No longer trying to hide his figure, Zabuza tossed his executioner's sword into the air. It spun and emitted a loud whistling sound, rushing toward Shikamaru and the others.
Even though Shikamaru hadn't specifically trained his hearing, he could still discern the sound. Chōji and Ino, also hearing it, stood dumbfounded for a moment. Shikamaru quickly shouted, "Get down!"
After shouting, he swiftly pressed his hand on Tazuna's body. Chōji and Ino, hearing this, crouched down nervously. Asuma had already reacted quickly, lowering his body and taking out a pair of kunai from his ninja tool pouch.
"Boom!"
The executioner's sword whistled through the air, cutting across the tree trunks. With a muffled sound, it struck a large tree, severing it almost in half.
After the executioner's sword flew over, Shikamaru and the others quickly raised their heads. A tall, slender man with his upper body bare stood on the hilt of the executioner's sword, facing away from them. His face was wrapped in bandages, making it impossible to discern his expression. But from his eyes and the contours of the bandages, it appeared as though he was mocking their somewhat disheveled state.
"I never expected to see a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja from the Land of Fire—Asuma Sarutobi—here. This is truly interesting!" Zabuza slowly turned around. Even though his feet were on the narrow sword hilt, he remained perfectly balanced, showing no signs of wobbling. Standing high above, his deep voice naturally carried an imposing pressure to the three ninja below.
Zabuza scanned the defensive stance of the three members of the Tenth Squad. He paused for a moment before returning his gaze to Asuma and calmly asked, "Sorry, but could you hand over the old man behind you?"
As a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza was well-known in the ninja world. His iconic executioner's sword immediately revealed his identity, and Asuma recognized him right away. Although his tone was calm, the threat was evident, especially after he had been eyeing the three Konoha ninjas.
However, for a ninja, abandoning a mission or failing to protect one's assigned targets was a serious mistake. Perhaps like Kakashi's team, which lacked combat experience and had internal conflict, causing distractions, the Tenth Squad was far more capable. Asuma was unaffected and simply smirked, tightening his grip on his kunai. He responded with disdain, "So you're the so-called 'Ghost of the Hidden Mist,' Zabuza Momochi?"
"Shikamaru, Ino, Chōji!" Asuma called out without turning his head, "Form up, protect Tazuna, and stick to teamwork!"
Zabuza pretended to regretfully sigh, squinting slightly as he crouched, gripping the hilt of the executioner's sword. With a strong push against the tree, he yanked the sword free and leaped toward a nearby small lake—terrain he was already familiar with.
"There's an opening!" Shikamaru, who had been observing Zabuza closely for any openings, suddenly narrowed his eyes. With quick movements, he threw three kunai at Zabuza, who was still mid-air, unable to use his surroundings for leverage. At the same time, Shikamaru formed hand seals, using his Shadow Clone Technique to create a clone that quickly advanced toward Zabuza, holding a kunai.
In high-level ninja battles, kunai were almost negligible, mostly used to distract or annoy the enemy. Zabuza, even in mid-air, avoided the kunai by twisting his body. His right arm tensed, and he swung the executioner's sword, effortlessly cutting through Shikamaru's shadow clone.
"Clang!"
The sharp sound of metal clashing echoed as the small kunai was unable to block the massive sweep of the executioner's sword. The clone was sliced in two and dissipated in a cloud of smoke. Zabuza, however, didn't seem pleased with this outcome. His eyes widened in realization: "Not good!"
The broken kunai hadn't vanished with the clone. Now the tip of the kunai, held tightly by the shadow clone, revealed several deep-red exploding tags.
Zabuza hastily swung his sword, using it as a shield to block the explosion.
"Boom!"
A massive fireball seemed to erupt out of nowhere. The explosion obliterated the mist, and the shockwave tore the giant tree that had been struck in half, sending dirt and branches flying. The ground beneath Shikamaru and the others shook with an ear-splitting noise.
"Bang!"
The executioner's sword suddenly shot out from the firelight, smoking slightly. It landed in the ground far from Shikamaru and the others. Zabuza's figure appeared much farther away, standing by the small lake.
Though unharmed, Zabuza's right hand twitched slightly, a result of the earlier explosion and the effort of using the executioner's sword as a shield. His expression turned grim, his eyes gleaming with cold light as he stared at Shikamaru, the one responsible for the explosion.
The power of a jōnin should not be underestimated. It wasn't just battle awareness but also physical prowess. In just a moment, Shikamaru had found an opening in Zabuza's defense while Asuma distracted him. However, even with this quick and unexpected tactic, Zabuza was unharmed.
Shikamaru sneered. Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. Zabuza had underestimated him. It was entirely Zabuza's fault for letting his guard down, causing the executioner's sword to be knocked away.
Though Zabuza radiated murderous intent, he was a jōnin and could control his emotions. Lowering his eyelids, he formed hand seals. A surge of chakra poured into the lake below, causing steam to rise and the mist around them to thicken. "Konoha ninjas, it seems I've underestimated you."
The mist grew so dense that they could barely see the figures of their own comrades. Even a strategist like Shikamaru felt a slight sense of unease, the feeling of isolation when one couldn't even see their teammates in the thick fog. After all, his strength was still too weak.
"You're quick, kid. That decision on the fly... you must have killed someone before, haven't you?" After a long silence, Zabuza's voice echoed eerily through the mist. "You should know the eight fatal spots of the human body… throat, spine, lungs, liver, kidneys, carotid artery, subclavian artery, and heart…"
"Which one do you want to choose?" The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, creating an unsettling atmosphere as Zabuza moved through the mist.
Shikamaru quickly turned around, crouching to avoid Zabuza's slash. As Zabuza's blade missed, Shikamaru threw kunai in both hands and, with a grunt, launched a mighty attack, landing a blow to Zabuza's abdomen.
"You're a tough kid!" The figure of Zabuza in front of Shikamaru dissolved into water, and another Zabuza appeared behind Shikamaru, his eyes bloodshot with murderous intent. He raised his sword to strike.
It seemed Shikamaru wouldn't be able to block in time, but just as the strike was about to land, a faint blue light suddenly cut through the mist like lightning. The Zabuza about to strike Shikamaru froze in place, and as he turned, he could only watch helplessly as he transformed into a puddle of water.
"Asuma-sensei!" Shikamaru shouted as he darted behind Tazuna, where Zabuza had been ready to strike just moments ago.
Asuma didn't hesitate. With a swift motion, he threw his kunai toward Shikamaru, who caught it. After forming hand seals, Shikamaru concentrated chakra into his right hand and began to form a blue, glowing orb of chakra.
"Spiraling Sphere!" In an instant, Shikamaru rushed toward Zabuza, thrusting the chakra ball forward.
Without the Sharingan, Shikamaru knew he needed to restrict Zabuza's movement first. But given Zabuza's superior speed, he couldn't land a hit.
"Foolish!" Zabuza sneered. Though surprised by the chakra, his years of experience allowed him to quickly understand Shikamaru's misstep. The timing was off. If Shikamaru had used it when he held the advantage, it would have been a perfect strike. But his speed was too slow.
Zabuza sidestepped the attack, and because Shikamaru had overextended while using the Spiraling Sphere, his center of gravity was off. Zabuza seized the opportunity, grabbing Shikamaru by the hair and yanking him forward. He placed the executioner's sword at Shikamaru's neck.
"Too bad, kid. You're going to die at my hands!" Zabuza's voice was filled with malice. "I'll remember you!"
"No!" Shikamaru's eyes showed no fear as the sword edge pressed against his neck. He looked up, sneering, "I'll remember you!"
"What's going on!?" Zabuza was momentarily stunned. Asuma, holding his kunai in reverse, gathered chakra into the blade, forming a massive chakra blade. With a single slash, he rushed toward Zabuza, who seemed helpless as he faced the attack.
"Splash!" Zabuza's head was sent flying, his body disintegrating into a puddle of water.
Three shuriken arrived late, but Asuma swiftly dispatched them with his kunai.