Chapter 155: Battle's End
On the other side, Zabuza stared grimly at Kakashi before him. Due to the earlier "Super Flash Brilliant Wind Dragon Flame Heaven Swirling Vortex Roaring Formation" completely dispersing all the surrounding fog, he had lost the environmental advantage needed to execute his Silent Killing technique.
He instinctively moved to form seals again, intending to release the Hidden Mist Technique once more, but the moment his fingers began to move—
Kakashi simultaneously lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan, and formed the exact same seals with his hands at a speed matching Zabuza's perfectly.
What is this guy trying to do? Copy my Hidden Mist Technique to shroud the battlefield in fog again? What benefit would that give him?
Zabuza couldn't understand Kakashi's seemingly self-defeating move. Just as confusion filled his mind—
BOOM!!!
A deep, soul-shaking rumble that wasn't particularly loud suddenly erupted from not far behind him! A terrifying pressure filled with violence and ominous energy exploded from the rear like a physical force, making the hair on Zabuza's back stand on end instantly.
"What... what kind of chakra is this?!"
Zabuza roared in shock. This chakra's quality and magnitude far exceeded anything he'd encountered from any ninja—it was full of raw destructive power.
He whipped his head around toward Haku's "Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals." The once crystal-clear ice prison was now being violently assaulted from within by a restless, blood-like crimson color. The ominous red chakra rolled and expanded violently, nearly bursting the entire ice crystal barrier from the inside.
Kakashi also saw that towering crimson chakra. Unlike Zabuza's pure shock, he knew exactly where this chakra came from and what kind of terrifying existence it represented.
Naruto... did he finally tap into that power after all?
Kakashi's expression became even more grave. Although Naruto had previously claimed this was power the tailed beast willingly lent him, Kakashi couldn't be certain whether Naruto's current body could truly withstand the erosion of such violent energy.
He couldn't drag this out any longer! He had to defeat Zabuza as quickly as possible, then immediately check on Naruto's condition.
This thought flashed through Kakashi's mind. He immediately changed his original battle plan, abandoning more cautious, chakra-conserving strategies.
———————
Haku stared tensely at Naruto, who was wrapped in a restless orange-red chakra cloak that formed a tail-like shape and radiated heart-stopping pressure.
He had never seen such bizarre and violent chakra. The primitive, savage energy within it made him shudder from the depths of his soul.
Compared to this power, Zabuza's fearsome killing intent was like the difference between firefly light and brilliant moonlight.
Just as Haku attempted to move through the ice mirrors again to test Naruto's current state—
"What?!"
Haku's pupils contracted sharply beneath his mask. He couldn't see Naruto's movement at all—one moment his vision blurred, and the figure wrapped in tailed beast chakra had somehow teleported directly in front of the ice mirror where his real body was hiding!
A fist wrapped in crimson chakra struck toward the ice mirror without any flourish!
CRASH—!!!
The thunderous impact was deafening! Haku instinctively leaped toward an adjacent ice mirror to dodge! The solid ice mirror where he'd been hiding shattered like fragile glass under Naruto's tailed beast-powered punch, fragments scattering in all directions.
So strong! Haku was horrified. These ice mirrors were far harder than normal ice—even Fire Style jutsu couldn't easily melt them, yet they were destroyed by pure physical force in a single punch.
He immediately understood that he absolutely couldn't let this version of Naruto get close, or the battle would end instantly.
Seeing Naruto charging toward his new hiding spot as a red streak of light without any pause, Haku leaped again without hesitation while simultaneously hurling a barrage of ice senbon like a violent storm!
However, when those ice needles contacted the boiling chakra cloak around Naruto's body, they made hissing sounds and instantly melted and evaporated like snow meeting a branding iron, completely unable to harm Naruto.
Naruto didn't even need to make any defensive movements. Another punch exploded the ice mirror where Haku had just stopped! Amid the flying fragments, his blue eyes—appearing unusually calm under the violent chakra—locked onto Haku's position again.
"Then how about this?"
Haku was forced to change tactics. The next moment, three "Hakus" simultaneously burst from different ice mirrors, attacking Naruto directly. Two were water clones, but at such high speed they were difficult to distinguish. Since ranged attacks were useless, Haku planned to risk close combat, using the confusion of real and fake to create opportunities.
Even if Naruto saw through to his real body, he was confident he could use the ice mirror teleportation to retreat again.
But Naruto didn't need to guess.
Just as the three "Hakus" closed in simultaneously, the boiling Nine-Tails chakra around Naruto suddenly erupted violently! A visible crimson shockwave mixed with heat and impact force exploded outward in all directions like a detonation.
"Ugh!"
Haku, bearing the brunt of the blast along with his water clones, couldn't maintain stability in midair and was blown backward like fallen leaves by the overwhelming shockwave. The two water clones dissolved into clear water with a "splash" the moment they contacted the blast.
"Not good!"
Haku tried desperately to adjust his posture in midair but couldn't control his body at all.
At that moment, Naruto leaped upward, appearing precisely above his out-of-control form. The tailed beast chakra cloak burned and danced violently around him, but beneath it, Naruto's face remained unusually calm.
"It's over."
The quiet words fell as his fist wrapped in crimson chakra struck precisely toward the mask on Haku's face.
THUMP!!