Haku didn't show any anger or disgust in response to Hinata's words. Her voice carried a soft gentleness, like falling snow in winter—cold, yet weightless and calm.
"Yes. But you're not the only one. After all, bloodline limits… they are a power worth pursuing, aren't they?"
Hinata rolled her wrists, but a sudden, inexplicable irritation rose within her. She'd grown used to others trembling in fear or awe before her. Given her blunt words earlier, she had expected Haku to respond with mockery, contempt, or at least pretend indifference.
But this calmness—this quiet acceptance—was intolerable.
"Yeah… you must be a bloodline user too. That's probably what earned you status and recognition. But I…"
Haku's voice paused, as if searching through old memories. Eventually, she just shook her head slightly. "If I could choose, I'd rather never have been born with this power. But… there's no turning back. I am Zabuza-sama's tool. Whether you want to hurt him or take me from his side—you'll have to do it over my dead body."
It was a declaration of war. Haku leapt lightly into the air and merged seamlessly into the mirror behind her. Instantly, every mirror surrounding Hinata reflected Haku's form. It was the true ice-style bloodline limit technique—Makyou Hyōshō (Demonic Ice Mirror)!
Tch, more troublesome than expected.
Hinata bit her lip hard, forcing down the emotion rising in her chest. With a fwoosh, searing orange flames ignited around her hands. She didn't believe she would lose, but this battle certainly wasn't comfortable.
"Prepare yourself. I'm attacking now."
Within the mirrors, Haku raised her hand gracefully. From between her slender white fingers, razor-sharp senbon materialized, falling like snow. "My attacks have no blind spots. Be ready."
The next moment, just as she said, senbon needles rained down from every mirror. It wasn't an illusion or clone technique—each mirrored image truly attacked simultaneously.
It was a suffocating assault. Hinata's Byakugan confirmed that the ice senbon were indeed attacking from every direction—front, sides, and back—with no delay between them.
Swinging her arms, Hinata formed a blazing shield of flame in front of her, sprinting toward the edge of the mirror prison. The senbon ahead of her were vaporized by fire, while the ones behind couldn't catch up due to the timing delay.
But she was soon forced to stop. Haku had begun accounting for her movement, launching the next wave of senbon ahead of her predicted path. The icy needles weren't random—they were precisely aimed at her vital points.
Senbon alone had low lethality—but aimed at pressure points, they became deadly. In the original story, Haku had used senbon to strike Zabuza's fake-death point in the neck. That alone proved she had studied pressure points to enhance the lethality of her techniques.
"If you hate fighting so much, isn't this hypocritical? Or do you mean to say that if I stop resisting, you'll just half-kill me with senbon and leave me here for Zabuza to finish off?"
Hinata frowned as she spun and dodged wave after wave. Haku was clearly one of those characters that required plot armor to be defeated. As one of the last Ice Release users in this world, her abilities were definitely difficult to deal with. Worse, the environment favored her immensely.
They were near the ocean. For water based and relevant techniques , this was ideal—low chakra cost, high efficiency. For fire-style users like Hinata, it was the worst possible terrain.
"You're right. Maybe I am a hypocritical and vile enemy… so don't hold back. Come at me with everything you've got."
Haku's voice remained calm. It was as if she had already accepted whatever outcome awaited her. That quiet resignation made Hinata's brows twitch—then dark energy flared in her eyes.
"If that's how it is, then out of the kindness of my heart… I'll take your already-dead resolve away from you. Hah!!"
Hinata stopped in her tracks and exhaled sharply. Her right fist, wrapped in orange flame, slammed into the ground. The frostbitten earth exploded like fireworks, sending sparks and smoke blasting through the mirror dome!
"Ungh!"
Even Haku was caught off guard. The principle behind Makyou Hyōshō was simple—not illusion, but refracted high-speed movement through mirrors. It only looked like attacks came from all directions.
But that required one crucial thing: sight.
She needed to visually lock onto her target and coordinate her attacks. And now, thanks to Hinata's brute-force explosion, the area was filled with thick smoke and dust—blocking Haku's vision entirely.
Unlike Hinata, Haku didn't have Byakugan or any special visual jutsu. A regular ninja might use smoke bombs to confuse Haku, but they'd be blinded too. In a small space, it wouldn't help.
But Hinata had full-range X-ray vision. She could see perfectly—this kind of blinding tactic meant nothing to her. She could move freely while Haku floundered.
And just as Haku paused due to her lost vision, Hinata dashed toward the edge of the mirror dome. Haku, reacting only to sound, blind-fired several volleys of senbon—but Hinata saw everything. The needles were useless.
Reaching the edge, Hinata let out a fierce shout, raising her hand high. In her palm, a pillar of fire burst to life. It was her ultimate move—Nantō Enshōken: Orochi Pheasant (Orochi Flame: Slash)!!
"There she is?!"
Seeing the blaze light up the smoke, Haku finally pinpointed Hinata's location. She charged through the haze. "You won't escape!!"
"Heh."
Standing in front of a mirror, Hinata gave a twisted smile. But her fire-wreathed hand didn't strike the mirror—it whipped backward in a sudden, blazing arc!
A streak of orange fire lashed out behind her like a serpent's tongue!
Caught off guard, Haku was slammed head-on by the burning strike. The fire didn't just burn—it carried Hinata's chakra, blasting her body with concussive force like a pressure cannon!
Haku's body flew like a broken kite, crashing into the mirror behind her. With her chakra disrupted, the entire ice dome shattered, dissolving into glittering shards.
It was a clean victory—by both intel and bloodline advantage.
Hinata lowered her stance and looked at Haku, now lying several meters away. The reason she won was simple: she knew Haku's technique. The mirror dome depended on Haku physically moving between mirrors to attack. If she expected Hinata to strike forward, she'd avoid that mirror—and go for the blind spot behind her.
But Hinata's Byakugan saw in all directions. Even if she couldn't see every detail, she could trace Haku's chakra path and predict her movement—then strike accurately.
Of course, Haku didn't know Hinata had that Intel. That ignorance cost her the fight.
"It's over. Got anything left to say?"
Watching Haku try to push herself off the ground, Hinata felt a flicker of anticipation. This was it—the moment of harvest.
"Looks like... it is. I've lost…"
Haku couldn't even stand. Sitting on the ground, she answered softly. Hinata stepped forward without hesitation and ripped the mask from her face, revealing a beautiful visage—one now fully exposed to her ruthless white eyes.
"In that case, you're mine."
Before Haku could reply, Hinata struck her in the neck with a sharp chop. Haku's eyes fluttered shut as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
---
Land of Waves: Final Phase
"What?!"
Zabuza's eyes widened. He couldn't see the battle, but as a ninja trained to sense chakra—especially to assassinate through mist—he immediately felt it.
Haku's chakra had dropped to a faint flicker, while Hinata's remained strong.
"I told you already—my students aren't ones you can underestimate!"
Sensing Haku's defeat, Kakashi pounced. He unfurled his summoning scroll and, using the blood from earlier wounds, launched his signature technique: "Take this!! Shikyaku no Jutsu! (Fang Pursuit Technique!)"
With the ninja hounds locking onto Zabuza's blood scent and pinning him down, Kakashi's Sharingan spun wildly.
"Zabuza! This ends here!!"
"Tch… not like this—"
A flash of lightning pierced the mist as Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) slammed into Zabuza's chest. He didn't scream. Didn't beg. He simply accepted his end—with quiet resignation.
With Zabuza's death, his water clones evaporated, and the mist blanketing the bridge began to fade. Sunlight returned to the scene.
"It's over…"
Sasuke let out a slow breath. Until now, Zabuza had been the strongest true enemy they'd faced. But with teamwork, even a jōnin-level threat had fallen.
---
Author Notes:
(PS1): Mm~ o(￣▽￣)o~ Haku secured~ This might also be the moment Black Hinata starts to waver. Why… do people exist who would willingly sacrifice themselves for others?
TL:
Also check out the pictures illustration of the characters in auxiliary chapter. They are the closest thing I found. Thanks for reading. I am getting better at this translation thing.