With a unanimous decision from Team Seven, everyone agreed to continue the mission.
After another day's travel, Team Seven had crossed the border of the Land of Fire and entered the territory of the Land of Waves.
The small nation of the Land of Waves was breathtakingly beautiful. At dawn, a thick sea mist rose from the water's surface, obscuring and revealing the diverse marine life and aquatic plants within.
This sight was truly eye-opening for Team Seven, who were experiencing the ocean for the first time.
Sakura couldn't help but sigh wistfully.
If it weren't for the wicked Gato's control over the Land of Waves, even with the Land of Water remaining isolated, this country could have thrived as a popular tourist destination, gradually prospering through its natural splendor.
'Who exactly is this ninja Gato hired?'
Sasuke sat on the small boat heading toward the Land of Waves, his enhanced vision already able to discern the distant islands and the unfinished bridge through the thick mist.
Yet his vigilance remained unshaken. He continued to ponder the identity of this newly emerged ninja.
'Could it be him?'
A name flashed through Sasuke's mind.
'But shouldn't he be at the Gold Mine in the Land of Rivers, exploiting those miserable miners and villagers right now?'
Lost in thought, Sasuke suddenly sensed two pairs of eyes filled with malice and coldness piercing through the dense fog, fixed on them.
'They're about to strike!'
Sasuke's gaze darkened slightly. His greatest fear was that Zabuza and his group would ambush them at sea while they were aboard the boat.
Although Team Seven had learned to walk on water, Sakura and Kakashi were the exceptions.
Both Sasuke and Naruto would be severely hampered in a maritime battle, while Zabuza and his group could unleash their full combat prowess on the water.
Moreover, they had to protect Tazuna, a civilian.
"Be careful!" Sasuke warned. "Someone's watching us."
No sooner had he spoken than the entire team tensed, their guard up.
Kakashi's expression turned wary. Just as he was about to ask Sasuke, a sudden jolt ran through his heart.
Whoosh!
The massive Executioner's Blade shot out from the fog, spinning wildly with a deafening crack as it hurtled toward Sasuke and the others.
"Get down!"
Kakashi's reaction was lightning-fast.
His shout hadn't even finished echoing when Sakura and Naruto, acting in perfect sync, dropped to the deck.
Only Tazuna, a civilian, remained frozen in shock, utterly bewildered.
Seeing this, Sasuke, who was closest to him, grabbed Tazuna and forced him to the ground, narrowly avoiding the blade's attack.
Just as everyone had evaded the Executioner's Blade, a deafening roar erupted!
The next moment, a blinding light burst from the thick mist above, and a lightning blade plunged downward with astonishing speed toward the small boat!
"Scatter!" Kakashi shouted.
The group leaped forward simultaneously, while Sasuke grabbed Tazuna and jumped backward alone.
The lightning blade struck the center of the boat. Sasuke and Tazuna, positioned toward the rear, could only retreat further.
BOOM!
The lightning blade cleaved the boat in two with a deafening crash.
"So, it's Kakashi of the Sharingan of Konoha," a cold, harsh voice emerged from the mist as Kakashi and his group landed.
Looking up, Kakashi saw a towering, muscular, shirtless masked man emerge from the mist, wielding the massive Executioner's Blade.
His slightly sinister gaze clearly mocked their disheveled state.
"I never expected to encounter the infamous Copy Ninja here. How amusing."
Zabuza stood effortlessly on the water's surface, his colossal blade in hand, unwavering and unmoving.
His deep, icy tone carried an oppressive weight that bore down on the group.
Zabuza casually glanced at Naruto and Sakura before turning to Kakashi. "Excuse me," he said blandly, "but could you hand over the old man behind you?"
Kakashi smiled faintly, feigning reluctance. "I'd rather not fight you, but... I'm afraid I'll have to refuse!"
With that, Kakashi raised his headband, revealing his Sharingan with its three crimson tomoe.
"Sakura, Naruto, go reinforce Sasuke immediately and protect Mr. Tazuna! This is my fight—stay out of it!"
Naruto hesitated, but Sakura immediately understood.
"Understood!"
As the pair moved to support Sasuke, the water around them surged, instantly transforming into countless ice-crystal senbon that shot toward them.
They barely managed to evade the barrage.
Ice Release: Thousand Flying Ice Needles!
"My apologies, though I'd rather not fight you two, you can't pass."
A petite ninja wearing the mask of the Hidden Mist Village's assassination squad blocked Sakura and Naruto's path, barring their way.
Meanwhile, Sasuke watched from afar as a green-haired man with a steel fork-like weapon, shrouded in a massive black cloak, approached.
'Just as I suspected,' he thought grimly.
Kurosuki Raiga!
Originally created for the anime, Raiga was later introduced into the manga by Kishimoto Masashi, becoming one of the first members of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the inaugural wielder of the Thunder Blade: Kiba!
However, there are conflicting details between the manga and anime regarding Raiga's fate.
In the manga, he is killed by Ringo Ameyuri, who subsequently becomes the second wielder of Kiba.
In the anime, Raiga remains alive and well for years after Ringo Ameyuri's death, eventually becoming a rogue ninja.
Ultimately losing the will to live, he is knocked off a cliff by Naruto's Naruto Uzumaki Barrage.
As he plummets, he uses Lightning Release to perform his own "funeral," committing suicide mid-fall.
Over the years, besides relying on newspapers and television for information about the outside world, Sasuke had also frequently purchased intelligence from Granny Cat.
As a former Uchiha intelligence network, Granny Cat's reach couldn't rival that of the Five Great Nations or the Akatsuki, but she still ranked among the most formidable intelligence brokers in the shinobi world.
Although the Land of Water had severed ties with the outside world in recent years, that didn't mean fewer spies were infiltrating the nation.
Moreover, the changing wielders of the Seven Ninja Swords wasn't exactly a closely guarded secret.
Just as in his previous life, people could easily learn the names of foreign leaders with a little effort, though classified details remained elusive.
Combining Granny Cat's intelligence with Sasuke's own deductions, he learned that Kurosuki Raiga had indeed clashed with Ringo Ameyuri in this world, but he hadn't been killed.
Instead, he was gravely wounded, and the Thunder Blade: Kiba was taken from him.
After Ringo Ameyuri died of illness, Kurosuki Raiga reclaimed the Thunder Blade: Kiba!
Sasuke could understand Kurosuki Raiga's defeat at Ringo Ameyuri's hands.
After all, Ringo Ameyuri was widely recognized by Kirigakure as their most outstanding "genius ninja of Lightning Release," wielding the Thunder Blade: Kiba with unparalleled mastery.
In contrast, Kurosuki Raiga had suffered psychological trauma during the Third Shinobi World War.
After being kicked by Might Duy, his shattered confidence drove him to seek pleasure solely through the brutal slaughter of miners and villagers.
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