Zabuza begins analyzing Fugaku. Zabuza knows he greatly underestimates Fugaku's capabilities, which results in him losing in the exchange, but it doesn't mean he can't fulfill his mission; he just needs to deal with Fugaku, as the current location was much more ideal for him than for Fugaku.
Zabuza knows that Fugaku is a fire-style user and a proficient one at that. While he may know water style, it doesn't mean he was proficient like him, which is something Zabuza can use to increase his odds of winning.
While analyzing Fugaku, Zabuza started to remember about the information he heard about the man some time ago. From what Zabuza heard after the war ended, Fugaku retired from active field duty and made a name for himself by joining the Leaf Police Force.
Facing lowly criminals and thugs as opposed to a ninja for years will definitely make Fugaku rusty. Zabuza also knows what he needs to do in order to make Fugaku move in a careless manner.
"I must admit I greatly underestimated you, Fugaku Uchiha," Zabuza said at the top of a tree behind Fugaku.
Fugaku quickly turned his body in Zabuza's direction while staring at the latter intently. Fugaku didn't respond to Zabuza and continued staring at him, which Zabuza didn't mind.
"It's said that armed with those wicked eyes of yours and an arsenal of lethal fire-style jutsu, many believed you to be a demon straight from the depths of hell. But I'm sure that after being reduced to a lowly cop in return for your services, you lost your touch," Zabuza continues with a mocking tone at the end, which slightly narrowed Fugaku's eyes.
"Speaking of which, I must also admit that I was shocked when I heard that the Uchiha Clan lost some of its members in a massacre, and apparently the culprit was the son of the Clan Head and the heir of the Uchiha Clan. Can you confirm this news?" Zabuza said while his eyes stared at Fugaku with undisguised mockery.
"I will warn you only once," Fugaku said in a low and dangerous tone. "Do not ever speak of my clan." Fugaku's tomoe of his sharingan slowly spin.
"Clan Heads are responsible for leading and protecting their clan from any harm. Not only did you fail to do so, causing the deaths of your kin, but you also failed as a father, as it was your son who was the one who ended the lives of your kin and became a criminal." Zabuza chuckles lightly, causing Fugaku to frown.
"And now after failing as Clan Head and a father, you will fail as a sensei as well, as your student will die right now," Zabuza added while pointing his Executioner Blade towards Fugaku's students, who are a few meters behind him.
Fugaku didn't respond and immediately made his way towards Zabuza with the intent of ending the latter's life here and now.
He appeared behind Zabuza with the intent of killing the latter with nothing but a kunai in his hand, but Zabuza managed to block the kunai using the flat side of his sword, but the force behind Fugaku's attack was still too strong for Zabuza to calmly take, so he was sent flying a short distance.
The moment Zabuza's feet touched the ground, Fugaku appeared in front of him, launching a punch directly to Zabuza's face. Zabuza's eyes widened for a moment, and unable to dodge or block the attack, he was sent flying.
Zabuza quickly flips and skids in order to quickly stop himself. He didn't expect Fugaku to be faster compared to their previous exchanges.
Zabuza quickly whips his sword horizontally so that Fugaku has to jump back in order to dodge the attack, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a way to pressure Zabuza any longer.
Fugaku launches a dozen or so shurikens flying towards Zabuza at different angles.
Zabuza blocks most of the shurikens while dodging some of them before firing his own kunai towards Fugaku, who is currently secretly running towards him.
Zabuza knows that the kunai he throws wouldn't stop Fugaku, but it sure would slow the latter down, even for just a moment.
Yet the kunai didn't slow down Fugaku much to Zabuza's surprise, and he managed to get close to Zabuza and launch a powerful kick towards his right side.
Just as Fugaku kicks about to connect with Zabuza's body, suddenly Zabuza vanishes and is replaced by wood, which is broken into many pieces thanks to the force behind Fugaku's kicks.
'Substitution Jutsu! 'Fugaku thought, and his eyes slowly turned towards his sides, and he saw a blade fast approaching, intending to cut him horizontally.
Fugaku immediately ducked down to dodge the blade, but this only made Zabuza smirk as he kicked Fugaku, sending the latter toward the nearby lake.
Fugaku quickly balances himself as he floats at the surface of the water and performs a hand sign.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu." A dozen or so dragons made of fire emerged from his mouth and headed straight to Zabuza.
"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu." Zabuza spits a stream of water from his mouth towards the ground, blocking the fire dragon and creating a large volume of mist.
Zabuza then throws his Executioner Blade towards Fugaku's position, and the latter slightly twists his body to dodge the flying sword.
Just as Fugaku was about to run, at the corner of his eyes he saw the Executioner Blade suddenly explode into smoke, and when the smoke disappeared, it was replaced with Zabuza, who swung the Executioner Blade in his hands, which Fugaku ducked down to dodge.
Zabuza just smirked at it, and just as Fugaku was about to launch punches at Zabuza, he suddenly felt someone grabbing his ankles, and Fugaku quickly turned his head downwards and saw another Zabuza underwater holding his ankle.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza, who is standing in the water, said, and Fugaku found himself encased in a sphere of water, which made it harder for him to move around.
"How easy can you be?" Zabuza added with a smile on his face, which no one saw thanks to the bondages covering half of his face.
"You've greatly underestimated my capabilities, so it has become the last mistake you will ever make," Zabuza finished while Fugaku frowned.
Naruto, Satsuki, Hinata, and Tazuna watch this scene unfold. Satsuki and Hinata's faith in their sensei didn't waver initially, and they watched the battle calmly until Zabuza provoked Fugaku about the tragedy that happened to the Uchiha Clan a few years ago.
Now they are currently staring at the newly formed Water Clone of Zabuza, who appeared a few meters in front of them. Satsuki and Hinata hold the kunai in their hands tightly while Tazuna stares at Zabuza with fear in his eyes while his body trembles uncontrollably.
"Well, don't you all look serious?" Zabuza's clone chuckled. "Do any of you even for a second believe you're capable of stopping me?" The clone slowly walked towards the group, with each step showcasing his confidence.
"Do you even think for a second that you're a real ninja? You're nothing more than a kid pretending to be a ninja! Do you know how I became a ninja? The Blood Mist."
Naruto's eyes slightly focus on the clone after hearing the word "Blood Mist" from its mouth.
"Years ago it was somewhat like other villages, but it differed in some respects, particularly one: the academy graduation exam. The final test to become a full-fledged ninja in the Mist..."
Everyone's attention was focused on the clone who was telling the story, not only because they wanted to know what the clone was talking about but also to keep an eye on the clone's movements.
"It was an all-out death match."
Satsuki's and Hinata's eyes widened after hearing the clone. Tazuna's body tremble increases as he slowly falls into this despair at this moment.
"In order to become a ninja, one had to slaughter all their peers—the friends they had grown up with, eaten, and played with."
Satsuki and Hinata shuddered, imagining killing their peers just to graduate and become a full-fledged ninja. This is especially true for Hinata, who cherishes her friends with all her heart and had to bite her lips until they bled to stop her imagination.
"There is one thing that was particularly unique about my graduation... I wasn't even a registered participant!" The clone proudly said, shocking the Genins.
"And yet brats like you still think you're a ninja. Pathetic. Now..."
Just as Zabuza is about to make a move, suddenly it turns into water, shocking Zabuza and everyone else.
"Is this it?" Naruto calmly said.
Everyone's eyes immediately locked on him, especially Fugaku and Zabuza, who didn't see Naruto get close to Zabuza's clone.
"I admit you are faster than I realized," Zabuza commented while intently staring at the white-haired teenage boy.
Naruto stared at Zabuza with an indifferent expression and suddenly appeared in front of the latter once again, shocking everyone who was watching.