Mysterious Crowbar Man

"Crackle crackle"—the sound of electricity and impact shattered the eerie silence. Most of the ronin and Kirigakure ninja on the battlefield lay sprawled and crumpled on the ground, while Zabuza, Tenzo, and the others on another front paused for a moment.

The figure came and vanished as quickly as it had appeared—just as swift as its arrival, it disappeared like a flash of lightning, leaving no trace behind.

Chino felt that the one who had delivered that thunderous strike was Zi Xu. Though the aura and presence didn't quite match, she inexplicably felt that way.

Thinking this, she looked around again and finally spotted Zi Xu at the edge of the battlefield. He seemed perfectly normal, except for an inexplicable air of dejection, his face full of reluctance, like a corporate slave dragged back to work during a vacation.

Though a bit puzzled, she had to dismiss her suspicions about Zi Xu. Remembering Tenzo's earlier words, she waved at Hatsumi not far away. Their strength was useless to Tenzo, and the only thing they could do now was not hold him back.

Zi Xu—or rather, the Silent Clone—watched Chino and the others flee with dead fish eyes, recalling the words Zi Xu's original body had said to him.

"Don't be too flashy. Act like I usually do. Protect those two at critical moments—they're talents for the organization. Follow them out of the encirclement, and I'll reward you with two days of slacking off afterward."

Just thinking about two days off rekindled life in his slack-jawed face. Though he suspected this was just a carrot dangled by a capitalist to squeeze him dry, he decided to trust Zi Xu's original body. After all, Zi Xu wasn't some demon... right?

"Swish swish swish"—the Silent Clone's calves tensed as he stomped hard on the ground, using the rebound to swiftly chase after Chino and the others. His physique inherited part of Zi Xu's original body's physical traits, and even that partial inheritance was enough to handle the current situation.

Watching Zi Xu and the other two disappear into the distance, Tenzo felt a great weight lift from his heart. He let out a light sigh, a "warm" smile spreading across his face.

"Alright, now I can have a proper fight with you all." His hands blurred as he formed hand seals, his eyes devoid of any emotion as he looked at the Kirigakure ninja still determined to keep him here.

"Wood Release: Forest Creation Technique!"

Beneath Tenzo and the others' feet, countless trees burst forth from the ground, growing rapidly. The trees seemed to tear themselves from the earth, instantly creating a small forest. The tangled roots twisted like living things, attacking the group of Kirigakure ninja reinforcements.

Within this small Tree Realm, he became the sole ruler. The surrounding plants and trees bowed toward Tenzo's position as if paying homage to their emperor. The Kirigakure ninja within the forest's range were shocked to find their Chakra being steadily devoured by the vegetation around them.

Zabuza and Bai also got serious. The two combined forces to unleash a jutsu on the ninja besieging them.

"Ghost Blade Cold Strike"

Bai used Ice Release, covering the space for several hundred meters in a thin layer of frost. Hatsumi, still fleeing, clearly felt the biting cold behind her, accompanied by the fresh scent of trees.

Behind Zabuza, a blue dragon several times larger than the water dragons the ninja had conjured earlier appeared. Empowered by Ice Release, it transformed into a berserk ice crystal dragon. The ice crystal dragon charged at the ninja with bone-chilling cold, its icy fangs swallowing them whole. Then Zabuza drew his Kubikiribōchō, and Bai swung his Blizzard katana, shattering the ninja sealed within the ice crystals.

Though their attacks were fierce, these Kirigakure ninja seemed pumped full of adrenaline. More and more ninja left the village to stop their escape. Worse still, Tenzo, Zabuza, and the others had consumed most of their Chakra. A prolonged battle would be disastrous for them.

"Cough. Is Kirigakure trying to start a war with Konoha? Sending out this many ninja—are they insane?" Tenzo stood atop a tall tree, panting heavily as he watched the Kirigakure ninja below unleash various jutsu at him, utterly exhausted.

Zabuza snorted coldly beside him.

"This generation's Mizukage is strange. He single-handedly caused the Bloody Mist Village. Only by removing him can Kirigakure continue to develop..." he said coldly, firing another Water Dragon Bullet.

Tenzo and the others' resistance grew increasingly strained. Too many ants could kill an elephant, and they felt that today might truly be their end.

"Forgive me, Zabuza-sama. I can no longer stay by your side..." Bai tore off his mask, his face showing a resolute expression, as if he were about to use some forbidden technique or utter his final words.

But unfortunately, Zi Xu didn't let such a cliché scene play out. He had found a large black cloak (from a Sealing Scroll) somewhere, carved a mask that exposed only his eyes from tree bark, and looked for a suitable weapon. After searching around for a while, he remembered the crowbar he'd won from a lottery before. So, donning the cloak and mask and gripping the red crowbar, he appeared before everyone.

The moment he appeared, he drew the attention of everyone, including Bai. The Kirigakure ninja, unsure whether this strange crowbar-wielding man was friend or foe, paused their attacks to observe.

"Crackle pop"—electricity danced wildly around the crowbar. Vast amounts of Chakra mixed with a bit of Natural Energy poured into the crowbar, making the thunder beast increasingly berserk. Under Zi Xu's deliberate control, the lightning gradually tinged with black. By now, the Kirigakure ninja couldn't mistake it—they knew this mysterious crowbar man was the one who had attacked them earlier, and they all focused their fire on Zi Xu.

Zi Xu looked at the multicolored jutsu filling the sky, which took on a hazy beauty in the mist. But he dared not be careless. He frantically used the Body Flicker Technique, leaving only a trail of lightning and fallen ninja in his wake. His figure flickered like a bolt of lightning rampaging through the crowd, relying on his own formidable physique to endure the physical strain of the technique.

Seeing that this mysterious crowbar man didn't seem to be an enemy, Tenzo decided to take the chance to leave and regroup with Chino and the others.

"Hey there, uh... crowbar friend. Thanks. We're leaving. If we meet again, I'll be sure to repay you!" Tenzo didn't waste the opportunity Zi Xu had created. His hands turned into branches, launching himself from the tree. The Kirigakure ninja, having just used their jutsu and now in cooldown, could only watch helplessly as Tenzo escaped.

Zabuza and Bai nodded. Thick white mist rose around them. Bai took a deep look at the mysterious crowbar man before vanishing into the fog along with Zabuza.