"Th-That can't be right, can it?"
"The Fourth Generation was the hero who sealed the Fox Demon... I... I..."
Naruto's expression darkened.
He felt something inside him breaking apart.
Blood relation?
How could that be?
What kind of decent person would seal the Fox Demon inside someone they were related to by blood?
Sasuke glanced sideways at Naruto's expression.
"Stay alert. The enemy's making a move."
Sakura immediately understood and said no more.
Whoosh—
Naruto took a deep breath, forcing down his unease and restlessness as he held his position.
All around them, after Zabuza's furious shout rang out,
thick mist billowed through the area, stirred up by chakra and splashing water.
"Damn Leaf shinobi!"
"I'll show you what despair feels like!"
How dare they ignore me... I'm furious!
Zabuza was seething.
In all his years as a shinobi, no one had ever looked down on him like this.
Not even those brats...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
After a series of hand seals, Zabuza's figure slowly disappeared into the heavy mist.
Body Flicker Technique: Mist Body Flicker!
Vwoom—
The three kids immediately went on guard, startled.
What incredible speed!
Sasuke furrowed his brow, feeling a chill creep up his back. A hint of fighting spirit entered his eyes.
Cangwu-sensei is faster!
There's no way this guy is stronger than Cangwu-sensei!
The thought reassured Sasuke.
Meanwhile, Zabuza had begun his psychological warfare.
"Hands, feet, legs, waist, heart... Which part do you want me to start with?"
"Left side!" Sakura felt a chill run down her spine. She shouted and thrust her weapon to the side.
But her attack missed.
She could hear him, but not see him.
Zabuza seemed to have become one with the mist. There was no way to locate him.
Vwoom—
"Watch out!" Sakura's pupils contracted. The moment she realized what was happening, she hurriedly turned around.
But when she saw the unfamiliar figure beside Tazuna, she knew she was too late.
Zabuza had already reached Tazuna.
A kunai in hand, he thrust straight for Tazuna's neck.
"I'll finish the mission first, then take my time playing with you useless brats!"
Zabuza's eyes were bloodshot. He was clearly furious.
"Damn it!" Naruto roared, but it was already too late.
Sasuke, however, didn't panic in the slightest. His eyes widened as he watched the area around Zabuza.
Seeing that, Sakura found herself strangely calm.
Cangwu-sensei will definitely stop him!
Just as the kunai in Zabuza's hand was about to pierce Tazuna's neck,
a golden beam shot through it.
Zabuza's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at his now-empty hand.
Where had his kunai gone?
Whoosh—
Only then did Naruto let out a breath of relief.
Tazuna's face was frozen. So much had happened in such a short time that he couldn't possibly have followed it all.
But just a second ago, he had truly felt the presence of death.
"So, here's the question."
"Which part do you want me to start with?"
Zabuza's pupils contracted sharply.
The voice had come from behind him.
Damn it... When did he...
The corner of his eye caught the spot where Cangwu had been standing. It was empty now, and unease immediately welled up inside him.
Why... What was that beam of light just now?
A Kekkei Genkai?
No... This looks a little like the Third Tsuchikage's Dust Release from the rumors. Is it a Kekkei Tōta?
This is troublesome. The mist hasn't affected him at all, and his attacks are difficult to deal with... His speed is nearly on par with mine, too.
Without hesitation, Zabuza decided to keep using Mist Body Flicker to hide in the mist.
Cangwu: "..."
Thud—
The next second, Zabuza felt as though his kidney was about to be kicked to pieces.
Could you take any longer to form those hand seals?
Sasuke's eyes widened. Once again, he hadn't been able to see Cangwu's movement of light.
But he had clearly seen Zabuza raise his hand to form the seals for Mist Body Flicker.
A strange look appeared on Sasuke's usually impassive face.
An elite jonin?
A rogue ninja?
That's it?
In that instant, the filter that came with Zabuza's status as both an elite jonin and a rogue ninja—and the bloodlust he had released earlier—completely vanished.
Sasuke felt that Zabuza was nothing special after all.
Cangwu noticed the change in Sasuke's attitude and smiled helplessly.
Here we go again.
Clear skies after the rain, pillar of the heavens.
The problem was, Cangwu had tried to correct Sasuke.
He'd even managed to straighten Naruto out a little.
But...
In the end, he realized Sasuke hadn't been influenced by anything else.
The kid simply liked putting on airs.
Thud—
On the other side,
Zabuza flew through the air for a moment before crashing onto the water's surface.
"Subarashii~!" Sakura exclaimed as she watched Zabuza fly backward.
When she looked at Cangwu, countless little stars seemed to fill her eyes.
Her adoring expression didn't escape Naruto's notice.
A hint of envy entered his eyes.
I want to be as reliable and cool as Cangwu-sensei!
Sasuke's thoughts were much simpler.
Zabuza was a rogue ninja, and Uchiha Itachi was a rogue ninja too.
Cangwu could take Uchiha Itachi down in one move, so Zabuza was naturally no match for him.
So all Sasuke had to do was keep obediently growing stronger under Cangwu's protection!
Splash, splash—
Just then, Zabuza, drenched from head to toe, slowly climbed out of the water.
Deep wariness lurked in his eyes.
But fury appeared on his face.
Holding his lower back, he stood hunched over, looking somewhat battered.
Damn it... Cangwu actually kicked me there!
Zabuza had completely put aside his contempt.
Though he didn't want to admit it, he knew Cangwu could have killed him just now—or at least left him unable to fight.
There had to be a reason he hadn't.
"Huff—"
Zabuza slowly exhaled.
He temporarily suppressed the pain in his waist.
The Bloody Mist Ninja. The Village of the Bloody Mist.
It was an era when the Fourth Mizukage had been controlled by Uchiha Obito and the Bloody Mist policy had been carried out.
He, the Demon of the Hidden Mist—Momochi Zabuza—had fought his way out of the place known as the Village of the Bloody Mist.
He had personally slaughtered nearly a hundred people from his own class.
Passing meant being the last one alive, not being the last to take the test.
But the rules hadn't said you couldn't do that.
Back then, Zabuza had exploited the rules to show his displeasure with Kirigakure's higher-ups.
The boy who slayed the dragon became a monster?
No. One thing Zabuza had failed to recognize was his own strength.
Raised in that kind of environment and mindset, he had eventually exploited the information gap and defected from Kirigakure with Haku.
After meeting a jonin like Cangwu,
he couldn't help but think that, apart from Kirigakure's shinobi, those from the other four great villages were all raised in "greenhouses."
Even if they held the same rank, he instinctively thought they were inferior to him.
And Cangwu was a Leaf shinobi, to boot.
It was understandable that Zabuza had looked down on him.
No matter what, there's no way I'm letting myself be taken without a fight!
Zabuza glanced at Kubikiribōchō, lying quietly in the distance.
Whoosh—
The next instant, he charged toward it without hesitation.
Seeing this, Cangwu made no move to stop him.
"Hmph!"
Zabuza felt that reclaiming Kubikiribōchō had been a little too easy.
He turned around, only to see Cangwu watching him from beyond the thick mist with a faint, knowing smile.
"You'll regret letting me get Kubikiribōchō!"
Before you continue