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

Shiro leaned against Zabuza's shoulder, feeling the usually tense body relax for the first time.

Tears still clung to her eyelashes, but the corners of her mouth had already curved into a smile.

"Mr. Zabuza."

"Um."

"I'm so happy."

As she spoke, she gently buried her head in Zabuza's neck, like a little animal that had finally found its home.

Zabuza's body stiffened for a moment, but he didn't push her away. He raised the hand that wasn't holding the sword, hesitated for a moment, and finally placed it on the top of Shiro's hair.

It's very light.

So light, as if afraid of breaking something.

Shiro closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of that hand. He realized that Zabuza's hand could be warm, and that being cared for felt a million times better than he had imagined.

Then she suddenly remembered something, looked up, and her eyes lit up.

"Mr. Zabuza, if Akira knew about this, he would be very happy."

Zabuza's brow twitched, but he remained silent.

Bai laughed to himself, a smug look on his face like a little girl showing off her treasure: "He always said that Zabuza-san is actually very gentle. I thought he was talking nonsense. Now I'm going to tell him that he's right."

"That kid wouldn't dare say anything," Zabuza sneered.

Bai smiled with her lips pursed, offering no rebuttal.

Just then, a voice broke the warmth of the moment.

"etc."

Kakashi's voice was clearly wary.

His undamaged hand rested on the kunai, his Sharingan fixed on Haku: "You just mentioned Xiaoming? There's someone else?"

Haku was taken aback by his sudden alertness and nodded: "Yes, his name is Ryukura Akira. He doesn't have chakra, only taijutsu, so he's responsible for dealing with ordinary people. That's why we left him with Gato. Is there a reason?"

Kakashi's gaze shifted to Zabuza, then to the giant crouching to the side.

Kakashi said slowly, "You'd better go back and see. Someone like Gato might just turn his back on you after he's done his bidding."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was already quite clear.

Zabuza's expression remained unchanged.

He looked at Kakashi, his voice indifferent: "You don't need to worry about this. I'll handle it. If that brat is still alive, I'll bring him back."

Kakashi stared at him for a few seconds, then finally nodded slightly.

"That's settled then."

He turned around and gestured to Naruto and the others: "The mission is over, let's go."

"But Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto was about to say something when Sasuke grabbed him.

"Idiot, let's go."

Naruto struggled a couple of times, then looked back at Haku with resentment, and then at the giant.

The giant was still crouching there, his blood-red eyes staring at them.

It raised its hand.

thumbs up.

Naruto paused for a moment, then laughed and gave the giant a thumbs up.

Goodbye, big guys!

The giant nodded.

Zabuza turned around and walked towards the other side of the bridge.

Bai followed for two steps, then turned back to look at the giant and whispered, "Thank you."

The giant looked at her, and there was a kind of gentle light in his blood-red eyes.

Then it stood up and walked to the bridge railing.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, it leaped into the air.

boom!!!

The enormous body crashed into the sea, creating towering waves.

As the waves receded, the figure had already disappeared into the deep sea.

Only the silent crowd remained on the bridge, and the steam gradually dissipated.

When the villagers arrived, Naruto and his friends were standing at the bridgehead, looking bewildered.

"Naruto-kun!" Inari ran ahead, followed by Tazuna and a group of villagers carrying tools. "We're here to help you!"

Naruto turned around and saw that the villagers who had been timid and hesitant before were now carrying hoes and sticks, with resolute expressions on their faces.

He paused for a moment, then laughed.

"You're too late! The fight's already over!"

Inari ran up to him, panting, "Where's that scoundrel, Kado?"

"He's dead," Sasuke said calmly.

"Dead? How did he die?"

Sasuke was speechless for a moment. Could it be that some idiot made Zabuza have a change of heart and then wanted to kill Gato?

In the end, Sakura came to the rescue: "Zabuza was defeated by us, and he promised to take care of Gato."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Kakashi, who nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing with her statement.

Some things are not suitable for ordinary people to know.

Tazuna stared at the broken bridge and the deep, enormous footprints, swallowing hard. "What... what kind of battle was this...?"

Naruto followed his gaze to the footprints, and the image of the giant appeared in his mind.

The way it crouched down to look Bai Ping in the eye, the way it clapped its hands, the way it gave itself a thumbs up.

"It was a fierce battle," he said, a grin spreading across his face, "but everyone survived."

Inari looked up at him, her eyes shining.

"Naruto-kun..."

"Hey, Inari." Naruto crouched down to look the child in the eye. "You said before that you didn't dare to fight back because you felt you couldn't win, because you were afraid."

Inari lowered her head.

Naruto reached out and vigorously rubbed his head.

"Let me tell you, true courage isn't about being fearless. True courage is about standing up even when you're afraid."

He looked at the villagers, "Just like them."

Inari looked up, her eyes red-rimmed.

Naruto gave him a thumbs up, his smile as bright as the sun:

"You've been very brave, you brat."

---

Haku followed Zabuza on the road leading to Kado's camp.

The snow has stopped, but the wind is still cold.

Bai's steps were lighter than ever before.

"Mr. Zabuza."

"Um."

"Do you think I was stupid for saying what I just said?"

Zabuza didn't turn back: "Which sentence?"

"It's... that phrase, 'I'm very happy.'"

Zabuza was silent for a few seconds, then spoke in a muffled voice: "...Nothing stupid."

Bai's lips curved into a smile.

"Actually, I didn't expect it," she said softly, "I didn't expect Zabuza-san to cry."

"I didn't cry."

"You cried."

"That's sweat."

"Where would you get sweat on a snowy day?"

Zabuza paused for a moment, then quickened his pace.

Shiro smiled, pursing her lips, and jogged a few steps to catch up with him. She turned her head to look at Zabuza's profile; his usually cold and hard face was taut at this moment, but his ears were suspiciously red.

"Mr. Zabuza."

"What's wrong now?"

"Thank you."

Zabuza remained silent.

Bai continued, her voice as soft as snowflakes falling on her eyelashes: "Thank you for taking me in. Thank you for letting me be your tool. Thank you... for treating me as someone important."

Zabuza finally stopped.

He turned around and looked at Bai, whose usually indifferent eyes were now churning with a multitude of complex emotions.

"white."

"Um?"

"Don't get too carried away."

Bai paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

She smiled so hard her eyes curved into crescent moons, and her cheeks flushed a light red.

"If Akira Ryukura knew that Zabuza-san was actually this kind of person, he would be very happy."

"That kid wouldn't dare."

"He dares to do it."

"He wouldn't dare."

"He definitely dares to."

Zabuza snorted coldly and turned to continue walking. But this time, Haku was faster than him, catching up to him in no time.

"Zabuza-san, after we find Nagakura Akira, shall we live together?"

"...We'll see."

"I want to go somewhere warm. The Land of Water is too cold."

"trouble."

"Where do you want to go?"

"..."

"Mr. Zabuza?"

"Be quiet."

Bai smiled and closed his mouth, but his eyes were still smiling.

She was already imagining the expression on Ryukura Akira's face when he heard these words.

That always smiling boy will definitely widen his eyes and say, "I told you so, I told you so," before being kicked away by Zabuza.

It will be hilarious.

But this relaxed feeling shattered completely the moment he saw the Kado camp.

Bai stood still, like a frozen statue.

The camp is gone.

Houses collapsed, walls crumbled, and deep craters appeared in the ground, as if something enormous had repeatedly struck them.

The most terrifying thing was that pile of things in the center of the camp...

Bai looked away, not daring to look anymore.

Her lips were trembling, her teeth were clenched tightly, but her body was still shaking uncontrollably.

"Liucang...Ming..."

These three words were squeezed out of his throat, as soft as a sob.

Will not.

Will not.

Although he has no chakra, his taijutsu is stronger than mine, and he was able to kill three adults when he was only seven or eight years old. He couldn't possibly die so easily.

But there was blood on the ground.

That thing was so badly shaped that it was no longer recognizable.

Bai's mind went completely blank.

Zabuza reacted even faster than she did.

He strode forward, grabbed a henchman huddled in a corner of the ruins, trembling, and lifted him up.

"What happened?"

His voice was as cold as a knife.

The henchman's eyes were vacant, his lips moved, and he repeated the same sentence over and over:

"Monster... Giant... Monster... Giant..."

Zabuza's pupils contracted sharply.

giant.

It's that giant again.

He shook off the henchman and turned to look at Bai.

The usually gentle boy stood there, tears streaming silently down his face, without making a sound.

"white."

Zabuza walked over and grabbed her shoulder.

"I will avenge him."

Her white eyelashes trembled.

"That giant," Zabuza's voice was low, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "I will kill it. Without pain."

Haku raised his head and looked at Zabuza.

She wanted to say something, and then she saw what was behind Zabuza.

Her eyes widened suddenly.

Zabuza noticed her change and turned around abruptly.

In the distance, a huge figure was slowly walking towards them in the snow.

It was over ten meters tall, with bulging muscles, and steam rising from its body.

It walked very slowly, leaving deep footprints in the snow with each step.

Those blood-red eyes were staring straight at them.

It's that giant.