Chapter 103: Hmph Hmph, You Finally Realize How Strong Your Teacher Is!

"Let’s go, Teacher Kakashi. Let’s not waste any more time."

Naruto turned to Kakashi as he spoke.

The two of them turned around and began walking away.

Tazuna immediately shouted, "No, don’t! Building the bridge has truly exhausted all the resources of our Land of Waves!"

Seeing that Naruto and the others showed no intention of stopping, Tazuna shouted loudly,

"How much is the mission fee? I’ll pay! Don’t go! I’ll pay!"

Kakashi stopped.

This mission had been arranged by the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage had probably already realized that there was something wrong with the mission.

That was likely why he had deliberately arranged for Team 7 to experience combat between shinobi and prepare them for the upcoming Chunin Exams.

Simply ending the mission like this probably wouldn’t be acceptable.

Thinking this, Kakashi could only turn around.

"Any mission involving shinobi is at least B-rank. But the person targeting you is the tycoon Kado.

"The construction of the bridge in the Land of Waves affects his shipping business. I believe he will continue placing bounties on you.

"With the increased difficulty and the possibility of encountering shinobi battles multiple times, this mission should at least meet the standards of an A-rank mission.

"Furthermore, this mission already affects the future development of an entire country.

"A national-level mission falls within the scope of an S-rank mission.

"Considering how poor the Land of Waves is, I’ll make the decision to calculate this mission according to the minimum standard for an S-rank mission.

"One million ryo in total. The mission can continue, and we will ensure your absolute safety throughout the construction of the bridge.

"Tazuna, what do you say?"

Naruto, standing nearby, couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Kakashi really was ruthless!

He had directly raised the mission from C-rank to S-rank and demanded a whopping one million ryo.

And yet, he had made it sound so reasonable that it was difficult to argue with him.

Of course, Naruto had no idea how mission ranks were evaluated.

If judged according to the actual standards, Kakashi really wasn’t ripping Tazuna off.

The bridge affected the future development of the entire Land of Waves.

A mission that affected an entire country did indeed fall within the scope of an S-rank mission.

No matter how poor the Land of Waves was, it was still a country, wasn’t it?

"One million ryo?!"

Tazuna’s eyes widened.

Had he heard that correctly?

Not one hundred thousand ryo?

The C-rank mission he had originally posted had only cost fifty thousand ryo!

That was a twentyfold increase!

Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

"Looks like we can’t reach an agreement. In that case, forget it."

With that, he turned around and started walking away.

Tazuna glanced at the Mist ninja, whose face had already lit up with delight, and immediately shouted,

"Don’t go! We have a deal! We have a deal! I accept!"

Hearing this, Kakashi took out a blank mission scroll and wrote down the detailed mission requirements and payment.

Then he turned to Tazuna.

"By the rules, thirty percent is required as a deposit. Since we’ve reached an agreement, sign here to confirm it."

With that, he handed the mission scroll to Tazuna.

Tazuna gritted his teeth, took the scroll, and signed his name.

Then he pulled three hundred thousand ryo from his backpack as the mission deposit.

His heart was bleeding.

Seeing them finalize the agreement and hand over the deposit, Naruto blinked.

Tazuna could actually afford it?

He was carrying three hundred thousand ryo with him.

What kind of wealthy man was this?

Was building a bridge really that profitable?

Of course, Naruto didn’t know that this was money Tazuna had originally prepared for the mission.

After arriving in Konoha and having a couple of drinks, Tazuna had gotten clever and decided to take a gamble by issuing a C-rank mission.

Three hundred thousand ryo was practically everything he had.

He would have to find a way to gather the rest after returning to the Land of Waves.

After putting away the deposit, Kakashi turned his head toward the two Mist ninjas.

"Hinata."

Hinata nodded.

She took out two kunai and threw them directly.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two sharp flashes of cold steel streaked through the air.

"No! Don’t kill us!"

The conscious Mist ninja’s pupils suddenly contracted.

The next moment—

Thud! Thud!

Two brilliant sprays of blood bloomed from the throats of the Demon Brothers!

Kakashi secretly nodded in approval.

During their recent missions, Hinata had been the one handling most of the killing.

She was becoming stronger and more resolute.

Even though she still looked as gentle and delicate as ever...

Tazuna, standing nearby, suddenly shrank his pupils.

Watching two lives end just like that, his body trembled uncontrollably.

They killed without hesitation!

Was this what ninjas were like?

Then he looked at Naruto and the others.

They acted as though this were completely ordinary, without even the slightest change in expression.

Even after killing someone, Hinata was still chatting with Naruto with a smile on her face.

What kind of disregard for human life was this?

Fear began to rise from the depths of Tazuna’s heart.

What kind of monsters had he gotten himself involved with along the way?!

The Land of Waves.

The next day.

They had boarded a small boat the previous night and crossed the sea.

That morning, they had finally set foot on the soil of the Land of Waves.

At present, Team 7 was walking through a lush forest.

A clear river flowed beside the woods.

Trees even grew directly within the river itself.

Naruto hadn’t been to the Land of Waves in quite some time.

After becoming acquainted with Orochimaru, Uchiha Izumi had suggested sending Izumi’s mother to the Sound Village.

Naruto naturally had no objections.

After sending Izumi’s mother to live in the Sound Village, Naruto rarely came to the Land of Waves anymore.

Looking at the scenery of the Land of Waves, Naruto couldn’t help feeling somewhat nostalgic.

As he continued looking around, something suddenly stirred in his heart.

Then—

A powerful gust of wind came from behind!

A massive sword came spinning through the air at incredible speed!

"Danger! Get down!"

Kakashi, walking at the front, sensed something wrong and immediately shouted a warning.

In the middle, Sasuke directly placed his right hand on Tazuna’s head and forcefully pushed him to the ground.

Naruto, who was walking at the back, swiftly turned around.

With his exceptional dynamic vision, he extended his right hand toward the handle of the rapidly spinning sword!

Hinata’s heart tightened when she saw this.

Her Byakugan instantly activated!

But she neither dropped down nor tried to stop him.

Instead, she clasped her hands tightly against her chest.

Hinata believed that as long as Naruto decided to do something, there was absolutely no problem he couldn’t handle.

Smack!

Several dozen meters away, a shinobi with short black hair, a forehead protector worn on the left side of his forehead, and bandages covering the lower half of his face and neck suddenly widened his eyes.

The Executioner’s Blade he had thrown as a surprise attack had actually been caught by a kid!

Even Kakashi, who was lying on the ground, looked stunned.

Judging from the powerful gust of wind that had just reached him, the sword had been moving incredibly fast.

If he had to catch it head-on without using his Sharingan, even Kakashi couldn’t be certain that he could catch it.

It required precise dynamic vision, calm judgment, and tremendous wrist strength.

The slightest mistake would result in being sliced in half by the rapidly spinning blade.

He had never expected Naruto to catch it with one hand.

Kakashi couldn’t help recalling the time during their training when he had grabbed Naruto’s fist and tried to force his wrist downward, only to find that he simply couldn’t push it down.

That wrist strength was simply absurd.

Seeing that Naruto was fine, Hinata breathed a sigh of relief and asked softly,

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled.

"Don’t worry. I’m fine."

He then twisted his wrist and held the Executioner’s Blade horizontally in front of his chest.

After looking it over, he turned his gaze toward the stunned figure in the distance.

"Yo, you don’t want such a good sword anymore?

"Are Mist ninjas really this generous?"

Momochi Zabuza’s face immediately darkened.

Wasn’t this a provocation?!

Just how much did this kid look down on him to say something like that?

Recognizing the person in front of him, Kakashi stepped in front of Naruto.

With one hand behind his back, he subtly gestured for the others to retreat, while smiling as he spoke.

"Eh~! Isn’t this the missing-nin of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza?"

Even as he spoke, Kakashi remained secretly vigilant.

Momochi Zabuza narrowed his eyes.

"You’re not mistaken. You’re the Sharingan Kakashi, aren’t you?"

Zabuza smiled.

"I didn’t expect you to know me as well."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes.

"When I was in the Mist’s assassination unit, I carried a handbook with me. Your information was in there.

"It was written like this: a shinobi who has copied more than a thousand techniques—the Copy Ninja, Kakashi."

Sasuke’s pupils contracted slightly.

Copied more than a thousand techniques?

How was that possible?

Was Kakashi really that powerful?

Although Naruto had already told him that Kakashi was very strong, these past two days had given Sasuke a much clearer understanding of just how powerful his teacher was.

Every shinobi they casually encountered seemed to recognize Kakashi’s name.

The fact that he was famous throughout the shinobi world was enough to show that Kakashi was far from ordinary.

Suddenly, a thin mist began to rise around them, gradually growing denser.

Seeing this, Kakashi spoke.

"Team 7, protect Tazuna. Leave the opponent to me."

As he spoke, he raised his left hand and lifted the forehead protector covering his eye.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata quickly surrounded Tazuna and protected him in the middle.

Sasuke stared intently at Kakashi.

Kakashi’s scarred left eye was revealed.

Then it opened.

Sasuke’s heart stirred.

"As expected... the Sharingan."

Seeing Kakashi open his Sharingan, Zabuza said,

"I didn’t expect to see your Sharingan so soon.

"Kakashi, I don’t want to fight you either. Can you hand that old man over to me?

"Of course, I want my Executioner’s Blade back too."

As he spoke, he glanced at Naruto, who was holding the massive sword.

Kakashi stared intently at Zabuza, the corners of his mouth lifting beneath his mask.

"That won’t do. He’s our client, and the sword is our spoils of war."

He deliberately emphasized the words "spoils of war."

Zabuza had never expected Kakashi to agree in the first place.

If Kakashi really agreed, then he wouldn’t be the Kakashi who had become famous throughout the shinobi world while still in his teens.

But hearing the words "spoils of war" still made anger rise in Zabuza’s heart.

"Looks like I’ll have to take them myself!

"Kakashi, do you really think this brat can protect them?"

As he spoke, the mist within a radius of nearly a hundred meters suddenly grew thicker.

Kakashi frowned.

"This Hidden Mist Technique... and our opponent is Momochi Zabuza, a master of the Silent Killing Technique.

"Silent killing is exactly what its name implies—a technique for killing someone instantly in complete silence.

"By the time you realize what’s happening, you may already be in the afterlife.

"Don’t let your guard down. Be careful."

After watching Team 7 grow during this period, Kakashi knew that defeating the three of them would require some effort even for him.

He believed that as long as they didn’t let their guard down, Zabuza couldn’t kill them instantly.

Naruto, standing directly in front of Tazuna, spoke.

"Enough, Teacher Kakashi. Hurry up and deal with him."

Kakashi’s mouth twitched.

In the distance, Zabuza’s face darkened.

Once again, he felt as though he was being provoked!

Did this kid really think Kakashi could casually deal with him?

The brat who had caught his Executioner’s Blade was seriously annoying!

"Then I’ll deal with this annoying brat first!!"

The mist around them grew increasingly dense, and visibility dropped lower and lower.

Suddenly!

Zabuza disappeared into the thick mist.

At the same time, Kakashi’s Sharingan shifted slightly, and something seemed to change about his body.

A moment later—

Hinata, with her Byakugan activated, quickly issued a warning.

"He’s coming."

The instant the warning was given, Naruto suddenly swung the Executioner’s Blade in his hand.

Without any further warning!

Sasuke and Hinata, displaying incredible coordination, forcefully pushed Tazuna’s head down and crouched just before Naruto attacked.

The next moment!

A sharp crescent of cold light swept over their heads.

If they had been even half a moment slower, all three of them would have been decapitated instantly.

Ah!

Zabuza, who had appeared between Naruto and Tazuna, suddenly shrank his pupils.

His body was directly sliced in half by the cold flash!

Water Clone.

Naruto’s heart stirred.

He made a small movement with his right hand, guiding the Executioner’s Blade back into the position where the Water Clone had been cut apart.

A moment later, the Water Clone suddenly exploded like a balloon filled with water!

Splash!

Sasuke, drenched from head to toe, looked at the completely dry Hinata and couldn’t help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

Damn it!

Even at a moment like this, Naruto had still thought to shield Hinata from the water!

With Naruto’s Executioner’s Blade blocking the water from above and Tazuna behind her providing another barrier, not a single drop from the exploding Water Clone had managed to touch Hinata.

With the Byakugan’s 360-degree field of vision, Hinata noticed Sasuke’s expression.

Her face immediately flushed red.

"Naruto-kun is so considerate."

Her heart was filled with happiness.

Elsewhere.

"Byakugan?"

Zabuza, whose figure was hidden within the thick mist, couldn’t help frowning.

No matter how powerful his concealment technique was, he couldn’t escape the Byakugan’s detection!

The Byakugan was simply too well-suited to countering his Silent Killing Technique!

Zabuza then shifted his gaze toward Kakashi, who was occasionally turning his head from side to side.

"The brat has the Byakugan, so approaching him won’t be easy.

"In that case, I’ll deal with Kakashi first!!"

Having made his decision, Zabuza’s lips curled into a smile as he prepared to use the Silent Killing Technique.

He was just about to approach Kakashi, who was standing in front of Naruto.

Suddenly—

Chik chik chik!

An ear-piercing electrical sound erupted from behind him, as though countless birds were crying out wildly!

A trace of shock rose from deep within Zabuza’s eyes.

An intense sense of danger surged through his heart!

Who?

I can’t expose my back to an enemy...

The instant this thought appeared, Zabuza abruptly turned around.

His eyes immediately filled with astonishment!

Another Kakashi had appeared behind him!

Chidori!

His right hand, blazing with brilliant arcs of electricity, thrust straight toward Zabuza’s heart.

"How is this possible?!"

In the critical moment, Zabuza hurriedly twisted his body and narrowly avoided a fatal blow.

Splat!

Blood sprayed through the air!

Kakashi’s Chidori pierced directly through Zabuza’s chest!

The powerful current coursed through his blood and raced throughout his body.

Zabuza’s entire body convulsed violently.

Blood surged from his mouth, instantly staining the white bandages covering his face red.

Zabuza stared at Kakashi in disbelief.

Trembling, he looked toward the figure that had remained in its original position the entire time.

Kakashi looked at Zabuza indifferently.

"It was only a Water Clone."

Zabuza’s pupils contracted.

A Water Clone!

While he had been using a Water Clone, Kakashi had also created one?

Was it because of the Sharingan?

Had he copied his technique?

He had even copied the Silent Killing Technique?

Kakashi suddenly withdrew the hand that had pierced through Zabuza’s chest.

Splat!

Fresh blood gushed from the wound like a fountain.

Having lost his support and severely wounded, Zabuza staggered.

Then his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

The light disappeared from his eyes.

Seeing that the enemy had been dealt with, Naruto walked over to Kakashi.

He glanced at Zabuza lying on the ground.

"Is he dead?"

Kakashi shook the blood from his right hand and shook his head.

"Not yet. He’s severely wounded and has gone into shock from blood loss.

"But he’s practically dead already. If the bleeding isn’t stopped quickly, he’ll die."

Naruto nodded.

He already knew that Zabuza wasn’t dead.

He had been silently repeating "Analyze" in his mind, but there had been no response.

He had only wanted to hear Kakashi’s assessment.

At this moment, Sasuke also came over to Kakashi.

His eyes were filled with shock as he stared at him.

He hadn’t seen it clearly.

No.

He hadn’t noticed it at all.

He hadn’t noticed when Kakashi had used the Water Clone.

He hadn’t even noticed how Kakashi had gotten behind Zabuza.

It wasn’t until the ear-piercing sound of the lightning technique erupted that Sasuke realized Kakashi was already behind Zabuza.

A profound sense of frustration suddenly rose within Sasuke’s heart.

Noticing Sasuke’s gaze, Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Hmph, hmph. You finally realize how strong your teacher is!"

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