For ordinary ninjas, threats are always very effective.
Mei Terumi simply lowered her head, parted her lips, and said softly, "Lord Hokage, have you ever heard of a Mizukage who surrendered? Ninjas are never afraid of death..."
"But your deaths would be worthless!" Naruto Uzumaki retorted with a cold smile, pointing at the Mist ninjas fleeing from the wood golem's attack. "From this day forward, there will be no more Hidden Mist Village... and even in ruin, it will leave behind a legacy of shame in the Land of Water!"
Mei Terumi fell silent.
Every conversation with Naruto Uzumaki made her blood boil, his words nearly angering her to death. Couldn't they just have one friendly chat?
The young Konoha Hokage's attitude was simply too aggressive. When faced with someone equally unyielding, his approach wasn't to use softness to overcome hardness, but to shatter the stone with a hammer.
"It seems the situation is getting interesting!" Naruto didn't seem to notice Mei's frustration and reluctance. He glanced into the distance where Chojuro was gathering ninjas and chuckled. "Lady Mizukage, would you like to see... what a true one-versus-ten-thousand battle looks like?"
"What?"
"Your subordinate is rallying people for a counterattack," Naruto said softly, gesturing toward Chojuro. "It seems the man you have your eye on isn't acting according to your wishes. He appears to want to save you and bring you back."
Mei looked at the young-looking Mist ninja in the distance and cursed inwardly, That idiot Chojuro...
"A grand scene like this might be happening in two places today," the young Hokage said, tightening the Hokage robe around him. He turned his head and added with a light laugh, "I brought a guard with me, but our own Second Hokage... he went to attack the rogue ninja camp all by himself."
Yes.
Tobirama Senju had gone to the rebel camp alone. Perhaps worried that his grandnephew was unreliable, Tobirama had left the Root members at the Daimyo's residence and attacked Zabuza Momochi's rebel army by himself.
At the rebel camp, Tobirama held a ninja sword in his left hand. As if taking a leisurely stroll, he flicked his wrist and plunged the blade into a ninja's chest. With his right hand, he caught an incoming shuriken and threw it back at the ninja who had attacked him.
Just as that ninja swung his sword to deflect the shuriken and breathed a sigh of relief, Tobirama's figure suddenly appeared right in front of him.
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
The next moment, a head flew into the sky.
With his power alone, he was wreaking havoc throughout the rebel camp. Several thousand rogue ninjas looked on with dread at the reanimated man. He was a figure from the legends they had heard since childhood in the Land of Water.
The strongest Water Style user in the world, Konoha's Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Finally, someone couldn't hold back. A group of Water Style ninjas quickly began forming hand seals, and a chaotic barrage of Water Style ninjutsu flew out.
"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Water Trumpet!"
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
A dense storm of Water Style techniques rushed toward Tobirama. He simply formed two hand seals and shouted in a low voice, "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A wave of water erupted around his body, quickly forming a circular wall that blocked the dense barrage.
The current environment was perfect for Water Style users. Zabuza Momochi slammed his Executioner's Blade into the ground and began forming hand seals with his hands clasped together.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
A water dragon shot out from the water covering the ground. In this environment, Zabuza felt his Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu was even stronger than usual.
However, the jutsu was met with a cold snort.
The water wall dissipated, and countless splashes fell at Tobirama's feet. He looked at the oncoming water dragon, formed a few simple hand seals, and sneered, "Brat, you want to defeat me with a jutsu I invented? How naive... Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
A massive water dragon rose from under his feet, nearly ten times the size of Zabuza's. The huge dragon bit down on Zabuza's dragon, dispersing it in a single gulp. Perhaps because this was a ninjutsu he had created, Tobirama's speed and power with it far surpassed Zabuza's.
At the critical moment, Haku gritted his teeth and stood in front of Zabuza, releasing his Ice Style kekkei genkai. "Ice Style: Ice Wall!"
Although the ice wall provided a buffer, the massive water dragon still broke through, sending both Haku and Zabuza flying.
Zabuza looked at the unconscious Haku, then at Tobirama, and gritted his teeth. "Damn it... That old genin I met in the Land of Waves, he finished the hand seals for the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu so fast!"
"You're talking about Kosuke, aren't you? I taught him that jutsu." A ninja sword suddenly rested on Zabuza's neck.
The only person in the entire ninja world who could use the simplified hand seals for the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu and was still a genin could only be Kosuke Maruboshi, the man determined to be a genin for life.
Tobirama didn't mention Kosuke again. He scanned the surrounding rogue ninjas and said coldly, "Brat, a reanimated person's chakra is infinite. If you still refuse to surrender, I will kill every ninja here to prevent them from harming the Hidden Mist Village."
"Hmph," Zabuza sneered, not caring at all. "Do what you want. I have nothing to lose."
"Is that so?" Tobirama's blade shifted.
A cold light flashed past Zabuza's eyes. Just as he thought he was about to be beheaded, he saw that Tobirama had only stabbed Haku's shoulder with the sword and lifted him into the air.
Tobirama looked at Zabuza and said indifferently, "Then let's start with this Ice Style user."
"Wait!" Zabuza flew up and grabbed the blade of Tobirama's sword. Ignoring the blood gushing from his palm, he gritted his teeth. "As long as you let Haku go, I'll agree to anything!"
Tobirama looked at the determined expression on Zabuza's face, then at the handsome young man hanging from his blade, and nodded. "First, gather all your subordinates, assemble them, and advance toward the Hidden Mist Village."
"Hah... stop, I'll go right away!" Zabuza almost wanted to laugh. He was already planning to attack the Hidden Mist, so the condition was nothing to him. However, he only managed one laugh before he felt the blade in his hand press deeper.
Zabuza instantly understood. If he laughed or said any more nonsense, the man in front of him would cut Haku in half without a second thought.
It had to be said, Zabuza's prestige among the rebels was very high. Perhaps because his act of killing all his peers was so legendary, not many rogue ninjas dared to defy his orders.
Soon, the rogue ninja unit was assembled.
Zabuza carried Haku on his back and looked curiously at Tobirama. "Lord Second Hokage, you've been resurrected and are forcing us to obey you. Are you planning to lead us to destroy the Hidden Mist Village?"
"No," Tobirama shook his head and said in a deep voice. "I just want to see, after someone destroys the Hidden Mist Village with their own power, how many people are still unwilling to surrender to Konoha."
"..." Zabuza was stunned for a moment, his eyes widening. "What kind of joke is this? How could someone destroy the Hidden Mist by themselves? Even with all the rogue ninjas I've recruited, it's still one of the five great ninja villages..."
"Soon, you will see," Tobirama glanced at him, then at the large group of rogue ninjas. "Unfortunately for you, in the current Land of Water, there are three people who can do it."
-----
Bonus:
Zabuza: Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!
Tobirama: Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!
Zabuza: I've seen this scene before...
Tobirama: Hmm?
Zabuza: Back then, I met an old genin in the Land of Waves...
Tobirama: That was Kosuke, right?
Zabuza: You taught him?
Tobirama: Yes.
Zabuza: Who else knows these hand seals? Just tell me, so I don't get caught off guard again.
Tobirama: ...