"We're fighting? Perfect timing—let's enjoy the show!" A red-haired man appeared not far away, standing casually on the bridge's railing. Watching the battle unfold below, he made no move to assist.
"Need my help? I charge a fee!" An orange fox suddenly appeared, perched on the man's shoulder.
"Nope," the red-haired man refused flatly.
The orange fox sighed in disappointment. "That's really a shame. Well, the offer stands." With that, it vanished into thin air.
The red-haired man: (#￣～￣#)
Welcome your sister…
"Naruto, I've figured out his movements. He moves between the mirrors using high-speed reflections. The flying needles come from all directions as he shifts between them. That means—if we can catch him when he moves from one mirror to another—we can hit him!" Sasuke had successfully tracked Haku's pattern with his Sharingan.
Naruto nodded, his gaze sweeping the mirrors surrounding them.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
He created five clones, each charging a separate mirror.
Whoosh, whoosh—needles flew from every direction, striking the clones.
Bang! All five dispersed in clouds of smoke.
"Sasuke, did you see it clearly?" Naruto asked. The maneuver had been deliberate—to give Sasuke another chance to trace Haku's movements with the Sharingan.
Sasuke gave a sharp nod.
The two exchanged a glance. Naruto once again summoned five clones, attacking five mirrors at once. Flying needles rained down again.
This time, Sasuke moved.
"There!" he shouted, flinging a shuriken sharply to the left, about 80 degrees off.
Clang!
The shuriken hit something—but Sasuke was sent flying and hit the ground.
"Wind Style: Breakthrough!"
To block Sasuke's attack, Haku had failed to return to the mirror in time. Seizing the moment, Naruto gathered chakra in his lungs and unleashed a massive whirlwind straight at Haku's face.
Haku couldn't dodge in time and crossed his arms defensively.
Boom!
A direct hit?
"Nice one, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled.
Naruto instantly returned to Sasuke's side, both of them back to back, on high alert. Despite the impact, the mirrors remained.
Haku reappeared inside the mirror. Naruto was shocked he seemed unharmed—but Sasuke noticed something: Haku's sleeves were clearly torn. The tactic had worked!
"We're on the right track," Sasuke said. "Ready to go again?"
"Yeah."
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Zabuza were about to resume their battle.
"Kakashi," Zabuza said, "let me clarify something. Last time, I wasn't just being steamrolled like a fool. I had Haku watching from the sidelines—analyzing every move from start to finish. That kid's mind is sharp. He only needs to see something once to counter it. I couldn't just let that go to waste."
Zabuza smiled, but his tone shifted as two kunai suddenly flew toward them.
He dodged instinctively and turned toward the source.
"Who's there?!"
Sitting on the bridge railing was the same red-haired man, now casually munching on an apple.
Smirking at Zabuza's glare, he said, "All this pointless chatter—hurry it up already. I'm here to watch."
Zabuza: (￣ω￣)
Kakashi: ╮(╯▽╰)╭ Finally… I've been waiting for you, Menma.
Yes—the red-haired man was Menma Uzumaki. He hadn't planned to interfere, but Zabuza and Kakashi's endless monologuing had become unbearable. It reminded him of reading the original story: 1-minute opening theme, 5-minute recap, 15 minutes of dialogue, and barely a few minutes of actual fighting. A tragedy. ┭┮﹏┭┮
That's why Menma had shown up. He whipped out two kunai and pointed them toward the pair.
"Enough nonsense. You ever heard that villains die faster when they talk too much?"
"Brat, who the hell are you?!" Zabuza snapped. When did this red-haired punk show up? Why does he look exactly like that blond kid?
"You don't need to know who I am," Menma said lazily, taking another bite of his apple. He had no intention of introducing himself—after all, Zabuza was probably going to die today.
Zabuza had already failed to defeat Kakashi once. This time, Kakashi had only gotten stronger—motivated by the pressure Menma himself had put on him.
It was almost unfair. Menma was just too talented.
Even forcing Kakashi to grind harder didn't close the gap. The last time they'd fought, Menma had wiped the floor with him. It had been glorious—but he hadn't settled his "JH grudge." ε=(ο｀*)))o
Still… someday…
Kakashi, protect your ass. That's mine.
"Kakashi, thinking about jumping in to save Sasuke and Naruto?" Menma asked.
"You're not worried about them?" Kakashi replied.
"You gotta trust them," Menma said coolly. "No rainbow without a little storm, right? Let 'em earn some XP."
"Mr. Kakashi, can we start the fight already?" Menma urged. "I'm here for the show."
Kakashi: "…"
Regardless of who Menma really was, Zabuza's goal remained unchanged:
Kill Kakashi.
"Ninjutsu—Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A thick fog quickly enveloped the bridge. Even those standing face-to-face could barely see one another.
"Sakura, stay by Mr. Tazuna," Kakashi ordered. Then he turned to where Menma had been and shouted, "Menma, I'm leaving Sakura and Tazuna to you!"
"Got it," Menma replied.
Hearing Menma's voice put Kakashi at ease.
Menma suddenly appeared next to Sakura and Tazuna, startling them both. Sakura instantly drew her kunai.
"It's me," Menma said flatly. What a violent girl… no wonder she ends up as Tsunade's apprentice.
"Brother Menma!" Sakura relaxed immediately upon recognizing him.
A gust of wind swirled around them as Menma cleared a small area of fog—about three meters wide—around their group. The rest of the bridge remained cloaked in mist.
With everything secure, Menma sat back down and continued munching on his apple.
Sakura: "..."
Brother Menma, do you have to be this relaxed? The enemy's still out there!
But she dared not speak aloud.
Outside, the battle continued to rage.
(End Of Chapter)
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