The group noticed that the fog was getting thicker. Having been on alert before, they felt a little more at ease now. Naruto even grabbed Tazuna and said proudly, "Hahaha, see that? That flame slash just now was amazing! Kusuo, he's the strongest in our year, the top student for five years running..."
Listening to Naruto's endless stream of praise, anyone who didn't know better might have thought it was Naruto himself who had performed the feat.
CLANG!
The distinctive sound of a greatsword's spine hitting metal rang out. A battle was taking place somewhere nearby, but the thick fog obscured their vision. After all, the enemy was an infamous missing-nin. Asuma, with a cigarette in his mouth, didn't dare to be careless.
"Hey, hey, don't underestimate me!" Asuma's specialized kunai, Kiku-ichimonji, erupted with intense chakra, forcefully repelling Zabuza.
"Tch." Zabuza spat to the side, looking forward with disdain. A moment ago, he had been preoccupied with avoiding the kid's flaming katana, so he had attacked with the back of his blade. He hadn't expected the Hokage's son to have such keen perception to be able to intercept his attack.
On the other side, Asuma's eyes glinted as he saw his Wind Blade push back the opponent. The seemingly joking words Hatake Kusuo had said to him last time were still firmly etched in his mind. Now that he was specializing in Wind Style, his attacks were indeed proving effective!
However, this didn't mean he had forgotten Fire Style.
"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"
A thick cloud of smoke mixed with embers spewed from his mouth, spraying towards Zabuza at close range. Zabuza blocked it with his sword, sparks flying off the blade, then used a Body Flicker to retreat.
"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!"
Forming hand seals, he had already found the weakness in this group. Two Zabuza clones appeared simultaneously. Shielded by the thick fog, Team 10 couldn't tell which was real.
This is bad, Asuma thought, his brief moment of relief vanishing. Naruto and the old man are in danger.
The worry had just surfaced when, as expected, a pained cry was heard. "Ah!" Naruto clutched his arm, yelling in pain. Zabuza's water clone had directly targeted the weakest link in the group, preparing to make an example of Naruto and the others.
Naruto, with a deep cut on his body and blood flowing freely, still remembered his mission objective and used his other arm to desperately protect Tazuna.
Not good! Asuma stomped his foot, about to rush to the rescue.
"Your opponent is here." Zabuza's real body instantly appeared before him, his greatsword resting on his shoulder as he looked at Asuma mockingly. This time, the sharp edge of the Executioner's Blade was facing down.
POW!
A massive force slammed out. Asuma, caught off guard and desperate to save his students, had no time to prepare. He was sent flying like a sandbag, tumbling several times before crashing into a large tree.
"Heh... time to die," Zabuza sneered, lifting his Executioner's Blade, preparing for a swift decapitation to end the fight quickly. As the son of the Third Hokage, the bounty on Asuma's head was not small. He was certainly tempted.
However, SWISH!
A massive, sweeping sword aura suddenly rushed towards him. It was a terrifying, peerless slash, like a crescent moon over ten meters long, carrying a pressure that could cut through anything.
Powerful. Incredibly powerful.
It carved a deep scar into the ground.
"Dammit!" Zabuza had no choice but to leap away. He had been wary of the kid the whole time, but he hadn't expected him to locate him by sound alone.
Melding back into the thick fog, Zabuza continued to stalk them, looking for another opportunity.
Seeing Zabuza disappear, Asuma could only turn his gaze to Hinata.
"Over there!" Hinata pushed her Byakugan to its limits, trying to track Zabuza's movements. But in a battle between jonin, every detail was a fatal element. By the time a teammate could provide support by locating the enemy, the battle would already be over. So Asuma could only force himself to stay alert, trying his best to guard the position Hinata reported.
"Over there!"
"Now he's heading this way!"
"He's above you!"
Zabuza's figure flickered up and down, the Hidden Mist Jutsu allowing him to move like a fish in water. Drops of sweat trickled down Asuma's forehead. Hinata was trying her best to find Zabuza, but how could someone else's guidance be as swift as seeing for oneself?
"Heh."
But Kusuo had a smile on his face the entire time. So obvious. In his eyes, Zabuza's breathing was like a bright lantern in the dark of night. Although he hadn't unlocked the Transparent World and couldn't see his flesh and blood, any creature of flesh and blood was still unable to hide from his sight.
Hah~
A single breath was heard.
Kusuo slashed with his sword.
"Sun Breathing, Tenth Form! Beneficent Radiance!!"
SWOOSH!
It descended from the heavens! With his power fully unleashed, a spiraling slash of fire manifested out of thin air, dancing with Kusuo's blade.
With one strike, a vast torrent of flames, like a raging sea of fire, incinerated everything in its path. The white mist evaporated on contact. A series of muffled thunderclaps echoed in the sky. The spiraling flames transformed into a nine-heavened dragon that roared as it descended, crashing down on the ground before them.
"How is that possible?!?!" Zabuza, who had been hiding in the fog waiting for his moment, was utterly shocked, his face filled with disbelief as he watched the fire dragon descend. I was discovered?
The flaming sword aura, dozens of meters long and combined with a spiraling, scorching gale, came roaring at him. It crushed and destroyed everything. All the trees and rocks in its path were obliterated.
BOOM!
The incredibly fast sword aura slammed head-on into Zabuza. He barely managed to block it with his Executioner's Blade but was sent flying far into the distance by the immense impact.
"Cough, cough!" A sweet taste filled Zabuza's throat, and he coughed up a large amount of blood, mixed with fragments of his internal organs.
When the smoke and dust finally cleared, Zabuza was kneeling on the ground, using his sword to prop up his body.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (60 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (60 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (60 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (31 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (112 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.