#sunshine son

Politely, Haku lifts a hand to cover his laughter. “Well,” he says. “At least you got out of the contract with Gato.”

Zabuza gives him a dark look, then turns it on the three small bodies lying around the campfire. Exhausted, and Naruto still has tear-tracks on his cheeks, but—

Getting them off the bridge was repayment for a good fight. It was logical in the face of a dead teacher and Gato mobilizing and a mob of civilians on their way. And now—now Zabuza can't justify dropping them at the side of the road and letting them wander back to Konoha on their own. They're too valuable, and Zabuza’s nothing if not mercenary in all ways.

The last Uchiha, an Uzumaki, and a girl good enough to be on a team with both of them. That’s promising, potentially powerful, and Zabuza would have to be an idiot to let them slip through his fingers now that he’s got them.

“Think you can talk them around?” he asks Haku, leaning back against the tree behind him. Hears the pause, careful, considering, and the short breath Haku takes at the end of it.

“Do you want me to?” he asks, casting a sideways glance at Zabuza.

Zabuza grunts, curls his had a little tighter around Kubikiribōchō’s hilt. “Useful,” he says shortly. “The Demon Brothers are dead, and they were the last. Might as well flesh out the ranks a bit.”

Haku folds his legs under himself, settling his hands in his lap as he studies the three genin. “It will take time to train them,” he points out, perfectly mild.

“It’ll take time to get the money we need, too,” Zabuza retorts. “Especially after the shitshow with Gato. If we’re going to take another job it’ll have to be in Wind Country or somewhere north.”

“Stone has a lot of jobs, usually.” Haku tips his head, and Zabuza watches his face, the softening of his expression when he looks at Naruto. Logical objections aside, Haku wants this. “Staying out of Fire Country is probably best, after you killed their top jounin.”

“If Kakashi couldn’t manage against another jounin, he wasn’t worth the title,” Zabuza says dismissively, but—

He didn’t expect it. Kakashi took Kubikiribōchō right to the chest, and the image of his wide, shocked eyes is going to stay with Zabuza for a while. A shinobi, an enemy, but he was like Zabuza in a lot of ways, knew exactly what it was like to be a tool, and he fought well. Zabuza had almost wanted to grab him as he fell from the bridge, give him a proper burial, but it was too late at that point. Kakashi’s body hit the water, Gato’s hired thugs swarmed the bridge to get out of paying, and the people of Wave turned up with pitchforks and scythes and rusty old swords. Getting away seemed like the best option, and with two exhausted genin and one who didn’t seem to have any idea what to do, Zabuza had made the logical choice.

“Not like Ame’s very welcoming to Konoha shinobi,” he says. “We get rid of their hitai-ate and we can hole up there until we find another job.”

They’ve passed through Ame before; Haku nods easily, accepting that, and adds, “If we follow the border, we can catch any news, as well.”

Zabuza considers it for a moment. He can probably pass as a jounin sensei with a genin team, but if anyone gets too close the ruse will be up immediately. Konoha isn't so large a village that someone won't know Uchiha Sasuke by sight, especially if they're meant to be looking for him, and Zabuza is sure they will be.

“Too much of a risk,” he says gruffly. “We’ll keep to the northern borders, avoid any patrols. I don’t want to fuck with Kumo, but Iwa's less fanatical about people wandering along the mountain roads.”

Haku accepts that easily, inclining his head. “Further from Konoha, too,” he murmurs.

“As long as one of them stays, the rest will too,” Zabuza says carelessly, though it’s going to take some work. Pauses, considering, and glances at Haku. “Up for some kenjutsu training in the morning?”

Haku pulls a face, because he’s pretty damned terrible with a sword, no matter how graceful and skilled he is with senbon. Zabuza long ago resigned himself to the fact that his apprentice wouldn’t be aiming for a spot as one of the Seven Swordsmen. “You're trying to tempt them with training?” he asks.

“You said the kid was still working on tree-walking,” Zabuza reminds him. “If they can pull out shit like they did the first time we fought, they should be a hell of a lot further along. Maybe they want to be.”

“Maybe,” Haku allows easily enough, and smiles a little as he reaches out, touching the edge of golden hair where it falls over the bare ground. “He was talking about protecting precious things. I think, if he knows we can help him with that, he might stay.”

Haku's a hell of a lot better at spinning things like that, so Zabuza just grunts. He can't help the slide of his eyes over to Sasuke, though, curled up between the other two by the fire. Distantly, vaguely, he knows the story of the Uchiha Clan, and that’s enough to make him interesting, but at the same time…Haku said he stepped in front of Naruto, took Haku's senbon without hesitating. Kakashi’s death right after was enough to turn everything on its head, and the revelation that he wasn’t dead had kept the other two genin around, but—it’s interesting. Loyal, in a way Zabuza hadn’t expected.

Then again, he and Naruto worked well together, the first time Zabuza faced Kakashi. If Zabuza can bring that out, hone it, get them to include the girl, they might have the makings of a dangerous team.

“The girl might be a problem,” he says, glancing at her. “If she can't keep up, we’re going to need to find something else for her.”

Haku wrinkles his nose a little. “If Naruto and Sasuke can keep up, there’s no reason Sakura shouldn’t be able to,” he says. “But—they don’t move like there’s room for her.”

Zabuza saw that, too. The two boys in lockstep, with Sakura left behind to guard the target. And maybe that’s logical, maybe that’s their chosen formation, but even when Sasuke was supposedly dead and Naruto was screaming and Kakashi was falling, Sakura didn’t move. She didn’t fight. She just stood there, like she wasn’t a shinobi at all, and Zabuza doesn’t like that very much.

“Maybe she’ll realize now,” Haku says softly. “She saw her teacher die. If she wants to get stronger, that’s a good push.”

Zabuza had a choice, once. Eighteen years ago now, with his time at the Academy almost done, and the graduating class a year above him escaped the graduation ritual with almost half of their number dead. One day, one hour, and nearly fifty kids were dead on the sand of the arena.

Knowing what was waiting for him, having to help move those bodies—well.

Zabuza hasn’t let himself be weak since that day.

“Maybe,” he says curtly, and lets Kubikiribōchō rest against his thigh, testing the edge of the blade with a thumb. “Get some sleep. I'm going to kick your ass around in the morning, so you’d better be ready.”

❗️spoilers but y'all should know that by now❗️

My heart is so full you guys...

Like... just look at my sunshine child! How does he not bring a smile to your face!? ☀️❤️❤️

And everyone welcoming him back? Same my dudes same... WELCOME BACK BABY BOY I MISSED YOU [even though I've been reading this for so long 😂]

I also want to showcase some of my fav little side panels of my favourite crow dads etc since they're just sitting there... just going through some things... 😂

And finally! CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE HOW GOD DAMN BEAUTIFUL THIS SPREAD WAS!? Fucking *muah😘* stunning 😭❤️❤️❤️