The mist coiled around us, thick and suffocating. Every breath felt damp, heavy with the scent of salt and steel. The bridge stretched ahead, unfinished, its stonework slick from the moisture in the air.
Tazuna's hands trembled slightly as he clutched his tools. He wasn't a fighter. He didn't belong in this battle. But here he was, caught in the storm of shinobi conflict.
Across from us, Zabuza stood like a phantom, his massive Kubikiribōchō resting casually on his shoulder. His bandaged mouth twisted into something between a grin and a sneer.
"Didn't think I'd be seeing you brats again." His voice was low, gravelly. Dangerous.
Beside him stood Haku, masked and silent. His posture was composed, but I could feel the weight of his gaze on us.
Kakashi exhaled slowly, shifting into a ready stance. "This time, we finish this."
The moment snapped like a breaking wire.
Zabuza vanished into the mist.
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "He's using Hidden Mist Jutsu. Stay alert!"
Then, before I could react, Haku moved.
Faster than before.
A blur of motion.
Naruto barely dodged the first wave of senbon. Sasuke twisted at the last second, but a few needles sliced his arm. I pivoted, deflecting a few with my kunai, but Haku was relentless.
He landed lightly, his stance still graceful, unhindered. "I won't hold back this time."
Sasuke scoffed, shaking the blood from his arm. "Tch. Like I'll let you."
He launched a kunai.
Haku deflected it effortlessly, twisting midair before landing soundlessly. Then, before any of us could react, he raised a single hand sign.
The air shimmered.
A ring of ice mirrors erupted around us.
The reflective surfaces captured our images from all angles, refracting and multiplying them in a dizzying display.
Naruto's eyes widened. "What the hell is this?"
Haku stepped into one of the mirrors, and suddenly, his image filled every single one. His voice echoed, calm but resolute.
"This is my Demonic Ice Mirror technique." His tone softened, as if apologizing. "Inside this dome, you cannot win."
Then he moved.
A blur of motion.
Sasuke grunted as a senbon struck his shoulder. Naruto yelped, barely rolling away before another needle embedded itself in the ground where he had stood a moment ago.
I grit my teeth as I dodged, but even I couldn't fully track his speed.
He was moving too fast.
Sasuke wiped blood from his cheek, eyes burning with frustration. "Damn it… how is he everywhere at once?"
Haku's voice was quiet, but firm. "I am not everywhere. I am simply faster than your eyes can perceive."
Naruto scowled. "Like hell you are! You're just hiding behind your mirrors like a coward!"
Another barrage of senbon rained down. This time, Sasuke wasn't fast enough.
A cry of pain tore from his throat as several needles embedded into his leg. He staggered, panting, his movements growing sluggish.
Haku's gaze lingered on him for a moment. "If you surrender, I will not need to hurt you further."
Sasuke's breathing was ragged, his fists clenched tight. He was struggling.
And then—he froze.
His head snapped up, his pupils dilating.
A change.
The air around him pulsed.
His body tensed, then relaxed, and when he lifted his gaze—
Red.
His Sharingan had awakened.
His breath steadied, his muscles looser but controlled. He was seeing something different now.
Haku moved again.
This time, Sasuke reacted.
He twisted away at the last second, dodging the needles that would have struck his chest. His movements were sharper, cleaner.
Haku hesitated—just for a second.
It was all the confirmation Sasuke needed.
A slow smirk spread across his face.
"Got you."
Haku shot forward again, but Sasuke was moving differently now. His eyes tracked the movement before it even happened, his body reacting on pure instinct.
A kunai flashed.
Haku barely avoided it, his form flickering between the mirrors, but there was another shift in the air.
I was moving too.
My hand formed a sign, and the wooden planks beneath us cracked. A thick root shot up from the bridge, twisting toward the mirrors.
Haku's eyes flickered in surprise.
A distraction.
Sasuke took it.
He lunged, kunai slicing through the air, and for the first time—
He struck Haku.
Not a deep wound, just a shallow cut along his sleeve, but it was enough to prove something had changed.
Haku leaped back into the mirror, eyes narrowing behind his mask. He was reassessing.
Sasuke rolled his shoulders, his stance looser, more confident. "Looks like your technique isn't invincible."
Naruto grinned. "Hell yeah! Sasuke's got this now!"
Haku didn't respond. His hands moved in a blur, forming another set of seals.
I felt the air shift.
The temperature dropped further.
More ice.
He was reinforcing the mirrors, making them denser, strengthening his defense.
I exhaled, watching the way the battle unfolded. Sasuke was adjusting to his new Sharingan, but he still wasn't perfect. He was faster now, but not fast enough to fully counter Haku's relentless speed.
Naruto wasn't fast enough to be of help yet. He was watching, frustrated but unable to break through.
And me—
I pressed a hand against the wooden planks. Chakra flowed through my palm, sinking into the bridge itself.
Wood Release wasn't something I intended to reveal just yet.
But… maybe just a little.
Roots slithered beneath the surface, waiting.
Haku moved again, shifting from mirror to mirror, and I caught the slightest hesitation in his movement.
He was worried.
Not about Sasuke. Not about Naruto.
He was worried about something else.
I followed his gaze, my eyes narrowing.
Zabuza and Kakashi were still fighting in the mist.
And Kakashi was bleeding.
Haku clenched his fists.
His next attack came faster, sharper. Sasuke barely managed to dodge, his Sharingan flashing as he countered.
But I saw it now.
Haku wasn't fighting to win.
He was fighting to end this as soon as possible.
He was trying to get back to Zabuza.
And I wasn't going to let that happen.