[join patreon to know story before hand, I am going to upload 60 chapters in patreon in the next three days, and continue writing each day one chapter from chapter 60.]
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The mist is thick around the battlefield, but everyone's eyes were now on Naruto.
His aura gave off the feeling of an experienced fighter. It was strange to see that kind of confidence coming from a newly graduated genin.
Zabuza narrowed his eyes.
'What is this feeling...? A mere genin shouldn't have this kind of presence.'
Naruto tightened his grip on his sword. His movements were smooth and careful as he began swinging it through the air. Each swing was clean, making a sharp sound as the blade cut through the mist.
His stance looked nothing like an academy student's.
For a moment, he looked like someone who had spent his whole life with a sword in his hand.
After one final swing, Naruto stopped and pointed the sword toward Zabuza.
"Mr. Zabuza," Naruto said, his voice calm but filled with excitement, "this is my first battle against a strong opponent like you in this world. Now, let's make it a life-or-death battle... with swords."
Zabuza's deep voice came from within the mist.
"Hah! You've got guts, brat. Fine. I'll gladly grant your wish... by killing you."
Naruto's grin widened.
His tone shifted into mockery.
"An elite ninja like you, using all your strength to take down a genin like me? This will be an epic tale for ages. Zabuza Momochi struggling while fighting against a kid. I can already hear the stories."
Zabuza's smirk twisted into a scowl.
His killing intent grew stronger.
"You'll regret those words, brat!"
He charged forward, losing some of the calm control he had over the field.
Naruto smirked and took a deep breath.
He drew out the demonic qi inside him and mixed it with Kurama's demonic chakra. The two powers flowed into his hands, covering them in an orange-red glow.
Using his demonic steps, Naruto moved forward.
Zabuza swung the Executioner's Blade in a wide arc, aiming to cut off Naruto's head. Naruto raised his own sword and blocked the massive blade with a sharp movement of his wrist.
Sparks flew as the two swords clashed.
Naruto slightly tilted his sword, using the weight and movement of Zabuza's larger blade against him. Then he ducked low, rolled past Zabuza's clone, and appeared behind it in one smooth movement.
His sword flashed.
The clone's head was cut cleanly.
The body dissolved into water.
Another Zabuza clone rose from the river and jumped onto the ground. It looked at Naruto with a faint smirk.
"You've got good moves, kid."
Then Zabuza rushed forward again, this time with the intent to overwhelm Naruto and break his confidence.
During that small gap, Naruto quietly formed a shadow clone and sent it underground toward Sasuke and Sakura.
Naruto grinned.
He had already expected Zabuza to attack like this.
The duel resumed.
This time, Zabuza's swings were faster and more controlled. Each attack aimed to cut Naruto down in one strike. One heavy swing came close to Naruto's head, forcing him to push qi into his palm.
"Demonic Palm!"
Naruto thrust his hand forward.
The force from his palm struck the blade and pushed it away just enough to create distance between them.
The technique was not at its full power in this body, but it still worked as a defense.
A gap opened between them.
Naruto used that moment to jump high into the air. He gathered qi into his sword as he came down toward Zabuza with force.
"This ends here!" he roared.
At the same time, Naruto's shadow clone emerged near Sasuke and Sakura.
"I don't have much chakra left," the clone said urgently. "If you don't want to die, listen carefully."
The clone turned to Sakura first.
"You'll place a Sasuke clone here."
Then he looked toward Sasuke.
"And I need you to make one attack against the real Zabuza......"
Sasuke frowned, but he understood the point.
His Sharingan eyes glowed.
"Fine."
Meanwhile, the battle continued.
Naruto was still in the air when he brought his sword down with heavy force. Zabuza raised his blade to block.
The swords clashed again.
This time, the force was stronger.
Zabuza's clone struggled under the pressure, his legs bending slightly as cracks formed in the ground beneath his feet. The impact sent a wave through the mist, and for a moment, Zabuza's eyes widened.
He saw Naruto's face clearly.
Naruto's expression was twisted with battle excitement. Blood dripped from his hand, but even with the pain, that crazed smile remained on his face.
A chill ran through Zabuza.
'This... this kid. How can someone like this come from a peaceful village like Konoha?'
Struggling against the pressure, Zabuza growled.
"You're no brat... you're a devil!"
Naruto laughed when he heard that.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
With one final burst of force, the Zabuza clone shattered into water.
Naruto landed on the ground, breathing slightly harder as the mist moved around him.
The real Zabuza stood near the water prison, his chest rising and falling more heavily than before. The clones had used up his chakra, and the fight with Naruto had taken more out of him than he expected.
Inside the water prison, Kakashi watched everything closely.
'I didn't know Naruto was this good at fighting. And this prison has weakened. With one small push, I can release myself. Once I'm free, I'll kill you, Zabuza.'
Sakura stared at Naruto, her cheeks turning red.
'Naruto looks so cool while fighting him.'
She did not know whether what she was feeling was real or just the shock of the battle. But right now, she could not deny it.
She was admiring him.
Tazuna's jaw dropped again as he watched the fight.
Sasuke, who was hiding behind Zabuza, frowned deeply.
Unlike Naruto, he had felt fear when facing Zabuza's pressure. He is seeing the clear gap between him and Naruto. If he can't even face Zabuza's clone, How can he face Itachi?, this is what Sauske is thinking.
That thought bothered him, but he forced it down. For now, he had to make the attack Naruto had planned. Sauske hiding his presence moved behind the real Zabuza transforming himself into an insect, not to make Zabuza notice it, he hidden perfectly.
Now, Sauske it behind Zabuza, waiting for the perfect time to launch attack
Zabuza looked at Naruto with a rough smile.
"You've got some decent moves," he admitted. "But this ends now. You're all going to die here."
Zabuza started to move, preparing to do something.
But before he could complete it, a shuriken flew toward him from behind.
Sasuke had thrown it.
Zabuza turned and defended himself with his one hand which is free from holding Kakashi.
Then a new kunai came towards his head, in that split second, his hand left the water prison to block it.
Kakashi was freed.
The water sphere broke apart, and Kakashi landed on the water. he immediately jumped to the land. His expression was now deadly serious.
"Good work, Sasuke," Kakashi said, stepping forward. "I'll take it from here."
Zabuza, already tired from using clones and fighting Naruto, was now on the defensive.
Kakashi moved in quickly.
His attacks came one after another, leaving Zabuza no room to recover. With the Sharingan, Kakashi read his movements and pressed him back again and again.
Their kunai clashed.
Then they switched into hand-to-hand combat.
Zabuza tried to hold his ground, but his exhaustion was clear. Kakashi found an opening and landed a hard punch to his stomach.
The impact sent Zabuza flying into a tree.
He hit it hard and stayed there, motionless for a moment, breathing heavily and unable to move.
"You're finished," Kakashi said, forming hand signs for a lethal jutsu.
But before Kakashi could strike, three senbon needles flew through the air and pierced Zabuza's neck.
Zabuza's body went limp.
His eyes dulled as he collapsed to the ground.
Kakashi stopped and checked his heartbeat.
"He's dead."
Sakura and Tazuna both felt relieved when they heard that.
But Naruto did not relax.
The scene felt familiar to him.
He had seen tricks like this many times in his past life.
Above them, a masked person stood on a tree branch.
"Thank you for weakening him," the masked person said. "Because of that, I was able to kill him with less effort."
Kakashi's gaze narrowed.
"You must be a tracker ninja."
The masked person nodded.
"Yes. I am. I have been hunting Zabuza for a long time."
"I want to take him, to the land of mist, not to risk loose our jutsu's and Executioner's blade."
Kakashi understood, what that traker ninja wanted to do is common for any village in dealing with their rogue ninja's.
Kakashi nodded.
After that, the masked person took Zabuza's body and left the place.
Once both of them disappeared, the tension finally broke.
Naruto and Kakashi both fell to the ground, lying motionless as they both exhausted from using lot of chakra.
(To Be Continued...)
A/N:
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