Gazing in the direction of the rapidly spinning shuriken—
Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna—
With the fog briefly dispersed by the spinning weapon,
They finally caught a glimpse of the infamous Demon of the Hidden Mist—Zabuza Momochi.
Their eyes widened in shock.
Zabuza was silently closing in on them.
But Naruto had already sensed it—
Before any of them did.
At the same time—
Kakashi, who was still facing off against Zabuza's clone,
Watched the water clone shatter into nothingness.
In that instant, realization dawned on him.
He spun around, turning his gaze toward Naruto and the others—
And saw exactly what Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna were seeing.
Through the thinning fog, Naruto stood calmly, his shuriken already airborne—
Flying straight in Zabuza's direction.
This wasn't just a wild guess.
Kakashi knew—
There was no way Naruto threw that by chance.
There could only be one explanation:
Naruto had sensed Zabuza's presence.
His perception had locked onto him.
Kakashi exhaled slowly, a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Zabuza's diversion had momentarily shaken him—
But Naruto's presence had stabilized everything.
Relieved,
Kakashi felt a quiet reassurance rise in his chest.
At the same time—
Zabuza, having emerged from the fog,
Also noticed Naruto and the others.
Surprise flashed across his face,
But only for a moment.
With a cold glare, he twisted his body, easily avoiding the three incoming shuriken.
And then—
Before Kakashi could close the distance—
He charged straight at Naruto, blade raised.
"You're dead, brat!!"
Zabuza snarled,
Swinging his massive Kubikiribōchō with killing intent.
Sasuke and Sakura tensed immediately, stepping in front of Tazuna.
Kakashi-sensei wasn't there.
They were the only ones who could protect him now.
But Naruto—
Naruto simply watched Zabuza's movements and...
Shook his head slightly.
Inwardly calm, he whispered:
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Divine Mechanism: Hundred Refinements."
With a swift motion, Naruto pressed his index and middle fingers together—
Then curled one finger toward Zabuza in provocation.
In the next moment—
The three shuriken that Zabuza had dodged mid-air—
Exploded into a storm of shuriken.
Thousands.
All of them solid.
All of them real.
Yes.
Ever since mastering the Shadow Clone Jutsu,
Naruto had been refining his skills.
He'd recreated the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu once used by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Thanks to this jutsu,
Naruto no longer needed scrolls packed with ninja tools.
As long as he had even one shuriken—
He could multiply it a hundredfold.
And then,
With the help of his Divine Mechanism technique—
He could manipulate them mid-air with terrifying precision.
Countless shadow clone shuriken collided with one another,
Creating bursts of sparks as they twisted their flight paths—
And looped 180 degrees.
Their new target—
Zabuza's exposed back.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Right at that moment—
Zabuza, having just swung his massive blade,
Noticed a subtle motion from Naruto's hands.
But before he could decipher it—
A loud, unnatural whirring echoed behind him.
He frowned.
Curious, he glanced over his shoulder—
And in that split-second—
Zabuza's pupils dilated.
His body froze in disbelief.
Thousands of shuriken?
How?!
Even Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna—and Kakashi, who had just arrived—
All stood frozen in shock.
None of them had expected the three casually thrown shuriken
To suddenly turn into a lethal storm—
And then, as if defying logic, redirect mid-air and strike straight at Zabuza.
"What!?"
Sasuke's voice trembled in shock.
Sakura gasped, "Incredible!"
Tazuna, wide-eyed, muttered, "So this is the power of a Konoha ninja…"
Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he witnessed the technique.
None of them could have imagined Naruto using Shadow Clone Jutsu—on shuriken.
Sure, the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique was known to exist.
But as far as Kakashi was aware… Naruto had never been taught it. He himself had never taught it, and the Third Hokage, who also knew the technique, hadn't passed it on either.
That could mean only one thing.
Naruto had deduced it himself—by understanding the principles behind the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and combining them with his own shuriken training.
He'd invented the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique on his own.
As Kakashi was still processing this, Zabuza made a split-second decision.
He abandoned his attack on Tazuna, whirled around, and raised his massive executioner's blade to defend himself.
He had no choice.
If he didn't block those thousands of incoming shuriken…
Even he would be shredded.
BOOM!
The massive barrage of shadow clone shuriken descended on Zabuza like a thunderstorm of steel.
The impact sent him flying, his feet skidding across the ground and gouging twin trails into the dirt before he finally slammed into a tree with a violent crack.
White smoke burst through the air as the clone shuriken dissipated—poof, poof, poof—but more than a dozen had embedded into Zabuza's flesh.
Seconds later, those too exploded into smoke.
But the wounds they left behind were real.
Blood trickled down Zabuza's body.
Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, even Kakashi stood frozen.
They hadn't expected it.
Naruto nearly took down Zabuza.
The demon of the Hidden Mist!
Zabuza slowly raised his head. His expression was grim, eyes brimming with bloodlust.
He ignored the searing pain. His muscles tensed unnaturally, forcibly cutting off the bleeding.
"Impressive… very impressive," Zabuza growled. His voice was low, cold—and full of murderous intent.
His eyes were like that of a beast.
The same terrifying eyes from the days of the Blood Mist Village.
Kakashi immediately dropped into a defensive stance.
A wounded shinobi from Kirigakure was even more dangerous than a healthy one—especially a survivor of the Blood Mist.
Then—
Zabuza's chakra suddenly flared.
It pulsed outward like a shockwave.
He was now using chakra itself to stabilize his body and stem the bleeding.
At that moment, Haku, Zabuza's ever-present shadow, finally revealed himself.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
'So you finally showed yourself…'
Of course Naruto had sensed him.
Haku had been lurking nearby from the very beginning.
Kakashi frowned as he looked at the masked figure in the ANBU-style mask.
"A companion?" he murmured, quickly reassessing the situation.
Sasuke and Sakura stiffened.
They were already tense—and now there was another enemy?
With Haku's appearance, Zabuza no longer needed to split his focus.
He would take on Kakashi directly—
—and let Haku deal with Tazuna and the genin.
"Haku," Zabuza said coldly, "kill that old man. And that damn brat, too."
Haku nodded silently.
"As you wish, Zabuza-sama."
He vanished.
Kakashi's voice rang out:
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura!"
"I'll take Zabuza. Leave his partner to you three."
With Naruto in the lead and Sasuke and Sakura supporting him, they could handle this.
He had to focus entirely on Zabuza now.
Kakashi grit his teeth.
His earlier lapse had allowed Zabuza to get so close to his team—he wouldn't let it happen again.
Zabuza sneered.
"Kill them," he ordered.
Without hesitation, Haku moved.
The Mist Body Flicker Technique.
A blur—and Haku was suddenly right in front of Naruto and the others.
"Alright, Naruto! Let me handle this one. You stay back!" Sasuke shouted.
He cast a quick glance at Naruto, then stepped forward.
This time, he wouldn't freeze like he had before.
This time, he would fight.
He was a member of Team 7.
He was an Uchiha.
He had his clan's pride to uphold.
"Sakura, protect Tazuna!" Sasuke barked over his shoulder as he launched forward to confront the masked figure.
Naruto watched Sasuke take the initiative.
He smirked slightly.
'Fine by me,' he thought.
Let the broody Uchiha get beat up first.
It might teach him how cruel the battlefield really is.
This was a valuable opportunity for Sasuke to grow.
"Swish!"
Sasuke swiftly pulled out a shuriken.
With precise movements, he executed the Uchiha-Style Shuriken Technique.
Seeing the incoming projectiles, Haku calmly produced a senbon needle from within his robes.
The senbon danced through the air.
Each one struck with precision, deflecting Sasuke's shuriken effortlessly.
But Sasuke wasn't fazed. That was never the real attack. While Haku was occupied intercepting the shuriken, Sasuke had already closed the distance.
He drew a kunai.
With a burst of speed, he launched into close-quarters combat.
Haku—his expression hidden beneath the hunter-nin mask—remained calm.
In his hands, the senbon moved like extensions of his will.
Every slash, every thrust from Sasuke's kunai—blocked with minimal effort.
"What!?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it.
His attack, deflected with just one hand?
And then—something even more shocking.
Haku, without breaking rhythm, began forming hand seals with his free hand.
Completely ignoring the fact that he was still fending off Sasuke's strikes.
Sasuke's pupils dilated. He's weaving hand signs in the middle of close combat?!
"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
As Haku's voice rang out, the water from the previous clash between Kakashi and Zabuza rippled unnaturally.
Puddles scattered across the field shimmered and rose into the air.
In an instant, they solidified—sharpened into hundreds of deadly needles.
Sasuke's heart pounded.
But just then, he remembered—his training with Naruto. The tree-climbing exercise. The water-walking technique.
Chakra control!
He channeled chakra to the soles of his feet.
And in the blink of an eye, he launched himself from the ground with a powerful burst.
Dodging Haku's jutsu with split-second precision.
It was in that instant—
—Sasuke evolved.
Mid-air, he twisted around.
And landed behind Haku.
"You're pretty slow, you know."
The rain had stopped. The sky was starting to clear.
Sasuke was back in control—and of course, couldn't resist showing off a bit.
Naruto, watching from a distance, stared with a blank expression.
This guy... always trying to act cool.
The battle shifted.
Sasuke launched a flurry of taijutsu attacks at blinding speed, momentarily forcing Haku on the defensive.
But Zabuza, watching from the sidelines, remained composed.
"You see now, don't you?" he said coldly. "If this continues... it's your student who will die."
Haku said nothing at first.
Then softly, almost regretfully—
"Yes... but what a pity."
As his words faded, Haku gathered a massive amount of chakra.
This time, it was a jutsu that could determine the entire outcome of the battle.
"Ice Release Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
A sudden chill filled the battlefield.
In mere moments, the temperature dropped sharply—visible frost spreading across the ground.
"Ice Release...!"
Kakashi's expression shifted. His visible eye widened in alarm.
So Zabuza's partner... is a Kekkei Genkai user!
Mist and frost gathered around Sasuke, forming a dome of suspended ice mirrors.
He was completely surrounded.
His reflection stared back at him from every angle—endless copies in the icy surfaces.
Sasuke looked around, confused. He couldn't tell how dangerous this jutsu truly was yet.
Kakashi stood still, eyes narrowing.
Just what is this technique...?
Then—before either of them could react—
Haku stepped into one of the mirrors.
And disappeared.
"What!?"
Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief.
Kakashi was equally stunned.
Right now—
Dozens of ice mirrors floated midair, completely surrounding Sasuke.
And inside every mirror, Haku's reflection appeared simultaneously.
It was impossible to tell which one was real.
The next moment, a barrage of senbon needles shot toward Sasuke with incredible speed.
The barrage was so overwhelming that Sasuke couldn't even tell from which direction to dodge.
"Damn it... Damn it... Damn it—"
"I need to see!"
"Let me see it!!"
Sasuke screamed in his mind, pushing his senses to their limits.
And then—it happened.
Under the intense pressure and mental strain, his ordinary black eyes morphed—
—into the crimson of the Sharingan.
Twin tomoe spun into place.
And suddenly, the senbon were no longer a blur. He could see them clearly.
But—
Even with the Sharingan, something was wrong.
His eyes could follow the senbon...
But his body couldn't keep up.
Haku wasn't just throwing needles—he was using the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals to move at blinding speed from mirror to mirror, increasing both his attack power and velocity.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
I… I can't win…
That dark thought began to surface.
Kakashi saw Sasuke's desperate situation.
He looked ready to move.
But just then—
Naruto's figure exploded into the scene.
He dove into the dome of mirrors—
Shielding Sasuke with his body as the senbon rained down.
Haku's eyes widened behind his mask.
He's fast!
This blond ninja wasn't like Sasuke.
His reactions, his instincts—everything was different.
He had blocked the senbon barrage with raw speed and precision.
And then—before Haku could react—
Naruto appeared in front of one of the mirrors.
With a roar, he threw a punch straight at it.
From within the mirror, Haku saw the fist approaching.
And for the first time—
He panicked.
How—how does he know this is the real me!?
And… he's too fast!
Haku couldn't dodge.
Naruto's punch crashed into the mirror with overwhelming force—
—and with a single impact, the entire structure shattered.
BOOM!
The ice mirror exploded into a spray of shimmering shards.
Haku was sent flying from within, crashing to the ground.
Everything stopped for a moment.
Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, and even Kakashi stood frozen.
Their eyes bulged.
What... what kind of monster is Naruto?!
He had shattered Haku's Ice Release jutsu—a secret technique based on a Kekkei Genkai—with nothing but raw strength and a single punch!
"Well done!!"
"Haku!!"
Zabuza's eyes went wide in alarm as he saw his comrade fall.
He didn't even think—his body moved on instinct, rushing toward Haku.
Kakashi followed with his gaze, just as stunned.
Even with his Sharingan, he hadn't been able to pinpoint Haku's real body inside the mirrors.
But Naruto had found him in an instant—and struck with decisive power.
Unbelievable…
Kakashi was shocked.
So were Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna.
Sasuke stood speechless, still processing what just happened.
He'd awakened the Sharingan...
And still had to be saved by Naruto.
Zabuza reached Haku and knelt beside him, checking his condition.
His shock turned into rage.
With a snarl, he turned toward Naruto, ready to strike with full killing intent.
But—
At that exact moment—
A swirling ball of chakra began to form in Naruto's hand.
...
TN:
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