"Beneath my feet lies the grave you share with Momochi Zabuza."
Link gazed calmly at the dejected young man before him.
Haku didn't seem surprised. The moment he noticed the chipped and battered Executioner's Blade, he had already prepared himself. In fact, back in the Pure Land—while this person was repeatedly pestering him—he'd regained awareness through the stories, and thoughts of "How is the real world now? How is Zabuza doing?" kept cropping up. Ultimately, though, his conclusion had been only defeat.
Naruto and his companions… they were truly strong.
"I heard from Naruto and Sasuke," Link continued, "that Momochi Zabuza died in the end for your sake as well."
Zabuza-sama…
Haku's expression changed slightly, but he didn't blindly trust another's words.
"Well, then—see you in a bit," said Link, releasing the Summoning Technique.
Perfect. Having confirmed Haku's presence, Link could be certain Zabuza would follow. As a Missing-nin from Kirigakure, Zabuza carried an enormous emotional weakness tied to Haku.
He had been an elite jōnin who could fight Hatake Kakashi toe-to-toe, but in the end, when Haku died—and confronted by Naruto's "talk-no-jutsu"—he cried as he admitted he couldn't be the heartless shinobi he claimed to be.
Once again Link formed seals and channeled his chakra:
"Rashōmon."
He pushed open the ominous gate, quickly leaping back onto the Executioner's Blade. Soon, the pair he had just communicated with stepped through the swirling vortex, returning to the living world in ghostly form.
"...?!"
Barely crossing through the gate, Momochi Zabuza wanted to confront the mysterious summoner. Then he saw Haku come right after him.
"Zabuza-sama," said Haku, tilting his face slightly in Zabuza's direction. "Forgive me. As a tool, I failed to protect your life."
"Haku…" On Zabuza's bandaged face, there was little discernible emotion. He didn't even look at the boy standing nearby—just said Haku's name and stepped forward. "So you're actually trying to exploit even the dead, you—"
He'd already begun gathering chakra, eager to strike. Using Haku against him was hitting his bottom line, so his first instinct was to rebel against the person who summoned him.
"You're well aware you can't hurt me, right? The Rashōmon would simply drag you back," Link said, arms at his sides. He felt no worry that these summoned souls would attack him; one mental command and the Rashōmon would force them back in an instant, ending any action they took.
"Zabuza-sama," Haku murmured softly, remaining at Zabuza's side as always, ready for combat against this stranger.
"I heard from Naruto that in the end you cried and charged in, all for the sake of 'friendship' or whatever, to finish off Gatō," Link said with a slight smile. "Simply because he kicked Haku's corpse, right? And despite both your arms being injured, you fought your way through to kill Gatō and breathed your last."
Zabuza's composure cracked; he narrowed his eyes in a show of aggression. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza—!"
"Then say it—prove it," Link replied with the same calm smile. "Say that Haku is nothing more than a tool you can throw away at any time."
Zabuza fell silent. The kid's grin made him bristle with annoyance.
"Zabuza-sama…" Haku's slender fingers curled into a fist, and though his expression didn't change, his eyes gleamed with relief. He knew that if Link's words weren't true—hadn't actually happened—Zabuza wouldn't have fallen silent, nor would he be wearing that expression. Haku knew him too well from their many years together.
"You sure talk a lot, brat." In the end, Zabuza couldn't say anything else. He glared menacingly, leaking killing intent, but the chakra he'd gathered dispersed. For a guy who always went around calling himself "this grand me," for him to admit he cared deeply about his subordinate was far too humiliating. So humiliating it snuffed out the fury and murderous aura he had initially shown.
[Man, standing on this sword is surprisingly comfortable, Link thought, noting that with the blade stuck in the ground, the height was just right.]
"All right then," Link said aloud. "I can let you two return to the living world. In exchange, you'll fight for me. How does that deal sound?"
But no deal was struck that night.
Link had his shadows haul Zabuza, Haku, and their rotted corpses—earth and all—out to sea, preventing the possibility of Orochimaru or Kabuto contesting him for them in the future.
"Hmm? Wait a minute—" Link mused, pausing. "Kabuto won't even be able to cast ninjutsu if he's permanently sealed by my Five-Element Seal, right? Unless he does like Orochimaru and swaps bodies, he can't form seals, so surely he can't use Edo Tensei."
Thus, the Fourth Great Ninja War, which had become a large-scale "zombie invasion," would likely be altered dramatically by Link's interference.
Returning to the matter of negotiations: Zabuza didn't jump at Link's offer, and Haku had nothing to say. Link, of course, didn't try to push them; he simply gave them a little time to chat in private.
After all, controlling souls to fight on his behalf wasn't straightforward. Link figured if Naruto had been the one summoning them, they might've cheerfully agreed to help. In the Fourth War, when they were reanimated, they'd even checked on how Kakashi and Naruto were doing. For some reason, Zabuza held Naruto in high esteem.
Uchiha Fugaku and Maki had agreed to fight for Link because each still had things in the living world they couldn't bear to part with, so they willingly allowed Link to use them. But Zabuza and Haku had nothing holding them back. They cared only for each other, and both were dead. They'd probably prefer to remain in the Pure Land. In the Naruto world, "real life" was basically hell for them.
So, if he wanted to use them, he'd have to take it slowly, repeatedly using Rashōmon to bring them back, rebuilding connections. Eventually, whether out of longing to see each other or a desire to live again, he'd gain leverage.
He could strong-arm Zabuza by threatening, "You wouldn't want Haku to—…" That alone would be enough to make the Demon of the Hidden Mist fight, albeit reluctantly—just like in the Fourth War. But that was a last resort; by summoning them together via Rashōmon, Link implied he had such an option without stating it outright.
He believed Zabuza would pick up on it. And once that was established, Link could employ softer persuasion and conversational techniques. Sooner or later, Zabuza and Haku would come around.
~~~
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