"What exactly are you?!"
Realizing that his plan had completely failed, the masked youth looked at Hinata, then let out a soft sigh.
"So this is the Byakugan… the Hyuga Clan's bloodline from Konoha."
"As expected—troublesome."
As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand and removed the mask from his face.
A delicate, almost unreal beauty was revealed.
For a brief moment, everyone present felt their hearts skip a beat.
Such a ruthless, cunning opponent—yet hidden beneath the mask was such a beautiful girl?
Naruto couldn't help blurting out, "She's… really pretty…"
Even Hinata, despite feeling an inexplicable discomfort in her heart, subconsciously nodded in agreement.
The child glanced at Naruto coldly.
"I'm a child."
Naruto froze.
"…Huh?!"
"How—how is that possible?!"
Before Naruto could recover from the shock, Kakashi spoke in a low, urgent voice.
"Naruto, this is not the time. We must defeat this person quickly, or Zabuza—"
Before he could finish, Kakashi's body suddenly swayed.
His vision darkened.
And then—
Thud.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto and Hinata shouted at the same time, rushing forward in panic to support him.
At that moment, the child seized the opportunity and turned to retreat.
But several shuriken suddenly flew through the air, forcing the child to halt.
Sasuke stood there, arm extended.
"Hmph. Do you still think you can escape?"
The child's expression darkened further.
Meanwhile, Kakashi had nearly lost consciousness. Every cell in his body screamed in agony. His chakra was completely depleted, and his body had reached its absolute limit.
"I'm sorry… Naruto… Hinata…"
After using the Sharingan to such an extent, he truly had no strength left.
"…I don't think I can fight anymore."
"We… we must stop that child. Otherwise, everything we've done will be meaningless…"
His body trembled as he collapsed again.
Naruto quickly checked Kakashi's condition and finally relaxed slightly.
His chakra was exhausted—but his life wasn't in danger.
"Hinata," Naruto said firmly, "please protect Kakashi-sensei and Tazuna."
"I'll handle that arrogant guy!"
Hinata nodded without hesitation.
"I understand."
She helped position Kakashi on a nearby rock, activated her Byakugan, and stood protectively in front of him, assuming the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palm stance.
The Byakugan's near-360-degree vision allowed her to monitor everything around them.
Naruto stepped forward.
Sasuke moved as well.
The two stood opposite each other, trapping the child between them—one in front, one behind.
"If it weren't for Hinata," Naruto shouted angrily, "we would've fallen into your trap!"
"I never thought you'd be working with that scoundrel!"
"Let Zabuza go—now!"
The child let out a soft sigh.
"It seems I can't help Mr. Zabuza unless I defeat you first."
Naruto clenched his fists.
"You think you can beat us?! What arrogance!"
"Do you think you're the only genius ninja here?!"
The child said nothing.
Instead—
He began forming hand seals.
Zabuza Momochi lay unconscious in his grasp. Though he had been pretending to be dead earlier, he had genuinely lost consciousness by now, making his body extremely heavy.
Even so, the child showed no intention of abandoning him.
Holding Zabuza with one arm—
He formed hand seals with the other.
One-handed hand seals.
Even Kakashi, barely conscious, couldn't help shouting hoarsely.
"One-handed seals…!"
"Even I can't do that… This child is truly a genius!"
Naruto and Sasuke were stunned.
They had never even heard of one-handed hand seals—let alone seen them.
For the first time, a chill ran down their spines.
They had underestimated this opponent.
After completing the seals at incredible speed, the child spoke coldly.
"Secret Water Release Technique—"
"Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
In an instant, the water vapor in the air violently condensed.
Countless senbon-shaped needles formed and shot outward in all directions, centered on the child!
The range was enormous.
The quantity overwhelming.
The speed terrifying.
Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan.
With its enhanced perception, he narrowly dodged the majority of the incoming needles.
Naruto reacted instantly.
"Wind Release—Storm Palm!"
He clapped his hands together.
A violent gale erupted between his palms, shredding most of the incoming senbon midair.
A few needles still pierced his skin, drawing blood—but Naruto didn't even flinch.
Using Wind Body Flicker, his figure blurred, accelerating to its limit.
In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance.
"Wind Release—Hurricane Fist!"
Naruto's punch carried terrifying force.
Even without being at full strength, blocking it head-on would be extremely difficult!
The child frowned—but did not panic.
Still forming seals with one hand, he activated another technique.
"Ice Release—Frozen Rock Dome of Absolute Zero!"
Instantly, massive blocks of ice erupted upward, forming a dome-like structure that completely enclosed the child and Zabuza.
Naruto's punch slammed into the ice.
Cracks spread rapidly.
Creak—crack—
But the dome did not shatter.
"What… what is this…?" Naruto muttered.
Sasuke's pupils shrank.
"Ice Release?! A Bloodline Limit—like the Sharingan?!"
Kakashi coughed weakly, his face pale.
"Ice Release… a Kekkei Genkai passed down through generations of the Yuki Clan in the Hidden Mist Village…"
"…Could it be… you are…"
The ice dome slowly melted away.
The child's expression was calm, tinged with a faint, chilling sadness.
"Yes."
"I am the last surviving member of the Yuki Clan."
"My name is… Haku."
Sasuke's heart trembled.
"Surviving…?"
That meant—
"Yes," Haku continued quietly. "The Yuki Clan was exterminated. Erased from the Bloody Mist."
"I have no clan. No family. No parents."
"The only thing I have… is Mr. Zabuza."
His gaze hardened.
"So—"
"I will never allow anyone to harm him."
"Even if it means sacrificing my own life."
At that moment, Haku finally activated his strongest technique.
"Ice Release—Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals!"
The remaining ice instantly shattered—
Then reformed.
Using the surrounding water vapor, countless ice mirrors rapidly took shape, encircling the battlefield.
Naruto and Sasuke were trapped inside.
Haku gently placed Zabuza's unconscious body outside the mirror formation, then stepped gracefully into the ice crystals himself.
Naruto and Sasuke looked around in shock.
Every direction—even the sky—was sealed off by ice mirrors.
Escape was impossible unless they destroyed them.
In the next instant—
Haku's reflection appeared in every mirror.
"Breaking these mirrors is impossible."
"This is not ordinary ninjutsu."
"It is a Bloodline Limit."
Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"No ninjutsu is unbreakable!"
"Fire Release—Dragon Fire Technique!"
A roaring torrent of flames erupted like a raging dragon, crashing into one of the ice mirrors.
But—
Nothing happened.
The mirror did not crack.
Did not melt.
Haku's voice echoed calmly.
"Fire can melt ice, yes."
"But Fire Release cannot suppress Ice Release."
"Your technique is merely a Five Elements ninjutsu."
"How could it overpower my Bloodline Limit?"
Ice Release was formed from the fusion of Water and Wind.
It could not be broken by ordinary elemental techniques.
Just as Fire Release could not suppress Wood Release.
"…Damn it!"
Sasuke's expression darkened.
Naruto, however, suddenly spoke.
"Sasuke—ordinary Fire Release won't work."
"But that move might!"
Sasuke's eyes widened.
He understood instantly.
If they combined Sasuke's Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire with Naruto's Wind Release, they could unleash a composite ninjutsu powerful enough to break through!
"…Alright."
"Let's do it."
At this life-or-death moment, all past grudges were cast aside.
They prepared to fight together.
But—
Haku's cold voice echoed again.
"Your combined technique… the one that defeated Mr. Zabuza."
"It is indeed powerful."
"But—"
"You still need an opportunity to use it."
The mirrors shimmered.
And then—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
From every ice mirror, countless Ice Release senbon shot out simultaneously!
Like a storm of steel and ice.
The space was narrow.
The mirrors unbreakable.
The rain of needles relentless.
Naruto and Sasuke were instantly pushed to the brink—
With no room left to retreat.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)