"You bastard, so you're all working together!"
Zabuza finally pieced it together. It turned out that Shiro had been operating in perfect tandem with Kakashi from the very beginning.
"Shiro, stay sharp! This man is a different breed of dangerous!"
Still trapped within the swirling depths of the water prison, Kakashi did his utmost to shout a warning. The name "Demon of the Mist" carried weight across the entire shinobi world. While Kakashi acknowledged Shiro's raw power, he feared the boy's lack of battlefield experience would be his undoing against a veteran killer like Zabuza.
"Hmph, we'll see about that!"
To Shiro, Zabuza wasn't a threat—he was a whetstone. He was the perfect target to test the advanced techniques he had recently mastered.
"Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags!"
In a heartbeat, Shiro's form flickered and vanished.
"He's gone?"
Zabuza's eyes narrowed behind his bandages. He had been tracking the boy's chakra intently, yet the target had simply slipped out of existence. How could a mere graduate move faster than his perception?
"Kakashi-sensei, look!" Sakura's voice rang out, filled with alarm.
Zabuza suddenly felt a strange weight across his torso. Looking down, he realized with a jolt of horror that his entire body had been papered with explosive tags.
"What?! When did he—?!"
*BOOM!*
A deafening chain reaction of explosions tore through the clearing, sending geysers of river water erupting into the sky. The shockwave was so violent that the Water Prison holding Kakashi shattered instantly.
*Splash!*
A massive spray of water erupted from where Zabuza had stood. It appeared the mercenary had managed to substitute himself with a water clone at the final millisecond, barely escaping the brunt of the blast.
"Stay focused, everyone," Kakashi commanded. He landed on the water's surface, his hand reaching for his headband to reveal his hidden eye. He was ready to end this.
But Shiro stepped in his way.
"Kakashi-sensei, stand back. You're injured—focus on recovering. I'll handle Zabuza myself."
Shiro had no intention of sharing the glory. He had finally encountered a high-level opponent, and he fully intended to harvest every bit of combat experience he could from the encounter.
"Alright. Just don't get careless," Kakashi said, relenting. He knew Shiro wasn't prone to empty boasting; if the boy claimed he had it under control, he likely did. Besides, the heat from those explosive tags had been intense even from a distance.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Zabuza lunged from the depths of the river, a massive serpentine torrent of water roaring toward Shiro.
"Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!"
Shiro slammed his palms together. With a single, fluid motion, several thick wooden pillars burst from the riverbed, arching upward to form a reinforced dome that absorbed the impact of the water dragon.
"Impossible!"
Submerged beneath the surface, Zabuza nearly lost his composure. *How is his molding speed so high?* Zabuza had spent years perfecting his hand seals to cast that dragon in seconds, yet this boy had countered him with a single clap of his hands.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
Desperate to regain the initiative, Zabuza blanketed the area in a dense, chakra-infused fog that swallowed everything in sight.
"Now... you're blind," Zabuza sneered from within the mist. This was the signature technique of the Hidden Mist Village. With his enemy's vision gone, he could strike from any angle with total impunity.
---
The nearby river provided Zabuza with an infinite source of moisture, allowing him to maintain the thick fog with minimal effort. With the environment tailored to his strengths, he felt invincible.
"Now's my chance!"
Moving like a ghost through the white void, Zabuza utilized the *Silent Killing* technique. He drifted behind Shiro, drawing a razor-sharp kunai to deliver a fatal strike to the boy's neck. His only regret was that he didn't have his signature greatsword to finish the job.
He didn't notice the faint, mocking smile on Shiro's face.
*Clang!*
Shiro spun with impossible precision, drawing the massive Executioner's Blade from a storage scroll and swinging it in a wide, horizontal arc.
It was a single, perfect motion. By the time Zabuza realized he had been detected, the heavy blade was already carving through the air. The flat of the steel slammed into Zabuza's chest, the jagged edge biting deep. If Shiro had been more accustomed to the balance of the oversized sword, Zabuza would have been split in two.
*Spurt!*
Zabuza was sent hurtling through the mist, a spray of blood trailing behind him.
*How... how did he find me?!* Zabuza gasped, his mind reeling. He had been perfectly concealed, his scent and sound suppressed by the chakra in the fog.
He hit the ground hard, coughing up a mouthful of blood. The wound on his chest bled profusely—the ultimate irony of being cut down by his own legendary weapon. Without Zabuza's chakra to sustain it, the mist began to thin and vanish.
"Lord Zabuza!"
The mist cleared to reveal the fallen mercenary. The students on the sidelines were paralyzed with shock. Haku, watching from the shadows, felt his heart sink. He couldn't believe his master had been outmatched in the very environment he was famous for dominating.
"What just happened? Why did the scary guy suddenly fall over?" Naruto blinked, having seen nothing but white fog until a second ago.
"Shiro... he used that massive sword to counter," Sasuke explained, his voice low and trembling. Through his Sharingan, he had seen the dim outlines of their chakra signatures. Zabuza had moved for a perfect sneak attack, but Shiro had reacted as if the fog didn't even exist.
Sasuke's grip tightened on his kunai. *He doesn't even have a Sharingan, yet his perception is better than mine?* The realization was a bitter pill to swallow. Shiro wasn't just strong; his tactical awareness was beyond comprehension.
"As I thought—there are no useless jutsu, only useless ninja," Shiro remarked casually.
He was grateful for the *Piercing Vision* entry he had obtained previously. Initially, he had been disappointed that it only cleared environmental obstructions rather than granting full immunity to illusions. But against a Mist ninja, it was the ultimate counter. To Shiro, the thick fog had been as transparent as glass. He had watched Zabuza circle him like a confused predator before calmly waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"How? My Hidden Mist technique is flawless... you shouldn't have been able to see a thing!" Zabuza wheezed, struggling to stay upright.
"Nothing is impossible," Shiro replied, walking toward him. "If you have any last words, speak them now. You don't have much time left."
Shiro glanced toward the trees where Haku was lurking. He knew the Hunter-nin would be making a move any second now.
"I... I still don't know your name," Zabuza rasped, his pride shattered as he knelt in the mud. He wanted to know the name of the monster who had ended his legend.
__________________________
Thanks for reading and supporting the story. If you want early access to advanced chapters, check out my Patreon.
[patreon .com /daydreamer7] (no blank space)
If you are not capable no worries-you'll get the chapters soon enough. Appreciate you being here!