Zabuza and Kakashi briefly clashed using their respective elemental clone techniques, and both of their shadow clones disappeared at the same time.
Now only Naruto and his three companions remained on the battlefield, while Kakashi and Zabuza had hidden themselves in unknown locations.
Naruto clicked his tongue. "That's pretty bold. We've become bait."
Kakashi was hiding somewhere unknown, and Zabuza would most likely try to force him out by attacking them.
Just as Naruto predicted, Zabuza, concealed in the shadows, formed Hand Seals with his hands.
[Water Style Water Dragon Bullet Technique!]
A massive amount of water condensed into a water dragon, surging directly toward Naruto and his companions.
[Thunder Breathing's First Form - Chidori Kai! Thunder Flash!]
From another location, Kakashi locked onto Zabuza's position. Channeling power into one of his legs, he suddenly burst forth like thunder tearing through the air, rushing toward Zabuza at high speed.
Kakashi tore through the water dragon in a burst of chidori lightning, shattering it into countless droplets.
Seeing Kakashi charging rapidly toward him, Zabuza barely had time to form any seals and simply raised Kubikiribocho in front of himself in defense.
Zabuza had fought against Chinya many times before, so he naturally knew that unless one could use terrain to change direction, there was no choice but to attack in a straight line using Thunder Flash.
Right now, Kakashi was midair and unable to change his trajectory.
As expected by Zabuza, Kakashi's ninja blade struck against Zabuza's Kubikiribocho.
The immense force generated by Kakashi's speed sent Zabuza flying backward.
However, as Zabuza flew back, an eerie smile appeared on his face.
When Kakashi attempted to pursue Zabuza, he looked down in shock and realized his legs were immobile.
Looking down, he saw highly viscous water trapping his feet.
This was a ninjutsu Zabuza had developed specifically for battling Chinya—to restrict his opponent's speed.
[Water Release: Sticky Binding Jutsu!]
This move worked similarly to the [Water Release: Sticky Finger] technique developed by Konoha ninja Izumo Kamizuki. Infusing chakra into the water significantly increased its viscosity.
Kakashi had hidden himself while leaving Naruto and his team exposed, clearly confident in his own speed, believing that once Zabuza attacked, he would definitely be able to intercept him.
So Zabuza played along with the trap, turning the plan against Kakashi. He used [Water Release: Sticky Binding Jutsu] at his current location, leaving behind thick, sticky water beneath his feet.
Then Zabuza unleashed the [Water Style Water Dragon Bullet Technique!] to make it seem like he was going after Naruto and his team, forcing Kakashi out of hiding and intentionally revealing his own position to Kakashi, luring Kakashi into attacking him.
Everything went according to plan—the Kakashi was now immobilized in place by his sticky water trap.
Zabuza turned his gaze toward Tazuna. As long as Tazuna died, this battle between him and Kakashi would end with his victory.
That's right—Zabuza had placed the decisive factor of this fight upon Tazuna's fate.
With Kakashi's speed, it was practically impossible to kill him directly.
Even though the Sticky Binding Jutsu pinned Kakashi in place, his hands were still free to move, making it quite easy for him to break free from the restraint.
Since Kakashi's mission was to protect Tazuna, and his own mission was to kill Tazuna, then they should decide the outcome like true ninja.
If he killed Tazuna, he would win. Otherwise, he would lose.
Zabuza intended to use this short moment while Kakashi remained stuck in place by the Sticky Binding Jutsu to take Tazuna's life.
Zabuza barely saw Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno as any real threat. Gripping his Cleaver Sword tightly, Zabuza sped toward Tazuna.
Leaping into the air, Zabuza swung his sword downward at Tazuna.
[Victory is mine!]
[Wind Breathing, Fourth Stage – Ascending Dust Storm!]
From below, Naruto launched upward an intense whirlwind of wind blades directly at Zabuza midair.
Zabuza frowned tightly—truthfully, he looked down on Naruto's attack, but could not afford not to block it, which made him feel slightly annoyed.
Swinging his Cleaver Sword around, Zabuza deflected the gusty whirlwind launched by Naruto.
As Zabuza prepared once more to slash toward Tazuna, a Fuma Shuriken flew straight for his back.
This throwing star had been thrown by Sasuke Uchiha.
With his Sharingan activated, Sasuke spotted an opening in Zabuza's defense. Without hesitation, he yanked a Fuma Shuriken from his pack and flung it.
In Sasuke's eyes, Zabuza couldn't change direction midair, making it impossible for him to dodge the Fuma Shuriken.
However, idealism often clashes with reality.
But Zabuza simply flipped his large blade behind himself, and the incoming Fuma Shuriken struck directly against his sword before being knocked away.
Naruto created multiple Shadow Clones (Bunshin)—some shielded the stunned Tazuna while others charged at Zabuza.
Interrupted repeatedly, Zabuza grew irritated, but instead of attacking again immediately, he suddenly replaced himself with a wooden log using Substitution Jutsu.
The next second, lightning struck the log.
It was Kakashi's Thunder Breathing's Fifth Form – Heat Thunder Realm.
Meanwhile, Kakashi had already broken free from the Sticky Binding Jutsu.
Now keeping his distance from Kakashi, Zabuza glared darkly at Kakashi and the others who had already taken their fighting stances.
A surprise attack with the Sticky Binding Jutsu worked only once; repeating the same trick wouldn't work twice on elite Jonin like them.
He'd almost thought he won, until these brats ruined everything.
Additionally, Zabuza was intrigued by the Nin-Taijutsu shown by Naruto.
Although seemingly different, they appeared to be of a similar style. Zabuza needed to get some answers from Chinya.
Sheathing his Cleaver Sword, Zabuza told Kakashi, "This little test will end here—for now, this was just a warm-up round. Our true fight will begin when we meet again. Then, with allies at my side, the outcome will rest on this old man's life. Next time, no one will interrupt our battle."
In the thick mist, Zabuza's figure gradually vanished.
After Zabuza left, the dense fog around them disappeared.
Kakashi covered his Sharingan with the forehead protector again, but his brow remained furrowed.
Kakashi was now deeply puzzled. From Zabuza's defense earlier and that highly viscous water, it seemed this Zabuza understood [Thunder Breathing] quite well.
If it hadn't been for Naruto Uzumaki and his friends blocking Zabuza, Tazuna might really have been successfully killed by him.
Kakashi let out a soft sigh; the current crisis had been temporarily resolved. However, judging from what Zabuza had just said—that next time he would have allies—the upcoming battle could be even fiercer.
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