"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
A roaring dragon of water surged forward, colliding with the incoming fireball and extinguishing it in a violent explosion of steam.
When the mist cleared slightly, Zabuza Momochi and Mangetsu Hōzuki stood back to back, breathing heavily as they stared at the Uchiha girl in front of them.
In the fight just now, she had been the most reckless of the group—charging in like she had a personal grudge against the concept of survival itself.
And those scarlet Sharingan eyes glowing in the darkness?
Yeah. Creepy as hell.
Like some blood-soaked angel crawling back from the underworld for overtime.
As the surrounding Uchiha slowly tightened their formation, Mangetsu made a decision.
"There may be reinforcements," he muttered. "I'll overload Hiramekarei and trigger a chakra burst. When the explosion goes off, you escape using the Hidden Mist Technique. Once you reach the coast, you'll be safe."
Zabuza frowned. "What about you?"
Mangetsu didn't answer immediately. When he finally spoke, his tone was calm—too calm.
"After you return to the village, overthrow the Mizukage. And… if possible, take care of my useless little brother."
Zabuza fell silent.
He was about to curse him out for being dramatic when—
The Uchiha in front of them suddenly stopped moving.
Mangetsu's expression darkened.
Enemies didn't just "stop" in the middle of a fight out of kindness.
Then they heard it—
Footsteps.
Slow. Steady.
From the forest emerged a figure wearing a black fox mask, walking toward them unhurriedly.
His pace was casual.
But the pressure?
Crushing.
It felt less like facing a single shinobi and more like standing before an entire army fully armed and ready for slaughter.
Even compared to the Mizukage, this presence was heavier.
The Uchiha squad instinctively stepped aside.
Izumi Uchiha and the others looked at the masked figure with respect. Ordinary clan members didn't know Naruto's true identity, but the combat shinobi did. Shisui had long informed them—this man was one of the strongest beings in the shinobi world, and the mastermind behind the Uchiha's successful escape.
Under the mask, Naruto calmly examined the two Mist ninja.
Zabuza—yes, that Zabuza. In his previous life memories, the guy had tried to assassinate the Mizukage, later became a missing-nin hired by Gatō, and eventually died on the Great Naruto Bridge.
Now, though, he looked younger. Rough around the edges. Not yet the "Demon of the Hidden Mist" in full legend mode.
As for the other one…
Twin blades. Calm demeanor. Strong chakra.
Mangetsu Hōzuki. Kirigakure's genius.
Naruto stopped observing.
No more wasting time.
He raised one hand.
Four golden chains burst from his sleeves.
They shot forward like living serpents, instantly binding Zabuza and Mangetsu.
Both reacted fast—Zabuza swung his blade, Mangetsu countered with Hiramekarei—but the chains kept regenerating. Every link cut apart reformed in an instant.
Within seconds, the Adamantine Sealing Chains tightened, suppressing their chakra completely.
Zabuza's face darkened.
Mangetsu clenched his teeth.
They had expected defeat.
They had not expected to be crushed so thoroughly that resistance felt like a joke.
When did Konoha produce someone like this?
And why hadn't the shinobi world heard a single whisper about him?
Naruto casually flicked his wrist, dragging the bound duo aside like inconvenient luggage.
"Throw them into the interrogation room. Let Shisui handle it."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving behind nothing but a lonely, undefeated aura.
The Uchiha shinobi stared at the captured Seven Ninja Swordsman members in stunned silence.
Complicated emotions flickered in their eyes.
Those two had been incredibly troublesome just moments ago.
Even their clan head, Shisui, wouldn't have subdued them that effortlessly.
Yet Naruto had done it like he was swatting mosquitoes.
On the sidelines, Huomen stared blankly at the scene.
He turned to Shisui.
"Isn't… Senior Mianma a little too strong?"
Shisui blinked. "He's always been this strong. His power rivals that of the Five Kage."
"I'm not talking about strength," Huomen muttered. "I'm talking about talent."
"Talent?"
Huomen's face twitched.
"He just used the Adamantine Sealing Chains. It took me half a year to master that technique. Half. A. Year. He's only been practicing sealing for a few days! Not long ago, he needed my help to undo basic seals!"
Shisui patted his shoulder calmly.
"Get used to it. Anything unbelievable becomes normal when it involves Master Mianma. Our job is simply to remain loyal."
Huomen glanced at him, silently wondering why the Uchiha admired this Uzumaki kid so much.
The next morning, Naruto left his cave residence and headed toward the Uzushiogakure office.
After dealing with Zabuza and Mangetsu the night before, he had immediately gone back to sleep for a full eight hours.
Heroics were fine.
Sleep deprivation was not.
As he walked down the street, villagers greeted him warmly. Many were former missing-nin or smuggler fishermen who had chosen to settle in Uzushiogakure.
Most had been forced to flee their homelands. If they'd had better options, they wouldn't have come to this isolated place.
As for the truly heinous criminals?
Those were handed over to the old Uzumaki patriarch.
Naruto was still technically a child.
Better not to see too much blood if he could help it.
He nodded at the greetings with a faint smile.
Even if this village started as an "experiment," it still required his time and effort.
And being liked?
That felt better than constant hatred.
The Uzushiogakure office building was modest—just two floors.
Naruto entered the interrogation room and sat down across from Shisui.
"Any progress?" he asked. "Why did they enter the Land of Whirlpools?"
Shisui nodded and handed him a report.
"These two are… unusual. They came here searching for a safe escape route. After that, they intended to return to Kirigakure and assassinate the current Mizukage."
Naruto skimmed the report and set it aside.
Assassinating a Kage was no small matter.
But in Kirigakure?
That was practically tradition.
Compared to the Mizukage being controlled by Sharingan genjutsu, an assassination attempt was almost wholesome.
What surprised him was that Zabuza and Mangetsu had stumbled into this remote place.
Shisui spoke again.
"What should we do with them? Release them… or eliminate them?"
Naruto leaned back slightly.
"Imprison them for now."
He tapped the desk lightly.
"Mangetsu is from the same clan as the Second Mizukage. He likely knows several Hōzuki secret techniques. We're lacking advanced Water Release methods."
Releasing them would certainly cause trouble for Obito.
But it also risked exposing Uzushiogakure's location.
And with their current strength, assassinating a Mizukage controlled by Obito?
That was pure fantasy.
Better to keep them locked up.
At least until they were useful.
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