Something Was Wrong—More Than Wrong

The Sharingan was divided into three levels based on its stage of evolution: the Insight Eye, the Hypnosis Eye, and the Copy Eye.

That was how it was described, but he had never actually seen how the Copy Eye fought in real combat. However, he was about to see it soon enough.

With the Sharingan's support, Hatake Kakashi was actually able to cast the same Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique in sync with Zabuza.

Two enormous water dragons collided in midair, raising towering waves.

"He completed such complicated hand seals in just a few seconds—and copied them perfectly."

Uchiha Sasuke thought in shock.

For the three young ones, a clash between Elite Jonin was already more than shocking enough.

Zabuza was likewise stunned that Hatake Kakashi could release the Water Dragon Bullet Technique at the same time as him.

According to what he knew, the Sharingan should have memorized the opponent's sequence and method of forming hand seals before copying them. There was no way it should have been able to cast the technique simultaneously with him.

This outcome clearly exceeded even his understanding.

Suddenly, another figure appeared on the screen, drawing the attention of Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke outside it.

"This guy..."

No matter what movement Zabuza made, Hatake Kakashi seemed able to mirror it as though he had Mind Reading.

"This guy has completely seen through my movements."

Kakashi could even say what he was thinking. This utterly stunned Zabuza, along with everyone else present.

"Damn it, this guy," Zabuza thought inwardly.

Hatake Kakashi merely said calmly, "Does my gaze look annoying to you?"

He looked as though he had thoroughly seen through Zabuza and had him completely in his grasp.

"Hmph, it's only copying in the end—reheated leftovers. You can't possibly beat me, monkey."

"You can't possibly beat me, monkey."

The moment Zabuza said those words, Hatake Kakashi spoke the exact same words in sync.

This was no longer merely seeing through his thoughts. Even their words were identical.

And in the brief moment Zabuza was stunned, Hatake Kakashi finally completed his hand seals.

"Water Release: Dai Bakusui Shō!"

In an instant, a terrifying torrent surged up from the water's surface and sent Zabuza flying.

"How is this possible? I was the one trying to use ninjutsu, yet I couldn't keep up with his ninjutsu."

Swept up by the Water Release, Zabuza was seriously injured in an instant.

Then he was violently slammed into a tree, and Hatake Kakashi's Shuriken followed close behind, severely wounding him again.

"It's over!"

On a tree branch, Hatake Kakashi let out a breath of relief.

"Why? Can you see the future?"

Zabuza could not help asking the question in his heart.

"Yes. You're going to die."

Just as Hatake Kakashi was about to make his move, several Senbon shot over and struck Zabuza directly.

The masked youth who had appeared earlier once again stepped before everyone.

"Hehe, he really is dead."

Faced with this situation, Hatake Kakashi checked to make sure Zabuza no longer had a pulse before finally relaxing.

Then, under Uzumaki Naruto's questioning, the youth explained his origins. He was actually an Anbu from Kirigakure, specifically sent to hunt down Zabuza.

And due to the agreements between the ninja villages, Hatake Kakashi could only allow him to take Zabuza's body away.

"So strong!"

Seeing the timing of the other party's attack and the speed of his movement, Uchiha Sasuke was impressed. Although Zabuza had been defeated by Hatake Kakashi, there was no denying the youth's strength.

Judging by his voice, he should have been a boy around Sasuke's age. Yet his strength was probably no less than that of an ordinary Jonin.

"Was that guy a genius like that too? At roughly the same age, he was already at the Jonin level." Uchiha Sasuke thought of Uchiha Itachi. That annoying guy seemed to have already been at the Jonin level at this age.

He still remembered that Uchiha Itachi had become an Anbu Squad Leader when he was only one year older than Sasuke was now.

"No, something's off."

Hatake Kakashi immediately sensed that something was wrong. He had been in the Anbu himself and had even served as an Anbu captain, so he understood how the Anbu operated.

Though there were some differences between villages, they were broadly similar.

That person did not seem to have come to kill Zabuza.

Hatake Kakashi only instinctively felt that something was off. That definitely was not Kirigakure's Anbu.

"Well... that was a miscalculation." Hatake Kakashi said, rubbing his forehead.

But had his future self in the footage truly failed to notice, or had he only pretended not to?

By his initial estimate, by the time the battle had reached that point, his chakra should have been nearly depleted.

Those two large-scale ninjutsu had already taken everything he had.

As for the masked youth who had just appeared, judging by his strength, even if he was not yet a match for an ordinary Jonin, he was already very close—at the very least, a Tokubetsu Jonin.

Under those circumstances, he should already have been putting up a strong front despite being weak within. So whether he had noticed something was off about the other party or not, he could only pretend that he had not.

The other party, meanwhile, had been wary of him after he had just defeated Zabuza and did not dare act rashly.

They had barely achieved a balance!

But clearly, this battle would not be the last one against Zabuza. Although he did not know who that old man was, if Zabuza's target was him, then Zabuza definitely would not let the matter rest. That was generally how the ninja profession worked—once they accepted a mission, it was a fight to the death.

They rarely backed down, since it concerned their own reputation. Especially Rogue Ninjas, who had no credibility to begin with. What good could come from people capable of betraying their own villages?

Without a village to vouch for them, such people often acted even more crazily. Once their reputation was ruined, they would truly have no more work.

When Zabuza recovered from his injuries and returned, he probably would not come alone.

He likely had other Rogue Ninjas under him. Generally speaking, after a top-tier Elite Jonin like that became a rogue ninja, other Rogue Ninjas or rogue ninjas who admired his reputation would come to join him, forming a small group.

Very few people truly operated entirely alone, because many things simply could not be done by one person.

When that time came, he would definitely have to face another hard battle. Zabuza would not easily let the matter go, and likewise, he could not simply abandon this mission.

In the end, there would inevitably be another fierce battle.

He just did not know whether he would deal with Zabuza alone, or whether Konoha would later send additional manpower to support him.