Multi-Anime, I Stand at the Forefront of Popularity Supremacy

The scorching airflow affected the surrounding mist, causing a significant portion of it to dissipate.

"This way!"

Then, Hanabi immediately seized Zabuza's figure and threw the ninja fan in her hand.

"Nani?!"

Zabuza was astonished. He had clearly moved towards the densest part of the mist, yet Hanabi had still seen through him.

—He didn't know that after putting on the mask, Hanabi had been keeping her Byakugan focused on him.

Without the Kubikiribōchō in hand, Zabuza could only draw other ninja tools to block.

"Boom!"

However, the moment the ninja fan made contact with his body, flames erupted from it!

"Ninjutsu, Water Bird Dance."

"Aaaah!" Zabuza screamed, and then—he dissolved into a puddle of liquid.

It was a Water Clone.

"Too naive!"

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zabuza had already approached from another direction. His sole target was his weapon, the Kubikiribōchō.

"Mr. Zabuza."

The bell on Hanabi's wrist chimed softly.

Then, Hanabi pulled on a steel wire.

"—Nani!"

Just as he was about to reach the Kubikiribōchō, Zabuza stopped.

The air was filled with taut steel wires. If he had continued his charge, they would have been no different from blades.

"A ninja who is subdued by the same trick twice is unqualified."

[Still mocking, still mocking]

[Upper-rank ninjas are nothing special]

[This Zabuza guy, his combat power is probably all in that big sword. Now that his weapon is sealed by Hanabi, he's in trouble, isn't he?]

[Serves you right for throwing your weapon around lololol]

[I've always wanted to see this scene. I always wondered why the protagonist doesn't just snatch the villain's weapon and disarm them. To see this subversion of tropes in a long-form story now, I'm completely satisfied. Hahaha]

[Great showmanship]

[Zabuza, you should sit at Kakashi's table.]

While the netizens bantered, Hanabi didn't let her guard down.

Zabuza had only been probing her so far.

Hanabi hadn't used her true abilities either; she was only employing the more flashy, less effective ninjutsu from the Shiranui-ryu style.

Though they were mere showmanship, they looked good. And they could also mislead Zabuza, causing him to misjudge.

Zabuza wouldn't go all out against her.

Because Kakashi was right behind them.

If he used his full strength against a Genin, he would be in a difficult situation when facing Kakashi.

In that sense, Hanabi was also borrowing Kakashi's might.

It was just that the audience didn't know this. Many of them actually thought Hanabi was evenly matched with Zabuza.

This was also one of Hanabi's little tricks.

In reality, without using Ice Style or her sword, it wouldn't be easy to completely defeat Zabuza.

But Hanabi had a chance to win because Zabuza didn't know she possessed the Byakugan.

For Hanabi, there was no need to become stronger herself; it was enough to bring the enemy down to her level.

"Water Style, Water Fang Bullet Technique!"

Zabuza, hidden in the mist, used ninjutsu again, launching water projectiles from a blind spot towards Hanabi.

But Hanabi leaped lightly, dodging Zabuza's attack.

"Idiot, you can't get leverage in mid-air!"

However, this was exactly what Zabuza was waiting for. While she was in the air, Hanabi would have no way to dodge.

Zabuza, wielding a kunai, charged at Hanabi. But Hanabi suddenly moved backward with a whoosh, evading Zabuza at an incredible angle.

"Nani!"

After a brief moment of shock, Zabuza immediately analyzed the reason.

"The ropes on you, and the steel wires... you're using these ninja tools for leverage?"

This is the experience of a Jonin. Even though Zabuza saw it for the first time, he analyzed the secret behind Hanabi's aerial movement.

"Guess~"

Hanabi maintained her distance from Zabuza, her attention also fixed on Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō.

Zabuza remained silent, analyzing, "Aerial combat is disadvantageous for me. If I'm worn down too much by this brat, I won't be a match for Kakashi. I'll have to retreat then, and I might not even be able to escape unscathed."

"This brat is a girl, and her ninjutsu is excellent. But with those thin arms and legs, and the fact that she's deliberately keeping her distance from me... In other words, she's not good at taijutsu."

"Therefore, close-quarters combat is advantageous for me. The advantage is mine!"

Author's Note: Some people aren't feeling the Honkai: Star Rail Hanabi, but that's okay. Our Hanabi is also Hanabi Hyuga 2333.

Chapter 48: Kidnapped, Kidnapped, Zabuza!

[Damn, Chairman's famous line]

[800,000 vs 600,000, the advantage is mine]

[Ah, isn't this line from Gundam 00?]

[No·Good·At·Close·Combat]

[I have a feeling taijutsu is Hanabi's trump card. The OP even has a special shot of it]

[My wife is also a badass; she trains until she bleeds]

[Didn't Hanabi herself say before that the kimono was a restrictive kimono for training? I bet Hanabi can knock out a Siberian hamster with one punch]

Using Kakashi behind her, Hanabi is borrowing his might here.

Because Kakashi is present, Zabuza cannot use high-consumption ninjutsu like the Water Dragon Bullet or the Great Waterfall Technique. If he were to expend all his energy defeating this detestable brat, he might feel satisfied, but Kakashi would then deliver a blow. That would be fatal.

"Is... is that guy very strong?" Naruto quietly asked Kakashi as the situation reached a stalemate.

"Demon of the Bloody Mist, Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi said with a grave tone.

"Oh, it seems you've heard some rumors, Kakashi," Zabuza said, turning his gaze towards Kakashi as well.

"Long ago, Kirigakure was known as the Village of the Bloody Mist," Hanabi interjected.

During such important educational moments, how could she let others speak?

"In the Village of the Bloody Mist, to become a ninja, one had to pass a graduation exam," Hanabi explained.

"You brat, you know quite a lot," Zabuza grew to dislike this brat more and more.

"Graduation exam, what graduation exam?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

When the "graduation exam" was mentioned, the atmosphere around Kakashi seemed to change.

"...That graduation exam was a battle to the death," Zabuza preempted Hanabi, saying it himself. "Friends who were eating from the same pot were divided into pairs and forced to kill each other until one died. They were once companions who supported each other and shared their dreams."

"W-what?" Naruto was greatly shocked.

"Ten years ago, Kirigakure had to implement major reforms," Kakashi continued. "Because in the year prior, an evil spirit appeared—a boy who, without any hesitation or pause, killed over a hundred examinees."

"That evil spirit..." Naruto looked at Zabuza.

Zabuza, however, wore a smile. "That was truly interesting."

The overwhelming malice that washed over them made Naruto and Sasuke feel as if they were suffocating.

However, at this moment, another voice emerged: "Yes, Mr. Zabuza, you are truly a kind person."

Zabuza: ???

Shouldn't you organize your lines again?

"Are you mentally deranged, brat?" Zabuza looked at Hanabi, but she showed no opening.

"Because after that, the examinees of Kirigakure no longer had to kill each other," Hanabi said. "Only Mr. Zabuza bears the sin, yet more people were able to live."

"Brat!" Zabuza was somewhat annoyed.

"To allow more people to live, you didn't hesitate to become an Asura yourself, using a fierce demeanor to hide your true self. Mr. Zabuza, you are a clumsy person."

Kakashi: ???

Salty netizens: ???

[Damn, saw right through it]

[Real or fake?]

[Tsundere...?]

"This detestable fellow is really... that kind of person?" Naruto asked, confused.

"If he were truly a capricious Asura, why would anyone follow him?" Hanabi retorted to Naruto.

"Th-that's right?" From Naruto's simple perspective, it seemed to be the case? But Naruto felt something was off: "But didn't Teacher Kakashi say he betrayed his village?"

"It's precisely because he loves his village that he would 'betray' it," Hanabi continued. "The Fourth Mizukage was an erratic tyrant. What Zabuza did was just as he did ten years ago. He wanted to change his village. Bearing everything, enduring it all, and even after failing, he persevered. Truly a great ninja."

[Kakashi, isn't that a bit of a stretch?]

[How can I build my country by associating with such vermin?]

[This is a man of vision!]

Zabuza froze.

Huh? Is that really me?

Am I… that great?

Hanabi's words plunged Zabuza into thought.

Did that brat really say that about me?

Am I really someone who endured such humiliation?

Hanabi simply smiled.

Whether Zabuza was that kind of person or not, Hanabi didn't know. Hanabi was just creating such a persona for the audience. A complex and conflicted persona like that would only make the story more interesting.

What Zabuza thought didn't matter; what the audience thought Zabuza thought was what mattered.

Master Director Hanabi truly poured her heart into this anime series.

"You damn brat!" After a brief moment of confusion, Zabuza fell into a rage.

Wasn't he being completely led around by the nose by this brat?!