Noah was stunned.
He hadn't expected things to go this way.
He simply couldn't stand Zabuza's dramatic posing and had ambushed him the moment he "reached the peak of his performance." If he could take him out, all the better.
But he never imagined it would end like this.
Truth be told, Noah wanted to laugh-especially at the "meme-worthy" expressions on Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke's faces.
He didn't dare, though. The atmosphere wasn't right.
And he could sense one thing clearly: Zabuza wasn't dead. He was alive, and in a very bad mood.
Sure enough, a moment later, wood splinters flew as a furious Zabuza emerged.
He rubbed the top of his head and roared, "Very well, Hatake! You live up to your reputation! Let Zabuza the Demon see what you've got!"
He had landed head-first, a lump already forming on his crown. Facing away from everyone when he started his performance, he hadn't seen who threw the kunai. Naturally, he assumed it was Kakashi.
After all, Kakashi was the guy with the Mirror Wheel Eye. With that eye, it wouldn't be crazy to assume he knew the Uchiha Throwing Technique.
And in Zabuza's eyes, the other three were just rookies.
"No, wait-" Kakashi raised a hand to explain, but Zabuza gave him no chance.
With a roar, Zabuza charged, his massive blade swinging down with mountain-cleaving force.
"We fall back. Don't get caught in the crossfire of elite ninjas," Noah said decisively to Naruto and Sasuke. "We're just rookies."
"You just now..." Naruto finally snapped out of it. "You were amazing! How did you make the kunai hit each other in midair? I remember your marksman scores at the academy were always awful!"
"Uh..." Noah paused. His face darkened instantly.
"It was just a simple trick. Let's stop talking about that."
It really was simple.
Noah's face darkened not because of anything else, but because he had actually missed every single shot.
That's right. According to his plan, at least one or two kunai should have hit Zabuza, or at least caused him some trouble.
But none had landed. Not a single one. And yet... the result had been hilariously effective.
Still, there was no hiding the truth: Noah had used the trick and missed everything.
"That technique... was it the Uchiha Throwing Technique?" Sasuke finally spoke.
"How do you know it? Your aim's terrible, but that move is unique to our clan."
"Uh..." Noah stalled. He had genuinely forgotten.
Shisui had taught him a similar technique, but hadn't mentioned it was an Uchiha specialty.
Tilting his head, Noah said bluntly, "I saw someone use something like it once. It's not difficult; the mechanics are just like that. It's just my aim..."
"Saw someone use it?" Sasuke didn't know how to argue. This kid had seen the Clone Technique once and mastered it.
But Sasuke didn't agree. "The mechanics are just like that? You can copy mechanics, but you can't copy aim! Your aim is exactly as I expected!"
"Whatever. I don't have a habit of throwing weapons away," Noah said dismissively.
Then, looking around, he added, "Protect the old man, got it?"
With that, he vanished.
Body Flicker.
Noah's speed was terrifying.
Moments later, a faint noise erupted not far from where Kakashi and Zabuza were fighting.
Before long, a masked figure leaped out, wary, instinctively standing beside Zabuza.
Even Zabuza was startled, though his eyes glared dangerously at the figure on the branch.
Kakashi looked at Noah. This kid's perception was absurdly sharp. This was already the second time he had been first to spot a hidden enemy.
Having a sensory ninja like this made things a lot easier.
Kakashi locked his gaze on the newcomer. A ninja from the Mist? Perhaps Black Ops? Likely an ally of Zabuza's.
Haku had a headache.
He'd intended to pose as a Hunter-nin to "rescue" Zabuza, but the opponent had detected him instantly. If the opponent hadn't been confused and held back, Haku might be dead.
Haku was stuck. Fight Zabuza face-to-face while pretending to be a pursuer-or reveal himself and team up with Zabuza.
"In the end... must we fight?"
Naruto and Sasuke gripped their kunai, staring at the stranger.
Sasuke stole a glance at Noah on the branch. No wonder he ran off-he'd sensed someone hiding while the others hadn't. The gap really was this wide.
"Alright, Haku, take off that mask," Zabuza said, confirming his ally.
"So it really was a helper," Kakashi thought. The situation was grim.
Earlier, while dealing with Zabuza, he hadn't left any openings. Heaven only knew what this red-eyed guy would do.
To teach the brats the cruelty of the ninja world, Kakashi had used high-level techniques and the Mirror Wheel Eye. The drain on his Chakra was significant.
If the fight continued, he wouldn't be able to use large-scale moves like the Great Waterfall Technique again.
"What a miscalculation. If I'd known, I wouldn't have played around and would've finished him off," Kakashi thought.
Kakashi excelled at burst damage and exploiting weaknesses. The downside? If the enemy survived, he could be in danger.
Thus, he preferred probing an enemy's strength first-a steady approach that sometimes left him "out of mana."
The Mirror Wheel Eye was already a massive drain. And this equipment wasn't his own, making it worse.
While Kakashi agonized, a blade was rapidly drawn from its scabbard.
A figure appeared behind Haku.
Noah's speed startled even Zabuza.
Zabuza's condition wasn't great. He couldn't help Haku or even warn him in time.
The blade flashed. Haku's body was sliced in two-but then splashed onto the ground. A Water Clone.
The Land of Waves had abundant water, making Water Style easy. A ninja could manipulate it without expending their own Chakra.
Ordinary ninjas benefited, but Noah had funneled dark energy into his eyes, matching the perception of the Mirror Wheel Eye. Coupled with his innate senses, Haku couldn't hide.
After slicing the Water Clone, Zabuza reacted, even weakened. He swung at Noah.
Noah stood motionless, as if unmoved.
Naruto and Sasuke tensed. "Look out!" Naruto shouted.
But when Zabuza's blade struck, Noah's body erupted with Chakra.
A cloud of mist exploded, the thunderous boom scattering birds. Zabuza was sent flying, battered.
Kakashi's expression was shocked. He realized Noah had activated a technique-the same Water Clone trick the fake Mist ninja had used.
But this time, Noah added a twist: he had detonated the Water Clone as bait.
Noah's true body caught up to Haku.
He appeared behind a large tree, swinging his blade down.
Then his face froze. Kakashi's gaze went vacant.
Noah had infused Chakra into the blade, but its quality wasn't high enough-the sword shattered before touching Haku.
Looking at the broken short sword, Noah's face darkened.
Haku took the chance to flee. Zabuza, meanwhile, hadn't died in the explosion.
Noah had considered letting them go-but not in such an embarrassing way.