It was another B-rank ninjutsu, and it looked highly polished. Even I might not be able to perform it any better.
Where had this kid learned all these jutsu? Was he really just a civilian?
The Shadow Clone was identical to the original, and for a moment Zabuza couldn't tell which one was the real Keiichi. But he didn't dwell on it; he simply brought his blade down hard on one of them.
Clang!
Chapter 12: The Blade Breaks
The kunai stopped the blade's descent, but was cut cleanly in two. The blade then struck the back of Keiichi's raised hand. Fortunately, its momentum was spent, and his guard protected him, so he wasn't badly hurt.
At the same time, Shadow Clone Keiichi seized his chance and drove his kunai into that spot on the back of the blade with all his strength.
The next instant, a sharp crack jolted everyone out of their shock. They stared at the scene before them in disbelief.
That unremarkable stab had somehow struck it just right, shattering Kubikiribōchō!
The blade broke into three pieces at the fracture. All Zabuza had left in his hand was a Severing Sword barely half its original length. Even the Water Clone stood frozen for a moment.
Keiichi grinned. He'd been injured a little, but the payoff had exceeded his expectations.
"Blade broken, Kubikiribōchō shattered. Earned 25 Magic Modification Points."
The system's voice rang in his mind.
Wh...
What happened?!
Kubikiribōchō could be restored simply by absorbing blood, but ever since Zabuza had obtained it, it had never been damaged this badly. At most, its edge had chipped.
The last time Kubikiribōchō had suffered damage this severe was when it took a Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Damn brat, what did you do to my sword?!" Zabuza's expression darkened. He wanted nothing more than to rush over and tear Keiichi limb from limb.
"Hey, hey, wasn't that insanely lucky?" Naruto stared, stunned.
"Idiot. Do you really think that was just luck?" Sasuke glanced at Naruto, his eyes full of scorn.
Anyone could see that the kid had been aiming for Zabuza's weapon. Though no one knew why he was so determined to destroy Kubikiribōchō, he had succeeded.
How was that possible?! Kakashi, trapped inside the Water Prison, was just as dumbfounded.
But judging from everything that had happened, Keiichi's actions had been strange from the start. Every move had been aimed at Kubikiribōchō, as if he'd deliberately set out to destroy it.
And he'd actually done it!
Kakashi knew all too well what Kubikiribōchō represented. As one of Kirigakure's most famous Seven Ninja Swords, it gave its wielder a significant boost in combat power. Even an ordinary Jonin could reach the level of an elite Jonin with it.
And now, such a formidable weapon had been damaged by a twelve-year-old kid. It was downright absurd.
Even with more than twenty years of experience as a ninja, Kakashi couldn't explain what he'd just witnessed.
Of course, Keiichi couldn't have damaged Kubikiribōchō with his own abilities alone. But the system's gift, [Spirit: Destruction], had been incredibly useful. Its effect was to destroy any inanimate object indiscriminately. He could only use it once, but using it on Kubikiribōchō had been worth it!
Without Kubikiribōchō, Zabuza's strength would be weakened, making Keiichi's situation safer.
That mattered far more than defeating the Water Clone!
The Magic Modification Points were just an unexpected bonus.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" While the Water Clone was stunned, Keiichi formed Hand Seals once more and spewed a massive fireball at it.
But the fireball took too long to form. The Water Clone easily dodged it, unharmed.
Then Keiichi's Shadow Clone finished its Hand Seals, sending another huge fireball straight at the Water Clone.
A humanlike sneer appeared on the Water Clone's face. It lightly tapped the water with its foot and dodged again.
But in the next moment, seven or eight Shuriken suddenly shot out of the fireball like shooting stars, streaking toward the arm Zabuza was using to maintain the Water Prison Technique.
"Pathetic tricks!" Zabuza snorted. Holding a kunai in his other hand, he swiftly knocked the Shuriken aside one by one, demonstrating the formidable skill of a Jonin.
Keiichi frowned. He vaguely remembered that in the original story, attacking Zabuza's arm had broken the Water Prison Technique and restored Kakashi's freedom of movement. Why hadn't it worked for him?
Was Zabuza ready for it because they were too far apart?
Suddenly, inspiration struck Keiichi, and he came up with a daring plan.
He seemed to listen closely for a moment, then gave Kakashi the faintest nod. His movements changed, and he charged straight at Zabuza's real body.
The Water Clone tried to intercept him, but Shadow Clone Keiichi clung to it desperately, slowing it by half a beat.
By the time it got rid of the Shadow Clone, the distance between them had already widened.
Zabuza had kept his attention on the brat he wanted to cut to pieces, so he'd seen every move Keiichi made. He immediately understood something and glanced at Kakashi, whom he had trapped beside him.
What did you tell him? What are you plotting?
Kakashi, however, gave him a meaningful smile.
Heh, how should I know what that kid's up to?
Zabuza frowned. He was sure the boy had a scheme. Otherwise, with skills as pathetic as his, would he really dare fight me head-on?
I could crush you like an ant with one hand tied behind my back!
And with the Water Clone coming up behind him, he was caught between them, practically trapped in a deadly pincer. Was the kid really that stupid?
Before he could figure it out, Keiichi had already charged over, flinging a huge handful of Shuriken as if they cost nothing.
The result was obvious: they couldn't hurt Zabuza at all.
"Now!" Keiichi shouted.
Zabuza immediately braced himself and focused all his attention, afraid of falling for a trick.
Sure enough, the water behind him suddenly surged. A figure burst out of it and lunged for his back.
Zabuza knew this sight all too well. The figure was Kakashi!
Wait, hadn't he trapped Kakashi with the Water Prison Technique?
Was the Kakashi he'd trapped only a Water Clone?
It was no wonder Zabuza thought so. He'd been watching Kakashi in the Water Prison the entire time. From start to finish, Kakashi hadn't performed a single jutsu—and there was no way he could have.
So the Kakashi behind him could only be the real one!
And after Keiichi's performance, he was even more convinced that Kakashi had been hiding underwater, waiting for a chance to stab him in the back!
Zabuza didn't hesitate. He pulled the hand controlling the Water Prison Technique free and spun around to strike, meeting "Kakashi" blade to blade.
The moment they clashed, Zabuza realized he'd been fooled. The blow was far too weak; his arm passed straight through the figure, leaving only a watery afterimage.
Damn it!
You bastard!
Enraged, Zabuza charged at Keiichi, who was right in front of him, and brought his kunai down hard.
But Kakashi easily intercepted the blow, protecting Keiichi behind him.
There was no way he would miss such a good opportunity. The moment the Water Prison Technique was released, he broke free and narrowly managed to protect Keiichi.
"Well done."
Praised by Kakashi himself, Keiichi grinned proudly.
Yes, the Water Clone disguised as Kakashi had been a reward he'd gotten from the system. He could release it without forming Hand Seals, which was how he'd managed to fool Zabuza.
Plan successful!
Chapter 13: Knowing Full Well
With Kakashi rescued, Keiichi sensibly moved away from the battlefield. He knew all too well how terrifying a fight between elite Jonin could be. He had no business getting involved.
Wasn't it nice enough to watch a high-level battle from a distance?
Unfortunately, the system showed no reaction at all. It seemed that rescuing Kakashi would have happened even if Keiichi hadn't done it, so he couldn't earn any Magic Modification Points.
Still, that gave him a deeper understanding of how the system worked.
Naruto watched Keiichi take all the credit with some frustration. He'd actually come up with a brilliant idea himself, one that might have tricked Zabuza and rescued Kakashi-sensei. He'd been about to tell Sasuke what he had in mind when someone else went and did it first.
"Tch, what's so great about that? I could've done the same thing," Naruto muttered indignantly.
"All you ever do is brag!" Sakura called him out without holding back.
Sasuke said nothing, but there was something strange in the way he looked at Keiichi.
The others might not have noticed, but he'd spotted something odd. Where had that Water Clone Kakashi come from? Had the teacher really prepared it in advance and hidden it underwater?
If he'd planned ahead, how could he have known he'd fall into the Water Prison Technique? And there would've been no reason for it.
If not, then Keiichi must have made the clone. But how had he done it? Sasuke hadn't seen him perform any Hand Seals.
For the first time, he had the strange feeling that this guy named Keiichi might actually be a little stronger than him. Even Sasuke couldn't quite understand what Keiichi had just done.
Could someone his own age really be stronger than him?
Damn it, that was an insult to the Uchiha Clan's honor. He would never allow himself to be weaker than someone his age!
In front of everyone, Zabuza and Kakashi fought like mirror images, using exactly the same moves. Their ninjutsu and Taijutsu were identical, giving everyone a real spectacle.
So this was Kakashi, who had copied over a thousand jutsu? Even Zabuza found him difficult to deal with. He almost felt as if he were fighting himself.
The feeling was unbearable, shaking his resolve. How was he supposed to defeat himself?
Then something even more unbelievable happened. As if Kakashi could read minds, he anticipated Zabuza's move and used the very jutsu Zabuza was about to unleash. Zabuza was one step behind and ended up badly injured instead.
The jutsu he'd meant to use to defeat Kakashi had struck him first. It was an awful feeling.
Clang! Clang!
Kakashi pressed his advantage. The kunai he threw pierced Zabuza's limbs, leaving him completely unable to fight. That confirmed that the person before him was the real Zabuza.
"You're finished!" Kakashi declared coldly, preparing to deliver the final blow.
But the next moment, two Steel Needles shot out of nowhere and pierced Zabuza's throat. He crashed to the ground, lifeless.
The sudden turn of events took everyone by surprise.
Kakashi followed the direction the Steel Needles had come from and saw someone standing openly on a tree, wearing a mask covered in strange patterns and marked with Kirigakure's insignia.
"I've been waiting for a chance to kill Zabuza. Thank you, Konoha shinobi." A voice devoid of emotion came from behind the mask.
"Are you a Hunter-nin from Kirigakure?" Kakashi asked, seeming to realize something.
"That's right. I'll take Zabuza's body."
Kakashi went over and examined Zabuza's body. Only after confirming he had no pulse did he breathe a sigh of relief.
But he only frowned at Haku's request, not agreeing right away.
"Who cares who you are? We went to all that trouble to defeat him, and you just swoop in and finish him off, then expect to take him away! What gives you the right?" Naruto rushed over, furious, and shouted in the masked figure's face.
"Shut up!" Kakashi stopped him and barked at him to keep quiet.
Naruto was utterly confused and simmered with anger.
"The request isn't unreasonable. A ninja's corpse isn't useless, you know. It can reveal crucial information about training, the drugs they used, the nature of their chakra, and more. This information is a secret of each village or ninja clan and must never fall into the wrong hands."
Kakashi's meaning was clear. Kirigakure wouldn't come after them for killing Zabuza; he was a rogue ninja, after all. But taking his body as well would cause serious trouble.
So it was better for a Hunter-nin from Kirigakure to kill Zabuza and take his body. That way, there'd be no trouble.
"What, don't like it, brat?" In an instant, the Masked Man appeared right in front of Naruto. The eyes visible through the mask's slits looked at him as if he were already dead.
The killing intent left Naruto speechless.
But before Kakashi could react, Keiichi stepped in front of Naruto and faced the Masked Man without fear.
"How can you prove you're a Hunter-nin?" Keiichi asked calmly.
He really wanted to call Haku by name, shock him, and then seize the chance to launch a sneak attack, settling everything right there. But he couldn't do that.
Putting aside how likely a sneak attack was to succeed, he couldn't afford to arouse Kakashi's suspicions. There was no way to explain how he recognized a ninja from Kirigakure.
As far as everyone knew, he was a rookie Genin who had never left the village.
So he could only use this method to discreetly alert Kakashi.
"Looks like I'll have to show you what I can do if I want to prove who I am." Haku answered calmly. Steel Needles had slipped from his sleeve into his fingers, and he was ready to fight.
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