Zabuza was back in the mist, but the water prison holding Kakashi was still intact. Sakura's mind raced. They had to free him.
Her sharp green eyes flickered toward Zabuza's stance, his arm still submerged in the sphere of water that imprisoned their sensei. That meant...
"He can't move," she murmured.
Sasuke heard her. "What?"
She clenched her fist. "Zabuza's water prison, it's strong but it has one major weakness." Her eyes gleamed. "He has to keep his hand inside it to maintain it."
Sasuke's brows furrowed. "So?"
"So..." Sakura smirked. "If we force him to move, Kakashi gets free."
Sasuke processed that for a moment before smirking.
Naruto, still buzzing from his last aura farm, was already hyped. "Alright, what's the plan?"
Sakura turned to him.
"You still remember everything I taught you about coordination?"
Naruto scoffed. "Pfft. What kinda question is that?" He cracked his knuckles. "Let's do this."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+50 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: The Art of Proper Teamwork.)
Naruto's clones charged first, flooding the battlefield.
Zabuza narrowed his eyes, still holding Kakashi inside the water sphere. Annoying.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A massive serpentine dragon formed from the lake, its mouth opening wide before crashing down upon the clones, annihilating them in a single instant.
But that wasn't the real attack.
Zabuza didn't see the one clone underwater.
And neither did his water clone.
Sasuke's kunai flashed towards the real Zabuza, not to attack directly but to create an opening.
Zabuza scowled, lifting his Executioner's Blade one-handed while maintaining the water prison. Even with one arm occupied, he was still faster.
But Sasuke wasn't alone.
Just as Zabuza swung... Naruto's clone exploded out of the water behind him, grabbing onto his shoulder.
"Gotcha, bastard!"
Zabuza's eyes widened.
That single moment of hesitation was all they needed.
Sakura, who had been waiting, moved instantly.
She raised her senbon... not at Zabuza, but at his submerged hand.
With surgical precision, she flicked them forward.
Two needles struck just beneath his wrist, one hitting the median nerve, the other disrupting his chakra flow.
The effect was immediate.
Zabuza flinched. His fingers twitched. His grip on the Water Prison broke.
CRACK!
The sphere collapsed.
And then—
Kakashi was free.
Zabuza's eyes widened—
Kakashi's Sharingan glowed.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+250 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Outplaying an A-Rank Ninja.)
Kakashi landed on the water's surface, crouching low, dripping wet, but completely unshaken.
Zabuza's face darkened.
Kakashi slowly stood up, rolling his shoulders, cracking his neck.
"…Well done," he murmured. "Looks like I underestimated you three."
Sakura smirked. Sasuke clicked his tongue. Naruto grinned, thumbing his nose.
Zabuza wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, scowling.
"…Tch."
Kakashi's eyes sharpened.
"But now," he said, his voice carrying the weight of an elite ninja.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+500 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Returning the Coolness to Kakashi.)
"... this fight is mine."
"Oh," Sakura breathed. "It's starting."
Naruto and Sasuke turned to look at her.
"What's starting?" Naruto asked.
Sakura simply smirked.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+50 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Being the Team 7 Commentator.)
Before she could answer—
CLANG!
Kakashi vanished.
For a split second, he had been standing there, relaxed, casual like a bored Jonin on a casual stroll.
Then, in a flash of movement, he was in front of Zabuza, kunai raised.
Steel met steel.
Zabuza reacted just in time, Executioner's Blade swinging to intercept, but Kakashi didn't slow down.
Another movement, Kakashi ducked, the massive blade whistling over his head as he twisted into a sharp kick.
Zabuza blocked it with his arm, skidding slightly back.
Sakura closed her eyes, crossing her arms. "Kakashi-sensei's faster than him."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Then why isn't he winning already?"
Sakura tilted her head. "Because Zabuza is still an A-rank shinobi. He's not weak."
Sasuke frowned, watching the battle unfold.
"...And keep in mind," she continued, "all S-rank shinobi are stronger than this."
Sasuke's fists clenched.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+100 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Casually Humbling the Uchiha Prodigy.)
Meanwhile, the fight continued.
Zabuza leapt back onto the water, forming a quick sequence of seals.
Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!
A massive serpent of water surged upward, spiraling toward Kakashi with deadly speed.
But...
Kakashi was already moving.
Before the dragon had even finished forming, Kakashi's hands blurred into the same exact sequence of seals.
Naruto gaped. "W-Wait! How did he—"
Sakura smirked. "He's copying the jutsu before Zabuza even finishes casting it."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+30 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Hyped Up The Copy Ninja.)
A second Water Dragon burst into existence... Kakashi's own.
And then...
They clashed.
The lake erupted as both dragons met in a violent explosion of force.
The entire battlefield trembled.
Zabuza's eyes widened. "What the-"
Kakashi was already in front of him.
Kunai in hand.
For the first time, Zabuza was on the defensive.
Every strike was intercepted, but barely. Every movement mirrored.
Zabuza growled, retreating a step, only to find Kakashi already behind him. The Copy Ninja whispered, voice low.
"You talk too much."
Zabuza whirled around, swinging his blade—only to hit nothing but mist.
And then...
A kunai pressed lightly against the back of his neck.
Kakashi's voice was calm.
"But I've already seen how this fight ends."
Silence.
And for the first time in his life, Zabuza Momochi felt something he wasn't used to.
A single bead of sweat rolled down his brow.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+200 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Front Row Seat To Kakashi Farming Zabuza's Soul.)
Zabuza's grip on his blade tightened.
This wasn't right.
This wasn't possible.
Kakashi hadn't just been copying his jutsu.
He had been copying his movements.
His thoughts.
Zabuza spun around, swinging the Executioner's Blade in a lethal arc—only for Kakashi to already be gone.
A blur of silver.
Then a sharp impact against his ribs.
CRACK.
Zabuza flew, skidding across the lake before catching himself, panting.
Kakashi was standing exactly where he had been.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Like he had already won.
"You hesitated," Kakashi said, tilting his head. "That's unlike you, Demon of the Mist."
Zabuza bared his teeth, spitting to the side. "Shut up."
He formed another set of hand seals. Faster this time.
Kakashi matched them, his fingers blurring at the exact same speed.
Zabuza's eyes narrowed.
That wasn't possible.
The Water Clone that had just started forming beside him—was already forming beside Kakashi.
No.
Not beside Kakashi.
Behind him.
Zabuza turned, swinging before the copy could fully materialize—
But Kakashi was already gone.
He reappeared directly in front of Zabuza, mimicking his exact stance.
His exact expression.
His exact words.
"Shut up," Kakashi repeated, voice as smooth as steel.
Zabuza's blood ran cold.
For the first time in years—
He felt it.
A sliver of fear.
Kakashi's Sharingan gleamed.
"Tell me something, Zabuza."
Zabuza lunged forward—
But Kakashi moved at the same time.
Their attacks clashed... perfectly mirrored.
Sasuke tensed. "How is he—"
"He's reading Zabuza like a book," Sakura murmured, eyes shining. "And now he's flipping to the last page."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+100 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Providing Live Commentary for Kakashi's Greatest Hits.)
Zabuza growled. "Enough of this—"
Kakashi's eye gleamed.
"You're right," he said, softly.
And then he disappeared.
Water erupted.
Zabuza spun wildly, but Kakashi was already behind him, whispering in his ear.
"Your future is clear to me."
Zabuza's vision warped.
His own voice echoed in his head.
What the—
What is this—
—GENJUTSU—
And then—
Pain.
The sharp edge of a kunai pressed against his throat.
The battlefield fell silent.
Kakashi stood there, blade at Zabuza's neck.
He had predicted every move.
He had read Zabuza like a script.
This fight was already over.
Sasuke exhaled, eyes wide.
Naruto clenched his fists, grinning.
Sakura folded her arms.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+200 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Witnessing Kakashi Completely Humiliate an A-Rank Shinobi.)
"Looks like you're done," Kakashi said calmly.
And for a moment—
It truly seemed like Zabuza was finished.
But then—
A whistling sound.
Something fast.
Something deadly.
Thunk!
Zabuza froze.
Two senbon jutted out from his neck.
His body wavered—
And then, with a heavy splash, he collapsed.
The mist began to clear.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The mist was thinning, revealing the battlefield in full.
Kakashi blinked.
Naruto gawked.
Sasuke turned, eyes wide.
And all of them—at the exact same time—slowly turned their heads to look at Sakura.
Sakura turned. "What?"
Naruto's jaw dropped. "DID YOU JUST SNIPE HIM?!"
Sasuke gave her an unreadable stare. "From that distance?"
Even Kakashi seemed taken aback. He was still holding his kunai like he'd been about to finish the fight—but now, he just stared at his downed opponent.
Sakura's face stiffened into one of utter seriousness.
"That… was not me."
Another figure stepped into view.
A shadowed silhouette, mask gleaming in the fading fog.
"Thank you," a soft voice murmured. "I'll take Zabuza from here."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
Sakura sighed.
"See?" she gestured to the masked ninja. "They did it."
Naruto still looked suspicious. "But you could have done it."
Sasuke didn't say anything.
But his expression definitely said, She totally could have.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+300 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Unintentional Legendary Sniper Allegations.)
Meanwhile, Kakashi was still staring at the masked ninja, who stood quietly above Zabuza's fallen form.
Sasuke and Naruto were still staring at Sakura like she had secretly planned all of this.
Sakura, meanwhile, was rubbing her temples in frustration. "For the last time, I didn't do it."
Naruto squinted. "But if you had—"
"No."
Ding![Aura System]+150 AP Gained.(Farming Method: Unintentional Propaganda Farming.)
Kakashi ignored them, eyes locked on the newcomer. "A Hunter-nin, huh?"
The masked ninja nodded. "Yes. Zabuza Momochi is an infamous rogue shinobi. As per my duty, I will dispose of him."
Sakura crossed her arms. "And yet, you didn't appear until after I was accused of doing your job."
The Hunter-nin stiffened slightly.
Kakashi, ever the professional, chose not to acknowledge the increasingly absurd levels of aura farming going on behind him.
Instead, he narrowed his gaze. "You're young."
The Hunter-nin tilted their head slightly. "That doesn't matter."
Kakashi hummed. "Perhaps not."
Naruto frowned, stepping forward. "Wait, wait—if you're a good guy, why do you have to kill him? Shouldn't we just take him back to the village or something?"
The Hunter-nin shook their head. "A missing-nin of Zabuza's level holds too much classified information. Bringing him back alive is too dangerous."
Sasuke scoffed. "So instead, you just put a senbon in his neck?"
"It was a precise strike," the Hunter-nin explained. "A painless death."
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Interesting choice of words."
The Hunter-nin didn't respond.
Kakashi sighed, putting a hand in his pocket. "Well… I suppose it saves us the trouble of dealing with him ourselves."
The Hunter-nin nodded. "I will take his body and dispose of it properly."
Sakura crossed her arms. "Right. Because that's totally what you're going to do."
Kakashi shot her a look, but she merely raised an eyebrow.
He couldn't even blame her. Something felt off.
But before he could dwell on it—
A sudden wave of dizziness crashed over him.
Kakashi's legs trembled.
His vision blurred.
His body, exhausted from the prolonged use of his Sharingan, finally gave out.
"Ah—"
Then...
Darkness.
The last thing he heard before his body hit the ground was Naruto's panicked yell...
And Sakura, sighing dramatically.
"Well," she muttered. "There goes our cool factor."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+250 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Commentary at the Worst Possible Moment.)