Author's Note:
I'd really appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on this chapter in the comments—whether you liked it, disliked it, or noticed any strengths or weaknesses.
Your feedback helps me understand what works and what needs improvement, and it also creates a space for readers to discuss the chapter and its events together.
Feel free to be honest and speak your mind. This story grows with you and because of you.
____________
[—
"Long ago, in the Hidden Mist Village—also known as the Village of the Bloody Mist—there was a final obstacle to becoming a ninja…"
Kakashi spoke while he was still trapped inside the Water Prison.
"Hm… you even know about that graduation exam…" Zabuza was surprised.
"That exam?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"Hehehe…" Zabuza laughed, deepening Naruto's and the others' confusion.
"What's this graduation exam thing?!"
"Hehehehe…" Zabuza continued laughing, as if recalling something amusing.
In the end, his answer was shocking: "A fight to the death between the students."
"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened.
"Friends who trained together and ate at the same table are pitted against each other… until one of them loses their life." As Kakashi spoke, blood-stained shuriken appeared in the background.
"These are friends who helped each other and shared dreams…" he added.
"Terrible…" Sakura felt horrified just hearing it.
"Ten years ago, the Hidden Mist's graduation exam was forced to change. That change came after the previous year, when a devil appeared."
"Change? What change? What did this devil do?" Sakura wanted to hear the rest of the story.
"Without pause or hesitation, a young boy—who wasn't even a ninja yet—killed over a hundred students."
In the background, a child Zabuza appeared, sitting calmly amid dozens of corpses.
—]
"Hss… what!?"
The eyes of one of Konoha's shinobi readers widened. His hands trembled as he stared at everything Kakashi had said so far.
"My God!" He wasn't the only one shocked. Beside him, another shinobi let out a gasp of disbelief.
"This is terrifying… truly terrifying…"
The shock spread to someone else—this time a civilian—who realized that the ninja world he had already thought was frightening was far worse than he had imagined.
"A devil… no, something far worse…"
Not far away, another civilian whispered with a trembling voice.
…
"Did Zabuza really do this during his graduation exam?!"
Hiruzen's eyes trembled. As Hokage, he naturally knew about Kirigakure's methods, passed down since the First Mizukage: two academy students fighting each other to the death, with only the surviving child earning a headband and becoming a genin.
But seeing the 'change' Kakashi mentioned in the manga made his scalp go numb…
This time, a single child had slaughtered his entire generation at the academy. That alone completely changed Hiruzen's evaluation of Zabuza. He no longer saw him as merely a missing-nin jōnin from the Hidden Mist, as he had at first.
"I'd heard a little about the Hidden Mist's bloody methods, but I never expected them to be this brutal…"
Danzo said this with a smile.
He hadn't expected such truths—facts the Hidden Mist had long concealed from the outside world—to be exposed so directly in a manga drawn in Konoha.
"Hiruzen… prepare for trouble. Kirigakure won't stay silent when this book falls into their hands."
Danzo pointed at Hiruzen as he spoke.
"Nonsense. And what does this have to do with me?"
Hiruzen snorted coldly.
"Hehe…"
Danzo laughed mockingly before falling silent and continuing to read.
He truly enjoyed Hiruzen's current expression—it looked as if he'd swallowed a fly. Simply reminding him of the trouble this small scene in the manga would cause was enough to make Hiruzen, who already understood that fact, simmer with anger.
…
"It seems I was lucky to be born in Konoha instead of the Hidden Mist… otherwise, my fate would've been death in the graduation exam."
Seeing the image of child Zabuza sitting with his hands on his knees amid dozens of corpses of children his own age—whom he had killed with his own hands—Haruno Kizashi thanked the gods that he'd been born in Konoha and become a shinobi, even as a civilian without clan support.
If he'd been in the Hidden Mist, he would've become a corpse instead of a genin.
"This is horrible…"
Not far from Kizashi, a thirteen-year-old girl covered her mouth in shock. She, too, was a civilian shinobi. Her name was Mebuki, a kunoichi at genin level.
(Author's note: Sakura's mother. At this point in the timeline, she has not yet met Sakura's father.)
…
"How terrifying is Zabuza…? Is Team Seven really going to face such a horrifying devil right after graduating as genin?!"
Shikaku Nara said in shock. He never imagined things were this bad in the Hidden Mist.
"Is it really called the Village of the Bloody Mist?"
Beside him, Chōza Akimichi asked—he even stopped eating his chips out of fear.
"I didn't know this kind of information about the Hidden Mist either. Is it really reliable?"
Inoichi Yamanaka questioned the credibility of it all.
At that moment, the three fathers exchanged meaningful glances in silence.
"Well, the information in the manga is accurate."
After a long silence, Inoichi Yamanaka spoke with a helpless smile.
"Hm,"
Hekitsu Nara nodded in agreement. This information was secret and sensitive, not something to be discussed openly—but as clan leaders, it was obvious that such 'secrets' weren't really secrets to them at all.
All the villages shared intelligence about one another. Each other's styles were exposed, even if not completely.
"But the level this has reached is completely out of control. One child killing a hundred students… that's terrifying."
The fat on Houzhou Akimichi's body trembled.
…
In the next scene, Zabuza violently attacked Sasuke, pressing his foot down so hard that blood burst from Sasuke's mouth.
Seeing this, members of the Uchiha clan felt a chill run through their bodies—especially Mikoto and Fugaku, whose hearts ached sharply.
"Bastard… he really is a devil."
Mikoto Uchiha felt anger rise as she watched the scene.
"Don't worry… it seems Naruto has a plan…"
Fugaku said calmly, though inside he was anything but calm.
The information about the Hidden Mist shocked him, but seeing Sasuke being beaten so badly stirred a strange feeling in him… as if he were watching his own son being abused.
On the next page of the manga, hundreds of Naruto's clones surrounded Zabuza, who was preparing to slaughter Sasuke with his massive sword.
This broke the concentration of Zabuza's water clone, allowing Sasuke to retreat safely.
"Excellent—good move by Naruto. This is the kind of teamwork I like to see."
"A high-level battle like this will allow them to grow greatly, if they manage to come out alive."
The Uchiha clan head smiled energetically as he watched the fast-paced manga unfold.
Both his eyes transformed into the three-tomoe Sharingan as he carefully observed and analyzed every detail. At that moment, he felt as if he were inside the manga world itself, watching the battle up close, other than merely reading it from a manga book.
In the following scene, although Zabuza easily dispersed dozens of Naruto's clones that overwhelmed him with sheer numbers, Naruto managed to retrieve his pouch as well.
The image of Naruto throwing the pouch to Sasuke was reflected in Uchiha Hugaku's crimson eyes.
"What are they planning?"
Curiosity rose in Hugaku's heart.
Beside him, the other Uchiha were just as curious.
At that moment, a strange silence spread throughout the entire art store.
As Naruto and Sasuke began their teamwork—fighting an uneven battle against an expert jōnin—none of the readers in the store even wanted to breathe.
…
"What are they planning to do?"
Seeing Sasuke pull out a large shuriken from the pouch, and immediately understanding Naruto's plan, even Tsunade grew curious.
"What can they possibly do to a monster like Zabuza with just shuriken?"
Nawaki said with bewildered eyes.
Still, it didn't stop him from continuing to follow the thrilling events with rapt attention.
"I see it… They're aiming to free Kakashi from the Water Prison… that really is the best move. Only Kakashi can turn this battle around."
Tsunade smiled—she loved Naruto's and Sasuke's clever decision at this moment.
…
"One isn't enough—how about two?"
Jiraiya grinned with excitement, especially when he saw the shock on Zabuza's face as he caught the shuriken, only to be startled by a second one spinning straight toward him.
"He jumped… easy to dodge… but it seems I underestimated Naruto's combat intelligence."
Minato smiled at that moment—the same smile that appeared on Sasuke's face in the manga.
The second shuriken that Zabuza dodged exploded into smoke, and Naruto appeared in its place.
It turned out Naruto had transformed into a shuriken, which Sasuke threw as a feint to lower Zabuza's guard.
"He's gotten this close… amazing. Go for it, Naruto! Free Kakashi!"
Kushina cheered excitedly.
"Amazing…"
Mito smiled warmly. She loved seeing such combat ingenuity and incredible courage in the face of an experienced ninja.
____________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
____________
Chapter 67: The Astonishing Combat Style of the Copy Ninja!
Chapter 68: Zabuza's End? The Hidden Mist Village on the Horizon!
Chapter 69: Third Art Store Established – Kirigakure!
Chapter 70: Pandora's Box Opens!
____________
BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 90.
There are 25 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Platinum tier ($15 subscription), and 5 more chapters in the Diamond tier ($20 subscription).
On Patreon and Ko-fi, too.
In the coming days, chapters will be made available for all tiers, reaching up to 50 advanced chapters… Enjoy!