Chapter 12: Water Clone, Water Clone, and Still Water Clone
"So the famous Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi is actually a little girl?"
"Or are you not Hatake Kakashi?"
"No, your outfit is exactly the same, and you dealt with the Demon Brothers easily. Looks like my intel was wrong."
Zabuza took out a notebook and looked at the information written about Kakashi, curiosity appearing in his eyes.
"Eh? So Kakashi-sensei is actually that famous?"
Sakura also looked at Kakashi with curiosity.
But Sasuke was caught by what Zabuza had said earlier.
"Kakashi of the Sharingan? What does that mean?"
"My real name is actually Uchiha Kakashi."
Seeing the confusion in Sasuke's eyes, Kakashi jokingly said it like it was true.
"Huh?"
Sasuke was instantly shocked and stared at Kakashi in disbelief.
"I'm kidding. The situation's tense, so I was just trying to lighten the mood."
Kakashi smiled and spoke again.
Zabuza's face darkened at once.
"Hmph. Looks like you people are looking down on me."
"This time it's my turn to shine. I'm not losing to Sasuke again."
Naruto was still stuck on what had happened earlier. Now that he saw a chance, he ignored everything else and rushed forward to attack Zabuza.
"Get back and protect Mr. Tazuna."
Kakashi immediately reached out to stop Naruto, her expression turning serious.
"This opponent is not like the ones before. One mistake and you die."
Then Kakashi raised her left hand and lifted the forehead protector covering her left eye, revealing her crimson Sharingan.
"Oh! I didn't expect to see the legendary Sharingan so soon."
When Zabuza saw Kakashi reveal her Sharingan before the fight had even begun, the little anger in his heart disappeared. It seemed she was not underestimating him at all. On the contrary, she was taking him very seriously.
At the same time, it also proved that his information had indeed been wrong.
Kakashi of the Sharingan really was a girl.
When Naruto and Sakura saw Kakashi's left eye, they were both stunned.
What kind of eye was that?
Sasuke was even more shocked.
She really had the Sharingan?
At the same time, Zabuza had already used the Hidden Mist Jutsu, and the surrounding fog grew thicker and thicker.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura had no time to think further and immediately formed a defensive formation around Tazuna.
Kakashi stood alone at the front, facing Zabuza.
The two had not yet exchanged blows, but their killing intent had already begun to clash.
Caught in the collision of their killing intent, Sasuke and the others felt intense pain and discomfort, as if they might die at any moment if they were careless.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let you die."
Noticing their condition, Kakashi spoke to comfort them.
"Hmph. Don't talk so big."
At that moment, Zabuza suddenly appeared right inside Sasuke and the others' formation.
But the instant he appeared, Kakashi followed right after him. She spun around and rushed in front of him, driving the kunai in her hand straight into his heart.
Naruto and the others took the chance to quickly escape.
At that moment, Zabuza suddenly turned into a puddle of water.
At the same time, a figure appeared behind Kakashi.
It was the Zabuza who had just disappeared. With one swing of his massive sword, he cut Kakashi cleanly in half.
But Kakashi also turned into a puddle of water.
"Tch. So you copied my Water Clone."
Zabuza clicked his tongue in irritation.
"It's over."
Another Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, holding a kunai to his neck.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Not far away, Sakura and the others were overjoyed when they saw that.
Amazing.
The winner had been decided in an instant.
"Hmph. You think you've won?"
That Zabuza also turned into a puddle of water, and another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi.
"Hm?"
The moment Kakashi turned around, he suddenly swung his sword at her.
But Kakashi reacted extremely quickly and immediately jumped straight up, dodging the strike.
However, Zabuza instantly raised his leg and kicked her flying, sending her into the sea not far away.
Then Zabuza's real body, who had been hiding in the water, used a Water Prison Jutsu and trapped Kakashi just as she climbed out of the sea.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Everything had happened in an extremely short span of time, leaving Sakura and the others completely dazed.
By the time they reacted, Zabuza had already created another Water Clone and sent it charging toward them.
Uchiha Sasuke wanted to counterattack, but he was instantly sent flying.
Naruto also tried to move, but Zabuza kicked him away at incredible speed as well.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto refused to give up. The moment he got back up, he quickly used Shadow Clone Jutsu, and dozens of Narutos charged forward together.
But with a single swing of his sword, Zabuza blew all the Shadow Clones away.
"No matter how many of these you send, it's useless."
Zabuza said coldly, not taking these little brats seriously at all.
"Sasuke!"
At that moment, Naruto, who had just climbed up from the ground, suddenly took out a Fuma Shuriken from his pack and threw it to Sasuke.
The moment Sasuke caught it, he instantly understood Naruto's intention. Then he leaped into the air and hurled the Fuma Shuriken with all his strength.
"Hmph. How boring."
Zabuza did not care about a mere Fuma Shuriken at all.
But when it curved around him and flew toward the real body behind him, surprise finally appeared on his face.
The real Zabuza behind him snorted coldly and casually caught the incoming Fuma Shuriken with his left hand.
But in the next second, he realized that another Fuma Shuriken was flying low along the surface of the water.
"There was another Fuma Shuriken hidden in the shadow?"
Zabuza was shocked, but he reacted quickly and lightly jumped up in place, dodging the strike.
Bang—
"Hm?"
Zabuza did not even have time to be pleased before he suddenly heard that sound, and a bad feeling rose in his heart.
When he turned back, he discovered that the Fuma Shuriken that had just flown past had turned into a person.
"Got you!"
Naruto, who had transformed back into himself, immediately threw a kunai at Zabuza.
To avoid the attack, Zabuza instinctively released the Water Prison trapping Kakashi.
Seeing Kakashi break free, the others could not help feeling delighted.
Only Zabuza could no longer suppress his fury. He wanted to kill that brat immediately, but before he could make a move, he was stunned by the sound of applause coming from the distance.
Clap clap clap—
"Nicely done."
Only then did Kakashi's real body slowly walk out from the bushes not far behind Sakura, clapping as she came forward.
"Huh?"
When Naruto and the others saw there was another Kakashi, they were stunned too.
"This is... another Water Clone?"
Now Zabuza was completely rattled.
So the one he had trapped just now was not the real body at all.
The feeling of being toyed with like this was even worse than swallowing a dead fly.
"To think the great Demon of the Mist Zabuza was fooled by the moves of a few Genin. Maybe you're not that terrifying after all."
Kakashi looked at Zabuza in front of her and laughed lightly as she mocked him.
Since she knew the Kakashi in the original plot would get trapped, she had never planned on sending out her real body from the start.
After all, if Naruto and the others failed, wouldn't she be dead for sure?
"Hmph. Don't act like you've already won."
Zabuza said with a dark face. Then he started forming hand seals, planning to use a large-scale Water Release Jutsu to kill all of them at once.
"Ninja Combat Tactics, Lesson Three: Ninjutsu."
Kakashi raised her left hand and pointed at Zabuza.