But then—
Zabuza gathered every ounce of his strength for a heavy, crushing slash, his attack as swift as it was brutal!
Kakashi barely managed to raise his guard in time.
The blow met his kunai and slid downward along the blade.
In the end—
It bit deep into his arm!
The strike sliced across Kakashi's flesh, nearly reaching bone.
He ignored the searing pain, blocking Zabuza's massive blade with one hand as he fought and retreated at the same time.
Right now, he couldn't help but miss the days when Shinju was around.
If Shinju were here for today's fight, things would never have gotten this desperate.
Meanwhile, inside the Crystal Ice Mirrors, Naruto and Sasuke were completely suppressed.
On Kakashi and Zabuza's side of the battlefield—
Because he had to protect Tazuna while fighting, Kakashi was at a constant disadvantage, forced to face Zabuza one-handed under crushing pressure.
"Clang!"
After blocking another swing of the Executioner's Blade, Kakashi was left panting.
In the ice mirrors, Naruto and Sasuke—trying to break through—were now covered head to toe with senbon.
Both kids were filled with despair, certain Haku's next strike would pierce straight into their brains or hearts.
"Shinju! Hurry up and get here!"
Naruto shouted helplessly.
The very next moment—
A shadow appeared behind him!
It was Shinju, who had used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive instantly.
The moment he appeared, he shouted, "Don't worry, I'm here!"
That shout—
Not only drew Haku's attention, but also turned both Kakashi's and Zabuza's heads toward him.
Kakashi's eyelids drooped as he cursed in his mind. Idiot.
The essence of a shinobi is deception—attacking where the enemy least expects it.
If this guy had crept in quietly, he might've landed a perfect sneak attack.
But no—he had to announce himself like he was afraid no one would notice.
So much for the element of surprise.
The instant Shinju's body appeared inside the ice mirrors, he began forming hand seals.
"Fire Style—"
Kakashi, furious, actually yelled, "Idiot! Don't start making hand seals when everyone's looking right at you!!"
Forming seals takes precious time.
And that time is exactly when the enemy can strike.
Unfortunately, Kakashi's warning came too late.
Before the words were even out of his mouth, Zabuza hurled a jet-black kunai straight at the sealing Shinju!
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
But to everyone's shock—
Just before the kunai struck, Shinju vanished on the spot!
When he reappeared—
He was right behind Zabuza, chakra swirling in his palm, forming a Rasengan!
"Whoosh!!"
He slammed the spinning chakra sphere into Zabuza's back!
Boom!
The hit drove Zabuza down onto the bridge.
The force of the blow shattered the freshly built surface, leaving a massive crater beneath him.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Shinju called out.
Kakashi understood immediately, crossing his hands and rapidly forming seals.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!!"
A massive sphere of water enveloped Zabuza, trapping his entire body.
With Zabuza contained, Kakashi exhaled in relief.
So—that's what Shinju was doing. That earlier "Fire Style" posture was just bait to make Zabuza drop his guard.
Then, using a previously placed Flying Thunder God marker, he teleported in for the real attack.
Looks like Shinju really had mastered the essence of a shinobi—deception.
Wait.
Something wasn't right.
What exactly had Shinju hit Zabuza with just now?!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
That blue sphere of chakra...
Tch—
Wasn't that the Rasengan, the technique developed by his own teacher?!
Shinju had mastered that too?!
Flying Thunder God, Rasengan...
Could it be that he had inherited the Fourth Hokage's techniques?
Could Shinju actually be the Fourth Hokage's biological son?
Kakashi couldn't help but wonder—just how many secrets was this kid hiding?
Was there anything he couldn't do?
Inside the water prison—
Zabuza, shaking off the daze from the heavy blow, realized he was back inside that damned water sphere.
Zabuza: (´இ皿இ｀)
Unbelievable.
He, Zabuza the Demon of the Hidden Mist, had fallen to the same kid twice!
And both times—
It was to the same jutsu.
Flying Thunder God!
Again with the Flying Thunder God!
Damn it!
If he got out of here alive, he'd make sure every single person who could use that jutsu disappeared from the world.
From inside the prison, Zabuza growled,
"So you've trapped me—big deal. You still have to maintain the Water Prison, which means you can't move. And your two useless brats are getting utterly crushed by Haku."
"No matter how bad it looks now, it's still just that red-haired brat in a one-on-one against Haku."
"And Haku's someone who's cut down countless foes on the battlefield. That fresh-out-of-the-Academy kid who's never even seen blood? I doubt he's got the guts to kill."
"From the way you're talking, it does sound like that Ice Release kid has the better odds," Kakashi replied, looking ahead at Shinju's back. "But I don't think Shinju will let me down."
...
Inside the Crystal Ice Mirrors—
Shinju slipped through the narrow gaps between the mirrors to enter.
Naruto and Sasuke, seeing him, instantly panicked.
"What the hell are you doing in here?! Once you're in, you can't get out!"
Shinju didn't answer them. Instead, he raised his eyes, studying the semi-circular array of mirrors.
He'd never seen a technique like this before.
He wanted to learn it.
"What's this jutsu called?" Shinju asked, his tone directed at Haku.
"Crystal Ice Mirrors. It's my inherited kekkei genkai," Haku replied.
Naruto and Sasuke just stared.
What was with this conversation?
Why wasn't there any hostility?
Weren't they supposed to be fighting the moment they met?
Shinju seemed to be pondering something, then suddenly asked a question that left everyone dumbfounded:
"Kekkei genkai... what's that?"
Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto: "..."
Seriously? You're in the middle of a fight—
Do you think they've got time to explain?!
But Haku actually answered.
"It's a jutsu only those with my bloodline can use. Others can't."
Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, Zabuza: "..."
She actually explained it!
But this is no time for a lesson!
You two are in the middle of a battle, damn it!
Can we get a little respect for the battlefield?!
"I see." Shinju sighed after hearing Haku's explanation.
A jutsu only usable by those with a specific bloodline...
That might be hard to figure out...
"Well, I'm ready now. We can start the fight," Shinju said.
Inside the ice mirrors, Haku nodded.
And just like that—the battle officially began!
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