In the end, he decided to try.
No longer willing to give up on the wealthy tyrant Cardo so easily, Zabuza wanted to squeeze more money from him — enough to eventually fund his return to Kirigakure.
Ye Dou glanced at him coldly.
"You want to save him?"
Zabuza snorted. "Blame yourself... your head is too valuable. A hundred million ryo — I can't let that go."
With a heavy thud, Zabuza hefted the massive Kubikiribōchō, the Decapitating Carving Knife, and dropped into a combat stance.
He knew well — the masked man before him might be even more dangerous than Hatake Kakashi. He couldn't afford a single mistake.
Seeing Zabuza's decision, Haku and the other rogue ninja behind him also silently prepared for battle.
"Kill him!"
[Kenbunshoku Haki - Observation Haki]
"Kill him!"
At the command, Zabuza's subordinates rushed forward without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Cardo, seeing that the situation was deteriorating rapidly, slipped into a nearby building, desperate to find a place to hide.
Ye Dou stood alone in the sea of corpses, calm as ever, watching the attackers charge toward him.
Suddenly, he raised his hands and rapidly formed six hand seals — Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.
"Fire Style..."
Violent chakra surged into his throat. He muttered quietly to himself,
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation."
The next second, a massive wall of fire erupted, stretching wide across the battlefield.
The inferno roared, transforming into an unstoppable tidal wave of flames, engulfing everything in its path.
Those charging at the front — even Zabuza — instinctively stopped in their tracks, staring in horror at the towering firestorm.
They were born and raised in Kirigakure, surrounded by the sea their whole lives, and were used to terrifying ocean waves.
But they had never seen a wave made of pure, raging flame.
The colossal inferno swept forward like a wrathful beast, obliterating everything it touched.
The ninja at the very front didn't even have time to scream before they were consumed, turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Multiple shouts echoed — the surviving shinobi hastily formed seals and unleashed water-style jutsu to resist the blaze.
The mist ninja following Zabuza weren't elites — most were barely Chūnin level.
But sheer numbers showed their strength. Working together, dozens of ninja barely managed to hold back the wall of flame.
Still — dozens of shinobi struggling against one man. The result was terrifying.
Ssshhhhh—
As the fire and water clashed, dense mist flooded the battlefield, blinding everyone like a heavy fog at dawn.
"Did we get him?!"
"Can anyone sense him?!"
"Where's the sensory ninja?!"
Just as they managed to suppress the flames, a scream split the air.
Without warning, the slaughter resumed.
Puff!
A clean strike — a Chūnin's head flew through the mist. In his final moments, he caught a glimpse of Ye Dou's approaching figure.
"So... fast..."
He couldn't even finish his thought before his life ended.
"Go to hell and apologize to your companions!" Ye Dou said coldly.
One mist ninja tried to flank him from behind, his blade raised high for a killing blow.
This man was a sensory ninja — able to locate Ye Dou through the fog without harming allies.
But Ye Dou never relied on such crutches.
Ye Dou simply sensed killing intent.
Before the ninja's blade could fall, his body jerked unnaturally, as if invisible strings hoisted him into the air.
"Gravity Blade: Chaos." Ye Dou's voice was low and calm.
He tapped the ground lightly with his sword's tip — and the floating enemy crashed to the ground like a stone.
"Ahh—!"
The ninja screamed, but silver light flashed — his head was severed cleanly.
"One hundred million ryo bounty... it's mine."
Suddenly, Zabuza found the right moment.
Without hesitation, he swung the Kubikiribōchō in a brutal arc, aiming for Ye Dou's blind spot.
Zabuza was a master of the Silent Killing Technique. The mist was his greatest weapon — perfect for assassination.
But just as his massive blade came down, a sharp instinct flared in Ye Dou's mind.
He spun instantly, his sword carving a defensive arc.
Clang!
Steel met steel, sparks flying. The force of the clash blew away much of the surrounding mist.
"He blocked it!"
Zabuza's heart sank.
Since his days at the Academy, Zabuza had trained endlessly in assassination techniques.
His ambushes were so deadly that, outside of the Third Mizukage, few had ever escaped him.
Even Hatake Kakashi had only countered him with trickery — not a direct clash.
But now, Ye Dou had blocked a full-force Silent Killing Technique attack head-on.
"So heavy... this must be that unknown Kekkei Genkai user mentioned in the black market intelligence..."
A shiver ran down Zabuza's spine.
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P.S. "Sorry for the delay in posting the next chapter of the novel. Unfortunately, I experienced some technical issues that prevented me from sharing it on time. I'll get it up as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!"