Fierce Battle

Zabuza and Haku launched their actions simultaneously.

While Haku was conversing with Kakashi, Zabuza had already crept near Tazuna, but Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had long since surrounded Tazuna, remaining on high alert.

"So, I was guessed correctly."

Zabuza gazed from afar at the blurred figures within the mist, full of confidence: "But today's fog will not be blown away so easily."

Using the thick fog as cover, Zabuza approached silently and thrust his kunai toward Naruto's neck.

"Although his chakra and physical stamina are astonishing, he is ultimately just a genin; his practical combat experience is far too lacking."

Zabuza's hand was steady, and his presence did not fluctuate in the slightest: "Die."

Then, he was dodged.

Naruto suddenly shifted sideways, moving out of the kunai's attack trajectory, lowered his center of gravity, and simultaneously grabbed Zabuza's wrist with his right hand, pushing it upward.

"?!"

Zabuza immediately realized he had been discovered long ago. He exerted force with his right hand, pulling back hard, while his left hand struck toward Naruto's neck and his left foot kicked toward Naruto's crotch.

Naruto clamped his knees inward to block the kick, met Zabuza's left hand with his own left, and grabbed it: "Now!"

Sasuke and Sakura appeared behind Zabuza simultaneously, thrusting their kunai; the former aimed for the heart, while the latter aimed only for the shoulder.

It was a hit.

Naruto warned in time: "Don't let your guard down, this is a Water Clone."

The pierced Zabuza distorted, faded, and transformed into a puddle of water.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura once again surrounded Tazuna, setting up their formation.

"Strength, chakra, and even sensory abilities are all quite strong."

Another Zabuza approached from the thick fog, staring at Naruto with a slightly grave expression: "With your level of strength, you are actually just a genin in Konoha?"

"Perhaps I just happened to notice you by chance; if we go again, you might finish me off."

Naruto remained expressionless, speaking with ambiguity: "Your companion should have already been discovered by Kakashi-sensei. Hurry up and do something, otherwise, you'll have to flee in a panic again."

"It is you lot who should be fleeing for your lives."

Zabuza quickly formed hand seals: "Haku is strong. Before I finish you off, Kakashi won't even be able to get over here—Hidden Mist Technique."

The already dense fog reached a point where one could not see their own fingers in the blink of an eye. Sasuke glared with his Sharingan, yet he could not find a trace of Zabuza.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Naruto created over twenty shadow clones, forming a circle, and repeated his previous tactic: "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The thick fog was blown toward the distance by the strong wind, but as soon as the surrounding mist was cleared, a massive amount of fog surged in from below and above, keeping the surrounding mist at a high density with extremely low visibility.

"There was already heavy fog today, and with the mist from the Hidden Mist Technique, I can't blow it away just by using Wind Release with my own chakra."

Realizing this, Naruto decisively stopped wasting his chakra.

"Can't blow it away, huh."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, remaining vigilant: "Should we try adding my Fire Release?"

"No need to waste chakra."

Naruto said: "Most of this fog is naturally occurring. Even if we combine our jutsu, we can only temporarily eliminate a portion of it. Besides, Zabuza will definitely launch a sneak attack while we are casting. Prioritize protecting Mr. Tazuna. Once Kakashi-sensei finishes off Zabuza's companion, the situation will tilt in our favor."

Sakura: "What if Zabuza takes advantage of us not daring to move to attack Kakashi-sensei?"

Naruto thought for a moment and said: "Then I will go to support Kakashi-sensei alone, and you two will be responsible for protecting Mr. Tazuna."

"I must finish off this troublesome brat first. Tsk, I wanted to save a little chakra to deal with that Copy Ninja."

Zabuza felt secretly annoyed. He performed ninjutsu in succession, and three Water Clones bypassed the perimeter of Naruto's shadow clones, rushing toward the trio.

Unsurprisingly, the Water Clones were easily dispersed by the three, but this time, the water forming the clones did not scatter. Instead, it wrapped around each of the three, turning into three large spheres of water—Water Release: Water Prison Technique.

Immediately following, the dispersed Water Clones reformed, placing their hands into the water spheres to maintain the Water Prison Technique in place of Zabuza's main body.

Naruto's shadow clones rushed to defend. Some began forming seals, intending to use Wind Release to destroy the water prisons directly; some drew kunai, intending to finish off the Water Clones so the prisons could not be maintained; the remaining shadow clones immediately protected Tazuna.

"Heh, they are just brats after all, lacking experience."

Zabuza chuckled in his heart and unleashed his final ninjutsu: "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

The seawater from beneath the bridge surged upward, and under the dual effects of chakra and gravity, it crashed down violently, covering all targets.

"Ha, ha..."

The massive consumption of chakra left Zabuza panting, but watching the Great Waterfall Technique continue to crash down, he felt quite pleased: "Even if that monster brat and his companions manage to survive, the old man building the bridge is definitely dead!"

When Zabuza began his attack, Haku and Kakashi also began their battle.

Haku was clear about his own level; he certainly could not outmatch Kakashi in close-quarters combat, so he used ninjutsu from the very beginning.

Regarding this, Kakashi did not choose to rush in immediately to interrupt, but instead subconsciously attempted to copy it with his Sharingan.

"Just as Zabuza-sama anticipated."

Haku thought silently, He should realize something is wrong soon, but it will be too late.

Kakashi did indeed realize something was wrong immediately, for although his hands were following the hand seals, the chakra within his body remained unmoved: "This sensation... a Kekkei Genkai!?"

Haku shouted the name of the technique right after, confirming Kakashi's suspicion: "Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals."

Ice crystals condensed into square ice mirrors, wrapping Kakashi within them, and Haku's figure appeared in every single mirror.

"Ice Release..."

Kakashi's tone turned grave: "The intelligence released by the Hidden Mist regarding Zabuza made no mention of you. You must have met him only after he defected."

"No, I was with Zabuza-san even when he was still in the Hidden Mist."

Haku did not enjoy fighting, and the task Zabuza had given him was merely to stall Kakashi, so he did not mind chatting a little longer to help buy Zabuza more time: "But I am not a ninja of the Hidden Mist. Before I met Zabuza-sama, this power was nothing but a curse to me."

"Whether it is you or Zabuza, you could clearly use your own power to do something more meaningful. Why must you associate with someone like Gato?"

Kakashi felt puzzled by this, and even more so, regretful: "Too many innocent people in this country have already died because of you. This is not what a ninja should be doing."

"I am Zabuza-sama's tool."

Haku did not waver in the slightest: "No matter what happens, I will fight for Zabuza-sama. That was true in the past, and it will be the same in the future."

"That is truly, a great pity."

A murderous intent seeped into Kakashi's tone: "You must die here."

Haku's figure darted out from an ice mirror, moving with extreme speed toward another. During the movement, Haku threw the senbon in his hand toward Kakashi.

"So fast."

Only the Sharingan in Kakashi's left eye could track Haku's figure. Amidst his exclamation, he had already thought of a countermeasure—using Earth Release to escape the encirclement of the ice mirrors from underground.

The senbon pinned into the ground, and Kakashi had already emerged from the earth outside the ice mirrors, his hands forming seals rapidly before pressing them to the ground: "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A wall bearing a dog-head relief rose from the ground within the area enclosed by the ice mirrors, forcibly shattering one of them. At the same time, the earthen wall blocked the refraction of light, severing the path Haku used to move rapidly through the mirrors and forcing him to temporarily dispel his ninjutsu and emerge from the ice.

Taking advantage of this opening, Kakashi swiftly slipped behind Haku, holding a kunai as he thrust it toward his heart...