"You guys just gonna sit there and roast in the sun? Doesn't it get stifling?" Neji crouched down and asked casually.
The two Hidden Mist shinobi below him said nothing.
"I think they're asking to get hit with some shuriken," Neji went on.
Still no reaction from the Mist-nin.
"Tenten, I'll leave it to your aim," Neji sighed.
"No problem!" Tenten chirped with enthusiasm, immediately flinging two shuriken at them.
"Nani?! They're actually throwing them?!"
The two Mist-nin yelped and jumped up in panic.
That was the moment everyone else moved in with a smirk.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
"Leaf Whirlwind."
"Hidden Weapon Barrage."
A few minutes later, the two Mist-nin were left looking like swollen hornet nests, faces battered and bruised, dead where they stood.
"Hahaha, youth!" Might Guy laughed heartily, then turned serious as he looked toward Tazuna.
"Tazuna-san, these Mist shinobi were after you, weren't they?"
"A mission that involves combat with enemy ninja qualifies as a B-rank task."
"You lied about the mission's level. That gives us the right to call it off. Care to explain yourself?"
Guy's gaze was sharp, his tone piercing.
Realizing there was no more hiding it, Tazuna reluctantly confessed everything how he'd been targeted by hired Mist assassins sent by Gato, and how he couldn't afford a higher-ranked mission, so he lied.
However, after hearing the full story, Guy and Lee didn't hesitate to offer their help. As civilians themselves, they couldn't turn a blind eye to such injustice.
Besides, this was the kind of challenge that made a mission truly worthwhile.
Neji was naturally on board too. He hadn't even seen Zabuza and Haku yet. How could he leave now?
Tenten shrugged. "Well, if you're all going, I guess I'm in too."
So the group continued on.
After crossing a river, they entered the Land of Waves, walking through a forest.
Neji scanned the familiar landscape ahead, already preparing for the upcoming battle.
"Stay alert. Protect Tazuna-san," Might Guy suddenly ordered with a wave of his hand.
The three genin instantly formed a swastika-shaped defensive formation, having sensed the oppressive chakra and razor-sharp killing intent in the air.
Neji activated his Byakugan, scanning the surroundings with wary eyes.
He knew it was time Zabuza was about to appear.
"Be careful!"
Whoosh!
A sharp slicing sound tore through the air. A massive blade came flying toward them.
Everyone ducked down, shielding Tazuna as the giant sword flew overhead and embedded itself into a nearby tree.
Swish…
A dark figure, face half-covered in bandages, leapt onto the sword stuck in the trunk.
"That blade…" Guy's pupils narrowed. "You're... the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza."
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist Guy didn't know them all by face, but their signature weapons? Those were etched into memory.
After all, his own father had died by one of those seven blades.
Zabuza radiated a suffocating killing aura. His eyes were as cold as winter frost.
"Might Guy, huh?" Zabuza jumped down, yanking his sword free with one hand. "Back in the days when I was in the Hidden Mist's assassination corps, you were listed in our intel a threat to be treated with extreme caution."
"Oh-ho? Demon of the Mist, I've long wanted a youthful duel with you," Guy responded with a grin.
"Save the chatter. That man behind you he's mine." Zabuza leveled his blade at Tazuna.
"Can't do that. I won't stain the name of youth," Guy replied calmly.
"You three, guard Tazuna-san."
In an instant, the air between Guy and Zabuza erupted with raw energy. Just the force of their chakra sent chills down the spines of the young genin.
So this was what a battle between jōnin felt like. That sheer killing intent alone was enough to crush their fighting spirit.
But Neji remained unfazed. If he couldn't even stand against this level, he might as well quit now. Everyone in the later stages would be way stronger than Zabuza.
Besides, unlike chakra-depleted Kakashi, Might Guy was built for endurance. For a taijutsu specialist like him, locating enemies by sound alone was second nature.
Zabuza's Hidden Mist Jutsu would be useless here.
Whoosh!
Zabuza's body vanished in a flash. At the same time, Guy disappeared as well.
Clang! Clang!
A flurry of high-speed clashes rang out, sparks flying with every strike.
"Hmph! Might Guy, do you really think a tiny kunai can match my Executioner's Blade? Don't insult me!"
Zabuza scoffed, though he felt more confident now his weapon was vastly superior. Victory was inevitable.
But Guy remained unshaken. "Let me show you the power of youth."
In the blink of an eye, Guy lunged, appearing right in front of Zabuza.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
No one noticed the faint smile tugging at the corner of Neji's lips as he slowly drew a kunai from his pouch.
Bang!
Zabuza was kicked backward, stunned.
So fast there wasn't a sliver of margin for error with this guy.
"You're worthy of the name Might Guy. I can't take you head-on," Zabuza muttered.
Meanwhile, the fog in the forest thickened rapidly.
Zabuza flipped onto the surface of a nearby lake, forming hand seals at lightning speed.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
The water churned violently as a massive dragon surged out from the lake, roaring toward Guy.
"Hmph. Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Guy leapt into the air, spinning like a drill.
Boom!
The two forces collided, and the water dragon shattered into mist. Guy landed gracefully on the ground.
"See that? That's the power of youth."
"You're strong. I'll give you that. But I'm still taking him down."
Guy turned his head sharply as he heard the voice. His eyes widened in shock.
At some point, Zabuza had slipped past and was now inside the formation guarding Tazuna.
"It's over!"
Zabuza sneered coldly, swinging his massive blade in a wide arc at the genin.
But just then a flash of silver streaked across the air.
Another figure appeared in an instant, blocking the Executioner's Blade and simultaneously stabbing a kunai into Zabuza's side.
"Nani?!"
Zabuza stared, stunned, at the kunai-wielding Guy holding back his blade, and at Neji now behind him, calmly thrusting a second kunai into his torso.
What the hell just happened?
Guy, fine but this brat? A genin?!
Zabuza had carefully orchestrated a perfect ambush, only to walk right into a trap himself?
Even Guy was taken aback. Neji was the only one aside from him who'd managed to react instantly to Zabuza's movement and strike.
And judging from his calm expression, it was as if he had seen the entire thing coming.
"The Byakugan…? No. He hasn't activated it yet."
Neji smiled faintly, his voice low.
"Everything's going exactly as planned."