Zabuza's Revival and the Mysterious Boy Who Used Ice Release
Shinki opened his mouth and spat out a giant fireball!
"Whoosh!!"
The two samurai couldn't dodge in time. The fireball struck them head-on, reducing them to two charred corpses!
After the fireball burned the two samurai to death, Inari realized his mother was also in its path!
Seeing what had happened to the two samurai, Inari's eyes widened in horror.
He cried out in alarm, "No!!"
But then he saw the fireball suddenly go out.
Inari: (꒪⌓꒪)
Shinki watched with satisfaction as the fireball vanished in midair.
This was his new understanding of Chakra from the past few days: ultimate control over Ninjutsu!
Inari recovered from his shock and rushed forward to check his mother for injuries.
Fortunately, Shinki had extinguished the fireball in time, and his mother was unharmed.
Inari then turned around and dropped to his knees.
"Thank you!!"
"If it weren't for you," Inari said sincerely, "I wouldn't have been able to stop those two samurai. I might not even have survived."
"That's right." Shinki nodded. Inari was telling the truth.
Inari: ꒦ິ^꒦ິ
Shinki: "You can't act on passion alone. Sometimes you have to use your head to accomplish your goal."
"Hurry back. Gato sent samurai to take you hostage, so something must have happened at the bridge. I'm going to check it out."
With that, Shinki vanished on the spot.
On the bridge.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke had just escorted Tazuna onto the bridge.
When they looked up, they found that the workers who should have been waiting for them were all lying on the ground.
The workers lay among their bridge-building tools, which were scattered across the ground. It was impossible to tell whether they were alive or dead.
Kakashi immediately realized they were under attack.
He told Sasuke and Naruto to protect Tazuna between them and keep watch.
As the group stood on high alert, a thick mist suddenly rose over the bridge.
It enveloped them, obscuring their vision.
"It's the Hidden Mist Technique. Are they Kirigakure Ninja sent to assassinate us?"
Kakashi's voice was grave. Holding a Kunai in his right hand, he warned Naruto and Sasuke to be extremely careful.
But Tazuna spoke up. "It's my fault. I dragged the workers into this."
"Now's not the time to lose heart, old man. You only wanted to help this island," Naruto said comfortingly.
"Yeah. If the bridge isn't completed, the entire Land of Waves will live under Gato's shadow for the foreseeable future. More and more people will be driven from their homes, go hungry, and starve to death in the streets."
Even the usually aloof Sasuke offered a few words of comfort.
Suddenly!
A ghostly figure appeared behind them!
He carried a massive sword over two meters long on his back!
"Hey, chatting right in front of me? Are you looking down on me?"
Zabuza's voice was grim.
With that, he swung the massive blade in his hand once again!!
"Whoosh!"
Facing the Great Sword, Kakashi stepped forward and raised a hand to block it!
"Clang!"
A dull impact rang out. Kakashi was forced back half a step, his pupils trembling violently.
"Zabuza? Weren't you taken back by a Kirigakure tracker ninja?!"
Kakashi then thought of the masked tracker ninja, who had looked quite young. "Oh, looks like we were fooled."
"So much for Konoha's Copy Ninja. You're only realizing it now?"
Zabuza spoke smugly.
Then he made Hand Seals.
"Whoosh!"
Seven or eight Water Clones appeared in quick succession, surrounding the group.
Zabuza counted them and noticed Shinki was missing. "Where's that redheaded brat? He's not here? Lucky for him. Otherwise, I'd have pierced his heart with my own hands."
"As for you, enjoy your deaths. This time, I definitely won't let you escape again!" Zabuza continued.
Naruto: "But you were clearly the one who ran away last time! And you used those deceitful tricks to fool us! ╭(╯ε╰)╮"
Zabuza: "..."
"That was a tactic!" Zabuza's face reddened as he resorted to sophistry.
"Eyebrowless old man, was it the turtle tactic where all you know how to do is play dead?" Naruto continued his biting criticism.
Zabuza: (▼皿▼#)
That mouthy brat!
He couldn't take it anymore. Several Water Clones charged Naruto at once!!
Kakashi and Sasuke exchanged a glance.
"Swish! Swish!"
They both moved to the side, the black Kunai in their hands gleaming with a metallic sheen as they fought the Water Clones!
Two seconds later.
With a series of smooth, flowing movements, Kakashi and Sasuke dealt with all of Zabuza's Water Clones!
Zabuza, hidden in the mist, sounded interested. "Oh? Looks like you've improved a little, kid. You can actually take on my Water Clones head-on now."
"I won't make the same mistake twice. This time I'll send you to hell with my own hands and watch you die." Sasuke held his Kunai in a reverse grip, his face stern.
"Nice speech, but you're still not worthy of being my opponent," Zabuza sneered.
After his voice faded, a figure who didn't look very tall appeared on the mist-covered bridge.
As the figure approached, Team 7 got a clear look at his outfit.
There were his clothes and that mask, the symbol of the Kirigakure Anbu.
He was the "Kirigakure tracker ninja" who had taken Zabuza away from Team 7 a few days ago.
"So you really were working with the eyebrowless old man! Baka!"
Naruto shouted angrily.
He had been furious when he saw this person take Zabuza away last time.
Now that he knew he'd been tricked, he was even angrier.
The ninja seemed very polite. "I'm terribly sorry. I also have something I want to protect."
"Haku, don't waste words on them!"
"I'll hold Kakashi off. You take care of those two brats," Zabuza ordered.
After a pause, Zabuza added, "Especially that short blond brat. Rip his mouth apart when you get the chance! (ꐦ ▼皿▼)"
Naruto: ⊙▽⊙
The short blond brat seemed to mean him.
Naruto was annoyed. "That eyebrowless old man is so petty. I said a couple of harmless things, and he's actually sending someone after me."
Zabuza made a throat-slitting gesture at Haku. "Move!"
With that, Zabuza hefted the Kubikiribōchō and charged Kakashi first!
Haku, beside him, pulled several thin needles from his ninja tool pouch and fired them at Naruto and Sasuke!
Naruto and Sasuke both sidestepped.
The needles missed and all embedded themselves in the wooden bridge!
After dodging the deadly needles, Naruto didn't forget to taunt him. "Even if Kakashi-sensei is held up by that eyebrowless old man, you're still alone, and I've got Sasuke. However you look at it, our chances of winning are better."
"Is that so?"
Haku spoke in a gender-neutral voice, making it hard to tell whether he was male or female.
The next moment, he made Hand Seals.
"Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Several mirrors of ice appeared out of thin air, forming a semicircular barrier that enclosed Naruto and Sasuke!!
Naruto and Sasuke: ◝₍ᴑ̑O͝₎◞
"What kind of weird Ninjutsu is this?!"