The group traveled along the main road of the Land of Waves, their nerves tense the entire way.
… Except for Naruto.
He maintained the same carefree demeanor as if he were taking a leisurely stroll, showing no difference from his usual relaxed attitude in the village… aside from not drinking anymore.
"Naruto, you should be more careful. Even if you're confident in your strength, you shouldn't let your guard down too much."
As the Jonin Instructor of Team 7, Kakashi felt it was his duty to offer some advice.
In response, Naruto flashed him a carefree grin.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei."
"I'm not worried about being ambushed."
As he spoke, he rolled up his loose sleeves.
"After all…"
"Kakashi-sensei, you've already noticed the enemy's position too, right?"
After saying that, both he and Kakashi turned their gazes toward a certain corner of the forest.
"Enemies?!"
Hearing Naruto's words, Sasuke and Sakura immediately reacted, drawing their kunai and assuming combat stances.
"Everyone, get down!"
Kakashi suddenly shouted as if sensing something.
Sasuke, who had quicker reflexes, immediately pulled Tazuna down to the ground. Sakura also reacted swiftly, crouching low.
At that moment, a massive blade, which is larger than a person, spun through the air with a sharp whistling sound, hurtling toward them.
Kakashi effortlessly dodged the attack with his reaction speed.
Meanwhile, Naruto reached out his hand, leaving everyone stunned.
"Naruto!"
Sakura seemed to have thought of what might happen next and couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
Clang!
The moment the giant blade made contact with Naruto's skin, a metallic clashing sound rang out.
Naruto casually gripped the massive sword as if plucking a branch from a tree… holding it by the blade itself.
At that moment, Sasuke's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
This small glimpse of Naruto's power sent a shock through his heart.
Sasuke asked himself: 'If I was faced with such an attack, my only option would be to dodge using the Body Flicker Technique.'
'…No, I might not be able to dodge it. I am still not that proficient in the Body Flicker Technique.'
Kakashi was also a little shocked when he saw this.
'This is… insane.'
But Naruto didn't pay any attention to their thoughts.
After catching the massive blade, he casually gripped the hilt with his right hand and swung it a few times as if testing its weight.
Invisible shockwaves sent the leaves rustling wildly.
"You might not believe this…"
A somewhat mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Naruto's face.
"But I've also learned a bit of swordsmanship."
Whoosh!
Except for Kakashi, almost no one could clearly see Naruto's swing.
But the crescent-shaped slash that expanded mid-air was clearly reflected in everyone's eyes.
'This is a flying slash from a master swordsman, kid.'
"What… kind of Ninjutsu is this?"
Kakashi muttered in a daze. He didn't sense any Chakra in that slash.
'In other words, this was a pure physical attack, something Naruto had achieved with sheer physical strength alone.'
'But a slash that detached from the blade and flew forward… I had never seen it before.'
In fact, Kakashi's father, Hatake Sakumo, who was known as the [White Fang of Konoha], had been a master swordsman in his time.
Kakashi himself had also inherited the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship and had considerable talent in cold weapons.
But he had never heard of such swordsmanship, and even after seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't comprehend it.
The slash expanded outward, and the trees and rocks blocking its path were cut in half almost instantly.
Crack… Crack…
"Hmm?"
Naruto glanced curiously at the large, unadorned sword in his hand, only to find cracks spreading across its surface.
This weapon couldn't withstand his swings at all.
"Ah… right, right!"
Only then did he remember that, in his excitement over the new 'toy', he had forgotten to reinforce it with Armament Haki.
'No, it was also the fault of whoever forged this blade.'
'How could they dare to bring out such a low-quality weapon?'
Thinking of this, Naruto disdainfully tossed the sword to the ground.
The sound of the blade hitting the earth snapped everyone out of their daze.
"That… that was terrifying!"
Tazuna was the first to break the silence.
The slash had flown right over his head. Seeing how effortlessly it sliced through distant boulders, it wasn't hard to imagine what would have happened if it had hit him.
Beside them, Sasuke clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with disbelief and lingering fear.
'An attack of that level… there was no way I could have blocked it either.'
'Just what the hell was Naruto…?'
If Team 7, as his allies, were merely shaken by Naruto's slash, then Momochi Zabuza, who had faced it head-on, had practically glimpsed the gate of hell.
The overwhelming sense of imminent death had triggered a rapid flashback of his entire life.
From surviving the brutal training in Kirigakure, to retrieving the Kubikiribocho from the corpse of Biwa Juzo, to his failed assassination attempt on the Mizukage that forced him into exile… and then picking up Haku along the way.
'Haku… Haku!'
The image of Haku's face seemed to snap Zabuza out of his near-death vision, allowing him to desperately dodge at the last second.
Zabuza, who had just escaped death, was gasping for breath. When he saw his Kubikiribocho being casually tossed to the ground by Naruto, a wave of anger emerged in his heart again.
'Damn it!'
'Damn it, damn it!!'
'This is a Konoha's Genin?!'
'Gato, how did you gather the information?'
In that instant, Zabuza already wanted to retreat.
An opponent like this was far beyond what his [Silent Killing] technique could handle.
Not to mention, his weapon was now in the enemy's hands.
But just because he wanted to leave, it didn't mean Naruto and Kakashi would let him.
Click.
The soles of Naruto's wooden clogs tapped lightly on the ground, making a crisp sound.
Before Zabuza could even react, a kunai was already pressed against his throat.
Kakashi stood behind him, without a trace of hesitation in his gaze.
Meanwhile, Naruto stood completely relaxed in front of the enemy, yet the pressure he exuded was far more terrifying than Kakashi's.
"Aren't you the [Demon] Momochi Zabuza? It seems that you have also received a job from that Gato?"
Kakashi seemed familiar with the assassin before them.
As for Naruto, he tucked his hands into his sleeves, showing no intention of continuing the fight.
"Tch. I underestimated you. Hatake Kakashi, the [Copy Ninja] of Konoha… and you, you monster."
Zabuza was still being stubborn, and when he said the second half of his sentence, he turned his eyes to Naruto.
Hearing his bravado, Kakashi directly pressed the kunai deeper, drawing a thin line of blood on Zabuza's neck.
Naruto seemed to have not heard what Zabuza said at all. He suddenly turned his eyes away and looked elsewhere.
Strangely, the previously defiant Zabuza's eyes flickered with urgency when he noticed Naruto's movement.
So he didn't hesitate at all, and his body instantly turned into a pool of clear water.
At the same time, Zabuza's real body, which was hiding in the shadows, quickly performed the Hiding in Mist Technique, and a thick mist quickly spread around.
"Now! Water Prison Technique!"
In an instant, the scattered puddles of water merged into a massive, dark sphere, trapping Naruto inside.
'Good! First, we had to neutralize the biggest threat… that unsettling brat!'
"Naruto!"
"Naruto?!"
Sasuke and Kakashi's voices rang out simultaneously. Since Sasuke was closer, he could clearly see what was happening, even as Sakura and Tazuna were blinded by the mist.
At the same time, another water sphere formed in Zabuza's free hand, ensnaring Kakashi, who seemed too stunned to react.
The two people trapped in the water spheres struggled subconsciously for a few times, but the water spheres seemed to be indestructible and remained intact with the continuous support of Zabuza's Chakra.
Soon, Naruto appeared to lose consciousness, as if suffocating.
Similarly, Kakashi could only hold his breath, while fighting back was impossible.
The situation had taken a dire turn!
At this moment, there was a mixture of disbelief and heaviness in Sasuke's eyes, and the knuckles that were holding the kunai turned slightly white.
'Fortunately, the opponent's hands seemed to be restricted because he had to maintain the two water spheres.'
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]
Sasuke knew that he could not hesitate, so he immediately charged forward, formed hand seals with his hands, and a huge fireball half a person's height sprayed straight at Zabuza.
"Haku!"
But Zabuza did not dodge. Instead, he roared a single name.