Haku

At the moment when the weapons of two elite jonins clashed, a heavy killing intent exploded, almost suffocating the air around them.

Even Naruto felt the killing intent for the first time. It felt as if he had suddenly fallen into a freezing abyss, his entire body frozen stiff, unable to move.

Sasuke and Sakura were no better, both standing dazed and rooted to the spot.

Thick mist began to rise around them, as Kakashi and Zabuza locked in a fierce confrontation, showing no concern for Naruto or the others' situation.

Naruto's chakra slowly circulated within him, and after just a few moments, he had managed to adjust. He turned and charged towards Sasuke and Sakura, slapping them on the back.

At almost the same time, Sakura and Sasuke's gazes became momentarily unfocused.

Then, they both quickly regained clarity, breathing in sharply as though they hadn't taken a breath in a long time.

"The killing intent of a jonin is terrifying," Sasuke said, his face stiff, still shaken.

At the same time, he realized that Naruto had been the first to react, and it was Naruto's action that freed both him and Sakura from the paralysis.

Sakura, on the other hand, was still trembling, unable to calm herself.

Zabuza's killing intent wasn't a mere illusion; it was a tangible force that spread outward with his chakra, making contact with their skin and instilling a deep fear in the members of Team 7.

"Sakura," Naruto grabbed her and said, "You need to disrupt your chakra flow, just like you do when breaking genjutsu."

As soon as Naruto spoke, both Sasuke and Sakura reacted and quickly made the "release" hand seal. The technique worked immediately, and they broke free from their rigid state.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had already engaged in close combat with Zabuza. However, a water clone of Zabuza suddenly rose from a puddle, moving like a shadow toward the direction of Naruto and the others.

A water clone of an elite Jonin would at least have the strength of a chunin.

"Be careful!" Kakashi, even while in battle, noticed the water clone and quickly shouted a warning.

Normally, Kakashi could leave a shadow clone to protect Team 7, but he didn't want to do that. Ninjas live in a world where the strong prey on the weak.

Without Kakashi's warning, the trio had already noticed the water clone. Sasuke pulled Tazuna back, while Naruto grabbed Sakura and pulled her back as well.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, "Quick! Shuriken!"

In response, three shuriken flew swiftly toward the water clone, and Naruto immediately followed them, clearly preparing to meet it head-on.

"Sakura! Genjutsu!" Naruto shouted while charging.

This was Team 7's first joint mission, and they hadn't discussed any tactics beforehand. Despite Naruto giving orders, it was clear that their strategy was too transparent in the face of the water clone.

Tazuna, who had been boasting earlier about being a bridge expert, was now trembling, standing frozen like a stuffed duck, with Sasuke temporarily guarding him.

Sakura heard Naruto's voice, and though she was panicking, her body reacted in time. Of course, the genjutsu did not affect Zabuza's clone, but it still distracted it for a moment.

And that moment was enough! A mechanical synthesized sound rang in Naruto's mind!

[Recognition of the Nine-Tails 2.2%]

Crimson chakra instantly enveloped Naruto's body, his pupils turning bright red as a surge of power boiled within him.

With a loud crash, Naruto disappeared from the spot where he had been charging.

The next instant, his body appeared like a ghost behind Zabuza's water clone, delivering a heavy sweeping kick that shattered the clone.

The Nine-Tails' power was enough to render the Fourth Hokage and several elite jonin helpless. Even though Naruto could only use 2.2% of the Nine-Tails' power, he had already reached the strength of a Special Jonin.

If you excluded the molten release he had recently acquired from the Four-Tails, Naruto could look down on most of Konoha's chunin just by relying on that tiny bit of Nine-Tails' chakra.

"That kid... how could he be so strong?" Tazuna, standing frozen like a stuffed duck, muttered in amazement as he saw Naruto decisively destroy the water clone.

This comment was naturally heard by Sasuke, who was standing in front of him, holding his kunai in a defensive posture. Sasuke's face darkened.

If Naruto had only been lucky when he defeated the Mist ninjas following them earlier, then now, having broken free of the paralysis before Sasuke and taken down an elite jonin's water clone, it was clear that Naruto's strength was far superior to his own.

The consecutive events made it obvious that Naruto was the strongest among the members of Team 7. Sasuke, on the other hand, was just a little stronger than Sakura.

If Naruto had been born into a prestigious family, receiving the best ninja resources and training hard every day, Sasuke might not have minded so much.

But he was well aware that ever since he met Naruto, that guy had always been at the bottom of the class—flashy and weak.

Such a person was not worth wasting time on. Sasuke had never intended to form a bond with someone like him. But...

It seemed like overnight, Naruto had become a completely different person. Not only did he graduate at the top of the ninja academy, but he also knew many secrets about the villages and clans.

While those weren't necessarily huge secrets, they were still considered obscure knowledge for someone like Sasuke, who had lost his family at a young age, and Sakura, who came from a commoner background.

Whether it was about intelligence sharing or improvement in strength, Sasuke found himself thinking secretly: "Could it be that Naruto was pretending all this time?"

Being at the bottom of the class for years—it was just too stable.

Was he pretending to be a slacker?

Confused thoughts swirled in Sasuke's mind, while Sakura, having just sighed in relief, clutched her hands nervously and thought to herself:

"Thank goodness for Naruto."

Had it not been for Naruto calling her name earlier, perhaps she would still be standing there like a log. At least she had cast genjutsu, so she had contributed to the team.

After breaking one water clone, Zabuza had no intention of creating another. He was now engaged in a fierce battle with Kakashi, both of them injured.

Seeing this, Naruto didn't hesitate and rushed into the fray.

At that moment, Kakashi found an opening in Zabuza's defense, quickly forming hand seals and unleashing a water dragon jutsu straight at his face. Zabuza narrowly dodged but was still injured. Before he could react,

Three flying needles suddenly appeared out of nowhere and struck Zabuza in the neck. Kakashi immediately became alert, but Naruto relaxed his frown.

Was Haku finally going to make an appearance?

A masked boy suddenly emerged from the mist, jumping directly in front of the fallen Zabuza.

Naruto's pupils contracted, and he began adjusting his chakra in preparation.

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