Battle Against the Demon

On the small boat, Kakashi said to Tazuna, "Mr. Tazuna, we'll reach the Land of Waves soon. If you still refuse to tell us the truth—who exactly is attacking you and why—then we'll consider ending this mission the moment we get ashore."

At that, everyone on the boat looked at Tazuna. He raised his head and sighed. "It seems I have no choice but to tell you. Please, listen to what I have to say."

Tazuna gathered his thoughts, then said, "Just as you said, this job is probably beyond the scope of your mission. The truth is, my life has long been targeted by a truly terrifying man."

Kakashi frowned. "A truly terrifying man? Shadow Level?"

Tazuna's mouth twitched. "No, you should have heard of him. He's the wealthy owner of a shipping company—his name is Kado."

"Oh, Kado? The Kado who's one of the world's few greatest billionaires?" Kakashi asked.

Tazuna nodded gravely. "That's right. On the surface, he's the owner of a shipping company, but behind the scenes, he uses thugs and ninja to deal in dangerous contraband. In the end, he even swallows up other businesses and countries. He makes his living doing all sorts of shady things."

After speaking, Tazuna thought for a moment before continuing, "It was about a year ago that he set his sights on the Land of Waves. With his wealth and violence, he acted without restraint and quickly monopolized all maritime traffic and transportation on the island. For an island nation like the Land of Waves, controlling the sea means controlling all its wealth, politics, and people. Now, the only thing Kado fears is the completion of the bridge that was being built."

Sakura stroked her chin. "In that case, Uncle Tazuna, the bridge builder, would become an obstacle to Kado. No wonder he targeted you."

Sasuke nodded. "Then the ninja we encountered last time were sent by Kado too."

Kakashi nodded as well. "But what I don't understand is, if he's dangerous enough to employ ninja, why did you hide the truth when hiring us?"

Wu Liang curled his lip. "Because he's poor, obviously. The Land of Waves has already been dominated by Kado. Where would he get the extra money to commission a higher-ranking mission? He could only try to fool us this way."

Tazuna nodded. "That's right. The Land of Waves is already an incredibly poor country. Even the daimyo has no money, let alone someone as penniless as me. I simply couldn't afford the payment for a B-rank mission or above, so..."

"Fine. Once you get ashore, the mission will be considered complete. I'll give you proof that the mission has ended." Tazuna said dejectedly, "But if that happens, I'll definitely be killed before I get home. My poor eight-year-old granddaughter will cry herself dry over me, and then my daughter will hate ninja for the rest of her life—especially Konoha ninja who stood by and watched me die. Boohoohoo..."

This old man's acting is way too over-the-top.

That was what everyone on the boat was thinking.

"Well, well, fine. As for whether we'll abandon the mission, we'll discuss it after we get ashore."

In the end, Kakashi could not stand Tazuna's exaggerated acting any longer and answered helplessly.

The six of them bid farewell to the boatman, and the small boat quickly headed back through the thick mist.

After leaving the dock, perhaps because of the Demon Brothers from before, Naruto and Sasuke became much more cautious. Wu Liang and Kakashi stayed at the rear to protect Tazuna. As they walked, Kakashi said to Tazuna, "Listen, Uncle Tazuna. Although we agreed to continue protecting you after landing, if an opponent beyond our capabilities appears again, we'll still abandon you. So..."

Before Kakashi could finish, Tazuna spoke first. "Jonin Kakashi, you don't need to say any more. I should be thanking you. After all, if we truly encounter something beyond anyone's control, it won't be your responsibility. I understand that."

Kakashi thought for a moment and was about to say something else when Naruto and Sasuke suddenly drew their Shuriken and hurled them at a nearby bush. Naruto even shouted, "Haha, we hit it! Let me see what it is!"

After saying that, Naruto created a Shadow Clone and sent it running into the bushes. Before long, it came out gloomily, holding a snow rabbit by one of its hind legs. Scratching his head awkwardly, it said, "Looks like I was being overly jumpy."

But before he could finish, Naruto's Shadow Clone was split in half by a massive blade flying in from the distance and instantly vanished. The blade did not lose any momentum as it slammed into a large tree behind him.

It turned out that the place where Naruto's Shadow Clone had been standing was the perfect open spot for an ambush. The attacker stepped out as well, standing atop the blade as he looked at Wu Liang's group. "Ha... Is this the vigilance of Konoha ninja? If that had struck the real body just now, that brat would already be a corpse."

The usually lazy Kakashi looked at the figure that had appeared, then at the unusually enormous blade. A name immediately surfaced in his mind. "Everyone, be careful. This man is Zabuza Momochi, known as the Demon."

Only then did Kakashi walk forward to face him. "You're Zabuza Momochi, the rogue ninja from Kirigakure, aren't you?"

Standing atop the Executioner's Blade, Zabuza looked at Kakashi and the others. "Looks like you're the greatest obstacle this time—the man known as Konoha's Technician, the Copy Ninja, Sharingan Kakashi. But sorry, hand that old man over to me now. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that these little Genin brats will survive."

When Uchiha Sasuke heard Zabuza call Kakashi "Sharingan Kakashi," he looked at Kakashi in shock and confusion, wanting to see whether what Zabuza had said was true.

Naruto cautiously moved beside Wu Liang and asked, "A Liang, what's the Sharingan?"

Wu Liang was just about to explain it to Naruto when Kakashi said sternly, "The rest of you, form a manji formation and protect Mr. Tazuna. Ryo Senju, find an opportunity to coordinate with me in battle."

After saying that, Kakashi lifted the forehead protector that had always covered his eye, revealing the three-tomoe Sharingan in his left eye. He stared solemnly at Zabuza.

Wu Liang also drew a kunai and assumed a fighting stance. Although Sasuke stared at Kakashi's Sharingan in utter shock, he suppressed his curiosity and joined Naruto and the others in guarding Tazuna.

As soon as they formed up, Naruto asked curiously, "This Sharingan you keep talking about—what exactly is going on with Kakashi-sensei's eye?"

Sasuke wore a dark expression as he explained, "The Sharingan is a bloodline limit derived from the eyes, a power wielded through the pupils. Its user can instantly see through all Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu, then reflect them back. The Sharingan is one of many ocular bloodline limits, but its abilities are not limited to that."

Zabuza nodded in agreement. "That's right, it's not limited to that. What's even more terrifying is that those eyes can see through an opponent's techniques and copy them. Back when I was in Kirigakure's assassination corps, the handbook I carried had Kakashi's information in it. This was what it said: the man who copied over a thousand Ninjutsu, Copy Ninja Kakashi."

After hearing that, Sakura sighed. "So Kakashi-sensei is that amazing. I thought he was just a lazy bum."

Sasuke, however, was deeply troubled, his thoughts dark and unsettled. What's going on? Isn't the Sharingan unique to the Uchiha clan? Even within the clan, only a small number of people possess that special constitution. Could this guy be from our clan?

"Enough chit-chat. I need to get rid of that old man quickly." Zabuza pulled out the Executioner's Blade and pointed it at Kakashi. "But it seems I'll have to take you down first."

Zabuza instantly appeared on the water not far away and unleashed his greatest Ninjutsu. "Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique."

In an instant, immense Chakra stirred up the mist, which engulfed everyone present. Zabuza vanished without a trace as well.

"Naruto, Great Breakthrough!" Wu Liang stepped forward and shouted.

Naruto froze for a moment, then instantly understood. He swiftly formed hand seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A gale swept in every direction, stirring the mist and scattering it everywhere. But because this was an island, Zabuza could quickly replenish it. The Great Breakthrough only had enough effect for everyone to find one another and gather together.

"Ah, he's difficult to deal with. Fighting a Water Release ninja in an island region really puts us at too much of a disadvantage," Kakashi said helplessly with his Sharingan open.

Wu Liang was sensing for Zabuza. The Hidden Mist Technique only covered such a large area, so Zabuza could not have gone beyond the range of the dense fog. All he could do was hide somewhere and wait for a one-hit kill.

But the mist was filled with Zabuza's Chakra, making it extremely difficult for Wu Liang to accurately sense his hiding place.

Kakashi reminded them again, "Be careful. He should prioritize dealing with me first, so let me tell you a little about him. That way, you'll understand exactly who you're facing. His name is Zabuza Momochi. When he was in Kirigakure's Anbu, he was famous for his mastery of the Silent Killing Technique. Just as its name suggests, it is a killing technique that kills instantly in silence. Be careful, all of you. I still can't use my Sharingan freely, so I won't be able to spot him quickly enough."

The surroundings were utterly silent. Zabuza clearly had not found a good opening yet. Everyone was gathered together and watching all sides, while Kakashi and Wu Liang alone guarded the left flank.

No, I can't find him. His Chakra is everywhere around us, so I can't pinpoint his location. Or has he been moving the whole time? Wu Liang frowned, not daring to relax his spiritual power in the slightest.

Suddenly, a senbon flew from Kakashi's direction. Kakashi instantly drew a Shuriken and counterattacked, but they only struck wood and failed to hit the enemy. Kakashi widened his Sharingan and stared at the place from which the senbon had flown, but found nothing. The enemy had long since left that spot.

Wu Liang knew this could not continue. He understood that prolonged defense would inevitably lead to failure, so he deliberately exposed a small opening. He drew back a little of his spiritual power, leaving a gap in the range it covered.

Zabuza did not disappoint him. He immediately found the opening and attacked Wu Liang.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique! Water Release: Water Clone Technique!"

The two Ninjutsu were unleashed at once. Wu Liang, standing by the shore, was immediately trapped inside a Water Prison. A Water Clone stood within the prison with the Executioner's Blade held against Wu Liang's neck. The Hidden Mist Technique was lifted as well, and the dense fog slowly dispersed after losing Zabuza's Chakra support.

Once everyone could see what had happened, they saw two Zabuzas at the shore holding Wu Liang captive. Zabuza said to them, "Oh? Look what I caught."

Then Zabuza said to Kakashi, "Listen. If you don't want this brat to die, kill that old man for me."