Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 49 Clash

"Lava Release: Lava Monster Technique!" The moment the villagers all left, a highly corrosive slime immediately swept over them. Most people chose to scatter and dodge, but Zabuza, wielding a large sword, unleashed a burst of intense chakra, forcefully cleaving a gap in the acidic slime, letting the acid pass by him.

There was one other person on the field who understood him. His height barely reached his calves, but a wall of earth as thick as an arm's length protected the lone pillar, preventing any possibility of erosion. Zabuza glanced to the side and saw a blond child playfully give him an OK sign. Suddenly, the water in front of the child exploded, and a child wielding a sword leaped out, ready to strike him. But the splashing water froze instantly. Haku, having honed his new technique through beatings these past few days, used it to protect the person beating him. However, this left Haku, whose concentration was too focused, wide open, almost falling victim to another enemy's sword technique. That strike was intercepted by Sasuke. He could afford the cost of creating shuriken shadow clones. This dense barrage of shuriken wasn't just to repel threats around Haku, but also to prevent his own opponents from making any rash moves.

Honestly, we clearly agreed on our positions when we were standing, one person to deal with one little devil, so how come that big idiot dared to get distracted and go to protect a broken piece of wood when we started fighting!

Zabuza was quite pleased with the children's coordinated protection, so after receiving a signal from Naruto, he instantly leaped out of the crater burned by the slime and swung his sword at the two remaining adults on the other side. Perfect, this crater could be dug up much easier now; he really had to thank his old colleagues.

As for why Mei Terumi didn't launch a second attack? It's because Kakashi, currently the fastest and most physically capable ninja, seized an opening and attacked. Mei Terumi, a ninja who relies heavily on ninjutsu for damage, is at a disadvantage once she's engaged in close combat. Lengthy hand seals are a major no-no in close-quarters battle, so she had to abandon complex attacks and dodge while moving towards the coastline on the mainland.

Naruto was all too familiar with the extra boy. Wasn't that the Sixth Mizukage? So he was already using the Hiramekarei at such a young age? But his swordplay had quite a few flaws; it seemed he'd only recently acquired this new toy and wasn't very skilled at using it yet. Should he snatch it and give him a taste of his future?

As Naruto thought this, shadow clones that had been burrowing into the ground suddenly sprang out from either side of Chojuro. Chojuro's reaction was quick enough; he immediately cleaved the Hiramekarei, which was being swung like a large sword, in two, each clone striking one of the clones. At the same moment he succeeded, a third clone appeared behind him, locking Chojuro's outstretched arms, rendering him immobile. Naruto's lightning-attribute activation boosted his speed enough to exploit this huge opening, and he delivered a powerful punch to Chojuro's abdomen, subtly using Gentle Fist pressure point techniques to disarm the Hiramekarei in Chojuro's left hand.

Meanwhile, Haku had been forced to activate his secret technique, as he hadn't expected the girl he was facing to be such a skilled swordsman. His weapon was too light to withstand a direct confrontation, so he had to resort to a tactic of trapping her. As for Sasuke, his opponent was simply no match for him. After the initial clash of ninjutsu caused water and fire to evaporate into a large amount of mist, the enemy's defeat was inevitable. The Sharingan allowed Sasuke to ignore visual obstructions, and the opponent's wildly swung sword was completely disorganized, quickly knocked unconscious by electricity. As for Zabuza? He didn't need a child to worry about him. If it weren't for doing business with the Land of Water, he wouldn't have knocked out his opponent with the back of his blade, but instead, he would have given his Executioner's Blade a long-awaited blood-based health pack.

Sasuke, who finished the battle first, tossed the captured sword to Haku, glanced at Naruto who was having a great time, and finally exchanged a look with Zabuza before resolutely stepping onto the sea. Zabuza, though finding it troublesome, figured the kid wasn't his, and he couldn't control him. Since the kid wanted to go, he might as well go and see.

The two reached a consensus in silence and set off across the sea in the direction of the commotion.

"Is it alright to be this far away?" Kakashi's kunai, which he was wielding, shifted from concealment to offense, but Mei Terumi saw through his plan and dodged it, then followed up with a punch aimed at his chest and abdomen. Kakashi, equally experienced in battle, immediately switched from offense to defense. The two exchanged several blows, and Mei Terumi began looking for an opportunity to create distance, but unfortunately, Kakashi remained relentless, preventing her from using even the strongest techniques.

Although Mei Terumi was passive, she remained remarkably calm, showing no concern whatsoever that her students would meet with misfortune. This confidence didn't stem from their strength, but rather...

"The Land of Waves does not yet have the courage to kill them."

Not Zabuza, not Konoha, but the Land of Waves. This fledgling nation absolutely cannot afford to lose the Land of Water as a huge business partner.

"...Accurate judgment. But you can still kill, as long as it's not a Konoha ninja. Right?" This has been the established practice since ancient times; the world where the strong rule has never changed. The waves stirred up by a great power can drown a small country. Faced with an attack, they have to think twice before even retaliating, and they cannot lose their composure.

"So why struggle? You can't protect this place forever. Once you leave, Kirigakure will have plenty of reasons to attack. For example, capturing rogue ninja." Mei Terumi retorted, "The tactic of attacking the opponent's mentality is two-way. In the end, the Konoha ninjas will only end up with nothing. The real solution is not on the battlefield."

Kakashi knew this, of course, but they were ninjas, and they had no choice but to fight.

A prolonged battle of attrition was disadvantageous for Mei, so she risked injury to complete the hand seals for the Great Waterfall Technique. The surging seawater instantly became her weapon, sending Kakashi flying. Zabuza arrived at that moment, setting up a water barrier just as the waves weakened, while Sasuke, following behind, struggled to stop Kakashi's charge.

The distance widened again, but this time it was three against one, and even the slightest mistake could lead to defeat. Mei Terumi completely ignored her bleeding arm, her eyes fixed on the three opponents. This woman truly lived up to her title as the future Fifth Mizukage; even in this predicament, she showed no fear.

"Be careful, she has two bloodline limits." Zabuza dared not underestimate his opponent. This thorny woman had left a very deep impression on him. Witnessing a person melt into bones was a nightmare even for a ninja!

"I really don't want to melt this handsome guy's heart. Are you sure you want to continue?" Mei Terumi asked with a smile, her ninjutsu already poised to be unleashed. Her confident demeanor alerted the two adults, but based on their absolute trust in Naruto, they didn't consider another possibility and were more inclined to speculate that the upcoming ninjutsu would be extremely powerful.

Oh well, Qing should have succeeded by now anyway.

Mei Terumi exhaled a large amount of water mist again, and this time, anyone who got close would pay a heavy price.