The Kidnapping Plan is Underway

"Does our previous wager still stand?"

Watching Zabuza stand up once more, Yun Xi reminded him in a joking tone.

"It stands, but I haven't lost yet!"

Having risen to his feet, Zabuza gripped the Kubikiribocho he had previously sheathed.

His face was filled with a resolute expression, intending to fight again.

"Fine, you make the first move."

Seeing Zabuza's current state, Yun Xi had no intention of launching a sneak attack.

Instead, he prepared to let Zabuza get ready before defeating him in one fell swoop.

In truth, Yun Xi quite admired Zabuza's fighting style.

He would never admit defeat until he was unable to move!

This was the kind of subordinate Yun Xi wanted.

A person's strength could be easily enhanced, but fighting spirit was something innate.

On the other side, Haku and Gato wore expressions that were diametrically opposed.

Haku's face was filled with deep worry, along with a hint of unwillingness.

He seemed to hate that his own strength was too weak to help Zabuza.

As for Gato, his face was a mix of fear and anger.

Seeing Zabuza falling into a disadvantageous position in the fight, he was naturally furious.

The reason for his fear was simple: he had not expected a mere brat's strength to be this formidable!

"Zabuza, you piece of trash!"

"I spent so much money to hire you, and now you can't even deal with a little brat?"

The more Gato thought about it, the angrier he became, and he blurted out an insult at Zabuza!

"I will not allow you to speak of Zabuza-sama that way!"

Standing to the side, Haku heard Gato insulting Zabuza and immediately pulled several sharp senbon from his ninja pouch.

"Haku, stop."

Seeing that Haku intended to attack, Zabuza stepped in to stop him.

Although they were rogue ninjas, they were absolutely forbidden from harming an employer after taking their money.

"What? Are you planning to kill me too?"

Seeing that Haku actually intended to attack him, Gato instinctively took a few steps back.

Zabuza, however, walked up to Gato and said in a threatening tone, "Keep yapping and I'll kill you!"

Although Zabuza would uphold the creed of a ninja, if Gato kept berating him, he wouldn't mind becoming a rogue ninja once more.

After all, coming to the Land of Waves wasn't truly about defecting to Gato.

It was merely an expedient measure for Zabuza.

"You..."

Looking at the murderous Zabuza, Gato didn't dare to say anything more.

He retreated to the side obediently, while secretly thinking to himself, "Once this crisis is over, I will definitely kill you."

"And this brat too!"

Seeing that Gato was no longer insulting him, Zabuza walked toward Yun Xi.

He prepared to fight again!

"It seems your employer is quite dissatisfied with you; follow me instead."

Yun Xi smiled, while simultaneously readying himself for battle.

"We'll talk about that once you've defeated me!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Realizing that his assassination techniques were ineffective against Yun Xi, Zabuza abandoned the idea of assassinating him and directly unleashed his signature Water Style!

As an elite Anbu from the Hidden Mist Village, he was capable of more than just assassination techniques!

As Zabuza finished his hand seals, a massive water dragon surged toward Yun Xi at an incredible speed.

"Comparing ninjutsu?"

Watching the Water Dragon Bullet Technique rushing toward him, Yun Xi smiled.

"I forgot to tell you, my ninjutsu is even stronger than my taijutsu!"

"Heaven Curse Mark: State One, activate!"

To end the battle quickly, Yun Xi began to get serious.

As the curse mark activated, a terrifying aura was instantly released from Yun Xi's body.

"Fire Style: Flame Dragon Technique!"

Bolstered by Yun Xi's massive chakra reserves, a fire dragon twice the size of the water dragon appeared directly on the field.

It then lunged toward the Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu used by Zabuza.

Under normal circumstances, Water Style is a ninjutsu that counters Fire Style.

However, that only applies when the strength of the users is equal.

In the face of absolute power, any elemental advantage is nothing but a mirage...

The moment Yun Xi's ninjutsu collided with Zabuza's, massive amounts of steam filled the entire area.

Yun Xi's Fire Style: Flame Dragon Technique instantly swallowed Zabuza's Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu.

It then continued its assault toward Zabuza!

"Water Style: Water Clone Technique!"

Facing the ferocious Fire Style: Flame Dragon Technique, Zabuza hurriedly summoned two water clones.

But Yun Xi's time was precious; after playing around for so long, he had no intention of continuing to entertain Zabuza!

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Yun Xi immediately unleashed another Fire Style technique, scattering the water clones Zabuza had formed.

Meanwhile, his own body moved at high speed to appear behind Zabuza.

Under the influence of the Heaven Curse Mark, the power of Yun Xi's full-force strike was not to be underestimated.

Zabuza had no time to resist and was sent flying several meters away, simultaneously losing his ability to fight...

"Zabuza-sama!"

Seeing Zabuza defeated, Haku rushed to his side, drawing ninja tools to protect him.

"Don't come over here!"

Watching Yun Xi continue to walk toward him, Haku's expression grew agitated.

It seemed he intended to fight to the death, even knowing he was no match for Yun Xi!

"Hey, do you surrender?"

Yun Xi ignored Haku, instead looking down at Zabuza, who was lying on the ground.

"May I ask, why do you want to recruit me..."

Seeing that Yun Xi did not strike, Zabuza asked in an extremely weak voice why he intended to recruit him.

In Zabuza's memory, he had never met Yun Xi before.

Yet, from the start of the battle, Yun Xi had known who he was and had a clear objective: he wanted to recruit him...

Could it be because of Haku? Zabuza glanced at Haku, who was protecting him, and thought to himself.

Impossible...

Zabuza quickly dismissed the thought.

He could tell from Yun Xi's eyes that he had absolutely no interest in Haku.

But he was just a relatively strong Jonin, hiding away in the small Land of Waves.

Was Yun Xi not afraid of being hunted by the Mist Ninja after recruiting him?

"Actually, the reason I want to recruit you is very simple."

Looking at the bewildered Zabuza, Yun Xi continued, "I need people to help me. Although your strength isn't top-tier, it's barely acceptable..."

This brat... he's got a lot of nerve, doesn't he?

Hearing Yun Xi's reasoning, Zabuza was left speechless.

He was, at the very least, at the level of an elite Jonin, yet in Yun Xi's eyes, he seemed somewhat inadequate.

"Don't think I'm belittling you. I'm just looking to establish my own organization, and I'm currently short on manpower."

Yun Xi also saw the unwillingness in Zabuza's heart, so he continued, "If you don't want to join me, that's fine..."

"It's just that I'm afraid you won't be able to walk out of here alive."

As soon as Yun Xi finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room plunged to freezing point...

"One last question, what kind of organization is the one you've established?"

After Yun Xi finished speaking, Zabuza also slowly opened his mouth.

In truth, Zabuza did not harbor any resentment toward Yun Xi, even though he had been defeated by him.

Whether it was his strength, his character, or his talent, Zabuza held Yun Xi in high regard.

However, there was only one final reason why Zabuza was still unwilling to join Yun Xi.

That was because Zabuza did not want to become someone's tool for no reason.

Because back in the Hidden Mist Village, he had been nothing but a tool.

If joining Yun Xi's organization meant continuing to live the same life as before.

Then Zabuza would rather die!