Defeating Zabuza

"Zabuza, kill these two brats for me!"

Zabuza could absolutely be considered Gato Company's trump card.

As Gato's personal wealth continued to grow, so did his anxiety regarding his own safety.

It just so happened that not long ago, Gato discovered that Zabuza had arrived in the Land of Water.

Consequently, he spent a massive sum of money to hire him.

He had originally intended for Zabuza to serve merely as his bodyguard, not expecting him to take action easily.

Yet, he never imagined the moment would come when he actually needed to use him...

"Zabuza, is it?"

Watching the solemn-faced Zabuza, Yun Xi also halted his advance.

He looked at Zabuza with an appreciative gaze from the side.

Although Zabuza was merely a non-extra character in the original Hokage story and his strength was relatively average, Yun Xi still held him in high regard.

He was loyal, righteous, and full of ideals.

Once recruited, he would not easily betray his master...

Even the reason he defected from his village was to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage in opposition to tyranny, rather than for his own sake...

How could Yun Xi let such a talent slip through his fingers!

"Kid, I admit you are outstanding, perhaps even more so than I was at your age, but you are too young..."

After looking Yun Xi over with a cold gaze, Zabuza spoke slowly.

His words carried a hint of regret.

"Oh? Then I've been underestimated by you. As far as I know, there are far too many people in this world stronger than you."

Hearing Zabuza's words, Yun Xi wore a smile.

To some minor ninja, Zabuza was indeed an extremely powerful shinobi.

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

He was famous across the Five Great Nations for his elusive assassination techniques and had even attempted to assassinate a Kage-level expert.

Although it ended in failure, it was definitely a feat worth boasting about.

Even Kakashi at this time could not guarantee a victory against him...

But!

That was only true for ordinary ninja.

Yun Xi did not fear Zabuza; he could even easily kill him in seconds!

This was Yun Xi's confidence, not blind arrogance.

Zabuza was indeed strong, but his strength had its limits; compared to the power of Orochimaru, he seemed somewhat lacking.

And the current Yun Xi was capable of going toe-to-toe with Orochimaru!

"Kid, your words make me very unhappy!"

Yun Xi's provocative words naturally made Zabuza extremely displeased.

However, possessing a wealth of combat experience, Zabuza would not let Yun Xi's taunts disrupt his battle rhythm.

After a brief retort, Zabuza prepared to strike.

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

As soon as the words fell, an incredibly thick fog suddenly appeared within the Gato Company headquarters.

Zabuza, who had been standing in place, suddenly vanished...

"Good, I like opponents like you. How about we make a bet? If you lose, how about you become my subordinate?"

Facing the now-hidden Zabuza, Yun Xi was not panicked.

Instead, he stood his ground and began to converse with him.

"Fine. If you defeat me, I will do whatever you command!"

Zabuza's responding voice echoed from within the thick fog.

His tone carried a trace of mockery.

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

Although Yun Xi had indeed proven himself a powerhouse by instantly killing all the rogue ninja Gato had hired, in Zabuza's eyes, Yun Xi's strength could not exceed that of a Jonin at most.

And the number of Jonin who had died at Zabuza's hands was already countless!

"Now is the time, Silent Killing Technique!"

While conversing with Yun Xi, Zabuza had been constantly searching for an opening.

The moment Yun Xi finished speaking, Zabuza struck!

He appeared right behind Yun Xi.

Zabuza's Kubikiribocho swung high into the air, descending with immense force toward Yun Xi!

"Did it work!?"

"Lord Zabuza is truly powerful!"

Although Haku and Gato, who were watching from the sidelines, were shrouded in thick fog, they could still vaguely make out the moment Zabuza launched his attack.

They instinctively assumed Zabuza had already killed Yun Xi...

However, Karin, standing to the side, showed no signs of sorrow; instead, a look of triumph crossed her face.

"What is going on?"

Suddenly, a breeze swept across the field, dispersing some of the thick fog Zabuza had created.

Everyone finally caught a glimpse of the scene within the mist.

Zabuza's face was filled with astonishment.

Where Yun Xi had been standing, there was no bloodied corpse to be found.

Only a log remained, left behind after the use of a Substitution Technique...

"When did he use the Substitution Technique?"

Looking at the log before him, Zabuza naturally understood that his assassination attempt had failed.

Yet, his heart was filled with lingering doubt and shock.

He was shocked because he had never expected his signature assassination technique to fail, and he was puzzled because he hadn't seen Yun Xi use the Substitution Technique at any point during their fight...

"Getting distracted while fighting someone isn't a good combat habit, you know."

Suddenly, Yun Xi's voice echoed once again across the battlefield.

"Where is he?"

Upon hearing Yun Xi's voice, Zabuza instinctively searched for the direction it came from.

But what met his eyes was a whip kick from Yun Xi!

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 Zabuza's body collided with Yun Xi's left foot, he was sent flying several meters away...

The impact was accompanied by the distinct sound of cracking bones...

"How... did you dodge my assassination technique?"

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

He could not believe that he had been discovered by a mere brat while hidden in the thick fog!

"Because I have a subordinate who happens to counter you perfectly."

Faced with Zabuza's confusion, Yun Xi did not hide the truth.

He pointed directly at Karin, who was standing to the side.

At this moment, Karin was beaming with a smile, and a faint blush appeared on her face at Yun Xi's praise...

In truth, if Yun Xi hadn't recruited Karin, fighting Zabuza alone would have been quite troublesome.

Although Yun Xi possessed the Sharingan, which granted him excellent vision, it was still the Sharingan and not the Byakugan; fighting in such thick fog made tracking Zabuza a rather difficult task.

But Karin was different. Possessing powerful sensory abilities, she did not need to rely on her eyes to detect enemies.

As long as the enemy had chakra in their body, she could easily locate the target.

She was completely unaffected by the thick fog Zabuza had created!

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

Seeing that Zabuza was still full of doubt, Yun Xi continued to explain.

After all, Yun Xi did not want to kill Zabuza; he intended to recruit him!

"So that's how it is..."

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

Thinking about how his trump card, of which he was so proud, had been rendered useless before this brat, a look of dejection appeared on Zabuza's face...