Kakashi didn't deny those words at all. Instead he simply lowered his forehead protector back over his Sharingan before sighing tiredly.
"Your instincts still need polishing," Kakashi said while looking toward Rei. "But your adaptability is honestly absurd." He could already tell that Rei would soon be a jonin. He was happy to see his student get ahead so fast. He hoped Naruto and others would do the sa.
Though he had less hopes on Naruto at the mont, but since he was his sensei's son, he should bloom eventually.
Thus the next two days continued with nonstop practice. Rei didn't just train alone anymore either. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all fought him repeatedly in different combinations. Sotis one on one. Sotis together. Sasuke had set Rei as his goal before handling his brother and he was hell bent on defeating Rei, one on one.
Even the demon brothers once fought him, only to be demolished in two moves. It showed that Rei had gone past basic chunin levels. After that fight, both of them had refused to entertain watching Rei train. It was just an humiliation.
5 days later
"I am ready."
"…Ready for what?" Naruto was confused when Rei declared that after lunch. He was busy eating his fill that Laura had made. Ho made food was the best and though Naruto still preferred Ran, but Rei had made it a point for Naruto to eat healthy.
One can't survive in Ran!
"Zabuza." Rei replied calmly.
That imdiately startled everyone. Even Kakashi looked slightly surprised now.
"Already?" Sakura asked.
"We thought you would take the whole month." Sasuke frowned slightly afterward. After all, Rei himself gave fifteen days originally in their own world and because of the ti difference, everyone assud he would exploit nearly the entire duration for extra training.
But Rei simply shook his head lightly.
"No point delaying anymore."
At so point training alone stopped giving explosive improvent. Real combat mattered more now. So later that evening, Rei was back at his origin world and finally walked toward where Zabuza remained restrained.
The swordsman slowly raised his head afterward. And for the first ti since capture… Zabuza genuinely looked serious. It was because of Haku. Haku didn't ever talk to him and just followed the words of Rei to the T.
This guy, though would hardly express his emotion, didn't an that he won't talk. Haku refused to talk anymore than necessary. He seed detached but also care about Zabuza. It seed odd, and the only explanation was Rei had done sothing to him.
Sothing terrifying that he couldn't speak of.
Haku, who was beside Zabuza didn't seem surprised that Rei would co to honor the challenge. He knew what kind of monster Rei was, after he got his kekkei genkai.
"Zabuza-sama…" Haku spoke softly. "Please fight seriously."
That alone made Zabuza narrow his eyes slightly. Because Haku rarely insisted on anything emotionally. Still, after several monts, Zabuza finally grinned.
"Heh… finally got tired of playing house?"
Rei didn't reply imdiately. Instead he calmly removed the restraints from Zabuza one by one.
The atmosphere instantly changed. Even Naruto swallowed slightly now. Because restrained Zabuza and free Zabuza were completely different existences. The mont the final restraint disappeared, killing intent exploded outward violently.
Mist slowly began forming around the bridge.
"There we go…" Zabuza rolled his shoulders slightly afterward while picking up Kubikiribocho again. "Now this feels proper." They both appeared on a barren clear land, near the mouth of the bridge.
And thus the fight finally began.
BOOM.
Zabuza attacked first instantly without hesitation. The massive sword cleaved downward violently while Rei barely avoided in ti, the bridge surface exploding apart behind him. Kakashi didn't bother to hide and used his sharingan. If he saw any sign of Rei being in bad situation, he would step in.
Even Sasuke was watching the fight closely, and so were the others. Mist thickened rapidly afterward.
Hidden Mist Technique.
Visibility collapsed instantly. Naruto and Sakura imdiately lost sight while even Sasuke struggled slightly. Only Kakashi and Rei remained calm.
Then ca water style.
Massive waves erupted upward around the bridge while Zabuza continuously attacked through blind spots using silent killing techniques.
But Rei responded perfectly.
Water Wall.
Earth Flow River.
Water clones.
Every attack t another attack directly.
The battle itself beca absurd for their age difference.
Even Kakashi watched silently now because this no longer resembled a genin-level battle at all.
Zabuza's swordsmanship remained superior physically, but Rei compensated through versatility and prediction. Sharingan continuously tracked movents while multiple chakra natures kept changing the battlefield itself. Of course it was mostly Rei using earth and water. He was proficient in both, and thus he would always use his strong and precise moves.
But Zabuza was fast. Way too fast sotis. And eventually Zabuza finally caught him. Water exploded upward instantly.
"Water Prison Jutsu!"
Before Rei could fully retreat, water wrapped around him completely. Naruto imdiately panicked.
"REI!"
Inside the prison, Rei remained subrged while Zabuza grinned viciously.
"Heh… got you."
This was a ga changer as it ant Zabuza had caught him and all he needed to do was use his huge sword to kill him. Normally that would've ended the fight.
Water Prison immobilized movent completely while the user's chakra continuously maintained direct contact. Escaping normally was extrely difficult.
"Wait!" Kakashi shouted as he saw Naruto running to save him.
Rei had been waiting for this. He had always known that though Zabuza was fast, it didn't an he would be able to maintain that speed. The huge sword had its weight and thus it did slow him and besides, speed was never his forte.
Rei had known all along that Zabuza would try to clip his wings and he had a perfect counter for this.
"Earth Style : Armor!" [This technique coats the users body with stones, making them much more resistant to attacks, at the cost of so speed.]
His body instantly hardened beneath the prison.
And then—
CRACKLE.
Blue lightning violently exploded outward.
"CHIDORI!"
The mont it happened, Zabuza's expression changed completely. He didn't expect before the prison technique could even settle on Rei, he was able to perform two jutsus back to back, in an insane speed. Once the prison technique settled, it was hard to perform jutsus and only thing that worked was chakra manipulation outside the body.
Only techniques/abilities like Rasengan or a Hyuga technique would be able to destabilize the technique, thus Rei made sure that he was able to perform the technique in breakneck speed. The armor technique was a A style jutsu and thus Rei had spent a day to master it to the maximum. Kakashi also helped in this.
And since water a great conductor of electricity, the subsequent lightning technique hit its mark. He used the armor technique so that he didn't electrocute himself. Though water would triumph over earth at the end, but it would be must slower than him electrocuting that demon.
Lightning surged through the entire structure instantly.
"GAH—!"
Electricity exploded violently across the water prison while Zabuza convulsed from the direct feedback. The prison destabilized imdiately afterward.
BOOM.
Water burst apart everywhere.
Zabuza dropped to one knee breathing heavily while smoke rose slightly from his body. Kubikiribocho slipped from his grip.
Silence spread afterward across the bridge. Even Kakashi looked genuinely impressed now. Because that wasn't rely raw power. That was battlefield thinking.
Rei slowly stepped forward afterward while Chidori faded from his hand and placed the kunai at his neck. Haku's knuckles turned white as he saw the whole ordeal. He had hoped that Rei would lose at the end and maybe Zabuza would be free.
Nope. Rei didn't even use ice techniques as so kind of ambush and defeat Zabuza. He just used genuine speed and mastery to defeat Zabuza. Though sharingan played a huge part. Zabuza suddenly laughed.
"Heh… HAHAHA…"
"What's so funny?" Rei asked with the sa dead pan face he had since the start of the fight.
"Funny? Hahaha.. The funny one is . I am the joke... I lost to a naless genin.. One of the great seven swordsn of the Mist." Zabuza said.
"That's true. But it was mostly due to lack of information which you don't have, while I do." Rei said, not downplaying his strength at all.
"Heh. Those are excuses..." Zabuza said and by now Kakashi was standing behind Zabuza. He didn't trust this man one bit, but since Rei had ntioned that this man should have a soft heart sowhere, he was just being polite. Any sign of movent, he would make sure that this man dies here.
Zabuza wasn't offended that Kakashi had arrived and nodded. He was a bit envious that his young student was even able to defeat him. The famous copy ninja was able to produce another copy ninja. Or at least from those red eyes, he looks like it.
----
Important
Author's note - From here on out the chapters will be streamlined with one to three chapters per day, depending on the number of power stones the novel receives.
And also the novel will have p@treon access to latest chapters under the userna "thelightedghost".
Get access to 2 chapters on the p@treon
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