"Zabuza-sama! Watch out!"
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Before the last syllable even faded, a figure in a green kimono sprang from the treetops, gracefully flipping through the air like an acrobat with a dramatic entrance complex.
Silver needles shot out from their sleeves, zipping toward Naruto's airborne clones with pinpoint accuracy.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Clouds of white smoke burst one after another as the clones popped out of existence, their Rasengans disappearing along with them.
Zabuza scowled, irritation flashing across his face. "Didn't I tell you to stay hidden and observe, Haku? I had this under control."
He absolutely did not have this under control.
Meanwhile, Naruto, standing ten meters away, had stars in his eyes as he stared at Haku. "Ohhhh, it's you!"
Haku hesitated, eyes narrowing. "You… know me?"
"Ehehe… let's just say I have my ways," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. 'Which totally doesn't include having watched your tragic backstory in another life…'
He quickly shook the thought away. No time for existential crises.
"Naruto, you handle that one. I'll take Zabuza," Kakashi said, appearing beside him.
"Gotcha!" Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Alright, Haku! Let's see what you got!"
With a speed that defied logic, Haku spun like a top, gliding across the water. Within seconds, they were right in front of Naruto, aiming a precise strike with a senbon needle.
Clang!
Naruto barely managed to block with his kunai, feeling the force behind it.
"Give up and leave," Haku said, voice as smooth as a winter breeze. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Pfft, what a coincidence! I don't want to hurt you either!" Naruto grinned. "But uh… side question—are you a boy or a girl?"
Haku blinked. "Does it matter?"
Naruto shrugged. "I mean, kind of? You're really pretty, so my brain is struggling a little here."
Haku let out a long sigh, rubbing their temple. "I am a boy."
Naruto gasped dramatically. "WHAT?! But—BUT—how?! Zabuza, are you seeing this?! This is some next-level deception!"
Zabuza, mid-parry against Kakashi, grunted. "Why the hell would I care?!"
"I'm just saying! I feel betrayed, man!" Naruto clutched his chest like he'd suffered a mortal wound. "I almost called you 'Ice Princess'!"
Haku's eyebrow twitched. "You already did."
"Oh… right. Well, uh, no take-backs!" Naruto gave a thumbs-up, grinning. "You're officially an Ice Princess now!"
Haku took a deep breath, clearly regretting their life choices, before stepping back and forming hand seals.
"Then I'll make you leave."
"Uh-oh," Naruto muttered.
"Secret Jutsu—Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"
Water droplets lifted from the ocean surface, swirling into the air and forming countless shimmering senbon needles. They hovered for a split second—then came crashing down like a merciless storm.
"Nice trick! But—" Naruto leaped into the sky, flipping backward. "—I got one too!"
He inhaled deeply, chakra surging.
"Wind Style—Vacuum Bullets!"
A barrage of compressed air bullets shot out from his mouth, colliding with the incoming needles mid-air. The impact sent water splashing and metal clinking in every direction.
Haku blurred out of sight, reappearing several feet away, already forming more seals.
"Secret Jutsu—Demonic Ice Mirrors!"
Chakra pulsed, and in an instant, towering ice mirrors erupted around Naruto, encasing him in a crystalline dome. The sea beneath his feet froze over, and chilling air filled the space.
Naruto whistled. "Okay, this is kinda cool."
Reflections of Haku appeared in every mirror, moving independently. Their voice echoed from all around him. "This is my domain. Here, I cannot lose."
"Ohhh, spooky!" Naruto teased, cracking his knuckles. "But you forgot one thing, Ice Princess."
The air around him suddenly shifted.
Chakra burst forth from his body in a raging swirl, sending shockwaves through the frozen battlefield. The ice groaned under the pressure.
Haku's eyes widened slightly. "This chakra…?"
Naruto grinned. "Wind Style—Whirlwind Fist!"
Blue chakra condensed around his right fist, forming a massive, roaring vortex.
BOOM!
With one explosive punch, he drove his fist into the ice beneath him. Cracks spread like spiderwebs in all directions before the entire structure shattered in a glorious symphony of ice and destruction.
Haku was flung backward, crashing into the ocean and vanishing beneath the surface.
Kakashi, still clashing with Zabuza, cast a quick glance at Naruto and let out a low whistle. "This kid just keeps getting stronger…"
Naruto stood triumphantly in the wreckage of what was once Haku's impenetrable ice dome. "Boom, baby! Who needs a Kekkei Genkai when you have these bad boys?" He flexed his arms.
A safe distance away, Kakashi blinked. Did… did Naruto just muscle his way out of a Bloodline Limit?
Zabuza, equally baffled, muttered, "What kind of meathead logic is that?"
As Haku struggled to stand, soaking wet, they stared at Naruto in disbelief. "That... that wasn't supposed to happen."
Naruto grinned, crossing his arms. "Welp, I guess I'm just built different."
Before Haku could react, a new system prompt suddenly flashed before Naruto's eyes.
[Anger Points -100]
[Congratulations! You have drawn… nothing!]
Naruto's eye twitched.
'WHAT?! NOTHING?!'
He stared at the empty notification like it had personally insulted his ancestors.
Naruto felt his heart stop for a second before dramatically clutching his chest. "NOOOO! SYSTEM, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!" He fell to his knees, shaking his fists at the sky. "I TRUSTED YOU!"
Haku, Zabuza, and even Kakashi just stared in stunned silence.
Kakashi sighed. "Let's wrap this up before Naruto starts thinking he's invincible."
Zabuza cracked his knuckles. "He already does."
Naruto sprang up immediately, giving a thumbs-up. "Damn right!"