C10 The Pathetic Kakashi

The group resumed their journey, and upon reaching a lakeside, they were greeted by a whistling sound from nearby.

Kakashi and Hirome were quick to respond.

Together, they pressed everyone down, narrowly avoiding a large blade that whizzed past them.

"Isn't that Zabuza, the Renegade Ninja from the Fog Hidden Village?"

"Copy Ninja Kakashi, would you mind handing over that old man behind you to me?"

"That's not going to happen. It's a mission, after all. I can't just abandon it!"

Their idle chatter was grating on Hirome's nerves.

"This is so irritating, Mr. Kakashi. Just deal with it already. Enough with the pointless banter!"

"Mr. Hirome's right. This guy seems tougher than the previous two. I'll take him on!"

Naruto was eager to step up. The Mr. Ghost duo hadn't been challenging, and now that a worthy opponent had appeared, he was itching to impress Sakura.

Hearing Naruto's boast, Hirome was exasperated. Defeating two low-level Middle Ninja had gone to his head. But this was an Upper Ninja, someone who could match Kakashi blow for blow.

Wait, that's not quite right. There were plenty in the Ninja Realm who could go toe-to-toe with Mr. Kakashi.

"Naruto, I'll handle this one. You all focus on protecting Tazuna!"

With that, Kakashi unveiled the Sharingan hidden beneath his forehead protector.

"Huh? Sharingan? Why does Mr. Kakashi have a Sharingan?"

Sasuke was taken aback upon seeing Kakashi's Sharingan. Was Kakashi the long-lost uncle he hadn't seen in years?

"This eye was a gift from a friend..."

"Ninja Art: Fog Hidden Technique!"

Zabuza unleashed his signature move, blending into the mist.

"Eight targets: the throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, collarbone, kidneys, and heart. So, which one should I strike next?" Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist, elusive and menacing.

Meanwhile, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura felt the chill of his killing intent, causing them to shiver involuntarily.

"The villain's downfall is often due to his excessive chatter. I suggest you cut the small talk and just get started. If you manage to kill anyone here, I'll concede defeat!"

Mr. Hirome's words bolstered the spirits of the three frightened little ghosts, who suddenly felt as though they had found their backbone, and their panic vanished entirely.

"Hmph..."

Zabuza, irked that Mr. Hirome had shattered the menacing aura he had worked so hard to build, let out a cold snort and decided it was time to teach Mr. Hirome a lesson.

In an instant, Zabuza was at Tazuna's side, but before he could act, Mr. Hirome, who had anticipated his every move, sliced through his water clone.

It appeared he had been effortlessly exposed. This kid was formidable. A quick victory was out of the question; he had to focus on dealing with Kakashi first!

Zabuza hadn't anticipated that his water clone's sneak attack would fail without Kakashi's backup.

He realized that his plan to stealthily assassinate Tazuna was likely doomed to failure. He needed to take out Kakashi before he could carry out his mission.

Resolved, Zabuza materialized behind Kakashi and swung his massive sword at him.

Kakashi was instantly cleaved into a pool of water, revealing himself as the water clone that had mimicked Zabuza.

The two continued their cat-and-mouse game, much like the original story.

"Ha, you thought you got my real body? Wrong. I knew you'd figured out my plan; this is just another water clone."

"Hmph, I was aware that you knew I had uncovered your plan. This one's a water clone as well."

After a bit of this back and forth, Zabuza, perhaps bored with the game, kicked Kakashi into the lake.

Kakashi, not fond of water, eagerly surfaced, only to be caught by the waiting Zabuza, who promptly trapped him with the Water Prison Technique.

Then, Class 7 initiated their mission to rescue Kakashi.

However, Mr. Hirome did not join the fray. While Naruto and Sasuke tangled with Zabuza's clones, Mr. Hirome unleashed the Gougakyu Arts with unruffled precision.

But this time, his Gougakyu Arts was different; he channeled a significantly larger amount of Chakra.

The fireball that Hirome unleashed was equally massive.

Zabuza watched the enormous fireball hurtling toward him, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead as he rapidly assessed the situation. His Water Clone was tied up by Naruto and Sasuke, leaving him with only two options: abandon the Water Prison Technique to evade the colossal Gougakyu or attempt to slice through the fireball with his sword.

Yet, cutting through such an immense Gougakyu would still leave him vulnerable to its effects, and Kakashi would inevitably break free from the Water Prison Technique, rendering the effort futile.

There was only one viable solution.

Zabuza swiftly ceased maintaining the Water Prison Technique and leapt aside to avoid the Gougakyu.

He managed to escape, but Kakashi remained in place. The Water Prison Technique had just been released, making evasion impossible.

Kakashi had no choice but to brace himself and shield his vital areas.

Boom!

Kakashi was blasted away by the Gougakyu, sustaining injuries, but they were not fatal. This was precisely why Hirome had acted so brazenly.

As long as Kakashi wasn't dead, Hirome could rescue him.

"Ah, you dummy, you hit the wrong person!"

Sakura, who was protecting Tazuna, was shocked by her brother's rash maneuver, in stark contrast to Hirome's composure.

Naruto and Sasuke, who had just dealt with Zabuza's Water Clone, were equally stunned. With their main force taken out, what were they supposed to use in their fight against Zabuza?

"Cough, cough... My bad, my bad. I didn't expect Mr. Kakashi to be unable to dodge," Hirome said, though he certainly wouldn't confess to doing it deliberately.

Kakashi, perched in a tree at a distance, coughed up blood once more upon hearing Hirome's words. It was intentional, wasn't it?

"Haha, what an unexpected turn of events? Kid, since you've done me such a huge favor, I'll repay you by making your death swift!"

In the heat of the moment, Zabuza hadn't considered Kakashi's fate. Now, looking back, he felt like a genius for using the enemy's attack to defeat the enemy. Perfect!

After bursting into wild laughter, Zabuza swatted aside the two nuisances, Naruto and Sasuke, and hefted his massive sword to repay Mr. Hirome's great favor.

Yet, a sly grin curled at the corner of Mr. Hirome's mouth.

In an instant, Mr. Hirome teleported ten meters back from his original position and unleashed another power of the Mangekyo Sharingan: Annihilation!

Zabuza could never have anticipated that his full-force strike would be evaded by a Low Ninja.

His executioner's blade sliced through the air and plunged into the earth.

Before he could register shock, an explosion erupted beneath his feet. Zabuza was blasted until he was scorched all over, tumbling to the ground not far from Mr. Hirome.

Mr. Hirome had intentionally moderated the intensity of the Annihilation, reducing the explosion's force to the equivalent of ten Explosive Talismans.

He wasn't ready to reveal his Mangekyo Sharingan prematurely. Later, he could simply claim to have foreseen Zabuza's assault and preemptively placed ten Explosive Talismans at that location, a perfectly plausible explanation.