415 Chapter 15

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Title: Growth.

***

Zabuza grinned maniacally as his body trembled in excitement. "Hehehe. Going to use the Sharingan? What a vulgar maneuver, so obvious, so lacking, in finesse."

And in that split second, Zabuza was already on him, Kunai charged to stab into Kakashi.

Kakashi however, brought his right hand to defend as his left hand remained on the headband.

"You can sneer all you want about my 'Lack of Finesse' Zabuza, it doesn't change the fact that you're afraid of the Sharingan...and of me." Kakashi haughtily said, not minding the pain on his hand.

"Hehehe, a ninja's secret weapon should be employed judiciously, not displayed at random to every foe you face." Zabuza sneered

Kakashi didn't mind and said. "You should fell privileged. No one has ever lived to see the Sharingan a second time, and surely, no one will ever see it thrice."

"Hehe, by all means, defeate. If you can, you still won't have what it takes to kill Haku." Zabuza retorted with his sneer still present.

"Since h was a toddler, I've beaten his fighting skills into him." Zabuza began. "Even in the face of unthinkable adversity, he has always prevailed."

"He lost all regard for his own life and became a killing machine. A True Shinobi. His skills surpass even my own. And he bears within him, the formidable legacy of an inherited Kekkai Genkai."

"Thus, I have forged, and carry with me a Weapon of matchless quality and skill. Entirely unlike the scraps of trash that follow at your heels."

Kakashi merely sighed. Did this guy really think he was all that much?

He had seen monsters. He has seen monsters fight. He had seen monsters Train. hell, he had trained with a monster of such calibre once.

Monsters whose ability go against the very logic you think possible.

Yes, he had the Kekkai Genkai of a formidable clan, probably the Yuki clan, but still, that level of ice was nothing in front of the woman he had the fortune of knowing.

In comparison to her, Haku's was like a child's in front of a teenager.

Yes, Kakashi acknowledged Haku was Strong, but he didn't believe he was strong to the proportion Zabuza made him out to be.

With the Kunai still embedded in his right hand, Kakashi slowly lifted his headband. "Is there anything duller than listening to someone else brag? Enough of this, it's show time."

"Perhaps you might hold off a moment. Now that I've caught my breath - and to borrow your own words - permit me one more boast."

"You coined a very pretty phrase from our last encounter..." Zabuza said much to the confusion of both Kakashi and Sakura. "Frankly, I've been meaning to steal it."

Still holding the kunai against Kakashi's hand, he raised his right hand and formed a seal. "Something to the effect of 'Just so you know, the same spell won't work on me twice.'"

"Having had a chance to see it in action, I now have a thorough understanding of the arcane working of your Sharingan." Zabuza said with his ever present sneer at the end of every sentence.

"There was far more to our previous battle that the apparently humiliating defeat I permitted you to hand me. Haku, who was hiding nearby, observed and studied every aspect of our fight, from the beginning to end."

"Haku is extremely intelligent. For him, to see a technique Is to analyse and understand it. And with that understanding, he can develop a countermeasure."

Kakashi looked alarmed at that boast. However, boast or not, there was nothing impossible in the Shinobi World.

[Kirigakure no Jutsu] As soon as the technique was cast, the Zabuza in from of Kakashi disappeared, along with his Kunai.

"Sakura! I'm counting on you to protect Tazuna." Kakashi said before the most could block of his perception of her.

Sakura had a confident look as she heard him. This confidence wasn't a blind one or arrogance. It was one born from her gruesome training during this past half month.

She had discovered that together with her chakra control being advanced than most, she could also extend it to a field around her to know what was coming.

This was something Shun had called a sensory zone of sorts. Within that zone, she could detect anything foreign to her.

And in this moment, Tazuna was in this zone. Despite her inability to fight against Zabuza should he come for her, she was confident in noticing him before he could make a move.

Squinting her eyes, she said. "The air is crackling with his energy, stay by my side."

For some reason, she felt that the mist was similar to her zone. This meant that Zabuza could very much be at the edge of the mist and she wouldn't be aware of it.

Straining her mind, she put her concentration on her little zone as she primed herself to defend at a moment's notice.

....

'This fog is too thick for the Kirigakure no Jutsu. Even Zabuza won't be able to see anything through it.' Kakashi thought as he looked up to see that he couldn't even see the sky.

Immediately, his Sharingan caught something moving at the corner of his eye causing him to instinctively turn and defend.

The attacker being Zabuza, paused after his first attack, before he attacked once again. Kakashi defended but Zabuza continued undeterred.

"You repelled those quite nicely. No less than I'd expect from Kakashi of the Sharingan." Another voice came from behind Kakashi.

Turning around, Kakashi saw another Zabuza, however, this one's eyes were closed as he continued. "However, the next time you see me, it'll still be the end."

Kakashi furrowed his eyes in confusion as he looked at his opponent. 'He closed his eyes..? Why?" He wondered.

"You overestimate the value of your Sharingan." Zabuza said as his figure disappeared into the mist once more.

"What..?" Kakashi was genuinely surprised this time, his Sharingan couldn't pick up on Zabuza's chakra at all. This time, he was completely gone. One minute he was there, the next, he wasn't.

"Hehehe." Zabuza's laughter echoed through the mist as he said. "you pretend it enables you to see through all yet...can you really see the future?"

"You've turned out to be a false prophet afterall Kakashi. You can neither read my mind nor see the future. In other words, your precious Sharingan is just an elaborate hack. A confident trick you play to psych out your opponents."

"More precisely, it combines clarity of Perception and insight on your own part with the ability to all but hypnotize those around you"

"Using those skills in concert , you are able to create Illusions through a combination of mimicry of movement to thoughts, to the skills of those you fight."

"Prancing around acting like you can see the future. You analyse my superficial movements, copy them, and use the rapidity of the turnaround to induce dear and insecurity."

"You calculate when my insecurities have reached a fever pitch and then, you lay your trap. You use Genjutsu to trick me into signaling what technique I'll use and how I'll be using it. And then, all you have to do is mimic it!"

"Knowing that, it was simple to choose a countermeasure. First I conceal myself within thick mist and neutralise your visual acuity."

As soon as he finished Zabuza threw a jab at Kakashi who only managed to block it at the last instant before it make contact with him.

'Hmm. This is troublesome. I can't block what I can't see. It's time like this I envy Shun.' Kakashi thought as he skidded back due to the force of the punch.

"Hehehe. With my own eyes closed, I eliminate the possibility of your hypnotizing me while we're in close proximity." Zabuza continued.

"But then.." Kakashi said. "While I can't use my eyes, neither can you."

"Ah... But you forget.."

"What?"

"I am trained in silent killing. My Genius lies in the ability to hunt, based on sound alone." Zabuza answered and Kakashi knew, he was fucked.

He had seen someone whose Kekkai Genkai was sound based. Her literal existence and fighting style was focused on sound. She was a nigh unbeatable existence to those without...

"Wind and lighting release!!" Kakashi's eyes widened as he thought of this.

A couple years ago, he had seen Shun use a lightning armour to negate the sound waves being directed at him as well as using wind release to simulate a similar release of sound to disrupt Kimizu's rhythm.

"What are you mumbling about? Have you finally given up resisting?" Zabuza asked from the mist.

"Haha. Far from that Zabuza... On the contrary..." Kakashi said and took a deep breath and increased his sensory field. 'I've got to Calm down. Stay smart. He has been talking when he could be attacking... Who'll be his next target?'

Just then, he felt slight movement behind him, turning around, he was met with a Shadow slowly materialising behind Tazuna, and to make matters worse, the Shadow was outside Sakura's sensory field.

Hiding his killing intent, Zabuza pulled out his Kubikiribōchō and made to finish his mission of killing Tazuna.

It was only when the sword entered her sensory field that she was alarmed of his presence, but being the Genin she was, she was unable to move fast enough to stop him.

As the Kubikiribōchō was nearing the man, Kakashi immediately appeared and expertly parried it with his Kunai, However, Zabuza's face remained unchanged as he said. "Too late!"

"Kyaa!!!"

It was at that moment that Kakashi realized... He had failed to stay calm.

...

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke who had been facing the bombardment of Haku's Ice Senbons and now looked like porcupines, both startled as they heard that shriek.

'That's Sakura's voice! What happened? What the hell does Kakashi think he's doing!?' Sasuke thought in frustration.

It was one thing that he couldn't defeat his opponent, yet he couldn't even comfortably fight as he was worried about his teammate. Shouldn't Kakashi be taking care of her?

'If this keeps going, we'll all be in serious trouble. And knowing Shun-Nii, he'd rather us be near death before he saves us.' Sasuke thought as he slowly stood up and looked at Haku with his two Tomoe Sharingan.

'My eyes are beginning to adjust to the movement...but my body... I can't move that fast yet... unless I use that technique.' He thought as he looked at Naruto who laid passed out beside him.

Haku on the other hand was marveled at the display the Uchiha was giving him as he thought...

'I've been targeting the points that would result in mortal injuries but...he's evaded every attempt.'

'And while he's dividing his attention between fighting me and watching out for his friend...he's gradually gaining speed. He's beginning to catch up to my own moves.'

'That kid... Those eyes... He can see something.' He thought as he looked at the crimson red eyes locked onto him.

Unlike Zabuza who had lived through the warring times, Haku hadn't actually met, not to talk of fought a wielder of the Sharingan, so he doesn't really know how dangerous an Uchiha can be if given enough time in a battle.

"You... Move well." Haku praised genuinely. He held no malice towards the duo in front of him. But still.

"But my next assault will take you down." Haku declared as all his reflections prepared their Senbons.

'Here he comes!! Stay frosty focus. Ignore the pain. Concentrate. And through the illusion.' Sasuke chanted to himself as he stared unblinking at Haku.

Fwoosh!!

Fwish!

'He wasn't fooled... Or even confused! Impossible!' Haku thought as he saw was maneuver while carrying Naruto out of harm's way.

The moment he hade had unleashed his assault, Sasuke had moved with breakneck speed with Naruto and avoided nearly all his attack, hence his surprise and shock.

"Ah! Now I see... Those are the Sharingan. I've heard a lot about them but I'm unfortunate to have never laidy eyes on one before." Haku said. "You're also a wielder of a legacy... A bloodline."

Meanwhile, Sasuke was as thrilled as he could be. 'It was only a moment, but I was actually able to see.'

"I can't let this fight go on." Haku said. He had noticed that Sasuke was using him as a whetstone. And while he wasn't aversed to it, he still had to support his master.

Sasuke, a fellow prodigy he may be, but to him, Zabuza held greater importance.

"My own art forces me to expend a great deal of chakra, so there is a limit to how long I can go on using it." Haku revealed. "And I'm certain that the longer our duel drags on, the greater your ability to perceive movement will become."

"Especially since, to a certain extent you can already see me move now..." Haku said and immediately brought out his Senbons and threw them at Naruto.

He had noticed he was protective of Naruto. It would be foolhardy of him to try to target Sasuke directly, but if Naruto was used as bait...

"Time to bring tbis to an end." He said and immediately went for Naruto as his Senbons moved together with him.

Hundreds of Senbons fell towards Sasuke who didn't move from his spot in order to protect Naruto. But seeing Haku's figure flying towards him, he was alarmed as he tried to get to Naruto First.