On the other side, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watched Zabuza's clone stroll toward them with an air of nonchalance, gripping their kunai tightly, faces tense.
Zabuza, however, showed no sign of tension. Three rookies barely reaching chunin level; a single water clone was more than enough to handle them. Even if something unexpected happened, Haku would ensure it followed the expected course.
Seemingly sensing Zabuza's underestimation, Naruto couldn't resist rushing out to lead the charge. "Damn it, it's just a Shadow Clone Technique, don't be so arrogant!"
But he had only taken one step when Sasuke grabbed him. "Don't fight him one-on-one; he's dangerous." Sasuke added, "And that killing intent emanating from him, almost solidifying, is nearly comparable to Menma's." Had Sasuke not experienced the killing intent and pressure brought by Menma several times before, he estimated he would have been paralyzed with fear right there in front of everyone.
"I felt it too," Sakura, who had been silent for a while, chimed in. Ever since she developed some unusual feelings toward Menma yesterday, she felt she had betrayed Sasuke and couldn't face Naruto directly. However, with a formidable enemy at hand, she couldn't help but look at Naruto. "Should we tell Menma to prepare to cover for us?"
"No!" Naruto immediately refused her. But then realizing his tone was off, he quickly explained, "I don't want to rely too much on Menma. I want to defeat the enemy on my own!"
Sakura clearly didn't see this as an explanation; she just thought Naruto was being childish. "Naruto, don't be silly at a time like this! That's an enemy on par with Kakashi. Only with Menma as a backup can we fight with peace of mind!"
Sakura's distrust and her high regard for Menma made Naruto even more uncomfortable. "I am one with Menma! What he can do, I can do too! I'm no worse than him!" If this were before the Five Elements Seal, Naruto wouldn't have needed to push himself this time; he could have won simply by relying on Kurama's chakra. Unfortunately, all of Kurama's leaked chakra had been blocked. Besides him, Naruto had no other cheat codes to use.
"Heh, you guys are really smug and self-important!" Seeing Naruto and the other two ignoring him and chatting, Zabuza chuckled in exasperation. "Don't think that wearing a headband makes you a ninja. Only those who survive life-or-death crises can be called ninjas! In other words, only those I've registered are ninjas! And you guys…" As he spoke, the water clone vanished from his spot in a flash.
"Gone again!"
"Wait, he's getting closer!"
As the three exclaimed, Zabuza suddenly appeared in front of Naruto at the very front of their formation. At the same time, a powerful whip kick, accompanied by a gust of wind, lashed out. "Completely unworthy!"
The voice and the whip kick landed on Naruto simultaneously. But the expected scene of him being kicked away didn't happen. The water clone's leg was barely blocked in front of him by Naruto and Sasuke, who quickly moved forward. Sakura, behind them, reacted swiftly as well. She shoved Tazuna, whom she was protecting, away. Then, using Naruto and Sasuke's backs as support, she leaped high into the air. Immediately, the shuriken in her hand shot through the air, accurately striking the water clone's head.
"I underestimated you brats…" Zabuza was slightly surprised, but only slightly. His kick was powerful again, knocking Naruto and Sasuke back. At the same time, he reached for the Executioner's Blade behind him and swung it toward the sky. The shuriken raining down were all deflected.
"You underestimated a lot more!"
"I suggest you open your registration book and write down the names of everyone in Team 7!" Although easily knocked back, Naruto's face showed no discouragement. In fact, a lot of confidence appeared. While shouting, he whispered to the two beside him. "Remember the cooperation when we stole the bells?"
"After l finish speaking, I'll immediately use the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to entangle him, and then Sasuke will be like me back then…" Time was of the essence, and Naruto didn't finish his sentence. Sasuke and Sakura, having undergone over a month of team-based combat, instantly understood.
Seeing Naruto spout such arrogant words and then ignore him and the others' quiet discussion, Zabuza's forehead veins bulged, and his eyes lost their previous playful glint. "You bunch of brats playing ninja games; you're really arrogant… You became ninjas just by passing such a merciful graduation exam…" He seemed to be recalling the situation. Zabuza's face was filled with relish and a morbid excitement.
"What do you mean?"
"We became ninjas by passing a cruel exam with only a 30% pass rate!" Zabuza's words instantly ignited Naruto's anger. Their graduation exam was difficult too!
"A 30% pass rate?"
Naruto's words made Zabuza cover his face and double over with laughter. "Hehehe…"
"My graduation exam… I killed all one hundred other examinees to obtain this ninja qualification…"
"What!?" Naruto and the others were shocked, the gruesome scene flashing through their minds.
Hearing the gasps from ahead, Zabuza raised his head. His face, hidden between his fingers, lost its smile, replaced by a chilling killing intent. "The pass rate… oh no, the survival rate is less than one percent!" The instant the word "next" landed, Zabuza swooped down with a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Naruto, however, had already prepared his ninja hand seals during their conversation. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Nearly a hundred Narutos appeared in a flash, surrounding the charging Zabuza. Faced with numerical superiority, Zabuza showed no sign of retreat. His Executioner's Blade swung through the air like a windmill. "Hehehe… Quantity can't compensate for a lack of quality. The ninjas who actually fight their way out far exceed your imagination!"
In just an instant, nearly a hundred shadow clones were wiped out. As Zabuza's true form was revealed, Sakura wielded a massive four-pointed shuriken and hurled it heavily at him. "Fūma Shuriken: Shadow Windmill!"
The massive shuriken whistled through the air. Zabuza squinted, precisely catching the shuriken that whistled toward him. "Wait, there's another shuriken in the shadows!" The shuriken was caught, but another immediately separated, slicing toward Zabuza's body. Zabuza's other hand, wielding his Executioner's Blade, couldn't react in time, and he could only leap up to barely dodge it.
But before Zabuza could even breathe a sigh of relief, Sasuke's cold voice came from behind. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Damn it, it's a Transformation Technique!" Zabuza turned around, his face contorted with rage. His Executioner's Blade swung out, cleaving toward the massive fireball. But this wasn't his true form; even a slight glancing blow from the Fire Release would shatter the clone. "I never thought I'd be defeated by these brats! Why isn't Haku making a move yet!" Zabuza glanced at the distant jungle, a surge of anger rising within him.
However, the approaching senbon and Haku's voice eased his frown. "Hunter-nin Squad, slay the missing-nin Momochi Zabuza!"
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