Chapter 54: Are You Sure You're Not Performing a Large-Scale Ritual Right Now?
Zabuza's face was full of shock. Even though thick white mist surrounded them,
Naruto couldn't see his expression.
But right now, Zabuza was genuinely questioning his entire life.
The indestructible giant blade in his hand
had bent inward slightly.
That one punch—
Zabuza had no idea how much force Naruto had actually used!
But it hurt like hell!
Yet there was something even more terrifying.
"Why the hell could that damn brat pinpoint exactly where I was?"
"Does he have some kind of kekkei genkai too?"
"Wait… could it be those eyes that suddenly turned gold?"
Of course Zabuza had no idea what the Rinnegan was…
At his level,
he had no access to that kind of knowledge!
Zabuza's face looked ugly.
Being punched by a teenage genin brat.
The humiliation was unbearable!
"Brat! I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
As soon as he spoke,
Zabuza's hands flew through seals.
On the shore, Kakashi's heart sank.
"Damn it! Naruto—get back here!"
Even with the Sharingan, Kakashi could see through the mist,
but Naruto was too far away.
He hadn't noticed the change in Naruto's pupils!
But not seeing didn't mean he couldn't feel the danger.
As a veteran elite ninja with rich battlefield experience,
and knowing some of Zabuza's reputation,
Kakashi realized Zabuza was about to unleash a B-rank Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Water Dragon Bullet grew stronger near water sources!
And right now, Zabuza was standing on the lake.
The power of the Water Dragon Bullet would be massively amplified.
"Ushi… Saru… U…—"
Zabuza placed his giant blade behind him and rapidly formed hand seals.
He kept muttering something under his breath.
Damn it… forty-four hand seals in the early stages… how did the author even write this?
If they really did this in the later parts,
the plot would've been over before the cucumber got cold.
Naruto looked on with contempt. His legs tensed, and his whole body shot forward like a cannonball!
Boom—
With god-tier taijutsu boosting him,
he could move however he wanted!
And with taijutsu trained to this level, the speed he burst out with was nothing to scoff at.
Even though this power came from a system reward,
there was zero discomfort.
It felt like something he had trained himself for years.
"Are you brain-damaged?"
"What normal ninja stands there forming hand seals in the middle of a fight?"
"Forty-four seals—you're not tired, but I'm exhausted just watching."
"By the way—are you sure you're not performing a large-scale ritual right now?"
Zabuza: ???
Little kid, do you have a lot of questions?
Who the hell isn't a normal ninja?
You damn genin—probably never seen a B-rank technique in your life.
That's why you're talking so big!
Damn country bumpkin who's never seen the world!
Do you know how hard it is to form forty-four seals?
Seriously.
If you could release ninjutsu without hand seals,
I wouldn't bother with all this flashy nonsense either.
I'd just blast you with a Water Dragon Bullet and be done with it.
Zabuza's face turned dark. His hand seals almost stopped midway.
Mm… he was pissed off by Naruto!
Naruto's voice carried all the way to the shore,
making Kakashi and the others' mouths twitch.
Sakura tilted her head in confusion and asked:
"Kakashi-sensei—is what Naruto-kun said true?"
"Ninjas don't need hand seals when fighting."
Kakashi's eyelid twitched. He explained:
"That's nonsense—pure nonsense!"
"How do you release ninjutsu without seals?"
Sakura looked even more confused.
"But… Naruto-kun's Rasengan earlier didn't require hand seals either."
Kakashi froze completely.
That… was true!
Naruto had just shown it in front of him earlier.
No hand seals at all!
Good grief!
Now Kakashi was completely stumped. He didn't know how to answer his student.
"AAAHHH!!!"
A miserable scream of pain
came from the center of the lake.
Naruto had interrupted Zabuza's "casting" session.
Without mercy, he slammed a brutal punch straight into Zabuza's face.
The force was immense!
Judging from Zabuza's pig-slaughtering scream—
it spoke for itself.
Naruto had given Zabuza a chance.
But this guy just wasn't capable!
Forming seals for half a day!
In Naruto's eyes, it was painfully slow.
Like a turtle.
No—sorry, that insulted turtles. Turtles crawled faster than Zabuza formed seals.
Zabuza's teeth got knocked out a few.
Good thing he wore a mask.
The teeth didn't fly out.
But blood soaked the mask red.
Naruto didn't know if this punch had crooked the guy's mouth.
If Zabuza became the ninja world's first crooked-mouth ninja,
that would be hilarious!
Very lively.
Otsutsuki Crooked-Mouth War God—imagine how exciting that would be.
Naruto's pupils gradually returned to normal.
The surrounding thick white mist slowly dissipated.
With Zabuza sent flying and teetering on the edge of collapse,
the technique couldn't be maintained.
When the caster was about to die,
how could the ninjutsu possibly continue?
The huge change in the surroundings…
how could the people on shore not notice?
Sakura looked around in shock.
"Kakashi-sensei—what just happened?"
Kakashi pulled his headband back down, covering the Sharingan again.
He smiled faintly.
"Looks like Naruto succeeded!"
"How should I put it… you can think of it as: once the caster is taken down and can no longer supply chakra, the ninjutsu collapses on its own."
After a pause, Kakashi remembered how he'd just been face-slapped.
He couldn't speak too absolutely.
Otherwise he'd get slapped again later—what then?
As a respectable teacher, how embarrassing would that be?
So he added:
"Of course—that's generally how it works. There are exceptions."
Sakura nodded her little head.
She mentally noted it down in her small notebook.
Back to the topic.
Right now, what she cared about most was the strength Naruto had just shown!
Once again shattering her understanding!
She used to think Naruto was already at the third layer—insanely strong.
Who knew—he was operating in the stratosphere!
Suddenly remembering how Naruto used to pursue her
and how she had rejected him back then—
she really was blind!!!
Her intestines turned green with regret again.
If she had known earlier how powerful Naruto would become—she would've said yes!
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