NOVEL WEB Chapter 37: ch-37
Wearing a mask, Bai looked at Naruto and Sasuke, who were trapped within his Magic Mirror Ice Crystal formation, and said, "It's not too late to quit now. I might consider letting you go."
"But if you insist on continuing, I won't hesitate to become a ruthless ninja."
"Don't pretend to be merciful. I won't take a step back."
Naruto gripped a kunai tightly, his body tense and ready for battle.
Sasuke agreed, his eyes sharp with determination. "Yes, a true ninja faces challenges head-on. How can we back down just because of a little difficulty?"
"I see. Then, I have no choice."
As Bai's words fell, multiple identical images of him appeared across the ice mirrors surrounding them.
Naruto and Sasuke watched in shock as dozens of identical figures formed, each standing within a mirror, making it impossible to distinguish the real Bai from the reflections.
"What a weird jutsu!"
Naruto threw a shuriken at one of the reflections, but the weapon simply bounced off, deflected with a crisp sound.
Kakashi, who was watching Bai's technique from a distance, narrowed his eyes in recognition. "Could this be..."
Zabuza smirked, finishing Kakashi's thought. "Yes, this is the power of a rare Kekkei Genkai—Ice Release."
He continued, his voice laced with pride. "Bai is a ninja I personally trained. He excels in taijutsu, is highly skilled in ninjutsu, and possesses an ability that very few in the world have."
"In some ways, he's already stronger than me."
Kakashi's throat tightened. Naruto and Sasuke were in serious danger.
Seeing Kakashi's concern, Zabuza grinned. "What's wrong, Kakashi? Scared? Your students are completely outmatched. That red-haired kid, Morkel, isn't here to save them either."
"In Konoha, where peace has made ninjas weak, you can't possibly raise a true warrior. But Bai is different. He's experienced life-and-death struggles with me countless times. He's a real ninja."
While Zabuza gloated, Naruto and Sasuke were struggling against Bai's technique.
Bai moved like a phantom, striking with lightning-fast attacks. His movements were unpredictable, and his presence on every mirror made it impossible to track him.
Soon, Naruto and Sasuke were covered in wounds, their bodies aching from Bai's relentless attacks.
"Damn it! This guy could've killed us by now, but he keeps using these annoying little strikes instead. It's like he wants to wear us down!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration. He had trained hard to improve his chakra control, but now, when he finally had the chance to test his skills, he was completely outclassed.
"If this is ice, maybe we can melt it!"
Sasuke's eyes lit up with an idea. "Naruto, stand back!"
He quickly formed hand seals, taking a deep breath.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, hurling toward the ice mirrors with intense heat.
The moment it collided with the icy walls, steam hissed into the air.
However, when the smoke cleared, only a few droplets of water had formed.
Bai chuckled softly. "It's no use. Your level of ninjutsu isn't nearly strong enough to melt my Ice Release."
Naruto clenched his fists in frustration. If fire wouldn't work, maybe overwhelming force would.
He quickly formed hand seals. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, dozens of Narutos appeared, charging at the mirrors from every direction.
But Bai reacted just as swiftly. He moved between the reflections, hurling senbon needles with pinpoint accuracy, striking down Naruto's clones one after another.
"Damn it! Stop hiding in your mirrors! If you're so strong, fight us head-on!"
Naruto shouted in frustration.
Bai remained unfazed. "This is how my technique works."
Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. His body ached, and his stamina was running low. But in the midst of battle, a thought crossed his mind.
"If Morkel were here, he'd definitely find a way out of this."
Sasuke smirked, wiping blood from his lip. "Yeah, but that idiot is probably still fast asleep. By the time he wakes up, we'll already be dead."
Naruto frowned. Sasuke's joke didn't sit well with him.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Zabuza and Kakashi continued their fierce battle.
"Enough playing around. Let's end this," Zabuza said, swinging his massive blade.
Two water clones materialized at his side, their eyes locked onto Kakashi.
Kakashi felt sweat bead on his forehead. Naruto and Sasuke were occupied, and he had to protect Dazna. Fighting Zabuza in these conditions was extremely difficult.
He made a decision—he had to end this fast.
Slowly, he lifted the forehead protector covering his left eye, revealing the Sharingan.
However, the moment he did, the mist surrounding them thickened.
Kakashi's eyes widened. "So, that's your plan..."
Zabuza chuckled from within the fog. "Did you really think I wouldn't learn from our last battle?"
"By thickening the mist, I can neutralize your Sharingan. Now, you're just a sitting duck!"
Kakashi tightened his grip on his kunai. "You can't see me either."
Zabuza smirked. "That's where you're wrong. I am a master of silent killing. I don't need to see—I can hear."
The moment he finished speaking, Kakashi sensed movement behind him.
He spun around just in time to parry a strike from Zabuza's sword.
"Clang!"
The force sent Kakashi staggering back. He had barely blocked in time.
Before he could react, a second Zabuza appeared from the fog, attacking from another angle.
Kakashi cursed under his breath. This was bad.
And then he realized—Zabuza wasn't after him.
His real target was Dazna.
Kakashi turned, his heart racing.
A dark silhouette moved behind Dazna, a blade raised high, ready to strike.
Kakashi lunged forward, just in time to block the blow.
"Snap!"
Blood splattered onto the bridge.
But it wasn't Dazna's.
Kakashi had taken the hit instead.
The sword had cut deep into his arm, nearly reaching the bone.
He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain, and held his ground.
Fighting through the agony, he thought to himself, "Morkel... If you were here, this battle wouldn't be so hard..."
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