Chapter 18 Cooperation!
Rin Itsuka checked the mission panel and saw that the mission to protect Tazuna had been upgraded from C-rank to A-rank, and the reward had changed from experience points to upgrade tickets. She nodded in satisfaction.
Suddenly, a thick fog rolled in, and the surroundings quickly became pitch black as Zabuza and Kakashi separated.
"Eight vital points: throat, spine, lungs, liver, kidneys, heart, carotid artery, and subclavian vein. Which one shall I target? Hehehehe..."
Zabuza's voice came from all directions, as if he had surrounded all five of them by himself.
"You're carrying the Executioner's Blade. Aren't you going to go for the head?"
Rin Itsuka asked curiously.
"Hehehe, alright, since you're so eager, I'll grant your wish!"
The next instant, Zabuza appeared among the group and was about to swing his sword when Rin Itsuka suddenly spun around and struck him with her palm.
Although the fog could obstruct her vision, a demon's ears weren't just for show. She had already pinpointed Zabuza's location.
"What?!"
Caught off guard by Rin Itsuka's speed, Zabuza had no choice but to raise his sword blade to block the palm strike.
Bang!
The Falling Flower Palm struck the Executioner's Blade, unleashing a burst of powerful force that sent Zabuza skidding back several steps.
Pfft!
A kunai drove into Zabuza's side as Kakashi appeared behind him.
"It's over!"
"Oh, is it?"
Zabuza sneered and dissolved into water that spread across the ground — it had been a water clone all along.
The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and swung the Executioner's Blade, cutting him in two. But the next moment, Kakashi also dissolved into water. Zabuza realized then that Kakashi had copied his water clone technique.
"Now it really is over!"
Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza with a kunai pressed against his neck.
Zabuza chuckled coldly. "I'll admit I underestimated you. But..."
"I'm not so easy to finish off!"
A second Zabuza suddenly appeared behind Kakashi, sweeping the Executioner's Blade horizontally.
Kakashi instinctively slashed at that Zabuza's neck with his kunai, then immediately ducked to dodge the blade.
The Zabuza whose throat had been cut did indeed dissolve into water. But the Zabuza behind Kakashi, having missed his swing, immediately followed up with a kick that sent Kakashi flying into the water nearby.
Kakashi instinctively scattered caltrops as he fell, but it had no effect.
"This water is too heavy!"
Kakashi, who had intended to strike from underwater, was forced to surface, only to find Zabuza already waiting behind him.
"Fool."
Zabuza coldly executed the Water Prison Technique, trapping Kakashi within a sphere of water.
"Now you're out of options. I'll finish off those little brats first, then come back for you!"
The water prison restrained Kakashi, but it also meant Zabuza had to maintain it with one hand, leaving him unable to freely attack. And if he released it, Kakashi's reflexes would likely let him escape immediately. So Zabuza decided to eliminate the others first — both to remove potential threats and to break Kakashi's focus.
With one hand maintaining the water prison, Zabuza formed seals with the other and created water clones.
"Don't think that just because you wear a headband you're real ninja. Brats like you don't deserve a single line in my notebook!"
With those words, the water clone charged toward Team 7.
"Little girl, I'll deal with you first!"
Perhaps stung by losing face to Rin Itsuka earlier, Zabuza's water clone set its sights on her.
But Rin Itsuka didn't retreat — she stepped forward and drove her palm into its chest.
Water clones work similarly to shadow clones; a fatal blow will dispel them. So the clone had no choice but to raise its broadsword to block, and the force knocked it back several steps.
"We're not afraid of you!"
Naruto shouted and leapt forward alongside Sasuke, both slashing at the water clone with their kunai.
"Out of my way!"
The water clone swung the Executioner's Blade in a wide horizontal sweep. Naruto and Sasuke blocked with their kunai but were still sent flying into the bushes on the side.
Taking advantage of that brief opening, Rin Itsuka slid in low.
The water clone couldn't pull the heavy sword back in time, so it had no choice but to leap upward. But Rin Itsuka was already aiming upward with both hands — and let loose a Jack-o'-Lantern Bomb!
In truth, skills don't require a stationary stance to execute. If she wanted to, Rin Itsuka could unleash a full combo in midair before even landing.
So with a sharp "Ha!", the flaming pumpkin-headed projectile slammed into the water clone from below and burst it into a spray of water.
"I truly underestimated you!"
Realizing his clone had been destroyed, Zabuza gritted his teeth.
But before he could summon more clones, a large number of Naruto's shadow clones burst out of the bushes and swarmed him.
It turned out that when Rin Itsuka had made her move earlier, she had given Naruto and Sasuke a secret signal — telling them to use the opening to go rescue Kakashi. That was why they had let themselves be knocked into the bushes by the water clone.
"Madness!"
Zabuza drew the Executioner's Blade and cut down the charging shadow clones with a few brutal swings.
Seeing this, the others kept their distance rather than rushing in. Instead, they used the smoke from the dispersed clones to cover their throws and hurled kunai at Zabuza.
Zabuza was a seasoned demon who had survived countless battles. A bit of smoke meant nothing to him. He swung his greatsword and deflected every kunai.
Bang!
One shadow clone suddenly transformed into Sasuke, who rapidly formed hand seals and launched a ninjutsu directly at Zabuza.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
The Executioner's Blade couldn't block flames. Zabuza was forced to dodge, and the Great Fireball struck the water prison, erupting into a massive cloud of steam.
"Well done, Rin, Sasuke, Naruto! Now leave the rest to me!"
Kakashi emerged from the steam, his Sharingan locked intently on Zabuza.
"Damn it — tricked by a bunch of brats!"
Zabuza stepped back, his hands flying through hand seals.
At the same time, Kakashi began forming the exact same seals, perfectly mirroring his every move.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
After both completed forty-four hand seals, two massive water dragons rose from the river and crashed into each other, finally collapsing into cascading streams of water.
Zabuza used the spray to obscure his movements and charged straight at Kakashi — but the two met head-on midway.
Clang!
Kakashi gripped his kunai with both hands and caught the Executioner's Blade right at the hilt, stopping Zabuza's charge cold.
How is that possible?!
Zabuza leaped back in shock, then circled to the side — and Kakashi moved in perfect sync with him.
Testing him, Zabuza raised one hand and swept it to the side. Kakashi made the exact same motion at the exact same moment.
'He's already read all of my movements...'
"You've been an open book this whole time!"
Kakashi said aloud exactly what Zabuza had just been thinking.
End of this chapter...