Chapter 427: Hiding Both Merit and Fame
"Uncle Tazuna! Uncle!"
Naruto half-crouched in front of Tazuna, his hands continuously shaking him. Sasuke, holding a kunai, warily glared at Zabuza.
Sakura-kun snapped out of her panic, her fingers trembling as she reached out to check Tazuna's breath: "He's still alive!"
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, raised his head to glare at Zabuza, and then scratched his head in slight confusion. With his IQ, he didn't even know whether to blame Zabuza or blame Uncle Tazuna... for not supposed to be laughing.
"Naruto, something is wrong with this client... watch out!" Sasuke cried out in alarm.
Naruto was startled, only to find Tazuna, who was lying prone on the ground, suddenly flip over. His eyes popped open and stared straight at him, scaring him so much that he plopped right onto his butt on the ground.
"Hahahahaha... Young Master Naruto, I'm not dead!"
Naruto froze for a long while before breathing a sigh of relief: "So Uncle, you were just happy because you didn't die... Ah! Stop laughing already!"
Tazuna nodded and put away his smile, then put on an expression of pain, clutching his right flank with both hands as fresh red blood continuously flowed out.
"Uncle, you're injured!"
"Let me do it." Sakura-kun's hands glowed with a dense white light as she placed them over Tazuna's wound.
"Sakura, when did you learn medical ninjutsu?" Naruto asked in surprise.
Masahiko was also somewhat surprised. Those manuals had only been given to Sakura for two months, yet she could already perform the most basic Mystical Palm Technique. Her talent was indeed quite good...
On the other side, Zabuza's eyes were firmly locked onto Tazuna. Quietly watching Masahiko put on a performance, he was extremely speechless in his heart and even wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare to.
This damned mission, what am I supposed to do now... Zabuza twitched his brow, and a moment later raised his voice to speak: "This old guy actually isn't dead yet? Then I'll just give him another slash."
After saying that, Zabuza shook his Executioner's Blade, only to find that the ketchup wouldn't shake clean...
I can't even see the old bastard's movements when he applies ketchup. Is the gap still that massive...
"You browless bastard! You still want to attack Uncle?" Naruto used both hands to prop himself off the ground and jumped up: "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Sasuke's brow was tightly knit. He already had a rough guess in his mind, but he didn't expose it. Instead, he charged forward alongside Naruto's Shadow Clones. After planting trees and pulling weeds for so long, it was time to move his body. An opponent like Zabuza was just right for providing enough pressure. He was still hoarding his strength to beat Toneri, after all...
Inside Masahiko's mind: Hahahahaha... fooled them completely!
The battle continued. This time, Zabuza chose to seriously act as a sparring partner. If he tried to fulfill any mission parameters or kill any Tazuna again, he'd be an absolute idiot...
However, Zabuza was by no means a 'weakling to be bullied'. The Executioner's Blade sliced down again and again toward Naruto's... eyebrows.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Sasuke spat out high-temperature flames from his mouth, condensing them into the shape of a giant dragon that ferociously lunged toward Zabuza, instantly making the air scorching hot.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Zabuza plunged the Executioner's Blade into the ground beneath his feet, formed hand seals, and fiercely spat out a wall of water like a sea wave, blocking the front of the flames. The collision of the two steamed and condensed into a large amount of high-temperature water vapor.
Several of Naruto's Shadow Clones seemed unable to brake in time, crashing headfirst into the water vapor, followed by a continuous string of "pop pop pop" sounds.
Zabuza slightly raised his brow, revealing a look of disdain, and fiercely turned around with his sword to slash backward: "Naive brat... Huh?"
There were indeed two Narutos launching a sneak attack behind him, but they were still Shadow Clones. Startled, Zabuza turned his head...
"Rasengan!"
A light blue rotating sphere was pushed against Zabuza's chest. Naruto revealed a slight hint of joy, only to find the Zabuza in front of him turn into a puddle of water...
"Bang!"
A dull sound of clashing weapons rang out from behind Naruto. Sasuke held a kunai crossed in each hand, propping up Zabuza's Executioner's Blade that was slashing toward Naruto.
"Idiot Naruto! Don't let your guard down, the one in front of us is a Jonin!"
On the other side, Sakura-kun's eyes didn't blink: "Sasuke-kun is so amazing. Even Naruto..."
"Ahem, little girl, if you keep spacing out, I'm going to die." Tazuna spoke weakly.
Sakura-kun was startled and turned her head: "Uncle, the blood on your body has already stopped."
"Have you ever studied medical ninjutsu? Ever heard of tetanus? Who knows how many bacteria are on that sword of his... Honestly, how did Young Master Naruto land a teammate like you."
Sakura-kun: "..."
This client is still so annoying.
Masahiko secretly laughed in his heart. Whether the blood flowed or not was completely under his genjutsu control; Sakura actually thought her superficial medical ninjutsu was taking effect. He really wanted to make the blood burst out to show her...
...
As time passed, anxiety gradually appeared on Sakura's face. Naruto and Sasuke had already sustained a few wounds under Zabuza's Executioner's Blade. Although they weren't serious, the opponent was completely unscathed...
Seeing Sasuke once again dodge a strike in a disheveled manner, Sakura bit her lip, stood up, and drew a kunai from her ninja tool pouch.
"Little girl, if you go over, you'll die."
Sakura slowly turned her head, revealing a smile: "Thank you for your concern, Uncle!"
After saying that, she turned around and headed straight for the battlefield without a shred of hesitation.
Masahiko straightened his waist and stood up, and with a 'poof', reverted to his original appearance: "The objectives for this trip have basically been achieved. It's perfect. Time to call 'cut'!"
"Cut!"
A silver light flashed. Kakashi returned at the right time, saving the three little ones from a precarious situation. With two slashes, he sent Zabuza fleeing in a disheveled manner.
Masahiko pondered slightly, his figure distorting and disappearing from the spot: Kakashi is much stronger compared to his original counterpart during this period. He's likely not much different from Sakumo when he was young. Zabuza couldn't even take a few of his slashes, and Kisame probably isn't his match either. But without the Sharingan, his upper limit is ultimately a bit lower after all...
In the distance, Naruto spoke in pleasant surprise: "Kakashi-sensei, you're back! That shark-face..."
"I gave him a lesson and let him go. After all, he's one of the Six Ninja Swordsmen of the Land of Whirlpools," Kakashi spoke calmly, finally finding an opportunity to establish his authority as a teacher.
Naruto's face was full of anger: "I'm definitely going to tell Uncle Nagato and Big Sister Konan. Those two bastards almost killed Uncle Tazuna... Eh? Sakura, where is Uncle Tazuna?"
Sakura turned her head in surprise: "He was injured, he was just lying over there a moment ago..."
Kakashi and Sasuke, the two who understood the situation, exchanged a glance. Sasuke spoke calmly: "He probably saw that things were going south and ran away first. In that case... our mission is considered complete!"
Naruto had an incredibly good impression of Tazuna. Hearing this, he immediately expressed dissatisfaction: "How could Uncle Tazuna run away! Could he have encountered danger..."
Speaking up to this point, Naruto's face showed worry as he looked toward the distant bridge: "Let's go check it out!"
Unable to win against the persistent Naruto, the group of four could only cross the bridge and arrive at the Town of Waves.
Casually asking around, they quickly learned the location of the master bridge builder Tazuna's house...
Kakashi helplessly rubbed his forehead. There really was such a person? Sasuke was completely dumbfounded. Could it be that his judgment was wrong?
The Town of Waves was indeed very small. The four traveled less than a kilometer before successfully finding Tazuna's house. Naruto spotted Tazuna teasing his grandson at a single glance.
"Damn it! Uncle Tazuna, you actually really ran away first! To think I was so worried about you!"
Tazuna looked up in confusion, adjusting his reading glasses: "Where did this yellow-haired brat come from? You're so short, and what's this about being worried about me?"
Naruto: ???
Inside the Eight Trigrams Space, Masahiko smiled and shook his head, hiding both his merit and fame.
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