"It seems I won't be able to get rid of that old man unless I defeat you first, Kakashi..."
Zabuza stared coldly at Kakashi, his sharp gaze piercing through the thin mist that was beginning to form. He then leaped back nimbly, landing lightly on the surface of the river behind him.
Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu!
(Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!)
Instantly, water vapor began to rise from the river's surface, swirling and thickening rapidly.
In a matter of seconds, a dense white fog enveloped the entire area, impossible to see through.
The air became damp and cold.
Zabuza's voice became faint and confusing, as if originating from all directions at once, or perhaps from a great distance.
It was impossible to know his true position.
The mist slowly covered his face, then continued to rise, becoming thicker until Sakura felt she couldn't even see her own hand if she extended it in front of her face!
"Such immense chakra...!"
Kakashi said in a serious tone, his now-revealed eye – his red Sharingan spinning warily – trying to penetrate the veil of mist.
Sakura keenly felt that the mist contained a faint yet constant flow of chakra, which seemed impossible to dispel easily using only standard wind-style jutsu.
What was more terrifying was that the thick mist not only physically obstructed their vision but also used the chakra permeating it to interfere with and hinder Kakashi's and the others' ability to sense the enemy's chakra.
And in this dense mist, where they couldn't even see their fingers when extending their hands, with this permeating chakra, Zabuza could probably see their every move clearly, like a predator stalking its prey in the darkness.
The battlefield had now become one-way transparent for Zabuza Momochi.
"Eight vital points..."
Zabuza's cold voice was heard again, echoing from all directions, as if he were everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
"Throat... spine... heart... lungs... liver... kidneys... spleen... and the main artery. Which one do you want me to attack first?... Hehehehe..."
His horrifying, raspy laugh sounded, adding to the bone-chilling cold.
A gripping fear, like being watched by a hungry wild beast and being helpless to fight back, welled up from the depths of Sakura's heart.
She felt extremely pressured and uncomfortable, her body even beginning to tremble unconsciously.
'This... is this what's called pure killing intent?!'
Sakura thought, her breath catching.
'I... I can't move! It feels as if I'll be killed instantly if I move even slightly! Like an animal that has resigned itself on the chopping block, ready to be slaughtered without resistance!'
'I didn't feel this much pressure when I last fought Kakashi-sensei in the bell test. I didn't expect his killing aura could be so terrifying! This person... Zabuza... he must have killed hundreds or even thousands of people. The killing aura he emits is so dense and strong!'
Taking several deep breaths, Sakura tried hard to calm herself.
She focused her mind, summoning great faith in her new powers and the System's rewards.
Gradually, she managed to recover from her initial extreme fear.
She looked around her carefully.
Sasuke still looked a little shaky, his face pale, but Naruto, who had also been nervous, had somehow managed to regain some of his courage, though his fists were clenched tightly.
Seeing Sasuke still affected, Sakura gently touched and held Sasuke's slightly trembling, cold hand, trying to offer some warmth and support.
She smiled faintly, trying to reassure him.
"Don't be afraid, Sasuke-kun! We'll face this together. Kakashi-sensei is here."
"How arrogant, brat!"
Suddenly, a figure of Zabuza appeared out of nowhere in their formation, slashing with the giant Kubikiribōchō in his hand towards Sakura!
Sakura's expression remained unchanged, though her heart pounded fiercely.
Thanks to her training and enhancements from the System, her reflexes had become sharper.
She calmed herself slightly, quickly rotated her left wrist, and with an agile movement, shot a kunai she had prepared towards the attacking Zabuza.
Clank! Splash!
Zabuza's water clone was pierced by the kunai right in the chest before he could complete his slash.
He looked at Sakura with a momentary expression of surprise before turning into a clear puddle of water and disappearing.
The sudden attack by the water clone was just the beginning.
The next moment, another sword attack swept from Sakura's front, this time from a different direction!
Apparently, there was another Zabuza water clone.
Sakura quickly ducked, avoiding the deadly slash.
While ducking, she sensed the kunai she had thrown at the first clone, now lying on the ground behind the second Zabuza water clone's position.
With full concentration and secretly utilizing her Magnet Release, she 'shot' the kunai from the ground.
The kunai sped low, spinning, and struck the back of the second water clone, which also instantly disintegrated into water.
After dealing with two water clones, no new enemies appeared near Sakura.
She looked around warily.
Sasuke and Naruto, though with some difficulty, also seemed to have successfully dealt with the water clones attacking them respectively.
Sasuke used his speed and taijutsu, while Naruto, recklessly yet full of spirit, managed to destroy his clone.
The small skirmish here had temporarily ceased, but on the other side of the mist, several meters away, the fierce battle between Kakashi and the real Zabuza was still ongoing.
The image of the battle was shrouded in thick mist, but the sound of clashing metal, small explosions, and occasional shouts could be faintly heard, indicating the intensity of their fight.
Kakashi, utilizing his experience, tried to take the opportunity to hide in the river water, hoping to launch a surprise attack.
However, Zabuza, an expert in water combat, managed to detect him. With swift movements, Zabuza formed hand seals.
Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu!
(Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!)
A large sphere of water formed and instantly trapped Kakashi within it.
'Damn it! It's been a long time since I last fought in a real life-or-death battle like this. Are my fighting instincts getting dull?'
Kakashi thought bitterly inside his water prison.
'Water is clearly Zabuza's domain, and trying to hide there to fight him was a total failure! I underestimated him.'
Fortunately, to maintain the Water Prison Technique, Zabuza's real body could not move far and could not actively participate in the battle.
He had to keep channeling chakra into the water prison.
"Kakashi, you won't be able to escape now,"
Zabuza said mockingly, holding Kakashi in the water prison with one hand while gripping the water sphere.
"Your mission to protect that old geezer will fail…"
He looked at the trapped Kakashi.
"I'll kill those snot-nosed brats and Tazuna first, then I'll fight you to my heart's content!"
"Hehe..."
To Zabuza's surprise, Kakashi actually chuckled softly despite being in dire straits.
"Never underestimate my students, Zabuza! You won't be able to do anything to them with just those lowly water clones of yours!"
"They're just a few little kids who just graduated from the academy...!"
Zabuza said coldly, looking at Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto with an indifferent and lifeless gaze, as if they were just insects ready to be stepped on.
Indeed, the earlier water clone attacks hadn't managed to incapacitate them, and it seemed the clones hadn't had a significant impact on them.
The fighting strength of these little kids was surprisingly...
Zabuza secretly performed the Water Clone Technique again.
Instantly, five identical Zabuza water clones emerged from the river's surface and quickly surrounded Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Tazuna.
They were now completely surrounded.
Sakura thought hard for a solution, her brain working rapidly under pressure.
She then whispered softly to Naruto and Sasuke, explaining a brief and risky plan.
Zabuza, feeling he had the upper hand, felt no sense of urgency.
He actually wanted to see what these kids were planning before finishing them off.
Following Sakura's instructions, Naruto shouted, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! Several of Naruto's shadow clones appeared.
Some of them then performed Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Jutsu), changing their appearance to mimic Sakura and Sasuke, creating confusion.
One of the 'Sasukes' (who was actually a disguised Naruto clone) managed to slip out from the encirclement of Zabuza's water clones.
He then threw several kunai and a large Fuma Shuriken towards Zabuza's real body, which was still restraining Kakashi.
Zabuza easily dodged most of the projectile attacks and deflected some kunai with his Kubikiribōchō.
He deliberately let the large Fuma Shuriken pass him.
However, just as the Fuma Shuriken passed Zabuza,
Poof!
The shuriken transformed back into Naruto, who was already very close.
This Naruto immediately threw a kunai with all his might towards Zabuza.
At almost the same time, the real Sasuke, hidden among Naruto's other Kage Bunshin, emerged from his hiding place.
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!
(Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!)
A giant ball of fire shot towards Zabuza.
Seeing the simultaneous and quite dangerous two-pronged attack – a fireball from the front and a kunai from behind – Zabuza had no choice but to release his Water Prison Technique to dodge.
He leaped to the side, deflecting Sasuke's fireball with the flat side of his Kubikiribōchō, creating a large plume of steam.
He also managed to avoid the kunai thrown by Naruto.
However, as the kunai approached Zabuza's neck, who was focused on the fireball, the kunai suddenly changed direction in mid-air unnaturally, as if controlled by an invisible hand!
Sring!
The tip of the kunai managed to lightly graze Zabuza's neck, leaving a small but painful cut.
"Damn it!"
Zabuza growled angrily, feeling the sting on his neck.
Being wounded by a snot-nosed brat was truly humiliating for him.
Ding!
"Mission Successful! Surprise attack successfully grazed the target and delivered a significant shock. Reward: Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai enhancement is being processed."
The System's voice sounded in Sakura's mind.
She let out a sigh of relief, though her face remained tense.