Mist Demon? Too Weak!

At this moment, Nichiyo, Gin, Tsukihime, and the slightly weaker Uncle Ryu, when combined, possessed a collective strength no less than that of an elite Anbu squad from the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

As for Gato Company, the number of ninjas they had hired was not small, totaling over twenty people.

However, they were essentially all rogue ninjas who had defected from minor hidden villages.

About half of them barely reached the level of genin, while the rest were merely at the level of apprentice ninjas.

Only the leader among them displayed chakra fluctuations faintly at the level of a chunin.

For such a motley crew to try and provoke Natsume and his group was simply overestimating their own capabilities and courting death!

Soon, the first few assassins to jump out from the woods on both sides fell into a pool of blood in a single exchange, dying on the spot.

Less than half a minute later, the remaining dozen or so assassins were also killed one after another by Nichiyo and the others.

The group didn't even need to use their Two-Tomoe Sharingan; they cleared the battlefield using only a few minor ninjutsu.

The thick scent of blood gradually spread, staining the earth red.

It terrified the two Gato Company employees who had led the way, causing them to tremble and collapse to the ground.

"Young Clan Leader, the cleanup is complete!"

"Are these the assassins sent by that Gato Company? To think they'd try to ambush us with this level of strength; they really are overestimating themselves!"

Natsume nodded, but he did not let his guard down. Instead, he warned the others, "This is just the prelude; the main course hasn't even arrived yet."

Nichiyo and the others: ???

At that very moment, a vast, thick fog began to rise around them, quickly enveloping everything within their field of vision.

"Is this? Morning mist?"

"No! This isn't natural fog; there's a faint trace of chakra mixed within it!"

"This must be a ninjutsu performed by someone!"

"Is it the Hidden Mist Technique of Kirigakure? How is this possible? Have ninjas from Kirigakure arrived?"

Nichiyo and the others were startled and immediately went on high alert, quickly shielding their Young Clan Leader Natsume to guard against attacks from the surroundings.

The next moment, the fog to their right suddenly contracted violently.

"Body Flicker Technique: Mist Body Flicker!"

"Hidden Mist: Silent Killing Technique!"

Following this, a sharp blade of light flashed instantly, aiming directly for Nichiyo.

"Brother Nichiyo, watch out!"

Gin shouted.

Fortunately, having been on guard and possessing agile reflexes, Uchiha Nichiyo reacted quickly.

He instantly activated his Two-Tomoe Sharingan to predict the attack trajectory and swung his kunai backhand, blocking the fierce strike.

"Clang—"

A harsh metallic sound rang out.

The immense force carried by the heavy blade carved a large notch into the kunai in Nichiyo's hand and sent the weapon flying.

However, this lethal blow was deflected by the resistance of the kunai, grazing past Nichiyo's shoulder.

It left a shallow bloody gash, failing to sever his head.

"You're courting death!"

Seeing her brother injured, Tsukihime was filled with fury.

He threw a punch directly, the overbearing and fierce force of the blow striking toward the ghostly shadow in the mist.

"BOOM!"

The heavy punch was blocked by the flat side of the opponent's great sword.

However, the opponent was also sent flying by the immense force.

He retreated a full ten meters before vanishing once again into the thick fog.

"Brother Nichiyo, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a minor wound."

"But the enemy's strength is immense! He is not on the same level as those killers from before."

Nichiyo quickly used chakra to stop the bleeding on his left shoulder and warned the others.

His right hand, which had just had its kunai knocked away by a single strike, was still trembling slightly, a testament to the sheer power of the enemy.

At the same time, a deep, resonant male voice drifted out from the thick fog in the distance.

"What a formidable punch!"

"Not bad strength. Which village are you ninjas from? Why aren't you wearing headbands?"

"Wait... is that?"

"Sharingan!!!"

"You are ninjas from Konoha?!"

Zabuza Momochi's exclamation echoed through the mist.

He had originally assumed the targets for this mission were merely low-tier ninjas from some small hidden village.

He never expected the strength of these individuals to be so extraordinary.

Not only had they blocked his Mist Decapitation Technique, which had never failed him, but they also possessed the famous Kekkei Genkai known as the Sharingan.

It seems I've run into some 'tough nuts' here.

Ninjas of the Uchiha Clan are not easy to deal with.

Damn it, I set my price too low!

I'll definitely have to squeeze that bastard Gato for more money later.

Zabuza lamented inwardly.

It was fortunate that he hadn't been the first to show his face, choosing instead to let those worthless cannon-fodder ninjas test the waters first.

Otherwise, he might have already fallen here.

"Can you pinpoint the enemy's location?"

Uncle Ryu asked calmly.

Nichiyo activated his Sharingan, scanned the surroundings, and shook his head:

"No."

"This mist is infused with a trace of chakra, interfering with the Sharingan's lock!"

"Mist, a blade, and formidable strength... the opponent must be that famous rogue ninja from Kirigakure, the 'Mist Demon' Zabuza Momochi, right?"

Tsukihime, who was experienced in missions, spoke up.

She guessed the enemy's identity in an instant.

Within the Uchiha Clan, she was a rare ninja who walked the path of taijutsu.

Although she hadn't used her full strength in that punch just now, it certainly hadn't been light.

Even an ordinary jonin would find it difficult to withstand.

Yet, this Mist Demon Zabuza appeared to be handling it with ease; he was truly no simple opponent.

"To think you've heard of my name; it seems you really do have deep ties to Konoha!"

"Or perhaps, you are the remnants of the Uchiha Clan who defected from Konoha a while back?"

"Forget it. None of that matters..."

"Trapped within my mist, you are certain to die."

"No. Since you've heard of my name, I will do my best to leave your corpses intact!"

The arrogant threat echoed from all directions within the thick fog.

Hiding in the mist, Zabuza used his words to stall for time.

He moved swiftly, searching for weaknesses and openings among the five opponents.

He aimed for a single, lethal strike!

"Chatting like this is exhausting!"

"Hmm... this mist is too thick, it's stinging my eyes."

"Let's just clear it away!"

Natsume rubbed his eyes, let out a yawn, and spoke casually.

Then, he clapped his hands together.

A violent surge of chakra erupted instantly, sweeping outward from Natsume like layers of a hurricane.

In just over ten seconds, it had completely dispersed the dense mist surrounding them.

"Whoosh—"

After the gale passed, everything in the vicinity became clear.

At the same time, in the distance, the Mist Demon stood frozen in place, gripping his blade.

He stared toward Natsume with a blank expression.

Good grief!

While it wasn't impossible to break his Hidden Mist Technique, this was the first time he had ever seen someone shatter it through the sheer, brute force of overwhelming chakra.

Good grief, who exactly is that kid?!!

How could he possess such a massive amount of chakra?

And to be protected by the other four... he must have a high status.

Could he be a Konoha jinchuriki?!!

Zabuza thought in astonishment.

Usually, only the jinchuriki of each village would possess such vast reserves of chakra at such a young age.

But why was he able to hide his presence so well just a moment ago?

He never expected that he, of all people, would misjudge someone!

He had assumed the youngest one was the weakest, yet that brat was actually this powerful!

"Yeah! The Young Clan Head is mighty!"

Seeing the mist disperse and their vision restored, Gin cheered excitedly.

As expected, that so-called Hidden Mist Technique was pathetic in front of their Young Clan Head!

"Alright, the mist is gone."

"That guy is too weak; he's not worth my time. I'll leave him to you all."

"Especially you three—Nichiyo, Tsukihime, and Gin. Use this to practice your coordination, and try to capture him alive."

Natsume waved his hand, issuing orders to the others.

Although Zabuza had decent strength, he was ultimately only at the level of an elite jonin.

If this were a few days ago, he might have been interested in playing with him.

But now? He wasn't in the mood.

After all, what child would get serious with an adult?

It was better to let Nichiyo and the others use him for practice.

"Understood!"

Nichiyo and the others acknowledged the order, gripped their weapons, and launched a swift attack toward Zabuza.

Meanwhile, in the distance, upon hearing that brat say he was "too weak to be worth his effort," Zabuza was instantly enraged, his brows furrowing deeply.

He had lived this long and had never seen such an arrogant brat!

Having initially considered retreating, he quickly steeled his resolve, determined to slaughter these ignorant ninjas—and that brat as well!