Chapter 203

Focusing as much of his spirit energy to his core before Zabuza finishes his forty-four seal technique, Naruto tells his partner, 'it won't be for long.'

'…Are you going to ask about multiple mates-'

'Yeah! Yeah! Fine,' Naruto mentally yells as Zabuza calls, "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu."

From the expansive waving pond they were standing on, as well as, the invisible thinness of the air, small globules of water all rush together to form a twenty-foot serpent of water with the head of a dragon. Like being in a storm, the heavily displaced water the crouched Naruto is standing on waves toward the kinetic energy expelling out of the monster. Tree trunks rumble, tree branches shake and most of the water is either blown away or sucked into the chakra serpent.

Ignoring the sting of needle-like water striking him on powerful gusts of wind, a drenched Naruto focuses on his staggering rise of strength feeding his aching muscles until it bursts from the tenketsus of his physical form, not unlike Kurama's chakra shroud. All his aches disappear and the response of his physical strength feels as if he can lift a mountain. As his skin tingles with electric goosebumps, he quantifies the strength currently rushing through in him at one tail of Kurama's chakra, so despite Zabuza's giant aquatic monster screeching before it attacks, Naruto yells, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Though two hundred clones are created, a score of them is immediately destroyed as the water serpent barrels through the throng of clones. Though Zabuza notes many of them leap out of the way and into the forest, the small muddy field between the trees is chaos of storming water and advancing clones attacking the large water dragon in vain. Zabuza then takes note of a few clones creating that blue ball of chakra that had surprised him on the bridge before and attacking him.

Smiling, Zabuza confidently shouts, "it's like I told you before," bringing out his gigantic sword with every intention of showing the blond his one trick won't catch him unawares again. Sprinting directly to the barrage of Rasengan carrying Naruto's he yells, "that's not going to work on me again!"

True to his word, Zabuza makes light of the weaker Narutos, dodging deftly and countering perfectly. After four incredibly fast hand seals, the elite demon is shooting dense, armor-piercing water bullets from his mouth as his water dragon wrecks trees, uproots trunks, and destroys as many clones as possible.

Chakra blade extended as far out as a normal sword, Naruto attacks Zabuza from the front, yelling, "and I told you-" before they clash and Naruto's blade chips into Kubikiribōchō, sending sparks out as both shinobi glare into each other's eyes. It was the first sense from Zabuza; a sense of someone afraid to fail. To fail what, Naruto couldn't discern, but it was honest, and it spurned Naruto to fight even harder then he currently felt capable.

"That true strength comes from the will to protect," Naruto triumphantly chants, and as if to prove his point, from the very top of the tall trees, one clone followed by two others are plummeting at a tremendous velocity with the clone in the lead spearheading a Rasenshuriken in hand, before slamming the destructive technique into the spine of the distracted water-beast.

A large shock-wave of extreme pressure from the expanding spirit energy vaporizes the water and forceful steam explodes outward, as a gigantic dome of a countless microscopic wind blades shred the aquatic dragon, dirt, muddy grass, and stone into nothingness. The way the water catches the light gives the entire murder dome a soft bluish-white glow as Zabuza and Naruto are blown away along with any remaining clones.

Mentally out of it with a horrible ringing in his ears, a sluggish Zabuza slowly makes it to his feet and witnesses an incredibly large and sizzling hole at the very center of the small field. Trees are bent, broken, or blasted away. Branches, stone pieces, and dirt are scattered across the even forest floor. The only thought to pass through a snickering Zabuza's mind was, 'fucker could kill me if I'm not careful.'

A groan to Zabuza's right alerts him to the blond shinobi benching a large branch off his chest, however, a glint to his left from moonlight catching sharpened metal helps him locate Kubikiribōchō stuck halfway into a tree trunk. Before he can take a single step toward his weapon, one of the blond's clones lands on the handle, leveling his chakra blade in front and ready to fight. Looking around, another three clones appear and already begin to make his signature technique in defense of the weapon.

Feeling winded himself, Zabuza's mind couldn't help but ask, 'how the hell does this brat have so much power?'

Upright and breathing heavily, a muddy, bleeding, and soggy Naruto is holding his right side in clear pain, but in the moonlight, Zabuza can see the blond's eyes are slitted near to that of a predator and knows this shinobi won't quit. Quitting isn't in him, and the older man can't help but smile at that before asking, "Haku taught you my style didn't he? It's the only way you could know how to survive all of my tricks."

"We sparred… almost every day," a heavily breathing Naruto admits. "But I didn't know… that's why he fought… that way," Naruto claimed, wincing from a stabbing pain his mind is attempting to block as his body tries to heal; tries to press on. "But you still… don't get it. Haku's will to protect… is stronger than this fight."

"You're counting your chickens before they hatch," Zabuza claims before lowering his stance to combat readiness. "I'm still standing."

Naruto smirks, realizing aloud, "Haku is protecting us both," before charging after the taller ninja. Zabuza fights an armed Naruto bare-handed and with his skill, size, and experience manages to just barely maintain the advantage, but no matter the slip, the punch, the kick, Naruto evades, counters, and keeps on coming until, the experienced ninja accepts Naruto's bladed strike, catching the sharp metal through his left palm before twisting and redirecting it to the surprised Naruto's chest.

Though Naruto stops adding Fūton chakra to the blade, the dull material of the knuckle knife penetrates the muscle of his own left hand, a defensive catch that only allows an inch of metal to pierce his chest. Both their hands skewered and bleeding on one another, Naruto and Zabuza glare at each other like raging lions until the genin's right hand lets go of his chakra blade to grip the assassin's left elbow for what's to come.

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