"What a coincidence," Zabuza said calmly. He was cautious, but saw no reason to believe he'd done anything to provoke Konoha. Unaware of the implications, he spoke up on his own.
"Never thought I'd run into the famous Sharingan Kakashi of Konoha in a small backwater like the Land of Waves."
"Yeah, I didn't expect to run into a fugitive from Kirigakure either—Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi replied, glancing around before nodding slightly.
"So… may I ask where you're headed? After all, someone of your caliber is still considered dangerous."
"Where I go has nothing to do with you."
Zabuza frowned and let out a cold snort.
"I think we'd best stay out of each other's way. True, Kirigakure and Konoha have had their issues in the past for all kinds of reasons… but I'm no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Mist."
"We know you're not," Jiraiya replied after a moment of thought, offering a smile.
"Which is why we have a rather… awkward request."
"An awkward request?"
Zabuza snorted again. He found these Konoha shinobi a bit odd.
"What awkward request? Just say it outright."
"Jiraiya-sama, perhaps I should be the one to explain," Kitagawa Gen suddenly spoke up.
And with that, Zabuza's eyes widened.
Jiraiya?
One of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha?
As a former member of Kirigakure's assassination unit, there was no way he hadn't heard that name before—his intel files certainly had it.
It was just that Jiraiya had been away from Konoha for quite some time, and the Land of Water had become increasingly isolated. Information flow had diminished, so Zabuza hadn't paid much attention to such old names.
He never expected to run into him here. No wonder he'd looked vaguely familiar earlier!
'Sharingan Kakashi… Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin… what are these people really planning?'
Zabuza swallowed hard. Things were starting to look serious. Still, he forced himself to remain calm.
"You want to explain?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at Gen, then gave a short nod. "Alright. Go ahead."
"Sure."
Gen smiled, then turned to Zabuza.
"Zabuza-dono, to put it simply—we need to head to Kirigakure on urgent business. Since you're well-acquainted with the village, we'd like to ask if you'd be willing to serve as our guide."
"You want to… hire me? To go to Kirigakure?"
Now Zabuza truly realized the gravity of the situation—and just how deep in trouble he was.
Of all the places to be… he never imagined he'd run into this group in the Land of Waves.
They hadn't said much, but as a former ANBU, Zabuza knew full well what it meant for Konoha shinobi to head for Kirigakure—especially a group like this.
Given how Kirigakure handled sensitive operations, anyone involved with classified intel would inevitably be eliminated.
Which meant, if Konoha operated in a similar fashion… he'd likely be used and then disposed of.
That thought changed the look in Zabuza's eyes. He quietly gripped the short blade on his back, his voice sinking into a low register.
"Gentlemen… I don't understand what you're talking about. I have no idea what any of this means. I think it'd be best if we parted ways here and left things peacefully."
"..."
Zabuza's caution caught Gen slightly off guard. His expression shifted, and he gave a dry, awkward smile.
"So, in other words… there's nothing to discuss?"
"Kid, I suggest you don't push me."
Zabuza's tone turned grim, and he tightened his grip on his blade.
Even Haku, standing at his side, sensed that something was off. He silently gathered chakra and shifted into a combat-ready stance.
Jiraiya and Kakashi also realized negotiations had fallen through. Both prepared themselves for a fight.
Tension filled the air. The wind carried falling leaves across the path, but the atmosphere had grown thick with hostility.
"So there's really no talking this out, huh…" Gen sighed, putting on a mock-disappointed expression.
In the next instant, chakra surged from his body. Purple lightning crackled and spread across his form.
"Then let's settle this with our fists!"
...
Right now, Zabuza truly felt a bit unlucky.
He had merely come to the Land of Waves in search of a new job—yet somehow, he ran straight into shinobi from Konoha.
And not just any shinobi: the Copy Ninja, one of the Legendary Sannin…
And a youth who, although unknown, was most likely a prodigy carefully cultivated by Konoha.
At first, Zabuza had assumed it wouldn't be too big of a problem. After all, he was already a rogue ninja from Kirigakure.
But to think he'd end up walking right into the lion's den—
"This is really bad."
Zabuza cursed inwardly. As he quickly analyzed the situation, he realized that fighting both Kakashi and Jiraiya would be extremely difficult.
If it were a one-on-one, he'd actually be happy to test himself against the legendary Sharingan Kakashi—or even one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.
But a two-on-one?
"The weak point... is that brat!"
He had no illusions about surviving a two-on-one battle. All he could do was stall them while relying on Haku to capture the boy!
"Hidden Mist Technique!"
Having made up his mind, Zabuza immediately sprang into action. At the same time, he whispered to Haku beside him: "That brat is yours. Go all out and capture him as quickly as possible."
Zabuza still had great faith in Haku. Among their age group, there were very few who could handle him!
"Understood."
Haku's expression was also somewhat tense. The sudden onset of battle had left him a bit uneasy.
Still, he would absolutely obey Zabuza's orders. In an instant, his chakra surged forth.
"Hidden Mist Technique, huh? Just as expected."
Jiraiya narrowed his lips slightly as he watched the mist thicken around them—this was indeed a hallmark of Kirigakure.
However, neither he nor Kakashi made any move to stop it.
They would soon be heading to the Land of Water, where the environment would be even more unforgiving than this.
Letting Kitagawa Gen adapt in advance to fighting under such conditions was no bad thing.
"I'll take on Zabuza with Kakashi. You handle the one beside him—that girl. Can you manage?"
Jiraiya whispered. Kitagawa Gen nodded—though he didn't forget to correct him: "I think that's a guy."
"...?"
"Flat chest."
"..."
Jiraiya had no desire to debate such matters with Kitagawa Gen. The mist around them continued to spread, and both he and Kakashi began to get serious.
In a ninja battle, there was no room for the slightest carelessness—
Especially not in the Land of Waves, a place thick with moisture, where they were up against an elite Mist shinobi.
After all, Mist-nin lived their entire lives surrounded by ocean, in an environment saturated with water vapor and cloaked in perpetual fog.
This not only made them exceptionally skilled in Water Release, but also adept at using the mist to their advantage in combat.
In such humid environments, their combat strength received a noticeable—sometimes even outrageous—boost.
Even the Kakashi of the future had nearly suffered defeat when facing Zabuza!
"I'll use Wind Release to disperse the mist. Lock on to his position as quickly as possible and try to take him down fast."
"Got it."
After a brief exchange, Jiraiya immediately took action.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
As a howling gale swept through the battlefield, the thick mist was instantly torn open in several places.
Kakashi had already been on high alert. His Sharingan glowed red, and within moments, he locked onto his target.
"Over here!"
Kakashi leapt straight at Zabuza, hidden in the mist. Jiraiya followed closely behind, the two flanking from both sides to pin Zabuza down!
[Clang!]
In the blink of an eye, the clash of metal and the roar of jutsu echoed through the swirling fog.
"Zabuza-sama—!"
Haku looked somewhat anxious. But he hadn't forgotten his mission.
Fixing his gaze on Kitagawa Gen in the distance, he gritted his teeth—and charged forward without hesitation!
He moved incredibly fast, becoming a blur as he appeared right in front of Kitagawa Gen in an instant.
"So fast—"
Kitagawa Gen had been watching everything closely. The moment Haku closed in, a burst of violet light suddenly erupted from his body!
[Clink—!]
A crisp metallic sound rang out as the White Fang short blade was instantly drawn—
Purple lightning coursed along the blade as it slashed sideways!
"What—?"
Haku's incoming senbon were instantly severed by Kitagawa Gen!
"That attack power... it's that strong?"
Though still young, Haku had inherited the Ice Release bloodline limit of the Yuki Clan. Combined with Zabuza's rigorous training, he had become far more powerful than most would expect, even if he himself was reluctant to kill.
But now, someone had actually broken all his senbon in a single strike.
This was the first time he had ever encountered something like that.
[Whoosh—]
Haku froze for a brief second—but Kitagawa Gen didn't give him any time to recover.
He wanted to force Ice Release out of him, and he had no intention of holding back!
[Zzzzz—]
The White Fang short blade, crackling with violet lightning, continued slashing toward him—
Forcing Haku to dodge again and again just to keep up.
But no matter how hard he tried to evade, the blade's purple lightning still grazed him.
Thin streaks of blood began to seep out from his wounds.
"Too fast… and that sword technique is terrifying. But what's most dangerous is that purple lightning—it's unbelievably sharp."
Haku analyzed the situation swiftly.
Seeing Kitagawa Gen charging toward him again, he immediately formed a one-handed seal.
"Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
As his chakra surged, the surrounding mist condensed in an instant, forming countless sharp water arrows that rained down rapidly!
"Is that all you've got?"
Kitagawa Gen raised an eyebrow.
With a flick of his wrist, his short blade danced, creating dazzling arcs in the air.
With a series of sharp clangs, he deflected every one of the incoming water senbon.
The next moment, he closed the distance again—another swift slash came down!
Haku reacted with lightning speed, barely dodging the blade—
But Gen's foot slammed straight into his abdomen.
[Boom—]
Haku's body was sent flying backward.
But in midair, he managed to twist and land on his feet, barely stabilizing himself.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
This time, Kitagawa Gen mimicked Haku's earlier hand seals, forming one with a single hand.
[Boom—!]
A roaring fire dragon surged forth from Gen's mouth, charging directly at Haku.
Its intense heat began to evaporate the surrounding mist.
"This kind of intensity…"
Haku could feel the scalding heat bearing down on him. He clenched his teeth.
In the next instant, cold chakra spread through his body.
And just like that, the dense fog around them began to freeze—
A faint chill creeping across the battlefield.
"Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!"
Thick blocks of ice rose up in front of the fire dragon, stopping it before it could reach him.
Before the flames had even fully dissipated, Haku formed another seal.
"Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
In the blink of an eye, countless ice mirrors materialized—
Encircling Kitagawa Gen completely, forming what looked like an absolute domain.
"So this is Ice Release, huh?"
Gen looked around at the surrounding mirrors, raising his brow ever so slightly.
Just then, Haku's voice echoed again.
"I don't want to fight you. But you've all gone too far. For Zabuza-sama's sake, I must give it my all. I'm sorry!"
With those soft words, Haku raised the senbon within the mirror.
The next moment—
Countless needles shot forth, densely packed, covering every inch of the mirror domain with no room to escape!
And yet—Kitagawa Gen suddenly smiled.
Staring at the figure hidden inside the mirror, he replied in a calm voice: "No need to apologize. On the contrary, I should thank you—"
"Because you've done me a huge favor."
As soon as the words fell, a surge of violet lightning exploded from his body—
Filling the misty battlefield in an instant with brilliant arcs of purple light.
Even Zabuza—still locked in combat with Jiraiya and Kakashi—sensed something was wrong.
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