After taking care of Zabuza's water clone, Yoruha called out to Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, focus on dealing with his real body. Don't worry about this side."
Kakashi's lips curved into a faint smile. "Bringing you along was definitely the right decision."
The strength Yoruha had displayed so far filled Kakashi with satisfaction.
From instantly defeating two chunin earlier to now taking down Zabuza's water clone, Yoruha hadn't even used any ninjutsu. Yet his strength already matched that of a jonin.
Kakashi could clearly sense that Yoruha's taijutsu skills were far superior to what they had been the night he tested him.
If Yoruha's taijutsu had been at this level that night, it wouldn't have been so easy for Kakashi to defeat him.
And this was considering that Yoruha had never formally learned taijutsu.
From start to finish, Yoruha had fought purely on instinct, without any formal taijutsu training.
It was clear that if he were to receive proper taijutsu training, his potential would be astounding.
Zabuza regarded Yoruha with a serious expression.
"This troublesome brat… he's really difficult to deal with."
Zabuza realized that if he didn't eliminate Yoruha, it would be impossible to kill Tazuna.
Facing Kakashi one-on-one didn't trouble him too much.
Despite Kakashi's formidable reputation, Zabuza himself was an elite jonin and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
He believed there wasn't much of a gap between him and Kakashi.
But with Yoruha added into the mix, assassinating Tazuna had become much harder.
After all, the mission wasn't about comparing strength with Kakashi but about eliminating Tazuna.
As Kakashi launched another attack at Zabuza, Zabuza's face darkened, and he swung his Executioner's Blade.
The sound of metal clashing echoed across the lake.
One wielded a massive blade, the other a kunai. Sparks flew as the two elite jonin engaged in a pure taijutsu battle.
Their speed and power left Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura—witnessing a jonin-level battle for the first time—utterly stunned.
For the first time, Sasuke felt his own insignificance.
"So this is what a jonin is capable of? Yoruha wasn't wrong. Kakashi really is strong."
Naruto clenched his fists tightly. "Damn it, why am I so weak? I can't do anything to help."
Meanwhile, Sakura stood guard by Tazuna with a serious expression.
She knew she was the weakest among them.
If even Sasuke and Naruto couldn't participate in the fight against Zabuza and Kakashi, then she definitely couldn't either.
However, when she looked at Yoruha, she was filled with awe.
Yoruha had left an enormous impression on her.
From saving her by instantly defeating two chunin earlier to now destroying a jonin's water clone and protecting all four of them, his strength far surpassed theirs.
Back in the ninja academy, he had barely been noticeable.
Yoruha, however, was entirely focused on the battle between Zabuza and Kakashi.
This fight was providing him with immense insights.
After all, this was a clash between two elite jonin, even if it was purely a taijutsu battle.
Watching them fight gave Yoruha plenty of inspiration.
He even managed to pick up some taijutsu techniques just by observing.
Previously, he didn't know any formal taijutsu and relied solely on his physical abilities in combat.
Zabuza, noticing Kakashi's increasingly aggressive attacks, realized that if this continued, regardless of the outcome, he wouldn't be able to eliminate Tazuna.
With a powerful swing of his Executioner's Blade, Zabuza sent Kakashi flying.
He then leapt backward, his hands moving at lightning speed to form hand seals.
In the blink of an eye, a jutsu was complete.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
A dragon's roar echoed from the lake.
Columns of water shot up from the lake's surface, instantly coalescing into a massive water dragon over ten meters long.
The water dragon howled as it surged toward Yoruha with incredible speed.
Kakashi, still recovering from being thrown back, was shocked.
"Not good! Yoruha doesn't know ninjutsu yet!"
But the water dragon was too fast. In an instant, it was upon Yoruha and the others.
After releasing his jutsu, Zabuza smirked. "No matter how strong your taijutsu is, blocking this jutsu will be nearly impossible! Hahaha!"
The water dragon roared, ferocious and unstoppable, speeding closer.
It seemed inevitable that it would engulf Yoruha and the others.
Kakashi wanted to intervene, but there was no time.
Yoruha, staring at the water dragon rushing toward him, frowned slightly.
"That's quite a powerful jutsu."
In the next moment, his hands began moving rapidly.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Just as Zabuza's water dragon was about to strike, Yoruha's hands finished forming seals in an instant.
Droplets of water began gathering around Yoruha.
The water droplets spun rapidly in the air, forming into a massive water dragon, tens of meters larger than Zabuza's.
This enormous water dragon surged upward from above Yoruha's head like a colossal sea creature emerging from the ocean.
It roared ferociously and charged at Zabuza's water dragon.
The two water dragons collided with immense force, causing the ground within dozens of meters to crack like a spiderweb.
In an instant, the massive water dragon created by Yoruha shattered Zabuza's dragon into a spray of water.
Yoruha's dragon remained intact, surging forward with lifelike ferocity, heading straight for Zabuza.
In the blink of an eye, the massive dragon's head, several meters wide, opened its jaws to devour Zabuza.
"Impossible! How does he know this jutsu? At his age, he couldn't possibly have that much chakra!"
"And his Water Dragon Jutsu... it's formed from nothing, without using the lake's water!"
"Where does this brat get such a terrifying amount of chakra?"
"And why is his Water Dragon Jutsu so much stronger than mine? Is this guy even human?"
Countless thoughts raced through Zabuza's mind in that brief moment.
Seeing the massive water dragon lunging at him with its jaws wide open, Zabuza had no choice but to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape.
The gigantic water dragon missed Zabuza and plunged into the lake where he had been standing.
The impact sent waves several meters high rippling across the lake. Even someone as seasoned as Zabuza, a product of the Bloody Mist, felt a chill in his heart.
"What a terrifying Water Dragon Jutsu. Its power far surpasses mine."
"This kid is a monster."
"If that had hit me, I'd probably be blown into pieces."
Meanwhile, Kakashi, who had reached Sasuke and Naruto's side, was staring at Yoruha in disbelief.
He muttered, "That Water Dragon Jutsu... could he have learned it just by watching Zabuza?"
The thought sent a shiver down Kakashi's spine.
Such a learning ability was beyond terrifying.
Even more astonishing, after learning it, Yoruha's version of the jutsu was far more powerful than Zabuza's.
Kakashi doubted whether even he could execute a Water Dragon Jutsu of the same caliber.
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