Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 156 Another Beginning

Even though Naruto had deliberately withdrawn most of his strength at the last moment after the loud bang of his punch hitting the mask, the residual impact was still incredibly powerful.

Bai's figure flew backward like a kite with a broken string, tumbling awkwardly several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop on the bridge.

With Haku's defeat and the rapid depletion of his chakra, the [Demon Mirror Ice Crystal] technique that had trapped Naruto and Sasuke could no longer be maintained. All the ice crystals that formed the cage instantly lost their shape, turning into countless clear water droplets that splashed onto the ground.

Bai struggled to prop himself up with trembling arms. His mask had shattered and fallen off, revealing a handsome face behind it, but one filled with shock and despair.

He saw that Naruto opposite him had already shed that terrifying crimson chakra cloak, and his aura was stable. He was not seriously injured, and there wasn't even a scratch.

Looking at himself, not only was his chakra almost depleted, but his body was also in excruciating pain from the impact, making it extremely difficult for him to even stand up.

I'm sorry, Zabuza-san... I... I'm no match for this boy. Endless despair and self-reproach instantly overwhelmed Haku.

To his surprise, Naruto Uzumaki did not press his advantage and deliver the final blow to this incapacitated enemy, but simply stood there quietly watching him.

"Why... didn't you kill me?" Bai's voice trembled slightly from exhaustion and emotional turmoil, filled with deep confusion. For him, failure often meant the end of his value.

Naruto looked puzzled. "That's a strange question. I never wanted to kill you... especially since we've crossed paths before. Do you really want to die?"

"...What Zabuza-san needs are useful ninjas who can help him achieve victory." Haku lowered his head, his voice and eyes equally empty. "I lost to you, which has already proven my incompetence... You have taken away my reason for existence."

Looking at the boy in front of him, who was only a few years older than him, with eyes that had lost all light as if a candle had been extinguished and who only wanted to end things, Naruto felt a complex mix of emotions.

The kids of the ninja world... how many more times do I have to witness this kind of mentality that's out of character for their age...?

Is the loneliness of not being needed more terrifying than death?

"Please... I'm sorry to have dirtied your hands... but please give me a proper ending."

Bai's voice carried a heartbreaking plea, as if death was the only dignified end he could choose for himself.

Naruto looked at him silently, his mind racing. Kakashi-sensei's battle... should be ending soon, right?

The process went roughly as expected... Judging by the time, Kado and his minions should be showing up soon.

In Naruto's perception, Menma's shadow clone and Kakuzu's aura were clearly lingering in a hidden corner not far away. So that's how it is... everything is in place.

Seeing that Naruto showed no intention of coming forward to finish him off, and that Satsuki was slowly approaching behind him with wary eyes, the last glimmer of light in Haku's empty eyes went out. He slowly and resolutely raised the sharp metal senbon in his hand, pointing it at his own throat.

"Don't move!"

Naruto suddenly shouted, instantly stopping Haku's suicide attempt. "Your life hasn't reached the point where it needs to end like this!"

Haku's arm froze in mid-air, his eyes filled with incomprehension, completely unable to understand why Naruto would stop a defeated enemy from seeking liberation.

However, in the next instant—Bai suddenly understood the unspoken meaning in Naruto's words! An indescribable emotion, mixed with shock, understanding, and a faint hope, surged into his heart.

"Thanks……"

Although he still didn't understand why Naruto did that, Haku subconsciously whispered his thanks. Then, without any hesitation, he used the last of his chakra to complete the final hand seal with lightning speed.

A crystal-clear ice mirror instantly formed beneath his feet! Bai's body sank into the mirror as if merging into water. The next second, he used this last ice mirror to teleport towards another decisive battlefield!

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On another battlefield, the outcome is already clear.

Kakashi's summoned ninja dog was firmly biting Zabuza's limbs and torso, rendering him completely immobile. Meanwhile, in Kakashi's right hand, the [Lightning Blade], a ball of highly compressed lightning chakra, was emitting a chilling roar and gleaming with a deadly blue light.

Zabuza was filled with an unprecedented sense of unease and panic. He never imagined that Kakashi's deliberate injury in the subsequent close combat was actually to allow the ninja dogs to memorize his blood scent and thus use a tracking ninjutsu!

Damn it... my arm is completely locked, I can't form any hand seals at all.

"Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi said, his voice filled with judgment, "your ambition has led to far too many sacrifices. This is no behavior befitting a ninja. What you are trying to destroy is the very hope that this country is struggling to survive."

"...What does this have to do with me!" Even in dire straits, Zabuza stubbornly growled, his eyes gleaming with a fanatical light. "I'm fighting for my ideals! That will never change!"

"Then, let your ambition end here." Kakashi said no more, his body suddenly lowered, and accompanied by a piercing thunderclap, he launched a final charge at lightning speed towards Zabuza, who was firmly restrained! The lightning was aimed straight at Zabuza's heart!

Is this the end...?

Feeling his still immobile body and the ever-growing, inevitable blue light before him, Zabuza felt a surge of intense resentment, yet he could only watch this scene in despair.

"boom--!!!"

A piercing sound exploded through flesh! Warm blood splattered everywhere!

However, Kakashi's Lightning Blade did not pierce Zabuza Momochi's chest!

In that critical moment, an ice mirror appeared out of thin air in front of Zabuza! Haku's figure leaped out from it, and without hesitation, used his slender body to precisely block Raikiri!

The violent lightning pierced through Bai's chest without reservation!

The summoning ninja dog disappeared after the jutsu was completed.

Kakashi and Zabuza's pupils contracted sharply at that moment, staring in disbelief at the sudden, blood-soaked scene before them.

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(I've finally finished writing the original plot; now I'm going to write a completely different development from the original.)