Chapter 19: The Demon and the Monster

Momochi Zabuza gritted his teeth as the mist thickened once more.

He’d thought dealing with that woman would be quick.

Yet she’d proven unexpectedly tenacious.

Her Hidden Mist Jutsu, fueled by chakra rivaling a jōnin’s, had even given him—a master of silent assassination—trouble.

And now, she had backup: three genin.

But these weren’t ordinary genin. They could likely overpower weaker chūnin.

One mirrored his own skills—silent killing and taijutsu. Another wielded devastating fire techniques. And the last? A medic.

A perfectly balanced team.

…Did I just stumble onto a high-value target?

No matter.

His location couldn’t leak to the Anbu.

Small problems left unchecked became catastrophes.

Just a tokubetsu jōnin and three brats. Eliminating them was a matter of time.

Zabuza hefted Kubikiribōchō, ready to pursue—

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A sound echoed through the mist.

His spine stiffened.

Someone had found him. In his mist.

"Momochi Zabuza. Can we talk?"

A girl’s voice, crisp as ice.

A figure emerged: cloaked in white, a blindfold stark against her pale face, a cane in hand.

Zabuza didn’t hesitate.

The blade whirled, a black crescent shrieking through the fog—aimed to cleave her skull.

CLANG!!!

A single finger rose, meeting the sword’s edge.

Flesh against steel.

The impact should’ve shattered bone. Instead, the girl didn’t even flinch.

Then—

Flick.

Her fingertip tapped the blade.

BOOM!

The Executioner’s Blade shattered, its upper half spiraling into the trees.

Zabuza’s killing intent faltered. His mind went blank.

"Leave."

Crack. Creak. Crunch.

Beneath the cloak, something writhed.

Bones slithered like serpents, pressing against the fabric. Silver hair lashed like barbed wire.

The girl’s face remained serene—beautiful, even.

That made it worse.

"I’d rather not kill in this ugly form. Please, Zabuza-san."

The Demon of the Hidden Mist swallowed hard.

He’d butchered hundreds.

Yet now, for the first time—

…I’m facing a real monster.

Meanwhile

"Hikari-sensei! Status?" Nakama Shin panted, hands sealed to maintain the mist.

"Alive… barely." Kuriu Hikari leaned on Okamura, her face bloodless.

Karin’s palms glowed green over Hikari’s wounds. "Bleeding’s stopped. Dislocated shoulder, minor fractures. The rest are surface cuts. She’ll live."

Okamura grinned. Karin, their medic, was a prodigy. If she said it was fine, it was.

Hikari grimaced. "You shouldn’t have come. Zabuza’s bad enough… but with that Yuki clan freak—"

"Yuki? Weren’t they—?"

"I saw ice release."

Silence fell.

Zabuza was a nightmare: a jōnin specializing in water and silent kills—Shin, but worse.

And the Yuki?

Their Hyōton kekkei genkai hard-countered fire.

Shin exhaled. "Doesn’t matter. We’re here. And—" He turned, gaze sharp. "‘Never abandon comrades.’ That’s your rule. The reason we follow you, despite this ‘Blood Mist’ hell."

"Don’t disappoint us now, sensei."

Hikari scoffed. "Tch. Getting lectured by my own students…"

CRACK!

She yelped as Karin reset her shoulder.

"Next time, anesthetic," Hikari hissed.

Karin smirked. "Survive first." The glow faded. "…Wait. Where is Zabuza?"

Elsewhere

The mist thinned.

Hai Ruri retracted her grotesque bones, retrieving her cane.

After his blade shattered, Zabuza had tried senbon—aimed at her blindfolded eyes.

They’d bent on impact.

He’d left then, decisively.

Ruri glanced at the unharmed team and headed back.

A life for a life.

They’d helped her escape Kirigakure. This was repayment.

Beating an elite jōnin as a chūnin-level fighter? Not surprising.

In this world, power gaps weren’t absolute.

Tactics trumped tiers.

Nara Shikamaru had outmaneuvered Hidan with prep and brains.

Likewise:

• Hikari’s team would’ve fallen to Zabuza’s silent killing.

• Ruri would’ve lost to them—Hikari’s water, Okamura’s fire, Shin’s taijutsu, Karin’s healing.

But Ruri hard-countered Zabuza.

His mist? Useless against Byakugan.

Pure taijutsu? Her bones were steel.

Water techniques? She could tank the blunt force.

Water Prison? Too slow. Every chakra source blazed in her vision.

From the start, Zabuza stood no chance.

When she’d blocked his blade one-handed, he’d realized it too.

"Ruri?!"

Hikari’s voice rang out.

Ruri feigned relief. "Hikari-nee! You’re okay!"

"No time. Move." Hikari hoisted her up—then stumbled. "…You’ve gained weight?"

(She hadn’t. Ruri’s modified density was just that high.)

Karin gathered supplies while Shin and Okamura covered their tracks.

And so, the team—plus one very secret weapon—resumed their journey.

The Land of Fire awaited.

(･ω<)☆