"That man is dangerous!"
Kakashi Hatake spoke gravely to Naruto Uzumaki beside him.
He still had no idea whether this man was friend or foe.
If push came to shove, he would have to unleash the Sharingan's true power.
"Your target is Gato. Surely this has nothing to do with me?"
Zabuza did not retreat just because Yemu had displayed overwhelming strength.
"You're just a little extra work."
Yemu Hyuga did not give Zabuza a chance to keep talking.
Nor did he need to learn about Zabuza's life before his death.
Wang Xiaoting (Banshō Ten'in)!!
Blue light shimmered in Yemu's Tenseigan.
A powerful gravitational pull, like a black hole, sprang from his palm.
"Spiral Jade Lightning Spear!"
In his other hand, Yemu condensed a terrifying spear of Lightning Release.
The frightening Lightning Release chakra made Kakashi Hatake's eyes tremble slightly nearby.
What kind of ninjutsu was this?
One that required no hand seals?
Kakashi Hatake had another title in the shinobi world: the Copy Expert.
Any ninjutsu his Sharingan had seen, he could instantly reproduce exactly.
But now, never mind copying it-he had not even caught the moment the technique was activated.
And its power seemed greater than even his S-rank Lightning Blade.
"What the hell did I do?!"
Zabuza cursed as he felt the gravitational force seize his body.
He could not understand how he had provoked someone like this.
He had always been reluctant to kill even an ant.
Because he only killed people.
But surely that was not enough to draw the attention of a powerhouse like this?
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!!"
Zabuza formed hand seals as fast as he possibly could in midair.
A water dragon roared toward Yemu.
Yet it struck what seemed to be an invisible wall, unable to advance another inch.
The Tenseigan specialized in gravity, repulsion, and all sorts of other forces.
It did not share the Rinnegan's weakness of only being able to use one force at a time, followed by a five-second cooldown.
"Aaargh!!!"
Yemu brutally impaled Zabuza on the ground with the lightning spear in his hand.
In an instant, a bolt of lightning seemed to descend from the sky and slam into Zabuza.
Black smoke kept rising from his body.
The man was surprisingly resistant to electricity. At least he had not been fried to a crisp.
"Huh? Is Zabuza dead?" Naruto Uzumaki blinked, his mouth hanging slightly open.
Longing filled Sasuke Uchiha's eyes. "This guy is seriously strong, huh?"
Sakura Haruno nodded as well.
"If things go wrong, you three run. I'm serious!"
Kakashi Hatake's expression was grave.
Clutching a kunai, he stared fixedly at Yemu nearby.
Even now, Kakashi Hatake could not tell which country this mysterious white-robed ninja came from.
[Kakashi Hatake felt pressured. Emotion points harvested +200] [Naruto Uzumaki was inwardly stunned. Emotion points harvested +300] [Sasuke Uchiha felt jealous. Sasuke Uchiha felt stunned. Emotion points harvested +400]
"I'll give you a chance to live."
Yemu slowly drew a glowing blue chakra core from inside his robe.
Puppets made from corpses still required him to control them. The more puppets he acquired in the future, the greater the burden on him would become.
So Yemu was trying to use chakra cores to control living people directly.
However.
Just then.
White mist began spreading through the surroundings.
Two long needles shot out of the shadows, aimed straight at Zabuza's neck.
Yemu turned his head slightly and waved one hand, instantly deflecting both silver needles with repulsive force.
Up in a tree, Haku looked bewildered.
Wait, I wasn't attacking you. Why did you deflect my attack?
"What are you doing?"
Yemu looked up at a boy in a white mask standing in a nearby tree.
The boy's long hair was tied behind his head. Without removing his mask, someone might have mistaken him for a girl.
Seeing that something was wrong, Haku immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Yemu.
"I'm a Pursuit Ninja from Kirigakure, currently hunting the rogue ninja Zabuza. Please hand him over to me."
"I will personally confirm his death."
Nearby, Kakashi Hatake's gaze sharpened at Haku's appearance. "Kirigakure ANBU?"
"What's going on? Who is that guy?" Judging by Haku's build and voice, Naruto Uzumaki could clearly tell he was around his own age.
Yet this guy, who was clearly about his age-
What right did he have to hunt down Zabuza?
"Damn it!! Zabuza! We're talking about Zabuza here!"
Naruto Uzumaki looked indignant.
Did that not make their earlier desperate struggle look like a complete joke?
Seeing Naruto Uzumaki lose his composure, Kakashi Hatake patted his head. "Naruto, that's just how this world works. There are people younger than me who are far stronger than us."
Kakashi Hatake stared at Yemu nearby. Judging by his build, he was probably around the same age as Naruto and the others, too.
Only his voice sounded more mature.
"Did I say I was going to kill him?"
Yemu cast a glance at Haku, and immense gravity instantly bore down on him.
It forced his body low, and a deep depression formed beneath his feet.
Whoosh!!
As Yemu reached out, Haku's body flew rapidly toward him.
"Water Release Secret Technique: Demonic Ice Crystal Slaying!"
Haku was inwardly stunned when Yemu attacked without warning.
What was wrong with this guy?
Attacking at the slightest disagreement-was he insane?
Blue ice spikes hung motionless around Yemu.
As for Haku's neck, gravity pulled it straight into Yemu's one-handed grip.
Crack!!
Under the stimulation of Yemu's electric arcs, the Kirigakure ANBU mask on Haku's face instantly shattered.
It revealed a face as lovely as a beautiful girl's.
But he was indeed male.
"Zabuza, if you don't want him to die, put the core inside your body."
Yemu could have put the chakra core inside Zabuza himself.
But if the man could not bear it and committed suicide, would all that effort not have been wasted?
"You... who are you? Why do you know who Haku is?"
Zabuza stopped pretending. He had intended to use Haku's attack to fake his death, then make a clean retreat.
But this man had easily seen through their escape plan.
"Don't you understand plain speech?" Yemu's voice was icy.
"Ha ha ha! Kill him if you want. He's just a tool. What's that got to do with me?"
Unexpectedly, rather than put the chakra core inside his body, Zabuza burst out laughing.
"Mr... Zabuza, don't worry about me. Hurry and go!!"
Haku clutched Yemu's hand with both of his, trying to get a little room to breathe.
Crack~
As those words fell, Yemu tightened his grip and instantly snapped Haku's neck.
"You're the one who said it."
Yemu tossed the unconscious Haku onto the ground.
Looking at the boy sprawled on the ground with his eyes wide open, the charred Zabuza's gaze trembled slightly. He felt as though something inside him was missing.
He touched the corners of his eyes. They were a little wet.
Impossible. I've killed so many people in my life. How could I possibly shed tears for a mere tool?
"Ha ha ha!! Kill me, then. Today, I accept my fate."
Zabuza lay on the ground, seemingly at peace.
When he joined the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he had known this day would come sooner or later.
So Zabuza felt no real fear in the face of death.
"Interesting. All I can say is that you two are very lucky."
With a toss of one hand, Yemu sent two chakra cores straight into Haku's and Zabuza's bodies.
Why did he say they were lucky?
Simply because Yemu was currently planning to try using chakra cores to control living people.
Before you continue