Naruto: Different Path

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The journey continued smoothly without obstacles until Kakashi shouted, "Get down!" 

Startling everyone, they hit the ground just as a large sword flew over their heads, embedding itself into a nearby tree trunk. 

Standing atop the sword was a strange-looking figure. 

The person had a white cloth covering their face, muscular build, and moved with lightning speed, clearly demonstrating exceptional power.

This figure was Zabuza, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, while Kakashi, the famous Copy Ninja, also had a well-established reputation. 

As soon as they saw each other, both instantly recalled their information on their opponent. 

Kakashi, the ninja who had copied over a thousand jutsu. 

Zabuza, the "Demon" who had killed over a hundred fellow students during his time at the Ninja Academy—an individual well-known for his bloodlust.

Both of them were well aware of each other's strengths. Kakashi immediately lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan. 

Sakura and Sasuke were both shocked. Sasuke couldn't believe Kakashi possessed the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai, while Sakura was in awe of the power of the Sharingan. 

Zabuza made it clear that his target was Tazuna, the bridge builder. However, Kakashi, who had promised to protect him, wouldn't back down. 

Realizing no room for negotiation, Kakashi instructed Naruto and the others to form a defensive formation around Tazuna.

In response, Zabuza began forming hand signs, and in the blink of an eye, the area was engulfed in thick mist. 

The killing intent from both sides was palpable. 

Sasuke was frozen in fear under the intense pressure, and even Naruto, though capable, hesitated for a moment before quickly regaining his composure. 

Suddenly, Zabuza appeared in their midst without a sound.

Using the Silent Killing Technique, Zabuza could have sliced all four in half in a single moment. 

But just as Zabuza was about to strike, Kakashi reacted instantly. 

His Sharingan glowed red as he seemingly teleported and stabbed a kunai into Zabuza's abdomen. 

However, water poured out instead of blood, revealing that Zabuza was just a Water Clone.

At that moment, the real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and slashed him in half, but this Kakashi was also just a Water Clone. 

The real Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, holding a kunai to his neck. 

Kakashi's reputation as the Copy Ninja was well-earned—he had instantly copied Zabuza's technique. 

However, Zabuza suddenly laughed, saying, "Copying alone won't be enough to defeat me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zabuza's body turned to water, another Water Clone. 

The real Zabuza then appeared and kicked Kakashi into the nearby water, displaying excellent taijutsu skills, as expected from a wielder of the Executioner's Blade. 

Kakashi tried to hide underwater, but it was too late when he realized something was wrong. 

Zabuza quickly formed hand signs and trapped him with the "Water Prison Jutsu."

With Kakashi immobilized, Zabuza maintained the Water Prison with one hand while creating another Water Clone with the other, intending to finish off Naruto and the others. 

Seeing Kakashi trapped, Sakura and Sasuke were filled with despair, feeling their defeat was inevitable. 

Despite being in the Water Prison, Kakashi smiled at Naruto as if to say, "You should be ready for real combat by now." 

Naruto understood Kakashi's message and quickly formed hand signs, unleashing "Wind Style: Wind Blade."

A powerful gust of wind Blade blew across the battlefield, lifting dust and debris from the roadside. 

Zabuza used his Executioner's Blade to defend himself from the sharp wind blades. 

The surface of the water was churned into waves by the force of the attack. 

Internally, Zabuza's heart was also in turmoil as he realized this boy was no ordinary child.

Naruto, propelled by the wind, charged at Zabuza and easily destroyed the Water Clone with a swift attack. 

He then threw several shurikens at Zabuza. As Zabuza dodged the shuriken, a small but fast-moving foot appeared before him. 

Forced to release the Water Prison, Zabuza used both hands to block Naruto's kick, but the strength behind it was far greater than Zabuza expected, pushing him back. 

With Kakashi now free from the Water Prison, Naruto swiftly retreated to his previous position.

At that moment, Sakura looked at Naruto with admiration in her eyes. 

"Naruto handled that so effortlessly, even in such a dire situation," she thought. 

Naruto gave her a confident smile as if to say, "Of course." 

Sasuke, on the other hand, clenched his fists in frustration, thinking, 'Has the gap between Naruto and me grown this large without me realizing?'

Meanwhile, Kakashi, now free, resumed his battle with Zabuza. He perfectly mimicked Zabuza's movements. 

The two ran across the water, moving in perfect sync, both unleashing "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu," causing two massive water dragons to clash in the air. 

Despite using the same jutsu, the battle reached a stalemate.

Then, in the next instant, Kakashi began to anticipate Zabuza's every move, even predicting what Zabuza was about to say. 

It was as if Kakashi could see the future. While forming hand signs, Zabuza was inwardly shaken by Kakashi's ability. 

Suddenly, Kakashi completed his hand signs before Zabuza could finish his, shouting, "Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu." 

A massive surge of water slammed into Zabuza, sending him crashing into a tree. 

Before he could recover, several kunai pinned him in place, restricting his movement.

Just as Kakashi was about to finish off Zabuza, a barrage of senbon needles flew out of nowhere, striking Zabuza in the neck and hitting his vital point. 

Zabuza collapsed, seemingly dead, his eyes filled with disbelief. 

The one who threw the needles was a masked boy, whom Kakashi quickly identified as a member of the Hidden Mist's hunter-nin squad.

Knowing that Zabuza was a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist, Kakashi accepted that the hunter-nin was there to kill him, which made sense. 

Kakashi checked Zabuza's body and confirmed that he had no pulse. Since the hunter-nin had done his job, Kakashi had no objections. 

Naruto, on the other hand, knew that this was all a ruse but didn't want to expose it. 

He was looking forward to another battle with Zabuza and Haku—this was valuable real-world combat experience.

Sakura, meanwhile, was shocked by the masked boy's ruthlessness, while Sasuke was left frustrated by the fact that people around his age seemed so much stronger than him, gripping his fists until they nearly bled. 

After thanking Kakashi, the masked boy took Zabuza's "body" and left.

Once they were gone, Kakashi suddenly collapsed. The extended use of his Sharingan had drained a massive amount of chakra. 

Naruto and the others quickly helped him and took him to Tazuna's house to recover. 

Meanwhile, their thoughts were already on their next encounter with Zabuza and Haku.

When Kakashi woke up at Tazuna's house, he immediately sensed something was wrong. 

Haku hadn't dealt with Zabuza's body on the spot, and he had used regular senbon needles. 

This led Kakashi to believe that Zabuza might still be alive, which startled everyone. 

However, they could only focus on finding a solution to the problem at hand. Kakashi suggested that they could train to strengthen their abilities. 

Sakura expressed doubt, saying there was no way they could catch up to Zabuza in such a short time.

However, when Kakashi mentioned Naruto and Sasuke's recent progress, Sakura had nothing to say. 

At that moment, Inari chimed in with a sarcastic remark, "It's pointless. You're all going to die. Anyone who stands up to Gato will end up dead." 

Naruto, who disliked pessimistic kids like Inari and seemed to think the whole world was ending after experiencing hardship, immediately responded, "Don't think that everyone is as worthless as you."

Inari wanted to argue back, but Tazuna held him back. Inari then ran upstairs, but Naruto didn't care what he went to do. 

In Naruto's eyes, weak people should find a way to become strong, and being pessimistic wouldn't help anyone. 

Kakashi then took Naruto and the others into the forest for training.

The training involved climbing trees using only their feet, which was challenging for both Sakura and Sasuke. 

Having already practised extensively, Naruto quickly ran to the top of the tree after Kakashi finished explaining. 

Sakura made it halfway up, but Sasuke couldn't even get that far. 

Kakashi then casually remarked, "It seems like the Uchiha clan isn't all that impressive after all," which infuriated Sasuke to the point where he almost lost his temper. 

Determined, Sasuke made a silent vow to surpass Naruto.

Naruto said to Kakashi, "Sensei, I've already mastered this. Could you teach me something else?" 

Kakashi looked at Naruto and replied, "True, this isn't that challenging for you anymore. In that case, follow me." 

With that, he led Naruto to another part of the forest. After finding an open space, Kakashi turned to Naruto and said, 

"Naruto, last time, I was surprised to see how quickly you mastered the Wind Style jutsu I taught you." 

"You've refined it to the point where it's more powerful than when I use it, mainly because Wind Style isn't my forte." 

"I'm sure you've also made good progress with Fire Style, right? Next, I'll teach you a combination technique of Wind Style and Fire Style."

Naruto had already been thinking about combining jutsu for some time. However, combining jutsu wasn't as simple as adding two jutsu together. 

For it to work, the chakra ratios had to be perfectly balanced, and mastering this balance required a lot of effort. 

Kakashi rarely used combination techniques—not because he didn't want to, but because the amount of chakra it took to perform a high-level jutsu while maintaining Shadow Clones made it impractical. 

Even if he succeeded, it would waste too much chakra, which wasn't efficient for a ninja like him.

Despite this, Kakashi's Sharingan had allowed him to copy thousands of jutsu, so he understood the technique's principles well. 

He began teaching Naruto how to perform combination jutsu. 

But understanding the theory was one thing; putting it into practice was another. 

Moreover, this training required coordination between multiple Shadow Clones, which slowed the process. 

Still, three days of intensive training should be enough, and combining jutsu with his clones was easier than combining them with someone else.

The intense training even caused Sasuke's appetite to rival Naruto's. Seeing the two of them eat so heartily, Kakashi couldn't help but smile slightly. 

Sasuke's progress was also noticeable, which meant he was doing his Uchiha lineage proud. 

However, Sakura's progress wasn't as significant due to her physical limitations, although she improved somewhat.

Zabuza's return was approaching, so Naruto and the others accompanied Tazuna to the bridge. 

Before leaving, Naruto created two Shadow Clones to stay behind and protect Tazuna's family.

When they arrived at the bridge, a thick fog began to roll in, instantly alerting everyone. 

After all, Hidden Mist Jutsu was Zabuza's signature technique. Not long after, Zabuza and Haku emerged from the mist. 

Haku, a speed-based ninja, was someone Naruto could handle, but Sakura might struggle against him. 

Haku rushed toward Sasuke first, but surprisingly, Sasuke wasn't knocked back as expected.

Sasuke wasn't just keeping up with Haku's speed but countering his moves. 

It seemed that the days of intense training hadn't been in vain. 

Zabuza was surprised to see Sasuke hold his own against Haku, but he still had confidence in Haku's abilities. 

However, his gaze shifted toward Naruto—the only factor that worried him.

Unable to land a decisive blow on Sasuke, Haku used his Demonic Ice Mirrors to trap Sasuke inside and attacked him at incredible speed. 

Sasuke was left with no choice but to stay on the defensive. 

Seeing Haku finally use his signature technique. Naruto knew he could have helped Sasuke break out more easily by attacking from the outside. 

However, thinking that would be too boring, Naruto casually walked into the Demonic Ice Mirrors himself.

When Zabuza saw this, he laughed, "I was worried at first, but now it's clear those two brats are doomed."

"Walking right into death's door—what idiots!" 

With that, he swung his massive sword and charged at Kakashi, increasing the density of the mist to the point where visibility was nearly zero. 

This was to block Kakashi's Sharingan completely, while Zabuza used his Silent Killing technique to attack. 

Kakashi quickly found himself disadvantaged in this situation, and the battle looked grim.

Meanwhile, inside the Demonic Ice Mirrors, Naruto noticed how fast Haku was and how perfectly he moved within the mirrors. 

Handling him with just taijutsu would be incredibly difficult. 

Destroying the mirrors seemed the most direct solution, and Sasuke was already in a bad state. 

Seeing this, Naruto created his Shadow Clones and quickly formed hand signs: "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough! Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu! Combination technique—Blazing Gale!"

Naruto's jutsu was already powerful, but this combination technique was even more terrifying. 

The fire, enhanced by the wind, was so intense that Haku's Demonic Ice Mirrors shattered instantly, unable to withstand the attack. 

Not only did the mirrors break, but Haku himself was also caught in the devastating flames and killed in an instant. 

Seeing Naruto's overwhelming power, Sasuke was shaken to his core, and at that moment, he awakened the Sharingan. 

Meanwhile, Sakura was, as usual, in awe of Naruto.

On the other side, Zabuza witnessed Haku's death. 

Although he found it hard to believe, he regarded Haku as nothing more than a killing tool, so it didn't matter to him. 

He continued to use the mist to hide himself while relentlessly attacking Kakashi. 

Seeing this, Naruto formed hand signs again: "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough" 

A powerful gust of wind blew through, and while it had little offensive power, it quickly cleared the dense mist.

With the mist gone, Kakashi could easily see Zabuza's movements. 

After exchanging a few blows, Kakashi unleashed his signature jutsu—Lightning Blade (Chidori). 

This was the first time Naruto had seen this technique, and its combination of shape and nature transformation made it incredibly powerful. 

With the aid of his Sharingan, Kakashi charged forward and pierced Zabuza's heart in one swift motion. 

Even though Zabuza was now dead, he had earned their respect as a formidable opponent.

After defeating Zabuza, a man named Gato showed up, bringing a group of thugs. 

At the same time, Naruto sensed from his Shadow Clone's information that the goons had also gone to Tazuna's house to cause trouble but had been cared for by the clones. 

Naruto had nothing but disdain for thugs like them. 

Before they could even say much, Naruto unleashed his combination technique, Blazing Gale, reducing the entire group of trash to ashes in their shocked disbelief.

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