Attack his lower body! Don't you know how to play dirty?

The fierce battle erupted in an instant.

Bereft of his mist cover, Zabuza did not retreat in the face of the four-man encirclement by Nichiyo and his team.

One must remember, he was, after all, one of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, possessing the strength of an elite Jonin and serving as a top-tier master of stealth assassination.

Looking across the ninja world, any shinobi whose reputation could reach foreign lands was not someone to be trifled with.

Besides.

This guy and Haku had once nearly wiped out Team 7! And Team 7 were the ones who sealed Kaguya, so by that logic...

Of course, that was just a joke.

But without a doubt.

The strength of this Mist Demon, viewed from this point in time, was still quite formidable.

The number of ninjas who had died at his hands was likely well into the triple digits...

However, the four people fighting him were not to be underestimated either.

There was Uncle Ryu, a Chunin skilled in long-range attacks; Nichiyo, a Special Jonin skilled in ninjutsu bombardment; Tsukihime, a Jonin skilled in close-quarters combat; and finally... there was Special Jonin Gin.

Four people, four pairs of Sharingan.

The lineup could be called luxurious.

Even for Zabuza, the battle at this moment was proving quite strenuous.

"Water Style: Water Clone Technique!"

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Technique!"

"Fuma Shuriken!"

"Taijutsu: Eight Trigrams Palm!"

One fierce ninjutsu after another was released frequently, colliding with one another.

Both sides traded blows back and forth.

Although in terms of raw power, Nichiyo and the others were not Zabuza's equal.

Relying on the coordination of the four and the bonuses provided by the Sharingan, they still managed to cleverly block all of Zabuza's attacks.

They were even faintly suppressing him by a notch.

At this moment.

Standing in the distance, Natsume watched the great battle while excitedly shouting instructions.

"Not bad, not bad, just like that!"

"Uncle Ryu, aim your ninjutsu at his head!"

"Tsukihime, get in close and attack his lower stance! Don't give him a chance to weave signs!"

"Nichiyo, watch the gaps in your ninjutsu casting, support Tsukihime well, don't get out of position!"

"Gin, don't rush too far forward. Stay in the back and fire more Kunai and shuriken!"

"Do you know how to fight dirty or what? Don't worry about integrity on the battlefield! Do whatever is the most ruthless! Did you hear me?"

Such crude and insidious instructions.

Only served to make Zabuza, currently in the heat of battle, howl in rage.

He wished he could rush over immediately and slaughter that brat first.

But every time he tried to strike back at that kid.

These four Uchiha ninjas would throw themselves at him with their lives on the line, launching fierce attacks.

They were even willing to trade injury for injury, acting as if they had no fear of death.

Forcing him to retreat, unable to strike at the brat again!

Damn it! What exactly is that kid's identity?

How could he make these ninjas fight so desperately? So loyally?

It makes no sense!

Zabuza thought, his face dark and his heart secretly alarmed.

At the same time, he felt the battle against Nichiyo and the other three becoming increasingly difficult.

Aside from the female ninja and the uncle, the other two boys did not have much combat experience.

At first, they had been quite clumsy.

Yet now, the four of them were coordinating better with every exchange, their combat becoming increasingly fluid.

At this rate, the one who might end up defeated was actually himself!

No, this could not drag on any longer.

He had to find an opening to unleash a large-scale ninjutsu and crush these people in one fell swoop!

"Everyone, be careful! That guy might try to use a clone to stall you while he prepares to weave the hand signs for the Water Dragon Bullet Technique."

"Pin down his real body! Don't give him a chance!"

From a distance, Natsume saw through Zabuza's intentions at a glance and shouted another reminder.

Hearing this, Zabuza felt a tightness in his chest and coughed violently.

He nearly vomited blood from sheer frustration!

Bastard! How does that brat know?

Why does he know what I'm planning to do?

And he even shouted it out loud.

How am I supposed to perform the technique now? How am I supposed to fight?

Does he have to be this shameless?!

At this moment, watching Zabuza's stifled, flustered expression, Natsume was amused.

What a joke; in his past life, he had practically grown up watching this guy weave hand signs.

He could recite the forty-plus hand signs for the Water Dragon Bullet Technique backward with his eyes closed.

Across the entire ninja world, he doubted anyone was more familiar with this guy's fighting style and trump cards than he was.

How could Zabuza possibly fight? What could he use to win?

With that, Nichiyo and the others received the prompt and suddenly accelerated their offensive.

They gave Zabuza absolutely no opportunity to weave hand signs or perform techniques.

As for Natsume, he simply watched the spectacle from afar with a cheerful grin.

And so, it was visible to the naked eye that Zabuza's decline was widening step by step.

By this point in the fierce battle, he had over a dozen wounds on his body, and the seeping blood had stained most of his clothes, making him look increasingly wretched.

However, just as Nichiyo and the others were on the verge of victory, a small puddle of water behind Natsume suddenly rippled.

It gradually coalesced into a delicate "young girl" of about ten years old.

"Swish—"

The girl gripped a Kunai, lunged out, and arrived behind Natsume.

She pressed the sharp Kunai against his neck.

"Quick! Tell your people to stop! Otherwise, I'll kill you!"

Haku widened his eyes and shouted a threat.

If it weren't necessary, he truly did not want to disobey Zabuza's orders and intervene.

But he wasn't stupid.

Looking at the situation, if the fight continued, Zabuza would likely lose, or even lose his life.

He could no longer wait and was forced to act, intending to capture Natsume alive and use him as leverage to force the other ninjas to retreat.

"Young Clan Head!"

Nichiyo and the others faltered, their hearts tightening as they rushed to assist Natsume.

"Focus on the fight! Don't get distracted!"

Natsume reprimanded them calmly.

"Yes!"

Seeing this, Haku grew even more furious, gritting his teeth as he threatened him again.

"Are you trying to throw your life away? Tell your people to stop immediately. I won't say it a second time."

"Life as a rogue ninja must be bitter, right?"

"Hm? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

"If I were you, I would drop that Kunai and beg for mercy honestly. Perhaps you might still save your life!" Natsume smiled faintly, showing no signs of tension at all.

Haku, only ten years old, trembled slightly, his grip tightening desperately on the Kunai.

"You! You forced my hand!"

With a hardened heart, Haku thrust the blade directly toward Natsume's throat.

No matter what, he had to save Zabuza!

However, the next second.

The expected spray of blood never erupted.

Haku felt the Kunai strike nothing but air; there was no sensation of hitting a target. Instead, he stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

Then, looking closely, he realized with a start that the boy's body had instantly disintegrated into countless small Panda.

These Panda then hopped and skipped past him, rapidly converging on his right side.

They reformed into the shape of that boy once again.

Haku was suddenly struck with alarm.

"Substitution Technique?"

"Clone Technique?"

"No! It's a genjutsu! I've been caught in a genjutsu!"

"Was that boy never a physical entity to begin with?"

"How? When did I fall under the technique? Why didn't I notice anything?"

In his panic, Haku dared not hesitate.

He hurriedly unleashed his Kekkei Genkai: Ice Style, his most powerful ninjutsu!

"Ice Style Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"

The ninjutsu activated rapidly.

A multitude of ice mirrors condensed around him in an instant.

He prepared to flash into the mirrors to launch his attack.

However, just as he was about to slip into the ice mirror, he subconsciously glanced at the boy one last time.

In an instant, Haku was shaken to his core.

"That is... that is the Mangekyo Sharingan?!!"

"How is this possible?!!"

In a flash, the dozen or so ice mirrors shattered violently!

"BOOM--"

Amidst the sound of shattering, Haku saw a blur before his eyes. Before he could even react, a hand roughly his own size gripped his throat.

It forcefully interrupted his ninjutsu and lifted him up with ease.

"I told you to be a little more obedient. Why must you be so disobedient?"

Looking into the boy's scarlet eyes and hearing that cold voice, Haku trembled all over, as if plunged into an ice cellar. He felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.