A Difficult Art

Sensing the attack from behind, Haku remained calm, forming hand seals with one hand to cast a ninjutsu: "Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome."

The thick, solid ice transformed into a shield, blocking the kunai.

"So hard!"

Kakashi had used a great deal of force, yet the ice surface did not even show a scratch, and his arm was left numb from the recoil.

Haku continued to weave seals: "Water Release: Thousand Flying Water Needles."

With Haku as the center, a massive amount of water droplets condensed in the surrounding air, transforming into the shape of senbon a moment later. Hundreds of "water senbon" completely surrounded Kakashi.

Although they were made of water, they were reinforced with chakra, and their lethality was no less than that of ordinary senbon.

Kakashi was forced to use Earth Release once again for defense: "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall."

This time, Kakashi adjusted the earth wall into a hemispherical shape, covering his body.

Of course, it still featured the dog heads.

Just as Kakashi used the cover of the earth wall to think about how to deal with Haku, the surrounding temperature plummeted rapidly, and the ground beneath his feet began to freeze.

Kakashi immediately dispelled the Earth-Style Wall and pulled back to gain distance before he could be frozen in place.

Within the vision of his Sharingan, the chakra inside Haku was rapidly depleting: "Using ninjutsu so frequently, how much longer can your chakra hold out?"

"Before my chakra runs dry,"

Haku's tone remained calm: "You won't be able to interfere with Zabuza."

Kakashi felt a bit conflicted, as he still hadn't managed to gauge the full extent of Naruto's strength: "I wonder how long Zabuza can last against Naruto."

The Great Waterfall Technique had finally concluded.

Zabuza steadied his nerves, observing carefully: "That monster brat surely wouldn't die so easily, but his shadow clones should have been able to take out a few."

The impact of the Great Waterfall Technique had failed to disperse the mist; on the spacious bridge, only the marks left by the ninjutsu's impact remained.

Zabuza couldn't help but frown: "Could they have been washed into the sea?"

Unable to be certain, he created a Water Clone to go over and confirm the situation.

There was no one in the vicinity, nor were there any other traces to be found.

"Something's not right!"

Zabuza's vigilance reached its peak: "That monster brat couldn't have just disappeared like this. Where did he go?"

"Are you looking for me?"

The voice of that monster brat!

Zabuza felt the hair on his body stand on end—he hadn't sensed how the other party had appeared at all.

He turned around, assuming a defensive stance, prepared to endure an attack.

But the anticipated attack did not come; the monster brat simply stood not far away, making no move to close the distance.

"Kakashi-sensei said you are a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist, but I don't see any scratches on your forehead protector."

Naruto's voice carried through the mist: "Did you really betray your own village?"

Zabuza didn't understand why Naruto would ask these things, so he remained vigilant, silently recovering his stamina and refining chakra bit by bit.

"Don't want to talk about it? Fair enough, we are still in the middle of a fight, after all."

Naruto tightened his forehead protector, his tone very serious: "I want to change the Ninja World, so I will defeat you, but I won't take your life."

Zabuza desperately wanted to roar, "Who do you think you're looking down on, you brat," but he couldn't; the powerful pressure felt like a mountain, making it hard for him to even breathe.

Naruto: "I'm coming in."

Zabuza braced himself with every ounce of his focus, though he really wanted to scream: Don't come over here!

Suddenly, Naruto vanished from Zabuza's perception, just as he had suddenly appeared before.

Then came the impact, appearing without warning, striking from below and hitting him squarely on the chin.

Zabuza didn't even have time to form a thought before he lost consciousness, lying on the ground like a frozen squid, motionless.

Naruto crouched down and touched the chakra seal he had left on the ground: "Dad's Flying Thunder God Technique is really useful."

No sooner had he finished speaking than his father's voice echoed from within the Sealing Space: [Hold on, Naruto, the Flying Thunder God Technique is a jutsu created by the Second Hokage, not me.]

"Eh~ I thought you were the one who created it, Dad."

[Creating ninjutsu isn't such a simple matter. Back then, it took me a full three years just to develop the A-rank Rasengan. The Flying Thunder God Technique is a much higher-difficulty S-rank jutsu, and it's a space-time ninjutsu; if I had to develop it from scratch, it would take at least ten or even twenty years, and it's more likely I'd never finish it in a lifetime.]

"So, that means the Second Hokage is very impressive?"

[Of course! Although the Second Hokage's strength couldn't compare to the First Hokage, when it comes to developing ninjutsu, perhaps only the ancestor of all ninjas, the Sage of Six Paths, could surpass him.]

"But, Dad, I don't think I've seen many jutsus developed by the Second Hokage."

[That's because most of the ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage were classified as forbidden jutsus. For instance, the Multi Shadow Clone Technique you've mastered is an A-rank ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage, and it is also a forbidden jutsu.]

"Speaking of which, why is the Multi Shadow Clone Technique a forbidden jutsu?"

[You might not feel it clearly, but the chakra consumption of the Multi Shadow Clone Technique is actually immense. If a ninja without sufficient chakra reserves forces its use, they could very well die from chakra exhaustion. Furthermore, the mental fatigue that accumulates when a large number of shadow clones disperse can also be dangerous. If Master hadn't thoroughly tempered your mind as well, even with your vast chakra reserves, your mother and I would never have agreed to let you use the Multi Shadow Clone Technique for training.]

"I see... Could the Flying Thunder God Technique be a forbidden jutsu too? I feel like I've never heard anyone in the village mention it, nor have I ever seen anyone use it."

[That's not the case. Although the Flying Thunder God Technique is an S-rank ninjutsu, the technique itself carries no inherent danger. The reason no one uses it is simply because it is incredibly difficult to master.]

"Huh? Is the Flying Thunder God Technique that hard?"

[It is. After the Second Hokage developed the Flying Thunder God Technique, many in the village attempted to learn it, including the Third Hokage. But in the end, I am the only one who succeeded and could use it proficiently.]

"Ha, now you have to add me to that list!"

[You are indeed exceptional, but you have Master to thank for being able to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. If Master hadn't ensured your foundations were rock-solid, you might not even be able to perform the Rasengan right now.]

"If Kurama hadn't intentionally interfered with my chakra, that shouldn't have been the case."

[Don't drag me into this. I didn't intentionally interfere with your chakra back then; I was just using my chakra to strike the seal as part of my daily routine.]

"That behavior is exactly what's called intentional interference."

[Tsk!]

"Hey, hey, Kurama, with that attitude, aren't you afraid of what Master might do to you?"

[Sh-shut up! I don't need you worrying about me!]

"Don't be like that; if Master gets angry, I'll apologize right along with you."

[Enough talk! And stop dawdling—deal with this Zabuza fellow; there's a group of malicious people gathering over there.]

"It must be Gato. But the people he hired seem to be samurai, not ninjas, so they pose no threat to us. Things should be about the same on Kakashi's side; let's go ask for his opinion."

Naruto pulled out two Sealing Scrolls, unfurled them to use as ropes, hoisted Zabuza up, and walked toward Kakashi.

Meanwhile, at Tazuna's house, Sasuke and Sakura stood like a pair of gate guardians, watching the entrance.

Sakura looked toward the bridge with some concern: "I wonder how Naruto and Kakashi are doing."

"They won't lose."

Sasuke said with certainty: "Naruto can use the Flying Thunder God Technique; even if something unexpected happens, he and Kakashi can evacuate in time. All we need to do is hold this position and wait for them to return."