The Older Sister, We Meet Again...

"Damn it, looks like I've got no choice but to take a gamble..."

With a grave look in his eyes, Naruto pulled out a kunai and prepared to stab Haku, who stood not far in front of him.

"Have you panicked and lost your way?..."

Inside the ice wall, Haku shook his head at the sight.

Then, with nothing more than a flicker of his figure,

a copy of Haku appeared on each of the eight ice walls surrounding Naruto. Every one was identical.

"What?!"

Naruto stopped in the middle of stepping forward, cold sweat pouring down his face.

He had no way of telling which of the eight walls held the real Haku.

And worst of all,

if he attacked recklessly, the instant he let his guard down, the real one would strike from behind.

There was simply no way to defend against it!

Naruto stood rooted to the spot, afraid to move, his expression tense as he warily guarded against an attack from any direction.

As if she had seen through Naruto's intentions,

Haku flicked her wrist inside the ice wall, and a volley of ice needles shot straight toward him!

The sound of them slicing through the air came from behind. Naruto's ear twitched.

He spun around and wildly swung his kunai, knocking the ice needles askew in the blink of an eye.

But just as Naruto was about to breathe a sigh of relief,

a calm female voice suddenly rang out from behind him:

"You've lost."

Just three words, yet they struck like a bell at dawn and dusk, making Naruto shudder from head to toe.

Before Naruto could react,

Haku kicked him to the ground, as if retaliating in kind, just as he turned his head.

Then her figure turned into a blur. In the blink of an eye, she leaped into the air, flicked her wrist again, and sent a flurry of gleaming needles hurtling toward Naruto like falling stars!

He had only just hit the ground, and hadn't even regained his footing.

But Haku's combo flowed seamlessly, following right after.

In an instant, she sealed off the vital points all over Naruto's body!

"Y-you... damn it..."

Pinned to the ground by countless ice needles like a hedgehog, Naruto couldn't move.

His chakra was spent, his movements were locked down. It seemed the battle had already come to an end!

"Ah..."

Seeing this, Haku sighed at Naruto.

"Why go to all this trouble?..."

"But for Sasuke's sake, I won't kill you."

"It'll hurt, but I don't think you'll die."

"Stay right here and behave. Hope you learn your lesson..."

With that, Haku slowly turned around and gradually melted into the ice wall, disappearing from sight.

"Damn it... Did I really lose just like that?"

"I'm going to be Hokage someday. How can I lose here?!..."

Grinding his teeth, Naruto trembled all over. As he murmured, the blue in his eyes gradually turned crimson.

Just then,

a voice suddenly sounded in Naruto's mind again:

"Boy, do you need power?"

"Bury your reason and hand your body over to me. You'll gain endless power at once!"

"Give it to me!"

"Come on, give it to me!..."

The voice was hollow, familiar, and filled with temptation.

Grinding his teeth and struggling desperately, Naruto roared in anger:

"No! I'll rely on my own strength!"

"Who are you?"

"Get out of my body!"

"I won't listen to you!..."

The ice needles embedded in his body gradually melted.

The nails on his fingers grew long and sharp at a visible pace, like claws.

His eyes were completely scarlet, no longer their usual blue.

Long fangs thrust freely out from his mouth.

A layer of orange-red Chakra Cloak slowly appeared around him.

His mind was muddled. Naruto looked less and less like himself, as if he were only one step away from going berserk.

At this critical moment,

outside the ice wall, a sudden shout rang out across the scene!

Before anyone could react, Sasuke shouted loudly:

"Hold on, beautiful!..."

Hold on, beautiful?

Everyone on River Bridge froze.

A few seconds later, they finally understood.

So Sasuke had finally arrived.

And the person he was talking to was Haku, inside the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

Haku was taken aback too, then turned to look at Sasuke, who had arrived late behind her.

Sasuke grinned at the sight.

"Hey, big sis! How are you?"

"I hope the money I gave Big Brother Zabuza a few days ago was enough. If it wasn't, just say the word. I know you're short on cash, and I happen to have some to spare..."

Seeing Zabuza and Haku attack again,

Sasuke had immediately thought of the money for baby formula...

After all, why else would they have come back if they weren't short on money?

Money?...

It was hard to turn down a favor after taking someone's money.

At that, Haku's face went dark beneath her mask. She replied awkwardly:

"Y-you really did recognize me from the start..."

Sasuke waved his hand.

"That's not important."

"What matters is whether we can settle this peacefully. If you're in trouble, I'll help you. There's really no need to fall out with each other, right?..."

Hearing this, Haku looked slightly startled. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.

After a long silence, she suddenly shifted and melted into the ice wall, which still hadn't disappeared.

"Make your move. Nothing you say will help at this point. Perhaps only a match between us can give us the result we really want..."

"Uh..."

Sasuke furrowed his brows, looking troubled.

It wasn't that he didn't want to fight.

But Haku was pregnant. If they just got into a normal scuffle, that would be one thing. But if she accidentally went into labor, wouldn't he become a villain beyond redemption?...

Thinking this over, Sasuke said:

"I'm fine with a spar, but can we set some ground rules?..."

Haku was startled, then asked:

"What kind of rules?..."

Sasuke replied:

"Easy!"

"Just like when I sparred with Senior Zabuza before."

"All I have to do is restrain you, and I win."

"Then you can go home with Zabuza and live a happy life, okay, big sis?..."

He called her big sis this way and that.

Beneath her mask, Haku's cheeks turned red and burned hot at his words.

While Haku was still hesitating,

Zabuza, watching from not far away, suddenly called out:

"Haku, accept the kid's challenge. Just hold back a little. Don't hurt him!..."

His tone was bold, each word ringing out with force.

Hearing this, Sasuke looked toward the voice.

After many days apart, they were seeing each other again. They smiled and nodded to one another.

Zabuza was still the same.

He was upright and forthright, exactly the sort of person Sasuke liked.

And in the eyes of Senior Zabuza, Sasuke was an unpredictable but gifted junior, brimming with potential and well worth befriending!

Haku glanced at the two of them, exchanging meaningful looks.

Beneath her mask, her expression turned strange.

She thought, "If I hold back, is there any point in this match at all?"

"How am I supposed to fight?"

"Are they kidding me?..."

Just as Haku stood there, torn and at a loss,

Sasuke called back with a smile from not far away:

"Big sis, open up one corner of the Ice Shield and let me in. Then we can start!"

"Don't hold back. If Senior Zabuza thinks I'm worth taking on, then I promise I'm not as weak as you think, hehe..."