I Seem to Have Deduced Something Incredible

Seeing Naruto say this, Sakura, for some reason, suddenly thought of the words Sasuke had said to her a few days ago.

"We are a team, yet you hold arrogance and prejudice toward Naruto. I am truly disappointed in you..."

We are a team...

At this thought, Sakura clenched her fists, stepped out of the formation, and stood beside Naruto.

Seeing this, Tazuna sighed heavily and tried to persuade them:

"Forget it, Naruto. I appreciate the kindness of Team 7."

"But even an elite Jonin as strong as your teacher Kakashi is no match for this man. Are you going up there just to throw your lives away?..."

"Uncle Tazuna, don't worry. Even so, we absolutely will not..."

Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Sasuke waved his hand to interrupt him.

Immediately, Sasuke stepped forward, stood in front of the three of them, and looked at Zabuza's Water Clone, saying:

"Senior Zabuza, since you already feel that victory is within your grasp, dare you make a wager with this junior?..."

The clone and the original body shared the same consciousness. Seeing Sasuke step out of the formation and face his clone with such composure, showing not a hint of panic, Zabuza became interested. He then teased with a mock-serious tone:

"Oh? I have already seized the initiative. Although only my clone can move, it is enough to kill all of you. What qualifications do you have to negotiate terms with me?..."

Being so unyielding caused the expressions of Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna behind him to change simultaneously.

However, upon hearing this, Sasuke laughed out loud. He then revealed a maturity rarely seen at his age and said slowly:

"Since you move in ninja circles, you must know that Konoha is currently the most powerful of the five great ninja villages."

"Therefore, I am certain that as long as you want to continue working in this circle, you will definitely not kill us today."

"You know very well that doing so would make Konoha lose face and would plunge you into the endless pursuit of the Konoha Anbu."

"You are paid to do a job; is it worth it? I don't need to tell you that."

"After all, you only get a few thousand for a job. Why risk your life for that?..."

Upon hearing Sasuke's words, Zabuza was stunned for a moment. Then, his thoughts cleared, and he laughed:

"Good! You brat, you have such depth at such a young age. Looking at the chakra fluctuations around you, your strength is also a leader among your peers."

"Since Konoha can produce a peerless genius like you, I, Zabuza, will give you some face today, lest it get out later that I, Zabuza, have no manners as a senior!..."

"Speak, how do you want to bet?..."

Hearing this, Sasuke was overjoyed, thinking to himself, He finally fell for it...

He then beckoned with his right hand. With a bang, white smoke dissipated, and the Sword of Indra instantly appeared in his palm!

With the Ninja Sword pointed diagonally at the ground, Sasuke smiled at Zabuza's clone and said:

"I just noticed your Kubikiribōchō, and your mastery of it is truly breathtaking. Therefore, I boldly wish to ask for a few pointers from you and see if my Konoha Style swordsmanship is ready for the world?..."

"Konoha Style swordsmanship?..."

Zabuza muttered to himself.

Although he had never heard of this school of swordsmanship, anything that could bear the name of Konoha was definitely not simple. It might even be some forbidden technique created by the Second Hokage...

Thinking of this, Zabuza became cautious. He then had his clone lift the Kubikiribōchō and said:

"Make your move. Since it is a senior guiding a junior, and because I like your attitude, I will let you have the first three moves!..."

Three moves? Hearing this, Sasuke was ecstatic inside, but his expression remained calm.

Just as he took a step forward, he was stopped by Naruto at his side.

Seeing Naruto winking at him, Sasuke smiled and said generously:

"No need for any tricks."

"You two shouldn't think about launching a sneak attack either. Zabuza-senior and I are having a fair fight..."

Hearing this, Naruto's face darkened. With his little plan exposed, he could only give up the idea of a sneak attack.

Sakura gathered her courage, grabbed the corner of Sasuke's clothes, and said with affection in her emerald eyes:

"Be careful..."

Sigh...

Seeing Sakura like this, Sasuke didn't know what to feel. He could only pat her fair, soft hand to comfort her.

Turning around, he gripped his Ninja Sword tightly. With his chakra surging, Sasuke said confidently:

"Senior, be careful, I'm coming!"

"Feel free to attack, don't worry about me..."

Whoosh!

As soon as the words fell, Sasuke's figure instantly vanished from where he stood.

In the blink of an eye, he clashed fiercely with Zabuza's clone.

Clang, clang, clang—the sound of metal striking metal rang out across the scene once more.

In terms of pure swordsmanship and blade technique, the intensity of the exchange was not a whit inferior to the brief skirmish between the real Zabuza and Kakashi earlier!

Bodies darted and shifted, blades danced like dragons and serpents, and the whistling of wind cut through the air in rapid succession—the momentum was truly terrifying!

This... his swordsmanship seems even more refined than it was a few days ago. But how is that possible? Only a few days have passed...

Could it be that Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao have been coaching him in private?

But the level of swordsmanship this kid is displaying now seems to show signs of surpassing Gekko Hayate. Is this just an illusion caused by my own eye strain?...

Trapped within the Water Prison, Kakashi watched Sasuke trade blows with Zabuza's clone, utterly stunned.

As a former colleague in the Anbu, he was well-acquainted with the Konoha Style swordsmanship practiced by Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao.

While not weak, it didn't seem to reach the level of finesse Sasuke was currently displaying.

If all of this was something Sasuke had realized on his own, it wasn't just impossible—it was simply too hard to believe. After all, he himself had been a genius of his generation since he was a child.

This scene even made Kakashi momentarily forget that he was still trapped in the Water Prison.

His defenses were completely shattered, and he began to doubt his own life...

Naruto's mouth hung wide open, his jaw nearly unhinging. Seeing Sasuke fight with such ferocity, he muttered in a daze:

"So... so strong..."

His tone was infatuated, brimming with bromantic fervor...

Sakura's eyes sparkled with stars, shimmering with brilliance. Her breathing grew heavier, and she was practically melting into a puddle of Sasuke-worship:

"He... he's still so strong. Am I really worthy of such an outstanding man?..."

Her tone was truly that of a veteran ex-girlfriend...

Tazuna was so shocked he stood frozen, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts, a stampede of wild emotions surging through him in sheer disbelief.

This... this guy...

I was right all along. In this team, the most powerful one might just be this kid named Sasuke!

He's actually better than Kakashi. He hasn't lost after all this time, and he even seems to be gaining the upper hand.

Konoha is full of tricks! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would have guessed that the strongest member of the team is just a child!

At this moment, Tazuna had completely ignored the fact that Kakashi had been fighting the real Zabuza, while Sasuke was only dealing with a clone.

As an engineer, a set of formulas suddenly appeared in his mind:

Given:

An elite Jonin is weaker than the Hokage, therefore.

Kakashi < Third Hokage.

And Zabuza defeated Kakashi, therefore.

Zabuza > Kakashi.

By substitution.

Zabuza = Third Hokage.

Now Sasuke is suppressing Zabuza, therefore.

Sasuke > Zabuza = Third Hokage.

Oh my god! I think I've deduced something incredible...

Could this kid named Sasuke be the Fifth Hokage, secretly trained by the Third?

At this thought, Tazuna felt as if he had been jolted awake from a dream, his face pale with shock.