Inside the crystal ice mirrors, Haku's figure kept flickering.
Shinju's hands moved rapidly through a series of seals.
Beside him, Sasuke noticed that Shinju was forming Fire Release seals, and instantly guessed he was planning to melt the ice with fire.
"It's useless. Ordinary Fire Release can't melt this ice."
Sasuke said flatly.
"I want to give it a try."
Shinju's hands continued moving. The next moment, the seals were complete!
Fire Release chakra gathered at Shinju's throat.
Within the Crystal Ice Mirrors, Haku also completed his own seals!
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Secret Art: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
The moisture in the air, manipulated by Haku's jutsu, condensed into ice needles that shot toward Shinju at high speed!
At the same time, Shinju opened his mouth and expelled all the Fire Release chakra from his throat!!
A massive dragon of roaring flames surged forward, charging straight into the barrage of ice needles Haku had just unleashed!
The moment fire dragon met ice needles, the intense heat instantly turned the ice into steam!
Then, under Shinju's deliberate control, the massive fire dragon darted freely within the Crystal Ice Mirrors.
Wherever it passed, the ice mirrors melted completely.
Since Shinju was standing close to Sasuke and Naruto when he cast the jutsu, the two of them got a full, unobstructed view of the fire dragon.
The sheer impact of it was beyond words!
That enormous dragon, almost as if it had a will of its own, danced wildly within the ice!
"Hey, Sasuke, you can use Fire Release too, right? You can pull off something like that, can't you?!"
Naruto, still stunned, poked Sasuke beside him and asked with a goofy grin.
Sasuke shot him a glare.
If he could pull off a Fire Release of that level, would they have been trapped for so long just now?!
Would he have been in such a passive position?!
With the ice mirrors completely melted, Kakashi also caught sight of the fire dragon rampaging within.
"Tch~~"
After drawing in a sharp breath, Kakashi slowly spoke: "B-rank ninjutsu—Great Dragon Fire Technique… Shinju can not only bring its power to this level, but also control it freely! That level of precise chakra manipulation is downright terrifying!"
On the other side, inside the water prison he was controlling, Zabuza also saw the scene.
At that moment, only one thought filled his mind.
What kind of freak is that red-haired brat?
(´°Δ°`)
Most twelve-year-old ninja struggle to use even one nature transformation.
This kid? He's already using the Flying Thunder God Technique at his age, and is proficient in Fire, Water, and Lightning Release!
Not to mention, he can toss out Rasengan like it's nothing!
And the most critical thing—he's cunning, and knows how to set people up!!
"Konoha has really produced a terrifying one this time," Zabuza said in awe.
"Is that so? Sounds like you're starting to think Shinju's chances of winning are higher," Kakashi said with a smile toward the trapped Zabuza.
"No. Haku will never lose. The kid you brought hasn't crossed that line between life and death yet," Zabuza replied firmly.
Kakashi didn't refute him.
Although Shinju had burned two assassins to death with Fire Release on their way to the Land of Waves, there had been no real battle then—no exchange of blows, not even a drop of blood spilled in combat.
In a sense, Shinju hadn't yet grown into a true shinobi.
"Believe it or not, even without killing, he can wrap this up beautifully," Kakashi countered after a brief thought.
"We'll see. Haku's also a rare taijutsu prodigy! More importantly, he can form seals with just one hand to manipulate his chakra—talent like that is one in a million!"
Zabuza's voice carried nothing but pride.
After all, Haku was a shinobi he had found on the streets and personally trained.
...
With the Crystal Ice Mirrors completely melted away, Haku's figure appeared, looking a bit disheveled.
Shinju signaled to Sasuke and Naruto behind him to fall back—he would handle this one himself.
"Be careful. His Ice Release is a real pain to deal with."
Sasuke warned, then supported Naruto as they retreated.
Now, on the bridge, Shinju and Haku faced each other.
"You're a very promising ninja. Once you grow, you'll definitely make a name for yourself in the shinobi world," Haku said, still shaken. That massive dragon, like the incarnation of a fire god, was burned into his memory.
It was the first time he had ever seen a Fire Release of that caliber.
"Is that so?" Shinju replied.
"Of course. You're the most outstanding person of your age I've ever met," Haku said honestly. "So please—fight me seriously."
Without waiting for a response, Haku charged at Shinju.
Shinju also dashed forward, kunai in hand, and the two clashed, blades meeting again and again.
Clang!!
Their kunai locked together.
Then, Shinju noticed—Haku, showing no regard for the "rules," was actually forming seals mid-clash!
From the side, Kakashi called out in warning: "Shinju, move! He can form seals with one hand—he's about to release a jutsu!!"
Shinju gave him a puzzled look.
Isn't that… normal?
Why is sensei so shocked?
After thinking for a moment, Shinju decided Kakashi's reaction must be because he was overly worried.
So, to put his teacher's mind at ease, Shinju turned and gave Kakashi a big thumbs-up.
Kakashi: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
What the hell, kid?!
I tell you to watch out and you give me a thumbs-up?!
"Move!! His seals are almost complete!!" Kakashi's voice rose with urgency—he had no idea what was going on with Shinju today.
...
After giving Kakashi the thumbs-up, Shinju lost about half a second.
By then, Haku's seals were already halfway done.
If Haku completed his jutsu at this range, Shinju wouldn't have any way to counter it!
After nearly a full second lost, Shinju's right hand suddenly switched to forming seals.
Kakashi froze.
Shinju… could form seals with one hand too?!
How the hell did he learn that!!!
And those seals—why do they look so familiar?!
Ox—Hare—Monkey!
Shinju completed the seals, gathering Lightning Release chakra into his palm until it became a high-voltage current.
Electricity wrapped around his hand, crackling wildly in his palm, producing the piercing sound of a thousand birds chirping at once.
After using his Lightning Release Shadow Clone to paralyze Zabuza that day, Shinju realized just how useful the paralysis, conductivity, and piercing traits of lightning chakra could be.
So, during the past few days of bridge construction, he'd tinkered with the idea—and ended up developing hundreds of jutsu.
The one he was using now was among them.
With a simple seal sequence, he could channel Lightning Release chakra through his hand and fingers, enveloping them in high-intensity current, granting them immense piercing power.
He had named it—Piercing Hand.
Alright, Shinju admitted he was terrible at naming things.
But whatever—this jutsu was damn useful!
When Kakashi saw Shinju complete the jutsu, he stood rooted to the spot.
Good lord!
Isn't that… my Raikiri?!!
When the hell did this kid learn that?!
(╯＞д＜)╯⁽˙³˙⁾
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