A Coincidence?

The malicious voice was like a devil's whisper, relentlessly fraying the nerves of the young Genin of Team 7.

"Damn it... I can't see him at all, and I can't sense where he is, either!" Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly, his whole body tense as cold sweat trickled down his temple. It was the first time he had ever felt so helpless.

Yet, in this dense fog, which would have posed a serious challenge even to a jonin, one person's vision remained completely unaffected.

Ling Xuan.

The world revealed by the Eye of Truth wasn't made up of visible light. The fog was still there in his field of vision, but Zabuza's massive, icy chakra source stood out with perfect clarity.

He could even see Zabuza's path as he sped through the mist, the contraction of every muscle in his body, and hear each beat of his heart.

In this dense fog, which was a dead end for everyone else, none of the enemy's movements escaped Ling Xuan.

[Target: Zabuza Momochi. Status: Hidden Mist Technique activated. Moving at high speed along an irregular route, searching for an opening.]

Meanwhile, Naruto gripped his kunai nervously, trying to form a defensive formation with Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura was trembling with fear as she stood protectively in front of Tazuna, not daring to make a sound.

Although Kakashi had activated his Sharingan, the dense fog had pushed his abilities to their limits. He was relying more on his hard-won experience and instincts to defend himself, but even instincts could fail.

Ling Xuan didn't move. Instead, he used the Mental Resonance technique he had figured out in the Ninja Academy library to link up with Kakashi, channeling an incredibly faint trace of chakra without a sound.

"Kakashi-sensei." A calm voice sounded directly in Kakashi's mind.

Kakashi, who had been wholly focused on keeping watch, shuddered. But he immediately recognized Ling Xuan's voice. This technique, which allowed them to speak directly on a mental level without passing through the air...

Just how many secrets was this kid hiding?

"It's me, Ling Xuan." Ling Xuan's voice continued, concise and efficient. "I can see him. The fog doesn't affect me. I'll give you his coordinates in real time from now on."

Kakashi's face registered shock, but he had no time to hesitate. He immediately made the right choice: trust.

"Go ahead," he replied in his mind.

"Behind you to the left, at seven o'clock. Fifteen meters away. He's moving low to the ground and preparing to attack your legs."

Almost as soon as Ling Xuan finished speaking, Kakashi leaped forward to the right without hesitation.

Whoosh! A gleaming kunai shot out of the fog and buried itself in the ground, grazing the spot where he had just been standing.

A soft, surprised sound came from Zabuza in the mist.

A coincidence?

"He hasn't stopped. He's moving quickly around your right side, preparing a second attack."

After landing, Kakashi didn't even look. He flicked a kunai toward the direction Ling Xuan had indicated.

Clang!

A clear metallic ring came from within the fog. Zabuza's figure flickered into view and vanished again as he dodged the kunai, but his attack had been completely thrown off rhythm.

"How is this possible?!" Zabuza was horrified. "How could he keep up with my movements in the mist?!"

The essence of the Silent Killing Technique lay in using the fog to conceal one's presence and killing intent, then striking a lethal blow from the last place the enemy would expect. But now, it seemed as though the enemy could predict his every move!

"He's gathering chakra right in front of you. It's a Water Clone!" Ling Xuan's voice rang out again.

"Water Release: Water Clone Technique!" Zabuza's voice came from all directions. Several water clones identical to him emerged from the fog, attacking Kakashi from different directions at once.

"The real one is at twelve o'clock, twenty meters away, hidden behind the water clones. The others are all clones. Their chakra cores are less than one-tenth as strong as the original's," Ling Xuan calmly reported.

"I see!" A glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes. He ignored the water clones bearing down on him and quickly formed hand seals!

"Earth Release: Fanged Pursuit Technique!" He slammed his hand against the ground. Several ninja dogs made of earth and stone burst out, barking as they tunneled through the ground. They neatly bypassed every water clone and charged straight toward the coordinates Ling Xuan had given him.

"Damn it!" Zabuza was stunned. He hadn't expected Kakashi to pinpoint his true position so accurately. With no time to spare, he swung Kubikiribōchō and cut down the earth-style ninja dogs one by one. But in doing so, he completely gave away his position.

"Found you!" Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, his kunai stabbing straight toward the back of his heart!

But Zabuza was a renowned elite ninja with years of combat experience. The moment he was exposed, his body was already reacting.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"

Rather than retreat, Zabuza charged forward. As he turned, a massive amount of chakra burst from his body. The surrounding fog seemed to be drawn toward him, instantly condensing into a huge sphere of water that engulfed Kakashi before he could react!

"Damn it!" Kakashi's heart sank. He had been caught.

Once the Water Prison Technique took hold, the user had to keep a hand on the prison and couldn't move. But the captive was just as helpless, and would gradually lose strength from suffocation.

"Heh heh heh... Kakashi, what does it matter if you can see through my movements?" Zabuza's real body maintained the prison as he sneered. "You're nothing but my prisoner now. Next, I'll take care of the brats."

With his other hand, he formed hand seals, and another water clone took shape beside him. Holding a kunai, it slowly approached the terrified members of Team 7.

"It's over," the water clone rasped.

Inside the Water Prison, Kakashi watched, frantic with worry but unable to do anything. "Damn it! Naruto! Sasuke! Ling Xuan! Get the client out of here! Don't worry about me!"

But at that desperate moment, Ling Xuan moved. He didn't give any orders. Instead, he stepped forward and stood in front of Sasuke and Naruto.

"Ling Xuan?" Sasuke and Naruto both looked at him.

"Protect the client and fall back." Ling Xuan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable force.

He looked at the water clone advancing toward them. The Eye of Truth was operating at unprecedented power, and its target was no longer the enemy, but the technique trapping Kakashi.

[Ninjutsu Analysis: Water Prison Technique. Principle: Uses the user's chakra as a framework to bind a large quantity of water molecules, forming a high-pressure, high-density water cage.]

[Chakra Flow Pattern: Chakra travels from the user's arm through a main node, then spreads evenly across the surface of the sphere, forming a stable tetrahedral chakra field.]

[Structural Weakness Analysis: To maintain the prison's absolute stability, more than 90% of the chakra is used to sustain the field, leaving the prison itself with little defensive strength.]

[The vertices of its structure—where the chakra flows from the user's arm into the prison—form the technique's energy nexus and bear the greatest structural stress. If this point is struck by energy exceeding its threshold, the entire chakra field will become unbalanced, triggering a chain collapse.]

Found it.