I Told You, Your Technique Is Useless Against Me

The next to appear was the boy still wearing that white mask: Haku.

He stood silently behind Zabuza, like a shadow, showing neither joy nor sorrow. Yet the invisible bond between him and Zabuza made his presence just as threatening.

"Looks like you didn't choose to run, little brats from Konoha." Zabuza's hoarse voice echoed across the quiet bridge. "That courage deserves praise. As a reward, I'll make your deaths quick."

"I don't want to hear the same nonsense twice." Kakashi stepped forward and pushed up his Forehead Protector again, revealing his scarlet Sharingan. "I couldn't finish you off last time. There won't be any surprises this time."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto clenched his fists, brimming with fighting spirit.

Sasuke let out a low shout and entered the battle stance as well.

"Our opponents are different this time," Ling Xuan said calmly beside them. "I'll keep the boy called Haku occupied. Your job is to protect the client. Remember, don't rush in alone. Follow Kakashi-sensei's orders."

Sasuke furrowed his brow. He had wanted to test the masked boy's incredible speed himself, but there was no room to argue with Ling Xuan's words. Their last battle had already proved that Ling Xuan's judgment far surpassed theirs.

"Begin!"

The instant Kakashi's words fell, he and Zabuza vanished from where they stood!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A flurry of metallic clashes erupted in the middle of the bridge. Kunai collided with Kubikiribōchō, sending sparks flying.

The two elite jonin engaged in the most direct and perilous close-quarters fight. They moved too fast for Naruto and Sasuke to follow; all they could see were two blurred shadows repeatedly clashing and separating.

At that moment, Haku moved as well. His target was still the client—Tazuna!

But someone was faster. A figure had already blocked the path.

"Your opponent is me." Ling Xuan looked at Haku and spoke calmly.

"You're fast, and your Taijutsu is unusual," Haku said, his voice cool as ice. "But you won't beat me."

Before the words had left his mouth, he rapidly formed Hand Seals!

"Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"

In an instant, countless ice mirrors surged up around Haku, forming a vast dome that enclosed both him and Ling Xuan!

This was Haku's Kekkei Genkai, a perfect domain that took speed and slaughter to their utmost limits.

"Damn! Ling Xuan!" Kakashi caught sight of this while locked in combat with Zabuza, and his heart tightened.

"Don't get distracted, Kakashi!" Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō came crashing down. "I'm your opponent!"

Inside the ice mirrors, the world seemed to transform into a crystalline prison. Haku's true body merged with one of the mirrors, and then his reflection appeared in every one of them.

"Within this domain, my speed is absolute. The game is over."

Countless afterimages of Haku appeared at once in the mirrors all around them. The cold glint of senbon flashed in their hands as they shot toward Ling Xuan at the center like a downpour.

His vision was completely obstructed, and attacks came from every direction. It was an inescapable, fatal assault.

Yet faced with a sight that would have left any ninja in despair, Ling Xuan showed no trace of panic.

He slowly closed his eyes. In my world, no technique is without a solution.

When he opened them again, the Eye of Truth had completely analyzed this so-called "secret technique."

[Ninjutsu Analysis: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. Kekkei Genkai: Ice Release. Principle: Wind and Water chakra create extremely dense ice mirrors capable of reflecting the user. By moving at high speed through the mirrors, the user exploits persistence of vision to create the illusion of countless copies attacking at once.]

[Energy Flow Analysis: The chakra in every ice mirror is supplied by a single core source. At the instant the user attacks, the chakra activity in the mirror containing their true body spikes.]

[Weakness: The ice mirrors themselves are fragile. Maintaining the entire technique requires a tremendous amount of chakra, so it cannot be sustained for long.]

"Found you."

Amid the barrage of senbon, Ling Xuan suddenly moved along a trajectory so bizarre it seemed to defy the laws of physics. He neither blocked nor dodged, but slipped through the gaps between the senbon.

Every lean and twist was perfectly timed to avoid every attack, as if he could predict the flight path of each senbon in advance.

"What?" For the first time, Haku felt a tidal wave of shock rise within him.

How was this possible? No one had ever dodged his attacks inside the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!

While Haku was still stunned, Ling Xuan appeared before the ice mirror holding his true body.

He didn't attack the mirror or Haku. Instead, he pressed Wind-Flame Spiral against the mirror's surface.

"I told you, your technique is useless against me."

Sss—

The collision of extreme heat and cold didn't cause a violent explosion. Wind-Flame Spiral's terrifying penetrating power and erasure properties acted directly on the chakra structure forming the ice mirror.

Crack!

A crisp fracture rang out.

A crack appeared beneath Ling Xuan's fingertip, then instantly spread across the entire mirror like a spiderweb!

Then the second mirror, the third...

A chain reaction began!

Every ice mirror forming the entire Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals domain cracked at once, then...

Shattered with a roar!

Countless ice shards caught the sunlight and refracted brilliant colors, like a rain of diamonds.

Haku fell out of the shattered mirror and dropped to one knee, gasping for breath. The impact had also split the mask on his face.

He looked at Ling Xuan, who was unhurt and walking toward him step by step, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

His Kekkei Genkai, his strongest technique, had been destroyed so easily—destroyed at its very root.

Meanwhile, the fight in the middle of the bridge had reached a fever pitch.

Kakashi and Zabuza were no longer simply testing their strength and speed; they were pitting their will and experience against each other as well.

Just then, an arrogant, revolting laugh came from the far end of the bridge.

"Hahahaha! Keep fighting! Keep fighting! I hope you both kill each other! Then I won't have to spend any more money!"

The short-statured shipping magnate Gato came striding over with more than a hundred thugs and wandering samurai armed with swords. They blocked the bridge exit completely.

Kakashi and Zabuza stopped fighting at the same time and warily turned toward the uninvited crowd.

"Gato! What does this mean?" Zabuza asked coldly.

"What does it mean? It means your job is over, Demon Zabuza." Gato picked at his ear and sneered.