“Protect Mr.
Tazuna!
Form a triangular defense around him!” Kakashi said, his expression grim.
He slowly pushed up his headband, revealing his crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
It gleamed with an eerie red light amidst the thick mist—the most dangerous signal on any battlefield.
“So this is…
a real shinobi?
The Sharingan?
Don’t tell me you…” Sasuke grit his teeth so hard he drew blood, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
“I’ll explain after the battle!
Execute the order, now!” Kakashi kept his eyes locked on Zabuza.
Sakura was completely frozen in shock.
Naruto, on the other hand, bared his teeth with the fierce gaze of a wild beast, stubbornly refusing to yield.
For Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, this was no ordinary fight—it was a one-sided baptism of their very souls.
The near-tangible killing intent radiating from Zabuza felt like freezing hands clamped around their throats, turning every breath into a struggle.
Sasuke’s hand shuddered as he held his kunai, a purely visceral reaction to the terror of impending death.
The battle erupted in an instant.
“Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!” Zabuza wove hand seals so fast his fingers blurred into afterimages.
The calm sea exploded as a massive water dragon roared into existence, surging toward the shore.
Yet Zabuza’s pupils shrank in shock.
Opposite him, Kakashi had completed the exact same sequence of forty-four complex seals at the exact same speed.
The two water dragons slammed into each other mid-air, showering down a deluge like torrential rain.
*Wait, bro,* Zabuza thought, *did I weave a wrong seal, and you copied my mistake too?!* “Is…
is this the copying ability of the Sharingan?
Can it copy the Silent Killing Technique as well?” Zabuza snorted coldly, his body vanishing into the heavy mist.
“Ninja Art: Hidden in Mist Jutsu!” The mist grew denser, drastically reducing visibility.
Kakashi closed his eyes, relying solely on the shifting air currents to pinpoint his enemy’s position.
“On the left!” Kakashi whirled and slashed with a kunai, only to strike a bursting splash of water.
“A water clone?” In the next second, Zabuza’s true body appeared behind Kakashi, bringing the Executioner’s Blade down with crushing force.
Kakashi slid sideways, lightning flickering in his hand.
“Water Style: Great Waterfall!” The two clashed furiously amidst rushing torrents and flashing blades.
Zabuza’s fighting style was wild yet precise, each swing of his massive sword howling like a gale.
Kakashi, meanwhile, operated like a precision machine, using his Sharingan to calculate every inch of the attack trajectories.
However, Zabuza was a seasoned assassination master; he deliberately exposed a flaw in a feint, tempting Kakashi to lunge forward, only to counter with a lightning-fast trap.
“Water Prison Jutsu!” A massive sphere of water instantly engulfed Kakashi completely.
Zabuza grinned sinisterly, pressing his right hand firmly against the sphere’s surface, constantly pumping in high-pressure Chakra.
“Sensei!
Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Countless Narutos charged forward like madmen, relying on sheer, reckless bravado.
“Ants are ants.
No matter how many there are, it’s useless.” Zabuza casually wielded the Executioner’s Blade with one hand, brushing off all of Naruto’s attacks.
Watching Naruto’s fearless suicide charge, Sasuke regained his nerve.
Activating his single-tomoe Sharingan, he used a Transformation Jutsu to turn into Naruto, rushing forward alongside the clones before unleashing a point-blank fire attack.
“Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!” Faced with a Great Fireball Jutsu right in his face, Zabuza was forced to release his control over Kakashi’s Water Prison, using a Substitution to flash out of harm’s way.
“I must admit, your subordinates have some brains, even if their strength falls short.
I’ll give you one last chance to take your brats and leave.
Otherwise, all of you stay here forever!” “Not a chance.
I never abandon my comrades or my mission.
I’ve already seen through your routine.
Prepare to die!” Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound echoed through the air.
A sphere of blinding lightning danced wildly in Kakashi’s palm.
With a Body Flicker, he materialized in front of Zabuza.
His Raikiri pierced Zabuza’s right shoulder in a flash, erupting in a shower of blood, while Zabuza managed to leave a deep, bone-exposing slash across Kakashi’s ribs.
Just as Kakashi was about to finish off his foe, two senbon flew from the deep forest like shooting stars, precisely striking the fake-death acupoints on Zabuza’s neck.
A ninja wearing a Kirigakure Anbu mask appeared on a high branch.
“I am a member of the Kirigakure Tracker Unit.
This is my target.
May I take him back to report?” Kakashi forced himself to stay standing.
Maintaining his Sharingan, he examined Zabuza’s state, confirming his pulse had ceased.
“Go ahead.” *** Meanwhile, in Konoha, inside the Hokage building.
In the office, on the desk before the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat a palm-sized, jade-white Katsuyu slug slowly squirming, its tiny eyes emitting a faint blue glow.
Through this Katsuyu clone’s shared vision, every tragic moment and every cry of agony on the Land of Waves battlefield was projected right in front of Hoshi.
Hoshi stood beside the Third Hokage, his dark, messy hair covering half his face.
His deep black eyes were locked onto the masked youth who had carried Zabuza away.
“My, Kakashi-jonin really overplayed his hand this time.” Hoshi casually straightened the collar of his lab coat.
Though his tone was playful, a sharp chill glinted in his eyes.
“The masked kid placed those needles right in the neck’s ‘suspended animation acupoints’, avoiding every major blood vessel.
It was all a cover for Zabuza’s retreat.
Kakashi-jonin is in bad shape—he severely overused his Sharingan, and his mental state must be terrible.” “Hoshi, what do you think?” The Third Hokage took a deep puff from his pipe, looking thoughtfully at the twelve-year-old boy who was unnaturally calm for his age.
“Naruto and the others are my friends.
I won’t stand by and watch them fall before my eyes.
I want to go reinforce them.” Hoshi adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, his tone professional to the point of coldness.
“Besides, I heard rumors that a survivor of the Yuki clan recently appeared in the Land of Waves.
My master asked me to look into it—she thinks Ice Style could be immensely beneficial to medicine.” The Third Hokage slowly stood up, his usually kind face instantly turning stern and resolute.
He pulled a red emergency mission scroll from a drawer and slammed it heavily onto the desk.
At almost that exact second, Might Guy pushed the door open and hurried inside, followed closely by Neji, Lee, and Tenten.
They rushed in so fast you could practically hear their pounding hearts and smell their sweat.
“Come in.
Hoshi, I am officially issuing the order.
Guy will serve as captain, and you will be deputy captain of the Emergency Rescue Team.
Lead Team 3 to the Land of Waves immediately to support Team 7!” “Hoshi, bring them back safely.
I give you highest battlefield command authority.
Guy, you and your team are to follow Hoshi’s instructions.
Ensuring the safety of Kakashi and his team is your top priority—the mission comes second.” The Third Hokage stared directly at Hoshi.
“Understood, Lord Hokage!
Team Guy guarantees we will successfully rescue Kakashi and the others!” Guy exuberantly wiggled his thick eyebrows and slapped his chest in assurance.
Rock Lee mimicked Guy’s exact pose behind him.
Hoshi and the rest of Team 3 froze, completely cringed out.