"Naruto!"
Sasuke's shout snapped through the fog like thunder. Naruto flinched but forced himself to move. Trembling, he yanked out a shuriken and hurled it straight ahead.
The spinning blade cut through the mist—slicing right into Zabuza's body.
Splash!
The figure dissolved into water, scattering across the ground.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Wha—?!"
A blur appeared behind Sasuke.
The real Zabuza swung down with his massive Executioner's Blade, the air howling around it.
"Damn it!" Sasuke cursed inwardly, barely leaping back in time. A Water Clone… I couldn't even tell!
Even with his Sharingan spinning furiously, the jutsu's speed and precision were leagues above what he could counter. Against a veteran Jōnin like Zabuza, there was no time to weave signs or charge chakra—only raw instinct.
The blade sliced past him, cutting a deep trench into the earth.
Before Sasuke could catch his breath—
Whoosh!
Kakashi appeared in front of him in a blur, crouched low, a shuriken already drawn.
"Don't move," he said quietly.
The next instant, his hand shot forward—piercing Zabuza's chest.
Water exploded outward.
Another clone.
Splash!
Kakashi's own form flickered, split in half by Zabuza's counterattack—then melted into water as well.
Zabuza's grin widened beneath his bandages. "Copy Ninja Kakashi… tch. No matter what I throw, you're just going to mirror it, huh?"
His voice carried through the mist, calm yet cold. "Let's see how long you can keep up… with me."
The fog thickened. Two killers vanished from sight.
All that remained was the echo of splashing water—and the sound of steel meeting steel in the depths of the mist.
--
Hidan watched the fight unfold, eyes glinting with lazy curiosity.
Kakashi's movements fascinated him. A non-Uchiha who could wield the Sharingan like that—and not just wield it, but master it.
The precision, the mimicry, the way he danced through water clones and counter-feints—it wasn't something you picked up in a few missions.
"Gotta hand it to the guy," Hidan muttered, chin resting on his palm. "Not born Uchiha, but fights better than half of 'em."
It was true. Even other Uchiha couldn't push the Sharingan's copying ability to that level. Most people obsessed over evolving the eye—chasing the Mangekyo, the Rinnegan, the next shiny form. But Kakashi? He had taken the basic Sharingan and refined it into an art form.
That took real obsession.
Real talent.
"If it weren't for that non-Uchiha body of his eating chakra like ramen," Hidan mused aloud, "the guy probably would've unlocked something terrifying by now." ( He's referring to Kamui.)
He shifted slightly on Konan's back, the Eternal Mangekyō spinning faintly in his eyes. His vision sharpened—chakra signatures lit up like candles through the mist.
"...Well, what do we have here?"
His tone turned amused. Beyond Zabuza's killing intent and Kakashi's steady flow, two more distinct chakra sources flickered nearby. One familiar—that had to be Haku. The other, unfamiliar, colder.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Now that's interesting."
He hadn't expected guests. The mission should've just involved Zabuza and Haku… so why were there two hidden presences tailing the battle?
Hidan tapped his temple thoughtfully. "Three elites just to kill one bridge-builder? Yeah, sure. Totally normal. Nothing shady here at all."
He sighed, stretching his arms lazily. "If only I had Byakugan right now… 360-degree vision, no blind spots. Would make things so much easier."
His grin widened as he lay back again, looking like a man watching theater instead of a battlefield. "Still… I like surprises. Let's see which rat crawls out of the mist first."
Konan gave him a side-eye. "You're not helping."
"Observation is helping," Hidan replied smoothly, folding his hands behind his head. "I'm providing moral support. From a distance."
--
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura's scream pierced through the mist just as Zabuza's kick smashed into Kakashi's chest, sending him crashing into the lake with a splash.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
Zabuza's voice was cold and sharp. The water around his hand twisted and solidified, forming a perfect sphere of shimmering liquid—bubbling, swirling, and sealing Kakashi inside like a floating cage.
The Copy Ninja struggled for a moment, but the chakra control of the jutsu held firm. Zabuza smirked, one hand maintaining the prison while the other extended out, molding another figure from the surface of the lake.
A second Zabuza emerged—his Water Clone—its eyes glinting with cruel amusement as it faced down the Genin trio.
"Let's see how you brats handle this," the clone said, voice dripping with mockery.
Sasuke's scarlet Sharingan spun to life, locking onto the clone. He could see it clearly—the chakra flow was thinner, weaker. This wasn't the real Zabuza. That alone made his heartbeat steady.
'A clone's chakra is only a fraction of the original… this, I can handle,' he thought, exhaling slowly.
Inside the prison, Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. He made no move to break free. In fact, he seemed almost… calm.
He's testing them, Hidan realized from his spot on Konan's back, watching the scene like it was dinner theater. He's letting the kids feel real battle pressure… heh. Not bad.
Sasuke's fingers blurred through seals. "Serpent—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger!"
His lungs filled with heat, his chakra flared.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A roar erupted from his mouth as a massive sphere of flame surged forward, swallowing the clone in a storm of orange light.
The explosion of heat and steam blasted through the fog.
"Impossible—!" The clone barely had time to raise its blade before it was engulfed.
Whoosh!
The fireball consumed it, turning the figure into vapor. The Water Clone dissolved with a hiss, leaving nothing but rising smoke.
But the flames didn't stop there—still rolling forward, burning across the lake's surface toward the real Zabuza.
"Tch—annoying brat."
Zabuza vanished in a blur, reappearing a dozen meters away as the blazing orb seared past, the intense heat evaporating the lake's surface water in a storm of mist.
Shhhhhh!
Boiling vapor curled upward, blanketing the entire area in a ghostly fog.
Sasuke dropped to one knee, panting hard. His chakra reserves were nearly gone—two high-level jutsu back-to-back had taken their toll. Sweat ran down his forehead, but in his eyes burned fierce satisfaction.
He looked toward the water where Kakashi's prison had vanished. The fireball's impact had shattered it completely—Kakashi floated free, unharmed.
It worked.
He'd done it.
Even as exhaustion pressed down on him, Sasuke couldn't stop the small smirk tugging at his lips.
He'd rescued his teacher and even managed to push back a Jōnin-level enemy.
Not bad for a "genin."
--
Naruto clenched his fists tightly, watching the ripples spread across the lake.
In his chest burned something heavy... something bitter.
Is the gap between us… already that big?
He could still see it...the image of Sasuke standing tall, eyes glowing red, the fireball blazing from his mouth, something he couldn't match. Naruto's teeth ground together.
"Damn it…" he muttered under his breath.
But giving up? That wasn't in his vocabulary.
If a mountain stood before him, he'd climb it.
If Sasuke stood at the summit, then he'd chase him—no matter how many times he fell.
Sasuke wasn't just a rival now.
He was the goal.
The wall Naruto Uzumaki had to surpass.
On the lake, Kakashi straightened slowly, water streaming down his vest. His visible eye gleamed coldly.
"The same jutsu," he said, his tone razor-sharp, "won't work twice on me… Zabuza."
Across from him, Zabuza stood tall on the lake's surface, water dripping from his blade, eyes narrowing behind the bandages.
That little brat had forced him to retreat. Him—one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist!
He clicked his tongue. Careless. I underestimated them.
The mist thickened again. His grip on the sword tightened.
"It seems," Zabuza said finally, his voice low and dangerous, "I'll have to stop playing around."
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"Come out. Looks like I'll need a little help to finish this."
For a moment, silence.
Then a gust of cold wind swept across the water—blowing the mist aside.
Two silhouettes emerged from the haze.
One was tall, wearing a blindfold over his right eye, hair spilling down his back. Strange rune-carved earrings gleamed faintly under the fog.
The other was slender and graceful, wearing the white kimono of Kirigakure's hunter-nin, 'her' mask marked with blue streaks of ice.
Chakra shimmered faintly around 'her' hands—the air itself dropping in temperature as frost began to form at 'her' feet.
Haku.
And beside 'her'… the stranger with the blindfold radiated an unfamiliar aura of calmness.
Hidan's eyes narrowed from afar, the Eternal Mangekyō spinning faintly in his irises.
"Two extra signatures… one's familiar, the other—huh. That one's new."
He grinned. "Well, well… looks like this mission just got an upgrade."
Konan sighed, folding her arms. "To me it seems like they are likely in trouble.You're not planning to interfere yet?"
"Interfere?" Hidan chuckled. "Nah. I'm just here for the show. But if they pull out something shiny…" He smirked, baring his teeth as he looked at one of masked figure with interest. "I might borrow it"
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