Shinki vs. Haku, Kakashi: That's My Lightning Blade

Inside the ice mirrors, Haku's figure flickered back and forth.

Shinki rapidly changed his Hand Seals.

Sasuke, standing nearby, recognized the seals Shinki was forming for Fire Style and immediately guessed that he intended to melt the ice with it.

"It won't work. Ordinary Fire Style can't melt that ice."

Sasuke said.

"I want to try."

Shinki continued forming seals, and a moment later, he completed them!

Fire Style chakra gathered in Shinki's throat!

Inside the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, Haku finished forming his seals as well!

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"

After Haku formed his seals, the water molecules in the air condensed into ice needles and shot toward Shinki!

At that moment, Shinki opened his mouth and spat out all the Fire Style chakra in his throat!!

A great dragon made of flames charged straight at the Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death Haku had just unleashed!

The instant the fire dragon collided with the ice needles, its intense heat vaporized the ice!

Then, under Shinki's deliberate control, the enormous fire dragon roamed freely through the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

Every mirror made of ice melted wherever it passed!

Because Shinki had been very close to Sasuke and Naruto when he used the Ninjutsu,

the two of them got a full view of the fire dragon.

The shock they felt was beyond words!

The enormous dragon, seemingly possessed of a will of its own, danced wildly among the ice crystals!

"Hey, Sasuke, can't you use Fire Style too? You can use a Fire Style like that, right?!"

The stunned Naruto reached out and poked Sasuke, who stood beside him, and asked cheekily.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto.

If he could use a Fire Style that powerful, would he have been trapped for so long just now?!

Would he have been in such a helpless position?!

As all the demonic mirrors melted, Kakashi, who stood nearby, also saw the wildly dancing fire dragon!

"Gasp~~"

After sucking in a sharp breath, Kakashi slowly said, "The B-rank Ninjutsu, Great Dragon Fire Technique—and Shinki can actually bring its power to such a level! He can even control it freely! Such precise control over chakra is terrifying!"

Meanwhile, Zabuza also saw the scene from inside the water prison Kakashi was controlling.

At that moment, he had only one question in his mind.

What kind of monster was that red-haired brat?

(´°Δ°`)

Other ninjas had trouble using an elemental Ninjutsu at twelve years old.

Yet this guy could not only use the Flying Thunder God Technique at such a young age, but had also mastered Fire Style, Water Release, and Lightning Release!

He could even casually whip up a Rasengan!

Most importantly, the kid was ruthless and knew how to trick people!!

"Your Konoha really has produced a terrifying figure," Zabuza remarked.

"Is that so? Now you think Shinki has a better chance of winning too, don't you?"

Kakashi smiled at Zabuza in the water prison.

"No. There's absolutely no way Haku can lose, because that kid you brought along hasn't faced a life-or-death situation yet," Zabuza said firmly.

Kakashi did not argue with that.

Although Shinki had burned two Assassin Ninjas to death with Fire Style on the way to the Land of Waves,

there had been no fight at all, not even the bloodshed one would expect in combat.

So, in a sense, Shinki had yet to grow into a true ninja.

"Believe it or not, even without killing anyone, he can still handle this beautifully," Kakashi countered after a brief thought.

"We'll see. Haku is a rare genius in Taijutsu as well! More importantly, he can mobilize the chakra in his body by forming Hand Seals with one hand. A talent like that is one in ten thousand!"

Zabuza replied.

His eyes were full of pride as he spoke.

Haku was a ninja he had found by the roadside and personally trained!

Nearby.

After all the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals melted, Haku's somewhat disheveled figure was revealed.

Shinki signaled with his eyes for Sasuke and Naruto behind him to retreat first. He would handle this guy himself.

"Be careful. His Ice Release is extremely troublesome."

Sasuke warned him, then helped Naruto retreat.

Now, on the bridge, Shinki and Haku faced each other.

"You're a ninja with great potential. Once you've grown, you'll definitely make a name for yourself throughout the Shinobi World."

Haku spoke with lingering apprehension. The great dragon from just now, like a fire god descending into the world, was still fresh in his mind.

It was the first time he had seen anyone use Fire Release Ninjutsu on that level!

"Is that so?" Shinki asked.

"Of course. You're the most outstanding person your age I've ever seen."

Haku said honestly, "So, please, give me a proper fight."

With that, Haku charged at Shinki without waiting for an answer.

Shinki charged forward with a Kunai as well. Their figures collided, and the Kunai in their hands clashed repeatedly.

Clang!!

After a sharp collision, their Kunai locked together!

Then Shinki noticed that Haku, standing opposite him, was actually forming Hand Seals. How dishonorable!

Kakashi couldn't help calling out a warning. "Shinki, get away! He can form Hand Seals with one hand and use Ninjutsu!!"

A strange expression appeared on Shinki's face.

Isn't that normal?

Why is sensei so shocked?

After thinking it over, Shinki decided that Kakashi-sensei was shocked because he was too worried about him.

So, to put Kakashi-sensei at ease, Shinki turned and gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.

Kakashi: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ

Is there something wrong with this kid's head?!

I told you to be careful, so why are you giving me a thumbs-up?!

"Get away, now! He's almost finished forming his seals!!" Kakashi's voice was anxious. He didn't know what was wrong with Shinki today either!

Meanwhile.

After giving Kakashi a thumbs-up, Shinki had wasted about half a second.

And Haku, opposite him, was already halfway through his seals!

If Haku completed his Ninjutsu, Shinki, who was so close to him, would have no way to resist!

After wasting nearly a second, Shinki formed Hand Seals with his right hand!

Kakashi, watching from the side, froze!

Shinki can form Hand Seals with one hand too?!

How did this kid do it!!!

And why do the Hand Seals he's forming look so familiar!!

Ox–Rabbit–Monkey!

Shinki finished forming the seals and gathered Lightning Release chakra in his palm, creating a high-intensity electric current!

The current enveloped Shinki's hand and danced wildly in his palm, making a chirping sound as noisy as a thousand birds singing at once!

After using a Lightning Release Clone to paralyze Zabuza that day, Shinki had found the paralyzing, conductive, and piercing properties of Lightning Release chakra extremely useful.

So, while repairing the bridge a few days ago, he had gained a little insight and figured out hundreds of Ninjutsu.

And the one he was using today was one of the Ninjutsu he had figured out a few days earlier.

It could use simple Hand Seals to mobilize the Lightning Release chakra in his body and envelop his fingers. With his palm wrapped in a high-intensity electric current, it would possess tremendous piercing power.

Shinki had named it—Piercing Hand.

All right, Shinki admitted he was terrible at naming things.

Anyway, all that mattered was that this Ninjutsu worked extremely well!

After seeing Shinki complete the Ninjutsu, Kakashi stood frozen on the spot.

Good grief!

Isn't that my Lightning Blade?!!

When did Shinki learn it?!

(╯＞д＜)╯⁽˙³˙⁾