Haku's Appearance

"Naruto!" Kakashi's voice came through the Water Prison, carrying a trace of urgency. "Take Sasuke and Sakura and retreat! I'll figure something out here!"

Although Naruto had acted in time to save Sasuke, Kakashi knew full well that Momochi Zabuza had yet to use his full strength. If they continued fighting, they might all lose their lives here.

Just then, Naruto's confident, resolute voice reached Kakashi's ears directly.

He turned around, his gaze meeting Kakashi's, and a confident smile curled at his lips. "Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. I'm invincible."

Naruto's words carried an unquestionable force, as though he truly could solve every problem.

Watching Naruto's utterly confident appearance, Kakashi's vision blurred slightly. In that moment, he seemed to see his own teacher, Minato Namikaze. Has Naruto been hiding his true abilities all along? He must have been! Those teleportation-like movements are exactly the same as the Flying Thunder God. A Flying Thunder God without a technique... could this be the backup plan you left behind, Sensei?

Tazuna had once found Naruto rather unreliable, but now, as he looked at Naruto's back, his heart was filled with emotion. He had never expected Naruto to reveal such a dependable side at such a critical moment.

Sasuke stood nearby, looking at Naruto with a complicated expression. There was both reluctance and resentment in his heart. He knew that his longtime rival had already surpassed him in certain respects.

But Sasuke refused to concede defeat. He gripped the kunai in his hand tightly and stepped to Naruto's side, ready to fight alongside him.

Sakura, meanwhile, looked at Naruto with a faint blush. She felt that Naruto seemed much more handsome right now, and an indescribable sense of embarrassment welled up within her.

A cold smile curled at Momochi Zabuza's lips, his eyes filled with mockery for Naruto's arrogant attitude.

"Invincible? Do you think being fast is enough to determine victory or defeat?" Momochi Zabuza's voice echoed across the battlefield. "If you're trapped in a cage, what can you do then, Naruto Uzumaki?"

With that, Momochi Zabuza suddenly raised his voice and shouted in a certain direction, "Haku, come out!"

Following his call, a beautiful young man with feminine features appeared like a ghost from a concealed corner. It was Haku.

The moment Haku appeared, he immediately revealed his Kekkei Genkai—Ice Release Ninjutsu.

Haku's hands rapidly formed seals, and a bone-chilling cold instantly spread outward, surrounding Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke and threw him into a safe area.

Just then, ice crystals condensed within the mist at an astonishing speed, forming Ice Mirrors. The Ice Mirrors formed a massive Ice Prison, trapping Naruto inside.

"Naruto!" Sasuke's shout carried barely concealed urgency and worry. In an instant, his eyes turned blood-red as his Sharingan awakened.

Kakashi's expression froze as he stared in disbelief at the Ice Release Ninjutsu Haku had used. As an experienced ninja, Kakashi immediately realized something.

"Th-this is a Kekkei Genkai!" Kakashi's voice trembled slightly as he quickly scanned the battlefield, searching for a way to break the Ice Release Ninjutsu. However, he himself was trapped in Momochi Zabuza's Water Prison and could do nothing at all.

A powerful sense of worry rose within him. Although Naruto had displayed considerable strength, relying solely on that teleportation-like speed against Haku's Ice Release Ninjutsu was like being trapped in a cage. No matter how fast he was, it would be useless.

Haku lightly leaped into the world of Ice Mirrors formed by his own Ice Release Ninjutsu. This space resembled a maze made of countless mirrors, each one reflecting Haku's figure and creating a bewildering illusion.

Naruto was trapped alone amid the surrounding Ice Mirrors. Endless cold mirror surfaces stretched around him, and within every mirror stood an identical Haku. Their movements, expressions, and even their gazes were astonishingly identical, like shadows projected from different dimensions.

Suddenly, every reflected Haku moved. Their motions were perfectly synchronized, as though precisely calculated, and they simultaneously hurled slender Ice Needles from their respective mirrors at Gojo Satoru.

The Ice Needles wove together in midair into an impenetrable net, carrying a piercing chill as they shot straight toward Naruto.

Naruto stood at the center of the Ice Mirror world, his expression unchanged as he faced the Ice Needles coming from the countless mirrors around him.

Every Ice Needle thrown by Haku gleamed with cold light, sharp enough to pierce steel.

Yet when they approached Naruto, it was as though they had been caught in an invisible swamp. Their speed slowed drastically until they nearly came to a halt in midair, only a few centimeters from Naruto's body, unable to advance even an inch further.

This was the effect of the Infinity Technique. The closer something came to Naruto, the slower it became, as though it had stopped completely. In this state, no attack could strike Naruto.