Chapter 91: Chapter 89: Zabuza... Formidable as Ever
Mist.
Glancing at the thick fog blanketing the sky, Shangcheng Sanyuan disdainfully shut the windows and doors.
"Tch, when will this ever end!" With a sigh, he began his routine work.
Kuchiyose no Jutsu!
In an instant, a pug dog appeared beside him.
The pug looked him over, confirmed his identity, then spat out a small parchment tube from its mouth.
"Eh, the village finally remembered me!" Shangcheng muttered excitedly. He carefully picked up the tube, unfurled it, memorized its contents quickly, then burned the paper immediately.
Shangcheng dispelled the summoning, then sat on a chair frowning.
"Spreading rumors? Promoting Momochi Zabuza too?"
"Although Mist is located overseas and not exactly well-informed, convincing them that Zabuza is invincible among the Genin still poses some difficulty."
After a moment of contemplation, inspiration struck Sanyuan. "Got it! First, spread rumors of how Momochi Zabuza issued brutal threats to slaughter everyone during the Chunin Exams as a way to build momentum. Then, as a Tokubetsu Jonin from Konoha, I'll stage an assassination attempt, fake my death, and escape. Finally, leak news that Konoha was so terrified of him they sent someone to kill him."
"With our village's fury over the assassination of their prodigy combined with the desire to suppress other villages, maybe the higher-ups in Mist will consider the Chunin Exams an excellent opportunity."
Thinking thus, Shangcheng immediately started preparing for his staged death and escape.
"Hmph, finally getting away from this cursed place!"
...
Several days later, as he strolled through the streets as usual, Zabuza noticed something strange—people were looking at him differently.
"That's Zabuza? The bastard who killed my brother during graduation exams?"
"Speak softly! He's that monster skilled in silent killing!"
"I heard he plans another bloodbath during the Chunin Exams?"
"Hmph! Let this kind of monster go wreak havoc elsewhere sooner rather than later!"
"Yeah, if he kills ninja from other villages during the Chunin Exams, he might actually turn out to be good for something."
Zabuza stopped, casting a chilling gaze toward the speakers.
The murderous intent, nearly freezing their blood, scared all the villagers into chaotic retreats.
"Such cowardly scum!" Zabuza muttered contemptuously, licking his dry lips. "Still, the Chunin Exams, eh..."
Just then, his senses tingled. Instinctively, he dodged sideways.
BOOM!
A flaming dragon barely missed him, blasting a crater onto the ground.
"Assassination?" Zabuza didn't look frightened—in fact, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
[Water Release: Wild Water Wave!]
Seeing torrents rushing toward him, Shangcheng inwardly felt slight surprise. "So proficient with a C-rank Ninjutsu already? Seems this Zabuza really is impressive."
"But this works better for me! Now, I won't need extra effort to prove his talent!"
Knowing Mist Anbu would arrive soon, Shangcheng realized delaying meant certain death.
Thus, he proceeded according to plan, deliberately using the flashiest technique—one that visually demonstrated his strength dramatically.
[Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!]
[Water Release: Water Dragon Shot!]
"What the hell? A nine-year-old brat actually pulled off a B-ranked jutsu?" Shangcheng Sanyuan's eyes widened, nearly blurting out loud.
That was only because he'd been gone so long he had no idea how crazy things had gotten in Konoha.
Now, facing the ferocious water dragon lunging toward him, Shangcheng turned deathly pale. "I went too far. I was worried about killing him outright, so I deliberately misdirected my technique!"
"If you can't even control your jutsu properly, does this idiot want a one-way trip to death?" Zabuza narrowed his eyes coldly and rapidly formed hand seals.
[Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!]
"Another B-ranked technique? Are kids these days seriously this ridiculous?" Shangcheng had barely escaped the water dragon's impact when two highly pressurized, spiraling "fangs" came snapping toward him. He couldn't even think straight anymore. "If I keep underestimating this brat, I might really die!"
[Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!]
Water and fire clashed, instantly creating a surge of scorching hot mist.
The fog swallowed everything whole. With no visibility, Zabuza unleashed every last bit of his chakra at once.
[Silent Killing Technique!]
"What kind of monster is that?" Through the thick mist, eerie crimson currents flashed like ghosts. Shangcheng's hair practically stood on end. "No good—need to escape right now!"
But as he took just half a step forward, Zabuza pinpointed his location purely by sound.
"Ahhh!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed from the mist, sending chills down the spines of villagers nearby.
When the fog finally cleared, the tardy Anbu arrived and saw what lay within.
Amidst the bloodied remains, Zabuza stood silently, his expression darkened.
"This is a Konoha forehead protector!" One sharp-eyed Anbu retrieved a forehead protector from the pieces of flesh. "It's one of Konoha's men!"
"Zabuza, did you get a clear look at the enemy's face?"
Zabuza shot him a cold glance before turning away without a word.
The Mist Anbu who asked the question flared with rage. "Does this bastard think he's someone special?"
A nearby Anbu pulled him back. "He got ambushed himself—he must be pretty pissed off."
Another Anbu added, "Regardless, he eliminated a Konoha spy. From the looks of it, this wasn't an ordinary Chunin either. Let's report to the Mizukage first."
Far off, beneath an overhanging cliff.
Shangcheng Sanyuan, drenched in blood, sweated profusely as he shakily grabbed a handful of Blood Increasing Pills and tossed them into his mouth.
After quite some time, some color finally returned to his pale complexion.
"That was close. If Xiaobai hadn't recognized my voice immediately and summoned me back in reverse, I probably would've died today—at the hands of a mere Genin!"
Still shaken, yet another wave of concern washed over him. "Although partly my fault, that kid truly is formidable. Could Lord Hokage possibly have made a mistake? If he really appears at the Chunin Exams and faces our Konoha Genin, it'll basically be a massacre!"
...
Soon after, the forehead protector from Konoha and the previously gathered intelligence regarding Sanyuan Shangcheng's residence were both presented to the Mizukage.
"Kimura and Huei—probably fake names," the Mizukage muttered darkly, glancing around. "Remaining undetected for so long...your intelligence network is painfully slow, don't you think?"
All the Anbu members around lowered their heads in shame.
"Still, for a spy who had stayed hidden for so long to reveal himself just for Zabuza..." Mei Terumi, the Mizukage, asked with narrowed eyes, "What do you all think?"
An Anbu member replied, "Maybe it's because Zabuza threatened to kill everyone during the Chunin Exams. Perhaps that Konoha ninja feared we might hold a Joint Chunin Exam because of it?"
"Maybe?" The Mizukage emphasized his tone.
"It's confirmed!" The ANBU said, more to fill the silence than anything else—the guy hadn't said a word, but what choice did they have but to take it as a yes?
Another Anbu added, "According to intelligence, the Third Hokage's son is set to graduate from the ninja academy this year. It's possible Konoha fears Zabuza might run into him."
Yet another Anbu stated, "Our Genin were completely wiped out by Zabuza. Why not take this chance to thin out other villages' Genin too?"
As he spoke, the other Anbu members immediately became more animated.
"That's right! Zabuza even killed a Tokubetsu Jonin from Konoha—he'll wipe out any Genin from other villages!"
"If among those participating in the Chunin Exams there are important figures like the Hokage's son, we might be able to blackmail other villages into handing over resources."
The Mizukage remained silent, only the sound of his fingers tapping against the table filling the room.
After a long pause, he finally said calmly, "Fine. It's time the shinobi world remembered Kirigakure's terror!"
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