Shadow Windmill Fails, Naruto in Danger!

At that moment, Zabuza's water clone had already reached Naruto and knocked him to the ground with a kick.

The forehead protector representing his identity as a ninja was knocked off as well. Zabuza stepped on it and said coldly, "Someone like you thinks he deserves to be a ninja?"

Naruto was shocked and terrified, his face pale. Only one thought remained in his mind: It's over. I'm definitely going to die...

With that thought, he panicked and tried to flee, scrambling away on all fours.

Seeing this, Su Bai shouted sternly, "Naruto! You're scared already? Didn't you want to prove yourself? Are you going to be a coward again now?"

Naruto's body suddenly stiffened, and his steps came to a halt.

Su Bai's words struck him like a blow to the head, instantly reminding him of how helpless and pathetic he had been when the Hidden Mist ninja attacked last time.

His gaze fell on the forehead protector beneath Zabuza's foot. Iruka had personally placed it in his hands—it represented that he had already become a ninja!

"Aaaah!"

Naruto suddenly let out an angry roar and charged at Zabuza without a care for anything else.

Though Zabuza quickly kicked him away, Naruto took the chance to snatch back his forehead protector.

Enduring the pain, Naruto used trembling hands to put the forehead protector back on.

He stared straight at Zabuza and shouted, "Hey, No-Brows! Remember this well—I'm Naruto Uzumaki! One day, I'll become Hokage! When that happens, you'll be kneeling and begging for forgiveness!"

Naruto's declaration was full of momentum. Veins bulged on Zabuza's forehead as he snarled through gritted teeth, "You little brat, you're asking to die!"

Su Bai gave a cold smile and said, "Naruto, it's time to show him what we can do."

As he spoke, he gave Sasuke a meaningful look.

Understanding immediately, Sasuke nodded with a determined gaze.

The three gathered together and whispered among themselves, quickly working out a battle plan.

Sakura watched from the side, completely absorbed. She sincerely admired Su Bai's leadership and judgment. Under his command, they would definitely win!

Su Bai's plan was simple. He decided to act entirely according to the original plot.

First, he would briefly hold off Zabuza's water clone.

He estimated that Zabuza's water clone had only around one-sixth of the original's strength. At his current level, he should be able to keep it occupied for a while.

Next, Su Bai instructed Naruto to transform into a massive Fuma Shuriken for Sasuke to catch.

Sasuke would then use his signature technique, Shadow Windmill, to throw the Fuma Shuriken at Zabuza's real body.

The brilliance of Shadow Windmill was that it created two shuriken: one was real, while the other was concealed in its shadow.

And Naruto would transform into that shuriken hidden in the shadow.

After settling on their strategy, Su Bai, Naruto, and Sasuke immediately sprang into action.

Su Bai drew his Zanpakuto and coldly watched Zabuza's water clone.

Naruto and Sasuke also surrounded Zabuza from two other directions.

Sakura, meanwhile, was solely responsible for protecting Dazna.

Though it was only a clone, it was by no means an ordinary opponent.

Su Bai took a deep breath. Every muscle in his body tensed as he prepared for battle.

Seeing three children closing in on him, Zabuza also discarded his contempt.

He observed the three of them.

The other two brats are still green. Only that brat with the sword is troublesome.

He analyzed how to fight them.

Zabuza said, "To win, I'll first have to reduce your numbers."

"Then I'll start with the weakest!"

He immediately looked toward Naruto.

Naruto instantly readied himself to defend.

But Zabuza did not attack him.

Zabuza's combat experience was far too extensive.

This was another feint!

With a sinister laugh, the water clone retreated at incredible speed and launched an attack on Sasuke behind him.

He raised the massive Executioner's Blade and brought it down upon Sasuke's head.

Sasuke should have been able to dodge this strike easily, but the terrifying killing intent radiating from Zabuza froze him in place, leaving him unable to move.

Move! My body, move!

The next second, the Executioner's Blade came crashing down onto Sasuke's shoulder.

Unable to move even half a step, Sasuke could only raise his kunai to block.

But the Executioner's Blade was far too heavy. A single kunai could not withstand it, and the pressure forced him to his knees.

Zabuza immediately followed with a clean roundhouse kick to Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke flew away like a kite with its string cut and slammed heavily into the ground.

Sasuke cried out in pain, blood gushing from his mouth.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto roared and tried to rush over to help Sasuke up, only to be kicked aside by Zabuza.

Su Bai furrowed his brow.

Logically speaking, Sasuke should not have been defeated so easily.

After all, this clone possessed only one-sixth of Zabuza's strength.

The reason he had suffered such a terrible loss was that, during his fight with the two Hidden Mist ninja last time, he had failed to properly face and overcome the fear in his heart.

If he had gathered his courage then, faced that fierce killing intent head-on, and fought the Hidden Mist ninja properly, perhaps he would not have been so helpless against Zabuza now.

"Now you're the only one left!"

Zabuza's water clone gave a sinister laugh, raised the massive Executioner's Blade, and chopped down at Su Bai's head.

Su Bai nimbly dodged aside and slashed his Zanpakuto at the clone's waist.

But the water clone seemed to turn into a stream of water, easily evading Su Bai's attack.

With a cold snort, it swung its blade again.

Su Bai's brow creased slightly. He knew this clone was not to be underestimated.

Though the clone had only one-sixth of Zabuza's strength, it still relied on astonishing killing intent and abundant combat experience to fight Su Bai evenly.

Several exchanges passed.

Su Bai gradually adapted to the effects of the killing intent radiating from Zabuza.

His body also began to move more freely.

"This brat is no simple opponent!" The real Zabuza, who was controlling Kakashi with the Water Prison Jutsu from afar, noticed that Su Bai was growing braver as the battle continued and immediately sensed trouble.

Against these children, he no longer held even the slightest trace of contempt.

After taking some time to recover, Sasuke was finally able to stand up and fight again.

Naruto and Sasuke then began carrying out the plan they had just made.

Naruto first used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to create several copies of himself.

One of them transformed into a massive Fuma Shuriken.

A clone of Naruto then threw the Fuma Shuriken to Sasuke.

Everything proceeded according to plan.

But then something unexpected happened.

Sasuke threw the shuriken at Zabuza's real body as planned.

To their surprise, Zabuza had completely seen through their trick.

He first ducked beneath the real shuriken, then directly caught the shadow shuriken Naruto had transformed into.

Naruto immediately undid his transformation, but Zabuza held him tightly, one hand clamped around his throat.

Zabuza sinisterly demanded, "Brat, what did you say just now? What did you say you would become in the future?"

Watching Naruto get captured by Zabuza, Sasuke and Sakura could not help drawing in sharp breaths, their faces turning pale.

"Damn it!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, his fists unconsciously clenching.

He knew how ruthless Zabuza was. If Naruto said another disrespectful word, his life might truly be in danger.

Thinking of this, he glared hatefully at Zabuza, wishing he could charge forward and fight him to the death immediately.

But reason told him that, with his current strength, he was no match for Zabuza at all.

Helplessness and fear intertwined, making him feel as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.

Sakura's entire body trembled, and her legs could barely support her weight.

She stared fixedly at Naruto, her mind blank and her heart seemingly about to leap from her chest.

Naruto... Sakura screamed soundlessly in her heart. Her eyes reddened, tears welling up inside them, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Kakashi's reaction was the strongest of all.

Every muscle in his body tensed, and the three tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly.

He knew the name Zabuza all too well.

When he had once carried out missions in the Hidden Mist Village, he had heard of this "Killing Machine of the Hidden Mist."

That man was cold-blooded and merciless, slaughtering innocents without restraint. He was said to be the reincarnation of an asura.

The thought of Naruto falling into the hands of such a person made Kakashi feel suffocated. He had even prepared to risk his life in battle.

"Zabuza, if you dare lay a finger on him, I'll make you pay in blood!"

Kakashi growled through clenched teeth, his voice low and hoarse.

Though Naruto's words came out in broken fragments from being choked, his gaze was incomparably resolute.

"I said... I'm going to become Hokage!"

Then, with trembling hands, he threw a kunai toward Zabuza.

At the instant Naruto threw the kunai, almost at the exact same time—

Su Bai, who was still fighting, swung his Zanpakuto at the water clone, and the water clone blocked with the Executioner's Blade.

Then Su Bai pointed his index finger at the water clone's chest.

His lips moved slightly as he softly recited an incantation:

"Ruler, mask of flesh and blood, all creation, fluttering wings, you who bear the name of man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"

"Way of Destruction Number Four: White Lightning!"

Zabuza's water clone had no idea what Su Bai intended to do by pointing one finger at him.

After all, Su Bai had not formed any hand seals.

To use ninjutsu, hand seals were necessary.

"What are you—"

Before the water clone could finish speaking, a dazzling white light shot from Su Bai's fingertip.

It pierced toward its chest with lightning speed.

The water clone let out a scream and turned into a puddle, vanishing without a trace.

After shattering the clone, White Lightning continued in a straight line toward Zabuza's real body!