Chapter 48: I, Uchiha Sasuke, Want the Xuan Zhong Ruler! What's Wrong with That?

Naruto's rocket headbutt not only left Zabuza dazed but also gave Kakashi quite a scare. Just watching the way Zabuza flew back, Kakashi could almost feel his own stomach aching in sympathy.

One could only imagine what Zabuza was feeling right now.

Still...

If Naruto could hit that hard, wouldn't it leave Zabuza black and blue?

Sasuke glanced at the fallen Zabuza, biting his lip in frustration. The fact that the enemy had ignored him to attack Naruto only added to his annoyance.

Plus, his earlier attack hadn't even fazed the enemy. That made Sasuke feel even worse.

He recalled the last time he sparred with Kakashi-sensei. Naruto had made a snarky comment about him back then...

Something about "all that fancy footwork for less than 0.5% damage."

At the time, Sasuke hadn't understood what Naruto meant, but now, as time passed, he realized Naruto was mocking him for failing to land a solid hit on the enemy.

"Damn it!"

"He dares to underestimate me?!"

Sasuke's rage surged again.

When had it started... that even their enemies began to dismiss the Uchiha Clan?

The mere thought of being ignored made Sasuke's eyes burn with fury. His crimson Sharingan spun wildly, the two tomoe in each eye swirling rapidly. He quickly pulled out a scroll from his pouch.

Inside that sealing scroll were a thousand shuriken. And this wasn't his only one—he had at least ten more.

Thanks to Naruto's influence, Sasuke had developed a deep-seated fear of not having enough firepower.

Determined to take down his brother Itachi one day, Sasuke had even sold his family home to buy explosive tags and other battle supplies.

With a flick of his thumb, Sasuke undid the string around the scroll. Forming a one-handed seal, he flung the scroll outward with his other hand.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Hundreds of shuriken flew toward Zabuza, interspersed with kunai, some of which had explosive tags attached.

Learning from past mistakes, Sasuke shouted to Naruto, giving him a heads-up.

"Naruto!"

Hearing Sasuke's warning, Naruto instantly understood. He quickly tossed a few of his portals along the path of the shuriken.

However, due to the sheer number of projectiles, some didn't make it into the portals.

Zabuza, who had just managed to regain his footing and hadn't yet recovered from Naruto's earlier hit, now felt like his insides were tied in knots.

Seeing the blond kid once again, Zabuza began weaving hand signs.

That humiliating blow had somewhat cleared his mind. Just as he reached the 26th hand sign, eight purple light cocoons suddenly appeared around him, casting a faint glow on his face—a somewhat... suspicious purple.

What was this thing again?

Zabuza wasn't sure, but judging by the situation, it couldn't be anything good.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

In the next moment, countless shuriken shot out from the purple cocoons. Zabuza's sharp eyes also spotted kunai with explosive tags mixed in.

His pupils shrank in shock, and he didn't have time to process what was happening.

Living on the edge of death for so long, Zabuza's battle instincts kicked in. He raised his Executioner's Blade to shield his vital areas.

At that moment, he remembered seeing the same purple glow around the other kid earlier...

So that's it!

Space-time ninjutsu, huh?

Now that he had figured it out, Zabuza chose one of the cocoons with fewer shuriken and charged toward it with his blade raised high.

Although the Executioner's Blade couldn't block all the projectiles, a few shuriken embedded themselves into Zabuza's flesh. But this level of pain was nothing to him.

Boom boom boom—

The moment he disappeared, a series of explosions erupted from where he had stood moments before.

"Got him!" Sasuke's eyes lit up with joy as he watched his attack hit its mark.

Finally, this guy had no place to run, right?

I just used an entire scroll of shuriken and kunai—surely that's enough to take you down!

Naruto, however, wasn't one to celebrate prematurely. He tossed a portal and teleported to Zabuza's last known location to confirm what had happened.

But when he arrived, all he found were bloodstains and scattered weapons...

"You idiot!"

"Watch out for the enemy!"

Naruto turned to see Sasuke grinning like a fool. Just then, Zabuza, bloodied and battered, emerged from one of the purple cocoons behind Sasuke.

This was the first time someone had used Naruto's space-time portals against them. As the portal's user, Naruto had anticipated this possibility, but he didn't mind. After all, he was confident in his taijutsu. If an enemy dared to step through a portal and face him head-on, it would practically be a gift.

But the problem was...

Sasuke, who was clearly enjoying himself, had not predicted this turn of events. When Zabuza burst from the cocoon, Sasuke was momentarily stunned.

That brief hesitation was all Zabuza needed. He raised the Executioner's Blade and swung it toward Sasuke's head.

Fortunately, Sasuke's Sharingan granted him enhanced reflexes. He managed to dodge the blow by leaning back, the blade narrowly grazing his nose.

A second later, and Sasuke's head would've been lopped off.

In that split second, Sasuke channeled his Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his cells, significantly boosting his speed.

Dodging the blade, Sasuke immediately countered, aiming a kick at Zabuza's wrist—the hand holding the sword.

Thud—

"What?!"

"A substitution?!"

Sasuke was stunned.

All I wanted was to disarm him...

Why is it so hard!?

Meanwhile, Naruto heard Zabuza's voice behind him.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Naruto: ??

Damn it!

Why does Zabuza keep coming after me?!

Naruto didn't need to turn around to sense the power behind the incoming attack.

And it was very close!

His hair was already damp from the water vapor condensing around him.

Clenching his teeth, Naruto, who had missed several opportunities earlier, was starting to get frustrated.

Alright, Zabuza, you want to play this way?

All those injuries were caused by that pesky Uchiha brat, yet you're dead set on targeting me?!

"Fine!"

"Wind Style: Blood Burst Technique—Activate!"

Boom—

As Naruto activated his technique, the water dragon, its jaws wide open, crashed down on him.

But the next second, a red aura flared up around Naruto, forming a protective barrier. His chaotic Wind Release chakra surged, clashing against the water dragon.

Zabuza's water dragon was stronger than Kakashi's version, and being near the sea only enhanced its power.

Yet, despite all that, the water dragon couldn't harm Naruto in the slightest.

As the dragon dissipated, Zabuza saw the blonde kid standing there, surrounded by a red chakra cloak, his hair spiked up. He could vaguely hear a rhythmic drumbeat, like the sound of a distant heartbeat.

Boom—

The ground cracked beneath Naruto's feet as he launched himself forward, scattering rocks in all directions. His figure vanished from sight in an instant.

Zabuza could only hear the boy's voice echoing around him...

"I've spent twelve years building up this punch!"

"Let's see how you plan to block it!!"

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