Naruto: The Chosen Undead

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Chapter 100 Team 7 vs Zabuza

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The mist thickened further, swallowing the world in dense, impenetrable white. Naruto and Sasuke flickered into position beside Sakura, her hands steady as she reinforced the pyramidal chakra barrier.

"We're at a disadvantage," Sasuke said, his voice quiet but grim.

Naruto and Sakura nodded. From power to experience, to the very environment itself—everything worked in Zabuza's favor. The Demon of the Mist had the upper hand in every possible way.

"Sasuke, use Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Sasuke stiffened at Naruto's suggestion, fully aware of the toll it would take. However, through their training and countless D-rank missions, he had come to understand that Naruto was an extremely crafty combatant—his tactics were often unpredictable but goddamn effective.

Without hesitation, Sasuke formed the hand seals and pushed his chakra to the limit. Two clones materialized in front of him in a puff of smoke, their red Sharingan glowing faintly through the mist.

The original Sasuke dropped to his knees, his breaths labored as sweat poured down his face. His vision blurred for a moment, and his muscles screamed in protest, trembling under the strain. Every ounce of chakra he had left felt like it had been ripped out of him.

"Drink this," Naruto said, shoving the Estus Flask into Sasuke's mouth.

Before he could question it, Sasuke drank from the glowing golden liquid. Instantly, his body felt reinvigorated. The burning ache in his muscles faded, his chakra reserves replenished almost entirely. Even the lingering pain of old wounds, scars buried deep from years of training, vanished.

What the hell… Naruto, just what did you make me drink?

Sasuke thought, his hand tightening around the flask as he stared at Naruto in disbelief. But there wasn't time to ask.

"Focus. We've got work to do," Naruto said, already stepping forward as he gestured for the clones to take position.

Naruto quickly outlined the plan, his voice low but filled with urgency. Sasuke's clones moved swiftly, crouching on the water's surface as they placed their hands into the rippling depths. Sasuke poured every ounce of chakra he had into the technique, channeling pure lightning into the water.

The effect was immediate. Lightning arced and surged through the surface, illuminating the mist with brilliant flashes of blue and white. The water crackled and hissed, small explosions ripping through it as though a storm had descended upon the battlefield. The sheer intensity of the move made the water undulate violently, forcing Zabuza to react.

From within the mist, the Demon of the Mist emerged, leaping high into the air to avoid the electrified surface. His plan to attack from beneath the water was thwarted.

Naruto moved.

His body flickered as he shot toward Zabuza with his Zweihander in hand, the massive blade aimed for a decisive strike.

Zabuza raised the Kubikiribōchō, using the flat of the weapon like a shield.

The two blades collided with a deafening crash, wind chakra surging along Naruto's blade as it clashed against the water chakra flowing through Zabuza's. The force of the collision sent both combatants hurtling back, their feet skidding across the surface of the water as waves rippled outward from the impact.

Naruto raised his sword into the high guard position.

Zabuza's lips curled beneath his bandages into a cold grin. He shifted the Kubikiribōchō slightly, holding it low and parallel to the water—a stance built for sweeping strikes and counters.

"Impressive sword for a kid," Zabuza said. "Let's see if you know how to use it."

Naruto didn't respond with words. Instead, he surged forward, his boots barely skimming the water as he swung the Zweihander in a crushing diagonal arc, the blade slicing down with brutal speed.

Zabuza stepped back, pivoting smoothly as the blade grazed past him, kicking up a splash of water.

"You're quick," Zabuza remarked as he spun his massive blade in a sweeping horizontal arc, aiming low to take out Naruto's legs.

Zabuza underestimated Naruto and intended to give him a painful death rather than a quick one.

Naruto shifted immediately into his low stance, bringing his sword down to meet his opponent's. The clash of steel rang out across the water as Naruto angled his blade to deflect Zabuza's strike upward. The force of the parry created an opening, and Naruto surged forward, aiming a thrust at Zabuza's chest with the tip of his sword using an extended grip.

Zabuza twisted his body at the last second, letting the blade skim past his ribs. His blade came up in a short, brutal cut aimed at the boy's torso.

Naruto stepped back, switching fluidly to his forward-pointing stance directly at Zabuza, creating a defensive barrier that kept the older swordsman at bay.

Zabuza tested the distance with a quick feint, but Naruto's tip followed his movements, controlling the range and keeping him out of reach.

"Not bad," Zabuza muttered.

His movements shifted, becoming looser, almost lazy, as he began circling Naruto. It was clear he was trying to bait Naruto into overextending.

Naruto recognized the tactic immediately. He dropped his blade into the Fool’s Guard.

"You think you can trick me with that amateur stance?" Zabuza sneered, lunging forward with a vertical slash aimed at Naruto's exposed side.

Naruto's trap snapped shut.

With a sudden burst of movement, he pivoted on his back foot, his grip sliding along the pommel in a smooth motion as he brought the Zweihander up in a brutal diagonal cut. The sheer force of the counter knocked Zabuza's blade off-course, forcing him to stagger back.

Zabuza grunted, his grip tightening on the Kubikiribōchō as he adjusted his stance. He shifted low, one foot forward, the blade angled for a precise, slicing attack. He darted in, closing the distance with assassin-like speed, his sword coming down in a quick, calculated strike aimed at Naruto's weapon arm.

Naruto used a sliding grip to whip his greatsword across his body, the massive blade parrying the strike with a sharp clang.

The two swordsmen circled each other, their boots creating faint ripples on the water's surface.

Naruto and Zabuza's swords locked together, grinding against each other in a brutal bind. Sparks flew from the clashing steel as their feet danced across the rippling water, each fighter adjusting their stance.

Naruto gritted his teeth, pushing hard against the sheer weight of Zabuza's blade. His arms strained, but he shifted his grip into the standard lever position, using the pommel for extra control to redirect Zabuza's force. Zabuza responded immediately, twisting his blade and stepping to the side, forcing Naruto to adjust and maintain the bind.

They moved in a deadly waltz, neither giving an inch as their swords remained locked together. Water splashed beneath their boots as they twisted, pivoted, and pushed against each other for dominance. Zabuza pressed forward, forcing Naruto back toward a deeper part of the river.

"You like playing with your food?"

Zabuza snorted. "No," he said simply. "I was interested to see what you'd do. A greatsword like yours is barely—if ever—used by shinobi. You could say this was a moment of... interest. It allowed you to live this long."

Naruto smirked, stepping to the side as he broke the bind with a quick pivot, resetting into his forward-pointing stance, the Zweihander aimed directly at Zabuza's centerline. "Well, thanks for the chance, I guess," he said. "But, honestly, look—despite having no eyebrows, you seem like a cool dude. So why don't you just, I don't know, leave? Or something?"

Zabuza barked a short, humorless laugh, bringing the Kubikiribōchō into a horizontal guard. "Not how this works, kid," he said, stepping forward with a sharp, measured swing.

Naruto parried, sliding his grip up the pommel for better control. Their swords locked again, the bind forcing their faces close enough for Naruto to see the faint glimmer of amusement in Zabuza's eyes.

"I'm a shinobi," Zabuza said, pushing hard into the bind. "As long as we get paid, we kill. That's what it means to be a shinobi."

Naruto remained quiet, his blue eyes narrowing slightly as he absorbed Zabuza's words.

"What? Not going to spew some idealistic nonsense about how shinobi aren't supposed to be like that?"

Naruto shrugged, breaking the bind with a sudden push and sliding into his low stance, the Zweihander pointed forward like a spear. "Eh," he said. "I don't really care. I prefer the role of a knight anyway… or a squire."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Naruto grinned, the tip of his sword steady as he moved to keep Zabuza in range.

"Precept the Seventh: A knight does not barter his blade, for his sword is sworn to those who cannot defend themselves. To trade life for coin is to weigh the worth of one's soul in silver and find it gravely lacking."

"What?"

"My master taught me that," Naruto explained.

"Your master," Zabuza said quietly, his voice losing some of its edge. "He must've been someone worth respecting. There aren't many like that left in this world."

Naruto blinked, surprised.

"How about this, kid?" Zabuza said. "If you want to honor your master so much, here's an offer: kill your team, kill that bridge builder, and walk away. Do that, and I'll let you live."

"Guess you really did lose your brain along with your eyebrows."

"You're young. Foolish. Still clinging to your lofty ideals," Zabuza sneered. "But let me tell you something, boy. You don't know what it means to live in this world. Not yet."

He took a step forward. "Tell me, back on that dock… when the helmsman was about to be killed, why did you move to protect that builder? Why did you care about him?"

Naruto said nothing.

"It wasn't because of some knightly 'precept' or your so-called honor, was it?" He tilted his head mockingly, his voice turning sharp. "It was because you were hired to protect him. You were paid. You did it for the same reason I kill."

Naruto remained silent as Zabuza took the opportunity to glance at the other two. Sakura and Sasuke were in a hushed discussion, their expressions flickering between shock and wariness.

Did they really think a genin could stall me? Zabuza thought. He sometimes forgot how fast shinobi battles were to outsiders. What had felt like an eternity of exchanged strikes with Naruto had barely lasted a minute in real time.

"What?" Sasuke's voice cut through the mist, his tone sharp and taunting. "Did our weakest member actually give you trouble?"

Zabuza rolled his eyes, recognizing the bluff for what it was—a cheap attempt to unsettle him and make him cautious.

Thankfully, before the Demon of the Mist could act, Naruto finally broke his silence.

"I couldn't save Kojiro-san," the boy said suddenly, his voice quiet but heavy with emotion. "Because I was weak. Not because I was like you."

Naruto unequipped it, the massive blade vanishing in a shimmer.

"Honestly," Naruto continued, "it was my mistake to let you get into my head. Precept the Eighth: Speak no words to the wicked; give them no chance to justify their deeds. The only language a monster understands is the cold bite of steel."

Zabuza's eyes widened, and then he felt it—a massive buildup of chakra radiating from Naruto.

The Demon of the Mist felt it: killer intent stronger than his own.

It struck like a tidal wave, brief but devastating. For a fraction of a second, Zabuza wasn't on the mist-shrouded battlefield.

He was standing in the middle of a broken asylum, the air thick with decay and despair. The walls were cracked and stained, the flickering light casting long, jagged shadows. At the far end of the asylum, two massive doors rattled violently, the sound of frenzied banging echoing through the empty halls. Whatever was behind those doors wanted out, and the sheer force of its presence made Zabuza's chest tighten. And then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

Zabuza found himself back on the battlefield, the oppressive mist swirling around him.

That should be impossible, Zabuza thought, his mind racing. He knew that weak killer intent could induce the sensation of fear—a primal unease. But strong killer intent? That could create visuals, break the mind's defenses, and drag someone into their own subconscious horrors. And Naruto—this brat, this loudmouth genin—had unleashed killer intent strong enough to do just that. Even if it was only for a second, Zabuza had felt it. Seen it.

It made no sense.

Naruto's shout shattered the man's thoughts. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"@@novelbin@@

A dozen shadow clones lunged at Zabuza with reckless abandon, their Zweihanders swinging in wide, heavy arcs. The Demon of the Mist cut them down effortlessly. The water exploded around him with each swing, mist and chakra residue mingling in the air.

But it was all a distraction.

From the mist, Naruto appeared with seven clones flanking him. Each one raised a glowing, flickering flame in their hands—the Pyromancy Flame. The heat was immediate and oppressive, cutting through the chilled dampness of the mist like a knife. Steam hissed and rose, obscuring the battlefield further as the mist began to warp and shift under the intense heat.

The faint, choking coolness that had clung to Zabuza moments before was now replaced by a dry, suffocating heat.

Eight fireballs launched forward, streaking through the dissipating mist like comets. The flames roared, their heat pulsing with every rotation as they flew toward Zabuza.

He didn't hesitate—letting go of his control over the mist, Zabuza dropped into the water below, vanishing into the depths like a phantom.

Beneath the water's surface, Zabuza's form blurred as he moved with practiced ease. The water was a Kiri shinobi's domain, and here, he was a predator in his natural habitat. The currents around him shifted unnaturally as he manipulated the water itself with chakra to propel him forward, his movements near silent. Suddenly, Zabuza saw Naruto leap high into the air. The boy's shadow moved against the dissipating mist, outlined by the flames still hanging in the air.

Why?

The thought barely passed through Zabuza's mind before he felt it—a massive build-up of chakra beneath the water. His eyes snapped downward, and he saw Sasuke crouched on the riverbed, holding the glowing Drake Sword in his hands. Floating beside him was an empty Estus Flask.

With a single swing, Sasuke brought the sword down, releasing its innate power. The water exploded in a massive arc, a shockwave parting the river with a deafening roar.

"Water Style: Geyser Jutsu!"

The water beneath him erupted, launching him upward at incredible speed, away from Sasuke's strike and toward Naruto, who waited mid-air.

But Naruto wasn't alone.

Twenty shadow clones formed around him in perfect unison, each holding a talisman. The clones surrounded Zabuza in a circle as they activated the Force Miracle.

A shockwave rippled outward, slamming into Zabuza from all directions. The attack was designed to stunlock him, freezing him in place long enough for Sasuke's Drake Sword to finish the job and free Kakashi from his prison.

But Naruto's confident smirk faded as Zabuza's form melted into water, dissipating harmlessly into the air.

A water clone?!

The real Zabuza burst out of the water near the edge of the battlefield, directly in front of Kakashi's Water Prison. He had used the Water Style: Sailfish Jutsu to propel himself at incredible speeds through the water, bypassing Naruto and Sasuke's carefully laid trap.

"Water Style: Tidal Wave Jutsu!"

Zabuza slammed his palm onto the surface of the river.

The water surged and swelled unnaturally, rising into a massive wave that towered over the dock. The shockwave from the wave's impact split the river, shattering the remaining mist and sending planks of the dock, debris, and Naruto's clones flying in all directions. The sound was deafening, a cacophony of roaring water and cracking wood. When the wave subsided, the battlefield was a chaotic mess of floating wreckage and broken waterlines.

Zabuza's breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling as water dripped from his form. But before he could act, a massive Fūma Shuriken spun toward him.

As the weapon flew toward its target, Sakura clapped her hands together and shouted with confidence, "You lose! I'll trap you in my barriers!"

Without hesitation, he swung his Kubikiribōchō, and the moment steel met steel, the Fūma Shuriken erupted in a violent explosion. Zabuza's eyes widened as the hidden explosive tag Sakura had carefully planted detonated, the force of the blast engulfing him. Before he could recover, the second shuriken followed.

In truth, Sakura couldn't have activated her barriers at such a range—it was all a calculated bluff to make Zabuza focus on defending against the shuriken.

And it worked.

But the dissipating smoke revealed Zabuza's silhouette, bloodied and battered but still standing. The burns and cuts across his body told the story of just how much damage the explosions had inflicted, but his gaze remained as sharp as ever.

Naruto landed on the water's surface, his body flickering as he surged forward with incredible speed.

The momentum from his Shunshin combined with the lack of air resistance turned Naruto into a blur, his blade poised for a devastating stab at Zabuza's chest. The sheer velocity of his attack sent a shockwave across the water, parting it briefly as he closed the distance in an instant.

"Water Style: Pressure Dome Jutsu!"

Water surged upward, surrounding Naruto in a massive sphere that compressed inward from all directions. The weight of the water was immense, pressing against Naruto's armor and restricting his movements. He struggled to lift his arms, but the crushing force pinned him in place.

The only thing saving Naruto was his armor and his innate damage resistance, but even that was beginning to waver under the relentless pressure.

Sakura's eyes widened in horror as she saw Naruto trapped. Without hesitation, she started sprinting across the water toward him, chakra flowing to her feet.

"Hang on, Naruto!" she shouted.

But before she could reach him, a clone of Zabuza emerged from the water, cutting her off.

Sakura skidded to a halt, panic flashing across her face.

Suddenly, from beneath the water, Sasuke burst upward, his blade slicing cleanly through the clone and dispelling it.

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 50, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!