𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙

𝟎𝟐𝟏

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Tsunami felt a mix of astonishment and concern as she observed a child carrying an adult, but she welcomed the ninja team as honorary guests into her home.

"Are you alright, sensei?" Sakura inquired.

"Yeah... I just can't move for a week or so," Kakashi sighed.

Gathering in the room where Kakashi rested, Sakura sat beside him, while Sasuke, Naruto, and Karma took their respective places. Tsunami remained by Karma's side, holding towels.

"What? The Sharingan is incredible, but... if it puts that much stress on your body, I guess you have to think before using it," Sakura remarked.

"Well, we defeated that strong ninja this time, so we should be safe for a while!" Tanzuna boasted.

Sakura pursed her lips and sighed. "By the way, who was that masked kid?"

Karma took a seat and placed her hands in her lap. "Alright, I'm only going to explain this once, so listen carefully... That's the mask worn by the Hidden Mist's special Hunter-nin team, also known as body erasers. Their task is to completely dispose of the body without a trace. A ninja's body holds secrets about the village's ninjutsu, information on different chakra types, herbs, and other details that could reveal the village's secrets. For example, if Kakashi dies, the secrets of the Sharingan could be exposed. If we're not careful, the enemy might steal our jutsu. A ninja's body can reveal vital information, so by killing and disposing of missing-nin who have abandoned their village, the Hunter-nin protect this information from spreading. Some specialists also guard their village's secrets. No sound, no smell – that is a ninja's end."

"So, Zabuza has to be chopped up and disposed of? Scary!" Naruto shivered.

After a period of silence, Karma headed downstairs to assist Tsunami in preparing supper, while the others attempted to uncover Kakashi's face.

"Ah!" Naruto exclaimed, "Oh, Kakashi-sensei, you're awake."

"Idiot! What are you doing? We were so close to seeing under his mask!" Sakura scolded, punching the back of Naruto's head.

Kakashi sat up and rubbed his head, deep in thought. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Huh... Well, body-erasing teams usually dispose of the person's body right there... Don't you see?"

Karma had maintained skepticism about Zabuza and the Hunter-nin from the beginning, waiting for Kakashi's "aha" moment.

"How did the masked boy dispose of Zabuza's body?"

"Huh?" Karma felt like slamming her head into a wall; these children seemed so naive.

"How do we know that masked guy took Zabuza with him?"

"Yeah... If he needed proof, he could've just taken his head or something," Karma interjected. "And the weapon he used to kill Zabuza..." she continued.

"No way..." Sasuke's eyes widened, his body stiffening. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, exactly."

Tanzuna entered the room. "What are you talking about?" he asked, feeling the tension in the room.

"Most likely... Zabuza is alive," Karma said nonchalantly.

It seemed like everyone's souls left their bodies. "What the hell! But he was dead, you checked!" Naruto protested, trembling.

Kakashi sighed once more. "Yeah, I did. Most likely, it was just a momentary death."

"Hunters know about body structure, putting someone in a momentary death state. First, he carried away the body of a much heavier Zabuza. Second, he used a weapon with a low probability of killing. These two points indicate that he didn't kill Zabuza but saved him."

"Aren't you thinking too much? Hunter-ninjas are supposed to be killing missing-ninjas," Sakura remarked.

"No, with all this suspicion, we should prepare before it's too late. That's a shinobi rule. Plus, whether Zabuza is dead or alive, there's no assurance that Gatou hasn't already hired a stronger shinobi."

Karma looked over to Naruto who buzzed with excitement.

'He's happy he's not dead...?' Karma raised an eyebrow under her mask.

"What do you mean, prepare before it's too late? You can barely move," Sasuke questioned.

"Hehe," Kakashi chuckled.

Karma pinched the bridge of her nose. "You guys will receive training," she groaned.

"Sensei! What's a little training going to do?! You struggled against him even with the Sharingan!" Sakura scolded him.

"Sakura, who saved me while I was struggling? You guys are growing rapidly, especially Naruto. You've improved the most." Kakashi said, which didn't seem like something he normally said, which meant he meant it.

Karma didn't say it or show it, but she was immensely proud of Naruto. She wanted to express it, but she didn't know how without sounding mean.

"But obviously... this is just training until I get better. You won't be able to defeat him without me," Kakashi assured.

"But, sensei, if Zabuza is alive, he could attack anytime. Shouldn't we be training?" Sakura questioned.

"A person put in a momentary death situation should take a while before their body returns to normal," Karma added. "I remember it took me about a week to return to normal."

The group looked at her in shock "Is this not general knowledge?" she asked.

"It's not that, it's the... you know what nevermind." Kakashi began, and then cut himself off.

"So, we train until then! That sounds like a lot of fun!" Naruto yelled. Suddenly, Karma sensed a small presence near the door and turned her head in that direction.

"That's no fun..."

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