The Battle of the Sharingan and Haku's Appearance

The fog was so thick it felt solid, compressing the entire world into a chaotic gray-white blur. Sight was stripped away. Sound twisted and faded in the damp, heavy air. Only the bone-piercing chill and the almost tangible killing intent remained, like countless fine needles stabbing through everyone's nerves.

"Throat, spine, lungs, liver... carotid artery, subclavian vein... kidneys, heart..." Zabuza Momochi's cold, low voice was like judgment from the underworld, echoing from every corner of the dense fog and striking precisely at the most fragile physiological fears of the human body. "Tell me, which vital point would you like me to attack?"

Naruto and Sakura's breathing nearly stopped, their faces pale as paper. Overwhelming terror stiffened their bodies until even their fingers could not move. Sasuke panted hard, his single-tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly as he tried to catch the enemy who seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once, but the thick fog concealed everything perfectly. His Sharingan could only see a vague flow of energy, unable to lock onto the real body.

Uchiha Ling felt that suffocating pressure as well. Across both his lives, this was the first time he had stood so truly on the edge of life and death, facing a real ninja who took pleasure in killing. His heart hammered in his chest, and the sound of his blood rushing roared in his ears. But his powerful mental strength, along with the stronger resistance to negative states brought by [Physique Enhancement], allowed him to force down his instinctive fear. He closed his eyes, pushed [Basic Aura Perception] to its limit, abandoned his useless vision, and sank all his focus into that "world of perception" made up of chakra fluctuations.

Against the chaotic background of faint environmental chakra, a cold, sharp source filled with the traits of water-natured chakra stood out with exceptional clarity, like a beacon fire in the night! It was moving, extremely fast, its path erratic and filled with unmistakable killing intent.

"Left side, three meters, closing in fast!" Uchiha Ling suddenly opened his eyes and shouted in a low voice.

Almost at the same time he spoke, the thick fog was torn apart. The vicious outline of the Kubikiribocho came with a shrieking pressure of wind, like a giant crocodile bursting from the water, hacking savagely from the left toward Kakashi, who stood at the front of the manji formation!

Clang—!

Sparks burst out! The kunai in Kakashi's hand caught the heavy Kubikiribocho with perfect precision, and the tremendous force made the ground beneath his feet crack slightly. His exposed Sharingan locked tightly onto Zabuza's blurred figure in the fog.

"Hmph!" When his strike failed, Zabuza did not linger. His figure flew backward again, melting into the thick fog and vanishing.

"Behind us! Five meters, his target is Mr. Tazuna!" Uchiha Ling's voice rang out again, carrying certainty that brooked no doubt.

Sasuke whipped his head around and indeed saw a blurry shadow silently approaching Tazuna from behind, right toward the man they were protecting in the center! He immediately flung several shuriken to intercept it.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" The shuriken pierced through the fog and nailed into a tree trunk. The shadow scattered once more.

"It's a water clone!" Sasuke gritted out.

"Upper right! Watch out!" Uchiha Ling's warning followed immediately.

A sharp water arrow shot down from above the fog like a venomous snake, aimed straight at Sakura Haruno! Sakura froze in terror. At the critical instant, the kunai Kakashi threw arrived even faster, striking the water arrow aside with perfect accuracy.

"Underground! Earth Release!"

Uchiha Ling's perception caught a faint but sharp chakra fluctuation coming from beneath their feet. Almost by instinct, Kakashi stomped hard against the ground and leaped backward. Where he had just been standing, several sharp earth spikes suddenly jutted up!

Again and again, Uchiha Ling was like an accurate radar, warning them in advance of the direction and method of Zabuza's elusive attacks within the fog where vision had completely failed. His presence greatly eased the pressure on Kakashi and also allowed Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to gradually make some limited reactions and cooperation instead of being completely passive as they had been at first.

Sasuke looked at the clansman beside him, who wore a calm expression and sensed with his eyes closed, and turbulent waves rose in his heart. What he relied on was the proud Bloodline Limit of the Uchiha Clan—the Sharingan—yet he was still struggling every step of the way in the dense fog. But Ling clearly had not activated the Sharingan, so how could he capture Zabuza's movements so accurately? This kind of perception ability was simply unbelievable!

[Ding! Increased interaction level with Zabuza Momochi detected (continuous confrontation and tactical interference).]

[Hidden reward unlocked: Water Release: Water Prison Technique analysis (weakness insight)! (Deep understanding of the technique's chakra circulation principles and key flaws)]

Detailed knowledge about Water Release: Water Prison Technique instantly poured into Uchiha Ling's mind, especially its core weakness—the caster had to keep one hand continuously injecting chakra into the water prison to maintain its solidity and sealing effect. This was both the foundation of the technique and its greatest flaw!

"Interesting little brat..." Zabuza's voice, suppressing anger, came from the thick fog. Having his attacks predicted and intercepted one after another left him extremely irritated. "But that little trick alone won't save you! Ninja Art: Water Clone Technique!"

The thick fog churned violently. Four water clones radiating chakra fluctuations almost identical to the main body lunged out at the same time from four different directions! Two rushed toward Kakashi, one toward Sasuke and Naruto, and the last charged straight toward Tazuna and Sakura!

Kakashi's eyes sharpened. His hands formed seals rapidly, and the piercing birdsong of Lightning Cutter began to gather. But he needed time!

At that critical moment when his old strength was spent and his new strength had yet to rise, Uchiha Ling moved! His hands also formed seals quickly. Though unpolished, they were exceptionally firm!

"Water Release: Water Clone Technique!"

Two slightly transparent water clones, their chakra fluctuations far weaker than the enemy's, appeared beside him and charged without hesitation toward the two water clones rushing at Sasuke and Naruto's group and Tazuna and Sakura's group!

Bang! Bang!

Almost the instant they made contact, Uchiha Ling's simplified water clones were shattered, turning into two puddles of clear water. But they had successfully bought Kakashi that crucial half second!

"Lightning Cutter!"

Brilliant lightning was like the fangs of the god of death, instantly piercing through the two water clones pouncing at Kakashi as well as the wide stretch of fog behind them. Electricity rampaged, making a teeth-aching crackle.

However, at the very moment Kakashi released Lightning Cutter and his chakra briefly dipped, a sudden change erupted!

The real Zabuza, like the most patient hunter, had been hiding all along in the seemingly harmless shallow water beneath everyone's feet! He seized this fleeting opportunity and burst out like a giant crocodile from underwater!

"Got you!"

A large volume of water surged out as he appeared, instantly forming a massive, solid sphere of water that completely enveloped Kakashi, who had just released Lightning Cutter and had no time to react!

Water Release: Water Prison Technique!

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura cried out in terror.

"Damn it!" Sasuke tried to rush forward, only to be easily forced back by another water clone Zabuza casually created.

Zabuza maintained the posture of his right palm pressed against the water prison, a cruel and smug smile appearing on his face. "Copy Ninja Kakashi, that's all you are. Now it's time to deal with you annoying little mice."

Despair once again covered Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura like the thick fog itself. Without Kakashi as their pillar, facing the powerful Demon, they seemed left with no fate except to be slaughtered.

However, amid this suffocating despair, Uchiha Ling's gaze was unusually calm, even carrying a sharp glint. He stared fixedly at Zabuza's right hand maintaining the Water Prison Technique, and at the invisible channel connecting his palm to the water prison, continuously transporting chakra.

That was it! The only weakness of the Water Prison Technique, and also its greatest one!

He did not try to launch a frontal assault like Sasuke. That would be no different from smashing an egg against a rock. His body lowered slightly, [Wind Release: Speed Attack Technique] quietly activated, and chakra erupted from his feet!

"Whoosh!"

His figure slid sideways like a ghost, not charging straight at Zabuza, but tracing a strange arc. His target was Zabuza's right side—the arm of the right hand maintaining the Water Prison Technique!

At the same time, he forcibly coated the kunai in both hands with the Lightning-nature chakra transformation he had only just comprehended and was not yet skilled in! Though it was far from the condensed level of Chidori, only faint, flickering blue sparks, it carried Lightning Release's unique trait of interfering with and disrupting chakra stability!

"Useless! An attack of that level can't even break through my defense..." Zabuza looked at Uchiha Ling's movements, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes. He did not even bother moving, merely strengthening the chakra defense over the surface of his body.

However, Uchiha Ling's target had never been his body!

At the instant he closed in, Uchiha Ling crossed his hands and executed a two-blade style technique. The two kunai wrapped in faint lightning did not stab toward Zabuza's body, but instead slashed with an extremely tricky angle, like poisonous snakes flicking out their tongues, with incomparable precision at the invisible chakra transport channel connecting Zabuza's right hand and the water prison!

Zzzzt—!

The weak electric current clashed violently with the highly condensed water-natured chakra! That stable chakra flow froze and fell into disorder for an extremely brief instant, so subtle it was almost impossible to notice!

That pause lasted only 0.1 seconds, perhaps even less! To an ordinary person, even to Naruto and Sasuke, it would have meant nothing.

But to Kakashi Hatake, who was trapped inside the water prison and had been gathering strength while waiting for an opportunity, that 0.1-second flaw was already enough!

Crack!!!

A crisp sound like shattering glass rang out, especially piercing in the silent dense fog! Countless spiderweb-like cracks abruptly appeared across the solid water prison!

"What?!" The smugness on Zabuza's face instantly turned to shock!

Boom—!

The water prison exploded apart! Amid countless splashes of water, Kakashi's figure was like an eagle breaking free from its cage. He appeared behind Zabuza at a speed the naked eye could barely catch, the kunai in his hand flashing coldly as it pressed precisely against the vital point at Zabuza's back.

"It's over." Kakashi's voice carried a trace of fatigue, but even more coldness.

The situation reversed in an instant!

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stared at this scene in stunned silence, almost unable to believe their own eyes. It was Ling! It was Uchiha Ling's seemingly futile attack that had created this unbelievable miracle!

However, just as Kakashi was about to deliver the fatal blow to Zabuza—

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

Countless senbon as fine as ox hair poured out from the shadows of the forest like a sudden storm! These senbon were not aimed at Kakashi or Zabuza. Instead, with an extremely exquisite trajectory calculated down to the millimeter, they sealed off every possible angle and route Kakashi could use to launch a fatal attack, forcing him to abandon the strike and dodge backward!

Immediately afterward, a figure wearing a Hidden Mist Anbu animal mask and a gray kimono descended lightly into the field like a snowflake, blocking the space between Zabuza and Kakashi.

"I'm very sorry for interrupting your battle." A clear, gentle voice, like that of a young boy, came from beneath the mask. "But may I ask you to spare Mr. Zabuza?"

The sudden change made the atmosphere in the field strange and tense once again.

Kakashi narrowed his Sharingan as he stared at this mysterious masked boy, his gaze incomparably grave. He could sense that the chakra emanating from this boy was pure and icy, carrying an extraordinary quality.

Uchiha Ling also stared intently at that masked boy. In his perception, the boy's chakra was as clear as ice and snow, yet it contained a power that could not be underestimated.

Haku, you finally appeared.

He murmured inwardly. Watching Haku examine Zabuza's "corpse" and then use Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals to take the "corpse" away with Body Flicker, Uchiha Ling knew this battle was far from over. It was merely the beginning. The true trial, that bridge soon to be baptized in blood and fire, was still waiting for them.

And after this life-and-death clash with an elite jonin, he had not only gained precious real combat experience and system rewards, but the Lightning Release nature transformation inside him had finally, under immense pressure, truly begun to sprout.