As the last match of the second round, and a battle between the Hidden Mist and Konoha Ninja, the fight between Kakashi and Zabuza has garnered a lot of attention.
If Zabuza wins, then the top four will be evenly split between Hidden Mist Ninjas and Konoha Ninjas. If Kakashi wins, then only Hoshigaki Kisame from the Hidden Mist will make it to the top four, with the rest being Konoha Ninjas.
Of course, the Hidden Mist side naturally wants Zabuza to win; otherwise, it wouldn't look good for them. If Kisame loses in the top four and the finals turn into an internal battle within Konoha, it would look even worse. As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, they care about their image too.
However, for those familiar with Kakashi and Zabuza, or for those with keen eyes, this is a battle without much suspense.
"There's no way he could win, he lost to that guy just a month ago." Kurozawa thought that in a few minutes at most, Zabuza would be joining him to watch the battle from the sidelines.
Zabuza didn't bother speculating on the audience's thoughts; he never was one to deliberately meet others' expectations.
Looking at Kakashi's calm and composed demeanor, Zabuza's thoughts involuntarily returned to a month ago.
Facing a formidable opponent like Ishijima Hideyuki, Kakashi's team truly exemplified not abandoning or giving up; each person fought to their limits.
Even when Kakashi didn't have the strength to run, he chose to step forward to help his teammates, delivering a strike that Zabuza still didn't understand to this day.
Zabuza truly didn't understand; obviously, Kakashi seemed to be struggling just to walk, exuding an aura of weakness inside and out, yet it was this frail Kakashi who sliced down Ishijima Hideyuki in one blow.
Zabuza thought he might never understand Kakashi's strength because he simply couldn't comprehend who Kakashi would go all out for.
"Competition between people starts even before birth. If you were born in the Hidden Mist, you'd probably be just like I am now." Zabuza said.
He still felt a bit unwilling to accept defeat, but it wasn't about the strength; it was about the village.
Zabuza had been staying in Konoha for a month, and during this time, he fully realized the differences between Konoha and the Hidden Mist.
In Konoha's Ninja Academy, one doesn't need to kill classmates to graduate, and the atmosphere between ninjas isn't so ruthless or bloody.
In such an environment, growing up with companions naturally fosters strong bonds and the desire to protect one another.
Hiruko, on the other hand, resonated a bit with Zabuza's words, but to him, it wasn't about the ninja villages—it was about the difference in talent between people, which is also determined at birth. Take the Sharingan, for example; if you're not born in the Uchiha, it's almost impossible to have it.
"There are no 'if's in this world. It seems that the previous stroke didn't completely cut off the dissatisfaction in your heart." Kakashi replied calmly, his expression unchanged by Zabuza's words.
In Kakashi's view, this kind of hypothesis held little significance, as he didn't know what the Hidden Mist environment was like.
Kakashi acknowledged that the environment could influence a person, but it wasn't absolute. Take Obito for instance; despite being born in the Uchiha, his personality was completely different from a typical Uchiha.
"If you think the Hidden Mist isn't as good as Konoha, then strive to change it, rather than imagine me becoming a Hidden Mist Ninja." Kakashi said.
Through learning the history of the Ninja World, Kakashi understood a principle: where one is born is predestined and unchangeable, but what they do in their lifetime is their choice.
For example, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, although born into rival clans, ultimately chose to join forces to establish Konoha.
Senju Tobirama was a member of a major ninja clan, but he was willing to weaken his clan's strength to enhance the village's power and allow more civilian ninjas to emerge.
"That sort of thing can't be done just by talking about it." Zabuza sneered. Kakashi spoke of it lightly, but the Bloody Mist was a policy decided by the Mizukage.
"Do you think killing a Jonin is easy?" Kakashi said calmly.
Attaining change is difficult, but if one doesn't try, there's no chance of success. If Kakashi had laid down because of pain or exhaustion back then, there wouldn't have been that decisive blow entering the Transparent World, striking down Ishijima Hideyuki.
Zabuza couldn't find words to reply, considering the one slain was his mentor; he naturally understood the immense difficulty involved.
"The battle begins!" Hiruko announced swiftly after adjusting his emotions slightly.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
To avoid being instantly killed by Kakashi with his extreme speed, Zabuza immediately retreated, performed hand signs, and created a dense fog on the field while using the Instant Body Jutsu to swiftly change positions.
But surprisingly to Zabuza, Kakashi didn't make a move, causing his series of repositioning and evasions to turn into a mental game of cat and mouse with thin air.
"What is that guy up to?" Zabuza furrowed his brows, trying to guess Kakashi's strategy.
This was completely different from what he imagined. He had anticipated Kakashi would charge at him at full speed, whereas in reality, Kakashi hadn't even drawn his blade, leisurely walking around.
In fact, Zabuza's initial guess wasn't wrong. Previously, Kakashi had intended to finish Zabuza off in one swift strike.
But after a series of exchanges, Kakashi abandoned that idea. He wanted to utterly subdue Zabuza with his newly developed Lightning Flash.
Kakashi pushed his Breath of Thunder to the limit, greatly enhancing his body's power and speed, while gathering a large amount of Chakra in his legs and right hand, ready to explode at any moment.
Kakashi was striving to enter that clear and transparent world, attempting various methods for a month, but all in vain.