LRAB Chapter 148 Courage and Victory
Chapter 148 Courage and Victory
"Pfft!"
The dull thud of flesh being pierced finally rang out. Faced with Kakashi's vicious thrust that followed closely, Zabuza, who had been repeatedly interrupted and attacked, was ultimately unable to completely evade it.
However, Kakashi's kunai, despite his attempts to dodge, failed to pierce his heart and instead sank below his collarbone!
This time, what splattered was not clear water, but warm, bright red blood! The intense pain caused Zabuza's face to twitch slightly, and his brows furrowed tightly.
No! He's injured, which will affect his movements! If he continues fighting like this, he might really be defeated here! A strong sense of crisis made Zabuza want to retreat instantly.
He immediately endured the excruciating pain and tried to swing his long sword to force Kakashi back, who was right in front of him. At the same time, he gathered his strength in his feet, preparing to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape the battlefield.
However, at the very moment he exerted his strength—
A powerful force suddenly tightened around his limbs and torso, instantly binding him tightly!
The next moment, he was violently pulled off the ground by the huge pulling force, and flew backward uncontrollably. Finally, with a "bang", he was firmly tied to a thick tree next to him and could not move!
Wire?!
Zabuza's expression changed drastically! He suddenly realized—it was those shuriken that had just made a strange turn in the air and finally stuck to the tree!
Those shuriken were all wrapped with extremely fine chakra threads! They weren't just off target; they were traps that had been set up beforehand!
He looked in shock and anger toward the source of the cunning attack—it was that little brat who hadn't made a sound from behind!
Suddenly, Uchiha Satsuki had activated his crimson Sharingan, which coldly locked onto him.
Her hands moved deftly, and she even held a string in her mouth.
Just now, when that terrifying killing intent, which originated from Zabuza's countless life-and-death battles and was as tangible as a physical entity, spread out, Satsuki truly felt for the first time what the pressure of a Jonin-level aura was like.
A wave of overwhelming fear washed over her like ice water; her legs even trembled slightly involuntarily. It was a suffocating feeling of being completely out of control over her own life and death…
She was almost consumed by the fear.
Until she clearly heard Zabuza's murderous declaration—"And that brat… no wonder you let him get involved in our battle. It seems he truly deserves to be killed by my own hand…"
He wants to kill Naruto!
These words pierced through all the fear in Zuo Yue's heart! To her, the possibility of losing Naruto was far more terrifying than death itself!
That threat and the fear that followed, ironically, unleashed all the courage and strength within her in a resolute way!
Absolutely not!
She can overcome any fear in order to protect Naruto.
"Damn it... Don't think you can trap me with something like this!"
Zabuza, who was tightly bound to the tree trunk by chakra threads, roared and his muscles suddenly bulged, unleashing brute force as he tried to break free of the threads using only his physical strength!
Seeing this, Zuo Yue immediately bit and secured most of the threads she was controlling in her mouth, while her free hands began to form hand seals—巳－未－申－亥－午－寅! It was the Uchiha clan's most signature Fire Release technique!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The instant the hand seals were completed, blazing flames erupted from Satsuki's mouth! But these flames spread rapidly along the chakra threads wrapped around Zabuza! The transparent threads surged toward the trapped target, threatening to engulf Zabuza!
However, just as the flames were spreading halfway and were about to touch Zabuza's body—
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Several extremely faint yet sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out! Several senbon needles, gleaming with cold light, shot out from the dense forest on the side, severing the chakra threads!
The silk thread snapped instantly! The flames that had been spreading along the thread lost their anchor, paused abruptly midway, and then vanished.
Oh no! Are they Zabuza's reinforcements?! Kakashi's alarm bells rang loudly!
In the instant the threads broke and Zabuza regained his freedom, Kakashi didn't hesitate; his hands had already completed another hand seal! He took a deep breath, his chest expanding—
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball, even larger and hotter than the one Sazuki had unleashed, spewed from Kakashi's mouth and hurtled straight toward Zabuza, who had just broken free of his restraints and was still unsteady on his feet!
Just as another blazing fireball was about to engulf Zabuza, a thick, solid ice wall suddenly appeared in front of him!
"boom!!!"
Kakashi's Fireball Jutsu slammed solidly into the ice wall. The intense heat and the solid ice collided violently, instantly generating a large amount of white water vapor that spread out, further obscuring the already thick fog.
"Ice Release?!"
Kakashi's Sharingan clearly captured the rapidly melting ice wall, and he was shocked, immediately recognizing this bloodline limit.
Amidst the swirling steam and thick fog, a slender figure wearing a Kirigakure ANBU mask could be vaguely seen swiftly supporting the badly injured Zabuza. The next moment, their figures blurred as if merging into the mist—
Body Flicker Technique!
As the white steam and the surrounding thick fog gradually dissipated, the spot where Zabuza had stood was now empty, leaving only the still dripping, rapidly melting ice wall and a few drops of blood on the ground that had not yet dried.
Zabuza Momochi and his mysterious allies have completely disappeared.
------
After carefully confirming that Zabuza Momochi and his mysterious helper had indeed fled, Kakashi finally relaxed. He turned around and glanced at his three subordinates.
He first affirmed the performance of the other two main combat personnel. Then, he looked at Sakura, who had always stayed at her post, and affirmed that Sakura had also done a good job, always adhering to her duties and protecting the person she entrusted behind her.
Perhaps because Naruto and Sasuke provided strong assistance this time, sharing most of the pressure, Kakashi did not faint from exhaustion of chakra as he did in the original work; he only felt slightly tired.
On their way to Tazuna's house, Kakashi explained Zabuza Momochi's background to the three students in detail, so that they would fully understand the danger of their opponent.
Zabuza Momochi, a Jonin who fled from Kirigakure, was nicknamed "Demon".
Renowned for his mastery of silent assassination, he is an extremely dangerous opponent. In his past, on the day of his graduation, he single-handedly slaughtered all his fellow graduates... This bloody incident directly led to a change in the cruel graduation policy of Kirigakure.
After listening to Kakashi's account, Sakura's face was filled with lingering fear. She had just been secretly annoyed that she hadn't been able to directly participate in the battle, but now she truly realized that the enemy they were facing was such a terrifying and infamous figure.
Satsuki's heart was also filled with solemnity. Although Naruto's strength might have surpassed her own, the more so, the stronger her protective instincts became.
While listening to Kakashi's explanation, Naruto was thinking about something completely different.
Zabuza Momochi and Haku... He was calculating what kind of words he should use when he tried to recruit them next time he went under the guise of "Menma"...
Finally, the rest of the journey proceeded without incident. The group arrived safely at Tazna's home with his daughter and grandson.