A Cut Above

"No, no, no, it wasn't intentional, it was deliberate. It was necessary to let them see the real ninja world. And you just happened to show up."

Kakashi also spoke in a very serious tone.

"Hahaha, very well. I never thought that I, Zabuza, would be so looked down upon one day."

Zabuza, enraged, laughed. He Zabuza n't expected to be used as a tool in someone else's class. He now wished he could devour Kakashi alive; Kakashi clearly did Zabuza take him, Zabuza, seriously.

"Karot, your brother's personality is just as awful as yours."

At this moment, Kakuzu felt sympathy for Zabuza, while Kakashi clearly didn't Zabuza seriously. In Kakashi's eyes Zabuza was merely a whetstone for his disciple.

"Don't slander the two brothers. Kakashi has a very high opinion of Zabuza's strength, which is why he urged his disciple to improve his skills."

"You know, a child's education is crucial to their future development. With the guidance of a renowned teacher, they can avoid many detours. Kakashi has entrusted the next generation to Zabuza; isn't that because he values him? You should speak with conscience, Kakuzu."

Kakuzu to Karot's twisted logic, Kakuzu gained a deeper understanding of Karot's shamelessness. Such a brazen act was unprecedented. He could only marvel at how this man was his friend, given his shamelessness and immense power. If he couldn't win an argument, he'd resort to physical force to persuade you; Kakuzu witnessed this far too many times in recent years. Just recently, when Karot couldn't out-argue a particularly eloquent god, he simply razed the god's divine kingdom to the ground. Truly terrifying.

"Whatever makes you happy."

Kakuzu n't refute Karot's point of view, because it would be useless; he couldn't win an argument with him, and would only be rendered speechless by Karot's words. He might as well just be a spectator.

Zabuza leaped from the water, soaring high into the air, gripping the Kubikiribōchō with both hands, and brought it down towards Kakashi. He would wash away the humiliation this man had inflicted upon him with Kakashi's blood.

"Boom."

The greatsword slammed into the ground, cracking it open. Kakashi dodged just as the sword was about to strike him. However, as Kakashi dodged, fog began to rise again. Zabuza had created another advantageous situation for himself. In the fog, the enemy's vision would be limited, preventing them from using their full strength. As a former Mist Zabuza was like a fish back in water; his strength would not be affected in the slightest.

"Ding, ding."

As bystanders, Naruto and his friends couldn't help but worry about Kakashi. They could only hear the sounds of clashing weapons and couldn't see the situation on the battlefield at all.

"Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei should be alright, right?"

Sakura asked Sasuke with a worried expression. After all, Kakashi had been trapped by Zabuza at the very beginning of the battle, and she was afraid that Kakashi Zabuza, which would mean that all of them would die here. The others also looked at Sasuke.

"Everything will be alright. Kakashi-sensei's strength is far greater than this."

Sasuke spoke confidently to the group. The reason for Sasuke's certainty stemmed from the influence of his brother and Shisui. Sasuke had once believed his brother was the strongest man, but his brother told him there was a man far superior, a man whose strength was unmatched, far surpassing even a finger's worth of his own. When Sasuke pressed for details, Itachi didn't elaborate, only revealing that the strongest man was Kakashi's brother. Sasuke's inclusion in the team was due to his father's escape from Minato. As the younger brother of the strongest man, Sasuke believed Kakashi could definitely defeat Zabuza.

"Kakashi-sensei will definitely be fine."

Although Kakashi was always reading comic books and being sarcastic, Naruto believed he could handle the problem at hand.

Seeing her two companions getting along so well with Kakashi, Sakura felt a little safer. After all, in Sakura's eyes, she couldn't compare to Naruto and Sasuke, who were both overpowered by their family's heritage.

"Bite."

Zabuza and Kakuzu were locked in a sparring match, their strength evenly matched. Kakashi sidestepped, Zabuza's large sword slashed down. Kakashi, gripping his kunai, thrust forward. The shorter the kunai, the more dangerous it was; Kakashi's kunai aimed directly at Zabuza's chest. Because Zabuza's entire movement was a forward slash, and Kakashi, having dodged Zabuza's sword, was also thrusting forward, Zabuza had no time to dodge Kakashi's charge.

"Puff."

Blood splattered instantly; Kakashi had stabbed Zabuza, but Zabuza the arm he was using to shield his chest.

Zabuza his greatsword, and if Karot hadn't dodged, he would have been cut in half at the waist. Kakashi had no choice but to abandon his offensive advantage and jump away. The kunai was still stuck in Zabuza's hand.

Zabuza slammed his Kubikiribōchō into the ground, Zabuza pulled the kunai out of his left hand with his right hand, blood flowing from the wound.

The thick fog gradually dissipated, Zabuza simply bandaged his wounds. Kakashi just watched without making a move.

When the Taijutsu failed to work, Zabuza began to Hand Seals hand Hand Seals, but Kakashi did the same thing at the Zabuza time.

"Um?"

Zabuza saw that Kakashi's eyes, which had been hidden, were now visible. One of his Sharingan was spinning rapidly.

"Sharingan? What's that all about?"

Sasuke was shocked to see that Kakashi possessed the Sharingan common to the Uchiha Clan. Kakashi wasn't even a member of the Uchiha Clan. Why didn't his father take back the Sharingan?

Don't you know?

Seeing Sasuke's shocked expression, Naruto said, "I heard from Minato that Kakashi has the Sharingan."

You know?

"Yes, I heard it from my dad. Kakashi-sensei has a Sharingan, which was given to him by the Uchiha Clan Head."

Hearing Naruto say that his father gave it to him, Sasuke felt relieved. He was worried that Kakashi's Sharingan had been stolen, which would have been troublesome.

Zabuza and Kakashi's movements were completely synchronized, or rather, exactly the same.

Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique x2

The two completed their hand seals simultaneously and activated their Ninjutsu at the same time. Instantly, two massive waterfalls submerged and destroyed the entire forest.

The floodwaters were merciless and came with tremendous force, instantly clearing the entire area, turning what was once lush with trees into a barren wasteland. Naruto were swept away. If they hadn't sensed the danger and moved far enough away in time, they would be lost somewhere by now.

Kakashi's waterfall attack was Zabuza more powerful than Zabuza's. Kakashi had more Chakra and didn't hesitate to Zabuza. Zabuza was violently struck and crashed into a large tree.

"Puff."

Zabuza's blood boiled, and he vomited blood.