"This... How is that even possible?!"
Zabuza's arm was still numb from the electric current earlier. He clearly hadn't expected to end up in this kind of situation. In his understanding, techniques like infusing shuriken with elemental chakra or producing energy blades out of thin air were skills that required mastering chakra nature transformation. There was no way these two freshly graduated brats could pull off moves like that!
"Damn it!!"
Realizing he couldn't form hand seals with a paralyzed arm, Zabuza had no choice but to leap from the treetop in panic. He could tell—Naruto's Sonic Blade Chop was a wind-type energy blade. This kind of invisible slash was impossible to block; if you couldn't cancel it with a jutsu, your only option was to dodge. His awkward leap was clear evidence of how limited his movements were.
But at that moment, a searing heat, like an ominous warning, surged up behind him!
Expressionless, the Byakugan girl had already closed the distance with superior speed, easily approaching the immobile Zabuza. Fierce orange flames roared like a monster from her right hand.
"Secret Technique: Nanto Enshôken —Orochi Pheasant!!"
With no extra hand signs, Hinata swung her right hand with full force. Blazing orange fire burst from her fingers like jets, swallowing Zabuza whole in an instant!
"Guhhh—ack...!"
Struck by the dense, tangible fire, Zabuza was launched like an inverted tennis ball and crashed straight into the river with a splash. Steam rose, and after several seconds, his unconscious body floated back to the surface, limbs limp and drifting with the current. There was no doubt—he was out cold.
If he hadn't first been distracted by Naruto and then paralyzed by Sasuke's Starflower Claw Storm, leaving him unable to form seals, and finally forced to leap into the air by Naruto's Sonic Blade Chop—losing all control over his body—he might have had a chance. In mid-air, unable to dodge or defend, it was only natural that Hinata's airborne Orochi Pheasant would hit him dead-on.
Although Hinata and the others still lacked the combat experience of a jonin, her main focus was always raw destructive power. Even if she wasn't fully skilled with this technique yet, it had already reached the level of melting stone.
So it wasn't surprising that Zabuza got knocked out in one hit. In fact, if one didn't resist or use a defensive jutsu, even the Third Hokage would've collapsed from a direct hit like that.
"Hmph…"
Landing on the ground, Hinata impatiently extinguished the flames on her hand. She clearly hadn't enjoyed being forced into this fight. With a sharp spit, she expressed her clear disdain.
"Pathetic…"
---
"Huh?"
Naruto, who had just rushed up beneath the tree, was frozen. He stared blankly at the floating, unconscious Zabuza. The sight left everyone momentarily stunned.
"That's it...? Was he really a jonin from the Hidden Mist?"
Sasuke was equally shocked. He clearly hadn't accounted for such a sudden conclusion. Zabuza's killing intent and presence had left a strong impression on him. Who would've thought he'd go down in a single exchange?
"Hmm... It's a bit surprising, yeah, but not unthinkable."
Kakashi let out a sigh and visibly relaxed.
Though the outcome seemed sudden, based on what Kakashi had seen, the result was perfectly logical.
Yes, Zabuza was a jonin—no question. And yes, his skills were formidable.
But he made a fatal error: underestimating his enemies.
He failed to take Naruto seriously as he closed in and completely ignored Sasuke's Starflower Claw Storm. As a result, when he swung his Executioner's Blade to deflect the attack, the lightning-infused chakra paralyzed the muscles in his fingers.
For nearly all ninja, forming hand seals with fingers is essential to performing jutsu. Even if Sasuke's technique only paralyzed Zabuza's fingers for a few seconds, that was enough to render him unable to cast anything.
Next came Naruto's Sonic Blade Chop—a pure wind-chakra energy attack that threw Zabuza's plan into chaos, forcing him into a clumsy leap that left him exposed and mid-air.
So at that point, unable to use jutsu, dodge, or defend, all Zabuza could do was take the hit—and Hinata delivered it perfectly.
Unlike in video games, the ninja world has no such thing as "resistance" or "defense stats." Unless you have a specialized defensive technique, even powerful ninja have only average physical durability.
Zabuza may have been strong and muscular, but his body wasn't all that tougher than a normal person's. In the original series, he was ultimately beaten to death by a gang of random thugs. That says it all.
It had been over a week since Hinata's training match with Kakashi. During that time, she had learned to use Orochi Pheasant. While still not fully mastered, it could already melt stone.
If Zabuza hadn't instinctively used chakra to offset some of the damage, and if he hadn't landed in water, he'd probably be a charred corpse right now.
This is why most life-or-death ninja battles are over in seconds. Sometimes it's one strike to end it all. Zabuza lasted through a full combo. That alone was impressive.
Only people like Sasuke and Madara, with Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and access to Susanoo, could consistently defend themselves. Out of millions in this world, only those two had that level of power.
"Looks like even the so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen can be overconfident."
Hinata's tone was unsurprised as she stared down at the floating Zabuza. She had full faith in her destructive power. Had he not been paralyzed by Sasuke, Zabuza could've countered Naruto's attack with jutsu or evaded Hinata with substitution or clones.
But in the ninja world, "what if" doesn't matter—so he was simply destroyed, and much faster than in the original story.
Back in canon, even when Zabuza had Kakashi trapped in the Water Prison, he got careless, allowing Naruto and Sasuke to break it with a combo. His defeat here followed the same pattern—overconfidence.
But the fight wasn't over.
Secret Technique: Demonic Ice Mirrors!
A chilling frost suddenly spread across the area. Kakashi, who had just let his guard down, instantly tensed up and shouted, "Watch out! There's another enemy!"
With a sharp buzzing sound, countless senbon needles flew in from multiple directions. Kakashi, closest to Tazuna, quickly shielded him and parried all the incoming projectiles with lightning-fast strikes of his kunai.
Hinata frowned slightly. In a blink, the Byakugan girl flashed in front of Naruto, her right arm sweeping up in a blaze of orange flames, evaporating the senbon on contact. As for Sasuke, there was no need to worry—his two-tomoe Sharingan allowed him to see the trajectory of each senbon, and with quick kunai swings, he deflected every one of the weakly-thrown ice needles.
But as everyone defended, a mirror of ice silently appeared beside Zabuza's body in the water. From within the mirror, a boy appeared and quickly scooped up the unconscious Zabuza. In the next moment, the two vanished into the mist across the river.
"Reinforcements? Should we pursue?"
Sasuke frowned. Though Zabuza had taken a devastating hit from Hinata's Orochi Pheasant, if he wasn't dead, he would definitely come back—and next time, he wouldn't be so careless.
"No. There's no chasing down enemies during an escort mission. Our job is to get Mr. Tazuna safely to the Land of Waves."
Confirming there were no more enemies nearby, Kakashi relaxed and pulled his forehead protector back down over his left eye. Honestly, Naruto's "moral integrity" had just landed them in an A-rank battle during what should've been a C-rank mission. But they couldn't afford to be taken advantage of like this again, or every client would start lying.
"Exactly. Since the enemy's gone—Naruto, shut up from now on."
Hinata shot Naruto a cold glare, instantly sending a shiver down his spine. He may have had the guts to defy her earlier, but that didn't mean he had the guts to endure her punishment now.
"So, Mr. Tazuna, care to explain? Why did a C-rank mission involve a jonin-level ninja like Zabuza? Looks like you've stirred up something big."
Kakashi crossed his arms and shot a sharp look at the sweat-drenched Tazuna. The silver-haired jonin's tone was harsh. "Let me make this clear: if your lie about the mission's rank results in casualties among our ninja, the consequences are something a civilian like you cannot bear."
"...I'm deeply sorry..."
With a thud, Tazuna dropped to his knees and performed a textbook dogeza. Clearly, he knew there was no justifying this. The old man sighed and began to speak, voice low and strained. "It all started when that bastard Gato set his sights on the Land of Waves…"
————————
"Hm~~ The Land of Waves is an island surrounded by water on all sides. Geographically, it's incredibly easy to control. And since it's not tied to any major nation, building a factory here would mean strong defense with minimal oversight. Yes, this meets all the requirements."
Kakuzu stood on a small boat, studying a map with satisfaction. As a detached island, the Land of Waves was in a naturally advantageous position. With full control over the waterways and shipping routes, large-scale invasions could be prevented. Add some fortresses and strongholds along the shore, and defense would be airtight.