Chapter 66: Demon Transformation
Zabuza leapt back, putting distance between himself and Naruto, disbelief written all over his face.
The Mist Assassination Technique that had made him famous unfailing until now had been broken by a kid again, and so easily?
Had Konoha raised an entire crop of Ninja immune to the Hidden Mist Technique?
The Byakugan girl who'd dispelled his mist earlier wasn't even here how were they doing it?
No one bothered to explain; they were still in the middle of a fight.
Naruto's lips curved in confidence. Through Mind Transfer Jutsu he shot a quick pulse of gratitude toward Hinata: "Thanks, Hinata!"
"You're welcome, Naruto-kun."
With the Byakugan watching, the mist technique's greatest advantage was gone.
Kakashi's Sharingan slowly spun in the fog; he, too, had received Hinata's cue via Mind Transfer Jutsu.
From the very start, the scales of this battle had tipped toward Konoha's side.
Kakashi flicked out a Kunai and rushed Zabuza. Instinct screamed danger; Zabuza back-stepped twice, evading the high-speed lunge.
The moment he dodged, a sharp fist-wind howled in.
Asuma Sarutobi's figure flashed like a wraith!
The cigarette stub between his lips traced an orange arc through the mist; the Chakra blades on his hands blazed with condensed, almost solid, blue Chakra, stabbing like a viper's tongue straight for Zabuza's ribs.
Cyclone Fist!
The strike was timed to perfection, the angle merciless.
Years of battle experience let Zabuza try to twist away at the last instant, but Asuma's Chakra blades were too fast, too sudden.
Two deep, bone-baring cuts still slashed across him.
"Gah!"
Zabuza grunted; blood gushed from the wounds.
He stared at Asuma in disbelief.
How could anyone pinpoint him so accurately inside this thick mist?
Asuma spat out his cigarette and praised Hinata through Mind Transfer Jutsu: "Nice work, Hinata."
Under the Byakugan's gaze the entire battlefield lay bare; the mist could hide nothing.
The fog was no longer a refuge—it had become a cage trapping the prey.
Zabuza's famed mist technique had turned into a deadly cocoon of his own making.
Kakashi seized the moment, forming seals; lightning crackled as Chidori roared again. "It's over, Zabuza Momochi!"
The cold declaration echoed across the battlefield.
Kakashi faced Zabuza head-on, the poised Chidori like fangs of death.
Naruto and the other Konoha Ninja had sealed every escape route.
The "Demon of the Hidden Mist," whose name once terrified the entire Ninja World, was finally driven to true despair.
No way back, no way out.
The instant Kakashi's words fell, Naruto moved.
Wind Release Chakra spun and compressed into a solid mass in his right palm; he swept it sideways.
No simple gust this time, far subtler, far more brutal.
Vacuum Attack: Wind Pressure Siphon.
A violent hurricane erupted with him at its center.
First came a terrifying inward suction, then a crushing outward shockwave.
The dense mist was torn, crushed, and flung aside by an invisible giant hand.
Whoosh...
The storm's roar scattered every wisp of fog; the battlefield was instantly clear.
Cold moonlight poured down like liquid silver, illuminating the bloody scene.
In that pale light, Konoha's Ninja ringed Zabuza completely.
Kakashi held his combat stance, Sharingan and forehead protector glinting, killing intent undisguised.
Asuma gripped his Chakra blade; beads of blood still trickled along its edge.
Konoha's new generation stayed sharp this man had been an elite Jonin of the Mist; no room for carelessness.
At their feet lay the scattered corpses of the desperate men Gato had paid so dearly to hire.
Broken blades, shattered Kunai, scorched earth, and vast black-red puddles of blood—the stench of gore mixed with gunpowder and soil, weighing on every nerve.
"Heh… cough… impressive, Konoha Ninja…"
Zabuza's voice was hoarse, the ragged breath of a cornered beast.
Leaning on his massive kubikiribōchō, he fought to stay upright, each ragged exhale a rasping groan of pain.
The stab through his chest tore at him with every heave; blood soaked his rags and dripped down the handle of the great blade.
Bloodshot eyes swept across the Konoha Ninja, then toward the unremarkable cabin behind them.
So that's it… piecing together old intel on other Villages' clans, Zabuza suddenly understood why his Silent Killing had failed.
That little fatty an Akimichi, no doubt!
And the pineapple-head kid matched the Nara profile perfectly.
Grandfather, father, son three generations stamped from the same mold.
If Nara and Akimichi were here, the "Yamanaka boar" of Ino–Shika–Chō couldn't be far.
The Hyuga girl and a newly arrived Yamanaca must be inside that hut, relaying everything the Byakugan saw to the fighters outside via their clan jutsu.
These Konoha Ninja were terrifyingly efficient.
Barely five minutes in, his proud "encirclement" lay in ruins; he alone still breathed.
Far off, Haku, tightly bound, watched heart breaking.
Tears slid down silently, blurring the sight of the only person who had ever shown him kindness walking toward his end.
Pinned hands couldn't form seals, tied legs couldn't move; all he could do was watch.
Moonlight shimmered on Naruto's blond hair as his wooden sword pointed at Zabuza: "You're out of options."
"No options? Do you even know why they call me the Demon of the Mist?"
Zabuza tore the bandages from his face and wrapped them tight across the gaping wound in his chest.
Agony twisted his features, but his eyes burned even wilder.
Purple mist coiled around him, rising to form a hideous demon mask above his head.
Muscles bulged, veins stood out, Chakra seethed like boiling water.
Demon Transformation!
The kubikiribōchō hummed with bloodlust; Zabuza's eyes turned pure crimson.
No longer a Ninja he was a ravening demon!
The fight had only just begun!
Loving Book So Far? Check Out 30+ Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/FictionOP