Ah!
Pfft!
The Demon Brothers, their chests pierced straight through by Lin Fan's Double Chidori, let out agonized screams.
Blood gushed from their chests, staining the ground nearby red.
Then they collapsed to the ground like lumps of meat, their vacant eyes gradually losing their light.
"L-Lin Fan, you killed them?"
"Urk!"
Naruto, still dazed from the ambush, soon caught the thick smell of blood in the air.
He had never left Konoha or witnessed a fight to the death. When had he ever seen anything like this?
His stomach lurched. He crouched beside a tree root and threw up.
"Naruto, we're Konoha ninja now. You'll have to get used to scenes like this."
The crackling lightning in Lin Fan's palms gradually faded as he spoke coldly.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You have completed the selection task. Reward: Water Style: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death Lv. 1 ]
He immediately spent skill points on the technique.
[ Water Style: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death has successfully reached Lv. MAX. Reward: Water Release Ninjutsu affinity increased by 10% (total increase: 40%). ]
Clap, clap, clap!
"Well said, Lin Fan. You really haven't let me down!"
Kakashi emerged from the woods nearby, walking over slowly as he applauded and spoke with a smile.
He had wanted to test the three youngsters of Team 7 a little longer—to see how they reacted to an enemy—and planned to step in only once they were truly outmatched.
But clearly, he'd been worrying for nothing.
Lin Fan was far calmer and more ruthless in the face of a real enemy than Kakashi had imagined.
Maybe it wasn't so embarrassing to end up in a draw with a monster like him.
"Kakashi-sensei, those two were nowhere near enough to test the three of us in Team 7!" Lin Fan said with a smile.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Maybe. But you still owe me an explanation. How did you manage Double Chidori?"
"I have the Sharingan, and I've got Lightning Release Chakra. You developed Chidori, and you're my teacher. Surely you're not surprised I managed to copy it?" Lin Fan replied, arms crossed and utterly composed.
Kakashi nearly spat blood on the spot.
Not surprised?
He'd gone through countless failures before he finally refined Chidori into the more stable Chidori.
But Lin Fan had gone and copied the technique while Kakashi was practicing in the hospital courtyard yesterday.
And not only that—he'd used Kakashi's own S-rank secret technique, Double Chidori, as soon as he got the chance!
Wasn't saying "surely you're not surprised" a little disrespectful to the teacher who developed it?
Sasuke, standing nearby, looked just as exasperated.
They were both Uchiha survivors who had awakened the Sharingan.
They both had Lightning Release Chakra.
How could the difference between people be this huge?
Pfft!!!
To everyone's surprise, Naruto suddenly pulled out a kunai and stabbed it hard into the back of his left hand.
"Hmph! Just you wait. I won't need anyone to save me ever again. I'll train hard and surpass Lin Fan, too! I swear it on the pain in my left hand!"
Naruto spoke with fierce determination.
"Uh, Naruto, it's fine to release the poisoned blood when the time is right, but if you let out too much, you'll die," Kakashi said with a shake of his head and a smile.
"Did you see through me?"
"Kakashi-sensei, save me! I'm still a baby! I don't want to die yet!" Naruto cried, rolling his eyes and leaping about.
Sure enough, Naruto's antics quickly eased the tension in the group.
The five of them continued on their way.
After several days of traveling, they finally reached the Land of Waves.
Once they entered the Land of Waves, Lin Fan became even more vigilant.
After all, as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza was naturally far stronger than the Demon Brothers.
As they made their way through a dense forest, Lin Fan suddenly sensed something.
Here he comes.
The next second, Kubikiribōchō hurtled toward Tazuna's throat.
Clang! Clang!
A deafening metallic clash rang out, accompanied by a flash of sparks.
Kakashi appeared in front of Tazuna in an instant and blocked the deadly blow with a kunai.
Kubikiribōchō abruptly changed course, then plunged deep into the trunk of a century-old tree.
"So that's why Gozu and Meizu never came back to report."
"They ran into Konoha's Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, and lost their lives!"
A figure soon appeared atop Kubikiribōchō, speaking with a sneer.
"I never expected our opponent to be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist: Zabuza Momochi."
"The cold-blooded killer who slaughtered over a hundred of his classmates during Kirigakure's graduation exam as a child."
"Looks like I can't afford to hold back against you."
Kakashi then pushed up the Forehead Protector covering his left eye, revealing a crimson iris.
"What?!"
"He killed over a hundred classmates as a child?"
Hearing Kakashi's words, Naruto and Tazuna couldn't help but shudder.
Even Sasuke, who had remained composed throughout the journey, began to tremble slightly as he felt the murderous aura emanating from Zabuza grow stronger.
"If you're set on fighting me, then there's nothing left to discuss."
"Once I've dealt with you, I can kill that old man afterward."
Zabuza sneered, then used the Body Flicker Technique to appear on the water some distance away.
He raised one hand and shouted, "Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, magical transformation!" (Sorry, wrong show.)
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"
The still surface of the lake soon rippled.
The bright sunlight filtering through the woods gradually dimmed.
A milky-white mist spread through the forest, making it even harder for the four members of Team 7 to pinpoint Zabuza's position.
[ Ding! Guidance task issued: Defeat Zabuza and make Haku, who is hiding in the shadows, come out to save him. Reward: Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals Lv. 1 ]
Just after the system issued the guidance task, Zabuza immediately used the Silent Killing Technique.
In the next instant, he thrust the tip of Kubikiribōchō toward Kakashi's neck.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
Just as Zabuza was about to stab Kakashi in the throat, a powerful flying kick slammed into his face.
"What?!"
Zabuza couldn't believe it. Kakashi shouldn't have had time to react to his Silent Killing Technique.
Who else could perform such precise Taijutsu in the mist?
Clang!
Kubikiribōchō embedded itself in the ground. Zabuza quickly got to his feet and looked around.
He saw a handsome young man standing in the distance, one hand behind his back.
The young man's crimson Three-Tomoe eyes spun rapidly as he glared at Zabuza.
(Thanks for all the kind reviews and gifts. I appreciate your support.)