Smash It For Me!

These seemingly inconspicuous items might play an unexpected role at a critical moment.

[Engineer Clone, at a makeshift workbench]

This Shadow Clone was performing the most precise work, a blank scroll spread out on the table before him. His fingertips condensed highly compressed chakra, acting like the finest engraving tool, as he inscribed an extremely complex composite sealing formula composed of countless tiny runes onto the special material of the scroll.

This formula was a unique seal Ling Xuan had created by combining the Uzumaki Clan's sealing knowledge from the Scroll of Seals with intermediate barrier theory he had studied in the library.

Its function was neither attack nor defense, but domain restriction. Once activated, it would form a special barrier within a designated range, within which the flow of chakra with specific attributes would be greatly suppressed.

Ling Xuan named it the Domain of Silence.

While Ling Xuan's main body and his clones were making meticulous preparations for the coming decisive battle, a small episode occurred in the Land of Waves.

That day, Inari ran to the village alone and, facing several older children who were bullying a puppy, gathered his courage and shouted, "Stop it! You aren't allowed to bully it!"

These children were subordinates of the village bullies and were accustomed to acting like tyrants. Seeing Inari dare to resist, they immediately surrounded him, pushing, shoving, and raining blows upon him.

Although Inari was terrified, he shielded the puppy tightly, stubbornly refusing to cry.

"Cut it out! You bunch of bastards!"

A voice filled with rage rang out. Naruto Uzumaki appeared before the group. Looking at Inari, who had been knocked to the ground, he recalled scenes of being bullied in his own childhood, and a surge of fury rushed to his head.

What followed was simple. Although Naruto still could not control his chakra well, he was more than a match for a few ordinary children. In a few quick moves, he beat the bullies until they were wailing for their parents and fleeing in a panic.

He then helped Inari up and flashed a brilliant smile at him, "Don't be afraid. With me here, no one will dare to bully you again!"

Inari looked at Naruto, at the figure that seemed incredibly tall despite being covered in mud, and the thick ice in his eyes seemed to begin to melt.

All of this was taken in by Ling Xuan from afar.

He did not intervene; this was Naruto's "battle," a process of using his own "Ninja Way" to influence others and change hearts.

Trust built with emotion as the bond is sometimes more solid than any interest-based alliance. Naruto Uzumaki was, in himself, a strategic weapon with immense infectious power.

Ling Xuan never underestimated this power; he simply chose not to use it, preferring to rely on calculation and logic to control everything.

The Inari incident caused the villagers' attitude toward the Konoha ninja to undergo a subtle change. In the eyes they turned toward Team 7, there was a little less numbness and a little more hope.

A few days later, to ensure the progress of the project, all members of Team 7 accompanied Tazuna to the bridge under construction for the first time.

The bridge was already taking shape, its massive piers like the arms of a giant, stubbornly reaching out from the sea in an attempt to connect the two shores.

Dozens of workers were busy on the bridge, their faces weary, yet their eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

However, this tranquility was soon shattered.

Gato arrived under the bridge by boat with his gang of thugs.

"Tazuna, you really don't know when to quit." Gato stood at the bow, short in stature but arrogant in demeanor, "I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. It seems those two useless ninja last time didn't teach you a lesson."

"Gato!" Seeing his enemy, Tazuna trembled with rage.

"Smash it!" Gato couldn't be bothered with small talk and gave the order directly.

The thugs behind him shrieked and rushed toward the bridge to sabotage the construction.

"Finally here, are you?" Sasuke snorted, having long been unable to restrain himself. He and Naruto exchanged a glance, and both charged out simultaneously.

The ensuing scene was less of a battle and more of a one-sided beating.

Having mastered the technique of walking on water, Sasuke was several times more agile than before. They wove and leaped between the steel frames of the bridge as if in an empty field. Those thugs, who only knew how to swing clubs, couldn't even touch the corners of their clothes before being knocked to the ground one by one, wailing in pain.

Gato looked at his useless subordinates, his face turning livid with anger, but seeing Kakashi and Ling Xuan standing to the side, he dared not act rashly. He spat out a few harsh words before slinking away with his men.

Although it was only a small victory, it greatly boosted the morale of the workers.

But everyone knew this was merely the calm before the storm. After suffering a setback, the next force Gato sent would surely be real ninja—the restored Zabuza Momochi.

That night, the atmosphere in Tazuna's house was heavy to the extreme.

Kakashi gathered everyone together for the final pre-battle meeting.

"Judging by today's situation, Zabuza and his group will launch an all-out attack by tomorrow at the latest." Kakashi's expression was incredibly grave, "The site of the decisive battle will definitely be on the bridge; the terrain there is open, but there is nowhere to hide."

He looked at his students.

"Naruto, Sasuke, you have made great progress during this time. But you must remember, a real battle is far more cruel than training. I need you to push your teamwork to the limit."

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

"Sakura, your mission remains to protect the client. You are our final line of defense."

"I understand!" Sakura nodded firmly.

Finally, Kakashi's gaze fell on Ling Xuan. He wanted to ask what plan Ling Xuan had, but the words died on his lips. He knew that this youth must have already calculated everything; all he needed to do was trust him.

The meeting concluded, and everyone returned to their rooms to rest and recharge.

Inside his room, Ling Xuan spread out the scroll that had cost him days of painstaking effort, now covered in complex runes.

Just then, his reconnaissance clone lurking outside suddenly dispelled, and a massive amount of information instantly returned to his main body.

"Zabuza's injuries have recovered by eighty percent. Haku is preparing the final medicine for him. They are coming."

Dawn, like a sharp gray blade, sliced through the long night of the Land of Waves.

Thin mist, like the sigh of a departed soul, coiled around the unfinished bridge.

The cold dampness soaked through everyone's clothes and seeped into everyone's hearts.

Team 7 and Tazuna stood silently at one end of the bridge. They did not wait, choosing instead to take the initiative, meeting the fated duel right here.

Before long, two figures slowly emerged from the other side of the thick fog.

In the lead was the Demon, Zabuza Momochi, carrying his massive Kubikiribōchō, his entire body radiating a killing intent as tangible as reality.