The perfect barrier of Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals was torn open by a combined assault from within and without!
Sasuke's fury over Naruto's grievous injuries and his partially evolved Sharingan, together with Ling's precise strike under Tobirama's guidance, had created this fleeting opening!
"Now, Sasuke!" Though Zabuza kept Kakashi pinned down, his Sharingan had never stopped watching the mirror formation. He immediately shouted an order. "Attack the crack!"
The two tomoe in Sasuke's left eye spun wildly. Rage and an unprecedented, strange sense of power awakened by Naruto's injuries flooded his body. Ignoring the aching discomfort from the single tomoe in his right eye, he poured all his chakra into his right hand!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A fireball larger and hotter than any he had ever produced roared forth, slamming into the ice mirror that Ling's Water Severing Wave had cracked!
BOOM!!
Intense heat collided violently with bitter cold, producing a piercing explosion! The already fractured ice mirror could withstand no more. It shattered instantly, sending countless shards of ice flying in every direction!
The absolute enclosure of Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals had been broken!
"Sakura! Get Naruto and Tazuna out!" Sasuke roared, his hands never stopping as he hurled countless shuriken at Haku, whose figure had become visible and momentarily frozen when the mirror formation broke!
Tears streamed down Sakura's face, but her survival instinct and Sasuke's command gave her a burst of strength. She hauled the unconscious Naruto up and staggered through the opening, with Tazuna close behind!
"Well done!" Kakashi's spirits lifted. Lightning surged again, forcing Zabuza back on the defensive. "Ling! Cover them!"
Kakashi needed to say no more. Ling was already moving. He pressed both hands to the ground, sending chakra into the damp earth beneath his feet.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A broad, curved wall of water rose instantly between Sakura's group and Haku, cutting off any pursuit he might attempt.
Haku's brow furrowed slightly beneath his mask. The mirror formation had been broken, and the targets had been rescued. The situation had reversed in an instant. He looked at the wall of water rising before him, the Uchiha boy behind it whose cold eyes radiated murderous intent, and the boy outside who had repeatedly interfered with his attacks and wielded Water Release with extraordinary precision. For the first time, he felt that the mission might fail.
"Hmph, a swarm of annoying little bugs!" Zabuza had noticed the change as well. His attacks grew even fiercer, the Kubikiribōchō sweeping like a raging storm as he tried to finish Kakashi quickly. "Haku! Forget those brats. Finish the mission first-kill Tazuna!"
But at that very moment, something else changed!
Naruto, whom Sakura had dragged into a relatively safe corner, suddenly twitched involuntarily.
A terrifying chakra, profoundly evil, violent, and overflowing with negative emotions, erupted from the seal on his abdomen, like a sleeping beast jolted awake by pain! Dark red, ominous chakra began spreading over his body like a thin mist!
"!!" Ling and Tobirama, the closest to him, were the first to sense that dreadful presence!
[The Nine-Tails' chakra!] Tobirama's voice carried unprecedented gravity. [His severe injuries and violent emotional fluctuations have loosened the seal! Be careful. This power is destructive and extremely unstable!]
Kakashi and Zabuza sensed the heart-chilling chakra at the same time, and both involuntarily faltered!
"What... is that?!" Sasuke's Sharingan clearly saw the ominous dark red chakra. An indescribable feeling of revulsion and fear rose from deep within his blood.
Haku also sensed those deeply unsettling chakra fluctuations, and his movements slowed slightly.
"Ugh, aaaah-" The unconscious Naruto let out an involuntary groan of pain. The dark red chakra thickened, and his wounds began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye! At the same time, however, his nails grew pointed, and whisker-like markings of a demonic fox began appearing on his face!
"Naruto? What's happening to you?" Frightened by the bizarre transformation, Sakura let go of him, at a loss.
This is bad! Panic gripped Kakashi. He tried to break away and check on Naruto, but Zabuza intensified his attacks with a vicious grin, giving him no opportunity.
"Looks like your Jinchūriki brat is about to lose control, Kakashi!" Zabuza laughed wildly. "What an interesting turn of events!"
For a moment, the scene descended into utter chaos!
The mirror formation was broken, but the powerful enemies remained.
Naruto's grave injuries had triggered a leak of nine-tails chakra, and he could go berserk at any moment.
Sasuke was enraged by Naruto's injuries, and his Sharingan had evolved but remained unstable.
Sakura was panicking.
Tazuna was terrified.
Ling took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Tobirama's rapid analysis rang through his mind:
[The situation is chaotic, but this is also an opportunity! The intimidating presence of the nine-tails chakra has distracted both Haku and Zabuza! Sasuke's Sharingan seems to have a special reaction to tailed beast chakra, so he can't attend to this side for now! Ling, your target is Haku!]
[The destruction of his mirror formation and the appearance of the nine-tails chakra have shaken him, exposing an opening! Use your fastest speed and strongest single-target Water Release to finish him! We can't give him another chance to rebuild the mirror formation or attack anyone else!]
A cold gleam flashed through Ling's eyes. His hands instantly completed another intricate, profound sequence of seals-Tobirama's simplified version of Water Release: Water Severing Wave, designed for maximum activation speed and piercing power! He aimed at Haku, who had momentarily faltered at the appearance of the nine-tails chakra!
Yet just as Ling was about to unleash this killing blow-
"Enough."
A cool, clear voice rang out.
It came from the thick mist off to their side.
The masked figure-Haku-had somehow appeared there. The kunai in his hand rested against the throat of Tazuna, whom he had silently abducted at some point and who now stood rigid with fear!
He had exploited the chaos caused by the nine-tails chakra and the instant when everyone's attention was drawn away, circling around the Water Formation Wall at incredible speed to seize the mission's most important target!
"Put down your weapons, or I'll kill him immediately." Haku's voice remained calm, but it carried an unquestionable resolve.
Ling forcibly halted his technique.
Kakashi and Zabuza's battle also stopped instantly.
Every gaze focused on the kunai pressed against Tazuna's throat and the masked boy who radiated an icy chill.
The situation had reversed once again. Haku's composure and efficiency had exceeded everyone's expectations. He might not have been able to defeat so many opponents at once, but he had seized the most crucial target with precision-a single strike aimed at the throat.
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