Naruto: Let the glory of the giants spread throughout the ninja world!

In the days that followed, Akira Ryukura took care of all the trivial matters.

Purchasing supplies, gathering intelligence, and dealing with civilians who might be suspicious of three strangers.

He used different identities and stories: today he was an apprentice to a wandering performer, tomorrow a lost laborer from a caravan, and the day after tomorrow an orphan seeking refuge with relatives.

Once, they almost got exposed when the owner of the grocery store asked them a few more questions, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Ryukura Akira's mind worked incredibly fast, and he could launch into a story in no time. The three of them were a traveling opera troupe. Their master had a strange temper and didn't like to talk. Their senior sister was too beautiful and was afraid of being targeted by bad people, so she usually didn't show herself.

The boss was amused and gave him two extra rice balls.

Upon returning, he reported to Zabuza, and when he mentioned this part, Zabuza unusually hummed in response.

Bai smiled to herself, standing to the side.

That evening, she secretly slipped an extra rice ball into Ryukura Akira's hand.

"You did a great job," she whispered.

Akira Ryukura took a bite of his rice ball and asked vaguely, "Haku, what was Zabuza-san like before?"

Shiro's smile faded slightly. She looked at Zabuza, who was wiping his sword alone in the distance, and shook her head.

"I don't know. Zabuza-san never talks about these things."

Ryukura Akira didn't ask any more questions.

He looked at Bai's profile; that still-childish face held a calm acceptance of everything.

Is this how Bai grew up in the original work?

Late at night, Ryukura Akira volunteered to keep watch.

Zabuza didn't object. Haku was already asleep, curled up in a ball, his brows slightly furrowed.

Zabuza leaned against the rock wall, his breathing steady.

Ryukura Akira looked at them.

What you're looking at now are living, breathing people.

He is Haku, who would hand out steamed buns to homeless orphans; he is Zabuza, who could have ignored it but still allowed him to follow.

Knowing the plot alone is useless.

He needs to truly become a part of this team.

He has to keep them alive.

Ryukura Akira sat there, clenching his fists.

Two years later

"Get lost."

He didn't raise his head even after the beheading, and continued wiping his sword. Ryukura Akira smiled, moved two steps to the side, squatted five meters away, and continued watching him.

"Haven't you rolled around enough yet?"

"I've had enough, but I want to see how you clean your knife."

Zabuza ignored him.

Ryukura Akira squatted there, watching Zabuza wipe the blade of the Executioner's Blade again and again with strips of cloth.

Over the course of two years, he had become accustomed to this kind of conversation. From "I'll kill you" to "Get lost," this was a huge step forward.

Bai came up from behind and stuffed a rice ball into his hand.

"Xiaoming, what flavor do you like to eat?"

Ryukura Akira paused for a moment, then said, "Either is fine."

"Then I'll make it salty next time," Bai said with a smile as he walked away.

Ryukura Akira watched her retreating figure and took a bite of his rice ball.

Two years ago, Bai wouldn't ask him what he liked; she would just quietly leave him an extra portion of food.

Now she will cook for him, train with him, and occasionally give him some pointers.

One day she suddenly called him "Xiao Ming".

He stood there stunned, then laughed.

Bai smiled, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

In the 59th year of Konoha, Ryukura Akira is now twelve years old.

The chakra test results were the same as four years ago; he was indeed unable to cultivate chakra.

These days, Ryukura Akira does 500 push-ups every day, running until he's exhausted before stopping, and hitting the sandbag until his hands bleed without stopping.

Bai patiently taught him combat skills and would occasionally spar with him.

Thanks to his bloodline, even though the unawakened Ryukura Akira doesn't have any special abilities, his body's plasticity and recovery are extremely strong.

Even if you're half-dead and covered in injuries from the first day of training, you can be full of energy again the next day as long as you have enough food.

Ryukura Akira stared blankly at his hands, remembering the system's notification from two years ago.

"I wonder how strong one has to be to truly meet the awakening requirements."

He closed his eyes and recalled every detail of his past life as Naruto, vowing to create a truly peaceful ninja world if he had the ability.

One day after training, Bai handed him a water bag.

Ryukura Akira took it, drank a few sips, and suddenly said, "Haku, do you know, Zabuza-san is actually a very gentle person."

Bai was taken aback for a moment: "Why do you say that?"

"It's just a gut feeling."

Bai remained silent for a while.

"Xiaoming," she said softly, "we are just tools of Mr. Zabuza."

Ryukura Akira watched Zabuza, who was wiping his sword alone in the distance.

He knew that what Haku said was true; they were all just Zabuza's tools now.

But Ryukura knew it was different.

He knew that Zabuza would shed tears for Haku's death in the future, and he knew what that cold-blooded demon was hiding in his heart.

In the spring of the sixtieth year of Konoha, Ryukura Akira was thirteen years old.

Zabuza handed him a letter of authorization.

Ryukura Akira took it, his gaze falling on the first line of text, his fingers tightening slightly for a moment.

The commission: Assassinate bridge worker Dazner.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

He neither beheaded nor looked up: "You have a problem with that?"

Ryukura Akira was silent for a second.

"no."

He knew that Zabuza wouldn't listen to the advice of a "tool" at this point. But his mind was already racing.

The Land of Waves, Team 7, Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi.

Haku will die on that bridge, blocking Zabuza's Lightning Blade.

No.

He can change this outcome.

As long as Cardo and his men appear before White's impending doom, he remembers how Cardo died in the original story.

But what if Kado had appeared on the battlefield earlier, what if he had shown up with his men before White could even block the attack...?

In that case, Bai wouldn't have died.

Then, he had Naruto's child use his talk-no-jutsu, while he cooperated with him, to melt Zabuza's heart.

Akira Ryukura recalled Zabuza's final tears in the original manga.

This time, he wanted to let that tear fall in front of Bai.

Upon arriving in the Land of Waves, Akira Ryukura, as always, took charge of negotiating with Gato, with both sides harboring their own agendas.

When Zabuza lay injured on the sofa, Ryukura knew that his first confrontation with Team 7 was over.

Kado angrily stepped forward to question him, only to be met with a straight punch that grazed his nose, the wind from which whipped Kado's hair.

"Mr. Gato, I hope you understand that we are not your subordinates, and you have no right to be so rude to Mr. Zabuza."

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Kado's forehead. "Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth," he said, then turned and walked away.

Ryukura Akira certainly noticed the gloom on Kado's face, but his confidence in the plot made him indifferent.

Just before heading to the Bridge over the Land of Waves, Haku smiled and said to Akira Ryukura, "

"Xiaoming, you don't need to come along for this mission. You just need to stay here and coordinate with Mr. Kado."

"You brat, you're only good at taijutsu. You can handle ordinary people and genin from small ninja villages, but you're only fit to be a hostage when you encounter ninjas from the five great ninja villages. Don't get in my way."

Ryukura Akira smiled and nodded, but no one knew what he was thinking.