With Hinata attacking and Sasuke supporting her, the two of them were temporarily out of danger.
The drunk old man was worried to see them at a disadvantage.
"Don't worry. Kakashi is letting us get some training in, so he deliberately let himself get trapped. You can trust me to handle things. If I hadn't wanted him to spar with my teammate, he'd already be dead."
Naruto's voice sounded beside the old man's ear.
The old man glanced at Naruto in surprise, then relaxed.
Sasuke and Hinata still couldn't beat their opponent together. Zabuza's combat experience was beyond anything the two of them could match. Yet whenever he tried to finish them off, a strange aura would lock onto his body, making him stiffen for a moment and leaving him open.
"Who is it? Could it be Kakashi? No, that's impossible." Zabuza glanced at Kakashi, still trapped in the water prison, and dismissed the idea. That left only the impossible answer. He looked toward Naruto and saw him watching with an expressionless face.
Let's test it.
Zabuza spotted another opening and went for the kill against Hinata. Just then, a cold, eerie presence locked onto him. The chakra inside his body stalled for a moment. Zabuza kept his attention on Naruto.
This time, he clearly saw Naruto's eyes suddenly turn red.
There's something wrong with that kid. Zabuza had never seen that kind of chakra with his own eyes, but he could guess what it was: a Tailed Beast.
"He's a Jinchūriki? What is Konoha thinking, letting a Jinchūriki run around freely?" Zabuza was shocked. In every village, Jinchūriki were living nuclear weapons. Anyone with half a brain would keep one from wandering around, especially when they were still young and weak.
"As expected of a Jonin. You figured it out so quickly." Naruto was a little surprised.
"Die, brat." Whoever the boy was, it didn't matter.
Zabuza charged straight toward Naruto.
The old man was startled. He'd been watching the fight just fine—why was Zabuza suddenly charging toward them?
Sasuke and Hinata immediately grew worried. They weren't worried about Naruto, but about the client. If he died, their mission would fail.
Body Flicker Technique. Naruto didn't bother with words. He vanished in an instant and reappeared right in front of Zabuza.
So fast!
Zabuza's pupils contracted. He couldn't believe his opponent was this strong. A chill ran through him.
Substitution Technique.
Naruto's punch landed, pulverizing the wooden log that appeared in his place.
The force of the punch sent Zabuza flying backward.
What kind of monster is this? Zabuza was stunned. It was the first time he'd seen someone create the force of a C-rank jutsu with a punch alone.
The old man behind him gaped.
Wouldn't it be better to just be a good sparring partner? Naruto's voice sounded in Zabuza's ear. No one else heard it.
"Brat, what do you take me for? I'm Demon Zabuza, a Mist Jonin!" Zabuza shouted.
Kakashi and the others were confused. They didn't understand why he'd suddenly gotten angry.
Naruto looked at him with disdain.
Tempest Kick: Circumference Sever! A massive blade of wind shot out. Zabuza vanished just in time.
The wind blade swept past, and the huge tree behind him toppled.
"He got away." Naruto frowned.
Kakashi's Shadow Clone vanished, freeing him.
After sensing the area, Naruto couldn't help frowning.
"Haku isn't nearby."
Naruto's goal this time had been to get the Ice Release. But it seemed the world was working against him: Haku hadn't appeared, and Zabuza wasn't as weak as he'd seemed in the anime—or perhaps Kakashi had been holding back.
Naruto looked at Kakashi.
"All right, let's get back to the mission."
They found a small boat, and Naruto and the others finally arrived in the Land of Waves.
When they returned to the old man's house, things were just like in the original story: Naruto and the others weren't welcome. Ordinary people had never seen a ninja in action, so they had no idea how terrifying one could be.
Naruto understood how helpless ordinary people were. He didn't hold it against them and went straight out to get food. He couldn't stomach eating in a household as poor as this one.
Seeing Naruto leave, Hinata hurried after him. Sasuke followed too.
"Lord Zabuza, are you all right?" Deep in the woods, Haku looked at Zabuza with concern.
Damn that Jinchūriki brat. Zabuza was furious. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew he'd been afraid in that moment.
"I'm fine. Don't worry." He offered a brief explanation.
"Should we still go after them, Lord Zabuza?" Haku hadn't been there to fight, but after seeing Zabuza in this state, he didn't believe they could beat the other side. Still, if Lord Zabuza needed him to, he was willing to give his life.
"Not yet. Our mission is to destroy the bridge. Let's wait." Zabuza shook his head. It wasn't time to make a move.
As for Naruto, he was an expert at catching fish. And since they were by the sea, he simply dove underwater and caught several deep-sea fish.
After they ate, they all began training without being told.
Kakashi came over to Naruto.
"Naruto, you don't know any ninjutsu?" Kakashi asked curiously.
"No." Naruto answered calmly.
"I'll teach you." After a moment's thought, Kakashi took out a piece of Chakra Paper. He explained how it worked, then had Naruto try it so he could determine his nature affinities and teach him a few useful jutsu.
The others were curious about Naruto's affinities too. Hinata and Sasuke came over. Sasuke had already tried it and had a Lightning Release affinity.
With everyone watching, Naruto's chakra showed affinities for Lightning, Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water.
"All five?" They were all astonished.
Kakashi had all five affinities too, but he'd acquired them through training later in life. That was different from Naruto, who'd been born with them.
Seeing Naruto had all five affinities, Sasuke couldn't help feeling envious.
Because of the Third Hokage's reputation, people believed he was the strongest Hokage in history. His signature talent was combining jutsu, and the Hokage had all five affinities, so everyone longed to have them too.
"You've got all five affinities!" Sasuke said enviously. Most ninja had short life spans. If they discovered they had all five affinities as children, they could start training then. But even as adults, when they had the ability to train in other natures, they wouldn't do it—it took too much time. Most of a ninja's life was spent fighting. Everyone understood which was stronger: being good at a little of everything, or mastering one thing. But they simply didn't have the time.
"So that means I can learn any other jutsu too?" Naruto looked at Kakashi curiously.
"That's right. Naruto, what jutsu do you want to learn?" Kakashi asked.
What he didn't know was that Naruto had already begun studying jutsu. He just hadn't had the chance to use them because of his circumstances. Besides, Naruto found it too troublesome to form Hand Seals before a fight. With his speed, no one could form seals in front of him—unless they were someone as powerful as Madara Uchiha.