Return of the Flash by Kamikaze132

Chapter 11

Zabuza was resting on a cot with a blanket over him. He did not like the fact that he had lost to Kakashi. That damn sharingan! He hated its abilities, copying off the hard work and dedication he had put into learning his jutsu in a simple blink. His fists clenched in anger, he could not wait to tear that eyeball out and stomp on it. Moments later, a short man dressed in a business suit and two samurais as bodyguards entered the room and went over to where Zabuza was.

"So the terrifying demon of the mist is crippled after facing a few kids and a ninja. I don't think I'm getting my money's worth when it comes to paying you, Zabuza. Perhaps I should just kill you and spare myself the pain of losing any more money", the short man sneered at the bed resting nin.

Gato walked over to Zabuza and reached out to strangle him when a figure appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist, before ruthlessly twisting it.

"You will not harm Zabuza-sama. I won't allow it", came the hard voice of Haku. He twisted Gato's wrist further to just before the point of breaking it to drive his point home. Gato shrieked in pain and fell to his knees.

"Hands off our boss!" One of the samurai took a step forward when Haku grabbed a kunai and threw it at them. The samurai dodged it as it got buried in the wall behind them.

Seeing them distracted, she pulled out two of her senbon and threw it precisely at a point in both of their arms that it was rendered immobile.

The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as Haku whispered with deadly intent, "I missed your vital points on purpose, so don't test me."

Gato snarled as he got up to his feet after Haku released him, "Insolent brat! You and Zabuza had better finish the job I gave you, or there will be consequences!" With that, he exited the house, followed by his bodyguards whose arms were still immobile.

"You know, you didn't have to do that for me. I could have taken care of it myself if it came to that", Zabuza commented as he fingered the kunai in his hands under the bedsheet.

"I was aware of that, Zabuza-sama. But as your tool, I will always protect my master in any circumstance", Haku said with a smile. Zabuza sighed, "In any case, I will be back to full strength in three more days. And when I am", his voice turned murderous, "Kakashi will die!"

XXXXXXX

After getting outside, he walked to the spot he was training in since morning. 'There's something I don't get. His father was killed, and while that is obviously the cause of grief, why hasn't Inari moved on?' Naruto asked Kurama as he neared the training spot.

Kurama bluntly pointed it out, 'Not everyone moves as fast as you do, Naruto. While you quickly moved on from a weakling to making yourself stronger, you are one of the few who can do it that way. Majority of the people are afraid to let go of the grief, afraid that they will lose the connection that binds them to the person who they held close.'

Naruto took his time understanding what Kurama told him. He knew that whenever a person lost their one of their close ones, they tended to hold on to that feeling for a long time.

But it never worked in Naruto's favor; holding onto despair. Instead, he made a choice on what to do about it. Every time when he fell down and had difficulty in finding a reason to get up, he would forcefully shake himself out of that state and willed himself to get up. Simply because he had no reason to stay down either. The purpose of life is to keep moving and staying down in one spot defied that very purpose.

Reaching the spot, he took a deep breath. With Kurama's help and dinner, Naruto had replenished a little less than two-thirds of his reserves. He was thankful for the fact that every time he spent chakra and replenished it, his reserves would grow, just by a little. At one instance, it won't even be noticeable. But in the long run, it would be beneficial.