Three days later.
Dawn.
A blanket of dark clouds hid the sky; the air held a chill.
Forest border.
"Ha—" Ayato yawned as he stepped out of the tarp, his gaze wandering over a great tree that had been snapped in half. He shifted his eyes to a nearby boulder taller than a man—its face bore a spiral gouge. Further on, another stone showed a clean, punched-through hole.
"Attribute panel." Ayato murmured inwardly.
Whoom.
A pale-blue status panel appeared before him.
Status Panel
[Name: Ayato Hyūga]
[Clan: Hyūga]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 20]
[Ocular Power: Transmigration Eye]
[Special Abilities: Resonant Thunder Fruit; Ninth Path — Black Coffin]
[Chakra Reserves: Double Nine-Tails class]
[Overall Strength: Near Six-Path level]
[Master–Disciple Task: Teach Naruto the Rasengan (Complete).]
[Teach Sasuke the Chidori (Completed).]
[Teach Sakura the Strength of a Hundred Grasses (Progress: 3/1).]
[Task Time Limit: 1 year.]
[Side Task: Team 7 defeat Momochi Zabuza — Time left: 2 days.]
[Side Reward: One Lottery Gift Pack.]
Ayato closed the panel, lips tightening. "Those brats have improved fast, but Sakura's still the problem."
Team 7's growth had been impressive—yet Sakura's progress remained the bottleneck. She'd acquired raw monstrous strength, but true Hundred-Hands Power required three things in combination: brute strength, medical jutsu, and a yin sealing glyph—only Tsunade knew how to carve that seal. If Ayato wanted the master–disciple quest finished, they needed Tsunade's knowledge. A headache, indeed.
"Nap time." Ayato ducked back into his tent. The students had gone to meet their appointment and were doing the heavy lifting of the side quest. As their teacher, he could at least get another few winks and let them do what they were supposed to.
Across the Land of Waves, a massive half-built bridge lay across the sea—so vast the far end vanished into the mist. A cold fog swallowed the span, lending it an oppressive silence.
On the bridge the three of them stood in the pale morning.
"Do you think the renegade from the Mist—Momochi Zabuza—will actually show?" Naruto tightened his forehead protector, watching the pale fog warily. The past few days he'd trained relentlessly with clones; last night Ayato had mercifully ordered them to rest. Now he felt sharp and ready.
"Silly Naruto, I've told you a dozen times—his name is Zabuza, not 'kame-man'." Sakura massaged her temple. Naruto's idiocy left her speechless.
"Sasuke, think. The target's Dazuna; we're on escort duty, so we're the obstacle. That makes us the first targets," Sasuke said flatly, hands in his pockets. His tone was cold, but his attention remained keen. Something about this didn't sit right—yesterday the person who'd chatted with Ayato looked like the ice-release user. Why would an enemy be chatting casually with their teacher? The whole thing felt off.
"Bah, spare me. I know what's what!" Naruto stuck his chin out and smirked. "I finished my training first. I'm number one!"
Sasuke's jaw tightened. He'd planned to come in first; instead Naruto had beaten him to it. Sakura had come in second. Sasuke—an Uchiha prodigy—had finished last. The insult stung. Pride burned in him. He'd been listening to the taunts ever since.
"Don't provoke Sasuke," Sakura warned, but Naruto only grinned. He wanted to bask in the moment—finally, a chance to shine.
Sasuke lifted his head with cold resolve. "Don't waste my time."
"Alright," Naruto said, fists pumped. "We'll beat the enemy and make Ayato proud!"
They steeled themselves. But then—the fog densified. A bloody, murderous chill rolled through the air, swallowing shapes and sound.
"Watch out!" Sakura snapped, clutching a kunai.
Mist-Body. Zabuza moved through the fog like a shadow and reappeared behind them, kunai flashing toward Sasuke's neck in a single ruthless arc.
In an instant, Sasuke whirled, hands slamming into seals. "Fire Style — Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A blazing sphere shot from his palms and hurtled through the fog. Zabuza leaped back to avoid the inferno and fixed Sasuke with an icy stare. "You found my position because of those Sharingan eyes?"
Sasuke's gaze hardened. "Ayato told us how to face Mist nin: when the fog thickens as he appears, his strike will come from behind."
True enough—Ayato had briefed them the night before, teaching them to read the fog and anticipate a stealth attack. The strategy was sound; the preparations paid off.
Zabuza sneered. "So Ayato sent his little tools to die, did he? Five days of training and you think you can fight me? Laughable."
His voice dripped contempt. Zabuza had learned of Ayato's challenge and thought it absurd—how could three genin be expected to oppose a seasoned jōnin? He planned to cut them down and then deal with Ayato.
"You're Momochi Zabuza, right? If you look down on Ayato, I'll kill you!" Naruto shouted, eyes ablaze. He'd been insulted by Zabuza's dismissal—Ayato had refused to give up on him when others had written him off. For that, Naruto felt loyalty.
Zabuza's tone was cold and clinical. "Ayato told you nothing? A shinobi is a tool to complete the mission. Emotions are a hindrance."
Sadness, hatred—it all had no value. Only the mission mattered. That, Zabuza believed, was the only truth of a ninja's life.
"Ignore him. Let's take him down," Sakura said, springing forward, kunai in a tiny white fist. She leapt with everything she had and aimed a single brutal strike.
Zabuza scoffed and easily kicked Sakura away, sending her flying.
Sakura hit the ground, blood at her lip, eyes wide with shock. His speed—his power—was overwhelming. The realization hit her: Ayato had once beaten a monster like Zabuza with frightening ease. It was surreal.
"Take this!" Naruto roared. He sealed his hands and formed the Rasengan, fingers twisting in the practiced motion. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
White smoke exploded outward as dozens of Narutos burst forth. The clones swarmed Zabuza, converging from every angle and throwing themselves at the cold shinobi.
Their assault was frantic, a desperate rush born of raw courage. Zabuza's face was unreadable—indifferent as ever. The battle for Team 7's survival had begun.
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