Gamatetsu glanced at the approaching ice formation around them and muttered softly, "Fine, let's clean up this eyesore of an ice first before teaching you a lesson."

Sasuke nodded slightly at Gamatetsu.

Bicker as they might, after their special training over the past period, the person and frog had developed a remarkably tacit understanding.

Gamatetsu's abdomen swelled as a large amount of Chakra rapidly converted inside its body.

Whoosh!

A thick stream of brown toad oil spouted from its mouth.

The very second Gamatetsu opened its mouth, Sasuke brought two fingers together to form the Tiger Seal.

"Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"

A burst of flame spewed from Sasuke's mouth, fusing with the special toad oil.

Enhanced by the toad oil, the ordinary Fire Style instantly turned into a surging sea of fire.

The orange-red oil flames raged spirally; before those sharp icicles could even touch the flames, they rapidly melted under the intense heat.

The Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals couldn't withstand this crazy high temperature either, beginning to melt away in large swathes.

Haku, hiding within the ice formation, was forced straight out by the heatwave.

Most of his once-neat clothes were charred, and his mask shattered into several pieces.

Haku lost his balance mid-air and fell clumsily onto the bridge deck.

The moment Haku hit the ground, Sakura charged forward.

Chakra rapidly concentrated into her hands as she used Chakra Scalpel!

With a few swift, clean slashes, she severed the chakra pathways in Haku's limbs.

Haku lost all strength in his body, collapsing into the puddle of water, unable to move a single inch.

Why?

Why was he defeated at the hands of a few Konoha Genin?

He was Lord Zabuza's tool! How could he fail to even handle kids of this level?

The water vapor gradually dissipated.

Sasuke knelt on one knee, panting heavily.

Gamatetsu waddled up to Sasuke, reaching out with its short forelimbs to pat Sasuke on the head twice.

"Did you see that clearly? Without This Great One's toad oil, your little sparks wouldn't even be enough to warm someone's hands."

"Show This Great One some respect with your attitude in the future."

Before Sasuke could blow his top, Gamatetsu turned into a puff of white smoke, directly releasing the summoning and returning to Mount Myōboku. It ran fast indeed.

"That damn frog..." Sasuke cursed inwardly.

...

On the other side, Naruto cracked his neck with a series of popping sounds.

The green Chakra aura on his body roiled continuously, its violent airflow pushing aside all the thick fog around him.

"Hey! Eyebrow-less Uncle! This Great One's warm-up is over, and now I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!" Naruto clenched both fists.

Zabuza glared fiercely at Uzumaki Naruto. Did this brat really take him for a push-over?

"You Konoha scum! When I was killing people in the Blood Mist Village, you were still wearing split-crotch pants!"

Zabuza wove Hand Seals, preparing to use Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique.

Naruto crossed his index and middle fingers on both hands into a cross: "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Following a series of continuous air-popping sounds, a large cloud of white smoke dispersed.

Over a hundred Narutos literally packed half the bridge deck.

Every single clone emitted a green Chakra glow, their aura merging into one continuous sheet that almost blinded anyone who looked.

Tazuna and the workers hid behind a pile of lumber in the distance, their eyes wide with shock.

"Good heavens... how can there be so many?"

"What is that green glowing stuff? Looking at it gives me the creeps."

"Are Konoha Ninja... all this ridiculous?"

Sitting on the railing, Kazama chuckled softly, "He's made some progress. He knows to distribute the Chakra equally among the Shadow Clones to bear the Eight Inner Gates. Now things are getting interesting."

Zabuza looked at the dense crowd of blonde kids before him and snorted coldly.

What's the point of high numbers? They're just clones that will disappear with a single touch!

Immediately after, Zabuza's hand seals flew rapidly, forcibly drawing up the surrounding seawater: "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Waves tens of meters high rose from the ground, crashing down on Uzumaki Naruto's clones with overwhelming force. Trying to clear the field with a wide-range Water Style technique?

"Brothers! Punch right through that water!" the real Naruto roared.

The dozen-odd Shadow Clones in the front row crouched simultaneously, pulling back their right fists as the green Chakra all over their bodies furiously gathered into their knuckles.

"Strong Fist: Straight Strike!"

A dozen fists blasted forward at once.

The fierce physical pressure of their fists actually tore a path right through the incoming Great Waterfall!

"All right! Let's go!"

The hundred-plus Naruto clones behind them charged through this path, flanking him from all directions and trapping Zabuza right in the center.

"Seeking death!"

Zabuza brandished the Executioner's Blade, sweeping it horizontally.

The blade severed three or four clones, which exploded into bursts of white smoke.

However, the remaining clones didn't retreat even half a step. Even if they were just clones, activating the Eight Inner Gates made them absolute cheaters!

A clone on the left delivered a low kick right onto Zabuza's shin bone.

A clone on the right leaped up and slammed a fist into the side of his face.

The force was absurdly immense!

Wincing in pain, Zabuza staggered backward.

Before he could catch his balance, more fists and kicks rained down on him.

Enduring the intense pain, Zabuza swung the Executioner's Blade left and right; after the blade swept past, several more clones dissolved into white smoke.

But more clones immediately filled the vacancies. Having numerical superiority really meant doing whatever they pleased!

Suddenly, a clone on the left leaped up, driving a knee straight toward Zabuza's flank.

Zabuza pulled back his blade to block, pushing hard to knock it away.

But at that moment, another clone on the right closed in, aiming a fist straight at his face.

Zabuza tilted his head to dodge, but before he could catch his breath, he took two heavy kicks to his back at the same time.

Zabuza's body stumbled, lunging forward several paces.

Seven or eight clones directly in front of him immediately crouched down to gather power.

"Take my Strong Fist!"

Several fists slammed into Zabuza's chest and abdomen together.

Zabuza let out a muffled groan, sent staggering backward by the blows.

Tazuna and the bridge workers hiding in the distance were all utterly stunned.

"Hey, hey, hey... isn't this way too exaggerated..."

"The assassin Gato paid a fortune for can't even beat a kid?"

Among the Shadow Clones...

The real Naruto was mixed in among the clones, breathing heavily.

Opening the First Gate of the Eight Gates on top of using the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu was an immense drain on his stamina. He had to end this quickly!

"Finish this quickly, brothers!" Naruto yelled.

"Yeah!"

Over a hundred clones shouted in unison.

Before Zabuza could steady himself, the clones around him surged forward frantically once more.

"Get away!"

Gripping the hilt with both hands, Zabuza did a wide windmill slash on the spot.

Five or six surrounding clones were cleaved in half, bursting into white smoke with loud pops.

But he was a step too slow after all. Two of Naruto's clones performed a sliding tackle, tightly pinning his legs.

"Got him!"

Immediately after, three clones behind him leaped up, firmly locking his blade-wielding arms.

"Let go! You scum!"

Zabuza struggled desperately, his Chakra surging wildly within his body.

"Take to the sky! Eyebrow-less Uncle!"

Five clones crouched beneath Zabuza, crossed their arms, and heaved upward with all their strength.

Zabuza, along with his blade, was hurled straight into mid-air.

Seizing the moment, the real Naruto's legs exploded with powerful leaping strength.

He jumped straight into the air higher than Zabuza.

Several clones relays-stepped below, leaping up off each other's shoulders.

"Uzumaki..."

At the highest point, the real Naruto flipped his body upside down, head pointing downward.

The first clone delivered a flying kick in mid-air, striking Zabuza's back.

Zabuza cried out in pain, his body involuntarily folding upward into the air.

The second clone followed up with an uppercut, slamming heavily into his chin.

The third clone executed a spin kick, striking the side of his face.

"Naruto..."

The clones completed their attacks in succession in mid-air, all dispersing into white smoke with a loud pop.

Zabuza was battered senseless in mid-air, completely losing his defensive posture.

At that moment, enveloped in green Chakra aura, the real Naruto spun at high speed in mid-air, bringing his right foot crashing down with a wind-breaking roar.

"Barrage!"

Bang!

This kick landed squarely on Zabuza's chest.

Zabuza spat out a large mouthful of blood.

The immense impact dragged him down at rapid speed.

Accompanied by a deafening roar...

Zabuza slammed heavily onto the bridge deck.

Debris flew in all directions, and dust rose everywhere.

The Executioner's Blade flew out of his grip, falling to the side with a clatter.