Zabuza's S.Adventures 28 (Patreon)

Commissioned by Kejmur

Zabuza’s S.Adventures
Chapter 28

-VB-

Despite the victory I brought for Konoha and the Land of Fire, I received a reprimand for it.

This … proved to be in my favor.

While I made my report, the rest of my squad had been out and about in the rest of the outpost, talking about their feat in subduing a group of ninjas quadruple our size. The fact that we took down a few named people in the Bingo Book and took no casualty whatsoever was a testament to not just my leadership and planning but also their individual skills.

It wasn’t just about my fame or worthiness; this mission had been a success for each of them. However, what they heard upon my return to the squad had been insulting.

“So what’s the commander saying? We fucked up avenging our comrades?!” Jinzo hissed.

Others of the squad looked ill with the idea as well.

This wasn’t like Kiri, I realized. People here were genuinely upset over being reprimanded for avenging their comrades, which was a concept not readily shared by all of former Kirigakure’s ninjas.

‘The Bloody Mist had done quite the damage which led to Kiri’s fall if this was the “norm” among ninjas,’ I thought as I let them vent their own frustrations.

“Captain, shouldn’t we do something about it?”

They all turned to me.

I pointed at myself.

“Captain? Me?”

“Yeah. You’re the squad leader, so you’re the captain!”

I chuckled as I leaned back onto my bunk bed. “We’ll hold off on anything. There are enemies out there right now. We should focus on them first.”

They nodded uneasily but more resolutely after a moment.

-VB-

“We’re being sent back?” I asked incredulously while staring at the garrison commander.

“Your inability to follow orders has me doubting your efficacy in the operations this outpost currently possesses,” the man harrumphed. “We could have kept an eye on them, found good evidence for Kumo’s involvement-” He’s saying this despite the fact that non missing-nin from Kumo were working with ex-Kiri ninjas to sabotage the border outposts. “-and find bigger targets. You messed that up.”

I didn’t say anything. Right now, he was the superior officer as much as it irritated me.

“So I’m sending you back to Konohagakure. I don’t have any use for useless ninjas.”

And just like that, I prepared to head back, but he didn’t end as simply as I had hoped.

“You will travel alone.”

This time, I did not bother hiding the glare.

“My squad is to remain?”

“Yes,” the commander sneered, also not bothering to hide his own disdain. “They are good ninjas.” And he said no more.

“... Very well. I shall bring this up with the administration and the Hokage once I return to Konoha.”

And then walked out without being dismissed.

What the fuck was his deal?

---

My squad was pissed as well. They knew what was going on. Everyone knew what was going on.

“Save it,” I grunted to them. “You can tell others about it later, but remember that the enemy is not among ourselves. Once everyone is safe and back in Konoha, you can go about doing whatever you want.”

“““Yes, sir.”””

“Good. I expect you to live to come back.”

“““Yes, sir!”””

And then I left.

I wished it had been that easy.

---

I travelled by the road, making headway in the short span of time I had.

As I ran, I couldn’t help but let my anger slowly mount. It fizzed and bubbled inside me like Mei’s magma release.

Who the fuck did the bastard think he was? I was Momoichi Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I slaughtered shits like him by the dozens every second on a battlefield. I had more kills under my belt than a dozen of the likes of him.

I came to a screeching halt and tousled with my hair.

“Fucking asshole-.”

And then I froze.

I heard something. It tickled my eardrums.

Something … from behind. Something from the direction I came from.

My cheeks twitched.

My ears twitched.

I turned around.

Jumping up and onto the tall trees of the Land of Fire, I came up to the top of the canopy and looked.

It was dusk right now, but I could see something on the horizon exactly from where I came from.

The outpost.

My eyes widened.

It was burning.

Jinzo.

“Shit!” I hissed and sped back.

---

Jinzo hissed as he dodged a strike.

“Where did these Kumo bastards come from?!” he growled as he jumped back to his squad.

The rest of the outpost burned, and their comrades fought a losing battle against a sudden assault.

The wooden walls of the outpost burned spectacularly.

“Kaido, give me a boost!” he shouted as he jumped towards his squad mate. The man took one look and then crouched down.

And just as he landed on the man’s back, he jumped high into the air, propelling him with him.

High in the air now and away from the fight, he saw the situation.

It didn’t look good.

Taking out his kunais, he threw them, taking potshots where he could. He grinned when he saw half of his hits led to deaths.

Kaido, the largest of the squad, caught him and let him down.

“Situation’s bad,” he grunted. “Half of the infrastructure’s gone, not including the walls. The commander’s base is burning.”

“And the enemies?”

“All of them Kumo.”

This couldn’t be a reprisal for their ambush of Kiri-Kumo camp yesterday. The attack came too fast, and they made sure to remove all traces of the camp.

So was this a planned attack?!

“Zabuza’s coming!”

All of his squad perked up.

If Zabuza’s here… they could get out of this alive!

“Live til that demon gets here!” Jinzo shouted.

Kumo-nin around them glared.

“Kill them quickly before that turn coat gets here.”

Turn coat?

What?

Jinzo caught sight of a Kiri-nin.

---

I sliced through a Kumo ninja that tried in vain to hamper me.

“Fuck off!” I shouted as I threw my sword but allowed myself to get dragged along with it. Once airborne, I spun as I launched ninja stars and kunai one at a time. Each projectile struck my mark without fail. When I landed and sped back up, a mix of a dozen Kumo and Kiri ninjas laid dead.

This was planned. It had to be. They surrounded the area immediate to the outpost and were planning on killing any stragglers. They wanted this done silently as possible as to not alert anyone.

“Well, you fuckers ran into me…!” I growled as another fell to me. Then I was out into the opening of the forest where the outpost laid.

Fire burned and smoke rose in columns, but I could still hear fighting.

]Water Technique: Water Clones]!

Four water clones rose up around me, and they turned and jumped at the interlopers trying to stop me.

I blazed through handsigns and sucked in a deep breath.

[Water Technique: Torrential Flood]!

Water sprayed from my lips, halving my chakra reserve with this one move, but it got the job done. A veritable flood of water swamped over the burning outpost and put out all of the fires.

Gripping Kubikiribocho, I shunshin’ed into the outpost.

---

“It’s Zabuza!” Jinzo shouted as he coughed up water. At least, the fires were put out.

And then the man himself appeared behind a cluster of enemy ninjas.

Kumo and Kiri ninjas looked back.

They were pinned.

“Konoha. End these fuckers!” Zabuza roared.

Jinzo and the rest of the survivors roared as he charged.

---

“Why are you among them?”

There were only a dozen enemy ninjas left, but among their number was none other than the garrison commander. “Why are you there?!” one of the garrison ninjas yelled, bewildered.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jinzo asked with a growl. “He betrayed us!”

“... So that’s why you sent us out to scouting missions and then had me go back alone,” Zabuza spat. “You were a turn coat.”

The garrison commander - no, the traitor - glared at them all.

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he just -.

-slid his own throat.

And the rest of the enemies tried to follow suit-.

“Water Technique.”

Everyone looked at Zabuza.

He ducked and Jinzo signaled for everyone to duck as well. The only ones who didn’t were the enemies.

“Head Shake.”

There was a burst of energy that billowed out from Zabuza that narrowly missed them but not the enemies. Their eyes rolled over and then they fell.

Zabuza slowly got up. “Alive. We need them for questioning.”

Jinzo fell to his ass.

It was over.