Naruto: Eating A Devil Fruit In The World Of Shinobi

That's right—he must have inherited his master's wife's temper. Kaito remembered her as hot-headed, impulsive, and quick to anger. She was known as the Red Pepper for a reason.

As Kakashi was thinking this, Kaito walked calmly out of the pit, leaving behind two lifeless bodies.

"It's fine. Just cleaned up some trash," he said indifferently.

"Kaito! Kaito! You killed someone!" Naruto ran to the edge of the pit, eyes wide in panic.

"Idiot Naruto, look at their forehead protectors. They're not from Konoha—they're from the Hidden Rain Village! They're enemies," Kakashi explained flatly.

Kaito walked up to Tazuna and asked coldly, "Mr. Tazuna, care to explain why we encountered enemy's shinobi on the road?"

"This doesn't match the description of a standard C-rank mission," Kaito continued, voicing the question Kakashi was clearly about to ask.

He had no time to waste. He just wanted to finish the mission and return to Konoha—back to Hinata and Ino.

As the saying goes: a day apart feels like three years. Before leaving, he didn't think much about the girls. But ever since he'd left, their images had occupied his thoughts.

From there, the plot unfolded just like the original. Tazuna acted the part of the desperate victim and confessed the truth—he had no money and was being threatened by the tyrant Gatō.

Naruto, still full of idealism, burst out with a declaration of justice. He vowed to go to the Land of Waves and defeat Gato so Tazuna could rebuild his bridge in peace.

Kakashi used the opportunity to give a lesson on the responsibilities of a shinobi during missions. Then, after a brief pause for dramatic effect, he agreed to continue protecting Tazuna.

After those Brothers incident, the group moved forward without trouble for a few days.

Eventually, they arrived in the Land of Waves. Stepping off a small boat, they followed Tazuna through a thick forest.

Tazuna pointed ahead excitedly. "Just follow this road. My house is right up ahead."

"Finally! We're here!" Naruto cheered.

Just as he was about to run ahead, Kaito stopped him with a firm hand.

"Kaito, what gives?!" Naruto complained.

Kaito narrowed his eyes and looked toward a patch of woods. "Come out."

Using electromagnetic sensing, Kaito detected a human chakra signature—and not far from it, another presence.

It had to be the real threat in the Land of Waves—Momochi Zabuza, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Haku, the Ice Release user.

To be honest, neither of them posed any real threat to him at this point.

As soon as Kaito spoke, Sasuke and the others instinctively moved beside Tazuna, kunai drawn, alert.

They trusted Kaito's words without question. After all, they'd seen plenty of evidence of his abilities already—and Kakashi had hinted that Kaito might be a sensory-type ninja.

A minute passed. Then another. The forest remained eerily quiet.

"Kaito, are you sure?" Naruto asked, starting to lower his guard.

Staying tense for so long was exhausting.

On a shadowed treetop in the distance, Zabuza crouched silently, his face mostly hidden behind bandages.

There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Oh? Copy Ninja Kakashi… and a sensor-type? Konoha sure isn't holding back."

Then, without warning, he hurled his massive blade toward the group and vanished.

Swish! Swish!

The blade sliced through the air with a howling screech, flying just above their heads before slamming into a tree.

Zabuza landed on the hilt, towering over them.

"Well, well. Look who it is—Konoha's famous Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi."

His voice was calm, but the killing intent it carried was chilling.

"That sword…" Kakashi's expression tightened. "Naruto, form the swastika formation around Tazuna! This guy's no pushover!"

With that, Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan.

"Ka—Kakashi-sensei! Who is that guy?!" Naruto stammered, teeth chattering.

Even without knowing who the man was, his presence alone felt suffocating—like staring down a monster from legend.

"He's a rogue ninja from Kirigakure," Kakashi said grimly. "One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Momochi Zabuza. He once tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and fled the village."

Gulp.

Naruto froze. He might not have been the best student, but he knew the leaders of the Five Great Nations. The Mizukage was on par with the Hokage.

Anyone who dared attack a Kage—and lived—was no ordinary ninja.

A bead of sweat slid down Naruto's face as he stared at Zabuza, dread creeping in.

"Kaito, stay here and help protect Tazuna too," Kakashi ordered.

"No need, Kakashi-sensei," Kaito replied. "I'll handle this. Let's end it quickly and get back to Konoha."

In a flash of lightning, he shot forward. Chakra surged into his fists as he lunged straight at Zabuza.

"Arrogant brat!" Zabuza growled. "You think a fresh academy graduate can touch me?!"

He vanished from the sword's hilt and reappeared behind Kaito.

In one hand, he held a double-edged kunai, and a wicked smile crossed his face.

"One."

With that, he slashed swiftly toward Kaito's neck.

Shhk!

Blood sprayed from Kaito's throat.

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