No, You Weren't Imagining It

"Don't worry, old man! We'll protect you and make sure you get that bridge built!" Naruto promised loudly.

Sasuke remained silent, but his hand quietly closed around the ninja tool pouch at his waist. Protecting the client and completing the mission were a ninja's duty. More importantly, fighting a stronger enemy was the best way to test his own strength.

Ling Xuan didn't join the conversation. His Eye of Truth was analyzing the dense fog before them in a way no one else could understand.

[Environmental scan: Abnormal fog composition. The water molecules contain chakra particles at a higher-than-normal density, with an affinity for Water Release. This fog not only impairs vision but also interferes with conventional chakra sensing.]

[Inference: This is not entirely a natural phenomenon. High-level Water Release ninjas have been active in the Land of Waves for years, and their chakra has affected the local environment.]

At last, the boat reached shore. The group stepped onto the Land of Waves, and a bleak, oppressive atmosphere washed over them.

The streets were deserted. Most of the shops on either side were shuttered, and the few passersby looked gaunt and sickly, their eyes filled with numbness and fear.

When they saw Tazuna and the ninjas behind him, they avoided them from a distance as if they were plague-ridden.

This country was sick—sick to its very core.

"Come on. My house is just ahead." Tazuna tugged at the straw hat on his head and led them deeper into the village.

The team made their way along a quiet path through the woods. It was unnaturally still; they couldn't hear even the chirping of insects or birds.

"Ah!" Naruto suddenly cried out, whipping out a kunai and hurling it into the bushes beside them.

"Someone's there!" he shouted nervously.

A startled rabbit leaped out of the bushes and darted away.

"Naruto! You idiot! Stop scaring yourself!" Sakura yelled at him in frustration.

Kakashi walked over helplessly and checked the bushes. "Naruto, calm down. I know you're all nervous, but overreacting will only waste your energy and wear you out."

"But... I really feel like someone's watching us..." Naruto protested miserably.

"No, you weren't imagining it," said a calm voice.

It was Ling Xuan.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Ling Xuan was gazing into the woods behind the group, to the left. His expression hadn't changed, but Kakashi and Sasuke, who knew him well, could sense an unprecedented wariness about him.

"Someone's been following us ever since we came ashore. Their chakra is powerful," Ling Xuan said slowly. "They're cautious and have stayed at the edge of my sensing range, but their killing intent has grown so intense that it's already affecting the creatures around us."

Kakashi's eyes sharpened at once. He knew Ling Xuan's sensing abilities were extraordinary, but he hadn't realized they were this precise. In fact, he had sensed the presence long ago too. He just hadn't expected their opponent to make a move so soon.

"Everyone, stay alert!" Kakashi said in a low voice. He slowly raised his left hand to his Forehead Protector.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a sharp whistle cut through the air!

Whoosh!

A gigantic executioner's blade came spinning toward them, carrying the force of a blow that could cut through anything. It slammed into a tree in front of them, the blade humming as it quivered.

Then, without a sound, a figure appeared atop the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō.

He was a tall man with bandages wrapped around his face, leaving only a pair of cold, cruel eyes visible. His upper body was bare, and he wore camouflage-patterned pants. Bandages were wrapped around his neck and arms as well.

Most striking of all was the Kirigakure Forehead Protector on his brow, marked with a slash—the sign of a missing-nin.

A cold, blood-soaked killing intent, as if it had risen from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, instantly engulfed the entire area.

Naruto's breath caught. His legs felt as heavy as lead, and he couldn't move. Sakura had gone deathly pale and looked ready to faint. Even Sasuke, always so proud, felt a tremor deep in his soul before that terrifying killing intent.

This wasn't a Chunin.

This was... a monster from an entirely different world!

"Zabuza Momochi..." Kakashi stared at the newcomer and enunciated his name. "Demon of the Mist. Formerly one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

"Oh? I didn't expect to run into the famous Kakashi of the Sharingan here." Zabuza's voice was hoarse and low, tinged with mockery. "Perfect. I'll take your head, along with the old man's, as trophies."

Kakashi of the Sharingan?

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all stunned. Sasuke abruptly looked at Kakashi, his eyes full of shock and disbelief.

Their usually lazy teacher, who read those strange books, actually had a Sharingan.

The instant Zabuza appeared, Ling Xuan's Eye of Truth completed a high-speed scan.

[Target: Zabuza Momochi. Identity: Kirigakure missing-nin, former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Chakra level: Elite Jonin.]

[Ability analysis: Proficient in Water Release Ninjutsu and assassination techniques. Especially skilled in the Silent Killing Technique. Powerful Taijutsu and ruthless swordsmanship.]

[Weapon analysis: Kubikiribōchō. Material: High-density chakra-conductive metal. Properties: Enormous and heavy; able to repair itself by absorbing iron from blood.]

[Overall assessment: Extremely dangerous. His combat experience and killing skills far surpass those of the Demon Brothers encountered earlier. He is a top-tier killing machine in the truest sense.]

"You three," Kakashi said, his voice turning deadly serious. Slowly, inch by inch, he pushed up the Forehead Protector covering his left eye. "Protect Tazuna and fall back! Don't get involved under any circumstances."

"This is a fight between him and me."

When the Forehead Protector was fully raised, revealing a crimson eye with three Tomoe, Sasuke felt a shock unlike anything he had ever experienced.

So this was... the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan! Why... why was it in Kakashi-sensei's eye?!

"You should feel honored that you've made me use this eye, Zabuza," Kakashi said quietly.

"I'm honored!" Zabuza sneered and swiftly formed Hand Seals. "Then let me show you what true terror looks like!"

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"

In an instant, the already dense fog grew even thicker, almost solid. They couldn't see an inch in front of themselves; their vision was completely taken away.

Worse, the fog was filled with Zabuza's chakra, which could completely disrupt a ninja's sense of direction and chakra perception.

In this impenetrable mist, Zabuza was the demon who ruled over everything!

"Eight places..." Zabuza's icy voice seemed to come from all directions at once.

"Throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart... Which one do you brats want me to cut first?"