Kakashi's expression turned solemn and cold.
This was not an ordinary opponent.
Menma and Sasuke both sensed it instinctively — the power radiating from the enemy before them was overwhelming, enough to kill them in an instant.
Menma was calmer. He still had the Nine-Tails' chakra sealed within him — though he hadn't tapped into it, even a fraction of that power could easily surpass most chūnin-level shinobi. But Sasuke didn't have such a reserve to rely on.
His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His lower lip was bleeding from how hard he bit it, yet the pain barely registered. The fear pressing against his chest was suffocating — but unlike before, he didn't freeze. He faced it head-on.
"It's fine," Kakashi said quietly, his tone firm but gentle. "I'll protect you. You don't need to worry about anything."
As he spoke, his hand reached up and pulled down his forehead protector — revealing his left eye.
A scarlet glow flashed in the misty light.
The three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly in his socket.
A wave of powerful chakra radiated outward, colliding with the oppressive killing intent that Zabuza had unleashed.
In an instant, the crushing pressure around Team 7 lifted.
Sakura gasped, relief flooding her body like air returning to her lungs. She could finally breathe again.
At that moment, she realized two things — the terrifying strength of the man they faced, and the overwhelming power of the sensei who stood before them.
Sharingan! It's real…!
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. The legendary dōjutsu of his clan — alive in the eye of someone not an Uchiha.
Kakashi's voice cut through the fog.
"All four of you — Formation B! Protect Dazna. Leave this one to me."
"Yes!"
Menma, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura answered in unison.
They moved quickly, forming a defensive circle with Dazna at the center — ready to intercept any attack that slipped past Kakashi.
Zabuza grinned through the mist, his voice dripping with amusement.
"Ha… so it's true. The Copy Ninja Kakashi — the man who copied over a thousand jutsu. Let's see if your Sharingan lives up to the rumors."
He clapped his hands together.
"Hidden Mist Technique!"
Immediately, a dense white fog spread across the battlefield. Within seconds, visibility dropped to nothing. Even the silhouettes of nearby teammates blurred and vanished.
The chilling moisture crept through the trees, wrapping the forest in silence.
Kakashi's single visible eye darted around, tense.
He's using Kirigakure no Jutsu…
This was Zabuza's home field. His killing techniques relied on this concealment. And while Kakashi could sense chakra, he wasn't a sensory-type ninja — tracking the enemy under these conditions was nearly impossible.
Except for one person.
Menma.
His chakra perception, sharpened through both training and the residue of the Nine-Tails' influence, picked up Zabuza's presence clearly.
Directly ahead… twelve o'clock! His target isn't Kakashi — it's us!
A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek as his heartbeat quickened.
Silent Killing Technique…
That was Zabuza's signature move — swift, unseen, and fatal.
The mist thickened. The temperature dropped again.
And then—
"Whoosh!"
A soundless rush of air.
Menma's eyes narrowed sharply. "He's coming!"
The next moment, a massive figure burst through the fog — a glint of steel flashing in the mist.
The enormous Kubikiribōchō — the Executioner's Blade — sliced downward with murderous precision.
"Die, brats!" Zabuza roared, his voice echoing through the mist.
The strike was aimed to decapitate them all in one swing. To him, cutting down a few rookies and an old bridge builder was nothing more than swatting flies.
But he had miscalculated.
Menma's instincts flared — the world slowed for an instant.
He moved on pure reflex.
"Clang!!"
His kunai met the descending blade in midair. The impact rang out like thunder.
The pressure forced him to his knees — the ground cracked beneath his feet as his palms burned from the force.
He's so strong!
Menma's teeth gritted, his muscles trembling from the sheer weight of Zabuza's swing.
Zabuza's eyes narrowed, mildly surprised.
A genin had actually blocked him — even for an instant.
But before he could push through, another sound sliced through the fog.
"Whoosh!"
Kakashi was already there. He moved with perfect timing — a blur of silver that materialized at Zabuza's flank, kunai aimed directly for his heart.
"Too slow," Kakashi said coldly.
Zabuza twisted, abandoning his swing. His sword scraped off Menma's kunai as he pivoted, dragging the massive blade sideways to intercept Kakashi's strike.
"Clang!"
Sparks exploded.
For a brief moment, the two locked weapons, Sharingan clashing against bloodlust.
Naruto and Sasuke didn't hesitate. They lunged in from either side, kunai aimed for Zabuza's ribs.
But to the veteran swordsman, their speed was child's play.
He chuckled darkly. "Tch… still too green."
In one smooth motion, he kicked off the ground, flipping backward to evade all three attacks in a single blur. The mist swallowed him again.
"Not this time," Kakashi muttered. His Sharingan eye followed every flicker of motion, every chakra signature — tracking Zabuza's movements even through the haze.
He wasn't going to lose sight of him again.
Zabuza landed lightly a few meters away, eyes gleaming in the fog.
But Kakashi was already there, closing the distance faster than Zabuza anticipated.
Their chakra flared as their weapons met again.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Kunai and blade collided repeatedly, their movements blinding — too fast for the genin to follow.
"Boom!"
The sheer force of their clash shook the trees, scattering the mist momentarily.
The others could only stare.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "T-this is insane…! Is this what real ninja battles are like!?"
The movements were so fast they could barely see them — just flashes of light, streaks of motion, and the roar of colliding chakra.
Menma's eyes followed every move, his pulse racing.
This… this is the level I have to reach.
Sasuke's Sharingan hadn't yet awakened, but his instincts burned. The desire to grow stronger surged within him — to no longer stand behind others.
For Team 7, this was their first true glimpse of the world of shinobi.
And for the first time… they understood just how vast the gap between them and a Jōnin really was.
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