Utakata has never considered himself overly important in the grand scheme of things. But when, rather than returning to the afterlife, he finds himself back in a Kiri controlled by the Sandaime Mizukage, he makes a choice. A few well-placed changes might be enough to shift the course of the future, in the end.

“Look at you,” Zabuza says, lazy and languid, and when Utakata flicks his eyes up he’s watching intently, legs spread wide, breath coming hard. His grip tightens in Utakata's hair, but there’s no pressure behind it. “Fuck, you helped overthrow the Mizukage and then just dropped to your knees. Makes a man wonder.”