Buzz—
A blurry figure slowly emerged from the thick mist.
His upper body was bare, bandages wound around his face, and his forehead protector sat at an angle.
The newcomer was none other than Kirigakure's S-rank rogue ninja, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza.
"Stay alert!" Sakura called in a calm, low voice.
Naruto finally snapped out of it and hurried to his feet, taking up his position.
Sasuke had already drawn a Kunai and was on guard.
"Cangwu." Cangwu watched Zabuza, a flicker of excitement rising in the depths of his eyes.
At last, he had a worthy opponent to experiment on.
Zabuza was a bit of a pushover, but as the first boss, he was still an S-rank rogue ninja, after all.
"Heh heh heh." Zabuza hadn't expected Cangwu to give his name so directly.
After confirming he'd never heard the name Cangwu before, he let out a cold laugh.
"Good. Remember my name: Momochi Zabuza."
With that, Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "Now give me back my Kubikiribōchō!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zabuza's aura changed.
In an instant, terrifying killing intent erupted from within him.
Then came an oppressive bloodlust that made them uneasy—even afraid.
Naruto shivered, then found it hard to breathe.
Sasuke and Sakura were the same.
Their breathing grew difficult, and an invisible pressure weighed down on them.
After a few breaths,
the three kids had all gone a little pale.
Sasuke was especially affected. His heart was pounding faster and faster.
As he felt that palpable killing intent, his thoughts raced.
Damn it!
Why... why is he so strong?!
Just releasing his killing intent is enough to leave me helpless?
Why am I still so weak?!
The faster Sasuke's thoughts raced, the harder his body trembled.
Sakura noticed something was wrong and quickly tugged at him.
"Calm down, Sasuke!"
"Shut up!"
Seeing Sasuke drenched in a cold sweat in such a short time, Sakura's breath caught.
"Heh... Is tsundere Sasuke scared?"
"If you're scared, just hide behind me and stop being so mean to Sakura!"
Naruto was trembling all over, but that didn't stop him from running his mouth.
Just yesterday, he'd staked his ninja way on never holding everyone back or acting like a coward again.
Although Zabuza's killing intent made his whole body ache, this time he didn't freeze in terror. Instead, he became calmer.
"Hah... Idiot!" Sasuke took a deep breath, then slowly let out a familiar insult.
"You three, watch closely."
Cangwu turned around.
The three kids saw the familiar smile on his face, and their hearts settled.
The unease and anger inside Sasuke faded away almost completely.
"I'll tell you in advance what else chakra can do."
As he spoke, Cangwu pinched the edge of the Kubikiribōchō's blade between two fingers.
"If your teacher hadn't stopped this sword, it could've cut right through a tree thicker than your waists."
"Is that because it's sharp and hard?"
At that, the three kids looked at one another.
"Isn't it?" Naruto asked.
Cangwu shook his head.
Then he increased the pressure on the blade.
"Stop!!!" Hearing this, Zabuza noticed what Cangwu was doing and hurriedly shouted.
But the next instant, a sharp crack rang out all around them.
Crack—
A corner of the Kubikiribōchō broke off.
"This sword is brittle." Cangwu smiled at the three kids' stunned faces.
"You foolish Konoha ninja!"
"How dare you treat my Kubikiribōchō like that... It's a priceless treasure of Kirigakure—or no, of the entire shinobi world!"
"It's the Kubikiribōchō, one of the famed Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist! How dare you say—"
Cangwu waved a hand, cutting Zabuza off.
"I know. The Kubikiribōchō can absorb blood to regenerate after its blade is broken."
"But it really is brittle."
"Other than absorbing blood to restore itself, it has no other special properties... Honestly, it's average."
"Average?!" Zabuza's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He couldn't believe someone would disparage the Kubikiribōchō so badly.
"Mm-hmm, Teacher Cangwu's right. It broke with one snap. Even if it can absorb blood and return to normal... it doesn't seem like that impressive a sword." Once Naruto understood, he nodded like a pecking chicken, agreeing with Cangwu.
"But, Teacher Cangwu, why did you say it could easily cut down a tree?" Sakura raised her hand to ask.
Sasuke listened attentively, too.
All three kids had returned to normal.
The moment Cangwu turned around, Zabuza's killing intent had already lost its effect.
The trust the three kids had in Cangwu was one reason why.
"This is what I mentioned earlier: another use for chakra, and a hallmark of Chunin and above."
The three kids' eyes widened.
Chunin and above... That meant Special Jonin and Jonin!
"Listen closely. This is related to the new jutsu you'll be learning."
"To become a Jonin, you need to master at least two types of Nature Transformation."
"Chakra can be used for Nature Transformation. Besides that, there's Shape Transformation."
"Both forms of transformation can enhance chakra."
"With Nature Transformation, if you possess a Kekkei Genkai, you can combine the chakra transformations of two elements to create a new release."
"As for Shape Transformation... you'll understand once you've learned the new jutsu."
"Shut up!!!" Zabuza roared.
This damn Konoha Jonin was ignoring him—and even teaching three brats right in front of him!
"Damn it!"
Who did he think he was?!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The next second, Zabuza began forming hand seals... yes, just forming hand seals.
Cangwu ignored him and continued:
"Chakra that's undergone Nature Transformation can be infused into ninja tools."
"The Kubikiribōchō that flew over earlier had been infused with chakra that Zabuza had transformed."
"That's why the Kubikiribōchō became sharp and sturdy."
"I see!" Sakura's eyes lit up.
Sasuke nodded to himself.
Now he understood what Cangwu had said during the test.
"So, if I master Fire Release's Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation, I'll be able to make my Fire Release stronger?"
"Clever." Cangwu smiled and nodded.
Hearing the praise, Sasuke turned his head slightly and gave a quiet huff.
"Then if I learn them... can I become a Jonin?!" Naruto asked excitedly.
"In theory, yes," Cangwu replied with a smile.
"Why only in theory?" all three kids asked in confusion.
"Because Konoha has four parasites who hold absolute power."
"Hm?"
The three kids furrowed their brows, not understanding what Cangwu meant at first.
But they were all smart enough not to press him further.
Cangwu had said that some things were for them to discover on their own.
Sasuke and Sakura immediately thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After thinking for a while, Naruto pictured that "kind" old man, too.
He had a feeling things weren't so simple, but Teacher Cangwu never explained everything... Ah, this is giving me a headache!
Suddenly, Naruto felt someone tug at the hem of his shirt.
"Sakura, what's wrong?"
Sakura glanced at Cangwu, then lowered her voice.
"Naruto... I think you're related by blood to the Fourth Hokage!"
Boom—
The words struck Naruto's ears like a bolt of thunder.
Just then, Zabuza's voice rang out, sounding thoroughly rattled.
"Damn it!!!"
"Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Technique!!!"
Before you continue