Defeating Zabuza

"Zabuza, kill those two brats!"

Zabuza was undoubtedly Gato's trump card.

As Gato's wealth continued to grow, so did his concern for his own safety.

As it happened, Gato had recently discovered that Zabuza had come to the Land of Water.

So he had spent a fortune to hire him.

Originally, he had only intended for Zabuza to serve as his bodyguard, without getting involved in fights.

But he hadn't expected things to reach the point where he needed Zabuza to step in...

"Zabuza, huh?"

Looking at Zabuza's grave expression, Yun Xi stopped moving forward.

He regarded Zabuza with an appreciative look.

Although Zabuza was only a minor character in the original Naruto story, and his strength was fairly average,

Yun Xi still had a great deal of respect for him.

He was loyal and idealistic.

Once recruited, he wouldn't betray his new master easily...

The reason he had deserted his village was that he opposed its tyranny and had tried to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage.

It hadn't been for his own sake...

How could Yun Xi let such a talent get away?

"Kid, I admit you're impressive—even more impressive than I was at your age. But you're too young..."

After giving Yun Xi a cold look, Zabuza spoke slowly.

There was a hint of regret in his voice.

"Oh? Then you still underestimate me. As far as I know, there are plenty of people in this world stronger than you."

Yun Xi smiled when he heard Zabuza's words.

Zabuza was certainly an extremely powerful ninja compared with the nameless ones.

A former elite of the Hidden Mist Village's Anbu and a veteran Elite Jonin.

He was famous throughout the Five Great Nations for his unpredictable assassination techniques. He had even tried to assassinate a Kage Level opponent.

Though he had failed, it was still an impressive feat.

Even Kakashi at this point in time couldn't be sure of beating him...

But!

That was only true of ordinary ninjas.

Yun Xi wasn't afraid of Zabuza. He could even kill him with ease!

That was confidence, not blind arrogance.

Zabuza was strong, but only to a point. Compared with Orochimaru, he wasn't much to look at.

And Yun Xi could now go toe-to-toe with Orochimaru!

"Kid, I don't like what you're saying!"

Zabuza was naturally irritated by Yun Xi's provocative words.

But as an experienced fighter, he wouldn't let Yun Xi's taunts throw off his rhythm.

After a brief reply, Zabuza prepared to attack.

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

As soon as he spoke, a dense mist suddenly filled the Gato Company headquarters.

Zabuza, who had been standing there moments ago, vanished.

"Good. I like opponents like you. How about we make a bet? If you lose, you work for me."

Yun Xi didn't panic, even though Zabuza had vanished into the mist.

Instead, he stood where he was and spoke to Zabuza.

"Fine. If you beat me, I'll do whatever you say!"

Zabuza's reply came from somewhere within the fog.

There was a hint of scorn in his voice.

Clearly, Yun Xi's words sounded like a joke to him.

Yun Xi had certainly proved himself strong by killing all of Gato's hired missing-nin in an instant.

But in Zabuza's eyes, Yun Xi's strength couldn't exceed that of a Jonin.

And Zabuza had killed too many Jonin to count!

"Now! Silent Killing Technique!"

While talking with Yun Xi, Zabuza had been looking for an opening.

The instant their conversation ended, Zabuza struck!

He appeared behind Yun Xi.

Then Zabuza raised his Kubikiribōchō high and brought it down hard on Yun Xi!

"Did he do it!?"

"Lord Zabuza really is strong!"

Though the mist obscured the battlefield, Haku and Gato, watching from the sidelines, could just make out Zabuza's attack.

They instinctively thought that Zabuza had killed Yun Xi...

But Karin, standing nearby, showed no sadness at all. Instead, a look of triumph appeared on her face.

"What's going on?"

A sudden breeze swept across the battlefield, thinning the mist Zabuza had created.

At last, everyone could see what was inside it.

Zabuza's face was filled with shock.

Where Yun Xi had been standing, there was no bloodied body.

Only a piece of wood left behind after the Substitution Technique...

"When did he use the Substitution Technique?"

Seeing the wood, Zabuza understood that his assassination attempt had failed.

But he was still confused and shocked.

He was shocked that his signature assassination technique had failed.

What confused him was that he hadn't seen Yun Xi use the Substitution Technique during their fight...

"Losing focus when you're fighting someone isn't a good habit."

Suddenly, Yun Xi's voice rang out across the battlefield again.

"Where are you?"

Hearing Yun Xi's voice, Zabuza instinctively searched for its source.

But what came into view was Yun Xi's sweeping kick!

Faced with the sudden attack, Zabuza instinctively tried to defend himself.

But Yun Xi's attack was so fast that Zabuza had no time to resist.

As Yun Xi's left foot connected with Zabuza's body, Zabuza flew several meters away...

The sound of bones cracking followed.

"You... how did you evade my assassination technique?"

After hitting the ground, Zabuza asked Yun Xi in a faint voice.

He couldn't believe that a kid had spotted him in the thick mist!

"Because I have a subordinate who's perfect for countering you."

Yun Xi didn't hide the answer.

He pointed straight at Karin, who was standing nearby.

Karin was smiling brightly, and Yun Xi's praise had brought a blush to her face...

If Yun Xi hadn't recruited Karin, fighting Zabuza alone would have been rather troublesome.

Though Yun Xi had the Sharingan and excellent eyesight,

it was still only the Sharingan, not the Byakugan. Fighting in such thick mist

would have made it rather difficult to detect Zabuza.

But Karin was different. With her powerful sensory abilities, she didn't need to see her enemies with her own eyes.

As long as they had chakra in their bodies, she could easily locate them.

Zabuza's mist couldn't affect her at all!

"The moment you disappeared, my companion had already locked onto you."

Seeing that Zabuza was still confused, Yun Xi continued to explain.

After all, Yun Xi didn't want to kill Zabuza. He intended to recruit him!

"I see..."

After hearing Yun Xi's explanation, Zabuza finally understood.

Then, as he realized that the trump card he had always taken pride in had been completely useless against this kid,

a trace of dejection crossed Zabuza's face...