The Pay for an A-Rank Mission—We Need More Money!

The Pay for an A-Rank Mission—We Need More Money!

After the thick fog completely swallowed the river, only the soft sound of oars cutting through the water remained.

Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, his scarlet Sharingan slowly turning. "Protect Tazuna. Don't leave my side."

Naruto gripped his kunai, about to speak when a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the fog.

"Get down."

Chenshu Senju pressed a hand onto Naruto's shoulder, and they both ducked at once.

The Executioner's Blade swept past above their heads and slammed into a tree trunk on the shore.

The next moment, a figure landed atop the sword's hilt.

Zabuza Momochi stood bare-chested, his face wrapped in bandages. His cold gaze swept across Team 7 before finally settling on Kakashi's Sharingan.

"Kakashi the Copy Ninja. I didn't expect you to be the one escorting this old man."

Kakashi stood before the others, his usual lazy tone gone. "Zabuza the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Looks like this mission really is troublesome."

"Hand over Tazuna, and I can let those little brats die quickly."

Naruto's brow twitched at that, and he was about to charge forward when Sasuke grabbed him and stopped him.

Chenshu Senju looked toward the river.

After spreading out his chakra sensory perception, he could clearly sense more than one presence hidden in the surrounding fog.

"They're Water Clones," he quietly warned.

Zabuza tilted his head slightly. "A sensory-type ninja?"

The instant he spoke, the figure beneath his feet suddenly dissolved into water.

The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, sweeping the Executioner's Blade outward.

Kakashi turned and blocked the blade, and the two of them began exchanging blows across the river's surface.

Water splashed continuously as Naruto and the others could only make out two blurred afterimages.

After several clashes, Kakashi kicked Zabuza in the stomach.

But his opponent immediately scattered into water, and the true killing intent emerged from beneath Kakashi's feet.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique."

A massive sphere of water instantly rose up and trapped Kakashi inside.

Zabuza maintained the technique with one hand while another Water Clone rose from the river, carrying the Executioner's Blade as it walked toward the shore.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto drew his kunai and rushed forward, only to be kicked in the chest by the Water Clone. He flew backward and crashed into a tree trunk.

Sasuke took the opportunity to throw several shuriken, skimming across the water as he attacked Zabuza's true body from the side.

The Water Clone swung its blade, deflecting every shuriken with a single strike.

The hilt then smashed into Sasuke's shoulder.

Bang.

Sasuke fell into the water. He struggled to push himself up, but his right arm was already somewhat difficult to raise.

Sakura Haruno stood before Tazuna with a kunai in hand, her fingers turning slightly white.

Even working together, the two of them could not break through a single Water Clone of Zabuza's.

Kakashi spoke grimly from within the Water Prison. "Take Tazuna and leave. Zabuza has to keep one hand on the Water Prison. If you widen the distance, he won't be able to catch you."

"Trying to run now? It's already too late."

Zabuza's Water Clone raised its blade and walked straight toward Naruto.

Naruto gritted his teeth and got to his feet, his hands beginning to form seals.

"Don't get in the way."

Chenshu Senju walked past him, his eyes fixed on the water sphere imprisoning Kakashi.

The Water Prison appeared completely sealed, but in the end, it was merely a wall of water maintained by chakra.

As long as he destroyed its structure from somewhere Zabuza could not see, Kakashi could escape.

The soil beneath Chenshu Senju's feet cracked slightly. Several thin roots silently burrowed into the riverbed, spreading toward Zabuza along the bottom of the water.

The Water Clone noticed his movement and immediately charged over with its blade.

"Another brat in a hurry to die."

The blade came down. Chenshu Senju sidestepped it, pressed his palm against the flat of the sword, and used the force to leap into the air.

Several shuriken shot out simultaneously, sealing off the Water Clone's legs and right arm.

The Water Clone swung its blade to block them, its movement pausing for only an instant.

That was enough.

The roots hidden beneath the water suddenly accelerated, bursting up from directly beneath the Water Prison.

Wooden spikes spun as they crashed into the water sphere, making the once-stable wall of water cave inward.

Zabuza's expression changed. "Wood Release?"

Crack.

The Water Prison shattered completely, and a huge spray of river water exploded in every direction.

Kakashi leaped out and kicked away the arm Zabuza was using to maintain the technique.

Without the true body's chakra sustaining it, the Water Clone scattered as well.

Naruto sat on the ground, staring at the roots continuously emerging from beneath the river. He took a long while to recover. "Wood can grow out of water too?"

Sasuke wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his tone a little stiff. "Is that really what you should be worrying about right now?"

Kakashi landed beside Chenshu Senju, his breathing noticeably heavier. "Well done. Leave the rest to me."

"There's no need to divide things so clearly."

Chenshu Senju formed hand seals, and tree roots on both sides of the riverbank burst from the earth at once.

"Wood Release: Thorn Binding."

Dozens of vines closed in on Zabuza from every direction, their thorns sealing off every route he could use to dodge.

Zabuza swung the Executioner's Blade, severing vine after vine, only to discover that new branches grew from the broken ends.

Kakashi did not miss the opportunity, swiftly completing a series of hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique."

The river water rapidly rose, condensing into a massive water dragon that slammed toward Zabuza.

Zabuza had just tried to retreat when a vine tightly wrapped around his ankle.

Boom.

The water dragon struck him head-on. Zabuza crashed through a tree trunk on the shore, and the Executioner's Blade flew from his hand.

He had just pushed himself up when even more vines burst from the ground.

One thorn pierced through his left shoulder, pinning him to the broken tree trunk.

Kakashi approached with a kunai in hand. "It's over."

Zabuza spat out blood and swiftly formed a hand seal with his right hand.

A vast white mist rose from the river, instantly obscuring everyone's vision.

Chenshu Senju controlled the vines to stab forward, but they only struck a log.

By the time the thick fog dispersed, both Zabuza and the Executioner's Blade had vanished.

"A Substitution Technique." Kakashi looked at the bloodstains on the ground. "Wounded like that, he can't have gone far."

Sakura Haruno helped Naruto up and could not help looking at Chenshu Senju.

Facing an elite jonin who had even managed to trap Kakashi, this guy had not shown the slightest hint of panic from beginning to end.

After a moment of silence, Kakashi said seriously, "Without you this time, we might have been completely wiped out. Your strength can no longer be measured by the standards of an ordinary genin."

Chenshu Senju withdrew his chakra, and the vines gradually sank back into the ground. "Remember that for now. When we return to the Hidden Leaf Village, change the pay to an A-rank mission's reward."

Tazuna: ...

A system notification followed.

[Completed the first stage of the Land of Waves challenge.]

[Seriously wounded elite jonin Zabuza Momochi. Obtained twenty draw attempts.]

[Assisted in defeating a jonin-level enemy. Obtained rare reward: Water Release Mastery.]

A new method of circulating chakra flooded into his mind. Chenshu Senju looked toward the river, and his perception of the surrounding water currents had become completely different.

His ordinary draw attempts had reached fifty-eight. He was still forty-two short of the guaranteed reward at one hundred consecutive draws.

And Zabuza would clearly return.

Atop the treetops in the forest dozens of meters away, a white-clad youth wearing a mask had watched the entire battle. Senbon needles gleamed coldly between his fingertips.

What he did not know was that the Wood Release roots Chenshu Senju had spread underground had already lightly curled around his ankle.