Preparing for Battle!!

" Preparing for Battle!! " ( 闘いの準備!! , Tatakai no Junbi!! , Viz: Preparations for Battle) is chapter 17 of the original Naruto manga.

## Summary [ ]

Kakashi is suspicious about how the battle with Zabuza ended. He explains that hunter-nin usually, after killing the target, destroy the body immediately - on the spot. He turns to Sakura and asks her how the masked boy disposed of Zabuza's remains. Sakura answers that she doesn't know, since they only saw him take the missing-nin's corpse with him. Kakashi points out that while he did, all he needed to take with him as proof to confirm Zabuza's death was his head. He tells Team 7 that Zabuza may still be alive. Everyone is shocked to hear this. Naruto and Sakura ask Kakashi how he could be sure, as he himself checked that he was dead. Kakashi states that while he made sure of it, he also explains that a death-like state could provide a rather convincing illusion. This is especially when the masked youth "killed" Zabuza with senbon , which are a type of acupuncture needle. Hunter-nin are required to have intimate and thorough knowledge of human physiology. While senbon are potentially deadly, they can be used to inflict non-mortal injuries. Considering this, the boy was probably saving Zabuza by putting him in a temporary death-like state. In case he is right, Kakashi decides to start training Team 7 to improve their chakra control for another encounter with Zabuza.