Chapter 75 Destruction

Hearing the sound of the ninjutsu mirror breaking behind him, Tazuna was so scared that he almost jumped up from where he was.

"What the hell is that?"

"Shut up," Sakura snapped, "I need to concentrate."

An ominous premonition was buzzing around her chest like a swarm of bees, and worry made her tone sharp.

She closed her eyes and tried to determine what was happening based on sound and feel alone.

She might not have the gift of sensing chakra like Naruto did, but she knew her teammates, knew their chakra composition and characteristics by heart, and could identify them no matter how much water-attribute chakra filled the air.

Tazuna was still making a fuss about the Shadow Clone, even though Sakura had repeatedly told him not to worry about Zabuza and that Kakashi was fully capable of handling the Mist Ninja with psychological problems.

Even if Zabuza tried to attack her and Tazuna right under Kakashi's nose again, Sakura wouldn't worry - she doubted Zabuza would do that, because in her opinion, no matter how many flaws Zabuza had, stupidity was definitely not one of them - and even if Zabuza did do that, Sakura would be able to spot him long before he got close.

So she wasn't afraid, not at all.

But she was angry. If anyone suggested she protect civilians next time, she swore she would punch them in the throat.

Sakura immediately tensed up when she sensed movement nearby, but relaxed once she realized it was Naruto.

Strangely, the surrounding fog automatically dispersed to both sides, like morning mist dispersed by the rising sun.

Naruto's chakra was acting strange, she could see it clearly now that he was so close, and there was another chakra signature mixed in that she didn't recognize.

To her relief, Naruto didn't look injured, though his jacket was missing and his ninja pants were singed and frayed.

However, when she saw Sasuke lying unconscious on Naruto's back, the relief that had just risen in her heart disappeared, and her brain quickly entered diagnostic mode.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Paralyzing poison," Naruto answered immediately, crouching down and placing Sasuke between them.

Sakura made a mental note to use the reward from this mission to buy Iruka-sensei a new coffee machine as she pulled a potion out of her backpack.

This is a purifying serum developed by Iruka-sensei based on the insect secretions of the Aburame clan. It is a very effective detoxifier.

"Have him sit up and expose his arm," she instructed as she expertly prepared an emergency syringe.

Naruto did as he was told without a word, his expression extremely serious. He let Sasuke lean against him, put his arm around his shoulders, pulled up his sleeves, and untied the bandage on his wrist so that Sakura could inject smoothly.

"You two are such idiots." Sakura complained quietly as she slowly pushed the needle into Sasuke's arm, "You ran off to find that traitorous ninja and left me to guard the civilians, and you ended up in this mess."

Tazna opened his mouth, as if he wanted to refute, but seemed to remember that Sakura could lift him up with just one finger, so he closed his mouth obediently.

Just as Sakura was packing up the syringe, the battle between the two jonin in the distance seemed to have reached its climax; a cold wind blew, and the surrounding mist along with the dancing flames in it dissipated, revealing a clearly visible battlefield.

Their teacher and Zabuza appeared in front of them again, and the winner was already obvious.

It is no exaggeration to say that the outcome is clear at a glance.

Zabuza was pinned to the ground by eight ninja dogs of different sizes, unable to move.

"You're right, Zabuza," said Kakashi. "I don't have many ninjutsu of my own. In fact, there's only one move that I use frequently. But since you asked, it would be rude not to show you one."

Kakashi-sensei shifted his body and raised his left hand high, shaking it dangerously.

Suddenly, the air was filled with a buzzing sound like the fluttering wings of a thousand birds. A blinding white light streamed from Kakashi's fingertips, as if he was holding an angry star in his hands.

Energy pulsed between his knuckles, and the atmosphere around him began to crackle like the inside of a thundercloud.

Zabuza's eyes widened, and he tried to struggle, but the hard canines wrapped around his limbs and shoulders made it almost impossible for him to move. Kakashi was ready to launch a fatal blow.

---

The Chidori in Kakashi's hand gave him an ominous sense of familiarity.

The force resonated with his body and chakra, a somber feeling, a feeling of preparation for loss and pain. This technique had only one purpose, and to this day, it fulfilled that purpose perfectly:

Kill. End life.

He didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting his ninja dogs, and he never had to worry - they could sense the fluctuations of chakra and knew when to retreat.

So they retreated.

But just as his ninja dogs dispersed from Zabuza, a more agile figure rushed out.

Zabuza Momochi's disciple, Haku, the one with long black hair and pale skin, stood between the two men.

The expression on Zabuza's face changed so quickly that if Kakashi's Sharingan hadn't been staring at him, he would have missed it.

A look of confusion flashed across his face, and then there was undisguised panic - this panic came too quickly and too suddenly to be hidden at all. It was the fear of losing a loved one.

Kakashi was all too familiar with this fear, so when Zabuza moved his injured arm, trying to push Haku away, he immediately understood what the other was thinking.

Kakashi saw Zabuza's desire to protect him in his scarlet Sharingan and reacted instinctively.

At the last moment, he shifted his center of gravity to one side, avoiding Bai's chest, and the lightning in his hand pierced Zabuza's left shoulder.