Kakashi Fell?!

The Hidden Mist ninja's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Kakashi, who had suddenly "come back to life." Then he toppled over, lifeless.

The scene fell deathly silent.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all stared at Kakashi in stunned silence.

Tazuna was so frightened that he had sobered up completely.

Although Ling Yue had known this would happen, seeing Kakashi use the Substitution Technique and Transformation Technique so smoothly still sent a chill down her spine. Jonin really were monsters.

"Ka... Kakashi-sensei! You're not dead!" Naruto was the first to snap out of it, shouting in surprise and delight.

"Ah, that was the Substitution Technique." Kakashi put away his kunai and scratched his head lazily. "I was also testing how you'd react to an unexpected situation. Hmm... Sasuke and Yue's reactions were barely passable. Naruto, you froze completely. Sakura too. As for Mr. Tazuna..."

His gaze shifted to the old man slumped on the ground, turning somewhat sharp. "The attacker was a Hidden Mist rogue chunin. That isn't an opponent a C-rank mission should involve. Shouldn't you explain yourself?"

Tazuna's face went pale, then green. Under the gazes of Kakashi and the four genin, he finally lowered his head dejectedly and revealed the truth.

He had been threatened by the heartless merchant Gato, the real danger he would face while building the bridge, and the fact that he simply could not afford the high commission for a B-rank mission...

"So you lied and tricked us into taking this mission?" Sakura's face turned red with anger. "You could get everyone killed!"

Naruto started yelling too. "Exactly! You're too sneaky, old man!"

Sasuke said nothing, but his gaze was equally cold.

Kakashi sighed. "What a hassle... According to the rules, since the mission rank doesn't match, we can terminate the mission immediately and return to the Hidden Leaf Village."

The moment Tazuna heard that, he became agitated. Nearly in tears, he pleaded, "Please! If the bridge can't be built, the entire Land of Waves will truly be finished! Those children... those children can't even get enough to eat!"

Seeing the old man like that, Naruto thought of his own past and suddenly stopped shouting. He turned his head away and muttered, "...He does seem pretty pitiful."

Sakura softened as well and looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei..."

Sasuke crossed his arms and said coldly, "Do whatever you want."

Kakashi stroked his chin, seemingly weighing the matter.

Ling Yue said nothing. She knew Kakashi would ultimately agree.

Besides, this was a huge opportunity for her! Real combat meant a large number of system points and chances to draw prizes!

Sure enough, Kakashi finally sighed. "All right, the mission continues. But everyone needs to be twice as careful from now on. There may be more than one wave of enemies."

"Yeah! That's great!" Naruto cheered up again.

The group continued onward, but the atmosphere had clearly become far more solemn. Everyone stayed alert, vigilantly watching their surroundings.

Naruto stopped fooling around, Sasuke kept his Sharingan faintly activated, and Sakura stayed close to Tazuna.

Ling Yue pushed [Zetsu] and her perception to their limits.

As they passed through a dense forest, the silence around them felt somewhat unnatural.

Suddenly!

An incredibly faint whistle tore through the air!

"Watch out!" Kakashi and Sasuke shouted almost simultaneously!

But it was too fast!

A blurry shadow shot out from deep within the forest, heading straight for Tazuna, who was being protected in the middle!

That speed far surpassed the previous Hidden Mist rogue ninja!

Kakashi reacted with incredible speed, instantly drawing a kunai to block!

A piercing clash of metal rang out!

Although Kakashi blocked the strike, the immense force sent him sliding several steps backward. The hand holding his kunai went slightly numb.

The attacker revealed himself. He was a man wearing a Hidden Mist ANBU mask, with only one emotionless eye exposed, wielding an abnormally broad and bizarre greatsword.

Zabuza Momochi!

"Oh? You managed to block that strike. Looks like you're not an ordinary genin squad." Zabuza's voice was low and oppressive. "Hand over that old man, and I'll spare your lives."

"A Hidden Mist rogue ninja, Zabuza Momochi..." Kakashi pulled down his forehead protector, revealing that scarlet Sharingan. His tone was more serious than ever. "Get back! This guy is completely different from that trash earlier!"

Terrifying killing intent spread through the air. Naruto and Sakura instantly went pale, nearly unable to breathe.

Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly, but his body could not stop trembling. Ling Yue's heart also clenched, and even breathing became difficult.

This was the killing intent of an elite jonin?!

"Sharingan Kakashi... I didn't expect it to be you." Zabuza seemed to recognize Kakashi. "This is going to be a little troublesome."

Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu!

Zabuza formed hand seals in an instant, and thick fog enveloped the area in moments, reducing visibility to less than a meter!

"Back to back! Protect Mr. Tazuna!" Kakashi immediately ordered. His Sharingan slowly turned within the dense fog, trying to catch Zabuza's trail.

"Eight places..." Zabuza's voice came from every direction within the mist, echoing eerily. "The throat, spine, lungs, liver... carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart... Which vital point would you like me to attack?"

That horrifying prediction of death drove the tension to its peak.

Suddenly!

A sharp whistle came from the left!

Kakashi's Sharingan locked on at once. "Behind us!"

He shoved Naruto away and precisely caught the Kubikiribōchō, which had appeared from nowhere, with his kunai!

But Zabuza retreated immediately after that strike, vanishing into the thick mist once more.

"Right!" Kakashi warned again, blocking the attack!

"Above!"

"Behind us again!"

Relying on the Sharingan's insight, Kakashi narrowly blocked Zabuza's elusive attacks again and again. But he was clearly on the defensive, and fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"As expected of the Sharingan. You can actually see through my movements." Zabuza's voice carried a hint of mockery. "But can you keep up forever?"

The attacks became even faster and stranger!

Ling Yue pressed tightly against the others, her heart nearly leaping out of her throat. She could not interfere in a battle of this level at all!

[Kami-e] had limited effect against such an absolute gap in speed and strength!

Suddenly, Kakashi's Sharingan narrowed sharply!

"This time... a Water Clone feint. The real body is underground!"

He drove his kunai into the ground with all his strength!

But in that instant, another Zabuza appeared at Kakashi's blind spot as if teleporting. The Kubikiribōchō swept horizontally at his waist with enough force to tear through anything!

"Damn it! It's a trap!" Kakashi's pupils shrank. It was already too late for him to defend himself!

Blood splattered!

Kakashi's body was struck hard and sent flying. He slammed into a large tree, slid down, and lay motionless on the ground.

The Kubikiribōchō was buried deeply in the trunk, blood dripping from its blade.

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

Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly, filled with shock and disbelief.

Ling Yue was dumbfounded too. That wasn't right! Kakashi hadn't been injured this badly in the original story! Was it because of her, this butterfly effect?!

"Hmph, the most troublesome one is dealt with." Zabuza pulled out his sword and flicked off the drops of blood. His cold gaze turned toward the remaining four. "Now, it's your turn."

Terrifying killing intent descended once more, colder and more piercing than before.

Naruto and Sakura were so frightened that they nearly collapsed. Sasuke gritted his teeth and tried to form hand seals, but his hands were shaking badly.

Ling Yue's mind raced. What now? Run? We can't beat him! Kakashi is down! The protagonist's plot armor hasn't fully kicked in yet!

Zabuza approached step by step, the Kubikiribōchō dragging across the ground with a teeth-grating scrape.

At that desperate moment—

[Ding! Emergency mission issued: Survive for ten minutes under Zabuza Momochi's attacks, or successfully repel him.] [Mission reward: Dimensional Points x1000, Skill Card Voucher (SR) x1!]

[Warning: The enemy is extremely dangerous. Host, please proceed with caution!]

The system's prompt sounded like heavenly music, yet also like a death knell!

One thousand points! An SR card voucher!

But the prerequisite was... surviving!

Ling Yue looked at Zabuza, who was steadily closing in, then at Kakashi, who lay on the ground with his fate unknown, and her companions beside her, who had nearly lost their will to fight.

She gritted her teeth and began awkwardly forming hand seals.

I can only risk it!