Naruto clenched his fists.
Right now, he felt completely useless.
Even when they encountered the enemy, it was Shigure who stepped forward to fight alone.
Sasuke, watching from the side, shared the same frustration—helpless and bitter.
Shigure calmly advanced toward Zabuza, who had once again retrieved his massive Executioner's Blade.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—Momochi Zabuza."
Zabuza rested the sword on his shoulder, his cold eyes narrowing.
"Oh? You know who I am?"
"Of course," Shigure replied coolly. "A name like yours is hard to ignore."
"Heh... Then take pride in the fact that you'll die by my hand."
As he spoke, Zabuza finally noticed the blade strapped to Shigure's back.
"Oh? Looks like you're a sword-user too."
He licked his lips, his bloodlust rising.
"Then let me show you the true terror of Hidden Mist swordsmanship!"
So, he wants to test me in swordplay?
Shigure reached behind his waist and, with a sharp clang, drew his black blade in one swift motion.
Zabuza's eyes narrowed the moment he saw it.
"A black sword? You don't see those every day."
"Zangetsu."
Shigure's tone was low, cold, as he raised the sword slightly in front of him.
Zabuza chuckled in response.
"Executioner's Blade."
It was tradition among true swordsmen—to name their blades before a duel.
A silent agreement passed between them.
And then, in the blink of an eye...
Whoosh!
Twin gales erupted as both charged at once.
Zangetsu and the Executioner's Blade met mid-air with a thunderous clang! that echoed through the trees.
Sparks burst. Steel shrieked. Wind howled.
Zabuza's immense blade gave him a clear advantage in weight and raw strength. With his combat experience and physical power, he should've overwhelmed his opponent easily.
Even a fellow swordsman wouldn't dare face him in a direct clash.
But under Kakashi's watchful gaze, Shigure chose the boldest option—
A frontal assault.
Zangetsu was slender—nothing like the colossal weapon Zabuza wielded. It seemed ill-suited for such a power-based duel.
But when their swords clashed, everyone watching was stunned.
Shigure—wielding Zangetsu with a single hand—held his ground against Zabuza's two-handed strike.
The blades ground against each other, spitting sparks.
Zabuza's eyes widened.
"How…?"
A Genin, this young, using a regular-sized ninja blade—matching him in strength?
"A freakish wrist strength," Kakashi murmured, unable to suppress a wry smile.
Naruto lit up with excitement.
"Get him, Shigure! You've got this!"
Sasuke's fists tightened, frustration simmering beneath the surface.
How does he train? How can he be this strong at our age?
"I'll admit it," Zabuza growled. "Didn't expect some brat fresh out of the Academy to have this kind of muscle. Must've been born gifted…"
That was the only explanation Zabuza could come up with.
A child born with monstrous power.
He had no idea how far off he was.
Shigure didn't respond. He had no need to explain.
He had left Konoha barely a day ago, and with three top-tier physical techniques constantly running as passive skills, his body had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Now, he wanted to test it.
Just how far had he come in a day?
Shigure's left hand rose and gripped the hilt, locking in a two-handed stance.
The instant he did—
Zabuza's instincts screamed danger.
Before, he'd just barely held off Shigure's one-handed blows. But now—
Crack!
Veins bulged across Zabuza's arms as he tried to hold his ground. His eyes reddened, blood vessels bursting under the strain.
But it wasn't enough.
Boom!
Shigure shoved forward, forcing Zabuza backward in an instant.
Crash!
Zabuza was sent skidding back five or six meters before digging his heels in to stop.
The air trembled as Shigure stepped forward.
He raised Zangetsu again.
"Let's go—again!"
The black blade, Zangetsu, looked slender—almost delicate at a glance. It didn't seem like a weapon built for power.
But in Shigure's hands, its true nature was revealed.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
A flurry of strikes came crashing down—relentless, violent, unyielding.
Step by step, Shigure forced Zabuza backward, giving him no time to breathe, no space to regroup.
Kakashi, watching from the sidelines, was momentarily stunned.
This wasn't refined swordplay. This wasn't a display of elegant kenjutsu technique.
This was brute force.
Pure, raw power.
Despite having excellent swordsmanship, Shigure wasn't even bothering to use it. Instead, he chose to crush Zabuza using the very thing the rogue ninja prided himself on—strength.
Zabuza was barely holding on. His massive Executioner's Blade, once feared across the continent, now felt more like a shield than a weapon.
Kakashi couldn't help but feel a hint of sympathy.
To be cornered like this...
How did Shigure develop such monstrous strength at his age?
Was he holding back during our spar before?
Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted—
Bang!!!
A sharp, distinct crack rang out.
Everyone froze.
The blade of the Executioner's Sword… had fractured.
Shards of chipped metal scattered through the air.
Kakashi's breath caught in his throat.
That kind of power... to break Zabuza's sword in combat…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Another storm of strikes followed—five, six consecutive blows.
Zabuza leapt backward, finally managing to escape the pressure and widen the distance.
Shigure didn't chase.
He simply stood there, his black sword gleaming, untouched.
Looking down at Zangetsu in his hand, Shigure muttered to himself, "That special alloy Tenten used… it's ridiculously durable. Not even a scratch. I owe her for this—Zangetsu is perfect."
Across from him, Zabuza stared in disbelief at his weapon.
His Executioner's Blade—damaged, chipped, cracked along the edge.
It hadn't shattered completely, but it was barely usable. The once-pristine edge was ruined.
He looked again at Shigure.
He's just a teenager… How can he possess such terrifying strength?
He's not a boy—he's a beast in human form.
"Damn kid…"
But before Zabuza could even finish cursing—
Shigure's head snapped up.
He moved.
In a blink, he accelerated—charging forward like a bolt of lightning.
This time, he didn't hack down with brute force.
Instead—he thrust.
Zangetsu drove straight toward Zabuza's chest.
Zabuza raised his sword horizontally in defense, ready to push back the black blade—
But in a smooth motion, Shigure lifted the tip slightly—deflecting Zabuza's defense—and redirected the blade with a swift slash toward his arm.
Too fast. Too clean.
Zabuza's eyes widened. His sword was deflected effortlessly, and then—
Pain.
His arm was cut.
In that moment, the truth hit him harder than the blade:
He had been outclassed in both strength and technique.
One strike.
One blow ruined his weapon.
One clean cut drew blood.
His years of experience, his pride as a swordsman—it all seemed meaningless in front of this boy.
Swish.
Blood trickled down the edge of Zangetsu.
Drip.
Drip.
Shigure blinked, slightly surprised.
Zabuza had thrown his sword away at the last second, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike.
Even injured, he still managed to react in time?
He's more dangerous than he looks…
...
TN:
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