And it was precisely at the moment when Zabuza Momochi had just finished making up his mind to withdraw.
Not far away—
"Since the opponent is the famous Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza, then I can't hold back any longer."
At this moment, a terrifying cold light flashed through the right eye of Hatake Kakashi, who stood upright at the center of the battlefield. Under the suddenly constricted pupils of Zabuza, Kakashi slowly raised his left hand and lifted the forehead protector that had been covering his left eye. The metal plate tilted upward, revealing the scarlet Sharingan beneath it.
Three tomoe rotated rapidly within the blood-red eye, spinning endlessly as chakra surged.
In an instant, Kakashi's aura changed completely.
A frightening pressure burst forth from his body.
It was not only the Demon Brothers standing nearby who began to tremble uncontrollably.
Even deep within Zabuza's heart, an unmistakably real chill rose at that very moment.
"The Sharingan, huh… I didn't expect to see the legendary Sharingan so soon," Zabuza said with a tone that sounded relaxed on the surface. "This is truly an honor."
However, despite his seemingly casual words, every muscle in Zabuza's body was tightly tensed. His gaze remained locked firmly on Hatake Kakashi, and the hand gripping the handle of the Executioner's Blade clenched harder and harder. Facing the Copy Ninja of the Leaf, who had earned worldwide fame during the Third Great Ninja War, even a ruthless man like Zabuza knew very well that he could not afford the slightest carelessness.
At this moment, Zabuza was operating at one hundred percent focus.
He was extremely clear about one thing: compared to the Konoha female jōnin, Yuhi Kurenai, Hatake Kakashi possessed a far more direct and terrifying ability to kill him. In a confrontation of this level, even a single misstep would mean instant death.
"Sharingan…?"
This was very different from Team Seven in the original encounter, where Naruto and Sakura had been completely ignorant.
Among Team Eight, Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino were all heirs of prominent Konoha clans. Especially Hinata, as the young lady of the Hyūga clan, she understood very clearly what the Sharingan represented. When Kakashi revealed the three-tomoe Sharingan, all three members of Team Eight looked forward with shock written across their faces.
After all, the Uchiha clan had almost been completely annihilated.
The only known survivors were Uchiha Sasuke, who remained in Konoha and belonged to their generation, and the S-rank missing-nin Uchiha Itachi.
And yet, the white-haired jōnin standing before them also possessed the Sharingan.
This revelation caused countless thoughts to flash through the minds of Hinata, Kiba, and Shino.
However, these thoughts lasted only an instant.
Because the pressure released by the three jōnin on the battlefield completely erupted.
At the moment their auras collided—
The crushing presence that spread outward made the three genin of Team Eight feel as though they were suffocating.
If Yuhi Kurenai had not stepped forward and stood in front of them, offsetting most of that pressure, the three of them might have been crushed outright by this terrifying killing intent. Even so, Kurenai herself was still relatively inexperienced compared to the other two. Both Kakashi and Zabuza were shinobi who had survived the Third Great Ninja War—veterans who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Their murderous intent was almost tangible.
It was something no ordinary ninja could adapt to, let alone resist.
This was especially true for Zabuza, the bearer of the title "Demon of the Mist."
That title was not an exaggeration.
A shinobi who graduated under Kirigakure's Blood Mist policy—
If one only compared shinobi of the same rank, it was no exaggeration to say that a Mist ninja could fight ten of their peers.
And someone who had reached Zabuza's level—
Leaving aside other factors, his experience in killing and his ability to create an atmosphere of terror were unmatched.
The pressure he released condensed into something almost solid.
At the same time—
White mist began to spread rapidly across the battlefield.
"This is… the Hidden Mist Technique?"
As figures gradually blurred and vision became obstructed, Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly. His posture grew even more vigilant, yet his chakra firmly remained locked on Zabuza's position.
The chakra-infused mist spread outward in an instant, covering an area of several hundred meters. Within this environment, visibility dropped to nearly zero. This was the most basic yet indispensable ninjutsu for Mist ninja skilled in assassination, an essential technique they relied on.
The Hidden Mist Technique had one clear weakness—the caster himself could not see within the fog either.
However, as the user of the technique, Zabuza possessed a complete understanding of its properties.
For shinobi who relied on assassination year after year, this environment was second nature.
Once fighting within such conditions, the title of "Demon of the Mist" became fully justified. Zabuza's combat ability would increase dramatically, surpassing even Kakashi and Kurenai. Earlier, he had not needed to rely on this method to deal with Kurenai alone.
But now—
Facing Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja of the Leaf—
Zabuza could not afford to be careless.
If he attacked, it had to be decisive.
One strike.
One kill.
He could not allow his opponent even the slightest chance to counterattack.
"All personnel, stay alert!"
Sensing the killing intent scattered throughout the mist, Kakashi furrowed his brow. With a flick of his wrist, a sharp kunai appeared instantly in his right hand. His solemn expression caused the members of Team Eight to tense up as well, each of them wearing an extremely serious look.
Just from the pressure alone, it was clear that this enemy was someone who could potentially kill even their jōnin instructors.
Without thinking, one could tell how terrifying this opponent truly was.
"Gulp…"
At that moment, even the usually bold Inuzuka Kiba subconsciously swallowed. A rare look of nervousness appeared on his face as he stared into the fog.
If—
Just if—
If their teacher and the white-haired jōnin who had just arrived were unable to defeat the gloomy, bandaged man before them, would that mean everyone in Team Eight would die here today?
Kiba did not want to imagine such a scene.
Yet, under the oppressive and icy killing intent that filled the air, even someone as fearless as him could not help but harbor such a dreadful thought.
The mist grew thicker and thicker.
The murderous aura within it became almost physical.
Kakashi's Sharingan spun rapidly, its perception pushed to the absolute limit. At this moment, he captured every trace of chakra fluctuation in the surrounding area, refusing to relax his vigilance even for a second.
Just as Kakashi began forming hand seals, preparing to strike preemptively—
The next second—
"What?"
The thick fog slowly dissipated.
The Zabuza that Kakashi had firmly locked onto with his chakra turned into nothing more than a puddle of water.
And not only Zabuza—
After the mist completely cleared, even the figures of the Demon Brothers had vanished without a trace.
"What…?"
Although retreat was the most rational choice, the decisive killing posture Zabuza had displayed moments earlier made the outcome difficult to process. The contrast between his overwhelming pressure and this sudden withdrawal was so great that Kakashi momentarily failed to react.
Zabuza Momochi had retreated.
Without warning.
Without hesitation.
Kakashi himself needed a moment to fully comprehend it.
And if even Kakashi was caught off guard
That went without saying for Yuhi Kurenai standing beside him, and the three young genin of Team Eight behind them.
The Duel doesn't end here… it only gets more intense.
30+ chapters ahead are already waiting.
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