Chapter 23 : Eight Inner Gate Release
"Eight places: throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid and subclavian veins, kidneys, heart."
"So which one do you want me to attack? Heh." Zabuza deliberately uttered cruel words in a gloomy tone, releasing an overwhelming killing intent to crush everyone's morale. It worked—Naruto and Sasuke would've collapsed under the pressure if Kakashi hadn't been by their side. But Haruto...
"Is it funny, Zabuza?"
That kind of murderous aura is so blatant, it's like the sun at night. Haruto found this version of Zabuza easier to handle than the one in the dungeon. It wasn't Zabuza's fault—Haruto knew everything about him, but Zabuza knew nothing about Haruto. He didn't know Haruto was about to lose grip just earlier. He didn't know Murasame could sense killing intent. The fog didn't affect Haruto's vision much—it only forced him to rely on sound to pinpoint positions.
"Haruto, come back quickly!" Kakashi shouted anxiously. If anything happened to Haruto, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the Third Hokage. But with the dense fog, there was nothing he could do. He wanted to rush forward but couldn't leave Naruto and Sasuke exposed to an ambush. Kakashi was stuck.
Haruto ignored Kakashi's voice. He silently prepared his ultimate move, opened the first Gate, and let chakra burst visibly from his body. Without the fog, the abnormality would've been obvious.
Though others had never heard of the Eight Gates, Mist Village had gathered info ever since Guy's father opened all Eight Gates to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Zabuza could only rely on sound to sense Haruto's approach. He couldn't see a thing.
With chakra surging from opening the Gate of Life, Murasame's blade glowed more intensely and gave off a faint hum.
Suddenly, Haruto appeared in front of Zabuza. With a killing aura, he approached and instantly realized the target ahead had no murderous intent—it was a water clone. Calmly, Haruto changed his attack.
Halfway through the slash, he pulled back and swung in reverse. "Saw Strike." This was one of the top techniques in White Fang sword technique. The vibrating blade increased damage but took long preparation time and could injure the user—usually for assassination.
Zabuza was ready to attack, but Haruto turned mid-strike. Zabuza had to quickly raise his blade to block. Due to lacking chakra reinforcement, the Executioner's Blade cracked—Haruto cut halfway through.