They continued on their way.
Tazuna was overwhelmed with gratitude, his old face beaming. The current situation was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.
No new enemies appeared all the way to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves.
They boarded a boat and crossed the sea.
As the small boat slowly entered the waters of the Land of Waves, mist immediately surged up, abnormally thick.
The boat sailed into a hidden waterway, traveling through the dense fog for a long time.
They finally disembarked.
Seeing the familiar woods, Tazuna let out a long sigh of relief. His nerves, tense the entire journey, finally relaxed.
"I really owe it to you all that I made it home safely."
He turned around, his face showing the relief of having survived a disaster, "But it wasn't as dangerous as you said. Up until now, no new enemies have appeared..."
He was still rambling on when Sasuke, without any warning, stopped walking. He sharply turned his head, staring into the dense forest not far away.
"Enemies?" Tazuna's voice cut off abruptly.
Kakashi closed his Icha Icha Paradise, his eye instantly turning grave.
Sasuke nodded, his crimson three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating, "Hn. Their Chakra isn't weak. Thirty percent worse than Kakashi's."
"Thirty percent worse than Kakashi-sensei?"
Naruto was stunned for a moment, counting on his fingers as he pondered, 'Didn't that mean the enemy was... strong?!'
Before he could figure it out, a whistling sound tore through the thick mist!
Whoosh…
A fierce wind rushed in. A massive black shadow swept out from the forest, stirring up swirling leaves before embedding itself heavily into the trunk of a thick tree ahead.
It was a massive blade, just like Ichigo's, defying conventional standards… broad, with a circular hole in the center.
The hilt was still vibrating intensely, causing leaves to rustle down.
A figure appeared silently, landing steadily on the giant sword's hilt.
His face was covered like Kakashi's, masking the lower half. The visible part of his eyes looked somewhat ferocious as he looked down on them from his high position.
"Oh, this brat... is the last survivor of the Uchiha? No wonder you could detect me." His voice was low, carrying a hint of surprise.
"And the Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi."
He turned his gaze to Kakashi, "I didn't expect you to be on this mission."
Without a doubt, he is a Jonin.
He crossed his arms, looking at Kakashi, "Sorry, but the old man behind you is my prey. Can you hand him over?"
Kakashi's brow furrowed tightly, his tone heavy, "It's you. The Missing-nin from Kirigakure, Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza."
He was about to step forward to confront him.
But Sasuke spoke first, his voice cold, "Kakashi, there's another Shinobi in the woods. Probably his partner."
He paused, his right hand gripping the hilt of Takemikazuchi at his waist, "This dog bastard is mine."
The term 'last survivor' had displeased him.
Kakashi was taken aback. His raised hand slowly fell, "Understood."
Without hesitation, he used the Body Flicker Technique and left.
Naruto, meanwhile, created three shadow clones, surrounding and protecting Tazuna in the center.
Zabuza was somewhat surprised, looking at Sasuke incredulously, "Uchiha brat, what's your name?"
'Kakashi was a famously Elite Jonin. Logically, he should be the most experienced among them.'
'Yet he actually listened to this brat.'
'And...'
'Kakashi dared to leave so decisively. Did he really think this brat could hold me off?'
"Me?"
Sasuke slowly drew his sword, "Uchiha Sasuke. Also, the Shinigami who will send you to the Pure Land."
The dazzling light-blue blade caught Zabuza's attention.
"Shinigami? Such an arrogant brat. But your sword is truly beautiful."
A flicker of admiration passed through Zabuza's eyes, "To encounter a swordsman of the same type outside of Kirigakure... it's rare."
"However…"
He changed his tone, slowly pulling the Executioner's Blade from the tree trunk. The massive blade dragged on the ground.
"What a pity. I need to deal with that old man quickly. I can't exchange swords with you."
As soon as the words fell, he quickly formed hand seals with both hands. The Chakra within him erupted violently.
The already thick fog seemed to be drawn, madly converging towards the center. In an instant, it became so dense you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
"Ninja Art: Hiding in the Mist Technique"!
'This Uchiha brat might possess the Sharingan. Conventional stealth was utterly ineffective.'
'But within this dense mist composed of my own chakra, for those eyes, I would be everywhere.'
Zabuza's voice came from all directions simultaneously.
"Eight locations…"
"Lungs, heart, throat, spine, liver..."
"Which way do you want to die, brat?"
The direction of the voice was indistinguishable.
"Idiot."
Zabuza's spiritual threads fluttered ostentatiously before Sasuke, incredibly conspicuous.
He used Shunpo to close the distance, swinging his sword to strike.
Blades clashed, sparks flying, revealing Zabuza's astonished expression.
'My Silent Killing failed?!'
'The Hidden Mist Technique was ineffective… It seemed I can only get into close-quarters sword combat.'
Zabuza gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly.
'No wonder Kakashi dared to leave so confidently. This kid's swordsmanship was fierce and ruthless, completely unlike an ordinary Shinobi!'
'I have to find a way to end this quickly. Haku can't hold Kakashi back for long.'
"Is this all an Elite Jonin is capable of?"
Sasuke forced Zabuza back with a slash, holding Takemikazuchi horizontally before him, looking at him from a distance, "A bit disappointing."
Zabuza's cheek muscles twitched, a sense of humiliation washing over him.
He specialized in 'assassination', his skills almost entirely reliant on Silent Killing and swordsmanship.
But now, his movements were clearly tracked by his opponent, and he couldn't gain the upper hand in swordsmanship.
These factors swirled in his mind, leading to one conclusion.
Escape!
'Once Kakashi comes back, I really won't be able to leave!'
Zabuza made a snap decision, quickly forming hand seals to use the Water Dragon Bullet Technique for interference, buying himself time to escape.
Sasuke sensed his intention but simply stood still, not even making a move to pursue.
As the hand seals completed, a surge of joy rose in Zabuza's heart.
A ferocious water dragon roared out from the mist, charging towards Sasuke!
However, the moment Zabuza prepared to turn and flee, his movements froze rigidly.
The charging water dragon was enveloped by black flames that appeared out of nowhere, then slowly consumed.
Zabuza's eyes widened, a cold sweat trickling down his temple.
"This is... Fire Release?!"
'Impossible! I've never seen flames that could consume Water Release!'
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
In the instant Zabuza's mind was reeling, a condensed spear of black and white lightning tore through the black flames enveloping the water dragon, screeching as it shot towards him.
Zabuza only saw a flash of white light before a tearing, intense pain erupted from his left shoulder.
"Ugh…!"
He let out a pained scream, his entire body sent flying backward before crashing heavily to the ground.
A bloody hole was pierced through his left shoulder, instantly staining the ground red.
Sasuke's figure appeared before him like a ghost.
Zabuza struggled, trying to lift his head, his voice hoarse, "I've lost this fight."
As the words fell, a flicker of resolve to die appeared in his eyes, as if he had prepared himself to be executed.
However, Sasuke only gave him a cold glance, the corner of his mouth lifting into a supremely contemptuous curve.
"When did you get the illusion that you could fight me head-on?"
"What?!"
Zabuza's mind was shaken. He completely didn't understand the meaning of these words.
Before he could react, the world before him suddenly began to distort.
The thick fog dissipated. Even the wound on his shoulder seemed to have never existed.
He remained frozen in place, still holding the hand seal posture, motionless.
The thick fog had long since dispersed, unnoticed.
In the distance, Naruto, who was protecting Tazuna, stared dumbfounded at the painting-like, motionless scene before him.
The setting sun's afterglow cast a golden frame over the entire scene.
The Executioner's Blade embedded upside down in the ground.
The eyebrowless villain was nailed to the tree by three beams of light, unable to move.
The black-haired boy with two swords at his waist stood quietly at the center of the picture.
The outcome was obvious.
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