Bang!
A muffled sound rang out as a figure shot out of the fog at incredible speed, crashing into the river with a heavy splash.
"Senior Kakashi!" Tenzo gasped.
He hadn't expected Kakashi Hatake—the Copy Ninja himself—to be driven into such an embarrassing position right in front of him.
Following Itsuki's suggestion, the two immediately ducked into a concealed hiding spot.
The next moment, another figure burst from the water. Appearing behind Kakashi, he quickly formed hand seals.
"Idiot! Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
It was Kakashi's opponent—Zabuza Momochi.
With one hand outstretched, Zabuza trapped Kakashi inside a sphere of dense water.
"Damn… I should have gone underwater first. What a mistake!" Kakashi struggled, but the crushing weight of the water made it nearly impossible to move, let alone break free.
"Hehehe…" Zabuza sneered, smug. "You've been fooled! Don't even think about escaping. Once I've got you trapped, I'm free to deal with the others."
He chuckled darkly, then created a water clone.
The clone immediately stalked toward their mission target, Tazuna.
As Kakashi was restrained, the thick Mist Hiding Technique began to fade, clearing the battlefield.
"Senior Kakashi actually got caught…" Tenzo muttered in shock. "So this is the strength of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Zabuza made even Senior Kakashi look helpless. Now Naruto and the others are in danger."
He glanced at Itsuki. "Stay sharp. Be ready to strike if things get critical."
Itsuki's eyes stayed calm. "That's only a water clone. It has one-tenth the strength of the real body. If Naruto and Sasuke push themselves, they can still take it down."
He paused, then added, "But since this is their first real battle, they'll be shaky. They won't fight at full strength. Only cooperation will let them turn the tables and rescue Kakashi indirectly."
Tenzo frowned. "You really have that much faith in them? To me, it looks hopeless."
Itsuki smiled faintly. "Naruto might have been dead last in class, but his grit, his refusal to quit, and his stamina are unmatched. Sasuke's a prodigy—the top of the class—and don't forget, he's an Uchiha. Together, they can pull this off."
Hearing this, Tenzo hesitated. Itsuki wasn't one to make blind claims. Perhaps…
Sure enough, Naruto soon proved Itsuki right.
Despite being pummeled by Zabuza's water clone, Naruto refused to give in.
With a horde of shadow clones, he launched reckless attacks until he managed to snatch back his stolen forehead protector.
Bruised but unbroken, Naruto's determination burned even brighter. Then, with sudden confidence, he turned to Sasuke.
"I've got a plan! I need your help!"
Sakura, seeing the spark in his eyes, nodded. "Go! I'll protect Tazuna!"
Naruto grinned and pulled a massive Fūma Shuriken from his pack, tossing it to Sasuke. "Sasuke—catch!"
"I see…" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He immediately understood Naruto's intention, impressed despite himself. Not bad, dobe.
"Fūma Shuriken: Shadow Windmill!"
Sasuke hurled the giant shuriken with all his might, sending it whistling toward Zabuza.
"This trick again? Worthless." Zabuza scoffed.
But the spinning blade curved in the air, bypassing the water clone, heading straight for Zabuza's real body.
"So it's aimed at me. Clever. But… too naive."
Zabuza calmly reached out and caught the giant blade with one hand.
What he didn't expect—another shuriken was hidden in the first one's shadow.
"Well done… but still childish!" Zabuza smirked, leaping high to evade it. Still, he couldn't help but glance at the two boys with new respect.
"Considering their level, that was remarkable. But their opponent is no ordinary man," Tenzo sighed.
Itsuki, however, only smiled.
When he'd first seen this in the original battle, he'd been stunned.
Now, watching it unfold in reality, he felt a surge of excitement.
Bang!
The second shuriken poofed into smoke, revealing Naruto in mid-air. He had used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself.
Caught mid-leap, one hand bound to maintain the Water Prison, Zabuza's back was wide open. The water clone was too far away to help.
Naruto hurled a kunai straight at him.
"Damn brat!!!" Zabuza roared. He had no choice—he yanked his hand free, abandoning the Water Prison to defend against Naruto.
"You little shit!" His killing intent flared. The moment of grudging respect vanished.
"Die!" Zabuza spun with the captured Fūma Shuriken, aiming to cleave Naruto in half.
Naruto, still airborne, had no way to dodge.
Clang!
A hand caught the massive blade.
Kakashi stood there, dripping wet, panting hard but grinning beneath his mask.
"Nice work, Naruto. Brilliant plan."
Naruto's eyes went wide, then sparkled with triumph.
His heart pounded with exhilaration. For the first time, his plan had saved everyone.
The others were just as stunned. The class clown had outsmarted Zabuza and freed Kakashi.
Tenzo inhaled deeply.
"…I underestimated him." His gaze softened with admiration. "He's still far from you, Itsuki. But this… this is the mark of a true shinobi."
"Hmph!" Zabuza growled, though he no longer dismissed the boy. "So while I was distracted, you broke the jutsu yourself, Kakashi?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Wrong. You released it when you took your hand away. But even if you hadn't, I was already preparing to break out."
With that, the battle reset. Kakashi and Zabuza faced each other once more, both ready for round two.
...
Author's Note:
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