Chapter 5 — Taking Action
Momochi Zabuza was startled.
He had never expected that this blond kid would be able to evade his attack under both the Hidden Mist Technique and the Silent Killing Technique—and even appear behind him so quickly.
He spun around abruptly, the blade in his hand carving a sharp arc through the air as it slashed straight toward Gojo Satoru's neck.
Yet Gojo seemed to have anticipated the movement long before it happened. His figure flickered again, easily dodging the strike.
"Kid… just who are you?" Zabuza asked coldly, suspicion and caution flashing in his eyes.
Gojo smiled slightly and replied in Naruto's tone,
"I'm a ninja of Konohagakure—Uzumaki Naruto."
"Uzumaki Naruto?" Zabuza frowned. He had never heard that name before.
Yet the strength this blond boy had just displayed made it impossible for him to underestimate him.
At that moment, Kakashi suddenly released a powerful burst of chakra, instantly tearing apart the thick fog surrounding them and locking his gaze onto the location of Gojo and Zabuza.
Because the previous clash had been hidden within the mist, Kakashi and the others hadn't witnessed it.
Sasuke and Sakura quickly noticed the tense situation before them.
Gojo was standing dangerously close to Zabuza.
A wave of anxiety and unease immediately surged in their hearts.
Kakashi's eyes suddenly narrowed. His silver hair swayed lightly in the wind as he rapidly analyzed the situation and calculated his next move.
Almost unconsciously, his fingers moved toward the kunai at his waist.
"Naruto, fall back!"
Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply, a sharp light flashing within his dark eyes. He stared intensely at Gojo and Zabuza, his body already preparing for battle.
"Naruto, you idiot! Get away from him!"
Sakura clenched her hands tightly together, her eyes filled with fear and unease, as if she had already foreseen the danger that was about to unfold.
"Naruto, don't! Come back!" she cried, her voice trembling.
Even though Sakura didn't particularly like Naruto, the thought that he might die right here filled her with fear.
Seeing everyone panic like this, Gojo shrugged helplessly and turned around, preparing to return to Kakashi's side.
However—
The moment he turned his back, Momochi Zabuza launched another attack.
At that instant, the air seemed to freeze.
Time itself felt as though it had stopped.
A fierce glint flashed across Zabuza's weathered face as he suddenly swung the massive blade in his hands. The edge carved a cold arc through the air, aiming directly for Gojo's head.
Everyone present held their breath.
Their hearts raced wildly.
Kakashi's eyes widened instantly, the cold gleam of the blade reflected within his Sharingan.
He reacted almost at the same moment, his body shooting forward like lightning as he attempted to pull Gojo away before the blade could strike.
But in that moment, distance and time felt unbearably cruel.
Sasuke's pupils shrank sharply. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
Naruto… you can't die like this…
Sakura's scream nearly tore through the sky. Her hands waved helplessly as tears gathered in her eyes.
Yet in this life-or-death moment—
Gojo Satoru displayed an unbelievable calmness.
He simply raised one hand.
It was a hand that looked utterly ordinary.
Just as the blade was about to touch his palm, Gojo's fingers lightly curled—
And he firmly caught the massive blade that had been rushing toward him.
Even more astonishing was what happened the moment Gojo's fingers touched the blade.
An invisible force surged around him—the automatic operation of his unique Limitless Technique.
The instant the blade came into contact with Gojo's palm, it was blocked by the Limitless Technique. It could not advance even a fraction further, nor could it harm Gojo in the slightest.
"I told you already," Gojo said calmly, his voice carrying a hint of laziness, as if everything were completely under his control.
"Your attacks are far too obvious to me."
Momochi Zabuza was shocked once again.
He realized that his blade had been firmly caught by the blond boy and could not move even the slightest bit. His eyes widened as he stared at Gojo in disbelief.
"You… who exactly are you?" Zabuza asked again, a trace of trembling in his voice. Clearly, Gojo's strength had already shaken him.
At that very moment, Kakashi's figure appeared like a phantom, moving faster than the limits of ordinary human speed.
A sharp kunai gleamed in his hand as he thrust it precisely toward Zabuza's throat.
This strike contained years of Kakashi's battle experience and flawless judgment—an attack intended to kill in a single blow.
However, just as the kunai was about to strike its target, Zabuza's body suddenly began to ripple strangely.
In the next instant, his figure distorted like the surface of water, dissolving into countless droplets that scattered in every direction.
It was a Water Clone Technique.
The mist grew thicker once more, and Zabuza's voice echoed through the fog again.
"Uzumaki Naruto! Unbelievable, Kakashi. Your Konohagakure has actually raised a monster like this. At such a young age, he can already suppress a jōnin. I can't even imagine what he'll become when he grows up."
"It seems that even if I don't kill the old man, I must eliminate Uzumaki Naruto."
Gojo waved his hand casually and replied in a lazy tone,
"Sorry, spare me, would you? I'm still just a kid."
Zabuza's voice rang out again from within the dense fog.
"A kid? You're nothing but a monster!"
A monster.
Yes—a monster.
The brief exchange earlier had been witnessed clearly by Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke.
Catching Momochi Zabuza's slash with bare hands… Kakashi asked himself honestly, and he knew he could not do it.
His mind quickly replayed his past memories of fighting alongside "Naruto." He remembered that the Naruto from before, while brave, had only possessed the strength of an ordinary genin.
But the Naruto standing before him now seemed like a completely different person.
His strength was so overwhelming that even Kakashi found it astonishing.
Could it be… that Naruto had always been hiding his true strength?
Is his real power actually this terrifying? Kakashi wondered silently.
Meanwhile, a complicated emotion flashed through Sasuke's dark eyes.
There was surprise at "Naruto's" strength—but even more than that, an indescribable jealousy.
The Naruto who had always been the dead last…
Now he could suppress Zabuza so easily, while Sasuke himself couldn't even move under the pressure of Zabuza's killing intent.
Why has Naruto become this strong?
I've been training hard this whole time too…
Sasuke clenched his teeth and muttered quietly to himself.
Sakura's eyes were wide open in disbelief. She could hardly believe what she had just seen.
In her memory, "Naruto" had always been synonymous with incompetence.
Naruto… how did you become this strong?
Is that really you?
She silently asked herself in her heart.