Battle Between Jōnin

"Hatake Kakashi, on the assassination lists of every nation's ninja ANBU, you are an unmistakably conspicuous presence."

Zabuza Momochi looked down at Kakashi, acknowledging his strength. "If the enemy was you, then the Demon Brothers' defeat was only natural."

Kakashi kept his eyes fixed on Zabuza. Although he had anticipated that the next attacker after the Demon Brothers would be a Jōnin, he had not expected someone as renowned as Momochi Zabuza.

This was not an opponent he could take down quickly.

Things had gotten troublesome...

Kakashi not only had to protect Tazuna, but also prevent Zabuza from shifting the fight toward the three members of Team 7 in order to keep him occupied.

That was precisely why Kakashi had immediately used the Sharingan.

Although Naruto and the others were exceptionally capable among Genin.

If they were dragged into a battle between Jōnin, their presence as Genin would itself become a burden.

"Those two weren't taken out by me. My subordinates dealt with them."

After considering many things in an instant, Kakashi opened his mouth and responded to Zabuza.

"Oh?"

Hearing Kakashi's words, Zabuza showed a hint of curiosity.

Zabuza's gaze swept over the three members of Team 7, who were protecting Tazuna in a defensive formation, as if he wanted to personally judge whether the information about inexperienced Genin defeating Chunin was true.

Zabuza's eyes lifted slightly. Ordinary people would hardly notice such a small movement of his gaze.

But the Sharingan in Kakashi's left eye possessed the qualities of an Observation Eye. The flow of chakra and even the slightest movements of others could all be seen through.

Even the tiny lapse in Zabuza's attention as it shifted toward Team 7 was noticed by Kakashi.

His extensive combat experience allowed Kakashi to seize that fleeting opening!

A sharp, piercing rumble of thunder suddenly rang out behind Zabuza.

Zabuza's pupils contracted. Kakashi was still within his line of sight...

Shadow Clone?!

The answer came to him in an instant.

Zabuza hurriedly turned around, preparing to meet Kakashi's sneak attack.

But his gaze happened to meet that crimson Sharingan—

Besides being an Observation Eye, the Sharingan also possessed the qualities of a Hypnotic Eye.

The ocular genjutsu Kakashi cast with the Sharingan made Zabuza freeze for one second.

That crucial second allowed Kakashi's blue lightning to pierce straight through Zabuza's chest with perfect precision, even though he could have dodged it!

With just one strike, the battle between the two Jōnin, Kakashi and Zabuza, came to an end!

"Th... what kind of ninjutsu is that?!"

Sasuke stared at the lightning in Kakashi's hand in disbelief. He had never seen a ninjutsu with such terrifying power.

"I've never seen a ninjutsu like that in any book... Is Kakashi-sensei really that strong?"

Sakura, too, could not suppress the shock in her heart.

Even she, who could recite the Ninja Academy textbooks backward and had perfect theory scores, did not know the ninjutsu Kakashi had used.

Naruto's reaction was not as intense as Sasuke's and Sakura's.

With memories of his past life, he knew very well that the blue lightning in Kakashi's hand that emitted that sharp, piercing sound was Kakashi's self-created S-rank ninjutsu, Lightning Cutter.

But Naruto still furrowed his brow.

He was not frowning because he was awed by Kakashi's strength, but because Zabuza had not actually died, which made the situation troublesome.

Ever since setting foot in the Land of Waves, Naruto had continuously maintained the Wind Caress Dawn Technique.

Only after Kakashi began using the Sharingan had Naruto stopped using the Wind Caress Dawn Technique, so that Kakashi would not notice the chakra in the wind through the Sharingan's Observation Eye qualities.

But before that, Naruto had already sensed that Momochi Zabuza, who had appeared before them, was not the real body at all.

The Zabuza Kakashi had "killed" was merely one of Zabuza's Clone Techniques...

The two chakra signatures hiding in the shadows were the real Zabuza and—Haku.

"Damn it!"

Kakashi noticed something was wrong as he watched the lightning piercing Zabuza's chest flicker abnormally.

The next moment, Zabuza's body turned into clear water and splashed onto the ground.

"That's right, it's a Water Clone!"

The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, who was using Lightning Cutter, and answered in an extremely mocking tone.

A kunai pierced the throat of Kakashi, who was using Lightning Cutter. The next moment, that Kakashi also turned into smoke and vanished.

Everything that had just happened seemed like a dream. Zabuza still stood atop the blade embedded in the tree trunk, looking down at Kakashi on the ground.

"...That move just now used up quite a bit of your chakra... What a pity, Hatake Kakashi."

Zabuza stared at Kakashi, no longer dividing his attention between the three members of Team 7 behind Kakashi and the Tazuna they were protecting.

"It seems that if I want to kill that old man, I'll have to deal with you first."

Having made his decision, Zabuza used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the tree.

The massive sword vanished along with Zabuza.

When Zabuza appeared again, he had slung the great sword back over his shoulder and stood on the water not far away.

One of his hands was raised straight upward while the other stood before his chest, both hands forming seals.

Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique.

Thick white mist emerged around Zabuza in an instant. At that moment, the wind blew, expanding the range of the mist.

In the span of a single breath, the thick mist enveloped Kakashi and the others.

And Zabuza, who had been standing on the water, had disappeared...

No! That was not an accurate description either!

It was more as though Zabuza had turned himself into the mist as well, becoming part of the mist itself!

"Listen up!"

Kakashi stared at the place where Zabuza had vanished and said to Naruto and the others, "This is the Silent Killing Technique that Momochi Zabuza excels at."

"You three must stay focused and maintain the highest level of vigilance. Let your guard down even slightly, and he'll kill you from somewhere in the mist."

During the pause as Kakashi warned them, the fog grew thicker and thicker.

"You know my methods well, Kakashi."

Zabuza's voice came from within the fog, sometimes distant and sometimes close. Though it was only one person's voice, it seemed to come from every direction in the mist.

"Since that's the case, you should know what kind of attack I'll make next, shouldn't you?"

"Heart!"

"Throat!"

"Neck!"

"Lung!"

"..."

From within the mist, Zabuza used terrifying words to heap immense pressure upon them.

His speech abruptly stopped halfway through.

The natural calm returned to the entire mist.

Everyone's tension was pushed to its limit!

Kakashi immediately formed hand seals!

"Sasuke, Sakura!"

At the same time, Naruto shouted loudly, warning the two beside him.

"I'll start with you little brats!"

This time, Zabuza's voice was incomparably clear.

Sasuke and Sakura were both startled. Zabuza had actually arrived behind the three of them without making a sound.

Zabuza raised the great sword in his hand high. The next moment, he would slaughter all three members of Team 7!

"Don't even think about it!"

Kakashi appeared before Zabuza, seized the arm swinging the sword, and drove a kunai all the way into Zabuza's kidney.

Yet what flowed from Zabuza's wound was not red blood, but water!

This Zabuza was another Water Clone!

The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi.