"Conqueror's Haki and the Lightning-Lightning Fruit?"
Naruto pondered seriously after hearing the two conjectures from the Nine-Tails and soon came to the same conclusion.
Naruto believed that the Lightning-Lightning Fruit should have nothing to do with Observation Haki, so it could only be related to Conqueror's Haki.
But Naruto still felt something was wrong. The influence of Conqueror's Haki he sensed on himself did not seem to come from Observation Haki. Could the three types of Haki actually influence each other?
When Issho explained Haki abilities to them, he didn't seem to mention anything like that.
Or could it be that even Issho didn't know?
After thinking about it, Naruto felt it was very possible. After all, Issho himself did not have the aptitude to awaken Conqueror's Haki, so it was normal for him not to fully understand it.
"Hmm?"
Just as Naruto thought he had found a possible explanation for the sudden expansion of his Observation Haki's coverage, he noticed that the aura previously within his sensing range had silently approached.
His gaze sharpened.
"They're here!"
"What's here?" the Nine-Tails asked curiously.
"Enemies!" Naruto replied in a deep voice, his tone extremely certain.
Because in his perception, the two auras approaching him carried clear hostility.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, bringing with it a thick mist that quickly enveloped the dozens of meters around Naruto.
Inside the dense fog, normal visibility dropped to less than a meter.
"This is… Hidden Mist Jutsu?"
Because Jiraiya's ninjutsu education for Naruto had been very comprehensive, he immediately recognized the source of the surrounding fog.
Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu.
This dense fog, created by using chakra to churn up water, could obstruct the enemy's vision, allowing the caster to move freely within the impenetrable mist and seize opportunities to strike. It was also known as the Silent Killing Technique.
'Teacher Jiraiya said that most ninja skilled in this jutsu are from the Hidden Mist Village. So is the Hidden Mist Village trying to attack me?'
Thinking this, Naruto released his Observation Haki to cover the entire area enveloped by the dense fog. Instantly, he sensed the position of the ninja who had cast the jutsu.
Well… saying "hiding place" might not be entirely accurate.
Perhaps because they were too confident in their Hidden Mist Jutsu, the two of them had no intention of hiding at all. They were standing brazenly less than ten meters directly in front of him.
Little did they know that once Naruto activated Observation Haki, this mere mist was completely useless.
"Hmm? No!"
Naruto was about to form a hand seal to release a Wind Release jutsu to disperse the fog and give them a "surprise."
But at that moment, he discovered that his Observation Haki seemed to have undergone another astonishing change.
Naruto realized that he could now project the perceived images directly into his mind using Observation Haki, without needing to see them with his own eyes.
It was as if he had obtained an all-seeing eye.
"How amazing!"
Watching the images appearing in his mind, Naruto's face filled with excitement.
He then murmured inwardly, 'It seems the sudden change in my Observation Haki must be some special ability I haven't discovered yet.'
At this moment, in the images appearing in Naruto's mind, two figures were standing boldly less than ten meters away from him.
One was tall, and the other was small.
The taller person had short black hair and no eyebrows. He wore a Kirigakure forehead protector with a scratch carved across it. The lower half of his face and his neck were wrapped in bandages.
More importantly, the clothes he wore were exactly the same as those worn by Biwa Jūzō, who had attacked Naruto last time.
A black cloak decorated with red cloud patterns.
Standing beside him was a small child wearing a white fox-eye mask. Judging from his physique, he shouldn't be much older than Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha Village!"
At that moment, the man dressed in black with red clouds suddenly spoke, his voice fluctuating as he addressed Naruto.
"You are now my prey. If you don't want to die, then answer a few questions honestly."
The speaker was Zabuza Momochi, nicknamed the Demon Man.
He was originally a ninja from the Hidden Mist Village. Dissatisfied with the village's tyranny, he once attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage. After failing, he fled the village and became a rogue ninja.
A few months ago, a mysterious person wearing black clothes with red clouds had approached Zabuza, claiming to be a member of the Akatsuki Organization.
The man explained the Akatsuki Organization's grand ambitions and invited Zabuza to join.
Originally, Zabuza had no interest in the Akatsuki Organization and planned to refuse.
However, just as he was about to reject the offer, the man presented a bargaining chip he could not ignore.
The whereabouts of one of the Seven Ninja Swords — Kubikiribōchō.
In the Hidden Mist Village, the Seven Ninja Swords held an extremely special status. Almost every ninja from the village dreamed of becoming the master of one of them.
Zabuza was no exception.
And the sword he coveted happened to be the Kubikiribōchō that once belonged to Biwa Jūzō — the same man Naruto had defeated.
Thus, in order to obtain the whereabouts of Kubikiribōchō, Zabuza agreed to join the Akatsuki Organization.
Using Akatsuki's intelligence network, he quickly learned Naruto's location, which led to the current situation.
Even though Akatsuki's information had already told him that the sword's previous owner had died at Naruto's hands, Zabuza still looked down on a brat younger than his own subordinate.
At this moment, judging from Zabuza's tone, he clearly already regarded Naruto as a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
When Naruto heard Zabuza's words, he almost burst out laughing.
From Naruto's perception, the man in front of him didn't seem particularly strong, yet his arrogance was astonishing.
Still, Naruto suppressed his laughter. He wanted to see if he could extract some useful information.
So he pretended to be slightly frightened and asked, "Who are you? Why are you looking for me? What do you want to know?"
"Shut up. I'm asking the questions!"
Hearing the "fear" in Naruto's voice, Zabuza became even more convinced he had judged correctly. This was nothing more than a wet-behind-the-ears brat.
He even felt greater contempt toward Biwa Jūzō, who had been defeated by such a kid.
Then he coldly asked,
"A few months ago, a ninja carrying a huge broadsword came looking for you. I heard he died at your hands. Where is the sword he was holding now?"
"A ninja with a huge broadsword?"
Hearing this, Naruto immediately recalled the ninja from a few months earlier who had worn the same red-cloud cloak and wielded an enormous broadsword.
Naruto remembered that the man had even used that sword to deflect the Tailed Beast Ball he released.
But in the end, both the man and the sword had been destroyed, leaving behind only the hilt.
Later, that hilt had been melted down and incorporated into Naruto's new weapon.
So… this person had come looking for him because of that man.
---
Happy Reading. Be sure to leave a review!!!
Visit my Patreon for early access to 20+ chapters!!!
P@treon: mrfanfiction140