[Land of Waves - The Outskirts]
The boat ride ended, and we stepped onto the muddy banks of the Land of Waves.
The poverty here wasn't subtle; it was a physical weight in the air. The houses were shacks held together by rot and hope. The people looked hollow. If Konoha was a bustling metropolis, this place was a graveyard waiting to happen.
"Pay attention," Kakashi warned, his voice low. "The Demon Brothers were just the appetizer. The main course is coming."
Sasuke walked with a spring in his step, his hand hovering near his kunai pouch. He was excited. He had tasted combat, and now he wanted a full meal. He wanted to prove that an Uchiha was superior to a "civilian" prodigy like me.
Naruto was even more desperate. He had frozen up earlier. He needed redemption. He needed a win.
Poor kids, I thought, walking in the back. They think this is a tournament arc. They don't realize this is a survival horror.
Kakashi knew. I could see the tension in his shoulders.
Chunin are disposable henchmen, Kakashi thought. If they failed, Zabuza won't send more grunts. He'll come himself.
Naruto, eager to prove his senses were sharp, suddenly froze.
"There!"
He whipped out a kunai and hurled it into a bush.
THWACK.
"Naruto!" Sakura shrieked. "Stop throwing knives at nothing! You're wasting supplies!"
"But I heard it!" Naruto argued, rushing into the bush.
He pulled back the leaves and froze. "Oh no!"
A white rabbit huddled there, trembling, the kunai inching above its head.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Rabbit!" Naruto wailed, hugging the terrified rodent. "I didn't mean it!"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "It's just a rabbit. What a fuss."
I walked over and looked at the creature.
Haku is watching, I realized.
"Rabbits are cute," I said, my voice cutting through Naruto's apology. "They are also high in protein. Why don't we roast it? Tazuna-san looks hungry."
"KENJI!" Sakura and Naruto screamed in unison. "You monster!"
"Just a suggestion," I shrugged.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. Not the system. Just pure, unadulterated killing intent.
High up in the trees, a figure stood.
"No wonder the Demon Brothers failed," a gravelly voice whispered to the wind. "That silver hair... It's the Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan."
WHOOSH!
The air screamed.
"GET DOWN!" Kakashi roared, his eye widening in genuine panic.
Naruto and Sakura froze. Sasuke started to duck.
A massive, spinning blade of iron—the Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade)—came tearing through the air, aimed directly at our heads. It was moving fast enough to decapitate a horse.
In the canon, everyone ducks, and the sword slams into a tree.
Boring, I thought.
I stepped forward. I didn't duck.
I raised my right hand.
CLANG!
The sound was like a temple bell being struck by a meteor.
The massive sword, spinning with lethal momentum, stopped dead.
My hand gripped the handle mid-spin. The force pushed my boots an inch into the dirt, creating a small crater, but I didn't budge.
Silence.
Absolute, terrified silence.
Naruto's jaw hit the floor. Sakura forgot to breathe. Sasuke stared at my back, his eyes trembling. He... he caught it? With one hand?
"This knife isn't bad," I muttered, inspecting the blade while holding it casually like a toy. "A bit unbalanced near the hilt. Who threw this? Are you mocking me? Or is this a gift?"
Whoosh!
A figure flickered from the trees. He landed on the ground—not on the sword handle as he planned, because I was holding the sword.
It was Zabuza Momochi.
But instead of looking cool and intimidating, he looked confused. And pissed.
His "Cool Entrance" was ruined. He had planned to stand on the hilt, looking down on us like a god. Now, he was standing in the mud like a chump.
"Kid," Zabuza growled, his voice muffled by bandages but thick with rage. "Give me my sword back."
"You threw it away," I smirked, weighing the massive blade. "Finders keepers. Isn't that the law of the Mist?"
"You hold death in your hands, brat," Zabuza warned, his killing intent spiking. "Keep holding it, and you'll be the first to die."
"Come and get it then," I challenged, resting the flat of the giant blade on my shoulder.
Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "It seems you don't know who I am."
"Kenji!" Sasuke stepped forward, trembling not with fear, but with adrenaline. "As I said before... let me handle this."
I looked at the Uchiha.
"Sasuke," I sighed. "Er Zhuzi (Second Pillar/Idiot). Can't you read the room?"
"I can do it!" Sasuke argued, reaching for a shuriken. "I'm an Uchiha! I won't lose to—"
"Stop," Kakashi's hand landed on Sasuke's shoulder. His voice was deadly serious. "This is not a test, Sasuke. Stay back. Protect Tazuna."
"But—"
"He is a Jonin," Kakashi stated. "Zabuza Momochi. Rogue Ninja of the Mist. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He is in the Bingo Book for high-level assassination. He is not someone you 'practice' on."
Sasuke froze. Jonin... like Kakashi? Like Itachi?
The realization hit him. If he fought this man, he would die.
Kakashi stepped forward, facing the Demon.
"If it is him," Kakashi said, his hand reaching for his forehead protector. "I have to go all out. Otherwise, we're all dead."
He lifted the metal plate.
The scar ran down his eye. The eyelid opened.
Red. Three tomoe spinning slowly. The Sharingan.
"Oho," Zabuza chuckled darkly. "I am honored. To see the Sharingan of 'Copy Ninja Kakashi' so early in the fight."
Naruto and Sakura stared. Kakashi-sensei has a Sharingan?! But he's not an Uchiha!
Zabuza raised one hand. He formed a seal.
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu."
The air grew heavy. Moisture gathered. A thick, unnatural fog began to roll in, obscuring the trees, the path, and the sun.
"I studied you in the Assassination Corps," Zabuza's voice drifted through the white void. "The man who copied over a thousand jutsu. A legend."
The temperature dropped. The killing intent became tangible, pressing against our skin like cold steel. Sasuke started shaking again.
"But today," Zabuza's voice whispered, sounding like it was right next to my ear. "The legend ends."
He focused on me.
"Kid. You'd better keep holding my sword tight. Because once I deal with Kakashi... you're the second one I'm going to butcher."
I yawned, activating my [Map Hack / Anatomy Scan] to locate him in the fog.
"Less talking, more fighting, Cow-Print Man," I called out. "My arm is getting tired."