"Here!"
Naruto spun around and struck!
Zabuza, who had suddenly appeared between the three of them, was utterly taken aback. Caught off guard, he could only raise a kunai to block Naruto's attack.
Clang~
The grating sound of metal striking metal rang out.
Zabuza's eyes widened, unable to believe the strength transmitted through his hand.
Such immense strength. Is this brat really a taijutsu ninja?
"Haah!"
Seeing Zabuza appear, Sasuke rushed forward with a flying kick, only for Zabuza to seize his leg with his free hand.
A Jonin truly was a Jonin.
Just like Kakashi-sensei, he could effortlessly handle Genin who had only recently graduated when it came to hand-to-hand combat.
Just as Zabuza prepared to kick Sasuke away, Naruto interrupted him with a preemptive kick.
Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke used his captured leg as a pivot and kicked upward with his other foot. Zabuza simply threw him aside, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Watch this!"
Naruto slammed into him with an Iron Mountain Lean, then forcefully pushed off the ground with his right foot.
Bang~
The ground caved in beneath his foot, and he shot into the air, his raised right leg aimed at Zabuza's chin!
Super Strength Taijutsu: Rising Dragon Kick!
Too fast! Zabuza could not even see Naruto's movement. He only heard—
Splat~
Zabuza turned into splashing water.
It had only been a Water Clone.
"Are you okay, Sasuke?" Taking advantage of the brief lull in battle, Naruto checked on his teammate.
"I'm fine."
Sasuke climbed to his feet and warily scanned the surroundings, already planning to spend more time studying taijutsu that night.
If that did not work, he could learn swordsmanship.
Either way, he had to make up for his weakness in close combat.
"Was that just a clone?"
Only then did Sakura arrive with Tazuna. She looked around nervously, feeling that Zabuza could be hiding anywhere.
Seeing how tense she was, Naruto reassured her, "Don't be afraid. He's just a Jonin. I believe our team can handle him."
If things really went south, Naruto could simply step in himself.
After saying that, Naruto looked toward Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei, you don't need to intervene this time. The three of us are enough."
Naruto intended to temper these two teammates. With the Duel Arena, he had long since stopped lacking combat experience.
Only Sasuke and Sakura remained. Their sparring in the Training Space at night merely honed their fighting techniques and lacked any real bloodshed. Actual combat experience would help them improve much faster.
Besides, with him around, he could save them even if they died, let alone if they were merely injured.
And without weathering storms, seeing some blood, and suffering a few injuries, how could they grow?
"You three..."
Kakashi was about to refuse when he suddenly saw Naruto pat the bag on his back. Kakashi understood immediately—it had to be a whole backpack full of Carefree Pills.
Where did this kid get so many Carefree Pills?
Kakashi was rather puzzled. The village had only issued him two red pills for this trip, and even including the ones he normally bought himself, he only had seven in total.
Naruto, meanwhile, carried them by the backpackful.
"Be careful."
Kakashi gave them one final reminder. He knew the three children needed to grow, and he was ready to step in at any moment.
"Brat, your sensing ability is indeed impressive, but you three think you can stop me? Who gave you the courage?"
Zabuza climbed out of the water, his voice coming from every direction.
The dense fog around them still made it impossible to see even a hand in front of one's face. They could not tell where he was.
Now Naruto finally understood why Zabuza was from Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
There really was a lot of water.
No, this fog was really thick.
No wonder it was called Hidden Mist. Surely everyone in that village did not fight like this, right?
Naruto pondered for a moment and knew what to do next.
Since he had already tested taijutsu, it was time to try ninjutsu!
"Get down!"
After shouting a warning to the others, Naruto leaped with all his strength, soaring high into the air.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A powerful gale blew away the thick fog, exposing the hidden Zabuza at the same time!
"This brat!" Zabuza glared hatefully at Naruto. That single Wind Release had erased his advantage. The rest of the fight would not be easy.
"Hm?"
Zabuza then saw that the blond brat was forming hand seals again in midair.
Wind Style: Vacuum Cannon!
There was no gale, nor was there any visible sign, but he could clearly feel a terrifying surge of Chakra coming at him.
This was an almost transparent Wind Release ninjutsu!?
Not good!
After leaping several times in succession, Zabuza finally evaded the attack.
Boom~~~ Boom~~~ Boom~~~
Though there was no explosion, it was more terrifying than one. The violent torrent of air spread outward, completely dispersing the even thicker mist around them.
When he looked back, Zabuza discovered that every tree where he had briefly landed during his escape had vanished, leaving only a massive pit more than ten meters deep.
That violent Chakra had exploded outward, shredding the trees and the earth alike into fragments.
Zabuza broke out in a cold sweat.
This brat! Is he really a Genin?
"Naruto!" Sasuke was rather dissatisfied. What was this? He had not gotten a chance to show what he could do at all.
Naruto landed on the ground and smiled innocently. "It was just instinct, hahaha."
Sasuke stepped to Naruto's left and faced the enemy. "What ninjutsu did you use just now?"
That move had been incredibly cool. Sasuke wanted to learn it too.
"Wind Release Chakra nature transformation. You can't learn it yet."
"Hmph!" Sasuke actually envied Naruto for possessing all Five Attributes and mastering every one of them. As for himself, he had only grasped Lightning Release shape transformation and barely begun nature transformation. He was still working toward the deeper levels of nature transformation.
Three years. Within three years, I'll master every attribute too!
On the other side, Sakura took her position at Naruto's right. She glanced at the two of them, and her gaze gradually became resolute.
I can do it too. I can't hold everyone back!
Team 7, move out!
For the remainder of the battle, Naruto focused on support rather than attacking actively, assisting the other two as they fought.
Yet even while supporting them, Naruto was not someone Zabuza dared underestimate. He remained constantly on guard against Naruto, which forced him to divert a third of his attention for nothing.
This allowed Sasuke's attacks and Sakura's newly learned Super Strength Taijutsu to land again and again.
Zabuza was miserable, beaten back step by step.
At last, utterly exhausted, Zabuza was forced in front of a large tree with nowhere left to retreat.
Chidori!
Sasuke unleashed his ultimate move, preparing to finish Zabuza.
Suddenly.
Whoosh~~~
Two senbon needles flew over and pierced Zabuza's neck.
Blood spurted out, and Zabuza fell to the ground, his condition unknown.
Sasuke's Chidori was a step too late. It only struck the tree, blasting a huge hole through it.
"Pant, pant~ What happened?"
Sasuke, breathing heavily, was extremely annoyed. No one would feel good about having the kill they had worked so hard for stolen.
"Can't you tell? Someone fucking came to steal the kill."
Naruto raised his eyes toward the newcomer.
The newcomer stood on a high branch, wearing a strange dress and a mask bearing Kirigakure's symbol. Their hair was very long, and it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female.
According to Naruto's senses, this person had arrived long ago and had merely watched from the sidelines.
At first, Naruto had thought they were simply passing by.
After all, countless ninjas passed through his sensing range every day. Who would have thought this one had come to steal the kill?
"He really is dead." The newcomer spoke teasingly.
Thanks to Wuxia Jun for the monthly ticket, thanks to You Shui Lian Dong for the two monthly tickets, and thanks to Catdog World and Grandpa Guaji Guaji for the seven monthly tickets.
Also, thanks to every reader for your recommendation votes and continued reading support. Thank you.
＿|￣|●: Lastly, I sincerely ask you to keep reading. Just open it and click through to the end. Many thanks.
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