i am kimimaro

Zabuza exclaimed in alarm, not expecting Kimimaro's attack to be so fluid and swift, each move followed by another, with incredible speed.

The Executioner's Blade was massive, and Zabuza's preferred swordsmanship was also wide and sweeping.

Facing Kimimaro's agile, speed-based sword and taijutsu style naturally proved challenging.

Once cornered, Zabuza found himself on the receiving end of attacks.

Having finally created some distance, Kimimaro's Five Finger Bullet technique blocked all of Zabuza's escape routes.

No matter how he dodged, he would be hit by one of the finger bones.

Zabuza frowned slightly. Despite his earlier alarm, he now stood still, seemingly unconcerned about Kimimaro's attack.

At that moment, five senbon shot from the side!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The senbon collided with the finger bones, both falling to the ground.

Haku had intervened!

"Zabuza-sensei, this person is very fast. Close combat is not advisable."

Haku stood beside Zabuza, wary of Kimimaro.

"Indeed. As expected of a survivor of the Kaguya clan, his taijutsu is not to be underestimated."

Zabuza agreed with Haku's assessment.

The Kaguya clan's taijutsu had always been renowned in the ninja world.

Only the Hyuga clan, another bloodline limit clan, could rival the Kaguya in taijutsu.

Kimimaro landed, unfazed that his attack had failed.

Zabuza's taijutsu was not weak. Even if the attack had landed, it would have only caused minor injuries.

If he hadn't caught Zabuza off guard, using his strengths against Zabuza's weaknesses, he might not have been able to suppress him so effectively.

Now that Zabuza understood his advantage, a repeat attempt wouldn't yield the same favorable outcome.

The brief clash between Kimimaro and Zabuza left Team 7 dumbfounded.

"So strong! He actually gained the upper hand against Zabuza?"

Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke clenched his fists even tighter.

As fellow survivors of their respective clans, the power gap between him and Kimimaro was immense.

Their taijutsu alone was on two different levels.

"Damn it, I'm still too weak. How did he train? Are the resources in the Sound Village even better than in Konoha?"

Such doubts arose in Sasuke's mind.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was inwardly relieved.

With Kimimaro's strength, today's situation shouldn't be too dangerous.

"Sakura, Naruto, protect Tazuna and his family. Sasuke, Kimimaro, we'll engage the enemy."

Kakashi immediately issued orders.

"What? I want to fight too!"

Naruto protested.

"Naruto, follow orders!"

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

In such a battle, disobeying orders would only harm oneself and others.

"Hehe, tremble in fear and await your demise."

Zabuza sneered, then vanished into the thick fog with Haku.

The surrounding fog grew denser.

Visibility, once five meters, now barely reached three.

Moreover, the situation worsened, and the field of vision shrank further.

"Not good, he's going to use Silent Killing! Everyone, be careful!"

Kakashi shouted in alarm.

In these conditions, Silent Killing held a tremendous advantage.

Kakashi himself wasn't afraid, but the others lacked such confidence.

If Zabuza struck, it would almost certainly be a one-hit kill.

The Hidden Mist Technique obscured vision, and Silent Killing provided stealth—a perfect combination.

This was Zabuza's specialty.

Sakura flanked Tazuna's family on both sides.

Sasuke and Kakashi stood a bit further away, on high alert.

Kimimaro flashed and landed in front of Tazuna's family, pretending to form hand seals.

"Silent Barrier! Reverse!"

As he spoke, a three-meter barrier expanded outward, centered on Tazuna's family.

Naruto and Sakura were outside the barrier.

Having done this, Kimimaro scanned the surroundings, searching for the enemy's trace.

"Not good!"

Kakashi seemed to have noticed something and exclaimed in alarm.

He moved swiftly, rushing towards Tazuna and his family.

But it was too late.

Zabuza had already appeared beside Tazuna's family, his Executioner's Blade swinging!

This strike could end all three lives at once!

But in the next moment, Tazuna's family vanished from beneath the Executioner's Blade.

They were gone!

All three of them had disappeared!

The Executioner's Blade missed its target.

Zabuza couldn't help but be taken aback.

At that moment, Tazuna's family reappeared ten meters away.

"This... what happened?"

Tazuna didn't understand what had transpired, only feeling as if he had been displaced from his original location.

Regardless, they were safe for now.

Zabuza's eyes widened in disbelief.

"This is... Space-Time Ninjutsu? No, impossible. How could someone his age possess such a high-level technique?"

Kakashi, who had arrived, was equally shocked by the scene.

Silent Barrier, Reverse!

If a completely silent person appeared within the barrier, it would activate, transferring those making noise within the barrier to the outside.

Zabuza's Silent Killing could eliminate even the sound of breathing, and the rapid breaths of Tazuna's family were loud noises within the Silent Barrier.

This reverse application of the Silent Barrier was a result of Kimimaro's sudden inspiration after mastering it to a certain extent.

The wonders of the Silent card were truly numerous.

"They... disappeared?"

Naruto and Sakura were utterly bewildered. They had never witnessed such a technique before.

In the thick fog, although they couldn't see clearly, they could hear the voices of Tazuna's family coming from several meters away.

People suddenly vanishing before their eyes and reappearing elsewhere?

Body Flicker Technique?

They weren't ninja, how could they know such a technique?

Then the scene unfolding before them must be the work of this white-haired boy.

How did he do it?

"If you want to kill them, you'll have to get through all of us first."

Kimimaro stared at Zabuza.

"Kimimaro, you shouldn't oppose me."

Zabuza's eyes blazed with intense killing intent.

Suddenly, crystal-like mirrors began to materialize around Kimimaro, Naruto, and Sakura.

Ice Release! Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!

"What is this?"

Sakura wondered.

The next moment, a tremendous force propelled her from behind, pushing her out of the forming Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

The one who acted was Sasuke!

"Leave this to us, go protect Tazuna-san!"

Sasuke took Sakura's place and whispered.

"Sasuke!"

Sakura wanted to rush back in, but Kakashi stopped her.

"Sakura, don't waste Sasuke's good intentions. That strange technique is likely cast by the masked boy. The three of them should be able to handle it. I'll take down Zabuza. Gato might send other assassins anytime, and Tazuna-san needs protection."

"But..."

"Ninja obey orders!"

Seeing Kakashi's seriousness, Sakura dared not argue further and rushed to Tazuna's family.

The battle entered its second phase.

(End of Chapter)