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Chapter 147 - Chapter 147

"Do you even consider the danger those deceived ninja would face when you came up with this plan?" Sakura's expression remained cold. "If you had directly asked Konoha for help, they would have sent assistance without needing to issue any mission at all. But by doing this, you're not only putting the ninja who accepted the mission in danger—more importantly, on what grounds should we help you build the bridge?"

Chapter 134: Haku vs Motoi [Middle]

If Dazuna had simply come clean about the crisis in the Land of Waves when he requested the mission and asked for help from the Third Hokage, there would've been a solid reason for Konoha to get involved. But Dazuna just issued an escort mission and hoped Leaf ninja would interfere in another country's matters? That was nothing more than wishful thinking.

The shinobi world has strict rules: Ninja can enter foreign countries to carry out missions, but they must never interfere in local affairs or act beyond their assigned tasks. In other words, even if Kakashi and the others reached Wave Country and were capable of dealing with its problems, taking action there would still be strictly forbidden.

"I..." Dazuna opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. At the time, he had only thought about hiring freshly graduated genin so he could get a jonin-level combatant for free—nothing else crossed his mind.

"We'll complete the mission as outlined and get you home safely. This time, we won't go after the enemies we encountered along the way. But once we've delivered you home, nothing else is our concern!"

Kakashi had zero patience left for arguing with Dazuna. After speaking, he quickly disposed of the Demon Brothers' bodies and motioned for Sakura to pick up the pace.

The midday sun beat down hard, but thankfully, tall trees lined the road, casting shade over the travelers below.

"There's someone on the roadside."

Naruto, still deep in training, suddenly snapped his eyes open, grabbed a handful of shuriken, and hurled them.

"Thud"

The shuriken struck the tree trunk with a dull sound, after which a trembling little rabbit darted out from the bushes.

"Just a little rabbit. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Sasuke glanced briefly before turning away.

"I clearly sensed chakra. How could it be just a rabbit?" Naruto scratched his head, puzzled.

"This isn't an ordinary rabbit—it's specially raised for use in the [Substitution Jutsu]!" Sakura took one look before hopping down from the Demonic Weapon and standing firmly on the ground.

Back when she watched anime, Sakura used to believe the [Substitution Jutsu] was some kind of miracle technique. However, only after actually experiencing it did she understand—the [Substitution Jutsu] wasn't really like many people mistakenly thought: a ninjutsu that allows instantaneous position exchange with any object anytime. Instead, it was closer to an illusion-based technique like Genjutsu.

The Substitution Jutsu usually employs a wooden stake as the substitute object. The reason is that for the jutsu to work, the substituted object must be capable of allowing chakra to flow inside it. Moreover, the range of this jutsu is extremely limited, rendering it ineffective against wide-range attacks. Additionally, the Substitution Jutsu is easily detected and is only somewhat useful during battles between genin and chunin. When using the jutsu, one must first place the substitution object—like a wooden stake—at a specific location before activating the technique to switch places with the object. Both forming the hand seals and activating the ninjutsu take time, making the move practically useless in life-or-death combat situations.

"Seems like the enemy's already here."

Looking around at the mist gradually filling the area, Kakashi slowly slid Make Out Paradise back into his pouch before lifting the forehead protector off his left eye. The three tomoe within his eye radiated invisible ocular power.

"The Hiding in Mist Technique? So they're planning a direct attack right from the start without even giving us time to talk?"

Sakura suddenly unsheathed her sword swiftly, turned around, and swung her blade at the attacker behind her.

"Dang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out. Sparks erupted where their blades clashed violently. Sakura's single slash sent the flying Cleaver Sword careening away.

"Tch, what strength," Sakura shook her wrist slightly. If she hadn't prepared in advance, that hit would've been difficult to block. The Cleaver Sword was naturally massive and heavy, and on top of that, its spinning momentum amplified the impact force. Without the Power Stone secretly enhancing her strength, blocking it wouldn't have been easy at all.

"So that's... the Cleaver Sword? Is this the Demon of the Mist, Zabuza Momochi?" Kakashi let out a light chuckle but his tone carried clear seriousness. Someone who could assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and still escape unscathed—although she had learned from Sakura that Yagura intentionally held back his strength—Zabuza's skill was undeniably formidable.

Didn't expect to run into you here!

A shadow figure suddenly appeared, standing on one foot atop the hilt of the blade. In Zabuza's mind, the Cleaver Sword should've been lodged horizontally in a tree trunk, with him standing proudly on top delivering a dramatic monologue. However, the pink-haired girl had unexpectedly knocked the blade away with a single cut, causing the sword to end up vertically stuck in the ground, leaving him awkwardly standing on just the hilt.

"Oh? The Demon knows me too?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village, known as 'The Demon', Zabuza Momochi—you attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and fled afterward. You wield the Cleaver Sword, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. And you graduated from the Ninja Academy by killing all your classmates on the very first day. I'm truly honored to be recognized by you!"

"I learned your name well during my time in the Kiri Anbu. Your name was recorded in the intelligence reports of the Mist Village—Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja of Konoha, Sharingan Kakashi, a talented ninja promoted to Jonin at age twelve. Your former squad leader was The Fourth Hokage, and your father was Sakumo Hatake, known as the Legend of the White Fang of Konoha."

Momochi Zabuza, his face wrapped in bandages, recited Kakashi's biography. He now realized—this opponent might actually be stronger than him.

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