Zabuza let out a breath he had been holding for minutes. A single tear escaped, mixing with the blood on his face. "You idiot. You reckless tool."
"And for you," I looked at Zabuza. "You look like a porcupine. Twenty swords in the back? That's ssy."
"Don't bother," Zabuza smiled weakly, his eyes closing. "I'm done. My organs are shredded. I'm going to... wherever he was going. Hell, probably."
"Eat up, drama queen," I grabbed Zabuza's jaw and shoved the other half down his throat.
"Ghhck—!"
SIZZLE.
Zabuza's eyes bulged. His body convulsed. The swords stuck in his back were pushed out as the muscle rapidly regenerated. The internal bleeding stopped instantly. His chakra pathways flared back to life.
He wouldn't be fighting at 100% anyti soon, and the scars would remain as a reminder, but Death had just been cheated.
Zabuza blinked. The pain faded to a dull ache.
He looked at his hands. He flexed his fingers. He looked at .
"I'm... alive?" he asked, sounding almost disappointed.
"Unfortunately," I stood up, dusting off my pants. "And now, you work for . You didn't forget the deal, did you? 'If I save him, you belong to .'"
"Yeah... I know," Zabuza grunted, sitting up painfully.
Haku looked between us, confused. "Zabuza-san? What deal?"
I pulled out a scroll from my inventory that I just bought for 1000 points.
It wasn't a normal parchnt scroll. It was black, with glowing crimson writing that seed to shift on the paper.
[Item: Soul-Binding Contract (Tier 2)] [Origin: Overlord World] [Effect: Absolute obedience. Breach of contract results in Soul Annihilation.]
"Well, it's not that I don't trust the word of a Rogue Ninja known for treachery," I grinned, unrolling it. "But I like to have an extra layer of security."
I presented the contract. "Drop your blood here."
Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "Blood? Not a signature?"
"It's a specialized contract. Consider it a blood oath."
Zabuza smirked inwardly. A paper contract? Does this brat think ink binds a demon? I'll sign it to get us out of here, then take Haku and vanish into the mist the mont his back is turned. No piece of paper can hold Zabuza Momochi.
"Fine," Zabuza scoffed. "If it makes you feel like a big man."
He bit his thumb and pressed it onto the parchnt.
"Haku," Zabuza ordered.
"Yes, Zabuza-san." Haku did the sa without hesitation.
FLASH.
The crimson writing glowed blindingly bright, then vanished, sinking into the paper.
Suddenly, both Zabuza and Haku grabbed their chests. They felt a cold, heavy chain wrap around sothing deep inside them—not their hearts, but their very essence.
"What..." Zabuza gasped, clutching his chest. "What did you do?!"
I rolled up the scroll and tucked it away. My expression shifted from 'business partner' to 'owner'.
"Testing protocols," I said calmly. "Bark."
Zabuza's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Hey kid, who do you think you're talking t—"
He tried to curse. He tried to stand up and throttle .
But then, the Dread hit.
It rose from the depths of his soul—a primal, existential terror that scread that if he did not obey, he would cease to exist. It wasn't pain; it was the sensation of his soul being held over a void.
His body moved on its own. His knees hit the concrete.
"BARK!" Zabuza shouted.
Then he froze, horrified. "I... I just..."
"Louder," I commanded coldly.
"BARK! BARK!"
The Demon of the Mist, the man who slaughtered an academy of students, was on his hands and knees, barking like a trained poodle.
Haku watched, terrified. "Zabuza-san?!"
I patted Zabuza's head condescendingly. "Good boy."
I looked down at him, my eyes hard.
"What you just signed wasn't a landlord agreent, Zabuza. That was a Sealing Contract derived from the Uzumaki Clan's Forbidden Arts."
Zabuza's face went pale. Every ninja knew the Uzumaki were masters of sealing. If this was a seal on his soul...
"Your soul is bound to ," I whispered. "I am your Master. If you run, I know. If you disobey, I know. And if you try to harm ... the seal will crush your soul into dust before you can lift a finger."
I looked at Haku. "That goes for you too, pretty boy."
Both Haku and Zabuza felt a chill that had nothing to do with the Ice Jutsu. They realized, with dawning horror, that they hadn't just been saved. They had been acquired.
I grinned, my shadow stretching over them.
[System Mission Complete: Recruitnt Drive] [New Employees Acquired: Zabuza Momochi (S-Rank), Haku (A-Rank).] [Loyalty: Forced (Contractual).]
"Welco to the Midnight Gardner Agency," I said cheerfully. "We offer dental."
Just then, my [Observation Haki] pinged.
"Soone's coming," I hissed. "It's Kakashi and the brats. You two are 'dead' to the world. Vanish. Head to the old lighthouse north of here. Wait for my instructions."
"But—" Zabuza started.
"Go."
Zabuza winced as the command forced his body to move. He grabbed Haku.
"Understood... Master," he spat the word out like poison.
WHOOSH.
They flickered away into the mist, leaving only a bloodstain on the concrete.
I stood up, adjusting my headband and putting on a tired, heroic smile just as Naruto ca running around the pillar.
"Kenji! Kenji! Did you see?! They ran away!" Naruto cheered. "Wait... where's Zabuza's body?"
I shrugged. "Current swept him away. Tragic, really."
Author's Note:
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