Naruto Shadow Emperor - Chapter 48

“Hmph… You actually managed to destroy my water clone in an instant! You’ve improved quite a bit…”

Zabuza furrowed his brow, his expression becoming slightly more serious. “Haku… it seems you’ve met your match.”

Haku, wearing his mask, silently observed the boy opposite him and nodded slightly. “… It seems so.”

Kakashi looked at the two figures before him and suddenly said, “Looks like we were right…”

“Huh?” Sakura was confused.

Kakashi shook his head. “The masked guy… he’s clearly with Zabuza! Standing together so openly…”

“Leave that guy to me!” Yukigetsu clapped his hands and smiled lightly. “How can I let Kakashi have such a cute boy!”

Sakura immediately raised her fist, eyes sparkling with hearts. “Wow, so cool!”

Kakashi, with a face full of black lines, thought, This girl… since when did she start echoing everything Yukigetsu says… really…

“That boy in the windbreaker is not to be underestimated,” Haku said seriously. “Although the water clone only has one-tenth of the chakra, he… dealt with it far too easily!”

Zabuza gripped the handle of his sword with his reverse grip. “I’m ready. Go!”

“Yes!”

Whoosh, whoosh!

Yukigetsu and Haku simultaneously powered up, and in the next moment, their fists collided with a loud bang.

Haku was pushed back several steps, his expression becoming more serious. His strength is indeed incredible.

Yukigetsu stood firm, slightly furrowing his brow. Blood dripped from his right hand. This guy had needles hidden in his hand…

The others watched the scene unfold. Zabuza’s brow tightened. He had anticipated the boy in the windbreaker to be strong, but he hadn’t expected him to keep up with Haku’s speed. This was troublesome…

“Sakura! Protect Tazuna-san, and don’t leave my side! Leave that guy to Yukigetsu!”

“Yes!”

Kakashi’s eyes turned sharp as he stepped forward, facing Zabuza.

Ding.

Another clash occurred. Yukigetsu’s kunai and Haku’s needle clashed, their eyes meeting.

“I don’t want to kill, but you won’t let me pass easily either…” Haku’s voice came from behind the mask, calm as still water.

Yukigetsu held his kunai, smiling. “Of course not.”

“I figured… but can you keep up with my speed now?” Haku chuckled. “And I have two advantages.”

Yukigetsu tilted his head in confusion. “Two advantages?”

Haku held his needle with his right hand, firmly blocking Yukigetsu’s kunai, and said, “One is the water scattered around from my broken water clone, and two, I’m blocking you with one hand, meaning… you can only defend.”

Yukigetsu’s eyes narrowed as he watched Haku’s left hand rapidly form complex seals.

This guy… can form seals with one hand! I’ve never heard of such a thing…

“Secret Technique: Thousand Needles of Death!”

As the final seal took shape, the water around them was drawn in, instantly transforming into countless ice needles coming from all directions.

“Sakura!” Yukigetsu called out.

“Unfortunately… I don’t need to form seals!”

Yukigetsu’s expression remained calm, even smiling slightly. In the next moment, he stomped the ground, leaping into the air and disappearing from the scene.

“Gone?”

Haku was momentarily surprised, then flipped backward, using three Body Flickers in succession. Each time he moved, a kunai landed precisely where he had been, incredibly accurate!

As he paused briefly, he heard Yukigetsu’s voice behind him, “Slower than I expected… Now it’s your turn to be on the defensive!”

Swish! Whoosh! Bam!

The two exchanged a flurry of movements in mid-air, but Haku couldn’t shake off Yukigetsu as if he was his shadow.

Zabuza watched the exchange, his eyes widening with disbelief. This guy can unleash that strange power from any part of his body and move faster than Haku. How is that possible? Haku is a genius with a Kekkei Genkai!

“Hmph!”

With a muffled groan, Haku was kicked back to Zabuza’s side. Yukigetsu landed lightly, spinning his kunai and smiling. “In terms of speed, I have the upper hand!”

Kakashi, squinting at Zabuza, said, “You keep calling him a kid, but if you underestimate him, you’ll regret it… Yukigetsu is the top rookie of this year’s class from Konoha!”

“Kehehehehe…”

Zabuza let out a sinister laugh. “Haku, you see it too… if this continues, you’ll lose your life!”

Yukigetsu suddenly furrowed his brow, sensing an intense cold.

“Yes…” Haku said softly, lowering his head. “It’s a shame…”

In the next moment, dozens of ice mirrors formed around Yukigetsu, surrounding him completely.

An overwhelming chill engulfed the area.

“Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!”

…

What level of ninjutsu is this? Damn it!
Kakashi broke out in a cold sweat, rushing towards Yukigetsu.

Whoosh!
Zabuza appeared in front of Kakashi. “I’m your opponent! And… once Haku uses that technique, that kid will surely die!”

…

The masked boy took a few steps forward, touching the ice mirror with his right hand. To everyone’s shock, he slowly merged into the ice mirror.

Inside the ice prison, Yukigetsu saw Haku’s reflection in all the mirrors. They all spoke in unison, “Now, let’s begin… Witness my true speed!”

These are all mirrors… What is he going to do?
Yukigetsu’s expression became extremely serious. He sensed a life-threatening danger from the ice mirrors, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Swish!
Without seeing any movement, Yukigetsu suddenly clutched his left arm, pain shooting through him. Cold sweat dripped down his face. When did he attack? I didn’t see anything!

“Arghhhhh!”

A flurry of swishing sounds filled the air, followed by Yukigetsu’s cries of pain. Kakashi and Sakura watched in shock. They had never seen Yukigetsu in such a dire situation, not even against Zabuza.

“Yukigetsu!”

Kakashi called out anxiously, stepping forward. Zabuza’s voice rang out, “If you make any sudden moves, those two behind you are dead!”

He then threw several shurikens, which flew through the gaps in the ice mirrors and headed straight for Yukigetsu.

“Ah!”

Sakura couldn’t hold back any longer, drawing her kunai and rushing forward, completely ignoring Tazuna’s safety.

Clang, clang, clang…

To everyone’s surprise, Haku intercepted all the shurikens.

“Haku… what are you doing?” Zabuza turned, annoyed. “That kid is extremely dangerous. Just kill him; there is no need for rules!”

Haku lowered his head, silent for a moment, then said firmly, “Zabuza-sama, let me handle him… I want to fight my own way.”

Zabuza looked at him, seemingly understanding the boy’s thoughts. With a sigh, he said, “Haku, you’re asking me not to interfere? You’re still so naïve…”

Meanwhile, inside the ice prison, Yukigetsu, covered in blood, noticed the situation outside. His eyes changed, and he shouted, “Sakura, stay back! This is my fight!”

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