Encounter with Zabuza

The escort mission was long and boring. With a ninja's speed, they could have reached the Land of Waves in less than a day, but Tazuna was an ordinary person, and they could not exactly carry him across rooftops and walls. It took them nearly three days to reach the coast.

They ran into another problem next. The boatmen feared Gato and refused to take Tazuna to the Land of Waves. Fortunately, Tazuna had prepared in advance and found an old friend who rowed them across the sea before dawn. Only then did they barely manage to reach the Land of Waves.

"What's that? It's incredible!"

Sitting in the boat, Naruto stared in amazement at the bridge under construction slowly drifting past them. The majestic bridge spanning the sea could only be described as a work of divine craftsmanship, completely overturning his understanding of what a bridge could be. Sasuke and Sakura were not as direct as Naruto, but their eyes were equally drawn to it.

"I built that. Impressive, isn't it?"

Tazuna was delighted by Naruto's astonished expression and said cheerfully.

"Huh? I thought you were just a useless uncle who only knew how to drink."

"Shut up. Alcohol brings me inspiration."

The smile on Tazuna's face froze. Then he sighed, pulled out a bottle, and began drinking.

"What a shame. While I was away from the Land of Waves, forget about construction starting—I'm afraid not even a single piece of wood was moved."

"So you're the one leading the flock."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. Everyone feared Gato, so they needed a hero to lead them. And if Tazuna, that hero, died, everyone would give up hope and obediently let Gato manipulate them.

"Yeah! So I absolutely can't die."

Following the unfinished bridge, the group quickly reached shore. After they disembarked, the boatman only said, "Good luck," before fleeing at top speed. Under Tazuna's guidance, Naruto and the others entered a forest. Though there were no clear markers, Tazuna still found the right direction without fail. Before they realized it, a faint mist had already filled the air.

"It's foggy. It feels so nice and cool."

Sakura reached out and touched the white mist in front of her, speaking excitedly. Konoha rarely had fog, so seeing such scenery made the trip worthwhile.

"The Land of Waves is an island nation. There's always fog near the sea at dawn, but it seems a little thick today."

Tazuna offered a brief explanation. As he spoke, the fog thickened further.

"Hm?"

Naruto suddenly looked toward the roadside bushes and swiftly pulled out a kunai, throwing it over and startling Sakura.

"Idiot Naruto! You almost hit me!"

Sakura gave Naruto a hard punch on the head. She was thankful she had been walking slowly; if she had moved any faster, the kunai might have struck her.

"Sorry, sorry. I thought I felt a trace of Killing Intent."

Naruto rubbed the spot where he had been hit and walked into the bushes. The kunai was embedded near the roots of a tree, and a snow-white rabbit lay on the ground, twitching. It had clearly fainted from fright after being startled by the kunai.

"So cute!"

Naruto and Sakura spoke in unison. Sakura gave Naruto a surprised look.

"You think it's cute?"

"Of course. Rabbits are delicious, especially the legs. Roast them golden brown, sprinkle on some cumin, gulp... (ˉ﹃ˉ)"

Naruto began drooling as he spoke. They had eaten nothing but dry rations these past few days, and he had nearly forgotten the taste of meat.

"No, no! How can you eat such a cute little bunny!"

Sakura hurriedly scooped up the rabbit and shielded it in her arms. So that was the kind of cute he meant—cute as an ingredient!

"What? Rabbits are food, aren't they? Sasuke, what do you think?"

"Give me one rabbit leg."

Naruto would have been fine if he had said nothing, but once he mentioned it, Sasuke imagined a golden-brown rabbit leg and nodded expectantly.

"Good. No time to waste. Let's cook this rabbit for breakfast!"

"How can you be like this?! You're bullying me!"

Sakura was torn. If Naruto wanted to eat it, she would definitely punch him a few times. But Sasuke wanted to eat it too. Between the rabbit and Sasuke's affection, which should she choose?

"Stop fooling around. That's a Snow Rabbit... Get down!"

Kakashi helplessly pulled apart the two students fighting over the rabbit. The instant he saw it, he knew something was wrong. How could a Snow Rabbit appear in an island nation like the Land of Waves? At that moment, the sound of something cutting through the air came from behind them. He immediately knocked Naruto and Sakura to the ground, narrowly avoiding the flying Kubikiribōchō.

Crack

The Kubikiribōchō embedded itself deeply in a thick tree. A man stood on its handle, his face covered in bandages, a Hidden Mist forehead protector on his head, his upper body bare.

"Kid, you're pretty capable. You actually noticed the tiny bit of Killing Intent I let slip."

Zabuza turned around, his murderous eyes fixed on Naruto. He had never expected Naruto to catch the faint trace of Killing Intent he had revealed the moment he saw Tazuna, though everything Naruto did afterward had been idiotic.

"I see. You used that Snow Rabbit to perform the Substitution Technique, didn't you? The rogue ninja from Hidden Mist—Momochi Zabuza."

Though Kakashi's tone was casual, the laziness in his eyes had vanished completely, replaced by vigilance and Killing Intent.

"I never expected to run into Kakashi of the Sharingan here. The payment for this mission isn't enough. Now, hand that Old Man over to me."

Zabuza did not relax in the slightest as he looked at Kakashi. If Kakashi knew what was good for him, he would give the old man up.

"The Sharingan?!"

The moment Sasuke heard those words, he looked at Kakashi. There was no such man in the Uchiha Clan. Where had his Sharingan come from?

"You three, fall back. Form a manji formation and protect Mr. Tazuna. He isn't an opponent you can handle. He's far stronger than those two from last time."

Kakashi took a deep breath and lifted the forehead protector that had been covering his left eye, revealing a blood-red eye. Three tomoe were embedded within it, making for an eerie sight.

The Sharingan, and it's even a Three-Tomoe!

Sasuke could no longer sit still. Not everyone in the Uchiha Clan could awaken the Sharingan, let alone a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Anyone who awakened three tomoe was a genius.

"Enough talking. I need to kill this old man quickly!"

After saying that, Zabuza vanished from the tree with the Kubikiribōchō and appeared on the lake at the edge of the forest. He infused Chakra into the water and performed the Hidden Mist Technique.

The already foggy forest became even more shrouded in dense mist. Visibility dropped to less than two meters, and Zabuza vanished into the fog as well.

"Eight places: the throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, and heart. Which one would you like me to attack?"

Zabuza's voice rang out from every direction, bringing invisible pressure upon them all. Even Naruto, who was used to Killing Intent, found his legs trembling under such intense murderous pressure.

"Hmph!"

Kakashi reacted instantly, using his own Killing Intent to clash against Zabuza's. The Killing Intent of two jonin collided in the air and spread to the four people beside them. Sakura and Tazuna had been frightened speechless long ago. Sasuke could still move, but the hands gripping his kunai would not stop trembling.

"Sasuke! Don't worry. Even if I die, I'll protect you! I will never let him kill my comrades."

Just as Sasuke was about to reach his limit, Kakashi suddenly turned around and gave him a bright smile. It eased his emotions slightly, and his tightly tensed body relaxed for a moment.

"Is that so?"

The moment Kakashi finished speaking, Zabuza's voice rang out. As those two words ended, he appeared in the center of the manji formation.

At the same time, he swung the Kubikiribōchō.

"It's over!"

If this strike landed, Tazuna would be split in two. No, not just Tazuna—the horizontally sweeping Kubikiribōchō covered such a wide range that Team Seven's three members would also be unable to escape being cut in half at the waist.

Stab

However, before Zabuza could swing his blade, a kunai pierced his heart. Kakashi had appeared before him at even greater speed, but what flowed from Zabuza's wound was not blood, but water.

"Die!"

Zabuza turned into a puddle of water and vanished, reappearing behind Kakashi and cutting him in half with one slash. But Kakashi also turned into water and disappeared. Then Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza and pressed a kunai against his throat.

"I see. You copied my Water Clone. As expected of Kakashi the Copy Ninja. But do you think I wouldn't be prepared for that?"

Zabuza laughed happily, his body turning into liquid and disappearing once more. His real body appeared behind Kakashi, raising the Kubikiribōchō and slashing down.

"What?!"

Kakashi instantly judged the direction of the Kubikiribōchō's descent and dodged without even turning his head. Zabuza's blade embedded itself in the ground. Using the momentum, Zabuza spun around and kicked Kakashi away, then pulled out the Kubikiribōchō and chased after him. After Kakashi fell into the lake, Zabuza performed the Water Prison and trapped him inside.