Zabuza Momochi's reputation became even worse.

He accepted Cardo's employment at the money exchange, but killed Cardo in public and even robbed Cardo of his wealth.

Zabuza violated a big taboo for ninjas. Not only was he no longer able to take missions from the Kanjinso, he was even put on the Kanjinso's wanted list and an additional bounty was added.

Zabuza didn't care about it at all. So what if he couldn't complete the mission? The money he got from looting the Cardo Treasury was more than the bonus he got from completing 5,000 A-level missions.

5,000 A-level tasks. No matter how hard he tries, he will never be able to complete it in his lifetime.

So, why even consider doing tasks later?

I will never do missions again if I don't kill him anymore! I am now financially independent and will never do missions again!

As for the pursuit and reward offered by Huanjinso, Zabuza didn't care at all.

As a rebel ninja from the Hidden Mist Village, he also has the pride of being a famous jonin from one of the five major ninja villages. What kind of remarkable ninja can he find by exchanging a mere sum of gold?

Could those hunters from the underground world really defeat him, Zai Bu Zhan?

Zabuza Momochi was very confident that even if some blind guy found him, he would surely become the ghost under the beheading sword.

Zabuza in both time and space did not have the experience of being a rebellious ninja for a long time, so they did not know that there were also strong people in the underground world.

For example, the Xuanyuan clan who almost killed the Fourth Raikage, and Kakuzu who was chasing the bounty.

In fact, at this time Kakuzu had been attracted by the high bounty of Zabuza, and traveled thousands of miles to the Land of Waves, searching everywhere for Zabuza's trace.

If Zabuza hadn't taken Haku out to sea with him, he would have been tracked down by Kakuzu and died tragically at the hands of this veteran Kage-level ninja.

What protected Zabuza was the vast ocean.

Kakuzu tracked Zabuza from the Land of Waves to the Land of Hot Springs, and even found the small port where Zabuza set sail. After searching the islands near the port without success, he had no choice but to give up.

He is a top tracker, but he is good at following traces on land and digging clues from the memories of passers-by.

But facing the vast ocean, Jiaodu was at a loss as he knew nothing about the traces on the sea water, let alone digging clues from the brains of the fish.

Kakuzu could only sigh as he looked at the seven-digit amount on the bounty, then he put the bounty away and turned to track other bounty targets.

He is an organized person now. He can't stubbornly wait on the beach for a long time for a single goal. After all, he now has a target for making money.

Kakuzu muttered, "You damned angel, what kind of damned standard did you set for me? Now I'm running around like crazy and I don't even feel a sense of accomplishment when I make money!"

Even so, Kakuzu pulled out another wanted poster and muttered, "Let's go after this one this time, the monk who broke his vows, Mikasa, he's hiding in the Land of Hot Water."

"The reward is too little, only 160,000 taels."

"It would be great if there was a war. Contracting a war is the fastest way to make money."

Muttering to himself, Kakuzu disappeared on the beach.

…

The Anbu of Konoha Village rescued Team 7 and brought it back to Konoha Village, shocking the entire top leadership.

Kakashi Hatake was seriously injured, Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was seriously injured, and Uchiha Sasuke was seriously injured. Each one of them made the Third Hokage tremble with fear, and he secretly thought it was a close call.

Danzo Shimura came upon hearing the news and started to scold the Third Hokage, questioning his irresponsible behavior of letting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki leave the village.

Of course, when it comes to talking, Danzo is no match for Sarutobi Hiruzen, and he soon ran out of words. After staging the classic scene of "you regret" and "I'm a shadow", he slammed the door and left angrily.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen drove his old friend away, he continued to discuss with the remaining two classmates how to arrange for Uzumaki Naruto, and finally decided to recall Jiraiya to be Naruto's teacher.

This decision was, to some extent, a consensus among all the ninjas in Konoha Village.

The Third Hokage of Konoha, who had served for 60 years, was too old, and the Sarutobi clan behind him had expanded too much and encroached on too many interests.

As the saying goes, cutting off a person's financial resources is like killing his parents.

When half of the interests of Konoha Village were taken over by the Sarutobi clan, they naturally became the target of resentment from the entire Konoha Village.

Thanks to the magical operation of the Third Hokage that lasted for twenty years, Hatake Sakumo, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, and Uchiha Shisui died suddenly one after another, Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi became rebels, and Tsunade and Jiraiya left one after another.

Almost all of Konoha Village's Kage-level ninjas were killed, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo as the only two Kage-level ninjas in Konoha Village.

Danzo Shimura was even more unpopular than him, and everyone could only accept Sarutobi Hiruzen's rule with a pinch of their nose.

But when the Third Hokage's aging could no longer be concealed, his rule naturally became precarious, and he himself knew that he had to give up his position.

If possible, Sarutobi Hiruzen certainly wanted Sarutobi Asuma to succeed as Hokage.

But everyone knows that although this bearded man has a great reputation and possesses weapons made of pure chakra metal, his strength is not top-notch. He is at most middle-class among the Konoha Jonins.

Among the famous jonin, except for Asuma's own girlfriend Kurenai, all of them are far more powerful than him.

As the leader of Konoha Village, the ninja who holds the position of Hokage must be at least at the level of Kage, so there is no possibility for Asuma to become Hokage.

As a result, Jiraiya, the irresponsible prodigal son, became the popular choice, and almost everyone hoped that he would come back to serve as the Fifth Hokage.

Ordinary ninjas like Jiraiya's true nature, admire his powerful strength, and respect his achievements in the war.

The Konohagakure Ninja Clan hopes that someone can break the Sarutobi Clan's hold on power and suppress the Sarutobi Clan's expansion momentum.

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew his student's temperament very well, and he would never settle accounts with himself and the Sarutobi clan if Jiraiya came to power.

No one had ever thought about whether Jiraiya himself wanted to become Hokage.

Let Jiraiya return to the village and serve as Uzumaki Naruto's teacher. Once he has re-established the bond, he can be promoted to the position of Hokage.

When the Third Hokage issued the order, everyone was happy.

But everyone overlooked the fact that in this incident in the Land of Waves, the third victim was Uchiha Sasuke, and the fourth victim was Haruno Sakura.

It doesn't matter if you ignore Haruno Sakura. This girl has not grown up yet. She is childish and naive in love. She has never played a positive role from beginning to end, and her future potential has not yet been realized.

But ignoring Uchiha Sasuke would be a huge problem.

The reason why it was overlooked was because Hatake Kakashi concealed Zabuza's last words, and Sasuke and Kakashi were patients living in the same room when they were in the hospital treating their fractures.

No one knew what they said when the night was quiet. In short, Sasuke quietly healed his broken bones, quietly learned ninjutsu from Kakashi, and did not do anything out of the ordinary.

Even when the Four Purple Flame Formation was deployed on the field, Uchiha Sasuke did not show any problems, and he and Uzumaki Naruto and other Genin chased the Jinchuriki of the Sand Village.

It was not until the Third Hokage was sent away by Orochimaru and the farce in Konoha Village settled that Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto realized that Uchiha Sasuke was missing.

…

In the waters of the Land of Lightning, on a remote, uninhabited island, a fierce battle is taking place.

The sound of waves on the island was endless. Rows of huge waves surrounded a huge octopus, trying to overturn it.

The octopus let out a sharp hiss and tried hard to stay on the ground, but its six legs were desperately drilling under its body, completely ignoring the command of its brain.

With the cooperation of the six octopus legs, Zabuza Momochi flipped the huge octopus over in one go, revealing the eight octopus legs hidden under its body.

In addition to the six long and complete octopus legs, there were two other legs that were mostly shortened, all exposed to Zabuza's sight.

Zabuza looked at the two short octopus legs, saliva flowed from the corners of his mouth, and he immediately formed seals with his hands.

Water Style: Water Break Wave

As the ninjutsu was completed, Zabuza spit out a thin stream of ultra-high-pressure water from his mouth, which cut through the broken legs of the huge octopus like a sharp sword, cutting off a short and thick section of the octopus's leg.

The octopus's head shrank into a ball due to the pain, but its six intact legs obviously relaxed. They worked together to support its huge head and then ran towards the bay in the northwest corner of the island.

Zabuza did not stop the octopus from leaving. Instead, he pulled out his restored beheading sword, stabbed it into the fallen octopus leg, carried it on his shoulder and walked towards the depths of the island.

He climbed over a low hill and entered an open meadow.

Bai had already lit a huge bonfire here and used ice escape to create a support that would not melt.

The two people worked together to cut and clean the octopus legs, then coated them with oil and grilled them. Soon the rich aroma spread.

Zabuza took a few deep breaths and laughed, "Uchiha You is so abominable. He actually kept such a good thing so secret."

"Hahaha, no matter how powerful he is, he can only stay in his own lair. I was assigned by His Majesty the Emperor of Heaven. Wouldn't I be able to eat him in another time and space?"

Bai asked curiously, "Mr. Zabuza, who is the Uchiha You you are talking about? Aren't there only two people in the Uchiha clan?"

Zabuza said nonchalantly: "That is the Uchiha clan leader from another world. He is a very, very, very powerful monster. He defeated the Iwagakure Village and the Kumogakure Village by himself. The defeat of the Sand Village was also closely related to him."

Bai said he couldn't understand what was said about the other world, but he was very open-minded. If he didn't understand, he would just put it out of his mind and concentrate on grilling the octopus legs and carefully brushing them with various sauces.

Some of the meat is to be eaten right away and uses the soup country barbecue sauce, but more of the meat is to be made into smoked meat and uses a saltier sauce with more salt.

When the sauce is brushed on and mixed with the fat from the octopus legs, the rich aroma spreads in all directions like an explosion.

Smelling this overbearing aroma, Zabuza could no longer wait. He picked up a piece of octopus meat and stuffed it into his mouth and started chewing it without caring whether it was cooked or not.

As his teeth cut the chewy octopus meat, the delicious gravy burst out, and the fresh and fragrant taste instantly conquered his taste buds. Zabuza was directly dizzy with the fragrance and chewed quickly with his eyes closed.

Before he finished eating, Zabuza picked up the second piece of barbecue and said to the man: "This meat is so delicious."

"Bai, don't just focus on grilling the meat. Eat it now while it's still hot. The aroma will fade away when it gets cold. It's such a waste."

Bai agreed with a smile, took out a knife to cut the barbecue, laid out the slices, and then began to eat elegantly.

Although Bai's movements were gentle, he ate quite fast. Zabuza's way of eating was even faster, eating a piece of meat in two bites.

The aroma of octopus meat spread over the sea surface and was quickly blown away by the sea breeze, mixing with the slightly fishy wind, and soon it could not be distinguished.

But the octopus can. It emerges from the sea and smells its own flesh through its breathing holes. Its eyes are filled with complex and contradictory expressions. The mixture of greed for its own flesh and the pain of having its flesh cut by others really makes it very difficult for it.

Big tears flowed from its eyes, and the octopus whimpered and made a low mournful cry. After a long time, it reluctantly disappeared under the sea.

Zabuza and Haku were ninjas, and both had amazing appetites. It took them two hours to finish this feast.

After eating, Bai continued to add firewood to roast and dehydrate the remaining meat, making it into braised meat that could be stored for several days.

Zabuza sat down to rest and recover his strength, while feeling the chakra emitted by the octopus meat in his stomach. He had confirmed that this was the chakra of a tailed beast.

Fortunately, the concentration of chakra is relatively thin. Not only is it harmless after eating it, but it can also effectively enhance the physical fitness and increase the amount of chakra.

Feeling the chakra slowly increasing, Zabuza sighed with a hint of regret. This body was not his own, and he couldn't take the increased chakra back. What a pity.

He hopes that returning to the Hidden Mist Village will bring him satisfactory rewards, in addition to the fairy arts rewarded for completing the mission, there will also be the experience of fighting the Mizukage.

Zabuza suddenly asked, "Bai, did you buy any information during your shopping trip to the Land of Hot Springs?"

Bai immediately replied, "Yes, Mr. Zabuza, I bought important information about Konoha Village."

Zabuza asked in surprise: "The Third Hokage of Konoha Village just died, and now something big has happened again?"

"Yes, it's a big deal." Bai stopped what he was doing and recalled seriously, "Itachi Uchiha, the S-rank rebel ninja from Konoha, attacked Konoha Village and seriously injured three jonins, Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhi."

Zabuza nodded in satisfaction: "I moved Uchiha Sasuke, and indeed attracted Uchiha Itachi to Konoha Village, but three jonin were seriously injured. I don't know if Uchiha Itachi was acting."

Bai shook his head and said, "No, Mr. Zabuza, Uchiha Itachi caused great losses. In addition to the three seriously injured jonin, Konoha's chuunin losses were very heavy, with 34 people killed in the battle alone."

"The battle was very fierce and affected a large area. Several blocks were completely destroyed by the battle, and many civilians from Konoha Village died."

Zabuza took a deep breath and said, "So cruel, Uchiha Itachi and Konoha Village are at odds?"

"So how did it end?"

Bai replied, "It was Jiraiya, the leader of the Three Ninjas of Konoha, who drove away Uchiha Itachi and his companions and prevented the battle from expanding further."

"But Jiraiya didn't chase after Uchiha Itachi either."

Zabuza said as a matter of course: "Jiraiya will definitely not chase him. Only he can defeat Uchiha Itachi. If we chase him without caring, he will easily be killed by a surprise attack."

"By the way, is there any information about Uchiha Sasuke?"

Bai nodded: "Well, after the death of the Third Hokage, Uchiha Sasuke disappeared. Until now, there has been no new news, and no one knows whether he is dead or alive."

Zabuza suddenly realized: "No wonder, Uchiha Itachi, who is obsessed with his brother, can't find his brother, so he must ask Konoha Village for an explanation."

He didn't know that because he revealed the truth about the Uchiha clan genocide in advance, Uchiha Sasuke defected early, causing the collapse of trust between Uchiha Itachi and Konoha Village.

Sasuke's disappearance drove Uchiha Itachi crazy. He thought he was deceived by the Third Hokage. When he returned to the village to gather intelligence, he saw Asuma Sarutobi and couldn't help but kill him.

If it weren't for Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi's desperate rescue efforts, Asuma would have died on the spot.

Uchiha Itachi's act of injuring Kakashi angered Emperor Kai. The strongest ninja in Konoha Village exploded on the spot, opened the six gates and beat Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.

If the two of them had not quickly sneaked into the residential area, restricting Might Guy's movements and preventing him from performing his duties, they might have been seriously injured and dying before Jiraiya arrived.

Zabuza thought for a long time and finally made up his mind: "With this pervert entangled, Konoha Village must be in a mess recently and can't take care of anything else."

"The Leaf Village is in trouble, and the Kumogakure and Iwagakure will definitely be paying close attention, as well as watching each other."

"So many people died in the Sand Village this time. Even the Fourth Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru. It can be said that they were completely defeated."

"For the next period of time, there will be no external threats to the Hidden Mist Village. This is a rare and good opportunity."

He stood up and said, "I decided to take action in advance."

Bai calmly packed up the octopus meat and asked, "Are we going back to the Hidden Mist Village now?"

Zabuza nodded and said, "We will set out early tomorrow morning and return to the Hidden Mist Village."

He said confidently: "Who else but me can overthrow the Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura and restore the Hidden Mist Village to normal!"

…

Two days later, Zabuza and Haku set foot on the land of Water Country.

The two did not go directly to the Hidden Mist Village. Relying on his vague memory, Bai took Zabuza to find his childhood home, but found that there was already an empty lot there.

The hut where people once lived disappeared, and the ground was covered with weeds, covering all traces.

Bai stood there blankly for a long time before turning around and saying to Zabuza, "Mr. Zabuza, I'm fine now."

Zabuza asked, "Why don't you ask where your father is?"

Bai shook his head: "No, let's go."

"I will never come back again."

Zabuza nodded: "Okay, let's go."

Returning to the Hidden Mist Village to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage is definitely the most difficult mission in the ninja world. Although Zabuza has become a Kage-level ninja, he still cannot guarantee his own life.

Since they happened to pass by Bai's hometown, they decided to take a look and fulfill their thoughts.

After leaving the village, Bai Cai asked, "Mr. Zabuza, do you want to go home and visit?"

Zabuza laughed and said, "Haha, I don't have a home."

"The Kirigakure ninjas have been killing since they were young. Their hearts have long been dead. How can they have a home without a heart?"

"After I kill Yagura Karatachi, maybe the Hidden Mist Village will become my home."