The sky above Konohagakure appeared completely clear and cloudless to any casual observer.
However, if one looked more carefully, there was actually a single white cloud suspended motionlessly in the heavens above the village, defying the natural wind patterns that should have carried it away.
No one knew when this particular cloud had appeared or why it remained perfectly stationary in that exact position.
Hidden within the cloud formation, Shihouin Naraku peered down at the scene unfolding below with great interest.
There, near the tributary of the Naka River, Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy were engaged in intense combat against Uchiha Itachi. However, Itachi wasn't fighting alone - he had two companions supporting him.
"That's the Executioner's Blade? Momochi Zabuza? And that slender figure must be Haku?"
What an unexpected combination this was turning out to be.
Naraku couldn't understand how Zabuza and Haku had ended up joining the Akatsuki organization. Logically speaking, it shouldn't have happened this way.
Could it be that because he had killed Hoshigaki Kisame, the Akatsuki had recruited another member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to fill the vacant position?
Thinking back to what he had witnessed in the Land of Waves during his earlier mission, Shihouin Naraku now understood that Zabuza and Haku had indeed become part of Akatsuki.
However, after everything that had happened, Momochi Zabuza still couldn't escape his apparent destiny of fighting against Hatake Kakashi.
This time, though, Naraku was curious to see who would emerge victorious.
Observing the familiar Water Style techniques being used in the battle below, Naraku felt somewhat surprised by what he was seeing.
The current Hatake Kakashi was significantly different from his previous encounters. Due to various challenges and stimuli he had faced, his strength had grown much faster and more dramatically than before.
Logically speaking, it should have been easier for Kakashi to defeat Zabuza at this point in time. However, the battle situation below appeared to be completely balanced between the two sides.
"What's happening here? Is Kakashi's legendary fifty-fifty ability kicking in again?"
"That's strange. Zabuza has become considerably stronger than before. Although he hasn't reached Kage-level yet, he's definitely more powerful than he was during our previous encounter."
"Could this be the result of intensive training within the Akatsuki organization?"
The Riverside Confrontation
At the tributary of the Naka River within Konoha Village, Uchiha Itachi, Momochi Zabuza, and Haku stood together as a unified force. Facing them across the water were Might Guy and Hatake Kakashi. Both sides had been fighting intensely for quite some time already.
At this moment, Might Guy had already opened the Sixth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates Formation. Green energy was radiating from his body as his physical capabilities increased dramatically.
As for Hatake Kakashi, he had lifted his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan eye, while lightning chakra crackled faintly around his palms.
During the previous exchanges, the battle had been divided as follows:
Hatake Kakashi had faced off against both Zabuza and Haku working in coordination.
Might Guy had engaged Uchiha Itachi in single combat!
Except for Might Guy, everyone else showed varying degrees of battle damage and exhaustion.
Uchiha Itachi's scarlet pupils contracted slightly with strain. Although his taijutsu skills were exceptionally strong, he was still taking some punishment when facing Might Guy, who was widely recognized as Konoha's premier taijutsu specialist.
Guy had been sparring with Kakashi for many years, so he was intimately familiar with how to combat opponents who possessed the Sharingan. As long as he avoided direct eye contact and responded by reading body language and movement patterns, he could avoid most of the dangerous genjutsu techniques.
Additionally, after opening the Eight Inner Gates, his speed had increased so dramatically that it became extremely difficult for Uchiha Itachi to find the right opportunity to cast his illusions effectively.
As for ninjutsu attacks, Might Guy could literally punch through any technique that Uchiha Itachi attempted to use against him.
Of course, Itachi wasn't without other powerful options at his disposal, but he simply didn't want to escalate the conflict into something more destructive than necessary.
"Rogue ninja from both Kirigakure and Konoha," Hatake Kakashi observed, studying the three opponents wearing identical black cloaks embroidered with red clouds. "Based on your matching uniforms, you've all joined the same criminal organization."
"Copy Ninja Kakashi," Momochi Zabuza replied with a cruel smile, hefting his massive Executioner's Blade onto his shoulder. "You're not nearly as impressive as your reputation suggested."
Compared to the others, Zabuza appeared to be in the worst condition. His clothing around the abdomen was torn and shredded, revealing glimpses of severe bruising where someone had clearly landed a devastating kick.
That damage had been inflicted by Might Guy!
If Haku hadn't used his Ice Release techniques combined with Water Style to absorb and redirect Guy's tremendous force at the critical moment, Momochi Zabuza would have been killed outright by that single attack.
"Let's finish this quickly!" Itachi commanded urgently. "Once we've dealt with them, we can make our retreat!"
The three tomoe in Uchiha Itachi's eyes began spinning rapidly before transforming into the distinctive windmill pattern of his Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Hehehehe..."
Zabuza formed hand seals with practiced efficiency, and thick concealing mist began spreading across the battlefield. Within moments, all three Akatsuki members had vanished completely within the obscuring fog.
Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy immediately positioned themselves back-to-back, scanning their surroundings carefully to guard against surprise attacks from their now-invisible enemies.
"Guy, be extremely careful," Kakashi warned. "This is Kirigakure's infamous Silent Killing technique!"
"No problem!" Guy replied with confidence.
Neither of the Konoha ninja intended to fight to the death in this encounter. Time was definitely on their side in this situation.
With such an intense battle taking place within the heart of Konoha Village, reinforcements would surely arrive to investigate soon - possibly even the Fifth Hokage herself.
Therefore, as long as they could survive and delay long enough, victory would eventually belong to them.
The Dance of Death
"Swish, swish..."
In the next instant, countless shuriken and kunai pierced through the thick mist, appearing directly in front of the two defenders. The weapons gleamed with deadly intent as they sought to find their marks.
"Ding, ding, ding!"
Hatake Kakashi's Sharingan tracked every projectile's trajectory as he swung the kunai in both hands with incredible speed. Sparks flew as he deflected one hidden weapon after another with precise timing.
But Might Guy was even more impressive. The nunchaku in his hands moved so fast they seemed to become a blur of motion. Although he lacked the Sharingan's ability to predict the weapons' paths, Guy used his overwhelming speed to intercept and knock down each projectile before it could reach him.
"Guy! Look out!"
Through the concealing mist, filled with murderous killing intent, Zabuza's massive Executioner's Blade descended toward Might Guy with lethal force.
It seemed that Zabuza was still furious about the devastating kick that Guy had delivered to him earlier.
Using the Body Flicker Technique enhanced by the mist, Zabuza's movement speed reached incredible levels as he appeared beside Might Guy as if he had teleported directly there.
With a flash of cold steel, the enormous blade was already descending toward its target.
Might Guy prepared to kick Zabuza away from him, but was shocked to discover that his feet had been frozen solid by ice and he couldn't move at all.
"Hahaha... Time to die!"
Hatake Kakashi wanted to help his longtime rival, but at that moment the barrage of projectiles hadn't ceased. Several shuriken collided with each other in mid-air, sending sparks flying as their trajectories changed dramatically to attack Kakashi's blind spots.
This masterful shuriken manipulation technique was one of Uchiha Itachi's signature abilities.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Following the hidden weapons, a massive sphere of flames rolled toward Kakashi's position.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
At some point during the chaos, Hatake Kakashi's shadow clone had positioned itself on the river surface. Forming hand seals rapidly, the clone summoned a mighty water dragon that roared forward to collide with the incoming fireball. Steam and smoke filled the air once again, obscuring everyone's vision even further.
As for Might Guy, the ice restraints weren't really a significant problem for someone of his capabilities. With an explosive burst of raw physical power, he instantly shattered the frozen bonds that Haku had worked so hard to create. As ice fragments scattered across the ground, Guy's fist shot toward Zabuza with tremendous force.
"You're right on time!" Zabuza snarled, completely ignoring the devastating punch that was about to connect with him. Instead, he accelerated his blade's descent even further. This had become a matter of mutual destruction - he didn't care about the consequences.
"Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!"
"CRACK!"
A crystal-clear ice wall suddenly erupted from the ground between Might Guy and Zabuza, separating the two combatants at the last possible moment.
Although Zabuza had been saved from certain death, he glanced back with obvious irritation at Haku, who remained hidden within the concealing mist.
"How annoying!"
"Get out of the way, Zabuza-san!" Haku called out urgently.
"What?"
"Morning Peacock!"
Might Guy leaped high into the air, his powerful fists moving at incredible speed. The friction between the air and his rapidly moving strikes created countless flames and shock waves that spread outward like a peacock displaying its magnificent tail feathers.
This devastating attack instantly pulverized the protective ice wall!
Massive shock waves and searing flames bombarded Zabuza's position, and the assault grew even more intense within the thick concealing mist.
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