Kid, What's Your Name?

Ling Xuan's gaze fixed on the top of the Water Prison, where an energy node was invisible to the naked eye but crystal clear in his vision.

"Kid, you think you can take me on by yourself? Don't be naive!" Zabuza's water clone sneered as it charged toward him faster.

Ling Xuan ignored him and said to Sasuke behind him, "Sasuke, use your strongest Fire Style and attack the water clone to create steam."

Sasuke froze for a moment. Though he didn't understand why, he trusted Ling Xuan's judgment and began forming Hand Seals without hesitation.

Instead of retreating from the charging water clone, Ling Xuan advanced to meet it. He used no ninjutsu, relying only on his Taijutsu, optimized to perfection, to engage the clone in close combat.

His movements were clean and precise. Every dodge was perfectly timed, and every block absorbed most of the force. He seemed to be struggling to hold on, but in truth, he was buying Sasuke time to form Hand Seals while leading the water clone toward the position he had chosen.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Sasuke's shout rang out as a massive fireball roared toward the water clone!

The water clone was startled and tried to dodge, only to find itself trapped by Ling Xuan's relentless attacks, like a fly caught in a spider's web. Unable to break away in time, it could only take the Great Fireball head-on!

Boom—

The water clone evaporated in the flames, collapsing into a puddle and producing a great deal of scorching steam. In an instant, the already-dense mist grew even more turbulent, obscuring everything.

Now!

The moment the steam erupted and everyone's vision was blocked, Ling Xuan moved.

His figure flashed through the steam and vanished. His target wasn't Zabuza himself, but the enormous Water Prison!

He brought the index and middle fingers of his right hand together. A fist-sized sphere of energy formed abruptly at his fingertips, its pale green wind blades and orange-red flames intertwined in a rapid spiral!

Wind-Flame Spiral!

After countless optimizations, the energy of this original jutsu created by Ling Xuan had been compressed to its limit, radiating a chilling aura of destruction.

"Right here!"

Ling Xuan appeared above and to the side of the Water Prison Technique. He slammed the Wind-Flame Spiral, brimming with terrifying penetrating and explosive power, against the energy node he had already pinpointed at the top of the prison!

Screee!

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

The moment the Wind-Flame Spiral touched the Water Prison, it let out a shrill sound like a hot knife slicing through butter.

The rapidly spinning wind blades tore through the chakra defense on the Water Prison's surface, while the flames within surged into it and reacted violently with the water-natured chakra!

Crack... crack-crack...

Radiating from the point where Ling Xuan struck, visible fractures in the energy spread across the surface of the entire sphere in an instant, like a spiderweb!

"Damn it!" Zabuza's expression changed dramatically as he maintained the Water Prison. He felt an irresistible destructive force coming from the very core of his jutsu. He tried to stabilize it by force, but it was already too late.

The next moment.

Crash!!!

The Water Prison Technique, forcibly destroyed from within by the Wind-Flame Spiral, burst apart. Violent waves surged in every direction, washing over the forest floor and turning it to mud.

Kakashi performed several backflips and landed lightly on a thick tree branch. He was soaked through, water dripping from his hair, and looked somewhat disheveled. But his three-tomoe Sharingan shone an astonishing red.

He stared at Ling Xuan, who had also been driven back by the waves, his eyes filled with a shock he hadn't even realized he felt.

A Genin had used an unheard-of, original compound jutsu to forcibly destroy an elite Jonin's A-rank restraining technique head-on, attacking it at the level of its energy structure!

The word "genius" couldn't begin to describe it. The boy named Ling Xuan had such combat intelligence and such a deep understanding of ninjutsu that he seemed like some old monster who had lived for decades.

On the other side, Zabuza Momochi's expression was grim. He gripped Kubikiribōchō tightly, veins bulging along his arm and revealing just how unsettled he was.

The Water Prison's destruction had not only cost him his greatest advantage, but had also left him feeling humiliated like never before.

In all his years as a shinobi, he had carried out countless assassination missions and faced every kind of formidable opponent. Yet never before had some unknown kid cracked his signature jutsu in a way he couldn't begin to understand.

"Kid..." Zabuza's gaze passed over Kakashi and locked on Ling Xuan. His hoarse voice was filled with cold killing intent. "What's your name?"

Ling Xuan didn't answer. He simply backed away a few steps and regrouped with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, forming a defensive formation around Tazuna once more.

Now wasn't the time for him to speak directly with Zabuza. His job was to support, to observe, and to find the one "optimal solution" that would let Kakashi win with a single strike.

"Your students are far more interesting than I expected, Kakashi." Zabuza shifted his gaze back to Kakashi, his killing intent even more intense than before. "In that case, the warm-up ends here!"

He quickly formed Hand Seals again. The mist around them didn't dissipate when the Water Prison shattered. Instead, it grew denser and thicker.

"Kakashi-sensei." Ling Xuan's voice once again slipped into Kakashi's mind through Mental Resonance. "His chakra is concentrating rapidly. Those Hand Seals are the prelude to high-level Water Release. It's the Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique."

Almost as soon as Ling Xuan finished speaking, Zabuza completed his Hand Seals!

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

A massive surge of water materialized out of thin air. Like a river in the heavens pouring down, it became a colossal wave that crashed toward Kakashi with unstoppable force!

But as Zabuza formed his Hand Seals, Kakashi's hands began moving in sync at a speed too fast for the eye to follow! His Hand Seals were even faster than Zabuza's—the man renowned for his Water Release—by a fraction!

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Kakashi gave the same sharp cry. An identical torrent materialized before him, surging forward to meet Zabuza's attack head-on!

Boom—

The two massive torrents collided violently in midair, erupting in a deafening crash!

The powerful shockwave spread in visible gusts of air, making the surrounding trees bend and sway. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the others were flung away by the force, tumbling across the ground several times before they managed to steady themselves.

They stared at the scene before them, as if witnessing the wrath of the gods, their minds completely blank.

So this was... a battle between Jonin? With the slightest movement, they could reshape the terrain and create disasters on this scale!

"How... is that possible!" Zabuza stared at Kakashi, who had used the very same jutsu as him, utterly shocked. "You... you actually finished forming your Hand Seals before I did?"