(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic. Thanks and appreciate all who support me.
(T/N: Enjoy!)
<><><><><><>
On the bridge, Tazuna worked tirelessly on its construction. Not far away, Sasuke and Sakura diligently practiced their tree-climbing.
Kakashi leaned against a tree, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a book, as if he were engrossed in his reading.
In reality, most of his attention was focused on keeping a vigilant watch on their surroundings.
He would be the first to react to any disturbance, ready to respond at a moment's notice.
The reason for his heightened alertness was his certainty that Zabuza would attack them upon seeing that they were alone.
If he didn't attack yesterday, there was a very high probability he would attack today.
Therefore, he was already prepared for battle, simply waiting for Zabuza to make his move.
Just as everything seemed peaceful, his eyes suddenly shifted. In a flash, he appeared at the edge of a bridge.
As soon as he materialized, two figures, one large and one small, also appeared before him. It was, of course, the attacking Zabuza and his tool, Haku.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Noticing the commotion, Sasuke and Sakura immediately stopped their training and rushed over.
They stood beside Kakashi, their expressions wary as they stared at Zabuza and Haku.
'Another one?' Kakashi glanced at the masked Haku, his visible, listless eye narrowing slightly.
'Judging by his build, he should be around the same age as Naruto and Sasuke. I wonder what his skill level is.'
After a quick mental assessment, Kakashi issued his orders. "Sakura, you protect Mr. Tazuna. Sasuke, I'll handle Zabuza. You keep a close eye on the person next to him."
Upon receiving their instructions, Sakura moved back a distance, getting closer to Tazuna, who was watching nervously from the bridge. Sasuke gave a silent nod, his cold gaze fixed on Haku.
"Haku, it seems you have an opponent," Zabuza said with a cold smile after hearing Kakashi's arrangements.
"I just wonder how many moves he'll last against you." He was well aware of Haku's abilities and knew that facing a genin like Sasuke would be child's play for him.
"I will do whatever it takes to help Lord Zabuza complete his mission," Haku replied from behind his mask. With a swift movement, he charged at Sasuke, kunai in hand.
'Hmph! Bring it on!' Sasuke thought to himself, also brandishing a kunai and meeting the charge. The two of them were instantly locked in combat.
Meanwhile, to complete the mission as quickly as possible and prevent Goku from arriving as reinforcements, Zabuza had no time to watch Haku's fight.
He quickly performed the Hidden Mist Jutsu, enveloping both himself and Kakashi in a thick fog.
"Kakashi, I didn't get a proper chance to face you last time," Zabuza's ethereal voice echoed through the mist.
"This time, I want to see for myself if the legendary Copy Ninja truly lives up to his name."
Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing a crimson Sharingan with an ominous glint. "Funnily enough, I was thinking the same thing."
"77, 78, 79..."
In the forest, Naruto was doing squats with the same large rock from the previous day.
Both yesterday's and today's exercises were designed to train multiple parts of the body.
According to Goku, a good workout trains many areas simultaneously, a principle he had learned from old Master Roshi.
Nearby, Goku was still leaning against a tree, voraciously eating wild fruit he had picked from the forest.
A mountain of fruit cores had already piled up beside him, a testament to the number of fruits that had met their demise.
While eating, he glanced in the direction of Kakashi's group. His gaze seemed to pierce through the forest, allowing him to see their battle with Zabuza.
"Hmm, the ki of that guy from last time," he muttered to himself before turning his attention back to the training Naruto. "I'll tell him after he's done with his set."
A short while later, Naruto finished his set and collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.
"Phew! Seventeen more sets to go!"
His goal for the day was to complete twenty sets of weighted squats. Having just finished his third, he was still a long way from his target.
'This is so tiring, but I can feel my ki getting a little stronger. It looks like I'll be able to beat Sasuke and become Hokage soon!' he thought to himself happily.
"Naruto, that guy from last time is back," Goku said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"Huh? Who?" Naruto, pulled from his daydream, looked at Goku with a blank expression.
"The one I fought before."
The one Goku fought? Naruto's sluggish brain took a few seconds to process before a name surfaced in his mind. Zabuza Momochi, the Demon?
He shot up in an instant, whipping out a kunai and looking around wildly. "Where is he? Where?!"
His face was flushed with excitement. After a little over a day of intense training, he, the great Naruto, was surely ready to take on Zabuza.
"He's over with Kakashi," Goku said, pointing in a specific direction.
Seeing Goku point the way, Naruto was about to dash off, but he froze in the next second.
Uh, where? Over with Kakashi-sensei?
"Goku, how do you know Zabuza is with Kakashi-sensei?" he asked, looking at Goku in confusion.
"Oh, that? You can use ki to sense others," Goku said, pointing to his own forehead.
"Then how come I can't do it?" Naruto tried, but he couldn't sense anything.
"Because that requires more advanced training," Goku explained.
"Oh, I see." Naruto nodded thoughtfully, his expression then turning serious. "Then let's go to Kakashi-sensei's location now! I can't miss out on this fight!"
With that, he prepared to set off. But Goku suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path. "You want to go over there? Then take my hand."
Huh??
A question mark instantly appeared over Naruto's head. But out of the trust he had built for Goku over the past two days, he skeptically took Goku's hand.
He then saw Goku raise the other hand, form a two-fingered sign, and place it on his forehead.
In the next instant.
Swoosh!!
The two of them vanished from the spot.
On the battlefield by the bridge.
Sasuke was covered in wounds, an unwilling expression on his face as he looked at the almost unscathed Haku. 'I'm still too weak!'
At first, he had been able to trade blows with Haku evenly. But ever since Haku had started using one-handed seals, he had been completely outmatched.
Meanwhile, in the thick fog, the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza was fierce, with deadly techniques being exchanged one after another.
Suddenly, during a rapid exchange of offense and defense, Kakashi was caught off guard and kicked into a puddle of water that Zabuza had created earlier with his Water Dragon Jutsu.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
"Hm? Not good!"
Just as Kakashi was about to get up, the water in the puddle surged upwards, instantly forming a sphere of water that completely engulfed him.
Zabuza, who was maintaining the jutsu from behind him, let out a cold laugh. "You fell for it after all, Kakashi. Now you can't interfere with me killing that old man."
Just as he created a water clone, ready to finish the mission in one fell swoop, a somewhat childish voice suddenly rang out from within the mist.
"Where are we? Why is it so foggy? I can't see anything!"
And then, WHOOSH!!!
A powerful gust of wind blew from an unknown source, almost instantly dispersing the thick fog.
As the mist cleared, two figures, one large and one small, were revealed not far away. It was, of course, Goku and Naruto, who had just arrived on the scene.
Goku stopped blowing and rubbed his nose with a simple-minded grin. "You can see now, right?"
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 20 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > SGJM NOVEL TIER