Naruto was the first to raise his hand.
"I'm not backing out!"
"Why?" Kakashi Hatake asked calmly.
"Because—" Naruto glanced at Tazuna, then clenched his fists. "Even if the old man lied to us, he did it for his country! He's trying to break Gatō's monopoly! If we quit now, he's dead—and the people of the Land of Waves will keep suffering!"
He straightened, eyes burning.
"I'm going to be the Hokage! There's no way I'd run away at a time like this!"
Sakura bit her lip, then nodded firmly.
"I… I'll keep going too. It's scary, but I don't want to run away."
Sasuke spoke coldly, without hesitation.
"I have no objections. This is a perfect chance to test the power of the Sharingan."
Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
He turned to Tazuna.
"Then the mission continues. However, Mr. Tazuna—when we return to Konoha, you'll need to pay the difference in mission fees."
"I… I understand…"
Tazuna lowered his head deeply. "Thank you. All of you."
"Don't thank us yet," Kakashi said, clapping his hands together. "We haven't made it to the Land of Waves alive. Let's move."
He crouched beside the unconscious Demon Brothers, checking them briefly.
"We'll keep these two for now. They might still be useful for information. Naruto, make a few Shadow Clones and carry them."
"Got it!"
Naruto formed hand seals, and four Shadow Clones hoisted the bound Demon Brothers onto their shoulders.
---
Three days later.
Near the coastline of the Land of Waves.
Dense fog blanketed the sea.
The group traveled in a small boat, gliding slowly through the mist. The bound Demon Brothers lay on the boat as well, guarded by Naruto's Shadow Clones.
"We're almost there," the boatman whispered. "The dock of the Land of Waves is just ahead."
Standing at the bow, Kakashi suddenly spoke.
"Boatman, are there shallows ahead?"
"Yes—there's a stretch of beach about five hundred meters away."
"Dock there."
"But that's still some distance from the port—"
"Do as I say," Kakashi interrupted flatly.
Ten minutes later, the boat reached the beach.
"Everyone off the boat—now!" Kakashi's tone suddenly sharpened.
They had just stepped onto the sand—
Whoosh!
A massive blade burst out of the fog, cleaving the boat clean in half!
Not only that—the blade also sliced straight through the Demon Brothers still aboard.
Blood sprayed as two bodies collapsed onto the shattered planks.
"What?!"
The boatman screamed and collapsed onto the sand.
"The Demon Brothers—!" Naruto shouted. "They were killed?!"
Sakura's face went deathly pale as she covered her mouth.
Sasuke's pupils shrank.
A tall figure stood atop the broken remains of the boat, looking down coldly at the corpses.
"Trash," the man sneered. "To be caught by a bunch of Konoha brats."
Bandages covered most of his face, leaving only his ferocious eyes visible. In his hands was the massive sword—the Executioner's Blade (Kubikiribōchō)—blood still dripping from its edge.
An overwhelming killing intent radiated outward.
"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi said quietly.
"Oh?" Zabuza's lips curled. "You know me? The Copy Ninja of Konoha—Kakashi Hatake. I've heard plenty about you."
His gaze swept over Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
"You brought three brats here to die? Those two pieces of trash earlier—this is what they deserved."
Naruto stared at the corpses, fists clenched.
Even as enemies… to be killed so casually by their own comrade—
"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura's voice trembled. "He… he killed his own subordinates…"
"This is the world of shinobi," Kakashi replied calmly.
"To some people, comrades are nothing more than disposable tools."
"Damn it…" Naruto growled.
"To die?" Kakashi looked at Zabuza and smiled faintly. "You can try."
"How arrogant!" Zabuza roared, hoisting the Executioner's Blade and leaping onto the beach.
"Let me see how strong the so-called Copy Ninja really is!"
The moment he landed, his killing intent surged.
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were instantly overwhelmed.
Compared to the Demon Brothers, this pressure was on an entirely different level.
Images flooded their minds—
Being split in half.
Throats cut open.
Hearts pierced.
"This… this is a jōnin's killing intent…" Naruto's body trembled uncontrollably.
Sakura's face was white as her legs nearly gave out.
Sasuke grit his teeth, forcibly activating his Sharingan and locking his gaze onto Zabuza.
"Don't let the killing intent control you," Kakashi said calmly, his voice steady and grounding.
"It's only mental pressure. Focus. Stay calm."
He continued, "All three of you, fall back fifty meters. Protect Tazuna and the boatman. This fight is your practical lesson."
"Yes!"
Grinding their teeth, the three retreated.
Naruto glanced back once more at the Demon Brothers' bodies, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.
Zabuza sneered. "Letting the brats watch? You're confident you can beat me?"
"It's not confidence," Kakashi said as he lifted his forehead protector, revealing his left eye.
Three tomoe slowly rotated within the crimson iris.
"It's fact."
"The Sharingan…" Zabuza's eyes narrowed.
From the distance, Sasuke saw it clearly—and his breath caught.
"That's… the Sharingan?!"
"Kakashi-sensei has the Sharingan?!"
His heart surged violently.
The Sharingan was the bloodline limit of the Uchiha Clan—awakened only by Uchiha blood.
Yet Kakashi wasn't an Uchiha.
And that was a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan.
Sasuke had only just awakened two tomoe.
"What… who exactly is he…?"
Questions churned endlessly in Sasuke's mind.
But now wasn't the time.
"Watch carefully…"
He forced himself to focus, his two-tomoe Sharingan spinning at full power, tracking every movement Kakashi made.
Kakashi glanced back at the three.
"Watch closely. This is a jōnin-level battle—the true world of shinobi."
"Sasuke, keep your Sharingan active. Observe every movement and every hand seal."
"Naruto, focus on chakra flow and battle rhythm."
"Sakura, analyze tactics and responses."
"Yes!"
All three answered at once.
Sasuke's voice trembled—not with fear, but excitement.
Zabuza's expression darkened.
"You plan to teach… while fighting me?"
"Is there a problem?" Kakashi replied calmly.
"Bastard!" Zabuza roared. "You're mocking me! I'll show you the price of underestimating your enemy!"
"Mocking you?" Kakashi tilted his head.
"I'm just giving my students a live lesson. You should feel honored—serving as teaching material for Team 7."
His gaze flicked briefly toward the Demon Brothers' corpses.
"You already taught them the first lesson—the cruelty of the shinobi world. Now I'll teach them the second."
"DIE!"
Zabuza charged, swinging the Executioner's Blade.
The sand exploded beneath his feet as he closed the distance in an instant.
"Observe carefully," Kakashi's voice carried to the three.
"A jōnin's basic taijutsu speed is at least five times that of a genin."
Sasuke's Sharingan followed Zabuza's movements.
Fast—
but he could still see it!
Kakashi sidestepped lightly. The blade missed him by a hair, carving a deep trench into the beach.
"Did you see that?" Kakashi continued calmly.
"Dodging doesn't require large movements. Just make the attack miss."
"Unnecessary motion wastes stamina and time."
"So that's it…" Sasuke muttered.
"Every one of Kakashi-sensei's movements is perfectly calculated…"
"Shut up!" Zabuza swept the blade sideways.
Kakashi flipped backward, forming hand seals midair.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Seawater surged upward, forming a massive roaring water dragon that slammed toward Zabuza.
"Sasuke," Kakashi said, "count the hand seals."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly.
"Forty-four!"
"Correct," Kakashi said. "That's the standard version. Once mastered, it can be shortened."
"Simplified…"
Sasuke etched the word deep into his memory.
Zabuza immediately formed seals as well.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Two water dragons collided midair—
Boom!
Water exploded in all directions.
Sasuke stared, eyes wide.
"The Sharingan… it really can copy jutsu…"
And then he saw it clearly.
Kakashi was predicting every move in advance, neutralizing each attack effortlessly.
"This… is the true power of a three-tomoe Sharingan…"
Sasuke clenched his fists.
Compared to that, his two tomoe were still far from enough.
"I have to… become stronger."