Momochi Zabuza

The ship, lacking even a canopy, drifted lazily across the hazy, overcast sea.

When two rows of bridge piers emerged from the mist, the boatman cut the engine he'd retrofitted to the stern and picked up a long oar to row.

"We're lucky to hit foggy weather right away. I waited over half a month to set sail," Tazuna said.

The gateway to the Land of Waves was a series of arched tunnels beneath the main road. The boatman steered the boat toward an opening choked with aquatic plants, just narrow enough for the small vessel to pass.

Team Seven remained on high alert.

If they were to face a volley of arrows or thrown weapons on the open sea, they would have to struggle to protect the boat.

The waves rose and fell as the boat slowly snuck through the bridge arch.

Ahead lay gnarled trees growing out of the water, with wooden walkways built on either side. Beyond that were thatched wooden houses where people lived.

They docked at the walkway, and the group disembarked.

Tazuna let out a long sigh. "Please, come rest at my home."

Naruto, who never cared much about his living environment, was indifferent.

But as Tazuna counted heads, he recalled the available rooms at home and chuckled awkwardly. "It seems I'll have to trouble you two young men to share."

Sasuke's gaze sharpened. "Absolutely not!"

"Fussy," Naruto scoffed, then invited Haruno Sakura, "Sakura, you can sleep with me then."

Haruno Sakura's face flushed, and she repeatedly shook her head.

Naruto walked into the shade of the trees, walking alongside Kakashi. Damn, if only girls' hearts were as easy to understand as strength.

Sasuke gritted his teeth.

The path through the woods was filled with the chirping of birds and insects. Rustling sounds occasionally came from the grass, and Sasuke's eyes darted around constantly.

Naruto had found the enemy before, and he hadn't reacted at all. He still couldn't let go of that.

He was determined to find the next enemy before Naruto!

If he couldn't even keep up with his own teammates, how could he possibly kill his brother, who had become a Chunin at ten and participated in the Uchiha clan massacre at thirteen?

Whoosh!

Sasuke's ear twitched. He threw a shuriken, which flew into the grass.

He rushed forward, only to find a white rabbit with the shuriken impaled through its chest.

"How is this possible? I distinctly heard someone moving."

Kakashi was about to try and soothe Sasuke's overly tense nerves, but upon seeing the white rabbit, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

This was a snow rabbit, whose fur changed color with the seasons, only turning white in winter when there was insufficient sunlight.

Yet, it was currently summer, with the sun blazing high in the sky.

This was clearly an indoor pet.

A ninja was tracking them.

Kakashi remained unfazed and called Sasuke back, urging them to continue on their way.

Whoosh!

A fierce whistling sound cut through the air.

Kakashi: "Get down!"

A black, spinning object, large enough to cover an entire person, hurtled towards Tazuna's head.

A terrifying killing intent shrieked, instantly filling the forest.

Haruno Sakura, who had been guarding Tazuna from behind, froze, staring blankly, unable to move.

Sasuke, only three meters away, was also stunned by the killing intent. His bones and muscles felt heavy as lead, and he trembled, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Hey! What are you two doing! Are you stupid!"

Naruto's voice cracked as he yelled, pushing off the ground and charging forward.

He shoved Tazuna to the left and pulled Haruno Sakura into his arms, tackling them both to the ground.

The spinning object whizzed past Sasuke's face and embedded itself into a thick tree trunk, revealing its full form.

It was a large, exaggeratedly sized sword with a wide blade and a long handle.

And standing with his back to them, having stopped the sword, was a muscular man with a bare upper body.

"To think I'd run into the renowned Copy Ninja, Sharingan Kakashi, here."

The man, who had no eyebrows, revealed a pair of wolf-like eyes. His voice, muffled by the bandages wrapped around his nose and mouth, was low and suppressed. "Forgive me, but I need that old man."

The forest, which had been bathed in bright sunlight a moment ago, was now shrouded in a swirling white mist, making the atmosphere even more sinister.

"Ha! So it's Momochi Zabuza, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"

Kakashi's tone remained nonchalant, his hands still in his pockets, but he took an uncharacteristic two steps forward, positioning himself in front of Team Seven.

Sasuke's mind raced, but his body remained as stiff as if afflicted with ALS. "That's right, it's this feeling."

The feeling of being killed with just a blink of an eye.

He seemed to see that night again, when he pushed open the door and saw blood all over the floor, his brother standing beside their parents' corpses, looking down at him coldly.

The Jonin's killing intent made him feel like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, powerlessness consuming his entire body and mind.

Bang!

Sasuke was kicked to the ground.

"I'm here to save people! And you're just standing there like an idiot!" Naruto's eyes were filled with anger. "You're as cowardly as a turtle. I don't know what you're so arrogant about all day!"

Sasuke's fingers dug into the dirt.

Haruno Sakura's qipao was torn, and her fair knees scraped against the ground, leaving red marks.

She wasn't a timid person, but facing a Jonin's killing intent for the first time, her unprepared psychological defenses shattered instantly.

But she never expected that the genius Sasuke she admired would be the same, while Naruto was completely unaffected.

Momochi Zabuza turned on the hilt of his sword, half-crouching. "I'm glad you know my name, so can you hand over that old man to me?"

Kakashi knew very well that these were just pre-battle threats, and the fight was unavoidable regardless.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard Naruto shout from behind him, "Hand over your mother's head!"

"That's right!" Kakashi smiled.

"You guys protect the client. He," Kakashi pointed at Zabuza, "is mine."

Zabuza seemed to have expected this, his eyes indifferent. "Kakashi, it looks like I have to defeat you first."

With that, he raised his index and middle fingers in front of him, and instantly disappeared with his sword into the tree trunk.

Pfft!

The surface of the lake at the edge of the forest rippled as Zabuza stepped onto the water, as if walking on land.

"Ninjutsu! Mist Technique!"

Mist rose from the water, filling the forest, gradually becoming so thick that people and animals were indistinguishable ten meters away.

Kakashi didn't hesitate. He pulled up his forehead protector and tore off his mask, revealing a scar that ran from his eyebrow down his left cheek.

His eyelids opened, and a pair of blood-red eyes with three black tomoe swirling within them slowly rotated.

At this moment, the same voice came from all directions.

"Eight vital points! Throat, spine, lungs, heart..."

Fear once again gripped their hearts.

Sasuke couldn't stand it. He mustered all his strength, drew his Kunai, and fiercely stabbed it into his own thigh.

Blood soaked through his shorts and flowed into the straps on his calves.

The pain stimulated his nerves, bringing him back to his senses, and he could finally move freely.

Haruno Sakura bit her lower lip, her heart aching.

Naruto merely glanced at him, continuing to scan their surroundings.

The mist was infused with a large amount of Chakra, making the entire world feel like killing intent, so even he couldn't tell where Momochi Zabuza was hiding.

At this time, he had to use combat wisdom and put himself in the enemy's shoes.

If he were Zabuza, how would he attack for the first time, and who would he attack?

Undoubtedly, the best target was Tazuna; one strike would achieve the goal.

But with a single target, Kakashi would definitely have defenses prepared. In fact, having them protect the client was itself a misdirection.

Therefore, he would kill the brats to force Kakashi to give up.

His beast-like combat intuition drove Naruto to move. Even though he hadn't discovered anything, he immediately blocked Sasuke's path.

"Twenty Thousand Volts power! Hell Sword!"

A black shadow burst out of the mist. A two-meter-long, broad-bladed sword, wielded by a pale arm, thrust out silently.

It collided with Naruto's sword-like fingers, shaking the mist-filled space.

At the same time, Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, who was crouched and thrusting his sword, his Kunai aimed directly at his heart.