The Long Blade in the Water Mist

Zabuza a single person or cutting a single blade, he leaped across the Mist Shinobi streets, concealing himself in the thick fog as he rapidly advanced towards the Water Shadow Building.

What he thought was a secret move had already fallen into the sights of those with ulterior motives.

The clouds and rain churned, the pattering sound brushing past my ears, yet the empty streets seemed to harbor a hidden danger.

"Bite..."

The kunai, Kunai forward like a streak of black light, instantly severed the rain, Zabuza at an eerie angle like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

"Bang..."

With a slight lift of his Kubikiribōchō, Kunai flying, Zabuza a flash, he appeared on the street outside the Water Shadow Building.

Instead of immediately looking at what was in front of him, he sighed inwardly and glanced briefly at the Water Shadow Building. He only needed to cross three or five more streets to enter...

"I never expected it to be you..."

"Demon of the Hidden Mist Zabuza Momochi..."

Zabuza his head, narrowed his eyes slightly, and stared at the newcomer. He made no attempt to conceal himself and stood openly in front of him.

With silver-white hair and a slight smile on his face, he would have been quite dashing if it weren't for his shark-like teeth that hinted at a hint of danger.

Hozuki Mangetsu Hiramekarei, and the young leader of the Hōzuki Clan.

"You actually showed up here...!"

"Aren't you the same, Zabuza...?"

At this very moment, the two, who should have been heading to the battlefield in Mist Shinobi as Seven Ninja Swordsmen, were instead standing facing each other in front of the Water Shadow Building.

The sound of rain continued to fall around them, but neither of them spoke for a long time. Hozuki Mangetsu stared at Zabuza, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

"If it's alright, could you please leave here?"

"Some things may need further consideration..."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zabuza's eyes as he gazed meaningfully at the boy before him; his words seemed to carry a deeper meaning...

"Heh, make your move. You've managed to stop me here, so you must know my purpose today."

"Either let me through, or I'll kill you and go through myself..."

Before setting off, Zabuza already knew that today's journey was likely a death sentence, but he still resolutely went ahead with it. Now there was no other way to go. Without thinking about anything else, Zabuza focused his mind and tightly gripped the Kubikiribōchō in his hand.

"Haha, as arrogant as ever..."

"So..."

"Come and kill me!"

Hozuki Mangetsu revealed a chilling smile, and his twin swords, Hiramekarei, instantly appeared in his hands. The two fell silent, staring intently at each other. The sky seemed to still, and their auras reached their peak, awaiting only a trigger...

"Boom..."

A sudden clap of thunder, a flash of the blade, and the rain seemed to freeze.

The two figures vanished abruptly, and the Kubikiribōchō and the twin blades, Hiramekarei, collided violently in an instant.

"Buzz..."

Both men's longswords trembled violently. As heirs to the Ninja Blade, their strengths were not significantly different. People from Mist Shinobi were always skilled in swordsmanship, and probing attacks could only be considered warm-up exercises before battle.

The rain drizzled down, and the two continued to clash in the rain. The hidden auras around them grew stronger. Zabuza knew that these were other ninjas from the Hōzuki Clan. They wouldn't interfere with his battle with Hozuki Mangetsu, but they would also never give him a chance to escape.

Knowing that there was no time to waste and that a swift victory was the only option, he unconsciously exerted even more force with each swift strike.

Hozuki Mangetsu seemed to have seen through Zabuza's thoughts. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he deliberately created an opening to see if the anxious Zabuza would take the bait. With his Hydrification Jutsu as a means of survival, he was reckless and preferred a fighting style of trading blows.

A horizontal slash aimed at Zabuza's ribs, a position most difficult to defend, but the swing also completely exposed his lower body.

Faced with this attack, Zabuza his body and retreated. As a fellow Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he had some understanding of Hozuki Mangetsu. Although he wanted to finish the battle quickly, he wouldn't fail to notice such an obvious opening.

Hozuki Mangetsu chuckled and continued his pursuit, delivering another slash.

Zabuza, and will retreat again.

But at that moment, faint starlight flickered across Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō.

Although the Kubikiribōchō is not made entirely of Chakra Metal, the amount of Chakra Metal in it is not small, and its power is enhanced after Chakra is incorporated into it.

Hozuki Mangetsu slashed several times in succession, but failed to Zabuza's clothes. A strange light flashed in his eyes.

"Good speed..."

Zabuza was Jonin who devoted almost all his energy to swordsmanship. He was famous in Mist Shinobi for his Silent Killing Technique, and his speed was certainly not slow.

At that moment, Hozuki Mangetsu also noticed the Chakra condensing on the Kubikiribōchō. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He could feel the killing intent within the Kubikiribōchō but not releasing, as if it were brewing a deadly attack.

"Let's end this..."

Zabuza spoke calmly, and taking advantage of the moment when Hozuki Mangetsu swung his sword, he suddenly brought his greatsword down towards him. It was a simple sword strike, but it was a unique creation he had painstakingly crafted to assassinate the Mizukage.

Without any unnecessary movements, it simply struck down, driven by Chakra, with a power as light as waving a feather, yet incredibly fast, like a swift bolt of lightning.

A hint of amazement flashed in Hozuki Mangetsu's eyes, but a strong fighting spirit appeared on his face.

As a fellow heir to the Ninja Blade, he could never admit that he was weaker Zabuza.

He gripped the Ninja Blade tightly in his hand, and a strange distortion seemed to appear on the Ninja Blade silently, rippling out like water.

The unique characteristic of the Twin Blades - Hiramekarei is that it can form Chakra into light spheres and unleash them to cause massive damage. The more enemies you kill, the more Chakra the weapon contains, and the greater its power becomes.

A dazzling ball of Chakra converged on the blade like flowing water, unleashing a massive, azure sword aura even in its haste.

In an instant, Zabuza 'Zabuza 'Kubikiribōchō clashed directly with Hozuki Mangetsu's Twin Blades, Hiramekarei.

If facing anyone else, Hozuki Mangetsu might have used the Hydrification Jutsu to dodge, but his pride Ninja Blade prevented him from using the Hydrification Jutsu at the last moment. Instead, he chose to use his Twin Blades, Hiramekarei, to withstand the attack head-on.

The sharpest, coldest glints of light clashed, and the rain around them seemed to freeze in mid-air. Their eyes met, both wearing inexplicably complex expressions. Hozuki Mangetsu could vaguely sense that Zabuza had held back, but he wasn't entirely sure...

"Puff..."

Even so, Hozuki Mangetsu still felt a sharp pain in his internal organs, and blood gushed from his mouth instantly.

"Lord Full Moon..."

Hozuki Mangetsu was no match for him, the Hōzuki Clan ninjas instantly leaped out from all around, landing on all sides, their gazes fixed coldly on Zabuza Momochi.

They also knew that they absolutely could not allow Zabuza to enter the Water Shadow Building today; only by repelling the assassins could they silence any criticism.

Nobody knows why, despite it being the Hōzuki Clan's eldest elder being assassinated, things turned out this way...