The next two days were tense but orderly. Under Tsunami and Inari's conflicted gazes, Tazuna left early for the bridge construction site. He knew his presence served as bait, but it was a risk he had to shoulder.
Kakashi recovered at an astonishing pace. Though he was still short of his peak condition, he could already provide intensive instruction. He devoted most of his energy to training Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, focusing on strengthening their basic teamwork and their reactions to sudden attacks.
After their tree-climbing training, Naruto and Sasuke's chakra control had improved considerably. They had begun trying more complex applications, such as walking on water and maintaining more stable clones. Under Kakashi's guidance, Sakura began learning the basics of breaking genjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu.
Ling, meanwhile, was like a silent sentry. He spent most of his time patrolling the area between Tazuna's home and the bridge construction site, using his steadily improving perception to build an invisible early-warning network. Occasionally, he returned to report to Kakashi-"Everything is normal," or "There are signs of small wild animals in a certain area"-but he never mentioned the icy chakra he had sensed that night.
[They're waiting patiently,] Tobirama analyzed. [Zabuza's injuries were serious. He needs time to recover. Haku is waiting for the best opportunity while observing our defensive routines. Stay alert. They'll strike when we least expect it.]
On the morning of the third day, the Land of Waves' dense fog reached an unprecedented thickness. The gray-white mist hung so heavily that it almost seemed ready to drip, and visibility was less than three meters. A suffocating sense of oppression blanketed everything.
"The fog is so thick today. Perhaps Mr. Tazuna should..." Sakura suggested worriedly.
"No. He has to go," Kakashi interrupted, his expression grave. "The bridge is on a tight schedule. Besides, this fog... is a signal in itself." His Sharingan slowly scanned the dense mist. Experience told him this was no natural phenomenon.
Ling returned from outside, his clothes heavy with moisture. "No abnormalities detected on the perimeter," he reported calmly, but when his eyes met Kakashi's, he gave a slight shake of his head. Kakashi understood immediately. No abnormalities had been found "in the conventional sense," but such unnatural fog was itself the greatest abnormality.
In the end, Tazuna left despite his family's worries. Kakashi led the others close behind, maintaining a highly alert formation.
The path to the bridge seemed swallowed by the fog. The silence was broken only by their footsteps and restrained breathing. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura guarded Tazuna in the center of their Swastika Formation, their palms slick with sweat. Ling held the flank, his sharp gaze scanning the movement of the mist.
Suddenly, Ling's steps faltered slightly.
[He's here!] Tobirama's voice rang out abruptly. [Straight ahead, moving fast! It's Haku's chakra! He's revealing himself!]
Almost at the same instant as Tobirama's warning, a slender figure appeared silently in the dense fog directly ahead of the group, like a weightless snowflake. He still wore a Kirigakure Anbu mask, and his voice was cool and ethereal:
"I'm sorry, but you cannot pass."
"It's you!" Naruto immediately recognized the person who had "killed" Zabuza.
Kakashi raised his Forehead Protector, his Sharingan fixed firmly on Haku. "Who is your target?"
"My task is to ask that elderly gentleman to stay." Haku's voice held no trace of emotion. He raised a hand, countless senbon having appeared between his fingers at some point. "As for the rest of you... if you interfere, I'll have no choice but to eliminate you as well."
"Not a chance!" Naruto shouted, about to charge.
"Don't rush in, Naruto!" Kakashi snapped. Something felt wrong. Their opponent seemed far too eager to reveal himself.
Yet just as everyone's attention was drawn to Haku ahead-
Everything changed in an instant!
Countless smooth, crystal-clear ice mirrors formed around them in an instant, as though growing out of the mist! They assembled into a vast, sealed hemispherical cage, trapping Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in its center! Kakashi, Ling, and Tazuna were left outside the ice-mirror prison!
"What?!" Kakashi was startled, instantly realizing they had fallen into a trap! Haku's appearance had only been a feint. His true objective was to divide the battlefield!
"Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Haku's voice came from every ice mirror at once, echoing through the enclosed space, cold and eerie. His figure instantly merged into one of the mirrors. In the next moment, thousands upon thousands of sharp senbon shot from every mirror in every direction-above, below, and all around-raining down like a raging storm on the three trapped in the center!
"Aaaah!" Sakura screamed in terror.
"Damn it!" Sasuke's Sharingan spun furiously as he tried to track Haku's real body and the trajectories of the senbon. But the reflected light and countless phantom images dazzled him, leaving him struggling desperately to block with his shuriken.
Naruto tried to defend with Shadow Clones, but the dense barrage of senbon destroyed them in an instant!
"He's targeting Sakura and Mr. Tazuna!" Kakashi immediately saw through the enemy's tactics-eliminate the weakest first to create chaos and panic! He moved to rush over and shatter the ice mirrors.
But the instant he moved, a familiar, savage killing intent slammed into him from behind and to the side like an iceberg!
"Your opponent is me, Kakashi!"
The massive Kubikiribōchō tore through the fog, cleaving straight toward the back of Kakashi's head with enough force to split a mountain! Zabuza Momochi, fully recovered from his injuries, launched a brazen attack!
Kakashi was forced to turn instantly, crossing his kunai to brace against the blow!
Clang!
The tremendous force numbed his arms, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch! Zabuza kept him firmly locked in combat, leaving him no chance to break away and help!
Meanwhile, at least five ice mirrors suddenly rose from the ground to block Ling's path, their cold surfaces reflecting his grim figure. Although he had not been completely trapped within the main Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals formation, he was temporarily unable to break through and aid Naruto and the others inside.
[Ling!] Tobirama's voice was urgent and clear. [This is an opportunity! Observe how Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals works up close! Pay attention to the patterns of chakra flow and refraction within the ice mirrors! Haku's real body is moving between these mirrors at high speed, using light reflection and transmission through the ice! Find that tiniest delay and chakra fluctuation!]
At those words, Ling immediately suppressed his urge to rush to their rescue. He focused his attention through his eyes, devoting himself fully to sensing and analyzing the ice-mirror cage trapping Naruto and the others. In his perception, it was no longer a collection of motionless ice walls, but a precision killing machine linked by Chakra Threads, with light constantly refracting and leaping between them and a figure flashing through it at extreme speed!
Inside the ice mirrors, Naruto and Sasuke's situation grew perilous. Bloody cuts from the senbon had already begun appearing on their bodies. Sakura's screams only frayed their nerves further.
"Bastard! Come out and fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts!" Naruto roared furiously.
Haku's figure flashed briefly in one mirror before vanishing, his voice still calm. "It's useless. Within my Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, I move at the speed of light. Give up."
The stage for slaughter was set, the prisms of ice refracting the light of death. Kakashi was pinned down by a powerful enemy, while Ling remained temporarily cut off outside, carrying out Tobirama's instructions to observe. The three trapped within the mirrors could rely only on themselves to find a sliver of hope in this desperate situation.
Before you continue