Chapter 104 - 4

Chapter 4: Defeating HakuOne after another, the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals shattered into a sky full of flying ice shards under the fists of Naruto's Shadow Clones. The absolute defensive formation that had previously driven Sasuke into a desperate situation was, at this moment, as fragile as a glass display case.The ice crystal fragments fell like a torrential rain, piling up a layer of glittering ice shards on the ground.Haku attempted to salvage the situation.His fingers flew, attempting to reconsolidate the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, but the NarutoShadow Clones simply did not give him the chance.Shattering one mirror, they immediately lunged at the next. The dozen or so clones had a clear division of labor; some were responsible for destruction, while others were responsible for pinning down Haku's true body.Whenever Haku gathered needles, a clone would immediately approach from the flank, forcing him to interrupt his attack and switch to defense.In the span of just a few breaths, except for the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystal where Haku was hiding, all other mirrors had been completely shattered.And just at this moment, the real Naruto moved.He scooped up the unconscious Sasuke, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and with a sudden burst of Chakra beneath his feet, transformed into a streak of red light, charging out of the range of the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals amidst the sky full of ice fragments.Haku saw this scene.He instinctively wanted to move to intercept, his fingers already gripping new needles, but the moment his figure stirred, the dozen or so NarutoShadow Clones, having shattered the mirrors, quickly reformed their formation, rushing in unison to stand before the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystal where Haku's true body was located, surrounding him completely.Layer upon layer,the dozen or so Naruto clones wrapped in red Chakra surrounded him tightly.Pairs of blue eyes stared coldly at Haku within the mirror, like a pack of hunters surrounding their prey. If Haku dared to move even an inch, attacks would descend from all directions simultaneously.Naruto gently set Sasuke down and walked toward Haku, who was surrounded by the clones.Haku stood within the last remaining Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystal. The fists of the dozen or so Naruto Shadow Clones surrounding him were already pressed against the surface of the mirror; if he made even the slightest move, this final mirror would instantly shatter.He looked at the impenetrable encirclement around him, took a deep breath, and gathered needles between his fingers once more.This time, he did not aim at any specific clone; instead, he held the needles between his fingers and spread his arms slightly.The next moment, Haku's figure suddenly began to spin within the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystal."Water Release Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"Countless needles erupted from Haku as the center, firing outwards in a three-hundred-sixty-degree omnidirectional blast with no blind spots.The dense swarm of needles was like an exploding rain of pear blossoms, each one carrying precise force capable of piercing muscle, covering every blind spot in the surrounding space.Facing this indiscriminate attack, the Shadow Clones remained unhurried.Some dodged sideways, letting the needles graze past their clothing.Some raised their hands to gather Chakra, flicking the needles away with the backs of their hands the moment they approached, sending up tiny sparks upon impact.Some simply leaped into the air, letting a needle pass beneath their feet to be nailed into the ground behind them, lining up in a row.In the interval of the onslaught, Naruto controlled his Shadow Clones to immediately press forward.With the enhancement of the Nine-Tailed Chakra, the speed at which the Shadow Clones advanced far exceeded what it had been before.Haku had just finished releasing his Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death, and before he could even retract his arms, a Shadow Clone had already closed to within an arm's length of him."Bang!"A fist slammed solidly into Haku's abdomen."Ugh..."Haku let out a muffled groan, his body arching involuntarily, and a crystalline drop seeped out from beneath his mask.Immediately following, a second Shadow Clone cut in from the left, punching Haku in the shoulder blade; the crisp sound of a dislocating joint was clearly audible.A third Shadow Clone circled around from behind and kicked Haku in the back of the knee, forcing him down onto one knee.Bang...Bang...Bang...The dull thuds of fists striking flesh rang out continuously, interspersed with the sounds of Shadow Clones being destroyed.Haku did indeed have skill; even while being swarmed, he still managed to pop two Shadow Clones with his needles at extremely close range, and even had the energy to drive back another Shadow Clone with a clean elbow strike.But this changed nothing.There were simply too many Shadow Clones, and the power of each punch, amplified by the Nine-Tailed Chakra, was too heavy to be something a Genin could deliver. Haku's injuries were accumulating rapidly.Finally, the fist of a Shadow Clone slammed fiercely into Haku's mask.Crack!With a crisp sound, the mask on Haku's face split down the middle, and fragments fell away.Behind the mask, a face was revealed that was so delicate it did not seem like a man's.The skin was fair to the point of being almost transparent, and the features held a delicate beauty between that of a boy and a girl. Strands of long, black hair had fallen loose due to the shattering of the mask, clinging to his pale cheeks."Bang!"With a dull thud, Haku's body was sent flying by a punch, rolling twice on the ground before coming to a stop.Before he could struggle to rise, the remaining Naruto Shadow Clones swarmed him, pinning his shoulders, arms, and legs, firmly restraining him to the ground.The real Naruto walked slowly to Haku's front, looking down at this face that he had to admit was beautiful.Naturally, he knew this was Haku.An orphan possessing the Ice Release Bloodline Limit, picked up by Zabuza from a young age, raised as a tool yet always harboring deep feelings for Zabuza. His kind nature made him fundamentally unsuited to be a Ninja, and in the end, he died under Kakashi's Lightning Blade to save Zabuza.But at this moment, "he" did not know these things.So Naruto looked at Haku in silence for a moment, then spoke."So it was you."This sentence was so simple it carried no information.Haku looked up at Naruto, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. There was not much fear in his eyes, but rather a sense of resignation.He had lost, lost completely.It was not just a crushing defeat in terms of strength, but a total loss in terms of tempo.From the moment the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals were shattered, to being swarmed, to the mask breaking and being restrained, throughout the entire process, he hadn't even managed to mount a few effective counterattacks."Stay here and wait for this farce to end."Naruto said after a moment of thought, and having spoken, he turned his head to look at the battle in the thick fog ahead.Haku was stunned for a moment, then struggled to speak: "Why?""I killed your companion; he was pierced through the entire body by me in order to protect you!"Naruto did not respond.Sasuke, of course, was not dead; he was only heavily injured and unconscious.But he did not need to explain to Haku, because explaining would lead to questions like: "How do you know he isn't dead?" which would only be troublesome.Sometimes, silence is the best answer.Haku looked at Naruto's calm face, opened his mouth, then lowered his head. His eyes dimmed, and in the end, he said nothing.Just at this moment, in the thick fog in the distance, a terrifying power of lightning suddenly exploded.Crack... Zzzzzz...Even across a distance of dozens of meters and layers of thick fog, the sharp, piercing hiss of lightning felt as if it were right next to their ears, making the skin of everyone present feel a tingling numbness.Lightning flashed within the thick fog, illuminating the contours of the mist in flickering light, as if some giant beast were awakening in the clouds."Lightning Blade..."Naruto silently recited the name of this technique in his heart.The battle between Kakashi and Zabuza had also reached its final stage.