Uzumaki Naruto Defies Everyone's Expectations

Faced with an extremely unfavorable situation, Zabuza showed no fear at all. He had already analyzed Hatake Kakashi's strategy; even that body was a Water Clone Technique.

In an instant, he appeared behind Hatake Kakashi and kicked him into the water.

When Hatake Kakashi tried to climb out of the water, Zabuza trapped him with the Water Prison Technique.

"This is a special prison that cannot be broken. If you could move, it would be difficult for me to make a move." Zabuza sneered.

In this clash between Jonin, he had caught Hatake Kakashi off guard and restrained him.

Zabuza then used the Water Clone Technique and headed toward the three children.

"You're so full of yourselves. You think putting on a ninja headband makes you ninja?"

"But real ninja are those who have experienced life and death many times."

"In other words, only those written in my handbook can be called ninja."

"Trash like you don't deserve to be called ninja."

"You're just a bunch of brats."

Zabuza spewed insults without holding back, not taking these Genin seriously at all. Even if it was only a Water Clone, it was more than enough to deal with a group of Genin.

Trapped inside the water prison, Hatake Kakashi hurriedly shouted for everyone to take Tazuna and run.

"You three, take Mr. Tazuna and escape! You have no chance of winning against him. As long as I'm trapped in this water prison, that guy can't leave. A Water Clone probably can't function once it gets too far from its original body. Just hurry and run while you can!"

Yet at this critical moment, Uchiha Sasuke, who had been scared to death just moments ago, merely said coldly, "Run? Are you kidding me? The moment you were captured, that stopped being an option."

"Even if we escape now, without you, Zabuza will kill us sooner or later. We'll be wiped out."

At the crucial moment, Uchiha Sasuke made a calm analysis.

"That's right!"

Outside the scene, Hatake Kakashi watched Uchiha Sasuke's judgment and could not help nodding. The actual situation was indeed exactly as Uchiha Sasuke had analyzed. If his on-screen self was killed, then against a Jonin, Genin like them would have no chance at all. Even splitting up and fleeing would be useless.

The gap in speed was far too great.

The only way was to rescue him.

But how were they supposed to do that?

Because he had watched Kitahara Kaede's earlier videos, Hatake Kakashi knew very well that he should have won this battle against Zabuza.

In other words, the Water Prison Technique had ultimately failed to trap him. But the question was, how had they won?

Because he knew he would win, Hatake Kakashi was not nervous in the slightest. Instead, he had the leisure to think about many other things.

Uchiha Sasuke had performed well. He truly was of the Uchiha Clan's bloodline, that person's younger brother.

In contrast, both Uzumaki Naruto and the other girl whose name was still unknown had been far inferior.

On-screen, Uchiha Sasuke attacked Zabuza's Water Clone with the determination to fight to the death, only to be sent flying with ease.

Uzumaki Naruto could only keep trembling in fear, wanting nothing more than to turn around and run away. It was instinct.

For the first time in his life, he was truly facing a Jonin-level expert who radiated such terrifying killing intent toward him.

"I-I'll really die."

Yet just as Uzumaki Naruto was about to run, he touched the wound on his left hand and remembered how he had sworn through the pain in that hand that he would never let others save him again, nor would he ever be discouraged or run away.

Having finally understood that, Uzumaki Naruto charged forward, only to be brutally sent flying by Zabuza again.

But to everyone's surprise, he had done it to retrieve his headband. Facing a powerful Elite Jonin, he had not given up. Instead, he had regained the courage of a ninja.

"Hey, you eyebrowless bastard, add another entry to that handbook you carry around. The man who will one day become the Hokage of Konoha, Konoha Ninja Uzumaki Naruto!"

Uzumaki Naruto put his headband back on, and his words stunned everyone.

"Heh, that personality takes after Master's Wife more than his teacher."

Outside the scene, Hatake Kakashi could not help laughing when he saw this. He really was an unexpectedly remarkable ninja.

It seemed this team was quite good after all. Two out of the three were promising seedlings, daring to make a move when facing a Jonin-level expert for the first time.

Lack of ability could be improved through training, but someone born without courage could never become a powerful ninja.

Thinking of this, he could not help laughing again.

"That Dead Last..."

Uchiha Sasuke watched as Uzumaki Naruto used only a few words to reinvigorate the atmosphere on-screen, and he had to admit that Uzumaki Naruto had shocked him.

Then, on-screen, Uzumaki Naruto actually called Uchiha Sasuke over and came up with a tactic.

Under such dangerous circumstances, his reliability exceeded everyone's expectations. Before this, whether it was Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura, or Tazuna, they had all thought Naruto was unreliable. Yet now, the least reliable person had managed to think of a tactic in such a critical situation.

Faced with this, Zabuza merely kept sneering. "How long are you going to keep playing ninja games?"

"When I was your age, my hands were already stained with blood."

"Demon Zabuza!" Hatake Kakashi stared fixedly at Zabuza and said.

"Oh? Looks like you've heard of me too." Zabuza said.

Only then did everyone learn from Hatake Kakashi's words that, in the old days of Kirigakure, graduating from the Ninja Academy required completing a special graduation exam.

The content of that graduation exam was to kill a close companion, and only the survivor could become a Genin.

This brutal method of assessment frightened the children from Konoha, who had grown up in a greenhouse, including even the Uchiha Sasuke outside the scene.

What kind of savage ninja village was this? It was so terrifying, utterly devoid of humanity.

Even more terrifying was that Zabuza had killed everyone in his year, forcing Kirigakure to change its Bloody Mist policy.

A Demon who had emerged from such an environment naturally would not take Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, flowers raised in a greenhouse, seriously. He believed they were merely playing at ninja games.

With a casual strike, he effortlessly stomped Uchiha Sasuke beneath his feet.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

At the critical moment, Uzumaki Naruto unleashed his ultimate move, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.