Haku

The moment the two Elite Jonin's weapons clashed, a heavy killing intent erupted, almost suffocating them.

Even Naruto, experiencing killing intent for the first time, felt as if he had plunged into an abyss ten thousand feet deep, his entire body frozen and unable to move.

Sasuke and Sakura weren't faring any better, both frozen in place.

A thick mist began to rise around them. Kakashi and Zabuza faced each other, one man and one sword, too focused to pay attention to Naruto and the others.

Warm chakra flowed gently through his body, and Naruto adjusted himself in mere seconds. He turned and rushed towards Sasuke and Sakura, slapping each of them on the back.

Almost simultaneously, Sakura and Sasuke's eyes glazed over for a brief moment.

Then, they snapped back to full awareness, gasping for air as if they hadn't breathed in a long time.

"A Jonin's killing intent is terrifying," Sasuke said, his face taut, his voice filled with lingering fear.

He also realized that Naruto was the first among them to react, and it was his intervention that freed him and Sakura from their frozen state.

Sakura sat on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

Zabuza's killing intent wasn't an illusion; it was a tangible substance that spread outwards with his chakra, making contact with their skin and instilling fear in the three members of Team Seven.

"Sakura," Naruto said, pulling her up. "Quickly disrupt the chakra flow within your bodies, just like you did when you broke free from Genjutsu."

At his words, Sasuke and Sakura immediately reacted, forming the hand sign for release. The technique worked, and they instantly broke free from their frozen state.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had already engaged Zabuza in combat. However, one of Zabuza's Water Clones suddenly rose from a puddle like a phantom and charged towards Naruto and the other two.

A Water Clone of an Elite Jonin possessed at least Chunin-level strength.

"Be careful!" Kakashi shouted a warning as he caught sight of Zabuza's Water Clone amidst the battle.

Logically, Kakashi could have created a Shadow Clone to protect Team Seven. However, he clearly didn't intend to. The life of a ninja was a brutal struggle for survival.

Without Kakashi's warning, the three had already seen Zabuza's Water Clone. Sasuke pulled Tazuna back, and Naruto grabbed Sakura, both retreating.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "Quick! Shuriken!"

His call was answered by three stream-like shuriken flying rapidly towards Zabuza. Naruto immediately followed them, clearly intending to engage.

"Sakura! Genjutsu!" Naruto commanded as he charged forward.

This was the first real combat experience for the three, and they hadn't discussed any battle plans beforehand. Although Naruto was giving commands now, his actions were an open book to Zabuza's clone.

Tazuna, who had been boasting about being a bridge-building expert, now stood frozen in fear like a Psyduck, with Sasuke temporarily shielding him.

Hearing Naruto's voice, Sakura, despite her panic, reacted in time. Of course, her Genjutsu had no effect on Zabuza's clone, but it did distract him for a fleeting moment.

And that moment was enough! A mechanical synthesized voice sounded in Naruto's mind!

[Nine-Tails' Recognition 2.2%]

Scarlet chakra instantly enveloped Naruto's entire body, his pupils turning blood red in an instant, surging power boiling within him.

With a bang, Naruto, who had been charging, vanished from his spot.

In the next moment, Naruto's body appeared behind Zabuza's Water Clone like a phantom, and a heavy sweeping kick shattered the clone.

The Nine-Tails' power was enough to make the Fourth Hokage and a host of Elite Jonin helpless. Even though Naruto could only access 2.2% of the Nine-Tails' power, his strength had already approached that of a Special Jonin.

If one were to disregard the Four-Tails Lava Style he had recently acquired, Naruto's mere sliver of power from the Nine-Tails was enough to look down upon most Konoha Chunin.

"How can that brat be so strong?" Tazuna, the Psyduck himself, standing still, exclaimed in amazement as he watched Naruto effortlessly defeat the Water Clone.

Sasuke, who was standing guard with a kunai in hand in front of Tazuna, overheard these words, and his expression turned grim.

If Naruto's first victory against the Demon Brothers, the Mist Ninja who had been tracking them, was just luck, then his second instance of breaking free from his frozen state before Sasuke, and now defeating an Elite Jonin's Water Clone, proved otherwise.

These successive events clearly indicated that Naruto's strength was indeed the most outstanding in Team Seven. And he, Sasuke, was only slightly better than Sakura.

If Naruto had been born into a prestigious clan, enjoyed the best ninja resources, and trained diligently every day, Sasuke wouldn't have cared so much.

But he knew very well that ever since he had known Naruto, the guy had always been the dead last of the class. He was ostentatious and his strength was at the bottom.

Such a person wasn't worth wasting his time looking at. He had never considered having someone like him as a comrade, but...

It was as if overnight, Naruto had become a different person. Not only did he graduate at the top of the Ninja Academy, but he also knew many secrets about the village's clans.

Although those weren't major secrets, for Sasuke, whose clan had been wiped out in his childhood, and for Sakura, who came from a commoner background, these were already considered obscure knowledge.

Whether it was sharing information or improving his strength, Sasuke thought to himself, could this guy have been faking his previous demeanor all along?

Being the dead last year after year, too consistent.

Was he pretending to be a slacker?

Conflicting thoughts swirled in Sasuke's mind, while Sakura let out a long sigh, her hands clasped tightly together, thinking to herself.

"Thank goodness for Naruto."

If Naruto hadn't called out to her just now, she might have just stood there like a piece of wood again, right? At least she had used Genjutsu, contributing something to the team.

After destroying one Water Clone, Zabuza had no intention of creating another. He was currently locked in combat with Kakashi, and both of them had sustained injuries.

Seeing this, Naruto charged forward without a second thought.

At that moment, Kakashi found an opening in Zabuza's defense, quickly formed a hand seal, and unleashed a Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu directly at him. Zabuza narrowly dodged but was still injured. Before he could move again, Three Flying Needles suddenly appeared out of nowhere, piercing Zabuza's neck. Kakashi immediately became vigilant, while Naruto's brow relaxed.

Was Haku finally going to make his appearance?

A masked young boy suddenly emerged from the thick fog and leaped in front of the fallen Zabuza.

Naruto's pupils constricted, and he secretly channeled the chakra within him.