Naruto still stood on the sea. After Zabuza dove beneath the water again, he had not resurfaced.
"Hey, what do we do? Are we still going to capture that woman?"
"Y-you idiot! Didn't you see that stuff just now? Could you stop a Water Dragon that huge? Go ahead if you want. I'm not throwing my life away!"
"Then how do we explain this to the boss?"
"How should I know? Maybe we should retreat first?"
The few remaining members of Gato's Men trembled. Unlike Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu earlier, the sheer spectacle of Naruto and Zabuza's Jutsu clash had left them dumbstruck.
The ninja they usually encountered were mostly just people who ran faster and threw Ninja Tools with gusto. Someone who could occasionally perform a Transformation Technique or Clone Technique was already impressive enough.
When had they ever seen anything like this?
On top of that, even the arrogant Zabuza had been defeated almost instantly, while the kid who had beaten him still stood on the water without a scratch.
Resist Jutsu like that with the swords in their hands?
What a joke!
Kurenai Yuhi noticed their movements too, but she paid little attention to these terrified lackeys.
She gave the wound on her abdomen some makeshift first aid, ready to support Naruto at any moment.
I'm a Konoha jonin, after all. I can't just keep standing here watching...
Naruto simply stood on the water, quietly sensing his surroundings.
Then, as if he had suddenly detected something, he turned to look in another direction.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
A moment later, two figures burst out of the sea. Zabuza dragged Haku along with one hand, helping him cough as much seawater out of his lungs as possible.
But before they could catch their breath, a languid female voice carrying a