Chapter 165: Advice
The Executioner's Blade shot back into the mist even faster than it had arrived, hurtling straight toward Zabuza's concealed position.
"He sensed my real body even after I used the Hidden Mist Technique?"
Zabuza was startled, but he showed no fear.
His towering figure emerged from the fog as he reached out and grabbed the handle of the incoming blade, just as the newcomer had done moments earlier.
The moment his hand closed around the handle, the massive sword came to a complete stop.
Not even a single step backward.
In terms of raw strength, he clearly surpassed the newcomer.
Still, after getting a good look at his opponent, Zabuza couldn't help but offer a bit of praise.
"You're pretty good for a brat."
"That speed and strength aren't bad."
"A shame."
"You're about to die."
"You're... Uzumaki Naruto?"
Could he just happen to be passing through on another mission?
Kurenai also recognized him.
Looking at Naruto's back, she was filled with confusion.
Even if Sakura or Kiba had somehow made it back to Konoha, there was no way reinforcements could have arrived this quickly.
Meanwhile, somewhere far away, a certain silver-haired jonin who couldn't move a finger let out a helpless sigh.
Lying flat on his back, Kakashi slowly raised a hand and touched his mask.
He could almost still feel the lipstick mark left on it not long ago.
At the moment, he couldn't even see his own body.
After being dragged into the shade, he had been placed under a simple camouflage concealment technique.
"What a miscalculation..."
The abandoned Kakashi stared at the sky.
There wasn't another soul around him.
Naruto glanced back at Kurenai and noticed she was still clutching her wound.
"You're Kurenai-sensei, right?"
"Sakura and Kiba are already back in the village receiving treatment."
"Is Shino not with you?"
He really came as reinforcement!
The moment Naruto mentioned her students by name, Kurenai understood.
There was no way he could know those details otherwise.
"We got separated."
"But Shino and the others should still be safe."
"At least they haven't found them yet."
"I see."
"That's good."
"I split up from my teammates while searching for you. Once I sensed your chakra, I came straight here."
Teammates? Is it Kakashi?
Then thank goodness. If Kakashi is here—
No.
If Kakashi were here, he'd never let a subordinate take the lead in a situation this dangerous. He always puts himself in front first.
And there's no way a group could travel from Konoha to the Land of Waves this quickly!
Naruto must have arrived alone through some special method.
His mention of teammates is probably a bluff.
He's trying to make the enemy think more reinforcements are on the way and shake their confidence!
What an incredible young ninja. I almost missed the meaning behind his words!
Through a series of increasingly wild assumptions, Kurenai arrived at a completely different conclusion.
Naruto blinked.
Thinking her silence meant her injuries were worse than he'd thought, he hurriedly asked,
"Your injuries...?"
"Just scratches."
"Nothing serious!"
Kurenai tightened her grip on her kunai.
"That man excels at stealth assassinations and Water Release techniques."
"You should let me—"
She had assumed Naruto wanted her assistance.
Which made sense.
The enemy wasn't weak.
Summoning her remaining strength, Kurenai prepared herself for a desperate battle alongside him.
Then Naruto raised a hand and stopped her.
"No need."
He never looked back.
His crimson fox-like eyes remained fixed on Zabuza.
Confidence shone within them.
"I've got this."
"Finished chatting?"
Across from them, Zabuza rested the Executioner's Blade on one shoulder and laughed.
"Kid."
"You don't actually think that pathetic bluff of yours will work, do you?"
"You should call the woman over too."
"Maybe then you'll survive a little longer."
"Trying to act tough will only get you killed sooner."
He saw through it?
Kurenai's expression changed.
Naruto looked genuinely confused.
"Bluff?"
"Heh."
"Pointing it out would just be cruel."
"I'll pretend your story is true."
"You can keep believing that some powerful teammates are rushing over to save you."
Zabuza shook his head.
The kid was too young.
He hadn't even realized how many holes there were in his lie.
Even the terrified Gato thugs weren't stupid enough to believe Konoha had already sent reinforcements.
The timing was impossible.
This kid clearly hadn't come from Konoha.
Most likely, he'd already been nearby.
Then after discovering how dangerous the enemy was, he'd made up a desperate lie.
Having completely convinced himself of Naruto's thought process, Zabuza lost interest in further conversation.
Perfect.
I'll use this brat's corpse to satisfy Gato.
The woman can keep running a few more days...
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Thick mist exploded outward.
"Before you die, let me give you one piece of advice."
"Next life, if you become a ninja again—"
"Don't casually return a weapon to your enemy."
The mist swallowed everything.
This time, it was far denser than before.
It spread across the entire battlefield.
Visibility dropped to nothing.
Kurenai.
The surviving thugs.
Even Naruto.
None of them could see more than a few inches ahead.
Then even footsteps disappeared.
Only murderous intent remained.
Everywhere.
Nowhere.
Zabuza had correctly guessed that Naruto had located him through his killing intent before.
So this time, he released killing intent from every direction simultaneously.
A deliberate smokescreen.
A trap.
After all, in his eyes, this Konoha brat was just a genin.
There was no chance he'd survive.
And the female jonin certainly knew that.
Once the boy died, she'd flee.
Everything would proceed according to plan.
"Is that so?"
Naruto's voice suddenly echoed through the mist.
He raised one hand.
A sphere of swirling blue chakra formed in his palm.
"Visible chakra?!"
Zabuza's eyes widened.
Then—
Naruto vanished.
Completely.
Before Zabuza could react, a horrifying impact slammed into his abdomen.
"GHHK—!"
Pain exploded through his body.
His mouth filled with blood.
The force launched him straight into the air.
He burst out of the mist, spraying blood as he flew toward the sea.
"Then let me give you a piece of advice too!"
Naruto kicked the Executioner's Blade away before Zabuza could even swing it.
The giant sword spun off into the distance.
"If an enemy gives your weapon back—"
"DON'T USE IT!"
Without hesitation, Naruto shot after the falling Zabuza.
"Zabuza-sama!"
White's expression changed instantly.
He had been calmly observing from the sidelines until now.
But the Hidden Mist Technique dispersed completely.
And White immediately realized something.
Zabuza hadn't been pretending.
He had truly suffered a devastating blow.
Panic flashed across White's face as he hurried after them.
Meanwhile—
The kicked-away Executioner's Blade slid across the ground and stopped directly in front of Kurenai.
Her gaze fell upon the handle.
There—
Etched into the grip—
Was a black spiral marking.
The symbol of the Flying Thunder God.
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