Faced with Sasuke's Sharingan Genjutsu, Zabuza tried the same old trick.
Just as he had against Kakashi's Genjutsu, he bit his tongue and instantly regained his clarity.
But now, with the sword's force bearing down on him, he had no time to use the Substitution Technique. All he could do was hurriedly swing his blade to meet the attack!
With a bang!
Another explosion rang out between them.
The shockwaves spread wildly in every direction.
But this time, Sasuke wasn't the one who suffered. It was Zabuza, who had been caught in the Genjutsu and hadn't had time to gather his strength for a counterattack!
Thud, thud, thud!
After holding out for one second, Zabuza could no longer endure it.
His footing faltered, and he staggered back several steps.
At the same time, the Kubikiribōchō in his hand slammed down behind him for support.
He carved a terrifying furrow dozens of meters long before finally managing to stop himself!
"Not good... This kid is way too strong..."
His stance steadied, but his arms kept trembling like a leaf.
Only now did Zabuza truly understand that Sasuke had tricked him!
Sasuke had been playing Disguise Pig to Eat Tiger with him.
Judging by the power Sasuke's real body had shown with that earlier strike, his true strength was probably already close to that of an elite Chunin!
He was likely only one step away from being an ordinary Jonin!
But how could someone this young be so strong?
Thinking this, Zabuza no longer cared about their agreement from before the match.
Now, to make sure he could complete the mission, he had no choice but to fight dirty.
He held the Kubikiribōchō crosswise behind him, then rapidly formed hand seals.
The next moment, his chest swelled. At the same time, he shouted:
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
An astonishing surge of chakra gathered around him.
As he completed the hand seals, that power took the shape of a giant dragon. It burst from Zabuza's mouth and surged straight toward Sasuke, who stood not far away!
"Sasuke!..."
"Watch out! That old geezer's fighting dirty!..."
Sakura and Naruto were horrified.
If they'd been strong enough, they would have rushed forward without hesitation.
But now, held back by their lack of strength, they could only stand by and watch as he faced death...
..
"Sa..."
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle." (The sound of blowing bubbles...)
When he saw that terrifying Water Dragon Technique,
Kakashi, trapped inside the Water Prison Technique, was so nervous that he even forgot he was still submerged.
In his agitation, he opened his mouth to shout—and nearly choked to death on a mouthful of water!
Compared with the three members of Team 7, who were frantic with worry,
Tazuna saw what was happening and simply gave up, leaning back with a tactical flourish...
What did the Fifth Hokage mean?
An elite Jonin like him thought he could take out the Third Hokage's successor?
Was I crazy, or had Zabuza gotten too full of himself?
Just wait!
You're about to get what's coming to you!...
The Water Dragon Technique came rushing in, its power terrifying.
Sasuke didn't hesitate.
His hand seals flowed like blooming lotuses. The next moment, his chest swelled just as Zabuza's had.
Then, with a roar!
A giant fireball, no less powerful than the Water Dragon, burst forth!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
His shout sounded a little childish, but it sent his aura soaring to incredible heights!
In an instant, the blazing Great Fireball slammed into the dragon's head, formed from water.
Water and fire clashed, bringing boiling heat and freezing cold together.
Water vapor billowed out at once. As the two attacks continued to collide, it grew thicker and thicker.
Like a veil of mist, it blocked their view and plunged the battlefield into deathly silence once more.
This was only a Water Dragon Bullet created by one of Zabuza's Water Clones.
If he'd used a combined technique like the one the four Chunin had performed earlier,
then Sasuke, whose chakra was running low, really might not have been able to withstand that high-level Water Release!
The mist churned like a curtain, dividing the battlefield. Once again, deathly silence fell over the scene.
"Phew..."
Though the mist filled the air and blurred his vision,
Zabuza's clone immediately breathed a sigh of relief:
"This kid may be a monster, but he's still just a Genin."
"I can't beat him in swordsmanship, but when it comes to ninjutsu, there's no way he can withstand a full-power strike on par with high-level Chunin ninjutsu!..."
"It's over, you Uchiha prodigy..."
He sighed inwardly.
Though he had won this battle,
the moment he fought dirty and used ninjutsu,
Zabuza knew he had lost.
Yet even in defeat, he couldn't help feeling a little pleased with himself.
He knew that, given how incredible Sasuke was,
this might be the last time he'd ever be strong enough to defeat him.
By the next time they met, Sasuke's talent might have taken him beyond even the late Fourth Hokage...
Wouldn't that mean Zabuza could boast that he was the man who had defeated the Fifth Hokage with a single Water Release attack from eight hundred li away?
Hmm... At that moment, he thought of a fellow named Kakuzu.
That guy was always boasting to anyone who'd listen, trying to drum up business and outdo the competition. He claimed he'd once gravely wounded Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, with a single Shuriken from eight hundred li away...
Whether it was true or not, that boast had brought him a lot more business.
He'd made a pretty penny from it, too. Zabuza had heard that he'd now joined an organization called Akatsuki, where he seemed to be in charge of managing the finances...
Once Sasuke grew up, Zabuza could imitate Kakuzu and ride his fame. Wouldn't he have a chance to make a fortune and retire?...
Thinking this, Zabuza, who usually wore a blank expression, started grinning like an idiot. It was a very strange sight...
Zabuza was busy gloating to himself, but reality seemed to be playing a joke on him.
A moment later, as the wild mist slowly dissipated,
a familiar figure was still standing not far from him, completely unharmed.
"H-how is this possible?..."
His goofy grin froze.
In its place came an expression of utter shock, as if he'd seen a ghost...
"How is this possible? You... You're just a Genin, aren't you?..."
After a long moment, Zabuza finally came to his senses and asked.
Sasuke chuckled and calmly replied:
"Senior, there's a saying in Konoha you might not have heard."
"What saying?"
Hearing Sasuke's reply, Zabuza's clone asked almost instinctively.
"When Jonin spar, it's pots and pans flying everywhere. When Genin step in, they wipe out a village with a wave!..."
"Wipe out a village with a wave?..."
Zabuza fell into thought. He felt that Sasuke was talking nonsense, but for the moment, he couldn't come up with any evidence to refute him...
Hearing this, Kakashi, still trapped in the Water Prison, twitched his lips. Distracted, he nearly choked on another mouthful of water:
"This guy... Even if he's making up a story, couldn't he make it a little more believable?"
"And what's this about pots and pans? When have I ever..."
At that thought, Kakashi abruptly stopped himself. After a long pause, he murmured inwardly:
"Actually... When I spar with that Might Guy guy in Konoha, it really is just pots and pans flying everywhere..."
"Oh. In that case, never mind."
Before you continue