NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28 – Battle with Zabuza
"So I'm telling you, Naruto, under no circumstances should you—"
Wait!
In an instant, Kakashi sensed a sudden surge of chakra.
"Everyone, get down!"
Boom!
Exploding tags detonated all around Team 7, but thanks to Kakashi's quick reaction, everyone was shielded from the worst of the blast.
The powerful explosion immediately put the entire team on high alert.
Even far away, Nagi sensed the disturbance from the direction of the village.
"Oh? Interesting. Looks like Zabuza still hasn't given up."
After making sure the children were safe, Nagi leapt toward the source of the commotion.
On the other side, the situation wasn't looking great.
Kakashi's strength was proving to be an unpredictable factor. In the original story, he had fought Zabuza to a standstill—and now, even without his Executioner's Blade, Zabuza was still deadlocked with Kakashi.
If this were a stat sheet, Nagi would've given Kakashi a gold-tier rating without hesitation.
"No wonder they call him the Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi!"
Zabuza hadn't expected his assassination target to be Kakashi himself.
What the hell? Even elite ninja like Kakashi were taking on missions of this level now?
Are you trying to make the rest of us look bad?
"Missing-nin from Kirigakure—Momochi Zabuza. Everyone stay sharp. He's extremely dangerous!"
Kakashi stared at Zabuza with a wary expression.
The two exchanged a quick flurry of moves.
And then—
To everyone's shock, Kakashi—who Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had so much faith in—was trapped inside Zabuza's Water Prison Jutsu.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto shouted in a panic as the situation quickly turned dire.
"Hmph, can't move now, can you, Kakashi?"
"I'll deal with the rest of you first!"
Water Clone Jutsu!
Zabuza kept the real Kakashi trapped while sending a water clone after the kids.
Even though it was just a clone, neither Naruto nor Sasuke stood a chance against it.
Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!
At the last second, thick wooden branches erupted from the ground and wrapped around the water clone, squeezing it until it burst into a puddle.
"It's Nagi!"
Sakura's anxiety melted away the moment she saw him.
"He… he took it out… just like that?"
Naruto stared, dumbfounded.
Kakashi had been trapped by Zabuza's jutsu, but the clone couldn't even last a single move against Nagi. Just how powerful was he now?
"There he goes again—showing up right when it counts…"
Sasuke didn't even know if he was envious or just jealous at this point. He'd been ready to act, but Nagi had already dealt with the threat in one clean strike.
"When… when will I finally catch up to him…"
His eyes burned with frustration.
"No way…"
Hidden in the mist, Haku was in disbelief.
Zabuza's clone had been wiped out just like that?
And by a kid not much older than him?
"Lord Zabuza!"
He began to worry whether Zabuza could even handle this.
"So, you still haven't left the Land of Waves, huh, Zabuza?"
Nagi stepped forward, his eyes calm and mocking.
"Damn it—you're working together with them?!"
Zabuza finally pieced it together.
Nagi was with Kakashi.
"Nagi, be careful. This guy's tough to handle!"
Still trapped inside the water prison, Kakashi tried his best to warn him.
The name Demon of the Hidden Mist wasn't for show. Zabuza was infamous across the entire shinobi world. Even if Nagi was powerful, he lacked the real combat experience that Zabuza had.
"Hmph. We'll see about that."
To Nagi, Zabuza was just a convenient whetstone—a good way to test the jutsu he'd recently mastered.
Mutual Multiplication Exploding Tags!
In the blink of an eye, Nagi vanished.
"He disappeared?!"
Zabuza was stunned. He'd been paying close attention—so how had the kid slipped away?
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura suddenly cried out.
Zabuza snapped to attention—he was covered in exploding tags.
"???!"
What the hell?! When had this happened?
BOOM!!!
A chain of explosions ripped through the area, even sending waves of water high into the air.
The Water Prison Jutsu trapping Kakashi was blown apart instantly.
SPLASH!
A spray of water burst from where Zabuza had been. It looked like he'd barely escaped using a water clone and the river around them.
"Everyone stay alert!"
Now free, Kakashi reached for his headband, ready to get serious.
But Nagi stopped him.
"Kakashi-sensei, focus on recovering. Leave Zabuza to me."
Nagi wasn't about to let Kakashi interfere. This was his XP grind session, and he intended to max it out.
"…Alright. Just be careful."
Kakashi trusted him. Nagi wasn't someone who acted on pride—if he said he could handle it, he meant it.
Besides, that earlier exploding tag combo had almost taken him out too.
Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!
Suddenly, Zabuza surfaced from the river and launched a water dragon straight at Nagi.
Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!
Nagi clapped his hands together and made a simple hand sign. A row of wooden pillars bent upward from the ground, forming a curved shield that blocked the attack.
"…The hell?!"
Underwater, Zabuza was nearly triggered.
That kid made the hand signs that fast?
He'd needed to form a lot of signs just to cast the Water Dragon. But Nagi? A single hand clap and he was done.
Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!
Zabuza stirred the water with his chakra, summoning a dense fog that quickly filled the air.
"Heh. Now he's lost all visual on me!"
He grinned to himself. This was Kirigakure's specialty jutsu.
Nagi couldn't see him now—but Zabuza could still hunt him through the mist.
The advantage was his.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]