The boat ride had been pleasant enough, and it looked like Tazuna could actually do something other than drink and complain from the looks of it.
The massive bridge that loomed over them as they crossed into Wave country was a testament to all he had been through.
The mist hung thick over the road, curling around their ankles like ghostly fingers. The distant sound of the river behind them was the only thing breaking the eerie silence.
Tazuna walked ahead, his shoulders tense, hands shoved into his pockets. Even Naruto, for once, seemed alert, his usual loudness dialed down to an uneasy murmur.
Then… a rustle.
A blur of white in the trees.
Naruto moved.
"HAH!" he shouted, kunai flashing as he lunged at—
A rabbit.
Silence.
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.
Kakashi sighed.
Tazuna looked like he was questioning every decision that had led him to this moment.
Naruto held up the tiny, trembling creature, triumphant. "It's a white rabbit! Look at this little guy, bet he'd taste good in some—"
"GET DOWN!"
The sheer weight of command in Sakura's voice made them all hit the dirt before Kakashi could even process what was happening.
And then—
*WHOOSH*
A massive shadow spun through the air.
Kubikiribōchō.
It tore over their heads, cutting through the mist like a deadly crescent moon before impaling itself into a tree with an earth-shaking THUNK.
A beat of silence.
Then, a voice—low, cold, lethal.
"Well, well…"
The figure appeared as if materializing from the mist itself.
Standing on the handle of the enormous blade, back turned to them, his broad shoulders free of clothing, his shirtless uniform exposing arms lined with lean, deadly muscle.
His head tilted toward them slightly, and a single eye, sharp and assessing, glinted from behind the metal of his slashed Kiri headband.
Momochi Zabuza.
The Demon of the Hidden Mist.
Kakashi slowly rose to his feet, his eye narrowing.
Sasuke felt his breath hitch at the sheer presence radiating from the man.
Naruto swallowed. "Wh-who the hell…?"
Sakura?
Sakura was calm.
Arms folded. Coat billowing in the mist-laden breeze. The angle of her stance precise, the lighting perfect, her eyes gleaming with approval.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+15 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Acknowledging Another's Aura Mastery.)
The sheer level of aura farming happening on both ends was unparalleled.
Zabuza turned slightly.
Kakashi took a deep breath, already shifting into cool, battle-ready Jonin mode.
It was time. Time to reveal his vast well of shinobi knowledge, to strike awe into his Genin, to deliver the weight of his experience.
He straightened, eyes narrowing as he prepared to speak.
"That man is—"
"Momochi Zabuza," Sakura said flatly, arms still folded, mist swirling dramatically around her. "The Demon of the Hidden Mist. Former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Wanted for assassinations, coup attempts, and mass murder. Famed for single-handedly wiping out a graduating class of Academy students before they could even become Genin, proving that, even as a child, he was—"
She paused.
"...him."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+20 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Stealing the Teacher's Cool Line.)
Kakashi twitched.
He could feel his coolness leaking out of him like a deflated balloon.
Zabuza raised an eyebrow.
Sasuke blinked.
Naruto looked between Kakashi and Sakura, confused. "Wait, uh—weren't you about to—?"
Kakashi's eye twitched harder.
"Yes, Naruto." His voice was dangerously level. "I was about to say all of that."
Sakura smirked, shifting her stance even more dramatically, the wind choosing that exact moment to push her hair back just enough to reveal a sharp gleam of her eyes.
Kakashi could practically feel the coolness radiating.
Zabuza, meanwhile, gave a low chuckle.
"Well, well," he mused, shifting his weight on the sword handle. "The pink one's got a brain. Shame. Smart ones usually die first."
Naruto bristled. "You wanna say that again, buddy?! I bet Kakashi-sensei will kick your—"
The mist thickened in an instant, pressing in on all sides like an unseen force.
Kakashi immediately stepped forward, his eye sharpening.
The aura farming had to end.
It was time for him to take control.
"Stay back," he ordered, his voice low and serious.
He reached up, gripping his headband.
And with one smooth motion...
He revealed the Sharingan.
Sasuke inhaled sharply. Naruto gawked. Even Zabuza seemed to tense slightly.
Kakashi smirked. "Now then—"
He glanced at Sakura, daring her to say something.
She merely nodded approvingly.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+50 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Acknowledging Kakashi's Aura for Once.)
Kakashi inhaled deeply.
Zabuza let out a low chuckle, adjusting his stance on the handle of his massive sword.
"Heh… I see. So you're Hatake Kakashi," he said, voice thick with menace. "The man known across the nations as—"
"The Copy Ninja."
Zabuza froze.
Sakura casually folded her arms, her hair shifting just right to cast a dramatic shadow over her face.
"Hatake Kakashi," she continued, her voice smooth, authoritative. "The Copy Ninja of Konoha. Said to have copied over a thousand jutsu with his Sharingan. The son of the White Fang, a veteran of the Third War, and an elite Jonin feared in multiple nations."
Naruto furrowed his brows. "Wait—what's a Sharingan?"
Sasuke turned to him, exasperated. "It's the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha Clan. The dojutsu that—"
"It allows the user to perceive movement at a much higher level, predict attacks, and copy almost any ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu they see."
Sasuke stopped.
Kakashi stopped.
Naruto blinked. "Oh, cool! Wait—who said that?"
All eyes turned to Sakura, who stood with her arms folded, collar gently swaying in the wind, the epitome of untouchable wisdom.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+150 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Interrupting the Genius & the Jonin.)
Kakashi's eye twitched. "Sakura."
Sasuke's eye twitched harder. "Haruno."
Naruto, oblivious to their shared suffering, rubbed his chin. "Ohhh, I get it now! The Sharingan is, like, super OP!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth. "I literally could have explained that—"
"You were taking too long," Sakura replied smoothly.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+50 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Speedrunning Exposition.)
Kakashi inhaled deeply. He was not going to let her get to him.
Zabuza's grip on his sword tightened.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+25 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Stealing the Villain's Cool Line.)
Kakashi clenched his jaw.
She had done it again.
Even Zabuza looked mildly offended. "Tch. You just gonna steal our moments like that?"
Sakura didn't respond.
Zabuza exhaled sharply. "Annoying brat…"
Naruto, meanwhile, looked between them, utterly bewildered. "Wait—was he about to say all that?!"
Sasuke gave a sharp nod. "Hn."
Kakashi massaged his temples.
"Sakura," he said slowly, "I am begging you to let someone else be cool for five seconds."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I did. I let you unveil your Sharingan."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+10 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Gaslighting Kakashi into Thinking She's Humble.)
Kakashi felt himself age.
Zabuza exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Whatever," he muttered. "Doesn't change the fact that I'm about to kill you and take the old man."
Kakashi immediately refocused.
"Naruto. Sasuke. Sakura," he said firmly. "Protect Tazuna."
His eye gleamed, his voice dropping into a deadly register.
"I'll handle Zabuza."
Sakura's eyes gleamed with approval.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+50 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Acknowledging Kakashi's Aura for Once.)
Kakashi ignored it.
For now—he had a Demon to fight.
Everyone turned as a voice called out from the middle of the lake.
"Hiding in the mist jutsu!"
The mist thickened, creeping in like a living thing, swallowing the trees, the road, and even the air itself.
Zabuza's voice echoed from everywhere.
"Lung. Liver. Spine. Clavicle vein. Jugular. Kidneys. Heart. Brain."
Naruto tensed, fingers twitching toward a kunai.
A shadow shifted in the fog.
"With a single strike," Zabuza's voice was low, slow, deadly, "I can take away your life by cutting any of these eight vital points."
Naruto gulped. "O-oi, Kakashi-sensei—"
Kakashi exhaled calmly, keeping his stance relaxed but ready. "Stay close. Zabuza is a master of Silent K—"
"—Silent Killing," Sakura's voice cut in smoothly, beating him to it by half a second.
Kakashi froze.
Sasuke's head snapped toward her.
Naruto blinked. "Eh?"
Sakura, arms crossed, completely unfazed by the killing intent suffocating the area, continued like she was narrating a documentary.
"It's a technique that eliminates sound and presence, allowing for instant kills before the target even knows they've been attacked. It requires incredible experience, a near-absolute lack of wasted movement, and a mastery of mist concealment techniques."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+50 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Speedrunning Jonin-Level Intel.)
Naruto snorted. Loudly.
Zabuza's killing intent wavered just slightly.
Sasuke side-eyed her, visibly offended.
Kakashi rubbed his temples.
Zabuza's voice cut through the mist again, irritated. "You're ruining the mood."
Sakura shrugged. "Not my fault your aura is so fragile."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+50 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Psychological Damage to an A-Rank Missing-Nin.)
Naruto wheezed. "Sakura—you can't just say that!"
Kakashi took a deep breath. Okay. Okay. He still had his moment.
He clenched his fist, letting the sharp weight of his resolve anchor him.
And then, in a voice steady as stone, he declared:
"I will never let my comrades die."
The killing intent slammed back into the mist.
Sakura allowed it.
She was generous like that.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sakura man, she's gotta stop stealing aura like that
Feel free to support me on my Patreon where you can read extra chapters!
Patreon: Teddartic