The battlefield was eerily silent. Watermelon Mountain Fugu and Black Hoe Raiga stared at Wayne like they'd just seen a ghost.
A minor Water Style jutsu—ranked no higher than C—had just split the Executioner's Blade and cost Zabuza Momochi an arm. That was something out of a fever dream.
Even A-rank techniques rarely damaged the Executioner's Blade. Known as one of the Seven Swords of the Mist, it was a regenerating sword that absorbed iron from blood to restore itself—practically unbreakable under normal circumstances.
Later in the timeline, after Zabuza defected and joined Akatsuki alongside Haku, the Executioner's Blade was broken by a Tailed Beast Bomb during a clash with Yagura, who was then the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails.
But a C-rank water blade being comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb? Unbelievable.
Terumi Mei's fists clenched tightly. Her fair face was flushed pink.
It wasn't fear—just overwhelming excitement.
"My brother is really the best! You bunch of fools, are you finally scared now?" she cheered, looking more elated than if she'd personally won a war.
Earlier, she'd genuinely been worried for Wayne. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen weren't just legends in Kirigakure. Their brutal reputation spread through all the great nations—feared far and wide.
Wayne's ability to force such a reversal had caught even her off guard.
Whoosh!
Blood gushed as the Executioner's Blade turned crimson. Zabuza stared daggers at Wayne.
Even after losing an arm, his rage had only intensified.
"You want to continue?" Wayne asked calmly. "You're crippled. You're not my opponent anymore. Besides, I don't want a reputation for bullying the disabled."
"Don't get cocky, brat!!!"
Zabuza's roar cracked the air like thunder.
"You punk! That strike was a fluke! I'll tear you limb from limb!!"
Veins bulged across Zabuza's temple. If he let this go, he'd be the laughingstock of the Mist.
One of the Seven Swordsmen—disgraced by a kid?
Unforgivable.
"Watch me!"
Zabuza gripped the Executioner's Blade with his remaining hand. As blood poured down its edge, the sword absorbed it greedily, repairing its shattered edge like a living leech.
The Executioner's Blade—feared as a sword that never breaks—thrived on the iron in blood. With enough bloodshed, it could endlessly regenerate.
Huff... Huff...
With two sharp breaths, Zabuza composed himself.
His gaze was focused now. Murderous.
The air thickened. A metallic scent of blood seemed to seep into every breath.
"This killing intent… so strong!"
Terumi Mei's breath hitched. She'd seen real killers—but Zabuza's aura was crushing. He had survived countless missions and left mountains of corpses behind. The pressure he radiated could shatter the will of lesser shinobi.
Wayne's expression didn't change. No ripple passed through his eyes.
"So, he's finally serious," he muttered. "Took him long enough. Guess losing that arm pissed him off."
Watermelon Mountain Fugu and Black Hoe Raiga were still confident in Zabuza.
They believed Wayne's earlier win was pure luck—Zabuza had underestimated him, nothing more.
Swish!!!
In a flash, Zabuza vanished.
"So fast!"
Terumi Mei's eyes widened.
In a blink, Zabuza's massive frame appeared before Wayne, swinging his blade down like a guillotine.
BOOM!
The attack cleaved the ground, cracks spiderwebbing for over ten meters.
Wayne had already leapt clear.
"Afraid now, brat?!" Zabuza bellowed. "Don't worry—I won't kill you right away."
He cast a glance at his severed arm, eyes full of seething vengeance.
Wayne had humiliated him. And he intended to return the favor a hundredfold.
"..."
Wayne didn't bother replying. He casually lit a cigarette and took a deep puff, his grin relaxed.
"The sea is dangerous," he said quietly.
"Humans should fear the sea."
Smoke curled upward as Zabuza blinked—momentarily thrown off. What the hell are you even saying?! We're fighting, and you're talking in metaphors?
Swish!
Zabuza disappeared again. This time, his speed doubled. Even Terumi Mei saw only the blur of his afterimage.
"Brother! Behind you!!" she shouted.
Like a phantom, Zabuza reappeared behind Wayne. His Executioner's Blade came crashing down—
But Terumi Mei was already moving.
"Boil Style: Skilled Mist Technique!!"
A wave of dense, corrosive mist surged toward Zabuza. The acid vapor could melt through steel—and even weaken Susanoo-level chakra defenses.
But Terumi Mei's face turned pale.
Because the blade had already hit.
Puff!!!
Zabuza's strike cleaved straight through Wayne's skull. His body was instantly bisected from head to hip.
Boom!
A massive water explosion followed. Wayne's "corpse" dissolved into torrents, bursting like a ruptured dam.
"Another clone?!" Black Hoe Raiga gasped.
Even Zabuza froze.
Once could be explained. But twice?
And this time...
As the water swirled and crashed, the volume was immense—waves rising over ten meters.
Zabuza's arms trembled. This... this isn't just a clone. The chakra in that release... it's beyond anything I've seen in Kirigakure.
"Idiot."
Wayne stood beside Terumi Mei again, arms crossed.
"That wasn't a water clone…"
"…It was a sea clone."