[Inside the thick fog...]
[In Naruto's perception, that malice became increasingly dense.]
[It had almost materialized.]
[Swish, swish, swish—]
[At the same time, the faint sound of something cutting through the air reached his ears.]
[From the shadows, Demon: Momochi Zabuza let out a cold sneer.]
[He drew the Executioner's Blade from his back and hurled it toward the five of them.]
[Concealed by the pitch-black fog where one couldn't see their own hand...]
[The movement caused by the Executioner's Blade was minimal.]
[However, in Naruto's perception, this was a weapon infused with Chakra Nature Transformation.]
[Like a swarm of fireflies in the dark night, every move was exposed under the fluorescence.]
[Naruto frowned slightly.]
[The enemy is confident and possesses strength.]
[But, he seems a bit arrogant.]
[The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light; he inherently held the advantage.]
[Now, even if he didn't want to be exposed, he had to be.]
[With a Jonin in the team, he shouldn't have exposed himself so easily.]
[If exposing himself was just to deal with three Genin... or even thinking he could take out a qualified Jonin, that's over-the-top arrogance.]
[Sure enough.]
[With just one glance, Naruto knew that Kakashi had sensed it long ago.]
[In fact, that opening just now was likely something Kakashi intentionally left for Zabuza.]
Might Duy: Eh?!
Might Duy: I think I've seen this sword before too!
Hidden Mist Village: "..."
Don't talk.
[Vroom—]
[The Executioner's Blade attacked at extreme speed.]
["Get down."]
[Kakashi had anticipated this, letting out a low shout. He then followed the direction the Executioner's Blade came from, opening his perception in an attempt to find the enemy hidden in the fog.]
[However, the moment he pushed his perception to the maximum.]
[Kakashi frowned.]
[This fog... is very wrong!]
[Sensing Chakra felt like sinking into a quagmire—incredibly viscous and difficult to extend.]
[Upon hearing the command.]
[Sasuke and Sakura's reactions were also extremely fast.]
[Sasuke crouched down immediately.]
[Even Tazuna managed to react.]
[He was more direct, dropping face-first onto the ground.]
[Sakura's reaction wasn't slow, but seeing that Naruto hadn't made a move to crouch, she immediately felt emboldened.]
[Without even taking off her gloves, she stepped forward, narrowed her eyes slightly, and concentrated her attention.]
[Whoosh—]
[The next instant.]
[The Executioner's Blade burst through the fog, spinning rapidly in mid-air.]
[In the blink of an eye, it swept over Kakashi's head.]
[The moment Kakashi crouched, he had already pulled a Kunai with an exploding tag attached from his tool pouch.]
[The moment he saw the Executioner's Blade.]
[The exploding tag ignited, and Kakashi hurled the Kunai in the direction the Executioner's Blade had come from.]
[Crack—]
[A crisp sound came from behind.]
[Kakashi's eyes flickered, and he quickly looked back.]
[Then, he froze.]
[Gulp—]
[He subconsciously swallowed hard.]
[Monstrous Strength... this must be what it looks like, right?]
[The Executioner's Blade, which had been so imposing just a moment ago, had stopped in front of Naruto.]
[And in front of Naruto, besides the Executioner's Blade, was Sakura.]
[That crisp sound just now had been made by the Executioner's Blade.]
[Sakura had one hand gripping the handle of the Executioner's Blade and the other gripping the massive flat of the blade.]
[On the edge of the blade, there was a notch the size of Sakura's hand.]
[The Executioner's Blade is very brittle.]
[Its utility isn't particularly outstanding either.]
[Or rather, it barely counts as utility.]
[It's more of a way to compensate for the blade's brittleness.]
[Blood-drinking restoration.]
[Its only unique trait is that no matter how 'injured' the Executioner's Blade is, it can restore itself by drinking blood.]
Sakura Haruno: "Alright~!"
Sakura Haruno: "Zabuza was acting so cool when he showed up back then!"
Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju: "Sword users—is there any of them who doesn't act cool?"
Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju: "It's the same for those who use blades, even if they only know one move."
Zabuza: "..."
["Sakura...?!"]
[Sasuke's pupils shrank violently.]
[He clearly hadn't expected this situation.]
[This power... did it really erupt from this Sakura with her slender arms and legs?]
[Deep within the fog, Zabuza also frowned.]
[Did it fail?]
[Or did it succeed?]
[For a moment, he found it difficult to judge.]
[And that crisp sound just now seemed a bit off—it was the sound of the Executioner's Blade shattering.]
[At this point, he became more cautious and didn't appear ostentatiously.]
[His hands quickly formed seals while his legs pushed off violently.]
[After his figure left the spot.]
[A Kunai stabbed into the location where he had previously been hidden.]
[Boom—!!!]
[The exploding tag detonated instantly.]
[The explosion sounded like the break of dawn.]
[The thick fog was also blown away quite a bit by the blast.]
[Visibility improved, and the surrounding environment came into view.]
["Naruto..."]
[Sakura blinked, a bit surprised. This Executioner's Blade came with such momentum, so why didn't it have any force behind it?]
[Looking back, she saw that Naruto had an extra three-pronged kunai in his hand.]
["Well done." After Naruto praised Sakura with a light smile, he tossed the three-pronged kunai upward.]
["The Executioner's Blade is quite good. As far as I know, it's one of the blades used by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from the Hidden Mist Village."]
["One of the seven most outstanding blades of the Hidden Mist, the Executioner's Blade. No matter how much damage it takes, as long as it absorbs the enemy's blood, it can recover."]
[Sakura blinked. "But... this sword, um... the Executioner's Blade, doesn't really feel that impressive."]
["It's very brittle. Really, it breaks with a squeeze."]
[Hearing this, the corners of Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes twitched.]
[Is it possible that your Monstrous Strength is just too terrifying?]
[Sakura seemed to realize this as well and stuck out her tongue sheepishly.]
[Then, as if the Executioner's Blade were as light as paper, she swung it around easily.]
[This scene had a powerful visual impact.]
[Especially in the eyes of the ordinary person, Tazuna.]
[This seemingly weak and delicate young girl is actually a powerhouse of strength?]
[Is this a joke?]
[Or... are all female Ninja like this?!]
["But if it can recover... it should be pretty good for smashing people, right?"]
[Sakura asked.]
[Naruto nodded slightly. "It indeed suits you very well."]
["Then... this Executioner's Blade?"]
[Sakura looked at Sasuke and Kakashi.]
["I have no objection." Kakashi waved his hand.]
["It's your spoils of war." Sasuke opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't give a cold response.]
["Yours?!"]
["Spoils of war?!"]
[Just then, an abrupt voice came from all directions, making it impossible to tell where it originated.]
[Simultaneously, a figure appeared from the fog like a ghost.]
[Everyone immediately snapped back to attention.]
[They almost forgot there was still an enemy!]
[Naruto crouched slightly, his right hand resting on the hilt of the long sword at his waist.]
[Vroom—]
[The next instant.]
[That ghost-like figure appeared behind him.]
[Since he's exposed, he'll start by dealing with the weakest one to let fear spread through their hearts!]
["That is this great one's Executioner's Blade!"]
[The moment the words fell.]
[The tip of a Kunai was only a few centimeters away from Naruto's neck!]