Whoosh~
Swish~
Zabuza jumped down, intending to settle the score with Naruto, but Kakashi stopped him.
He could only demand from afar, "Brat, where did you send my sword?"
The Kubikiribōchō was his closest companion. It had vanished just like that at the hands of the little blond punk in front of him. Zabuza practically wanted to eat Naruto alive.
"I don't know." How was he supposed to know where recycled items went?
Or maybe he could ask the System Bro?
Besides, you already spun it. What, were you trying to get a refund now?
Faced with Zabuza's predator-like glare, Naruto was even more disdainful.
You thought that look could scare me?
I beat the Nine-Tails senseless with Wood Release, held Uchiha Madara down and pummeled him, and even beat Li Ning offline.
That look of yours has zero intimidation factor, okay? It's more like you're acting cute.
After glancing at his companions, Naruto suddenly came up with an idea.
Drawing aggro, he shouted, "Don't worry, big brother who spun rockets! I'm Qin Shi Huang! Consider this sword your investment, and wait for me—"
Before he could finish, Kakashi grabbed him.
Kakashi shot him a glare. Though he had no idea what Naruto was talking about, he told him to shut up already. The guy across from them practically hated him to death. If he kept it up, Zabuza might focus on beating him up later.
"Isn't this the rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist—Momochi Zabuza?"
Kakashi completely blocked Zabuza's line of sight with his body and smoothly took over the conversation.
At that, Naruto immediately perked up.
It was here, it was here!
The formal banter between ninjas—this time, Naruto was going to study it frame by frame.
He would definitely need this someday.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're the famous Sharingan Kakashi. It's been a long time since I last saw a Sharingan." Zabuza spoke calmly.
As expected of an old-school ninja who had roamed the world for years, his ability to adjust his mindset was terrifying. It was as if the person who had just lost his sword and flown into a rage had not been him, but some unfamiliar ninja named "Zan Bu Zai."
However.
Sharingan Kakashi?
Naruto looked up at Kakashi in confusion and was stunned to see that the left eye usually hidden beneath his forehead protector had been revealed. It was a Sharingan—and a Three Tomoe Sharingan at that!
"You seem to really want to see a Sharingan?"
Sasuke also found an excuse to activate his Sharingan. His Two Tomoe crimson Sharingan stared fearlessly at Zabuza.
Naruto had gotten to show off just now. Uchiha Sasuke was not about to fall behind.
"Sasuke, you look so cool!"
Sasuke's showboating was indeed effective. Sakura, who had been intimidated by the killing intent, immediately transformed into a fangirl.
However.
Naruto looked left and right, then suddenly realized something was off.
Sharingan Kakashi was in front of him, and Sharingan Sasuke was behind him.
Should I activate my Sharingan too, just to fit in?
"So, you're the last surviving Uchiha."
Zabuza recognized Sasuke at a glance. After all, the Uchiha clan's extermination was such a shocking event in the ninja world that, if there had been trending searches, it would have dominated the rankings for at least a month.
Zabuza did not live in the middle of nowhere, so naturally, he knew about it.
Sweeping his gaze over the group, Zabuza said coldly, "Sorry, I don't have time to chat with you. Hand the old man over already."
"Oh, and that brat too." Zabuza suddenly pointed at Naruto. This little bastard was far too hateful. If he did not give him a proper working-over and force him to reveal the Kubikiribōchō's whereabouts, Zabuza felt he would die of anger.
"So you really did come for Tazuna?"
Kakashi automatically ignored the latter remark while confirming his suspicions. But with a powerful enemy before them, now was not the time to question him.
"Stop looking around, Naruto. Fall back and form a swastika formation to protect Mr. Tazuna." After giving the warning, Kakashi drew a kunai, his expression more serious than ever.
Had the two sides already skipped past negotiating terms and entered the fighting stage?
Memorizing that point, Naruto responded, "Kakashi-sensei, I can fight too!"
Kakashi considered the suggestion, then rejected it.
He was not worried about Naruto and Sasuke's ability to protect themselves.
What he feared was that neither of them had ever faced a Jonin in battle. This kind of brutal fight was no child's play. If they performed poorly and lost their lives in an accident, it would be a massive loss for Konoha.
"You two won't join the battle for now. Don't worry. Even if it costs me my life, I'll protect you."
"Huh?"
Naruto was rather disappointed. They were only being asked to protect Mr. Tazuna?
Even veteran Jonin Kakashi was taking this so seriously, prepared to risk his life. Was Zabuza really that strong?
"Enough chatter. I still need to kill the old man first, then take back my sword." Zabuza had dominated the ninja world for years and was best at killing in the mist. There had never been anyone he wanted dead whom he could not kill.
Among the group, he found only Sharingan Kakashi somewhat troublesome.
"But Kakashi, it seems I'll have to kill you first."
Zabuza openly sized Kakashi up, searching for a place to strike.
He instinctively reached for his sword, only to grab empty air. He could only pull out a kunai.
Then he glanced at the blond brat standing guard beside Tazuna, and Zabuza's gaze turned icy.
Whoosh~
With a leap, Zabuza suddenly vanished from everyone's sight.
"He's on the water."
Sharp-eyed Sakura spotted Zabuza.
Everyone looked over and saw Zabuza standing with one hand raised and the other forming a seal.
The water began to ripple. Countless wisps of vapor floated up from its surface, and soon the air was filled with mist. At the same time, Zabuza himself disappeared from sight.
Seeing this, Kakashi suddenly took several steps forward, moving closer to the water.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura was extremely worried when she saw this.
"His target is definitely me. Be careful."
Without looking back, Kakashi reassured the three of them. He already had a rough plan for the battle, so he chose to step forward alone and separate himself from the team.
"There's Chakra in the mist."
Naruto suddenly warned them, though this amount of Chakra was a hundred million points beneath his in both quantity and quality.
As a sensory ninja, Naruto warned them again, "Kakashi-sensei, he's on a tree ten meters to your front left."
"Oh!"
That reminder made Kakashi instantly feel how wonderful it was to have a sensory ninja on the team.
"The enemy is jumping around, constantly moving around us."
"I really underestimated you, brat. It looks like my first target has to be you!"
Zabuza's voice came from all around them.
"Be careful, Naruto!"
Sasuke immediately warned Naruto. He was being too high-profile and was drawing the enemy's attention. He would definitely attract the firepower.
Whoosh~
Clang~
A kunai flew out of the thick mist, but it was blocked by a kunai Naruto threw.
"Very good! Now it's my turn!"
Naruto took out a shuriken and rubbed it, turning it into six.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto shouted and threw the shuriken.
"Got it!"
Sasuke instantly understood Naruto's plan. He also wanted to test his skills. This kind of killing intent was not something ordinary people possessed. The thought of fighting someone like this excited him.
Thunk~
Thunk~
Thunk~
Without Wind Release enhancement, the shuriken were only moderately fast. They did not hit Zabuza, merely leaving dark marks on the trees.
However, this forced Zabuza to keep jumping around to evade the incoming shuriken.
"Brat, let's see how many shuriken you really have!"
"Ha." Naruto nearly laughed out loud.
What a coincidence. Of all things, shuriken were what he had the most of.
A casual draw from the shop gave him shuriken, kunai, and other cold weapons. His inventory was so full of them that it could barely hold any more.
He could not run out of them. He simply could not run out!
Naruto guaranteed that he would not stop until he exhausted Zabuza to death!
In his perception, Zabuza suddenly changed direction.
"He's coming." Naruto cried out.
＿|￣|●: Please keep reading!
Thanks to Xiao An Yue for the monthly ticket support, thanks to A Quan 123 for the three monthly tickets, and thanks to I Am ^o^ Tearless for the four monthly tickets.
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