Zabuza formed Hand Seals with both hands.

A Water Clone quickly took shape, replacing his main body to maintain the Water Prison.

"Defeat me with just one finger? What an ignorant fool."

Zabuza's main body charged rapidly toward Kazama, raising the Executioner's Blade high with both hands and cleaving straight down at Kazama's head.

"Then let me open your eyes."

Kazama raised the index finger of his right hand.

With a thought, a strange energy enveloped the surface of his index finger, turning the original skin into a shiny black.

"Seeking death!"

Seeing Kazama actually planning to block the Executioner's Blade with a single finger, Zabuza felt his anger burn even hotter.

He put all the strength in his body into this slash.

Determined to cleave this arrogant Konoha Shinobi into two halves.

Clang!

Zabuza felt as if his blade had struck solid steel.

The recoil knocked back at him, numbing his hands.

"Th-this... how is this possible?" Zabuza blurted out in shock.

Even an Earth Style hardening technique enhanced by Chakra couldn't take a direct vertical slash from the Executioner's Blade completely unscathed!

The Executioner's Blade in his hands was one of the seven Ninja Blades handed down in the Hidden Mist Village, a lethal weapon said to be capable of cutting through anything.

Right in the moment Zabuza froze in disbelief,

a thin, long crack appeared at the spot where the Executioner's Blade met Kazama's index finger.

Kazama smiled at Zabuza: "Who's the ignorant fool now? Charging at me without even understanding my true strength?"

Zabuza pulled back his blade and retreated, quickly creating distance between himself and Kazama.

Tazuna and the dozen or so workers rubbed their eyes.

"Was that blade really blocked by a single finger?"

"Didn't the Demon say he was a Jonin who just coasted on seniority? How is he so strong?"

"Do you think maybe Konoha Ninja are just too strong? Even a Konoha Shinobi at the Chunin level is far beyond what Jonin from other nations can handle."

"Hmm... come to think of it, that seems to be the case!"

"Yeah, look at those Jonin kids—aren't they freakishly strong too?"

Kazama withdrew his index finger, having no intention of taking advantage of the opening to strike.

"Zabuza, you should see the gap between us now, right?"

"Be a good sparring partner for my disciples and don't entertain thoughts of challenging me, or you'll die."

"Damn it..." Zabuza cursed under his breath upon hearing Kazama's words.

Yet no matter how angry or humiliated he felt,

his combat instincts kept telling him:

If he tried fighting Kazama again, he would definitely die.

Kazama's gaze brushed past the tense Demon, landing on the water sphere and ice formation not far away.

"Hey, are you three inside awake yet?"

"You've taken my expert tutoring class, and I even brought you an Elite Jōnin sparring partner. Don't tell me this is all you've got."

"If you can't even pass this hurdle, I'll send you back to the Ninja Academy once we return to the village."

Inside the Water Prison.

Hearing Kazama's words, Naruto stopped punching in vain.

He began mobilizing the Chakra within his body.

Gurgle gurgle...

Small bubbles began rising continuously inside the Water Prison.

The whisker-like marks on Naruto's cheeks deepened, and veins bulged near his temples.

"First Gate, Gate of Opening—Open!"

A blast of green Chakra burst through his skin, mixing with the water to form intense air currents.

Boom!

The Water Prison shattered into pieces on the spot.

The Water Clone Zabuza used to maintain the technique evaporated instantly.

Naruto shook his dripping blonde hair, gasping heavily: "Phew~ Eyebrowless Uncle, your Ninjutsu is really tough to deal with! To think it forced me to use the Eight Inner Gates!"

Zabuza froze in shock.

Breaking out of the Water Prison purely with Chakra?

Is this the kind of strength a newly graduated Genin is supposed to have?!

Before Zabuza could recover from his shock, over in the ice crystal formation, Haku developed killing intent toward Sasuke and Sakura.

Haku had originally only intended to use senbon to immobilize these two Konoha brats and keep them alive as leverage.

But now, the situation outside had completely spiraled out of control.

Lord Lord Zabuza is in danger, I have to go for the kill!

"I'm sorry."

Inside the ice mirrors, dozens of Haku's afterimages raised their hands simultaneously, their fingers filled with gleaming senbon.

Not only that, foot-long, crystal-clear ice spikes began forming on the surface of the ice mirrors.

All of their sharp points were aimed directly at Sasuke and Sakura in the center of the arena.

Sakura leaned against Sasuke's back, adjusting her breathing rhythm: "Sasuke, we're completely blocked off on all sides. Do you have any other moves?"

"Of course I do, I just really didn't want to bring that guy out."

Sasuke snorted coldly, reaching up to wipe the blood off his chin.

"Still, Teacher Kazama is right. Holding back any longer would really be a disservice to all that painful training."

Sasuke bit his thumb and slammed his hand onto the ice layer beneath his feet: "Summoning Technique!"

From the surrounding ice mirrors, Haku said coldly, "It's over."

Countless ice spikes and senbon shot through the air, completely covering the ground where Sasuke and Sakura stood!

A cloud of white smoke exploded.

The moment Gamatetsu's front feet touched the ground, before he even had time to strike a cool pose, he saw countless ice spikes and senbon raining down on him.

As for Sasuke, who had summoned him, he was already hiding behind his back.

"Hey buddy, did you summon me to get me killed?! You really treat me like a wall?"

Gamatetsu yelled aloud, the vocal sacs on both sides of his jaw pulsing rapidly as they emitted high-frequency vibrations.

Croak!

High-level soundwave Ninjutsu: Frog Call!

Under the shockwave of sound, the incoming ice spikes and senbon instantly lost their attack trajectories and were completely blown away.

Gamatetsu spat out the excess air in his lungs, turning back to glare at Sasuke and cursing:

"Are you out of your mind, you cheap kid?!"

"If it were any other little toad without enough training, they would've been turned into a skewer just now, do you hear me?!"

"Can you check the situation before summoning next time?!"

Sasuke snapped back without hesitation: "Shut your mouth! You think I wanted to call you out? You're just a big-mouthed toad! If any other toad came out, this battle would've been over long ago!"

"How dare you look down on This Great One?!" Gamatetsu placed his front limbs on his hips. "If not for Old Man Jiraiya, I'd crush you flat right now!"

"Try it if you dare!"

"Holy crap! You really are asking for a beating, aren't you?!"

The one person and one toad began squabbling back and forth with total disregard for their surroundings.

Sakura stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.

What kind of timing was this? How did these two still have the leisure to argue?!

"Sasuke, stop arguing! The enemy is still outside!" Sakura warned, eyeing the surrounding ice mirrors warily.

At the same time, Haku, hidden within the ice mirrors, was completely bewildered.

Internal strife? It doesn't look like it either!

Ah, of course! They're stalling for time!

I can't give them another moment to breathe.

Haku's fingers fluttered rapid hand signs, mobilizing even more Chakra within his body.

Immediately after, several ice mirrors shattered completely, morphing into even sharper ice spikes.

A 360-degree, dead-angle-free slaughter formation was fully assembled.