Defeating Haku

One Demonic Mirror after another shattered into ice fragments that scattered across the sky beneath Naruto's Shadow Clones' fists. The Absolute Defense formation that had driven Sasuke into a desperate corner moments ago was now as fragile as a glass display case.

Ice crystal fragments fell like a torrential downpour, piling up into a glittering layer of frost on the ground.

Haku tried to salvage the situation.

His fingers flew as he attempted to reform the Demonic Mirrors, but Naruto's Shadow Clones gave him no chance.

The instant they shattered one mirror, they pounced on the next. More than a dozen Shadow Clones divided their tasks clearly, some responsible for destruction, others for pinning down Haku himself.

Whenever Haku formed Senbon, a Shadow Clone would immediately close in from the side, forcing him to interrupt his attack and switch to defense.

In just a few breaths, every Ice Crystal Magic Mirror except the one concealing Haku himself had been completely destroyed.

And at that moment, Naruto himself moved.

He scooped up the unconscious Sasuke and slung him over his shoulder. Chakra erupted beneath his feet, and he became a red flash that shot through the falling ice fragments and out of the Magic Mirror Formation.

Haku saw it.

He instinctively wanted to stop him. His fingers had already gripped fresh Senbon, but the instant he moved, more than a dozen Naruto Shadow Clones swiftly regrouped after smashing the mirrors and charged before the mirror where Haku stood, surrounding him completely.

Three layers inside, three layers outside.

More than a dozen Narutos wrapped in red Chakra sealed him in without leaving a single gap.

Pairs of blue eyes stared coldly at Haku within the mirror, like hunters surrounding their prey. If Haku dared move even slightly, attacks would descend upon him from every direction at once.

Naruto gently set Sasuke down and walked toward Haku, who was surrounded by the clones.

Haku stood within the sole remaining Demonic Mirror. The fists of more than a dozen Naruto Shadow Clones were already pressed against its surface. At the slightest abnormal movement, this final mirror would shatter instantly as well.

He looked at the airtight encirclement around him, drew a deep breath, and formed Senbon between his fingers again.

This time, he did not aim them at any of the clones. Instead, he held the Senbon between his fingers and spread his arms slightly.

The next instant, Haku's body suddenly spun within the Demonic Mirror.

"Ice Release Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Ice Needles of Death!"

Countless Senbon shot out from Haku in every direction, covering all three hundred and sixty degrees without a single blind spot.

The dense Senbon were like an exploding storm of pear blossom needles, each carrying enough force to pierce flesh and covering every possible corner of the surrounding space.

Faced with this indiscriminate attack, the Shadow Clones remained calm.

Some twisted aside, letting the Senbon skim past the edges of their clothes.

Some raised their hands and condensed Chakra, batting the Senbon away with the backs of their hands just as they approached.

Some leaped straight up, letting Senbon pass beneath their feet and embed themselves in the ground behind them in a neat row.

In the gaps between evading, Naruto controlled the Shadow Clones to press forward at once.

Empowered by the Nine-Tails' Chakra, the Shadow Clones advanced far faster than before.

Haku had just unleashed Thousand Flying Ice Needles of Death, and before he could even withdraw his arm, a Shadow Clone had already closed to within arm's reach.

"Bang!"

A fist slammed solidly into Haku's abdomen.

"Mmgh..."

Haku groaned, his body bending involuntarily as a glimmer of moisture seeped out from beneath his mask.

The second Shadow Clone immediately cut in from the left and smashed a fist into Haku's shoulder blade. The crisp crack of dislocated joints was clearly audible.

The third Shadow Clone circled around from behind and kicked Haku in the back of the knee, forcing him onto one knee.

Bang...

Bang...

Bang...

The dull sounds of fists striking flesh rang out continuously, mixed with the sounds of Shadow Clones being blown apart.

Haku was indeed skilled. Even while being besieged, he still popped two Shadow Clones with Senbon at close range, and even had enough strength left to knock another clone back with a clean elbow strike.

But that changed nothing.

There were simply too many Shadow Clones. With the amplification of the Nine-Tails' Chakra, every punch carried a weight no Genin should have been capable of delivering. Haku's injuries piled up at a terrifying pace.

Finally, a Shadow Clone's fist smashed viciously into Haku's mask.

Crack!

With a crisp snap, the mask on Haku's face split down the middle, its fragments pattering to the ground.

Behind the mask was a face so delicate it hardly looked male.

His skin was pale enough to seem nearly translucent, and his fine features possessed a beauty somewhere between that of a boy and a girl. Several strands of long black hair fell loose as his mask shattered, clinging to his bloodless cheeks.

"Bang!"

With a dull impact, Haku's body was sent flying by a punch. He rolled twice across the ground before coming to a stop.

Before he could struggle to his feet, the remaining Naruto Shadow Clones had already rushed forward. They pinned down his shoulders, arms, and legs, holding him firmly against the ground.

Naruto slowly walked over to Haku and looked down at that face, which he had to admit was beautiful.

Of course, he knew this was Haku.

An orphan with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, picked up by Zabuza as a child and raised as a tool, yet always harboring deep feelings for Zabuza. Gentle by nature and utterly unsuited to being a ninja, he would ultimately die beneath Kakashi's Lightning Blade while saving Zabuza.

But at this moment, "he" did not know any of that.

So Naruto silently looked at Haku for a while before speaking.

"So it was you."

The words were simple, containing no real information at all.

Haku raised his head to look at Naruto. Blood stained the corner of his lips, and there was little fear in his eyes, only a resigned calm.

He had lost, completely and utterly.

It was not merely a crushing defeat in strength, but a total defeat in tempo as well.

From the destruction of the Demonic Mirrors to being surrounded, then having his mask shattered and being restrained, he had not even managed more than a few effective counterattacks throughout the entire exchange.

"Stay here and wait for this farce to end."

Naruto thought for a moment before speaking, then turned to look toward the battle in the thick fog ahead.

Haku froze briefly, then struggled to speak. "Why?"

"I killed your companion. He was pierced all over while trying to protect you!"

Naruto did not respond.

Sasuke was not dead, of course. He was only severely injured and unconscious.

But Naruto had no need to explain that to Haku. Explaining would only lead to troublesome questions like how he knew Sasuke was not dead.

Sometimes, silence was the best answer.

Haku looked at Naruto's unruffled face, opened his mouth, then lowered his head. His eyes dimmed, and in the end, he said nothing.

At that moment, a terrifying force of lightning suddenly erupted from within the distant fog.

Crackle... sizzle, sizzle...

Even from dozens of meters away and through layers of thick mist, the sharp, piercing shriek of lightning sounded as though it were right beside their ears, leaving everyone present with a numb tingling sensation across their skin.

Lightning flashed within the fog, casting the mist's outlines into shifting light and darkness, as if some colossal beast were awakening amid the clouds.

"Lightning Blade..."

Naruto silently recited the name of the technique in his heart.

Kakashi and Zabuza's battle had also reached its final stage.