The Three's Bitter Struggle

"If this is all you can do, then I'm afraid you won't be taking this sword back."

Uchiha You's voice was not loud, yet it reached Zabuza's ears with perfect clarity.

Zabuza slowly raised his head.

The killing intent in his eyes had almost taken solid form.

"Konoha Jonin."

"You'll pay for those words."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zabuza rapidly formed hand seals.

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

Boom!

The moisture in the air seemed to be drawn by some force, surging madly toward the forest.

In the blink of an eye, dense white mist spread everywhere.

The trees, the road, Tazuna, even Naruto and the other two standing close by all swiftly vanished into the mist.

Visibility instantly dropped to its lowest point.

Sakura instinctively clenched her fists.

"Everyone, be careful!"

"He should be nearby!"

Naruto immediately formed hand seals and took a sharp breath.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A gale howled from his mouth, sweeping through the mist around them.

The thick fog churned violently, briefly clearing out an area.

However, after only a few breaths, the surrounding mist filled back in.

Naruto's expression changed slightly.

"How is this possible?"

"This mist just won't blow away!"

Sasuke said in a low voice,

"This isn't ordinary mist."

"Zabuza is continuously using chakra to create water vapor. Wind Release can only disperse it temporarily; it can't break the entire technique."

"Then what do we do?"

Sakura looked around.

The only answer was utter silence.

Within the dense mist, it was as if an invisible beast lurked all around them.

Uchiha You stood in front of Tazuna, his expression calm.

He did not act to disperse the mist.

This was Team 7's battle.

As long as the three of them were not truly in mortal danger, he would not intervene lightly.