As they gradually approached the borders of the Land of Waves, the humidity in the air began to increase. With every deep breath, they could feel the thick moisture.
"The air here is so damp, it's not comfortable at all!" Naruto complained, wrinkling his nose. Konoha, situated in the Land of Fire, was a dry and hot environment, though not as harsh as the Land of Wind. It was a land with four distinct seasons. For those accustomed to the village's climate, this rainy, humid weather took some getting used to.
For Naruto, this might have just been a slight physical discomfort, but for Hatake Kusuo, it somewhat limited his effectiveness.
"Asuma-sensei, the humidity here is a bit excessive, don't you think?" Kusuo raised an eyebrow, moving to Asuma's side and speaking softly as he surveyed their surroundings.
Asuma nodded, tossing away his finished cigarette. "This kind of environment does indeed pose a significant restriction for Fire Style users. Neither you nor I specialize in Fire Style, so we don't need to worry too much."
That might be so, but Kusuo still gave a word of caution. "Don't forget, Sensei. While this environment weakens Fire Style users, for a ninja who excels at Water Style, it's the perfect combat environment, providing both geographical and meteorological advantage."
This sentence immediately put Asuma on high alert. "You're saying...?"
Seeing Kusuo's serious expression, Asuma no longer treated the situation lightly. The pervasive moisture was perfect for a Water Style user. And which village in the world had the most missing-nin? The Village Hidden in the Mist. After implementing its "Bloody Mist" policy, the Hidden Mist had produced far too many infamous missing-nin, each one of them powerful. They had to be on guard.
After saying this, Kusuo returned to Hinata's side. The main reason he had warned Asuma was to ensure Hinata's safety. He was confident he could face Zabuza and retreat unscathed, or even defeat him. But Hinata and Naruto, after all, only had the strength of genin. A moment of carelessness could put them in danger. He couldn't count on them to save their jonin instructor like in the original story.
Further ahead lay a forest shrouded in thick fog. Kusuo's hand, gripping the hilt of his sword, slowly tightened. Naruto's good mood had returned quickly, and he was now humming a tune. Hinata walked beside him, secretly observing Kusuo. Asuma led the way at the front, scouting ahead. Kusuo brought up the rear, guarding against any enemy attacks.
Suddenly—Hinata cried out loudly: "Sensei, there's someone up ahead!"
Having activated her Byakugan, Hinata had spotted a figure crouching on a large tree directly in front of them.
"Everyone, form up and get on your guard!" Asuma calmly ordered. With a swish, he drew his specialized kunai from his pouch. The surrounding fog began to move rapidly, as if being controlled by someone.
Kusuo, who had mastered the ultimate breathing technique, shook his head and said to Asuma, "There's no poison. It's safe to breathe." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The thick fog dispersed. A man with a massive sword slung over his shoulder, his face covered from mouth to neck, appeared. His mocking, cruel eyes scanned everyone below the tree, finally landing on their leader, Asuma.
"Ho ho, that bastard Gato never told me the person I'd be escorting would be the son of Konoha's Hokage! This is quite an unexpected surprise."
The "Demon" Zabuza!
Hearing Zabuza's mocking words and seeing his unique appearance, how could Asuma not recognize his identity? With a hum, a blue blade of light instantly flared to life around his kunai.
The Wind Blade!
Sensing the sharp chakra blade gathering on his kunai, Zabuza stood up, hoisting the Executioner's Blade onto his shoulder. Then, he pointed it menacingly at Asuma. "Killing you and taking your head back for a bounty will definitely be worth far more than that old man in the middle!"
Instantly, the mist that had just cleared began to thicken once more, shrouding everyone within it.
The next second, in Asuma's pupils, a shadow suddenly magnified. Without time to think, he brought his weapon up horizontally in front of his chest to block.
CLANG!
Sparks flew. A tremendous roar echoed.
An immense force slammed into Asuma's chest. Unable to parry, he was sent flying back more than ten meters, only stopping when he crashed into a tree behind him.
Such incredible strength!
"Cough, cough." He hadn't expected a full-power strike from the Executioner's Blade to be so powerful. Asuma, who didn't specialize in contests of strength, had been caught completely off guard.
Zabuza's figure stood before them once again. There was now a noticeable chip in the Executioner's Blade he held. "To be able to chip my blade... as expected of the son of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"It seems I'll have to use your blood to compensate for the damage to my great sword!" Zabuza sneered, his smile growing even colder as he looked at his blade.
Swoosh!
Zabuza charged forward, his great sword poised to cut down Asuma, who was still coughing up blood by the tree. The massive blade grew larger and larger in everyone's eyes. Asuma once again raised his kunai to block.
CLANG!
Another deafening sound rang out. Everyone looked over anxiously, their hearts filled with worry.
But this time, Zabuza's sword failed to hit Asuma. In front of him stood a boy in red.
At that moment, Hatake Kusuo, wearing a faint smile, was blocking Zabuza's path.
"Such a weak swing. Did you come here without eating first?"
POW!
Kusuo parried Zabuza's blade with his own, then kicked out with his leg, sending Zabuza flying into the air. Tumbling, Zabuza used his Executioner's Blade to stab into the ground, sliding to a rough halt.
Clutching his chest where a sharp pain radiated, Zabuza's expression turned grave. He carefully sized up the boy in red. He was even younger than Haku, yet his eyes and demeanor were exceptional. Most importantly, he had blocked a full-power strike from his Executioner's Blade with a standard katana. The two weapons were not even in the same league.
And that kick...
"Is this kid a monster?"
-------
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