Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke met again for dinner at Tazuna's house.
The room was quiet, but the silence did not feel peaceful.
Naruto ate his food calmly, as if nothing had happened during the day. He seemed completely unaware of the sharp glare Sasuke kept throwing at him from across the table.
Sasuke finally broke the silence.
He turned toward Sakura.
"What did sensei teach you today? Tell me."
Sakura blinked in surprise at the sudden question.
Before she could answer, Naruto spoke first.
"Sensei didn't teach us anything. He just told us to figure it out ourselves. To walk on stream, he said it's similar to tree walking."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
He was clearly not satisfied with that answer.
At that moment, Kakashi appeared near the doorway and looked at his team.
"Are you three done eating?"
Then he turned toward Tazuna.
"From tomorrow onward, we need to help with the bridge building."
Everyone nodded.
But as soon as Sasuke finished his dinner, he stood up suddenly and walked out without saying another word towards the nearby stream.
Sakura watched him leave.
"Where is he going now?"
Naruto answered with a mocking tone.
"Probably to drift somewhere. Typical Sasuke."
But Sasuke had no intention of wandering around.
He went straight to the stream and began practicing water walking.
While Naruto, Sakura, and the others went to sleep, Sasuke kept training. Again and again, he stepped onto the water, slipped, fell, and stood back up.
He practiced through the night.
By the time morning came, he had finally mastered it.
At around six in the morning, Sasuke returned to Tazuna's house, exhausted. His body was tired, his clothes were damp, and his eyes looked heavy.
Without saying anything, he collapsed onto his bed.
Morning arrived soon after.
Kakashi had recovered more than before and was now walking without the help of a stick. He gathered the team near the entrance of the house.
"We need to speed up the bridge-building process," Kakashi said. "Tazuna, Naruto, Sakura, let's move. Sasuke can rest for a bit. He looks exhausted."
They left the house and headed straight toward the bridge.
The air was calm.
The four of them stepped onto the bridge and walked forward. After they covered some distance, mist suddenly began to form around them.
At first, it was thin.
Then it became thicker with every passing moment.
Soon, their vision dropped until they could barely see anything in front of them.
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
"Looks like the guests have arrived."
Kakashi stepped forward.
"You two, protect Tazuna. I'll handle Zabuza."
After saying that, Kakashi disappeared into the mist.
The fog was so thick that Naruto and Sakura could not clearly understand where the enemy was or what was happening around them.
A masked figure slowly appeared from the fog and stepped in front of Naruto and Sakura.
His name was Haku.
At the same time, 8 goons from Gato's company headed toward Tazuna's house.
Naruto stepped in front of Sakura and Tazuna.
"Stay back. I'll take care of him."
Sakura frowned.
"But I can help!"
"No," Naruto said, cutting her off. "This one is strong. He may not be stronger than Zabuza, but he is still dangerous. I can feel it. If you try to help and come too close, it will be harder for me to protect you."
Then Naruto glanced back at her.
"So be a good girl and stay here. Protect Tazuna from any small fries that come near him."
Sakura's eyebrow twitched.
'Cha. Good girl? What does he think I am, a child?'
She wanted to argue, but the pressure coming from the masked figure made her hesitate.
In the end, she nodded.
Still, her face was not happy.
'Good girl, huh?'
Naruto stepped forward and looked at the masked figure.
"Alright. Let's see what you've got."
Haku did not answer immediately.
The mist around them shifted, and in the next moment, ice mirrors began forming around Naruto. They rose one after another, surrounding him from every side.
Naruto looked around, trying to understand the situation.
Haku's reflection appeared inside each mirror.
Before Naruto could react, needles shot toward him from all directions.
They pierced into his body one after another.
Naruto grunted as the needles sank into his skin.
He tried to find Haku's real location, but the attacks were too fast and too precise. Every time he turned, Haku's reflection moved again.
The speed was annoying.
The precision was even more annoying.
Naruto's anger began to rise.
'This little rat...'
More needles came.
Naruto clenched his fist.
"You're avoiding my vital spots on purpose."
His voice was low, but the anger inside it was clear.
"One or two could be luck. But this many? You're mocking me."
Haku's voice came from inside one of the mirrors.
"I won't kill you. This fight doesn't need to end in unnecessary bloodshed."
Naruto's anger deepened the moment he heard that.
To Haku, it may have sounded merciful.
To Naruto, it sounded like an insult.
A low growl escaped from Naruto's throat.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Another needle flew toward him.
But before it could reach his body, something changed.
A strong red chakra began to seep out from Naruto's body. It mixed with his demonic qi and twisted around him like a violent storm.
The temperature around him rose sharply.
The frost beneath his feet began to melt.
The red chakra spun faster, forming a visible tornado of energy around his body. The force was so strong that the ice mirrors began to crack.
Haku's eyes widened behind the mask.
The mirrors shattered one after another, breaking into sharp pieces that rained down like glass.
The red aura coiled around Naruto's body.
Cracks appeared across his skin, but no blood came out. His body looked like it was being pushed beyond its limit, yet his eyes were filled with anger, not pain.
The needle still flew toward him.
Naruto raised his hand and caught it between his fingers.
Then he crushed it in his fist.
The broken pieces fell to the ground.
Naruto looked directly at Haku.
His voice came out like a roar.
"Are you underestimating me?!"
(To Be Continued...)
A/N:
Thank you for reading my work even though there are many mistakes. 😅😁