"What should we do, Furen?" Sakura asked nervously from behind, as the approaching dark figures were clearly not friendly.
Furen glanced at Kakashi, who was now exhausted and had no strength left to fight.
"Take good care of her." Furen handed Haku over to Sakura. "Naruto and Sasuke, you two protect Zabuza-sensei and Dazna."
"Furen, you…" Sakura said, holding Haku, worry in her voice.
"Trust me." Furen turned and smiled at Sakura, then faced the others, saying, "Teacher Kakashi, I suddenly realized that my Wind Release and Water Release can combine into a new technique…"
Kakashi looked at Furen, not quite understanding his meaning.
"Ice Release!" Furen exclaimed, slamming his hands onto the ground.
In an instant, the over a hundred-meter-long bridge froze solid, causing Kado's armed men to slip and struggle to maintain their footing.
"This is… Ice Release?!" Kakashi's eyes widened, feeling that the scene before him was somewhat unbelievable.
Furen actually had the bloodline limit of Ice Release!
This bizarre event left Kakashi's mind spinning; how had Furen suddenly gained a new bloodline limit?
Ignoring Kakashi's shock, Furen formed seals. "Shadow Clone Technique."
Faced with hundreds of enemies, Furen created more than a dozen shadow clones this time.
He commanded one clone to rescue Tsunami, while the rest, along with Furen, charged into Kado and his men, unleashing a massacre!
With the ground entirely frozen by Furen's Ice Release, Kado and his subordinates lost much of their combat capability, unable to stand firmly.
Furen charged at them like a fierce tiger, quickly wreaking havoc.
One, two, three… forty, forty-one…
The icy ground became stained with the blood of the fallen.
The number of those who died at Furen's hands continued to rise, while Kado, surrounded, looked on in horror.
When Furen killed his hundredth enemy, Kado and his men finally lost all courage, screaming in panic as they hurriedly tried to escape.
"Thinking of escaping? Not so easy!"
Furen sneered, unleashing another wave of Ice Release that sprouted sharp blades from the ice covering the ground!
Blood-red ice flowers bloomed all over the bridge.
If Haku were awake at this moment and witnessed Furen's might, she would surely be shocked; Furen had mastered Ice Release to a degree rivaling her own.
Furen single-handedly eliminated Kado's forces.
Behind him, Sakura gazed at Furen's back, filled with admiration.
"Furen… you're amazing!"
Meanwhile, Tsunami, rescued by Furen's clone, looked at him with sparkling eyes, as if viewing her hero.
The next day.
On a hillside, the members of Team Seven stood before a newly erected grave alongside Haku.
Furen stepped forward, placing a flower down before speaking to Haku.
"Let's go."
Haku nodded. Ever since Zabuza's death, she had worn a pink dress and stayed by Furen's side.
Furen didn't keep Zabuza's sword; instead, he stored it in a space scroll.
As they returned from Zabuza's grave, the villagers had gathered together, bowing in gratitude to Furen and the others.
"You are our benefactors in the Wave Country!"
The lord of the Wave Country came forward to shake Kakashi and Furen's hands, repeatedly expressing thanks.
Dazna's bridge had been successfully completed, and the dark forces under Kado were gone; the Wave Country welcomed a new future.
All of this was closely linked to Furen's efforts.
After several attempts to decline, Kakashi and the others decided to stay in the Wave Country for one last night.
That night, at Dazna's home.
After the celebrations, everyone went to bed early, except for Tsunami and Furen, who remained by the campfire.
Looking at Tsunami, Furen suddenly conceived a plan.
Could he somehow elicit a favorability gauge from a woman who didn't have one in the system?
With that thought, Furen moved closer to Tsunami. "We'll be returning to Konoha tomorrow."
"Yes, Furen-kun…" Tsunami replied, heading to the kitchen to prepare ramen for him.
After Tsunami finished making the ramen, Furen ate his fill and lay down, ready to sleep.
"Do your best, Tsunami. When you become a ninja someday, come find me in Konoha."
As Team Seven departed, the people of the Wave Country watched their figures fade into the distance. Tsunami turned to her father, Dazna, with bright eyes.
"Father, I've thought of a name for this bridge. Let's call it Furen Bridge!"
"And also, Father, I want to become a ninja!"
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A/N:
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