The So-Called Genius, Sasuke vs. Haku

"Don't even think about leaving here.

Water Style: Thousand Flying Water Needles..."

Seeing this, Haku naturally could not give Sasuke the chance. His hands rapidly formed Hand Seals as he shouted.

In an instant, water vapor above Sasuke rapidly condensed into countless Water Senbon, poised to strike...

With no other choice, Sasuke urgently turned around to avoid the brunt of the attack!

"Sasuke..."

Seeing this, Kakashi quickly moved to rescue him, but Zabuza held him back tightly...

"Just as you said before, your opponent now is me.

Kakashi..."

Zabuza snarled viciously, twisting the Kubikiribōchō in his hand before launching another attack.

Before I defeat Zabuza, all I can do is trust Sasuke...

A sharp glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes as he counterattacked fiercely with his Kunai.

Inside the Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals

"From here on, you can only defend against my attacks..."

Haku said calmly as he looked at Sasuke, who had retreated.

His body then merged into one of the ice crystals. Through carefully chosen angles of reflection, Haku's figure appeared within every crystal.

"Tch, you still pulled it off...

Then, Sharingan..."

Sasuke spat softly at the countless ice crystals, and his eyes instantly turned scarlet.

He had not failed to anticipate this situation and had long prepared for it!

"So this is the Uchiha Sharingan?

A dōjutsu that can see through every trace of an opponent's attacks and defend in advance.

I wonder how you'll defend against my attacks..."

Haku shouted coldly without expression, three Ice Senbon appearing in his hand before shooting out at extreme speed.

Almost at the same time,

every Haku within the ice crystals made the same movement, unleashing false Senbon from all directions with no blind spots.

Mixed between the real and the fake, they were impossible to distinguish...

I see them!!

The moment Haku fired the Senbon, Sasuke's pupils contracted and Chakra erupted beneath his feet as he left his original position.

The next instant,

the spot where he had been standing was blanketed by densely packed Senbon. It had been a close call.

"Not bad...

Then next, I'm going to get serious!"

Haku showed no surprise at the sight of those scarlet One-Tomoe Sharingan. The Sharingan's insight truly was extraordinary.

*Serious??

That wasn't even his top speed just now!!*

Sasuke's pupils shrank at those words, and he immediately tensed up, ready for battle.

Although he had been able to see Haku's movements earlier, they had not been that clear...

The One-Tomoe Sharingan's insight was still lacking!!

"It's begun..."

Haku sneered, and the Senbon in his hand shot out wildly once more...

He rapidly darted through each mirror, launching attacks from every angle like a violent storm.

Sasuke widened his eyes and activated the Sharingan, swiftly leaping and dodging as he began forming Hand Seals.

Endlessly taking hits was not his style...

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

Caught off guard, just as Sasuke was about to complete his Hand Seals, three Senbon still pierced his body.

They also interrupted his Fire Release Ninjutsu!

"Is that really the extent of your speed?

Then I'm sorry, but your existence ends here..."

Looking at Sasuke, who had pulled out the Senbon and was panting heavily, Haku said harshly as he grabbed two more Ice Senbon.

*Damn it, the One-Tomoe Sharingan can no longer fully track every Senbon.

No choice...

It'll consume quite a bit of Chakra, but if I want to break through the blockade alone, this is the only way!

I need to end this quickly...*

Sasuke's eyes flickered as he made his decision. Purple-Blue Chakra Stream erupted around his body...

"Silent Killing Technique!

Impossible! How do you know Lord Zabuza's Silent Killing Technique?!"

The moment he saw that familiar Nintaijutsu, Haku's expression changed drastically and he cried out in shock.

As Zabuza's student and subordinate, how could Haku not recognize it...

At the same time,

Kakashi and Zabuza, who had been fighting outside, both halted in astonishment.

How did Sasuke know the Mist Village's Silent Killing Technique??

"This kind of Ninjutsu that uses Chakra techniques to strengthen the body—I learned it just by practicing on my own...

Today, you'll learn what an Uchiha is!

What a genius is!!"

Sasuke put on a disdainful front, determined to establish his name as a genius in one stroke!

With reward skills like these, there was no way he would not use them...

So there was no need to hide them at all.

It was not as if he had gained them through some shameful means, so what was there to fear?

Was he supposed to play weak and get tortured into a pincushion??

Sorry, but Sasuke had no masochistic tendencies...

A genius needed no reason!!

"So this is a true genius..."

Hearing the confidence in Sasuke's words, Haku could not help muttering to himself, shock filling his eyes.

Kakashi and Zabuza outside felt the same way...

"Then let me see how much faster you can get...

You who have desecrated Lord Zabuza."

Haku's expression changed as a chilling glint flashed in his eyes. His figure rapidly moved through the ice crystals while the Senbon in his hands poured forth furiously...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

In an instant, Senbon even faster than before attacked Sasuke from every direction.

However...

Sasuke's speed was not much slower than Haku's now. With the Sharingan's assistance,

he actually weaved through the gaps in the hail of Senbon without suffering a scratch...

"Using the mirrors' reflections to create attacks where the real and fake cannot be distinguished...

But there is still only one real body making the true attacks!

Sorry, but I've already seen through your Ninjutsu..."

Sasuke said as he quickly moved and dodged behind Haku, his hands rapidly completing Hand Seals.

'Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique...'

In less than an instant, after Haku entered an ice crystal, Sasuke opened his mouth and unleashed a blazing Great Fireball.

The next instant,

the intensely hot Great Fireball struck the ice crystal, and the clash of ice and fire sent steam billowing into the air...

Yet that ice crystal did not melt.

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed!

For now, it seems my ice crystals are sturdier..."

Haku's figure instantly appeared on another ice crystal as he spoke calmly, secretly shocked by Sasuke's reaction speed.

"So what?

The essence of ninja combat is deception!

Who said I was going to use Fire Style to open a gap..."

Sasuke curled his lips into a teasing smile. With a boom, the ice crystal behind him shattered and exploded...

"Explosive Tags!!

When did you..."

Haku's expression changed upon seeing this. He had not expected Sasuke to open a gap this way.

"Heh..."

Sasuke did not intend to give Haku the chance to reform the ice crystals. With a chuckle, he charged toward the opening.

As long as he got outside, Haku would be completely outmatched by the speed of the Silent Killing Technique.

Without the Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals' support, Haku's speed was nowhere near this terrifying!

"Don't think you can escape..."

Haku erupted in urgency at the sight, throwing out Senbon to stop him while also pouring out Chakra to condense more ice crystals.

But against Sasuke's speed, it was completely useless!

He could only watch helplessly as Sasuke successfully broke out...

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Just as the upper half of Sasuke's body broke through the blockade, three Kunai flew toward him in a triangular formation.

This sudden development changed Sasuke's expression. He urgently kicked off the half-formed ice crystal and retreated to dodge.

"Ah...

Why is it Sasuke??

I clearly saw that guy's figure..."

Naruto's startled shout came from outside the Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals...

Making Sasuke's mouth twitch...

After calculating everything, how had he forgotten about Naruto, that careless idiot!!

"Sorry, it seems luck is still on my side..."

Haku said coldly as he took the chance to restore the ice crystals, instantly darkening Sasuke's face...