Zabuza: The Greatest Swordsman [A Naruto Fanfic]

"Well, if this isn't a surprise." Out of nowhere, Yagura appears in front of the boy, grabbing the unconscious pirate boss by the collar. "You have a kekkei genkai, right? What is your name?"

"Isn't it right to introduce yourself before asking others for an introduction?" the boy replies.

"Ooh! You are right. My name—"

"My name is Nowaki. I am currently ten. I do have the kekkei genkai Typhoon Release, though I have yet to master it," he introduces himself in a composed manner.

 "Oi, you brat! How dare you be so shameless!" An imaginary fire starts burning around Yagura. "Pfffft!" His students couldn't hold it in any longer; They start giggling at the expense of their sensei, annoying him even more.

"Ahem!" Changing the subject, Utakata asks, "So what do we do with these remaining pirates?"

The pirates around them, still petrified by their boss's sudden defeat, shudder at the question.

"If they surrender, we hand them over to the daimyo. They are just bandits and not part of any major hidden village... but mainly because they are weak. We don't have any use for trash, not even as prisoners."

"If they don't surrender, then..." Swoosh! A slight release of Yagura's chakra makes the air cold.

With their fate sealed, the pirates quickly put down their weapons. The four shinobi swiftly release the villagers from their chains and bind the pirates with those same chains.

After being released, the villagers express their gratitude to their saviors, especially Nowaki. He is the one who saved them from imminent death, after all. The villagers gather around him, showering him with thanks and praise.

But oddly enough, many of the villagers are also hanging their heads low. What could be the reason? Zabuza could guess, but he didn't think it was his place to speak.

Via his communication radio, Yagura calls the civilian authorities of the Land of Water. Although these kinds of radios are not used during war, as they can easily be compromised, they are used for low-level missions like this one.

After some hours of waiting, the civilian authorities, composed of a single samurai who can use chakra and a dozen or so regular civilian police, arrive at the island. Dumping the dead pirates in the ocean, they proceed to leave the island along with the civilians.

They jam all the pirates that are still breathing into a single boat. Crammed full, it's unclear whether they will still be breathing by the time the boat makes landfall.

Using the pirate boats that have now lost their owners, they reach the nearest inhabited island, which is the kidnapped villagers' home island.

As daytime was starting to slip by and night was rapidly approaching, Yagura's team and the civilian authorities decide to spend the night on the island.

Zabuza, Yagura, and Utakata help the villagers bury their loved ones who were killed by the pirates. They clean the village chief's house, in the process learning that the old man they had found was indeed the village chief.

The old man even seems to have been very close to Nowaki, evident when Nowaki stays beside his grave the whole time.

After having a simple dinner near a big campfire, Zabuza and the team were heading to their sleeping area when they witnessed an odd scene: the girl who had been taken hostage by the pirate boss was weeping in front of Nowaki.

Deciding not to interfere, they watch the situation play out.

"Nowaki, I am sorry." Her tears wouldn't stop pouring out as she speaks. "I am so sorry that I always bullied you. I wou—" Sniffling, her nose is running nonstop, causing her some difficulty while speaking.

"You don't have to apologize. It doesn't matter," the boy reassures her, but she doesn't stop. Taking a deep breath, she wipes her tears. "No! I have to! Even though I always called you names, even beat you, you still saved me from that pirate."

"I don't deserve to be saved by you. I blamed you for my father's death, even though I knew you could never have created that typhoon. I still blamed you like all the other villagers."

She grabs Nowaki's hands and flings them toward her face. "Slap me like I slapped you. I called you a monster just because of your powers," she utters, dropping down to his feet.

He pulls the girl up. "Compared to all the other villagers, who only gave me cold glances and indifference, you actually treated me like a human. At least you didn't ignore me. Except for the old village chief, you were the only other person willing to talk to me."

Saying so, he walks away, leaving the girl behind.

It is currently midnight. The ninjas are deep asleep in their tents. The villagers had tried to give them homes to stay in, but knowing that most of the houses were destroyed by the pirates, they didn't want to make the villagers sleep outdoors.

As usual, Zabuza is meditating instead of sleeping. Just then, he hears the creaking of a door. Thinking someone wants to get some fresh air, he ignores it. But then, his ears pick up the faint sound of something being dragged across the sand.

Now he couldn't ignore it any longer. Not disturbing his teammates sleeping next to him, he quietly walks out of the tent. With soft steps, he reaches the shoreline from where the sound was coming.

"There's no point in hiding," Zabuza calls out, turning back. "I guess there isn't!" Nowaki walks out from behind a large rock.

Zabuza walks to the boat. "There isn't anyone else," Nowaki assures the shinobi.

"Then what is this idiot doing inside the boat?" He picks up an unconscious man by the nape. The man, bandaged all over and bound by chains, is none other than the pirate boss.

"He is my guide. This is none of your business. Do you really want to stop me?" Nowaki stiffens his body while glaring at the shinobi.

"This is my ninja business, you know!" Zabuza replies with his own glare. "And what can you even do if I want to stop you?"

"Your mission is already over!" Nowaki forms a bird seal with his hands. "I am not weak like you think. My parents were also shinobi."

Reminiscing about the past, his golden eyes lose their ferocity as he speaks. "They raised me here in this village, believing that the Mist Village is dangerous for us kekkei genkai users. They were great shinobi, but when I was six, they perished during a mission."

"Before they perished, they taught me many things."

"The only reason those pirates were able to capture me was because they took the village chief hostage."

"Phew!" Zabuza breathes out. "I don't really care if you leave the village with that trash, but... what will I get in return?" His question confuses the boy. "What do you want? What could I possibly give you?"

"A promise."

"Just a promise?" Not understanding why he would just want a promise, Nowaki reiterates, "How can you only ask for a promise? How can you trust a kekkei genkai user? Don't shinobi hate us?"

"Why would I hate you? My sensei also has a kekkei genkai, you know! And my promise is not so simple. In the future, if I ever need any kind of help from you, you have to comply with my requests."

"What makes you think I will comply?"

Zabuza smirks at that. "Will you not?"

"Ahem!" Clearing his throat, Nowaki replies, "I will consider it, if it's a good request. Now, farewell." He pushes the boat into the water, but as he is about to jump on the boat, he turns back.

"How will I recognize you in the future? You haven't told me your name."

Grinning at the boy, Zabuza replies, "I was wondering when you would ask that. My name is Zabuza Momochi. Remember my name. Always keep it in your mind. By the time we meet again, everyone will know this name."

As the sails pick up the wind, the boy maneuvers the boat in a preplanned direction, carrying with him a simple compass, a map, a week's worth of food, and other basic necessities. He, a sole person at the sea, the moon hanging on the sky being his only friend.

"Can he be considered my first friend?" Nowaki wonders to himself but doesn't stop to look back.