I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 88 Night Raid!

Tazuna's house is on a high point on the coast of the Land of Waves. It is a two-story wooden house with a thick thatched roof and white walls that have been blown by the sea wind.

The yard was piled with stones and timber for building the bridge, with a few rusty tools leaning against the corner of the wall and a half-finished stone wall next to it.

The waves crashed against the rocks not far away, the sound muffled, one after another, like a heartbeat.

Kakashi pushed open the wooden door. The air inside was damp and cold, mixed with the smell of old wood and salted fish.

Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, was boiling water at the stove when she heard the noise. She turned around, saw her father returning with four unfamiliar ninjas, paused for a moment, and then smiled.

His smile was tired, and there were deep dark circles under his eyes.

"The guests have arrived, go boil some water." Tazna leaned his cane against the door and took off his cloak, hanging it on the wall. "There are a few empty rooms upstairs, tidy them up."

Naruto plopped down on the tatami mat, tossed his ninja tool bag aside, and stretched.

"Finally, I can rest! I walked so much today!"

Sakura Haruno squatted down to organize her ninja tool bag, wiping each kunai clean and putting them back in their original positions.

Sasuke leaned against the window, his hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the direction outside the courtyard.

It was completely dark. There was no moonlight on the sea, only the sparse lights on the distant fishing boats, flickering like fireflies.

"That guy will come again," Sasuke said softly.

"Not tonight." Kakashi leaned against the doorframe, holding "Icha Icha Paradise" in his hand, but didn't open it. "He's injured and needs time to recover."

As night fell, the lights in the house went out one by one.

Naruto lay on the tatami mat, the blanket kicked to one side, his mouth open, snoring softly but rhythmically.

Sakura Haruno was sleeping in the next room, the blanket covering her chin, and she was holding a kunai in her hand, her knuckles white.

Sasuke didn't sleep. He leaned against the wall by the window, closed his eyes, and pricked up his ears to listen to the sounds outside.

The wind, the waves, the chirping of insects, and the calls of some unknown bird in the distance, one after another, intermittently.

Kakashi sat in the shadows at the end of the corridor, not reading, just sitting. His left eye, under his headband, was closed, and his ear was perked up.

Although Zabuza is unlikely to come tonight.

But a ninja must always be vigilant.

Further away, Shogo crouched on the rocks opposite Dazna's house, his black cloak blocking the night wind, his mask gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

His Sharingan slowly rotated behind the mask, and he saw the flow of chakra—a faint light on the sea surface, slowly approaching. It wasn't a boat, but a person silently walking on the water.

Zabuza.

"He's injured but still choosing to attack?"

Shuoge was somewhat surprised, but he made no move.

Zabuza walked ashore from the sea, his steps so light that they made almost no sound on the wet sand.

His broadsword was wrapped in cloth and carried on his back. His wound was bandaged with white cloth, but it was still bleeding.

He walked slowly, each step firm and deliberate.

Bai followed behind him, her white hair tied up with a ribbon, revealing her forehead and eyes. In her hand she held several senbon needles, their silver tips gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Zabuza stopped outside Tazuna's house, squatted down, and observed the chakra fluctuations inside.

Kakashi's chakra is the strongest among the four, like a blazing fire; Sasuke's is second, like a newly lit pile of firewood; Naruto's is chaotic, like smoke blown away by the wind, somewhat eerie; Sakura's is the weakest, like a candle about to go out.

"Haku, you deal with those two brats. I'll handle Kakashi."

"Yes." Bai's voice was very soft, like the wind passing through a bamboo forest.

Sakura Haruno was completely ignored.

Zabuza jumped onto the courtyard wall, and Haku circled around to the back of the house from the side.

Inside the room, Kakashi opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them.

Even when injured, he still chooses to fight?

No wonder he's a ruthless person from the Blood Mist Village.

"They're here."

Naruto woke up with a start, the blanket still wrapped around his legs, and it took him a while to get up.

"What's here?" Sakura Haruno had already gripped the kunai, her palms sweaty.

Sasuke stood up from the window, his Sharingan silently activating, the two tomoe slowly rotating in his red pupils.

"Zabuza." Kakashi stood up, pushed up his headband to reveal his Sharingan. "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, you protect Tazuna-san. Don't come out."

"Kakashi-sensei—" Naruto wanted to follow.

"Don't come out. That's an order."

Kakashi pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard.

Zabuza stood beneath the courtyard wall, the cloth strips on his sword now undone, the bloodstains washed away by the rain, revealing a dark metallic luster. Moonlight shone on the blade, giving it a cold, gleaming appearance.

"Kakashi."

Zabuza.

The two people moved at the same time.

He emerged from the shadows behind the house. His figure was light, his steps were light, and he even suppressed his breathing to a minimum.

He walked to the back door and pushed it, but the bolt was on the inside and he couldn't open it.

He went around to the side, where the window was slightly ajar. He reached in, unlatched the window latch, and silently climbed inside.

The footsteps in the corridor sounded like Sasuke's.

Sasuke stood at the end of the corridor, his hands in his pockets. "I knew you'd come."

Bai remained silent. His thousand-book slipped from his fingers, his hand in front of him, ready to be thrown at any moment.

In the courtyard, the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza had already begun.

Zabuza's large sword slashed down from above, but Kakashi dodged to the side, his kunai resting on the back of the blade.

The sound of metal clashing exploded in the night sky, startling several seabirds resting on the rooftop. Zabuza sheathed his sword, then swept it horizontally. Kakashi leaned back, the blade grazing his nose and severing a few strands of hair.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Kakashi's hand seals are fast, and Zabuza's are fast too.

The two water jets collided in mid-air, splashing water everywhere, which landed on the stone path in the courtyard, creating a mist.

"Your Sharingan can indeed see, but can your body keep up?" Zabuza's voice was very low.

Kakashi did not answer.

Chakra is indeed his weakness.

But battles aren't about who has more chakra.

Zabuza formed hand seals, and mist began to rise from the ground. It wasn't the thick fog of daytime; it was light, thin, like a veil. But the fog grew thicker and thicker, and visibility began to decrease.

Kakashi's Sharingan detected Zabuza's chakra, so he retreated to the courtyard wall and prepared to go around to the back of the house.

"Your opponent is me." Kakashi's figure vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of Zabuza.

Zabuza's sword blocked Kakashi's kunai, and the two faced each other, less than an arm's length apart.

"How much does a C-rank mission cost? How much money could that old man possibly have?" Zabuza asked coldly, somewhat bewildered.

"It has nothing to do with money. You wouldn't understand." Kakashi's tone was calm but firm.

Inside the house, Sasuke and Haku's battle had already begun.

Haku was incredibly fast; the senbon flew out of his hand at such a speed that Sasuke's Sharingan only saw a silver streak.

Sasuke dodged the first one by tilting his head, and the second one grazed his ear and embedded itself in the wooden post behind him, the tail rope swaying gently.

The third arrow was aimed straight at his throat, but Sasuke deflected it with a kunai.

Haku's figure vanished from its original spot and reappeared beside Sasuke.

Three sashes flew from between his fingers, blocking Sasuke's escape route from three different angles.

Sasuke's Sharingan caught the trajectory of the three senbon needles. He flipped his body in the corridor, dodging the first one. The second one grazed his shoulder and tore his clothes. He blocked the third one with a kunai.

Bai gave him no chance to catch his breath. Thousands of copies were sent out in quick succession, as dense as raindrops.

Sasuke retreated to the end of the corridor and slammed his back against the wall.

"Shadow Clone Technique!" Naruto's voice came from behind.

A dozen or so Narutos rushed over from the other end of the corridor. Some pounced on Haku, some stood in front of Sasuke, and some jumped onto the ceiling.

Bai turned around, and a thousand books flew out. One hit the forehead of a clone, and the clone turned into white smoke. Another hit the second clone, the third, and the fourth.

But there were too many clones, and he didn't have time to destroy them all.

A clone lunged from the side, its fist aimed at Bai's face.

Bai dodged to the side, and the senbon needle pierced the clone's chest, turning the clone into white smoke. Another clone pounced from behind, but Bai didn't turn around; the senbon needle flew from under his arm and struck. And then another, and yet another.

But Naruto's true form, hidden among the clones, had already reached Haku's back.

"Got it!" Naruto's hand grabbed Shiro's collar.

Haku didn't turn around. He flicked his finger, and a senbon flew out from between his fingers, heading straight for Naruto's throat.

Sasuke charged in from the side, knocking away a thousand kunai.

The two were close together, and Sasuke's fist slammed into Haku's shoulder, causing Haku to take two steps back.

Naruto's fist arrived and smashed into Haku's abdomen.

Haku bent over, but he didn't fall. His body slid out of Naruto's grasp as if it had no bones.

"Ice Release." Haku's voice was very soft.

The air suddenly turned cold.

Sasuke's Sharingan saw the flow of chakra—white chakra gushing out from his body, icy blue, cold, like river water in winter.

Moisture in the air began to condense, forming a thin layer of ice crystals around the white area. The ice crystals accumulated more and more, growing thicker and thicker, shimmering coldly in the moonlight.

"Ice Release: Thousand Kill Water Flight".

Countless ice needles flew out from around Bai, covering the sky and blocking all escape routes in the corridor.

Sasuke's Sharingan caught the trajectory of each ice needle, but his body couldn't keep up. He dodged ten, twenty, and the thirtieth one grazed his arm, leaving a cut.

The fortieth arrow pierced Naruto's shoulder, causing him to scream and stumble back a few steps.

He couldn't avoid the fiftieth or the sixtieth.

Sasuke stood in front of Naruto and closed his eyes.

The ice needles stopped.

It's not that Bai ran out of Thousand Books; it's that someone grabbed Bai's hand.

Bai looked down at the hand on his wrist. Black glove, slender fingers, not strong, but steady as an iron clamp. He followed the hand and saw a person wearing a Konoha ANBU mask.

"Let's stop here." A calm voice rang out.

Bai's pupils contracted. He couldn't see where this person came from, heard footsteps, or sense chakra; this person seemed to have sprung up out of thin air from the darkness.

"Who are you?"

Shuoge did not answer. His Mangekyou Sharingan silently activated, and three black crescent moons slowly rotated in his red pupils.

Shiro's body stiffened, and the senbon slipped from her hand, falling to the ground with a clatter.

It wasn't an illusion; it was the kind of oppressive aura that made your body instinctively afraid to move when facing an absolutely powerful opponent.

"You don't want him to die here, do you?"

Although it is a question, the tone is certain.

Sakugo glanced at the courtyard where Kakashi's kunai was held to Zabuza's neck, and Zabuza's sword was stuck in Kakashi's kunai, the two locked in a stalemate.

"I can let him live, and that includes you."

Her pale lips trembled. "You—what do you want?"

"I'm more interested in the Ice Shield."

In the courtyard, Zabuza also sensed the presence of that person.

It wasn't chakra, but something deeper, like the feeling of being stared at from behind by a ferocious beast.

A chill ran down the back of his neck, and the hairs on his neck stood on end. He was distracted for a moment, and Kakashi's kunai pressed against his throat.

"Don't move."

Zabuza didn't move. He turned his head and saw the man wearing the ANBU uniform standing in the corridor, one hand gripping Shiro's wrist.

The white senbon fell to the ground, and the person froze there, as if rooted to the spot.

"Who are you?" Zabuza's voice was very low.

Shuoge didn't look at him. He looked at Bai. "Your decision."

Haku looked at Zabuza, and Zabuza looked at him. Their gazes met for a fleeting moment in the night sky.

Bai lowered his head. "I'll go with you."

Sakugo released his grip, pulled a sealing scroll from his ninja tool pouch, and tossed it to Kakashi. "Seal his chakra and bring him back to Konoha."

Kakashi caught the scroll, glanced at Sakugo, and didn't ask why. He unrolled the scroll, activated the sealing technique, and Zabuza's chakra was sealed. His body went limp, and he knelt on the ground.

Kakashi pressed a kunai against the back of his neck.

"Let's go."

In the backyard, Shuoge crouched down and picked up a senbon needle from the ground. The silvery-white needle tip gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and there was no blood on it. He put the senbon into his ninja tool pouch, stood up, and looked at Bai.

Bai stood in the corridor, head down, not saying a word.

"What's your name?"

"white."

Shuoge nodded. Mizuki Haku, Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, a rare and endangered power. "From today onwards, you're with me."

Shiro looked at him. "Where is Lord Zabuza?"

"If you obey, he lives. If you disobey, he dies."

Bai's lips trembled, but she didn't speak again.

Kado did not live to see dawn.

He hid in that luxurious mansion, waiting for news of Zabuza.

Zabuza didn't return, Haku didn't return, not even a messenger came back. He paced back and forth in the living room, his chubby face covered in sweat, his eyes wide open, the whites of his eyes bloodshot.

"Guards! Guards!"

The servant rushed in, head down, not daring to look at him.

"Where is Zabuza? What news is there?"

"Not yet—not yet—"

"Useless! All of you are useless!" Kado kicked over the coffee table, shattering teacups all over the floor.

The window was open. Not by the wind, but by someone pushing it open from the outside.

Sakugo stood outside the window, his blood-red Sharingan behind his mask staring at Kado.

Kado's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling, unable to speak. He tried to call for help, but his throat felt constricted, and no sound came out.

Shuoge climbed in through the window and walked up to Kado.

The Mangekyou Sharingan activated silently, three black crescent moons slowly rotating within its red pupils. Gato's gaze glazed over, his body stiffened, his mouth gaped open, and saliva dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

"Where is the money?"

Kado's lips moved mechanically. "Bank safe deposit box—mansion secret room—three more gold storage locations—the map is in the study drawer—"

Shuoge went to the study, opened a drawer, and took out a map.

He walked to the safe, his Sharingan detecting the chakra traces on the combination lock. After turning it a few times, the lock opened.

Inside were bundles of banknotes, gold bars, a few gems, and several sealed scrolls.

He packed everything into his ninja tool bag.

Back in the living room, Kado was still sitting there, his eyes vacant, like a hollowed-out puppet.

"Is there anything else?"

"there is none left----"

Shogo drew a kunai and slit Kado's throat. Kado collapsed, blood gushing from his throat, staining the carpet red. His eyes remained open, pupils dilated, and it was unclear what his last sight was.

Shuoge sheathed his sword and climbed out the window. The night swallowed his figure.