Armament Haki

"Cling-Clang!" 

As the clash of metal echoed across the battlefield, the tension thickened like a tangible presence in the air. Hayashi stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Tazuna. With one hand, he intercepted the heavy cleaver. His swift movement demonstrated his readiness to defend against any threat. The flash of sword light illuminated his face, revealing a steely resolve in his eyes.

The thwarted strike captured Zabuza's attention, drawing his gaze towards the boy with a mixture of surprise and intrigue. Eyeing the blackened blade that had halted his own Executioner's Blade, Zabuza's deep voice rumbled with curiosity. The silence that had settled over the battlefield was broken by his inquiry.

"Boy, what kind of blade is this?" he questioned, his tone heavy with suspicion.

"It's just an ordinary blade," Hayashi's response was calm and composed, a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding them. His voice carried a subdued strength as he met Zabuza's gaze.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes, studying him intently. The blackened hue of the blade and the dark energy emanating from Hayashi's hand piqued his interest further. With a grunt of curiosity, he inquired, "Ninjutsu? Or bloodline limit?" 

But before Zabuza could fully grasp the situation, Hayashi's voice rang out with a declaration that sent a chill down the spine of everyone present. 

"This... is Haki! Water Style Mirroring Serpent!" 

A surge of power coursed through Hayashi as he exerted pressure on the tachi.

As he tightened his grip on the tachi, an eerie transformation began to take place.

The air crackled with energy as he raised the blade aloft, the metallic gleam of the weapon casting an ominous sheen in the dim light. 

But it was not just the atmosphere that shifted; it was him.

Darkness, thick and consuming, crept up from the depths of his core, seeping through his veins like ink staining parchment. It spread like a creeping shadow, enveloping his arm in an embrace. Where once there was flesh, now there was obsidian, a twisting mass of darkness coiling around his being.

In a fluid motion, he tapped his foot against the ground, signaling the beginning of his assault. With formidable force, he swung the blade downward. The earth trembled beneath the impact as the weapon cleaved through the air with unstoppable momentum. It unleashed a torrential serpent of water-like energy, swirling with shades of blue and black due to the Haki enhancement.

"Whisssh!" 

A vibrant azure arc of light sliced through the dense mist, followed by the emergence of a serpent-like form, coiling and twisting with lethal allure. 

Suddenly, the torrent of energy rippled from the ground like the undulating body of a great serpent, towering three to four meters in height. With a deafening roar, it unleashed a tempestuous surge of air. It raced forward, a relentless force of nature hurtling toward Zabuza.

Expanding with incredible speed, akin to a tsunami, the serpent-like energy engulfed Zabuza's vision, its blue-black hues shimmering ominously. 

"Are you kidding me? This is a slash?!" he roared in disbelief. He quickly raised his Executioner's Blade with both hands, holding it horizontally to block the oncoming surge of water-like energy, its serpentine form weaving through the air with lethal precision. 

The clash between the sword energy and Zabuza's Executioner's Blade sent shockwaves reverberating through the mist-shrouded battlefield. Their figures collided with a large tree, shattering it upon impact before continuing to skid several meters across the ground. As they slid, the earth beneath them became slick with a fine mist, resembling the moistened path of a serpent's slither. 

Gradually, the lingering remnants of the sword energy dissipated into the air, leaving behind a tense silence that seemed to hang heavily in the mist. 

A straight and smooth ravine stretched from the point where Hayashi had unleashed his attack, spanning a length of sixteen to seventeen meters. The ground, dampened by the remnants of the energy surge, glistened with a sheen akin to wet scales. It mirrored the sinuous path of a serpent's journey, flowing in curves and twists.

Satisfied with the outcome, Hayashi glanced at the blackened blade in his hand. The execution of the first stage of Armament Haki with chakra had endowed his wrist with tremendous strength, enabling him to block the Executioner's Blade with just one hand. Moreover, the force behind his one-handed slash surpassed his usual capabilities.

Indeed, the mastery of Armament Haki proved its worth. That's why Hayashi had opted for a regular katana instead of Shigure Kintoki. Regardless of the blade's quality, once Armament Haki was mastered, any sword could become as formidable as the legendary black blade.

He resonated deeply with Hawkeye's philosophy: any renowned blade was prone to damage or breakage. To preserve a blade's integrity and enhance its sharpness, mastery of Armament Haki was indispensable.

And so, wielding a seemingly ordinary blade, Hayashi affirmed the truth in Hawkeye's words.

"A good sword truly elevates a swordsman's prowess," Hayashi murmured softly, his voice carrying a sense of reverence as he held up his blade, gazing ahead.

"Enveloping it with Haki, the blade becomes heavier. It feels like I can sever anything."

With chakra enveloping his feet, he surged forward like a tempest. His movements were swift and purposeful, allowing him to glide effortlessly across the water's surface.

----------

At this critical moment, Zabuza found his options limited. His body, frail compared to the might of the sword energy, had been flung away. He crashed into a large tree with a resounding impact. The severity of his injuries didn't deter him; he wasted no time in resuming his actions. He seized the momentary respite that the boy's attack afforded him, gathering his strength.

As the silver-haired boy closed in on Zabuza's location, his keen Observation Haki alerted him to the presence of multiple Zabuza clones emerging from the mist. Their forms flickered like phantoms. 

As expected, the Mist shinobis materialized from the mist. Their movements were swift and precise. Kunais were flung towards the boy with deadly accuracy, but the young ninja effortlessly deflected them.

Undeterred by the relentless assault, the Mist shinobi charged forward with water clones in tow, their forms melding seamlessly with the surrounding mist.

However, the boy was prepared. His senses were sharp as he met the assault head-on. With a nimble sidestep, he eluded the onslaught of attacks. His movements were a blur of speed and agility.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The boy and Zabuza locked eyes once more. A silent battle of wills raged between them.

Suddenly, the boy stretched his sword outwards, rotating the blade as it slowly sank into the water below. As the blade submerged, the surface of the water began to churn and ripple, forming into a towering wave with a mesmerizing, mirror-like sheen. 

"Water Style Flowing Mirror!" the boy declared, his voice echoing with a commanding tone as the tsunami-like torrent of water surged forward, propelled by the force of his technique. 

Zabuza barely managed to dodge the attack, his movements swift and fluid as he narrowly avoided the towering wave of water crashing towards him. With a sense of surprise, he noted that it wasn't as lethal as he had anticipated. Surprisingly weak, especially compared to the devastating Mirroring Serpent technique he had encountered before.

Quickly recovering from his astonishment, Zabuza and his clones countered by unleashing their Water Style technique. Powerful water bullets hurtled towards the boy simultaneously, aiming to overwhelm him with their sheer force. But the young ninja anticipated the attack, as he channeled his chakra to counter the incoming assault.

In a blur of motion, the boy surged forward. His blade sliced through the air with precision. With a swift and coordinated strike, he dispatched the water clones. Only one Zabuza stood before him after the flurry of attacks.

"This is the end," the boy declared confidently. Yet, as he glanced at Zabuza's sinister grin, a sense of unease settled within him. A subtle feeling that something was off emerged, akin to a faint whisper of warning in the back of his mind.

"Do you really think so, boy?" Zabuza taunted, his voice dripping with malice. 

The silver-haired boy wasted no time, launching himself at his adversary with lethal intent. But as his blade connected with Zabuza, it dissolved into water. Realizing his mistake, the boy scanned the area with his Observation Haki, but it was too late.

A presence lurked beneath the water's surface. And before he could react, Zabuza emerged from below, launching a surprise attack. 

The blade that the boy thought would strike true dissolved into water upon contact, revealing that it too was merely a clone. Concealed within the guise of a kunai, the original Zabuza had been biding his time. He waited patiently, poised for the perfect moment to strike.

The boy's senses had been deceived by the chakra-coated weapons, leaving him vulnerable to Zabuza's lethal assault. With lightning speed, Zabuza transformed himself into a fish. He swam beneath the boy's guard, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

By the time the boy realized the danger, it was too late. He watched in disbelief as the fish morphed back into Zabuza at the last moment, his blade aimed directly at the boy's vulnerable position. 

Reacting on pure instinct, the boy summoned forth his Haki, coating the area where Zabuza's blade was aimed with a protective aura just as the attack descended upon him. Still, the force of the impact sent him hurtling backward, his body tumbling through the air before crashing into the surface of the water below.

"Hayashi!" A female voice cried out in concern, her words piercing the eerie silence that had settled over the battlefield like a blade through the mist. But there was no response, only the sound of the wind whispering through the trees and the gentle lapping of water against the shore.