"Magnet Release bloodline limit, huh?"
"Interesting."
Seeing his attack fail, Zabuza let out a low snort, his figure once again vanishing into the dense mist.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara immediately activated their three-tomoe Sharingan.
Even though the Sharingan's effectiveness was greatly reduced in the thick fog, it still allowed them to anticipate Zabuza's sudden attacks and prepare evasive movements in advance.
The mist fell silent once more. Learning from their earlier mistake, the three didn't dare charge recklessly again.
They focused their senses, remaining on high alert, constantly guarding against another ambush.
What they didn't know was that, within the mist, Zabuza was already breaking into a cold sweat.
Those three pairs of scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan were simply terrifying.
It was hard to believe that three kids who looked so young had all awakened their Sharingan to this level.
In the ninja world, there had always been a saying—
In a one-on-one fight, if you encounter a three-tomoe Sharingan, the correct choice is to run.
And now it wasn't one-on-one.
It was one versus three!
He was facing three enemies, all possessing three-tomoe Sharingan!
Even if their combat experience was lacking, a three-tomoe Sharingan was still a three-tomoe Sharingan!
For now, he could still maintain some advantage using the cover of the mist.
But if they figured out a way to counter the Hidden Mist Technique, he'd be in serious trouble.
With that thought, Zabuza quietly began retreating.
No matter how much money Gatō offered, it wasn't worth his life.
But after taking only a few steps back, he suddenly felt his back collide with something.
Turning around, he was stunned to see a black-eyed young man standing behind him, watching with a faint smile.
That nearly scared Zabuza out of his wits.
Within the Hidden Mist Technique, he could sense even the slightest disturbance—so how had someone appeared right behind him without him noticing at all?
Faced with life and death, Zabuza swung the Executioner's Blade down with all his might.
The man merely raised two fingers and caught the massive blade between them. No matter how much force Zabuza applied, it wouldn't budge even a fraction.
"W-Who are you?"
"Uchiha Yuzuru."
Hearing the name, Zabuza's legs nearly gave out, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
After staring for a moment and carefully examining the man's appearance, he finally confirmed his identity.
Now it made sense.
Why those three kids possessed three-tomoe Sharingan at such a young age—
They were Uchiha Yuzuru's disciples…
No, they might even be his children!
When a person is utterly speechless, they sometimes laugh. That was exactly Zabuza's state right now.
He let out a hollow chuckle and asked in disbelief, "Uchiha Yuzuru… the strongest ninja in the world… took on an escort mission?"
Yuzuru nodded calmly. "That's right."
Hearing that answer, Zabuza screamed internally.
Who the hell was Tazuna to deserve this kind of protection?!
And Gatō…
If he survived this, he swore he'd tear that bastard to pieces!
"Zabuza, keep fighting. If you run away, those three children will be very disappointed."
After saying that, Yuzuru vanished from the spot.
Zabuza swallowed hard, abandoning any thoughts of retreat, and turned his gaze back toward Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara.
There was no helping it. Having stumbled into a disaster, he could only take things one step at a time.
While Zabuza had been speaking with Yuzuru, Naruto and Sasuke were already growing impatient.
Waiting like this wasn't a solution—and it felt embarrassing.
After exchanging a glance, they decided to take the initiative.
Naruto said in a low voice, "Gaara, you protect Uncle Dazuna with your sand. Sasuke and I will deal with that guy hiding in the mist."
As soon as he finished speaking, his hands formed seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of white smokes burst forth as Naruto created a hundred shadow clones.
In this world, Naruto possessed both the Uchiha and Uzumaki bloodlines, combined with clan entry draws, giving him an enormous chakra reserve.
Even without the Nine-Tails, he could still produce a massive number of shadow clones.
All the clones formed hand seals simultaneously.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gale surged forth, instantly dispersing all the dense mist, revealing the surroundings once again.
Sasuke spotted Zabuza not far away and immediately charged forward with Chidori.
Left with no choice, Zabuza braced himself and engaged them.
Without the Hidden Mist Technique, his taijutsu seemed clumsy in front of Naruto and Sasuke.
The trajectory of his Executioner's Blade was predicted almost the moment it was swung, perfectly read by the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Meanwhile, Naruto used shadow clones as feints, while his real body and Sasuke locked onto Zabuza, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
In just a short time, the tide of battle had completely shifted.
After a brief exchange, Zabuza was sent flying by Sasuke's Lion's Barrage.
There was no helping it—taijutsu specialists like him were heavily countered by the Sharingan.
And ever since he realized that Uchiha Yuzuru was watching nearby, he couldn't focus on the fight at all.
Seeing Naruto and Sasuke charging toward him, Zabuza rapidly formed hand seals.
"Ox—Monkey—Rabbit—Rat—Boar—Rooster—Ox—Horse—Snake—Rat—Tiger—Dog—Tiger—Snake—Ox—Ram…"
He pushed his hand seal speed to the limit, his hands leaving afterimages.
Seeing this, Naruto and Sasuke's expressions turned serious, and they instantly retreated over ten meters.
But the next second, when they heard Zabuza shout, their expressions became strange.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
As the roaring water dragon surged toward them, Naruto and Sasuke completed their own hand seals almost instantly.
"Rat—Dragon—Rabbit—Tiger…"
"Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Boom!
The three water dragons collided violently. The torrent of water sent Zabuza's body flying, smashing him hard into a large tree.
Naruto and Sasuke walked up to him, sneering.
"With that many hand seals, we thought you were about to use some powerful S-rank forbidden jutsu. Turns out it was just Water Dragon Jutsu…"
"Old man, who still uses that many hand seals nowadays?"
As he spoke, Naruto pulled out a kunai, preparing to slit Zabuza's throat.
Though it ended somewhat anticlimactically, Zabuza had still given them a bit of a challenge.