The sound of shattering ice mirrors rang like a clear death knell in Zabuza's heart.
He watched Haku cough up blood and fly backward, yet he was powerless to save him.
Because the Giant Tree blotting out the sky had surged like a raging dragon, it had completely separated them.
But this terrifying destruction was only the beginning.
Pop-pop-
Countless enormous, multicolored flower buds slowly bloomed in midair.
An extraordinarily rich, cloyingly sweet floral fragrance instantly replaced the salty tang of the sea breeze, filling the entire bridge.
Along with that fragrance, yellow pollen filled the sky like a living sandstorm, drifting down as the Giant Tree swayed.
Beautiful, yet deadly.
Kakashi recognized the terrifying nature of this technique at once.
His expression changed drastically. Holding his breath, he frantically formed hand seals, using Earth Release to raise a ring of protective walls around himself, Sakura, and Tazuna.
"Cover your mouths and noses! Do not breathe in that pollen!"
Kakashi's voice cracked with urgency.
"That's the First Hokage's Forbidden Technique! Once you inhale it, you instantly lose the ability to move!"
But for the enemies already caught in the heart of the pollen cloud, Kakashi's warning came too late.
At the end of the bridge.
The hundred-plus thugs Gato had hired were brandishing swords, ready to rush in and take advantage of the chaos.
A cloud of yellow pollen drifted past.
"Cough, cough... What's that smell... It smells so good..."
The thug at the very front instinctively took a breath, an entranced expression spreading across his face.
The next second.
His smile froze, and his eyes rolled back.
Thud!
His entire body slammed stiffly into the ground like a log stripped of all support, foam spilling from his mouth as he convulsed.
He was like the first domino to fall.