The so-called wandering ninjas are different from those powerful rogue shinobi who can survive being hunted by major ninja villages. They're just ordinary folks who stumbled upon chakra refinement techniques by chance.
Many of them never learned proper ninjutsu—at best, they use chakra to enhance their physical strength and then rely on crude weaponry in battle.
In terms of strength, most of them don't even measure up to your average chunin, and only a handful at the top are on par with standard chunin.
As for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—though Sakura is just a regular genin from Konoha, she was a top student at the academy with excellent chakra control. In a smaller ninja village, she'd be considered a prodigy.
Then there's Naruto and Sasuke—Naruto, even without the Nine-Tails, has a chakra reserve over a hundred times greater than Kakashi, and he's already proficient in shadow clones and taijutsu. Sasuke wields the Sharingan and is already highly skilled with fire-style jutsu and shurikenjutsu, easily the most talented of his class.
Even fresh out of the academy, the two were already capable of matching many genin from smaller villages. With the chakra control training they've had recently, their capabilities have only increased.
Fighting over a hundred wandering ninjas may not be a walk in the park, but it's certainly within their reach.
"It seems being a teacher isn't as easy as it looks, Mr. Kakashi," Carl said with a grin, standing beside what he now knew was a shadow clone.
When Sasuke charged earlier, the real Kakashi had followed from the shadows, while his clone remained on the bridge.
"No choice—my students are too precious. Can't let anything happen to them," Kakashi replied with a soft chuckle, lifting his hitai-ate briefly.
What really concerned him wasn't the mob of wandering ninjas—it was Zabuza and Haku, whom he suspected were lurking nearby. If Gato had finally shown up, then it was likely his hired muscle was close.
Carl smiled knowingly. He was fully aware Zabuza and Haku were currently hidden beneath the bridge in the mist—but not to attack them. They were waiting for the right moment to assassinate Gato.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
.
Five minutes later, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were all breathing hard, standing amidst a pile of unconscious wandering ninjas. Nearby, Gato stood trembling, his knees knocking together in fear.
He had never imagined the mercenaries he'd paid for would be completely crushed by three teenage genin.
"If I'd known this would happen, I'd have gone to the Gold Exchange and hired real rogue ninjas like Zabuza," he cursed under his breath.
"You'll regret this—I won't let you off!" Gato spat bitterly, turning to flee.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all looked to Kakashi for guidance, waiting for him to act. But Kakashi simply shook his head.
He wasn't going to kill Gato.
Their mission was to protect Tazuna—not assassinate businessmen. Unless Gato directly attacked them, they couldn't justify killing him without risking diplomatic fallout.
Taking him out here could stain Konoha's reputation, and if powerful figures began to doubt Konoha's professionalism, they might stop requesting missions, which would seriously cut into village income.
Of course, if this had been a mission ordered through the underground gold exchange, that would be a different matter entirely.
So normally in this world, a rich man like Gato would not be in any danger as long as he did not encounter some insane rebellion.
"Bah!"
Just as Gato 's figure began to gradually disappear on the bridge, a horrifying sound suddenly echoed.
Then they saw Gato 's head fly clean off his body, arcing through the air before landing beneath the bridge. His body slumped to the ground with a dull "thud."
"Hmph, just an ordinary person."
Zabuza stepped out of the mist holding the Executioner's sword in his hand and casually kicked Kado's headless corpse into the sea. Haku followed quietly behind him, face covered by his hunter-nin mask.
"Zabuza!!!"
Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stared in shock. No one expected Zabuza to suddenly appear except Kakashi but even he didn't expected them to kill Gato in such a decisive way.
"What just happened…?"
"Alright, Kakashi, no need to hide," Zabuza said, his eyes narrowing in the direction of a large rock nearby. "I know you're close, and I'm not here to fight you."
The shadow clone of Carl standing nearby dissipated, and the real Kakashi emerged from behind the rock, standing protectively in front of Team 7.
"You killed Gato," Kakashi said warily.
"This bastard tried to have me killed when I was wounded and refused to pay me. You think I'd let that slide?" Zabuza scoffed, his tone icy. "Don't worry. I still want to fight you, but not now. I'll need my strength—the real hunter-nin will be on my tail soon."
"Fair enough," Kakashi responded with a sigh. He had no desire to fight Zabuza again, especially with Naruto and the others still recovering from battle.
And besides, Zabuza and Haku weren't his responsibility. They were fugitives of Kirigakure, not Konoha. Kakashi had no love for the Hidden Mist. If not for its conspiracies, Rin might still be alive.
Truth be told, of all the villages, Kakashi hated Kirigakure and Iwagakure the most. One took Rin; the other, Obito.
"You're a worthy opponent, Kakashi. One day we'll settle this."
With that, Zabuza and Haku vanished into the mist.
"Gato is dead. And with them gone, there should be no more trouble for the Land of Waves," Carl said as he walked up, a calm smile on his face. "Good will be rewarded with good, and evil with evil. Sometimes it just takes time."
Everything had gone according to Carl's plan.
Zabuza and Haku's appearance served as the perfect cover. Gato 's death now had nothing to do with Carl's caravan or Matsukawa's business. Instead, it was just a matter of a betrayed employer and a rogue shinobi settling the score.
Now, Matsukawa—the kind-hearted businessman—would step in, purchase Gato's remaining assets, and help rebuild the Land of Waves. With the bridge near completion, the people would finally have hope.
And the witnesses? Kakashi, his three genin, and Tazuna . All respected, all believable.