SR Skill! Take a Gamble!

"Teacher Kakashi! Your wound!" Sakura looked at the terrifying wound at Kakashi's waist, still seeping blood, her voice on the verge of tears.

"I won't die yet." Kakashi panted, his Sharingan locked firmly on Zabuza, but the cold sweat on his forehead and his slightly trembling hands showed that he was only forcing himself to hold on. "Get farther back! I might not be able to watch over you in the next fight!"

"But..." Naruto still wanted to say something.

"Get back!" Kakashi growled, his hands laboriously beginning to form seals, noticeably slower than before.

"A dying struggle." Zabuza sneered. The chakra on his great sword grew increasingly violent as he charged forward in an instant.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

It was as though the entire river had been stirred, a massive torrent crashing down on Kakashi like a wall!

Kakashi finally completed his seals. "Water Release: Water Wall!"

A wall of water rose up, but it was clearly a full size smaller than Zabuza's!

The two massive torrents collided violently with a deafening roar! Water sprayed everywhere as if a torrential rain had begun!

Kakashi's Water Wall shattered with a boom after holding for only a few seconds! The remaining torrent slammed into him!

"Pfft!" Kakashi spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground. He struggled a few times but could not get back up.

"Teacher Kakashi!" Naruto's eyes turned red.

"It's over." Zabuza strode forward, his gaze passing over the fallen Kakashi and locking onto Tazuna and the four genin again.

An atmosphere of despair descended.

Ling Yue watched Zabuza close in step by step, then looked at Kakashi, who was down and unable to rise. Her heart pounded wildly. She had just obtained a thousand points and an SR card voucher—was she really going to die before she could use them?

No! She absolutely could not die here!

She gritted her teeth, and her consciousness sank into the system.

"System! Use the SR card voucher! Draw now! Do it now!" she screamed frantically in her heart.

[Consumed Skill Card Voucher (SR) x1. Beginning draw...]

The ornate roulette wheel appeared again, its pointer spinning at high speed.

Come on! Come on! Hurry! Ling Yue was frantic. Outside, Zabuza had already raised his sword!

The pointer slowly came to a stop, landing on an icon flashing with dazzling lightning!

[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the skill: [Lightning Release: False Darkness] (from Naruto, the Lightning Release ninjutsu of Akatsuki member Kakuzu). Load immediately?]

Lightning Release! An offensive ninjutsu! And one used by Kakuzu!

Ling Yue was overjoyed! Just what she needed!

"Load it! Load it immediately!"

A massive stream of information flooded into her mind. She instantly mastered the hand seals for this B-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu, the chakra nature transformation techniques, and the chakra circulation route!

But a problem came with it—this technique consumed an enormous amount of chakra! With her current genin-level chakra reserves, even with her [Super Recovery Physique], using it once would leave her completely drained!

I'm gambling on it!

Just as Zabuza's sword was about to swing down!

Ling Yue's hands flew through the seals, smoother than ever before! The little chakra remaining in her body was frantically drawn out, circulating along the route of [False Darkness] and receiving a subtle enhancement through [Thunder Breathing]!

A piercing chorus of chirps suddenly rang out!

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

An incomparably sharp lightning spear, blazing with blinding white light, shot from Ling Yue's mouth in an instant! Though several sizes smaller than the one Kakuzu used, it was incredibly fast, ripping through the air with an explosive crack as it shot straight for Zabuza's chest!

"What?!" Zabuza had never expected this half-crippled brat to unleash such a powerful Lightning Release ninjutsu!

And the form and power of this technique... were nothing a genin should be capable of mastering!

The distance was too short, the speed too fast!

He barely twisted aside to evade it!

The lightning spear grazed his ribs, instantly scorching the clothes and skin at his side black! The lingering electricity plunged the entire right side of his body into brief paralysis!

Zabuza grunted, his movements completely freezing as the Executioner's Blade nearly slipped from his grip.

Now!

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Ling Yue had nearly exhausted all her chakra after using that technique. Her vision went black and she collapsed, but she still used the last of her strength to shout.

She did not even need to call out!

The instant the lightning flashed, Sasuke's Sharingan had caught Zabuza's fleeting opening and stiffness!

"Naruto!"

"Got it!"

For the first time, the two showed astonishing coordination!

Sasuke threw more than a dozen shuriken with all his strength, sealing off every route Zabuza could use to evade!

Naruto instantly created a Shadow Clone, which forcefully hurled his real body into the air!

"Go, Naruto!" the Shadow Clone shouted as it vanished.

In midair, Naruto frantically formed seals, immense amounts of chakra surging forth!

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Thousands upon thousands of Naruto's Shadow Clones filled the sky like scattered blossoms, densely packed and blotting out the sun! The scene was so shocking that everyone stood dumbfounded!

"W-What is that?!" Sakura was so stunned her jaw nearly dropped.

Even Kakashi, sprawled on the ground, struggled to lift his head, his eyes filled with shock.

"Take this!" countless Narutos roared at once, their voices merging into a raging tide. "Uzumaki Naruto Two Thousand Combo!"

Like a downpour, like falling meteors! More than a thousand Naruto clones launched suicidal dive attacks at Zabuza, whose body was paralyzed and movements restricted!

Continuous explosions and crashing impacts rang out as dust billowed into the sky and the ground trembled!

The attack continued for more than ten full seconds!

When the last clone vanished, the dust slowly cleared.

A massive crater had appeared on the spot.

Zabuza Momochi lay at the bottom of the crater, the Executioner's Blade fallen beside him. He was covered in wounds, half his mask shattered to reveal the lower half of his face, frozen in disbelief. He had completely passed out.

Silence.

Deathly silence.

Naruto fell from the sky and slumped onto the ground, panting heavily. He was exhausted too.

Sasuke braced his hands on his knees, his Sharingan already closed. He was breathing heavily as well, his expression complicated as he looked at Zabuza in the crater.

Sakura covered her mouth, unable to say anything as she stared at the battlefield that looked like a disaster zone.

Tazuna had long since been scared senseless.

Ling Yue barely managed to sit up. Seeing that Zabuza had been taken down, she finally let out a breath of relief. At last...

"Cough... cough..." Kakashi coughed with difficulty and barely stood with Sakura's support. "I-It's over. You did... well."

His gaze swept over Naruto and Sasuke before finally settling on the weakened Ling Yue. It lingered on her for a moment, his Sharingan filled with scrutiny and deep confusion.

That Lightning Release just now... was absolutely not a power or form that an ordinary genin could master. And those strange abilities she had shown before...

This girl had quite a few secrets.

However, just when everyone thought the crisis was over and had finally relaxed.

Two slender senbon needles silently shot from the forest, striking Zabuza precisely in the vital points of his neck at the bottom of the crater.

A petite figure wearing a Hidden Mist ANBU mask appeared at the edge of the crater.

"Thank you very much." The newcomer spoke in a clear young boy's voice. "I had been looking for a chance to kill Zabuza Momochi for good."