Mist Rises Again on the Bridge

The Land of Waves was shrouded in a gray, damp haze that morning.

"Is that guy... still asleep?"

Outside Tazuna's house, Sasuke stood with his pack on his back, glaring irritably at the second-floor window. Naruto's earth-shaking snores came from within, as though he were about to blow the roof off.

"Eh, let him sleep a little longer." Kakashi tugged at his forehead protector, covering his Sharingan as he spoke lazily. "With his stamina, even if he's late, he'll catch up soon enough. Let's go first."

"Okay, Sensei." Though Sakura was somewhat worried as well, she obediently followed.

Just as the three prepared to set off, a thoroughly discordant tapping sound came from behind them.

Ye Tian was leaning on a thick Root branch he had picked up from who knew where. He took one step and gasped three times, his face white as paper, as if he might breathe his last at any moment.

"Cough, cough... Wait for me."

Ye Tian weakly raised a hand. "As a member of the team... I have to go too... cough, cough, and witness the final outcome."

Sasuke's mouth twitched. "In that state, won't you just be dead weight if you come along?"

"Sasuke, is that any way to talk to a sick person?" Kakashi rebuked him verbally, though his eyes held the same helplessness. "Ye Tian, are you sure you don't need to stay and rest? Today's fight could be... intense."

"It's fine. I'll just watch from the side of the bridge. I definitely won't get in your way."

As he spoke, Ye Tian quietly calculated in his heart.

How could he not go?

That Kubikiribōchō of Zabuza's might have forging craftsmanship as crude as crap by the standards of the cultivation world, but it possessed the trait of regenerating through blood absorption. That meant it had to be mixed with some rare Memory Spirit Gold or Blood-Patterned Steel.

If he did not secretly chip off a couple of pieces during the melee, wouldn't this trip have been for nothing?

For that refining material, Ye Tian would crawl to the bridge today if he had to.

The unfinished Naruto Bridge was terrifyingly silent.

The construction site, which should have been bustling with activity, was now littered with workers lying every which way. They were not dead, merely knocked unconscious, and groaned in pain.

A thick mist began to spread.

This was not natural fog, but killing intent heavy with the scent of Chakra.

"They're here after all."

Kakashi's gaze sharpened as he instantly moved in front of Tazuna. Sasuke and Sakura immediately drew their Kunai, standing back-to-back as they vigilantly watched their surroundings.

Only Ye Tian slowly shuffled behind a relatively intact concrete block, leaned against it in a comfortable position, and even pulled a mask from his robes and put it on. His voice came out muffled as he said, "It's too damp here. Bad for the lungs."

"Hehehe..."

A chilling laugh echoed from every direction. Then, two figures emerged from the thick fog.

At their head was Zabuza Momochi, carrying his signature Kubikiribōchō on his shoulder, his gaze savage. The masked youth beside him was Haku.

"Kakashi, I'm back." Zabuza's voice was as rough as sandpaper.

His gaze then swept over the brats behind Kakashi. When it landed on Ye Tian, who was hiding behind the concrete block with only his eyes exposed, Zabuza's eye visibly twitched.

That brat!

Back by the river, this sickly weakling who had looked ready to Dan his last breath had somehow possessed lung capacity even more terrifying than his own, forcibly holding his breath in the Water Prison longer than Zabuza himself!

"Hey, you tuberculosis-ridden brat."

Zabuza pointed his great blade at Ye Tian and said viciously, "We haven't settled our score from last time. Have you come to die today too?"

Everyone's attention immediately focused on Ye Tian.

Ye Tian instantly put on a terrified expression and clutched his chest as he coughed violently. "Cough, cough, cough! Lord Zabuza, you misunderstand! I'm just a sickly bystander here to watch... cough, cough, I can't take it anymore, I'm about to faint. Go ahead and fight, don't mind me. Just treat me like a fart and let me go."

After saying that, he actually cooperatively pulled his head back and curled up behind the concrete block, looking like a cowardly nobody, a mere A.

Veins bulged on Zabuza's forehead. "..."

The sheer incongruity of it made him feel that cutting Ye Tian down would somehow cheapen his blade.

"Hmph. Trash like that isn't worth my effort." Zabuza snorted and turned to Kakashi. "Haku, those two brats are yours. Kakashi is mine."

"Yes, Mr. Zabuza."

Haku responded softly. His figure flashed, and he instantly appeared before Sasuke.

The battle was about to erupt!

Kakashi and Zabuza collided in an instant, sending water spraying everywhere. On the other side, Sasuke and Haku began an intense exchange.

Though Ye Tian hid behind the concrete block and appeared to be trembling in fear, he had already released his divine sense.

Everything around him, even the tiniest specks of dust in the air, was clearly reflected in his mind.

"Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"

Haku formed hand seals with one hand, and the pooled water on the ground instantly transformed into countless ice Senbon that shot toward Sasuke like a torrential storm.

Though Sasuke barely evaded them with his outstanding taijutsu, he quickly fell into a disadvantage.

"Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"

With Haku's low shout, the moisture in the air rapidly condensed.

Huge ice mirrors rose from the ground one after another, forming a hemispherical cage that trapped Sasuke firmly inside. Haku's body slowly merged into one of the mirrors, and then his image appeared in every single one.

"So this is a Kekkei Genkai?"

Watching the battle from outside with his divine sense, Ye Tian analyzed the technique with great interest.

"Using Chakra to alter water's form and create high-strength ice walls. Isn't this just a simplified version of the cultivation world's Ice Formation? But..."

Ye Tian silently evaluated it. This kid has some clever ideas. Using mirror reflections for extreme-speed movement—rather than teleportation, it's more like exploiting visual afterimages and sheer speed. Among Qi Condensation Stage cultivators, that tactical thinking would count as outstanding.

The battle within the ice mirrors had already become completely one-sided.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless Root Senbon flew from every direction. Sasuke had no way to catch sight of Haku's true body.

"Argh!"

Sasuke cried out as several wounds instantly appeared on his body, blood staining his clothes Kurenai.

"Too slow. Your eyes can't keep up with my speed." Haku's voice came from all directions, cold yet carrying a trace of reluctance.

Naruto, who had just arrived and foolishly charged into the formation, joined Sasuke in getting beaten up. The two stood back-to-back, riddled with needles like porcupines.

Ye Tian frowned slightly.

He was not worried that these two protagonists would die; after all, fate protected them. What worried him was that if Haku slipped up and truly crippled Sasuke, the later plot would become difficult to advance.

Besides, Sasuke had to awaken his Sharingan here. That was the key.

"These two kids aren't under enough pressure yet."

Ye Tian gently rubbed his fingers over his cane as the thin strand of pure Spiritual Power within him quietly began to circulate.

Crane-Control Dragon-Capturing Hand.

This was a basic cultivation-world technique for manipulating objects from a distance. Though Ye Tian was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Level and could not move mountains or fill seas, changing the trajectory of a few tiny Root needles was as easy as turning his hand.

Inside the ice mirrors.

Haku launched another attack. This time, several sharp Root Senbon shot straight for Sasuke's throat and eyes!

This was a killing blow!

Though Haku was kind by nature, for Zabuza's sake, he had to end the battle as quickly as possible.

Sasuke's pupils contracted violently. His body could no longer keep up with his thoughts, and he was about to have his eyes pierced.

At that critical moment.

An invisible force gave the air an extremely faint nudge.

Clink! Clink!

The Root Senbon that had been certain to kill him strangely veered half an inch in midair.

Pfft!

One Root Senbon brushed past Sasuke's eyelid and cut his cheek, but missed his eyeball. Another, originally aimed at his throat, embedded itself in his collarbone instead.

Excruciating pain!

Yet that pain did not bring Sasuke down. Instead, it acted like a key, completely awakening the Uchiha Clan bloodline within him.

"It's not over yet..."

Sasuke abruptly raised his head. Within his formerly black pupils, a Kurenai tomoe spun wildly, followed by a second tomoe slowly emerging!

"Oh? His eyes awakened."

From outside, Ye Tian sensed that cold Chakra fluctuation and contentedly withdrew his finger.

That's more like it. How else are you supposed to fight without a power-up?

He glanced again at Zabuza, who was still locked in combat with Kakashi in the distance. His gaze finally settled on the Kubikiribōchō embedded in the ground.

While everyone was fighting so fiercely...

Wasn't it time for this "miner" to make his entrance?

Ye Tian coughed violently twice more to cover the sound of his quiet footsteps as he shifted position, staring at his prey like an oriole waiting to strike.