Lava Release

Zabuza was lying motionless on the ground, and Haku, wearing a mask, stood beside him, calmly watching Kakashi and the three members of Team 7.

"I am a ninja from the Mist Village, tasked with retrieving the defected ninjas from our village," Haku said coldly, his words concise.

The milky white fog still lingered around the trees, showing no signs of dissipating. Water from the mist gathered on the treetops and dropped to the grass with a soft plop.

Even Kakashi couldn't quite figure out the origins of this masked boy, who claimed to be a pursuit ninja. Team 7 was on full alert, muscles tensed, ready to act at any moment.

Kakashi didn't speak. He just moved forward to check Zabuza's breathing. After confirming that Zabuza was dead, he let out a sigh of relief. Since he was dead, it was only proper to return the body to the Mist Village.

"Teacher Kakashi, is he dead?" Naruto suddenly appeared behind Kakashi, innocently pointing at Zabuza's unmoving body.

Haku stood to the side, not reacting, his eyes scanning Naruto's face from behind his mask.

"Ah, yes, he's already dead," Kakashi, Konoha's top technician, responded dismissively. "He was hit by my Water Dragon Bullet, and then he got a steel needle from this pursuit ninja in his throat. He probably died like that."

At this moment, Naruto seriously suspected that Kakashi had seen through Zabuza's feigned death and was intentionally letting it slide.

It was understandable, though. The Water Dragon Bullet, which involved forty-four hand seals, had consumed a lot of Kakashi's chakra. Kakashi not wanting to risk getting entangled further was only logical. But still…

Damn! An elite jonin and he has no awareness of finishing off an enemy?

Naruto was determined to give the naive Konoha's Number One Water King a lesson on how to handle such situations, so he could understand the true power of Konoha's Number One Tough Guy.

"Hey, hey… Kakashi-sensei, how come this guy is still moving even though he's dead?" Naruto asked, pointing at the "fake dead" Zabuza.

"What?" Kakashi immediately became serious.

"He's already dead," Haku, who had been acting cold, couldn't hold back and retorted, "Little brother, you must have seen it wrong."

"This person is a defected ninja from the Mist Village, and his body holds the village's secrets. I request permission to take his body back to the village."

After saying this, Haku couldn't help but become nervous. Fortunately, his mask concealed his face, so his anxiety wouldn't be revealed.

Zabuza, facing Team 7's relentless attack, had no choice but to resort to his pre-planned feigned death to escape.

Haku had arrived as expected, thinking everything was going smoothly, but unexpectedly, a yellow-haired kid had appeared halfway.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, then at Haku, and finally his gaze landed on the unmoving Zabuza.

"In that case, please allow me to verify Zabuza's life and death."

"Sure," Haku replied.

Kakashi stretched out his hand and slowly moved toward Zabuza's neck. All eyes were fixed on Kakashi's hand, and both Sakura and Sasuke instinctively held their breath.

*[Lava Release]*

Naruto, standing next to Kakashi, suddenly exploded with chakra, his eyes instantly turning blood red.

Seething magma poured from Naruto's hand, and the intense heat quickly evaporated the white mist surrounding them.

As Naruto threw a handful of lava towards the fake dead Zabuza on the ground, Haku, taken by surprise, rushed to Zabuza's side.

Haku's right hand was burned black by the high-temperature lava release, but he managed to save Zabuza, swiftly pulling the steel needle from his neck.

Zabuza's eyes snapped open, and he immediately came back to life.

"Zabuza-sensei, I failed," Haku said apologetically, not even showing any sign of pain despite his severely burned right hand.

It seemed as though that right hand wasn't his, but someone else's.

After speaking, Haku quickly formed hand seals with one hand and, with Zabuza, left in a whirlwind-like manner, just like the Wind Style.

This escape technique was similar to the Smoke Release, which Naruto could understand but could not replicate.

Kakashi observed as Zabuza and Haku left, and after three seconds, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura hurriedly ran up to check on him.

"He's probably exhausted from using up all his chakra," Naruto said calmly after imitating Kakashi's earlier technique of checking for breathing. He waved his hand in front of Kakashi's nose.

Kakashi was now in a deep sleep, resembling an infant, though his breathing remained steady. He was definitely knocked out.

"This isn't the place for discussion. Let's take him back first," Sasuke said, hands in his pockets.

Sasuke had just tried forming one-handed seals but failed. His remaining hand moved uneasily, and he lifted Kakashi, putting one hand on his shoulder.

Naruto did the same, taking the other hand and lifting Kakashi with him, carrying him in tandem.

"The village is just ahead. Let's take him to my house," suggested Tazuna, the target of their protection.

The three members of Team 7 quickly agreed after some discussion.

*At Tazuna's house.*

The trio placed Kakashi in a clean room with tatami mats and blankets. Sakura, with a worried expression, tucked Kakashi in carefully.

As she stepped out, Naruto and Sasuke were already waiting in the corridor.

When Sakura saw Naruto's gaze, she nodded in understanding without speaking and followed him.

The three walked a little further outside, where the area was open, making it easy to spot enemies, and conversations wouldn't be overheard.

"How's Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, his face cold.

Sakura, with a tired expression, shook her head and said, "He's just passed out from exhaustion. He should be fine."

"We can't let our guard down until Kakashi-sensei wakes up," Naruto said. "The enemy could attack at any time while they're still alive."

"Who were those people?" Sakura asked, clearly a little panicked, since it was her first time facing a life-or-death ninja battle.

"They're defected ninjas from the Mist Village," Sasuke replied more calmly. "What concerns me is Zabuza's killing intent. He's as strong as Kakashi."

"And that masked person can form seals with one hand. We'll have to watch out for that move in the future."

"Next time, we'll kill them," Naruto said, raising his hand in a cutting motion. "The masked ninja's right hand is already useless."

"The mission must be completed. Kakashi-sensei won't be able to fight in this condition. While we have the chance, I want to ask you both something."

Naruto lowered his voice significantly.

"This mission should have been over by now. We've already sent that old drunkard back. But if we don't kill those two now while they're injured, it'll be a hidden danger for us."

"I have a way to take them out before Kakashi-sensei wakes up."

______________________________________________

If you want 15 chapters ahead, check out my Patreon: 

patreon.com/PureParadox