"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
The roar of flames tore through the air as Sasuke's jutsu erupted forward. A blazing dragon of fire surged from his mouth, its heat warping the air around it as it charged toward Zabuza's Water Clone.
Hinata remembered this scene clearly.
She remembered how Naruto-kun's Wind Palm technique had once been devastating when combined with shuriken—but now, in his exhausted state, he couldn't even form a single Shadow Clone.
Still…
She clenched her teeth.
"Shuriken Technique!"
Hinata's arm snapped forward. The shuriken left her hand with astonishing speed and precision, spinning violently as it cut through the air.
In the next instant—
Naruto's Wind Release: Tornado Palm, Sasuke's Great Dragon Fire, and Hinata's perfectly timed shuriken converged.
Fire fed the wind.
Wind intensified the fire.
The whirling shuriken became the deadly core that bound them together.
The combined attack transformed into a single, overwhelming force.
A storm roared.
A fire dragon howled.
Shuriken fell like a torrential downpour.
The fused jutsu screamed toward Zabuza Momochi's Water Clone.
"This is it… this is it…" Naruto muttered, eyes wide with excitement.
A combined attack from three genin.
Not just any genin—but three prodigies.
This was, without question, the strongest technique Team Seven could unleash at this moment.
Zabuza's Water Clone surfaced instantly, its eyes sharp.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A massive surge of water rose from the river, forming a thick, rotating barrier. The wall slammed into place, attempting to block the incoming devastation.
The fire hissed violently as it met the water.
Steam exploded outward.
For a brief moment, it seemed as though the Water Release had neutralized the Fire Release.
But—
The wind was still there.
The Tornado Palm tore into the barrier like a chainsaw.
BOOM!
The Water Formation Wall exploded.
The raging fire dragon, violent storm winds, and countless shuriken burst through the shattered defense and smashed directly into the Water Clone.
"Gah—!"
The clone let out a distorted scream before its body collapsed, dissolving into water that splashed back into the river.
Silence followed.
Then—
"Excellent work, Team Seven!" Kakashi said, his voice filled with unmistakable pride.
Zabuza, however, was stunned.
"…They destroyed my Water Clone?"
His expression darkened.
"They're just children. Three brats. How could this happen?"
Even if it was only a Water Clone, it was still created by a jōnin. Under normal circumstances, not even an average chūnin could break it so cleanly.
Yet Team Seven had done exactly that.
Tazuna couldn't help but give a thumbs-up.
"What a determined group of kids…"
Naruto puffed out his chest and laughed loudly.
"See that, you idiot?! Now you know how strong we are!"
Zabuza had created the Water Clone to conserve strength while completing his mission—but instead, it had weakened him.
Destroying it had completely reversed the situation.
Naruto immediately shouted, "Kakashi-sensei! Let us help too!"
But Kakashi raised a hand.
"Naruto, your priority is still protecting Mr. Tazuna."
"No one can be sure whether Zabuza has accomplices."
Hinata nodded quickly.
"Naruto-kun, Kakashi-sensei is right."
"…Alright."
Kakashi smiled slightly.
"Don't worry. I can handle him alone."
Then his voice turned cold.
"I won't allow any of my comrades to die again."
Zabuza scoffed.
"Empty boasting!"
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Tech—"
Before he could finish, Kakashi's left eye flared crimson.
The Sharingan spun violently.
In that instant, Kakashi copied not only Zabuza's movements—but surpassed him.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
"What?!"
Zabuza's eyes widened in horror.
"That was supposed to be my jutsu!"
"How did he—use it before me?!"
A deafening explosion followed.
The raging river surged upward, transforming into a massive, spiraling torrent—like a furious water dragon unleashed from the earth itself.
The technique slammed into Zabuza with overwhelming force.
BOOOOM!
His body was violently swept up by the torrent, bones cracking as he was hurled through the air. The surrounding terrain was devastated—trees were split apart, the riverbed was torn open, and water flooded the land like a natural disaster.
The sheer scale of the technique left Naruto and the others frozen in shock.
When the water finally receded, Zabuza Momochi lay slumped against a broken tree trunk, barely conscious and completely unable to move.
"You've lost," Kakashi said calmly.
His breathing was heavy as he covered his Sharingan once more.
Zabuza coughed weakly.
"As expected of Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan…"
"I truly lost this battle…"
"But—"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before he could finish, several senbon needles flew through the air and embedded themselves deep into Zabuza's neck.
His body collapsed instantly.
All signs of life vanished.
"…Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Who was that—?"
"Hokage-sensei! Above!" Hinata shouted.
Kakashi's chakra was nearly depleted, his perception dulled—but he forced himself to look up.
A masked youth stood calmly on a tree branch, observing the battlefield.
Slender body.
Long hair fluttering in the wind.
Two braided strands swaying beside the mask.
Though the face was hidden, an unmistakable air of grace surrounded the figure.
Kakashi frowned.
"An ANBU from the Hidden Mist?"
The youth neither confirmed nor denied it.
"I've been tracking this man for a long time," the youth said calmly.
"Thank you. I can finally report his death."
Naruto and the others stepped forward while protecting Tazuna.
"Kakashi-sensei, who is this guy?!"
Kakashi replied quietly, "A Hidden Mist ANBU."
"ANBU?!"
"Yes. Ninja who carry out the village's darkest missions in secrecy. They have no names—only code numbers. Silent pillars that uphold their village."
Kakashi himself had once been ANBU—he knew this world well.
Still, something troubled him.
"Judging by your voice… you're about the same age as Naruto and the others."
"To already be ANBU…"
"And to kill Zabuza with one strike, even if he was injured—that's not something anyone can do."
Naruto frowned.
"Is he really that amazing?"
The masked youth ignored him.
In a blur, he vanished and reappeared beside Zabuza's body.
Kakashi checked the neck and nodded.
"He's dead."
The youth bowed slightly.
"I need to take the body."
"…Very well."
Naruto clenched his fists.
"Damn it! We barely managed to beat one Water Clone together—how did he kill Zabuza's real body alone?!"
Kakashi gave a bitter smile.
"Naruto… monsters like that do exist in this world."
Sasuke frowned.
"Are we really just going to let him take Zabuza?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Zabuza was a missing-nin from the Hidden Mist. ANBU are responsible for hunting and disposing of them."
"After execution, the bodies must be destroyed. Otherwise, too many village secrets could leak."
"That's standard ANBU procedure."
The youth nodded once more, lifted Zabuza's body, and prepared to leave.
Suddenly—
"No… something's wrong."
Hinata spoke softly.
Kakashi turned toward her.
"What is it, Hinata?"
Her Byakugan was still active.
"That… Zabuza Momochi…"
"He's not dead."
The masked youth stiffened.
In the next instant, he tried to flee.
But carrying a body limited his speed.
Before he could move, Kakashi blocked his path.
"Hinata—explain."
Hinata spoke carefully.
"Although Zabuza appears dead—his pulse stopped and his heart was pierced—my Byakugan can still see faint chakra circulation."
"He's faking his death."
"This so-called Hidden Mist ANBU is deceiving us to rescue his companion."
Kakashi felt a chill.
If not for Hinata, he truly would have let a tiger return to the mountain.
"I understand."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)