"Amazing!"
Tazuna's eyes bulged.
It was the first time he'd ever seen a battle between Ninja of this caliber.
CLANG—
Two water dragons collided mid-air, sending sheets of water cascading down.
Right beneath the falling torrent,
Kakashi and Zabuza clashed.
Weapons, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu… it felt like fighting his own reflection.
'What's going on?!'
Refusing to believe it, Zabuza leapt back.
He formed a one-handed seal and raised his other arm high.
Then he froze.
This… this is the Sharingan—Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake?!
A chill shot down Zabuza's spine.
"Every move, every split second—identical!" Sakura gasped.
Sasuke: (￢_￢)
Zabuza's pupils shrank.
He switched to a different technique—
and Kakashi mirrored it perfectly.
'Impossible!'
'Genjutsu?!'
CRASH—
An instant later a massive surge of water slammed into Zabuza.
"That was supposed to be my move against him!"
Choking, Zabuza slammed into a tree trunk.
In a single breath he was out of the fight.
Naruto wilted with disappointment.
'If that's all it takes… maybe one Shadow Clone could've handled it.'
'Am I just that strong?'
'Or is this S-rank Rogue Jonin… seriously overrated?'
Zabuza Momochi: "…"
Infuriating!
Yet… Black-Framed Naruto had every right to say it.
The strong make the rules.
Besides, Zabuza had survived and walked out of the village of the bloody mist.
Harsh as the words were,
he offered no retort.
Tenten: "Could it be you're just that strong?"
Temari: "Black-framed Naruto-kun can be overly cautious sometimes."
Tenten: "Idiot—if he weren't cautious, he'd have been found out ages ago!"
Temari: "Who are you calling idiot?"
The two bickered again.
Kakashi exhaled in relief.
Good… best if they forget I'm here.
Minato Namikaze: Kakashi, you're getting lazy.
Kakashi: "…"
Kakashi Hatake: "Yes, Sensei. I'll improve."
Haku!
On the other side, Zabuza watched the executioners blade descending, powerless to dodge.
WHOOSH—
A figure flashed in front of him.
Without hesitation the newcomer scooped Zabuza up and formed a seal with one hand.
WHOOSH—
In the next instant both vanished.
"Knew it—hiding underwater."
Naruto shook his head.
"Sensing below the surface… never as sharp as on level ground."
Inside the Sealing Space the Great Fox swished its nine fluffy tails.
"Try infusing Water-natured Chakra—or use a Water Clone. Should work better."
"Good idea." Naruto gave a slight nod.
"Chase?" the fox asked.
"Chase."
"Zabuza's a bit underwhelming, but his partner looks useful for what's next."
After answering the fox, Naruto disappeared.
A Water Clone slipped back to take his place.
"Naruto!"
Sasuke noticed the movement.
"Don't resist."
The Shadow Clone didn't want Sasuke interfering.
After that not-quite-fight, Sasuke had grown enough to handle his Sharingan.
Now Naruto began his experiment.
Once Sasuke stopped resisting,
the Shadow Clone cast a Genjutsu on him.
BUZZ—
Sasuke's body jolted.
Instinct screamed to fight it—
but he remembered the clone's warning and let go.
Wakening the Sharingan was simple:
make him relive the Uchiha massacre one more time.
"Aaaargh—!!!"
A scream tore from Sasuke's throat as he clutched his head and dropped to his knees.
Reliving that night shattered his mind all over again.
"Foolish little brother~!"
In the illusion Sasuke watched Uchiha Itachi cut down their parents, his own pupils widening in horror.
In the darkness, Uchiha Itachi's eyes evolved from the Three-Tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyo Sharingan.
'Hate me, despise me... and live on, until you possess these eyes!'
Creak—
Under that stimulus, it felt like a string snapped inside Sasuke's head.
His eyes turned blood-red.
Then... the Sharingan awakened.
Left eye: one tomoe; right eye: two tomoes.
It wasn't over.
Sasuke's single-tomoe left eye quickly became a double-tomoe.
Seeing that, Naruto's Shadow Clone nodded. 'Not bad—this training's clearly paying off.'
With that, the Shadow Clone stepped up and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder.
Sasuke jolted awake.
Instinctively he tried to strike the Shadow Clone.
But the next second the clone seized his head and slammed it down toward the water.
'Calm yourself. Remember this feeling.'
Sasuke snapped fully awake.
Just a Shadow Clone... and it subdued me this easily?!
Yet his gaze was soon drawn to the reflection in the water.
Sharingan?!
Both eyes double-tomoe?!
After a moment's blankness, excitement surged through him.
The Shadow Clone shook its head; at this rate Sasuke would need plenty more beatings before he reached the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in both eyes.
By comparison, Quan's wife still seemed stronger.
'Damn it!'
Moments later Sasuke slapped the water, shattering his reflection.
He turned to Naruto, tears still glistening in his eyes.
'Naruto... thank you... and...'
'Naruto, I want to grow even stronger!'
The Shadow Clone couldn't be bothered. 'First settle your heart and feel it; don't let the emotion fade and lose the Sharingan again.'
Saying so, Naruto walked toward Kakashi.
By now Kakashi had become Kakashi—barely there.
He was almost out of Chakra to keep standing on the water.
Watching Naruto's back, Sasuke felt it looked towering.
At the same time the world before his eyes seemed different.
Naruto's movements looked noticeably slower.
Sharingan... so this is the Sharingan?!
Hoo—
Sasuke forced down the excitement inside.
He shut his eyes, steadying his mind.
'Finally... I've awakened the Sharingan... Soon—just wait—I'll awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan!'
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
In moments his face brimmed with visible confidence and pride.
The sight made quite a few people laugh.
Sasuke was mortified.
In the Pure Land World, Uchiha Madara couldn't keep watching.
This is Indra's reincarnation—same as me?
Don't joke.
And... Madara's heart sank.
The impression he'd left on Black-Framed Naruto wasn't as good as he'd thought.
So when Black-Framed Naruto returned and saw the stone tablet at the Naka Shrine, would he carry a bias because of Madara?
Madara himself didn't realize this was just an excuse he'd made in case Naruto rejected him.
'Mr. Zabuza... I've been found out.'
'The moment you began your move, we were discovered.'
Zabuza's eyes were shut, his face grim.
Haku tried to continue.
Zabuza barked, 'Enough!'
'This time we just got careless!'
'We're not outclassed; after we recover we'll strike again. You hold off those three brats—I won't lose to Kakashi again!'
As Zabuza spoke, Haku suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Zabuza nearly bit his own tongue.
'Mr. Zabuza... it looks like we have a problem.'
Zabuza, about to rage, looked up.
Blocking the way was none other than that eerie blond kid.
Naruto looked at Zabuza and smiled faintly: 'There won't be a next time.'
'Haku!' Zabuza's pupils shrank and he barked.
'Yes, I won't let you down.' Calmly, Haku set Zabuza down.
Zabuza: '...'
What disappointment?
Run!