That single taunt instantly enraged Zabuza. His eyes turned cold. "When adults are talking, what right does a brat have to interrupt? Kakashi, your subordinate has no manners. Want me to teach him a lesson for you?"
Before his words even fell, a dense, almost tangible killing intent surged toward Akira like a tidal wave.
If it were an ordinary genin, being enveloped by such blood-soaked killing intent would've left them frozen in place.
But Akira merely curled his lips slightly and uttered two words:
"Childish."
In the next instant, an even more terrifying and domineering aura erupted from him, smashing Zabuza's killing intent to pieces.
That overwhelming presence seemed to take form like an invisible hammer—the ground beneath Akira's feet shattered instantly, spiderweb-like cracks spreading wildly outward.
Zabuza's arrogant expression froze. His body trembled uncontrollably.
He stared wide-eyed at the boy, fear written all over his face. "You… what kind of monster are you?!"
From the density of that killing intent alone, it was clear—this boy had spilled no less blood than he had. And his strength was unfathomable.
Zabuza couldn't believe that a mere genin could unleash pressure strong enough to completely crush him.
Even Kakashi, standing nearby, felt his breathing hitch. If that killing intent hadn't deliberately avoided him, the feeling would've been no different from when he faced Orochimaru years ago.
Akira lifted his gaze, eyes sharp as blades. "You're the thug that shorty Gatō hired, right?"
Though wary of Akira's aura, Zabuza was still a battle-hardened rogue. He refused to believe a teenage boy could truly possess such heaven-defying strength.
Suppressing the fear in his heart, he regained his cold expression. "Kid, your presence isn't bad—but that doesn't mean you're qualified to question me."
Akira chuckled and turned to Kakashi. "Seems he has some misunderstanding about my strength, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi shrugged helplessly. "That's normal. Anyone seeing your age would make that fatal mistake."
Akira shook his head, his tone as casual as discussing dinner. "Honestly, if I make a move, he's dead for sure. But I can't be bothered wasting time on him. Kakashi-sensei, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—each of them is elite jōnin, right?"
Kakashi nodded. "That's right. Every one of them is a ruthless opponent."
During the Third Great Ninja War, the Seven Swordsmen had caused Konoha no end of trouble—Akira was well aware of that bloody history.
So he smiled. "In that case, he's a fitting opponent for someone of your status. I'm just a weak little genin—I'll sit this high-level match out."
He had no interest in fighting someone like Zabuza. To him, it was like a max-level player bullying beginners—completely pointless. Besides, he had no intention of revealing all his cards so early.
Hearing such a "humble brag," Kakashi's eye twitched. "You brat… if you'd just step in, we'd already be done and eating by now."
Akira waved it off. "That's not the point. This mission is meant as a trial for those three rookies. If I steal the spotlight, what's the point?"
Kakashi paused, then nodded in agreement. "Fair enough."
He gripped a kunai in reverse, his gaze sharpening. "Then I'll handle him."
Akira nodded and vanished in a flash, reappearing beside Tazuna.
Naruto leaned over curiously. "Akira, why'd you come back? Aren't you teaming up with Kakashi-sensei to fight him?"
Akira replied with a straight face, spouting nonsense, "I'm just a weak genin. You're overestimating me. Protecting the client is my job."
Sakura couldn't help but interject, "But… your strength could clearly help! That eyebrow-less guy looks terrifying!"
Akira smiled faintly and pointed ahead. "Don't underestimate Kakashi-sensei. He's the famous Copy Ninja. Zabuza may be an elite jōnin, but I'd bet Kakashi-sensei still comes out on top."
Sasuke frowned at Akira, wanting to speak but holding back.
He desperately wanted to know Akira's true strength—but he also knew now wasn't the time.
Up ahead, Kakashi and Zabuza had already clashed.
The battle between two jōnin was lightning-fast—ninjutsu and taijutsu collided in a dazzling exchange.
Akira watched with great interest. A live-action spectacle like this was far more exciting than anything else.
After several minutes of fierce combat, Zabuza suddenly vanished right in front of Kakashi.
Kakashi's pupils shrank. Not good!
Sure enough, using the Body Flicker Jutsu, Zabuza bypassed the defense line and appeared ghost-like behind Tazuna, raising the massive Executioner's Blade high.
With a howling gust, he brought it down toward Tazuna's head!
Although Akira stood right beside Tazuna, he didn't move immediately. Sasuke and Naruto hadn't even reacted to the shift in position.
Worst of all, Sakura was standing directly in front of Tazuna—if that blade fell, she would be split in half.
Zabuza was simply too fast—so fast that Sasuke and Naruto's minds couldn't keep up with their eyes.
Bzzzz—!
The roaring sound of the blade tearing through the air froze the three genin in place, their limbs turning cold.
Bang!
At the very instant the blade was about to touch Sakura's face—
A slender hand suddenly shot in and caught the massive Executioner's Blade barehanded.
Extreme motion turned to absolute stillness in an instant.
The terrifying momentum created a violent shockwave, sending Sakura's pink hair flying wildly.
The blade stopped just 0.01 centimeters from her face. A few strands of hair were sliced cleanly, drifting down slowly.
But the blade halted at the final moment—no blood was spilled.
Akira looked calmly at Zabuza, who stood inches away, and said with a faint smile, "Tazuna-san is our client. If anything happens to him, that would be quite inconvenient for us."
That gentle, harmless-looking smile sent chills down everyone's spine.
Sasuke stared at Akira's hand gripping the blade, his mind in turmoil. This guy… he's a monster! Catching a weapon like that barehanded—what kind of strength and reaction speed does that take?!
Naruto felt goosebumps rise all over his body, unable to believe Akira had stopped the blade so effortlessly with one hand.
Sakura's legs went weak, her heart pounding wildly.
Looking at the strands of her hair left on the blade, she realized she had just been pulled back from death's door.
"Th-thank you… Akira…"
Akira didn't turn around. His gaze remained locked on Zabuza. "Your opponent is over there. Picking on genin—what kind of skill is that?"
As he spoke, one of his fingers became coated in a dense layer of chakra. He lightly flicked the blade.
CLANG—!!!
That seemingly casual flick unleashed terrifying force, like a battering ram.
The massive Executioner's Blade was sent flying, and even Zabuza lost his balance, blasted backward like a cannonball.
He slid back over ten meters before barely regaining his footing. The skin between his thumb and index finger split open, and his entire arm trembled violently.
Zabuza stared at the boy in shock, unable to believe the power behind that single flick.
His expression turned more serious than ever before. This guy… he's not just a genius. He's a tailed beast wearing human skin! How is a monster like this mixed in with genin? What the hell are Konoha's higher-ups thinking?!
At this moment, Zabuza felt an unprecedented frustration.
With Akira guarding Tazuna like an immovable mountain, there was no way through.
Even if he somehow defeated Kakashi, he would still have to face this unfathomable monster afterward.
This mission had become hell-level difficulty.
As for Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura—he didn't even consider them worth mentioning. Just three lambs waiting for slaughter.
Zabuza tightened his grip on the sword, all his killing intent now focused entirely on Akira.
Seeing this, Akira felt a bit speechless.
He just wanted to quietly mind his own business—but Zabuza insisted on courting death, ignoring Kakashi and choosing to provoke him instead.
Akira let out a quiet sigh, his tone turning cold. "I'll warn you one last time—don't provoke me. Otherwise, you'll regret ever being born."
To Zabuza, those words were nothing short of naked humiliation.
As the "Demon of the Mist," his pride flared into rage. If he didn't tear this arrogant brat to pieces today, he wouldn't rest.
"Brat! You're too full of yourself! A mere genin dares speak to me like that? Do you really think a bit of brute strength is enough to stand against one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?!"
Akira shook his head helplessly. "You can't reason with someone who's determined to die."
Zabuza might talk tough, but he wasn't reckless. He didn't dare charge in head-on again—the raw power from earlier still lingered in his mind.
He slung the Executioner's Blade onto his back and formed hand seals at blinding speed.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
The moment the jutsu was completed, dense white mist surged outward, covering hundreds of meters in an instant.
Visibility dropped to zero.
Akira stood calmly within the fog. "So this is the Silent Killing Jutsu of Kirigakure… the atmosphere is definitely there."
"Gotta admit, this mist is pretty well done. Very professional."
He stood with his hands behind his back, as if strolling through his own backyard.
Meanwhile, Zabuza had already crept to within a few meters behind him, moving like a ghost.
Buzz—!
Killing intent surged. Zabuza exploded into motion, his blade howling toward Akira's neck.
Within the fog, Sasuke and the others were thrown into panic. The fear of the unknown magnified everything.
Just as they were about to scatter in confusion, Akira's steady voice cut through the mist:
"Don't move! Stay close to Tazuna—no one runs!"
The moment he finished speaking, without even looking back, Akira reached behind him.
Bang!
Zabuza's lethal strike was once again caught—this time firmly by the back of the blade.
No words this time.
Akira lifted his leg and delivered a brutal kick straight into Zabuza's abdomen.
BOOM—!
The force was overwhelming. Zabuza felt like he'd been hit by a charging rhinoceros. His body shot backward like an arrow, crashing through multiple thick trees before finally stopping dozens of meters away.
Pain flooded his entire body—his organs felt displaced. If not for a ninja's durability, that single kick would've killed an ordinary person instantly.
Akira lowered his leg, expression unchanged. He had held back—he hadn't intended to kill.
Zabuza struggled to his feet, coughing up a mouthful of blood, disbelief written all over his face. "Impossible… how did he track me in that mist? Is my Hidden Mist Jutsu completely useless against him?!"
This was his signature jutsu—countless opponents had died to his silent assassinations.
Yet this boy was like he had x-ray vision—no matter how Zabuza hid, he was instantly exposed.
Retreating deep into the forest dozens of meters away, using the mist as cover, Zabuza's expression hardened. "Fine! If taijutsu won't work… I'll blast you to death with ninjutsu!"
Suppressing the pain, he rapidly formed seals again.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
After completing the complex forty-four hand seals, Zabuza slammed his palms onto the water's surface.
The nearby river churned violently, forming a massive, ferocious water dragon that roared into the sky.
"ROAR—!!"
The water dragon surged forward with overwhelming force, crashing toward Akira.
Though Sasuke and the others couldn't see, the deafening roar of rushing water made their ears ring, their fear reaching its peak.
Kakashi, lost in the mist, relied on his Sharingan to track chakra—but the dense fog still hindered him.
He was moving anxiously toward Tazuna's position, worried for his students.
Meanwhile, facing the roaring water dragon, Akira simply brought his hands together calmly.
No elaborate hand seals.
Just a single clap.
Clap!
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Zabuza's water dragon, fueled by natural water sources, was massive—dozens of meters long, like a natural disaster.
But the moment Akira clapped his hands, countless droplets of water materialized out of thin air, spinning wildly.
In an instant, a massive rotating wall of water rose up, shielding Akira and everyone behind him.
The rotation was so fast it resembled a towering water tornado, its roar even louder than the dragon itself.
RUMBLE—!!!
The two massive currents collided with a thunderous explosion.
But Akira's water wall stood firm, its high-speed rotation acting like a grinder—tearing apart and dispersing the incoming dragon.
Within seconds, the once-mighty water dragon was shredded into nothing, dissolving into torrential rain.
In the end, Zabuza simply ran out of chakra.
Even with environmental advantage, he wasn't some chakra monster like Kisame.
As the dragon dissipated, Akira lowered the water wall.
The violent currents not only blocked the attack—they also generated a gale that completely blew away the surrounding mist.
The battlefield was revealed.
The ground beneath Akira was cracked and shattered—a complete mess.
The aftermath of that clash had practically plowed the entire area.
Sasuke stared blankly, fear creeping into his heart.
"Th-this… is this what a jōnin-level battle looks like? That just now… it was like two dams collapsing…"
Only after the mist cleared did he see Akira standing in the center of the devastation—his back towering, almost suffocating.
The overwhelming gap made Sasuke feel a rare sense of helplessness.
Is this really something I can catch up to with effort alone?
Zabuza was equally shaken. "How is this possible… releasing such a defensive water jutsu without hand seals? What kind of background does this kid have?! Even the Mizukage wouldn't be much stronger!"
If his earlier strength could be explained as talent, then that instant high-level ninjutsu shattered Zabuza's entire worldview.
At that moment, Kakashi finally arrived beside the group.
He glanced at the devastated battlefield, then at Akira—completely unharmed—and immediately understood.
Turning toward Zabuza in the distance, Kakashi said coldly, "Zabuza, if you know what's good for you, leave now. Otherwise, you'll die here today."
Zabuza glared at Akira, his expression conflicted. "Kid… what's your name?"
Akira dusted himself off and smiled. "Name stays the same wherever I go—Konoha genin, Akira Hane. Zabuza, take Kakashi-sensei's advice and run. Otherwise… I won't hold back."
Zabuza's expression darkened.
With Akira's unfathomable strength and Kakashi standing beside him, this was a guaranteed death trap.
But he was a man who knew when to cut his losses.
Taking a deep breath, he spat out, "Akira Hane… I'll remember that name!"
With that, he vanished in a blur, fleeing the battlefield with the Body Flicker Jutsu.
Seeing the enemy retreat, Tazuna didn't look relieved. Instead, he frowned. "Why let him go? If you don't eliminate a killer like that completely, he'll definitely come back."