"As expected, Haku is hiding in the shadows."
Naruto casually held the Kubikiribōchō, as if it were nothing more than a piece of paper. His movements were effortless, smooth, and relaxed.
For a moment, Naruto felt the urge to drop to his knees and ask to become Zabuza's disciple. Meanwhile, Sakura's eyes burned with admiration, as though she could devour him whole.
"This is true strength... Naruto-kun is amazing!"
Bang—
Naruto placed the massive blade down with ease and turned his gaze to the side.
Beneath the mask, a delicate face—almost feminine—was hidden. To be honest, Haku was undeniably beautiful.
After all, in this era of social media, men watching other men teasing men had become a common spectacle.
Zabuza, who had faced the Blood Mist Village without fear, suddenly found himself unable to face this ambiguous tension.
In the end, his pride had been for nothing. Only when he was on the verge of death would he dare to admit the truth.
Sage of Six Paths: I hope that hatred can be transformed into love...
Naruto: I love you so much!
"This brat..."
"He stopped my Kubikiribōchō with one hand?!"
"Damn it! Why can't I feel any emotion from him?"
Zabuza was utterly shaken. In his mind, the boy before him was no less dangerous than Kakashi himself.
Yet, his arrogance remained unshaken. He still believed the advantage was his.
There was no way he'd let go of the weapon he had wielded for so many years.
"Kid! Do you even know what you're holding?!"
Naruto smirked and casually kicked the giant sword.
"This? It might be famous in Kirigakure, but in the grand scheme of the shinobi world, the so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen aren't much to brag about."
Zabuza's eye twitched in fury. "Damn brat! I'm Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist! The number of people I killed at your age could form a mountain!"
Though shocked by Naruto's effortless display of power, Zabuza was even more enraged by his words.
Because if lies only bring pain, the truth is the sharpest blade.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen? During the Third Shinobi War, didn't a mere Genin from Konoha take out several of them single-handedly?
Zabuza clenched his teeth and abandoned his previous target, Tazuna, who was being protected by Kakashi. His focus shifted entirely to Naruto.
He sprang forward suddenly, hurling a kunai ahead of him.
Clang!
Naruto simply raised the Kubikiribōchō and blocked it effortlessly.
Kunai?
Does he really think something like that can kill a shinobi?
Zabuza's expression darkened. Having his attack blocked with his own blade was more humiliating than being struck in the face.
But Kakashi wasn't just standing idly by.
Whoosh!
He lifted the headband covering his left eye, revealing the Sharingan.
With a flicker of movement, he appeared beside Naruto, his copy-ninja reputation on full display.
Zabuza clicked his tongue in frustration. He had lost the chance to immediately reclaim his sword. Now, he had no choice but to retreat and reassess the situation.
"Zabuza, I won't let you threaten my comrades a second time!"
Three figures fell silent.
Including the kunai attack just now... this was already the second time.
Wait!
Sasuke's pupils shrank as his gaze snapped toward Kakashi's left eye.
"Sharingan?!"
It wasn't just for show.
"Heh, so this is Konoha's Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi?" Zabuza sneered, feigning amusement.
But deep down, he was wary.
"If I want my sword back, I'll have to go through you first."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Then come at me."
Zabuza formed hand seals swiftly, raising an arm.
Buzz—
Mist began to rise around them, thickening by the second.
The moment Zabuza disappeared into the dense fog, he formed more seals and seamlessly merged into the water.
The five shinobi could only hear his voice echoing around them.
"Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Technique!"
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura—protect Tazuna! Use the Swastika Formation!" Kakashi ordered.
The fog intensified, and Kakashi's expression grew serious.
Naruto grinned and placed the Kubikiribōchō in front of Sakura.
"It suits you. You should hold onto it for now. Your strength has improved—you should be able to handle it, right?"
Sakura's eyes lit up. "Yes! Thank you, Naruto-kun~!"
Sasuke shot a cold glance at Kakashi's back before stepping into position, forming a defensive triangle with Naruto and Sakura around Tazuna.
Kakashi sensed Sasuke's irritation but pushed it aside for now. There were more pressing matters.
"Everyone, listen up!"
"Momochi Zabuza is no ordinary opponent."
"He was once part of Kirigakure's Assassination Unit, infamous for his silent killing technique."
"Let your guard down, and his blade will find your neck."
"Also, though I wield the Sharingan, I am not an Uchiha. I can't utilize its full power."
The tension in the air thickened with his words.
A chilling voice suddenly echoed through the mist.
"There are eight vital points..."
"Throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian veins, kidneys, heart..."
"Which one should I choose?"
"Or should I try them all?"
Tazuna shuddered.
Sakura gripped the Kubikiribōchō tightly, her resolve firm.
Sasuke, however, found himself momentarily unsettled. The suffocating killing intent in the air... he had felt this before.
That man—Itachi—had the same presence.
The more he felt it, the more his body trembled.
"Sasuke!"
Kakashi's sharp voice snapped him out of it.
Sasuke gasped, realizing he was drenched in cold sweat.
"Don't worry—I'll protect you with my life!"
Just as Kakashi finished speaking, a chilling voice came from behind him.
"Then you're the first to die."
Zabuza suddenly appeared at Kakashi's back, his kunai already piercing through his skull.
Or so it seemed.
Zabuza turned, sneering at Sakura, who still held the Kubikiribōchō.
"A Genin like you handling my blade? Ridiculous. Drop your foolish delusions."
"Oh?"
Before he could react, a kunai pressed against his throat.
Kakashi had somehow gotten behind him.
His gaze was cold, merciless.
"As expected of Kakashi of the Sharingan..."
"But can you really protect them all?"
A voice echoed beside Tazuna.
Splash—
The Zabuza in Kakashi's grasp dissolved into water.
Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened in shock.
When did he—?!
Sasuke immediately tensed, ready to react.
Damn it—!
But he had already been paralyzed by Zabuza's killing intent.
"Damn it!!!"
In contrast, Sakura, with her exceptional chakra control, was faring much better than Sasuke.
She had already discarded her backpack, and the moment Zabuza appeared, she seized the Kubikiribōchō and swung it down at him.
Clang—
Zabuza raised his arm, attempting to block with the metal guard on his forearm.
However, the instant the massive blade struck—
He realized his miscalculation!
A sharp crack echoed as his arm fractured under the force.
At the same time, the Kubikiribōchō did not slow down, cleaving through his arm in a single, decisive blow.
Kakashi's eyes widened as he rushed forward.
This... was this really the weak, helpless girl from two months ago?
Wait!
His Sharingan had been exposed for only a brief moment, yet his chakra was already draining at an alarming rate.
That much?!
Unfortunately, there was no time to analyze the situation.
"Kakashi-sensei, behind you!"
Sakura's warning came just in time.
The severed Zabuza in front of her dissolved into a puddle of water.
A water clone!
Another Zabuza had already appeared behind Kakashi.
Kakashi was struck down once more.
Naruto rolled his eyes at the scene.
"Seriously? Even at this point, you're still putting on a show?"
He had seen this play out in the original story—he just hoped Kakashi wouldn't end up failing just as miserably this time.
Splash—
But Kakashi, too, transformed into water.
"A water clone?"
Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "I didn't expect you to see through the mist and copy my technique."
Realizing the upcoming fight would be between their real bodies, Zabuza didn't rush in but instead kept his distance.
His gaze flicked to Sakura, his expression darkening.
"That brat… Damn it, how is she so strong?"
Unfortunately for him, Kakashi had already anticipated his next move.
The moment Zabuza perched on a branch—
A kunai pressed against his throat.
"It's over, Demon of the Hidden Mist."
Kakashi's voice was eerily calm.
But to Zabuza, it was pure mockery.
Sakura's eyes gleamed with excitement. While Kakashi's killing intent wasn't as overwhelming as Zabuza's, his strength was more than enough to suppress him.
Sasuke, standing nearby, gritted his teeth. He couldn't ignore the Sharingan in Kakashi's left eye.
His enemies were on a different level.
Maybe... Naruto could match them!
"Hehehe… Hahaha!"
Zabuza suddenly burst into laughter.
"Interesting! So this is the power of the Sharingan?"
Shing—
Before he could finish, Kakashi drove his kunai into Zabuza's throat—
Yet the voice came from behind him.
"Not quite!"
Kakashi's pupils shrank.
Another water clone?!
Crackle—
Chidori!
Lightning surged as Kakashi enhanced his speed, ducking low to evade Zabuza's strike.
But Zabuza merely looked down at him in contempt.
Splash—
Yet another clone dissolved into water.
Bang!
Kakashi struck a tree trunk in frustration.
But when he attempted to pierce the Zabuza hidden behind the tree—
It was too late.
That, too, was a water clone.
And Zabuza's real attack had already arrived.
Boom—
A devastating kick sent Kakashi flying.
Not wasting the opportunity, Zabuza hurled several kunai, his figure shifting like a phantom as he circled behind Kakashi.
There! The real body!
Kakashi blocked the incoming kunai with Chidori, dismissing the technique and forming hand seals at blinding speed.
Bang—
A shadow clone appeared.
Using it as a foothold, Kakashi propelled himself into the water.
Shing—
Zabuza's strike impaled the clone.
Poof!
It vanished in a cloud of chakra.
Zabuza narrowed his eyes as he watched Kakashi lurking beneath the water's surface.
"Hiding underwater, huh?"
His lips curled in amusement.
"Clever. It does limit my movements, but did you forget?"
"I'm a Mist Ninja."
Kakashi felt a sudden unease.
He surfaced quickly—
But it was too late.
He dropped to one knee atop the water, his breath heavy, his limbs sluggish.
"Why… why does my body feel so heavy?"
He looked down at his reflection.
His eyes widened in horror.
Masaka—?!
His reflection smirked back at him.
Zabuza.
"So, this is Konoha's famed Sharingan?" Zabuza mocked.
Kakashi could barely move. The water itself pressed down on him, growing denser by the second.
Splash—!!!
A crushing wave engulfed him, forming a sphere of heavy water.
Zabuza emerged from the depths, forming a one-handed seal.
"You can copy my techniques all you want, but it won't change the outcome."
Suiton!
Water Prison Technique!
Kakashi's vision blurred.
He had lost.
Not due to lack of strength—but lack of preparation.
Damn it! Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura—run!
"Heh. Not so cocky now, are you?" Zabuza sneered, tightening his grip on the prison.
He formed another one-handed seal, and several water clones appeared.
"Thanks for keeping my Kubikiribōchō warm."
His face twisted into a malicious grin.
"Now…"
Zabuza snapped his head up, his expression feral.
"Time to take it back!"
What?!
Sakura was—warming up?!