If not for his personality and the boost from his Ice Release, Haku's strength should not have been inferior to Zabuza's. Unfortunately… he was not suited for the path of a ninja.
Shali thought of Haku's achievements and felt a trace of pride that he had already surpassed the level the two protagonists of Naruto once reached. Suddenly, an image from the anime flashed through his mind—Sasuke's body pierced all over by senbon needles…
Even now, Shali still had doubts. Some of the senbon in the anime were positioned in places that were clearly… fatal. So did Sasuke actually die once? Was he revived only because he was Indra's reincarnation?
Another example was when Kabuto Yakushi used his chakra scalpel on Naruto's heart. It was obvious their hearts had stopped beating at those moments. Tsunade was right beside Naruto at the time. If Sakura had misjudged the situation, could Tsunade have made the same mistake?
Because of these lingering doubts, Shali remembered those scenes very clearly. In the end, he sighed. The truth didn't matter anymore—because as long as he was here, such things would never happen again.
Shali recalled that Haku could form hand seals with just one hand. There weren't many people in the entire series who could do that. Haku was probably one of the few. This intrigued Shali.
Although some of the ninjutsu he practiced now could be cast without seals, not all techniques allowed that. He didn't have time to research every minor jutsu in depth.
As his strength continued to grow, seal speed no longer limited him. With lightning-enhanced acceleration, he could now form four to five seals per second—fast enough in most situations.
Still, he had never tried one-handed seals before. Perhaps he could learn that from Haku.
After Kakashi questioned Tazuna about concealing the truth, the mission ultimately continued because of Naruto's words.
Naruto and Sasuke also asked Kakashi about Shali and whether he would show up. Kakashi naturally assumed that as a jonin, Shali wouldn't have time to idle around, and he hurriedly brushed off their questioning.
Though Naruto and Sasuke didn't quite believe him, Kakashi clearly didn't want to elaborate, so they couldn't press further.
Indeed, Shali was a jonin—his schedule must be tight, right? Yet he still made time to teach them. Both boys felt genuinely moved.
As for Sakura, watching Sasuke and Naruto, she could understand why Sasuke was strong—but when did Naruto become this powerful?
He had always shown strong physical ability at the academy…
So now, was she the weakest in their grade? She had always thought Naruto was the worst. Sakura sighed, glanced at Sasuke, and resolved to study harder—she would make Sasuke see her in a new light.
Ino had already gone so far. She had to work hard too. Sakura patted her cheeks and steeled herself.
Watching this, Shali frowned slightly. Sakura's words…
To be honest, she truly had talent. But in the original story, it didn't fully manifest until after Sasuke defected.
Early on, Sakura showed some potential, but only a little. Later, her growth far surpassed expectations. Shali had once suspected the author forcibly elevated her to keep her relevant.
But now, Shali no longer believed that. Sakura definitely had talent—it depended on her mentality. If she remained fixated on chasing Sasuke…
She might never reach her original potential. From the original storyline, her transformation clearly followed Sasuke's defection—her personality became calmer… and her "inner Sakura" disappeared.
Or perhaps her talents blossomed only after her personality integrated? Shali wasn't certain, but it sounded plausible.
He sighed. This was indeed tricky. Had his intervention indirectly altered Sakura's growth?
After thinking it through, Shali decided that if it couldn't be helped, so be it. It wasn't fair to blame him. Perhaps Sakura herself wished more than anyone that Sasuke would never defect.
At that moment, Shali sensed a powerful chakra signature approaching. A faint smile curved his lips.
He was finally stepping onto the stage.
Demon of the Hidden Mist—Zabuza Momochi.
A New Year's Letter to Readers
This is a small event. I thought about it before deciding to participate.
First of all, I want to thank all my readers. The performance of this book actually exceeded my expectations.
When the contract first began, the first batch of selections didn't choose it. By the time the eighth batch selected it, the book had already reached about 50,000 words.
Later, when it hit 100,000 words and still hadn't received its first recommendation, it looked like it might fail.
But when the book finally went premium, I was truly surprised. The subscription numbers were quite good. I sincerely thank everyone.
I don't know if anyone has been here since the very beginning. You might remember I started with 2,000 words per day, then increased to 4,000, and now I generally write over 6,000 daily. It's not that I wasn't working hard before—I've always been working hard.
I've made many mistakes during the writing process. Since I write based on my own reader preferences, it inevitably differs from mainstream tastes (for example, chapter structure). But you're welcome to point things out directly. Once I understand which parts are my personal niche preferences, I'll pay special attention to them.
Finally, thank you again for your support. In the new year, I will work even harder and hope to achieve even greater results. I wish all my readers good health and smooth sailing in everything!
Chapter 119: Changes in Naruto and Sasuke
Kakashi and his team walked as if unaware of the approaching danger.
"Get down!" Kakashi suddenly shouted, his body tensing.
The moment his voice rang out, something massive tore through the air—a blade larger than a grown man.
The Executioner's Blade spun overhead and embedded itself in a tree.
"What's going on?" Sakura quickly moved to shield Tazuna.
But Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke were all staring at the blade—or more precisely, at the figure standing atop it, his lower face wrapped in white bandages.
"Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza?!" Kakashi's expression turned grave. He hadn't expected that beyond two rogue ninjas, a C-rank mission would involve someone of this caliber.
If Zabuza was involved, this mission was at least A-rank.
"I've long admired your name, Sharingan Kakashi. The man you're protecting is my target. Care to hand him over?" Zabuza said, a terrifying killing intent erupting from him.
Yet to his surprise, only the little girl reacted as expected. The other two kids… showed almost no reaction.
Impossible. They were clearly fresh academy graduates. How could they withstand the killing intent he had accumulated over years?
"That's it? Worse than Shali," Naruto said, feeling a chill but not fear. He straightened his Leaf forehead protector.
"Indeed," Sasuke smirked faintly. Back then, Shali's killing intent had forced him to awaken his Sharingan.
Sasuke glanced at Kakashi. Sharingan? Kakashi?
Kakashi finally understood why Naruto and Sasuke had improved so suddenly—they had sought out Shali.
Though puzzled, Kakashi felt a trace of goodwill. Shali must truly value his comrades.
Unfortunately, he didn't know Shali's deeper motivation was self-improvement—he simply had extra time lately.
"Step back. You can't participate in this fight," Kakashi said seriously, revealing his three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. We won't drag you down," Naruto said, chakra surging.
"Hmph, childish demon," Sasuke muttered, activating his own two-tomoe Sharingan.
Kakashi was stunned. At this level, resisting killing intent alone was helpful.
He relaxed slightly. "Sakura, take Tazuna back."
Zabuza withdrew his killing intent, conserving chakra. But he was shocked by Naruto's immense chakra and Sasuke's Sharingan.
"Looks like Konoha has produced a fine newcomer. All the more reason to kill him!" Zabuza declared, chakra erupting.
The battle began.
Hidden in the shadows, Shali smiled. Naruto and Sasuke were performing brilliantly.
Without needing to protect them constantly, Kakashi quickly gained the upper hand. Zabuza soon found himself in danger.
Shali sensed someone else stirring and moved silently.
Soon, he stepped into view.
"You're a Konoha ninja," said Haku, wearing a Mist ANBU mask.
"Yes. You're worried about Zabuza. Should I call you Mist ANBU—or Zabuza's companion?" Shali asked softly.
Haku's eyes widened. He had to eliminate this opponent quickly and assist Zabuza.
But in the next instant, his body stiffened in terror.
"So eager to help him. I suppose you truly are his partner. Since Zabuza tried to intimidate my comrades… why don't you try the same?"
A faint crimson glint flashed in Shali's eyes as killing intent surged outward.
Though he had restrained it over time, his killing intent was sharper and more piercing than Zabuza's—bolstered by his far stronger spiritual power.
Haku finally understood why Zabuza's killing intent had no effect on those boys. Compared to this overwhelming aura—like death itself—Zabuza's felt lesser.
When had Konoha produced such a god of slaughter?
Realizing he couldn't match this opponent, Haku nevertheless focused on Zabuza.
"Zabuza-sama!!"
Zabuza had been struck by Kakashi.
Haku's eyes widened. He hurled several senbon at Shali while forming seals with one hand.
"Don't rush."
Iron blocks appeared beside Shali, deflecting the senbon. He caught one and threw a kunai.
But Haku had already completed the seal one-handed.
"Water Release: Thousand Needles of Death!"
In the next moment, thousands of condensed water needles formed around Haku and shot toward Shali.
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